Title Dawood and Another v Minister of Home Affairs and Others; Shalabi and Another v Minister of Home Affairs and Others; Thomas and Another v Minister of Home Affairs and Others

Publication Date 7 June 2000

Country South Africa

Topics Right to family life

Citation / Document Symbol CCT35/99 2000 (8) BCLR 837 (CC)

Cite as Dawood and Another v Minister of Home Affairs and Others; Shalabi and Another v Minister of Home Affairs and Others; Thomas and Another v Minister of Home Affairs and Others, CCT35/99 2000 (8) BCLR 837 (CC), South Africa: Constitutional Court, 7 June 2000, available at: https://www.refworld.org/cases,ZAF_CC,58501f464.html [accessed 3 November 2022]
Uzbekistan: Prisoners' human rights still denied

Publisher Forum 18 Author Mushfig Bayram Publication Date 13 December 2016 Cite as Forum 18, Uzbekistan: Prisoners' human rights still denied, 13 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/585103094.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.

Uzbekistan continues long-standing denials of freedom of religion and belief and other human rights of prisoners, including those jailed for exercising freedom of religion and belief. Violations include torture, denials of medical care and of the possibility to read sacred texts and pray openly.
UN human rights report urges end to 'unimaginable abuse' of migrants in Libya

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 13 December 2016 Related Document(s) "Detained and Dehumanised" - Report on Human Rights Abuses Against Migrants in Libya Cite as UN News Service, UN human rights report urges end to 'unimaginable abuse' of migrants in Libya, 13 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5851041540c.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.

13 December 2016 - A joint report launched today by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) citied "unimaginable" human rights violations and abuses of migrants in Libya as a result of the breakdown in the crisis-riven country's justice system.

"People smuggled or trafficked into Libya face torture, forced labour and sexual exploitation along the route, and many while held in arbitrary detention," Martin Kobler, the Secretary General's Special Representative for Libya and Head of UNSMIL in a news release.

The report, entitled Detained and Dehumanised: Report on Human Rights Abuses against Migrants in Libya also stated that migrants were held in detention centres mostly run by the Department for Combatting Illegal Migration (DCIM), and had no access to lawyers or judicial authorities, no formal registration, and no legal process.

In addition, some migrants were held in "connection houses," on farms, in warehouses and inside apartments. They were forced to work and earn money for their onward transport. "We are called animals and are treated as animals," a 16-year-old boy from Eritrea had told UNSMIL.

The report also described armed men, allegedly from the Libyan Coast Guard, abusing migrants by bringing them to shore, beating, robbing, and taking them to detention centres.

"The list of violations and abuses faced by migrants in Libya is as long as it is horrific. This is, quite simply, a human rights crisis affecting tens of thousands of people," said Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The report also urged Libyan officials to immediately release the most vulnerable migrants, with a view to urgently ending all arbitrary detentions; reduce the number of detention centres; ensure women were held separately from men; improve conditions of detention and protect detainees from torture and all other forms of abuse; and, in the medium-term, decriminalize irregular migration and adopt an asylum law.

In addition, "the report lays bare the suffering endured by these migrants who have experienced unimaginable abuse and, in some cases, fallen victim to the despicable trade in human lives," stated High Commissioner Zeid, adding that the report "appeals to our compassion and our resolve that the rights of migrants should be fully protected and respected, whatever their status."

Irregular migration was against the law in Libya, which was why migrants were being detained. As a result, OHCHR urged the country to adopt a regular asylum law. UNSMIL also said that it has received reports indicating that some Libyan State employees or local officials may have been involved in the smuggling and trafficking process.
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.
Nigeria: End Repression of Shia Group

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 14 December 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Nigeria: End Repression of Shia Group, 14 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/585106444.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.

Nigerian authorities should end their violent repression of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), a minority Shia group, that began with a three-day lethal crackdown on December 12-14, 2015, and free its leader, Human Rights Watch said today.

Sheik Ibraheem El Zakzaky, leader of the IMN, and his wife, Zeenatudeen, have been detained without trial for a year. On December 12, 2015, the Nigeria army used disproportionate force against the group's street procession in Zaria, Kaduna State in northwestern Nigeria to clear a route for the army chief's convoy. In an ensuing three-day violent crackdown, the army killed 347 members of the group and injured and arrested scores more. The violence against the group continued in a series of episodes in October and November 2016.

"The involvement of soldiers in the Zaria incidents, and subsequent police actions against the Islamic Movement raises major questions about Nigeria's commitment to military reform," said Mausi Segun, senior Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The Kaduna state government's continued repression of the group without holding the attackers responsible turns justice on its head."

Nigerian authorities should hold accountable anyone who has committed crimes against Islamic Movement members, and take immediate steps to comply with a federal court order mandating the release of Sheik El Zakzaky and his wife, Human Rights Watch said.

Human Rights Watch reported in December 2015 that the killings were unjustified and called for an independent and impartial investigation into the carnage.

A judicial commission of inquiry, appointed to investigate the events, found that the army used "excessive force" against protesters and was responsible for the deaths and mass burial of the 347 members of the group. It recommended the prosecution of soldiers involved in the killings. The commission also recommended holding Islamic Movement members responsible for their "acts of habitual lawlessness," and said that El Zakzaky bore responsibility for failing to call his followers to order when requested to do so.

In a White Paper responding to the report released on December 5, 2016, the Kaduna State government unilaterally declared the Islamic Movement to be an insurgent group against which the army was justified in using lethal force. Contrary to the commission's findings, the state government stated that soldiers who shot at protesters, laid siege to religious sites belonging to the group, killed 347 members and buried them in unmarked mass graves, acted according to the army's rules of operation.

The Kaduna State government is seeking the death penalty against 50 members of the group who are facing trial for the death of the only military casualty in the episode, Corporal Dan Kaduna Yakubu. But it has essentially exempted the army from any responsibility for the killings of the Islamic Movement members, and no-one has been held responsible for the deaths.

On October 7, the state government banned the Islamic Movement, citing the commission of inquiry's finding that the group was unregistered. The move appears to have triggered a wave of police and mob violence against the group's members participating in its annual religious processions, and the destruction of their properties in Kaduna as well as neighboring Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau, and Sokoto States, where the police followed the Kaduna example of banning activities of the group. Media reports allege that at least 12 people died in the violence in October, and more than 10 more were killed in subsequent clashes in November.

A federal high court ruled on December 2 that the continued detention without trial of El Zakzaky and his wife by the State Security Services, "amounted to a gross violation of the constitution and the African Charter on Human and People's Rights." The court ordered the government to release the couple within 45 days, pay them approximately US$170 million in damages, and provide them with a secure residence in view of the December 2015 destruction of their home. The federal government, in whose custody El Zakzaky and his wife have been detained, has not indicated whether it will comply with the court's decision.

Hundreds of the group's members have remained in prison since the Zaria incident and subsequent arrests during religious processions and protest marches to demand their leaders' release, the group says. A few detainees, mostly women and children, were released but most others have been arraigned in courts in Kaduna, Kano, and Jos for offenses including disturbing public peace, incitement, unlawful assembly, and homicide.

The pattern of violent repressive conduct against the group may violate Nigeria's constitution, which guarantees the rights to life; personal liberty; freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; peaceful assembly and association; and freedom of movement. Nigeria may also be in breach of its obligations under African regional and international human rights law to protect these rights.

"Nigeria's federal and state authorities should reconsider the heavy-handed crackdown against IMN members, take urgent steps to protect them, and hold those responsible for the unlawful deaths of group members to account," Segun said. "The government should carry out its law enforcement responsibilities without jeopardizing its own credibility by ignoring court decisions that rightly seek to check its agents' excesses."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
A Virgin America plane takes off past an Alaska Airlines plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. (AP)

Alaska Air Group (ALK) finalized its $2.6 billion acquisition of Virgin America on Wednesday, creating the fifth-largest airline in the US, serving nearly 40 million customers.

The two companies originally announced plans to merge in April, with Virgin America shareholders approving the deal in July. The final step was getting clearance from the Department of Justice, which happened on Dec. 6.

This merger will make the new airline a dominant presence west of the Mississippi, offering more nonstop destinations on the West Coast than any other airline. Overall, their combined fleet of 286 planes will fly 1,187 daily flights to 118 cities in the US, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba.

For consumers, the combination could have a real impact on how they earn and use miles. In 2016, U.S. News and World Report identified Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan as the best frequent flier program for US carriers. Unlike the spend-based programs that have become popular with Delta and American, Alaska Airlines still allows its members to earn points based on number of miles flows. Program members also have access to more than 800 destinations around the world through Alaskas Global partners. This distinction is something the Alaska Air Group wants to maintain during the transition.

We plan to make this the most customer-friendly merger ever, and we will have much more to announce over the coming weeks, said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group, which is based in Seattle.

What we do know is that starting on Dec. 19, Virgin America Elevate members will be able to earn Elevate points on Alaska flights. Alaska Mileage Plan members will also be able to earn miles on Virgin America flights.

Even more, elite members of both programs will get priority check-in and priority boarding on each airline. Travelers will also be able to buy Virgin America tickets through Alaskaair.com.

The next wave of change will occur on Jan. 9, when members of both programs will be able to actually redeem award travel on both networks. Additionally, Virgin America Elevate members will have the option to activate new Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan accounts with their elite status matched.

Story continues

In the meantime, its travel as usual for customers. If you have an existing reservation, your itinerary will remain the same. Likewise, if you are booked on Virgin America, you will still go to the Virgin America airport counter to check in. The same goes for Alaska Air travelers.

This acquisition is just the latest in a series of airline mergers. In 2013, American Airlines acquired US Airways; Southwest bought AirTran Airways in 2011; United Airlines merged with Continental in 2010; and Delta acquired Northwest Airlines back in 2009.

Brittany is a writer at Yahoo Finance.

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Syria: Desperate Pleas for Protection from Aleppo

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 13 December 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Syria: Desperate Pleas for Protection from Aleppo, 13 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/585106db4.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.

Syrian government and allied forces should immediately take steps to protect civilians and captured fighters as the government retakes control of Aleppo after a deal was reached with armed opposition groups there, Human Rights Watch said today. This includes allowing the safe evacuation of civilians and aid deliveries, and protecting civilians from summary executions and arbitrary detention.

The United Nations General Assembly should urgently mandate a UN monitoring team to travel immediately to areas of eastern Aleppo, now under government control, to deter future abuses, document crimes that have been committed, and visit detention sites.

"It has been heart-wrenching to hear the desperate pleas for protection from civilians stuck in the inferno that is Aleppo," said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The Syrian authorities should ensure that civilians are allowed to safely leave the city and to go where they want."

It has been heart-wrenching to hear the desperate pleas for protection from civilians stuck in the inferno that is Aleppo. The Syrian authorities should ensure that civilians are allowed to safely leave the city and to go where they want.

Human Rights Watch has received worrying reports about possible reprisals against civilians in areas now held by government forces. The UN has said that it has received reports that pro-government forces executed 82 civilians in neighborhoods that have recently come under government control. Local activists told Human Rights Watch that they have heard similar reports. Human Rights Watch reached a Syria Civil Defense member, a local doctor, and a journalist still in opposition-held Aleppo, each of whom said that they had received reports that entire families had been executed in areas recently taken by government forces. The neighborhoods included al-Fardous, Bustan al-Qasr, al-Saleheen and al-Kallaseh.

While Human Rights Watch has not been able to verify these reports, it has previously documented that Syrian government forces have committed mass executions of civilians in areas that have come under their control.

"Today I saw two corpses in the street covered in cloth," Ahmed Said, a nurse, told Human Rights Watch. "They hadn't been moved because no one knows who their relatives are. There's no room in the cemeteries to bury the bodies anymore." He said that families in eastern Aleppo were rationing bread to feed their children.

The spokesman for the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights has said that hundreds of men may also have disappeared after leaving eastern Aleppo for government-held areas, also raising concerns about extensive arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearances.

The government should ensure the protection of fundamental rights in security screenings and detention of people who were living under opposition control in eastern Aleppo. Authorities should ensure that the screening process is limited to a period of hours, and that anyone held longer is treated as a detainee and entitled to all protection of detainees under international law. No one should be presumed to be a fighter based on their age or gender absent individualized evidence of criminal wrongdoing. The authorities should allow independent monitors access to all screening and detention centers.

Human Rights Watch has also called on the Syrian government and Russia to immediately and without conditions facilitate the delivery of aid to Aleppo.

"I don't know where to even begin telling you about how bad the situation is here," a local journalist, Adeeb Mansour, told Human Rights Watch, his voice breaking. "What can anyone do for us? Please make our voices heard to the UN, to anyone who will listen. We just want to get our women and children out of this danger."

In light of Russia's and China's repeated use of the veto to block action to protect civilians in Syria, members of the UN Security Council should immediately request an emergency special session of the General Assembly, which would require the support of at least nine members of the UN Security Council and could not be vetoed.

Building on the resolution it adopted last week with an overwhelming majority of 122 members of the UN, the General Assembly, once convened in an emergency special session, should reiterate its demand for an end to unlawful attacks in Syria and call for immediate access for independent monitors.

If the Security Council remains incapable of initiating an emergency special session, members of the General Assembly should do it themselves, Human Rights Watch said.

In connection with the ground offensive, the Russian-Syrian coalition has conducted an intensive bombardment campaign of Aleppo, which included indiscriminate attacks, killing hundreds of civilians. A Human Rights Watch investigation of aerial attacks in September and October found that the coalition had committed war crimes. Human Rights Watch also documented that armed opposition groups indiscriminately attacked government-controlled parts of Aleppo.

The General Assembly should create a special investigative mechanism mandated to collect and preserve potential evidence for future criminal prosecutions.

"The risk of atrocities in Syria is not over with the government takeover of Aleppo," Fakih said. "Unless combatants and commanders on all sides can see that there could be consequences for their unlawful actions, we will see more crimes replay themselves in other places."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
The Fall of Aleppo

Publisher IRIN Author Aron Lund Publication Date 13 December 2016 Cite as IRIN, The Fall of Aleppo, 13 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/585177c54.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.

In a rapid offensive lasting less than a month, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have recaptured the last opposition enclave in east Aleppo. On Monday evening, the army cleared street after street as artillery and air strikes pounded rebel positions northeast of Ramouseh district. By midnight, only a tiny speck of territory remained in opposition hands and celebratory gunfire lit the darkened skies over west Aleppo. On Tuesday evening, finally, news came of a deal brokered by Russia and Turkey that would see the remaining rebel fighters evacuate to opposition-held territory outside Aleppo, while civilians were to remain in the city under government control.

The collapse of the east Aleppo pocket marks the end of a four-and-a-half year struggle for control over northern Syria's largest city, often referred to as the country's industrial and economic capital.

To al-Assad loyalists, this is a great victory. In an email interview, a source close to the government in Damascus spoke of Aleppo's "liberation from terror groups", saying that the restoration of army control would "allow the hundreds of thousands of displaced persons to return to east Aleppo".

There is clearly a sense of relief among government loyalists in Aleppo, who feel that their city may finally be on the path back to normality. On Monday night, the state broadcaster al-Ekhbariya ran loops of footage from street celebrations in pouring rain, where young men fired in the air and honked their car horns as television anchors handed out chocolates.

But to the Syrian opposition, the fall of east Aleppo is a political disaster that threatens to sap morale and undermine international support for the uprising. Yet opposition representatives struck a defiant tone.

"We can't ignore the fact that the revolutionaries in Syria have been left alone to face a large group of enemies, including the regime, Hezbollah, Iran, Russia, the militias, and Iraq," Omar Mushaweh, a Turkey-based leader of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, told IRIN in an online interview.

But, like other opposition sympathisers interviewed, Mushaweh gave no hint of wanting to surrender. Indeed, with the al-Assad government's own weaknesses demonstrated by its recent loss of Palmyra to the self-declared Islamic State, no one is under any illusions: the war will go on.

Civilians at Risk

Beyond the political consequences, however, recent events in Aleppo mark the brutal conclusion to four years of human suffering. To Syrians with friends and family in the collapsing rebel enclave, the past weeks have been a nightmare. All through Monday and Tuesday, desperate messages and pleas for help trickled out from east Aleppo through private contacts and social media. Though many civilians had already managed to flee into government-held western Aleppo, the last days of the enclave saw tens of thousands of people thronging the streets.

"People are moving around and fleeing as they can in a very volatile situation, as front lines continue to shift on a daily basis," Linda Tom, a spokeswoman for the UN's emergency aid coordination body, OCHA, told IRIN in an emailed comment on Saturday. Tom estimated that more than 40,000 civilians had already been displaced at that point, with a further 100,000 still in rebel-held territory, though she stressed that all figures were uncertain.*

Medecins Sans Frontieres has called the fall of east Aleppo one of the worst crises they have seen in years. For some of the displaced civilians, fleeing meant risking everything  not only their lives, but also their homes.

Though the Syrian government claims to welcome and protect civilians fleeing eastern Aleppo, many pro-regime militias are poorly organised and undisciplined, and they have a history of looting and destroying abandoned property. Even the governor of Aleppo, Brigadier-General Hussein Diab, recently complained about the waves of looting that tend to follow every successful army offensive in Aleppo.

Though the UN has reported allegations that rebel groups forcibly prevented civilians from leaving in an attempt to use them as human shields, UN officials have also received reports that military-age men are being arrested after crossing into west Aleppo. Indeed, many civilians in the rebel zone seem to have held off fleeing to government territory until they simply had no other choice. "They have been killing us for so long, why would they have mercy?" one resident told the Washington Post.

The Syrian government is eager to deny any such abuses.

"Men of military age leaving the east are being checked and having their details taken down as part of the amnesty and reconciliation process," a Syrian colonel working for the man running military operations in Aleppo, Lieutenant-General Ziad al-Saleh, said in a statement provided to IRIN by an intermediary. The colonel stated that those guilty of "severe criminality" will be tried and judged, but insisted that "the state is open to these people returning to their normal lives".

Indeed, as much as they may want to completely crush the opposition and avenge themselves on rebel fighters, al-Assad's men seem to realise that a softer touch is in their interest. Aleppo will be seen as a major test case for the government's strategy of imposing local truces and forcing the evacuation of rebel fighters to peripheral regions like Idlib, as al-Assad shores up control over central Syria and major cities elsewhere.

Nevertheless, as the rebel pocket finally collapsed on Monday and Tuesday, opposition media filled up with references to Srebrenica 1995 and Rwanda 1994, even to the Holocaust. These claims were not backed up by reporting and even overtly pro-rebel media channels had, at the time of writing, produced no evidence of anything remotely similar to these atrocities. According to a spokesperson, the UN had received reports about the killing of 82 civilians at the hands of pro-al-Assad forces on Tuesday. As horrifying as that is, it is no genocide.

That said, the fears of opposition sympathisers in the city are real. Other deaths may have gone unreported and at this point no one is quite sure whether the evacuation deal will hold or what the future will bring. With no outside monitoring of the situation or of the conduct of al-Assad's forces, there are great and legitimate concerns about the mistreatment of prisoners and vulnerable civilian populations. This gruesome chapter in Syria's history is still being written.

* A note on the population statistics: Throughout the conflict, the number of civilians in rebel-held eastern Aleppo has been hotly disputed. Until the rebel stronghold finally collapsed, the United Nations had put the number of people in the east city at 250,000-275,000. After the attack began, most UN estimates seemed to add up to around 140,000 civilians. On 9 December, I was told by UN OCHA spokesperson Russell Geekie that in the absence of definite information it would be premature to conclude that the UN number had been too high, though Geekie acknowledged that preliminary figures did seem to point in that direction. During my most recent visit to Damascus in October and November, Syrian officials provided wildly varying estimates that ranged from 97,000 people (according to Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem) to 200,000 people (according to al-Assad). On December 11, a Damascus-based source close to the Syrian government insisted, in an email interview, that the UN has allowed itself to be misled by opposition activists and told me that in a final count the total number of civilians in eastern Aleppo "will not exceed 100,000."
Can $2.2 billion buy peace and prosperity in Central African Republic?

Publisher IRIN Author Crispin Dembassa-Kette Publication Date 13 December 2016 Cite as IRIN, Can $2.2 billion buy peace and prosperity in Central African Republic?, 13 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/585178854.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.

Central African Republic, plagued by insecurity and a related humanitarian crisis, has been pledged $2.2 billion by international donors as part of a five-year rescue plan. It's a lot of money, but will it really make a difference to the troubled country?

The funding is a vote of confidence in President Faustin-Archange Touadera, sworn in six months ago. In November, his government presented donors in Brussels with a peace and recovery plan to lift CAR out of the crisis it's been in for at least the past three years, and arguably for the last two decades.

The plan focuses on three broad areas: peace, security, and national reconciliation; revived basic services, especially education and health; and finally, economic recovery.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini considered the Brussels meeting a success. "Our EU pledge today will support the efforts of the national government's ambitious reform agenda to give its population the peace, security and economic prosperity they deserve," she said in a statement at the time.

But arriving back in the capital, Bangui, Touadera was more downbeat, warning that the spending taps were not about to open. "It is when we start projects that we will use these funds progressively to build schools, hospitals, repair roads and solve the displacement issue," he said.

Some CAR commentators were even dismissive of the amount pledged. As Joseph Bendounga, a former mayor of Bangui, told IRIN: in a country with a population of four million, the funding on offer works out at $500 per person.

It's "very little" he said, and pointed to the risk of corruption.

But more money may not even be the priority right now.

"This funding is only going to be effective if there's security outside Bangui to allow humanitarians to do their work and to allow services to get up and running," Human Rights Watch researcher Lewis Mudge told IRIN.

CAR is in disarray. The state is weak, and large swathes of the country are controlled by armed groups. Violence and intimidation forced humanitarian agencies to suspend work in the central town of Kaga-Bandoro in September.

According to the UN's emergency aid coordination body, OCHA, some 2.3 million people out of a population of 4.6 million are currently in need of aid; 385,000 people have been made homeless; and 452,000 have been forced to flee the country.

Fighting has been ongoing since December 2012, when a coalition of rebels known as Seleka, claiming to represent the country's aggrieved Muslim minority in the northeast, fought their way south to Bangui.

Their indiscriminate killing and looting triggered retaliation by an umbrella of largely Christian vigilante groups known as anti-Balaka. The country remains split along sectarian lines, as armed men exploit their power to extort civilians, and engage in brutal revenge killings.

Seleka is a coalition rather than a united front. In late November, fighting between two Seleka factions in the central town of Bria left at least 14 civilians and 115 combatants dead.

The battle was over control of the road  and therefore "taxes"  to diamond mines in the region. In a country that is sorely underdeveloped, with few regular job opportunities, its abundant natural resources are worth fighting over.

"[The warlords] who benefit from the conflict need to stop," Joseph Bindoumi, president of the Central African League for Human Rights, told IRIN.

"If they stop treating war like an industry, from that moment on, the donors will be able to fund CAR and we will come out of the situation we are currently in."

The inability of the 246 UN peacekeepers stationed in Bria to protect civilians has added to the growing criticism of the MINUSCA force. It was yet another example of the peacekeepers' perceived passivity in the face of real opposition.

On 12 October, Seleka attacked a camp for displaced people in Kaga-Bandoro. They stabbed and hacked to death people in the camp who had already been made homeless by previous violence, despite the presence of a contingent of peacekeepers.

In an angry demonstration in Bangui weeks later demanding the withdrawal of the 12,870-strong MINUSCA force, four people were killed. It's unclear if the protestors shot by Burundian peacekeepers were armed.

No rule of law

Insecurity is tied to impunity. "[The warlords] are in such powerful positions, there is no benefit for them to stopping or stepping down. They lose their tax base and they lose their protection," said Mudge.

The withdrawal of French troops who intervened under operation Sangaris, and along with African Union troops stabilised Bangui, is another question mark over stability.

Mudge believes that a case can be made for a more robust UN deployment, similar to the Force Intervention Brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where elite units backed by attack helicopters scored initial successes against M23 rebels.

A priority for the government has been to negotiate the disarmament and reintegration of armed groups. The country has been here many times before in the course of its violent past, and the talks are currently stalled over demands by the warlords.

Some Seleka are calling for partition, while the anti-Balaka want assurances they will be integrated into the army and consulted in government decision-making  demands the government will not agree to.

But Touadera, a former maths professor, lacks leverage. The country is under a UN arms embargo, which includes what remains of the national army. An exemption has been made for two battalions being trained by the EU, but they won't be up and ready until next year.

In the meantime, the insecurity is undermining his popularity.

"Most citizens are exhausted by war, impatient for progress, and frustrated by lack of action," said US Institute of Peace expert Fiona Mangan. "The honeymoon is definitely over for the new government."
(Repeats to add dropped word to headline)

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - The White House said on Tuesday it would be "very damaging" to both Cubans as well as the United States' standing in Latin America if the next administration reverses President Barack Obama's normalization of relations with Cuba.

"We're seeing real progress that is making life better for Cubans right now. Sustaining this policy will allow for further opening ... further U.S. business opportunities," Ben Rhodes, the U.S. deputy national security adviser, said in a call with reporters.

President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to end Obama's detente with Cuba which includes the easing of some restrictions on travel, trade and finance.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner, Ayesha Rascoe, Matt Spetalnick; editing by G Crosse)
Syria war crimes: a guide for navigating the legal minefield

Publisher IRIN Author Annie Slemrod Publication Date 12 December 2016 Cite as IRIN, Syria war crimes: a guide for navigating the legal minefield, 12 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5851794e4.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.

Aleppo is nothing short of a chaotic horror story. Its surviving civilians are either trapped, in flight, or hunkering down under airstrikes and shelling.

What's left of the rebel-held east of the city has been under assault by forces allied with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for a month now, and under siege for far longer. More than 110,000 civilians have been killed since the fighting broke out in 2011. And that's a conservative estimate.

After the indiscriminate barrel bombs, hospitals flattened and aid denied, there's understandable fury at the failure of the international community to broker anything more than the occasional pause. Observers are now warning that the imminent fall of the last remaining pockets of Aleppo represents the beginning of the end of the fight against the Assad regime.

The world couldn't, or wouldn't, stop the war. But will it at least try to bring those who have committed its worst crimes to justice? Condemnations of "war crimes" and even "genocide" have punctuated the past five years, but what do these terms actually mean and do they really apply here?

IRIN sought expert help to navigate the complexities of international law and explain the legal lie of the land:

Is it genocide?

With dramatic images and videos of bloodied bodies under the rubble in Aleppo (and elsewhere), it's perhaps no wonder that many consider what is happening in Syria "the crime of crimes" - genocide.

For the most part however, experts say that Syria has not witnessed genocide, at least according to the legal standards set out in the 1948 Genocide Convention. That's in part because the law was framed with a very particular event in mind: the Holocaust.

Proving genocide requires showing that the intent of the perpetrator is to destroy a racial, ethnic, national, or religious group.

Because of the narrow definition, plus the "difficulties of proving intent, the vast majority of crimes in Syria could not be qualified as genocide", Marko Milanovic, associate professor of law at the University of Nottingham, explained.

"That does not mean, however, that these crimes are any less bad or less worthy of condemnation," he stressed, pointing out that killing gay people, the disabled, or social or political opponents would also fail to qualify.

That's why even the "killing fields" of Cambodia  where well over one million people were murdered because of class or perceived opposition to the Khmer Rouge  did not make the legal cut.

There may have been one act of genocide in Syria  in June 2016 the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria concluded that so-called Islamic State was committing genocide against the Yazidis. It documented killings, sexual slavery, torture and more that it said was to an attempt to destroy the ethnic group  concluding that it amounted to genocide.

William Schabas, a professor of international law at Middlesex University in London, is considered to be one of the world's leading experts on genocide.

He told IRIN that while he respects the UN commission's work he doesn't believe the Yazidi situation meets the legal standard. Genocide, he said, "raises the temperature and it raises the shock value." That's why NGOs often use the word  and victims understandably want what was done to them recognised.

Schabas said he believes "the important thing for people to understand is that giving it the label genocide doesn't give it any value added" in terms of making crimes easier or clearer to prosecute. That's because, in his opinion, "the case for crimes against humanity [in Syria] is really clear".

Rogier Bartels, legal officer in chambers at the International Criminal Court, agreed, although he said there is some evidence that sentencing may be greater when the label genocide is attached.

"To me ultimately what matters is that there is no impunity and that someone is prosecuted and punished if found guilty for unlawful behaviour," he told IRIN.

So what's left?

In international law, there are three categories of crimes that individuals can be held criminally responsible for: war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

War crimes can only be committed during an armed conflict  the International Committee of the Red Cross began to explicitly refer to the war in Syria as such in July 2012, although that seemed clear far earlier, at least on an instinctive level, to many observers.

Once there's an armed conflict, the basics of what you can and can't do in war are codified by the Geneva Conventions as well as the Rome Statute that founded the International Criminal Court.

A few basics that will sound all too familiar with regards to Syria: it's a war crime to launch an attack on civilians; it's a war crime to intentionally attack medical facilities; it's a war crime to attack peacekeepers or humanitarian workers.

An isolated incident, for example one mistreatment  or killing  of a prisoner of war can constitute a war crime.

This, Tufts University visiting professor of international law John Cerone explained, is "as opposed to a crime against humanity, which by definition has to occur within a larger criminal context  and that larger criminal context is a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population."

There is a small complication.

There are two types of armed conflict  international and non-international. In short, there's a smaller list of war crimes that apply in a non-international armed conflict, which legally speaking Syria may be. That's basically because the Syrian government never officially objected to foreign bombing of IS, or to Russian intervention.

The non-international aspect label may sound counterintuitive to observers given the number of actors involved, but simply put it is a legal nuance that experts say probably won't matter a great deal.

Starvation is not a crime in a non-international armed conflict. But as Bartels puts it, "if you look at the Syrian situation there are [so many likely crimes]  attacks on humanitarian convoys, civilians, and hospitals that may be easier to prove so very specific instances, specific crimes may be more difficult to charge [if Syria is considered a non-international conflict]. But overall with what's going on, they won't have trouble finding crimes."

Prosecution?

The law has clearly not served as much of a deterrent in the Syrian war, but that doesn't mean wrongdoers won't eventually be brought to book. It probably won't be by the International Criminal Court, however.

This is because Syria is not a member of the ICC, and without membership it takes UN Security Council referral for investigation  this was attempted in May 2014 but voted down by veto-wielding powers Russia and China.

Given Russia's alliance with Assad and now its deep involvement in the conflict, future vetoes would be a near certainty if this route is attempted.

The same goes for ad hoc tribunals like the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda  both required Security Council backing to be created.

The only individuals likely to be investigated by the ICC are foreigners from countries who have signed up to the court's jurisdiction  European nationals who have joined IS and are fighting on Syrian soil, for example.

But "these tend to be people who play pretty secondary roles," said Schabas. "And when we talk about prosecuting, we are looking for the Eichmanns, not the low level people," he added, referring to Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann.

Cerone did see the possibility of a "very narrow referral [to the ICC]" on the chemical weapons issue, but had concerns about its viability.

There are options outside the ICC: national courts that accept what's called "universal jurisdiction" can charge individuals with international crimes  war crimes, crimes against humanity, and even genocide  in their own courts. But which country will have the political will to pursue such charges after the conflict?

And as for justice within Syria itself, there's no telling right now what a post-war Syria might look like or how it would look to deal with the horror of the past few years. Transitional justice attempts could include trials, or an Assad still in power might attempt to prosecute members of the opposition.

With what evidence?

Assuming some sort of justice does come to pass, courts will need evidence. And that's one thing they are likely to have.

Groups like the Commission for International Justice and Accountability have been meticulously gathering and storing evidence with an eye to future prosecutions  it alone has smuggled more than 600,000 documents out of Syria.

Stephen Rapp, US ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, told the New Yorker that CIJA's documentation "is much richer than anything I've seen, and anything I've prosecuted in this area"  and he's worked on prosecutions in Rwanda and Sierra Leone. The CIJA is also not the only group collecting evidence.

Bartels at the ICC told IRIN that international courts have in the past had "very little documentary evidence" and have had to rely on witness testimony  this can be unreliable as memories fade and accounts contradict each other.

He said the mountain of evidence gathered over Syria "is useful and potentially can be used" but "needs to fulfill regular evidentiary standards".

Evidence gathered during conflict "has been admitted before other tribunals," Milanovic, from the University of Nottingham, pointed out.

To what end?

Milanovic, for one, worries that "mass impunity for crimes in Syria is by far the most likely scenario, in the next few decades at least.

"We might see some isolated prosecutions by states on the basis of universal jurisdiction, if they get their hands on specific defendants," he said. "But it seems exceptionally unlikely that such defendants would be of very high rank."

Schabas struck a slightly more optimistic tone.

"We should see it [prosecution] as a very real possibility and we should be very careful about drawing conclusions about our ability to prosecute war crimes simply because of the frustration of dealing with it during the conflict."

"There is a good likelihood that some of the people will fall into the hands of those who would like to see them punished."

But for those who don't, the long list of unresolved ICC indictments attests to the fact that arresting suspects is often harder than charging them.

And, most pertinent of all perhaps, how do you get justice for crimes perpetrated by key figures in the Assad regime if it is still in power?

(TOP PHOTO: An ambulance parked in front of an Eastern Aleppo hospital was hit by airstrikes in late November, leaving only its metal frame. Karam Almasri/MSF)
Norbert Zongo murder  18 years of impunity

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 14 December 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Norbert Zongo murder  18 years of impunity, 14 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58517ac04.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.

On the 18th anniversary of the discovery of Norbert Zongo's body, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on Burkina Faso's authorities to speed up the reopened judicial investigation into this journalist's murder so that justice can finally be rendered.

Who carried out the murder of Zongo, a well-known investigative reporter and editor of the weekly L'Independant? Who had him killed and why? Eighteen years after he met a violent death, his country's judicial authorities have still not answered these questions.

After the case was reopened in March 2015, during the political transition that followed the end of 27 years of rule by President Blaise Compaore, three former presidential guard members were arrested in December 2015, and many indirect witnesses have been questioned since then.

However, in the more than 18 months since the investigation resumed, no one has been bought to trial. Three of the six main suspects have meanwhile died in recent years and the chances of obtaining useful testimony are waning.

"We are not satisfied with the case's progress," Zongo family lawyer Prosper Farama told RSF. "It has dragged on for 18 years, far more than a reasonable deadline for preparing a trial (...) We call on the authorities to do everything possible to answer the public's questions. The people of Burkina Faso now want the truth, not just more hearings and more indictments."

The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights ruled in March 2014 that Burkina Faso's authorities had "not acted with due diligence" in their investigation into Zongo's murder. The families of Zongo and those who were murdered with him have now been awarded compensation, but justice has still not been rendered.

In Farama's view, the investigating judge in charge of the case has not been given sufficient resources.

"There have been more than 18 months of investigations since the proceedings resumed after 18 years of denial of justice, and this is a good thing," said Clea Kahn-Sriber, the head of RSF's Africa desk.

"But it is time for these proceedings to speed up. Given that the overall facts and identity of those involved are known, the truth has waited too long. A lot is pinned on this case, not just for Norbert Zongo's family and friends but also for the country's entire population, which hopes that a successful conclusion will end the impunity and lawlessness of the Compaore era."

Zongo's bullet-riddled and charred body was found in his car about 100 km outside Ouagadougou on 13 December 1998. He had recently begun investigating the death in detention of David Ouedraogo, who was the driver of Francois Compaore, the then president's brother and adviser.

RSF, which participated in a commission of enquiry in December 1998, repeatedly condemned the political pressure on those investigating the murder, which resulted in the case being dismissed in 2006.

Burkina Faso is ranked 42nd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index. Its media are relatively free and covered the 2014 political crisis in a professional manner.
Gambia: UN chief 'dismayed' at military takeover of electoral commission

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 14 December 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Gambia: UN chief 'dismayed' at military takeover of electoral commission, 14 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58517be240c.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.

14 December 2016 - Expressing dismay at the takeover of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) premises by the military in Gambia, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the security forces to immediately vacate the Commission and to refrain from any further acts that could jeopardise efforts towards the peaceful transfer of power.

This action violates the independent status of the Commission under the Gambian constitution, and could compromise the sensitive electoral material under the IEC's custody, said Mr. Ban, according to a statement issued by his office.

He condemns this outrageous act of disrespect of the will of the Gambian people and defiance towards the international community at a time when a high-level Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) delegation was in the country to broker a peaceful transfer of power, the statement added.

It further noted that the UN chief reiterated his call for a peaceful, timely, and orderly transfer of power, in full respect of the will of the Gambian people as expressed in the presidential election.

On Saturday, Mr. Ban as well as the UN Security Council had expressed concerns at the outgoing Gambian President's rejection of the outcome of the election and had urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint, refrain from violence and remain calm.

The UN chief had, in particular, urged the country's defence and security forces, to refrain from any statements or actions that may lead to violence or unrest.
Egypt: Stop Harassment of Women Human Rights Defenders and Drop Politically-Motivated Case 173

Publisher International Federation for Human Rights Publication Date 14 December 2016 Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, Egypt: Stop Harassment of Women Human Rights Defenders and Drop Politically-Motivated Case 173, 14 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58517c6b4.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.

The Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRDIC) is extremely concerned about the escalation of crackdown on Egyptian Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) and NGOs. The Egyptian government has been using a politically motivated case, 173 of the year 2011 known as the NGO Foreign Funding Case, to carry out systematic crackdowns against NGOs and human rights defenders.

The latest development in this case occurred on December 7, 2016, when Azza Soliman, a prominent women's rights defender and lawyer was arrested on the order of an investigative judge in Case 173. Police forces arrived at her house in the morning of December 7, arrested her and took her to a police station and then to the office of the investigative judge, where she was questioned. She was faced with three preliminary charges, including "receiving foreign funding to harm the state's interests." Under Egypt's penal code, this could be sentenced with up to life imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 Egyptian pounds. She was released on bail after she paid 20,000 Egyptian pounds, pending further court hearings.

On December 14, a court hearing is expected to decide on the freezing of Azza Soliman's personal and organizational bank accounts (her private law firm). It should be noted that Soliman has not been officially informed of the pending court hearing, and only learned about it through the media. Prior to this development, Azza Soliman was informed by her bank that her accounts had been frozen. Despite her insistence, no official document has been provided to explain the reason for the freezing of her assets. The bank has however referred to a November 17 verdict by the Cairo Criminal Court to freeze her assets on order of one of the judges in Case 173. The verdict however has not been presented to Azza Soliman or anyone from her law firm. On November 19, while at the airport and attempting to go to Jordan to attend a women's rights meeting, Azza Soliman was informed that she had been banned from travel.

Azza Soliman's case is only one example of the pressures the Egyptian government has exerted on Egyptian women human rights defenders. Mozn Hassan, a prominent WHRD and Executive Director of Nazra for Feminist Studies was barred from travel on June 27, 2016. Hassan and her organization Nazra Feminist Studies are also facing charges in the NGOs Foreign Funding Case, case 173 of 2011. The hearing scheduled for December 14, will also look into and rule on the freezing of assets of Mozn Hassan and Nazra for Feminist Studies. As further testament to the targeting of WHRDs by the Egyptian security apparatus, Aida Seif El Dawla, the co-founder of the El Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and a leading Egyptian WHRD was barred from travel on November 23, 2016.

The WHRDIC expresses its deep concern about the Egyptian government's efforts to harass WHRDs and prevent them from carrying out their legitimate activities within their respective civil society organizations. This concern is especially heightened given that President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is due to sign a highly restrictive and regressive new law on associations, which would give the government and security apparatus extraordinary powers over non-governmental organizations.

The WHRDIC calls on the Egyptian authorities to stop its harassment of Azza Soliman and drop all charges against her and other WHRDs, such as Aida Seif El Dawla and Mozn Hassan.

Further the WHRDIC urges the Egyptian authorities to close the politically motivated Case 173 of 2011 and end the harassment and intimidation of women human rights defenders, including through arbitrary arrests, interrogations, travel bans and asset freeze and closure of their organizations.

The WHRDIC while expressing genuine concern about the new NGO bill, which contradicts the Egyptian constitution of 2014, calls on President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to reject the bill and respect the rights of citizens to organize in civil groups in line with their internationally recognized right to freedom of association.
Russia: immediate investigation is demanded into facts of illegal detention, torture and ill-treatment of a photojournalist

Publisher International Federation for Human Rights Publication Date 13 December 2016 Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, Russia: immediate investigation is demanded into facts of illegal detention, torture and ill-treatment of a photojournalist, 13 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58517cda4.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.

FIDH and its member organisations Anti-Discrimination Centre "Memorial" and Citizen Watch denounce the illegal arrest and torture in police station of photojournalist David Frenkel, well known for his documentary photo reports on civil society activists in Russia. Our organisations link his detention to the LGBTI civic action covered by the photographer the day of his arrest. Some of the participants of the LGBTI picket were arrested the next day and charged with violating the rules of public assembly under Art. 20.5 of Russian Administrative Code. They are awaiting trial.

On 11 December 2016, after taking pictures of a civic action by LGBTI-rights activists on Nevskii prospekt in St. Petersburg, David Frenkel was violently attacked by members of extreme-right xenophobic "National Liberation Movement". Having called the police to file a complaint about the attack, David Frenkel was himself arrested, taken to the police station No. 78 in St. Petersburg, interrogated about the peaceful LGBTI civic action and activists and threatened with psychiatric check-up for refusal to obey the police.

After Frenkel refused to answer questions that had nothing to do with the attack against him and to obey other unlawful demands, police officers called an ambulance.

Upon arrival, aggressive medical personnel first tried to take away Frenkel's documents and attempted pulling the photographer onto a chair located outside the surveillance camera's viewing angle. An individual who introduced himself as a doctor started choking David Frenkel while the medical personnel tied up his hands. He was bullied and humiliated by the medical personnel for his Jewish origin. Medical examination carried out after his release the same day documented bruises, scratches, marks on his wrists and neck. Members of the NGO "Public Monitoring Committee" in St. Petersburg were granted access to the video recording from the police station proving the aggression of the medical personnel and inaction of police officers.

FIDH and its member organisations Anti-Discrimination Centre "Memorial" and Citizen Watch demand immediate and impartial investigation into the arrest and detention of the photojournalist David Frenkel, including an impartial examination of the video recording retrieved from the police station. Those responsible should be brought to justice, both medical personnel and police officers who did not prevent torture and ill-treatment and failed to provide protection to the photographer from aggressive right-wing nationalists.

According to Russian and international law, the responsibility for the physical and psychological well-being of the detainee lies with the state and state representatives. It is the obligation of the state in this case to investigate facts of torture and ill-treatment and to prevent such situations in the future.
Syria: Urgent call for a sustainable ceasefire and protection for all in Aleppo

Publisher International Federation for Human Rights Publication Date 14 December 2016 Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, Syria: Urgent call for a sustainable ceasefire and protection for all in Aleppo , 14 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58517d514.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.

After 112 days of life under siege for the remaining civilians in Eastern Aleppo, an agreement was finally reached yesterday between the Syrian government and armed opposition groups to evacuate civilians and surrendered opposition fighters.

The ceasefire due to begin this morning has been halted, with the resumption of bombings and shelling, according to FIDH Syrian partner organisations. Evacuation routes have not been secured and attacks against Red Crescent ambulances following the evacuation convoys have also been reported.

FIDH reiterates its call to the Syrian government and its allies to ensure full protection of civilians and captured combatants in Aleppo, and to treat them in accordance with standards of international humanitarian law.

In light of this recent information, FIDH calls on all parties to the conflict to unequivocally respect the ceasefire so that civilians can be safely evacuated through the designated humanitarian corridors. It is now urgent that the United Nations (UN) bodies be given access to all areas of Aleppo to ensure that civilians are securely moved to areas of their choice.

Moreover, the Syrian authorities must now enable the UN aid convoys to reach out to the injured and provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Aleppo.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has reported that combatants who have fled were arbitrarily arrested or killed on the spot, and several remain disappeared. Families of combatants were also targets for reprisals.

FIDH reiterates that all combatants who have surrendered or have been captured must be protected and treated according to international humanitarian law. Moreover, humanitarian organisations must be granted access to detention facilities.

FIDH is deeply shocked to have witnessed massive systematic attacks against the civilian population in the besieged city of Aleppo. Our Syrian human rights partner organisations have described the daily life of Aleppo residents as "the end of humanity" facing endless bombardments, massive or targeted executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture, as well as total deprivation of food and water without being able to access medical care. Today, there is not a single operational medical facility in East Aleppo, as all hospitals have been bombarded by the Syrian regime and Russia. Our partner organisations have also reported that the Syrian army and its allied militias have been going from house to house executing residents on the spot, as well as targeting houses with fire leaving entire families burning alive.

FIDH urges the UN to send a monitoring body to the city of Aleppo to document committed crimes in order to preserve evidence for further accountability efforts. Those responsible for the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Aleppo and the rest of besieged Syria, must and will be held accountable.

Thousands of civilians remain trapped and suffering in other besieged areas of the country. All sieges must be lifted and immediate protection granted to all civilians.
Northeast Nigeria: 'Severely malnourished' children; more than a third of health facilities 'completely destroyed,' say UN agencies

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 14 December 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Northeast Nigeria: 'Severely malnourished' children; more than a third of health facilities 'completely destroyed,' say UN agencies, 14 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5851882440d.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.

14 December 2016 - With about two-thirds of health facilities in parts of Nigeria's restive north-east region either completely destroyed or partially damaged, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has estimated that 400,000 children there could suffer from severe acute malnutrition over the next year.

"If they do not receive the treatment they need, 1 in 5 of these children will die. Cases of diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia are on the rise, further endangering children's lives," said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake in a statement today.

"These figures represent only a fraction of the suffering. Large areas of Borno state are completely inaccessible to any kind of humanitarian assistance. We are extremely concerned about the children trapped in these areas," he added.

According to UNICEF, in the worst affected states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, farming has been disrupted and crops destroyed, food reserves depleted and often pillaged, and livestock killed or abandoned.

The impact on children is devastating [] what is already a crisis can become a catastrophe UNICEF head Anthony Lake

Mr. Lake added that UNICEF programmes on vaccinations, safe water and sanitation, and treatment for acutely malnourished children are making a difference in the areas it is able to reach but these are "nowhere close to enough."

"Without adequate resources and without safe access, we and our partners will be unable to reach children whose lives are at imminent risk," he warned.

Gwoza town, in Borno state, northeast Nigeria, was razed to the ground during conflict with Boko Haram. The task ahead to rebuild basic infrastructure, health clinics, schools, water and sanitation, and shelter requires funding. Photo: OCHA/Orla Fagan

Meanwhile, the UN health agency reported that of the 743 health facilities in Borno state, 35 per cent are completely destroyed, 29 per cent partially damaged and only 34 per cent intact.

Of the 481 health facilities not destroyed, 31 per cent of them are not functioning, mostly as a result of lack of access due to insecurity. Almost 60 per cent of health facilities have no access to safe water (32 per cent have no access to any water at all) and 3 out of 4 facilities do not have enough chlorine stocks to decontaminate the water used in the facility.

"High insecurity, difficult terrain and lack of health workers, medicines, equipment and basic amenities such as safe water are making access to essential, lifesaving health care extremely difficult for people in this conflict-affected area," said the UN World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Wondi Alemu, in a news release.

WHO's top priority is to help save lives and prevent sickness among the estimated 6 million people who need health assistance in this crisis WHO Representative Wondi Alemu

In response to the crisis, WHO along with its partners has been supporting the Nigerian government to provide essential lifesaving health services, gather and analyse key health information, and prepare for and respond to disease outbreaks.

Additionally, about 100 temporary health facilities have been set up to support the response, of which 49 are emergency clinics for displaced people living in camps.

However, the UN health agency said that more resources are needed.

"The UN and partners need $94 million to provide health services to 6 million people, more than half of them children," it noted in the release, adding: "Of this [we] need $31 million to deliver on [our] response plans in 2017."
Greenwich, CT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/14/2016 --The date has been set and plans are underway for Audubon Connecticut's annual Environmental Leadership Awards benefit, Experience Nature! This year's event will take place Wednesday, April 12, 2016 from 6:00pm to 11:00pm at the Belle Haven Club in Greenwich, Connecticut.



Audubon Connecticut is fortunate to be be able to honor the following champions of conservation and the environment:



- Gina McCarthy  current Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will be honored with the prestigious Audubon Connecticut Environmental Leadership Award



- Melissa Groo  wildlife photographer, writer, and conservationist, will receive the Katie O'Brien Lifetime Achievement Award



- Lesley and Bill King of Back 40 Farm Group  business owners and advocates of the organic food movement, will be recipients of the Audubon Connecticut Corporate Award.



This year's honorees will join the incredible ranks of previous environmental leaders including the Gregory Family, former New York Governor George E. Pataki, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Dan W. Lufkin, David Ogilvy, Jayni Chase, Eaddo Kiernan, JP Morgan Chase, and many more.



This benefit is held each spring to honor individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to our environment. "It is a privilege for us to honor Gina McCarthy, Melissa Groo, and Lesley and Bill King, during our April 12, 2017 Environmental Leadership Awards Dinner. In their own way, each of them are conservation heroes, supporting the work we do at Audubon Connecticut to preserve the beauty of our local environment and encourage the next generation to get outdoors, to protect habitat for birds and other wildlife, and to inspire a conservation ethic for years to come," stated Stewart Hudson, Executive Director of Audubon Connecticut.



Guests will truly understand the theme of this year's event, "Experience Nature" as they are dazzled by the spectacular sunset views of Captain Harbor, while sipping on local specialty cocktails, perusing the exclusive pop up art gallery with prints from honoree and wildlife photographer, Melissa Groo, and will experience nature first hand with birds, owls and bees on-site! Once the sun goes down, guests will enjoy a dinner of locally inspired fare and will be dazzled by the "Charmer" of Auctioneers, George McNeely, as The New York Times has called him.



Tickets on sale in January. For more information, please visit AudubonCT.org or contact Event Manager, Beth Bobek, 203-524-4889, beth@eventsbybeth.com.



About Audubon Connecticut

Audubon Connecticut, the state office of the National Audubon Society with more than 9,000 members in the state, works to protect birds, other wildlife, and their habitats through education, research, conservation, and legislative advocacy for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity. Through our network of nature centers, protected wildlife sanctuaries, and local, volunteer Chapters, we seek to connect people with nature and inspire the next generation of conservationists.



Learn more at http://AudubonCT.org.
Los Angeles, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/14/2016 --Downtown Los Angeles urgent care, Vermont Urgent Care, provides a unique service to its patients. Those who have a desire to avoid long lines and the high costs of emergency rooms, but are still in need of urgent medical treatment, have found a place at this top-rated urgent care facility. This Downtown Los Angeles urgent care was designed with the patients in mind, providing a facility that encourages comfort and relief. They have built a reputation amongst their patients as being a friendly, caring, health environment unlike any other.



Because emergency rooms provide care for life-threatening conditions first, all others are pushed to the back of the line. The Downtown Los Angeles urgent care specializes in non-life threatening care so patients will not experience the same kind of delays. Walk-in clinics were specifically designed at this premiere Downtown Los Angeles urgent care facility for those in need of medical attention but are not in a life-threatening situation.



The staff at the Downtown Los Angeles urgent care are all board-certified physicians trained for emergency room situations. Because of this, they are able to handle any medical conditions or situations. This Downtown Los Angeles urgent care assures its patients that their decorated team of physicians will provide them with the best care possible.



About Vermont Urgent Care

Downtown Los Angeles urgent Care, Vermont Urgent Care, is the premiere urgent care facility in Los Angeles. Their decorated staff is trained in emergency room procedures, so they are equipped to handle any medical situation, no matter how severe. Their doctors and nurses have dedicated their careers to providing quality medical assistance to those in need.



For more information about conditions they treat or to schedule an appointment, go to their website or call 213-386-2511. They are located at 1435 S. Vermont Ave #100, Los Angeles, CA 90006.
Singapore -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/13/2016 --YSNEAKERS  a fusion of savvy street style, luxury leather from Italy, the artisanal craftsmanship of shoemakers, now made more awesome combined with your personal style!



Diamond Walker bespoke shoes has launched their exciting fully customizable luxury sneakers range called YSNEAKERS as an online-only product offering to better capture the global market and to also showcase their fashion-forward offerings via Kickstarter.



With a underground cult following by famous celebrities, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, royalty & personalities from the fashion world as well as fashion-forward individuals visiting its store in Singapore, Diamond Walker (www.diamond-walker.com) wants to bring its creative edge into the online world with an awareness campaign on Kickstarter launched on 8 December 2016.



Within 15 hours of their Kickstarter page going 'live', YSNEAKERS was fully funded and with 41 more days to go, proving that consumers are looking for footwear that would reflect their unique sense of style & identity!



YSNEAKERS wants to raise USD$25,000 via the platform to create a cutting-edge 'Virtual Sneaker Customizer' engine, with the latest 3D and photo-realistic material swatch configurator technology, to give fashionistas the best experience possible to design their own custom kicks with.



How does five sextillion design permutations sound to you? With all the options available, you can now truly express your individual unique style like no other!



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Dan Conway, Don Lipps discuss challenges at MSD of Martinsville

For the Metropolitan School District of Martinsville, there are two open seats for the school board in Tuesday's election.
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From left to right: Ny Chakrya, National Election Committee officer, Yi Soksan, Ny Sokha, Lim Mony and Nay Vanda of Adhoc before the Cambodian Supreme Court, Nov. 11, 2011.

A Cambodian appeals court on Wednesday upheld embattled Cambodian election official Ny Chakryas conviction for defaming two court officials in 2015 when he worked for a human rights organization.

Appeals court judge Plang Samnang spent about three minutes on the case when he announced his decision. He gave no reason for upholding the conviction.

Siem Reap province investigating judge Ky Rithy and deputy prosecutor Sok Keo Bandith sued Ny Chakrya in 2015 alleging that he defamed them during a press conference over a land dispute.

At the time, he was head of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Associations (ADHOC) human rights section.

Media outlets quoted Ny Chakrya as saying the officials wrongly detained two citizens in the dispute. He was also blamed for accusing the officials of plotting to grab land for the Vietnamese community. He was sentenced to six months of imprisonment and 6 million riles (U.S. $1500) in fine.

Ny Chakrya denied the accusations, and his attorney told RFAs Khmer Service that they would review the verdict before deciding on an appeal to Cambodias Supreme Court.

The decision was pronounced without the reasoning, said attorney Sam Sokong. Hopefully a full verdict will be made available to us by next week. We will then review it to see it is proper.

Ny Chakrya is among five people being held in the governments probe of opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) leader Kem Sokhas alleged affair.

On May 2, Cambodian authorities arrested Ny Chakrya, who became National Election Committee (NEC) Deputy Secretary-General in January, and four ADHOC employees for allegedly attempting to pay hush money to Kem Sokhas purported mistress.

Flawed and unfair

While Kem Sokha and a local Cambodia National Rescue Party official were granted royal pardons in the case against the CNRP leader, the other people accused in the case remain in prison. The pardons came after Prime Minister Hun Sen, who heads the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party, asked the King Norodom Sihamoni to issue them.

The recent pair of pardons has raised hope that Ny Chakrya and the four ADHOC officials accused of attempting to pay hush money to Kem Sokhas alleged mistress will also receive a pardon.

A group of 14 civil society organizations condemned Ny Chakryas conviction on Wednesday, saying in a statement that it was flawed and unfair.

If Mr. Ny Chakryas conviction becomes final, he will be removed from his position at the NEC, a development that would seriously call into question whether the upcoming elections could be considered free, fair and legitimate, the groups wrote.

Cambodias local elections are set for 2017 and the national elections are scheduled for 2018.

While the CPP still controls the National Assembly, the CNRP gained 55 seats in the 2013 election that was marred by accusations of fraud.

Cambodians are using a new digital voter registration system that is designed to combat those allegations.

The new system is part of a 2014 election reform deal between the CPP and opposition CNRP that ended almost a year of deadlock following the 2013 ballot.

Reported by Samnang Rann for RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Brooks Boliek.
As the executive director of Human Rights Watchs Asia Division since 2002, Brad Adams oversees the organizations work on human rights issues in twenty countries, including Cambodia. At Human Rights Watch, he has worked on a wide range of issues including freedom of expression, protection of civil society and human rights defenders, counterterrorism, refugees, gender and religious discrimination and armed conflict.

Prior to Human Rights Watch, Adams worked in Cambodia for five years as the senior lawyer for the Cambodia field office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and as the legal advisor to the Cambodian parliaments human rights committee.

He sat down with RFA journalist Nareth Muong in the RFA TV studio in Washington to discuss the political and human rights situation in Cambodia. The following is an edited version of that interview.

RFA: Just briefly assess the status of human rights and democracy in Cambodia today.

Brad Adams: Theres no democracy in Cambodia, lets be clear about that. [Prime Minister] Hun Sen has run a de facto one-party state for a long time. Elections have not been free and fair. The last elections were rigged in favor of the ruling party. Weve never had since 1993 a free expression of the will of the Cambodian people at elections. We hope, in 2018 we will have free and fair elections, but right now the signs arent very good.

RFA: What are those signs and why are they so poor?

Brad Adams: Hun Sen and the CPP (Cambodian Peoples Party) continue to harass, intimidate and attack the opposition. We have opposition MPs in prison. We have an opposition senator in prison. We have members of [the human rights group] ADHOC in jail. We have [opposition party Cambodia National Rescue Party president] exiled Sam Rainsy. We have had the threat to arrest [CNRP acting president] Kem Sokha. Even though theres been a political deal recently, the opposition is under intense and constant pressure, and I dont expect that to stop anytime soon. Unless, the international community takes a very strong stand.

RFA: But Hun Sen has said: Dont ever try to put pressure on me. Its useless to put pressure on meThe more you pressure me, the more I dont care.

Brad Adams: You know, when someones under pressure they say that they dont care about pressure. I think Hun Sen is saying that simply because hes trying to give the impression hes not under any pressure and he doesnt care what the rest of the world thinks, but Ive been following Cambodia since 1993. I lived there for many years, and Ive seen Hun Sen bend to pressure on many occasions. I think pressure will work.

RFA: How?

Brad Adams: The international community has a huge economic stake in Cambodia, it provides a huge amount of development assistance the country that the government depends on. Foreign direct investment is absolutely essential to the economy. Hun Sen has a need to pay thousands of soldiers who protect him and to keep all the oknhas [powerful business people] and all the members of parliament and everybody else financially happy. He cannot afford to have the economy run into the ground if the rest of the world decides they want to move their money elsewhere.

RFA: Has the current situation weakened to rule of law in Cambodia?

Brad Adams: For many years now weve seen that we dont have the rule of law but the rule by law. By that I mean the rule of law means that everyone is treated equally under the law. Rule by law is when the government represses people by using the law. What weve seenis that people who are just doing their job, who have committed no crime, were targeted by the government and punished for political reasons. Weve seen that over and over againThats been a feature of Cambodia under Hun Sen, always.

RFA: Sam Rainsy has been exiled and convicted in the courts, does he get a pardon?

Brad Adams: This is a really hard decision for Hun Sen. I know that he thinks he made a mistake in allowing Sam Rainsy back in just weeks before the election in 2013. As we saw when Sam Rainsy returned, hundreds of thousands of people came to the streets, and it provided a lot of energy and excitement for the campaign. We know that the CNRP won that election despite the official count, we know the CNRP had more votes than the CPP. They should be in government today as the majority. Hun Sen, I think, is determined not to make that mistake again.

But, he has to balance that against the fact that if the leader of the opposition is outside of the country facing years in prison on fake charges, that the rest of the world will not consider this to be a legitimate election.

RFA: I Sam Rainsy is let back in, do you think itll be a free and fair election?

Brad Adams: No. We wont have a free and fair electionJust to give you one example, there will not be equal access to state media, and thats an essential part of any free and fair election. The people who work for the government will not be neutral. Thats an essential part of the election. Weve seen generals, the military and the police go around the country and campaign for the ruling party. That is not acceptable as part of a free and fair election. We know the court system is not independent and impartial. If you go through the elements of a free and fair election they are all missing.
Tianwang human rights website founder Huang Qi, who was detained on Nov. 28 after police raided his home, in undated photo.

Nearly 40 journalists are currently behind bars amid an ongoing crackdown by the ruling Chinese Communist Party on the media this year, according to a new report from a U.S.-based press freedom group.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) identified at least 38 journalists, including citizen journalists and bloggers, currently in some form of detention.

While the figure compares with a total of 45 last year, the slight decrease shouldn't be taken to mean that press freedom in China is improving, the group said.

"On the contrary, China has cracked down on human rights news websites, banned original reporting on the internet, prevented journalists from traveling, and tightened its grip on Hong Kong media," CPJ researcher Wang Yaqiu wrote in a blog post analyzing the results.

Wang said there may be many more Chinese journalists being held whose cases haven't come to light.

"The government reveals little information about arrests, legal investigations, and court trials," she wrote, adding that the country's tightly controlled media isn't allowed to carry out independent investigations.

"The citizenry is increasingly reluctant to speak to foreign media or advocacy groups about politically sensitive matters," she said.

China has been among the top three jailers of journalists worldwide for the past decade, according to CPJ's research.

Chinese journalists currently behind bars include writer and literary critic Liu Xiaobo, who won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti and several students who helped him run the Uighurbiz website, and Tianwang rights website founder Huang Qi and some Tianwang contributors.

The group also listed bloggers Li Tingyu and Lu Yuyu, who researched and compiled reports of popular protests across the country, and Hubei-based Liu Feiyue, who founded the Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch website.



Crackdown to continue

Hebei-based veteran journalist Zhu Xinxin said he believes the crackdown on any kind of independent journalism will continue indefinitely.

"I think that the situation will continue to worsen, because the sense of crisis will just get worse under this dictatorial system," Zhu said.

"[Censorship] is getting crazier every day, because anything that opens up a space for freedom of the press, or of public expression, constitutes a threat to them," he said.

Zhu said he has been repeatedly targeted by the authorities in recent years.

"I have been taken on forced vacations, and they have placed me under surveillance," Zhu said. "I have also been beaten up and injured by [government-backed] thugs."

"But if we don't speak out, who will?" he asked.

A second journalist who gave only his surname He said he sees no easing up in policy under the administration of President Xi Jinping.

"This isn't going to change," He said. "They say one thing, and they do another, and that isn't likely to change."

"I am still going to keep writing and speaking out, but I am still a bit worried," he said. "All I can do is watch my back a bit more."



Losing my liberty

Tianwang founder Huang Qi, who was detained on Nov. 28, has yet to be formally charged. However, his mother Pu Wenqing has been incommunicado since being taken away by police who searched Huang's home at the time of his detention.

Huang's supporters told RFA on Wednesday they had found a letter requesting them to instruct lawyer Li Jinglin of the Beijing-based Xinqiao law firm "in the event of my losing my liberty."

"I, Huang Qi, would like to instruct lawyer Li Jinglin of the Xinqiao law firm in Beijing to make representations to the relevant authorities in the event of my losing my liberty for any reason," the letter said.

"I would also like to instruct him to give me legal advice, and to act in my defense," it said.

Li told RFA on Thursday he hasn't seen the letter.

"If there is no expiry date on the letter, then it doesn't expire," he said. "I can accept this instruction, but I think that the toughest part of this case is going to be the fact that we don't know where he is."

"After that, there is the likelihood that, even when we find him, that they won't let him meet with a lawyer," he said.

Many rights activists and lawyers detained since a nationwide crackdown began in July 2015 have been held incommunicado in unknown locations and denied access to family visits or lawyers.

Liu Feiyue is reportedly under criminal detention on suspicion of subversion of state power after police in Hubei took him into custody on Nov. 17.

Huang, 51, founded Tianwang in 1998 with his then wife Zeng Li to help people locate loved ones missing in the 1989 crackdown on the student-led democracy movement.

However, the website soon started covering protests, petitions, and the detention of activists, petitioners and journalists, relying on a nationwide network of citizen journalists and volunteers.



Reported by Wong Lok-to for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Qiao Long for the Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Members of the Rakhine State Investigation Commission meet Rohingya Muslim residents of Gwazon village in Maungdaw township, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Dec. 12, 2016.

Myanmars government is following the law in the countrys conflict-ridden Rakhine state, the chairman of an investigation commission examining the behavior of the military during security operations in Muslim-majority areas said on Wednesday, amid ongoing accusations that soldiers committed atrocities among civilians.

Vice President Myint Swe, who heads the 13-member commission probing a series of deadly militant attacks on security forces that occurred on Oct. 9 and Nov. 12 and 13, said the national army is carrying out area-clearing operations in accordance with existing rules and regulations, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the State Counselors Office.

Local Rohingya Muslims have accused security forces that swept into northern Rakhines Maungdaw township following the initial attacks of murder, torture, rape and arson.

The violence has left nearly 90 dead and forced about 27,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh, according to the latest figures from the United Nations.

Myint Swes comments came after the commission ended a trip to Maungdaw township, where they visited Kyet-yo-byin village to investigate cases of rape and child murders, as reported by two foreign news organizations, the statement said.

Villagers told the commission they had no knowledge of the crimes and that military commanders in the area said there were no rapes reported and that they were carrying out their tasks in accordance with the law, it said.

Release those detained

Rohingya villagers also told the commission members they wanted family members detained for questioning by security forces to be released if they have not yet been charged with a crime.

Commission members told them that the government had released 49 detainees since clashes with militants began, the statement said.

The government has previously said that nearly 90 were killed in the violence and almost 600 people believed to be involved in the attacks had been arrested.

The Myanmar government has come under fire both internationally and regionally for its handling of the Rakhine crisis and what is perceived to be its failure to protect the Rohingya.

Rohingya who live in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan have staged protests in recent weeks against the Myanmar government, which views the Rohingya as illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

The government has denied reports of atrocities by the military and has called an emergency meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting next week to discuss the crisis.

The estimated 1.1 million Rohingya in Rakhineabout 120,000 of whom are confined to internally displaced persons campsare denied citizenship and access to jobs, health care, and education.

A history without the Rohingya

In a related move, Myanmars Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture will publish a history asserting that the Rohingya are not among the countrys indigenous races, the ministrys deputy director Arkar Kyaw said.

The news, which the ministry posted on Facebook on Monday, has gained widespread support from people in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

The ministry will enlist the help of Myanmar history scholars and require approval from President Htin Kyaw and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi when the project is completed, said Minister Thura Aung Ko.

Myanmars 1982 Citizenship Law excluded the Rohingya from countrys list of 135 national races and stripped them of the citizenship they had enjoyed in the years after the country then known as Burma gained independence from Britain.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
A journalist from Myanmars Eleven Media Group who was reporting on illegal logging and wood smuggling in the northwestern part of the country was found dead on Tuesday on the side of a highway in the town of Monywa, a police official said.

Soe Moe Tun, 35, the news organizations reporter in the town of Monywa in the countrys Sagaing region, was found with injuries that appeared to indicate he had been beaten, police said.

The injuries are on his face and head, said Thein Swe Myint, commander of the Monywa police station.

We have already begun our investigations in the area, he said. We opened the case as a murder under section 302 [of the criminal code], which pertains to crimes punishable by death.

Though police believe Soe Moe Tun was murdered, they have not identified a suspect or a motive, the Myanmar Times reported.

Soe Moe Tun had worked as a reporter in Monywa since January 2015, reporting news about the town and its surrounding areas, according to a statement issued by Eleven Media Group.

Eleven Media Group is doing necessary work concerning the death of Soe Moe Tun and [has] urged the respective police station to investigate the case as quickly as possible, the statement said.

His death marks the fifth killing of a journalist in Myanmar since 1999.

Threats and lawsuits

The Myanmar Journalist Network (MJN), a nationwide professional group, issued a statement expressing its condolences to Soe Moe Tuns family and urging authorities to investigate his death as a murder.

The MJN also noted that Tin Zaw Oo, a journalist based on Thabeikkyin in central Myanmars Mandalay region, had been threatened by illegal logging traders within the last two months and had to move to another town with his family.

Despite the lifting of restrictions on Myanmars media in 2012 under former president Thein Sein, journalists still receive threats and can be subject to lawsuits for writing about controversial people or illegal activities.

On Nov. 30, a Myanmar court denied bail for Than Htut Aung, chief executive officer of Eleven Media Group, and Wai Phyo, chief editor of the Daily Eleven newspaper, who had been arrested on defamation charges because of controversial article in the countrys telecommunications law.

They were sued for writing and publishing an editorial that claimed that Phyo Min Thein, chief minister of Yangon, wore a luxury watch worth an estimated U.S. $100,000, given to him by an unnamed drug tycoon.

The tycoon, who had recently been released from jail, had been awarded a lucrative tender to build a city transit project.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
A military official (C) briefs Myanmar Vice President Myint Swe (2nd R), head of a national investigation commission on Rakhine state, during his visit to Gwazon, a Muslim-majority village in Maungdaw township in western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Dec. 12, 2016.

A Myanmar government-appointed investigation commission wrapped a five-day visit to the northern part of Rakhine state on Tuesday in which the members stopped in 10 villages in Maungdaw township where violence had occurred last month.

Led by Vice President Myint Swe, the 13-member group was formed by President Htin Kyaw on Dec. 1 to examine the situation that led to deadly border guard station attacks on Oct. 9 and subsequent violence on Nov. 12-13 in Maungdaw.

The commission is also tasked with verifying allegations by Rohingya Muslims who have accused national army soldiers of arson, torture, rape, and murder during the security operations.

Commission members Aung Kyi and Thet Zin met Muslim women and children in Kyet-yo-byin village and asked about any rapes and child murders that may have occurred there, as reported in Britains The Guardian.

The villagers said they had only heard rumors about such crimes and did not know any further details.

The commission members also met with detainees arrested in connection with the Maungdaw violence who are being held in prisons in neighboring Buthidaung township and in Rakhines capital Sittwe.

We met with detainees in Buthidaung prison who were arrested during the violence, as well as those in Sittwe prison during our visit, and asked them how the incidents started, commission member Saw Thalay said.

Authorities have detained about 600 people in connection with the violence during a security sweep of Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships when army soldiers and border police searched for those involved in a deadly border guard attack on Oct. 9.

Security forces, who blamed the attack on Rohingya Muslim militants, locked down Rohingya communities where residents who were forced to flee have accused them of arson, rape and murder.

A view of the burned remains of Gwazon, a Muslim-majority village in Maungdaw township, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Dec. 12, 2016. Credit: Myanmar State Counselor's Office/AFP 1,500 structures burned

As the commissions visit ended, New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Myanmar army burned at least 1,500 structures in Rohingya Muslim villages during their security sweep of the area.

Satellite imagery of the villages and interviews with refugees place responsibility for burnings of Rohingya villagessquarely with the Burmese military, which have driven thousands from their homes, HRW said in a statement.

The Myanmar government has yet to respond to the latest HRW report, but has been dismissive of early statements by the group, and the army has not permitted independent observers or media to visit the conflict zone.

The military and the Myanmar government have denied that national army soldiers burned homes or committed extrajudicial killings, torture, and rape during their lockdown of Maungdaw township as they searched for those involved in the Oct. 9 attacks. Instead, soldiers blamed the Rohingya for setting their own homes on fire.

Nearly 90 people have been confirmed killed, and more than 30,000 displaced, including over 20,000 Rohingya who fled their homes to neighboring, Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

The new findings refute the Burmese military and governments claims that Rohingya militants were responsible for burning down their own villages, said Brad Adams, HRWs Asia director. The satellite imagery and eyewitness interviews clearly point the finger at the military for setting these buildings ablaze.

The new satellite imagery analysis of villages in Maungdaw township reveals four new elements, HRW said, with the number of destroyed buildings rising to 1,500 as of Nov. 23 and the pattern of arson suggesting government responsibility as military forces moved westward.

The group also pointed out that its documentation of building destruction in villages on three occasions after government forces reportedly came under attack there suggested multiple arson in the same place, and that imagery indicated the presence of security forces in a border guard post next to Wa Peik village, which was almost entirely burned down in three waves over a month.

Its difficult to believe that militants burned down over 300 buildings in Wa Peik over a one-month period while Burmese security forces stood there and watched, Adams said. Burmese government officials have been caught out by this satellite imagery, and its time they recognize their continued denials lack credibility.

Previous satellite images

On Oct. 31, HRW first issued satellite imagery recorded on Oct. 22 that presented evidence of fire-related destruction in at least three Maungdaw villages. It also reviewed thermal anomaly data collected by an environmental satellite sensor that detected the presence of multiple burning fires in two of the same villages on Oct. 14.

Two weeks later, the group issued fresh high-definition satellite imagery showing widespread fire-related destruction in ethnic Rohingya villages that was even greater than it had first thought.

HRW said it had identified 430 destroyed buildings, large burn scars, and destroyed tree cover in three villages of northern Maungdaw township.

High resolution satellite imagery recorded on the mornings of Oct. 22, Nov. 3, and Nov. 10 showed 85 buildings were destroyed in the village of Pyaung Pyit, 245 in Kyet Yoe Pyin, and 100 in Wa Peik, it said.

Though the Myanmar government has not yet issued a response to HRWs most recent statement, it held a press conference on Nov. 16, refuting HRWs findings, and saying only that 155 buildings had been burned by militants.



Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Muang Nyane. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Senior monks from Sichuans Larung Gar Buddhist Academy this week visited hundreds of Larung Gar nuns temporarily housed in a desolate settlement of metal huts in Kardze prefecture after being expelled by China from their former homes, Tibetan sources said.



The camp, which now holds more than a thousand nuns in multiple rows of two-storey dwellings, was built by Chinese authorities in the Dzuchen area of Kardzes Serthar (in Chinese, Seda) county, a local source told RFAs Tibetan Service.



On Dec. 12, three monastic leaders and senior teachers from Larung Gar visited the camp to examine the facilities, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



Khenpo Tsultrim Lodroe, Khenpo Rigdar, and Khenpo Tsultrim came to look at the camp, the source said.



They interacted with the nuns and asked about their condition. Khenpo Tsultrim Lodroe also gave a teaching to the nuns living in the camp, he said.

Many thousands of Tibetans and Han Chinese once studied at the sprawling Larung Gar complex, which was founded in 1980 by the late religious teacher Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok and is one of the worlds largest and most important centers for the study of Tibetan Buddhism.

Many have now been expelled from the makeshift dwellings that once lined the hillsides around Larung Gar as authorities seek to reduce the centers population by about half to a maximum level of 5,000 by next year, sources told RFA in earlier reports.

Thousands have already returned to their hometowns in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and Tibetan-populated counties in neighboring Chinese provinces, with hundreds sent away by bus on Oct. 30 alone, sources said.



The nuns camp now set up in Serthar is a temporary measure only, a second source living in the area told RFA this week.



The authorities made this arrangement when they could not build actual houses for them as they had previously promised, he said.



Reported by Lhuboom for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.




Uyghur farmers in northwestern Chinas troubled Xinjiang region are being forced to attend evening classes in a new drive aimed at bringing them in line with official views on religion and government policy, sources in the mostly-Muslim ethnic area say.



The plan aims to educate farmers and herdsmen, many of them already elderly, in poverty eradication and Chinas benevolent policies" in the region, official sources say. But many who attend the classes say they are being instructed instead in topics meant to counter religious extremism.



Two course tracks are offered, one presenting general information and the other aimed primarily at Uyghur families with relatives in jail, a farmer in western Xinjiangs Aksu (in Chinese, Akesu) prefecture told RFAs Uyghur Service.



Yes, the courses have already begun, and four or five people from our family are taking part, the woman said, adding that though she and her husband are both already over 60 years of age, they are being made to participate along with her son and daughter-in-law.



There is another course for people who have family members in jail, and my name is on that list, so I have to go to that one too, she said.



We study how to watch our children carefully, so that they dont get involved in extremism. We also learn about politics, the woman said.



Before each class begins, we raise the Chinese flag, she said.



We now understand what extremism means and what is right and wrong, another Aksu farmer said. All of this has been poured into our brains.



We know now that it is wrong to send our children to religious schools, he said.



They also told us that we can no longer pray outside in the fields. We can only pray in government-designated mosques.



Heavy-handed rule



Rights groups accuse Chinese authorities of heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including violent police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people.



China regularly vows to crack down on what it calls the three evils of terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism in Xinjiang.



But experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from Uyghur separatists, and that domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence that has left hundreds dead since 2012.



Speaking to RFA, Munich-based World Uyghur Congress spokesman Dilxat Raxit described Chinas new political education drive in Xinjiang as an effort to put the farmers under full control and monitor their daily lives.



This will only increase tensions in the region, he said.



[Farmers] should have their own lives after they have finished their days work in the fields, Raxit said. There will be an adverse effect if things continue like this.



Reported by Jilil Kashgary for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Richard Finney.




Supporters of Raul Khajimba, the embattled de facto president of Georgia's breakaway Republic of Abkhazia, and the parties aligned in the Bloc of Opposition Forces pushing for Khajimba's resignation look set to go ahead with rival meetings on December 15 in the region's capital, Sukhumi, despite an appeal by the city's mayor not to do so.

The Amtsakhara (Keep the Home Fires Burning) union of veterans of the 1992-93 war that culminated in the loss of Georgia's control over the region announced on November 30 its plans to convene a public gathering on December 15 in the event that Khajimba fails to comply with their demand he step down as president. Aruaa, a rival union of war veterans, countered by scheduling a simultaneous demonstration in support of Khajimba.

For the past two years, Amtsakhara, which joined with three other groups in July 2015 to form the Bloc of Opposition Forces, has been seeking to force Khajimba's resignation. They accuse him of reneging on his promise to implement judicial reform and of exacerbating the economic stagnation and polarization of society he had vowed in the run-up to his election in August 2014 to overcome.

Just days after Amtsakhara scheduled its planned December 15 meeting, Bloc of Opposition Forces head Aslan Bzhania was detained and questioned by Russian police in Sochi.

Bzhania was released late on December 4 following separate meetings with Russia's ambassador to Abkhazia, Semyon Grigoryev, held with Amtsakhara's leaders, and with Khajimba. Russia formally recognized Abkhazia as an independent sovereign state in August 2008 following Georgia's abortive attack on its other breakaway region, South Ossetia.

But since last week, Abkhaz police and security personnel wearing black masks and toting assault weapons have been conducting traffic checks on the breakaway region's highways in what some see as a bid to round up other prominent opposition figures, the news portal Caucasian Knot reported on December 10.

On December 11, according to Caucasian Knot, Abkhazia's National Security Service accused the radical elements within the opposition of planning to seize power in a coup d'etat and assassinate Khajimba. It claimed to have found an arms cache in Sukhumi to be used for that purpose.

Speaking at a press briefing late on December 13, Bzhania categorically denied that "anyone is calling for illegal actions." He pointed out that the gathering of citizens envisaged is the traditional forum for democracy in Abkhazia. (Tens of thousands of people attended such a gathering 12 years ago to protest an apparent Moscow-backed bid to falsify the results of a presidential election in order to secure a victory for Khajimba.)

Assuming that the opposition gathering does take place on December 15 as planned, it is not clear how many people might turn out in support of the Bloc of Opposition Forces' demands. Several observers believe many Abkhaz are sick and tired of the standoff between the two factions. Turnout in a referendum in July on whether Khajimba should resign was so low that it was declared invalid.

Having affirmed publicly in late November that "if the entire nation gathers and says that I should quit, I shall not remain," Khajimba has since backtracked, warning on December 7 that "as head of state I do not intend to accept any conditions."

The previous day, the Abkhaz parliament had issued a statement calling on all political parties to demonstrate restraint and act exclusively within the law and to embark without delay on "political consultations" with the region's leaders that the parliament offered to help mediate. To date, however, no such talks have taken place, possibly because Khajimba proposed as mediators the Public Chamber, most of whose members support him unconditionally. Lawmakers further approved the drafting of unspecified constitutional amendments deemed necessary to strengthen political stability.

The heads of Abkhazia's districts expressed concern over the rising tensions and similarly called for dialogue between Khajimba and the opposition.

A similar call for restraint was issued by a group calling itself the Union of Abkhaz Volunteers of the Chechen Republic. (The Chechens who went to fight on the Abkhaz side during the 1992-93 war were headed by Shamil Basayev, Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov's teenage hero, who subsequently gained notoriety for his role in precipitating the second Chechen war and masterminding the Beslan school hostage-taking in 2004.)

The standoff between Khajimba and Amtsakhara has triggered dissent within the Yedinaya Abkhazia party, Abkhazia's largest, which is headed by former Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba and which professes to side with neither faction. (In the unlikely event that Khajimba does resign, Shamba would stand a reasonable chance in a subsequent presidential ballot given that Bzhania has said publicly he would not run.)

While most members of Yedinaya Abkhaziya's political council came out on December 2 against Amtsakhara's demand for Khajimba's resignation, some young activists argued that the opposition's criticisms of the current leadership are at least partially justified and proposed that the political council should vote on whether or not to appeal to Khajimba to step down prematurely. The majority rejected that proposal.

Meanwhile, a second long-established party, Aytayra, which is headed by Leonid Lakerbaya, has aligned with the Bloc of Opposition Forces. Lakerbaya served as prime minister under Khajimba's predecessor as de facto president, Aleksandr Ankvab, whom a loose grouping of political parties spearheaded by Khajimba forced to resign in early June 2014. Amtsakhara supporters regard Ankvab's ouster as unconstitutional, if not illegal.

Aytayra and the Bloc of Opposition Forces have signed a formal agreement to cooperate with the aim of stabilizing the political situation, "seeking a way out of the profound crisis in which the Abkhaz state finds itself, and overcoming the split within society."

They also pledge mutual support in the run-up to the parliamentary elections that Khajimba has just scheduled for March 12, 2017.

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.
In his state-of-the-nation speech this year, Vladimir Putin boasted that Russia is immune to the antiestablishment fever sweeping the West.

Aleksei Navalny is betting that he is wrong.

When he announced that he intends to run for president in 2018, the anticorruption blogger and opposition figure pledged to be "the voice of those tens of millions of people who work honestly, raise children, pay taxes, love their country, but whose voice the authorities do not hear."

He also vowed to make Russia "rich, free, strong, and modern."

Sound familiar? All that was missing was a promise to make Russia great again.

Navalny has clearly learned something from the populist wave that led to the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom, the election of Donald Trump in the United States, and the rise of Marine Le Pen in France.

Hours after Trump's victory was confirmed on November 9, Navalny released a video in which he argued that regardless of how Russians view the U.S. president-elect or his program, the lesson they should draw is that "a candidate who none of the pollsters, politicians, and experts believed in managed to win."

We should "try to achieve the simple goal of having such unpredictable elections in our country," he added.

Just as populists like Trump, Le Pen, and Nigel Farage caught Western establishments flat-footed and capitalized on their complacency, Navalny appears to be banking on doing the same in Russia.

And he's off to a good start.

WATCH: The Daily Vertical -- The Return Of Navalny

Political analyst and former Kremlin insider Gleb Pavlovsky told The Moscow Times that Navalny's announcement that he would seek the presidency caught the Putin regime off guard.

"They don't like surprises over there, and it was most certainly a surprise," Pavlovsky said.

Like his Western counterparts, Navalny also taps into a populist cocktail that includes ethnic nationalism, anger about corruption, and fatigue about an entrenched elite.

But unlike his Western counterparts, Navalny comes across as urbane and cosmopolitan -- and therefore manages to appeal to liberals as well.

It's a potentially potent combination.

"Espousing a firm stance against illegal immigration and federal subsidies to the Caucasus republics, Navalny seemed to stand for a kind of modern, Western European nationalism: Rabid xenophobia was out, rule of law and democracy for ones own culture coupled with exclusion of others, was in," Mark Galeotti, a senior policy fellow at the Institute of International Relations in Prague, and Anna Arutunyan, author of the book The Putin Mystique, wrote recently.

"It is not a great reach to see these ideas, especially when infused with hostility to corruption and a comfortable elite regarded as having sold out the country to get those comforts, having some wider appeal."

But, of course, unlike his counterparts in the West, Navalny will not be competing in free and fair elections.

He still faces a retrial in a corruption case widely believed to be politically motivated -- and a conviction would disqualify him.

And even if he is acquitted, the Kremlin will use all of its resources to either keep him off the ballot or to marginalize him completely if he is allowed to run.

In 2013, when the Kremlin was trying to create the pretext that elections were plausibly fair, Navalny was able to run an unorthodox, lively, and surprisingly strong campaign in Moscow's mayoral elections, nearly forcing incumbent Sergei Sobyanin into a runoff.

In 2018, with much more at stake and the Putin regime much more confident, "the Kremlin will not create such a good script for Navalny," political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya wrote in Republic.ru.

"The choice," she added, "is between a tough script, a very tough script, and a cruel script."

So Putin is correct, Russia has some immunity to the antiestablishment wave -- but only to the extent that politics as usual Putin-style is able to endure.

The populist revolt sweeping the West, the one that is upending politics as usual there, is essentially an uprising of those disenfranchised and economically left behind by globalization -- and there are many such people in Russia as well.

But while in the West the losers of globalization can vent their anger through the safety valve of the democratic process, in Russia, when the anger reaches critical mass, they will have no place to go but the streets.

And Navalny has a proven ability to put people on the streets.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.
Ukrainian forces are facing Russian attacks in multiple locations, where heavy shelling and air strikes damaged infrastructure as Moscow stepped up its offensive, the Ukrainian military said on November 3.

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.

The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine was again disconnected from the power grid after shelling damaged the remaining high voltage lines, leaving it with just diesel generators, Ukraine's nuclear firm Enerhoatom said.

Enerhoatom said it believes Russia will soon try to repair and connect Europe's largest nuclear station toward the Russia-occupied Crimea and Donbas regions.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said in its November 3 briefing that heavy fighting was under way in the east, with Russian troops conducting offensive operations in the Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Novopavlivka areas of the Donetsk region.

Russia launched attacks on 12 settlements in Donetsk and the neighboring Luhansk region. Ukrainian forces repelled the attacks, the military said.

In Luhansk, the Ukrainian military accused Russian forces are using civilians as human shields. The claim could not be independently confirmed.

Russian strikes were also reported in the central area of Kryviy Rih and in the northeast in Sumy and Kharkiv.

"The enemy is trying to keep the temporarily captured territories, concentrating its efforts on restraining the actions of the defense forces in certain areas," Ukraine's military said.

Russia has targeted Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure in recent weeks, prompting power and water outages and causing casualties among civilians.

Russia keeps denying targeting civilians, though the conflict has killed thousands, displaced millions, and razed some Ukrainian cities to the ground.

In the south, Ukraine's counteroffensive has left Russian forces fighting to hold their ground around the city of Kherson, on the right bank of the Dnieper River.

Moscow-installed authorities are urging residents to evacuate, the Ukrainian military said.



Residents of the town of Nova Zburiyvka had been given three days to leave and were told that evacuation would be obligatory from November 5, it said.

Russian authorities have repeatedly said Ukraine could be preparing to attack the massive Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper and flood the region. Kyiv denies that.

Russia and Ukraine will each hand over 107 captured fighters on November 3 in the latest prisoner exchange between the two sides, Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-installed administrator of Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine's Donetsk region, said in a post on his Telegram channel. He said 65 of those released by Ukraine will be separatist fighters from Donetsk and Luhansk.

Seven ships carrying agricultural products left Ukrainian Black Sea ports on November 3, a day after the resumption of a grain deal aimed at delivering Ukrainian food to foreign markets, the Infrastructure Ministry said.

The vessels were loaded with 290,000 tons of food products and were headed toward European and Asian countries, the ministry said in a statement without elaborating.

The British ambassador arrived at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow on November 3, Reuters reported, after she was summoned to discuss Moscow's claims that Britain was involved in a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea.

WATCH: RFE/RL asked people in Moscow how they thought the war in Ukraine -- which Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains is a "special military operation" -- is going.

Russia's Defense Ministry has said the attack was carried out under the guidance and leadership of British Navy specialists, an assertion Britain has dismissed as false.

Meanwhile, two U.S. officials told CBS News on November 2 that senior Russian military leaders discussed last month how and when they might use nuclear weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin was not involved in the talks, they told CBS News.

The White House said it has grown "increasingly concerned" about the potential use of nuclear weapons in the past few months. But it stressed Washington saw no signs of Russia preparing for such use.



In September, Putin escalated his nuclear and anti-Western rhetoric, mentioning that Russia could use all means at its disposal to protect itself and the occupied Ukrainian territories.

With reporting by Reuters and BBC
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Students at major universities in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, say they have been abruptly told to go on vacation ahead of the former Soviet republic's Independence Day, which is celebrated on December 16.

Several students from various universities told RFE/RL that they were told by school authorities either to leave Almaty for their hometowns or, if they remained in Almaty, stay away from its central square from December 9 to December 19.

Students said those remaining in Almaty were urged to stay in their dorms and prepare for the exams scheduled for late December.

The students did not want their names published, fearing they could be punished.

They said no explanation was given for the sudden vacation, but some voiced suspicion that it was aimed at avoiding potential protests.

Independence Day this year coincides with the 30th anniversary of three days of protests by Kazakh youth against the Soviet government on December 16-19, 1986.

Those demonstrations, an early sign of unrest ahead of the breakup of the Soviet Union five years later, were violently dispersed by Soviet authorities.

December 16 is also the fifth anniversary of a crackdown on protesting oil workers in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen in 2011, when at least 16 people were killed by police.

Officials at several universities in Almaty told RFE/RL that the vacation had been announced in accordance with a schedule approved months ago.

No such vacations were announced at universities in other Kazakh cities.


ASTANA -- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has held talks with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Astana.

The two leaders discussed economic, medical, and trade cooperation, bilateral investments, and the fight against terrorism, Nazarbaev said after the talks on December 14.

Several documents related to visa-free travel, aviation communications, agricultural cooperation, anticorruption efforts, and other issues, were signed after the discussions.

Netanyahu and Nazarbaev are expected to take part in a Kazakh-Israeli business forum.

Netanyahu was on his first visit to Kazakhstan as Israel's prime minister, an office he has held since 2009 and also from 1996 to 1999.

He arrived in the Kazakh capital on December 13 from Baku, Azerbaijan, where he discussed bilateral ties with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.


ASTANA -- Kazakh authorities say they will continue their efforts to prosecute fugitive tycoon and opposition figure Mukhtar Ablyazov and his associates despite his release from custody in France.

In a statement issued on December 14, Kazakhstan's Prosecutor-General's Office said that Ablyazov had been charged with embezzlement, organizing a criminal group, illegally obtaining other people's property, financial mishandling, money laundering, and abuse of office.

Ablyazov was released from a French jail on December 9 after France's highest administrative court, the Council of State court, canceled an order on his extradition to Russia, saying the extradition request had been made for political reasons.

The Kazakh tycoon was arrested on the French Riviera in 2013 after months on the run.

The French government approved Ablyazov's extradition to Russia in September 2015.

Kazakhstan has no extradition treaty with France, but has such deals with Russia and Ukraine.

Ablyazov, the former head of Kazakhstan's BTA bank, is wanted by Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine on suspicion of embezzling some $5 billion.

Ablyazov says the charges against him are politically motivated.
ASTANA -- A Kazakh woman who was hospitalized after she set herself on fire to protest her son's conviction on drug charges has died in hospital.

Maira Rysmanova's relatives say she died in a medical clinic in Astana early on December 14.

Rysmanova poured gasoline on herself and set herself on fire in front of the Prosecutor-General's Office in Astana on December 6.

Rysmanova's son was found guilty of illegal drug possession and sentenced to 4 1/2 years in jail in June 2015.

After Rysmanova's death was announced, a spokesman for the Prosecutor-General's Office, Erzhan Galeev, said that Rysmanova had been aware that her son's case was being reinvestigated.

Rysmanova's daughter, Aqmaral Akhmetova, protested in front of the Prosecutor-General's Office on December 14, demanding justice.

With reporting by newtines.kz
Macedonia's opposition Social Democratic Union has challenged the results of the country's weekend parliamentary elections, in a bid to overturn a narrow win by the conservative ruling party.

The Social Democrats on December 13 filed complaints about voting irregularities that were echoed by a new ethnic Albanian party, the Besa, which reported alleged violations that could change the outcome of the vote.

The state elections commission said the two opposition parties lodged complaints on the electoral process at 16 polling stations, demanding a repeat vote in those places.

Zoran Zaev, leader of the leftist Social Democrats, said that, by his calculations, each of the main parties should have received 50 seats in parliament.

Zaev said official results announced on December 12 differed significantly from figures provided by his party's observers at polling stations in a northwestern region mostly populated by ethnic Albanians.

The official results gave the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party of former Prime Minister Nikola 51 of parliament's 120 seats and the Social Democrats 49.

The margin of difference between the two parties was razor-thin -- around 18,000 votes out of 1.7 million registered voters.

While short of a majority, the conservatives were expected to form a governing coalition with their previous junior partner, an ethnic Albanian party that won 10 seats.

A senior VMRO-DPMNE official responded to the opposition challenge by accusing Zaev of trying to cheat voters.

"[Zaev] and those around him should know that they are playing with the people's patience, and if someone tries to steal their victory, patience will turn into anger," Vlatko Gjorcev said.

The early election was called as part of a Western-brokered deal to defuse a two-year political crisis sparked by a massive wiretapping scandal.

The opposition blamed Gruevski for an illegal wiretapping operation targeting more than 20,000 people.

Gruevski -- who has governed Macedonia for most of the past decade -- denied any wrongdoing, blaming the wiretaps on "foreign spies."

President Gjorge Ivanov voiced hopes on December 13 that the election "will contribute to ending the political crisis and will be the beginning of national reconciliation in the country."

The newly elected parliament should convene by the end of this month, and the new government must be formed by the end of January.

With reporting by AP and dpa


A suspect in an alleged plot to assassinate pro-Western Montenegrin politician Milo Djukanovic has posted a photograph of himself standing near Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov this week in Belgrade.



Nemanja Ristic, who is wanted in Montenegro for conspiracy to kill Djukanovic in an alleged foreign-organized coup attempt in October, posted the image on his Instagram account on December 13.

The photo shows Ristic standing just steps away from Lavrov at a ceremony at the Grave Of Liberators cemetery in the Serbian capital on December 12. Lavrov visited the cemetery, where a number of Soviet soldiers who died while liberating Belgrade during World War II are interred, at the start of a two-day official visit to Belgrade.



Ristic gave no information as to why he posted the image.

The three women with whom Lavrov is posing in the photograph are all members of the right-wing nationalist Serbian group Zavetnici (Patrons), which participated in a wreath-laying ceremony to honor the fallen Russian soldiers. One of the members of the group, Milica Djurdjevic, told RFE/RLs Balkan Service reporter on the scene that Ristic is not a member of the group.

The presence of Ristic so near to Russia's top diplomat raises multiple questions, including how he entered the premises, which were tightly secured for Lavrov's visit.



It also raises questions about Belgrade's cooperation with a Montenegrin investigation into an alleged plot that involves two Russian citizens, more than 20 Serbian and Montenegrin citizens, and unidentified members of Montenegro's Russia-leaning main opposition party.

It is unclear whether Podgorica has issued an international arrest warrant for Ristic. Citing unidentified government sources, some Montenegrin media outlets have reported that such an order was issued, though this has not been officially confirmed.

Montenegro's chief prosecutor, Milivoje Katnic, accused Ristic last month of participating in the alleged coup attempt, saying that he recruited protesters who were to storm the parliament building during national elections on October 16 and announce the opposition Democratic Front (DF) as the victor.

Ristic is a well-known right-wing agitator in Serbia. The High Court in Belgrade last year ordered that he undergo psychiatric treatment in connection with death threats and threats of physical violence he has previously directed to the editor of independent Serbian news outlet B92 Veran Matic, to former U.S. Ambassador Michael Kirby, and Serbian prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac.

Montenegro's chief prosecutor named two Russian citizens, Eduard Sirokov and Vladimir Popov, as the suspected organizers of the alleged coup attempt in Podgorica. Katnic said the Russian citizens planned to hire a sharpshooter to assassinate Djukanovic, the head of the ruling pro-Western Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), over his efforts to have Montenegro join NATO.



Montenegro's pro-Russian opposition parties have rejected the charges of a coup attempt. The leader of the DF, Milutin Dukanovic, has called the allegations part of a "contrived and fabricated" affair meant to frighten voters on the eve of the election into voting for the ruling party.

The prosecutor's office first announced it had foiled the alleged coup attempt on October 15, just hours before polls opened.



Moscow has said it had no official role in the alleged coup attempt.

"We, obviously, categorically deny the possibility of official involvement in arranging any illegal actions," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on November 7.



Montenegrin politics remain in turmoil since the election, in which the ruling DPS secured a large majority and has since formed a new government. Opposition parties are boycotting the parliament and all government institutions, claiming the government unfairly influenced the voting.

The pro-Russian parties began mounting a strong campaign last year to keep the country out of NATO, including street protests in the capital to demand Djukanovic's resignation in the run-up to NATO's announcement in December that it would start accession talks with Podgorica.

The most fervent pro-Russia opposition parties oppose NATO membership because many members are ethnic Serbs angry over NATO's bombing of Serbia in 1999. The bombardment forced the president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia at the time, Slobodan Milosevic, to halt operations by security forces that were driving hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo, which was still part of rump Yugoslavia.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service
A senior lawmaker says Russia will draw on the checkered recent experience of its only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, when it builds a new carrier.

The Admiral Kuznetsov has lost two jets since its deployment off Syria's coast in October as part of Russia's campaign in support of Syrian government forces in the war there.

On its long journey from northern Russia to the Eastern Mediterranean, it drew attention by belching black smoke into the sky.

"Any experience that we've gained will certainly come in handy in building a new aircraft carrier," Vladimir Shamanov, the chairman of the defense committee in the lower parliament house, told state news agency TASS.

"Creating such a ship has long been an urgent need because our country is washed by seas and oceans all around," Shamanov was quoted as saying.

An Su-33 fighter jet was returning from a mission when it rolled off the deck after the rope of the aircraft's arresting gear broke, the Defense Ministry said on December 5.

In November, a MiG-29 jet crashed in the sea due to an "equipment fault."

In both cases the pilots ejected and survived, the ministry said.

Based on reporting by TASS


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Residents of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, held a solidarity rally for civilians trapped in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo. The gathering was emotional for some who remembered that Sarajevo endured a bloody siege itself during the 1992-95 Bosnian war. (RFE/RL's Balkan Service)
The United Nations high commissioner for human rights says Syria and its allies, Russia and Iran, have almost certainly violated international law and probably committed war crimes by bombing civilians hoping to be evacuated from eastern Aleppo.

UN human rights chief Zeid bin Raad Zeid al-Hussein made the accusations in a December 14 statement issued after a purported Aleppo evacuation plan announced by Russia a day earlier failed to materialize.

Zeid said he was "appalled that the deal enabling the evacuation of many thousands of civilians, including the wounded and the sick, from the remaining opposition-held area of eastern Aleppo appears to have collapsed."

Zeid acknowledged that the reasons for the breakdown of the cease-fire were disputed, but said that "the resumption of extremely heavy bombardment by the Syrian government forces and their allies on an area packed with civilians is almost certainly a violation of international law and most likely constitutes war crimes."

He also said the Syrian government "has a clear responsibility to ensure its people are safe, and is palpably failing to take this opportunity to do so."

Late on December 13, Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said an agreement had been struck for rebel fighters and civilians to be safely evacuated from eastern Aleppo.

Churkin told an emergency session of the UN Security Council that military activities in eastern Aleppo had stopped and that the Syrian government had "established control" over the area.

But fierce fighting, air strikes, and artillery barrages shattered the purported cease-fire deal less than 12 hours later before any evacuation materialized.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed there was shelling, air strikes, and "very intense clashes on every front line" between Syrian government forces and rebels in Aleppo.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that government forces resumed their assault after rebels, in the ministry's words, broke the truce brokered by Turkey and Russia.

'Fragile And Complicated'

But in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Syrian government forces of breaking the deal.

Erdogan's comments came after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government and its allies of trying to intentionally scuttle the agreement.

"We see now that the regime and other groups are trying to obstruct this [deal]," he said. "This includes Russia, Iran -- forces supported by Iran -- and the [Syrian] regime."

Later on December 14, officials in Turkey's presidential office said Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone conversation to make a joint effort to start the evacuation of civilians and opposition forces from eastern Aleppo as soon as possible.

Reuters quoted the Turkish presidential sources as saying that both Erdogan and Putin agreed on the need to prevent further cease-fire violations

German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Russia was partly responsible for the destruction of eastern Aleppo.

"We know that this ruthless destruction of eastern Aleppo would not have been possible without massive military support from Russia," Seibert said. "Russia has not prevented the crimes of the last few days although it was within its power to do so."

Assad has been backed by Russian air strikes and an array of Shi'ite militias from Iran and Lebanon in his campaign to seize full control of Aleppo, which was the most populous city in Syria before the more than 5-year-old civil war.

In excerpts from an interview aired on December 14 by state-funded Russian channel RT, Assad accused Western countries of seeking a cease-fire in Aleppo to "save" what he called "the terrorists" -- a reference to rebels fighting against his government.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he expected rebel resistance in eastern Aleppo to end "in the next two to three days."

WATCH: U.S. Attacks 'Shameless' Aleppo Assault

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on December 14 that nearly 6,000 civilians had left Aleppo's rebel-held districts during the previous 24 hours.

It also said that 366 rebels had laid down their arms over the same period and moved out of rebel-controlled parts of the city.

Execution-Style Killings

But the UN human rights office said it was receiving reports of pro-government forces in Syria entering homes in eastern Aleppo and shooting civilians dead "on the spot."

The UN human rights office said on December 13 that it had reliable evidence from four Aleppo neighborhoods that 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, had been summarily executed.

Spokesman Rupert Colville said the atrocities were committed in recent days, adding that there could have been "many more" execution-style killings.

UN humanitarian spokesman Jens Laerke said it looked like "a complete meltdown of humanity in Aleppo."

Syria's UN ambassador, Bashar al-Ja'afari, denied allegations of any mass killings or revenge attacks and insisted that it was Syria's "constitutional right" to go after what he called terrorists.

"Aleppo has been liberated from terrorists and those who toyed with terrorism," Ja'afari said. "Aleppo has returned to the nation."

U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said the Syrian government, Russia, and Iran bore responsibility for the conquest of and carnage in Aleppo.

"Aleppo will join the ranks of those events in world history that define modern evil, that stain our conscience decades later, Power said, citing the 1988 Halabja chemical attack in northern Iraq, the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre during the Bosnian war.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and dpa
Officials from Syria's military and the Syrian rebel alliance say a proposed evacuation plan for besieged rebel-held areas of Aleppo was back on track after a 24-hour delay.

Abdul Salam Abdul Razak, a spokesman for the Nour al-Din al-Zinki rebel group, said an agreement was reached late on December 14 that would all the evacuation to begin at 6 a.m. local time.

Officials in the Syrian governments military alliance confirmed the truce deal, saying 15,000 people also were to be evacuated from two government-controlled villages that were besieged by rebel forces.

But a Syrian rebel official denied that 15,000 would be evacuated, saying that only wounded would be allowed to leave.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said late on December 14 that the leaders of Turkey, Russia, and Iran were planning to meet in Moscow on December 27 in a bid to "establish a cease-fire in the whole country" of Syria "and to start summits to find a political solution" to the war that has raged there for more than five years.

Earlier on December 14, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office said Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed in a telephone conversation to make a joint effort to start the evacuation of civilians and opposition forces as soon as possible.

The evacuation was meant to start at dawn on December 14.

Erdogan accused Syrian government forces of breaking the deal that was brokered by Turkey and Russia.

Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu also accused Russia and Iran of trying to intentionally scuttle the agreement.

But the Russian Defense Ministry said forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad resumed their assault after rebels broke the truce.

Regardless of who was responsible for the collapse of the original cease-fire and evacuation plan, the United Nations human rights chief said Assad's regime and his allies, Russia and Iran, almost certainly violated international law and probably committed war crimes by bombing civilians who were hoping to be evacuated from eastern Aleppo.

Zeid bin Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein said on December 14 that he was "appalled that the deal enabling the evacuation of many thousands of civilians, including the wounded and the sick, from the remaining opposition-held area of eastern Aleppo" collapsed.

He said "the resumption of extremely heavy bombardment by the Syrian government forces and their allies on an area packed with civilians is almost certainly a violation of international law and most likely constitutes war crimes."

He also said the Syrian government "has a clear responsibility to ensure its people are safe, and is palpably failing to take this opportunity to do so."

Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin announced the original truce and evacuation plan late on December 13 at an emergency session of the UN Security Council.

But fierce fighting, air strikes, and artillery barrages shattered the plan shortly before dawn on December 14 before any evacuation materialized.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and dpa
At age 51, Tajik General Abduhalim Nazarzoda seemed to have everything going for him.



He was promoted to deputy defense minister last year, and away from work commanded a substantial business portfolio ranging from a string of bakeries, cafes, and shops to real estate, a horse farm, and other farmland.



The general, who authorities say had three wives, is accused of leading what the government calls a "terrorist" attack -- a spate of violence that left at least nine police and 17 militants dead and revived memories of the Central Asian country's devastating 1992-1997 civil war.



Police say Nazarzoda and a group of gunmen under his control launched a predawn attack on the main police station in the Vahdat district east of the Tajik capital on September 4, and clashed later that day with security forces at a Defense Ministry building not far from the Dushanbe International Airport.

Authorities say Nazarzoda, his alleged associate Colonel Juhaidulloh Umarov, and several other gunmen then fled to the Romit Gorge, adjacent to Vahdat, where security forces targeted them in a large-scale manhunt that ended September 16 with Dushanbe's announcement of their deaths.

Shortly after the attacks, Nazarzoda was sacked for "committing a crime" and was later charged with treason, terrorism, sabotage, and creating an extremist group.

Fragile Political Arrangements



The attacks put impoverished Tajikistan and its strongman President Emomali Rahmon in the spotlight, causing concern that the fragile political arrangements put in place after the civil war could be coming apart.



It came days after Rahmon's staunchly secular government effectively banned the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), the country's largest political party and the only registered Islamic party in any of the tightly controlled states of former Soviet Central Asia.



It also set off speculation about a motive -- or what many in Tajikistan say is the lack of a motive.



The IRPT swiftly rejected any connection to the fugitive general and said the violence was the result of internal rivalries within Tajikistan's law enforcement agencies.



Nazarzoda joined the Defense Ministry in 1997, after the government signed a power-sharing deal with the Islamist-led opposition that ended the five-year civil war.

Nazarzoda had a stint of several months with the opposition early in the conflict, when he led a unit fighting against pro-government forces in Dushanbe and the southern Vakhsh district.



But he left the country in 1993 for Kazakhstan, where he described himself as a successful businessman involved in trade, although the nature of his business activities remains unclear.



He returned to Tajikistan with money and a convoy of SUVs a few months after a peace accord was signed in June 1997, sources close to the Islamic opposition say.

Rising Through The Ranks



Nazarzoda allegedly gave 10 jeeps to the opposition leader at the time, Said Abdulloh Nuri, who appointed him the commander of the 25 battalion of former opposition fighters to be integrated with government forces.



The move angered opposition commanders who believe Nazarzoda was unfairly promoted over them.



Nazarzoda, who was also made a colonel, never looked back -- rising in the ranks at the Defense Ministry and expanding his business portfolio.



In the wake of the September 4 attacks, those business interests sparked speculation that Nazarzoda could have been targeted by powerful people who wanted to sideline him in order to seize his assets.



Parallels were drawn between Nazarzoda and Zayd Saidov, a jailed tycoon whose numerous businesses and properties have been seized following his arrest in 2013 on polygamy, rape, and financial fraud  charges he denies.



However, Nazarzoda's business portfolio is far smaller than that of Saidov, who controlled a vast business empire involved in construction, textiles, jewelry, and real estate. And before the attack, there were few signs Nazarzoda's business interests were at risk.



The attacks came only months after Colonel Gulmurod Halimov, the commander of the Interior Ministry's special forces, left the country to join the Islamic State extremist group.



Some likened Nazarzoda to Halimov, who criticized Rahmon's crackdown on Islamic practices on videos posted on YouTube.



Nazarzoda, however, was not seen as a particularly religious person, although he performed a Hajj pilgrimage in the early 1990s, a trip that earned him a nickname, Hoji Halim.

Those who doubt he had a motive ask what he stood to gain by attacking a rural police headquarters if he was unhappy with the government's policies on religion.



Officials who blame Nazarzoda for the attacks say the choice of Vahdat as a target was not random.



A police official who spoke to RFE/RL's Tajik Service on condition of anonymity claimed that Nazarzoda and his supporters had been plotting an attack against Rahmon during a trip to the district that was planned for September 6.



The official said that, on September 3, police "entirely accidentally" arrested a Vahdat woman who was allegedly serving as an information carrier between members of the group.

The official said police suspect that, after the womans arrest, Nazarzoda knew the alleged plot had been uncovered and decided to seize weapons from the police headquarters and avoid arrest.

It is not the first time a senior military officer in Tajikistan has been accused of plotting attacks against the government: In the past two decades, four Tajik generals and two colonels in high positions have faced similar accusations.

In a rare interview, Nazarzoda once said that "no one is immune to arrest" and that "anything can happen in life."

Written by Farangis Najibullah; RFE/RL Tajik Service correspondents Mumin Ahmadi and Mirzo Salimpur contributed to this report
Tajik lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov, already serving a 23-year prison sentence on charges widely seen as fabricated and politically motivated, now faces additional jail time for reading out an 11th-century poem in court.

As he sat in the dock during a court hearing in October, Yorov read out a stanza from a classic poem by the Persian poet Omar Khayyam.

The passage goes something like this:

With these ignorant few who foolishly

Consider themselves the intelligent ones of the world

Should be donkeys, because they are so deep in donkeyness

That they call "blasphemous" whomever is not a donkey

Eyewitnesses who were present in the Dushanbe courtroom say the reading led to a heated exchange between the defendant and the prosecutor.

Days later, Yorov and his co-defendant and colleague, Nuriddin Mahkamov, were found guilty of the main charges they faced: inciting social unrest and issuing public calls for the overthrow of the government. Both lawyers dismiss the charges, which stemmed from accusations made against them after they defended members of an opposition party.

Yorov's days in court weren't over, however, because he soon learned that his poetry reading had led to fresh charges of contempt of court and insulting a government official.

The charges -- each of which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison -- are being heard in a closed-door trial that began on December 12.

Yorov has faced a litany of charges since his arrest in September 2015. His arrest, related to the charges he was found guilty of this October, came just after he had begun to represent 13 senior members of the now-banned Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP) accused of attempting to overthrow the government.

The day prior to his arrest, he had gone public with a claim by IRP deputy leader Umarali Husaynov that he had been beaten in custody. This November, he was charged in a separate fraud case whose trial date has not yet been set and for which he faces two years.

Yorov is among a number of attorneys and legal professionals in Tajikistan who have faced charges after representing opposition figures and government critics, leading human-rights groups to conclude that the charges have been trumped up as retribution for their work.

Yorov's co-defendant Nuriddin Mahkamov, who worked for Yorov's Sipar law firm, was sentenced to 21 years in prison. Like Yorov, Mahkamov represented arrested IRP officials.

Another lawyer of the Sipar firm, Dilbar Dodojonova, was arrested in October 2015 on defamation charges. She was later transferred to house arrest, pending trial.

Yorov's brother Jamshed, who is also a lawyer by profession, was arrested in August 2016 and charged with "disclosure of state secrets." He was freed a month later under an amnesty. Jamshed Yorov represented a deputy head of the IRP.

Lawyers Shuhrat Kudratov and Fakhriddin Zokirov ran into legal trouble after they defended tycoon-turned-politician Zayd Saidov, who is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence on charges of fraud, polygamy, and rape. A former government minister, Saidov was arrested after announcing his intention to form a political party in 2013.

Kudratov was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2015 on fraud charges. His sentence was later reduced to three years and eight months. Prior to his arrest, Kudratov was also a member of the opposition Social Democratic Party.



Zokirov was detained by anticorruption police in March 2014 and was held in custody for several months. Following his release, Zokirov announced that he no longer represented Saidov.

Rights groups and other international organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, have repeatedly urged Tajik authorities to immediately release imprisoned attorneys.

The U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has said that Washington has "repeatedly raised its concerns about...the spurious targeting of defense lawyers in Tajikistan."

Speaking specifically about the most recent charges brought against Yorov, the U.S. Mission in Vienna said that "the United States calls on the authorities of Tajikistan to see that all lawyers are able to conduct their work without fear of threat or harassment, and that any pursuit of criminal charges against Mr. Yorov is adjudicated in accordance with Tajikistan's international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."

Yorov's case has been likened by observers to that of Sergei Magnitsky, a whistle-blowing Russian lawyer who implicated several government officials in a high-profile tax-evasion case. Magnitsky died in 2009 while in pretrial detention, during which he was alleged to have been mistreated. His case has led to the U.S. Magnitsky Act, which seeks to punish Russian officials accused of involvement in Magnitsky's death or their role in rights abuses.



Authorities in Tajikistan have insisted that there are no politically motivated criminal cases in the country.


U.S. President-elect Donald Trump touted Rex Tillerson, his pick to become secretary of state, as a "great diplomat" who will "reverse years of foreign policy blunders" while being a "fierce advocate" for U.S. interests.

At a rally in Wisconsin on December 13, Trump praised Tillerson as one of the world's most successful businessmen with a career that is "the embodiment of the American dream."

"Through hard work, dedication, and smart deal-making, Rex rose through the ranks to become CEO of ExxonMobil, one of the world's largest and most respected companies," Trump said.

While many in Congress are criticizing Tillerson's close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump saw that as a selling point.

"Rex is friendly with many of the leaders in the world that we don't get along with, and some people don't like that," Trump said. "They don't want him to be friendly. That's why I'm doing the deal with Rex, because I like what this is all about."

"We need a new direction," said Trump. "Instead of jumping recklessly from one intervention to another, my administration will build a long term strategy for stability, prosperity, peace, and rebuilding our own country."

Based on reporting by AFP and dpa
"Sea transport has its own pitfalls; a lot of it has to go through the Straits of Malacca, which is infested with pirates...The pipeline from Turkmenistan, by contrast, is going overland and is a little bit easier to predict and protect." "Sea transport has its own pitfalls; a lot of it has to go through the Straits of Malacca, which is infested with pirates...The pipeline from Turkmenistan, by contrast, is going overland and is a little bit easier to predict and protect."

Hu (left) and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev push the symbolic start button at the opening of the Kazakh-China spur of the pipeline in Astana on December 12.

With one flick of a switch today, Russia's long-standing dominance and near monopoly over Central Asian natural-gas exports officially came to an end.The massive Turkmenistan-China pipeline, which will carry natural gas from eastern Turkmenistan through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan into China's northwestern Xinjiang region, went on line today during an inauguration ceremony attended by regional leaders. It marks the first time in more than a decade that a pipeline has been constructed to pump gas out of the region, and the biggest-ever effort to export Central Asian gas without using Russian routes.The ceremony in Samandepe, the starting point of the 1,833-kilometer pipeline that originates in Turkmenistan's gas-rich but previously untapped east, took place just over three years after the China-funded project was agreed upon.Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov called the launch of the new pipeline "a new chronicle in the relations of our countries" that "will stand as a golden page" in their history.Joining the Turkmen president to witness the event were the presidents of China, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan -- Hu Jintao, Nursultan Nazarbaev, and Islam Karimov, respectively -- whose countries are all involved in the project.Jennifer DeLay, editor of "FSU Oil And Gas Monitor," a weekly publication from the Scotland-based Newsbase Group, says the significance of the new route rests primarily in the fact that it is the first high-volume export route opening up for Turkmenistan that does not go through Russia.DeLay notes that a gas pipeline connecting Turkmenistan to northern Iran was constructed in 1997. But she says its rather modest annual capacity of 8 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas pales in comparison to the new route to China."That's still pretty small compared to the one they [Turkmenistan] have to Russia, which is handling upward of 50, 60, 70 bcm per year," DeLay says. "The new pipeline to China is going to be handling 30 to 40 billion cubic meters a year, and that's quite a bit bigger than 8 [billion bcm]."According to plan, the Turkmenistan-China pipeline's full capacity of 40 bcm should be achieved by 2012, but Turkmenistan and China have already signed preliminary agreements to add another 10 bcm eventually.Russian energy giant Gazprom is contracted to purchase between 50 to 65 bcm annually from Turkmenistan, accounting for about 90 percent of the Central Asian country's gas exports.But since an explosion along the pipeline connecting Turkmenistan to Russia in April, no gas has been flowing, stoking tensions between the two countries and leading Turkmenistan to speed up efforts to find alternative export avenues.The two sides are close to agreement on renewing supplies, but when the flow of gas does resume Gazprom's share of Turkmen gas will have fallen to just over 50 percent as a result of the new China route and others expected to go on line soon. .A new pipeline to Iran, due to be launched later this month, will eventually send another 8 bcm to Iran -- with plans to add 4 bcm more -- to Iran, bringing the total slated for the Turkmenistan's southern neighbor to 20 bcm.The Turkmenistan-China pipeline is also due to take some gas from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to China. Uzbekistan has already said it is contracted to provide 10 bcm to the project. A second section of the pipeline that will extend through Kazakhstan from north of the Aral Sea to China -- the Beyneu-Bozoy-Kzylorda-Shymkent pipeline -- will provide 10 bcm of Kazakh gas.During a visit to Kazakhstan on December 12 en route to Turkmenistan, Chinese President Hu attended the opening of the Kazakh-China spur of the pipeline and held discussions with Kazakh President Nazarbaev.In the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, ahead of today's ceremony, Hu said the new pipeline will benefit all countries in the region, and expressed China's interest in continued cooperation with Central Asian states in the development and transportation of energy resources.DeLay of "FSU Oil And Gas Monitor" explains that China has a keen interest in diversifying its energy sources."China is looking, at this point, to gasify as much of its economy as possible," she says. "To date it's dependent mostly on coal, which is of course a much dirtier burning fuel, and they're looking to switch over to gas. At present, gas still accounts for a fairly low share of total energy consumption, I believe it may still be less than 10 percent."So at the moment they're looking for gas from pretty much any source they can get it, and if they can get through a secure overland pipeline, so much the better."DeLay says the new Turkmenistan-China route fits the bill."One of the big attractions of the pipeline from Central Asia is that it's an overland route. A good amount of the gas that China has started buying lately has come from overseas in the form of LNG [liquefied natural gas], which has to be brought in by tankers," DeLay says."Sea transport has its own pitfalls; a lot of it has to go through the Straits of Malacca, which is infested with pirates, and there's some other security concerns. The pipeline from Turkmenistan, by contrast, is going overland and is a little bit easier to predict and protect."The opening of the new pipeline could also have a ripple effect, as Central Asia's gas-exporting states consider offers to join projects leading west to Europe. The European Union-backed Nabucco gas pipeline aims to carry 31 bcm annually and would be nearly twice as long as the Turkmenistan-China pipeline.So far, however, Central Asian leaders have been hesitant to sign contracts to fill the Nabucco pipeline.That may be about to change.One of Nabucco's shareholders, Germany's RWE Dea, in July was awarded the rights to explore Turkmenistan's offshore gas fields in the Caspian Sea. In October, the company opened a representative office in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat.Observers see RWE's activities as the first steps in securing Turkmen gas for Nabucco. And for Nabucco shareholders and supporters, the example of the new Turkmenistan-China going online demonstrates with certainty that it is possible to build a high-volume pipeline that avoids Russia.
A Dutch court has ruled that a priceless collection of gold artifacts from Crimea that were on loan to a Dutch museum when Russia occupied the peninsula must be returned to Ukraine.

The Amsterdam district court said on December 14 that Crimea was not a sovereign country and so could not claim the treasures as cultural heritage.

The ruling drew a swift and angry reaction from Russia and praise from Ukraine, whose president said it means that "Crimea is ours, period.

Kyiv and four museums in Crimea have been wrangling over the fate of the archeological treasures, which range from pots to a Scythian helmet dating back more than 2,000 years, ever since Russia seized control of the Ukrainian peninsula in March 2014.

The Ukrainian government claimed that, as state property, they could not be returned to territory outside its control, while the Crimean museums argued the objects must be returned by the Netherlands to the institutions from which they were on loan.

The treasures, popularly known as Scythian gold, are in the Netherlands because they were borrowed from the four museums in Crimea and one in Kyiv for an exhibition in early 2014 at Amsterdam's Allard Pierson Museum.

"The court ruling is that the artifacts have to be brought back to the state of Ukraine as they form a part of the cultural heritage of the state of Ukraine," Illya Bilderbeek, a spokesman for the Amsterdam district court, said.

Shortly after the court issued its ruling, the Russian Culture Ministry said the decision "violates the principles of international exchanges between museums and the right of the people of the Crimea to have access to their own cultural heritage."

The ministry called the ruling an "extremely negative precedent" and said it contradicted "the norms of international law on the protection of cultural values."

'Pure Theft'

Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky had said earlier that a decision in favor of Kyiv would be "pure theft."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko welcomed the ruling in a post on his Facebook page.

"The decision by the district court in Amsterdam means that not only the Scythian gold is Ukrainian. Crimea is also Ukrainian, Crimea is ours, period, he said.

Kyiv had argued that the country of origin is Ukraine, not Russia.

"Crimea is part of Ukraine [and] it is only our national authorities that can decide to which museum [the artifacts] should return," Ukrainian Deputy Culture Minister Svitlana Fomenko told reporters at the courthouse on December 14.

"As you know, Crimea is occupied by Russian Federation and we have no access to Crimea," Fomenko said. "We cannot protect our cultural heritage in Crimea."

In testimony on December 12, the lawyer acting for Ukraine, Maarten Sanders, told the court that "in terms of UNESCO treaties on cultural heritage, the treasures have to go back to Kyiv for as long as the Crimea is occupied territory."

Meanwhile, the culture minister in the Russian-imposed government that administers Crimea, Arina Novoselskaya, said on December 14 that the museums will appeal the courts decision.

The four Crimean museums have previously described the treasures as belonging to the people of Crimea.

Andrei Malgin, director of the Tavrida Central Museum, told Dutch television on December 12 that "this is the cultural heritage of local tribes and peoples."

The almost 600 artifacts, including pots, gold leaf and other objects, date back more than 2,000 years.

Among the most valuable objects are a 2,400-year-old Scythian helmet, Han Dynasty lacquer boxes from the Silk Road, and a gilded scabbard.

'Sacred' To Russia

The treasures from the four Crimean museums, which were displayed in an exhibition titled The Crimea: Gold And Secrets From The Black Sea, have been in safe storage at the Dutch museum while awaiting the courts decision.

The German dpa news agency reports that the court on December 14 ordered Kyiv to pay 111,000 euros for the storage and security costs of the treasures.

If the Dutch legal system accepts appeals in the case, the treasures could remain in storage for months more pending a final decision.

The museum has already returned the pieces which belonged to a museum in Kyiv.

In ancient history, Crimea was a crossroads for trade between Greeks and Romans in the west and Scythians, Huns, and Tatars in the east.

The treasures unearthed in Crimea are popularly referred to as Scythian in reference to the tribes of various ethnicities which shared a seminomadic lifestyle and for centuries dominated a broad swath of Eurasia extending from the edge of western Europe to the eastern frontier of China.

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 after flooding the peninsula with troops to secure key facilities, taking control of the regional legislature, and staging a referendum denounced as illegitimate by Ukraine,. the United States, and a total of 100 UN member states.

In an address in December 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the peninsula was "sacred" to Russia.

With reporting by Reuters, TASS, and dpa
The U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Samantha Power, accused Russia, Syria, and Iran of placing a "noose" around civilians in Aleppo, asking them "are you truly incapable of shame?" Her comments came amid reports of extensive civilian casualties, with a Syrian general telling rebels in the city to "surrender or die." (Reuters)
WASHINGTON -- An American man whom U.S. prosecutors have accused of organizing the largest known cyberattack on Wall Street has been deported from Russia to the United States.

Lawyers for Joshua Aaron, 32, confirmed that he arrived in New York around midday on December 14 aboard a commercial flight from Moscow. He was scheduled to make his first U.S. federal court appearance on December 15.

U.S. prosecutors have accused Aaron and two Israeli men of orchestrating the theft of data from more than 100 million customers from U.S. companies including JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The group then used that information to manipulate stocks and similar schemes that brought in hundreds of millions of dollars, U.S. prosecutors say.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called the eight-year scheme "securities fraud on cyber-steroids."

The office of Aaron's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, told RFE/RL that its client would appear in court on December 15.

U.S. authorities issued an arrest warrant for Aaron in July 2015, just two months after he arrived in Russia via Ukraine. His Israeli partners were extradited to the United States a year later.

Aaron has been held in a Moscow immigration detention center since being arrested by Moscow police in May 2016 for alleged immigration violations.

According to Bloomberg, he had applied for refugee status, but a Russian judge later ordered him deported.

The deportation comes amid growing alarm about the extent to which Russian computer hackers have penetrated U.S. government systems, political parties, or other organizations, and whether the election that Republican President-elect Donald Trump won was tainted.

The U.S. intelligence community in October publicly accused the Russian government of being behind intrusions into Democratic Party organizations, and the final days of the U.S. election campaign were overshadowed by questions of Russian hacking.

Trump has rejected allegations that Russia tried to help him get elected and has said the cyberattacks could have come from other governments or private actors.

In an unrelated case, a Russian man wanted for allegedly hacking U.S. websites, including the social-networking site LinkedIn, is the focus of a tug-of-war between U.S. and Russian officials, both of whom want him deported from the Czech Republic.

Yevgeny Nikulin has been held in a Czech jail since his arrest in October, with the assistance of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Washington wants him extradited to the United States to face charges, something Moscow has fought.
TASHKENT -- Shavkat Mirziyaev has been sworn in as president of Uzbekistan, pledging continuity after the death of longtime autocrat Islam Karimov but also promising a major government reshuffle.

Inaugurated at a joint session of the parliament's two chambers on December 14, Mirziyaev became the second president the Central Asian country has had since it gained independence in the collapse of the Soviet Union 25 years ago.

Mirziyaev, 59, swore "to faithfully serve the people of Uzbekistan."

He held his right hand on the Koran and the constitution of Uzbekistan, a predominantly Muslim country with an officially secular government. Members of the Central Election Commission and the cabinet, judges of the Constitutional Court, and foreign diplomats attended the ceremony.

Prime minister since 2003, Mirziyaev was elected on December 4 after three months as interim president following the death of Karimov, who had ruled Uzbekistan with an iron fist since 1989.

"I will continue the work of my dear teacher, the great statesman Islam Karimov," Mirziyaev said after the inauguration ceremony.

"There will be many changes in the cabinet," he added. "Many ministers will also be replaced. I am...not a new person here. I know every minister's capacity and what he is doing."

Signs Of A Thaw?

Mirziyaev has raised expectations of reform, which some observers say is vital for the country of some 30 million, which has natural-gas resources and is a major cotton grower but is struggling economically.

On December 13, he promoted liberal politician Sodiq Safoev, who has called for civil, political, and economic reforms, to the post of deputy speaker of the Senate with oversight of foreign policy, international economic ties, investment, and tourism.

Safoev said last week that "Uzbekistan cannot achieve economic growth unless it pushes forward political reforms," and that defending private property, protecting human rights, and creating a favorable investment climate were also crucial.

Before the inauguration, Mirziyaev released some people widely seen as political prisoners, made steps to improve ties with neighboring Central Asian countries, and established channels aimed to improve communication between citizens and the authorities.

Last week, Mirziyaev proposed direct elections for regional governors and city mayors. He gave no details about the promised cabinet shake-up.

Parliament on December 14 also confirmed Abdulla Aripov, 55, as prime minister.

A longtime deputy prime minister who was dismissed by Karimov in 2012 amid a telecoms-industry corruption scandal but brought back by Mirziyaev in September, Aripov is seen as loyal to the new president.

Some observers had expected Rustam Azimov, a deputy prime minister who is considered more influential than Aripov, to become prime minister.

Azimov is in charge of finance and macroeconomics, and in September Mirziyaev added education and science to his responsibilities.

With reporting by Reuters
Two years ago, at an arena in Tashkent, 16 corrupt Uzbek traffic cops were dismissed after being made to sit uncomfortably -- alongside thousands of colleagues -- through a screening of their misdeeds caught on video.

The clips on display at Interior Minister Adham Ahmedbaev's cautionary show for other police officers were mostly supplied by drivers whose dashboard cameras recorded bribery and extortion by police.

Rights activists celebrated the sackings as a rare victory against police abuses in a country where the rule of law frequently carries little weight.

The moment soon turned bittersweet, however, when police officials appeared to declare the use of "dashcams" illegal in Uzbekistan.

But emboldened by a conclusion from a U.S.-based organization of diaspora lawyers that dispenses legal advice pro bono to people in Uzbekistan, which argued that dashcams remained legal under Uzbek law, motorists continued to use them to expose police graft in that Central Asian police state.

That group, Tashabbus (Initiative), and the Qorqmaymiz (We Are Not Afraid) movement are two of a number of organizations that have cropped up online in recent years as a way for Uzbeks living abroad to show their opposition to the long reign of the late President Islam Karimov and frustration with the "old guard" of the Uzbek dissident movement.

"We started these things because we no longer believed in any...of what we call the 'dinosaur opposition,'" says Mirrakhmat Muminov, an early member of We Are Not Afraid and a frequent contributor to its Facebook page, which has more than 15,000 members.

Karimov was accused by Western governments and rights groups of routinely punishing his critics with detention and torture.

Despite hopes for reform under successor Shavkat Mirziyaev, who was sworn in as president on December 14, it is far too early to know whether Karimov's longtime prime minister might opt for even mild democratic reforms or greater commitment to rule of law for Uzbekistan's 30 million or so people.

"With the departure of Karimov and the arrival of Mirziyaev, social disappointment has changed to social expectations," Kamoliddin Rabbimov, a Paris-based, independent analyst of Uzbek affairs tells RFE/RL. "So there is now the start of a crisis of legitimacy for the Uzbek opposition."

We Are Not Afraid's Muminov -- who was granted political asylum in the United States in 2006 after being harassed by Uzbek officials once he returned from his university studies in Britain -- insists that since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Uzbekistan's dissident opposition leaders "haven't done anything."

"They've lost their legitimacy," he insists in an allusion to Uzbek dissidents abroad. "It's time for them to accept that."

We Are Not Afraid started in August 2014 as an online flash mob with about 50 participants who took pictures of themselves holding a sign saying, "I am not afraid."



"We did it to support freedom of expression in Uzbekistan and to show the government that we are not afraid of them," says Dilobar Erkinzoda, an Uzbek expat in Sweden and founding member of the We Are Not Afraid page on Facebook.

Thousands of Uzbeks -- most of them living abroad but many inside Uzbekistan -- subsequently posted similar photos and took part in debates and discussions about social and political issues on the Qorqmaymiz Facebook page, making statements and posting articles that would in many cases be prohibited in Uzbekistan.

While the Qorqmaymiz movement has a political bent to it, Tashabbus (tashabbus.com) and Uzbek-expat-run social-media sites such as the Anti-Corruption Foundation and Public Control focus on publicizing people's grievances, exposing corruption by government officials, and resolving local problems in Uzbekistan.

Those latter sites appear to skirt politics in favor of confronting problems within post-Soviet Uzbekistan -- whose strongman president ruled for more than two decades until his death three months ago -- from the bottom up.



"We have no [political] affiliation," says Dilorom Abdullaeva, a founder and current president of Tashabbus. "We just help people realize and gain access to justice and the rule of law -- our mission is to...empower citizens with a legal education so that they can know about their rights and basic freedoms and start demanding their rights."

Mirziyaev, who won November's carefully orchestrated presidential election to succeed Karimov after a disputed term as acting leader, has sought to supplant such grassroots sites -- setting up of a phone line and online complaint box for Uzbeks to alert the government to problems.



The official grievance sites have received tens of thousands of messages and prompted public discussions in some cases, and even led to the resolution of some specific problems. At least one lower-level official lost his job after a complaint.

While Qorqmaymiz has flashed hints that it would like to replace more established generations of Uzbek opposition leaders represented by people like longtime exiled Erk Democratic Party leader Muhammad Salih, it does not seem to be in any position to do so.

The group has avoided establishing a strict leadership structure despite what some members describe as internal calls for a hierarchy or an organizational meeting of its membership to establish a set of political goals.

"The Qorqmaymiz people are not afraid -- on Facebook," an Uzbek expatriate who wants to remain anonymous tells RFE/RL. "But they aren't standing in Uzbekistan saying they have no fear. It's not an active opposition group."

The social-media-borne Uzbek opposition abroad is largely made up of individuals who matured politically after Uzbekistan gained independence in 1991. It has provided forums for open dialogue, helpful legal advice, exposed corruption, and allowed Uzbeks to poke a finger in the eye of government, political analyst Rabbimov says, but it is not a threat to spark the kind of action that could transform Uzbekistan's autocratic system.

"The authoritarian regime in Uzbekistan has been and remains tough enough to stop by force any attempted coup," he adds.

Pointing to recent moves by Mirziyaev to open up Uzbek society, such as granting visa-free travel to visitors from 27 countries and suggesting that local and regional officials should be elected instead of appointed, Rabbimov says that Uzbekistan's external opposition may soon find itself marginalized by the new regime.

With reporting by Alisher Siddique and Noah Tucker of RFE/RL's Uzbek Service
Bon Secours Richmond Health System has abandoned its plan to save the Westhampton School building at Patterson and Libbie avenues in Richmonds West End.

The health system said Wednesday that as the cost of the project continued to increase, it decided instead to move its Memorial College of Nursing to the Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center campus in Hanover County. Originally, the college had planned to occupy the vacant school building.

We couldnt get (the project) down much under $43 million, whereas if you built a college of nursing freestanding on green space, it would cost $15 million, said Toni Ardabell, CEO of Bon Secours Virginia Health System and of Bon Secours Richmond Health System.

The health system now wants to build a $20 million, two-story medical office building on the Westhampton School site. Saving the original school building would not be feasible, officials concluded.

The plans for a medical office building and relocation of the nursing college have yet to go through Bon Secours internal approval process, Ardabell said.

And the new plan for the 4-acre Westhampton School site will require multiple layers of city approval before it can advance. The health system expects to file the necessary paperwork to start the process in the next couple of months.

But the plans to demolish the building received mixed reactions from city officials, neighborhood business owners and others.

Cyane Crump, executive director of the nonprofit preservation group Historic Richmond, said the organization is terribly disappointed to learn that Bon Secours intends to demolish the historic Westhampton School.

***

Bon Secours took over the school property three years ago as part of a larger agreement it made with the city of Richmond, which included a 60-year lease of the Westhampton property and two 20-year renewal options.

The lease was part of a $6.4 million sponsorship deal in which the health system agreed to invest in the Washington Redskins training camp in exchange for control of the Westhampton property and to expand services in the citys East End. That deal was made under Ardabells predecessor, Peter Bernard.

The health system said it remains committed to its rental agreement with the city and to Richmond Public Schools, to which it pays $100,000 a year for the 10-year agreement. To date, it has paid $300,000 to the schools and $30,000 annually to the city to maintain the public playing field next to the property.

In its original performance agreement with the city, Bon Secours had suggested constructing a 50,000-square-foot medical office building on the Westhampton site, which likely would house primary care, including behavioral health, services.

Were back to thinking thats the right thing to do, without the school being there, Ardabell said. That actually creates more jobs, which the citys very interested in.

***

The health system started the process Wednesday when it requested and won a year extension in its development contract with the citys Economic Development Authority, which is leasing the property as part of Bon Secours larger economic development deal surrounding the training camp.

Bon Secours has already received two extensions from the authority. Wednesdays action pushes back the deadline for Bon Secours to win zoning approval for its plans from the city from March 2017 to March 2018.

Lee Downey, the citys economic development chief, said Mayor Dwight C. Jones administration supported giving Bon Secours additional time, but is reserving judgment on the plans themselves.

What they asked for was a time extension to look at new plans, Downey said. They did talk about the possibility of tearing the school down, and I made it very clear when they said that that the city supports the extension of time to work with the community and the other people to move plans forward. Theyre going to have to go through their zoning issues; theyre going to have to go through community planning.

Julious P. Smith Jr., the authoritys chairman who is an attorney with the Williams Mullen law firm, concurred: Basically we feel like if they need time to get the project together, we feel it is the right thing to do. Regarding the possibility of demolishing the building, he said: Thats going to be all part of the process theyll have to go through with the city and neighbors.

***

Bon Secours tried to keep and renovate the Westhampton School building as part of its plans for the nursing college, according to Ardabell. It brought in two architecture firms and a third-party consultant to determine if the cost of the project could be reduced, but to no avail.

It just got to the point where ... there was just no way we thought that was a sound business decision, she said. When we make business decisions about new projects we have to realize that consumers arent going to pay more for health care because we make bad business decisions.

In August, Bon Secours held a community meeting at its St. Marys Hospital campus  located less than a mile off Libbie Avenue from the school site  updating neighbors on its plans for the building.

Those plans had included connecting the schools two buildings  one constructed in 1917 and the other in 1935  as well as adding a 25,000-square-foot addition, all while mostly retaining the schools exterior along Patterson Avenue.

The building had housed Richmond Community High School from 1990 to 2009, when the alternative school for academically gifted students moved. The building has been vacant since.

The project for Bon Secours to take over the building had been appealing initially because it made sense to put a school  the college of nursing  within a former school building, Ardabell explained. But the buildings age and floor plan made that unrealistic.

We tried to save the school, said Robert J. Clark, president of Richmond-based Baskervill, one of the architecture firms that Bon Secours worked with. The space ... is not suitable for modern health care.

***

Leigh Johnson, a co-owner of The Shops at 5807, which is across Patterson Avenue from the Westhampton School property, said she is very interested in better understanding the health systems plans for the site.

Bon Secours has been wonderful neighbors to us, Johnson said. She and her sister, Anne Brasfield, own the mini mall of unusual small shops that they opened at 5807 Patterson Ave. in 2006.

And Im sure whatever they do will be tasteful and they will keep the neighborhood in mind and will continue to develop the ... Patterson Avenue corridor.

But others reacted with concern over the loss of the historic buildings.

We were surprised by this news and are studying the situation, Historic Richmonds Crump said.

Kimberly Gray, the incoming 2nd District City Council representative who as a School Board member criticized the Westhampton building deal, called the demolition news very, very disappointing.

That school building has been a part of the fabric of that neighborhood, and its sort of an anchor, said Gray, who argued at the time of the deal that the school system was being shortchanged. The city code required that revenue from the sale of old school buildings go back to the schools for new projects, but the language didnt extend to leases.

Gray said she would need to see more details before deciding whether she would vote to approve the demolition.

And Id need to hear from the communities that are most profoundly impacted, Gray said.
Troy C. Baldridge, 48, a senior vice president and director of Managed Investments in Glen Allen, pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to mail fraud related to an investment scheme that caused a loss of over $543,206.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Baldridge was a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer.

From September 2011 through July, on at least 15 occasions, Baldridge transferred funds from client investment accounts to his accounts for his own use forging client signatures when necessary.
An insurance agent who held himself out as a financial adviser and stole $1.9 million from nine clients, using it for vacations to Florida and Hawaii among other things, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and a related charge in federal court Wednesday.

Larry J. Horsey, 41, of Chesterfield County faces up to 30 years in prison when sentenced March 17 by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. In pleading guilty, Horsey admitted to conducting the scheme from 2012 until this June, using his business, the Heroes Academy, on Buford Road.

According to a criminal information filing, Horsey realized in October 2012 that his business  which he described as a nonprofit financial educational school  was in trouble and that he could not afford to meet his payroll and lease for his suite of offices. The business also offered financial planning services.

He admitted approaching clients he met at one of his financial seminars, or who were referred by others, and proposed that they transfer funds into annuities, IRAs or other long-term investments that he would manage for them. He frequently showed them promotional material from legitimate annuity companies.

The clients transferred their money to Horsey by checks made out to the Heroes Academy, and Horsey deposited them in his businesss bank account. But rather than use the money as real annuities or other investments, he used the money for personal and business expenses.

He created fraudulent statements and other documents that he mailed to clients to reassure them their funds were safe. He also made small regular payments to at least two early clients that he said were a regular monthly return on their annuities.

Horsey also admitted in an 11-page signed statement that, in addition to the vacations, he also spent the money to support a local semipro football team and other entertainment.
A woman who allegedly threatened to blow up a Wawa store in Colonial Heights during a robbery in June has been arrested, police said Wednesday.

The robbery happened shortly after 4 a.m. June 14 when a woman claiming to have a bomb in her backpack demanded money from employees at the Wawa at 604 Boulevard. She told employees she would detonate the bomb if they didn't comply with her demands, police said.

Veronica Diana Fludd, 45, was arrested Dec. 2, police said. Fludd, of Fort Lee, is charged with armed robbery, threatening to bomb a building and wearing a mask to hide her identity.

She is being held without bond at Riverside Regional Jail.
For nearly 200 years, Preston Place has stood sentinel in West Salem, watching the horse and buggies on the old wagon road give way to horseless carriages; witnessing urban sprawl supplant the quiet farmland. And this winter, this stately old house will open a new chapter of its long history: as a popular tea room.

Preston Place, built circa 1821, was donated to the Salem Historical Society in 2014 by the heirs of Dr. Esther Brown. For the past two years, the Society has carefully worked to clean out the house, repair and replace guttering, keep up the grounds, and affect other needed repairs while exploring options for the long-term use of the property.

Now, a letter of intent from the White Oak Tea Tavern is in place to move that Botetourt County landmark to Salem and use Preston Place as a tea room and gift shop.

Ginny Savage, Chair of the Preston Place Committee says, The Salem Historical Society is thrilled that we have found what we think is a dream tenant for Preston Place. Our mission is to preserve and restore the property, but having White Oak Tea Room as a tenant allows for the public to visit and enjoy this venerable treasure.

Preston Place is under a preservation easement from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to protect the historic integrity of the house and grounds, and naturally all renovations and use will comply with the terms.

Kim Arney of White Oak is happy to be a part of preserving the history. We are very excited about the opportunity to move and grow our family-owned tea tavern within the Salem community. The character of the Preston Place, with its historical charm, is the perfect home for White Oak Tea Tavern!

To get the house ready for business occupancy, the Salem Historical Society is staging a campaign to raise funds to pay for expanded parking, interior painting, ADA compliance, and other necessary amenities for a business location. Donations to support the project may be sent to the Salem Museum at 801 East Main Street, Salem, VA, 24153.

In the future, rental income from Preston Place will become a revenue stream for the Salem Historical Society, allowing for continuous maintenance of that property and support of the operations of the Salem Museum. We consider this an investment in our future, noted Savage. And we expect a positive return on the investment.

Meanwhile, the City of Salem has agreed to modify the zoning for the property to allow for this use, and looks forward to bringing White Oak to town.

Melinda Payne, Director of Economic Development for the City of Salem says, the Tea Tavern is a wonderful addition to West Main Street, and provides us with an existing business that Salem doesnt currently have.

White Oak Tea Tavern expects to be open for business by Feb 1, 2017, and will offer loose teas blended and packaged in-house, a limited but perfected lunch menu and unique gifts from Tag, Twos Company and Creative Co-op.

Submitted by Ginny Savage
RICHMOND  Ed Gillespie has an early lead among Republican candidates for governor in 2017, but trails Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam in a head-to-head matchup, according to Quinnipiac University poll results released Wednesday.

The poll showed Northam with 38 percent support in a general election contest compared with 34 percent for Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman. Northam had wider leads over three other Republican hopefuls.

Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a release that Northams and Gillespies strength can be partially explained by their higher name recognition. But with most voters, 66 percent to 86 percent, saying they dont know enough to form an opinion, the race is far from settled, Brown said.

This race for governor is just beginning and none of the candidates, including Northam and Gillespie, in either party has anything approaching widespread name recognition, Brown said. The candidates who reach that level will become the early leaders.

With 57 percent of Republican voters undecided, the poll found Gillespie at 24 percent in a GOP primary, with 10 percent for Rep. Robert Wittman, R-Westmoreland, and 4 percent each for Prince William County Supervisor Corey Stewart and state Sen. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach.

Wittman announced he was dropping out of the governors race to stay in Congress while the poll was in the field.

The telephone survey of 1,098 Virginia voters was conducted Dec. 6-11, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points. Among 451 Republican respondents, the margin of error was 4.6 percentage points.

Wittmans decision to drop out likely boosts Gillespie, whose best-known competitor is now gone as Republicans look toward a June primary.

Ever since Ed Gillespie came oh-so-close to upsetting U.S. Sen. Mark Warner two years ago, he has had his eye on the governors mansion, Brown said. He enters this campaign with a solid, but by no means overwhelming, lead for the Republican nomination.

The poll showed Northam with a 39 percent to 30 percent lead over both Wittman and Wagner, and a 38 percent to 29 percent lead over Stewart.

The survey also found that 52 percent of Virginians approve of Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffes performance as governor. The General Assembly had 47 percent approval.

In an open-ended question about the top issue facing Virginia, 23 percent of respondents said the economy, 12 percent said education, 8 percent said mass transit and transportation and 6 percent said politicians and the political system.
RICHMOND  More felons are making good on their second chances in Virginia than just about any other state in the nation, according to an analysis by the Virginia Department of Corrections that compares recidivism rates.

The analysis shows that among the 45 states that report three-year reincarceration rates, Virginias rate was the lowest, at 23.4 percent in the three-year period ending in 2015. Specifically, of the 11,496 felons under supervision in the state system in 2012 who had the opportunity to recidivate  known as State Responsible offenders  VDOC said 2,687 were reincarcerated within three years.

The next closest state was Oklahoma with a 24 percent rate, followed by South Carolina, at 24.9 percent. Delaware finished last in the analysis with a recidivism rate of 69.7 percent, although its figures included local and state offenders.

VDOC officials said roughly nine out of every 10 state inmates incarcerated in Virginia likely will be released one day.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe hailed the results at a news conference Tuesday in Richmond attended by Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran and Virginia Department of Corrections Director Harold Clarke.

Since the beginning of my administration, we have aggressively pursued policies and initiatives that rehabilitate incarcerated individuals, so they can develop the tools and skills to be successful, McAuliffe said.

This announcement is a strong indication that our correctional system reforms are helping ex-offenders become successful citizens once they leave prison, the governor said.

Lower recidivism rates mean fewer crimes, fewer victims and a safer commonwealth.

Not all trends seen in the analysis were positive.

Using data from an earlier three-year period, the analysis shows that recidivism of Department of Corrections facility offenders known to have a mental impairment grew from 48.4 percent in 2009 to 55.6 percent in 2012.

By comparison, the same classification of offenders with no known mental impairment experienced a drop during the same period from 21.1 percent to 19.2 percent.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  Humayun Khan, a University of Virginia graduate who was killed in Iraq in 2004, will be honored with a plaque outside the universitys Rotunda.

The university will honor Khan  the only alumnus to be killed in action during the Iraq War  with a plaque at the terrace level of the Rotunda in the spring, according to an announcement from the UVa administration.

Plaques at the Rotunda pay tribute to alumni killed in six American wars, dating back to the Civil War, a UVa media relations staffer said.

The plaque, a donation of the universitys Seven Society, will read: In memory of Humayun Saqib Khan, a son of the University, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. He stands in the unbroken line of patriots who dared to die that freedom might live.

Khan graduated from UVa in 2000. During his time at the university, he majored in psychology and was active in Madison House  a community service organization  and the universitys Army ROTC unit.

Khan was killed in Iraq in June 2004 when a vehicle packed with improvised explosives drove into the gate of his compound. He was 27.

The university has since created the Captain Humayun S.M. Khan Memorial Award, given to one fourth-year Army ROTC cadet at the joint commissioning ceremony each year.
June 15, 1920 - December 12, 2016 Gladys Holland Johnson, 96, Glade Hill, passed away peacefully Monday evening, December 12, 2016 at her residence. She was born June 15, 1920 in Union Hall, the youngest daughter of the late John Henry Rufus and Lydia Parker Holland.She attended the old Timber Ridge School, walking from the Holland home place near Old Bethel Primitive Baptist Church. In 1941 she married the late Berks Allen "B.A." Johnson who preceded her in death on June 20, 1977 and they settled at the Johnson home place known as "Popular Camp" and were blessed to raise nine daughters there. She was a homemaker who took pride in raising her family. She was a talented quilter who loved to spend countless hours putting quilts together and quilting them and sharing them with her family. She was always very proud that all of her family members from daughters to great-grandchildren had a quilt that had been lovingly created by her. She loved her flowers and working in her yard and flower beds as well and you could always be assured that her porch was filled with beautiful flowers during the summer season and she had a special knack for raising geraniums. She loved to dance and was especially fond of bluegrass music and always enjoyed her time spent at the Redwood Community Center on a Saturday night with the dance group. She had a great love for Crafts and enjoyed making dolls and ceramics throughout the years. She always enjoyed her family and friends and always had a smile to greet you when you arrived for a visit with her. In 2000 she was named the Mother of the Year by the Franklin County Merchants Association. She was of the Primitive Baptist Faith and attended Old Bethel Primitive Baptist Church.She was the last of her generation and was preceded in death by her brothers, Willie, Albert, Clyde, Paul, and Grady; her sisters, Dotsie, Virgie, and Peggy. She was also preceded by two grandchildren, Berkley and David; one great-grandchild, Jordan; and a son-in-law, Kenneth Spear.She is survived by her daughters, Marcille J. Motley of Gretna, Ruth J. Mattox (Eugene) of Rocky Mount, Delsie J. Spear, Brenda J. Aveline (Dave), Barbara J. Quinn (Neil), Norma J. Turner (Garry) all of Glade Hill, Betty J. Powell (Warren) of Burnt Chimney, Nancy J. Johnson of Hardy, and Kaye J. Dent (Steve) of Boones Mill. She is also survived by 21 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren. She leaves a cherished group of nieces and nephews as well. Although she never had any sons, she always looked at her sons-in-law as the sons she never had. The family wishes to acknowledge the Wonderful Care that the caregivers, Tonya Crookshanks and Becky Sparks provided to our mother.Funeral services will be conducted 2 p.m. Friday, December 16, 2016 at Conner-Bowman Funeral Home Chapel with Elder Larry Hollandsworth and her grandson, R. Keith Motley officiating. She will be laid to rest in the Ayers Family Cemetery by her beloved Berks. Friends may call after 2 p.m. Thursday, December 15th with her family receiving friends from 5 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home and other times at the residence in Glade Hill.Arrangements are being handled by Conner-Bowman Funeral Home, 62 VA Market Place Drive (Route 220 at Wirtz Road), Rocky Mount. www.connerbowman.com (540) 334-5151
An error occurred while processing your request. The page you are looking for on this website is unavailable, has moved, or does not exist. Please visit collinsaerospace.com to find the product or service you are looking for.
The UAE Kimberley Process Chair (KP Chair) Ahmed Bin Sulayem, held a series of meetings with industry stakeholders in Turkey, focusing on raising consumer confidence in the diamond industry and supporting the countrys development as a trading hub for the sector, says a Press note from the organisation.

Bin Sulayem met with leading representatives of the Istanbul Chamber of Jewelry including Norayr Isler, Chairman of the Board of Directors and a host of other industry leaders. Additionally, on the sidelines of these meetings, Bin Sulayem also met with senior officials from Borsa Istanbul to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the body and DMCC thus building a strategic partnership between the UAE and Turkey in the jewelry and diamond industry.

While Turkey is still a developing market in the diamond trade, its demographics and affluent populace make it a consumer market with significant potential. On behalf of the KP, we commend the progress made by the Turkish authorities with the progress and look forward to working more closely with industry stakeholders in the years ahead to ensure Turkey continues to grow as a consumer and trade hub, said Bin Sulayem.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




Guest blog by Kenny Bodles, RSPB NI Marine Conservation Officer

What a week its been for Northern Irelands marine wildlife! After several years of lengthy campaigning, detailed deliberation and extensive evidence gathering, we finally have official confirmation that the Northern Ireland government has designated four new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) for Northern Irelands seas.

These new designations are now providing vital protection for some of our most vulnerable marine species and the habitats they rely on.

Of all of the new designations, the flagship success story has to be the new Marine Conservation Zone off Rathlin Island, County Antrim. This is the first of all MCZs designated in the UK to have a seabird species - the black guillemot - as its primary designation feature.

Black guillemots. Credit Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

Thanks to RSPB NIs expertise on the island, we were able to successfully campaign for an extension of the southern boundary to ensure that the entirety of the species foraging habitat was placed under the protection it needs. Alongside this, our long-term monitoring data allowed us to argue that the conservation status of black guillemots should be listed as unfavourable, meaning government is now committed to restoring the species back to good health. This is a fantastic success story for the black guillemots on Rathlin Island and highlights the value of just some of the work we do on and around this truly unique island.

But thats not all. Three other marine conservation zones are now protecting seagrass meadows at Waterfoot, Co. Antrim, fragile sea pens and mud communities at Carlingford Lough, Co. Down and the ancient ocean quahog at outer Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim. The latter site, in Belfast Lough, now protects one of RSPBs All Nature Species - the ocean quahog. This marine clam is considered by science to be one of the longest-living species on our planet and some individuals have been found to be over 500 years old.

Ocean quahogs (model). Credit Kenny Bodles

We welcome the new additions to the Northern Irish network of marine protected areas, but much is still to be done. Many of our vulnerable marine wildlife and seabird species remain unprotected and many are still in decline. The future of our marine wildlife depends on meaningful and effective action and the RSPB will continue to call for new protected areas to help conserve, sustain and recover our valuable and unique marine wildlife in Northern Ireland and across the UK.
Canadian Pacific

Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP) has appointed Jane L. Peverett to its board of directors, effective Dec. 13, 2016.

She most recently served as president and CEO from 20052009 and CFO from 20032005 of British Columbia Transmission Corporation. She held the role of CEO of Union Gas Ltd. from 20012003, as well.

CP has come so far in such a short time and I look forward to playing a role in creating an even brighter future for CP customers, employees and shareholders, Peverett said. CP is integral to the health of the Canadian economy and Im proud to be joining this board.

Peverett is an executive committee member for the Institute of Corporate Directors, BC Chapter and a fellow of the Society of Management Accountants. She is a member of the board of directors of Hydro One Ltd., Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Northwest Natural Gas Company and Encana Corp.

We are thrilled to welcome Jane to CPs board, said Andrew F. Reardon, chairman of the board. She brings a unique breadth of board experiencefrom finance to energy to mediaand significant corporate leadership expertise to her new role on our board. We look forward to Janes contributions and guidance on behalf of all CP shareholders.

Peverett is an alumna of McMaster University, where the earned her bachelors degree in commerce, and she received her MBA from Queens University. She is also a certified management accountant.
Caltrain/Peninsula Moves Blog

Art Lloyd, a long-time board member of the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) and the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (JPB) that oversees Caltrain, died Dec. 4 in his California home at 91 years old.

Caltrains website notes Lloyd as having been the longest-serving director for both the SamTrans board of directors and the JPB. He joined the SamTrans board in 1988 and the Caltrain board five years later in 1993. Lloyd reportedly remained involved with both boards until he stepped down in 2014, at 89 years old.

The SamTrans board of directors gathered in Lloyds memory on Dec. 7. Caltrain says Lloyds friends and colleagues at the San Mateo County Transit District will miss him tremendously.

Lloyd served as a transit expert for the SamTrans board and was a San Mateo County representative for Caltrains board. Caltrain says Lloyd helped move forward both systems by advocating for progressive transportation policies in acknowledgment of evolving commuting trends and demographics.

He previously worked for more than 40 years at Amtrak before his retirement in 1991. Lloyd also served on a committee for Californias Operation Lifesaver, a national nonprofit devoted to decreasing rail-related deaths. He sat on the board of directors for the California State Railroad Museum Foundation and the Golden State Railroad Museum, as well.

A video of Lloyd discussing the Third and Townsend Station in San Francisco, Calif., is available to view here.

Services will be held for Lloyd at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 17 at St. Peters Episcopal Church, 178 Clinton St., in Redwood City, Calif. Service attendees will receive round-trip tickets for the 12:09 p.m. train from Redwood City to Palo Alto, where a reception is scheduled in his honor at MacArthur Park restaurant.
Japan's final industrial production data for October is due in the early Asian deals at 11:30 pm ET Wednesday.

After the data, the yen held steady against its major rivals.

As of 11:25 pm ET, the yen was trading at 122.49 against the euro, 145.74 against the pound, 113.88 against the Swiss franc and 115.18 against the U.S. dollar.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Forex News
Paris' famous landmark Eiffel Tower was closed on Tuesday due to a strike by workers over salaries and working conditions, leaving thousands of visitors disappointed. It is the third dispute in six months at the monument, which is normally open every single day of the year.

Unions representing the 300 workers reportedly said the strike was called over the deliberate absence of transparency on key decisions with regard to the 324-meter tower's functioning.

Employees were particularly concerned over an upcoming paint job in 2017, CGT union spokesman Denis Vavassori said.

Unions have held repeated meetings recently with the officials from the company that manages the tower, SETE, pressing for 51 demands. The management accepted some, but refused all demands related to new hires and pay raises, resulting in strike.

Confirming that the closure was due to a labor dispute, the tower's operator SETE reportedly said discussions are taking place between management and workers' representatives.

The monument, which is the major attraction of French tourism, was visited by around 7 million people in 2015, representing 20,000 a day. Of this, 80 percent of them were from abroad. In 2016, it is estimated that the visitors would be lower at 6 million, resulting in a corresponding 14 percent drop in revenue.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Spanish fashion retailer Industria de Diseno Textil SA (IDEXF.PK) or Inditex reported Wednesday that its nine-month net profit increased 9 percent to 2.21 billion euros from 2.02 billion euros last year.

EBIT went up 9 percent to 2.82 billion euros, and EBITDA, a key earnings metric, grew 8 percent from last year to 3.61 billion euros.

Inditex Group's net sales rose 11% in the first nine months to 16.4 billion euros from 14.74 billion euros a year ago. In constant-currency terms, top line growth was 15%, underpinned by solid same-store sales growth.

The company said the growth, coupled with the Group's investment effort, has enabled the creation of 9,245 new jobs worldwide over the past 12 months, 1,705 of which were in Spain.

Inditex's Chairman and CEO, Pablo Isla, said, "The company's growth is driving noteworthy job and value creation in our various , most particularly in Spain, boosted by the simultaneous growth at the Group's headquarters. This momentum is the result of sustained investment -logistic facilities and stores- as well as the ongoing development of integrated offline-online store model."

In its fourth-quarter trading update, the company said its online and offline store sales increased 16% in constant-currency terms between November 1 and December 12.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
FOX Networks Group Asia announced Wednesday that it has filed legal actions in Hong Kong and Bangkok against The Bangkok Bank Public Co. Ltd. for failing to honor two separate bank guarantees. FOX is claiming amounts totaling over $71 million from Thailand's largest bank.

The two separate bank guarantees were for securing payments for distribution of its channels in Thailand by GMM Grammy Public Co. Ltd. and CTH Public Co. Ltd.. These were major operators of pay-TV platforms and the holders of licenses of failed digital television channels in Thailand.

Under separate channel licensing agreements with FOX signed in 2013, GMM and CTH, in aggregate, have obligations to pay FOX a principal amount in excess of $71 million and interest on late payments.

As security for payment of such amounts, the Bangkok Bank issued separate bank guarantees to FOX to guarantee each of GMM's and CTH's payment obligations. Since late 2015, Bangkok Bank has failed to comply with its guarantee obligations.

The company noted that Bangkok Bank is the largest guarantor to Thailand's digital television operators having provided bank guarantees for 14 of the 24 channels totaling more than $600 million or approximately 41% of the spectrum license fees raised.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Neustar Inc. (NSR) announced Wednesday morning that it has agreed to be acquired by a private investment group led by Golden Gate Capital for around $2.9 billion.

Neustar has gapped open sharply higher this morning and is now up 5.70 at $33.35 on the highest volume of the year. The stock has jumped to a new high for the year.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
A California judge has dismissed pimping charges against the CEO and co-founders of online classified ads site Backpage.com.

CEO Carl Ferrer and Backpage's founders, Michael Lacey and James Larkin, have been cleared of criminal charges related to pimping and the pimping of minors. The congress had accused the trio of profiting from prostitution and sex trafficking using the website.

However, Judge Michael Bowman agreed with defendant's claim that they were not responsible for third-party postings on their site.

The defendants used Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects online service providers from illegal activity committed by third-party users of their site or service.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
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 ...
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By SA Commercial Prop News

William Brooks, CEO of Synergy Income Fund



JSE-listed property company Synergy Income Fund Limited today announced its maiden distributions to unitholders and closed a heavily oversubscribed vendor placement of R370 million in new capital for the fund.

The recently listed retail fund announced maiden distribution to unitholders of R25.3 million for the period from listing on 14 December 2011 to 30 June 2012. The allocated distribution is 44.2201 cents per A linked unit and 19.5340 cents per B linked unit.

The distribution announced is in line with the projections forecast in the Pre-listing Statement for the company.

The successful capital raising will increase the market capitalisation of Synergy to approximately R1.1 billion.

William Brooks, CEO of Synergy Income Fund, says: We are very pleased to be able to report a maiden distribution in line with our forecast particularly as this has been achieved despite the unexpected challenges and consequent delays to our acquisition pipeline brought on by the Competition Authorities. Thankfully these challenges are now behind us and we can continue with the acquisition driven growth strategy for our retail portfolio.

Synergy is a specialised retail property fund investing in midsized commuter and small regional shopping centres located in high growth rural and township nodes. Synergy operates in partnership with leading convenience retailer Spar.

Synergy has aggressively grown its assets from R280 million at listing to R1,7 billion currently.

The capital raised through the vendor placement will be used as part payment for Synergys latest acquisitions, Gugulethu Square in Cape Town and Setsing Crescent in Phuthaditjhaba. The remaining portion of the total R530 million purchase consideration is being funded by debt.

Brooks says: We are delighted with the successful outcome of the placement and the strong backing we have received from institutional investors. Synergy will continue to grow its portfolio with value-enhancing lower LSM retail acquisitions. We are well positioned to give our investors a sustainable competitive advantage and appealing growth prospects.
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
Here's what social emotional learning looks like in Salina
The star of Moana, Auli'i Cravalho, who stole the hearts of millions around the world with her role as the voice of Moana, is impressed by Samoa.

The 16-year-old arrived at Fagalii airport yesterday with producer Osnat Shurer, and directors Ron Clements and John Musker for a special the screening of the film at Apollo Cinemas last night.

Her first time in Samoa, Aulii told the Samoa Observer, she was impressed by the warm hospitality and the cultural welcome she and her team received yesterday.

I have never been to Samoa before but I do have family here so it would be good to see them as well as to see everyone else, she said.

This film is inspired by all of Polynesia, the entire Polynesian culture and it really warms my heart to be meeting one of the main people and some of the main places that inspired this wonderful film.

I am super excited.

Unfortunately Samoan actor, Seiuli Dwayne the Rock Johnson who voiced Maui in the film, couldnt make the visit.

But Aulii said that working with him was like meeting one of her heroes. Hes really been a hero of Hawaiians as well having lived in Hawaii for a period of time, she said.

And so, it was really incredible, it was kind of like meeting one of my heroes. You know we start off with the same roots, we are all Polynesian and then to see him have so much success and remain humble and kind and the same aloha spirit, that was amazing to me and it really warms my heart and I hope to work with him again.

I mean, first film working with Dwayne the Rock Johnson, not bad. Asked about the differences and similarities between Samoa and her home Hawaii, the bubbly AuliI says there are many.

There are definitely differences and similarities as well, she said.

We are all connected by the beautiful ocean but there are definitely differences in the language. Im currently in Hawaii and I am trying to study the language.

I was like, oh this is perfect, I am going to read this card, and then I tried to read it and I was on a plane, I tried to read the emergency instructions and I was like, ok switching back to English.

I am learning it but its really good to see some similarities and I can hear it sometimes and I can definitely see it in the dances that we get to see.

Oh and we were welcomed at the airport with dance and that was incredibly beautiful and I was so honored. AuliI also stated that her experience with the film Moana was one in lifetime. Its been the experience of a lifetime, she said.

Im 16 now and I was, I believe 14 when I first heard and started auditioning for Moana. So its been really an amazing journey for me; I have grown so much and I have come to just, kind of become the character.

Its been amazing to see others experience through her. To realize that way-finding is something true to our culture. Weve known how amazing we are but now the rest of the world gets to appreciate and hopefully go out on their own journey as well.

And as a message for Samoa, AuliI reminds the nation that we should be proud of who we are.

I hope you all are as proud of this film as I am, she said.

I am so thrilled that the rest of the world will see what an incredible culture we are. We are surrounded and embraced and loved by the ocean.I also hope that others who watched this film realize how important the ocean is to us. Its where the life stems from and weve known how important it is.

We always have such an importance and we know so much knowledge that I think the rest of the world can learn from us about this.

So Samoa, you understand, you get me; were amazing and its time for the rest of the world to realize it. But where to from here for the bubbly star?

I want to eat food, she said.

Thats one of the major things; there are a few places and a few family members of mine who cook palusami so I want that.
The body of former Cabinet Minister, Leiataualesa Vaiao John Alailima, arrived to a full traditional welcome at the Fagalii Airport yesterday.

The former Member of Parliament for Aiga ile Tai passed away in American Samoa. He was 95 years old.

His body was taken to Hawaii where he was cremated. He was flown to Samoa yesterday for his final services.

A state funeral will be held today at the Methodist Church in Matafele to honour the life of the former Parliamentarian.

Leiataualesa was elected as the Member of Parliament for Aiga ile Tai in 1988.

He was a Minister of Justice, Labour and Public Service and a former Minister of Public Works.

His other ministerial positions include Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister before retiring from politics in 1996.

He held three prominent high chief titles; the Amituanai in Lotofaga, the Leiataualesa in Faleu Manono and Fuimaono from Salani.

Following his retirement Leiataualesa went on to complete his research on Our Ancestors.

During his time in parliament he had served his constituency through electrification of Manoo Island, securing 58 acres of land for Manono residents and construction of the main district wharf to name a few.

The former Minister also sponsored many students from the district to attend Polytechnic and National university of Samoa.

Leiataua was married to renown Pacific author the late Fay G Calkins of, Aggie Grey, Samoan Saga and the subject of her book My Samoan Chief.

Together with his wife they collaborated on published and unpublished manuscripts and books including his familys oral history told in stories, genealogies, proverbs and songs, O tatou Tupuaga: Our Ancestors.

During the couples retirement years, they served as fellows at the National university of Samoa under the Samoan Studies to continue their research on pre-European Samoan chiefdoms.

Leiataua is survived by his seven children, twenty two grandchildren and twenty two great grandchildren.
In a ruling made just before the close of business hours Tuesday, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) directed Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric to meet with groups critical of a 2014 agreement that calls on utility ratepayers to shoulder about 70 percent of the costs from shutting down the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

The directive orders the two utilities to carefully consider any modifications that would allow greater relief for ratepayers.

The CPUC must ensure the integrity of its processes and that its decisions serve the public interest, said CPUC commissioner Catherine J.K. Sandoval in a statement.

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The ruling orders SDG&E and Southern California Edison to meet with representatives of the Office for Ratepayers Advocates and The Utility Reform Network, who have urged modifications to the $4.7 billion settlement from two years ago.

The CPUC directive also calls on Edison and SDG&E to consider an assessment of the agreement by the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, a San Luis Obispo-based activist group opposed to nuclear power.

Southern California Edison is the majority owner of the plant and oversees its operations. San Diego Gas & Electric, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, owns 20 percent.

We have just received notification of the ruling and have not yet had a chance to review it to provide further comment, SDG&E communications director Christy Ihrig said in an email to the Union-Tribune.

In a statement released late Tuesday night, Southern California Edison defended the 2014 agreement and said it was disappointed in the ruling but said it will follow its directives.

The settlement of the San Onofre nuclear plant shutdown protects customer interests by requiring investors to pay for the replacement steam generators that prompted the closure of San Onofre in June 2013 from the point that they failed, the statement said.

SCE has provided or will provide refunds and rate reductions of almost $1.6 billion under the settlement, and this amount may be increased by recoveries from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the supplier of the defective steam generators.

The statement went on to say the original settlement reduced the amount residential customers pay in their monthly bill for past investments to build and maintain SONGS.

The CPUC signed off on a settlement in 2014 but following disclosures published in the Union-Tribune of a secret ex parte meeting in Warsaw, Poland, between an Edison executive and then-CPUC President Michael Peevey, Sandoval and an administrative law judge in May of this year decided to give the agreement another look.

Tuesdays announcement takes the review process a step further.

The Utility Reform Network wanted the dispute settled through litigation but staff attorney Matt Freedman said Tuesday night in an email, We are pleased the commission now acknowledges that Edisons backroom contacts with former President Peevey tainted the settlement process and biased the negotiations in favor of utility shareholders.

The ruling sets out a timetable for meetings between the utilities and the groups wanting changes in the settlement. A deadline of April 28, 2017, has been set to reach some sort of agreement.

If an agreement is not reached by April 28, the CPUC will look at summaries from each parties and proceed from there.

SONGS has not produced electricity since January 2012 after a steam generator tube leak, and the facility is well into the third year of a 20-year decommissioning process.

This story has been updated to include a statement from Southern California Edison.

rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski

UPDATES:

8:49 a.m. December 14, this article was updated to include a statement from Southern California Edison.
The Brigantine restaurant group received final port approval Tuesday to replace Anthonys Fish Grotto, a fixture on the downtown waterfront for 70 years. A lease agreement with the port is expected to be approved next month.

Anthonys CEO Craig Ghio said his restaurant operations last day will be Jan. 31 and he will auction off or dispose of the contents and vacate the property at 1360 N. Harbor Drive by the end of February.

Brigantine CEO and President Mike Morton Jr. said he hopes to secure permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and Regional Water Quality Control Board by mid-year with an opening of the three-restaurant complex sometime in the summer of 2018.

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The San Diego Unified Port District board approved a coastal development permit that cannot be appealed to the California Coastal Commission, officials said.

We are excited for the opportunity and excited to be part of the port of San Diego for many years to come, Morton told the board.

Anthonys 24,845-square-foot, one-story complex, which opened in 1966 after being located farther south on the waterfront since 1946, will be demolished and 66 pilings will replaced. Then a new platform will be constructed over the water to support a two-story, 37,107-square-foot restaurant complex.

The new complex will include Brigantine on the Bay, Miguels Cocina, Ketch Grill & Taps and a walkup gelato and coffee shop.

There will be a second-floor public viewing deck upstairs and a dock-and-dine facility to accommodate up to 12 vessels. The restaurants will accommodate about 1,000 patrons.

A slight design change by Tucker Sadler Architects has moved the cover of the outdoor restaurant portion off the Embarcadero and onto the new platform.

The project is expected to cost about $13 million to build and do about $25 million in annual business, Morton said. Under proposed lease terms, he said, that would yield about $1.25 million annually in port rent, roughly three times what Anthonys currently generates.

Port board members heaped praise on Brigantines plans and design, although incoming Chairman Robert Dukie Valderrama reminded his colleagues that he voted against the selection last year in sympathy with Anthonys long presence on the tidelands.

When we vote today, Im fully in support 100 percent and wish you all the luck in the world and know we have a world-class restaurant, Valderrama said.

Before casting her vote, board member Ann Moore added a provision to justify giving mitigation credits for Brigantines shading part of the bay surface because of the addition of the dock-and-dine facility. She said the same issue may arise in the future as other tenants move to redevelop Seaport Village and Harbor Island.

Im very excited about this project, Moore said. It looks beautiful. The design is just very exceptional and its going to be quite an addition to the bayfront.

A 2015 image shows the entrance to Anthonys Fish Grotto entrance. (Eduardo Contreras / U-T )

Ghio objected to port board members continuing use of world-class to describe the Brigantine.

We havent forgiven that and have not yet received an apology for that inappropriate comment, Ghio said.

Anthonys had been part of a rival team headed by the Fish Market restaurant to redevelop the site.

Ghio said he is organizing a job fair next month for his 150 employees, some of whom will be relocated to the companys restaurant in La Mesa.

Signs have been posted outside the restaurant since Thanksgiving to alert the public of Anthonys last day. Ghio is asking patrons to send in their favorite memories.

Were planning a kind of closing week party, Ghio said. We will be giving away thousands of dollars in gift cards in a contest to be used at our beautiful La Mesa location.

Before holding an auction of the restaurants fixtures, furniture and equipment, he said, several local charities will be invited to take what they need. Some personal family items and records will be retained or donated to the San Diego History Center.

After that is done and we get rid of everything inside, well turn the keys over to the port and theyll do what theyre going to do with the building after that, Ghio said.

Port tenants typically are required to remove their improvements at the end of their lease, but Ghio is leaving that step to the new lessee.

Its still San Diegos most well known and iconic restaurant, Ghio said, and I just cant stomach the thought of having to tear down such an important part of my grandmothers dream.

Morton said he has not yet decided to include a nod to the Ghio family legacy in the new building.

That definitely would be under consideration, he said.

roger.showley@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-1286; Twitter: @rogershowley
The City Council unanimously approved the $275 million, 34-story Park & Market project Tuesday that includes a 66,000-square-foot office building for UC San Diego.

Developed by Holland Partner Group based outside Portland, Ore., the project is projected for completion by 2021 on the block bounded by Park Boulevard, 11th Avenue and G Market streets.

Holland is agreeing to pay the city $12.3 million for the site with the receipts to be deposited in the citys affordable housing fund.

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UCSD in turn is planning to pay Holland about $36.2 million for the planned office building that would include classrooms, research space, a ground-floor restaurant and exhibition and performance space.

The university has previously rented space downtown but never owned property there. Officials said they chose the location partly because it lies on the trolley line that will be extended to the campus by the time the project opens.

The development calls for 426 apartments, including 85 for low-income renters that could house UCSD graduate students; an outdoor amphitheater and event space; and the Remmen House, a historic property that is to be restored for restaurant, retail or another use.

Newly installed City Councilman Chris Ward, who represents downtown, made the motion for approval. He said the project represents the kind of dense, transit-oriented development the city needs.

Connecting UCSDs main campus to a long-term commitment downtown better connects the entire San Diego region, Ward said, and will serve as a catalyst to drive additional investment in East Village and foster the local talent to keep San Diego at the cutting edge of global innovation.

Construction is projected to begin next year and the current user, the Quartyard, a temporary park with food and beverage outlets operating out of rehabilitated shipping containers, hopes to relocate elsewhere downtown.

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Basil Harris is an emergency room physician who convinced his tech savvy siblings to enter a competition to build a portable medical device akin to the tricorder of Star Trek fame.

Chung-Kang Peng is a Harvard Medical School professor who was already working on a mobile clinic to improve healthcare access for rural parts of China when the Tricorder XPrize was announced.

It was perfect timing. He entered the contest.

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After four years of work, Harriss Final Frontier Medical Devices and Pengs Dynamical Biomarkers Group are the last two standing for the $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize.

Los Angeles-based XPrize said Tuesday that it had trimmed the list of finalists in the competition from seven teams down to two. They will square off for one more series of consumer tests at UC San Diegos Altman Clinical Translational Research Institute early next year.

The winner is expected to be named in mid 2017.

We tested prototypes (from all seven finalists) on consumer volunteers, and we had explicit requirements necessary in order to continue in the competition, said Grant Campany, head of the Tricorder XPrize. We ended up with two teams that met the criteria.

The non-profit XPrize organizes contests designed to spark big leaps in technology innovation. Past contests included the Ansari XPrize to build a reusable private spacecraft and the Progressive Insurance XPrize to design a 100 mph per gallon vehicle.

All XPrize contests are challenging, but the Tricorder competition turned out to be surprisingly difficult, according to finalists.

Devices must weigh less than 5 pounds. Theyre required to diagnose 13 health conditions and continuously monitor five vital signs.

It includes diverse conditions from pneumonia to urinary tract infections, so different body parts, different body systems, said Harris.

Perhaps as hard as the diagnostics technology was making the devices easy to use.

Under contest rules, operating the Tricorder couldnt be more complicated than using a smartphone. The goal is to transform healthcare by designing devices that let people test their health at home.

That is almost as big a challenge as getting the technology to work, said Harris. The combination of the two really speaks to how difficult the contest has been.

Harris grew up watching Star Trek on TV. He got an advanced degree in engineering before switching to medicine. One of his brothers did the same thing. He cajoled his brother and other siblings  who have families and full-time jobs  to enter the Tricorder contest. They still assemble devices in Harriss Pennsylvania garage.

Chung-Kang Pengs Dynamical Biomarkers is made up of about a dozen research scientists, physicians and mobile engineers sponsored by HTC.

It is an offshoot of the Center for Dynamical Biomarkers and Translational Medicine at National Central University in Taiwan, where Peng is also affiliated.

In early 2012, Peng was trying to develop a mobile clinic for rural areas of China, where about 800 million dont have easy access to healthcare, he said.

We started the project, and fortunately XPrize made their announcement of the Tricorder competition, he said. The mission was very close to what we were trying to do. So we jumped in.

Although Dynamical Biomarkers has concentrated on the XPrize contest, it still hopes to deploy its system in rural China. Winning XPrize would boost its credibility, said Peng.

Right now we are trying to convince the Chinese government to do a pilot project in remote provinces, said Peng. If we can do well in XPrize, it gives us potential because XPrize is internationally famous.

The first prize winner will get $6 million, with $2 million for second place and an additional $1 million for the team that receives the highest vital signs score in the final round. About $1 million has already been awarded to teams in milestone prizes.

Star Trek has inspired many engineers on a quest to improve the world by turning science fiction into reality, said Qualcomm Executive Chairman Paul Jacobs in a statement. Now our healthcare will be improved through the hard work and ingenuity of the Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize teams who are bringing the devices to life.

mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com;

Twitter:@TechDiego

760-529-4973
A Superior Court judge has mostly reaffirmed state and local restrictions on seawall construction in Solana Beach, though the battle over the controversial structures is far from over.

A group of coastal property owners sued the city in 2013, claiming its coastal Land Use Plan unfairly prohibited them from protecting their bluff-top homes. Similar lawsuits have been filed by other Southern California property owners, including in neighboring Encinitas.

In a ruling issued Friday in the Solana Beach case, Judge Timothy M. Casserly upheld several of the citys restrictions on seawalls, including requirements that all seawall permits eventually expire under certain conditions, that no shoreline protection can be built for new development, and that private stairways must add public access as a condition of future permits.

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However, the judge overturned the citys prohibitions on new seawalls needed to protect existing accessory structures and restrictions on the care and maintenance of private stairways to the beach.

The two challenges upheld by the judge are significant, said Encinitas attorney Jon Corn, co-counsel with the Pacific Legal Foundation. The foundation represents The Beach & Bluff Conservancy, the group of coastal property owners who filed the suit.

We feel very gratified that he ruled in our favor on the two, Corn said, adding that  if it stands  the ruling could have a statewide impact.

Solana Beach City Manager Greg Wade declined to comment Wednesday on the decision, saying, Its a preliminary ruling in ongoing litigation.

Seawalls have been a contentious issue in Solana Beach for decades. The city is built along two miles of coastline atop fragile bluffs of soft sandstone more than 60 feet tall. Erosion steadily eats away at the bluffs, and property owners want the right to build structures that will protect their homes. Dozens of seawalls and other bluff protection devices already exist, and owners often apply for permits to expand, reinforce, rebuild, or build new ones.

Environmental groups and the California Coastal Commission, however, argue that armoring the bluffs prevents the natural erosion that eventually widens the beach and creates more public property.

As a result, the city through its Land Use Plan and the state through its Coastal Act restrict the construction of bluff protection devices.

The property owners are likely to appeal parts of the ruling that were in the citys favor, said Larry Salzman, another attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation.

He said an appeal is likely to target the judges support of a prohibition on seawalls for new development.

The city plan requires you to waive your right to a future seawall if you ask for a permit to build, he said, adding that a similar requirement was struck down earlier this year in Orange County Superior Court.

Salzman said the plaintiffs may also appeal the prohibition on new seawalls for homes that are rebuilt or improved, and the citys requirement that owners give public access to private staircases as a condition of development permits.

If the city really needs public access to the beach, they can pay compensation, Salzman said.

Still, he said, the ruling is a step in the right direction because it allows seawalls for existing structures and allows the repair of damaged beach stairways.

The Land Use Plan approved by the city in February 2013 is a key element of its proposed Local Coastal Program, which, if approved by the Coastal Commission, would give the city more local control of coastal development. Solana Beach is the only coastal city in San Diego County without an approved Local Coastal Program.

Litigation has been a big obstacle to approval of a Local Coastal Program for Solana Beach, the city manager said.

Pacific Legal Foundation is a nonprofit that promotes property rights and limited government.

It also represents two Encinitas families in a lawsuit against the California Coastal Commission over the 20-year time-limit on seawall permits issued in that city. That case will be decided by the California Supreme Court.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl
A large recycled water treatment plant to be built in central Escondido got unanimous support this week from the citys Planning Commission despite the pleas of dozens of elderly retirement-home residents who live next door to the site.

The commission voted 5-0 Tuesday to approve the project, saying the needs of the city outweigh any concerns about the plant being built at the southeast corner of Washington Avenue and Ash Street, in an otherwise residential and commercial area.

The decision is already being appealed to the City Council, which will likely take up the matter early next year.

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During Tuesdays two-hour hearing many residents of The Springs of Escondido retirement home, as well as others who work or live in the surrounding neighborhood, told the commissioners the plant should be built in an industrial area, not near where they live.

This is a tragic thing for us, said 78-year-old Springs resident Geraldine Teutsch, who along with others said she was worried about the chemicals that will be stored at the plant and the noise that two years of construction will cause.

This is going to be where I end my life, she said. Its tough getting old. This is a deep, hurtful thing. Change is very hard for us. We dont need someone coming along and making our lives harder.

Officials in the city utilities department say there are no other options than to build the plant at Washington and Ash and that rejecting the project could end up costing taxpayers nearly $1 billion to fix a looming problem.

Utilities Director Chris McKinney said the plant is needed because a pipe that carries Escondidos treated wastewater all the way to the ocean is nearing capacity as the city grows. Either the city must replace the outfall pipe with a larger one  at a cost of nearly $1 billion  or find a way to lessen the amount of water it carries. That can be done by expanding the recycled water program and making that water accessible to avocado farmers and others on the outskirts of town.

The new plant would treat recycled water pumped there via existing pipes, desalinating it so that it can be used for agriculture. That will finally bringing cheaper water to farmers in the eastern and northern edges of Escondido, officials said.

This is the second time this year the commission has been asked to approve the plant. The first proposal would have built the facility a couple miles further east on a city-owned plot of land near the intersection of El Norte Parkway and Washington Avenue in an area surrounded by homes. But residents in that neighborhood mounted a fierce campaign against the location and the commission recommended denial of the project. The City Council ultimately ordered the utilities department to find a new location.

On Tuesday, Planning Commission Chairman Jeffrey Weber said he was supporting the project because I think this new facility is an integral part of our water system and for the greater good of the city.

He also told the audience, which numbered about 75, that he thought a quiet odorless treatment plant would be a better option and neighbor for The Springs residents than just bout any other use.

Several commissioners noted that many years ago the vacant land was used as a water department storage yard and that many other uses for the 4-acre plot have been proposed but never materialized.

Although most speakers opposed the plant, several others were in favor, citing the need for cheaper water for farmers. The majority who spoke against it criticized the location, not the recycled water concept.

City Councilwoman Olga Diaz said Wednesday shes already appealed the commissions decision, which means the council will have the final say on the project.

Diaz maintains the best location for the plant would be near the existing water plant on the west side of town in an area now used as a public works storage yard. The city has long hoped the storage yard would some day become a high-tech business park, but interest from the private sector has not been there.

She said the water plant doesnt belong at Washington and Ash.

I know weve struggled to find other uses for that parcel that the city owns, but this use simply just doesnt fit there, Diaz said. It belongs in an industrial area.

Residents of the Springs also expressed concerns about future uses of the eastern portion of the lot. McKinney said the treatment plant will be built on the western portion of the parcel near Ash with the closest building being 256 feet from the retirement home. However, perhaps a decade from now, another plant could be built much closer to The Springs which could turn recycled water into drinkable water, he said.



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An annual tradition by the Port of San Diego to honor its waterfront tenants for sustainable practices included two businesses from the South Bay this year.

Chula Vista-based Living Coast Discovery Center and the Marine Group Boat Works in National City received sustainable achievement awards for demonstrating model performance and initiatives.

They and others were recognized during a Dec. 7 ceremony aboard the Emerald Hornblower.

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The businesses are part of the ports Green Business Network, a voluntary, energy efficiency and sustainability effort led by the port in partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric.

In the program, members are provided with educational and technical tools, training and resources to help them reduce energy, waste, and water consumption.

Since 2010, these businesses have saved greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing 1,200 cars from the road for one year, said Marshall Merrifield, chairman of the board of port commissioners.

Marine Group Boat Works received the award for renewable energy for installing a 500-kilowatt solar system at its National City boatyard.

The system powers the majority of its new construction activities and is expected to reduce the facilitys energy use by about 80 percent, according to a news release by the port.

The Living Coast Discovery Center received an innovation award for the way it handled food waste during its annual Farm to Bay wine and food fundraising event in August.

During this years event, a sustainability task force comprised of volunteers helped the center reach a 90 percent food composting rate.

Educational tools and tips were provided to event partners and attendees, and disposable tasting cups were replaced with reusable glassware.

The center also led 17 cleanup events, which resulted in the removal of 7,300 pounds of trash from areas in Chula Vista and San Diego and the planting of 850 native plant species.
Classic French pastries, from croissants to Kouign Amann, are famous for their rich, buttery goodness, but infamous for intimidating most home cooks, who shy away from baking them at home. But there is one classic French pastry that any cook, no matter how timid, can easily master: pate a choux. In fact, this simple pastry dough may be easier to prepare than it is to pronounce.Pate a choux (pronounced paht a shoo) is one of the oldest, most versatile and easiest to master of all the French pastries, and no other combination of fat, flour and eggs can be transformed into so many sweet and savory creations. The choux in pate a choux means cabbage in French, no doubt christened long ago by a pastry chef with a good sense of humor because small baked puffs of th e dough resemble tiny heads of cabbage when they emerge hot from the oven.

Chocolate eclairs made by Jill OConnor with pate a choux dough. (Eduardo Contreras / U-T )

You wont need any complicated equipment to make pate a choux at home. In fact, all you really need is a heavy saucepan, a wooden spoon and a good, strong arm (although you can use an electric mixer if you want) to transform a few pantry staples into this most versatile of pastries.

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Water  or a combination of water and milk,  butter, and a dash of sugar and salt are combined in a saucepan and brought to a boil. Off the heat, flour is beaten in quickly to form a stiff paste that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Eggs are beaten in, a little at a time, until the dough is smooth, thick and shiny, but still slightly sticky.

At this point, you can make a variety of pastries; sprinkle spoonfuls of the dough with pearl sugar and bake into crisp, airy puffs called chouquettes. You can eat these alone as a snack or stuff them with whipped cream. Turn the puffs into profiteroles when you split them in half and fill with ice cream instead of whipped cream, and drizzle with warm chocolate sauce. Pipe the dough into long, thin lozenges to form eclairs, and fill with vanilla or coffee-flavored custard or whipped cream before dipping the tops in a shiny chocolate glaze.

Fried in hot oil, spoonfuls of pate a choux are transformed into beignets  crisp, delicately sweet fritters just waiting to be rolled in cinnamon-sugar and served warm with a little jam on the side. For something a little more savory, fold crumbled bits of crispy bacon, chopped herbs like thyme or fresh chives and grated Parmesan, gruyere or sharp white cheddar cheese into the dough before baking into gougeres  delicate little cheese puffs that make an elegant hors doeuvre to serve with cocktails.

Pate a choux can be prepared ahead of time, too; simply spoon or pipe the dough into the desired shape onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm. When the dough is frozen solid, transfer the raw pastries into a self-sealing plastic bag and store for one or two weeks in the freezer. Bake the pastries directly from the freezer without thawing first, and let them cook a minute or two longer until they are crisp and golden brown and baked through.

OConnor is a San Diego-based food writer and cookbook author. Her latest cookbook, Cake, I Love You (Chronicle Books) will be released in the spring.

Practically perfect pate a choux

Melt the butter before boiling: Dont let the water boil before the butter melts. If the mixture boils too soon, it will disrupt the balance of moisture in the finished pastry.

Add the flour all at once: As soon as the water comes to a vigorous boil, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir like crazy with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Dry the dough: Cook the dough, stirring vigorously, for an additional 30 to 60 seconds to eliminate any raw flour taste. A drier dough will absorb more egg, yielding a lighter, crisper pastry.

Cool slightly: Let the dough cool for about 5 minutes before you start adding the eggs. If the dough is too hot, the eggs will start to set. But dont wait too long; if the dough is cold, it wont absorb the egg as well and puffs wont rise properly.

A little at a time: Beat in the eggs a little at a time. The final batter should be smooth and glossy, and a little sticky but still firm enough to hold its shape when piped or spooned onto the baking sheet without being runny.

Bake high down low: Start baking your pastries at 400 degrees F on the lowest rack in the oven. Your pate a choux should triple in volume with this initial blast of heat. Reduce the heat after about 20 minutes and continue baking until crisp and golden brown.

Release the steam: When the pastries are completely cooked, pierce each one with a wooden skewer to release any steam that might make them soggy. Let the pastries cool slightly and then return to the oven for about 3 minutes to completely dry out the interior. Puffs filled with whipped cream or custard will remain crisper, longer, if you follow this final step.

Make ahead: After baking, allow pastries to cool completely. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm. Transfer them to plastic freezer bags and store for up to 2 weeks.

Jill OConnor

Classic Pate a Choux

This basic pastry can be made with water alone or with a combination of water and milk. For crisp pastries that will be filled with whipped cream or custard, use water. For pastries that will be served hot, like the beignets or gougeres, use the richer version made with water and milk.

Makes enough for approximately 2 dozen gougeres, chouquettes, or beignets or about 1 dozen eclairs.

1 cup water, or  cup water and  cup milk

 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted

4 to 5 large eggs, at room temperature

Combine the water, or the water and milk, in a large saucepan with the salt, sugar and the butter. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter melts completely. Increase the heat to high, and bring to a full, rolling boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add all the flour all at once, stirring briskly with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Return the pan to the heat and stir the dough briskly for 1 minute. This will dry any excess moisture and eliminate any raw flour taste from the dough. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for about 5 minutes. If you are using a stand mixer, transfer the dough to the mixer bowl to cool. While the dough is cooling, use a fork to whisk four eggs together in a 16-ounce measuring cup, just until blended.

If using a stand mixer, fit it with the paddle attachment. (The batter can be prepared with a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer or by hand just using a wooden spoon and beating vigorously.) With the mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs into the dough a little at a time, adding more as the egg is incorporated into the dough. The final dough should be smooth, shiny, and a little sticky but still firm enough to hold its shape when spooned or piped onto a baking sheet. If the dough seems too dry, beat the fifth egg and add it a tablespoon at a time until the proper consistency is reached.

Fit a 12- or 16-inch piping bag with a large, 1/2-inch round pastry tip and fill with pate a choux. Continue, using the directions to make chouquettes, gougeres, beignets, or eclairs.

Chouquettes are baked pastry puffs dusted with sugar. (Eduardo Contreras / U-T )

Chouquettes

Chouquettes are small, crisp pastry puffs sprinkled with crunchy pearl sugar before they are baked. This simple pastry is usually served unfilled, as a snack.

Makes about 2 dozen chouquettes

One recipe Classic Pate a Choux

Pearl Sugar, for sprinkling

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place an oven rack on the bottom shelf of the oven. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fit a 12- or 16-inch piping bag with a large, 1/2-inch round pastry tip and fill with pate a choux. Pipe 1 to 1 1/2-inch mounds at least 1 inch apart on the prepared pans. If the mounds of dough develop a point as you pull the pastry tip away, wet your finger and gently pat the point down. Sprinkle generously with pearl sugar.

Bake each sheet, one at a time, on the bottom shelf for 20 minutes, or until the puffs are expanded three times their original size, and are just beginning to turn brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking for 5 to 10 more minutes until the puffs are golden and crisp.

Transfer to a wire rack and serve immediately.

Variation: To make cream puffs, eliminate the pearl sugar and bake as directed. As soon as the puffs come out of the oven, use a serrated knife to gently saw each puff in half horizontally and cool completely (this will eliminate any steam that might make the puffs soggy.) Cream puffs are best filled as close to serving as possible, but they can be filled and refrigerated up to 2 hours ahead of time, if necessary. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star pastry tip with sweetened whipped cream. Pipe a generous amount of cream into the bottom half of each puff. Replace each top and sprinkle with confectioners sugar before serving. For an added flourish, spoon a teaspoon of jam into the bottom of each puff before filling with cream.

Chocolate Eclairs

Eclairs are traditionally filled with vanilla, coffee or chocolate pastry cream, but for the sake of expedience, I fill mine with sweetened whipped cream instead.

Makes 1 1/2 to 2 dozen eclairs

1 recipe Classic Pate a Choux

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the chocolate glaze:

4 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate or  cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

 cup heavy cream

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place an oven rack on the bottom shelf of the oven. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fit a 12- or 16-inch piping bag with a large, 1/2-inch round pastry tip and fill with pate a choux. Pipe 4-inch strips at least 1 to 2 inches apart on the prepared pans. If the strips of dough develop a point as you pull the pastry tip away, wet your finger and gently pat the point down.

Bake each sheet, one at a time, on the bottom shelf for 20 minutes, or until the eclairs are expanded three times their original size and are just beginning to turn brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 5 to 10 more minutes until they are golden, crisp and hollow inside. Remove from the oven and transfer the eclairs to a wire rack to cool. Pierce each end with the tip of a sharp knife to release any interior steam and let cool completely.

With an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla together in a medium bowl until stiff. Fit a large piping bag with a -inch round tip and fill with whipped cream. Insert the tip into the eclair and fill with cream. If you have difficulty getting the cream to fill the entire pastry, insert the pastry tip into the other end of the eclair, and fill from that end as well.

Make the chocolate glaze: Combine the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Dip the top of the filled eclair into the glaze once or twice, then place on a rack to allow the glaze to firm up.

Gougeres are delicate cheese puffs; these have chives and bacon added. (Eduardo Contreras / U-T )

Gougeres

You can make these cheese puffs well ahead of serving, freezing the puffs before or after they are baked. If you freeze the pastries raw, simply bake them straight from the freezer without thawing. Reheat frozen puffs that have already been baked in a 300-degree oven just until they are heated through.

Makes about 2 dozen cheese puffs

One recipe Classic Pate a Choux

6 strips bacon, fried until crisp and finely chopped

 cup finely minced fresh chives or green onions

4 to 5 ounces grated sharp white cheddar cheese

Grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place an oven rack on the bottom shelf of the oven. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fold the bacon, chives and grated cheese into the pate a choux. Spoon into a 12- or 16-inch piping bag fitted with a large, 1/2-inch round pastry tip.

Pipe 1 to 1 1/2-inch mounds at least 1 inch apart on the prepared pans. If the mounds of dough develop a point as you pull the pastry tip away, wet your finger and gently pat the point down. Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese.

Bake each sheet, one at a time, on the bottom shelf for 20 minutes, or until the puffs are expanded three times their original size, and are just beginning to turn brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 5 to 10 more minutes until the puffs are golden and crisp.

Transfer to a wire rack and serve immediately while they are still warm. Beignets

Tender and crisp on the outside with a moist, custardy interior, these elegant French fritters leave ordinary doughnuts in their dust. Best served straight from the fryer, they are delightful rolled in cinnamon sugar or dusted with confectioners sugar. Serve them alone, or with a little jam for dipping.

Beignets are best served straight from the fryer. (Eduardo Contreras / U-T )

Beignets

Tender and crisp on the outside with a moist, custardy interior, these elegant French fritters leave ordinary doughnuts in their dust. Best served straight from the fryer, they are delightful rolled in cinnamon sugar or dusted with confectioners sugar. Serve them alone, or with a little jam for dipping.

Makes about 2 dozen beignets

1 recipe Classic Pte Choux

Vegetable oil for frying

Cinnamon sugar or confectioners sugar, for coating the beignets

Fill a Dutch oven or large cast-iron skillet 3-inches deep with vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 365 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer.

Drop the pte choux dough by rounded tablespoons into the hot oil and fry, turning the fritters over occasionally, until they are golden brown all over and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Use metal tongs to remove the beignets from the hot oil and drain briefly on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Toss the beignets while still warm in cinnamon-sugar or sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve immediately.
The founder of the CorePower Yoga franchise was found dead in his $3 million Sunset Cliffs home on Monday.

The death of Trevor A. Tice, 48, is being investigated as suspicious, a San Diego police homicide official said. The cause of his death has not been released.

We dont know what we have, said homicide Lt. Mike Holden on Tuesday. This may end up being a death, not a murder.

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Tice founded CorePower Yoga in Denver in 2002 and oversaw its expansion into a several states. The first San Diego studio was opened in 2006 in the Point Loma area, according to a company website.
Anne Otterson was many things to many people.

She tenaciously fought by her husbands side when Bill Otterson, founding director of technology networking group CONNECT, battled brain cancer.

In 2014, she became the third person ever to receive a Founders Award from Project Concern International in its 53-year history.

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A talented cook, Anne combined her culinary and organizational skills to create an annual Celebrities Cook for the UCSD Cancer Center event to raise funds for what is now UC San Diegos Moores Cancer Center. Plus, she had a supporting role in creation of UCSDs Rady School of Management.

But what I will remember most about Anne, who died on Nov. 23 at age 83, is that one Christmas she asked her husband to build her a one-room school house in a Tijuana dump.

Anne had read in a newspaper about a young American teacher, David Lynch, who had spent time in Mexico and started a makeshift school for the kids of poor families living in and around the garbage dump, where they scavenged daily for reusable items.

His classroom was a blue tarp, spread amid the mounds of trash, that offered no protection from the summer heat, rain and stench of rotting food.

Annes 1985 Christmas wish was granted when Bill donated building materials and the dump families worked with Lynch to construct their own simple wooden school house. Nearly every year since, Anne has held private fundraisers to pay teachers in Lynchs ongoing education efforts.

On Thursday, a diverse cross-section of people whose lives she had touched gathered at the USD Immaculata to celebrate her life. As UCSDs Mary Walshok said, Anne could easily and gracefully walk through multiple worlds.

She died on the same day as her husband did 17 years earlier.

Pricey pads: The former Rancho Santa Fe estate of the late Roland and Ramona Sahm was identified by Business Insider in November as one of the 19 most expensive U.S. homes on the market.

At $85 million, the wood and glass structure on 210 acres, tied for 14th place with a 10,000-square-foot penthouse in a midtown Manhattan condo complex, also listed for $85 million.

The Del Dios ranch originally was offered at $92 million in February, but the price was reduced by $7 million in July.

The most expensive U.S. residence? A 56,500-square-foot estate in Los Angeles owned by model Petra Stunt, daughter of Formula One racing billionaire Bernie Ecclestone.

A file photo of San Diego Judge Gordon Thompson Jr. (Courtesy of Judge John Thompson; Earnie Grafton/U-T )

Legal circles: Jean Thompson, widow of U.S. District Judge Gordon Thompson Jr., San Diegos longest serving judge, who died last year, notes that the Thompson family legal tradition continues.

Gordons brother and father, Gordon Sr., both became judges, and his grandfather, Adam Thompson, was a trial lawyer and president of the San Diego bar. Gordons son, John, is a Superior Court judge.

On Nov. 18, grandson Andrew Gordon Thompson learned he had passed his bar exam and is now a fifth generation Thompson attorney.

Up until about the eighth grade, Andrews father once said, I thought everyones dad was either a judge, a defense attorney or a bad guy. Thats all we talked about.

diane.bell@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1518

Twitter: dianebellSD

Facebook: dianebell.news
A federal jury on Tuesday rejected a claim that five San Diego police officers discriminated against a scantily clad man in a gladiator costume at a gay pride festival in Balboa Park.

The verdict from eight jurors in the civil-rights lawsuit filed by Will X. Walters came after two hours of deliberation.

Walters, who was arrested after an encounter with the officers at the 2011 San Diego Pride Parade and Festival, accused the city of selectively enforcing the public nudity law at the event because of a bias against the LGBT community.

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The jury confirmed what weve always known, which is that San Diego does not discriminate in its enforcement of nudity laws, City Attorneys Office spokesman Gerry Braun said in a statement. Our office would not tolerate discrimination against the LGBT community or any other group.

Deputy City Attorney Stacy Plotkin-Wolff argued that public nudity was enforced the same at pride festivities in 2011 as it was at every other special event patrolled by San Diego police, such as Mardi Gras, Comic-Con or the Over The Line tournament.

What was different was that everyone who was asked to cover up at those events did, except for Walters, according to police testimony.

The same rules apply to everyone, but Mr. Walters didnt want to follow those rules, Plotkin-Wolff told the jury in her closing arguments Tuesday. They gave him chance after chance after chance to comply with the rules. He refused stubbornly.

Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said she was pleased with the verdict, saying the jury confirmed our officers acted appropriately in the way they addressed the municipal code regarding nudity at special events throughout our city.

Walters attorney, Chris Morris, said he and his client were extremely disappointed with the verdict, and that they recognize progress in civil rights is incremental.

Victories are often preceded by defeats, Morris said. While we may have lost this battle, I cant imagine the city will ever engage in this type of unequal enforcement of the nudity statute again in the future.

The five-day trial in downtown San Diego included some PG-13 moments. Jurors were repeatedly shown photos of women in thong bikinis, and police officers on the witness stand were asked to determine if the women would be considered in violation of the public nudity law. There was a pair of black Calvin Klein thong underwear held up to jurors, depicting what Walters wore underneath his costume. And there were multiple discussions about the definition of buttocks.

The ordinance requires an opaque covering over certain body parts, including the buttocks.

Walters was wearing a custom leather gladiator kilt on July 16, 2011, when he was approached by Assistant Police Chief David Nisleit, who at the time was the lieutenant in charge of special events policing. Nisleit testified that the 12-by-12-inch skirt flaps did not conceal the sides of Walters buttocks and revealed a lot more rear end as the outfit moved with him.

Nisleit said he asked Walters to cover up but Walters refused and became angry. Nisleit said he left to attend a briefing he was late for, hoping Walters would change his mind.

He told the other officers at the meeting about the encounter, and two of them spotted Walters shortly after as they were conducting vendor checks at the festival, they testified.

Walters became irate with them as well when asked again to comply, and they detained him and marched him out of the festival to continue the conversation, according to testimony.

After several minutes of back and forth, the officers decided to cite Walters for public nudity when he wouldnt comply, but Walters refused to sign the citation because the officers wouldnt allow him to read the ticket, according to testimony.

He was eventually taken to jail.

Mr. Walters choices that day took the choices away from the police officers, Plotkin-Wolff said, describing his choice to wear the revealing outfit, choice to refuse the officers request to cover up and choice to not sign the citation.

Walters in 2012 sued the city, Nisleit, Sgt. Gary Mondesir, and Officers Emilio Ramirez, Samuel Gardner and Debbie Becker.

Walters attorney, Morris, argued police took a stricter enforcement stance at the pride event that year, when Nisleit headed the unit. In previous years, pride organizers had an internal policy allowing an inch of fabric to cover the rear end  although no evidence was presented showing the police ever adopted that policy.

The city put on evidence that the police have followed the same enforcement guidelines at special events since at least 2007. Officers further testified that they had approached several people at special events who were in violation and asked them to cover up, although there were no records on the contacts. They gave specific examples of nudity issues that were addressed at Mardi Gras, Over The Line and pride events.

In his closing arguments, Morris said Nisleits testimony alone on that issue was troubling. Nisleit said he reprimanded a woman at Over The Line who flashed her bare chest at him, and she was ejected. He also told a Mardi Gras organizer to order go-go dancers to cover up more and told a reality star to cover her provocative g-string costume at Comic-Con.

Those examples put together were much fewer than the number of public nudity violators Nisleit said he contacted at the 2011 pride event  about 30.

The 14th Amendment is written for people like Mr. Walters, written for people on the margins, the most vulnerable  to make sure their rights arent trampled on, Morris argued.

Morris often went beyond the scope of special events and argued that the law isnt enforced the same at the citys beaches either.

He called the thong bikinis in the photos everyday bathing suits.

The crime rate is clearly going up at La Jolla Shores because of all the people violating the nudity law.  People wear them all over the place, Morris told the jury.

Of the 104 public nudity citations issued by the city from 2007 to 2012, none except for Walters was for someone in a thong.

The citys attorney argued that enforcement at the beach, as well as the law itself, was not on trial in this case, and that no evidence had been presented to show one way or the other.

Morris acknowledged that its the bias that lingers below the surface that is at play in this case.

Im not asking you to punish these guys. They need to be educated, Morris told the jury.

The trial was held after a successful appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo had ruled in the citys favor in a motion for summary judgment, saying she didnt see any evidence suggesting sexual orientation had any influence on the officers actions.

The appeals court disagreed, saying there were still unresolved issues that it would like a jury to decide.

The three-judge panel was also concerned about Walters claim that one of the officers called him a drama queen while transporting him to jail after Walters had complained about being left in a hot car.

The officer, Ramirez, testified at trial that he and his partner had to stop to help a transient who had been struck by a car and left Walters in the patrol car for about 15 minutes with the air conditioning running.

Ramirez denied using the term drama queen.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday asked President Barack Obama to permanently ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in California, an apparent bid to lock in environmental protections before Donald Trump takes office.

California is blessed with hundreds of miles of spectacular coastline; home to scenic state parks, beautiful beaches, abundant wildlife and thriving communities, Brown wrote the president. Clearly, large new oil and gas reserves would be inconsistent with our overriding imperative to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat the devastating impacts of climate change.

Obama last month released a plan that bans until 2022 any new drilling off the coasts of California, Oregon or Washington. The White House declined to comment on Browns request to make the ban permanent

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The request was one of a series of actions that position California as an independent actor in climate policy, and potentially at odds with the incoming administration.

Brown announced it Tuesday at the Hotel del Coronado, where he joined other government and nonprofit leaders to launch the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification. The alliance  which includes California, Oregon, Washington, France, Chile and a host of environmental groups  wants to fast track the fight against ocean acidification, saying that profound changes to the ocean demand swift action.

Referred to as the evil twin of climate change, ocean acidification occurs when carbon is absorbed in the sea, lowering the pH and harming shellfish and other marine life. The damage could affect the oceans role as the primary protein source for 2.6 billion people and undermine the $2.5 trillion in economic activity that it generates, according to the alliance.

The coalition is taking shape against a backdrop of uncertainty over environmental policy as President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to scuttle some existing regulations, withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, and renew oil and gas production. Brown said, however, that California should take its own steps to tackle climate change and reverse deteriorating ocean conditions, seeking allies at home and abroad.

Im not waiting for what Washington (D.C.) may or may not do, Brown said. Im doing whatever I can for the resources of California, and any other state or country that will join with us. This is not about politics. Its about survival within the lifetime of the people of this room.

As atmospheric carbon dissolves in the ocean, it forms a weak acid that sours the sea. Ocean acidity is up by 30 percent over pre-industrial levels, and the concentration of carbonate ions that marine animals need to build shells has declined.

The health of the ocean is at great risk, said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. The food security of the planet is at risk. Whether my grand kids can fish for salmon when they grow up is at great risk.

Shellfish production in the Pacific Northwest is already suffering, as oyster larvae wither before maturing, and mussel shells weaken said Bill Dewey, director of public affairs for the Taylor Shellfish Company in Washington. The increased acidity can disrupt behavior and physiology of clownfish, rockfish and other species as well.

Ocean acidification is arguably the biggest challenge we face in trying to sustain a healthy ocean, said Francis Chan, an associate professor of marine ecology at Oregon State University.

The West Coast, already higher in pH than other areas of the ocean, is a hot spot for those problems, Chan added.

We are really vulnerable, he said. We are in a part of the global ocean that are seeing some of the earliest and most severe changes.

The alliance members will promote research into ocean acidification to determine which regions are most at risk, and what local officials and fishermen can do to counter it. For instance, controlling water chemistry in hatcheries can help keep aquatic farming operations afloat, Chan said. Cultivating sea grass can help sponge some carbon from the water, lowering pH in local bays.

They alliance also plans to study which land-based pollutants cause acidification, and how to reduce runoff of those compounds. And theyll support ways to cut carbon emissions, to keep acidification from worsening.

Other coastal nations also face dire consequences, said Patricio Utreras, deputy chief of Mission at the Embassy of Chile, and Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, consul general of France. Their governments have formed international partnerships to preserve Chiles storied fisheries, protect French shellfish farms and save the Mediterranean, they said. The Paris climate agreement reached in 2015 and ratified in October set global powers on a course toward reckoning with ocean acidification and other climate effects, Lebrun-Damiens said.

The momentum created in Paris is irreversible, he said.

Brown, a veteran of four decades of California politics, downplayed questions about the policy reversals expected under the incoming White House administration, saying hes less concerned with political change than with consequences of ocean acidification and climate change.

On the track (were on) now were going to have a very disrupted, violent world, Brown said. Much worse than we see today. The challenges are so huge,that I dont think we should overstate the next four years.
Susan Page gave up the practice of law to join the U.S. State Department and see the world.

In 22 years, she saw plenty.

Susan is a retired Foreign Service officer of lofty rank. She is living at 70 in a pleasant condo in Bankers Hill that looks across the skyscrapers of downtown and beyond to the waters of San Diego Bay. Its the good life (which is what most people would say who dont have that view).

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Her condo has the far-flung memorabilia of the world traveler. The items and art are attractive and appear to be chosen with an eye. No Niagara Falls tasesled cushions on the couch.

She has a lawyers cross-examining mind, capable of undressing a weak argument with withering logic that Im sure has had opponents wondering, How did I get into this?

When people join the Foreign Service, they envision the sidewalk cafes of Paris, the theaters of London or the snow of Moscow crunching underfoot. You know, like the movies. But during her time in the service, she was stationed mainly in such unsought postings as China (Shanghai), Lithuania and Colombia. She finished her career in Iraq.

She was based in Baghdad for three years, beginning in 2008 during the surge of rebuilding. How much money have we spent trying to rebuild that broken place? Who knows? Just make sure your estimate has 13 numbers. Susan was a management specialist who watched those dollars flow like oatmeal through a feeding tube to grinning Iraqi officials.

Susan describes the spending frenzy that seemed to grip Americans in charge of spending money: They had this money, so they would (figuratively) go out on the street and ask organizations, Come up with some way we can spend this money.

To me, it was kind of backasswards, you know? It seemed to me like you should look at the country, see what the problems are and then develop a program to solve those problems. Instead it was just the opposite. They would say, We have these many, many millions; give us an idea of how to spend it.

When I first saw that (behavior), I said, Why dont we just give the money back? (to Washington). Their reaction was, Oh no, no, no. We would never do that.

The feeling was, if we dont spend it, we wont be doing our job.

In her last two years there, Susan was assigned to the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau. Her position was a management officer, not chasing drug dealers down rabbit-warren alleys.

One of her jobs was as a management overseer of a project to build a large police academy in Baghdad. She says the American contractors were well into the construction when the government of Iraq told them to stop because they had never agreed to the project.

Susan is a very smart woman whom you can tell tolerates fools poorly. She signals her disgust with a biting little smile. So, they just stopped right in the middle of it, and all that money was down the drain.

Were they embarrassed?

Its not their money, so it doesnt really matter.

I bet you werent very popular at times.

It was my last tour, so I really didnt give a ----. Quote me on that. I was told by this colleague that I spoke truth to power because I said, This doesnt make any sense.

Susan adds, The problem is, and this is sort of my thinking on the whole Middle East: We want to impose a democratic system on the population when many of them cant even read  cant read Arabic, much less anything else. Very unsophisticated, low level of education and yet, George W. Bush, bless his heart, wanted to set up a democracy.

A book written by a Foreign Service officer is called We Meant Well. Yeah, but it was an unrealistic goal because the people are used to a strong central government telling them what to do.

Susan says the U.S. sent military and civilian teams into the interior to set up provincial councils to promote autonomy from the central government in Baghdad. The problem was, Baghdad had no intention of releasing control and refused to fund the councils.

And when the councils did scrape together enough money to launch a project, it might have been better left on the pad. As an example, Susan tells of a chicken processing plant constructed by Americans. Great idea, except they couldnt find enough chickens. When they did find some, consumers wouldnt buy them because frozen chickens from Brazil were cheaper.

And the U.S. paid for it?

Absolutely, she says with a head shake. It was like that all over the place.

It was really funny. When I first went to work in Baghdad, they kept talking about capacity building, capacity building. I said, Capacity for what? The answer was, Well, just capacity. It was like nobody could ever tell me  capacity for what?

She says American advisers, many of them top-flight corporate executives, worked hard to build Western-style models for new industries and installations. The problem was, Iraq was not the West.

Contractors and bureaucrats were all over the place, and a lot of money was made, both from contracts and government salaries.

Susan included. She waves toward the airy view out of a west window. I made a lot of money, I mean, this condo. Thank you, Baghdad.

She says undeveloped countries seem to have a problem maintaining things. Once facilities get built, they tend to go to pot. She mentions the construction in Baghdad of an academy to train judges. It was built by an American contractor and looked pretty good. Then, management and maintenance was turned over to the Iraqis.

When the big head of [the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau] came out from Washington for the ribbon-cutting, she said in astonishment, The toilets dont work.

Its like, well yeah, hello. We cant fix it. We cant go back and fix their toilets. Its theirs. If a toilet blocked, they just let it be blocked. Nobody did anything. The place was already falling apart before the ribbon was cut.

*

I ask if Susan can shed any insiders light on the massacre at the outpost in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012. She was not there, but staffers talk and senior staffers talk knowledgeably, especially those with inside knowledge that she says she talked to.

Susan says, Every installation Ive ever been in has what they call these tabletop exercises where you simulate emergencies. The main player is the American military. The protocol is if anything looks like its starting to happen, the first thing you do is you call in the military and you say, Help. We need assets.

I know from firsthand experience that the military is not going to do anything unless the State Department asks them. State Department never asked the military to come into Benghazi. The military was ready, willing, and able to come in.

They were eager to go in, you say?

Absolutely, but protocol says  and I know this from firsthand knowledge of these tabletop exercises  somebody from the State Department has to say, Come help us. And Im certain the call never came. Even if they arrived too late, they would have to go.

Who would have to generate the order?

Her assertion: It has to come from the secretary, of course.

Susan says her first job in the Foreign Service as a management officer was with visa applications. She learned very quickly that being realistic was to be jaded.

Everybody lied, it seemed. Almost all the documents were fraudulent; youll be pulling your hair out by the end ...

She stops and looks over at my head and is reminded I have as much hair as the Mojave Desert has Kentucky bluegrass.

No offense, she says.

None taken. I have a mirror.

That settled, she returns to the narrative. There are document packagers who will build a package with phony visas, phony this and phony that. They can buy them on the street.

In Colombia, where I worked, half the documents were fake, and Colombia is a developed country.

She smiles a little lip twist and shakes her head at her notion of immigrants and refugees from countries or areas that have no reliable government agencies or databases from which authenticity can be checked.

Been there, done that is a throwaway line, but maybe it shouldnt be. There are many intelligent people like Susan Page who have experiences and knowledge to whom we could wisely pay heed. Even if we disagree with what they say, just listening makes us smarter.

Fred Dickeys home page is freddickey.net. He believes every life is an adventure and welcomes ideas at freddickey1@gmail.com.
Officials at the county Department of Animal Services expect no changes in policy or practice following the killing of a five-pound Yorkshire terrier by a pit bull they allowed to be adopted even though the dogs case file noted the animal was not safe around small dogs.

Spokesman Michael Workman said there is nothing planned at this time as far as any response to the August attack profiled last week in The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Jack, a 7-year-old Yorkie owned by San Diego hydrologist Tracy Davis, was killed hours after the county animal shelter allowed Daviss roommates to take home a much larger, 2-year-old pit bull noted to have aggressive tendencies toward smaller dogs.

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The shelter and adopters used my dog to test if the pit bull was not good with small dogs, Davis said. They were wrong to do that, and they were wrong about the pit bull not being dangerous.

Workman rejected Daviss plea to stop allowing pit bulls or other dogs with a history of violence to be adopted into homes in which other pets might be harmed.

The policy allows for circumstances to be considered, he said. This dog did not kill a person.

Davis told the Union-Tribune last week that her 5-pound dog was mauled by a 2-year-old pit bull the morning after county shelter officials adopted out the animal to her roommates.

Records show the pit bull was not good with small dogs.

County officials approved the adoption nonetheless. The next morning, the pit bull grabbed the Yorkie in its mouth and shook it violently, Davis said. Jack, who was toothless and unable to defend himself, died soon after.

Davis moved out of the Clairemont home within days and the unidentified roommates returned the pit bull to the county shelter on Gaines Street in San Diego.

The pit bull was listed as very dog aggressive and no longer adoptable, but shelter officials allowed the roommates to reclaim the animal about two weeks later, records show.

Generally speaking, when a person voluntarily relinquishes a pet, it is their pet, they are the owner, until that pet is adopted by someone else, Workman said. They can come in and reclaim that pet before that. That is what this owner did.

In recounting her ordeal last week, Davis urged county officials to rethink a policy that apparently allows pit bulls identified as aggressive toward other dogs  or humans  to be placed back into the community.

The county needs to stop promoting the adoption of pit bulls as if they are any other breed, she said. The countys practice of returning dogs to their owners after the dog has killed a person or animal needs to end.

When asked for a copy of the policy governing dogs who have killed or attacked people or animals, Workman provided a section of the existing policy and procedure manual for the Department of Animal Services.

The four-page document was last revised in April 2014.

Animals that are generally not made available for adoption include animals that  pose an unreasonable risk of harm to people or animals, the policy states. An animal that is generally ineligible for adoption may be placed with an appropriate agency, adoption partner, 501(c)(3) animal adoption organization or a qualified individual with the approval of the deputy director or designee.

Nothing in the policy section provided defines what a qualified individual is for purposes of placing a dog otherwise not made available for adoption.

The section provided by Workman also makes no reference to an owner who surrenders a violent dog and then seeks to reclaim it  something the county allowed in this instance.

The departments three animal shelters are under continuing pressure to find homes for as many dogs and cats as they can under a no kill  policy officials agreed to last year.

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald
An 86-year-old international jewel thief once convicted of stealing a $9,000 diamond ring in San Diego has been arrested again after being accused of trying to swipe a pricey necklace in Atlanta.

Doris Payne, whose criminal record dates to the 50s, was taken into custody Tuesday after police said she asked to look at a $2,000 diamond necklace at a Von Maur department store and then walked out with it in her pocket.

Paynes infamous exploits, in which its believed she has stolen some $2 million in jewels in thefts from Monte Carlo to Monaco to Japan and across the U.S., have been chronicled in the 2013 film The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne.

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Find out how a poor, single, African-American mother from segregated 1930s America winds up as one of the worlds most notorious and successful jewel thieves, says the intro to the film on its website.

Payne was convicted in San Diego in 2011 for taking the aforementioned diamond ring from the Macys store in Fashion Valley. She told authorities later that she sold the jewlery for $1,800.

At her sentencing, Deputy District Attorney John Pro said Payne was seen casing a Neiman Marcus store in Scottsdale, Ariz. even as her San Diego case was pending.

Pro said at the time that Payne had no regard for authority. Shes made a lifelong career out of stealing and taking advantage of people, he said to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The octogenarians most notorious theft was in the 1970s when she lifted a 10-carat diamond ring worth $545,000 from a Cartier shop in Monte Carlo.

In 2013, she walked out of a Palm Desert jeweler with a $22,500 white gold ring, just three months after being released from custody in the San Diego crime.

Over the years, the white-haired grandmother has has used some 22 aliases, been arrested more than 20 times and has done several stints in custody.

Authorities told the Associated Press that she has probably gotten away with more crimes than the ones for which she was caught.

Matthew Pond, who co-directed and co-produced the documentary about her, told NBC News he was not surprised to hear about her latest exploits.

Shes the Terminator. She wont stop, he said.

619-293-1710

debbi.baker@sduniontribune.com

twitter.com/Debbi_Baker
Presidents have a long history of tapping people from the business world for big jobs. Sometimes it works out very well  President Franklin D. Roosevelts 1934 selection of American Agriculturist publisher Henry Morgenthau Jr. to be treasury secretary led directly to acclaimed efforts to help fund the military, to resettle European Jews and to create what eventually became the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Sometimes it is a debacle  President John F. Kennedys 1961 choice of Ford Motor Co. President Robert McNamara to be defense secretary went haywire when McNamara misjudged what was happening in Vietnam and later urged President Lyndon Johnson to escalate the U.S. war effort to disastrous effect.

Now Donald Trump has gone this route by tapping ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state. Will he be closer to a Morgenthau or a McNamara? Thats one question. Heres another: Will he even be confirmed by the Senate? Maybe not.

The argument that Tillerson is not qualified to be secretary of state for lack of relevant experience falls apart quickly. Steve Coll of The New Yorker wrote a 2012 book about ExxonMobil that depicted the energy giant as akin to a sovereign state, establishing relationships with leaders of dozens of nations, with Tillerson at the helm  without the scandal and geopolitical meddling often associated with multinational corporations. Of all the finalists to be secretary of state  including Mitt Romney, this editorial boards preferred candidate  Tillerson got the most glowing endorsements from the most respected foreign-policy mavens. Former Secretary of State James Baker, who oversaw the end of the Cold War, and former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who cleaned up the messes left by Donald Rumsfeld, urged the president-elect to choose Tillerson.

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But the argument that Tillersons long, close relationship with Russia and dictator Vladimir Putin may disqualify him for the job of Americas top diplomat cannot be dismissed. While Tillerson may sell his shares in ExxonMobil, can he readily put the nations interests ahead of the corporate giant he has worked for his entire life, which has billions invested in Russian projects? Remember, ExxonMobil opposed sanctions against Russia for bullying neighbors because it was bad for business.

Fridays Washington Post report that the CIA believes that Russia interfered in the presidential election to try to get Trump elected makes Tillersons history with Putin even more toxic.

Tillerson may be so dazzling in confirmation hearings that he sweeps away doubts as to his suitability. But it is also possible to imagine a scenario in which Democratic senators such as Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders turn his nomination into a proxy vote to protest whats happened this year: Hillary Clinton losing the presidency despite winning nearly 3 million more votes and Russias alleged interference in the election. They could easily find allies in opposing Tillerson among Senate Republicans like John McCain and Lindsey Graham, who oppose Trumps interest in normalizing U.S. relations with a nation McCain says is led by a thug, bully and a murderer. Theres also this: Senators of both parties may want to send an early message to Trump that he needs to respect their power.

Yes, Donald Trumps political winning streak has been a long one. Tillerson is going to test that, more than any other Trump nominee.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: UTOpinion

ALSO

Five things to know about Rex Tillerson, Trumps secretary of state pick

Five ways the role of the U.S. secretary of state has changed

Five roadblocks that may trip up Tillerson
GUATEMALA CITY (AP)  Two senior Guatemalan cabinet ministers were arrested Saturday on corruption charges and authorities said they were seeking to detain three more as part of a continuing crackdown that has already seen a former president jailed.

Both former officials served under ex-President Otto Perez Molina, who faces charges of money laundering and conspiracy. He denies wrongdoing.

Chief prosecutor Thelma Aldana said that former Defense Minister Gen. Manuel Lopez Ambrosio and Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla were part of a group that used about $4.3 million in state funds to buy gifts, including houses, boats and a helicopter, for Perez Molina. They face charges of money laundering and conspiracy.

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Perez Molinas former Vice President Roxana Baldetti also is jailed on corruption charges, and also denies wrongdoing.

Aldana said a group of officials organized a collection each year to buy gifts for the president on his birthday.

Aldana said the money was handled by Juan Carlos Monzon, then secretary to Baldetti. Monzon has been collaborating with prosecutors investigating the case.

Interior Minister Francisco Rivas said authorities also have sought international arrest orders for former Energy Minister Erick Archila and former Communications Minister Alejandro Sinibaldi.

He said officials are also seeking to arrest another former defense minister, Ulises Anzueto.

Arriving at court offices, Lopez Bonilla said he did not know why hed been detained, but expressed confidence in the countrys judicial system.

I believe that at the end of the day, things will be cleared up. I cant say more than that I am proud of the work I did, he said.

About 2,000 people gathered for a demonstration in the center of Guatemala City on Saturday to support the prosecutors and the crackdown on corruption.
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP)  Uruguays government said Wednesday it is searching for another country to take a former Guantanamo detainee who is threatening to die on a hunger strike if he is not allowed to reunite with his family abroad.

Syrian native Abu Wael Dhiab has repeatedly said he is unhappy in Uruguay and is demanding to be allowed to leave the South American country, which took him in with five other former Guantanamo prisoners in 2014.

For several days now, the Uruguayan government has been making arrangements with different states, especially in the Arab world, so they can take in Dhiab and he can fulfill his wish and reunite with his family, Dhiabs government liaison, Christian Mirza, told local radio Sarandi.

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The government is trying its best, but its not that simple, he said.

There is nothing impeding Dhiabs family from coming to Uruguay, but the former prisoner is against it, Mirza said.

Wed have to ask ourselves why his family could not come to Uruguay when the families of other Guantanamo refugees came here when they wished, Mirza said.

Dhiab was briefly hospitalized Monday night in Montevideo after he became weak from the hunger strike.

A few hours after he was released Tuesday, friends posted a YouTube video showing Dhiab lying on a mattress in his apartment. He speaks softly in Arabic pressing his demand to be sent to another country to be with his family.

My decision to go on a hunger strike is my final decision. Either in Argentina or Afghanistan (or wherever) with my family or I die, he says. My daughter will marry in 10 days. I would have liked to be with you.

He says he feels like a prisoner in Uruguay. They tell me Im free, but that is not true, he says.

Dhiab insists he has been on a 25-day hunger strike and has not consumed any liquids for five days. But some of his friends and Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa have said he ate some food last week on a flight when he was deported from Venezuela back to Uruguay.

Dhiab was at the center of a legal battle at Guantanamo for years because of repeated hunger strikes to protest his indefinite detainment. He gets around on crutches and suffers from health problems related to the hunger strikes and forced feedings while in U.S. custody.

He had turned up in Venezuela in late July after going missing from Uruguay for several weeks, which had alarmed officials in neighboring countries and led U.S. lawmakers to scold the Obama administration for losing track of him.

The Uruguayan Foreign Ministry has said he tried to get help in Venezuela to reunite with his family in Turkey or another country.

Dhiab and the five other former Guantanamo prisoners came to Uruguay for resettlement at the invitation of then President Jose Mujica. They had been detained in 2002 for suspected ties to al-Qaida and were held without charge before U.S. officials cleared them for release.

Uruguay has provided social services and financial support, but the men have struggled to adjust and say they dont get enough help. Dhiab has been the most vocally critical member of the group.

___

Associated Press writer Peter Prengaman in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.
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Taipei, Dec. 14 (CNA) The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said Wednesday that Hong Kong and Macau residents taking cruise ships to Taiwan will, starting from next year, be able to apply simultaneously for two visas online granting two entries. Jeff C.C. Yang (), deputy director-general of the NIA, noted that 140,000 people arrived in Taiwan on board cruise ships this year, with 20,000, or 14.28 percent from Hong Kong and Macau. There is room for growth, Yang said, noting that cruise ship operators suggested the measure to attract more visitors to Taiwan from Hong Kong and Macau. Under the current regulation, Hong Kong and Macau residents can apply in person or through a travel agent, or apply online and enter Taiwan once within three months of receiving their visa, Yang said. However, he noted that over the past few years Hong Kong and Macau residents have increasingly arrived in Taiwan in different ways, including package tours that include travel by airplane, ship and cruises. Visitors might arrive in Taiwan by boat or plane and then take a cruise to a third destination before returning to Taiwan and then traveling elsewhere, he said. Embracing this change in travel behavior, the NIA will start accepting applications for two entry visas online from Hong Kong and Macau residents on tours from Jan. 1, 2017. This new arrangement recognizes the fact that Taiwan is the mid-point of their travel itinerary, Yang said. The Ministry of Interior said the new measure for Hong Kong and Macau residents will also help Taiwan in its bid to become a key port of call for international cruise operators, while promoting the development of port cities and peripheral tourism. (By Claudia Liu and Lilian Wu) Enditem/ AW/
Santa Paula News

Santa Paula High sophomores Jessica Perez and Marlen De Silva received invitations to attend this years Hoby Conference being held at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

The Santa Paula Lions sponsored De Silva with a check to cover the cost of his attending, and the Santa Paula school district will cover the cost of Perez.

The Hoby Leadership,founded in 1958 by the late actor Hugh OBrien is a leadership conference for high school sophomores that help students learn about community service and leadership. The students will spend three days living in the college dorms, talking with college students, attending meetings,and listening to motivational speakers.
SPPD Detective Harper recognized by Rotary Club of Santa Paula

By Peggy Kelly

The Rotary Club of Santa Paula recognized a dedicated Santa Paula Police Detective for maintaining law and order and shouldering an especially tough job of investigating sex crimes.

Public Safety Recognition Program sponsor Gordon Kimball introduced Detective Walter Harper to club members although Club President Carlos Juarez said he knows the officer well.

Harper, hired by the SPPD nine years ago, said, I go way back with Juarez, a retired Santa Paula Police Lt.

Harper has served as the Isbell Middle School Resource Officer and is a Chaplain that involves notifications to families of tragedy.

Im very busy, he noted, but I have a true policemans heartI do this to serve. Its a calling, honor and privilege to serve the citizens of Santa Paula.

Harper and his wife Carmen have two children, both attending college and their son is now seeking a career in law enforcement.

When asked what the difference is between a patrol officer and a detective Harper said, The street officer takes the report, and depending on the severity of the incident a detective follows up with more investigation.

Harper is also certified to work with children exposed to trauma and is the SPPDs sex crimes investigator, an especially tough job.

He believes working with youth in general is important across the board as it allows them to See officers as human beings that they can talk to without fear, it allows us to interact differently.

Harper was the SPPD Officer of the Year in 2013 and recipient of a 2015 Ventura County Peace Officers Association Medal of Merit.

Kimball said I want all our police to know if theyre in need of anything to lets us knowthey are facing unprecedented challenges just to do their job and we want you to know we have your back.
Taipei, Dec. 14 (CNA) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Wednesday that it has rejected the entry to Taiwan of five brands of Japanese natto seized a day earlier at Taichung Port after they were found to contain packets of soy sauce from two radiation-affected Japanese prefectures from which foodstuffs are banned from entering Taiwan.
By Peggy Kelly

Santa Paula News

The California Oil Museum is no longer under the city umbrella after the City Council approved a transfer of the entity to a special foundation.

At the November 21 meeting Elisabeth Paniagua, assistant to the city manager, noted the transfer process has been ongoing.

The California Oil Museum was started in 1950 by Union Oil Company in the downstairs portion of the museum located in the landmark Queen Anne building located at the corner of 10th and Main streets. The incorporation papers for the company had been signed by its founders in the second floor office.

In 1990, to celebrate the founding centennial of the company, the museum underwent a $2.1 million renovation and improvements including the Rig Room, high-quality exhibits and a complete restoration of the upstairs offices to its Victorian glory of 1890.

In the mid 1990s Unocal decided they no longer wanted to run a museum and the city took over the operations, leasing the museum for $1 a year, an arrangement that continued after Chevron Oil purchased Unocal.

In the early 2000s it was known as the Santa Paula California Oil Museum and funded under redevelopment grants.

According to the staff report, at that time the museum was generating two-thirds of its own funding from admissions, gift store sales and memberships, with redevelopment funding making up the remainder.

More than two years ago the state dissolved redevelopment agencies and the museum now receives only in-kind services such as maintenance and insurance from the city.

In 2011 Santa Paula Historical Society President Mary Alice Orcutt Henderson and then Museum Director Jeanne Orcutt conceived the concept of forming the California Oil Museum Foundation to help ensure continued operations. The board started with four members: Judy Triem, Paul Skeels, Steve Mulqueen and Henderson.

Now nine members strong, states the report, mostly from the petroleum industry, the board is committed to promoting and fundraising for the museum. By moving the operations under the California Oil Museum Foundation, a non-profit, charitable organization, it is strongly believed that the fundraising efforts will be greatly improved.

The foundation made a presentation to the council in February and requested the permanent transfer of the California Oil Museum operations to the foundation. Such a move would enable the nonprofit foundation to seek more private grant funds to ensure the museums long-term financial stability.

In May the council directed staff to further address any and all pending issues related to the possible transfer of the museum and over the past few months, staff and the foundations president have worked closely to provide definite answers to all related items.
This Post editorial by Stewart Alsop from 50 years ago visits a theme that is still a concern today: pervasive poverty, and how to solve it. Alsop examines  and then quickly rejects  the idea of a guaranteed basic income. The debate continues today. Some economists support this extensive safety net, and others dismiss it.

There is a lot Alsop got wrong: he hoped the Vietnamese War would end quickly (it didnt), that public assistance would soon wind up in the ash can (it hasnt), and that Lyndon Johnson was a cautious politician (he wasnt). Whether he was right on the dangers of a guaranteed income are still being debated, and are unlikely to be acted upon anytime soon.

After Vietnam  Abolish Poverty?

By Stewart Alsop

Originally published December 17, 1966

WASHINGTON: It may seem foolishly early to be thinking about the end of the war in Vietnam, and what will come after it. But all wars end someday, and already the Governments leading thinkers are thinking hard and long about the role of Government in the postwar period. To judge from the way they talk, they are thinking more and more seriously about an idea which at first sounds both madly extravagant and faintly ludicrous. The idea is to abolish poverty once and for all by putting a floor under the income of all American citizens. The way to eliminate poverty is to give the poor people enough money so that they wont be poor anymore. says one Government thinker. If the war ended, we could do that very easily with the money were now spending in Vietnam. The official Government standard for poverty  a four-person, nonfarm family with an income of $3,130 or less per year  now applies to about 17 percent of the total U.S. population. To give these poor people enough money so that they wont be poor anymore would cost somewhere between $12 billion and $15 billion a year  well under the $2 billion a month that Vietnam is now costing. For about two percent of the Gross National Product, in other words, poverty could be abolished in the United States. All American citizens, as a matter of right, would be entitled to a minimum, non-poverty income. And this is where the proposal begins to sound faintly ludicrous. For all American citizens would include the drunks and the drug addicts, as well as bad people, immoral people and just plain lazy people. At first blush, it seems wildly unlikely that any administration will risk a proposal that would reward the undeserving poor as well as the deserving poor. No politician wants to be accused of taxing honest citizens in order to subsidize worthless citizens in the purchase of booze or reefers.

And yet the idea of a national minimum-income guarantee is a perfectly serious idea all the same, which is already being seriously debated by serious men. As always in the Johnson Administration, those in official position are reluctant to be quoted by name for fear of infuriating the President. But there are plenty of men still in the Government who agree with such recently departed officials as Joseph Kershaw, provost of Williams College, and Prof. James Tobin of Yale. Kershaw was until recently chief economist with Sargent Shrivers Office of Economic Opportunity, and Professor Tobin was formerly a member of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Kershaw says confidently that the minimum income guarantee is the next great social advance. In the long run its inevitable, its got to come. In a recent magazine article which has attracted much attention among Government economists, Tobin argues with conviction that the upper four-fifths of the nation can surely afford the two percent of Gross National Product which would bring the lowest fifth across the poverty line.

The basic idea for a minimum-income guarantee was first put forward by Prof. Milton Friedman, who is the chief economic idea-man for  of all people  Barry Goldwater. Friedman called for a negative income tax, to be administered by the Internal Revenue Service, to take the place of all federally subsidized relief for the poor. Friedman must have been surprised, and possibly appalled, when his idea was seized upon, and enthusiastically elaborated, by liberal economists like Tobin.

Tobin gives this illustration of how the scheme might work: The Internal Revenue Service pays the taxpayer $400 per member of his family if the family has no income. This allowance is reduced by 33% cents for every dollar the family earns. . . . At an income of $1,200 per person the allowance becomes zero. . . . At some higher income . . . the present tax schedule applies.

Tobin, Sargent Shriver and others who have interested themselves in the idea point out that although the scheme would cost a lot of money it would save a lot of money too. Direct public assistance to the poor  federal, state and local  now amounts to about $5.5 billion, and the trend is sharply up. The minimum-income guarantee, in theory at least, would consign the present immensely complex system to the ash can. Virtually all economists, left, right and center, seem to agree that the ash can is where that system belongs.

It is a bad system for several reasons. First, there is the man in the house rule. The Aid for Dependent Children program is the biggest of the federally subsidized plans. Under the program, as administered in most areas, aid can be provided to a family only if there is no employable male in the household. The result, as Tobin points out, is that too often a father can provide for his children only by leaving both them and their mother. He calls this incentive to the disintegration of family life a piece of collective insanity.

Moreover, the means test tends totally to kill all initiative. The idea of the means test is that a family will get public assistance only to the extent that it cannot pay its own way. In practice, the result is that a poor man who earns $1,000 toward the support of his family doesnt profit by a penny, since the $1,000 is subtracted from his relief checks. Under the negative income tax system, he would keep part of every dollar he earned.

The means tests and other complicated bureaucratic requirements of the present system tend to turn the social workers who administer the programs, willy-nilly, into part-time spies and policemen. In Negro ghettos, hatred for the administrators of the relief programs is almost universal.

There are, of course, plenty of objections to the whole idea of a universal floor under incomes, quite aside from the vast cost. A program with a price tag of $12 billion to $15 billion might crowd out the structural programs  preschool education, job training, slum clearance and the like  which are designed to help the poor escape from poverty. Youd be treating the symptoms of the disease, says one critic of the idea, while letting the disease itself get worse and worse.

Enthusiasts for a minimum-income guarantee counter that a good doctor treats the symptoms as well as the disease. But the deepest and most instinctive opposition to the idea derives from the Puritan ethic. By the standards of conventional morality, it is just plain wrong that a man  especially a bad man or lazy man  should be paid money which he had done nothing to earn by the sweat of his brow. This is why, even to many who like the idea, it seems highly unlikely that Lyndon Johnson will ever buy it.

Lyndon Johnson will certainly not buy the idea while the Vietnamese war continues. He is a cautious politician, and he may never buy it, even if the war ends. But Lyndon Johnson is also a man very conscious of his place in history, and the President who abolished poverty in the United States would certainly occupy a rather capacious niche in his countrys history.
Seattle, WA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/14/2016 -- The report "Aptamers Market by Type (DNA, RNA, XNA), by Application (Diagnostics, Therapeutics, R&D), by Technology (SELEX, Other Technologies), by End Users (Academic Research Institutes, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Companies, CRO) - Global Forecast to 2020", the global aptamers market is expected to reach $244.93 Million by 2020 from $107.56 Million in 2015, at a CAGR of 17.89%.



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The aptamers market is segmented on the basis of type, application, technology, and end user. By type, the market includes DNA-based aptamers, RNA-based aptamers, and XNA-based aptamers. DNA-based aptamers will hold the largest share of the aptamers market in 2015, while XNA-based aptamers will grow at the highest CAGR between 2015 and 2020.



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The technologies included in this report are SELEX and other technologies. SELEX will hold the largest share of the aptamers market in 2015. The other technologies segment is expected to grow at the highest rate between 2015 and 2020.



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The geographic segments included in this report are the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (RoW). The Americas are expected to hold the largest share of this market in 2015, while Europe is expected to grow at the fastest rate. Growth in the European aptamers market will primarily be driven by the increased number of aptamer manufacturers in this region.



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West Palm Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/14/2016 -- Bonezdagoat & The Local Brand present "The Hand of a Leader Tour," which focuses on giving back to the homeless across the State of Florida. The tour will run from December 4-10, 2016. A variety of hair professionals will travel throughout the state cutting hair for the homeless alongside barber Corey Sturkey, "BONEZ DA GOAT." Throughout the Hand of a Leader tour, clothing and food will also be donated to individuals in need during this special event.



The Hand of a Leader Tour dates include:



- December 5: Miami

- December 6: Palm Beach

- December 7: Orlando

- December 8: Tampa

- December 9: Jacksonville



The tour will be sponsored by BONEZDAGOAT, The Local Brand, Oster and Fresh Meal Plan, which all are Florida businesses with headquarters in the state. Individuals and/or businesses who would like to donate their time/skills, canned foods or other food, socks or shoes or clothing are asked to contact The Local Brand at 800-933-2570.



"My partners and I are committed to a responsible, respectful, coexistence with this great state," Frankie Cecere, Owner of The Local Brand said. "Getting out in the community, making a difference is what we live for."



About Local Brand

The brand encourages people to show pride to their local areas by wearing local apparel and car/truck decals. Their mission is to support those in their communities. They sell shirts, hats, sunglasses, and performance outdoor apparel for both men and women. The brand also sells their products in various local stores in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Margate, Boca Raton, and Key Largo. A "Find A Store" locator can be found on their website.



For more information about their "Local" products, visit their website https://localbrandonly.com/ or email them at contact@localbrandonly.com. Their lifestyle & apparel brand is built for local by locals.



For Media Contact:

800-933-2570

contact@localbrandonly.com

https://localbrandonly.com/
According to a new study, what we see in the periphery, just outside the direct focus of the eye, may sometimes be a visual illusion.

As we go about daily life, we generally operate under the assumption that our perception of the world directly and accurately represents the outside world.

But visual illusions of various kinds show us that this isnt always the case. As the brain processes incoming information about an external stimulus, we come to learn, it creates a representation of the outside world that can diverge from reality in noticeable ways.

Dr. Marte Otten from the University of Amsterdam and her colleagues from the Netherlands, UK, Japan and the United States wondered whether this same process might explain why we usually feel as though our peripheral vision is detailed and robust when it isnt.

Vision in the fovea, the center of the visual field, is much more accurate and detailed than vision in the periphery. This is not in line with the rich phenomenology of peripheral vision, the researchers said.

We investigated a visual illusion that shows that detailed peripheral visual experience is partially based on a reconstruction of reality.

The teams results, published in the journal Psychological Science, suggest that even though our peripheral vision is less accurate and detailed than what we see in the fovea, we may not notice a qualitative difference because our visual processing system actually fills in some of what we see in the periphery.

Our findings show that, under the right circumstances, a large part of the periphery may become a visual illusion, Dr. Otten said.

This effect seems to hold for many basic visual features, indicating that this filling in is a general, and fundamental, perceptual mechanism.

Over a series of experiments, Dr. Otten and co-authors presented a total of 20 participants with a series of images.

The participants focused on the center of the screen  a central image appeared and then a different peripheral image gradually faded in.

They were supposed to click the mouse as soon as the difference between the central patch and the periphery disappeared and the entire screen appeared to be uniform.

The authors changed the defining characteristic of the central image in different experiments, varying its shape, orientation, luminance, shade, or motion.

The results showed that all of these characteristics were vulnerable to a uniformity illusion  that is, participants incorrectly reported seeing a uniform image when the center and periphery were actually different.

The illusion was less likely to occur when the difference between the center and periphery was large; when the illusion did occur on these trials, it took longer to emerge.

The participants indicated that they felt roughly equally sure about their experience of uniformity when it actually did exist as when it was illusory.

This suggests that the illusory experiences are similar to a visual experience based on a physical visual stimulus.

The fun thing about this illusion is that you can to test this out for yourself, Dr. Otten said.

If you look up the illusion on www.uniformillusion.com you can find out just how real the illusory experience feels for you.

_____

Marte Otten et al. The Uniformity Illusion: Central Stimuli Can Determine Peripheral Perception. Psychological Science, published online November 15, 2016; doi: 10.1177/0956797616672270
Despite the fact that the number of reindeer is increasing, they are becoming smaller, thanks to climate change, a new study found.

According to a 16-year survey on the arctic Norweigan island of Svalbard, the scientists found that the reindeer have declined in weight by a staggering 12 percent over the past 20 years. The reduction in their weight is linked to the rising temperatures in the area as a result of global warming.

Presented at a meeting of the British Ecological Society in Liverpool, the scientists explained how the rising temperatures have deprived female reindeer of the needed nutrients and food needed during the important phases of pregnancy. The study is an expansion of an earlier study published in the journal Global Change Biology.

Effects Of Rising Temperatures

Usually, snow in Svalbard covers the ground for about eight months of the year. Grass will grow around June and July. However, as the summer temperatures increased by about 1.5 degrees Celcius, pastures have become more productive, giving female deer to gain more weight and become more fertile to conceive more calves.

Over the past years, the increasing temperatures brought greater rainfall during the winter. When rain touches the snow, it freezes and prevents the reindeer in accessing the food below. This leads to female reindeer becoming starved during gestation, giving birth to lighter calves, The Telegraph reports.

Though the size of the reindeer dropped, the size of the Arctic reindeer population is booming to flourishing plant life in the summers. This is because they are more likely to conceive in autumn and a bountiful summer means having more fertile and healthier females.

"Warmer summers are great for reindeer but winters are getting increasingly tough," Professor Steve Albon, an ecologist at the James Hutton Institute, told Reuters.

One animal has benefited from weakened and smaller reindeer -- the Arctic fox. With the increased number of reindeer, their population has also increased over the past years.
Is Antarctica the Lost City of Atlantis? It is a question that is frequently asked for years. Now, conspiracists believe that the crustal displacement is possibly true. Antarctica may be Atlantis.

The Crustal Displacement is a scientific theory. In the theory, it shows that thousands of years ago, the icy tundra is believed to be the home of ancient and mysterious civilization.

A history expert in the United States, Professor Charles A. Hapgood, first published a paper, back in the 1950s. He wrote that the movement in the crust of the Earth means that only 11,600 years ago, huge parts of Antarctica was totally ice-free, according to The Sun.

Prof. Hapgood added that the evidence of the theory was in the 500-year-old Piri Reis map. It is a world map made by the Ottoman admiral of the same name.

The map has been examined by numerous scholars. They said that it clearly shows the west coast of Africa, the northern coast of Antarctica and the east coast of South America. They added that the locations are not covered with ice sheets.

Meanwhile, back in 1960, Lt. Colonel Harold Z. Ohlmeyer wrote a letter to Prof. Hapgood. In it, he said that the Piri Reis map theory was indeed correct.

Also, he said that, "The geographical detail shown in the lower part of the map agrees very remarkably with the results of the seismic profile made across the top of the ice-cap by the Swedish-British Antarctic Expedition of 1949. This indicates the coastline had been mapped before it was covered by the ice-cap. This part of Antarctica [is] ice free. The ice-cap in this region is now about a mile thick," according to the Event Chronicle.

In a report by the Daily Star, the conspiracists now think that Prof. Hapgood was correct and he discovered that much of the South Pole was ice-free. They also believed that it is the Lost City of Atlantis.

The existence of this mysterious paradise first appeared in the writings of the Greek philosopher Plato way back in 360 B.C. Plato described Atlantis as a paradise where half-gods and half-humans exist 9,000 years before he himself existed.

In line with this report, just a few months back, the so-called proof of Antarctica to be Atlantis emerged in the form of pictures. The images show huge pyramids jutting out of its ice.
The researchers discovered that the creature "Didelphodon vorax," which was an ancient marsupial relative, had a powerful and deadly bite that could kill and eat the little dinosaurs. This early mammal was just about the size of a badger yet could munch with strong force than any other mammals.

The findings were based on the four fossils that were discovered to the 66 to 69 million-year-old Hell Creek Formation deposits in North Dakota and Montana. Other finds include a set of chompers: a partial snout, nearly a full skull and two upper jaw bones. Most of the remains of the said creature are dental.

In the study that was published in Nature, the researchers scanned the fossils and compared them to skulls and jaws from modern mammals with known bite forces to know how powerful the bite of the D. vorax. They were astonished to know that D. vorax has the most powerful and strong bite of any mammal that has ever lived on Earth.

The team also discovered that the creature's bite and the shape of its teeth could bite through bone and shell with ease. It could hunt prey that was equal to its own size and little dinosaurs, too. D. vorax was an omnivore and ate vertebrates, shellfish, bugs and plants. The researchers also found five lines of marsupial ancestors and that the marsupial relatives in North America were just larger along with other mammals over 80 million years ago, according to Earth.

Didelphodon vorax had lived during the last few million years of the Mesozoic or also referred to as dinosaur age, in the now present-day Montana and North Dakota. In the new discovery, it indicates that marsupials came from North America dated around 10 million to 20 million years. This overturned the old theory that marsupials originated in South America. Nevertheless, later, the marsupials scattered in South America, according to Live Science.
Kounotori 6 or "White Stork," also otherwise known as HTV-6, is a Japanese cargo ship that successfully delivered the Christmas gifts sent for the International Space Station (ISS) crew members on Dec. 13, 2016. Along with the gifts, 5 tons of food, water and other experimental supplies were included in the cargo.

American astronaut, Commander Shane Kimbrough, along with France's Thomas Pesquet, used the outpost's robotic arm Canadarm 2 to capture the cargo ship from the orbit. It was then berthed to the Harmony nodule of the International Space Station (ISS).

The cargo ship took four days to reach the ISS and make the delivery. The success of this resupply mission was celebrated by flight controllers in Japan and Houston. The mission's success is a highly welcome event, specifically after the launch failures of the Russian and SpaceX supply ships two weeks ago, reported CTV News.

Kimbrough said, "It has about four-and-a-half tons of supplies for us, which we're really excited about," and expressed his feelings, saying "We were talking last night and thought it was really cool how our cooperation, and the strength of our international cooperation, is so strong when you have a NASA astronaut and a European Space Agency astronaut using the Canadian robotic arm grabbing a Japanese vehicle and attaching it to the U.S. side of the space station."

The cargo ship delivered about 600 liters of water, along with food, and crew commodities including TV cameras and Small Satellite Orbital Deployer. The pressurized section of Kounotori 6 contained seven CubeSats, while in the unpressurized section of the ship, six new lithium-ion batteries were sent. These lithium batteries will replace the currently used 12 nickel-hydrogen batteries for the forthcoming space walks scheduled on Jan. 6 and Jan. 13, 2017, reported Space Flight Insider.

After receiving the cargo, Kimbrough said that, "Based on a lot of the equipment that's brought up, we're going to see a lot of robotic and spacewalk activity coming up in the new few weeks, and it's going to be really exciting."

Kounotori 6 will remain berthed to ISS for the next six weeks, after which it will continue its next mission on technology demonstration payloads.
The premium laptop market has always been dominated by Apple, and with the release of Apple MacBook Pro, it looked like Apple had sealed the top spot. However, that has not happened. In the past year, Microsoft has won over several Apple users in the Surface Vs Mac competition.

Apple's MacBook boasts of some amazing specs such as OLED Bar, Touch ID sensor, Intel Iris Pro graphics and more. However, it turns out that several Apple users do not prefer the touch bar over function keys. Both the 13-inch and 15-inch models are definitely overpriced, as reported by Macworld.

On the other hand, Microsoft Surface have a long battery life, comparatively, are not overpriced and are a perfect fit for creative professionals. As a reason of all these factors, more people are switching from Apple Macs to Microsoft Surface. According to Microsoft, in the Surface Vs Mac battle, the former is winning.

In a yearly review of Windows blog, Microsoft has said more people have switched from Mac to Surface as they were disappointed with the new MacBook Pro laptops.

Microsoft further elaborates in the blog that its trade-in program for MacBooks was the best ever in the history. In this program, users would get credit for their old Macs, which could be used towards the purchase of new Surface laptops,as reported by 9to5mac.

Apple MacBook and Air users received up to $650 in credit towards the purchase of Surface Book and Surface Pro from October 27 to November 23. This offer as company claims broke all records of trade-ins.

Microsoft also believes the higher switching from Mac to Surface can be attributed to a recent announcement of Surface Book Laptops and Surface Studio touchscreen convertible laptops.

Industry experts have an entirely different view of Surface Vs Mac. According to Slice intelligence, Mac laptops had outsold all its competitors in just five days. Reports also suggest that Apple has a better number this year compared to the last year.

Surface Vs Mac, which one is better according to you? Let us know in the comment section below.
Not many may be familiar about the city until photos of child victims surfaced earlier this year. But Aleppo has always been a big part of human history -- from Abraham grazing his sheep to the Hellenic settlement of Alexander the Great, to the role it played in the Crusades, it was among the world's oldest and largest legacies -- "was" being the operative term.

The Battle of Aleppo, which started five years ago and has since caused hundreds and thousands of deaths and millions in displacement, has finally come to an end -- just after citizens took to Twitter their final moments as they accepted that death was upon them.

The famed city, which is noted to be the largest in Syria, has already been destroyed. According to The New Yorker, The Old City has become mere ash and rubble as the destruction can be compared to the Stalingrad and Warsaw Ghetto. Cruel airstrikes escalated over the summer, and Eastern Aleppo, which once stood proud, fell this week, in what is considered as the biggest victory for Assad.

Syrian rebels are now preparing to withdraw from Aleppo after a ceasefire agreement, which was the result of talks between Russia and Turkey. After the guns fell silent late Tuesday, no blasts have been heard, and the Syrian government has established control once again.

However, as BBC reported, despite word of deals and truces came, and military actions over, this may not be the end of the Civil War. Rebels still control large areas, and the war is not yet over. However, it will be of a different kind: it will be more of a hit-and-run kind of insurgence.

Abu Malek al-Shamali, who resides in the rebel area, shared about the dead bodies that lay in the streets. Reuters quoted him as saying, "There are many corpses in Fardous and Bustan al-Qasr with no one to bury them." It may be quiet now, but little of Syria is left, and the environment citizens are left with offers less hope for the future that they are going to face.
Global temperatures have been steadily rising during the last few decades, and international efforts to get the climate back to a "safe" zone has fallen short, which is why scientists and engineers are trying to find a way to cure the symptoms of climate change. Geoengineering tactics try to mimic the natural atmospheric cooling by giving the Earth an antacid that follows that would disperse sulfur dioxide into the air during a volcanic eruption.

However, as Goshen News pointed out, there are several problems with this plan. For instance, it is unclear what the government or international body would authorize to release sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere -- even though it can help cool down temperatures, the chemical is also a pollutant that can cause acid rain. Taking this into account, the sulfur dioxide could eat away the layer of ozone that protects the Earth from ultraviolet light and could warm the lower part of the stratosphere above the tropic region.

Metro UK did note that scientists are also thinking of pumping an aerosol of calcium carbonate, which could reflect light back into space so that it could cool the planet, and at the same time, it neutralizes acid from carbon emissions. Frank Keutsch at Harvard shared, "Instead of trying to minimize the reactivity of the aerosol, we wanted a material that is highly reactive but in a way that would avoid ozone destruction." As explained, the aerosol could block incoming solar energy and neutralize airborne acid particles as well.

In short, they came up with an antacid for the stratosphere to save the Earth, which is a better solution than introducing sulfuric acid. "This research is a turning point and an important step in analyzing and reducing certain risks of solar geoengineering."

Still, there are ethical, political and environmental consequences for such actions, and what people know in theory does not always mean that things will turn out as planned.
FLORENCE, S.C.  DuPont retirees donated almost $4,000 dollars Tuesday morning in what has been a holiday ritual since 2011.

This year's donations went to Lighthouse Ministries, House of Hope, Mercy Medicine and Harvest Hope Food Bank. Each organization received $900. Lighthouse received an additional $315 from Sid Jordan, who died this year.

"This year our retirees reached deep and collected $3,834," said Stephen Love, president of the DuPont Retirees Club. "Instead of that going four ways, there's $315 in there that's the request of one of our retirees who passed away, Sid Jordan, to go to the memorial fund and Lighthouse."

The donations were made at Bazen's Family Restaurant in Florence.

"For years we came down here, or where ever we met, had breakfast, had a little talking to or something, got up and left," Love said. "One of our retirees said they'd never come to one of our meetings to just eat breakfast. 'Why don't you do something for the community.' That was Larry Graham."

Since 2011 the group has dedicated $16,412 to organizations throughout the Florence area, Love said.

The group passes a jug at every meeting to collect for the Christmas donations, Love said.

"We eat breakfast, leave what you can," Love said. "Some send me a check every now and then if they can't come to breakfast. It's all DuPont retirees."

Love added that each retiree is on a "fixed" income.

"We're not just eating breakfast anymore," Love said.

Each meeting also features a program.

There are more than 600 retirees from the Florence plant scattered over the United States and a few foreign countries, and Love said he is in contact with 300 of them by email.

The organization started in 1982 and has met the second Monday of the month for 34 consecutive year  409 consecutive second Mondays, Love said.

Bob Anderson, a World War II veteran, was the first president of the organization and helped launch it.
WASHINGTON, D.C.  Christopher Gaskins, a Lake City native and 2003 honor graduate of Lake City High School, was one of five people recently recognized for superior volunteer work in the Washington, D.C., area.

Gaskins and others received the Outstanding Community Service Award from the Scottish Rite-Valley of Washingtons Knights of St. Andrews of the District of Columbia, which held its annual 2016 Scholarship and Community Service Awards Presentation program Nov. 22.

Gaskins, an adjunct professor at Howard University, was cited for his work with the Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, a literacy and community re-entry program for incarcerated minority male young adults. He has worked as a volunteer since 2011 and has been an executive board member since 2014.

Each volunteer recipient received a certificate and $2,000. Each of the five organizations represented received a check for $5,000.
DARLINGTON, S.C.  The Rotary Club of Darlington recently donated nearly 450 dictionaries to third graders in Darlington, Lamar and Society Hill.

Members of the Rotary Club visited the districts administrative offices to meet with students, principals and teachers as well as take photos.

The dictionaries will be handed out to every third-grade student at the Brunson-Dargan Elementary School, Brockington Elementary School, St. Johns Elementary School, Rosenwald Elementary/Middle School and Spaulding Elementary School.
In early September, Vickie Gimla, president of the Fred H. Sexton American Legion Post 1 Auxiliary, began plans to prepare Thanksgiving gift baskets for needy veterans and their families. Post 1 members and the Auxiliary donated nonperishable food items at Post meetings. She contacted local supermarkets to help out with turkey purchases. Piggly Wiggly, Bi-Lo and KJs stepped up to help.

C.B. Anderson, executive director of Veteran Services of Florence, was contacted to identify needy veterans that would be the recipients of the gift baskets. He found 12 families that needed help to enjoy Thanksgiving.

The baskets were assembled at Post 1, and a few days before Thanksgiving, they were distributed by Anderson, Vickie and helpers. The veterans came by and picked up the boxes of canned goods, packages, potatoes and all the fixings plus a turkey. It was a joyous sight to see how grateful these veterans were to know that their families would have a fine Thanksgiving.

The volunteers who prepared the gift baskets at the Post were Post Commander Don Handley, Vickie Gimla, Faith Choate, Martha Cheney, Sue Curran, Iris Gadiaz and Dale Heiden.

This is what we do," Commander Handley said . "Veterans serving veterans.

KENNETH M. CURRAN-POST ADJUTANT

Fred H. Sexton American Legion Post 1

Florence
Come and enjoy Read more [...]
Council approves 'fentanyl tax' to combat overdose crisisOpposition councillors argue tax is accepting download from senior governmentsMIKE HOWELL / VANCOUVER COURIERDECEMBER 13, 2016 03:39 PMoverdoseVancouver firefighters, seen here responding to an overdose Tuesday in the Downtown Eastside, will receive $1.8 million to help combat the overdose drug crisis. Photo Dan ToulgoetDig in to your wallets property owners  your taxes are going up by 3.9 per cent next year and a portion of that increase is to pay for the citys response to the overdose drug crisis in Vancouver, where 124 people have died in the first 10 months of this year.City council voted 8-3 Tuesday in favour of the tax hike after a fiery exchange between the ruling Vision Vancouver and the NPA that centred around saving lives and whether a tax hike was accepting a download of responsibility from senior levels of government mandated to deliver health care.The debate, which closed in on three hours, was set off by Vision Coun. Geoff Meggs motion to raise taxes by another .5 per cent on top of the originally proposed 3.4 per cent increase. The half per cent increase, or fentanyl tax, will generate $3.5 million and be added to a $4 million contingency fund.This drug is the worst serial killer that we have seen on the streets of Vancouver  ever -- and to not act at this point, in my opinion, is morally wrong, said Vision Coun. Andrea Reimer, referring to the synthetic narcotic that has been linked to 60 per cent of the 622 overdose deaths in B.C. in the first 10 months of this year.For taxpayers, a 3.9 per cent tax hike will mean increases that range from $29 for a condo to $152 for a commercial property. A single-family home will see an increase of $83. All increases are based on median-priced homes.NPA Coun. Melissa De Genova argued that politicians have known about the overdose crisis for several months but only decided 48 hours before a city budget meeting earlier this month to float the idea of raising taxes another half per cent.To have this burden thrown on taxpayers at the last minute, I think is concerning, said De Genova, noting she has received hundreds of emails from residents upset at the lack of consultation.She pointed out the federal government announced Monday a new drug strategy and that the province has already spent $43 million this year to combat the overdose crisis. She urged council to work with governments to get more funding rather than seek an additional tax.I think that there will be more money in that pot, but not if Vancouver makes a decision like this because theyll be laughing all the way to the bank saying, Its OK, Vancouvers going to raise their taxes and make people pay twice, De Genova said.Vision Coun. Kerry Jang lashed back at De Genova, saying her suggestion about paying twice was a red herring and that he was happy to pay more tax to help save lives. In another exchange with De Genova, Jang said the city regularly speaks to the provincial government about getting more treatment for drug users but that hasnt happened.Thats where the province should be putting the money, and thats where they havent put the money  and it pisses me off, he said, pounding his fist on his desk.A big chunk of the so-called fentanyl tax money -- $1.8 million  will allow the Vancouver Fire Department to deploy four medic teams around the clock, instead of relying on overtime and taking firefighters and vehicles from other parts of the city to respond to overdose calls in the Downtown Eastside.Im pleased, said Fire Chief John McKearney after the council vote. Now we have to look at the contingency fund to come up with a plan to make sure it works.Other measures the tax will pay for include $130,000 on "enhanced mental health support" for firefighters and frontline city and parks staff, opening a community policing centre in Strathcona ($200,000 per year), training city staff in overdose management ($20,000), creating a youth education program targeted at substance abuse and harm reduction ($200,000) and developing a strategy to create treatment-on-demand drug rehabilitation programs ($100,000).Green Party Coun. Adriane Carr said it was the first time in five years that she would be voting to support the budget, which totals $1.3 billion and includes $80 million for housing and $14 million for childcare. Carr called the tax a "smart response" to combat the overdose crisis. She said the .5 per cent tax translates to an increase of $4 for a condo, $11 for a single-family house and $19 for a commercial property."These are not large burdens to respond to what is a life and death crisis in our city that is only escalating," Carr said.- See more at: Council approves 'fentanyl tax' to combat overdose crisis
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
The Cass County Republican Party is officially calling for Bill Kintner to immediately resign from his position as Nebraska Legislature District 2 senator.

GOP members met with the CCRP executive board Dec. 13 to discuss the resolution. The resolution states Kintner has repeatedly embarrassed the good people of Nebraska Legislative District 2 by performing acts of cybersex on state-owned equipment. The resolution also notes Kintners inappropriate comments about women and his fellow legislators made during legislative sessions and alleged theft of services in Sarpy County.

Nebraska State Patrol started an investigation over a year ago regarding Kintner using a state computer to have a cybersex encounter using Skype. The results of their investigation were publicized in August, and led to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission (NADC) fining Kintner $1,000, the maximum civil penalty allowed, for violating state law and the misappropriation of public resources and ethics statutes and regulations.

As a result, a coalition of District 2 residents organized a petition drive at the Cass County Fair. The petition demanded Kintner resign immediately so another candidate could be elected during the November election.

Despite the 800 signatures on the petition, a request from Gov. Pete Ricketts and the Legislatures executive board, Kintner refused to resign.

During the CCRP meeting at Plattsmouth State Bank Tuesday evening, CCRP Chairman Craig Buescher asked people for comments regarding the proposed resolution.

Former District 2 State Sen. Dave Pankonin noted that when he was provided a state-issued laptop during his term, It was very clear it was to be used for official state business only.

In my case, it never left the (Capitol) building, Pankonin said. I was very surprised and distressed the current senator took the laptop out of state and engaged in the activity that he did.

Pankonin said the $1,000 fine Kintner paid did not cover the cost of a state patrol investigation. The Legislative branch IT division had to cost a lot of money to clear this up, he said. No one has asked if they want Kintner to reimburse the taxpayers for the costs for the IT department and the state patrol investigation. Why hasnt this been pressed to the floor as well?

Former Cass County Board of Commissioners member and Cass County resident Ron Nolte said he attended the public sessions the Legislative Executive Board conducted on the issue. It came out the Skype was added to this computer. He modified that computer to use it as he did. Modifying a state computer is also an offense, he said.

Buescher explained that Skype is a computer program that allows a person to see who they are communicating with.

CCRP Vice Chairman Andy Clements said Kintners indiscretion caused his name to be leaked to a known cyber criminal.

I was surprised to learn my name was in the NADCs transcript, Clements said.  Im also in the banking business and am held to high standards. If I leaked information about one of my customers Im required to notify them immediately. When I asked Sen. Kintner as to why I wasnt notified until a year after, he replied he wasnt required to notify me. Maybe the legislators arent held to the same standards.

Clements said Kintners encounter gave the cyber criminal access to his name through a Facebook account where there was a list of people.

Clements said a screen shot of the list may have been taken in order to threaten Kintner. If you dont pay me Ill show them the video, was the implied threat.

Buescher explained CCRP members wanted to revisit the issue before the Legislature meets for its first session Jan. 3.

We want to let our views be known, Buescher said. People may ask, Why now? This happened a year and one-half ago.

The CCRP executive board postponed the resolutions initial passage to see Kintners response to the governor and the Legislative Executive Board calling for his resignation.

Because no resignation was forthcoming, the board felt it was time to officially record its opinion.

The bottom line is that Cass County people desire the highest level of professional and ethical behavior, said former CCRP chair Dean Helmick, who authored the resolution. This should go on record.

If Kintner continues to refuse to resign, the CCRP plans on calling on the Legislature to take strong action.

There are too many other issues that have to be addressed. They are not going to get anything done. We cannot state a strong enough message to the Legislature. Our word is integrity. This is just a replay of Anthony Weiner in Congress, Nolte said.
It didnt take Samantha Zamora more than a few minutes to catch her stride Wednesday afternoon once she entered the Sensory Courtyard.

The Courtyard, located in the Main Street Education and Administration Center, has served more than 3,000 people from communities from all around Nebraska since opening in August 2015. Many of these people  children and adults  fit somewhere on the autism spectrum, have visual impairments or other handicaps or suffer from behavioral issues.

Three-year-old Samantha has some difficulties with interacting with other children and being social, her mother told the Tribune, but on Wednesday, the little girl was all smiles as she maneuvered around the Courtyards eight attractions; all intended to heighten peoples five senses.

And while she is generally quiet, she was frequently heard chatting while her mother looked on.

Her mother was saying that this might be the most shes ever heard her (Samantha) actually talk, said Mary Robinson, teacher of the visually impaired in the FPS District and creator of the Sensory Courtyard.

And that is what the goal ultimately is, to provide children and adults an atmosphere tailor-made for people who are tactile defensive, or who struggle finding comfort in most areas and situations. And it appeared that comfort is precisely what Samantha found.

Real success has been seen and real strides have been made, Robinson said, and none of that would be possible without the help and support of the Lions Clubs International Foundation, which provided a $75,000 matching grant enabling the Courtyard to get up and running.

Lions Clubs International is a charitable organization comprised of 1.4 million members worldwide in 210 countries and geographical areas, said Cassandra Rotolo, marketing communications specialist for the Lions Clubs International Foundation located in Oak Brook, Ill.

From approximately 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Rotolo, who flew into Omaha from Illinois, spent time with dozens of people throughout the day who were utilizing the Sensory Courtyard. There were children and adults, many had some sort of disability, some did not.

Thats the beauty of the Courtyard, there really is a little something for everybody.

Rotolo snapped numerous pictures and video clips that will be used to formulate an article being published in the Lions Clubs International magazine, which is distributed in 13 languages world-wide to its 1.4 million members.

It was an honor having a Lions Clubs International representative at the Courtyard to see how the organizations monetary contributions are being used, Robinson said. The collaboration between Robinson, the Fremont Public Schools District, several other organizations and Lions Clubs International allowed for something pretty special to be constructed.

Whats so great about it is how unique it truly is, Robinson said. In the entire nation theres really nothing else out there like this. We are it, how awesome is that? We are changing lives every day because of it.

Rotolo said that shes heard a great deal about the Sensory Courtyard and received a plethora of positive feedback about all of its attractions, contained under one roof in the 2,400 square-foot facility.

For Rotolo, it was a lot of fun seeing what the Lions Clubs International Foundation was able to be part of. And while its one thing to hear about a success story, its entirely different when a person is able to experience the magic first hand.

I am really glad I came out to see it, in the last couple of days a lot of written testimonials have found their way to me and they are incredibly moving, she said. This is more than a playground, this is really changing lives for these people; for the children and parents and everyone involved.

I am astonished by the amount of thought and planning and work that has gone into this, Ive really never seen anything like it. You see light in the eyes here, peoples faces just light up. Its honestly been really moving.
New York-listed Aegean said it intends to offer $100m of convertible senior notes due 2021 in private offering to institutional buyers. The company will also grant the initial purchasers of the notes a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $15m worth of the notes in connection with the offering.

The company intends to use approximately $40m of the net proceeds from the sale of the notes to repay a portion of the outstanding short-term indebtedness under the company's 2013 Secured Multicurrency Revolving Credit Facility, and the remainder for general corporate purposes and working capital, which may include the funding of growth opportunities and the repurchase in the open market, in negotiated transactions or otherwise, of a portion of the company's outstanding 4% convertible unsecured senior notes due 2018, Aegean stated.

The proposed notes are expected to pay interest semi-annually in arrears, have a term of five years, and will be convertible into shares of the companys common stock, cash or a combination of shares and cash.
From January to November this year, Chinese shipbuilders received 19.94m dwt of newbuilding orders in tonnage terms, down 14% compared to the same period of last year.

The orderbook up until 30 November 2016 was recorded at 103.01m dwt, a plunge of 20.4% year-on-year and down 16.3% from the end of 2015, Cansi figures showed.

In completed newbuild tonnage, Chinese shipyards built a total of 31.83m dwt of vessel capacity in the first 11 months, representing a fall of 12.1% from the previous corresponding period.

Cansi figures further showed that Chinas 51 leading shipyards controlled more than 90% of market share with their newbuilding orders coming up to 18.36m dwt in the first 11-month period, down 14.4% year-on-year.

The 51 leading yards completed 29.86m dwt of newbuild tonnage, a decline of 10.4% year-on-year, and sat on a combined order backlog of 100.04m dwt as at end-November 2016, down 22.1%.

The Chinese shipbuilding association also monitors 94 main yards which booked a combined completed newbuild value of RMB388bn ($56.18bn) in the first 11 months, a decrease of 3.1% from the year-ago level.

Among the total value, shipbuilding accounted for RMB178.5bn, equipment amounted to RMB25.1bn and repairs took up RMB10.8bn.

The 94 main shipyards generated a combined revenue of RMB288bn in the January-November period, down 3% year-on-year, and a profit of RMB2.9bn, down 9.6%.
Male gorillas, chimpanzees and macaques all have penis bones. Male mice have tiny ones. Even the earliest ancestral primates and carnivores had them, according to new research. What then happened to this useful bone in humans, which would likely eliminate the need for Viagra?

As the ancestors of humans became more monogamous, they lost their boned penises, suggests the new study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

The paper is the first to confirm that the ancestor of all mammals did not have a penis bone-called the baculum-but that ancestral primates and carnivores had this bone, which facilitates erections and prolonged penetrations, otherwise known as intromission.

RELATED: Do Small Hands Mean You Have a Small Penis?

"We know that both chimpanzees and bonobos, our closest relatives, have small bacula, and it is likely that the most recent common ancestor we share with them had one too," co-author Matilda Brindle, a University College London anthropologist, told Seeker. "Exactly where over the course of hominin evolution the baculum disappeared is difficult to know."

She even thinks it is possible that early human males had this bone, but that "it may have just been too small to have been preserved." The chimp baculum today, she added, is only 0.2 inches long.

Brindle and co-author Christopher Opie examined the evolutionary history of the baculum. They looked at hundreds of animals that have, or lack, the bone to see if they could identify patterns. The researchers first determined that animals with a penis bone tend to have longer lasting intromission.

"We defined prolonged intromission as that which continued for longer than three minutes," Brindle said. "Short intromission was that which continued for less than three minutes. When all cultural aspects of sex are stripped away and a male's aim is solely to ejaculate, human intromission is classified as short."

Nevertheless, animals that can experience prolonged mating, such as the brown bear and red fox, must do so in very limited breeding seasons. Humans, on the other hand, can theoretically mate all year long. So the sex lives of early humans probably meant short, yet repeated, bouts of sex for as much as the individuals could physically handle.

Prior research suggests that ancestral humans called australopithecines as well as early members of our genus Homo "were at least facultatively monogamous," Brindle said. This means that they were capable of, and likely often chose, monogamy, even if they were not restricted to this lifestyle.

Animals with a baculum tend to be more polygamous, which the authors defined as a mating system in which multiple males mate with multiple females.

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"Humans tend to have monogamous or polygynous (one male, multiple females) mating systems," Brindle said. "When only one male has access to a female, post-copulatory sexual selection is relatively low or absent."

Humans are not the only primates without a penis bone. Tarsiers and several monkeys from Central and South America lack this bone too, according to the authors.

Tarsiers are romantic primates that spend a lot of time wooing. For example, they will "sing" in duets or in calling concerts involving multiple individuals. Like humans, they usually choose to be either monogamous or polygynous.

Alan Dixson of Victoria University of Wellington's School of Biological Sciences told Seeker that the new research confirms "that longer bacula typically occur in those primates and carnivores which mate for extended periods."

Many mysteries remain to be uncovered about animal mating. Little, for example, is known about bat mating durations.

In terms of our own species, Dixson suspects that early humans had a small baculum. The common ancestor of Pan and Homo (the genera that gave rise to chimps and our species, respectively) "probably had a baculum, but it would have become reduced and lost in the lineage which gave rise to humans."

According to the Bible, God made Eve out of one of Adam's rib bones. It appears that Adam later gave up another important bone-his baculum-in order to be more loyal to Eve. She, via sexual selection, could have influenced that change as well, preferring men without the bone.

Top image: Adam and Eve by Hans Holbein the Younger. Credit: Web Gallery of Art, Wikimedia Commons WATCH: Can We Transplant Penises?
Earth's northern ice cap experienced a rapid shift in 2016, setting the stage for widespread changes in not just Arctic environments, but the entire northern hemisphere, editors and contributors to the 2016 Arctic Report Card said.

"We've seen a year in 2016 in the Arctic like we've never seen before," Jeremy Mathis, director of NOAA's Arctic Research Program, told reporters Tuesday at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco.

"The report card this year clearly shows a stronger and more pronounced signal of persistent warming than in any previous year in our observational record," Mathis said.

Particularly dramatic was the late start to the annual autumn ice buildup, noted Marco Tedesco, with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University in New York.

The report, which is based on observational evidence not computer models, shows air temperatures over Arctic lands were 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer in 2016 - compared to 1981-to-2010 baseline measurements - and the warmest on record since observations began in 1900, Mathis said.

RELATED: A Texas-Sized Chunk of Ice Is Missing From the Arctic - Seeker

For the past 11 years, those observations have been collected and published in an annual report.

"When we started you kind of had to listen closely because the Arctic was whispering change and now it's not whispering anymore. It's speaking change, it's shouting change," said Dartmouth College geophysicist Donald Perovich.

For example, in the 1980s the amount of ice covering Arctic seas every September was equivalent to the size of the continental United States, Perovich said.

This year, the equivalent of all the land east of the Mississippi River, plus all the states from Minnesota to Louisiana and all of North Dakota, were exposed.

"The changes are significant. The changes are real," Perovich said.

Issues posed by Arctic warming include food production and the survival of local communities, but the melt of ice sheets also opens new opportunities for commerce, such as commercial shipping routes, resource exploration and extraction and tourism, Mathis said.

"There will be new opportunities in the Arctic that allow us to grow commerce and support the economy, so it will be a tradeoff over the next few decades as the Arctic changes," Mathis said. "We just need to make sure that we are providing the information to the residents and to the stakeholders so that our responses are effective and as good as they can be."

The loss of ice triggers a cascade of secondary effects, such as additional absorption of heat from the sun since the dark ocean does not reflect light like white ice. Melted permafrost also releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that were previously locked in the frozen tundra.

RELATED: Mystery Arctic 'Ping' Prompts Military to Investigate

"What happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic," Mathis said.

When asked about how the incoming Trump Administration might impact science funding for the collection of data and publication of the annual report, Mathis noted that the project is widely backed and not intended for any specific audience.

"This is the best possible science that we can do and the best possible information we can provide to the American people and to our leadership in the U.S. government and around the world.

"The Arctic Report Card provides us with an opportunity to explain the changes we are seeing in the Arctic and to put it into a context that people can understand," Mathis said. "We have every intention of continuing to publish the Arctic Report Card."

The Helheim/Kangerdlugssuaq region of Greenland on Sept. 11, 2016, shows the midmorning sun glinting of the Denmark Strait. Credit: NASA's IceBridge Survey/John Sonntag.

WATCH: Why There's a Seed Vault in the Arctic Circle
Scientists fearing that crucial data related to climate change might be erased or otherwise lost under Donald's Trump's administration are racing to make copies of the research to protect it.

Two professors in the Technoscience Research Unit at the University of Toronto are holding a Guerilla archiving event to preserve data about the environment. They asked citizens who "care about Trump, data, or the environment" to participate in a "full day of hackathon activities in preparation for the Trump presidency."

Likewise, the Penn Program in the Environmental Humanities (PPEH Lab) set up Datarefuge and asked scientists to prioritize the work they feel should be archived and to work together to protect it. They set up a Google Spreadsheet where anyone can flag data they're concerned about. It was so overwhelmed with responses over the weekend that it stopped taking suggestions in the spreadsheet, had to reorganize, and asks people offering help use this form.

Metrological journalist Eric Holthaus called the incoming administration, 'hostile to science" and their recent actions and statements during their transition, a war on science. "This isn't a presidential transition," he writes in the Washington Post. "It's a 21st-century book burning." He sent out a tweet to his followers, asking them to participate in the protection of this data.

RELATED: Fake News or Real Science: How We Know Climate Change Is Real

The National Archives also recently issued guidance for federal agencies that are responsible for managing web sites, social media records and other records in accordance with NARA's regulations and the Federal Records Act. It also posted resources for the proper disposition of records, particularly during the transition, on its Records Express blog.

The Internet Archive, too, is backing up terabytes of data to protect it from whatever change may come.

A backbone in this effort is the End of Term Web Archive. This collaboration between The Library of Congress, the University of North Texas, the Internet Archive and others has been working tirelessly to crawl government databases, take snapshots of the social media accounts of government leaders, and archive other sites housing government data sets to capture a snapshot in time before the transition to the next administration takes office.

But despite the urgency felt by participants in this effort, much of this data archiving is business as usual. "We are doing exactly what we have done through two previous administration changes," said Mark Phillips, associate dean for Digital Libraries at the University of North Texas Libraries, and a librarian for the End of Term 2016 Archive.

When presidents change, the publicly available information on government Web sites also changes. Those changes are not necessarily sweeping or drastic. But they are - nonetheless - changes. The End of Term Project was set up in 2008 to take a snapshot of the Web at these transitions and archive it for historical and research purposes.

Fake News or Real Science: How We Know Climate Change Is Real

"We were prepared for this," Phillips said. "We were already going about it the right way," Phillips said. "The web is easy to change. It is not a permanent publication the way paper is. It is a good thing for us to look at preserving it. And we are. We do."

"We have a nearly 140-year heritage of scientific excellence and objectivity," Puckett said. "These efforts include preserving long-term records such as world-wide earthquake activity, ice cores from around the world, [stream gauging station] records dating back more than 100 years, as well as data needed to support many thousands of peer-reviewed scientific publications."

Phillips said he's pleased to be receiving so much assistance and awareness for this important mission from the public and scientific community. This input is helpful when it comes to determining how to prioritize efforts. "As librarians, we want to know what is important to our researchers so we can to take care of it. That is what librarians do."

WATCH VIDEO: Why Do People Still Deny Climate Change?
Like so many Americans, Julia Cambre was distressed by the divisive tone of the recent presidential campaign. She also worried that, post-election, Americans would just retreat once again to their respective digital echo chambers.

That's when it occurred to Cambre that the digital platform she helped develop, the educational video conferencing system Talkabout, might be tweaked to address the problem. Designed to facilitate small-group discussions in online classes, Talkabout provides an online video platform for bringing people together in scheduled, structured discussions. Click over to the Talkabout homepage and you'll see a list of scheduled online discussions on everything from Beginner Spanish to Palliative Care to Social Psychology.

"As someone who has never lived outside of California and has only a handful of conservative friends on social media, I was motivated to provide avenues for discussion outside of the one-on-one conversations we might have with friends, family members or neighbors," said Cambre, 24, a research assistant with the UCSD Design Lab in San Diego. "Ideally, we allow participants to step outside of the confines that our geography or social networks tend to impose."

The Talkabout platform started out in 2013 as a research project in the Human Computer Interaction Group at Stanford, and is currently used by thousands of students worldwide. Powered by Google Hangouts video chat technology, the platform was aimed at students enrolled in MOOCs - Massive Open Online Courses - hosted by various universities and other institutions. But now Cambre and her collaborators have opened up Talkabout for discussions on the recent election, the current political climate and, really, the future of America.

RELATED: Fake News or Real Science: How We Know Climate Change Is Real

With the Election 2016 series, anyone can join in - you don't have to be an enrolled student to participate. Select an upcoming discussion and you'll be grouped with up to six other participants from across the nation. You can choose to identify as Liberal, Conservative, Independent or Other, and the system automatically creates balanced groups for 30 or 60-minute discussions.

Talkabout facilitators provide detailed instructions and discussion questions and each participant is asked to agree to a code of conduct. The election discussions are not monitored, but at any time a participant can call for a moderator who will step in to help out. The moderators, at this point, are those on the Talkabout team, including Chambre herself and principal collaborator Chinmay Kulkarni, assistant professor with the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.

RELATED: Facebook, Google, Twitter Team Up to Curb Online Terrorism

"For these election-related Talkabout sessions, the discussion questions are actually largely borrowed from the set of questions that the New York Times Run-Up podcast used in their series about the election," Cambre said. The developers also worked with the creators of The Village Sqaure, a similar initiative dedicated to restoring civil discourse in American politics.

In a world of endless online options, the path of least resistance is to engage with the news, views and people we already agree with. By their very architecture, Facebook and Twitter encourage users to clump into like-minded groups. The core concept behind Talkabout is to break those patterns and, in the old-fashioned spirit of American civil discourse, encourage online discussions with people of varied political persuasions.

Feedback on the Election 2016 series has been encouraging so far, Cambre said, and she hopes that the open political discussions will follow the same path as the established classroom discussions.

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"In our previous experience with discussions in MOOCs, we've had some really interesting, encouraging results," she said. "For example, the median discussion time across several early courses was close to twice the recommended duration, and nearly half of the students voluntarily share email and social network information with people they talk with."

Talkabout isn't a commercial endeavor, but it's more than just an academic experiment, Cambre said: "This effort is really just intended to provide a safe space for people to discuss the election."

WATCH VIDEO: How Effective Is The United Nations?
The UN Human Rights Commission recently issued a statement warning of ethnic cleansing in parts of South Sudan, the world's newest recognized country. UN officials cited instances of gang rape, starvation, and village burning.

The events are being compared to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, which saw as many as one million deaths in just three months. What is behind South Sudan's ethnic violence, and could the country be on the brink of a full blown genocide?

Watch today's Seeker Daily video to find out.

Learn More:

NY Times: U.S., in Shift, Backs Arms Embargo for South Sudan as Genocide Risk Rises

Al Jazeera: UN: 'Ethnic cleansing under way' in South Sudan

BBC: South Sudan: What is the fighting about?
Press Release

December 14, 2016 SEN. BAM'S FREE INTERNET ACCESS IN PUBLIC PLACES ACT SPONSORSHIP SPEECH SENATE BILL NO. 1277 UNDER COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 19 AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE FREE INTERNET ACCESS PROGRAM IN PUBLIC SPACES IN THE COUNTRY AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREOF OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "FREE INTERNET ACCESS IN PUBLIC PLACES ACT" Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" A. Aquino IV

17th Congress, Senate of the Philippines

Sponsorship Speech (as delivered), December 14, 2016 Good afternoon, Mr. President and esteemed colleagues! Mga kaibigan at mga kababayan, magandang hapon sa ating lahat. Today, it is an honor to address you, Mr. President and distinguished colleagues, to sponsor an audacious policy that will enable us to leapfrog Internet access in the Philippines. I stand before you to sponsor Senate Bill No. 1277 in substitution of S.B. Nos. 58, 190, 816, and 1050, entitled "An Act Establishing The Free Internet Access Program In Public Spaces In The Country And Appropriating Funds Thereof, otherwise known as the "Free Internet Access in Public Places Act", which seeks to install free internet access points in public places all throughout the country. Mr. President, mga kaibigan, meet Jose. Jose wishes to escape the city and travel the entire Philippines to discover with his own eyes the wonders of our country. Jose will not let work stop him. He can work remotely and send his reports via email. Jose won't even let his girlfriend stop him. They can always message one another and even go on video-call dates while he is away. All Jose is waiting for, Mr. President, is for Internet in the Philippines to be available in every island, mountain, and valley. Mr. President, napaka importante ng internet sa buhay natin. Para kay Jose, ito'y importante para makapaglibot sa Pilipinas, mag-post ng selfie sa Mayon, magtrabaho mula sa kubo, at makipag-online date sa gitna ng mangrove sa Palawan. Para sa iba nating kababayan, ito'y mahalaga para makausap at humingi ng payo mula sa amang nagtatrabaho sa Saudi. Para sa mga call center agent, ang internet ang nag-uugnay sa kanila at kanilang mga kausap abroad. Para sa mga freelancers, ito'y kailangan para makausap ng maayos ang kliente at mapadala ang hinihinging trabaho. Para sa mga negosyanteng Pinoy, ito'y nagagamit sa pagbebenta ng gamit o paghahanap ng mga bagong supplier. Para sa maraming unemployed, ito'y importante para makapag-apply sa mas maraming trabaho online. Para sa mga guro at para sa mag-aaral, ang internet ang pinanggagalingan ng research, ng learning materials, at mga bagong modules. And yet, Mr. President, only about 52.6% of Filipinos have access to Internet services (ITU). Compared to our neighbors, we are lagging behind in Internet access. The same study shows that 81.3% of Singaporeans, 68% of Malaysians and 60.1% of Thais can access the Internet. For this reason, Mr. President and distinguished colleagues, it is imperative that we institutionalize this very important platform - to improve access to quality Internet in the Philippines and provide free internet connectivity in public spaces. This bill mandates the establishment of the necessary infrastructure, equipment, and end-user platform needed to give all Filipinos free internet access in public spaces. Under this act, all national and local government offices, public schools - from elementary to tertiary - public transport terminals, public hospitals, and public libraries will have free internet access. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) shall be charged with developing a plan and a timeline for the rollout of this program. They shall also take the lead in coordinating with local government units to ensure the on-ground implementation of the program. Most importantly, the DICT shall be authorized to streamline the process for the application of permits and certificates for the construction of infrastructure and installation of equipment necessary - a major hurdle faced by companies seeking to build internet infrastructure. To address this, national government agencies and local government units will also have the responsibility of coordinating with the DICT and DILG to fast-track these permits and certificates necessary for the program's roll-out. They shall be in charge of maintaining and safeguarding the program and its equipment with a designated on-site coordinator. Offering Filipinos free high-quality internet access in public places is going to revolutionize the way that we go about our day and open our minds to boundless possibilities for how we can make our lives, our families, and our communities better. Mr. President, noong nakaraang buwan nakapunta po tayo sa Bacolod at nabisita po natin ang Alegria Elementary School kung saan nakilala ko si Baryeth. Siya po ay Grade 6 student na miyembro rin ng student council. Kasama po siya doon sa aming round table discussion, kasama ng mga guro, administrador, at magulang ng eskuwelahang iyon. Sa lahat-lahat po, sa dinamidami ng kakulangan sa kanilang eskuwelahan, isa lang po ang kaniyang hiling sa aming round-table discussion. Ang hiling po niya, sana po ay mayroon na silang internet connection sa paaralan para magawa nila ng mabilis at maayos ang kanilang mga school project. Mr. President, 26% lang po ng ating public schools ang may access sa internet at yung iba pa po dito sa 26%, nakakakuha ng internet gamit ang USB dongle. Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, now is the time to invest completely in developing our internet quality and bringing this powerful tool to every port, every station, every park, every museum, and every classroom, more importantly, in the Philippines. Imagine tourist sites with free Internet access, where travelers from here and abroad can read up on historical sites and post beautiful photos of our country on social media. Imagine museums with free WIFI and downloadable applications so visitors can learn more about our arts and culture, and our history. Imagine strolling through a public park and connecting to free Internet so you don't have to worry about whether you're missing out on important emails. Imagine getting last-minute work done at the airport or seaport while waiting to go on your next adventure. And imagine hundreds of state universities and thousands of public schools with access to world-class learning materials and educational videos, making the most out of the World Wide Web to enhance learning. Kung hindi po ngayon, kailan pa? Ang internet ay maaaring maging susi sa pag-unlad ng bawat Pilipino - at susi sa magtupad ng Philippine travel dreams ni Jose. Let's pass the Free Internet in Public Places Act and arm Filipinos with the power of connectivity, the power of information, and the power of education! Maraming salamat, Mr. President, distinguished colleagues!
Press Release

December 14, 2016 Koko gives Aguirre vote of confidence, calls for BI modernization Senate President and PDP Laban President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III on Wednesday expressed his support for Secretary of Justice Vitaliano Aguirre II in the wake of corruption allegations that currently hound the Bureau of Immigration, an agency under the Department of Justice. Secretary Aguirre has recommended the dismissal of two BI deputy commissioners, Al Argosino and Michael Robles, to President Rodrigo Duterte and relieved BI intelligence chief Charles Calima over charges of extortion Pimentel said, "As PDP Laban President, I am proud of my partymate, Vit (Aguirre). I, and the rest of the party, believe in his integrity and welcome his actions to support President Duterte's war against corruption." PDP Laban counts President Duterte, Senate President Pimentel, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, and Secretary Justice Aguirre among its members. Pimentel also advocated a revamp of the Bureau of Immigration, which he said is in need of unity and modernization. Pimentel said, "As the former chair of the Justice Committee, I am aware of the challenges faced by the Bureau of Immigration, and its desperate need for modernization." Pimentel recounted that there was a time when three of the top officials of the BI did not agree with each other, and avoided attending hearings together. Pimentel said, "Obviously, the problems faced by BI is systemic and needs a systemic solution. There is no better time for a revamp than now, when Vit is on top of things and there is a chance to shed light on all the anomalous activities within the agency." Pimentel observed that corruption will flourish so long as the regulations and conditions that allowed them to proliferate are not changed. The Senate's Justice and Human Rights Committee has jurisdiction over the Department of Justice and its attached agencies on legislative matters and budget concerns. Pimentel, then chair of the Justice Committee, was instrumental in the passage of the NBI Modernization Law, or RA 10867, earlier this year.
Press Release

December 14, 2016 TRAFFIC NOW A 'PUBLIC CALAMITY'-POE

Senator said congressional action necessary to 'untangle mess' Senator Grace Poe today endorsed for plenary consideration the proposed emergency powers bill sought by the administration to tackle the longstanding problem of traffic gridlock in Metro Manila and other urban areas, as she expressed optimism that the bill will get multi-partisan support from legislators. Poe, chairperson of the Senate public services committee, sponsored Senate Bill No. 1284 or An Act Compelling the Government to Address the Transportation and Congestion Crisis Through the Grant of Emergency Powers to the President, said traffic is a "virus engulfing the nation" that needs to be addressed to reverse economic, health and productivity losses. "Philippine transportation infrastructure at present has been unable to keep with the demands of a rising economy and growing population. The traffic and congestion crisis in Greater Metro Manila and Metro Cebu, as manifested in the debilitating long hours of daily commute, has assumed the nature and magnitude of a public calamity. It is a crisis of national significance requiring urgent, immediate, and focused actions from the government," said Poe, who earlier signified her support to the measure but warned that excesses will not be allowed under strict congressional scrutiny. The measure authorizes President Rodrigo Duterte, through his appointed Traffic Crisis Manager, to use alternative methods of procurement such as selective bidding, direct contracting, negotiated procurement and other modes under existing laws to speed up implementation of key transportation projects. Although the senator had lamented that the Executive did not have any ready plans to address the intolerable, costly and unhealthy traffic despite existence of various studies on transportation and traffic in previous administrations, Poe said the bill compels the Executive department to get their act together in solving such crisis as the Philippine economy loses about P3 billion a day due to traffic. "A long train of bad ideas, bankrupt programs, botched projects, and lack of meaningful foresight has made it an accident waiting to happen-the perfect train wreck upon which the well-being and welfare of the Filipino people is fighting for survival. It is now time to untangle the mess, one that is so grave and great that it needs emergency powers to straighten it out," she said. "This goes beyond politics or being legislators. This is being a patriot and a Filipino. Now we want to be able to contribute what we think will help [the administration]," Poe said. "We are granting emergency powers because Congress needs to do its part in helping address traffic. But we also expect the Executive department to do theirs. If this bill passes into law, then the Executive department will no longer have an excuse and should stop pointing fingers as to its inability to address the traffic crisis in the country." The Senate is expected to debate and put the bill to a vote when sessions resume in January next year, Poe said, but while she admitted that the bill "will not undergo smooth sailing" in the chamber, she urged her colleagues to do their part in supporting the measure that could eventually improve the traffic condition. The bill has set the parameters on how to exercise the emergency powers, but projects to be rolled out under a Traffic Crisis Action and Decongestion Plan would be limited to those indicated in the short-term Three-year Rolling Infrastructure Program submitted by various agencies and already approved by National Economic and Development Authority and the long-term Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development for Greater Metro Manila dubbed the "Dream Plan" and the Roadmap Study for Sustainable Development for Metro Cebu prepared by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Programs and projects under the Traffic Crisis Action and Decongestion Plan include rationalizing routes of public utility vehicles, creating a uniform Traffic Code that will harmonize all laws related to traffic management, managing the volume of users in gateway seaports and airports to aid decongestion, identifying "friendship routes" and opening of private roads, modifying, revising, amending, suspending or revoking franchises, clearing sidewalks, imposing a moratorium on construction of mixed-use developments on main avenues, developing the Clark International Airport in Pampanga, and recommending on whether to buyout MRT-3 or to commence negotiations and procurement of maintenance contract that will be coterminous with the MRT concession period in 2025, among others. Metro Manila and cities near the capital and Metro Cebu are covered by emergency powers. The Traffic Crisis Manager may also implement systems and mechanisms in other areas such as Davao, Cagayan de Oro and other highly urbanized cities and municipalities that are suffering from a land traffic crisis based on an existing master transportation plan specific to those areas. The emergency powers, if approved, shall be valid and effective until the next adjournment of Congress-or in June 2019-unless sooner withdrawn by Congress. Except for the Supreme Court, lower courts are barred from issuing temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction against the government in implementing the projects under the expanded powers. One of the key anti-corruption features of the emergency powers bill is the creation of a freedom of information portal that would contain projects, funding and status of projects to keep the public aware as to how the Executive is exercising such powers. To ensure that projects are closely monitored, a joint congressional oversight panel will be created composed of the Senate Public Services Committee and the House Transportation Committee, with two members each from the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Traffic Crisis Manager is required to submit regular reports to the joint oversight panel on the efficiency and effectiveness of the projects. Under the expanded powers bill, the contracts shall be awarded only to contractors with proven competence and experience, qualified personnel, sufficient and reliable equipment and facilities and adequate capitalization. The bill also promotes use of alternative forms of working such as telecommuting, carpooling and ride-sharing schemes, flexible working hours and school days and staggered schedules of attendance. The bill is a consolidation of various measures filed by Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon and Senators Joseph Victor Ejercito, Alan Peter Cayetano and Sherwin Gatchalian. The committee also took into consideration inputs from all concerned government agencies, the academe, and stakeholders; and recommendations from transportation and urban planning experts.
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Diplomacy is the art of finding common ground with an opponent, perhaps through a shared set of values.

By that definition, top Silicon Valley leaders, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, and President-elect Donald Trump would seem to have their work cut out for them Wednesday when they meet in New York.

Silicon Valley overwhelmingly backed Hillary Clinton for president. Trumps controversial remarks on immigration, race, and women clash with the liberal sensibilities of the Bay Area.

But there is something that binds Silicon Valley and Trump together. The regions leaders and the incoming president pride themselves on upending conventional wisdom and disrupting entrenched institutions, whether were speaking of industries and business models (Silicon Valley) or politics and government (Trump).

Peter Thiel, the billionaire investor behind PayPal and Facebook whos advising Trump, helped facilitate the meeting to establish some sort of relationship between the two sides.

When you think about it, Trumps successful campaign is the kind of story Silicon Valley loves.

Donald Trump took a product, and in a relatively lean way scaled it across the country against all odds, said Jamie Corley, a former top aide to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn. That is what every Silicon Valley person wants to do.

Corley now lives in San Francisco, where she co-founded TheBridge, a startup that hopes to promote better understanding between Silicon Valley and Washington.

If Silicon Valley is looking for the next trillion-dollar industry to disrupt, they dont have to look farther than Donald Trump and the federal government, she said.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates even went on to suggest to CNBC on Tuesday that Trump has the opportunity to be the next John F. Kennedy. Trump, he said, could support innovation by getting rid of regulatory barriers.

Trump may like to disrupt things, but so far he has demonstrated no underlying ideology or consistency to his actions.

Disruption for the sake of disruption does not make sense, said Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, a former top Google executive who founded video e-commerce startup Joyus in San Francisco.

She also said that Trumps rhetoric suggests he is not necessarily supportive of things crucial to Silicon Valleys success, such as a diverse workforce supplemented by the countrys ability to import highly skilled labor from other nations.

There are principles by which you disrupt, said Kate Mitchell, co-founder and partner of Scale Venture Partners in Foster City. We believe in a meritocracy in which there is opportunity for everyone. If you want to disrupt, you want as many as ideas as possible.

For all of its flaws, Silicon Valley has publicly declared its lofty aspirations like curing diseases, ending poverty, connecting people and saving the environment, Mitchell said. Its not yet clear what Trump wants, other than the vague promise to restore Americas greatness.

Trumps election also makes clear an uncomfortable truth for many in Silicon Valley: that the region never had much of a relationship with Washington anyway, even with tech-friendly leaders like President Obama in charge.

Part of the reason is that Silicon Valley companies are still relative novices at the influence game. The lack of experience has led to some fundamental misconceptions between Silicon valley and Washington, said Corley.

Silicon Valley thinks D.C. is allergic to innovation, she said.

Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation research group in Washington, is even more blunt.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Silicon Valley has this attitude that they just dont get it, Atkinson said. Thats the height of arrogance. The valley needs to grow up.

In fact, Silicon Valley needs to realize that this kind of elitism has fueled the same popular anger that got Trump elected in the first place, Atkinson said.

That kind of disconnect has isolated Silicon Valley from the rest of the country. The region has often talked about the need to provide more math and science training to women and minority groups such as blacks and Hispanics. But we do not hear as often the need to help white men who work in the Rust Belt find new jobs.

Silicon Valley has an obligation to do more for those people, Singh said.

Silicon Valley wants to help the world, and that should include everybody, including people in our own country, Singh said.

Basheer Janjua, CEO of Integnology in Santa Clara and founder of the CTO Forum, a group of technology leaders, says Silicon Valley could use a fresh start with Washington, and Trumps newness could serve as the vehicle.

At the same time, Trump could use Silicon Valleys help  whether attitude or expertise  to reinvent government. Many presidents have promised to do so, but they have nearly always failed, Janjua said.

Institutions are institutions, no matter if theyre public or private, he said. What is the most innovative thing the government has done over the last 10, 15 years?

In this case, the disrupter is Mr. Trump. He is an efficient execution machine. And he is running the biggest inefficiency we have ever created. Its called the U.S. government.

Thomas Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: tlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByTomLee
With his ankles and wrists shackled, Daniel Porter-Kelley, wearing a yellow prison uniform, hobbled into a courtroom at Contra Costa Superior Court in Richmond.

A tattoo of praying hands ascended from underneath the neckline of his white T-shirt and up the right side of his neck.

He nodded faintly to those with whom he made eye contact, including his father, Brian Kelley, 50, who sat at the end of the second row with his arm draped over the back of the seat next to him. Porter-Kelley is charged with murder, robbery and a hate crime enhancement that could get him the death penalty.

And Kelley, who along with other family members and friends is attending this weeks preliminary hearing in the killing of a 28-year-old African American man outside an El Sobrante pool hall, William Sims, has trouble believing that the son he described as soft-spoken is sitting in the defendants chair accused of such a heinous crime.

This makes no sense, Kelley, who has a creased face and slicked-back hair, told me during a recess. He had nothing to do with it, other than being a patron at the bar.

The hate crime enhancement stings Kelley, a pipe fitter for three decades.

He just quit wearing a gold grill, he said of his son.

Authorities have described Porter-Kelley and two other suspects in the case as white. Kelley, however, pointed to his sons family and friends in the courtroom, many of whom appear to be Latino, including the mother of Porter-Kelleys 3-year-old son.

This aint about no hate crime, Kelley said. His mother is Hispanic. His old lady is. His son is mixed. He aint white. Were all mixed.

According to California law, a hate crime can be charged if the motive for a criminal act was targeting a person or group of people because of their race, religion, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, skin color, disability, or national origin.

Porter-Kelley, 31, is one of three suspects in the Nov. 12 slaying of Sims, a local musician who was found with a gunshot wound in his forehead on Appian Way in El Sobrante, just steps from the Capri Club, a pool hall he had visited for a late-night beer.

A second suspect, Hercules resident Ray Simons, 32, was taken into custody Saturday. He was already in the Monterey County Jail in Salinas, apparently on domestic-violence-related charges. The third suspect, Daniel Ortega, 31, of Novato, is being sought.

Its clear investigators believe Simons fired the shot that killed Sims from inside a car driven by a woman named Dena Herrera. Whats unclear is the role, if any, Porter-Kelley had in the altercation Sims had outside the club. And the picture of what led to Sims death  and the hate crime charges  is being obscured by the wavering statements Herrera gave to investigators.

What happened outside the Capri Club, in the dimly lit patio with a table and chairs between the clubs back door and parking lot? Because whatever went on there  out of the view of surveillance video resulted in Sims banging on the windows and roof of the car as Herrera backed out of the Capri Clubs driveway.

And then he was shot.

The lead detective, William Root of the Contra Costa County Sheriffs Office, testified in the preliminary hearing that Herrera told him that Sims was met with hostility at the Capri Club. But, the surveillance video from inside the bar portrays the opposite.

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.

Root said Herrera initially told him she didnt know Ortega, giving a fake name for him. Then she admitted knowing him.

She initially said she didnt see Sims being beaten on the patio. Then she told the detective that Porter-Kelley punched Sims first. Then she changed her story: It was Ortega who swung first. She tried to break it up.

Then, referring to Porter-Kelley, she told the detective that the other guy wasnt doing much. He was just, like, standing there.

Herrera told Root that the word n was used during the beating, but she didnt know who had said it.

Root testified that a surveillance video from inside the club captures Porter-Kelley saying, F that n.

If thats the basis of the hate-crime enhancement, is it enough to prove Sims was targeted because he was black? Chris Walpole, a Contra Costa County deputy district attorney, wouldnt elaborate.

At this point, its an active investigation, and I dont want put out information thats going to interfere with the investigation of witnesses were still trying to contact, he said.

Otis R. Taylor Jr. is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist whose column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Email: otaylor@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @otisrtaylorjr
They were the last of 12 men to step foot on the lunar surface.

The Chronicles front page from Dec. 14, 1972, covers the final manned moon landing.

Man walked on the moon for perhaps the final time in the 20th century last night and as two American astronauts ended their exploration, they unveiled a plaque that said, May the spirit of peace in which we came be reflected in the lives of all mankind, the story read.

Navy Capt. Eugene Cernan and geologist Harrison Jack Schmitt were part of the Apollo 17 mission that touched down on Dec. 11, 1972, with Challenger as the lunar lander. The famed Apollo 11 mission with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin was the first to touch down on the moon three and half years before.

Each of the six lunar landings were NASA Apollo missions, with two Americans stepping foot on the moon during the stops. No other countrys explorers have ever step foot on the moon.

During each lunar landing, an American flag was staked into the alien surface. Five of the six are thought to still be standing, though the sun has likely bleached them all white.

Top O the Top of the News No. 1: A toy consultant suggests parents make toys with their children instead of buying manufactured toys. Page 34. And you thought putting together toys on Christmas Eve took a long time.

Top O the Top of the News No. 2: Women derelicts in New York City have found temporary shelter in a former dog and cat hospital. Page 37. Sounds like the plot of a new show on the USA Network.

See more front pages: Go to SFChronicle.com/covers to search a database of hundreds of Chronicle Covers articles that showcase the newspapers history.

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 highlighting 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

(Click to enlarge)




Firefighters rescued a trapped person from the second story of a burning Victorian home near Oaklands Lake Merritt on Wednesday, officials said.

The fire was first reported shortly after 6 a.m. on the 400 block of East 19th Street near Park Boulevard.
President-elect Donald Trumps choice of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson to lead the State Department would be unsettling at any time. Its not just that he would go into one of the administrations most challenging jobs without any government experience, or that the head of the lead agency in international climate negotiations would be coming from the fossil fuels industry.

Its his cozy relationship with Russia and its autocratic leader Vladimir Putin, with his aggressive and destabilizing behavior in the world, that is raising serious concerns with Democrats and Republicans alike.

The timing could not be more disturbing, with the announcement of Tillersons selection coming just one day after House and Senate Republican leaders agreed to follow-up investigations on the CIAs conclusion that Russia was involved in the hacking of Democratic Party computers in an effort to assist Trumps candidacy.

Russia has been troublesome to U.S. interests in significant other ways: its invasion of Ukraine and annexing of Crimea, its air strikes and other meddling in Syria; its provocative moves around U.S. and British military assets in the air and on the high seas. As Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell so aptly put it to reporters, The Russians are not our friends.

They are, however, friends with Rex Tillerson.

In 2013, Putin honored Tillerson with the Order of Friendship for his work strengthening cooperation in the energy sector.

Tillerson will have plenty of explaining to do when he appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the confirmation process next month. He will need to answer for his criticisms of sanctions against Russia that stopped some of Exxon Mobils ventures there. He will need to convince senators, and the American public, that he can separate the business ambitions that drove his courtship with Russia from the greater national interest in dealing firmly with a ruthless regime. I dont see how anybody can be a friend of this old-time KGB agent, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said of Putin.

Democrats will look at Tillersons corporate history and ask tough questions about his commitment to climate action and human rights.

This selection merits a serious challenge.
 What is that? asked a stranger at a San Francisco breakfast spot. That was my phone, a Nokia brick so old I can no longer see the keypad numbers.

My phone had never received such attention. A one-off, I figured. But fascination with my ancient phone persisted during the nearly two years I lived in the Bay Area. Everyone had something to say, with reactions ranging from disbelief to nostalgia.

Oh my God, bellowed customers at my favorite dive, Geary Club, which stood frozen in time in the Tenderloin, tended by its 81-year-old owner, Junebug. Patrons snapped photos of my Nokia, then put aside their smartphones to talk about my dumb phone. Fascination spilled to BART and Muni, elevators, park benches. Many encouraged me to keep it going and said wistfully that theyd only recently given up their flip phones. Others tried to sell me on joining the modern world. No thanks, I told an Apple employee, a traveling Sony businessman, and friends who wanted to bequeath me hand-me-down iPhones.

The unexpected attention made for amusing stories, but I grew concerned. Living in the epicenter of the tech industry without a smartphone showed me the difficulty of disconnecting and the importance of escaping, even for an afternoon.

Id gotten a cheap TracFone after my fathers lung cancer diagnosis. I didnt need a fancy phone and couldnt afford more. Ten years passed without upgrading.

Sticking with my phone has challenges. I need to enter 15+ digit codes to load minutes from a prepaid card. Without access to GPS, I get lost and need to ask for directions. Im a free rider: When I had no Internet, I texted a friend for the weather and soon received daily forecasts. Bar-goers Id ephemerally befriended dialed me an Uber after last call.

My phone presents existential challenges. I can laugh at myself but sense a growing distance from an ever-larger swath of humanity, from people my age to my students who snicker when asked to stow their phones to babies playing with tablets. My lack of tech savvy annoys people. When prompted to pay for purchases, I fumble with touch screens. I auditioned to rent a room in San Francisco, and the woman deciding among candidates seemed wary because I couldnt participate in housemate group texts.

By years end, my cell provider will discontinue my service. I wont get a smartphone. What began as inertia has evolved into a committed choice. According to Swiss-German philosopher and physician Paracelsus, The dose makes the poison. I wrestle with the appropriate dose of technology in an era where we walk around tethered. Its an important tool, but Ive resisted its intrusion into my personal life and dont use social media.

Without a smartphone, I live in my own Walden Pond. I take long walks, oblivious to email, and observe people with an undiverted gaze.

Even my dumb phone proved distracting when I left New York for San Francisco, where I knew almost no one. Id ended a 13-year relationship, and as I soaked in a new city, I had to learn to be alone. I willed my phones screen to light up with incoming texts. Loneliness bookended my days as I awoke to a new, uncertain life.

Limiting technology gave me necessary mental space. And my dumb phone became a conversation piece that forced me to engage my surroundings and people around me. Older folks and I formed instant rapport as we observed passengers on the 38 Geary hunched over their screens. The man in the breakfast joint who chatted about my phone became my first friend in San Francisco. I doubt Id have had the same conversations if I carried the Internet in my pocket.

Preserving the ability to detach is crucial with growing expectations for workers to be available 24/7. Many friends carried a work phone. Others waited for sporadic gigs bartending, tutoring, weed trimming, dog walking, driving for Lyft. As Ive transitioned to professor life, resisting a smartphone has helped work-life balance. Work never has to end, unless I draw the boundaries.

I dont advocate that everyone relinquish their smartphones. People whove crossed over warn me, You cant go back. But perhaps we can. In 1967 Timothy Leary told a crowd of 30,000 hippies in Golden Gate Park to, Turn on, tune in, and drop out. Nearly 50 years later, Id update his counterculture directive with a simpler proposal: Turn off.

Stacy Marlena Torres is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Albany-SUNY in Albany, N.Y. https://stacymtorres.wordpress.com/
In nominating someone in his image to be secretary of state  an international business deal maker with no political experience  President-elect Donald Trump is ensuring that every move ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson makes at the State Department will be dogged by this question: Is he doing this for Americas benefit or Exxons?

Tillerson has $151 million in ExxonMobil stock, and with the company doing business in more than four dozen countries on six continents, hell have a tough time dodging the question. The toughest will come when Tillerson has to deal with Russia, where he and Exxon have such extensive ties that the country gave him its Order of Friendship in 2013, one of the highest awards that Moscow can give to a foreigner.

Two years earlier, Tillerson negotiated a deal for his firm to gain access to Arctic Circle drilling sites in Russia in exchange for allowing a Russian state-owned oil company to invest in Exxon projects. The deal was sidelined in 2013 after the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia for annexing Crimea, costing Exxon $1 billion, according to Securities and Exchange Commission documents. Tillerson criticized the sanctions at the time, saying lawmakers should have considered the very broad collateral damage of who are they really harming with sanctions.

We used to joke that Exxon is running the foreign policy of the United States, Michael Brune, the Sierra Clubs executive director, said Tuesday. Now its official.

Tillerson, 64, must be confirmed by the Senate, where some Republicans have joined Democrats in voicing concern about his Russia ties and whether he would advocate lifting sanctions or otherwise go easy on Moscow in order to help the oil company where he has worked for 41 years.

Doing so could cause an outcry, as relations between the two countries are worse than at any time since the end of the Cold War. The CIA has concluded that Russia orchestrated a hacking of the networks of the Democratic and Republican parties during the presidential campaign, but released only information harmful to Democrats in order to boost Trumps candidacy. Trump called the assessment ridiculous.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said Tuesday that Tillersons nomination was concerning because his business dealings with Vladimir Putin raise indisputable conflicts of interest.

In order to deal effectively and objectively with any country, the secretary of state must be free of such conflicts, and that doesn't appear to be the case with Tillerson, Feinstein said.

She added that complex disputes such as the Israel-Palestinian conflict, strife in the Middle East and transnational terrorism demand specialized knowledge that Tillerson lacks.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that will decide whether to recommend Tillersons nomination to the full Senate, said he too was concerned about Tillersons potential conflicts of interest. On Sunday, Rubio tweeted that Being a friend of Vladimir is not an attribute I am hoping for from a secretary of state.

But Democrats, who will be in a 52-48 minority in the Senate when Trump takes office, will have a hard time blocking Tillersons nomination. Although they may be able to peel off a few anti-Russia hardliners to join them in opposition, Tillerson has long curried favor with the GOP. Over the past six years he has donated to six senators who will vote on his nomination, as well as $100,600 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a fundraising arm, and $97,700 to the Republican National Committee, according to an analysis of campaign finance records by Every Voice.

But Trump overlooked any potential conflicts and Tillersons absence of diplomatic experience in deciding to nominate him. More important to the president-elect was that Tillerson knows how to manage a global enterprise, which is crucial to running a successful State Department, and his relationships with leaders all over the world are second to none, the president-elect said in a statement Tuesday.

Kori Schake, a deputy director for policy planning in the State Department under President George W. Bush, said criticism of Tillersons background was overstated.

When did it become a bad thing for captains of industry to serve our country? said Schake, a Hoover Institution fellow who said he had voted for Hillary Clinton for president. Theres no professional credentialing required to be secretary of state; having run one of the world's most expansive businesses, dealing with numerous governments and a diverse workforce is a solid foundation for the job.

But hiring a corporate leader as secretary of state is a massive departure from U.S. foreign policy, said Eleni Kounalakis, a San Francisco business executive who served as U.S. ambassador to Hungary from 2010 to 2013. Our State Department is not set up to advocate business interests.

Kounalakis, who was one of Clintons top fundraisers, added, Im concerned that the United States will have to turn a blind eye to Russian aggression in the region in order to protect business interests.

The Sierra Clubs Brune is also uneasy about Tillersons environmental record. Although Tillerson, unlike Trump, has said that the threat of climate change is real, attorneys general in Massachusetts and New York are investigating whether Exxon lied to investors by not disclosing the potential for its operations to worsen global warming. Exxon has denied having done so.

A 2015 Pulitzer Prize-finalist series by Inside Climate News found that even though Exxon knew about the risks of climate change for decades, it funded research that found no human influence on global warming. That could prove awkward, as Tillerson would be the lead representative for the U.S. on international climate accords.

Tillerson wrote the book on how to do a head fake on climate change, Brune said. He will say something in a press release and then do something like invest in (extracting fuel) from the tar sands in Canada, which is one of the dirtiest sources around.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
You may recognize it as Kings Landing from Game of Thrones or for its supporting role in the upcoming Star Wars film, but Dubrovnik does not need any help from Hollywood to seem like one of the most magical places on the planet.

Surrounded by 80-foot-high medieval walls on the shimmering Adriatic Sea, its pedestrian streets clad in white limestone and its restaurants serving just-pulled-from-the-sea fish, this Dalmatian Coast spot should be on every travelers radar.

Or worthy of another visit. The Croatian city has been upping its attraction factor lately with new restaurants, hotels and a new scooter sharing service  the full roll-out happens next year  allowing visitors to motor up and down the stunning shoreline.

Whether youre traveling along the Dalmatian coast or sailing the Adriatic on a cruise ship, Dubrovnik offers plenty of fun diversions, both new and old. Heres what to do in one day.

 David Farley, travel@sfchronicle.com

Morning

Check into the citys newest hotel, the four-star Hotel Kompas, which flipped on its lights in fall 2015, and then hit the beach. The new Coral Beach Club in the Babin Kuk part of town is perfectly situated to watch the mammoth cruise ships pass by. Plop down on a cozy beach chair, nurse a pint of beer or a glass of rakia, the robust brandy made all over the Balkans, and soak up the Dalmatian rays.

Midday

Stroll around Stari Grad, the walled Old Town. Perhaps walk atop the thick stone ramparts that encircle the town or wander the limestone-blanketed pedestrian lanes. And if all that aimless exploring builds up an appetite, settle in at Portrait, the citys newest restaurant for elevated Dalmatian cuisine. Well-known Maltese chef Jeffrey Vella cooks up Adriatic bonito drizzled with veal jus, risotto studded with locally caught shrimp, and truffle-spiked zucchini flowers.

After lunch, take a front-row seat on the terrace at 19th century Gradska Kavana  City Coffeehouse  and sip espresso while watching the passersby on the nearby Stradun, the wide street where tourists and locals amble under the Dalmatian sun.

Afternoon

For the best view of the city and its surroundings, hop on the cable car to Mount Srd. The cable car, which was rebuilt in 2011 after it was destroyed in the Serbian shelling of the city in the early 1990s, transports visitors 1,350 feet up to the top, from which the walled city looks like a scale model and the islands sprinkled in the Adriatic appear to be lost worlds. The Napoleonic fort at the top is worth looking at, if only for the exhibition on the Balkan conflict of the first half of the 1990s.

And if you just cant get enough of the history of the war, stop into the fascinating War Photo Limited, a photo gallery started by erstwhile New Zealand-born war photographer Wade Goddard. Located in Old Town, the gallerys permanent exhibit is a fascinating glance into the Balkan conflict that made daily headlines more than 20 years ago.

Evening

Feeling peckish before dinner? One cannot visit the Pearl of the Adriatic without sampling the famed oysters from the nearby town of Ston, a spot so famous for its mollusks that even Roman emperors used to have them delivered. Slurp them up at Bota Sare in Old Town, run by a family of longtime oyster farmers from Ston.

Toast to Dubrovnik at Victoria, the posh terrace restaurant overlooking the Old Town that has recently brought Peruvian chef Roberto Chavez across the Atlantic to create a Dalmatian-Peruvian fusion menu, one of the few restaurants in town that is deviating from the Mediterranean.

If you go

Hotel Kompas, Ul. kardinala Stepinca 21, www.adriaticluxuryhotels.com/en/hotel-kompas-dubrovnik

Coral Beach Club, Ul. Ivana, www.coral-beach-club.com

Portrait, Ul. od Puca 8, www.portrait.hr/en/restaurant

Gradska Kavana, Ul. Pred Dvorom 1

Dubrovnik Cable Car, Ul. kralja Petra Kresimira IV, www.dubrovnikcablecar.com

War Photo Limited, Antuninska 6, www.warphotoltd.com

Bota Sare, Ul. od Pustijerne, http://bota-sare.hr

Victoria Restaurant, Ul. Frana Supila 14, www.adriaticluxuryhotels.com/en/villa-orsula/restaurants-and-bars
A gun-wielding assailant opened fire at a Sacramento apartment with 16 people inside  including children  seriously injuring four people, police said Tuesday.

Calls came in about 9 p.m. Monday reporting shots fired and injured victims inside an apartment on the 4800 block of Myrtle Avenue, according to the Sacramento County Sheriffs Department.

At the scene, deputies found three female victims  ages 39, 38 and 15  and a 21-year-old male victim with gunshot wounds. Deputies gave medical aid to the victims before Sacramento Metro Fire took them to hospitals, authorities said.

The 39-year-old woman suffered a life-threatening gunshot wound in the head and was in critical condition Tuesday. The other three victims were in serious condition, the department said.

Its not known whether there were multiple attackers, but police say it appears the gunshots were fired through the closed front door of the apartment.

Officials believe the culprit or culprits were known to the victims, and the victims had prior incidents with one suspect, said Sgt. Tony Turnbull, a sheriffs spokesman. He would not disclose details of the previous confrontations.

Of the 16 family and friends gathered at the apartment, five were children who ranged in ages from 4 to 16, officials said.

Investigators continue to follow leads and were interviewing potential witnesses. No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information on the shooting can call the sheriffs department at (916) 874-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. To remain anonymous, visit www.sacsheriff.com or call (916) 874-8477.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
In the midst of a feud with the poet Denise Levertov about the possibilities of politically motivated art, George Oppen wrote his only essay, The Minds Own Place, in 1962. Frances Richard presents a close reading of that essay for the George Oppen Memorial Lecture, presented annually by the Poetry Center since 1985.

I always ask myself as an artist, what are the ethical requirements and possibilities for the artist in the political, and what does the political even mean? Richard said by phone. And Im thinking about that now more than ever, just like everyone else. So I had planned this talk before Nov. 8, but it definitely feels urgent to me to think through what are the possibilities of art-making in speaking to political crisis, and I dont think thats a question that ever gets solved, so it has to be rethought all the time.

The question plagued Oppen, who in the 1930s abandoned poetry for political activism.

He stopped writing poetry because he didnt think he should write political poetry and he wanted to have a political life, Richard said. So hes really working out his own decisions in this essay, in a lot of ways. Its intense.

The essay was written shortly after Oppen returned to the United States  and to poetry  after nearly a decade of living in exile in Mexico. He had just published The Materials (1962), which was his second book; his first was published in 1934.

Richard, a poet and scholar who teaches visual art at the California College of the Arts, chose the topic because she agrees with both artists.

He is absolutely adamant that political content must not be glib, it cant be too easy  you cant make a feel-good statement, or a kind of pretty statement, about the political, and the political cant be a pretext for making yourself look good in a poem  and I think thats right, Richard said.

But then Levertov writes that if the poet feels the politics deeply, if political thought is one of the thoughts that the poet has and the poem is made out of the poets thoughts, then the political belongs in the poem. And I agree with that, too.

Author of Anarch. (Futurepoem, 2012), The Phonemes (Les Figues Press, 2012), and See Through (Four Way Books, 2003), Richard was pulled to the essay for another reason: The title comes from Miltons Paradise Lost, of which she is a longtime admirer and teacher. The words are spoken by Satan: Hail horrors, hail/ Infernal world, and thou, profoundest Hell,/ Receive thy new possessor: one who brings/ A mind not to be changed by place or time./ The mind is its own place, and in itself/ Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.

Ironically, Oppen kind of changed his mind, Richard said. In 1968 he published Of Being Numerous, in which he tries to figure out how to hang on to personal integrity while being responsible to other people. And I think The Minds Own Place is sort of a step along the way of him fighting it through with himself, and Levertov is basically his sparring partner in his own mind.

Oppen won the Pulitzer Prize for Of Being Numerous.

Evan Karp is the creator of Quiet Lightning and Litseen.com. Twitter: @quiet_lightning

The George Oppen Memorial Lecture: 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17. $10. First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco, 1187 Franklin St. (415) 338-2227. https://poetry.sfsu.edu.

Other book events

Three surprise performers present an act from Robert Mailer Andersons new play, The Death of Teddy Ballgame, with the author and the illustrator, Sandow Birk, on hand to sign copies, and live music by Patrick Wolff, Jeffrey Burr and Zach Ostroff (6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, Catharine Clark Gallery, 248 Utah St., free).

Fourteen Hills celebrates the launch of its new issue with readings by contributing writers Nicole Jost, Mua Ayumi Malhotra, Suzanne Rivecca and more (7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, Alley Cat Books, 3036 24th St., free). www. facebook.com/events/1805770939678272

Alley Cat Books presents readings and a chapbook release party for this years four resident writers, Denise Sullivan, Paul Ebenkamp, Simon J. Phillips and Eric Sneathen (7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, 3036 24th St., free).

Michael Chabon presents his new novel, Moonglow (4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, free). www.bookpassage.com.
Federal regulators have determined that Wells Fargo has not done enough to patch the holes in the plan it would use if it fell into bankruptcy.

As a result, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. have slapped restrictions on the bank, barring it from setting up new international banking businesses or buying any nonbank subsidiaries until it fixes the issues.

Its the latest blow to the San Francisco company, which has been rocked by a scandal over its sales practices that set off public outrage, brought federal and state investigations, and led to the resignation of its CEO.

The regulators action Tuesday concerned the banks disaster plan. The eight largest bank were required to outline how they would reshape themselves in the event of failure. The government exercise is aimed at avoiding a repeat of the taxpayer bailouts of too-big-to-fail banks during the 2008 financial crisis.

Five of the banks were issued failing grades in April. Since then, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of New York Mellon and State Street managed to adequately fix the problems, the regulators said Tuesday.

Only Wells Fargo failed to get a passing grade.

The restrictions on Wells Fargo will remain in place until the deficiencies are corrected, the regulators said. If the bank doesnt meet the goal by March 31, an additional curb will be imposed limiting the size of its nonbank and brokerage assets to levels in effect on Sept. 30.

If the plan doesnt pass muster within two years, Wells Fargo may be required to sell some assets or operations to enable its orderly unwinding in bankruptcy proceedings.

Mergers

Monsanto gets

Bayer deal OK

Monsanto shareholders on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a $57 billion merger with Bayer, a deal that would combine two of the worlds biggest agricultural companies.

Preliminary results showed that 99 percent of all votes cast favored the merger announced in September, the St. Louis company said.

Shareholders will receive $128 per share in cash at the closing of the merger, which must still receive regulatory approval. Monsanto said the deal is expected to close by the end of 2017.

This is an important milestone as we work to combine our two complementary companies and deliver on our shared vision for the future of agriculture, Monsanto Chairman and CEO Hugh Grant said in a statement.

Bayer, the German medicine and farm-chemical maker, and Monsanto, maker of seeds, herbicides and pesticides among other agricultural products, have faced concern from some government and ag industry leaders who worry that the merger will hurt farmers by reducing competition at a time when the agriculture economy has slowed.

The National Farmers Union has said the merger would mean that three companies would have more than 80 percent of U.S. corn seed sales and 70 percent of the global pesticide market.

Top officials for both companies say the merger will be a boost for farmers.

Japan beer firm

buys brands

Asahi Group, the Japanese beer giant, said Tuesday that it would pay $7.8 billion to buy a group of Central and Eastern European beer brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev, the latest brand shuffle for the rapidly consolidating brewing business.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, based in Belgium, is selling the brands, including the Pilsner Urquell group, to allay the concerns of European competition regulators after its merger with SABMiller in a deal valued at more than $100 billion.

Shareholders approved the SABMiller deal in September, creating an industry giant that would account for about 30 percent of global beer sales. Anheuser-Busch agreed to sell assets from the combined company to win over regulators.

Among the other deals it reached was a $12 billion agreement to sell SABMillers 59 percent stake in MillerCoors in the United States to Molson Coors Brewing.

Mexico

More holding

informal jobs

A new study finds that about 58 percent of jobs in Mexico are in the informal sector including categories such as unregistered vendors, artisans and domestic workers.

But the study released by the National Statistics Institute on Tuesday says that the informal sector generated only about 23.6 percent of the nations GDP in 2015. That represents a decline from about 27.2 percent in 2003.

The most common activities are construction work, small-scale manufacturing and selling products at informal markets or street stalls.

Formally registered jobs account for only about 42 percent of employment in Mexico. But they generate over three-quarters of all economic production.

Food

Shortage of

whipped cream

Just in time for the holidays, an industrywide shortage of canned whipped topping, such as Reddi-wip, appears to be looming, blamed on a fatal explosion at a Florida nitrous oxide plant in late August.

Conagra Brands, the Chicago food manufacturer that makes Reddi-wip, confirmed that its supply of nitrous oxide  a propellant for aerosol toppings  was affected by the blast. Spokeswoman Lanie Friedman said stores still have the product in stock, but supplies may be limited in the peak holiday season, when people are indulging in pies, hot chocolate and other desserts that call for whipped cream.

Its in stores now, but were encouraging people to buy it early, Friedman said. There will be a shortage if people buy at the typical levels during the holidays.

Whipped cream purists would suggest simply making your own, but the canned aerosol products, introduced in the 1940s, still do a brisk business in the U.S.

Reddi-wip is the leading aerosol whipped topping, with sales of $278 million in the 12-month period that ended Nov. 27. That is a 9 percent increase over the previous year.

Chronicle News Services
Check their wheels

The car your hedge fund manager drives says something about his capacity for risk taking and his ability to generate returns, a study has found. Minivan owners run funds that tend to take on far less risk and exhibit lower volatility than do Ferrari-driving managers, according to a study by academics Yan Lu, Sugata Ray and Melvyn Teo, as reported by Bloomberg News. The study found that the average hedge fund with a sports-car driver at the helm is more than 16 percent more volatile than one with a manager who drives a more practical car.

And speaking of Ferraris ...

SeaWorld is developing its first attraction without killer whales  and its first outside the United States  on Abu Dhabis Yas Island, the man-made site that is home to Ferrari World. SeaWorld and the Abu Dhabi-government-backed Miral Asset Management said the park will open in 2022. It will feature the United Arab Emirates first facility dedicated to research, animal rescue and rehabilitation, and ocean conservation. SeaWorld isnt committing any capital but will provide expertise.

Oculus rift

Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe will step down from the role to lead a new division of the virtual reality headset maker. Oculus is creating two groups, one focused on PCs and the other on mobile, Iribe wrote in a blog post. Hell lead the PC unit, and Jon Thomason, who joined Oculus in August as its head of software, will take over the mobile group. Iribe, Thomason and Facebook Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer will work together to find a new CEO. Facebook bought the company in 2014.

The Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com Twitter: @techbriefing
NORRISTOWN, Pa.  Bill Cosbys lawyers on Wednesday attacked what they called vague, remote and often inconsistent allegations from a slew of women whom prosecutors are seeking to call as witnesses at his sexual assault trial next year.

Lawyers for the 79-year-old actor and comedian asked a judge to block 13 accusers from taking the stand, saying uncertainty about where and when some of the sexual encounters took place made them impossible to defend against.

Cosby, who was known as Americas Dad for his top-rated family sitcom, The Cosby Show, which ran from 1984 to 1992, is charged with molesting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Prosecutors are seeking testimony from the other accusers to show that Cosby had a long history of knocking out women with drugs and drinks and sexually assaulting them.

At a hearing outside Philadelphia, the defense portrayed the potential prosecution witnesses as bandwagon accusers who came forward because they sought to cash in.

The women went public at the urging of clever, cunning lawyers who had the agenda of bringing down an American icon, Cosby lawyer Brian McMonagle told Montgomery County Judge Steven ONeill, who must determine whether some or all of the accusers will be permitted to take the witness stand.

McMonagle said prosecutors charged Cosby with attacking Andrea Constand just as the statute of limitations was about to expire as a way of digging deep into his past and dredging up ancient allegations.

This case has nothing to do with Andrea Constand, McMonagle argued. This case was a way to try to vindicate what is a bandaged bandwagon of claims that have been put together in Pandoras box.

The case began a decade ago when Constand, a Temple University employee, filed a police complaint against Cosby, a long-married father of five and her friend and mentor. A prosecutor at the time declined to file charges.
ATLANTA  His profile seemed to make him the ideal donor.

The sperm bank said Donor No. 9623 had an IQ of 160, could speak four languages, was in good health, held a masters degree and was working his way toward a doctorate in neuroscience engineering, court filings say. So its perhaps no surprise that his semen was extremely popular  so much so that hes now the biological father of 36 children in the U.S., Canada and England, filings say.

But lawsuits allege that the profile used by Xytex Corp. to promote Donor No. 9623 was a complete fraud. The donor was not only a felon, he had a history of hospitalizations for outbursts and psychotic episodes, the suits contend.

Hes a schizophrenic, and thats hereditary, said Nancy Hersh, a San Francisco attorney who has filed two lawsuits against Xytex in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. This is all so very disturbing.

Xytexs attorney late Monday noted that a similar lawsuit filed earlier against the company in Atlanta was dismissed, and the dismissal was upheld on appeal.

Hersh said she has been trying to get Xytex to agree to conduct comprehensive background checks of its donors and to establish a medical monitoring fund for the children of Donor No. 9623. The fund would enable these children to visit medical centers that evaluate and identify the onset of mental illness and that can begin treating it with the appropriate therapies, she said.

All weve asked is that Xytex do the honorable thing  assist these children, Hersh said.

Two of Hershs clients are a same-sex couple from England. One of the women, identified as Jane Doe 1, gave birth to two children using Donor No. 9623s semen. The first was born Feb. 28, 2012, and the second on Feb. 22, 2015. The other Atlanta lawsuit was brought by an Ohio woman, who used Donor No. 9623s sperm for her son, who is now 9 years old.

Last week, a judicial panel denied Xytexs attempt to have six cases pending against it nationwide consolidated into a single court in California or Florida. The company has also filed motions to dismiss the two cases in Atlanta. In October, U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash temporarily halted the proceedings to give him time to decide those motions.

In his statement Monday, Xytex attorney Ted Lavender said, In March 2015, a lawsuit was filed in Georgia against Xytex, and it was dismissed by the judge in October 2015. The appeal of that case was then dismissed by the Georgia Court of Appeals in March 2016. The trial judge and the Court of Appeals got it right.

Xytex is an industry leader and complies with all industry standards in how they safely and carefully help provide the gift of children to families who are otherwise unable (to) have them.

The current lawsuits say that Donor No. 9623 committed a residential burglary in 2005 and spent eight months in custody for that crime. This occurred before women received the mans sperm from Xytex, which failed to make an effort to look into the mans background, the suits say.

In October 2000, when the man applied to become a Xytex donor, he didnt have a college degree, one lawsuit says. At that time, hed dropped out of school and saw it as a fairly easy way to generate income between waiting tables and working as a janitor.

But he had already been diagnosed at Atlanta Regional Hospital and Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital with schizophrenia, narcissistic personality disorder, a drug-induced psychotic disorder and significant grandiose delusion, court filings say. They add that in 2002 he was placed on Social Security disability insurance for his mental illnesses.

Xytex promoted Donor No. 9623 as one of its best donors, saying he was a man of high integrity, was extremely intelligent and incredibly educated, filings say. Donor No. 9623 not only falsified the information that was in his profile, but Xytex also assisted him in doing so, the suits allege.

In court filings, the company said the plaintiffs main contention is that had they known the alleged truth about Donor No. 9623, they would have chosen a different donor before the insemination procedure, thereby voiding the birth of these specific children.

But these wrongful birth lawsuits are not recognized claims under Georgia law, the motions say. A few years ago, Xytex inadvertently disclosed the name of Donor No. 9623 to some of the parents of his children, the lawsuits said.

In July 2014, a Canadian woman whod been inseminated with the mans sperm contacted the two English women whose suit is now pending in Atlanta. They were told Donor No. 9623 was a felon with genetic and hereditary mental illness, their lawsuit said.
WASHINGTON  He ran for president twice, but Rick Perry may be best known for two made-for-TV moments: uttering oops when he forgot the Energy Department was one of the agencies he pledged to eliminate and being a contestant on Dancing With the Stars.

The former Texas governor is President-elect Donald Trumps choice to become energy secretary, two people with knowledge of the decision say.

If confirmed by the Senate, Perry is likely to shift the department away from renewable energy and toward oil and other fossil fuels that he championed during a record 14 years as governor.

Perry, 66, left office in January 2015 and then launched his second ill-fated bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

He was a harsh critic of Trump, even calling the billionaire businessman a cancer to conservatism, but Perry lasted only three months in the race for the 2016 nomination before dropping out.

Perry later endorsed the Republican nominee and said hed be willing to work in a Trump administration. He re-emerged in the public spotlight in a brief appearance on this seasons Dancing With the Stars, where he was the second contestant eliminated.

Democrats and environmental groups derided Perrys expected nomination, noting that he is on the record both forgetting about the Energy Department and then remembering he wanted to eliminate it.

It is deeply unsettling that our current secretary of energy, a renowned nuclear physicist, could be succeeded by a contestant on Dancing With the Stars said Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Gov. Perry is simply not qualified for this position and should be rejected.

Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, called it an insult to our functioning democracy. Putting Perry in charge of the Department of Energy is the perfect way to ensure the agency fails at everything it is charged to do.

But supporters said Perry led a state that has long been a leader in energy production, first in oil and natural gas and now in wind power and other renewable energy as well.
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WASHINGTON  Donald Trump is poised to pick retired Gen. John Kelly for secretary of the Homeland Security Department, putting an outspoken Marine commander in charge of defending America from terrorist attacks and delivering Trumps promised crackdown on illegal immigration.

Kelly, who spent more than four decades in uniform, is the third recently retired general to join Trumps Cabinet, a break with tradition that gives a decidedly military cast to the president-elects team of top advisers on national security and defense.

If confirmed by the Senate, Kelly would be responsible for carrying out some of Trumps most controversial campaign pledges, including building a wall along the border with Mexico, boosting deportations of immigrants in the country illegally and vetting visitors from Muslim-majority nations.

Kelly, 66, led troops in multiple tours of intense fighting in Iraq and then led the U.S. Southern Command, the Pentagons regional headquarters for operations in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

He retired in January as a four-star general, the first since the Korean War to be promoted to that rank while in active combat.

He also had a more painful distinction as the highest-ranking U.S. military officer in years to lose a son or daughter in combat. His son, Marine Lt. Robert M. Kelly, was killed on a combat patrol in Afghanistan in 2010.

By choosing the retired general, Trump signaled a more militarized approach to border security after railing for months on the campaign trail about growing risks on Americas borders.

As the head of Southern Command, Kelly ordered military operations in the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico to try to stop drug smugglers. The role made him an attractive candidate to Trumps transition team.

Homeland Security includes 22 agencies and nearly 250,000 federal employees who protect the president, tell airline passengers to remove their shoes, and deliver aid after natural disasters.
A San Francisco immigration attorney was appointed Tuesday to the citys Police Commission, despite a last-minute push to get a highly endorsed criminal defense attorney into that seat.

Bill Ong Hing, a University of San Francisco professor who represents unaccompanied children in immigration courts, will replace former prosecutor and deputy public defender Victor Hwang, who resigned after winning a race for San Francisco Superior Court judge in November.

Hing was the choice recommended by the rules committee, but at Tuesdays Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Malia Cohen  who voted against Hing at the committee hearing Monday  put forth a motion to appoint John Hamasaki.

Her concerns were shared by Hamasakis supporters  that Hings appointment appeared politically connected and that regardless of his respected reputation and years of experience, he seemed unenthusiastic about the position and the criminal justice issues handled by the commission.

It comes down to one question thats on the application: Have you ever attended a Police Commission meeting? Cohen said Tuesday. Hing had not, and in fact, had turned in his application after the deadline.

Hing, 67, is well known in the field of immigration law, with a social justice career spanning decades. He served on the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice and the National Advisory Council of the Asian American Justice Center, and founded the citys Immigrant Legal Resource Center.

During the rules committee hearing, he talked about knowing and working with most of the supervisors, and the supervisors who spoke about him Tuesday made no secret of how much they respected his extensive resume.

Supervisor Eric Mar, who sits on the rules committee, told The Chronicle days before the committee hearing that he planned to support Hing, his longtime mentor in immigrant rights.

To Hings critics, this is yet another example of City Hall cronyism and the politicalization of the citys criminal justice system. But Hing said Tuesday that was far from the case.

Ive done a lot of community work and that is how I got to know people, he said in an interview after he was appointed. I dont like depicting this as Im politically tied. They got to know me through my community work. I dont have the backing of City Hall. I have the backing of people who have worked with me in the community.

And it wasnt for lack of enthusiasm that his application was turned in past the deadline, he said. Hing said he had thought the position wouldnt be open until Hwang took office as a judge in January, and had learned of the opening only a week ago Thursday.

His reason for never having attended a Police Commission meeting, Hing said, was that he had been looking beyond the commission itself and focusing on the criminal justice issues that it handles, trying to figure out how to get more involved on a day-to-day basis.

But while Hing made the case for his appointment with the luster of a lecturing law professor, Hamasaki sought out endorsements, brought in supporters to speak on his behalf and spoke with the passion of an attorney working to win a jury.

Hamasaki said he received an endorsement from the Asian American Bar Association. Hing made a comment during his presentation that he didnt know he needed endorsements, but he wish he did because he had actually co-founded the Asian American Bar Association.

Cohen felt this spoke highly of Hamasaki.

Mr. Hamasaki did his due diligence in applying for this role, she said. He has attended several Police Commission meetings - I have seen him there personally. Prior to his application, he took six weeks to go out into the community and talk to police officers, to the public, to members of the Board of Supervisors and to his legal colleagues and current members on the Commission to get a deep understanding of the role of a commissioner and the role the Police Commission plays in this city.

Mar argued that in a time when sanctuary cities are under attack nationwide, the Police Commission needs an attorney with Hings history of fighting for immigrants. Supervisors David Campos, Jane Kim, Katy Tang and Norman Yee said Hings extensive experience would be a boon for the commission.

While the motion to appoint Hamasaki failed, 6 to 4, Hings appointed passed, 8 to 2, with Cohen and Board President London Breeding voting no.

I feel good about the support of President Breed and Supervisor Cohen, Hamasaki said in an interview after the vote. Its unfortunate that the rest of the Board chose to disregard the two African American supervisors and their deep ties to the community on these issues. I think there was a chance today to speak strongly on racial justice and police reform and I think that politics won out.

Hing said he was looking forward to the work of the commission, in particular looking at increasing training for de-escalation. He said he was not too concerned with the criticism that arose against him in the appointment process.

I just think they got to get to know me, he said.

Outside the chamber, a member of the activist group San Franciscans for Police Accountability  which had endorsed Hamasaki  approached Hing, who said he wanted to meet with the group. Cohen also made a point to congratulate Hing on his appointment, despite speaking against it just minutes before.

We should talk, he said with a smile. She laughed.

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo
CORONADO, San Diego County  Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday asked President Obama to permanently ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in the state before he leaves office.

If Obama agrees, the edict would set up a potential showdown with the incoming administration of Donald Trump. Brown said he didnt know if Trump would have authority to overturn a permanent prohibition.

California is blessed with hundreds of miles of spectacular coastline; home to scenic state parks, beautiful beaches, abundant wildlife and thriving communities, Brown wrote the president. Clearly, large new oil and gas reserves would be inconsistent with our overriding imperative to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat the devastating impacts of climate change.

Working to lock in environmental protections as the clock runs out on his presidency, Obama last month released a plan for offshore oil drilling in federal waters that bans until 2022 any new drilling off the coasts of California, Oregon or Washington. The White House declined to comment on Browns request to make the ban permanent.

Brown said he would invite fellow Democratic governors of Oregon and Washington to join the effort, which he announced at an event to launch a new organization to protect oceans. Oregon and Washington also joined the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification, which includes the governments of France, Chile, the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Quebec, businesses and advocacy groups.

Many Democrats in Californias congressional delegation, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, have urged Obama to use executive authority to permanently block oil and gas leasing on the West Coast. In 2014, Brown asked for a ban on Pacific offshore drilling through 2022, but climate activists have pushed him to ask for a permanent ban.

Skyli McAfee, national oceans director for the environmental advocacy group the Nature Conservancy, said she was extremely pleased at how seriously (Brown) is taking the issue and his reliance on the academic community.

The Western States Petroleum Association, an industry group, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brown later joined the Western Governors Associations winter meeting, where he warned against expectations of major policy changes happening quickly under Trump. He said Congress and the judiciary serve as checks on the president and that differences tend to narrow over time.

If the world ends, were in deep trouble, but that hasnt happened yet, Brown said at a news conference, responding to a question about the consequences of overturning the Affordable Care Act.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, said he didnt expect significant changes under Trump toward states like his that have legalized recreational use of marijuana.

Hickenlooper said Democrats may find themselves in the unusual position of advocating for states rights in a Trump administration, a posture that is more commonly associated with Republicans.

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, a Republican, wrapped his arm around Hickenlooper and said, Welcome to the party.
WASHINGTON  On a day that brought back memories of loved ones lost, President Obama signed into law legislation that makes new investments in cancer research and battling drug abuse.

Obama signed the bill Tuesday at a ceremony on the White House campus flanked by Vice President Joe Biden and key lawmakers from both parties. The 55-year-old president recounted that his own mother did not even reach his age, dying of cancer in her early 50s.

Its not always easy to remember, but being able to honor those weve lost in this way and to know that we may be able to prevent other families from feeling that same loss, that makes it a good day, Obama said. Its a good day to see us doing our jobs.

The 21st Century Cures Act invests $1.8 billion for a cancer research moonshot that is strongly supported by Biden. The vice presidents son, Beau, died of brain cancer in 2015.

The bill also authorizes giving states $1 billion over two years to prevent and treat the abuse of heroin and other opioids and addictive drugs.

Overall, the measure plans $6.3 billion in new spending over the coming decade. The bill also streamlines the approval process for drugs and medical devices at the Food and Drug Administration, which some patient advocacy groups opposed.

Public Citizen said the bill pressures the FDA to approve new medical products and new uses for drugs based on weaker evidence of safety and efficacy.

This bill remains a bad deal for patient safety, offering a small, temporary and non-guaranteed increase in public research funding at the expense of permanently weakening oversight by the Food and Drug Administration, Public Citizen said.

Biden said he believed the bill would inject new urgency into fighting cancer.
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OAKLAND (BCN)

An outpouring of support has raised more than $1.6 million for victims of the deadly Ghost Ship fire in Oakland earlier this month through online fundraisers and numerous concerts, sales and events.

Venues across the Bay Area and the nation have planned dozens more fundraising concerts just this week for the friends and families of the 36 victims killed in the fire, those injured while escaping and the approximately 20 people who lived there and lost their homes.

The gutted warehouse was being used as a living space and performance venue when it burned down on Dec. 2. Firefighters described it as a tangled maze of furniture, musical instruments and artwork that was difficult to navigate.

An electronic music concert was held that night on the second floor, only accessible by a narrow wooden staircase, and most of the attendees were trapped upstairs and killed once the fire broke out.

Fundraisers sprung up almost immediately after word of the fire spread and thousands of dollars poured in as Oakland waited for word on just how many people had been trapped inside.

Most of the fundraising has been done through two online fundraisers on the website YouCaring.com. They have raised more than a million dollars between them.

One, organized by the San Francisco nonprofit Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, had raised more than $672,000 as of this morning. The other, organized by the Oakland A's, had raised more than $481,000.

Both organizations are now faced with difficult decisions on how to distribute the enormous funds. In a message last week, the Gray Area Foundation said it is obtaining contact information for victims' families from the American Red Cross and the Oakland mayor's office, but is also independently collecting contact information itself.

"As an organization, we have had to shift our operations to focus fully on fielding inquiries, processing contributions, and communicating effectively -- all while grieving ourselves," Gray Area Foundation officials wrote.

The Oakland A's are working directly with the Red Cross to determine the best distribution for the funds, Red Cross CEO Trevor Riggen said during a news conference on Tuesday. He said all of those funds will be distributed to the families of victims and those with medical expenses.

The A's fund includes matching donations of $50,000 each from the A's, Golden State Warriors and Oakland Raiders. It also includes a $75,000 donation from Sutter Health and will likely grow in the coming days as other promised donations come in, A's spokesman Ken Pries said on Tuesday.

In addition to the massively successful general fundraisers, fundraising efforts have been underway for the families of the 36 individual victims killed in the fire.

So far, the most successful of these include more than $75,000 raised for the family of transgender musician Cash Askew. Askew, 22, was a member of dream pop duo Them Among Us Too and attended the University of California at Santa Cruz from 2012 to 2014.

The family of filmmaker Alex Ghassan has raised more than $39,000. Ghassan, the father of twin daughters, had recently moved to Oakland from New Jersey and died in the fire along with his fiance, Hanna Ruax.

More than $44,000 has been raised in separate fundraisers for the family of Chelsea Faith Dolan, a DJ who was performing at the Ghost Ship that night under the name Cherushii. San Francisco photographer Amanda Kershaw's husband Andy discontinued his fundraiser after exceeding his $20,000 goal by more than $12,000.

Fundraisers have also been set up to specifically assist the people displaced by the fire and others to help roommates and friends of the victims cover bills or take time off of work to grieve. Just how much money has been raised for five victims is impossible to determine since some popular fundraisers, such as one established by the Trans Assistance Project, have not disclosed how much they have raised.

Meanwhile, fundraising events held throughout the Bay Area have raised well over $23,000 with dozens more events planned just this week.

Most of the events are benefiting the Gray Area Foundation's fundraiser, including perhaps the biggest event, a concert at the Fox Theater tonight featuring numerous popular Bay Area musicians like Primus, Hieroglyphics, the Coup, Beats Antique and Rogue Wave. Baltimore electronic musician Dan Deacon and New England pop duo the tUnE-yArDs will also perform.

Another show featuring San Francisco rapper Andre Nickatina will be held at the Uptown Nightclub in Oakland on Thursday. Organizers say that 50 percent of proceeds will be donated to friends and family of the Ghost Ship fire.

The Oakland Metro Operahouse will also host a benefit on Thursday featuring former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra. Proceeds from that event will go to the family members of those killed and their roommates to help pay bills and rent.

The outpouring of support has led at least one local venue to advise that attendees might not be able to get in. A message on a Facebook post for a planned concert at Oakland venue Eli's Mile High Club on Saturday advises that only 192 people can be allowed inside at any time. More than 3,000 people responded that they were interested on Facebook.

Events haven't been limited to the Bay Area. Fundraisers are planned as far away as Germany and across the U.S., including in New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Oklahoma, Des Moines in Iowa, Portland in Oregon, Fresno, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego.















Pakistan has inaugurated a special maritime force to ensure security of its new Chinese-built Gwadar port, which is central to a multibillion-dollar economic cooperation agreement between the two countries.



China is investing around $50 billion in Pakistan to help build a network of road, rail, communications, and power projects that will eventually connect the western Chinese border region of Xinjiang to the deepwater port on the Arabian Sea.



Officials say the cooperation, dubbed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC, will turn Gwadar into a gateway for imports and exports from Xinjiang to international markets.



Top Pakistani civilian and military officials along with Chinese diplomats traveled to the port Tuesday to witness the inauguration of the "Task Force-88" raised by the Pakistan Navy.



"(It) is aimed at ensuring security of Gwadar port, its seaward approaches, as well as CPEC-related and other maritime projects," said Zafar Mehmood Abbasi, deputy chief of the naval staff operations.



The marine force would comprise "warships, (attack) helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), duly supported by shore-based sensors," he added.

The Pakistani military has already established a Special Security Division of around 20,000 personnel for the protection of Chinese workers and land routes being built under CPEC.



Gwadar port is located in the insurgency-hit Balochistan Province, which also hosts a number of CPEC-related projects.



Pakistani officials have alleged that rival India is funding Baluch separatists in the province in its bid to try to undermine the CPEC building efforts, a charge that New Delhi denies. Islamabad also sees Afghanistan-based Islamic State affiliates as posing a threat to CPEC.



Chinese officials say CPEC is "the major and pilot project of the Belt and Road" initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping.



"We believe the Belt and Road initiative will serve the greatest interests of the international community and this region for common development and shared prosperity," said Sun Weidong, the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan.



He said 17 "early harvest" CPEC projects are already under "smooth" construction in Pakistan.



"There are more than 10,000 jobs that have been created for the local people with all these 17 projects.In the near future, we can see that CPEC projects will generate thousands of megawatts (of electricity) into the national grid of Pakistan."

-- Written by Ayaz Gul for Voice Of America
Geekologie has shut down.

Thank you to everybody.

Now go be happy.
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In a rebuke to Mayor Ed Lee, the Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to allocate $9 million to jump-start the goal of making City College of San Francisco free for all students.

The supervisors voted 9-1 to allocate the money. Supervisor Mark Farrell, the lone dissenter, said the money would be better spent on services for homeless people.

Supervisor Jane Kim argued that the city has a moral obligation to make City College accessible for as many people as possible. Our responsibility grows because we are one of the wealthiest cities in the world, which means we can not only dream up these concepts, we can actually afford to pay for them, Kim said.

The $9 million would pay for tuition for all City College students for the fall 2017 semester. Kim has proposed that the city subsequently allocate about $13 million annually to cover the full academic year.

But Lee will probably have the last word. He has indicated that he wont veto the legislation  he simply wont spend the money all at once.

He has proposed spending $500,000 this fiscal year toward the goal and an additional $4.25 million annually in subsequent years. The specifics of who and what that money would go toward will be worked out over the next few months.

The mayor wants to make sure that if we make a commitment, it is sustainable over the course of a students education, said Deirdre Hussey, Lees spokeswoman.

She said the mayor has convened an advisory board to develop within 90 days a sustainable program to help students unable to pay for school. Lee hopes to enact a program that addresses the affordability needs of those students struggling to pay for City College, Hussey said.

The backdrop to the dispute is the citys unexpected financial constraints. Voters rejected a sales tax increase on the November ballot that would have raised $150 million annually for transportation and homeless services, leaving the city with an unexpected budget hole. Also, the city is facing a projected deficit because of growing pension liabilities and declining tax revenue.

Supporters of free City College tuition have urged the supervisors to stand by a nonbinding resolution they passed in July agreeing to pay for it with revenue from Proposition W, a November ballot measure that raised the transfer tax on properties selling for at least $5 million.

The tax measure was written so the money would go into the citys general fund. Supervisor Aaron Peskin said that was beside the point.

While Prop. W did not specifically reference City College, 10 of 11 members of this board voted to say that is what Prop. W money would pay for, Peskin said. A deal is a deal. A promise is a promise.

City College has faced numerous challenges in recent years stemming from its lax management and governance. It has been battling an attempt by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges to revoke its accreditation.

City College also has to repay the state $39 million because it cant prove instructors taught thousands of students in online classes from 2011 to 2014.

Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen
If you're big on holiday baking, now you can share your skills with the Curry family.

Ayesha  who is the host of her own Food Network show  is challenging fans to a holiday cookie competition. The creator of the best cookie recipe will receive a signed copy of her cookbook "as well as a few extra goodies" (can it be meeting Riley?!).
BEIRUT  Fighting in the besieged eastern districts of Aleppo stopped on Tuesday, a Russian official said, just hours after the United Nations said it had received credible reports that forces loyal to the Syrian government were gunning down civilians trying to flee and killing residents in their homes.

Just before the Russian announcement, a cease-fire agreement appeared to have been reached among Syrian rebels, Russia and Turkey, potentially opening a corridor for residents to safely leave besieged neighborhoods, but the parameters of the deal remained unclear. The journey from eastern Aleppo has been perilous for civilians, some of them older people in wheelchairs who were too frail to leave before as the fighting intensified.
MOSUL, Iraq  She survived the first stone that struck her, then the second.

One of the Islamic State fighters bent down and pressed his fingers to the side of her neck to check her pulse.

As her horrified neighbors watched, extremists threw a third stone at the young woman, who was accused of adultery. That one killed her.

It was, for those who witnessed it, the cruelest moment in Mosuls descent into fear, hunger and isolation under 2 years of Islamic State rule.

Before the militants takeover, Iraqs second-largest city was arguably the most multicultural place in the country, with a Sunni Muslim Arab majority but also thriving communities of Kurds, Shiites, Christians and Yazidis. Together, they had created Mosuls distinct identity, with its own cuisine, intellectual life and economy.

But the Islamic State turned Mosul into a place of literal and spiritual darkness.

It began with promises of order and of a religious utopia that appealed to some. But over time, the militants turned crueler, the economy crumbled under the weight of war and shortages set in.

Those who resisted watched neighbors who joined Islamic State turn prosperous and vindictive. Parents feared for the brainwashing of their children.

By the end, as Iraqi troops besieged Mosul, the militants hanged suspected spies from lamp posts, and residents were cut off from the world.

The womans killing in Mosuls Samah district shook to the core those in the crowd who were forced to watch.

Several witnesses described how the woman and her alleged lover were paraded blindfolded through the streets.

The militants summoned everyone they could find to watch. It was in August, after the militants had lost strongholds in other parts of Iraq and Syria, prompting them to heighten their repression.

The man accused of being her lover was flogged 150 times and forced to go to Syria to fight in Islamic State ranks.
KABUL  A political rival of Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum said on Tuesday that he had been tortured and raped with an assault rifle over five days after being abducted by Dostum last month.

The political rival, Ahmad Ishchi, 63, said he was badly abused by the general, who was the acting president at the time because President Ashraf Ghani was out of the country, and by the generals men.

I can kill you right now, and no one will ask, Ishchi said Dostum told him. He claimed the vice president stepped on his throat and pressed down after he had already been beaten and bloodied.

Dostums office called the accusation a conspiracy to defame the vice president. The statement said Ishchi had not been abducted, but rather had been arrested by security forces on charges of supporting the opposition, for which he remains under investigation.

Its clear there are puppet elements that are trying to influence the international perceptions, and our advice to them is to avoid rushing and premature judgments, the statement said.

Multiple witnesses reported seeing Dostum personally beating Ishchi and having his men drive away with him in a truck during a buzkashi match in northern Afghanistan last month. Despite repeated requests, Dostum and his staff would not comment on the accusations at the time.

If he has animosity with me, I would have no problem if he had killed me with a bullet, Ishchi said in the interview. My character needs to be restored, my rights have been trampled. They should tell me the reasons. If he is the vice president, I am also a human, I have a right to live in this country.

Many of the Western embassies in Kabul expressed concern on Tuesday about Ishchis accusations, which he also made to other news organizations, and called for an investigation.

The EU and its member states present in Kabul, Australia, Canada and Norway, call for a fair and transparent official investigation as regards reports of gross human rights violations and abuses against Mr. Ahmad Ishchi as well as concerning the allegations made against the 1st Vice President, General Abdul Rashid Dostum, the European Union said Tuesday.

Haroon Chakhansoori, a spokesman for the president, said the government was committed to investigating the accusations.

Dostum is a former warlord with a history of accusations of human rights violations and abuse, including physical acts of retaliation against allies and rivals. In the past, the U.S. government, despite counting Dostum as one of its earliest allies in the war, had urged the former president, Hamid Karzai, against using the general as a campaign ally.

The rivalry between Ishchi and Dostum dates back about three decades, to the final days of the Soviet-backed Communist government in Afghanistan. Dostum outmaneuvered Ishchi to become the head of a regional paramilitary force, but Ishchi refused to serve as a subordinate of the general, remaining one of the political pockets that the general could not control in his northern stronghold.
Restaurant Brands New Zealand, the fast-food retailer, lifted sales 35 percent in the third quarter, with most of the increase coming from the 42 Australian KFC stores the company bought in April.

Sales in the 12 weeks ended Dec. 5 rose to $119 million, from $88.7 million in the same period a year earlier, the Auckland-based company said. Same-store sales, which are those for outlets open at least 12 months, rose 4 percent to $90 million.

The company made its first foray across the Tasman with the acquisition of the biggest KFC franchisee in New South Wales for A$82.4 million made up of A$62 million in cash and 5 million shares, which gave vendor Copulos Group almost 5 percent of the company with a 12-month escrow on trading the stock.

Restaurant Brands is expanding into new markets to spread its risk and drive future earnings growth. Last month it raised $94 million through a sale of shares to investors, helping fund its planned purchase of Pacific Island Restaurants, the largest fast-food operator in Hawaii with 82 Taco Bell and Pizza Hut stores.

Total sales for KFC Australia were $26.5 million, and the acquired stores have contributed $70.1 million this year. KFC New Zealand sales rose 6 percent to $68.3 million, with one new store opening in Rolleston bringing the total number of KFC outlets in the country to 92. Same-store sales for KFC rose 4.2 percent to $66.7 million.

Pizza Hut total sales dropped 9.1 percent to $9.5 million, as the company sold its Grey Lynn store to an independent franchisee, reducing its total outlets to 36. Franchisees now own 56 of the 92 stores in the Pizza Hut network.

Starbucks Coffee sales rose 1.8 percent to $6.4 million, one fewer store at 24 after it closed Aotea Square. Same-store sales gained 5.6 percent. Hamburger chain Carl's Jr, the company's newest brand, recorded a 16.1 percent gain in sales to $8.8 million as the number of stores rose by two from the year earlier to 20. Same-store sales rose 3.5 percent, the brand's first positive quarter.

The shares last traded at $5.11 and have gained 18 percent this year.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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Shares in outgoing NZX 50 member Orion Health have risen by 2.3 percent after the IT healthcare business said it had signed a new, expanded agreement with an American client.

The stock has been extremely volatile in 2016, rising from $3.20 at the start of the year to a peak of $5.31 in June. Since then it's endured record lows of $1.65 earlier in December, before rebounding. A short while ago shares were trading at $2.19, up 5 cents. It's due to leave the NZX50 at the end of the week.

Orion said this morning it had reached a new, expanded agreement with Keystone Health Information Exchange in the US state of Pennsylvania. It is an existing customer, but the company said the new agreement is subscription based and allows it to continue to use the Orion platform. The deal will contribute to Orion's outlook for the 2017 financial year.

The stock has suffered from negative sentiment towards technology stocks following the collapse of crime-fighting software company Wynyard, as well as concerns the company could have to raise further capital from investors. As at Sept. 30, its cash balance stood at $24 million and its net cash outflow was $33 million. Orion had cash and equivalents of $58.9 million as at March 31.

Shares have fallen 33 percent since the start of the year.

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Jewish Quarter: The Coolest Neighbourhood in Budapest

Posted at 14:50h in Hungary by Sabina in Europe

Standing between the largest synagogue in the Eastern hemisphere and a kosher pizzeria, its easy to forget Im in Budapest.

Ive been to Jewish neighbourhoods in European cities before, but none like this. There are nearly 50,000 Jews living in Hungary, most of them concentrated in the capital  and despite the horrors of World War II their culture is still thriving.

The Jewish Quarter as it is today roughly follows the boundaries of the ghetto from those times. But in stark contract with its chilling history, the neighbourhood is now a place to have fun.

Most of the action is centred around Kazinczy Utca, a long street lined with restaurants and ruin bars. What are ruin bars? Im glad you asked  theyre my new favourite way to go out.

Like most good stories do, it all started with a bunch of young people looking for a cheap place to drink. Back in 2001 they took to the abandoned buildings in the Jewish Quarter, filled them with mismatched furniture and used them to serve very very cheap beer.

The first ruin bar (romkocsma in Hungarian) to open was Szimpla Kert. Its no longer the biggest  that title goes to Instant  but its still the best known. Lonely Planet even named it one of the one hundred best bars in the world.

So its no wonder that the pubs have gradually grown into a big tourist magnet. As is the case with all things counterculture that suddenly become popular  all things hipster I suppose  ruin bars are no longer the cheap hangouts they were a decade ago.

Are they authentic holes in the wall perfect for meeting locals? Not particularly  especially at night. But if youre in the mood to party and dont mind seeing crowds of fellow Brits, Aussies or Americans, Id still recommend them as one of the best nights out in Budapest. A close second are the sparties at Szechenyi Baths, in case you were wondering.

My favourite ruin bar is Szimpla Kert. I hope thats not too disappointing  its the one name everyone knows. But theres good reason for it. Where else can you sit in an old Trabant car, smoke hookah and down shots of palinka?

But dont worry. Theres also a lot of beer on offer, from local brews to bottles of international lager. Not that its all about drinking! You could just as well spend the night meeting people or admiring the artwork.

Palinka, for those of you who have never heard of it, is a traditional fruit brandy from Central Europe. Its made with ripe fruit like apricots, cherries or plums which sounds kind of delicious. Ill let you try it for yourself but I think it tastes like Satans wee. I dislike it to the point of turning down free alcohol so you know Im serious.

Having said that, if youre mainly in it for the quirky decor come during the day. You can sit down, read a book or have a chilled out beer  all without the omnipresent crowds. Dont forget to go up the winding staircase inside the bar and check out the upper level, which is full of lovely little knickknacks and greenery.

Oh, and if youre hungry visit Karavan next door. The outdoor space is full of food trucks serving everything from Hungarian langos (deep fried dough with a dollop of sour cream) to pizza. There are lots of veggie options, which I welcomed as Im newly vegetarian. My favourite was The Real Cheeseburger  thick slices of deep-fried cheese between soft buns. Nom nom nom!

All this is not to say Szimpla Kert is the only ruin bar worth visiting. If you love craft beer dont miss Eleszto, although youll have to venture outside the Jewish Quarter to find it. Besides having an authentic feel it attracts visitors with its twenty one taps of Hungarian craft beer.

If its dancing youre after, Instant is a better bet than Szimpla Kert. They often bring in famous DJs into this jumble of two dozen rooms with strange decorations, my favourite being a sparkly disco ball slash pig hanging from the ceiling.

But theres a lot more to the Jewish Quarter (also known as district VII) than nightlife. The area is a short walk from Andrassy ut, Pests swankiest boulevard, but I found this area much more interesting to explore. What is there to see?

For one, theres the areas history and vibrant Jewish culture. Dohany Street Synagogue is the one I mentioned in my opening line  the largest synagogue in the Eastern hemisphere and the second largest in the world.

There are two other synagogues  the Orthodox Synagogue on Kazinczy Utca and one on Rombach Street. The Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park is another wonderful, if heartbreaking, place to visit. It holds a memorial to the 400,000 Hungarian Jews who were murdered by the Nazis during World War II.

You can also find beautiful Art Nouveau and Neo-Classical homes in the area, as well as romantic arcades and courtyards to wander through. In one of these youll be able to find a remnant of the original ghetto walls. But the most visited is Gozsdu Courtyard, packed with restaurants and locals.

But you dont need to make your visit of the Jewish Quarter all about history. This is a regular neighbourhood, full of regular people and regular people things. You know  grey apartment blocks, chipped paint and shops where you can buy anything from fresh apples to toilet paper.

Thats exactly what makes it so lovable (the realness, not the toilet paper). By night its full of tourists, but by day you can still get a genuine peek at what life is like for those who call this place their home.

If youre a fan of street art  if youve read about my road trip around Germany youll know I am  this is the place for you. Below are four beautiful examples of whats in store, but if youd like to read about the individual pieces in more detail check out this Budapest street art guide.

The last mural is rather aptly called Budapest Aint That Small, and it highlights other areas worth visiting. Because as much as I love the Jewish Quarter  and Im sure you will, too  the Hungarian capital has many other neighbourhoods that you should see.

If youre not sure where to begin, read my guide to Budapest in which I cover everything from activities to food, transport and accommodation. Its full of photos just like this post right here, so its great for armchair travelling as well.

Have you ever been to the Jewish Quarter in Budapest, or even the city in general? Did you enjoy the ruin bars? Let me know  and if you have any suggestions on what to see there please leave them in a comment below!

Disclaimer: My #Jet2Europe trip to Budapest was created and managed by iambassador in partnership with Jet2Holidays. All words, opinions and terrible puns are my own.
The New Zealand dollar rose above 72 US cents as the greenback weakened before the Federal Reserve's latest policy statement, which is expected to deliver a long-heralded rate hike in the US.

The kiwi dollar traded at 72.15 US cents as at 5pm in Wellington from 71.94 cents late yesterday. The trade-weighted index rose to 79.18 from 78.91.

The Federal Open Market Committee's two-day meeting will wind up tonight and decisions announced at the start of New Zealand's day on Thursday. Investors have priced in more fiscal stimulus for the US economy under what may be a borrow and spend programme from president-elect Donald Trump, who isn't actually sworn in until Jan. 20 next year. Fed officials won't have been able to assess the scope of any of the new administration's policies or accurately reflect them in the official economic projections

"There are very few policy details at this stage in terms of Trump's proposals. That's the elephant in the room," said Mark Johnson, senior dealer at OMF. "In terms of a rate hike, that's a near-certainty."

At the media conference, Fed chair Janet Yellen may want to deliver "a pretty steady message", pointing to two hikes in 2017, Johnson said. "The tricky thing has been the trajectory of the US dollar" because as it goes higher it has the effect of tightening monetary conditions.

"Will it be a hawkish hike or a dovish hike," Johnson said. "No doubt she will raise rates. If she tries to cool things down, only two hikes, or hikes data-dependent, there could be some profit-taking in long (US) dollar positions. He noted it was only the second rate hike in 10 years. "That's gradual."

The Fed is widely expected to announce a 25 basis point increase in the fed funds rate to a range of 0.5 percent-to-0.75 percent.

The kiwi rose to 4.9797 yuan from 4.9622 yuan late yesterday. It traded at 67.80 euro cents from 67.62 cents late yesterday and rose to 96.24 Australian cents from 95.93 cents. The local dollar traded at 56.98 British pence from 56.73 pence. The kiwi gained to 83.05 yen from 82.78 yen.

The two-year swap rate rose 1 basis points to 2.27 percent and the 10-year swap rate gained 1 basis point to 3.41 percent.

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The recent pick up in dairy prices back to profitable levels may take some time to flow through New Zealand's economy as farmers focus on paying down debt following the prolonged downturn, says Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.

Fonterra Cooperative Group, the country's dominant milk processor, hiked its milk price forecast last month to $6 per kilogram of milk solids for the current season, which is above the $5.05/kgMS needed for most farmers to break even and compares with payouts of $3.90/kgMS and $4.40/kgMS in the previous two seasons. Economists estimate the increase in Fonterra's forecast for this season will add an extra $3.8 billion to New Zealand's economy.

Milk processors are raising their milk price forecasts following a 74 percent increase in the price for whole milk powder, New Zealand's key commodity export, on the GlobalDairyTrade platform since early July amid declining milk production in key exporting nations like New Zealand, Australia and the European Union, and as demand picks up from major markets like China.

"Im feeling a lot more confident," Guy told BusinessDesk. "What we are seeing is the supply-demand imbalance correcting itself now which is great. The future is looking I think very bright for the dairy industry, albeit there will continue to be some volatility."

Risks to the pick up in dairy prices include European Union stockpiles coming onto the market at some stage in the future, increased exports from the US and the outlook for Chinese demand, although he noted signs that China "is back in the market and pushing up prices through GDT".

Still, Guy said the benefits to the wider economy In New Zealand may take some time to flow through as even though prices are rising, farmers will be focused on paying down debt built up over the past few seasons.

"This dairy downturn has been lower for longer than a lot of people anticipated and I think by and large farmers will be relieved that their banks have stood by them and so I think now theres an opportunity for farm businesses to recalibrate."

The Reserve Bank noted in its latest financial stability report published last month that indebtedness in the sector had increased, "leaving the sector vulnerable to future shocks" and problem loans "are likely to continue to increase for a time".

"Farmers will need to continue to pay down debt because they would have racked up quite a bit of debt in the last couple of years and so their financiers will be looking for them to pay that debt down," Guy said. "While its certainly looking a lot more positive, its still going to mean that farmers will need to keep everything in check and make sure that they keep on top of their cost structures, that they run very efficient businesses and I guess look forward to getting back in profit in the next year or two."

As well as paying down debt, farmers are likely to be focused on farm maintenance and upgrades which had been deferred while finances were tight, he said.

"I dont see that the good news is necessarily going to mean theres a whole lot of money sloshing around regional provincial New Zealand, its not going to happen overnight, but certainly the short to medium term is looking very positive for the dairy industry and Im sure that regional and provincial New Zealand will feel a lot more positive about that," Guy said.

The Ministry for Primary Industries is working with the wider industry to develop case studies of high-performing efficient farmers with cost structures below $4/kgMS, the first of which were released last week.

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A deal which would see Kiwi Property Group, the country's largest listed property investor, sell two buildings to NPT and take on the management of the smaller company's portfolio would allow it to advance its strategy of selling non-core assets, while also growing funds under management arm, analysis from First NZ Capital has concluded.

Auckland-based NPT had been in a battle with major shareholder Augusta Capital, with Augusta seeking to take control of NPT's board and for NPT to buy three buildings for $329 million. That dispute had been wending its way through the courts because of the time it was taking to organise a shareholder meeting.

Instead, NPT had been looking at rival options, receiving four. NPT's board has backed the proposal by Auckland-based Kiwi Property, which would see Kiwi Property sell NPT the North City Shopping Centre in Porirua and Majestic Centre in downtown Wellington to NPT for cash and shares worth $230 million, with NPT raising $100 million of new equity as well as a $50 million issue to Kiwi Property for a 19.9 percent stake to help fund the deal.

At the same time, Kiwi Property would pay $6 million for the management contract of the enlarged portfolio, which it would more than recoup within three years of collecting fees of about 0.5 percent of assets under management, reaping an annual $2.1 million.

First NZ estimates that the deal would dilute Kiwi Property's earnings per share by about 4 percent. However, the analysts conclude that "the proposal provides it with the ability to build on its funds management platform to generate additional management fee income, which represents a significantly less capital intensive revenue stream than direct property ownership."

While Kiwi Property's proposal states the current board would remain in place, analysts at First NZ warn "in the medium term shareholder activism may see change within the current board." One of the current directors is due for re-election in 2017.

If the deal goes ahead, NPT's earnings will rise by 16 percent in the 2018 financial year, rising 17 percent by 2020.

The analysts say the proposal allows Kiwi Property to divest non-core assets that do not fit into its core strategic focus of Auckland retail assets, corporately occupated prime Auckland office space and government occupied Wellington offices. Centre Place North in Hamilton will be the last of Kiwi Property's assets that would be classed as non-core, but the brokerage said it doesn't expect it to be sold into NPT given its recent underperformance.

The sale of the two sites would also free up capital to be redeployed towards Kiwi Property's planned Sylvia Park expansion. The analysts conclude that the re-development of Sylvia Park would build on the company's most successful retail asset to date, and they support plans to cycle out of assets in regions that are likely to underperform in the coming years.

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DES MOINES  The three heads of the private insurance companies managing Iowas Medicaid program were hesitant to answer questions Tuesday regarding increases to the monthly fees they receive from the state.

I am not able to answer that, said Cynthia MacDonald, health plan president of Amerigroup Iowa, during Tuesday afternoons legislative health policy oversight meeting in Des Moines.

Im not trying to be coy, but thats not something we can put on the table, she said.

Iowa handed over its nearly $5 billion Medicaid program with almost 600,000 enrollees to AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa, Amerigroup and UnitedHealthcare of the River Valley on April 1.

In early November  about seven months into the program  the state announced it would increase capitation rates, or the per-member per-month fees it pays the managed-care organizations, for the first rate period ending June 30, 2017, by about $33 million.

Iowa officials pointed to rising prescription drug prices and unexpected costs of new Medicaid enrollees as the primary factors for the rate increase. Prescription drug expenses increased about 32 percent per member, per month since fiscal year 2014, they said.

With two of the three MCOs reporting hundreds of millions of dollars in losses in early December, several state legislators on the committee wanted to know if the second shoe might drop.

On Dec. 2, financial reports filed with the Iowa Insurance Division show that Amerigroup saw losses of more than $147 million, while AmeriHealth had losses of more than $132 million.

UnitedHealthcare does not have to file financial reports with the state of Iowa, but did say in the second Department of Human Services quarterly report it had a loss of 25 percent.

We will continue building a sustainable, long-term program, AmeriHealths Cheryl Harding said. The rate increase we got was from a process of looking at emerging trends. Thats a continual process.

But we cant comment further than that. We dont discuss those things in public settings.

Amerigroup Iowas MacDonald said the companies invested heavily in the state to set up infrastructure, build provider networks and get the program up and running. Her company invested nearly $200 million, she said.

When you enter a market, you assume a level of loss, she said. You also assume moving forward to break even and then eventually see a turnaround.

Also an ongoing topic of conversation during the four-hour Medicaid oversight meeting was the projected savings put out by Gov. Terry Branstads office and Iowa Medicaid Enterprise.

The state said the transition to managed care will save Iowa nearly $118 million, which Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, called phantom numbers and smoke and mirrors.

Jean Slaybaugh, chief financial officer for DHS, said that figure comes from looking at average monthly expenditures for the program under fee-for-service or state-run Medicaid, compared with the average monthly spending now.

I sure hope at some point, if you continue to tell us this is saving money, you can tie it back to specific services that were bloated, Bolkcom said. Because if you continue to talk about savings with these numbers  its a bit of slippery slope.

This was the second and final Medicaid managed care oversight meeting of the year. And with Republicans in control of the statehouse come January, several Democratic legislators put in their votes to keep the meetings going.

We all want whats best for Iowans, said Sen. Liz Mathis, D-Robins. We should want to iron out the difficulties and make sure we have the best system we can for vulnerable Iowans.
DES MOINES  Renewable fuel leaders in Iowa are uneasy with individuals that President-elect Donald Trump has nominated for key administration positions, but are resting their faith on the assurances of the man himself.

Trump expressed support for renewable fuels, and in particular the federal mandate for corn-based ethanol to be blended into the nations fuel supply, during the presidential campaign.

But in the past week, Trump has declared he will nominate two men who have, in the past, not supported policies that promote or support renewable fuels, to head two federal agencies that deal heavily with energy policy.

Trump has said he will nominate Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Pruitt, attorney general of Oklahoma, in 2013 argued to the U.S. Supreme Court against the federal Renewable Standard, arguing ethanol damages vehicles fuel systems and drives up food prices.

And the president-elect has said he will nominate Rick Perry to lead the Department of Energy. Perry, a former Texas governor who ran for president in 2012 and 2016, also in the past has been critical of the ethanol mandate.

An EPA administrator from Oklahoma with a long anti-RFS track record was obviously not on the top of our wish list, said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. It would send a strong signal to rural America if a pro-RFS person filled one of the other EPA top leadership posts to provide some internal balance.

Shaw and other renewable fuel leaders in Iowa, including Gov. Terry Branstad, said they take Trump at his word that the next administration will support ethanol and other renewable fuels.

Branstad said he received such an assurance from Trump during the president-elects recent victory tour event in Iowa, which came after the announcement of Pruitt as his choice to lead the EPA.

(Pruitt) is from an oil state, so obviously that gives us a little concern, Branstad said. The first thing Trump told me is, Dont worry about him, hes going to be for ethanol. I think that was a condition Trump laid out when he appointed him. Trumps a pretty blunt guy, so that was reassuring to me and obviously to my son, who worked very hard on those issues.

Eric Branstad, the governors son, spearheaded the advocacy group Iowas Renewable Future during the Iowa caucuses. The group pressed presidential candidates for and graded them on their positions on renewable fuel policy.

During the general election, Eric Branstad worked as the Trump campaigns state director in Iowa. Trump said during the campaign that he would support the ethanol mandate as president.

He made the same pledge to Shaws group, Shaw said.

President-elect Trump made a very detailed commitment to the RFS last January when he spoke at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, Shaw said. He also mentioned his RFS support many times on the campaign trail leading up to Nov. 8 (Election Day). So we look forward to working with the incoming Trump administration to implement the RFS along the lines President-elect Trump embraced during the election.

Delayne Johnson, CEO of Quad County Corn Processors in Galvia, Iowa, heard those same campaign promises from President-elect Trump, but wants to hear them again.

Johnson was hoping to hear Trump address ethanol and renewable fuels during that victory tour event in Des Moines; Trump did not mention them.

I think those in my industry are just wanting to hear him restate those things, Johnson said.

Democrats criticized Trumps selection of Pruitt, accusing him of being cozy with oil companies and pointing out his skepticism of scientists findings regarding climate change and humans role in exacerbating the issue.

Its clear by now that Donald Trump lied to voters about draining the swamp, and his selection of Scott Pruitt to head the EPA puts a giant oil rig right in the middle of it, Democratic National Committee spokesman Eric Walker said in a statement. By putting a puppet of Big Oil in charge of the EPA, Trump shows he doesnt think much of protecting the environment, combating climate change, or draining the swamp.
CHARLES CITY | A Charles City man police say had meth, two digital scales and $700 cash in his truck was sentenced this week to up to 10 years in prison for felony possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver.

Jeremy John Round, 33, must serve at least one-third of his sentence before being eligible for parole under Iowa's mandatory minimum sentence law, according to Floyd County District Court records.

He also was fined $1,000.

Round was arrested after a Floyd County sheriff's deputy pulled him over on Sept. 13 at Corporate Drive and 11th Street because he believed Round's driving license was suspended, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Round had a meth pipe and $700 in cash on him. A bag of meth, small plastic baggies, scale and a locked box were found in the truck.

A search warrant revealed more baggies and another digital scale.

-- Mary Pieper
MASON CITY | Some elderly North Iowa residents turn to the Cheer Fund for help buying food, necessities and Christmas gifts this season.

An 86-year-old woman applied for funds to buy groceries, milk in particular.

Im praying for Christmas to help me, the woman wrote.

A 74-year old woman in Mason City needs help getting groceries and a few other necessities including a new winter coat.

Another Mason City woman has welcomed her first great-grandson in addition to her seven grandchildren.

She and several other family members caught pneumonia and are still recovering.

I want to buy Christmas dinner for all of us, she wrote.

In addition to dinner, she would like to buy gifts for her grandchildren and great-grandchild.

Cheer Fund donations are falling behind previous years, making it difficult to process requests before the holidays.

As of Monday, $56,356 has been raised. Another $68,644 is needed to reach this years goal of $125,000.

Can you help us help those in need?

The Christmas Cheer Fund was established by Globe Gazette Publisher Lee Loomis in 1927 so every child could have a present on Christmas morning. In the years since it has come to mean a little help at Christmastime to people of all ages.

Donations may be dropped off at the Globe Gazette or mailed to the Christmas Cheer Fund, Box 271, Mason City, IA 50402-0271.

Those in need can apply for help from the Cheer Fund at the Globe Gazette, 300 N. Washington Ave., between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Applicants must use the 2016 request form. Applications will close at noon Dec. 22.
HAMPTON | A Hampton woman has been indicted in federal court on charges of methamphetamine dealing.

Lara Pineda, 31, has an initial appearance pending in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa in Cedar Rapids on charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

She is accused of conspiring with others to distribute meth beginning in the spring of 2015, according to court documents.

Pineda was in possession of 50 grams or more of pure meth on Sept. 3 of this year, court documents state.

That's the date she was arrested by the Hampton police after a traffic stop in the 100 block of First Avenue Northwest and charged with felony charges of possession with the intent to deliver methamphetamine and failure to affix a drug tax stamp.

Those Franklin County District Court charges were recently dismissed due to Pineda's federal indictment.

 Mary Pieper
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CLEAR LAKE | A Des Moines man has been given a five-year suspended prison sentence for causing extensive damage to a home in Clear Lake.

Christopher J. Larson, 31, was put on probation Tuesday for three to five years for felony second-degree criminal mischief.

A $750 fine was suspended but he was ordered to pay $1,900 restitution and a $125 surcharge.

Larson was arrested Aug. 30 and charged with first-degree criminal mischief. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree criminal mischief in October.

The damage to the home in the 700 block of South Shore Drive, which was reported on April 28, included wiring, furniture and tires, according to the Clear Lake Police Department.

Damage exceeded $28,000.

Larson was not a resident of the home but stayed there for three days and had access to it, the criminal complaint stated.

-- Mary Pieper
MASON CITY | Boulder Tap House will host a fundraiser next week for the family of a 3-year-old Mason City boy who died in a house fire.

Vicente Gonzalez died Saturday night in his home on 13th Street Northeast. The fire was ruled an accident.

Boulder Tap House plans to give 15 percent of sales on Tuesday, Dec. 20, to Vicente's parents, Darcy Chase and Jesse Gonzalez. Chase is an employee at the restaurant.

"She just went through a huge tragic loss there," said Boulder Tap General Manager Tom Mason. "(We want to) try and help her any way we can as a business."

Donation jars will be available for customers, employees and community members who want to contribute. The jars should be in place starting Friday.

Money from the jars and sale proceeds will be given to the family, Mason said.

The restaurant is located at 2700 Fourth St. S.W., Mason City, and will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

-- Molly Montag
BENGALURU: Initiated in 2014 by the Prime Minister, Make in India is a part of the nation building activities. The project forged to transform India into a global design and manufacturing hub. Initially encouraging small smartphone makers to join the program, now the initiative aims for an Indigenous defence productionmanufacturing the latest fighter jets, aircrafts, combat vehicles and helicopters for the Indian defense forces.

According to the economic times, Make in India focuses on producing around 2,610 infantry combat vehicles (FICVs) for the Army with an estimated cost of 60,000 crore. Additionally, the Defence Ministry also approved the Tata-Airbus project in May last year, wherein, the first 16 C-295 will be manufactured and imported from abroad and the rest 40 will be manufactured in India within eight years.

Another major outbreak for the Make in India project will be the production of 200 Kamov-226T Helicopters. Estimated at 6,680 crore, the first 60 choppers will be tested and made in Russia followed by the rest in India. Not only airbus and choppers, the project has even focused on the construction of six stealth submarines with 60,000 crore as estimate. However, the tender for 75 submarines is yet to be issued and the defence/private shipyard and foreign collaborator are yet to be selected. After the roll out of the contract, it will take another eight years for the submarines to be completed.

Looking into the fighter planes sector, the Defence Ministry approved the second fighter production after launching its indigenous Tejas LCA. Currently standing at 33 squadrons, the requirement for the IAF is about 42 fighter squadrons, each having 16 to 18 jets.

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Schumer.jpg

Sen. Charles Schumer at the FDR Boardwalk in South Beach in February urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to speed up its approval of a planned seawall there. It did. (Staten Island Advance/Rachel Shapiro)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A proposed buried seawall for the East Shore has gotten final approval, graduating from the feasibility phase and entering into the design phase, making progress toward its completion goal of 2021.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers just completed the first of three phases to build the seawall from Fort Wadsworth to Oakwood Beach, and a levee and floodwall in Oakwood Beach to protect Staten Island from future Hurricane Sandy-like storms.

Construction on the $579 million project is slated to begin in spring 2018, with project completion expected in 2021.

The federal, state and city governments are splitting the cost -- about $376 million, $145 million and $58 million, respectively.

Sen. Charles Schumer successfully lobbied the Army Corps to skip a seemingly unnecessary step in approving the project, taking a month or so off the timeline.

Instead of a burdensome chief's report, Schumer convinced the Army Corps to instead use an expedited director's report for its internal review.

He, along with Rep. Daniel Donovan, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Borough President James Oddo announced Tuesday that by skipping that step, the project has moved into the key design phase.

The feasibility phase had considered whether construction was possible, estimated its costs and benefits and completed preliminary engineering work.

Now, during the design phase, engineers and architects will create detailed blueprints and construction plans.

"Staten Islanders can breathe a sigh of relief because the vitally important East Shore seawall project is officially one step closer to becoming a reality," Schumer said. "I am pleased that the Army heeded our call by quickly signing off on this project, ahead of schedule, so that construction can begin as soon as possible."

Donovan said, "This project will be transformative for tens of thousands of Staten Islanders, which is why it has had my constant focus for the 18 months I've served in Congress. The Army Corps, National Park Service, and city and state agencies have worked collaboratively and at a good pace so far - I expect the progress to continue until the last shovel leaves the ground."

State lawmakers have called on the governor's office to include its share of the funding in the 2017 budget, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo will lay out in January.

State Sens. Andrew Lanza and Diane Savino and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis sent Cuomo a letter on Dec. 2, asking for the financial commitment this year.

The governor's office did not respond to a request for comment.

The city budgeted $60 million in FY17 for the project, according to a spokesperson, and de Blasio said, "The Staten Island levee will provide vital protection to the East Shore community -- a community that is on the front lines of climate change, as we saw so clearly during Sandy. This complements the more than $20 billion resiliency plan we're undertaking across the five boroughs to protect our neighborhoods and infrastructure from flooding, sea level rise and other climate risks, helping us create a more resilient, sustainable and equitable New York City."

Oddo has criticized the time it has taken for government to get this project off the ground and said, "The Army Corps seawall project is one of the most important projects for the future of our borough, as demonstrated in tragic detail by the devastation caused by Sandy. That is why Senator Schumer, Congressman Donovan, and I sent our letter to Assistant Secretary [Jo-Ellen] Darcy back in October, urging the expedited approval of the director's report. The federal government must do all in its power to remove each and every bureaucratic obstacle standing in the way of a completed line of protection on the East Shore, which is still dealing with the effects of Sandy. The fact that the Assistant Secretary of the Army agreed with us and issued this approval months ahead of schedule is excellent news."

The story was updated to include the city's match on the FY2017 budget.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An armed robber who entered a Payless on Tuesday afternoon told one of two employees, "don't do anything crazy."

He made off with between $100 and $200 from the store, located at 2955 Veterans Road West in Charleston, according to an NYPD spokesman.

Police gave chase later in the afternoon of a man sought in connection with the robbery, on the Korean War Veteran's Parkway, according to emergency radio transmissions.

The pursuit led to a crash at Arden Avenue and Drumgoole Road, where Captain Kenneth Noonan of the 123rd Precinct was injured, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

Noonan was in the emergency room at Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, still under evaluation and in stable condition, as of Tuesday evening, according to a spokeswoman for the hospital.

A man could be seen being taken into custody on Drumgoole Road East.

According to emergency radio transmissions, he resembled the unidentified man police had tied to two previous afternoon commercial robberies over the past week.

Police have yet to tie the Payless robbery to the other two, or announce possible charges against the man taken into custody as of about 6:15 p.m.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After traveling by barge from Canada, four 100-ton pedestals are being erected at the site of the New York Wheel -- set to become one of the world's tallest at 630 feet above New York Harbor when it opens in 2018.

Construction workers from Skanska at the site of the future 60-story observation wheel will have the pedestals firmly cemented into the ground by the end of this week, said Richard Marin, Wheel CEO, on a tour of the St. George site on Tuesday.

"We are formalizing the finishing of the pedestals. There's a lot of work involved," he said.

The pedestals, which will hold up the 275 foot long legs of the Wheel, are the first physical pieces to reach the construction site via barge from Montreal. Each pedestal is in a different stage of construction.

Opening in 2018, the New York Wheel will be the world's tallest observation wheel at 630 feet and is expected to attract more than three million visitors per year. The $590 million project is part of a $1.2 billion redevelopment of Staten Island's North Shore.

"The pedestals were fabricated with great precision by a company called ADF in Montreal. We brought them by barge through the Erie Canal and down the Hudson. We have 11 feet of concrete, and in the middle of that are embeds that are epoxy coated and are sitting in concrete with all that rebar around it," explained Marin of the pedestal erection process.

"Eighteen feet in diameter (the pedestals), there are 90 bolts coming up. ...This is all being precisely surveyed and lined up. But we got them all set when they came in, but then you have to do a lot of other work. A lot of welding and tightening," he added.

TEMPORARY DOCK

To take delivery of the pedestals and other parts of the Wheel throughout the construction process, a $3 million temporary dock was built by local Staten Island firm, Reicon Group LLC. The construction of the dock is just part of the $26 million that has already been generated for the Staten Island economy through construction and related services.

"At every turn of this project, we've sought to use a combination of best-in-class partners and vendors, and to hire and buy locally wherever possible. To date, we've added millions to the local Staten Island economy through this project; as we get closer to our opening, this number will continue to grow," said Marin.

NEXT STEPS

The Wheel construction will progress with transporting large cranes from Brooklyn Marine Terminal after the pedestals are fully erected.

Also at Brooklyn Marine Terminal are all eight leg pieces, which have been stored there since they arrived from Italy in October.

"Next, the eight legs sections come over one by one (from Brooklyn Marine Terminal)," said Marin.

After the legs are set atop the pedestals, construction will focus on the "A" Frame, hub and spindle of the Wheel.

"The two A frames form the ends of the hub and spindle," said Marin.

TERMINAL BUILDING

Wheel workers, along with public officials and media were among the first people led up the newly-constructed steps of the terminal building to where a green roof will be created.

"When you go up these steps you get a sense that this is pretty special. You can see our million-dollar view from here," said Marin.

Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore) added: "I just want to say how exciting this is. You tell people it's coming and it's going to be exciting, but it isn't until there is something above ground that they can see, that adds to the reality of the project."

PEDESTAL MANUFACTURERS

Representatives of ADF, a structural steal fabricator, took Tuesday's tour to celebrate the Wheel milestone.

"Most of this (the pedestals) has been made out of steel plate," said Marshall Wood, regional sales manager for ADF. "As far as what we like to do, this is the exact type of project we are excellent at. ... We fabricated other things like this, but this is the first type of Wheel we've ever done. We worked in New York for many years, and we worked on the World Trade Center."

WHEEL PARKING GARAGE

Marin said the remainder of the spots in the Wheel parking garage will be compete "very soon." He noted that the plan was to open the full garage and Nicholas Street ramp in December, as well as to offer self-parking.
AX215_1D16_9.JPG

A month before he died on Dec.11, Carl Tavolacci set out to vote in the 2016 presidential election on the eve of his 104th birthday. (Staten Island Advance)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Attorney Carl Tavolacci, "super-centenarian," humanitarian and decorated World War II veteran, has died.

Tavolacci, a Todt Hill resident, died Dec. 11, just a month after he celebrated his 104th birthday Nov. 9.

He was born in Brooklyn in 1912, the year motorized movie cameras replaced hand cranks, Oreos and Hellman's Mayonnaise debuted, and postage stamps sold for 2 cents.

During his lifetime he lived through the administrations of 18 U.S. presidents, two World Wars and other military-conflicts, and endured the economy's ups and downs, including the Great Depression.

Known for his warmth and sweet smile, Tavolacci was a bit of a philanthropist and humanitarian, who contributed his time and talent to a number of organizations through the decades.

And despite his age, he remained a highly-regarded member of Staten Island's legal community.

He moved to Todt Hill from Brooklyn in 1971, with his wife, the former Frances Mangano, whom he wed in 1941.

Mr. Tavolacci was a member of the first graduating class of St. John's University Law School in 1935, when it was located on Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn.

He began practicing law in 1936, and over an 80-year career had distinguished himself as a member of a number of professional associations, and as a lifetime member of the Richmond County Bar Association. He was also a member of the Columbian Lawyers Association and past-president of the Bay Ridge Lawyers Association.

Mr. Tavolacci practiced law in Manhattan at first, taking on criminal cases, many of them pro bono. In later years, he expanded and shifted his practice to his home.

His legal career was interrupted by World War II. Mr. Tavolacci served as a sergeant in the Army from September 1943 to December 1945 and was involved in the D-Day invasion of Normandy. He was honorably discharged in 1946, with multiple medals of honor.

In 1951, Mr. Tavolucci founded the Bath Beach American Legion Post in Brooklyn, and went on to serve as post commander.

KIWANIS AND OTHER HONORS

The following year, in June 1952, Mr. Tavolacci founded the Kiwanis Club of Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge, where he was its sole charter member and past-president.

In 1965, he was elected lieutenant governor of the Metropolitan District of Kiwanis, a position in which he was responsible for overseeing all of the 21 Kiwanis Clubs in Brooklyn, Manhattan and on Staten Island.



He used his legal expertise to incorporate the Kiwanis Club and the Kiwanis Foundation and secured a tax-free status for the foundation under the Internal Revenue Code, all on a pro-bono basis.



Today, the Kiwanis Club raises more than $100,000 each year and distributes funds to various charitable projects.

Mr. Tavolacci was recognized by Kiwanis in June 1980, when he became the only member granted a lifetime membership in the club by Kiwanis International.

A past-president of the Iron Hills Civic Association, Mr. Tavolacci was honored by the organization in 2004.

He was also a life member of the Knights of Columbus.

Mr. Tavolacci was also proud of the Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed upon him in 2008 by the DaVinci Society of Wagner College.

When he wasn't practicing law or busy with civic and charitable obligations, Mr. Tavolacci would often visit Europe and the West Indies with his wife, who died in 2002.

CIVIC DUTY

Mr. Tavolacci took his civic duty seriously, never missing a vote since 1930.

"Every vote is important. If many people decided not to vote then only a few people would elect the person running," Mr. Tavolacci often said.

Of the 2016 presidential election, which occurred on the eve of his 104th, birthday, Mr. Tavolacci confessed he was not too enthused by the candidates at first.

"In the beginning I didn't think we had any outstanding candidates," he told the Advance in a birthday interview.

"However, I think Trump has a lot of experience in some areas and Hillary demonstrated a lot of fortitude as she spoke to the world after the election," he said.

When asked about his recipe for longevity, he said: "Savor every moment to the fullest."

Mr. Tavolacci is survived by two daughters, Teresa Calagna and Carol T. Nobbs; two granddaughters, and two great- granddaughters.

The funeral, which includes a military ceremony, will be private.
Note: Click the accompanying image to scroll through 19 photos of the arrest and crime scenes.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Suspect Carlo Dipadova of Staten Island has been charged by police with three armed robberies of stores in Charleston and New Springville.

Police have recovered a .380 semi-automatic handgun that Dipadova of Rye Avenue in Eltingville is thought to have brandished during his heists.

A spokeswoman for the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information said that Dipadova, 58, has been charged by police with robbery in connection the following crimes:

Payless shoe store at 2955 Veterans Road West in Charleston on Tuesday

New York Man Suits at 2555 Richmond Ave. in New Springville on Monday

GameStop at 2875 Richmond Ave. in New Springville on Wednesday, Dec. 7

Police arrested Dipadova on Tuesday afternoon following the Payless heist after a pursuit on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Parkway ended with a crash in Annadale. With the capture of Dipadova, police brought the robbery spree to a close in less than a week.

Capt. Kenneth Noonan of the 123rd Precinct was injured in the crash, and reportedly was in stable condition as of Tuesday evening, sources said.

A police spokeswoman was unable to provide information about the commanding officer's condition on Wednesday morning.

The suspect netted less than $1,000 for his three capers that all allegedly were committed during the lunch hour at shopping districts bustling with holiday customers.

Dipadova allegedly entered the Payless, located at 2955 Veterans Road West in the South Shore Commons, at about 11:50 a.m. on Tuesday. He pointed a gun at an employee and warned, "Don't do anything crazy," before taking $100 to $200, police said.

Cops gave chase after they spotted Dipadova in a black Audi sedan on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Parkway. The suspect was captured in a collision with police at Arden Avenue and Drumgoole Road East, according to emergency radio transmissions.

Surveillance video of the robbery on Monday shows an unidentified man enter New York Man Suits at about 1:47 p.m. After browsing the racks, he approached the register and stuck a gun to the side of an employee. He demanded everything in the register, then, everything in the employees' pockets.

"The way his hand was shaking, it wasn't good," said the employee, who declined to give his name. "I thought he was strung out. I was afraid he might actually pull the trigger."

The man instructed the employee to kneel behind the counter for 10 minutes as he walked out of the store. Police said the suspect took off with about $200 from the register.

The employee said he called 911 after the man left, but couldn't bring himself to immediately call his wife and teenage daughter.

In the first incident on Dec. 7 at about 11:50 a.m., the man entered the GameStop store located in the Richmond Shopping Center at 2875 Richmond Ave., approached the 22-year-old female employee and displayed a silver firearm while demanding money, police said. The suspect removed $544 from the register.

Police asked for the public's help in identifying the suspect in the GameStop and New York Man Suits heists.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Stapleton ex-convict whose 8-year-old relative allegedly took the defendant's gun to a Brooklyn public school last spring was among 35 purported members of street gangs and crews charged in Brooklyn with narcotics distribution, weapons possession, burglaries, forgery and identity theft, said authorities.

Sean Burgess, 20, was the only Staten Islander named in 15 indictments which stem from a probe started in the fall of last year, officials said.

The investigation focused on alleged gang-related violence, drug sales and other criminal activity in Brooklyn's Brownsville section by associates of the Hoodstarz street gang and affiliated crews such as Folk Nation and the 823 Crips, said authorities.

In one incident, a home-invasion victim was pistol-whipped, authorities said.

Burgess has been indicted on felony weapon-possession charges in connection with a May 27 incident involving the 8-year-old, according to Eric Gonzalez, the acting Brooklyn district attorney.

The boy was caught inside PS 91 in the East Flatbush section with a gun in his backpack, authorities said.

The firearm was loaded, according to published reports in the New York Post.

Later that day, Burgess was heard in a wiretapped phone conversation saying, "Bro, my, my brother got caught up in a jam ... that was my chop," said officials.

"Chop" referred to the gun.

Authorities only identified the boy as Burgess' relative.

Burgess pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday in Brooklyn state Supreme Court.

He is being held in lieu of $250,000 bond or $100,000 cash bail, online state court records show.

His next court date is Feb. 1.

Burgess was previously convicted in an unrelated case in Brooklyn of attempted second-degree robbery and sentenced to two years in prison, according to online records of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

He was released in December 2014.
MANLY | A Manly resident was sentenced last week to 7 years in federal prison for conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine in southeast Iowa.

Tracey McGhghy, 48, was ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release after his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa in Cedar Rapids to one count of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine.

Court documents state he conspired with others from August 2010 to July 2015 to manufacture a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of meth.

The case was investigated by the Cedar County Sheriff's Office with assistance from the Muscatine County Drug Task Force, the Iowa State Patrol, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and the Johnson County Drug Task Force.
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ALGONA  Allen Dean Schultz died Monday, Dec. 12, 2016.

A funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday at St. Cecelia Catholic Church in Algona with Father Edward M. Girres officiating.

Burial will be in Riverview Cemetery, Algona, with a flag folding ceremony conducted.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday at Oakcrest Funeral Services, Algona. There will be a Scripture Prayer Service beginning at 7 p.m.

Oakcrest Funeral Services, Algona.
Attorney-General George Brandis has announced the nation's new Solicitor-General in the wake of a high-profile spat with Justin Gleeson.

Stephen Donaghue's appointment follows Mr Gleeson's resignation from the role of Australia's chief legal adviser because of his "irretrievably broken" relationship with Senator Brandis.

Dr Donaghue's appointment will start January 16 and last five years.

"Dr Donaghue is a distinguished constitutional lawyer and has frequently appeared as senior counsel before the High Court of Australia in constitutional and other public law cases," Senator Brandis said in a statement.
ROCKWELL | Design plans are being developed for a new Sacred Heart Parish Center to replace the one severely damaged in a fire nearly a year ago.

If all goes well, construction of the building should begin in April and be completed in late 2017, according to Brad Shupe, co-chairman of the building project committee along with Gary Weiner and Tim Nuehring.

"Wouldn't it be nice if it were done by Thanksgiving?" Shupe said.

The budget for the building, which will be stick-built but faced with brick, is $2.2 million.

The Archdiocese of Dubuque will contribute $1 million to the project. Insurance will cover the rest.

The old parish center building was constructed in the 1950s as the Sacred Heart Catholic School. The building was used as the parish center after the school closed in the 1970s.

The building, which is located next to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, was severely damaged by fire in January 2016. The parish groundskeeper, who lived in the former nuns' convent attached to the center, was not home when the fire broke out.

The new parish center will be attached to the church rather than being a separate building, Shupe said.

A round stained-glass window depicting Jesus and the Sacred Heart was salvaged after the fire. It will be relocated in the link between the new parish center and the church.

This window was part of the parish's original Catholic school building and then was moved to the new school that later became the parish center.

The new building will be 9,400 square feet, while the former parish center was 14,000 square feet.

However, the new parish center will be much more energy-efficient, Shupe said.

He said the goal for the new parish center was for it to serve as a gathering place not only for Sacred Heart parishioners but the community as a whole and to use it for religious education. That is how the former parish center was used, Shupe noted.

The new building will include "a very spacious and upgraded kitchen," a fellowship hall that seats 200 people, six classrooms for religious education and storage rooms, he said.

An awning will be placed at the north entrance so vehicles can drive underneath and drop people off or pick them up if it is raining.

A parking lot also will be built on the north side of the parish center so more offstreet parking will be available.

Waggoner & Wineinger Architects of Mason City will design the center. A request for construction bids will be sent out in February.

"It's been a lot of work but it's going to be for the good of the parish," Shupe said. "We're very proud of the communication that we have had with our parishioners."
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has been looking particularly hirsute of late - is he on track to be the only bearded leader in Australia at the moment?

Will he be going the full Lonsdale-Street-hipster look and letting his beard grow mid-chest while getting kale stuck in his whiskers? Is he just winding down for the holidays?

Our hirsute chief minister Andrew Barr. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Inquiring minds want to know!

"The election wasn't much of a close shave in the end, so I thought it was a good omen," Barr told us. Boom, boom!
Breana Harris is not only used to being stuck in hospital over Christmas but infection control often leaves her confined to one room for weeks.

This is particularly frustrating when the symptoms of bugs the 11-year-old develops due to her cystic fibrosis disappear after a few days but she must stay in the room to finish her antibiotics course.

Starlight Children's Foundation's annual Christmas Party at the Starlight space at The Centenary Hospital for Women and Children. Breana, Marcus and Marissa Harris with the performers.

Her mother Marissa said Breana experiences the most severe symptoms of CF - a life-shortening chronic illness with an average life span of 37 years for people who live to adulthood.

"She spends a lot of time inside, gets a lot of lung infections, has asthma as well which complicates things. So she's spent quite a while on oxygen," she said.
A Canberra criminal lawyer on trial accused of fraud has suggested the family he allegedly defrauded suffered from "wilful blindness".

Stephen Raymond Stubbs, 63, who is representing himself, has faced trial in the ACT Supreme Court over the last two weeks on 15 charges, accused of dishonestly taking $30,000 from a client's mother and $4000 from Legal Aid ACT.

In his closing submissions to the jury, he said he did not challenge that he accepted money from both Anne Duffy and Legal Aid.

"The issue is, what was the money for?" he asked the jury.

He said much of the work he did for the Duffys was for conferences and advice on other private legal matters not before the courts - matters outside the grant of funding.
As Melbourne seek to resolve the Heritier Lumumba situation by year's end, they are also chasing a sponsor for the back of their jumper.

While automotive group AHG re-committed to the club last month, it did so in a remodelled capacity. AHG's previous three-year deal with the club had been as sole major sponsor, with the organisation's name on both the front and back of Melbourne's jumper.

AHG's new three-year agreement is as co-major sponsor, meaning the AHG logo will appear only on the front. The real estate on the back is still for sale.

Chief executive Peter Jackson said the available space provided a terrific opportunity to join a club that has been on a steady rise for three years. "We were keen to go towards co-major sponsors rather than just the single," Jackson said.
The move take a position and get a slice of the spoils in the carve-up of the Tatts Group is vintage Macquarie Group.

It leads a consortium that has devised a way to trump Tabcorp's existing takeover offer for Tatts by splitting Tatts' business in two, keeping the more attractive lotteries business and attempting to sell the underperforming wagering assets.

There is no risk for the Macquarie-led consortium because the price it pays to Tatts shareholders depends on the price at which it can on-sell the wagering assets.

If Macquarie pulls off this bit of financial engineering it would be a masterful asset play and a handsome generator of fees for the investment bank. But investors wouldn't want to be betting on its success.
The ex-wife of former Billabong boss Matthew Perrin says losing their luxury home was worse than him having an affair.

The couple allegedly made $33 million from their investment in the popular surfwear company in the late 1990s but had lost it all by 2009.

Mr Perrin allegedly used their custom-built Surfers Paradise house as security for $13.5 million in credit from the Commonwealth Bank to fund his failing business investments.

His former wife Nicole Bricknell has accused him of mortgaging the $15 million property on Cronin Island behind her back.
Not all of the surprises were nasty this year, not if you were one of Australia's lucky iron ore billionaires.

Mind you, Fortescue founder, Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest, would tell you that luck had nothing to do with the rapid turnaround in the fortunes of his miner - which just last year was on its death bed, if you believed the whispers from industry insiders.

It has survived in spectacular fashion - and added $5 billion to Forrest's wealth this year as rising iron ore prices, and falling debt levels put the company in an unusually safe financial position after more than its share of near-death experiences.

Not that Forrest would admit to this either.
Travel agency Flight Centre could face a multi-million dollar penalty after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission won a legal appeal against the company accused of attempting to fix the price of international airfares.

The ACCC first hauled Flight Centre to the Federal Court in 2012 claiming the chain had tried to enter into arrangements with Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, and Emirates so that it could ultimately offer cheaper international airfares.

The ACCC won the case, but Flight Centre successfully appealed in the Full Court of the Federal Court in 2015. The ACCC then appealed to the High Court and won the case in a verdict delivered on Wednesday

It was alleged that Flight Centre attempted to enter into arrangements with the three airlines in relation to its "Price Beat Guarantee", which compelled it to beat its competitors' cheaper fares by $1 and offer its customers a $20 voucher.
MASON CITY  City officials are postponing a neighborhood cleanup effort until the weather gets better in the spring.

That's good news for people like Kyle Hall.

Hall, who lives at 1815 S. Hoover Ave., has been trying to comply with a city notice to clean up his property  but there's a lot to clean up, he said.

Hall is one of many Mason City residents who received a nuisance notice from the city. His property is on three lots in an isolated area with a yard with several lawn tractors, scrap metal, lumber, tires and rubbish.

He was cited by a code enforcement officer on Dec. 8 and given two weeks to clean up the property and dispose of the junk.

Failure to do so could result in being cited for a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $100, a jail sentence not to exceed 30 days or a municipal infraction with fines up to $750 a day.

But city officials granted the reprieve until spring on Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier Tuesday, Hall was out in his yard, shoving as much as he could into a storage shed. "I'll probably have to get rid of most of it," he said.

Hall said he is doing his best to try to comply but feels like he is being singled out. He pointed in the direction of a neighbor who also has junk in his yard but has not been cited.

He is not being singled out. In fact, he is one of dozens of residents who received similar notices in the past two weeks  a cleanup effort made more difficult because of the cold, snowy weather.

"This is a police initiative. Neighborhood Services is working with the officers on civil nuisance issues in Mason City," said Pat Otto, Neighborhood Services director, prior to the suspension of the enforcement.

"Its pretty much business as usual for us as we handle nuisance complaints all year round. Most of the complaints concern inoperable motor vehicles, garbage and junk, rubbish and refuse in yards," she said.

Otto said many of the nuisance concerns have been noticed by police officers as they patrol their beats. Others are noted by the code enforcement officer while in a neighborhood.

"We arent issuing citations," Otto said. "Were issuing notices to abate as we normally do. The general length of time given for a cleanup is 10 days except for garbage which needs to be properly bagged and set out for the next garbage pickup day."

Otto said whether or not citations will eventually be issued depends on how the people receiving the notices are doing on their cleanup efforts.

"We are more than willing to work with those who are making headway in getting the violations cleared from their properties," she said.

She said about 70 abatement notices have been issued in the past two weeks.

Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley said, "The background on this is that we started working on this as a result of First Detail patrol officers noticing things on properties that were in violation as they responded to calls for service.

"Their command staff reached out to Neighborhood Services with the idea that our beat officers would work with them to identify issues that were code violations," he said.

"The idea was that wed work together among departments to clean up the violations that would improve the appearance of properties and make Mason City more attractive to visitors."
Sydney has placed fifth in the global rankings of Airbnb users, at a time when more than 18 per cent of all Australian adults hold an account with the homestay network.

Behind only Paris, London, New York and Los Angeles in terms of user numbers, Sydney's Airbnb market has continued to grow, with more than 80 per cent of Sydney listings from homeowners offering their primary dwelling.

New figures released at a media briefing on Tuesday show 80 per cent of Australian residents support the right of people to share their homes.

The positive public sentiment towards the home accommodation platform was echoed in an October report by the Baird government, recommending that home owners should be given the green light to let out spare rooms for cash on "sharing economy" platforms without risking hefty fines from local councils.
Canberra has recorded its largest ever shopping centre sale after a 94-year-old billionaire from Perth bought a half stake in Westfield Woden.

GPT Wholesale Shopping Centre Fund announced on Wednesday it had sold its interest in the shopping centre to Perron Investments for $335 million.

Sold: GPT Wholesale Shopping Centre Fund is selling its 50 per cent stake in Westfield Woden Plaza. Credit:Eddie Misic

Perron Investments is headed by Stan Perron, a Western Australian property investor whose portfolio boasts shopping centres, office blocks and royalties from iron ore.

GPT said the sale represented an 11.7 per cent premium to 30 September 2016 book value. The proceeds will be used to repay debt then potentially fund the future redevelopment of several of the fund's shopping centres.
You may not know this, but the after-hours GP home service set up in 2005 by the Howard government to relieve pressure on emergency departments is under review by the Turnbull government.

In the past financial year, 695,715 NSW patients used the service, and research by Deloitte argues it saves federal, state and territory governments about $724 million a year.

The after-hours home doctor service aims to relieve pressure on hospitals' accident and emergency facilities. Credit:Jay Cronan

Briefing papers present only a small picture for an MP, so I recently joined a weekend shift of the National Home Doctor Service to see first-hand how it helps NSW families.

On an early Sunday morning, I met a female doctor and her driver as they started their way around Sydney on a "normal shift". She has been with the service for two years  and our morning together did often seem like a modern version of the doctor home visits you last saw on 1970s' television. Worried parents were unable to identify the source of their child's pain; and gastro was a common diagnosis, including for a nervous 20-something groom  just hours ahead of taking his vows.
For the most part, we're not like that. We outlaw killing, rather than specific methods of killing. We permit the earning of income, rather than the earning of income from specific activities. Our laws are based on principles rather than prescriptions.

It would be illegal at first, perhaps for years, until the parliament got around to permitting it. This slow-moving land (which we'll call Australia) wouldn't stand a chance against competitors that could move quickly.

Imagine a land in which everything was outlawed, except for the things that were specifically allowed. Things would more-or-less work, until you tried something new.

Illustration John Shakespeare

Google couldn't have grown up here because our copyright laws didn't explicitly permit the copying and indexing of the web. Video cassette recorders couldn't have developed here because our laws didn't explicitly allow home taping. Dr Rebecca Giblin of Monash University says if VCRs had been introduced here first instead of in the US, "rights holders may well have succeeded in suing them out of existence".

In the US, Google and Sony were able to rely on "fair use". The law there allows copying so long as it is fair, taking account of what's copied, the purpose for which it is used and whether or not it harms the market for the original work. It's based on principles rather than specifics, which means it copes with change.

In Australia, it's full of specifics. New activities are presumed to break the law until Parliament gets around to changing it, which can take years. Parliament didn't get around to legalising home taping until 2006, decades after the arrival of the video cassette recorder. You are now allowed to copy music from your CDs to play on another device, but only if you own that device. If your phone is leased on a contract, or your tablet is owned by your employer, your copies infringe copyright. You are allowed to take a photograph or scan of a newspaper, but only if afterwards you read only from the photograph or scan and not from the original paper. If you've complied fully with almost 600 words of dense text and succeed in making a legal copy but then lend it to a friend, that's no dice, even though you would be perfectly entitled to lend the paper to the friend.

The law obsesses about details, but never asks the most important question: is what's proposed fair?
The savage siege of the Syrian city of Aleppo appears to have ended at an appalling cost in lives. Rebel fighters had become encircled inside a few square kilometres in the eastern part of the city along with as many as 50,000 civilians, and forces loyal to dictator Bashar al-Assad have delivered the ominous warning to surrender or die. It remains unclear  and will probably never be known  how many people have been killed in the prolonged fighting. Yet the shift in military fortunes is obvious. A little over a year ago, Assad's regime had teetered towards collapse, but Russian military intervention has dramatically and murderously tilted the war in his favour. It was Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, who announced military action in the city had ended. A graveyard in east Aleppo. Credit:AP Aleppo has been pounded to rubble by Russian warplanes and pro-Assad forces, with alarm raised about persistent reports of atrocities. Senior UN humanitarian official Jan Egeland has rightly warned that Russia is as culpable as the Syrian government in any rights abuses. The passage of urgent assistance to those people in need should be facilitated as quickly as possible. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop called on Wednesday for a brokered peace and demanded a full investigation of any massacres. Ms Bishop also branded the situation in Aleppo "one of the worst humanitarian disasters that we have witnessed in many, many years".

Her choice of the word "witnessed" is perhaps most telling about the sad impotence of the international community when confronted by such conflicts. The world has known full well the horrors approaching as Assad regime forces ground towards Aleppo, and yet has been unwilling to act in a determined effort to halt the carnage. All the promises of "never again" in the wake of bitter past experiences  such as Sarajevo in the 1990s or Darfur more recently  have rung hollow once more. There is no easy answer to the question of how the international community might have better responded to the gathering danger in Aleppo. Syria's civil war is already beset by outside interference, not only from Russia, but by the US, Iran, Turkey and other regional players, as well as terrorist groups such as Islamic State. The call from some quarters, including US President-elect Donald Trump, to deploy even more foreign military force in the search for peace willfully ignores the lessons from places such as Libya, where violence continues despite the imposition in 2011 of a no-fly zone. Yet the obvious difficulty in deciding how to act ought not become an excuse to do nothing. More determined and sustained diplomatic pressure could have been brought to bear on the Assad regime and Russia to allow a truce  and there is still a chance to apply this pressure now. All nations must share the moral responsibility to stop gross human rights abuses and this obligation must be properly understood if that challenge of preventing the next atrocity is finally to be met. Loading
The nation's top judge has said the move towards gender equality in the legal profession has been "too slow" in Australia and questioned whether "thoughtful and courteous" political debate can exist in the age of social media.

High Court Chief Justice Robert French, who retires from the bench on January 29, said the appointment of Justice Susan Kiefel as his successor was "a wonderful thing" but he looked forward to the day when a woman leading the court was "unremarkable".

The Turnbull government made history in November when it announced Justice Kiefel would become the country's first female chief justice.

"I think everybody would agree that the process of equalisation of the role of women in the profession and in the judiciary is slow, and too slow," Chief Justice French said in an interview with Fairfax Media.
Ailan Tran's moment of reckoning came when, one day, she looked around at the European cars in her work car park and realised that her desire for a Mercedes was purposeless.

"I thought, actually, my little Ford Laser is ok," she says from her home in Albany, WA. "The money I had could go to so much of a better use than indulging my ego."

Ailan Tran with baby Mary in Malawi. Credit:Daisy Dumas

As a newcomer to The Hunger Project's leadership immersion program, which asks Australian women to raise $10,000 to fund women's microfinance projects in Africa and the third world, the hotelier's scarcity mindset hit her between the eyes.

"If we are told we don't have enough, it permeates everything. We don't question our decisions about needing things, we are told we need them," says Tran, who at the time was employed by a mining magnate in Perth and earned a six-figure salary.
Ohio Governor John Kasich has vetoed a controversial bill that would have banned abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy, but signed another measure prohibiting the procedure at 20 weeks.

The measure the Republican governor rejected would have barred a woman from obtaining an abortion if a fetal heartbeat could be detected. The legislature passed the measure last week even though it conflicts with Supreme Court decisions upholding the right to abortion at least until the point at which the fetus is viable.

A pro-life advocate holds a sign outside the US Supreme Court before rulings in Washington, DC on June 27. Credit:Andrew Harrer

The bill he signed, banning the procedure at 20 weeks of pregnancy, may too run afoul of these rulings, because viability is generally interpreted to be around 24 weeks.

In a statement, Kasich said he vetoed what has been called the "heartbeat bill" because it was "clearly contrary" to Supreme Court rulings. The state would have been forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars trying unsuccessfully to defend the law and would have provoked lawsuits that would end up rolling back other restrictions enacted by the state, he said.
Say you're out in the city working on that photo essay of yours. You can photograph people in a public area, and it's perfectly legal to do so. Things become complicated when you're in private property, as you may be trespassing and you should leave when asked to do so by the landowner. This also applies to shopping centres, and other privately owned areas. So even areas you may have thought were public, like a busy shopping centre, are actually not public areas. So photographers, beware! What exactly is public space? Public space consists of areas that are not privately owned or occupied, such as public parks and streets. Shopping malls are not public areas, they are owned by large (read potentially litigious) corporations.

You can, however, photograph private spaces from a public space, such as a home or homeowner from the footpath across the street. But you can't take images of the person inside their home, (like through a bedroom window). It would have to be if that homeowner was at their front door, at the gate or walking to their parked car on the street. Photographing people for commercial uses Photographing people for commercial use does require some documentation. This would include for an advertising campaign for example. Usually getting a model release form signed by your subject/subjects covers this. Avoid taking images of people without their permission for commercial purposes; you need someone's authorisation to use their image to sell a product. Listen to police, but know your rights

Well, if police find you to be a public nuisance, then they have every right to ask you to leave the area. Broadly speaking though, you are within your rights to take images. But it's usually wise to listen to police directions and act accordingly  (as a broad rule, even if you're within your rights, listen to the guy/girl with the gun). You've also got to remember that professionals often need to document people for the sake of the public interest (as in covering important newsworthy events and issues). Can I record police? Generally, yes. It helps if you're polite about it (manners are not mandatory, but highly recommended). You have a right to photograph and record interactions with police, as long as you do so in a public space or from a private space with permission from the homeowner.

Authorities recognise this and often have a policy to reflect that reality. One good example is the NSW Police media policy, which reads as follows on page 42: "Members of the public have the right to take photographs of or film Police Officers, and incidents involving Police Officers, which are observable from a public space, or from a privately owned place with the consent of the owner/occupier." So when can police delete or take your images/memory cards off you? Well, only in special circumstances. Read on: "Generally, Police Officers are not authorised to confiscate media tape/footage. Only if the actual taking of photographs or footage constitutes an offence, do Police have the power to arrest the person who committed the offence and the power to seize the tape, photographs and footage as evidence of the crime."

Limited circumstances could include anti-terrorism laws, or where the images relate to offensive conduct. So who can't force me to delete images? Unless you have broken laws in relation to taking your images, no one can legally force you to delete your images. That would include security guards or an angry bloke on the street. If they try to use force to delete your images, they are probably committing assault. It may not be illegal, but Fellow photographers: Be courteous, and avoid confrontations with people you may have photographed. If someone asks you to delete an image you took of them on the street, perhaps just listen to them and delete it. Empathy can go a long way. After all, is it really worth the fuss?
NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli has warned that Australia should not try to emulate the high-pressure student environments of high-performing countries where private tutoring is endemic.

Speaking at a press conference before the First in Course awards from this year's HSC, Mr Piccoli said that the global education results race may not be one Australia wants to win.

"We still have a very high quality education system in Australia, and there are aspects of other high performing countries that we don't want to emulate," he said.

"We don't want the stress of the education climate in places like South Korea and some other countries where they have very stressful circumstances for students. Whilst they outperform us we don't want to replicate every single thing that they do, like having 60% of primary school students having private tutoring."
At the age of 14 Hicham Jansis fled Homs, a city the Syrian civil war has turned to rubble; at 16 Hicham waited in a refugee camp thinking only of water and the food he could not eat.

On Wednesday, two years after he arrived on Australian shores, he came first in his HSC course.

"When they called I thought it was going to be bad," he said. "When they said I came first in Arabic Extension I couldn't believe it, I stopped and said: can you say that again?"

Hicham has good reason to be wary of phone calls. On the morning of his last HSC exam he received another.
An image from Carmel Pickup's endoscopic ultrasound showing a non-cancerous cyst on her pancreas. "I remember saying to my mother 'this is really scary'. I could see the pattern forming and I didn't want to be the next  I didn't want to be part of it," she said. She searched for pancreatic cancer screenings, but was fobbed off. The Bachelorette Australia, Georgia Love with her mother Belinda Love who died of pancreatic cancer in October. Credit:Georgia Love/Instagram "I was told, 'why are you doing this? You're too young'. I was basically a nuisance," she said.

Eventually her doctor referred her to St Vincent's Hospital, where out of sheer desperation two gastroenterologists, Alina Stoita and David Williams, were testing a novel early screening program. Dr Alina Stoita co-developed Australia's first early screening program for pancreatic cancer. The program, a first for Australia, was screening asymptomatic people with a high risk of developing pancreatic cancer in an effort to catch and treat the disease early. "All the time I was telling patients: 'I'm sorry, it's terminal, it's too late, it's too late, it's too late'," Dr Stoita said. Carmel Pickup's father, Noel, before his pancreatic cancer diagnosis and death in 2009.

"We just knew we had to figure out a way of diagnosing people earlier." Pancreatic cancer has one of the poorest survival rates of any cancer, with just 6.8 per cent of sufferers living five years past their diagnosis. "Many people have a survival rate of just three months  it's terrible," Dr Stoita said. The "silent killer" came to national attention in October when The Bachelorette Australia, Georgie Love, publicly disclosed her mother had died of the disease six months after being diagnosed. Yet very little has changed in the way doctors diagnose pancreatic cancer and the survival rate has not improved for 30 years.

Dr Stoita and Dr Williams clung to a sliver of hope for early detection: up to 10 per cent of pancreatic cancers are hereditary. A person with two close relatives with the disease has a 16 per cent chance of developing it themselves. The risk rises to 40 per cent for someone who has three first-degree relatives diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In collaboration with the Garvan Institute's Australian Pancreatic Genome Initiative, the gastroenterologists started screening healthy individuals with two first-degree family members with the disease, or known familial mutations (BRCA2) in addition to a family member with pancreatic cancer, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, familial atypical melanoma, or hereditary pancreatitis. Mrs Pickup became one of those patients. The Central Coast local met a genetic counsellor to comb through her family history, and was referred to a geneticist at Garvan Institute to search for biomarkers linked to pancreatic cancer.

She underwent an endoscopic ultrasound, a minimally invasive procedure involving an ultrasound probe at the end of a thin tube inserted into the gut, allowing gastroenterologists to capture more detailed images of the pancreas, which is nestled just behind the stomach. The image is much clearer than the conventional MRI or CAT scan offered to patients suspected of having pancreatic cancer, Dr Stoita said. There it was  a shadowy blip on Mrs Pickup's ultrasound image showed a cyst on her pancreas. An abnormality that could potentially develop into pancreatic cancer. "It was a shock when they showed me the cysts," Mrs Pickup said. "I used to worry about them constantly, but it's a relief. I know that if it should develop into cancer I have a better chance than most of surviving," she said.

In the five years, the free screening program has been running, Dr Stoita and her colleagues have picked up two cases of pancreatic cancer in its early stages, both of which are operable. Abnormalities on the pancreas have been detected in 30 per cent of the 100 patients who were screened. "This is something that could make a world of difference to people at risk of pancreatic cancer," Dr Stoita said. All 100 patients are being monitored for any changes. Loading
A driver was drunk when he ran a red light and crashed into a pedestrian, killing her on a highway in Sydney's south on Wednesday evening, police say.

Police will allege in court that the 35-year-old driver was nearly four times over the legal blood alcohol limit when his ute crashed into the 22-year-old woman on the Princes Highway at Wolli Creek about 5.50pm.

The woman was flung several metres along the highway and suffered critical injuries.

When NSW Ambulance paramedics arrived, the woman was unconscious in the middle of the highway. They treated her at the scene before taking her to St George Hospital, where she died from her injuries overnight.
As the prison door clanks shut on Eddie Obeid, we conclude our live blog on this historic day in NSW politics.

Of course, the fights are far from over. Obeid's legal team have already foreshadowed an appeal against the 73-year-old's conviction and sentence, arguing there has been a "miscarriage of justice".

Expect every point to be taken. The former Labor minister and his middle son, Moses, will also face a committal hearing next year after both men were charged over a $30 million coal deal exposed in a separate ICAC inquiry.

The hearing will assess the strength of the prosecution's case and determine if the men should stand trial. No doubt the prospect of a second trial is sending chills down the collective spine of the Obeid clain.

That concludes the Herald's live blog. Thanks for reading.
Large businesses in Sydney's north are increasingly concerned about how the state government plans to transport thousands of commuters each day while the Epping to Chatswood rail line is shut for seven months.

Ryde Council and Australia's second-largest telco, Optus, have sought a meeting with Transport Minister Andrew Constance to get "some clear and certain undertakings" about plans to upgrade transport infrastructure at Macquarie Park to cope with the temporary closure of the line between Epping and Chatswood in late 2018.

The closure of the heavy rail line presents a major logistical challenge for those at Macquarie Park  the second largest business precinct in Sydney after the CBD  because it is crucial to helping transport about 40,000 people to and from the area each weekday.

Ryde mayor Bill Pickering said the council and businesses were concerned about the "lack of information and certainty" on when the shutdown of the line would occur.
Good morning.

It's already grey and raining, which makes for a nice change at least. Settle in, though, 'cos it's likely to be this way for the next week or so. It'll be 21 in the city and the west with up to 20 millimetres of rain.

Hicham's story

Thousands of HSC students around the state will be checking their phones every 15 seconds today. But for something different, they'll be slightly nervous as they await the results of their HSC exams (the ATAR, the big one, is Friday).

Some students found out their marks early when awards were handed out for students who'd topped a subject. One story stood out.
About 2000 women will be sleeping rough this Christmas in Brisbane, Queensland's oldest charity says.

The Lady Musgrave Trust has established an emergency "Shelter Her from Homelessness" crowdfunding campaign, which aims to buy another accommodation unit to house and support more young women and their children, with the Story Bridge lit up in purple and gold last month to raise awareness.

One in 85 Australians were helped by specialist homelessness services in the past financial year. Credit:Wolter Peeters

The charity's goal is to raise $50,000 towards the unit, which it aims to buy before June 2017.

The charity pointed to figures from a University of New England PhD study that showed about 2000 women were homeless in Brisbane each night, in launching its campaign.
Foreign Baby Boomers are "kicking the bucket" by trying to tick off their bucket list, according to a Great Barrier Reef tourism boss.

Col McKenzie has made the observation as Queensland's dive industry prepares to meet with the state government following the fourth death in far north waters in less than a month.

A 75-year-old Japanese woman was pulled unconscious from the water at Moore Reef, about 40km from Cairns on Tuesday afternoon.

It followed the deaths of two French tourists aged in their 70s, who were snorkelling, and a British scuba diver, 61, on the reef in November.
Two men have been released from police custody without charge as another man fights for life after a suspected stabbing on the Gold Coast.

Paramedics rushed to Tahiti Avenue in Palm Beach about 8.40pm Wednesday and asked police to attend.

Police are investigating a suspected stabbing on the Gold Coast. Credit:Glenn Hunt

Police said a 38-year-old was found outside with suspected stab wounds to his arm and chest and rushed to the Gold Coast University Hospital, where he remained in a critical condition on Thursday morning.

But a spokeswoman said the actual attack was believed to have occurred about a block away.
The people of Iowa once again showed they are among the most civically-minded in the nation, thanks to their turnout in the 2016 general election. More than 1.58 million Iowans made their voice heard. Iowas 72 percent turnout ranks among the top five states in the country for voter participation.

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to cast a ballot. Increasing voter participation is one of the primary goals of my administration, and while a top five finish is very good, I want Iowa to be No. 1.

On Monday, Dec. 19, the Republican Party of Iowas six electors will come to Des Moines to cast our states official votes for president and vice president of the United States. Similar ceremonies will take place across the country. This action is a necessary step in the official process of selecting our next president.

There has been a lot of talk since Election Day, mainly from people upset with the outcome, that we should abolish the Electoral College and select our president through a popular vote. This line of thinking is contrary to what our Founding Fathers envisioned for the United States and enshrined in our U.S. Constitution.

They did not construct a pure democracy. The U.S. was designed as a representative republic, giving power to the states instead of a bloated, centralized federal government. It was Alexander Hamilton, first U.S. secretary of the Treasury, who advocated most strongly for the Electoral College.

A national popular vote would render Iowa and most other Midwestern states practically meaningless in the presidential election process. Candidates would no longer campaign here. The Iowa Caucuses would become obsolete.

We would never be able to vet the candidates or ask them questions about their stances on the issues most important to us because the entire focus of their campaigns would be on the most populous cities and states in the country, like New York, California and Texas. Attempts from rural voters to make their voices heard would be futile.

The Electoral College requires candidates to appeal to all of America, not just its top population centers.

Iowa feeds the world and we deserve to have our issues discussed on a national level.

We take our civic duty very seriously in Iowa, from the caucuses all the way to the general election. Thank you to the 1,581,371 of you who cast a ballot.
Queensland firefighters were called out to false alarms triggered by automatic alarms 10,000 times over the past year.

The statistics, revealed in a question on notice from the LNP's Trevor Watts, show Queensland Fire and Emergency Services crews attended 10,046 incidents that resulted in a call-out fee in 2015-16.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Service crews have attended almost 10,000 incidents in one year as a result of an unwarranted alarm activation. Credit:Jorge Branco

As a result, the QFES sent out bills totalling $12.03 million for the financial year.

Of the 10,046 incidents attended that resulted in a call-out fee, 9771 were triggered by an "unwarranted alarm activation", or when an automated fire alarm was triggered, despite no genuine emergency.
The foster brother accused of committing incest against allegedly murdered schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer will wait another week to hear if he will be out of jail for Christmas.

The Logan 12-year-old's body wasn't found for a week after she went missing last year, sparking an 11-month police investigation.

Trent Jordan Thorburn, 19, has been behind bars since he was charged in September with incest, perverting the course of justice and perjury in relation to the alleged murder.

His father, Richard Thorburn, allegedly killed Tia in an attempt to cover up his son's sexual involvement with the 12-year-old.
The response was that staff were encouraged to prepare and present indictments as soon as possible, with the time taken due to be monitored. "Indications were that the presentation of indictments in the Childrens Court was, on average, three months after the committal," Mr Shanahan said. In November, 2015, Mr Shanahan wrote to Auscript about delays in providing transcripts of sentence proceedings in the Magistrates Court. Increasing numbers of young people were being dealt with in Queensland's courts, with Indigenous youth grossly overrepresented in detention. In 2015-16, there were 6774 juvenile defendants disposed of in all Queensland courts  an increase of 1.5 per cent on the previous year.

Charges "disposed of" include those that were proven, dismissed or withdrawn. That represented 3742 distinct young people, aged 10 to 17 years old, who had a charge disposed of in a Queensland court  an increase of 0.9 per cent from the previous year. In the past year, 85.4 per cent of juvenile defendants were found guilty or pleaded guilty. Indigenous youth continue to be grossly overrepresented, accounting for 44 per cent of young people with a charge disposed of in a Queensland court, a slight increase from the previous year. There has also been a slight upward rise over the past five years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander juveniles were 10 times more likely as other juveniles to have a charge disposed of in a Queensland court.

And two in every three young people in youth detention on an average day are indigenous, which has increased over the past four years. In 2015-16, 10 per cent of juvenile offenders were responsible for 42 per cent of all proven offences, representing a number of persistent offenders who commit multiple offences. "It is this identifiable group to which attention must be given in attempts to rehabilitate if a significant decrease in offending is to be achieved," Mr Shanahan said. Shadow Attorney-General Ian Walker said the youth justice system was a mess, youth crime was out of control, thugs were running the streets and youth detention centres were in crisis. "The total number of youth offenders increased last year by 1.5 per cent  bucking the trend from the 2014-15 report which showed a decrease of 8.7 per cent under the former LNP government," Mr Walker said.

Mr Walker said the youth justice system had gone backwards and the Palaszczuk government was soft on crime. "The report shows under Labor, detention has decreased by 24.2 per cent, community service has decreased by 10.9 per cent, fines have decreased by 20.3 per cent, but immediate and conditional release has increased by 13.4 per cent." A spokeswoman for the acting Attorney-General Anthony Lynham said youth crime was a complex issue which required a multifaceted approach by a range of stakeholders, including government agencies, non-government organisations and the community. "There has been a small increase in the number of young offenders in Queensland  less than 1 per cent," the spokeswoman said. "It should also be noted that there was a decrease in the number of charges dealt with from the previous year (13 per cent), which is promising."

The spokeswoman said the government had a range of strategies to intervene early with youth offenders, including scrapping the LNP's "failed boot camp program", implementing the Restorative Justice program, reinstating the principle that detention should be imposed as a last resort and increasing the age at which young people could be transferred to an adult prison. "The Palaszczuk government understands that young people need to be held accountable for their behaviour but also need to be given opportunities to transition back into the community effectively through access to education, programs, health services, training, skills and employment." The spokeswoman said the government aimed to address the underlying causes of offending to prevent young people from turning to crime, and to stop them reoffending. She said the government also had several initiatives to decrease the numbers of indigenous young people in the justice system, including establishing the First Nations Action Board, Restorative Justice program and developing strong relationships with elders. The spokeswoman said the government welcomed the annual report, which demonstrated the hard work done by the court in dealing with vulnerable children and young people.
Harley Davidsons are the most complained about motorbikes in Victoria, new data reveals.

Environment Protection Authority Victoria data released on Wednesday, shows motorbikes made up about 12 per cent of the 5000 noisy vehicle notices issues since January, 2014, with Harleys at the top of the list.

Harley Davidsons are the most complained about motorbikes in Victoria, new data reveals.

A total of 465 Harley Davidson owners received an EPA notice that required them to have their bikes noise tested and make any required modifications.

Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki were the other motorbike makes to receive more than 20 notices.
On the same day Sydney woman Sangeeta Guru won more than $90,000 in court after slipping on a grape in a Coles supermarket, a Melbourne man has made a similar claim. Except Rakesh Dhody didn't grapple with a grape. He slipped on not just a banana skin, but the whole banana. Rakesh Dhody injured his finger at Coles Back in April, he says, after visiting his sick wife in hospital, he popped into the Coles at Tarneit in the western suburbs, near his home. The 63-year-old pensioner stood on the banana on the floor, fell, and got his finger jammed in some shelving. "Various Coles staff and eye-witnesses approached me while I was in pain... and helped." He was, he says, in "extreme pain". A nurse from a nearby medical centre was summoned and she got him into see an emergency GP. His finger was fractured.

Now Mr Dhody wants to take Coles to court and to the cleaners for his misfortune. Having started corresponding with the supermarket chain's parent company, Wesfarmers, some months ago, he now wants $50,000 from them - "non-negotiable for the stress, pain, suffering and run-around." Wesfarmers have done an internal investigation at the Tarneit store and while refusing to admit liability have offered, in writing, to pay Mr Dhody "any reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred as a direct result of this incident." A company spokeswoman said it was waiting for him to respond to the offer. Mr Dhody, meanwhile, says he has not responded yet because his expenses have been minimal. As a pensioner he is eligible for cheap medical services and pharmaceuticals. He says he incurred some taxi costs because his injury left him unable to drive. He cares for his sick wife but his injury made it hard to "do day to day tasks such as clean dishes, washing, clean the house etc." He says he suffered "extreme" lack of sleep and went to a hospital hand therapy unit for six months. In Sydney Ms Guru was awarded the $90,130 damages because a NSW District Court judge found that Coles was negligent and failed to address the risk of harm posed by grapes on the floor. Ms Guru slid on the grape and injured her knees and back. Her original claim was for $1m.
Ms A overdosed in a Hungry Jack's toilet in north Richmond. A needle and a spoon were beside her.

That Sunday lunchtime, on May 29, was the end of a decade-long battle with heroin addiction.

Deaths from heroin overdoses in north Richmond have risen sharply. Credit:Eddie Jim

She was a 34-year-old mother.

On Wednesday, her death took on new meaning. It became the subject of a coronial inquest that will again raise a politically sensitive and emotive issue: should a supervised heroin injecting room be funded in the area near Victoria Street to reduce the incidence of fatal overdoses?
Five architectural firms have been given a shot at transforming one of Melbourne's ugliest railway station precincts, in Frankston, via a $63 million overhaul.

A shortlist of designs for a new Frankston station was unveiled on Tuesday by the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, which is hosting a design competition.

Frankston station is ugly and unsafe. Credit:Paul Jeffers

Designs focused on opening up the station area to pedestrians, creating public space for events such as markets, and improving connections to Young Street's shops and to the large Chisholm TAFE campus on the eastern side of the tracks.
Mohammed Ali Malek with crew member Mahmud Bikhit. They were both arrested on suspicion of multiple homicide. Credit:Getty Images The court also made the notable move to consider the surviving migrants victims, instead of suspects, of illegal immigration. This rationale was that the migrants never reached Italy's coast on their own, but rather, were transported by rescuers to the country after the sinking of the boat, Bonomo said. "This was one of the first times they have been considered victims and witnesses, and were not penalised," Bonomo said. Mohammed Ali Malek waits to disembark after the boat capsized off the coast of Libya, killing 700. Credit:AP The shipwreck marked what was then the deadliest month yet in an surge in refugees making the dangerous journey to Europe to escape war, persecution and poverty in West Africa, the Middle East and beyond.

Both the number of migrants making the journey to Italy - and the number who died in the process - grew in the year that followed: In 2016, 176,678 people arrived by sea in Italy, more than in either 2014 or 2015, according to the International Organisation of Migration. The number of known deaths in 2016 resulting from smuggling between Libya and Italy totalled 4244, compared to 2868 last year. Mohammad Ali Malek is taken taken to prison after his sentencing. Credit:AP Through an exchange of letters with BBC News earlier this year, Malek reiterated his innocence, saying he paid the equivalent of $US1600 ($2130) to take the boat to Italy. He drew the BBC a diagram of the shipwreck, claiming the boat had lost balance because of waves created by the King Jacob's propeller. Malek affirmed that he was simply a migrant passenger on the boat and was scapegoated by the other survivors because he is Tunisian, AFP reported. Italian police's mugshot of Mohammad Ali Malek. Credit:AP

"It's the truth. I've always told the truth," Malek said in court before the verdict on Tuesday. Malek, who said he lived in Italy for two and a half years, told the court that as soon as he told police his name, he said he was a passenger. He plans to appeal the verdict, according to Italian news service ANSA. "I have a young son with an Italian woman," he said. "I want to marry her and recognise the baby." The King Jacob's captain, Abdullah Ambrousi, said when he saw the fishing boat sail erratically toward him, he cut the engines to avoid a crash. But the boat full of migrants increased its speed, slamming into the vessel. In their witness accounts, surviving passengers told authorities Malek had been organising the trip with traffickers and smugglers in Libya, Bonomo said. While prosecutors have been able to investigate and identify such organisers in parts of Egypt, they have been unable to investigate further in Libya, due to the political instability there. Bonomo said the prosecutors were "satisfied" with Tuesday's conviction, but that the real challenge will be to find and charge the people involved in Libya.

"Unfortunately without international cooperation," he said, "we are not able to do that." Unlike most criminal trials, not a single family member represented the 700 dead at Tuesday's court sentencing, as the victims came from poor families in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, making them unable to travel to Europe for the trial, James Reynolds reported for BBC News. Many of the victims were from Mali, Gambia, Senegal and Ethiopia. Two of the survivors were young Bangladeshis who took part in the case as civil plaintiffs. The ship's passengers - each had paid between 500 and 1000 Libyan dinars ($465) for the trip - had departed from somewhere near Tripoli on April 16, 2015. For up to 30 days, the migrants had been kept at a farm near the port and were loaded onto trucks before they embarked. In at least one instance, one of the migrants was hit with a club because he wanted to go to the bathroom and did not ask for permission. According to interviews with survivors, many were trapped below decks on the three-tiered vessel, leaving them helpless as the boat capsized.

For months, Italian forensic scientists sorted through decomposed body parts to count the victims. The Italian navy raised the rotting ship - packed with corpses - from the seabed earlier this year, at a cost of 10 million ($14.1 million), AFP reported. The government had promised to provide victims with decent burials as a symbol of respect for the migrants who have died crossing the Mediterranean. Corpses were found packed five to a square yard, with some even squeezed into the bilges, The Times reported. The Italian court totalled the dead at about 700, but the head pathologist has said the death count could be as high as 900. Libya has served as a main departure point for migrants, and has been in a state of turmoil since allied military action helped bring down the regime of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. A joint United Nations report released on Tuesday described the abuses faced by migrants detained in Libya, calling the violations a "human rights crisis affecting tens of thousands of people". "People smuggled or trafficked into Libya face torture, forced labour and sexual exploitation along the route, and many also while held in arbitrary detention," said Martin Kobler, the Secretary General's Special Representative for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya. The report was based on information gathered in Libya and from interviews with migrants who had arrived in Italy from Libya. According to interviews, the places of detention are severely overcrowded, with insufficient food and clean water and no access to toilets. Detainees are often forced to defecate and urinate in their cells, and malnutrition and illness are common.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Credit:AP The office of the Army's Judge Advocate General released a four-page summary of the investigation into Flynn in response to The Post's Freedom of Information Act request for records of any misconduct allegations involving the retired three-star general. The US military opened the investigation into Flynn in 2010 after receiving a complaint from an unnamed Navy intelligence specialist, according to the documents. The intelligence officer charged that Flynn violated rules by "inappropriately" sharing secrets with "various foreign military officers and/or officials in Afghanistan." General Michael Flynn blasted Hillary Clinton for her handling of secrets during the campaign. Credit:AP The documents do not reveal the nature of the information. But former US officials familiar with the case said it centred on slides and other materials containing classified information about CIA operations in Afghanistan.

"It was a general intelligence briefing that included stuff that shouldn't have been on those slides," said a former senior US intelligence official, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity. The disclosures revealed "stuff the intelligence community was doing that had a much higher level of classification." The agency has had an extensive presence in the Afghanistan since the September 11, 2001, attacks. Beyond gathering intelligence on al-Qaida and the Taliban, the CIA has also assembled its own paramilitary networks in the country, paying warlords for cooperation and funding armed groups known as Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams. A second former US official said Flynn failed to secure permission to reveal those secrets. "This was a question of whether or not information was put through proper channels before it was shared," the second official said. The episode marked the second time in a year that Flynn had drawn official complaints for his handling of classified material. Former US officials said that Flynn had disclosed sensitive information to Pakistan in late 2009 or early 2010 about secret US intelligence capabilities being used to monitor the Haqqani network, an insurgent group accused of repeated attacks on US forces in Afghanistan.

Flynn exposed the capabilities during meetings with Pakistani officials in Islamabad. The former US intelligence official said a CIA officer who accompanied Flynn reported the disclosures to CIA headquarters, which then relayed the complaint to the Defence Department. Flynn was verbally reprimanded by the Pentagon's top intelligence official at the time, James R. Clapper Jr. Clapper subsequently became director of national intelligence and endorsed Flynn to become his successor as director of the Defence Intelligence Agency. In 2014, however, Clapper forced Flynn out of that job over concerns with his temperament and management. The newly disclosed Army documents state that the 2010 investigation was ordered by the head of US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Although the records do not say exactly when the case was opened, the commander at the time would have been Marine General James Mattis. Mattis took charge at Central Command's headquarters in Tampa, Florida, in August 2010. One month later, Flynn was ordered back to Washington from Afghanistan. He was assigned to a temporary job at the Pentagon as the special assistant to the Army's chief of intelligence while the investigation unfolded, records show. Mattis was nominated this month by Trump to serve as secretary of defence. In that role, Mattis will work closely with Flynn; the retired generals are expected to be the most influential voices on national security in the Trump administration.

The Army documents that summarise the investigation into Flynn do not specify which countries he was accused of improperly sharing secrets with. In an interview with The Post in August, Flynn said he was scrutinised for giving classified information to British and Australian officials serving in Afghanistan alongside US forces. In that interview, Flynn defended his actions and said he did nothing wrong. "That was substantiated because I actually did it. But I did it with the right permissions when you dig into that investigation. I'm proud of that one. Accuse me of sharing intelligence in combat with our closest allies, please." The Army documents, however, state explicitly that the Central Command investigation determined that Flynn did not have permission to share the particular secrets he divulged. The defence Department's inspector general, which conducted an independent review of the investigation, came to the same conclusion, the documents show. It is routine for the US military to share intelligence in Afghanistan with NATO allies such as Britain, as well as other members of the broader international coalition fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda, including Australia. But there are established mechanisms and guidelines that must be followed. Flynn was highly regarded within the Army for the key role he played in shaping US counterterrorism strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pentagon officials had intended to promote Flynn in 2010 to the rank of lieutenant general and to make him assistant director of national intelligence, a job that would place him in charge of improving ties with foreign intelligence agencies.
Warsaw: When supporters of Poland's governing party met for their monthly gathering last weekend outside the presidential palace to commemorate the 2010 plane crash that killed many of the country's top leaders, they found that a group of protesters had already commandeered their usual spot.

The police quickly cleared them out. But it was a stark demonstration - along with larger duelling protests Tuesday, the 35th anniversary of the imposition of martial law - of the disquiet over the right-wing government's recent moves to restrict public gatherings.

"They are destroying everything I fought for," said Lech Walesa, the former Solidarity leader, in an interview. "Free and democratic Poland is in danger."

Walesa, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and a symbol of Polish independence for many around the world, has thus far steered clear of the anti-government protests. But he does not mince words when discussing his disdain for the current government, whose leaders have also attacked him and tried to play down his role during the Solidarity years.
DENVER, Dec. 13, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Foothills Exploration, Inc. (OTC.QB:FTXP) (the Company or FTXP), an independent oil and gas exploration company engaged in the acquisition and development of oil and gas properties in the Rockies and Gulf Coast, announced today that it has reached total depth of 4,500 feet at the Paw Paw Federal # 1 test well in Big Horn County, Wyoming. Drilling operations commenced on December 1st and as of December 11th, principal field operations for the test well were completed.



The Big Horn County Wyoming test well reached total depth in the Madison Formation and FTXP has successfully logged and acquired valid data to further evaluate project potential. The Companys technical team and consulting geological firm, Geopinion Inc., are meeting with Koch Exploration Company, LLC to evaluate test well results and further interpret 3D seismic to identify favorable potential future locations for possible commercial wells. The test well is to be temporarily abandoned while the parties continue to analyze results during the evaluation stage.

The test well reached total depth in the Madison Formation after drilling an anticipated stratigraphic section and thrust fault. Oil shows were found in the Muddy, Phosphoria, and Madison formations. The Phosphoria is a regionally productive formation and could end up being the secondary zone in sidetrack operations should that type operation be deemed commercially economic. Upon evaluation of the test wells seismic structural position and analysis of modern well log data, the technical team will determine whether a successful sidetrack operation is likely to yield commercial oil reserves from the Tensleep and any other sands with oil shows and if the test well, which is temporarily abandoned, should be considered for re-entry.

The Paw Paw Federal #1 test well supplies us with a new control well providing subsurface structural data and other formation drilling information to move forward with our development of the Paw Paw project. Our technical staff will analyze this data to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subsurface reservoir environment and more importantly the thrust fault structural geometry, commented B.P. Allaire, Chief Executive Officer. No assurance can be given that these precise efforts by our experienced technical team and our further development efforts of the prospect, including further drilling activity in 2017, will yield a commercially successful well.

About the Company

FTXP, through its wholly owned subsidiary Foothills Petroleum, Inc., a Nevada corporation (Foothills), is an early stage, independent oil and gas exploration and development company engaged in the acquisition and development of oil and gas properties in the Rockies and Gulf Coast. Foothills intends to acquire dislocated and underdeveloped oil and gas assets and seeks to maximize those assets to create shareholder value. Foothills maintains its principal executive office in Denver, Colorado.

Forward Looking Statements

All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this release that address activities, events or developments that we expect, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on certain assumptions we made based on management's experience, perception of historical trends and technical analyses, current conditions, capital plans, drilling plans, production expectations, our abilities to raise adequate additional capital to support our acquisition, development and drilling activities, anticipated future developments, and other factors believed to be appropriate and reasonable by management. When used in this release, words such as "will," possible, "potential," "believe," "estimate," "intend," "expect," "may," "should," "anticipate," "could," "plan," "predict," "project," "profile," "model," "strategy," "future" or their negatives or the statements that include these words or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes, are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. In particular, statements, express or implied, concerning our future operating results and returns or our ability to acquire or develop proven or probable reserves, our ability to replace or increase reserves, increase production, or generate income or cash flows are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. While forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by us that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, whether actual results and developments will meet our expectations and predictions depend on a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause our actual results, performance, and financial condition to differ materially from our expectations. As a result no assurance can be given that these assumptions are accurate or that any of these expectations will be achieved (in full or at all) or will prove to have been correct. We are currently a pre-revenue company and our securities are subject to considerable risk. Investors are cautioned to review FTXPs filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of risk and other factors that affect our business. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this news release speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future development or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
Mr Putin, left, and ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson. Credit:AP Coming from Trump, we should be grateful that all of that is intelligible. But it's not very intelligent for the guy who claims he doesn't need a daily intelligence briefing. Americans are entitled to a more considered response from Trump, despite efforts by his transition team to undermine a finding of such grave national importance - in a statement, the team dismissed the CIA as "the same people that said that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction". The planes of US President-elect Donald J. Trump stand at LaGuardia Airport. Credit:Bloomberg He might have provided some detailed, even logical reasons for why the considered view of an intelligence agency on which he'll have to rely for the next four years, at least, should be dismissed so rudely. Instead, Trump batted it away with blather.

What's interesting is that, while Trump is supremely confident in his ability to work deals with Putin, he and members of his team are bent on destroying the credibility of an intelligence agency on which they will need to rely for global strategic assessments that they'll not find on Breitbart News or in The National Enquirer. White House national security adviser Michael Flynn. Credit:Bloomberg Michael Flynn, Trump's appointee as national security adviser, took a Moscow junket last year to speak at a function organised by the Kremlin-funded TV network Russia Today, during which he was seated next to Putin at an anniversary banquet. As national security adviser, Flynn should be capable of discerning fact from fiction and of sober analysis. But this is a man who thinks Islamic law is spreading in the US; that China is a co-conspirator with ISIS against the West; that it's rational to fear Muslims; and that Hillary Clinton and other top Democrats are engaged in a pornography racket. President-elect Donald Trump has repopulated the swamp with a different breed of reptiles. Credit:AP

Sacked before the end of his term as chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency, Flynn became so combative during one of Trump's early intelligence briefings that he has to be asked to restrain himself - and he has long criticised the CIA and some of the other 16 US intelligence agencies as political pawns in the hands of the Obama administration. Two former Trump campaign aides, Paul Manafort and Carter Page, were dropped before election day after reports of their ties to Moscow or its cronies in the former Soviet sphere - Manafort for his lobbying work with pro-Russian oligarchs in Ukraine; Page for meetings with Russian officials that fuelled rumours he was serving as a conduit between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. John Bolton, George W. Bush's appointee as UN ambassador who reportedly is being considered by Trump as a deputy secretary of state, made the incredible claim that perhaps the whole hacking business was a "false flag" operation by the Obama administration - that is to say, that operatives acting on orders from the Obama White House did the hacking in such a way that Russia would be blamed. The danger for Trump is that Tillerson's appointment could become a clear-cut point of battle for Republicans who are antsy over the President-elect's obsession with Russia, but who are not getting traction in their complaining over Trump's contempt for the CIA in his dismissal of the Russian hacking claims. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell stood his ground on Monday, defending the CIA as "filled with selfless patriots, many of whom anonymously risk their lives for the American people".

He told reporters: "The Russians are not our friends." Claiming that Tillerson's Putin connections were "a matter of concern", the Republicans' 2008 presidential candidate and Arizona senator John McCain told Fox News: "Vladimir Putin is a thug, a bully and a murderer, and anyone who describes him as anything else is a liar." But McConnell stopped short of endorsing calls for a special select committee to be appointed to investigate the Russian hacking. Significantly, perhaps, McConnell would not defend Tillerson who, as recently as 2013, received the Order of Friendship medal from Putin. And quite apart from his buddy network, Tillerson is perceived to have a two-tiered conflict of interest. After four decades at ExxonMobil, can he separate the corporation's interests from those of the nation?
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PHILIPSBURG:--- In reference to the announcement on November 21, 2016, in the Today Paper on page six (06) in which the owners of the vehicles were asked to make contact with the Police Department. No communication has been received from the owners and as such the vehicles are scheduled for December 22, 2016, to be destroyed.

Should anyone recognize the vehicles as their own before said the date, they should contact Miss Jessica Christina at the Philipsburg Police station by calling 542-2222 ext 221 in order to claim their property. Please have the necessary documentation for the vehicle on hand as well.

KPSM Press Release
GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), is concerned about illegal trash dumping that has seen in several neighborhoods. This is becoming an eyesore in several communities.

Ministry VROMIs Infrastructure Management Department Head, Claudius Buncamper, has expressed his displeasure with the dumping of illegal garbage at waste bins meant for household disposal activities.

Persons are exercising unacceptable behaviors that are causing a pile up of waste at public areas which set unwanted precedencies, Buncamper stated on Tuesday.

Mr. Buncamper added, Every time these areas are cleaned, another culprit exercises this type of poor example by disposing of their illegal waste in bulk, not even in the bin, but on the ground and surrounding areas. This is unacceptable and our residents have got to set a better example.

The Ministry continues to urge persons to dispose of large waste items such as stoves and couches as well as outdoor debris being large branches etc. at the sanitary landfill.
English French

PRESS RELEASE

14th December 2016

EDF's statement following on Polish Government's decision on EDF Polska

The EDF Group takes notice of the Polish Government's decision received on the 12/12/16 to object to the division of EDF Polska.

This division was part of the asset disposal process of EDF Polska in accordance with CAP 2030 Group strategy. It aimed to separate cogeneration activities (heat and power) of EDF Polska from those related to the generation of the coal-fired plant of Rybnik (power only).

The EDF Group regrets this decision, which precludes it from exercising its legitimate rights as a shareholder, in particular the right to close the ongoing sale processes with EPH and IFM.

Consequently, the EDF Group is examining the reasoning underlying this refusal and, in the meantime, reserves all of its rights."

A key player in energy transition, the EDF Group is an integrated electricity company, active in all areas of the business: generation, transmission, distribution, energy supply and trading, energy services. A global leader in low-carbon energies, the Group has developed a diversified generation mix based on nuclear power, hydropower, new renewable energies and thermal energy. The Group is involved in supplying energy and services to approximately 37.6 million customers, of which 27.8 million in France. The Group generated consolidated sales of 75 billion in 2015, of which 47.2% outside of France. EDF is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.
Kralendijk:--- The Board of financial supervision Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Cft) has advised the Executive Council and the Island Council during its visit to Bonaire on December 12 to pursue a long-term vision of sustainable public finances. "To achieve this governmental stability is important for the purpose of drawing up and implementing multi-year projects as well as for the investment climate," Cft President Age Bakker stated.

During its visit the Board met with the Lieutenant Governor, the Executive Council and the Island Council. The Board also paid a working visit to the Port and Pilotage (Haven & Loodswezen) of Bonaire. Stimulating economic development calls for political calmness; plans that are still in draft form need to be implemented. The Cft requested attention for these issues.

The Cft has also drawn attention to the improvement of the financial management. This is a recurring topic of conversation that requires tenacity on the part of Bonaire. Bonaire has made progress on this issue by hiring external support to screen and tighten existing processes and procedures. The Board appreciates Bonaires ambition to improve its financial management and to work towards an unqualified audit opinion. This requires sustained attention from the government. Given the findings of the auditor on the financial statements 2015, the Board calls for a speedy and proper implementation of the new processes and procedures. This should contribute in making it possible that an unqualified audit opinion can be expected within a realistic timeframe, Age Bakker declared.

Bonaire is counting on a positive result of USD 5.3 million for the period up to the third quarter of 2016. At year-end 2016 a neutral budget balance is still expected. The 2017 budget assumes a balanced budget. The capital expenditure shows a positive balance of USD 0.2 million after repayments and planned investments. As such, the budget meets the legal requirements. The Cft has requested the government to heed the fulfillment of crucial functions. Some of these functions are essential in improving the aforementioned financial management. Furthermore, Bonaire has to update the maintenance plans and include the estimated costs in future budgets. For the 2017 budget a first step is made to include an amount of USD 1.3 million for regular maintenance expenses. Fr the Cft this can be labelled as a good development. In time the full amount of maintenance expenses will have to be included in the budget.

Additionally, the Cft observed that progress has been made with regard to the timely submission of budget-related documents in accordance with the FinBES Act. The 2015 financial statements, the third implementation report of 2016 including the third supplementary budget and the draft 2017 budget have all been submitted on time. The Board praises Bonaire with this advancement.

The Cft has spoken with the Board of the Port and Pilotage. The port activities are vital for the economy. Among others the recent agreement with Port of Amsterdam on the restoration of the harbor was discussed during the visit. The Cft was furthermore informed on developments that are of significance for Bonaire.
Cole Bay:--- Mr. Dino Arrundell of Captain Ds Rib Shack in Simpson Bay brought holiday cheer to the Leonald Connor School on Tuesday 13th, December. The Cycle 1 Year 3A students received a Christmas tree from Arrundell so that they can celebrate the upcoming Christmas season in their class. Children look forward to this festive time of the year and it gives me great pleasure to make such contribution, Arrundell stated. In addition to the tree, the students also received a tree stand, lights and decorations to complete the tree. Thank you Mr. Arrundell for this kind gesture and your continued support towards the whole development of our future leaders, class teacher, Ms. Elisia Lake concluded.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The searches in St. Maarten led by the investigative Judge that have taken place on December 13, 2016, have been completed. Suspect F.C. (56) who was arrested by the Anti-corruption Taskforce (TBO) of the Kingdom Detectives Cooperation Team (RST) at the request of Italian authorities is still in custody. He will appear on Thursday before the Judge of Instruction to review his detention.

Italy will ask for his extradition based on suspicions of tax evasion and money laundering.

The team is now working on confiscating among other things property and three boats belonging to the suspect. The Italian authorities have indicated that properties belonging to the suspect worth up to 215 million euro can be confiscated.

The searches and arrest that have taken place are part of an internationally coordinated action in Italy, Sint Maarten, The Netherlands and French Saint Martin. The suspect R.B. (50) born in The Netherlands has been arrested on French Saint Martin. Furthermore, searches have taken place in Italy and suspects have been arrested. Finally, in Amsterdam, an office building has been searched.

This international cooperation between Italy, St. Maarten, French Saint Martin and the Netherlands fits into the joint, intensive approach to combat cross-border corruption and fraud, also called undermining. Undermining, including corruption and money laundering, poses a serious threat to the security and economy of the countries in the Caribbean part of the Dutch Kingdom. The TBO of the RST, the National Detectives Agencies of Curacao and Sint Maarten and the Prosecutors Office are partners in the fight against undermining.
KSIX Signs Definitive Agreement of $13.1 Million True Wireless

LAS VEGAS, NV  (Marketwired)  12/14/16  KSIX Media Holdings, Inc. (KSIX and/or Company) (OTC PINK: KSIX), a Las Vegas, Nevada-based publicly traded company under the ticker symbol KSIX on the OTC, has signed a definitive agreement effective today with telecommunications company True Wireless, LLC  an Oklahoma Limited Liability Company, and is in the process of completing full acquisition of the company under the definitive agreement. The acquisition, which includes all assets of True Wireless, LLC, will be completed upon FCC approval.

True Wireless is on track for $13.1 million gross revenue in 2016, with $3.1 million in EBITDA. We have been working with KSIX for the past two quarters during which they helped increase our revenues by 49%, stated Brian Cox, CEO of True Wireless. We are very excited about the fast growth potential of the combined companies. KSIX utilized their proprietary online marketing technology to substantially increase revenues, reduce customer acquisition costs, and cultivate new social media marketing avenues.

Were confident in KSIXs potential and very excited about the True Wireless acquisition, stated Carter Matzinger, President and CEO of KSIX Media. True Wireless is an ideal acquisition. Our focus will be to help expand the True Wireless subscriber base in 2017 and become one of the leading Lifeline providers in the country.

Once the acquisition of the assets is complete, KSIX intends to fully integrate the management operations of KSIX and True Wireless. True Wireless will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary, retaining key True Wireless management staff.

KSIX Media Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK: KSIX) is an SEC fully reporting media and Internet company located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Currently, there are three divisions, KSIX, LLC, DigitizeIQ, LLC and Blvd Media Group, LLC. The largest, KSIX, LLC is a digital advertising network utilizing proprietary technology and intellectual properties designed to create new revenue streams and increase measurable audiences for clients. KSIX provides performance-based marketing solutions to drive traffic and sales. KSIX manages offer tracking, reporting, and distribution on the third-party platform.

True Wireless LLC, an Oklahoma company, is an eligible telecommunications carrier providing discounted and subsidized wireless (cell phone) service to those who qualify. We provide government sponsored/supported cell phone service in Texas (TX), Oklahoma (OK), Arkansas (AR), Maryland (MD) and Rhode Island (RI). The service is subsidized under the Lifeline program. Americans who enroll in the program must qualify and maintain compliance.

Investor Contact

OmniVance Advisors

858-381-5740
Alphinat Announces a Profit of $48,012 for Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2016

MONTREAL, QUEBEC  (Marketwired)  12/14/16  Alphinat Inc. (TSX VENTURE: NPA) announces a profit of $48,102 for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016.

Over the course of the year, management pursued its plan established late in fiscal 2015 to turn the company to sustained profitability. We are happy to report that the company has met its 3 prime objectives for fiscal 2016:

Over the year, Alphinat has concentrated most of its commercial efforts on its partnerships and sales in the public sector. We are pleased to see that SmartGuide is now being used by 25 municipalities, by 8 State/Provincial governments and by the governments of 4 countries, including 3 departments/agencies of the Canadian Federal government.

During fiscal year 2016, we have seen heightened interest from existing clients who had purchased OEM licenses of SmartGuide from our partners to upgrade to our enterprise licenses. Indeed, by using SmartGuide for delivery of the public portal component of a specific back-end system, clients clearly saw the flexibility and productivity that SmartGuide delivers to connect to any back-end system to deliver a seamless and personalized end-user experience for great Web and mobile applications.

Recognizing that packaged SaaS offerings of SmartGuide applications for specific verticals can accelerate the rate of client acquisition, Alphinat has finalized a first solution targeting the financial services industry for which the company has delivered to its first client. The company is also enhancing its packaging to offer a SaaS based serviced to the municipal market.

In 2016, the release of version 6 of SmartGuide was met with enthusiasm from our clients and partners. Improvements in usability and additions of native functionality further lower the technical barrier to be able to use SmartGuide while providing Alphinat with a larger addressable market potential.

For the 12-month period ended August 31, 2016, the Company recorded total revenue of $1,522,929 compared to $1,437,821 for the same period in 2015. The net earnings for fiscal 2016 amount to $48,012 or $0.001 per (averaged outstanding) common share compared to a net loss of $(395,592) or $(0.008) per (averaged outstanding) common share in fiscal 2015.

Alphinats financial statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis for the period ending August 31, 2016 can be found on SEDAR, at .

About Alphinat

Alphinat is the creator of SmartGuide, a next generation application development and deployment productivity toolset providing agility to leverage existing IT assets and lower costs for a one-stop delivery tool of Web and mobile enterprise applications from any back-end system.

Alphinat has been appointed by technology company peers to associate member at the Smart Cities Council ().

Alphinat technology is also used in the healthcare, banking, insurance, telecommunications and other sectors, in modernising, automating and rendering cost-effective a number of business processes at a fraction of the cost associated with conventional customized solutions. For more details about Alphinat or its software suite, please visit .

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements in this document, including those which express managements expectations or estimations with regards to the Companys future performance, constitute forward-looking statements as understood by applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are, of necessity, based on a certain number of estimates and hypotheses; while management considers these to be accurate at the time they are expressed, they are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and risks on the commercial, economic and competitive levels. We advise readers that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other known and unknown factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. A number of factors could cause significant differences between actual results and those described in forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, the Companys capacity to increase acceptance of its products on the market, and to penetrate new markets; the potential existence of defects or undetected problems in the Companys products; the Companys ability to manage its growth; the Companys ability to compete with others; potential commitments; maintaining the Companys intellectual property rights and defending against litigation putting those rights in question; the Companys reliance on the knowledge of its key personnel; and the Companys access to sufficient capital to finance its future needs. This is a partial and non-exhaustive list of factors that could bear on any of our forward-looking statements. Investors are advised to not rely unduly on the forward-looking statements. This advisory applies to all forward-looking statements, whether expressed orally or in writing, attributed to Alphinat or to any individual expressing them in the name of the Company. The Company is under no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events, or other circumstances. Risks and uncertainties that bear on the Company are described in greater detail in the Companys Annual Report.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Mr. Philippe Lecoq

Chief Executive Officer

Alphinat Inc.

(514) 398-9799 ext 222
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CARMIEL, Israel, Dec. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE MKT:PLX) (TASE:PLX) (the Company) announced today that the Company received a letter from Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), an arm of the Brazilian Ministry of Health (the Brazilian Ministry), detailing intended purchases by the Brazilian Ministry of alfataliglicerase to treat Gaucher patients in Brazil. The letter requests three shipments of alfataliglicerase; the first shipment to be made in the middle of 2017, and the last at the end of 2017. The Company estimates total revenues from these shipments to be approximately $24 million in aggregate.



To date, we have sold relatively small quantities of alfataliglicerase to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, which has allowed physicians and patients in Brazil to experience firsthand the drugs beneficial efficacy and safety profile, said Mr. Moshe Manor, Protalixs President and Chief Executive Officer. The Brazilian Ministrys request to purchase considerably larger quantities comes on the heels of advanced negotiations with the ministry regarding the potential of alfataliglicerase becoming the preferred enzyme replacement therapy for the approximately 700 Gaucher patients treated in Brazil. The anticipated revenues could reduce our cash consumption rate by as much as a third in 2017; if we were to continue to experience increased demand from the Brazilian Ministry to the extent indicated in the letter, the anticipated revenues would have the potential to reach a breakeven point.

Gaucher disease is a rare lysosomal storage disorder. Alfataliglicerase is a plant cell-expressed form of the glucocerebrosidase enzyme that was approved by the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency in March 2013 for the long-term treatment of adults with Type I Gaucher disease and in November 2016 for the long-term treatment of children four years of age and above with Type I Gaucher disease.

The Company owns all rights to alfataliglicerase in Brazil.

About Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.

Protalix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx(R). Protalixs unique expression system presents a proprietary method for developing recombinant proteins in a cost-effective, industrial-scale manner. Protalixs first product manufactured by ProCellEx, taliglucerase alfa, was approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2012 and, subsequently, by the regulatory authorities of other countries. Protalix has licensed to Pfizer Inc. the worldwide development and commercialization rights for taliglucerase alfa, excluding Brazil, where Protalix retains full rights. Protalixs development pipeline includes the following product candidates: PRX-102, a modified version of the recombinant human alpha-GAL-A protein for the treatment of Fabry disease; OPRX-106, an orally-delivered anti-inflammatory treatment; PRX-110 for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis; and others.

Forward-Looking Statements

To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, all such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The terms expect, anticipate, believe, estimate, plan and intend and other words or phrases of similar import are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future experience and results to differ materially from the statements made. These statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations as to such future outcomes. Drug discovery and development involve a high degree of risk. Factors that might cause material differences include, among others: risks related to the ultimate purchase by Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz of alfataliglicerase pursuant to the stated purchase intentions of the Brazilian Ministry of Health of the stated amounts, if at all; risks related to the successful conclusion of our negotiations with the Brazilian Ministry of Health regarding the purchase of alfataliglicerase generally; risks related to our commercialization efforts for alfataliglicerase in Brazil; risks relating to the compliance by Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz with its purchase obligations and related milestones under our supply and technology transfer agreement; risks related to the amount and sufficiency of our cash and cash equivalents; risks related to the amount of our future operating expenses; failure or delay in the commencement or completion of our preclinical and clinical trials which may be caused by several factors, including: slower than expected rates of patient recruitment; unforeseen safety issues; determination of dosing issues; lack of effectiveness during clinical trials; inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment; inability or unwillingness of medical investigators and institutional review boards to follow our clinical protocols; and lack of sufficient funding to finance clinical trials; the risk that the results of the clinical trials of our product candidates will not support our claims of safety or efficacy, that our product candidates will not have the desired effects or will be associated with undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics; risks relating to our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance our outstanding notes or any other indebtedness; our dependence on performance by third party providers of services and supplies, including without limitation, clinical trial services; delays in our preparation and filing of applications for regulatory approval; delays in the approval or potential rejection of any applications we file with the FDA or other health regulatory authorities, and other risks relating to the review process; the inherent risks and uncertainties in developing drug platforms and products of the type we are developing; the impact of development of competing therapies and/or technologies by other companies and institutions; potential product liability risks, and risks of securing adequate levels of product liability and other necessary insurance coverage; and other factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The statements in this press release are valid only as of the date hereof and we disclaim any obligation to update this information, except as may be required by law.
COLUMBIA, Md., Dec. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EventTracker, a leader in security information and event management (SIEM), today announced the launch of SIEMphonic, a comprehensive managed security service. The SIEMphonic service is based on the award-winning EventTracker platform, which includes SIEM, intrusion detection, vulnerability scanning, threat intelligence, and HoneyNet technology, implemented either on-premises or in the cloud. Experts at the companys new 24x7 intelligent security operations center (iSOC) provide remote administration and analytics. The new offering enables small and medium companies to achieve a level of fully-faceted protection from cyberthreats that was previously only available to large enterprises.



SIEM technology enables real-time analysis of security alerts produced by machines, network devices and applications on the network. However, converting technology capability into actionable results requires security analyst time and expertise, all too rare in mid-market companies. The noise-to-signal ratio is high, and critical alerts can get lost amongst the deluge of data.

It is difficult and expensive to hire and retain an IT security team that has the bandwidth and capability needed to monitor and analyze the alerts and reports produced by SIEM technology. Further complicating this task is that teams must be able to recognize the real threats from the data and know the appropriate remediation steps required to mitigate them. The failure of organizations to achieve the desired outcome of a SIEM system due to the lack of qualified analysts is widespread, leading some industry analysts to name SIEM as the technology most likely to become shelfware.

At the end of the day, expert analysts are essential to effective cybersecurity. There is no magic box that plugs into your network and creates a shield to keep all the bad guys out, said A.N. Ananth, CEO of EventTracker. For years, the security industry was harping on technology and whispering do-it-yourself. Now, we are shifting the conversation. Dont just buy technology. Buy the outcome you wantprotection for your network and IT assets from the modern cyberthreat landscape. Technology alone is about 15 percent of the solution. Expert analysts and robust, disciplined, and documented processesthe core of the services we are offeringare the remaining 85 percent.

SIEMphonic combines SIEM technology, intrusion detection, vulnerability scanning, flow analysis and HoneyNet capabilities with a fully managed security service. The result is a complete solution that finally delivers SME businesses the outcome they are seekingeffective cybersecurity at an attractive price point. Key capabilities include:

24x7 managed security services SIEMphonic complements internal IT resources by deploying, customizing and operating EventTrackers suite of security technologies. This managed detection and response (MDR) service provides continuous monitoring for cyberthreats. The technology collects data from a variety of sourcesplatform, application and network logs, alerts from intrusion detection systems (IDS) and vulnerability scans and EventTrackers experts analyze it all. Threat intelligence from a rich ecosystem of global and community sources are merged along with customized honeypots for local data, to rapidly identify threats and enable investigation and response



SIEMphonic complements internal IT resources by deploying, customizing and operating EventTrackers suite of security technologies. This managed detection and response (MDR) service provides continuous monitoring for cyberthreats. The technology collects data from a variety of sourcesplatform, application and network logs, alerts from intrusion detection systems (IDS) and vulnerability scans and EventTrackers experts analyze it all. Threat intelligence from a rich ecosystem of global and community sources are merged along with customized honeypots for local data, to rapidly identify threats and enable investigation and response EventTracker 8 SIEM platform this already award-winning and industry-leading platform is the core of SIEMphonic, providing network and system administrators with early threat detection, operational awareness and the ability to demonstrate compliance with industry regulations and internal security policies



this already award-winning and industry-leading platform is the core of SIEMphonic, providing network and system administrators with early threat detection, operational awareness and the ability to demonstrate compliance with industry regulations and internal security policies Threat intelligence threat actor, attack and breach information is fed into the EventTracker platform to adapt the scope and focus of security. The integration of global, local and community-based threat intelligence sources transforms the SOC into an intelligent SOC or iSOC. Analysts are empowered to identify the most important and actionable alerts and help customers immediately stomp out potential cyber risks



threat actor, attack and breach information is fed into the EventTracker platform to adapt the scope and focus of security. The integration of global, local and community-based threat intelligence sources transforms the SOC into an intelligent SOC or iSOC. Analysts are empowered to identify the most important and actionable alerts and help customers immediately stomp out potential cyber risks HoneyNet deception technology comprised of multiple virtualized decoys strategically scattered throughout the network to lure bad actors and sniff out attacks, HoneyNet provides the highest value intelligence, identifying suspicious activity specific to the customers own environment to proactively hunt down and stop threats





comprised of multiple virtualized decoys strategically scattered throughout the network to lure bad actors and sniff out attacks, HoneyNet provides the highest value intelligence, identifying suspicious activity specific to the customers own environment to proactively hunt down and stop threats Behavior analysis monitoring traffic and calling out suspicious actions or departures from normal operation help identify new malware and zero-day exploits attempting to wreak havoc on the network

Through its managed services approach, EventTrackers SIEMphonic enables any-sized organization to successfully implement a full suite of cybersecurity technology, including MDR. According to Gartner, Organizations struggle to deploy, manage and use an effective combination of expertise and tools to detect threats, especially targeted advanced threats and insider threats. 1

In the same report, Gartner makes the following suggestions to IT security leaders: Consider managed security service providers (MSSPs) that offer MDR-like services when device management and compliance use cases are required. Data residency requirements may also drive consideration of an MSSP over an MDR service provider. 1

To learn more about SIEMphonic, visit http://www.eventtracker.com/solutions/siemphonic.

Tweet this: .@LogTalk Launches SIEMphonic Managed #Security Service to Give SMEs Enterprise-level #Cyberthreat Protection http://bit.ly/2gCCu9k

Resources

About SIEMphonic

EventTracker YouTube

EventTracker Case Studies

About EventTracker

EventTrackers advanced security solutions protect enterprises and small businesses from data breaches and insider fraud, and streamline regulatory compliance. The companys EventTracker platform comprises SIEM, vulnerability scanning, intrusion detection, behavior analytics, a HoneyNet deception network and other defense in-depth capabilities within a single management platform. The company complements its state-of-the-art technology with 24x7 managed services from its global security operations center (SOC) to ensure its customers achieve desired outcomessafer networks, better endpoint security, earlier detection of intrusion, and relevant and specific threat intelligence. The company serves the retail, hospitality, healthcare, legal, banking and financial services, utilities and government sectors.

EventTracker is a division of Netsurion, a leader in remotely-managed IT security services that protect multi-location businesses information, payment systems and on-premise public and private Wi-Fi networks. www.eventtracker.com. Twitter: @logtalk.

1 Gartner, " Market Guide for Managed Detection and Response Services, Gartner, Toby Bussa, Craig Lawson, Kelly M. Kavanagh, May 10, 2016.
English Danish

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, December 14, 2016 - Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA, OTC: BVNRY) today announced that it has completed enrollment of 400 subjects in a Phase 2 clinical study of MVA-BN RSV, a novel, broad spectrum, vaccine candidate against RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).

The study is evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of different doses of MVA-BN RSV in healthy subjects aged 55 or older. Top-line results from the study are anticipated in mid-2017 and will provide essential information for subsequent, larger efficacy studies.



Paul Chaplin, President & Chief Executive Officer of Bavarian Nordic, said: "We are very pleased to finalize enrollment in this study. Maintaining our pace of development in this highly underserved disease area is a key priority for Bavarian Nordic. We look forward to reporting data from this study, which will not only provide additional proof of concept for our multi-targeted approach, but will also help us to better understand the dosing requirements for patients as we progress to larger studies."

About MVA-BN RSV

MVA-BN RSV represents a new vaccine approach specifically designed to target five different RSV proteins to ensure a broad immune response against both RSV subtypes (A & B). Extensive preclinical studies have shown that MVA-BN RSV induces a balanced immune response comprised of both antibodies and T cells, in a similar fashion to the natural response to an RSV infection. These results were confirmed in a Phase 1 study in healthy adults, reported in May 2016, which showed that MVA-BN RSV significantly boosted antibodies and T cells against both RSV subtypes. The vaccine was well tolerated, with no unexpected or serious adverse reactions. The vast majority of events represented local and systemic reactions typical for vaccines.

About RSV

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants and a significant cause of respiratory illness in older adults, resulting in a high number of hospitalizations. RSV infections are responsible each year for a similar number of deaths as the flu in children up to age 14, as well as in the elderly population. It is estimated that more than 64 million people are infected globally each year, yet unlike the flu, there is no vaccine to prevent RSV, presenting a large unmet medical need and market opportunity.

About Bavarian Nordic

Bavarian Nordic is a fully integrated biotechnology company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of cancer immunotherapies and vaccines for infectious diseases, based on the Company's live virus vaccine platform. Through long-standing collaborations, including a collaboration with the U.S. government, Bavarian Nordic has developed a portfolio of vaccines for infectious diseases, including the non-replicating smallpox vaccine, IMVAMUNE, which is stockpiled for emergency use by the United States and other governments. The vaccine is approved in the European Union (under the trade name IMVANEX) and in Canada. Bavarian Nordic and its partner Janssen are developing an Ebola vaccine regimen, which has been fast-tracked, with the backing of worldwide health authorities, and a vaccine for the prevention and treatment of HPV. Additionally, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, Bavarian Nordic has developed a portfolio of active cancer immunotherapies, including PROSTVAC, which is currently in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. The company has partnered with Bristol-Myers Squibb for the potential commercialization of PROSTVAC. For more information visit www.bavarian-nordic.com or follow us on Twitter @bavariannordic.

Forward-looking statements

This announcement includes forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, future events, performance and/or other information that is not historical information. All such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and any other cautionary statements which may accompany the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances after the date made, except as required by law.

Contacts

Rolf Sass Srensen

Vice President Investor Relations (EU)

Tel: +45 61 77 47 43

Seth Lewis

Vice President Investor Relations (US)

Tel: +1 978 341 5271
By Mata Press Service

Siddharth Choudharys passion for food and the artistic display of his culinary creations propelled him to the top of Vancouvers food scene.

Now something else is cooking in Siddharthas Kitchen, the popular East-Vancouver eatery.

Its called swarnimbharat.com  a concept to digitize democracy in India and dish it out liberally, in his homeland.

I have always been passionate about food and politicsone gives life, the other often dictates how you live, said the restaurateur.

Over the past two years, Choudhary has been quietly building swarnimbharat.com, which is to be Indias first digital political report card, where those elected to office at state and federal levels will be subject to scrutiny, accountability and review by the public.

It will be like Trip Advisor or Yelp for Indian politics, said Choudhary aka Chef Sid who plans to launch swarnimbharat.com early next year in time for two crucial state elections in India.

The task is gargantuan in the worlds largest democracy which has 1.25 billion people or 17.5% of the world's population; is home to 8 major religions and over 4600 castes and where the Federal Government recognizes 22 languages out of about 1,600 mother tongues in use.

Politically that translates into six national parties, 52 state parties and 1,112 registered but unrecognised parties.

On a federal level, swarnimbharat.com aims to give voters easy access to comment, rate and review every one of the contenders and incumbents for the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha or the lower house of Indias bicameral legislature. (Representatives to Indias Upper House - the Rajya Sabha  are elected by the members of State legislative assemblies).

At the State level, swarnimbharat.com, plans to document the performance for those aiming to occupy the 4,215 legislative assembly seats in Indias 29 states and seven union territories.

Once data-input is completed, swarnimbharat.com will have close to 5,000 indexed and easily searchable web pages, in addition to news feeds, video and audio content.

Our objective is to be the most comprehensive data driven, citizen-powered political report card in India, said Choudhary.

At the core of swarnimbharat.com is a tech team and a central editorial team helmed by a former BBC journalist who oversees a group of regional supervisors. The regional supervisors collate and check content from an army of volunteer citizen contributors.

So who is paying for all this digital purification of Indian politics?

For now, Choudhary is financing the project on his own.

As we go along, we will be seeking some assistance from foundations and institutions who are keen on promoting democracy globally, said Choudhary, adding swarnimbharat.com under the Canada-registered not-for-profit enterprise  World Democracy Index - is about 80 percent built.

Our plan is to showcase its engagement and effectiveness in the upcoming Punjab and UP (Uttar Pradesh) state elections.

The people's role in a democracy should not just end at the voting boothswarnimbharat.com will empower the voter with a robust database to keep track of political promises and government policies, said Choudhary, adding because without citizen participation, accountability and transparency there is no democracy.

Stewart Beck, president and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada described Indias democracy as vibrant, open, and remarkably chaotic.

Having a platform like swarnimbharat.com will certainly allow people the opportunity to air their own views and opinions and compare and contrast them with the opinions of others, he said.

From my own perspective, and I served as Canadas High Commissioner to India for four years, if you have 10 Indians in a room you wont find two agreeing on anything  such is the nature of India's passion for dialogue and debate. A platform that actually allows you to collate attitudes and opinions will be refreshing, and very useful, said Beck.

Ujjal Dosanjh, Canada's first Indo-Canadian provincial leader and former Health Minister of Canada, said any project like swarnimbharat.com that makes politics in India more transparent will be more than welcomed.

There is not much transparency and accountability in Indian politics and a significant number of politicians there are corrupt, he said.

This project if it sheds light on those in office and seeking office will be a wonderful addition to the democratic process in India.

Md. Nadimul Haque, Indias upper house Member of Parliament for West Bengal, praised the initiative saying that the swarnimbharat.com portal will empower citizens by creating a pool of knowledge and will make their representatives accountable to them.

Firoj Khan, editor-in-chief of Action Bindas News, an Indian Media Network, congratulated swarnimbharat.com for creating a platform for anyone from the entire country to select, vote, criticize and analyze the performance of his/her political candidate.

Ved Amrita, a Norway-based philanthropist said the common people of India are forced to roam around seeking help from their MLA, MP and local politicians.

But generally all they get is disappointment, he said in a telephone interview.

This platform will be a great help as it's going to create portfolio for each and every politician where people can come and file their complaints, praise and seek help, he said.

I would definitely like to participate in it.

Hamraj Singh, an independent media researcher, said there is no digital platform like swarnimbharat.com in India or for that matter anywhere else in Asia currently.

I am excited about this because it allows people the freedom to vote, not once every five years but exercise their democratic rights any day and any time, based on the performance of their MLA or MP, he said.
Photo caption: Canada's first-past-the-post voting system that elects MPs to the House of Commons is why many immigrants come to Canada, argues Fred Maroun.Credit: Creative Commons

Commentary by Fred Maroun,

Special to The Post

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau promised to replace the first-past-the-post electoral system of Canada during the last federal election campaign a year ago. Now that he is prime minister with a parliamentary majority, there is an expectation from opponents of that electoral system that he will deliver on a promise that he should never have made.

Opponents of the first-past-the-post system advance romantic ideas of better representation of the range of opinions of Canadians to make their case, but romanticism does not make for good policy. Fact is there is already more than adequate representation in Parliament of the diversity of Canadian opinions, and at the same time, groups on the extremes cannot easily dictate to the majority. (Under the current system, the candidate with the most votes is declared elected in every riding.)

In the current debate on electoral reform, the positions taken by the four national parties do not represent any romantic ideas of democracy. They represent nothing but their own best interests.

Party positions

The Green Party and the NDP, who always elect a smaller percentage of Members of Parliament (MPs) than their shares of the vote, want proportional representation (a system under which the number of MPs would mirror a partys popular vote).

The Conservatives, who have benefited from the first-past-the-post system and who know that no other system would work better for them, reject any electoral reform.

The Liberals, who know that they would benefit from preferential balloting since it favours middle-of-the-road parties (it is a system under which a voter ranks all candidates by order of preference), are said to support this system, although they have been careful not to admit it publicly.

If partisan interest is ignored, it is abundantly clear that the current system is not only good enough, but that it is the best possible system.

Just ask any immigrant if they prefer the Canadian system or the system used in their country of origin. Our voting system is why many immigrants come here.

Reflecting popular will

When it is convenient to them, politicians tell us that Canada is the best place in the world. We certainly are one of the best places, and that is because we have a political system that is able to govern Canada efficiently through changing times, while remaining representative of the general will of Canadians.

Proportional representation exists in other countries, and it certainly delivers on the promise to elect politicians that represent diverse opinions. However, it does so at a high price.

Smaller parties with narrow interests often become essential in forming government coalitions and are able to dictate their narrow agendas. This phenomenon is very visible in Israel, a country that uses proportional representation, as Haaretz explains in Ultra-Orthodox Parties Are Back in Power and Israelis Arent Thrilled About It.

The first-past-the-post system does not prevent politicians with minority opinions from being elected, but to be elected, they usually have to work within a party that has broad appeal. For example, the Conservative party includes MPs who wish to ban abortion, even though that is not the policy of the party. Under this system, MPs who hold minority opinions must convince others to support them, which is a good democratic practice. They cannot ram through unpopular changes by being power brokers.

The first-past-the-post system also does not prevent the emergence and the viability of third parties, although it does require them to have broader support than they would need under proportional representation. Five parties are currently represented in the Parliament of Canada, a consistent pattern over the last few decades, including the NDP, the Greens, the Liberals, the Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecois.

Majority government

While it includes minority representation, the fact that the first-past-the-post system usually results in majority governments means that it offers the advantages of political stability and the ability to make tough choices. The Canada-U.S. free trade agreement (later followed by the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA) is now seen by all political parties as beneficial to Canada, but that agreement would not have occurred under proportional representation since the Conservative party was at that time the only party supporting it.

Preferential balloting could be seen as a reasonable compromise, since it would likely maintain the benefits of majority governments while giving voters the feeling that their votes are more influential than under first-past-the-past. However, there would be a diminished diversity of opinions represented in Parliament. Under preferential balloting, centrist views would gain an advantage since this is typically the second choice of people on either side of an issue. Therefore, less mainstream opinions would have a harder time being heard.

Delivering on election promises is typically good politics, but it is not good politics when the promise itself was foolish. Prime Minister Trudeau should do what is best for Canada, not what is best for his party  keep the electoral system as it is because it is the best in the world.

Fred Maroun is a Canadian of Arab origin who lives in Ottawa. He lived in Lebanon until 1984, including during 10 years of civil war. He writes at Gatestone Institute, The Times of Israel, Jerusalem Online, and Jerusalem Post.

This piece was originally appeared in New Canadian Media (newcanadianmedia.ca).

See http://newcanadianmedia.ca/item/39616-don-t-mess-with-a-vote-system-that-works-don-t-mess-with-a-vote-system-that-works
A guide to voter rights in Indiana. What you need to know before you cast a ballot
FORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser: OCTOPUS INVESTMENTS LIMITED (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree Alternative Networks plc (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 13/12/2016 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" NO

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:







Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 3976747 7.99 (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:



TOTAL: 3976747 7.99

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchase/sale



Number of securities Price per unit Ordinary SELL



300 3.3325









(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

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e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit





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(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

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4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"









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Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO

Date of disclosure: 14/12/2016 Contact name: JOHN AVERILL Telephone number: 020 3142 4600

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service and must also be emailed to the Takeover Panel at monitoring@disclosure.org.uk. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glance Technologies Inc. (CSE:GET.CN) (FKT:GJT) announces that it has signed an agreement with a second national Canadian restaurant chain, this one with 29 locations, to offer Glances mobile payment application, Glance Pay, as a payment option for its customers. Glance will begin launching in the B.C. based locations in the weeks ahead. The signing of this agreement expands Glances reach across Western Canada and into Ontario.



Our position as the #1 downloaded restaurant payment app in North America is a result of an innovative user experience, an accomplished management team and a passionate sales force, says Glance COO and President Penny Green, With the signing of two established and successful national restaurant chains, as well as several B.C. based restaurant chains, Glance has established itself as the leader in Western Canada and is now well positioned for quick expansion across Canada.

Since November 1, 2016 Glance Pay has signed up an additional 85 restaurants, including 2 national chains and 24 independently owned restaurants. Now over 130 restaurants have signed agreements to use Glance Pay for mobile payments and rewards.

Glance is also pleased to announce that the Glance Pay user base has expanded by 1,000 users, during the past week, for a user base now exceeding 7,500 active users.

About Glance Technologies Inc.

Glance Technologies owns and operates Glance Pay, a streamlined payment system that allows customers to pay their restaurant bill instantly with their mobile device. Glance Pay aims to revolutionize how smartphone users choose where to dine, settle their restaurant bills, access their payment records and interact with their favourite restaurants. Glance Pay is live and accepted in 52 restaurants in Greater Vancouver, B.C., and according to Apptopia it was the #1 downloaded restaurant payment app in North America based on downloads over the past 30 days. Glance Pay is building a valuable network of restaurants and consumers and is the nexus through which restaurants and customers interact. For more information about Glance, please go to www.glancepay.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as plan, expect, project, intend, believe, anticipate, estimate and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions may or will occur.

Although Glance believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

December 14, 2016: Oslo, Norway, Petroleum Geo-Services ASA ('PGS' or the 'Company') held its Extraordinary General Meeting today at the Company's premises in Oslo.

The Extraordinary General Meeting resolved to approve the private placement, which was fully subscribed on November 23, 2016 raising gross proceeds of approximately NOK 1.9 million (approximately USD 225 million) through a placement of 85,500,00 new shares at a subscription price of NOK 22.50 per share.

The Extraordinary General Meeting also authorized a subsequent offering of up to 13,500,000 new shares at a subscription price of NOK 22.50 per share for gross proceeds of approximately NOK 300 million (approximately USD 35 million).

The minutes from the Extraordinary General Meeting can be downloaded at www.newsweb.no and www.pgs.com
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Uranus tilt essentially has the planet orbiting the Sun on its side, the axis of its spin is nearly pointing at the Sun.

Although planets surround stars in the galaxy, how they form remains a subject of debate. Despite the wealth of worlds in our own solar system, scientists still aren't certain how planets are built. Currently, two theories are duking it out for the role of champion.

The first and most widely accepted, core accretion, works well with the formation of the terrestrial planets but has problems with giant planets such as Uranus. The second, the disk instability method, may account for the creation of giant planets.

"What separates the ice giants from the gas giants is their formation history: during core growth, the former never exceeded [critical mass] in a full gas disk," wrote researchers Renata Frelikh and Ruth Murray-Clay in a research paper.

The core accretion model

Approximately 4.6 billion years ago, the solar system was a cloud of dust and gas known as a solar nebula. Gravity collapsed the material in on itself as it began to spin, forming the sun in the center of the nebula.

With the rise of the sun, the remaining material began to clump together. Small particles drew together, bound by the force of gravity, into larger particles. The solar wind swept away lighter elements, such as hydrogen and helium, from the closer regions, leaving only heavy, rocky materials to create terrestrial worlds. But farther away, the solar winds had less impact on lighter elements, allowing them to coalesce into gas giants such as Uranus. In this way, asteroids, comets, planets, and moons were created.

Unlike most gas giants, Uranus has a core that is rocky rather than gaseous. The core likely formed first, and then gathered up the hydrogen, helium and methane that make up the planet's atmosphere. Heat from the core drives Uranus' temperature and weather, overpowering the heat coming from the distant sun, which is almost 2 billion miles away.

Some exoplanet observations seem to confirm core accretion as the dominant formation process. Stars with more "metals"  a term astronomers use for elements other than hydrogen and helium  in their cores have more giant planets than their metal-poor cousins. According to NASA, core accretion suggests that small, rocky worlds should be more common than the more massive gas giants.

The 2005 discovery of a giant planet with a massive core orbiting the sun-like star HD 149026 is an example of an exoplanet that helped strengthen the case for core accretion.

"This is a confirmation of the core accretion theory for planet formation and evidence that planets of this kind should exist in abundance," said Greg Henry in a press release. Henry, an astronomer at Tennessee State University, Nashville, detected the dimming of the star.

In 2017, the European Space Agency plans to launch the CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS), which will study exoplanets ranging in sizes from super-Earths to Neptune. Studying these distant worlds may help determine how planets in the solar system formed.

"In the core accretion scenario, the core of a planet must reach a critical mass before it is able to accrete gas in a runaway fashion," said the CHEOPS team. "This critical mass depends upon many physical variables, among the most important of which is the rate of planetesimals accretion."

By studying how growing planets accrete material, CHEOPS will provide insight into how worlds grow.

The disk instability model

But the need for a rapid formation for the giant gas planets is one of the problems of core accretion. According to models, the process takes several million years, longer than the light gases were available in the early solar system. At the same time, the core accretion model faces a migration issue, as the baby planets are likely to spiral into the sun in a short amount of time.

"Giant planets form really fast, in a few million years," Kevin Walsh, a researcher at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, told Space.com. "That creates a time limit because the gas disk around the sun only lasts 4 to 5 million years."

According to a relatively new theory, disk instability, clumps of dust and gas are bound together early in the life of the solar system. Over time, these clumps slowly compact into a giant planet. These planets can form faster than their core accretion rivals, sometimes in as little as a thousand years, allowing them to trap the rapidly-vanishing lighter gases. They also quickly reach an orbit-stabilizing mass that keeps them from death-marching into the sun.

As scientists continue to study planets inside of the solar system, as well as around other stars, they will better understand how Uranus and its siblings formed.

Pebble accretion

The biggest challenge to core accretion is time  building massive gas giants fast enough to grab the lighter components of their atmosphere. Recent research on how smaller, pebble-sized objects fused together to build giant planets up to 1000 times faster than earlier studies.

"This is the first model that we know about that you start out with a pretty simple structure for the solar nebula from which planets form, and end up with the giant-planet system that we see," study lead author Harold Levison, an astronomer at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Colorado, told Space.com in 2015.

In 2012, researchers Michiel Lambrechts and Anders Johansen from Lund University in Sweden proposed that tiny pebbles, once written off, held the key to rapidly building giant planets.

"They showed that the leftover pebbles from this formation process, which previously were thought to be unimportant, could actually be a huge solution to the planet-forming problem," Levison said.

Levison and his team built on that research to model more precisely how the tiny pebbles could form planets seen in the galaxy today. While previous simulations, both large and medium-sized objects consumed their pebble-sized cousins at a relatively constant rate, Levison's simulations suggest that the larger objects acted more like bullies, snatching away pebbles from the mid-sized masses to grow at a far faster rate.

"The larger objects now tend to scatter the smaller ones more than the smaller ones scatter them back, so the smaller ones end up getting scattered out of the pebble disk," study co-author Katherine Kretke, also from SwRI, told Space.com. "The bigger guy basically bullies the smaller one so they can eat all the pebbles themselves, and they can continue to grow up to form the cores of the giant planets."

Pebble accretion is more likely to work for the giant planets than the terrestrial worlds. According to Sean Raymond, of France's University of Bordeaux, that's because the "pebbles" are a little larger and much easier to hold onto past the snow line, the imaginary line where gas is cold enough to become ice.

"For pebbles, it's definitely a little better to be just past the snow line," Raymond told Space.com.

While pebble accretion works well for the gas giants, there are some challenges for the ice giants. That's because the millimeter- to centimeter-sized particles accrete extremely efficiently.

"They accrete so quickly that it is difficult for ice giant cores to exist at roughly their current core masses for a significant fraction of the disk lifetime while accreting a gas envelope," Frelikh and Murray-Clay wrote.

"To avoid runaway, they must therefore complete their growth at a specific time, when the gas disk is partially, but not entirely, depleted."

The pair proposed that the majority of gas accretion onto the cores of Uranus and Neptune coincided with their movement away from the sun. But what could make them change their home in the solar system?

A Nice model

Originally, scientists thought that planets formed in the same part of the solar system they live in today. The discovery of exoplanets shook things up, revealing that at least some of the most massive objects could migrate.

In 2005, a trio of papers published in the journal Nature (opens in new tab) proposed that Uranus and the other giant planets were bound in near-circular orbits much more compact than they are today. A large disk of rocks and ices surrounded them, stretching out to about 35 times the Earth-sun distance, just beyond Neptune's present orbit. They called this the Nice model, after the city in France where they first discussed it. (That's pronounced Neese.)

As the planets interacted with the smaller bodies, they scattered most of them toward the sun. The process caused them to trade energy with the objects, sending the Saturn, Neptune and Uranus farther out into the solar system. Eventually the small objects reached Jupiter, which sent them flying to the edge of the solar system or completely out of it.

Movement between Jupiter and Saturn drove Uranus and Neptune into even more eccentric orbits, sending the pair through the remaining disk of ices. Some of the material was flung inward, where it crashed into the terrestrial planets during the Late Heavy Bombardment. Other material was hurled outward, creating the Kuiper Belt.

As they moved slowly outward, Neptune and Uranus traded places. Eventually, interactions with the remaining debris caused the pair to settle into more circular paths as they reached their current distance from the sun.

Along the way, it's possible that one or even two other giant planets were kicked out of the system. Astronomer David Nesvorny of the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado has modeled the early solar system in search of clues that could lead to understanding its early history.

"In the early days, the solar system was very different, with many more planets, perhaps as massive as Neptune, forming and being scattered to different places," Nesvorny told Space.com.

A dangerous youth

The early solar system was a time of violent collisions, and Uranus was not exempt. While the surface of the moon and Mercury both show evidence of bombardment by smaller rocks and asteroids, Uranus apparently suffered a significant collision with an Earth-size protoplanet. As a result, Uranus is tipped on its side, with one pole pointing toward the sun for half the year.

Uranus is the largest of the ice giants, perhaps in part because it lost some of its mass during the impact.

Follow Nola Taylor Redd on Twitter @NolaTRedd Facebook or Google+. Follow us at @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+.
SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kuali has been named the Top Small Business Workplace for 2016. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, "the company's objective to create a workplace focused on encouraging employees to seek the best in one another and themselves earned Kuali the designation as best small company to work for in Utah."

"We measure success at Kuali in two ways: employee happiness and customer happiness," said Joel Dehlin, Kuali CEO. "Our team enjoys working here because we dare to be different."

Kuali's commitment to encouraging workers to innovate and take chances earned the company the special "New Ideas" award among all companies in the survey.

"It is difficult to challenge the big, legacy technology companies in this market. We've attracted some truly amazing people to work toward our mission of helping institutions spend less on administration and more on teaching and research. It's a pretty special place. And we always want to improve."

The Salt Lake Tribune's Top Workplaces awards are based solely on the results of an employee feedback survey administered by WorkplaceDynamics, LLC, a leading research firm that specializes in organizational health and workplace improvement. Several aspects of workplace culture were measured, including alignment, execution, and connection.

"Our research has proven that what's most important to employees is a strong belief in where the organization is headed, how it's going to get there, and the feeling that everyone is in it together," says Doug Claffey, CEO of WorkplaceDynamics. "Without this sense of connection, an organization doesn't have a shot at being named a Top Workplace."

About Kuali

Kuali delivers administrative software built specifically for higher education to more than 160 institutions using modern, cloud-based technologies. Thoughtfully-designed software streamlines processes to significantly reduce costs for student services, financials, research, and continuity planning.
The highest concentration of boron measured on Mars, as of late 2016, is in this mineral vein, called "Catabola," which NASA's Curiosity rover examined with its ChemCam instrument Aug, 25, 2016.

SAN FRANCISCO  Parts of Mars were capable of supporting life as we know it for lengthy stretches in the ancient past  perhaps hundreds of millions of years at a time, new observations by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity suggest.

Since it landed inside the Red Planet's Gale Crater in August 2012, Curiosity has studied a number of different rocks over an elevational range of about 650 feet (200 meters), which represents a time span of tens of millions to hundreds of millions of years.

The rovers' analyses indicate that the environment within Gale Crater changed considerably during this period, but never in a way that would preclude life from forming or surviving, mission scientists said today (Dec. 13) during a news conference here at the annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). [The Life on Mars Search: Photo Time Line]

The highest concentration of boron measured on Mars, as of late 2016, is in this mineral vein, called "Catabola," which NASA's Curiosity rover examined with its ChemCam instrument Aug, 25, 2016. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/LANL/CNES/IRAP/LPGNantes)

"For that entire history [of Mars], it seems to have been favorable" for life, said Curiosity science team member (and former project scientist) John Grotzinger, a geologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Curiosity's observations  made by drilling into rocks, then studying the resulting samples  had already allowed scientists to determine that Gale Crater harbored a potentially habitable lake-and-stream system billions of years ago. (Like the rest of Mars, the area is dry today, at least on the surface.)

The new results paint a more detailed picture of that environment and how it changed over time. The results incorporate additional analyses that Curiosity has performed as it climbs the foothills of Mount Sharp, which rises 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers) into the sky from Gale Crater's center.

The initial observations, made by Curiosity at lower elevations, suggest that the lake was first composed of fresh, neutral-pH water. That water got a bit more acidic over time, and then a bit saltier. The lake system probably dried up at times and then filled back in again, as the groundwater level rose, Grotzinger said.

But, despite all these changes, the area remained hospitable to microbial life, he added. (Simple organisms could have persisted in groundwater even during the lake system's "dry" stages.)

"This is all very good for habitability over long periods of time," Grotzinger said.

Furthermore, Curiosity's analyses show a complexity of minerals at the rover's various drill sites, from clays and magnetite lower down to hematite higher up. The six-wheeled robot also detected boron in Gale Crater, marking the first time this element has been discovered on Mars.

Again, this is all good news for ancient Mars' habitability, mission team members said.

This pair of drawings depicts the same location at Mars' Gale Crater at two points in time: now and billions of years ago. Water moving beneath the ground, as well as water above the surface in ancient rivers and lakes, provided favorable conditions for microbial life, if Mars has ever hosted life. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/LANL/CNES/IRAP/LPGNantes)

"Variations in these minerals and elements indicate a dynamic system," Grotzinger said in a statement. "They interact with groundwater as well as surface water. The water influences the chemistry of the clays, but the composition of the water also changes. We are seeing chemical complexity indicating a long, interactive history with the water. The more complicated the chemistry is, the better it is for habitability. The boron, hematite and clay minerals underline the mobility of elements and electrons, and that is good for life."

Some samples also showed abundances of silica, which here on Earth is great at preserving ancient microbes, Grotzinger said. This find, of course, does not suggest that organisms have ever survived on Mars, but it could aid the planning of future life-hunting missions such as NASA's 2020 Mars rover, Grotzinger said.

"I think this is a tremendously exciting discovery," he said.

Curiosity will continue climbing up Mount Sharp's lower reaches, further fleshing out scientists' understanding of the ancient Martian environment and how it changed over time. The rover is in good health, though a problem with Curiosity's drill that cropped up earlier this month persists, mission team members said today.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
Doug Cooke, former associate administrator of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, has the backing of a handful of former astronauts to serve as NASA administrator in the Trump administration.

President-elect Trump's choice for attorney general is also weighing in on space policy.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) has reportedly "heavily influenced" the makeup of the NASA transition team, seeking to secure support for existing NASA exploration programs like the Space Launch System, being developed in Sessions' home state.

In addition, three former astronauts wrote a letter to Sessions, seeking his endorsement of former NASA official Doug Cooke to be the agency's next administrator. [Wall Street Journal]

More News

NASA has postponed a Cygnus launch scheduled for this morning because of a software issue. The agency said late Tuesday night that the launch of eight CYGNSS hurricane forecasting satellite on a Pegasus XL rocket was being delayed because of "an issue with flight parameter data" used by the spacecraft's software. A new launch date will be announced after the issue is fixed. Launch controllers scrubbed a Monday launch attempt because of a problem with a hydraulic pump on the L-1011 aircraft that serves as the Pegasus launch platform. That problem has since been corrected. [NASA]

The future of military satellite communications will involve more international and commercial partnerships, a Pentagon official said Tuesday. Winston Beauchamp, the U.S. Air Force deputy undersecretary for space, said greater use of commercial services, as well as interoperability built into ground equipment, will make it harder for future adversaries to attempt to disrupt communications. The Air Force has been taking steps towards greater use of commercial capabilities through a series of "Pathfinder" programs, but they have encountered some legal obstacles. [SpaceNews]

NASA is still working to resolve an issue with the drill on the Curiosity Mars rover. Spacecraft controllers first noticed the problem with the drill about a week ago and thought they had resolved it, but the problem has reappeared, preventing the drill from operating. The rover has remained stationary since the problem was discovered while engineers work on a solution. [Reuters]

Curiosity, though, continues to make discoveries about the potential past habitability of Mars. Scientists said Tuesday they have have discovered boron in rocks there for the first time, an element that serves as evidence of past complex chemical activity in the region that was, early in the planet's history, likely a lakebed. Those findings are further evidence that early Mars may have been able to support life. [Ars Technica]

A proposed NASA mission to collide a spacecraft with a small asteroid remains on track despite Europes decision not to fund a companion mission. Scientists involved with the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, a NASA-funded concept in the middle of a Phase A study, said this week that their work is not affected by ESA's decision at this months ministerial meeting to not fund the Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM). DART would collide with a moonlet of a near Earth asteroid, Didymos, with the collision being observed by AIM. While ESA works to try and restore AIM, those involved with DART said their work is continuing, and that DART can still fly even if AIM does not. [SpaceNews]

Boeing is moving the headquarters of its Defense, Space and Security business unit to Washington. The company said Tuesday about a dozen executives, including the division's chief executive, Leanne Caret, will move from St. Louis to the Washington area by early next month. About 50 additional support staff positions will also move to Washington over the next two years. The move was in the works for several months, the company said, and not linked to the election of President-elect Trump. [Washington Business Journal]

As Turkey seeks to expand its satellite fleet, the country is struggling to establish a civil space agency. The Space Agency of Turkey is intended to be a civilian space agency modeled after those in many other nations, but legislation establishing it has stalled because of disputes about how the military and civilian government will share responsibilities. The country's newest satellite, the Gokturk-1 imaging satellite, launched last week, and the country has plans for additional communications and Earth observation satellites. Turkey, though, is also facing workforce issues, exacerbated by July's coup attempt and subsequent dismissal of many Air Force officers, including some with space experience. [Spacewatch Middle East]

Chinese volunteers have completed a six-month stint in a simulated spacecraft. The group spent 180 days in a "sealed space capsule" to test life support technologies and other techniques for long-duration spaceflight. Both Chinese and foreign institutions were involved in the test, including Harvard University and the German Aerospace Center. [CCTV]

Declassified spysat images from the Cold War era are helping scientists monitor changes in the Himalayas. Earth scientists used images collected by the now-declassified HEXAGON program in the 1970s and 1980s to study the retreat of glaciers in the Himalayas, comparing those images with more recent images by Earth science missions. Access to those historical images, scientists said, has allowed them to better quantify the rate at which the glaciers are melting. [BBC]

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
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MELVILLE, N.Y., Dec. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nikon Instruments Inc. today unveiled the winners of the sixth annual Nikon Small World in Motion Photomicrography Competition, awarding First Place to William Gilpin of Stanford University for his video depicting an eight-week-old starfish larva churning the water around its body as it searches for food. Gilpin and his colleagues studied the starfish larva as a model system for how physics shapes evolution, and were surprised and intrigued that a common organism like a starfish could create such an intricate and unexpected pattern in the water.



A video accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/58b5be6b-4acd-414b-b6f0-ab24830f2630

These complex currents are not only aesthetically pleasing  they depict a phenomenon that was previously unknown, and illustrate how starfish larvae have evolved intricate appendages to create these beautiful and physically taxing flow patterns. The elegant vortices of water efficiently pull particles towards the animal's body, but it comes at a price: reducing the larva's ability to swim to escape predators while also broadcasting its current location.

This microscopic larva, although only less than a millimeter in length, could have big implications. The cilia in the starfish larva that make these vortices possible are universal and present in most other organisms, including humans. While starfish are the among the first animals that have evolved to control the environment around them in this manner, science proves that adaptations are likely mimicked by other more-complex animals later, said Gilpin. Biology aside, this process can also be the foundation for industrial purposes for something like advancements in water filters for precise manipulation of water.

To create the video, Gilpin and his team used dark field microscopy to film the paths of small plastic beads that were directed by the flow currents around the starfish, similar to how photographers capture time-lapse videos of star trails in the night sky. They then stacked images in contiguous groups to make a time-resolved long-exposure video to showcase the movement.

To capture and share movement  and life - seen under the microscope is a relatively new phenomenon, powered by advances in video capabilities in recent years. This is only the sixth year of the In Motion category, led by scientists and artists like Gilpin pulling back the curtain on a dimension of life previously unseen to all but a select few.

The beauty of this time-lapse video and the science behind it epitomizes how video is not only essential to scientific researchers, but to inspire future scientists to explore life around them, said Eric Flem, Communications Manager, Nikon Instruments. It is one thing to see a still image captured under the microscope, but to see this life in motion truly puts the intricacy and beauty of the world into perspective.

Another feeding frenzy took second place in the 2016 Nikon Small World in Motion competition. The video by Small World veteran Charles Krebs of Issaquah, Washington, depicts the hunting technique of the predatory ciliate, Lacrymaria olor. The organism rapidly extends its neck, which can stretch more than seven times its body length in any direction, to capture its microscopic prey.

This years third place video, by Wim van Egmond of Berkel en Rodenrijs, Netherlands, reveals the unexpected beauty of the fungus Aspergillus niger, a common food contaminant, through a time-lapse of its flowering bodies. Each frame is a combination of about 100 images. This particular strain is a mutation that results in sporangia of different colors. Even the individual spores are clear in this highly-detailed video.

In addition to First, Second and Third prize winners, Nikon Small World in Motion recognized an additional 17 entries as Honorable Mentions.

Gilpin and his team hope their video will inspire others to explore and discover the hidden world. It gives us a chance to share and explain scientific discoveries that we hope will appeal to many other scientists, as well as the public at large, said Gilpin. For us, it's incredible and exciting that something as widely-known as a starfish can exhibit an unexpected and beautiful behavior, and we hope to share our excitement with others.

The 2016 judging panel includes:

Dr. Joe Hanson: Biologist, science writer, and the creator and host of PBS Digital Studios science education show Its Okay To Be Smart.



Biologist, science writer, and the creator and host of PBS Digital Studios science education show Its Okay To Be Smart. Rachel Link: Producer for National Geographic curating content for the publications Short Film Showcase.



Producer for National Geographic curating content for the publications Short Film Showcase. Dr. Brian J. Mitchell : Associate Professor in Cell and Molecular Biology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.



: Associate Professor in Cell and Molecular Biology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Dr. Clare Waterman : National Institute of Health (NIH) Distinguished Investigator at the Laboratory of Cell and Tissue Morphodynamics.



: National Institute of Health (NIH) Distinguished Investigator at the Laboratory of Cell and Tissue Morphodynamics. Eric Clark (Moderator): Research Coordinator and Applications Developer at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University.



For additional information, please visit www.nikonsmallworld.com, or follow the conversation on Facebook, Twitter @NikonSmallWorld and Instagram @NikonInstruments.

NIKON SMALL WORLD IN MOTION WINNERS

First Place

William Gilpin, Vivek N. Prakash, and Manu Prakash

Stanford University

Stanford, California, USA

An eight-week-old starfish larva creates vortices in order to capture its main food source, swimming algae

Dark Field

4x

Second Place

Charles Krebs

Charles Krebs Photography

Issaquah, Washington, USA

The predatory ciliate (Lacrymaria olor)

Differential Interference Contrast

200x/400x

Third Place

Wim van Egmond

Micropolitan Museum

Berkel en Rodenrijs, Netherlands

The fungus Aspergillus niger growing fruiting bodies

Stacking/Time-lapse

10x

HONORABLE MENTION

Honorable Mention

Dr. Scott Chimileski

Harvard Medical School

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Hundreds of harmless cheese mites (Tyrophagus casei) bustle across a rind of cheddar cheese

Stereomicroscopy

5x

Honorable Mention

Frank Fox

Konz, Germnay

Rotifer (Collotheca spec.) with tentacles

Dark Field

80x

Honorable Mention

Dr. Liang Gao

Stony Brook University, Department of Chemistry

Stony Brook, New York, USA

The developmental process of an early stage C. elegans embryo with individual cells rendered in different colors

Tiling Light Sheet Selective Plane Illumination

45x

Honorable Mention

Ralph Grimm

Queensland, Australia

Blood circulation in the tail of a cane toad tadpole (Bufo Marinus)

Differential Interference Contrast

100x/200x

Honorable Mention

Ralph Grimm

Queensland, Australia

Aquatic (freshwater) tubeworm

Differential Interference Contrast

100x

Honorable Mention

Gerd Gunther

Dusseldorf, Germany

Living alga cells of Haematococcus found in a bird bath

Dark Field Illumination/Differential Interference Contrast

100x-400x

Honorable Mention

Dr. Elliott Hagedorn and Brian Li

Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

A fluorescent dextran dye is injected into circulation, which subsequently illuminates the common blood flow between the parabiotic zebrafish embryos.

Stereoscope, Epifluorescence

Honorable Mention

Peter Juzak

Sony Fotoclub Hannover

Wennigsen, Lower Saxony, Germany

Paracetamol crystal growth

Polarized Light

120x

Honorable Mention

Dr. Philipp Keller and Raghav K. Chhetri

Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Ashburn, Virginia, USA

Spatially isotropic whole-animal functional imaging of a behaving Drosophila larva labeled with a calcium indicator

Custom-built IsoView light-sheet microscope

16x

Honorable Mention

Dr. Philipp Keller, Kristin Branson, and Fernando Amat

Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Ashburn, Virginia, USA

Automated cell tracking in an entire developing zebrafish embryo

Custom-built IsoView light-sheet microscope

16x

Honorable Mention

Dr. Robert Markus

University of Nottingham

Beeston, United Kingdom

Birth and first steps of a faucet snail

Polarization/Color Dark Field

50x

Honorable Mention

Dr. Renaud Renault

Institut Curie, Weizmann Institute

Paris, France

Neurons seeded in two different micro-compartments extend their neurites through micro-tunnels to establish connections with each other

Epi fluorescence/Time-lapse (30 hours each shot)

20x

Honorable Mention

Jan Rosenboom

Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

A German wasp (vespula germanica) awakening

Light Microscopy

30x

Honorable Mention

Tsutomu Tomita

TIMELAPSE VISION INC.

In vitro visualization of natural killer cells attacking a cancer cell

Time-lapse/ Phase Contrast

100x

Honorable Mention

Wim van Egmond

Micropolitan Museum

Berkel en Rodenrijs, Netherlands

Micrasterias rotata cell division

Dark Field/Time Lapse

160x

Honorable Mention

Dr. Anthony Vecchiarelli & Dr. Kiyoshi Mizuuchi

National Institutes of Health

North Potomac, Maryland, USA

Self-organization of purified proteins important in bacterial cell division

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence

10x/40x

Honorable Mention

Dr. Michael Weber

Harvard Medical School

Somerville, Massachusetts, USA

HaCaT cells expressing a fluorescent microtubule marker

Spinning Disk Confocal

60x

ABOUT THE NIKON SMALL WORLD PHOTOMICROGRAPHY COMPETITION

The Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition is open to anyone with an interest in photography. Participants may submit their images in traditional 35mm format, or upload digital images or videos directly at www.nikonsmallworld.com. For additional information, contact Nikon Small World, Nikon Instruments Inc., 1300 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, NY 11747, USA or phone (631) 547-4200.

ABOUT NIKON INSTRUMENTS INC.

Nikon Instruments Inc. is a world leader in the development and manufacture of optical and digital imaging technology for biomedical applications. Now in its 99th year, Nikon provides complete optical systems that offer optimal versatility, performance and productivity. Cutting-edge instruments include microscopes, digital imaging products and software. Nikon Instruments is one of the microscopy and digital imaging arms of Nikon Inc., the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology. For more information, visit www.nikoninstruments.com. Product-related inquiries may be directed to Nikon Instruments at 800-52-NIKON.
English French

Nanobiotix reports positive Phase I/II preliminary data on feasibility and safety of NBTXR3 in liver cancers trial

Good safety and feasibility of the treatment at 10% dose level

Third indication in global development confirming transferability across different cancers

Paris, France and Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, December 14, 2016 - NANOBIOTIX (Euronext: NANO - ISIN: FR0011341205), a late clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the local treatment of cancer, today announces a positive readout of initial data on the safety and feasibility from the first patients treated in its Phase I/II trial evaluating NBTXR3 in liver cancers, including primary (Hepatocellular, HCC) and metastatic tumors.

Patients with either HCC or liver metastases frequently cannot undergo surgery and have very few or no therapeutic options available. Radiation therapy has been shown to improve outcomes of these patients. Clinical trials have shown a direct correlation between higher doses of radiation therapy and increased survival, in both patient populations. The delivery of a high radiation dose is complex and cannot be done in an optimal way in most situations due to toxicity. NBTXR3 aims to amplify the energy dose within the tumor to offer better clinical results and more therapeutic options to improve the poor prognosis of these populations.

Nanobiotix's Phase I/II trial evaluates the safety and preliminary efficacy of NBTXR3 nanoparticles administrated by intra-tumoral (IT) or intra-arterial (IA) injection and activated by high precision radiation therapy, delivered as high dose fractions (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)) for the treatment of liver cancers.

Elsa Borghi, CMO of Nanobiotix: "At this stage, the safety and feasibility data of NBTXR3 in liver cancers are excellent. Observations are similar to the results of our more advanced trials: Soft Tissue Sarcoma and Head and Neck cancers. This is significant because these trials cover very different patient and disease profiles. Based on the information gathered to date, we anticipate that by the end of this phase, we will have identified the appropriate conditions to use NBTXR3 in these patients populations. Once again, all transferability data show the potential of broad applicability of NBTXR3 for use with radiotherapy in the treatment of solid tumors."

Preliminary data results:

Good safety profile with no serious adverse events recorded

Two sub-groups of patients have been treated at 10% dose of NBTXR3, with Intra Tumoral injections (IT), using either 24 Gy or 45 Gy total radiation dose, based on patients dosimetric constrains.

Intra-arterial injection has not been explored so far because the Intra Tumoral (IT) injection has been shown to be feasible and successful.

Good safety has been demonstrated within these patients as well. To date, all treated patients have completed their radiation therapy course, confirming good local tolerability and no changes in liver hepatic functions (MELD Score evaluation).

Treatment feasibility and appropriate distribution demonstrated

The data validate the feasibility of the injection with a volume level equivalent to 10% of the baseline tumor volume in both patient populations: primary cancer (HCC) and liver metastasis.

The product appears to stay within the tumors with no leakage in the surrounding healthy tissues from the day of injection until end of radiotherapy treatment (illustration 1 & 2). It confirms and supports the findings reported from the clinical trials in Soft Tissue Sarcoma or Head and Neck cancers patients.

10% volume level secured, further levels under evaluation

The 10% dose level was successfully evaluated in HCC and metastatic patients. The 10% dose level is the recommended NBTXR3 volume for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) in the act.in.sarc study (www.actinsarc.com), the most advanced indication developed by Nanobiotix (Phase II/III).

The trial is now recruiting next dose levels to evaluate safety and feasibility at higher doses along with exploratory efficacy endpoints (complete Response Rate, Progression Free Survival and Overall Survival).

-ends-

About liver cancers

According to WHO, liver cancers are the second most common cause of cancer death in the world with 745,000 deaths each year, and 800,000 new liver cancer patients per year.

Liver cancers are challenging diseases to address. Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) is the safest and most modern radiotherapy currently available for the treatment of malignant liver tumors but SBRT has been shown to be efficient only in specific subsets of population with small tumors. Complete response is a rare event and local control is often compromised in big tumors, metastases and HCC with portal vein tumor thrombosis and short progression Free Survival and Overall survival.

About NBTXR3 trial protocol in liver cancer

NBTXR3 is a first-in-class radio-enhancer nanoparticle designed for direct injection into malignant tumors. NBTXR3 has the potential to improve radiotherapy efficacy by destroying locally advanced cancers more efficiently. It has been engineered to increase the local absorption of the radiotherapy dose and thereby increasing the efficacy of radiotherapy without increasing toxicity or causing damage to surrounding healthy tissues.

The first phase of the ongoing, multicenter open-label, single-arm study is a dose-escalation to evaluate the safety, feasibility and preliminary clinical activity along with determining the right dose of NBTXR3 in this indication. The second phase of the trial will be a dose-expansion phase, which will be a cohort expansion at the recommended dose of NBTXR3.

Patients receive a single injection administration of NBTXR3 24 hours before the beginning of the radiotherapy treatment. The total maximum radiotherapy dose is 45 Gy, delivered as three fractions of 15 Gy each, over 5 to 7 days.

About NANOBIOTIX: www.nanobiotix.com

Nanobiotix (Euronext: NANO / ISIN: FR0011341205) is a late clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the local treatment of cancer. The Company's first-in-class, proprietary technology, NanoXray, enhances radiotherapy energy with a view to provide a new, more efficient treatment for cancer patients.

NanoXray products are compatible with current radiotherapy treatments and are meant to treat potentially a wide variety of solid tumors including soft tissue sarcoma, head and neck cancers, liver cancers, prostate cancer, breast cancer, glioblastoma, etc., via multiple routes of administration.

NBTXR3 is being evaluated in: soft tissue sarcoma (STS), head and neck cancers, prostate cancer, and liver cancers (primary and metastases). Additionally, head and neck cancer and rectal cancer trials led by Nanobiotix's Taiwanese partner, PharmaEngine, are underway in the Asia Pacific region. The Company has filed in August 2016 for market approval (CE Marking) in Europe for its lead product NBTXR3.

Nanobiotix is listed on the regulated market of Euronext in Paris (ISIN: FR0011341205, Euronext ticker: NANO, Bloomberg: NANO: FP). The Company Headquarter is based in Paris, France. Affiliate in Cambridge, United States.

Contact

Nanobiotix



Sarah Gaubert

Head of Communication and Public Affairs

+33 (0)1 40 26 07 55

contact@nanobiotix.com



Media relations



France - Springbok Consultants

Marina Rosoff

+33 (0)6 71 58 00 34

marina@springbok.fr



EU Outside France - Instinctif Partners

Melanie Toyne Sewell

+44 (0) 207 457 2020

nanobiotix@instinctif.com



United States - The Ruth Group

Kirsten Thomas / Chris Hippolyte

+1 508-280-6592 / +1 646-536-7023

Nanobiotix@theruthgroup.com

Disclaimer

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Nanobiotix and its business. Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Nanobiotix considers to be reasonable. However, there can be no assurance that the estimates contained in such forward-looking statements will be verified, which estimates are subject to numerous risks including the risks set forth in the reference document of Nanobiotix filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorite des Marches Financiers) under number D.16-0732 on July 22, 2016 (a copy of which is available on www.nanobiotix.com) and to the development of economic conditions, financial markets and the markets in which Nanobiotix operates. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to risks not yet known to Nanobiotix or not currently considered material by Nanobiotix. The occurrence of all or part of such risks could cause actual results, financial conditions, performance or achievements of Nanobiotix to be materially different from such forward-looking statements.

This press release and the information that it contains do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe for, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for, Nanobiotix shares in any country.
Bir Lehlu (SADR Liberated Territories), December 13, 2016 (SPS) - The President of the Republic , Secretary-General of the Frente POLISARIO, Mr. Brahim Gali, expressed his sincere condolences to his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, following the Brutal explosion in the Coptic church of Cairo that occurred, on Sunday, causing dozens of dead and wounded.

The President of the Republic condemned, in his message, this suicide attack against civilians, highlighting the solidarity of the Saharawi people with Egypt.

In the same context, Brahim Gali said that this criminal act will further strengthen Egypt's unity and determination to end the roots of terrorism.

According to Egyptian sources the terrorist attack which targeted Sunday morning the Coptic Church in Egypts capital Cairo, leaving several dead among the faithful.SPS

125/090/TRA
Bir Lehlu (SADR Liberated Territories), December 13, 2016 (SPS) - The President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Frente POLISARIO, Mr. Brahim Gali on Monday sent a message of condolences to his counterpart in Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta following the Karai accident that caused dozens of deaths and injuries.







"Allow me, on behalf of the people and government of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and on my own behalf, to express my deep regret and condolences to the people of the Republic of Kenya, especially to the families of the victims, desiring a speedy recovery of the wounded "The Saharawi president wrote in his letter to his Kenyan counterpart.





Brahim Gali expressed his solidarity with the people of Kenya and the families of the victims. SPS

125/090/TRA
Organised by NSA Scottish Region, the event will be hosted by the Clark family at Kinnahaird Farm, Contin, Strathpeffer, on Wednesday 31st May 2017.

This is the third Highland Sheep event held by NSA Scottish Region, following the inaugural event held at Dingwall Mart in 2013 and last years event hosted by the Scott family at Fearn Farm, Tain.

The one-day event is expected to attract a large attendance of sheep farmers from across the Highlands and Islands as well as from the rest of Scotland. Features will include a farm tour, trade stands, breed society exhibits, commercial and technical demonstrations, grassland management, seminars, wool shearing, wool spinning, sheep dressing, crook making, butchery and cookery demonstration, sheepdog trial, Shepherd of the Year competition, stockjudging and show and sale of ewe hoggs.

NSA Highland Sheep 2017 will be a fantastic event for the sheep industry in the Highlands, said Brenda McIntyre, Findon Mains, Culbokie, Dingwall, who chairs the local organising committee. We have an excellent venue for the event at Kinnahaird, courtesy of Amy Grant and her Mum, Dorothy Clark, and we are delighted that Harbro have come on board as major sponsor.

Harbro national sales manager, David MacKenzie, described the Highlands and Islands as a key trading area for the company.

We are delighted to support this important event which will be a magnet for all sheep farmers, said Mr MacKenzie.
NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ICAP Patent Brokerage announces for sale patents disclosing a means of real-time shopper analysis, available from VideoMining Corporation.

This is sophisticated technology comparable to the kinds of data mining usually applied to large-scale e-commerce operations, but intended for brick and mortar analytics, said Paul Greco, Senior Vice President of Sales for ICAP Patent Brokerage.

Key Characteristics & Benefits

With a 2007 priority date, the VideoMining portfolio discloses an apparatus, systems, and methods to understand and measure shopper composition, behavior, and attitudes in retail environments, primarily to gauge shoppers response to various stimuli or elementse.g., marketing, products, pricing, etc.to optimize their marketing and merchandising strategies.

This includes a method and system for measuring human response to retail elements, based on the shopper's facial expressions and behaviors. Facial geometryfacial pose and facial feature positionsis estimated to facilitate the recognition of facial expressions, gaze, and demographic categories. Dynamic changes and interest are used to estimate both the shopper's changes in attitude toward the retail element and the end responsesuch as a purchase decision or a product rating.

Also included is a comprehensive method to design an automatic media audience measurement system capable of estimating the site-wide audience of a media of interest (e.g., the site-wide viewership of a target display) based on the measurements of an audience subset. Site, display, crowd, and audienceand their relationships - are identified in terms of visibility, viewership relevancy, and crowd occupancy, along with optimal sensor positioning coupled and intelligent noise removal, to extrapolate viewership data.

See the technical description of the shopper behavior IP sales offering.

To learn more about the intellectual property available for sale in this portfolio:

Contact Michelle Tyler of ICAP Patent Brokerage at (312) 327-4438 or via email at michelle@icapip.com.

If you have a patent portfolio for sale, visit our website to make a patent portfolio submission for an upcoming sealed bid event.

Follow us on Twitter (@ICAP_IP) and join our LinkedIn group.

About ICAP Patent Brokerage

ICAP Patent Brokerage is the world's largest intellectual property brokerage and patent auction firm, leveraging the talents of experienced patent brokers to match buyers and sellers for the sale of patents and other intellectual property assets. With multiple transaction platforms and unparalleled industry knowledge, including experience with domain names, trademarks, brands, intellectual property licensing, and UCC sales, ICAP Patent Brokerage is the global leader in the transaction of intellectual property.
SAGINAW, Mich., Dec. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NetSource One Inc., a premier technology solutions provider raising the standard for technology support with experience, quality and value for more than 20 years, has completed rigorous examinations of its data security processes to achieve compliance with the Service Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2) standards.



The demanding third-party examination was administered by the professional IT assurance and compliance staff at 360 Advanced, a respected national Qualified Security Assessor, HITRUST CSF Assessor and Certified Public Accountant firm based in St. Petersburg, FL.

The SOC 2 report attests to the effectiveness of the data management controls a company has in place that relate to security, availability and confidentiality.

By successfully completing a third-party audit under the SOC 2 compliance standards, we have achieved an independent assessment of the security controls we provide for our clients, said Wes Reynolds, Information Security Specialist at the mid-Michigan firm. It is a clear indication of our dedication to maintaining and documenting the most stringent data security environment possible.

Amanda Bowman, Marketing Coordinator at NetSource One, said no other similar firm in the Great Lakes Bay Region has earned the SOC 2 designation.

Reynolds explained the achievement provides NetSource One with a clear competitive advantage, and has been one of the unique distinctions that draws clients to NetSource One.

ABOUT NETSOURCE ONE

NetSource One is your Total Technology Solution Provider serving the technology needs of more than 600 clients in a multi-state region. NetSource One offers a variety of services, including network security, disaster recovery, managed services, cybersecurity training, business phone systems, and web development. The firm provides 24/7 hardware support, consultation and design, wireless and mobile connectivity, and exceptional help desk support. NetSource One has strategic partnerships with such notables as Microsoft, Dell, VMware, Ruckus, Fortinet, Barracuda, Cisco, ShoreTel, Panasonic, and many more, providing information technology solutions to a variety of markets, including medical, finance, government, education, legal, manufacturing, and distribution.

ABOUT 360 ADVANCED

360 Advanceds services are provided, but not limited to, the following industries: Title Services, Hosted and Managed IT, Data Center and Colocation, Software as a Service (SaaS), Healthcare, Financial Services, Insurance, HR | Payroll | PEO, Legal and Collections, Bulk Mail Printing and Distribution, Background Screening, Business Process Outsourcing and Marketing. Services provided by 360 Advanced include HITRUST CSF, SOC 1 (SSAE 16), SOC 2, SOC 3, PCI DSS, HIPAA Security/HITECH, Microsoft Vendor Policy and other security and compliance services.
D ixons Carphone boss Seb James today braced for a nail-biting Christmas as he watched shares in the firm tumble more than 6% and languish at the bottom of the Footsie leaderboard.

The retailer reported a 4% rise in same-store sales and a 19% rise in pretax profit in its first-half but analysts and traders said a mix of factors had dragged the stock down.

Among them was a warning that suppliers could increase prices because of sterlings weakness and suspicions that same-store sales figures, up 5% in the UK and Ireland, may have been flattered by sales transferred from closed stores.

Mainly, though, it was an opportunity to take profit. Dixons Carphone shares have risen by a fifth in recent weeks, though they are 17% lower than they were before the Brexit vote. Today shares were down 22.8p to 344.5p.

James was upbeat on the groups prospects amid strong UK demand. But he expected the lead-up to the Christmas peak to be tense, despite the company seeing its biggest ever Black Friday event last month.

Its nail-biting until January 5. I have heart-stopping moments but every year it has turned out fine. I think well have a good Christmas.

James also promised to minimise the effects of sterlings tumble for customers. Suppliers such as Microsoft, Dell and Apple have already indicated prices could rise because of the currencys swing and rival AO World has pointed to increases by the end of January.

James said the scale of Dixons Carphone, which also trades in the Nordics, Greece and Spain, meant it could negotiate with suppliers. We are gigantic and have very important Europe-wide relationships with suppliers. My predecessor moved relationships to be much more like partnerships so when things like this happen there can be collaboration.

But he admitted the company was planning for uncertainty and preparing for all eventualities. We have no idea what will happen next year, but were just going to roll with it and whatever happens we will be fine.
P unch Taverns today revealed it is at the centre of a 400 million takeover battle between Heineken and its Irish co-founder.

The 3300-strong pubs chain said it had received two potential offers, one of them from brewing giant Heineken that values the business at nearly 400 million.

Property investor Patron Capital Advisers has proposed a 174p-a-share offer, with Dutch brewer Heineken  behind the Strongbow and Fosters brands  acquiring a stake on completion.

But Punch has also received a 185p-a-share approach from Emerald Investment Partners, founded by property and healthcare investor Alan McIntosh.

McIntosh is co-founder of Punch, Spirit and the Wellington Pub Company. He also founded private-equity firm Sun Capital.

Heinekens offer values Punchs equity at about 386 million, and Emeralds bid values it at 410 million. Punch said discussions with Patron and Heineken are at an advanced stage. There can be no certainty that any firm offer will be made by either Patron or Emerald, it added.

Punch shares surged 43.25p, or 34%, to 171.75p. McIntosh is understood to be working with advisers at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Punch is advised by Goldman Sachs.
S hares in NMC have been in rude health since it failed to buy Al Noor Hospitals last year, but the UAE private healthcare group was off colour today as it returned to the acquisition trail.

The FTSE-250 group unveiled plans to buy the Al Zahra Hospital in Sharjah for around 442 million, a year after it was pipped to the post in the race to buy Al Noor by South Africas Mediclinic in a 1.4 billion deal.

Todays acquisition will be funded by a placing of 18.6 million shares, which dragged the price down 65p, or 4.5%, to 1383p.

The companys brokers HSBC and JPMorgan are the bookrunners on the accelerated bookbuild, rounding up buyers for the shares on offer.

NMCs three largest shareholders, including founder BR Shetty, the Indian businessman, have indicated they will subscribe for 134 million of the placing.

The wider market drifted lower, with the FTSE 100 down 14.22 points to 6954.35 as traders waited on the all-important announcement from the Federal Reserve across the Atlantic.

Economists are expecting chairman Janet Yellen to confirm a rate hike, but investors will pay close attention to guidance for next year.

Post-Trump and his fiscal stimulus plan, we expect [Federal Open Market Committee] members to raise their forecasts to at least three rate increases next year, said City Indexs Kathleen Brooks.

Capita, the troubled outsourcer which serves the government, lost the support of another broker after last weeks second profit warning in less than three months.

Jefferies cut its rating from Buy to Hold, leaving Numis as the only broker urging clients to buy the shares, which recovered from early losses to edge up 2.8p to 455.2p, still down 62% this year.

Digital payments firm Paysafe, 8.6p higher at 314.3p, continued to fight back after a short-selling attack from US firm Spotlight Research sent the shares plummeting yesterday.

The report claimed Paysafe facilitated illegal gambling in China. The company responded by saying all the information was either factually inaccurate or has been previously disclosed.

Today, Barclays jumped to its defence, claiming the contents grossly overstate the risks. On the junior market, profit upgrades lifted semiconductor wafers maker IQE 2.6p to 37.6p and specialist engineer TP Group by 1.18p to 6.3p.

Podcast site Audioboom dipped 0.04p to 2.09p after warning its annual loss will be greater than expected.

Mining investor Metal Tiger lost 0.02p to 1.5p after raising 1.6 million in a slightly discounted placing.
T he pubs firm behind ONeills is planning to rapidly expand its new Chicken Society brand across London, making use of unloved function rooms and basements in its existing establishments.

Mitchells & Butlers has identified as many as 20 pubs across its estate, or up to 60,000 square feet, which could be used to house its new offering.

Chicken Society will serve spit-roasted meat, including a 23 whole duck, with sides such as courgetti.

Divisional director Susan Chappell said the restaurants could spring up in Camden, the City, Notting Hill and Chiswick. The first opened in Finchley Central last week.

She said: Customers can go to the pub as normal, and then wander upstairs. We believe it will appeal to millennials who want healthy food and enjoy going out.

Chief executive Phil Urban told the Standard: Given the headwinds facing the hospitality sector, from the impact of Brexit to increased business rates, it is essential that we optimise each one of our businesses. We are hopeful that Chicken Society can be one of the solutions to a number of our properties that currently have untraded space.
T alking to various diplomats over the past few weeks has revealed the trepidation and, in many cases, sheer horror at some of the Donald Trumps picks for his Cabinet.

We have Jeff Sessions, a famously staunch Right-wing Senator from Alabama, as Attorney General. Sessions apparently has a dubious record on civil rights and is a strong advocate of the death penalty. He wants to fry those motherf******s, as one staffer told me.

We have General John Kelly, a tough former Marines officer, who has been tapped to head the Department of Homeland Security. We have a couple of genuine billionaires  Wilbur Ross and Betsy DeVos  in charge of commerce and education respectively.

Most famously, we have the curious figure of Jim Mad Dog Mattis as Defence Secretary. He is also known as the Warrior Monk for his status as a bachelor and his scholarly interest in military affairs. Thats all before the dance of the seven veils with Mitt Romney, before Trump nominated Texan oil man Rex Tillerson to head the State Department.

Such a motley crew has provoked considerable interest across the political world. In America itself, some Democrats can scarcely hide their indignation. I call it the 3G cabinet  Goldman [Sachs], generals and gazillionaires, said Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, a staunch supporter of Barack Obama.

The Donald clearly likes generals and strong business types. His infatuation with uniformed strongmen is well known. He has openly commended Colonel Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein, on the grounds that they kill terrorists. During the presidential campaign, Trump went on and on about General Patton, General MacArthur and his admiration for General Eisenhower  I like Ike.

Trump did not serve in the military himself, famously wriggling out of the draft for the Vietnam War. He did go, however, to a ghastly-sounding boarding school, run on quasi-military lines, the New York Military Academy.

With characteristic bombast, Trump has recalled his days at the Academy with pride. He even said that the school provided him with more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military. I did very well under the military system, he told an interviewer. I was one of the top guys.

More than 50 years later its no surprise that Trump loves the aura that military success provides. As for the billionaires, he says to his critics, Why would I hire losers? The image of plutocrats and generals decked out in medals and shiny uniforms does make one feel a little uneasy.

There is also the issue of how old some of these people are. Trump himself is 70, a year older than Ronald Reagan was when he was first elected. His Attorney General will be 70 on Christmas Eve. Wilbur Ross, the Commercial Secretary, is 79. Many of the other picks are in their mid-sixties. The Mad Dog, to mix metaphors, is a spring chicken at 66.

As I discussed some of these names with colleagues interested in foreign affairs, I suddenly thought to myself, Where have I seen this before? Which other society combines reverence for old age with a stark military ethos? The answer is Sparta, a competitive and successful warrior society in ancient Greece, where to be in the governing council you had to be at least 60 years old. Maybe this is what the Donald has in mind when he says he wants to make America great again.

Sending cards is not a mass-mailing

One of the remarkable things about mid-December is the number of Christmas cards that you send, and receive, as an MP. I find the growing trend towards e-Christmas cards slightly annoying. How easy it is just to send a mass email of a badly taken Christmas tree or out-of-focus children. Hand-written notes can be a nice touch but many MPs I know simply throw them straight in the bin.

As politicians go, Bill Clinton had a famously wide network of political cronies and party hacks. I remember being told that while he was President, Clinton would send up to a million Christmas cards every year. These were mass-produced, synthetic things that the President was almost certainly not aware were being sent. When it gets to that number, what is the point?

For some people, Brexit has its roots in the Bible

This year I am delighted to have been asked by St Marys Church in Sunbury to do a reading at its customary nine lessons and carols service.

Obviously you dont get a choice on which passage from the Bible you are asked to read. St Marys, a beautiful church by the river in my constituency of Spelthorne, has duly asked me to read from Isaiah, beginning at chapter 9, verse 2. The parish office has even been so kind as to email me a copy of the entire reading. It starts: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

Many people might think that this is what 2016 has been all about.

MPs havent always been so in tune with Christmas

Most MPs look forward to the Christmas recess very much, with many probably unaware that parliamentary sitting hours and dates have changed considerably.

In the Puritan-led 17th century it was normal for the Commons to meet on Christmas Day, with a sitting time of 7am. On Christmas Day in 1643, for example, there was a full programme. The Commons even heard a petition from two London merchants but resolved that nothing was done upon it. The demise of Saturday sittings began in 1732 at the request of the then PM Sir Robert Walpole. He wanted to secure at least one days hunting a week. Some people think this is the origin of our modern weekend.
A fast-growing London lingerie brand which designed a Fifty Shades of Grey-inspired bondage collection has raised more than 1 million for an ambitious push into America.

Chiswick-based Bluebella, which is promoted by Queen drummer Roger Taylors model daughter Tigerlily Taylor, had been aiming for 500,000 when it asked for backing on crowdfunding website Crowdcube.

Founder and chief executive Emily Bendell said she was thrilled to have doubled our target and that the extra investment will allow us to push forward with exciting plans for the US and other foreign territories.

The extra money  and the labels London credentials  would allow it to drive into the US market harder and faster than originally planned.

Ms Bendell, who studied PPE at Magdalen College, Oxford, and lives in Hackney, said: We see ourselves as a London brand more than as a British brand. Bluebella girls love fashion, are in their mid-twenties and tend to live in the big cities. A girl in London probably has more in common with a girl in New York than girls in lots of other parts of her own country.

Increasingly in America, there is a market for brands with a London heritage and tone of voice. We all live in London and get inspired by the city in many of the things we design.

About 20 per cent of online sales are already from US customers on the back of social media exposure.

10 of the best lacy lingerie sets 1 /14 10 of the best lacy lingerie sets Scroll through for the best lacy lingerie... M & S Rosie for Autograph Historical Romance Set Rosie Huntington Whiteleys collection of lingerie for M and S is beautiful and our particular favourite is this bodice set. It offers more structure than a regular bra and would look great under a slim-fitting dress; helping to avoid the dreaded back rolls. The bodice is available in sizes A-D. 44, Marks and Spencer, Buy it now Topshop Pretty Lace Set This bralet has non-padded cups which will give you a free feeling- a perfect just seen kind of bra to wear under a simple cami. At 20 for the whole set as well, this is a steal. Available in sizes 8-16. 20, Topshop, Buy it now Next Green Phoebe Lace Set Another gorgeous longline creation, this set from Next has a subtle allure. Its lightly padded and available up to a DD. 42, Next, Buy it now Fleur of England After Dark Set This set has a decadent feel and really enhances your curves. The barely there straps and fishnet fabric are delicate yet daring, whilst the embroidery adds a femininity without being too girly. Available up to a 36D. 194, Fleur of England, Buy it now Wacoal Embrace Lace Set With intricate embroidery, this rose coloured set is pretty yet discreet. The French-style knickers are comfortable and so is the bra; adjustable straps and soft cups make for ease of wear. Available up to a 36E. 74, Harvey Nichols,Buy it now Stella McCartney Isabel Floating Set If you really want to spoil yourself, choose this cornflower blue set by Stella McCartney. With pointe desprit fabric, a racer back and lace detailing along the straps, the bra has a unique design. Available up to a 36D. 165, Harvey Nichols, Buy it now Marni Lace Set If youre looking for something simpler, this subtle pink set by Hush is a great choice. The bra is padding free and has an elasticated strip under the bust for added comfort, whilst the knickers manage to actually cover everything without looking like they belong to Bridget Jones. Available up to a size 14. 32.50, Hush, Buy it now Gilda & Pearl Illusion Apex Set Pull out all the stops with this Gilda and Pearl Set in hot pink with a lace overlay, which looks particularly beautiful under a dress. Available in sizes A-D. 195, Farfetch, Buy it now Simply Be Pretty Secrets Simone Set The flower and strappy detailing make this a real show stopper. If youve got a bigger bust, this one has all the structure you need to feel comfortable without forgoing the style. Its available in sizes C- F. 24, Simply Be, Buy it now Beija Flor For Keeps Set Beija Flor offers a carefully designed range of beautiful, simple styles that are perfect for every day wear, but that are still alluring and sexy. The sheer overlay on this pomegranate set hints at skin without being over the top. The London born design house uses three designs, so you can find a comfortable fit, whatever your cup size. If youre more into a pared down sex appeal, this is a great set for you. 75, Beija Flor,Buy it now

Ms Bendell said the investment will allow the label to raise its profile in America through direct marketing and PR to reach its target of selling 10,000 bras a month.

I am convinced American consumer appetite will be strong for our products and, with Brexit, it is important companies diversify so they are not solely stocked in the UK, she said.

Bluebella was on target for sales of 1.7 million this year and 4.7 million next year, helped by the US expansion, she added.

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T he perils faced by firefighters who crawled through flames and smoke to rescue six children from a house blaze have been reconstructed in a 360-degree virtual reality film.

London Fire Brigade and the BBC have produced a video of the fire on Christmas Day in 2012 when a Southall crew on a night shift smashed their way into the property.

Visitors to the temporary LFB museum off Albert Embankment can sit in a mock-up fire engine and wear Samsung Gear VR headsets, or view the scenes at home via BBC Research & Developments YouTube channel.

The video, titled Fire Rescue, includes commentary from crew manager Paul Rich. When they arrived they found the childrens father outside. He had smashed a kitchen window in a bid to free them but the rush of oxygen fed the flames.

Inferno: the VR film will let Londoners see the fearsome blaze up close / Elliot Wagland

With the sound of a firefighter breathing heavily through his mask, the VR footage shows what it was like for Mr Rich as he inched his way through the choking darkness to rescue the screaming youngsters from a bedroom. A colleague rescued the sixth child.

Mr Rich, a father-of-two, said: We could already see the flames inside and we heard a kid screaming from the other end of the building. The crews inside were struggling to get through the smoke and chaos to reach the children, so I climbed straight up to the bedroom window. By this point, the smoke was virtually 100 per cent, you couldnt see your hands.

He added: As well as hopefully teaching people about fire safety, I hope this film will give people a real insight into the working lives of firefighters. Mr Rich later received a firefighter of the year award for his bravery. Zillah Watson, executive producer of BBC R&D, said: Fire Rescue uses reconstruction and special effects to put viewers at the heart of the action.

The VR experience is at The Workshop events space on Lambeth High Street on Wednesdays.

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A t Bernstein's, a new all-day cafe on Chatsworth Road in Clapton, its not wine that people drink with their chargrilled aubergine stew suppers, but coffee. Co-founder Ben Murtagh says: Coffee is intrinsic to what we do and it can be drunk at any time.

Flat whites are popular in the morning and as the night falls people pop in for black Americanos to fuel their evenings out dancing, with beans from nearby Dark Arts Coffee.

Down the road, near Barbican, Clerkenwell Grind has just opened, serving steaming cups of Joe until 2am from Thursday until Saturday and 11pm on all other days.

Hugh Duffie, founder of Sandows cold brew, says that coffee has become an evening drink for two reasons. More young people are avoiding alcohol. At the same time, coffee shops have really nailed the third space proposition, a place that is neither home nor work, probably with nicer interiors than most young people in London can afford too. Its those things together, more than that the drink itself is becoming ever more popular, that makes coffee an awesome option at any time of day.

Most Instagrammable coffee shops in Britain 1 /26 Most Instagrammable coffee shops in Britain Steam Yard Sheffield 1 & 2, Aberdeen Court, 97 Division St, Sheffield S1 4GE steamyard.co.uk Lili Vanilli London 6, The Courtyard, Ezra St, London E2 7RH lilyvanilli.com/the-bakery Pettigrew Tea Rooms Cardiff West Lodge, Bute Park & Arboretum, Castle Street, Cardiff CF10 1BJ pettigrew-tearooms.com Violet Cakes London 47 Wilton Way, London E8 3ED violetcakes.com General Merchants Belfast 481 Upper Newtownards Rd, Belfast BT4 3LL generalmerchants.co.uk The Marwood Brighton 52 Ship St, Brighton BN1 1AF themarwood.com Look Mum No Hands London 49 Old St, London EC1V 9HX lookmumnohands.com Cafe Marmalade Brighton 237 Eastern Rd, Brighton and Hove BN2 5JJ cafemarmalade.co.uk Lina Stores London 18 Brewer St, London W1F 0SH linastores.co.uk Cafe Boscanova Bournemouth 650 Christchurch Rd, Bournemouth BH1 4BP thecaffeinehustler.com MILK London 20 Bedford Hill, London SW12 9RG milk.london North Tea Power Manchester 36 Tib St, Manchester M4 1LA northteapower.co.uk Bold Street Coffee Liverpool 89 Bold St, Liverpool L1 4HF boldstreetcoffee.co.uk Hatch London 8 MacKintosh Ln, London E9 hatch-homerton.co.uk Cafe Royal Newcastle 8 Nelson St, Tyne and Wear, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 5AW sjf.co.uk Honest + Harvey Woodbridge 56 Thoroughfare, Woodbridge IP12 1AL honeyandharvey.co.uk Workshop Coffee London 27 Clerkenwell Rd, London EC1M 5RN workshopcoffee.com The Plough Birmingham 21 High St, Birmingham B17 9NT theploughharborne.co.uk Lion Coffee + Records London 118 Lower Clapton Rd, London E5 0QR lioncoffeerecords.com

As Londons coffee improves, standards are higher at restaurants. Murtagh explains: For most busy restaurants who might have an otherwise relentless focus on quality, the coffee is where they often let themselves down. The margins on after-dinner coffees dont justify the work it takes for most people. The places that generally do it well do it simply with high quality filter coffee.

The machine at Bernsteins is famous among coffee cognoscenti. Its a vintage Victoria Arduino Leva (the Ferrari of the barista world)  it was Gwilym Daviess prize when he became World Barista Champion in 2009 and he used it when he opened the first Prufrock. People want to walk up to the machine and touch it, says Murtagh.

Late-night coffee has led to more experimentation, and new takes on the classic espresso martini (invented when a model asked a Soho barman for something that will wake me up then f*** me up). Duffie identifies more of a risk-taking approach  its no longer espresso martini or nothing. Sandows makes cold brew gin and tonic, which it provided for a wedding reception recently. Good coffee liqueurs to try include Mr Blacks and Cold & Blac.

Fox Bar, the new Soho House venture in Brixton, has smooth nitro espresso martini on tap  the nitrogen gives it a Guinness-like texture. Up the road at Big Apple Brixton there is an espresso martini rooftop bar, where they serve gingerbread, mint, pistachio and chocolate orange espresso martinis for a festive touch.

With the next couple of weeks full of Christmas parties, this is a surefire way to crank it up.

@susannahbutter

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RAPID CITY, S.D. - Dec. 14, 2016 - Black Hills Corp. (NYSE: BKH) today announced that U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert P. Otto has been appointed to its board of directors, effective Jan. 1, 2017. His appointment will temporarily increase the size of the board from 10 to 11 directors, to allow a smooth transition for director retirements that are anticipated in the next few years.

Otto has more than 20 years of experience in military leadership roles, most recently as the deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for the Air Force. As the Air Force's senior-most intelligence officer, Otto was directly responsible for policy planning, evaluation, oversight and leadership of Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

In his previous role as Director of Air Force intelligence, Otto led a 27,000 person enterprise and guided the Air Force intelligence budget, effectively restructuring Air Force airborne intelligence capabilities and advancing intelligence analysis to support world-wide operations. Throughout the course of his distinguished career, Otto has served in several other key leadership roles, including as a squadron, group, wing and agency commander.

David R. Emery, chairman and CEO of Black Hills Corp., said, "We welcome Bob to the board. His vast experience in areas spanning strategic planning, operations, financial management, risk management, cyber security and leadership development will add significant value to Black Hills."

Otto was commissioned in 1982 after graduating from the Air Force Academy. He holds a bachelor's degree in international affairs and American politics, a master's degree in military art and science, and a master's degree in national security strategies. Otto's retirement from the Air Force will be effective Dec. 31, 2016.

Black Hills Corporation

Black Hills Corp. (NYSE: BKH) is a customer focused, growth-oriented utility company with a tradition of improving life with energy and a vision to be the energy partner of choice. Based in Rapid City, South Dakota, the company serves 1.2 million natural gas and electric utility customers in eight states: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. The company also generates wholesale electricity and produces natural gas, oil and coal. More information is available at www.blackhillscorp.com.

###

Investor Relations

Jerome E. Nichols

605-721-1171

jerome.nichols@blackhillscorp.com

24-Hour Media Assistance

866-243-9002
D esigner Henry Holland and online retailer Asos today launched a range of T-shirts inspired by homelessness to raise money for our Christmas Appeal - with help from Pamela Anderson.

Holland is famous for his slogan T-shirts, which over the years have paid tribute to fashion superstars from Kate Moss to Kendall Jenner.

Working with homelessness charity Centrepoint, his fashion brand House of Holland has released three new shirts, with slogans to express the celebration of finally getting a safe place to call your own.

Proceeds from their exclusive sale through asos.com will go to the Young & Homeless Helpline appeal.

Centrepoint appeal: One of the T-shirts on sale on ASOS

Actress and campaigner Anderson modelled one of the T-shirts for their launch.

They are typical of the bold, playful slogans that have made Hollands label a hit with celebrities including Rita Ora, Alexa Chung, Pixie Geldof, Daisy Lowe and Poppy Delevingne.

The slogans - developed with input from formerly homeless young people helped by Centrepoint - are Your Place or Mine, Ring My Bell and Get a Room.

Centrepoint: Monique's story

Holland said: As you can imagine, young people who dont have a safe place to call home can easily become disheartened and take a big knock on their confidence, so weve teamed up with Centrepoint and Asos to create these limited edition T-shirts as a mark of celebration for when they do finally get a place to call their own.

To have your own place, your own room and your own front door bell is a simple pleasure, but one that not everyone can enjoy.

Henry Holland: The designer collaborated with ASOS and Centrepoint / Dave Benett

"Its just great that Centrepoint is here to help them get to that point.

I now know that sleeping rough is just the tip of the iceberg with homelessness.

"Lots of young people find themselves sofa-surfing, or crashing at random peoples houses just to have somewhere to stay.

Thats why I joined forces with Centrepoint, so we can raise awareness as well as cold hard cash to help do something about this massive issue.

Christmas campaign: Pamela backed our Homeless Helpline appeal / Dan Hambury/Stella Pictures Ltd

Anderson - who launched her charity The Pamela Anderson Foundation in 2014 to help the environment, vulnerable people and animals - said she had found out about Centrepoints work through the Evening Standard and was inspired to get involved.

Homelessness is not a choice. Young people in this unfortunate position are at extreme risk, she said.

I feel as if London is my second home and I feel drawn to this lovely city full of culture and caring people.

Homelessness is rampant all over the world but in big cities with big hearts it is incredibly shocking and difficult to see  some with so much and some with so little.

Centrepoint helpline pkg

I am very inspired by Centrepoint after reading about it in the Evening Standard.

It is nice to see a newspaper at this level care so much and help those in need.

Please support the many at-risk youth by donating, or buying a T-shirt. Helping others is the best way to celebrate Christmas.

Asos is printing the 25 T-shirts in the UK. They are available from today - with each sale including a 10 donation to Centrepoint.

TODO: define component type brightcove

We are raising funds for the charity to launch a Freephone number and online service to ensure that the thousands of young people facing or experiencing homelessness receive the support they need.

Up to a third of more than 150,000 young people who seek homelessness support from local authorities in the UK each year are sent away with little or no advice, and often end up spending time sleeping rough.

To donate please visit our Just Giving page.
K ashk Bademjan is a simple dish combining onion, garlic, yoghurt and aubergine - an ingredient so popular it has been described as the Iranian potato.

Watch the video above to see MasterChef finalist Emma Spitzer explain how to make Iranian Kashk Bademjan.

The recipe, which comes from cookbook A Taste of Adventure by Exodus Travels, takes just 30 minutes.

Ingredients (serves 4)

3 tbsp olive oil

3 aubergines, peeled and thinly sliced

1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp dried mint

2 tbsp kashk, Greek yoghurt or full-fat soured cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

to garnish

2 tbsp coarsely chopped walnuts

Small fresh mint leaves

Method

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and when really hot, add the aubergine slices and fry until they have softened and are turning golden. Drain the slices from the pan onto a plate lined with kitchen paper towel.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan, lower the heat and fry the onion until softened. Add the garlic and turmeric and fry for a further 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the dried mint. Reserve a spoonful of the onion mixture for garnish.

Mash or blend the aubergine to a puree. Add the puree to the frying pan and stir into the onion mixture with the kashk (or yoghurt or soured cream, if using) and dried mint. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Return the pan to a low heat to warm everything through. Spoon into a serving dish and scatter the chopped walnuts, mint leaves and reserved onion mix over the top. Serve as a light meal or as a dip with flatbreads.

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A busy Tube station was evacuated amid rush hour chaos on the Central line as armed police searched for a man allegedly armed with a knife.

Alarms sounded at Bank station on Wednesday evening and crowds of people were led outside.

Police raced to the scene following reports of a man seen with a knife at the station at about 5.10pm.

Tube services at Bank and Liverpool Street stations on the Central line were halted while emergency services dealt with the incident.

Tube passengers wait for information at Liverpool Street / @braidy001

Witnesses described seeing a swarm of armed police storming along one of the platforms at Bank.

Others told of "mayhem" and "chaotic" crowds at Liverpool Street as the incident sparked severe delays on the line.

British Transport Police said the incident was stood down at 7.15pm and both stations fully reopened.

Delays: Crowds of commuters at Liverpool Street station after a police incident / @TrishaCos

A spokesman said officers searched both stations but found no trace of the man.

Greg Flucker, a media worker, was travelling on a train stopped by armed police at Bank station.

The 27-year-old, from Stockwell, told the Standard: "The driver informed us there was a technical problem with the doors at first and that the doors wouldn't open for a second at Bank station.

A different announcement was given in the station and all we heard was transport police.

Evacuation: Crowds of commuters leave Bank station / @paulinglesis

Eventually police armed with automatic rifles came and evacuated the platform to carry out their inspections. 

He said armed police also began evacuating the carriages of a Tube train one by one.

Mr Flucker added: Eventually the police gave the all clear and said they were acting on reliable information about an armed person on the train. The train then pulled away without warning."

The emergency incident caused overcrowding at Liverpool Street station

Merry VW said: "Just been evacuated off a tube at Bank Station after about 20 armed officers stormed the platform to find 'an assailant' #london."

Emily Vincent tweeted: "Just been evacuated from #bank station from the central line when armed police charged down platform - absolutely terrifying @TfL."

Greg Flucker said: "Armed police have stopped my @centralline tube at Bank."

Grace Horan wrote: "Police with guns at Bank station screaming MOVE at us on a very packed platform with no space to move to. Nightmare commute."

Transport for London said services on the line were suspended at 5.15pm but began moving again with severe delays about 20 minutes later.

A British Transport Police spokesman said: "We were made aware at 5.11pm today of a report about a man with a knife at Bank station.

"As a result trains were stopped at Bank and Liverpool Street stations.

"Liverpool Street and Bank stations were searched by officers with no trace of the man.

"Enquires are on-going and officers are still on the scene."
A man who stole a paramedics bicycle as he was treating a patient has been jailed for eight weeks.

Patrick McFetridge, 36, took the 1,200 bicycle  which was loaded with medical supplies  as it sat unlocked outside an office block in the City.

However, the buildings concierge took a photograph of him after seeing him flee and McFetridge handed himself in to police after seeing a media appeal for help in catching him.

At City of London magistrates court yesterday, McFetridge was jailed for eight weeks after admitting theft but was spared a 1,200 compensation bill for the bicycle, which was never recovered, because he is a serving prisoner.

Kalshoom Shah, prosecuting, said a London Ambulance Service paramedic was sent out on a 999 call after a woman fell ill at 2-5 Minories, near Aldgate, at 2pm on June 23 this year.

Ms Shah said the buildings concierge followed McFetridge after he saw him wheeling the bike away and managed to retrieve a pannier containing medical supplies as well as taking a photograph of McFetridge.

The court heard that McFetridge had 26 previous convictions, including for theft and burglary, and is currently serving a prison sentence.

He told the court he took the bicycle after finding it dumped in the street and abandoned it after the concierge took his photograph. He said he had been making a living refurbishing old bikes and selling them on eBay.

Magistrate Jane Richardson told him: This is a serious offence, principally because the bike which was stolen came from the London Ambulance Service and would have put them at a severe disadvantage.

McFetridge, of no fixed address, was ordered to pay a 115 victim surcharge and 85 court costs.

Tom Lynch, London Ambulance Services cycle response unit manager, said: Its shocking that someone would steal from a paramedic who was busy treating a patient.

"Our paramedics should not have to worry about someone stealing their equipment.
A man was punched in the face on the Tube after a spat broke out when someone tried to read over his shoulder.

The 51-year-old man was on a Victoria Line train heading northbound when another passenger began leaning towards him and peering at his notebook.

The victim told him to stop looking and eventually pushed him away.

But the man became aggressive and struck the victim in the face, leaving him with a black eye and cut lip.

The attack happened on a Victoria Line train. / PA

The attack happened on November 6, at around 10.40am when the man was travelling from Victoria towards Green Park station.

British Transport Police have now released a CCTV picture of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the assault.

They hope he will have information which could help with the investigation.

If you recognise the man or have any information about the incident, please contact British Transport Police by calling 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016, quoting reference 327 of 13/12/16.
A major drugs gang which has used corrupt baggage handlers to smuggle millions of pounds worth of cocaine through Heathrow airport was busted today in a wave of arrests.

A total of 11 people, including one woman, were held as 125 officers from the National Crime Agency and police carried out early-morning raids across London and the South-East. They included three baggage handlers from Heathrow.

Others detained included people allegedly linked to drugs barons in South America, from where cocaine and cannabis were being flown in, and alleged British wholesalers responsible for selling the drugs to street dealers.

Four were arrested at an address in Stoke Newington. Others were held in Tooting, Thornton Heath, Hayes, Chigwell and Banstead.

A man being arrested in Stoke Newington during the raids

An inmate at Londons Wandsworth prison was also arrested. His alleged involvement in the drugs operation is understood to have taken place before he was jailed.

Todays action follows the seizure of about 100 kilos of cocaine, with a street value of at least 10 million, and 50 kilos of cannabis at Heathrow over the past 15 months.

Most of the drugs were flown in from Brazil to be smuggled through Customs by corrupt baggage handlers and given to a London-based organised crime gang.

NCA raids were carried out in Stoke Newington

The criminal operation will raise concerns about security at Heathrow and the vetting system that is employed to check baggage as well as other staff who are cleared to work in the airport with access to planes and their cargo.

All the suspects held today were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to import class A drugs and are now being questioned at police stations around London. The ages of those held range from 24 to 60.

The National Crime Agencys senior investigating officer David Reynders said as he announced the arrests today: Large-scale drug smuggling through UK airports is high risk for organised criminals.

This operation was coordinated to strike simultaneously at as many parts of the suspected drugs ring as possible.

The NCA is grateful for the support and co-operation it has received from the airport authorities and Border Force, all of whom have a vested interest in protecting the security of our borders.

Officials indicated that there was no evidence of other items, such as firearms, being smuggled through Heathrow by the baggage handlers who were arrested today over the drugs allegations. The security breach is, however, certain to lead to questions about the ability of those with criminal intent to obtain clearance to work at the airport  particularly given the continuing terrorist threat to flights.

In the case of todays drug arrests, it is understood that most of the seizures were the result of intelligence that enabled the NCA to identify the flights on which the cocaine and cannabis were being smuggled in.

The coordinated raids were intended to ensure that as many as possible of those involved in the gang, including those masterminding the operation, were arrested.
M inisters today came under pressure to ensure that schools take a zero tolerance approach to sexual harassment and assault among pupils.

Former Cabinet minister Maria Miller said some schools were receiving mixed messages about what they should report to police, in part because of the lack of formal guidance.

The Tory MP, who chairs Parliaments Women and Equalities committee, said it had become the norm that many schools failed to tackle head on peer-on-peer abuse.

Official figures show that more than 1,000 criminal incidents  ranging in severity from sexting to rape  have taken place in London schools in the past four years, although not all the victims were children.

However, across the UK last year there were 47,000 sexual offences against children and one in three of them was perpetrated by another child. The Department for Education updated its advice for schools in September to include pupil assaults, but ministers left it to heads to take a common sense approach.

In contrast, official guidance on allegations made against teachers sets out detailed options for schools, including moving the accused teacher to another school.

The Government came under attack from MPs last month for not doing enough to ensure that schools were adequately protecting children from peer abuse. Mrs Miller admitted there was a natural tension between the Governments desire to give schools autonomy and the need for them to know what was acceptable and what was not.

She told the Standard: This is where guidance is so important to make sure schools have a clear plan for how to tackle this. At the moment it is clear that they tackle these issues in very different ways. We need to make sure that wherever a child goes to school they can be confident that their school is going to take these things very seriously indeed.

A report by her committee last month claimed that the voluntary system was patchy and often inadequate and said Ofsted should assess how well schools were dealing with incidents.

It also recommended that every child gets appropriate sex and relationships education.

A Department for Education spokesman said: Laws and guidance are in place to enable teachers to take action to deal with these sorts of cases and we trust them to use a common sense approach. As always, we will continue to work with schools to decide when and where further support is needed.

However, the NSPCC said the guidance had significant gaps which needed to be urgently addressed. A spokesman added: We expect all schools to recognise the seriousness of sexual abuse and assaults by pupils and train staff so children are offered appropriate support and protection.
A British Airways passenger was allegedly told by staff that using multiple teabags in a guest lounge at Heathrow Airport was banned.

The company was forced to apologise after a waitress is said to have told a customer he could use "only one tea bag at a time and for lounge consumption only.

Writing on online blog, flyertalk, the disgruntled traveller explained how he tried to blend an elderflower darjeeling and an elderflower apple teabag in a cup with boiling water.

However, he claimed to have looked up to see the hostess watching him before she walked over to inform him of the policy, the Telegraph reported.

Fellow flyers also accused BA of being "petty" over the restrictions on use of teabags after reading the blog post.

A BA spokeswoman said customers were free to use as many teabags as they wish in the company's airport lounges.

She told the newspaper: As Brits we have strong feelings about how we like our tea, so we're disappointed that someone would dare to stand in the way of our customer producing the perfect cuppa.

We'd like to assure all our customers that they are, of course, free to blend their tea as they wish."
C ampaigners are to take part in a peaceful carolling protest outside No 10, demanding that the Government secures the release of a London mother imprisoned in Iran.

Thomson Reuters charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 37, from West Hampstead, was arrested on April 3 as she tried to fly home with her daughter Gabriella, two, after visiting family.

In September the British-Iranian citizen was sentenced to five years in jail on undisclosed charges.

North London parents have organised the Downing Street protest with Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes husband, Richard Ratcliffe.

They have invited the English Chamber Choir and the choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields to join them.

Mr Ratcliffe said: Nazanin is one of the bravest people I know but shes at breaking point. Shes been separated from me and our daughter  completely illegally  for no reason and with no charge.

"We are an ordinary family, like millions of others. And its just unimaginable that my wife is in prison, and wont be with either me, or her own child at Christmas.

"I urge the British government to bring all their weight in the world to bear and get my wife out of jail before its too late.

The protest starts at 6pm next Monday
A child who slipped through railings into the fast-flowing waters of the Thames near the Golden Hinde was rescued with seconds to spare by a hero bystander.

Mark Maloney, 37, was with colleagues at the The Old Thameside Inn on Bankside, when he was alerted by the mothers screams for help.

Insurance worker Mr Maloney said it was only thanks to his training for Ironman contests and triathalons that he was able to keep his head above the fierce current and grab the four-year-old boy before he was swept away.

He told the Standard: I just acted on instinct without thinking really. I do a lot of triathlons and lots of open swimming so I thought I could help.

In the water I was panicking because I couldnt see him, I was screaming up to my mates where is he? And suddenly his head popped up in front of me.

He was bobbing under and I didnt think he would come back up again so I managed get hold of him.

I was talking to him to reassure him. I asked him what his name was and telling him he was going to be okay, that were nearly there.

He managed to tell me his name but was in total shock. It was a really tough current, I did a huge open water swim in Ironman competition in the summer but I was struggling to keep us both afloat.

I was struggling: Mark Maloney said his training for endurance sports events enabled him to save himself and the four-year-old boy from the fast-flowing Thames current

Mr Maloneys manager Andrew Edwards, 45, was part of the group that tossed the struggling pair an emergency ring and pulled them back to safety.

He said: It was the most heroic thing I have ever seen. We looked round and Mark was already taking his shoes off to go in. He was the only one who had the strength to do it, if Id gone in Id be dead.

The kid was going under - you could just see the top of his head and hands as he was struggling to breathe. Seconds later and he would have gone.

The boy fell into the Thames near the Golden Hinde / Getty Images

Mr Maloney, visiting London for work from Newcastle-under-Lyme, pulled himself back to the bank and climbed a ladder to hand the child back to his desperate mother, who was with two other children.

He said: His mum was just crying, she was obviously in shock she could barely speak.

When she realised I got him back over the railing she was trying her best to say thank you but she couldnt get the words out.

I was just so relieved to get the boy out and see hes ok. Its a sense of relief that I have never known before to give him back to his family just before Christmas.

Were staying in touch so I can hear how he recovers and I will be sending him a present too for being so brave.

A pub worker said: Someone came in and said quite casually said that a boy had fallen in to the river. There was a helicopter and ambulances everywhere it was happening so quickly. But the guy who jumped in did an amazing thing, he is a hero.

Police said the boy was taken to hospital as a precaution after yesterday afternoons incident but has since been discharged.

A RNLI spokeswoman added: It was a strong, ebbing tide which can be extremely dangerous.

On route we were called through to say the person was clear of the water but medical assistance was required.

We gave medical aid to a four-year-old boy who was reported to be fully conscious but wet and distressed.

Both were handed over to paramedics for further medical assistance.
LISLE, Ill., Dec. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, teamed up with Randalls Food Markets and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, to honor a Cedar Park, Texas military family on Wednesday.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8d12835a-2360-4632-b71a-0227e3971ab3

Eckrich surprised the Smith family at Randalls in Austin, Texas to honor and thank the family for their service. They were presented with a gift of free groceries for a year at Randalls, valued at more than $13,000, courtesy of Eckrich. As part of the event, crowds of shoppers were treated to live country music and samples of delicious Eckrich smoked sausage and deli meat.

Carl Smith served in the US Air Force as a Security Forces Senior Airman for three years and was deployed for six months overseas. His wife, Lacy, is his full-time caregiver and a member of Operation Homefronts Hearts of Valor program, a network of more than 3,000 caregivers of wounded service members which provides annual retreats, support groups and online communities. The family has seven children.

This is truly a blessing, said Lacy Smith. We have nine members in our family and now we can feed everyone, this a tremendous holiday surprise from Eckrich and Randalls.

The surprise is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. Eckrich, in its fifth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has donated more than $2.5 million to the organization since 2012.

Eckrich is proud to continue to support military families across the country, said Jennifer Zmrhal, Smithfield Foods senior director of marketing. We appreciate the partnership from Randalls and we are honored to present the Smith family with one year of free groceries.

Eckrich is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Eckrich

Founded by Peter Eckrich in 1894, Eckrich has a rich heritage starting from a small meat market in Fort Wayne, Ind. Through it all, Eckrich meats have been recognized for their great taste and supreme quality, craftsmanship, care and pride. For more information, visit www.eckrich.com or follow Eckrich on Facebook and Twitter.

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 Operation Homefront

A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront builds strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. With more than 3,200 volunteers nationwide, Operation Homefront has provided assistance to tens of thousands of military families since its inception shortly after 9/11. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 92 percent of Operation Homefronts expenditures go directly to programs that provide support to our military families. For more information, go to www.OperationHomefront.net.
B oris Johnson's ill-fated water cannon have finally been put on the market with the Metropolitan Police hoping to sell them for up to 43,000 each.

The full cost of the former Mayor's controversial purchases  which have languished in storage for the last two years  is more than 322,000, meaning the London taxpayer will lose out even if they go for the maximum price.

This covers storage, maintenance and upgrade work on the three crowd control vehicles, including 20,000 on repainting, 5,000 on bodywork repairs due to corrosion and almost 1,000 on installing radio and CD players for the drivers.

The second-hand vehicles, which Mr Johnson was banned from deploying by then Home Secretary Theresa May last year, could fetch as little as 2,000 each, just above their scrap value.

Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe supports water cannons

Labours Sadiq Khan, who took over as Mayor in May, announced today that the water cannon would be sold via the Ministry of Defence, to a reputable European policing or civil defence force.

Boris Johnson: the former mayor bought the cannon / PA

He said the sale will abide by rigorous ethical standards to ensure the water cannon are not misused in future, ruling out any bids from Middle Eastern states, Russia and probably Turkey.

The Mayor plans to redirect the proceeds, and any funds which would otherwise have been spent on maintaining the crowd control vehicles in future years, into projects to tackle gang crime.

Mr Khan said: It beggars belief that such a huge amount of taxpayers money has been wasted on paying to store these redundant machines.

Criticism: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan / PA

Weve been left in this position by the previous Mayor who rashly purchased them before he even had permission to use them, and now its my job to claw back as much of London taxpayers money as I can.

I have spent a significant amount of time looking into how I can do this, and have been left with no choice but sell these machines through a process that charges a fee.

The Met and the German Federal Police estimated that the water cannon would now be worth between 35,000 and 43,000, after substantial upgrade work.

They were originally bought from the Germans two years ago for 28,000 each  a total of 84,000  but the overall package, including refurbishment was 218,000. Since then the Met has spent vast sums on storage, insurance and other expenses.

This included 32,000 on making the vehicles compliant with the Low Emission Zone, even though they were never used, 20,000 on fitting CCTV and 3,000 on 999 sirens, plus another 3,500 on Met Police signage.

In July 2015, Mrs May refused permission for their use on the capitals streets, telling MPs that evaluation and testing had shown the cannon could cause serious injuries, including spinal fractures, and raised doubts over their usefulness in fast-moving riots.

The cannon have since been kept in storage by the Metropolitan Police at its Gravesend training facility.

The MoD will take 5 per cent of the sale price, with a further 30 to 35 per cent going to the contractor.

Tory Assembly member Keith Prince said: Although they cannot currently be routinely used, the Met can apply for a special licence to deploy water cannon were we to have a repeat of events like the 2011 riots  a fact the Mayor is either ignoring or unaware of.

These water cannon have been used to train officers for deployment in Northern Ireland for the past two years and could provide a vital service on Londons streets tomorrow if required.

The Mayor wants to make this look like hes shedding dead weight. The reality is he will get virtually nothing back for what are third-hand vehicles which are currently serving a useful purpose.
J eremy Corbyn faced a furious row today as it emerged he may appoint the head of Sinn Feins London office to work in his office.

Jayne Fisher, who describes herself as a London based socialist on Twitter, is said to be joining the Labour leaders team in January.

But Labour MPs say Mr Corbyn risks damaging his image by reminding voters of his history of support for Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army.

One backbencher complained: It is another stupid move that is going to cause the most ridiculous amount of negative headlines for no gain.

It will just remind everyone of Jeremys hard-left positions.

Mr Corbyns links with Sinn Fein leaders have caused huge controversy since the 1980s. He triggered outrage weeks after the Brighton bombing in 1984 by inviting Gerry Adams and other members of Sinn Fein to the Commons.

The Labour leader maintains he was part of the peace process that eventually convinced the IRA to give up violence.

Last year he was pictured at the cafe in Portculllis House with Mr Adams and Martin McGuinness, both now mainstream politicians, as well as Ms Fisher.

A spokesman for the Labour leader said: We do not comment on staffing matters.
L ondon boroughs today warned that increasing council taxes will not address the multi-million-pound shortfall facing adult social care services.

Even if every local authority in the capital added the two per cent adult social care precept on every bill until 2020, there would still be a 675 million funding gap, London Councils said.

The organisation represents the capitals 32 boroughs and also the City of London.

Its warning comes the day before the Government is expected to announce plans that will allow authorities to increase the care precept.

But a spokesman for London Councils said: Enabling [authorities] to increase the social care precept would be an inadequate response that would raise less in the areas that need it most.

London Councils said that even in the best case scenario of every single eligible taxpayer meeting the two per cent rate, funding still falls short.

The proposals could allow authorities to increase council tax by up to seven per cent.

However, Ray Puddifoot, London Councils executive member for adult social care, said today that a one-off cash injection from central government was the preferred solution to the crisis.

Mr Puddifoot, who is leader of Tory-run Hillingdon council, said: You cant raise enough money across London [from the precept]. It needs an injection to catch up with the rising population.

He called on the Government to recognise that the base level of funding was insufficient.

The precept, introduced by former chancellor George Osborne, has so far raised 47 million across the capital for the year 2016/17. The amount varies between boroughs. Westminster has raised 964,000 compared with 2.5 million for Barnet.
M inisters have faced a backlash over spending 285million on an airport where planes are unable to land.

The runway on St Helena, in the South Atlantic, is completely unusable due to high winds.

The island faces a wind shear which means gales blow at right angles, making it difficult for planes to land safely.

Despite the weather issue being noted by Charles Darwin in 1869, the Government backed building the runway to help boost tourism to the island which is only reachable by sea.

A damning report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee, published on Tuesday, said The Department for International Development (DFID) "did not do enough" to ensure it had the "competence" to build the airport.

Commercial flights are currently banned from landing at the airport and it is not yet known how much work it will take to remedy the issue, the report added.

The committee claimed to be extremely sceptical that the installation would boost tourist number from 1,000-a-year to 29,000 by 2042.

It read: Over-egging prospective tourism growth may have made the business case stack up but, even then, the business case for building the airport was marginal at best."

Committee chairman Meg Hillier said: The Government has an obligation to support St Helena but a 285million white elephant serves neither its people nor the taxpayers footing the bill.

The result is a disaster - a commercial airport that is not fit for purpose, no credible plan to salvage value for money, and no clarity on exactly who is responsible for the whole sorry mess.
T heresa May branded Boris Johnson an FFS when challenged over whether she should have told him to F-off rather than make him Foreign Secretary.

At Prime Ministers Questions, Bootle Labour MP Peter Dowd quizzed Mrs May: In the light of the Foreign Secretarys display of chronic foot and mouth disease, when deciding on Cabinet positions does the Prime Minister now regret that pencilling FO against his name should have been an instruction not a job offer.

Colleagues on the Opposition benches erupted in laughter, with many Tory MPs looking grim-faced.

Speaker John Bercow had to intervene to calm down the Chamber.

Mrs May then quipped back: The Foreign Secretary is doing an absolutely excellent job.

He is in short, an FFS - a fine Foreign Secretary.

FFS on social media means for f**ks sake and FO is colloquial to f**k off.

The exchange came just hours after Mr Johnson joked about Mrs May and her lederhosen at a reception for ambassadors in central London.

Downing Street slapped down the former Mayor of London last week for comments about Saudi Arabia.
A n inventor who created a new device that allows people to walk on water said he hopes it will become the next big fitness trend.

Londoner Kris Rogus, 42, has spent six years designing the FloatSki  water skis that let you walk on the surface without being dragged by a boat.

It uses mechanical parts employed in the latest Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to allow the wearer to walk or run on rivers, ponds and lakes.

Mr Rogus successfully tested the skis in front of astonished onlookers in Hyde Park this autumn, while another launch was carried out near Paddington.

He believes the unique devices allow the running action that could become Londoners fitness regime of choice.

FloatSki: Could it be the next big fitness trend?

He said: There are 100 boats for rent in Hyde Park and people just want to experience things for themselves. There are so many tourists who visit during the summer, I think there is nothing else like this on the market.

Its designed so you can stay on the water for up to two hours. But people could rent them for 30 minutes, try them out and take a selfie. Its the first fully functioning device of its kind.

I asked 15 central London parks to let me try them out and Hyde Park was kind enough to support this small, eccentric business when we tested it in October. My dream is to see people using the Floatskis to run on water.

Inventor: Kris Rogus

He now wants to raise 150,000 in crowdfunding to open a rental shop at one of Londons lakes by next summer.

Mr Roguss day job is as a carpenter refurbishing luxury flats in the Vauxhall Nine Elms developments. He and former professional surfer Tris Cokes manufacture the Floatskis from his workshop in Cornwall.

He said: This has been in my head since I was 14. I grew up rowing and love windsurfing and one day I accidentally got my foot caught in two small boats. It was my idea to connect the two together and it went from there.

Each device weighs 10kg. The skis have buoyant hulls with propulsion flaps, enabling wearers to propel themselves across the water like a cross-country ski. They are stable, safe and light enough for the wearer not to get tired, Mr Rogus claimed.

For more info visit floatski.com
B ritish Airways cabin crew have voted overwhelmingly for strike action amid a row over pay.

Unite, the union representing workers, said 80 per cent of members backed the walkout on Wednesday which has raised the threat of flight disruption.

The row involves the airlines mixed fleet employees who have joined British Airways since 2010.

Unite claims the cabin crew earn less than other staff and have been forced to take on second jobs to make ends meet.

The union alleged earnings were advertised between 21,000 and 25,000 but in reality started at just over 12,000 plus 3 an hour flying pay.

However, BA bosses said a fair and reasonable pay rise was proposed which brings salaries in line with staff at other airlines.

Around 2,500 cabin crew workers were involved in the dispute. Turnout in the ballot was recorded at 60 per cent.

Unite regional officer Matt Smith said: "Our members have overwhelmingly voted for strike action because British Airways' pay rates are indefensible and the crew are at breaking point.

"Mixed Fleet crew earn just over the minimum wage and below the national average. Significant numbers of crew are taking on second jobs, many go to work unfit to fly because they can't afford to be sick. British Airways bosses need to wake up to the anger and the injustice here.

"Not only are the pay rates indefensible but, in aviation, low pay is a safety issue. Thirty percent of the Mixed Fleet crew have been with the company for just under a year.

"Crew simply can't afford to stay. Inexperience, fatigue, and the fact that BA recently cut the length of crew training courses means Unite is genuinely concerned about the potential repercussions.

"We urge British Airways to avoid this dispute and do the right thing by both the frontline staff and the travelling public, by engaging with Unite to negotiate a genuinely meaningful way forward."

A British Airways spokesman said: We are extremely disappointed that the union is creating uncertainty for our customers.

"Mixed Fleet Unite represents about 15% of our cabin crew. We remain focused on resolving this issue as quickly as possible without any disruption to customers.

"We have proposed a fair and reasonable pay increase to Mixed Fleet cabin crew which is in line with that accepted by other British Airways colleagues and which will ensure their reward levels remain in line with cabin crew at our airline competitors."
T he fate of up to 50,000 trapped civilians and at least 1,500 fighters in Aleppo hung in the balance today.

Russian-backed Syrian government forces and Iranian militia have been accused of continuing a round of atrocities in the city since before the weekend.

Families crossing to the western part of Aleppo have been shot at and men, women and children summarily executed in the streets, according to numerous accounts.

The reported delay in an evacuation operation to get civilians out of the bombed remains of eastern Aleppo is an indication of the shakiness of the position of the Assad regime and its backers in Syria as a whole.

The deal to escort civilians, under UN supervision, has been put off because Damascus is looking for similar arrangements to get its supporters out of besieged towns and villages east of Aleppo.

Aleppo - In pictures 1 /18 Aleppo - In pictures A general view shows Syrian pro-government forces walking in the ancient Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo AFP/Getty Images Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood AFP/Getty Images Kefa Jawish (R) and her husband Tajeddin Ahmed walk among the ruins of a destroyed mosque in Aleppo's Hanano district as they head to check their house for the first time in four years in the city's northeastern Haydariya neighbourhood Youssef Karwashan/AFP/Getty Images Destroyed buildings in Aleppo's eastern al-Shaar neighbourhood George Ourfalian/AFP/Getty Images member of the Syrian pro-government forces stands next to a tank in the old city of Aleppo George Ourfalian/AFP/Getty Images A general view down a street with damages in Aleppo EPA A Syrian girl walks amid the wreckage of damaged buildings and shops in the western city of Aleppo, Syria Hassan Ammar/AP Syrian pro-government forces walk in Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood after they captured the area in the eastern part of the war torn city George Ourfalian/AFP/Getty Images Destroyed building are seen as a man and his son implant vegetable in the village of Al-Amrieh, south of Aleppo, Syria Hassan Ammar/AP Syrian civilians flee the Sukkari neighbourhood towards safer rebel-held areas in southeastern Aleppo AFP/Getty Images A general view shows the damage inside the Umayyad mosque, in the government-controlled area of Aleppo Omar Sanadiki/Reuters Boys stand amid the damage in the government-held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo Omar Sanadiki/Reuters A general view over damages near the Umayyad Mosque in the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo EPA General view of the historic Syrian city of Aleppo in 2006 Rami Haidar/AFP/Getty Images

The dictatorship of Bashar Assad is running out of military resources to keep a ground war going in several centres at once. This was spelled out by the fighting in the ancient desert city of Palmyra at the weekend.

A lightning assault by IS fighters was only reversed by a series of air strikes  64 in less than 24 hours  by Russian planes. Today IS is still in charge of at least part of the city.

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The regimes equipment is wearing out, too. Russia will have to mount a huge resupply of ground vehicles, helicopters, weaponry and ammunition to keep their Syrian client going through the summer.

Vladimir Putin appears to be achieving his aim of getting back Aleppo, once Syrias largest and wealthiest city, for Assad and his cohorts. But it has come at a big price. Its bad news for his newest would-be friend, Donald Trump, as well as for himself.

Trumps cosying up to Moscow looks more sour by the day  on two counts. First there is the sheer brutality of how Russia and Assad are fighting and imposing their version of peace.

Second, there is the smell of being assisted by a Moscow-driven cyber-hacking campaign to win the White House.

For Russia, theres the shadow of its support for a quasi-Marxist regime in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989.

It is getting into the same bind now backing a failing dictatorship in Syria. The Afghanistan misadventure ended in regime change in Moscow, with the collapse of the Soviet empire exactly 25 years ago.
A German minister has refused to wear a headscarf during a visit to Saudi Arabia as she said women should have the right to choose what they wear.

Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen was in the Saudi capital, Riydah, to meet deputy crown prince Salamn bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud when she voiced her concern that women were forced to cover up.

Speaking of her decision not to wear a headscarf or the abaya, the ubiquitous (and obligatory) cover for women in Saudi Arabia, Ms Von der Leyen said: No woman in my delegation will be required to wear the abaya, as the [right] to choose ones attire is a right shared by men and women equally."

Her comments reported in German newspaper Das Bild sparked uproar in the deeply-conservative state with Saudi citizens taking to social media to say she had insulted their country.

Ms Von der Leyen arrived for her meeting with the deputy crown prince wearing a western-style dark trouser suit and no headscarf.

Her comments come days after Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a ban of full-faced veils in Germany wherever legally possible and in the same week that a Saudi woman was arrested for taking off her veil in public.

All women in Saudi Arabia are required to wear the abaya which covers the entirety of a womans body apart from her face, hands and feet.

Muslim women usually pair the abaya with a headscarf of some sort.

Ms Von der Leyen followed the example of US First Lady Michelle Obama who also declined to wear a headscarf when visiting the Arab country last year.

Ms Merkel called for the ban earlier this month while speaking to her conservative Christian Democratic Union in Essen.

Making her bid for a fourth term as Chancellor Ms Merkel said: The full-face veil must be banned, wherever legally possible.
P ro-Assad forces renewed shelling of a rebel-held part of Aleppo on Wednesday as a ceasefire called to avoid a massacre collapsed.

Iranian militias and Hezbollah fighters, backing Syrian president Bashar Assad, were reported to have launched fresh attacks this morning.

But the Russian defence ministry accused Syrian rebels of resuming the hostilities at dawn, trying to break through government lines to the north-west.

The ceasefire had been called to allow 1,500 rebel fighters to leave the besieged city and to protect tens of thousands of trapped civilians.

More than 80 civilians were said to have been executed as the Syrian military and its allies seized parts of eastern Aleppo.

A convoy of buses was ready this morning to take fighters out of Aleppo to other rebel areas.

But Osama Abu Zayd, a legal adviser to the rebels, said the Iranian field commander in Syria was obstructing the deal, despite Russian backing for the ceasefire.

Aleppo - In pictures 1 /18 Aleppo - In pictures A general view shows Syrian pro-government forces walking in the ancient Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo AFP/Getty Images Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood AFP/Getty Images Kefa Jawish (R) and her husband Tajeddin Ahmed walk among the ruins of a destroyed mosque in Aleppo's Hanano district as they head to check their house for the first time in four years in the city's northeastern Haydariya neighbourhood Youssef Karwashan/AFP/Getty Images Destroyed buildings in Aleppo's eastern al-Shaar neighbourhood George Ourfalian/AFP/Getty Images member of the Syrian pro-government forces stands next to a tank in the old city of Aleppo George Ourfalian/AFP/Getty Images A general view down a street with damages in Aleppo EPA A Syrian girl walks amid the wreckage of damaged buildings and shops in the western city of Aleppo, Syria Hassan Ammar/AP Syrian pro-government forces walk in Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood after they captured the area in the eastern part of the war torn city George Ourfalian/AFP/Getty Images Destroyed building are seen as a man and his son implant vegetable in the village of Al-Amrieh, south of Aleppo, Syria Hassan Ammar/AP Syrian civilians flee the Sukkari neighbourhood towards safer rebel-held areas in southeastern Aleppo AFP/Getty Images A general view shows the damage inside the Umayyad mosque, in the government-controlled area of Aleppo Omar Sanadiki/Reuters Boys stand amid the damage in the government-held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo Omar Sanadiki/Reuters A general view over damages near the Umayyad Mosque in the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo EPA General view of the historic Syrian city of Aleppo in 2006 Rami Haidar/AFP/Getty Images

Military chiefs were said to be making new demands, including recovering the remains of Iranian fighters killed in Aleppo, the release of Iranian hostages in Idlib, and the evacuation of wounded from villages besieged by rebels.

People in eastern Aleppo were packing their bags and burning possessions as they prepared to leave, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed militia allies.

In what appeared to be a separate development from the planned evacuation, 6,000 civilians and 366 fighters were said to have left rebel-held districts over the past 24 hours.

But concerns were growing that the main evacuation could be delayed for days. In London, recriminations flew over Britains failure to intervene against the Assad regime when it used chemical weapons in 2013.

Hundreds gathered outside Downing Street yesterday to protest against the inhumanity of the bloodshed in Aleppo.

Tooting Labour MP Dr Rosena Allin-Khan told the Commons that she felt guilt that I am not on the front line with my medical colleagues from the Red Cross, whom I stood with for many years, shoulder to shoulder, in many a humanitarian crisis.

She added: I have guilt when I ask myself whether in Britain we on these benches have done enough for the innocent people of Syria and I cannot put my hand on my heart and say that we have.

At the United Nations in New York, US ambassador Samantha Power launched a scathing attack on Syria, Russia and Iran, asking if the countries were truly incapable of shame.

But Russian envoy Vitaly Churkin hit back, saying: Please remember your own countrys track record, and then you can start opining from the position of any moral supremacy.


T he famous Spanish siesta could become extinct if a plan is approved to move the country's clocks back one hour to use Greenwich Mean Time.

Spains government wants to change its time zone to align with Britain amid hopes a clock change will boost citizens productivity.

Madrid was in the GMT zone until 1942 when Second World War dictator General Franco moved the clocks forward to match Nazi Germany's system.

But activists campaigning to change the clocks back claim the time zone causes a state of permanent jet lag for citizens.

Siesta: Party-goers take an afternoon nap during the San Fermin Running of the Bulls festival in Pamplona, Spain / Getty Images

They hope a change would boost Spains weak productivity and give Spanish people a better work-life balance, The Times reported.

The culture of the siesta means many workers are made to take lengthy lunch breaks but then do not finish work until around 7pm or 8pm  much later than in other European countries.

In general Spaniards also work longer hours than elsewhere in the EU.

The countrys labour minister, Fatima Banez, said the government was working to change the time zone and the new working day would finish at 6pm.

It is likely the move will be backed by opposition parties and approved.
T ens of thousands of trapped Nigerian children face death next year and hundreds of thousands more will starve in a humanitarian crisis caused by Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, Unicef has warned.

The United Nations agency for children said 80,000 young people in north-east Nigeria are acutely malnourished and need urgent treatment or they will perish in the famine-like conditions.

Boko Haram has wreaked havoc in Africas most populous country with its seven-year fight to topple the government and create an Islamic state  killing more than 20,000 people and creating 2.6 million refugees.

Unicef executive director Anthony Lake said: Large areas of Borno state are completely inaccessible to any kind of humanitarian assistance.

We are extremely concerned about children trapped there. We estimate 400,000 will suffer severe acute malnutrition over the next year.

"Without the treatment they need, one in five of them will die. Farming has been disrupted and crops destroyed, food reserves depleted and often pillaged and livestock killed or abandoned.

In Borno, where fighting has been most brutal, 75 per cent of the water and sanitation infrastructure and 30 per cent of all health facilities have been either destroyed, looted or damaged.

Doctors Without Borders said last month that thousands of children had already died, including up to a quarter of youngsters admitted to its emergency treatment centre in Maiduguri, the biggest city in Nigerias north-east and the birthplace of the insurgency.

A multi-national force of soldiers from Nigeria and neighbouring countries has pushed Boko Haram out of towns and many villages they occupied.

But attacks on military outposts and suicide bombings on soft targets continue, despite president Muhammadu Buharis claim that Boko Haram was technically defeated a year ago.

The UN has doubled its humanitarian funding appeal for north-east Nigeria to 790 million next year. Nigeria is probing allegations food aid that could help prevent deaths was being diverted.


A ctor Riz Ahmed says he was sworn to secrecy after winning a role in the new Star Wars movie... but couldnt resist telling his mother.

The Londoner, 34, plays rebel pilot Bodhi Rook in spin-off Rogue One, which had its London premiere at Tate Modern last night.

He revealed that he struggled to keep quiet after landing the part, saying: I was going to tweet about it. Then I thought better of it  luckily my thumb wasnt working at the time otherwise I would have.

To be honest I felt like I had to tell someone, so I thought the safest option would be to tell someone very close to me, who wouldnt say anything.

Launch: The Rogue One cast at the afterparty for the London premiere / Ian West/PA

"So that was my mum. When I was actually filming at Pinewood Studios, my mums house is close so I was staying there a lot. She would be saying, What you filming, what you doing?

Id be like, Im filming Star Wars, and shed be like, Oh thats nice, have some more roti Thats her focus.

Ahmed, who won a scholarship to Merchant Taylors School before studying at Oxford University, grew up in Wembley with his Pakistani parents and says he wants to use his voice to support more ethnic actors.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story IMAX Red Carpet Featurette

He added: I feel very, very lucky there is so much out there these days, with film, music or TV. Im a born and raised Londoner and my dream is to try to help stretch and progress British film and television and theatre industries and make them more inclusive.

Ive made no secret about that. I think its really great that so many ethnic British actors get so many chances in the US.

Rogue One: Stars take to red carpet 1 /37 Rogue One: Stars take to red carpet Felicity Jones attends 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Dave Benett Stormtroopers in the Turbine Hall during the 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Premiere at the Tate Modern, London Matt Crossick/PA Forest Whitaker was also spotted on the red carpet PA Diego Luna who plays Captain Cassian Andor looked chic in a dark suit Getty Images Anthony Daniels and Alan Tudyk attend the 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' launch event after party at the Tate Modern Dave Benett The cast attending the premiere of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story at the Tate Modern' Ian West/PA Forest Whitaker and Felicity Jones attend the "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" launch event after party at the Tate Modern Dave Benett True Whitaker attends 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' at the BFI IMAX Dave Benett Mads Mikkelsen attends the "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" launch event after party at the Tate Modern Dave Benett Riz Ahmed and Felicity Jones attend the "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" launch event after party at the Tate Modern Dave Benett Alan Tudyk attends 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' at the BFI IMAX Dave Benett Felicity Jones attends the special screening of Rogue One PA Tristan Evans, James McVey, Bradley Simpson and Connor Ball of The Vamps attend 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' at the BFI IMAX Dave Benett True Whitaker and Forest Whitaker attend 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' at the BFI IMAX Dave Benett Felicity Jones attends 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' at the BFI IMAX Dave Benett Diego Luna attends 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' at the BFI IMAX Dave Benett Donnie Yen attends 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' at the BFI IMAX Dave Benett Forest Whitaker (L) and daughter True Whitaker attend 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' at the BFI IMAX Dave Benett Mads Mikkelsen attends 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' at the BFI IMAX Dave Benett Forest Whitaker attends 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' at the BFI IMAX Dave Benett Charissa Barton and Alan Tudyk attend the 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' launch event after party at the Tate Modern Dave Benett Felicity Jones dazzled in a full length grey-mauve dress Getty Images Alan Tudyk who plays robot K-2SO also attended PA Donnie Yen poses for photos on the red carpet Joel Ryan/Invision/AP Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed, Felicity Jones and Diego Luna pose for photos Getty Images Riz Ahmed was also pictured at the event at London's South Bank Getty Images Director Gareth Edwards also attended Getty Images Felicity Jones Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

"Id love to see that happening more in the UK. But Im never turning my back on this country  Im British, born and bred.

Ahmed was joined at the premiere by co-stars Felicity Jones, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Ben Mendelsohn, Diego Luna and Donnie Yen and director Gareth Edwards.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Trailer

The afterparty featured rows of Stormtroopers, cocktails with dry ice and special burgers served in Star Wars boxes.

Star Wars is life-changing and I think Im only just beginning to recognise that now, said Ahmed. The fans are so dedicated and loyal, they show up everywhere.

"Which is lovely, but I might have to start making some weird disguises and wearing them!

This week he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in HBO murder drama The Night Of, and he recently released his debut album as half of hip-hop duo Swet Shop Boys.
S ue Perkins says she shed a tear as she made her final ever contribution to the Great British Bake Off.

The TV presenter has hosted the show for all seven series alongside co-host Mel Giedroyc, and has now recorded the voice over for the two-part Christmas special.

Not ashamed to admit I just shed a tear at my final ever Bake Off voice over, she wrote on Twitter.

Farewell my tenty chum x

The Great Christmas Bake Off will be the last time the show airs on the BBC.

Earlier in 2016, Love Productions sold the show to Channel 4 in a three year deal  causing Sue, Mel, and judge Mary Berry to step down from the series.

Mel & Sue released a statement announcing their departure from the series.

Weve had the most amazing time on Bake Off, and have loved seeing it rise and rise like a pair of yeasted Latvian baps, they wrote.

The Great Christmas Bake Off 2016 - who's back? 1 /12 The Great Christmas Bake Off 2016 - who's back? They're back The original Bake Off quartet of Paul Hollywood, Sue Perkins, Mel Giedroyc, and Mary Berry are presenting a Christmas special - with former contestants taking part BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon Chetna Makan from Series 5 BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon James Morton from Series 3 BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon Cathryn Dresser from Series 3 BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon Norman Calder from Series 5 BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon Howard Middleton from Series 4 BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon Mary-Anne Boermans from Series 2 BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon Janet Basu from Series 2 BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon Ali Imdad from Series 4 BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon

Were not going with the dough. We wish all the future bakers every success.

The Great Christmas Bake Off will see several former contestants from previous series return to bake some festive favourites. The episodes will feature the original presenters and judges.

Paul Hollywood will be moving with the show to Channel 4 in 2017. It has not yet been announced who will be joining him in the tent.
Gov. Kasich Vetoes Ohio 'Heartbeat Bill'

National Group Decries Action



Contact: Mark Harrington, Created Equal, 614-419-9000, mark@createdequal.org



COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 14, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- In 2011, the original Heartbeat Bill (HB 125) came literally one heartbeat away from becoming Ohio law. Now, after over five years, the bill, (Am. Sub. HB 493) which made it to the Governor's desk, has been vetoed by Governor John Kasich.



In a statement, Kasich wrote, "I agree with Ohio Right to Life and other leading, pro-life advocates that SB 127 (a 20-week ban) is the best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life," Kasich said in a statement.

Read entire Columbus Dispatch article HERE.

Mark Harrington, National Director of Created Equal wrote, "History will not look kindly on Gov. Kasich for killing the best chance at protecting children that we have seen in a lifetime! This bill, which would protect babies with beating hearts, went down to defeat because Governor Kasich, who campaigned as a pro-life advocate, killed the bill. Those who bend the knee to the worst ruling in history (Roe v. Wade) are no better than the ones who wrote it."



Ohio's pro-life community will not rest until this bill is passed into law. We will never give up on protecting children.
Working for public child welfare agencies can be demanding and draining, and some employees dont last long in the job.

A University of Nebraska-Lincoln research center will study ways to address the workforce problems facing those agencies.

The federal Department of Health and Human Services awarded a $15 million grant over five years to UNLs Center on Children, Families and the Law. UNL made the announcement Tuesday.

Michelle Graef, the UNL research associate professor who will oversee the project, said analysis of this topic is essential.

Theres a huge need because a lot of agencies really struggle with turnover and how to find and hire and retain good staff, Graef said in a phone interview.

The agencies strive to protect children from neglect and abuse, and they work with families that need help. But children sometimes have to be removed from homes, an emotional decision that can exhaust and agonize workers. Child welfare workers form relationships with the families with whom they work, but a constant rotation of those workers makes it impossible for valuable connections to form, and the children involved suffer because of this, Graef said.

Its really a national problem, she said.

Graef said about 15 researchers, including six from UNL, will study the operations of five to 10 state and tribal child welfare agencies across the nation. They will consider hiring processes, organizational culture, supervision, worker recruitment and other factors.

Agencies will apply to participate in the project.

UNL, which received the grant, will collaborate on the project with researchers at the University of Colorado-Denver, the University of Louisville and the University of Tennessee.

The UNL Center on Children, Families and the Law is based at 206 S. 13th St. in Lincoln.

Resources for the agencies are often tight, scrutiny is intense and pay can be low. These factors contribute to burnout and high turnover, a UNL press release on the grant said.

Its really difficult work, Graef said.

Mike Marvin, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, said theres a workforce crisis across the nation in child welfare organizations. We have a lot of issues with it, Marvin said. The problem exists almost everywhere, the same problem. The study, he said, is a step in the right direction.

Doug Weinberg, director of Children and Family Services with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, applauded the grant through an email. The Center on Children, Families and the Law is very familiar with these challenges and they are in an excellent position to lead this work, Weinberg said. Anything we can learn about recruiting and retaining staff will help to improve outcomes for Nebraskas children.

Graef said child welfare agencies have worker turnover of 20 percent a year and higher.

She said she has been an industrial and organizational psychologist at UNL for about 25 years. The grant is a culmination of my whole lifes work, really, she said in an interview.

Researchers with expertise in social work, educational psychology, human resources, law and other disciplines will participate in the work. Graef said: Any one discipline doesnt hold all the answers.
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With one hand holding a bottle of champagne and the other an oversized certificate declaring him the winner of $1 million from Publishers Clearing House, Bruce Saunders stood on the front porch of his western Davie County Monday and rattled off a list of things he plans spend his spend money on  medical bills, fixing his lawnmower and helping family members.
By MARK EVANS STE. GENEVIEVE HERALD Scott Schmieder, county road and bridge foreman, reported to the county commission last Thursday that temperatures are getting too cold at night for much more asphalt work to be done. He said potholes had all been patched. His crews were working on Bodine Road and made call-ins to locate
Romania's Constitutional Court (CCR) on Wednesday has ruled as constitutional the law that amends the Ordinance on public pay law, after repelling notifications by the PNL (National Liberal Party) and Government.

The two notifications were merged into a single file, and the exceptions raised were rejected after debates.

The CCR decision is final and generally mandatory.

The Government on one hand, along with another 65 liberal deputies on the other have formulated one constitutionality challenge each in reference to the Law on approving the Government Emergency Ordinance (OUG) No. 20/2016 for the modification and completion of OUG No. 57/2015 on the public staff's pay.

The Chamber of Deputies in a plenary sitting has endorsed on 7 November 2016 OUG No. 20/2016 with amendments brought by the specialty committees, that foresee on average 15pct salary raises in Education and Healthcare.

Premier Dacian Ciolos specified on 8 November, after the piece of legislation was passed, that the Government was compelled to ask for a constitutionality check, focused only on the law that is amending the OUG and not on the entire OUG.

On 9 November, the PNL group with the Chamber of Deputies has notified in its turn the CCR for the same reason.

"PNL could not ignore the fact that the vote expressed in the plenary sitting of the Chamber of Deputies was not given in accordance with the regulation and that it is an infringement to constitutional jurisprudence," said at the time the Liberal deputies' leader, Eugen Nicolaescu.

According to the liberals, by adopting this law the principle of bicameralism consecrated through in the constitutional jurisprudence, meaning that the amendments at the Chamber of Deputies are modifying the contents of the regulation and generate a "significantly different" configuration of the piece of legislation as against the form adopted by the Senate.

PNL invoked the violation of Art. 69 para (2) of the Chamber's Regulation which says that a report adopted by a permanent committee of this forum must be distributed to the MPs electronic box at least five days before the plenary debate.

The PNL deputies' parliamentary group contested the adoption of OUG 20/2016 and the other draft laws approved in the plenary sitting on 7 November on grounds that the vote was a fraud, yet the Permanent Bureau rejected the litigation.

Subsequently, the liberals announced they were to lodge a court complaint against those who have run the plenary sitting and notified the CCR on the unconstitutionality of the law on approving OUG No. 20/2016.

"According to the current structure of the Chamber of Deputies, the sitting's legal quorum is 177 deputies, a condition that wasn't met neither in the opening of the debate sitting (quote from the statement by Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Florin Iordache: 'out of 353 deputies, as many as 152 deputies were present'), nor at the beginning of the final vote sitting, according to video recordings captured by the Chamber's own audio-video system," specified the liberals.

agerpres.
Researchers at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center have secured a multimillion-dollar grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which they say could help save a staple crop in Africa from steadily encroaching disease.

The Creve Coeur-based research center is part of an international consortium to receive a five-year, $10.46-million grant aiming to advance the development of disease-resistant cassava, a starchy root vegetable that provides more than half the daily calories for about one in every three people in sub-Saharan Africa.

Across growing swaths of the continent, the crop is threatened by viral plant diseases, such as cassava mosaic disease and cassava brown streak disease. Brown streak disease already threatens crops in East and Central Africa, and is expected to reach West Africa, according to Nigel Taylor, a Danforth Center scientist leading the organizations research on virus-resistant varieties of the crop.

The Gates Foundation grant, Taylor said, seeks to minimize the impact as the disease  which can be transmitted by whiteflies  spreads to new areas reliant on cassava.

Its grown on a huge scale in Nigeria, said Taylor. The disease is not there right now but this is a proactive, preemptive effort to stop the spread of this disease, which is coming.

The grant provides a continuation of funding that builds on previous cassava research. After more than 10 years of work, Taylor said the grant should carry disease-tolerant cassava varieties to the point where they can transition from testing plots to farmers themselves, though that process could take several years.

Until now weve been doing the development work to show that we can do this, said Taylor. Now we can develop and deploy the products.

Disease-resistant cassava varieties will first be delivered to Uganda and Kenya, where Taylor said the most work has been done to conduct testing and garner regulatory approval. Expansion to Nigeria will follow that, he said.

In addition to disease resistance, the cassava developed for use in Nigeria will also provide higher amounts of iron and zinc to boost nutrition.
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 U.S. attorney's office says Shannon Hill, of Lee's Summit, entered the plea Tuesday in federal court. Hill, 22, admitted through the plea to taking nearly $800 worth of cash and gift cards from mail addressed to 33 victims in Kansas City, Raytown, and Parkville. The thefts occurred from April 2015 through this March.
CLAYTON  Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway, a top prosecutor and a Missouri senator called Wednesday for tougher penalties for officials who steal public money and greater powers to audit and recover the loot.

Sen. Bob Dixon, R-Springfield, has pre-filed a bill, S.B. 176, that would increase the penalty for first-degree official misconduct from a misdemeanor to a class E felony, punishable by up to four years in prison. It also would create a class A misdemeanor crime of second-degree official misconduct, to give prosecutors greater discretion, according to a news release.

In addition, the bill would give judges more powers to recover the money, and allow prosecutors and law enforcement to request an audit of an agency suspected of fraud, misconduct, or abuse of public dollars.

In a prepared statement, Dixon said the bill would allow law enforcement to maximize resources with Galloways office, and will provide a method to ensure someone who embezzles taxpayer money can be held accountable by our courts for paying it back.

Christian County County Prosecuting Attorney Amy Fite, who is president of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, said in a statement that the bill would allow the prosecution of crimes that in many cases would otherwise go unpunished due to a lack of resources or remedies available under current law.

Galloway was in Clayton to discuss the bill with St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch. Among others attending were St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar and Jason Lamb from the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.
Francis Howell school officials are looking at the next round of student programs to chop after voters turned down a district tax levy increase for the second year in a row.

The more immediate considerations on the table include charging high school students for participation in extracurricular activities and cutting high school extracurricular programs, security personnel, teacher training and test materials. Altogether, the district has about $1.3 million in suggested cuts to programs.

Among the more extreme possibilities are cutting bus transportation for students within a 3.5-mile radius of their schools, and converting to a four-day school week, though neither would likely happen until at least 2018.

District voters rejected a 60-cent tax levy increase last month. School officials said that increase was necessary to prevent more budget cuts on top of the $12 million thats already been cut in the past two years.

Officials worry that consecutive years of budget cuts will soon have an impact on the districts high state performance rating of 99.3 percent.

A big cost-saver for the district would be cutting transportation  savings that would be amplified by adopting a four-day week. But the district is looking at making schools more pedestrian-friendly  for example, by creating walk zones  before simply cutting bus transportation.

If the district were to cut transportation for students living in a 3.5-mile radius, that would affect about 10,400 students, Francis Howell Superintendent Mary Hendricks-Harris said.

The district is trying to shy away from cutting staff. Hendricks-Harris says the schools are getting down to the bone in staffing. The district has cut 190 positions since 2008, including 90 in the past two years. All staff, including administrators, have a salary freeze this year.

There is a level of exhaustion and frustration and our staff is beyond maxed out, Hendricks-Harris said.

The School Board is expected to vote on the districts staffing plan next month, and on next years budget in June.

The next Francis Howell board meeting is on Thursday, though the board will not vote on any budget planning matters for the next year.
JEFFERSON CITY  As GOP lawmakers and an incoming governor vow to make Missouri the 27th right-to-work state, Missouri AFL-CIO President Mike Louis has filed several versions of an initiative petition that would amend the state constitution to protect union negotiating rights.

A right-to-work law, which would limit the ability of labor unions to collect dues from members, has been a longtime priority for Republican legislators who found a continual roadblock in Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon.

But while Nixon has used his veto pen to block the right-to-work legislation in the past, on the grounds that it's anti-worker, Gov.-elect Eric Greitens has promised to sign it.

In the weeks leading up to their return to Jefferson City in January, leaders of the Legislature's GOP supermajorities said it's the top task in their pro-business 2017 agenda, and several lawmakers have already filed right-to-work proposals.

The push was largely financed by David Humphreys, a Joplin roofing company magnate who spent millions on candidates who support labor reform, including Greitens.

Louis' petition for the 2018 ballot would essentially reverse any right-to-work law passed during the upcoming session by giving employers and employees the "unalienable" right to negotiate contracts that would require workers to pay fees covering the costs of union representation.

"That employees shall have the right to organize and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing," it reads. "No law or ordinance shall restrict or impair an agreement which requires employees to support their chosen collective bargaining representative."

In a statement, Louis said such negotiations were essential to ensuring fair wages, good benefits and safe working conditions.

"We do not need the puppets of David Humphreys or any other corporate billionaire to pass laws to interfere with a process that has long made Missouri a great place to have a business and a great place to work," Louis said.

The initiative petition process has become an increasingly popular way for Missouri activists, particularly Democrats, to push agenda items that wouldn't be palatable to the GOP-led Legislature. Recently, that's included efforts to raise the tax on cigarettes, limit campaign contributions and legalize medical marijuana.

But it's a difficult and arduous process to get a referendum on the ballot, one that requires approval of the secretary of state and attorney general, analysis of fiscal impact by the state auditor, and a certain number of signatures from registered voters.
JEFFERSON CITY  Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Richardson is asking for an injunction to prohibit Secretary of State Jason Kander from certifying ballot initiatives that would legalize marijuana.

Filed in Cole County Circuit Court last week, Richardson's petition argues such initiatives contradict federal law that states marijuana use is illegal.

It also cites 15 pot legalization proposals for 2018 that have already been received by Kanders office and opened up for public comment.

The petition asks the judge to declare those petitions unconstitutional, stating that Kanders actions pose an immediate threat to the constitutional and initiative petition process.

Neither Richardson nor a spokeswoman for Kander were immediately available for comment.

An effort to put a marijuana legalization referendum on the ballot for the 2016 election failed when supporters fell short of the required number of signatures for certification.

Backed by the nonprofit New Approach Missouri, the measure would have allowed doctors to prescribe marijuana to treat patients with certain conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, Alzheimers and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Twenty-eight states have legalized medical marijuana.

Jack Cardetti, a spokesman for New Approach Missouri, said Missouri courts have long held that lawsuits this early in the petition process aren't valid, opting to wait until voters weigh in to address legal questions.

"This is an incredible waste of public resources for a prosecutor to file a frivolous lawsuit that has no merit," Cardetti said.
ST. LOUIS  In whats shaping up to be a lively mayoral election, theres a sense among many that the citys black political class could be squandering the best chance it has had in 16 years to elect an African-American mayor.

Political scientists put it starkly: White people largely vote for white candidates, while black people primarily vote for black candidates.

Against that backdrop, its worrisome to many that four well-known black candidates have entered the race, with a fifth expected to join before the Jan. 6 filing deadline.

Meanwhile, Alderman Lyda Krewson, Ward 28, is the only prominent white candidate currently on the ballot.

Police Chief Sam Dotson had declared his intention to run, and St. Louis Collector of Revenue Gregory F.X. Daly considered joining the race. But both decided against a mayoral bid, leaving St. Louis School Board member Bill Haas, a frequent candidate for office, as the only other white candidate on the ballot.

Of the 45 people to serve as the citys mayor, only two have been black: Freeman Bosley Jr., elected in 1993; and Clarence Harmon, elected in 1997. Francis Slay, who is white, beat Harmon in 2001 and has been mayor ever since. He is not running again.

The general election is April 4, but whoever wins the Democratic primary election March 7 is widely expected to win in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.

The fear among many black politicos is that having four or five black candidates in the current election cycle will dilute the citys black vote, giving Krewson an easy path to the mayors office.

But others argue that the nature of elections has changed enough in the last several years that looking purely through a racial lens is folly, and not indicative of how the electorate currently functions.

Nevertheless, theres been some frustration in certain circles that St. Louis lacks a prominent black leader or group with enough clout to push one candidate to the forefront. Some think St. Louis American publisher Donald Suggs is trying to be that guy.

This fall, Suggs donated $25,000 to the mayoral campaign of city Treasurer Tishaura Jones. More recently, Suggs initiated a meeting with Jones and the other well-known black candidates  state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, and Aldermen Antonio French and Jeffrey Boyd. All except Nasheed have filed to run for mayor.

Though none of the participants of that meeting would give specifics on what was discussed, Suggs insisted no one was pressured to get out of the race.

I dont have that kind of standing or influence to do that, he said.

Still, the sentiment exists.

Racial divide?

Last week, Nasheed posted the following message on Facebook: What is wrong with our black leadership? Why do we have 5 black candidates in the race for mayor and only 1 credible white candidate? Truth be told, we need to get behind one black candidate if we want to see real progress in this city. Too many egos and no heroes, she said.

Nasheeds concerns align with the political reality as explained by David Robertson, chairman of the political science department at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Race is the main political dividing line in the city, Robertson said.

Just looking at raw numbers, that divide should favor black candidates. Forty-nine percent of the citys voting-age population is black, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, while 44 percent is white.

But in St. Louis, residents in predominantly white areas tend to be more likely to vote than those in more diverse neighborhoods, Robertson said.

White voters on the South Side are likely to vote for the white candidate, he said. And they participate in primaries in greater numbers than in other parts of the city. Its likely the percentage of white voters in this election is going to be higher than the percentage of black voters.

In other words, what Krewson may lack in citywide name recognition can be overcome if the patterns of the past hold true.

Others say there is more nuance involved.

They point to Kimberly Gardner, a black candidate who ran citywide against another black candidate and two white candidates in this years circuit attorneys race.

Gardner took 47 percent of the Democratic primary vote, nearly twice the total for runner-up Mary Pat Carl, a white candidate who got 24 percent of the vote.

More impressively, Gardner won all 13 of the citys majority black wards, and six predominantly white wards. She did not face a Republican challenger in the general election.

Some of Gardners success has been attributed to the Bernie Factor, the so-called political insurgency being waged by young and motivated progressives.

Its believed those motivated voters could change the dynamics of the mayoral election, a contest that is typically a low turnout affair, skewed toward white and voters with above-average income.

The mathematical calculations to win elections are much more complicated than simple racial arithmetic, said Darryl Piggee, a lawyer and longtime political operative who used to work for Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis.

Others play down Gardners success.

They argue that the candidates in her race were evenly split in terms of race. They also point out that she got a late influx of money and a big boost from voters turning out to vote for Clay.

There is also an argument that the circuit attorneys office isnt nearly as high-profile as the mayors, therefore limiting the value of comparison.

Gardner said she won by building a coalition of voters throughout the city motivated by her message, not her race. Its about what voters want in terms of how you can move the city forward, she said. I represented what voters thought was the best way forward.

One candidate will rise

Eric Vickers, a longtime civil rights lawyer and member of the black political establishment, said it would be preferable if there were a single mayoral candidate for black voters to rally around.

But thats not the current reality.

The deciding factor, Vickers said, is not how many black candidates are in the race, but how many of them are viable.

Since launching his campaign in August, Reed has played up his ability to win. As aldermanic president since 2007, Reed says hes shown he can win citywide.

He also boasts name recognition, having run against Slay in 2013. Jones, a former state representative, also has won citywide, and many believe she has captured the attention of the citys young progressives.

French, meanwhile, boasts local name recognition and a national following because of his visibility in Ferguson, while Boyd has some degree of name recognition as an alderman and has run for citywide offices.

Should Nasheed enter the race, it would inject another big name into the field. She has shown an ability to raise money and win elections for nearly a decade.

Frequent candidate and former Alderman Jimmie Matthews, who is African-American, also has filed to run.

Vickers, who is closely aligned with Nasheed, said he expected the rigors of campaigning to provide more clarity. One candidate will rise to the top, he said.

But there is still apprehension among blacks that is not necessarily tied to race.

The notion that a white candidate wont be responsive to black concerns could just as easily be true of a black candidate. Thats the real danger, said Michael McMillan, president of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

When you look to the future in this post-Ferguson world, we are fully aware of the need to have a mayor who understands all parts of the city, he said. We cant afford to have a mayor who only pays lip service to the issues and concerns of black residents.

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Over the last 15 months, state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal says she's hosted more than 60 meetings to discuss the legacy of radioactive waste at sites throughout north St. Louis County.

The University City Democrat's legislative district includes the West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton and a portion of Coldwater Creek, which meanders through several North County neighborhoods.

Both the landfill and the creek are among sites in St. Louis with histories linked to radioactive waste. The "town hall" meetings she's organized explore that history.

"The state of Missouri did not oversee landfills until the mid-'70s," said Chappelle-Nadal at Monday's meeting at Koch Elementary School in St. Louis County, suggesting that the full history of the contents at West Lake and other sites is still not fully understood.

Particularly before suburban sprawl accelerated following World War II, she says North County was perceived as the "edge of the Earth" and thus attracted lots of waste from the city of St. Louis and local industry, including Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, which processed uranium used in the government's early nuclear weapons programs.

Through her meetings, Chappelle-Nadal tries to highlight what is known about the history of hazardous materials dumped in the area. Her accompanying slideshow includes historic and aerial photos, newspaper articles and government documents. She also shares anecdotes about area residents living near waste, including the health problems some face.

Ultimately, Chappelle-Nadal hopes to achieve a few distinct goals, starting with a "safe and permanent solution" for the radioactive material at West Lake.

Beyond that, she also hopes to secure buyouts and property assurance for residents within certain distances of West Lake, and attain the Health Resources and Services Administration designation of "downwinder" status for all of North County, so that medical expenses and monitoring may be covered by the government.

Historically, that designation has been applied to residents of Arizona, Nevada and Utah counties with prolonged exposure to fallout from nuclear testing in Nevada in the 1950s.

"That is the most important," Chappelle-Nadal said of the designation. "You have to be concerned about alpha and beta radiation in this area, and you also have to be concerned about groundwater in this area."

While there has been some evidence of contaminants like radon gas migrating off-site from West Lake, overall, experts have said that local concentrations of radioactivity are low enough that they do not pose immediate health risks, although they often exceed established safety thresholds.

Chappelle-Nadal's latest series of public meetings wraps up at 6 p.m. today (Thursday, Dec. 15) at Jennings High School, 8850 Cozens Avenue.

After a bit of a break, she hopes to resume the meetings in the spring, with a new slideshow being refined for future audiences. She says eventually she wants to reach a total of 100 meetings.

"This is my passion and this is my crusade," said Chappelle-Nadal. "I'm just trying to educate as many people as possible."

Her work on the issue is appreciated by some other activists in the community.

"She was there before we were, before I even learned what I lived next to," said Dawn Chapman, a co-founder of the concerned citizens group, Just Moms STL, which follows West Lake Landfill.

"We have a legacy of radioactive waste here in St. Louis," Chapman said, "and every time somebody speaks about it, more people learn."

Other activists, however, have a more measured reaction to Chappelle-Nadal's presentations and don't share parts of her vision, such as pursuing buyouts for nearby residents.

Kim Visintine, a Florissant native and a leader of a health survey of current and former North County residents, says Chappelle-Nadal needs to pay careful attention to accuracy, especially when her meetings discuss rare cancers and other health problems associated with the area.

"People are not at the same exposure risk today as they were," said Visintine, emphasizing that her group's efforts to map "cancer clusters" in the area  an initiative Chappelle-Nadal references  apply to former residents who grew up near contamination in Coldwater Creek and are now in their 30s and 40s. "The cancer cluster (map) is not current residents."

Clarifying that distinction, Visintine says, is crucial so as not to undermine the credibility of those concerned about North County's history with hazardous waste.

Plus, Visintine says decades of ongoing remediation work at Coldwater Creek have mitigated risk for current residents of the area  a fact that she says is often overlooked.

"It's still dangerous," she says. "(But) we don't anticipate that we'll see the same levels of cancers in 10 years that we did from when we were kids."

Like Chappelle-Nadal, Visintine thinks awareness is essential and hopes ongoing health studies will help current or former exposed residents secure downwinder status. But she doesn't think the prospect of buyouts belong in a serious conversation about what steps to take, arguing that they are unnecessary and would harm the area economically if residents leave.

"Buyouts would economically depress the entire region," said Visintine. "It's based on fallacies about the level of exposure today."

That's why she wants to keep the conversation focused on more achievable measures.

"You're getting people's hopes up," said Visintine. "If it's not feasible, what kind of mental duress are you putting these people through?"

Editor's note:This story was updated on Dec. 15 at 1:15 p.m. to include the perspective of Kim Visintine.
According to a report issued by the FBI last month, this past year saw a 6 percent spike in hate crimes in the United States. In just the past few weeks, civil rights groups and news organizations have reported dozens of verbal or physical assaults on minorities and others that appear to have been fueled by divisions over the 2016 election.

Overall, 59 percent of the hate crimes that the FBI recorded were based on the victims race, ethnicity or ancestry. Religious bias accounted for about 20 percent of all attacks.

What can we as individuals and communities of faith do to respond to this alarming news? One way to respond is to participate in the Sixth Annual Jewish and Muslim Day of Community Service. This event focuses on what unites people of different faiths and backgrounds. At 25 sites, volunteers will be spending a few hours of their day delivering meals to the homebound, playing games and doing art projects with teens at the St. Louis Juvenile Detention Center, making cards for hospitalized children and much more.

Our volunteers will be working side by side and getting to know each other while making soup packets for area food pantries, crafting no-sew blankets for St. Louis Crisis Nursery and creating Fresh Start bags for those moving from a shelter to a new home. This event leaves a lasting, meaningful impression on the people who come out to participate and the clients served by the agencies with whom we work.

One meaningful new event this year is our welcome party for Syrian refugee children served by the International Institute. In a year of negative rhetoric about immigrants, our planning committee thought it particularly timely and necessary to have a project focusing on the newest St. Louisans settling here after fleeing a war-torn country.

According to Anna Crosslin, the executive director of the International Institute, The first few months in a new country are difficult for refugees, especially refugee children. Visitors coming to welcome them with games, books and other fun activities will be so appreciated.

Volunteers who have attended in past years praise the Day of Community Service. As one past participant noted, This is such a wonderful event. It was such a demonstration of unity, which is just what we were looking for this year.

The Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis and the Jewish Community Relations Council, co-sponsors of the Day of Community Service, invite your participation this year. Join us at the welcome breakfast at the Daar Ul Islam Mosque at 517 Weidman Road in St. Louis and get to know your neighbors of the Muslim, Jewish and other faiths. Spend a few hours practicing sadaqah, tzedakah and charity.

If you would like to volunteer or donate to support this event, go to www.jewishmuslimdayofservicestl.org to learn more.

We welcome all in the St. Louis region to give back and to show fellowship and good will toward others of different faiths. What unites us is bigger than what divides us.
[Update Below] New York City may be in danger of losing one of its oldestand greatestIrish bars. According to Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, longstanding Chelsea pub Peter McManus Cafe is being threatened by Renatus Group, a real estate company hoping to turn its 84-year-old location on 7th Avenue and 19th Street into something likely more profitable and certainly more depressing.

Vanishing NY cites a tipster, Marjorie, who claims "the air rights above the deli and bar apparently have been bought, and the two remaining residents of that circa 1903 building above the bar will have to move. So once again, the historic makes way for new construction."

Renatus Group purchased the building occupied by McManus in April for $10.5 million. At the time of the sale, Real Deal reported on the company's plans to "redevelop the buildings to significantly improve cash flow."

A bartender told Vanishing NY "[I]t's all uncertain."

But don't pour out your pint of Smithwick's for the Pub just yetowner Justin McManus reassured Eater in an email that his family is talking things over with their new landlords, and "should be able to" stay open. "I'm meeting with the building manager this week, and if his intentions are still the same from the last time I spoke with [him], we should be able to come to an agreement," he told the food blog.

A Coalition to Save McManus Facebook group has been created, and currently boasts over 360 members. In March, we happily declared the pub one of the city's Most Authentic Irish Bars. Those (still working!) wooden payphone booths are a treasure and we'd hate to see them go.

[h/t Jeremiah's Vanishing New York]

[Update December 14th: Pub owner Justin McManus has confirmed to Eater the bar will remain open for at least another year.]
Eight of the worlds largest seafood companies have issued a ten-point statement committing to action on ocean stewardship following the first keystone dialogue between scientists and business leaders.

The companies commit to improving transparency and traceability and reducing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in their supply chains. Antibiotic use in aquaculture, greenhouse gas emissions and plastic pollution will also be prioritized. The seafood businesses commit to eliminating any products in their supply chains that may have been obtained through modern slavery including forced, bonded and child labour.

A new global initiative

The statement says signatories represent a global force, not only in the operation of the seafood industry, but also in contributing to a resilient planet.

It was signed by the two largest companies by revenues (Maruha Nichiro Corporation and Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd), the two largest tuna companies (Thai Union Group PCL and Dongwon Industries), the two largest salmon farmers (Marine Harvest ASA and Cermaq  subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation) and the two largest aquafeeds companies (Skretting  subsidiary of Nutreco, and Cargill Aqua Nutrition).

The announcement is part of a new initiative - the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship  that, for the first time, connects wild capture fisheries to aquaculture businesses, connects European and North American companies to Asian companies and connects the global seafood business to science. The initiative is the conclusion of the Soneva Dialogue, a unique meeting between CEOs, senior leadership of major seafood companies, and leading scientists.

The dialogue, initiated by the Stockholm Resilience Centre, took place 11-13 November at the Soneva Fushi Resort on the Maldives under the patronage of HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden  Advocate for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The dialogue was a Stockholm Resilience Centre event supported by Forum for the Future and the Soneva Foundation. The Walton Family Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation funded the dialogue.
Traffic queuing at the Maybird Shopping Centre.

Emergency gas repair works on Birmingham Road have triggered traffic chaos this week with many motorists experiencing significant delays.

National Grid say they are working hard to complete urgent works on Birmingham Road as soon as possible but cannot say exactly when they will be completed.

The services provider is currently undertaking urgent repair works at the site close to Fordham House, following reports of a gas escape.

Some motorists took to social media to warn others to avoid the area on Monday, as traffic crawled along.

A spokesperson for National Grid said: It is an emergency job and it is in a difficult location. Were working hard to get these repairs done as soon as possible but as this is a gas escape we have to make sure they are done properly or it may lead to safety issues. This was not planned work and unfortunately we cannot say exactly when the repairs will be completed.

We put the lane closure in place on Monday, frankly this was the least worst option available to us, but we had to do it. We are working extended hours until 9pm to get this sorted, weve already fixed one leak but we are still detecting gas so we are currently trying to identify the second leak and deal with it.

We are very sorry for the disruption this work has caused.
Bradley Radoff and his affiliates and Joshua Schechter, who together are the beneficial owners of approximately 7.8% of the outstanding shares of CDI Corp. (NYSE: CDI), announced today that they have issued an open letter to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of CDI Corp. The full text of the letter is included below:

December 14, 2016

CDI Corp.1735 Market Street, Suite 200Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103Attention: Walter R. Garrison, Chairman of the Board

Dear Mr. Garrison,

We currently own over 1.46 million shares of CDI Corp. ("CDI" or the "Company") representing approximately 7.8% of the outstanding shares. Our significant ownership stake makes us the largest unaffiliated shareholder group of CDI. We have owned shares in the Company over the past few years and have previously communicated our thoughts on the Company's disappointing operating performance, poor corporate governance and significant share price underperformance to the Company's directors and management. Given the lack of any meaningful response by the Company, we intend to nominate highly qualified and independent director candidates for election at the Company's 2017 annual meeting of shareholders.

LONG-TERM VALUE DESTRUCTION

CDI's long term share price performance is abysmal and should be of great concern to the Board of Directors (the "Board"). CDI's share price has significantly underperformed various relevant benchmarks over the short and long term. Additionally, as a result of prolonged operational failures, the Board eliminated the longstanding quarterly dividend in November 2015.

CDI Corp. JacobsEngineeringGroup, Inc. Robert HalfInternational,Inc. Russell 2000Index YTD 21% 45% 7% 23% 1-year 20% 44% 8% 23% 3-year -47% 6% 30% 28% 5-year -30% 52% 98% 104% 10-year -54% 46% 60% 101% 1/1/1995-12/13/2016 -33% 1193% 1447% 636% Source: Bloomberg, calculated as of December 13, 2016. Rounded to the nearest whole percent.

CDI's woeful share price performance is particularly striking in comparison to that of its peers who combined thoughtful M&A with organic growth to create significant shareholder value. Specifically, CDI's shares are trading below its price in 1995 while two of the Company's self-defined peers, Jacobs Engineering and Robert Half, are up over tenfold during the same timeframe.

ABHORRENT GOVERNANCE

CDI's failure to create value for its shareholders can be directly related to a montage of poor corporate governance, conflicts of interest and excessive compensation at the Board level. We are professional investors who take corporate governance very seriously. In fact, both of us have been elected and appointed to the boards of directors of public companies in order to work collaboratively with our fellow directors to address these issues and to reverse poor economic returns. Based on our collective experience, numerous red flags have been raised by the Company's public filings and earnings calls that must be swiftly addressed. Let us share some of our concerns with you.

Barton Winokur is hopelessly conflicted to a level that we have not seen in over twenty years of successful public company investing. We believe he effectively earns three revenue streams for essentially maintaining the status quo: excessive Board fees, fees as trustee of trusts for the benefit of your family members (the Garrison Trusts), and legal fees that are paid by the Company to Dechert LLP, Mr. Winokur's law firm. Dechert has received millions of dollars in legal fees over the years and it appears to be no coincidence that Brian Short, CDI's general counsel, is a former Dechert partner.

Lastly, we are fully aware that the Board reduced the minimum equity ownership requirements due to the fact the share price has collapsed. Without this change, the majority of the Board would be out of compliance with the original ownership guidelines. This change is simply pathetic.

OVERTENURED AND OVERPAID

We believe issues relating to excessive tenure of various directors need to be addressed. Mr. Winokur has served as a director of CDI since 1968 and Lawrence Karlson has served as a director since 1989. Each of their respective tenures extends well beyond guidelines that we believe are acceptable for responsible governance for a public company. The extended period of time each of these directors have served on the Board has in our view contributed to the absence of new energy, viewpoints and diverse skill sets this Board desperately needs.

Board compensation is excessive at CDI. Fees paid to directors ranged from $177,998 to $229,914 in 2015. These fees were similar to those paid to directors in 2008 when CDI generated more revenue and was profitable. The market capitalization of CDI then was three times more than it is today. Given the massive destruction of shareholder value over the long-term, we believe directors' compensation should be reduced and no cash fees should be paid to a group of individuals who have overseen the demise of corporate and shareholder value.

TIME FOR CHANGE

In short, this Board has failed shareholders and wholesale change must be made. The Board has hired multiple CEOs over the past five years only to see operating performance and shareholder returns reach new lows. Meanwhile, the Board shows a complete disregard for the conflicts of interest by allowing Mr. Winokur to continue as a director and by maintaining his law firm Dechert as outside counsel. One could easily question whether CDI's public existence is being perpetuated simply to justify the gross overcompensation of both Dechert and individual directors of CDI. This is a shameful way to tarnish the CDI legacy and we intend to hold each director accountable during our proxy campaign.

We strongly believe the best course of action is for the Board to immediately engage a financial advisor to explore strategic alternatives including a sale or a merger to the highest bidder. Since our initial Schedule 13D filing, we have been contacted by multiple parties that have attempted to engage CDI in potential acquisition discussions. We are confident that there is significant value that can be realized through a sale of CDI which would exceed any purported risk adjusted standalone plan, especially a plan that relies on the same Board whose long-term performance has been a disaster for shareholders. As part of a strategic alternatives review, we demand the Board suspend its search for a permanent CEO so that it can focus on a transaction which will benefit both CDI and its beleaguered shareholders.

Mr. Garrison, we are prepared to discuss this matter with you at any time.
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS) today announced that David M. Solomon and Harvey M. Schwartz were named Presidents and Co-Chief Operating Officers; R. Martin Chavez was named Deputy Chief Financial Officer; and Richard J. Gnodde and Pablo J. Salame were named Vice Chairmen of the firm, effective January 1, 2017.

Mr. Schwartz will remain as chief financial officer through the end of April 2017. He will then assume his full responsibilities as President and Co-Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Chavez will assume full responsibilities as Chief Financial Officer following Mr. Schwartzs transition. Mr. Gnodde and Mr. Salame will continue in their current respective roles as Co-Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs International and Co-Head of the Investment Banking Division, and Global Co-Head of the Securities Division, respectively, in addition to serving as Vice Chairmen of the firm.

These five leaders have distinguished themselves in their respective areas of expertise and I look forward to working with them in formulating and executing our global strategy, said Lloyd C. Blankfein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs. They have consistently demonstrated their unwavering commitment to Goldman Sachs, our clients and our people.

David Solomon is Co-Head of the Investment Banking Division. Prior to assuming this role in 2006, he was the Global Head of the Financing Group, which includes all capital markets and derivative products for the firms corporate clients. He is a member of the firms Management Committee and co-chairs the Investment Banking Division Executive Committee. He joined Goldman Sachs as a Partner in 1999.

Harvey Schwartz is Chief Financial Officer. Prior to assuming this role in 2013, Mr. Schwartz was Global Co-Head of the Securities Division since 2008. From 2007 to early 2008, he was Global Head of Securities Division Sales, from 2005 to 2007 he was Head of North America Sales and from 2004 to late 2005 he was Co-Head of the Americas Financing Group within Investment Banking. Mr. Schwartz is a member of the Management Committee, Firmwide Risk Committee, Steering Committee on Regulatory Reform, Finance Committee and Firmwide Investment Policy Committee. He was named Managing Director in 1999 and Partner in 2002.

Marty Chavez is Chief Information Officer. He is responsible for the Technology Division and has joint responsibility with divisional leadership for the firms global strats. Mr. Chavez first joined Goldman Sachs in 1993 in the J. Aron Currency and Commodities Division, where he was a Senior Energy Strat until 1997. He returned to the firm as a Managing Director in Investment Banking Division Strats in 2005. Prior to assuming his current role, Mr. Chavez was Global Co-Chief Operating Officer of the Equities Franchise and before that he was Global Co-Head of Securities Division Strats. He is a member of the Management Committee and the Steering Committee on Regulatory Reform, as well as Co-Chair of the Firmwide Technology Risk Committee and the Americas Diversity Committee. He was named Partner in 2006.

Richard Gnodde is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs International and Co-Head of the Investment Banking Division (IBD). Mr. Gnodde joined Goldman Sachs in London in 1987, eventually leading the investment banking effort in the United Kingdom. He was appointed Co-Head of IBD in Japan in 1997. He became President of Goldman Sachs (Singapore) Pte. and Co-Head of Investment Banking in Asia in 1999 before moving to Hong Kong that same year to become President of Goldman Sachs (Asia) LLC. In 2005, he returned to London as Vice Chairman and became Co-Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs International in 2006. He assumed his role as Co-Head of IBD in 2011. Mr. Gnodde is a member of the Management Committee and Firmwide Client and Business Standards Committee, and Co-Chairs the European Management Committee. He was named Managing Director in 1996 and Partner in 1998.

Pablo Salame is Global Co-Head of the Securities Division. Mr. Salame joined Goldman Sachs in 1996 and became Co-Head of the Global Emerging Markets Debt Group in 2000. In 2002, he moved to London, where he held leadership positions in Global Credit and European Equities. He assumed his current role in 2008 and returned to New York in 2011. Mr. Salame is a member of the Management Committee, Chairman of the Partnership Committee and Co-Chair of the Firmwide Investment Policy Committee. He was named Managing Director in 1999 and Partner in 2000.
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. (NYSE MKT: IMUC) announced today that the Board of Directors has appointed Anthony Gringeri, PhD, as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. Dr. Gringeri has served as ImmunoCellular's Senior Vice President of Strategic Resources since August 2013, and has led the implementation of the Company's clinical and regulatory strategy for the ICT-107 phase 3 registration trial in newly diagnosed glioblastoma, as well as the ICT-121 phase 1 trial in recurrent glioblastoma. The appointment of Dr. Gringeri follows the decision by Andrew Gengos to resign the position of Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Gengos will continue to play an active role with the Company as a member of the Board of Directors, leveraging his broad experience in corporate strategy, financing, and business development. John Yu, MD, ImmunoCellular's founder, will also continue to provide support to Dr. Gringeri and the management team in his continuing role on the Board of Directors.

Gary Titus, Chairman of the Board, commented: "The changes we are announcing today reflect our strategy to focus on the ICT-107 program, as continued implementation aimed at completing the phase 3 registration trial is a key driver of potential long-term value for our stakeholders. Tony is an accomplished and driven biopharmaceutical executive and team leader with extensive clinical development experience. He has been effectively overseeing our clinical development programs for some time. We are grateful for his ongoing commitment to execute a high quality clinical program, pursue a successful completion of the Phase 3 trial while also advancing our Stem-to-T-cell program."

"The Board and management team join me in expressing our appreciation to Andrew for his leadership of and dedication to the Company over the last four years. We are pleased that Andrew is remaining an active Board member, and will continue to help the Company secure financing and explore partnering and other strategic opportunities to enhance the value of our technology platform and pipeline assets. We wish him well as he pursues other opportunities."

Dr. Gringeri joined ImmunoCellular Therapeutics in August 2013. He has more than 25 years of executive experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, having successfully led multiple functions and cross-functional teams throughout his career, including in the areas of clinical, regulatory and commercial planning and operations, finance, licensing and alliance management. He joined ImmunoCellular from ViaCyte, where he was Vice President and Chief Development Officer, responsible for all preclinical, clinical and regulatory activities. Previously, Dr. Gringeri served as Chief Operating Officer for Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics, where he was responsible for corporate strategy and operations, business development, building the company's commercial capability, and played a key role in its initial public offering. Dr. Gringeri worked with Amgen for 15 years in a series of executive leadership roles. Dr. Gringeri was the Vice President, Product Development, responsible for the successful development and commercialization of ARANESP (darbepoetin alfa). Dr. Gringeri holds a PhD in pharmacology from the University of Rochester and has authored multiple scientific publications.

For patients, families and physicians seeking additional information about the ICT-107 phase 3 trial, please consult www.clinicaltrials.gov.
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Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE: PLX) received a letter from Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), an arm of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, detailing intended purchases by the Brazilian Ministry of alfataliglicerase to treat Gaucher patients in Brazil. The letter requests three shipments of alfataliglicerase; the first shipment to be made in the middle of 2017, and the last at the end of 2017. The Company estimates total revenues from these shipments to be approximately $24 million in aggregate.

To date, we have sold relatively small quantities of alfataliglicerase to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, which has allowed physicians and patients in Brazil to experience firsthand the drugs beneficial efficacy and safety profile, said Mr. Moshe Manor, Protalixs President and Chief Executive Officer. The Brazilian Ministrys request to purchase considerably larger quantities comes on the heels of advanced negotiations with the ministry regarding the potential of alfataliglicerase becoming the preferred enzyme replacement therapy for the approximately 700 Gaucher patients treated in Brazil. The anticipated revenues could reduce our cash consumption rate by as much as a third in 2017; if we were to continue to experience increased demand from the Brazilian Ministry to the extent indicated in the letter, the anticipated revenues would have the potential to reach a breakeven point.

Gaucher disease is a rare lysosomal storage disorder. Alfataliglicerase is a plant cell-expressed form of the glucocerebrosidase enzyme that was approved by the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency in March 2013 for the long-term treatment of adults with Type I Gaucher disease and in November 2016 for the long-term treatment of children four years of age and above with Type I Gaucher disease.

The Company owns all rights to alfataliglicerase in Brazil.
Former Texas Governor Rick Perry is greeted as he exits following a meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., December 12, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. oil and gas industry on Wednesday welcomed President-elect Donald Trump's choice of former Texas Governor Rick Perry to head the U.S. Department of Energy, and wasted no time making its first specific request of him: to support increased exports of America's natural gas overseas.

Trump named Perry as his pick for the top U.S. energy job on Wednesday morning, handing the portfolio to a climate change skeptic with close ties to the oil and gas industry, and who previously proposed abolishing the department.

The choice adds to a list of drilling proponents who have been tapped for top jobs in Trump's administration, worrying environmental groups but fitting neatly with Trump's promise to revive oil and gas drilling and coal mining as president by cutting back on federal regulation.

Jack Gerard, president of the Washington-based American Petroleum Institute representing oil and natural gas companies, said he welcomed Perry's nomination, and called on him to make increasing exports of U.S. natural gas a "top priority."

"As the former governor of Texas, Rick Perry knows the important impact that energy production has on our nation's economy. In his new role at the Energy Department, he has the opportunity to encourage increased exports of domestically produced natural gas," he said in a statement.

Natural gas companies are eager to access foreign markets for their supply after a decade-long drilling boom that triggered a domestic glut and depressed prices.

The oil industry successfully lobbied for an end to a decades-old crude oil export ban in December 2015 following a slump in prices, a move meant to help American companies weather lower prices at home.

There is no ban on natural gas exports, but U.S. law requires American companies to obtain authorization from the Energy Department before being able to ship it overseas, and there are tough permitting requirements for building the specialized facilities that make shipping gas possible.

The United States exported its first cargo of liquefied natural gas earlier this year from an export facility on the Gulf Coast, but the industry has complained that boosting exports to match global demand has been constrained by a slow and opaque bureaucratic process.

U.S. energy exports have long been a contentious political issue, dividing lawmakers seeking to balance the benefits of low consumer prices at home and American energy independence against opportunities for companies to expand access to potentially lucrative foreign markets.

BUSINESS CLIMATE

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has made energy a central part of his agenda, vowing a revival in the oil, gas and coal industries, and picking industry allies for top administration jobs.

On Tuesday, Trump selected oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp's CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state. His Environmental Protection Agency pick is Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a foe of Democratic President Barack Obama's initiatives to combat climate change.

Trump said during his campaign he would pull the United States out of a global deal to curb emissions of carbon dioxide signed in Paris last year, though he has since confused observers by saying he would keep an "open mind" on the accord.

An overwhelming number of scientists say carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels contributes to changes to the climate that are leading to sea level rise, droughts and more frequent violent storms.

Trump's transition team said Perry's tenure leading Texas, the nation's second most populous state and a major producer of oil, gas and wind power, from 2000 until 2015 made him a strong pick for energy secretary.

Trump said in a statement Perry had created "a business climate that produced millions of new jobs and lower energy prices in his state, and he will bring that same approach to our entire country as secretary of energy."

The department is responsible for U.S. energy policy and oversees the nation's nuclear weapons program.

Perry is a former presidential rival and critic of Trump who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in 2016 and 2012. His nomination requires Senate confirmation.

If confirmed, he would replace Ernest Moniz, a physicist who was one of the chief negotiators in last year's Iran nuclear deal.

After his tenure as Texas governor, Perry joined the board of directors of Energy Transfer Partners, a Texas-based company building the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota that has been stalled by protests by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and supporters.

Anthony Scaramucci, a member of the Trump transition team's executive committee, said the president-elect was focused on preserving the environment as well as boosting U.S. energy production.

"Whether you believe in climate change or not, we want clean air, we want clean water for the American people. What we also want is energy independence," Scaramucci told CNN.

Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer, who backed Trump's Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election, said he hoped Perry's nomination would be blocked.

"Trump no longer has to abolish departments. He can dismantle them from within," Steyer said. "It's now up to the Senate to defend our health, our economy and our democracy by defeating this nomination."

(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Steve Holland; Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Will Dunham)
SOMERVILLE, Mass., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Founded in February 2015 and incubated in the Harvard Innovation Lab, BrainCo specializes in BMI wearables that help people improve their attention level and working efficiency. The company raised $5.5 million in a Pre-A round led by Boston Angel Club, Han Tan Capital, and Wandai Capital.

BrainCo has grown rapidly, having already received 20,000 orders from a Chinese company. They will launch their first product, Focus 1, at CES 2017. Focus 1 is a wearable headband that can help children and teenagers improve their attention levels with a home-based device through a scientifically-proven method called neurofeedback training. They will start a clinical trial in March to assess how Focus 1 can help kids with ADD/ADHD improve their attention related symptoms.

By detecting electrical signals in the brain, Focus 1 is able to display real-time brain activity and utilize that data to help regulate brain function. Users can put on Focus 1, play a training game called Oasis in BrainCo's mobile application and improve their concentration skills. Focus 1 can also convert brainwaves into various commands that control different devices such as lights, prosthetic hands, toys, and appliances.

"During my research at Harvard Center for Brain Science, I realised that EEG (electroencephalography) can help train the brain and improve focus. So I founded BrainCo to give everyone access to the latest technology," said BrainCo Founder and CEO, Bicheng Han. "BrainCo aims to help people sharpen their focus and train their brain on a daily basis, and our fantastic team has been making every effort to achieve this goal. Together, we have a vision of improving people's daily focus and productivity, and this latest round of funding has given us the opportunity to bring that vision one step closer to reality."

For more information regarding BrainCo and to see why so many investors and competitions are rewarding their efforts, visit BrainCo.Tech today.

About BrainCo:

BrainCo was founded in February of 2015 and incubated from the Harvard Innovation Lab. The company develops portable, wireless BMI wearables, which help improve working efficiency through neurofeedback training. By July of 2016, BrainCo further expanded and transferred their headquarters to Somerville near the Harvard University campus.

Contact

Bicheng Han, Founder and CEO120 Beacon Street, Suite 201, Somerville, MA 02143Email: [email protected]http://www.brainco.techhttp://facebook.com/braincotech

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LOS ANGELES, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As present, the global economy is showing signs of recovery. However, the deficiencies in the current global trade system, i.e. its low efficiency and being too narrowly profit-oriented, is hindering the recovery and its positive and sustainable growth. Thus, everyone is urgently seeking an open and inclusive new mechanism for global trade cooperation that promotes and realizes mutually beneficial cooperation among countries while guiding the formation of "community of common destiny and interests" of world economies.

JUMORE released the new E4B e-commerce model during the 2016 APEC CEO Summit in Peru, which swept the industry of the Americas and even the world, and brought new advantages and development opportunities to companies around the world. The major feature that distinguishes E4B model from the traditional e-commerce is that it, based on the traditional Chinese altruistic spirit, promotes the transaction and coordination of services and products among companies, industries, and even countries, and encourages all collaborators to maximize their values in the coordinated development by viewing development on a global level.

Different from the traditional C2C and B2C models, the E4B model of JUMORE focuses on the integration of medium and large-sized companies around the world, while offers more driving force for national economies. In comparison with traditional B2B platforms and B2B model with limited region, product, and function coverage that offer limited aid to the industries, the E4B model of JUMORE has realized global positioning, full-line commodity operation, complete industry chain coverage, and all-round service, which will increase the efficiency, improve the capability of the companies, and thus upgrade them into a new level.

Another charm of E4B model is that it provides a mutually beneficial mechanism for the bilateral and multilateral collaboration among different countries. European and American countries with advanced service and high-tech industries, manufacturing countries like China and India, or resource export countries in South America, can all benefit from JUMORE's E4B platform for efficient cooperation. International productivity cooperation and bilateral or multilateral market exchange, which are exactly the objectives that JUMORE is actively promoting, have changed the zero-sum situation of unilateral and uni-directional trade communication in the past global trade system, and thus realized the co-existing and mutual beneficial growth among world economies.

The JUMORE delegation also visited the U.S., Canada, Chile, and Argentina to hold cross-border e-commerce summit for the deepening of trade cooperation with American countries. Many companies have realized that each round of innovation in e-commerce model will bring advantages in innovative growth for those joining such model. Companies from all countries are grasping the opportunity of JUMORE delegation's visit, and starting connection and cooperation with JUMORE.

As JUMORE Chairman Lu Hongxiang has indicated, the core of JUMORE E4B model is to think of problems from the perspective of each partner nation. The business solutions with one winner will not last long or be successful, and only those mutual beneficial ones will lead to a brighter future.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jumore-e4b-model-a-new-mechanism-for-global-win-win-growth-300377899.html

SOURCE JUMORE
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, nonprofit Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies (TCRS) released A Compendium of Findings About American Workers (Compendium), a multi-year study which finds that only 39 percent of workers say that they have either fully financially recovered (20 percent) or were not impacted (19 percent) by the Great Recession, a finding that is slightly higher than in 2015 (37 percent) but represents an improvement since 2014 (29 percent).

The Current State of Retirement Un-Readiness from the American Worker's Point of View

"American workers are still struggling to regain their financial footing from the Great Recession and its aftereffects. Most are concerned about the future of Social Security and few are very confident about their retirement prospects," said Catherine Collinson, president of TCRS.

Seventy-seven percent of workers are concerned that Social Security won't be there for them when they are ready to retire. When asked about priorities for the next President and Congress to help Americans prepare for a financially secure retirement, workers most frequently cited fully funding Social Security by implementing reforms to ensure that it can pay guaranteed benefits for future generations of retirees (58 percent).

The Compendium offers a trend analysis on more than 50 broad measures of the retirement outlook of American workers, ranging from access to employer-sponsored retirement benefits, savings rates, planning-related activities and the changing nature of retirement itself. Key findings include:

Few workers are "very" confident about retirement. Many workers (62 percent) are confident that they will be able to fully retire with a comfortable lifestyle, but only 15 percent are "very" confident and 47 percent are "somewhat" confident. Retirement confidence has plateaued since 2014 (64 percent), but remains well above 2012 (51 percent).

Many workers (62 percent) are confident that they will be able to fully retire with a comfortable lifestyle, but only 15 percent are "very" confident and 47 percent are "somewhat" confident. Retirement confidence has plateaued since 2014 (64 percent), but remains well above 2012 (51 percent). Retirement fears range from finances to health. Workers' top three most frequently cited retirement fears are "outliving my savings/investments" (51 percent), followed by "Social Security will be reduced or cease to exist in the future" (47 percent), and "declining health that requires long-term care" (45 percent). While these top three fears remain unchanged since 2015, the percentage of workers citing them as fears has increased (from 44 percent, 36 percent, and 36 percent respectively).

Workers' top three most frequently cited retirement fears are "outliving my savings/investments" (51 percent), followed by "Social Security will be reduced or cease to exist in the future" (47 percent), and "declining health that requires long-term care" (45 percent). While these top three fears remain unchanged since 2015, the percentage of workers citing them as fears has increased (from 44 percent, 36 percent, and 36 percent respectively). Total household retirement savings are unlikely to last very long in retirement. As the generation that is currently entering into retirement, Baby Boomer workers have just $147,000 (estimated median) saved in all household retirement accounts, up from $99,000 in 2012. Twenty-two percent of Baby Boomer workers have less than $50,000 saved.

As the generation that is currently entering into retirement, Baby Boomer workers have just $147,000 (estimated median) saved in all household retirement accounts, up from $99,000 in 2012. Twenty-two percent of Baby Boomer workers have less than $50,000 saved. Many workers plan to work past age 65 or do not plan to retire. The majority of workers (54 percent) plan to work past age 65 (41 percent) or do not plan to retire (13 percent), a finding which is lower than in 2015 (58 percent), but otherwise consistent since 2012 (56 percent).

Influences of Demographics on Retirement Preparedness

"At Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, we believe that there's no such thing as an 'average' American. While many retirement-related risks are shared among all workers, each demographic segment faces its own unique opportunities and challenges," said Collinson.

The Compendium offers 30 key indicators of retirement readiness among workers by employer size, generation, gender, household income, level of education, and ethnicity. Key findings include:

Workers of large companies have more access to employer-sponsored retirement benefits. Most workers (71 percent) are offered a 401(k) or other self-funded plan by their employers; however, access is greater among workers of large companies with 500+ employees (80 percent) compared to those of small companies with 10-499 employees (60 percent). Few workers are offered a company-funded defined benefit plan (26 percent).

Most workers (71 percent) are offered a 401(k) or other self-funded plan by their employers; however, access is greater among workers of large companies with 500+ employees (80 percent) compared to those of small companies with 10-499 employees (60 percent). Few workers are offered a company-funded defined benefit plan (26 percent). Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials face different retirement realities. Millennials (43 percent) and Generation X (38 percent) most frequently expect 401(k)s, 403(b)s and/or IRAs to be their primary source of retirement income, while Baby Boomers (34 percent) most frequently cite Social Security. Some workers expect "working" to be their primary source of income in retirement, including 16 percent of Millennials, 17 percent of Generation X and 11 percent of Baby Boomers.

Millennials (43 percent) and Generation X (38 percent) most frequently expect 401(k)s, 403(b)s and/or IRAs to be their primary source of retirement income, while Baby Boomers (34 percent) most frequently cite Social Security. Some workers expect "working" to be their primary source of income in retirement, including 16 percent of Millennials, 17 percent of Generation X and 11 percent of Baby Boomers. Women are at a greater risk than men of not achieving a financially secure retirement. Men report having an estimated median total household retirement savings of $115,000 compared to just $34,000 among women. Men (33 percent) are twice as likely as women (16 percent) to say that they have saved $250,000 or more in total household retirement accounts.

Men report having an estimated median total household retirement savings of $115,000 compared to just $34,000 among women. Men (33 percent) are twice as likely as women (16 percent) to say that they have saved $250,000 or more in total household retirement accounts. Lower income workers are less likely to be saving for retirement. Just 60 percent of workers with household incomes of less than $50,000 are saving for retirement, compared to 79 percent of workers with household incomes of $50,000 to $99,999, and 89 percent of workers with household incomes of $100,000 or more.

Just 60 percent of workers with household incomes of less than $50,000 are saving for retirement, compared to 79 percent of workers with household incomes of $50,000 to $99,999, and 89 percent of workers with household incomes of $100,000 or more. Workers with higher levels of educational attainment are more confident about retirement. College graduates (21 percent) and those with some graduate school or advanced degree (24 percent) are more likely to be "very" confident about their future retirement compared to those with only some college or trade school education (13 percent) or those with a high school diploma or less (9 percent).

College graduates (21 percent) and those with some graduate school or advanced degree (24 percent) are more likely to be "very" confident about their future retirement compared to those with only some college or trade school education (13 percent) or those with a high school diploma or less (9 percent). Retirement savings rates vary by ethnicity. Asian workers (86 percent) are most likely to be saving for retirement through an employer-sponsored retirement plan and/or outside of work, followed by White (78 percent), African American (73 percent), and Hispanic workers (70 percent). Asian workers also have the highest reported household retirement savings at $134,000 (estimated median), compared to White workers ($89,000), Hispanic workers ($48,000) and African American workers ($22,000).

"Through a greater understanding of the demographic commonalities and differences regarding the retirement-related risks faced by American workers, we can identify targeted opportunities as well as broader solutions that may benefit all," said Collinson. "By doing so, we can also find ways to help American workers become better informed and empowered to take greater control over their long-term financial security."

Please visit TCRS at www.transamericacenter.org to view the Compendium along with other reports and materials from the 17th Annual Retirement Survey. Follow TCRS on Twitter @TCRStudies.

About Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies

Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies (TCRS) is a division of Transamerica Institute, a nonprofit, private foundation. Transamerica Institute is funded by contributions from Transamerica Life Insurance Company and its affiliates and may receive funds from unaffiliated third parties. For more information please refer to www.transamericacenter.org and follow TCRS on Twitter at @TCRStudies.

About the 17th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey

The analysis contained in A Compendium of Findings About American Workers was prepared internally by the research team at TCRS. The online survey was conducted within the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of TCRS between April 11 and May 12, 2016 among a nationally representative sample of 4,161 full-time and part-time workers. Potential respondents were targeted based on employment status and company size. Respondents met the following criteria: U.S. residents, age 18 or older, full-time or part-time workers in for-profit companies, and employer size of 10 or more. Results were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with the population of U.S. residents age 18+, employed full-time or part-time in for-profit companies with 10+ employees, and to adjust for attitudinal and behavioral differences between those who are online versus those who are not, those who join online panels versus those who do not, and those who responded to this survey versus those who did not. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

TCRS 1336-1216

News Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies 1150 South Olive Street Los Angeles, CA 90015-2211 Contact: Katie Fitzpatrick [email protected] 952-346-6011

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SOURCE Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies
By Oliver Hirt and Pamela Barbaglia

ZURICH/LONDON (Reuters) - Switzerland's Actelion Ltd is in talks with French drugmaker Sanofi about a deal, sources said on Wednesday, after U.S. healthcare group Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) abandoned efforts to buy the company.

Two people familiar with the situation said discussions were advanced but a deal was not assured. Actelion's shares ended 9 percent lower on investor concern that J&J's exit underlined the challenges facing any bidder for Europe's biggest biotech group.

One option under consideration is for Sanofi to give shareholders a so-called contingent value right (CVR) on top of cash. The CVR would pay out if certain Actelion drugs live up to commercial expectations.

Sanofi, which also provided a tradable CVR when it bought U.S. rare diseases firm Genzyme for $20 billion in 2011, declined to comment.

Sources said Roche was closely monitoring developments and might yet step in, if talks with Sanofi foundered. A Roche spokesman declined to comment.

Sanofi was trumped in August by Pfizer's (NYSE: PFE) $14 billion bid for U.S. cancer drug company Medivation and is still eager for deals to broaden its drug line-up.

However, analysts said Sanofi Chief Executive Olivier Brandicourt could ill afford to fail in a second high-profile bid.

Actelion told J&J it was confident it could attract an offer significantly higher than the approximately 250 Swiss francs per share the U.S. company had offered, according to one person familiar with the matter.

There were also disagreements about the proposed deal's structure, the person added.

Actelion shares had closed at 208.50 Swiss francs on Tuesday, a 25 percent premium to their price before J&J's bid became public two weeks and giving the company a market capitalization of 22.5 billion Swiss francs ($22.2 billion).

"I presume these parties are prepared to make offers that are more attractive than that which J&J was envisaging," said Eleanor Taylor Jolidon, a fund manager at Union Bancaire Privee in Geneva, which is among Actelion's top 40 investors.

"Otherwise, the board of directors would not have acted in the interests of the stakeholders by creating a situation in which J&J walked away."

CEO'S PIVOTAL ROLE

The Swiss company, founded by its CEO Jean-Paul Clozel in 1997, confirmed talks over a "possible strategic transaction" but did not name the counterparty.

A spokesman declined further comment but sources with knowledge of the matter identified Sanofi.

Analysts have previously named Sanofi as a potential buyer for Actelion, whose portfolio of drugs against deadly pulmonary arterial hypertension -- elevated pressure in arteries connecting the heart and lungs -- would supplement Sanofi's Genzyme unit.

Even so, a competitive auction could drive up its price to unrealistic levels.

"Winning a bidding war when it comes to acquiring biopharmaceutical companies almost always equates to way over-paying," wrote Tim Anderson, an Bernstein analyst.

"These are not bragging rights," he said. "If Actelion were to go out at around $30 billion, this equates to around 13 times sales and 30 times earnings before interest and taxes. These are high figures."

Clozel, who worked for Roche for 12 years before founding Actelion, and his wife, Chief Scientific Officer Martine Clozel, have built up a world-leading drug portfolio at Actelion to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension.

The Clozels aim to expand in drugs for multiple sclerosis and clostridium difficile, but regulatory approvals for those are years away.

The company is also counting on its new pulmonary arterial hypertension treatments Opsumit and Uptravi, which combined are forecast to bring in nearly 4.5 billion francs in annual sales by 2020.

Clozel has rebuffed past pressure from some shareholders to do a deal, maintaining Actelion is better off staying independent. Five years ago, he successfully fended off an effort by activist hedge fund Elliott Management to put Actelion up for sale.

(Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York, Sophie Sassard and Ben Hirschler in London, John Miller in Zurich and Matthias Blamont in Paris; Editing by Keith Weir and David Evans)
By Gabriela Baczynska and Robert-Jan Bartunek

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Austria failed on Tuesday in an attempt to get the European Union to halt membership talks with Turkey, running into opposition from EU partners anxious not to upset a country whose help they need to curb an influx of Syrian refugees.

Austria demanded the suspension of talks to protest against a Turkish security crackdown since a failed coup attempt in July. The country has jailed some 36,000 people pending trial and sacked or suspended more than 100,000 over their alleged support for the plotters.

But Germany, France and many others, though critical, do not want to alienate Turkey as they need its continued support to keep down the number of migrants reaching Europe. More than 1 million arrived in 2015 but a deal between the EU and Turkey has helped reduce the total to some 380,000 so far this year.

Austria's stance prevented the EU from agreeing on a text that would not have formally halted talks, although it would have said that no new areas of negotiation should be opened up for now.

Diplomats described the talks as emotional - a reflection of the delicate nature of ties with Turkey and the sensitivity of the immigration debate.

"One country was unable to support the compromise which all the remaining 27 member states found acceptable," said Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, who chaired the meeting.

Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz told a separate briefing: "From my point of view, it was not enough to give the approval on behalf of Austria. I have not agreed to the text."

Opinion polls in Austria have regularly shown a large majority opposed to Turkey joining the EU. Kurz and Austria's Chancellor Christian Kern have at times seemed to try to outbid each other in their criticism of Ankara as they compete for votes before a parliamentary election.

The Turkish talks have made relatively little progress in over a decade and the latest souring of relations between the EU and Turkey makes any advance politically impossible now.

"The accession negotiations have come to a standstill for months and I don't see any movement in the next couple of months," said EU enlargement chief Johannes Hahn.

While not ready to formally halt the process, the bloc has warned it would come to an automatic end should Ankara reinstate the death penalty, as it has considered doing.

The worsening of relations has unwound EU promises made only last March to reinvigorate Turkey's accession process in exchange for Ankara's help on migration.

The common text on Turkey would have been part of a wider EU review of where other aspiring countries, including Albania and Kosovo, stand on their way toward EU membership. Now there will be no formal agreement on any of that, diplomats said.

"This is unfortunate for the Western Balkan countries that have made some progress and would like to see the EU acknowledging that," one diplomat said after the meeting.

(Additional reporting by Francois Murphy in Vienna, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
File photo: South Sudan's rebel leader Riek Machar talks on the phone in his field office in a rebel-controlled territory in Jonglei State, South Sudan, February 1, 2014. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo

By Ed Cropley

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar, who fled to Democratic Republic of Congo in August after fierce fighting, is being held in South Africa to stop him stirring up trouble, diplomatic and political sources said on Tuesday.

Removing Machar from circulation would be a blow to his rebel SPLA-IO faction in its three-year war with President Salva Kiir's mainstream SPLA, and could sway a conflict the United Nations fears is tilting towards genocide.

Over a million people have fled the world's youngest nation since conflict erupted in late 2013 when Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, fired Machar, a Nuer, as his deputy. The cross-border exodus is the largest in central Africa since the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

In South Africa, a well-connected regional political consultant said Machar was being held "basically under house arrest" near Pretoria with his movements restricted and his phone calls monitored and controlled.

"If he wants to go to the toilet, he has to hand over his phone and a guy stands outside the cubicle," the source said.

Foreign ministry spokesman Clayson Monyela denied Machar was being held against his will, describing him instead as a "guest" of Pretoria as South Africa tried to prevent the civil war sliding into genocide.

"Him being our guest here is part of our responsibility as a mediator," Monyela said, adding that it was "difficult to predict" the duration of his stay. "It's very hard to put timelines on these peace and security situations."

Dickson Gatluak, a Machar spokesman in Ethiopia, denied there were any restrictions on Machar and dismissed the reports as misinformation. "This is not true. It's baseless and unfounded," Gatluak told Reuters in Juba.

"Dr. Machar is safe and doing his normal duties as usual. He is communicating to us daily, including his field commanders in the entire country."

Attempts by Reuters to speak to Machar in South Africa via his spokesman there were unsuccessful.

Kiir visited his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma, on Dec. 2 to "review... the latest regional political and security developments on the continent", according to a South African statement that gave no further details.

Refugee accounts and human rights reports point to both sides in South Sudan targeting civilians along ethnic lines.

JUBA OR JOBURG - YOU DECIDE

Machar reached a peace deal in 2015 with Kiir but the agreement fell apart in July, leading to several days of intense fighting in Juba, the capital of the five-year-old nation.

Machar himself was wounded and after fleeing to Congo went to Sudan - a long-term supporter of his rebel faction - for medical treatment. He then turned up in South Africa in October for more treatment.

A diplomatic source said the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an eight-country East African group, had asked Pretoria to make sure Machar did not leave. The United States, Britain and Norway had supported that request, the source added.

"He keeps going back and mobilising his people and stirring up problems," the source said. "It's best to keep him here for a while."

Machar flew two weeks ago to Ethiopia, which has also tried and failed as a mediator, but was refused entry and given a stark choice: go back to South Africa or get dumped in Juba, to be left at the mercy of Kiir's troops, two of the sources said.

"The Ethiopians told him there were two planes sitting on the tarmac - one heading to Juba and one heading to Joburg - and told him he had 10 minutes to decide," the political source said. "It didn't take long."

(Additional reporting by Peter Fabricius and Denis Dumo; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Iceland's President Gudni Johannesson makes a statement during the first session of the Parliament in Reykjavik, Iceland, December 6, 2017. Reuters/Geirix

REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Iceland's president has urged party leaders to come up with a plan to form a majority government after talks on building a coalition failed for the third time following the October election and concerns grew that a new vote could be called.

Failure to form a government could delay the gradual lifting of capital controls imposed after the 2008 financial crisis - seen as key by investors to reinserting the economy into global financial markets.

"I reminded the party leaders of their responsibility to reach an agreement on the forming of a government," President Gudni Johannesson said in a statement.

Iceland's anti-establishment Pirate Party became the third party to fail to form a government on Monday after trying to build a center-left coalition with the Left Greens and three other parties.

Previous talks led by the Left Greens and the center-right Independence Party also failed.

"Right now it's free for all negotiations. We are going to pull out a little bit to see how things unfold, if other parties are going to show willingness to move ahead in some direction," Pirate Party leader Birgitta Jonsdottir told Reuters.

One possible step could be talks to form a grand coalition of parties across the political spectrum after the Oct. 29 election, said Gretar Thor Eythorsson, politics professor at the University of Akureyri.

If all else fails, the president could ask the current coalition of the Progressive and Independence parties to continue as a temporary government with new elections next year, Eythorsson said.

"If we would have this kind of minority government and an election maybe in April, that will probably delay some of the issues that I think need be done sooner rather than later, such as capital controls," he said.

Pawel Bartoszek, a member of parliament for the Reform Party that has been part of all three attempts to form a coalition, said he hoped talks would finally succeed.

"I still believe we have a responsibility trying to form a majority before we try different options like new elections," Bartoszek told Reuters.

While a minority government cannot be ruled out, Iceland has no such tradition, unlike some of its Nordic neighbors.

(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen in Oslo, Ragnhildur Sigurdardottir in Reykjavik and Daniel Dickson in Stockholm,; Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Ed Osmond)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses a news conference with Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany December 12, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

BERLIN (Reuters) - The leaders of France and Germany, speaking two days before an EU summit which will discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine, said they want to extend sanctions against Russia due to a lack of progress in implementing a ceasefire deal.

The conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists has claimed nearly 10,000 lives since it erupted in 2014. Germany and France have tried to convince both sides to implement a peace deal agreed in Minsk last year but with little success so far.

EU leaders will on Thursday discuss extending sanctions, which include restricting access to international financing and curbs on defence and energy cooperation with Russia.

Merkel, speaking with Hollande who was visiting a Franco-German conference on the digital economy in Berlin, said implementation of the ceasefire deal was "very sluggish".

"It will be necessary to extend the sanctions against Russia again - although we would have wished for better progress in the implementation of this process," she said.

Hollande agreed. "We must continue to apply the terms of the Minsk agreement and when they are not carried out, we must continue with sanctions," he said.

The sanctions were extended several times and are due to expire at the end of January.

Kiev and the West accuse Russia of stoking the separatist movement and aiding the rebels. The Kremlin denies these charges and accuses Ukraine of perpetuating the violence and violating the Minsk deal.

At the end of last month, four-way talks on ending the separatist conflict ended without a breakthrough.

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers and Michael Nienaber in Paris, Jean-Baptiste Vey in Paris, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
CAIRO (Reuters) - A military court sentenced 141 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood to up to 15 years in prison on Tuesday for ransacking public facilities and rioting, the defendants' lawyers told Reuters.

The Assiut military court sentenced 96 of them to 15 years in absentia. Forty-two of those in detention were sentenced to seven years in prison and three of those detained to five years. The 45 detained were each also fined 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,100), said lawyers Khaled al-Koumy and Mohamed Samir.

The case dealt with events in August 2013 in the city of Malawi in the Province of Minya which were among a wave of unrest after the army removed elected Islamist president Mohamed Mursi from power, following mass protests against his rule.

Suspects in security and terrorism-related cases are often sent to the military courts in Egypt. The general prosecution referred the defendants to a military tribunal in March last year.

The Ministry of Interior has said the suicide bomber who carried out an attack that killed 25 people at Cairo's Coptic cathedral on Sunday was a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but exiled Muslim Brotherhood officials and local militant groups have joined the international community in condemnation.

The government deems the Brotherhood a terrorist organization. The group, Egypt's oldest opposition movement, says it is committed to peaceful activism.

Since toppling Mursi and winning a presidential election the following year, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a former general, has crushed dissent. Security forces killed hundreds of Mursi supporters in a crackdown on protesters on a single day in August 2013.

Thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters have since been detained and hundreds have received death sentences or lengthy prison terms in mass trials condemned by human rights groups as legally flawed and politically motivated. None of the death sentences has been carried out.

The Egyptian government says the judiciary is independent and that it never intervenes in its work.

(Reporting by Mohamed Abdellah; Writing by Amina Ismail; Editing by Andrew Roche)
A photo illustration shows the Uber app logo displayed on a mobile telephone, as it is held up for a posed photograph in central London, Britain October 28, 2016. REUTERS/Toby Melville/Illustration

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark's new right-wing government will allow Uber to continue operating under new rules in order to encourage more competition among taxis, its transport minister Ole Birk Olesen said.

Under new proposals put forward by the government on Tuesday, Uber [UBER.UL] drivers must meet certain criteria, including paying tax and proving they are in good health. At the moment they operate without any rules.

Olesen said he saw no reason why Uber should not compete with established taxi companies, although he wants to implement rules that distinguish between taxis which are ordered via an app and those where customers hail them in the street.

But the government, which has only 53 seats of 179 seats in parliament, faces a majority which does not support the plan as well as opposition from the Danish People's Party (DF), which would normally support government proposals.

"I regard the initiatives as an open door to Uber, which I do not like. We shall not have two sets of rules as proposed," DF spokesman Kim Christiansen told Reuters.

A Social Democrat spokesman also dismissed the proposals. Together, the two parties have 85 parliamentary seats.

(Reporting by Erik Matzen; Editing by Alexander Smith)
Thailand's new King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun leaves after paying his respects to a statue of King Rama VII on the occasion of Thai Constitution Day at the Parliament house in Bangkok, Thailand, December 10, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongm

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's new King Maha Vajiralongkorn will pardon or commute the sentences of up to 150,000 prison inmates, including some jailed under one of the world's toughest laws against royal insult, officials said on Tuesday.

King Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne on Dec. 1 after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, on Oct. 13.

"This is the first opportunity since his majesty's ascension to show his mercy," the Royal Gazette said in a statement, announcing that 150,000 inmates could be eligible for release or to have sentences cut, under the pardon.

Officials do not have a figure for the number of inmates who will benefit from the pardon, with decisions to be made by different prisons depending on factors including the inmate's age, how much of the sentence has been served and behavior.

Prisoners jailed for insulting the monarchy and drug offences will be eligible, said Kobkiat Kasivivat, director general of the Department of Corrections.

"Prisoners convicted of 112 and prisoners convicted of drug offences will be included for consideration for release or commuting of sentence," Kobkiat told Reuters, referring to the royal insult law by its article number in the criminal code.

The government has not released a figure for the number of people who are in jail for royal insult but there have been more than 80 prosecutions under the law since mid-2014, according to figures from the legal monitoring group iLaw.

"The inmates will be looked at on a case by case basis at each individual corrections facility," Chanchao Chaiyanukit, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice, told Reuters.

Those convicted of murder and rape will not be eligible for release or to have sentences cut, officials said.

Thailand's prison population has soared in recent years, largely because of tough drug laws.

Corrections Department figures for July showed a prison population of 321,347 in Thailand, with about 70 percent jailed for drugs offences.

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Cod Satrusayang; Editing by Robert Birsel)
A U.S. M1A2 "Abrams" tank fires during U.S. led joint military exercise "Noble Partner 2016" in Vaziani, Georgia, May 24, 2016. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has given its approval for a possible $1.7 billion military sale to Kuwait for the recapitalization of 218 M1A2 tanks and related equipment, services and training, a Pentagon agency said on Tuesday.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, in a statement, said the contractors involved included General Dynamics Corp, Raytheon Co, Meggitt PLC, Northrop Grumman Corp, Lockheed Martin Corp and Honeywell International Inc, among others.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Paul Simao)
TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States military on Wednesday grounded its tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey aircraft in Japan after Tokyo called for a halt to flights following a crash southwest of Okinawa island, the first accident involving the aircraft in the Asian nation.

The aircraft has become a lightning rod for opposition to the U.S. military presence in Okinawa, with local groups seeking the closure of American bases saying it is prone to crash and poses a danger to residents.

A U.S.-operated Osprey ditched into the sea on Tuesday, injuring its crew of five after a hose connected to the aircraft broke during a refueling exercise.

Images of the scene aired by Japan's public broadcaster NHK showed the aircraft broke into several pieces in waters close to the coast.

"No flights in Japan are planned today," said a U.S. Marine Corps spokesman in Okinawa. The U.S. military was still investigating the cause of the crash, which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described as "regrettable" on Wednesday.

The Osprey, built by Boeing Co (NYSE: BA) and Textron Inc's (NYSE: TXT) Bell Helicopter and designed to take off like a helicopter and rotate its propellers to fly like a plane, has suffered a series of incidents in other parts of the world prior to the crash in Okinawa.

The United States says it has two Osprey squadrons in Japan, although it does not disclose the precise number of aircraft. A squadron typically comprises between 12 to 24 aircraft.

"We regret the accident, but we do not regret the work of our young pilots," Lieutenant General Lawrence D. Nicholson, the USMC commander on Okinawa, told a news briefing on the island broadcast by NHK.

The first Osprey crash in Japan could further delay plans to relocate some U.S. forces on the island and comes amid a surge in resentment over U.S. bases after an American civilian working for the military was arrested this year over the murder of a 20-year-old Japanese woman.

Okinawa, which was under U.S. occupation until 1972, hosts the bulk of the approximately 50,000 U.S. military personnel in Japan.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly, Kaori Kaneko and Nobuhiro Kubo; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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 Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 14, 2016

GARMIN LTD.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Switzerland 0-31983 98-0229227 (State or other (Commission (I.R.S. Employer jurisdiction File Number) Identification No.) of incorporation)

Muhlentalstrasse 2

8200 Schaffhausen

Switzerland

(Address of principal executive offices)

Registrants telephone number, including area code: +41 52 630 1600

(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 8.01. Other Events

On December 14, 2016, Garmin Ltd. (the Company) issued a press release announcing that its Board of Directors authorized an extension through December 31, 2017 of its current $300 million Share Repurchase Program. There is currently $80.4 million remaining for share repurchases under this current $300 million Share Repurchase Program. The Company adopted a Rule 10b5-1 plan in connection with the extended share repurchase authorization. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d) Exhibits. The following exhibits are furnished herewith.

Exhibit No. Description 99.1 Press Release dated December 14, 2016

2

SIGNATURE

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.

GARMIN LTD. December 14, 2016 /s/ Andrew R. Etkind Andrew R. Etkind Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

3

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No. Description 99.1 Press Release dated December 14, 2016

4

Exhibit 99.1

Garmin Extends Share Repurchase Program and Adopts Rule 10b5-1 Plan

Schaffhausen, Switzerland / December 14, 2016/ Business Wire

SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland( BUSINESS WIRE )  The Garmin Ltd. (GRMN) board of directors authorized an extension through December 31, 2017 of its current $300 million Share Repurchase Program. There is currently $80.4 million remaining for share repurchases under this current $300 million Share Repurchase Program. The amount and timing of the repurchases are determined by management and depend on market and business conditions. Garmin Ltd. adopted a Rule 10b5-1 plan (the Plan) in connection with the extended share repurchase authorization.

A plan under Rule 10b5-1 allows a company to repurchase its shares at times when it otherwise might be prevented from doing so under insider trading laws or because of self-imposed trading blackout periods. A broker selected by Garmin will have the authority under the terms and limitations specified in the Plan to repurchase shares on the companys behalf in accordance with the terms of the Plan. Because the repurchases under the Plan are subject to certain pricing parameters, there is no guarantee as to the exact number of shares that will be repurchased under the Plan, or that there will be any repurchases pursuant to the Plan.

About Garmin Ltd.

For more than 25 years, Garmin has pioneered new GPS navigation and wireless devices and applications that are designed for people who live an active lifestyle. Garmin serves five primary business units, including automotive, aviation, fitness, marine, and outdoor. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at garmin.com/newsroom, contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200, or follow us at facebook.com/garmin , twitter.com/garmin , or youtube.com/garmin .

Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Garmin is a registered trademark of Garmin Ltd.

Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:

This release includes projections and other forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on managements current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2015, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at http://www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html . No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/05 12:36:51

Assunto: Hello My Friend.

How are you today? i will like to be kind and honest with you, i am a woman that have seen life, i have been in the social circle for many years, although it does not matter one' s age, color or achievement, what matters in our life is your kindness to humanity Dear, i believe that is the most important thing in life, I had been hardworking all my life, i must think of something better, to enjoy my life and probably have a family, maybe relocate, Anyway i will like to tell you more about me, My name is Miss Ava Benson, am from Canada, i was born in Canada, And i left Canada at Age of 12 Years to England, which to the glory of God Am working as an a banker in BARCLAY' S BANK PLC LONDON, I was married but my Ex Husband got married to another woman, which caused our divorce, but is OK, since he accused me of been so busy due to my banking work activities as accounting/auditing, that i was not having time for him, but he refused to understand that i was pursing a goal, i told him that soon i will resign and we will have enough time for each other but he was impatient, although is over between us, I am happy alone This is why I think of relocating to another country, Please would you tell me more about yourself too? I like to know more about you for me to know if we can achieve this goal together, your marital status and your country of origin,I will be glad to hear from you soon



Yours Faithful.

Ava.



De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/05 13:36:56

Assunto: MY DEAR,

i must thank you once again for your humble reply to my mail. I really appreciate it so much and i am very happy to read from you, well from your respond i' m convinced that the future has a special place for us, if only we could trust each other and also be honest and faithful to each other as well



Like i told you earlier, i was looking forward to accomplish a particular mission, which my ' ' ex ' ' husband was unlucky to achieve with me, I think with the little you have told me about you, it would be very wise to disclose this secret to you and also tell you my aim and plan. Because it would be of mutual benefit to us and maybe you could be the right person to utilize the opportunity with me, because i believe our knowing each other is the way God have destiny it



Remember i told you i am an Accountant/Auditor working with BARCLAY' S BANK PLC LONDON. Prior to my position here at my bank, i have the opportunity to loot out some amount of money of a deceased customer, whose autopsy result showed that he died as a result of poison. As i was his personal accountant officer, before he died and from the account opening records, he did not indicate anybody as his beneficiary next of kin. Since 2008 to date, nobody has come forward as his beneficiary next of kin to administer the fund. The amount in question is the total sum of $:5Million (Five Million USD).



I can provide all the required legal information to present you as the legal beneficiary to this fund if you would accept to partner with me in this transfer. A lot of abandoned money lay around in this bank as a result of abandoned bank accounts, stock holdings, unclaimed life insurance pay-outs and forgotten pension benefits. I will definitely give you comprehensive details on how we would achieve this legally, without going against the laws of the country. Once you reply to me indicating your interest to work with me. I have worked with the bank for several years and have taken time to study the British inheritance claims procedures. I would appreciate it if you would treat this issue with every bit of confidentiality and maturity, putting my integrity foremost, because i wouldn' t need any mistakes or regrets. I assure you that you will never regret it if you would take the bold step to partner with me in this transfer. It would be wise if we make every effort not to loose this golden opportunity. This happens in every bank around the world, even in your own country, but people outside the banking industry do not know this.



The fund will be shared at the ratio of 60% for me, 40% for you, Please this is an honest request for you and i. i only plead for you to make this transaction a top secret because we do not have to trust anybody unless you and i alone.



Thanks and best regards

Yours Faithful,

Ava De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/06 10:43:39

Assunto: COPY AND SEND THIS BELOW MASSAGE TO BANK

To The Manager David Miree. Director - Credit Administration Dept.

Address: Canary Wharf, 5 N Colonnade, London E14 4BB, United Kingdom:

Bank name Barclays Investment bank

Phone number: +44 20 7623 2323

Email: barclyays@accountant.com



APPLICATION FOR REQUEST OF CLAIM



Sir / Madam,



I am . . . . . . the business partner to Late Mr Aromi Teddy, who died on January 13, 2008.



After his funeral celebration, i discovered that he have an unclaimed and balance account Five Million United State Dollars. ($5 Million) deposited in your bank when he was alive.



I hereby wish to bring to your notice that i am eager to apply for the funds claim as his business partner to enable your bank release and transfer his balance account of ($5 Million) into my nominated bank account, Upon your urgent response to this effect, I will send you my bank account information for the transfer of the above mentioned sum



So i expect that your bank management will pay an urgent attention to my request and communicate to me without delay.



I apologize for late application for this claim as i have been arranging other things left since his sudden death occurred.



Yours sincerely. De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/06 10:46:11

Assunto: I WILL SEND YOU MASSAGE YOU WILL SEND TO THE BANK NOW.

Hello Dear



How are you doing together with your family, Because Bank set security to monitor every member of the Bank due to our banking rule and regulation



Kindly make sure that this information will be between you and me until we actualize the success of this transaction, What i want you to do now is to apply for the release of the money into your account, Make sure you keep a top secret of this transaction because i don' t want any staff of the bank to know that i am responsible for this transaction, Here is my number but you can only call and get me only on Saturday +447930621987 I don' t do chatting with my line Thanks.



You should not change your name and nationality in this transaction because you are going to apply as the business partner to the deceased customer Note, if you send this letter to the bank, the bank will not delay to contact you, but you should not respond back to the bank until i direct you on what to do



This is to avoid mistake from your part , See the official I will send to you next, send it to the bank through the bank email address of the bank as follows.



Bank Details

David Miree. Director - Credit Administration Dept.

Address: Canary Wharf, 5 N Colonnade, London E14 4BB, United Kingdom:

Bank name Barclays Investment bank

Phone number: +44 20 7623 2323

Email: barclyays@accountant.com



Immediately this money is transferred into your account, then i will obtain visa to your country for the disbursement of the money according to my proposal ratio, and Immediately you apply let me know that you have send the letter to the bank.



My best regard to you and your family,

Your Faithful,

Ava. De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/06 14:26:02

Assunto: SEND THE APPLICATION TO THE BANK OK

Hello. You don' t need to write anything the last mail i sent you copy it and send to the bank email OK that is all you have to do. I am waiting to hear from you as soon as you send the application to the bank. take care. Yours Ever. Ava. De: " BARCLYAYS INVESTMENT BANK" < barclyays@accountant.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/07 07:44:13

Assunto: BARCLAY' S INVESTMENT BANK.

Barclays Investment Bank: Located in: Canary Wharf Group: Address: Canary Wharf, 5 N Colonnade, London E14 4BB, United Kingdom:

Phone: +44 20 7623 2323

Email: barclyays@accountant.com

Dear, Beneficiary,





I have been directed by the Director, Credit Administration Dept to write you in respect to your massage which we received. We wish to inform you that our transfer department of Barclays investment Bank. United Kingdom, carefully received your official message in respect of our late customer funds. According to our Banking rules and regulations, the formal procedure(s) must be adopt to enable us to Carry out our official Banking duties which is needful before the transfer will be effect for confirmation.

Be notified that before the said fund will be transfer into your nominated bank account, The documents must be Endorse by the Court of Justice Britain as the release order of the said fund in your nominated bank account, you are to provide those documents as our banking law stipulates. (1) Affidavit of claim as the legal beneficiary. (2) Power of attorney. (3) A Non-resident certificate. (4) The Death Certificate of the Deceased. (5)The deposit Certificate Issued to him. (6) your National Identification Card or International Passport. (7) Deceased full name: . . . . . . (8) Deceased occupation when he was alive: . . . . . (9) Where did he reside / address: . . . . . . (10) Deceased country of origin: . . . . (11) Deceased place / Date of Birth: . . . . . . (12) Name(s) of the deceased wife or wives: . . . . . (13) Name(s) of the deceased child or children:. . . . (14) Your relationship with the deceased:. . . . . . . (15) Deceased Account type with this bank: . . . . . . (16) Deceased Account number:. . . . . . . (17) Account Title of the deceased:. . . . . . (18) Date account was opened:. . . . . . (19) Year the fund was deposited:. . . . . . . You will swear an affidavit before the SUPREME COURT OF BRITAIN That you are the authentic next of kin to the deceased, All formal procedures must be Satisfied, This will be sign by the Court Registrar Britain. OPTIONAL:- In alternative whereby you can not be able to come here and submit those certificate' s in person, as our Financial Act 2003 demands, you have the lawful right as the successor to contact our Bank Financial Attorney to carry out the legal responsibilities on your behalf. YOU ARE ADVICE TO CONTACT OUR ATTORNEY FOR POWER OF ATTORNEY AND AFFIDAVIT OF OATH / A NON-RESIDENT CERTIFICATE. Barrister Oliver Koja

The solicitor in Charge of Barclays investment Bank United Kingdom

Address: 1 America Square, Crosswall, London EC3N 2SG, United Kingdom

Name. . Oliver Koja

Phone . . +447966270462

Email: attorneyoliverkojaChamber@oath.com

Email: attorneyoliverkoja@yahoo.com Be informed as those documents are submitted, the bank will not hesitate to effect approve and commence the transfer to your nominated bank account within 72 hours, Note; you are instructed to proceed with immediate effect to enable our bank to carry out the transaction accordingly,Thank you for your co operations and congratulations. These information are urgently needed on receipt of this massage so that we can create your Fund Transmission File with the Data Processing Department and International Payment Office/Telex Services Dept respectively.

We promise to give our customers the best of our services.

Thanks,

For: Barclays Investment Bank

Mrs. Acule McLea

Senior Manager - FTA International. NOTE: This e-mail message is subject to the Barclays Investment Bank Of United Kingdom:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Barclays Investment Bank Of London is Registered in United Kingdom it' s also authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Should you not be the addressee and receive this e-mail by mistake, kindly notify the sender, and delete this e-mail, immediately and do not disclose or use same in any manner whatsoever. Views and opinions expressed in this e-mail are those of the sender unless clearly stated as those of the Group.The Group accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss or damages whatsoever and whosoever incurred, or suffered, resulting, or arising, from the use of this email or its attachments. The Group does not warrant the integrity of this e-mail nor that it is free of errors, viruses, interception or interference. Licensed divisions of the Barclays Investment Bank Of London are authorized financial

De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/07 13:56:48

Assunto: I AM WAITING.

Hello. I am happy to read that you have contacted the bank and the bank have replied you and i will like you to forward to me the mail the bank sent to you i am waiting, take care. Yours Ever. Ava. De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/07 14:27:35

Assunto: KEEP THIS TOP SECRET.

My Dear,



How are you doing together with your family, I hope all is well? Please bear with me that I am working on it to put all the necessary information in the form of official inquiry of deceased, I will like you to make an effort to see that this transaction is successful. This is a transaction that both of us need to be very careful to see that everything goes well.



I could understand this is a matter of urgency, therefore i am sending you the deceased information, send it to the bank immediately.



You should complete the next of kin ID form with your information and bank account details for the transfer. Please you should be very careful and hope that the success will be achieve soon.



You should avoid mistake from your side. What you should do now is to send the information with the Death certificate and the Deposit certificate to the bank today or first thing tomorrow morning. I will wait to hear from you and my best regard to you and your family. also send your information and your bank details to the bank for the transfer. also make sure you contact the bank lawyer for the other 3 important documents.

Yours Ever.

Ava. De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/07 14:30:32

Assunto: THE DECEASED INFORMATION SEND IT TO THE BANK.

(1) Affidavit of claim as the legal beneficiary.



(2) Power of attorney.



(3) A Non-resident certificate.



(4) The Death Certificate of the Deceased. YES



(5)The deposit Certificate Issued to him. YES



(6) your National Identification Card or International Passport.



(7) Deceased full name: Mr Aromi Teddy



(8) Deceased occupation when he was alive: Business Tycoon & Medical Adviser



(9) Where did he reside / address: Dublin Ave-Deltona, FL 32725, EEUU Ireland



(10) Deceased country of origin: Ireland



(11) Deceased place Ireland/ Date of Birth: Nov 1, 1944



(12) Name(s) of the deceased wife or wives: Mrs Laura Teddy



(13) Name(s) of the deceased child or children:NON



(14) Your relationship with the deceased:He is my Business partner



(15) Deceased Account type with this bank: Bond Deposit



(16) Deceased Account number:SID5813060001



(17) Account Title of the deceased:Mr Aromi Teddy



(18) Date account was opened:16th August,2004



(19) Year the fund was deposited:16th August,2004







De: " BARCLYAYS INVESTMENT BANK" < barclyays@accountant.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/08 06:51:45

Assunto: Re: RE: BARCLAY' S INVESTMENT BANK.

Barclays Investment Bank: Located in: Canary Wharf Group: Address: Canary Wharf, 5 N Colonnade, London E14 4BB, United Kingdom:

Phone: +44 20 7623 2323

Email: barclyays@accountant.com

Dear, Beneficiary, Sir,

Be notified that the management of Barclays Investment Bank United Kingdom, is in receipt of the returned Official Deceased inquiry information with the correct information required. Be notified that before the said fund will be transferred into your nominated bank account, You are required to send (1) AFFIDAVIT OF CLAIM AS THE LEGAL BENEFICIARY (2) POWER OF ATTORNEY, (3) A NON-RESIDENT CERTIFICATE, The above list documents must be Endorsed by Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ) Britain as the release order of the said fund in your nominated bank account, YOU ARE ADVICE TO CONTACT OUR ATTORNEY FOR POWER OF ATTORNEY AND AFFIDAVIT OF OATH / A NON-RESIDENT CERTIFICATE. Barrister Oliver Koja

The solicitor in Charge of Barclays investment Bank United Kingdom

Address: 1 America Square, Crosswall, London EC3N 2SG, United Kingdom

Name. . Oliver Koja

Phone . . +447966270462

Email: attorneyoliverkojaChamber@oath.com

Email: attorneyoliverkoja@yahoo.com Be informed immediately those documents are submitted, the bank will not hesitate to effect approve and commence the transfer to your nominated bank account within 72 hours, We promise to give our customers the best of our services.

Thanks,

For: Barclays Investment Bank

Mrs. Acule McLea

Senior Manager - FTA International. NOTE: This e-mail message is subject to the Barclays Investment Bank Of United Kingdom:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Barclays Investment Bank Of London is Registered in United Kingdom it' s also authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Should you not be the addressee and receive this e-mail by mistake, kindly notify the sender, and delete this e-mail, immediately and do not disclose or use same in any manner whatsoever. Views and opinions expressed in this e-mail are those of the sender unless clearly stated as those of the Group.The Group accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss or damages whatsoever and whosoever incurred, or suffered, resulting, or arising, from the use of this email or its attachments. The Group does not warrant the integrity of this e-mail nor that it is free of errors, viruses, interception or interference. Licensed divisions of the Barclays Investment Bank Of London are authorized financial



De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/08 20:55:15

Assunto: SEND THIS MAIL TO THE LAWYER.



The solicitor in Charge of Barclays investment Bank United Kingdom

Address: 1 America Square, Crosswall, London EC3N 2SG, United Kingdom

Name. . Oliver Koja

Phone . . +447966270462

Email:

Email:



Dear Sir.



Please I am in need of these three documents bellow, is very urgent meanwhile I was directed by Barclays Investment Bank UK to contact you for these documents. I am waiting to hear from you very urgent. Thanks.



(1) Affidavit of claim as the legal beneficiary.



(2) Power of attorney.



(3) A Non-resident certificate. Barrister Oliver KojaThe solicitor in Charge of Barclays investment Bank United KingdomAddress: 1 America Square, Crosswall, London EC3N 2SG, United KingdomName. . Oliver KojaPhone . . +447966270462Email: attorneyoliverkojaChamber@oath.com Email: attorneyoliverkoja@yahoo.com Dear Sir.Please I am in need of these three documents bellow, is very urgent meanwhile I was directed by Barclays Investment Bank UK to contact you for these documents. I am waiting to hear from you very urgent. Thanks.(1) Affidavit of claim as the legal beneficiary.(2) Power of attorney.(3) A Non-resident certificate. De: " Barrister Oliver Koja" < attorneyoliverkoja@yahoo.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/09 08:25:40

Assunto: SEND YOUR INFORMATION.

Attention:



I humbly wish to write in respect of the mail I received from you Regarding the legal Parturition of Affidavit of Claim, and Power of Attorney / A Non-Resident Notarized Letter of Administration Certificate, well your request was well received on this day which was Noted respectably, It' s absolutely obligatory That we must know who you are by forwarding this mentioned data to this law firm First of all you are to send your international passport or your national Id card for identification, and your direct private telephone number for easy communication and the name of your country of origin, your full name and your date of birth. In receipt of this data, after we receiving all the relevant information' s from you, Which Will empower this law firm before the bank in any necessary question to render my service legally to ensure I get the Mentioned documents from Royal Court of Justice(RCJ) successfully



Thanks And Yours In Service

Barrister Oliver Koja Chambers

Phone: +447966270462

Email: attorneyoliverkojaChamber@oath.com

Email: attorneyoliverkoja@yahoo.com

Address:1 America Square, Crosswall, London EC3N 2SG, United Kingdom, De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/09 13:51:54

Assunto: HAVE YOU SENT YOUR INFORMATION TO THE LAWYER?

Hello. I have seen the mail from the lawyer and i will like to know if you have sent him your information for the preparation of the documents? I am waiting for your mail soonest. Take acre. Yours Ever. Ava. De: " Barrister Oliver Koja" < attorneyoliverkoja@yahoo.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/09 17:52:26

Assunto: THE COST OF THE DOCUMENTS.



In respect of your mail concerning the legal Parturition of Affidavit of Claim, and Power of Attorney / A Non-Resident Notarized Letter of Administration Certificate, actually your mail was well received i will do everything within my legal power to ensure I get the needful documents once I receive all the necessary requirement from you I have made an inquiry from Royal Courts of Justice, on your behalf since you have requested my total assistance to help secure and legalized Affidavit of Claim and Power of Attorney / A Non-Resident Notarized Letter of Administration Certificate, from Royal Courts of Justice on your behalf which will enable your legal representation as a legitimate legal beneficiary,I have confirm with the Royal Courts of Justice, to ascertain the cost of procuring the needed documents according to the rules and Commands of the law act and obligation guiding the members of the international bars Association,



SECTION 1

AFFIDAVIT OF CLAIM

(1) Registration of your Particulars. . . . . . . 50 British Pounds.

(2) Application Stamp Duty Fee. . . . . . . . 50 British Pounds.

(3) Processing Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 British Pounds

(4) Processing Insurance of An Affidavit. . . 100 British Pounds



SECTION 2

A; NON-RESIDENT NOTARIZED LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION CERTIFICATE

A. REGISTRATION FEE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 BRITISH POUNDS

B. STAMP DUTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 BRITISH POUNDS

C. AN AFFIDAVIT OF JURISDICTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 BRITISH POUNDS

D. CERTIFICATE OF LEGALITY CLEARANCE . . . . . . . 350 BRITISH POUNDS

E. ATTESTATION FEE BETWEEN YOU AND COURT. . . . .430 BRITISH POUNDS



My legal fee is 500 British Pounds You have to pay the total amount of ( 1,833 GBP British Pound ) These will accredit and ascertain your legal request to be carried out with immediate effect, Be informed that you will pay the ( 1,833 GBP British Pound ) before i proceed with preparation of the documents, you must make this payment before i proceed which will enable me to finalized the documents within a period of two working days,You are instructed to get back to me once you are ready for the payment to enable me to direct you on how to deposit the money through Western Union or Money Gram Transfer Agency, Sir, be informed I will proceed with this legal documents once I confirm the payment as the rule of my law firm demand, get back to me once you are ready for the legal fees to enable me to give you the information' s you will use to deposit the money, my duty is to give all my clients the best of my service.



Thanks And Yours In Service

Barrister Oliver Koja Chambers

Phone: +447966270462

Email: attorneyoliverkojaChamber@oath.com

Email: attorneyoliverkoja@yahoo.com

Address:1 America Square, Crosswall, London EC3N 2SG, United Kingdom,



De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/10 15:01:02

Assunto: TRY AND SEND THE MONEY TO THE LAWYER PLEASE.

Hello.

How are you together with your family? I hope all is well. I have seen the amount the lawyer demanded for his work to get the documents, as you can see this 3 documents is the only thing lift for the bank to do the transfer, so i will like you to try and send the money to the lawyer. I am waiting for a good news from you.

Yours Ever.

Ava. De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/10 17:07:19

Assunto: CONTACT THE LAWYER AND TELL HIM WHAT YOU HAVE AND COLLECT HIS ACCOUNT.

Hello. Honey is not must that we will pay all the money to the lawyer before he will get us the documents, as he is part of the bank lawyer i am suggesting that you contact him and tell him how much you have and also tell him that as soon as his bank is done with the transfer that you will send him all his balance and you also as him for his account where you will pay in the $500 you have OK. I am waiting to hear from you as soon as you contact the lawyer and you have to hurry up so that by Monday everything will start. kiss. Yours Ever. Ava. De: " Barrister Oliver Koja" < attorneyoliverkoja@yahoo.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/10 19:22:50

Assunto: RE: THE COST OF THE DOCUMENTS.

Attention:

With all due respect I wish to write in accordance to your mail, Sir, I accepted your offer but $400 is too small, I will accept $500 up and before I will proceed to your documents process after receiving part payment from you, You will tell me how much you are going to pay me after the said transfer is done? Take note: you will deposit the money through Money Gram Transfer Agency, Here is the information' s which you will use to deposit the money through money Gram Transfer Agency



Receiver Name:. . . . . Oliver Koja

Phone: . . . . . . . . .+447966270462

Country:. . . . . . . . United Kingdom

Address,. . . . . . . . America Square Conference, 1 America Square, Crosswall, EC3N 2SG



Sir, inform me once you deposit the money with the payment slip you got from Money Gram Transfer Office, after the transaction to enable me to confirm the payment here. Which I will legally advice you to ensure you send the money as I instructed, so that I can be able to get the documents ready in the next 2 working days, get back to me once the payment is made to enable me to proceed effectively.Thank You.



Thanks And Yours In Service

Barrister Oliver Koja Chambers

Phone: +447966270462

Email: attorneyoliverkojaChamber@oath.com

Email: attorneyoliverkoja@yahoo.com

Address:1 America Square, Crosswall, London EC3N 2SG, United Kingdom, De: " Barrister Oliver Koja" < attorneyoliverkoja@yahoo.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/11 10:15:31

Assunto: HOW MANY EMAIL ARE YOU WRITING ME WITH?

Attention:

With all due respect I wish to write in accordance to your mail, Sir, I accepted your offer but $400 is too small, I will accept $500 up and before I will proceed to your documents process after receiving part payment from you, You will tell me how much you are going to pay me after the said transfer is done? Take note: you will deposit the money through Money Gram Transfer Agency, Here is the information' s which you will use to deposit the money through money Gram Transfer Agency



Receiver Name:. . . . . Oliver Koja

Phone: . . . . . . . . .+447966270462

Country:. . . . . . . . United Kingdom

Address,. . . . . . . . America Square Conference, 1 America Square, Crosswall, EC3N 2SG



Sir, inform me once you deposit the money with the payment slip you got from Money Gram Transfer Office, after the transaction to enable me to confirm the payment here. Which I will legally advice you to ensure you send the money as I instructed, so that I can be able to get the documents ready in the next 2 working days, get back to me once the payment is made to enable me to proceed effectively.Thank You.



Thanks And Yours In Service

Barrister Oliver Koja Chambers

Phone: +447966270462

Email: attorneyoliverkojaChamber@oath.com

Email: attorneyoliverkoja@yahoo.com

Address:1 America Square, Crosswall, London EC3N 2SG, United Kingdom, De: " Barrister Oliver Koja" < attorneyoliverkoja@yahoo.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/11 17:04:13

Assunto: RE: HOW MANY EMAIL ARE YOU WRITING ME WITH?

I DON' T SEND IT TO PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND NEVER AGAIN CONTACT ME FOR ANY REASON, LOOK FOR ANOTHER ADVOCATE, I END MY BUSINESS WITH YOU WHEN I FIND OUT YOUR SECOND ID ON MY MAIL BOX.



Thanks And Yours In Service

Barrister Oliver Koja Chambers

Phone: +447966270462

Email: attorneyoliverkojaChamber@oath.com

Email: attorneyoliverkoja@yahoo.com

Address:1 America Square, Crosswall, London EC3N 2SG, United Kingdom,





De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/12 11:10:33

Assunto: Re: Hi Ava, I already pqid

send me the copy of the transfer so that i will know what you said is true, i am waiting to see that what you said is real. that you have made the payments. De: " Ava Benson" < bensonava@hotmail.com >

Enviada: 2016/12/12 11:24:55

Assunto: Re: Hi Ava, I already pqid

FUCK YOUR MOTHER ASS If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more....
Harlem residents are concerned and confused by a one-antlered deer that has taken up residence in a park there. The buck has been living in Jackie Robinson Park, a block-wide greensward between 145th and 155th streets, for nearly two weeks, after experts speculate he walked and/or swam to Manhattan from the Bronx in search of a mate amid the hormonal frenzy of the annual rut.



Video by Collette Spagnolo

Neighbor Collette Spagnolo told Gothamist she has seen the deer near the swimming pool at the south end of the park for the last week. "It's not shy at all and comes right up to the fence when people are around," she wrote in an email. Spagnolo said she reached out in hopes to motivate the city to move the "poor deer."

A Parks Department spokeswoman said that won't happen anytime soon, explaining that state environmental regulations ban capturing and relocating deer. For now, the spokeswoman said, the deer is healthy. Should it get seriously injured or endanger humans, the authorities may intervene, but that would likely result in them killing the deer. She advised uptown park-goers not to approach the recent transplant.

Deer are a common sight, and nuisance, in the suburbs of Long Island, Westchester County, and New Jersey, and are growing in number in spread-out parts out the outer boroughs such as the northern reaches of the Bronx. In recent years, the city has struggled to address the deer in Staten Island, where a combination of relatively abundant green space and strict gun and hunting restrictions have allowed the population to grow unchecked. This year, the city began an experimental program of trapping hundreds of deer and performing vasectomies on them, against the advice of the state and an array of deer control experts, who recommended killing the deer instead.

Asked if the Harlem deer seemed hungry, Spagnolo wrote:

There's some vegetation in that patch that he's essentially caged into but I can't imagine why else he would be so people-friendly unless he was hungry. (I'm also from queens so I have no friggin idea what deer eat????)



Deer eat vegetation, nuts, and fruits, and as upstate native and Gothamist editor in chief John Del Signore put it, "In most places they're basically considered one step above vermin, so it's hard for me to get too worked up about this deer...[The deer] is gonna be finethey're hardy creatures."

The real test of this hypothesis may be if/when the deer gets hit by a crosstown bus.
Signaling that the city sees it as an industry that can bring jobs and economic opportunity, Mayor de Blasio announced yesterday that New York is investing $500 million in biotech and life sciences. Or, maybe the mayor just really wants a cloning facility close to home so he can rule the city forever, who knows.

The 10-point program, called LifeSci NYC, is an effort headed by the mayor and the New York City Economic Development Corporation. The largest piece of the program is $300 million in tax credits that will be made available to companies building lab space in the city, in order to defray the high costs of construction in the city. The ultimate goal, the mayor said at a press conference announcing LifeSci, is to "add nearly 3 million square feet of new space for life science companies over the next 10 years."

In addition, $100 million will be invested in an Applied Life Sciences Campus, located in either Long Island City or the east side of Manhattan. The campus, according to the NYCEDC, should become "an institutional anchor for the life sciences industry," if everything goes according to plan. The city will spend $50 million on investing in already existing research facilities so they can expand, and $10 million to open a series of incubators for life science startups.

The plan also comes with proposed changes to the city's zoning code to allow biotech labs in areas zoned for commercial use, and a pledge that the de Blasio administration will "leverage upcoming rezonings to include life sciences sites where appropriate." The $500 million plan should create 16,000 jobs according to Mayor de Blasio: 9,000 in life sciences and 7,000 in fields related to life sciences. So, in the future, you might be meeting more people at parties who can tell you all about working in the white hot test tube meat industry.
Case workers at each level of command within the city's Administration for Children's Services failed to follow up on troubling allegations of neglect and abuse in the two years before 6-year-old Zymere Perkins was beaten to death by his mother's boyfriend, according to city and state reports released this week.

In the city's report, released Tuesday night, ACS confirmed that Zymere's school reported the child's suspicious physical injuries and persistent absence from schoolinformation that ACS failed to include in updated case files. ACS also acknowledged that it failed to contact extended family members, or "seek medical examinations for Zymere despite allegations of serious physical abuse." And while ACS was aware that Zymere's mother's boyfriend, 42-year-old Rysheim Smith, had a history of domestic violence, this evidence "should have led caseworkers to probe more deeply."

"Procedures were not followed, common sense was not exercised, and due diligence was lacking up and down the chain of command responsible for Zymere," Mayor de Blasio stated Tuesday. "I will not accept excuses for this failure and I will not accept the notion that every single one of these tragedies cannot be prevented. The buck stops with me."

Mayor de Blasio also confirmed that the city has fired three employees directly involved in Zymere's case, and suspended and demoted six others. ACS will also hire an independent monitor to be instated in January who will issue monthly reports on ACS procedurea direct order from the state Office of Children and Family Services.

"This individual will work with the city and state to ensure necessary objectives are met as we continue our aggressive reform and strengthen our agency practices," said Mayoral Spokeswoman Aja Worthy-Davis.

The documented allegations of abuse reported this week are numerous and graphic.

In June 2015, an anonymous caller told ACS that Smith had hit Zymere "with excessive force 'at least 20 times' on his buttocks and legs for not listening while at a picnic." Zymere's mother, Geraldine Perkins, allegedly did not intervene. According to the tipster, Smith "hit the child hard enough that the source sitting at the picnic table was able to hear the slaps from each hit."

In a subsequent interview, Zymere described alleged abuse to ACS workers. From the report:

Zymere initially denied that Mr. Smith hit him. However, Zymere disclosed that Mr. Smith had placed him under a cold shower with no clothing as a form of punishment. Zymere stated that his mother was present during the incident and had yelled at him and slapped him in the face. Later in the interview, he said Mr. Smith made him do five push-ups and beat him with a belt when he misbehaved.

In April 2016, Zymere "arrived at school with multiple bruises and scratches on both legs, and while there were multiple explanations for the injuries, none were consistent with the injuries," according to the state's report. The state assessed ACS's subsequent investigation "grossly incomplete."

"Zymere Perkins was essentially tortured by those who were charged to be his caregivers," said City Councilmember Steve Levin, chair of the Committee of General Welfare, at an ACS hearing on Wednesday morning. "And those charged with protecting him... failed to do so. We all bear a responsibility as a city for his death."

Levin went on to probe Deputy Mayor Herminia Palacio, who testified on ACS's behalf. "People saw [the abuse], they reported it, they called the SCR [State Central Register], ACS did the investigationin three instances ACS indicated [substantiated] the case. It was as if no one could see the forest for the trees. And I guess my first question is, whose job is it to connect those dots?"

Palacio, echoing the mayor, said that "in this case, the city failed." But she described the failure as anomalous, rather than systemic. "This represented an unusual perfect storm of human errors," she said.

Fifteen reforms outlined in the city's report include increased accountability over the most serious ACS cases, and retraining staff on cases with allegations of physical injury and abuse.

Perkins and Smith were arrested after Zymere's death, and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. In October, Zymere's death was ruled a homicide.

ACS Commissioner Gladys Carrion resigned this week, after three years in the post. In addition to Zymere's case, her administration also recently came under fire following the beating death of 3-year-old Jaden Jordan.

A report released by the Department of Investigation in May alleged that ACS had consistently failed to investigate and report child abuse and maintain accurate records. The report also found that ACS often took more than a month to investigate child abuse allegations.

"As Commissioner Carrion steps down, all of us must step up our push to reform the Administration for Children's Services," Public Advocate Letitia James said in a statement. "The mission to reform ACS is one we can't afford to fail. Our children's welfare depends on it."
I am offering the solution to a problem most Republicans don't know they have -- that they can be outmaneuvered and thrown on the defensive endlessly, on nearly any issue, because they accept as true Democrat lies about the Republican Party. To correct that misperception and to help the Republican Party get 'back to basics' is why I'm a man on a mission.

A few years ago, after one of my speeches, a man told me "Do you know what your problem is? You're too far ahead of your time!" My efforts to show Republicans how they would benefit from celebrating the heritage of our Grand Old Party have been arduous, but if this were easy someone else would have already done it.

Among my speech topics are Reconciling the Tea Party and the GOP; Barack Obama, the Worst President Ever; Socialism, the new Slavery; Appreciating the Heritage of our Grand Old Party; Returning to the Founding Principles of the United States; The Womens Rights Achievements of our Grand Old Party; Abraham Lincoln, Republican; Frederick Douglass, Republican; Martin Luther King and the Republican Civil Rights Legacy.
The first person to be convicted of human trafficking in New Zealand has been sentenced nine years and six months in jail.

Faroz Ali, also known as Feroz Ali, was sentenced in the High Court in Auckland to a total of nine years and six months in jail and ordered to pay a total of $28,167 reparation to his victims.

Immigration New Zealand assistant general manager Peter Devoy says the sentence is a great result and show just how seriously allegations of people trafficking and immigration fraud are taken.

Justice Heath commented that people trafficking is an abhorrent crime which degrades human dignity. This sentence is hugely significant and should act as a huge deterrent for people smugglers.

Peter says it took almost 6000 man hours to gather enough evidence to launch the prosecution which led to New Zealands first ever people trafficking convictions and this is truly a landmark moment.

Some of the victims borrowed large sums of money to take up the opportunity to come here and now remain heavily indebted, while others used up their life savings to come to New Zealand. I hope todays sentences give them some degree of comfort.

Ali, a Fijian national with New Zealand residence, was found guilty in September of 15 human trafficking charges involving Fijian nationals.

He was also convicted of 15 charges of aiding and abetting a person to unlawfully enter New Zealand and one charge of aiding and abetting a person to remain unlawfully in New Zealand.

Ali had earlier pleaded guilty to 26 charges of helping people breach their visa conditions and exploiting them by not paying them the minimum wage and holiday pay.

The court heard that the Fijians were enticed to work in New Zealand after answering advertisements placed in Fijian newspapers by Alis Fiji-based wife and sister-in-law.

They were charged large sums of money but when they arrived here they were forced to work illegally for long hours, live in cramped conditions and paid little, if anything.

The Fijians either worked for Alis gib fixing business in Auckland or were sent to Tauranga to work in the horticulture business in an arrangement organised by the defendant and his wife.

All the Fijian nationals have now returned home.
I am disappointed that the Google Pixel phone is not sold here in Sweden. Why Google? Whats the reason to not sell it here (and a lot of other countries)? Is it because you cant manufacture enough of them or what? I cant see another reason why really

They can never compete with Apple and the iPhone if they dont sell it internationally. Never.

So all comparisons of how many sold or shipped phones, Pixel vs iPhone are pointless. Google can never compete unless they dont start selling the Pixel phone in more countries. And I dont think those tech pundits that compare phone sales knows that Google doesnt sell the Pixel Phone internationally.

Not that Im planning to buy one this year, though, but I really hope that they will change this next year because maybe I will buy the Pixel 2 next year. If Im not happy with my Nexus 6P at that time that is. The Nexus 6P is still an incredibly good phone, really snappy and smooth, and I can take awesome photos with it (as you can see in my Google+ Collection). Everything is still perfectly fine with it, and it gets updates really fast.

Its just that I think its strange that they dont sell it in more countries. I dont get why Google doesnt want to earn more money from Pixel sales.

My video about that the Google Pixel phone is the best phone in the world:
For All U of U Health Patients & Visitors
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A 28-year-old man was taken to the hospital after being shot in the back in Syracuse, according to the Syracuse Police Department.

Police received a shots fired call at approximately 7:30 p.m. Tuesday for somewhere near South Avenue and Tallman Street.

People there told police they saw a man with gunshot wounds leave in a car, said Sgt. Richard Helterline, a spokesman for the Syracuse Police Department. Upstate University Hospital authorities also notified police when a man who had been shot arrived in a car instead of an ambulance, he said.

The man, who police said is 28 years old, was shot in the back, but the injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.

The shooting happened along the 200 block of South Avenue, police said.

Little is known about the suspect other than they were possibly last seen driving a dark-colored, four-door vehicle east on Tallman Street, according to police.

Syracuse police ask anyone with information about the incident to call (315) 442-5222, or submit a tip through their "SPD Tips" app.

Reporter Kira Maddox covers crime and safety for Syracuse.com. She can be reached anytime: Email | Facebook | Twitter
cny philanthropy center.jpg

The CNY Philanthropy Center in downtown Syracuse hosted a panel discussion today on the future of the criminal assigned counsel program. It's also home to the Onondaga County Bar Association.

(Michelle Gabel | mgabel@syracuse.com)

Syracuse, NY -- Onondaga County's assigned criminal defense lawyers will be required to reapply for their jobs and be critiqued by their clients -- accused criminals -- as part of sweeping changes to the taxpayer-funded system.

It's part of myriad changes being made to Onondaga County program that pays for lawyers to represent poor defendants -- as required by the U.S. Constitution.

These are the lawyers who represented 14,305 cases in 2015, ranging from simple shoplifting to cold-blooded murder.

But dramatic changes are coming after the state acknowledged that there were serious problems with criminal defense in Onondaga and four other counties. A lawsuit filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union accused those counties of failing to provide adequate defense for those who cannot afford lawyers.

There will be an extra $5 million in state money next year to begin implementing changes locally. That will double the assigned counsel budget.

But there are also strings attached. A panel discussion today at the CNY Philanthropy Center included a county attorney, the Assigned Counsel Program board chair and lawyers from the state and NYCLU, who will oversee the changes.

Highlights of changes made public today included both new oversight and better working conditions for the lawyers who handle the bulk of serious criminal cases.

Lauren Seiter, board chair of the Assigned Counsel Program, said that there were 18 changes being made to improve the program.

Among those are a review of every attorney allowed to get public money. Calling past practice "loosey-goosey" where everyone was approved, Seiter said the new rules will require everyone to reapply to participate in the program.

In addition, Seiter said there will likely be some form of "client surveys" to see how criminal defendants feel they are being represented. There will also be a way for defendants to complain directly to the program about the handling of their cases.

The NYCLU lawsuit was on behalf of criminal defendants who said their rights were denied by lapses in the system. Defendants often complain about their lawyers: not doing a thorough enough job, not coming to see them in jail and not listening to their concerns, among other regular complaints.

On the other hand, assigned lawyers will also benefit from the changes. There will be more money to pay lawyers for essentials: visiting clients, paying for gas mileage and hiring experts and investigators, Seiter said. A review process that often denied payment for routine activities would be changed so lawyers would be paid for all "core services."

In addition, the current assigned counsel leadership is being replaced. The new administration will include new positions for a budget officer and a computer expert -- lawyer Charles Keller complained today about the time it takes to fill out computer payment requests.

There will be more tools for research and lists of forensic experts and private investigators. There will also be expanded mentoring for young lawyers and ways for lawyers to exchange information.

Defense lawyer Ralph Congnetti said he liked the sound of the changes, but questioned whether increased oversight was needed. Any criminal who lost a trial would probably complain that their lawyer was ineffective, he noted.

Cognetti said that assigned lawyers represent some of the worst criminals, but added that he defended everyone to the best of his ability because that's how he got business.

Another lawyer, Jason Zeigler, said he too was hopeful, but suggested that more needed to be done to make sure the program didn't play favorites among the lawyers. (He was an outspoken opponent of the previous assigned counsel administration.)

On the other hand, some questioned why the current system hadn't been changed even more radically given the problems exposed in the NYCLU lawsuit.

Alan Rosenthal, a lawyer who works for a group that seeks alternatives to incarceration, questioned the rationale for keeping an assigned counsel program at all.

A competing proposal this summer by the Hiscock Legal Aid Society had sought to hire a group of full-time staff attorneys -- not those assigned on a case-by-case basis -- to handle defense for the poor.

Senior Deputy Onondaga County Attorney Kathleen Dougherty said that one reason the current assigned counsel program was kept is because the Hiscock proposal would have taken nine months to implement, causing complications in the meantime. She said there were other reasons, too, but did not divulge what they were.

Rosenthal -- and another lawyer Anthony Belletier -- pointed out that it was the current system that got the county in trouble. Belletier called for more openness in the process going forward while Rosenthal questioned why the county didn't reveal the "real reason" for not replacing the entire program.

Dougherty responded that it wasn't the nature of the assigned counsel program -- but how it was administered -- that needed to be improved. She said all procedures were followed in picking the assigned counsel program going forward.
ELMIRA, N.Y. - Why did Ryan Lawrence kill his daughter?

Why would he work so hard for months to help Maddox beat eye cancer, only to bludgeon the nearly 2-year-old to death in a secluded place, burn her body and hide it in a creek?

His own family isn't sure, and struggles with the question. Lawrence's vague public statements don't explain it.

A Syracuse.com reporter talked for two hours with Lawrence in a visiting room at Elmira state prison two weeks ago to try to answer the question that was raised in news coverage around the country. Two psychiatrists have taken a run at it. His prosecutors have a view, too.

What emerged from the prison interview was a knot of answers, at times contradictory and dubious. Lawrence himself can be remorseful yet skirt the blame.

"What I was trying to do was not evil," he said. "I wasn't trying to hurt anybody."

Why did he do it?

In court last month, when he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, Lawrence said his own father had asked him that. Lawrence's answer: I just don't know.

In prison a month later, he claimed an emotional distress that was belied by the facts of the horrifying crime

Planning ahead

Lawrence said he was suffering from a psychotic disorder brought on by what he described as a growing storm in his head. It had battered him with a barrage of problems he says he couldn't solve: He was working in a dead-end job as a gas station attendant, unable to support his wife and child. He had a suspended driver's license and a $1,000 fine he couldn't pay. He was driving an uninspected car. His marriage was in trouble. He was still, eight years later, despondent over the death of his mother.



Lots of parents have marital, car and money problems. They don't decide the answer is to end their child's life.

"I'd say, 'Welcome to the real world,''' his estranged brother, Rich Lawrence, said when told of the problems Ryan cited before Maddox's death.

Two psychiatrists who examined Lawrence found he did not have a mental illness. One cited his careful planning before the murder as proof.

Lawrence said in the interview that his plan was to make everyone think he and Maddox had simply run away.

He was going to kill his daughter then get far away and kill himself, he said. That's why he'd gotten all that equipment, Lawrence said: Two wigs, makeup, a bandanna and manuals on survival and how to avoid capture. He got a can of spray paint to change the color of his skin. He thought ahead enough to bring a fishing pole, camping gear, food, a tent and a mosquito net to make his getaway.

He brought a sheet of plastic to the murder scene, to catch blood spatter, according to a psychiatrist's report.

All of that jibes with someone who understood his conduct was wrong, according to a report by one of the psychiatrists, Dr. James Knoll.

Lawrence said he was planning to kill himself, but needed all that stuff to survive long enough to get to the Ohio River, where he hoped his body would float all the way to the Caribbean. That's where his mother's ashes were dispersed in 2008.

Before the murder, Lawrence had built his own kayak, he told the other psychiatrist, Dr. Gary Horwitz. It was made of cardboard and sheets of plastic, held together by plastic wrap. He tried it out, but it wasn't seaworthy, he told the psychiatrist.

Like the rickety kayak, Lawrence's story didn't float. If he wanted to kill himself, he could've done it without ending Maddox's life.

His explanation for not doing that: He didn't want Maddox raised without a father. He'd thought about solving all his troubles by running away with Maddox, but letting her live. But he didn't want his daughter to be raised without a mother, he said.

"I was trying to save Maddox," Lawrence said. "I was trying to save my wife. I was trying to save my family from hurt, from struggle. In the most selfish act I've ever done, I thought irrationally that it was going to be the most selfless thing I've ever done."

Those thoughts make no sense, he admitted in the interview.

Horwitz, a Rochester psychiatrist hired by the defense, found Lawrence was suffering from an extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the murder.

Lawrence had symptoms of non-psychotic mental illness, but not enough to make a diagnosis of a major mental disorder, Horwitz said.

Lawrence's belief that his wife and child would be better off with Maddox gone "is nothing short of delusional," Horwitz wrote.

Lawrence had tunnel vision on the day of the murder, zeroing in on how to resolve his worry that Maddox would suffer the same tortured emotions that drove her father to self-mutilate, Horwitz's report said.

Lawrence's condition could fit the definition of a mental disease, Horwitz wrote. But that idea falters with the evidence that Lawrence went to elaborate lengths to conceal what he'd done, the report said.

Lawrence's brother Rich, who became estranged from him after the murder, said he never saw any signs of mental illness.

"I would say he had the mindset of a rebellious teenager," Rich Lawrence said. "He didn't really fit inside the normal role of society. Like wake up, go to your job, make some money, come home and enjoy your day. That was never his style."

Contradictions

Lawrence told Knoll that he'd burned the body to reduce his chances of being prosecuted for murder. In the prison interview, Lawrence had a different explanation.

"I had this notion that if I could cremate her body, I would be releasing her energy into the world faster," he said. When questioned about what he'd told Knoll, Lawrence admitted to the other explanation.

"I knew that if I was caught I would be put into jail and I wouldn't be able to die the way I wanted to," he said.

After the murder, Lawrence dropped off the family car at DestinyUSA mall, for his wife Morgan to drive home from work. He left her a video message.

"I said, 'Morgan, I love you but I can't do this anymore,'" Lawrence said. "'I want you to have the life that you deserve.' I told her that Max is gone. I told her I took Max."

He did not tell her that Max, his daughter's nickname, was already dead.

Maddox Lawrence

Then he walked to Baldwinsville, where he was raised. He was hoping to find a boat, he told a psychiatrist.

Lawrence said he planned to eventually commit suicide by starving himself, getting an infection, or simply succumbing to the elements.

Knoll expressed doubt about Lawrence's claim that he planned to commit suicide. The items Lawrence took with him contradicted the claim, and he never mentioned to police that he'd planned to take his own life, Knoll wrote.

Evil, psychotic or something else?

Lawrence said he agreed to the Syracuse.com interview in the hope that it would prompt anyone else troubled by the same irrational thoughts to seek professional help.

He said the signs of a psychotic disorder were there from his childhood. He used to mutilate himself by burning his skin with heated metal and other objects, he said.

Knoll, the psychiatrist who examined Lawrence for prosecutors, found he wasn't mentally ill, nor had a psychotic disorder of any kind. Lawrence has a borderline and antisocial personality disorder, Knoll's report said. The disorder does not substantially impair perception, the report said.

Lawrence had a history of "emotional callousness," demonstrated by his lack of concern about other people's feelings, Knoll wrote. Lawrence lacked sympathy for his previous girlfriends' feelings of sadness, the report said.

Lawrence told the psychiatrist he'd stolen from every company he ever worked for. Lawrence blamed his addiction to adrenaline, he told Knoll and Syracuse.com.

Lawrence was fired from one job for stealing money from the cash register, according to Horwitz's report.

In the year before the murder, Lawrence choked his own dog to death, according to Horwitz's report. The dog, Trooper, had become ill and needed to be euthanized, but Lawrence couldn't afford to have a veterinarian do it, the report said.

Lawrence took the dog to a favorite place of theirs in the woods, tried to comfort her, then compressed her airway until she died, Horwitz wrote.

Lawrence used to jump off bridges into rivers, or steal from stores, just to get a rush, he said.

He told Knoll of a need to fill his dull life with high stress through ill-conceived decisions, the psychiatrist's report said.

"Sweeter the score, better the lift," Lawrence told Knoll, a forensic psychiatrist at Upstate Medical University.

Could an adrenaline addiction have driven him to kill his own daughter?

"No," Lawrence said. "I'm not this monster that people try to portray me to be in the media."

A monster would be someone who was driven to such a horrible act by pure evil. District Attorney William Fitzpatrick suggested in court that that was the answer.

Fitzpatrick has also suggested Lawrence was motivated by jealousy of the attention his daughter was getting.

Horwitz found no indication of jealousy. Lawrence denied it ever existed.

"I was not jealous of my daughter, ever" he said. "If anything, I wanted her to get more attention."

Two takes on himself

Lawrence spoke calmly in the prison interview, in a soft voice that became high-pitched with emotion. He broke down in tears at least five times, a couple times curling forward and shaking. Lawrence was unshaven, dressed in a button-down collared white shirt and green prison-issue pants.

He said he was living in a hell that he'd created. He said he was tormented every day by what he'd done.

That wasn't how he described his feelings a month after he killed Maddox.

"I'm not sad in here," Lawrence told his sister Shaylyn when she visited him in jail March 22, according to Horwitz's report. "I found peace. I have peace."

In that visit, which Horwitz watched on video, Lawrence said he was free in his heart.

"Before I was free on the outside, but now I am free on the inside," he told his sister.

So he's free, not sad, but living in hell.

Growing up

Lawrence, 25, was the youngest of four children. He looks back and see signs of what he says was mental illness. But he was never diagnosed and never treated, he said.

Lawrence used to mutilate himself by burning his skin with hot metal, incense and other objects, he said. It started when he was 14 when his parents separated, and got worse after his mother died two years later, he said.

In the prison visiting room, Lawrence displayed a Zodiac sign he'd burned onto the back of his hand. After his mother's death, Lawrence burned a heart onto his chest with incense, the psychiatrist's report said. On his legs, Lawrence has scars from a broken bottle that he'd heated and burned into his skin, the psychiatrist wrote.

Lawrence was a heavy drug user from age 16 to 20, he said. He used LSD, cocaine, mushrooms, marijuana, ketamine and ecstasy. For a few weeks as a teen-ager, he sold marijuana, he said. When he was in his 20s, he sold ecstasy pills at local festivals for a few months, he said.

He hadn't used any drugs for a week before the murder, he said.

Claims of hearing voices

Lawrence told Horwitz he'd heard his dead mother, Mary Lawrence, tell him that he should give Maddox to her, so she could take care of the girl. He made the same claim in the prison interview.

At first, he said he'd asked himself what his mother would tell him to do. That was a week before the murder. When asked if he'd heard her voice on the day of the murder, Lawrence offered up this:

"Yeah, I mean, I heard what I thought was my mom that day," he said. "She said, 'Let me take care of her. Give her to me.' And then I said no. I want to take care of her. This is my job."

He said he knows now that he never heard his mother's voice, and that she'd never want him to harm her granddaughter.

Rich Lawrence said he doesn't believe his brother's claim.

"Whatever's going on in his head, I don't think he's hearing voices," Rich Lawrence said. "There's no way in hell my mom would've told him, 'Yeah, you know what? Murder your daughter, send her to me. She'll be fine.'"

Another voice was at the murder scene, Ryan Lawrence said: "You're selfish for keeping Max here while you're suffering, while Morgan's suffering."

In the interview, Lawrence said he was responsible for Maddox's death. But at other times, he offered up scapegoats. Besides blaming his deceased mother, he acknowledged he was the killer, but said he was someone else that day.

People with Lawrence's personality disorder tend to attribute their unacceptable feelings to other people, Knoll's report said. They blame other people or outside circumstances for their own bad behavior, the report said.

"What I did was horrible," he said. "What I did was wrong. What I did was unfair. What I did was illegal. Yeah. And evil. But it wasn't me."

Who was it then? The storm, he said. He was driven by a madness he couldn't control, he said.

But he'd taken two runs at the murder. The day before, he'd taken Maddox to the same spot but couldn't go through with it, Lawrence said. That showed a deliberateness.

So did the way Lawrence planned ahead for what he'd do after the murder.

Sister has hope

Charissa Lawrence, Ryan's sister, visited him in jail soon after the murder. She thought she'd lost the younger brother she'd always watched out for, she said. But in jail, she saw he was in pain, she said.

"He was still in there," she said. She recalled her brother struggling emotionally over the years, over their mother's death and other unknown troubles, she said. She said she wishes she'd pressed Ryan to get help then.

"My beautiful niece Maddox's death was my fault too," Charissa said. She knew Ryan was highly stressed before the murder, but she'd thought she could keep tabs on him, making sure he had a job and a place to live, she said.

Charissa said she hopes other siblings or parents of someone in emotional distress like Ryan get that relative to a therapist as soon as they can.

"Tell them that it's OK to talk and seek out resources because there are a lot of them," she said.

Lawrence and his sister hoped that his story, and figuring out what turned a loving father into a murderer, might stop someone else in a similar situation.

Prison life

Life in prison has been predictably difficult for a baby killer, Lawrence said. Inmates threaten to kill him, he said. They beat him 10 times in the first six days he was at Elmira, Lawrence said.

But he didn't have any bruises or other signs of the beatings. He claimed the inmates had slapped him in the face or punched him in the stomach or thigh, where no marks would be left. He didn't report any of the beatings to prison staff.

Living with his own thoughts is tormenting enough, he said.

"I can't close my eyes," he said. "I can't sleep. Just having to live this life that I've created for myself is hell."

He said he'd do anything to lessen the burden he put on Morgan and her family. But when pressed, he would not vow to never go up for parole, he said.

Lawrence said he hopes to someday better understand what happened to him. He's started writing a book about it, he said.

"I don't want anybody to have to feel the way that I felt, like I feel now," he said. "This is the worst life anybody could live."

Maddox's family can think of at least one life that was worse.

Contact John O'Brien anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-2187
Blog_Michael B. Baker main.JPG

Michael B. Baker was arrested by the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office for third-degree rape and third-degree criminal sex act, both felonies. He was employed as a corrections officer at the time of the incident, deputies said.

(Tompkins County Sheriff's Office)

ITHACA, N.Y. -- A former Ithaca-area corrections officer is being accused of rape, the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office announced today.

Michael B. Baker, 25, of Lansing, was arrested Tuesday and charged with third-degree rape and third-degree criminal sexual act, both felonies.

The incident happened when Baker was working in a temporary position as a corrections officer from Aug. 1 to Nov. 29 at Tompkins County Jail in Ithaca, deputies said.

Baker was working at jail on Nov. 11 when he received oral sex and sexual intercourse from a female inmate in her cell, according to the Ithaca Voice.

A person being held in custody cannot give legal consent to sexual advances by an employee, according to New York State law.

Baker was arraigned in the Town of Lansing Court and remanded to the Tompkins County Jail on $3,000 cash bail or $6,000 bond. He is currently not in custody, according to VINELink records.

Reporter Kira Maddox covers crime and safety for Syracuse.com. She can be reached anytime: Email | Facebook | Twitter
Jackie Wilson has built a fast-growing fashion company in Central New York. Since 2013, revenue at American Fashion Network has skyrocketed ten-fold.

American Fashion Network is the umbrella for JES Apparel, which Wilson describes as "our stage name." JES were the initials of Jackie, Estina and Surina, her two partners in Singapore. Their partnership dissolved in 2011. Wilson kept the name and today has 13 designers, artists and brand managers working at her studio in DeWitt. Eight more - designers and factory support staff - work at her new office in Los Angeles.

Wilson said the company's hallmark has been speed to market, taking 10 weeks out of the normal timetable from conception of design to seeing garments in stores. She contracts with factories in Guatemala, China, Vietnam, Indonesia. A new one is coming online soon in Peru.

She was born in Whittier, Calif., grew up in La Habra near Anaheim and graduated in 1985 from the University of Arizona with a degree in journalism, hoping to see the world as a foreign correspondent. Instead, the Gemco cashier job she landed at age 16 launched a career in fashion sales and helped her to travel the world, first for employers in L.A. and New York and now from her headquarters on Heritage Landing Drive.

Where would we see your work?

Our customer base is America's mid-tier retail base. Our top customers are Kohl's, JCPenney, American Eagle Outfitters, and Belk.

When you see a JCPenny model on TV, it can be a design from our company. If you saw the Kohl's ad for Black Friday, you saw a couple of our designs. When you walk through the mall and see mannequins at American Eagle, a lot of time those are our products.

We work directly with their product development and design departments. We design product for their labels. At Kohl's, we do seven different brands. At JCPenney, we do six different brands.

We go into a retailer and we translate trend to fit each of their brands. We develop the product and then we manufacture it.

It's all for private label. We don't put our own name out there. Under the private label umbrella, it's a lower margin, but there's a lot more risk the other way.

Tell me about your speed to market.

That's our claim to fame, and it's why we've grown so quickly. Look at what happened with Cyber Monday - it exceeded Black Friday in sales. So the retailer is having to figure out how to manage inventory levels knowing foot traffic is not as strong anymore.

A company like ours is a god-send. We've cut 10 weeks out of the process. Some retailers work on 22 weeks. The average is 18 weeks. With us, retailers can wait 10 weeks to watch the trend and then come to JES Apparel. They can book it when they know if the trend is going to continue.

The market is starting to catch up to us. So our new mantra is Speed to Development.

I just opened an office in L.A. with a sewing facility. We're going to focus for 2017 on turning our samples in 48 hours.

Tell me about formative influences and leadership roles growing up.

I was a middle child, so I think my leadership roles started there. My older and younger sisters didn't necessarily get along, so I was in the middle being the peacemaker. (Laughs) So, I come by it naturally.

I was a Girl Scout, and I learned leadership there.

My father (Joseph Blancato) is a successful entrepreneur and has grown and sold companies my whole life. He's my source of inspiration, but not necessarily in the way you would think. When I had problems, he wasn't the type of person that would sit down and say: Do this or do that. He basically would say: You'll figure it out. You'll know what to do.

In the beginning of this company, I called him to say: Dad I'm not going to make payroll. I don't know what to do.

He said: You'll figure it out.

He wouldn't write me a check - that's what I was looking for. (Laughs)

As an entrepreneur, that's something that nobody talks about very much. Those nights lying in bed and thinking Oh My God! How am I going to walk in there tomorrow and say I don't have enough money for payroll?

But you know what, I always figured it out.

I always wanted to be famous, not rich. That's a mindset, and it made me very competitive.

Let's say an ambitious young woman tells you she has a chance to lead her company. What's your advice to her?

You have to be kind.

A lot of times people think you have to be a bulldog, especially a woman. If we're talking about a woman, I would say: Be a woman.

I have excelled to the top in my industry by being kind and being a woman. My customers love the fact that I'm a mother, that I'm nurturing. If I get mad, I can cry. I don't sit there and boo-hoo, but my eyes will well up, and I don't hide that.

So I would tell an up-and-coming woman to be a woman, be kind and take all that we are to the table.

Too many times, people are trying to be something that they're not.

Next, really invest in your people. It's not just writing them a check. Investing in your people is recognizing what makes them tick and then giving them the tools they need to be successful. If they're successful, I'm successful.

Transparency is important. Any solid relationship is built on trust and transparency. I have to tell you what I need, and I need to hear what you need, and then we need to figure out if that's feasible.

If we're all honest with each other, we don't try to force something that isn't there. That makes me very particular about who I hire.

What's your advice for hiring?

Talk to the person. Don't rely on some formalized sheet.

I'm not traditional in my approach. Typically, the people that I know are going to grow into key roles here are people I have interacted with. I figure out they'll be right for us, and I recruit them.

I read a good article in the Harvard Business Review about culture, about not being in a rush to fill a position when you're scaling up. Our volumes have made us scale up for about four years. You have to have a good gut - any successful entrepreneur has a good gut.

Go by your gut: How was that person? Will that person be best for the team? It's not whether she has a great degree.

What does an entrepreneur need to know to succeed?

You have to figure out how you're going to sell your service or your product. Without a way to generate revenue, any product is just a product. An idea is just an idea until you figure out how you're going to sell it and then how you're going to produce it.

My advice to entrepreneurs is you have to think in 360 degrees. Sometimes when you get really busy, you stop thinking in 360 because you're just taking care of the task in front of you.

When I say think in 360 degrees, perhaps the right word is vision. You have to have a vision and you have to know where you're driving. You have to establish the map. You may not know the exact turns to get there, but you have to know where you want to go.

You have to believe in yourself - you're going to get knocked down a lot. People are going to tell you that you can't do this. You have to be The Little Engine That Could.

You know how I can work with billion-dollar companies? It's because I'm nice. I'm kind. I genuinely care about their success as well as mine. You don't have to go out there and be the big witch.

For an entrepreneur, read a lot. There are such great resources out there. I think Harvard Business Review is one of the greatest publications.

Study other business models.

Ask for help - that's a key element, and it comes with transparency. Sometimes I need to ask: Can you help me? And vice versa. When they ask me, I help them. Sometimes you have to pay faster than your own customers pay. And it works both ways when you need help. Partnerships are so key.

The weekly "CNY Conversation" features Q&A interviews about leadership, success, and innovation. The conversations are condensed and edited.

Last week: Randy Yerden leads BioSpherix, a high-tech CNY manufacturer that sounds like science fiction. (The company's products let researchers grow spare body parts.)
To the Editor:

I read with great interest the commentary, "International medical graduates help fill NY's primary care needs," by Dr. Joseph Flaherty regarding the utilization of international medical graduates to fill primary healthcare needs in New York state. Though I applaud Flaherty for highlighting the poor job New York state in general and "Upstate" New York in particular does in meeting primary health care needs, I am afraid that his remedy does not address the true underlying cause of primary health care shortages.

Physician practice and choice of practice is not infrequently driven by rate of reimbursement and potential for stable practice patterns and revenue streams. While various subspecialists have seen salary growth and economic stability, primary health care specialists (internists, pediatricians, family practitioners) have seen stagnant to declining wages owing to various outmoded methods of calculating fair physician reimbursement. As wages have declined, rate of medical student debt and loan burden has increased substantially, owing to the exponential growth of medical school tuition (a trend embraced by DeVry, the parent company of Ross University). Ross can certainly and altruistically aid this situation by freezing tuition rates and reducing the attrition rate of young individuals desperate for a medical school education who attend and incur debt without obtaining a medical degree.

The combination of medical school debt and stagnant wages has driven medical school graduates to choose specialties with higher reimbursement rates, contributing to the competitiveness of specialties such as dermatology, ophthalmology and plastic surgery. Until primary care becomes more valued and reasonably compensated as the cornerstone of a thriving and effective health-care system or student debt drastically decreases, there will be no foreseeable end to the dearth of primary care providers.

In addition, the funding for the residency training spots necessary for the training of new and board certified physicians, derived from Medicare and federal government calculations, is set to have a serious crisis as soon as 2017. Given the current calculation, there will be more United States graduates of domestic medical schools in 2017 than there are funded residency spots available to train new graduates. This problem has not been addressed and the adding of more physicians in the front end in the form of offshore or international medical schools is not going to address nor stem this problem, as it currently only contributes to the glut of untrained physicians in the logjam. In order to address this need, more residency training positions need to be funded by Medicare, or an unknown percentage of graduates will not have training sites available to them upon completion of medical school. The Affordable Care Act has established a fund to train providers outside of hospital systems, but they are expected to be self-sufficient by 2017.

The reason for the primary health-care shortage is multifactorial and has not reasonably been addressed by health-care reform, which has mostly focused on protecting the finances of the insured (a laudable goal) without addressing health-care delivery in a reasonable fashion. Until these multiple issues are addressed, the recruitment to offshore medical schools will certainly provide some relief to small pockets of the U.S. healthcare system while continuing the disconcerting trend of aiding the bottom line of large corporations like DeVry, but it will do very little to address the issues Flaherty discusses in his essay.

Dr. William F. Paolo

Associate Professor Emergency Medicine

Associate Professor Public Health and Preventative Medicine

Upstate Medical University

Syracuse
missing couple.jpg

The couple sent pictures and videos of themselves when they started their hike, friends and family members said, and everything seemed fine.

Update: Watch part of the dramatic rescue and find out how the couple survived for two nights.

The two Schenectady County hikers who were rescued after they went missing Sunday on an Adirondack High Peak are doing well and have both been released from the hospital. Both were suffering from hypothermia when they were admitted early Tuesday afternoon.

Blake Alois, 20, and his girlfriend, Madison Popolizio, 19, both from Niskayuna, were found by state Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Ranger Scott Van Laer and volunteer climber Don Mellor around 11 a.m. Tuesday near Algonquin's 5,114-foot summit, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise reported.

Algonquin is the second-highest peak in the Adirondacks.

>> Read more about the rescue

Popolizio released a statement Tuesday evening through the Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, where both were taken from the mountainside by helicopter after spending two nights near the peak in freezing weather with sub-zero wind chills. Hospital spokesman Matt Scollin confirmed this morning that both had been treated and released.

"I cannot even begin to articulate how unbelievably grateful I am to the rescue group who found us," Popolizio said, "and to the people who saved us, and to the people who never gave up looking for us and kept us in their prayers."

Alois' mother said her son and Popolizio, who've been together for more than a year-and-a-half, drove up from the Albany area early Sunday morning, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise said.

At about noon Sunday, the pair sent family members photos and videos of their hike.

Judging from the pictures, they appeared to be in good condition and wearing winter clothing at the time, DEC spokesman David Winchell said in a statement. After that, there was no further communication.

While waiting for the helicopter to take them off the mountain Wednesday morning, the couple said they started to head down the mountain only after a minute after reaching the peak Sunday.

How did they survive the two nights? Why did they decide to stay near the peak? Specifics haven't been released at this point. The rescuers said, however, that getting to them before the third night was key.

Doris Alois told the Adirondack Daily Enterprise that her son and Popolizio were experienced winter hikers.

"They weren't planning to spend the night out, but I know he's pretty well-stocked with his winter gear and stuff like that," she told the newspaper.

DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a press release:

"We are proud of the actions taken by DEC's Forest Rangers and our partners from the New York State Police and Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) during this search and rescue effort. DEC encourages all visitors to the High Peaks of the Adirondacks during the winter months to safely prepare for the elements and exercise caution."
Donald Trump

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Wisconsin State Fair Exposition Center, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, in West Allis, Wis.

(Evan Vucci | AP)

Donald Trump won't officially be elected president until the Electoral College votes on Dec. 19, but questions still remain about "faithless electors."

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by roughly 2.5 million votes, but U.S. voters' ballots in the presidential race actually count as votes for those candidates' chosen electors. Trump won more states' electoral votes, but electors are not required to vote for their party's nominee (though some states have minor penalties).

Few go rogue and become "faithless electors," but at least one Republican in Texas has already publicly promised not to vote for Trump on Monday. More than two dozen electors have also demanded an intelligence briefing about the CIA's conclusion Russia interfered with the election to help Trump, suggesting they're reconsidering their votes.

Larry Lessig, a Harvard University constitutional law professor who briefly ran for the Democratic nomination this past year, now claims 20 Republican electors may vote against Trump.

Lessig tells Politico his anti-Trump group, the "Electors Trust," has been offering pro bono legal counsel to GOP electors considering voting against Trump. He did not provide any evidence for saying "20," but said the number -- which would be the largest in U.S. election history -- could impact the results.

"Obviously, whether an elector ultimately votes his or her conscience will depend in part upon whether there are enough doing the same. We now believe there are more than half the number needed to change the result seriously considering making that vote," Lessig said.

An unnamed elector told Salon that Trump's campaign is pressuring Republican electors with "threats of political reprisal" if they don't vote for him.

Trump currently has 306 electoral votes and losing 20 votes wouldn't cost him the White House. Clinton currently has 232 votes, but 270 is required to win and "faithless electors" wouldn't necessarily throw their vote to her.

A Democratic group known as the "Hamilton electors" has reportedly been trying to convince more GOP electors to choose a moderate Republican. If a presidential election ends in a tie, the House of Representatives will choose the president, as happened in 1800 and 1824.

"Hamilton" refers to Alexander Hamilton, who said the Electoral College was created to ensure a Commander in Chief is chosen "by men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station, and acting under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice."
For almost 50 years, the United States has abided by the "One China" policy -- which recognizes Taiwan as a province of mainland China instead of its own country. The United States has not held direct diplomatic ties to the Republic of China, the ruling government of Taiwan, in 44 years. But President-elect Trump is showing signs he may not honor the "One China" policy. Could this be a tough trade stance or a signal of real change toward U.S.-China relations? Read more and vote below!

PERSPECTIVES

There are in fact two governments in what we refer to as "China." One is the "People's Republic of China" and the other is the "Republic of China," which governs Taiwan and other islands. The U.S. only has direct diplomatic ties with the prior.

"As a policy, this means that countries seeking diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC, Mainland China) must break official relations with the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) and vice versa."

The Washington Post broke down the subtle relationship this way.

The United States has made it clear that it does not consider the political entity on Taiwan (whether it is called "Taiwan" or "the ROC") to be a state within the international community. Here it agrees with the PRC. However, it does not accept Beijing's contention that the island of Taiwan, or its government and people, are parts of China. The formal U.S. legal position is that the island's status is "undetermined." This means, remarkably, that since 1979, the United States has conducted a relationship with a government it does not officially recognize, that rules a state it does not acknowledge exists, on an island the status of which is undetermined. Such are the subtleties of international diplomacy.

It's time we play hard ball with China.

This is bad.

The U.S. and Chinese economies are interdependent. There's nothing we can do that wouldn't have blowback on us. We are on good terms with China and if it ain't broke ...

Diplomats: This is bad.

Experts: This is bad.

Trump voters: You're snowflakes.

China: No, this is bad. pic.twitter.com/HAdGWqytcU  Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) December 12, 2016

Trump hasnt even been inaugurated and hes already moved us one step closer to nuclear war with China. I need to go meditate now.  Toure (@Toure) December 12, 2016

Yeah, this could get ugly real quick. This might be one of those times when the status quo of no nuclear bombs dropping is a good deal.

#China flies nuclear bomber over South China Sea to 'send a message' to Donald Trump https://t.co/I4sJiW2UEt  Eunice Yoon (@onlyyoontv) December 12, 2016

The U.S. should be principled. Taiwan is a Democracy and the People's Republic of China is a communist government. Why aren't we standing up for Taiwan more?

And yeah, maybe China did fly a nuclear bomb over the South China Sea. That's a good reason to be scared, but that doesn't mean we should just back down. That's intimidation and bullying, and America should not stand for it.

Good. #Taiwan is a democracy and China is Communist with vast human rights violations. https://t.co/lF4Uyu4TZI  Shannon Hillis (@hillisthekillis) December 3, 2016

.@realDonaldTrump You should be able to accept the call, and please do continue to help Taiwan protect its liberal democracy from China.  Simon Hedlin (@simonhedlin) December 3, 2016

Calm down. This is how deals get done. Create some leverage, act like you mean it, and then take what you get. Trump is a master -- stand back and watch. We'll either get to recognize Taiwan or we'll get something else that is positive for the U.S.

The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Digital, Inc. property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.
One boy died and another was being treated for hypothermia Tuesday evening after they were trapped in a snowbank while sledding, according to local reports.

The boys, one 13 and one 12, had been sledding on Rock Street in Greenwich, a community between Saratoga Springs and the Vermont border. When one did not return home, New York State Police, forest rangers, canine units and a helicopter began searching at about 5 p.m., the Post-Star reported.

The Associated Press reported this afternoon the deceased boy's age is 13. Earlier reports said he was 12.

A police dog found a part of the sled sticking out from a mound of snow created by the local public works department, the Associated Press reported.

News10 WTEN reported the boys were making a snow fort when a DPW truck dumped another load onto the pile. It's unclear if the truck dumped snow on the boys or if the bank simply collapsed. Police are investigating the incident but it appears to be an accident, local media reported.

Later Wednesday, police said the boys were playing in the snow pile when a truck dumped more snow, the AP reported.

Once authorities saw the sled, they began using bare hands and shovels to move tons of hard-packed snow. They found one of the boys. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell told the Post-Star.

The second boy began screaming from the snowbank, and authorities rescued him about an hour later, the AP reported. He also was transported to Saratoga Hospital with hypothermia. As of Wednesday afternoon, the boy was recovering at home.

This is the snow bank on Rock St where one of the 12 y/o boys died. Cause still under investigation. pic.twitter.com/fGKMI2MikF  Carmen Chau (@CChauFOX61) December 14, 2016

"I watched grown men cry when they unearthed these kids tonight," Bell told the Post-Star.

Bell did not release the names of the boys.
Although a Dec. 7 ruling allowed medical marijuana dispensaries to immediately open, providers are struggling to get patients reauthorized and to stock their shelves with product.

Voters passed ballot initiative I-182 to lift the three-patient limit that required dispensaries to close their doors in August, but a clerical error threatened to keep the law from going into effect until July 1. Helena District Judge James Reynolds said the wording was clearly an error and shouldnt prevent sick people from accessing medical marijuana.

Helena Buds is now open for business, but owner Joe Fabrizio is struggling to interpret a law that he says is ambiguous, and to prepare for the possibility of a state sales tax on medical marijuana.

Fabrizio said hes mostly doing patient consultations while he waits for a majority of his patients to get reauthorized. When dispensaries had to close, cardholders could either become their own provider or lose their patient status.

Fabrizio said he encouraged patients to fill out the form to become their own provider, even if they didnt plan to grow their own marijuana, to maintain their status as a cardholder. It costs $125 to get a medical referral and a $75 state fee to become a cardholder, which has to be repaid if patients lose their status.

If patients own their own home, it was no problem to become their own provider. If patients rented their home, they had 30 days to have their landlord sign a notarized form, essentially granting them permission to grow marijuana.

A lot of people didnt want to ask their landlord, Fabrizio said. Or theyre booted from the system because their landlord wouldnt sign the form. Its a big violation of human rights.

When dispensaries announced they had to close their doors in August, many patients bought one ounce of marijuana, the maximum amount, to try and make it last until dispensaries opened again. If their landlord refused to sign the form, patients risked being in possession of a Schedule I drug, and in violation of Montana law regardless of their cardholder status.

Fabrizio said the complication between renting cardholders and their landlords is forcing the majority of his patients to start from scratch.

Jon Ebelt, Public Information Officer for the Montana Dept. of Public Health and Human Services, said his office has received 1,300 applications so far, which makes up both new applications and forms requesting a change of provider. The agency has processed 70 percent of applications in the order they were received.

We feel the workload to this point is very manageable, but we will continue to monitor the situation and will respond accordingly, he said.

Ebelt said change of provider forms take two to three days to process and new applications for cardholders or providers take three to four days.

While waiting for patients to get reauthorized, Fabrizio said hes trying to interpret gray areas of the law.

He is allowed to provide a patient with one ounce of marijuana, but its unclear how to quantify an ounce when its in an edible or concentrate form instead of plant form. Providers are also prohibited from advertising, and Fabrizio is worried having a Facebook page to let patients know his hours and location could be considered illegal. The Department of Health and Human Services has been unable to answer questions about that so far, which makes required annual state inspections unnerving, he said.

There are so many holes in this law, Fabrizio said. You cant inspect us without having very open expectations.

Helena Buds has four strains on the shelf from the 12 plants hes been allowed to grow. Montana law allows four plants per patient, and 12 seedlings per patient. The seedlings have to be cut down once they reach a foot high. Fabrizio said he started letting his seedlings grow to the allowed height in anticipation that I-182 would pass. With 250 patients before he shut down in August, it will take several months before Helena Buds has enough strains, edibles and concentrates.

In addition to serving more patients, Fabrizio is able to grow more strains of marijuana, which will ultimately improve patient care. He said it takes trial and error to find the right combination of strains and amount, just like any other drug.

I have a patient that needs eight to 10 strains, he said. It takes a while to figure out which strain works best.

While Fabrizio has been busy getting Helena Buds back on its feet, hes also planning for the possibility of a sales tax.

Gov. Steve Bullock included a 6 percent sales tax on medical marijuana in his budget proposal, which has been criticized by caregivers and several Montana lawmakers.

State Rep. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, said on Facebook that the tax is a punitive sales tax on suffering Montanans to fund increased government spending.

The marijuana tax would be comparable to taxes on cigarettes and alcohol. Fabrizio said Montana law now gives marijuana legitimacy as a medicine, which means it shouldnt be taxed like it is in states where recreational marijuana is legal.

The law legitimizes me, not a 6 percent tax, he said.

If it does pass, Fabrizio said he wont pass on that expense to patients and will instead pay the sales tax himself.

While Montana law makes dispensaries valid, Fabrizio said he hopes a well regulated program will encourage sick people to seek medical marijuana earlier in their course of treatment.

Its important for me to be here for these people, he said. Theyve tried everything else. Youre excited to work with them but then you get their death notice in the mail.

Helena Buds is located at 2625 Canyon Ferry Road and is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekends.
grinch.JPG

Colin Hayward Toland, 9, is an honorary member of the Ithaca Police Department. And he arrested the Grinch on Tuesday.

(Svante Myrick/Facebook )

Officer Colin, a 9-year-old who takes his honorary status as an Ithaca police officer to heart, arrested the Grinch on Tuesday and hauled him off to court.

Ithaca's mayor, Svante Myrick, broadcast the events through Facebook live. Local news media covered the entire proceedings.

And the judge, Scott Miller, shared witness accounts from "Whoville" citizens about thefts of "pop guns and bicycles, roller skates, drums! Checkerboards, tricycles, popcorn and plums!"

In fact, Judge Miller noted, the Grinch had the audacity to try to take "Christmas in general" from the Ithaca Commons.

Colin Hayward Toland stood firm. Colin was made an honorary officer in September. He's suffered from brain cancer for much of his life.

On Tuesday, Colin astutely pointed out that the Grinch really stinks.

The Grinch has been arrested by young officer Colin Posted by Svante Myrick on Tuesday, December 13, 2016

The Grinch, for his part, pleaded not guilty. His lawyer asked the judge "to allow him time for his heart to enlarge. He took this fall because his heart is simply two sizes too small."

When Miller asked if Officer Colin could accept the explanation, he replied, "Yep."

Miller let the Grinch off with probation. As part of a previously arranged plea bargain, Toland invited the Grinch to his house for dinner.

"Restorative justice," the mayor said.
GREENWICH, N.Y. (AP) -- Police say a 13-year-old New York boy who was playing in a snow mound with a friend has died after they were buried in snow dumped by a public works crew.

Greenwich-Cambridge Police Chief George Bell says the boys were playing in a large snow mound created by the Department of Public Works crews clearing streets Tuesday. Bell says the boys had burrowed into the back of the mound when a truck dumped more snow, burying both boys.

Bell says a K-9 found one boy's sled after they were reported missing around 5 p.m.

Workers and police frantically used shovels and their hands to free the boys. Joshua Demarest was unresponsive. He was rushed to Saratoga Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 10 p.m.

The second boy, 12, was found about an hour later. He was recovering at home.

This story has been changed to correct the deceased boy's age to 13 instead of 12.
BUTTE  The state achieved a major milestone Tuesday when it signed a long-awaited agreement with Montana Resources, paving the way for the state to begin removing controversial mine waste behind the Civic Center by summer 2017.

The states access agreement with the mining company will enable the state  after significant road blocks this past year  to green light the project that Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, was hoping to begin this past summer. Bullock announced late last year that shovels would be moving dirt in the 2016 summer months. But various obstacles  including where to put the contaminated dirt once the state excavates it  put the project on hold.

Bullock said via an emailed statement that he welcomes the news. Natural Resource Damage Program director Harley Harris called the agreement  which has been several months in the making  a major milestone for the state as it now gives certainty to where the state will put the dirty dirt. The state can now get started on initiating the bidding process to begin the Parrots removal.

The state will haul about 350,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil to MRs property, said MR manager of environmental affairs Mark Thompson. The state is expected to dig up to 40 feet below ground to remove the source of the tailings, which have been there for over a 100 years.

The agreement will allow the state to dump the dirty dirt behind MRs office at 600 Shields Avenue. MR will then move it to wherever the mine can use it. Thompson said the contaminated soil could go into a waste rock dump on the mines property, go to a leach pad, or wherever its convenient to take it.

The Parrot tailings will become part of MRs reclamation responsibility when the mining company eventually shuts down. MRs mining permit with the Department of Environmental Quality runs through 2040. Thompson said the liability issue that held up talks in September got resolved because the mining company is taking responsibility for the waste under the Montana Metals Mining Reclamation Act.

DEQ spokesperson Kristi Ponozzo said DEQ does not yet know if MRs taking the contaminated waste will affect MRs financial bond with the state. That bond  currently set at $57.5 million  is insurance to ensure the mine will clean up the Continental pit when the mine shuts down.

MR believes the cost to the mining company to take the dirty dirt, will be about $1.2 million. Harris said the state hasnt quantified the financial savings to the state. But Harris said, We do think it provides cost savings and hopefully they are significant.

The state has about $18.5 million set aside to spend on removing the Parrot. The Environmental Protection Agency has long argued the mine waste does not require removal and will not order responsible party Atlantic Richfield Company to clean it up. The state has long countered that to leave the Parrot in place endangers the states $125 million cleanup on lower Silver Bow Creek.

The $18.5 million comes from money the state won through its lawsuit against ARCO due to more than 100 years of damaged land and waterways from mining and smelting. The final piece of that lawsuit was settled in 2008.

The final obstacle to the Parrot removal wont get decided until sometime next year. The vehicle-maintenance shops sit over about half of the removal site. An attempt to move the shops to the north side of Civic Center Road last summer ignited an outcry that the county needed to include the public more in this decision. So far, the location for the county shops is still up in the air.

Incoming BSB chief executive Dave Palmer told The Montana Standard in an interview last week that more community input is needed before a decision can be reached.

Harris said he could not speculate on how long the removal will take. But the initial phase  excavating at the ball field behind the Civic Center - could be completed by the end of construction season 2017. The wild card is the county shops.
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A ranch hand shot and killed a wolf in the Helena Valley over the weekend after it was seen near cattle and was believed to be a threat.

It is a fairly unusual circumstance to have a wolf in the Helena Valley which makes this particularly interesting, said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Warden Sgt. Dave Loewen.

FWP first heard reports of the wolf on Saturday with reports of some illegal hunter behavior, he said, which included shooting from the road and without a license.

On Sunday, the Flying W Ranch reported that the wolf was running among its livestock when a ranch hand shot it, Loewen said.

They were allowed to do so if a depredation is imminent or occurring, he said. This was a completely legitimate shoot and in compliance with all laws and regulations.

Loewen praised the actions of the ranch, saying they did not shoot the wolf on Saturday when it did not appear to pose a threat, and immediately reported the kill to FWP.

Because the wolf was not shot in a hunting capacity FWP took possession of the wolf, he said.

Photos of the large canine began appearing on social media over the weekend as word of the unusual kill began to circulate.

Area landowner John Novotny said the wolf was first seen along Valley Drive on Saturday and was tracked as it moved close to and within herds of cattle. The wolf was shot near the south shore of Lake Helena as it harassed livestock.

No young calves were in the area and checks of the herds did not turn up any killed or injured animals. Valley ranchers often deal with predators such as coyotes. This was the first incident with a wolf, he said, but likely will not be the last.

Novotny said he understood FWP was legally obligated to take the carcass, but believed the ranch hand should have been able to keep it.

The wolf was a black male and appeared to be healthy, Loewen said. Evidence showed the animal was traveling alone, and DNA was collected to try to determine where it came from.
Donald Trump is set to meet with tech leaders this afternoon to discuss how the industry will work with the Republican's administration. But a group of employees from major technology firms is pledging never to cooperate with one of the President Elect's most controversial proposals: the implementation of a Muslim registry.

There are currently 411 signatories from companies including Google, IBM, Twitter, and Nvidia on the Never Again.Tech list. The group members describe themselves as "engineers, designers, business executives, and others whose jobs include managing or processing data about people."

Trump has rarely spoken about his plans for a Muslim database since he won the election, but it's still on the minds of tech workers who are pledging not to take part in its construction.

"We are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administration's proposed data collection policies," the pledge reads. "We refuse to build a database of people based on their Constitutionally protected religious beliefs. We refuse to facilitate mass deportations of people the government believes to be undesirable."

The group compares the register to historical instances when technology played a part in human rights abuses, such as IBM's collaboration with the Nazis during World War II to digitize and streamline the Holocaust.

"We acknowledge that genocides are not merely a relic of the distant past--- among others, Tutsi Rwandans and Bosnian Muslims have been victims in our lifetimes. Today we stand together to say: not on our watch, and never again."

It also advocates that its organizations destroy high-risk datasets and backups, make end-to-end encryption the default wherever possible, and demand appropriate legal process should the government request user data be handed over.

The proposed Muslim register will no doubt be one of the subjects discussed at today's meeting. Attendees include Tim Cook, Sheryl Sandberg, Larry Page, Elon Musk, Satya Nadella, and possibly Jeff Bezos. One person who missed out on an invite is Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey; a bit surprising, considering how much Trump loves to tweet. Maybe it's because the company recently said it wouldn't hesitate in banning him if he breaks its rules.
Uber's self-driving vehicles are coming home... to the ride-hailing service's hometown of San Francisco, that is.

Uber, which already operates a fleet of self-driving vehicles in Pittsburgh, said on Wednesday that it is unleashing a fleet of Volvo XC90 luxury SUVs onto the streets of San Francisco to service customers that request an UberX.

This is a step up from the Ford Fusion vehicles the company deployed in Pittsburgh in September as the Volvos feature more tightly integrated autonomous driving technology, TechCrunch reports.

That said, Uber's latest vehicles aren't operating completely driverless at this point. Indeed, there will be a safety driver in the driver's seat as well as an Uber engineer in the front passenger seat to monitor progress, collect data and so forth.

It's also worth mentioning that there's no guarantee that you'll be matched up with one of the new autonomous rides. It's unclear how many self-driving vehicles Uber is deploying although I suspect it's not very many.

Uber in announcing the rollout addressed the issue of whether or not it needs a testing permit to launch the fleet in San Francisco.

After studying the matter carefully, the company came to the conclusion that it does not need a permit. Uber says the permit rules apply to vehicles that can drive without someone controlling or monitoring them. Its Volvo SUVs still require human operators on hand to monitor and take over control should something go wrong.
Residents of Flint, Michigan affected by the water crisis can now find all the information they need to deal with the situation using a new mobile app developed by Google and the University of Michigan (UM).

Computer scientists at UM's Flint and Ann Arbor campuses collaborated with Google to create the Mywater-Flint app and website. Their goal is to provide people in affected areas with information on how the Flint water crisis is being dealt with.

"We've developed an essential resource," UM computer science assistant professor Jake Abernethy said. "It's an independent platform that gives people information they need and want to know as they navigate this complex situation."

Users can log in to the new tools to know about testing of newly placed water pipes as well as where water distribution centers and filters are located in their community. They can also find out about the results of lead testing for water supply lines.

According to the developers, Mywater-Flint can be used to determine which households in the Flint area are exposed to dangerously high lead levels by checking the age, location, value, and size of their homes.

The research team also hopes that the new app can help promote transparency and trust among the people of Flint devastated by the crisis. Many residents have already expressed their frustrations at the lack of enough clean drinking water.

Mark Allison, one of the UM computer scientists who worked on Mywater-Flint, said trust has been a major driving factor with the ongoing water problem in Flint. He and his fellow researchers believe the new app can help increase transparency, as it allows residents to see what is being done to resolve it.

For its part, Google gave the UM researchers a $150,000 grant to help fund the project. Company engineers also assisted the team by providing technical assistance throughout the development of the new tools.

Mike Miller, head of Google in Michigan, said the company is glad to help the university create Mywater-Flint. He explained that giving Flint residents more information about their water supply is a huge step toward the community's recovery.

Flint Water Crisis

Many observers believe the water crisis began when Flint officials decided to switch the city's water source in 2014. While work was being made to use Lake Huron as a primary water source, the city government turned to the Flint River for its temporary supply during the transition.

The city has used the Flint River as its main water source decades before but chose to switch to Lake Huron in 1967. The river has since been found to have poor water quality, with fecal coliform bacteria, plant nutrients, and toxic substances plaguing the site.

The water source switch has led to a greater number of Flint residents being exposed to highly toxic levels of lead. The percentage of children with elevated lead levels in their blood rose from 2.5 percent in 2013 to more than 5 percent in 2015.

The water crisis is also being linked to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, which has already killed 10 residents and sickened 88 others.

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U.S. scientists have now begun copying crucial climate data from different sources in the hopes of preserving them before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month.

Trump's skeptical view on climate science has made more than a few researchers worry about the future of their work. Many believe that the incoming administration would do away with decades' worth of scientific research in favor of promoting greater dependence on fossil fuel use.

Climate experts have called on their colleagues to take part in various activities including a "guerilla archiving" event where thousands of valuable scientific measurements will be copied in order to preserve them.

Meetings will also be held at the University of Pennsylvania to help teach scientists on how to download as much U.S. climate data as possible in the next few weeks and perhaps even store them in an online site being developed by database experts.

Nick Santos, an environmental scientist at University of California at Davis, is one of those fearful of losing federal climate research when the Trump presidency officially starts. He's already begun copying data onto a nongovernment server over the weekend.

"Something that seemed a little paranoid to me before all of a sudden seems potentially realistic, or at least something you'd want to hedge against," Santos said. "Doing this can only be a good thing."

Santos said he hopes that the Trump administration will leave all government climate data in place, but in case that doesn't happen, researchers already have a plan to deal with that event.

Trump's Climate Science Skepticism

Even before he was elected as the next U.S. president, Trump has always been vocal about his skepticism of climate change. In 2012, he blamed the Chinese for creating the idea of global warming in order to cripple U.S. production.

Trump also made it clear that he wants to get rid of the Environmental Protection Agency as well as the Energy Department and even revoke the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

Scientists say this hostility toward the scientific process could result in the loss of valuable data because of cutbacks in federal funding for climate research.

Several efforts are now being made by researchers to save their measurements and other data, including those at UPenn and the University of Toronto. Members of the Penn Program in the Environmental Humanities have begun copying the saved climate data to an online site.

Meteorologist Eric Holthaus also urged his fellow scientists to add federal climate databases to a Google spreadsheet file so that they can be saved on independent servers.

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The fame of Greece as the cradle of world civilization is getting a new boost. This follows the discovery of a 2500-year-old lost city, where remains of towers, walls and city gates are spread in the central Greece village of Vlochos, located around 300km (190 miles) north of Athens.

The mission to explore the ancient city was started by a team of global researchers led by the Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg.

Vlochos Archaeological Project

An exclusive project, Vlochos Archaeological Project (VLAP) has become the bulwark of collaboration between the Ephorate of Antiquities of Karditsa and the Swedish Institute at Athens.

According to archaeologists, the ancient city's core is at the Strongilovouni hill on the Thessalian plains where precious historic remains dating back to many historical epochs are present.

"What used to be considered remains of some irrelevant settlement on a hill can now be upgraded to remains of a city of higher significance than previously thought, and this after only one season," said Robin Ronnlund, Ph.D student in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Gothenburg and the leader of the fieldwork.

2,500-Year-Old Lost City In Greece

The project's first phase started with a two-week-long field season that ended three months ago. It gave a treasure trove of information and relics in terms of pottery and coins belonging to 500 BC. Ronnlund said the hill hoards many clues in its walls, towers, and city gates.

Ronnlund noted that the town square and street grid are indicating the city's huge size, that is further evident from more than 40 hectares covered inside the city wall. It is hoped that the next field project planned in August 2017 will offer more surprises.

He said the ancient city's golden period must have been from fourth to the third century BC before it declined from the Roman conquest and exodus of population.

Ronnlund wanted more investigation to extricate the clues on what transpired during the violent phase in Greek history during Roman conquest.

Noting a knowledge gap on old cities in the region, Ronnlund said the university project fills that vacuum with a lot more remains to be discovered from the Greek soil.

In order to keep the remains of the ancient city intact, the researchers are keen to avoid excavation and wanted new methods like ground-penetrating radar put to use in preserving the shape of the place as it is.

Free App For Greek History

Meanwhile, archaeology enthusiasts and researchers can access information on thousands of historical locations and ancient texts with a click on their smartphones through a free app called ToposText.

The app is the brainchild of Brady Kiesling, a former historian from California who also served as a diplomat with the U.S. State Department in Israel, Greece, Armenia and Morocco.

ToposText offers 5,000 places of interest on ancient Greek and locations of antiquities. It is available on iOS and Android smartphones.

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As part of Google's commitment to transparency in relation to the government's requests to obtain user data, the company on Tuesday published eight National Security Letters (NSL) penned by the FBI, and received by Google either through litigation or legislation.

The letters Google has published were sent from different FBI offices across the country, including North Carolina, Florida, Arizona, New York, and California. The letters seek broad accessibility to content tied to around 20 user accounts. Google has redacted the usernames as a privacy measure, and a spokesperson for the company has said that the targeted individuals have been notified.

National Security Letters

The NSLs were sent by the FBI over five years, beginning 2010 to 2015. NSLs are usually barred from public disclosure, but because of the recently passed USA Freedom Act, tech companies have now been able to publish the contents of NSLs, albeit piecemeal. The first major tech company to publish NSLs was Yahoo, which had published three of them back in June. Google and the Internet Archive have since followed suit.

"As we have described in the past, we have fought for the right to be transparent about our receipt of NSLs," Richard Salgado, Google's law enforcement and information security director, said in a blog post.

What Was The FBI Trying To Obtain?

In most cases, FBI can only obtain names, addresses, and the length of occupation an account has spent in a particular platform, in this case, Google. But in two of the NSLs published, the FBI gunned for "electronic communications transactional records" tied to the account. This category may include IP addresses relative to the user's location when the service was accessed, although it does not include contents of the emails.

All eight orders were justified under Executive Order 12333, a controversial decree used to greenlight domestic web surveillance, also tagged as a way for the NSA to spy on civilians.

Google has been in a deep commitment to make NSLs public partly because the FBI can skip judicial oversight and issue them regardless. Since user information contains a trove of personal and important data, many tech companies have argued that mining it should be first authorized by a court.

Google has said that it will soon create a permanent home of sorts, one that's dedicated to viewing NSLs and similar disclosures as part of its transparency report.

But while Google is encouraged by this recent development, it simply won't stop there.

"[W]e will remain vigilant in opposing legislation that would significantly expand the universe of information that can be obtained with an NSL," Salgado said.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Back in 1969, by a whopping vote of 339-70, Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives united to pass legislation to do away with the electoral college.

A companion bill, co-sponsored by Montana Senator Mike Mansfield and supported by President Nixon, carried the Senate by a strong vote of 53-34. That, though, was short of the 2/3 majority necessary to pass the proposal on to the states for ratification as is required for amendments to the Constitution.

What drew the two parties together was the election of 1968 in which independent candidate George Wallace carried enough states to nearly keep either Democrat Hubert Humphrey or Republican Richard Nixon from receiving a majority of the electoral votes.

The minority of Senators who killed the bill was made up significantly of southerners whose states had been won by Wallace.

Except for President Obama, Hillary Clinton just won more popular votes than any presidential candidate in history, but her opponent Donald Trump, will be the next President due to a solid win in the electoral college. It is the fifth time that the electoral college has overruled the vote of the people.

Our Constitution is acclaimed for its brevity and clarity, but perhaps its most arcane and troublesome contrivance is the electoral college. When our nations founders came to an impasse over how our Congress should be structured, a compromise was reached which resulted in the House of Representatives to represent the people, and the Senate in which the states are represented equally.

The electoral college resulted from that congressional compromise being used in electing the President. Each state is allotted as many electors as it has members of the House of Representatives and Senate combined. It is consistent in theory with the compromise that created our Congress.

Influenced by tradition, and also by the argument that the electoral college benefits small states like Montana by not being based solely on population, Ive supported it.

Im beginning to have serious doubts. Within our constitutional framework, elections are how people give their consent to government. A government established without the consent of the governed inherently lacks the mandate of the people to govern. Through no fault of Trump or Clinton, but because of the electoral college, that is where we find ourselves now.

Various ideas have surfaced for how we can reform our electoral system to make it more representative of the people. Most would do away with the winner-take-all approach in which the candidate who wins the popular vote of a state, even by a narrow margin, wins all the states electoral votes. This can be accomplished by awarding delegates on the basis of congressional districts, as Main and Nebraska do now, or by the percentage of the vote won by candidates within each state. Neither of these reforms would require a Constitutional amendment, but they would require broad cooperation among the states.

By these approaches the electoral vote of the states would probably more accurately reflect the popular vote of the country. The small state advantage of including senators as well as representatives in determining states electors would be preserved. Presidential candidates would have an incentive to appeal to the people everywhere and not just in the big battleground states.

Maybe, though, the electoral college is simply a complicated and irrelevant relic of the horse and buggy days as Montana Senator Mansfield referred to it back in the 60s. Maybe we should simply get rid of it as he believed, and let the people decide by their equal votes who our Presidents should be.

Bob Brown is a former Montana Secretary of State and State Senate President.

This column has been updated to correct information on which presidential candidate has received the most popular votes in U.S. history. Barack Obama received the most, and Hillary Clinton received the second-most.
"Unfortunately, we have not found a full will to establish dialogue and find a solution to the Santa Cruz conflict", Development Planning Minister Cusicanqui revealed. | Read More
The proposal to butcher another 900-1,000 of Yellowstones genetically unique wild bison is a crime against the worlds global heritage.

It reflects badly on the people of Montana that they tolerate this annual slaughter to go on. It also exhibits poor judgement on the part of hunters, tribal members and others who participate and/or directly or indirectly sanction this crime against nature and our national patrimony.

Yellowstones bison herd is genetically unique. It is one of the few bison herds in the country free of cattle genes, and one of the only bison herds that have remained continuously wild. There is genuine aesthetic and ecological value in wildness. But by slaughtering (or to use the clinically sanitized term, culling) Yellowstones bison, we are destroying Yellowstones wild bison.

Furthermore, the annual removal of bison has real ecological consequences for other wildlife, basically taking food out of the mouths of wolves, grizzlies, coyotes, ravens, magpies and other animals that kill or scavenge bison.

One needs to understand why killing a thousand bison is so harmful. The parks bison have gone through several genetic bottlenecks. At one time, the population numbered 25 animals. And previous years of slaughter and capture/shipment by the livestock industry and others outside of the park means the parks bison have gone through repeated genetic reductions. Last year, for instance, 600 bison were killed.

This is made worse by the fact that bison are a tournament species  whereby dominant bulls do the majority of all breeding. This means the effective breeding population is much lower than the actual population numbers and as a result, so is the genetic diversity.

The bison are being slaughtered under the pretense of protecting Montanas livestock industry from brucellosis. This is a sham because there is no documented instance of a wild bison transmitting brucellosis to livestock.

Bison with active bacteria must abort her fetus. Then cattle have to lick the aborted fetus or its fluid during the short time when the bacteria is still alive and before scavengers like coyotes, ravens and magpies find the dead fetus and consume it.

Bison bulls and calves dont abort fetus, hence are not a threat. Yet bison bulls and calves are regularly killed, demonstrating the fraudulent reasoning behind the bison slaughter.

Plus, one can vaccinate cattle against the disease, and when combined with other strategies like preventing the overlap of bison and cattle use of pastures, the risk can be contained and is negligible.

So why is the livestock industry almost rabid to control and kill Yellowstone bison?

The excuse used by the livestock industry is disease control. That is a charade.

What the livestock industry really fears is the spread of bison on public lands. Bison and cattle consume nearly the same foods. What the livestock industry wants to avoid is a debate over whether public bison or private cattle should get preferential access to public lands forage.

The other reason is that the livestock industry wants domination over our public wildlife. And the control they exert over bison is part of a larger goal of controlling other wildlife species, including elk.

Killing Yellowstones bison is artificially skewing the bison herd to a younger age, and removing the natural processes of predation, starvation and other factors that normally affect these animals.

The state of Montana is particularly culpable in the continued destruction of the parks wild bison. The state has outlawed the shipping of live bison outside of a small zone except for transfer to slaughterhouses. This policy makes it impossible to relocate bison to other suitable public lands in Montana, as well as to Indian reservations that want to start bison herds of their own.

Yellowstones wild bison must be recognized as a valued wildlife animal in Montana and throughout the West. Their unique genetic heritage is worthy of protection. We have a moral obligation to enhance and expand Yellowstones bison to the American West.

George Wuerthner is a graduate of the University of Montana wildlife program, an ecologist, and has published three books on Yellowstone National Park.
According to a court affidavit, the incidents started more than two years ago when the girl was 9, and continued up to the summer of 2015.

In interviews with detectives, Maas denied the allegations of sexual abuse, saying he would never do something like that, according to court documents, which went on to say he has a previous sex offense conviction from when he was a minor that was later dismissed at the end of a deferred sentence.
Rondo Media has appointed Sian Price to lead its network-focused subsidiary Yeti Media.

Price joins Yeti with over twenty years experience in factual television, working for various BBC departments as well independents including Studio Lambert, Indus Films and Diverse TV and was a co-founder of Tinderbox Production.

Price will develop Yetis relationships with all major broadcasters with the aim of increasing its network commissions and establishing strategic partnerships.



Prices first priority is to complete delivery of Yetis detective poll special Britains Favourite TV Detective for Channel 4 (1x 90) which will air in January.



She has produced and directed for the BBC, Channel 4 and National Geographic including The Real Vikings (Channel 4), Beyond Boundaries (BBC2), Secrets of Stonehenge (Channel 4 / National Geographic) and One Born Every Minute (Channel 4). She has series produced Coast (BBC2), Time Team (Channel 4) and most recently the acclaimed The People Remember (BBC1). She is also the author of If Youre Reading This- a history of soldiers farewell letters.



Gareth Williams, Chief Executive of Rondo Media said: "Were so pleased to be appointing someone with Sians depth of programme-making experience  shes definitely a good fit for us as a company and were looking forward to having her lead Yeti into new territories."



Ian MacKenzie, Nations & Regions Manager, Channel 4 welcomed the appointment: Yeti have proven to be an important supplier for Channel 4 from Wales for several years now and we look forward to working with Sian and the team in the coming months towards more successes on the Channel.



Rondo Media has offices in Cardiff, Caernarfon and Menai Bridge.



Yeti was established in 2014 by Rondo Media following its success with its BBC daytime drama series The Indian Doctor to concentrate on its network output and has secured numerous network documentary and factual shows since including Frozen at Christmas, Underage and Gay and My Millionaire Dads and Me.

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President-elect Donald Trump has asked Montanas lone congressman, Ryan Zinke, to be secretary of the Department of the Interior, according to sources close to Zinke.

Zinke met with Trump in New York City on Monday. He was reportedly in the mix for one of a handful of cabinet positions that included the departments of the Interior and Veterans Affairs.

Zinke, a Republican, was flying back to Whitefish on Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., was meeting with The Gazette when the news broke.

"The Interior is all about public lands. It's about wildlife and national parks. This is very, very important," Daines said. "I'm very pleased to see that it's a westerner and even more pleased to see that it's a Montanan. I gave strong opinion to the Trump administration, the transition team, that this needs to be a westerner. And by westerner, that doesn't mean Midwest. I'm talking about the West, someone who understands our way of life, understands the importance of our public lands."

Daines made his preferences known to Donald Trump Jr. during a Montana hunting trip a few weeks ago.

With 25 million acres in Montana, the federal government is the biggest landowner in the state. Montana includes Glacier National Park, part of Yellowstone National Park and seven Indian reservations.

Federal land plays a key role in the state's biggest industries: mining, ranching and tourism. As a federal land manager, the Department of Interior plays a key role in each of those federal interests.

On Monday, the Trump transition team communications director, Jason Miller, described Zinke as an early Trump supporter and mentioned the congressman's 22 years as a Navy SEAL and experience as a former state legislator.

"Congressman Zinke is a strong advocate for American energy independence. And he supports an all-encompassing energy policy that includes renewables, fossil fuels and alternative energy," Miller said. "Additionally, Congressman Zinke believes we need to find a way to cut through bureaucracy to ensure our nation's parks, forests, and other public areas are properly maintained and used effectively."

Zinke and his wife, Lola, were early Trump supporters. Zinke endorsed Trump in May and was among a dozen Montana delegates the Trump campaign endorsed for the Republican National Convention.

Zinke introduced Trump at a May campaign rally in Billings, but it was Lola Zinke who was identified by Trump as an early supporter.

Zinke is a member of the House Natural Resources Committee who was just re-elected to his second term. Govtrack, a federal legislative watchdog, reports that 28 percent of Zinke's bills concern natural resources or public lands, second only to bills concerning the U.S. Armed Forces or national security. Energy and Native American legislation were third and fourth.

Zinke's legislation has focused extensively on Department of Interior issues, namely the development of coal, oil and gas on public land. He has championed the sovereignty of tribal governments, particularly concerning natural resource development.

"He would be good, not only on behalf of Montanans, but also Indian Country," said Darrin Old Coyote, former chairman of the Crow Tribe. "He comes from a state that has an abundance of natural resources, whether it's fish or coal, and who knows, maybe it will be easy to pitch for Montana."

In November, Zinke carried the Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act through the House of Representatives. The bill helps establish water rights on the Blackfeet Reservation and surrounding territory.

Zinke also carried a bill extending federal recognition to the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana.

David Allen, CEO of the Montana-based Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation said his organization has been quietly lobbying for Zinkes appointment since late November.

We have through back channels been supporting Congressman Zinke for three weeks and we kind of thought it was walking away, Allen said. As recently as Dec. 9, the national media was reporting that Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers, R-Wash., was Trumps pick for Interior secretary.

But then Zinke was called to Trump Tower in New York for a meeting Monday. Things were looking up for Allen.

I think Congressman Zinke works for Montana because we need somebody, we believe, with more of the western outdoors and western wildlife beliefs in that position, Allen said. Were excited about it. We think the congressman has been very strong on forest issues. He is an elk hunter, himself. And we feel very strongly he will protect public lands.

In the 2016 elections, Zinke was accused by Democratic challenger Denise Juneau of supporting the privatization of public lands, but when fact checked by an independent watchdog, the allegation proved to be false.

The congressman recently said he was considering challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in 2018. By accepting President-elect Trump's offer, Zinke would put the Montana GOP in search mode for a 2018 Senate candidate.

Daines said there was time to find another challenger to Tester.

But Zinke won his race against Juneau, a Democrat twice elected Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction.

If Zinke becomes Interior secretary, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock would appoint to the U.S. House an interim replacement chosen from a list of three nominees selected by the Republican Party.

After that, a special election open to candidates from all parties would occur within 85 to 100 days of Zinke's departure.
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After a Baton Rouge federal judge dismissed several of her claims earlier in the day, a jury decided late Monday that LSU did not fire a digital arts instructor in 2012 in retaliation for her complaints to university and federal officials about alleged gender discrimination at the school.

Margaret "Margot" Herster's attorneys had asked the jury of six women and four men to find in her favor and award her nearly $1 million, but the unanimous panel instead sided with LSU and awarded her nothing after 5 1/2 hours of deliberation that ended at 10:30 p.m..

Herster's lead attorney, Robert Campbell, said the case now will move to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

"The fight continues," he said in the lobby of the Baton Rouge federal courthouse. "We thought we proved the case."

In a written statement, Herster said there is "no winner or loser" when an alleged civil rights and public trust violation by an institution of higher learning reaches the point of a trial.

"It means something has gone so gravely wrong, and the institutional powers have chosen to spend years and hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to fight an individual who has been harmed and ... also university students and employees who I stood up for while they were sexually harassed, discriminated against, devalued and deprived of an educational institution with integrity and high standards that Louisiana deserves," she wrote.

LSU instructor sues university An LSU faculty member is suing the university, alleging that she was fired after reporting w

LSU spokkesman Ernie Ballard said Tuesday the judge and jury reached the same conclusion the university reached.

"The facts and the law did not support Ms. Herster's claims," he said. "It is unfortunate that LSU had to defend its decision through years of litigation, but in the end the result was the right one."

LSU's attorney, Carlton Jones III, argued to the jury earlier Monday that the case had nothing to do with gender and everything to do with Herster not living up to her contract.

"Just because she believes it (her allegations) doesn't make it true," he said several times to the jury in his closing arguments Monday afternoon.

Jones noted that an LSU faculty committee voted 19-1 not to renew Herster's contract.

LSU School of Art director Rod Parker, the final witness called in the case, testified Monday that Herster quickly complained about her teaching load, title and office space after she was hired in 2009.

"Ms. Herster believed she had a golden ticket," Parker said, referring to the fact that her husband, Scott Sullivan, is a law professor at the university.

Parker, against whom many of Herster's allegations were aimed, said he tried to be accommodating toward her but nothing seemed to help. He described Herster as "extraordinarily difficult and argumentative."

Ex-LSU art professor testifies at federal trial of her discrimination and harassment suit A former LSU art teacher who claims she was fired in 2012 for complaining about alleged gend

In his closing arguments, Campbell called LSU a bureaucratic "machine" that tried to silence Herster for making legitimate complaints.

"Margot is a protector," he argued. "She's dedicated to the students she so dearly loved."

U.S. District Judge James Brady, who presided over the six-day trial, threw out most of Herster's claims Monday morning, including her gender-based compensation claim. The judge said she failed to show she was denied equal pay compared with her male counterparts.

Brady also dismissed Herster's gender-based hostile work environment, or sexual harassment, claim. She alleged she was the victim of sexist and condescending taunts, such as being referred to by Parker as a "trailing spouse" -- a reference to her husband's employment at LSU.

The judge further rejected Herster's whistle-blower claim that related to her complaints about misappropriation of student fees in the School of Art. Those complaints prompted a review by LSU's Office of Internal Audit, which found the School of Art charged students a collective average of $28,000 each year in unapproved course fees dating back several years. Unapproved fees are charges not approved by the state Legislature.

Herster claimed whistle-blower status and argued the misuse of fees violated Louisiana law, but Brady determined that while university policy was not adhered to, there was no violation of state law or the Constitution.

"We feel strongly about the course fee issue," Campbell said after the verdict. "We feel it was unconstitutional."

A month after Herster sued LSU in early 2013, the College of Art and Design began refunding $63,000-plus to 620 current and former students who were charged the fees.

LSU to give art students refund LSUs College of Art and Design, on Friday, will begin refunding more than $63,000 to 620 cu

The audit also looked at purchases made during the fiscal years ending in 2011 and 2012 and identified roughly $20,000 in buys for high-end electronics that the School of Art funded with money meant for classroom materials. Herster alleged in her suit that School of Art administrators routinely misused funds, spending the money on iPads, Apple computers and other accessories for faculty members rather than for classroom materials.

The audit further determined the School of Art misused more than $130,000 in funds in both 2011 and 2012.

Then-LSU System President William Jenkins immediately provided a corrective action plan calling for tighter controls and more training for management staff.
Louisiana's eight Electoral College voters will gather at the state Capitol on Monday to formally elect Republican Donald Trump as president.

The voting process, which is laid out in the U.S. Constitution, will be streamed live on the Louisiana Legislature's website and the Secretary of State's Facebook page.

+7 President-elect Donald Trump stumps for John Kennedy in Baton Rouge President-elect Donald Trump told nearly 5,000 cheering fans who gathered in Baton Rouge on 

Louisiana overwhelmingly supported Trump in the Nov. 8 election, with the real estate mogul capturing more votes in Louisiana than any other candidate before.

The state doesn't bind Electoral College voters to uphold that vote, but Politico reports that the Republican National Committee is overseeing an expansive whip operation to ensure Trump's election in light of pushback in other states. According to that report, the GOP has been maintaining contact with electors.

Louisianas electors include: Garrett C. Monti, at large; Steven Scott Wilfong, at large; Christopher David Trahan, 1st Congressional District; Lloyd A. Harsch, 2nd Congressional District; Charles L. Buckels, Jr., 3rd Congressional District; Louis R. Avallone, 4th Congressional District; Kay Kellogg Katz, 5th Congressional District; and Lennie H. Rhys, 6th Congressional District. If one of the electors doesn't attend, an alternative elector will take his or her place.

Trump took part in a Republican rally in Baton Rouge last week that drew 5,000 supporters.

The Electoral College meeting will take place at 11:30 a.m. in the Senate chamber at the State Capitol.
UPDATED at 6:55 p.m.

Gov. John Bel Edwards plans to appeal to higher court a state district judges ruling Wednesday that invalidated his executive order forbidding workplace discrimination of LGBT employees in state government agencies and by private companies contracting with the state.

Nineteenth Judicial District Court Judge Todd Hernandez, of Baton Rouge, ruled that Edwards exceeded the scope of his authority with his executive order protecting lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender. He issued a permanent injunction forbidding the state from enforcing Edwards order, finding that regardless of what the governor intended, the order creates new and/or expands upon existing Louisiana law as opposed to directing the faithful execution of the existing laws of this state.

We fully intend to appeal this issue, which is how the parties knew that this matter would ultimately be resolved. Edwards said in a prepared statement. The next step would be to go to the First Circuit Court of Appeal in Baton Rouge.

Not seeing the video below? Click here.

+2 Closing arguments filed in dispute over LGBT-rights order Lawyers for Louisiana's governor and attorney general submitted their closing arguments Frid

I applaud Judge Hernandez for basing his ruling on the law, not politics, Attorney General Jeff Landry said in a prepared statement. My challenge has always been about upholding the checks and balances on executive authority as established in our state Constitution.

Its the latest skirmish between the governor and attorney general since both were sworn into office on Jan. 11. Landry is seen by many Republicans as the most likely challenger for Democratic Edwards reelection in 2019.

Landry had rejected 31 state contracts because they included language that protects gays and transgender employees from workplace discrimination. Landry refused the contracts stating these provisions should not contain language exceeding what the law requires.

The Edwards administration asserted that Landry was injecting his political beliefs into the task of checking to see if the private lawyers contracted by the state for particular jobs were qualified to do the work.

Landry said Hernandez found that state law provides that the office of the attorney general is vested with the authority to use his/her discretion in approving contracts for private legal counsel to state agencies, boards and/or commissions.

An immediate impact of the decision involves healthcare coverage for some state employees. The Governors Office has decided to remove the wording, on which all parties already had agreed, from a contract in order to get it approved in time to avoid disrupting insurance coverage.

The contract still needs to be approved by the House Appropriations committee and the Senate Finance committee, both of which are meeting this week.

Edwards said the Hernandez ruling recognizes the governor as the constitutionally superior officer to the attorney general, but found the executive order was not in a governors authority to implement.

A Republican first elected to the bench in 2001, Hernandez found that Edwards order breached the separation of powers doctrine in the state Constitution. However, he denied Landrys additional claims that the order also violated other parts of the state and U.S. constitutions.

Landrys lawyers had argued that the Louisiana Legislature had repeatedly considered  and rejected  measures that would have extended protections to the gay and transgender community.

With great respect for the role of the Louisiana Legislature, Edwards said, we continue to believe that discrimination is not a Louisiana value and that we are best served as a state when employment decisions are based solely on an individuals qualifications and job performance.

Edwards attorneys argued that the executive order was not creating new law, merely directing policy for state employment and contracts.

Past governors have issued nondiscrimination orders based on sexual orientation, but Edwards was the first to extend protections to transgender people.

The governors order says, in part: no state agencies, offices, departments or commission boards shall harass or discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation or gender identity.

In April, when Edwards signed the order, he said lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people were not protected from employment discrimination under Louisiana law.

Matthew F. Block, Edwards executive counsel, said Wednesday the order supported efforts to attract companies to Louisiana. He pointed to the National Basketball Associations decision to move its 2015 All-Star Game to New Orleans from Charlotte because North Carolina passed a state law forcing transgender people to use public restrooms matching their gender assigned at birth.

After efforts to advance his extreme agenda failed by large bipartisan majorities in the Legislature, John Bel Edwards took it upon himself to replace the peoples will with his own. Fortunately for the families and businesses in our state, the court ruled (Wednesday) that the Governors executive fiat will not fly in Louisiana, Landry replied. We do not live under a King in Louisiana; we have a Governor, an independent Attorney General, an elected Legislature, and a court system who are all involved in governance along with others. Gov. Edwards must live within the Constitution.
Photo by Bryan Tarnowski -- The annual fundraiser for the business incubator Propeller become a showcase for diverse pop-up dining concepts around New Orleans.
He had called himself Frank Divido.

It was under that name prosecutors said Frank John Fischetti, 54, befriended a printing shop owner and began to fabricate an image of wealth and business acumen, at one stage helped by a fake contract for a $3.19 million boat he scanned there.

The shop owner went on to transfer $195,000 in four transactions to bank accounts linked to Fischetti, who had been declared bankrupt, mostly for investment properties in NSW and Queensland which were never purchased.

Fischetti's deception caught up with him when he was arrested and found guilty of 11 fraud charges at the end of a nine week ACT Supreme Court jury trial earlier this year. He has since lodged an appeal against his convictions.

He had also tried unsuccessfully to secure a NAB loan for $1.4 million for a property in Nicholls using forged documents and a false name in 2014.
Cathay, where first-half profit sank 82 per cent as Chinese travellers bypassed its Hong Kong base, is now conducting what it calls a "critical review" of its business. Delta President Glen Hauenstein told analysts in October that China "continues to be challenged" as capacity growth outpaces demand. American Airlines President Robert Isom said the same month there's "continued weakness in China" as excess capacity seeps into the airline's new services from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, Haneda, Sydney and Auckland. A round trip with China Eastern between New York and Bangkok, via Shanghai, costs $761, according to Webjet.com. The same trip with United Airlines through Hong Kong costs $955. Flying from Los Angeles to Hong Kong with China Airlines is one third cheaper than with American Airlines. "US airlines dominated the China-US route in the past, but now it's the Chinese airlines," said Chen Suming, an analyst at Shanghai Chongyang Investment Management. "Most of the new air travellers are from China, not the US."

China Southern is selling flights from Sydney to Seoul, via Guangzhou, for $786. That's more than one third cheaper than flying direct with Qantas Airways. Getting from London to Hanoi in Vietnam, also via Guangzhou, costs just $1108 with China Southern. British Airways charges $1624. Price isn't everything. Cathay and Singapore Airlines both have a five-star rating for product and service from airline rating system Skytrax. Hainan Airlines is the only mainland Chinese carrier among the world's nine top-rated airlines. National carrier Air China has three stars. There's little sign the inundation will end. International air routes in China jumped 35 per cent to 660 last year, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said. For years, the easiest way to get to a second- or third-tier city on the Chinese mainland was to fly to long-established transit centres such as Hong Kong, Shanghai or Beijing and then take a local connection. Now a new world order is emerging.

Chinese carriers in these cities are sidestepping hubs such as Singapore and Hong Kong and flying straight to destinations abroad. That poses the biggest threat to airlines such as Cathay and Singapore Air. This month, Hainan started flying non-stop to Las Vegas from Beijing, its 10th route to North America. Hainan, controlled by billionaire Chen Feng, also operates at least eight flights to European cities. Meanwhile, British Airways is halting its London-Chengdu service in January because it's not viable. Underlying desire Demographics partly explains the proliferation of flights from China and the lop-sided, mainly-Chinese flow of passengers. Chengdu has a population of more than 14 million. Even the population of Xiamen, on China's southeast coast across from Taiwan, is getting close to Sydney's 4.3 million. "While it might not work for foreign carriers to fly to second-tier cities like Chengdu and Xiamen, it will still work for the Chinese because the originating market is very big," said K. Ajith, an analyst at UOB Kay Hian in Singapore. "There's an underlying desire to travel."

That's borne out in forecasts for new aircraft. Chinese airlines will need 6810 new planes valued at $US1 trillion ($1.34 trillion) in the next two decades to meet travel demand, according to Boeing. Meanwhile, international airlines are seeking to bolster ties with Chinese carriers. Delta invested $US450 million in China Eastern in July 2015 for a 3.6 per cent stake. United Continental this year signed a deal with Air China to improve connections and enhance frequent flier benefits between the airlines. In Australia, Qantas will next month resume direct flights to Beijing after more than seven years as it expands its alliance with China Eastern. As part of the deal, Qantas will codeshare on China Eastern's Sydney-Hangzhou, Sydney-Kunning and Brisbane-Shanghai services. The return to the route comes ahead of Virgin Australia's plans to launch services to Beijing and Shanghai next June. Australia's two largest airlines are eager to tap into opportunities in China, which has become Australia's fastest-growing inbound travel market. 'Maxed out'

To be sure, rising fuel prices, spurred by OPEC's production cuts in November, may hold back some of the overseas expansion by China Southern and China Eastern, said Ajith, the analyst at UOB Kay Hian. "They're profitable, they've had good cost control and they've benefited from low fuel prices," he said. "The only issue is what happens when fuel prices rise?'' At that point, they may switch resources to domestic routes, where they have more price control, he said. While capacity growth on routes between the US and Shanghai, Beijing or Guangzhou has been "off the charts," Chinese airlines have "maxed out" under the current bilateral agreement, said Kris Kelley, an airline analyst at Bill Gross's Janus Capital Management. All the same, the Turnbull government announced on December 4 an agreement with China to remove all capacity restrictions between the two nations. In October, Britain agreed to double the number of flights between UK cities and China. Loading
You know there is truth to the adage 'the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math' when some of the most rapacious names in investment banking and private equity are lining up to buy a multi-billion-dollar lotto ticket.

Punters hoping to pick that multi-million-dollar win are getting a math lesson from the real millionaires' factory, Nic Moore's Macquarie Group. It has joined with the legends of private equity, KKR, in a plan to strip Tatts' lottery business out of the hands of its suitor, Tabcorp.

Why does this business interest the smart suits from the top end of town so much?

In simple terms, there is a guaranteed win for those behind the lotto registers who collect the cash from mug punters who buy $10 worth of hope for the next big jackpot.
E. R. Braithwaite, a Guyanese author, diplomat and former Royal Air Force pilot whose book To Sir, with Love, a memoir of teaching in London's deprived East End, was adapted into a hit film starring Sidney Poitier, died on Monday in Rockville, Maryland, aged 104.

Braithwaite, who became a diplomat and represented Guyana at the United Nations and in Venezuela, wrote several books, many about racism in countries like South Africa and the United States, where he lived much of his life. But he is best known for To Sir, with Love (1959).

Sidney Poitier starred in the film To Sir, with Love.

The book chronicled his efforts  as a courtly, Cambridge-educated military veteran who had been denied employment as an engineer because he was black  to motivate a group of unruly adolescents raised in a slum in early-1950s Britain, which was still slowly recovering from the austerity of the war years.

The students' antisocial behaviour, casual racism, penchant for violence and, worst of all, self-hatred horrify the new teacher, whose colleagues expect little of the pupils.
Last week US federal prosecutors announced a woman had been indicted for making death threats against a parent whose child was murdered in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school. Her motivation, the US Department of Justice said, was her belief that the massacre never happened, that it was a hoax.

Wednesday marks four years after the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, happened, and still, just the name Sandy Hook carries a terrible power around the world, capable of delivering an emotional gut punch. In a country where mass shootings are all too common and gun violence takes a daily toll, the shooting of 20 young children in their classrooms, along with six staff members who desperately tried to protect the little ones in their care, still stands out as a particular horror. As The New York Times pointed out, Sandy Hook has also become a symbol of American political intransigence on gun control, shorthand for the "culture of shameful inaction that has taken hold in the wake of the shooting", a period in which no major gun control legislation has received congressional support.

But this year in particular, the anniversary of Sandy Hook is also, unfortunately, a reminder of another kind of ugliness that is having a cultural moment  the proliferation of mad conspiracy theories and paranoid fantasies online, which are spilling from the dark fringes of the internet into the mainstream and in some cases, causing real damage.

A small but vocal cohort of people  who ironically call themselves "truthers"  has long tried to muddy the record of what happened at Sandy Hook  variously pushing the notion that the rampage in Newtown was a hoax staged with actors and that no one actually died, or at the least, that key details such as who was responsible were fabricated as part of a plot to manipulate the American public.They believe the perpetrators of this plot are "gun grabbers"  be it the Obama administration, the media or others  who are so intent on depriving Americans of their guns they would falsely stage the mass murder of children to make their point, drawing a town, law enforcement and the rest of the world into an elaborate fiction.
With my colleagues, PhD student Liz Seabrook and Dr Nikki Rickard from Monash University, we reviewed 70 studies that linked social media use to depression, anxiety and wellbeing.

If you struggle with social anxiety, social media can provide a way to get support, without the stress of face-to-face interactions.

Even as we are addicted to checking our Facebook or Twitter feeds and compulsively respond to the familiar ding of new email, we worry about its negative impacts . Cyber bullying, sexting, and victimisation occur. We are bombarded with images of friends who seemingly lead lives far more glamorous than our own.

I was surprised to find that in many of the studies, social media users reported being happier and more connected to other people. In fact, if you struggle with social anxiety, social media can provide a way to get support, without the stress of face-to-face interactions.

But for people with depression or anxiety, social media can actually make the illness worse.

It seems that people interact with social media in different ways  and that can make a big difference in how they function and feel.

One of the main differences between happy users versus those with depression was what they wrote about. Depressed peoples used a lot more negative language  ruminating on things that are going wrong, complaining about life or other people, and criticising themselves and others.

Envy plays a particularly destructive role. If you find yourself jealous of friends and others in your network, then it is important to step offline and find other ways to build up your self-esteem.
Cherbourg. Christopher Pyne has invoked Donald Trump in urging Australia not to be "strategic bludgers" during a shambolic media event in France that was designed to showcase Australia's $50 billion submarine contract with shipbuilder DCNS.

And in a bizarre exchange with journalists, DCNS chief executive Herve Guillou said he didn't know whether he was denying his company had claimed a mass leak of top-secret information was "economic warfare".

Speaking to workers at the shipyards in Cherbourg, France, Defence Industry Minister Mr Pyne said Australia needed to increase defence spending and double its submarine capability so it could project force in the region and uphold Australia's "value-based" foreign policy.

"We are a wealthy country and as a consequence we have a responsibility to do our part to, as Donald Trump says, not be strategic bludgers but actually lift our percentage of spending to 2 per cent, which we'll do by 2020/21," Mr Pyne said.
The US will begin flying its deadliest fighter plane, the F-22 Raptor, out of northern Australia next year, the most senior American commander in the Pacific has revealed as he warned of a need to show strength to deter aggression in the region.

During a visit to Sydney on Wednesday, the commander of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, vowed the US would remain a major player in the region, saying its "enduring interests" would not "change on January 20th" - referring to the day of Donald Trump's inauguration as President.

Admiral Harris revealed that he had signed a 2017 agreement for Australia to host US military assets including the Raptors, which are feared and revered as the best fighter planes in the world, and will send a strong signal about US military presence in the region.

"I think that's positive," Admiral Harris told the Lowy Institute event.
Poor posture is often blamed for neck pain but a new study challenges this widely held belief.

Researchers at Curtin University in Perth examined the link between neck posture and neck pain in a group of adolescents and found no association.

Not your neck? Credit:iStock

The 17-year-olds from The Raine cohort study, involving more than 2800 subjects, were split up into four different groups and asked to sit in varying sitting positions - upright, intermediate, slumped thorax and forward head.

"None of these, however, were found to be associated with persistent neck pain, neck pain in a sitting position, or headaches in 17-year-olds," said lead author Ms Karen Richards from Curtin's School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science.
God, I am one of those sickening people aren't I? Need you read on? Sadly, all that good fortune didn't prevent the beast that is PND heading my way after my second baby, Maggie, was born in April. Looking back, the timing for our move from South Kensington to a sleepy village in Berkshire - two months after I'd given birth - was never going to be easy. Gone were the meetings with Chanel and coffees with fellow mothers, meandering through the London parks with our buggies and babies. Instead, I was living in a building site, juggling Nescafe - "white with two sugars" - while potty-training a toddler who wouldn't leave my side.

Then there was little Maggie, with her gut-wrenching scream, explosive nappies and sleepless nights. She hated being put down, polar opposite to our easy-going first daughter, Nancy, who was two in September. Days, weeks passed. There were a few blissful moments, but essentially, I missed my old life. I felt lonely, the baby weight wasn't shifting, my confidence was dissipating. I didn't know how or when I would make new friends. Of course, people wanted to know all about the village newcomers. Most likely they'd checked our house price on Zoopla, Googled me and wanted to know what my husband does. I put on a front. Maternity leave from Vogue became my shield. The answer to all the "so what do you do?"s. My internal battle locked away, everyone assumed the new girl was tough as nails. Sleep deprivation was how it started; the irrational thoughts, the racing heartbeat, the anxiety. Normal, I thought - I've got a new baby. All normal. The punch in the face that social media dealt me every time I checked. All, sadly, normal. But then I began to doubt my abilities as a mother. Appalling at cooking, impatient with my eldest, feeling thwarted by my children, having cruel thoughts about little Maggie that I cannot put into writing.

My interest in food vanished, my tearful moments grew. I wondered how people did this whole "two under two" business. I was scornful of myself: if my friend could do this with a husband who travels, then why can't I, with a husband who is usually home for bath time? The breaking point was returning from a visit to London, in October. Stepping off the train, I should have wanted to rush home to see my gorgeous family. Instead, the anxiety of a new week took over. Ollie told me of his plans and I disintegrated there and then. Collapsing in his arms, I cried in a way I hope I will never cry again and told him the very worst I had been feeling. He put me to bed that evening. So much of this had been a private battle, crying at night or when Ollie left for work. This was a turning point. It was time to seek help. The next morning, I arranged an appointment with a doctor. Sadly, she couldn't have been less helpful. While she told me that everything I had relayed pointed to PND, she also had a habit of watching the clock, and planted a prescription for Sertraline (an SSRI antidepressant) in my hand without asking about a history of depression, or checking if I was on other medication. She told me to return in two weeks. I never did. And she never checked up on me. I didn't take the antidepressants - I know so many others are thankful for them but, to me, they felt like a last rather than first resort. Instead, I visited Gek Bee Prout, a kinesiologist based in Gloucestershire, whom I have known for many years. She suggested I start taking a supplement called 5HTP. "It's an amino acid that is a precursor to serotonin," she told me, "which encourages the body to make correct quantities of its own."

I began immediately. I also increased my intake of magnesium, a key supplement sapped by childbirth and breastfeeding. Essential for muscle relaxation and energy production, during stressful situations and high levels of sleep deprivation it is flushed from the body. And what do new mothers suffer from? Exactly. I started doing proper exercise - spinning classes, not just running around after the two-year-old. I cut back on coffee. Most poignantly of all, I offloaded everything to my daughter's new headmistress. One look at me in the nursery car park and she knew. She asked me if I was OK and I crumbled. She told me I was overwhelmed, that I was by no means the first mother she'd seen like this. Her support and direct approach made me realise that it is OK to be finding this motherhood thing very, very hard. (Isn't it wonderfully apt that since my two-year-old cannot pronounce "Mrs Hathaway", she has named her "Mrs Happy" instead?) Are all new mums secretly teetering on the edge? It seems so. Some who read my blog told me it made them cry on their commutes home or as they waited to collect children from nursery. Many said it made them realise that they, too, had experienced some degree of PND. A couple of expectant fathers got in touch to thank me for shining a light on something they are also nervous of seeing their own wives go through. Am I through the worst? I hope so. I do, now, genuinely love our new life. Will I return to Vogue? I'll give it a shot.
When Thomas D'Souza enrolled in Victoria University's Bachelors of Engineering Building Surveying course in 2002, he hoped to be walking out with a degree allowing him to practise as a fully qualified engineer in Australia.

It was only a year into the four-year course that he realised that despite repeated verbal and written claims by the university, the degree was not accredited by the regulating authority, then known as the Institution of Engineers, Australia.

Victoria University has settled with former student Thomas D'Souza after he sued them for misrepresentation of his engineering course as being accredited by a regulating body. Credit:Nadine Fisher

A May 2000 Victoria University brochure, seen by Fairfax Media, advertising Bachelor of Engineering in Building Surveying, clearly states the double degree "satisfied the requirements for accreditation by The Institute of Engineers, Australia".
"Shit happens. I run a lot of lottos."

That's what Liverpool factory worker Brendan King says he was told by his colleague Robert Adams the morning after a workplace syndicate won $40 million in a Powerball draw on May 5.

Brendan King outside court in October. Credit:Ben Rushton

Mr King believed he was entitled to $2,696,364, as a faithful member of workplace lottery pools.

In the NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday, Justice John Sackar found that Mr King was not entitled to any winnings because he was not part of a one-off syndicate that Mr Adams had formed on April 29.
A high-profile Sydney pub baron has lost his battle to open a poker machine venue just metres from a public school, and next door to an aged care home, after a community backlash.

The Land and Environment Court has rejected the plan for a 500-patron pub with free shuttle bus as "not in the public interest", and has cited the risk of increased domestic violence if a new pub was opened in the middle of a residential neighbourhood.

Peter De-Angelis's plan for a pub in Casula has been rejected in court. Credit:Wesley Lonergan

Peter De Angelis, whose family owns a string of Sydney pubs, had taken Liverpool Council to court after it rejected his proposal to turn a rundown hotel in Casula, used for emergency housing by Family and Community Services, into a "family friendly" pub.

The De Angelis Hotel Group had planned to transfer 15 poker machine licences  capable of generating more than $1.8 million in profit a year  from another hotel in Liverpool. But the court heard this hotel was in a "Golden Triangle" of tattoo parlours, a methadone clinic and brothels, and very different from the residential neighbourhood.
A South Brisbane-based charity has been selected to run a $1 million Brisbane City Council-funded mobile health service for the city's homeless and disadvantaged.

The council called for expressions of interest to run the service in September and, this week, community services chairman Matthew Bourke announced Micah Projects had beaten six other organisations to run the service.

Brisbane City Council will spend $1 million setting up mobile medical units to treat the city's homeless.

"This Brisbane-first program will involve three new mobile medical vans visiting pre-registered locations across the city, to provide timely and holistic health services to those in need," he said.

"Micah Projects will offer a minimum of 120 hours of service each week, between the hours of 3pm and 11pm, Monday to Friday, over a period of up to 10 years.
A man is due to appear in court over the 2009 grisly murder of Edward "Ted" Kearines in Townsville.

On Wednesday night a 43-year-old man was charged with the December 4, 2009 violent murder of the 53-year-old butcher and truck driver in a Townsville boarding house, police confirmed to AAP.

Credit:Glenn Hunt

The man is due to appear in Townsville Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The arrest comes after a $250,000 reward was offered earlier this month for information to solve what the police described as a "very violent attack".
Premier Daniel Andrews has lauded a philanthropist couple's $8 million donation to the State Library of Victoria as an extraordinary gift to the public.

The endowment, made by investment banker and library chairman John Wylie and his wife, French consul Myriam Boisbouvier-Wylie, is one of the biggest in the library's 160-year history.

It will fund a new exhibition space, The Victoria Gallery, which will focus on the history of the state.

The state government announced a $5 million contribution to the redevelopment of the library's eastern end. The project will include reopening the Russell Street entrance for the first time in 14 years, as well as a new cafe, retail and a collaborative working space. A La Trobe Street entry will also be created.
There's a fire at Melbourne's brigade that the union doesn't seem to want to put out.

The mental health report the United Firefighters union wants suppressed is just the latest in a long series to paint a picture of a workplace riven with internal strife, bullying and intolerance.

Firefighters rightly tell us how tough their job is and there is growing appreciation of the mental scars it leaves on some.

But when it comes to examining their own culture, the door is slammed shut.
Just when you thought the Australian Day debate was done and dusted, the company that set the January 26 date more than 125 years ago says it's time to change it.

The City of Fremantle and the Turnbull government were involved in a very ugly public spat for days after the council said it wanted to move its January 26 celebrations forward two days to a "culturally-inclusive alternative event".

The federal government was locked in a stoush with the City of Fremantle.

The federal government eventually won the battle, after the Assistant Minister for Immigration Alex Hawke banned the city from holding citizenship ceremonies on its One Day in Fremantle event on January 28 because it breached the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 by "politicising" its fireworks ban.

Now Rohan Mead, the Managing Director of Australian Unity, whose organisation back in the late 1880s was responsible for creating what would become Australia Day, says it's time to look at an alternative date.
A 28-year-old man is in hospital after being shot in Butler early on Wednesday.

He took himself to Joondalup Health Campus about 2.45am seeking treatment for injuries police believe are gunshot wounds after an incident at a home.

He was transferred to Royal Perth Hospital later on Wednesday morning and remains in a stable condition.

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Joondalup Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and urge anyone with any information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or make a report online atwww.crimestopperswa.com.au.
New York: After Chinese authorities blocked Canadian beauty queen Anastasia Lin from attending the 65th annual Miss World pageant in China last year, the event's British organisers offered her a consolation prize of sorts: They promised to allow her a chance to compete in the 2016 finals, which are currently underway in suburban Washington.

What they did not tell her was that she could smile but not speak out during the event, which is largely sponsored by Chinese companies.

Over the past three weeks, as she and her fellow contestants have rehearsed for Tuesday's finale, Lin, 26 - an actress, classically trained pianist and outspoken critic of Chinese human rights abuses - has been barred from speaking to the media, friends and relatives said.

They said that officials with the London-based pageant have also refused to allow Lin to attend the US premiere of a movie in which she appears. The film, The Bleeding Edge, has angered Beijing with its dramatisation of what human rights advocates describe as government-sanctioned programs that harvest the organs of Chinese prisoners of conscience.
NORMAL  Rivian Automotive took a big step Monday toward making electric cars at the former Mitsubishi plant in Normal to hit the market in 2019.

The Normal City Council approved a $1 million grant and five-year tax abatement  both based on performance  for the automaker, which plans to buy the plant and manufacture there, employing 1,000 workers and investing $175 million in the site through 2024.

"There's so much to gain, and, from our perspective, not much to lose," said council member R.C. McBride of the deal, which requires Rivian to employ 500 workers and invest $40.5 million in the plant by the end of 2021 to get the incentives.

The abatement also needs to be approved by Normal-based McLean County Unit 5 schools, Heartland Community College and other local taxing bodies. Heartland was to consider it Tuesday, and Unit 5 today.

"Anything worth a desired result comes with risk," council member Jeff Fritzen said. "We feel the risk we've been presented here to consider is worth (it)."

The council first interviewed Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, who said his company is excited to begin manufacturing in a community with an established base of auto manufacturing employees that's also in close proximity to its suppliers.

"This is a competitive process," Scaringe said of why the company needs the tax breaks, given how much it plans to spend on the site. Rivian, he said, also has looked into other manufacturing sites that meet its criteria.

The company already has research locations in the Detroit and San Francisco areas with about 100 employees. It was founded in Florida in 2009.

Scaringe said the company left Florida to get closer to its suppliers. The company received a grant from the state of Florida to complete specific work, he said  neither the grant amount nor the work was specified  and never promised to continue to operate there.

Rivian received a deal from the state of Michigan in 2015 that was very similar to the one approved by Normal on Monday. Scaringe said some development operations, which are split between California and Michigan, might come to Normal, as well as some Rivian suppliers.

Scaringe said he needs to be vague for now about the sources of Rivian's funding and the car it plans to make, but the company is close to manufacturing. Local officials drove a prototype last week.

"It made me feel better that that's a real car and it's very impressive," Normal City Manager Mark Peterson said of driving the prototype. "They have substantial liquid assets. They are well-positioned financially."

Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council CEO Kyle Ham, who led a task force to find a manufacturer for the plant, referred to the agreement as the last chance for Normal to salvage it. The plant is now owned by Maynards Industries, an industrial asset liquidation company with offices in Michigan.

Maynards bought the plant in June, the month after Mitsubishi closed it for good after ending production and laying off about 1,200 in November 2015. Maynards has twice delayed auctioning the building, which would have likely resulted in its demolition.

Marc Tiritilli, who is running for mayor against incumbent Chris Koos, said that scenario is preferable to Rivian failing at the site and Normal paying to raze the facility or trying to sell it in poor condition.

"We're here basically out of fear," he said. "Rivian is the worst option."

Koos said "they're the ones that have all the risk."

"I'm all in," he said.

Scaringe acknowledged that the company has operated in secret in the past but will be much more transparent going forward.

"Rivian eventually is going to make vehicles," said Jerry Berwanger, once the plants executive vice president and chief operating officer, during the meeting, "and I would like for that to be here in the town of Normal."
The planned evacuation of rebel districts of Aleppo stalled on Wednesday as air strikes and heavy shelling hit the city and Iran was said to have imposed new conditions on the deal.

Iran, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main backers in the battle for Aleppo, wanted a simultaneous evacuation of wounded from the villages of Foua and Kefraya that are besieged by rebels, according to rebel and United Nations sources.

Rebel groups said that was just an excuse to hold up the evacuation, which a pro-opposition TV station said could now be delayed until Thursday.

A ceasefire brokered on Tuesday by Russia, Assad's most powerful ally, and Turkey was intended to end years of fighting in the city, giving the Syrian leader his biggest victory in more than five years of war.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Rounds Off Award-Winning Year with Success at 'What Van?' Awards

 Commercial Vehicles extends winning streak at What Van? Awards

 Volkswagen Caddy and Amarok ?highly commended by What Van? judges

LONDON - December 14, 2016: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has finished a very successful 2016 with more awards, this time courtesy of What Van?. The brands fully-responsive website claimed the ?Website of the Year Award and both the Volkswagen Caddy and Amarok were highly commended.

The website  www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk  includes comprehensive overviews of the complete range of vehicles offered by the brand, along with links to downloadable brochures and price lists. The easy-to-navigate site also offers customers the ability to book vehicle services online and gives full details of offers and finance options available. Customers can also find information regarding the brands conversion programme and available accessories for each model.

The brands website has received a number of updates during 2016, including the launch of a new online configurator and the introduction of a revised used vehicle section.

The online configurator offers new vehicle customers the opportunity to define the specification of their new vehicle from the comfort of their own office without the need for a pile of brochures or multiple website pages open. The simple step-by-step feature helps the customer choose the right vehicle, specification and options using useful images and descriptions. Once completed, the system generates a unique code that can be saved, shared with friends or colleagues via email and social media or taken into a Van Centre for the sales team to make the purchase process more streamlined.

The new used vehicle website allows customers to search quickly and easily from around 2,000 vehicles online from across the entire network. Once the perfect vehicle is found, customers can access the contact details for the Van Centre that is selling it, or, new for 2016, ?Reserve Online by making a deposit via PayPal or ?Make an Offer  a simple to use contact facility to start a negotiation.

James Dallas, editor of What Van? commented: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles was a clear winner of the ?Website of the Year Award for 2017. The brands site is easy to use and offers a strong all-round package that competently covers a wide range of products and services.

The What Van? Awards judges also highly commended the Caddy in the Small Van category and the Amarok in the Pick-up Category. Dallas added: The Caddy features a commendably high level of safety features, rock solid build quality and first rate on-the-road performance, which impressed the judges. The Amarok offers blistering performance on road for a pick-up and is highly capable when venturing off the tarmac too.
Monday 05 September, 2016 Reliable information reaching Biafra writers desk has it that the life of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indi...
DECATUR  During Decatur Memorial Hospitals One Light to Remember ceremony last week, chaplain Robert Henderson shared that this would be his first Christmas without his mom.

He wasnt alone.

Also raising a light in remembrance of her mom was Decaturs Marcia Wimmer.

Holidays have a way of bringing up times that well miss, Wimmer said. I miss sitting around and talking to my mom.

For the 27th year, DMH gave Decatur residents a chance to remember loved ones and raise money for Decatur Memorial Foundation. Across town two nights later, HSHS St. Marys Hospital did the same  lighting the St. Marys Christmas Star in memory and honor of loved ones and raising money for St. Marys foundation.

The lighting ceremonies are a popular tradition because of the memories that holidays bring back.

Wimmer has been a part of the First Baptist Church Handbell Choir for close to 30 years. For 25 of those years, the handbell choir has performed at DMHs lighting ceremony.

But this year took on special meaning for Wimmer, who lost both her mom, Joan Geyer, and mother-in-law, Pauline Wimmer, in the past year.

My kids and grandkids always loved sitting around and talking to my mom and her reminiscing about what I did as a kid, Wimmer said. Its going to be sad this year.

Wimmer said her mom had a collection of angels she always displayed at Christmas. The collection was spread among members of Geyers family and will be carried on at their homes.

When we were cleaning out her China cabinet, my grandson wanted to know if he could take home an angel and nativity scene to remember his great-grandma, Wimmer said. I borrowed it to take to our church nativity walk and my little 5-year-old grandson said, You are going to bring that right back to my house, arent you? I said, Yes, Ill have it back for Christmas. The tradition will carry on.

Regan Deering of Decatur purchased a star at St. Marys in honor of her grandparents, Dwayne and Inez Andreas. Dwayne died on Nov. 16.

We had a special relationship, but it was like that with all his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren  they always brought a smile to his face and he tried to see them as often as possible, Deering said. He was a very smart man and a great storyteller. Being around him was always an experience.

Deering said that experience will be especially missed at Christmas this year.

We always have a big gathering with a wonderful meal, Deering said. Well definitely miss him there this year.

Dwayne Andreas last days were spent at St. Marys. The morning he died, Deering went to the lobby and purchased a light.

Id seen the advertisement about the lights on the Christmas Star and thought it would be a good way to honor my grandparents, Deering said. And they took such good care of him at St. Marys, it was also a good way to support the hospital and the foundation.

Id seen the light for many years, but this was the first lighting ceremony I attended myself. It was good to share the honor of the light with so many people in the community.

According to St. Marys Foundation Director Debbie Seitz, the money raised from the lighting ceremony will go to hospitals greatest needs. DMH Foundation Director Karen Schneller said the money raised by DMHs lighting ceremony goes toward DMHs hospice program.

Any patient in our hospice program who has financial need  this goes to help fill that, Schneller said.

Henderson said he came to several realizations when his mom died  hed never dial her phone number or drive to her house again. He said symbols  like candles and lights, or, in the case of Wimmers mom, angels  are a good way to remember those who have passed.

For Henderson, that symbol is a Christmas fish his mom made for the members of his college choir and the hosts on the trip they took  50 in all.

Its just a simple fish, but its not what it looks like or even what it stands for, its how it makes me feel. It feels warm because my mom made it, Henderson said. In the end, people dont remember what you say. They remember how you made them feel. Thats what life is all about.
DECATUR  The work done this semester in Millikin University's Innovation Lab could affect the community well beyond the conclusion of the class.

The class studied the possibility of creating a co-working space in Decatur, which would provide a common, flexible area for entrepreneurs and business owners to work together. One of the primary goals would be to help grow small businesses.

This is definitely what Decatur needs, said Whitley Baker, a senior education major from Decatur. We need more businesses.

The class worked with building owner Mike Ballinger to use areas on the first and fourth floors of the Barnes Citizen Building in downtown Decatur for a conceptual open house last week, seeking input from community members. The open house created an image of what the concept could look like if developed, allowing visitors to compare a large open space of what previously was a bank on the first floor with a more traditional office setting on the fourth floor with views overlooking Central Park.

The first floor has an openness for customers coming in off the street, said Aric Hopp, a senior entrepreneurship major from Lincoln. The fourth floor has an amazing view looking out.

The area on each floor could be part of the co-working space on its own or separately, Hopp said.

The space would ideally be located downtown, where those working and visiting could become part of an area that continues to be revitalized.

Downtown has become awesome, Baker said. This could make it even better.

Co-working spaces have been most successful in urban centers, surrounded by other stores, restaurants and offices, said Julie Shields, Millikin Center for Entrepreneurship director. She said the city's planned development of its fiber network could benefit businesses interested in using a downtown co-working space.

The class has looked at how other areas have benefited from the addition of co-working spaces. It made a recent trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where the Iowa Startup Accelerator started in 2014. That program provides mentors to help business owners develop their plans.

These are popping up everywhere, Hopp said. A mix of companies work in the same space with access to each business.

An accounting business and computer software company could be located next door to a graphic designer and others to share on each field of expertise, Hopp said. A retail partner could be included to add a coffee shop, sandwich shop or bar.

There are no two co-working spaces that are alike, Shields said. It's an expression within a community. We wanted them to take a look at the feasibility of the model to take it to launch.

Several questions remain to be answered before a space could be developed, as a source of funding would be needed along with businesses interested in becoming members. The class has discussed the possibility of how a membership system would work.

This is a great opportunity for the community as a whole, Hopp said. Benefits could come from memberships.

Shared space allows smaller businesses in particular to buffer their risks and save on costs such as rent, Shields said.

Even with questions lingering, members of the class thought it was exciting to see how much of a possibility a co-working space could be.

This puts what we're doing in perspective, Baker said. We can make a difference in Decatur.

Hopp said the class planned to compile the information it gathered for future use. Shields said they wanted data to better understand the market for businesses that would potentially be interested in using a space.
Diana, Princess of Wales wears Queen Marys Lovers Knot Tiara (Image: YouTube Screencap)

This weekend, I told you the story of the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara. Today, were going to trace the history of its more famous copy: Queen Marys Lovers Knot Tiara. Heres a timeline of the tiara that was made iconic by Diana, Princess of Wales

1913: Queen Mary of the United Kingdom decides its time to add to her tiara collection. Rather than buying a completely new piece, she looks to her own jewelry box as a source of materials. She has the Ladies of England Tiara dismantled completely. She also has the upright pearls removed from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, and she has a single pearl taken from the Richmond and Women of Hampshire Brooches. Additional pearls are sourced from various pieces of jewelry that had belonged to her mother, the late Duchess of Teck.

She orders a new tiara from Garrard, which will be made using this cache of gathered diamonds and pearls. For a model, she uses the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara, which was often worn by her aunt and godmother, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 1913, the Cambridge Lovers Knot belongs to Marys cousin, Jutta of Montenegro.

The new tiara  Queen Marys Lovers Knot Tiara  features diamond lovers knot elements framed by pearls. Nineteen pear-shaped pearls are fixed in an upright position at the top of the tiara; nineteen more are suspended from the lovers knots. The tiaras frame is made of silver and gold. The piece was made by E. Wolff and Co. on commission from Garrard.

1926: Queen Mary is photographed in the tiara by W.D. Downey.

1932: The tiara is altered so that all of the upright pearls can be detached from the tiara. Eventually, the upright pearls are removed from the tiara completely.

1953: Queen Mary dies, and the Lovers Knot Tiara is bequeathed to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

1953-54: Elizabeth takes the tiara with her on the lengthy Commonwealth Tour, wearing it multiple times in various countries. Above, she wears the tiara with ruby and diamond jewels in Tasmania.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

1955: Elizabeth wears the tiara for a farewell dinner for Winston Churchill at 10 Downing Street.

1958: Elizabeth wears the tiara at the premiere of the film Dunkirk; she pairs it on this occasion with Queen Victorias Golden Jubilee Necklace and Queen Alexandras Wedding Earrings.

1981: Lady Diana Spencer marries Elizabeth IIs eldest son, the Prince of Wales. The Queen presents Diana with several pieces of family jewelry, including the Lovers Knot Tiara, at the time of the wedding. Many have argued that these were gifts, but the Roberts book confirms that these were basically lifetime loans. Above, Diana wears the Lovers Knot Tiara at the State Opening of Parliament in November 1981.

Image: YouTube Screencap

1982: Diana wears the tiara for a banquet held at Hampton Court Palace.

1983: Diana wears the tiara during a visit to New Zealand. She also wore the tiara during a Canadian visit the same year.

1985: Diana wears the tiara with pearl earrings for a dinner at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C.

1986: Diana wears the tiara in Saudi Arabia.

Image: YouTube Screencap

1989: Diana makes a memorable appearance in the tiara in Hong Kong, pairing it with a pearl-encrusted gown and jacket by Catherine Walker.

1991: Diana wears the tiara at an official dinner in Brasilia.

Photo: JON LEVY/AFP/Getty Images

1996: The Prince and Princess of Wales officially divorce. The following year, Diana dies after a car accident in Paris. At some point around this time, the tiara is returned to the vaults at Buckingham Palace.

2012: The tiara is photographed in careful detail for Hugh Robertss book, The Queens Diamonds. The book confirms that the tiara still belongs to the Queen; it also confirms that the pieces correct name is Queen Marys Lovers Knot Tiara.

Image: YouTube Screencap

2015: The Duchess of Cambridge wears the Lovers Knot Tiara in public for the first time at the annual Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace.

Photo: Dominic Lipinski-WPA Pool/Getty Images

2016: The Duchess of Cambridge wears the tiara for a second time in public, again at the annual Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace.
Practicing journalism in the Age of Trump can be a risky business.

For instance, Brian Stelter, CNNs lead media correspondent and the host of the cable outlets Reliable Sources program, opened his inbox Monday night and discovered the following email (rendered here in all its illiterate glory):

Stelter,

you are one nutty jerk. Still bitching that your favor candidate loose? Good. I am sick of you and your ilk who pretend to be a journalists. Your background says it all including your job at the Times. You are a worthless, sneaky and dangerous jew with an agenda. Go and fk yourself !!!!!!!!!!

Trump 20162020

Were in an incredibly hostile period toward the press, theres no way around it, said Stelter, who covered the media business for The New York Times before joining CNN three years ago. Im not the only target; other journalists are getting worse messages. One of my rolesand I dont want to sound arrogant about thisis that media reporters right now need to cover threats against journalism.

Showcasing emails like the example abovewhich Stelter posted on Twitter shortly after receiving itis one way I can do that, he told The Daily Beast.

But the concern over ominous nastygrams from enraged Trumpkins is of more than just professional interest for Stelter and NY1 traffic reporter Jamie Shupak Stelter, his wife of two and a half years, who recently announced that theyre expecting a child.

To be completely honest, CNN will tell me that security is something I cant talk about, Brian Stelter said. Im not in a Megyn Kelly situationa reference to the Fox News anchors harrowing year of death threats, stalkers, and armed bodyguards, stoked by Donald Trumps angry tweets after she crossed swords with the Republican candidate-turned-president-elect during the first primary debate in August 2015but my wife and I have had conversations about the hate mail. And I also cant reply to these people, By the way, Im not Jewish. Stelter was raised Methodist. Thats not a sufficient response.

He added: This is just one of a dozen ways that journalism is under threat right now. I think there are consequences to Trumps words, and to words spoken by other politicians. I dont think we should avoid talking about that. A big part of the country has opted out of journalism and opted in to an alternate reality.

Stelter has spent months on the air and in print calling out the now president-elect for his attempts to delegitimize journalism, an institution that holds public officials accountable and plays a central role in a healthy democracy, and just plain lies.

He has repeatedly noted that Trump, in historic contrast to his modern predecessors, hasnt held a press conference since July 27.

Although President Obamas White House has obstinately blocked journalists from obtaining information, surveilled reporters, and aggressively prosecuted whistleblowerswhile claiming erroneously to be the most transparent administration in historyat least the president doesnt call journalists disgusting human beings, the lowest form of life, and scum.

Obama has said the right things about the Fourth Estate and signaled respect for the purpose of the Fourth Estate, Stelter said. Donald Trump doesnt say he respects the Fourth Estate. He very much says the opposite.

Indeed, Stetler added, Donald Trump ran an extreme anti-media campaign based on falsehoods, and if we dont explain that, and if we dont show that, then it goes unacknowledged and uncorrected.

Yet he defends the disproportionate coverage Trump received not only on CNN (for which CNN President Jeff Zucker was roundly criticized by rival campaign operatives during a panel discussion two weeks ago at Harvard) but on television news outlets everywhere.

Trump was the best story, and the biggest journalism bias is toward a good story, Stelter said. Don Hewitt [the late founding producer of 60 Minutes] said, Tell me a story. I dont think theres a way around that.

Stelterwho boasts 416,000 followers on Twitter (having posted a flabbergasting 123,000 tweets since April 2008) and a massive online footprinttypically toils from early morning to late at night, appearing more than 20 times during the week on CNN and its sister outlets, CNN International and HLN, to discuss developments in the media world. Six nights a weekfrequently after midnightStelter and his team mass-email a widely read newsletter rounding up a dozen or more significant media stories of the day.

No wonder Stelters mentor and father figure, the late media columnist David Carr, joked in the documentary Page One that his young protege was a robot assembled in the basement of The New York Times to come and destroy me.

At the tender age of 31, Stelter is a frighteningly precocious workaholic who, as a teenage undergrad at Towson University in suburban Baltimore, launched TVNewser, an influential blog about the television news biz, and was hired by the Times straight out of college (mere months after the paper published an admiring profile of the tyro phenom).

More than a decade ago, before Brian Williams became the subject of Stelters relentless scandal coverage, the then-NBC Nightly News anchor pronounced TVNewser the closest thing to the Bible of whats going on in our industryadding, however, that its a little disconcerting knowing that the main pulse of your industry is being taken by someone who cannot legally take a drink.

As Stelter revealed on the air last August, it was during his TVNewser phase that Fox News, then run by disgraced former chairman Roger Ailes, dispatched a low-level female staffer to conduct a datespionage operation on the college kid, teasing out Stelters views on Fox and its cable competitors over supposedly romantic dinners, and then reporting back to headquarters in New York.

Who cares? That was so long ago, Stelter said about the episode. I appreciated that Fox News PR [which was under different leadership at the time of the incident] acknowledged what happened.

Stelter, who in the past has referred to Fox News as a political operation, continues to describe it as a pro-Trump network.

Im not complaining about that. Im just stating it, Stelter said, adding that the No. 1 cable news network is a lot of things. Theyre on a ratings roll, and theyre going to be on a ratings roll for a long time Fox is going to be a great story. How Fox hosts support Trump is going to be a great story. They clearly have not missed a beat in the post-election period, especially since Ailes was forced out in July by Rupert Murdoch and his sons, Lachlan and James.

Stelter has also tangled repeatedlyon his Sunday show and on Twitterwith Fox Newss 10 p.m. anchor, Sean Hannity, Trumps favorite interviewer who appeared in a Trump campaign video in September and regularly referred to the CNN host as a little pipsqueak and an idiot pipsqueak after Stelter roasted him for spreading baseless conspiracy theories about Hillary Clintons health and allowing Trump to claim without challenge that Democrats were planning to rig the election.

Look, Im covering Hannity in a reportorial way, Stelter said. Hes a great broadcaster. But hes peddled misinformation, and media reporters should point that out.

A Fox News spokesperson declined to comment.

Stelter also rejected the critique, advanced by MSNBCs Joe Scarborough among others, that CNNs team of five media reportersof which Stelter is by far the most prominenttend to pull no punches in their coverage of competitors, especially MSNBC, but soft-pedal criticisms of CNN and its boss, Jeff Zucker.

Im thinking back to the best example from this yearthe day Corey Lewandowski was hired, Stelter said, referring to the sacked Trump campaign manager, a frequent adversary and occasional manhandler of reporters who Zucker recruited in June to be an on-air pro-Trump pundit. When he was hired, there was no moment when we asked ourselves, Should we write about this? What are we going to write? I just started writing.

While the Lewandowski hire was greeted dubiously by some CNN staffers and severely criticized by numerous media outlets at the timea fact mentioned in Stelters story, which also cited questions about whether the ex-managers nondisclosure agreement with and loyalty to Trump would prevent him from being forthcomingthe story also described the hire as coup for CNN executives and concluded hopefully: Adding Lewandowski is another way to ensure ideological diversity on the air. His perspective might be uniquely valuable given that he was Trumps right-hand man up until this week.

Stelter said that as he was joining CNN, he considered whether it would be awkward to cover his own network, a central player in the media ecosystem. And it hasnt been awkward, he said. Viewers can tell when youve got autonomy in a story.

Stelter added that he recently conducted an autopsy on myself, reading back through transcripts of his Sunday show. I came away with a few regrets, but overall a lot of satisfaction and a lot of pride about how we covered candidates. I did not spend enough time covering Bernie Sanders. There were a couple of guests I wish I had on.

Yet some of Stelters and the CNN media teams coverage, in written stories and on the air, have clearly struck a nerve with competitors. A rival network even conducted what purported to be a statistical internal audit of 1,279 articles posted online by Stelter and his CNN colleagues in the period from Jan. 8, 2015, through Sept. 11, 2016designating each article as positive, negative, or neutral, although the criteria for such categories are not immediately clear.

The CNN competitor shared the audit with The Daily Beast on condition of not being specifically identified. During the period from June 2015 through September of this yearafter headlines about defrocked Nightly News anchor Brian Williams had receded553 stories were categorized, and the CNN media teams articles about the broadcast news operations of ABC, CBS, and NBC were deemed overwhelmingly positive or neutral (88 percent for ABC, 87 percent for CBS, and 80 percent for NBC).

But it was an entirely different result for the cable news networks. Stories about Fox News were categorized as 59 percent negative (with 29 percent neutral and 12 percent positive), while stories about MSNBC were deemed 72 percent negative (with 21 percent neutral and 7 percent positive).

On the other hand, writing about their own network, according to the audit, the CNN team produced articles deemed 45 percent positive (with 52 percent neutral and only 3 percent negative).

Stelter declined to comment on the audit, but a source at CNN emailed The Daily Beast: Sentiment is clearly subjective so an anonymous audit by a competitor doesnt mean much. However, in the spirit of this silly exercise, Ill rate the source of your report as having 100 percent too much time on their hands.

They do a decent job on general media stories, but when it comes to covering absolutely anything related to CNN or the competition, theyre like state-owned media, said a person who provided a quote on condition of being described only as a source at a rival network. You can hear Comrade Zucker in every breath. Kill Fox News. Kill NBC. Be the bugle-boy for CNN ratings. It destroys credibility and is really embarrassing for a news organization.

On being read the quote, Stelter chuckled and said, You should have them call me.

While the viewership for Reliable Sources has never been better since former host Howard Kurtz, a former staffer at The Daily Beast, left to start a rival 11 a.m. Sunday program on Fox News, it still trails Kurtzs Media Buzz in both raw ratings and the all-important 25-54 demographic that advertisers covet.

But Stelter insists that the ratings competition doesnt drive his coverage choices.

The cable news war seems so petty to me right now, Stelter said. Were living through one of the most interesting times of our lifetime.
In the final days of the presidential campaign, a pro-Trump super PAC may have taken illegal contributions from a private prison company that stood to profit handsomely off a Trump win.

Thats the argument that the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan campaign watchdog group, is making about contributions that a subsidiary of the GEO Group private prison company made to the Rebuilding America Now super PAC. Federal Election Commission filings released last week showed the group took $125,000 from the company on Nov. 1 of this year.

It is illegal for federal contractors to make campaign contributions, both to campaigns themselves and to outside super PACs. GEO Group, one of Americas largest prison companies, contracts with the federal government to house prisoners, as well as state governments and governments in Australia, the U.K., and South Africa, according to their annual filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Their business would have suffered if Hillary Clinton had become president; she promised on the stump that she would end government contracts with companies like GEO, while Trump praised the privatization of the prison industry. GEO was one of the companies to see the biggest stock-price jump after Trump won the presidency on Nov. 8.

So its understandable that in people affiliated with the company would have wanted to help Trump.

GEO Group defends the contributions to Rebuilding America Now, arguing they were made through a company subsidiary that doesnt contract with the federal government.

The donation was fully compliant with all applicable federal election laws; although GEO Corrections Holdings Inc., the company that made the donation, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the GEO Group, it is a non-contracting legal entity and has no contracts with any governmental agency, said GEO spokesperson Pablo Paez in a statement to The Daily Beast.

The Campaign Legal Center doesnt buy it. Brendan Fischer, associate counsel for the group, argues that GEO Correction Holdings, Inc. actually does contract with the federal government. He points to a filing the subsidiary made with the National Labor Relations Board in 2013 as evidence of this. That filing, from a case closed on Dec. 3, 2013, names GEO Corrections Holdings Inc. as the employer, and refers to it throughout as GEO.

GEO is a large operator of prisons and other correctional facilities, the brief says, adding that it has contracts with several state and federal agencies including the Bureau of Prisons and Department of Homeland Security.

At issue in that suit was the contract for the D. Ray James Detention Facility in Georgia. On Sept. 30 of this year, GEO Group announced that the federal government extended its contract with the company for operating that particular prison.

Also, USASpending.gov, the site that lists federal government contracts, has a page showing that Geo Corrections Holdings Inc. received a $266,666 grant from the federal government on Feb. 1, 2015.

GEO told The Daily Beast that the NLRB filing was an error.

The D. Ray James facilitys federal contract has never been with GEO Corrections Holdings; nor have any of our contracts, said Paez in a statement.

That statement described GEO Corrections Holdings this way: The entity houses all of our administrative functions and as a holding company it has no operations. GEO Corrections Holdings employs all of our corporate employees. GEO Corrections Holdings does not employ any of our facility employees.

The Campaign Legal Center argues that this is a distinction without a difference, and that the federal contractor ban should apply to the companys subsidiary.

GEO Corrections Holdings Inc. and its parent company are indistinguishable, Fischer said.

Well see if the Federal Election Commission agrees.
There is no question of guilt. Dylann Roof is not fighting for his freedom, but for the very thing he denied nine innocents in the basement of a historically black church in Charleston, South Carolinalife.

Our justice system affords many things, among them a taxpayer sponsored trying of evidence and weighing of consequences by a judge or a jury of our peers. Denied a bench trial, Roof faces 33 counts related to the shootings of nine black parishioners. Prosecutors say he wanted to start a race war.

In capital murder cases, such as the one now underway for a domestic terrorist who legally purchased a 45-caliber Glock, multiple high-capacity magazines, and a cache of cheap ammunition, jurors must not only assess his culpability in the massacre, to which he has formally pleaded not guilty, but then decide whether the 22-year-old mass murderers brief life is worth sparing.

Should jurors decide to render a death sentence, it may well be years before an execution is carried out by the state of South Carolina. Roof will almost certainly be the beneficiary of a system constructed to afford him every chance to delay his last breath. And, at least some of that support will come from some of the people most devastated by his monstrous plotthe victims families.

Ethel Lance was among those he killed. But her daughter, Sharon Risherwho also lost two cousins in the carnagedoes not believe Roof should die. Risher is a chaplain. However, she has not forgiven the then-21-year-old white supremacist who slaughtered members of her family. Even so, Risher, who in the year since her mothers murder has become an anti-gun activist, does not support capital punishmentnot for Roof, not for anyone.

God is the only being who decides our fate, she wrote in an opinion column for Vox.com.

She is not alone. And, the difference is spelled out in black and white. A recent poll found that 65 percent of African Americans in South Carolina want Roofs life to be spared. By comparison, nearly the same number of white people in the state believe he should be executed for his crimes. Support for capital punishmentamong black people, writ largehas fallen through the years. Whether because of our own distrust for a government that disproportionately imprisons African Americanswho currently represent more than half of those who await executionor because of religious traditions, as a people we have turned away from an eye for an eye.

Retribution, many will tell you, is not justice.

Broadly, 6 in 10 Americans support capital punishment for the most heinous crimesup nearly 20 percentage points since the 1960s. Black people, according to Gallup, are the least likely to condemn a convicted murderer to death.

Government cant be trusted to control its own bureaucrats or collect taxes equitably or fill a pothole, much less decide which of its citizens to kill, wrote Sister Helen Prejean, one of the foremost anti-death penalty activists, in her book Dead Man Walking.

Of the full jury panel, 12 are white, five black, and one person identifies as other. Alternates will not be chosen until the guilt phase of the trial has concluded, but whichever 12 must decide, each of them has been death certified, meaning that they do not profess a conscientious objection to the death penalty (any prospective juror who objected would have been dismissed for cause).

By now, the jurors in the Roof case have heard his chilling confession to police, passages from his personal journal, and the now infamous manifesto he posted online. They have heard the callous words, the cruel and vicious stereotypes spewed by a young man seemingly incapable of reasoned thought. The prosecution, through eyewitness testimony and direct evidence collected by multiple law enforcement agencies, has begun the work of retracing his stepswhere he went, what he brought, what he wrotein an attempt to demonstrate that the crimes were premeditated. According to testimony, Roof even switched off the GPS device on his car to avoid detection while his carried out the mass shooting.

No act of passion, there were many instances when Roof could have turned back, moments when he could have decided that lifetheirs and his ownis valuable, in its own right and for its own sake. Instead, as the prosecution case wears on, we have begun to witness the depth of his depravity and the maliciousness with which he stole innocent lives. Roof, as illustrated in pages of his journal and in the horrific crime scene photographs, may be among the least worthy of our collective mercy.

Before entering Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on the evening on June 17, 2015, at the start of a prayer service, there had been a handwritten list of potential targetsall predominantly black churches. Among them were Central Baptist, Morris Brown AME, Calvary Episcopal, and Ebenezer AME. He wanted to kill them. For good measure, Roof purchased a laser sight device to ensure accuracy.

Also in his car was a mention of Denmark Vesey, a slave and founder of Emanuel AME. It was Veseys failed rebellion in 1822 that led to his public hanging. The church, set upon by angry white mobs, was burned to ashes and its congregants were driven underground. Mother Emanuel rose again. However, ironically, there may be a second execution in its name and the goodness for which it stands.

Vesey, a skilled carpenter who won a city lottery and used a portion of the proceeds to purchasefor $600his freedom when he was 32, waged his fight on behalf of humanity. No decent, Christ-loving, liberty-seeking people, he believed, should be able to feed and sustain itself on the horrors of slavery. He died, pressing society to its best and highest good.

By contrast, Roof conducted a frontal assault on humanity. Targeting a race of people, cowardly entering a church where he knew no one would be armed and able to defend themselves, Roof attempted to sound a clarion call that he hoped others might hear and heed. If there is a standard at all for the state putting someone to death, Roof met and exceeded it.

But Risher, Prejean, and others who want to see capital punishment abolished are challenging us to rethink that standard. Together, they are challenging us to do a hard thing in the midst of the most impossible circumstances. When our hearts are broken, our faith in humanity shaken, they are asking us to look upon the malevolent and spare its heartbeat. In so many ways, they are asking us to avenge the death of Vesey by sparing the life of a man who would have been an eager participant in his murder. Roof spent less money on a gun and ammunition than it took Vesey to buy his freedom.

Yall are raping our white women, Roof told Tywanza Sanders before killing him. Yall are taking over the world.

We know that because Roof intentionally left a woman named Polly Shepard alive so that she could tell his story. The jurys decisionwhether to sentence him to life in prison or send him to death rowwill tell ours.
Mark Tuesday, Dec. 13 as the day Green went black. Not only did Green Party nominee Jill Steins three-state presidential recount end with a whimper, President-elect Donald Trump named former Texas governor Rick Perry to head the Department of Energy, one of the three federal departments he promised to eliminate during his own White House run in 2012.

Along with Trumps picks of Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of State and Scott Pruitt to top the EPA, the Perry pick completed Trumps transfer of American environmental stewardship from Barack Obama to three of the countrys most prominent fossil fuel aficionados.

If the Stein recount and Trumps choice of Perry seem unrelated, theyre not for Democrats, many of whom complain that had Jill Stein and Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson not gobbled up votes in crucial swing states, Hillary Clinton would be naming her own cabinet picks right now. Instead, theyre bracing for a White House run by a climate change denier and a federal government run by professional polluters.

I think Donald Trumps appointments are nothing short of a horror show, Stein told The Daily Beast, when asked about Perry, Tillerson, and Pruitt. Donald Trump is appointing, not only to the the EPA, the Department of Energy, but to non-environmental agencies as well, people whose purpose and whose track records is in flagrant violation of the missions of the agencies to which he is appointing them.

Stein said she and the Green Party remain committed to environmental justice and pointed out that she was the only presidential candidate to visit the Standing Rock site in North Dakota, which is a microcosm of our larger national and and global fight for environmental justice, for climate justice, and for our democratic right to protest.

But, like Gary Johnson and the Libertarian Party, Stein takes no responsibility for getting Donald Trump elected president just because her name was on the ballot.

Its very clear from exit polls that there were very few Greens, 61 percent, that would have come out to vote if they didnt have a Green candidate to vote for, she said. Of the remainder of those, over one-third would have voted for Donald Trump. Its not supported by the numbers that the Greens would have made the margin of difference, not for a single electoral vote.

Stein spoke to reporters Tuesday, the deadline for all states to certify their election results before the Electoral College meets later in the month. Although she requested statewide recounts in three states with some of Trumps smallest victories, a Pennsylvania judge denied Steins request for a recount, while the Michigan Supreme Court intervened to stop the statewide recount there. Only Wisconsin approved and conducted a statewide recount, where Steins $3.5 million effort resulted only in 131 more votes going to Donald Trump.

But Green Party activists in those states say they stand behind Steins candidacy and recount efforts, even as Trump populates his cabinet with millionaires, billionaires, Wall Street veterans, and energy executives.

Its a deplorable and despicable cabinet and as far as climate change, said Carl Romanelli, a longtime Green Party activist in Pennsylvania. But sadly thats the policy we would have been faced with under Clinton, too. Were hopeful that the left will organize around a Trump presidency, instead of being silent as they were for eight years of President Obama expanding fracking and nuclear energy.

Romanelli said he has no regrets at all about Steins candidacy or her recount efforts, which he said were designed to expose the flaws in American election law, which he called state-sponsored Jim Crow.

I do believe that among the dissent, theres that feeling that we are somehow carrying water for the Democratic Party. We are not, he said. Its a fundamental constitutional guarantee that every American has for an election thats administered with integrity and a vote thats verifiable and provable, and we cannot say that in Pennsylvania.

In Michigan, another state where the courts shut down Steins recount efforts, veteran activist Eric Borregard said he sees the Green Partys role in 2016 as a success.

Weve known for many, many years that our states campaign was corrupt. They could never get the same results twice. If you cant get it twice, you cant get it once. This is nothing new to us, but making it known to more people, getting that word out that your campaign system is corrupt, in that sense I think it was a successful campaign for her.

He called the recent focus in the press on potential Russian hacking a distraction.

You dont have to go to Russia to find out whos hacking our elections, he said. You can go to the county clerks in Michigan and pretty much every one of them is incapable of holding a fair election.

Even in Wisconsin, where the statewide recount actually ended up giving Trump 131 more votes than he started with, Wisconsin Green Party co-chairman George Martin said the recount achieved what was intended.

They say it wasnt much of a change in terms of votes. But we said from the beginning, were not doing this for the benefit of one candidate over another, Martin said. We said were doing this to take a really good look at our voting system. It wasnt about the number of votes, its about how it worked.

Like Stein and activists in other swing states, Martin dismissed criticism of the Greens as Clintons spoilers or Trumps unwitting enablers. Democracy is not a spectator sport, he said. We know we were doing the right thing.
Amber Heard has been a vocal activist for women in abusive relationships since splitting with Johnny Depp, whom she alleged physically abused her, but the series of statements she has made on the issue have put the $6.8 million divorce settlement she hammered out with the actor in jeopardy, according to reports.

There has been much speculation in recent weeks that Heards public comments about domestic abuse, in which she repeatedly refers to herself as a victim, could put the deal with Depp in peril, as, despite not identifying Depp by name in her remarks, there is little doubt as to whom she is referring.

And now, according to a filing by Heard seeking to expedite the payment, Depp is indeed refusing to pay the money, with Heard alleging that Depp is claiming breaches of their confidentiality agreement, according to documents seen by the Daily Mail.

Heard has in recent months referred to her personal experience of domestic violence when writing for fashion magazine Porter and while recording a public service announcement on domestic abuse for the GirlGaze Project.

In the clip for GirlGaze, Heard says of domestic abuse, As a woman having gone through this in the public stage, in the public arena that I did it, I have a unique opportunity to remind other women this doesnt have to be the way it is, you dont have to do it alone, youre not alone. We can change this.

Heard has promised to divide the money she was promised in the divorce settlement in its entirety between the American Civil Liberties Union and the Children's Hospital Los Angeles, but Depp is stalling on making payments.

Legal paperwork obtained by the Daily Mail reveals that Heards team is hitting back with a formal Request for Order (RFO) to try to force Depp to pay up.

But Depp is, according to the paperwork, arguing that Heard has broken the terms of the settlement.

The RFO states that a payment due Nov. 1 was not made, and, Heard says, I understand Johnnys excuse for this default is alleged breaches by me.

In her declaration attached to the filing, Heard also attacks Depp for leaking stories about the divorce settlement, claiming shes a gold-digger and bragging that she had settled for less than a previously reported sum.

In late May, Heard filed for divorce from her movie-star husband of 18 months, citing irreconcilable differences. Shortly after the news went public, People magazine published photos of a bruised Heardinjuries she claimed were a result of Depps physical abuse. An alarming video of Depp fighting with Heard was also leaked to the press, with Depps team arguing that the footage was heavily edited.

In court documents, Heard alleged: I endured excessive emotional, verbal, and physical abuse from Johnny, which has included angry, hostile, humiliating, and threatening assaults to me whenever I questioned his authority or disagreed with him.

Depps representatives, meanwhile, issued the following statement about the abuse allegations: Given the brevity of this marriage and the most recent and tragic loss of his mother, Johnny will not respond to any of the salacious false stories, gossip, misinformation, and lies about his personal life.
If retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn were a rank-and-file intelligence analyst, military officer or congressional aide, his career would be in smoldering ruins. But instead, hes getting a big-league promotion.

President-elect Donald Trumps incoming White House national security adviser is on the hot seat once again after The Washington Post reported Wednesday on a secret military investigation that concluded that Flynn inappropriately shared classified information with foreign military officers but did not act knowingly and did no damage to national security.

The report also disclosed that Flynn mentioned sensitive information to Pakistan about secret U.S. intelligence capabilities being used to monitor the Haqqani network, an insurgent group responsible for repeated attacks on American forces in Afghanistan. (Some Pakistani intelligence officials have been accused of actively aiding the network.)

But these are just two of the security breaches that Flynn has been involved with. In fact, his career has involved multiple violations of rules intended to protect national securityexposing both his own hypocrisy and the double standards of a system which overlooks security breaches for high-ranking officials while punishing everyday workers.

Susan Hennessey, a former National Security Agency lawyer who specialized in cybersecurity, told The Daily Beast that Flynns career shows a pattern of egregious, unjustified security breaches during his career, for which he was never apparently held accountable. Pairing that with his rhetoric on the campaign trail about Hillary Clintons email server leading chants of lock her up' is of such rank hypocrisy its hard to even put it into words. His behavior is by an exponential degree more severe.

For example, Flynn continued to run a company that was lobbying on behalf of foreign clients, even as he received classified intelligence briefings during the presidential campaign. Its an action that could have left him susceptible to foreign influence as he was being provided secret information.

Once he was receiving classified information again, by not cutting off ties to his company or disclosing these ties in the first place, he was exposing himself impermissible levels of foreign influence and raising doubts about his candor and trustworthiness, said Bradley Moss, an attorney who specializes in national security law.

In another incident, Flynn had technicians install an internet connection in his office at the Department of Defense, even though this was prohibited.

Ive never seen a more egregious or consequential security violation short of actual espionage, Hennessey said.

Throughout the presidential campaign, Flynns campaign-trail rhetoric emphasized that Hillary Clinton, Trumps Democratic rival, should face criminal consequences for her use of a private email server while Secretary of State.

Lock her up. Lock her up, Flynn cheered as the crowds chanted at the Republican National Convention this past July. Damn right; exactly right. Theres nothing wrong with that.

But among those who worked for Clinton, there is a sense of irony that one of their main antagonists is now the subject of news reporting alleging his involvement in numerous security violations.

The depressing part about this is how unsurprising it is There is literally nothing [Trump] lashed out at us for that he and his team didnt do, actually, a thousand times over, a senior Clinton aide told The Daily Beast.

Quipped another, we can only assume he will be leading lock ME up chants at the president-elects next rally.

Indeed, many national security experts view Flynns actionswhich include sharing sensitive information with foreign officialsas orders of magnitude worse than Clintons choice to use unsecure email.

Flynns issues are arguably more egregiousI dont think there was anything that showed she was sharing [classified information]. It just seems that the issues that they were [criticizing] Hillary for did not involve sharing information with foreign governments, said national security lawyer John Berry. I dont understand how he could have acted unknowingly.

His behavior is by an exponential degree more severe, added Hennessey.

In the world of national security and secret information, Flynns actions are even more outrageous than they may appear to the public. Something as seemingly trivial as numerous traffic tickets can cause a problem for an individuals security clearance because it shows a propensity for not following the law.

The hypocrisy is heightened by Flynns own claims that if he were in Clintons situation, he would have received greater punishment and scrutiny.

If I, a guy who knows this businessif I did a tenth of what she did, Id be in jail today, Flynn said at the GOP convention.

But Flynn himself is a case study in avoiding punishment for security breaches. After the secret military investigation that concluded he inappropriately shared information with foreign officials, he was promotedand now that Donald Trump is about to be president of the United States, hell be promoted once again, this time to one of the most consequential national security positions in the country and world.

At the same time Flynn was getting slapped on the wrist for [sharing sensitive information to foreign officials], I was representing an official at the Defense Department who was facing a loss of clearance facing a similar situation, said Moss. My client, a more rank and file member, has to spend thousands of dollars and threatened with the loss of his job and reputation. Its nice to be king.
Jared Kushner may be the millionaire son-in-law of an alleged billionaire (and new president-elect), but an $1,200 unpaid bill on one of his Manhattan apartment buildings threatened to leave tenants in the dark.

Kushner, a real-estate developer, apparently skipped payments on an electricity bill and a security deposit on a series of apartment buildings in Manhattans East Village. Tenants at 329-335 East 9th Street learned of the missing bills when power company Con Edison posted turn-off service notices on the buildings front doors, neighborhood blog EV Grieve first reported. According to the notices, ConEd has been mailing the bills to Kushners management company. But apparently the soon-to-be First Son-in-Laws firm forgot to pay.

We regret to notify you that because KUSHNER VILLAGE 329 has not paid past due bills for $700.47 and a $525.00 security deposit we will have to turn off service unless we receive payment by January 4, 2017, the public letter from ConEd creditors to Kushners real-estate firm Westminster Management reads.

A $1,225 fee is peanuts to Kushner, whose estimated net worth has been cited in the hundreds of millions and who, in 2007 famously paid $1.8 billion for a midtown office building (a deal he later had to restructure, after it became apparent that hed overpaid).

The letter, spotted on doors this weekend, was dated December 5, days before freezing temperatures were expected to hit the city.

A Westminster Management spokesperson told The Daily Beast that the bills were paid on December 12, the same day EV Grieve publicized the week-old service warning. The spokesperson said the company was transitioning to a new payment method, which might have caused them to miss some bills. A representative for ConEd confirmed to The Daily Beast on Tuesday that the building was no longer being threatened with a power cut.

ConEd also stressed that, as long as tenants had been more diligent than Kushner with their electricity bills, their individual apartments would not lose power. Only the common spaces, like halls, stairwells, and lobbies, would go dark and cold.

But Kushners presence in the East Village has long been a controversial one. The second-largest landowner in the neighborhood, Kushner has been accused of purchasing his buildings at discount rates from companies that buy low-rent buildings and bully out long-time tenants. These companies allegedly evicted rent-stabilized tenants or harassed tenants with unwanted construction, including [changing] the front-door lock code during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 without informing tenants, a former tenant told Gothamist.

This tenant turnover cleared the way for Kusher to purchase the buildings and rent them for luxury rates as the East Village gentrified and property values soared.

Yet even at new, marked-up rents, Kushners buildings still attract their share of complaints.

Within the past year at the block of buildings where ConEd threatened to cut power, multiple tenants have contacted the city to complain of range of issues, including lead, a growing damp spot on a ceiling and wall, and a hole in a kitchen floor, public records show.

These complaints pale in the face of other recent complaints at Kushners East Village properties. Tenants at nearby 118 East Fourth Street took Kushners company to Housing Court in March after they allegedly went nearly five months with only sporadic power. The tenants also alleged dangerous conditions, including collapsed ceilings, rats, questionable wiring, and growing mounds of trash.

Woke up this morning to 7 degrees, its now 14 degrees outside, and no heat at 118 East St, one wrote in February on Occupy East 4th Street, a blog dedicated to publicizing the buildings grievances. The writer suggested that the lack of heat was targeting rent-stabilized tenants, a tactic sometimes used to drive those tenants from building and increase rents in their absence. Through some communications with the other tenants, it seems the heat is on in one line of the building. That line contains the market rate tenants.

Local politicians have also suggested that Kushner made buildings unwelcoming in order to drive out unwanted tenants. At a block of Kushner-owned apartments on nearby East Second Street, New York City officials held a 2014 event to denounce the poor and unsustainable living conditions including perceived harassment by the landlord and his agents."

Jared Kushner has owned the buildings for about 8 months, officials said in a press release detailing inhospitable conditions including gas shutoff. Over the period of Kushners ownership of the buildings, there has been a 70 percent turnover rate.

Kushner is already a member of his father-in-laws presidential transition team. Trump has indicated that he would like Kushner to remain involved in either his business or political efforts, reportedly requesting top-secret security clearance for the real-estate agent.

I would love to be able to have them involved, Trump said during a Sunday interview when asked whether he would include his daughter and Kushner in his administration, adding that Kushner is a very talented guy.

Trump has also suggested that Kushner might work for the administration in the Middle East, brokering peace between Israel and Palestine. Kushner might want to broker peace with his tenants first.
At a 1987 meeting of anti-abortion leaders, President Ronald Reagan called for his surgeon general, C. Everett Koop, to prepare a report on the medical and psychological effects of abortion on women. Though Koop was an ardent and vocal foe of abortion, he responded to the assignment he later described as the final bone that [Reagan] threw to the pro-life people dispassionately, with a determination that the current science was flawed and a call for better research.

The scientific studies do not provide conclusive data, Koop wrote. A study that would be above criticism, Koop said, would be one that included the psychological effects of pregnancy, whether carried to delivery, miscarried, or terminated by abortion. It would take a great deal of time, and millions of dollars.

Nearly 30 years later, researchers say theyve completed the task.

For the last five years, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have followed nearly 1,000 women in 21 states who sought abortions. Women were broken up into two subgroups: those who received abortions, and those who were turned away because they were beyond the states legal gestational limit. The women who were turned away were further split into women who ultimately miscarried or accessed abortion through other means, and women who carried their pregnancies to term. Every six months, interviewers surveyed the women to assess their mental health.

We find that abortion does not adversely affect women's mental health over five years, M. Antonia Biggs, a social psychologist at UCSF and the lead author of the new report published in JAMA Psychiatry, told The Daily Beast. But denying women an abortion has negative effects to their mental health and well-being in the the short term.

According to Biggss teams research, women who have abortions are at no risk of developing depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem related to it. However, those who were denied the procedure experienced increased anxiety and lower self-esteem immediately after being turned away.

While some have argued that while we might expect a surge in mental-health problems following an abortion, we actually do not find that. We actually find a general improvement in womens mental health and well-being over time. And we believe the study provides the best evidence to date, she said.

The women who were turned away and ultimately did not give birth reported the most anxiety, and lowest self-esteem and life satisfaction one week after being denied an abortion. In their findings, the researchers posited that the initial distress was possibly a result of being turned away while the reasons for seeking an abortionfinancial stress, partner issues, existing children, among themremained. Moreover, the women who were turned away were faced with an additional challenge: traveling to another facility, perhaps in a different state, and raising additional money to do so.

At the first interview, many of these women reported that they were still trying to access abortion services, the researchers reported.

But by six months to a year, both groups mental health and well-being reports had convergedmeaning there seems to be no long-term psychological effects of abortion or abortion denial on women.

Which was a surprise, Biggs said. We might have expected more long-term effects, and I think this speaks to how resilient women are and how they manage to cope with their circumstances.

The results add to an existing body of scientific research that finds no increased risk of mental-health problems following an abortion. And the greater findingthat being denied an abortion may be more detrimental to womens mental health than allowing women to obtain their wanted procedurescould be problematic for red states that have in recent years passed laws mandating women seeking an abortion be counseled on the procedures harmful psychological effects. These laws rely on the kind of junk science that Surgeon General Koop decried decades ago.

Nine statesKansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginiamandate women receive counseling, stressing rare or scientifically unproven negative emotional responses, before they can access the procedure.

Our research shows they arent based on evidence, Biggs said. I would hope our laws and Supreme Court decisions would be based on the best evidence we have.

In Louisiana, the most recent state to mandate such counseling, women are provided with a pamphlet detailing information on the the emotional side of abortion.

Written by a group that included two anti-abortion lawyers, two anti-abortion counselors, and zero abortion providers, the booklet reads: Some women have reported serious psychological effects after their abortion, including depression, grief, anxiety, lowered self-esteem, regret, suicidal thoughts and behavior, sexual dysfunction, avoidance of emotional attachment, flashbacks and substance abuse. These emotions may appear immediately after an abortion or gradually over a longer period of time.

Counseling, it continues, is very important before an abortion, The pamphlet then directs women to a number of pregnancy crisis centers, staffed with anti-abortion activists whose mission is to talk women out of having the procedure.

Last year while writing about the unscientific information doctors in states with restrictive abortion laws are forced to give their patients, I spoke to Leah Torres, an OB-GYN in Salt Lake City, where counseling on abortions mental and physical health risks is required 72 hours before the procedure can be performed.

No one has to go through state-mandated information for a colonoscopy, Torres told me at the time. No one has to go through state-mandated information for a prostate removal surgery. No one has to go through state-mandated information for breast augmentation. None of these other procedures require a physician to read inaccurate information to their patients. It doesnt happen anywhere else in medicine.

In order to act ethically as a physician, Torres said she has to follow certain sections of state-mandated counseling with This does not exist.

In the face of UCSFs study, state legislators passing such laws in the name of womens health may want to revisit Reagans surgeon generals advice.

I separate ideology, religion and other things from my sworn duty as a health officer in this country, Koop told The New Republic in 1988.
Kanye Wests behavior has been erratic, to say the least.

After unleashing a pro-Donald Trump post-election rant at one of his concerts (I would have voted Trumpif I voted), signing memorabilia with the name Trump, and reportedly assaulting an associate, the hip-hop legend checked in to the UCLA Medical Center for a psychological evaluation. West has apparently been suffering from temporary psychosis due to sleep deprivation and dehydration, and this week he emerged in public with a new blond hairdo (perhaps in honor of Trumps election victory, or the Frank Ocean album Blond?).One of Wests first things on his to-do list was paying a visit to President-elect Trump at his ritzy Trump Tower in New Yorka summit that The Daily Shows Trevor Noah found particularly head-scratching.

Yes, Donald Trump and Kanye had a little meeting today. And look at Kanye Wests hair. The guy was in Trump Tower less than an hour and Trumps people gold-plated his head already? What are they doing! I mean, I guess it could have been worse. Kanye could have come out rocking the full Donald. I would have known he was completely gone, said Noah.

But the meeting must have gone well, because not long agoand this is realKanye tweeted #2024. Meaning now Kanye is not going to run against Trump in 2020, and that also means we may get to see Trump feature in the Bound III music video, joked Noah. This is exciting!

Indeed, West unleashed a series of tweets explaining his much-criticized Trump visit, writing: I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change. I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues. These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago.And then the kicker:

Trumps spokesperson Hope Hicks claimed that it was West whod requested the meeting, but Trumps decision to honor itwhile routinely refusing his daily intelligence briefings, not delivering a press conference since mid-summer, and delaying his announcement about his various business conflicts of interestis puzzling. Perhaps the president-elect wished to deflect media coverage away from recent reports that the CIA concluded Russia hacked the Democratic and Republican campaigns in order to sway the election toward Trump, or widespread criticism of his pick for secretary of State, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who has close ties to Putin (and whose company has hundreds of billions of dollars in drilling deals that have been stifled by U.S. sanctions against Russia).

Noah added, But for me, even better than those two meeting was the news coverage of it, before throwing to a montage of news networks jumping from reports on Trumps chaotic transition and the dire situation in the Middle East to Trumps meeting with Kanye West.

Oh, man! The media is the best, said Noah. It really makes you wonder how America ended up selecting a celebrity president when the media is so focused on the issues.
SPRINGFIELD  Gov. Bruce Rauner did little during a live Facebook video chat Tuesday afternoon to advance the conversation on Illinois budget standoff, even as the Dec. 31 expiration date on the states stopgap spending plan looms ever closer.

As he has several times in recent months, the governor took to social media to answer pre-screened questions in front of what appeared to be a largely supportive virtual audience.

Rauner used the half-hour session to lay the blame for the impasse at the feet of the Democratic leaders of the General Assembly, whom he once again accused of stalling negotiations to create a crisis, (a) meltdown of our human services and our important social service agencies, and then try to force a stopgap plan or a tax hike with no reforms.

That would be a tragic failure and a mistake, Rauner said. They should be here, negotiating a balanced budget with reforms.

Beginning Jan. 1, the state will no longer have spending authority for higher education, social services or most day-to-day government operations.

Since Rauner took office nearly two years ago, the crux of his disagreement with the Democratic leaders, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, has been whether passage of the state budget should be tied to portions of his pro-business, union-weakening turnaround agenda.

While his list of priorities has been pared down over time and various issues have been given precedence at different points, Rauner continues to insist that the Democratic-controlled Legislature approve some of his policy proposals.

Most recently, hes said hell only sign another short-term spending plan if lawmakers approve a permanent freeze for local property taxes and a referendum on amending the Illinois Constitution to create term limits for elected officials.

Rauner and the legislative leaders had been meeting somewhat regularly last month and early this month, but the governor pulled the plug last week after House Democrats declined to present a budget proposal he had requested.

Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said Rauner shouldnt expect such a proposal anytime soon. He noted that its the executive branch that actually spends the states money.

The logic would dictate that the people who are going to spend the money should tell everyone how theyre going to spend it and how much, Brown said.

Cullerton spokesman John Patterson said the Senate president continues to be disappointed that the meetings were called off.

Were hopeful that the governor will come back to the table and we can resume negotiations, Patterson said.

While the leaders arent meeting, groups of rank-and-file lawmakers have resumed discussions on areas of the governors policy agenda, including workers compensation, an issue Rauner addressed on Facebook. Although Republican leaders publicly criticized restarting the so-called working groups, members of both parties and both chambers are participating.

During his Facebook session, Rauner argued that there should be stricter requirements for workers who apply for benefits to prove that they were injured on the job. Democrats have said insurance companies should pass on to customers savings that have been achieved through previous reforms.

State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, is among the group of lawmakers discussing workers comp. The group, which also includes representatives from the governors office, met Friday and is scheduled to gather again this week.

While the two sides remain far apart on the issue, Brady said, lawmakers are attempting to find common ground that can provide some savings for businesses while also protecting injured workers.

Whenever youre talking, I think its productive because youre communicating, he said. Did a lot get solved? No.  Its a very big, complex issue.

But Brady noted that it was negotiation among rank-and-file lawmakers in the spring that led to the current stopgap spending deal.

The rank and file has always been ready for compromise and has tried to present ideas, he said.
They messed with the wrong Wisconsin women.

When alleged gang members targeted their Honda CR-V one October evening, two Milwaukee retirees sprang into action. Now the couple is credited with helping police nab a crew of suspected carjackers.

It was around 6:30 p.m., and Miriam Ben-Shalom and her life partner, Karen Weiss, had just finished a musical matinee. They pulled into Hotel Metro, ready to round out their theater date with a fancy French dinner.

But as they drove to the valet parking stand, they soon learned a band of wanted car thieves was right behind them. Ben-Shalom, 68, told cops she was fetching Weisss walker from the trunk when she spotted the valet attendant on the ground, struggling to push a teenage attacker off him.

So the Army veteran and renowned lesbian activist tackled the alleged thief, 50 years her junior, and pinned him to the pavement.

I stood up and put the toe of my boot in a socially significant place, Ben-Shalom told The Daily Beast. I told him if he tried to move or do anything, he would walk very funny for the rest of his life and pee through a tube.

I have to tell you, I meant every word, she added.

According to WISN, Ben-Shaloms takedown helped cops eventually nab a trio of CT Mob, or Cut Throat Mob, gang members, who are accused of smashing 100 cars in a single night and ransacking an MMA fighters wheels.

They probably thought two little old ladies, one who walks with a walker, (are) easy marks. Guess again, Ben-Shalom told WISN, which first revealed the veterans heroic deed.

Just dont call her a senior citizen.

I think these fools saw Karen with her walker and her cane, Ben-Shalom told The Daily Beast. [But] were not senior citizens. Were not fragile little old ladies.

While Ben-Shalom had the alleged carjacker in a hold, 69-year-old Weiss used her cane to remove his hoodie so she could identify him.

The next thing I knew, this Jeep is pulling up, said Weiss, a retired French teacher for Milwaukee Public Schools.

The black SUV approached the crowd, and a teenager jumped out and waved a handgun. The Jeep Cherokee, prosecutors say, had only been stolen earlier that day and was parked about 20 feet behind Weisss Honda.

According to Ben-Shalom, the teen ordered, Let him go, bitch, or Ill shoot you, while pointing a black semiautomatic at her.

So I realize its probably a real gun, and Im looking at this kid as I put my hands up and back away, Ben-Shalom said. The attempted carjacker then hopped into his getaway car and sped off before police arrived.

Undeterred, Ben-Shalom and Weiss had dinner at the hotel, where front-desk attendants gave them high-fives and cheered, You go, girl. Milwaukee police called to the scene then interviewed the couple of 23 years as they shared cocktails and oysters, according to Ben-Shalom.

On Facebook the next day, the former drill sergeant had a message for the carjackers: Big brave fuckers, to try to jack a car from a disabled person . Lesson: dont jack cars and do not mess with old lady veterans.

The takedown is just Ben-Shaloms latest feat of derring-do.

The former English teacher made history by fighting the militarys ban on gay service members. In 1976, Ben-Shalom was kicked out of the Army for identifying as a lesbian. At the time, she was one of few female drill sergeants, and in 1988, became the first openly gay person to be re-enlisted in the Army by court order.

According to Fox 6, her activism is so meaningful that the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is preserving boxes of her personal records. The Library of Congress also has interviews with the Cold War-era veteran.

Earlier this year, she made headlines when the Milwaukee Pride Parade dropped her as grand marshal for posts on her Facebook page. The parade committee claimed her profile contained transphobic posts over restroom issues.

Ben-Shalom, a self-styled radical feminist, admitted she faced criticism after questioning whether male pretenders could take advantage of transgender restrooms. My fight is ensuring that women are safe from the pretenders who might use the trans issue to get in and hurt somebody, Ben-Shalom told Fox 6.

Now shes in the news again over the attempted carjacking.

Weiss told The Daily Beast she called cops asking for updates, but it wasnt until last week that detectives appeared at the couples home with an array of photos and asked them, separately, to identify the alleged perps.

Their IDs apparently helped Milwaukee County prosecutors, who on Sunday charged three teenagers with a slew of felonies. Authorities say 17-year-olds Junior Moreno and Jesus Lazaro, along with Giovanni Zurfluh, 18, belong to the Cut Throat Mob, which is responsible for car thefts and other crimes across the city.

According to a criminal complaint reviewed by The Daily Beast, the suspects are described as auto thieves who conduct planning and surveillance ahead of boosting vehicles, while also using already stolen vehicles as transport to their targets.

Lazaro allegedly copped to stealing one womans 2012 Kia Optima twice, in September and November, the complaint states.

Meanwhile, members of the CT Mob were caught on surveillance footage breaking into UFC fighter Anthony Showtime Pettiss vehicles on Nov. 30.

The former lightweight champion told police his security cameras caught two suspects pulling the door handle of a brown Cadillac, which was locked and parked in the driveway. The suspects then allegedly snatched items from his unlocked Range Rover. Moreno admitted to riding around Pettiss neighborhood and said Lazaro was the driver, prosecutors allege.

Ben-Shalom brushed off accolades of bravery for standing up to the suspects.

I dont know that Im possessed of any more courage than anybody else, she told The Daily Beast. I was angry. In the back of my head, I thought, How dare this human piece of effluvia steal a car from a disabled woman? It disgusted me.
Donald Trumps election was a humiliation for the Republican foreign policy establishment. And with the nomination of Rex Tillerson, the Exxon Mobil CEO with ties to Vladimir Putin, as secretary of State it appears their nightmare is not over.

Tillersons selection is driving a wedge between members of the Republican Partys national security elite, who never wanted Trump as their nominee in the first place, and are alarmed by the CEOs ties with Putin. And it takes place during a divided time in which lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have called for investigations into malicious Russian interference with the American presidential electionsomething many Republicans disagree on.

There is incredible pressure for Republicans to fall in line rather than to take on the formidable goal of blocking a cabinet nomination. Its a rare occurrence: The Senate last rejected the cabinet appointee of an incoming president in 1989, when it voted against President George H.W. Bushs nomination of John Towers to be secretary of defense.

Still, longtime Republican foreign policy experts said they had reservations about the pick.

This is not a job for amateurs. Mr. Tillerson appears to be an amateur, said Daniel Pipes, a George W. Bush administration appointee and the president of the Middle East Forum. What I do knowespecially his warm ties to Vladimir Putin and his apparent complete lack of knowledge about the intricacies of American foreign policymake me very wary indeed.

Rex Tillersons ties to Russia through the company he led, Exxon Mobil, give one pause, said Dr. Peter Mansoor, who served as an executive officer for Gen. David Petraeus. It is becoming more clear by the day that Russia is playing games with the American political system and is actively working to disrupt U.S. alliances overseas.

Before Tillerson was officially announced Tuesday morning, Republican senators and foreign policy experts began signaling their deep discomfort with the pick.

After the nomination, Sen. Marco Rubio indicated serious concerns about the nomination, while Sen. John McCain said he was worried about Tillersons business ties with Putin, whom he called a butcher, a murderer and a thug, and Sen. Lindsey Graham added that Tillersons opposition to Russian sanctions raise many questions which must be answered.

But there is an expectation that Tillersonthough hell be asked tough questions on Exxon Mobil, his views on sanctions, and how hell conduct Americas relationship with Russiawill ultimately be confirmed unless a new scandal arises or he makes an unforced error.

While I think the moment is ripe on controversy on the Russia questions, if he can go up to the Hill and answer those questions, hes going to be just fine, said Lester Munson, former staff director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which Tillersons nomination will pass through. Hes got a record of accomplishment in the global arena.

Outside of Congress, even some who had steadfastly opposed Trump during the presidential campaign were rallying behind Tillersons nomination. In doing so, they underlined Tillersons business experience as a unique positive. The endorsements of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates also seemed to encourage Republican foreign policy experts, even though Tillerson's Exxon Mobile is a longtime client of the consultancy firm run by Rice and Gates.

It is also the case that one of our finest secretaries of State, George Schultz, came into office having headed a major corporation. So there is precedent for this to work out well, added Peter Feaver, who served on the National Security Council staff at the White House between 2005 and 2007 and had been a Trump critic. I am impressed by the fact that the Republican partys two top experts on Russia, Bob Gates and Condi Rice, both endorsed him.

Oil and gas companies often must drill in nasty environmentsphysically and politically. It is tough work. If Mr. Tillerson is as successful in his new role as he was as an oilman, the country will be better for it, said William Tobey, who worked in nuclear nonproliferation in the George W. Bush administration but had opposed the Trump campaign.

But GOP senators must now either oppose their partys incoming president or look utterly hypocritical for their longstanding opposition to the Russian government, an awkward position that was immediately pounced upon by Sen. Chris Murphy, a rising star in the Democratic Party on foreign policy issues.

For years, Ive listened to my Republican colleagues in the Senate eviscerate President Obama for being too weak on Russia, Murphy said Tuesday. No Republican who has called for a tougher line against Russia should ever be taken seriously again if they vote to put a Putin ally at the top of the State Department.

The GOP has a slim 52-48 margin in the Senate, meaning that just three Republican defections could doom Tillersons cabinet nomination.

It puts Republicans in a really awkward position. You have to ask yourself, as a Republican, do I really want to put a target on my back as someone who is actively working against the administration from day one or do I give it a pass? said Julianne Smith, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. On Russia, of all the issues, there is significant bipartisan concern.
Inside Sources Say Twitter Changes Coming Next Week: Report

AS SOON AS MONDAY

Elon Musk, keen to make changes after his purchase of the platform, is set to change up the way verification works as soon as possible.
Why is it so hard to select a secretary of agriculture for the next administration?

It seems to be a difficult task for President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team, and there is probably good reason.

With a wide number of departments and agencies needing new leaders, there have been numerous candidates coming and going from Trump Tower, either begging and pleading for the nod or declining courteously, saying consideration was an honor.

Many of the cabinet designees have been surprises and created a lot of head scratching. But that has been the hallmark of the Trump campaign over the past 18 months.

Unless there is an announcement between the deadline and printing of this column, the post of U.S. Department of Agriculture secretary is still an enigma, despite a bushel of candidates whose names have been suggested by sources unauthorized to speak about it.

The latest were two Dakota ladies.

South Dakota Rep. Kristi Noem, a Republican, visited Trump Tower earlier this week, ostensibly as a potential cabinet candidate, since Trump Tower is not in her congressional district. Rep. Noem was said to have declined the opportunity, which is of little surprise. She is an announced candidate for South Dakota governor in the 2018 election cycle.

North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, has reportedly risen to the top of the Trump choice list, and remained there for the past 10 days. That signifies interest on the part of both sides, since she didn't quickly quash the speculation.

There is also some collaborative evidence that discussions continue about her candidacy for the post. Since Sen. Heitkamp is a Democrat, her resignation from the Senate would be leave one less Democratic vote, and Senate Republican leaders already have selected a candidate to run in the special election required to fill the vacancy. Although North Dakota Democrats say Heitkamp is not going anywhere, they have a concern that the special election will put another Republican in the Senate.

Why would the Trump administration want Heitkamp to run the USDA? Her voting record reflects rural, conservative philosophies, which helped propel President-elect Trump to the White House. She also voted against the Environmental Protection Agency's relatively new Clean Water Rule, which has been a wrenching challenge for farmers. And she also would provide another female perspective to the cabinet, which many seasoned politicians would endorse.

She wouldn't be the first female secretary. That designation went to Californias Ann Veneman, who presided over the USDA complex at 14th and Independence from 2001 to 2005 as the first agriculture secretary for President George W. Bush.

One of the challenges for finally settling upon someone for secretary could be the makeup of the Trump campaigns agriculture advisory group. The membership came from all quarters of agriculture, in an effort to attract votes and prepare the candidate for issues that may have to be addressed. While many filtered into the transition team, they still reflect a cornucopia of views about agriculture policy, many of which are in conflict.

And whoever is selected will have to relate well to production agriculture, as well as the 50 million consumers who receive food assistance, as well as a growing number of critics of USDA and its large budget. Although the secretary doesn't have a bow to the USDAs opponents, he or she will have to engage them in a dialogue, or suddenly those disparate voices could become a coalition that will wreak havoc on USDAs friends in Congress.

He or she will have to be a good politician, and fill the big shoes being left by outgoing Secretary Tom Vilsack, who has been one of the longest serving and enjoyed the support of all served by the USDA.
BEIRUT (AP)  A cease-fire deal between rebels and the Syrian government in the city of Aleppo effectively collapsed on Wednesday, with fighter jets resuming deadly air raids over the opposition's densely crowded enclave in the east of the city.

The attacks threatened to scuttle plans to evacuate rebels and tens of thousands of civilians out of harm's way, in what would seal the opposition's surrender of the city.

The evacuation was supposed to begin at dawn but shelling resumed in the morning hours and buses meant to be used in the pullout of rebels and civilians returned to their depots empty. Activists and fighters trapped in the opposition's last sliver of territory in Aleppo said pro-government forces had struck their district with dozens of rockets since mid-morning.

They said aircraft resumed bombing shortly after noon. Some shells fell near and around the one remaining hospital in the one-square mile enclave. It was nearly impossible for the rescuers to account for the dead because of the continued bombings, they said.

"They began to strike as if there's no such thing as a 'cease-fire' or 'civilian evacuation,'" said media activist Mahmoud Raslan.

It was not clear whether the planes were Syrian or Russian. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported at least six people had been killed.

Syrian President Bashar Assad, speaking in an interview with Russia Today, said the cease-fire was designed stop his government's advance in the city and "keep the terrorists and save them."

In excerpts of the interview aired Wednesday, Assad said western countries pressured Russia for the cease-fire when rebels appeared to be on the verge of losing the territory they have held since 2012.

A legal adviser to the rebels accused Iran of foiling the Russia- and Turkey-brokered deal by imposing new conditions on the rebels. Along with Russia, Iran backs President Bashar Assad's government and has committed advisers and elite Revolutionary Guard forces to the government's war. Turkey backs some of the rebel groups fighting to topple Assad.

Osama Abo Zayd, the adviser, said Iran demanded the remains of Iranians killed in Aleppo be returned and that Iranian hostages held in rebel-controlled Idlib province be released. He said the conditions were "exclusively sectarian and crippling."

The Syrian government, meanwhile, withdrew its green-colored buses from the evacuation point at the edge of the city's opposition enclave. The Lebanese al-Manar TV channel, the media arm of the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah fighting alongside Assad's forces, broadcast footage of the buses leaving the evacuation point empty and said government forces had resumed fighting with rebels in the city.

Mohammed Abu Jaafar, head of forensics in eastern Aleppo, said residents there felt "duped."

"People have left their shelters .... to be ready for the evacuation. I can't describe it," Abu Jaafar said. "Since the morning, they started to target the areas where people have gathered ... these people were walking to the crossings designated for exit."

Mohammed Khandaqani, who runs a medical center and is a resident of eastern Aleppo, said his cousin was killed a day earlier and they still can't locate his body because of the resumption of shelling. As they searched for his body, shells and missiles fell around the hospital, the only functioning clinic in the enclave.

"I am in a pitiful state. I am going through the hardest times of my life," Khandaqani said. "We still can't find his body. His father is going to die. As we searched for him, the shelling and bombing restarted, in and around the remaining hospital."

Activists in eastern Aleppo blamed the violence on pro-government forces, saying they started shooting first. Raslan said he was reporting for a Turkish agency when a rocket crashed nearby at around 10:15 a.m. He was unharmed.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the rebels "resumed the hostilities" at dawn, trying to break through Syrian government positions to the north-west. Government state media reported casualties.

By late afternoon, the Observatory said rebels intensely shelled Foua and Kfraya, two pro-government towns they besieged in the nearby Idlib province.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the Syrian government and its allies of trying to scuttle the deal. "We see now that the regime and other groups are trying to obstruct this (deal)," he said in remarks published by the state-run Anadolu Agency. "This includes Russia, Iran, forces supported by Iran and the regime."

The surrender of Aleppo's remaining opposition-run neighborhoods to government control would be a turning point in Syria's civil war.

The last-minute deal was mediated by Ankara and Moscow as the rebel enclave rapidly dissolved and ceded more and more territory in the face of the brutal advance by Syrian forces, backed by Russia and assisted by Shiite militias from Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Late Tuesday night, the U.N. envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, called for immediate access to the former rebel enclave to confirm the end of military operations and to oversee the safe departure of tens of thousands of civilians and opposition fighters. De Mistura was at the Security Council where an emergency meeting for Aleppo was held.

Brita Haj Hassan, a Syrian opposition official living in exile, said from Luxemburg that there were 800 sick and wounded people requiring immediate medical evacuation from eastern Aleppo. He said the U.N. and others had informed the opposition the evacuation had been delayed until Thursday but there was no comment from the Syrian government, the United Nations or aid groups on the ground.

The dramatic developments surrounding Aleppo  which would restore the remainder of what was once Syria's largest city to Assad's forces after months of heavy fighting and a crippling siege  followed reports of mass killings by government forces closing in on the final few blocks still held by the rebels.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the emergency meeting late Tuesday that he had received "credible reports" of civilians killed by pro-government forces as they swept into the last rebel areas in Aleppo.

Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syria's U.N. ambassador, denied any mass killings or revenge attacks, but added it was Syria's "constitutional right" to go after "terrorists," a blanket government reference to all opposition fighters.

"Aleppo has been liberated from terrorists and those who toyed with terrorism," he said. "Aleppo has returned to the nation."
I call him Hoover, and he's worked hard for me since the day I hauled his long lanky self into the house back in 2008.

My dear Hoover SteamVac still holds the record for the best thing I ever bought. Not only did Hoover rescue me from the endless loop of worthless commercial carpet cleaning companies but he's also saved me thousands of dollars over eight years. I paid $147 for Hoover, which is still cheaper than one visit from a carpet cleaning company.

While I prefer hard floors in some parts of my home, I am not ready to give up on carpet. I love how it looks, how it feels under my feet and how it warms up a room. But I hate dirty carpet. I cannot abide a spot. The thought of what lurks between the fibers of poorly maintained carpet still gives me the heebie-geebies.

And so, today, I want to give you an update on my dear old Hoover. But first a quick review of how Hoover and I partner up to keep my carpet clean and pristine.

I DO NOT USE ANY SOAP OR CLEANING LIQUID in the machine. Not at all. Nada. I'm no fool. I know that I will never be able to get that soap out, no matter how hard I rinse. Instead, I use a good liquid spot remover called Spot Shot Professional. I'm sure there are others, but I love this one. It is more powerful than any I have tired.

I try to always take care of spots as quickly as I can after they happen. That is so important. And I vacuum often with the best inexpensive vacuum on God's green Earth: Shark Navigator Lift-Away Pro. It's also important. Then every few weeks or months I pull out my buddy, Hoover.

First, I treat any spots, marks, paths and other dirty areas with Spot Shot Professional. Then I fill up Hoover. The instructions say to fill the top canister with hot water. I go one step further. I heat it on the stove and carefully pour it in boiling water. Do not worry. This is OK! Most home cleaners do not use the power of boiling water, but I do. I wouldn't recommend this with any home carpet machine, but Hoover is mighty and can take the heat.

With NO SOAP OR SHAMPOO at all, only the power of the spot remover, I go to work. I pull that trigger liberally, too, to release a lot of hot water. And I follow the instructions to release the trigger on each return path so Hoover can suck up all the water. It is truly amazing how that hot water pulls out everyday dirt and dust. I go over an area many times (it's kinda fun, actually) until no more water comes up (you can see this in the clear canister that holds the dirty water).

Now here's the bonus: Because the water is so hot and gets sucked back up so quickly, the carpet dries in no time. I know, you are suspicious. But it is so true. Hoover has such a powerful extractor, I think I get up almost all of the water I lay down.

And the best part? No sticky residue. I never clean all the carpet at one time. I do a bit now and then, until I have made my way through all the rooms and halls. Then I start over. It's just maintenance  easy, enjoyable and very rewarding. And cheap! I never buy soap or cleaning solution for Hoover. Ever. Poor guy. He starves on water only.

My big payoff: the feel, look and smell of a beautifully clean carpet.

As I write, a new Hoover SteamVac Carpet Cleaner is available for just $105. As great of a deal as that is, I won't be replacing my dear Hoover. While he is showing his age, he works as well as the day he arrived. I have never had to take him in for repairs, and he's got a lot of miles on him. He's been hauled back and forth from home to office; he made the big move to Colorado. He's never made as much as a murmur in all these years. What a champ. Here's the most important thing to know about Hoover: Untold gallons of boiling water have not damaged his inner workings in the least.
Was Donald J. Trump a recruit in

The Russians' quest for a route in-

To the Oval Office

By way of a novice?

Trump pooh-poohs it: pooh-Putin.

So you hail a cab in Manhattan to go to LaGuardia and the cabdriver heads for the Lincoln Tunnel and you say, "LaGuardia, LaGuardia, LaGuardia," and he says, "Yeah, yeah, yeah," and you're in New Jersey, and you yell at him to stop and he doesn't, he points north and says, "Bridge!" and now you're on I-87 passing through Poughkeepsie -- this is pretty much where we are with Trump Inc. so far. The populist revolt turns into a corporate boardroom and the disaffected Democrats who voted for it are not going to catch that plane to Florida after all. They will be spending four years on cousin Sid's rollaway in Schenectady.

The big guy said a couple weeks ago that he was planning to "focus on running the country" and now we see what "focus" means in his case. He appointed a pollution defender to head the EPA and his secretary of state will be the Exxon exec, a business partner of the Russians, and now you have to wonder if our next Surgeon General will be an optometrist. And why not Billy Bush to head the Endowment for the Arts? You got a problem with that?

Meanwhile, some Republican in his retinue should point out that the president does not "run" the country. He doesn't even run the government. There is a legislative branch involved, a judiciary, there is Twitter, "Saturday Night Live," the dishonest press, and many many others.

Presidents are royalty and we measure our lives by their reigns but their effect on the country in general is greatly exaggerated. Take me, for example. Mr. Lyndon Johnson's Selective Service System more or less governed my twenties and now that I'm old and shaky, his Medicare is very helpful, but for most of us, presidents are part of the scenery, like the great stone heads on Easter Island. Millions of words have been written about Richard Nixon but his effect on my life was minuscule compared to that of my third-grade teacher Fern Moehlenbrock. Her kindness and cheerfulness grow larger and larger in memory, and Mr. Nixon recedes to the size of a dried pea.

We remember Johnson for his abdominal scar and his syrupy voice, Nixon for his incredible awkwardness and "I am not a crook," and Gerald Ford for tripping on the airplane stairs coming down. Then came the Georgia Sunday School teacher and the actor and the Ivy League Texan and the Arkansas playboy and the stupefied Dubya reading "The Pet Goat" to a class in Sarasota when the planes hit the twin towers in Manhattan. We remember their voices, as done by comedians. Their so-called legacy is mostly as cartoons. The disasters they caused fell mainly on foreigners. The marble temples erected to worship them are a bad joke.

And now, after eight years of the most graceful and articulate chief since FDR, we get this crude showman with the marble walls and gold faucets. Most of the country dreads him as he slouches toward Washington to be inaugurated. I worry what effect he'll have on children. Everything Mrs. Moehlenbrock told us -- no pushing, no insulting, no lying, no crude talk -- Mr. Trump does on a daily basis. But how will he actually affect my life? Not much.

I'm an entrepreneur, a writer. I don't look to the government for a tax deduction for time spent writing work that got rejected. I'm not looking for legislative protection from foreign authors. Some people buy Dostoevsky's books who might otherwise have bought mine: tough noogies. If I threatened to move to Mexico, no big deal.

The government that matters to me is local. I will always remember the day fourteen years ago in St. Paul when my daughter went into convulsions and I picked up the phone and in six minutes the rescue squad was in our living room, five uniforms looking after my girl and one uniform explaining to me about febrile convulsions. If you were in the midst of this crisis, Donald J. Trump would be the last person on earth you'd want to see come through the door. He would tell you all about how he won Michigan and bring in a podiatrist and give you a coupon toward one of his steaks. It's going to be a long four years, people. Get back in touch with old friends. Take up hiking. Read history. But not books about Germany in the 1930s -- it'll only make you uneasy.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Foggy this morning, then partly cloudy this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 84F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early followed by scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
There were many fashionable moments in 2016. There were too many to display but here are a few that I fondly remember. I hope you like them as well. Thank you for your support and I look forward to sharing more fashion in 2017.

Photo caption

01: Favorite Fashion Event: The Deighton Cup is a summertime event that grown in size with each passing year. Similar to the Kentucky Derby or Englands Ascot, its a time to dress up, smoke cigars and bet on the horses. Yes, even the guys dress nice!

02: Favorite Runway Collection: Dahlia Drive and Haida Artist Reg Davidson created this stunning outfit from discarded white curtain sheers and slips for Eco Fashion Week (EFW). EFW seeks to prove recycled and sustainable clothing can be fashionable.

03: Favorite Sidewalk Fashionista: I saw many new sights on my trip to Kiev, Ukraine. Karinas black harness from @portupeya_ua (Instagram) worn over her dress and full length, sleeveless fur coat was an eye catching combination.

04: Favorite Sidewalk Shoot: Yulia is not a model but we had fun during this planned shoot. She wanted to look classy and I wanted to complement her hair. I found an earth tone dress from Giusy and heels from Cape Robbin.

Visit R!c's website: www.SidewalkRunway.com or follow him on instagram.com/sidewalkrunway_com or Twitter @RunwaySidewalk

All images are copyright protected. Re-posting or re-production of images is strictly forbidden without written consent.
Photo caption: The Oklahoma bombing of 1995 is an example of a right-wing attack cited by the author, Phil Gurski.Credit: U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency

Commentary by Phil Gurski,

Special to The Post

I have just returned from Oslo where I was thrilled to catch up with one of my favourite terrorist experts, Thomas Hegghammer. Hegghammer and his colleagues at the FFI  Norway's Defence Research Establishment  have published some amazing work over the last decade or so and I have personally learned much from them.

In the course of a discussion about resource allocation to confront terrorism and terrorists, he made an interesting comment. He noted the fact that all over the world law enforcement and security services have redeployed resources away from some files (organized crime, drugs, etc.) to terrorism.

More importantly, within the terrorism sphere, money and people have been concentrated in one direction  Islamist extremism  thus leaving other kinds of terrorism  right wing extremism, for example  relatively unwatched. In this light, Hegghammer noted that we should be surprised that there has not been more right-wing terrorism, especially attacks that kill many.

Undetected plots

Think about this. The fact that we have overloaded men, women and energy on Islamist extremist files has allowed us to stop so many plots.

The more people you have watching something, the more intelligence and evidence you can gather. The more you know, greater the chances of disruption.

The other side of that coin is that fewer resources devoted to right-wing extremism could imply that more plots go undetected and hence are more successful. And, yet, that is precisely what is NOT happening. A good question at this point would be: why?

Mass casualties

First, we have to, of course, acknowledge that there have been right-wing attacks in the recent past and some mass casualty ones: Anders Breivik in Norway in 2011 and Timothy McVeigh in the U.S. in 1995 are two good examples. Aside from these, we might want to throw in the attack on a church in South Carolina in the summer of 2015, but truth is there are not very many.

When you compare right-wing and Islamist extremism, you immediately see that the latter has carried out mass casualty attacks (9/11, 7/7, Madrid, Paris, Istanbul, Nice, Brussels, the list goes on and on) at rates which are very much higher.

There are a few suggestive ways of looking at why. Maybe, the right-wing world does not embrace mass casualty attacks as much as jihadis do.

There are all too many e-zines and social media propaganda that cajole and encourage these operations within Islamist extremism, but perhaps not as many in right-wing circles. Maybe, there is an inherent difficulty among right-wing extremists in justifying such attacks.

Perhaps, the leadership is just not there. To be honest, I simply do not know, in large part because I don't follow these kinds of terrorists so closely.

Whatever the reason, you cannot escape the fact that we have not seen mass casualty attacks and having our attention tied to the jihadis has not opened the door for the far right.

Of course, things can change and we may see such strategies develop.

There certainly is justifiable concern over the rise of the violent right in parts of Europe (and in President-elect DonaldTrump's America?) and we will have to turn our gaze in that direction (or hire more people to do so).

Nevertheless, it is important not to use past events as predictors of future ones. We may never see waves of 9/11s carried out by the far right.

Let's hope so.

Phil Gurski worked for more than three decades in Canadian intelligence, including 15 at Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), and is the author of the Threat from Within and the forthcoming Western Foreign Fighters (Rowan and Littlefield). He blogs at http://www.borealisthreatandrisk.com/blog/

This piece was originally appeared in New Canadian Media (newcanadianmedia.ca).

See http://newcanadianmedia.ca/item/39574-right-wing-extremism-not-a-serious-threat-for-now-right-wing-extremism-not-a-serious-threat-for-now
ZEIGLER Bobby Wayne Bobby Wayne Zeigler 81 of Rocky Mount, went to be with the Lord on Friday, December 9, 2016. He was a dedicated soldier, beloved husband, brother, uncle and friend. Anyone who knew Bobby knew he never met a stranger. He loved the outdoors, farming and was an extremely hard worker, dedicated, strong willed and very humble. Bobby was the youngest of seven siblings, a son of the late Otha and Folcie Young Zeiglerand was also predeceased by his wife, Charlotte Wray Zeigler of 34 years; brothers: Bernice Zeigler of Union Hall, Roy Zeigler of Florida, Aldophus and Raymond Elwood Zeigler also of Virginia; and two infant twin sisters. He leaves behind to cherish his memory two sisters, Norma Zeigler of Rocky Mount , Betty Zeigler and "Spike" Melvin Jones of Forest. He also cherished one nephew like the son he never had, Ricky Dale Pagans, "Doodlebug" and a special lady he adored, Betty Mabry. Growing up, Bobby was in the Army, later became employed by Fieldcrest Mills in Fieldale until he accepted a position as an oil delivery driver with his lifelong friend, the late Ira Culler with Hub Oil Company. Later Hub Oil Company became Davenport Energy and after 48 years Bobby was forced to retire due to a lengthy illness. Bobby deeply regretted having to say good-bye to all of the loyal customers he served. Making the most of everyday, Bobby usually started his early mornings by meeting other friends for breakfast at McDonalds and comraderies. To all of you gents, he cherished your friendship and you were truly an inspiration to his day. Just weeks before Bobby's passing he became saved with his special lady, Betty and nephew Ricky by his side. His infectious smile and soft chuckle will be forever in our hearts. A special thank you to his little buddy, Miss Chloee Faith for singing to him at his bedside helping to put him to sleep. Also a special thanks to Sallie Martin and Hospice Team of Redwood. Also sincere gratitude to Dr. Jack Bumgardner, (Dr. "Bum") for your years of dedication to Bobby's health. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests you make a donation in Bobby Zeigler's memory to the Franklin County Humane Society and Planned Pethood Clinic and Adoption on behalf of his cat Sarah or to the Free Clinic of Franklin County/Bernard Healthcare Center. Funeral services were at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, conducted at Flora Funeral Chapel, with Chaplain Rick Poland officiating. Interment followed with Military Rites in Franklin Memorial Park. His family will received friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Flora Funeral Service and Cremation Center, Rocky Mount.
ANNE CROSSMAN: A bad case of the nasties going around

I know folks are a bit stressed out these days. We are now entering the third winter of the COVID-19 pandemic. We still have to be careful, get our boosters and wear masks when asked to do so, answer the questions at some places and dont kiss ...
By Nairi Hokhikyan

The city of Diyarbakir in southeastern Turkey suffered terrible damage during the 2015 clashes between the Turkish military and Kurdish armed groups.

Thus, many residents, estimates range up to 200,000, fled the city.

Mehmed Demir, an Armenian businessman, also left Diyarbakir, and today mostly divides his time between Istanbul and Izmir. Demir says that the necessities for survival are lacking in Turkeys eastern regions and that, when it comes to working, he had no option but to leave for western Turkey. Nevertheless, he says that the economic crisis all over the country has gotten worse these past two years.

The 52-year-old Demir tells me that his ancestors miraculously survived the 1915 Armenian Genocide and for many years identified themselves as Kurds. While the Armenian origins of the Demir clan isnt openly talked about, all in Demirs circle of friends know that the family once bore the surname Demirjian.

Mehmed Demir complains that the Istanbul Armenian Patriarchate does little to support Armenians still living in the provinces, regarding them as little more than liars when they claim to be Armenian.

Theres the one function Armenian church in Diyarbakir, St. Giragos. But theres no priest. So how can Armenians their express their identity? Will they only look at the stones? Will they say that only their grandfathers were here one hundred years ago, during the genocide? If we were to collect those openly speaking Armenian in Diyarbakir, a part of western Armenia, thered only be thirty people. Why? The reason is simple. Its due to that leaderless mentality, says Mehmed Demir, adding that despite the hurdles, hundreds are openly saying they are Armenian and are filing conversion requests at local municipal offices.

Mehmed Demir has been to Armenia three times. Hes gone to the Tzitzernakaberd Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, familiarizing himself with the history of the tragedy, and has also met with state and civic leaders. Demir confesses that hes jealous to see his compatriots in Armenia speaking about their own state and government. He cannot do the same. During debates in Turkey, Demir often accuses the Kurds of carrying out the genocidal orders of the Turks.

During the genocide, the Turks gave the orders, but who carried them out? Didnt the Kurds commit massacres. They did. The idea was prompted that whoever kills Armenians would go to heaven. The Kurds were also complicit in this. The Kurds were in the Hamidye Corps that massacred Armenians. But now, the Kurds ask for forgiveness. So too do the sons and grandchildren of those who committed the massacres. They say that their fathers or grandfathers did dishonorable things. It was really treasonous.

Demir, who has carved a successful career in the auto repair field in Turkey, says that one must look forward and must overcome the challenges with something other than enmity.

They will respect you if you are economically strong and politically stable, Demir stresses. Thus, he wants to invest heavily in Armenia and help foster light industry.

One cannot talk about a developed economy in Turkey. There are some large factories in a few cities that provide the countrys entire manufacturing output. If investing a few million dollars in Turkey is considered a small figure, in a small market like Armenia, I would think that thirty million dollars could be quite attractive.

Demir wants to try producing textiles and plastic items in Armenia. Neighboring Turkey and Iran are giants in these sectors and Demir doesnt see why Armenia shouldnt join them. He doesnt want any help from the government, just the permission to invest and create factories. Demir also isnt looking for tax privileges, since he has sales contracts for the finished goods in the European market. The Eurasian Economic Union will afford him additional marketing opportunities.

So why invest in Armenia, a country that doesnt have normal diplomatic, and some would say unfriendly, ties with Turkey?

In response, Demir asks how long will stereotypes govern our lives?

There is no superpower that can reconcile Turkey and Armenia if there isnt pressure from within. Turkey has committed a crime and must come to grips with its bloody past. But it will not do this because there is still no internal pressure to do so. Im Armenian. My forefathers were Armenian, but they were stripped of their identity because of that country. Now, I know who I am. I have lived in western Armenia. So has my grandfather and his grandfather. Maybe Im an atheist, but all the same, Im Armenian. Sure, the economy is an important part of peoples lives, but money isnt everything. As the Turkish proverb says  money is important, but its not the end all.
As he teases a 2024 run, Trump returns to Iowa for election rally

Trump is scheduled to touch down in Sioux City Thursday night for a pre-election rally with Gov. Kim Reynolds and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley.
Its just about a week till Christmas. Shopping done? Neither is mine. But Im here to help!

A good beverage store can be the answer to your dilemma. Just about everyone would enjoy a bottle of the good stuff under the tree. The trick here is to get something that they want but would never get for themselves. Im not talking about another bottle of their favorite, but a bottle, perhaps in the same category (or just beyond it) that will broaden horizons, expand interest, and bring a smile on Christmas morning.

Think just a little outside the box. Old favorites, across the board, are coming in new styles and from new sources. Small family-run distilleries are popping up all over. Cocktails are popular and call for lots of ingredients and flavorings. Theres been an explosion of craft breweries in Connecticut and across the country. For wine drinkers, try small producers who are improving quality, trying new styles, and working with lesser known grapes,

Your partner in gift-giving is a good store with a knowledgeable staff that is willing to aid you in finding just the right thing. Stocked with carefully chosen selections, its a place where the staff is helpful and because theyve tasted the goods, their enthusiasm is genuine and contagious. A good store can be large or small, specialized or general, just as long as it knows its business.

I asked some local stores for Christmas gift ideas that meet my criteria.

In Norwalk, at Fountainhead Wines on Knight Street (that charming narrow one-way street just opposite Fat Cat), Tony Ancona said, Wow, just about everything in our store could fill the bill. Hes right. Their carefully chosen wines all have their own story. Many of the wines they handle stem from direct relationships with small-production family wineries in France, Italy, Germany, and California. Lots are direct imports and only available at their store. When Tony talks, his face lights up with his love for the wines, their producers, and the opportunity to be part of it all.

Tony began to talk about natural wines, a new category much talked about in the trade, that are made with wild yeast, no added sulfites, and very little intervention from the winemaker. Not what youre used to, their wildness shows through in funky, earthy, completely dry, lightly spritzy wines with complex flavors and a finish that goes on forever. Anyone interested in wine, should have the unique of experience the Case Pinot Noir ($32), Caserosso ($23) and CaseBianco ($23) from Italys Emilia Romagna. If these arent for you, try anything in the store. You cant go wrong.

Fountainhead also has an impressive array of imported aged rums. Aged from 7 to 12 years, they are great for sipping like brandy or a single malt and will open new flavor doors for any spirits lover.

Codey Foster at Anconas (no relation to Tony) Wines in Wilton started with a selection of large format bottles  not jug wines, but fine wines in magnums that hold as much as two regular bottles. Rare and festive, they are special gifts.

A three bottle set of Bruichladdich single malts will delight a fan of Scotch whiskey. Anconas also has a single barrel bottling of Knob Creek 9-year-old bourbon. They selected a barrel that was bottled exclusively for them.

Codey was very excited about Reisetbauer brandies from Austria  plum, apricot, cherry, hazelnut, pear, and carrot ($40 to 70). When I raised my eyebrows about the carrot, he said, Thats my favorite! These Eau de Vie spirits simply capture the pure essence of impeccably farmed fruit.

At Stew Leonards, Joanne also lobbied for large bottles  rose, in particular, for a girls night out or for adding pretty color to the Christmas table. She introduced me to Barr Hill, a honey producer in Hardwick, Vermont, that is making honey accented gin. Barr Hill has put together a three bottle package with two of their gins and one jar of honey ($50). The beer guys at Stews are putting together packs of craft beers: an eight-pack sampler for $20 and a six-pack of really hard-to-find beers for $23.

Joannes big idea, though, is a Coravin wine preservation system. This gizmo pierces the bottles foil and cork and injects Argon gas as the wine comes out without pulling the cork. If you know someone with a collection of fine wine, get them one of these. Theyll be able to enjoy their collectibles a glass at a time with no loss of quality. You may even be lucky enough to share a glass. At $200 for the base model and $350 for the deluxe version, theyre tools for serious wine collectors.

Spencer Hess of Le Vie du Vin Wine Market at 67 Winfield St. proposed small producer champagne. For years, champagne grape growers sold their fruit to the big boys: Moet, Mumms, and the like. Now, a new generation is holding on to their fruit and making their own champagne. With considerably more personality and sense of place, these very dry wines have become the darlings of champagne drinkers. Grongnet Brut ($36) is 100 percent Chardonnay, Marc Hebrart ($52) is a rose, and Chartogne-Taillet ($45) is made by a 30-year-old. We need to move away from a special occasion mindset for Champagne and realize that these wines are great with food and not any more expensive than good wine from any other region.

Hess also recommends cru Beaujolais like Pascal Granger-Earl Julienas as an alternative to stratospherically-priced red burgundy. From named villages like Morgon, Brouilly, and Moulin-a-Vent cru wines are the cream of the Beaujolais crop. The last three vintages have been exceptional in Beaujolais, and the new generation of winemakers are focused on quality, he said. Just like in champagne, the young winemakers are raising the bar.

Wine, spirits, or beer  theres lots happening in the beverage industry. Tap into the new brands, flavors, producers, and the renewed emphasis on quality. In the words of wine and spirit regions around the world, we wish you all a Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Frohliche Weihnachten, and Buon Natale!

Frank Whitmans Not Bread Alone column runs every Thursday in The Hour. Frank can be reached at notbreadalonefw@gmail.com.
At a special session of Armenias parliament today, Minister of Justice Arpineh Hovhannisyan announced that two bills up for debate that would make changes and amendments to the criminal code and the criminal judicial code are designed to hold accountable those officials who declare increases in property or decreases in debt without substantiating the revenue sources.

Hovhannisyan said the bill is designed to crack down on illegal personal enrichment and to criminalize such cases.

As it now stands, top officials in Armenia often disclose large amounts of asset purchases based solely on meager state salaries. The ethics committee set up to look into such matters has never investigated such financial inconsistencies.
WILTON  Hermon Telyan said he doesnt recognize America today.

He first came to America in 1972, as a hopeful Armenian immigrant in his early 20s, to pursue architecture at Rhode Island School of Design and later at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He enjoyed his education, created a successful architectural design and construction management firm and became a citizen in 2004, moving to Wilton a few years earlier.

But now, he fears that the country hes come to know is in grave danger, after Donald Trump was elected president on Nov. 8.

We cannot call this unregistered sex offender, this racist person, as our president. I refuse, Telyan said in front of a room of about 40 Wilton Democrats who gathered to share their concerns about Americas future on Tuesday, Dec. 6. And we really have to also question if weve contaminated our democracy.

Telyans fear, shock and disappointment about this years election was not only expressed by those who came to Wiltons Democratic Town Committee meeting on Dec. 6, but by many Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters across the nation, according to a recent quadrennial post-election survey published by Pew Research Center on Nov. 21.

The survey showed that significant majorities of Clinton voters felt uneasy (90 percent), sad (77 percent) and scared (76 percent) about Trumps victory while very few said they felt hopeful (7 percent) or proud (only 1 percent). Additionally, nearly two-thirds said that Democratic leaders should stand up to Donald Trump on issues that are important to Democratic supporters, even if it means less gets done in Washington, the report noted.

But DTC Chairperson Deb McFadden respectfully disagreed with such thinking.

Instead, she encouraged the towns Democrats to accept Trump as president without compromising their ideals and beliefs, though she admitted shes still coming to terms with Trumps victory herself.

He will be my president for the next four years and I want him to succeed because its our success, so we need to speak in a way that will enable him to make good choices, pick good people that have good policies, McFadden said. Because I think the next four years, our job is going to be to stand up and talk about what we believe in and protect the people, the policies and our constitution. So I want to stand in front of you and say, I sign on the charge.

After about an hour of sharing their feelings about the election, the group brainstormed different ways to turn their frustrations into a productive plan of action  from joining the estimated 145,000 who will take part in the Womens March on Washington on January 21, 2017, to fielding strong Democratic candidates in local races that have run uncontested.

If we think positively and put our best people forward, we can actually do something, said Paul Burnham, who chairs the DTCs nominating committee.

Other communities have also held similar brainstorming sessions during the weeks following the election. About 100 people gathered at a Greenwich Democratic Town Committee meeting on Nov. 22 and a group of Brooklyn political leaders organized a meeting to push back against Trump on Nov. 15.

McFadden said she plans on holding more meetings to continue the momentum gained from the brainstorming session, in hopes that more people will become involved in local and national politics.

We can do a lot. Theres a lot of power in this room, McFadden said. You are now a center point of a circle, so I want you to go out of your circle of influence. I want you to grab more people.

SKim@hearstmediact.com; 203-354-1044; @stephaniehnkim
In moral qualities, the character of George Washington is the most truly dignified that was ever presented to the respect and admiration of mankind

Editors Note: The following is an excerpt from Washington and the Generals of the American Revolution, by Rufus Wilmot Griswold and William Gilmore Simms (1847).

An attentive examination of the whole subject, and of all that can contribute to the formation of a sound opinion, results in the belief that General Washingtons mental abilities illustrate the very highest type of greatness. His mind, probably, was one of the very greatest that was ever given to mortality. Yet it is impossible to establish that position by a direct analysis of his character, or conduct, or productions. When we look at the incidents or the results of that great careerwhen we contemplate the qualities by which it is marked, from its beginning to its endthe foresight which never was surprised, the judgment which nothing could deceive, the wisdom whose resources were incapable of exhaustioncombined with a spirit as resolute in its official duties as it was moderate in its private pretensions, as indomitable in its public temper as it was gentle in its personal tonewe are left in wonder and reverence. But when we would enter into the recesses of that mind when we would discriminate upon its construction, and reason upon its operationswhen we would tell how it was composed, and why it excelledwe are entirely at fault. The processes of Washingtons understanding are entirely hidden from us. What came from it, in counsel or in action, was the life and glory of his country; what went on within it, is shrouded in impenetrable concealment. Such elevation in degree, of wisdom, amounts almost to a change of kind, in nature, and detaches his intelligence from the sympathy of ours. We cannot see him as he was, because we are not like him. The tones of the mighty bell were heard with the certainty of Time itself, and with a force that vibrates still upon the air of life, and will vibrate for ever. But the clock-work, by which they were regulated and given forth, we can neither see nor understand. In fact, his intellectual abilities did not exist in an analytical and separated form; but in a combined and concrete state. They moved altogether when they moved at all. They were in no degree speculative, but only practical. They could not act at all in the region of imagination, but only upon the field of reality. The sympathies of his intelligence dwelt exclusively in the national being and action. Its interests and energies were absorbed in them. He was nothing out of that sphere because he was every thing there. The extent to which he was identified with the country is unexampled in the relations of individual men to the community. During the whole period of his life, he was the thinking part of the nation. He was its mind; it was his image and illustration. If we would classify and measure him, it must be with nations, and not with individuals.

This extraordinary nature of Washingtons capacitiesthis impossibility of analyzing and understanding the elements and methods of his wisdomhave led some persons to doubt whether, intellectually, he was of great superiority; but the publicthe communitynever doubted of the transcendant eminence of Washingtons abilities. From the first moment of his appearance as the chief, the recognition of him, from one end of the country to the other, as The Manthe leader, the counsellor, the infallible in suggestion and in conductwas immediate and universal. From that moment to the close of the scene, the national confidence in his capacity was as spontaneous, as enthusiastic, as immovable, as it was in his integrity. Particular persons, affected by the untoward course of events, sometimes questioned his sufficiency; but the nation never questioned it, nor would allow it to be questioned Neither misfortune, nor disappointment, nor accidents, nor delay, nor the protracted gloom of years, could avail to disturb the public trust in him. It was apart from circumstances; it was beside the action of caprice; it was beyond all visionary, and above all changeable feelings. It was founded on nothing extraneous; not upon what he had said or done, but upon what he was. They saw something in the man, which gave them assurance of a nature and destiny of the highest elevationsomething inexplicable, but which inspired a complete satisfaction. We feel that this reliance was wise and right; but why it was felt, or why it was right, we are as much to seek as those who came under the direct impression of his personal presence. It is not surprising, that the world recognizing in this man a nature and a greatness which philosophy cannot explain, should revere him almost to religion.

The distance and magnitude of those objects which are too far above us to be estimated directlysuch as starsare determined by their parallax. By some process of that kind we may form an approximate notion of Washingtons greatness. We may measure him against the great events in which he moved; and against the great men, among whom, and above whom, his figure stood like a tower. It is agreed that the war of American Independence is one of the most exalted, and honourable, and difficult achievements related in history. Its force was contributed by many; but its grandeur was derived from Washington. His character and wisdom gave unity, and dignity, and effect to the irregular, and often divergent enthusiasm of others. His energy combined the parts; his intelligence guided the whole: His perseverance, and fortitude, and resolution, were the inspiration and support of all. In looking back over that period, his presence seems to fill the whole scene; his influence predominates throughout; his character is reflected from every thing. Perhaps nothing less than his immense weight of mind could have kept the national system, at home, in that position which it held, immovably, for seven years; perhaps nothing but the august respectability which his demeanour threw around the American cause abroad, would have induced a foreign nation to enter into an equal alliance with us upon terms that contributed in a most important degree to our final success, or would have caused Great Britain to feel that no great indignity was suffered in admitting the claim to national existence of a people who had such a representative as Washington. What but the most eminent qualities of mind and feelingdiscretion superhumanreadiness of invention, and dexterity of means, equal to the most desperate affairsendurance, self-control, regulated ardour, restrained passion, caution mingled with boldness, and all the contrarieties of moral excellencecould have expanded the life of an individual into a career such as this?

If we compare him with the great men who were his contemporaries throughout the nation; in an age of extraordinary personages, Washington was unquestionably the first man of the time in ability. Review the correspondence of General Washingtonthat sublime monument of intelligence and integrityscrutinize the public history and the public men of that era, and you will find that in all the wisdom that was accomplished or was attempted, Washington was before every man in his suggestions of the plan, and beyond every one in the extent to which he contributed to its adoption. In the field, all the able generals acknowledged his superiority, and looked up to him with loyalty, reliance, and reverence; the others, who doubted his ability, or conspired against his sovereignty, illustrated, in their own conduct, their incapacity to be either his judges or his rivals. In the state, Adams, Jay, Rutledge, Pinckney, Morristhese are great names; but there is not one whose wisdom does not vail to his. His superiority was felt by all these persons, and was felt by Washington himself, as a simple matter of fact, as little a subject of question, or a cause of vanity, as the eminence of his personal stature. His appointment as commander-in-chief, was the result of no design on his part, and of no efforts on the part of his friends; it seemed to take place spontaneously. He moved into the position, because there was a vacuum which no other could supply: in it, he was not sustained by government, by a party, or by connexions; he sustained himself; and then he sustained every thing else. He sustained Congress against the army, and the army against the injustice of Congress. The brightest mind among his contemporaries was Hamiltons; a character which cannot be contemplated without frequent admiration, and constant affection. His talents took the form of genius, which Washingtons did not. But active, various, and brilliant, as the faculties of Hamilton were, whether viewed in the precocity of youth, or in the all accomplished elegance of maturer lifelightning-quick as his intelligence was to see through every subject that came before it, and vigorous as it was in constructing the argumentation by which other minds were to be led, as upon a shapely bridge, over the obscure depths across which his had flashed in a momentfertile and sound in schemes, ready in action, splendid in display, as he wasnothing is more obvious and certain than that when Mr. Hamilton approached Washington, he came into the presence of one who surpassed him in the extent, in the comprehension, the elevation, the sagacity, the force, and the ponderousness of his mind, as much as he did in the majesty of his aspect, and the grandeur of his step. The genius of Hamilton was a flower, which gratifies, surprises, and enchants; the intelligence of Washington was a stately tree, which in the rarity and true dignity of its beauty is as superior, as it is in its dimensions.

In military subjects, the abilities of Washington were, unquestionably, of a high order, and they were various and complete. In their character, they were fitted to the circumstances and the time in which he was called upon to act. The wisdom of his system was vindicated, sometimes in the success of his counsels, and sometimes in the disasters of those who departed from them. The peculiar nature of the contestthe slight and frail military establishment over which he presidedthe infinite political and social difficulties with which his operations were complicated, rendered a profound caution the first dictate of policy. The object to be accomplished was, in effect, a revolution of opinionsa change of national relations. Until that was realized, the revolutionary war could not be at an end. The most brilliant victory in the field would not have gained the purpose of the Americans; a single complete defeat would probably have frustrated it for ever. It must be remembered that Washington was in a situation in which time was his most important auxiliary; the war was in its nature a prolonged one; and, to maintain a military resistance, which should be always respectable in its force, and occasionally formidable in its operations, was all that a wise mind could have proposed to itself. The plan of the campaign which preceded the loss of New York, cannot, in a military point of view, be considered as judicious; but, as Napoleon observed with regard to his delay at Moscow, it was more important at that time to act upon political than upon military considerations. The operations in New Jersey, in 1776-7, exhibit the highest range of military science. The movements of Washington, from the moment when Fort Lee was abandoned, and he extricated himself by a series of prompt retreats from the dangers into which he was thrown by the advance of Lord Cornwallis, till, at the opportune moment, he fell upon the enemy, in their divided state along the Delaware, and, soon after, struck a part of Lord Cornwalliss army at Princeton, and delivered himself from the peril of the other partthe whole campaign of that monthmay be set beside any campaign that is recorded in history. The promptness with which the plan against Cornwallis, at Yorktown, was conceived, and the energy with which it was executed, entitle the commander-in-chief to the highest commendation.

In moral qualities, the character of Washington is the most truly dignified that was ever presented to the respect and admiration of mankind. He was one of the few entirely good men in whom goodness had no touch of weakness. He was one of the few rigorously just men whose justice was not commingled with any of the severity of personal temper. The elevation, and strength, and greatness of his feelings were derived from nature; their moderation was the effect of reflection and discipline. His temper, by nature, was ardent, and inclined to action. His passions were quick, and capable of an intensity of motion, which, when it was kindled by either intellectual or moral indignation, amounted almost to fury. But how rarelyhow less than rarelywas any thing of this kind exhibited in his public career! How restrained from all excess which reason could reprove, or virtue condemn, or good taste reject, were these earnest impulses, in the accommodation of his nature to that great line of duty which he had set up as the course of his life. Seen in his public duties, his attitude and characterthe one elevated above familiarity, the other purged of all littlenessespresent a position and an image almost purely sublime.

No airy and light passion stirs abroad

To ruffle or to soothe him; all are quelled

Beneath a mightier, sterner stress of mind:

Wakeful he sits, and lonely, and unmoved,

Beyond the arrows, views, or shouts of men;

As oftentimes an eagle, when the sun

Throws oer the varying earth his early ray,

Stands solitary, stands immovable

Upon some highest cliff, and rolls his eye,

Clear, constant, unobservant, unabased,

In the cold light, above the dews of morn.

But when viewed in the gentler scenes of domestic and friendly relation, there are traits which give loveliness to dignity, and add grace to veneration; like the leaves and twigs which cluster around the trunk and huge branches of the colossal elm, making that beautiful which else were only grand. His sentiments were quick and delicate; his refinement exquisite. His temper was as remote from plebeian, as his principles were opposite to democratic. If his public bearing had something of the solemnity of puritanism, the sources of his social nature were the spirit and maxims of a cavalier. His demeanour towards all men illustrated, in every condition, that finest sense of justice which the mind can form. IN All THINGS ADMIRABLE, IN ALL THINGS TO BE IMITATED; IN SOME THINGS SCARCE IMITABLE AND ONLY TO BE ADMIRED.

Reprinted with gracious permission of The Abbeville Institute (February 2016).
An Italian gambling magnate known as the king of slots was arrested on Tuesday on the Dutch Caribbean half-island of Sint Maarten for his alleged involvement in an offshore tax evasion scheme, Italys Financial Guard said.

Francesco Corallo was charged with conspiracy to commit crimes including tax evasion, money laundering and embezzlement. Among the five people arrested in Sint Marteen and Italy were Amedeo Laboccetta, a former member of the Italian Parliament, and Rudolf Baetsen, a Dutch national described as Corallos right-hand man in an indictment obtained by OCCRP partner Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI).

The investigation centered on the activities of Atlantis-Bplus, recently rebranded as Starnet, a company controlled by Corallo operating video gambling machines and online gambling sites.

After obtaining a license from the Italian gambling authority in 2004, the group quickly acquired a dominant position in the countrys market, at one point managing over 30 percent of all active terminals, which are found in places such as betting shops and bars.

According to investigators, however, the rapid rise of Corallos business was propelled by large-scale tax evasion through a complex corporate structure threading through the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and several offshore jurisdictions.

Details quoted in the indictment reveal that between 2004 and 2014 the groups associates paid over250 million (US$ 266.19 million) into British and Dutch bank accounts, before transferring the funds to Caribbean companies linked to Corallo. Prosecutors allege that part of that money was later used to finance various property investments.

At the centre of the elaborate network is Sint Maarten, Corallos country of residence. Born in the Sicilian city of Catania, the king of slots moved to what was then known as the Netherlands Antilles at the age of 23. He gained control of three local casinos, laying the foundations of his empire.

Corallos father, Gaetano, who was reputedly linked by investigators toCosa Nostra figure Nitto Santapaola, had also found refuge on Sint Maarten in the 1980s. According to testimonies given by informants, in the elder Corallo invested in real estate, hotels and casinos, also on behalf of the Mafia.

Corallo senior was sentenced in 1993to seven years in jail for corruption related to an attempted takeover, masterminded by Santapaola, of a casino in the Italian enclave of Campione.

Francesco Corallo has publicly denied having links to his father or the Santapaola crime group.

According to the indictment, a key role in the success of Atlantis-Bplus seems to have been played by figures like Laboccetta, the former politician arrested on Tuesday. In 2008 Laboccetta was elected to Italys lower house as a member of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconis centre-right People of Freedom party.

Italian investigators allege the politician used his influence to protect Corallo. When Corallo was arrested on a separate corruption charge in 2012, Laboccetta allegedly used his parliamentary immunity to prevent police from seizing a computer believed to hold incriminating evidence. He was acquitted on charges of obstruction earlier this year; prosecutors are appealing.

Also under investigation are Sergio and Giancarlo Tulliani, father-in-law and brother-in-law of the former lower house president Gianfranco Fini.

The indictment alleges that in 2008 Baetsen transferred over 320,000 belonging to Corallo to an offshore account linked to Giancarlo Tulliani to purchase a Monaco flat then owned by Finis National Alliance party.

Matteo Corallo's arrest (Photo: Attorney General's Office, Sint Maarten)

occrp.org
Gov. Ricketts should abstain financial support to change laws

I read The Grand Island Independent article: Governor should stop donating to political causes (Nov. 23). I fully agree. I like Gov. Ricketts and consider him a friend and just saw him a few months ago, in person. I even support his viewpoints on many issues. However, a governor of any U.S. state is sworn to faithfully execute the laws on the books. I think it is permissible for any governor, including Gov. Ricketts, to stand before a microphone or write a newspaper column expressing his countering views on any issue or law. However, I think it is unseemly for any governor who personally has deep pockets of personal wealth to use personal money (especially in substantial sums) to buy ads, sponsor groups or directly or indirectly fund activism to overturn existing law.

Again, I like Gov. Ricketts. But he should close his own family checkbook and obey his oath of office simply to see that existing laws are faithfully executed for all citizens. We live in a nation that is simultaneously a representative democracy and a constitutional republic rolled together as one entity. The senators in the Nebraska Legislature are the ones to be lobbied and it should come from the grass-roots level.

The executive branch (governor) should not tamper with that separation of powers and duties by doling out personal money. If that became the normal modus operandi particular way of doing things, you would have a plutocracy (government by only the wealthy) instead of a truly unbiased representative democracy.

I have family in Grand Island and elsewhere in Nebraska. No governor, anywhere, should engage in anything resembling bribing the voters. I would kindly urge Ricketts to stop personally funding in-state political causes until his term concludes.
Photos: Phillies fans converge on CBP for Game 4

Phillies fans were hyped up for Game 4 of the World Series at Citizens Bank Park and the stadium complex Wednesday.
Vardan Ayvazyan, a Republican Party MP in Armenias parliament and Chairman of the Standing Committee on Economic Issues, has invested thousands of dollars in Tbilisi businesses and real estate without noting them in his financial disclosures.

Ayvazyan, who hails from the Tabatzghour village in Georgias Borjomi region, utilized his close ties with the government of Mikhail Saakashvili to cement deep business roots in the country.

According to data Hetq obtained from the Georgian Real Estate registry, Ayvazyan registered a 112-square meter apartment on the sixth floor at 1 Petre Kavtaradze Street, regarded as one of the more fashionable neighborhoods in the Georgian capital.

Ayvazyan paid 125,600 Lari (US$50,000) for the unfinished apartment on May 5, 2008. When purchased, the apartment had a market value of $84,000. The building also includes office space. Construction hasnt been fully completed on the building, whose apartments remain empty.

On the day we visited the address, only a small store on the ground floor was open for business. Laborers were still working on the building.

There is no mention of this apartment in any of the financial disclosures filed by Ayvazyan. If we are to believe his disclosure for 2015, the MP is your average citizen with an annual income of 7.8 million AMD in wages. This begs the question, so where did he get the 13 million AMD and $72,000 noted in the same disclosure?

MP Ayvazyan was obliged to disclose his assets when he took office. In 2012, when he was reelected a deputy of the parliament on the proportional electoral system from the Republican Party of Armenia, he concealed his true wealth.

In his 2012 disclosure, Ayvazyan only noted that he owned a 50% share in a company and that the dividends were in Georgian Lari.

In addition to the abovementioned property, Ayvazyan has founded two companies in Georgia  Ltcher (Lakes) and Unicum LLC. The first has leased a lake in Tabatzghour to farm fish and has banned local Armenians from catching fish in the lake. (See: Fishing Rights at Stake: Tabatzghour Residents Take Company Owned by MP Ayvazyan to Court). The second company is building a huge fish market in Tbilisi. (See: From Lake to Table: Armenian MP Builds Fish Market in Tbilisi).

Ayvazyan founded Unicum in 2011 and is the sole shareholder. In 2012, after the Georgian parliamentary elections, Ayvazyan registered the shares under the name of his son Souren Ayvazyan. The MP transferred his Ltcher shares to his nephew Armen Ayvazyan. While Souren is registered at the same Charentsavan address as his father, and must thus file a financial disclosure as a related individual, he has never done so. To build the fish market, the Ayvazyans purchased a 8,234 square meter plot in Tbilisi valued at 555,000 Lari ($209,000 at todays exchange rate). The land was purchased from the Georgian Ministry of the Economy with the stipulation that Ayvazyan would have to invest 1.5 million Lari ($566,000) by 2013. In 2012, changes to the contract saw the plot decrease to 7,880 square meters. Unicum purchased the land for 532,000 Lari ($201,000 at todays exchange rate).

The Tbilisi fish emporium, billed as the largest operation of its kind in the region, was scheduled to open in September 2015. Its doors remain closed. Top photo: Tbilisi building of Ayvazyans apartment, MP Vardan Ayvazyan (Nino Bakradze contributed to this article)
The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board has certified a new union formed by the faculty association at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

The SIUE Faculty Association IEA/NEA will serve as the exclusive bargaining representative for some 400 faculty members at the campus.

The push to unionize began early in the year, fueled in part by the Illinois budget situation. The newly formed union represents tenure-line professors, who were the largest group on the school's campus not represented by a union.

SIUE music professor Kim Archer, elected president of the Faculty Association, said the union was formed to give those not represented by a union a voice at the table.

Some Illinois universities were in danger of closing their doors altogether, Archer said. SIUEs rising enrollment and cash reserve helped us avoid the kind of layoffs and cutbacks suffered at Eastern, Western and Chicago State  but our administration continues to face hard choices here. We organized to ensure a place at the table when hard decisions need to be made.

The newly formed union members will join approximately 500 SIUE employees represented by the IEA/NEA. There are three IEA local on campus representing non-tenure track faculty, professional staff and technical staff.

IEA Higher Education Director Michael McDermott said hardworking activists at SIUE played a major role in the success of the formation of the union.

Union officials said the formation of the union was supported by a majority of SIUE professors. There was no vote by faculty, as organizers chose to pursue a majority interest petition, instead of an election. State labor law enables employees to secure collective bargaining rights when more than 50 percent of those represented sign a form with state-prescribed language authorizing collective bargaining rights. When a majority signs these forms, no election on the question of representation is necessary.

Archer said the Faculty Association chose this avenue over ballot voting to ensure a true majority would decide the question.

Many still weighing the new situation will come around when we speak to them about bargaining concerns and remind them that strength in numbers means a better union contract, Archer said. That helps everybody.

SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook said the administration fully supports the facultys ability to choose how they will be represented.

We will work closely with faculty to ensure that we are considering the needs of all faculty, including those not represented by a union as we work to accomplish our academic mission, he said.

Pembrook said faculty not represented by a union are clinical faculty and faculty in the Schools of Pharmacy and Dental Medicine.

Within the spirit of shared governance that has played a major role in SIUEs growth and success, we look forward as an administration to further collaborative conversations with our faculty to enhance the student academic experience and to maximize the working environment for everyone, Pembrook said.
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Linkedin Julia Suryakusuma (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

Imagine having to be the star of a show, and suddenly something happens just before D-day that turns your face all swollen and black and blue. Well, thats exactly what happened to me just before the Bali launch of my book Julias Jihad in 2013. I went directly from Ngurah Rai International Airport to Biasa ArtSpace to meet up with Susanna Perini, the proprietor of the gallery, and then to her house, where I would be staying.

We left through the back of the gallery. It was evening  unfortunately the exit was not well lit, and I tripped over an iron chain strung across the path, about 30 centimeters from the ground. I fell headlong, crashing face first onto the hard gravel pavement.

The fall jarred my whole body, resulting in bruises all over, but in particular on the right cheekbone and near the eye. My face suddenly looked like I had been the victim of domestic violence.

On the day of the launch, the swelling had subsided a bit, and the blue-black on my face had turned purplish-green, so still pretty horrendous. Susanna suggested that a makeup artist do some work on it. I was skeptical, but what did I have to lose?

Turned out the make-up artist did an amazing job. No one noticed my bruises, and I could gracefully give my speech at the launch without people wondering whether my husband had battered me in the face!

So obviously, make-up artists can do great cover-up jobs. However, recently in Morocco a TV program was aired on how to conceal bruises caused by domestic violence. A model with purple bruises on her eye sockets and cheekbones had them artfully covered up by the make-up artist with concealer and thick foundation. The program was basically normalizing domestic violence, telling women to just cop it and get on with their lives. Horrific!

This attitude is by no means unique. In fact, according to UN Women, violence against women (VAW) is a human rights violation of pandemic proportions, even in this day and age.

For this reason, UN Women ran a campaign, 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, starting on Nov. 25  International Day for the Elimination of VAW  and ending on Dec. 10, which is International Human Rights Day.

In Indonesia, a series of events were held at The Warehouse, Plaza Indonesia, Jakarta, during those 16 days, sponsored by UN Women and the European Union. The events were not just about eliminating VAW but also about gender equality, to achieve Planet 50-50 by 2030.

The event that caught my attention was a panel on Women and the New Media, on Dec. 9. The lineup of speakers intrigued me. Clearly, the discussion was going to be pretty grounded, as most of the speakers were practitioners.

Desmarita Murni, communications director at change.org, a wellknown petition website, said that they received a lot of public support on various issues, including VAW. For example, a petition to save Wilfrida, a migrant worker sentenced to death in Malaysia, had been successful. Diplomacy was involved too, naturally.

Yuni Sri, from Jurnalis Warga Serikat PRT (community journalism for domestic workers union), spoke about how domestic workers were still subjected to brutal treatment  being hacked, doused with hot water or even forced to eat cat feces. Stories like this are common, yet up to now the government has not even included the bill on domestic workers in the national legislation program (Prolegnas), let alone pass it.

A single parent of three children, Yuni is also a domestic worker (PRT). That she still has time to write and even win an award for citizen journalism from the International Labor Organization is beyond me. Amazing.

Dian Septi from Radio Komunitas Buruh Marsinah FM, a community radio station in Cakung, East Jakarta, deals with issues of female workers. She recounted how women who worked at factories in Cakung making clothes for well-known brands like Zara or Gap, got salaries below the provincial minimum wage (UMP). According to the factory owners, these workers are unskilled and therefore their low pay is justified. What? The UMP is the UMP  its there to be adhered to, skilled or unskilled. In any case, churning out 200 pieces of clothing per hour sounds pretty skilled to me!

The female workers also still suffer from bad work conditions and  you guessed it  sexual harassment. And when they get sick, instead of medication, they get the sack!

Afra Suci from Pamflet Indonesia, an NGO set up to support initiatives for social and cultural change, looks at the problems of young people: violence, early marriage, workrelated issues, etc. Obviously, the situation in the regions and in urban areas differs, which Pamflet takes into consideration.

Luviana is active on konde.co, an alternative media website that addresses issues related to women and marginalized communities. Luvi, who is also a labor activist and lecturer at Paramadina University, spoke more generally about the nature of alternative media.

On the one hand, it can counter mainstream ideas, e.g., that rape is normal. But sometimes, it just echoes mainstream media. She feels that new media should try to foster a more critical approach, e.g., to ask why womens bodies are exploited.

However, Luvi felt there was still no real debate on the internet. And considering that internet penetration in Indonesia still stands at only at 33 percent, many voices out there are unheard.

All the women at the Dec. 9 event were strongly motivated by a desire to improve their lot as well as that of others. No fake news here! The stories they write or air on the radio are clearly based on their own experiences. The various new media these women employ are also used for networking (Yuni said members of Jurnalis Warga Serikat PRT use Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), to foster solidarity, inspire confidence and urge women to engage in concrete activities to fight for better conditions and against oppression in whatever shape or form.

The discussion was really lively and interesting, furthermore, it has implications for the rest of society. Could these womens use of social media act as an example and spearhead for others to counter the brainwashing, follow-the-trend tendencies of mainstream media?

The media, alternative or not, is like make-up, or if you wish, like Janus, the two-faced god. It can serve as a progressive force for change, but it can also be used to maintain regressive values and even to bully and criminalize. Which face do we want to show?

---------------

We are looking for information, opinions, and in-depth analysis from experts or scholars in a variety of fields. We choose articles based on facts or opinions about general news, as well as quality analysis and commentary about Indonesia or international events. Send your piece to community@jakpost.com. For more information click here.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Good Indonesian Food (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

Cikini has long been a center for culinary tourism thanks to its noodle shops, Chinese restaurants and long-standing coffee shops that offer coffee and delicious food with an ambiance that evokes old Jakarta. Bakoel Koffie, which stands right across Menteng Huis, is one of them.

One could easily take in the vintage feel of this place, especially with the brown color palette that dominates the restaurant and the classic home cutlery provided. Near the cashier is a shelf containing coffee beans for sale. To sample a cup of coffee made by the first coffee roaster in Java, one could purchase a small pouch of coffee. There are also various cakes and snacks on display, ranging from tiramisu, cheesecake and tuna panada to market treats like klepon (boiled rice cake stuffed with liquid palm sugar and topped with grated coconut), lemper (meat-filled glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaves), ongol-ongol (mung bean cake with grated coconut) and many more.

A stack of brochures with a sign saying please take one in front of it caught my eye, which turned out to be booklets detailing the history of Bakoel Koffie. Founded by Liauw Tek Siong in 1878 under the name Tek Sun Ho, its original spot was located east of Kali Ciliwung (known as Molenvliet Canal during the colonial era) along the transportation route for the delivery of wood and foodstuff from the north to the south.

(Read also: New service delivers curated coffee to your home)

Mie ongklok Wonosobo (Wonosobo noodle soup with side dishes).(Good Indonesian Food/File)

Initially focusing on just coffee as a beverage, the year 1968 saw Tek Sun Ho beginning to sell its own coffee beans. It coincided with the introduction of its logo, which depicts a woman carrying a basket that also represents its aim for their coffee beans to be universally enjoyed by anyone.

Besides its selection of coffee and light bites, Bakoel Koffie also provides a number of Indonesian dishes, including soto (savory soup), nasi goreng (fried rice), tape bakar (grilled fermented rice), singkong mbledug (exploding cassava) and a few others. My choice for lunch during my visit was mie ongklok Wonosobo (Wonosobo noodle soup with side dishes) because of its unique name.

My first impression of the dish once it was served was that it looked quite similar to lomie (flat-rice noodle soup) due to its thick and brownish soup. The noodles were quite meaty and have more in common with spaghetti than the common roadside chicken noodle dish. Its broth is sweet and savory and the concoction was topped with cuts of tempeh and chicken  an interesting yet incredibly tasty combination  and some emping (gnetum gnemon crackers). (kes)

Explore more Indonesian cuisine here.

Jl. Cikini Raya No. 25, Cikini, Menteng, Central Jakarta

Contact: 021 3193 6608

Open daily from 9 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Rp 75,000 (US$5.60) per person

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Harry Bhaskara (The Jakarta Post) Brisbane, Australia  Wed, December 14, 2016

The Melbourne-based Herb Feith Foundation has awarded the Human Rights Education Award to an Indonesian writer and activist.

Putu Oka Sukanta, 77, has been named the foundation's inaugural award recipient for his significant contribution to human rights education in Indonesia, according to a press statement received on Dec. 1.

It says Putu made the contribution through his writing and community education activities.

The former teacher-cum-journalist was an activist of the People's Cultural Institute (Lekra), the leftist organization banned after the 1965 coup attempt. Now working as an acupuncturist in Jakarta, Putu's books have been translated to English, German and French.

(Read also: Ismail Marzuki, Van Lith, Martha Tilaar on cultural award winners list)

He is the founder of the NGO Lembaga Kreativitas Kemanusiaan (Institute of Human Creativity), which produces films and organizes educational activities focused on restoring humanity of those related to the 1965 case.

In 2012 he received the Hellman/Hammet Award for his commitment to freedom of expression and his dedication to confronting persecution.

Set up by Monash University, the Herb Feith Foundation was established in 2003 to commemorate the life and work of Herb Feith (1930-2001), a leading Indonesianist who also a volunteer, teacher and peace activist. (kes)
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Linkedin Masajeng Rahmiasri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

Indonesia is looking for participants for the upcoming South by Southwest Conference and Festival (SXSW) 2017 in Texass capital city Austin, the United States, Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) announced.

Bekraf said the country would be joining the festival under a program called Archipelageek, which is said to promote Indonesias status as the worlds largest archipelagic state, combined with the word geek.

It is time for Indonesia to be active in creative economy sectors, such as film, music and interactive media business, Bonifasius Pudjianto, the agencys foreign market development director, said in an official statement. Indonesias participation in SXSW is a good opportunity to give international access to local musicians, film producers, business people and creative technology makers.

(Read also: Preserving Indonesian culture through traditional toys)

Bekraf will select five digital startups, three feature films, several short films as well as up to 10 musicians or bands to join the festival, registration for which is open until Thursday.

SXSW Conference and Festival is an annual event that began in 1987 in Austin, Texas, the US. It highlights interactive technology, films and the music industry and expects to draw approximately 87,000 participants from all over the globe through more than 2,000 sessions this year.

Indonesian musician Shaggydog had joined and performed in last year's festival. (kes)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 13 2016

JAKARTA: Taiwan-based Cathay Life Insurance Co. Ltd., the insurance arm of the Cathay Financial Holding finance conglomerate, will soon become the majority shareholder of Indonesias publicly listed Bank Mayapada, pending approval from the lenders shareholders in January.

Eventually, the stake of Cathay Life Insurance Co. Ltd. will increase to 40 percent in Bank Mayapada, the lenders president director Haryono Tjahjarijadi told kontan.co.id over the weekend. An extraordinary shareholders meeting has been scheduled for Jan. 13 to seek approval for the changes in ownership and organizational structure.

Prior to the cross-shares trade, the ownership structure of Bank Mayapada involved Mayapada Karunia (26.42 percent), Cathay Life Insurance (24.9 percent), Brilliant Bazaar Pte Ltd. (15.64 percent), Galasco Investments Limited (10 percent), Unity Rise Limited (7.31 percent) and the public (15.73 percent).

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Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 13 2016

Indonesia has lost one of its finest minds. Former finance minister Marie Muhammad died of pneumonia at the age of 77 at the National Brain Center Hospital in East Jakarta on Sunday.

Marie was widely recognized for years of persistence in promoting clean governance during the authoritarian regime of former president Soeharto. His determination to fight corruption earned Marie the title of Mr. Clean in the eyes of the public.

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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 13 2016

The governments intention to replace notorious cost recovery with a gross split sliding scale has been met with mixed views from the oil and gas industry.



Cost recovery  a reimbursement scheme for oil and gas companies exploration and exploitation activities  was first established in 2010. Meanwhile, gross split sliding scales are only allowed for non-conventional oil and gas fields. Even so, they have yet to be implemented since a ministerial regulation was issued last year.



Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arcandra Tahar said a ministerial regulation allowing gross split sliding scales for conventional fields would be issued next year. The new scheme will only be implemented for new contracts.



The new scheme will be first implemented for the production-sharing contract (PSC) of the Offshore Northwest Java (ONWJ) block. The regulation will be issued early next year. Around January, Arcandra said.



Cost recovery has been seen as inefficient, with experts alleging that several companies marked up costs due to unattractive split ratios. The split ratio of government to contractor is 85:15 for oil and 70:30 for gas.



According to a Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) report, contractors marked up cost recovery by Rp 3.9 trillion (US$293 million) last year by adding variables such as expatriation costs for foreign employees, thus reducing state revenue. The government paid out $13.9 billion for oil and gas cost recovery, exceeding the $12.86 billion in non-tax revenues obtained from the sector.



A gross split sliding scale is expected to incorporate a no-cost recovery mechanism, and the split in government will be increase in line with the volume of production.



The ministrys oil and gas director general IGN Wiratmaja Puja argued that implementing a gross split sliding scale would be more attractive to investors as it was simpler and more efficient, making contract negotiations much quicker.



This is not the first time the government has made tweaks to improve the investment climate in the sobering oil and gas industry.



The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry and the Finance Ministry are still working on revising Government Regulation No. 79/2010 on cost recovery and tax treatment for the upstream oil and gas industry. The impending regulation will include non-tax and tax incentives that are hoped to entice investors in the industry.



However, some remain unconvinced that the changes would bring about significant results. ReforMiner Institute executive director Komaidi Notonegoro said implementing a gross split sliding scale was not a sure-fire way to improve the investment climate in the industry.



Although the new scheme could bring in more investment, Komaidi explained, it could also have the reverse effect as the contractors would be the sole risk-takers in the PSC.



If the cost structure isnt efficient then there would be more costs. The contractors would be at a disadvantage as the government would turn a blind eye to it, he said.



Meanwhile, Indonesian Petroleum Association (IPA) president Christina Verchere said discussing the gross split sliding scale with the government was one of the organizations priorities for next year.



We will continue the detailed analysis and discussion for the implementation of the gross split sliding contract scheme for conventional oil and gas, and ensure that the scheme will be acceptable for investors, the BP regional Asia-Pacific president said.



The local unit of United States-based ExxonMobil has also expressed its willingness to discuss the possibility of using a gross split sliding scale in the PSC for the gas-rich East Natuna block in Riau Islands, as long as the regulation has already been issued, said its vice president for public and government affairs, Erwin Maryoto.

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Linkedin Liza Yosephine and Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 13 2016

As the blasphemy trial against Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama is set to begin on Tuesday, television stations have been preparing for live coverage of the hearings.

As of Monday, however, the stations have yet to learn to what extent they may cover the trial, as no permit has so far been issued by the North Jakarta District Court, where the trial will be held.

Metro TV news gathering manager Charles Melkiansyah said he was still waiting for confirmation from the panel of judges on the extent to which the trial would be open for the public.

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Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo has reiterated that all active personnel should be able to exercise their right to vote. However, he said, such a right was likely applicable only in the next 10 years.

In a hearing at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Gatot asked lawmakers to reconsider extending voting rights for TNI members but suggested this should be done after 2024, when legislative, presidential and regional elections would take place simultaneously for the first time in the countrys history.

We can implement this after the 2024 simultaneous elections. You can examine the exact time for TNI members to be able to exercise their voting rights, he told members of a special committee assigned to deliberate a bill on elections.

Gatot said after 2024 was the best time for parties to determine the fate of voting rights for active military personnel, concerning the Indonesian public.

Gatot conveyed his suggestion to respond to lawmakers queries about his expectation that TNI personnel should be allowed to exercise their rights to vote. The military commander has highlighted the issue in public discussions several times, saying that by denying political rights of military personnel, the country treated them like foreign citizens.

Lawmakers expressed immediate rejections over Gatots proposal saying that TNIs impartiality during elections is essential.

Its better for TNI to stand above all elements of the country, said Golkar lawmaker Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa. Participating in the elections would disable TNI to embrace all groups impartially, he added. (ebf)
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Linkedin Elisabeth Carolina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14 2016

There are several things that have formed the basis for investors investing in Indonesia and have strengthened competitiveness with other countries, including abundant natural resources, a young and technically trained workforce and a large and growing domestic market, combined with an improving investment climate and a higher global profile, which are just a few of Indonesias salient strengths.



Indonesia is very rich in natural resources, from liquefied natural gas to the mining industry, with petroleum and mineral exports dominating shipments. On the labor side, Indonesia has a number of productive working groups. As the fourth most populated country in the world, more than 53 percent of people live in urban areas with modern lifestyles and increasing power needs.



Indonesia is an emerging global powerhouse in Asia. With gross domestic product (GDP) expected to reach US$870 billion in 2014, Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia, with a democratic system that is able to maintain political stability.



In line with economic resilience during the global financial crisis and its aftermath, along with political stability, the government has continued to make improvements that encourage investors and create a safe and attractive investment environment. Indonesia is also playing a more dominant role in global affairs as the only Southeast Asian member of the G20 group of the worlds top economies and as an active voice for the developing world.



Government efforts to promote investment in Indonesia can be seen in its economic policy packages, particularly in the second, third, fifth, seventh, 10th, 11th and 13th packages that include efforts to increase investment with easier regulations for business licensing to simplify and improve the business climate for the industrial sector, for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and for other business sectors.



Moreover, in the 10th economic policy package, the government opened up 35 business sectors, allowing them to be 100-percent owned by foreign investment to boost economic growth, meaning that the sectors are removed from the negative investment list (DNI), such as crumb rubber, e-commerce with more than $100 billion in capital, the raw materials industry for medicines, as well as telecommunications equipment testing agencies.



The raw materials industry has been opened to foreigners to facilitate lower prices for medicines. Because raw materials are still imported, the prices of drugs for end consumers are still relatively high. With the liberalization of the industry, it is expected that drug prices will be lower. With the revision of the DNI, many investors will open in Indonesia and will certainly require office space, employees and legal exports to start their businesses. It will be an opportunity to compete globally, provide employment and improve the competitiveness of the national industry later on.



Private sector investment is essential to complement government spending in support of economic growth in Indonesia. In addition, to accelerate growth, Indonesia must rely on fiscal space expansion in the short term, while introducing reforms to facilitate investment and reduce the cost of business in the medium term.



In the electricity sector, demand will still be higher in the future and in line with economic growth. Therefore, to meet the needs of the next 10 years and improve state electricity firm PLNs energy mix, it will need up to 80.5 megawatts (MW) from additional power plants. The investment needed for the electricity sector also includes the construction of transmission and distribution network investment for power plants, although the investment will be dominated by the transmission and distribution network.



Moreover, application processes for investment can be done in three hours, whereby investors receive eight licenses. The regulation will support the governments tax amnesty program where taxpayers who repatriate money put their funds into direct investment schemes and utilize the three-hour licensing process.



Based on data from the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), total realized investment in the third quarter this year reached Rp 155.3 trillion, a 10.7 percent increase from the same period a year ago. Foreign direct investment (FDI) reached Rp 99.7 trillion, dominated by Singapore, Japan, China, the British Virgin Islands and the Netherlands, while domestic investment amounted to Rp 55.6 trillion topped by East Java, West Java, Banten, Jakarta and South Sumatra. Total employment in the third quarter reached 276,023 people.



Based on the data there is still great potential for domestic investors to continue to expand and improve their quality of business so they can compete with foreign investors. Meanwhile, there are many foreign investors who are interested in investing in Indonesia, for example Chinese companies that are very keen to be able to invest in the property sector and tourism. According to BKPM data, the largest pool of foreign investors are from Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, China and the Netherlands.



In order to improve the investment climate in Indonesia, the government is expected to cooperate with the private sector. The government is predicted to ease the investment climate by providing regulations, security and convenience. Meanwhile, the private sector may participate by maintaining national security so as to create conducive and comfortable conditions for investment. They can also tap and cooperate with investors, thus creating a collaboration that can provide benefits for the country.



Investment-friendly policy packages have been launched to support infrastructure in Indonesia. First are tax incentives, such as income tax relief for labor-intensive industries, tax incentives for real estate investment trusts (REITs) and tax incentives and relaxed regulations on property.



Second are business and infrastructure incentives like those for the footwear and apparel industries, simplification of import licensing for drugs and raw foods, accelerating infrastructure development, water management and regulations, dwelling time optimization, oil refinery development, aviation

sector incentives, downstream industries, debt to equity ratio, integrated logistics zones, CPO funds, support for export-oriented Industries, relaxed cattle imports, improved ease of doing business ranking, revised DNI and facilitating FDI and accelerating electricity infrastructure.



Last, other incentives, such as the one-map policy, expansion of coverage and interest subsidies for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are also expected to support infrastructure.

_____________



The writer is an analyst at the Mandiri Institute.

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Linkedin Djemi Amnifu (The Jakarta Post) Kupang  Wed, December 14, 2016

A man who allegedly attacked students of a state elementary school in West Sabu district, Sabu Raijua regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Tuesday was later killed by a mob at a local police station.

At about 11 a.m. local time, thousands of people attacked the police station, broke into the detention room and beat the suspect to death, said NTT Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Jules Abast.

Drastically outnumbered, the 13 police personnel at the station were unable to stop the mob.

The security condition in Sabu is once again peaceful as the people have returned to their homes, Jules said, adding that security personnel would remain alert.

The alleged attacker, identified as Irwansyah, was arrested after the attack at state elementary school SDN 1 Seba in Sabu Raijua regency on Tuesday morning that left seven students injured.

Jules said no fatalities were reported in the incident but the seven injured students had to be admitted to the hospital for medical treatment.

The seven students were identified as Juniarto Ananda Apri Dimu, 11, Naomi Oktoviani Pawali, 10, Maria Katrina Yeni, 8, Gladis Riwu Rohi, 11, Dian Suryanti Kore Bunga, 11, Alberto Tamelan, 10, and Aldi Miha Djami, 11.

At the time of writing the seven students were all still in intensive care at Seba Hospital while the other students were sent home in anticipation of other incidents.

West Sabu Police chief Comr. Silfeston said Irwansyat earlier managed to escape after being arrested, but he was caught back by locals and taken to the West Sabu Police precinct. As of now, the police have not been able to find a possible motive behind the attack.

The perpetrator has been identified as Irwansyah, 32, of Bekasi, West Java, Silfeston said, adding that the perpetrator traveled around Sabu Island every day selling home appliances door to door. It is alleged that Irwansyah carried out the brutal attacks because of personal

problems.

He entered the grade five classroom carrying a knife in his hand and went to the rear bench where Naomi sat, he said, adding that he then sliced at her neck with the knife and proceeded to attack the students one by one.

He also confirmed that the police had examined seven friends of the perpetrator who were on board the Andhika Express ferry from Sabu to Kupang. The police had found no indication that they had been involved in the attack, he added.

The incident has sparked fears of sectarian and ethnic violence in the regency as the alleged attacker was found to be a Muslim migrant from Bekasi.

About 90 percent of the population of NTT are Christians.

The local chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) condemned the attack and called on NTT residents to maintain religious harmony and not be provoked by rumors surrounding the incident.

Chair of the synod of the Evangelical Church in Timor (GMIT), Merry Kolimon, also condemned the attack, saying that violence against children was violence against humanity.

We ask the government and law enforcement bodies to make serious efforts to reveal [...] the motive behind the attack, Merry said.

She also called on religious figures in the regency to maintain harmony and ensure that tolerance was preserved and justice demanded for all the children.

Lets wait for the right information from the authorities. Please, dont spread information that will only worsen the situation, she said, expressing hope that the wounded students would recover soon.
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Linkedin Kornelius Purba (The Jakarta Post) Tokyo  Wed, December 14 2016





Specialty paper: Tan Ui San, the chairman of APP Japan, shows a photocopy to journalists in a supermarket in Tokyo. The paper is produced by Indonesias Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). (JP/Kornelius purba)

Building and holding a presence in the Japanese market, one of worlds most challenging for foreign companies, has never been easy. The government, consumers and buyers are very demanding, especially the government, which strictly monitors the implementation of its regulations and requirements. However, winning the market is also rewarding, as it can become a stepping stone to enter the markets of other industrialized countries.



Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) Japan began operations in 1997 during the Asian financial crisis, in a joint venture with Itochu Corporation. Initially, the two companies had equal shares, but now APP Japan controls an 84 percent stake, while the rest is held by Itochu.



The companys main exports to Japan include paper for photocopying, printing and industrial purposes, household paper products and stationery.



Earlier this year, the Japan Business Federation, also known as Keidanren, accepted APP Japan as its first member from Indonesia. The powerful lobby group counts 1,340 major Japanese companies among its members, alongside 109 industrial associations and 47 regional economic organizations.



We are very proud to be the first Indonesian company with Keidanren membership, [to have] won the trust to become a member of the organization, said APP Japan chairman Tan Ui Sian after accompanying a group of Indonesian journalists to a meeting with Keidanren on Tuesday.



The company now commands a 25 percent market share and is fourth on the list of producers of household paper products, such as tissue. With annual sales exceeding US$800 million, Tan said he believed his company would be able to increase its market share despite severe competition.



The market for copy paper and tissue remains lucrative in Japan, said Tan, adding that since 2013 the company only used raw material from its own industrial estates.



Resource-based industries, however are very sensitive to environmentally conscious consumers. Japans largest mail company, Askul, is one of Tans priority customers. The company regularly sends its staff to inspect APPs factories and estates in Indonesia to ensure its compliance.



Our customers are very conscious about environment-related issues, said Askuls vice executive officer, Kazuyuki Kamei.



Gakuji Fukatsu, the executive director of Green Purchasing Network, pointed out that Japanese consumers paid serious attention to the timber used as raw material. It should be produced in accordance with the law and rules of the countries where the trees are logged, Fukatsu said.



NGOs like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are also very influential among Japanese consumers. The WWF has a strong voice here, said Tan.

----------------

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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14 2016

ASEAN is finally set to weigh in on international concerns over the situation in Myanmars troubled Rakhine state as the regions foreign ministers prepare to convene in Yangon on Monday.

In a first for the regional body, uncharacteristic of ASEAN leaders who for decades have upheld the non-interference principal, Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called for a special informal ASEAN meeting as a follow-up to her tete-a-tete with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi in Naypyidaw last week, a ministry official has confirmed.

Nikkei Asian Review previously reported that the call for the meeting was made during an informal gathering of senior ASEAN officials in Bali over the weekend.

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Linkedin Corry Elyda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14 2016

The Jakarta City Council on Tuesday approved a bylaw that allows the administration to shrink its bureaucracy and save money.

Jakartas acting governor, Sumarsono, said the new structure would help the administration cut the workforce by about one-fifth to 4,938 posts.

We initially had 5,998 positions in all agencies and working units. It will be only 4,938 now, he said.

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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14 2016

Following the rescue of two more sailors, Indonesias maritime security agreement with the Philippines has seemingly succeeded in pushing back a notorious band of militants responsible for a spate of kidnappings in shared waters.

According to a Foreign Ministry official, the existing cooperation framework in the Sulu Sea has forced the Abu Sayyaf group to shift its modus operandi to targeting fishermen in waters near Sabah state in Malaysia, where local authorities do not have a completely firm grip on security.

There have been no incidents in the Sulu Sea since June, thanks in no small part to standard operating procedures agreed upon by Indonesia and the Philippines, said Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, director for the protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad.

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Linkedin Stefani Ribka, Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Surabaya  Wed, December 14, 2016

The Supreme Court has annulled a government road map designed to boost national tobacco production, ruling that the plan is incompatible with child protection and public health, among other concerns.

A 2015 Industry Ministry regulation on the tobacco road map, which targeted an output rise to 524.2 billion cigarettes by 2020, was appealed earlier this year by five antitobacco activists with the assistance of lawyers from the Solidarity of Public Advocates for Tobacco Control (SAPTA), led by prominent lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis.

The court ruled against the road map, arguing it violated five higher-level regulations, namely the laws on health (No. 36/2009), human rights (No. 39/1999), international convention on economic, social and cultural rights (No. 11/2005), child protection (No. 23/2002) and excise (No. 11/1995).

Massive cigarette production will support massive consumption. Massive consumption will lead to massive health damage, said SAPTA lawyer Julius Ibrani.

Cigarettes are widely consumed in Indonesia, which has the highest prevalence of child smokers in the world and where 67.4 percent of males above 15 years of age smoke. National production has grown to 341 billion cigarettes as of 2013, up 55 percent from 2006.

The Industry Ministrys tobacco road map eyes tobacco production to grow by 5 percent to 7.4 percent per year until it reaches 524.2 billion cigarettes in 2020, or 1,900 sticks per capita of Indonesias projected 270 million population.

The Supreme Court verdict has automatically annulled the road map. The verdict is final and legally binding, so there is no way for any party or anyone to challenge it, said SAPTA lawyer Tubagus Haryo.

The Industry Ministry, which issued the road map to develop the tobacco industry and protect tobacco farmers, acknowledged the verdict and said it would review its policy accordingly.

We need to find solutions on how to help the tobacco farmers if the crop price drops due to the slowing industry, not just ban it. Its also the task of the Agriculture Ministry to assist them in planting other commodities should they need to change occupation, said the ministrys director for beverages, tobacco and refreshments, Willem P. Riwu.

Farmers, on the other hand, are finding it difficult to use their land for purposes other than growing tobacco, which they say gives them more income. Planting corn yields Rp 12 million (US$900) of profit per hectare per harvest, while tobacco plants earn them Rp 22 million, according to the Tobacco Farmers Associations Jember chapter.

To switch plants is also not easy, as weve been doing this for years, said the head of the farmers group, Abdurrachman.

Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) economist Iman Sugema said the government needed to devise a comprehensive plan on tobacco to protect both public health and the industrys development.

The government also needs to be ready to provide replacement jobs for the laborers, farmers and retailers living from tobacco. The policy needs to be comprehensive and not support the interests of only one side, Iman added.

Around 6 million people work in the tobacco industry, including 2.3 million tobacco farmers, 1.5 million clove farmers, 400,000 factory workers, 600,000 related workers and 1 million sellers, based on University of Indonesia (UI) data from 2013.

Tobacco, meanwhile, is the biggest contributor to state income from excise with an estimated Rp 132 trillion this year.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

Lawmakers and business players have called on the government to disseminate clear information on the gross split sliding scale that will be issued next year, in order to avoid confusion in the oil and gas industry.

Gerindra party lawmaker Harry Poernomo said the government had to ensure that the new mechanism, drawn up to replace cost recovery - a reimbursement scheme for oil and gas companies exploration and exploitation activities  did not contravene the Constitution, which mandates state control over all natural resources.

We have to make sure the gross split sliding scale is in line with Article 33 of the Constitution [on state control on economy]. It has to allow for strong government intervention in the management of the countrys natural resources, he said in a discussion on Wednesday.

(Read also: Lawmakers likely to miss Oil and Gas Law revision deadline)

Recently, the government announced that it plans to issue a gross split sliding scale next year for new contracts because it regards the current cost-recovery scheme as inefficient.

The new gross split sliding scale is expected to accelerate contract negotiations and attract more investors. In turn, it will increase oil production and save funds from the state budget that the government has allocated to pay for cost-recovery.

Responding to the new scheme, Ronald Gunawan, chief operating officer of Medco Energi International, said the company was extensively communicating with the government about the new scheme through the Indonesian Petroleum Association (IPA). (win/jun)
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Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

The government is set to impose tougher regulations for all mass organizations in an effort to discipline groups that have violated Indonesian values, a minister has said.

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly said the new rules include stricter requirements for the establishment of a mass organization and severe punishments for disobedient groups.

We will dissolve groups that are not good for the nation because they violate Pancasila and other state values, he told journalists on the sidelines of a hearing at the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Yasonna, a politician from the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), further explained that as a first step toward the goal, his office would prepare for a government regulation (PP), through which technical provisions stipulated in the law on mass organizations would be explained in more detail.

The minister said although the issuance of the PP would be a bit late, implementing this regulation was crucial because it would explain preliminary efforts so the government could begin to discipline certain mass organizations.

We will make sure that it will no longer be easy for mass organizations [to commit violations], Yasonna asserted. (ebf)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14 2016

The Jakarta Polices general crimes unit has nabbed a man for allegedly manipulating ATMs and withdrawing Rp 1.9 billion (US$142,500) without decreasing the balance of his savings account.

General crimes unit chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Budi Hermanto said on Tuesday that the modus operandi of the perpetrator, identified only by the initials NKM, 43, was quite advanced as he could withdraw money from ATMs on multiple occasions without his account being debited.

Budi said that NKM, who was a currently unemployed information technology (IT) technician, had admitted carrying out the illegal withdrawals several times, including withdrawing money from an ATM machine in a mini-market in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, in August.

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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

Multiple gas-powered mobile power plant projects run by state-owned electricity company PLN would help boost exports from Hungary to Indonesia, as most turbines for the facilities will be manufactured in the Central European country, a Hungarian lender said.

Hungarian Export Import Bank Plc. (HEXIM) CEO Zoltan Urban said a General Electric (GE) factory in the Hungarian city of Veresegyhaz would supply 15 of 20 turbines used in the new projects, which could generate 500 megawatts (MW) of electricity in total.

The mobile power plants are located in Lampung (4x25 MW), Pontianak (4x25 MW) in West Kalimantan, Bangka (2x25 MW) in Bangka Belitung, Riau (3x25 MW), Belitung (25 MW) in Bangka Belitung, Ampenan (2x25 MW) in West Nusa Tenggara, Paya Pasir (3x25 MW) in North Sumatra and Nias (25 MW) in North Sumatra .

Earlier this month, HEXIM along with Canadian lender Export Development Canada (EDC) agreed to finance the projects, worth a total of $435 million, in a 12-year syndication loan scheme to PLN.

"GE in Hungary cooperating with more than 600 Hungarian suppliers is a strategic partner of the Hungarian Government. This deal proves that Hungary takes an important role in the global value chain of the energy sector," Urban said in a statement on Tuesday.

He added that the financing was HEXIM's biggest ever participation in a joint financing.

According to Trade Ministry data, as of September, Hungary's exports to Indonesia reached US$45.88 million, increased by 26.78 percent compared to the same period in 2015. Meanwhile Indonesia's exports to Hungary reached $46.24 million, up by 1.62 percent compared to the same period in 2015. (hwa)
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Linkedin Nani Afrida (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

Indonesia is developing unmanned submarine technology in the hope of securing the countrys vast ocean territory at an efficient cost.

The unmanned submarine, called Kaledupa, will be able to operate at a depth 150 meters, the Defense Ministrys director for defense industry and technology, Brig. Gen. Jan Pieter Ate, said on Tuesday.

The product is made by PT Robo Marine Indonesia, a technology company based in Bandung, West Java.

The Defense Ministry has ordered the defense industry to develop the technology for this unmanned submarine. We have appointed PT Robo Marine Indonesia because the company has skills in this technology, Jan Pieter told The Jakarta Post.

Kaledupa was tested on Sunday in Wakatobi waters, Southeast Sulawesi, to obtain the ministrys certificate of eligibility.

Jan Pieter said Kaledupa had many strengths. For instance, it has underwater sensing technology, an underwater recorder with HD resolution and LED lighting tools that help the submarine see hundreds of meters under the ocean.

During the test, Kaledupa managed to prove all of its advantages. We hope this new technological development will reduce our dependency on foreign weaponry systems, he said. (hwa)
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Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14 2016

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has once again expressed its hope to regain the right to vote in elections, saying that all regulations related to the militarys political rights should be evaluated by 2024.

Speaking to members of the House of Representatives special committee on the election bill on Tuesday, TNI chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo said the military should get their voting rights after 2024 as the country would hold regional, legislative and presidential elections that year.

There will be three elections at the same time in 2024. Its a crucial year. It will need more attention. So 2024 will be the right time to evaluate [the regulations on TNIs voting rights], Gatot said.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Wed, December 14 2016

As has happened in the past, the police have been beefing up security ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations. The precautionary measures are justified considering the arrest of five terrorism suspects in Bekasi, Sukoharjo and Ngawi over the last few days.

Credit should go to the Densus 88 counterterrorism special detachment for preempting a suicide bomb attack outside the Presidential Palace reportedly planned for Dec. 11. A homemade bomb, which the police say contained a highly explosive compound called triacetone triperoxide (TATP), was seized from the bride or would-be executor of the attack following her arrest at a boarding house in the Bintara Jaya area in Bekasi.

The impact of the attack, if it had materialized, would have been beyond imagination. As a comparison, TATP was used in the Paris carnage of November 2015, which killed at least 129 people and seriously injured 99 others.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura  Wed, December 14 2016

The Papua Police have named Sudiro, the chemical, energy and mining worker chairman at PT Freeport Indonesias (FI) All-Indonesia Workers Union (SPSI), a suspect for allegedly embezzling Rp 3.3 billion (US$247,500) of workers funds.

According to the police, Sudiro allegedly misused money that was collected from workers of the gold and copper mining giant from 2014 to 2016.

The alleged embezzlement was first reported by Virgo Solossa, the chemical, energy and mining worker chairman at SPSIs Mimika chapter, at the Mimika Police. But the investigation has been taken over by the Papua Police, Papua Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Ahmad Mustofa Kamal said in Jayapura on Saturday.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

President Joko Jokowi Widodo will spend his second day in Iran in a series of meetings with the countrys leaders and officials in hopes to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

On Wednesday morning, the President will meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for a tete-a-tete at the Sadabad Palace's Jomhouri building in Tehran. The two leaders will oversee the signing of a number of memorandum of understandings (MoUs) before concluding the meeting with a state lunch.

After the meeting, President Jokowi is scheduled to meet Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei in two separate meetings at the Parliament building and the Office of the Supreme Leader, respectively.

(Read also: Jokowi arrives in India to tap potential)

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, who is accompanying President Jokowi in his state visit, said the visit to the oil-rich country was meant to improve bilateral cooperation, particularly in the energy sector.

Iran [and Indonesia] have huge potential in the oil and gas sector, she said in a press release, adding that Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan was ready to discuss potential cooperation with his Iranian counterpart as a follow-up to the state visit.

President Jokowi and his entourage arrived in Tehran on Tuesday at 4:20 p.m. local time after concluding a state visit in India. He was scheduled to return to Indonesia on Wednesday evening. (hwa)
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Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

After intensive lobbying, political parties have finally agreed to amend a law regulating the legislative institution, known as the MD3 Law, to pave the way for the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to secure a leadership seat in the House of Representatives.

We have agreed to revise the MD3 Law. We will include the revision in the priority bills that the House aims to pass into law by next year, House Legislative Body (Baleg) deputy chairman Firman Subagyo told reporters on Tuesday after a closed-door meeting with fellow lawmakers to discuss the matter.

The Golkar Party politician added that Baleg would share the decision with Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly in a hearing on Wednesday to secure government approval for the plan.

The revision of the 2014 MD3 Law is expected to provide a legal basis for the PDI-P to install its lawmakers as one of deputy speakers in the House and the Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR).

The planned revision is reportedly a part of a deal the PDI-P made in exchange for its support of the recent return of Golkar chairman Setya Novanto as House speaker after he was forced to resign late last year over alleged ethical misconduct.

The existing MD3 law was passed shortly after the 2014 presidential election when the country saw fierce competition between two political coalitions: the Great Indonesian Coalition (KIH) that supported president-elect Joko Jokowi Widodo and the opposition Red-and-White Coalition (KMP) that supported rival Prabowo Subianto.

The law stipulates that candidates for the House leadership, which consists of one speaker and four deputy speakers, should be endorsed in one package by a coalition of political parties. The KMPs package led by Novanto won the vote. (hwa)
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani and Viriya P. Singgih THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

Despite potential crude price hikes after a nearly two-year slump, the upstream oil and gas sector may not benefit much from higher global investment due to overbearing policies and lack of business certainty.

Global crude price has gained around 17 percent since the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed to cut output by 1.2 million barrels of oil per day (bpod) next year, according to Bloomberg.

Although the output reduction will only be partially applied by its members, lower production will still lead to an annual crude price average of US$53 to $58 per barrel on benchmark Brent Crude, according to energy think tank Wood Mackenzie.

Prices may further increase to $60 to $65 per barrel by May next year if non-OPEC members meet their commitment to trim output by 558,000 bopd.

According to Andrew Harwood, Wood Mackenzies Asia Pacific research director for upstream oil and gas, global investment in exploration and production activities, in line with the price trend, global investment in exploration and production activities will also climb to $450 billion, up 3 percent from this year, despite still 40 percent below investment in 2014.

In addition, around 20 to 25 financial investment decisions will be completed in 2017, rising exponentially from a measly nine this year.

In spite of this brighter outlook, the energy consultancy group predicts Indonesia would not benefit from higher crude prices as well as bigger global investment due to the countrys notorious reputation of rampant red tape.

On a pure fiscal basis, Indonesia compares with some of the countries weve mentioned, Harwood said at the 2016 Pertamina Energy Forum on Tuesday.

What investors are looking for, though, is legal certainty and policies that stimulate investment and I think that is an area where Indonesia falls down.

Indonesia falls into the category of countries with high prospectivity and fiscal attractiveness to lure investment, which also include the United States and Australia.

Despite this potential, as of end of November, investment in the upstream oil and gas sector only stood at US$10.43 billion, comprising $10.3 billion for production activities and $309 million for exploration activities, according to data from the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas).

Although the government aims to garner $12.05 billion, total investment is expected to reach only $11.4 billion, dropping from about $14 billion booked last year.

Several major investors, including Total E&P Indonesie, Chevron Indonesian and ConocoPhillips Indonesia, will likely decrease their investment in Indonesia, according to the consultancy group.

Acknowledging ongoing policy reforms, Harwood, however, noted that the efforts to address red tape did not run as rapidly as expected, while the offered fiscal terms remained undesirable.

More needs to be done and quicker, and youre not going to see the tangible benefits of it, for example more wells, more investment until toward the end of this decade, he said.

Oil and gas industry players also shared similar concerns.

Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) head of energy, oil and gas regulations Firlie Ganinduto maintained a gloomy outlook, particularly about domestic oil exploration, as investors would be reluctant to place their money without legal certainty.

Basically, they all want to invest in a long-term plan, at least for around 10 to 20 years. But its hard to convince them if we change regulations each time a new president, or even a new minister, takes office, Firlie said.

All players were waiting to see the results of the governments plan to replace the cost recovery scheme for the upstream oil and gas industry with the so-called gross-split sliding scale, he added.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

Member of the House of Representatives from the National Manadate Paty (PAN) Teguh Juwarno has told the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) that he knew nothing about an electronic identification card (e-KTP) procurement project worth Rp 5.9 trillion (US$453).

Teguh who was deputy chairman of House commission II on domestic governance, regional autonomy, state apparatuses and agrarian issues in 2011-2012 when the e-KTP project was deliberated, acknowledged that two meetings on the project had taken place.

I did not attend the meeting. So I did not know about the project, Teguh said after his questioning with the KPK on Wednesday as reported by tribunnews.com.

He claimed that, as the commission deputy chairman, he had just handled agrarian aspects of the project.

(Read also: KPK targets House members in e-KTP graft case)

Earlier KPK spokesman Febri said the questioning was aimed to trace the flow of Rp 2.3 trillion, which was considered to be the amount of state losses caused by the alleged corruption.

The KPK earlier questioned House speaker Setya Novanto as a witness related to the case.

So far the antigraft body has named two suspects in the case: the Home Ministrys former director general for population and civil registration, Irman, and the former population administration information management director for the directorate general, Sugiharto. (jun)
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Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has called for the reinstatement of the State Finance Accountability Agency (BAKN), a Houses audit body that the PDI-P said had gained international respect.

PDI-P lawmaker Hendrawan Supratikno said Tuesday his party would endorse the reinstatement of the BAKN through a comprehensive amendment of the 2014 Legislative Institution Law, also known as the MD3 Law.

The BAKN was a body responsible for examining the states finance accountability. It provided comprehensive reports on state spending, he said. Eliminating an important body like the BAKN was a horrible decision, he said.

BAKN, the only department within the House that had received international recognition for its accountability and integrity, was eliminated in 2014 when the House approved the MD3 Law.

The law was deliberated and endorsed after the 2014 elections, which led to the creation of two major political coalitions  the pro-government Great Indonesia Coalition (KIH) and the opposition camp, the Red-and-White Coalition.

The House is expected to deliberate the amendment of the MD3 Law in two stages. The first stage is aimed at revising the chairmanship composition both at the House and the Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR), which will include PDI-Ps representatives in the leadership. The agreement on leadership changes was achieved in exchange for PDI-Ps support for the return of Golkar chairman Setya Novanto as House speaker.

In the second step, major changes are expected in the MD3 Law, through which lawmakers believe the legislative institution can have strengthened authority in carrying out its tasks in composing budgets, formulating legislation and monitoring the government. (ebf)
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.
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Linkedin N. Adri (The Jakarta Post) Balikpapan, East Kalimantan  Wed, December 14, 2016

The Samarinda Police in East Kalimantan have arrested a man who allegedly attacked a crime reporter of a local newspaper last week, leaving the victim with multiple stab wounds.

The suspect was arrested on Jl. Damanhuri, Samarinda, on Tuesday evening by personnel of the North Samarinda Police precinct. He was shot in both legs for resisting arrest, the police claimed.

The suspect tried to run away when our personnel surrounded him, North Samarinda Police criminal investigation unit head Second Insp. Wawan Gunawan said on Wednesday.

(Read also: 'Kaltim Post' journalist stabbed)

Dwi Restu, 24, who works as a crime reporter for Balikpapan-based newspaper Kaltim Post, was found on Dec. 5 lying in his girlfriends room in Samarinda suffering from multiple stab wounds. He survived after undergoing an operation at a local hospital.

His girlfriend Sri Sulastri, 20, also suffered from wounds on her cheek and back apparently caused by a sharp weapon. Witnesses said that Dwi had been involved in a fight with a man in the room.

Wawan said the police were still investigating the motive behind the attack.

As of now, we suspect that the victims were actually the wrong targets [of the attack], he said. (hwa)
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Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

Observers say there should be no reason for distrusting the panel of judges in the ongoing blasphemy trial of Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama as there are very few controversial rulings in the records of the five judges.

North Jakarta District Court spokesman Hasoloan Sianturi has said that the five  Dwiarso Budi Santiarto, Jupriadi, Abdul Rosyad, Joseph V. Rahantoknam and I Wayan Wirjana  were the best judges for the trial, which is one of the countrys most high-profile of 2016.

The panel of judges, presided over by Dwiarso, is facing a serious test due to heavy pressure from conservative Islamic groups that have staged large-scale protests in Jakarta demanding that the incumbent gubernatorial candidate be imprisoned for blasphemy.

Unlike standard criminal trials, the court has assigned five judges instead of three. A five-judge panel is only mandatory for trials of corruption and human rights abuse cases.

Hasoloan said the decision was made to make sure that the case could be examined objectively. He also stressed that none of the judges had ever received sanctions for ethical violations from the Judicial Commission, which oversees the conduct of members of the

judiciary.

Not only that, but the judges are also of different faiths. While Dwiarso, Jupriadi and Abdul are Muslim, Joseph and Wayan are Catholic and Hindu, respectively.

Previously, the Attorney Generals Office (AGO) said that three of the 13 state prosecutors handling Ahoks case were Christian while the others are Muslim.

Judicial Commission member Farid Wajdi also suggested that all the five judges were so far clear.

However, he said that two of the five judges had once been reported to the commission but a preliminary investigation did not find any evidence of wrongdoing.

I cannot mention any names because it could affect the publics faith in them, Farid said, adding the commission had also deployed a team to monitor every hearing of Ahoks trial.

Choky Ramadhan from the University of Indonesias Judicial Watch Society (MAPPI) said the judges clean track records could not guarantee their integrity.

We still have to look closely at how they lead the trial, Choky said.

Ahoks defense team has expressed concerns that the judges independence might be compromised if protesters continued chanting outside the courtroom about sending Ahok to prison.

During the initial hearing on Tuesday, around 100 people chanted Quranic verses and yelled that Ahok was a blasphemer who should be jailed as soon as possible. They have vowed to be outside the court during every hearing until the judges deliver their verdict.

Reading the defense statement titled Trial by the Mob, lawyer Triemoeldja D. Soerjadi described the demonstration and protest outside the court as external pressures.

Such pressure is a clear threat against the countrys democracy and constitution, he said.

Lead prosecutor Ali Mukartono read out the eight-page indictment. It stated that interpretation of the Quran should be limited to Muslims only.

What the defendant did, according to Article 156 (a) of the Criminal Code, constituted an act of hostility, hatred or insult toward one [religious] group of Indonesian citizens, Ali said.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

Publicly listed palm oil company Sawit Sumbermas Sarana plans to allocate 30 percent of its crude palm oil (CPO) production next year to exports in an effort to boost revenue.

President director Vallauthan Subraminam said the company would likely export its CPO to a number of Asian countries, including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and some in the Middle East.

The export is expected to increase our revenue in the future. The [production] allocation will be 70 percent for local [markets] and 30 percent for exports, Subraminam said on the sidelines of the companys extraordinary general meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday.

(Read also: CPO output to fall to 30m tons: Gapki)

CPO prices on Wednesday increased by 4.5 percent to US$815 per ton from $780 the previous day, Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association data showed.

In the first half of the year, Sawit Sumbermas Sarana posted Rp 1.2 trillion in revenue, a 11 percent decrease from Rp 1.3 trillion in the corresponding period last year. Its profit also saw a 44 percent drop to Rp 194.8 billion from Rp 351.3 billion. Subraminam said that the company expected to see a profit margin before tax of 48 percent next year.

In addition, the companys palm production is expected to rise by 24 tons per hectare next year, a 9 percent increase from the projected productivity this year of 22 tons per hectare.

So far, the companys planted land reached about 70,940 hectares from the total land bank of more than 100,000 ha. (wnd/hwa)
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Linkedin Indra Budiari and Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

In a case that has ignited fears of growing intolerance in the Muslim-majority nation, a tearful Jakarta governor gave a touching but at times defiant statement in his defense on Tuesday against allegations that he insulted the Quran.

At the start of his blasphemy trial at the former Central Jakarta District Court building, where hundreds of furious protesters flocked to demand his arrest, Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama choked back tears as he strived to convince a panel of five judges that he had not intended to insult the holy book, an offense that carries a five-year prison term.

Ahok, the first Christian of Chinese descent to govern Jakarta, gave an emotionally charged narration of a loving relationship with his adoptive Muslim parents in his hometown in Bangka Belitung Islands.

The accusation is the same as saying I insulted my adoptive parents and siblings, said Ahok, who paused for a moment as one of his lawyers handed him a handkerchief.

I was partly raised by my adoptive parents and their love profoundly remains in my heart. My first postgraduate tuition fee was even paid by my adoptive sister who is a Muslim.

Ahok also told the judges of the many facilities he had provided for his Islamic constituents, including the construction of the first grand mosque belonging to the city and a swath of donations for religious schools and the celebration of Islamic days.

He also initiated the closure of the Kalijodo red-light area in West Jakarta, among the oldest in Southeast Asia, and Stadium nightclub in Central Jakarta, once an icon of the citys underbelly that was notorious for drugs and prostitution.

Ahok, who is seeking reelection against two Muslim candidates in a poll on Feb. 15, sparked uproar among conservative Muslim groups in late September after he spoke to local residents and city officials in Thousand Islands about voting rights and cited Al-Maidah, verse 51 of the Quran.

The verse has often been used by politicians to deter Muslim voters from electing non-Muslims.

My remark was intended to show that politicians often misuse the verse because they dont want to compete in a fair manner in a regional election, Ahok told the judges.

Although Ahok has repeatedly apologized for the remarks, the incident has sparked two large-scale rallies, each attended by more than 200,000 protesters on the streets of Central Jakarta. The rallies were the biggest public mobilization since the Reform Era in 1998.

Despite the touching statement, Ahok and his lawyers considered the trial to be politically motivated through the use of public pressure.

This defense statement is titled trial by the mob, said lawyer Trimoelja D. Soerjadi when reading a defense note.

Indonesian citizens have witnessed public pressure in this case [as demonstrators] filled thoroughfares. This has led to the irregular acceleration of Ahoks legal process, said Trimoelja, referring to large-scale protests on Nov. 4 and Dec. 2 against Ahok over the allegations.

Trimoelja criticized the polices swift action in investigating Ahoks case. After naming him a suspect on Nov. 16, the police submitted Ahoks case dossier to the Attorney Generals Office (AGO) on Nov. 25.

He highlighted that within three working days, the AGO declared Ahoks 826-page dossier complete.

He also cited a statement from National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian in which he said the police had set aside a circular letter issued in 2015 that ordered personnel to postpone investigations into election candidates until the end of an election, to speed up the legal process against Ahok.

It makes sense to assume that this public pressure aimed to remove Ahok from the election. This is a real threat to democracy in the country, he said.

Outside the court building, protesters chanted at Ahok in what many deemed a display of pressure toward the judges.

There is the blasphemer, arrest him immediately, one protester said, provoking hundreds of others dressed in similar white attire to follow the chant, while police stood by.

Ahok was rushed away from the court in an armored police truck. The trial will resume on Dec. 20.
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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 14, 2016

ASEAN is finally set to weigh in on international concerns over the situation in Myanmars troubled Rakhine state as the regions foreign ministers prepare to convene in Yangon on Monday.

In a first for the regional body, uncharacteristic of ASEAN leaders who for decades have upheld the non-interference principal, Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called for a special informal ASEAN meeting as a follow-up to her tete-a-tete with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi in Naypyidaw last week, a ministry official has confirmed.

Nikkei Asian Review previously reported that the call for the meeting was made during an informal gathering of senior ASEAN officials in Bali over the weekend.

Nikkei said the Bali meeting was originally called to discuss current global issues, including uncertainty brought about by the incoming Donald Trump administration in the US.

[The meeting in Yangon] was more the result of [Retnos] visit to Myanmar on Dec. 6, Jose AM Tavares, the ministrys director general for ASEAN cooperation, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He said Retno and the Nobel laureate had set a date for the ASEAN meeting following the formers visit to Naypyidaw. Ibu [Retno] is leading the way.

Jose also said last weeks informal gathering in Bali, which he attended, had more to do with preparing technical aspects ahead of the foreign ministers meeting on Dec. 19.

Next weeks Yangon meeting will mark the first time ASEAN leaders have collectively responded to growing international criticism of Suu Kyi for not stopping the militarys alleged campaign against the countrys Rohingya Muslim minority.

The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AIHCR) is also looking into the

situation.

More than 20,000 Rohingya have fled over the border to Bangladesh, reporting rape, murder and arson. Their claims have been denied by government officials.

The militarys crackdown followed attacks on Oct. 9 by Rohingyan militants on police posts along the Myanmar border with Bangladesh, leaving nine officers dead.

One report by the London-based Burma Human Rights Network stated at least 30,000 people in Rakhine had been internally displaced, while ongoing violence has led to shortages of food and aid for more than 70,000 people in the area.

Suu Kyi earlier described the situation as being under control and asked the international community to stop stoking the fires of resentment.

Indonesia and Malaysia  both Muslim-majority countries  have raised concerns about the crackdown in Rakhine, with recent protests in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak joined the opposition at a rally in Kuala Lumpur last week to support Rohingya people. Najib said the crackdown had a direct impact on Malaysia, as tens of thousands of Rohingya had over the years arrived in the country to escape persecution, by boat and via Thailand.

Malaysia has more than 56,000 Rohingya and Myanmar refugees registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, with thousands more undocumented.

Last week, UN special adviser on Myanmar Vijay Nambiar urged Suu Kyi to visit the reportedly worst-affected areas in Rakhine to reassure the civilian population there that they will be protected.

Suu Kyi also met last week with former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and his commission to investigate the conflict in Rakhine state.

Annan presented his findings during the week-long tour of Rakhine state, the Myanmar Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Theres an all-out war brewing between the Hells Angels and city cops  who swarmed the notorious bikers clubhouse Tuesday as payback for refusing to help solve a shooting, police and witnesses said. [New York Post]

Sheldon Silver was not on the ballot in 2016, but the former speaker spent more than any sitting member of the State Legislature this election cycle. Silver, convicted of federal corruption charges in November of 2015, blew through $3.6 million. Most of the expenditures covered legal fees. [New York Post]

Silvers replacement in Albany, Yuh-Line Niou, recalls her stint behind the bar at the defunct Winnies on Bayard St. In her new role, Niou is, clinking glasses with some of her old Winnies customers. She observes, The association leaders, the business folks I think Im still serving them, just in a different capacity. With no Hawaiian Punch in my arsenal. [New Yorker]

An awning that hung outside CBGB sold at auction for $30,000. [Esquire]
A fascinating exhibition opens tomorrow evening at the Museum at Eldridge Street. Through a collaboration with the Blavatnik Archive, the museum will be showcasing a collection of postcards depicting life on the Lower East Side during the early part of the 20th Century.

The Jewish Ghetto in Postcards: From Eastern Europe to the Lower East Side, will be on display at the museum through March 8.

In a statement, Blavatnik Archive founder Len Blavatnik said his organization is, proud to exhibit for the first time at the Museum at Eldridge Street a selection of its archival postcards highlighting the American Jewish immigrant experience of the early 1900s. Postcards, the visual social media of the early 20th Century, provide a portal to the bustling life of an immigrant community in NYC, as experienced 100 years ago.

Heres more about the exhibition from the museums press materials:

The Jewish Ghetto in Postcards features fifty postcard images, interpretive texts, oral histories, and a digital component that allows visitors to enlarge and examine the postcards and historic materials. The bulk of the exhibition features images of New Yorks Lower East Side, long an immigrant gateway. Images of bustling streets with pushcarts and horse- drawn carriages, a pickle vendor, and a surprisingly beautiful view of tenements with laundry suspended from one tenement to the next recall a by-gone era. The Lower East Side is described on both the front and back of postcards as The Ghetto or Judea. During the first decades of the 20th Century, the term the Ghetto was understood as the place where the Jews lived in New York City. The postcards were collected in albums, sent as a memento from travels, or as indicated by a message scrawled on one of the featured images  mailed by Progressive-era teachers and workers who wanted to show the atmosphere of the neighborhood where they worked. The postcards of Eastern Europe depict men with long beards, wooden homes along unpaved streets, and other stereotypical scenes of the shtetl, with captions printed on the cards describing them as Jewish Types and the Jewish Quarter. Some of these images are snapshots taken by passing soldiers during World War I who were struck by the exotic-looking community they encountered.

Accompanying the exhibition will be a series of programs, including walking tours, lectures and music. More information about these programs can be found here.

The Museum at Eldridge Street is located in a beautifully restored 1887 synagogue, the first constructed by Eastern European Jews in this country. The museum is open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Friday from a0 a.m.-3 p.m. Admission is $14 adults; $10 students and seniors, $8 children 5-17; free for children under 5 years of age. Mondays are Pay What You Wish.

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Five minutes ago, I was in my car on my long drive home from work in Geneva, Switzerland, to the French side of Lake Geneva, and reflecting on my year in reading while listening to a literary podcast. In an interview between two of the best writers of the last 20 years, I heard the older writer, the interviewer, ask the novelist who had just published a new novel the question dreaded by most authors: What are you going to do now? Take a break? Or are you like Anthony Trollope who, legend has it, upon finishing writing a novel, would relax for an hour, and then write the first sentence of his next novel?

Then it hit me: I am so not Trollope. In 2015, I had the best year in my literary life. Actually, no need to front: It was the best year of my life. A novel Id written lustily and fairly quickly, and then bitterly struggled to find a publisher for, was published to nice reviews from my favorite writers and media. And then the book took a life of its own and found new audiences and fans in communities of readers around the world. During the 11 months of touring 12 cities in six countries in two continents on a budget so small a shoe-string budget would find it insulting, I had lived out a dozen novelist fantasies and experienced some surprises that were so cool and weird they deserve novels of their own, or, prudently, should be taken to the grave.

I could die now, I said one night in bed, saturated with bliss.

No, you cant, my wife, and mother of my two children, sharply reminded me.

Fair enough.

Yet there was one thing I had no interest in doing: writing. At first the lack of interest was mild, the result of extreme exhaustion, a mere reminder that, yep, I wasnt 22 anymore. That dysfunction quickly dissipated. I had energy, a story, and the usual vampiric schedule and sleeping patterns to go for it again. The problem was I didnt know what it was. Or what the point of it should be. Second novels are less linear a progression in ones life than getting a bachelors degree after graduating high school or getting a masters degree after seeing how far a bachelors will get you, which is not very far at all.

So for the first time in 45 years, I checked out life outside of a life in letters. I taught myself how to swim. I let my New Yorker subscription lapse. I took a non-teaching job. I worried about Hillary Clintons chances. And I enjoyed my children. I mean, really enjoyed them. The stories of their days were not stories to be heard for problems to be anticipated or solved, but for each childs humor and pleasures. Our routines of meals and tickle-fests and movie-watching and chaperoning to practices and parties and dates (Yeah, dates. They really do grow up too fast.) were no longer duties to be carried out during pauses in between writing the next chapter or paragraph or email to my agent. They were the jazz, the stuff, the boom and the bap, life itself. I became so at ease with the modest pleasures of non-writer life in our bucolic corner of the world that I left town, like, only twice.

And get this: I barely read any books. Oh, I bought them as frequently as usual, and I read them too. But I didnt read them read them. I didnt read them as a novelist mining source material or looking for that turn of phrase that blazes my literary id like those third down Eli Manning passes that won the Giants Super Bowls. The books I read werent foreplay before an evening of writing, the main reason Id read thousands of comic books, novels, magazines, and newspapers since childhood. Im not one of those writers who discovered I would be a writer gradually as teachers, girlfriends, editors, and readers praise trickled in. I was a writer since sentience. Or better yet: I was a insatiable reader who had to write because the end of Farewell to Arms and the Death of Phoenix saga and Pulp Fiction were so amazing that I felt duty-bound to have a go at giving a reader a variation of those thrills. The rest of life were the things I did to pass time, to please my elders and neighbors in between curling up with a good book and firing up a fresh page on MS Word. My writing was where I hollered, and howled, at my ancestors.

Curiously, my Year of Not Reading ended not after I read a fantastic feat of literature. (Nice try, Colson.) But after I took the kids up to Paris to see Color Line: African-American Artists and Segregation, a retrospective of African-American political art at Quai Branly late in the fall. The show knocked me up with literary possibilities. Of the many disturbing and wondrous pictures, collages, and paintings in the small and pointed showcase of African-American artists responses to Trumpisms historical antecedents since the end of slavery in the late-19th century, the painting that slayed me was a colorful canvas, Rendezvous by Wilmer A. Jennings. It show a guy casually lighting a cigarette with his back turned to a black preacher firing up the faithful while that preachers own back was turned to an advancing cavalry of Ku Klux Klansmen, carrying the flaming cross that signaled their promise of sadism.

My God, that painting, that moment, that wit, they deserve novels.

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The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) came into existence after a truly grueling time in history.

Set up on 11 December 1946 by the UN General Assembly, it was a direct product of the world desperately trying to pick itself up after its worst conflict yet. Set up on 11 December 1946 by the UN General Assembly, it was a direct product of the world desperately trying to pick itself up after its worst conflict yet.

The main goal of the organisation was to offer relief for children directly affected by World War II. After the war, European children faced famine and disease, and the organisation was there to provide food, clothing and healthcare to the best of its ability.

Its aims soon expanded to helping children at risk in developing countries.

In 1953 it became a permanent part of the UN. Only a year later, the movie star Danny Kaye became UNICEFs Ambassador at large. His film Assignment Children, about its work in Asia, was seen by more than 100 million people.

Such ambassadors have become the backbone of UNICEFs publicity. Many celebrities, like David Beckham, Orlando Bloom and even Audrey Hepburn, choose to use their popularity to spread the message of the organisation.

But the organisation that started out 70 years ago isnt the same as the one we know and love.

At first its work was mostly based around providing safety and basic needs like food and clean water. But in 1959, that focus changed with the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, a law that defines childrens rights.

After more than a decade of focusing on child health issues, UNICEF expanded its interests to address the needs of the whole child. A new concern with education, especially in newly independent countries, arose.

For its continuous work towards bettering communities and for the promotion of brotherhood between nations, UNICEF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965 and the Prince of Asturias Award of Concord in 2006.

Another big part of UNICEFs work is its data collection.

Landmark studies and reports have been made on the state of people and children in particular.

In 1987 the landmark study Adjustment with a Human Face looked at how to help children and women in poor countries and how to protect them from economic reforms with a bad effect.

In 1996 UNICEF supported the Machel Report - The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children - that looked into the consequences of war on childrens lives and psyches.

UNICEF is now more than 7,000 people strong, stationed in 157 countries all over the globe.

Over the years the work UNICEF has done has been invaluable and tangible. So why do we still need it? Its mission, as well as the mission of every good human being, is not done yet.

The problems that children in developing countries face range from malnourishment, to lack of clean water, to extremely harsh juvenile justice. Many unwanted children face horrible orphan systems, or are involved in child labour. Wars continue to shorten lives and many children still serve as soldiers.

But the beauty of data collection is that its the first step of treating a problem. It is by acknowledging a problem that we can further work towards fixing it.

Although there have been doubts over its effectiveness and although the world has failed to meet the goals UNICEF itself has put together, the world is a better place with this organisation in it.
After a long siege, widespread outrage and international pressure, a ceasefire surrender deal has been agreed upon in the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo. Heres everything you need to know about the situation.

What does the agreement mean?

(Hassan Ammar/AP)

Russia has declared an end to all military action, and the Syrian government has assumed control of the city.

The deal allows civilians and opposition fighters to be evacuated from eastern Aleppo. This will hopefully signal the end of months of heavy fighting and reports of mass killings by government forces.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon warned of atrocities against civilians in Aleppo in the lead-up to the ceasefire. Hes not alone in voicing his concerns: world leaders and aid agencies have been issuing dramatic appeals on behalf of trapped residents, with the UN human rights office saying that pro-government forces had reportedly killed 82 civilians as they closed in on the last remaining rebel areas.

How has the news been received?

(Hassan Ammar/AP)

When the deal was announced, celebrations broke out in the government-controlled western sector of the city, with people honking their car horns and waving Syrian flags from the windows.

Aleppo has passed between the rebels and the government since 2012, so securing the city would be President Bashar Assads biggest victory yet in the civil war.

Why is Aleppo significant?

(Hassan Ammar/AP)

Aleppo is Syrias former commercial powerhouse, and has long been regarded as a major gateway between Turkey and Syria. It has been seen as the biggest prize over the course of the conflict.

How much do we know about what happened in the city?

(Hassan Ammar/AP)

Several residents and opposition activists in Syria said government forces carried out summary killings of rebels in neighbourhoods captured on Monday, but the Syrian military denied the claim, saying such allegations were a desperate attempt to gain international sympathy.

None of the residents witnessed the alleged killings and the reports came amid deepening chaos in the remaining rebel-held areas. Mohammed Abu Rajab, the administrator of the last remaining clinic in rebel-held parts of the city, said the dead and wounded were being left in the streets.

Bashar al-Jaafari, Syrias ambassador to the UN, denied any mass executions or revenge attacks, but added it was Syrias constitutional right to go after terrorists, a reference to all opposition fighters.

(Hassan Ammar/AP)

Meanwhile the UN childrens agency said it had received a report of more than 100 unaccompanied children trapped in a building under fire in eastern Aleppo.

Unicef was concerned over reports of extrajudicial killings of civilians, including children, said the agencys regional director Geert Cappalaere.

The UN human rights office said it had received reports of pro-government forces killing at least 82 civilians in four neighbourhoods of the rapidly-shrinking rebel enclave, including 11 women and 13 children. Spokesman Rupert Colville said the reports described pro-government forces entering homes and killing civilians on the spot.
(PA)

Woahwoahwoah just read about Philip Davies being elected to Women & Equalities Committee w.h.a.t. pic.twitter.com/Qv1kgbZlFh  Laura Mulkerne (@lauramulkerne) December 13, 2016

Philip Davies elected to Parliament's Women & Equalities Committee. Oh, the irony  TheCJosenOne (@Aarsheya7) December 13, 2016

Was wondering why I heard my uterus shrieking earlier, then I saw Philip Davies got elected to Women & Equalities Committee. Mystery solved. pic.twitter.com/ndAezImHTr  Andrea Campos (@DreaCampos93) December 13, 2016

Philip Davies&his misogynistic views have no place in the Women's Committee!  Louise Jenkins (@MsJenko) December 13, 2016

Putting anti feminist Philip Davies on Women and Equalities committee is like putting Guy Fawkes in charge of budget for fire extinguishers  Dave MJ (@DaveMJo1) December 13, 2016

It's 2016. Of course Philip Davies was going to be elected to the Women & Equalities Committee.  Trudie McGuinness (@trudiemc) December 13, 2016

It's alright, because Philip Davies MP sticks up for the white, middle class male and we all know they need equalities sorting out  Dave (@stourdave) December 13, 2016

I would throw my shop-bought feminist cake at #philipdavies but due to the gender pay gap I can't really afford to waste it #genderequality  nikki anderson (@nikkianderson88) December 13, 2016

Not a huge fan of @PhilipDaviesMP overall but a balance is required and his views on equality for men & women are at least unbiased afaict.  Oliver Heard (@oheard) December 14, 2016

Really pleased to see @PhilipDaviesMP elected to Women + Equalities Committee  an MP who believes in true equality for all people.  Zak Wagman (@Zak_Wagman) December 14, 2016

Potential silver lining  maybe Philip Davies will learn something?  Evelyn Clegg (@Evie_tweeting) December 14, 2016

Philip Davies has in the past campaigned for Parliament to recognise International Mens Day and has complained that it has an equality, but only when it suits agenda that often applies just to women. In a speech to the International Conference on Mens Issues, Davies claimed that feminist zealots really do want women to have their cake and eat it.Davies doesnt see anything untoward in his appointment, saying Are you only allowed on select committees if you all share the same opinion now? That would be a novel innovation and an affront to free speech. He added: I believe in equality. What I want to ensure is that people are treated equally, whether they are men or women, black or white, gay or straight, whatever their religion. People shouldnt have their opportunities determined by these things, all of these things should be irrelevant. Thats the agenda I want to pursue on the committee  a true equality that is colour-blind, gender-blind, sexuality-blind and religion-blind. As you can probably imagine, his unopposed selection by Conservatives to fill an empty seat on the committee was pretty surprising.People have taken to social media to express their shock at the appointment.Whereas others are more resigned to the news.Some are reacting to the news with an overload of sarcasm.And others cant help but remember some of Daviess comments in the past.However, as in most debates its far from one-sided and there are some who are pleased with the appointment.Perhaps its not as bad as many people think?However, only time will tell.
State Debate: Give us goodies and we'll back gas tax hike, commerce leaders tell GOP; Others fret schools will suffer for roads
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Vladimir Putin has obviously impressed Donald Trump, who said in September: "The man has very strong control over a country." Well, yes, an autocrat whose opponents often turn up dead does exercise "very strong control."
After lagging in broadband capacity for years, rural Wisconsin may finally be poised to receive high-speed internet.
U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy caused a stir by calling Madison a "communist" haven, and he refused to back off. His comments drew criticism from both Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who represents Madison and Dane County in Congress. ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
City police chief urged to quit over ThaiBev link

BANGKOK: Pressure is mounting on city police chief Lt Gen Sanit Mahathavorn to step down after he was found to be receiving monthly payments for advisory work from a major alcoholic beverage maker.

police

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 14 December 2016, 08:58AM

There has been nothing but a brusque no comment from Bangkok police chief Sanit Mahathavorn since revelations of his hefty, monthly payment from Thai Beverage. Photo: Tawatchai Kemgumnerd

Srisuwan Janya, Secretary-General of the Association for the Protection of the Constitution, has lodged a petition with the Office of the Ombudsman calling for a probe into his conduct.

Lt Gen Sanit, also a member of the coup-appointed National Legislative Assembly (NLA), is accused of breaching police ethics by taking on the advisory post with the alcohol empire.

The criticism came after the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) recently revealed asset declarations of a group of new NLA members, including Lt Gen Sanit.

According to his asset declaration, Lt Gen Sanit has been receiving a monthly payment of B50,000 from Thai Beverage Plc as an adviser to the firm since last year.

Mr Srisuwan said the city police chiefs link to the firm represents a conflict of interest, is against the police code of conduct and ethics of political office-holders, and violates the anti-corruption law.

He said Lt Gen Sanit also serves as a member of the citys alcohol control committee, which means his role as an adviser to the alcohol company obviously presents problems.

He should resign as the city police chief and step down as an NLA member, he said.

Worawit Sukboon, NACC deputy secretary-general, said yesterday (Dec 13) Section 100 of the anti-graft law prohibits any prime minister, minister, and local administration executive from being a contractual partner with private operators, but it does not mention anything about state officials.

Mr Worawil added the rules could be different when it comes to conflicts of interest and codes of conduct for officials. Lt Gen Sanit has declined to comment on the matter.

Read original story here.
Convoy of mourners departs Phuket to honour late HM King Bhumibol

PHUKET: A convoy of 18 buses carrying 750 people to Bangkok to pay their respects to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej departed the island yesterday (Dec 13).

culturetransport

By Yutthawat Lekmak

Wednesday 14 December 2016, 03:15PM

Phuket Vice Governor Snith Sriwihok waves as one of the 18 buses carrying mourners to Bangkok departed Phuket yesterday (Dec 13). Photo: PR Dept

The government-funded buses cleared the Phuket Checkpoint, at the northern tip of the island, at 6am.

We will take care of expenses, including accommodation, transportation and food, for everyone on this trip, noted Phuket Vice Governor Snith Sriwihok.

Personal items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, snacks and water, medicines and medical supplies for the trip have been provided..

All necessities have been provided by members of the Phuket hotel associations and local private organisations, V/Gov Snith said,

We also have police officers and public health officials on board with us to take care of everyone, he added.

The bus convoy yesterday was one of four government-funded convoys to carry mourners to Bangkok under a nationwide policy to provide free transport to people who would otherwise not be able to fund their own pilgrimage to the Grand Palace to pay their respects to late King. (See story here.)

The next convoy for mourners to go to Bangkok to pay their respects to the late King will be on Jan 2, 2017, V/Gov Snith noted.
Its been six weeks since a University of Wisconsin-Stout student died the day after an early morning assault. Although a suspect has since been identified by Menomonie police after an investigation lasting nearly three weeks, charges have not yet been filed.

I am working with the police department for some additional investigation to be completed, Dunn County District Attorney Andrea Nodolf said Friday. But primarily what Im waiting for is the final autopsy report from the Madison pathologist who performed the autopsy. I think its really imperative for me to making an accurate and thorough charging decision.

Around 2 a.m. on Oct. 30, Hussain Saeed Alnahdi was found unconscious and bleeding from his nose and mouth in the 400 block of Main Street in Menomonie. Airlifted to an Eau Claire hospital, the 24-year-old student from Saudi Arabia regained consciousness early the following morning, but died later that afternoon.

Witnesses reported that Alnahdi was assaulted by a 6-foot tall man who fled the scene on foot. An international student who came Menomonie in 2015, Alnahdi was a junior majoring in business administration at UW-Stout.

A reward of $20,000 was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for Alnahdis death. A memorial service organized by UW-Stout was attended by nearly 1,000 members of the university and community. A special dinner was also held in Alnahdis honor, following a Saudi tradition of cooking food for family who is mourning the loss of a loved one.

Fairly early on, Menomonie Police Chief Eric Atkinson confirmed that Alnahdis death was not believed to be a hate crime. Other than saying that the suspect is not a Stout student or a Dunn County resident, Menomonie police have not released details about the investigation, including whether alcohol was a factor in the incident.

Believing that there is probable cause, police have recommended charges of felony murder and battery. As of 4 p.m. Monday, neither news of the identity of the suspect nor of charges had been received.
Kazakhstani man dies after alleged leap from Phuket hotel

PHUKET: A Kazakhstani man died at Patong Hospital this morning (Dec 14) after he allegedly jumped from the fifth floor of a hotel in Patong.

alcoholaccidentspatongpolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Wednesday 14 December 2016, 11:10AM

Lt Col Weerapong Rakkhito was informed at 4:09am today that a tourist had jumped from a hotel in Patong and was lying unresponsive on the ground.

Officers arrived at the scene, a hotel on Phra Metta Rd, to find an unconscious man lying on the ground. It was later revealed that the man, a Kazakhstani national, had suffered injuries to the left side of his face and a broken right leg.

The man was transferred to Patong Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead at the emergency room.

To help with their investigation, police went to the mans room, on the fifth floor of the property, where they discovered several empty bottles of alcohol. However, there were no signs of a struggle or robbery inside.

Staff from the hotel told police that the man had checked in to the hotel alone on Dec 5 and was due to check out on Dec 16.

He was last seen alone at 2:30am today buying beer from a local shop before returning to his room.

We are investigating to find out whether the cause of death is suicide or an accident, Lt Col Weerapong said.

Police will contact the Kazakhstani embassy to inform them of the incident.
Police remain silent on motive for Phuket Imam shooting

PHUKET: Police have held firm on withholding any explanation behind why a gun-blazing hitman attempted to kill a Phuket Imam in August, but promise that the hunt for the remaining suspect goes on.

crimepoliceviolence

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 14 December 2016, 02:58PM

Lamom Ratderm (left) handed himself in to police after the warrant for his arrest was issued. He denies the charges and has been released on bail. Nattaphat Songna (right) remains at large. Photo: The Phuket News

Weerachart Kahapana, Imam of Baan Bangpae Mosque in Pa Khlok, came under attack at 7:45pm on August 4, when two men on a motorbike rode alongside his car while he was driving home and opened fire.

Imam Weerachart was shot once in the abdomen. His 3-year-old son, who was sitting on the back seat, was unharmed. (See story here.)

From the police investigation there are only two factors to blame: personal conflict and conflict within an organisation involving Imam Weerachart, Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Chief Col Sermphan Sirikong told The Phuket News today (Dec 14).

Col Sermphan declined to disclose any further details about the motive.

However, Col Sermphan noted that three of four suspects wanted for the attack had been apprehended.

Two suspects  Wisuth Yokyong, 23, and Thanachai Chunthong, 24  remain in custody They were arrested shortly after the shooting as they were brought to hospital for injuries sustained while trying to make their getaway. (See story here.)

Interrogation of Wisuth and Thanachai led police seeking arrest warrants for two more suspects: Lamom Ratderm and Mr Nattaphat Songna. (See story here.)

Mr Lamom turned himself in to Phuket City Police Station after the arrest warrant was issued for him, Col Sermphan confirmed.

He has since been released on bail and still denies any involvement. We still looking for Mr Nattaphat, he added.

Our investigation led to only these four individuals. No more arrest warrants have been sought, Col Sermphan said.
Suspected drug-dealing housewives blame it on economy

UDON THANI: Three housewives working for a most wanted Lao drug trafficker to supply narcotics to dealers in two northeastern provinces claimed economic woes had forced them to enter the drug trade so they could feed their families.

crimedrugseconomicspolicetransport

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 14 December 2016, 09:12AM

Three housewives allegedly turning into illicit drug suppliers are interrogated by Udon Thani Police following their arrests in this northeastern province yesterday (Dec 13). Photo: Open Udon Facebook page

The trio also offered barter trade of speed pills for vehicles to attract cashless buyers.

Sujittra Singkha, 44, Pennapa Jaithad, 33, and Chankhajorn Pleechan, 39, all from Nakhon Phanoms Ban Phaeng district, were caught separately in Udon Thani province on drug charges, Col Vith Muthasin, Udon Thani investigation chief said yesterday (Dwec 13).

Seized from them were 3,800 speed pills and two cars, he said.

The arrests followed a police investigation that Pennapa and Chankhajorn had sold illicit drugs to small dealers in Udon Thani and Nong Bua Lam Phu provinces. Those who had no cash could barter their motorcycles or cars for speed pills. The rates were 200 speed pills for a motorcycle, 2,000 pills for a car and 2,500 pills for a pickup truck, Thairath Online reported.

A police spy posing as a customer contacted the two women offering to trade a motorcycle for speed pills.

As the pair showed up at a mall in downtown Udon Thani to deliver the drugs, police moved on to arrest them.

Pennapa and Chankhajorn confessed to having received the drugs from a Lao man identified only as Sia Noi.

They told police that they had dealt drugs several times as the sluggish economy drove them to earn money to support their families.

They said they were not drug addicts and only supplied them to small dealers. Customers could pay cash for speed pills or pay with cars, pickup trucks or motorcycles, which would be handed over to Sia Noi, said the women.

Police later asked the suspects to buy two bundles of 3,600 speed pills from Sia Noi for B300,000.

The Lao national sent his Thai aide to supply the drugs at a petrol station in Muang district of Udon Thani.

The woman, identified later as Sujittra, was arrested.

Sujittra claimed she was a hired hand who could barely make ends meet, not to mention education expenses for her children. This drove her to deal drugs with Sia Noi, who paid her B15,000 for each delivery.

Sia Noi also allegedly buys stolen vehicles from Thailand and gives cash to gamblers seeking to pawn their cars, said Col Vith.

Police would extend the investigation to arrest those involved.

Read original story here.
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Two hospitalised in Phuket head-on motorbike collision

PHUKET: A man and a woman suffered serious injuries in a head-on motorbike collision in Srisoonthorn, central Phuket, this morning (Dec 14).

accidentstransport

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Wednesday 14 December 2016, 11:59AM

The motorbike of Chutima Masingthong, 21, lies in the grass nearby. Ms Chutima reportedly suffered broken arms and legs. Photo:Eakkapop Thongtub

Rescue workers attend to Kitti Jaroenrat. 37, at the scene. Photo:Eakkapop Thongtub

Rescue workers attend to Kitti Jaroenrat. 37, at the scene. Photo:Eakkapop Thongtub

Thalang Police were notified of the accident, on Khao Lan-Baan Bangjo Rd (Route 4015), at 6:30am.

Capt Suporn Muangkhai of the Thalang Police arrived with rescue workers to find a Honda Scoopy motorbike on top of its driver, Kitti Jaroenrat. 37.

Mr Kittis legs were broken and a metal rod was stuck in one of his legs. Rescue workers extracted the rod at the scene and sped him to Thalang Hospital.

Nearby was a mangled Suzuki Hayate motorbike. Its driver, Chutima Masingthong, 21, had already been taken to Thalang Hospital.

Ms Chutima had suffered broken arms and legs, police were told.

We believe both victims were approaching each other at high speed when their vehicles collided head-on at the junction, Capt Suporn said.

However, we have to wait to question the victims before we can conclude our investigation, he added.
Four people, including two children, were injured in a Tuesday afternoon crash near Reedsburg that authorities say was alcohol-related.

Sauk County Sheriffs Department Lt. Terry Spencer said a car had slowed along State Highway 33 near its intersection with Coon Bluff Road when it was rear-ended by a sport utility vehicle. The impact caused the car to roll three times.

The driver of the car suffered facial and throat injuries and was flown to University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison by medical helicopter. Two children who were passengers in the car were taken to Reedsburg Area Medical Center and treated for unknown injuries, Spencer said.

The driver of the sport utility vehicle also was taken to Reedsburg Area Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries.

Alcohol and speed were factors, Spencer said. The names of those involved had not been released as of press time Tuesday night.
RACINE  A second person has been charged in the Oct. 4 homicide of Kim Cantwell, who allegedly was killed above Sunshine Supermarket and then had her body dumped into a trash bin.

Myquette L. Johnson, 31, of the 1500 block of Taylor Avenue, faces a felony charge of first-degree intentional homicide for her involvement in the homicide. She was charged Monday in Racine County Circuit Court and bond was set at $50,000.

According to the criminal complaint:

Johnson was with Harry Fumich, 49, when he allegedly killed Cantwell, 50, in the apartment above the neighborhood grocery store, 1559 Taylor Ave., where Johnson and Fumich resided.

Fumich reportedly told Cantwell that he wanted to show her something in his apartment. Once in the apartment, Fumich allegedly strangled Cantwell with the electrical cord of a fan while Johnson was in the room. Fumich then allegedly wrapped the body in a blanket and put the body in a refrigerator before he and Johnson took cocaine.

When Johnson and Fumich returned to the apartment at about 9:30 p.m., Fumich reportedly came up with the idea to throw the body into a trash bin with the help of another man. The man later told police about the incident and police learned that the trash bin had already been picked up.

Police redirected a Waste Management truck to the 16th Street landfill almost immediately after it made the pickup, according to Waste Management spokesperson Lynn Morgan. Once there, the truck dumped its load so investigators could locate Cantwells body.

Police went to Fumichs apartment, where they detained him and Johnson. Johnson reportedly admitted that Fumich had killed the victim, the complaint said.

Fumich was charged Oct. 5 with first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse and robbery with use of force.

Johnson is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 21 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave. She remained in custody as of Monday at the Racine County Jail, online records showed.
After 20 years as the Codington County auditor, Cindy Brugman retires

Codington County Auditor Cindy Brugman will see through one more election night ballot count before passing her title down to Brenda Hanten.
A bank robber who fled the scene in a taxi was detained a short time later when police made a traffic stop on the cab.

The robbery happened at about 1 p.m. at U.S. Bank, 4602 East Towne Blvd., Madison police said.

"Witnesses told police the robber, who didn't display a weapon, left in a cab," said police spokesman Joel DeSpain.

Nobody was hurt and the amount of money taken by the robber was not disclosed.

The taxi was pulled over near East Washington Avenue and Schmedeman Avenue, and the person of interest in the robbery was detained without incident.
Authorities are searching for a man they believe may be involved in a three November armed robberies that occurred within a span of about two weeks, the Madison Police Department said Tuesday.

Police crime analysts believe the man could be involved in two gas station robberies and one pizza shop robbery where a weapon was displayed in all of them, police said. The robberies happened within about a mile from the intersection of Aberg Avenue and East Washington Avenue and took place in early morning hours.

At 1 a.m. on Nov. 14, a man entered a PDQ station, 1625 N. Stoughton Road, and approached an employee making cookies, police said. He threatened to stab the 46-year-old woman before snatching money from the cash register and several cartons of cigarettes, according to police.

He was demanding to get inside a safe when two customers entered the store, causing him to flee, police said.

A week later on Nov. 21, a man with a knife robbed Papa John's Pizza, 2604 E. Washington Ave., around 12:15 a.m., and he took off with cash, police said.

In the most recent incident on Nov. 29, a man with a handgun approached a clerk outside Kelley's Market, 2601 Shopko Dr., at 4:26 a.m. He robbed the store of cash and cigarettes and fled the scene, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.
With mixed signals from committees, the Madison City Council will now decide a controversial proposal to effectively eliminate panhandling on medians and terraces of major streets for safety reasons.

The Public Safety Review Committee, lead committee among four panels to review the proposal, on Monday voted 4-2 on a revised proposal by Mayor Paul Soglin and sponsors that would now apply to the public right of way on a list of roughly 85 arterial streets or highways, plus the right of way for 200 feet on their cross streets if they have medians.

The ordinance, with fines for citations from $25 to $300 plus court costs, would apply not only to panhandlers, but anyone lingering on the median or approaching vehicles from the terrace in designated streets.

It would also be illegal for drivers to stop or decrease speed to meet someone violating the law.

This ordinance is consistent with the mayors longstanding concerns for public safety, Deputy Mayor Gloria Reyes told the committee.

The council, after review by four committees and key changes to the original proposal, is expected to consider the ordinance on Jan 3.

The Public Safety Review Committees recommendation differs from one made last week by the City-County Homeless Issues Committee.

On Dec. 5, that committee endorsed the proposal to ban lingering on medians of streets but with a series of amendments aimed at protecting the homeless and ensuring violators are educated about the rule and warned before citations are issued.

The Homeless Issues Committees recommendation would require: police to escort a homeless person in violation of the ordinance to the nearest lawful spot; written warnings at a specific location before citations are issued; signs; and a staff report to the City Council six months after the law started.

Days after that vote, at a press conference, Soglin voiced strong opposition to the amendments, saying they were designed to obstruct adoption of the measure and deliver political cover to those fighting it. He said many people panhandling arent homeless or veterans.

Late last week, Soglin and sponsors revised their proposal to add the 200-foot right of way on cross streets with medians.

Soglin has been trying to address panhandling in medians since city attorney Michael May in January recommended that police fully suspend enforcement of the citys broad 2012 panhandling ordinance due to recent court decisions that underscored panhandlers First Amendment right to ask for money.

In April, Soglin introduced an ordinance that would have barred anyone from approaching an operating vehicle on a road but amid criticism scrapped that plan.

At a council meeting in September, he announced a new proposal that would also limit how long pedestrians could linger on street medians.

Pedestrians would be limited to two consecutive opportunities to finish crossing a street before they would be in violation.

The April and September proposals both bar drivers from stopping, leaving their vehicles, suddenly slowing down or deviating from traffic to engage with someone in violation of the ordinance, regardless of the reason. The proposal has a series of exceptions.

Those provisions remain in the current proposal, but in recent weeks, with the Pedestrian-Bicycle-Motor Vehicle Commissions blessing, sponsors helped craft language to narrow the ordinance, which led to the current version that limits enforcement to arterial streets and cross streets.

Early in the review process, the citys Equal Opportunities Commission informally suggested that the ordinance be dropped.

At Tuesdays meeting, assistant city attorney Marci Paulsen said the city is confident the ordinance can withstand legal scrutiny, and that the city is interested in compliance, not issuing citations.
The list of disturbing attempts to undermine good government principles in Wisconsin just got longer.

Former Judge J. Mac Davis and two other members of the partisan Wisconsin Ethics Commission  Democrat David Halbrooks and Republican Katie McCallum  tried to strike the goal of "furthering Wisconsin's tradition of clean and open government" from the commission's mission statement.

"That just seems way too highfalutin to me," Davis said at a recent meeting of the commission, recorded by WisconsinEye.

Highfalutin? Really? We'd call it fundamental to honest and accountable public service  something the Ethics Commission is supposed to help protect on behalf of voters and taxpayers as it oversees campaign finance, lobbying and ethics laws.

"It seems to imply that we're far more than we are  that we're going to do the right thing," Davis continued. "If we're going to 'do the right thing,' that's not our job. Our job is to administer these laws and hope it's the right thing."

My, how the backbone of Wisconsin's watchdog agency  now a lapdog  has weakened.

That's not a big surprise, given that most members serve at the pleasure of top lawmakers. Gov. Scott Walker and the GOP-run Legislature this year dismantled the commission's predecessor, the Government Accountability Board, which was stronger, independent and nonpartisan.

Davis, appointed to the new commission by Gov. Walker, could at least try to build a little trust in his panel. And for his part, Democratic commissioner Halbrooks should look up "clean" and "open" in the dictionary if he truly doesn't know the definition of those words when applied to government, as he stated.

The panel's latest embarrassment follows the Legislature's witless attempt last year to gut the state's open records lawon the eve of the July Fourth weekend. Public outrage quickly stopped that. A similar backlash reversed the Walker administration's bid last year to nix the "search for truth"from the University of Wisconsin System's mission statement.

Thankfully, the full Ethics Commission rejected Davis' bad idea with a 3-3 vote, which was just enough to stop it. Three commissioners  reserve judge Robert E. Kinney, former Republican Assembly Majority Leader Pat Strachota, and former Democratic Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager  voted to stick with strong goals.

"It would be folly to strike any reference to this important, aspirational purpose" of clean and open government, Kinney correctly told Davis.

Kinney this week resigned from the commission, citing its weak and secretive behavior. The GOP's dismantling of the nonpartisan and independent GAB continues to prove a big mistake.
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This frame grab from Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016 video, shows people walking among damaged buildings on a street filled with debris near the ancient Umayyad Mosque, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria. A cease-fire deal between rebels and the Syrian government in the city of Aleppo has effectively collapsed, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, with fighter jets resuming their devastating air raids over the opposition's densely crowded enclave in the east of the city. The attacks threaten plans to evacuate the rebels and tens of thousands of civilians out of harm's way, in what would seal the opposition's surrender of the city. (AP Photo)
In this image from video, people march toward the Russian consulate in Istanbul Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016 to protest against Russia's involvement in the Syrian government's push to retake rebel-held areas of the city of Aleppo. (DHA via AP)
LETTER: Instead of dropping 'The Ode,' find another way to honour Labrador

Many writers to the Telegram have chimed in, some with vitriol, on the decision by MUN not to sing "The Ode to Newfoundland" at the recent or future graduation convocations. I am astonished, however, at the number who see no problem with changing its ...
NEW YORK - Conservative criticism of Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of State is beginning to mount, as Heritage Foundation's Daily Signal White House correspondent Fred Lucas points out with five things conservatives find problematic about Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson:

Russian Ties

Tillerson worked out a deal five years ago with the Russians that provided access Arctic oil for Exxon Mobil. Lucas writes:

After Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea, Exxon Mobil halted the deal because of U.S. sanctions, which Tillerson opposed, saying, We do not support sanctions, generally, because we dont find them to be effective unless they are very well implemented comprehensively, and thats a very hard thing to do.

2. Opposition from social conservatives

Tillerson's company directly supports Planned Parenthood, and as national chairman of the Boy Scouts, Tillerson was instrumental in opening the organization to homosexual activists, Lucas writes:
Foreign crisis after the Cold War In honor of Veterans Day, this is part 2 of a 3- part series on the confl ict in Iraq, containing interviews with two local men who served. Christopher Jones and Gregory Fitzgerald Robinson are two Burke County men who served with the military in Iraq. Jones entered the U.S....

Making history As always, the community showed up to support D.O.O.R. 2022 marks the most money raised in Celebrity Waiter Night history with a whopping $18,365, including the largest single top in history at $1,250!

BOC refuses to stop talking trash The Board of Commissioners may be inching toward a decision on how to manage the Countys solid waste. The panel met Tuesday, October 25 during a work session to address the issue once again. County Manager Merv Waldrop presented the board with a comparison of the proposals the County received...

Cycling event returns to burke county The Bird Dog100 Gravel Cycling Event returns to Burke County for its second year on Saturday, November 5th. The event, coordinated by Cycling Quests, begins Friday night with registration and prerace activities at First Liberty Market, in downtown Waynesboro. The race will be held on Saturday beginning at Liberty Market...
Job Title: Junior Data Analytics Assistant

Organization: United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP)

Duty Station: Kampala,

Uganda

Reports to: Officer  Data

Science

About UNDP:

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations

global development network. UNDP advocates for change and connects countries to

knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. The

UNDP provides expert advice, training, grant support to developing countries

including Uganda with increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed

countries.

About Global Pulse:

Global Pulse is an innovation initiative of the United Nations

Secretary-General on Big Data. Its vision is a future in which big data is

harnessed safely and responsibly as a public good. Its mission is to accelerate

discovery, development and scaled adoption of big data innovation for

sustainable development and humanitarian action. Global Pulse is building a

catalytic network of in-country innovation centers, which will test new tools,

data and analysis, share what lessons with the global community, mainstream

successful approaches for real-time impact monitoring into policymaking. The

first Lab has been established in New York (Pulse Lab New York) followed by

Jakarta, Indonesia and Kampala, Uganda. Pulse Lab Kampala is an inter-agency

initiative of the United Nations under the leadership of the UN Resident

Coordinator in Uganda. The first of its kind in Africa, it brings together

researchers from Government, the UN, non-governmental organizations and private

sector to explore the utility of new sources of digital Big Data (such as

social media, mobile data, online information) and real-time analysis

techniques for sustainable development and humanitarian assistance.

Job Summary: The Junior Data

Analytics Assistant will work to assist with data analysis and development of

data visualizations from Digital Data (including Big Data) sources (such as

online media, social networks, imagery, geospatial data, population mobility,

transaction records, public radio content, etc).

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Render support in reviewing and vetting

various data sets and real-time information resources that could be

relevant to ongoing or potential Big Data for Development research

projects.

Offer support in data cleaning process for

different data sets.

Assist in exploring social media platforms

to gain insights for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Assist in establishing data processing

pipelines for different data sources.

Assist to create maps, statistical

representations, plots, information graphics, tables, and charts to

present data analysis.

Assist to produce graphical elements for

data representations.

Monitor events that would contribute to

PLJ research activities such as existing data, new types of data sources,

and big data technologies.

Qualitatively, assist on conducting desk

research to identify options for implementation of pilot projects for the

Lab with partners.

Assist in the preparation of materials in

support of Pulse Lab Kampalas Research and assisting in the revision and

delivering them based on relevant comments and feedback.

Assist to produce outreach materials and

support dissemination of research findings in support of UN Global Pulse,

Pulse Lab Kampala as well as external collaborators.

Support preparing materials for capacity

building and knowledge dissemination by the Lab with partners.

Participates in brainstorming sessions in

the Lab to define activities under Track 1 and track 2.



Experience: Qualifications, Skills andExperience:

The ideal applicant for the United Nations

UNDP Junior Data Analytics Assistant job placement should hold a BSc in

Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical

Engineering or related field.

Qualifying years of experience are calculated following the receipt

of the first level university degree recognized by the United Nations.

Programming skills especially in Python

programming language, experience in using IPython will be an added

advantage,

Experience in using Version Control System

especially Github.

Experience in analysing social media data

for example from Facebook or Twitter

Experience in data analytics and data

visualisation tasks using Pandas, matplotlib, Seaborn, NumPy, and SciPy.

Experience in visualizing data on maps in

the web using tools like leaflets.

Experience in data exploration and data

cleaning

Experience with data visualization.

Personal Competencies:

Core Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the

UNs values and ethical standards

Advocates and promotes the vision,

mission, and strategic goals of the UN

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race,

nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

Treats all people fairly without

favoritism

Demonstrates and promotes the values of

the UN in actions and decisions and acts in accordance with the standard

of conduct for international civil servants.

Shows willingness to work without bias

with all persons regardless of gender, nationality, religion or culture

Contributes effectively to team-based

activities, working collaboratively and sharing information openly; works

effectively with colleagues inside the UN as well as its partners and

other stakeholders to pursue common goals

Facilitates and encourages open

communication in the team, communicating effectively

Remains calm, composed and patient when

facing conflict, manages conflict productively, focusing on mutually

acceptable solutions

Takes initiative and seeks opportunities

to initiate action

Actively produces and disseminates new

knowledge; creates/contributes to mechanisms to collect and share

knowledge

Actively seeks learning opportunities;

demonstrates commitment to ongoing professional development

Proposes innovative ideas and new

solutions to work

Functional Competencies:

Familiarity with statistical programming

and discrete mathematics;

Comfortable working with diverse

programming languages, design patterns, frameworks, libraries and

platforms;

Independent and driven, and able to manage

and lead without close supervision;

Flexible, adaptable, and comfortable

working in a start-up environment;

Ability to work directly with internal and

external clients to define requirements for analysis and reporting;

Excellent communication skills.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender,

nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups

and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications

will be treated with the strictest confidence.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested candidates who so desire to join

the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, in the aforementioned capacity

should endeavor to Apply Online by Clicking on the link below. Please further

review job requirements and if competent Click Apply Now.

rd December

2016 Deadline: 23December2016
But the tribe has a long way to go
There may be a floating museum between India and Indonesia soon. Come November, Odisha gets ready for its annual Bali Yatra festivalheld on the full moonto commemorate the day when traders took to the seas to travel to Bali, Java in ancient times. Giving this a modern twistwith a dose of diplomacythe India-Indonesia Eminent Persons Group, appointed to forge better relations between the two countries, has recommended that an Indian Navy ship recreate this experience.

The ship could have an exhibitionput together by the national museum of India and Indonesiathat will highlight how deep these bonds of culture really are. The report submitted to the leaders of both the countries lays emphasis on recreating and increasing softer ties between India and Indonesiafrom exchange of students to cultural icons and even tourism promotional events between the two countries.

The EPG, formed to review the relations between the two countries and to explore ways to deepen the cooperation, released its report post the visit of the Indonesian President Joko Widodo to India.

While the two countries have been making strides in other areasdefence and even commerceit is really civilisation links that will bring them closer. Track II dialogues would be a good way to explore new ideas for cooperation between the two countries, stated the report. It would be desirable to encourage regular dialogues at the Track II level. States in India should also be encouraged to establish direct links and ties with provinces in Indonesia.

Going beyond just the softer side of diplomacy, the EPG also noted that Indonesia too had been affected by Chinas maritime incursions into Indonesian waters off the Natuna Islands. It was suggested that there be closer ties and military exchanges between both countries. UN Peacekeeping was another area that the two countries could cooperate in and promote exercises and training exchanges.
CHICAGO - Monday, former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr filed for "dissolution of marriage" from Sandi, his wife of 25 years.

The once-political power couple has been through a rough three years. Jackson served 23 months in federal prison before his wife, a former Chicago alderman, entered for the one year prison sentence she is now completing.

Sandi and Jesse Jackson both pleaded guilty in August 2013 to various schemes relating to the looting of his congressional campaign fund. The former South Side 7th Ward alderman and the former 2nd Congressional District lawmaker each went to prison for diverting $750,000 from campaign funds for their personal use between 2005 and 2012. The former congressman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit false statements and mail and wire fraud, his wife to filing a false federal income tax return.

More HERE.
Karnataka's excise minister and Bagalkot MLA H.Y. Meti resigned from the cabinet on Wednesday over sex scandal allegations.

Meti tendered his resignation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his official residence, soon after television channels started playing out a sleaze CD where the 71-year-old minister was seen in a compromising position with a woman. The minister is accused of seeking sexual favour in exchange for a job transfer.

Siddaramaiah, who had maintained that a mere allegation would not warrant any action against the minister said, "I have accepted Meti's resignation and have forwarded the same to the Governor for his approval. I have ordered a CID probe as Meti has claimed he is innocent and it is a case of political conspiracy. I have not seen the CD."

Meti, while speaking to reporters, said that he resigned only to save the Congress government and the chief minister from any embarrassment, although sources said that an upset CM was fuming at the minister.

The expose comes following a week-long murmurs, allegations and counter-allegations and u-turns by the aggrieved woman. Over the last couple of days, the regional TV channels had been playing recorded conversations supposedly between RTI activist Rajashekhar Malali in Bellary and another man believed to be the minister's goon. The audio conversation hinted at the possibility of a sleaze CD involving the minister, even as the goon was heard threatening the activist to handover the CD and strike a compromise.

A little later, a video recording of the aggrieved woman accusing the minister of inappropriate behaviour surfaced in the media. However, the woman alleged that she had been forced to give a statement against the minister by one DAR constable Subhash. The woman also filed a complaint seeking police protection and soon got admitted to a government hospital complaining of ill health. The victim's husband has identified the woman as his wife in the first recording.

Meanwhile Rajashekhar, who landed in Delhi on Wednesday, has alleged that KPCC chief Dr G Parameshwar had refused to meet him. "I have come to Delhi to meet AICC president Smt. Sonia Gandhi as Parameshwar did not meet me. I will expose many more Congress ministers and MLAs. The Congress government is more interested in exploiting women than solving the problems of the people," said Rajashekhar.

The opposition slammed the chief minister for his lax attitude. "The CM should have sacked the minister the moment he got the information. Instead he waited for the CD to surface and tried to protect the minister indulged in immoral acts. The CM should wake up and act as the immoral acts of his ministers have outnumbered the development work done by this government," mocked senior BJP leader S. Suresh Kumar.

Former chief minister and JD(S) state president H.D. Kumaraswamy alleged that Siddaramaiah knew about the incident a month back. But he did not take any action. "Home minister's advisor Kempaiah was trying to cover up the incident all this while," he alleged.

BJP leader G. Madhusudhan demanded mass resignation of Siddaramaiah's cabinet colleagues stating they were guilty of moral corruption.

Interestingly, a few senior Congress leaders also lambasted the chief minister for failing to safeguard the government's image. "CM has failed to protect the image of the Congress party and the government. He should have sacked the minister much before the CD surfaced," said former A.H. Vishwanath.
The Union government's crackdown on foreign funded NGOs which face allegations of using funds to create civil unrest, dissent and fuel protests has proved to be a damp squib. The home ministry is red faced after at least three NGOs banned from receiving foreign funds or put on the government watchlist after the Modi government came to power were recently accorded clearances erroneously by its foreigners division.

These NGOs are Greenpeace, Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace run by civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad, who had pursued the cases of post-Godhra riots victims in 2002, and controversial televangelist Zakir Naik's Islamic Research Foundation.

Quickly swinging into a damage control exercise, the ministry has ordered a fresh cancellation of their licences under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. While MHA has once again cancelled FCRA licence of Greenpeace and declared Sabrang's licence null and void, it has said Teesta's CJP will not be allowed foreign funding as it remains in the "prior permission category ". A move is afoot to undertake an audit of renewal of licences of around 13,000 NGOs.

An embarrassed ministry has ordered an internal inquiry and audit and is roping in the Computer Emergency Response Team-India to determine the cause behind the goof up. CERT-IN deals with cyber security threats like hacking and phishing. The MHA suspects that hacking may have caused the online renewal of licences.

However, glaring gaps have exposed way the foreigners division of the union home ministry handled the issue.

Top sources in the ministry disclosed that the erroneous clearances were given in August - September this year despite the guidelines under the FCRA clearly say that files of such foreign funded NGOs whose licence has either been cancelled, or are under watch list or even in the process of action being initiated against them, will necessarily have to be put up to an officer not below the rank of joint secretary. Last year, the MHA had introduced an online system of FCRA clearances but that was meant for NGOs against whom no adverse report was found. Such cases alone were to be handled by the under secretary who could use the online system to clear their files to cut delays and avoid chances of NGOs pedalling influence.

But the malaise in the foreigners division runs deep. In May, the MHA realised that Teesta's file had been missing for the last three months. The ministry roped in the CBI which registered a case naming a foreigners division official Anand Joshi who was caught with incriminating documents. The incident happened months before the ministry was going to cancel the FCRA licence of Setalvad's NGO.

The faux pas does not end here. In September, the MHA realised that Naik's NGO, IRF, was given a clearance despite an investigation going on against it both by the MHA and the National Investigation Agency which was probing alleged terror links to ISIS suspects who claimed they were influenced by Naik. This goof up led to the suspension of then joint secretary Gopal Krishna Dwivedi along with three other officials of the foreigners division.

Dwivedi 's ouster from the MHA, however, did not prove sufficient as his predecessor in the ministry, incumbent joint secretary (foreigners division) Mukesh Mittal appears to have not learnt a lesson. There was no move in the ministry to examine whether along with Naik's IRF, some other banned NGOs were given clearances.

"Why did the ministry not undertake a review of all the controversial cases? How did it allow an automated system to take over the laid down procedures of individual clearances of files that are marked red?" asked a top government official. It is another story that the top bureaucrat of the foreigners divisionadditional secretary Bipin Bihari Mallick,who was holding charge of the foreigners division till last week, was suddenly divested of the charge and made in-charge of the disaster management division.

The MHA inquiry will now examine how both Mittal and Mallick did not monitor the cases closely and allowed them to slip into an automated system of online clearances which was introduced as part of Modi 's "Digital India" mission.

"The goof up clearly shows that the government needs to revamp the foreigners division in view of the national security concerns and ramifications. The common bureaucratic process is proving insufficient and a renewed attempt needs to be made to fix the system," a former foreigners division official, who was part of the government's to make the NGO policy transparent, said.
Delhi Police raided a hotel in Karol Bagh in New Delhi and recovered Rs 3.25 crore in demonetised notes from five people, police said on Wednesday.

Following a tip off, the Crime Branch conducted a joint raid with Income Tax officials on Tuesday night at Taksh Inn in Karol Bagh and found five people in two rooms of the hotel carrying a total amount of Rs 3.25 crore, said Ravindra Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).

The five men are carriers and have been identified as Ansari Abuzar, Fazal Khan, Ansari Affan, Ladu Ram and Mahaveer Singh, he said.

The recovered amount was kept in different suitcases and cardboard box. It was found during interrogation that the money belongs to some Mumbai-based hawala operators, said the officer.

"They had hired packaging specialists who pack these notes in such a manner that they are even undetectable by airport scanning machines. Experts in packaging are using some tapes and wires which pass through X-ray," he said.

The Income Tax department has seized the cash and is analysing the mobile phone details of these people since their phones contain details of lot of other hawala operators, he added.
An Indian-origin computer science student, arrested after a multinational operation to crackdown on young hackers, has been charged with carrying out cyber attacks on a chat site, according to officials.

Sean Krishanmakoto Sharma was produced before federal Magistrate Judge Alka Sagar in Los Angeles on Monday and was released on a $100,000 bail bond, said Brian Stretch, the federal prosecutor for Northern California.

Sharma had used a "distributed denial of service" (DDoS) tool to disrupt the computers of a San Francisco company that provides chat services to other companies between November 2014 and January 2015, Stretch said in a statement.

A court document identified the company as Chatango.

DDoS is a form of cyberattack that floods computers with bogus requests that overwhelm and paralyse it. DDoS uses viruses and programmes known as botnets because they robotically transmit disruptive requests to servers, and trojans, which are secretly implanted in other people's computers to carry out attacks from there.

A court document said Sharma used a botnet called Xtreme Fire to carry out the attacks.

Sagar, before whom Sharma appeared, became in 2013 the first Indian American woman to be appointed a federal judge.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which arrested Sharma on Friday in La Canada in California state, identified him as a 26-year-old graduate student at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

The FBI said his arrest was part of a joint anti-cybercrime operation by the US, Australia and 11 European countries, coordinated by the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at The Hague, in the Netherlands.

A total of 34 people were arrested during the five-day operation conducted from December 5, the FBI said without identifying the others or the countries they were arrested in. Many of them were under the age of 20, the FBI said.

Steven Wilson, the head of EC3, noted that many computer enthusiasts are getting involved in "low-level fringe cybercrime" without being aware of the consequences.

"One of the key priorities of law enforcement should be to engage with these young people to prevent them from pursuing a criminal path, helping them understand how they can use their skills for a more constructive purpose," he said.
The Philippines launched its war on drugs on July 1, a day after Rodrigo Duterte was swornin as 16th president. It has barely been five months, but the number of lives lost would put the civilised society to shame. The latest data from Philippine National Police shows that 6,095 people were killed in the war against drugs since it started. Of them, 2,102 people were killed in police operations and 3,993 became victims of extrajudicial and vigilante-style killings. The operation also resulted in the arrest of around 40,000 people and surrender of around 8,00,000 people.

Duterte entered office with a promise to fight against corruption, criminality in the streets and sale of illegal drugs. Within 24 hours of his swearing-in on June 30, the police started the crackdown. In his inauguration speech, Duterte said, The fight will be relentless and it will be sustained. Read between the lines. I need not go into specifics now. He may have left things unsaid, but five months into his term, the streets are literally covered in blood. His support for extrajudicial activism is believed to be responsible for the increasing numbers of killings.

A funeral worker removes a school bag from the arm of Nora Acielo, 47, after she was gunned down by unidentified men while she was escorting her two children to school in Manila on December 8, 2016. Police said Acielo was among more than 30 people slain over the last three days in drugs related killings | REUTERS

Duterte was the mayor of Davao city, where he served seven termsspanning more than 22 yearsin office. His term as mayor, too, witnessed extrajudicial killings of drug addicts and criminals.

The Philippine president is facing criticism from the United Nations, US President Barack Obama, the European Union and human rights organisations. Duterte threatened to quit the United Nations after it called for an end to the killings. He, however, received support from the US president-elect Donald Trump and China. Trump said that the Philippines was doing it the right way. Despite conflicting territorial claims to the South China Sea, China seems to be supporting the Philippines in the controversial war on drugs. Beijing has shown interest in providing the Philippines with small arms for the crackdown.

Masked protesters display placards as they march for a rally near the Presidential Palace to mark International Human Rights Day, in Manila, Philippines. The protesters are calling on the Government for an end to extra-judicial killings in the country which already claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people | AP

On December 10International Human Rights Dayhundreds of Filipinos marched in Manila to protest against the mass killings, after the president said he did not "give a shit" about human rights in response to the criticism. They marched near the presidential palace with white masks and black stars, symbolising a black Christmas for the families of people killed in the war against drugs.
Governor Perry's record of job creation and work to help unleash America's energy potential makes him a great fit to lead @ENERGY ( Twitter )

Governor Perry is a sound choice, because you need a strong leader with political stature and a megaphone for the job, and Rick has both. ( New York Times )

While to no surprise the Left isn't as enthused about the pick, the Trump campaign sent out this collection of positive quotes Wednesday:

NEW YORK - The Trump campaign is very pleased with the support they're getting for picking former Texas Governor Rick Perry as their nominee for U.S. Secretary of Energy.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX):

Gov. Perry will make a terrific Secretary of Energy. For 14 years, he led the State of Texas, and with low taxes, restrained spending, and limited regulation, Texas became one of the greatest economic powerhouses in the world. His executive experience across diverse policy areas makes him qualified to run just about any federal agency. Gov. Perry is an exceptional pick to head the Department of Energy, and after presiding over the nation's number one producer of oil and natural gas, and one of the nation's leaders in wind, solar, and nuclear energy, he understands the importance of our country's energy resources not only to our economy, but also to our national security. I am confident that Gov. Perry will be an aggressive champion for opening more lands to exploration and working to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources. I enthusiastically support his nomination as Secretary of Energy.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and is a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources:

Rick Perry is a first class public servant. I have known and worked with him for years. I look forward to learning more about his plans for supporting energy research, strong national laboratories and supercomputing that help give America its competitive edge in creating jobs.

U.S. Sen Jim Inhofe (R-OK):

Rick Perry is an excellent choice to lead the Department of Energy. Perry understands the abundance of our domestic energy resources and what it takes to power our complex and growing economy. I am confident that under his leadership, the DOE will be right sized and focused intently on its twin goals of national security and energy independence. American economic dominance cannot be achieved without our continued responsible use of natural gas, oil, coal, and nuclear resources. I congratulate my good friend Rick Perry on his nomination and look forward to working with him.

Salo Zelermyer, former Senior Counsel at the Energy Department:

It is indeed possible to successfully balance appropriate environmental regulations with domestic energy production and use.

During his time in office, Perry embodied the type of all of the above approach to U.S. energy production that many have advocated on both sides of the aisle. Rick Perrys Texas was not only a world leader in oil and gas production; it was also a global leader in wind power and renewable energy investment. This approach is a big reason Texas experienced such enormous job growth during Perrys tenure. (Washington Post)

T. Boone Pickens:

"Rick Perry is a friend. He was a great Texas governor, and I believe he will be a great Secretary of Energy.

"Believe me, the man understands energy. Hes been a long-serving Texas governor who has witnessed first-hand what natural gas and oil mean to the state and national economies and the workforce.

"He also presided over Texas during a time in which deregulation and transmission projects enabled wind energy production in the state to grow from 184 megawatts of installed capacity in the year 2000 to over 14,000 megawatts at the end of 2014. Texas continues to be the largest producer of wind energy with now over 17,700 megawatts of installed capacity followed by Iowa with 6,200 megawatts of wind energy.

"He understands what happens to the oil and gas industry with too much government regulation and he understands how important domestic production is to our economy and our national security."

Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association:

He increased the ambition of the states Renewable Energy Standard, directed state funds to innovative wind energy R&D initiatives, and created a Competitive Renewable Energy Zone that helped expand transmission of renewables, bringing clean wind energy from rural communities to new state markets. (Science Mag)

Larry Faulkner, professor of chemistry and president emeritus of the University of Texas in Austin:

I found him to be interested in scientific research and technical innovation and to be willing to support investment in them. His interest was usually driven by the possibilities for economic opportunity for the state, which is not surprising for a governor. (Science Mag)

Ken Kimmell, President of the Union of Concerned Scientists:

As governor of Texas, Mr. Perry saw the job creation and business opportunity provided by clean energy, helping to turn Texas into the national leader in wind power. In fact, he increased the ambition of the states Renewable Energy Standard, directed state funds to innovative wind energy R&D initiatives, and created a Competitive Renewable Energy Zone that helped expand transmission of renewables, bringing clean wind energy from rural communities to new state markets.

We hope as DOE secretary, Governor Perry builds on the successful work currently underway at the agency in areas like grid modernization, energy efficiency, and clean energy finance. Most important is that he supports the agencys critical work on clean energy R&D, which has helped create jobs by improving the cost and performance of renewable energy technologies, and help develop and commercialize new, innovative clean energy technologies.

Herman Cain:

His 14-year track record governing the state of Texas - with its aggressive and smart use of natural resources and its general tendency to avoid crony capitalism - has established the state as an economic model for the rest of the nation.

George P. Bush, Texas Land Commissioner:

Congrats to Governor Perry for being nominated as Energy Sec--as Texans we know he'll fight to return sensible policy making to the States. (Twitter)

David McIntosh, Club for Growth President:

Rick Perry will be a strong advocate for free-market energy policies, and the most important pro-growth step he could take at the Energy Department would be to fulfill his 2012 campaign pledge to eliminate it. The DOE is little more than the governments own venture capital firm for energy-related activities, and its time for the cronyism end. Governor Perry has a prime opportunity to serve taxpayers by closing its doors.

Matt Schlapp, American Conservative Union Chair:

"Gov. Rick Perry is our kind of leader for the Dept of Energy. American energy will fuel an American jobs resurgence."

Jim DeMint, Heritage Foundation President:

Governor Perrys commitment to free-markets, limited government and a stronger America, make him an exceptional choice to head the Department of Energy. While the department plays a critical role in our nuclear weapons program, its vast loan programs, crippling regulatory actions, and market interventions represent the federal government overreach that Americans sharply rejected in November.

For well over a decade, Governor Perry successfully led the state of Texas - one of the world's largest economies - with a confident conservative vision that created millions of new American jobs.

I am confident Governor Perry will fight to keep Americas nuclear deterrent strong while also reining in the department's overreaches - allowing Americans to once again determine their own energy futures.
On Thursday 15 Kislev, Avner Shalev, Chairman of Yad Vashem, will receive the title of the Order of Civil Merit by the King of Spain. Spanish Ambassador to Israel Mr. Fernando Carderera Soler will present Shalev with the award at a ceremony at the residence of the Ambassador. Shalev is being awarded for his years of public service as Chairman of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, and for the significant strides he has made in Holocaust education and commemoration in Israel and around the world.

The prestigious Order of Civil Merit (Orden del Merito Civil) was established to recognize extraordinary service of native and foreign citizens on behalf of the King and Spanish Nation. There are several grades of this citation. Previous recipients of the various levels of the Order of Civil Merit have included heads of state, as well as several kings, queens and other members of royalty.

Since the beginning of his tenure at Yad Vashem over two decades ago, Avner Shalev has initiated and overseen a comprehensive development program aimed at enabling Yad Vashem to meet the challenges of the 21st century in the areas of Holocaust documentation, research and education. From the start, Shalev prioritized education, placing it at Yad Vashems forefront through the establishment of its International School for Holocaust Studies. Over the years, the International School has hosted hundreds of educational seminars for teachers and community leaders from around the world, including several for educators from Spain and Latin America. Moreover, in March 2016 Yad Vashem signed an educational Memorandum of Understanding with the Municipal Institute of Education of Barcelona. In addition, Shalevs development program included the establishment of a comprehensive Museum Complex, centered on the Holocaust History Museum, for which he served as Chief Curator. Yad Vashem has also invested great efforts in the area of online media, and in January 2009, it inaugurated a comprehensive Spanish-language website  alongside its website in English, Hebrew, German, Arabic, Farsi and Russian. In 2015, www.yadvashem.org attracted over 18 million visits.

In his capacity as Yad Vashem Chairman, Shalev serves as a member of several international organizations in the area of Holocaust commemoration, including Assistant Chairman of the International Auschwitz Council and Co-Head of Israels Delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). In 2014, Shalev addressed the United Nations General Assembly during a session marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Avner Shalev was born in Jerusalem. He served as Head of the Bureau of the then IDF Chief-of-Staff David Elazar and worked alongside him during the Yom Kippur War. Shalev also served as the Chief Education Officer and Head of the Education Corps of the IDF. Following his retirement from military service, Shalev assumed the positions of Director of the Culture Authority in the Israel Ministry of Education and Culture and Chairman of the National Council of Culture and Art; he also served on the boards of a wide range of Israeli museums and cultural institutions, including the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Shalev helped found the Sam Spiegel Film & Television School in Jerusalem and was instrumental in creating the Israel Festival as a major event in Jerusalem. In 1993, he was appointed Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate. In 2003, he received the Israel Prize on behalf of Yad Vashem. In 2007, he received the French Legion of Honor by President Sarkozy and that same year the Spanish Prince of Asturias Prize for Concord on behalf of Yad Vashem. In addition, Shalev has received several awards in Israel: He was bestowed the Yakir Yerushalayim (Worthy of Jerusalem) award by the Mayor of Jerusalem in 2011, and in 2014 Shalev received the Presidential Medal of Distinction from President Shimon Peres.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Police on Tuesday 13 Kislev are calling to extend the remand of thirteen persons who took part in a violent protest on Monday night outside the home of the Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Gat, Rabbi Moshe Havlin Shlita.

Police describe the detainees as A small bunch of law-breakers who take advantage of our democracy to attack a public official. We will use the full extent of the law against them.

Rav Havlin has been the target of protests by extremists who do not see eye-to-eye with the agreement reached between Chabad rabbonim and the IDF. Among those whom has spoken out against those threatening Rav Havlin is Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau Shlita and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

As the latest protest got out of hand, a large number of police were dispatched to the ravs home to protect him. A total of about 40 people were detained for disturbing the peace and taking part in an unlawful protest. Some protestors will also face charges for damaging property for they threw stones at vehicles and signs.

Among those in detention are two minors, one 8 and the second 12. As of Tuesday morning they have refused to identify themselves for police. Police have tried to have rabbonim intercede but at the time of this report, the two have yet to identify themselves. The others are residents of Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem ranging in age from 18-36. The driver of the bus who drove them to the scene was also questioned by police and may face charges of conspiring to assist the others in law-breaking activities. He was questioned and released with the condition he remains out of Kiryat Malachi for 15 days. It remains unclear if the bus was released.

This marks a new precedent, as police are now holding a driver responsible for bringing protestors to the area.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Fourteen United Nations (UN) Ambassadors visited United Hatzalah headquarters on Monday 12 Kislev, as part of a trip that was escorted by Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon and was organized by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Project Interchange. The trip is being led by Ambassador Aaron Jacob, AJC Director of Diplomatic Affairs.

The delegation of 14 Ambassadors from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America toured United Hatzalah headquarters in order to learn more about the lifesaving work that the organization is doing across Israel.

I arrived in Israel with a group of 14 UN Ambassadors from four continents, said Danon. The United Nations is obsessed in the way that they deal with Israel and it is important for us to show the Ambassadors the reality on the ground, the challenges that we face and the hard facts so that they see it with their own eyes, without the interpretations, lies and incitement.

Danon said that it was especially important for the Ambassadors to see the work that United Hatzalah volunteers are doing across Israel and around the globe. During our tour of Jerusalem, it was important for us that the Ambassadors visit the headquarters of United Hatzalah so that they could be exposed to the important work that the organization, its staff, and professional volunteers, are doing in saving lives every day and all over the world, said Danon.

United Hatzalah President Eli Beer said following the visit that it exposed the Ambassadors to the significant work of the volunteers who come from all backgrounds and walks-of-life. The Ambassadors had a chance to see the work of our volunteers, who are Jewish, Arab, Druse, Bedouin and Christian and who work together all in an effort to save lives in Israel and around the globe and arrive at the scene of a medical emergency in under three minutes. The foundation of our model is empowering the community and the local population, and giving them the tools necessary to respond to any type of medical emergency from a sick neighbor to a terror attack. The community based responders answer the calls of any emergency helping their neighbors, their friends and even themselves.

Beer explained that the success of the organization is also due in part to the intense training and state-of-the-art, Israeli developed, technology that is used by the organization. We have created a powerful social revolution that engages the power of the community and utilizes it to save lives. During this visit, we are inviting other countries around the world to come and learn from our successes in the hope that they will embrace this model of lifesaving in their own countries. We are opening our doors to any and all countries that wish to adopt our model and begin this social revolution of lifesaving in their own cities and communities.

The delegation includes ambassadors from Albania, Argentina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burundi, the Republic of Cameroon, Costa Rica, Georgia, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, the Federated States of Micronesia, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
During the urgent kenos in Arad on Monday, 12 Kislev, Health Minister Yaakov Litzman addressed the forum, addressing an attack against a Gur Beis Medrash in the southern city this past Shabbos, an attack attributed to secular youths.

In his remarks, Litzman stated the frum tzibur dare not view the incident as an isolated one, warning Today it is Arad and tomorrow it will be Yerushalayim, insisting the response must be a most audible one to prevent such abhorrent acts from reoccurring elsewhere.

One of the possible responses discussed is all Jews around Israel davening musaf outside in the street, stating Gedolei Yisrael must be consulted to ascertain if they would approve such a move, which Litzman stated would only take 15 minutes but deliver a powerful response around the country.

It appears all but certain that whatever is decided will be a great deal larger than the attack that occurred, as Litzman and many others feel they cannot permit such an act to pass without the entire frum tzibur expressing its outrage.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Irans president on Tuesday ordered officials to draw up plans to build nuclear-powered ships and to show how the United States violated last years nuclear deal, a response to a vote by the U.S. Congress to extend some sanctions on the country.

The move by President Hassan Rouhani came in response to the extension of the Iran Sanctions Act, and was widely seen as posturing that would not affect the landmark nuclear deal concluded with world powers.

The sanctions act awaits President Barack Obamas signature to become law, and comes amid speculation over how President-elect Donald Trump, a critic of the nuclear deal, will address the issue when he assumes office next month.

Rouhanis letter, read aloud on state television and published by the official IRNA news agency, gave Ali Akbar Salehi of Irans Atomic Energy Organization three months to come up with a plan for nuclear-powered ships and producing fuel for them. A separate letter ordered Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to follow up on the U.S. violations of the nuclear deal.

Rouhani said the measures were warranted in light of the United States foot-dragging in fulfilling its commitments under the multilateral nuclear deal  and the recent ratification of anti-Iran legislation in the U.S. Congress, state television reported.

The U.S. bill, first passed by Congress in 1996 and renewed several times since then, allows America to impose economic sanctions on companies for doing business with Iran. Its drawn anger from Iran, which wrote to the United Nations over it and held a high-level meeting last week over how to respond.

The White House has described the bill as unnecessary but said it didnt violate the international accord signed by six world powers and Iran. Obama is expected to sign it into law ahead of the inauguration of Trump, who has vowed to renegotiate the Iran deal without offering specifics.

The nuclear deal limits Irans ability to enrich uranium in exchange for the lifting of some international economic sanctions. It allows Iran to conduct peaceful atomic research.

Rouhanis letter did not elaborate on what use the country had for nuclear-powered ships. However, the technology is predominantly used in military applications, like in submarines and aircraft carriers.

In June 2012, an Iranian admiral was reported as saying the country had begun to design its first nuclear submarine, though the project never came to fruition. Iran has no aircraft carriers, but operates a fleet of conventionally powered Russian and locally made submarines.

Irans move toward nuclear-powered ships appears to be permitted under the nuclear deal, depending on the type of fuel used, said David Mortlock, who once served as director of international economic affairs at the White House National Security Council.

Essentially, the deal does not prevent this from happening so long as the nuclear work is done in a particular way, so long as it is transparent and so long as it doesnt cross any lines, Mortlock said.

(AP)
Two-thirds of Palestinians believe a two-state solution to their conflict with Israel is no longer possible, a poll said Tuesday.

The share of those who lost faith in such a deal rose from 56 percent in September to 65 percent now, probably due to an acceleration of settlement activity, said the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey research.

Most in the international community still back the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, even though a deal appears to be increasingly complicated, in part because of the continued growth of settlements. Gaps between Israeli and Palestinian leaders remain wide, preventing any meaningful talks since 2009.

The poll was conducted last week among 1,270 Palestinians and had an error margin of three percentage points.

The survey also found that 54 percent have no faith in the newly elected leadership of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah movement. The vote at a recent Fatah convention affirmed aging party stalwarts in top jobs and was seen as a move to sideline exiled Abbas rival Mohammed Dahlan.

In a related development, Abbas decided to strip four legislators seen as close to Dahlan of their parliamentary immunity, taking yet another step to prevent a Dahlan political comeback.

Hassan Ouri, a legal adviser to Abbas, told the West Bank radio station Ajyal on Monday that the Palestinian leader made the decision after the Palestinian Constitutional Court affirmed his right to do so.

In the past, only the Palestinian parliament could strip legislators of their immunity. Parliament has been defunct since 2007, when the violent split between Fatah and rival Hamas produced separate governments in the West Bank and Gaza. Abbas has ruled autonomous West Bank enclaves by decree since then.

Fatah said on its Facebook page that the four legislators would be investigated about suspicions of embezzlement of funds and weapons dealing.

Najat Abu Baker, one of the legislators being targeted, said the decision amounts to suppression of the freedom of expression. She said she was not notified of any possible legal steps against her.

Tuesdays survey said 60 percent of Palestinians reject the court ruling giving Abbas the right to move against legislators.

Abbas has waged a relentless campaign against Dahlan since he fell out with his former senior aide several years ago. Dahlan has won the backing of several influential Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, which urged Abbas earlier this year to allow the exiled politician to return.

Dahlan was convicted in absentia of defamation after Abbas lifted his immunity in 2012. A Palestinian court threw out separate corruption charges after ruling that Abbas immunity decree was not legal.

(AP)
U.S. airstrikes killed three key leaders of the Islamic State group in Syria, including two involved in last years attacks in Paris, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday.

He announced the killings during an address to U.S. airmen at a military base in Italy.

I can confirm today we took out three of ISILs key leaders in the last couple of weeks by one strike. These were guys linked to plots right here in Europe  for example with the Paris attacks, Carter said, referring to the November 2015 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.

Carters spokesman, Peter Cook, said later that the three were killed in an airstrike Dec. 4 in Raqqa.

Cook said the two involved in the Paris attacks, Salah Gourmat and Sammy Djedou, were close associates of Islamic State external operations leader Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, who was killed in August.

He said the third person, Walid Hamman, had been convicted in absentia in Belgium for a disrupted 2015 planned attack.

Coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria have been taking out an increasing number of Islamic State leaders in recent months, aided by improved intelligence gathering from forces on the ground and from troves of information collected as IS has been driven out of neighborhoods.

Asked at a news conference later about the Islamic States ability to quickly replace leaders and operatives who are killed in U.S. airstrikes, Carter said his announcement Tuesday was a reminder that U.S. counter-IS operations are aimed at protecting the American homeland.

We remained focused on, and are consistently operating against, those who intend to conduct attacks upon the United States, he said. Thats an important priority. That is the priority the president gives us.

Carter also said that with the elimination of the final pocket of IS resistance in the Libyan city of Sirte, the U.S. has concluded its support to the Government of National Accord in its lengthy effort to regain control of that coastal city.

That doesnt eliminate ISIL from Libya, he said, using an alternative acronym for the militant organization. Sirte was their most important single nest and stronghold in Libya, but as it appears other places, we are prepared to take action.

(AP)
Donald Trump is inviting a clash in a narrowly divided Senate by selecting Rex Tillerson for secretary of State despite well-publicized concerns from several GOP senators over his ties to Russia.

The likely confirmation fight could be an early test of Trumps sway over Congress, and demonstrate how much appetite there is among Republicans to stand up to their president.

For now, three Republican senators have publicly voiced concerns about the Tillerson nomination: Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida. All have cited the Exxon Mobil executives history of making deals in Russia and his close ties with Vladimir Putin, which include opposing sanctions sought by the U.S. and Europe against Russia after it invaded Crimea.

However, none of the three has said thus far that he will oppose Tillerson. And only Rubio sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which will hold a confirmation hearing in early January to consider the nomination.

While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns about his nomination. The next secretary of state must be someone who views the world with moral clarity, is free of potential conflicts of interest, has a clear sense of Americas interests, and will be a forceful advocate for Americas foreign policy goals, Rubio said. I will do my part to ensure he receives a full and fair but also thorough hearing.

The committee currently has 10 Republican and 9 Democratic members, meaning Tillerson needs support from every Republican to get a successful committee vote, presuming Democrats all oppose him. Yet even if the panel rejects him, there is precedent for the full Senate to take up his nomination.

The Senate will be divided 52-48 next year in favor of the Republicans, meaning Tillerson could lose only two Republicans if all Democrats voted No. That scenario would produce a 50-50 split and require a tie-breaking vote from Mike Pence, who by then will be the new vice president.

Its also possible, though, that Tillerson could garner support from one or more of the moderate Democrats.

The last time the Senate rejected a presidential Cabinet pick was in 1989 when it voted down John Tower as George H.W. Bushs defense secretary after he had already been rejected by the Armed Services committee. More frequently, nominees have withdrawn from consideration when opposition built, as happened in 2009 with Tom Daschle, President Barack Obamas first pick for Health and Human Services secretary.

It was unclear Tuesday whether the fight over Tillerson would turn into a major brawl in the Senate or just a minor skirmish. One question is how hard Democrats, whove made clear they want to focus on economic issues, will fight. Several issued statements Tuesday angrily denouncing the nomination, but the Democrats incoming leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, was more measured, pointing to Tillersons Russia ties and calling for a thorough and lengthy confirmation hearing given these serious concerns.

Tillerson immediately picked up support from the top two Senate Republicans, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas. McConnell praised Tillersons decades of experience and concluded: I look forward to supporting his nomination.

The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Corker of Tennessee, who was himself passed over for the job at State, also issued a favorable statement, though without saying how he planned to vote. Several other GOP committee members issued statements praising Tillerson or sounding open to his nomination. Still others were taking a wait-and-see approach, including Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, who said: Congress has the constitutional responsibility of advice and consent and we will rigorously exercise it.

For congressional Republicans and Trump, a major question hanging over their emerging relationship is what steps Trump may take to keep party members in line, and how Republicans will respond in turn. Few GOP lawmakers, especially those up for re-election, want to be on the receiving end of a critical tweet from Trump. The Tillerson confirmation may offer clues to how that dynamic will play out throughout Trumps administration, including when Trump takes policy stances contrary to GOP dogma, such as pushing for stiff tariffs on imports or a massive infrastructure bill.

Electoral considerations may already be playing into lawmakers posture toward Trump. GOP Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee, was one of the most outspoken Republicans against Trump ahead of the election, including challenging him to his face during a Capitol Hill visit in July.

But Flake is up for re-election in 2018 in a state Trump won, and has already drawn a conservative primary opponent. On Tuesday, Flake issued a statement sounding open to Tillersons nomination, citing his support from former secretaries of State and Defense marshaled by Trumps team.

Backing from former Secretaries of State James Baker and Condoleezza Rice, and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates carry considerable weight, Flake said. I look forward to the hearings.

(AP)
From the outside, Samy el-Goarany seemed to have it all.

The son of a successful real estate broker, he lived in a big house with an indoor swimming pool on two acres in New Yorks bucolic Hudson Valley. As a teenager, he got into a good college in Manhattan and seemed set to follow his father into real estate.

Then he went off to Syria and joined the Islamic State group.

When he was killed in fighting a year ago, his father told friends his son had died in a car crash, his body so badly burned it couldnt be recovered. But the true story of el-Goaranys death remained a secret until October, when federal prosecutors revealed details in a criminal case against an Arizona man accused of aiding IS by recruiting American fighters.

Shocked childhood friends were unable to explain why the skinny, studious history buff they once knew walked away from a promising future to die in the Middle East around the time he would have turned 25.

I had been close to this guy for the past 10 years, and I honestly wouldnt have suspected him of joining this deplorable group, one friend, Peter Kwon, wrote on Facebook. To find out about this is sad, infuriating, and quite frankly, disturbing.

In a brief interview outside his home in Greenville, New York, el-Goaranys father, Mohamed, said his son had been manipulated into traveling to Syria by Ahmed Mohammed el-Gammal, the Avondale, Arizona, man now scheduled to go to trial next month in New York.

He made him go over there, Mohamed el-Goarany said.

Federal prosecutors said el-Goarany traveled through Turkey to Islamic State-controlled territory inside Syria in January 2015.

He made the trip, they claim, after communicating online for several months with el-Gammal, who also visited the Queens apartment el-Goarany shared with a younger brother.

Lawyers for el-Gammal suggest he did so willingly.

The governments own court documents indicate that el-Goarany was a sophisticated, strong-willed young man who formed his own beliefs and arranged and financed his own travel, said el-Gammals attorney, Sabrina Shroff.

After federal agents arrested el-Gammal the following August, el-Goarany appeared in a YouTube video wearing military fatigues and sitting on a mat in a sparsely decorated room to declare that he had come to Syria out of my own will and without any assistance. El-Gammal has pleaded not guilty.

Former friends of el-Goarany were reluctant to speak about him, but those who did said they were stunned to learn of the turn his life had taken.

Born in the U.S., el-Goarany was the son of an Egyptian civil engineer who became a developer and real estate broker in New York after emigrating to the U.S. in the 1980s. He lived in a town of fewer than 5,000 people about a 90-minute drive north of New York City.

Friends at Goshen High School knew Samy was a Muslim, but he was not a proselytizer. Classmate Sean Larkin said the two frequently talked about Islam, Christianity, Judaism and other religions before they graduated in 2008.

Samy was never shoving Islam down anyones throat, he said.

The family is warm and outgoing, said Quazi Al-Tariq, past chairman of the Middletown Islamic Center, located just miles from the el-Goarany family home. But since news of their sons fate was made public, they have felt ashamed and helpless.

After the news broke, Samys younger brother tearfully told Al-Tariq that his brother had been reading a lot of literature about Islam and politics.

He attended Baruch College in New York City from 2009 to 2013, according to a LinkedIn profile, though a college spokeswoman refused to confirm his enrollment there, citing privacy rules.

How and why el-Goaranys beliefs hardened is unclear.

Reviewing almost 44,000 pages from his Facebook account, the FBI determined that el-Goarany had received both religious instruction and training from the Islamic State after traveling overseas, prosecutors said in a court filing.

Last fall, someone contacted el-Goaranys younger brother to tell him that his older sibling was killed in Syria, prosecutors said. That person sent photos of a four-page, handwritten letter in which the elder el-Goarany advised his brother to listen to the lectures of the radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

You see how my life changed for the better when I came to the Land of Islam, he wrote. You are a witness to my transformation.

(AP)
Jerusalems mayor said Tuesday that he is confident Donald Trump will move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a break in U.S. policy that is sure to anger Palestinians, who claim the eastern sector of the city for their future capital.

Mayor Nir Barkat told The Associated Press that he has been in touch with Trumps staff about the issue. While previous presidential candidates have made similar promises, Barkat said his conversations have led him to believe that Trump is serious about making the move.

Naturally my intuition tells me that its different this time, knowing the people hearing his statements, where we are today, Barkat said.

Transferring the embassy to Jerusalem would be a highly symbolic and politically charged act. Virtually all embassies to Israel are located in or around Tel Aviv.

The United States of America has embassies in all of the worlds capitals with the exception of Israel, Barkat said. Thats absurd, and moving the embassy to the capital of the Jewish people, to Jerusalem, is a straightforward, standard thing to do.

Barkat spoke a day after Trumps spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that the president-elect is determined to move the embassy to Jerusalem when he takes office

That is a very big priority for this president-elect, Donald Trump, she said. He made that very clear during the campaign, Hugh. And as president-elect, Ive heard him repeat it several times privately, if not publicly.

The moving of the embassy, and recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, enjoys broad support among Israels Jewish majority. Speaking to foreign reporters Monday, before Conways comments had been reported, opposition lawmaker Yair Lapid called the proposal an excellent idea.

Moving the embassy to Jerusalem would signal U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, a move that would infuriate Palestinians, break decades of American policy and distance the U.S. from most of the international community, including its closest allies in Western Europe.

The Palestinians condemned the idea.

Any attempt to move the embassy to Jerusalem will not help achieve peace, said Adnan Husseini, Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs. He urged Trump to instead push for the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of a peace settlement with Israel.

Trump has said he would like to broker a peace deal, but he has given few details on how he hopes to do so. He has raised concerns among Palestinians because many of his advisers take hard-line positions that favor Israel, and his campaign platform made no mention of Palestinian independence  a U.S. position for the past two decades.

The last round of U.S.-mediated peace talks collapsed over two years ago.

(AP)
Americans and their news media have displayed a great willingness to believe that the Russian government stands behind the theft and release of emails that may have helped Donald Trump win the U.S. presidential election.

They should keep in mind that, despite the high confidence of intelligence agencies, tracing a data breach is almost never a sure thing.

Two years ago, Sony Pictures suffered an embarrassing hack that released a trove of confidential data. After four weeks of research, the Federal Bureau of Investigation concluded that the North Korean government was responsible. An FBI press release explained that the conclusion was based partly on the fact that the malware used on Sony was similar to tools found in previous attacks attributed to North Korea.

In that case, blaming North Korea made sense. The attack was accompanied by a demand that Sony Pictures pull its film The Interview, a tasteless comedy depicting an effort to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It seems plausible that Kim might be self-absorbed enough to order a cyber attack to stop the release of an unflattering movie.

Then in February, the Bangladeshi central bank fell victim to an $81 million cyber-heist. Upon examining the tools used, security researchers discovered the same type of malware that was used against Sony Pictures, including identical encryption keys. As one security researcher explained, If you believe North Korea was behind [the Sony Pictures] attacks, then the bank attacks were also the work of North Korea.

Well, wait a minute. That seems a bit out of character. North Korea doesnt have a history of conducting bank heists for financial gain, and the same attacks were attempted on other banks all around the world. Are we supposed to believe that the North Korean government was responsible for everything?

The attribution of a cyber attack to a particular nation-state often relies on the results of previous assessments, and on the assumption that those earlier assessments were correct. Problem is, theres rarely any affirmative validation. If we correctly identify North Korea as the perpetrator of a hack, no North Korean official will come forward and say Whoops! You got us!

Many security experts doubted the FBIs original assessment of the Sony hack, including one researcher who previously infiltrated Sonys network himself. Sony Group has a long and well-documented history of network breaches across all its subsidiaries. Why did the FBI blame North Korea and not somebody sitting in a bed someplace?

Assessing a cyber attack is more art than science. Intelligence analysis deals with information that is often intentionally deceptive. As Central Intelligence Agency veteran Richards Heuer, Jr. explains, The significance of information is always a joint function of the nature of the information and the context in which it is interpreted.

This feels uncomfortable to those who want to be sure beyond a reasonable doubt. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and the idea that a nuclear-armed state stole Democratic National Committee emails to interfere with the U.S. election is a pretty extraordinary claim. After all, multinational corporations have suffered much bigger data breaches at the hands of hackers with far fewer resources.

Unfortunately, intelligence agencies tend to avoid revealing their sources, lest they alienate their allies. As we learned from Edward Snowdens leaked documents, the National Security Agency relies on fourth party collection, which entails stealing information that foreign agencies have collected on their own surveillance targets. For example, the NSA has spied on South Korea to find out what South Korea has learned from spying on North Korea.

Intelligence agencies expect people to trust them, but they also have to earn that trust. It was only last Friday that President Obama ordered a review of potential election-related hacking. While the idea of Russian meddling might fit conveniently into the collective disbelief that Donald Trump could have won the election fairly, we should probably demand more evidence before freaking out.

(c) 2016, Bloomberg View  Elaine Ou
The Islamic States conquest of Palmyra appears to have netted the group a trove of weaponry, armor, ammunition and equipment that risks fueling a surge of gains by the militants in Syria at a time when attention has been diverted on the battle unfolding in Aleppo.

Palmyras fall comes less than a year after Syrian government forces, along with Iranian-backed militias and Russian special operations troops, retook the city from the Islamic State. The group seized the city in 2014, partially destroying a number of its world-renowned archaeological sites.

The recent militant offensive drove Syrian government troops almost completely from the city on Sunday. The Islamic State-linked news agency Amaq later posted images of Syrian and Russian equipment left behind by the retreating troops. One video shows the remains of a Russian forward operating base that had been established after the city was first retaken in March and was used to help with demining efforts there.

It is unclear how long the Russian base had been abandoned before the Islamic States arrival. Footage taken in what appears to be the facilitys mess hall still shows food bowls on tables, and the scenes are spliced together in a fashion that makes it look as if large stores of ammunition, small arms, heavy machine guns and damaged antiaircraft guns were all left behind. One segment that shows ammunition crates and an antiaircraft gun appears to be within the confines of the Russian base, given the landscape in the background.

News clips from May of the Russian base showed a truck-mounted surface-to-air missile system, known as the Pantsir S-1. It is unclear whether the system was left behind or was only there for a short time when the base was under construction.

Following the citys fall, Amaq claimed that the Islamic State seized upward of 20 tanks, a handful of armored personnel carriers, howitzers and antitank guided missiles. Some of the claims in the video may have been fabricated for propaganda purposes, but given the speed of the offensive, it is likely the group has accumulated some material.

Images posted online Tuesday by the group also depict fighters seizing what looks like a Syrian fire base to the west of the city. An independent researcher who runs a website that documents the Syrian conflict, puts the base just north of the government-held Tiyas air base.

Images taken by the Islamic State show abandoned artillery pieces, machine guns and, in the background of one of the photos, the outline of what looks like an S-125 surface-to-air missile system and its associated targeting and tracking radar.

The S-125, known as a SA-3 to NATO countries, is a Soviet-era weapon that can hit targets flying at approximately 60,000 feet, and has a maximum effective range of 17 miles, according to U.S. military documents. It can be configured to fire two or four missiles from its rail system. If properly used, it could pose a threat to any aircraft flying in the area; however, systems such as the S-125 are complicated to use and are easily seen and targeted from the air.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said military officials were tracking the Islamic States capture of significant equipment around Palmyra, which were not very happy about.

The official declined to say specifically what equipment that included. Theres no doubt were paying pretty close attention to that.  It can end up in lots of places, he said.

While U.S. and international forces are carrying out regular airstrikes in Syria, American aircraft have rarely carried out attacks near Palmyra.

The Islamic State recovered air-to-air missiles when the group took the Tabqa air base in 2014, but appeared to have failed to convert them into anything that could take down an aircraft. The group has also used shoulder-mounted surface-to-air-missiles, known as MANPADS, notably taking down an Iraqi helicopter in 2014 with a Chinese variant of the weapon.

Other images posted Tuesday show that Islamic State fighters had also closed within visible range of the strategic Tiyas air base west of Palmyra. Known as the T4 air base, Tiyas in the past has been home to Russian helicopter gunships and Syrian Arab Air Force aircraft.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post  Thomas Gibbons-Neff
Rex Tillerson, the ExxonMobil chief who is President-elect Donald Trumps nominee for secretary of state, visited the White House repeatedly as sanctions were imposed on Russia in 2014 to make sure his companys competitors didnt gain an edge in the way they were enforced.

Tillerson made at least 20 visits to the White House during President Barack Obamas two terms, visitor logs show, including five after Obama began authorizing the 2014 sanctions in response to Russian aggression toward Ukraine.

Tillerson, who has questioned whether sanctions work, was concerned that European nations might not apply the restrictions as strictly as the U.S., giving Exxons European competitors an advantage, according to a White House official at the time, who asked not to be identified because the purpose of the visits was never made public.

As secretary of state, Tillerson would play a central role in deciding whether and how to maintain the current sanctions regime against Russia. Hundreds of people including Igor Sechin, the president of Russian oil giant Rosneft PJSC  Exxons partner in Russia  are targeted under the U.S.s sanctions over President Vladimir Putins intervention in Ukraine.

White House officials regularly meet with business leaders from a wide range of industries to discuss policy issues, White House spokeswoman Jennifer Friedman said in an email. These meetings help keep the White House apprised of outside perspectives.

At Exxons May 2014 shareholder meeting, Tillerson said of sanctions: We dont find them to be effective unless they are very well implemented.

Members of Congress have signaled that Tillersons close relations with Putin will bring tough questions in his Senate confirmation hearing to serve as the top U.S. diplomat. Republican senators including John McCain and Marco Rubio have joined Democrats indicating they would press Tillerson on issues such as sanctions.

The Exxon chairman and chief executive officer met several times with Jeffrey Zients, director of the National Economic Council, according to to the White House logs. Those visits began on March 12, 2014, six days after Obama signed Executive Order 13660, authorizing sanctions such as travel restrictions on people and entities deemed responsible for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, or stealing assets of the Ukrainian people. Tillerson and Zients met two more times in 2014 and twice in early 2015.

Exxon signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Rosneft in 2011, and in 2014 the companies together drilled an exploration well in Arctic waters. When the Obama administration imposed sanctions later that year, Exxon successfully lobbied the administration to give it a two-week reprieve to keep working on the $700 million well in the Kara Sea long enough to cap it for an eventual return. Exxon persuaded U.S. Treasury and Energy Department officials that it couldnt safely obey the White House order to halt work by the deadline.

Sanctions against Russia remain an issue for the White House and Congress. In October, at the request of the White House, the State Department weighed options for adding more sanctions against Russia over its participation in the siege of the Syrian city of Aleppo. No further action has been taken.

Senators including Rubio have called for more sanctions that would target Russia, not fewer. Last week, Rubio introduced legislation targeting foreigners who threaten order in Iraq and Syria.

Russia and Iran have continued to bolster and prop up the brutal Assad regime in Syria, which has fueled a conflict that now threatens us here at home, Rubio said in a Dec. 8 news release.

(c) 2016, Bloomberg  Nick Wadhams, Margaret Talev


1:16PM IL: [VIDEO & PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] A policeman was stabbed and lightly wounded in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem, near the Lions Gate entrance to the Old City. According to Magen David Adom, a 35-year-old male with stab wounds to his upper body is being transported to Shaare Zedek Medical Center, alert, conscious and listed in light condition.

A 12-year-old Arab male is being treated on the scene for a head injury. It remains uncertain if there is a connection to the attack.

There are unconfirmed reports that the terrorist was shot dead.

1:33PM IL: Three persons have sustained light injuries in the stabbing attack, including the 12-year-old Arab male, who was also struck by the attacker.

According to police, an Arab youth brandished a screwdriver and stabbed one of them in the head. Police opened fire, striking him. The terrorist is still alive at this time.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photos: Media Resource Group)
Health Minister Yaakov Litzman is declaring war on Arad City Hall, which he accuses of actively discriminating against the chareidi community of the city, which hr says is about 1,200 families.

When Kol Chai Radio host Betzalel Kahn spoke with Arad Mayor Nisan Ben-Hamo on Tuesday night 13 Kislev, the mayor (Yesh Atid) painted an entirely different picture. For one thing, he insists he is not against the chareidi tzibur and the only issue is with Gur, which continues demanding more than entitled to by law. The mayor insists that the dispute with Gur is political and not in any way religious.

Kol Chai:

You are accused to telling Gur that you do not want any more of the chassidim in your city. can you confirm this please?

Ben-Hamo

It is not the way it appears. I told Litzman and others that the Education Ministry is not funding us. The city has not more money available so we cannot build the educational institutions they are seeking. If I cannot accommodate the number of children from this sector today, why should I want more to come and live here?

I point out that the issue has been misrepresented, and City Hall does not have issues with chareidim, but only with Gerre. We are getting along fine with Shas, the dati leumi and Chabad and they are receiving buildings and other services which Gerre will also receive when there is money.

The Shabbos Incident

According to Litzman, basing his information on those who were present, a group of secular Jews entered the shul Shabbos and began vandalizing and throwing siddurim while disrupting the davening. This according to Litzman is a red line and he fears similar insistence will occur in Yerushalayim and elsewhere if the response if not a strong one. He wants all shuls around the country to daven musaf this Shabbos in the street to identify with the Gerre tzibur in Arad. This is of course pending the approval of Gedolei Torah he explains.

May Ben-Hamo disagrees  so much so he insists there was no incident this past Shabbos and Litzman lied to Police Chief Roni Alsheich when filing a report with him, demanding the opening of an investigation. He points out Litzman was not there and he was lied to and in turn, passed false information to Alsheich.

Yesh Atid leader MK Yair Lapid released a statement condemning the incident if it occurred, adding if it is learned that a party member was involved, that person will be ousted from the party.

The mayor adds police on the other hand have video evidence of Gerre chassidim breaking windows of the shul and vandalizing the building as part of their forced take-over of the citys central shul. He explains the veteran of the shul have begun fighting back. They want their shul back and wish to oust Gur. The mayor adds that Litzman also exaggerates regarding the size of the frum community, which he places at 900, admitting this is still significant, but only 15% of the city and the remaining 85% of the population is not interested in becoming a new Gerre community. The mayor adds all other chareidim continue to live harmoniously in the city and the issue is only with Gur, which is trying a power play to take over.

Ben-Hamo insists political differences are indeed legitimate, but for Gur, which is in opposition today, it is about take-over and nothing less. The mayor has rabbonim from the dati leumi, Sephardi and Chabad communities on his side, as their seems to be a combined feeling that Gur is trying to take control of many services in the city.

Clearly, Litzman and Ben-Hamo have no common ground and a meeting between them four months ago did not yield any good will and the same with other meetings between city officials and Gur representatives.

Kol Chai also interviewed former Arad Mayor Tali Ploskov. Her view of events seems to be more in line with Litzman, explaining during the former administration, the chareidim were in the coalition, not the opposition and for her, it was always about keeping an open channel of communications. She feels this does not exist today.

There are reports from within the Gerre community in Arad that Ben-Hamo and his Yesh Atid party are working to make life miserable for the chareidim until they leave. He issued an emphatic denial, insisting it just is not so.

Minister of Religious Affairs (Shas) David Azoulai told Kol Chai the current situation is unacceptable and he has turned to Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan to get police more involved.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
There is a feeling of cautious optimism surrounding the announced agreement that residents are told will permit them to remain on the mountain when Amona is relocated.

Residents of the community met on Wednesday morning 14 Kislev to hear the details of the deal reached between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Bayit Yehudi leader Minister Naftali Bennett, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.

The government will begin preparing the groundwork a short distance from their current location, on the same hilltop and they will have a two-year period during which they will decide what they wish to do. If they decided to remain then the courts will be petitioned to remove the names of the absentee owners from the land, land that has not been claimed for decades, land which no one has taxes on for years, and this would be registered to Amona. City planners would then map out what can be done and the Office of the Attorney General would entertain legalizing the community.

Legal documentation will be issued and deadlines extended towards permitting setting up the area as the government has asked the High Court to grant a final 30-day extension from the 25 December 2016 deadline for the evacuation of

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
150 policepersons have been testing body cameras for Israel Police and the project is being viewed as success. As such, the department hopes to equip most cops with a body camera within the coming two years.

Israel Police Commander Avi Frankel explains he cannot cites numbers regarding complaints filed against police since these are handled by the Justice Ministry Police Complaints Unit. If legal actions are taken against police, the ministry unit handles if. If the matter is disciplinary, the matter is handled by police.

There has been a drastic cut in the number complaints against police for excessive force, dropping from 95 in 2006 as compared to 13 in all of 2016. There has also been a drop in the number of police dismissed from the force for excessive force since 2006.

Tel Aviv District Deputy Chief Assistant Commissioner Yossi Bachar adds body cameras will also assist in cutting complaints in this area during the pilot, the 150 body cameras. Police are now moving into the next phase, signaling an additional NIS 20 million is going to be spent this year to arm police with the recording devices which 78% of the public and 76% of police believe the cameras will improve police performance.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
President-elect Donald Trumps team says he is receiving formal intelligence briefing three times a week.

Spokesman Sean Spicer says Trump is also meeting daily with incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn to be briefed on intelligence matters.

Trump has challenged the necessity of a daily intelligence briefing, telling Fox News Sunday in a recent interview that he doesnt need to hear the same information every day. He says hes told intelligence officials to let him know if situations change.

Trump has also publicly challenged the intelligence communitys assessment that Russia interfered in the presidential election in order to help his prospects.

(AP)
We bought a cooker hood costing 199.99 from Currys. At the time, we were having a kitchen fitted, so did not open it straight away.

However, when the fitters did open it, they discovered it was damaged. Currys insisted its conditions of sale were that any damage must be reported within 48 hours and would only offer us a 10 per cent refund for damaged goods.

I have tried to get my credit card company involved so that I can make a claim under the Consumer Credit Act, but it doesnt want to get involved. Mrs T. V., Southampton.

Retail rage: One reader was left outraged after Currys wouldnt give back 200 for cooker hood she didnt realise was broken

Currys now accepts that, at the time your cooker hood was delivered, it would not have been possible for you to open and inspect it due to the works being carried out in your kitchen. Having reviewed your case, it has now offered a full refund.

But I think Currys refund policy raises some issues. Its terms and conditions state: If you unpack your product and find it damaged or incorrect, you can return or exchange the product within 48 hours of purchase or delivery.

I cannot see how this squares with the Consumer Rights Act, which provides a 30-day right to reject goods that are of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described. The retailer is also responsible for ensuring that goods arrive in good condition.

Then there are the Consumer Contracts Regulations. These allow most goods bought via the phone or internet to be rejected for up to 14 days from when you receive them. Exceptions include CDs, DVDs and software where the seal has been broken, and made-to-measure items.

I put this to Currys. A spokesman told me: The 48-hour statement is advisory and designed to encourage customers to examine their goods and report any issues as soon as possible in order to minimise situations where there would need to be a debate or an investigation to ascertain when/what happened to cause any damage and which could lead to a poor experience for the customer affected.

Substandard goods (damaged or faulty) are, of course covered by the Consumer Rights Act and we clearly adhere to all consumer law.

Id be interested to hear from anyone else who has been told by Currys that they cannot return damaged goods after more than 48 hours.

YOU HAVE YOUR SAY: Not all items on sports auction sites are fake - you just need to do your homework Every week, Money Mail receives hundreds of your letters and emails about our stories. Here are some from our investigation into how crooks are flooding auction houses and websites with fake sports memorabilia: The only way that you can guard against this is to ensure you find an auction site that gives a good guarantee. If you can, get the item checked before you buy, too. And, please, do your homework beforehand. D. A., London. Autographs are no different to anything else. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Always buy from a respected seller. What this article is really about is a respected seller that has made a mistake and has not rectified it. Very disappointing. K. T., Swindon, Wilts. We recently looked at how auction houses are being flooded with fake sports memorabilia Yes, Bonhams should have picked up that this item was a fake, but you cant blame them for not giving the money back after 16 years. The gentleman had a year from the date he bought it to figure out whether it was a fake or not. I. D., Sidcup, Kent. Not all items are fake, of course  you just need to do your homework. Most celebrities attend signings, and there are events all over the country where you can pay for autographs while they are sitting in front of you. I have met boxers Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali and six men whove walked on the moon at such events. K. T., via email. How can you ever be sure that it is the real article unless the person is standing in front of you while signing it? And Im sceptical about how experts can be so sure an item is fake. I have a snooker cue signed by Steve Davis, which he signed in front of me. My friend had one signed immediately after me  yet the signatures look very different. D. S., Worcester. IF YOU buy an item from a prestigious auction house, then you should feel confident it is genuine. Youre not buying off Del Boy down the market! S. M., Gloucester. The number of genuine pieces of sports memorabilia out there is small compared to the amount on sale. If this is your hobby, or you see it as an investment opportunity, you should investigate carefully. W. D., Essex. Going to a second-hand sale is always risky. You never know what you are buying  they could be fake, stolen, broken or even unsafe. People do pick up bargains at auctions and even car boot sales, but most people get a dud. Q. D., Manchester.

My wife and I were due to return from a holiday in Spain, but our Ryanair flight from Alicante on September 15 was cancelled due to industrial action in France.

The earliest flight to Stansted was not until September 20 or 21. So we accepted a flight to Bournemouth on September 18, as my wife was already missing a hospital appointment scheduled for September 16.

We caught a late train from Bournemouth to London, then had to take a taxi home because the Underground was closed. We do not have a computer, so how can we claim for our travel expenses? M. C., London.

I understand your frustration, but am slightly confused as to why you wrote to me without giving Ryanair a chance to sort this out. I am always happy to help readers deal with intransigent companies  but expect to be a last resort, rather than a first option.

Nevertheless, I put your queries to Ryanair. Its reaction rather took me aback. Rather than addressing the question, I was given a lengthy whinge about French air traffic control!

Eventually, I found out that you should contact its customer service department at Ryanair DAC, Dublin Office, Airside Business Park, Swords, Co. Dublin, Ireland. You could also call 0330 100 7838. This should be charged at local rate.

You will need to provide receipts for your expenses, including hotel accommodation, which Ryanair says it will be happy to review. Keep copies of the receipts and letter and post it by signed for delivery, so you have evidence it has been received.

Our local Guide group has been closed for some time, but may now reopen. The group used to have an account with Girobank  it was opened in around 1990 and I was one of the signatories.

Since then, it has been through several incarnations with Alliance & Leicester, and then Santander.

During this period, another signatory and two other ladies took over the unit. Subsequently, the unit closed. We have tried to make contact with the former group leaders and have tried the My Lost Account service. Could you help us trace this account? Mrs B. T., Guide Leader.

The bank struggled to track down any information on this account as it was closed in 2010 but, after a bit of digging, it was able to confirm there had been two accounts.

One was opened in 1999 and closed in December 2010 after its 193.53 was withdrawn. This was the account for which you had details.

Santander tracked the money to the other account operated by your Guide group. This was opened in 1984. It has a balance of 327.21. The last known transaction on this account was in 2012, details of which have been provided to you.

STRAIGHT TO THE POINT I paid 373.04 to renew my boiler cover with Scottish Gas in July. The cheque was cashed but, in November, I received a letter saying the firm had cancelled my policy. Ive tried to call, but can never seem to get through. S. D., Edinburgh. British Gas  which trades as Scottish Gas in Scotland  admits it made a mistake and failed to assign the payment to your account. This caused your policy to expire. Your cover is now active again and the firm has offered you 100 as a goodwill gesture. I found a passbook for a Yorkshire Building Society Golden Key deposit account. The last transaction was in March 1987 and it had a balance of more than 1,000. I dont recall opening or closing the account and the society could not trace it. Can you help? M. E., Woking, Surrey. Yorkshire Building Society says that the account was closed in October 1994 and a cheque for 1,428.09 was posted to you, which was subsequently cashed. Given that you cannot recall opening the account, I suggest you take Yorkshire BS at its word. If a bank or building society goes bust, I know my money is protected. But would it lose its tax-free status if it was in an Isa? S. P., via email. Up to 75,000 is covered under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if a bank or building society collapses. If your bank goes under, the taxman will allow you to deposit the entire amount you previously had in a cash Isa, including accrued interest, into a new one. In July, I took my granddaughters on a cruise with Thomson. On my return, I noticed I had been charged an extra 223.94, which I did not spend. It took four months and many emails to get a refund, which I found very wearing. Thomson also sent a 125 voucher  but I dont want to travel with it again.S. R, Cardiff. I contacted Thomson to tell it about your experience. It has apologised for the delay in issuing you a refund and given you a 200 goodwill gesture. Im about to retire and need help with how to take my pension. But financial advisers cost hundreds. Is there another option? E. L., Merseyside. You can book a face-to-face appointment with the government-backed Pension Wise (0800 138 3944, pensionwise.gov.uk). However, unlike a financial adviser, it cannot make recommendations, only lay out the options.
Britains biggest shops are unfairly keeping millions of pounds in home delivery charges when customers return unwanted items.

Online stores including Asos, Boohoo and Topshop routinely pocket the postage and packaging costs - often called delivery fees or charges - when customers return goods.

A Money Mail investigation reveals that these online retailers could be breaking a little-known consumer law.

Loophole? Britains biggest shops are unfairly keeping millions of pounds in home delivery charges when customers return unwanted items

According to the Consumer Contracts Regulations, introduced in 2014, customers who return items should get a refund for the price of the goods and the standard postage costs they paid for home delivery.

Lawyers say the original delivery fee should be handed back automatically as part of any refund if the items are returned within a set period. Yet our research found many shops hold on to the cash - typically around 3 per delivery - unless you ask for it.

Often your rights are buried in the smallprint on retailers websites. Then customers are made to jump through hoops to get the money theyre owed, such as filling in extra forms or making phone calls.

According to figures from retail experts Mintel, around one in five people will do some Christmas shopping online this year. Its good news for retailers as online shopping is cheaper for them, cutting the cost of staffing, lighting and heating High Street stores.

But four in ten items of clothing bought online are now sent back, according to accountancy firm KPMG, and one in ten electrical items. This is partly due to a new trend of ordering several items to try - then returning ones you dont want.

Many shoppers will also be returning planned gifts after having second thoughts. For big shops, many of which offer free returns, that means a lot of time and money wasted on packaging and posting.

HOW TO CLAIM YOUR CASH Check if the retailer automatically refunds delivery costs.

If it does, you just need to send your items back within 14 days.

If it doesnt, it may have a form online you can fill in. You may need to call customer service for one. If the shop refuses, write to complain, quoting the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.

As a last resort, take your complaint to Trading Standards. Call Citizens Advice for guidance on 03454 04 05 06.

The press office for online clothes shop Asos, which made 1.4 billion in sales in the past financial year, says it does refund its 3 postage charge if a shopper asks. But when Money Mail contacted its customer services, an email came back saying the fees were a non-refundable cost and made no mention of the law.

Boohoo, which took revenues of 127 million in the six months to August, says customers must ask for the 3.99 standard delivery fee.

Lingerie store Bravissimos says customers only get back the 3.95 for standard postage if they call or email first.

Topshop, owned by Sir Philip Greens Arcadia Group, does not automatically refund original postage costs under its 14-day postal returns policy.

When you send something back, Topshop pays the return postage costs. But it does not, as standard, return the 4 home delivery fee it charged when you originally bought the item.

Customers can demand this 4 back if they fill in a form. However, Topshop told Money Mail that if you do this, it will no longer cover the cost of sending the goods back. This means youre unlikely to save money overall.

House of Frasers terms and conditions stated it will refund customers postage in vouchers  but the department store said this was incorrect and that customers would get a full refund in the same way they paid. M&S and John Lewis say they refund postage costs without quibble.

All the retailers declined to reveal what proportion of shoppers who return items get their original delivery fees back.

Running returns: Four in ten items of clothing bought online are now sent back, according to accountancy firm KPMG, and one in ten electrical items

Experts say most shoppers fail to claim because they are unaware of their rights or do not have time. In the UK, some 1.38 billion items were returned last year, says consultancy Clear Returns.

It means shops could be sitting on 4.1 billion of postage fees. Carys Murphy, solicitor at law firm Slater and Gordon, says: The onus should be on online retailers to refund the original delivery charge once they are in receipt of the returned goods.

Forcing a customer to fill in a separate form or make a call in order to get payment is not reflected in the regulations or in government guidance. Quite frankly, this appears to be an attempt by online retailers to justify avoiding paying consumers money they are entitled to.

The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2014 state that if you return items bought over the phone or internet within 14 days of receiving them, you should receive a full refund. There does not have to be anything wrong with the goods: its enough simply to have changed your mind.

The rules state that as well as a refund for the item, customers should get back their original, standard delivery costs if they return the whole order at once.

Experts say most shoppers fail to claim because they are unaware of their rights or do not have time

Shops are not obliged to refund the extra you might have paid for one-day or express delivery.

Steph Barnett, 51, from St Albans, has claimed back around 100 over the past year by battling some of Britains biggest online retailers for refunds of her postage fees. She has successfully fought Boohoo, Asos, Very.co.uk and Pretty Little Thing for refunds ranging from 1 to 3.95.

The telesales worker says: Shops must be sitting on millions and millions of pounds of customers cash. They are already saving so much money by encouraging us to shop online. Online shopping should be a pleasurable experience, not fighting for your money back.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which oversees the rules, says: The Consumer Contracts Regulations apply regardless of whether or not a consumer has filled in a form.

If businesses fail to comply with the rules, the consumer can claim a breach of the contract, and trading standards can apply for a court order requiring compliance. A Topshop spokesman says: As Topshop offers free delivery on orders over 50, some three-quarters of customers do not pay for the original delivery.

An Asos spokesman says: The overwhelming majority of Asos orders have free delivery.

But we are also happy, of course, to refund the original cost of delivery if applicable.

A Boohoo spokesman says: Customer satisfaction is our utmost priority and Boohoo regrets that the customer had to ask for the refund.

A Very.co.uk spokesman said it was fully compliant with the rules. Bravissimo declined to comment and Pretty Little Thing could not be reached for comment.
A hacking attack on Tesco Bank last month left 9,000 customers out of pocket and many more wondering whether their money was safe.

The bank is estimated to have paid out 2.5million to its customers since the attack which saw online transactions frozen. And Tesco is only the latest to fall prey to a cyber-attack or computer system problem.

Earlier this year millions of HSBC customers were locked out of their accounts after a security breach while thousands of TalkTalk customers have had their personal details accessed in recent years.

Fraud alert: Tesco customers were warned to look out for fake emails, phone calls and texts

Any weakness in a companys security can leave it dangerously exposed, and put the finances of millions of customers at risk.

Because new methods are constantly being developed by fraudsters, keeping up with them is a multi-billion pound industry. New regulations introduced this year mean companies now have to make public any security breaches they suffer, and fines could run to 4 per cent of the firms global turnover.

Such serious implications mean businesses are spending more than ever trying to protect themselves and their customers - and that means there are opportunities for investors.

Ali Unwin, manager of the Neptune Global Technology fund, says: Criminals have always found new ways to cheat people out of their money, and harnessing technology to do it is no different. As the world becomes more digital and technology plays a bigger part in our lives, security becomes paramount.

DID YOU KNOW? Knights in the Middle Ages did not carry cash - they wore rings to stamp bills which people took to their castle to get paid.

Its estimated that next year companies will spend around 78billion protecting themselves from cyber breaches - and that sum is growing by more than 6 per cent every year. Security now accounts for around 14 per cent of all company spending on software.

In addition, Chancellor Philip Hammond has unveiled a 1.9billion spending package designed to boost Britains defences against online threats. It is almost double the amount the government set out to spend just five years ago.

Mr Hammond says cyber fraudsters are invading personal privacy and putting national security at risk. Worryingly, around half of security breaches involve an internal member of staff.

Mr Unwin says: This is a major responsibility for companies and its hard to make a case for not spending money on security.

Whats more, because there are new threats every day, companies cant just make a one-off purchase; different companies offer different types of protection and the software needs constant updating, and that makes it an exciting area of investment.

He likes email filtering business Mimecast, which helps to reduce phishing attacks  which try to get you to click on a link in an email.

Defence boost: Hammond has pledged 1.9billion to protect Britain from online threats

A common scam at the moment is for an email to look like it comes from a colleague, so you trust it. Its often used to target high-level finance officers to try to get them to make payments for things.

Senior employees may be more likely to click on a dodgy email link than someone lower down the pecking order - because fewer scams get through to the top people so theyre less adept at spotting them.

Mimecast scans and blocks websites and attachments, and stops users downloading viruses or revealing credentials.

The Neptune Global Technology fund was launched in December 2015 and has returned 24.79 per cent over the past six months, turning 10,000 into 12,470.

Protect yourself from fraud 1. Verify any emails or calls you get about fraudulent activity on your bank account. Do this by contacting your bank separately using a different web page, rather than clicking on links in emails, or by calling them from a different phone to the one you were contacted on. 2. Do not share PIN or log-in details for your personal accounts. 3. Use hard-to-guess passwords for online accounts, featuring upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. 4. Familiarise yourself with common frauds and how they work. Register with Action Fraud Alert for free  run by the City of London Police  to receive regular information about scams and frauds in your area. Visit actionfraudalert.co.uk. Find further tips on how to stay safe online by visiting official websites such as getsafeonline.org and cyberaware.gov.uk. If you need advice over the phone, call Action Fraud (0300 123 2040).

Security is a theme also on the mind of Jeremy Gleeson, manager of the Axa Framlington Global Technology fund, which has turned 10,000 into 17,860 over the past three years, compared to the average tech funds return of 15,050.

Mr Gleeson says: Email-based attacks are far more sophisticated than the virus attacks that were prevalent five or ten years ago.

He likes California-based Proofpoint, which provides email and internet security software.

Mr Gleeson says the firm has seen its revenue grow 39 per cent over the past year and it is increasing its market share. The company, which started in 2002, monitors around 600 million emails, seven million mobile phone apps and hundreds of thousands of social media accounts each day.

One of the firms areas of expertise is social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter. Its an increasingly important focus for companies as for many, its their first point of contact with customers.

Being hacked can be incredibly damaging for a firms reputation. Proofpoints aims to stop accounts being hacked or fraudulent accounts being set up.

Another area that Mr Unwin is interested in is credentials management. A popular tactic for fraudsters is to hack into a system and then, surprisingly, do nothing. Instead they will sit within a companys computer network, sometimes for years, gaining more information and increasing their administrative privileges until they have enough power to attack.

He invests in Israeli company Cyberark, which aims to stop this type of attack and is listed on the U.S. stock market.

Companies which manage so-called firewalls (software which spots viruses or other threats and doesnt let them into a computer system) are also effective at trying to identify and avoid such breaches. A firewall is like a moat around a castle to keep enemies out.

One company renowned for this type of protection is Palo Alto. Its a favourite investment of Mr Gleeson. The firm provides software to some of the biggest organisations in the world, including the U.S. Government and microchip maker Qualcomm.
Tough choice: No fund can always be top of the table

I always seem to invest in funds that have performed well for years just as they take a turn for the worse. How can I avoid this?

J. P., Milton Keynes.

Unfortunately, this is the problem with choosing a fund based on its past performance. No fund can always be top of the table.

This is because the assets it invests in will do better or worse depending on how well the economy is doing, or based on news and sentiment in sectors it chooses or avoids.

The manager's style, too, will come in and out of favour. Some managers like to pick out-of-favour companies and wait for the business to be turned around; others like stocks which pay a steady dividend for a reliable income stream.

And so if you pick a fund that has been a top performer for the past five years, it may be due a change in fortune.

You can see this if you look at the discrete performance on a fund's monthly fact sheet.

This shows you how a fund has performed in each separate year, rather than bundling its performance into three or five years (the cumulative performance).

For example, the Schroder Recovery Fund, which invests in out-of-favour businesses, is up an impressive 32.7 per cent over the past year.

In the 12 months before that, it lost 12.1 per cent; the year before, it was up 3.8 per cent; and the year before that, it was up 39.8 per cent.

You would have been disappointed if, encouraged by two years of positive performance, you'd chosen the year it fell to invest.

Many investors have pulled money out of the M&G Recovery Fund because it has had a tricky period.

Three years ago, it lost 7.2 per cent, and last year it was down 5.3 per cent, but if you'd let that under-performance put you off, you'd have missed out on gains of 22.7 per cent this year.

The best way to avoid investing at the wrong time is to pick funds in a different way.

Obviously, you shouldn't just pick the worst-performing funds in the hope that they will suddenly rise to the top of the performance table.

Rather than choosing based on performance alone, you should be picking the funds you believe in for the long-term.

Experts say time and again that you should be looking to stay in a fund once you have chosen it for at least five years. That gives you time to ride out any erroneous ups and downs in performance.

And you should look to have a mixture of different regions, sectors and assets among your investments so they don't all rise and fall at the same time.
The British tech firm preyed on by foreign rivals has invented more than 900 pioneering devices over the past decade.

E2V technologies, which has agreed a 620million takeover from California-based Teledyne Technologies, has registered more than 400 inventions in the UK and hundreds more at its other offices around the world.

Founded in 1947, Its sensors and scanners are used in Nasa spacecraft, the Large Hadron Collider and in 90 per cent of the world's radiotherapy treatments.

The takeover has raised fresh concerns that dozens more British ideas and jobs will be lost to the US should the takeover be approved.

E2V has invented more than 900 pioneering devices over the past decade. Its technology can be found in the guidance systems of the Sea Sparrow missile (pictured)

And it has put fresh pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May to block the deal. Records held by the European Patent Office show just how significant the company is at leading the way, bolstering the case of those who believe more should be done to prevent its ideas and expertise from leaving the UK.

On Monday directors agreed a 2.75-per-share takeover deal with their US rivals.

Iain Wright MP, chairman of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, said: 'While E2V's shareholders will no doubt think this is a good deal, the country needs to consider how this takeover affects Britain's position as a leading global tech centre.

'Just before becoming Prime Minister, Theresa May said she would step in to defend sectors which are important to Britain, as well as stating she wanted to build on Britain's position as one of the leading tech centres of the world.

'So how does this takeover help with this ambition? If the Prime Minister is serious about an effective industrial strategy which fosters the success of this sector, the Government needs to provide the clear rules for foreign takeovers as promised by the Prime Minister in the summer.'

Nico Macdonald, chief executive of the industry body the Research & Development Society, said the deal could be a particular loss to the UK's successful space technology industry.

He added: 'I think it's disappointing that in an area where the UK has a proven track record that research and development expertise might be diminished.

'There needs to be more celebration by our political leaders and others of areas where the UK is as successful as it is.

'I think they need to look again at how effective their support for these companies is.'

Teledyne said there were 'no immediate plans for any material changes in locations or personnel'. Robert Mehrabian, Teledyne's chief executive, said there were only a few products where the companies overlapped.

E2V's chairman Neil Johnson said the board also wanted the company to be part of a larger group. In November Chancellor Philip Hammond pledged to protect the tech industry from the growing threat of foreign predators snapping up start-ups.

In July microchip designer ARM Holdings was taken over by Japanese-owned Softbank, and in September electronics maker Premier Farnell  which owns the Raspberry Pi  was taken over by US company Avnet.
The chief financial officer at Paysafe Group picked a bad day to collect up his stock options.

Brian McArthur-Muscroft, 52, picked up 516,844 shares in the digital payments provider under a long-term incentive plan just before the price plunged. McArthur-Muscroft sold 243,778 of the shares for 371.85p each to satisfy tax obligations, keeping hold of 273,066.

But yesterday an anonymous blog post caused the share price to plunge. An organisation called Spotlight Research (which already had a short position in Paysafe) wrote on a trader website that Paysafe's largest customer may be 'operating a business that appears to facilitate and engage in illegal gambling' in China.

The blog post told investors to sell shares in Paysafe, which it accused of enabling illegal gambling. But Paysafe hit back arguing the allegations were untrue.

Damage: An anonymous blog post caused digital payments provider Paysafe Group's share price to plunge

It said: 'We confirm that all material information in the report is either factually inaccurate or has been previously disclosed.'

The group reassured investors that the business was performing well after upgrading its guidance for the year in November.

Shares fell as much as 36 per cent in the day, but recovered to close down 17.6 per cent, or 65.1p to 305.7p.

Global cyber security firm NCC Group plunged to its lowest level in more than two years after a profit warning.

The business, which lost three contracts in the summer, yesterday said it will not be able to make up the losses. Profit for the year is now set to come in below expectations.

NCC remained upbeat about the future, with prospects bolstered by an 'ever- increasing number of cyber security breaches', and said the group's revenues had grown 35 per cent to 125.8million in the first half of the year while pre-tax profit was up 5 per cent at 16.7million.

STOCK WATCH - ELEGANT HOTELS Elegant Hotels Group climbed as Legal & General snapped up a 6.75 per cent stake in the business. The purchase of 6million shares will make the investment group the fourth largest shareholder in the company. Meanwhile investment company Hargreave Hale, which already had a 2.5 per cent stake in the hotel business, upped its own holding, adding 2.75million shares to take its stake to 5.6 per cent. Elegant, which reports its full-year results on January 17, owns six luxury hotels and a restaurant in Barbados. Shares gained 1.3 per cent, or 1p to 77p.

Shares dropped 10.4 per cent, or 21.2p to 183.5p.

The collapse of a deal between two US broadcasters left investors wondering whether one might make a play for ITV.

CBS and Viacom had been in talks about a merger but it was called off late on Monday. Now experts are speculating whether Viacom may turn its attentions to the UK broadcaster.

Chatter is already persisting that ITV's largest shareholder Liberty Global, which has a 9.9pc stake in the firm, could make a bid.

ITV also announced that it is teaming up with the BBC to launch an on demand service in the US. Liberum, which has a 'Buy' rating on the stock, said that while the pricing of the service is yet to be announced it was a major positive for ITV's plans to build up its subscription revenues.

The stock broker said the collaboration with the Beeb should give ITV a branding boost across the pond.

Shares advanced 3.7 per cent, or 6.9p to 191.1p, the highest riser on the FTSE 100 (up 1.13 per cent, or 78.15 points to 6968.57).

Miners made up many of the fallers for the day. Antofagasta lost 4.7 per cent, or 36p to 738.5p, while BHP Billiton fell 2.8 per cent, or 39p to 1361.5p.

Aviation services firm Air Partner took off as it announced the acquisition of Clockwork Research.

Clockwork, which reported revenue of 707,000 in the year to June 30, is a consultancy focused on the impact of fatigue on safety.

Its clients include airlines such as BA and EasyJet as well as oil, gas and mining companies and the Norwegian Air Ambulance.

Air Partner has not revealed how much it paid for the business. Shares advanced 2.7 per cent, or 12.88p to 492.88p.

AIM-listed marketing specialist Proxama plummeted as it warned it would post a loss of 3.5million for the year.

While it is around 31 per cent less than the loss the firm posted a year ago, Proxama said revenue was likely to be 2.6million in 2016, down from 2.9million last year.

The group said it was well positioned for next year after reducing operating costs by a further 24 per cent and said it had been reviewing various options to sell its digital payments division, with discussions currently ongoing with two potential buyers.

Proxama had hoped that sale would occur this year but it is now likely to happen in 2017.
Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell pictured in 1994

GOLDEN CHANCE Fitbug has roped in 1992 Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell to help get it back on the winning track.

The fitness firm, which sells wristbands that monitor how far you walk and how well you sleep, has struggled in the increasingly competitive smartwatch industry following the rise of Fitbit and Apple Watch.

Former world 400m hurdles record holder Gunnell, 50, will assist Fitbug to create a workplace well-being programme that helps companies tackle health issues among employees.

SHARE SALE Old Mutual is selling 13million shares in its New York-based asset management arm to the public as part of its break-up operation.

The Anglo-South African company is seeking to split into four separate units as part of a drive to reduce complexity.

It said proceeds from the sale would be used for 'general corporate purposes'. More details will be announced in coming days.

BILLS DUE Small businesses are owed more than 26billion in late payments from customers, said direct debit company Bacs.

Nearly half of Britain's small and medium firms are owed cash, with the average debt standing at 32,185. In some cases they were having to wait 60 days longer than their deadline.

JOB CREATION A customer services firm is to invest 2million in its operations, creating up to 160 jobs.

Ascensos is launching a site in Clydebank.

The company has leased and refurbished an old contact centre for Clydesdale Bank, backed by a 250,000 Scottish Enterprise regional selective assistance grant.

CAR BOOST Aston Martin has won backing from an investment giant for its new SUV factory in South Wales that will create 750 jobs.

Legal & General Investment Management Real Assets has injected a multi-million pound sum into the project in the latest sign of major investors' willingness to back expansion.

BEER DEAL Japanese brewer Asahi is buying a string of Eastern European beers from AB Inbev for 6.1billion.

Its acquisitions include the Czech maker of Pilsner Urquell and Polish brands Tyskie and Lech.

MINER'S CREDIT Copper mining group Kaz Minerals has been awarded a 235million credit line from the Development Bank of Kazakhstan.

It will help fund the open-pit Aktogay mine that London-listed Kaz is developing in east Kast Kazakhstan.

SALES JUMP KPMG International has seen sales jump despite what the accountancy giant calls a 'challenging' business environment across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The boss of a City hedge fund is taking advantage of Italy's financial crisis to snap up its bad bank debt.

Davide Serra's company Algebris Investments wants to raise 835million to buy up non-performing Italian property loans in northern and central Italy.

The nation's largest lender UniCredit plans to slash 14,000 jobs, shut a quarter of its 3,800 branches and raise 10.9billion on the markets as it tries to recover.

Italian job: Davide Serra, chief executive officer of Algebris Investments

The Italian financial sector has been plunged into crisis by the resignation last week of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi after he lost a referendum on constitutional reform.

Its oldest bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena is expected to need a state bailout and up to seven more could also fall into taxpayers' hands.

A friend of Renzi, Serra iswell-known in City circles for his outspoken opinions, sharp suits and adventurous taste in holidays.

A father of four, he is married to Anna Barassi, a former Gucci model. Serra, 45, is also respected for his instincts on the economy and, in Italy, he has spotted an opportunity.

The country's banks are weighed down by 300billion of bad debt and are expected to offload it at rock-bottom prices as they seek to clean up their balance sheets.

Algebris has so far secured 175million of backing and has another 418million lined up. Serra launched a similar scheme two years ago, which has put 334million into 36 deals with 24 banks.

The former professional volleyball player made his name as a top analyst with Morgan Stanley and has long had a special focus on bank stocks.

He played a key role in forcing the disastrous sale of Dutch bank ABN Amro to Royal Bank of Scotland  a decision which subsequently led to the lender's collapse.
A probe into Soma Oil and Gas, chaired by Lord Michael Howard, has been dropped

Investigators have dropped a corruption probe into an oil and gas company chaired by Tory grandee Lord Howard.

The Serious Fraud Office said there was not enough evidence to prosecute Soma Oil and Gas over the allegations of corruption in Somalia.

It brings to an end the probe opened in July 2015 following claims made by a United Nations monitoring group in the country.

The SFO said: 'We have concluded, based on the information and material we have obtained, that there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.'

It is believed the inquiry centred on agreements between Soma and the Somalian government to explore for gas in deep water offshore fields.

In 2014 the UN called for a moratorium on new exploration deals in Somalia, fearing they could heighten tensions in the fragile country, where there has been civil war since 1991.

Private firm Soma always denied the allegations and stressed there was no suspicion over Lord Howard, who was an MP for 27 years.

Soma said it had complained to the UN about its report.
Two decades ago, Joan Goodchild and her husband Denis took out a loan from Barclays to help fund their retirement.

The couple, then in their 60s, were visited in their home in Hornchurch, Essex, by a door-to-door salesman who offered what seemed like a tempting opportunity.

They could have 36,250, secured against the house, to enjoy retirement, buy a new car and go on a long holiday. As a bonus, the cash was interest-free and did not need to be repaid until they either both died or sold their home.

Mortgage misery: Denis and Joan Goodchild at their ruby wedding party

These days Joan, now 88, is widowed and receives visits at home from a private nurse three times a day to help with her Parkinson's disease and dementia.

WHY WE ARE FIGHTING FOR THOSE TRAPPED BY LOANS This is Money is fighting to help those trapped by shared appreciation mortgages. > Read how we have exposed rip-off loans, follow the shared appreciation mortgage campaign and get help

With her condition deteriorating, her daughter Julie, 60, feels she is unsafe on her own and will soon require round-the-clock care.

Together, they have made the hard decision to sell the bungalow and move Joan to a 620-a-week private care home nearby. The proceeds from the 500,000 house sale would be hugely valuable in covering these fees.

But there is one very big problem: as soon as the bungalow is sold, Joan will have to pay Barclays 302,500.

The staggering bill is due to the type of loan she took out all those years ago. Joan and Denis were among tens of thousands of people who were sold so-called shared appreciation mortgages.

Under the terms of these contracts, which are no longer sold, the customer and the bank shared in any rise in the value of the property.

In Joan's case, the contract she signed with Barclays meant it would get three-quarters of any increase in the house price by the time it was sold.

Her house was worth 145,000 when she took out the mortgage in 1998.

If she sells for the 500,000 asking price, Barclays will be entitled to as much as 266,250. When you add in the original loan of 36,250  which she'll also need to repay when she sells  Barclays will pocket 302,500.

Needs: Joan, 88, receives visits at home from a private nurse three times a day to help with her Parkinson's disease and dementia

Julie, Joan's eldest daughter, is looking after her mother's affairs.

She says: 'We would rather give the money to a charity for dementia than let Barclays take it all.

'We know eventually she will need to go into a home and would like to know she could have the best care there is as she worked all her life and has been such a lovely mum to us.'

Around 12,000 customers took out shared appreciation mortgages through Barclays or Bank of Scotland between 1996 and 1998  the main two firms behind the deals.

They were aimed at older people with lots of equity in their homes, but who didn't have lots of cash to draw on in retirement.

Usually borrowers received 25 per cent of their property value as an interest-free loan. In return, they gave up 75 per cent of the home's future rise in value.

One of the big attractions was that there were no monthly repayments and the loan was only repaid when the house was sold.House prices had fallen throughout 1995 and the early part of 1996, so the risks looked low.

The proceeds from the sale of Joan's 500,000 house would be hugely valuable in covering her care fees but as soon as the bungalow is sold, Joan will have to pay Barclays 302,500

But no one realised how quickly prices would rise after that.

Average house prices have increased from around 50,000 at the start of the shared-appreciation boom in 1996 to more than 200,000 today, according to the Nationwide index.

David Hollingworth, of mortgage broker London & Country, says: 'It's hard to tell what will happen to house prices  and that's where the problem lies.

'When house prices were flat or were falling, shared appreciation sounded like a cracking deal.

But then prices started to rise rapidly  and now people are realising they're going to have to give up huge sums of money.'

Julie believes her parents would never have agreed to the deal if they had known what they were getting into.

Joan and Denis were enjoying a comfortable retirement when they took out the Barclays loan. They had a generous pension, had paid off their mortgage and had considerable savings.

The Barclays deal won't leave Joan much after her care bills to give something to her family.

Julie says: 'Mum is also worried about the future for my sister and me, and is always saying sorry for taking out this mortgage with Barclays as there will not be much inheritance left for her children and grandchildren.'

Concerns: Joan Goodchild with daughters Denise, 58, left, and Julie, 60, right

In 2010, Joan complained to Barclays but the bank said the contract still stands and the product was not mis-sold.

Borrowers had to obtain independent legal advice about the terms of the mortgage before signing, it says.

The complaint was also rejected by the independent Financial Ombudsman.

Barclays has taken a similar stance with other customers, including a 90-year-old widow who faces a 177,750 bill to pay off the mortgage on her home, which was worth just 22,500 when it was taken out in 1998.

Barclays and Bank of Scotland face potential court action over allegations that they misled customers.

A spokesman says: 'Barclays took great care to ensure that all aspects of the shared appreciation mortgage product and the contents of supporting brochures were clear.
Marks & Spencer is on the hunt for a chairman to return the High Street giant to its former glories.

Robert Swannell, who as a banker helped M&S stave off a 9.4billion bid from Sir Philip Green in 2004, is stepping down next year having taken up his post in January 2011.

His reign at M&S has been overshadowed by the dismal performance of the fashion arm and, in particular, the crucial womenswear department.

The 66-year-old last year chose company lifer Steve Rowe to succeed Marc Bolland as chief executive  with the new broom immediately promising to win back 'Mrs M&S'.

But the latest results show clothing sales fell 5.9 per cent in the first half of this year while food sales  for a long time the big M&S success story  were down 0.9 per cent. First half profits tumbled 88.4 per cent to 25.1million.

Senior independent director Vindi Banga, who spent 33 years at Unilever where his roles included president of the global foods, home and personal care business, will lead the search for Swannell's successor.

Bookmaker Ladbrokes last night installed Sir Charlie Mayfield, the chairman of John Lewis, as favourite to take the job, one of the biggest in British retail.

Other names thought to be in the frame include Carphone Warehouse founder Sir Charles Dunstone, former WH Smith boss Kate Swann and fashion retailer Whistles' chief executive Jane Shepherdson.

Independent retail analyst Nick Bubb said: 'It's a tough job, but Robert Swannell has not been the most forceful M&S chairman ever and history will probably judge that he allowed Marc Bolland to stay on for too long.

'The new chairman must try to stop the inexorable decline of M&S by getting the management to take some more radical decisions about who the M&S customer is and set them some more challenging profit targets.'

Announcing his decision to stand down from his 470,000 a year job to investors, Swannell said: 'A year ago we chose Steve Rowe as our chief executive.

'Steve completed a thorough analysis of the business and developed a detailed plan to build a simpler and more relevant M&S.

'This plan is now under way and I feel that it is the right time for the business to look for a new chairman,' he said.

Swannell added: 'It is a real privilege to chair this iconic company and I will continue to do so until my successor is in place.'

Swannell, a former investment banker at Schroders and Citigroup, was an advisor to M&S when the company fought off a 400p-a-share takeover bid from Green in 2004.

Swannell, a former chairman of HMV who served on the boards of British Land and 3i, took up his job at M&S after Sir Stuart Rose stepped down as chief executive and chairman amid pressure from shareholders over executive pay and his dual role.
Trading trauma: Deanne Forrest, 50, was looking for a way to boost her modest savings

Deanne Forrest admits she was charmed into submission by Peter Parker  if that ever was his real name.

The 50-year-old artist was looking for a way to boost her modest savings and support her teenage sons through university when a friend recommended Banc De Binary  a website that would let her trade on the stock market for instant returns of up to 60per cent.

Peter, her smooth-talking Cypriot account manager, assured Deanne that the trades she was placing were absolutely zero-risk.

When she wavered, Peter became flirtatious, calling the divorcee beautiful and glowing and asking dear Deanne if she would paint a portrait of him.

Within days she would pile 12,500 of savings and credit card debt on to high-risk trades. And, just as quickly, she would lose every penny.

Today, Deanne is left with just an iPhone 6 and a floor-cleaning robot  the sweeteners the Cyprus-based Banc De Binary gave her for being a customer.

The company, for its part, disputed the account given by Deanne and said she had said she was satisfied with the service they had provided.

Still, it is poor compensation for the single mother, who now feels she has been hopelessly naive.

Tens of thousands of savers just like Deanne are being lured into taking huge stock market bets on what are nothing more than gambling websites.

Housewives are being cold-called at home and talked into investing, while shopkeepers and taxi drivers are among those trying to make cash while they wait for customers.

Its all extraordinarily risky  but savers are so fed up with returns of less than 1 pc from banks that theyre resorting to these wild punts.

There are two main types of investment gambling firms. Each involves betting on whether stock markets or commodities such as gold or oil go up or down over a certain period of time  sometimes as short as 60 seconds. The first is called spread betting. Here, your return is based on how much the market rises or falls.

For example, you could bet 10 on every point the FTSE 100 moves. If it went up 50 points, you might make 5,000. If it fell 50 points, youd lose 5,000.

Many of the 125,000 people who take part in this type of gambling fancy themselves as stock market traders (see the article below).

The second, more controversial, type of gambling is called binary options trading.

Banc De Binary, the website that Deanne used, is one of the biggest binary options trading firms

Banc De Binary, the website that Deanne used, is one of the biggest binary options trading firms. Savers tempted into using these websites are usually less experienced and are therefore targeted by salesmen.

With these firms, you usually get a fixed return of up to 90 pc of your investment if your bet comes in. If it fails, you lose your initial investment.

So you might bet 1,000 that Apple shares go up and get back 1,900 if you win, but nothing if you lose.

An investigation by Money Mail and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism can today reveal the true scale of the risks savers are taking.

Documents show that the vast majority of savers never make any money from binary options trading.Eight in ten customers end up losing all their cash within five months.

At some binary firms, just three in 100 customers ever make a profit. On average, customers deposit $2,000 (1,576), which disappears in an average of 220 bets on rising or falling markets.

The City watchdog last week issued a serious warning over binary trading amid concerns that customers are routinely ripped off by unscrupulous outfits. Typically, customers are contacted by a professional trader who gives them titbits of information on where and when to place bets.

I'M AN EXPERT  AND I BLEW 900 IN A WEEK You've probably heard how bankers can make billions from placing risky bets on the stock market. But have you wondered whether, with a bit of nous, you could do the same? The idea that anyone can make money from the daily rises and falls in the stock market is behind the rise of spread betting companies. Unlike the type of gambling Deanne Forrest got involved in (so-called binary options trading, see above), spread betting is regulated by the City watchdog in Britain. But does that make it any safer? To test it out, IG, the leading spread betting firm, gave me a practice account loaded with 900 for a week. As the Mails markets reporter, its my job to keep track of everything going on with share prices and to write a daily report for the paper. So my chances of making money should be better than average. But as soon as I log on, the screen shows a dazzling array of numbers and flashing colours with moving prices. There are buttons that do things such as cap my losses. Even though I spend the day staring at share price graphs, this is like trying to read another language. The most common type of spread bet is putting a small sum on each point the FTSE 100 goes up or down. To experiment, I bet 1 for every point the FTSE 100 moves. It looks easy, but as soon as I start pressing buttons, my account plunges into the red and stays there. After a days trading Im down 80. Another type of bet is called sprint trading. With this you place a higher or lower bet over a specified short time period. I put 20 on the FTSE 100 being higher after two minutes. At first this seems great  it moves a fraction and I pocket 16.50 profit. But I lose the next three 20 bets, so up my stake to 50 to win some back. Its addictive and tense  I find Im holding my breath as the 120 seconds of each bet count down. After 20 minutes, Im down 200. I realise Im doing everything wrong  making hasty decisions, trying to win back what Ive lost, and getting greedy when I do win  but its difficult to stop. Its easy to see why spread betting is so popular, but its scary how fast you can lose. Starting with 900, Ive finished the week with just 30 left. To me it seems just as risky as a night at the roulette wheel  so Im sticking to buying and holding funds and shares for the long-term. BY HOLLY BLACK h.black@dailymail.co.uk

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) says that because the firm usually pockets the money you lose on your bets, there is an inherent conflict of interest.

Our initial information indicates that existing binary bet consumers typically lose money on these products on average and these losses can be significant, the FCA says.

There is significant a incentive for firms to favour their own interests over their clients.

Regulators in the United States, Italy, Australia, Japan, and even Belize on the central American coast have banned binary options firms. But Britain has no laws against it. In fact, the Financial Conduct Authority has no powers over binary options because it is considered betting, not trading.

Betting watchdog the Gambling Commission only regulates firms which have key equipment in the UK.

Binary firms slip through the net because they are often based in Israel and Cyprus, where they can obtain a passport to operate across the EU. That means theyre registered to work in the UK, but they are not subject to UK regulations.

So if you lose your life savings and feel you have been wronged, there is very little the UK authorities can do.

Deanne knew nothing of this when she found Banc De Binary online earlier this year. The former advertising worker, who lives in the Blackmore Vale, north Dorset, says: I am in pieces. I have no idea what to do or how I will pay off my credit card bill of 400 a month  money I just dont have.

I think I will have to remortgage my house. I have been naive and, probably, very stupid, but I trusted them.

Looking back, Deanne wonders why she was not suspicious that a man with a foreign accent was called Peter Parker  which happens to be the alter-ego of comic hero Spider-Man.

The portrait artist approached Banc De Binary in August and was impressed by its sales pitch of up to 60per cent returns and expert training.

She was desperate to turn her modest savings into a larger sum for when her two teenage sons went to university. Her youngest son, aged 15, wants to study acting, while her 16-year-old son is talented at science.

Deanne says: I was trying to do my best for my boys. They are both really academically gifted and want to go to university.

I wanted to do something to help them and make a difference for them.

She agreed to invest 8,000 from her savings and credit cards. When she placed her first trade on the morning of September 5, she says shed had just half an hour of training and was nervous. Emails from Peter that day, seen by Money Mail, say: My dear Deanne, trust me and I will not disappoint you. I have put my neck on the line here for you.

Deanne says Peter also gave her instructions on when the price of various commodities would rise and fall. But, despite this, she lost the first trade.

Over the next ten minutes Deanne made 14 trades, winning just four. It wiped almost 4,000 from her account. The frantic pace of the bets made it hard to track what was happening and by the end of the day she had just 1,700 left from the 8,000 she deposited.

It sounds so silly now, but I thought the only way to dig myself out of the hole was to keep trading, she says. Peter suggested Deanne invest more money so he could upgrade her to a platinum account, which he said would give her better information on the markets.

I promise you that I am not going to ask you for any further investment following this one, his email said.

I understand it is getting a bit much for you because you are new, but this is exactly why you should be taking this opportunity now.

These VIP reports are the holy grail for our clients! Lets do this one together and we are going to sort out a payment plan tomorrow. That night he sent Deanne further emails telling her to trust me, and saying his information came with the highest possible probability of success.

I am in pieces. I have no idea what to do or how I will pay off my credit card bill of 400 a month  money I just dont have

Really, it is a huge opportunity with absolutely zero risk on your account balance, he wrote. Deanne, whose father was seriously ill at the time, invested another 2,000 from her credit card.

Over the next three days, she lost everything.

I kept saying: Should we stop now? but Peter would just say: We will just do one more thing,  she says.

As the week wore on, Banc De Binary offered Deanne a 400 floor-cleaning robot and an iPhone 6 as bonuses. She now feels they were intended to encourage her to keep trading.

Without any money to pay her debts, she took out a second credit card and handed over 2,500 to Peter for one last trade. Again, she lost it all. An email from Peter on November 10 reads: Deanne, I am deeply sorry about what happened. I really believed in those trades.

Two-thirds of binary brokerages around the world, including Banc De Binary and 300 other firms, use the services of one company, SpotOption. This website offers all the software and training required to set up a binary options firm.

Founded in 2010 in Israel, SpotOption opened an office at the Royal Exchange in London in June to bring binary options trading to the masses.

Tens of thousands of savers just like Deanne are being lured into taking huge stock market bets on what are nothing more than gambling websites

Despite the criticism of binary trading, the company predicted that more and more investors will make money when they become more experienced at judging the risks involved.

In 2014, its marketing director Tammy Levy claimed 25 of the firms who use SpotOption made revenues of $500,000 to $4 million a month.

If we dont see them approaching those figures, then we provide them with guidance and instructions on their sales and marketing activity, she said.

Videos posted online by Hong Kong-based SpotOption sales manager Thomas Chang in 2016 and former Middle East sales manager Fakhri Husseini in 2013 tell potential brokers that just 20per cent of people who invest in binary options ever get any money back.

Of those 20per cent, some will be withdrawing their original deposit, meaning the proportion who actually make a profit could be smaller.

Documents released earlier this month as part of legal proceedings in the U.S. against EZTD Inc, a smaller binary options firm, reveal that less than 3 pc of customers  114 people out of 4,000  made any profit.

The U.S.s Securities and Exchange Commission fined EZTD Inc $1.7 million for misleading investors.

David Ripstein, director of SpotOption UK Ltd, says: The fact that a high percentage of traders lose some or most of their investment over time is typical for all forms of options and derivatives.

The risk inherent in derivatives trading dictates the need for regulation and consumer protection.

He says the averages in the presentations are a poor indicator of the nature of the industry and are not reflective of current trends.

As customers become more knowledgeable about binary options and gain experience in trading this product, the results in financial terms become more balanced, he says.

SpotOption brokers include Big Option and BinaryBook. Money Mail and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism have previously reported that these firms face accusations from customers that they make it difficult to withdraw money.

Mr Ripstein says: We do not tolerate use of our platform that is unlawful.

On Deannes case, a spokesman for Banc De Binary says: These [email] extracts, taken out of their context, would create a wrong impression with your readers as to the events and communications between the client and Banc De Binary staff.

For example, the client had expressed in writing, more than once, that they were satisfied by the service they received.

We will continue to review the case, and if we do find any evidence that the client has suffered a loss due to any failure of internal controls, then clearly we will reimburse the client.
Lloyds customers are being targeted in a sophisticated new scam

Lloyds customers are being targeted in a sophisticated new scam.

Criminals are writing to customers warning them of 'unusual transactions' on their current accounts.

The letters are signed by a 'Lloyds customer relationship manager' called Jamie Smith and look almost identical to authentic letters from the bank.

Customers are asked to call an 0843 number to confirm whether the payments are genuine.

They are then played a recorded message, which asks them to enter their account number and sort code.

They are also asked for the first and last digit of their security PIN, but are told the number did not match and are asked for their third and fifth digits.

They are made to wait for an 'adviser' with a British accent who asks further questions including their name, date of birth, postcode and card number.

Company director Mark Winterton was alerted to the scam after three letters arrived at his office, a plant hire firm in Somerset, addressed to three different directors.

Mr Winterton told Money Mail: 'Apart from the lack of bank account details, it looks like a Lloyds Bank letter and is very convincing.'

A spokesman for Lloyds says the letter is a fake: 'If customers ever receive a letter that causes them to have suspicions, we would always advise calling the customer services number on the back of their bank card.'
Shoppers are lazy and failing to protect themselves against fraudsters when spending online, a senior police officer has warned.

Detective Chief Superintendent David Clark, who oversees the UKs national fraud reporting centre, accused shoppers of leaving their crown jewels on display by handing out their passwords and card details to suspect websites.

He says we have become careless because we know card companies will refund us if we are defrauded or ripped off. It creates a danger, in my opinion, of creating lazy citizens, he told Money Mail.

Shoppers are lazy and failing to protect themselves against fraudsters when spending online, a senior police officer has warned

Shoppers often fall into that trap of, well, I will do it on my credit card because I know I will get refunded, he added.

One in ten adults has been forced to cancel a credit or debit card after a cyber attack, according to a research firm Populus. Under consumer law, you can claim a refund from card providers if goods dont arrive or are faulty.

Banks are increasingly asking customers to prove they have not been negligent.

Action Fraud advises shoppers to ensure their computers have up-to-date anti-virus software and a firewall installed.

And shoppers should sign up to Verified by Visa or MasterCard Secure Code if given the option. This lets you register a password to add an extra security layer when you are buying items online.

Shoppers should also look for the locked padlock icon in the web address bar to know they are dealing with a secure website.

If there isnt one, dont hand over your card details.

Its also sensible to have a separate debit or credit card for shopping online so criminals cannot access your main bank account.
The Spanish government is discussing moving its clocks back 1 hour to help the work-family balance in the country.

Sunset comes later in Madrid, Spain. bigstockphoto.com/rudi1976

Moving to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) would put Spain on the same time as Portugal and the United Kingdom. Both countries have a similar longitudinal range to Spain.

In The Wrong Time Zone

On Monday, December 12, 2016, Spain's Employment Minister, Fatima Banez, announced that the government was studying the impact of moving mainland Spain back 1 hour to give workers an earlier start in the day.

The aim is to get workers out of the office at 18:00 (6 pm) and improve their work-family balance and align the country's working days with those in the rest of Europe.

The same time change was also up for discussion in 2013. At that time a study concluded that Spain was in the wrong time zone with regards to its geographic location and solar time, which affected the population's working hours, sleep, health, and gender equality.

Dictator Franco's Choice

Today, Spain is Europe's westernmost country on Central European Time (CET), and in Galicia in the country's far northwest, the Sun doesn't rise until 09:00 (9 am) in winter.

Spain was originally on GMT when standard time was introduced in the country in 1901. However, in 1940, Spanish dictator, Francisco Franco, decided to put Spain in the same time zone as his fascist allies in Nazi Germany. The time zone was not set back after Franco's fall from power, and Spain remained out of sync with its original time zone.

Time in Spain

Spain has 2 standard time zones:
Addressing fire safety Living in San Diego County, the threat of fires is constant, that is why I have made fire safety one...

Supporting animals As a trained Project Wildlife Native Songbird Rehabilitator, my experience raising orphaned and injured songbirds and returning them to the...
MBABANE  A murder and robbery suspect, who was most wanted after escaping from His Majestys Correctional Services (HMCS) custody, stunned the court when he alleged that he was secretly released by Sergeant Daniel Dlamini.



Sikhumbuzo Mzekezeke Mdluli made this startling allegation against Dlamini, an officer of HMCS in cross-examination during the commencement of his trial at the Mbabane Magistrates Court yesterday.



He is the same suspect who escaped from the officers of the law during the course of a murder and robbery trial at the High Court after he was arrested in 2008. He put it to Dlamini that he escaped from custody stating that he would not have escaped had Dlamini not given him the keys to unlock the leg irons. Mdluli alleged that Dlamini felt duty-bound to assist him to escape because he knew his relative.

Do you recall that you secretly gave me the keys to unlock the leg irons while I was at the security ward? Mdluli asked Dlamini.



He added that Dlamini being the supervisor of Sergeant Mabuza, who had initially taken them to hospital, did not bother checking or reminding Mabuza to check if they were properly fastened because he knew that he had unlocked the leg irons.

You checked us if we were fastened when we left Sidwashini Correctional facility and you did the same when we arrived at the Mbabane Government Hospital. Even when you put us in the security ward you checked us, why didnt you check us when we left the security ward?



He claimed that the officers were aware of the possibility that they might try to unlock the leg irons when they were left on their own at the security ward but decided to ignore that fact because Dlamini was aware of his mission. However, when sharing his side of the story, Dlamini refuted the allegations levelled against him. He said he had no favours for Mdluli that could have resulted in him releasing him in the manner alleged.

Dlamini informed the court that nobody knows how Mdluli managed to unlock the leg irons, which he left undamaged on the hospital floor.



He pretended as if he was fastening his belt and pulling his socks while inside the hospital. He disappeared like lightning. Mabuza tried in vain to chase after him as he managed to escape and crossed the public road towards the industrial sites. I held the other suspect who was also trying to follow him, Dlamini told the court.
MBABANE  While employees of SPTC have fantasies of utilising the money allegedly approved by government to address remuneration disparities, the management of the company is wondering what E20 million they are talking about.



The Swaziland Post and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC) said at no point did it receive any approval of request from government as alleged by the workers.

Unionised employees of the government parastatal are currently divided over the alleged E20 million which they claimed was availed to the company by government to standardise their salaries.

This resulted in a vote of no confidence being passed against the unions national executive committee (NEC) by the aggrieved employees.



The employees are accusing the NEC of having refused to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would have allegedly seen some of the employees salaries increased.

In her affidavit, SPTC Industrial Relations Manager Lowena Henwood said the fact of the matter was that Cabinet requested confirmation of the knowledge of standardisation from the company and the union, as well as the staff association.



A memorandum was then prepared to this effect, which had to be signed by SPTC, the union and the staff association. The union did not sign the agreement and that then led to this application (application by some of the unions national executive members who had been removed from office), alleged Henwood.



She insisted that SPTC had not received any funds from Cabinet or government.

Henwood further informed the court that SPTC decided to file an affidavit in the matter solely to correct certain allegations, which were in the founding affidavit of the ousted NEC. She informed the court that SPTC does not oppose nor support the application filed by the ousted NEC members.



It is a dispute between the applicants (Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Workers Union) and third respondent (Nhlanhla Matsebula), submitted Henwood.

The Industrial Relations manager contended that SPTC needed the representation of its employees and the current dispute affected the interest of the workers as currently, there was a dispute on which group the company should entertain on behalf of the employees.
MANZINI  A breakthrough has finally been made in the case of the young woman who was pushed out of a moving kombi around Fairview and later died.



Two people, being the driver and conductor of the kombi, have since been arrested and charged with the murder of Thubelihle Maphanga.

The suspects made their appearance at the Manzini Magistrates Court yesterday morning.



They are facing a murder charge while the conductor faces another charge of contravening the Transport Act.

When the suspects arrived in court, most people were shocked, especially court employees, that the driver, Oscar Sibeko Methula (30) of Nkambeni, had been arrested as well.



The lanky kombi driver, who looked calm, arrived in court together with his co-accused, the conductor, Machawe Phiwayinkhosi Ndwandwe (22) of Fairview, who had been initially alleged to have committed the murder offence.

Upon their arrival, both suspects, who were not handcuffed, were locked inside one of the holding cells by the Manzini police. Their appearance in court took about three hours as there was allegedly no public prosecutor who was willing to deal with their matter and remand them.



One of the public prosecutors, who will not be named, was heard saying that he would not take the docket as the suspects were wrongfully arrested. After a while, another prosecutor came running through the corridors and Senior Court Clerk Khetsiwe Dlamini, who had been pacing up and down with the suspects docket, handed it over to him.



The suspects were eventually taken to Principal Magistrate David Khumalos courtroom where they were expected to appear for a remand hearing.

However, 30 minutes later, the arresting officer whisked them away to another courtroom, taking the docket with him.



The charge sheet, which was eventually taken out of the principal magistrates courtroom, was prepared for another magistrate, Philisiwe Simelane, who later remanded the suspects.

Methula and Ndwandwe were represented by Mandla Harry Mdluli of MH Attorneys, who informed the court that he would make a bail application at the High Court on behalf of his clients.

The suspects were remanded in custody until next Wednesday, pending their committal to the High Court.
Beaver County preparing for robust Election Day

As the Nov. 8 midterm election approaches, nearly 114,000 people are registered to vote in Beaver County.
Albany

SUNY Polytechnic Institute has hired Paul Kutey, the chief financial officer at the Research Foundation for SUNY, for a similar role as Bahgat Sammakia, the school's interim president, continues to shape his executive team.

Like other recent hires at SUNY Poly, Kutey's job will be in an interim role, with the job expected to last six months or a year.

The appointment of Kutey, a Siena College graduate with a long career in accounting and finance, comes as SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher shakes up SUNY Poly in the wake of the Sept. 22 arrest of the school's founding president, Alain Kaloyeros, on state and federal corruption charges.

To date, SUNY Poly has been purged of about a half dozen top executives, although none have been accused of any wrongdoing. Kaloyeros resigned as president in October but is still seeking to assume his old job as a nanoscale science and engineering professor. He remains on leave without pay.

As SUNY has moved to rebuild SUNY Poly's executive team, SUNY Poly's numerous economic development projects across upstate were placed under control of Empire State Development, the state's economic development arm. Robert Megna, the state's former budget director, joined ESD recently also on a temporary basis from his job at Stony Brook University to help with ESD's efforts to oversee SUNY Poly projects.

In addition to being SUNY Poly's interim CFO, Kutey will serve as the school's interim senior vice president for finance and administration. He is expected to rejoin the Research Foundation, which oversees grants given to SUNY schools, when a permanent hire is made.

"Paul has been integral to the many conversations with the campus, Empire State Development, and industry partners regarding (Research Foundation) activity at SUNY Poly, and is best positioned to assist Interim President Bahgat Sammakia in this capacity," Research Foundation President Jeff Cheek said in a Dec. 7 email to Research Foundation staff.

Sammakia, a former IBMer who was vice president for research at Binghamton University, has said he only plans to lead SUNY Poly for about a year as a search for a new president takes place.

Because of that, and because Sammakia had to transition so quickly, several of the high-ranking appointments around Sammakia have been for an interim basis.

For instance, SUNY Poly named Morgan Hook, a former Gov. David Paterson spokesman, as the school's new spokesman following the recent departure of SUNY Poly spokesman Jerry Gretzinger.

Hook, a senior vice president at the public affairs firm SKDKnickerbocker, however, did not join SUNY Poly or leave his current job. He is instead working as an interim spokesman for SUNY Poly through a contractual relationship with SKDKnickerbocker, which does public affairs work for SUNY.

Among other changes at SUNY Poly is the departure of David Doyle, who was a communications and government relations executive.

"David Doyle has left SUNY Poly and has taken an interim position with the SUNY central administration to assist with communications," Hook said.

lrulison@timesunion.com  518-454-5504  @larryrulison
Take the kids to Disney on Ice or A Charlie Brown Christmas and take yourself to one of the parties and concerts going on this weekend. Check out the slideshow above to see what else is on the agenda in the Capital Region.
MALTA  A Malta man, allegedly in possession of crack cocaine, heroin and marijuana crashed his car into tree in front of the Malta Mall on Round Lake Road, Saratoga County deputies said.

Carlton Lee Leffingwell, 47, of Thimbleberry Road, was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony and unlawful possession of marijuana, deputies said.
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Colonie

For weeks, 12-foot-tall red, white and blue letters that spelled out T-R-U-M-P across the windows of a Central Avenue gun shop turned heads, thrilled supporters and chafed at detractors.

On Tuesday, with a nudge from the code enforcement officer who invoked a 30-day post-election campaign sign rule, the giant Trump endorsement was taken down.

"I talked to the owner and he took it down, so it's over, it's done with. Let's move on," said Randy Rivera, code enforcement officer for the village of Colonie, which includes about 8,000 residents and 450 businesses.

Rivera said the Trump sign at American Shooter Supply at 1702 Central Ave. was the biggest he'd seen around the region. Although he did not receive any direct complaints, he heard some grumbling "through the grapevine" about the sign.

Rivera did not measure the giant window decals, but he determined they were in compliance with an ordinance that places a 32-square foot maximum on political signs in the village. He did not pay attention to comments on social media, which, much like the Nov. 8 presidential election, were sharply divided and embittered.

Owner Brian Olesen, who owns several local gun shops, did not respond to a call for comment. A woman who works at the store said she had not heard any discussion among customers Tuesday about the sign's removal. She declined to share her opinion on the matter.

Rivera said Olesen is a responsible business owner. "He complies with the village ordinances in everything he does," Rivera said. "He's a good business person."

pgrondahl@timesunion.com  518-454-5623  @PaulGrondahl
ALBANY  A Rensselaer man who was part of a ring selling thousands of tablets of oxycodone pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court to distributing the painkiller drug.

Justin Brooks, 27, belonged to an operation headed by co-defendant Angel Nunez, whose source of supply for the drugs was in the New York City and Newark, N.J., areas, according to federal prosecutors in Albany. His case remains open.
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Colonie

Pigs may not be flying yet, but one named Bacon Bits is greeting people who do at Albany International Airport.

Bacon Bits, a 101-pound potbelly pig, became the nation's second official therapy swine Wednesday to work at an airport, following one named LiLou that started just last week in San Francisco.

Dressed in a custom Santa suit, the friendly Mr. Bits drew a crowd of media and curious onlookers for his first day on the job. He is now part of a cadre of more than 30 dogs whose volunteer owners take them around the airport as a kind of therapy to greet and comfort flyers.

"I saw right away that Bacon Bits just loves people," said his owner, Terry Hutchinson, an Amsterdam resident who got her pet nearly two years ago as a surprise gift when she was recovering from cardiac surgery.

The month-old swine then weighed just two pounds and could be held in one hand. He soon became best friends with her granddaughter, Marianna, with the two snuggling on the couch together to watch television.

Soon the pig, Hutchinson, her three-year-old granddaughter, and longtime friend Edward Kleinbeil became roving goodwill ambassadors, logging about 5,000 miles a month visiting dozens of nursing homes and other residential facilities in 10 upstate counties.

When Hutchinson recently learned of the Albany airport's therapy dog program, which started in 2003 with a single canine, she applied on behalf of her jovial hog. "Bacon Bits has an extensive resume," said Helen Chadderdon, director of the airport's Canine Customer Service Ambassador Program. "And he certainly is friendly."

The airport's animal program is meant to relax travelers and reduce stress. "We encourage people to pet our animals and take photos or selfies," said Chadderdon.

After the swine successfully met with some of the ambassador dogs, he was in. On Wednesday, Bacon Bits was joined by the program's smallest dog  Tallulah, a 3.6-pound Yorkshire terrier  and largest dog  Muffy, a Newfoundland that weighs about 130 pounds.

Hutchinson took Bacon Bits around the area beyond the security screening gates, as curious passengers peppered her with questions, took pictures, and watched her pig happily eat carrots produced by Kleinbeil from a bag in his pocket. "When he was little, you could pick him up, but he would squeal so loud, it would vibrate your eardrums," said Kleinbeil.

Having a pig is nothing new for Hutchinson, who had a 450-pounder named Charlie when she was a young girl growing up on her parents' dairy farm in Charleston, Montgomery County.

Now 20 months old, Bacon Bits is about a big as he is going to get, at 17 inches high at the shoulder and 28 inches long. But he might pack on another 25 pounds or so as he fills out, said Hutchinson.

People who want to follow his adventures can do so on his Facebook page, which uses his name and is found at http://bit.ly/2huwxPK

"I am not sure that Bacon Bits is capable of flying by himself due to his shape and size," Hutchinson said. "My objective is for him to meet as many people as possible and make our Albany travelers smile."

bnearing@timesunion.com  518-454-5094  @Bnearing10
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Albany

The newly hired lawyer for Kareem Blacknall says he expects video footage, forensic evidence and eyewitness testimony will prove his client is not guilty of the murder of Wendell Hill in Rocks nightclub early Thanksgiving morning.

"I have every reason to believe at this point that those items of evidence are going to corroborate what we believe happened that night  and that is that my client is not guilty of all charges," Kingston attorney Bryan Rounds said Wednesday.

Rounds said he understands multiple triggermen opened fire when Hill, 26, was shot about 2 a.m. Nov. 24 inside the club at 77 Central Ave. Three other people were wounded.

Rounds said he had not seen video evidence as of early Wednesday, but expects it and other evidence to be significant.

"I don't know if it will lead to the actual shooter," Rounds said. "The limited information that I've heard  and it's in a very short period of time  is that there was more than one shooter in the nightclub that night."

Rounds spoke after Blacknall, 30, pleaded not guilty before state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Breslin to a four-count indictment charging Blacknall with second-degree murder, weapon possession, reckless endangerment and attempted escape.

Gangs from Albany and Troy have been feuding since 2014. Law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case believe Blacknall shot Hill to avenge an incident earlier this year in which Hill, a member of the Young Gunnerz gang in Troy, and others attacked Blacknall, removed his clothes and took photos.

Rounds told reporters Blacknall was "beaten by multiple individuals, stripped naked and left for dead." He needed hospital care, Rounds said.

The attorney said his information was limited because Blacknall was unconscious. Rounds said he believed the attack took place in October in Colonie.

"If they did take photographs... that would be a really twisted and horrific," Rounds said.

Asked if Blacknall believes Hill played a part in that attack, Rounds said. "I'm not going to comment on what my client believes at this point."

Police picked up Blacknall on Dec. 2 at Henry Johnson Boulevard and Clinton Avenue. They said Blacknall, while handcuffed in a police car, tried to escape and opened the door with his teeth. He hit his head on the pavement before an officer pulled him back into the car, police have said.

Blacknall was treated for non-life-threatening head injuries at Albany Medical Center.

Rounds said Blacknall denies he tried to escape.

"We have serious questions about how my client, who was handcuffed behind his back in the back of an allegedly secure police patrol cruiser, as it's been reported, somehow got out of the vehicle," Rounds said.

He cast skepticism on the allegation his client used his teeth to get out. "If you've got any experience with police cruisers or cases, that's an interesting story. I know that my client was injured quite badly. You can see it in the photos," he said.

Rounds, an attorney since 1995 and a former Albany County prosecutor, said he could not recall a case in which someone locked in the back of a police cruiser was able to unlock the doors.

"That's usually controlled by the driver," he said.

In 2011, Blacknall pleaded guilty to enterprise corruption, the state equivalent of the federal racketeering law, in a large-scale takedown of the Capital Region faction of the Bloods gang by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office.

On Wednesday, Rounds said Blacknall was alleged to be a mere associate and does not belong to any gang.

"I have some concerns about my client getting a fair trial in the county," he said. "In my career, I've represented Crips, Latin Kings, Bloods and numerous other street gangs and I've worked with them as their attorney. That would make me an 'associate,' I suppose, of the Bloods street gang or the Crips street gang."

Blacknall will remain in the Albany County jail without bail.

rgavin@timesunion.com  518-434-2403  @RobertGavinTU
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State Police on Wednesday highlighted on social media 10 defendants sought on felony and misdemeanor charges statewide. Among them are a Mechanicville woman wanted in Colonie and a 60-year-old man wanted in Montgomery County since 1987.

 Rafael L. Moquette, 60, is wanted in Montgomery County for felony criminal possession of a controlled substance,

Troopers arrested Moquette after he was found with more than 1 pound of cocaine during a traffic stop in Fonda, State Police said. His warrant has been active since February 1987.

Moquette is described as a 5-foot-8 white man with black hair and brown eyes, weighing 200 pounds. His last known address was in the Bronx.

 Candace A. Comstock, 28, is wanted in Colonie for felony forgery and misdemeanor criminal impersonation. She was arrested in October 2014 and failed to appear in court in October, State Police said.

Comstock is described as a 5-foot-1 white woman with brown hair and eyes, weighing 105 pounds. Her last known address was in Mechanicville, troopers said.

Anyone with information about wanted individuals is asked to contact the New York State Police immediately.

Citizens should not take any police action other than contacting troopers by calling (518) 783-3211 or emailing Crimetip@troopers.ny.gov.

State Police are also seeking eight other defendants:

 Jordan Miller, 27, is wanted in Rochester for three counts of misdemeanor criminal possession of a controlled substance. Miller was arrested during a November traffic stop, State Police said.

Miller is described as a 5-foot-9 white woman with blonde hair and brown eyes, weighing 130 pounds. State Police said Miller is from Spencerport.

 James Richmond, 43, is wanted in Cairo, Greene County, for felony grand larceny.

Richmond intentionally cashed a fraudulent $5,050 check at a South Cairo store, paid the store owner $2,000 and did not pay the remaining amount, State Police said. Richmond did not return to town court to answer the charge, State Police said.

Richmond is described as a 5-foot-8 white man with hazel eyes, weighing 200 pounds. He is bald and has a tattoo of a scorpion on his right forearm, troopers said.

 Brandon N. Vail, 24, is wanted in Syracuse for misdemeanor identity theft.

Vail was arrested in January for using a stolen credit card to make more than $2,400 in unauthorized purchases and failed to appear in court Nov. 1, State Police said.

Vail is described as a 5-foot-9 white man with brown hair and blue eyes, weighing 180 pounds,

 D'Zhanhre Herring, 21, is wanted in Cortlandt, Westchester County, for felony criminal possession of stolen property and misdemeanor possession of burglar tools.

Herring was arrested in November 2015 when she was found with more than $1,000 worth of stolen merchandise during a larceny investigation, State Police said. Herring failed to appear in court in May, troopers said.

Herring is described as a 5-foot-6 black woman with black hair and brown eyes, weighing 165 pounds. Her last known address was in Marlborough.

 Sonia Deleon, 34, is wanted in Nassau County for driving while intoxicated and multiple traffic violations.

Troopers stopped Deleon for speeding on the Northern State Parkway in 2015 and later charged her with drunken driving, State Police said.

Deleon is described as a 5-foot-2 white woman with black hair and brown eyes, weighing 113 pounds.

Her last known address was in Copiague, Suffolk County, and she was driving a gray Honda at the time of her arrest, troopers said.

 Joseph R. Myers, 27, is wanted in Batavia, Genesee County, for misdemeanor petit larceny.

On Oct. 10, 2014, Myers stole more than $800 worth of merchandise from Walmart and troopers arrested him in the parking lot, State Police said. He failed to appear in court May 18, 2015, troopers said.

Myers is described as a 5-foot-11 white man with red hair and brown eyes, weighing 260 pounds.

 Michael V. Trakney, 23, is wanted in Rouses Point and Plattsburgh on two separate warrants, both related to domestic violence offenses. He is charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and criminal obstruction of breathing, both misdemeanors.

On July 6 and 13, Trakney was involved in a fight and choked a victim in the presence of a 2-year-old, State Police said.

Trakney is described as a 6-foot-2 white man with blond hair and green eyes, weighing 220 pounds.

 Richard L. Darlin, 42, is wanted in Oneonta for felony grand larceny and felony criminal mischief.

In March 2014, Darlin stole property, including a car, power tools, coins and cash, while staying at a Mills Creek Road home in Otego, State Police said.

Darlin is described as a 5-foot-11 white man with brown hair and blue eyes, weighing 150 pounds.
Albany

Owners of a shuttered coal-fired power plant in the western part of the state are moving to revive the facility after the nuclear industry dropped a legal challenge against a plan to rebuild the plant to use natural gas.

The 420-megawatt plant in Dunkirk, Chautauqua County, on Lake Erie, has not run since January 2016, when NRG Energy mothballed it. That came after a competitor, nuclear energy plant owner Entergy Corp., sued to block a $150 million ratepayer package to rebuild the 65-year-old facility to burn natural gas.

Late last month, Entergy dropped its challenge, clearing the way for NRG to resume its plan. That has climate change advocates concerned the plant could again resume burning coal.

NRG spokesman David Gaier said the company has "no plans" to again use coal. "That is not realistic," he said, noting there is no coal on hand at the plant nor any contract in place to purchase coal.

Now, Gaier said, the company expects it could take about two years to rebuild the plant to use natural gas, which has become abundant and low-cost due to the gas hydrofracking boom in Pennsylvania, Ohio and other states.

The conversion project depends on a June 2014 decision by the state Public Service Commission that would allow NRG to cover construction costs through $200 million in charges to National Grid customers in the region over the next decade.

The PSC is taking more comments on that agreement, which NRG believes remains in effect. "Obviously, everything that was in place before would have to be in place again now for us to move forward," Gaier said.

Lisa Dix, state manager with the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal program, said the 2014 state agreement with NRG has been overtaken by events. Her group is expected to challenge the PSC to end the building agreement and keep the Dunkirk facility closed.

She said power from Dunkirk is no longer needed to guarantee reliable electric service to the region, because of improvements to existing transmission lines approved by the state.

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Also, Dix said, the state provided $5.5 million in November to support local governments around the Dunkirk plant that were hard-hit by its loss from the tax rolls.

The state Independent System Operator, a not-for-profit group that manages the state's electrical grid, this year ruled Dunkirk power was no longer necessary to provide safe and reliable power for upstate.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has set a goal to phase out all coal-fired electricity production in the state by 2020. The only active coal-fired power plants in the state are the Cayuga facility, near Ithaca in Tompkins County, and at Somerset, on Lake Ontario between Rochester and Niagara Falls.

bnearing@timesunion.com  518-454-5094  @Bnearing10
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Albany

The ambassador and consul general of the Netherlands are the highest-ranking Dutch envoys to visit this Dutch-settled city since a 1959 visit by Queen Beatrix and a storied driving tour she was given by Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller.

During that long-ago Dutch royalty visit, Rockefeller called the city's urban core "a slum" and a deep embarrassment to the governor. He used it as cover to leverage the eminent domain law to evict thousands of residents and raze 98 acres in the heart of Albany to construct his legacy project, the Empire State Plaza.

This time around, the Dutch officials merely wanted to celebrate a shared history.

"It's important to encourage a renewed interest in the historic connection between the Netherlands and New Amsterdam and our 400 years of ties," said Dutch Ambassador Henne Schuwer. "We have a lot in common with Americans, but there are also cultural differences. We're not carbon copies. That makes it fun."

The ambassador and newly appointed Consul General Dolph Hogewoning made their first visit to Albany  and their only U.S. stop  on Monday and Tuesday. They met with Mayor Kathy Sheehan and officials from several Albany cultural and civic organizations to explore opportunities for future collaborations and exchanges.

They also sought to correct a common misperception that the Netherlands is a sleepy country of little more than canals, tulips and chocolate.

Holland was a superpower in the Colonial era and an ascendant trading force for more than four centuries, since beaver pelts were shipped from the Hudson River trading outpost Fort Orange to Europe in the 1600s.

Today, Holland's trading reach and clout exceeds its relatively small population of 17 million people  3 million fewer than New York state.

In fact, more than 850 Dutch companies have operations in the U.S., with a focus on high-tech products and services. An estimated 740,000 American jobs are supported by Dutch corporations, according to a 2013 survey. The U.S. invested $753 billion in the Netherlands and the Dutch invested $305 billion in the U.S. that year.

In New York state, 45,000 jobs are supported by Dutch businesses and the state exported $1.2 billion in goods to the Netherlands in 2013. An estimated 278,000 residents of Dutch descent live in New York.

The Dutch ambassador was not here to discuss American politics, but he responded to a question about President-elect Donald Trump's isolationist-leaning rhetoric about trade imbalance.

"We are a major trading nation and we have always been a very open country," Schuwer said. "We would very much regret an isolationist U.S. It would be harmful."

The Dutch officials acknowledged that some of the finest collections of 17th- and 18th-century Dutch records, correspondence and artifacts reside in the State Library, State Archives and State Museum that share the Cultural Education Center at the Plaza's southern edge.

Because of this, the Dutch government invested tens of thousands of dollars through the National Archives of the Netherlands to scan and digitize roughly 13,000 documents in the state's possession. Those documents now can be searched for free by researchers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Schuwer and Hogewoning said they'd been fascinated with Albany, in particular, after they both read Russell Shorto's best-selling 2004 history, "The Island at the Center of the World." Much of Shorto's research was conducted at the State Library, with the assistance of scholar and translator Charles Gehring, founder of the New Netherland Research Center. He and assistant director Janny Venema have translated more than 7,000 pages of original 17th-century New Netherland documents in state collections, many of which suffered fire, smoke and water damage in a 1911 state Capitol blaze.

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"It's very nice that we finally got this visit after trying for decades," said Venema, who is Dutch.

"It's great to see their interest in Dutch colonial history and to celebrate the legacy of tolerance and diversity they left here," said State Archivist Thomas Ruller, who displayed the Flushing Remonstrance of 1657, a seminal document that proclaimed the necessity of religious freedom in Flushing, Long Island after Quakers were barred from the town.

"Our shared heritage distinctly defines us as New Yorkers," said Mark Schaming, State Museum director, who showed the Dutch visitors some of the thousands of Colonial-era artifacts, including art work and ceramics.

"This visit strengthens our relationship to the Dutch and we will continue to work together in the future," Gehring said.

When asked if they had any designs on repatriating the centuries-old Dutch artifacts and documents, the ambassador broke into a wide grin.

"No need," he said. "We can see them on the Internet any time we want."

pgrondahl@timesunion.com  518-454-5623 
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Albany

The Times Union's second "The Big $100,000 Giveaway" has come to a close, and the Capital Region proved yet again what a caring community it is.

After tens of thousands of votes, 10 local nonprofit organizations will receive free advertising space in the newspaper.

The giveaway, which launched Nov. 17 with the publication of the Capital Region Gives special section, encouraged the public to vote as often as once a day on timesunion.com among dozens of competing nonprofits.

More Information A caring community For information about donating to local nonprofits and volunteer opportunities, go to http://blog.timesunion.com/giving. See More Collapse

"Last year, 30 businesses who saw the value of corporate citizenship were able to give 39 nonprofits the opportunity to participate with messaging in the November publication of a Capital Region Gives section," said Times Union Publisher/CEO George R. Hearst III. "For 2016, we expanded our offerings to get the word out on social media, in a digital presentation and in print. The exposure across multiple media channels raised the profile of the participating organizations who provide important services in the community."

With myriad organizations in our area quietly performing good deeds every day, it's all too common for their efforts to go unrecognized.

These nonprofits continue to face competition for limited funding and at times struggle to be heard. With the holidays in full swing, it's an especially challenging time of year.

The Times Union is here to help.

The fourth Capital Region Gives special section  a 44-page editorial effort  highlighted some of these groups to give them the recognition they deserve.

It also announced the "The Big $100,000 Giveaway," where nearly 30 nonprofits competed to each win a $10,000 advertising grant from the Times Union.

Voting ended Dec. 7, with more than 23,000 votes cast.

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Representatives from the winning nonprofits gathered at the Times Union on Tuesday for a check presentation. They are Vince Colonno of Catholic Charities, Brad Shear of Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, Gail Glasser of Capital District YMCA, Natasha Pernicka of The Food Pantries for the Capital District, Kat Brown of Trinity Alliance, Amy Klein of Capital Roots, Susan Wagner of Equine Advocates, Karmel DeStefano of Colonie Senior Services, Nancy Laribee of Albany Institute of History & Art and Barbara Carroll of Whiskers Animal Benevolent League.

"Every day of the year across the Capital Region, not-for-profit organizations serve our community's needs," Hearst said. "Working alongside those organizations are the business partners who contribute expertise, volunteer hours and financial support. With our Capital Region Gives initiative, the Times Union tells the stories of these successful collaborations."

That's what Capital Region Gives is all about  helping to build new partnerships and shine a light on the good works performed by so many people in our community.

Read more about organizations like these, volunteers and charitable giving every week in the Capital Region Gives column and on the blog, http://blog.timesunion.com/giving.

jpatterson@timesunion.com  @JenSPatterson  518-454-5340
THE ISSUE:

A coalition of maritime groups wants permission to store barges in the Hudson River.

THE STAKES:

The U.S. Coast Guard, which has jurisdiction in the matter, should say no.

More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse

A coalition from the maritime industry wants to use some of the most scenic and environmentally sensitive stretches of the Hudson River as a floating parking lot for oil barges. On both aesthetic and environmental grounds, the U.S. Coast Guard should reject this ridiculous proposal.

Unveiled last year by the Maritime Association of the Port of New York/New Jersey, the American Waterways Operators and the Hudson River Pilots' Association, it envisions 40 berths, or parking spaces, for barges at 10 "anchorages" on the river between Yonkers and Kingston. The vessels will potentially hold millions of gallons of crude oil, including some from the Bakken fields of North Dakota, brought by rail through the Port of Albany.

The need for this indefinite storage of oil barges stems from an uptick in the production of domestic crude and the decision by Congress last year to end a four-decade ban on the export of oil produced in the lower 48 states.

The timing couldn't be worse, coming after decades of resurgence in dozens of communities along the Hudson that have poured millions of dollars into their waterfronts, fostering expanded recreational use of the river.

The 90 miles under consideration for barge storage includes the Hudson Highlands, a spectacular viewscape, as anyone who rides Amtrak between Albany and New York City can attest. Most amazing is a breathtaking section from the Beacon-Newburgh area south to West Point, where the Breakneck Ridge on the east and Storm King Mountain on the west majestically frame the river. It's hard to imagine anyone would consider this spot for industrial storage.

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While aesthetics alone should be enough reason to turn down this proposal, it's the potential environmental disaster from an oil spill that is even more problematic. The chance of a spill is hardly theoretical; just recall the 2013 incident in which a Swedish-owned tanker loaded with 12 million gallons of crude oil ran aground shortly after leaving the Port of Albany. The vessel's outer hull was gashed, but fortunately oil did not leak because the inner hull remained intact. Months later, a report on the accident revealed it took authorities hours to determine whether oil had escaped.

Cleaning up from such a disaster would be challenging, at best. In a tidal river like the Hudson, booms are of limited value in containing a spill. Oil can travel several miles in a few hours. In the sensitive Hudson, where fish and waterfowl flourish, a major spill would likely be an environmental catastrophe.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called this plan deeply troubling, and he's right. Decades of working to preserve and protect the Hudson are paying huge dividends. To use it as a barge parking lot would be a giant step backward.

As the Coast Guard reviews the pros and cons of this idea, only one answer is acceptable: No parking on the Hudson.
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[December 14, 2016] Sightly Expands Leadership Team and Opens Los Angeles Office

Sightly, a performance video advertising platform that leverages People-Centered Audience Targeting to deliver personalized ads to the most receptive viewers in YouTube (News - Alert), announced today that it expanded its leadership team and its number of offices. The company promoted Adam Katz to Vice President of Sales in New York, and hired Jill Gutierrez, Senior Account Executive, in Los Angeles. Digital video viewing is widespread in the U.S. According to eMarketer (News - Alert), by 2020, there will be 232.1 million digital video viewers, representing 83.1% of the country's internet users and nearly two-thirds of its residents. Sightly focuses on helping video advertisers accurately target their viewing audiences and achieve maximum ROI. "Video advertising is evolving rapidly, more media buyers are searching for strategies and technologies that will help them hit their KPIs. Adam has been at the forefront of this video advertising evolution, and in his new role at Sightly he will be an asset to any customer that wants to leverage video to connect with their audience," said Larry Harris, Chief Strategy Officer at Sightly. "And Jill has a terrific track record of helping agencies and brands meet their goals programmatically that fits perfectly with our team's focus on helping customers bring their media plans to life and exceed their campaign KPI's." "Prior to joining the company, I was on Sightly's advisory board for a year. That experience gave me the opportunity to witness the unique way precision targete personalized video increases relevance and drives performance," commented Mr. Katz. "I am thrilled to be a part of the leadership team at Sightly and I'm looking forward to continuously delivering video advertising value to agencies and brands."



According to the IAB, total digital video, including mobile and desktop, rose to $3.9 billion in HY 2016, up 51% from $2.6 billion in HY 2015. The traction of digital video in the advertising industry is also underscored in a study from marketing agency Strata1 who reported that, in August 2016, 68.6% of respondents expressed some level of confidence in video ad ROI, up from 54% in November 2015. Ms. Gutierrez comes to the company with more than a decade of experience across a variety of media and advertising disciplines at digital companies AOL (News - Alert), Kiosked and Steelhouse. "I am excited about demonstrating the power of our data-driven approach to media buyers," said Ms. Gutierrez, who will be reporting to Mr. Katz.

A Sightly veteran, Mr. Katz opened the New York office and helped develop the company's go-to-market strategy. Before joining Sightly, Mr. Katz was the first-to-market enterprise executive at Nomi, where he helped the company break into the QSR and retail verticals in advance of its acquisition by Brickstream. He also worked on business development teams at PubMatic and Yahoo!. For more information, visit www.sightly.com About Sightly Founded in 2013, Sightly is a performance video advertising platform that enables brands and agencies to deliver the most relevant messages to the most receptive viewers across every device on YouTube and other video destinations. Our TargetView software combines our proprietary People-Centered Audience (News - Alert) Targeting with dynamic ad personalization, campaign management automation and innovative optimization data science to deliver audience and performance KPI's across the entire customer journey. Learn more at www.sightly.com. 1. eMarketer, "Digital Video Trends: Monetization, Audience, Platforms and Content, 12/16" View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005374/en/

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US Air Force Selects Zenoss for Hybrid IT Monitoring and Analytics

Zenoss Inc., the leader in hybrid IT monitoring and analytics software, today announced that the company has been awarded the multisite software contract for the United States Air Force Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS). Under the contract, Zenoss will also provide software and services for extensibility and integration with key technologies including Cisco, VMware, EMC and Windows.

What is the US Air Force DCGS?

DCGS, also referred to as the AN/GSQ-272 Sentinel weapon system, produces military intelligence for multiple military branches. It is the Air Force's key system for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) information and is used for collection, processing and exploitation, analysis, and dissemination (PCPAD). The Air Force DCGS is currently composed of 27 regionally aligned, globally networked sites and is capable of providing worldwide, near-real-time simultaneous intelligence to multiple theaters of operation through a robust reach-back communications architecture.

The Zenoss Hybrid IT Monitoring Platform for the US Air Force DCGS

The multiyear contract calls for Zenoss to provide IT service assurance across security echelons. The Zenoss hybrid IT monitoring platfom provides complete visibility into cloud, virtual and physical environments for secure federal agencies and public sector organizations.







"The United States military requires the most innovative IT products and services that ensure the highest levels of communication and coordination in support of its missions," said Greg Stock, Chairman and CEO at Zenoss. "We are proud to partner with the US Air Force to deliver the most advanced hybrid IT monitoring and analytics solution for the one of the world's most sophisticated weapon systems."

Additional Resources

Connect with Zenoss on LinkedIn

Follow Zenoss on Twitter

Find Zenoss on Facebook

Bookmark the Zenoss Blog

Visit the Zenoss Newsroom

Contact Zenoss

About Zenoss

Zenoss works with the world's largest, most secure organizations to ensure their IT services and applications are always on. As the global leader in hybrid IT monitoring and analytics software, Zenoss provides complete visibility for cloud, virtual and physical IT environments. Zenoss customers gain IT performance and risk insights into their unique IT ecosystems through real-time analytics that adapt to the ever-evolving data center and cloud, enabling them to eliminate disruptions and accelerate business. Zenoss Service Dynamics is available for Amazon Web Services (News - Alert) (AWS) GovCloud. For more information, visit www.zenoss.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005697/en/
[December 14, 2016] U.S. Sugar and AgriSource Data Leverage Ingenu's Machine Network to Deliver Innovative Smart Agriculture Solution

Ingenu Inc., the company that delivers purpose-built IoT connectivity, today announced its RPMA (Random Phase Multiple Access) technology will enable a water optimization application provided by AgriSource Data, an agriculture data application company. The smart agriculture solution will monitor moisture levels of sugarcane crops managed by U.S. Sugar in Clewiston, Florida and will utilize Ingenu's Machine Network which recently expanded coverage across the majority of the state. AgriSource Data will integrate Ingenu's RPMA into its Intelliroot smart moisture system to optimize agricultural water usage and enhance crop yields. The company will also analyze the data collected to provide real-time intelligence to farmers on soil moisture, nutrient and erosion levels. AgriSource Data will initially deploy its solution in Florida and plans to expand to other locations as the Machine Network is built out around the globe. "Ingenu's RPMA is ideally suited for the specific needs of the agriculture market," said Ben Worley, chief executive officer, AgriSource Data. "Wit long-range capabilities and reliable coverage, we believe it will provide our customers with a powerful tool to enhance crop production and streamline farm operations."



U.S. Sugar is a farming company that grows sugarcane, citrus and sweet corn, and is the largest producer of sugarcane in the United States. The company utilizes wireless technology to enhance harvesting operations, railroad transportation and mill operations, and will deploy the Intelliroot solution to provide data and analysis of the soil conditions of its sugarcane crops. "U.S. Sugar operates the largest, contiguous, privately owned Wi-Fi network in the country to monitor crop operations," said Scott Berden, precision ag manager, U.S. Sugar. "However, a crop such as sugarcane can be difficult to serve because of its density. We found that the RPMA network provided extremely reliable coverage, and we believe if it can transmit through a sugarcane field, it can probably get through anything!"

With the expansion of the Florida Machine Network, the cities of Orlando, Miami and Fort Lauderdale will join previously launched markets, that include Tampa Bay and Jacksonville, to provide Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity to the majority of the state's population. Serving the fourth largest economy in the United States, the Florida Machine Network will cover more than 7,000 square miles of area to serve IoT applications including smart agriculture, logistics, mining, transportation, elderly monitoring, smart cities, among others. The nationwide Machine Network build-out is now underway across the United States, and is targeted to serve over 100 major metropolitan areas by the end of 2017. The Machine Network currently provides more than 100,000 square miles of wireless coverage for a host of IoT applications. For specific information on the Florida Machine Network, visit http://www.ingenu.com/technology/machine-network/cities. For a video featuring the RPMA coverage at U.S. Sugar, visit https://vimeo.com/195333287. About Ingenu Inc. Ingenu is building the Machine Network, the world's largest IoT network dedicated to LPWA (low-power, wide-area) connectivity for machines. Operating on universal spectrum, the company's RPMA technology is a proven standard for connecting Internet of Things (IoT) devices around the world, with 38 private networks deployed. The Machine Network will have further reach, global range and longer lasting battery life than any existing network. Ingenu is led by a highly experienced team, including veterans from Verizon (News - Alert), T-Mobile, and Qualcomm. Information about Ingenu can be found at www.ingenu.com, or follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @ingenunetworks. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005396/en/

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[December 13, 2016] Votiro Signs Distribution Agreement With Netpoleon Solutions to Provide Companies in Singapore With Cyber Security Solutions for Zero-Day and Undisclosed Exploits

TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Votiro, a global provider of exploit neutralization solutions for protecting organizations against ongoing cyber threats, announced today that it has signed a distribution agreement with leading security solutions provider Netpoleon Solutions to provide its cybersecurity solutions to the Singaporean market. Under the agreement, Netpoleon Solutions will distribute Votiro's products in Singapore, provide customer installation and support and represent the product in marketing activities and at relevant industry events. "As Singapore pushes forward towards becoming a Smart Nation, cybersecurity has to become a top priority," said Itay Glick, CEO of Votiro. "We see great potential in Singapore for Votiro's solutions to help counter cyberattacks, specifically advanced persistent threats that use undisclosed and Zero-Day exploits." Over the next two to five years, the data security market in Singapore is expected to be woth billions of Singapore dollars, due to increasing adoption of mobile, cloud, social and information technology. As Singapore aspires to become a "Smart Nation," the country has put forth a holistic national cybersecurity strategy, calling for advanced cybersecurity solutions.



"Votiro offers a unique proposition in neutralizing zero-day exploits with it's patented Advanced Content Disarm and Reconstruction technology. Attackers today are deploying sophisticated evasion techniques posing massive security challenges for all organizations, big or small alike." said Francis Goh, Managing Director of Netpoleon Solutions Singapore. "We are excited to partner with Votiro, which greatly complements our security offerings to help our customers address such an increasingly complex threat landscape." About Netpoleon Solutions Netpoleon Solutions is an industry leader for distributing a holistic bundle of network and security solutions to leading organizations. Headquartered in Singapore, the company is expanding its network and security expertise across the ASEAN region, spearheading emerging technologies and delivering future-proofed solutions built for consolidation, virtualization, big data analytics, security operations center and cloud computing. For more information, visit http://www.netpoleons.com.

About Votiro? Votiro provides organizations with essential protection against undisclosed and zero-day exploit utilized in cyber-attacks. The company's Secure Email Gateway provides a robust process and patent Advanced Content Disarm and Reconstruction technology for cleansing files from potential cyber-threats. Founded in 2010, Votiro is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, with its sales office in the United States. For more information, visit http://www.votiro.com Follow Votiro on Twitter - @votiro. Media Contact:

Idan Yatziv

[email protected]

+972-52-330-9099

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[December 13, 2016] INVESTOR ALERT: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Commences Investigation on Behalf of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. Investors

Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces an investigation on behalf of investors of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. ("New Oriental" or the "Company") (NYSE: EDU) investors concerning the Company and its officers' potential violation of federal securities laws. On December 2, 2016, Reuters (News - Alert) issued an article alleging that New Oriental has been accused of conducting college application fraud. According to the article,several former and current New Oriental employees "told Reuters the firms have engaged in college application fraud, including writing application essays and teacher recommendations, and falsifying high school transcripts." The American International Recruitment Council ("AIRC") issued a statement later that day announcing that it would conduct its own investigation in regards to the allegations put forth in the Reuters article. AIRC's president-elect called the report "highly concerning."



On this news, shares of New Oriental fell over 14% per share on December 2, 2016. If you purchased New Oriental securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or 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 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/20161213006398/en/

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[December 13, 2016] AFT Holdings' San Diego-Based Portfolio Advances International Policy, Builds on Regional Expansion

AFT Holdings, Inc., today updated its stakeholders on the growth and advancements of its two signature San Diego-based investments, Intesa Communications Group, LLC, a PR and government affairs firm, and The Global Fleet (Ocean Global, Sea Global, and Pacific Global) the largest tuna fleet operating in the region with 14 purse seiner vessels harvesting more than 100,000 tons of tuna per year. Long-delayed South Pacific Tuna Treaty Ratified December 3, in Nadi, Fiji, the U.S. Government signed an extension of the 30-year-old South Pacific Tuna Treaty with 16 Pacific Island Nations. The finalized treaty was the product of the seven years of negotiations between the parties. It grants the fleet access to the critical fishing areas with the nations' exclusive economic zone (EEZ), while providing needed flexibility and continuing to promote combined interest of all. Max Chou, partner in The Global Fleet, attended the Treaty ceremony with representatives from all the Nations involved and Industry. "This was a tireless effort between U.S. Department of State Office of Seafood, Congressional leadership, and Tuna Industry leaders," Chou said. "The treaty represents the best of all of us to come together and ensure the future of our Distant Water Tuna Fleet. Personal thanks go out Bill Gibbons-Fly and Michael Brakke of the U.S. State Departmen Office of Seafood, who supported the challenge over a long period. We also wish to thank the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations committee, chaired by Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Bipartisan Congressional leaders for their support, including Representative Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.).



Intesa Communications Group Builds Government Affairs Practice Another key investment within the portfolio, Intesa Communications Group, announced the completion of the restructuring that began in early 2016 with the addition of Maddy Kilkenny as a partner in the firm. This completes Intesa's realignment to provide not only strategic communications, but also lobbying and public affairs council to companies doing business with San Diego city and county governments.

Kilkenny has extensive experience working with local government at all levels in San Diego. She spent six years as Vice President of Government Relations at The Clay Company where she worked with Microsoft (News - Alert), Motorola, Kaiser Permanente, and many others clients in a variety of areas including land use, healthcare, and public safety. Prior to her work at The Clay Company, she spent 11 years at the County of San Diego, where she was a Senior Policy Advisor to Supervisor Greg Cox (News - Alert), focusing on health and public safety policy issues, community outreach and special events. "The addition of Maddy, working alongside Intesa co-founder Margie Newman, shows tremendous promise for Intesa's ongoing expansion throughout the San Diego market and nationwide," said AFT CEO J. Douglas Hines. "In an era of instant action and reaction, there is increasing demand for thoughtful planning to set the stage for efficient and effective communication and advocacy when it matters most." About AFT Holdings, Inc. AFT Holdings, Inc. is an international investment and management group with a diverse portfolio including commercial and residential real estate, sustainable foods development, global fishing fleets and technology. More at www.aftholdings.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161213006400/en/

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[December 13, 2016] Digital Media Network theMaven Completes Transaction and is Now Publicly Traded; Hosts National Channel Partner Conference in Dallas

theMaven Network Inc. announced today that the Seattle-based digital media startup has consummated a previously announced transaction, bringing theMaven forward now as a publicly traded company (OTC Pink:MVEN). This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161213006409/en/ theMaven CEO James Heckman speaks to publishers at Channel Partner (News - Alert) Conference in Dallas. (Photo: Business Wire) In addition, CEO James Heckman and co-founders presented theMaven's new network platform and vision at its first chanel partner conference last week in Dallas, to 33 prestigious publishers, many of whom announced their intention to launch as "Founding Channel Partners."



Thor Halvorssen, president of Human Rights Foundation, offered his reaction: "The vision presented was breathtaking. There in one room were the top leaders from a variety of fields and interests-in some cases from diametrically opposing viewpoints and causes-all standing firm in the need to control their own audience and platform. It was a unique experience and the promised technology has the potential to dramatically expand the level of transparency and integrity for community interaction." theMaven's team of engineers and executives are seasoned veterans of Google (News - Alert), Microsoft, Amazon, Yahoo!, Rivals.com, Scout Media, and the NFL. "Our new infrastructure is a big leap forward from previous network platforms we created, and it was gratifying to see publishers validate our design and business model by their enthusiasm to join the network," said co-founder and CTO Ben Joldersma.

For conference details, including publisher reactions, quotes and photos, see themaven.net. About theMaven: theMaven is an expert-driven, group media network. Its platform provides value to independent publishers via broader distribution, greater engagement for their content and community, improved monetization through efficient advertising partnerships and membership programs, and tools to better manage their audience and growth. theMaven is currently signing contracts with Founding Channel Partners and expects to announce the first group of channels at launch, targeted for first quarter, 2017. For more information, visit themaven.net. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161213006409/en/

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[December 14, 2016] amcure Raises 6 Million in Series B Financing and Expands Advisory Board

amcure, a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class cancer therapeutics, today announced the closing of a Series B financing round amounting to a total of EUR 6 million. The financing comes from a consortium of existing investors and shareholders headed by LBBW Venture Capital, with participation from the KfW, MBG (News - Alert) Mittelstaendische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Baden-Wuerttemberg, S-Kap Unternehmensbeteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) as well as private investors. The funding will be used to continue and accelerate the clinical development of amcure's lead product candidate, AMC303, for treating metastasizing solid tumors. AMC303 has been developed to target CD44v6, a key extracellular molecule in molecular pathways of several receptor-tyrosine-kinases. This approach provides a potential novel mechanism for the treatment of patients with advanced and solid tumors that have already begun to spread throughout the body. Additionally, amcure expanded its advisory board ("Beirat") by appointing Dr. Bruno Osterwalder, who brings in additional industry and disease expertise. Dr. Osterwalder is a board-certified hematologist and oncologist with a background of 15 years of academic and clinical practice in internal medicine, hematology and oncology (Swiss Board Certifications). He subsequently spent 26 years in global drug development and strategic portfolio management in oncology and immuno-oncology drug development at F. Hoffmann-La Roche and Merck Serono. He is also a member of several professional societiessuch as ASCO, AACR, ASH, ECCO and ESMO.



"Our lead candidate, AMC303, has recently entered a Phase I/Ib clinical study, therefore this funding comes at a time when the company is taking meaningful steps forward towards achieving a better treatment for patients with advanced solid tumors. Today's financing brings the total amount of capital raised from investors by amcure to EUR 10 million," said Dr. Klaus Dembowsky, CEO of amcure. "amcure has made significant progress towards bringing a new and potentially ground-breaking treatment option to patients with cancer metastasis, therefore we are enthusiastic about renewing and expanding our investment into the firm," added Dr. Harald Poth, Senior Investment Manager at LBBW Venture Capital. "We are equally pleased with Dr. Osterwalder's decision to join the advisory board of amcure. His expertise in oncology drug development from the lab all the way to pivotal trials will be extremely valuable as amcure enters the next stage of corporate development."

amcure uses a novel approach by targeting one specific co-receptor, CD44v6, thus blocking three relevant oncological pathways (VEGF/VEGF-R2, HGF/c-Met and MSP/RON) which in turn diminish the means for tumor growth and metastases in patients. This unique approach could bring specific advantages over current treatment options as it offers a higher specificity and potential efficacy. amcure initiated a Phase I/Ib trial with its lead compound, AMC303, with treatment of the first patient at the end of October. About AMC303 amcure's lead compound, AMC303, has been developed as a potential treatment for patients with advanced and metastatic epithelial tumors, e.g. pancreatic cancer, head and neck cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer. AMC303 has a high specificity for inhibiting CD44v6, a co-receptor required for signaling through multiple cellular pathways (c-Met, VEGFR-2, RON) involved in tumor growth, angiogenesis and the development and regression of metastases. AMC303 has demonstrated strong effects in various in vitro and in vivo assays. About amcure amcure GmbH is a spin-off from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology established in 2012. The company develops peptide-based compounds for the treatment of highly metastatic forms of cancer. amcure's most advanced development candidate, AMC303, has entered clinical development and has demonstrated in in vivo proof-of-concept studies a high efficacy against different types of epithelial cancers. amcure is sponsored by a grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005104/en/

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[December 14, 2016] RED Interactive Agency Hires Max Miner to join Customer Experience Strategy Team

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Santa Monica-based agency RED Interactive Agency is proud to announce the hiring of Max Miner as Director of Customer Experience Strategy, effective immediately. Max Miner comes to RED after leaving his position as Associate Creative Director, Experience Design at R/GA where he helped to found and grow a Google embedded team from 12 to 40-plus creatives and technologists. There he oversaw multiple teams in creating a variety of interactive marketing and product solutions for Google including helping with the launch of Google's new hardware line and Pixel Phone. Prior, Miner honed his skills in UX and Creative roles at various agencies including 72andSunny, Team One and AKQA, and has worked with such brands as Target, Lexus, Visa, YouTube, Nike and Red Bull. Miner brings to RED an exciting blend of creativity, brand development and product innovation. As a Director of Customer Experience Strategy, his role will ie in helping clients to navigate complex engagements beginning with strategy, all the way through implementation. Additionally, he will work with RED's broader leadership team to help expand RED's processes and capabilities around customer experience design  one of RED's core areas of focus. "Max's extensive background in brand development, UX design and product innovation is a tremendous addition to our extremely talented Experience Design team," said Brian Lovell, RED's CEO.



About RED Interactive Agency

RED Interactive Agency partners with brands to create meaningful and connected customer experiences. RED works with the world's most influential brands to help them successfully navigate an increasingly complex digital world. We are comprised of experienced strategists, creatives, technologists, designers, marketers, storytellers, and inventors. Together RED forms a passionate collective with a comprehensive suite of capabilities dedicated to creating meaningful and connected customer experiences across web, mobile, digital-to-physical, the internet of things (IOT), digital advertising and social. This is the connected ecosystem and it's the foundation from which brands are evolving and growing their businesses to build long-lasting relationships with their customers. MEDIA CONTACT:

Sam Schoenholtz

RED Interactive Agency

Director, Marketing & Communications

310-399-4242

www.ff0000.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/red-interactive-agency-hires-max-miner-to-join-customer-experience-strategy-team-300377481.html SOURCE RED Interactive Agency

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[December 14, 2016] Protalix BioTherapeutics Receives Letter Detailing Intended Purchases of Approximately $24 Million of alfataliglicerase to Treat Gaucher Patients in Brazil

CARMIEL, Israel, Dec. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE MKT:PLX) (TASE:PLX) (the Company) announced today that the Company received a letter from Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), an arm of the Brazilian Ministry of Health (the Brazilian Ministry), detailing intended purchases by the Brazilian Ministry of alfataliglicerase to treat Gaucher patients in Brazil. The letter requests three shipments of alfataliglicerase; the first shipment to be made in the middle of 2017, and the last at the end of 2017. The Company estimates total revenues from these shipments to be approximately $24 million in aggregate.

To date, we have sold relatively small quantities of alfataliglicerase to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, which has allowed physicians and patients in Brazil to experience firsthand the drugs beneficial efficacy and safety profile, said Mr. Moshe Manor, Protalixs President and Chief Executive Officer. The Brazilian Ministrys request to purchase considerably larger quantities comes on the heels of advanced negotiations with the ministry regarding the potential of alfataliglicerase becoming the preferred enzyme replacement therapy for the approximately 700 Gaucher patients treated in Brazil. The anticipated revenues could reduce our cash consumption rate by as much as a third in 2017; if we were to continue to experience increased demand from the Brazilian Ministry to the extent indicated in the letter, the anticipated revenues would have the potential to reach a breakeven point. Gaucher disease is a rare lysosomal storage disorder. Alfataliglicerase is a plant cell-expressed form of the glucocerebrosidase enzyme that was approved by the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency in March 2013 for the long-term treatment of adults with Type I Gaucher disease and in November 2016 for the long-term treatment of children four years of age and above with Type I Gaucher disease. The Company owns all rights to alfataliglicerase in Brazil. About Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. Protalix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed though its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx(R). Protalixs unique expression system presents a proprietary method for developing recombinant proteins in a cost-effective, industrial-scale manner. Protalixs first product manufactured by ProCellEx, taliglucerase alfa, was approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2012 and, subsequently, by the regulatory authorities of other countries. Protalix has licensed to Pfizer Inc. the worldwide development and commercialization rights for taliglucerase alfa, excluding Brazil, where Protalix retains full rights. Protalixs development pipeline includes the following product candidates: PRX-102, a modified version of the recombinant human alpha-GAL-A protein for the treatment of Fabry disease; OPRX-106, an orally-delivered anti-inflammatory treatment; PRX-110 for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis; and others.



Forward-Looking Statements To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, all such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The terms expect, anticipate, believe, estimate, plan and intend and other words or phrases of similar import are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future experience and results to differ materially from the statements made. These statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations as to such future outcomes. Drug discovery and development involve a high degree of risk. Factors that might cause material differences include, among others: risks related to the ultimate purchase by Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz of alfataliglicerase pursuant to the stated purchase intentions of the Brazilian Ministry of Health of the stated amounts, if at all; risks related to the successful conclusion of our negotiations with the Brazilian Ministry of Health regarding the purchase of alfataliglicerase generally; risks related to our commercialization efforts for alfataliglicerase in Brazil; risks relating to the compliance by Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz with its purchase obligations and related milestones under our supply and technology transfer agreement; risks related to the amount and sufficiency of our cash and cash equivalents; risks related to the amount of our future operating expenses; failure or delay in the commencement or completion of our preclinical and clinical trials which may be caused by several factors, including: slower than expected rates of patient recruitment; unforeseen safety issues; determination of dosing issues; lack of effectiveness during clinical trials; inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment; inability or unwillingness of medical investigators and institutional review boards to follow our clinical protocols; and lack of sufficient funding to finance clinical trials; the risk that the results of the clinical trials of our product candidates will not support our claims of safety or efficacy, that our product candidates will not have the desired effects or will be associated with undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics; risks relating to our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance our outstanding notes or any other indebtedness; our dependence on performance by third party providers of services and supplies, including without limitation, clinical trial services; delays in our preparation and filing of applications for regulatory approval; delays in the approval or potential rejection of any applications we file with the FDA or other health regulatory authorities, and other risks relating to the review process; the inherent risks and uncertainties in developing drug platforms and products of the type we are developing; the impact of development of competing therapies and/or technologies by other companies and institutions; potential product liability risks, and risks of securing adequate levels of product liability and other necessary insurance coverage; and other factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The statements in this press release are valid only as of the date hereof and we disclaim any obligation to update this information, except as may be required by law.

Investor Contact Marcy Nanus The Trout Group, LLC 646-378-2927 [email protected]

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[December 14, 2016] EventTracker Launches SIEMphonic Managed Security Service to Give Mid-market Businesses Enterprise-level Cyberthreat Protection

COLUMBIA, Md., Dec. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EventTracker, a leader in security information and event management (SIEM), today announced the launch of SIEMphonic, a comprehensive managed security service. The SIEMphonic service is based on the award-winning EventTracker platform, which includes SIEM, intrusion detection, vulnerability scanning, threat intelligence, and HoneyNet technology, implemented either on-premises or in the cloud. Experts at the companys new 24x7 intelligent security operations center (iSOC) provide remote administration and analytics. The new offering enables small and medium companies to achieve a level of fully-faceted protection from cyberthreats that was previously only available to large enterprises.

SIEM technology enables real-time analysis of security alerts produced by machines, network devices and applications on the network. However, converting technology capability into actionable results requires security analyst time and expertise, all too rare in mid-market companies. The noise-to-signal ratio is high, and critical alerts can get lost amongst the deluge of data. It is difficult and expensive to hire and retain an IT security team that has the bandwidth and capability needed to monitor and analyze the alerts and reports produced by SIEM technology. Further complicating this task is that teams must be able to recognize the real threats from the data and know the appropriate remediation steps required to mitigate them. The failure of organizations to achieve the desired outcome of a SIEM system due to the lack of qualified analysts is widespread, leading some industry analysts to name SIEM as the technology most likely to become shelfware. At the end of the day, expert analysts are essential to effective cybersecurity. There is no magic box that plugs into your network and creates a shield to keep all the bad guys out, said A.N. Ananth, CEO of EventTracker. For years, the security industry was harping on technology and whispering do-it-yourself. Now, we are shifting the conversation. Dont just buy technology. Buy the outcome you wantprotection for your network and IT assets from the modern cyberthreat landscape. Technology alone is about 15 percent of the solution. Expert analysts and robust, disciplined, and documented processesthe core of the services we are offeringare the remaining 85 percent. SIEMphonic combines SIEM technology, intrusion detection, vulnerability scanning, flow analysis and HoneyNet capabilities with a fully managed security service. The result is a complete solution that finally delivers SME businesses the outcome they are seekingeffective cybersecurity at an attractive price point. Key capabilities include: 24x7 managed security services SIEMphonic complements internl IT resources by deploying, customizing and operating EventTrackers suite of security technologies. This managed detection and response (MDR) service provides continuous monitoring for cyberthreats. The technology collects data from a variety of sourcesplatform, application and network logs, alerts from intrusion detection systems (IDS) and vulnerability scans and EventTrackers experts analyze it all. Threat intelligence from a rich ecosystem of global and community sources are merged along with customized honeypots for local data, to rapidly identify threats and enable investigation and response







SIEMphonic complements internl IT resources by deploying, customizing and operating EventTrackers suite of security technologies. This managed detection and response (MDR) service provides continuous monitoring for cyberthreats. The technology collects data from a variety of sourcesplatform, application and network logs, alerts from intrusion detection systems (IDS) and vulnerability scans and EventTrackers experts analyze it all. Threat intelligence from a rich ecosystem of global and community sources are merged along with customized honeypots for local data, to rapidly identify threats and enable investigation and response EventTracker 8 SIEM platform this already award-winning and industry-leading platform is the core of SIEMphonic, providing network and system administrators with early threat detection, operational awareness and the ability to demonstrate compliance with industry regulations and internal security policies



this already award-winning and industry-leading platform is the core of SIEMphonic, providing network and system administrators with early threat detection, operational awareness and the ability to demonstrate compliance with industry regulations and internal security policies Threat intelligence threat actor, attack and breach information is fed into the EventTracker platform to adapt the scope and focus of security. The integration of global, local and community-based threat intelligence sources transforms the SOC into an intelligent SOC or iSOC. Analysts are empowered to identify the most important and actionable alerts and help customers immediately stomp out potential cyber risks



threat actor, attack and breach information is fed into the EventTracker platform to adapt the scope and focus of security. The integration of global, local and community-based threat intelligence sources transforms the SOC into an intelligent SOC or iSOC. Analysts are empowered to identify the most important and actionable alerts and help customers immediately stomp out potential cyber risks HoneyNet deception technology comprised of multiple virtualized decoys strategically scattered throughout the network to lure bad actors and sniff out attacks, HoneyNet provides the highest value intelligence, identifying suspicious activity specific to the customers own environment to proactively hunt down and stop threats





comprised of multiple virtualized decoys strategically scattered throughout the network to lure bad actors and sniff out attacks, HoneyNet provides the highest value intelligence, identifying suspicious activity specific to the customers own environment to proactively hunt down and stop threats Behavior analysis monitoring traffic and calling out suspicious actions or departures from normal operation help identify new malware and zero-day exploits attempting to wreak havoc on the network Through its managed services approach, EventTrackers SIEMphonic enables any-sized organization to successfully implement a full suite of cybersecurity technology, including MDR. According to Gartner, Organizations struggle to deploy, manage and use an effective combination of expertise and tools to detect threats, especially targeted advanced threats and insider threats. 1

In the same report, Gartner makes the following suggestions to IT security leaders: Consider managed security service providers (MSSPs) that offer MDR-like services when device management and compliance use cases are required. Data residency requirements may also drive consideration of an MSSP over an MDR service provider. 1 To learn more about SIEMphonic, visit http://www.eventtracker.com/solutions/siemphonic. Tweet this: [email protected] Launches SIEMphonic Managed #Security Service to Give SMEs Enterprise-level #Cyberthreat Protection http://bit.ly/2gCCu9k Resources

About SIEMphonic

EventTracker YouTube

EventTracker Case Studies About EventTracker

EventTrackers advanced security solutions protect enterprises and small businesses from data breaches and insider fraud, and streamline regulatory compliance. The companys EventTracker platform comprises SIEM, vulnerability scanning, intrusion detection, behavior analytics, a HoneyNet deception network and other defense in-depth capabilities within a single management platform. The company complements its state-of-the-art technology with 24x7 managed services from its global security operations center (SOC) to ensure its customers achieve desired outcomessafer networks, better endpoint security, earlier detection of intrusion, and relevant and specific threat intelligence. The company serves the retail, hospitality, healthcare, legal, banking and financial services, utilities and government sectors. EventTracker is a division of Netsurion, a leader in remotely-managed IT security services that protect multi-location businesses information, payment systems and on-premise public and private Wi-Fi networks. www.eventtracker.com. Twitter: @logtalk. 1 Gartner, " Market Guide for Managed Detection and Response Services, Gartner, Toby Bussa, Craig Lawson, Kelly M. Kavanagh, May 10, 2016. CONTACT: Deb Montner, Montner Tech PR (203) 226-9290 [email protected]

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[December 14, 2016] Garmin Extends Share Repurchase Program and Adopts Rule 10b5-1 Plan

The Garmin (News - Alert) Ltd. (GRMN) board of directors authorized an extension through December 31, 2017 of its current $300 million Share Repurchase Program. There is currently $80.4 million remaining for share repurchases under this current $300 million Share Repurchase Program. The amount and timing of the repurchases are determined by management and depend on market and business conditions. Garmin Ltd. adopted a Rule 10b5-1 plan (the "Plan") in connection with the extended share repurchase authorization. A plan under Rule 10b5-1 allows a company to repurchase its shares at times when it otherwise might be prevented from doing so under insider trading laws or because of self-imposed trading blackout periods. A broker selected by Garmin will have the authority under the terms and limitations specified in the Plan to repurchase shares on the company's behalf in accordance with the terms of the Plan. Because the repurchases under the Plan are subject to certain pricing parameters, there is no guarantee as to the exact number of shares that will be repurchased under the Plan, or that there will be any repurchases pursuant to the Plan. About Garmin Ltd. For more than 25 years, Garmin has pioneered new GPS navigation and wireless devices and applications that are designed for people who live an active lifestyle. Garmin serves five primary business units, including automotive, aviation, fitness, marine, and outdoor. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at garmin.com/newsroom, contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200, or follow us at facebook.com/garmin, twitter.com/garmin, or youtube.com/garmin.



Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Garmin is a registered trademark of Garmin Ltd. Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:

This release includes projections and other forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2015, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at http://www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005404/en/

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[December 14, 2016] BioTime Achieves Patient Recruitment Milestone in Renevia Pivotal Trial

BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT:BTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing and commercializing products addressing degenerative diseases, announced that it has achieved an important patient enrollment milestone in its Renevia pivotal trial in Europe. The company now has more than 50 patients in the trial, keeping it on track with the anticipated forecast for top-line data by the middle of 2017. "We are pleased with the progress in our Renevia pivotal trial," commented Adi Mohanty, Co-Chief Executive Officer of BioTime. "Now that we have completed treatment of nine run-in patients, and randomized over another 50 into our trial, we have enough patients to remain on track for our previously communicated target of mid-year 2017 top-line data. We will continue to recruit a few more patients in order to account for any unforeseen study dropouts. We are very encouraged by the progress so far and the continued safety of Renevia after more than 60 total patients at our trial sites. The achievement of this milestone comes just after the encouraging early data reported at the IFATS annual meeting in San Diego in November of this year." Mr. Mohanty continued, "While this trial will support approval for use in the treatment of HIV-related facial lipoatrophy in Europe, the data so far has encouraged us to actively assess broader indications for Renevia such as facial volume deficit. We are also actively working on plans for other large aesthetic markets like South Korea and Brazil as well as the U.S." Developed as an alternative for whole adipose tissue fat transfer procedures, Renevia is designed to mimic the naturally-occurring extracellular matrix and provide a 3-D scaffold that enables effective cell transplant and engraftment. In the run-in portion of this trial, the Renevia administration procedure was found to be reproducible. Encouraging signs of Renevia being able to promote new tissue generation were seen with the run-in practice patients. If the pivotal trial is successful, and consistent with the run-in patients, the company plans to file the data as the basis for CE marking in the second half of 2017. About BioTime BioTime, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing products addressing degenerative diseases. The foundation of BioTime's core therapeutictechnology platform is pluripotent cells. Pluripotent cells are capable of becoming any of the cell types in the human body. Pluripotent cells have potential application in many areas of medicine with large unmet patient needs, including various age-related degenerative diseases and degenerative conditions for which there presently are no cures. Unlike pharmaceuticals that require a molecular target, therapeutic strategies based on the use of pluripotent cells are generally aimed at regenerating or replacing affected cells and tissues, and therefore may have broader applicability than pharmaceutical products.



BioTime common stock is traded on the NYSE MKT and TASE under the symbol BTX. For more information, please visit www.biotimeinc.com or connect with the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Google+. Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development, and potential opportunities for BioTime, Inc. and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates" should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the business of BioTime, Inc. and its subsidiaries, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of its Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC (News - Alert) (copies of which may be obtained at www.sec.gov). Subsequent events and developments may cause these forward-looking statements to change. BioTime, Inc. specifically disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise these forward-looking statements as a result of changed events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release, except as required by applicable law. To receive ongoing BioTime corporate communications, please click on the following link to join our email alert list: http://news.biotimeinc.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005426/en/

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[December 14, 2016] SecurityMetrics Releases 2017 Guide to HIPAA Compliance

OREM, Utah, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Many healthcare organizations still struggle to reach HIPAA compliance, particularly with the HIPAA Security Rule. The 2017 SecurityMetrics Guide to HIPAA Compliance is designed to show how healthcare complies with HIPAA, where organizations struggle with HIPAA compliance, and how healthcare professionals can overcome hurdles in getting HIPAA compliant. The guide was built from primary research of over 150 healthcare professionals responsible for HIPAA compliance at organizations with fewer than 500 employees, and it includes day-to-day implementation and best practice tips from the SecurityMetrics HIPAA Audit Team. Research results expose a general lack of compliance to the HIPAA Security Rule by smaller organizations, which may pose a threat to larger covered entities with whom they may be partnered. Some of the findings include: 50% of respondents don't know if their organizations use multi-factor authentication

41% don't know how often their firewall rules are reviewed

26% don't use mobile encryption

27% don't encrypt emails containing patient data

51% don't test employees on HIPAA-related training "Anyone familiar with HIPAA knows tht HIPAA compliance is complex and very extensive, with 75 requirements and 254 validation points for the Security Rule alone," says Security Analyst Brand Barney. "We aim to simplify the process to help organizations get compliant more quickly and efficiently."



The guide focuses on important elements from the HIPAA Privacy, Breach Notification, and Security Rules, including: HIPAA Compliant Firewalls

PHI Encryption

Mobile Device Security

Wireless Network Security

HIPAA Compliant Emails

Logging and Log Management

Remote Access

Vulnerability Scanning

Penetration Testing Readers of the guide will also find a 12-month plan to implement HIPAA compliance as well as HIPAA documentation and budgeting best practices.

Download the 2017 SecurityMetrics Guide to HIPAA Compliance To learn more about SecurityMetrics or HIPAA, contact 801.705.5665, email [email protected], or visit www.securitymetrics.com/hipaa. For press inquiries contact 801-995-6516, or email [email protected]. About SecurityMetrics (www.securitymetrics.com)

SecurityMetrics is a global leader in data security that enables organizations of all sizes to comply with government, healthcare, and financial mandates. Since its founding date, the company has tested over 1 million systems for data security and compliance. Among other services, SecurityMetrics offers HIPAA compliance services, penetration testing, security consulting, mobile device vulnerability scanning, payment data discovery, and incident response. Founded in October 2000, SecurityMetrics is a privately held corporation headquartered in Orem, Utah. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/securitymetrics-releases-2017-guide-to-hipaa-compliance-300377770.html SOURCE SecurityMetrics

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[December 14, 2016] Spaceflight Industries Unveils its BlackSky Platform for Observing the Planet

Spaceflight Industries today announced the availability of its BlackSky global intelligence platform, as well as its Early Adopter Program (EAP) participants, and the diverse partner ecosystem fueling the platform. The highly scalable, cloud-based platform enables organizations to observe, analyze and act on global events as they happen. Unparalleled in the industry, the BlackSky platform integrates diverse sensors and data - including satellite imagery, social media and other data feeds - to reveal timely and relevant insights around specific topics or locations. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005412/en/ The BlackSky platform helps customers observe, analyze, and act on events critical to their global operations. The picture above shows civilian evacuations in Aleppo Syria with real-time, related social media data streams from the area to provide greater context. (Photo: Business Wire) Currently, the platform is in early adoption with a select group of customers, including the World Bank, RS Metrics, United Nations, and others. Organizations interested in accessing the BlackSky platform should contact [email protected]. "Our business plan has always been to look at the planet in real time, in every spectrum, to solve real-world problems," said Jason Andrews, chief executive officer of Spaceflight Industries. "Today we are announcing significant progress on that journey. For the first time, organizations can fuse satellite imagery with a wide array of data services contextualized in time and space to better understand the most critical issues of our time." The BlackSky platform offers two major capabilities: Imagery: Customers can discover, purchase and download imagery via the BlackSky platform, which currently provides access to more than 10 high-resolution imaging spacecraft including those from 21AT's TripleSat, SIIS's KOMPSAT, and UrtheCas's Deimos-2. The platform will incorporate data from BlackSky's 60-satellite constellation as it enters commercial operation in 2017. Additionally, customers can acquire real-time images by tasking partner satellite systems and soon the BlackSky constellation. Insights: The platform fuses the satellite imagery with information from other sources including news outlets and social media to create curated data feeds by location (ex: port, pipeline, border) or theme (ex: geopolitical conflict, natural disasters, energy, or health/outbreak). Through machine learning, predictive algorithms and natural language processing techniques, the platform triangulates these relevant global events in time and space. Customers then receive customized results that are prioritized based on their preferences.







With this multi-source analysis, the platform can alert the customer of critical events related to their area of interest - enabling them to take immediate action. For example, an organization can opt to have BlackSky monitor its manufacturing facility and send an alert if a natural disaster or conflict is detected within 50 kilometers. With this information at their fingertips, the organization can make well-informed decisions about their global assets. "We're excited to expand the community that can take advantage of having relevant and timely information readily available - whether they're monitoring illegal maritime activity, providing humanitarian relief, securing troops and borders, or tracking economic assets," added Rakesh Narasimhan, executive vice president at BlackSky. "Having the support of these high-caliber partners and customers at this early stage is very encouraging, and we intend to use their feedback to ensure the platform is poised to provide actionable and tangible value to our global society." Key features of the BlackSky global intelligence platform include:

Ease of use: BlackSky's easy-to-use web-based interface speeds and simplifies the viewing, purchasing and downloading of geospatial products. Users can securely log on, search the archive of images, task or request a new image (complete with "add to shopping cart" functionality), analyze and store data via the secure Web portal.

BlackSky's easy-to-use web-based interface speeds and simplifies the viewing, purchasing and downloading of geospatial products. Users can securely log on, search the archive of images, task or request a new image (complete with "add to shopping cart" functionality), analyze and store data via the secure Web portal. Rapid revisit: Through its vast partner satellite systems, the platform provides access to the largest virtual commercial constellation with industry-leading revisit abilities. The deployment of the 60-satellite BlackSky satellite constellation will provide a rapid revisit rate with the ability to pass over key zones hourly, making images fresher to provide a more comprehensive story. In addition to the successful launch of BlackSky's Pathfinder-1 in September 2016, four more satellites are expected to launch in 2017, and the complete constellation will be on orbit by 2020.

Through its vast partner satellite systems, the platform provides access to the largest virtual commercial constellation with industry-leading revisit abilities. The deployment of the 60-satellite BlackSky satellite constellation will provide a rapid revisit rate with the ability to pass over key zones hourly, making images fresher to provide a more comprehensive story. In addition to the successful launch of BlackSky's Pathfinder-1 in September 2016, four more satellites are expected to launch in 2017, and the complete constellation will be on orbit by 2020. Affordability: BlackSky holds a unique market position as a product offering of Spaceflight Industries, which develops launch capabilities, innovative spacecraft, communications networks and cloud-based software services. By leveraging this vertical integration, BlackSky is able to pass the savings along to its customers. For more information, visit www.blacksky.com or contact [email protected]. About Spaceflight Industries: Spaceflight Industries is enabling timely and affordable access to space while redefining how we observe our world in real time. Through its services Spaceflight and BlackSky, the company offers innovative satellite design, rideshare launch management, global communications networking, and a geospatial intelligence platform to support a new era of global awareness. Founded in 1999, the Seattle-based company has a well-earned track record of success on a global scale. Visit www.spaceflight.com or www.blacksky.com for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005412/en/

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[December 14, 2016] Healthcare Trends Institute Publishes Consumer Survey Results

Healthcare Trends Institute announces the results of a recent consumer survey, now available for download. This survey was conducted during a time when consumers are increasingly responsible for their healthcare benefits, yet most still don't understand the options available. The free eBook, entitled What Employees Want You to Know About Healthcare Benefits, provides the results and insights on employee frustrations, health plan familiarity, communication preferences, retirement preparedness and more. The results encourage new and innovative ways employers can give employees what they want in regards to their healthcare benefits. The research was sponsored by the Healthcare Trends Institute, an educational platform for employers, consumers, and other healthcare benefits stakeholders, and was conducted to help employers identify engagement strategies and guide best approaches in delivering healthcare benefits. The survey polled employed adults, both male and female, ages 18+ across all regions of the United States. "It is crucial that employers educate and communicate with their employees about their healthcare benefit options," said Tiffany Wirth, Executive Director of th Healthcare Trends Institute. "Employees need to be able to make the right decision for themselves, their family, and their future."



The complete eBook and Survey Results can be downloaded here. About Healthcare Trends Institute

Healthcare Trends Institute (HTI) is an educational platform to help employers, third-party administrators, health plans, brokers, banks, payroll providers, consumers, and other stakeholders keep up with the rapidly changing healthcare benefits industry. It covers a range of topics related to the administration and management of healthcare benefits, including defined contribution, health exchanges, insurance, legislation, and more. Healthcare Trends Institute programs include an educational web series, an annual awards program, newsletters, training programs, a resource library, a real-time health exchange infographic, and more. To ensure all content and programs achieve the highest level of quality and relevancy, HTI is guided by an Editorial Advisory Board comprising of subject-matter experts that represent diverse aspects and perspectives within the healthcare benefits industry. HTI is sponsored by WEX Health, a WEX Company and an award-winning healthcare financial technology platform provider. More information is available at www.healthcaretrendsinstitute.org. Follow Healthcare Trends Institute on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+ to get the latest information on benefits trends in the workplace. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005703/en/

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[December 14, 2016] PPD Expands Stability Storage and Sample Distribution at Wisconsin GMP Lab

Pharmaceutical Product Development LLC (PPD) has expanded its stability sample storage capacity and capabilities as part of its ongoing efforts to meet the growing needs of its biopharmaceutical clients. The expansion includes a 75 percent increase in capacity for aliquoting, storage and worldwide distribution of reference standard materials. The new stability operation, which is located at the company's good manufacturing practices (GMP) lab in Middleton, Wisconsin, was constructed specifically for pharmaceutical storage for its clients and has the capacity to be equipped with more than 120 new stability chambers. The operation will enable the PPD Laboratories GMP lab to offer a significant expansion of the more than 40 different temperature and humidity set points for routine International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) stability storage conditions and will increase capacity for customized temperature and humidity, photostability and shipping (freeze/thaw) studies. "The expansion of our stability chamber capabilities in Middleton is indicative of PPD's ongoing efforts to meet the ever-increasing laboratory needs of our clients around the world," said Jon Denissen, Ph.D., vice president, GMP Lab, PPD Laboratories. "The GMP lab is representative of PPD Laboratories' exceptional scientific expertise, broad therapeutic experience and state-of-the-art facilities. During the 22 years we've had lab operations in Middleton, we've been able to successfully grow our operations due in part to the strength of the talent in the region and the supportive business environment." With the new stability operation, the company has the capability to expand to 150,000 cubic feet of chamber space, effectively doubling storage capacity for stability programs and for samples of commercially released products that are retained for quality control purposes. It also will allow the Middleton operation to create additional analytical lab space. PPD Laboratories is a leading provider of chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) laboratory services for all phases of drug development. The Middleton GMP lab provides fully integrated solutions for pharmaceutical product development, including analytical testing services, method development and validation, stability testing, quality control and release testing. In addition to small molecule testing, the laboratory is a market leader in the analysis of inhalation and biopharmaceutical/biologic products, as well as extractables and leachables testing. PPD maintains a GMP lab in Athlone, Ireland, to meet the CMC testing needs of the European market.



In addition to the GMP labs in Middleton and Athlone, PPD Laboratories has bioanalytical labs in Middleton and Richmond, Virginia; central labs in Shanghai, China; Brussels, Belgium; Highland Heights, Kentucky; and Singapore; a vaccine sciences lab in Richmond; and biomarker labs in Richmond and Highland Heights. For a photo of the stability operation, click here.

About PPD PPD is a leading global contract research organization providing comprehensive, integrated drug development, laboratory and lifecycle management services. Our clients and partners include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government organizations. With offices in 46 countries and more than 18,500 professionals worldwide, PPD applies innovative technologies, therapeutic expertise and a firm commitment to quality to help clients and partners bend the cost and time curve of drug development to deliver life-changing therapies that improve health. For more information, visit www.ppdi.com. PPD Forward-Looking Statement Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations and assumptions, including statements, expectations and assumptions about the expansion of PPD's stability sample storage capacity and capabilities, contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although PPD attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based and could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Other important factors that could cause future results to differ materially include the following: the ability to attract, integrate, retain and train key personnel; competition in the outsourcing industry; rapid technological advances that make our services or capabilities less competitive; compliance with drug development regulations; changes in the regulation of the drug development process; PPD's ability to win new business; overall global economic conditions; economic conditions, research and development spending, and outsourcing trends in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and government-sponsored research sectors; consolidation in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries; loss, delay or modification of large contracts; higher-than-expected cancellation rates; the rate of conversion of backlog into revenue; risks associated with and dependence on strategic relationships; actual operating performance; risks associated with acquisitions and investments; and the ability to control SG&A spending. PPD assumes no obligation and expressly disclaims any duty to update these forward-looking statements in the future, except as required by applicable law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing PPD's estimates or views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005707/en/

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[December 14, 2016] Jetico DoD Wipe Software to Securely Erase SSD Now in Less Time with NVMe

Jetico, leading-edge developer of DoD wipe software, announced today version 3.5 of BCWipe Total WipeOut. Jetico's long-trusted solution to wipe hard drive data can now securely erase SSD in less time by delivering support for Non-Volatile Memory Express, more commonly known as NVMe, working with native commands such as User Data Erase and Cryptographic Erase. "While similar wiping solutions can only detect and overwrite NMVe drives, Jetico stays ahead of the pack by supporting native commands," explains Jetico CEO, Michael Waksman. "SSD has made great strides over the past few years, surpassing many capabilities of traditional hard drives. To match this growth, Jetico has been working more closely with the storage industry. The added support for NVMe native commands demonstrates once again how BCWipe Total WipeOut best adapts to the latest innovations and evolving demands of our users." NVMe is a new logical device interface specification for SSDs. Compared to SATA and SAS (News - Alert), this new protocol brings two key benefits: lower data latency and increased performance. By mplementing native firmware command execution for NVMe, BCWipe Total WipeOut users can benefit from the drive read/write speed to securely erase SSD in less time.



"Because of its unique benefits, we expect NVMe to become the de-facto standard protocol for SSD," continues Waksman. "Already now, many new devices come with NVMe. By relying on our solution, users can continue to experience the enhanced security benefits of BCWipe Total WipeOut while also taking advantage of using the best technology on the market." Version 3.5 also automatically unfreezes drives before using the native firmware command ATA Secure Erase. Automating this process results in more reliable erasure of SSDs, plus a better user experience, eliminating the need to manually access the BIOS and unfreeze the drives.

Trusted for over 10 years by the U.S. Department of Defense, BCWipe Total WipeOut can wipe hard drive data beyond forensic recovery, which is now validated by ADISA. The official certificate can be found here: **www.adisa.global/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ADPC0024_v2.pdf** BCWipe Total WipeOut continues to offer: Support for TRIM on SSD without risking degradation

Central management to wipe multiple computers simultaneously

Centralized reporting according to NIST recommendations About Jetico Jetico provides pure and simple data protection software for National Security, Compliance and Personal Privacy. Trusted for over 10 years by the U.S. Department of Defense, Jetico's BCWipe can wipe selected files beyond forensic recovery such as in response to classified data spills, while BCWipe Total WipeOut can erase hard drive data entirely such as for disposal or decommission. To protect stored data, Jetico's BestCrypt delivers compliant data encryption software for whole disks, virtual drives and selected files or folders. Jetico Enterprise Editions include central management for client software control. Jetico products are trusted by government and military agencies, all of the top 10 U.S. defense contractors, many national laboratories, as well as various other enterprises and a wide global base of home and small business users in over 100 countries. Founded in 1995, Jetico is privately held and headquartered in the Otaniemi Science Park in Helsinki, Finland. For more information, please visit jetico.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005724/en/

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[December 14, 2016] 2016 TAAC Conference Panel to include Dr. Chris Walach from NIAS

SANTA FE, N.M., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- UAS TAAC Conference 2016 -- On Wednesday December 14th, Dr. Chris Walach, Director of the FAA-designated Nevada UAS Test Site, will join other FAA-designated UAS Test Site members on a FAA Test Site panel to discuss their vital role in support of the FAA and the UAS industry. "The UAS Test Sites routinely collaborate on UAS activities as demonstrated by our participation in the NASA UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) program and the FAA UAS Detection at Airports Pathfinder Program," said Dr. Chris Walach. "Recently we teamed together with Northern Plains UAS Test Site to test counter-UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) technology at the Denver International Airport (DIA). In the future, we will continue to collaborate on validating sense and avoid technologies and command and control infrastructure that will support BVLOS UAS flight opeations. This will be of great value to the FAA and the UAS Industry," he said.



Attend the Wednesday Session "FAA Test Sites" - The UAS test site discussion will include: Overcoming significant operational challenge/lessons learned.

How a specific research project lends itself to regulatory change.

The importance of research projects not specifically conducted for the purpose regulatory change.

Future Test Site research possibilities and the challenges of future operations (BVLOS, swarm, cloud-seeding, package delivery, operations over people, etc.) Panelist Include: Chris Walach - Nevada, Mark Blanks - VA Tech, Nicholas Flom - North Dakota, Jerry Hendrix -Texas A&M, Cathy Cahill  Alaska, Scott Brenton - NY, Dennis Zaklan - NMSU

Moderator: Robert Pappas of the FAA UAS Integration Office Web: www.nias-uas.com http://utm.vporoom.com/NIAS To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2016-taac-conference-panel-to-include-dr-chris-walach-from-nias-300378200.html SOURCE Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS)

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[December 14, 2016] $59 Billion Industrial Ethernet Market Industrial Ethernet Market - Offering, Protocol, End-User Industry & Geography - Global Forecast to 2022 - Research and Markets

DUBLIN, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Industrial Ethernet Market - Global Forecast to 2022" report to their offering. According to the new market research report on industrial Ethernet, this market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.8% between 2016 and 2022, from USD 19.43 billion in 2015 to USD 59.20 billion by 2022. The major driver for the growth of the industrial Ethernet market is the growing adoption of IIoT. In various manufacturing industries, the potential of IIoT to improve productivity in production processes and supply chain is immense. IIoT is expected to fundamentally change the way products are developed, manufactured, transported, and sold. Of all the major end-user industries, electrical and electronics and automotive held the major share of the industrial Ethernet market in 2015. Automotive, being one of the largest industries and one of the oldest applications of industrial Ethernet, would continue to dominate the market with growing need for advanced automation in automobile manufacturing hubs around the world. Among the protocols, the market for PROFINET is expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period. The number of Ethernet protocols in industrial applications has increased considerably over the past few years as a result of improved network coverage, quality of transmission, and bandwith capacity. PROFINET is widely used because it offers real-time operation and protection against harsh environment and also facilitates faster, safer, and comparatively low-cost data transfer compared with other industrial Ethernet protocols. Advancements in industrial Ethernet technologies are helping various companies to remotely monitor their assets from anywhere in the world.



The services segment is expected to witness huge growth opportunities in the industrial Ethernet market. With the growing complexity in industrial Ethernet networks, there is a growing demand for consulting, integration, and support services for network management. The advancement of network and technological developments have forced customers and enterprises to demand for better and advanced network services. Of all the regions, APAC held the largest market share and is expected to grow at the highest rate. In APAC, the huge demand for consumer electronics and automobiles from countries such as China, India, Japan, and South Korea is driving the industrial Ethernet market.

One of the key restraining factors for this market is despite the significant advances in Ethernet over the past 30 years, fieldbus remains widely used as device networks expand into larger control networks through fieldbus-to-Ethernet integration. It is difficult to transfer the network of old systems to a new protocol; thus, the management becomes more complex and network performance becomes highly critical. Companies Mentioned: ABB Ltd.

B&R Automation

Beckhoff Automation

Belden Inc. (Hirschmann)

Cisco Systems, Inc.

Innovasic Inc.

Moxa Inc.

Rockwell Automation

Schneider Electric SE

Siemens AG Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 5 Market Overview 6 Industry Trends 7 Market, by Offering 8 Market, by Protocol 9 Market, by End-User Industry 10 Geographical Analysis 11 Company Profile 12 Appendix For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/873mst/industrial Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

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[December 14, 2016] Digital River World Payments Announces Partnership with Payment Provider dLocal

Digital River (News - Alert) World Payments, a global payments service provider, announced it has entered into a new strategic partnership with dLocal, a technology company and payments leader focused on Latin America and other emerging markets. By integrating with dLocal, Digital River World Payments can now further offer online merchants that are not domiciled in Latin America a full money remittance payment solution, making it easier for them to take advantage of the purchasing power of shoppers across high growth markets, such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile. "We reduce the complexities for our partners to make inroads into some of the world's fastest-growing, emerging markets," said Sebastian Kanovich, CEO of dLocal. "Through our partnership with Digital River World Payments, we enable their merchants to go to market with a portfolio of online payment options that is optimized to meet local purchase preferences and drive conversions." The integration between dLocal and Digital River World Payments supports a suite of traditional cards and alternative payment methods, including installments, cash-payments, and various domestic card brands relevant in key emerging markets. To ensure predictable payment reconciliation, reporting, exception management and settlement, the integration also will leverage Digital River World Payments' back office capabilities. "Digital River World Payments is joining forces with yet another proven partner," said Hayden Reed, senior vice president and general manager of Digital River World Payments. "Our agreement with dLocal is a testament to our ongoing commitment to offer our merchants more online payment options and greater flexibility. For merchants, these are key contributing factos to successfully expanding their international reach and improving consumer purchase experiences."



About Digital River World Payments Backed by nearly 20 years of experience, Digital River World Payments is a leading provider of global online payment solutions. Powered by a robust ecommerce payments platform, its solutions support payment activities across more than 170 countries and 140 payment methods - covering global card schemes along with locally relevant brands and payment networks. Digital River World Payments delivers significant value across the full transaction lifecycle while empowering merchants with a single streamlined user interface. Irrespective of their markets, payment methods, or acquiring bank connections, merchants benefit from consolidated reporting, analytics, and reconciliation as well as complete back-office integration. To learn more about Digital River World Payments, visit https://digitalriver.com/solutions/payments or email [email protected].

About dLocal dLocal (https://dlocal.com) is a technology company and payments leader with a single solution, focused on Latin America and other emerging markets. With dLocal, there is no need to set up local entities, or integrate dozens of isolated payment methods, nor undergo heavy operational and tax burdens. Leading global ecommerce companies rely on dLocal to increase conversion by eliminating complexity and managing their payments expansion effortlessly. As both a payments processor and a merchant of record where it operates, the company makes it simple and risk-free for client partners to make inroads into the world's fastest-growing, emerging markets. Digital River World Payments is a trademark and Digital River is a registered trademark of Digital River, Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks, registrations or copyrights of their respective owners. Twitter (News - Alert) Tags: #ecommerce, #DigitalRiverWorldPayments, @DigitalRiverInc Tweet This: #DigitalRiverWorldPayments partners with dLocal to make online entry into Latin America easier, @DigitalRiverInc View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005331/en/

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[December 14, 2016] NANOBIOTIX reports positive Phase I/II preliminary data on feasibility and safety of NBTXR3 in liver cancers trial

Nanobiotix reports positive Phase I/II preliminary data on feasibility and safety of NBTXR3 in liver cancers trial Good safety and feasibility of the treatment at 10% dose level Third indication in global development confirming transferability across different cancers Paris, France and Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, December 14, 2016 - NANOBIOTIX (Euronext: NANO - ISIN: FR0011341205), a late clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the local treatment of cancer, today announces a positive readout of initial data on the safety and feasibility from the first patients treated in its Phase I/II trial evaluating NBTXR3 in liver cancers, including primary (Hepatocellular, HCC) and metastatic tumors. Patients with either HCC or liver metastases frequently cannot undergo surgery and have very few or no therapeutic options available. Radiation therapy has been shown to improve outcomes of these patients. Clinical trials have shown a direct correlation between higher doses of radiation therapy and increased survival, in both patient populations. The delivery of a high radiation dose is complex and cannot be done in an optimal way in most situations due to toxicity. NBTXR3 aims to amplify the energy dose within the tumor to offer better clinical results and more therapeutic options to improve the poor prognosis of these populations. Nanobiotix's Phase I/II trial evaluates the safety and preliminary efficacy of NBTXR3 nanoparticles administrated by intra-tumoral (IT) or intra-arterial (IA) injection and activated by high precision radiation therapy, delivered as high dose fractions (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)) for the treatment of liver cancers. Elsa Borghi, CMO of Nanobiotix: "At this stage, the safety and feasibility data of NBTXR3 in liver cancers are excellent. Observations are similar to the results of our more advanced trials: Soft Tissue Sarcoma and Head and Neck cancers. This is significant because these trials cover very different patient and disease profiles. Based on the information gathered to date, we anticipate that by the end of this phase, we will have identified the appropriate conditions to use NBTXR3 in these patients populations. Once again, all transferability data show the potential of broad applicability of NBTXR3 for use with radiotherapy in the treatment of solid tumors." Preliminary data results: Good safety profile with no serious adverse events recorded Two sub-groups of patients have been treated at 10% dose of NBTXR3, with Intra Tumoral injections (IT), using either 24 Gy or 45 Gy total radiation dose, based on patients dosimetric constrains. Intra-arterial injection has not been explored so far because the Intra Tumoral (IT) injection has been shown to be feasible and successful. Good safety has been demonstrated within these patients as well. To date, all treated patients have completed their radiation therapy course, confirming good local tolerability and no changes in liver hepatic functions (MELD Score evaluation). Treatment feasibility and appropriate distribution demonstrated The data validate the feasibility of the injection with a volume level equivalent to 10% of the baseline tumor volume in both patient populations: primary cancer (HCC) and liver metastasis. The product appears to stay within the tumors with no leakge in the surrounding healthy tissues from the day of injection until end of radiotherapy treatment (illustration 1 & 2). It confirms and supports the findings reported from the clinical trials in Soft Tissue Sarcoma or Head and Neck cancers patients.



10% volume level secured, further levels under evaluation The 10% dose level was successfully evaluated in HCC and metastatic patients. The 10% dose level is the recommended NBTXR3 volume for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) in the act.in.sarc study (www.actinsarc.com), the most advanced indication developed by Nanobiotix (Phase II/III).

The trial is now recruiting next dose levels to evaluate safety and feasibility at higher doses along with exploratory efficacy endpoints (complete Response Rate, Progression Free Survival and Overall Survival). -ends- About liver cancers According to WHO, liver cancers are the second most common cause of cancer death in the world with 745,000 deaths each year, and 800,000 new liver cancer patients per year. Liver cancers are challenging diseases to address. Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) is the safest and most modern radiotherapy currently available for the treatment of malignant liver tumors but SBRT has been shown to be efficient only in specific subsets of population with small tumors. Complete response is a rare event and local control is often compromised in big tumors, metastases and HCC with portal vein tumor thrombosis and short progression Free Survival and Overall survival. About NBTXR3 trial protocol in liver cancer NBTXR3 is a first-in-class radio-enhancer nanoparticle designed for direct injection into malignant tumors. NBTXR3 has the potential to improve radiotherapy efficacy by destroying locally advanced cancers more efficiently. It has been engineered to increase the local absorption of the radiotherapy dose and thereby increasing the efficacy of radiotherapy without increasing toxicity or causing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. The first phase of the ongoing, multicenter open-label, single-arm study is a dose-escalation to evaluate the safety, feasibility and preliminary clinical activity along with determining the right dose of NBTXR3 in this indication. The second phase of the trial will be a dose-expansion phase, which will be a cohort expansion at the recommended dose of NBTXR3. Patients receive a single injection administration of NBTXR3 24 hours before the beginning of the radiotherapy treatment. The total maximum radiotherapy dose is 45 Gy, delivered as three fractions of 15 Gy each, over 5 to 7 days. About NANOBIOTIX: www.nanobiotix.com Nanobiotix (Euronext: NANO / ISIN: FR0011341205) is a late clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the local treatment of cancer. The Company's first-in-class, proprietary technology, NanoXray, enhances radiotherapy energy with a view to provide a new, more efficient treatment for cancer patients. NanoXray products are compatible with current radiotherapy treatments and are meant to treat potentially a wide variety of solid tumors including soft tissue sarcoma, head and neck cancers, liver cancers, prostate cancer, breast cancer, glioblastoma, etc., via multiple routes of administration. NBTXR3 is being evaluated in: soft tissue sarcoma (STS), head and neck cancers, prostate cancer, and liver cancers (primary and metastases). Additionally, head and neck cancer and rectal cancer trials led by Nanobiotix's Taiwanese partner, PharmaEngine, are underway in the Asia Pacific region. The Company has filed in August 2016 for market approval (CE Marking) in Europe for its lead product NBTXR3. Nanobiotix is listed on the regulated market of Euronext in Paris (ISIN: FR0011341205, Euronext ticker: NANO, Bloomberg: NANO: FP). The Company Headquarter is based in Paris, France. Affiliate in Cambridge, United States. Contact Nanobiotix



Sarah Gaubert

Head of Communication and Public Affairs

+33 (0)1 40 26 07 55

[email protected]



Media relations



France - Springbok Consultants

Marina Rosoff

+33 (0)6 71 58 00 34

[email protected]



EU Outside France - Instinctif Partners

Melanie Toyne Sewell

+44 (0) 207 457 2020

[email protected]



United States - The Ruth Group

Kirsten Thomas / Chris Hippolyte

+1 508-280-6592 / +1 646-536-7023

[email protected] Disclaimer This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Nanobiotix and its business. Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Nanobiotix considers to be reasonable. However, there can be no assurance that the estimates contained in such forward-looking statements will be verified, which estimates are subject to numerous risks including the risks set forth in the reference document of Nanobiotix filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorite des Marches Financiers) under number D.16-0732 on July 22, 2016 (a copy of which is available on www.nanobiotix.com) and to the development of economic conditions, financial markets and the markets in which Nanobiotix operates. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to risks not yet known to Nanobiotix or not currently considered material by Nanobiotix. The occurrence of all or part of such risks could cause actual results, financial conditions, performance or achievements of Nanobiotix to be materially different from such forward-looking statements. This press release and the information that it contains do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe for, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for, Nanobiotix shares in any country.

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[December 14, 2016] Ashley Madison Parent ruby Settles With FTC and State Attorneys-General

TORONTO, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ruby agrees to pay civil restitution; company says settlements signal new future ruby, the company that owns online dating site Ashley Madison, has reached settlements with the United States Federal Trade Commission and with each of the State Attorneys-General who were participating in the investigation. As part of these settlements, ruby has paid aggregate civil restitution of US $1,657,000 (half of which was paid to the FTC and half of which was paid to the various states participating in the settlement). In addition, ruby has agreed to maintain a comprehensive information security program and refrain from past business practices that may have allegedly been misleading to consumers. As the settlements expressly state: ruby neither admits nor denies the allegations made by the FTC and the State Attorneys-General. Pivotal Day

"Today is a pivotal day for our members and fr Ashley Madison," says Rob Segal, newly appointed CEO of ruby. According to Segal, the company has been cooperating fully with the FTC for more than a year. "Today's settlement closes an important chapter on the company's past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity and to building a new future for our members, our team and our company," says Segal.



Segal took the helm of ruby in mid-April and announced a total repositioning and rebranding in July. "Our team is making significant, long-term investments in our people, processes and systems to improve Ashley Madison for our members," he says. According to newly appointed President James Millership, the company has already implemented many new business practices and security improvements in the past 18 months. "Today's news reflects that the company has proactively made important, transformative changes since last year -- and is committed to open, transparent communication," he says.

About ruby

ruby is the global leader in open-minded dating and the innovator behind AshleyMadison.com, CougarLife.com and EstablishedMen.com. Founded in 2007, the company is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. To learn more about ruby and how we're transforming our brands, visit http://www.rubylife.com http://www.ashleymadison.com and http://www.findyourmoment.com Call: +1-866-205-7525 (Toll-free), [email protected] , http://www.ashleymadison.com



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[December 14, 2016] CargoM launches "Suis le conteneur" game for youngsters!

MONTREAL, Dec. 14, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The Commission scolaire de Montreal's Edouard-Montpetit High School was the very first school to give CargoM's, the Logistics and Transportation Metropolitan Cluster of Montreal, new game "Suis le conteneur"  "Follow the container" - a try earlier today. Located in the MercierHochelaga-Maisonneuve borough in Montreal's east end, the Edouard-Montpetit High School selected a class of 15 and 16 year-olds to play this educational game. From what we've gathered from their comments, they thoroughly enjoyed learning of the many possibilities the transport and logistics industry has to offer. "Two key objectives are at the heart of the 'Suis le conteneur' game: promoting our industry's career opportunities and demonstrating how products we use in our daily lives are transported all over the world. This teaching activity helps raise awareness as to the importance of having an efficient logistics chain to meet our day-to-day needs", indicated Mathieu Charbonneau, General Manager at CargoM. Given that th game requires products to be transported across a world map, from their production site to their ultimate destination, these high school students were able to develop specific skills during the course of the activity. Students had to move a container as quickly as possible while abiding to a particular budget as well as a specific amount of carbon credits. As is the case for our industry's businesses, they were faced at times with unforeseen circumstances, such as bad weather or mechanical failures, which affected their plans.



Guides describing the different occupations of the transport and logistics industry are available to parents and students, and a specific guide was also designed for teachers and guidance counsellors. They can be found on our website, at www.cargo-montreal.ca/fr/suis-le-conteneur. Several schools will offer "Suis le conteneur"

"This is one of the many CargoM initiatives implemented to get young people interested in a career in our industry. The labour shortage encountered in various types of transport is increasingly recognized and we must do all we can to promote the stimulating jobs available in transport and logistics. In the next few months, additional Commission scolaire de Montreal's schools will have the opportunity to play 'Suis le conteneur', as will education institutions in other school boards in Montreal's surrounding area, notably the Commission scolaire des Grandes Seigneuries which has confirmed its participation in the project", concluded Mathieu Charbonneau.

About CargoM

Created in 2012, CargoM (www.cargo-montreal.ca - @CargoMtl) brings together the players in Greater Montreal's logistics and freight transport industry, educational institutions, research centres, sector associations and unions around shared objectives in order to increase cohesiveness, competitiveness, growth and reach. The logistics and transportation industry in the greater metropolitan area represents 122,000 jobs in transportation and warehousing, 6,300 institutions and over $4.3 billion in economic benefits for Greater Montreal. CargoM's activities receive financial support from the Ministere de l'Economie, de la Science et de l'Innovation (MESI), the Ministere des Affaires municipales et de l'Occupation du territoire (MAMOT), la Communaute metropolitaine de Montreal (CMM) and all its members. SOURCE CargoM

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[December 14, 2016] The M2M, IoT & Wearable Technology Ecosystem: 2015 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals and Forecasts

LONDON, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As consumer voice and data service revenues reach their saturation point, mobile operators are keen to capitalize on other avenues to drive revenue growth. One such opportunity is providing network connectivity for M2M (Machine to Machine) devices like smart meters, connected cars and healthcare monitors. Despite its low ARPU, M2M connectivity has opened a multi-billion dollar revenue opportunity for mobile operators, MVNOs and service aggregators, addressing the application needs of several verticals markets. By enabling network connectivity among physical objects, M2M has also initiated the IoT (Internet of Things) vision - a global network of sensors, equipment, appliances, smart devices and applications that can communicate in real time. Another key opportunity is the monetization of wearable technology. Mobile device OEMs are aggressively investing in wearable devices, in order to offset declining margins in their traditional smartphone and tablet markets. As a result, the market has been flooded with a variety of smart bands, smart watches and other wearable devices capable of collecting, sending and processing data over mobile applications. Eyeing opportunities to route huge volumes of traffic from these wearable devices, many service providers are now seeking to fit wearable technology with their M2M offerings, targeting both consumer and vertical markets. SNS Research expects that M2M and wearable devices can help IoT service providers pocket as much as $231 Billion in service revenue by the end of 2020, following a CAGR of 40% between 2015 and 2020. Spanning over 1,110 pages, the "M2M, IoT & Wearable Technology Ecosystem: 2015  2030  Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals and Forecasts" report package encompasses two comprehensive reports covering M2M, IoT and wearable technology: - The M2M & IoT Ecosystem: 2015  2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals and Forecasts - The Wearable Technology Ecosystem: 2015  2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals and Forecasts This report package provides an in-depth assessment o the M2M, IoT and wearable technology ecosystem including enabling technologies, key trends, market drivers, challenges, vertical market applications, deployment case studies, collaborative initiatives, regulatory landscape, standardization, opportunities, future roadmap, value chain, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report also presents market size forecasts from 2015 till 2030. The forecasts are segmented into vertical, regional, technology and country submarkets.



The report package comes with an associated Excel datasheet suite covering quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in the two reports. Topics Covered:

The report package covers the following topics:- M2M, IoT and wearable technology ecosystem- Market drivers and challenges- Enabling technologies and key trends- Network architecture and mobile operator business models- Applications, opportunities and deployment case studies for a range of vertical markets including automotive & transportation, asset management & logistics, consumer, energy & utilities, healthcare, home automation, intelligent buildings & infrastructure, military, professional sports, public safety & security, retail and hospitality- Regulatory landscape, collaborative initiatives and standardization- Industry roadmap and value chain assessment- Profiles and strategies of over 600 leading ecosystem players including enabling technology providers, wearable/M2M device OEMs, mobile operators, MVNOs, aggregators, IoT platform providers, system integrators and vertical market specialists- Strategic recommendations for ecosystem players- Market analysis and forecasts from 2015 till 2030 Key Questions Answered: The report package provides answers to the following key questions: - How big is the M2M, IoT and wearable technology ecosystem? - What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth? - How is the ecosystem evolving by segment and region? - What will the market size be in 2020 and at what rate will it grow? - Which regions, countries and verticals will see the highest percentage of growth? - Who are the key market players and what are their strategies? - How will M2M and wearable devices drive investments in cloud based IoT platforms, Big Data, analytics, network security and other technologies? - What are the growth prospects of cellular, satellite, LPWA, wireline and short range networking technologies? - What are the key applications of M2M, IoT and wearable technology across industry verticals? - How can mobile operators capitalize on the growing popularity of smart glasses and other wearable devices? - What strategies should enabling technology providers, wearable/M2M device OEMs, mobile operators, MVNOs, aggregators, IoT platform providers and other ecosystem players adopt to remain competitive? Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3431611/ About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-m2m-iot--wearable-technology-ecosystem-2015--2030--opportunities-challenges-strategies-industry-verticals-and-forecasts-300378469.html SOURCE ReportBuyer

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3M Files Lawsuit for Design Infringement to Protect Flip-Top Dispenser

3M (News - Alert) has filed an infringement lawsuit in Dusseldorf, Germany, against Dentsply DeTrey GmbH alleging that Dentsply's Prime&Bond Active Universal adhesive dispenser design infringes on 3M's Registered EU Community Design for the 3M Scotchbond Universal adhesive flip-top dispenser design.

3M's design protected flip-top dispenser allows for easy one-handed opening and controlled dispensing of adhesive material used in the dental market. In 2012, 3M's flip top, one-handed design received the honor of the Red Dot Design Award. This international award is one of the largest and most renowned design competitions in the world. Scotchbond Universal adhesive is used by dentists around the world for dental restoraion procedures. It is a leading dental adhesive in the U.S.







3M is committed to improving oral care through continuous investments in research and development. The Anaheim Group has recognized the Oral Care Solutions Division of 3M as the most innovative dental company for the past 11 years. This distinction is awarded based on the number of patent filings, 510k clearances and new product introductions.

About 3M

At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily. With $30 billion in sales, our 90,000 employees connect with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M's creative solutions to the world's problems at www.3M.com or on Twitter (News - Alert) @3M or @3MNewsroom.

3M, ESPE and Scotchbond are trademarks of 3M or 3M Deutschland GmbH.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214006118/en/
[December 14, 2016] HUB International Midwest Announces Executive Promotions

Effective January 1, 2017, Neil Hughes (News - Alert), current president of HUB International Midwest, a division of HUB International Limited, a leading global insurance brokerage, risk advisory and employee benefits firm, will assume the role as president of HUB International's US North Region, covering the Midwest, Colorado and Mountain States divisions. Lerone Sidberry, current president of Employee Benefits for the North and Central regions of HUB, will succeed Hughes as president of the Midwest division. Hughes' new role includes setting the overarching client support and sales strategy for the North region. Hughes, 41, has been with HUB for over 18 years, and has a proven track record of strong leadership and advancing company initiatives. During his six-year tenure as president of the HUB Midwest division, business has quadrupled and the company has sustained its positive workplace culture. With over 25 years in the insurance industry, Lerone Sidberry, 47, is well prepared to resume Hughes' responsibilities, which include leading the executive team and driving continued growth in all lines of business: Property & Casualty, Employee Benefits, Surety, Programs and Personal Lines. Employee benefits business has tripled under Sidberry's leadership over the past 2.5 years, and the overall value proposition ha never been stronger.



"HUB's dedication to putting client success at the core of its objectives has been a major differentiator in the industry," said Sidberry. "HUB's experienced team is committed to understanding each client's unique situation, with the aim of further establishing ourselves as a dependable partner that delivers value-added insurance solutions, helping clients achieve their specific business goals." Michael Booth, 39, currently HUB Midwest's executive vice president of employee benefits, has been promoted to Chief Sales Officer. While in his current role, Booth has brought the largest organic sales results to HUB Midwest to date. In his new role as CSO, he will continue to oversee all producers, as well as operations of ihouse, HUB's HRIS consulting practice, and HUB Philanthropic Solutions.

"As a team that values collaboration and communication, fostering business growth has been a natural process from the beginning," Booth said. "I look forward to helping advance the company's efforts in organic growth production as CSO." Seth Hopkins, 42, previously vice president and Midwest regional marketing manager for a large international insurance company, will move into the role of HUB Midwest's Chief Marketing Officer and Property & Casualty Practice Leader. Hopkins will manage all market and trading partner relationships, as well as service and operations for the Property & Casualty group. About HUB International HUB International Midwest is a division of HUB International Limited with offices in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. HUB International Midwest is a Headquartered in Chicago, IL, HUB International Limited is a leading global insurance brokerage that provides property and casualty, life and health, employee benefits, investment and risk management products and services through offices located in the United States, Canada and Latin America. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214006125/en/

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[December 14, 2016] NetSource One shows dedication to data security; Completes outside audit to achieve SOC 2 compliance

SAGINAW, Mich., Dec. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NetSource One Inc., a premier technology solutions provider raising the standard for technology support with experience, quality and value for more than 20 years, has completed rigorous examinations of its data security processes to achieve compliance with the Service Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2) standards.

The demanding third-party examination was administered by the professional IT assurance and compliance staff at 360 Advanced, a respected national Qualified Security Assessor, HITRUST CSF Assessor and Certified Public Accountant firm based in St. Petesburg, FL.



The SOC 2 report attests to the effectiveness of the data management controls a company has in place that relate to security, availability and confidentiality. By successfully completing a third-party audit under the SOC 2 compliance standards, we have achieved an independent assessment of the security controls we provide for our clients, said Wes Reynolds, Information Security Specialist at the mid-Michigan firm. It is a clear indication of our dedication to maintaining and documenting the most stringent data security environment possible.

Amanda Bowman, Marketing Coordinator at NetSource One, said no other similar firm in the Great Lakes Bay Region has earned the SOC 2 designation. Reynolds explained the achievement provides NetSource One with a clear competitive advantage, and has been one of the unique distinctions that draws clients to NetSource One. ABOUT NETSOURCE ONE NetSource One is your Total Technology Solution Provider serving the technology needs of more than 600 clients in a multi-state region. NetSource One offers a variety of services, including network security, disaster recovery, managed services, cybersecurity training, business phone systems, and web development. The firm provides 24/7 hardware support, consultation and design, wireless and mobile connectivity, and exceptional help desk support. NetSource One has strategic partnerships with such notables as Microsoft, Dell, VMware, Ruckus, Fortinet, Barracuda, Cisco, ShoreTel, Panasonic, and many more, providing information technology solutions to a variety of markets, including medical, finance, government, education, legal, manufacturing, and distribution. ABOUT 360 ADVANCED 360 Advanceds services are provided, but not limited to, the following industries: Title Services, Hosted and Managed IT, Data Center and Colocation, Software as a Service (SaaS), Healthcare, Financial Services, Insurance, HR | Payroll | PEO, Legal and Collections, Bulk Mail Printing and Distribution, Background Screening, Business Process Outsourcing and Marketing. Services provided by 360 Advanced include HITRUST CSF, SOC 1 (SSAE 16), SOC 2, SOC 3, PCI DSS, HIPAA Security/HITECH, Microsoft Vendor Policy and other security and compliance services. Contact: Eric Ratcliffe [email protected] -- 866.418.1708 ext.710

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Five candidates in race for NLCS District 3 board seat

Five candidates are seeking election to the district three NLCS board seat: Tony (Rock) Fleetwood, Tye Hooten, Scott King, Rob Payne and Autumn Ray.
A decent price for some excellent hardware and software should make the Nokia 8.3 5G a better option than it feels like. But other phones like the Pixel 5, OnePlus 8 and Galaxy S20 FE offer more for the same price.

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

Today's best Nokia 8.3 5G deals (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) $399.99 (opens in new tab) View (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) $875 (opens in new tab) View (opens in new tab) Show More Deals

Nokia 8.3 5G: Specs Price: $699

Display: 6.81-inch LCD (2400 x 1080; 60Hz)

CPU: Snapdragon 765G

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 128GB

Rear cameras: 64MP main (f/1.9); 12MP ultrawide (f/2.2); 2MP macro; 2MP depth

Front camera: 24MP (f/2.0)

Battery size: 4,500 mAh

Size: 6.8 x 3.1 x 0.35 inches

Weight: 7.76 ounces

Recent months have seen an explosion in the number of $699 phones that balance some premium features with prices well below what youd pay for a flagship device. Include the Nokia 8.3 5G in that group. Like its fellow $699 phones, this device built by HMD Global offers a reliable processor and a list of other specs that, on paper, seem quite competitive for the asking price. It certainly offers a better bang for buck than the Nokia 7.2.

And yet to my dismay, I dont like the Nokia 8.3 5G. Sure, there are some clear positives to go with that affordable price. But with so many other similarly priced phones on the market, our Nokia 8.3 5G review revealed an ultimately lackluster device that doesnt offer anything truly special to stand out from the crowd. Lacking some features that others have for the same cost makes it very forgettable.

Note that there are actually two 5G phones carrying the Nokia 8 name  this model and the Nokia 8 V 5G UW , which is an identically priced version retooled to work with Verizons high-speed 5G network. Other than that, these two Nokia 8 devices are essentially the same.

HMD Global actually introduced the Nokia 8.3 5G nearly a year ago, though it didnt reach the U.S. until very late in 2020. The $699 phone is available unlocked from Amazon (opens in new tab) as well as the Nokia website (opens in new tab). That $699 gets you a phone with 128GB of storage  double the amount found in the Verizon version of this same phone  and 8GB of memory.

Over in the UK, youll fork over 499.99 for a 64GB/6GB variant and in Australia, you get the same specs as the US for AU$899.

As far as the US is concerned, the Nokia 8.3 5G faces fierce competition from the likes of the Pixel 5 ($699), the Galaxy S20 FE ($699), the OnePlus 8T ($749). But there are even cheaper 5G phones like the Pixel 4a 5G ($499) and Galaxy A71 5G ($599) that measure up well against the Nokia 8.3. That presents HMD Global with an uphill battle in trying to carve out a space for this device. And as well see, it isnt always successful.

Nokia 8.3 5G review: Design

Ill just get the obvious out of the way. The Nokia 8.3 5G is a big phone  a real Oh Lawd He Comin on the Chonk Cat scale. I have large hands, and I can safely say that this is a two-handed device thats difficult to stash in a pocket.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Nokia 8.3 5G comes in at 6.8 x 3.1 x 0.35 inches and a weight of 7.76 ounces. For reference, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra , a large device in its own right, measures 6.5 x 3 x 0.32 inches and weighs 7.34 ounces. So surprisingly, the Nokia 8.3 is the heavyweight of these two devices.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Beyond that, the Nokia 8.3 5G is a looker with a gorgeous deep blue finish on the back. Its a fingerprint magnet, though, but when its wiped clean, its beautiful. Ill hand it to HMD  they designed a really pretty phone that catches light wonderfully.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The round, Zeiss-branded quad camera module sticks out noticeably from the Nokia 8.3s back, meaning the phone doesnt lay flat when you set it down on a table. For some reason, this has always bugged me, but your level of irritation may vary.

Along the right side of the frame is the Nokia 8.3s SIM/SD card tray, the volume rocker, and the power button, which doubles as the fingerprint sensor. Over on the left side is the Google Assistant button all by its lonesome. Thats an awkward placement that invites accidental presses, should you try to unlock the phone thinking youre hitting the power button. It doesnt help that both buttons are placed directly opposite of each other.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Over on the face of the Nokia 8.3 5G, theres a hole punch cutout for the front-facing camera in the top left corner and a rather noticeable chin with a Nokia logo. Im not a huge fan of the design direction here, especially with the comparatively large bottom bezel. Other phones in this price range minimize the chin, but HMD Global seemingly hasnt gotten the memo.

The Nokia 8.3 5G lacks any kind of IP rating for water resistance, so be careful with it near water. Theres also no wireless charging, something similarly priced rivals such as the Pixel 5 offer.

My other disappointment with the phone physically is the mono bottom-firing speaker. Its tinny and doesnt sound good at all. Notifications and system sounds made me grit my teeth, so I set the phone to vibrate and forgot about it until I watched a YouTube video. Having come from using a Pixel 4 XL and its stereo speakers, I found the Nokia 8.3 5Gs audio rather underwhelming.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Dont get me wrong, I mostly like the design of the Nokia 8.3 5G, even if it is a behemoth. Plus, theres a headphone jack on the bottom next to the USB-C port, something a lot of phone makers forego these days. There are just some quirks or poor decisions in other parts of the design that left me scratching my head.

Nokia 8.3 5G review: Display

Its the 6.81-inch 2400 x 1080 IPS LCD panel that makes the Nokia 8.3 5G so big. You get a 20:9 aspect ratio with a grand total of 386 pixels per inch, meaning that its not as sharp as a QHD display, though resolution will be fine for most people.

Colors are plenty vibrant with the display covering 142.5% of the sRGB color gamut. Thats more than the 128.8% covered by the Pixel 5 and about equal to the 140.6% covered by the LG Velvet , one of the more colorful displays weve seen among the $699 phones. Contrast on the Nokia 8.3 5G is pretty good, and the displays brightness hit a maximum of 607 nits with adaptive mode turned on. Thats about equal with the 610 nits that the Pixel 5 managed. Overall, the Nokia 8.3 features a nice LCD panel, even if it lacks the punch of an OLED with noticeably weaker blacks to boot.

When discussing color accuracy, the Nokia 8.3 5Gs display hits a Delta-E score of 0.28 in our lab tests (where the lower score is best). That beats the Galaxy S20 FEs 0.3 and the OnePlus 8Ts 0.29.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The big display is great for media consumption, especially gaming. Playing Xbox Game Pass titles such as Destiny 2 or Master Chief Collection was a joy especially with headphones hooked up. Dare I call the Nokia 8.3 5G screen immersive? I think so. It may not win awards, but it gets the job done with decent colors and good brightness.

The sad part about the Nokia 8.3 5Gs display is that the refresh rate is locked at 60Hz. If you havent experienced Android at higher frame rates before, Id forgive you for not caring. But once you see a 90Hz screen like the Pixel 5s or 120Hz like the Galaxy S20 FE, its really hard to forget how smooth scrolling is on those comparably priced phones.

Nokia 8.3 5G review: Camera

The Nokia 8.3 5Gs quad camera setup features a 64MP main shooter, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. Many of the images shot under well-lit conditions offer decent colors and detail. The ultrawide sensor is also fun and produces some good wide-angle pictures, perfect for large groups or landscape shots.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Only half of the camera array is useful, however, with the macro proving to be effectively pointless in comparison to a good zoom on the main lens. I also didnt notice too much use of the depth sensor in my photos compared to what I captured with my Pixel 4 XL  if anything, the Nokias shots appear to lack depth in comparison to the Pixels pictures.

You can see some real differences between the Nokia 8.3 5G and my Pixel 4 XL in this sample shot of a forest. The Nokia 8.3 5G seems to have overexposed the scene, while the Pixel captured sharp details and has a better sense of depth. The Nokias shot feels almost flat in comparison. Theres not a whole lot of color or light going on in this scene, but the Pixels image is noticeably better than the Nokias.

In this photo of my living room window (from the ground level under pitch black conditions), you can see the true difference between Googles Night Sight and the Nokia 8.3 5Gs night mode. The Pixel 4 XL pulls in so much more light and contains less noise than the Nokias effort. While you can still make some details, like the bricks and mortar of my house, the Nokia shot is noticeably darker. Both photos caught some of the tree shadows cast from a distant street light, which impressed me, even if the Pixels is clearer.

The Pixel 4 XL also captured the colors of the railroad bridge much better than the Nokia 8.3 5G. The latter warmed up the temperature more than the Pixel, making the rust look much more orange than it is in real life. Everything about that bridge is faded and the Pixel captures that true-to-life detail.

Lets chat about the portrait mode on the Nokia 8.3 5G. I had my photographer stand the same distance away from me with both phones, and you can clearly see the differences in just the zoom levels, though thats not the biggest takeaway from this comparison. More critically, theres a difference in how much light both phones bring in, with the Pixel 4 XL being a clear winner in both brightness and clarity. Toward the bottom of the picture on my sleeves, the Nokia made things noisy and blurry. If I was going to post either on my Instagram, the Pixel is the obvious winner with both its realism and artistic vibe.

When discussing the performance of the Nokia 8.3s 24MP selfie cam, you can see some notable differences between its self-portrait and the one I shot with the Pixel 4 XL. The Nokia cooled things down a lot, likely due to the blue from my shirt. The Pixel, meanwhile, captured the light better and kept the temperature much closer to reality. It also brought in the blue and even the threads of my shirt better than the Nokia, which sort of flattened my attire like it did with the outdoor shot we talked about at the top of this section.

Nokia 8.3 5G review: Performance

The Nokia 8.3 5G rocks a Snapdragon 765G, a step down from the Snapdragon 865 found in many of last years flagship Android phones. Still, the 765G is a very capable and reliable chip, and unless youre a spec junky, this chipset will be more than enough for your needs.

The Nokia 8.3 5G flies without a hitch, locking and unlocking quickly. Animations remain smooth and consistent, apps open almost immediately, and gaming performance is strong. The 8GB of RAM inside the Nokia 8.3 5G also helps things run well, and Im very impressed with how the Nokia 8.3 5G feels in daily use. I never once was left wanting for more oomph.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

In Geekbench 5, the Nokia 8.3 5G scored 1,878 for multicore. Compared to Snapdragon 865-powered phones like the Galaxy S20 FE (2,928) and OnePlus 8T (3,203), that is a lower score. But it was also better than a lot of other Snapdragon 765G-based phones like the Pixel 5 (1,617 on Geekbench 5) or the Snapdragon 765-powered Samsung Galaxy A71 5G (1,796).

In the graphics department, the Nokia 8.3 5G managed to earn a score of 1,664 (10 frames per second) in the 3DMark Wildlife Unlimited test. That was better than the Pixel 5 (1,160), but slightly behind the LG Velvet (1,680).

As noted, the Nokia 8.3 5G works just fine with low-band 5G coverage like the nationwide networks launched by AT&T and T-Mobile. If you want high-speed millimeter wave-based 5G, though, youll need to look elsewhere  like the Nokia 8 V 5G UW.

Nokia 8.3 5G review: Battery life and charging

Battery life is one of the Nokia 8.3 5Gs strongest selling points. The efficient Snapdragon 765G combined with the 4,500 mAh battery powering the phone makes for an excellent team, easily getting through two days in my use. Your mileage will vary depending on what you do and what you have going on in the background, but its possible to skip charging this at night sometimes.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

While we tested the Nokia 8.3 5Gs battery using the custom Toms Guide test where we have a phone surf the web over cellular until it runs out of power, we ran into a strange problem where the device would shut off with 10% of its battery still left. While we tried some fixes, including consulting with HMD Global, we were never able to run the test to its full completion, so we cant include the Nokia 8.3 5G on the best phone battery life list. Thats a shame, because the phone was usually around the 10 hours, 12 minutes mark when it hit 10% and shut down, so it likely would have lasted more than 11 hours. It certainly beat the Nokia 8 V 5G, which only lasted 8 hours and 26 minutes on the full test.

The Nokia 8.3 5G offers decent recharge speeds, getting back to 36% after half-an-hour of charging. Thats about equal to the Nokia 8 V 5G (34%), and Motorola Edge 5G (36%). An iPhone 12 mini can get to 60% in that time if you spring for a 20W charger.

Nokia 8.3 5G review: Software

Software is another of the Nokia 8.3 5Gs strengths. HMD Global is one of the last holdouts for the Android One program, which ideally operates a lot like Googles own Pixels do with fast updates.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Out of the box, you have a very stock, Pixel-like Android experience. Theres no fluff, no tweaks, just a clean interface. Having used Pixels (and Nexuses before them), Im well accustomed to Googles semi-minimalist vision. People who are used to Samsungs One UI or something similar may find things to be a bit spartan, but trust me, youll adjust.

There is, however, a sticking point with the software. See, HMD Global has promised two OS updates for the Nokia 8.3 5G, which is all well and good until you realize that Android 11 is one of those updates since this phone ships with Android 10 out of the box. That means the phone wont receive an Android version update past this years Android 12, especially with the Android 11 update now arriving on the Nokia 8.3.

Nokia 8.3 5G review: Verdict

Compromise is the name of the game with the Nokia 8.3 5G. Considering its affordable flagship pricing, I honestly expected more from this phone given what other similarly priced devices offer. But $699 earns you a Nokia phone with no wireless charging, IP rating or special features beyond 5G connectivity.

I have a soft spot for the Nokia brand name, so I wanted to like this phone. But when your $699 can buy you a Galaxy S20 FE or a Pixel 5, both of which have more to offer, its hard to justify a Nokia 8.3 5G purchase. And for $200 less, you can grab yourself a Pixel 4a 5G with the same Snapdragon 765G SoC and a better camera.

Despite some great performance and battery life, a good display and a pleasant software experience, theres not a lot that stands out about the Nokia 8.3 5G. In a world with so many similarly priced competitors, this is a phone that gets lost in a crowd.
When AMD launched its Bulldozer architecture in 2011, it quickly became clear that the FX-8150 wasnt a CPU capable of battling Intel in the enthusiast space, and we knew we had at least three subsequent revisions to sit through before a successor would take its place. This frustration wasnt ours alone. At the Technology Summit last week in Sonoma, California, AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su contrasted her excitement about Zen with a stinging critique of progress in the enthusiast CPU space, stating we believe that there has been no innovation in desktops over at least the last five years.

But the moment of truth is close at hand. AMD maintains that its next-gen design will be made available in Q1 2017, and based on what we just saw, the processor's specifications are certainly solidifying ahead of an imminent debut.

For starters, its no longer referred to by the architectural code-name "Zen," or by the desktop-specific implementation "Summit Ridge." Instead, youll see those first CPUs show up on store shelves under the "Ryzen" brand. (As in, the company's CPU portfolio is reborn, or risen. Think of that what you will.) For now, its distinct from the FX moniker, which just doesnt have the enthusiast cachet it did 13 years ago.

By AMDs own admission, Ryzen was designed for the high-end desktop market. The company already let us know that its top-end model would be an eight-core design with simultaneous multi-threading support, allowing 16 threads to better utilize the processors resources.

Early leaks showed engineering samples running at 2.8GHz. Then, AMD demonstrated a 3GHz Summit Ridge part against a Core i7-6900K artificially limited to 3GHz in Blender. Now we can report that the flagship Ryzen model will sport at least a 3.4GHz base clock (yes, it could end up higher). AMD isnt saying how much headroom is available for boost, but frequency is expected to ramp up even more in lightly-threaded workloads.

From New Horizon Event

To give us an idea of how the architecture fares at a static 3.4GHz, AMD ran another head-to-head benchmark against the Core i7-6900K at its Technology Summit event. This time, Intels CPU was operating in an out-of-the-box configuration (3.2GHz base, Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz), and in a HandBrake-based video transcoding task, Ryzen scored a narrow win. Now, we werent able to inspect both test machines, and AMD naturally picked a workload it knew itd excel in. But the fact were up 400MHz since August, and able to take on a stock -6900K, is promising.

As an aside, I would have loved to see AMD compare Zen to Skylake and/or Steamroller in a lightly-threaded benchmark, not only to encourage discussion of IPC improvements, but also to show the company was able to overcome one of Bulldozers weaknesses.

Some Config Details And SenseMI

At Hot Chips 28 back in August, AMDs architecture briefing revealed that each core has its own 512KB private L2 cache. So, a CPU complex (CCX) composed of four cores would have 2MB of total L2 and 8MB of L3 divided into four slices. An eight-core configuration consists of two CCXes, yielding 4MB of L2 and 16MB of L3 across the processor. This is what we're expecting from the flagship Ryzen chip.

The last piece of new information AMD is sharing about Ryzen involves a collection of features under an umbrella called SenseMI Technology. Three of its capabilities are targeted at optimizing efficiency, or maximizing performance within the processors thermal and power limits. Two others highlight intelligence built into the architecture, which should make it inherently faster.

The first, Pure Power, describes a modern closed-loop control system able to monitor temperature, clock rate, and voltage. AMD CTO Mark Papermaster said there are hundreds of sensors embedded into different parts of the die. These sensors pipe telemetry data to a management unit, which is then able to control individual pieces of IP. Constant adjustments based on Pure Powers various inputs purportedly let AMD reduce consumption for any given level of performance.

Inversely, Precision Boost aims to maximize clock rate at a given power level using the same control loop. It employs another algorithm that makes on-the-fly frequency adjustments in ~25MHz increments based on Pure Powers alterations. In other words, this exploits the power headroom leftover after optimizing the CPU's behavior to facilitate higher performance.

As you might imagine, there are ways enthusiasts can affect the readings taken by Pure Power, thereby influencing Precision Boost. Cooling plays a very obvious role in the processors operating temperature, so AMD said it will allow clock rates beyond Precision Boosts normal limits in cases when more aggressive coolers are used. The company calls this Extended Frequency Range and said its activated automatically. Details on the technology are scarce, but we wonder if theres a defined limit to XFRs range. Also, it would seem as though the demanding workloads able to benefit from higher frequencies would be the ones most likely to impose elevated temperatures.

Regardless of environmental variables, the fourth SenseMI feature should augment performance at all times, though its unclear whether any of what AMD calls Neural Net Prediction is new information or just a marketing term for known improvements to Zens front-end. The same goes for Smart Prefetch. Papermaster conceded that hed previously discussed Zens back-end hardware, but hadnt yet spoken to the algorithms responsible for ensuring data is resident in cache when its needed. Thus, Smart Prefetch represents AMDs effort to add sophistication to the way its architecture hides latencies and minimizes pipeline stalls.

From there, AMD reiterated interoperability between Ryzen and its AM4 platform, although none of what the company is saying today about its supporting subsystems is particularly fresh. Ahead of Hot Chips, we were told AM4s highlights would include DDR4 memory, PCIe 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen2, NVMe, and SATA Express. The company still isnt being specific about how many channels, lanes, or ports the first motherboards will expose, though.
As rebellious and politically incisive as they are fun and raucous, Dubioza Kolektiv hail from Bosnia and Herzegovina and have developed a reputation as one of the worlds must-see live acts.

Dubioza Kolektiv mix an eclectic range of influences, including ska, punk, reggae, electronic, hip-hop with traditional Balkan flavours, and inject this musical cocktail with politically incorrect lyrics.

Now one of the most popular live acts in Eastern Europe, having toured every corner of the continent, Dubioza Kolektiv will soon be showing Australian crowds whats made them so popular in their homeland.

With the band set to make their debut Australian appearances this December, we caught up with bass player and founding member Vedran Mujagic to discuss the origins and future of this unique project.

Tone Deaf: Your music is so varied, who or what are your inspirations?

Vedran Mujagic: Well, theres like eight people in the band each with their own particular influences. So its hard to articulate, really. But as a band weve never tried to define our musical style or fit into any genre.

Whats important to us is the stories were telling and were just trying to find the best musical background for certain lyrics, which is why you get such a diverse range of styles, were offering different perspectives.

TD: Can you describe Dubioza Collective for Australian audiences who arent familiar with the band? What are the stories you are trying to tell?

VM: We have albums in our language and in English and other languages. We aim for an international audience and were trying to make a difference. In our language we speak more about domestic issues, local politics, and the problems in our society.

The lyrics that are in English and other languages, theyre a bit different. We try to address issues that are a bit more, lets say, international. Everything from immigration, to the Syrian refugee crisis. Stories that can be understood more widely than perhaps our local issues.

TD: Dubioza is very active politically, in fact. What would you say are the biggest issues facing Europe at the moment and do those differ from what is happening in Eastern Europe specifically?

VM: I would say simply the rise of right-wingers everywhere. You can see all these parties gaining strength throughout Europe. Coming from the Balkans, weve had our own experiences with right-wingers and the war and refugee crises that result from that. We have a good starting point to talk about these issues.

TD: Whats your opinion of the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe? Refugees are a big political issue in Australia and many have criticised how the government here had handled the situation. Are you familiar with that?

VM: Its actually a very similar approach that Australia has taken to Western European countries, basically playing down the crisis. Everyone, the whole coalition that entered that part of the world, theyre very happy to sound alarms about the Middle East, but theyre not happy to deal with the refugee influx. Theyll say, Go back to your country and deal with the issues that youre escaping from. Its not exactly humane, lets say.

TD: Can you explain a bit about how the Bosnian war affected the band and you personally?

VM: Well what it did, really, was inspired this Do It Yourself attitude the band has. The biggest lesson we got from the war was that you have to do everything yourself and take a real punk rock approach to what we do, which how Dubioza has been since the beginning.

We produce our own records, design our own records, do our own social media, and everything is independent. From the beginning we understood we couldnt rely on anybody but ourselves. We learnt that from the war, because that was the only way to survive.

TD: If you were speaking to someone who wasnt familiar with the Bosnian war, how would you describe it to them? What was it fought over?

VM: [laughs] Its a very, very complex question and probably requires hours of very politically correct answering so nobody gets upset. But in the end, really what it was if you could see the consequences, youll see that a lot of these right-wingers got extremely rich and the rest of the population got extremely poor and a lot of people died. So really its about that, like any war.

TD: Can you talk a bit about Free.mp3? Whats your opinion of music copyright and piracy in 2016?

VM: I think that really what we wanted to say with that song was not just cheering for piracy. It was just our way to question the state of the music industry right now and really our philosophy has always been that the people who do pirate shouldnt be treated like people who committed violent crimes.

For us, its really just about questioning things and we think that there are other ways that bands can make a living off their music. Touring is just one way, there are lots of other ways to make money off what you do. We werent really trying to answer a question, we were just trying to ask it.

TD: You do albums specifically for different markets in Europe, be it in Spanish or other languages. Can you talk about that process? Is it just a matter of re-recording the vocals?

VM: Not really. We realised from the beginning that simply translating doesnt work. If you just change words then the musical background becomes obsolete, so we never tried to do that, we just make new music. And its not that we make music for a specific market, its just that we have our language, which will be understood in our region, and then music for the rest of the world.

See one of Eastern Europes biggest exports and one of their most vital protest bands do their thing live on their debut Australian tour this month  check below for details!

DUBIOZA KOLEKTIV AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES

Thursday December 22nd 2016

The Corner Hotel, Richmond

Tickets: The Corner Hotel

Friday December 23rd 2016

Fowlers Live, Adelaide

Tickets: Fowlers Live

Saturday December 24th 2016

Factory Theatre, Sydney

Tickets: Factory Theatre

Thursday 28th & Friday 29th December 2016

Woodford Folk Festival, QLD

Tickets: Woodford Folk Festival

Friday 29th December 2016

Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane

Tickets: Woolly Mammoth
Bliss N Eso are hot on the heels of the completion of their eagerly anticipated new album, Off The Grid. After dropping a killer new single in the form of Dopamine, the Australian hip-hop mavericks hit the triple j studios last week to unveil Friend Like You, their new single featuring Lee Fields.

After its premiere on Veronica & Lewis, the track is now available for your listening pleasure as the latest preview of Bliss N Esos hotly anticipated new album, which the band have now confirmed will be called Off The Grid. MC Bliss, MC Eso and DJ Izm will finally take the leash off their latest beast on Friday, 10th March.

Sometimes those dark times feel like they have you trapped and you can be a prisoner of your own mind, MC Bliss said of Friend Like You The song is an affirmation, a reminder that this prison has been built within your own mind, so at the end of the day youre the one with the power to break free.

Meanwhile, Off The Grid is the culmination of months of hard work in the lab. After completing their record-breaking Circus Under The Stars Tour back in 2014, the trio hit the studio for the first time in three years, bolstered by the albums themes of positive thinking and self-belief, which have marked all of their work.

Bliss N Eso National Tour Dates

Friday, 10th February 2017  SOLD OUT

The Govl Adelaide SA

Wednesday, 15th February 2017  SOLD OUT

170 Russell, Melbourne VIC

Thursday, 16th February 2017  SOLD OUT

Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
The end of year just appeared out of nowhere and smacked us in the face. We couldve sworn we were only just entering the middle of the year and now were already buying Christmas presents and putting together end-of-year lists.

If you havent heard, weve been looking back and reflecting on what was an incredible year of Australian music with our own small acknowledgment of the artists and releases that made our 2016 in the form of the Tone Deaf Awards.

But weve also been looking back at our own work throughout the year and reflecting on some of our more memorable pieces and even the ones that werent so memorable but still hold a special place in our hearts.

So without further ado, we present to you what we believe, in our humble opinions, were the best Tone Deaf reads of 2016.

The True Story Behind The Rise & Collapse Of Shebeen

What actually transpired to result in the closure of Melbournes favourite philanthro-pub? Why did the venue close so suddenly and what was their actual relationship with their affiliate charities? The answers, as we discovered during our extensive investigation into the rise and eventual collapse of Shebeen, were related.

Read it in full here.

12 Forgotten Aussie Albums That Deserve To Be Remembered

We got to thinking about all the Aussie albums that were in fact critically acclaimed or well-received and even commercially successful upon release, but rarely get played or even mentioned today. These are the albums that were coming through everybodys speakers a few years ago, but youll rarely hear on triple j, your mates iPod, or see in the lists of the greatest Aussie albums, even though you really should.

Read it in full here.

Are Musicians Becoming Obsolete?

We at Tone Deaf like to think of ourselves as something of a musician-first publication. Were about Aussie music and we try to fight for the little guy, especially if theyre facing big competition. So we were a little concerned when we saw all these reports of AI music and holographic bands and decided to ask a frightening question: are musicians becoming obsolete?

Read it in full here.

We Should Be Talking About Triple J Adding Beyonce To High Rotation

Controversy was redefined when triple j put the clampdown on a viral campaign to put Taylor Swift in their annual Hottest 100 countdown, so when the national youth broadcaster announced that Swifts fellow pop queen Beyonce would serve as Album Packet (kind of like a feature album, but not) for a week, more than a few eyebrows were raised.

Read it in full here.

The Story Behind The Meteoric Rise Of Beyond The Valley

Of all the new music festivals that join the already busy market were lucky enough to have in Australia, Beyond The Valley is easily a standout achiever. Its managed to become a staple even of the New Years holiday period in just a few short years, commanding world-class lineups and sold-out crowds. Heres how it all happened.

Read it in full here.

Reclaim Australia Is The Raw, Undeniable Protest Music That Australia Needs

Few albums released in Australia this year were as talked about as the debut release from A.B. Original. Entitled Reclaim Australia, the project was the brainchild of respected Indigenous Australian emcees Briggs and Trials, who together with a list of star collaborators formulated one of the most vital and incendiary protest albums ever to come out of this country.

Read it in full here.

Just How Prolific Are King Gizzard, Really?

If theres one word you could use to describe Melbourne psychedelic collective King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, its certainly prolific. The band have managed to release some eight albums in the span of about four years and recently announced their ninth, the first of five they will be dropping in the new year. But are they really as prolific as they seem?

Read it in full here.

Violent Soho Are Out To Prove Hungry Ghost Wasnt Just Some Fluke

Few Aussie bands will get to experience the kind of overnight success that Violent Soho saw following the release of Hungry Ghost and its immortal single Covered In Chrome. However, as longtime fans of the band will know, the bands rise wasnt as overnight as it seems. Theyd in fact been a struggling band for years and were more than prepared when success came knocking and werent about to just let it out of their grasp.

Read it in full here.

DMAs Talk About What Its Like Coming Home To A Dead City

DMAs have spent the last 12 months racking up the frequent flyer points, embarking on successful tours of Europe, the UK, and the United States, as well as here at home. When we caught up with Australias foremost buzz band made good, we had to ask what it was like leaving bustling cities with vibrant nightlife scenes to come home to a dead city in the grips of the lockout laws.

Read it in full here.

Who Is Actually Australias Biggest Band?

The conversation of who Australias biggest band is one of those ongoing pub debates that doesnt really have an answer, so we decided to answer it. We had a look at all of the bands most often cited as Australias biggest and looked at the reasons why we decide one band is bigger than another.

Read it in full here.

With All Due Respect, Its Time For AC/DC To Just Let It Be

We, like all Australians, absolutely love AC/DC. How could you not? Theyre one of Australias most influential and important bands and their discography is absolutely timeless. But we reckon its time for the band to hang it up and just be proud of all theyve achieved, before its too late and they start to tarnish their incredible legacy.

Read it in full here.
Police chief Darryl Forte mapped the city's "problem" areas during Tuesday's Police Board meeting. He said blighted neighborhoods and poverty continue to be a catalyst for violence in the same parts of town.





"75 percent of our violent crimes occurs in 34 square miles of the city," said Forte.





Those 34 square miles encompass St. John Avenue to 85th Street and Troost Ave. to Topping. Forte says this area has been a problem for more than 30 years.

More conversation about Kansas City's horrific murder count wherein the top cop cites social ills as the source of a record-breaking murder spree this year . . .Deets:You decide . . .
THE PETITION EFFORT AGAINST COUNCILMAN CHRIS MORENO PROVED SUCCESSFUL, WAS RECENTLY CERTIFIED AND NOW MOVES TOWARD THE BALLOT NEXT YEAR!!!

WHEREAS, the Jackson County Board of Election Commissioners reviewed the submitted petition and on December 9, 2016 certified that the petition contained 621 valid signatures from registered voters in District 4; and,





WHEREAS, the City Clerk for the City of Lees Summit certified to the Council that said petition was sufficient on December 12, 2016.





NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LEE'S SUMMIT, MISSOURI, as follows:





SECTION 1. That an election be, and the same is hereby ordered to be held in the City of Lees Summit, Missouri, on April 4, 2017, pursuant to Section 115.123 RSMo, as amended, and Section 10.6(c) of the Charter of the City of Lees Summit, Missouri for the purpose of submitting to the qualified voters of said city the following question:





QUESTION





Shall District 4 Councilmember Christopher Moreno be recalled?

Once again the career path of a Kansas City metro politico confronts a major challenge in the aftermath of a policy disagreement that quickly turned into a vicious personal dispute.Accordingly . . .Our blog community wasand the. Councilman Moreno is still pushing that issue forward andBut here's the real deal . . .Chris Moreno started out as a strong advocate of Democratic Party union values and quickly worked his way pretty high up the political food chain in Missouri. For better or worse, he moved on to consulting wherein he alienated just about every politico in Jackson County in a divisive election dispute that dragged on far too long and wasn't at all productive. He did a minor bit of re-branding and made a very sincere effort to focus on his Conservative values and faith out in the suburbs . . .But his passionate, some say combative, style simply overwhelmed the suburbanites in a way that was far more "in your face" than even the slap-fighting that typically accompanies Courthouse politics. Thewas the tipping point for Councilman Moreno and kinda spoiled a recent, inspiring election victory that was won by way of church friends and a lot of hard work campaigning in his community.And here we are . . .There is not a person in the KCMO area who can deny that Councilman Moreno is a hard worker with a vast knowledge politics, procedural rules and election issues . . . But here's the lesson that holds a lot of meaning in the Trump era . . . Councilman Moreno's ability to inspire animosity in his political adversaries resulted in bitter feud that's uncharacteristic and out of place given the low stakes of suburbanite politics.Sent our way buttelling us thatfor the Councilman,. Check the latest progress of the petition now moving forward:Developing . . .
- The close defeat was the only bright side for Democrats in Missouri and they're clinging to it desperately.





- Like it or not, the most expensive contest in Missouri history demonstrates Jason Kander's ability to raise BIG MONEY which puts him far ahead of most Missouri Democratic Party denizens.





- Still not 40 . . . SecState Kander still has time to position himself as part of the progressive youth movement among the Democratic Party which many suggest is their only hope.

SecState Jason Kander is currently the king of Twitter in Missouri and the only politico in the region to suffer a defeat and actually come out of the TRUMP GOP landslide better off . . .the enthusiastic musings of MSM reporters are to be believed.Anyhoo . . .In his latest volley of great publicityThe pep talk is reveals that SecState Kander is still on the political warpath. Additionally . . .Final silly TKC insight . . . Yes, there is just a bit speculation that SecState Kander couldand compete for the Presidency in 2020. Right now he's the only person who has the military background to call our Prez-Elect Trump on all of this negative Russian hacking publicity.You decide . . .
Having experienced populism, Greece is returning to pragmatism

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the president of New Democracy, is confident that if elections take place in 2017, his party will win them, a view he expresses in an article about him in this weeks Newsweek.

Mitsotakis believes that the political future of the country is clear, as reflected in the polls. While centrist forces in Europe are in retreat, NDs leader maintains that the country experienced populism but is now turning towards pragmatism. The pendulum tends to swing [back] in the other direction, he told Newsweek. I think thats where we are right now.

According to Mitsotakis, the leftist party SYRIZA won the January 2015 elections because its leader, Alexis Tsipras, promised he would negotiate a write-off of a portion of Greeces debt as well as an increase in public expenditure. Mr. Tsipras offered easy and convenient promises to problems requiring difficult solutions, the ND leader stressed.

The problem, according to the conservative opposition leader, is that the current government does not have ownership of the reform program. There is still tremendous internal debate within the government every time there has to be a privatization, and every time it is asked to support private entrepreneurship and growth, he said. The answer to populism is to tell people the truth.

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
Skai, the Dubai-based real estate and hospitality group, said it has completed its flagship Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai hotel and residences project and will officially open its doors in March.



The Dh4.3-billion ($1.17 billion) development was awarded its building permit and completion certificate (BCC) from Trakhees on November 14, more than two weeks ahead of schedule, said a statement from the UAE developer.



Featuring a striking amphitheatre design, the Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai comprises 477 spacious rooms and suites and 221 signature Viceroy Residences as well as 10 restaurants and nightlife settings, spa, beach, pool, Kids Only club and health and wellness areas.



Guests and residents will get to enjoy breath-taking views of the Arabian Sea, Dubai Marina and Downtown Dubai through the use of innovative architecture and design, said the developer.



The handover of 221 signature Viceroy Residences to owners has also begun.



Kabir Mulchandani, Group CEO, commented: "The completion of our flagship project, Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai, ahead of schedule is testament to Skais commitment and confidence in Dubais growing hospitality sector."



"Over the last two years the Skai team and our partners, China State Construction Engineering Corporation (Middle East), have been on site overseeing more than 4,000 staff to ensure its completion," he stated.



"With the official opening in March 2017, Skai will not only redefine the concept of an urban destination but also cement our reputation for unsurpassed quality," he added.



Bill Walshe, the chief executive of Viceroy Hotel Group, said: "The completion of the Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai marks the opening of our first hotel in Dubai and is an important milestone in our continued growth in the region."



We are extremely privileged to work with the Skai team to create a hotel that will offer exceptional and inspiring experiences for guests, setting a new benchmark for luxury hospitality in Dubai, noted Walshe.



The propertys attractive location at the base trunk of The Palm Jumeirah makes it easily accessible from the mainland of Dubai.



The hotel is a short drive from a number of leading business and tourist attractions such as Dubai Marina, Dubai Media City and Mall of the Emirates and Downtown Dubai.



The Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai was also one of the first in Dubai to offer an investment model that enabled buyers to purchase hotel rooms in order to participate in the citys growing hospitality segment.



"Inspired by the amphitheatre-like design of the hotel, we have embraced the concept of theatre," remarked Mikael Svensson, general manager of Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai.



"Our guests will discover a unique experience where they may become both actor and audience during their stay with us. Each Viceroy colleague will undertake training with a theatrical troupe to enhance our level of guest engagement, and service spontaneity," he added.



Skai said construction work is also on track at its second hospitality and residential project, the Viceroy Dubai Jumeirah Village. The luxury five-star tower, which is set to commence operation in 2018, is currently 32 per cent complete.



The Dh1.28-billion ($348.4 million) tower will feature 247-hotel rooms and suites as well as 221 one and two-bedroom hotel apartments and 33 four-bedroom hotel apartments all with private pools.



The Viceroy Dubai Jumeirah Village is strategically located in close proximity to three of Dubais arterial roads (Al Khail Road, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and Hessa Street) and a short drive from Dubais new Al Maktoum International Airport and Expo 2020 site.-TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Arabia's education ministry has announced plans to launch a partnership initiative with the private sector to promote development of school buildings and infrastructure across the kingdom.



The public-private partnership (PPP) plan is part of a wider initiative to support the kingdoms Vision 2030 strategy and provide exciting opportunities for investment by private companies in this sector, said experts ahead of a major conference in Riyadh.



The Investment and Finance in Educational Buildings Conference will be held at the Ministry of Educations headquarters in Riyadh from January 10 to 11.



The summit will see experts focus on new funding initiatives, including PPP models, investment opportunities and financing options, said Tatweer Building Company CEO Fahad Al Hammad.



The upcoming event will facilitate the involvement of investors, developers, suppliers and consultants from the construction, education and real estate sectors both at home and abroad together with banks, financial institutions, researchers and private education institutions to discuss how the industry can move forward as one to meet the vision set out by Saudi Arabias Vision 2030.



One of the key goals of Saudi Arabias Vision 2030 strategy is to promote the development of the kingdoms education sector and to upgrade its infrastructure," stated Al Hammad.



For Tatweer Buildings Company, this conference provides a unique opportunity to discuss the role that it will be playing to promote and fulfill the kingdoms Vision 2030, remarked Al Hammad.



The conferences most important topics will include sessions on financial mechanisms related to land-lease building (LLB), build maintain and transfer (BMT), public-private partnership (PPP) models for the private education sector, and asset investment vehicles, he added.



"As a partner with the ministry, Tatweer has benefited greatly from our work in preparing for and creating this initiative. We have employed international experts in the fields of construction and financing, with whom we have undertaken 10 research studies and reviewed 30 different mechanisms in order to promote public-private partnerships for the development of educational infrastructure," he noted.



According to him, the ministrys aim is to markedly improve the time it takes to build high-quality buildings designed specifically for educational purposes.



"Today, Tatweer Buildings Company is implementing over 590 real estate projects for the education sector, of which 117 have been completed and are ready for use," he added.



Dr Saad bin Saud Al Fuhaid, the undersecretary to the Minister of Education for Private Education, said: "We are committed to strengthening our partnership with the private sector, so that we have the capacity to deliver the educational infrastructure the country needs."



"This events timing is important, as we want to highlight the investment opportunities in the private education industry which is expanding rapidly," he stated.



"We would like to see the private sector more involved in this growth, to support our aspiration for higher quality buildings and infrastructure which is in line with our policy of licensing buildings for educational purposes," noted Dr Al Fuhaid.



Yunus Bin Omar Al Barrak, the undersecretary to the Minister of Education for Infrastructure, said building and maintaining of infrastructure and facilities specifically designed for education will help improve the quality offered as well as reduce operating costs.



"This initiative will reduce the cost to the state while also providing the private sector with investment opportunities. We will also be able to rapidly boost the capacity for producing purpose-made education buildings and do away with the need to rent infrastructure that is not designed for this purpose," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Although countries across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) have made major strides in protecting children's rights and wellbeing since the inception of the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) 70 years ago, conflict risks reversing these gains for 157 million children in the region, said a top official.



Looking back on 70 years of Unicef's work for children is a source of great pride. Every country in the region has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, less children die before the age of five, and school enrolment rates have improved, said Geert Cappelaere, Unicef Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, in a recent press release.



But conflict risks reversing these gains for 157 million children across the region, making our mandate to protect them more crucial than ever, he added.



According to Unicef, nearly one in five children across the Mena region is in need of immediate humanitarian assistance, with violent conflict, poverty and displacement creating dire conditions that push almost 29 million boys and girls to the brink.



After years of conflict across the region, children have increasingly come under attack and suffer the brunt of war in half of the countries in the region.



According to Unicef data, an estimated 8.4 million Syrian children are in need of immediate assistance for shelter, food and water, compared to 500,000 in 2012. Nearly half a million children are living in besieged areas in Syria and have received little to no aid in almost two years.



Almost 10 million children in Yemen are affected by conflict and living in critical conditions, with nearly 400,000 at risk of severe acute malnutrition, it stated.



Extreme brutality against children is rife in Iraq. According to reports, nearly 400 child rights violations were recorded since January 2016. The ongoing military operation in Mosul has displaced nearly 74,000 people, almost half of them children.



In Sudan, Libya and the State of Palestine, conflict has pushed millions of children out of their homes and schools and denied them access to basic services.



These grim figures on our 70th anniversary should be an urgent wake up call to the world to work harder so that each and every child across the Middle East and North Africa can survive, thrive and be reach their full potential, stated Cappelaere.



This is not a lost generation. History will judge us: we must invest more in the region's children today, he added.



Through the No Lost Generation, Unicef has helped provide formal and informal learning opportunities for Syrian refugees in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon.



In Syria and neighbouring refugee-host countries, Unicef has helped vaccinate over 21 million children against polio in 2016, and in Sudan, over 82,000 children have received psycho-social support this year.



Since January, four million children in Yemen have received nutritional services with support from Unicef, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Gulfood 2017, the worlds largest food and hospitality event, will feature a new show format to optimise product sourcing and investment potential when it opens at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) in February.



To increase accessibility and trading potential, Gulfood 2017 will focus on finished food and beverages and highlight eight of the biggest commodity trading sectors with dedicated halls organised by Beverages; Dairy; Fats & Oils; Health, Wellness & Free-From; Pulses, Grains & Cereals; Meat & Poultry; Power Brands and World Food.



Trixie Loh Mirmand, senior vice president, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC, said: Not only will Gulfoods new sectorised format allow visitors to get straight to business assessing quality and benchmarking price in their respective segments, but it will also lead to deeper market insights and trend awareness through focused consultation with the right experts in one place.



The sectorisation of Gulfood comes amid growing global sales across the eight show components. Global beverage sales are forecast to achieve year-on-year growth of 3.9 per cent in 2016 according to online market data and research portal, Statistica.com; the international dairy industry will shake-off the excess milk production and sluggish demand of recent years to post a slow recovery from 2017 onwards predicts IMARC Group; while the global fats and oils market is projected to reach a value of $247.78 billion by 2021 cites Markets&Markets.com.



In addition to boosting travel, tourism and trade across the emirate, we expect the new sectorised format at Gulfood 2017 to generate billions of dirhams in legacy trading throughout the year and further enhance Dubais status as one of the worlds primary food trade re-export hubs, added Loh Mirmand.



The emirate is already the worlds biggest re-exporter of rice, coffee and tea, and Gulfood opens the door to international food industry professionals to learn more about the recent infrastructure and mega project developments  such as Dubai Wholesale City  that will further transform the emirates strategic potential as a re-export hub for the global food industry.



As part of this major re-alignment global buyers will discover more than 1,000 new-to-show food and beverage producers. With space already completely sold-out to exhibitors, Februarys event will span more than 1,000,000 sq ft of indoor exhibition space and purpose-built temporary structures that welcome a wave of new product innovations and services in-line with consumer demand both regionally and internationally.



As a key example, Halal World Food will further cement its standing as the worlds largest annual Halal food sourcing trade show through the new sectorised format. As international visitors continue to source a wide range of halal products for domestic markets, the vast majority of Halal-certified products at Gulfood will be showcased in a dedicated Meat & Poultry zone.



This will enable buyers to easily locate and appraise produce relevant to their needs, whilst also acquiring granular insight into investment opportunities entering the Halal sector throughout the world.



Loh Mirmand continued: Returning to Gulfood for a third consecutive year, Halal World Food aligns perfectly with Dubais objective to become a global Islamic economic capital. As one of Gulfoods fastest-growing components, we are committed to making Halal World Food accessible and convenient for the many thousands of buyers eager to explore innovative sourcing options in this increasingly lucrative sub-sector.



Gulfood 2017will feature 120 national pavilions including first-time participants from as far afield as Malta, Finland and Slovakia. The show will also see hundreds of international heads of state, ministers, government officials and scores of national trade associations eager to ink lucrative bi-lateral trade agreements among tens of thousands of anticipated visitors. Gulfood 2017 will host more than 5,000 local, regional and international companies from 120 countries displaying hundreds of thousands of finished food and beverage products.



In addition to its significantly expanded sourcing opportunities, one of Gulfoods undisputed draws is the annual Emirates Culinary Guild International Salon Culinaire  the worlds largest single-entry chef competition. The Salon Culinaire will raise the profiles of more than 1,000 of the regions top professional chefs, pastry chefs, cooks and bakers for a series of competitions evaluated by a panel of renowned experts mandated by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) to judge culinary events across the globe.



Elsewhere, the eighth edition of the Gulfood Innovation Awards will recognise best-in-class excellence and innovation across the regions food and drink industry. Divided into 20 categories, the highly-prestigious event is judged by an international panel of independent industry experts, with winners to be announced during the industry-renowned gala ceremony that is hosted alongside the exhibition.



Gulfood 2017, which runs from February 26 to March 1, is a trade event open strictly to business and trade visitors.  TradeArabia News Service
National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) and Russian gas company Gazprom signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on gas trade and investment Tuesday in a ceremony in Tehran, Iran.



Managing director of NIGC Hamid Reza Araqi and deputy managing director of Gazprom Alexander Medvedev signed the deal in the presence of Iranian co-chairman of Joint Economic Commission Mahmoud Vaezi and Russian energy minister Alexander Novak, reported Irna.



A Russian 30-member delegation paid a visit to Iran last January and first meeting for cooperation of the two companies was convened.



Given extensive dimensions of gas industry, it was decided by the meeting to form five working groups on various areas such as gas trade and research and development.



It was declared at the meeting that Iran has the capacity to make over $62 billion investment in gas sector in the coming years.



After a lapse of a year since the establishment of specialized working groups of NIGC and Gazprom, a cooperation deal was also signed by Araqi and Medvedev.
Travellers flying on Etihad Airways from Kuwait to the US will be able to experience the benefits of arriving in the US with the pre-cleared US Customs and Border Protection in Abu Dhabi.



The US preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport Terminal 3 is the only one of its kind in the Middle East and provides travellers with a unique opportunity to pass through all required checks including US customs, immigration and security, conveniently before they board their flights to the US, enabling them to avoid long queues on arrival.



With this unique facility, guests can also through-check their baggage to their final destination in the US, where they arrive as domestic passengers, allowing them to save valuable time connecting to other flights or on to their final destination.



US destinations served by Etihad Airways include New York (JFK), Chicago (ORD), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO) and Washington DC (IAD).



First and Business Class guests travelling to any of the six US destinations from Abu Dhabi can use the stylish US Premium Lounge, located within the US preclearance facility, after having cleared US Immigration and Customs. - TradeArabia News Service
Planning to travel the world and start with the Land of the Rising Sun? Traveling to Japan especially in Tokyo and Osaka is not really budget-friendly, and can cost you more than you bargained for. In any case, this doesn't entirely mean that you should surrender this amazing goal just because of the price you'll pay.

The answer to your problems is here, an internet cafe in Tokyo and Osaka called Net Maru is turning out to be progressively mainstream among travelers especially with tourists who are on a budget. This internet cafe turns into a "hotel" that offer clean spaces and shower facilities for visitors to utilize.

But the best part hasn't been laid out yet, according to Asia One, this "inn" comes at an extremely moderate cost. You can pay as low as 1,990 yen or $17 for a 12-hour stay computed to $175 a week.

Net Maru was originally an internet cafe but now serves as a basic settlement for individuals who are searching for a tidy, convenient, and budget-friendly place where they can stay. As per Kotaku, this cafe provides the traveler a starter pack.

The internet cafe offers a snuggly sleeping area with blankets for rent that costs 200 yen each or around $2 and shower facilities, which cost 100 yen or approximately $1.20 for a 10-minute shower. If their customers did not bring towels, they also allow guests to rent one for 400 yen or just under $5.

For female travelers, they also offer a female-only floor and rooms which also offers exclusive female powder rooms. Coin lockers are also provided to store guests' personal items, as well as a room to store your large luggage. Net Maru also has a common laundry room with washing machines that are cash-operated.

The Net Maru also provides water dispensers and microwave ovens for heating food. The "hotel" also has a designated smoking room and has free Wi-Fi. Their room comes with internet connected computers for travelers and tourists who needs their social media updated with their latest travel.

Currently, Net Maru is located in Tokyo and Osaka. Should you need a place to stay at a very low price, Net Maru is here to save the day.

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Recently, the world has been on full alert with the rampant outbreak of the Zika Virus all over the globe. Many cities and countries have been inflicted, and one of them is Miami, Florida.

For months government officials and the CDC have been in full cooperation to contain the outbreak of the Zika virus in their state, with the virus appearing in their local area since July. And just last Friday, Florida Governor Rock Scott has announced that Miami is now Zika-free, which means that there is no local virus transmission.

The Zika virus is often carried by mosquitoes and is quite similar to the Dengue fever. What's dangerous about it is that it often shows only mild symptoms, like fever, headaches, muscles and joint pain, but if transmitted to pregnant women, the effects would be much worse.

Pregnant women who are afflicted with the Zika Virus may suffer from miscarriage and stillbirth; also, the fetus will most likely have a chance of being afflicted with microcephaly, a birth defect that results to a smaller than normal head, because of the brain not being able to develop properly. Zika Virus can also be sexually transmitted.

In their latest Zika update, the CDC said: "There have been no new cases of local Zika virus transmission identified in South Miami Beach 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." This was greatly cheered by local residents.

However, the CDC and other public health officials still reminded the local residents of Miami to stay vigilant, because it is still possible for the Zika Virus to become present in their area again. This was emphasized by Dr. Celeste Philip, state surgeon general and secretary of the Florida Department of Health.

"I want to remind everyone that disruption of local transmission is extremely significant, but we must be vigilant. Miami is popular, and travelers will continue to bring it into our state."

"So we must remain on alert and continue protective efforts: Use repellant, keep your skin covered as much as possible, and we can't forget about risk associated with sexual transmission," Philip said.

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Before packing your bags and heading straight to your destination, have you ever thought whether your destination agrees with your horoscope? Whether or not this is true, there is something about the stars' alignment that could predict our future.

In courtesy of Travel and Leisure and Refinery 29, they came up with vacation destinations based on your zodiac sign by decoding the typical traits for each horoscope and looking for the perfect destination to match the personality.

The perfect getaway for a Capricorn (born on Dec. 22 - Jan 19) is a boat cruise through the Balearic Islands in Spain. Since these types of people rarely travel alone, this travel destination allows a Capricorn to enjoy the place they visit and enjoy several activities at the same time.

For people born on Jan. 20 to Feb. 18, Aquarius people are known to seek adventures on their own because they love independence. When it comes to travel destinations, Aquarians does not mind going back to a location they have been before, but a trip to Japan might be good for a new travel destination. Good news, we have the perfect place for you to try if you're on a budget trip.

Pisces are highly influenced by their surrounding, people born from Feb. 19 - March 20, Kauai or one of the islands in Hawaii is the place to be. This allows Pisces to be far away from everything, but not on their own imagination.

The people who are always on the go, Aries (born on March 21 - April 19) are recommended to visit a place like Rugen, a German island in the Baltic Sea. Arian travelers would prefer a vacation that's constantly on the move instead of spending their vacation days on a poolside.

A tour of California's wine country in Napa and Sonoma would complement the taste of a Taurus (born on April 20 - May 20). Since Taurus is known for being warmhearted and loving, they also love to self-indulge and it is the best place to feel pampered and great food.

People born on May 21 - June 20 are people who are known for being adaptable to almost any situation. Geminis are wanderlusts and loves traveling from one place to another, which is why London is the best vacation place for them. London offers several options on tourist spots, which is perfect for the female solo traveler.

Cancers (born on June 21 - July 22) aren't always seen on the outdoors and it's hard for these people to stay out of their comfort zones. If not a family get-together, then an escape to a cozy bed and breakfast in Amsterdam is your perfect destination.

For people who are always drawn to wherever the drama and action is, Leo (born on July 23 - August 22). The perfect destination for a Leo is New York City. This trip will surely look beautiful on Instagram for Leos who always loves to be the center of attention.

Virgos (born on Aug. 23 - Sep. 22) should take a walk through Paris, France. Virgos want more from their vacation rather than just an escape from daily routines. These late-summer babies are born to enjoy the rich history and culture of France.

A trip to Cinque Terre in Italy is perfect for a Libra (Sep. 23 - Oct. 22). Libras love tranquility and always have a thing for the romantic and charming so it is no question that Italy is the place to be.

Scorpio's intense nature born on the days between Oct. 23 - Nov. 21 wants a trip to the wilderness but does not want to go all rough. The perfect vacation for Scorpios is glamping (or luxury camping) in Indonesia particularly Moyo Island.

Sagittarius (born on Nov. 22 - Dec. 1) can't resist their urge to touch their feet to a new land. Instead of just touching the land, most Sagittarius completely immerse themselves in the country's culture. A majestic outdoor experience in South America would be a memorable experience for Sagittarius.

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Moxy Hotels, one of Marriott International's hotel brand is increasing their influence all around Europe. With established Moxy Hotels in Milan, New Orleans and Berlin, we can say that Moxy Hotels are quite successful. Marriott International's Moxy Hotel brands aims to give travelers things they need and long for and go against things they do not wish. Moxy Hotels uses the phrase "everything they (travelers) want".

According to reports from Marriott News and Breaking Travel News, Moxy Hotels is launching their new territory in the UK. This new territory is called the Moxy Aberdeen Airport. It aims to provide travelers the fun and comfortable experience they deserve at a low price. This new hotel offers a 24/7 open place to cater travelers at any time. It incorporates new technologies to make staying and transacting with the hotel easier and more comfortable.

Unique and entertaining design is used to make the hotel look fun and approachable. The hotel will be using some organic materials like organic and linear linens to give guests a wonderful experience. As the Moxy Hotel aims to bring fun and enjoyment to a whole new level, the hotel allows people to mingle and meet each other as they provide great services especially for those foreign travelers.

The hotel's location is also easy for travelers as it is located near the Aberdeen International Airport. The Moxy Aberdeen Airport also offers tons of facilities travelers can use. Coffee bars, bars and restaurant are all available for guests to enjoy. According to the global brand director of Moxy Hotels, Vicki Poulos, "Moxy's newest outpost in the urban city of Aberdeen will embody the brand's contemporary and playful design in a tech enabled environment- a dynamic setting for the first Moxy Hotel in the United Kingdom."

Poulos also added, "As an established hub for business with growing tourism industry, we look forward to introducing this experiential and affordable brand to fun hunter travelers." It's quite amazing how a hotel aimed for providing fun experiences like never before can actually offer services for a low price.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
It's never too early to plan for summer. Jestar introduced new flights from Sydney to tropical Whitsunday in 2017. And how to best celebrate it? By doing a crazy pre-Christmas sale.

The cheap fares are currently on sale for just $59, but enthusiasts would have to act quickly, since the sales ends at midnight on Thursday December 15.

The new three-times-weekly flight service from Sydney to Queensland's Whitsunday Coast Airport will begin on April 4. Passengers will make the flight to the airport on board an Airbus A320 with the capacity for 180 people.

"The Whitsunday Coast has been compared to the Noosa of 15 years ago, and Jetstar is driving its popularity with affordable flights to the region", Carly Povey, Jetstar Australia and New Zealand Head of Commercial said.

In addition to the new route, flights from Brisbane will increase from seven to ten over peak periods beginning December 13, while year-round flights from Melbourne will increase from three to four per week starting March.

The Whitsunday Coast Airport is the gateway for popular locations like the Great Barrier Reef. The new flights will bring in 170,000 visitors to the region each year, which would mean massive economic benefits to the region, Tourism Whitsunday CEO Craig Turner said.

Meanwhile, TigerAir also announced 55,000 extra seats per year to the Whitsunday Coast Airport, increasing the number of flights from Brisbane and Sydney, Tourism Queensland told Daily Mail Australia.

Queensland Tourism and Major Events Minister Kate Jones said: "We know every extra visitor means more money for local businesses, which supports jobs for locals"

"The tourism industry in Mackay and the Whitsundays is worth more than $3 billion to the local economy, supporting more than 13,000 jobs. We know more than 330 jobs are expected to be created in the local tourism industry in the next five years," Jones concluded.

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The United Kingdom of Great Britain or popularly known as the UK is one of the toughest and sovereign country in the Western Europe. The United Kingdom is largely surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean while giving it the longest coastline in the world.

The United Kingdom being one of the most developed countries was also blessed with small yet best towns that you can choose to visit at any of your convenient time. Travel and Leisure has reported that these towns have been among the most talked about towns that most of the tourists are visiting.

Here are UK's best small towns that you can consider based from their recent recommendations.

1. Beverly, East Yorkshire - This is one of the best yet small towns in the UK that will showcase you its repaired streets, their top-notch church and will even show you their Gregorian-inspired residences. They also have establishments which offer a variety of drinks and which are mostly old-fashioned in style. For best accommodations, you can refer to their recent reviews about Gregorian homes for you to have your best stay.

2. Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria - This is one of the best towns in the UK which was known for being the lake district since it has been situated near their lake. The town offers its visitors with scenic destinations likes national parks, River Lune, and explore a day to have a walk at their Ruskin's view. There are also lots of accommodations that you can choose to stay. Some of the best choices are the Barbon Inn, Sun Inn, and the Royal Hotel.

3. Pickering, North Yorkshire - This is one of the most known towns since it was the place where Dad's Army film was shot. The town offers some delightful pubs, Dalby forest that is best for mountain biking and Middleton Tea Parlor for the best refreshments.

You can also look for more information on UK's best small towns by subscribing to recent reviews and recommendations from Reader's Travel.

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Get yourself an ultimate beach getaway and come to the exquisite paradise of Palawan. You might think you need to have plenty of cash and time first before you can get a taste of this paradise. But kid you not; you can actually visit Palawan and all its wonders in just three days.

For Day 1, you should be landed in Puerto Princesa, Palawan's main capital, before noon. After that, book yourself a van and go straight to El Nido. It's a pretty long drive ( 4-5 hours ) so make sure you have plenty of snacks on hand in case you get hungry. You can view the picturesque landscape of the island through your van window, so the long drive is actually worth it.

You'll probably arrive around 5 to 6 pm, and there you can choose for yourself tons of accommodations that would suit your level of comfort. Most accommodations offer tour packages as well, so you can definitely check that out. For dinner, the shoreline of El Nido is lined with beach bars and restaurants (much like in Boracay), and you can eat while being caressed by the soft waves of the ocean.

Day 2, wake up early because most El Nido Island Hopping tours start at 8 am. Make sure you're in touch with your local tour guide so you won't be left out! If you're a solo traveler, chances are you would be joining a certain group for the whole tour. But it's okay because it's a great way to meet new friends!

There are often 4 island tour packages to choose from, and most of them are done by sunset. For lunch, you're treated to a seafood buffet in an island stopover, and you get to eat one of the most succulent and fresh seafood in your life. Make sure you take tons of pictures to show to your friends!

You'll probably be tired after all the island hopping, but if you can still muster a few energy left then try and enjoy the night partying with the locals and other tourists in the beach. There are different beach bars to choose from, with world-class cocktails and ice-cold beers. Sum it up by dancing in the sand with the local music in your bare feet and you'll definitely have the time of your life!

In Day #3, make sure you leave El Nido as early as you can so you can arrive early at Sabang Wharf. From there, wait for your scheduled tour of the Underground River, and if you arrive early enough, you can be there before noon. From the Sabang port, you'll ride a boat for 15 minutes before you arrive at the river. Puerto Princesa Underground River is one of the 7 Wonders of Nature, and you can be immersed in its ethereal beauty for just a few hours.

You can get yourself lunch at Sabang itself (there are tons of beach restaurants to choose from) or you can make your way back to Puerto Princesa at once. Once you're back in the city, treat yourself to one of its famous restaurants, Kalui, where you'll be met with delicious and fresh seafood again. Make sure you get a reservation because the restaurant usually gets filled up fast!

After your lunch, you can finally go to the airport for your flight. If you want to bring souvenirs for your family and friends, there are tons of local souvenir shops inside the airport itself.

So that's how you get a non-stop Palawan adventure in just 3 days. And by the end of it, you'll be wishing to go back.

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Britons will be able to fly directly to Perth, Australia in longest commercial passenger flight in the whole world. Qantas Australian airline is launching the 17 hour non-stop daily flight from Heathrow airport in London to Western Australia's Perth using revolutionary jetlag-busting planes.

According to Mirror news, it is the first regular direct flight between the two countries, in which there's no need to stop for refueling just like in Bangkok, Dubai and Singapore. The flight's 9,061 "Kangaroo Route" is said to beat the world's current longest record distance of 8,875 miles, which takes 16 hours and 35 minutes Emirates flight from Dubai to New Zealand's Auckland.

Announcing it, the chief of Qantas Alan Joyce said that when Qantas airline first created the Kangaroo Route between London and Perth in 1947, it took a total of four days and nine stops. But now, it will only take just 17 hours from London to Australia non-stop. This is a game-changing aircraft to fly a game-changing route. Before, travelers from Europe have never had direct links Down Under, so the chances this opens for them to travel Australia are huge," the Qantas chief added.

The Kangaroo Route will operate starting on March 2018 with the use of the state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft that is largely made from non-metal materials. The aircraft focuses mainly on the comfort of passengers as it has improved air quality, turbulence reduction technology, and lower cabin noise. The high-end aircraft also aids to combat jetlag with the use of more natural light, lower cabin pressure, and moister air.

According to the Metro, both countries hope the journey will increase tourism both in London and in the Western Australian capital. Qantas airline and Australian tourist chiefs hope Britons will fly to Perth first and spend time exploring the area in order to adapt to the eight hour time difference.

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Nintendo characters will come alive by 2020 in Universal Studios Japan. According to its press release, Super Nintendo World will be comprised of expansive and multilevel environments filled with unprecedented, state-of-the-art ride, interactive areas, shops and restaurants, all featuring Nintendo's most popular characters and games.

Universal Studios Japan is expected to oversee 50 billion Yen worth of investment and will open Super Nintendo World in the park's current parking area and reserve spot for future expansion.

Katsuhiro Miyamoto, Professor Emeritus of Kansai University assessed that the opening of the park will bring economic gains of approximately 6.2 trillion Yen for the Kansai region and 11.7 trillion Yen in Japan generally. The park is also seen to create an approximately 1.1 million jobs in Japan within a decade after opening.

The press release added: "Nintendo characters and the worlds they inhabit will be re-created at the highest level of quality through the strong partnership between Mr. Shigeru Miyamoto, Creative Fellow at Nintendo, and Mark Woodbury, President of Universal Creative, renowned for creative and technical excellence."

Super Nintendo World will allow guests to fully immerse themselves and all five senses in the worlds of Nintendo, and is expected to attract guests from Japan and the world over.

The place will feature characters and themes from the "Super Mario" series, which has continued over the years to win the hearts of devoted fans around the world. The attraction area will also feature a variety of other globally popular Nintendo characters.

Nintendo also plans to bring Mario and the gang to Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando and Hollywood. In a press video, on Nov. 29, Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Creative, and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, said that attractions Universal Studios Japan will also be expanding to the U.S.

We will be seeing lots of Donkey Kong and Link from Legend of Zelda. Super Nintendo World will open in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

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Southern Railway is now facing a big problem that has been affecting their customers. Brought by the Govia Thameslink Railway train operating company, is having a hard time executing their full services. The company also received so many complaints for quite some time now due to the current issues the company is facing.

According to reports by BBC News and Sky News, Southern Railway's daily operations and services are greatly affected by the series of strikes against the company. These strikes are led by the Aslef and RMT unions. The Aslef union is against driver-only trains while the RMT union is having issues with regards to train conductor's role. The unions' members are ideally going on a week-long strike including Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday of this week along with walkout plans for January 9 to 14.

The company already asked the government's Court of Appeals to reconsider the court's decision of not banning the strike. However, even if the Court of Appeals reconsider banning the strike, operations are now greatly affected and it would be difficult for the railway to get back on track. Because of this chaos, Southern Railways have been advising passengers not to travel for the time being. Southern also said that train operations would be halted for Wednesday and Friday due to the scheduled walkouts.

The company has received tons of complaints and negative feedbacks due to the strike. According to a constituent among the areas affected, Amber Rudd, "It is totally unacceptable that our local area and communities will suffer further strikes over driver-only operated trains when they already run safely across much of the UK network, and when current staff will take home the same pay following the changes proposed by the train company."

Tons of employees' and business people's jobs have been affected due to the unavailability of the trains and its services. As said by Charles Horton, the chief executive of Govia Thameslink Railway, "Our passengers have suffered months of travel misery and we call again on the unions to call off their action and work with us to find a resolution to their dispute."

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Proper airplane etiquette should always be practiced when in the airport and inside the plane to ensure a smooth and hassle-free travel. Unfortunately, a British man onboard Emirates A380 flight from Manchester to Dubai may have forgotten just that and is now in serious trouble.

The said man, who is said to be in his fifties, was in the business class and was said to be drunk. In an article released by Manchester Evening News, passengers were alarmed when they started to see smoke in the cabin after the said passenger lighted a cigarette.

In an interview with the said publication, one passenger shared that the man has been steadily drinking at the Business Class bar right from the moment the plane took off from Manchester at 9:20 in the evening. The man was said to have a heavy Manchester accent and was chatting with a woman across him.

"He was at the bar for ages and then at one point I came back from the toilet and he was in his seat with his shirt off. Who does that on a flight?" He also added, "Emirates also should have told this man to stop drinking."

Meanwhile, according to an article released by The Telegraph, five cabin crew members rushed in to the scene and surrounded the man. At first, he denied the actions but a supervisor was there to check on the man and found a pack of cigarettes on his pockets with one partially smoked. The man then explained that he "forgot he was on a plane" and wanted to talk to the captain and apologize.

Meanwhile, the airline company Emirates has released their official statement. "Emirates can confirm that on flight EK020 from Manchester to Dubai on 9 December, an intoxicated passenger had to be restrained by cabin crew. The aircraft was met by security upon landing at Dubai airport. The safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance and will not be compromised."

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Before we make those plans and our New Year's resolutions, Google is giving us a look at the most-searched destinations for 2016. There are the frequent contenders, but also a few that might give you ideas if you want to expand your itinerary.

Google unfolds to us the 10 most searched travel destinations for this year. Some of the places on the list are also due to the different activities held at those places, which makes it a frequent topic on google's search engine. Topping the list is everyone's dream city, the big apple. Travel and Leisure presents the other places involved on the list: New York City, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Thailand, Maui, Rome, Vancouver, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City.

The following cities have paved its way upon the curiosity of travelers and people in general all around the world. Most of the places included in the list are from the United States of America, South America, and Asia. There is only a single entry from Europe. There are also other most searched places included such as Tokyo, Toronto, and Havana.

Each place included on the list would always have their own special trait which makes people wonder about the place. CNN Traveler says that Mexico City in general has paved its way through the hearts of the travelers. It's now the country's capital that's drawing travelers because of its history, architecture, and food.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Starbucks is one of the most famous coffee shops in he whole world. Wherever you go, you will probably see that green siren cups and signs. Known for offering a wide variety of flavored coffee and frappes, Starbucks surely has tons of ways to gain many customers. Starbucks is known to for asking each customer's name and writing them on the cups giving customers a more personalized experience. However, according to a Youtube video, something smells kind of fishy.

According to Daily Mail and Cosmopolitan, a Youtube video by Super Deluxe regarding Starbucks' "free publicity" left many Starbucks customers into a deep realization. As Starbucks is known to write customer's names on their cups, most customers find their names spelled by mistake. Usually, customers laugh about these misspelled names and share the "funny" experience into their social media accounts.

As said in the video: "Starbucks is misspelling your names on purpose", writing down misspelled and mistaken names of customers might probably be one of Starbucks marketing strategies. Since most customers find their misspelled and incorrect names funny, they post it online allowing more people to see and become aware of Starbucks, its logo and its products.

As social media influence increases, it is only fitting for any business to advertise their products where everyone can easily see it. The Super Deluxe crew tested out this incorrect naming hypothesis and went to several Starbucks coffee shop braches. The crew went to five Starbucks branches giving out the name "Molly" to be written in the cups. Out of the five branches they tested, three of them actually got Molly's name wrong by writing: Molli, Mali and Mommy. So, Super Deluxe's narrator said, "That's right, sheeple- you've been giving Starbucks free publicity for years!" As to the truth about this conspiracy, the Super Deluxe crew cannot conclude but again, the whole conspiracy actually makes sense.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Google has helped most travelers figure out how to go about their travels. Below are some of the cities that search engines from all over the world have received most of in the past year. Take heed; this might give you some ideas on where to go next.

There is absolutely no place in the world quite like Japan. According to Google, the age range of people who express interest to visit the capital of Tokyo is mid 20s to mid 30s, and true enough, this place is youthful, strange, and energetic. The food is simply some of Asia's best and most unique, and the people are the nicest creatures you'll ever meet.

Hong Kong is a definite must-visit if you're in Southeast Asia and looking for a place to do some serious shopping and eating. If you have enough time, try and visit the nearby Macau, too (it's only less than an hour away) for some Chinese-Portuguese influences.

Conde Nast Traveler reported the Google data as saying that Reykjavik, Iceland is the country where most women (around their 20s and 30s), plan to go because it's been hailed as one of the safest places for solo travelers. Another highlight that's very difficult to find elsewhere? The Northern Lights, of course (September to April is the best time to visit if this is what you plan to do-but remember that it is never guaranteed that you will actually see them).

Mexico has always been a popular tourist destination, but it is only recently that Mexico City, its capital and most populous city is getting this much attention. One of the main attractions is the food, of course-from the cheap and delicious street carnitas to the sinful but oh-so-worth it chicharrones, this is the place where you can eat well without breaking the bank.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Inspired by the classic Kiwi road trip, Summer of Safety follows the adventures of Shortland Street's Jayden Daniels as he travels around Northland's Bay of Islands and Hokianga encountering a host of friendly locals, famous faces and iconic attractions along the way.

Air New Zealand has cast an all-star lineup of homegrown talent in its latest safety video, which highlights the tourism jewels in the Northland region of New Zealand.

Inspired by the classic Kiwi road trip, Summer of Safety follows the adventures of Shortland Street's Jayden Daniels as he travels around Northland's Bay of Islands and Hokianga encountering a host of friendly locals, famous faces and iconic attractions along the way.

Joining Jayden's getaway is supermodel Rachel Hunter and actor Joe Naufahu  straight from a fiery stint on Game of Thrones. Stuntwoman Zoe Bell and canine sidekick Blossom the British Bulldog, IndyCar legend Scott Dixon and Olympic bronze medalist Eliza McCartney also jump on board the lighthearted road trip, which was filmed at ten locations across Northland.

Air New Zealand General Manager of Global Brand and Content Marketing Jodi Williams said the video will put the Bay of Islands and the wider Northland region on the wish list for millions worldwide.

"One of our goals at Air New Zealand is to inspire visitors to travel beyond the traditional gateways to discover the warm welcome and breathtaking landscapes offered in our regional destinations. Our safety videos have an impressive global following, collectively attracting more than 100 million views and gaining significant international media exposure. This latest edition is a great opportunity to not only deliver a safety message, but also to showcase the very best of the North to help drive economic benefit for the region."

Los Angeles-based supermodel Rachel Hunter jumped at the chance to travel home and star alongside nearly a hundred locals who worked as extras on the production.

"Filming in the sunny Bay of Islands brought back memories of my childhood  long summer days, family picnics at the beach and of course, the delicious hokey pokey ice cream," said Hunter. "Air New Zealand's safety videos are well-known internationally and always have a great storyline. One of my favorite moments in this edition is the closing scene where LadyHawke and her band throw a sunset gig for locals at the Opononi Hotel."

Game of Thrones Dothraki warrior Joe Naufahu said it was exciting to get the call-up for the airline's safety video, and getting to spend time in Hokianga was a bonus.

"I join the road trip in Hokianga and travel down to check out New Zealand's largest living Kauri tree Tane Mahuta in the Waipoua Forest, before cooling off with a swim at Opononi. With dolphins swimming around the set and awe inspiring sights like Tane Mahuta, Northland is certainly a special place to be - and a world away from Westeros."

Air New Zealand hosted cast members and other stakeholders at a premiere event in the Bay of Islands town of Kerikeri last night where VIPs were treated to a preview of the safety video and an exclusive performance by LadyHawke.

The Bay of Island's Marketing Group, which invested in the video project to drive awareness of Bay of Islands as a tourism destination, is confident the international attention Air New Zealand's safety videos attract will help drive economic benefit for the region.

Bay of Islands Marketing Group Chair Charles Parker said, "Being able to showcase the best of our region to millions around the world is a huge opportunity. We look forward to welcoming even more Kiwi and international visitors to come and experience the North for themselves."

Chief Executive Officer of Northland Inc. Dr. David Wilson said the video brings the region's distinctive history and landscapes to life and is sure to boost visitation.

"Placing Bay of Islands and the wider Northland region on a global stage, we expect the video to be a hugely influential marketing tool, with far-reaching benefit for local communities and businesses."

Air New Zealand's new safety video can be viewed here and will be rolled out across its fleet starting today.





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New survey also shows London strengthens from positive Brexit effect on U.S. Dollar value, along with up and coming countries for leisure travel, travel spending, and overall bookings.

Based on the findings from Travel Leaders Group's authoritative 2017 Travel Trends Survey released today, the Zika virus is having little effect on overall bookings to Florida with Orlando maintaining its #1 ranking domestically and Miami continuing to hold a place in the Top 10. Internationally, the "Brexit-effect" is still positively impacting travel to London, which moves up in the standings to #3 just behind Caribbean cruises and Cancun, Mexico, respectively. "Movers and Shakers" making noteworthy climbs among the top international destinations include: Dublin, Ireland; Havana, Cuba; Jerusalem, Israel; Mexico City, Mexico; Reykjavik, Iceland; Sydney, Australia; and Paris, France, which reclaims a spot in the Top 10. The survey results also reveal that 94.5% of travel agents surveyed state client spending will be the same or higher in the coming year.

Based on actual booking data, Travel Leaders Group's survey was conducted November 17-December 9, 2016, with responses from 1,689 U.S.-based travel agency owners, managers and frontline travel agents from the flagship Travel Leaders brand and Travel Leaders Group's All Aboard Travel, Cruise Specialists, Nexion, Protravel International, Results! Travel, Travel Leaders Corporate, Tzell Travel Group and Vacation.com units.

"Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control announced that Florida is Zika-free, which is good news for many people, including leisure and business travelers. Our travel agents have worked with their clients to educate them and since our survey results are based on actual bookings, travelers are clearly comfortable booking popular Florida destinations such as Orlando  which wasn't impacted at all  and Miami," stated Travel Leaders Group CEO Ninan Chacko. "What our survey also highlights is that the strength of the U.S. dollar is still a driving factor in consumer decisions, and London is a perfect example. So, too, is Paris  buoyed by the exchange rate and travelers' desires to return to one of the world's most iconic cities."

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Chacko added, "Our travel agent experts have also been telling us that there's pent up demand for travel. Many individuals waited to see what would happen with the U.S. presidential elections and the stock market immediately following the elections. With the New Year on the horizon, our agents and their clients have been extremely busy planning trips throughout the country and to destinations around the globe."

Key findings from Travel Leaders Group's 2017 Travel Trends Survey include top international and domestic destinations, Florida travel, "Movers and Shakers," travel spending data, and more.

Top 2017 U.S. and International Destinations:

For the top domestic and international destinations for 2017, agents were asked to name up to five top destinations they're already booking:

Rank 2017 Top U.S. Destinations Rank '16 1 Orlando, FL 37.2% 1 2 Maui, HI 36.2% 2 3 New York City, NY 34.1% 4 4 Las Vegas, NV 32.0% 5 5 Cruise  Alaska 29.4% 3 6 Honolulu, HI 20.0% 6 7 Los Angeles, CA 18.6% 7 8 Washington, D.C. 14.9% 11 9 San Francisco, CA 14.2% 8 10 Miami/Miami Beach, FL 12.9% 10

Florida Travel:

On December 9, the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) stated that Florida is Zika-free after "no new cases of local Zika virus transmission identified in South Miami Beach for more than 45 days."

Because of previous travel alerts due to the Zika virus, Travel Leaders Group asked travel agents about their overall bookings to Floridacompare to this time last year; nearly 81% of agents reported that their bookings to Florida are on par with or higher than one year ago (22.4% stated "higher" and 58.4% said bookings are "even").

Rank 2017 Top International Destinations Rank '16 1 CRUISE  Caribbean 37.6% 1 2 Cancun, Mexico 31.2% 2 3 London, England 26.9% 4 4 CRUISE  Europe (River) 21.8% 3 5 Rome, Italy 20.5% 6 6 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 17.3% 5 7 Paris, France 15.4% 11 8 CRUISE  Europe (Mediterranean) 15.1% 7 9 Montego Bay, Jamaica 14.4% 9 10 Playa del Carmen/Riviera Maya, Mexico 12.5% 10

Noteworthy Movers and Shakers:

Dublin, Ireland, has moved up four spots in one year and 19 spots over the past five years to rank #12.

Havana, Cuba, jumped 12 places to #49 overall, and among luxury travel agents it is ranked #24.

Jerusalem, Israel, soars past 54 other destinations to lay claim to #39 (in a tie with Turks & Caicos).

Mexico City, Mexico, moves up 16 places to #43.

Paris regains a place in the Top 10 (at #7) after falling to #11 last year to due terrorist incidents.

Reykjavik, Iceland, climbs to #33; it was ranked #70 one year ago.

Sydney, Australia, moves up six spots to #22.

Go here for the full report, which also includes the top "up and coming" international destinations, details on 2017 travel spending, plus 2017 bookings levels and outlook.

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Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : ACCLAIMED INDIAN ARTIST DINESH KAMBLE EMBARKS ON INTERNATIONAL TOUR OF 7 NATIONS WITH 1ST EXHIBITION IN UAE AT THE AJMAN PALACE HOTEL Industry: Events

Acclaimed Indian Artist Dinesh Kamble has chosen The Ajman Palace Hotel in the United Arab Emirates



(TRAVPR.COM) UAE - December 14th, 2016 - Acclaimed Indian Artist Dinesh Kamble has chosen The Ajman Palace Hotel in the United Arab Emirates to be the first stop for his solo international travelling painting exhibition. Aptly titled RAINBOW 2017 named after the seven cities lined up for tour this year, it is Dineshs first commercial solo show outside India and will be held from 11th to 25th January at The Ajman Palace Hotel. His forthcoming exhibitions will be in Singapore, Hong Kong, New York, London, Paris and Tokyo.



Commenting on selecting the UAE as the starting point of this mega international show, Dinesh said, The UAE for me symbolizes freedom of pleasure, enjoyment and happiness. Every emirate is a melting pot of cultures. Ajman has been quietly carving its place on the world tourism map with an intriguing mix of attractions and art is one of them. It is the right place and time to have the presence of RAINBOW when the country is celebrating the Dubai Shopping Festival.



Ferghal Purcell, General Manager of The Ajman Palace Hotel, said: We are delighted to support this unique exhibition by Dinesh Kamble who is an accomplished painter. Looking at the paintings one feels a sense of awe thats often associated with the UAE. It is wonderful to see how the artist has used a blaze of colours to express his emotions. We look forward to welcoming people for the show.



Dinesh will be displaying over 20 paintings of varying sizes at the exhibition taking place in The Ajman Palace Hotel. Using a mix of mediums like oil and acrylic on canvas and paper, he has produced beautiful abstracts. Elaborating on the style Dinesh said, Rainbow brings different colours together in a disciplined manner. Artists have their own world of fantasies, pleasure, happiness and sorrows. I have used colours to express different moods, different moves and different strokes. As an artist I feel we should never be restricted to any particular style and theme. This is because our audience comes from different cultures and tastes.



Dinesh believes, every artist carries a responsibility to generate awareness for social causes through art. He stated, I have been taking up causes for Spastics children, orphanages for children and AIDS patients through my shows. RAINBOW 2017 is dedicated to supporting underprivileged women who are victims of acid attacks with part of the funds from sales being donated towards their medical treatment.



Dinesh is a self-taught, multi-talented artist. He has been painting since early childhood. So far he has to his credit nine solo exhibitions and four group shows. He is also a photographer and one of his photographs was selected for National Photography Exhibition in New Delhi as well as published on the front cover page of Monthly Magazine of French Embassy in India. Interior design is his other interest and his work for an apartment was published by India's largest circulated and most respected Interior Design Magazine INSIDE OUTSIDE. Last but not the least, he is a poet and writer and his poetry book will be published soon.

Dinesh said, My first solo painting exhibition was held in 1997 and was inaugurated by Mrs. Kiran Bedi who is a Magsaysay Award and Mother Teresa Award Winner. In the initial stages, I used to do landscapes. This later turned to figurative. Recently I have been focusing more on ABSTRACT with mixed media.



There are many other exciting projects lined up for Dinesh in 2017. He will soon be opening his own Art Gallery  RUDRAKSH, in Mumbai. He is also building his own Art Studios in Pune and Goa, where artists will be able to stay and work on their art within natural and beautiful surroundings.



Exhibition: RAINBOW 2017 at The Ajman Palace Hotel

Dates: 11th  25th January, 2017

Timings: All day long open for public

Media Preview: 7pm on 11th January, 2017



About The Ajman Palace Hotel

The Ajman Palace Hotel, managed by HMH  Hospitality Management Holdings, is a picturesque sanctuary conveniently located 22 km from Dubai International Airport and 11 km from Sharjah International Airport. Set on a private beach, this alluring hideaway is a heritage resort with a modern spirit. Bringing an unprecedented level of luxury, with captivating views of the Arabian Gulf, the resort is a destination unto itself. Balancing world-class facilities with the legendary Arabian hospitality, it offers 254 rooms, suites and serviced residences, a remarkable range of restaurants and lounges, fabulous meeting and event venues including the largest ballroom in the Northern Emirates ideal for weddings and conventions, as well as an array of leisure and recreation options at Lifestyle Club featuring a Spa and state-of-the-art fitness facility. A magical experience awaits you here.



For more information about the hotel please visit http://www.TheAjmanPalace.com

or https://www.hmhhotelgroup.com/subscribenow



For media contact:

Hina Bakht

Vice President

MPJ (Marketing Pro-Junction)

Mob: 050 697 5146

h.bakht@mpj-pr.com

http://www.mpj-pr.com ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release :



CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Hina Bakht Company: Marketing Pro Junction Phone: +971506975146 Email: pressrelease@mpj-pr.com Web: PRESS RELEASE TAGS
According to the database, these are the 10 countries and territories with the most protected land .

The World Database on Protected Areas, a joint project of the IUCN and United Nations Environment Programme, is considered the most comprehensive global database on terrestrial and marine protected areas, available for public viewing via the virtual interface Protected Planet .

Protected areas do wonders for the environment: They help clean the air and water, sequester greenhouse gases, maintain beautiful landscapes for the enjoyment of people, and provide a haven for plants and animals in an era when the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List shows more than 37,000 species are threatened with extinction . Some countries do land conservation better than others, though. Certain small, remote countries and territories around the world contain more than 50% protected land; the U.S., in comparison, protects about 13% .

1 of 10 Seychelles Sergio Canobbio / Getty Images Beloved for its stunning beaches, coral reefs, and nature reserves, the 115-island East African archipelago of Seychelles has 51 protected areas, occupying an unprecedented 61.52% of the total land area and 32.82% of the marine area. That's more protected area (by percentage) than any other country or territory in the world. Still, the amount of protected land alone covers a space of only about 185 square miles, which is just over half the size of New York City. Seychelles is home to four Ramsar Sites ("Wetlands of International Importance") and two UNESCO World Heritage sites, Aldabra Atoll, whose coral islands serve as a refuge for some 152,000 giant tortoises, and the Vallee de Mai Nature Reserve, covered in palm forest.

2 of 10 New Caledonia Holger Leue / Getty Images The French overseas territory of New Caledonia comprises dozens of little islands 750 miles off the coast of eastern Australia, altogether totaling a land area of about 7,000 square miles. An impressive 59.66% of the land and 96.26% of the islands' marine area is protected. The IUCN reports that New Caledonia alone has nearly as many species of indigenous flora as the entire continent of Europe (3,261). Its lagoons, coral reefs, and "associated ecosystems" have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. The collectivity squeezes 30 nature reserves, eight national parks, seven forest reserves, and 14 botanical reserves into an area smaller than the state of New Jersey. It contains a total of 115 protected areas.

3 of 10 Venezuela Juan Silva / Getty Images Venezuela has a reported 290 protected areas that make up 56.88% of its land area and 4.35% of its marine area. The South American nation is a "megadiverse" country, home to about 14% of the world's bird species, 10% of plants, and 7% of mammals. It has 43 national parks, 37 natural monuments, 14 forest reserves, and a number of wildlife refuges, national hydraulic reserves, and "protective zones." A recent Nature Conservancy report showed that protecting its lands has been quite beneficial for Venezuela's economy as well. The hydropower generated from protected areas, for instance, saves the country $12.5 billion in electricity costs per year. The extensive rainforests play an integral role in sequestering greenhouse gases as well. There are about 50 million acres of protected forest throughout the country, which are believed to "save global climate change damage costs of up to $28 billion," the report says.

4 of 10 Luxembourg David Briard / Getty Images The landlocked European country of Luxembourg is split into an urbanized southern region and the remote hills of the Oesling in the north. It's one of the smallest countries in the world, so even though 51.21% of it is protected, the total area of protected land is only 828 square miles. Nonetheless, Luxembourg has 200 protected areas, including 65 sites designated by Natura 2000 (a network of protected areas in the European Union), three nature parks, and two Ramsar-recognized wetlands. The country contains 48 sites protected by the European Union's Habitats Directive and an additional 18 special protection areas under its Birds Directive.

5 of 10 Bhutan Suzanne Stroeer / Getty Images Despite having only 22 protected areasincluding nine biological corridors, five national parks, four wildlife sanctuaries, and one nature reserve49.67% of Bhutan (or about 12,000 square miles) is protected. The country is known for its position in the Himalayan altitudinal region. Those steep mountains descend into deep valleys that drain into the Indian plains. Three of Bhutan's wetlandsGangtey-Phobji, Khotokha, and Bumdelingare designated Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance. They create a range of vital ecosystems, such as lakes, rivers, streams, glaciers, marshes, peat bogs, and fens.

6 of 10 Brunei Darussalam holgs / Getty Images Brunei Darussalam is a Southeast Asian equatorial country made up of two unconnected parts on the northern coast of Borneo. It contains 56 protected areas (47 of them forest reserves), covering 46.87% of the total land area. Much of it lies within the Borneo lowland rain forests ecoregion, containing the richest rain forests in the world. The island of Borneo is home to 10,000 to 15,000 species of flowering plants and another 3,000 tree speciesmaking it richer than even the whole continent of Africa, which is 40 times larger.

7 of 10 Turks and Caicos Islands Matt Dutile / Getty Images A popular destination for a particularly indulgent set of vacationers, the tropical archipelago nation of Turks and Caicos is synonymous with turquoise water and white-sand beaches. The country comprises 40 different islands and keys, and 44.37% of its total land area is protected by 34 conservation sites. In these scattered safe havensincluding 11 national parks and 11 nature reservestourist activities like shell collecting and fishing are prohibited. One of the most famous protected area in Turks and Caicos is Princess Alexandra National Park, a 6,500-acre coastal park that contains the beautiful Grace Bay Beach.

8 of 10 Hong Kong Andrea Pistolesi / Getty Images For a territory as metropolitan as Hong Kong, it could come as a surprise that 41.88% of land area is protected by 104 conservation sites. In reality, the bustling city is surrounded by and sprinkled with green space, including 23 country parks and 56 "Sites of Special Scientific Interest." These SSSIs are designated by Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to protect plant life, wildlife, and important geographic features.

9 of 10 Greenland Posnov / Getty Images The 41.11% of total land area that's protected in Greenland spans a mind-boggling 550,000-plus square miles. That's about the land area of Alaska. About 80% of the world's largest island is blanketed by a vast ice sheet that preserves historically significant geological features, like the oldest rocks on Earth (3.8 billion years old). There are a total of 26 protected areas in Greenland, including 11 nature reserves, one national park, and 14 international designations. UNESCO has named one World Heritage site, the Ilulissat Icefjord, and one Biosphere Reserve, North-East Greenland. Additionally, the country has 12 Ramsar-recognized wetlands.
In a recent post on linear cities, we mentioned some precedents, including Edgar Chambless's Roadtown, a design of a long, linear building with a railway in the bottom and a promenade on top. While researching the post, I came upon a more recent proposal for a linear city by Montreal architect Gilles Gauthier that struck me as a modern update of Roadtown.

"Gauthiers Linear City brings several solutions to our ecological and sociological problems.

This architectural research aims at increasing our quality of life by bringing the country-side to the city and a public transportation more efficient than personal cars, that are a major source of noise and pollution."

Gauthier tells Treehugger: "This is my contribution to try to make cities for billions of people with functional public transport, ecological cities and better social contacts and this with a realistic transition."

Gilles Gauthier

Like Chambless a hundred years earlier, Gauthier puts the transport system at the bottom, but in three layers: a local metro/subway, a regular train, and then a TGV (train a grande vitesse, or high-speed train) at the bottom. One can also rent small electric vehicles and carts so that goods can be moved without the use of cars or trucks. It's also got the world's longest mall above that.

Gauthier proposes a very traditional way of arranging living and working on top of the shop:

"When present, the commercial area, at the main floor there will have shops and on the upper floors offices and factories. It is thus possible to live directly above the workplace, which will encourage some owners: by an economy of time and displacement, the ease for work mid-residence and mid-office, in the proximity of the children or a resting place, etc."

Gilles Gauthier

"On the rooftop, we find a community park with games, a pool, a wading pool, a sauna, a picnic and sun-bathing areas, a shaded area, a gazebo, a small restaurant-bar as well as a reception room. The roof of the upper terrace with its activities, recreates the sociological benefits offered by the village, while taking advantage of public transport and conveniences of the city. Footpaths will link the different roofs to one another as well as indoor corridors."

Gilles Gauthier

As in earlier linear city proposals, advantages include being a building in a park, surrounded by green open space. It is repetitive, almost like being extruded, so Gauthier notes that construction costs could be significantly through industrialization and prefabrication. He notes that it uses 95% less land than conventional housing, which will "help to protect the agricultural land, essential to future generations, while decreasing the desertification and protect animal and plant life."

But like the other linear projects we have shown, it's also incredibly efficient; services like water, waste, and garbage collection all work better at lower cost in a linear system. But perhaps the most important is transportation, now responsible for 30% of carbon emissions.

"By providing an effective transportation system, we avoid buying automobiles and oil which contributes to reduce negative commercial balances. In addition, by stopping buying cars, we greatly reduced the cost of living of every citizen. The consumption of gasoline, reduced to almost nothing, would eliminate global warming as well as preserving this limited resource."

Gilles Gauthier

Gauthier shows a couple of different designs; this one is a bit more austere, as he notes that he is just providing the basic idea. He's even got one for fans of traditional architecture, complete with bay windows and gables at the top:

Gilles Gauthier

It can look like anything, Gauthier is promoting the idea of the linear city, not the cladding, and relinquishes all copyrights.

"The plans and documents of this project provide only an architectural programming, describing the functioning, the dimensions and an analyze the main elements. The modulation in 7 buildings allows of architectural variation and promotes membership. The building design, the landscape designs, the housing and public buildings outside city should be left to professionals of different countries to provide diversity."

Edgar Chambless Roadtown

Jarrett Walker once tweeted that "land use and transportation are the same things described in different languages." The linear city, in all of its incarnations, is a demonstration of how the transportation system really is driving the built form and the land use concept. They are one and the same thing. That's probably why I am so intrigued by it. There are a hundred years between Chambless's Roadtown and Gauthier's Linear City, but the only major difference is that of scale. The principles are the same, and make as much sense as ever.

See more at Gilles Gauthier's Linear City site, where he concludes: "We must not forget that we live on a planet which has its ecological laws to respect and that we must respect them if we wish to continue to live on this planet in a pleasant way."
The cost of home ownership, as well as the cost of living, has grown significantly in the last couple of decades, and in today's uncertain economy, young people are finding it especially difficult to make ends meet. Some are finding it much easier -- and more sensible -- to challenge and transform their own expectations of what their 'dream' lifestyle looks and feels like. Living fully and within one's means may not look as flashy as a McMansion lifestyle, but many are finding a more minimalist way of life to be much more rewarding than they thought.

Take Julie and Andrew Puckett, a couple based about half an hour outside of Atlanta, Georgia. They have ditched their city apartment and are living a relatively short distance away from the cultural highlights of a major urban center. But they don't live in a house -- they are living in a 1990 Blue Bird school bus that they converted into a comfortable, 200-square-foot one-bedroom home.

Take the tour via TIny House Listings.

 Housebus

 Housebus

Getting used to the idea of living in a renovated bus, which they call Housebus, took some time. Having moved to Atlanta from Chicago, both were working more than one job to help pay the rent on that aforementioned apartment in one of the city's gentrifying neighbourhoods. Unfortunately, when it came time to renew their lease, their landlord raised their rent a whopping 30 percent, forcing them to consider other options. Julie says that they thought about purchasing a tiny home, but the huge initial cost was an obstacle, in addition to the fact that most local tiny house builders had a months-long waiting list, and the Pucketts were obliged to move -- soon. That's when Julie chanced upon the idea of converting a bus, as she tells Country Living:

At first, my reaction was incredulity, but after seeing some interior shots, that quickly turned into excitement. The most exciting part was when I found a bus conversion that had been done by a cattle rancher for use during calving seasonit was in our budget, and only a few states away. I immediately shot off an inquiry, and the rest is history.

 Housebus

With only a few months left on their lease, the couple purchased the bus for USD $10,000 and completely redid the interior of the bus to suit their needs, with a bit of help from Julie's father, a carpenter. Much of the furniture they designed themselves and is multifunctional: seating and a bed platform that doubles as storage, fold-away furniture that makes way for the couple's dog and cat.

 Housebus

Tiny House Listings/Video screen capture

The once-dark interior is enlarged with an overall facelift of white paint, "oceanic fabrics" and lots of reflective surfaces that bounce natural daylight around. Beyond the kitchen is the bathroom with shower and composting toilet, closet and the bedroom all the way at the back. Heating comes via a vintage-looking woodstove. There's a bit of a marine, Moby Dick theme going on here.

 Housebus

 Housebus

 Housebus

Tiny House Listings/Video screen capture

 Housebus

Freed from the tedious task of working overtime just to live, the most notable thing is that both Julie and Andrew now have time to pursue their passions in music and spend more time with each other. Says Julie:

Before the move, we were often too busy hustling to have the lightning "Ah-ha!" moments of thoughtfulness we find ourselves with now. We're at peace here in a way we never were before, and we've been able to be intentional with our energy. After all, being busy doesn't equate to being fulfilled. Today, we're so much more available, emotionally and otherwise, to do kind, satisfying things on a daily basis.

Tiny House Listings/Video screen capture

While small homes won't tackle the myriad of complex issues surrounding the affordable housing crisis, it seems that one of the most remarkable things about the simple living movement is not the beautiful tiny homes we so often see. In fact, it's about finding a way out of the traps that society has set up for us, with its ever-present demands to consume more than we need, or to work long hours to afford a lifestyle that doesn't make us truly happy. That way out looks different for each of us, and thankfully, more and more people are waking up to the fact that they can live differently, even if it takes a little courage to do so. For more, visit Housebus.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 14

A local court today awarded a UT constable 20 years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on him in a rape case. He was convicted by Additional District and Sessions Judge Anshu Shukla on December 9.

The victim, who was in her early thirties at the time of the incident, had alleged that Avtar Singh met her at a gurdwara and they fell in love. Later, he, along with three or four other persons, took her in a car to different places where he sexually exploited her in November 2006.

She was also taken to a room, which was bolted from outside by three men and a woman. Later, Avtar raped her. However, she did not remember where exactly she was taken to. She said she was in love with him and wanted to marry him. The constable got married in 2007 and has two children. The woman had earlier approached the police, but no FIR was registered. She then went to the Punjab and Haryana High Court which dismissed the application. Later, the woman filed a private complaint under Section 156 (3) of the CrPC in the District Courts.

From the defence, a witness and senior officer of a government department, where the victim works as a peon, deposed before the court that the department had chargesheeted and censured her for filing false complaints against staff members. He further deposed that she was chargesheeted for fighting with staff, creating a ruckus and giving false complaints.
Our Correspondent

Mohali, December 14

An MBA student from Chandigarh University (CU) has won the research paper competition organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) at Vienna, Austria.

Shagun Tripathi was selected to represent India at the international conference on the Role of Industry in Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 9 and the 2030 Agenda.

Students from more than 40 countries participated in various competitions, which included research papers and the time capsule and business plan competitions.

UNIDO is an UN agency that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalisation and environmental sustainability, together with the AIESEC, the global platform for young people to explore and develop their leadership potential.

The research paper presented by Shruti showcased the policies which India should undertake to fulfil its commitment to attain UNIDOs 17 goals.

Li Yong, Director-General, UNIDO, presided over the research paper competition and presented the winner certificate to Shruti Tripathi, along with others.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 14

A day after the UT police registered a case against two unknown persons for raping a 21-year-old call centre employee, the Chandigarh Police today announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for providing information in the case leading to the arrest of the accused.

The victim was gangraped while returning home from work allegedly by an auto driver and his accomplice at knifepoint in the forest area in Sector 29 on Monday night. She had hired the auto from the road dividing Sectors 34 and 21 on Dakshin Marg to reach Hallo Majra around 8 pm.

Police sources said the reward had been announced for anyone providing information about the two accused.

Based on the description given by the rape victim, the police have jotted down some information about the auto-rickshaw.

The sources said an idol of Lord Hanuman was affixed inside the auto hired by the victim. The investigating teams have been asked to work on this lead, the sources added.

The UT IGP has asked police officers to circulate the sketches of the suspects among the police beat box staff.

The beat box staff will contact local auto stands and show the sketches to auto drivers, the sources said.

The police would also contact auto unions operating in the city and the sketches would also be shown to them.

The sources said a police team was also analysing the dump of mobile phones that were active in the area at the time of the crime.

Cops to keep an eye on autos at fuel stations

Police staff in civil dress will be stationed at petrol stations to keep an eye on auto-rickshaws coming for refuelling.
Charu Chhibber

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 14

Nearly five weeks after the announcement of demonetisation, its effects are clearly visible across city hospitals and medical stores where patients queue up everyday patiently to meet their daily medical needs.

Citys cash-strapped patients and attendants are having a harrowing time as hospitals either lack the facility to ensure cashless transactions or are unable to meet the demand of the huge patient turnout.

Dry ATMs and lack of swipe machines at chemist stores on campuses of the three main government-run hospitals in the city  the PGI, the GMCH-32 and the GMSH-16, have further added to their woes.

While the PGI has installed swipe machines at several places, patients continue to suffer as the staff refuse to accept payments less than Rs 500 through machine transactions.

At the GMSH-16 and the GMCH-32, too, patients have to suffer as the swipe machines are said to be non-functional due to server and network issues.

The worst hit, however, are the patients and attendants looking to buy medicines at the medical stores running on the campuses of these three hospitals.

A visit to these hospitals today revealed that none of the medical stores, including those at Gol Market and Old Shopping Complex, AMRIT pharmacy stores, Jan Aushadhi stores, chemist stores at the Emergency, the Advanced Trauma Centre and the new OPD at the PGI and those at the GMCH and the GMSH, has swipe machines. Some of these chemists are still accepting demonetised notes of Rs 500 and 1,000. Most of them expressed helplessness in installing swipe machines.

All chemist store owners/staff members approached revealed that they had applied for swipe machines, but due to heavy demand, the banks had been unable to provide these.

Meanwhile, the State Bank of India branch on the PGI campus continues to witness long queues of patients and their relatives wanting to withdraw cash. The branch runs out of cash soon after opening every day, revealed a staff member. The scenario is no different at the ATMs across the hospitals, including five at the PGI, three of which today had a notice pasted outside stating that there was no cash.

Eight swipe machines installed at PGI

PGI spokesperson Manju Wadwalkar said eight swipe machines had been installed, including two each at Nehru Hospital and the new OPD, one each at the Advanced Paediatric Centre, Advanced Eye Centre, Advanced Cardiac Centre and the Emergency. Two more machines will be handed over on Thursday, one for the Research Block and the other for the Radiology Department, she said, adding that 10 more machines would be installed in the coming days. Besides, she said, the SBI had installed three POS (point of sale) machines at the reception of the APC, the ACC and the new OPD. However, patients complained that these were not working.

20 swipe machines installed: Health Director

Dr Rakesh Kashyap, Director, Health Services, UT, said 20 swipe machines had been installed this week, including 10 at the GMSH-16, four at the Civil Hospital, Mani Majra, two each at the Civil Hospitals in Sector 22 and 45, one at the health centre at Sarangpur and one in the mobile food van. We will gradually increase the number of these machines to facilitate cashless payments at all health centres, the DHS said.

2 POS machines at GMCH-32

Dr Atul Sachdev, Director-Principal, GMCH-32, said two POS machines had been installed in the hospital  one at the academic section and the other at the cashiers counter. He said 50 more machines had been sought, for which installation points had been identified in the hospital. Besides, we have issued a circular bearing the hospitals account number and the IFSC code of the branch to enable patients to make online payments. We are accepting drafts, pay orders and will soon launch a pre-paid card, he said.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 14

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized Rs 2.19 crore  new currency notes valued at Rs 69,35,500 and Rs 1.5 crore in demonetised currency  during a raid at the house of a local businessman in Sector 22 last night as part of its operations to check hawala trade in the wake of demonetisation.

The illegal cash was stashed in a bed box, a trunk and a bag, officials said. A large number of notes were in serial number, said sources.

A case has been registered against Inderpal Mahajan, owner of Mahajan Cloth House, Sector 30, who has been arrested.

The raid began at 7 pm and lasted seven hours. DSP (Central) Ram Gopal said a probe had been initiated to establish the source of the new currency. He said bank officials involved in the case would also be arrested.

Mahajan has been booked under Sections 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Sent to four days police remand by a local court, he will be questioned on the bank officials who assisted him.

The illegal cash comprised Rs 1.50 crore in demonetised currency, Rs 49.80 lakh in Rs 100 denomination, Rs 17.74 lakh in Rs 2,000 denomination, Rs 12,500 in Rs 500 denomination and the rest in Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 50 denomination, senior officials said.

Four lockers have also been seized in the operation, led by ED Deputy Director Gurnam Singh.

Talking to the media outside the police station, Mahajan claimed he was being trapped. (With inputs from agencies)
The Badal government can justifiably boast of developing Punjab as a tourist destination  the launch of the amphibious bus project at the confluence of the Beas and Satluj rivers being the latest attraction. The Virasat-e-Khalsa at Anandpur Saheb, the Amritsar makeover with a majestic entry gate, the heritage look to the corridor from the Town Hall to the Golden Temple, the Partition Museum, the facelift of 170 buildings in the heritage street surrounding Harmandar Saheb, the war memorial on the Amritsar-Attari road and the water bus ride at Harike  all should lure tourists, creating employment opportunities.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal has taken personal interest to ensure that all works are completed before his party, Akali Dal, faces the electorate. In the rush to do things before the code of conduct is announced, his water bus project got embroiled in controversy. When Sukhbir had announced that buses would run in the canals of Punjab, he was mocked. On Monday he said he had kept his promise. The much-hyped launch of the 10-minute bus cruise was not without hiccups. Additional water was released in the Harike wetland lake for the bus to float which, reports indicate, submerged crops in 500 acres. The water bus project has been grounded and the reason given is staff required training in Goa. This shows lack of preparedness.

Questions are asked whether the state with an empty treasury and under heavy debt should experiment with such hare-brained ideas. Economic reformists unanimously advocate that the state has no business to be in business and it should not do what the private sector can do better. The government is obligated to wisely use the taxpayers money, doing what people need rather than building its political fortunes at the states expense. Cleaning up the polluted rivers and replenishing the fast-depleting groundwater should be a priority. Private players can be roped in to run water buses, if viable. Besides the Bhakra Dam, Punjab has a great many yet-to-be developed places of tourist interest, including wetlands and river water sports. But this should be done within the environmental limits.
Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 13

Progressive Growers Association (PGA), a cooperative society of orchardists comprising apple farmers of Shimla, Rohru, Jubbal, Kotkhai, Chopal, Rampur, Kotgarh, Kullu and Kinnaur today demanded setting up of pruning and tree training centres in fruit-growing belts of the state.

The opening of such centres would ensure the transfer of technology to progressive apple growers and, thus, help achieve the objective of the Rs 1,100-crore World Bank-funded Horticulture Rejuvenation Project, said PGA president Lokinder Singh Bisht on the occasion of the PGAs second foundation anniversary today, which was marked with a slew of events in various parts of Shimla.

Bisht said that the association members had adopted latest techniques to improve the quality as well as quantity of apples. The produce is competing well with imported varieties from the US, New Zealand and China, he added.

Sunil Chauhan, a progressive orchardist from Sheelghat in Rohru, said, We have been moving towards high and ultra-high density plantations of clonal root stock and changing the existing low-colour varieties to high-colour strains. The only field we are lacking in is pruning and tree training, which are vital for optimum quality and production.

A pruning and training camp was also organised by the association at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestrys Regional Horticultural Research Station, Mashobra, under the supervision of Dr Bhupesh Gupta, Assistant Extension Specialist (Plant Pathology) to mark the occasion.
Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 14

Resentment prevails among apple growers over delay in settlement of claims under the Weather-Based Crop Insurance (WBCI) scheme for the financial year 2015-16. Farmers rue the claims finalised by the insurance companies were negligible despite poor crop yield. The state produced 2.10 cartons of apple this year.

Sources said as many as 1.28 lakh farmers had sought insurance claims under the WBCI scheme in 2015-16, for which the state government had engaged the AIC, HDFC, ICICI Lombard and IFFCO.

Lakshman Thakur, chairman, Ecohort Society of Farmers, Nandpur, said, It is shocking we are not getting even half of the premium paid to the companies this year under the WBCI scheme. It was one of the leanest crop years as the weather remained dry from December 2015-July 2016.

Farmers claimed lack of mandatory chilling hours, rains and snowfall along with high velocity winds and hailstorms damaged apple trees in Shimla, Kullu, Mandi and Kinnaur districts. They rued the claims finalised by the insurance companies were too little.

They further maintained damage due to fire was not covered under the WBCI scheme despite the fact that dry weather conditions led to outbreak of wild fires.

BS Guleria, deputy director, Horticulture Department, said the claims would be paid by December end and the list was being finalised. We covered the risk of crop loss due to high velocity winds, but not wild fire, he said.

He said the claims were finalised on the basis of weather data, adding, the policy aimed to cover the risks, notified by the government, the loanee farmers suffered due to adverse weather.

Meanwhile, the Agricultural Insurance Company Ltd has blamed the state government for delay in settlement of claims stating it has not paid 50 per cent of its share to the company.

Jaspal Singh, regional manager, AIC, Chandigarh, said, The state government has not sent any information about the claims finalised by the other private insurance companies engaged by the state for the year 2015-16 so far. The state government has asked farmers to pay the premium for FY 2016-17. Its deadline expires on December 20.
Rajesh Sharma

Una, December 14

After completing work on three check dams and spending about Rs 16 crore, the Irrigation and Public Health Department is awaiting forest clearance for the reservoir area which has to be submerged.

Water from the three dams, located in Samoor and Sohari villages, is proposed to irrigate about 400 hectares of agriculture land. However, in the absence of forest clearance, the gates of the check dams have not been closed to begin storage of water on the artificial aquifers proposed on Swan river tributaries.

The check dam in Samoor village on the Jogi Panga to Una tributary is the biggest in Una district, having a height of 16 m. Once full, the water body will be about 1-km long, enough to irrigate 238.5 hectares, said IPH Executive Engineer KC Rana.

Rana said the other two check dams on the Sohari tributary would irrigate another 165 hectares, adding that a sum of Rs 16 crore had been spent on the construction of the three dams. He said the case for forest clearance under the Forest Conservation Act had been sent to the Forest Department, but there had been no response for the last about one-and-a-half years.

Meanwhile, NABARD has sanctioned another Rs 28 crore for pump houses and pipelines. The pipes, which have been purchased, are gathering rust at the respective sites.

Divisional Forest Officer RK Dogra said since the land which would be submerged belonged to the protected forest category, the forest clearance case had been forwarded from his office to the Conservator of Forests, Hamirpur.

The DFO said as per his knowledge, the file was at the Forest Headquarters in Shimla, from where it would be forwarded to the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun. He said filling of the reservoirs would be permitted as soon as the approval was received from their higher office.
Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 14

Already facing criticism for compromising core of its ideology for power, the BJP has landed in an embarrassing position after the coalition government announced compensation for the family of slain militant commander Burhan Wani for the death of his brother Khalid Wani.

Infuriated over the unilateral decision of the PDP, which is heading the coalition, the embarrassed BJP leadership said it would not support any compensation for the terrorists family.

No question of allowing the state government to release compensation for the family a militant who was involved in a number of terror acts, said state BJP president Sat Sharma, adding, as of now only the name of Burhan Wanis family has figured in the list issued by the state government but we will force the government to delete it.

Interestingly, no BJP minister is ready to come on record to oppose the governments decision but the party leadership has taken the issue seriously.

Highly placed sources said the BJP leadership had made it clear to its ministers that accepting this proposal would prove disastrous to the party in the Jammu region and have ramifications in other parts of the country as well.

The PDP-BJP government has announced compensation for the death of Khalid Wani, who was killed by the Army on April 13, 2015, under mysterious circumstances.

While the Army had claimed Khalid was an overground worker of Hizbul Mujahideen and was killed in an encounter, his family said he was tortured to death. According to government norms, the ex gratia entitles a victims family to a payment of Rs 4 lakh or employment for a member of the family.

By announcing the compensation, the state government has admitted that Khalid was innocent and was killed bythe forces. How come government came to the conclusion that Khalid was innocent?, asked the state BJP president, while warning, We will vociferously take up this issue in the coming session of the Assembly.

The BJP state president, quoting the statement of the security forces on the day of encounter, said it had been confirmed that Khalid Wani, who had been operating as an overground worker, had taken three youths, who were later arrested by the police, to meet his brother Burhan Wani for their recruitment to the terrorist organisation. The incident had thus prevented the three youth from being misguided by Khalid into joining the militant ranks.

Bickering in the uncomfortable alliance of the two parties, having diametrically opposite ideologies, came to the fore during the Cabinet meeting on Friday when CM Mehbooba Mufti had walked out of the meeting midway on the issue of appointing KPS officers to the posts of DIG and IG.
Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 14

Security forces killed a militant, while another managed to escape, on Wednesday morning during an encounter in south Kashmirs Anantnag district.

The encounter broke out early morning after security forces cordoned off a locality in Bawoora village of Bijbehara in Anantnag. The militants tried to fled and fired at the security forces ensuing a gunfight in which one militant was killed.

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The slain militant has been identified as Basit Rasool Dar of Marhama village in Anantnag. Son of a J&K Bank Manger Branch Ghulam Rasool, Dar was a B. Tech student before joining militants three months back.

Sources say another militant escaped on a motorcycle. Two militants are also trapped in another encounter in Hadipora, Sopore, in north Kashmir.
R Sedhuraman



Legal Correspondent

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government on a plea for banning the use of pellet guns by the security forces to deal with violence in the state.
R Sedhuraman

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, December 14

The Supreme Court today issued a notice to the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir Government on a plea for banning the use of pellet guns by the security forces to deal with violence in the state.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur also asked the Centre to file the expert committee report on pellet guns. The Bench was hearing an appeal by the J&K High Court Bar Association, Srinagar, challenging the September 22 judgment of the High Court rejecting the associations PIL plea for ban.

Appearing for the petitioner, counsel Manzoor Ahmad pleaded that alternatively the Magistrate should be present at the trouble spot when the security forces resort to such action.

Arguing for the Centre, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said making the presence of the Magistrate mandatory was not feasible. Under the standard operating procedure (SOP), the order could be issued by the Magistrate or the senior most police officer.

The states counsel Sunil Fernandes said the security forces were following the SOP and the Centre had classified pellet guns as a non-lethal weapon.

The High Court had dismissed the PIL, citing the expert committee set up by the Centre to explore the alternatives to pellet guns. The appellant pleaded that the High Court had passed the order without waiting for the committees report.

The nature and extent of the force required to be used at the relevant point of time or situation would have to be decided by the persons in charge of the place where the attack was happening, the High Court had held. The apex court slated the next hearing for January 30.
Srinagar, December 14

A top Lashkar-e-Toiba commander was one of two militants killed in separate encounters with security forces in Kashmirs Anantnag and Baramulla districts on Wednesday.

Abu Bakar, a top commander of the militant LeT carrying on his head a bounty of Rs 10 lakh, was killed in counter-insurgency operations in Baramullah's Sopore.

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In another incident, militants fired at an army patrol team at Beewra in Anantnags Srigufwara on Wednesday morning, sparking a gun battle, a policeman said.

A suspected militant identified as Basit Ahmad Dar was killed.

Dar had recently joined the Hizbul Mujahideen, the policeman said. PTI/TNS
Amarjot Kaur

It was not only for Amrita Sher-Gils fiercely rebellious and free spirit that Navjot Randhawa, 28, Artistic Director at Andretta Arts Company, decided to make a play about her and Boris. In fact, a series of chance encounters with people associated with Amrita in Paris, their tales about her and a visit to the house where she was born in Hungary propelled, inspired and reinforced Navjots intention to make a play about her favourite contemporary Indian artiste; Indias Frida Khalo  Amrita Sher-Gil.

She should not have come back from Europe. That, I believe, was her biggest mistake. She was too free-spirited, sexually liberated and rebellious to be accepted by the society. The society is still not ready for such women, begins Navjot, who will be seen performing a play on Sher-Gil and Boriss life titled Everything She Wants: Amrita and Boris, on December 16 at the Punjab Kala Bhawan at 6 pm.

Intriguing personality

The play has been written by Randhawa and Rob Wyn Jones, a Mumbai-based theatre and film artiste, directed by Katalin Ladik and performed by Randhawa and Jones.

Boris Taslitzkyin was one of Amritas lovers and they were fellow students at Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. So, I was particularly intrigued by Amritas art and personality in connection with her stay in Paris. It reflects in her paintings, especially the one titled Young Man with Apples, which was actually a portrait of Boris Taslitzkyin, she says.

Free spirit

While the idea of directing a play on Amrita was conceived after copious visits to people who knew Amrita and later reading Tu Parles!, a book about Amritas life, it was only after meeting Gurvinder Singh, the director of films Anhe Ghode da Daan and Chauthi Koot in 2014, that Navjot finally started directing the play.

Most artists have to bear with accusations about how selfish they are, Amrita dealt with it too. So, she was depressed and consumed with melancholy, especially while she was in India. In Paris, she felt more liberated. Also, I was intrigued with her early death. She was all of 28 when she died, but on researching, I found out that she was not well. She had many sexual partners, suffered from many diseases, and also had many abortions. Not even her parents accepted her individual choices... she was constantly at loggerheads with her mother, who resented her choices in life, especially the men in her life, she shares.

Mind of her own

So, what makes Amrita Sher-Gil, Indias finest contemporary painter who became popular in 1930s and 40s, identify with women even today?

Navjot gives a radically befitting reply, First, Amrita had a mind of her own; she didnt care about what people or society cared for... she, just like Princess Diana, was called names because she had many lovers and was not scared to explore her sexuality. In fact, when she came to India after her stay in Paris, she wanted to explore the country with her friends and travel through trains. She was a liberated soul, a bohemian! And many women like her face similar struggles that she did back in 1930...nothing has changed.

She adds, I remember reading somewhere that writer Khushwant Singhs wife had put up a board, which read Dogs and Amrita Sher-Gil not welcomed, on the gate of her house. I feel, liberated women like Amrita are perceived as a threat to other women and they are in fact scared of them. I am only but in awe of her and I am sure many women my age feel the same way.

amarjot@tribunemail.com
London, December 14

In a relief to British Indians and NRIs, the Bank of England has said that it does not foresee any regulatory obstacles to people wanting to deposit or exchange banned Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes at the UK branches of Indian banks.

The banking authority's chief stressed the issue was a matter for the Indian government, who must give consent for such action to ease the "potential ramifications for British Indians and Non-Resident Indians in the UK".

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"Whether it is possible to deposit or exchange high-value Indian Rupee banknotes at Indian banks in the UK is a matter for the Indian government," said Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said.

"The PRA [Prudential Regulation Authority] can confirm that it does not envisage any UK prudential regulatory obstacles if the Indian authorities decided to allow Indian Rupee notes to be deposited with Indian banks in the UK," he clarified.

The PRA, responsible for the supervision of banks in the UK, has also cleared the matter with the Financial Conduct Authority, which acts as the financial crime regulator in the UK.

"The FCA indicated that it has no objection should any Indian banks wish to exchange these notes or accept them as deposits, providing they have the necessary prior consent from the relevant Indian authorities," Carney said in a letter dated December 9.

The letter was in response to a plea by Britain's longest-serving Indian-origin MP, Keith Vaz, to look into making an exception so that NRIs with the demonetised notes can deposit them at UK branches of Indian banks.

Vaz said Carney's response removes "any obstacles which may prevent" the Indian government from addressing concerns among Indian diaspora affected by the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes announced last month.

He said: "Mark Carney has gone the extra mile to ensure members of the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom may be able to exchange their Indian currency in the UK, following the bold decision to demonetise certain Rupee denominations.

"He has presented a pathway for this issue to be resolved which will hugely benefit members of the Indian diaspora in the UK. The Indian government is now free to enable currency to be exchanged in the UK, and avoid the deep concern currently being faced by many members of the British Indian community, who may not be able to travel to India by the deadline."

Vaz said he is writing to Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley with a copy of Carney's letter to seek a resolution to an issue affecting thousands of NRIs and PIOs. PTI
New Delhi, December 14

Against the backdrop of his demonetisation decision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said cleaning the system of black money and corruption is very high on his agenda amid a push towards employment-generation and self-employment opportunities.

India is currently witnessing an economic transformation. We are now moving towards a digital and cashless economy, he said while addressing via video-conferencing the Economic Times Asian Business Leaders Conclave 2016 in Kuala Lumpur along with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak.

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At present, cleaning the system from black money and corruption is very high on my agenda, Modi said, against the backdrop of his November 8 decision to scrap notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations.

He said the economic process in India is being geared towards activities which are vital for generating employment or self-employment opportunities.

The Prime Minister told the gathering that a number of steps had been taken to attract greater FDI and listed the various steps taken in this direction.

He also mentioned that amendment to the Constitution to pave the way for Goods and Services Tax (GST), which would overhaul the indirect tax system in India, had been cleared by Parliament and this is expected to be implemented in 2017.

We welcome those who are not in India so far. India is not only a good destination. Its always a good decision to be in India, Modi said.

We have opened up new sectors for FDI and enhanced caps for existing sectors, he said, adding that the governments concerted efforts on major FDI policy reforms continued and conditions for investments had been simplified.

Total FDI inflows in the last two and a half years had touched USD 130 billion, Modi said.

The positive change in policy, regulatory and investment environment in India is recognised by both domestic and foreign investors, he said. PTI
\Yash Goyal

Jaipur, December 14

With the Rajasthan High Court striking down the five per cent quota for Gurjars and four other castes, the Akhil Bhartiya Gurjar Arakshan Sangharh Samiti (AIGASS) on Wednesday held Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje responsible for the setback and announced that it would stage a dharna in New Delhi on January 15.

The Samiti urged Raje not to make an appeal in the Supreme Court against the High Courts decision which struck down the Special Backward Classes (SBC) Act 2015 providing five per cent quota on December 9.

Since the Supreme Court has put a cap of 50 per cent on reservation, any appeal against the HC judgement would be futile, Samiti president and former Delhi MLA Ramvir Singh Biduri said at a press conference here.

As promised by the BJP in its manifesto and in a joint agreement with the Gurjar community on May 28, 2015, the Raje government should make a move to include this agreement in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution, Biduri said.

Raje has wasted three years of her rule after passing this Act and did not even try to approach the Union government to include it in the 9th Schedule. Meanwhile a petition was filed against the SBC act and the state government could not defend it, he said.

The Samiti demands that Gurjars and four other communities should be treated as Most Backward Classes and be given five per cent quota within the limit of 50 per cent cap, he said, adding, Government can bifurcate 4 per cent from the 21 per cent OBC quota and the remaining one per cent from the 50 per cent limit.

It appears that the Raje government flouted the SC ruling and provided 5 per cent separately to bluff gurjars and other communities, he alleged.

Future of 1,000 students in various state services would hang in balance whose appointment letters are stuck due to HCs decision...how are they going to get jobs, he said.

The Samiti would hold a massive demonstration cum rally at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on January 15 and submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister.

He said the Samiti was supported by gurjars all over India and they would not hold any agitation on roads or rail tracks.

Recently Raje had assured the community that the government would make an appeal against the High Courts decision in which Special Backward Classes (SBC) Act 2015 was scrapped.

A Division Bench of the High Court had struck down the notification of October 2015 saying there were no extra ordinary circumstances to allow the states overall reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to go beyond the 50 per cent cap.
New Delhi, December 14

The Delhi Government should have some powers to function effectively, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday, as it listed AAP government appeal against the high court verdict that held Lieutenant Governor the administrative head of national capital.

The "elected government in Delhi should have some powers otherwise it cannot function. The matter needs to be decided quickly, a Bench of Justices AK Sikri and AM Sapre said, listing the case for final disposal on January 18. It also said that since it would the case at length, there was no need for interim orders.

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Senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam, appearing for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, said that the state government was appealing the high courts order that said the Lieutenant Governor (LG) was the administrative head who had to sanction administrative decisions.

"The elected government in Delhi cannot appoint the chief secretary or cannot even appoint a class IV officer by itself," Subramaniam said, noting that under the Constitution mandated that the Lieutenant Governor should function under advice from the council of ministers and a difference of opinion could be referred to the President.  PTI
New Delhi, December 14

Delhi Police raided a hotel in Karol Bagh here and recovered Rs 3.25 crore in demonetised notes from five people, police said on Wednesday.

Based on secret information, the Crime Branch conducted a joint raid with Income Tax officials on Tuesday night at Taksh Inn in Karol Bagh and found five people in two rooms of the hotel carrying Rs 3.25 crore, said Ravindra Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).

The five men are carriers and had been identified as Ansari Abuzar, Fazal Khan, Ansari Affan, Ladu Ram and Mahaveer Singh, he said.

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The recovered amount was kept in different suitcases and cardboard boxes. It was found during interrogation that the money belonged to some Mumbai-based hawala operators, said the officer.

They had hired packaging specialists who pack these notes in such a manner that they are even undetectable by airport scanning machines. Experts in packaging are using some tapes and wires which pass through X-ray, he said.

The Income Tax department has seized the cash and is analysing the mobile phone details of these people since their phones contained details of a lot of other hawala operators, he added. PTI
R Sedhuraman

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, December 14

The Supreme Court advised the judiciary on Wednesday to restrict itself to determining the legality of executive actions, without encroaching upon the domains of others wings of democracy.

A three-member Bench headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur made the remark while setting aside a Rajasthan High Court judgment in 2005 directing the Centre to exempt High Court judges from the need to undergo security frisking at airports.

The high court had also directed the government to have a clear-cut and well thought-out National Security Policy, instead of the piece-meal chasing of the ghosts of the past.

The HC has evidently transgressed the wise and self-imposed restraints (as they are described) on the power of judicial review by entertaining the writ petition and issuing these directions.

The cause for invoking its jurisdiction suo moto was a news report in regard to a breach of security at Sanganer airport. Matters of security ought to be determined by authorities of the government vested with the duty and obligation to do so, the apex court noted.

Gathering of intelligence information, formulation of policies of security, deciding on steps to be taken to meet threats originating both internally and externally were matters on which courts singularly lacked expertise.

It was not for the court in the exercise of its power of judicial review to suggest a policy that it considered fit, the court said. The high courts suggestion for framing a National Security Policy travelled far beyond the legitimate domain of judicial review.

Formulation of such a policy is based on information and inputs which are not available to the court. The court is not an expert in such matters. Judicial review is concerned with the legality of executive action and the court can interfere only where there is a breach of law or a violation of the Constitution, the apex court explained.

The distinction between what lies within and what lies outside the power of judicial review is necessary to preserve the sanctity of judicial power. Judicial power is respected and adhered to in a system based on the rule of law precisely for its nuanced and restrained exercise. If these restraints are not maintained the court as an institution would invite a justifiable criticism, the Supreme Court said.

In a democracy based on the rule of law, government was accountable to the legislature and, through it, to the people, it explained.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 14

The government today informed Lok Sabha that changing names of iconic High Courts of Madras, Calcutta and Bombay will take some time, as a Bill relating to these has run into trouble and a revised piece of legislation needed to be introduced afresh.

The High Court (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 19 to allow the names of the Calcutta, Madras and Bombay High Courts to be changed to Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai, respectively.

But the Tamil Nadu Government has asked the Centre to rename the Madras High Court as High Court of Tamil Nadu instead of High Court of Chennai as proposed in the Bill.

While the West Bengal Government wants the Calcutta High Court to be renamed as Kolkata High Court, the high court itself has not agreed for revised nomenclature, Minister of State for Law PP Chaudhary said in a written reply, while noting that the old Bill will have to be revised and a new Bill will have to be introduced.

The Central Government has sought views from the state governments concerned and the respective high courts for finalising the fresh Bill. No time frame can be fixed for finalising of the fresh Bill and its introduction in Parliament, the minister said. The Calcutta High Court has the distinction of being the first and among one of the three chartered high courts to be set up in India, along with those in Bombay, Madras. It was formally opened on July 1, 1862.

The Indian High Court Act of 1861 vested in the Queen of England to issue letters patent to establish high courts of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. The Bombay High Court was inaugurated on August 14, 1862.
New Delhi, December 14

Two months after a Jawaharlal Nehru University student disappeared, Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed police to use sniffer dogs to search the varsity.

A Bench of justices GS Sistani and Vinod Goel also said Delhi Police had already lost time in recording statements of four students suspected of having beaten up the student  Najeeb Ahmed and there should no more delay in finding him.

JNU and its student union, JNUSU, have been given two days time to file affidavits saying they had no objections to a "thorough search" of the university and that they would cooperate.

The court also said the police were free to search Jamia Millia University and that if they found any resistance to their investigations, they could approach the court.

The directions came after Najeeb's mother, Fatima Nafees, filed a petition in court asking for its intervention to find her son, who has been missing since October 15.

The court will hear the case on December 22.

Nafeess lawyer claimed police were ignoring the possibility that the student could have been abducted, instead working on a theory that he was not mentally fully sound.

Delhi Police however told the court that it would conduct polygraph tests on the four suspects.  PTI
R Sedhuraman

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, December 14

The Supreme Court today advised the judiciary to restrict itself to determining the legality of executive actions, without encroaching upon the domains of others wings of democracy.

A three-member Bench headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur made the remark while setting aside a Rajasthan High Court judgment in 2005 directing the Centre to exempt HC judges from the need to undergo security frisking at airports.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The HC had also directed the government to have a clear-cut and well thought-out National Security Policy, instead of the piece-meal chasing of the ghosts of the past.

The High Court has evidently transgressed the wise and self-imposed restraints (as they are described) on the power of judicial review by entertaining the writ petition and issuing these directions.

The cause for invoking its jurisdiction suo moto was a news report in regard to a breach of security at Sanganer airport. Matters of security ought to be determined by authorities of the government vested with the duty and obligation to do so, the apex court noted.

Gathering of intelligence information, formulation of policies of security, deciding on steps to be taken to meet threats were matters on which courts singularly lacked expertise. It was not for the court in the exercise of its power of judicial review to suggest a policy which it considered fit. The HCs suggestion for framing a National Security Policy travelled far beyond the legitimate domain of judicial review.

The distinction between what lies within and what lies outside the power of judicial review is necessary to preserve the sanctity of judicial power., the SC said.
NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a nationwide interim ban on the procurement, sale and use of glass powder-coated manja and other dangerous kite strings.

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An NGT Bench headed by Chairman Justice Swatanter Kumar passed the order for an interim ban on nylon thread  also called Chinese manja  as well as synthetic/cotton thread coated with glass powder or other hazardous compounds until the next hearing on February 1, 2017.

It said the glass powder-coated string not only posed a threat to birds, animals and humans, but also caused harm to the environment. The order came on a petition by PETA-India.  IANS
Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 14

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today hurled serious charges of corruption on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, daring him to a Parliament face-off on the issue of demonetisation and demanding an explanation from him.

Emerging in a huff from Lok Sabha, which saw another adjournment without discussion today, Rahul Gandhi went straight for the PM saying: The PM is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth. I have information on the PM that will explode his balloon. That is why I am not being allowed to speak in Parliament. I have detailed information on the PMs personal corruption and as an elected MP, it is my right to speak in the Lok Sabha. Rahul was accompanied by leaders of five Opposition parties apart from the Congress.

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Lashing out at the government for disrupting Parliament, the Amethi MP said the Opposition had been trying to hold a discussion on demonetisation in Parliament for a month but the government was not allowing it.

We have talked to the Speaker to dispense with all rules and start discussions. We have said we are ready for a debate unconditionally but the government is not ready to have a debate. I am not being allowed to speak. The PM owes an explanation to the country because demonetisation is his personal decision. He has taken a decision against the poor and destroyed millions of lives. He cannot keep running away to pop concerts and public meetings. He owes a space in Parliament to the Opposition. We have a right to speak, the Gandhi scion said, with TMCs Sudeep Bandopadhyay and Kalyan Banerjee; CPMs P Karunakaran, RSPs NK Premchandaran, NCPs Tariq Anwar and AIUDFs Badrudin Ajmal backing him as the principal voice of the Opposition.

As the Gandhi scion led the charge, he appeared to gain Oppositions acceptance with Bandopadhyay and Karunakaran, both rivals in Bengal, jointly backing the Congress demand to open the LS debate on demonetisation. As many as 16 parties are with us on this issue.

It is disgraceful that the Government is not allowing a debate, Bandopadhyay said. Parallel to the Opposition offensive, the Congress also plans to take the battle against the PM across the country to the ground. Gandhi today met all party MPs from both Houses and senior organisational leaders of the Congress to chalk out a pan-India protest plan on what he called a demonetisation scam, in which PM is complicit.

Unanswered questions

Rahul Gandhi left some questions about his allegations unanswered, including why it took the Congress nearly a full winter session to demand an unconditional debate on demonetisation. Gandhi also did not answer what he would do about his allegations against the PM if Parliament does not function.

2.19 cr seized by ED in Chandigarh

Chandigarh: The Enforcement Directorate seized Rs 2.19 crore in cash  including new currency notes valued at Rs 69 lakh and Rs 1.5 crore in demonetised currency  during a raid at the house of a local businessman, Inderpal Mahajan of Mahajan Cloth House as part of its operations to check hawala trade on Tuesday night. The illegal cash was stashed in a bed box, a trunk and a bag. TNS

Rs 3.57-cr catch in Bengaluru, Goa

Bengaluru: In yet another startling catch, the I-T Department on Wednesday seized Rs 3.57 crore cash, with Rs 2.93 crore in new notes, from Karnataka and Goa with a huge stash being recovered from a flat here which was guarded by two ferocious dogs and an old woman. In Panaji, the department seized Rs 67.98 lakh in Rs 2,000 notes from a person who met the sleuths acting as decoy customers. PTI

Delhi hawala bust: Rs 3.25 cr recovered

New Delhi: Delhi Police raided a hotel in Karol Bagh area and recovered Rs 3.25 crore in demonetised notes from five men who were allegedly involved in collecting black money from various hawala operators in the Capital and delivering it in Mumbai for conversion to white. The five arrested men had hoarded a pile of cash illegally through hawala and were planning to carry it to Mumbai. PTI

Last day today to use scrapped Rs 500 notes

Exemptions for use of old Rs 500 notes would end on December 15 midnight. People can use old Rs 500 notes to pay utility bills, buy medicines and recharge mobile phones till Thursday midnight. However, people can deposit invalid Rs 500 notes in bank accounts.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 14

Five persons, including three college students, were killed in separate road mishaps in Punjab and Haryana due to poor visibility as dense fog shrouded parts of the two states affecting normal life.

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Four students of a Lovely Professional University (LPU) near Jalandhar were travelling in a car to catch a train from Phagwara railway station when it was hit by a heavy vehicle on the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway, police said.

Three students were killed, while another was seriously injured in the accident. They all hailed from Hyderabad and Telangana and were in the 20-21 age group.

The injured student was admitted to a government hospital, a Punjab Police official said.

Two employees of a private company were killed and three injured in a jeep-truck collision today near Dhoki village in Haryana's Rewari district, Superintendent of Police, Rewari, Sangeeta Kalia said.

"The accident took place early today when the visibility was low due to fog," she said.

The weatherman said fog reduced visibility at many places, including Chandigarh, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Karnal, Panipat, Gurugram and Faridabad and affected rail, road and air traffic in the region.

Several trains were reported running late due to poor visibility.

Chandigarh recorded a low of 9.9 degrees Celsius, Ambala 11.6 degrees, Karnal 10.2 degrees and Hisar 10.3 degrees Celsius, the MeT department said.

Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala in Punjab registered respective minimum temperatures of 6.8, 10.4 and 11.4 degrees Celsius. PTI
Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 14

SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar today said he was all for enacting the All India Sikh Gurdwara Act and would strive hard to get it done.

The SGPC chief said that the draft of the Act had been sent to the Union Home Minister long back. The ministry had raised certain objections after going through it.

We will do whatever is required to update it and send it back to the Home Ministry, he said.

The enactment of the All-India Sikh Gurdwara Act was an important demand in the Anandpur Sahib resolution. Though the draft was submitted to the Union Home Ministry, it was perceived that the Shiromani Akali Dal was not interested in pursuing the matter. For that reason, it remained buried for years. Badungar gave a fresh thrust to it today.

He said the SGPC would set up a committee of 31 Sikh NRIs settled in various countries. The committee would be made an associate of the SGPC and would take up the issues related to NRI Sikhs at the appropriate level.

We are preparing a list of people to include in the committee. One member will also be taken from Pakistan, he added. Sikhs face many religious issues abroad like the one related to turban in France. A need has been felt to form a committee to address such issues and take those up at the diplomatic level through the proper channel  the Government of India, he said.

Another 31-member committee will also be set up. Except the states represented by the SGPC, representatives of Sikhs from all other states where Sikhs are settled in the country will be made members of this committee to address the issues raised by them, he said.

He said that important religious issues are often raised by Sikhs settled in the South, North-East and other regions.
Ruchika M Khanna & Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 13

The thought of gaining power can corrupt too. Or so it seems. As many as 16 sitting Congress MLAs, former MLAs and senior leaders, lobbying for the party ticket, have laid a siege to the Punjab Bhawan in Delhi. Not willing to concede defeat to the Opposition just as yet, the ruling dispensation in Punjab has closed ranks to oust the illegal occupants.

In this battle for control, a senior IAS officer has been made the scapegoat.

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A media adviser, special principal secretary and kin of an officer on special duty with the Deputy Chief Minister were aghast to find there were no rooms for them at the Punjab Bhawan. They had accompanied the minister for a summit in Delhi.

The three raised the issue with the powers-that-be, complaining that anticipating a change of regime in Punjab, the officers were switching loyalties. Peeved at Resident Commissioner K Siva Prasads inability to allot rooms to the Deputy CMs men, the officer was transferred to Punjab as Sugarfed MD even though top officials insist that the transfer was a routine one.

As for the illegal occupants, the government has started serving them notices, asking them to vacate their rooms immediately or pay a penal rent of Rs 3,000 per day.

Hospitality Department officials confirmed that notices had indeed been served on leaders illegally occupying rooms.

The drama began unfolding early this month with Congress ticket aspirants booking rooms in Blocks A and B. With the Congress high command delaying an announcement on ticket allotment, these Congressmen chose to remain put, opting not to check out even while visiting their constituencies back home.

Why should we vacate the rooms? Let the Congress come to power, we will settle the bills then, said a defiant MLA, furious at being sent a notice.
Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 14

Facing flak from his party over pushing recent Akali entrants to the Congress as party candidates in the 2017 state elections, Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said former Akalis would be fielded only on seats where the Congress did not have nominees of its own.

Speaking at an event to mark the joining of two-time former Akali MP Amrik Singh Aliwal into the Congress here, Amarinder downplayed the differences in the Congress screening committee members on candidates in more than 50 seats saying there was no dispute at all.

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Asked why there was a delay in ticket announcements if there were no differences on names of nominees, Amarinder said, We still have 40 days to go for elections. The tickets will be announced over the next few days. The screening committee is meeting again on Wednesday and then the Central Election Committee chaired by Sonia Gandhi will meet to declare the candidates. I think two lists will be announced.

The screening committee of the Congress for Punjab polls met for the fourth time on Tuesday and sat for over six hours to debate candidates.

Amarinder said the dispute was only in the nature of whether a father should contest or the son and was not serious.

The chief Congress campaigner for Punjab, Singh, however expressed concern over the delay in ticket distribution saying MLAs and candidates had been camping in Delhi for many days now. Singh stopped short of saying that the Congress campaign was suffering due to candidates camping in the capital hoping for tickets.

I also want everyone to return to their respective constituencies, Singh said at his residence, where the gates were out of bounds for close to a dozen ticket hopefuls who were seen standing outside the house in small groups.

The screening committee of the Punjab Congress has agreed so far only on 71 seats and discussions on the rest are on. The panel headed by former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhis aides Rajeev Satav and Meenakshi Natarajan, will meet again on Wednesday evening.

There is a severe heartburn in the Punjab Congress over Akalis entering the party at the last minute hoping for tickets for Assembly elections. Some top recent Akali entrants posing a threat to insiders are Pargat Singh, Inderbir Boleria, Mahesh Inder Singh, Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Deepender Dhillon and Rajvinder Kaur.

Amarinder writes to CJI against demonetisation

Amarinder has written to Chief Justice of India and Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court against demonetisation demanding its rollback. Requesting the presiding officers of courts to treat his letter as a petition, Singh said demonetisation was triggering rural distress and suicides and was hitting the poor hard while the rich were managing their businesses as usual. This should be withdrawn, he said.

Will probe Nabha jailbreak: Singh

Amarinder said the Congress, if voted to power, would reopen the probe into the Nabha jailbreak case, which was the doing of the Akalis. The Akalis engineered this escape and we will reopen this matter and conduct a fresh investigation to reach the truth, he said.
AT the Victoria Diamond Jubilee Hall, Lahore, Mr Kanwar Sain, M.A., Principal of the Law College, Lahore, delivered a brilliant lecture on the Kutub Minar of Delhi, under the chairmanship of Diwan Bahadur Diwan Narendra Nath, M.A. The lecturer, who has devoted considerable time to researches in connection with the Kutab area, combated the view taken by architects and archaeologists that the tower is of the Saraconic style of architecture, and consequently erected in Muhammadan times. Mr. Sain suggests, whoever, on the basis of observation on the spot, that such is not the case, and that the tower boasts of much older origin, having been erected by someone of the great Hindu Rajas who made Delhi their capital at different times and who celebrated their conquest of Delhi by holding a Rajasn Yagya and erecting a pillar. He listed incidents relating to the history of the city from the time of its mention in the Padam Purana, through the times of the Mahabharata when Indraprastha formed the cause of the war between the Pandavas and Kurus, some 4,000 years ago, to the time of the great Vicramaditya of Ujjain.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 14

The Uttarakhand government has approved the Seventh Pay Commission benefits for its employees.

The state Cabinet on Tuesday approved the pay commission recommendations for the state government employees. It also approved a two Cabinet ministers subcommittee headed by Chief Minister Harish Rawat that would finalise the modalities for the implementation of the commissions recommendations. Finance minister Indira Hridayesh and Navprabhat would the members of the subcommittee.

It was also decided at the meeting to employ on contract in various departments Uttarakhand Poorvasainik Nigam Limited employees, who had rendered eight years of service. Further, bhojan matas would be provided a one-time assistance of Rs 1,000 for uniform. About 3,000 bhojan matas would be benefited from the decision.

Guest teachers in the state would be appointed on a contractual basis for three years.

The Cabinet also approved setting up of Gairsain Road Infrastructure Corporation Limited.
Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 14

Poachers have killed as many as 20 leopards in the state using snares since 2001. The usage of snare wires is a gruesome method of killing wild animals.

Such traps are made from the wires that are used in brakes and clutches of two-wheelers.

Once a leopard is caught in a snare trap, it tries to wriggle out, but this leads to the tightening of noose around its body. Eventually, the animal dies a slow death.

Poachers use this method to trap several animals, such as leopards, wild boars and tigers. Leopards continue to be the biggest casualty.

This method is used by most of the poachers since it is easy to lay a snare wire in bushes to deceive forest guards as well as feline.

It was in 2002 when seven, the maximum leopard deaths, took place in Uttarakhand due to snare traps. Five leopards were killed in 2007 using snares, three in 2001, two in 2009 and one each in 2010, 2013 and 2016.

Significantly, leopards continue to be one of the biggest casualty among wildlife in the state. As per forest records, over 400 leopards have been killed since 2001 till date due to poaching, road mishaps, electrocution, food poisoning and other mishaps. A staggering 45 leopards have already died this year so far.

Wildlife conservationist Dr Hem Singh Gehlot asserts that snares are a ruthless way of killing. You just require wires of a brake or a clutch to prepare it. It is very effective so poachers worldwide use this method to kill wild animals, he says. Proper patrolling is the only remedial action as timely identification of a laid snare trap can thwart poachers nefarious designs.
ALEPPO /BEIRUT, December 14

The evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo due to start at dawn was delayed, perhaps until Thursday, with an opposition official blaming Iran and its Shi'ite militias allied to President Bashar al-Assad for the hold-up.

Syrian government forces resumed attacks on rebel-held eastern districts of Aleppo for about half an hour on Wednesday, rebel officials and witnesses said.

Artillery, tank-fire, and mortars shells hit the districts during the morning, a Turkey-based official in the Jabha Shamiya faction said, citing reports from the ground. "There is fierce bombardment by the regime forces," he told said.

There was no immediate comment from the army or the government.

Both sides agreed the ceasefire after advances by the army and its allies took most rebel territory. Buses waited to evacuate the rebels early on Wednesday, as agreed under the deal, but the operation was delayed.

Another rebel official based in Turkey called the shelling a breach of the ceasefire and said insurgents had returned fire.

A civilian witness said the attack lasted about half an hour then stopped. A Reuters reporter in a government-held part of Aleppo also heard blasts.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdulrahman said one explosion that was heard was "believed to have been caused by a artillery shell fired by regime forces".

Khaled Khatib, a spokesman for the civil defence rescue service in rebel-held Aleppo, said a number of civilians were injured by the shelling which hit the neighbourhoods of al-Sukari, al-Ansari and al-Ithaa on Wednesday morning. "This constitutes the first breach of the truce," he said.

Syrian forces resumed shelling rebel areas briefly on Thursday morning in what Russia said was a response to rebel attacks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said rebel resistance was likely to end in the next two or three days.

Officials in the military alliance fighting in support of Assad could not be reached immediately for comment on why the evacuation was delayed.

Turkey blamed Syrian government forces and other groups for trying to obstruct the evacuation deal and said there would be more talks with Russia and Iran. Rebel sources blamed Iran for the hold-up.

"What is stopping the agreement presently is Iranian obstinacy," a commander with the rebel Nour al-Din al-Zinki group said from eastern Aleppo.

Sources on Tuesday had given different expected start times for the evacuation. A military official in the pro-Assad alliance had said the evacuation was due to start at 5 am (0300 GMT), while opposition officials had been expecting a first group of wounded people to leave earlier.

However, none had left by dawn, according to a witness waiting at the agreed point of departure. Twenty buses were waiting there with their engines running but showed no sign of moving into rebel districts.

Officials with Aleppo's rebel groups accused Shi'ite militias backed by Iran of obstructing the deal. The pro-opposition Orient TV said it may be delayed until Thursday.

People in eastern Aleppo have been packing their bags and burning personal possessions as they prepare to leave, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed militia allies.

In what appeared to be a separate development from the planned evacuation, the Russian defence ministry said 6,000 civilians and 366 fighters had left rebel-held districts over the past 24 hours.

Rapid advances

The evacuation plan was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire.

By taking full control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia's air force and an array of Shi'ite militias from across the region.

Rebels groups have been supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but the support they have enjoyed has fallen far short of the direct military backing given to Assad by Russia and Iran.

Russia's decision to deploy its air force to Syria 18 months ago turned the war in Assad's favour after rebel advances across western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year.

The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria.

Russia regards the fall of Aleppo as a major victory against terrorists, as it and Assad characterise all the rebel groups, both Islamist and nationalist, fighting to oust him.

But at the United Nations, the United States said the violence in the city, besieged and bombarded for months, represented "modern evil".

The once-flourishing economic centre with its renowned ancient sites has been pulverised during the war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, created the worlds worst refugee crisis and allowed the rise of Islamic State.

As the battle for Aleppo unfolded, global concern has risen over the plight of the 250,000 civilians who were thought to remain in its rebel-held eastern sector before the sudden army advance began at the end of November.

Tens of thousands of them fled to parts of the city held by the government or by a Kurdish militia, and tens of thousands more retreated further into the rebel enclave as it rapidly shrank under the army's lightning advance.

The rout of rebels in Aleppo sparked a mass flight of terrified civilians and insurgents in bitter weather, a crisis the United Nations said was a complete meltdown of humanity.

There were food and water shortages in rebel areas, with all hospitals closed.

'Everything's over'



The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said heavy clashes including shelling and gunfire raged in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Wednesday after a truce deal stalled .

"The clashes are violent and bombardment is very heavy ... it seems as though everything (the ceasefire) is finished," Rami Abdulrahman, director of the British-based monitoring group, said.

Shot in their homes

On Tuesday, the United Nations voiced deep concern about reports it had received of Syrian soldiers and allied Iraqi fighters summarily shooting dead 82 people in recaptured east Aleppo districts. It accused them of slaughter.

The reports we had are of people being shot in the street trying to flee and shot in their homes, said Rupert Colville, a UN spokesman. "There could be many more." The Syrian army has denied carrying out killings or torture among those captured, and Russia said on Tuesday rebels had kept over 100,000 people in east Aleppo as human shields.

Fear stalked the city's streets. Some survivors trudged in the rain past dead bodies to the government-held west or the few districts still in rebel hands. Others stayed in their homes and awaited the Syrian army's arrival.

For all of them, fear of arrest, conscription or summary execution added to the daily terror of bombardment.

People are saying the troops have lists of families of fighters and are asking them if they had sons with the terrorists. (They are) then either left or shot and left to die, said Abu Malek al-Shamali in Seif al-Dawla, one of the last rebel-held districts.

Terrible conditions were described by city residents.

Abu Malek al-Shamali, a resident in the rebel area, said dead bodies lay in the streets. There are many corpses in Fardous and Bustan al-Qasr with no one to bury them, he said.

New conditions

Officials with two Syrian rebel groups and a United Nations official said that Iran had introduced new conditions to the ceasefire and evacuation deal negotiated by Russia and Turkey.

One of the rebel officials and the UN official said Iran wanted a simultaneous evacuation of wounded from the villages of Foua and Kefraya that are besieged by rebels.

TIMELINE

2011: Violence breaks out in Syria after government cracks down on pro-reform protests

In March 2011, mass demonstrations break out in the Syrian capital Damascus demanding political reform, civil rights and the release of political prisoners, soon spreading to other cities. A few small protests take place in Aleppo.

2012: Rebels take parts of Aleppo city

In early 2012, rebels take control of the rural areas northwest of Aleppo city, besieging the Minnegh military air base and the largely Shi'ite towns of Nubl and Zahra. Protesters in Aleppo are shot at for the first time in July 2012 and rebels start to fight for the city itself. Poorer eastern districts quickly fall to the insurgents. Fighting in the Old City damages much of the historic covered market.

2013: Rebel gains cut Aleppo-Damascus highway

Rebels cut the main highway from Aleppo to the south, forcing government forces to use a longer, alternative route to reach it from the capital.

The western, government-held half of Aleppo comes under almost complete siege as rebels briefly also cut the alternative route. But in October government and allied forces retake it and strengthen their position.

In April 2013 the 1,000-year-old minaret of Aleppo's Umayyad Mosque collapses after being struck during fighting.

2014: Rebels and government consolidate positions in Aleppo The government's control of the skies starts to show as it increasingly uses jets and helicopters to strike rebels.

2015: Big rebel gains, Russia intervenes

A series of rebel advances puts the government under pressure in northwest Syria, where Aleppo is located. But in October 2015 the first Russian air strikes take place and swiftly put the rebels on the back foot.

2016: The siege and bombardment of east Aleppo

February advances by the army and allies with Russian air support cut the most direct road from Turkey to rebel-held east Aleppo, recapturing Minnegh air base, ending the rebels' siege of Nubl and Zahra and putting pressure on insurgent supply routes.

On July 27 government forces fully encircle eastern Aleppo for the first time, but the siege is broken 10 days later by a rebel counterattack on the Ramousah district that briefly opens a perilous way into eastern Aleppo from the south.

Russian air power and Shi'ite militias from Iraq and Lebanon help the army recapture Ramousah on September 8, firmly re-encircling the rebel enclave. On September 22, the heaviest air strikes in months hit east Aleppo and the government announces a new offensive to retake it.

After weeks of intense bombardment, in which many hospitals and other civilian infrastructure are hit, Russia and Syria's government declare a pause in their campaign on October 18, urging rebels and civilians to quit east Aleppo.

A last rebel offensive aimed at breaking the siege begins on October 28 from the countryside to the city's west, but after making some progress in the first two days, it loses momentum and all gains are reversed within a week.

Intense air strikes resume against east Aleppo on November 15, putting all hospitals out of action by November 19. On November 28, pro-government forces take the northern part of the rebel sector in a sudden advance that reduces its size by more than a third.

Another swift advance on December 5 and 6 brings the al-Shaar district and much of Aleppo's historic Old City under government sway, leaving the rebels trapped in a small southern portion of their former enclave.

On December 12, the army makes a series of new advances after taking the Sheikh Saeed district after days of intense fighting and under a heavy aerial bombardment, leaving rebels stuck in only a tiny part of the city.

On December 13 insurgents agree to withdraw in a ceasefire deal that would see them evacuate to rebel-held areas outside Aleppo with their families and any other civilians wanting to leave.

But the evacuation did not begin as expected on December 14, with an opposition official blaming Iran and its Shi'ite militias allied to President Bashar al-Assad for the hold-up.

Rebels said the ceasefire would continue despite the delay.  Reuters
Aleppo, December 14

Deadly clashes erupted in Syrias Aleppo today as a deal for the evacuation of rebel areas was put on hold, leaving thousands of cold and hungry civilians uncertain of their future.

Entire families had gathered in the streets before dawn hoping to leave the ravaged city after an agreement announced the night before to evacuate civilians and rebels. The first departures had been expected around 5 am local time but there was no movement, and a few hours later, fierce fighting shook the city.

The landmark evacuation deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey, came after the army seized more than 90 per cent of east Aleppo from the rebels. It would have marked the end of opposition resistance in Syrias second city after years of fighting and dealt the opposition their worst blow since the conflict began in March 2011.

But it appeared increasingly fragile by Wednesday afternoon as the government and the rebels, as well as their foreign allies, traded accusations. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would speak with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later in bid to rescue the deal. The situation on the ground is very fragile and complicated, he said. After hours of quiet, government air strikes and heavy tank fire resumed in the last pocket of rebel-held territory in east Aleppo, an AFP correspondent reported.

Terrified residents ran through the streets in a fruitless bid to find adequate shelter, he said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported very intense clashes on every front line and said two people had been killed in rebel-held areas. State television said rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas had also resumed, killing at least seven persons. Moscow, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad, said Damascus resumed its assault on Aleppo after rebels violated the ceasefire. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow expected rebel resistance in the city to end in the next two to three days.

Rebels and a source close to the regime told AFP that the evacuation had been suspended after objections from the Syrian government.  AFP
Vatican City, December 14

Pope Francis, who turns 80 on Saturday, responded to thousands of people singing "Happy Birthday" on Wednesday by joking that doing it early may bring a jinx on him.

"Thank you very much for your greetings for my upcoming birthday," the Argentine pope said at his general audience, the last public appearance before the birthday.

"But I'll tell you something that will make you laugh. In my country, expressing greetings ahead of time brings bad luck and those who do it are jinxers," he said.

The Vatican, a sovereign city-state surrounded by Rome, has produced a postage stamp to mark the birthday of the pope, the first from Latin America, who was elected in 2013.

It also created seven email addresses where anyone can send birthday greetings to the pontiff, including in Latin, papafranciscus80@vatican.va.

The others are in Italian, Spanish, English, French, German and Polish and the hashtag for social medial is #Pontifex80.  Reuters
London, December 14

The leader of Yemen's rebel Houthi government on Wednesday accused Britain of war crimes by supplying weapons that Saudi-led forces were using to "bomb the people".

Abdel Aziz bin Habtoor said Britain had "sold cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia" that it knew would be dropped on Shiite Houthi rebels fighting the internationally-recognised, Saudi-backed administration of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

"I don't think they are guilty of war crimes: I believe so," he told broadcaster Sky News. "They are participating in the bombing of Yemen people."

In response to a parliamentary question about the allegations, Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs that Britain had a "very strict regime for export licences in relation to weapons".

"We exercise that very carefully, and in recent years we have indeed refused export licences in relation to arms, including to Yemen and Saudi Arabia," she added.

"Where there are allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law, we require them to be properly investigated."

The United States on Tuesday blocked the transfer of precision munitions to ally Saudi Arabia, amid anger about the civilian death toll from the kingdom's bombing campaign in Yemen.

"This reflects our continued, strong concerns with the flaws in the coalition's targeting practices and overall prosecution of the air campaign in Yemen," said the White House.

Saudi Arabia has been a long-term ally of the US and Britain in the Middle East, but British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson was rebuked last week by his government after accusing the country of backing "proxy wars" in the region.

In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against Iran-supported Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies after the rebels overran much of Yemen.

Since then, the rebels have been pushed out of much of Yemen's south, but they still control nearly all of the country's Red Sea coast as well as swathes of territory around the capital Sanaa.

More than 7,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations. Millions of others are dependent on food aid, with nearly 2.2 million children acutely malnourished due to the near-collapse of the health system during the conflict.  AFP
About one-fourth of the task force that worked on a proposal to overhaul Oklahomas A-F school grading system is now seeking to delay its advancement to the Legislature.

In a letter delivered to state Superintendent Joy Hofmeister and the members of the state Board of Education on Tuesday, 51 individuals requested more time for the state Assessments and Accountability Task Force to complete its work.

Among the signatures are 25 members of the 95-member task force that worked on the proposal. And the move goes against the wishes of Hofmeister, who has said the delay is unnecessary and that she is fully committed to the proposal.

The Board of Education is expected to vote on the matter at its next regular meeting, set for Thursday, so the proposal can be forwarded on for consideration by lawmakers.

The letter requests a delay in the boards vote until the committee and stakeholder groups have had the opportunity to reconvene and examine the impact of the final regulations on the accountability system proposal.

Hofmeister has overseen a months-long effort to gather public input and a task force that recommended a reboot of Oklahomas much-maligned A-F school grading system. In doing so, she said repeatedly she anticipated that federal education regulations would require the task force to persist.

But on Nov. 28  after the task forces final meeting  the U.S. Department of Education released final regulations that revealed states will not be required to grade schools with A-F letter grades or other single-indicator score of school performance after all.

The letter from the 51 individuals says, Specifically, (federal) regulations clarify that states are not required to issue a single summative indicator for each public school district or school. This is a significant change that came subsequent to the task forces last meeting.

Among the 25 task force members signing off on the letter are Zack Stoycoff, director of government affairs at the Tulsa Regional Chamber; Drew Dugan, vice president of education and workforce development at the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber; and the superintendents of the Owasso, Oklahoma City, Midwest City-Del City and Ponca City school districts.

Other signers include the superintendents of the Jenks, Union, Pryor, Enid, Moore, Norman, Lawton, Ada, Choctaw, and Clinton school districts, leaders of two charter schools and the Broken Arrow, Tulsa and Oklahoma City teachers unions, Oklahoma Education Association, Oklahoma State School Boards Association, Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration, and Oklahoma PTA.

Hofmeister, herself a leading critic of the states current school grading system, said the task forces work was not dependent on what the federal guidelines would be.

Also, she said there simply isnt more time to send the proposal back to the task force.

It is certainly part of state law that the proposal and recommendations go to the state board before Jan. 1, 2017. The last opportunity to do that is the Dec. 15 board meeting, she said, then adding, We are grateful for the work and service and input of all of the task force members. Their voices are reflected in many of the decisions that were made in creating the proposal.

For good measure, Hofmeister said she has opened a regularly scheduled meeting of her superintendents advisory group, set for Wednesday, to any superintendent in the state wanting more information about the proposal.

There are 50 to 60 superintendents on there, she said. I ask them to let me know what answers they need, whats on their mind, what issues they face and then we share with them some of the important issues were working on.

I would imagine well stay on that (topic) as long as they want tomorrow. I think its important for everyone to have questions answered and to make sure clarifications are made about what is being proposed.
Community TV stations in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth have confirmed they will now broadcast until 30 June 2017 after the Minister for Communications, Mitch Fifield extended their broadcast licences for another six months.

All 4 stations had been preparing to switch off at midnight on New Years Eve following a directive from the Government to vacate spectrum space and to use the internet as their primary platform for distribution.

C31 Melbourne General Manager and ACTA Secretary Matt Field said, [This] is a great outcome for the sector and the community  six more months of broadcast is invaluable. In our discussions with the Minister we were able to make the case that the broadcast landscape had changed significantly since the original decision and that there was no longer any opportunity cost to allocating spectrum for Community TV. The challenge is still enormous but the hard work of transitioning Community TV online will continue.

Community TV stations have maintained that whilst online viewing has been increasing, stations still require time to develop their platforms and to build the audiences that would ensure successful business models following the switch-off. Community TV receives no ongoing funding from the government and is largely reliant on the sale of airtime and sponsorship to fund operations. Recently, community TV stations have been rolling out a series of on demand apps for mobile and tablets, as well as for Apple TV and Smart TV.

The original decision by the Minister for Communications at the time, Malcolm Turnbull, was based on the rationale that spectrum occupied by community TV stations should be allocated to national broadcasters to trial MPEG4 compression. These trials have not eventuated and commercial networks have been implementing MPEG4 in the recent rollout of their primary HD channels.

Community TV has a 22 year history of providing open access for communities to free to air broadcasting. and has contributed significantly to diversity of voice in television, as well as nurturing talent including Gold Logie winners Rove McManus and Waleed Aly.
If you were watching Please Like Mes 4th season finale last night, you may well be wondering: was that the last-ever episode?

As regular viewers know, the Josh Thomas comedy has seen some major storylines resolve past the point of no return.

The fourth season was itself a minor miracle of production given the show has never been a bit ratings drawcard. But it has consistently drawn critical acclaim, both here and in the US where it screened on youth-skewing cable channel Pivot. And its young audience also flocked to it on iview, where it has been one of the platforms biggest hits. With ABCs desire to beef up Diversity, its primary channel audience averaging 66, and especially for what it said about mental health, Please Like Me represents many positives in the ABC Charter.

Producers acknowledge that being a big deal on a small channel such as Pivot arguably gave the show more cut-through in the US than being one of a multitude on a much bigger platform. The channel loved the Thomas comedy so much they even had a representative on set for shoots in Melbourne.

But with Pivot closing down it changes the prospects of more. Season 4 will premiere early in the new year on Hulu in the US (theyre already streaming 1-3) and also been fast-tracked for streaming on Amazon Prime in the UK & Ireland a day after screening here. Seasons 1-3 have also just launched in over 80 territories on Netflix, with season 4 to follow in the new year.

Producers say the reaction coming from around the world, particularly to last weeks episode surrounding Rose (Debra Lawrence), has blown us away.

So where to from here?

Executive producer Todd Abbott tells TV Tonight, We made this season with the idea in the back of our minds that it may be the last one. So we wanted to make sure that if it was the last one, it had an ending that would feel really satisfying to fans.

Having said that, we havent closed the door on doing another season down the track.

The way storylines have wrapped up, any fifth season would inevitably embark on a whole new chapter in the life of its central character, were it to proceed. Structurally the landscape has also changed.

Ultimately it may be wiser to bow out leaving its audience wanting more, but thats something for its young creator, who has amply demonstrated he can surprise, to decide.
Seven has now confirmed the rumour that it has been shooting a local series of Bride & Prejudice.

The controversial series challenges perceptions on race, religion, age and sexuality as family members object to the wedding plans of their children.

At the networks recent Upfronts, CEO Tim Worner kept the shows title under wraps, fearing the title would give away too much to those who were being filmed. A promo even acknowledges its was filmed under a veil of secrecy.

Versions of the show have already screened in the US and UK.

It will air in 2017. You have been warned.
Militants launched 15 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in ATO area in Donbas over the past day.

This is reported by the ATO press center.

As noted, in Mariupol direction, the enemy used grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, and small arms to fire at Marinka (35 km south-west of Donetsk). Ukrainian positions in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) came under 122mm artillery fire.

In Luhansk direction, the terrorists shelled Krymske (42.5km north-west of Luhansk), using 120mm and 82mm mortars. ATO troops also came under grenade launcher and small arms fire in Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk).

In Donetsk direction, the militants used grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and small arms to shell Avdiyivka (18km north of Donetsk) and Verkhniotoretske (22km north-east of Donetsk).

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No Ukrainian soldiers were killed, but four servicemen were wounded in the anti-terrorist operation area in eastern Ukraine over the last day.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesperson for ATO Colonel Andriy Lysenko said this at a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

No Ukrainian soldiers were killed, but four servicemen were wounded as a result of combat actions over the past day, Lysenko said.

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The President of Ukraine congratulated Shavkat Mirziyoyev on having been elected to the high post.

This has been reported by the press service of the Head of State.

The Heads of State noted mutual interest in the intensification of dialogue between Ukraine and Uzbekistan at all levels.

Special attention was paid to the development of trade-economic component of bilateral relations. In particular, they discussed participation of Ukrainian companies in the implementation of programs on development of infrastructure, energy sphere, electrification of railways and other projects in Uzbekistan.

The two Presidents also discussed interaction within the international organizations.

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The Ukrainian-Arab Business Council (UABS) to attract investors to Ukraine has been presented in Ukrinform.

"After successful visits of Arab investors, we have established a good relationship between public and private sectors in Ukraine and the Arab states. The Ukrainian-Arab Business Council was set up to attract investors to Ukraine. This is a non-profit public organization, which will include representatives of government, diplomatic circles and heads of Arab and Ukrainian leading business sectors," UABS President Sheikh Imad Abu Al-Rub said, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

He noted that this organization had to create a secure environment for investors by familiarizing them with the legislation of Ukraine and the business areas, and establishing cooperation between countries.

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The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will make a decision to increase salaries of teachers at today's meeting.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said this at the Cabinets meeting, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Teachers' salaries will grow by 50%. Of course, this decision can be implemented only when the state budget for 2017 is adopted. However, the Government has made every effort to prepare the budget qualitatively and identify all the priorities. We will now make a decision on increasing the tariff categories," Groysman said.

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The share of the European Union in the balance of foreign trade of Ukraine has increased from 30% to 45% for two years.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said this during his working visit to Ternopil region, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"A deep and comprehensive free trade area with the European Union has started operating on January 1, 2016. Two years ago, the EU's share in the total balance of foreign trade of Ukraine amounted to 30%, today it is 45%," the Head of State said.

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President Petro Poroshenko took part in the ceremony of laying flowers to the memorial sign To the Heroes of Chornobyl and memorial mound To the Heroes of Chornobyl.

This has been reported by the press service of the Head of State.

The event was held on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance of the Liquidators of the Chornobyl Accident.

The ceremony was attended by First Vice Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Iryna Gerashchenko, members of the Parliament, liquidators of the Chornobyl accident and families of the fallen heroes of Chornobyl.

The attendees honored memory of the fallen liquidators with a moment of silence.

ish
Chaplain documentary produced by Ukrinform has won third prize at the III Light International Film Festival in the "short documentary film" nomination.

This was reported by an Ukrinform correspondent from the festival awards ceremony.

In October 2016, Ukrinforms film crew, Dmytro Florin and Kateryna Zavada, visited the town of Marinka in Donetsk region and shot a short documentary about the work of military chaplains in the ATO area. Chaplain is a story of three Ukrainian clergypersons on the frontline  two men and one woman.

As a reminder, Kyiv hosted III Light International Film Festival on December 11-13, 2016. The program of the festival included films from Ukraine, Spain, Argentina, New Zealand, India, Israel, the United States and other countries. The event was supported by the Culture Ministry of Ukraine and the Kyiv City State Administration.

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The Amsterdam District Court has ruled to return the artifacts of the exhibition "The Crimea. Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea", which are now in the Netherlands, to Ukraine.

The spokeswoman for the Court has announced this to reporters on Wednesday.

"The Court has ruled that the Crimean artifacts should be returned to the state of Ukraine since they are a part of the cultural heritage of the state of Ukraine," she said.

According to the spokeswoman, the Court has delivered such a judgment on the basis of the UNESCO agreement, which stipulates that if the artifacts are legally delivered from the country, but now stay in the Netherlands without a legal export permit, they should be delivered back to the state, which they were taken from, i.e. Ukraine.

The representative of the Court also informed that the artifacts would stay in the Netherlands during a three-month period, allotted for lodging an appeal.

As reported, the collection, featuring some 565 exhibits from four Crimean museums was dispatched to the Netherlands in February 2014 for the exhibition entitled "The Crimea. Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea", just before Russian sent its troops to seize Crimea. The artifacts were exhibited at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam, but after the Crimean peninsula was illegally incorporated into the Russian Federation in March 2014, the museum decided not to return the Scythian gold to either Ukraine or Russia.

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Displaced Yemeni Razaz Ali sits with four of his sons outside a tent at the Dharwan settlement, near Yemen's capital Sana'a.  UNHCR/Mohammed Hamoud

SANAA, Yemen  When intense fighting erupted in his hometown of Saada close to the border with Saudi Arabia, 75-year-old Yemeni father Razaz Ali gathered up his wife and seven sons and ran for his life. Asked what he needs, he rattles off a long list.

Were hungry, cold and ill, we need help, food and medicines. Were forced to depend on what people give us, says Razaz, who now lives in a makeshift shelter with his family at the Dharwan informal settlement outside Yemens capital, Sanaa.

The family are among 2.18 million Yemenis uprooted within the borders of their own country by 21 months of bitter conflict. Many, like Razaz, now live precariously, taking shelter in informal settlements and public and religious buildings.

As winter approaches, many have little protection against the elements and live in overcrowded conditions without privacy, subject also to risks of eviction. Hunger and poverty are rife and the tough conditions have become unbearable for some.

"Were hungry, cold and ill, we need help... Were forced to depend on what people give us."

I thought about ending my life many times, says Nada, uprooted from her home in Taizz by fighting and now living in makeshift accommodation with her disabled husband and 15-month-old baby.

Overshadowed by other regional crises and as one of the poorest countries in the Middle East, the current conflict in Yemen has amplified needs stemming from years of poverty and insecurity.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and humanitarian agencies have been mobilizing to respond to the ongoing crisis. But a staggering 18.8 million people remain in need of humanitarian assistance across the country, amid a situation that continues to deteriorate.

Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the crisis and the situation is worsening day by day. This is a neglected humanitarian catastrophe, says UNHCRs Representative for Yemen, Ayman Gharaibeh.

UNHCRs prioritized emergency assistance has reached 660,000 of Yemens 2.18 million internally displaced people across 20 governorates since the start of the war, although the response has been limited by underfunding.

Displaced Yemeni Abdu Shuai lights a fire, flanked by his two daughters Marwa and Salwa, at the Dharwan settlement outside Yemen's capital Sana'a.  UNHCR/Mohammed Hamoud

So far, the UN Refugee Agency has received less than half of the funds it has sought - just 43 per cent of its prioritized response in Yemen - and Gharaibeh warned that the lack of support limits our capacity to provide urgent relief.

As a result of the conflict, more than half of Yemens entire population lack sufficient food and those displaced remain particularly affected. Food is the major need for Yemens internally displaced followed only by water, sanitation and shelter, evidencing mounting challenges to basic survival.

With the conflict showing no signs of abating the overwhelming majority are languishing for an average of at least one year away from home, deprived of their basic needs. Faced with scarce resources, depleted savings and uncertain futures, one million have even attempted to return home in the absence of hope or alternatives.

In the face of unrelenting warfare with millions losing their livelihoods, many displaced households are reliant on the overstretched generosity and compassion of local communities who are buckling under the strain of hosting them for extended periods. Others, meanwhile, are reliant on humanitarian aid or are forced to resort to survival strategies that otherwise compromise their safety and well-being.

Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the crisis and the situation is worsening day by day."

Faced with desperate need, incidents of early marriage, recruitment, begging and child labour are all increasingly reported. Among those resorting to sending her children out to beg is 50-year-old mother of eight, Zahrah, a widow who also lives in Dharwan in a tent and has no other means of support.

I send all my children to beg for food every day, she laments.

For displaced father Abdu Shoei from Saada, who also lives in Dharwan, the only way to ensure enough food and medicine for his children is to resort to selling a locally grown narcotic leaf, called Qat.

We dont have any income or assistance so my wife has to beg for Qat from farms to sell, he says.

With needs rising sharply across the country and millions continuing to face grave risks to their safety and basic rights, the only hope for internally displaced people like Amal from Taizz can cling onto is to see an end to disastrous conflict and to return home in peace.

I am not a politician. I have nothing to do with politics. I just want to live my life peacefully and see my children happy, she says.

In addition to the millions of Yemenis displaced at home, more than 180,000 people have also fled Yemen to neighboring countries including the Gulf States and the Horn of Africa to escape the fighting.

(Writing by Shabia Mantoo in Jordan)

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Newly displaced families from east Aleppo reach a shelter in Mahalej, Syria.  UNHCR/Mohamed Jertila

ALEPPO, Syria  Hunger finally drove 16-year-old Mohammad and his family to abandon their home in embattled east Aleppo, dodging snipers' bullets as they ran for their lives.

We were starving in east Aleppo, we had to leave, Mohammad told staff from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, after he and several members of his family reached safety in the west of the city.

We used to be given bags of bread, but then bread stopped and there was just rice. Then there was no rice and the prices of food became so expensive and we could not afford it anymore.

As they picked their way through the artillery ravaged streets, running from cover to cover, Mohammads father became separated, forcing the youngster to choose between looking for him or getting the rest of his family to safety.

We were starving in east Aleppo, we had to leave.

They finally made it to the Mahalej cotton factory, a transitional shelter for new arrivals where UNHCR is providing winter clothes, blankets, mattresses, sleeping bags, water and food to those in need. As his six-year-old sister Ahlam  meaning dreams in Arabic  played in the background, Mohammad said he still does not know what happened to his father.

Mohammad is among several recently displaced residents of eastern Aleppo who have described the hardship and terror of life in the embattled enclave, as UNHCR repeated calls on all parties to the conflict to ensure the safety of tens of thousands of civilians believed to be still trapped inside the city.

Displaced residents from east Aleppo rest at a centre where UNHCR and other agencies provide shelter and aid including clothing and thermal blankets in west Aleppo, Syria.  UNHCR/Dima Alnaeb

Weeks of intense fighting have taken a high toll on civilians across Aleppo, which prior to Syrias conflict was the countrys largest city and commercial hub.

The ferocious battle for control of the eastern part of the city, which has been under opposition control for much of the past four years, has forced an estimated 40,000 civilians to seek safety in the government-controlled west in recent weeks, although with accurate numbers hard to gauge the true figure could be far higher.

Men, women and children who have recently arrived at shelters provided harrowing details of suffering weeks of bombardment as well as shortages of food, medical care and fuel for heating. Their ordeal was compounded by the fact that the fighting has prevented humanitarian assistance from reaching the east for the past five months.

"It was very shocking to see our home turned to ruins.

As well as providing essential relief items, UNHCR is also offering counselling and protection services to traumatized new arrivals, including many children. Bader, 12, who lost his mother to illness before the outbreak of the crisis, sat huddled inside the shelter with his father, step-mother and six siblings.

I was very cold and very hungry for the past 10 days, said Bader, his eyes glistening with tears. We had a house, but it was completely destroyed. It was very shocking to see our home turned to ruins.

Aziza, a single mother in her late thirties, was crying in a corner of one of the large hangars turned shelters, sitting on the floor with her two young daughters. She told UNHCR staff: When we arrived here, I realised that we were cursed with displacement. I am very scared of what the future might hold for us, and especially for my daughters.

UNHCR and its partners are scaling up their humanitarian response in Aleppo to meet the needs of the newly displaced, as well as those previously displaced in western Aleppo. Alongside food, water and protection services, one of the most pressing humanitarian needs is finding secure shelter for the newly displaced.

The onset of winter makes it even more vital that families are kept warm and dry  a small comfort after months spent living in constant fear.

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Nigerian refugee Hawali Oumar gathers up his net after a night fishing on Lake Chad, Chad, in November 2016.  UNHCR/Oualid Khelifi

BAGA SOLA, Chad  Despite improved security in the Lake Chad region over the past two years and the launch of self-sufficiency programmes for the displaced, tens of thousands of people are still dependent on aid in the once thriving area.

They include Nigerian refugees, members of local communities and former nomads used to roaming across a once peaceful land. Small steps are being taken by organizations like UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to help people get by and stimulate renewed economic activity. But much more needs to be done in an area where trade has been devastated and large areas remain off limits to locals as well as the displaced because of continuing military operations.

The people of this region have suffered enough; they need more attention from all of us, stressed UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

The people of this region have suffered enough; they need more attention from all of us.

Grandi is visiting the Lake Chad Basin countries on a trip aimed at focusing attention on the Nigeria displacement crisis, one of Africas gravest and which has uprooted more than 2.4 million people from their homes in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad since 2014.

In Chad, there are 8,598 Nigerian refugees, including 5,882 in the Dar es Salam camp near Baga Sola town. Grandi flew in by helicopter today to hear about their challenges, needs and hopes. Local communities and camps here for internally displaced Chadians, many of whom were evacuated from islands in Lake Chad, provide shelter to another 95,000 people.

Chad: UN High Commissioner Visits Baga Sola

The military strategy of 2015 to cut off the Boko Haram insurgents on the islands after moving people to inland areas has improved security, but attacks do still take place and the displaced are not likely to be able to return home any time soon. In response, organizations such as UNHCR have been focusing on livelihood programmes for people who relied on fishing, farming, livestock herding or trade.

The High Commissioner highlighted a UNHCR fishing programme. This is a small project but it raises morale, and brings so much hope and pride as well as food for the family and fish to sell to others. It can serve as a model for donors looking at how they can help, said Grandi, who met some of the 150 families given canoes, hooks and nets for fishing in Lake Chad. He also went for a brief trip on Lake Chad in a canoe.

The vast majority of people, the internally displaced and impoverished locals, remain dependent on aid, and more livelihood projects like the fisheries venture visited by Grandi in Tagal are needed. If we had more people in this programme, bigger nets and better equipment, we would quickly grow independent of aid, and lift the entire town  refugees and locals  from economic depression, said Nigerian refugee Hawali Oumar.

But parts of the shrinking lake remain off limits for security reasons and environmental damage is compounding the problems there. It is the same for programmes aimed at helping farmers, herders and traders resume business and contribute to economic revival. Fields lie untended in insecure areas, cattle are vulnerable to theft by Boko Haram and cannot roam freely, traditional trade routes have been broken and borders remain closed.

If we had more people in this programme, bigger nets and better equipment, we would quickly grow independent of aid."

The troubles of the region have forced one group, Arab Chadian herders, to completely change their nomadic way of life, move into a camp for internally displaced people on the outskirts of Baga Sola, and accept the charity of strangers. With the traditional seasonal movement of livestock, known as transhumance, disrupted, livestock prices at one tenth of their value two years ago, and many of their cattle stolen by Boko Haram, they have been forced to adopt a sedentary lifestyle and are effectively displaced.

Since their traditional ways have been disrupted, the young are not learning the skills of the pastoralist and the herders are finding it hard to adjust to arable agriculture with the challenges of water availability, absence of wells, irregular rainfall, desertification of the lake and soil salinity. They fear for their future and their people.

Their greatest needs are health care and education, but this is an extra burden for local authorities in Baga Sola amid the economic crisis. With increased international support, more people, refugees and the internally displaced alike, will be able to start rebuilding their lives while waiting for lasting peace to return.

On Friday in Cameroon, Grandi is to launch a 2017 inter-agency appeal for funds to help almost half-a-million people affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin. He expressed his hope that donors would respond generously.

The fact that progress has been made in fighting Boko Haram and re-establishing security should not make us feel that humanitarian assistance is not necessary. It is still very urgent," he said.
The most anticipated Google Nexus 7 tablet might not be released anytime this year but the search giant hints about a 2017 major launching. Will the tablet retain the Nexus name or will it be rebranded to Pixel 7? Read more details here!

Google Nexus 7 (2016) Tablet Features and Specs

It was the popular and reliable leakster Evan Blass who revealed about the existence of Google Nexus 7 tablet that elicits too much excitement from Android fans all over the world. According to The Bit Bag, chances are high for the newest tablet to be rebranded as Google Pixel 7, following the trend set by Google Pixel X and Pixel XL as the successors of Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P phones for the purpose of standardization.

Accordingly, Google Nexus 7 is said to be equipped with high-end specs such as 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage capacity and powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 mobile processor. Furthermore, Google Nexus 7 is said to become the first device to feature Google's hybrid OS called Andromeda which is a combination of Android and Chrome OS according to Know Your Mobile.

Google-made devices are known for its smooth and quick updates for firmware soon after it's released. For this matter, Google Nexus 7 is expected to have the same scheme when it comes to updates and unlike other products such as Samsung Tab; users need not to check the device compatibility for updates.

Google Nexus 7 Will Be Manufactured by HTC

It can be recalled that Huawei turned down the offer from Google to manufacture the Google Nexus 7 tablet. For this reason, Google is reportedly turning to the Chinese manufacturing firm HTC for the production of the device; in fact, HTC is said to be excited for the new business deal.

Google Nexus 7 Release Date

Since there are only few days left for December, Google Nexus 7 is likely to be released in 2017. However, there are several Android fans who are still hoping for the new device to hit the store shelves before Christmas.
Harvard University has announced the early applicants who succeeded in joining the class of 2021. 938 students have been confirmed to join the Ivy League institution by fall next year.

The university's official website reported that applications for early action at Harvard College increased 5 percent this year to over 6,400 applications. 14.5 percent, or 938 students, were admitted to the class of 2021.

Last year, 6,167 high school seniors applied early. 14.8 percent, or 914 students, were admitted for the class of 2020.

"Early admission appears to be the 'new normal' now, as more students are applying early to Harvard and peer institutions than ever before," William R. Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid, said. "At the same time, we have continued to stress to applicants, their families, and their guidance counselors that there is no advantage in applying early to Harvard. The reason students are admitted - early or during the regular action process - is that their academic, extracurricular, and personal strengths are extraordinary."

It was noted that the admissions committee made sure that only students who are "100 percent certain" to be admitted in regular action are admitted early. Fitzsimmons noted that this is important due to the record number of applications they received.

The Class of 2021 early action group are similar to last year's group in terms of demographics. There are more women, composing 48 percent of the group as opposed to 47.4 percent of men. More African-American students have also been admitted. This year's group has 12.6 percent, compared to last year's 9.5 percent.

This year's group is still diverse. It has 21.7 percent of students who identify as Asian-American, 8.8 percent as Latinos and 1.1 percent as Native American.

According to Business Insider, Harvard's early action program gives students until May if they want to go to the university. Regular decision applicants will find their admissions status in the spring.
A scientist from NASA has warned that human beings are totally unprepared for an encounter with a massive asteroid. Dr. Joseph Nuth, a researcher with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, made the proclamation on Monday at a presentation on how humans may be able to deflect comets and asteroids hurtling towards the Earth.

"The biggest problem, basically, is there's not a hell of a lot we can do about it at the moment," Nuth said.

The Guardian reported that, at the annual meeting of American Geophysical Union, Nuth revealed that these types of encounters are extremely rare compared to the small objects that come in contact with the Earth. However, these massive asteroids are what he deemed as "extinction-level events," similar to what killed the dinosaurs.

He noted that these gigantic asteroids are about 50 to 60 million years apart. "You could say, of course, we're due, but it's a random course at that point," Nuth added.

Comets usually follow paths that are distant from the Earth but some get knocked near our planet. In 1996, Nuth said that there was "a close encounter" when a comet flew into Jupiter.

Another one was in 2014 when a comet passed "within cosmic splitting distance of Mars." This one was discovered only 22 months before its encounter with a planet, which is not enough time for a deflection mission if it had been hurtling towards Earth. 22 months may seem like a long time but it actually takes five years to launch a spacecraft.

NASA is doing something about this issue, though. According to Space News, the space agency has pressed on with its mission to a near Earth asteroid even when the European Space Agency declined to fund the Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM).

NASA is said to continue developing the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). It would have joined AIM for the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA).
Sony Xperia XZ is the new Z6 and gets the Android 7.0 update. The mobile phone's details have also been revealed.

Sony Xperia XZ gets Android 7.0

According to Gizbot, Sony Xperia XZ has now received the long-awaited Android 7.0 Nougat update and the other devices of the Japanese mobile phone manufacturer. It could also become the first non-Google phone to run the upcoming Android 7.1.1.

Aside from Sony Xperia XZ, other Sony devices have been scheduled to receive the new update. Included devices are the Xperia X Compact, Xperia Z5 Premium, Xperia Z5 Compact, Xperia Z4 Tablet, and many more.

Sony Xperia XZ Android 7.0 features

With Android 7.0 Nougat on Sony Xperia XZ, users can enjoy several new features that have been added to it. They are now able to work on more than one window, as well as run two apps at the same time. They can also share media files like audio clips and video files through a messaging application.

The update added a boost to the battery backup and can offer enhanced security features of the Sony Xperia XZ mobile phone. These features will allow the users to have more control on their devices as well.

Sony Xperia XZ 7.1.1 release date

Sony has decided to release the new Android 7.0 Nougat update to their mobile devices, especially to the Sony Xperia XZ due to an upcoming release. The phone manufacturer is planning to launch the Android 7.1.1 update in the near future to most of their devices. It will allow users to send GIFs with their keyboards, and it will feature a power menu with a feature that has a restart option.

Sony Xperia XZ features

According to the official website of Sony Mobile, the Sony Xperia XZ features a 23 MP with triple image sensing technology and a 13 MP front camera. It has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 64 bit Quad core processor, water resistant design, 5.2 inch full HD display with a curved glass, and utilizes the USB Type-C.

Check out the Sony Xperia XZ with the official Android 7.0 Nougat installed video below:
Church News  October 20, 2022 LIGHT OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH Needing Answers We want God to be like FedEx and deliver overnight. Things dont happen that way, but in...

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BAT Vietnam and the UNESCOs Center for Culture and Education start Talent Hub Grand Recruitment programme (Talent Hub 2016). Photo: Quoc Vu

The programme is run by Todays Voice of the UNESCO Center for Culture and Education, in collaboration with the G.A.P Institute. Talent Hubs aim is to recruit and build up a community of young Vietnamese talents who are ready to work for enterprises at the time of global integration. British-American Tobacco Vietnam (BAT Vietnam) is the strategic partner of UNESCO through the Talent Hub 2016 programme.

Vietnams productivity has been 20 times lower than Singapores, according to the latest announcement of the Central Institute for Economic Management, in its report on Vietnams labour productivity from 1992-2015.

The Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) said Vietnamese human resources (HR) quality and structure have critical shortcomings, reflected in the increasing trained worker unemployment rate: from 18.6 per cent in 2010 to 40 per cent in 2014.

Jean-Jacques Walravens, general manager of BAT East Asia Area, delivered speech at young talent connection of the BATs Global Graduate Programme. Photo: Anh Sa

According to CIEM, with their low labour productivity, Vietnamese workers may stand to lose big in the forthcoming free-trade era. The free movement of workers in the ASEAN region  in keeping with the tenets of the ASEAN Economic Community  is a great concern.

To address this, the Talent Hub, which runs from October 2016 to March 2017, intends to find the top students out of 1,000 outstanding candidates, through five rounds of training.

Candidates will get great awards, including scholarships worth VND200 million ($8,800), and chances to study and work abroad to acquire practical experience. Those who make it through the selection round of Talent Hub 2016 will be entered into the second round of the BAT Global Graduate Programme.

Dao Le Duyen, BATs director of Human Resources (middle, blue jacket) took photos with students and speakers after a seminar on human resources Photo: Minh Quan

With their rich experience and deep devotion to developing young talent, BAT and the Talent Hub have jointly developed training courses and business consultation, so that the Talent Hub community will be equipped with extensive practical knowledge even before embarking on a career.

According to Jean-Jacques Walravens, general manager of BAT in East Asia, through the partnership with UNESCO, BAT Vietnam wishes to develop young talents and bring them opportunities to access knowledge and skills that will help them to better engage in the imminent open labour market.

To us, people are the most valuable asset and critical factor for BAT Vietnams success. As part of a global company, we want to join hands with UNESCO to build up and develop young Vietnamese talents, Walravens said.

BAT has gained recognition for its emphasis on HRs role in society. In September, BAT Vietnam was honoured with the Manpower Planning and Resourcing award at the Vietnam HR Awards 2016. The award was co-organised by Talentnet and the Labour and Social Affairs Newspaper, aiming to honour the best people in management strategy.
European Social Affairs Commissioner Marianne Thyssen said the proposal to overhaul rules on benefits for migrants "safeguards free movement and protects citizens' rights, while strengthening the tools to address possible abuse". (AFP/Emmanuel Dunand)

The new proposal by European Social Affairs Commissioner Marianne Thyssen comes six months after Britain voted to quit the EU on a wave of anti-migrant anger and allegations of benefit tourism by EU citizens living in Britain.

"We need labour mobility to help restore economic growth and competitiveness. But mobility needs to be based on clear, fair and enforceable rules," Thyssen said in a statement.

This proposal "safeguards free movement and protects citizens' rights, while strengthening the tools to address possible abuse," she added.

Under the proposals from by the Commission, the EU's executive arm, EU citizens would have to work at least three months in a new bloc country before being able to claim full unemployment benefits.

As the rules now stand, migrants can claim previous work in another EU country when calculating jobless benefits in a new one. Critics say this creates an incentive for benefits tourism.

Also in the proposal, workers living in one EU country and crossing daily into another for work will receive unemployment benefits from where they work instead of where they live.

This would impact countries such as Belgium and France whose border residents cross into higher-paying Luxembourg.

Expected earlier this year, the release of the proposals was delayed as to not create a clash during the sensitive Brexit campaign.

Reports said an earlier version included a limit on child benefits that matched the terms of a doomed deal with Britain intended to help then prime minister David Cameron persuade voters to vote "Remain" in the June referendum.

The package of proposals now goes for discussion to the European Parliament and EU member states.
Notably, Showa Aluminium Can Corporation (SAC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tokyo-based Showa Denko Group (SDK), has released plans to start producing sleek cans in Vietnam from this December.

With their smaller diameter and taller height than regular cans, sleek cans are adopted by beverage makers all over the world due to their appealing design. In Southeast Asia, some foreign affiliated beverage companies in Thailand and Vietnam have started to substitute regular cans with the sleek alternative mainly as containers for carbonated beverages.

Although, the investor has yet to release the investment volume and capacity, SACs expansion is aimed to set a solid footprint in the Vietnamese packaging sector. Earlier in May 2014, SDK and SAC completed the purchase of a 91.75 per cent stake in Hanacans Joint Stock Company (Hanacans), a manufacturer of aluminium beverage cans in Vietnam. Since then, by bringing SACs advanced manufacturing technology and latest quality management system into Hanacans and expanding the facilitys capacity, SAC has increased Hanacans sales of beer cans in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese aluminium can market is expanding by about 10 per cent per annum as a result of population growth and rising living standards. SDK and SAC aim to continuously expand their aluminium beverage can business in Vietnam through a stable and speedy supply of products that meet market needs.

In another move, Tetra Pak, the world's leading food processing and packaging solutions company, announced a $110 million investment in a state-of-the-art regional manufacturing facility near Ho Chi Minh City to serve customers across the region.

The factory is expected to start commercial operations by early 2019. Situated near Ho Chi Minh City, the countrys economic hub, it will be ideally positioned to meet the demand for packaging materials of food and beverage manufacturers in Vietnam and other ASEAN countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

The factory will have an expandable production capacity of approximately 20 billion packs per annum, across a variety of packaging formats, including the popular Tetra Brik Aseptic and Tetra Fino Aseptic. With a strong focus on sustainability, the site will adopt a host of global best practices to minimise its environmental footprint, including the utilisation of a high proportion of renewable energy sources.

The investment was prompted by increasing consumption volumes, with the 2016 total packed liquid dairy and fruit-based beverage intake of 70 billion litres across the ASEAN, South Asia, Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
Royal fare: An on-going exhibition at the Hue Royal Antiques Museum displays more than 60 royal objects of the Nguyen dynasty, including pure gold or jade seals, swords, gold book, and kings headwear. Photo dantri.com.vn

The artifacts, made of gold, silver, gemstones and tortoise shells, are part of a collection of 2,500 items preserved by the Viet Nam National History Museum.

The most valuable and important items include royal seals made of pure gold, jade seals, swords, the kings headwear and mandarin badges.

The exhibition also displays objects used in royal worship and rituals, like candle holders, fruit trays, and aloe wood burner.

Other items used in royal office, including brushes, inkstone, paperweights and pen holders also are on display.

Visitors to the exhibition can also get glimpses of daily life in the court through other items like diner and tea sets, and betel nut sets.

Phan Thanh Hai, director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, said the exhibition is being held under a co-operation programme between the centre and the National Museum of History.

The programme, which began last year, has organised two other exhibitions  Antique Jewelry of Viet Nam and The Royal Seals and Books of the Nguyen Dynasty.

However, this ongoing exhibition displays the biggest number of items, including some seals that were rarely seen even by royal mandarins. These seals are the ones that were handed down from emperor to emperor, representing the supreme power and orthodoxy of the dynasty, Hai said.

After King Bao ai abdicated on August 25, 1945, the Nguyen dynasty handed over to the then temporary Government of Viet Nam some 2,500 items which were brought to Ha Noi for preservation as the nation waged its resistance war against the return of the French colonialists.

In 2007, the State Bank of Viet Nam handed over all the items, including 85 golden and jade seals, to the Viet Nam National Museum of History.

The exhibition will be open to public until January 5, 2017, at 3 Le Truc Street.

Alongside the exhibition, the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre has also released a photo-book Bao Vat Hoang Cung (Royal Treasure), and The Museum of Hue Royal Antiques  Volume 8: Wooden Objects.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked ministries and agencies when developing inspection and audit plans to ensure that enterprises are inspected and audited no more than once a year.- Photo thesaigontimes.vn

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked ministries and agencies when developing inspection and audit plans to ensure that enterprises are inspected and audited no more than once a year.- Photo thesaigontimes.vn

This is aimed at creating favourable conditions for firms, as part of the effort towards improving the business climate.

Phuc requested that inspection and audit plans must not be overlapped and businesses must be informed in advance (except in cases where firms were found to violate laws).

Accordingly, a firm would be inspected and audited a maximum of once a year.

At a recent conference, Dau Anh Tuan, head of the Legal Department under the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said firms were dealing with dozens of inspections within a year, adding that there was a shortage of transparency in developing inspection and audit plans.

At the National Assembly (NA)s meeting last month, Tran Thi Hien, deputy of the Ha Nam NA Delegation, said inspection and audit were necessary but must not create a nuisance or burden firms.

She said the frequency of inspection and audit should be included in the law on supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Simplify procedures

Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has signed a decision on the ministrys plan to simplify administrative procedures in 2017.

Accordingly, 15 procedures will be abolished while 108 others will be simplified, out of 443 procedures under the ministrys management.

The Government was hastening efforts for improving business and investment climate towards building a Government which focused on development for the sake of citizens and businesses, in which administrative reform was one of its priorities.

The ministry said administrative reform must go hand in hand with transparency and modernisation, adding that it welcomed comments and contributions for improvements.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are set to meet in an attempt to resolve the countries' dispute over the Kuril islands. (AFP/Michael Klimentyev)

Abe will host Putin at the hot springs in his ancestral city of Nagato in the hope of breaking the ice on an agreement over the Kuril Islands, seized by Soviet troops in 1945 and demanded back by Tokyo ever since.

But despite months of preparatory negotiations, hope is scant that the leaders can finally hammer out the differences over the four islands - known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan - during Putin's first visit in more than a decade.

"The absence of a peace treaty between Russia and Japan is an anachronism inherited from the past and this anachronism should be eliminated," Putin said in an interview with Japan's Nippon TV and Yomiuri newspaper published on the Kremlin's website on Tuesday.

"But how to do this is a difficult question." He added that Russia would strive to reach a treaty because it wants "full normalisation" of ties with Japan.

Putin's two-day trip, including a forum in Tokyo, has been long in the pipeline and follows two visits by Abe to Russia this year.

Abe has looked to eke out concessions on the Kurils by dangling the prospect of major Japanese investment in front of Moscow, still mired in economic crisis.

"This new approach is very bold," said James Brown, assistant professor in political science at Temple University, Japan. "He is determined to try to make a breakthrough."

But few believe Putin is likely to cave in to Japanese demands to hand back at least some control over the islands, especially after the election of Donald Trump in the US gave him an unexpected fillip.

In the run-up to the meeting, officials have been careful to roll back any expectation of a deal.

"It's not simple to bring the two sides' positions closer," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after meeting his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida this month.

And while Tokyo might have been hoping that the mood could be changing, Russia pointedly fired off a timely message of strength ahead of Putin's visit by bolstering its might on the Kurils.

Last month, Moscow reportedly deployed coastal defence missiles to two of the four islands, heightening Japanese anger already piqued by the construction of two modern military compounds.

'DON'T TRADE IN TERRITORIES'

Putin's meeting with Abe is just the latest attempt to draw a line under World War II since Japan and the Soviet Union began talks in 1956.

Experts view recent rapprochement efforts as a positive development for Moscow's trade ties with a stalwart US ally but doubt that either side will budge on the territorial issue.

Bilateral trade fell last year by 31 per cent to US$21.3 billion (19 billion), in part due to Japan signing up to Western sanctions against Moscow over Ukraine.

But some 30 agreements between Russian and Japanese companies are expected to be signed during Putin's visit, including in the fields of energy, agriculture and technology.

Russia's delegation includes Economy Minister Maxim Oreshkin and Trade and Industry Minister Denis Manturov, as well as business leaders Igor Sechin, the CEO of oil giant Rosneft, and Oleg Deripaska, who heads aluminium producer Rusal.

Analyst Fyodor Lukyanov said that under its current difficult economic circumstances, Moscow is "highly interested in attracting Japanese investments to Russia's far-east".

But Japanese experts doubt that Tokyo will be able to use its economic leverage to force Moscow to make compromises over the islands.

"It's too optimistic to expect that economic cooperation will help win Russian concessions on the territorial row," said Shigeki Hakamada, a political science professor at Japan's University of Niigata Prefecture.

Although Russia is seeking to thaw relations on the economic front, Putin insisted that "we don't trade in territories" in an interview with Bloomberg News in September.

"Throughout this year there have been clear indications that the Russian side is delighted to talk about economic cooperation," analyst Brown said.

"They are willing to build closer relations but they have never really given any sign that a major breakthrough on the territorial issue was a possibility."
The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has removed 12 ineffective projects from its latest master plan on steel production that charts a roadmap for the industry until 2025.-Photo internews.vn

These projects, with a total capacity of 6,520 tonnes of steel ingots and 1,350 tonnes of cast-iron and sponge iron, have been removed because of ineffective investments and incapable investors.

Included in the plan are two huge projects: the 1,000-tonne steel ingot factory in Ninh Binh Province, invested in by Kyoei Steel Vietnam Company Ltd.; and Phase 3 expansion of the Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel Corporation in the eponymous province, with an estimated annual capacity of 1,000 tonnes of cast-iron and sponge iron and 1,000 tonnes of steel ingots.

Two steel companies in Hau Giang Province, funded by Vietnam Steel Corporation, and the HK and CLC steel factory, jointly funded by Thu Duc and Bien Hoa steel companies, both designed to produce 1,000 tonnes of steel ingots annually, are also included.

The list of ineffective projects include several proposed by local authorities, like the Lao Cai Steel Ingot Factory, the Thien Thanh cast-iron factory, the second phase of Vietnam-Italia steel plant; and the Quang Binh Cast-iron and Steel factory.

Two projects that dont have investors are the Ha Giang Steel Factory and the Son La steel ingot and cast-iron factory in northern Son La Province.

The new masterplan (with vision till 2035), estimates production to increase to 21 million tonnes of cast-iron by 2020, 46 million tonnes by 2025 and 55 million tonnes by 2035.

The countrys current production capacity is around 12.57 million tonnes of cast-iron and sponge iron and 12.31 million tonnes of various ingots.

Problem project

The MoIT is looking for capable firms to assess Phase 2 of Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel Corporations expansion project in Thai Nguyen Province.

Based on the evaluation, the Ministry will submit a report to the Prime Minister, proposing feasible solutions for the projects problems.

The expansion projects Phase 2, with an estimated investment capital of VND3.84 trillion (US$169.3 million), was approved in 2005. Funding of 45 per cent each would come from the Viet Nam Development Bank and Vietinbank and 10 per cent from the investor.

Due to price fluctuations and policy changes, the investors adjusted the projects investment capital, which was then approved at VND8.1 trillion in 2013.

The project includes two main bidding packages. Engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) No 1 will set up a metallurgy production line in Luu Xa area with a designed capacity of 500,000 tonnes of steel ingot per year.

EPC package No 2, which will exploit the Tien Bo iron mine to the tune of 300,000 tonnes a year, came into effect in May 2014.

Meanwhile, Package No1 has been unfinished and at a standstill since 2012 after Chinese contractor Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) left the project.

Phase II of the Thai Nguyen Steel Plant is a project that has raised considerable public concern. It is one of the mega projects of State corporations and groups that many National Assembly deputies and voters recently raised questions about, relating to its sluggish progress, losses and wastefulness.

Answering these questions at the 14th NA last month, Minister Tran Tuan Anh said the Government had directed relevant ministries to inspect these projects and suggest solutions, including revoking the States capital and reclaiming assets, clarifying the responsibilities of the organisation and individuals, and strictly punishing violations.
Shares bounced back on Wednesday morning, driven by investors' purchases in mid-cap and small-cap stocks that had suffered from recent declines.

The benchmark VN Index on the HCM Stock Exchange gained 0.9 per cent to close at 660.7 points, while HNX Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange edged up 0.5 per cent to end at 78.4 points.

Market trading liquidity rose in comparison to previous early sessions, with 170 million shares worth VND1.39 trillion (US$61.7 million) being traded.

Blue chips closed in positive territory with the shares of dairy producer Vinamilk (VNM), private equity firm Masan Group (MSN), Vietcombank (VCB), insurer Bao Viet Holdings (BVH) and Faros Construction Corp (ROS) going up.

Middle-cap and small-cap stocks, especially those hit by strong selling in the previous sessions, were attractive to investors. Hoang Quan Consulting-Trading-Service Real Estate Corp (HQC) surged 6.9 per cent, ending a 10-day decline of 53 per cent.

The agriculture-fishery-forestry sector showed the strongest growth, led by Hoang Anh Gia Lai JSC (HAG) and its subsidiary Hoang Anh Gia Lai International Agriculture JSC (HNG). Natural rubber producers such as Phuoc Hoa Rubber JSC (PHR), Tay Ninh Rubber JSC (TRC) and Dong Phu Rubber JSC (DPR) continued to rise strongly.

The State Bank of Viet Nam on Wednesday increased its daily reference mid-point rate for trading between the dong and US dollar by VND4 to VND22,124 for a dollar.
The model owns a powerful engine with impressive acceleration and fuel efficiency, an attractive European design thanks to sophisticated and eye-catching details, LED lighting system, pre-eminent utilities with SMART Key, standard 2-channel Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), and a 19-litre compartment box to hold a full-face helmet.

The imported SH300i ABS will be officially on sale from December 20, 2016, at the Honda Exclusive Authorized Dealer System, with the suggested price of VND248 million ($11,272)

Honda SH300i ABS boasts impressive design features and sophisticated details with its prominent chrome-plated lines which make the model look softer, while retaining its typical premium cut.

The first version equipped with a 300cc liquid-cooled SOHC 4-valve engine was introduced in 2007 in Italy. The model shows powerful character with the typical details of the SH line, revs an especially powerful 300cc engine a pleasing travelling companion both for daily commute and long trips. Since then, SH300 has gone through two significant overhauls in 2011 and 2015, gradually perfecting its premium appearance and bringing a more and more perfect riding experience.

Honda Vietnam also offers a 3-year/30,000 km warranty with six regular free-of-charge check-ups to ensure customers good quality and reliable products for their purchases.

According to Vietnam Engine & Agricultural Machinery (VEAM) Corporation, motorcycles continue to be the driving source of income for Honda Vietnam, accounting for 95 per cent of the companys turnover.

Currently, Honda Vietnam controls more than 70 per cent of the domestic motorcycle market, with an ever-increasing sales volume of 1.91 million units in 2014 and 2.03 million in 2015.

Recognising signs of saturation in the Vietnamese motorcycle market, the company has maintained its position in the domestic arena, while at the same time started increasing exports to regional and global markets. Since starting production in 1997, Honda Vietnam has opened three factories in the country.
Rick Perry smiles after a meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump in New York, on Dec 12, 2016. (Photo:AFP/Kena Betancur)

The Texas native, who participated in the Republican primary but was crushed by President-elect Trump early on, was seen on Monday afternoon entering and exiting Trump Tower in Manhattan.

Perry once assailed Trump as a "cancer on conservatism" and threw his support behind Texas Senator Ted Cruz after dropping out of the race in September 2015, but he has long been rumoured to be one of Trump's main contenders for the energy post.

NBC and CBS news both reported late on Monday that Trump had chosen Perry for the job, citing two sources familiar with the transition process.

The 66-year-old former governor, who also ran for the Republican party's 2012 nomination, famously fumbled a debate when he vowed to abolish three US departments - but could only remember the names of two.

"The third agency of government I would do away with - the education, the commerce. And let's see. I can't. The third one I can't. Sorry. Ooops," he told a tittering crowd in 2011, only to remember later in the debate that it was the Energy Department.

The longest-serving governor in Texan history, Perry was the first casualty in a crowded battle for the Republican Party nomination in 2016.
At a working session with representatives of the Dong Nai Peoples Committee, Bechtel expressed interest in studying the investment, construction, and operation of the project as well as developing economic zones nearby the airport.

Meanwhile, the provincial leaders said that Long Thanh is among Vietnams major projects and expects Bechtel to research and invest in the project, simultaneously looking at development plans for economic zones nearby the airport.

In June 2016, the National Assembly approved the construction of Long Thanh International Airport. The projects construction, which is expected to start in 2019, will cover an area of 5,000 hectares in the six communes of Binh Son, Suoi Trau, Cam Duong, Long An, Long Phuoc, and Bau Can in Long Thanh district.

Long Thanh Airport is scheduled to be constructed on an area of 2,750 hectares, accounting for 55 per cent of the total 5,000ha set aside for the project. Once the first phase is put into operation in 2025, the airport is expected to handle 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo each year. The first phase will include the construction of a runway, a terminal, and auxiliary facilities.

The second and third phases will bring more runways and terminals to bring the total annual capacity to 100 million passengers and five million tonnes of cargo.

The airport will meet the 4F standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, taking a huge step towards becoming an international passenger and cargo transit centre in the region.

Established in 1898, the corporation has completed more than 25,000 extraordinary projects across 160 countries over the world. It operates through numerous global business lines, namely infrastructure; nuclear power production; security and environment; oil, gas, and chemicals production, and mining and metals.
Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue (R) and World Bank country director Ousmane Dione at the Government headquarters in Ha Noi on December 13, 2016. Photo:VGP

The commitment was affirmed by World Bank country director Ousmane Dione and the international institutions senior economists during their roundtable talk with Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue on Tuesday.

The Government of Viet Nam is mulling over the establishment of an agency responsible for managing State capital invested in SOEs.

The agency needs to act independently from SOEs and other State agencies, suggested the World Bank economists.

Speaking at the roundtable talk, Deputy PM Hue extended sincere thanks to the World Bank for its provision of recommendations to help the Government design right decisions on reforming SOEs.

He expressed his hope that the World Bank would continue granting technical assistance to the Government to perform the representative role of ownership of State capital at enterprises in specific sectors like finance, infrastructure, construction, and industry.

After 15 years of re-arranging SOEs, the number has sharply decreased, especially small-scale and weak ones.

In 2001, there were around 6,000 SOEs operating in 60 sectors and the total reduced to 1,369 in 2011 and 718 in 2016, focusing on 19 sectors.

The SOEs contribute 28.8% to the GDP while the non-State and foreign direct investment (FDI) sectors make up 11.8% and 17.9%, respectively.
Coming to Hotel des Arts Saigon, customers have opportunities to enjoy delicious meals with abundant menu, sparkling light and romantic scenery, ensuring that customers will have wonderful time with family and friends on the festive season.

Notably, with tickets available at VND1,880,000 ++ ($83.44) per adult and VND688,000++ ($30.53) per child between 6-11 year olds, customers can join an extravagant Christmas Eve dinner buffet with classic style at the 2nd floor of Saigon Kitchen restaurants. Besides, customers will be enjoyed free flow wine.

It is a shortcoming for a perfect celebration if customers do not visit the 23rd floor of the 1930s-style Social Club Restaurant. From 12-15 PM on December 25, the customers will be servered a special buffet brunch with exquisite dishes such as roasted turkey and Wagyu beef, chocolate and foie gras log cake, snow lotus ball and strawberry chocolate christmas tree. All crafted by executive chef Anne-Cecile Degenne and the team along with free flow Champagne. Tickets are prices at VND2,088,000++ per adult.

It will be a perfect choose for an exuberant New Years Eve Dinner Buffet at the 2nd floor of Saigon Kitchen Restaurant. The customers will have opportunities to enjoy a warm dinner with Canadian lobster, premium sashimi, and roasted leg of lamb as well as fresh seafood. Tickets are available at VND1,988,000++ ($88.23) per adult with free champagne. Besides, customers can enjoy the evening champagne brunch with international cuisine at Social Club restaurants with tickets priced at VND3,688,000++ ($163.88) per adult.

Customers, who like vibrant, can choose a scandalous count down party at Social Club Rooftop Bar Count to welcome 2017 at the highest rooftop infinity pool in the heart of Saigon with a lavish party of spirits, canapes and lively music. Customers will have to pay VND2,500,000++ ($110.95) per one for welcoming one of the most meaningful moments of a year.

On first days of the New Year, there is no more interesting than enjoy tasty delights such as fresh seafood, Australian beef, Hokkaido scallop salad with truffles, grilled Black Angus beef and Dim Sum at Social Club restaurant.
If you've been in the sports arena for a while, you know that some aspects of these arenas are beginning to show their age- a
Officials and lawmakers in Afghanistan continue to question and denounce Russias recent disclosure that it maintains limited political contacts with the Taliban.

The ongoing session of the Afghan parliament has witnessed a heated debate on the issue, with some lawmakers condemning Russias outreach to the Islamist insurgency as shameful while others accusing Moscow of providing modern warfare to Taliban fighters.

Lawmakers also criticized neighboring Iran for backing the Taliban.

On Wednesday, the legislative lower house, or Wolasi Jirga, passed a resolution, urging President Ashraf Ghanis national unity government not to allow neighboring and regional countries to interfere in internal Afghan matters on the pretext of supporting the Taliban to fight Islamic State.

Russian ambassador to Kabul, Alexander Mantytskiy, revealed last week his government maintains ties with the insurgent group but they are not intensive.

Yes, we do have contacts [with the Taliban] but they are aimed at ensuring safety of Russian nationals and encourage the Taliban to engage in peace talks [with Kabul], Mantytskiy told the Afghan senate committee on international relations Saturday in unprecedented testimony.

He expressed annoyance at criticism of Russian ties to the Taliban, saying countries such as the United States, Britain, Italy, Qatar and Saudi Arabia all maintain relations with the insurgents.

The diplomat. however, dismissed allegations Moscow was backing the Taliban to prevent IS from reaching Russia and China through Afghanistans neighboring Central Asian States.

Though Mantytskiy acknowledged Russia and the Taliban have shared interests in fighting IS in Afghanistan.

He reiterated Russian concerns that many of the fighters in IS ranks in Syria and Iraq belong to our friendly Central Asian neighboring states.

The Russian diplomat added it is possible that when they begin to disperse in the Middle Eastern region they would try to return to their native countries and Afghanistan to pose a serious threat.

Meanwhile, the Afghan foreign ministry also has warned that maintaining any kind of support or contacts with groups destabilizing Afghanistan would undermine regional stability as well. It also called for neighboring and regional countries to adhere to principles of government-to-government relations to effectively tackle common challenges facing the region.

The Taliban also insists on political nature of its relations with Moscow. Its spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told VOA the Taliban has neither received any cooperation nor has it asked for any help from foreign countries, including Russia.

But when asked whether Russians are seeking the Talibans help in fighting the IS, Mujahid said.

Our relations with all regional countries are meant to promote regional peace and steer our country out of the crisis. As for Russias policy of maintaining ties with us, it is for them to explain, but there are many problems facing the region, insisted the Taliban spokesman.

Analysts, however, do not see Russia wanting to support the Taliban militarily because it would weaken the Afghan government, deepen the chaos, and could eventually encourage radical forces like IS to expand influence in the region.

But if it [Russias ties to Taliban] could further help the peace talks with the Taliban, I think it could have a positive outcome for both the Afghan government and the Taliban, says Kabul-based political observer, Haroun Mir.

Russian officials allege the U.S. military and its NATO allies have failed to achieve their security objectives in Afghanistan and contain IS activities there.

But U.S. commander of NATOS Afghan mission, General John Nicholson, has dismissed Moscows assertions and criticized Russia and Iran for giving overt legitimacy to the Taliban, saying it is not based on facts.

Their [Russias] narrative goes something like this: that the Taliban are the ones fighting Islamic State, not the Afghan government. And of course, the Afghan government and the U.S. counterterrorism effort are the ones achieving the greatest effect against Islamic State, Nicholson stated earlier this month.

The general added that Russia is using its public legitimacy to essentially undermine the Afghan government and the NATO effort, and bolster the belligerents.
U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Raad al Hussein says he is appalled by the apparent collapse of a cease-fire deal in Aleppo that would have allowed civilians to evacuate the war-torn Syrian city, where heavy fighting resumed on Wednesday.

While the reasons for the breakdown in the ceasefire are disputed, the resumption of extremely heavy bombardment by the Syrian government forces and their allies on an area packed with civilians is almost certainly a violation of international law and most likely constitutes war crimes, Zeid said in a statement Wednesday.

Zeid called on the Syrian government to provide medical aid to those wounded during the recent bombardment, which he said was required by international law, and called the governments apparent blocking of a convoy of buses sent to evacuate civilians inexcusable.

The way this deal was dangled in front of this battered and beleaguered population  causing them to hope they might indeed live to see another day  and then snatched away just half a day later is also outrageously cruel, he said.

Zeid's comments came after heavy fighting resumed Wednesday in Aleppo and various parties and their backers traded blame for shattering a cease-fire, effectively scuttling a plan to evacuate civilians and rebels.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the violence included airstrikes on the remaining parts of opposition-held Aleppo, which the rebels seized four years ago. Rebel areas were also hit by shelling, while Syrian state television reported that shelling by the rebels killed six people in a district that was recently recaptured by the government.

Trading blame

Russia blamed the rebels for breaking the truce agreed to on Tuesday, saying they attacked Syrian government positions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was government forces who attacked first. Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin were due to discuss the situation in Aleppo sometime Wednesday.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, spoke by phone Wednesday afternoon and Lavrov told Kerry the Syrian government was willing to provide a safe exit for civilians and rebel fighters, but the rebels refused to adhere to the ceasefire, according to a statement from the Russian foreign ministry.

Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey, which supports rebels who want to oust him, brokered the deal, which also set up the evacuations that were expected to begin early Wednesday morning.

Aleppo has been the subject of numerous efforts to bring a halt in fighting and to get aid to thousands of people in need of food and medicine. But repeatedly those initiatives, including brokered cease-fires by countries such as Russia, the United States and Turkey, have fallen apart.

The plan, according to Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, was for most of the fleeing opposition fighters to move to Idlib, a city of 165,000 residents 60 kilometers southwest of Aleppo.

Churkin described the deal as the end of a very difficult chapter" for Aleppo, and said his government hoped it would lead to the "relaunching [of] political negotiations."

Turkey's deputy prime minister, Mehmet Simsek, said on Twitter his country would set up a tent city to accommodate as many as 80,000 refugees fleeing Aleppo.

Failed diplomacy

At an emergency council session Tuesday, Western envoys fiercely criticized Russia for its ongoing military support of the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the months of atrocities inflicted on residents of the once-vibrant city.

Are you truly incapable of shame? Is there literally nothing that can shame you? U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power asked. Is there no act of barbarism against civilians, no execution of a child that gets under your skin, that just creeps you out a little bit? Is there nothing you will not lie about or justify?

Britains envoy, Matthew Rycroft, echoed the words of Secretary-General Ban, saying the Security Council had failed.

Its failed because Russia has used and abused its veto time and again, even to prevent a seven-day cease-fire, Rycroft said.

Russian envoy Churkin dismissed Western accusations of widespread atrocities, calling them part of a propaganda, disinformation and psychological war.

He went on to equate the reports to the spread of fake news, saying people fabricating such reports stoop to covering war zone children with dust to be presented as victims of bombings.

Atrocities

Earlier, in Geneva, U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville called on Syria to allow U.N. monitors or another organization such as the International Committee of the Red Cross immediate access to Aleppo.

Civilians have paid a brutal price during this conflict, and were filled with the deepest foreboding for those who remain in this last hellish corner of opposition-held eastern Aleppo, he said.

Separately, the ICRC warned Tuesday that thousands of civilians in eastern Aleppo have literally nowhere safe to run and urged those involved in fighting there to protect them.

Once complete, the recapture of eastern Aleppo would end four years of fighting between a loose alliance of rebel factions and the Syrian army, which is backed by Shiite Hezbollah fighters, Russian forces and Shiite militia supported by Iran.

A year-long government offensive intensified in September, when Assads forces were bolstered by Russian air power. Monitors described the Russian air war on Aleppos eastern sector as methodical and said entire neighborhoods were flattened street-by-street under the onslaught.

Rebel commanders and opposition politicians insist the loss of Aleppo will not mark the end of the uprising.

However, few doubt battlefield fortunes have swung heavily against them and with the regime possibly hours away from seizing what is left of insurgent controlled eastern Aleppo, the dynamic of resistance will have to change to guerrilla warfare to keep the revolution alive.

Margaret Besheer and Jamie Dettmer contributed to this report.

Watch: Syrian Rebels Reach Evacuation Deal for Aleppo
In the weeks since a student at Ohio State University attack a group of people, the community has struggled to understand what drove the refugee from Somalia, who came to the U.S. with his family in 2014, to such violence. Nowhere has that been felt more than the Muslim community of Columbus, Ohio, where people are working hard to distance their faith from a lone-wolf attacker. Arash Arabasadi reports.
Guyanese author, teacher and diplomat E.R. Braithwaite, whose 1959 book To Sir, With Love told the story of a black teacher struggling in a classroom in a white London slum, has died in surburban Washington at age 104.

Braithwaite moved into teaching after a career as an oil worker and serving in Britain's Royal Air Force during World War II.

He chose the profession after being denied an engineering job because he was black and found himself facing a schoolroom of antisocial, violent and occasionally racist poor whites in a London slum.

But he soon discovered that by showing the unruly students simple respect, he got the same from them and wrote about his experiences in his memoir To Sir With Love.

The book was made into a highly successful 1967 film starring Sidney Portier and British pop star Lulu.

Braithwaite also taught at several U.S. universities and was Guyana's first permanent representative to the U.N. after the South American nation gained independence from Britain in 1966.
Colombia's FARC rebels have expelled five commanders for refusing to demobilize and join a peace process with the government aimed at ending more than five decades of war, guerrilla leadership said.

The five commanders, all from units in the country's southeast jungle, include one former participant in four-year-long peace talks in Cuba.

"This decision is motivated by their recent conduct, which contradicts our political-military line," leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) said in statement late on Tuesday.

"We call on all combatants who have been tricked into this futureless path to distance themselves from this mistaken decision taken by their commanders," the statement said.

The expelled commanders are the second group of rebels to declare their opposition to the peace deal under which the FARC convert into an unarmed political party. In July a First Front unit leader and some of his fighters left the group in protest of the deal.

Law enforcement and military officials have expressed fears some rebels will not demobilize and will instead keep control of lucrative coca-growing and cocaine-smuggling operations, joining the ranks of the country's feared criminal gangs.

A modified peace deal, cobbled together after the first version was rejected in a public vote in October, has been signed by FARC leader Rodrigo Londono and President Juan Manuel Santos, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reach an accord.

The deal has been approved by Colombia's Congress and some 7,000 rebels now have six months to move to demobilization zones and hand in all weapons.

It is so far unclear whether the second deal will have to go to another public vote.
U.S. food giant ConAgra pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to charges of sending contaminated peanut butter to stores in 47 states.

The company will pay a record $11.2 million in penalties, including an $8 million fine  the largest single food poisoning-related fine in U.S. history.

"This case demonstrates companies, both large and small, must be vigilant about food safety," Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said Tuesday.

A ConAgra subsidiary shipped salmonella-tainted Peter Pan Peanut Butter from a plant in Georgia to stores across the country in 2006 and 2007, even while knowing the product might be contaminated.

About 700 people were sickened.

ConAgra says nothing is more important to the company than assuring the safety and quality of its food. It says it has made significant improvements to its facilities.
Negotiations between President Joseph Kabila's political alliance and the Congolese opposition got under way Tuesday in Kinshasa, with the Catholic Church mediating.

In the absence of elections, these talks are being billed as the Democratic Republic of Congo's last chance for a negotiated settlement ahead of the scheduled end of Kabila's second term next Monday.

Catholic Church's role

The Congolese Catholic Church (CENCO) has been tasked with mediating the political negotiations. The most influential delegations at the talks are Kabila's ruling alliance, the presidential majority, and the Rassemblement, the largest opposition coalition.

CENCO hopes the participants will strike a compromise before the week is out, which will dramatically reduce the chances of disorder and violence when Kabila's term comes to an end.

Abbe Donatien Nshole, CENCO's deputy secretary general, said he hopes the talks will be concluded by the end of the week. It does not depend on the bishops, he said, but the goodwill and determination of the participants.

International backing

The negotiations have the full support of the international community. The electoral commission failed to organize elections last month, as required by the constitution, which would have selected Kabila's successor, and the president now intends to remain in power until at least 2018.

Without a negotiated settlement supported by the Rassemblement, there are fears that the arrival of December 19 could trigger a period of protest and violent reprisals.

However, major differences remain between the sides, including their interpretations of the constitution.

Rassemblement delegate Martin Fayulu told reporters that Kabila must quit power no later than 11:59 pm on December 19. He said a special regime should be put in place from December 20 and the ongoing talks must determine how to organize and exercise the power of the state after that date.

What happens after Dec. 19?

For the president's supporters, however, the question of who will head the country after December 19 has already been settled.

Lambert Mende, the communications minister and a delegate for the presidential majority, said Kabila is going to stay in office until a new elected president replaces him. According to Mende, the constitution provides that a president leaves only when another president is elected to take his place.

The presidential majority and the Rassemblement also disagree about when the delayed presidential election should take place. Whereas the Rassemblement says it must take place next year, Kabila's supporters argue it cannot be organized before April 2018.
Colombia's government can move laws needed to carry out the country's peace deal with the Marxist FARC rebels through Congress more quickly than usual, the Constitutional Court ruled Tuesday.

Both the Senate and the lower house backed the accord with the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, in recent votes, giving necessary legislative approval to the deal to end 52 years of war that has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions.

But rebels have expressed worries about demobilizing while parts of the accord, including an amnesty law for most fighters, are still making their way through Congress. The government has said court backing for the quicker approval process, including fewer debates, will speed up passage of the laws, safeguarding a fragile cease-fire.

The court's 8-1 decision will cut the approval time to six months instead of a year, Senate President Mauricio Lizcano told journalists.

The coalition of President Juan Manuel Santos, who received the Nobel Peace Prize on Saturday, has a majority in Congress, where the peace-related laws are likely to pass easily. The right-wing opposition walked out of both houses in protest during the votes on the deal as a whole.

The agreement to end Latin America's longest insurgency came about a month after the original pact was defeated by less than 0.5 percent in an October referendum.

The amnesty law will exempt rebels not involved in war crimes or human rights violations from prosecution and will be the first of the peace laws the government will propose, officials have said.

Some 7,000 fighters from the FARC, which was founded in 1964 as a rebellion against rural poverty, are set to lay down their weapons under the deal.

Other laws tied to the pact pertain to rural reform, compensation for victims, removal of land mines and a U.N.-monitored cease-fire. The FARC will convert into a political party under the accord.
Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina appears set to win a second term in office, with preliminary returns from Sunday's election giving him enough votes to avoid a run-off election.

Results from more than half of the island nation's polling places show Medina leading with about 62 percent of the vote. His closest rival, businessman Luis Abinader, took about 35 percent in early results.

Final results are expected later Monday.

Medina's centrist Democratic Liberation Party has been in power for 12 years, winning four of the past five presidential elections.

Medina benefits from an economy that grew by seven percent in the past year. But more than 40 percent of the Dominican Republic's 10 million residents are estimated to live in poverty.

In 2015, Medina, who was limited to a four-year term in office, pushed through election law changes that allowed him to run for a second term.

Medina has been criticized for government policies that discriminate against Dominican-born children of Haitian immigrant workers. He has overseen the repatriation of tens and thousands of people with roots in Haiti, a policy condemned by human rights groups.

Nearly 60 percent of the island nation's eligible voters reportedly participated in Sunday's election, which also chose members of the country's Senate, Chamber of Deputies and local offices.

For the past two years, the Dominican Republic has ranked as the fastest growing economy in Latin America and the Caribbean.

However, poverty rates on the island continue to hover at around 40 percent.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he personally killed suspected drug traffickers during his two-decade tenure as mayor of the southern city of Davao.

Duterte made the admission Monday during a speech before a group of businessmen, boasting that he would ride around Davao on his motorcycle and "just patrol the streets... looking for a confrontation so I could kill."

The president said he would kill drug suspects just to show police "that if I can do it, why can't you?"

Duterte's shocking admission came amid defense of his all-out crackdown on suspected drug dealers since taking office in June. Nearly 6,000 people have been killed by police and vigilante squads during that time, drawing criticism from human rights groups, the United Nations and U.S. President Barack Obama.

Duterte vowed to ignore the criticism and continue with the crackdown, and even dared his opponents to remove him from office.

"You arrest me, oust me? Go ahead. So, God said that you are mayor but you have given a mission to do something but it's only up to them. So, fine. Oust me, good. Assassinate me, better. I have this migraine everyday," Duterte said.
The chairman of two independent Egyptian newspapers, including one of the country's only English-language papers, said Wednesday that the company's assets had been frozen for alleged ties to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, a charge he denied.

The Muslim Brotherhood's activities were banned in 2013 after the army ousted Egypt's first freely elected President Mohamed Morsi of the Brotherhood following mass protests against his one-year rule.

The government formed a committee shortly thereafter to manage the Brotherhood's funds and properties. It has since seized the assets of many of the group's leaders.

Mostafa Sakr, chairman of Business News  the parent company of Al-Borsa, a widely read financial newspaper, and Daily News Egypt, a popular English-language paper  denied any connection to the organization.

"Our notebooks are open and our assets are clear, and they have just one source  our advertisements and subscriptions," Sakr told Reuters.

"We did not receive any explanations or even warnings about this beforehand whatsoever, so we are extremely surprised by this decision," he said.

Human rights groups have accused Egyptian authorities of widespread violations that include rolling back press freedoms won in the 2011 uprising that toppled veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Sakr said the company had appealed the committee's decision and that the newspapers would continue to operate as usual.
The United States is deploying troops to Poland, the Baltic states and Romania next month as part of raising the security of the region, Polish and U.S. defense officials said Wednesday.



Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz made the announcement following talks with the commander of U.S. land troops in Europe, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, in Zagan, western Poland. An Armored Brigade Combat Team from Fort Carson, Colorado, will be deployed there early next month, while another U.S. force, a battalion, will be deployed April 1 to Orzysz, in the northeast.



Macierewicz said he was very happy that a decision has been taken by the U.S. side for an earlier deployment.



But the U.S. Army told The Associated Press that the deployment was not accelerated and is taking place as had always been scheduled.



Hodges said the troops will arrive in the German port of Bremerhaven on January 6 and will be immediately deployed to Poland, the Baltic states and Romania. Their transfer will be timed and treated as a test of how fast the force can move from port to field, he said.



I'm confident in the very powerful signal, the message it will send [that] the United States, along with the rest of NATO, is committed to deterrence, Hodges said.



He said the armored brigade has already moved out of its Colorado base and is loading on ships.



I'm excited about what my country is doing and I'm excited about continuing to work with our ally, Poland, Hodges said.



In a separate decision, the members of NATO at a July summit in Warsaw approved the deployment of four multinational battalions to Poland and the Baltic states to deter Russia. Germany will lead a multinational battalion in Lithuania, with similar battalions to be led by the United States in Poland, Britain in Estonia and Canada in Latvia.



Poland and the Baltic nations have been uneasy about increased Russian military operations in the region, especially after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, and have requested U.S. and NATO troops on their soil as a deterrent. The alliance and the U.S. insist the troop presence is not aimed against anyone, but Russia has threatened measures in response.
This time of year, the Evros River runs broad and icy, its banks muddy and remote. Its a formidable sight for migrants reaching Turkeys land border with Greece, but not formidable enough to stop people who have already come so far in their bid to make it to a new life in Europe.

It was horribly cold, said Kevin Mohamadi, 37, an Iranian who said he crossed the river after paying smugglers. We were a group of 16, including Afghan families with four children each, and crossed in two boatloads. Then we had to walk through forests for four hours, to avoid being caught.

A year after the uncontrolled influx of more than 1 million refugees and economic migrants to debt-hobbled Greece, this border region is again seeing rising flows of migrants. Its largely because of a legal loophole: restrictions imposed in March to curb new arrivals by sea in the Greek islands dont apply to the land border.

That means that anyone entering here is far ahead of island arrivals in the queue for refugee relocation to other European countries, and those who do not qualify for asylum could be spared deportation that they would otherwise face under the deal between the European Union and Turkey.

Also, despite the river crossing, the discomfort and danger pales when compared with the sea journey to the islands.

The refugees usually cross in boats, said Panagiotis Ageladarakis, mayor of the border village of Amorio, about 1.5 kilometers (just under a mile) from the river. At its widest the river is about 150 meters across, but there are narrower points, and Turks ferry them over. ... Then they walk to our villages. Its a regular sight.

Statistics incomplete

Figures on arrivals here are far from complete. The only statistics released are of people who are caught with the smugglers they pay to ferry them over the Evros, which runs along most of the 180-kilometer (110-mile) border. There is no information on migrants who make it across without the help of smugglers, nor for those who are smuggled successfully across and taken further into Greece or elsewhere in Europe.

But even the few numbers that do exist show a rapid upward trend. About 655 people, largely Syrians, were arrested with 33 smugglers in October, double the figure for September.

A police official also told The Associated Press that Greek authorities are deterring about 4,000 people a month from coming over by driving patrol cars to the Greek side of the river when they see a group of migrants about to cross, or calling Turkish officials to pick them up. Thats nearly three times the number seen in an average summer month, even though the crossing is much easier then because low water levels make it possible to wade across the river.

Migrants seeking to be included in EU plans to relocate them to other European Union countries often immediately hand themselves over to police and start their asylum application process. Ageladarakis said they usually arrive early in the mornings.

They come here to the coffee shop and ask us to call the police, he said.

Some keep going north

Others, though, aim to go much further. Police say they pay smuggling gangs 2,000-2,200 euros ($2,100-$2,300) each to be taken over the river and then driven in small trucks or cars to the northern city of Thessaloniki, or the capital, Athens, 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) to the southwest. Once there, they can apply for relocation, or pay to be spirited through the sealed Balkan borders, or for a forged passport and a plane ticket to anywhere in Europe.

People who cross on their own seek temporary shelter. Their transit is marked in a disused farm warehouse close to the railway station in the town of Didymoteicho, where flaking brick walls are blackened by fires lit to cheat sub-zero temperatures, and discarded clothing, soiled diapers, worn-out shoes and toothbrushes litter the floor.



Paschalis Syritoudis, police chief in the nearby town of Orestiada, said people from Syria, Iraq, Eritrea, Somalia or Myanmar are automatically treated as refugees, and Syrians and Iraqis get documents that allow them to join the lengthy relocation process.



All other migrants are arrested and detained ... and if they dont request asylum the deportation procedure starts.

After six months, freedom

But maximum detention is six months, after which if the migrants havent been deported  and countries such as Pakistan routinely block deportation requests  they are freed.



The figures for people passing through here are still low compared with those using the island route. Around 170,000 people have used that so far this year, but the vast majority before the Aegean island restrictions kicked in.



Under the March EU-Turkey deal, which, combined with Balkan border closures, slowed the migratory influx to a trickle, migrants arriving on the islands must be deported back to Turkey, even if they are bona fide refugees. To stay in Greece, they must prove not only that they merit asylum, but that there is a good reason for their not being granted asylum in Turkey.



Conditions for those who made it to the island camps before March are dismal because of severe overcrowding, delays in the asylum process and tension among ethnic groups or with Greeks, often reliant on tourism and angry at their islands being turned into open prisons.

Its true that migratory pressure since August has been higher than in the same months last year, police chief Syritoudis said. But there is no indication that the overall flow is turning toward the Evros area.


A former CIA director and a former British prime minister offered simple advice on Wednesday for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump: Have daily intelligence briefings.



Both Leon Panetta, a former American spymaster and defense secretary, and Britain's former Prime Minister David Cameron emphasized the point after Trump suggested he didn't need them.



"I have never seen a president who has said, 'I don't want that stuff.' Never seen it,'' Panetta said at the Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai.



Cameron said: "It won't last.''



Panetta added: "It can't last.''







Trump told "Fox News Sunday'' he's not interested in daily briefings unless developments merit his attention. Such briefings have been a fixture for U.S. presidents since John F. Kennedy.



"I'm, like, a smart person. I don't have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years,'' Trump said.



While Trump's comments drew chuckles Wednesday, Panetta warned that responsibility for any attack forewarned by intelligence officials but ignored by Trump would "fall on the president.''



Trump appeared to be a lower priority for Emirati officials at the event, including Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash brought up Iran, a worry for Gulf Arab nations since the nuclear deal.



"Can we actually count on quote-unquote moderate forces really being able to be the decision-makers in Iran?'' Gargash asked.



Panetta suggested a coalition "of moderate Arab countries, of Israel, of NATO,'' to counter Iran. Asked later if Gulf Arab nations specifically agreed with including Israel despite years of enmity, Panetta did not directly answer.
Violence continues to flare in the Central African Republic, despite an election that brought a new government to the country in February. At times, the fighting is between Muslim and Christian militia. But in late November, two different groups tied to the Muslim Seleka militia fought in the northeastern town of Bria, leaving an estimated 85 civilians dead and 80 wounded.

The violence also displaced nearly 13,000 people  nearly 20 percent of the city's population.

Salamatou Abubakar fled to a makeshift refugee camp in Zongo, C.A.R., after fighters came to her house and robbed her.

"I'm scared," she said, "because I have nobody to help me and I'm a bit blind. So I'm scared about the future."

Abubakar, who has eight children, said she was afraid to return to her neighborhood. Yet in the camp, she said, there's not enough food or blankets.

"You can see my kid sleeping on the floor without blankets," she said, adding, "I have nothing to cook, nothing left, and I'm worried about getting by."

About 5,000 people live in the Zongo camp. Jean Louis Banda Doumba, 42, said he was the first to arrive. He used to be a fighter himself but volunteered to turn in his gun as part of demobilization efforts.

Threats from militants

In late November, he ran to a U.N. base for protection. Militants have called him, threatening to kidnap him for putting down his weapon.

"I'm just telling them that I'm just here to avoid problems," he said, "not to betray anybody. I don't want to take any risk to my life by leaving here. I gave up my weapon for peace. I don't want war."

Doumba said people were in the camp because their neighborhoods were still insecure. They need more help, he said, because they can't go home.

Pierre Burgos of of the Oxfam charity said aid organizations were working to fill the gaps.

"People have access now to water, sanitation and hygiene. But [there are] still needs, apparently, in terms of shelter, in terms of access to food," he said.

Oliver Madwende, field manager for International Medical Corps in Bria, and he'd seen a quick rise in medical needs.

"In terms of medical, there was need for patients who are having malnutrition, but also there was need of pregnant women, preventing disease in those camps," he said. "Plenty of cases of diarrhea, respiratory disease, plenty of cases of malaria.  This is a direct result of the fighting."

Madwende said it was tough for his team to do its work because of the poor security situation.

"It means it was difficult to move around," he said. "All shops were closed. And there were plenty of soldiers around the town, everywhere."

Civilians told VOA that the roughly 250 U.N. troops in Bria did nothing to stop the fighting, although the U.N. mission reported its troops patrolled the city and had taken steps to protect refugee camps.
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni won an initial vote of confidence in the lower house of parliament Tuesday after laying out a limited program for his new government, which might only survive a few months.

Gentiloni has taken over from former premier Matteo Renzi, who resigned last week after Italians rejected his proposed reform of the constitution in a referendum.

Making his maiden speech to parliament in his new role, the softly spoken Gentiloni said he was prepared to support Italy's ailing banks and demanded more help from the European Union in coping with an influx of migrants.

"I want to say very clearly that the government ... is ready to intervene in order to guarantee the stability of banks and the savings of our citizens," he told the Chamber of Deputies, a day after being sworn in by President Sergio Mattarella.

To take office, he needs to win votes of confidence in both houses of parliament and easily won the first in the lower chamber by 368 to 105.

Many opposition lawmakers did not take part in the ballot, in protest at the fact that Gentiloni had re-appointed almost all the ministers who served under Renzi.

Gentiloni faces a more difficult vote in the upper house Senate on Wednesday, where his majority is likely to be much smaller following a decision by a former Renzi ally not to support the new administration.

He is widely expected to scrape through, but his limited support underscores the low expectations for this government, with many politicians predicting national elections in the first half of 2017, a year ahead of schedule.

Gentilonis fragile support also means his administration has limited ambitions and is likely to spend its first weeks trying to defuse a long-running crisis in the banking sector.

Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Italy's third-biggest lender, is pressing on with efforts to tap the market for 5 billion euros ($5.3 billion) of fresh cash that it needs to stay afloat. However, its chances of success appear slim and the state is likely to have to step in, bankers say.

A failure of the world's oldest bank would threaten the savings of thousands of Italians and could have repercussions for Italy's wider banking sector, which is saddled with 360 billion euros of bad loans  a third of the euro zone's total.

In Tuesday's speech Gentiloni said he would continue Renzi's battles with the EU, pushing for flexible fiscal rules and more cooperation in sharing out the thousands of migrants who land on Italy's shores from Africa and the Middle East.

Pledging a very clear position at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, he said it was not acceptable that the EU is too severe on some aspects of austerity and too tolerant with countries that don't show common responsibility on immigration.

Foreign minister in the previous government, Gentiloni has defended his decision to bring most of his old colleagues with him in the new cabinet, including Renzi's two closest allies  Maria Elena Boschi and Luca Lotti  saying he had to act quickly to prevent instability.

The main opposition parties, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the right-wing Northern League, have both promised street demonstrations in the coming weeks to denounce the new executive, which they have dismissed as a photocopy.

They are digging their grave with their own hands, said Luigi Di Maio, a 5-Star deputy widely expected to be the party's candidate for prime minister at the next election.
A priceless collection of gold artifacts from Crimea that were on loan to a Dutch museum when Russia seized the peninsula must be returned to Ukraine and not Crimea, a Dutch court ruled on Wednesday in a judgment likely to anger Moscow.

Kyiv and the four museums have been wrangling over the fate of the archeological treasures, including gems, helmets and scabbards, which were on loan to Amsterdams Allard Pierson Museum when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

A spokesman for Ukraines Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin tweeted: This is an important victory for Ukraine.

There was no immediate reaction from Russian officials, but the ruling was likely to anger Moscow, which insists it has full sovereignty over the Black Sea peninsula. The annexation, following the toppling of a pro-Russian president in Kyiv, triggered the biggest confrontation between the Kremlin and the West since the end of the Cold War in 1991.

It has not been internationally recognized, but Moscow insists it was given legitimacy by a democratic plebiscite. The Dutch court ruled that only sovereign countries could claim objects as cultural heritage. Since only Ukraine, not Crimea, was sovereign, it was for a Ukrainian court to adjudicate the competing ownership claims.

Ownership questions have to be settled when they have been returned to the state and in accordance with the law of the state in question, said judge Mieke Dudok van Heel. The Allard Pierson Museum must return the treasures to Kyiv.

The Crimean museums have three months to appeal the ruling, during which time the Dutch museum will continue to hold the collection. Ukraine was ordered to pay a caution of the costs of storing the collection, estimated at 300,000 euros.
Indian authorities call the shotgun shells filled with hundreds of small metal pellets a non-lethal weapon for crowd control, but that does not make them harmless. Theyve inflicted a permanent toll on hundreds of Kashmiris hit by them.

Their faces are scarred. Their eyes are damaged or simply gone, replaced with prosthetics. And their psychological wounds run deeper still.

What I miss most is being able to read the holy Quran, says Firdous Ahmad Dar, 25, a Kashmiri man who lost vision in both eyes after being shot with the pellets during an anti-India protest in the troubled Himalayan region.

The pellets have been in use here since 2010. Soldiers are trained to fire the shotguns below protesters waists, causing immense pain but no permanent injuries. But a police official acknowledged that the rules are more or less not followed because of the intensity of stone-throwing protests. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy.

The latest wave of protests began in early July after Indian troops killed Burhan Wani, a young, charismatic militant commander. As government troops cracked down on angry street protests in the Kashmir valley, shotguns were their weapon of choice.

6,000 hurt, officials say

Health officials say that in the past five months more than 6,000 people, mostly young men, have been injured by shotgun pellets, including hundreds blinded in one or both eyes. Police and hospital officials say the pellets have killed at least eight people, though a prominent local rights group, Jammu-Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, says the death toll from the pellets is 18.

International groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for an end to the use of shotguns, which shower pellets widely. In July, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh cautioned security forces to minimize use of the weapons, but that warning had little apparent effect. As recently as last week, at least 30 people were injured when troops fired shotguns to quell rock-throwing protests.

Some of those injured were protesters, others just bystanders.

Insha Mushtaq Malik, 14, was standing by the window of her village home watching protesters and troops skirmish when more than 100 pellets hit her face. She lost both eyes.

Everything looks dark and black, she says, as smiles and sadness take turns flitting across her face. Five months after she lost her eyes, Malik is still learning how to deal with her loss, both emotionally and practically. She needs help with everything, including climbing the stairs, going to the bathroom and getting dressed.

Photojournalist Xuhaib Maqbool lost vision in his left eye as he shot images of protesters chanting anti-India slogans and demanding azadi  freedom from Indian rule.

He says he clearly raised his camera to show the soldier who shot at him that he was not a protester.

I want to ask him why, he says.

Cycle of violence

A cycle of violence is repeating constantly in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Angry protests are quelled by force that in turn feeds more simmering rage.

But sometimes all it leaves behind is pain and helplessness.

For Dar, it means being completely dependent on the family he once supported by driving an autorickshaw.

My dream was to educate my young siblings, but now they are helping me, he says.

The rest of his family is busy in the courtyard preparing for his sisters wedding. Dar now has no role to play. Very old men are now looking after young men.
In the months leading up to the assault on the Iraqi city of Mosul, Islamic State militants manufactured tens of thousands of mortar rounds, rockets, bombs and ammunition  part of an industrial-scale enterprise across the self-styled caliphate thats been producing weaponry to a standard matching that of national armies, according to an arms monitoring group.

The militants production system is characterized by firm quality control and high levels of technical precision. Managed centrally, IS arms manufacturing could not be described as improvised, says Conflict Armament Research, (CAR), a London-based organization funded by the European Union that monitors the movement and use of conventional weaponry.

A team of CAR researchers was embedded with Iraqi forces as they advanced into eastern Mosul in October and November, gaining access to half-a-dozen production facilities abandoned by the militants in the Gogjali and Qaraqosh districts.

Within a six-day period, CAR investigators documented more than 5,000 rockets and mortar rounds in various stages of production, according to the monitoring groups report released Wednesday.

CAR also documented more than 500 finished mortar rounds, which Iraqi forces had recovered on the battlefield.

"These findings suggest that overall production by IS forces in the months leading up to the Mosul offensive runs into the tens of thousands," the report continued. Labels affixed to IS-manufactured weapons indicated they had been churned out a month before the Iraqi offensive commenced on Mosul, ISs last major urban stronghold in the country.

Standard manufacturing practices

The CAR researchers noted that IS forces adopt similar practices to national military forces, which distinguish the group from other [armed] groups that manufacture improvised weapons on an ad hoc basis.

James Bevan, CARs executive director, said the monitoring groups findings demonstrated IS capacity to produce weapons on a massive scale.

This is a centrally managed industrial program, which produces munitions running into the tens of thousands, and taps into Turkey's domestic markets for raw materials, he added. Its impact is clearly observable on the battlefield, where Iraqi forces face near-continuous mortar and rocket fire in the battle to retake Mosul.

The terror group set up several key agencies to oversee the manufacturing enterprise, including a Committee for Military Development and Production and the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control, which issued a stream of directives detailing guidelines on weapon production, the report said.

While IS uses a range of non-standard materials and chemical explosive precursors in its weapons production, multiple manufacturing facilities work to produce weapons according to precise technical guidelinesThe production of any one weapon system involves the coordinated input of numerous facilities at different stages of the production cycle: from the processing of raw materials, to the mixing of chemical explosive precursors, to machining, assembly, and final sign-off by dedicated quality control personnel, according to CARs findings.

The group [Islamic State] is highly bureaucratic, adheres to strict reporting lines, and operates a series of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, say CAR researchers.

Detailed packaging

They noted the terror group also adopts uniform packaging and labeling of the weaponry produced, including indicating the caliber and date of production.

Those measures help with weapon management and inventory oversight but they also have another spin off, according to CAR - namely by mirroring the functions of a national military force, the group has been seeking to legitimize itself in the eyes of its own fighters and to a wider Muslim world, part of its nation-building ambitions.

All manufactured weapons produced by IS facilities conform to standard specifications observing centrally-issued directives that minimize the variation among weapons and ammunition manufactured by a multitude of often-distant factories and workshops. This enables weapon interoperability, which means that mortar rounds manufactured in one part of IS forces' territory are calibrated to fit mortar tubes produced in facilities located elsewhere, CAR researchers say.

The jihadist group had a robust supply chain of raw materials from Turkey and has made in the past one-off, bulk-procurements of chemical precursors from single suppliers.

IS made repeated acquisitions of identical products from the same sources  almost exclusively from the Turkish domestic market, the report found.

IEDs, guided weapons

Along with standardized production, IS leaders also have provided their fighters with highly structured courses on the use of the weapons  on improvised explosive device (IED) construction, where and how IEDs should be planted, as well as on the operation of more complex arms such as anti-tank guided weapons.

These are not short courses, but structured lessons  evidenced by the numerous examination papers submitted by IS students, the CAR researchers found.

The CAR findings on IEDs fit into what a peshmerga general told VOA last month. Gen. Mahmood Kakaye, who oversees the peshmergas bomb-disposal teams, noted the massive scale of IS production, telling VOA that since July 2014, his men had defused 14,000 IS bombs.

They have refined their designs creating new types of IED's ranging from suicide and car bombs to landmines, booby traps and improvised mortars, and they experiment where to plant their IEDs. There are the obvious places where IEDs can be found; opening a front door or a fridge door can trigger a blast; but there are twists and they are ingenious in what they do, he said.

Kakaye said IS is quick to adapt and speedily share information with its fighters on refined designs, along with guidelines on the planting of bombs.

U.S.-led coalition warplanes have made a major effort to target IS arms-production sites and facilities used to store weapons. Last week, Iraqi F-16 jets targeted three production plants making car bombs in Mosul and three weapons stores, according to Gen. Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yarallah of the Counter Terrorism Service forces, which are spearheading the seven-week operation to retake Mosul.
Control over U.S. government international broadcasting will be consolidated under a powerful chief executive, under legislation expected to soon be signed by President Barack Obama.

The changes were included as part of an annual defense funding bill, the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed last week by both houses of Congress.

The bill restructures the leadership of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the U.S. government agency that supervises the Voice of America and other broadcast entities, several of which are organized as government-funded private corporations, known as grantees.

The bipartisan, nine-member board that oversees the BBG will be replaced by a smaller advisory board with no decision-making authority. Its power will be transferred to the chief executive officer, a new position established in September 2015. Future CEOs will be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

The bill's supporters say the changes will help streamline operations and do away with a part-time board that has long been criticized for ineffectiveness.

But critics say the board serves as a crucial firewall between BBG journalists and the political establishment, and argue that eliminating it could damage editorial independence and credibility.

The bill's main backer was Republican Congressman Ed Royce, who says the changes to the BBG are long overdue.

"Our agencies that helped take down the Iron Curtain with accurate and timely broadcasting have lost their edge," Royce said in a statement earlier this month. "They must be revitalized to effectively carry out their mission in this age of viral terrorism and digital propaganda."

Any new CEO named by the president must be confirmed by the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans.



Under the bill, the CEO would acquire broad powers, especially over BBG grantee organizations, which include Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. Specifically, the CEO would have the power to consolidate grantees into a single new corporation, hire and fire their heads, and transfer money from one grantee's budget to another.

The language of the bill predates the presidential election, and was supported by the Obama administration. But Michael Kempner, a BBG board member appointed by Obama, says the bill is a mistake.

"No president, Democrat or Republican, should be able to have unfettered control of these vital U.S. media properties," Kempner said in an interview. "It's the independence of the media properties that makes them so credible and effective around the world. And without that independence, it just becomes more discredited propaganda."

Some media reports have suggested the shakeup means the BBG broadcasters, including VOA, will effectively become a mouthpiece for incoming President-elect Donald Trump.

But John Lansing, the current BBG CEO, has said the agency's independence is still protected. In an email to staff earlier this month, he said that "maintaining our journalistic independence, and our credibility worldwide, remains of the utmost importance."

"This legislation makes NO changes to the firewall between the federal government and the journalists of our five networks. The firewall remains in place and sacrosanct, with the CEO legally required to uphold its function," said Lansing.

Editorial independence at VOA is also safeguarded by the VOA Charter, an act of law that protects the independence and integrity of its programming. "VOA news will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive," the charter says.

But will Trump, who has reportedly toyed with the idea of creating his own media network, be attracted to the idea of trying to influence the content disseminated by federally funded broadcasters?

"It's a danger and I think we should watch it closely," says Moira Whelan, a former deputy assistant secretary for digital strategy at the State Department. "Crossing our fingers isn't good enough."

But Whelan, who now works as an independent communications consultant for think tanks, supported the changes.

"It's a 24/7 news business, and decisions made by committee were leaving (the BBG broadcasters) not competitive with other media organizations around the world," she told VOA.

Ultimately, she pointed out, there is always a risk that presidents will try to exploit federal government agencies for partisan purposes. Under the new leadership structure, she said it will even be more important for Congress to ensure that the BBG's editorial independence is protected.

"And I think there are friends in Congress who want to ensure that," she added.
Two-thirds of health facilities in Nigeria's Borno state - the center of the Boko Haram insurgency - have either been destroyed or ceased to function, according to a new report.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said in its report Wednesday that at least 35 percent of the 743 medical facilities in the state are completely destroyed.

It says of the surviving facilities, 31 percent are not functioning, mostly due to a lack of access because of insecurity. Other health centers are damaged or have no access to uncontaminated water.

These numbers, officials said, come from the first report after WHO and Borno State Ministry of Health set up a system to gather information about the state of health services in the state.

Wondi Alemu, WHO representative in Nigeria, said the organizations top priority is to save lives and prevent sickness among the almost six million people who are in need of health assistance.

High insecurity, difficult terrain and lack of health workers, medicines, equipment and basic amenities such as safe water are making access to essential, life-saving health care extremely difficult for people in this conflict-affected area, Alemu said.

The report says about 100 temporary health facilities have been set up in Borno to try to meet people's healthcare needs, including 49 emergency clinics for displaced people living in camps.

Boko Haram has stepped up its attacks recently, after a months-long pause in their seven-year uprising that has killed more than 20,000 people. The conflict has triggered a humanitarian crisis.
Islamic State militants captured heavy military weapons, possibly including air defense equipment, when they retook the Syrian town of Palmyra from Syrian and Russian forces, according to the U.S. general leading the fight against the terror group.

I think they (Russia and Syria) probably took their eye off the ball in Palmyra because they were so focused on Aleppo, and they didn't properly secure their gains, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend told Pentagon reporters via teleconference Wednesday.

Townsend said the terror group took armored vehicles, various guns and other heavy weapons during the assault. He said they also might have taken air defense weapons, which could be used to target coalition aircraft carrying out air strikes against the group.

Syrian and Russian forces likely will push to retake Palmyra soon, but if those forces fail to act, the U.S. will strike Islamic State there, according to Townsend.

We will do what we need to do to defend ourselves, the general said.

There are two factors complicating any coalition involvement in pushing IS out of Palmyra, according to Townsend. The first is that the area was originally taken by the Russians and Syrians, not the coalition. A movement on Palmyra would need to be deconflicted with the Russians to prevent any potential mishaps in the air.

The second factor, according to Townsend, is that the coalition is not sure" who is where on the ground.

We can't tell one side from the other, so we can't tell if the truck and the armored vehicle is being operated by a regime trooper, a Russian trooper or ISIL fighter," he said, using a common acronym for Islamic State.

Until that can be sorted out, he said, the U.S. is using common sense to stay out of Palmyra while protecting coalition interests.
The U.S. government has approved the sale to the government of the Philippines of two Sea Giraffe radars and related equipment, support and training for about $25 million, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Wednesday.

The Philippines requested the sale to improve monitoring of its territorial waters. The radars will be installed on two Philippines Navy ships and the principle contractors will be VSE Corp and Saab.

The radar sale will allow the Philippines to beef up its maritime security and helps reinforce an important U.S. regional security relationship at a time when Washington is concerned about what it sees as China's overreaching claims in the South China Sea.

The Philippines has for decades been one of the closest U.S. allies in Asia, but the relationship has been strained recently as President Rodrigo Duterte has voiced disdain and mistrust of Washington while U.S. officials are worried over potential human rights violations under his government.

The U.S. Congress was informed of the radar sale and did not object.

A recent sale of assault rifles to the Philippines' national police was blocked in the U.S. Senate over concerns that they could be used against civilians.
Nearly 200 Polish human rights groups and non-governmental organizations urged President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday to veto a bill the country's Supreme Court and ombudsman said would violate Poles' constitutional right to freedom of assembly.

Lawmakers of Poland's right-wing ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) removed late on Tuesday some restrictions on free assembly from the bill, part of a wave of legislation the government says aims to strengthen traditional Catholic and national values.

But the bill would still provide a legal basis for prioritizing rallies deemed by the authorities to have national importance  such as historical anniversaries  over other demonstrations and gatherings.

A government official would be given powers to ban any counter-demonstrations if they took place closer than 100 meters to a rally deemed to be of national importance.

Under current rules, local authorities give precedence to whichever organization files the first request to stage a rally or demonstration, irrespective of the aims of the gathering.

We call on you, Mr. President, to veto this bill as it violates the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and international conventions ratified by Poland, 194 rights groups and other organizations said in a petition filed to Duda.

Duda's spokesman said on Wednesday the president, a close ally of the government, wanted to ensure that the right to assemble freely remained as broad as possible in Poland.

The president will analyze the bill with the greatest attention and will take his decision in due course, spokesman Marek Magierowski said.

Government officials say the bill is necessary to ensure the safety of demonstrations.

But Poland's Supreme Court has said the bill as a whole is an attempt to undermine the constitutional order. An earlier version of the bill gave specific privileges to rallies organized by the state and the church, but those privileges were later removed.

The Council of Europe rights group has said the bill would disproportionately restrict the right to freedom of assembly, in disregard of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The nationalist-minded, eurosceptic PiS passed laws earlier this year that made it more difficult for the constitutional court to pass rulings, a move that led the European Commission to say democracy and rule of law were threatened in Poland.

Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said on Wednesday he was deeply concerned about Poland's new laws on the constitutional tribunal.
Aamir Khan's Rakesh Sharma biopic will reportedly be called Saare Jahaan Se Achcha. The film will feature Aamir playing Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to go to space.

By India Today Web Desk: Aamir Khan is known to be working on any one film at time. But ahead of Dangal's release, if reports are to be believed, the perfectionist Khan has already said "Okay" to not one but three scripts. It's the first time the actor is shooting for three projects back to back in quick succession.

While there's Advait Chauhan's Secret Superstar where Aamir is playing a cameo, there's also Yash Raj Films' Thugs of Hindostan slated for a Diwali 2018 release. Directed by Dhoom 3 director Vijay Krishna Acharya, the film will also star Amitabh Bachchan.

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ALSO READ: Aamir to play Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to go to space

OPINION: Aamir's 'Dangal Body' is perfectionism, method acting or just his job as an actor?

Following these, he will begin shooting for his Rakesh Sharma biopic. The actor will be playing Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma who was the first Indian to go to space.

A source was quoted by DNA as saying, "He has already signed the Rakesh Sharma biopic which will roll on right after he completes Thugs."

The movie is going to be produced by Ronnie Screwvala's new production company RSVP and will be directed by director Mahesh Mathai who had previously directed the 1999 film Bhopal Express, based on the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.

Now, the makers have picked up the perfect title for the film.

"Since it's a biopic on the astronaut's life, the team wanted a name that will not only suit the biographical film but also have a patriotic feeling attached. They had two names in mind - Salute and Saare Jahaan Se Achcha and they are going ahead with the latter. It makes more sense," the source said.

To put things in context, when then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked Rakesh Sharma how India looked from outer space, the astronaut had said, "Saare Jahaan Se Achcha." Therefore, there couldn't possibly be a better title for the film.

WATCH | Salman's Sultan to Aamir's Dangal, Bollywood's affair with sports

--- ENDS ---
Since coming to power nine months ago, Myanmars de factor leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has represented the country at regional summits, met with the presidents of China and the United States, and supported the removal of longstanding economic sanctions.

In her twin roles as State Counselor and Foreign Minister, she has fulfilled a pledge made a few days before the election in November: that if her party won, which it did by a landslide, she would be above the president, a position she is barred from because her children are British citizens.

But an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Myanmars Rakhine state suggests she is not above the military, setting up an unprecedented test of her leadership that some believe she is failing.

The attacks

The crisis started October 9, when militants from the countrys Rohingya Muslim minority attacked three border guard police posts in the northern part of the state, killing nine officers. The military moved on the territory in full force, arresting more than 500 people and killing at least 100. At least six soldiers have died.

Since the operation started, it has been tainted by dozens of allegations of sexual assault and other abuses. The United Nations says that more than 100,000 people have not been receiving normal aid assistance and close to 22,000 Rohingya have fled into nearby Bangladesh. In addition, security forces have allegedly razed more than 1,500 buildings, according to interviews and satellite imagery released by Human Rights Watch this week.

The government has vehemently denied allegations of rape and claimed residents burned their own houses down in an act of conflict propaganda. But the media is blocked from the area, making it difficult to assess claims from both sides.

Amid the chaos, the international community has been baffled by Suu Kyis apparent lack of engagement. She has not visited the conflict zone and has said very little about it in public. What she has said has not met the seriousness of the moment, critics claim, with one U.N. official calling on her to find her inner voice.

Placing blame

In an interview Suu Kyi gave to Channel News Asia that aired December 8, she placed the blame elsewhere.

I would appreciate it so much if the international community would help us to maintain peace and stability and to make progress in building better relations between the two communities instead of always drumming up calls for bigger fires of resentment, she said.

Suu Kyis careful approach to the situation in Rakhine, which she called delicate and sensitive in the interview, is understandable.

The state is majority Buddhist, and tensions with the states Muslim community have simmered for decades, if not longer. Many in Myanmar, also known as Burma, believe the Rohingya are immigrants from Bangladesh and that the term Rohingya itself is a political fabrication. In 2012, religiously motivated clashes in Rakhine killed hundreds and sent more than 120,000 into internal displacement camps, where most reside to this day.

Since coming to power in April, Suu Kyi created a committee on development in Rakhine, and a Rakhine advisory commission chaired by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. The attacks did not help these efforts. Sympathetic observers point to the fact that the military is in charge of the security forces, and she has limited control over their actions. They also say that she is not as popular in Rakhine as she is in the rest of the country, making it more difficult to create allies on the ground.

But as the most popular political figure in the country with an overwhelming electoral mandate, she has plenty of other tools to work with and a moral obligation to do so, according to David Mathieson, senior researcher for Human Rights Watch in Myanmar.

And in this case she is choosing not to speak out about a very unpopular cause when what she should be doing is saying: No, these are principles that apply to every single person living in this country, and its these kinds of abuses that we struggled for decades against and Im not going to let it stand. And I dont care what you all think, this is the right thing to do, to speak out about this stateless minority, and to say that the reports of abuses coming out should be properly investigated and those perpetrating them brought to account, he said.

Mathieson said she should be making weekly addresses to the country or to the media, similar to what her predecessor, President Thein Sein, did. He added that she should also better control public information about the conflict being disseminated on official government social media channels, some of which he said has bordered on the inflammatory.

Lack of information

Myat Thu, the chairman of the Yangon School of Political Science, said that while many of Suu Kyis detractors dont understand the complexities of the conflict, or the fact that she has to walk a fine line to maintain the popular support she needs to guide Myanmars democratic transition, some of her actions still confused him.

Once she said that the international community made unfair criticism based on the very wrong data or information. But at the same time she didnt talk about giving the media access to the region to show that the criticisms are baseless or something like that, he said.

A former political prisoner, Myat Thu questioned why the countrys de facto leader, who spent a combined 15 years under house arrest, would believe everything she was told by the military when briefed on the topic, given their history of obscuring the truth in previous conflicts.

In the past, the government media and military intelligence tried to take advantage of no media access and tried to make distorted information to make political gains, he said. So it is either she gives access to the media or she avoids saying the criticisms are baseless.

Still popular

The criticism of Suu Kyis actions, or lack thereof, is largely coming from the international community. At home, she still enjoys widespread support, and the government does not agree with what has been said about her.

Firstly, all the international criticisms are rather very biased and it doesnt reflect what is happening, the reality, what is actually happening in the Rakhine right now, said Aye Aye Soe, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Myanmar. We are trying our best and we will do our utmost to resolve the issue. We need political space and time to give us time to resolve them.

She also disputed the perception that Suu Kyi has not said enough.

I think she is very outspoken, she has been talking about this issue all the time not only domestically inside but whenever she is abroad, interviews, what her views are what we are doing what we need to do. I think its more like the people concerned, whoever they are, refuse to listen, she said.

Aye Aye Soe confirmed that Suu Kyi, who holds the title of foreign minister, will meet with her ASEAN counterparts December 19 in Myanmar to discuss issues in Rakhine, but said not to expect any formal decision after the gathering.

Its not a meeting to call an agreement. They are just going to express their views, have a chance to bring to the attention of the other member states whatever is happening here and there. So its a chance for them to have an open talk on various topics of their concerns, she said.

ASEAN

The Rohingya crackdown has rattled normally stable ASEAN, with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak taking the unusual step this month of attending a rally in support of the Muslim minority and calling whats happening in Rakhine genocide. His remarks were dismissed by the government as an attempt to deflect criticism from his own administration, which is dealing with an epic corruption scandal and other woes.

Echoing the foreign ministry spokesperson, Sithu Aung Myint, a local columnist who writes about politics, took issue with the way Suu Kyi has been condemned abroad, arguing it doesnt reflect the big picture.

This is just the opinion by some people from the international community. They just said it without looking carefully. Actually, she is handling this issue very carefully and working, he said. She has a lot of trouble. If she is going to do something, she has to face the terrorists and also international pressure and the military too. People from the international community just dont see this. Actually, she is performing well.
The importance of adhering to the Philippines-China arbitration ruling on the South China Sea by the Hague, and upholding international law was emphasized by attendees during a separate ministerial meeting between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States.

"We're very proud to be ASEAN's partner because you are speaking up for a rules-based international system that protects the rights of all nations, whether big or small," said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Kerry and his ASEAN counterparts also agreed on the importance of full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2270 to curb North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

During one of many bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the region, Kerry and Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith noted the increasing strength of U.S.-Laos relations, including engagement on health, the environment, energy, education, trade and investment.

The U.S. remains committed to continued assistance and cooperation to remove unexploded ordnance (UXO) and expressed appreciation for Laos support over many years to account for our missing personnel, said State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner in a statement.

Laos is ASEAN's chair this year. This landlocked country also is a close ally of neighboring China.

'Rules-based international system'

The meetings in Laos follow a recent ruling by the international court of arbitration that largely invalidated most of China's claims in the South China Sea, leading to worries the decision could intensify tensions and lead to more Chinese military maneuvers.

In Beijing, White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice told Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Monday that Washington will work with Beijing on issues and challenges "in candor and openness."

A senior State Department (unnamed) official told reporters the U.S. will certainly be "an active editor" in the process of "helping the chair to develop a joint statement" coming out of the East Asia Summit ministerial and the ASEAN Regional Forum meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

He advocated to "put a little more value on the conversation that happens among the ministers themselves" than "in the often lengthy and torturous prose" pulled together afterward.

In 2012, ASEAN leaders failed to produce a joint statement due to the objections of Cambodia, a close ally of China and the host nation that year. Cambodia was blocking any joint statement this year that referred to the Hague ruling.

Diplomatic battleground

The United States signed the ASEAN-U.S. Strategic Partnership last November. Earlier this year, U.S. President Barack Obama hosted a summit with the leaders from the ASEAN countries.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the dialogue relationship between China and ASEAN.

Earlier this month, leaders from both sides exchanged congratulatory messages.

China, ASEAN's biggest trading partner, became ASEAN's dialogue partner in 1991. Both established a strategic partnership in 2003, and built the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area in 2010.
Rising sea levels are causing more frequent flooding in some U.S. coastal communities from Florida to New York. The surge is hurting home sales, sparking soaring insurance rates, and spawning an industry aimed at limiting damage and costs.

In the Norfolk, Virginia, area, the nearby ocean, bay and rivers brought centuries of prosperity from maritime activities, including a major commercial port, the worlds largest naval base, a fishing fleet, and many businesses that support ocean commerce.

Having the Atlantic Ocean for a close neighbor has a cost as rising seas encroach on many low-lying neighborhoods. Three floods have hit Karen Speights Norfolk home in the past few years. Her home was built in 1921 and is about 100 meters from one of the areas many waterfronts. Speights house had been dry for decades until she had a nasty surprise the first time floodwaters rose inside her home.

We started to see items float around, she said. The water came in, just like it does at the beach, when the waves come in, and go in and out, but it consistently came in. And we rushed to pick things up.

Seas rising for century

Old Dominion University researcher and retired U.S. Navy Captain Ray Toll says seas have been rising for quite a while. In an interview, he holds up a smartphone and says seas have been rising about the length of the phone every 20 years over the past century. He is concerned that the rate may become faster.

Toll says higher sea levels make homes, businesses, and the huge naval base more vulnerable to flooding, particularly when high winds combine with high tides.

You better be ready for flooding from all directions, he said.

Scientists say part of the problem is that the land in the Norfolk area is subsiding because of the complex effects of an ancient meteor strike and glaciers; but, researchers say most of the problem is because of rising seas.

Real estate data expert Daren Blomquist of ATTOM Data Solutions says worries about flooding are beginning to affect demand for homes in coastal areas around the nation.

Traditionally, pleasant climate and nice views meant coastal homes commanded top prices, he said, but some buyers are having second thoughts about major investments in vulnerable areas.

This isnt just something that people are predicting, he said. Its happening. Homes are getting destroyed in some of these natural disasters. And I think that is why we are starting to see a shift.

Blomquist says the only surprise is that home purchasers have reacted so slowly to the growing threat.

Raising home

Meantime, coastal residents and businesses are seeking ways to protect their properties and cut the high and fast-rising cost of flood insurance.

Some owners go to the trouble and expense of raising their entire home above the predicted level of floodwaters. The effort is complicated and expensive, but can make economic sense if property becomes less vulnerable to flood damage and insurance companies charge lower rates. A lower insurance cost also makes it easier to sell the property.

Raising buildings is not always appropriate or practical, according to Mike Vernon, a flood mitigation consultant at Flood Mitigation Hampton Roads. In an interview in the basement of a century-old apartment building, he says that in this case, he will move vulnerable utilities and appliances to higher floors.

Relocate all the electrical meters, Vernon said. Relocate the hot water heaters. Put the drainage system in. Put braces in here. Clean all of it out.

Vernon also plans to put special flood vents in the walls of the buildings lowest floor, and cut drainage outlets in the concrete floor. His crew will then fill the space with sand. The idea is to allow water to enter and leave the building without harming it. Vernon says the mitigation industry is in its infancy, but it is developing many new techniques and growing fast.

Both Vernon and Toll say homeowners, military leaders, city officials and scientists are beginning to work together to improve the science and engineering behind mitigation efforts and to clear away the thicket of sometimes conflicting rules, laws and customs that currently hamper efforts to cope with rising seas.
A bloc of 10 Southeast Asian nations has a chance to open tough discussions next year on how to handle Chinas contested expansion in the South China Sea as the Philippines, one of Beijings chief maritime rivals, becomes the organizations chair with authority to set its 2017 agenda.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who will chair ASEAN for the Philippines, runs a country that got into spats so deep with China since 2012 that his predecessor took Beijing to a world court tribunal and got a ruling against it in July. But Duterte, who took office in June, has sought to make amends with a receptive China.



The chair of ASEAN has the power to set the agenda. What [the chair] has been used for historically is to cut things out of the agenda, particularly the South China Sea, said Tim Johnston, Asia program director with the nongovernmental organization International Crisis Group. And it will be very interesting to see whether the Duterte Administration puts it on the agenda, and I think it will open the door to other claimants to voice their thing.





Strong ASEAN movement on the South China Sea could prompt China to rethink its activities in waters contested by several bloc members. But inaction would give China confidence and possibly send a stand-down signal to the United States, an informal protector of smaller claimants facing China.



Careful approach



The 50-year-old group of countries comprising a population of about 625 million normally works as a trading bloc and source of economic development cooperation. ASEAN tackles the South China Sea dispute when led by the chair or based on proposals from other members. It has been slowly formulating a South China Sea code of conduct since 2002 to avoid any dangerous mishaps between rival claimants, but Beijing has not been eager to move quickly on the issue.



ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam make maritime claims that overlap those of Beijing, which says it has rights to about 95 percent of the 3.5 million-square-kilometer (1.4 million-square-mile) South China Sea stretching from Taiwan to Singapore. China periodically passes vessels through contested tracts of water. It has also reclaimed about 3,200 hectares worth of land to enlarge some of the disputed islets and militarized several of them.

Vietnam is frequently outspoken, but Brunei and Malaysia keep quiet due in part to reliance on Chinese trade and investment.

Its always been and more so now that [there are] some members who are more tilted toward China than the rest, so I suppose finding that balance or a common stance is where the challenge would be, said Song Seng Wun, an economist in the private banking unit of CIMB in Singapore.



ASEAN chairs since 2013 have made it priority to unify members or avoid upsetting China, said Jonathan Spangler, director of the South China Sea Think Tank in Taipei. The chair rotates to a new Southeast Asian country every year.



ASEAN unity



Malaysia last year maintained an ASEAN-centric approach, he said. Chairs this year from Laos and in 2014 from Myanmar also avoided the maritime disputes due to risks of disunity and upsetting their own ties with Beijing, he added, while Brunei as 2013 chair, took a characteristically low-profile stance on the maritime dispute.



It is likely that the Philippines will advocate a leadership role for ASEAN in managing the South China Sea disputes, but it will not sacrifice ASEAN unity to achieve those aims, Spangler said. Only half of the ten-member regional grouping has South China Sea claims, so an iron-fisted ASEAN role is far less likely than one that cautiously balances the interests of all its members. For many countries, their relations with Beijing would be a greater priority.



Duterte sees maritime security and cooperation one of his six thematic priorities for 2017, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday on its website.



But at the East Asia Summit in September the president avoided criticizing China despite prepared remarks that would have brought up the dispute, according to the Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization.



The president, known for harsh language, instead lashed out at the United States over what he saw as hypocrisy over human rights. In October he visited China, which prefers to discuss maritime disputes one-on-one rather than via ASEAN or other groups, and received pledges of $24 billion in aid.



The Philippines had previously pressed ASEAN for solidarity in the face of Chinese pressure in the South China Sea, the foundation says.
Sydney residents sweltered through the citys second hottest night on record and its hottest December night in 148 years, with many cooling off at beaches long after dark.

A minimum of 27.1 degrees Celsius (80.8 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded in Australias largest city early Wednesday, Australian Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jordan Notara said.

The only hotter overnight minimum temperature recorded in this city of 5 million people was 27.6 degrees Celsius (81.7 degrees Fahrenheit) on Feb. 6, 2011.

The hottest December minimum nighttime temperature on record had been Christmas Day in 1868, when the temperature dipped to 26.3 degrees Celsius (79.3 degrees Fahrenheit).

Records have been kept at Sydneys Observatory Hill weather station since 1859.

Hot day, hot night

It was mainly due to the hot day yesterday when we didnt have the sea breeze cool things down as significantly as it could have, Notara said of Wednesdays minimum.

Sydney was forecast to reach 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) during the daytime Wednesday, after hitting 37.8 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) Tuesday. Sydneys December average is a maximum of 25.2 degrees Celsius (77.4 degrees Fahrenheit) and a minimum of 17.5 degrees Celsius (63.5 degrees Fahrenheit).

Beaches, rivers and swimming pools have been crowded with people cooling off.

Electricity supplier Endeavour Energy was able to cope with the increased demand from Sydney air conditioners Tuesday and was prepared for Wednesdays heat, company spokesman Peter Payne said.

Cooler weather on the way

A cool change was forecast late Wednesday afternoon with southerly winds expected to substantially cool the city, Notara said.

Daytime temperatures peaked above 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southeast capitals of Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Melbourne for the first time since 1965.

Like Sydney, the other three cities were expecting cool changes late Wednesday.
Syria's Russia-backed government and rebels in Aleppo fighting to oust it announced Tuesday that the two sides had reached a deal to facilitate the withdrawal of opposition fighters and tens of thousands of civilians from the war-ravaged city.

The deal, brokered by Turkey and Russia, was announced ahead of an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, and a short while after U.N. claims that government loyalists in Aleppo had executed scores of people as rebel defenses in the city withered.

Details of the deal were sketchy late Tuesday, with relocation sites for evacuated civilians and government concessions to rebel fighters unclear.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said most of the fleeing opposition fighters would move to Idlib, a city of 165,000 residents 60 kilometers southwest of Aleppo.

Churkin described the deal as the end of a "very difficult chapter" for Aleppo and said his government hoped it would lead to the "relaunching [of] political negotiations."

U.N. envoy voices caution

For his part, U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura described conditions Tuesday in eastern Aleppo as "very concerning," and he warned against assuming that the evacuation deal was in full force.

In comments to reporters in New York, he called for immediate U.N. access to eastern Aleppo to confirm the deal and to oversee the evacuation of civilians.

He also estimated that as many as 50,000 civilians remained late Tuesday in small pockets of eastern Aleppo, along with as many as 1,500 rebel fighters. Citing unconfirmed field reports, he said up to 30 percent of the remaining fighters had been identified as jihadists with links to al-Qaida and other extremist groups.

Separately, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the 15-member Security Council that the world body stood ready to help implement a final deal.

"We remind all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law to prioritize the safe passage of civilians out of eastern Aleppo and to ensure that those who have surrendered or been captured are treated humanely and in line with international law," Ban told council members.

Failed diplomacy

At the council session, Western envoys fiercely criticized Moscow for its ongoing military support of the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the months of atrocities inflicted on residents of the once-vibrant city.

"Are you truly incapable of shame? Is there literally nothing that can shame you?" U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power asked. "Is there no act of barbarism against civilians, no execution of a child that gets under your skin, that just creeps you out a little bit? Is there nothing you will not lie about or justify?"

Britain's envoy, Matthew Rycroft, echoed the words of Ban, saying the council had failed.

"It's failed because Russia has used and abused its veto time and again, even to prevent a seven-day cease-fire," Rycroft said.

For his part, Russian envoy Churkin dismissed Western accusations of widespread atrocities, calling them part of a "propaganda, disinformation and psychological" war.

He went on to equate the reports to the "spread of fake news," saying people fabricating such reports "stoop" to covering war zone children "with dust to be presented as victims of bombings."

Atrocities

Earlier, in Geneva, U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville called on Syria to allow U.N. monitors or another organization such as the International Committee of the Red Cross immediate access to Aleppo.

"Civilians have paid a brutal price during this conflict, and we're filled with the deepest foreboding for those who remain in this last hellish corner of opposition-held eastern Aleppo," he said.

Separately, the ICRC warned Tuesday that thousands of civilians in eastern Aleppo "have literally nowhere safe to run," and it urged those involved in fighting there to protect them.

Once complete, the recapture of eastern Aleppo would end four years of fighting between a loose alliance of rebel factions and Assad's army, which is backed by Shi'ite Hezbollah fighters, Russian forces and Shi'ite militia supported by Iran.

A yearlong government offensive intensified in September, when Assad's forces were bolstered by Russian air power. Monitors described the Russian air war on Aleppo's eastern sector as methodical and said entire neighborhoods were flattened street by street under the onslaught.

Rebel commanders and opposition politicians insist the loss of Aleppo will not mark the end of the uprising.

However, few doubt battlefield fortunes have swung heavily against them, and with the regime possibly hours away from seizing what is left of insurgent-controlled eastern Aleppo, the dynamic of resistance will have to change to guerrilla warfare to keep the revolution alive.

VOA's Jamie Dettmer contributed to this report
About 40 Syrian refugees from camps near Thessaloniki have protested peacefully outside the Russian consulate in the northern Greek port city against Russia's bombardment of Aleppo.

Refugees burnt a Russian flag and held up placards outside the building, which was heavily guarded by Greek police.



Rizan Ali Hasan, 24, said Wednesday's protest was prompted by high civilian casualties in Aleppo. "Many children were killed," he said.



Other protesters held up a banner showing a helicopter and a plane over Aleppo, and the phrase "Russia destroyed us."



Syrians make up the majority of the 62,000 refugees and other migrants stuck in Greece after a series of Balkan border closures and a European Union deal with Turkey to stop migrant flows.
Last week, a memo* sent by the Trump transition team to the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) made news when it was revealed that it asked for the names of employees "who have attended any Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Carbon meetings." Further news was made when the DoE responded by basically denying the request. Energy Department spokesman Eben Burnham-Snyder released a statement saying in part: "We will be forthcoming with all publicly available information with the transition team. We will not be providing any individual names to the transition team."



The Trump memo raised a few eyebrows among Democrats in Congress. Representative Elijah Cummings told the Washington Post: I am sure there are a lot of career scientists and others who see this as a terrible message of fear and intimidation - either ignore the science or we will come after you.



At this point, the Trump administration has not suggested it will come after climate scientists or dismantle Obama administration programs designed to fight climate change. But that hasn't stopped the scientific community from preparing for a new administration that, based on statements from Trump and some of his key cabinet picks, questions the reality of human-impacted climate change. In a recent TV interview, Trump was noncommittal. "Nobody really knows," he told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday. "Look, I'm somebody that gets it, and nobody really knows. It's not something that's so hard and fast."



But it is hard and fast, at least among the overwhelming majority of scientists who study the climate. And the Obama administration is aggressively preparing the country to fight rising temperatures and preparing for the reality of rising sea levels, and an increase in the number and severity of extreme climate events.

The science is settled

According to the Government Accountability Office, the United States alone spent over $11 billion on issues related to climate change in 2014. The lion's share of that money went towards developing new technologies to reduce the industrial emissions that are speeding up the rate that temperatures are rising across the globe.





But the costs associated with a warming planet could be much greater. A 2015 White House report predicts that a 3 degree Celsius rise in average temperature could erode the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the tune of more than $150 billion.

The U.S. Department of Defense is aggressively planning for a warmer future. In another 2015 report, Pentagon officials stated clearly that the U.S. military "recognizes the reality of climate change and the significant risk it poses to U.S. interests globally."



The Pentagon is focusing on scenarios in which "the military could be called upon more often to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief..." and acknowledging that "our coastal installations are vulnerable to rising sea levels and increased flooding" as the planet warms.



Since 2014, the science has become more clear on that the planet is warming at an unprecedented rate. This year's annual Arctic Report Card put out by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) concluded: "The average surface air temperature for the year ending September 2016 is by far the highest since 1900, and new monthly record highs were recorded for January, February, October and November 2016."

Saving data, advocating for science

President-elect Trump has suggested that his primary concern when it comes to environmental regulations is that they not put U.S. business at a disadvantage.



Based on statements like that, many scientists have concluded Trump will dismantle Obama climate change-related programs. In response, many are collecting and downloading federal climate data to non-government servers.

Meteorologist and self-described "climate hawk" Eric Holthaus began collecting data on a Google spreadsheet last week. His efforts have since been taken over by the Pennsylvania Program in the Environmental Humanities, which operates out of the University of Pennsylvania.



Other researchers are leaning towards activism, an unusual move for data-driven scientists. An open letter signed by 500 women scientists expressed "fear that the scientific progress and momentum in tackling our biggest challenges, including staving off the worst impacts of climate change, will be severely hindered under this next U.S. administration. Our planet cannot afford to lose any time."



Their concern has been heightened by the president-elect's picks for key environment-related cabinet posts.

Scott Pruitt, Trump's choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency, has been battling Obama administration environmental policies in court. He has called for an end to new regulations on climate-changing emissions, describing them as anti-business, and says new anti-emission regulations amount to a "war on coal."



Former Texas governor Rick Perry, possible head of the Department of Energy, says climate change "hasnt been proven.

Rex Tillerson, the pick for secretary of state, is the CEO of ExxonMobile. In a number of interviews, he has acknowledged that human activity is in fact warming the planet but that our fears about the impact can be overcome by human ingenuity. "We have spent our entire existence adapting," he said in a recent speech. "It's an engineering problem, and there will be an engineering solution."



What a Trump administration will actually do about climate change remains to be seen. What is true is that while it is clear that human activity is warming the planet, there are different schools of thought on the best way to deal with the problem... if at all.



*Donald Trump's transition team has since disavowed the memo it sent to the U.S. Department of Energy, saying it was "not authorized or part of our standard protocol."
President-elect Donald Trumps suggestion that the United States doesnt necessarily need to be bound by a One China policy, which was key to the establishment of diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing, has the Chinese leadership on edge and some wondering whether a rethink is on the horizon regarding relations with Taiwan.



Analysts say a Trump presidency could see ties with democratically ruled Taiwan enhanced, but doubt there will be a serious departure from the policy, noting the wide range of areas where the worlds two biggest economies cooperate and how much they need each other. What it does suggest, they say, is that a bigger game is afoot.

I dont know why we have to be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade.

Trump told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday: I dont know why we have to be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade.



One China rethink



When the United States established ties with China in 1979, it cut diplomatic relations with Taiwan, recognizing the communist-led Peoples Republic of China as the sole government of China, or one China.



From Beijings perspective, One China means Taiwan is part of its own territory.

The United States acknowledges that position, but also maintains close cultural and commercial ties with Taipei. It also supplies Taiwan with military hardware and some have long felt that ties should be enhanced.





Trumps recent phone call with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, a first by any president or president-elect since Washington switched ties to Beijing, and now remarks about the One China policy  which has been a centerpiece of relations for decades - has some feeling that just might happen.

I dont think that he will overturn the One China policy completely, and only recognize Taiwan and not the Peoples Republic of China, but it is possible that he will elevate relations with Taiwan, said Zhang Lifan, a Chinese historian and commentator in Beijing.



Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a political scientist at Hong Kong Baptist University, said there are those in the United States who would like to make relations with Taiwan more transparent and more like state to state relations.



Of course the Chinese will not be happy, but I think it is a way of telling the Chinese, the One China policy that the Chinese adhere shouldnt be taken for granted, he said. There are a number of things that were decided for convenience in the 1970s and in the 80s, which may be revisited today because the reality on the ground is very different.



The United States and China established ties at a time when both Taipei and Beijing were under authoritarian rule. Since then, however, Taiwan has become one of Asias most vibrant democracies. And the political paths of both are diverging, not converging.



Still, just how many politicians in the United States might support a complete overhaul is unclear, Cabestan adds, as the policy has long enjoyed bipartisan support.



Tseng Chien-yuan, an associate professor at Chung Hua University in Taiwan, said it seems that Trump is treating the One China policy more like a political bargaining chip.



"I think he [Trump] will have to adjust his policies in accordance with China's reactions and look after the U.S.'s best interest, Tseng said.



No good option



Zhang said that when Trump spoke with Taiwans president it was like he was starting to take bets, but now with his remarks about one China and trade, he has clearly put his cards on the table.



Trumps comments have sparked a strong backlash from Beijing, with the foreign ministry voicing its serious concern and state media suggesting that if he did dump the policy as president, China could sell weapons to forces hostile to the U.S. The remarks have also whipped up concern from foreign affairs experts in the United States and abroad because Beijing sees the policy as the political bedrock of Sino-U.S. relations.



Zhang calls the move very strategic.



He is not president yet and speaking as president-elect he can say what he wants, Zhang said. Making the comments now gives China some time to be angry and to contemplate its options as well as the costs associated with its choices.



China has never renounced the use of force to take Taiwan and fulfill its claim that the self-ruled island is part of its territory, but Zhang said there are few good options for Chinas communist leaders.

"If war should break out in the Taiwan Strait, there will be two consequences. One consequence is that the Chinese Communist Party wins a unified country, but isolates itself from the world because of the conflict. And two is that it is defeated and a new China is born, one that is no longer ruled by the communist party.



Analysts note that while there may be a tendency from military and party hardliners in China to call for a tough response, Chinese officials and state media have so far focused more on the economic measures China could use in response and a refusal to cooperate on a wide-range of issues from Iran to North Korea.



Regardless of whether it is Washington or Beijing, in a globalized world and economy, there are few options that dont cut both ways.



Taiwan is also watching all of this closely to make sure its interests are looked after. There are concerns in Taiwan that Trumps approach could do more harm than good. But that really depends on how it all plays out, said Chung Hua Universitys Tseng.



If closer economic cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan can be forged, a Trump presidency will help Taiwan break away from Chinas military and economic containment, Tseng said.



Nixon in reverse



U.S. President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972 spearheaded the beginning of what led to the switch in ties from Taiwan to China. At the time, one key reason for establishing relations with Beijing, analysts note, was to counter Russia. Now that may be happening again, but in reverse.





The Trump administration is trying to start with China as a way of maybe putting more pressure on China, isolate China from more countries, from key partners like Russia, bringing back Russia, said Hong Kong Baptist Universitys Cabestan.



He added that while there are many uncertainties, what is clear is that Trump is prepared to play hardball with China on both trade and strategic issues.



There is a whole game at play here, which is unfolding, he said.



On the campaign trail, president-elect Trump sent clear signals that he wants to improve ties with Russia. On Tuesday, he appointed ExxonMobil Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson as his Secretary of State. Tillerson is friendly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Donald Trump is meeting with leaders of some Silicon Valley corporate giants in what may be part introductory and part peace summit, given the acrimonious relationship the president-elect has with many of the nation's technology titans.

At Trump Tower in New York City, the president-elect will meet with the chief executives of companies such as Apple, IBM, Microsoft and Alphabet, Google's parent company.

Trump has few close ties with Silicon Valley executives, some of whom he lambasted while on the campaign trail, setting the stage for a meeting that could determine whether their long-term relationship will be contentious or synergistic.

Trump called on supporters to boycott Apple because of its position on privacy, and vowed to "get Apple to start making their computers and their iPhones on our land." The president-elect engaged in a spat with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over immigration reform.

And Trump blasted Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos for using his ownership of The Washington Post as tax-evasion ploy, and even threatened that Bezos would experience "such problems" if he won the presidential election.

The technology industry, one of the largest sectors of the U.S. economy, could play a pivotal role in jump-starting Trump's employment initiative.

Sources said many of the executives will try to find common ground with the billionaire real estate mogul, even as many of them are opposed to Trump's tough language on illegal immigration and hostility to free trade.

Four sources familiar with the meeting's planning describe it as an introductory session that may focus on shared priorities, rather than disagreements.

"If he can reform the tax code, reduce regulation, and negotiate better trade deals, the U.S. technology community will be stronger and more competitive than ever," Oracle Chief Executive Safra Catz, who will attend the meeting, said in a statement.

Trump's surprise presidential victory last month alarmed many Silicon Valley workers.

Indications of that concern surfaced in an open letter signed Tuesday by more than 200 employees at technology companies. The letter pledged not to help the incoming Trump administration develop a data registry to track people based on their religion or to facilitate mass deportations.

Perry to head Department of Energy



Meanwhile, Trump Trump has named a one-time political foe, former Texas Governor Rick Perry, to head the country's Department of Energy, a sprawling agency Perry once said should be abolished as wasteful.

Perry, a two-time Republican presidential candidate, called Trump a "cancer to conservatism" in the early stages of the party's lengthy presidential nominating contest. But after dropping out of the race with scant voter support, the 66-year-old Perry endorsed Trump, saying the New York businessman wasn't his first or second choice for president, but "is the people's choice."

Trump on Wednesday formally named Perry to lead the agency that has 100,000 employees, oversees the country's nuclear-weapons arsenal and promotes development of green-energy projects.

"My administration is going to make sure we take advantage of our huge natural resource deposits to make America energy independent and create vast new wealth for our nation, and Ricky Perry is going to do an amazing job as the leader of that process," Trump said in a statement.

Oil-rich Texas

Perry, a staunch conservative, could shift the Department of Energy away from its recent focus on renewable energy, which President Barack Obama has championed, and back toward oil and fossil fuels, which Perry promoted in oil-rich Texas. Perry has been a vocal skeptic of man-made climate change, but during his tenure as governor turned Texas into a major producer of wind-powered energy.

In 2011, during his first unsuccessful bid for the presidency, Perry committed a political gaffe that diminished his chances in his race against Trump.

During a debate, Perry called for eliminating three federal government agencies, including the Departments of Commerce and Education, but couldn't remember the third, finally saying, "Oops." He later said Energy was the third agency he wanted to abolish.

For most of Tuesday, Trump continued to work in New York to fill his Cabinet before his inauguration on January 20, when Obama leaves office after two terms in the White House.

Media reports late Tuesday said Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke of Montana, a former Navy SEAL, was believed to be the president-elect's choice for Secretary of the Interior.

Zinke, described by The Washington Post as a lifelong hunter and fisherman, is a proponent of keeping public lands under federal ownership. That position would put him at odds with those in the Republican Party who favor privatization, or placing federal lands under the control of states.

Trump also has said he does not think public land should be placed under state control.

The Interior Department has more than 70,000 employees across the United States and oversees more than 20 percent of federal land, including national parks.

RNC head

Trump also seemed likely to tap Ronna Romney McDaniel, the Michigan Republican Party chairwoman, as head of the Republican National Committee.

McDaniel is the niece of former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who had been among those being considered by Trump for the secretary of state post.

Later Tuesday, Trump flew to Wisconsin, the Midwestern state that he narrowly carried over Democrat Hillary Clinton in last month's election, for another "thank you" rally for supporters.

It was minus 12 degrees Celsius when Trump landed in Wisconsin. Addressing those who turned out for his rally in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, he discussed many of the same themes as during his campaign.

He also took time to praise the Wisconsin politicians at the rally, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, who represents a district in southern Wisconsin and who has had a rocky relationship with the president-elect.

When the crowd booed the mention of Ryan's name, Trump rallied the crowd, saying Ryan was "like a fine wine. Every day that goes by I get to appreciate his genius more and more."

A recount in the state confirmed that the billionaire real estate mogul won the election in the Dairy State by a razor-thin margin  the first time a Republican presidential candidate has been victorious there since 1984.
Following a hit and run incident villagers in Mandsaur chased a car and thrashed its driver.

By Hemender Sharma: It is a case of hit and run with a slightly tragic twist that happened near the Pipaliya toll booth in Mandsaur today.

The owners of this car had rammed an old man near Piplaiya on Tuesday afternoon and fled the spot. Villagers saw the accident and chased the car on their bikes for around two kilometers.

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Once the car was caught at the Pipaliya toll booth this is what the villagers did. They smashed the car and thrashed the driver and the man sitting next to him.

The owner of the car has been identified as Dharmendra and the co-passenger is his brother.

Both own a garment shop named Kamal Nath Garments at Pipalia mandi.

Police was called by the toll plaza employees and it took around 15 minutes for the cops to reach the spot.

The two hit and run accused were eventually rescued by the police and taken to the Piplaia Mandi police station.

Six youths who thrashed the two have also been identified and a case has been registered against them.

In the end right wing groups also reached the police station and tried to give the incident a communal colour. Tension is building up in the area but the situation is under complete control, police said.

Also read: 12 including 4 school girls killed in road accident in Madhya Pradesh

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There is mixed reaction to President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state, with some praising ExxonMobil Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson, and others expressing concern about his deep ties with Russia. VOA's senior diplomatic correspondent Steve Herman reports from the State Department.
President-elect Donald Trump met Wednesday with top executives from the biggest U.S. technology companies, many of whom were among his fiercest critics during this years election campaign, but there were no signs of lingering animosity during their discussions.

Trumps office said he wants to begin a conversation and partnership to spark innovation and create more jobs.

The meeting at Trumps New York City headquarters included Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Google co-founder Larry Page.

Trump struck a cordial and conciliatory tone at the start of the meeting.

Theres nobody like the people in this room. ... We want you to keep going with the incredible innovation, Trump said. Anything we can do to help this go along, were going to be there for you.



Trump invited the CEOs to call him directly if they want to talk, and suggested they meet again, as often as every three months.

The president-elects office said Trump had open mind and willingness to listen during the talks, and that his approach was greatly received by the tech leaders.

None of the CEOs spoke afterward to reporters, but Bezos later issued a statement calling the talks very productive.

I shared the view that the administration should make innovation one of its key pillars, which would create a huge number of jobs across the whole country, in all sectors, not just tech  agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing  everywhere, he said.

Many of the tech leaders had strong misgivings about a Trump presidency before the election because of his strong criticism of China, his threats to tear up trade deals and plans to curb immigration, which would limit the number of highly qualified workers available to technology companies.

An open letter signed Tuesday by employees of more than 200 tech firms pledged not to help Trump develop a data registry to track people based on their religion, or for possible deportation.

During the campaign, Trump often clashed with Silicon Valley. He called on voters to boycott Apple because of its position on privacy and vowed to get Apple to start making their computers and their iPhones on our land.

He faced off against Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over immigration and accused Bezos of using the newspaper he owns, The Washington Post, in a scheme to avoid taxes. The influential daily has been critical of Trump in its editorial pages.

Trump promised the tech executives he would put together fair-trade deals that would make it a lot easier for you to trade across borders.

Before entering the meeting, Oracle Chief Executive Safra Catz said that if Trump can reform the tax code, reduce regulation, and negotiate better trade deals, the U.S. technology community will be stronger and more competitive than ever.

Department of Energy

Trump Nominees Interactive Map Click here for a look at Trump's nominees for Cabinet and other leadership posts.

In another development Wednesday, Trump formally named a one-time political foe, former Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry, to head the country's Department of Energy, a sprawling agency Perry once said should be abolished as wasteful.

Perry called Trump a cancer to conservatism very early in the presidential race. But he endorsed Trump after he dropped out, calling him the peoples choice.

The Energy Department oversees the countrys nuclear-weapons arsenal and promotes development of green-energy projects.

Critics say Perry could shift the department away from its recent focus on renewable energy back toward oil and fossil fuels, which Perry promoted in oil-rich Texas even while he turned the state into a major producer of wind-power.

Republican Party chairwoman

The president-elect also named Ronna Romney McDaniel, the Michigan Republican Party chairwoman, to head the Republican National Committee, replacing Reince Priebus, who will be Trumps chief of staff at the White House.

McDaniel is the niece of former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who had been among those Trump considered for the secretary of state post. She will be the first woman to hold the party position in 40 years  since Mary Louise Smith of Iowa in 1974.

Department of the Interior

Trump also is reportedly going to nominate Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke of Montana, a former Navy Seal, to head the Interior Department.

Zinke, described by The Washington Post as a lifelong hunter and fisherman, is a proponent of keeping public lands under federal ownership. That position would put him at odds with those in the Republican Party who favor privatization, or placing federal lands under the control of states.

Trump also has said he does not think public land should be placed under state control.
Turkish authorities issued arrest warrants for 55 people, including businessmen, suspected of giving financial support to the network of the U.S.-based cleric Ankara accuses of orchestrating a failed military coup in July, broadcaster NTV said.

The businessmen suspected of being linked to the cleric's network allegedly carried large sums of cash, which they have called a favor, back and forth between Turkey, Tanzania, Uganda and Kazakhstan since 2014, NTV said.

Ankara accuses the cleric Fethullah Gulen of orchestrating the July 15 coup bid, in which rogue soldiers commandeered tanks, fighter jets and helicopters to attack the parliament and attempt to overthrow the government.

Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, has denied involvement and condemned the coup.

Police from the Istanbul financial-crimes unit conducted operations in 57 separate addresses on Saturday to root out sympathizers of Gulen, NTV said.

Authorities have detained some of the suspects in the operations, while others are still being sought, NTV said, adding that some were found to be using Bylock, a smartphone messaging app which Ankara says was used by Gulen's adherents as a communication tool.

Turkey has so far jailed some 36,000 people pending trial and has suspended or dismissed more than 100,000 people from the military, judiciary, civil service and others in the crackdown.

Turkey's Western allies have voiced concern at the extent of the purges under President Tayyip Erdogan, who has repeatedly rejected such criticism, saying Ankara is determined to root out its enemies at home and abroad.

Turkey classified Gulen's movement, which espouses philanthropy, interfaith dialogue and science-based education, as a terrorist network in May 2016. It says Gulen's followers spent four decades infiltrating the bureaucracy and security forces in a bid to eventually take control of the state.
A Ukrainian security chief said on Wednesday Ukraine needed to beef up its cyber defenses, citing a recent spate of attacks on government websites that he said originated in Russia.

Over the past week, Ukraine's Finance and Defense ministries and State Treasury said their websites had been temporarily downed by attacks aimed at disrupting their operations.

"These attacks were planned in advance and coordinated from a center based in the Russian Federation," the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, Oleksander Turchynov, said.

At the end of 2015, the council blamed Russia for a cyberattack on its power grid that left part of western Ukraine temporarily without electricity.

Cyber security experts consider Russia one of the world's most advanced cyber powers, along with the United States, China, Israel, France and Britain.

Bratislava-based computer security company ESET said it believed the recent attacks on the ministries were attempted "cybersabotage" and likely carried out by the same group that targeted Ukraine's power grid last year.

Relations between Kyiv and the Kremlin collapsed in 2014 following Moscow's annexation of Crimea and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, where fighting continues despite a cease-fire agreement.

As a result of the recent cyberattacks, Ukraine's security council will discuss how best to strengthen cyber security, particularly in relation to potential actions from Russia, Turchynov said.

"A decision will be taken detailing a plan of action to increase the level of cyber defense," he said.
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has condemned the takeover of Gambia's electoral commission by security forces and is calling on them to vacate the building immediately.

A statement Wednesday from the secretary-general's spokesman also asked the Gambian military to take no further actions that could jeopardize a peaceful transfer of power in the tiny West African country.

President Yayha Jammeh initially conceded defeat to challenger Adama Barrow in the December 1 presidential election but later retracted the concession. On Tuesday, members of Gambia's ruling party asked the country's supreme court to void the election results.

A delegation of four West African heads of state led by Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf met with Jammeh in Gambia on Tuesday.

Upon her return, Johnson Sirleaf said the parties concerned "committed themselves to peace and harmony," and said the matter would be discussed at a summit of the West African bloc ECOWAS later this week in Nigeria's capital, Abuja.
A group of U.S. lawmakers is making a year-end push to suspend millions of dollars in military assistance to Honduras, citing mounting human rights concerns, including the slaying of high-profile land rights activist Berta Caceres.

More than 50 Democratic Party politicians have signed a letter to the U.S. State Department urging authorities to withhold more than $18 million in security aid to Honduras before Congress adjourns for the holidays and ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20.

U.S. military assistance to Honduran security forces has fueled impunity and human rights abuses in the Central American country of 8 million, lawmakers said. They said U.S. military aid should not be going to security forces who have been accused of serious human rights abuses, including targeted killings of land activists.

"We request that the U.S. government immediately suspend all police and military aid to Honduras until these mounting human rights concerns are addressed," they said in the letter dated December 8.

Honduran officials and the U.S. State Department were not immediately available for comment on the proposed suspension of aid contained in a bill known as the Berta Caceres Human Rights in Honduras Act, which was introduced in Congress in June.

October killings

Land rights activists are still being targeted for assassination in Honduras, with two killings in October in the northeastern Aguan Valley alone, an area where more than 150 land campaigners have been killed since 2009, the letter said.

Caceres, 43, was shot dead in March at her home in La Esperanza, Honduras, 112 miles (180 kilometers) west of the capital, Tegucigalpa.

The award-winning campaigner had been leading opposition to the $50 million Agua Zarca dam project that threatened to displace hundreds of indigenous people.

Six suspects, including an employee of the hydroelectric dam company and current and former Honduran military personnel, have been arrested in connection with the killing.

U.S. lawmakers accused Honduran authorities of bungling the investigation into Caceres' killing, after court files related to the case were stolen in September.

The Honduran president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, has pledged to see justice served in the Caceres case and to tackle rights abuses in one of the world's most violent countries.

"We are working so that the promotion and protection of human rights is part of the culture of the Honduran people," Hernandez wrote on Twitter earlier this month.
The federal government won't send 100 federal officers to help police protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota as requested, drawing a sharp rebuke Wednesday by the county sheriff who wanted the help, as well as the head of the National Sheriffs' Association.

Sending border patrol and members of the U.S. Marshals Service Special Operations Group might escalate, not ease, tensions between law enforcement and protesters who've camped on federal land for months, Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle told The Associated Press.

A dozen North Dakota law enforcement officials implored President Barack Obama in a letter released Monday to send in-person help plus financial assistance, citing costs, fatigue and a growing fear of vigilante justice. The officers, led by Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, said they fear for the safety of themselves, area residents and protesters.

In explaining that DOJ won't fill the request, the agency noted it offered training and technical assistance to local law officers and has worked to facilitate dialogue among law enforcement and opponents of the four-state, $3.8 billion pipeline.

Supporting local law enforcement

As Attorney General Lynch has said, the department is committed to supporting local law enforcement, defending protesters' constitutional right to free speech and fostering thoughtful dialogue on the matter, Horbuckle said. The safety of everyone in the area  law enforcement officers, residents and protesters alike  continues to be our foremost concern.

But Kirchmeier, who has long been critical of what he perceives to be a lack of federal aid, told the AP that the Justice Department's efforts have not defused tensions and that local officers who have policed the protests for 127 days and made 571 arrests are stretched beyond capacity.

Only in Washington, D.C., would facilitating meetings be considered action in response to the kind of aggression our law enforcement officers and North Dakota citizens have had to face over these past months, Kirchmeier said in a statement.

The federal government has not been inactive: U.S. Customs and Border Protection at one point last month provided 11 Border Patrol agents to help with policing.

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and other opponents of the pipeline, which will carry North Dakota oil to a shipping point in Illinois, say the project threatens cultural sites and the tribe's drinking water, which is drawn from the Missouri River. Pipeline work is stalled while Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners and the Army battle in court over permission for the pipeline to cross under the river  the last big chunk of construction.

The protest encampment has thinned out in recent days from several thousand people to a few hundred due to the work stoppage and harsh winter weather, but there have been a handful of arrests over the past week.

Push for more help

National Sheriffs Association Executive Director Jonathan F. Thompson said the group is grateful for the efforts of the DOJ's Community Oriented Policing Services, which sent teams to Bismarck in September and October for training and technical assistance. However, Thompson said it's not enough.

The critical value sheriffs need, and have asked [for] dozens of times, is for federal law enforcement officers to be on the ground, he said, adding that we have asked, pleaded and nearly begged.

The DOJ also has told North Dakota officials that it will consider allowing the state to repurpose more than $1 million in Justice Assistance Grant money, which is for efforts to prevent and control crime and improve the criminal justice system.

Considering the state has dedicated up to $17 million in emergency spending for protest-related costs, Thompson said the monetary offer is a Band-Aid on a hemorrhage.
Venezuela freed Tuesday four opponents of President Nicolas Maduro, but activists demanded the immediate liberation of more than 100 others they say are also unjustly imprisoned.

Im so happy after living through these storms, one of the four, bank messenger Gilberto Sojo, told Reuters ecstatically after his release overnight, surrounded by friends and family.

Sojo and the other three  engineer Vladimir Araque, retired general Romer Mena and lawyer Leopoldo D'Alta  were arrested in 2014 and 2015 on various accusations of fomenting violence and plotting against the socialist government. All deny the charges.

They were among the lesser-known Maduro opponents jailed since he won an election to replace Hugo Chavez in 2013.

The ruling Socialist Party says its opponents, encouraged by the United States, want to seize power via a coup and denies the existence of political prisoners in Venezuela.

But critics say Maduro has turned the South American OPEC nation into a dictatorship, far surpassing his predecessor Chavez in political repression.

Resuming a more militant stance against Maduro after the collapse of Vatican-mediated talks over the last two months, the opposition-controlled National Assembly restarted a symbolic political trial of the president on Tuesday.

Jesus Torrealba, head of the opposition coalition, said happiness at Tuesday's release of the prisoners was mixed with anger over the continued jailing of others.

All the political prisoners are innocent; they all deserve freedom, he said.

The subject of prisoners had been high on the list of the dialogue between government and opposition that began at the end of October but stalled last week.

The four's release Tuesday followed half a dozen other releases in goodwill gestures after talks began.

Rights groups complain the government is using detainees as pawns, releasing a few to appease international pressure but maintaining many more in jail unjustifiably.

Sojo, 51, an activist in a poor community of Caracas for hardline Popular Will party, was accused of plotting to bomb a Caracas court to free Popular Will leader Leopoldo Lopez, Venezuela's best-known prisoner, according to supporters.

They said explosives were later placed on his motorbike and the accusation invented to discredit him.

He was completely innocent. Everyone is just so happy that he is finally out: we have been hugging, jumping, shouting, crying, said his wife, Carolina Gonzalez, 43, by his side at the National Assembly where he was named a substitute legislator after the opposition won the legislature last year.
Vietnam's central postal service has slammed China's recent issuance of stamps that they say violate Vietnam's sovereignty over the Spratly Islands in the territorially contested waters of the South China Sea.

Hanoi's demand for immediate cancellation of China's new series of stamps came just a day after it condemned Beijing's ceremonies Monday marking the "70th anniversary of the recovery" of the Spratly and Paracel archipelagoes.

The China Post on October 28 issued postage stamps depicting five lighthouses that China constructed on five reefs on Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago which, Vietnam says, are still illegally occupied.

China, which claims most of the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes each year, started operating a lighthouse on one of its artificial islands there in April.

China took part of the Spratly archipelago by force in 1988, killing 64 Vietnamese soldiers who fought to protect the islands. In 1974, China took advantage of the American troops' withdrawal from Vietnam to invade the Paracel Islands.

The Vietnam Postal Service said in a statement that the stamp collection runs counter to Article 8 of the Universal Postal Union Convention.

On Wednesday, Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications issued a statement demanding that China respect "historical truths." Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh said the Chinese move could not change the fact that Vietnam has indisputable sovereignty over the islands.

This is the third time China's postal service has released stamps that Hanoi describes as a violation Vietnamese sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel islands. In the earlier issuance of stamp sets in 2004 and 2013, China Post distributed a series of stamps featuring the islands. This time, the Vietnam Post called on China to avoid similar acts.

In response to China's move, Vietnam Stamp Club last month asked information ministry officials to issue a set of its own stamps featuring images of the Spratly and Paracel islands to reaffirm Vietnam's sovereignty.
Rick Perry, the longest-serving governor of the Lone Star state, is a fifth-generation Texan.

Perrys ancestry is almost entirely English, dating as far back as the 13 original colonies. His family has been in Texas since before the Texas Revolution.

Perry graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelors degree in animal science. Upon graduation from college in 1972, Perry was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force and completed pilot training in February 1974. He was then assigned as a C-130 pilot to the 772nd Tactical Airlift Squadron.

He left the United States Air Force in 1977 with the rank of captain, returned to Texas, and went into business farming cotton with his father.

Perry was elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1984. He served on the House Appropriations and Calendars committees during his three two-year terms in office.

On September 29, 1989, Perry announced that he was switching parties, becoming a Republican. A year later, as a newly minted Republican, Perry challenged Jim Hightower, the incumbent Democratic Agriculture Commissioner. Karl Rove, who later would serve as the senior adviser and deputy chief of staff during the George W. Bush administration, was Perrys campaign manager.

In 1998, Perry chose not to seek a third term as Agriculture Commissioner, running instead for Lieutenant Governor. He won.

Perry assumed the office of governor December 21, 2000, following the resignation of George W. Bush, who was preparing to become president of the United States. Perry won the governorship in his own right in the 2002 election and again in 2006 and 2010.

He unsuccessfully ran for president of the United States in 2012 and 2016, each time failing to win the nomination of the Republican Party.

Since February 2015, Perry has served on the board of directors of Energy Transfer Partners, which owns and operates one of the largest energy asset portfolios in the United States. The company owns 62,500 miles of oil and natural gas pipelines and is currently in the process of constructing the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline.
By PTI: Los Angeles, Dec 14 (PTI) The Antarctic Ice Sheet plays a major role in regional and global climate variability, a discovery that may help explain why sea ice in the southern hemisphere has been increasing despite the warming of the rest of the Earth, scientists say.

Global climate models that look at the last several thousand years have failed to account for the amount of climate variability captured in the paleoclimate record, said researchers from Oregon State University (OSU) in the US.

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Their hypothesis was that climate modelers were overlooking one crucial element in the overall climate system - an aspect of the ocean, atmosphere, biosphere or ice sheets - that might affect all parts of the system.

"One thing we determined right off the bat was that virtually all of the climate models had the Antarctic Ice Sheet as a constant entity," said Pepijn Bakker, former post-doctoral researcher at OSU.

"What we discovered, however, is that the ice sheet has undergone numerous pulses of variability that have had a cascading effect on the entire climate system," said Bakker, who is now at the University of Bremen in Germany.

The Antarctic Ice Sheet has demonstrated dynamic behaviour over the past 8,000 years, according to Andreas Schmittner, a climate scientist in OSU.

"There is a natural variability in the deeper part of the ocean adjacent to the Antarctic Ice Sheet - similar to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or El Nino/La Nina but on a time scale of centuries - that causes small but significant changes in temperatures," Schmittner said.

"When the ocean temperatures warm, it causes more direct melting of the ice sheet below the surface, and it increases the number of icebergs that calve off the ice sheet," he said.

Those two factors combine to provide an influx of fresh water into the Southern Ocean during these warm regimes, according to Peter Clark, from OSU.

"The introduction of that cold, fresh water lessens the salinity and cools the surface temperatures, at the same time, stratifying the layers of water," Clark said.

"The cold, fresh water freezes more easily, creating additional sea ice despite warmer temperatures that are down hundreds of meters below the surface," he said.

The discovery may help explain why sea ice has expanded in the Southern Ocean despite global warming.

The same phenomenon does not occur in the Northern Hemisphere with the Greenland Ice Sheet because it is more landlocked and not subject to the same current shifts that affect the Antarctic Ice Sheet.

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"One message that comes out of this study is that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is very sensitive to small changes in ocean temperatures, and humans are making the Earth a lot warmer than it has been," Bakker said.

The researchers analysed sediments from the last 8,000 years, which showed evidence that many more icebergs calved off the ice sheet in some centuries than in others.

The study appears in the journal Nature. PTI NKS MHN SAR MHN

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Today, Ash Carter, the head of the Pentagon will arrive in Italy. On behalf of the outgoing Obama administration, he is making a tour of the world to thank US troops stationed in Asia, the Middle East and Europe and to meet important partners and allies.

The tour kicked off on 3 December in California where Carter delivered the closing remarks to the Reagan Forum, that bestowed upon him the prize for Peace through Force.

Then Carter went to Japan, where he inspected US troops and met the Defense Minister, Inada. Japan, which contributes 1.6 billion dollars per year to the stay of 50,000 US soldiers on its territory, is particularly important as an advanced base of US missile systems lined up against China for defensive aims and, the Pentagon specifies, is an ally capable of defending other countries that may be attacked.

From Japan, Carter flew to India, which is now the second [largest] buyer in the world (after Saudi Arabia) of US arms: a result of Washingtons strategy which aims at weakening Indias relations with Russia, threatening the Brics group, attacked at the same time through an institutional coup in Brazil.

The head of the Pentagon then proceeded to Bahrain, where he participated in the Dialogue of Manama organized by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, an influential British think tank financed by the Emirates with more than 38 million dollars. Speaking on the logic of the American strategy in the Middle East, Carter brought home the point that this region is home to more than 58,000 US soldiers, more than 5,000 of which are on the ground in Iraq and Syria, not only to tackle terrorists such as members of Isis, but also to protect our interests and those of our allies (which is why the US and the Gulf monarchies, as has been amply documented, have secretly supported Isis, functional to their strategy in Syria and Iraq). The accusation that Carter levelled against Russia is that it has not fought Isis in Syria but simply inflamed the civil war and prolonged the suffering of the Syrian people. He then went on to say, since Iran continues to line up missiles, the United States, together with the other allies, is constructing a regional missile defence, which includes a powerful radar in Qatar, Thaad missiles in Emirates and other missile systems (which actually are not for self-defense, but for aggression, given that the same launching pipes can be used for missiles for attack, including nuclear ones.

From Bahrain, Carter made his way to Israel, where yesterday he participated with the Defense Minister Lieberman at the ceremony [marking] the arrival of the first two F-35 fighters for the Israeli Air Force, symbol of the increasingly close partnership with the USA, which reached unprecedented levels following the 10 year agreement for assistance signed last September.

From Israel, the Head of the Pentagon will arrive today in Italy for a two day visit to US troops which have been stationed here with the mission  declares an official document  of supporting US operations and their coalition on a global scale, including deterring Russian aggression in Eastern Europe and strengthening Natos southern flank.

The global tour, which will conclude in London on 15 December with a meeting of the anti-Isis coalition, has a very specific political aim: to reaffirm on the eve of the delivery, the Obama Administrations strategy, which the Democrat, Clinton, should have pursued, so that the fronts of tension and war at the South and the East might remain alive. This is the legacy that Obama, the Democrat, leaves to the Republican Trump.

At least Trump has the merit of not being awarded the Noble Prize for Peace.
Launch of Gibraltar Cyber-Security Information Sharing Partnership  GibCyberWatch

As part of a series of ongoing security work streams currently being pursued under the auspices of the recently constituted Gibraltar Contingency Council, the Royal Gibraltar Police has today launched a new Cyber-Security Information Sharing Partnership (CISP) at the Sunborn Hotel.

Bringing together representatives from the public and private sectors, this initiative aims to share cyber threat and vulnerability information, with a view of increasing overall situational awareness of the cyber threat and therefore reduce the impact on Gibraltars financial services industry, critical infrastructure and wider community.

The work of this partnership will form part of Gibraltars wider cyber strategy that aims to identify risks, develop and enhance capabilities and mitigate cyber threats through education, awareness, investigation and enforcement action.

Commenting on the launch of this partnership, His Excellency the Governor, Lieutenant General Edward Davis CB CBE KtSJ said, I am delighted to support this crucial initiative. Once again, this demonstrates Gibraltars determination to take a collaborative and proactive approach to addressing the challenges we all face in our digitally-enabled, interconnected world, and firmly underscores Gibraltars smart Rock credentials.

For his part, the Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo QC MP, said: "Cyber security matters today to our commercial operators as much as it matters to the public sector. Keeping data safe and secure is part of the overall security of our community. This is therefore a step in the right direction and an indication that Gibraltar "gets it" when it comes to 'CyberSec'.
PC Olivero & Police Dog Ness Team Receive Certificate of Excellence

Police Constable Janssen Olivero and Police Dog Ness of the RGP Dog Section were quality assured last week by Mr. Harry Morton, Head of Profession for Humberside and South Yorkshire Police Dog Training who has awarded them with a Certificate of Excellence.

This certification follows an intensive 8-week training period conducted in July & August of this year, when PC Olivero and PD Ness successfully completed the National Police Chiefs Council General Patrol Dog Handlers Course, at the South Yorkshire Police Dog Training School in the United Kingdom.

The UK element of the course involved training the handler/dog team in all areas of safety control and efficiency, following which they were required to successfully complete a national licensing assessment for their operational role. The team was tested in obedience and control, tracking, and searching for missing persons and items of property, as well as in the detention of determined offenders. Overall, the course and assessment ensures that Police Dog Teams are ready for deployment as an additional Police asset in serving and protecting communities.

Following their return to Gibraltar, PC Olivero and PD Ness undertook additional training over several weeks that culminated recently with the award of their operational licence and their quality assurance last week.
Rihanna, who does not need to be discovered. Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

While the magical, unstoppable Ri-Ri is happily on the set of Oceans Eight, bonding with her A-list castmates, some man is out there in the world trying to lay claim to her awesomeness. And no, its not some spurious ex; rather, its musical composer and British person Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Yes, he of Cats and Phantom of the Opera fame, who claimed in an off-camera moment during the talk show Good Morning Britain today that he saw Rihanna years before she broke and recognized her talent, thus discovering her.

Per Stereogum, Webber told the shows co-host, Piers Morgan, that he remembered seeing Rihanna singing with a sort of karaoke band at a hotel [he] was staying at, Sandy Lane in Barbados about 12 years ago. Webber then went on to say he and his musical partner Nigel Wright discussed bringing her back, but decided not to pursue the matter further. And like older white men often do, he expressed this feeling in the worst way possible: I said to Nigel, If we bring her back, you know its like when you see a picture when youre away and you take it home and you think why did I buy that?

Sigh. Well, given how things turned out for Ms. Robyn Rihanna Fenty, I think she was better off not being your picture, sir. And furthermore, good day to you.


Manchester by the Seas Casey Affleck may be hosting Saturday Night Lives next episode, but after watching this promo we have one burning question: Why couldnt musical guest Chance the Rapper just do it himself? There have been plenty of double-duty hosts in the past, like Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson, Taylor Swift, and J.Lo. Drake has done it twice, after all, so its about time we got a new rapping funnyman.
Mark Boal Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The U.S. Government wont get any special insight into Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a former POW now facing trial for desertion, from Mark Boal that wasnt already heard during season two of Serial. Boal, whose interviews with Bergdahl formed the backbone of the most recent season of the podcast, has settled his lawsuit with the U.S. Government after military prosecutors threatened to subpoena 25 hours of taped interviews with Bergdahl. Boal had argued that the material in those confidential interviews was protected under the First Amendment. In the settlement, the government will drop its subpoena for Boals tapes, while Boal will withdraw a demand for legal fees. Im happy that the Army ultimately agreed to uphold the traditions of a free civilian press, Boal said in a statement, while his lawyer Jean-Paul Jassy noted that Boals unedited interviews contained confidential discussions that werent ever meant to be public and called his client a First Amendment hero. As part of the settlement, Boal is also required to verify the authenticity of any of the material used in the second season of Serial, and if necessary, to release the portions of the tapes heard or summarized on the podcast to the public.
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By PTI: Islamabad, Dec 14 (PTI) Pakistans newly appointed army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa is quickly moving to tighten his grip over the countrys powerful institution by appointing his close aides to key positions, a media report said.

General Bajwa, 57, is "quickly moving to stamp his own identity on the Pakistan Army by carrying out a major reshuffle days after taking over from Gen Raheel Sharif," The News International said.

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"The most significant change was the replacement of ISI chief Lt-Gen Rizwan Akhtar by Lt-Gen Naveed Mukhtar," it said, adding among other key transfers is that of Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa, who has been moved from ISPR and will now be the Arms IG.

The paper pointed out that there are also new corps commanders in Bahawalpur and Peshawar and the DG Rangers, Lt-Gen Bilal Akbar, has been appointed chief of general staff.

The ISI DG and the chief of general staff - the two most important positions in the army after the army chief - have been filled by men who were serving in Karachi.

Both the officers worked together in Karachi and so should find it easier to cooperate with each other in Rawalpindi, the paper said.

"All these transfers show that Gen Qamar Bajwa is keen to mould the army in his own image," it said.

"The army chief himself is considered to be easygoing and quick with a one-liner but the speed with which he has moved shows that he will be a man of action," it added.

Noting that Mukhtar was previously heading the counter- terrorism wing of ISI, the paper said his appointment as the spy agency chief "signals that India and Afghanistan will be a priority of the new army chief."

While studying at the US Army War College five years ago, Mukhtar wrote a paper on Pakistan?s policy in Afghanistan and recommended reconciliation with "moderate" Taliban, it added.

"Mukhtars warning in his paper that Pakistan would need to guard against India using Afghanistan as a proxy also seems to be coming to pass," it added. PTI ZH AKJ ZH

--- ENDS ---
Who wouldnt shoot a Death Trooper? Photo: Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm

[Mild spoilers for Rogue One follow.]

Midway through Rogue One, theres a line thats quite easy to miss, as its as bland a truism as one can imagine hearing in a gigantic franchise film. While discussing the threat posed by the recently assembled Death Star, Rebel Alliance leader Mon Mothma lays out the new status quo now that the Galactic Empire has a world-killing weapon: Its simple, she says. The Empire has the means of mass destruction; the Rebellion does not.

It is, indeed, quite simple. Mothmas framework in that line is a pure expression of the easy-to-swallow politics of Star Wars: The bad guys  the Sith, the Empire, the First Order  are bad because theyre malicious and powerful; the good guys  the Jedi, the Rebellion, the Resistance  are good because theyre benevolent and less powerful. Case closed: The battle lines are drawn, and we know what side were on. But the statement encapsulates the problem posed by using Rogue One, and Star Wars in general, as metaphors: The movies present an all-or-nothing argument for political violence onto which any side can map itself.

Its a relevant topic to gnaw on, as the franchises political leanings have been a matter of fervent debate in the run-up to the mid-quels Thursday-night release. This kind of politicization was perhaps to be expected, given that everything feels political since November 8, and Star Wars was not immune from the postelection debates that have surrounded Harry Potter and other mass-market pop culture. The immediate aftermath of Donald Trump victory saw a flurry of posts and tweets portraying the world of Star Wars as a bastion of liberal inclusivity in dark times. Please note that the Empire is a white supremacist (human) organization, Rogue One screenwriter Chris Weitz declared in a now-deleted Twitter missive; Opposed by a multi-cultural group led by brave women, added fellow writer Gary Whitta in a reply. This reading of the series ran into opposition a month later, when rightist Gamergate types on Twitter announced a boycott of the film, claiming the Star Wars mythology had traditionally been closer to their conception of the world.

Neither chattering group is entirely mistaken. Pick nearly any spot on the political axis and you can declare that Luke Skywalker is standing right next to you. Are the Rebels liberal? Definitely! Theyre a racially diverse popular front resisting authoritarian oppression and genocide. Are the Rebels conservative? Of course! Theyre a well-armed militia fighting an untrustworthy and anti-democratic centralized government in the name of individual liberty. Just like correct-thinking Americans all across the political spectrum, the Rebel Alliance fights the totalitarian power-mongers on the opposite side. To further muddle the allegorical waters, the Rebels are the ones who stand alongside the Jedi, that noble order of compassionate intellectuals. Wait, did I say compassionate intellectuals? I meant unwaveringly religious soldiers who answered to no one and were ultimately killed for their faith. As with the seriess merchandise, its easy to play with Star Wars politics and imagine they were made just for you.

Just about the only person who has been unequivocally wrong about this whole affair is Star Wars corporate overlord, Disney CEO Bob Iger. Rogue One is not a film that is, in any way, a political film, Iger told The Hollywood Reporter this past Saturday. There are no political statements in it, at all. One can understand what hes saying, of course: Iger accurately observed that Star Wars takes no clear position in the battles between the American right and left. But not picking a side is not the same as being apolitical. The dangerous concepts in Star Wars are not ones of political ideology  theyre of political tactics.

To understand, lets look at the classic sci-fi binary between Star Trek and Star Wars, the former of which very much did take the side of liberal utopianism. From the very beginning, Trek dreamt up a future in which a bouquet of races worked in harmony to peacefully expand a federal government that eschewed commerce and offered  but never demanded  membership into its enlightened polity. More important to the present discussion, in the Trek-verse, violence was a last resort and mutual understanding always preferable. The whole climax of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was Captain Kirk, a guy who spent most of his life nearly getting murdered by Klingons, making sure the Federation signed a peace treaty with those war-mongering, wrinkly-foreheaded assholes.

Contrast that with the appropriately named Star Wars. Though folks can disagree on the political content of the Rebel Alliances cause, no one can argue that they pursue that cause peacefully. The groups leadership longs for the halcyon days of the Galactic Republic, when life was tranquil and consensual, and theyd surely prefer to have such an arrangement again. But until that glorious day  well, hey, extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, right? Its taken as a given from the very beginning of the original trilogy that there is no solution to the Galactic Civil War other than a military solution. Within the universe of the films, that logic makes all the sense in the world: The Empire doesnt seem particularly interested in negotiation and, as were constantly shown, theyre the ones with planet-sized weapons. What alternative do the Rebels have, other than to go full Viet Cong (or, if you prefer, full Continental Army)?

If there is an alternative, Rogue One is especially uninterested in exploring it. Weve all done terrible things on behalf of the Rebellion, Cassian Andor, the Rebel intelligence officer played by Diego Luna, says at one point, and we are clearly meant to see his guilty conscience as a small price to pay for a better tomorrow. Whats more, Cassian is even more of a believer in the Rebels ideology than their leaders, believing the Rebellion is insufficiently willing to take on the Death Star and eventually violating orders so he and his squad can fly off to confront the baddies head-on. Hell, the movies even comfortable with outright terrorism, so long as its done for the right reasons: We learn that the Alliance has broken ties with an extremist anti-Imperial terror cell run by Forest Whitakers Saw Gerrera, but the film presents no reason to see his actions as anything other than completely justified in this struggle against impossible odds.

And thats the heart of the problem in using Star Wars as a political metaphor: If youre flying an X-wing, everything looks like a Death Star. Even in the Manichean cosmologies of adventure fiction and space opera, Star Wars is particularly galling in its bloodthirsty simplicity. There is no reason to sympathize with the Empires malevolence, and no reason to doubt the Rebellions righteousness  only total war will bring a resolution of that inextricable clash. Just like in 24, theres no time to waste with debate; the Death Star is on its way and the good guys could all get blown up any minute. To be fair, that moral binary has been interrogated in smaller Star Wars works  theres a Rebel/Imperial detente in Kathy Tyerss spin-off novel The Truce at Bakura, and the Clone Wars narratives feature ethically imperfect clones and droids on both sides. But those arent the stories that have captured the popular imagination. As evidenced by the nostalgic content of The Force Awakens and Rogue One, the original 1977 conflict is the one we always return to.

Thats why Star Wars has been used time and again to frame causes both Democratic (MoveOn.org co-opted Save the Republic from Revenge of the Sith in 2005) and Republican (Reagan first called the U.S.S.R. an evil empire in 1983, the same year Return of the Jedi was released). As Iraq War veteran Roy Scranton recalled in a chilling New York Times essay earlier this year, its common for soldiers to watch the original trilogy to get fired up for what theyre about to do. There is no fictional American myth more powerful than Star Wars, and myths shape the way we conceive of what is justifiable, negotiable, and necessary.

Another way of putting it: For 39 years, American children have been learning about the Galactic Civil War before they learn about the Vietnam War. To paraphrase Yoda, its hard to unlearn what you have learned. As the past few election cycles have made clear, were living with an American electorate that has come to think of most everything in galaxy-threatening terms, where every presidential election is said to be the republics last chance for survival, and, for half the voters, whoever gets elected is a mortal threat to all we hold dear.

Therein lies the special danger of seeing politics through Star Wars. The series is a manifesto for anti-incumbent fury, screaming that the good people never have enough power and the bad people always have too much. When you see yourself as definitionally outgunned, purity of conviction starts to seem like your most valuable weapon  hardly the healthiest way to be a citizen. But when you watch Rogue One, you cant help but assume youre allied with Felicity Joness heroic Jyn Erso, and not the Imperials who want to see her dead. Ive never had the luxury of political opinions, Jyn says early on, inadvertently speaking on behalf of the text in which she lives. We would do well to have the same response as the Rebel officer whos questioning her: Really?
Photo: Larry Busacca/PW/WireImage

Today in skeevy tech news, The Guardian reports that Uber employees have allegedly tracked Beyonces comings-and-goings by using the companys God View data, according to information disclosed in court documents. The claims come from the companys former forensic investigator, Samuel Ward Spangenberg, who is currently suing Uber, alleging that age discrimination and whistle-blower retaliation resulted in his being fired. In an official court statement, Spangenberg also said that he approached his bosses over breaches in ethics that included storing employee and customer data in an unsafe manner.

The aforementioned God View tool was created by the company to investigate accidents and refund claims, but was also used by some employees to gather data on politicians, celebrities (like Beyonce), and even personal acquaintances and exes. While Uber has admitted that there were some unethical uses of the God View, which they have since renamed Heaven View, the company asserts that fewer than 10 workers abused the technology, and that they have been fired as a result. Since then the car service has also enforced a new system that flags any searches on high-profile clients, but, as Spangenberg points out, that still does not protect friends, family members, or former romantic partners, who would statistically be exposed to the highest risk of violence or aggressive stalking.
In great news for the collection of fandoms built around Christopher Nolan movies, World War II history, 65-mm film, and/or Harry Styles, the first full-length trailer for Dunkirk is out. The film stars Styles, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, and Kenneth Branagh and centers on the British evacuation of Dunkirk, France, in 1940  think that one shot in Atonement, but for a whole, devastating movie. Dunkirk hits theaters on July 21, 2017. You can watch the teaser trailer below and the trailer above. War is hell, but Harry looks great!
By PTI: From Anisur Rahman

Dhaka, Dec 14 (PTI) Bangladesh today paid homage to the intellectuals martyred in the 1971 liberation war as President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led thousands in paying their respects in the capital.

Army bugles played the Last Post as Hamid and Hasina stood in solemn silence in a state ceremony at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial here.

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Pakistani troops and their Bengali-speaking Razakar collaborators and other auxiliary forces massacred several members of the pro-independence intelligentsia including physicians, professors, writers and teachers, throughout the nine-month war that is said to have killed over a million people.

Just two days ahead of the final victory over invading Pakistani forces on December 14, 1971, the infamous Gestapo-like Al-Badr and Al-Shams militias carried out a systematic campaign to murder well-regarded academics and professionals.

The then Bangladesh government and victorious freedom fighters, however, came to know about the brutal massacre only after the December 16, 1971 surrender by Pakistani troops when their top accomplices of the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing went into hiding and resurfaced years later.

The nation observed the day this year even as most of the top perpetrators have been hanged in the past three years on charges of crimes against humanity during the war.

A memorial erected in memory of the martyred intellectuals at Mirpur area in the capital was readied as President Hamid and Prime Minister Hasina offered tributes by placing wreaths there.

A report of the then American Press Corps narrated the gruesome killings of Bengali intellectuals that had taken place at the fag end of the war.

"At least 125 persons, believed to be physicians, professors, writers and teachers, were found murdered today in a field outside Dacca," the report said.

The report, sent from Dhaka to Washington on December 18, 1971, was carried by the New York Times the next day.

According to the report, all the victims hands were tied behind their backs and they had been bayoneted, garroted or shot.

The report said the victims were among an estimated 300 Bengali intellectuals, who had been seized by Pakistani soldiers and their locally recruited supporters. PTI AR KUN AKJ KUN

--- ENDS ---
Manu and Priyanka will be back with the other housemates tonight. Watch out for Mona's mixed reaction.

By India Today Web Desk: Manu Punjabi and Priyanka Jagga played a crucial part in this week's luxury budget task BB 10 Democracy. They took all the decisions regarding the task from the secret room, while housemates had no idea about the same. In tonight's episode, Bigg Boss will spill the beans about Manu and Priyanka's role in the task.

This will take housemates by surprise, however, they will be happy to know that Manu's back. Mona's reaction to this entire situation would be most interesting. While she would be happy to know that Manu is back; she would be worried about the fact that Manu had been keeping an eye on her. Also read: Bigg Boss 10 Day 58: Manu sulks as Mona steps into a jacuzzi with Gaurav

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Manu will share few observations about the housemates, but refrain from saying anything about Mona, saying that he will share the feedback with her in private, as it is not good.

Priyanka Jagga would be a different person upon her return. She will lash out at Om Swami for spreading the wrong word about her in the house and will also call him a ganda insaan. She will break all ties with him and will tell him that he didn't exist for her anymore.

The housemates will be happy with the turn of events and will support Priyanka for taking a stand against Om Swami finally.

--- ENDS ---
Local elected officials want a say in what the Texas Legislature does during its upcoming 85th session, and they went public Tuesday with a list of priorities that addresses, among other things, funding pre-kindergarten classes for youngsters statewide and completing the construction of Interstate 35 through Waco. The list also includes increasing funding for community and technical colleges and opposing vouchers that could reduce funding to public schools without top-to-bottom school funding reforms.

Highlighting the session was talk about those school vouchers and finding creative ways to improve the states infrastructure, including highways and bridges, possibly through a raising of the gas tax now earmarked for state transportation projects. Elected officials also urged state lawmakers to avoid passing so-called unfunded mandates, which are requirements to carry out certain services or functions without providing state revenue necessary to accomplish the task.

Attending the meeting in the Waco Convention Center were representatives of the Waco City Council, the McLennan County Commissioners Court, the McLennan Community College Board of Trustees, the Texas State Technical College Board of Regents and the Waco Independent School District Board of Trustees.

Economic development

Waco Mayor Kyle Deaver introduced guests and served as emcee for the gathering of local leaders that included Matt Meadors, president of the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, who presented eight priorities under the category of economic development. That list includes funding for the Texas Workforce Commissions Skills Development Fund and the State Comptrollers Jobs and Education for Texans program aimed at keeping the states workforce trained in a complex world marketplace.

He also suggested lawmakers pursue reform of the payday lending industry; create an aerospace incentive fund and financially support the Spaceport Trust Fund at a minimum of $15 million per biennium; and support the states deal-closing fund and expand its accessibility to existing Texas businesses wanting to expand.

Meadors said Central Texas finds itself in the midst of the booming aviation and aerospace presence, with McGregor serving as home to a SpaceX rocket-testing facility that shakes a few windows but also provides hundreds of well-paying jobs with the potential for more with founder Elon Musks appetite for adventure that includes sending space travelers to Mars. The massive Texas State Technical College airport, meanwhile, allows L-3 Communications to modify military and commercial aircraft while employing about 1,500 people. Much more property remains available near the airport for use by aviation-related companies or others.

SpaceX, which has become a powerhouse in private rocketry, is developing what would be the worlds first commercial orbit launch site at Boca Chica Village near Brownsville. The Texas Legislature allocated no money to the Spaceport Trust Fund to support this project during its last session, a fact that did not escape the notice of SpaceX, whose director of governmental affairs, Caryn Schenewerk, recently said publicly that Florida committed $20 million to its spaceport infrastructure fund.

Discussing travel of a different nature, Waco City Manager Dale Fisseler and others suggested the widening of Interstate 35 north and south of Waco has gone well. But if the state does not soon commit to expanding the section in Waco, the city could become a bottleneck waiting to happen and a disaster for state transportation.

State Sen. Brian Birdwell, a Republican whose District 22 includes Waco, said he understands the frustration local leaders are feeling.

He said he does not think the project will get fully funded during the next biennium, but assured that work is about to proceed, albeit in phases.

Between September of 2017 and August of 2018, I believe you will begin to notice activity, said Birdwell, who attended Tuesdays meeting, as did State Rep. Charles Doc Anderson, a Waco Republican, and representatives of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, also a Texas Republican.

Fuel tax

Waco ISD board member Cary DuPuy wondered why the Legislature does not consider raising the state fuel tax to deal with the growing list of transportation projects in need of funding. About a nickel of that 20-cent tax is earmarked for education, with the balance going to transportation-related projects.

The fuel tax is a use tax, said DuPuy, so it makes sense for those most needing to use the state highway system to financially support its upkeep.

DuPuy also took issue with those who criticize public schools and compare them negatively to charter and private schools. He said he hopes local lawmakers remind their colleagues that districts such as Waco have a high percentage of students from low-income families that face learning challenges.

Waco ISD Superintendent Bonny Cain, who has announced her retirement, echoed DuPuy in her push to have state lawmakers oppose vouchers or other proposals that reduce funding to public schools unless and until the Texas Legislature, as recently advised by the Texas Supreme Court, implements transformational, top-to-bottom school funding reforms that amount to more than Band-Aid on top of Band-Aid,  she said in her comments to the group Tuesday night.

She and DuPuy said the state should not consider allowing the use of vouchers until charter schools are required to meet competency requirements comparable to those the state mandates for public schools. They also said charter schools should be required to maintain student populations with family incomes comparable to the communities they serve.

All we want is a level playing field, and thats not what were seeing now, said DuPuy. We want this to become a topic of discussion for lawmakers.

Other priorities include legislation that encourages preventative and behavioral health care, and encourages people to be more involved in their health; laws that protect the public from the Zika virus; and fully funding the Texas Tuition Equalization Grant to ensure opportunities for all Texans.
McLennan County commissioners Tuesday bought a piece of art.

The court approved spending almost $4,000 to purchase a stained glass work from County Court-at-Law Judge Mike Freeman, who is retiring midterm.

County Judge Scott Felton and Commissioners Ben Perry and Will Jones approved the purchase while Commissioners Lester Gibson and Kelly Snell opposed the move.

The funding will come out of the law library fund, which is fed by fees and not part of the countys general fund.

The artwork was purchased in 2007 by Freemans wife, Karon. The outgoing judge offered to sell the colorful depiction of Lady Justice to the county since he will vacate the office in January, Felton said.

The hand-painted glass window is about 31 inches by 52 inches and illustrates Lady Justice, according to county documents. A light bulb behind the work illuminates the colors. Karen Karon Freeman purchased the piece from IHS Studios Inc. in Fredericksburg for $3,955.09, according to the documents.

The law library  which will soon transform into a temporary courtroom  could house the piece of art, he said.

Its a real high-quality piece of art work, Felton said. I think it fits what the courthouse looks like.

Snell said after the meeting he didnt raise a question about the purchase because he never believed that purchase would pass.

Snell said he wouldnt approve taxpayers money to go toward artwork. He also raised question to the true value of the stained glass without an appraisal.

Freeman, who has about two years left on his four-year term, announced in August he would retire midterm. Thursday is the last day Feltons office will accept applications for Freemans position.

Freeman, a former prosecutor who has been a judge for 10 years, recently said he will submit his letter of resignation in late January and retire Jan. 31.

The position pays $157,000 a year and to be eligible, applicants must be at least 25 years old, have been a licensed attorney for four years, and have been a U.S. citizen and a county resident for at least two years before the appointment.

Freeman was not able to be reached for comment.
A 23-year-old man was arrested early Wednesday morning after he allegedly assault his girlfriend, threatened her with a firearm and kept her from leaving a home before she escaped the home with her child late Tuesday night, Hewitt Police Chief Jim Devlin said.

William Brent Cathey, of Hewitt, was arrested after police were called to 800 block of Parkview Circle shortly before 11 p.m. where a 23-year-old woman reported that she had been involved in an altercation with Cathey in the 200 block of Minute Drive. Devlin said the victim said she was in a relationship with Cathey and a verbal argument had turned physical.

The victim claimed she was struck multiple times with a closed fist as she was attempting to get her phone. He refused to let her call 911, Devlin said. She tried to leave the residence, but he wouldnt let her go, physically keeping her from leaving the residence.

As the woman tried to leave the residence and call for help, Cathey allegedly took a firearm and pointed it at her, threatening her, Devlin said.

She managed to escape the residence and made it to a relatives house, he said. She was able to take her child with her and then go to the Parkview Circle address.

Police took a report from the woman before police were able to locate Cathey. He was arrested on charges of assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful restraint and interference with an emergency call.

Cathey was taken to McLennan County Jail on Wednesday morning. Completed bond information was not immediately available.
Michael Penix stood over his wife and executed her by shooting her in the face four times at point-blank range and once in the forearm as she tried to shield herself from the attack, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Penix, 53, pleaded guilty to murder Monday in the September 2015 shooting death of his wife, Rebecca, telling police he shot her because she woke him up in the middle of the night.

Prosecutors Michael Jarrett and Gabrielle Massey called nine witnesses Tuesday during Penixs punishment trial.

A jury of eight women and four men, which will assess punishment, heard testimony Tuesday about a 2009 incident in which Penix choked his wife but she declined to press charges, and about their estrangement in the latter years of their 15-year marriage.

Jarrett told the jury in opening statements that Rebecca Penixs decision not to prosecute her husband in 2009 may have cost her her life.

Defense attorney Phil Frederick asked the jury to listen to the 911 call in which Penix admits shooting his wife after she woke him up. He said Penix is speaking slowly in a monotone voice described in court as being almost robotic in nature, he said.

That and the entire incident could be the result of Penixs use of prescription medications for anxiety and a sleep disorder, Frederick said, adding that Penix remembers parts of the tragic night but not the entire time.

The defense is expected to call a clinical pharmacology expert to testify about the sometimes bizarre effects from taking sleep aides and other medications.

Maranda May, Rebecca Penixs best friend, opened state testimony. They met while they both worked for a Waco retirement center and May said Rebecca Penix had a huge, huge heart with the kind of bubbly personality that just lit up a room.

She said she didnt like Penix, a former Waco credit union marketing director, and tried to keep her distance from him. She said the Penixes, who met through a Christian dating website, had marital difficulties and lived in separate rooms at their home on Gunnison Drive in West Waco.

She said Penix once locked himself in his room for three days.

They were not close, she said. They were not connected.

Prosecutors played the 911 call Penix made the night he shot his wife. Penix slowly spells his name for the operator and calmly says his wife woke him up in the middle of the night and he shot her. He asked the operator to please come and get her because she woke me up, adding that she did not appear to be breathing.

Penix told another operator who was trying to give him instructions about how to perform CPR that his wife woke him up and started arguing with him. She continued to argue with him and he shot her, he said. The operator, unaware that Rebecca Penix had been shot four times in the head with a .38-caliber revolver, kept trying to tell Penix to perform chest compressions, imploring him to count with her as he does them.

Tanya Cooper, the 911 operator, agreed with Jarrett that Penix showed more concern that police were going to kick in his door to gain entry than he showed for his wife. She said Penix never mentioned prescription drugs or that he might be suffering from their side effects.

Waco police officer William Roy, who kicked open the door with his gun drawn, said it didnt appear to him that Penix, who had no blood on his hands or body, was trying in earnest to administer CPR to his wife.

In other prosecution testimony, Waco police Sgt. Keith Vaughan and crime scene analyst Marissa Brosch said forensic evidence at the scene indicated that Penix stood over his wife while she was lying on the floor and shot her four times in the face and once that grazed her forearm.

Prosecution testimony resumes Wednesday morning.
Its well known that Donald Trump has a background in real estate and that he states his love for doing deals. But Im not sure commentators have taken this information seriously enough.

Id like to lay out a scenario for the Trump presidency, based on extrapolating his deal-making background. This isnt a firm prediction, just a filling out of the menu of possible alternatives.

One common feature of many real-estate deals is that they are based on selling to different groups of people at different prices but in sequence. Say a developer has produced a series of office buildings, condominiums and town homes to be sold, or hotel rooms to be rented out. It is common practice to sell (or rent) the more desirable units first at relatively high prices. As units leave the market, new lower-valuation buyers are recruited for cheaper and lower-quality units. Finally, as the process nears its end, there may be a kind of fire sale to clear out the remaining items and finish up the project. If pulled off successfully, this will yield a lot of profit for the developer.

Now imagine that a real-estate developer is elected president, and he holds a new portfolio of political assets. The obvious trading partner is Congress, so where might he start?

Arguably the most valuable trading asset Trump holds is his ability to approve tax cuts, as the Republican Congress wants very much to deliver lower taxes to some of its supporters. So Trump might sell this asset to congressional Republicans for a high price, for instance support for infrastructure spending, approval of his appointments and an acceptable compromise on international trade and foreign affairs. (Rather than just starting a trade war, Trump may try to pass an export-subsidizing tax reform incompatible with World Trade Organization obligations; if Republicans vote for that tax reform, in essence they have bought into the deal.)

Other assets that Trump may sell to the Republican majority include Supreme Court appointments, corporate tax reform, Obamacare repeal, Dodd-Frank reform and deregulation. These might be bartered for successively lower prices, in order of their priority to Republicans in Congress. Trump might receive cover for some dramatic immigration moves, tolerance of his commercial conflicts of interest and a cozy relationship with Russia. Maybe the independence of the Federal Reserve fits into these deals, too.

From Trumps point of view, these would be great deals, if only because he probably doesnt have strong, detailed preferences over how exactly to govern. Details on policies like changing Obamacare can be left to Congress.

If those trades take up much of the legislative calendar over the next year or two (while the Republican majority remains secure), what might Trump then do next? He hardly seems like a caretaker president or someone who would enjoy presiding over gridlock.

Like a good real-state magnate, the next step then would be to turn to the lower valuation buyers  namely the Democrats in Congress  and offer them some lesser deals at lower prices. The Democrats are the buyers who will value dealing less because many (but not all) of their voters are less enthused about working with Trump, and also they value less what Trump might plausibly offer. Still, there will be room for further exchange.

If Trump, perhaps working with his daughter Ivanka, crafted a reasonable federal child-care or preschool policy, many Democrats would jump on board. They wouldnt become Trump supporters in return, but they would moderate their criticism, as they would have a victory to take home to their voters.

In short, the second half of the Trump administration might consist of Trump offering a series of smaller but still significant trades to Democrats, taking care to bring along some Republican votes as well.

And what might the final fire sale consist of? Imagine Trump in his fourth year, essentially running for re-election as an independent, feeling he has nothing to lose and intent on showing that he has broken gridlock. Imagine a Trump whose ideology remains fluid and who loves to make deals more than to adhere to an ideological line. Could he also sell climate-change legislation and a higher federal minimum wage to Democrats and a smattering of swing-district Republicans?

Tyler Cowen is a professor of economics at George Mason University. His books include Average Is Over: Powering America Beyond the Age of the Great Stagnation.
Thanks, Founders!

This is in answer to the Dec. 2 letter from Maurice Labens in which he suggested the Electoral College is outdated and should be eliminated. Maurice is a dear friend whom I respect very much, but his opinion is flawed and incorrect in my opinion:

The Electoral College was formed as a part of our system of checks and balances. The election of the president of the United States is mandated in Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment. The meeting of the Electoral College is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 19, at which time electors will cast their presidential votes. Citizens elect the president through the Electoral College. It guarantees that states with lesser numbers of voters have a voice equal to those states with greater numbers of voters.

For instance, a vote cast in Dime Box, Texas, or in the state of Oklahoma or in the state of West Virginia has as much import as one cast in New York City or in California. Without the Electoral College, rural areas as well as states of lesser population lose their voice and become subject to tyranny and undue influence brought upon them by more heavily populated states. With the Electoral College, each state has equal representation in the presidential election. Thank you, Founding Fathers!

Natalie Risinger, Waco

Israeli hackers?

Has anyone wondered if Israel might be behind the hacking and dissemination of internal Democratic National Committee emails? Every day there must be an unimaginable challenge, surrounded as they are by enemies vowing to destroy them. We are their best, almost only friend and ally.

Surely they are interested in our future and in repairing relations that have, at best, been strained over the last eight years. They would seem to benefit more from a president who would appoint hard-nosed retired generals to lead our foreign relations than Russia would. That they revealed the highly unsavory videos and emails could also be seen as an act of friendship, a wake-up call to get our house in order.

Juanita Case, Hewitt

Attacks imminent

There were no surprise attacks against the United States on either Dec. 7, 1941, or on 9/11. Declassified documents revealed that a British sub reported a Japanese fleet was headed toward Hawaii and this intelligence was conveyed to Washington, D.C. Plus, a Japanese sub sank an American freighter headed for Hawaii the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

And in August 2001, President George W. Bush at his Crawford ranch was given intelligence that an attack was imminent on American soil using airplanes.

Had appropriate actions been taken in either case, then thousands of American lives could have been spared.
A McLennan County grand jury cleared a Waco police narcotics investigator and his supervisor of criminal wrongdoing Wednesday.

Prosecutors presented the results of investigations involving Waco Drug Enforcement Unit Cmdr. Clare Crook, a 37-year department veteran, and investigator David Starr, a 26-year department veteran, to a grand jury, which took no action on either officer.

Interim Waco Police Chief Frank Gentsch said both officers would be returned to active duty immediately.

Likewise, a Waco Police Department internal investigation to determine if Starr lied about the use of confidential informants at the behest of Crook concluded with no major disciplinary action against either officer.

Starrs attorney, J.R. Vicha, said he and his client are pleased that Starr was cleared.

He is a man who has spent his entire adult life fighting crime in this city, protecting this city, Vicha said. I hope he can get back to work and get back to doing what he loves doing, which is getting crime off the streets.

Rod Goble, who represents Crook, also said they were happy with the results.

Clare and I are both very glad the grand jury made a complete, thorough investigation and totally cleared her of any criminal misconduct, Goble said. We are pleased she is going back to work. It has been a long 10 months.

Crook and Starr have been on administrative leave with pay since February after the department and McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna initiated investigations of Starrs cases.

While Reynas office conducted a review of Starrs cases pending in his office, former Police Chief Brent Stroman asked Texas Rangers to investigate whether Starr lied about the use of confidential informants to obtain arrest and search warrants.

Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said in November that the internal investigation was finished and that Crook and Starr would remain on administrative leave with pay depending on what, if anything, Reynas office did with the results of the Rangers investigation.

Reyna did not return a phone call to his office Wednesday.

Assistant City Attorney Judith Benton said no information is available under Civil Service and Texas Government Code regulations in response to an open records request from the Tribune-Herald seeking the results of the citys internal investigation.

If one or both officers had been fired or suspended, information could have been made public, Benton said.

Less-severe actions, such as a private reprimand, are personnel matters and not considered public information, she said.

Goble said Crook was cleared by the internal police review and received no form of disciplinary action at all. Vicha was unsure if Starr received any form of reprimand.

Cases dismissed

While the dual investigations were proceeding, prosecutors in Reynas office either dismissed outright or were forced to offer defendant-friendly plea bargains in about 20 cases investigated by Starr, courthouse sources said.

Waco attorney Edward Vallejo said his client, a Mexican national, benefited from the situation after he was caught with 500 grams of cocaine. Reynas office dismissed the charges.

Another case involving Starr that was dismissed by prosecutors involved almost 5 pounds of methamphetamine, sources said.

Reyna sent a letter to defense attorneys in February after Starr was placed on administrative leave. Reyna said inconsistencies in reports and affidavits from Starr in two cases led to the investigation.

The report and sworn affidavit reference an interdiction operation conducted by the Waco PD Drug Enforcement Unit, Reynas letter said. After discussion with the detective, it was revealed that there was not an interdiction operation, and the arrest of the defendants was made pursuant to information received from a confidential informant. Detective Starr indicated to prosecutors that he was apprehensive about wording the report and affidavit this way but was ordered to do so.
ASHLAND  Just in time for Christmas, a new shop in downtown Ashland offers jewelry, mens accessories and watch repair.

Denise Hartman opened Blackwells Fine Supply Co. on Saturday during Ashlands Hometown Christmas festivities.

The Ashland woman has over 20 years of experience in the jewelry and watch industry. With this expertise, her new shop will offer full service watch repair, fine and fashion jewelry and mens accessories sales, as well as free jewelry cleaning and inspection.

Hartmans first job working with jewelry was at Kohls while she was in college. After working there six months, she was recruited to work for Borsheims Fine Jewelry in Omaha as a quality control specialist at the age of 22. She was eventually promoted to buyer, purchasing diamonds, and loose gemstones, platinum, gold and silver for the store.

At Borsheims, Hartman had the opportunity to soak in as much as she could about the jewelry business.

I was in the perfect situation to learn anything and everything I could, she said. It was amazing.

It was at Borsheims where she first learned about watch repair.

You could get watches fixed at jewelry stores then, she said.

Hartman left Borsheims to stay at home with her children. She also started an estate and fine jewelry business at the same time.

I was one of the first sellers on ebay, she said.

Five years after opening her business, a friend needed help at Zales in Westroads Mall in Omaha. She worked there for about a year.

That was an experience because I was not used to the mall setting at that point, she said.

Hartman also worked as a manager in the Von Maur jewelry department, but left due to the extremely long hours, particular during the Christmas season.

She stayed home again with her sons for before taking a job at Mahoney State Park. But soon she was ready to get back to jewelry and watches.

Thats when Precision Time contacted me, she said.

Hartman went on to manage Precision Times built-in kiosk at Oakview Mall in Omaha. For three years she focused on selling and repairing watches, and in doing so gained valuable hands-on experience.

As the economy suffered, so did watch shops. Precision Time closed all but eight of its 80 stores, including the one in Oakview.

Hartman did not want to leave her customers high and dry, she said, so one month later she opened her own kiosk in the mall, calling it Watch Winders.

Watch Winders was quickly expanding and Hartman began looking for a new location less than two years after opening.

I had more work than I could do, she said.

Hartman also wanted to be closer to home. She had moved to Ashland six years ago and plans to stay for many years to come.

I truly feel weve found home here, she said.

When a storefront at 14th and Silver streets in downtown Ashland opened up, Hartman jumped on the opportunity. With the recent growth in businesses in the community, it was the only space that was left, she said, and she was happy to have found it.

I could not have asked for a better location, she said.

Hartman has several customers in Ashland, so she is happy to be closer to them. And when she notified her Omaha customers that Ashland is only seven miles from the Nebraska Crossing mall, they were thrilled, she said.

Hartman chose the name Blackwells Fine Supply Co. to honor her parents, Greg and Sandra Blackwell. She will also retain the name Watch Winders to maintain continuity for her customers.

Her father will be helping in the store on occasion, along with a pair of on-call employees, Isabeau Push and Ashland resident Andrew Richardson. Richardson worked for Hartman previously.

Hartman has built up a large number of clients due to her expertise in watch repair, a thing many stores no longer offer because theyd rather sell the customer a new watch.

Most people were told it couldnt be fixed or it was not worth fixing, she said.

But fixing a watch that hasnt worked in years is important to Hartman because that watch belonged to a cherished family member.

Those are my favorite watches to fix, she said.

Watches may seem like a thing of the past, but according to Hartman they are very much in vogue.

Theyre very much still popular, but I think what happens is we dont notice them anymore, she said.

Sales of watches, especially high-end brands, remain strong, Hartman said.

Watches have always been status symbols, she said.

Watches and other jewelry often have sentimental value as they are handed down from generation to generation.

We still remember that there are pieces of our family that we want to pass down and watches are really big in that category, Hartman said.

While Hartman is passionate about watches, she is equally thrilled about jewelry. Having worked exclusively with watches over the past few years, she is eager to get back to diamonds, gemstones and precious metals.

I could talk about (jewelry) all day, she said.

With the contacts she made as a buyer at Bor

sheims, Hartman can negotiate prices with buyers in New York, allowing her to offer fine jewelry at better prices.

I offer high quality pieces for extra good prices because I know how to source and buy, she said.

Blackwells will offer a broad range of jewelry at a wide variety of prices.

I want to have price points for everyone, Hartman said. That way they can walk in and find what they are looking for.

If a customer is looking for something that Blackwells does not have, Hartman can often have it shipped overnight. She can also help a client create a customized piece of jewelry.

They have a system to put any stone in any setting, she said.

Hartman and her fiance, Dan Pellatz, spent the summer and autumn months remodeling the store. They had hoped to open by Nov. 1.

It ran a little bit longer than expected, Hartman said.

Instead, they targeted Saturdays Hometown Christmas celebration as the opening day.

The stores regular hours will be Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hartman plans extended hours before Christmas and will keep the store open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve for last-minute shoppers.

We wanted to make sure we were open for the Christmas season because we wanted to give Ashland that option for the holidays, she added.
Even after the Centre asked all states to encourage cashless transactions at government hospitals, Patna Medical College and Hospital seems unrelenting.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be pitching hard for a 'cashless society' in order to create a digital economy but it seems Bihar government is unconcerned and apathetic towards PM's big push for a cashless economy.

The Centre, in a bid to move towards a cashless economy had written to the Bihar government along with other state governments last week, asking them to encourage digital payments at government hospitals.

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But Bihar's biggest government hospital, Patna Medical College and Hospital remains unrelenting.

India Today's reality check at the state's largest hospital, found that nothing had changed in terms of transactions.

SWIPE MACHINES? FIRST PATIENTS HAVE TO GO DIGITAL

Though patients do not have to shell out big amount of money for treatment in government hospitals, they do however pay for medicines, CT scan and MRIs.

Ramesh Chowdhary, whose father got an MRI test done at the Patna Medical College and Hospital, paid Rs 5000 in cash.

Surprisingly, the cashier had a swipe machine but since she did not know how to operate it, Ramesh was forced to pay cash.

"I have paid for my father's MRI test in cash. The swipe machine facility was not made available", said Chowdhary.

Sandeep, a chemist shop owner outside the maternity ward of the hospital said that installing swipe machines at their shop was a distant dream. He was also unaware about the Centre's order to states about going digital in payments, especially government hospitals.

Another, chemist shop owner, Bharat Singh said, "Swipe machines are of use only if patients who come from rural parts carry a debit or credit card."

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By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 14 (PTI) The Union Cabinet today approved signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Kyrgyzstan for strengthening cooperation in the field of tourism.

The move would enable both nations to enter into a constructive dialogue for development and promotion of tourism in each other?s country for the economic development of two nations, an official release said.

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The step will be instrumental in increasing arrival from this important source market, it added.

The main objectives of the Memorandum of Understanding include expanding bilateral cooperation in tourism sector, exchanging information and data, establishing exchange programme and participating in travel fairs/exhibitions in each other?s country, among others. PTI MP RG

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By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad/Karachi, Dec 14 (PTI) A Chinese engineer working on the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor today escaped an attempt on his life when his vehicle was targeted by a bomb planted on a motorbike in Pakistans Sindh province, police said.

The low-intensity explosive, rigged to a motorbike and exploded with the help of a remote control device, injured a truck driver in Rohri area of Sukkur district of Sindh province.

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"Unknown accused attacked a Chinese engineers vehicle near Rohri but he was unhurt," police official Masood Mahar said.

He said the truck driver received minor injuries in the blast.

He said the Chinese engineer was being escorted by paramilitary Rangers when the explosion occurred.

Rescue teams and police have arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack but Taliban militants in the past had been targeting foreigners, especially Chinese nationals working in Pakistan.

Several Chinese workers and engineers are working in Pakistan in various schemes being implemented under the China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC) project.

The ambitious CPEC project was launched in early 2015 to link Chinas remote Xinjiang region with the Arabian Sea through Pakistan by building a network of roads, railways, energy parks and industrial zones.

The attack on the Chinese engineer came on a day when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated a 448-kilometre-long Sorab-Hoshab road, an important segment of western route of the CPEC in the restive Balochistan province.

He said that billions of rupees were being spent on development of Balochistan and the government was in particular focusing on its development to mitigate the sense of deprivation of Baloch people.

The road network in Balochistan would connect Gwadar port up to Khunjerab border with China and would ensure economic activity, reduce poverty and unemployment in the province, Sharif was quoted as saying by the media. PTI SH AKJ AKJ

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Yesterday, another jewel for Paul Allens Flying Heritage Collection arrived at the organizations Paine Field facility in Everett, Washington, after a long journey by sea from New Zealand. Museum staff carefully unloaded the de Havilland Mosquito T Mk.III, RAF serial TV959, from her 40ft container and rolled her inside for eventual reassembly. This is the second Mosquito that AVspecs Ltd. has restored to pristine flying condition at their base in Auckland, New Zealand. The other flyer is Jerry Yagens FB.Mk.26 KA114, but there are several more examples in the works.

The Flying Heritage Collections newly-restored Mosquito rolled off deHavillands production line in Leavesden, England in mid-1945 as a training variant of the famous WWII, multi-role combat aircraft. She was too late to see wartime service, joining the Royal Air Force in August that year. TV959 survived to be among the last handful of the type to retire from RAF service in 1963. Her only real claim to fame, other than being a rare survivor of the breed, is that she took part in the classic, though wholly fictitious, 1964 war film, 633 Squadron, appearing as MM398 (coded HT-P) during cockpit and ground sequences. The Imperial War Museum acquired TV959 following filming, and displayed the Mosquito for many years at their facility in Lambeth, London, but sadly not before sawing off her starboard wing so that she would fit the exhibit hall! With another Mosquito in their collection (also a veteran of 633 Squadron), IWM sold her on to The Fighter Collection at Duxford in the early 1990s, who in turn sold her to Paul Allen in 2003. TV959 arrived at AVspecs in May, 2011, and they made fast work on getting the wooden wonder flying again. She made her first post-rebuild flight this past September, and once the requisite hours were on the clock, the restoration team disassembled the warbird for transport to the USA. Whilst TV959 retains some of her trainer variant features, Paul Allen had AVspecs configure her more like a wartime FB.Mk.VI fighter-bomber. The currently silver-doped airframe, left as such in tribute to the similarly painted, post-war RNZAF examples, will gain a suitable WWII camouflage scheme before too long.

More details and photos will follow very soon. Thanks to Cory Graff at FHC for providing the details for this piece.
Fifty eight years ago today, a F-104C piloted by Lt William T. Smith and Einar K. Envoldson from the 538th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, zoomed to 103,395 feet setting a world altitude record. Designed as a supersonic superiority fighter, the F-104 was produced in two major versions. Armed with a six-barrel M-61 20mm Vulcan cannon, it served as a tactical fighter, and when equipped additionally with heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles, as a day-night interceptor. Development of the F-104 began in 1952, and the first XF-104 made its initial flight in 1954. On May 18, 1958, an F-104A set a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph, and on Dec. 14, 1959, an F-104C set a world altitude record of 103,395 feet. The Starfighter was the first aircraft to hold simultaneous official world records for speed, altitude and time-to-climb.

The USAF procured about 300 Starfighters in one- and two-seat versions. In addition, more than 1,700 F-104s were built in the United States and abroad under the military aid program for various nations including Canada, West Germany, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Turkey, Spain, Taiwan and Japan.

The International F-104 Society researched this specific record and here is what they reported. Alternately flown by Lt William T. Smith and Einar K. Envoldson, both flying with the 538th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Larson AFB, WA flew time to climb record flights over a two-day period from NAS Point Mugu, California. They reached: 3000 meter (9,800 ft) time-to-climb record in 41.85 seconds 6000 meter (20,000 ft) time-to-climb record in 58.41 seconds 9000 meter (30,000 ft) time-to-climb record in 81.14 seconds (1 minute 21 seconds) 12,000 meter (39,000 ft) time-to-climb record in 99.90 seconds (1 minute 39 seconds) 15,000 meter (49,000 ft) time-to-climb record in 131.1 seconds (2 minutes 11 seconds) 20,000 meter (66,000 ft) time-to-climb record in 222.99 seconds (3 minutes 42 seconds) 25,000 meter (82,020.8 feet) time-to-climb record in 266.03 seconds (4 minutes, 26.03 seconds), by Einar Envoldson. Photos beneath show the F-104A 56-762 at Point Mugu and also both pilots Envoldson and Smith shaking hands after the successfull record attempts. Note factory code 50 on the 104s nose.



If you are interested to find out more about the F-10 Starfighter visit www.i-f-s.nl
It seems that it was not floods but strong winds that caused the ostensible destruction following cyclone Vardah in Chennai.

By Pramod Madhav: Cyclone Vardah with its massive winds uprooted close to 10,000 trees (and counting) in Chennai alone. The state government has asked for Rs 1,000 crore as relief fund from Centre.

It has come to light that although the state is prepared to face dangerous flood like situation keeping in mind the December 2015 havoc, the state administration seems to have overlooked the fact that a cyclone can cause much damage through sheer winds.

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With gusty storm recording up to 192 km per hour, the trees of Chennai which acted as the city's lungs were tossed away. Trees in Anna University premises, Theosophical society, IIT Madras and Semmozi Park were the ones to face the cyclone's brunt.

NOT ANTICIPATED DESTRUCTION CAUSED BY WINDS

On the other hand, the state government which brought in work force and equipment to immediately clear water logging had definitely not anticipated Vardah's winds to cause such destruction.

Mahesh Bhatt, a resident of Chitranjan Road, located parallel to Anna Salai said that never in his life he had seen a cyclone of this magnitude hitting Chennai.

"The winds have caused so much damage that it is very hard to even make an estimate,'' said Bhatt.

NDRF PAVES WAY

Unfortunately the NDRF, with the available equipment is trying its best to clear the routes and are hoping that they will get the necessary equipment soon.

Thankfully, the advisory by the state government to stay indoors and and the holidays declared for schools, colleges, public and private institutions have definitely saved a number of precious lives.

Also read:

Internet speeds seem worse than ever before? Blame it on Cyclone Vardah

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Panneerselvam's handling of cyclone Vardah surprises many

Cyclone Vardah has now weakened into a depression, says NDMA; Chennai airport resumes operations

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If ever there was proof that modern-day politicians are more followers than leaders, Malcolm Turnbull must be it. Last week, under pressure from the Coalition's climate change-denying rump, he dropped the ball on global warming.

He inherited from Tony Abbott a commitment under the Paris agreement to reduce our carbon emissions by 28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, plus a plan for a review in 2017 to determine what policies were needed to achieve that target.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Credit:Andrew Meares

Everyone's agreed that the government's existing direct action approach, taking money from the budget to pay farmers and others to cut their carbon emissions, is quite inadequate to achieve the new target.

The authorities responsible for advising the government on energy and climate change  the Climate Change Authority, the Chief Scientist, the Australian Energy Market Commission  have each decided the best approach would be to introduce an "emissions intensity scheme" on the electricity generation industry.
Possums, bird calls and a midnight surge in the mercury in some coastal regions served as impromptu alarm clocks as overnight temperature records tumbled.

Hot, windy conditions were keeping firefighters busy ahead of gusty cool change this afternoon. The Rural Fire Service has "watch and act" advice out for several blazes, including one new Patonga near Gosford.

Sydney earlier posted its highest minimum for December since 1868 at 27.1 degrees, and the second highest for any month.

The airport had its hottest night in 78 years of records for any month. Its 27.5 degree minimum beat the previous record set in February 2011 by 1.1 degrees and smashed the previous December record by twice that margin.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has warned the United States and Russia must urgently broker a peace deal to stop the bloodletting in Syria following "appalling" reports of mass atrocities in Aleppo.

A ceasefire in the devastated city, finalised overnight, has been undermined by what the United Nations said were credible reports that pro-Syrian forces had executed dozens of civilians as they evacuated the former rebel stronghold.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has urged President Donald Trump to remain engaged in the region. Credit:Andrew Meares

Ms Bishop said the claims must be investigated and a political solution was the only way to end the civil war, which has now raged for six years and has killed hundreds of thousands of people.

"This is one of the worst humanitarian disasters that we have witnessed in many, many years," she said. "There are reports of mass atrocities. They must be investigated. This is an appalling humanitarian disaster and the conflict has to end."
Tony Abbott has criticised Australia's welfare system saying major cities are fringed by "white welfare villages" while people in regional areas would rather be unemployed than work in jobs such as fruit picking and cleaning.

As the Turnbull government prepares to find further budget savings from the welfare system, the former prime minister said on Wednesday that people needed to take whatever jobs were on offer.

"We have to wake up to ourselves," Mr Abbott told Sydney radio station 2GB.

"This idea that you can be unemployed on benefits in a town where you can't get fruit pickers...it's just wrong."
Daily Mail Australia has apologised to Sunrise co-host Samantha Armytage after publishing a story and photographs focusing on her underwear.

After a fierce backlash about its treatment of Armytage, and facing threats of potential legal action, the media organisation amended its original online story on Wednesday morning to include an apology.

Daily Mail Australia has apologised to Samantha Armytage. Credit:Getty Images

The story was also edited to remove any reference to Armytage's apparent "giant granny panties", to which the original article had referred.

"An earlier version of this story contained critical statements regarding Samantha Armytage's appearance," the apology reads.
Washington: More than 200 employees of technology companies including Alphabet Inc's Google and Twitter Inc have pledged not to help US President-elect Donald Trump's administration track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.

The employees signed an open letter at neveragaintech on Tuesday, rebuking ideas floated by Trump during the campaign trail to build a data registry to track people.

The protest, which began with about 60 signatures but had more than tripled within hours of publication, comes a day before several technology company executives are due to meet with the real-estate developer in New York City.

"We are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administration's proposed data collection policies," reads the letter, signed by a mix of engineers, designers and business executives.
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 14 (PTI) Delhi Police raided a hotel in Karol Bagh here and recovered Rs 3.25 crore in demonetised notes from five persons, police said today.

Based on secret information, the Crime Branch conducted a joint raid with Income Tax officials late last night at Taksh Inn in Karol Bagh and found five persons in two rooms of the hotel carrying a total amount of Rs 3.25 crore, said Ravindra Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).

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The five men are carriers and have been identified as Ansari Abuzar, Fazal Khan, Ansari Affan, Ladu Ram and Mahaveer Singh, he said.

The recovered amount was kept in different suitcases and cardboard box.It was found during interrogation that the money belongs to some Mumbai-based hawala operators, said the officer.

"They had hired packaging specialists who pack these notes in such a manner that they are even undetectable by airport scanning machines. Experts in packaging are using some tapes and wires which pass through X-ray," he said.

The Income Tax department has seized the cash and is analysing the mobile phone details of these people since their phones contain details of lot of other hawala operators, he added. PTI SLB DV

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By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 14 (PTI) Police today raided a real estate agents house in southwest Delhis Chhawla area and recovered Rs 64,84,000 in old and new currency and jewellery worth over Rs 1 crore.

On the basis of a tip-off, a joint action team of Income tax and Inter State Crime Cell of Crime Branch carried out a raid at the house of Sukhbir Shokeen, police said.

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"Unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 64,84,000 was found. Out of it, Rs 11,34,000 was in the form of Rs 2000 notes. Besides, jewellery valued at Rs 1,06,57,235 has been found. Further enquiries are in progress by the IT department," said a senior police officer.

Survey proceedings are also being carried out at the office premises of his companys office at Rangpuri, he added. PTI SLB SUA

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This latest seizure of 10 crore from a bank in Pune seems to be the clearest indication yet that bank authorities have a major role in facilitating exchange of black money for white.

By Pankaj P. Khelkar: According to sources from the Income Tax department , a sum of 10 crore and fifty lakh rupees has been seized from 15 lockers that belong to Worldwide Oilfield Machine Pvt Ltd. 8 crore rupees of the money seizes was in the form of the new Rs 2000 note while 2.5 crore was found in the form of 100 rupee notes.

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BANKS OFFICIALS UNDER SCANNER

Since the Day the government announced the demonetisation scheme, people have have been standing in serpentine queues outside banks and ATMs longing for cash. Most of the Banks seem to be experiencing a shortage of new currency notes. However, the Income Tax department and the police have been continuously catching hold of people harboring vast stashes of black money.

Incidents of new currency seizure are also giving rise to suspicion over the roles of some bank officials. But this latest seizure of 10 crore from a bank in Pune seems to be the clearest indication yet that bank authorities have a major role in facilitating exchange of black money for white.

INVESTIGATION

India Today has obtained exclusive visuals of this seizure from inside the bank as IT sleuths can be seen carrying out search operation in the main office of Worldwide Oilfield Machine Pvt Ltd on the sixth floor in Parvati towers building, in Pune, the same building which has a Bank of Maharashtra branch.

Income Tax sleuths can be seen carrying search operation, checking papers, documents in the office. The resident of the building Mr Waagh shared the details of the illicit activities going on in the office with India Today. He said the office has now been shifted to some other place in Pune.

Now along with the holders of the 15 lockers the office bearers and bank manager is also under scanner of IT Department.

ALSO READ:

With surge in raids, IT department ropes in admin officials to assist investigation team

--- ENDS ---
The Australian government has called for a review of the 100-dollar currency note.

By Parbina Purkayastha: First India, then Venezuela and now Australia is considering the proposal to demonetise its 100 dollar currency note as the country attempts to target tax evaders.

While the Narendra Modi-led government has already started its fight against black money in the country, the Australian government is setting up a task force to curb black money and will appoint representatives during its mid-year budget meeting.

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UBS had recently batted for removal of the highest-denomination currency in Australia, and said the country can follow India's example.

"We believe removing large-denomination notes in Australia would be good for the economy and good for the banks," UBS had said.

ALSO READ: Demonetisation a case of khoda pahaad, nikli chuhiya: 10 not-to-be-missed P Chidambaram quotes

Cap on cash transactions likely

According to a news report, Australian Revenue and Financial Services Minister Kelly O'Dwyer has called for a review of the 100-dollar note and announced plans to introduce caps on cash transactions over a certain limit.

According to some estimates, there are about 300 million 100-dollar bills in the market and about 92 percent of the currency in circulation are in 50- and 100-dollar notes.

ALSO READ: Month after demonetisation; high-end escort agencies, brothels turn to e-payment, plastic money

On November 8, the Prime Minister announced demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes, calling it a step against black money hoarders.

After India, the Venezuela government scrapped the 100-bolivar note, giving its holders barely four days to swap their old currency. Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro said the step will help fight smuggling mafias.

ALSO READ: Will President Maduro's demonetisation drive save the Venezuela's sinking economy?

ALSO READ: How Modi changed (and changed) the demonetisation narrative

ALSO WATCH

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In a hearing on RBI circular on district cooperative banks, the Sholapur district bank said it does not have enough money for salary disbursement.

By Vidya : The Sholapur district cooperative bank today told the Bombay High Court that it needs nearly Rs 95 crore to pay the salaries of teachers whose accounts are with the bank.

"We were given only Rs 1 crore (by the Reserve Bank of India). As a result, we are able to give Rs 900 to every teacher for the entire month. How can people subsist on Rs 900 for a month," asked advocate VM Thorat representing the Sholapur bank.

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Advocate Vyanktesh Dhond, representing the RBI, told the court that "mechanisms had been put in place" and all that the districts banks have to do is to approach the district coordinators of the State Bank of India.

ALSO READ: In a big push for cash less India, Jaitley announces 11 new measures to romp up digital payment

Money is going elsewhere: RBI

The division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Abuja Prabhudesai in the last hearing had asked the RBI to consider the issue of paying salaries to teachers.

The RBI, in a circular issued on November 14, had barred district co-operative banks from handing out new notes post demonetisation. "Money is not given to the account-holders and instead goes elsewhere," advocate Dhond alleged.

Mumbai District Central Co-operative Bank had filed a petition challenging the circular issued by the RBI five. District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) from Sholapur, Pune, Nashik, Thane, Kolhapur, Sangli also joined the list of petitioners.

ALSO READ: Demonetisation visionless, huge setback for workers: Mamata

Why only teachers are getting salary?

Justice Oka noted that when people could withdraw Rs 24,000 per week then there should be no reason why teachers could not withdraw their salaries.

During the hearing, Advocate Shrinivas Patwardhan, representing the other district banks in Maharashtra, alleged the RBI had only released funds to the Sholapur bank while others in Thane and Nashik were left high and dry with no money to pay teachers' salaries.

Dhond, however, countered the allegation and said, "Now nurses will say why only teachers are getting salaries. This can't go on".

ALSO READ: Are banks failing the demonetisation drive?

No cash in rural areas

Arguing for the Sholapur bank, advocate Thorat said, "Farmer deposits worth Rs 25000 crore are with our banks but they (farmers) cannot even touch it. There is no cash in rural areas".

Justice Oka advised the district banks to approach the district co-ordinators of the SBI. The court said it was not able pass a judgment in the case as the Supreme Court has directed that all such cases filed before various courts be transferred to one court so that they can be heard in a go.

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The Centre had moved the Supreme Court on November 17, seeking a stay on the proceedings before the various high courts and other courts (except the top court) against the demonetisation issue, saying the move would otherwise create a lot of confusion.

The district banks in Maharashtra, however, want the Bombay High Court to hear the case and announce a verdict. At this, Justice Oka asked the petitioners to get clarity on whether the court can hear the case. The high court will hear the case again on Monday.

ALSO READ: Bombay High Court adjourns hearing on RBI circular about cooperative banks

ALSO READ: Demonetisation problems will end in 10-15 days: Centre to Supreme Court

ALSO WATCH

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BATON ROUGE -- Gov. John Bel Edwards this week announced that the state of Louisiana will receive approximately $26 million in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding for the March floods from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The estimates of available funding are given to the state 30-days and six months following the federal disaster declaration. The final amount of HMGP funding will be released 12 months following the declaration.

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds may be used for projects that support both state and parish hazard mitigation plans to reduce losses from future disasters. Of the approximately $26.1 million awarded, $3 million will be reserved for state projects. The remaining $23 million will be allocated to all interested parishes that received declarations from the March floods under the proposed plan.

Over the last year, 56 of Louisianas 64 parishes have received disaster declarations due to flooding, said Edwards. The March floods stretched from North to South Louisiana, and caused massive destruction to homes and businesses. After recovery, preventing future floods should be our top priority. These resources will help our communities continue to rebuild stronger than ever, and I will continue to work with our congressional delegation to secure additional funding that we can use to prevent future disasters.

The allocation for HMGP funding is based on several factors, including:

FEMA Individual Assistance

Number of applicants

Amount paid

Number of max grants

Flood Insurance (NFIP)

Number of claims

Amount paid

FEMA Public Assistance

Estimate of amount eligible

Parishes will have until Jan. 13, 2017 to confirm the project scope and cost estimates to the state with project applications due on Feb. 13, 2017. By March 13, 2017, the state will submit applications to FEMA.

Allocations for HMGP funding for each parish is as follows:

Ouachita Parish $5,938,616

St. Tammany Parish $3,765,625

Tangipahoa Parish $1,688,159

Vernon Parish $1,128,755

Bossier Parish $1,119,761

Washington Parish $1,004,473

Webster Parish $877,465

Natchitoches Parish $839,012

Union Parish $794,530

Caddo Parish $689,940

Calcasieu Parish $615,287

Richland Parish $521,172

Livingston Parish $435,928

Caldwell Parish $335,261

Grant Parish $331,793

Ascension Parish $301,978

Lincoln Parish $300,832

West Carroll Parish $294,112

Bienville Parish $288,601

Rapides Parish $277,275

Catahoula Parish $256,412

Allen Parish $218,845

East Carroll Parish $218,614

St. Helena Parish $209,123

Red River Parish $204,259

Franklin Parish $184,336

Avoyelles Parish $159,837
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"I have personal information regarding corruption involving the Prime Minister. If I will speak, his balloon will burst. He is scared. Modi is personally terrified with the information I have," Rahul said.

By India Today Web Desk: Rahul Gandhi today alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was himself involved in corruption. The Congress vice-president said he wanted to reveal it in Parliament, but is being prevented by the ruling BJP from speaking there.

"I have personal information regarding corruption involving the Prime Minister. If I will speak, his balloon will burst. He is scared. Modi is personally terrified with the information I have. The PM will be exposed if the information I have comes to the fore," Rahul Gandhi said.

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"It is personal corruption of the Prime Minister. Thus, they (the government) are not allowing me to speak in Parliament," the 46-year-old leader added.

Rahul Gandhi was speaking to reporters after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day. Leaders of other Opposition parties were also present at the media conference.

Continuing his attack against Modi over demonetisation, Rahul said the PM is shying away from participating in the debate in Parliament.

Also read | PM Modi has already made society cashless, no one has money: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul attacked the Prime Minister over the demonetisation move, saying he has destroyed millions of lives and owed the country an explanation, which Rahul said Modi has not yet come up with.

WATCH VIDEO

As the winter session of Parliament comes to a close this week, repeated disruptions and ruckus have stalled legislative business.

Last week, President Pranab Mukherjee had criticised the stalling of Parliamentary proceedings repeatedly. Veteran BJP leader LK Advani had also recently hit out both the Opposition and the government for not debating pressing issues and letting the House run smoothly.

Also read | Rahul Gandhi has attention-seeking disorder, says BJP, demands apology for remarks against Modi

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By Kentucky News Network/West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 14, 2016 | 12:06 PM | HOPKINSVILLE, KY





He pleaded guilty last week to the murders of his family and the man who killed them in 2014. Now Ryan Champion is speaking publicly about it."The decision to enter a guilty plea wasn't entirely mine and from my heart. This was the best resolution overall for everyone involved. It was not an easy decision. It will always bother me," Champion said.In a jailhouse interview with WKDZ Radio, Champion says the decision came after getting advice from his lawyers, who he said did, "as good a job as they could," for him.Champion was slated to go to trial in February, but pleaded guilty last week in the murders of his father, mother and sister as well as the man who carried out the killings.He said it was, "more difficult than you can imagine," to face family members at the hearing last week. Champion said he didn't know what gave him the strength to get through it, but cried like a baby before and after the hearing.With the plea deal, Champion faces life in prison without the chance of parole or probation.When asked what it feels like to face a life sentence, Champion said, "It's a big question. Might as well ask me how I feel about winning the lottery. I've got no way of knowing until I get there."
Astros throw group no-hitter at Phillies to tie Series at two games each
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Dec. 14, 2016 | MELBER, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 14, 2016 | 01:26 PM | MELBER, KY

A man faces numerous charges after a suspicious vehicle was reported at a Graves County home.



The Graves County Sheriff's Department says someone called in a complaint of a suspicious vehicle at a Melber home on Tuesday, but before they arrived, the vehicle left the scene with the caller following.



The vehicle was reportedly driven off the road and into a field before attempting to re-enter the road, but struck the side of the caller's vehicle. The driver continued to flee, according to deputies, who said he drove through another field before stopping along a tree line and trying to escape on foot. The man was arrested by deputies a short distance away and was identified as 22-year-old Cody Jackson of Wingo.



Deputies report the vehicle Jackson was driving had been reported stolen earlier in the day.



Jackson was taken to Graves County Jail, where he faces charges of receiving stolen property over $10,000, two counts of criminal mischief 1st degree, wanton endangerment 1st degree, leaving the scene of an accident, two counts of tampering with physical evidence, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, DUI 3rd offense, and driving on a DUI suspended license.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 13, 2016 | 01:55 PM | MURRAY, KY

Officials at Murray State are reporting a very sophisticated phishing email was sent to students and employees through the university's email system and was received by approximately 650 accounts.

Officials say the email requested recipients to log onto their MSU myGate account, and it provided a link to a spoofed myGate login page. According to MSU, myGate is an internal web page for University staff use. The email was promptly reported to Murray State.

The University's Information Systems department identified the e-mail as suspicious and within 13 minutes of the email arriving at Murray State, the link to myGate was blocked. However, despite these efforts, university officials have determined that several individuals unknowingly logged into the spoofed page and shared their myGate username and password.

Improper access to myGate would allow retrieval of personal information including, but not limited to: legal name, home address, grades, benefits/payroll deduction information, direct deposit information, W2 information, and social security number. Officials said there is reason to believe direct deposit information for some employees has been accessed.

For security reasons, the ability for all employees to change direct deposit information through myGate was temporarily deactivated.

Information Systems identified the Murray State students and employees who received the e-mail and have been in contact with each of these individuals to encourage them to change their myGate password, as well as any other accounts in which they have used the same password.
By The Associated Press Dec. 14, 2016 | 11:33 AM | FRANKFORT, KY

An audit of the private investment arm of the University of Louisville has reported damaging and divisive relationships between board members that Republican Auditor Mike Harmon said "created a dysfunctional governing environment."

Harmon released his examination of the University of Louisville Foundation on Wednesday.

The audit had eight findings, including that the foundation overstepped its authority by increasing the salary of former university President James Ramsey and a loan from the university to the foundation was made without the knowledge or consent of the board of trustees.

Interim University of Louisville President Neville Pinto said he agrees the foundation did not follow "best practices." In a lengthy response, Ramsey strongly disagreed with many of the findings and said the audit was not necessary.
The strike comes as Paris is struggling to revive tourism after a string of deadly attacks and a year marred by floods, violent labor protests and polluted air.

By AP: The Eiffel Tower - which is normally open every single day of the year - closed Tuesday because of a strike over salaries and working conditions.

With Paris tourism already suffering, the monument's management apologized to visitors stranded at the gates of the tower, lamenting an ill-timed blow to the city's image.

Unions presented management with 51 demands and have held repeated meetings in recent days with officials from the company that manages the tower, SETE.

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When the management refused all demands related to new hires and pay raises, the unions announced one-day strike Tuesday, according to SETE director Anne Yannic. Unions will decide later whether to extend the strike through Wednesday.Also Read: Eiffel Tower evacuated, turns out to be a false alarm

STRIKE

The strike comes as Paris is struggling to revive tourism after a string of deadly attacks and a year marred by floods, violent labor protests and polluted air.

"I wonder if they really understand the current context," Yannic told The Associated Press, saying the strikers are "disconnected from reality."

The Tower saw the number of visitors decline from about 7 million in 2015 to an estimated 6 million this year, and forecasts a corresponding 14 percent drop in revenue, she said. Yannic said the company has avoided layoffs so far but "we cannot afford extra hires."

WHAT ARE THEIR DEMANDS

She said the company accepted some of the 51 demands and are negotiating others. Demands include more communication to staff about future strategy and about workers' committees. The average annual salary for the Tower's approximately 300 workers is 61,000 euros ($65,000) a year, according to the company.

Representatives of the CGT and FO unions among Tower personnel did not immediately comment.

Dejected tourists milled about the plaza beneath the tower, which rises 276 meters (906 feet) over the Seine River.

"I come from Mexico and I am here for only two days, only to find out that the Eiffel tower is closed and I won't be able to go," said Paolina Herrmann, a 22-year-old from Guadalajara.

Fikriya Akachar of Rotterdam rallied her family to come with her to the tower so she could experience it despite her fear of heights.

"We all came here, had some vacation days from work, and then they say no you cannot. I was disappointed," she said.

But Nicole and Michael Denning of Sydney said Paris remains a lovely city for tourists.

"It's still magnificent, so we are happy, very happy," Nicole Denning said.

"It is magnificent, it does not matter where you go," Michael Denning said. "We are pretty happy to be just walking around, enjoying the sights."

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Also Read: Eiffel Tower can now be your apartment for a night

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There are over 1,900 registered political parties in the country of which barely 400 contested elections between 2005 and 2015. Thus majority of them are used as conduits for siphoning off black money.

CEC has said that non-serious political outfits, which are registered with ECI as party and have not contested elections since their coming into being, should not be given exemption under Income Tax Act.

By Manjeet Negi: Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to ask the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to see to it that those political parties, which are struck off from its list of recognised outfits should not be given tax exemption as an interim arrangement.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) has taken a decision to communicate to the CBDT that those non-serious political outfits, which are registered with ECI as party and have not contested elections since their coming into being, should not be given exemption under Income Tax Act - 1961.

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There were over 1,900 registered political parties in the country of which barely 400 contested elections between 2005 and 2015. "Thus majority of them are used as conduits for siphoning off black money."

TAX EXEMPTION TO PARTIES

Section 13A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 confers tax-exemption to political parties for income from house property, income by way of voluntary contributions, income from capital gains and income from other sources.

Incidentally, the ECI in its communication to the Law & Justice Ministry too had argued in favour of amending the Income Tax Act of 1961 in way that "exemption should be made applicable only to political parties that contest elections and win seat(s) in the Parliament or Legislative assemblies."

Also read: 5 political parties derecognised by Maharashtra State Election Commission

Also read: PM Modi's move to scrap Rs 500, Rs 1000 notes gets backing from political parties, Mamata protests

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One of the two terrorists has been killed in an encounter with security forces in Bijbehara in Anantnag district. One is believed to be hiding in Sopore.

By Ashraf Wani: Two encounters between terrorists and security personnel have broken out in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla and Anantnag districts.

In the first, a terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir's Bijbehara area in Anantnag district. Another terrorist is believed to be hiding there.

J&K: One terrorist killed in an encounter with security forces in Bijbehara, Anantnag. Combing Ops underway (Visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/ujohQypbTl ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

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KILLED MILITANT WAS AN ENGINEERING STUDENT

The militant killed in Bijbehara, identified as Basit, was an engineering student and had joined hands with militants in Kashmir two months ago after terrorist Burhan Wani's killing in July. Basit was a native of Madhahama village.

Basit, the terrorist killed in Bijbehara.

In recent encounters in south Kashmir, most of the militants killed are fresh local recruits, which is a matter of grave concern for the government.

Also read | Kashmir encounter: 2 terrorists hiding in a village killed in Kulgam

Security forces from Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army and CRPF cordoned off Biowar village near Bijbehara on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on specific input about presence of militants in the area. As security forces were cordoning off area, they were fired upon by militants. Basit was killed in retaliatory firing.

PAK TERRORIST TRAPPED IN SOPORE'S BOMAI

In the second, 1 Pakistani terrorist is learnt to have been trapped in the Bomai area of Sopore in Baramulla.

Security forces have cordoned off the area and combing operations are on.

#FLASH Army and Police conduct cordon and search ops in Bomai area of Sopore in Baramulla (J&K), terrorists believed to be inside. ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

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By PTI: Jammu, Dec 14 (PTI) BSF troops handed over a former Pakistani army man to Pak Rangers at a flag meeting at a BoP along IB in Suchetgarh sector of Jammu district.

"Earlier, today in the morning, Pak Rangers contacted BSF via Flag Meeting and requested to handover to Mohd Baksh (70 years) son of Firozdin residen of village - Gandiyal, Tehsil - Pasroor, District- Sialkot (Pakistan), an ex-Pak Army man considering his old age and family commitments, on humanitarian ground" a senior officer said.

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Considering the old age and also on humanitarian ground the said individual was handed over, during a Commandant level meeting held in cordial atmosphere in Suchetgarh sector to Pak Rangers, he said. PTI AB RG

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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/12/2016 (2150 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

North Kildonan Coun. Jeff Browaty apologized Wednesday for comments he made earlier in the day opposing a plan to provide training to civic staff on indigenous issues and suggesting staff instead should visit the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, on their own time, at their own expense.

Browaty had condemned the administration plan on the floor of council and then issued two confusing statements on where he stood on the issue and issued an apology if he offended anyone in the process.

Browaty later said he completely retracted the statements he made during the council meeting, is now supporting staff training and blamed the confusion on a technical glitch.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Coun. Jeff Browaty

Ive revisited my position and am (now) supporting the training for all city employees, Browaty said.

Browaty had set off the confusion when he stood up on the floor of council and said that while he supported Mayor Brian Bowmans efforts on reconciliation, he would not support any initiatives that involved taking staff away from their work and associated costs for training.

Winnipeg already has an absolutely stunning Canadian Museum for Human Rights  internationally awarded, world-class human rights museum and I encourage all Winnipeggers to attend that, Browaty told council. But paying employees overtime to attend this type of training, taking them away from cutting the grass, filling potholes or providing the services we count on, I dont think that is our position.

Browaty was commenting on an administrative report that outlined the citys efforts to respond to the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The city has outlined a series of training courses for civic staff, including a mandatory half-day session for all civic staff on Indigenous culture, with a focus on residential schools and their impact.

Browatys remarks were not well received by other members of council, some of whom praised the efforts of bureaucrats and Bowman in delivering a plan to educate the citys workforce.

Bowman later told reporters he wasnt surprised by the comments from Browaty, who has made similar remarks previously in private.

His comments do demonstrate why education is beneficial, the mayor said. We, and other governments, have pledged to support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls of action and one of those calls of action specifically calls for this type of training.

Bowman said hed have to consider whether Browatys attitude compromises his ability to chair the Winnipeg Police Board.

Browatys concerns over the cost implications are supported by a confidential administrative report that estimates the price tag for training at about $274,000.

But Bowman downplayed the report, describing it as a draft document. He said departments have been instructed to absorb the costs but admitted council may have to approve additional funds.

Following the noon-hour break, Browaty told reporters he had been persuaded to retract his comments and his office issued the statements that said he supported the training but remained opposed to city hall spending money on those efforts.

I apologize if my comments offended anyone, Browaty said in the first statement issued by his office. I simply dont see this as the citys role.

Browatys office issued a second statement, repeating his concern about the costs but removed the last line, I simply dont see this as the citys role. He also added the word equivocally to his apology.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/12/2016 (2151 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ottawas announcement Monday to make it easier to establish safe injection sites hasnt changed Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzens mind  his answer is still no.

The provinces position has less to do with the rules and more to do with evidence sites have a positive impact on harm reduction, Goertzen said in an interview Tuesday afternoon. He said he has not seen evidence providing a Winnipeg or Manitoba context.

Safe injection sites showing a positive impact capture a relatively small geographic footprint, essentially a very concentrated area of drug users unwilling to walk more than two blocks to a site, Goertzen said. That type of concentration doesnt exist in Winnipeg.

DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES A man prepares heroin he bought on the street to be injected at the Insite safe injection clinic in Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday May 11, 2011.

That regrettably is the case in Vancouver  there is that concentration there, he said.

Goertzen cautioned safe injection sites arent cheap to operate and there is a limited amount of resources available for harm reduction. However, he said the safe needle exchange program has worked well and, starting in January, the province is increasing the availability of naloxone, particularly in rural Manitoba.

Naloxone can be an effective antidote to fentanyl overdoses.

Meanwhile, the John Howard Society is leading a small but growing movement hoping to establish at least one safe injection site in Winnipeg.

Executive director John Hutton said Tuesday it is terrific the federal government moved to make it easier for communities to establish safe injection sites.

Its based on need, and thats terribly important, Hutton said, adding it moves addiction from a criminal issue to a health issue. It really frames the issue in a positive way  its a health issue.

Hutton said hes already talked to Klinic, and will soon be contacting other community health and social services agencies.

Were concerned well see more overdoses affecting our clients, said Hutton, whose national organization works with people who are incarcerated and helps integrate them back into society. It would make sense to have a clinic close to where folks are already using. Expecting people to get on a bus and travel wouldnt make sense.

Klinic executive director Nicole Chammartin said her agency supports the Canadian Community Health Associations position: There is overwhelming clinical and public health evidence that demonstrates that supervised injection services (SIS) save lives and, where included in a national drug strategy, provide a low threshold gateway into the health system.

NDP health critic Matt Wiebe said its essential a safe injection site not only provide sterile needles and clean and safe surroundings, but also access to health services and counselling and must be supervised.

It certainly opens the door. Im very excited the federal government is going out as far as it is, Wiebe said. Its a tool communities can use. Theyre looking at harm reduction in any form they can find it. You can bring in some of the most marginalized folks.

However, others are not yet eager to go as far, though theyre monitoring whats happening.

At this point, we have not seen evidence that a safe-injection site would benefit those who use illicit drugs in Winnipeg, said Bronwyn Penner-Holigroski, senior communications specialist with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. It is something we continue to discuss and monitor, but we would need to do a thorough evaluation of the needs of the population who use illicit drugs before undertaking such a process.

That process would need to be undertaken with our partners at the province and with the City of Winnipeg. We have not had specific requests or proposals from partners, but we are monitoring the situation closely as the concern around fentanyl continues to grow.

Despite Ottawas announcement on Monday, Goertzen cautioned federal legislation to make it easier to establish a safe injection site is months away from being passed, and any site would need provincial approval.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/12/2016 (2151 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police are the only civil service members who have the authority to remove an intoxicated person from the street and bring them out of the cold.

Other major cities in Canada have mobile outreach programs to monitor vulnerable people, especially when winter temperatures fall. These programs and organizations are able to offer people reprieve from the cold  even when shelters are full  or alert police of others who may be reluctant to accept help when they need it.

Saskatoon

EGADZ, also based in Saskatoon, is a youth drop-in centre. But EGADZ also runs a mobile outreach program, which has provided vulnerable individuals  specifically youth  with clothing, food, counselling or referral to emergency housing or detox for 23 years. During the week, EGADZ provides their street services from 9:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. On Saturdays EGADZs hours are 5 P.M. to 1 A.M. and 4 P.M. to 12 A.M. on Sundays. On a typical night, EGADZ serves between 40-100 people.

Postmedia Boyle Street Community Services runs a bus through Edmonton, which serves as a mobile drop-in centre.

EGADZ executive director, Don Meikle, says when weather gets dangerous, EGADZ staff have a cold-weather strategy.

When the wind chill hits anywhere near -30, and we get someone coming up to our van needing services, well always make sure that person has a way to get to a shelter, said Meikle.

Usually, Meikle says EGADZ staff wont transport a person who is too intoxicated to comply, but when temperatures drop around -30, thats a different story.

Our staff dont want to see someone found in the morning because they didnt get a ride to a safe shelter, he said. We wont hold anyone down, but well do whatever we need (to get them somewhere safe).

Meikle says there are many other Saskatoon shelters that are more accomodating when it gets cold.

We all as a community have come together and created a response, he said.

The Saskatoon Lighthouse Mobile Outreach program is one of those organizations. It operates 16 hours/day and will send a van out whenever someone calls to report an individual who appears to be intoxicated or in distress. Lighthouse Mobile Outreach transports homeless and/or intoxicated individuals to the Lighthouse shelter or to other necessary support services.

Calgary

The Alpha House Society Downtown Outreach Addictions Program (DOAP) facilitates vulnerable citizens access to resources like shelters, warm winter gear and information on the risks and dangers of drug use. DOAP team members stay on call all hours of the day, transporting vulnerable people to warm shelters or hospitals in the DOAP van.

The DOAP team has been active for 11 years, and a large part of their work with Calgarys vulnerable individuals is relationship-based. The DOAP team knows many of their clients from having interacted with them on a regular basis.

Someone can be difficult with police, then well show up and they know us well, said Alpha House outreach and housing location manager, Adam Melnyk. At that point their behaviour can change drastically. We build up a good reputation.

The DOAP team averages about 52 transports a day. They gave rides to over 20,000 individuals last year alone. In the winter months, transporting becomes even more crucial, says Melnyk.

In Calgary we have kind of a compassion rule for when it hits under -10. There are rules around people that wouldnt nomally be allowed in the shelter, but that should kind of disappear (when its that cold).

Melnyk says the DOAP team works in collaboration with other emergency and social services to ensure any vulnerable individual gets to the safe space that is right for them.

Edmonton

Boyle Street Community Services runs a bus through Edmonton, which serves as a mobile drop-in centre. People can get on the bus free of charge and stay whenever theyre in need of a safe, warm place.The Boyle Street Community bus service has been running during the winter months for 12 years. People who board the Boyle Street Community bus can access first aid, food and outerwear on it, too.

Montreal

One bus in Montreal circulates downtown and other inner city areas whose populations are vulnerable to issues like substance abuse and homelessness. The organization lAnonyme runs the bus, and calls it proximity intervention. The role of the bus is mainly preventative, getting youth off the street and giving them education on safe sex practices and the risks of substance abuse. LAnonyme bus also has nurses on board at all times for basic medical care.

rebecca.dahl@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rebeccadaahl
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/12/2016 (2151 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  A federal task force on legalized recreational marijuana says it should be sold to Canadians over the age of 18 in storefronts or by mail, but not in the same places as liquor or cigarettes.

The task force, headed by former Liberal Health Minister Anne McLellan, was asked to consult with communities and experts and report to the government with a framework on how pot should be legalized, as the government prepares legislation to be introduced in the spring. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to legalize pot during the 2015 federal election.

The task force made 80 different recommendations on everything from distribution and sales to limits on possession, advertising and branding. It said provincial governments should regulate the wholesale distribution and sale of cannabis, but Manitoba is no closer to saying how it might go about doing that.

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The task force did say provinces should have flexibility to increase the minimum age marijuana, but not lower it.

Manitoba Justice Minister Heather Stefanson said Tuesday the government was still taking the time to review our options on whether the province wants marijuana sales overseen by the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation. The task force did say provinces should have flexibility to increase the minimum age, but not lower it.

The restriction on sales will be disappointing to some provinces who felt provincial liquor stores were the best equipped to sell pot. While the former Manitoba government had expressed such an inclination, the new Tory government has not indicated any preference, preferring to wait until the federal government shows its hand with legislation before spending any significant amount of time or money on the subject.

Premier Brian Pallister Tuesday reiterated his concerns the Trudeau government is moving too fast on this file, having recently asked legislation be put off until more research is done and more public awareness is undertaken on safety issues such as drug-impaired driving.

Im concerned about the safety of the innocent people who are not using the product, Pallister said in an interview Tuesday.

Pallister says provinces need more time to prepare for legalized pot, though he did seem to favour the recommendation not to restrict sales to those over age 21. That had been the recommendation of the Canadian Medical Association, along with strict limits on quantity until the age of 25, but the task force said the concerns younger Canadians would simply turn to the black market to get the drug were significant.

Pallister seemed to agree, noting one of his daughters, who is an actuary, had warned if the minimum age was set at 21 the gangs will love that.

He also said his other daughter suggested setting the age higher than 18 would lose him the youth vote.

But Pallisters biggest concerns surround drug-impaired driving, an issue the task force acknowledged needs more work. There is not good research yet to link the level of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical responsible for most of marijuanas psychological effects) with a level of impairment, the way a blood alcohol content limit has been set for drunk driving.

It urged more research take place and also that significant additional training be undertaken of police officers to identify and test for the presence of drugs at the roadside. The task force also recommended a comprehensive national public education program to send a clear message to Canadians that cannabis causes impairment and the best way to avoid driving impaired is to not consume.

The campaign should also inform of the dangers of drug-impaired driving and the applicable laws.

The task force said the government also needs to invest in developing an appropriate roadside screening device for the presence of marijuana.

McLellan noted drug impaired driving already is an issue and legalizing pot is not going to introduce it. There is evidence in American jurisdictions that drug-impaired driving deaths spiked after pot was legalized.

Other recommendations say edible pot products cannot be made to look appealing to kids or appear to be candy and that pot lounges or storefronts cant be located near schools, community centres or public parks.

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said Tuesday the government has work to do to study the report but it intends to stick to its timeline to introduce legislation to legalize pot in the spring.

-with files from Nick Martin and Kristin Annable

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
The Doodle depicts the crew with a tent at the finishing line, skis, sled, dogs, and the flag fluttering furiously, fighting a snow storm in a stark grey-white background, indicating the harsh conditions down there.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Google on Wednesday saluted the 105th anniversary of the great Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen's Antarctica expedition and conquest of the South Pole with a special Doodle dedicated to his epic journey on December 14, 1911.

Amundsen's expedition comprised just 19 people and nearly 100 Greenland sled dogs, who along with the use of skis to cross treacherous terrain, were key to the team's success.

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Known as the 'last of the Vikings', the 39-year old Amundsen had raced another British explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott and left his party behind by five weeks to reach the icy-cold 'bottom' of the world that day.

Amundsen, along with Helmer Hanssen , Sverre Hassel and Oscar Wisting erected a tent at Polheim and hoisted the flag of Norway, and at the bottom of the tent marked it Fram, the polar exploration ship on which the expedition was carried out.

ALSO READ: Google honours India's teachers with a cute doodle on Teachers' Day

The Doodle depicts the crew with a tent at the finishing line, skis, sleds, dogs, and the flag fluttering furiously, fighting a snow storm in a stark grey-white background, indicating the harsh conditions down there.

Later, Amundsen - a lifelong adventurer with a gift for organisation and planning said, Victory awaits him who has everything in order and his South Pole conquest was a perfect illustration of that principle.

Like the dogs, the explorers were aware that playfulness could help them endure the extreme conditions of the icy frontiers south under.

While prepping from Framheim, their base camp in the Bay of Whales, the team maintained a sense of fun -- playing games, holding 'guess-the-temperature' contests, celebrating birthdays and telling stories.

When a sub-crew made the final trek to the South Pole in December 1911, it was their camaraderie and meticulous preparations that helped them win the race to "the bottom of the world".

In honor of that achievement, today's Doodle depicts the crew at the finish line, taking a moment to bask in the glory while the Antarctic wind whips outside their tent, the Doodle tribute said.

Amundsen, who also conquered the North Pole years later, disappeared along with four others while on an air rescue mission to the Arctic on June 18, 1928.

ALSO READ: 6th grader becomes national winner of Doodle 4 Google competition

It was after five decades in 1960 that Indian Navy's Lt Ram Charan became the first Indian to set foot on the Antartica as part of an Australian Polar Expedition.

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Indian marine biologist, S.Z. Qasim led the first Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1981-1982, paving the way for India's entry to the icy continent for research and setting up a permanent base there.

Later, Qasim guided seven other expeditions to the bottom of the world. He died aged 89 in 2015.

--- ENDS ---
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/12/2016 (2150 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A MAJOR difference in the American versus Canadian approach to disposal of radioactive material looms during the debate to decommission the Whiteshell Laboratories nuclear research station near Pinawa.

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), wants to entomb the Whiteshell Reactor #1 (WR-1) in concrete. While the reactor would be sealed, it would still rest above bedrock.

Peter Baumgartner, a retired nuclear scientist, said encasing nuclear material above bedrock has been the American response to disposing of nuclear waste. Canada has spent at least half a billion dollars researching storage of radioactive material, particularly into bedrock, he said.

Baumgartner is one of six retired nuclear scientists and engineers who still live in Pinawa and who worked in radioactive waste disposal. Much of the research was from an underground research laboratory 420 metres deep into granitic rock near Lee River, between Lac du Bonnet and Point du Bois. The facility, complete with headframe, was capped off only a few years ago.

Baumgartner believes WR-1 should be sealed 50 to 100 metres below bedrock, like a mine shaft. The only way you could safely dispose radioactive material is to inter it within high-quality granitic rock of the Canadian Shield, and we spent over 25 years conducting the research, he said, speaking for the retired scientists.

The problem is the long life of radioactive material.

The reactor contains radionuclides such as Cobalt 60. Cobalt 60 is a metal made radioactive by proximity to the nuclear reactor. Cobalt 60 has a half-life of five years. Radionuclides with short half-lives are the most radioactive. But they also decay more quickly. The Cobalt 60 has already been reduced to about 1/1000th its strength since WR-1 was shut down in 1988, Baumgartner said.

On the other hand, Nickel 59, contained in the stainless-steel housing the nuclear reactor, has a half life of 76,000 years.

So it will take 10 half lives, or 760,000 years, for it to go down 1/1000th what it is now, he said.

One cant predict the future. As an example, Baumgartner said, continental glaciers could advance from the north in perhaps 10,000 to 20,000 years. Glacier advances have been occurring about every 100,000 years, and the Earth is believed to be near the end of an interglacial period when glaciers recede.

Glaciers will come along one day and probably bulldoze this reactor out of the ground because its sitting in soils, and it will distribute it around, just like glacial erratics (boulders transported by glaciers from the Canadian Shield, for example) you find around Winnipeg when digging up a new subdivision.

In the past, that has been an ethical concern of the Canadian government, Baumgartner said. While the radioactivity will be diluted, its still harmful depending on the exposure.

Brian Wilcox, CNL director of project delivery, said glaciers may advance in 10,000 years, but it isnt until they retreat again that they will drop picked-up materials. So the time scenario is more like 60,000 years.

However, CNL will include glaciation in its disruptive scenario analysis, he said, along with other speculative events such as an airplane crash, and flooding from a bursting of the Seven Sisters hydroelectric dam.

Manitoba is perhaps the safest location in the world from earthquakes, he added.

Baumgartner maintained more analysis is needed on groundwater movement. Baumgartner is not concerned about near-term safety but centuries or millennia into the future. Wilcox maintained CNLs groundwater analysis is thorough after a consulting company drilled another 24 bore holes recently.

The decommissioning of WR-1 has been contracted from the federal government to CNL, which is controlled by a consortium called Canadian National Energy Alliance.

The alliance is run by CH2M (out of Englewood, Colo.), Fluor (Irving, Tex.), Atkins (England), Rolls-Royce (Manchester, England), and SNC-Lavalin Inc. (Montreal, with an office in Winnipeg). All are leading engineering and technology companies.

Its called a government-owned, contractor-operated project, the first of its kind in Canada. They have existed in the U.S. and U.K. for some time. The consortium won a bidding process and took over in September 2015.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/12/2016 (2150 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You know that moment, when youre on the plane at the end of the runway, and the engines start spooling up? The excitement builds and you know youll soon be airborne. Our airport is experiencing that moment right now.

Jan. 1 will mark 20 years since the federal government transferred responsibility for our community airport facilities to the Winnipeg Airports Authority.

A lot has changed during the last 20 years  there is a new terminal, almost a million more passengers per year pass through the doors, there are some incredible stories of partnering to grow employment in Winnipeg and theres even a new name for the airport. Yet, in so many ways, were just at the start of the runway.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Syrian refugees ride in a stretch Hummer after arriving at James A. Richardson International Airport in 2015.

Today, were thriving. We have more destinations and direct flights from Winnipeg than ever before. Were one of the busiest cargo hubs in Canada, driving our economy by connecting people and local businesses with the world.

The WAA is a community-controlled, non-share capital corporation  which means there are no shareholders taking money out of our airport and our community. After paying the federal government rent each year, all revenue generated from the airport is reinvested into facility and services. Our board of directors is comprised entirely of Manitoba community leaders.

Canadas community-based airport model is a resounding success. Yet, increasingly, there are conversations about the federal government privatizing airports to offset rising deficits by cashing in on the net value of Canadas airports.

The real question is: who will profit? Under the current model it goes to the community, as every dollar of profit is reinvested back into the airport. The federal government is considering selling off the airport to the highest bidder for a short-term gain. Under that model, the profit will go to shareholders, most likely with no connection to our community  or even our country.

Those in favour of the for-profit model argue they can sell more lattes and doughnuts. But that doesnt make sense. The WAAs focus on generating revenue is no different than a for-profit share capital company. Whether its adding food and beverage offerings in the terminal building, bringing new carriers to our city, or leasing land to companies looking to locate in Manitoba, we strive to lead in transportation innovation and growth. The suggestion theres money being left on the table shows a complete lack of understanding about how we operate.

What is different between the two models is the motivation. The WAA uses these revenues in order to enhance the customer experience or lower the fees charged. For-profit, share capital management seeks to improve margins and pay dividends to their backers. So, if new owners cant satisfy shareholders by selling more doughnuts, what can they do?

The options a for-profit owner has to increase their margins are simple. One is to increase the various fees and charges. The other option is to reduce costs by cutting services or deferring infrastructure investments.

Theres no doubt a for-profit corporation could save some money in the short term by cutting services or maintenance at the airport. But we strongly believe your airport is the front door to our community. We welcome people to our city and province every day, many for the first time. Whether here for a convention, a vacation or, as we witnessed with the first Syrian refugees being welcomed on the hug rug, arrival to ones new home, your airport is the introduction to our province.

Rather than talk about selling off community assets, we need to focus on making the travel experience better and allowing more people to share in that experience. Canada is among the most expensive countries in the world to fly in, in large part because of the regulatory environment. For example, Canadas major airports have paid $5 billion in rent to the federal government  the WAA alone has shipped more than $88 million to Ottawa since 1997 (considerably more than the airports value at time of transfer).

Other ideas are being floated, as well. Many make a lot of sense. Permitting you to purchase duty-free goods on arrival and setting standards for passenger-screening wait times for CATSA services (the governments screening agency) will surely improve the customer experience. The commitment to better protection through a passenger bill of rights will also increase confidence in the services to be delivered each time you travel.

As a country, we need to focus on enhancing the passenger experience and making air travel more affordable, rather than driving up costs by selling off community airports for the federal governments one-time gain.

This is an exciting time for the WAA and your airport. We will continue to make decisions that are in the best interest of our community, and continue to invest in your airport. We have accomplished so much in the past 20 years. I am confident we are merely at the start of the runway.

Together, we are set for takeoff.

Thomas Payne Jr. is chairman of the board of directors of the Winnipeg Airports Authority and president of Payne Transportation Ltd.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/12/2016 (2150 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In commenting on post-secondary education (Education Minister wants to shake up post-secondary funding, Dec. 7), Education Minister Ian Wishart said the province needs to balance universities and colleges revenue needs with accessibility.

There is an important distinction, though, between affordability, which is about the price of education (tuition, books and living costs), and accessibility, which is about enabling students to attend who may not otherwise have the opportunity.

The University of Winnipeg is aligned with the Manitoba governments objective of providing high-quality post-secondary education with a strong emphasis on accessibility, especially for non-traditional students  including adult learners, war-affected youth, First Nations, Metis and Inuit students and new immigrants. Our mission is all about growing leaders.

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The University of Winnipeg aims to help revitalize the inner city.

We are one of the top universities in the country for indigenous participation, with 12 per cent of our incoming student body consisting of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit students. A further 25 per cent of students self-identify as visible minorities. We consider this diversity our biggest strength.

UWinnipeg has a unique place in Manitobas post-secondary landscape. We are a dynamic downtown hub and a significant player in helping to revitalize the inner city. Our faculty and students are engaged in real-world research to help address our most pressing problems  from adapting to climate change on the prairies, to tackling urban homelessness, to preventing diabetes among inner-city youth.

We have a deep commitment to the surrounding community. We work directly with children, youth, families and inner-city schools with one goal: to create a love of learning and a university-bound identity for everyone. We offer neighbourhood homework clubs, math camps, science classes, free computer access, a powwow group and recreation programs, all of which are paid for through partnerships with the private sector and assertive fundraising. This annual investment gives back tenfold. It tells each individual  the child from Syria, the adult learner from Norway House  that they belong. Their dreams matter.

Historically, UWinnipeg has had to rely more on tuition from students relative to the amount we receive from the province. This ongoing funding gap is well known and understood by the provincial government and there are clear, objective data and analysis on this front. We feel the new provincial government is listening, and we are encouraged that access to education for everyone is a shared value. We will continue to work to correct the funding imbalance.

On providing value for citizens, UWinnipeg is one of the most efficient universities in the country. UWinnipeg provides more than a quarter-billion dollars in direct and indirect economic impact to the economy on an annual basis. More than 80 per cent of people who graduate from a university in Manitoba stay here. University graduates fuel the economy: they make up about 25 per cent of the population, yet they contribute more than 40 per cent of the tax base in Manitoba and Canada. Our graduates are teachers, entrepreneurs, biologists, artists, innovators. They take on leadership roles in every aspect of community life.

The University of Winnipeg is an important contributor to Manitobas future precisely because we nurture the widest possible pool of talented students.

Annette Trimbee is president and vice-chancellor of the University of Winnipeg.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/12/2016 (2150 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Maybe its just happenstance a private MRI clinic is located about 10 kilometres south of the Manitoba border in North Dakota. Maybe its a coincidence all the grateful testimonials listed on the clinics website were submitted by Winnipeg patients.

Or maybe, just maybe, the clinic is specifically situated to serve Manitobans.

Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen recently raised the possibility of allowing private MRI clinics to operate in Manitoba.

ED CRISOSTOMO / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER FILES People in Saskatchewan can get private MRIs without leaving the province.

We want to do the analysis, said Minister Goertzen. We want to see if it works in the Manitoba context  what would work in Manitoba?

The Opposition immediately made it clear it isnt interested in looking at anything of the kind.

Clearly the Conservatives are willing to consider a two-tier, American-style health-care system and bring that here to Manitoba, said NDP health critic Matt Wiebe.

Happily, we dont have to rely on speculation from politicians to imagine what such a system might look like, because Saskatchewan is already trying it.

Saskatchewan allows private MRI clinics, but theres a catch: for every private MRI performed, the clinic must perform a free MRI for a patient on the public wait list.

Saskatchewanians can get private MRIs without leaving the province; other Saskatchewanians are getting MRIs at no cost to themselves or the taxpayer.

As a side benefit, these private MRI clinics are creating jobs and paying taxes in Saskatchewan.

It will be interesting to see how Saskatchewans experiment turns out over time, but it seems Manitoba would do well to consider its neighbours health care policies generally.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information tracks wait times on several procedures. While it doesnt track MRIs, the CIHI does provide some clear comparisons.

First, the good news for Manitoba: it provides hip-fracture repairs within standard time frames 92 per cent of the time, while Saskatchewan hits the mark 80 per cent of the time.

The two provinces are tied on radiation therapies, which are virtually always provided quickly.

On other procedures, Manitoba lags behind Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan performs 100 per cent of its hip replacements on time, while Manitoba meets that standard only 69 per cent of the time.

Saskatchewan performs 99 per cent of its knee replacements on time; Manitoba is at 64 per cent. Saskatchewan performs 96 per cent of its cataract surgeries on time; Manitoba is at 41 per cent.

Heres the kicker: Saskatchewan is spending less than Manitoba on health care. The CIHI reports that Saskatchewan spends $6,686 per person on health care while Manitoba spends $6,927 per person.

Clearly, this is some of the evidence Goertzen will be looking at. Manitoba is running a deficit of nearly $1 billion, so its simply not going to work to fix every health care problem with money.

Yet, we rightly strive to provide better and faster care for those who need it.

Its Goertzens responsibility to provide the best possible care with every dollar in the health budget, so, of course, he needs to consider innovations such as private MRI clinics.

But we need to be clear-eyed about those considerations, because the reality is that private MRIs are already available to any Manitoban willing make a short drive south of the border.

Heres an important question for those who oppose private MRIs: why entrench the status quo?

Manitobans will continue to leave the province for private MRIs; private clinics in North Dakota wont be required to provide free services for Manitobas public system and, the jobs and taxes generated by these clinics stay in the U.S.

Given the costs of opportunities lost, its worth at least looking at a new idea.

Todd MacKay is the prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/12/2016 (2150 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Its looking increasingly unlikely Bells $3.9-billion acquisition of MTS is going to close before the new year.

Whether that means regulators are discovering deal-breakers or how powerful those obstacles may be cannot be known at this point.

Its safe to say is this deal, originally announced at the beginning of May, is taking longer than most to clear the Competition Bureau.

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES MTS headquarters on Pioneer Avenue and Main Street in downtown Winnipeg.

Between 2009 and 2012 the average length of time to conclude reviews of so-called complex mergers was between 30 and 45 days.

The Bell-MTS deal is going on more than six months since it was announced.

Ben Klass, a PhD student at Carleton University, contributes to a research project that keeps tabs on and collects data and analysis on the state of media concentration and ownership in Canada. He has studied the activities of the Competition Bureau and says it is able to conclude 90 per cent of its files within the average time frame.

Like everyone else, including officials at Bell and MTS, he is not privy to the deliberations of the Competition Bureau, which are done in confidence.

But what I am willing to say with confidence is that it (the Bell-MTS deal) is among the 10 per cent of complex mergers that falls outside the time frame, Klass said.

He is of the opinion that the deal would hurt competition in Manitoba where, he contends, the existence of four competing wireless service providers has kept fees lower than elsewhere in the country.

At a public event in Winnipeg in the summer, Bell CEO George Cope made the case MTS rates were on average with the rest of the country.

There are so many hybrid cellphone plans it is difficult to make a direct comparison.

For the record, as well as on background, MTS officials are not concerned about the pace of the regulatory review. Their official pronouncements on the regulatory process since the beginning was that the deal was expected to close by the end of this year or during the first quarter of 2017.

The timeline is consistent with what we stated when the deal was announced in May  closing would be at the end of this year or in early 2017. We continue to work co-operatively with Bell and the regulators to secure the necessary approvals, said Paul Beauregard, MTSs chief corporate and strategy officer and corporate secretary.

The Competition Bureau is required to conduct its investigations confidentially, so the timing of its conclusions are never known in advance.

That being said, Sophie Paluck-Bastien, a spokeswoman for the Competition Bureau said, In this case, it is on the public record that the Bureau filed applications with the Federal Court seeking orders requiring Rogers and Telus to provide information related to the bureaus review.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES

Since Rogers and Telus account for approximately 50 per cent of the Manitoba wireless market, it makes sense their experience in the market would be germane to the Competition Bureaus investigation of the competitive market here.

That court action may be slowing the process down, but it is not unusual.

We had fully expected that the Competition Bureau would be diligent in its review, which would include in the normal course requesting and reviewing information from a range of stakeholders in Manitoba, Beauregard said.

Both parties to the transaction anticipated the impact the deal may or may not have on the competitive landscape, which is why a sub-deal was announced at the outset whereby one-third of MTSs wireless customers would be sold to Telus after the deal was completed along with one third of MTS dealer locations.

It is likely some kind of reallocation of wireless spectrum holdings will also need to take place. Industry Science and Economic Development Canada conducts the auction and sets the rules for spectrum licences and includes caps on how much spectrum companies can hold in certain markets. A Bell-MTS merger would put it over the limit in some frequencies.

Greg McDonald, an analyst with Macquarie Securities, said he believes the process is taking longer than expected and that the Competition Bureau does have concerns that competition will be impaired going from four to three players in the wireless market.

My base case is that further remedies will be required spectrum sales and potentially further subscriber sales, he said. Given spectrum concentration restrictions, Shaw is likely the only buyer.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
A Winona man has been charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of another man last month in the city.

Lucas Ryan Schultz, 20, has been charged with a single count of second-degree manslaughter in the death of Riley Holden Sass-Loken, who died at a La Crosse hospital three days after the incident.

According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Winona County District Court, Winona police responded at 10:38 p.m. Nov. 11 to a reported shooting at a residence on the 300 block of East Third Street. Officers found Sass-Loken in the apartment, bleeding from an apparent gunshot wound to the face.

According to witnesses, a group of young men had been hanging out and drinking at the apartment earlier in the evening. At one point, Schultz went into his bedroom and returned with a silver-and-gray .22-caliber pistol, according to the criminal complaint. Schultz showed the handgun to the other men, who passed it around before Schultz returned it to the bedroom.

Later in the evening, Schultz, Sass-Loken and others were in the kitchen, when Schultz went back into the bedroom and returned with the pistol. A witness told police that Schultz was joking around and pointed the gun at (Sass-Lokens) face, the criminal complaint said. The witness said Schultz then pulled the trigger, the gun fired, and (Sass-Loken) was struck in the face.

Sass-Loken was taken to Winona Health, then transferred to Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, where he died three days later.

Police found Schultz outside the apartment immediately after the shooting, court documents state. He admitted shooting Sass-Loken, told officers where to find the gun, and said he was sorry.

A preliminary blood-alcohol test showed Schultz to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.172 percent. A blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent is considered to be legally drunk.

Police located a silver-and-gray .22-caliber semi-automatic handgun with a live round in the chamber inside the residence, according to the criminal complaint. The magazine had been removed and was found next to the pistol.

Schultz is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Dec. 29. He is not in custody.
Heres the fact: Reindeer cant fly.

And before you helicoptering mommies and daddies get your overprotective undies in a bunch, any kid precocious enough to be reading the newspaper is precocious enough to apprehend that simple fact without undue emotional distress  and ought not be believing in Santa in the first place.

Its not good for people to believe in things that just arent so. Its even worse when entire countries are tempted to fall into the habit.

In spite of that, the incoming administration seems to have adopted an old Sinatra ballad as the new national anthem. I think youve heard it ... Fairy tales can come true. It can happen to you ...

Welcome to our new fantasy-based reality where facts are always optional and as long as your pumpkin patch is sufficiently sincere, what you believe is what you get.

Which I believe is going to get us into deep, deep do-do. Just remember, what those folks believed, they really, really believed, but it was too late for Heavens Gate when they learned there was no space ship waiting for them behind comet Hale-Bopp.

Over the years, the more rational among us have learned that facts have a nasty habit of asserting themselves whether we want them to or not.

Take gravity, for example  as George Carlin summed it up, not just a good idea, but the law... And for generations of clever, wing-wearing boys who climbed atop the barn roof  when they fought the law, the law won.

It happens all the time. Some folks learn from it. Some folks dont. The brighter bulbs learn early on to consider the source before betting life and fortune on the latest oddball notion to come their way.

And what may have been best source yesterday may not hold that status tomorrow. When Bishop James Ussher sat down to figure out how old the earth was, the best source he had was an oft-translated collection of Bronze Age manuscripts. Its not to disparage Holy Scripture to observe that the state of paleontology in the 16th century wasnt quite what it is today, and had the good bishop contemporary information available to him, he may well have concluded that the earth predated Oct. 23, 4004 B.C.

Or maybe not.

They just opened the replica Noahs ark in Williamstown, Ky. Where they came up with all the gopherwood is anybodys guess  neither Menards or Home Depot stock it. Anyway, those folks insist that the Flintstone lifestyle is historically accurate, right down to the bronto burgers and house breaking Dino. And folks believe it  believe it to the tune of $40 a pop.

Id remind folks that we live in a time when men have visited the moon ... but somebody would just point out that was all done in a Hollywood studio and all the tens of thousands of Project Apollo employees and contractors have kept mum about it for the past 50 years.

Besides, we all know the moon consists of green cheese  an over-ripe Camembert to be precise.

Believe the one, you may as well go for the other.

And you wont believe it if I tell you Al Qaeda was behind 9/11  not the CIA.

Or that the only thing in Area 51 are a bunch of tourist traps for gullible suckers.

Or that vaccines prevent disease, not cause it.

Or the Masons dont really rule the world.

That there are no witches.

Really.

Thats what the facts say. But who listens to facts anymore?

Meanwhile, pay no attention to that man behind the curtain ...
The Winona Area Public Schools board may well have agreed upon a master facilities plan by the time its regular meeting adjourns Thursday.

The board at a special work session Tuesday reviewed the facility options under consideration and the timeline needed for implementation.

I think were very close, board chair Ben Baratto said. I think the board will make a decision.

Before the board are two recommendations: to renovate and expand Goodview and Jefferson elementary schools, or to renovate and expand Goodview, Jefferson and Washington-Kosciusko.

Madison and Rollingstone elementary schools would be closed under either recommendations.

Paul Aplikowski, Wold Architects and Engineers, presented the board with the two comprehensive facility plans incorporating the two recommendations endorsed by the districts facility task force last week.

Aplikowski explained that the plans also included recommendations for renovations to the high school, gym space for students attending the Winona Area Learning Center, and deferred maintenance for the high school, middle school, learning center and Central buildings.

The renovation recommendations for the high school include expanding and renovating the girls locker room to make the facility equitable with the boys, as required by Title IX. Superintendent Stephen West pointed out that this was a necessary change to meet the requirements of federal law, and that the district has been out of compliance for a number of years.

The plan also calls for renovations to modernize the technical education wing and in classroom areas to create flexible learning environments to facilitate cooperative and collaborative teaching and learning.

Also in the plan is an additional high-school gym to meet curricular, co-curricular and community needs.

The proposals and estimated costs for new and renovated facilities for the high school and ALC, and the deferred maintenance costs for all buildings, remained the same in both proposals presented.

However, there were significant differences in the capital cost and operational cost savings between the plan calling for keeping Jefferson, Goodview and W-K open and the plan that would close all elementary buildings but Jefferson and Goodview.

The estimated capital cost of the three-school option is $94.1 million, and it would produce estimated annual savings of $893,000.

The option calling for renovating and expanding Jefferson and Goodview only is pegged to cost $89.9 million and return operational savings of $1.27 million annually.

Aplikowski quietly nudged the board in the direction of deciding on one option as soon as possible. He told the board that if a referendum is to be put before district voters in May, the board has about a two-month window to refine and finalize the master plan.

It would have to vote to approve a referendum amount and ballot question by Feb. 16 in order to schedule and provide public notice for the meetings and public hearings required by law.

I hope we will make a decision, board member Steve Schild said. Its time to fish or cut bait.

I believe the community will support us, West said, if we go out and explain what we need.
As low as my expectations might be for the Donald Trump presidency, he finds new ways to drop the bar even lower.

Take his cabinet nominees. Please.

They aren't all bad. Retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, the president-elect's choice for secretary of defense, comes well-recommended by old guard defense experts like Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) and turns out to be nowhere near as nutty as his nickname implies.

And it's hard to dislike the bipartisan appeal of Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.), although Trump's choice to name her U.N. ambassador is a puzzlement. She has little experience in foreign relations but she opposes President Obama's Iran nuclear deal, so maybe that's good enough for Trump.

But some of Trump's other choices illustrate how dramatically an election can swing our government's executive branch into a Bizarro World version of its former self  like the fictional planet in DC comics where everything is the reverse of life on Earth.

This is particularly true when government appointees don't seem to care very much for government.

For secretary of labor, Trump wants Andrew Puzder, a fast-food executive with a negative attitude toward additional overtime pay for workers and raising the minimum wage.

To head the Environmental Protection Agency, Trump proposes Scott Pruitt, Oklahoma's attorney general, a climate-change skeptic, who is currently engaged in the latest in a series of lawsuits he's filed against the agency Trump would now like him to head.

And I can't leave out Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL). A tough critic of the Voting Rights Act, Trump has tapped him to be attorney general, a move that, aided by a Republican Congress, puts him in an excellent position to launch a Reconstruction-style collapse of civil rights enforcement with the enthusiasm of a fox guarding a henhouse.

Still, the prizewinner for puzzling choices may well be Trump's naming of Dr. Ben Carson, his former rival for the Grand Old Party's presidential nomination, to be secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Sure, Ben Carson is a nice guy with a great ghetto-to-Gold-Coast, pull-up-your-bootstraps narrative. The retired neurosurgeon has been the subject of best-selling books and a made-for-TV movie, "Gifted Hands," starring Cuba Gooding Jr. as Dr. Ben.

But what does he know about housing and urban development policy? Well, he owns a house and grew up in Detroit. Fine. But driving a car does not make you an auto mechanic.

HUD doesn't need a brain surgeon. It needs people with good brains for housing and urban development. Carson's views on fighting poverty, expressed in his speeches and writings, leans heavily on quaint, old-fashioned, self-help values. Poverty, he once told a television interview in a much-replayed clip, "is really more of a choice than anything else."

That might be true for those of us who were born poor but fortunate enough to have resources at hand, such as a fully functional family and good schools. But what do you do for those who were not born so lucky?

Trump's urban "disaster" views sound frozen in the riot years of the '60s. Poverty fighters in both parties whom I have covered in recent decades have learned a lot of valuable lessons about what works and what doesn't in urban policy.

Sometimes the lessons have come with unintended consequences. For example, the demolition of Chicago's public housing high-rises restored peace to some violently troubled real estate. But it led to a dispersal of street gangs into some of the city's poorest neighborhoods  and one of the highest gun violence rates in the nation.

But there's enough good news in public-private partnerships, housing vouchers and other innovations to make many "inner-city" neighborhoods into oases of gentrification. To help those who have been left behind by these signs of urban hope, our nation needs wise leadership that doesn't require on-the-job training.
Braithwaite wrote several fiction and nonfiction books, often focusing on racism and class and the contrast between first world and colonial cultures.

By AP: Guyanese author, educator and diplomat E.R. Braithwaite, whose years teaching in the slums of London's East End inspired the international best-seller "To Sir, With Love" and the popular Sidney Poitier movie of the same name, has died at the age of 104.

Braithwaite's companion, Ginette Ast, told The Associated Press that he became ill on Monday and died at the Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Maryland.

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Schooled in Guyana, the U.S. and Britain, Braithwaite wrote several fiction and nonfiction books, often focusing on racism and class and the contrast between first world and colonial cultures. He was regarded as an early and overlooked chronicler of Britain from a non-white's perspective, his admirers including authors Hanif Kureishi and Caryl Phillips.

BRAITHWAITE GUYANA'S FIRST REPRESENTATIVE AT UN

He also served in the 1960s as the newly-independent Guyana's first representative at the United Nations and later was ambassador to Venezuela. Upon his 100th birthday, he received an honorary medal from his native country for lifetime achievement.

Guyana President David Granger on Tuesday remembered Braithwaite as "an eminent Guyanese and distinguished diplomat."

"To Sir, With Love", his first and most famous book, was published in 1959. The autobiographical tale about how a West Indian of patrician manner scolded, encouraged and befriended a rowdy, mostly-white class of East End teens, who in turn softened him, was an immediate success and a natural motivation for the film. Poitier played Braithwaite (renamed Thackeray) in the 1967 release and the pop star Lulu was featured as one of the students. The title song, performed on screen and on record by Lulu, became a No. 1 hit.

Audiences loved the movie, but critics found it too sentimental. Braithwaite agreed with that view. He criticised director-screenwriter James Clavell for downplaying the author's interracial romance with a fellow teacher and said Poitier's performance was too light-hearted.

"The movie made it look like fun and games," he later observed.

One former student, Alfred Gardner, would allege that Braithwaite himself sanitised his life. In the self-published memoir "An East End Story," Gardner described Braithwaite as a cold and rigid man who "struck fear into us by favouring corporal punishment."

BRAITHWAITE BORN IN 1912

Edward Ricardo Braithwaite was born into what was then British Guiana in 1912, the son of Oxford graduates who grew up in relatively affluent surroundings and by the late 1930s was attending graduate school at the Cambridge University. A pilot in Britain's Royal Air Force during World War II, he graduated from Cambridge in 1949 with a degree in Physics and confidence that he was well suited for his chosen field.

But, like so many black veterans, he discovered that his background meant nothing in the civilian world. He was repeatedly turned down for jobs and housing, a deeply disillusioning experience.

"The majority of Britons at home have very little appreciation of what that intangible yet amazingly real and invaluable export - the British Way of Life - means to colonial people," he wrote in "To Sir, With Love."

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"Yes, it is wonderful to be British. Until one comes to Britain."

BRAITHWAITE WORKED AS TEACHER AT SECONDARY SCHOOL

Braithwaite was finally hired as a teacher at a secondary school in a bombed-out East End neighborhood, "hating it at first, treating it as a temporary exercise in survival until something better came along."

He taught for nine years, long enough to be addressed as "Sir" by his students. While employed at the London welfare department, helping minority children find homes, he began thinking about his classroom experiences. A London couple which had taken him in as a surrogate son urged him to write a book. Reluctant at first, he quickly completed a manuscript, writing on a collapsible bridge table under an apple tree. For the title, he remembered a package of monogrammed cigarettes his students had given him.

"On the wrapping of the box, they had stuck a piece of paper and written on it, 'To Sir, With Love,'" he later wrote.

His other books included the novel "Paid Servant," based on his time as a social worker, and "Honorary White," a report of his visit to South Africa in the 1970s. The autobiographical "Reluctant Neighbors," with a structure similar to Amiri Baraka's explosive play "Dutchman," recounts an increasingly contentious train conversation between Braithwaite and a well-meaning, but patronising white American businessman who cannot fathom Braithwaite's despair and anger.

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TRAVELED WIDELY

At various times, Braithwaite lived in Guyana, London, Paris, New York and Washington. He taught at several schools, including New York University and Howard University, was a consultant for UNESCO and lectured in Europe in 2013 on behalf of the U.S. State Department. Meanwhile, "To Sir, With Love" lived on. In 1996, Poitier reprised his famous role in "To Sir, With Love II," a television movie. A stage production of the original story toured in 2013.

"I don't know if I changed any lives or not, but something did happen between them and me, which was quite gratifying," Braithwaite said of his former students during a 2013 interview with the online publication Coffee-Table Notes, adding that he believed the book still resonated.

"It appeals to a lot of people. They each find what they're looking for. Each person is looking for something he or she could use in their daily life."

--- ENDS ---

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Beaver Dam attorney Randall E. Doyle has announced his candidacy for Dodge County Judge, Circuit Court Branch 2.

Doyle is known for his radio show Law & Doyle on WXRO 95.3 FM in Dodge County.

Doyle has been practicing in the Beaver Dam and the Dodge County area for more than 14 years. Prior to that he worked in the Waukesha County District Attorneys Office. He graduated from the University of Memphis with honors prior to attending Marquette University Law School.

Doyle has been married to his wife Elizabeth (Libby) for nearly 19 years. He has four children: Carson-24, finished an internship this year with the American Security Project in Washington, D.C., an independent think-tank focusing on foreign threats to American security where he remained on staff after being offered a fellowship. His other children; Abigail-14, Owen-12, and Maggie-10, are in the Beaver Dam public school system.

Doyle said his experience is what sets him apart from other candidates.

During the 14-plus years I have been in Dodge County, I have litigated over 1,600 cases in the courtroom. If you include the cases that are not included in public records or have not been litigated in court I have handled approximately 2,000 cases, or more, in Dodge County and the surrounding areas, he said.

I have experience as a prosecutor, serving the people of Wisconsin, handling divorces, civil litigation in all areas of practice, business law, landlord-tenant disputes, custody and placement disputes and have served as a court commissioner. This widespread blend of experiences over the entire spectrum of the legal system at the circuit court level gives me a unique perspective that I feel leaves me especially qualified to represent the people of Dodge County as circuit court judge.

Doyle sees challenges faced by the community as a reason he is prepared to handle the duties of a circuit court judge.

Here in Dodge County, as with most of the country, there is an alcohol and narcotic epidemic, he said. I have been in the trenches, so to speak, over the entirety of my time in Dodge County, working with those who have faced addiction. I have helped them identify the right programs for their needs and have seen them return to live a clean and productive life, free from drugs or alcohol. These success stories are amazing to witness and make me proud to be an attorney. I intend to carry this to experience and attitude to the bench.

Doyle has been a member of the Wisconsin State Bar and Dodge County Bar Association since his arrival in Beaver Dam in 2002. He is also admitted to practice in the eastern and western districts of Wisconsin and has appeared in numerous federal cases.

He has been involved with Habitat for Humanity of Dodge County, the ABC Project focusing on better preparing young children for entering the school system and was named People Against a Violent Environment 2015 person of the year for the many hours he has donated to help the organization and its clients with domestic violence-related issues. He also donates time annually to the Dodge County Department of Aging, doing consultations with elderly citizens who cannot afford an attorney.

Doyle is also a member of Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Beaver Dam. His wife, Libby, is a member of Saint Katherine Drexel Parish.

For more information visit www.DoyleForJudge.com or call 920-219-9794.
JUNEAUAn 18-year-old Black Creek man pleaded guilty Monday to burglarizing Christian Life Fellowship Church, 113 N. Clark St., Mayville.

Tristan John Vandeneng was found guilty of one count of felony burglary from a building or dwelling. Two misdemeanor charges of theft of movable property valued at less than $2,500 and criminal damage to property were dismissed but were read into the court record.

Vandeneng entered his plea before Judge Martin DeVries. DeVries ordered that a pre-sentence investigation be conducted. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for April 10.

According to the criminal complaint, on Nov. 8 at 7:40 a.m. officers were dispatched to Christian Life Fellowship Church for a report of a burglary. The pastor told officers that he discovered the burglary that morning when he arrived to prepare for the Sunday service.

The pastors office had been ransacked and a metal money box was opened and emptied. A large metal safe weighing more than 100 pounds was also missing along with computer monitors, a 47-inch flat screen television and a music sound board.

On Nov. 11, officers were contacted by the Outagamie County Sheriffs Office regarding the case. They had discovered a safe matching the description of the one stolen in Vandenengs apartment in Black Creek. The other items stolen from the church were found in plain view in the apartment. In an interview Vandeneng admitted to breaking into the church and stealing the items.
HORICON  John Deere Horicon Works recently completed its first major expansion in 30 years.

According to factory manager Steve Johnson, the facility expansion off Highway E in Horicon was mostly completed and ready for production Oct. 3. Johnson said they are still doing clean-up in the facility and expect everything to be completed by Christmas.

The new 388,000-square-foot facility creates 80 additional jobs for the area.

This expansion was a $46 million investment by the company. Johnson said. What is made at this expansion is our utility vehicle product, our Gator product. It has been a growing market for us.

Johnson explained that previously Gators were shipped out of the Horicon facility where they would go to another factory to have the finishing touches applied based on the customers preferences.

This new facility allows us to consolidate our production, Johnson. This facility allows us to do warehousing of incoming parts, assembly and shipping. It really allows us to be self sufficient and self contained.

Johnson said, We had great support from the city of Horicon. The mayor and city officials worked with us really well.

Highway E, where the new expansion is located, was upgraded last year. Johnson said the city helped John Deere get a turn lane for entering the facility.

They worked with us on upgrades to the water pipes and stuff coming to the facility for our fire suppression system. They worked on a TIF district for us to get some tax incentives. They have been really, really supportive. It was a very positive experience.

Johnson praised the workforce at John Deere Horicon Works.

We feel pretty blessed that the company has that kind of confidence in our workforce here, in our area here, in the city of Horicon, to make that investment, Johnson said. It has been a huge positive for our employees. Our employees have made significant improvements in our business in the last five years in safety, quality and efficiency.

Johnson said that improved financial results at the factory were recognized by Deere and Company through the expansion.

We have a phenomenal workforce here. When other employees come from other parts of Deere, the one thing they always comment about is how knowledgeable and how hardworking our employees are.

A ribbon cutting for the new facility was held Dec. 2 with about 100 guests and visitors in attendance. An open house was held Dec. 10 for Deere employees and their families. Johnson said that between 3,500 and 4,000 people showed up.

It was great to see that type of support for this business from the community, he said. We are very appreciative of the community support.
Music is often in the background of our lives.

We turn on the radio or use our form of incoming tunes and we half listen as we go about our day. Classical music may not be everyones cup of tea, but we hear it whether we choose it or not.

For example The William Tell Overture. It is known to anyone who ever watched the Lone Ranger. Of course, we thought it was called the Lone Ranger Theme Song until someone told us otherwise.

Classical music has often been the backdrop in cartoons, commercials and in movie scores. Our lack of curiosity keeps us from actually discovering the origins of the music, so we forevermore associate it with dancing elephants or a brand of car zooming down the road.

Recently, while opening email and writing grocery lists, a very familiar piece was playing. I knew it was familiar, but couldnt name the composer at that moment. Not everyone recognizes the New World Symphony (Symphony No. 9), and fewer know it was written by Antonin Dvorak. I didnt know that he lived in Iowa, a state he loved and that he really enjoyed his time in this new world called America.

Some of the emails I was reading at the time were spam, the pass-along things that are full of vitriol and lies. Usually they go right to junk or spam. Some come from people whose emails dont always get directly deposited into trash. The ones I opened that day happen to be the ugly ones about how everyone hates America and Obama and taxes and the usual array of complaints and prejudices.

I spoke aloud as I voiced my disgust. I ranted about all that had passed through emails and Facebook lately and swore that I should have thrown out my computer, television and radio this past year and I said it emphatically. (When I voice dissent in the privacy of our own home I speak in dramatic hyperbole that gets my husbands attention, even when he knows I am just venting). I told Jack about the contents of what I was discarding and he calmly told me about Dvorak, since that was the background score to my tirade.

He assured me that if one Czech hated American, another loved it. One foreigner can bash a whole country and another can sing its praises. If one American spews these irrational and insulting slurs, another voices gratitude and kindness. This is true of the world at large; it is just that rarely do we receive loving memos about respect and admiration. But there is no shortage of disgruntlement.

The country was just a baby at the turn of the century, the 20th century that is. Dvorak was enamored with the music of Native Americans and African Americans at the time and wrote, These beautiful and varied themes are the product of the soil. They are the folk songs of America and your composers must turn to them.

As I listened to this profoundly beautiful piece of music I mused about a Czechoslovakian composer coming here to write. He was inspired by our own heritage. Not by the European immigrant heritage, rather by the Native American and African American peoples, who settled here by choice or by force. All are part of the America we know. They are the America who impressed one European, yet have often fallen victim to abuse, ridicule and more recently mean spirited emails and posts.

I kept my computer, TV and radio. I think I will listen to more music and less chatter. Maybe we need a few more symphonic offerings and some praise for this country and its resilient people, and a few less talking heads telling us it is going to hell in a handbag. They sure know how to dish out sour notes and that kind of discord hurts my ears.

As an educator and trainer in interpersonal and professional communications, Kay Stellpflug challenges companies, organizations, and individuals to stretch. She lives in, works in and loves Beaver Dam.
Charlie Sykes radio show ends next Monday. If hes sad about that, hes not letting on.

Is there something I want to say that in the past I would have censored myself? Sykes says. Screw it ... lets make sure you leave nothing on the field. Ive got to think about that.

Theres no grand scheme for the final broadcasts, no plans for a dramatic farewell. Sykes is tired, and theres plenty of work to do once WTMJs 50,000-watt signal ceases to carry his mid-morning show to listeners in much of eastern Wisconsin and some in Illinois.

Sykes has become one of the states most influential conservative voices over nearly a quarter-century, but in the last year his opposition to Republican president-elect Donald Trump has earned him an audience beyond Wisconsin. His combative interview with Trump during the states presidential primary propelled him into multi-year contracts with NBC and MSNBC and attracted national reporters who sought to capture the story of a prominent conservative who refused to support the Republican nominee.

A month before Trump was elected, Sykes announced his plans to leave WTMJ. He said the decision was made more than a year ago, for both personal and professional reasons. Sykes turned 62 this year and his father, Jay Sykes, died at 63. He wants to spend more time writing, traveling and with his family.

If he had any doubts about the move, the political climate of 2016 erased them.

* * *

Its Monday Dec. 5, and Sykes is having a conversation with an audience he cant see. Sleek Koss headphones frame his face as he punctuates his points with understated hand gestures. Wearing a striped shirt and khaki pants, he is surrounded by printed copies of articles and opinion pieces that he unstaples and stacks as he reads from them, sharing his thoughts. To his left, a steady stream of feedback shows up on a monitor displaying tweets and emails. To his right are show monitors and a mosaic of TV screens.

Its a quiet show for a Monday, with no political heavy-hitters as guests. The most spirited debate among callers comes in response to a discussion about millennials and participation trophies.

At one point, Sykes asks his audience whether any of them would like to argue the so-called #Pizzagate narrative  a conspiracy theory that posits Hillary Clinton is involved in a child sex trafficking ring  should be taken seriously.

Thank God, no, he says when asked whether hes gotten any calls to argue that point.

Most of the listeners who would make that argument have already abandoned the show, Sykes says.

Once it was determined I was an apostate  these are the people who said, Im never listening to you again, because you might actually challenge my preconceived notions, and your job is not to do that, he says.

Sykes spends a lot of time these days reflecting on what his job is and, moreso, what his role was in creating and contributing to a political climate he now rails against. Once his radio show ends, he will immediately turn to writing a book titled How the Right Lost Its Mind, to be published next year by St. Martins Press.

* * *

At first, Sykes brushes off the question of how he became so influential in Wisconsin politics, arguing the results of the 2016 election would suggest he doesnt have that much influence after all.

But Sykes show has served as both a launching pad and megaphone for conservative causes and politicians including Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Ron Johnson and Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, a man whose ego and national presence has led Sykes to consider him his Frankenstein monster.

Liberals and conservatives agree on the scope of his influence, but disagree passionately about whether it has had a positive or negative effect on the state.

State Rep. John Jagler, R-Watertown, who first met Sykes about 20 years ago, said hes always seen him as a sort of conscience for Wisconsin conservatives.

Talk radio will continue to play a significant role in Wisconsin, but it wont be the same without Charlie Sykes, said Republican consultant Deb Jordahl. He is the only talk radio host with a significant and diverse multi-media presence.

Sykes says he didnt have a specific goal in mind when he started his show. He was a print guy moving to radio and he just wanted to survive.

I wanted to be able to talk about things I was interested in and enjoy myself, Sykes says. Things got more serious later on. But I didnt set off with any sort of agenda to transform the world.

Sykes grew up as a Democrat, raised in a liberal household. His father was a journalist, Democratic operative and professor.

Jay Sykes was a curmudgeon and a gadfly, at times impish, at times irascible, wrote a group of his colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in a faculty resolution honoring him after his death in 1985. When he insisted that the beat of his drummer was correct and the rest of us were out of step, he was often right.

The younger Sykes worked as a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal in the late 1970s and early 1980s, then as an editor for Milwaukee Magazine. Bill Lueders, longtime news editor for Madisons Isthmus and now associate editor of The Progressive, wrote some pieces for Milwaukee Magazine during Sykes tenure there. He credits a letter of recommendation from Sykes for helping him land the Isthmus job in 1986.

After leaving print journalism, Sykes served a brief stint as an aide to controversial Milwaukee County Executive Dave Schulz. Soon after, he made his foray into Milwaukee talk radio, occasionally sitting in for Kathleen Dunn on WTMJ and frequently appearing as a guest on WISN host Mark Bellings show.

When the Federal Communications Commission revoked its Fairness Doctrine in 1987, stations pursued the profitable conservative talk model pioneered by Rush Limbaugh and packed the airwaves with hosts like Belling and Sykes.

In 1992, Sykes was given his own show on WISN. The next year, he took over Dunns time slot on WTMJ.

Sykes compares his transition from liberalism to conservatism to his more recent experience rejecting the politics of Donald Trump.

There is a sense of liberation that I feel, like Im not on a team. Theres no team, Sykes says. Im not in the tribe, so I will tell you what I think about any given issue. So to that extent, Im willing to be open-minded about these issues.

* * *

Sykes critics dispute that his rejection of Trump has opened his mind, arguing his period of self-reflection is too little, too late.

Do you think that because you got your act together, or supposedly got your act together in the eleventh hour, that youre about to change the direction of all of the years of venom that youve spewed about people? Really? That makes no logical sense, says Sheila Cochran, chief operating officer of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council. If you couldnt hear the voices of people screaming and saying things or you couldnt even allow them to be heard on that radio station, seriously  you carved out all of the voices that you didnt want to hear.

Cochran says it was well known in Milwaukee that callers with opposing views frequently didnt make it on the air during Sykes show.

Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, says Sykes has degraded our public discourse by denying opposing viewpoints an opportunity to respond to his attacks.

Charlie Sykes has attacked my organization and me personally for 10 years and has explicitly refused repeated requests to have us on the air to respond, Ross says. And he has stoked a climate in which fake news thrives by questioning the veracity and motives of the press on a daily basis.

Sykes doesnt disagree. He acknowledges he grew more militant after the tumultuous statewide battle over Walkers 2011 Act 10 legislation, which effectively eliminated collective bargaining for most public employees and pitted the left against the right in a way not seen before in Wisconsin. Sykes admits he stopped making room for more diverse voices on his show after that, and that contributed to this amazing divide.

On the other hand, I didnt make the divide, he quickly adds. Whats happened in Wisconsin, things are so incredibly polarized. So did I encourage the polarization? Did I ride the wave of the polarization? I dont know.

Sykes also acknowledges the tremendous role of talk radio in paving the way for fake news  the morass of propaganda, conspiracy theories and outright lies circulating rapidly on social media that, in the case of #Pizzagate, inspired a man to fire shots at a Washington D.C. pizza place he believed was hiding sexually abused children.

Sykes argues the rise of talk radio was, in large part, a response to conservatives feeling abandoned and underserved by traditional publications.

But that frustration led to years of attacks not just on particular stories, but individual reporters, editors and media organizations. The institution of journalism has been undercut and Sykes listeners simply dont trust what they cast as the media anymore.

I would have argued with you even two years ago that talk radio made people smarter and more savvy, more engaged consumers of news. I would have argued that, he says. And now its like, OK, but we contributed to this alternative reality silo where people have their own facts and a lot of it is completely untrue.

This demonization has become so vicious and so dangerous. You criticize the media for bias and then you realize its totally delegitimized. So, I started the fire. Am I responsible for the prairie fire?

* * *

His detractors would answer that with a resounding yes.

Cochran says she occasionally listened to Sykes show, but stopped years ago when she decided there was no value in it.

I dont listen to hate. Ive tried to not listen to hate for many years, Cochran says. Theres a difference in understanding what the opposition to your opinion or views might be  these arent opposing views, this is misinformation.

Although Sykes is quick to draw distinctions between his show and others, like Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity, Cochran says she sees no difference among conservative hosts in Wisconsin or throughout the country.

They all sing from the same hymnal, she says. So I, quite frankly, cant sort Charlie Sykes out from the rest of them. As far as Im concerned hes just like the whole crew of journalists, or whatever were calling white supremacy radio these days.

The primary objection to the new Charlie Sykes is his contention that he wasnt fully aware of the racist elements of the right wing.

I just think part of the shock was to realize the conservative movement was not what I thought it was, and that many of our allies were not who I thought they were, Sykes says. So Im going through the process now of asking, OK, what did I miss? What did I not know? What did I know but decided to ignore? What did I get wrong?

Sykes says he got sucked in, over the years, to the idea that he should have no enemies on the right  opting not to call out things he now openly derides, like the myth that President Barack Obama is secretly a Kenyan-born Muslim.

How the hell did this happen to us? he asks. Was this a hijacking or was this a logical continuation of things we were doing?

Esquire columnist Charles Pierce wrote in August that for Sykes to be questioning who his allies were makes him either a charlatan or a fool, and my money's on the former. Sykes knew damn well who his allies were, Pierce wrote.

Cochran agrees, arguing Sykes could only turn a blind eye to something he was very aware of.

He has literally put the bully in bully pulpit, attacking poor people, minorities and even referring to the First Lady of the United States of America as Mooch, says OWNs Ross.

Sykes and his website, Right Wisconsin, have indeed referred to Michelle Obama as Mooch. That came after Rush Limbaugh dubbed her Mooch-elle while accusing her of uppity-ism, a term with racist implications.

Sykes also once famously played a clip from a 2011 video called Its Free, Swipe Yo EBT, by a woman named Chapter Jackson. The video featured a black woman named Kewanda surrounded by children (credited in the video as Kewandas babys by different daddys) boasting about buying liquor, candy and clothing with food stamps, chanting the refrain, All you have to do is fk, and nine months later youre getting the big bucks.

Does he regret that?

Yeah. Those two things  by the way, the Michelle thing, I think I probably did that once, he says. Its certainly without class, theres no question about it. You go back  that contributed absolutely nothing to the dialogue in any way whatsoever. The EBT thing, yeah, that would certainly be one.

But he also rejects the suggestion that those moments, or any others on his show, amounted to dog-whistle racism.

Thats not necessarily a defense, its just when someone says well, that video is racist, I actually saw it as something that had something to do with some of the things I had written about in (the 2012 book) A Nation of Moochers, he says. But I can see how  and the problem is, youre accused of dog-whistles for everything, so at a certain point its like, no, this is just your attempt to shut conservatives up.

Sykes argues liberals have launched meritless accusations of racism at conservatives for too long, so when Trump and the so-called alt-right rose to prominence, the criticism didnt stick.

I can only call it for what I see, Cochran says. Because you failed to recognize it in you or because you failed to acknowledge it, and now you want to, now that its sitting there and its actually had the scab ripped off it and its blatant  he has to live with that. I dont.

* * *

Much of what liberals abhor about Sykes is what has earned him plaudits from the right. Conservative talk radio has given Wisconsin Republicans an opportunity to present their message to voters, free of filters imposed by reporters or editorial boards. Long before Walker was a governor and a presidential contender, he was an up-and-coming state representative who frequently appeared on Sykes show.

Just as inextricable as the link between talk radio and the rise of Trumpism is its tie to Wisconsins Republican revolution  six years of near-uninterrupted GOP control of state government, along with the rise of prominent national figures like former Republican National Committee chairman and now Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Sykes microphone was crucial for Republican lawmakers during Act 10, Jagler says.

The Watertown Republican first met Sykes as a reporter and news host on WTMJ, where he hosted the slot before Sykes broadcast.

He can be intimidating, Jagler says. So the first few years, I was scared to death of him.

Their relationship grew closer when Jagler worked as communications director for then-Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald. He and Sykes had lengthy conversations several times a week to discuss Act 10, Jagler says. For Republican lawmakers driving to Madison from southeastern Wisconsin, the show offered the support for the controversial legislation they didnt receive at the Capitol.

More recent legislative moves, like the passage of a right-to-work bill and the partial repeal of the states prevailing wage laws, may not have happened without a push from Sykes show, Jagler says.

Lueders also notes Sykes defense of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, which Republicans targeted in the 2013-15 state budget. Lueders worked for WCIJ for four years.

He wrote a piece in strong support of the Center, against this attack that was brought by the Legislature, not by the governor  in fact, it was Gov. Walker who vetoed it from the bill after lots of people, including Sykes, got up in arms about it, Lueders says.

When Jagler won his first Assembly election in 2012, he received two congratulatory phone calls: one from Walker, the second from Sykes. Sykes followed up with a text message, warning him: Now youre fair game.

And it was a joke, but it wasnt a joke at all, Jagler says. He let me know that just because weve been friends, if I do something that he perceives as not good or not conservative  hes going to call me out on it. Im not protected. I always thought that was funny.

Jordahl credits Sykes long-term influence with an unparalleled ability to break down complex issues for his listeners and a knack for eliminating the ability for elected officials to hide behind political spin.

People who dont share Sykes views tend to perceive him as this terrible monster, Jagler says. But to those who know him, hes a warm guy.

Theres another side to him that I think he never really let out because of the nature of the show that he did, but he is an extremely loyal friend, Jagler says. Its hard to become his friend. Its hard to get down, to get him to that point, but once you are, hes a loyal friend.

Jordahl, whose home was searched as part of a John Doe investigation into Walker and his conservative allies, conveyed the same feelings.

Before the John Doe raid on our home  and the homes of others  became public, Charlie called to see if Id heard any rumors about a secret investigation. The pain and fear was so raw, I teared up, and all I could say was, Pray for me, Charlie, Jordahl says. Charlie didnt press me for more information. He promised to pray for me and told me he would always have my back. And he has.

Asked to describe Sykes in one word, Jordahl chooses generous.

Despite his incredibly busy schedule, Charlie has lent his time and talent to help dozens of charitable causes from the Honor Flight to helping orphans, and he always makes time for friends and associates seeking advice and guidance, she says.

* * *

Sykes email inbox is full of booking requests for national TV appearances. Between that and a two-month turnaround on his book, hell be plenty busy after his final show. Any plans he had for relaxation have been scrapped, at least for the short-term. But at least he wont be strapped to the mast the way he has been for the last few years, he says.

Hes looking forward to snow blowing his own driveway. Hes planning to get a second German Shepherd and he has hopes of logging 1,500 miles on his bike.

He would also like to spend some time visiting his grandchildren in France, although even then, he admits, it might be hard to stay away from Twitter, where he has over 37,000 followers and is an active participant.

His appearances on MSNBC have resulted in a strange phenomenon, where the majority of negative feedback he receives is now from conservatives who disapprove of his objections to Trump.

In a Nov. 16 email sent to a long list of politicians and media outlets, Republican activist and Wisconsin Conservative Digest publisher Bob Dohnal referred to Sykes and other Never Trump conservatives as Judas goats and Benedict Arnolds.

Let them swing slowly, slowly in the wind, Dohnal wrote. Do not be scared of these clowns, call them, kick them in the knees or other places. They cannot use their radio shows to persecute, you the FCC and their owners do not like that and they do not like lawsuits. These clowns should not set the agenda for the Conservatives.

In many ways, Sykes feels excommunicated from a tribe that valued party over country, he says.

I really enjoy going on MSNBC, he says. You cant criticize the media for ignoring conservatives and then attack conservatives for going on the media. Ive enjoyed that a lot, to actually talk with intelligent people who I know I fundamentally disagree with.

Lueders says he enjoys watching Sykes on MSNBC.

Hes always articulate and thoughtful, Lueders says. I think he makes conservatives look good and I think he makes Wisconsin look good. Whats not to like?

For Sykes critics, the answer is plenty.

Cochran argues Sykes stand against Trump is less principled than it is opportunistic. She says she expects him to use his newfound national attention as a stepping stone to something bigger.

For those of us that have lived through this insanity before, and have lived with it all of our lives, I can honestly say that as a black woman, especially one (working) in labor, what the country is about to go through, Ive been going through all my life, Cochran says. And I think that most black people would say that, that theres nothing new there. Im just glad that white people are now recognizing it for what it is and actually are pushing back and fighting about it.

Sykes thinks the division and polarization  wrought in part by conservative talk radio  will only get worse in the near future because the people who bet on division have been empowered by the results of the November election.

Charlie Sykes is certainly not the first person to wash his hands of some disaster he created and then turn around and blame everyone else. But he is culpable for much of what he now decries, and he has refused to own up to his role in it, Ross says. Nothing has changed other than he apparently now thinks that some Republicans are wrong, the Democrats are still wrong and hes the only one whos right.

Sykes rejects the suggestion that his dissent from the Republican Party comes from a place of self-interest.

The reality is, this was a soul-crushing slog this year  I havent changed. I havent changed my position. Its like, everyone else has moved on, whats wrong with you? You must have some deep plot, Sykes says. No, trust me, I made a lot more money on this radio show than on anything else Im going to do. Im going to be dropping many tax brackets. I guess at a certain point, part of the advantage of my age and the decision to go is I dont have to put up with the bullshit anymore.

In a 2000 Milwaukee Magazine profile of Sykes, Lueders referred to him as a contrarian.

He says the description still fits.

That actually fits his current role very aptly, Lueders says. The entire conservative movement had this, Im going to hold my nose and vote for Trump attitude  and he says, why? From very early in this process, hes been a consistent and principled voice of opposition against the consensus of his party, which is, Trumps our guy.

Whatever comes next for Sykes will be predicated on the insistence that the beat coming from his drum was correct.
Three Westfield men have been taken into custody for drug charges following a series of undercover operations and unsuccessful drug purchases.

Joshua Kasten, 29, appeared in Marquette County Circuit Court on Dec. 7, charged with conspiracy to deliver heroin and misdemeanor theft.

According to court documents:

On Nov. 16, an undercover officer met with Kasten and provided $200 with which Kasten said that he would be able to get heroin from Madison. The agreement was for Kasten to come back in 2 1/2 hours with the drug, but never came back. In follow-up calls, Kasten told the officer that he hadnt been able to connect with the dealer, but would bring the money back, but that never happened.

Kasten was also connected to another operation in which an undercover officer bought heroin from 39-year-old Brian Solorio. The officer reported receiving a call from Mike who offered that he could provide a gram of heroin and possibly one-half gram of cocaine for $300. The suspect gave the officer an address in Westfield where Solorio lived with his girlfriend.

At the house, Mike reportedly told the officer that his name was Brian and went inside to get a gram of what was later tested to be heroin. At the same time, Solorio said that he wasnt able to get the cocaine.

On Nov. 29, the same officer received a call from Solorio, asking if he wanted to contribute any money to buying heroin and crack cocaine the next day. When they met at a Burger King parking lot on Nov. 30, Solorio took $300 from the officer and got into a car in another lot with Kasten.

Later that evening, the officer went to Solorios house where Solorio gave him a small bag with a white powder. Authorities then executed a search warrant and as Solorio was being taken into custody, admitted that the powder in the bag wasnt any illicit drug, but the antipsychotic medication Seroquel.

Solorio told officers that he did go to Madison to buy drugs, but he and Kasten used all the heroin before getting back to Westfield.

In court on Dec. 2, Solorio was charged with delivery of heroin, felony bail jumping, imitation of a controlled substance, maintaining a drug trafficking place and felony bail jumping. Judge Bernard Bult ordered Solorio be held on $5,000 cash bond.

The same day, Kasten was allowed release on a $2,500 signature bond, charged with conspiracy to deliver heroin and misdemeanor theft.

On Dec. 6 a Marquette County Sheriffs Office detective was alerted by a fellow member of the Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force that a confidential informant would be purchasing one-half ounce of marijuana for $180 in Westfield.

The informant was provided with an audio recorder and $180 and was watched driving to the Westfield Burger King parking lot. The informant met with Kolby Davids, 18, who took the money and said he would meet later with the marijuana.

The informant later received a text message saying that the bills had been marked and Davids would not be returning. When officers later located Davids, he told them that he had exchanged the $20 bills for $10 bills at a BP station, but admitted to the detective that he had agreed to return with marijuana.

Following a Dec. 7 bail bond hearing in Marquette County Circuit Court, Davids was ordered held on $2,500 cash bond on one felony count of delivery of marijuana and three counts bail jumping.
A Madison pharmacist has been charged with delivery of narcotics and retail theft, accused of giving prescription opioids to a woman in exchange for cash and sex.

Timothy Endres, 56, appeared in Marquette County Circuit Court on Friday, facing seven counts of delivery of narcotics after allegedly providing prescription pain killers from his work at Bentleys Drug Store in Montello to a woman he found through a sex solicitation website.

The Marquette County Sheriffs Office was alerted to the case when a 28-year-old woman called a detective at the Sheriffs Office on Aug. 2, telling the detective that in 2014 she had been involved in prostitution and used a posting through the website Backpage.com.

In spring of 2014, according to the womans testimony, she met with Endres, who mentioned that he was a pharmacist. Over two years, she explained, the two of them had an arrangement in which she would provide sex and he would provide 100 to 150 pills a week of Oxycodone, Vicodin or morphine.

Eventually, she said, Endres insisted on being paid in cash. Many of the exchanges happened in Dane County, though after she moved to Marquette County, she told officers, Endres left the pills in a stairwell adjacent to an alley next to Bentley Drug Store. She would replace the pills in the bottles with $150 to $500.

At the end of September investigators approached Bentley Drug Store to do an inventory of the stores pharmacy. According to court documents Endres told officers that an inventory had not been performed during his time with the store.

After looking at two years of merchandise, investigators estimated that the store had about 9,000 morphine pills unaccounted for, as well as nearly 6,500 pills of Oxycodone in 10, 15, 20 and 30 mg form. The total value of the missing drugs was estimated at between $5,800 and $10,000.

In court on Friday, Judge Bernard Bult ordered Endres to be held on a $5,000 cash bond. Later that day Endres posted bond and was released from Marquette County Jail. Endres is scheduled to appear next in court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 4.
Income Tax officials and Delhi Crime Branch today seized old currency notes worth Rs 3.25 crore from a hotel in Karol Bagh.

By Parvina Purkayastha, Tanseem Haider: The Delhi Police Crime Branch and Income Tax Department has held five persons here with Rs 3.25 crore in old currency notes, police said on Wednesday.

The police said the joint raid was conducted at Hotel Taksh Inn of Karol Bagh on Tuesday late night, following a tip off.

Interrogation has revealed that the money recovered belonged to Mumbai hawala operators, who had hired 'special' packaging agents to pass through airport security with the cash.

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"The Income Tax Department officers seized Rs 3.25 crore. The amount recovered was kept in various suitcases and car board boxes which had all demonetised notes," Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP) of Crime Branch Ravindra Yadav said.

"They had hired packaging specialists who pack these notes in such a manner that it is undetectable by airport scanning machines. The experts in packaging use some tapes and wires which passes through X-ray," Ravindra Yadav said.

The IT department was analyzing the mobile details which allegedly contain details of other hawala operators.

The arrested were identified as Ansari Abuzar, Fazal Khan, and Ansari Affan from Mumbai; and Ladu Ram and Mahaveer Singh from Rajasthan.

With inputs from IANS

Cash recovered from Karol Bagh hotel. (Photo: ANI)

Also read:

Black money crackdown: Rs 60 crore cash, 245 kg gold seized from 10 airports since demonetisation

Another law firm raided in Delhi, Rs 13 crore in cash recovered

Demonetisation a case of khoda pahaad, nikli chuhiya: 10 not-to-be-missed P Chidambaram quotes

--- ENDS ---
CAMBRIA  Five months after the Cambria Village Board decided to tear down a downtown structure, the dilapidated former grocery store at 103 W. Edgewater St. is still standing.

And it likely will remain standing for another two months, while village officials decide on hiring a company to eradicate the structures prevalent asbestos.

The trustees decided Monday to wait until their January meeting to award a contract for asbestos abatement  to allow time to get at least one bid in addition to the quote of $10,790 offered by Advanced Asbestos Removal of Oshkosh.

Public Works Director Tom Tietz said that price represents the maximum cost for removing asbestos, and the cost could turn out to be almost $2,000 less if the buildings insulation consists of 1 percent asbestos or less.

Asbestos is a heat-resistant mineral that was, for many years, used widely in buildings because of its fire-resistant properties. If it becomes friable (powdery), then it can cause cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Village Clerk Lois Frank said that asbestos has been detected in many places in the building, including floor tiles, wall boards, windows and insulation.

According to Frank, Egbert Excavating of Green Lake has been hired to raze the building, but cannot do so until the asbestos is professionally abated.

But trustees said Monday they have little experience in hiring an asbestos abatement company, so they dont have any indication how the quote from Advanced Asbestos Removal might compare with offers from other companies.

Were shooting in the dark right now, said Trustee Jim Bubba Williams.

Williams said he would like at least one more bid, and preferably two more, to consider when the Village Board next meets on Jan. 9.

But Trustee Cody Doucette cautioned that the quote from Advanced Asbestos Removal is good for only 30 days, so village officials need to confirm that it would still be valid next month.

The building has been a thorn in the side of village officials, and village residents, for several years.

It was the location of Mikes Super Store, a grocery that closed in 1997.

The current owner  listed in Columbia County property records as Bethany Sabatke, also known as Bethany Bronkala  has been elusive to say the least.

Frank said she has not responded to the efforts of village officials to contact her regarding the condition of the building and its contents, nor has she responded to notices of the intent to raze the structure.

Although county records show her as having been current in her property tax payments since 2003, the records also show she has not paid her 2015 taxes. The 2016 tax bills just went out, and the outstanding taxes on the structure, including interest and penalties from last year, come to $2,827.84.

Over the years, village officials have tried to contact the owner regarding hazards related to the property, including exterior electric signs and peeling, lead-based exterior paint  to no avail.

The Cambria Fire Department had declared that firefighters would not enter the structure if it should catch fire, because its aisles were so cluttered with unknown objects.

The latest concern: A hole in the roof big enough to admit birds and water.

Frank said the building had been cleaned out by the beginning of this month, which cleared the way for the environmental inspection that detected the asbestos.

Tietz said Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources rules require a waiting period of 10 working days, from the time an asbestos removal contract is awarded, before the work can start.

Barring any further delays, Frank said, that would put the date of razing to late January or early February.
Like businesses and schools, churches face their own unique challenges in the region's small, rural communities.

Maintaining funding, offering multiple programs and finding leaders are just a few of the obstacles faced in areas outside urban centers. However, pastors say small towns also have useful differences from larger cities and those distinctions help ensure that churches not only survive but flourish.

Stronger together

Its become common for churches across Sauk, Juneau and Columbia counties to share their assets. Most communities have at least one ecumenical service per year; a special worship gathering that encompasses most or all churches in a community. The gesture is meant to show solidarity and foster positive interactions between churches.

In some cases, churches even share pastors. William Grimm serves as pastor for both Newport Evangelical Lutheran Church near Wisconsin Dells and St. Paul Lutheran Church in the town of Lewiston, not far from Portage. Grimm said both congregations are older and small so its difficult for them to find and afford a pastor on their own. Its easier for them to share a leader.

Both churches have a lengthy history in the region. Newport Evangelical turned 165 years old this year. St. Paul Lutheran has existed for at least 60 years.

In North Freedom, the Baptist church has built an excellent working relationship with the United Methodist church. The churches have collaborated to provide a vacation bible school for children, said Andrew Dear, pastor of North Freedom Baptist Church. The vacation bible school has been held for years and allows the churches to serve more children.

Together we are able to do more than when we are apart, Dear said.

Other churches share staff. Faith Christian, which started in Reedsburg this year, receives support from its home church in Mauston. Ken Kayhart, pastor of the Reedsburg location, has said that demand in Mauston led to the creation of a satellite. Attendance has grown so much the church had to change locations twice this year. Its now located near Culver's and has nursery, meeting and office space.

Technical workers, childcare providers and volunteers from Mauston have helped the Reedsburg site get off the ground. Kayharts wife, Jessica Kayhart, provides music and worship direction for both locations, which takes the burden off the Reedsburg site.

Sometimes churches work together and with non-religious groups to meet a core tenet of their faith in serving the poor and suffering. River of Life Church in Portage collaborates with nearly 10 other churches to support a local shelter, said Pastor Scott Dadam. He said he also consults with other pastors in the community to provide a healing prayer service for anyone who needs it.

Recruiting

Faith Christian has taken a proactive approach to drawing people to ministry. The church is part of the Northwoods Masters Commission, which places student volunteers in community churches to discover and hone their talents and learn the many aspects to operating a house of worship. Local director Donavon Blair, who is based out of Mauston, said its a way to introduce people to the service and serves as a supplement to college. The group itself is part of a larger network known as Masters Commission International.

Most churches require some kind of degree in theology for leaders, and the requirement can vary from a bachelor's to masters degree. Online courses are available and help students expand their knowledge of religious teachings, but the Northwoods Masters Commission aims to help people find their distinct talents. Some students excel at music planning and direction, others make excellent sound and light techs. Still others may find the call to ministry and leadership.

We realize education is important but education without revelation is just information, Blair said.

Ashley Waldner, a student with the program, has split time between Reedsburg and Mauston. Originally from Lime Ridge, Waldner said she developed an interest in churches while attending small ones during her childhood. Her education has included soundboard functions, lighting, computer functions and worship materials.

Im learning to be willing to serve, she said.

Called to lead

Sometimes a pastor is called to serve a small-town church. Dear said younger pastors can be drawn to large congregations and city life, but he always felt drawn to rural communities. He said he grew up in Michigan, so hes familiar with the Midwest.

Small towns need good pastors too, he said.

Dear added that a church doesnt need to have millions of dollars to succeed. He said the key is for churches not to become overextended, which can be tempting in a world that emphasizes expansion.

God provides, he said. Sometimes when we have more we do more of what we dont need to do.

Relationship building

Small churches have the benefit of a close-knit congregation. Those who attend rural churches get to know one another and share in celebrations and hardships, said Rod Spillane, youth pastor of GraceWay Church in Prairie du Sac.

GraceWay has worked with other local churches in the past and youth participation has been consistent for the last 17 years. It has reached the point where people who have grown up with the church are now raising their children within it.

Its fun to see those generations building on generations, he said.

Its not always easy attracting new members to the flock. Modern times present new challenges for churches.

Stereotypes and extremism have painted churches in an ill light, Dear said. Stories about renegade congregations and controversial protests have given too many people the wrong impression about churches.

Dear said its important for churches to show that radical groups dont represent the majority.

Politics also present a problem that was particularly prominent in the lead-up to the November election. Grimm said some churches put aside the "word of God" in favor of spreading political messages. Grimm said he wasnt called to serve to tell people how to vote. Instead, he believes church should be a place for the weary to find rest from the chaos of the world.

Grimm said he prefers to talk about the Bible, eternal life and how to share the message.

Churches may even face issues when people want to attend. Grimm said a growing segment of the congregation wants their church to offer schooling, but this option isnt available at smaller churches that lack the space and staffing.

Small-town churches dont always differ from their large counterparts. An increasingly secular society leads even more to question whether God is relevant or even exists. Its a conundrum faced by every church across the globe, Dadam said, and church leaders need to be prepared to answer.

Greater reach

While some may question the teachings of the church, new technology allows even the smallest churches to reach a greater audience than ever before.

Most churches now have the ability to record audio or video of sermons, which they make available on YouTube, websites or social media pages. Churches also have used Facebook and Twitter to post happenings, upcoming events and photos from functions.

Services may include projector screens, PowerPoint presentations and live music beyond an organ, piano and choir.

Connecting with children is a great way to foster engaging services. Spillane said its important for churches to provide education and activities for kids so they can benefit as well. This may include childrens church, traditional Sunday school, youth group activities, Bible school or volunteer opportunities.

Like any parent God wants the best for his children, he said.

Grimm said modern-day church services may offer more variety, but the message is timeless.

Gods word never changes, he said.
Christmas presents may be a bit lean this season. You see, Santa Claus does not live in, nor, is from the United States. He enters the country without a visa. He works in the country without a green card. And that long beard of his is vaguely familiar to long white beards seen on elderly Muslim men.

Too snarky? Sorry.

Even though it is the Christmas season it certainly does not seem very Christmasy. The mood, the feeling, and the future of the country seem eerily different.

Just a week ago, the home of New York Giants fullback Nikita Whitlock, an African-American, was broken into. Only a couple of simple items were stolen, but the letters KKK, the phrase go back to Africa and a Nazi swastika had been spray painted on the wall. It has also been reported that the word Trump was included in the racial graffiti.

Certainly, President-elect Donald Trump cannot be held responsible for those hateful actions, yet his election and his nationalistic message has given rise to, and a foundation for, hate groups to be emboldened. The Southern Poverty Law Center has tracked 867 cases in just the 10 days after Trumps election. Trump has denounced all such attacks, but the xenophobic atmosphere that has arisen in the last year is dangerous. Xenophobia and patriotism are two very different things.

That trend does not seem to be ending soon. As billionaire after millionaire after billionaire gets nominated for a cabinet post, the plutocrats are no longer hiding in the shadows, working their lobbyist and their money to influence policies. They now are the power who will make policy.

Trumps nominee for the Environmental Protection Agency is Scott Pruitt. Pruitt does not believe in global warming, and as Attorney General for Oklahoma he regularly supported various gas and oil companies. He has endorsed letters from the fossil fuel industry while in office and some of his largest contributors have come from the same industry.

The newest name in the Secretary of State nomination process is Chief Executive Officer for Exxon Mobile, Rex Tillerson. Tillerson has close ties to Russia and was awarded the Order of Friendship, the highest award that can be given to a civilian by the Russian government, by Vladimir Putin.

Named to head the Department of Treasury is Steven Mnuchin. Mnuchin served with Goldman Sachs. He is a well-known lobbyist and has strong ties to Wall Street. Yet, these are the antithesis of the very things Trump campaigned on. He emphasized the need to break up the influence of the financial institutions and undo their power within the country. Goldman Sachs, by the way, was fined $550 million for its role in the sub-prime mortgage scandal in 2007 and 2008 that almost ruined the countrys economy.

Which brings us back to the spirit of Christmas and what it is really all about. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus and the teachings of life he gave to us. Yet, did not Jesus kick the moneylenders out of the temple, not invite them in?

Jesus walked among the poor, For the poor were his own kind, from The Ballad of the Carpenter by Phil Ochs.

So everything seems so horribly out of place at this time of the year as the plutocracy becomes more entrenched in positions of power and domination. With each step Trump makes, the message of his campaign seems to fade. The declaration of Make America Great Again seems to apply to less and less. He brags that he saved 1,100 jobs from Carrier, but then lied about it. Yes, 730 jobs is better than none, but already Carrier is talking about using the tax credits they will receive, and not a penalty as Trump promised to do to companies who ship jobs out of the country, and will begin automating the plant which means those jobs will be gone in time.

The more we appear to move forward, the more we really move backwards, losing in little bits and pieces what the U.S. and Christmas are all about.

So he said Come you working men, Farmers and weavers too, If only you would stand as one This world belongs to youWhen the rich men heard what the carpenter had done, To the Roman troops they ran, Saying put this rebel Jesus down, Hes a menace to God and man.

It is fascinating that Jesus was trained as a carpenter, a skilled laborer, and not a CEO.

Two thousand years have passed and gonebut the dream of this poor carpenter remains in the hands of you.
Nepal's $21 billion economy was already suffering with growth at less than 0.8 percent in the 2015-16 fiscal year after earthquakes in 2015 that killed about 9,000 people.

By Reuters: India's scrapping of high-value bank notes last month has dragged down economic growth in neighbouring Nepal with trade, remittances and tourist numbers all down, BMI Research, a group company of the Fitch rating agency, said on Wednesday.

BMI has revised down its forecast for land-locked Nepal's economy, saying that India's demonetisation could shave Nepal's growth down to 2.2 per cent for this fiscal year to July 2017, from an earlier estimate of 2.5 per cent.

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Nepal's $21 billion economy was already suffering with growth at less than 0.8 per cent in the 2015-16 fiscal year after earthquakes in 2015 that killed about 9,000 people.

Also read: Demonetisation days: All you need to know

"The disruption in funds from India is likely to weigh on ongoing reconstruction efforts," the research agency said in a report, adding that Nepal's economy was heavily reliant on India for trade, jobs and aid.

The announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Nov. 8 to ban 500- and 1,000-rupee notes was intended to flush out billions of dollars in unaccounted wealth and hit the finances of militants suspected of using fake currency.

The Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank, has now banned Indian currency, saying it wanted a formal communication from the Indian central bank about new Indian bank notes being brought into circulation.

Also read: Demonetisation has turned India into worlds fastest slowing economy

-"Until such a notice is received, we will not accept the new Indian notes," said central bank official Rajendra Pandit.

That leaves thousands of Nepalis doing informal trade along the open border with India without the means to receive or make payments for their business.

Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, a former Maoist rebel commander, spoke to Modi after the currency ban to ask for arrangements for the exchange of the now defunct Indian cash held in Nepal, but that has yet to happen.

Also read: How Modi's note ban has hit Uttar Pradesh election

The inflow of Indian tourists to Nepal, who account for a quarter of about 800,000 visitors a year, has fallen. Many Indian tourists have traditionally carried Indian currency for payments in Nepal.

In addition, Nepal depends heavily on funds from workers in India, who sent home $640 million in 2016, or about 2.6 per cent of Nepal's gross domestic product.

Thousands of Nepali migrants are returning home as Indian businesses cut production following the cash crunch.

Also read: Down and ouch

--- ENDS ---
Contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals

Wits' Professor Peter Cooper urges graduates to make a difference in the health sector.

Professor Peter Cooper, Assistant Head of the Department of Paediatrics addressed graduates at the Faculty of Health Sciences graduation ceremony on 13 December 2016.

Cooper was appointed as Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of the Witwatersrand and the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital in April 1995.

He served as the Academic Head of the Department of Paediatrics from 2003 until October 2016 and as the Assistant Head of School since 2013.

Professor Cooper graduated with an MBBCh from the University of Cape Town in 1974 and joined the Wits Department of Paediatrics in October 1978 as a Registrar.He then joined the Neonatology Division at the then Johannesburg Hospital becoming the Head of Unit in 1985.

He moved to the then Baragwanath Hospital and took over as Head of the Neonatal Division in 1988 where he remained until 1995.

During this time, a number of paediatricians who are prominent today started their careers under him, including Sithembiso Velaphi and Haroon Saloojee, both now professors in the Department, and Glenda Gray, the current president of the South African Medical Research Council.

Professor Cooper has served on numerous University and Hospital committees and was appointed as Chairperson of the Medical Advisory Committee at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital from 1998 to 2009.

He was actively involved with the National Medical and Dental Association in the 1980s, an organisation which broke away from the mainstream medical association over the handling of doctors involved in the care of Steve Biko at the time of his death.

He served as its branch chairperson from 1986 to 1988.

Professor Cooper has held a number of executive positions in South African paediatric and neonatal organisations and served as the president of the Union of National African Paediatric Societies and Associations for a three year term.

He was a member of the Executive Committee of the International Paediatric Association and served as its representative on the Board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health under the auspices of the World Health Organization from 2013, a post that he still holds today.

Professor Cooper was awarded the Convocation Distinguished Teachers Award and the Philip V. Tobias Medal for Distinguished Teaching.

He is the author or co-author of over 70 publications in national and international peer reviewed journals and the author of several chapters in books, mainly related to neonatal and nutrition.

He is soon to retire as the Head of the Department but will remain involved with both the Paediatric Department and the Faculty of Health Sciences.
By PTI: Chhindwara (MP), Dec 14 (PTI) President Pranab Mukherjee today said there may be "unrest and frustration" in the country if youth remains unemployed, while stressing on the need to equip them with skills.

Mukherjee said with jobs the young workforce can be an asset. Most graduates produced by colleges and universities are "unemployable", he said.

"India, with the second largest population in the world, will face a major challenge in the coming years. Half of its population will be below 25 years of age," he said.

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"Our young workforce will be an asset if they have jobs. But, if the country is unable to provide jobs, there will be unrest and frustration," Mukherjee said while addressing the annual day function of CII Skill Training Centre here.

He said to get jobs, paper qualifications alone will not suffice, skills are essential.

"Our universities and colleges produce a large number of graduates every year but most of them are unemployable. Our youth need jobs," he stressed.

Referring to the shortage of skilled hands, he said, "Our industry has problems finding adequate skilled manpower. The economic growth in the advanced countries of the world, most of whom have ageing populations, is low.

"Emerging economies like India and China are, however, witnessing rapid economic growth. We must, therefore, seize this opportunity by encouraging skill development in every way possible," the President said.

Highlighting the setting up of the National Skill Development Council in 2010, Mukherjee said its objective was addressing this challenge.

"The present government went on to create a Ministry for Skill Development in 2014 to provide focused attention to the need for large scale skill development," he said.

Mukherjee said skill development will help create jobs, strengthen resilience of Indian economy, help increase contribution of services sector to GDP and expand flow of remittances into the country from our workers overseas.

He congratulated the CII and local MP Kamal Nath for their farsightedness in setting up the skill training centre in the relatively backward area of Chhindwara, and wished the centre all success. PTI COR MAS LAL GK AYP

--- ENDS ---
Graco Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets systems and equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials worldwide. The company's Industrial segment offers proportioning systems to spray polyurethane foam and polyurea coatings; equipment that pumps, meters, mixes and dispenses sealant, adhesive, and composite materials; and gel-coat equipment, chop and wet-out systems, resin transfer molding systems and applicators, and precision dispensing solutions. It also provides liquid finishing equipment; paint circulating and supply pumps; paint circulating advanced control systems; plural component coating proportioners; spare parts and accessories; and powder finishing products to coat powder finishing on metals under the Gema and SAT brands. The company's Process segment offers pumps to move and dispense chemicals, water, wastewater, petroleum, food, lubricants, and other fluids; pressure valves used in the oil and natural gas industry, other industrial processes, and research facilities; and chemical injection pumping solutions for injection of chemicals into producing oil wells and pipelines. It also supplies pumps, hose reels, meters, valves, and accessories for fast oil change facilities, service garages, fleet service centers, automobile dealerships, auto parts stores, truck builders, and heavy equipment service centers; and systems, components, and accessories for the automatic lubrication of bearings, gears, and generators in industrial and commercial equipment, compressors, turbines, and on- and off-road vehicles. The company's Contractor segment offers sprayers to apply paint to walls and other structures; and viscous coatings to roofs, as well as markings on roads, parking lots, athletic fields, and floors. It sells its products through distributors, original equipment manufacturers, and home center channels; and directly to end-users. The company was incorporated in 1926 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. engages in designing, building, overhauling, and repairing military ships in the United States. It operates through three segments: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Newport News Shipbuilding, and Technical Solutions. The company is involved in the design and construction of non-nuclear ships comprising amphibious assault ships; expeditionary warfare ships; surface combatants; and national security cutters for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. It also provides nuclear-powered ships, such as aircraft carriers and submarines, as well as refueling and overhaul, and inactivation services of ships. In addition, the company offers naval nuclear support services, including fleet services comprising design, construction, maintenance, and disposal activities for in-service the U.S. Navy nuclear ships; and maintenance services on nuclear reactor prototypes. Further, it provides life-cycle sustainment services to the U.S. Navy fleet and other maritime customers; high-end information technology and mission-based solutions for Department of Defense (DoD), intelligence, and federal civilian customers; nuclear management and operations and environmental management services for the Department of Energy, DoD, state and local governments, and private sector companies; defense and federal solutions; and unmanned systems. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Newport News, Virginia.
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.
While the Congress raked up the scam taint against Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, the BJP put up a strong counter, raising the cash mafia expose that nails politicians crossing political lines.

By India Today Web Desk: The matter of India Today sting on politicians converting black money into white was raised in Parliament on Wednesday. While Mayawati's Bahuijan Samaj Party (BSP) has already expelled its leader who was seen in the sting, the other parties have assured action against their leaders.

While the Congress raked up the scam taint against Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, the BJP put up a strong counter, raising the cash mafia expose that nails politicians crossing political lines.

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These are the 10 developments in relation to the sting:

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar led the attack in the Lok Sabha and alleged that Congress was involved in a conspiracy against the Centre's fight against black money. Hit out at the opposition parties, he said, "We condemn this. We demand discussion on this in both the Houses? India Today's investigative team exposed beyond any doubt how political leaders from different parties were willing to convert black money to white for a hefty commission," he said in the Lower House. BJP Lok Sabha MP Jagdambika Pal also raised issue. He alleged that the Congress party, which once participated in the freedom movement, was now converting black money into white. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi assured tough action against his party's Tariq Siddiqui and all other partymen involved in the cash mafia. "We will act against the Congress leader caught in expose," he said. Naseemuddin Siddiqui, BSP national general secretary, expelled party's Ghaziabad unit president Virendra Jatav from the party for indulging in "anti-party activities" and replaced him with Prem Chandra Bharti. Earlier in the day, BSP supremo Mayawati had assured that the party would take action against Jatav seen in the sting. However, she alleged the ruling BJP's hand in the matter and said, "He may have been managed by BJP." JD(U) has initiated a probe against its leader Satish Saini. Reacting to the sting, Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said, "A channel showed a sting operation on political party leaders converting black money into white. This is not appropriate. We will seek thorough information. This is shameful." HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar charged that it was Congress' old habit. He said, "I would ask Rahul Gandhi why does not he change the name of the Congress headquarters from All India Congress Committee to All India Currency Conduit? Those opposing demonetisation have been exposed. The main reason has come out in the open now. Is Mayawati also feeling irritated because of this?" Union Minister Babul Supriyo said, "You (India Today) are showing the video. Seeing is believing. I would thank your channel and it's clear that Congress has not come out of its misdemeanours of past. It's con and regress. Please keep on showing the video for the whole day so everybody can see it. Rahul (Gandhi) did this press conference as he had to counter some of the allegation. Rahul has so many PMs from his family, he has to understand that there is a dignity attached to the post." In the India Today sting, the party leaders of Congress, BSP, JD(U) and NCP were found to be carrying out their shady operations right inside their party offices in Ghaziabad, Noida and Delhi.

India Today's undercover reporters met Virendra Jatav, Ghaziabad district president of the BSP; Titu Yadav, a member of the ruling Samajwadi Party's Noida Mahanagar unit; Tariq Siddiqui, a member of the Congress and a former director of the Delhi Minorities Finance Corporation; Ravi Kumar, general secretary of the NCP's Delhi branch; and Satish Saini, JD(U)'s Delhi vice-president. All of them were quick to seek banned notes in bulk to exchange them with legal currency.

Also Read: Caught on camera: Politicians offer to convert black money into white for 40% commission. An India Today expose

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This is a current list of the top 250 companies by market capitalization on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Learn more .

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is one of the largest, and most recognizable, stock exchanges in the world. The NYSE is in New York City, New York at 11 Wall Street. The NYSE has been in existence since the earliest days of the United States becoming a nation, in 1792 and is primarily made up of blue-chip companies with large market capitalizations. In fact, many of the stocks that make up the Dow Jones Composite Index (i.e. The Dow) are listed on the NYSE.

This article gives a brief history of the New York Stock Exchange. In addition, it covers topics such as what kind of stocks trade on the exchange, what are the listing requirements, how trading is performed, and what the daily price movement of the NYSE tells investors about investor sentiment.

What Were the Origins of the NYSE?

Today, the New York Stock Exchange is known as the center of the financial universe. However, the exchanges origin is far more humble. On May 17, 1792, 24 stockbrokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement creating a centralized exchange to help provide order to the securities market in what was still a young nation. The "Buttonwood Agreement comes from the tree of the same name under which the founders signed the agreement.

An initial benefit of the exchange was how it removed the need for auctioneers when trading commodities like wheat and tobacco and to set a commission rate. The exchange initially focused on government bonds.

However, the exchange had no formal home. Business was usually conducted informally in the local coffeehouses. In 1817, the exchange changed its name to the New York Stock & Exchange Board which later became the New York Stock Exchange. At this time, the exchange adopted a constitution that set the rules for trading. A group of stockbrokers met twice a day at 40 Wall Street to trade 30 stocks and bonds.

Over time, the exchange moved became the financial hub of the country and moved to its current location in 1865.

What Kind of Stocks Trade on the NYSE?

As of June 2022, the NYSE includes approximately 2,400 companies with a market capitalization of over $28.2 trillion. Although the NYSE trades stocks of all market capitalizations, its best known for trading the stocks of large cap companies. These have the benefit of being mature companies in mature industries. And many of these companies reward shareholders with dividends.

However, that also means that many of these companies are better suited for value investors as opposed to growth investors. In bear markets this stability can be a benefit for investors as these stocks tend to perform less bad than more volatile stocks. But in a bull market, these stocks are not likely to provide investors with the growth that they look for.

An interesting fact about how the NYSE and NASDAQ operate is that the companies with the five largest market caps on the NYSE are also listed on the NASDAQ exchange.

What Are the Listing Requirements For the NYSE?

The NYSE has strict guidelines that govern the types of companies that can list on the exchange. Here are the major requirements that all companies must meet:

The company must have at least 2,200 shareholders

The company must trade over 100,000 shares per month

The company must have a market valuation of over $100 million

The company must generate more than $75 million in annual revenue

However, there is at least one advantage of having such stringent requirements. That is the companies that meet the requirements generally find it easier to get more investors funds when they hold their initial public offering (IPO).

Once a company begins trading on the NYSE, it must continue to meet these requirements. If it doesnt it can be delisted. In addition to these requirements, the stock must continue to trade above $1. If the price of a stock drops below $1 for more than 29 consecutive trading days, the stock receives an Initial Price Violation Notice.

At that point, the company has 10 days to provide the exchange with a plan for bringing their shares above $1.

How are Trades Executed on the NYSE?

For over a century, the floor of the NYSE was the place for investors to be. This meant trades were conducted by traders who ran buy and sell orders across the trading floor looking to broker a deal for their clients. But with the birth of the NASDAQ exchange in 1971, the New York Stock Exchange began conducting electronic trading.

However, the NYSE continues to conduct trades in an auction style. Brokers purchase stocks on behalf of their clients or firms. Every order features a broker who will enter the order electronically and a specialist who serves as the market maker for that stock. The specialist posts bid and ask prices and manages the actual execution of the trades. And there are still a handful of stockbrokers who still traffic buy and sell orders physically on the floor of the exchange.

How Does the NYSE Signal Investor Sentiment?

Like its counterpart, the NASDAQ, the NYSE measures the risk appetite of investors. When the NYSE is moving higher over a length of time, it signals that a risk on environment. Conversely when the NYSE moves lower over a significant period, it signals that investors are moving to a risk off position.

Some Final Thoughts on the NYSE

Financial news networks plan their programming schedule around the opening and closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange. Its still considered a distinguished honor when individuals or groups are invited to ring the opening bell. In fact, Warren Buffett is attributed with saying that in the short term, the stock market acts like a voting machine. A fact that many U.S. presidents will attest to.

The NYSE is the oldest and most recognizable of all the stock exchanges. It also has the most stringent requirements for inclusion. And those requirements must be maintained even after a stock begins publicly trading on the exchange.

Although the NYSE still has a small in-person Trading Floor, much of the trading is done electronically to provide traders with the speed to execute trades.
Aviva plc provides various insurance, retirement, investment, and savings products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and internationally. The company offers life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products. It also provides insurance cover to individuals, small and medium-sized businesses for risks associated with motor vehicles and medical expenses, as well as property and liability, such as employers' and professional indemnity liabilities. In addition, the company provides investment management services for institutional pension fund mandates; and manages various retail investment products, including investment funds, unit trusts, open-ended investment companies, and individual savings accounts for third-party financial institutions, pension funds, public sector organizations, investment professionals, and private investors. It markets its products through a network of insurance brokers, as well as MyAviva platform. The company was formerly known as CGNU plc and changed its name to Aviva plc in July 2002. Aviva plc was founded in 1696 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
A red-faced JD (U) has initiated a probe to determine who were the people in the party office who were helping Saini carry out his alleged nefarious activities.

By Rahul Kanwal: Janata Dal (United) has initiated action against its party leader Satish Saini who was exposed in the India Today investigation on 'Netas Turn Cash Mafias'.

Highly-placed sources in the JD(U) have told India Today that the party has taken a very dim view of the comments made by the JD(U) leader in the India Today expose.

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The red-faced party has initiated a probe to determine who were the people in the party office who were helping Saini carry out his alleged nefarious activities.

Satish Saini.

ALSO WATCH

Satish Saini is the vice president of the Delhi unit of the Janata Dal (United).

ALSO READ: India Today expose: Politicians offer to convert black money into white for 40% commission

Party president Nitish Kumar has decided that Saini will not be made an office-bearer ever in the future.

Saini will not be allowed to register as a member of the party either.

In the India Today investigation, Saini offers to convert black money to the tune of Rs 10 crore into white at a commission of 30 per cent.

The JD(U) has also asked for the investigating authorities to launch a formal probe and take action against Saini under the law.

ALSO READ: BJP to raise India Today TV sting on netas turning into cash mafias in Parliament

ALSO WATCH

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Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. engages in the exploration, development, and recovery of minerals and precious metals located primarily in Africa. It explores for platinum, palladium, nickel, copper, gold, rhodium, zinc, silver, germanium, and lead deposits. The company's projects include the Platreef project located in the Northern Limb of South Africa's Bushveld Complex; the Kipushi project located in Haut-Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo; and the Kamoa-Kakula project located within the Central African Copperbelt. It also holds a 100% interest in the Western Foreland exploration project covering an area of approximately 2,407 square kilometers located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The company has a strategic partnership agreement with China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. to examine exploration, development, and acquisition of mineral projects, as well as production, smelting, and logistics opportunities in Africa. Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. was formerly known as Ivanplats Limited and changed its name to Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. in August 2013. The company was incorporated in 1993 and is headquartered in Vancouver, 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. Ltd, Buell Industries Inc., CCI Realty Company, CFC Europe GmbH, CS Australia Pty Limited, CS Mexico Holding Company S DE RL DE CV, Calvia Spolka z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnosci, Capital Ventures Australasia S.a r.l, Capmax Logistica S.A. de C.V., Celeste Industries Corporation, Coeur, Coeur Asia Limited, Coeur Holding Company, Coeur Inc., Coeur Shanghai Medical Appliance Trading Co. Ltd, Compagnie Hobart, Compagnie de Materiel et d'Equipements Techniques-Comet, Constructions Isothermiques Bontami C.I.B., Crane Carrier Company, Denison Mayes Group Limited, Despatch Industries, Diagraph Corporation Sdn. Bhd, Diagraph ITW Mexico S. de R.L. De C.V., Diagraph Mexico S.A. DE C.V., Dongguan Ark-Les Electric Components Co. Ltd., Dongguan CK Branding Co. Ltd., Duo Fast de Espana S.A.U., Duo-Fast Korea Co. Ltd., Duo-Fast LLC, E.C.S. d.o.o., E2M Production B.V.., E2M Technologies B.V.., E2M Technologies Inc.., ECS Cable Protection Sp. Zoo, ELRO Grosskuchen GmbH, ELRO Holding AG, ELRO-WERKE AG, Elro Group, Eltex-Elektrostatik-Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Envases Multipac S.A. de C.V., Eurotec Srl, Exhibit 21, FEG Investments L.L.C., Filtertek De Mexico Holding Inc., Filtertek De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Filtertek SAS, GC Financement SA, Gamko B.V., Gun Hwa Platech Taicang Co. Ltd., HOBART Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Hartness International, Hobart Andina S.A.S., Hobart Belgium B.V., Hobart Brothers International Chile Limitada, Hobart Brothers LLC, Hobart Dayton Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Hobart Food Equipment Co. Ltd., Hobart International Singapore Pte. Ltd., Hobart Japan K.K., Hobart Korea LLC, Hobart LLC, Hobart Nederland B.V., Hobart Sales & Service Inc., Hobart Scandinavia ApS, Hobart Techniek B.V., Horis, ILC Investments Holdings Inc., ITW AEP LLC, ITW AOC LLC, ITW Aircraft Investments Inc., ITW Ampang Industries Philippines Inc., ITW Appliance Components EOOD, ITW Appliance Components S.A. de C.V., ITW Appliance Components S.r.l.a, ITW Appliance Components d.o.o., ITW Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, ITW Australia Property Holdings Pty Ltd., ITW Australia Pty Ltd, ITW Automotive Components Chongqing Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Components Langfang Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Japan K.K., ITW Automotive Korea LLC, ITW Automotive Parts Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Automotive Products GmbH, ITW Automotive Products Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Bailly Comte, ITW Befestigungssysteme GmbH, ITW Belgium B.V., ITW Brazilian Nominee L.L.C., ITW Building Components Group Inc., ITW CER, ITW CP Distribution Center Holland BV, ITW CS UK Ltd., ITW Canada Inc., ITW Celeste Inc., ITW Chemical Products Ltda, ITW Chemical Products Scandinavia ApS, ITW China Investment Company Limited, ITW Colombia S.A.S., ITW Construction Products AB, ITW Construction Products AS, ITW Construction Products ApS, ITW Construction Products CZ s.r.o., ITW Construction Products Italy Srl, ITW Construction Products OU, ITW Construction Products OY, ITW Construction Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Construction Products Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW Construction Services Manila Inc., ITW Contamination Control B.V., ITW Contamination Control Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Covid Security Group Inc., ITW DS Investments Inc., ITW DelFast do Brasil Ltda., ITW Denmark ApS, ITW Deutschland GmbH, ITW Diagraph GmbH, ITW Dynatec, ITW Dynatec Adhesive Equipment Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Dynatec GmbH, ITW Dynatec Kabushiki Kaisha, ITW EAE B.V., ITW EAE Mexico S de RL de CV, ITW EF&C France SAS, ITW EF&C Selb GmbH, ITW EU Holdings Ltd., ITW Electronic Business Asia Co. Limited, ITW Electronic Components/Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Electronics Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Epsilon Sarl, ITW Espana S.L., ITW European Finance Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance II Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance III Co. Ltd., ITW FEG Hong Kong Limited, ITW FEG do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW Fastener Products GmbH, ITW Fluids and Hygiene Solutions Ltda., ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, ITW GH LLC, ITW GSE ApS, ITW GSE Inc., ITW Gamma Sarl, ITW German Management LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings Y Compania Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones, ITW Global Investments Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Europe GmbH, ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Japan K.K., ITW Graphics Asia Limited, ITW Graphics Thailand Ltd., ITW Great Britain Investment & Licensing Holding Company, ITW Group France Luxembourg S.ar.l., ITW HLP Thailand Co. Ltd., ITW Holding Quimica B.C. S.L. Sole Shareholder Company, ITW Holdings Australia L.P., ITW Holdings I Limited, ITW Holdings II Limited, ITW Holdings III Limited, ITW Holdings IV Limited, ITW Holdings IX Limited, ITW Holdings Inc., ITW Holdings V Limited, ITW Holdings VI Limited, ITW Holdings VII Limited, ITW Holdings VIII Limited, ITW Holdings X Limited, ITW Holdings XI Limited, ITW ILC Holdings I Inc., ITW IPG Investments LLC, ITW Imaden Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW India Private Limited, ITW International Holdings LLC, ITW Invest Holding GmbH, ITW Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, ITW Ireland Unlimited Company, ITW Italy Holding Srl, ITW Japan Ltd., ITW Korea LLC, ITW LLC & Co. KG, ITW Limited, ITW Lys Fusion S.r.l., ITW Materials Technology Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Meritex Sdn. Bhd., ITW Metal Fasteners S.L., ITW Mexico Holding Company S. 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..

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The following companies are subsidiares of Sherwin-Williams: Acquire Sourcing LLC, CTS National Corporation, Comex North America Inc., Compania Sherwin-Williams S.A. de C.V., Contract Transportation Systems Co., Dongguan Lilly Paint Industries Ltd, Duron, EPS B.V., EPS Shanghai Trading Co. Ltd., Geocel Holdings, Guangdong Valspar Paints Manufacturing Co Ltd., Inver East Med S.A., Inver France SAS, Inver GmbH, Inver Industrial Coating SRL, Inver Polska Spoka Z O.O, Inver Spa, Invercolor Bologna Srl, Invercolor Ltd, Invercolor Roma Srl, Invercolor Torino Srl, Invercolor Toscana Srl, Isocoat Tintas e Vernizes Ltda, Isva Vernici Srl, Leighs Paints, M.A. Bruder & Sons, Omega Specialty Products & Services LLC, Oy Sherwin-Williams Finland Ab, PT Sherwin-Williams Indonesia, PT Valspar Indonesia, Paint Sundry Brands, Pinturas Condor S.A., Pinturas Industriales S.A., Piton Paints Limited, Plasti-Kote Co. Inc., Plasti-kote Limited, Productos Quimicos y Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Quest Automotive Products UK Limited, Quetzal Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Ronseal Ireland Limited, SWIMC LLC, SWIPCO  Sherwin Williams do Brasil Propriedade Intelectual Ltda, Sherwin Williams Colombia S.A.S., Sherwin-Williams Argentina I.y C.S.A., Sherwin-Williams Aruba VBA, Sherwin-Williams Australia Pty. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams Balkan S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Bel Unitary Enterprise, Sherwin-Williams Belize Limited, Sherwin-Williams Benelux NV, Sherwin-Williams Canada Inc., Sherwin-Williams Caribbean N.V., Sherwin-Williams Cayman Islands Limited, Sherwin-Williams Chile S.A., Sherwin-Williams Coatings India Private Limited, Sherwin-Williams Coatings S.a r.l., Sherwin-Williams Czech Republic spol. s r.o, Sherwin-Williams Denmark A/S, Sherwin-Williams Deutschland GmbH, Sherwin-Williams France Finishes SAS, Sherwin-Williams Ireland Limited, Sherwin-Williams Italy S.r.l., Sherwin-Williams Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams Nantong Coatings Technology Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams Nantong Company Limited, Sherwin-Williams Norway AS, Sherwin-Williams Paints Limited Liability Company, Sherwin-Williams Peru S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Pinturas de Venezuela S.A., Sherwin-Williams Poland Sp. z o.o, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings, Sherwin-Williams Realty Holdings Inc., Sherwin-Williams Services Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams Shanghai Limited, Sherwin-Williams Spain Coatings S.L., Sherwin-Williams Sweden AB, Sherwin-Williams Thailand Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams UK Coatings Limited, Sherwin-Williams UK Limited, Sherwin-Williams Vietnam Limited, Sherwin-Williams West Indies Limited, Sherwin-Williams do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., Southland Paint Company, Spanyc Paints Joint Stock Company, Specialty Polymers Inc., Syntema I Vaggeryd AB, Taiwan Valspar Co. Ltd., The Sherwin-Williams Acceptance Corporation, The Sherwin-Williams Headquarters Company, The Sherwin-Williams Manufacturing Company, The Sherwin-Williams US Licensing Company, The Valspar Asia Corporation Limited, The Valspar Australia Corporation Pty. Ltd., The Valspar Corporation, The Valspar Corporation Limitada, The Valspar Finland Corporation Oy, The Valspar France Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar France Research Corporation SAS, The Valspar Malaysia Corporation Sdn Bhd, The Valspar Nantes Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar Singapore Corporation Pte. Ltd, The Valspar South Africa Corporation Pty Ltd, The Valspar Switzerland Corporation AG, The Valspar Thailand Corporation Ltd., The Valspar UK Corporation Limited, The Valspar Vietnam Corporation Ltd., UAB Sherwin-Williams Baltic, Valspar Aries Coatings S. de R.L. de C.V., Valspar Automotive Australia Pty Limited, Valspar Automotive UK Corporation Limited, Valspar B.V., Valspar Coatings Guangdong Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings Shanghai Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings Tianjin Co. Ltd, Valspar D.o.o Beograd, Valspar India Coatings Corporation Private Limited, Valspar Industries GmbH, Valspar Industries Ireland Ltd., Valspar Industries Italy S.r.l., Valspar LLC, Valspar Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Valspar Powder Coatings Limited, Valspar Rock Company Limited Japan, Valspar Shanghai Management Co. Ltd., Valspar Specialty Paints LLC, Valspar Uruguay Corporation S.A., Valspar WPC Pty Ltd, and ZAO Sherwin-Williams.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Molina Healthcare: Aetna & Humana - Medicare Advantage, Affinity Health Plan, AmericanWork Inc., Better Health Network, Camelot Care Centers Inc, Children's Behavioral Health Inc., Choices Group Inc., College Community Services, Dockside Services Inc, Family Preservation Services Inc., Family Preservation Services of Florida Inc., Family Preservation Services of North Carolina Inc., Family Preservation Services of Washington D.C. Inc., Family Preservation Services of West Virginia Inc., Florida NetPASS LLC, Hclb Inc., Magellan Complete Care, Maple Star Nevada Inc., Maple Star Oregon Inc., Mercy CarePlus, Molina Clinical Services LLC, Molina Healthcare Data Center Inc., Molina Healthcare of Arizona Inc., Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc., Molina Healthcare of Georgia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Molina Healthcare of Iowa Inc., Molina Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Molina Healthcare of Maryland Inc., Molina Healthcare of Michigan Inc., Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Molina Healthcare of Nevada Inc., Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc., Molina Healthcare of New York Inc., Molina Healthcare of North Carolina Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio Inc., Molina Healthcare of Oklahoma Inc., Molina Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico Inc., Molina Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, Molina Healthcare of Texas Inc., Molina Healthcare of Texas Insurance Company, Molina Healthcare of Utah Inc., Molina Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc., Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc., Molina Holdings Corporation, Molina Hospital Management LLC, Molina Information Systems LLC dba Molina Medicaid Solutions, Molina Medical Management Inc., Molina Pathways LLC, Molina Pathways of Texas Inc., Molina Youth Academy, NextLevel Health Illinois, Pathways Community Corrections Inc., Pathways Community Services LLC, Pathways Community Support of Texas Inc., Pathways Health and Community Support LLC, Pathways Human Services LLC., Pathways of Arizona Inc., Pathways of Delaware Inc., Pathways of Idaho LLC, Pathways of Maine Inc., Pathways of Massachusetts LLC, Pathways of Oklahoma Inc., Pathways of Washington Inc., Providence Community Services, Providence Human Services, Raystown Developmental Services Inc., The Game of Work LLC, The RedCo Group Inc., Total Care Medicaid plan, Transitional Family Services Inc., Unisys -Health Information Management, and YourCare Health Plan.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Archer-Daniels-Midland: 3 Grain Elevators, ACT Exportacao Ltda., ADGENE LABORATOIRE, ADM (Dalian) Animal Health & Nutrition Co. Ltd., ADM (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., ADM (Thailand) Ltd., ADM AGRO S.R.L., ADM Ag Holding Limited, ADM Agri Services Greece MEPE, ADM Agri-Industries Company, ADM Agricultural Commodities Trading (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., ADM Agriculture Limited, ADM Agro Iberica S.L.U., ADM Agro Industries India Private Limited, ADM Agro Industries Kota & Akola Private Limited, ADM Agro Industries Latur & Vizag Private Limited, ADM Agroinvestimentos Ltda., ADM Alliance Nutrition of Puerto Rico LLC, ADM Americas S. de R.L., ADM Andina Peru S.R.L., ADM Animal Health & Nutrition (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., ADM Animal Nutrition (Cambodia) Co. Ltd., ADM Animal Nutrition (Xiangtan) Co. Ltd., ADM Animal Nutrition (Zhangzhou) Co. Ltd., ADM Antwerp NV, ADM Arkady Ireland Limited, ADM Armazens Gerais Ltda., ADM Asia-Pacific Trading Pte. Ltd., ADM Australia Holdings I PTY Limited, ADM Australia Pty. Limited, ADM Bazancourt SASU, ADM Besin ve Tarim Anonim Sirketi, ADM Bio-Productos S.A. de C.V., ADM Bio-Science & Technology (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., ADM Bulgaria Trading EOOD, ADM CARIBBEAN INC., ADM Chile Comercial Limitada, ADM Clinton BioProcessing Inc., ADM Czernin S.A., ADM DO BRASIL LTDA., ADM Direct Polska Sp. z o.o., ADM Dominican Holdings Inc., ADM Dominicana S.A., ADM EMEA Corporate Services GmbH, ADM Edible Bean Specialties Inc., ADM Egypt LLC, ADM El Salvador Ltda. de C.V., ADM Europe Holdco S.L., ADM European Management Holding B.V. & Co. KG, ADM Expatriate Services Inc., ADM Export Co., ADM Food Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., ADM Food Technology (Pinghu) Co. Ltd., ADM France, ADM Fuels Company, ADM German Holdings B.V., ADM Germany GmbH, ADM Grain Costa Rica S.R.L., ADM Grain River System Inc., ADM Grain de Venezuela C.A., ADM Guatemala Limitada, ADM Hamburg Aktiengesellschaft, ADM Holding (Thailand) Ltd., ADM Holdings LLC, ADM Honduras S.de R.L., ADM INGREDIENTS S.R.L., ADM Inca S.A.C., ADM Industries Centers Ltd, ADM International Holdings Inc., ADM International Sarl, ADM Investments Limited, ADM Investor Services Inc., ADM Investor Services International Limited, ADM Ireland Receivables Company Limited, ADM Israel, ADM Italia S.r.l., ADM Japan Ltd., ADM Latin America Inc., ADM Logistics Inc., ADM MANAGEMENT LTD., ADM MOROCCO S.A., ADM Mainz GMBH, ADM Malbork S.A., ADM Medsofts Sarl, ADM Mexico Inc., ADM Mexico S.A. de C.V., ADM Milling Co., ADM Milling Limited, ADM Myanmar Company Limited, ADM New Zealand Limited, ADM Nicaragua SA, ADM Nutrition Holding d.o.o. Beograd, ADM Olomouc S.R.O., ADM PORTUGAL SA, ADM Panama S. De R.L., ADM Paraguay S.R.L., ADM Participacoes Ltda., ADM Poland Sp. z o.o., ADM Protexin Inc., ADM Protexin Limited, ADM Pura Limited, ADM Razgrad EAD, ADM Receivables LLC, ADM Rice Inc., ADM Ringaskiddy Unlimited Company, ADM SERVICIOS S.A. DE C.V., ADM STF DMCC, ADM STF Pte. Ltd., ADM STF Switzerland Sarl, ADM Services B.V., ADM Slovakia s.r.o., ADM Specialty Ingredients (Europe) B.V., ADM Spyck GMBH, ADM Sweden AB, ADM Szamotuly Sp. z o.o., ADM Trading (UK) Limited, ADM Trading Australia Pty. Ltd., ADM Trading Company, ADM Trading Cote D'Ivoire, ADM Transportation Company, ADM Trucking Inc., ADM Unterstutzungskasse GmbH, ADM Uruguay SCA, ADM Ventures Investment Corp., ADM WILD Europe GmbH & Co. KG, ADM WILD Nauen GmbH, ADM WILD Netherlands B.V., ADM WILD SEE Kft, ADM WILD Valencia SAU, ADM Wild Gida Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, ADM Wild UK Limited, ADM Worldwide Holdings L.P., ADMEcuador CIA. Ltda., ADMIS Holding Company Inc., ADMIS Hong Kong Limited, ADMIS SINGAPORE PTE. LIMITED, AGRANIX, AIC Seguros SRL, AMT West LLC, AOR, AT Holdings II Company, Agri Port Services Brasil Ltda., Agri Port Services Investments Ltd., Agri Port Services LLC, Agricolas Madagascar SARLU, Agrinational Insurance Company, Agriserve, Agrograin Ltd., Agrograin Ltd. Sucursal Uruguay, Alfrebro LLC, Alfred C. Toepfer International Exportacao e Importacao Ltda., Alfred C. Toepfer International Netherlands B.V., Alimenta USA, Alimentos Texo SA de CV, American River Transportation Co. LLC, Ameriseed, Anco Animal Nutrition Competence GmbH, Archer Daniels Midland (UK) Limited, Archer Daniels Midland Asia-Pacific Limited, Archer Daniels Midland Company South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Archer Daniels Midland Erith Limited, Archer Daniels Midland Europe B.V., Archer Daniels Midland Europoort B.V., Archer Daniels Midland Korea LLC, Archer Daniels Midland Nederland B.V., Archer Daniels Midland Singapore Pte. Ltd., Archer Daniels Midland Vietnam Company Limited, Archer Daniels Midland Wild Nigeria Ltd., Archer Financial Services Inc., Archer-Daniels-Midland Philippines Inc., Arinos Unlimited, Aston Foods & Food Ingredients, BIOPOLIS S.L., BQ Railroad Company, BTECH Tecnologias Agropecuarias e Comercio Ltda., Balanceados Nova S.A. Balnova, Balto Holdco LLC, Barbados Mills Limited, Bela Vista Bio Etanol Participacoes Ltda., Belize Mills Limited, Belwood Company S.A., Benson-Quinn Commodities Inc., Bern Aqua, Bifodan Inc., Biopolis, CONTROLADORA ADM S.A. DE C.V., Campa Sued GmbH & Co KG, Caribbean Agro-Industries Limited, Casablancas sweetener plant, Cattleman's Choice Loomix LLC, Chamtor, Ci ADM Colombia Ltda., Columbia & Willamette Maritime Services Inc., Comhan, Compania ADM S.A. de C.V., Crosswind Petfoods Inc., DE Holdings LLC, DP Holdings LLC, Daavision B.V., Deerland Europe ApS, Deerland Holdings Inc., Deerland Ireland R&D Limited, Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes, Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes A/S, Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes Inc., Eaststarch, Eatem Corporation, Eatem Foods, Elstar Oils, Empresa de Transporte La Estrella S.R.L., English River Pellets Inc., Epicore BioNetworks Inc., Epicore Ecuador S.A., Epicore Networks (U.S.A.) Inc., Erich Ziegler GmbH, Evialis (Shandong) Co. Ltd., Evialis France, Evialis Galicia S.A., Evialis India Limited, FINANCIERE FRANCO MAGYAR POUR LA NUTRITION ANIMALE - FFMNA, FISA Andina S.A.S., FISA Aromas S.A.S., Fasco Mills Co., Federation Sahanala Vanille, Filozoo SRL, Flavor Infusion, Flavor Infusion International S.A., Florida Chemical, Florida Chemical Company LLC, Flotek Flavor & Fragrance LLC, GLOBAL COCOA HOLDINGS LTD., GP Blanching Inc., GPC Trucking Inc., GROUPE PILARDIERE, GUYOKRMA spol. s.r.o., Golden Farm Production & Commerce Company Limited, Golden Peanut Company, Golden Peanut Company LLC, Golden Peanut and Tree Nut Seed SA (Pty) Ltd., Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts S.A., Green Bison Soy Processing LLC, Group Lysac, Guyomarc'h - VCN Company Limited, Guyomarc'h Vietnam Co. Ltd., Guyovital PT, HFR Shipping Company Ltd., HI-NUTRIENTS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, HRA Shipping Company Ltd., HTI Shipping Company Ltd., Harvest Innovations, Hilltop Grain and Feed, Holding P & A Asia Company Limited, Hubei Meiweiyuan Biotechnology, Ilitchevskiy Maslo Extractionniy Zavod (IMEZ), Industries Centers EOD Trade 2005 Ltd., Invivo NSA Algerie, Invivo NSA Sanpo (Tianjin) Pet Products Co. Ltd, JDS Sarl, Jamaica Flour Mills Limited, Jamaica Rice Milling Company Limited, LANCENTER S.C.A., Liquid Feed Commodities, Logus Bar Ashdod Port Ltd., Malta Industries S.A. de C.V., Malta Texo De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Maniobras Y Servicios Del Interior S.A. de C.V., Master Mix of Trinidad Unlimited, Medsofts Company LLC, Medsofts for Import Co., Medsofts for Investment LLC, Medsofts for Trade LLC (Medsofts Trading), Mepla Comercio e Navegacao Ltda., Mezclas Biomix S.A.S., Monti Foods (Pty) Ltd., Mundo Logistics S.R.L., NEC Facilities LLC, National Enzyme Company LLC, Naviera Chaco S.R.L., Neovia, Neovia Algerie SPA, Neovia Nutricao e Saude Animal Ltda., Neovia Philippines Inc., North Star Shipping S.R.L., NutraDine, NutraDine LLC, NutriMix Feed Company Inc., Nutrilac, Olenex C.V., Olsen's Mill Inc. Four Grain Storage Elevators, P & A Marketing SA, PANCOSMA FRANCE S.A.S, PJSC ADM Illichivsk, PT ADM Indonesia Trading and Logistics, Pancosma & Associates Marketing (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Pancosma (Jiangsu) Feed Additive Co. Ltd., Pancosma (Shanghai) Feed Additives Co. Ltd., Pancosma Canada Inc., Pancosma Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pancosma North America Inc., Pancosma SA, Pedigree Ovens, Pedigree Ovens LLC, PetDine, PetDine LLC, Prairie Pride - Biodiesel Production Plant, Premiere Agri Technologies Asia Inc., Premiere Agri Technologies of Mexico Inc., Proservicios Potencial Humano S.A. de C.V., Provit Sp. z o.o., Pura Foods Limited, Rodelle Inc., SANICOOPA, SDJ Sarl, SORA Laboratories LLC, Sartco Ltda., Schokinag-Schokolade-Industrie Herrmann, Sermix, Servad S.R.L, Setna Nutricion S.A., Silo P. Kruse Betriebs-GmbH & Co. KG, Silo-Betriebsgesellschaft mbH, Societe Industrielle des Oleagineux-SIO, SojaProtein d.o.o. Becej, Sojaprotein, Southern Cellulose Products Inc., Soy Investors LLC, Specialty Commodities, Specialty Commodities LLC, Sul Mineira Alimentos Ltda., Syngenta - Dry Bean Business, Szabadegyhazai Szolgaltato es Vagyonkezeklo KFT, Terminal Stevedores Inc., Terminales De Cargas Especializadas S.A. De C.V., The Pound Bakery, The Pound Bakery LLC, Toepfer International, Toepfer International Trading (Shanghai) Co. LTD., UPSCIENCE ITALIA S.R.L., Upscience, VIA CHEM GROUP a.s. Oilseed Processing Plant, Vantage Corn Processors LLC, WILD Flavors, Wild Amazon Flavors Concentrados e Corantes para Bebidas Ltda., Wild Flavors (Canada) Inc., Wild Flavors Austria GmbH, Wild Flavors Inc., Wild Flavors International GmbH, Wild Flavors Kenya Limited, Wild Flavors Middle East FZE, Wild Flavors Polska Sp. z o.o., Wild Flavors S.A. de C.V., Wild Intermare GmbH, Wild Polska Sp. z o.o., Wild Russia LLC, Wild Tunesia Sarl, Wisium SA (Pty) Ltd., World's Finest Chocolate - New Cocoa Powder Line, and Yerbalatina Ltda..

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The following companies are subsidiares of Novo Nordisk A/S: Aldaph SpA, Beijing Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Science & Technology Co. Ltd., CS Solar Fund XIV LLC, Calibrium, Corvidia, Corvidia Therapeutics Inc., Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Dicerna Pharmaceuticals Inc., Emisphere Technologies, Emisphere Technologies Inc., MB2 LLC, NNE A/S, Neotope Neuroscience Limited, Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk (China) Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Novo Nordisk (Pty) Limited, Novo Nordisk (Shanghai) Pharma Trading Co. Ltd., Novo Nordisk B.V., Novo Nordisk Canada Inc., Novo Nordisk Colombia SAS, Novo Nordisk Comercio Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Novo Nordisk Denmark A/S, Novo Nordisk Egypt LLC, Novo Nordisk Farma OY, Novo Nordisk Farma S.R.L., Novo Nordisk Farma dooel, Novo Nordisk Farmaceutica Limitada, Novo Nordisk Farmaceutica do Brasil Ltda., Novo Nordisk Finance (Netherlands) B.V., Novo Nordisk Health Care AG, Novo Nordisk Hellas Epe., Novo Nordisk Holding Limited, Novo Nordisk Hong Kong Limited, Novo Nordisk Hrvatska d.o.o., Novo Nordisk Hungaria Kft., Novo Nordisk Inc., Novo Nordisk India Holding Pte Ltd., Novo Nordisk India Private Limited, Novo Nordisk Kazakhstan LLP, Novo Nordisk Kenya Ltd., Novo Nordisk Lanka (PVT) Ltd, Novo Nordisk Limited, Novo Nordisk Limited Liability Company, Novo Nordisk Ltd, Novo Nordisk Mexico S.A. de C.V., Novo Nordisk North America Operations A/S, Novo Nordisk Norway AS, Novo Nordisk Panama S.A., Novo Nordisk Pars, Novo Nordisk Peru S.A.C., Novo Nordisk Pharma (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Novo Nordisk Pharma (Private) Limited, Novo Nordisk Pharma (Singapore) Pte Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma (Taiwan) Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma (Thailand) Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma AG, Novo Nordisk Pharma Argentina S.A., Novo Nordisk Pharma EAD, Novo Nordisk Pharma GmbH, Novo Nordisk Pharma Gulf FZE, Novo Nordisk Pharma Inc., Novo Nordisk Pharma Korea Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma Limited, Novo Nordisk Pharma Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma Operations (Business Area) Sdn Bhd, Novo Nordisk Pharma Operations A/S, Novo Nordisk Pharma S.A., Novo Nordisk Pharma SARL, Novo Nordisk Pharma SAS, Novo Nordisk Pharma Sp.z.o.o., Novo Nordisk Pharma d.o.o., Novo Nordisk Pharma d.o.o. Belgrade (Serbia), Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries LP, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Services Sp. z o.o., Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals (Philippines) Inc., Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals A/S, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S, Novo Nordisk Pharmatech US Inc., Novo Nordisk Production SAS, Novo Nordisk Production Support LLC, Novo Nordisk Producao Farmaceutica do Brasil Ltda., Novo Nordisk Region AAMEO and LATAM A/S, Novo Nordisk Region China A/S, Novo Nordisk Region Europe A/S, Novo Nordisk Region Japan & Korea A/S, Novo Nordisk Research Center Indianapolis Inc., Novo Nordisk Research Center Seattle Inc., Novo Nordisk S.P.A., Novo Nordisk Saglik Urunleri Tic. Ltd. Sti., Novo Nordisk Saudi for Trading, Novo Nordisk Scandinavia AB, Novo Nordisk Service Centre (India) Pvt. Ltd., Novo Nordisk Slovakia s.r.o., Novo Nordisk Tunisie SARL, Novo Nordisk US Bio Production Inc., Novo Nordisk US Commercial Holdings Inc., Novo Nordisk US Holdings Inc., Novo Nordisk Ukraine LLC, Novo Nordisk Venezuela Casa de Representacion C.A., Novo Nordisk d.o.o., Novo Nordisk s.r.o., PT. Novo Nordisk Indonesia, S.A. Novo Nordisk Pharma N.V., UAB Novo Nordisk Pharma, Xellia Pharmaceuticals, Ziylo, and Ziylo Limited.

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A 26-year-old Indian-origin computer science student Sean Krishanmakoto Sharma has been indicted for transmitting a programme, information, code, or command causing damage to a chat site in the US.

Indian-origin student charged with initiating a number of cyber-attacks on a chat site in the US

By Press Trust of India: A 26-year-old Indian-origin computer science student has been charged with initiating a number of cyber-attacks on a chat site in the United States of America (US).

Sean Krishanmakoto Sharma has been indicted for transmitting a programme, information, code, or command causing damage to a protected computer, United States Attorney Brian J Stretch and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge John F Bennett said.

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The indictment accuses the graduate student of initiating a number of attacks on a local provider of online chat services.

Also read: US formally accuses Russian hackers with political cyber attacks

According to the indictment, between November 6, 2014 and January 20, 2015, Sharma, used a "distributed denial of service (DDoS) tool to compromise the computers of a San Francisco based company that provides online chat services to third party web sites.

Sharma was arrested on December 9. He was released on a USD 100,000 bond, US Attorney's Office, Northern District of California said in a statement. If convicted, Sharma faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, or a fine.

Also read: As net use spreads, cyber crimes up 19 times over 10 years

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: From Youssra El-Sharkawy

Cairo, Dec 14 (PTI) The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at a church here during a Sunday mass in which 25 people, mostly women and children, were killed and nearly 50 others injured.

The Suicide bomber, nicknamed Abu Abdullah al-Masry, blew himself up with an explosive belt, the terror group said in a statement circulated online.

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Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, while attending the State funeral of the victims on Monday, said a 22-year-old suicide bomber called Mahmoud Shafik Mohamed Mostafa was behind the attack.

He said that four persons including a woman were arrested.

Twenty-five worshippers, mostly women and children, were killed and nearly 50 injured when the powerful blast ripped through the church adjacent to Egypts main Coptic Christian cathedral here during a Sunday mass, the deadliest attack against the minority community in recent times.

The explosion took place inside St Peters Church attached to St Marks Cathedral, the seat of the Coptic pope who heads Egypts Christian minority, in Abbassyia district of central Cairo at around 10:00 AM when the Sunday mass was on. PTI YAS CPS

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China News on Women





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The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at Coptic cathedral on Sunday that killed 25 people.

Security forces examine the scene inside the St. Mark Cathedral in central Cairo, following a bombing on December 11.(Photo: Reuters)

By Reuters: Islamic State claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a suicide bombing at Cairo's main Coptic cathedral on Sunday that killed at least 25 people.

The militant group said in a statement carried by its news agency Amaq that a suicide bomber whom it identified as Abu Abdallah al-Masri had detonated his explosive belt inside the church.

"Every infidel and apostate in Egypt and everywhere should know that our war ... continues," it said. The Interior Ministry identified the bomber on Monday as 22-year-old student Mahmoud Shafik Mohammed Mostafa, and said he was a supporter of the banned Muslim Brotherhood political movement who had joined a militant cell while on the run from police.

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In an interview with Reuters, Mostafa's mother said he had been sexually abused in police custody in 2014, but that she had seen no sign that he had been radicalised.

In addition to the dead, at least 49 people were wounded when the bomb went off in a chapel adjoining St Mark's Cathedral, Cairo's largest church and seat of the Coptic Christian papacy.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said four people had been detained and two were on the run.

PREVIOUS ARREST

Sisi took power in 2013, deposing the Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi, and has since outlawed the Islamist movement as part of a crackdown in which hundreds of its supporters have been killed and thousands jailed.

The Interior Ministry said Mahmoud had been arrested in March 2014 for carrying arms during a protest, and freed on bail after two months. It said he had joined a cell led by Mohab Mostafa Sayyed Qassem, a militant with links to Islamic State fighters in Northern Sinai and exiled Brotherhood officials in Qatar, and was wanted in two other cases.

His mother, Umm Bilal, said Mahmoud had fled to Sudan shortly after being released.

Also read: Cairo Cathedral blast was suicide attack:President Sisi

"Mahmoud would not do this ... he would not kill anyone," she shouted as she listened to a news report on the bombing.

She said Mahmoud's father had died two years ago, and that Mahmoud called her regularly from abroad, most recently about a week ago.

"He said he would not return because security forces would detain him again ... He was asking after me and his sisters ... I didn't notice any change in his voice or anything to suggest he would blow himself up."

"HE CRIED ALL NIGHT"

Umm Bilal, who wore an Islamic face-covering or niqab, said her son had returned broken from police custody, and had confided in his brother that he had been sexually assaulted.

"He kept crying all night ... He wasn't crying because he was beaten or tortured, though the scars were still visible on his face and body," she said. "I believe they broke him at the station, they violated his honour."

But she said Mahmoud had not been radicalised.

She said his two brothers had also been arrested, one of them after the bombing.

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The Muslim Brotherhood won Egypt's first free elections after the 2011 uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. Mursi became president, but was toppled two years later after mass protests.

Also read: 6 policemen killed in Egypt blast

Egypt's oldest Islamist organisation says it is peaceful, but has split into rival wings since the crackdown, while some erstwhile supporters have formed splinter groups that have carried out attacks on police and judicial officials.

Disillusioned by its ill-fated flirtation with democracy, some younger Brotherhood supporters have gone to fight in Syria or joined the local arm of Islamic State, Sinai Province.

Since 2013, the group has killed hundreds of soldiers and police in the Sinai Peninsula, and it has started to attack Western targets within Egypt. The army has responded with air strikes and by bulldozing entire villages.

--- ENDS ---
By Thomas Parker, regular contributor

Champagne owed its initial cachet not merely to the quality of the wines, nor to the fact that they were effervescent (a relatively new phenomenon, historically speaking), but mostly to their close proximity to Paris, which made for convient consumption by Frances kings. But sixteenth- and seventeenth-century sources also attest that Champagnes influence grew further afield, with the wine from the Champagne town of Ay, in particular, obtaining international acclaim. Sources reported that Pope Leo X of Italy, Charles V of Spain, Francois I of France, and Henry VIII of England were all particularly fond of the wines from Ay. The vin dAy didnt really catch on, however, until the second part of the seventeenth century when the periods best-known connoisseur and bon vivant, Charles de Saint-Evremond, joined the party.

Saint-Evremond was from a noble Normand family, and first made a name for himself as an accomplished career soldier in the early part of the century. During the 1650s, he began frequenting elite Paris circles where he became even more known for his repartee and wit, a trait that eventually got him exiled to England when it was discovered that he was the author of a bit of satirical writing skewering the Cardinal Mazarin, Louis XIVs Chief Minister. Before leaving France, however, he and two other cronies established what amounted to Saint-Evremonds most enduring distinction: that of an incorrigible food and wine snob. The three were so persnickety in their tastes, as the story goes, that they would only consent to drink wine issuing from three specific slopes in Champagne. Word of this spread and people began referring to them as the three Coteaux, or Slopes.

Rather than taking offense, the Coteaux seemed to relish the moniker, bandying it about town in reference to themselves and fanning the mix of fame and notoriety their reputation started to bring. A satire from the period, entitled Les Coteaux ou les Marquis Friands, claimed that Of todays aficionados, [the Coteaux] are the most elite and distinguished. Presented with game, they can tell by the smell its place of provenance. The Bishop of Lemans added to this image in a chiding tone, These men () can only eat river veal: they must have partridges from the Auvergne; their rabbits must be from the Roche-Guyon or Versine, and as for wine, they can only drink that from three slopes of Ay, Hautvilliers, and Avenay.

It was not just the mens choosiness that was important, but also what they chose. In each of the selections, from the river veal, reputed to be the most tender available, to the wines, the emphasis was on a set of qualities, including whiteness, lightness, delicateness, and purity, that began to pop up everywhere where food was praised in the second half of seventeenth-century.

Champagne became the very icon and pinnacle of good taste in this regard. Following in the footsteps of Frances royal tradition, Saint-Evremond, who deemed the wines of Ay superior to the two other slopes, allowed that:

If you ask which of these wines I prefer, without allowing me to stray to the taste trends inspired by the false connoisseurs, I would say to you that the good wine of Ay is the most natural of all wines, the healthiest, and the most purified of any odor of terroir, and of the most exquisite pleasurability in its flavor of peaches, which is unique to it, and the best in my opinion of all flavors.

The false connoisseurs in question were those who sought effervescent versions of champagne, a quality frowned upon by traditionalists at the time.

What is perhaps most striking is that Saint-Evremond and the Coteaux, as early seventeenth-century prototypes of todays supertasters and wine snobs, did not gravitate toward the specificity and authenticity of the terroir as would contemporary wine connoisseurs.

Rather, along with a proclivity for all that was light and white, they sought foods washed of any flavors that would be identified with the earth. Instead of representing an unadulterated expression of place, the most exquisite, cosmopolitan, and refined foods and wines were paradoxically thought purest if they were both place specific and rang of no place.
Swiss regulator calls for steam generator checks

14 December 2016

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The Swiss nuclear safety regulator has requested a review of documentation to check the design and quality of the forgings of the steam generators at the Beznau and Gosgen nuclear power plants. The regulator said it was "reacting to information from France".

The Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) has asked that in-depth reviews are carried out of the manufacturing documents for the components. These reviews are to include such information as: the manufacturer, manufacturing period, material, applied design specification and regulations, deviations during the manufacture, manufacturing with details of the forging process, the size of the ingots, acceptance tests carried out including test certificates, test requirements, inspection company and acceptance authorities. ENSI said non-destructive testing of the material will also be required "for further clarification of the facts".

The plant operators are required to submit their review results to ENSI by the end of April.

Following questions over quality control and carbon content of steel in the reactor pressure vessel of the EPR under construction at Flamanville, France, Areva was asked by the French nuclear safety regulator to review its records for some 400 heavy steel components made at the Creusot Forge plant since 1965. The steel in parts of some steam generators produced at the forge were subsequently found to contain high concentrations of carbon.

The steam generators at the Beznau plant were replaced in the 1990s with replacements partly produced by the Creusot Forge in France. The forged components of the steam generators at Gosgen were produced in Germany.

In June, ENSI requested Swiss plants check whether components from the Creusot Forge with possibly incorrect production documentation were or still are in use. All the plants were able to confirm that the manufacturing and material certificates for all forgings used for the safety-related main components are fully documented.

ENSI deputy director Georg Schwarz said, "Thus far we have no evidence to indicate that the steam generators in Beznau and Gosgen are affected by impermissible deviations in the material properties."

Steam generators are used in pressurized water reactors. They act as heat exchangers between the water circulating in the reactor's primary coolant circuit and the water in the secondary circuit that supplies steam to the turbines. Their domed lower head is part of the primary circuit and therefore has an important safety role in ensuring cooling water is always available.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
Lithuania is a Northern European nation. It is also one of the three Baltic states. The country is located along the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea. Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and the Kaliningrad Oblast border the nation. The country has a population of around 2.9 million people as of 2015. Vilnius is the biggest city and capital of Lithuania. Lithuanian and Latvian are the two official languages of the country. Lithuanias population is primarily urban by nature. Since the 1990s, the country has experienced a steady migration of population from the rural areas to the cities. The well executed and planned development of regional centers have encouraged this trend. A report in 2015 mentions that 66.5% of the Lithuanian population lived in urban areas. Here we mention some of the most populous Lithuanian cities and their important features.

The Four Biggest Cities In Lithuania

Vilnius

Vilnius is Lithuanias biggest city and also the countrys seat of government. It is located in the country s south-eastern part and is classified as a Gamma global city. Vilnius is famous for its Old Town architecture that was inscribed in 1994 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is often called the "Jerusalem of Lithuania," due to the Jewish influence on the cityscape of Vilnius. The city houses nearly 20% of the countrys population and generates nearly one-third of the countrys GDP. Solar and laser technology manufacturing centers and biotechnological manufacturers are also located in the city. Vilnius has a number of universities, the largest being the Vilnius University.

Kaunas

The second biggest city in Lithuania is Kaunas which is a leading economic, cultural, and academic center in the country. Kaunas is located where the waters of the two rivers Nemunas and the Neris merge. The largest body of water in the country, the Kaunas Reservoir is also located near the city. Food and beverage, publishing and processing, metal, wood processing, chemical, textile, etc., are the major industries active in Kaunas. Many national and international companies have their headquarters located in this Lithuanian city.

Klaipeda

Klaipeda is the third largest Lithuanian city and the Klaipeda Countys capital. The city is of immense national importance due to it being a usually ice-free port at the Akmena-Dane Rivers mouth. The port is the most significant hub of transport in Lithuania and is a deep-water, multipurpose port. The cities Old Town is famous for its Scandinavian and German architecture and is frequented by tourists visiting the country.

Siauliai

Siauliai is the fourth biggest city in Lithuania and the Siauliai Countys capital. The city has served as an industrial center since the beginning of the 19th century. Several manufacturing and service companies, shopping centers, commercial enterprises, etc., are located in the city today.
By Mail Today Bureau: The curtain raiser of the 10th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival 2016 was a taste of what the five-day literature extravaganza holds for bookworms and book lovers. In sync with the theme for this year - 'Bhakti' - the event at Taj Mahal Hotel even included a reading of a poem in praise of Lord Vishnu.

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Speaking on the occasion, author William Dalrymple, one of the three founders of the festival, said, "It's a big deal for any young or budding author to be a part of the festival, because the audience is huge. A reading by someone like Jhumpa Lahiri or Arundhati Roy benefits readers with such a riveting experience." Co-founder Sanjoy Roy said the literature festival will also have a Melbourne edition.

ALSO READ:

JLF releases fifth list of speakers for 10th edition

--- ENDS ---
President-Elect and tech leaders to summit in New York about the upcoming new administration's policies.

During the 2016 Presidential campaign, the Republican candidate Donald Trump had a good many harsh words to say about the tech industry, and in turn, not many of the tech industrys top officers supported Mr. Trump in his bid to become President.

But, as he is about to be inaugurated, Trump and a Whos Who of the US tech industry are about to sit down for a face-to-face at Trump Tower in New York, a meeting that could give some indication of the Trump administrations plans and strategies for his make America great again initiative.

The meeting, scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, will be moderated by billionaire tech invester Peter Theil and Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and adviser. It is expected the focus of the meeting will be job creation and governmental efficiency, two of Trumps campaign promises.

But, it will be surprising if some of the discussion doesnt include Trumps plans on re-working trade agreements and strengthening immigration laws that could limit the industrys hiring of foreign employees.

Invitees include Tim Cook of Apple, Jeff Bezos from Amazon, Facebooks Sheryl Sandberg, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Elon Musk, and Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, of Googles parent company Alphabet Inc., among other leaders of the tech sector.

The tech industry enjoyed tremendous growth and record profits under the Obama administration, and it is likely they will lobby for maintaining a similar working relationship with the incoming president.

Still, the President-Elect has his own ideas about how the system should work, but the election-winning Trump so far seems to be more receptive to listening to advisers than the campaign Trump. He has softened his stance on several issues and looks to be trying to reconcile with some of his harshest critics.

So it remains to be seen if the industry can get along with the new administration, but maybe this first meeting will go a long way towards defining expectations from both sides.
A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took
A day after Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia was announced to Burhan Wani's brother, Mehbooba today said that there was a need to differentiate between militants and their families.

By Shuja-ul-Haq : A day after controversy over Rs four lakh ex-gratia to Hizbul commander Burhan wani's brother hinting Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's support, in a statement issued at Pulwama today Mehbooba said, "we have to differentiate between a militant and his family, his brother and his parents".

She further went on to reiterate that local militants should be brought back to mainstream rather than being killed in encounters.

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Mehbooba while speaking at the passing out parade said that situation has to be made better in which use of pellet guns can be minimised. The event was organised at the Commandos Training Center (CTC) Lethpora Pulwama. She sought police cooperation for bringing peace in Kashmir.

The Jammu and Kashmir CM also pointed out that excessive force was used on People during the past five months of unrest in Kashmir valley.

The office of Deputy Commissioner of Pulwama has issued a notice listing name of Khalid wani among those who are likely to receive ex-gratia relief from the govt. Khalid wani was killed in an incident of cross fire last year. The ex-gratia relief was cleared for 17 militancy-related cases.

The order has sought objections from anyone within a weeks time against it before it can be executed. So far it wasn't clear whether Burhan's family has accepted the said compensation from the govt.

A major unrest was triggered after killing of Burhan wani in an encounter by security forces in an encounter in south Kashmir's Kokernag area on July 8 this year triggered unrest in the Valley which has left as many people dead, thousands have been injured and many left without vision due to pellet gun injuries.

Even now the valley is yet to come out of the unrest thought things seem to have calmed down considerably.

Watch the video here:

Also read:

Kashmir: Special fortnightly train for children flagged off by Mehbooba Mufti

Mehbooba says India-Pak confrontation can lead to 'disaster of epic proportions'

--- ENDS ---
Local Communities Praised For Willingness to Help Syrian Refugee Families

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Dec 14th, 2016

Wrexham is a place that welcomes those who find themselves in difficulties.

That is the view of Lead Member for Communities and Partnerships, Cllr Hugh Jones who praised the welcome the people of Wrexham have given to Syrian refugee families who have been housed in the area.

In April this year, Wrexham Councils Executive Board voted to resettle up to five Syrian families during the 2016/17 financial year.

The move by Wrexham Council came as part of the Home Office-funded Syrian Relocation Scheme, which provided support to local authorities to find accommodation for refugees fleeing the country, now in its fifth year of civil war.

Currently four families have been identified and allocated to Wrexham totalling 20 people.

Two families are in residence as of early November with a two further families expected to arrive in Wrexham by mid-December. Subject to the securing of a further private sector property a fifth family will be identified.

Home Office funding for the families support needs includes opportunities to learn English.

Introducing the report at yesterdays Executive Board, Cllr Jones said: I dont think anyone in this room today or watching on the webcast can be unaware of the current situation in Syria, the innocent victims of war and acts of terrorism and the need for us as a community to act in a humanitarian way.

Wrexham over the years has demonstrated its willingness to comfort those who find themselves victims of conflict and situations  this is another example of our willingness on this road.

It can be truly said that Wrexham is a place that welcomes people who find themselves in these difficulties.

The Home Office have funded a scheme of support for vulnerable Syrian refugees to relocate in the UK. As the report has indicated we have agreed to accomodate up to five families as part of the first arrangement.

Cllr Jones also paid tribute to council officer Gill Granger, fellow staff members and the broad cross sections of the community who have made the Syrian families feel welcome.

He added: The evidence we have from them [the families] is the support given to them is gratefully received. I would like to thank all those in terms of people involved in the communities who have helped integrate our Syrian guests into the community.

We need to move to the next stage. It is a Home Office funded scheme, staged and being received in accordance to the scheme from the Home Office.

Welcoming the report, Cllr Neil Rogers said: I am equally pleased to support the recommendation this morning. One thing highlighted in my mind was the comments in 4.7 of the report about the families, their children and how they have adapted to life in peaceful Wales.

You only have to look at the TV to see what has happened and the devastation made. It is had a huge impact on the people in Syria and the neighbouring countries.

Reference was also made to appalling comments made to Wrexham Council in relation to the refugee scheme, with Cllr Rogers adding: We should be making people feel welcome. I would not want this to happen to any of us.

Questions about the funding of the scheme were posed by Cllr Bob Dutton, who said: On a practical level, the Home Office have committed to the first year of funding, is there any further information on that?

It was noted that there is five years of tapered funding available for each family from the Home Office.

Council Leader Mark Pritchard added: Wrexham has a proud and wonderful tradition in helping and supporting families who are fleeing war and persecution  long may it continue.

I hope we always have the strength in Wrexham to continue the tradition and dont allow individuals to influence us in making the wrong decision in helping and supporting refugees.
The petition has also asked for the recovery of all medical documents during the AIADMK chief's stay in Chennai's Apollo Hospital for more than two months.

By India Today Web Desk: A Chennai-based NGO today filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court demanding a CBI probe into the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

The petition has also asked for the recovery of all medical documents during the AIADMK chief's stay in Chennai's Apollo Hospital for more than two months.

Jayalalithaa, 68, died of cardiac arrest on December 5. Her stay in Apollo since September 22 was marked by secrecy, forcing many to ask questions about her health and the future of the AIADMK.

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ALSO READ: What exactly happened to Jayalalithaa? We got this from doctors who know

Last week, senior Tamil actor Gautami Tadimalla had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising questions about the "secrecy" maintained by the Tamil Nadu government during Jayalalithaa's treatment.

ALSO READ: How did Jayalalithaa die? Tamil actor Gautami Tadimalla writes to PM Modi for answers

The 48-year-old star had also questioned why nobody was allowed access to her when she was admitted in the hospital and wanted to know about the people who took all the decisions regarding the treatment.

ALSO READ: Why a practicing Iyengar like Jayalalithaa was buried, not cremated

ALSO WATCH

--- ENDS ---
The Labour Partys Michael Wood won a by-election on December 3 in the Auckland seat of Mount Roskill, which was called after the sitting Labour MP Phil Goff was elected mayor of Auckland in October and resigned from parliament.

Labour and its supporters in the media touted Woods victory as evidence that the party is gaining support and could win the 2017 general election. Wood received nearly 2.5 times as many votes as the National Party governments candidate Parmjeet Parmar. Just two days after the by-election, Prime Minister John Key announced his sudden resignation, raising doubts on whether National can retain power.

The Mount Roskill result certainly reflects hostility toward the government, which is presiding over soaring social inequality. In Auckland, the countrys largest city, a housing crisis is being fuelled by rampant property speculation. The average house price is over $1 million. Thousands of people unable to afford sky-rocketing rents are living in overcrowded conditions, or in garages and cars. Nationwide, 41,000 are homeless. While Mount Roskill is not as impoverished as parts of South Auckland, the electorates median personal income in 2013 was $27,200about $4,000 below the full-time minimum wage.

Above all, the results point to alienation and disgust with both parties of big business. Despite a highly visible campaign, voter turnout plummeted from 46,270 (73 percent) in the 2014 general election to just 16,857 (37 percent). This follows the similarly low 35.2 percent turnout in the Auckland Council election.

The Labour Party has lost three consecutive general elections by a landslide. In 2014 it received just 24.7 percent of votes, its worst result since 1922, amid near-record abstention by more than a million people. Labour is widely seen as no alternative to National. Following Keys resignation, Labour leader Andrew Little praised Nationals response to the 2008 financial crisis, which consisted of severe austerity measures, an increase in the goods and services tax, tax cuts for big business, and attacks on welfare recipients. Labour agrees with this agenda.

The Labour Party strongly supports the strengthening of New Zealands alliance with the US, including the decision to send troops to the current war in Iraq. The 19992008 Labour government joined the US war in Afghanistan and the occupation of Iraq. Labour also backs Washingtons encirclement and preparations for war against China and has criticised National from the right for not spending enough on the military.

Woods campaign in Mount Roskill reflected Labours right-wing politics. One of his central demands was for more police stations and 1,000 extra officers. In an electorate where half the population was born overseas and 39 percent of voters are of Asian background, Wood sought to scapegoat immigrants and overseas speculators for driving up house prices and placing pressure on infrastructure.

Wood declared during a public debate on November 9 that Labour wanted to slash immigration and ban foreigners from buying houses. Labour has joined the right-wing populist New Zealand First Party in repeated attempts to whip up xenophobia against Chinese people in particular.

The Labour Party was boosted in the by-election by the fact that New Zealand First and the Greens decided not to stand candidates. Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei stated in September that the Greens would not contest the seat because the partys priority is changing the government in 2017. Earlier this year the Greens signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate with Labour, in the hope of joining a future coalition government led by this pro-business and pro-imperialist party.

Last year, the Greens and Labour similarly stood aside to help New Zealand First leader Winston Peters win a by-election in the seat of Northland. Both parties, along with the Maori nationalist Mana Party, celebrated the victory of Peters, who has repeatedly launched tirades against Chinese, Indian, Pacific Island immigrants and Muslims.

Significantly, Labours by-election victory has been celebrated by the pseudo-left groups Socialist Aotearoa and the International Socialist Organisation (ISO). Both groups, along with the Unite union, assisted Wood by denouncing National candidate Parmar for supporting the governments planned deportation of 150 Indian students. The students, after spending thousands of dollars to study in New Zealand, are being punished after it was discovered that India-based agents falsified their visa documents.

The deportations are outrageous and must be opposed. The pseudo-lefts, however, have used the issue to try to downplay Labours own blatantly anti-immigrant policies.

In a post-by-election article, the ISO falsely stated that Woods campaign had featured none of the xenophobic [sic] Labours been dishing out recently. While criticising Woods demand for more police officers, the article declared that on housing he pushed to the left, clearly campaigning to whats left of Mt Roskills historic working-class communities.

In fact, Labours major housing plan, promoted on Woods web site, is thoroughly pro-business. The party would work with private developers to build 100,000 homes over 10 years, which would be sold at between $500,000 and $600,000well beyond the reach of low-paid workers. Labour has no intention of undermining the profits of super-rich property investors.

The pseudo-lefts and the unions cover up Labours pro-business agenda because they represent sections of the middle class that aim to improve their own position under a Labour government. In the past two elections, the ISO, Socialist Aotearoa and Fightback, and leading members of Unite, campaigned as part of the Mana Party, a capitalist party based on sections of the Maori elite and petty bourgeoisie, which hoped to enter parliament in support of a Labour-led government.

The pseudo-lefts are preparing to play a similar role in next years general election. Speaking at the Unite unions conference on December 7, national secretary Mike Treen advocated support for the alternative government, which he described as a coalition of Labour, the Greens and potentially NZ First and the right-wing Maori Party. He promoted the parties as progressive, citing their hollow promises to increase the minimum wage by about $4.50 an hour over several years.

In fact, a Labour-led government, if elected, would be completely subservient to the needs of big business. It would respond to growing geo-political tensions and the threat of another financial crisis by implementing deeper austerity measures, attacking immigrants and accelerating the militarys preparations for war.
Earlier this month, President-elect Donald Trump chose Betsy DeVos for the cabinet position of education secretary in his incoming administration. DeVos is a virulent opponent of public education who has long promoted religious obscurantism and bigotry. This is the second part of the political profile of DeVos and her family. The first, published on December 13, can be found here.

The New Right and the Council for National Policy

On the other side of Betsy DeVoss family tree, her father-in-law Rich DeVos, Sr., was the co-founder of the Amway Corporation. He is largely credited with establishing The New Right in 1970s and funding it over decades. During this period, DeVos played leadership roles in a wide range of right-wing groups, including Focus on the Family (designated as a hate-group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its font of anti-gay propaganda), the American Enterprise Institute, Alliance for School Choice, and FreedomWorks Foundation.

The elder DeVos notoriously served on Ronald Reagans first AIDS commission and blamed patients for their illness, saying, You are responsible for your actions, too, you know. Conduct yourself properly, which is a pretty solid Christian principle. He also denounced dying people for requests for special treatment.

Rich DeVos, Sr. was also an early funder and past president of the Council for National Policy. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) describes the group as a little-known club of a few hundred of the most powerful conservatives in the country, an organization so tight-lipped that it tells its people not to admit membership or even name the group.

Included in the shadowy alliance of the CNP, containing both the Prince and DeVos families, are many of the most right-wing figures in American politics. These include Oliver North (responsible for the illegal Iran-Contra paramilitary operation directed out of the basement of the Reagan White House, as well as Rex 84, a plan for the roundup of immigrants and political activists), former Moral Majority leader and ultra-right evangelical Tim LaHaye (author of the religious fanatical Left Behind series on the apocalypse), oilman Nelson Bunker Hunt (a former member of the John Birch Societys ruling council), and Paul Weyrich (cofounder of the Heritage Foundation and the American Legislative Exchange Council). It also includes former KKK leader Richard Shoff and televangelist Pat Robertson (who has defended assassination as a foreign policy tool and described Muslims as worse than the Nazis), and other proponents of hate politics against gays, Jews, blacks, Latinos, Islam, etc., according to the SPLC.

Blackwater

DeVoss sole sibling, younger brother Erik Prince, is the former CEO of the mercenary supplier and private military contractor Blackwater, which has played a major role in the criminal wars conducted by the CIA and US military from 1997. It has received highly lucrative contracts from the Clinton through Obama years.

This is of particular significance in that Erik Prince put into practice, in the military, the privatization and profiteering which Betsy has sought to do in education with her bottomless pit of political contributions. It is notable that Erik Prince was an early and generous supporter of Trump, substantially prior to his sister.

Developing the free enterprise model in the military, Blackwater created a parallel operational force, offering private fighting corps, logistics and security teams to the US government--and being paid handsomely for it. The firm netted $1 billion in US government contracts and became the largest of the State Departments three private security companies.

Blackwater provided guards for embassies and bases abroad, and was pivotal in the wars against Afghanistan and Iraq, where Prince ran more than 100,000 missions. Legally, the mercenary organization was permitted greater latitude in its military conduct than the US military, which made it a prized conduit for US special operations.

In its most infamous action, the firms personnel opened fire with their automatic weapons on stopped traffic in Nisour Square, Baghdad in 2007, murdering 17 Iraqi civilians and injuring another 20. While running Blackwater, Prince was also using his personal wealth and expertise to recruit a worldwide network of spies to track al-Qaeda in hard target locations on behalf of the CIA.

Subsequent to his mild legal fallout from the Nisour Square case, Prince sold the lucrative company and was hired by the United Arab Emirates to establish a private army just prior to the eruption of the Arab Spring. He has a new firm, Frontier Services, another highly lucrative publicly-traded corporation involved in worldwide operations, with a specialty in Africa. He presently trains Somalis and is conducting operations in South Sudan.

Jeremy Scahills book Blackwater documents the close friendship (and financial support from) Prince and his family to some the countrys most militant Christian extremists, such as former Watergate conspirator Chuck Colson, a pioneer of faith-based prisons, and Gary Bauer of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, whose mission is defending territories that the Crusaders had conquered from the Moslems.

Prince has roundly criticized Obama for his half-hearted strategy against ISIS, demanding that the US should let the private sector finish the job.

Privatization and profiteering

In a similar vein, Betsy DeVoss education revolution, which she considers a mission from God, is no doubt equally motivated by mammon, specifically the determination to crack wide open the $600 billion edu-business market.

The blending of politics, religion and profits is a core aspect of Amway, Rich DeVoss pyramid business, originally based on selling soaps and vitamins. Rebranded as Quixtar, it was named by Forbes as the 29th largest private corporation in the US, with annual sales of $9.5 billion and a presence in over 100 countries. In The Cult of Free Enterprise, Stephen Butterfield, drawing on his personal experience, wrote [Amway] sells a marketing and motivational system, a cause, a way of life, in a fervid emotional atmosphere of rallies and political religious revivalism.

The familys philanthrophic activities are largely made possible by the family fortune amassed in these (at best) sordid enterprises or (at worst) criminal ones. The company was among the first and certainly the most successful to use the labor of Independent Business Operators or independent contractors as a means to avoid federal taxes, overtime payments and labor regulations. It has been the subject of numerous federal investigations in its pursuit of profits and political influence.

In 1982 DeVos was forced to plead guilty to a criminal scheme in which he had created dummy invoices on imports into Canada, which defrauded that government of $22 million in custom duties. In 1994 the DeVos family gave $2.5 million to the Republican Party, which was the largest known soft money donation from a corporation in the countrys history, raising legal alarm bells. By 2009, DeVoss son Dick and daughter-in-law Betsy were facing a record $5.2 million civil fine of their own for violating Ohios campaign finance laws, explained Jane Mayer in her book Dark Money.

To push back against her legal difficulties, Betsy DeVos became a founding board member of the James Madison Center for Free Speech to spearhead the effort to end restrictions on soft money in politics. This collaboration, Mayer documents, laid the basis for the infamous 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission. A profound attack on democracy, Citizens United gave the oligarchic bourgeoisie a blank check to purchase candidates and install them in office.

How is it that such soft soap hucksters from Ada, Michigan loom so large in American politics?

A product of the decline of capitalism and crisis of American democracy, the DeVos clan represents the rise of a filthy rich oligarchy determined to eliminate the gains of the working class won over decades and to turn the historical clock backwards. As the WSWS has repeatedly explained, democratic political forms and such rights as access to quality public education are incompatible with the growth of immense social inequality and endless militarism and imperialist wars.

Social opposition will grow as the character of the incoming Trump administrationa government of billionaires, generals and ultra-right opponents of basic democratic rightsbecomes clearer to workers and young people. The way forward, however, is not trying to revive the rotting corpse of the Democratic Partywhose pro-business policies, fixation with identity politics and hostility to the social concerns of the working class paved the way for Trump.

Instead a mass political and socialist movement of the working class must be built, based on the irreconcilable defense of social and democratic rights and putting an end to the economic and political dictatorship of the corporate and financial aristocracy over society.
In nominating former Texas Governor Rick Perry as secretary of energy, President-elect Donald Trump is continuing the pattern of selecting enemies of consumer protection and regulation of business to run the federal agencies charged with these responsibilities.

Perry is on record as a supporter of the complete elimination of the Department of Energy. It was the third of three federal departments he called for abolishing during a Republican presidential debate in 2011, the one whose name he forgot, leading to the widely ridiculed Oops moment that helped torpedo his campaign for the 2012 nomination.

The Department of Energy has two major functions: regulatory oversight of energy industries, including fossil fuel, wind, solar and nuclear; and production, storage and replenishment of the US nuclear weapons stockpile. The latter function, including massive cleanup costs involved in disposing of nuclear waste, accounts for two-thirds of the departments budget.

When Perry and other right-wing Republicans and think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation call for the abolition of the Department of Energy, they have in mind its regulatory functions and programs for promoting non-fossil-fuel energy sources such as wind and solar, not its nuclear weapons operations, which would be transferred to the Pentagon.

The direction that Trump intends for the Department of Energy was indicated by a questionnaire sent by Trumps transition team to the agency, which sought, among other things, a list of all Department of Energy employees or contractors who have attended certain meetings related to climate change. Energy Department officials declined to provide such a list, but the request led to widespread complaints from workers in the agency that the incoming administration was preparing a witch-hunt against those who upheld the scientific case for the dangers of global warming.

Perrys signing on with the government of Donald Trump is a remarkable act of political cynicism on both sides. During the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, Perry made some of the most scathing comments as Trump began to emerge as the frontrunner. Perry described Trump as a cancer on conservatism whose campaign was a toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and nonsense that will lead the Republican Party to perdition if pursued.

Now this cancerous demagogue has offered Perry a position of considerable power, commanding a department with 100,000 employees and contractors and a $30 billion budget, with influence over policies critical to the business interests Perry has long represented politically, and Perry has leapt at the chance.

As the governor for 14 years of the state with the highest oil and gas production, Perry has the closest ties to the industry, invariably taking its side on issues such as antipollution regulation, legally required cleanup efforts and workers safety.

After the BP oil spill polluted much of the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the worst environmental disaster in US history, the Texas governor alibied for the giant corporation even as tar balls were washing up on Texas beaches. He called the explosion on the Deep Horizon oil platform an act of God.

BP was also responsible for one of the worst industrial disasters on land, which occurred during Perrys governorship. This was the May 2005 Texas City refinery explosion, which killed 15 workers and injured 170 others.

After leaving office, Perry immediately signed on as a shill for the oil and gas industry. He is currently on the board of directors of Energy Transfer Partners, the company that is building the Dakota Access Pipeline, the target of mass protests by Native Americans and environmentalists near the Standing Rock Reservation.

Perry is an adamant opponent of climate science, going even beyond Trump. While the president-elect has alternately denounced climate change as a hoax perpetrated by China and declared that he has an open mind on the subject, the former Texas governor has claimed that climate change is a scam by a substantial number of scientists who have manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling into their projects.

As energy secretary, Perry will be in charge of major nuclear weapons facilities, including Hanford, Washington; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Savannah, Georgia. At all of these facilities there are pressing issues of worker safety and the safety of the populations living near the sites.

One of the most important issues for the next energy secretary will be the ongoing preparations for a permanent storage site for nuclear waste generated by the military and the civilian nuclear power industry. The facility is to be built at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Its completion was long blocked by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
Since the installation of a minority government of the right-wing Popular Party (PP) in October, the pseudo-left Podemos and United Left (IU) parties, along with Spains trade unions, have launched a back to the streets campaign. They are going back to the streets after having held no significant protests for years, amidst the draconian austerity policies of previous governments.

The sudden about-face comes in a definite political context. There is deep anger at the Socialist Party (PSOE) for backing the PP government, for whom most of the Spanish people did not vote. The PP plans to impose 8 billion in European Union (EU)-backed cuts in two years, freeze pensions for the fourth consecutive year and slash public sector pay, unemployment benefits and public spending. It will pay 30 billion in interest on Spains debt and announced tax increases of 4.65 billion last week.

The PP government is so weak and discredited that it is seeking support from the unions and pseudo-left parties to impose its austerity policy. It fears unrest and explosive opposition among workers and youth, nearly half of whom are unemployed. This is compounded by its fear of growing social opposition to war and austerity internationally, after Donald Trump was elected as US president despite losing the popular vote.

The unions met with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and business representatives in late November to plan the austerity measures. After the meeting, the Workers Commissions (CC.OO) and General Labor Union (UGT) claimed that Rajoy had imposed too many limits to social dialogue. They then announced joint protests, on December 15 and 18, while insisting that they would keep negotiating with Rajoy, because negotiations and mobilization are not incompatible.

Podemos is now offering political cover to the unions maneuvers to contain and dissipate workers opposition to austerity. This well-worn tactic has been deployed internationally, above all in Greece. There, Podemoss ally Syriza worked with the unions to call one-day protests before coming to power in 2015 and implementing the harshest austerity package in Greek history. At one point, the Syriza government even supported a strike against its own austerity measures, confident that the unions posed no threat.

Podemos started similar actions soon after the PP took power. Podemos parliamentarians protested Rajoys investiture outside parliament. Podemos then intervened in protests held against electricity company Gas Natural, after an 81-year-old woman died when her apartment caught fire. She was using candles to light the flat because she could not pay her electricity bill.

Suddenly, Podemos also began making a few stage-managed interventions in workers struggles. Last week, Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, alongside his number two Inigo Errejon and IU leader Alberto Garzon, attended a rally for a 24-hour strike of telecom workers. Iglesias said strikers were the social opposition to the PP and criticized unjust and inefficient austerity measures of PP and PSOE governments.

Garzon joined in to declare his support for workers who are fighting for their labor rights, as part of IUs new, Dont let them screw your life campaign.

Days later, Iglesias visited a trade union protest of Coca-Cola workers outside PP headquarters. He declared, We have to continue not drinking Coca-Cola, because Coca-Cola is attacking workers rights, and repeated that Podemos embodies social opposition to the PP and large multinationals.

The actions of the unions have been supported not only by Podemos but also by the PSOE, whose abstention in parliament secured the installation of a PP government. PSOE interim leader Javier Fernandez, replacing the ousted general secretary Pedro Sanchez, met with the union leaders and declared that PSOE will give political and parliamentary support to the social agenda of the unions and will support their mobilizations.

These forces are all now promoting the unions as they maneuver with the PP. The union federations have demobilized the working class, even as wages fell by 22 percent since the economic crisis of 2008. The number of strikes has fallen to record lows, from 810 strikes and 542,508 strikers in 2008, to 777 strikes and 217,047 strikers in 2014, and 422 strikes and 96,795 strikers this year. At the same time, the unions negotiated austerity measures with PSOE and PP governments, and worked with companies to impose job and pay cuts in the name of competitiveness.

Podemoss promotion of the unions is a cynical propaganda campaign, aimed at trapping workers behind bankrupt organizations, launched by a party that has declared its contempt for social protest. In July, right after the June 26 general elections, Iglesias declared that social change should occur through state institutions, and the stupid things we used to say when we were far-left, that things change on the streets and not in the institutions, are lies.

Months later, in October, Iglesias again stressed that his populist rhetoric did not aim to effect a change in state policy. He said that populism ends when politics culminate in the [public] administration, when administrative decisions have to be taken from the state, the town hall or the party. He added, If we rule we will look for compromises and consensus, and we would openly say that our populism has ended, that it was useful in the fight.

Podemoss attempt now to posture as a voice of workers opposition and social protest is a conscious political fraud.

Created by a group of Stalinist academics and operatives of the Anticapitalist Left (IA) party in 2014, Podemos has worked primarily through the numerous media outlets offered to them by the bourgeoisie to channel social discontent back behind the political establishment. Just two months ago, Podemos was promoting illusions that it could create a Government of Change with the PSOE. Instead, the PSOE supported the PP.

Podemos has put its politics into practice. Over the last year and a half, it backed governments of change running in major cities, including Madrid, Barcelona, Cadiz, Zaragoza, Valencia and Santiago de Compostela. These have reduced their debts by at least 2.3 billion and earned the applause of the banks. In the words of Cadiz mayor Jose Maria Gonzalez (a Podemos member), even the [Ministry of the] Treasury recognizes that the local town councils of change do their homework.

In Barcelona, former anti-evictions activist and Barcelonas current mayor, Ada Colau, targeted migrant workers working as street vendors for mass arrests and deportations. Earlier this year, she opposed a strike of 3,200 workers on Barcelonas public metro system and supported a minimum service requirement to keep trains running and crush the strike.

As for the Stalinist-led IU, its pro-austerity positions are a matter of public record. In 2008, IU reacted to the economic crisis by deepening its collaboration with the PSOE, implementing billions of euros in cuts in the Andalusia, Catalonia, Asturias and Extremadura regions. At the same time, it used its positions in the union bureaucracy to prevent strikes from developing into political struggles against PSOE and PP governments.
Sri Lankan Port Minister Arjuna Ranatunga has declared that the striking workers at Hambantotas Magampura Port will lose their jobs if they do not stop their protest and return to work immediately.

Nearly 500 workers went on strike on December 7, opposing the governments plans to privatise the port and demanding to be made permanent employees of the governments Ports Authority. Since 2013 they have been working as hired casual employees.

Last Friday, the government underscored its determination to privatise the facility by signing an agreement to sell 80 percent of the port companys shares to Chinas state-owned Merchants Port Holdings Company.

In a press conference on Monday, Ranatunga told the workers: Give up the protest, go home and come to work fresh the next day. We have thousands of applicants waiting to take up duties.

Ranatunga also alleged that the strikers damaged government properties. Workers denied the accusation as malicious propaganda, aimed at suppress ing their struggle.

Speaking on behalf of the government, the minister accused the strikers of being stooges of the previous government of President Mahinda Rajapakse and trying to destabilise the employment status of the Ports Authority.

If I make a new company tomorrow, I will not take any of these employees because they are still influenced by the political forces and they cannot be trusted, Ranatunga added.

The aim of this virulent campaign by the government, backed by the media, is to justify the governments violent measures to break the strike. These have included deploying military, police and security forces, recruiting strike breakers and threatening legal action against the strikers.

The government organised a brutal military operation on Saturday, deploying hundreds of navy soldiers to disperse the workers, who had occupied the port, and to release two ships. The strikers were attacked by soldiers with poles and rifles, and kicked. Four workers were hospitalised as a result. On Monday, the police forcibly removed barricades that workers had manned to prevent vehicles entering the port. Navy personnel are currently occupying the port.

Yesterday, the port management brought workers from another labour hire firm to load a ship with vehicles. However, these workers refused to work, walking off in support of the strikers. Navy soldiers were later seen handling the port work.

Such labour hire companies have mushroomed in recent years, exploiting unemployed workers by hiring them as cheap labour and taking a part of their wages as fees.

The striking workers were recruited under the Rajapakse government as trainees. After a training period, however, they were not made permanent. Instead, they were recruited to a newly set-up Magampura Port Management Company in 2013.

Speaking to WSWS reporters, strikers explained their living conditions and expressed anger toward both the current government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and its predecessor, the Rajapakse government.

A financial division worker, Asantha, said he had once considered working for a bank but thought he could earn a better salary at the port. But my hope was shattered. There are many like me. Most of them have passed accountancy courses. All together our monthly income is only 30,000 rupees (about $US200). But the Ports Authority has now recruited several political supporters of the government on around 65,000 rupees monthly payment.

He explained that the Rajapakse government had also repressed workers. He said the workers had opposed being integrated into a private company in 2013 and attempted to launch a protest. However, Rajapakses government suppressed their opposition by sacking several workers who took the initiative to organise them.

Ruvan, another worker, told the WSWS he had high hopes when he joined the Ports Authority. They [the previous government] promised us permanent jobs but nothing happened, he said.

We are now clear that both governments [Rajapakse and Sirisena-Wickremesinghe] are treat workers the same. Today they [management] are trying to get outside workers. A ship has come into the port and the plan is to break our struggle.

A driver, with two children, said he worked from 2006 for 375 rupees per day during the port construction. I earn about 50,000 rupees per month with all allowances now but have to pay 35,000 a month for a bank loan. Almost all the workers have taken bank loans as the company told us that we will be employed until we are 55 years old. Workers are heavily indebted now and face big problems because of the threat of losing their jobs.

Some workers have come long distances from areas like Gampaha, Kalutara and Polonnaruwa. They have to pay at least 3,000 rupees a month for a boarding room without basic facilities, and spend extra money on food and travel.

The Magampura Port Workers Union (MPW) leaders only called the strike because of growing opposition among workers to privatisation and job insecurity. The union is seeking to limit the strikers to a protest perspective of trying to pressurise the government, which has no intention of reversing the privatisation or giving in to their demands.

An MPW leader, Buddhika Prasad, told the WSWS that the union does not oppose the hiring of new workers from outside to operate the port. If we did so, we would be attacked again. At the same time, he claimed: The vigil will continue until we get our demands.

Prasad sought to block the striking workers from talking to WSWS reporters, declaring that such discussions would make the situation confused. The union leaders concern is that workers will discuss the political issues they are facing.

As a part of their efforts to divert the workers, the MPW leadership have persuaded them to participate in religious observances organised by local Buddhist monks.

Ex-President Rajapakse is seeking to exploit the workers struggle as part of his bid to retake office. Yesterday he told the media: If we come to power we will make them permanent. He seems to think that workers are suffering from amnesia. Under his government, workers faced similar repression.

Moreover, as a part of the privatisation program begun during Rajapakses rule, the South Terminal of the Colombo port was leased to the same Chinese company. Likewise, the present government plans to lease Colombo ports East container terminal to an Indian company.

Rajapakse is trying to take advantage of the growing popular opposition to the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government, which is being rapidly discredited by its implementation of the austerity program dictated by the International Monetary Fund.

The Magampura strikers should reject the bogus promises of every faction of the capitalist class, which serve only the interests of big business and international finance capital. Workers have to turn to their colleagues in other ports, and the working class as a whole, to defend their rights.

The repression unleashed against the Magampura workers is a warning to the entire working class. To defend their jobs, living conditions and social rights, workers must organise as an independent political force and fight for a workers and peasants government based on a socialist program, which would include placing the ports and other basic industries under social ownership and democratic workers control.

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Sri Lankan government sends navy to suppress striking port workers

[12 December 2016]
As Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham turns 15 today, here's looking back at all the trends the family entertainer set in terms of fashion.

By India Today Web Desk: Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham was legendary in ways more than one. From the telepathic, dramatic connection between a son (Shah Rukh Khan) and his mother (Jaya Bachchan), a glittery starcast to memorable dialogues and meme-worthy scenes--the Karan Johar movie made us believe and obsess over many things.

But there was one other thing the movie that turns 15 today managed to do. Set fashion trends that were way ahead of the day and age.

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Don't believe us? We give you not one, but five reasons to back our claim.

Poo and the semi backless outfits

To not start this list with the mention of Kareena's outfits in the movie will almost be an insult. Poo's introductory scene where she dances to It's Raining Men, talks to herself in the mirror and immortalises "tumhe koi haq nahi banta ki tum itni khoobsurat lago" remains etched in the memory of the movie fanatics years after Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham's release.

Picture courtesy: YouTube

The scene that ends with Bebo wearing a sequinned, semi-backless pink blouse paired with a beige leather-ish(!) short skirt glamorised vanity and became a inspiration for several narcissism-laden memes.

Also Read: Kareena Kapoor Khan's baby bump looked stunning from every angle on the Sabyasachi runway

Not to forget the equally charming red outfit donned by Kareena in the track, You Are my Sonia. Honestly, only a Manish Malhotra-Kareena Kapoor Khan duo could have pulled off an all red outfit(and different shoes in both feet) with such panache.

Picture courtesy: YouTube

Kajol's see-through sarees

It's tough to look at anything else when the charming Shah Rukh Khan is on screen, but not for Kajol. Her transformation from Chandni Chowk's Anjali to Rahul Raichand (SRK)'s love interest was also a fashionable one. The beautiful, net sarees worn by the actress in Suraj Hua Madham were just the distraction one needs to look away from the picturesque locales the song features.

Picture courtesy: YouTube

Also Read: Is this mommy-to-be Kareena Kapoor Khan's most glamorous look yet?

Kareena's Bole Chudiyan outfit

Remember the era of bell-bottomed pants and suits? Well, Kareena Kapoor Khan has a lot to do with them becoming a rage at one point. Her outfit in Bole Chudiyan is as memorable as the song itself. Throw in a cropped top and you get a trend that is making all the noise today.

Picture courtesy: YouTube

Shah Rukh's black sherwani in Banno ki Saheli

As unfair and stereotypical as it may sound, intricate embroidery and men weren't mentioned in the same breath for the longest time. Then Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham happened. Banno Ki Saheli saw SRK don a black embroidered kurta and dupatta as he teased Kajol and danced away being his usual charming self.

Picture courtesy: YouTube Picture courtesy: YouTube

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The Shava Shava girls

Dresses paired with dupattas. Who would've thought a combination as strange might actually surface in the company of megastar Amitabh Bachchan. Donned by the dancers in Shava Shava, the trend sure seemed like a first.

--- ENDS ---
Railway drivers and conductors began a three-day strike on Tuesday, halting all Southern Rail services.

Operating along the south coast of England, Southern Rail trains serve towns including Brighton, Eastbourne and Portsmouth, as well as providing vital commuter links into London and Gatwick Airport.

A last-minute attempt by Southerns owners, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), to have the strike banned, failed when the Appeal Court upheld last weeks High Court ruling that industrial action did not infringe rights under European law.

The strike means some 2,240 trains were cancelled over the course of the first days stoppage, affecting up to 300,000 passengers, with only limited services on the Gatwick Express to the UKs second busiest airport.

Involving members of train drivers union ASLEF and the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT) covering conductors, the strike will last 48 hours, with a further 24-hour walkout scheduled for Friday. The unions have also planned industrial action on Southern Rail from January 9 to 14.

Rail workers are taking action against demands that drivers carry out safety-critical tasks usually done by conductors, as part of the companys moves to implement Driver Only Operation (DOO) on Southern Rail and boost profits. GTR already runs entirely Driver Only Operations on its Thameslink and Great Northern routes.

The drivers and conductors have been vilified in the press, with Rupert Murdochs Sun newspaper featuring articles in which they are derided as pig-headed militants, union scumbags and told to hang your heads in shame.

The pro-Conservative Telegraph opined, A handful of militants in the transport sector is wreaking disproportionate havoc in the most productive corner of the UK economy. This cannot stand.

Several editorials called for their right to strike to be removed, and even the repeal of the 1906 Trade Disputes Act, which would open unions and strikers to massive claims for damages for any industrial action they take.

The strike by the drivers and conductors at Southern Rail reveals the enormous strength of the working class, but also the critical role played by the trade union bureaucracy in isolating and defeating every movement in opposition to the rapacious demands of the ruling elite.

Railway workers not only confront the train companies, the government and the vast majority of the media arrayed against them. Crucially, their ability to prosecute a successful fight to defend their pay, conditions and the safety of the travelling public is undermined by the role of the unions and their Labour Party allies.

Labour mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, called on the strikers to halt their action, and used a video to call for commuter rail services in the south to be brought under Transport for London (TfL), over which he has control. Khan boasted that on his watch, strikes had been virtually eliminated at TfL. What he did not say was that TfL, with the collaboration of the RMT, has closed all 265 Underground ticket offices and imposed DOO on London Overground, with the loss of 130 conductor jobs.

Labours left leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has close connections to the ASLEF leadershipwhich assisted in funding his leadership campaignrefused to utter a single word Tuesday about the Southern strike, allowing the governments denunciations of them to go without challenge.

Privatisation in the late 1990s, which the unions never took action to oppose, saw the break-up of the formerly state-owned British Rail into a myriad of competing train operating companies (TOCs) and rolling stock operating companies (ROSCOs). While the tracks, larger stations and associated infrastructure were originally hived off into a separate private company (Railtrack), track maintenance was parcelled off to 13 individual companies across the network.

Rail workers conditions have been constantly under attack ever since. The private operating companies have sought to boost their profits and shareholder value at the expense of the workforce, and through hiking fares. Rail fares in Britain are notoriously the most expensive in Europe, often by a factor of 200 to 300 percent for similar journeys on the continent.

As part of the privatisation process, the TOCs were granted lucrative franchises running for ten years or more, and were handed hundreds of millions of pounds in subsidies and grants. According to figures produced by the Trade Union Congress in 2015, the TOCs received some 3.8 billion from the public purse, and handed over at least 183 million in dividends to their shareholders.

The current dispute is a textbook case of how the trade unions and Labour act to prevent a united struggle by rail workers throughout the country.

Driver Only Operation already applies to at least a third of all UK trains. Far from opposing this, the RMT called off a strike in August by conductors working for ScotRail and then negotiated a deal handing over the responsibility for opening the doors to drivers. While ScotRail conductors retain responsibility for closing the doors (for now), this is just the thin end of the wedge for imposing full Driver Only Operation. The diminishing of the conductors role will inevitably be followed by attacks on their jobs, pay and other conditions.

While calling off the strike in Scotland, the RMT also halted a planned five-day strike at Southern Rail on the same issue, after management agreed to negotiations.

The RMT have disarmed workers in the face of a massive government-backed attack on their members jobs, terms and conditions.

Following a media appearance by the governments Transport Secretary, RMT leader Mick Cash released a statement saying, This morning Chris Grayling claimed again that the action [by RMT members] on Southern is politicalit isnt, its about safe train operation for both passengers and staff alike. Cash boasted that the RMT had been able to resolve disputes and reach agreements on Scotrail and elsewhere and that this would not have been possible if our motivation is purely political.

While Cash insists the strike at Southern Rail is not political, the Tory government is acutely conscious of the political nature of the attack on rail workers conditions. When asked what he would do to stop future strikes, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said, We are thinking very carefully about how we take things forward. Im not going to rule anything in or anything out today. Several newspapers, including the Financial Times, reported the statement as proof that the government is preparing further anti-strike and anti-union legislation.

Earlier in the year, Peter Wilkinson, a senior official at the Department for Transport who is managing director of passenger services, told a public meeting there would be punch ups with drivers when the government changes their working hours to improve rail services.

After claiming train drivers earn 60,000 a year or more and only worked three days a week (both claims are untrue), Wilkinson said, Im furious about it and it has got to changewe have got to break them.

They have all borrowed money to buy cars and got credit cards. They cant afford to spend too long on strike and I will push them into that place. They will have to decide if they want to give a good service or get the hell out of my industry.

The strike at Southern is not simply over the issue of DOO. In October, the company threatened conductors that if they did not sign new contracts imposing DOO by December 31 they would be sacked. The RMT refused to oppose this and advised their members to sign. While many workers have reportedly signed the contract, they have continued to strike in opposition to the attacks.

The strikes at Southern Rail are indicative of growing opposition in the working class to years of relentless attacks by successive governments. Earlier this year 50,000 junior doctors struck to oppose attacks on their conditions and on the National Health Service. On the same day that drivers and conductors at Southern Rail began their latest strike, the Communication Workers Union announced that thousands of its members at the Post Office would launch a five-day strike next week as part of a long-running dispute over job losses, pensions and branch closures. Delivery drivers for shopping chain Argos also plan a three-day strike next week over holiday pay.

The belligerence of the government in the face of the Southern strike is a statement that it will not tolerate any resistance whatsoever to deskilling and the imposition of yet deeper attacks on workers living standards.

Late Tuesday, it was announced that unions and Southern management would meet at the governments Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service today, in a further bid to end the dispute.
The Green Party ended its bid Tuesday for a recount of the presidential election results in Michigan and Pennsylvania, two of the states that ensured Trumps victory in the Electoral College.

Jill Stein, the Green Partys presidential candidate, announced the end of the recount campaign at a press conference on Tuesday. We do not have a voting system we can trust, and the recount was essentially stopped in its tracks, Stein told reporters.

The only successful recount effort pursued by the Greens occurred in Wisconsin, ending after 10 days on Monday with an official certification of Republican Donald Trumps victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton, adding 131 net votes to his total.

The end of the Greens recount efforts came after a ruling by a federal judge in Pennsylvania on Monday blocked both a recount and a request for an examination of the states voting machines for possible hacking.

Federal District Judge Paul Diamond ruled that it would be impossible for a recount to be completed given that Tuesday was the deadline for certifying the states electoral votes. Diamond also rejected the contention that the election may have been hacked, saying that such a notion would border on the irrational.

On Friday, a recount of the vote in Michigan was blocked from going forward by the state Supreme Court after only three days of counting. The court ruled in a 3-2 decision that upheld a Michigan Court of Appeals decision that Stein had no standing as an aggrieved party.

Earlier, Federal District Judge Mark Goldsmith had ruled in support of the ruling by the state appeals court that Stein had no standing to request a recount since she had no chance of benefiting, having won little more than 1 percent of the vote and trailed Trump by more than 2 million votes in the state.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who did have standing as an aggrieved party, having lost the state of Michigan to Trump by only 10,704 votes, could have joined the case and ensured a complete recount of the vote but decided against intervening.

While the three days of ballot counting in Michigan did not result in any change in the official vote tally, the limited canvassing that occurred exposed a dysfunctional and archaic state electoral system that produced numerous irregularities.

The ballots in 322 precincts across the state were unable to be recounted because of a mismatch between the number of ballots recorded and the number of voters logged in poll books. State law only allows for ballots to be recounted if the number of votes cast matches the number of voters recorded in the poll book. In one instance, a review of voting precinct 152 in the city of Detroit found only 52 ballots in the ballot container while 307 voters had been logged in the official poll book.

As a result of the findings of widespread abnormalities, the Michigan Bureau of Elections has announced an audit of 20 precincts in the city of Detroit that could not be recounted to determine the source of the widespread errors.

We dont have any suspicion of fraud. We generally approach this as human error, Michigan Elections Director Chris Thomas told the Detroit Free Press. Were going to take a look at them to make sure theres not a need for further explanations. And well be talking with Detroit staff as well going forward.

The recount efforts and available voting data indicate that Trump won the election not because of hacking or voter fraud, let alone a surge in support from white workers, but because of a collapse in support from broad sections of the working class for Clinton.

In the once heavily industrialized Rust Belt states of Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, Clinton lost 1.17 million voters who earned less than $50,000 a year compared to Obamas results in 2012. Trump only picked up 334,000 voters in these states in the same income bracket. Clinton lost nearly 1 million votes from whites in these five states, while Trump picked up fewer than 500,000.
In the wake of the election of Donald Trump, the United Steelworkers union (USW) has gone to great pains to offer its services to the incoming administration. In a friendly letter to Trump, USW President Leo Gerard pledged, We are prepared to work with you and your administration. Noting Trumps promises to bring jobs back hometake a hard line with our trading partners and to reform our nations failed trade policies, Gerard asserted, We share those goals.

Indeed, although the USW has historically aligned itself to the Democratic Party, endorsing Hillary Clinton in the election, the USWs overtures to Trump are entirely in line with its long-held corporatist agenda of collaboration with management on the basis of America-first nationalism. Functioning as an appendage of the steel bosses, the USW has sanctioned the destruction of the jobs, living standards and pensions of tens of thousands of workers.

Donald Trumps pick for Commerce Secretary, billionaire asset stripper Wilbur Ross, is no stranger to the executives who occupy the USW headquarters in Pittsburgh. On the contrary, Gerard & Co. have worked closely with Ross for at least 15 years. While the relationship has been very lucrative for both parties it has been nothing but disastrous for rank-and-file steelworkers.

Ross specializes in buying failing companies in the steel, coal, auto parts, and textile industries, imposing major attacks on workers and retirees, and then flipping them in order to make billions.

In early 2002, as Ross was beginning his steel industry buying spree, which began with the purchase of LTV Steel and Acme Steel later that year, the USW painted the former Rothschild Inc. banker as a savior of steelworkers. USW President Leo Gerard stated at the time that Ross was a new ally in the fight to win strong federal action to save the American steel industry.

The USW and Ross successfully lobbied together for legislation that allowed Ross International Steel Group (ISG) to offload retiree obligations onto the federal governments Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). This was combined with a joint effort to lobby the Bush administration to put tariffs on foreign steel, particularly from China. Ultimately, the USW and other unions allowed Ross ISG to shirk $15 billion in steelworker retiree pension and health obligations.

In November 2003, amid this bloodbath, the USW heaped praise on Ross for his friendlier approach to labor relations, while blaming attacks on pensions exclusively on damage caused by illegal imports.

Gerard noted at the time the union appreciated Ross creative approach despite the pain that sometimes accompanies it, such as the loss of pensions and benefits for 82,000 retirees when the company took over LTV Steel. ISG and Wilbur Ross, in particular, provided an opportunity to revitalize a company, Gerard said in an interview. In Gerards words, the destruction of pensions was a necessary step to level the playing field with relief for the industrys legacy costs.

The flag-waving protectionism promoted by Ross and the USW had nothing to do with saving jobs. The tariffs and restrictions on steel imports were aimed at boosting the market share and profits of Ross while enhancing the business opportunities for the aspiring financiers in the USW and their Wall Street advisors.

The USW spoke well of Ross open-door policy, which allowed for backroom deals between union and management and the promotion of bogus profit-sharing schemes used to ramp up production and replace regular increases in base pay. Mark Granakis, president of USW Local 979, gushed, Its a pleasure to go into there to solve problems instead of filing grievances. We want to see the company succeed obviously for our own security but in addition, make a lot of money so they can share that money with us.

In return, Ross had nothing but praise for his labor police force. Leaders of some of the big industrial unions, the steelworkers, the autoworkers--they understand the dynamics of the industry at least as well as the senior management of the companies, Ross said in a 2010 interview with Charlie Rose.

With the help of Ron Bloom, a Wall Street banker hired as Gerards advisor, the USW and Ross offloaded a substantial portion of retiree health obligations into a Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA) fund, an investment vehicle over which USW bureaucrats exercised significant control. Ross praised his friendly dealings with Bloom, the nominal representative of workers whose lives were destroyed by the restructuring, calling him, very, very pragmatic, not overly ideological.

The USW continues to rail against illegal Chinese imports of steel and other metals while collaborating in attacks on workers living standards. The union worked with management to attack wages, benefits, and jobs for over 30,000 steelworkers at US Steel, ArcelorMittal, and Allegheny Technologies in 2015-2016. At the same time, the USW worked tirelessly to direct workers anger behind trade war measures against China.

In November, US metal manufacturer Sherwin Alumina announced a formal shutdown of operations in Gregory, Texas after locking out its 450-strong workforce for over two years. After isolating the embattled workers and ensuring their defeat, as the USW did to locked out workers at ATI, USW officials commended workers for standing strong, before blaming the shutdown on unfairly traded Chinese aluminum.

In recent years, Ross has continued his efforts to tighten his relations with the trade unions. In 2011-12, Rosss private equity firm, WL Ross, made a $50 million cash infusion to get a 20 percent stake in Amalgamated Bank, a struggling financial institution that was owned by the Service Employees International Union and managed pensions. Immediately afterwards, the bank approved a $15 million loan to the SEIU.

In August 2016, several months before the US presidential election, Ross coauthored an op-ed article with right-wing economist Peter Navarro in the Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, attacking Clintons involvement with free trade agreements. In an apparent effort to court the unions into Trumps camp, they argued, All of the Clintons bad trade deals were staunchly opposed by the AFL-CIO and trade unions like the pride of Pittsburgh, the United Steelworkers of America. Yet today, union leaders are holding their noses while asking their rank-and-file members to support a candidate in Hillary Clinton that has done more to hold their paychecks down and put them on the unemployment line than any presidential candidate in post-war history.

While the unions have long backed the Democratic Party in order to prevent the working class from advancing an independent and socialist opposition to the decaying capitalist order, a section of the union bureaucracy is seeking to find its way into Trumps camp. The World Socialist Web Site warned long ago that a future fascist movement in the US would find ample support from the reactionary and anti-working class elements that make up the American labor bureaucracy.

The USW is now presenting another billionaireTrumpas the savior of workers. The USW immediately hailed the bogus deal Trump brokered to save the Carrier heat furnace plant in Indianapolis. When workers discovered that the agreement sanctioned the wiping out of more than 1,300 of the 2,100 jobs in Indiana, the local president at the plant was forced to accuse Trump of lying. After Trump tweeted denunciations of the local president, Gerard declared that he would not let Trumps attack stand in the way of forging closer collaboration with the incoming administration.

This is only a foretaste of the treacherous role that the USW and the other anti-working class and corporatist unions will play under Trump. Not only will they collaborate in the class war policies that will be carried out by the most right-wing government in history, the USW will help spew the nationalist poison that the American ruling class needs to prepare for war.

Workers, including those who voted for Trump, will come to see the real character of this government and opposition will grow. Workers need new organizations of struggle, controlled by the rank and file, and wholly independent of the corporatist unions and the two big business parties. Above all they need a new political strategy based on the understanding that workers throughout the world face the same enemies and the same problems. Workers around the world must unite their forces against the global capitalist system, which enriches parasites like Ross and Trump by impoverishing the working class.
On November 28, the UK government of Prime Minister Theresa May hosted a summit between Britain and Poland aimed at fostering a strategic political and military alliance between the two countries. Amid a profound crisis of the European Union (EU) and the breakdown of the postwar order, the summit was another indicator of the return of open antagonisms and the defense of national geopolitical and economic interests by the various European ruling elites.

A press release issued by the British government termed the summit historic, stressing that a similar line-up of high-ranking officials in a bilateral meeting had never occurred before. Participants in the summit included, among others, the prime ministers of the two countries, the foreign and defence secretaries, as well as the Polish ministers of the interior and labor.

The summit was organised by Mays government, which finds itself besieged both domestically and internationally thanks to the fall-out from the Brexit referendum, the threatened breakup of the EU and an anticipated dramatic shift in US foreign policy under Donald Trump. London is now desperately trying to strike alliances in Europe to protect the interests of British capitalism. Poland is not only an important economic partner, but, under the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) government, also shares key positions with Britain about the organization of the EU and foreign policy.

On the eve of the bilateral summit, Prime Minister May declared she was determined that Brexit will not weaken our relationship with Poland, rather it will serve as a catalyst to strengthen it. The summit, in her words, marked the start of a new chapter in our relations ... We share a clear commitment to take our co-operation to the next level and to firmly establish the UK and Poland as resolute and strategic allies in Europe.

May also announced that her government was working toward a first-ever bilateral defense treaty between Poland and Britain.

The UK and Poland, along with Estonia and Greece, are the only European NATO member states to fulfill the organisations requirement that countries spend two percent of GDP on defense. In relation to Russia, both London and Warsaw have stood at the forefront of the European military build-up and provocations. As a symbolic act underlining its commitment to increased military cooperation, the UK governmentin the wake of the summitconfirmed its commitment to sending 150 troops from the Light Dragoons to the border between Poland and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

The Polish ruling elite has been troubled by the Brexit referendum and the EUs growing problems. Mays Polish counterpart, Prime Minister Beata Szydo, published a commentary in the Telegraph prior to the summit, headlined Poland stands ready to help its old friend Britain reach the best possible Brexit deal. The Polish prime minister observed: Poland was saddened, probably more than any other country, with the result of the British referendum. For us, Brexit means that supporters of reforming the EU into a more economically pragmatic organisation will soon lose an important strategic partner.

Szydo went on to reassure the British government that Warsaw will certainly be one of the capitals which will participate in Brexit negotiations in a constructive and down-to-earth manner. In our understanding, the United Kingdom is leaving the EU, but it is not leaving Europe. Regardless of Brexit, our political fates as well as our security and economic interests are intertwined.

At the summit, the Polish and British government representatives discussed a range of policy issues, including energy and the NATO build-up against Russia. Of particular significance were the discussions about the common labor market and guarantees for some two million Polish workers currently employed in the UK.

Since the Brexit referendum, the issue of Polish workers and the attacks on them by right-wingers encouraged by the fomenting of racism during the Brexit campaign has been exploited by both the Polish and British elites to further their bilateral discussions about economic cooperation. (See also: Polish and British governments exploit attacks on Polish immigrants ) At the summit, the Polish side again stressed the need for a quick settlement of the question, apparently pushing for a solution even before Brexit negotiations had started.

The summit was an obvious political provocation directed toward Berlin and Brussels. Both the British and Polish governments disagree with Germany not only over the conditions for Brexit, but also about foreign policy. They oppose the creation of an EU army, which would inevitably be dominated by Germany and France, and would undermine NATO.

While the German press remained conspicuously silent on the summit, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, one of the most powerful figures in Chancellor Angela Merkels coalition cabinet, reaffirmed the German governments position on Brexit the very next day at the Foreign Policy Forum held at Berlins Korber Foundation. He insisted the main pillars of the EU had to be retained in the Brexit negotiations, arguing: European unity is not a menu from which you can pick and choose what you want.

Shortly before the Polish-British summit, May held talks with ultra-right Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban in London. The discussions prompted Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet to wonder whether a London-Warsaw-Budapest troika was now being forged, as all three governments prefer a European Union based on free trade with decisions taken by the member states. The return of this kind of language is testimony to the extent of the crisis of European capitalism and the EU. National antagonisms are reemerging in Europe, and the ghosts of the 20th centurys catastrophic world wars are once again haunting the continent.

The possible revival of a Polish-British strategic alliance in particular is fraught with ominous historical resonance. The attempt to undermine the considerable influence of British and French imperialism in Central and Eastern Europe was an important motivating factor in the Nazi attempt to militarily subjugate the region in World War II. When the German military invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, both Paris and London, in accordance with their treaties with Warsaw, declared war on Nazi Germany, marking the beginning of World War II. The various reactions in the Polish press about an emerging partnership with London indicated considerable nervousness. Conservative newspapers generally favorable to PiS government policies voiced concerns that such an alliance could lead to Polands isolation in Europe. The right-wing Rzeszpospolita, for example, warned that, while a military alliance with the UK was essentially inevitable, too great an orientation toward Britain could endanger Polish national interests. Another commentator for the same newspaper urged: I hope we dont sell the European Union just so the British can live well after Brexit.

The Dziennik Polski argued that the strategic lining up with Britain could not even out the bad relations with France and the uncertain future of relations with Germany. Given that Great Britain would be out of the EU within three years, the newspaper reasoned, the alliance would be short-lived and only make for a tactic, rather than a strategy. It warned that an alliance with London would isolate Poland in Europe, commenting that nobody will agree to easy Brexit terms that might tomorrow run the risk of encouraging Austria, the Netherlands, and France to leave the EU.

Polands most important liberal newspaper, the Gazeta Wyborcza, acknowledged the strategic interest of working closely with Britain in the framework of NATO after Brexit, but warned that Poland was walking a tightrope when lining up behind Britains aim of upsetting European unity on Brexit and playing member states off against each other.
On Monday, the US Supreme Court denied review in four death penalty cases, each of which had been relisted by the court multiple times. The rejected appeals follow the courts denial of stays of execution last week for two death row inmates, one each in Georgia and Alabama.

One of the inmates denied review by the high court on Monday was Romell Broom, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Tryna Middleton in 1984 in Cleveland, Ohio. The state of Ohio attempted to execute Broom in 2009, but the execution was called off after two hours, during which he cried out in pain while receiving 18 needle sticks.

The high courts ruling denies Broom the opportunity to argue that giving the state prison agency a second chance to execute him would amount to cruel and unusual punishment and double jeopardy. Brooms case was relisted four times before being denied. His execution has yet to be rescheduled, due to other executions scheduled ahead of him.

Ohio currently has 142 prisoners on death row, and the state is scheduled to execute 13 in 2017, 8 in 2018, and 7 in 2019. In 2016, all executions in Ohio were put on hold because the state had difficulty obtaining the lethal drugs to carry them out. The states supply of the drugs is still uncertain.

The Supreme Court considered the case of Florida death row inmate Henry Sireci nine times before denying his appeal on Monday. Sireci was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1976 murder of car lot owner Howard Poteet during a robbery.

Sireci argued in Sireci v. Florida that the main evidence used against him at trial was flawed. Jurors in his case were told that hair found at the crime scene matched Sirecis. But the FBI has subsequently acknowledged that the kind of hair-comparison evidence the state relied upon to convict him is statistically invalid.

Justice Stephen Breyer dissented from the courts denial of review in both the Broom and Sireci cases. While not focusing on the merits of Sirecis argument, Breyer indicated that having spent four decades on death row awaiting execution constituted cruel and unusual punishment, in violation of the US Constitution.

He apparently had no backing for this view on the court. Justice Elena Kagan did back a dissent by Breyer in the Romell Broom case.

More broadly, Breyer argued that the death penalty itself is not imposed consistently. He repeated the view he put forward in his dissent of the high courts ruling in June 2015 that upheld executions utilizing the sedative midazolam, despite substantial evidence that use of the drug can cause excruciating pain, including in numerous botched executions.

Breyer reiterated this opinion on Monday, stating: Individuals who are executed are not the worst of the worst but, rather, are individuals chosen at random on the basis, perhaps of geography, perhaps of the views of individual prosecutors, or still worse on the basis of race, adding that the time had come for the Court to reconsider the constitutionality of the death penalty.

The high court justices also denied Monday, without any noted dissents, two other death penalty appeals.

James Tyler was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1996. Tyler argued in Tyler v. Louisiana that the public defenders who represented him at trial conceded to the jury that he was guilty, despite the fact that he had told both the judge and his attorneys that he did not want to admit guilt and that he wanted a new lawyer. The court rejected Tylers argument that his attorneys conduct deprived him of the Sixth Amendment right to an effective attorney.

Also denied on Monday was the appeal of inmate Sammie Louis Stokes of South Carolina, who was sentenced to death in 1999 for his role in two murders. One of the attorneys appointed to represent Stokes had prosecuted him eight years earlier for an alleged assault on his ex-wife. In Stokes v. South Carolina, the death row prisoner had asked the court to review whether his legal representation violated his constitutional right to have an attorney without a conflict of interest.

The Supreme Courts denial of review in these four cases follows its rejection of two last-minute appeals for stays of execution last week.

Last Tuesday, William Sallie, 50, was executed in Jackson, Georgia, after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal on the grounds that his due-process rights were repeatedly denied by both the state and federal court system. He was the ninth prisoner put to death in Georgia this year, more than in any other state.

Then on Thursday, the Supreme Court denied the appeal of Ronald Smith, 45, who had argued that Alabamas three-drug lethal injection protocol posed the danger of cruel and unusual punishment. He also appealed on the basis that a judge overrode the jurys 7-5 vote recommending life in prison, and sentenced him to death. Witnesses to Smiths execution reported that he gasped and coughed for about 13 minutes during his execution late Thursday night.

At one point on Thursday evening, four justicesRuth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kaganall said they would have granted the request to hear Smiths appeal and grant a stay of execution. Currently, eight justices are serving on the court since the death of Antonin Scalia in February and the failure of the US Senate to vote on confirmation of President Obamas nomination for a replacement.

The votes of five justices are required for a stay of execution, which means that an even split of the eight-member court is insufficient. Smiths attorneys responded to the denial stating that the Court should not permit executions in the face of four dissents, and that the Courts inconsistent practices respecting 5-4 stay denials in capital cases clash with the appearance and reality both of equal justice under law and of sound judicial decision-making.

The attorneys were referencing a case less than a month ago, in which the Supreme Court issued a stay of execution for Alabama inmate Thomas Arthur, who also had challenged the states death penalty protocol. In that case, Chief Justice John Roberts voted with four justices, who were not named, as a courtesy. There has been no indication why this courtesy fifth was extended in one Alabama case and not the other.

The Supreme Court has ruled as unconstitutional the execution of the intellectually disabled, those sentenced to death for crimes committed as juveniles, and those who have not committed murder or treason. Since reinstating the death penalty in 1976, however, the court has not ruled on the constitutionality of the death penalty itself.

The United States stands virtually alone in the industrialized world in utilizing capital punishment. It has rejected appeals from the European Union and international courts to ban the practice and halt the execution of foreign nationals, juvenile offenders, women, and the mentally disabled.

The incoming Trump administration will undoubtedly nominate a pro-death-penalty justice to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court, setting up the likelihood that stays of execution and denials of appeals of death row inmates will recur with regularity.

The handing down of death sentences in the US has been substantially reduced, falling from about 300 annually in the 1990s to fewer than 50 annually today. Executions have likewise decreased, down from 98 in 1999 to 20 so far this year.

However, 2,905 prisoners languished on death row across the nation as of July 1, 2016, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. This is not a substantial reduction from the peak of 3,593 in 2000. Many of these prisoners remain on death row for decades. Thirty-one of 50 US states still have capital punishment on the books, along with the federal government and the US military.
The militarized police apparatus of the New York Police Department (NYPD) is making its presence felt in no uncertain terms on New Yorks Fifth Avenue at Trump Tower, where Donald Trump, the billionaire mogul, is holding court as he prepares to assume the presidency in January.

Police wearing body armor and toting high-powered, military-grade rifles stand at the entrance to Trump Tower and on nearby side streets. Dozens of uniformed and plainclothes officers are nearby. Dump trucks loaded with sand act as movable barriers to bar motor vehicles from accessing East 56th Street, which is where the service and private entrances to Trump Tower are located. Access to the entire East 56th Street block between Fifth and Madison Avenues has been effectively shut down, causing economic hardship for businesses and restaurants, with police turning away all but a few who attempt to enter.

Trumps private residence is located in one of the most densely populated areas of the largest city in the United States. Trump Tower lies in close proximity to the private residences of some of the wealthiest individuals in the US, including those on so called billionaires row, a cluster of extremely tall residential towers located on West 57th Street just south of Central Park. The area is also home to the headquarters of a number of banks, investment firms and national media. In addition, it ranks among the worlds most expensive shopping districts, home to upscale retailers including Bergdorf-Goodman, Cartier and Tiffany and Co.

A member of the City Council, Dan Garodnick, recently wrote a letter to the police commissioner complaining about the impact of the hyper-security. He told the Daily News, It looks like a war zone out there and is completely uninviting. The small businesses are getting pummeled.

During recent protests, police helicopters, presumably using high-powered surveillance equipment to photograph protesters and give direction to officers on the ground, hovered above the skyscrapers in the vicinity.

Militarized SWAT and other heavily armed police tactical units have become a common sight on the streets of New York in recent years, particularly around major transportation hubs and in the busy theater district, and often appear at random locations. Their presence is clearly meant to be intimidating and many city residents feel it is.

One can imagine the devastating consequences were their military-grade weaponry to be used in such a crowded and confined urban arena as the streets and public spaces of Midtown Manhattan. Trump Tower became the target of protests following the election, and is likely to remain so as the impact of the Trump presidency on the working class unfolds, making clashes with police increasingly probable.

The unprecedented mobilization of security forces has come at a great expense to the city. CNN Money has reported the cost to NYC taxpayers for policing Trump Tower in the aftermath of the election at more than $1 million a day.

Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio has requested that the city be reimbursed by the federal government for a total of $35 million, representing the extra expenses it has incurred in providing security for Trump between his election and the inauguration on 20 January. The stopgap spending bill just passed by Congress reportedly includes some money to reimburse the city. Last week, House Republicans approved only $7 million, but the amount included in the final version passed by the Senate has not yet been revealed.

In a city where over 60,000 people, a large portion of them children, spend each night in decrepit homeless shelters, and many thousands live on the streets, this huge outlay of public funds stands in sharp contrast to the grossly inadequate support given to city services such as education, public housing and transportation, for which there is supposedly never enough money.

It is likely that the provision of security and the incumbent expenses will continue following the inauguration. Trumps wife Melania and son Barron reportedly plan to continue to live at Trump Tower, at least for the rest of the school year. Beyond that, Trump is unlikely to abandon his $90 million penthouse triplex pied-a-terre in the city.

The New York Post reports that the Secret Service, the federal agency responsible for providing presidential security, is negotiating to lease two floors of Trump Tower to house a security headquarters staffed with 250 agents and police.

Since Trump owns the building, in effect the federal government would be paying rent, estimated to be at least $3 million per year, to the president--yet one more example of conflict of interest between Trumps business interests and his role as president. This payment would be a welcome infusion of cash for a building where rent and sale prices for residential units have fallen 40 percent in the past year, as wealthy residents flee the commotion caused by Trumps presence.

Despite the tremendous burden on the citys budget, the Democratic mayor has demonstrated his willingness to accommodate Trump. In a statement to the press, de Blasio said, The number one imperative here is safety and security. We owe that to the president-elect, his family, and his team. De Blasio, along with other Democrats, has expressed his intent to work with the Trump administration. He has stated, my job is to be respectful and seek dialogue, referring to a phone conversation he had with Trump.

The many New York residents turning out to protest apparently do not share the mayors magnanimous feelings. One Verizon worker the WSWS spoke to who lives in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx expressed frustration at being stuck for a long period of time on a bus on Madison Avenue while heading home after work. Police had herded protesters away from Trump Tower onto the Avenue, making it impassable.

Fifth Avenue is used by a number of express and local bus routes which transport working New Yorkers to their jobs in the citys core. Since the heighted security began around the tower immeasurable hours have been added to the commute time of thousands of people.

In addition to the overblown security measures around Trump Tower, there is a general stepped up police deployment in Manhattan. Some city residents have said the police presence feels like an occupying force. In one recent incident, at the height of rush hour, tens of thousands of bus and automobile commuters were delayed at the Lincoln Tunnel to allow Trumps vehicle to pass through en route to New Jersey, severely exacerbating the already intolerably long wait.

The fact that militarized police units are routinely seen on the streets of New York speaks volumes regarding class relations in one of the most socially and economically unequal cities in the world. The spectacle around Trump Tower underscores in dramatic, if not absurd, fashion the sharpening class antagonisms under capitalism. It expresses, on the one hand, the utter arrogance and sense of entitlement of the American ruling class, and, on the other, their awareness of the extreme danger to their interests generated by ever-growing social and economic inequality.
The FIR states that Kapil Sharma's office has been illegally construction in a protected zone of mangroves.

By Vidya : Trouble seems to be mounting for actor-comedian Kapil Sharma as an FIR has again been filed against him under Section 15-Environment Protection Act for destroying mangroves.

Activist lawyer Abha Singh had earlier approached the Andheri Metropolitan Court asking for an order directing Versova Police to register an FIR. It was only after the court was satisfied with all the contentions put forth by Singh that an order for registering the FIR was given by court.

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Singh alleged that Kapil Sharma had undertaken illegal construction which destroyed mangroves. She said, "He destroyed mangroves. One cannot even place a brick in the buffer zone while he constructed his office there. And not only this, he even got the land use changed. The residential area could not have been converted to commercial area without permission, but he has done so."

According to Singh, change in land use is a clear violation under Section 2 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act (MRTP).

I BRIBED BMC OFFICIALS: KAPIL

Abha Singh had also argued in Andheri court with regards to the tweet by Kapil Sharma which had become the talk of the town.

In September this year he had tweeted, "I am paying Rs 15 crore Income tax from the past five years and still I have to pay Rs 5 lakh bribe to BMC office for making my office @narendramodi."

She added that the court had viewed this very seriously and had asked for the names of those asking bribe from Kapil.

Thus court has ordered for the FIR to be registered under 187 Section of the Indian Penal Code also.

KAPIL TO DIVULGE NAMES

"It was Kapil Sharma's duty to complain about the BMC officials who were asking for a bribe. Now after this FIR if he still does not divulge the names, then he is liable for punishment up to six months," said the activist lawyer.

The petitioners are now hoping that Versova Police will not only go after Kapil Sharma but all those celebrities who have converted their bungalows into office spaces in the protected zones.

--- ENDS ---
LOWNDES COUNTY, Ga. (WTXL) - Georgia troopers said that a Brooks County judge was arrested in Lowndes County after getting into a crash while under the influence.

The Georgia State Patrol said that they were investigating a car crash involving Brooks County State Court Judge William Folsom.

They said that the crash happened on Monday around 6:34 p.m. on Shiloh Road near Amber Drive. When troopers arrived, they noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from Folsom's breath.

They said that they interviewed him, and he told them that he had drank a glass and a half of wine, and took two types of medicine for anxiety and depression that day as well.

When put through a field sobriety test, Folsom failed. He also tested positive for alcohol when he did a breath test.

They said that no one was injured in the crash.

Troopers took Folsom to the Lowndes County Jail after a chemical test of his blood. He was charged with driving under the influence.
By Nolan Pinto: Karnataka Excise Minister H Y Meti resigned here on Wednesday after a sleaze tape showing him having an affair with a woman surfaced and local news channels began airing it, an official said.

"70-year-old Meti called on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the latter's official residence here and submitted his resignation letter. It will be sent to the Governor soon for acceptance," said an official from the Chief Minister's Office.

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Chief Minister Siddaramaiah then tweeted, "Excise Minister Shri HY Meti has resigned. I have recommended to the Honourable Governor to accept the resignation. I have also ordered a probe."

The CM further added that, "Meti is claiming it is a conspiracy and that he is not involved in such an incident. He totally denies all this. That is why I am entrusting the matter to the CID to inquire into this."

CM Siddaramaiah has been under pressure from the Oppositon to drop Meti ever since RTI activist Rajashekar made these allegation against Meti. The RTI activist had accused the Minister of seeking sexual favours from a woman in return for help.

Speaking to the media later on, Meti said, "I am resigning so that the Government does not face any problem. I have done nothing wrong. Let the inquiry commence."

HY Meti and the Chief Minister have known each other from their Janatal Dal days. Meti was recently inducted into the cabinet in the month of June when the CM wanted to give a face-lift to his government.

RESIGNATION TOO LATE: GOWDA

Responding to the resignation former chief minister of Karnataka Sadananda Gowda said that Meti should have taken the step much earlier.

"He would have resigned at the early stage because anyhow he knew that something has gone wrong. We don't know what exactly has happened," said Gowda.

Gowda added that even after knowing everything, delaying the matter certainly created more problems.

Also read: Unlike in villages, people in Bengaluru don't get drunk and lie on footpaths, says Karnataka minister

--- ENDS ---
ZILLAH, Wash. -- Local responders are crediting a fast and coordinated effort in helping minimize the impact to residents of an ammonia leak at Stadelman Fruit.

We notified the public. We notified the schools. People were evacuated, said Scott Miller, Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management director. They got the leak stopped. People got the message. And then people returned. I feel very good about the response.

What's ammonia? Ammonia is a commonly used refrigerant in cold storage facilities because of its low cost re

A leak from an 8,000-pound tank at the fruit companys Meade Road and First Avenue facility early Wednesday enabled local responders to show how well they executed preparedness plans in large-scale hazardous incidents. The leak also illustrates the complex regulatory environment businesses face when managing hazardous materials.

First responders pointed to a malfunctioning valve, but there are indications Stadelman has had past issues with managing ammonia. The state Department of Labor and Industries fined the company in 2014 for several violations related to improper ammonia handling. That action came after an employee complained about an ammonia leak.

Efforts to reach Stadelman Fruit for comment were not successful. But regulators say leaks caused by mechanical errors are common and not necessarily an indication of systematic issues within a facility.

Swift response

Wednesdays leak occurred just before 7:30 a.m. in a cold-storage room. Just minutes after the incident was reported, the Zillah Fire Department arrived on scene to start evacuation of hundreds of residents in the surrounding area, which bordered Yakima Valley Highway to the east, Fifth Street to the west and Second Avenue to the north. The evacuation area later was expanded to the west to Cheyne Road due to reports of ammonia odor, said Zillah Fire Department Chief Paul Stonemetz.

Authorities worked with Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management to send out a mass communication to residents via text messages or phone calls, Miller said. The coordinated effort was designed to get as many people out of the evacuation zone as possible and into Zillah Middle School, where residents were asked to shelter, Miller said.

Ultimately, about 300 Zillah residents were evacuated, including 50 who ended up at the middle school.

Marlene Gorrebeeck, a Zillah evacuee, received multiple phone calls about the evacuation order. Sitting at Zillah Middle School, Gorrebeeck was waiting for authorities to allow her back home.

At first, when the calls start coming through, you think, well everything is close (to Stadelman). My biggest concern when I was leaving the house was her, she said, pointing to her Yorkshire terrier. I wondered whether they would let her come in. Shes 8 years old.

Stopping the leak

Meanwhile, a hazardous materials team, led by the Sunnyside Fire Department, came to the scene. The team determined the source of the leak was a malfunctioning solenoid valve, which operates electromechanically, said Stonemetz, the Zillah Fire Department chief.

By 11:30 a.m., the leaking valve had been shut off by firefighters, but authorities opted to keep the evacuation order for another hour.

Toppenish Community Hospital evaluated and treated one woman with concerns of ammonia exposure, a hospital spokeswoman said. No details were given as to the age or condition of the patient. Meanwhile, a second woman was treated by responders for anxiety and asthma at Zillah Middle School, Stonemetz said. The woman had forgotten her inhaler when she evacuated, said Justin Irion, Zillah School District assistant superintendent.

Safety parameters

While the response was straightforward, the oversight for Stadelman Fruit in preventing such incidents is less clear.

The company self-determined it fell under the 10,000-pound threshold requiring the facility to submit a risk management plan to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said Javier Morales, risk management program manager for Region 10 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The region includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and 271 Native tribes.

Those plans typically include a risk assessment, a five-year accident history of any serious accidents or leak incidents, and a procedure to prevent the accidental release of hazardous substances.

However, under the General Duty Clause of the federal Clean Air Act, the company still has a responsibility to prevent chemical accidents, which include maintaining industry standards for the refrigeration system.

Stadelman Fruit must outline an ammonia management plan as part of an overall workforce safety plan to the state Department of Labor and Industries, said spokeswoman Elaine Fischer.

There (are) definitely requirements to have a specific plan in place to address prevention, how to safely work with ammonia, how to prevent exposure and what to do in an emergency, she said.

The June 2014 employee complaint to the agency said that employees were evacuated after an ammonia leak and some were treated for eye, nose and respiratory issues.

That prompted an investigation by the agency several months later that found the company had committed several violations, including insufficient emergency washing facilities and running a cooling system that did not use recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices.

Fischer said the company resolved the issues and paid a $700 fine.

Prepared response

Wednesdays leak spotlighted not only preparedness by responders but also local school districts, such as Zillah.

Under state law, schools are required to have plans in place to deal with such emergencies. Those procedures include lockdowns, evacuations, and transporting students and staff to another location if needed.

We train for things like this, said Janell Olivas, a Zillah Middle School office worker. We practice. So, were fine.

After learning of the leak, the Zillah School District went into a modified lockdown, meaning students were allowed to move within schools but not allowed to leave, said Kevin Chase, superintendent of Educational Service District 105, which oversees school districts in Kittitas and Yakima counties and part of Grant and Klickitat counties.

Chase said the event echoed a similar one he experienced in 2005 as Grandview superintendent, when pesticide manufacture Wilbur-Ellis Co. caught fire and fear of toxins being emitted into the air forced school lockdowns and evacuations. We had some of the same scenario, he recalled.

Chase said state requirements are universal in how schools should respond to emergencies but school districts typically shape their plans based on potential threats, such as flood-prone areas or being situated close to certain types of industry such as cold fruit storage warehouses or fertilizer manufacturers.

For example, the Naches Valley School District has a new elementary school within 1,000 feet of a fruit warehouse. The school has an emergency response policy with the warehouse to assure communication in such an event. The school has emergency switches to quickly shut down fans to prevent airborne toxins from entering buildings, and doors seal tight, said Naches Valley Superintendent Duane Lyons.

Reflecting on Wednesdays event, Chase said: Zillah had a great response and everyone did what they were supposed to do.

Reporter Phil Ferolito contributed to this report.
After 5 months of unrest, traces of normalcy were seen for the first time in Kashmir after Burhan Wani's death on July 8 this year.

By Shuja-ul-Haq : After 5 months of unrest, the separatists have called off shutdowns in Kashmir. Considerable change in weekly protest calendar has been issued this time.

Marking two days of hartal in a week, the separatist calendar issued today said people can continue with their normal businesses except for Friday and Saturday.

In the unrest, close to 100 people have died while thousands have been injured. More than 5000 people were put behind bars and many booked under stringent acts like Public Safety Act during unrest. The Hurriyat-led separatist amalgam has been issuing weekly calendars for protests. They would give relaxations in the evenings but now it seems the shutdowns have been called off.

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READ | Mehbooba says India-Pak confrontation can lead to 'disaster of epic proportions'

Of late, usual life was seen limping back to normal in most parts of the Valley. Shops and establishments have begun their operations.

With the new separatist calendar asking people to resume with business, it appears that daily life will again come back to track after months of disruption.

READ | We have to differentiate between militants, their families: Mehbooba Mufti

--- ENDS ---
Margaret Keys, left, celebrates her 104th birthday in August 2015 at the annual Power Show at Fulbright Park. Carol Miller, right, wishes Margaret a happy birthday. (DONALD W. MEYERS/Yakima Herald-Republic)
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Taking a cue from Bollywood movies, this fellow from Andhra Pradesh barged into his girlfriend's engagement ceremony, hugged and kissed her, in front of everyone present, proclaiming his love for her.

By India Today Web Desk: In a straight-out-of-a-Bollywood-scene episode, a young man in Visakhapatnam gatecrashed his lover's engagement ceremony, hugged and kissed her. This public declaration of love happened in Bakkannapalem villa in the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Appalled by this, the groom and his family left the place, but only to make way for a happy ending. The families of both our "hero" and his girlfriend were against their relationship, but after the unconventional route he took, both the families gave the couple their blessings.

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Also read: A jilted lover who hijacked a plane because he did not know what else to do!

This dramatic event ended with the boy's parents arriving at the scene and giving their blessings. All of this happened after the prospective groom left the place and the boy convinced the girl's family to let him marry her.

The girl too reaffirmed the couple's love for each other and finally a formal invitation was extended to the boy's parents after community elders intervened.

Also read: From Egypt with love of a hijacker

--- ENDS ---
A 1,950-year-old coin has been found following excavations in the City of David in Jerusalem.

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There is a grape leaf on one side of the coin with the words "Freedom for Zion," while on the reverse is a cup with the words "Year two of the large revolt." This dates the coin to the second year of the Jewish revolt against the Romans, putting the coin at being minted in 67 CE.

The coin was found in an area known as "Pilgrims' Road," which was the road Jewish pilgrims would have used to go up to the Temple to make ritual sacrifices during Jubilee holidays.

The coin unearthed in Jerusalem (Photo: City of David)

The Pilgrims' Road, along with other roads in Jerusalem dating back 2000 years, will be opened to the public this Hanukkah. There will be a grand opening hosted by the Ministry of Culture along with the Israel Antiquities Authority. This will serve as the opening event celebrating 50 years since the liberation of Jerusalem from Jordanian rule.

More proof of the Jewish connection to Jerusalem

Culture Minister Miri Regev (Likud) presented the coin at the beginning of cabinet meeting discussing symbols and ceremonies for the commemoration of the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem.

"In 1967, exactly 1900 years (after this coin was minted), IDF paratroopers entered the Old City of Jerusalem and liberated it  they returned Jewish sovereignty to Jerusalem," Regev said.

She added that the coin is further proof of the historic Jewish connection to Jerusalem, especially following the UNESCO decision ignoring the fact that Jews have any ties to the city.

She said, "It wont help that in 1967 we also returned to Beit El, Hebron, Shiloh, and Elon Moreh. These are all places with Jewish claims and have been identified (throughout history) as being associated with the Jews  places where are forefathers were, where Joshua and the judges reigned, where the prophets prophesized and of course, where we returned to our united Jerusalem."
DUBAI- Four suspected members of al Qaeda's Yemen branch, including a local commander, were killed on Tuesday by a drone strike on their vehicle east of the capital Sanaa, local officials said.

It was the latest in a series of strikes by pilotless planes, believed to be operated by the United States, in war-torn Yemen.

The officials said the vehicle was travelling on a main road between the Marib governorate and al-Jawf when it was attacked.

Two senior al Qaeda members were killed in September in a suspected U.S. drone strike in the central province of al-Bayda, the third of its kind in central Yemen in one week.
ISIS claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a suicide bombing at Cairo's main Coptic cathedral on Sunday that killed at least 25 people.

The militant group said in a statement carried by its news agency Amaq that a suicide bomber whom it identified as Abu Abdallah al-Masri had detonated his explosive belt inside the church.

"Every infidel and apostate in Egypt and everywhere should know that our war ... continues," it said.

The Interior Ministry identified the bomber on Monday as 22-year-old student Mahmoud Shafik Mohammed Mostafa, and said he was a supporter of the banned Muslim Brotherhood political movement who had joined a militant cell while on the run from police.
Chef Kunal Kapur is on a new journey to discover the craziest pickles to come out of India, and he's asking his fans to tell him what they know.

By India Today Web Desk: Representing the perfect mix of food and travel, chef Kunal Kapur interacted live with his fans through Lonely Planet India's Facebook page yesterday. Revealing his plans for the new year, Kunal mentioned that he would be travelling to Nagaland soon as part of research for his new book.

To be titled, Pickle Tickle, the chef's new endeavour will put together pickles recipes from various parts of India. "I am looking for the most unique pickle recipes or the most unique ingredients that are pickled across our country," said Kunal. He also invited his viewers to share their knowledge on exclusive pickle recipes, which, if liked by him, would also be featured in his upcoming project.

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While sharing culinary anecdotes from his travel experiences, Kunal spoke about a bamboo pickle recipe that he came across during his first visit to Meghalaya last year. The most unique feature of this pickle, made by a certain tribe, is that its recipe is actually a form of a dance. Amritsari kulcha on the other hand is one of his recent favourites.

Also Read: Looks like Jacqueline Fernandez and chef Kunal Kapur had tonnes of fun cooking together!

Having always been a travel enthusiast, Kunal also talked about Lonely Planet guides being his first sneak-peek into exciting travel destinations. When asked about his travel wish list, he expressed that he would like to revisit Andaman and Nicobar Islands, after a gap of 18 long years.

He may have travelled far and wide for delicacies, but ghar ka khaana (home made food) remains irreplaceable for Kunal. In the hour-long live broadcast, Kunal pointed out the common thread between travel and food--hunger. Kunal also encouraged his fans to look up more more exclusive travel destinations, talk about them and share information with others.

Watch the video:

--- ENDS ---
The Kremlins intelligence services assassinated the first female president of the United States. This is not the beginning of a thriller, but the actual meaning of the CIAs announcement over the weekend.

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The American intelligence agency determined that Russia helped Donald Trump get elected and that the operation that entailed hacking databases of political elements and spreading the information through WikiLeaks was meant not only to undermine the American publics trust in democracy, as some of the commentators believed at first, but also to ensure that a different candidate would be elected and not the woman candidate. It was further discovered, the CIA claims, that the Republican Partys servers were hacked as well, but that none of that material was handed over to Julian Assange.

In the 21st century, the person that Russian President Vladimir Putin hates the most, who is about to be elected US president, can be assassinated in completely different ways than with a poison-tipped umbrella

Clearly, this is not a physical murder. As it turns out, that is no longer needed. In the 21st century, the person that Russian President Vladimir Putin hates the most, the person who is about to be elected US president, can be assassinated in completely different ways than with a poison-tipped umbrella, like the one the KGB used to kill a Bulgarian dissident back in 1978. The Russians did not kill Clinton, but they ended her political life and gained a grateful president in the White House. In different times, and with another president-elect, such an act would have been considered nothing less than a declaration of war.

Trump says that the allegations are false and that these are the same intelligence officials who claimed that Saddam Husseins Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Its true that the history of intelligence is filled with errors, some disastrousand the CIA excels in this field as well. But it is precisely the trauma of Iraq that had made the CIA extremely cautious and it has been suffering from underestimations ever since. For example, the September 2007 National Intelligence Estimate that Iran does not have a military nuclear project, which was retracted later on.

More importantly, a number of well-known private cyber companiesthat are free of political considerationshave published their own investigations showing that Russia is the source of the hackings. So did a number of espionage agencies, including Israeli intelligence experts who identified the group called Fancy Bear that hacked the Democratic Party (DNC) as the FSBthe Russian Federal Security Serviceand the group of hackers called Cozy Bear as the GRUthe Russian Main Intelligence Agency. (The Israeli conclusion as to which bear belongs to which Russian spy agency is the opposite of the one published in the US, which concluded that Fancy Bear is actually GRU and Cozy Bear is FSB).

The facts that WikiLeakswhich is known as being in contact with elements related to Putindistributed the information, and that the Kremlin and Trumps staff knew in advance what WikiLeaks was about to publish, are just further evidence framing Russia for the assassination.

Behind all this is the state of mind and the way of thinking that Putin and his close assistants have maintained from their days in the KGB. The series of investigative reports published in Yedioth Ahronoth and Ynetnews about the KGB's Middle East Files exposed the depth and breadth of the KGBs efforts in its war on Israel and the Jews.

But beyond the details of these activities, some of which are shocking, they reveal the organization heads mindset that history can be shaped through clandestine means or "Active Measures," as they were referred to in the Soviet Intelligence back then. They believed that the technological, economic, cultural and social gap of the Warsaw Pact vis-a-vis the West could be settled through assassinations, terror attacks, technology theft, deceit and by spreading disinformation, all "aimed at exerting useful influence on aspects of interest in the political life of a target country, including its foreign policy; the solution of international problems; misleading the adversary; undermining and weakening the adversary's positions," as phrased by KGB protocol. This notion was not exclusive to the KGB. The CIA (and sometimes even the Israeli intelligence) also believed that the future could be changed through assassinations and psychological warfare. They all nearly always failed.

Todays Russia is even weaker vis-a-vis the West than the Soviet Union was, but its leaders apparently believe that the gap can be narrowed and that the global occurrence of events can be shaped. They have simply changed the tools of the past with a new basket  hacking computers, operating Avatars (virtual spies), spreading false rumors at huge scopes, and more.

Unlike in the past, this time they are actually succeeding.
Thousands of right-wing activists, including several West Bank municipal leaders, protested outside the Prime Minister's Residence Tuesday night against a proposed agreement to relocate Amona residents as part of an evacuation order by the High Court of Justice.

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Protestors waved flags and held signs that read "the land of Israel is not up for debate" and "we don't give up Israel!"

Daniella Weiss, Director of the Nachala movement, said during the protests, "Sadly, the High Court is giving a boost to the left. There are distorted judgments that are causing damage. This evening, we have gathered to protest the injustices done to residents (in West Bank) who are treated like objects. We protest the injustice done to us. A gift like the land of Israel should not be treated like real estate holdings. The land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel."

Protests outside the PM's residence (Photo: Amit Shabi)

Avi Naim, head of Beit Aryeh-Ofarim, said, "Amona is a symbol, it isn't 40 caravans, it is Jewish and is made up of families, schools and other educational institutions. Amona is a Jewish community in Israel and if we give it up, we're giving up on a lot of homes. I am telling the prime minister: this government was elected because of us and it needs to bring Jewish homes to Judea and Samaria. That is its job. I want to ask the High Court, what is the point of dismantling? Did we come here to dismantle or to build? We have a duty to protest the dismantling of communities in Israel; Amona will not fall."

Photo: Amit Shabi

According to the new solution, which was presided over during the last few days in a bid to quash the risk of matters escalating out of control as authorities prepare to implement court orders to remove the residents, homes belonging to 40 families will be transferred to available land in a different area in the outpost on condition that their owners acquiesce in the evacuation of their original location.

Sign on a bus stop reading: "Amona is in my heart" (Photo: Eli Mandelbaum)

According to initial evaluations, the new solution will implement a project by which Area 30 containing some 25 dunams of available space will be freed up in the outpost making way for the transfer of the homes while remaining on the mountain. If the residents agree to the proposal, Bayit Yehudi, the chief advocates of the Amona outpost, will request a 30 day extension.

Amona residents will meet on Wedensday morning to decide whether or not to accept the outline of their proposed relocation to adjacent plots voluntarily on condition that they remain on the Amona mountain intself.

If they reject the proposal, inhabitants will be evicted in the coming days despite the residents' proclaimed determination to resists evacuation orders.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented Tuesday on recent statements made by US President-elect Donald Trump's senior aide Kellyanne Conway reiterating her boss's plan to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, describing the idea as great.

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Netanyahus comments came during the signing of a series of agreements the same day with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev during the formers official visit to the Muslim-majority country.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Ilham Aliyev (Photo: Haim Zach/GPO)

Regarding the idea of opening the US Embassy to Jerusalem, I will respond to this in one word: Great, the prime minister said as he praised Donald Trumps professed support of Israel.

Trump is going in the direction of supporting the State of Israel, said Netanyahu, adding that the president-elect appreciated Israels desire to make peace.

Photo: Haim Zach/GPO

We enjoy the fact that we have large support in the US...The US understands that on the future of IsraelIsrael is the one that must decide, he continued.

The prime minister later explained the main reasons for his visits to Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. The aim is to bring about a change to the automatic majority against Israel in international forum, he said.

Photo: Haim Zach/GPO

During Netanyahus visit to Azerbaijan, he signed a series of agreements with President Aliyev.

Welcoming the Israeli prime minister, Aliyev noted the strong defense trade between the countries  which currently stands at $4.5 billion  as well as Netanyahus first visit to Azerbaijan during his first stint as prime minister during the 1990s. He said the current visit is a sign of both strong existing ties between Baku and Jerusalem, as well as a potential for expanding cooperation moving forward.
France will postpone a proposed Middle East peace conference in Paris to January next year, Voice of Palestine radio reported on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refusing to participate and US attendance in doubt.

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France has been trying to persuade Netanyahu, who has repeatedly rejected the conference proposal, to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the French capital to try to revive moribund peace talks between the two sides.

Israel stated its refusal to participate in the talks on a number of occasions, rejecting an ultimatum set by France to recognize a Palestinian state if Paris' efforts to break the deadlock between the warring sides fail.

Netanyahu with French President Francois Hollande (Photo: AFP)

Voice of Palestine radio quoted Palestinian Ambassador to France Salman El Herfi as saying that Paris had informed the Palestinians of its delay to the peace conference until January "to make better preparations".

It said Herfi would meet French officials on Wednesday to discuss the issue and that he had said that if Israel refused to come in January, the international conference would still go ahead, but without the main protagonists.

France has repeatedly pushed for resuming the peace process this year, holding a preliminary conference in June where the United Nations, European Union, United States and major Arab countries gathered to discuss proposals without the Israelis or Palestinians present.

The plan was to hold a follow-up conference before Christmas with the Israelis and Palestinians involved to see whether the two sides could be brought back to negotiations.

The conference of foreign ministers was aimed at agreeing on a joint statement that would reaffirm the two-state solution on the basis of pre-1967 borders and according to Security Council resolutions, diplomats said.

The Palestinian mission in Paris was not immediately available for comment. The French foreign ministry declined to comment.

Last week, Netanyahu informed Hollande in a telephone call of his willingness to fly to Paris to engage in direct talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas without preconditions as an alternative to the French-initiated international peace conference. Netanyahu insisted that the conference would 'not contribute to peace.'

Suspicions were already rife over French comittment to hold the sumit given the country's doubts about US President-elect Donald Trump's enthusiasm.

Despite the claims, however, Abbas advisor Husam Zomlot, who is slated to become the the next Palestinian ambassador to the United States, said that Elysee Palace and the French president already confirmed the date on which the international peace conference would take place, and that Paris was already setting the wheels in motion to bringing about its implementation.
A terrorist carried out a stabbing attack at Lions' Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on Wednesday afternoon, leaving two policeman lightly wounded before being neutralized.

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Another 12-year-old boy from east Jerusalem claimed that he was struck in the head after the terrorist attacked him and was said to also be in light condition.

Screwdriver used in the attack (Photo: Police Spokesperson's Unit)

According to the Jerusalem Police, the terrorist arrived at the scene from the Damascus Gate and approached a number of police officers stationed in the area before suddenly producing a screwdriver and stabbing one of them in the head.

Scene of the incident (Photo: Police Spokesperson's Unit)

The policemen immediately opened fire and neutralized the terrorist, who was subsequently evacuated to hospital as paramedics performed life-saving treatment.

On Tuesday afternoon, a female terrorist attempted to carry out a vehicular attack at the Qalandiya checkpoint, but was stopped before she could harm anyone.

Last week, an stabbing attack was thwarted at a bus stop at the Tapuach Junction in the West Bank.

Scene of the incident

An 18-year-old from Qalqilya, aroused the suspicion of security personnel after he alighted a bus and proceeded in their direction.

After Border Police soldiers called on the suspicious individual to stop, he failed to respond and continued walking toward them before pulling out a knife and attacking them.

He was shot and neutralized and pronounced dead shortly thereafter. There were no reports of injuries.
BERLIN -- A stretch of autobahn in eastern Germany has been shut down to allow experts to dispose of a World War II-era anti-tank mine found only 200 meters from the busy highway.

The Lausitzer Rundschau daily reported Wednesday that the A15 highway near Cottbus, close to the Polish border, was affected after authorities found the mine and 17 grenades in a field. Explosives experts were to destroy the munitions in place.
ANKARA -- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused Syrian government forces of breaking a ceasefire deal in Aleppo on Wednesday, but said Turkey is still making efforts to create a corridor to evacuate people from the Syrian city.

Erdogan said he would speak later by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation in Aleppo, which he described as "very fragile". He was addressing a group of local administrators in Ankara, in comments broadcast live.

Erdogan also said preparations were complete for evacuees from Aleppo to come to Idlib in Syria and to Turkey.

The planned evacuation of rebel districts of Aleppo stalled on Wednesday as air strikes and heavy shelling hit the city and Iran was said to have imposed new conditions on the deal.
WARSAW -- Poland's Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz says he's happy that the United States has decided to accelerate the deployment of deterrence troops to Poland.

The commander of US land troops in Europe, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, says Wednesday that the troops will arrive in the German port of Bremenhaven on Jan. 6 and will be immediately deployed to Poland and the Baltic states. Hodges said the armored brigade and a battalion have already started moving out of their base in Colorado.

Poland and the Baltics have been uneasy about increased Russian military operations in the region.
NAIROBI - A Kenyan court has ordered the deportation of two Iranian men who were accused of plotting an attack on the Israeli embassy in the capital, Nairobi.

A court order issued Wednesday said an agreement had been reached between prosecutors and the Iranian embassy leading to the termination of criminal charges and deportation.

The suspects, Sayed Nasrollah Ebrahim and Abdolhosein Gholi Safaee, had been in custody since Nov. 29, when they were arrested outside the Israeli embassy with video footage of the facility. They were charged with collecting information to facilitate a terrorist act.

Iranian agents have been suspected in attacks or thwarted attacks around the world in recent years, including in Azerbaijan, Thailand and India. Most of the plots had Israeli targets.
NAIROBI - A Kenyan court on Wednesday ordered the deportation of two Iranian men who were accused of plotting an attack on the Israeli embassy in the capital, Nairobi.

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The court order said an agreement had been reached between prosecutors and the Iranian embassy leading to the termination of criminal charges and deportation.

The suspects, Sayed Nasrollah Ebrahim and Abdolhosein Gholi Safaee, had been in custody since Nov. 29, when they were arrested outside the Israeli embassy with video footage of the facility. Their Kenyan driver, Moses Keyah Mmboga, was also arrested.

Iranians Sayed Ebrahimi and Abdolhosein Safafe (Photo: Reuters)

They had been traveling in an Iranian diplomatic car after visiting a prison where they saw two other Iranians who have been jailed for 15 years on terrorism charges, according to prosecutors.

They were charged with collecting information to facilitate a terrorist act. All three denied taking video clips of the embassy "for use in (committing...) a terrorist act".

Public prosecutor Duncan Ondimu told Reuters he had successfully applied to the court for the case to be discontinued and the two Iranians to be deported immediately. He gave no explanation for the discontinuation request.

The driver, an employee of the embassy, was released, the prosecutor said.

Iranian agents have been suspected in attacks or thwarted attacks around the globe in recent years, including in Azerbaijan, Thailand and India. Most of the plots had Israeli targets.

In June 2013, a Kenyan court convicted two Iranian nationals of plotting attacks against Western targets in Kenya and they were sentenced to life in prison. That sentence was reduced on appeal in February to 15 years in prison.

Those men, Ahmad Abolfathi Mohammad and Sayed Mansour Mousavi, led officials to a 15-kilogram (33-pound) stash of the explosive RDX. Kenyan anti-terror officials said they were members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, an elite and secretive unit.
By PTI: Los Angeles, Dec 14 (PTI) Scientists have developed a new lab-on-a-chip technique that may simplify the detection of cancer DNA biomarkers in blood and pave the way for new treatments for the deadly disease.

Genomic biomarkers offer great potential for diagnostics and new forms of treatment, such as immunotherapy.

Miniaturised lab-on-a-chip approaches are prime candidates for developing viable diagnostic tests and instruments because they are small, need only limited test volumes and can be cost-effective.

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A team of scientists and engineers from the University of California, Santa Cruz and Brigham Young University in the US have developed just such an approach capable of processing biomolecular samples from blood.

Their method can analyse and identify multiple targets on a silicon-based molecular detection platform.

Laboratory-on-a-chip describes the miniaturisation of laboratory functions such as blood testing on a chip.

Instead of transferring relatively large (micro- to millilitres) samples between test tubes or using bulky analytical equipment, samples and reagents are handled on chip-scale devices with fluidic microchannels.

This requires much smaller test volumes, and multiple functions can be integrated on a single device, improving speed, reliability and portability of these lab processes.

"Our approach uses optofluidic chips where both fluid processing and optical sensing are done on a chip, allowing for further miniaturisation and performance enhancements of the chip system," said Holger Schmidt, professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Each of the chips had to be developed and tested for multiple functions, from filtering of blood cells without clogging the filter to reliably analysing optical data to create the right excitation patterns on the silicon chip.

The next step to realising the potential of this research is to move towards real clinical samples and to detect individual DNA biomarkers.

"We have shown single nucleic acid analysis in the context of on-chip Ebola detection and would like to transfer that to this application," said Schmidt.

Other goals for the team include increasing the speed of the analysis process, and integrating more optical elements on the chip.

They also want to expand their capabilities to analysing protein biomarkers in addition to nucleic acids and whole virus particles already demonstrated.

This research is expected to have a wide range of applications because the underlying principle of this kind of on-chip optical analysis and manipulation is very general.

"In the near term, we hope to build new diagnostic instruments for molecular diagnostics with applications in oncology and infectious disease detection, both viruses and (drug-resistant) bacteria," Schmidt said. PTI SAR SAR

--- ENDS ---
The Russian military says Syrian government forces have seized another district in eastern Aleppo, further squeezing a small remaining rebel enclave.

The military's Center for Reconciliation in Syria said the Syrian troops retook the Sukkari quarter, reducing the area still under rebel control to 2.5 square kilometers (less than a square mile).

A cease-fire deal between the rebels and the Syrian government that was to allow the evacuation of rebels and civilians from eastern Aleppo effectively collapsed Wednesday, with the government and the rebels blaming each other for its failure. The Russian military says the Syrian government forces were observing the cease-fire on Tuesday, but the rebels fired at a convoy that was to carry the evacuees to the rebel-held Idlib province at dawn.
Professior Yeshayahu Leibovitz once told me how he had encountered the writer Shai Agnon, who asked him: Why has the strength of the Torah grown weak? Leibovitz answered in the same spirit: Its power has grown weak because Torah study has become a trade, and there are too many rabbis.

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And indeed, the greedy and avaricious who have turned the Torah into a trade get the title rabbis. In the Diaspora, the handful of rabbis, did not damage Jewish identity, whereas today in Israel swarms of rabbis practice as spiritual guides humming in our ears from circumcision to the grave. Many of them are immune to criticism, even if they are thieves, rapists, racist instigators, or attackers of IDF soldiers, as they relentlessly conspire to undermine democratic institutions. As secular lawwhich is becoming weaker day by daytries to restrain them, these rabbis receive the support of Hassidic followers, politicians or corrupt government leaders smelling of fascism, who are ready to sell the good of the country for personal gain.

Against the defiled trinity of corrupt government, devouring wealth and a violent messianic religion, the people stand helpless, paralyzed and confused. The rulers claim that they gained power by democratic means, as they are the majority in the Knesset. But democracy is not only the rule of the majority. The meaning of democracy is the zealous protection of the rights of the other and the different. The meaning of democracy is to ensure the safe existence of the weak. And when the government revokes nursing insurance for the elderly, and throws hundreds of thousands of people into a state of poverty and need at the end of their lives, and votes against comparing disability pension to minimum wagethis government is not democratic, but a group of people deaf to human emotion.

Beggars on the street in Jerusalem (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

The meaning of democracy is the protection of the right to criticize and of the judicial systems, but what we witness are malicious and dangerous attacks on the Supreme Court, such as the fascistic utterance of an Israeli MK that a D9 shovel should be used against the highest judicial authority. The meaning of democracy is freedom of expression and freedom of thought. The meaning of democracy is the right to demonstrate without fear of encountering police brutality against demonstrators because of religion, gender or skin color.

In a climate of false propaganda and the slick tongues of that defiled trinity, Israel is slipping into the dark Third World, away from the enlightened democratic world. The immediate victims are the weaker populations, such as Arab citizens, most of whom aspire to lead a quiet life in a proper regime. We still remember the malicious smear campaign against them, led by the prime minister about two weeks ago, when Haifa was in flames. All the statements made by the Arab citizensthat this country is theirs as much as it belongs to the Jewish citizens, and that the general pain is their pain toowere to no avail. Due to the toxic incitement of a regime in search of enemies, Arab citizens are always a target for ostracism and discrimination, both overt and covert.

The unholy covenant, between a weak regime and those who pretend to be holy spiritual shepherds, gains the enthusiastic support of wealthy tycoons. The fat are getting fatter, and the thin sink deeper into a mire of debt and poverty. One purchases an apartment for tens of millions, and the other, at best, gives up half of his salary as rent for a crumbling ruin, or is brutally evicted from his home in favor of real-estate barons.

Due to the aggravating social polarization, disadvantaged populations sink further into the cycle of poverty, which becomes bigger and deeper, and seems to have no way out. These populations collapse under the burden of debt because they have no means of paying for electricity and water (basic human rights), while the public authorities use draconian collection mechanisms. It is tragic that most children born to poor families are doomed for the rest of their lives to slog in the housing shortage, malnutrition and a short life span. The price of the unnecessary submarines could have redeemed tens of thousands from poverty.

In a reality of occupation, violent settlement on land that we do not own, and initiation of Grab Laws, the image of the violent conqueror becomes an object of admiration in Israeli culture. Women in the public sector, as well as the army and work place, not only suffer pay discrimination but unbearable sexual harassment. Every day we witness new horrifying incidents of rape and abuse. One of every three women in Israel is a victim of sexual violence. It is terrifying these days to be a girl or an innocent woman in an office, a pub, a public playground, an army unit, or even in a generals headquarters or a rabbis chamber.

It is just as dangerous to be black in Israel. In quite a few cases the very same person who is supposed to protect youwhether it is a policeman or a security guard in a night-clubis the one who will crush you. Most contemptible are the Mohalim (circumcisers), who treat Ethiopian newborns as guinea pigs, and do not deter from endangering their health. Brutal bullies see the dark skinned person as an easy and convenient target for abuse, just as the Jews were in anti-Semitic countries.

Photo: Gil Yohanan

I am 90 years old now. When I came to Israel I was 23. I saw around me bright and shining eyes, filled with dreams. There was hope for equality and justice. In the Hydrological Service, where I worked, the simple driver of the division got the same salary as the manager, because he was a father of many children. How did the dreams vanish from our horizon? How was the Land of Hope cut from under our feet? How were human rights trampled on in so many areas? And how are citizens abandoned in a regime where the might is right? Culture or humanity is fighting for its life, human rights organizations are being attacked, as well as media critical of the government. The academia has also become a target, after some crazy idea to form illegitimate ethical rules for the institution of higher education. Even literary works have to pass through the toxic strainer of narrow-minded inspectors.

One must be a superhero to stand up and rage against those who trample upon a humane motherland. Not everyone can be a brave hero protecting human rights. I adopt the Dalai Lamas saying: the central cause in this life is to help others, and if you cannot help  at least do not hurt them. Quite a few artists and intellectuals comply with the regimes wink. And unfortunately, quite a few writers and poets are willing to settle for lentil stew, selling their talent and penmanship to those who destroy the image of culture.

Nevertheless, I have seen in my time evil empires, that believed they would last a thousand years, crumble into dust under the firm foot of men aspiring to be human. This terrible nightmare we are in today is bound to pass.

Sammy Michael is the President of the Human Rights Society, marking the International Human Rights Awareness Week.
Parliamentary aides showed up to work on Wednesday in skirts and dresses in protest after one of their coworkers was not allowed to enter the Knesset because the guards deemed her skirt "immodest."

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The organized protest brought on the expected result: over 15 were detained or barred from entering the Knesset due to wearing what was deemed to be "inappropriate attire."

Several of the detained aides (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

Several other aides and advisors joined their colleagues, themselves refusing to enter in protest. MKs Yael German (Yesh Atid) and Ilan Gilon (Meretz) tried to help out the women, but to no avail, and aides were left outside.

Manuel Trajtenberg takes off shirt

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But it was MK Manual Trajtenberg (Zionist Union) who really gave the establishment the cold shoulder, taking off his dress shirt after his female assistant was asked to remove her coat so that the length of her skirt could be assessed. "'If I can enter the Knesset like this, so can you," said Trajtenberg, receiving a round of applause.

MK Manuel Trajtenberg

MK Shelly Yachimovich (Zionist Union) came out against the dress code. "Detaining parliamentary workers is very severe and constitutes an invasion of their privacy, in addition to being humiliating and aggressive," she wrote. "The Knesset Speaker and his emissaries' feigned innocence in claiming this is merely enforcing policy is truly hypocritical," she added.

The first to be detained for her sartorial choices was Shaked Hasson, aide to Zionist Union MK Merav Michaeli, who was stopped at the entrance to the Knesset on Sunday.

Hasson insisted she and her friends were not being provocative on purpose, despite the Knesset issuing a response to the contrary.

She explained that when word got out on Wednesday that other women were being detained for the same reason, she and several other Knesset workers, including MKs, came out to in a show of camaraderie. "We went outside to show support, and to say that the Knesset will not have a Taliban," said Hasson on Wednesday.

"People should be able to enter without others measuring (a certain number of) centimeters above their knees," she continued. "Today, we suddenly got a new directive from the visitors' center, saying that the standard is up to 5cm above the knee. Well, it isn't. This is outrageous and should not be the standard."

Michaeli joined her aide in the fight against discrimination, sending a letter on the matter to Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud), Knesset Legal Advisor Eyal Yanun and Legal Aide to the Knesset Administration Nurit Elstein. Michaeli claimed that a previous inquiry attempt with Edelstein went unanswered.

"I turn to you with the intent of stopping the radicalization that is taking place at this very moment at the entrance to the Knesset building," wrote Michaeli, explaining that many parliamentary aides are forced to remove their coats or step out of their cars so that their outfits may be scrutinized.

"The Knesset Guard's enforcing of a dress code has gotten out of proportion," continued Michaeli. "It harms the ability of both male and female MKs to do their jobs. I ask that you intervene to stop the harsh radicalization currently taking place, allow all advisors in and set up a meeting to clarify this matter."

The Knesset responded to the protest, saying, "Today's event was no more than a premeditated provocation that respected no one. Despite this, and as opposed to several reports on the matter, all aides were allowed to enter, apart from one. The women and men of the Knesset Guard standing at the entrance are dedicated to their work, which they do based on a dress code that has been used at the Knesset for years, which aims to protect the Knesset's dignity and distinction."







Six hours after the first woman was stopped from entering the Knesset on Wednesday, all the parliamentary aides were allowed to enter.

Following the protest, Knesset Speaker Edelstein announced he will set up a taskforce that will examine the current dress code during a meeting with Knesset director-general Albert Shacharovich and nine MKs.
ANKARA - Turkish authorities issued arrest warrants for 55 people, including businessmen, suspected of giving financial support to the network of the US-based cleric Ankara accuses of orchestrating a failed military coup in July, broadcaster NTV said.

The businessmen suspected of being linked to the cleric's network allegedly carried large sums of cash, which they have called a "favor," back and forth between Turkey, Tanzania, Uganda and Kazakhstan since 2014, NTV said.

Police from the Istanbul financial-crimes unit conducted operations in 57 separate addresses on Saturday to root out sympathizers of Gulen, NTV said. Authorities have detained some of the suspects in the operations, while others are still being sought, NTV said, adding that some were found to be using Bylock, a smartphone messaging app which Ankara says was used by Gulen's adherents as a communication tool.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has congratulated Syrian President Bashar Assad on a victory in "liberated Aleppo," Syria's presidency said on Wednesday.

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Rouhani said this was an important step towards "wiping out terrorism in Syria," the presidency's Twitter account and state media reported.

Meanwhile, plans to evacuate besieged rebel districts of Aleppo were under threat on Wednesday as renewed air strikes and shelling rocked the city in a bombardment the United Nations said "most likely constitutes war crimes."

Photo: EPA

There was no sign of that happening. Insurgents fired shells at the two majority Shi'ite villages, Foua and Kefraya, in Idlib province west of Aleppo, causing some casualties, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

There was no immediate indication when the Aleppo evacuation might take place but a pro-opposition TV station said it could be delayed until Thursday.

A ceasefire brokered on Tuesday by Russia, Assad's most powerful ally, and Turkey was intended to end years of fighting in the city, giving the Syrian leader his biggest victory in more than five years of war.

Photo: EPA

But air strikes, shelling and gunfire erupted on Wednesday and Turkey accused government forces of breaking the truce. Syrian state television said rebel shelling had killed six people.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein said he was appalled that the evacuation deal appeared to have collapsed.

"While the reasons for the breakdown in the ceasefire are disputed, the resumption of extremely heavy bombardment by the Syrian government forces and their allies on an area packed with civilians is almost certainly a violation of international law and most likely constitutes war crimes," he added.

Photo: AFP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov predicted that rebel resistance would last no more than two or three days. The defense ministry in Moscow said the rebels now controlled an enclave of only 2.5 square km (1 square mile).

Turkey was in contact with Iran, Russia and the United States to try and ensure the evacuation of civilians and rebel fighters from Aleppo. Moscow said Lavrov had discussed the situation with his US and Iranian counterparts.

Officials in the military alliance backing Assad could not be reached immediately for comment on why the evacuation, expected to start in the early hours of Wednesday, had stalled.

Rapid advances

Nobody had left by dawn under the plan, according to a Reuters witness waiting at the departure point, where 20 buses stood with engines running but showed no sign of moving into rebel districts.

People in eastern Aleppo packed their bags and burned personal belongings, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed militia allies.

Photo: Reuters

UN war crimes investigators said the Syrian government bore the main responsibility for preventing any attacks and reprisals in eastern Aleppo and that it must hold to account any troops or allied forces committing violations.

In what appeared to be a separate development from the planned evacuation, the Russian defense ministry said 6,000 civilians and 366 fighters had left rebel-held districts over the past 24 hours.

A total of 15,000 people, including 4,000 rebel fighters, wanted to leave Aleppo, according to a media unit run by the Syrian government's ally Hezbollah.

The evacuation plan was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire.

By taking full control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia's air force and an array of Shi'ite militias from across the region.

Photo: AFP

Rebels have been supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but the support they have enjoyed has fallen far short of the direct military backing given to Assad by Russia and Iran.

Russia's decision to deploy its air force to Syria 18 months ago turned the war in Assad's favour after rebel advances across western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year.

The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria.

Fear stalks streets

As the battle for Aleppo unfolded, global concern has risen over the plight of the 250,000 civilians who were thought to remain in its rebel-held eastern sector before the sudden army advance began at the end of November.

The rout of rebels in Aleppo sparked a mass flight of terrified civilians and insurgents in bitter weather, a crisis the United Nations said was a "complete meltdown of humanity." There were food and water shortages in rebel areas, with all hospitals closed.

On Tuesday, the United Nations voiced deep concern about reports it had received of Syrian soldiers and allied Iraqi fighters summarily shooting dead 82 people in recaptured east Aleppo districts. It accused them of "slaughter."

The Syrian army has denied carrying out killings or torture among those captured, and Russia said on Tuesday rebels had "kept over 100,000 people in east Aleppo as human shields."

Fear stalked the city's streets. Some survivors trudged in the rain past dead bodies to the government-held west or the few districts still in rebel hands. Others stayed in their homes and awaited the Syrian army's arrival.

"People are saying the troops have lists of families of fighters and are asking them if they had sons with the terrorists. (They are) then either left or shot and left to die," said Abu Malek al-Shamali in Seif al-Dawla, one of the last rebel-held districts.
While on tour in Kazakhstan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded on Wednesday to Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who predicted that Israel would cease to exist within 25 years. "Don't threaten us, we are not a rabbit, we are a tiger," said Netanyahu while on a visit to Kazakhstan.

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The comment was made during Netanyahu's meeting with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has been the country's ruler for the past 26 years.

Nazarbayev told Netanyahu that Khamenei is due to visit Kazahstan, and asked whether he wished to deliver a message to him.

Netanyahu (L) and Nazarbayev (Photo: Haim Tzach, GPO)

"Ask him why Iran continues to threaten us with annihilation," said Netanyahu.

Netanyahu added that those who threaten Israel put themselves in great danger, but that if Iran changes its policy with regard to Israel, Israel will do the same. He added, though, that he believes that Iranian leaders aim to make good on statements they make, in which they promise to annihilate Israel.

Netanyahu was received at the royal presidential palace by an honorary guard, while the Israeli national anthem played in the background. Together with President Nursultan, he signed a research and development agreement, a flight agreement, an agreement to build a joint agricultural center and several other forms signaling the two countries' cooperation. The two leaders also discussed setting up teams to develop hi-tech, technology and security endeavors.

Netanyahu stated that what is being seen today is the leaders or a Muslim and Jewish state shaking hands and cooperating to create a better future for the citizens of their countries. Their example, he said, radiates to the entire world, showing that Israel's relationship with its Muslim and Arab neighbors is dramatically changing.

He also stressed that while some of the interactions and progress made between Israel and other Middle East countries are under the radar, they are nevertheless changing in great ways. The world, said Netanyahu, is looking to the powers of progress, solidarity and friendship, and not intolerance, oppression and terrorism.

Netanyahu also praised Nursultan, specifically for his tolerance toward Jews. Calling Kazakhstani-born Israeli Jews "a human bridge" to Kazakhstan and its culture, he spoke of their reminiscing of the pluralism they had witnessed back in Kazakhstan toward all religions. He then asked Nursultan to support Israel in the UN Security Council, reminding him that Israel had supported Kazakhstan's successful bid the Security Council.

This is reportedly the first visit a sitting Israeli prime minister has made to Kazakhstan, and Netnayahu made sure to take in the country's historic sites. While visiting a synagogue in the country's capital of Astana with his wife Sara, he added that Israel retains its solid standing among the nations of the world not by lowering its head, but by standing tall. He highlighted the importance of him making such a statement in a Muslim country that respects coexistence and acts as a model of what can and should happen between Israel and its close neighbors.
The head of the IDF's Manpower Directorate, Maj. Gen. Hagai Topolanski, resigned from his post on Wednesday evening after a military laptop was stolen from his home, raising concerns classified information might have been compromised.

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IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot accepted Topolanski's resignation, saying he does so with a heavy heart due to his immense appreciation of the major general.

The Manpower Directorate's chief of staff, Brig. Gen. Merav Kirshner, will be appointed the acting-commander of the directorate until a replacement is found.

Maj. Gen. Hagai Topolanski (Photo: Shaul Golan)

Topolanski also decided to retire from the IDF. He made his decision without waiting to see whether the IDF chief was planning to dismiss or suspend him.

Topolanski told Eisenkot that he was taught to take responsibility for his actions and has required the same of the soldiers under his commander.

He also noted that the IDF and the way it is perceived were important to him and that he hoped his resignation would send the right message both to the soldiers and the general public.

Eisenkot described Topolanski as a well-regarded officer, a fighter pilot who dedicated his life to the protection of the State of Israel.

The IDF chief also praised Topolanski, saying his actions were an expression of what is required of every commander in the IDF.

Topolanski's home in the Be'er Tuviya Regional Council was broken into early Tuesday morning along with four other homes by a gang of burglars.

The burglars apparently entered Topolanski's home through the window and stole his military laptop along with his daughter's car.

The IDF's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and the Lachish District Police launched an investigation into the break in, and Maj. Gen. Topolanski is expected to be questioned under caution.

The CID is checking whether the laptop and other items stolen from Topolanski's home contain classified information.

Officials in the IDF said the CID investigation will continue regardless of Topolanski's retirement of the IDF and that at the end of the investigation, a decision will be made whether to indict him or settle for his resignation.
The student behind the poster put up at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, which depicts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a noose in front of him, was questioned under caution by the police on Tuesday. In response to her investigation, Bezalel students and faculty plan on participating in a protest against what they consider an aggressvie attempt to limit the freedom of expression. Several of the students also participated in a silent performance piece on Wednesday, that also addressed the silencing of artistic dissdence.

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Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit instructed the police to open an investigation on the matter on Tuesday. The student was reportedly identified, called in for questioning and released shortly after.

Bezalel students protest

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Acting as the student's legal counsel, attorney Rami Othman denied any suspicion of incitement against his client. "It was just a Photoshop assignment that her teachers asked her to do, nothing more. There's nothing in it that could be construed as incitement. At the end of the assignment, she asked her teacher whether to take it down or leave it up, and he told her she could leave it up. It was meant to convey how Bibi is strangling the hope for peace. The picture was taken out of context."

Tuesday's Netanyahu with noose poster

Many of the students at Bezalel felt that the event has been blown out of proportion. "It's a matter of artistic license," said one student. "The work was on display for a week and looked a bit unusual, but there are a lot of works that are hung on the walls."

As Wednesday morning dawned on the academy, a new controversial poster of the prime minister was revealed. This time, it was Netanyahu's naked image that beckoned passersby, with a crown on his head and a noose superimposed around his member. Scrawled beneath the noose was the question, "It this better, Mr. Attorney General?"

The new, nude Netanyahu poster

Several students had reportedly hung up the new poster following the investigation of the artist responsible for Tuesday's work. "As far as we can tell," a Bezalel spokesperson said. "The (new) caricature is the work of a student that was created in protest of the police investigation of a Bezalel student last night.

"The caricature, removed at our behest from the academy's walls, reflects the students' rage with regard to the threat to the freedom of expression and of creation, both in general and specifically in the halls of the academy. Students of Bezalel, who belong to all sections of the political spectrum, carried out a quiet protest today against the limiting of the freedom of expression. Bezalel encourages an open discussion regarding the limits to the freedom of expression and will continue, as usual, to lead, protect and preserve the freedom of expression and creativity."

The school also said it "will cooperate with any investigation and act in accordance to its conclusions."

Following the incident, the Likud Youth Movement called for Bezalel to be shut down until an indepth investigation of the incitement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is condcuted.

A representative of the Likud Youth said that "It seems that some of Bezalel's students have confused the freedom of expression with clear incitement, which we as a society cannot condone. We call on the authorities to act swiftly against those carrying out the incitement and close Bezalel's gates until an indepth investigation is done. We must act today before it will godforbid be too late."

The Bezalel Student Union also issued a statement in response to the affair. "The attorney general was quick to demand an investigation against the student, though it is clear to everyone that her work does not promote incitement, something that was also made clear during the investigation."

"Students at Bezalel are fighting for their freedom of expression, which is legitimate," the student union added. "The use of the photo may have been inappropriate, but the message there was incredibly important: namely, that the academy's freedom of expression must be preserved."
China appears to have installed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, on all seven of the artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea, a U.S. think tank reported on Wednesday, citing new satellite imagery.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said its findings come despite statements by the Chinese leadership that Beijing has no intention to militarize the islands in the strategic trade route, where territory is claimed by several countries.

AMTI said it had been tracking construction of hexagonal structures on Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi reefs in the Spratly Islands since June and July. China has already built military length airstrips on these islands.
Combat Arms preps Airmen for the fight

Senior Airman Danielle Massengill, a Combat Arms Instructor with the 910th Security Forces Squadron, reviews her hits on a target at the range here after firing an M-4 carbine, Dec. 3, 2016. The 910ths Combat Arms Instructors schedule this training during less busy times of year to current on their qualifications to be able to teach others who need training on the weapon. The M-4 carbine is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle and is the primary long weapon for Air Force personnel deployed to combat areas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff. Sgt. Rachel Kocin)
By PTI: From Aditi Khanna

London, Dec 14 (PTI) The UK wants to make London as Indias "destination of choice" for raising offshore finance, an Indian-origin British minister has said.

"Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi wants to Make in India. We say: Make in India, finance in the UK," Alok Sharma, minster in charge of Asia, said in an address to the UK India Business Council on the Future of the UK-India Relationship in London.

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"As well as seeking to expand its role as a manufacturer and innovator, India is also rightly addressing its future infrastructure and energy needs. Many of you know the staggering amounts of capital this will require ? 2.8 trillion dollars needed by 2040 to invest in energy, according to the International Energy Agency and over 1 trillion dollars in other infrastructure," he said.

The parliamentary under-secretary in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on Monday said the Theresa May led government wantsthe City of London to become Indias "destination of choice" for raising international funds.

"We want Indian companies and public sector entities to see the City of London as the natural home for raising offshore finance ? for quasi-sovereigns as well as corporates."

The minister also sought to clear up what he described as "mis-perceptions and misconceptions" around the issue of visas.

"First of all, there is no cap on the number of international students studying at recognised institutions in the UK. Secondly, we continue to welcome students from India ? in the year to March 2016, we approved 89 per cent of Indian student visa applications," he said.

"Moreover, Indian citizens enjoy greater access to application centres than anyone else and India is the only country where applicants can obtain a same-day visa.

"We naturally want our visa regime to be as simple and efficient as possible. But we must also ensure that people return to their country of origin once their visa has expired."

To ensure that the visa regime does not hinder the commercial relationship, he said the British government wants India to be the first country to be offered the "Registered Traveller Scheme, giving business travellers expedited clearance at the UK border."

He highlighted that Mays visit to India last month was "no coincidence" that it was her first overseas bilateral visit outside the European Union as PM.

"It signalled the immense value we place on our existing partnership with India and the potential we see to enhance this unique relationship in the future," he said.

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The Conservative Party MP pointed to the UK as Indias largest major investor, responsible for employing one in every 20 Indians and India as the UKs third-largest investor and second largest international employment generator ? responsible for over 110,000 jobs in the UK.PTI AK AMS NSA AMS

--- ENDS ---
The Brisbane LGA September median house price of $635,000 was just 1.6% below the June quarter, and the unit price of $430,000 was just 2.7% down from the previous quarter.

While there were small quarterly declines, the annual figures show a housing market that is continuing to hold its own. Brisbanes annual median of $635,000 is 4.1% higher than September 2015 and 22.7% higher than five years ago, when the median house price was $517,500.

Similarly, the annual median unit price of $440,000 (while it is 1.1% below 12 months ago), is still an encouraging 8.5% higher than five years ago (when it was $405,500).

Antonia Mercorella, chief executive officer of REIQ, said it was encouraging that the markets were holding onto the gains that were made over the past five years.

With the news released last week that the Adani Carmichael coal mine is very close to becoming a reality, we are optimistic that our states real estate market will get a boost. Jobs mean growth and the regional communities of Townsville, Mackay and Rockhampton have been declared as hubs for the Adani workforce, which is great news for those real estate markets, she said.

Workers need housing, both rental and owner-occupied, and for every base job created by the mine, another six indirect jobs are created in related industries.

Median house prices (September 2016):

Greater Brisbane  $495,000 (up 3.1% from 12 months ago)

Gold Coast  $565,000 (up 5.6% from 12 months ago)

Cairns  $395,000 (flat from 12 months ago)

Gladstone  $275,000 (down 9.2% from 12 months ago)

Mackay  $318,750 (down 9.6% from 12 months ago)

Townsville  $330,000 (down 2.9% from 12 months ago)

Greater Brisbane  $402,000 (down 2% from 12 months ago)

Gold Coast  $390,000 (up 4.8% from 12 months ago)

Cairns  $238,000 (up 4.4% from 12 months ago)

Related stories:

QLD Excerpt From The 2016 October Market Report

Brisbanes Median House Price Reaches New High
Sources said the chief minister is miffed with the army over the toll plaza incident.

By Romita Datta: Like previous few years, this year too the Eastern Command of the Indian Army had requested the West Bengal government to make arrangements for the annual Vijay Diwas celebrations at the Prinsep Ghat today.

However, the state government allegedly did not respond to the army's request this time.

Sources said the reason for the government's indifference is that chief minister Mamata Banerjee is not ready to forget the recent episode where army personnel took over toll plazas on national highways in the state and inspected heavy vehicles.

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In the last few years, the state government had taken care of the Vijay Diwas celebrations and made arrangements for setting up of stage, lighting and other things. This year, the government floated a tender to select a contractor for the work, but following the toll plaza controversy, the government did not show any interest in the celebrations.

ALSO READ: Mamata Banerjee locks herself in office to protest Army's presence at toll plazas in state

THE TOLL PLAZA CONTROVERSY

Mamata Banerjee had then alleged that the exercise was conducted without the knowledge and permission of the West Bengal government. She had dubbed the army exercise a military coup and an attack on a democratically-elected government.

She had stayed put at the state secretariat for 30 hours, refusing to leave until army personnel were withdrawn from the toll plazas. The chief minister also alleged that the army was collecting toll on the highway.

ALSO READ: Kolkata Police, Army spar on Twitter over deployment of forces at toll plazas

The army, however, had refuted the allegations and said it was a routine exercise in coordination with the West Bengal Police.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not bury the hatchet and attacked the Centre for creating a situation "worse than Emergency".

In response, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had written to her, pointing out how her allegations had hit the morale of the army. Mamata Banerjee shot back and accused Parrikar of sending her a near-defamatory letter.

ALSO READ: Army rejects Mamata Banerjee's toll plaza allegations, shows papers

ALSO WATCH

--- ENDS ---
VILLANOVA, Pa.  Villanova University College of Engineering is strongly committed to introducing local students to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) experiences at a young age. Now in its 8th year, Villanova Community Action by New Engineers (NovaCANE) is a program that brings engineering to seven different middle schools in the Philadelphia region. Approximately 30 students and faculty are involved in NovaCANE each year, making monthly trips to area schools to teach lessons and give demonstrations to after-school engineering clubs. Engineering projects vary by grade level:

Sixth graders focus on structural engineering

Seventh grade projects are centered on environmental, water resources, chemical and sustainable engineering

Eighth graders learn about electrical and mechanical engineering

Earlier this month, NovaCANE visited St. Martin of Tours middle school in Philadelphia to provide some engineering holiday spirit as part of their focus on structural engineering. After a brief informative lecture on earthquakes, the group of 25 sixth grade students were given materials to make gingerbread houses. The catch? The houses not only had to stand on their own, but also withstand an earthquake simulation. Teams of students used graham crackers, frosting and candy to construct a two-story gingerbread house that was then tested on a shake table to simulate a real earthquake. During construction, the students had to use what they learned in the lecture portion to consider how earthquakes affect structures. Of course, whether the house stood firm or eventually collapsed, the fun came in eating the pieces afterward.

The College of Engineering is a national leader in STEM outreach programs and is committed to inspiring the next generation of engineers. The Colleges STEM outreach takes on many forms, from facilitation of national programs on Villanovas campus to local programs that originate from the creativity of Villanova students and faculty. To learn more, visit the Colleges website.
A West Bengal BJP worker lodged a complaint against state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her statements against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian Army.

By Indrajit Kundu: The Bharatiya Janata Party's West Bengal unit has lodged an FIR against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for "anti-national activities demonstrated by attack on Indian Army and the Prime Minister of India."

The FIR, filed with the Jorasanko Police Station in central Kolkata alleges that the Chief Minister had "attacked Indian Army in an unprecedented manner, denouncing their rights, privileges, stature and denigrating their constitutional position in the eyes of general public."

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The BJP also alleges that Mamata had "maligned the image of Indian Army, wilfully and with nefarious political motives" based on uncorroborated allegations and baseless insinuations. The FIR copy states that the Trinamool Congress Chief's action amounts to a breach of Section 1, subsection O of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

On Mamata's allegation of a suspected coup, the complaint states that it is a "very serious attempt to misinform general public, casting aspersions on the Indian Army."The complaint states that Mamata had "denounced the post of Prime Minister of India, with baseless insinuations, and even threatened him with dire violent consequences," claiming that it amounts to sedition and defamation.

Police said that BJP worker Manav Sharma wanted to lodge the complaint at Jorasanko thana in central Kolkata but later emailed it to the city police commissioner following advice of police officials.

READ| Mamata Banerjee locks herself in office to protest Army's presence at toll plazas in state

PIL AGAINST DIDI

Earlier, West Bengal BJP on Tuesday said it will file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Calcutta High Court against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her alleged derogatory remarks against the Indian Army while it was deployed at toll plazas.

"She has maligned the Army's image in the eyes of millions of citizens through her uncorroborated allegations. We will file a PIL against her derogatory remarks," said state BJP Vice-President and spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar.

Banerjee stayed at the state Secretariat for over 30 hours to protest the deployment of the Army at 19 highway toll plazas in West Bengal between December 1 and 3. She claimed her government was kept "in the dark" about the Army movement.

She accused the Army of collecting money from civilians at the toll plazas.

Dismissing Banerjee's comments as "serious and baseless allegations", the state BJP leder claimed her acts should be considered a breach of the Constitution under which she had taken oath as the Chief Minister.

"Never before has an elected Chief Minister tried to denounce the Army like she did. Such action should be considered a breach of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act," Majumdar said.

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READ| Army rejects Mamata Banerjee's toll plaza allegations, shows papers

MANOHAR WRITES TO MAMATA

Earlier last week, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has expressed pain in a letter written to Mamata Banerjee over dragging the Army into controversy related to an "Army coup" in the state.

Earlier last week, "Extremely pained" by Banerjee calling the Army exercise a coup and dragging it into a political row, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar shot off a letter to her, saying such a stance can adversely impact civil-military relations in the future.

"I was pained... this particular exercise was a routine one so that the Army gets whatever data it wants. It is also an exercise where Army and civil administration coordinate... If they don't coordinate, it will be difficult for the Army to operate during natural calamities and disaster relief operations," Parrikar had said.

READ| 'Extremely pained' over coup charge, Parrikar writes a 2 page letter to Mamata

Also Read:

Manohar Parrikar writes to Mamata Banerjee about 'Army coup', says 'deeply pained' by allegations

Ye Pakistan hai kya: Bengal BJP chief over fatwa for 'derogatory' remarks against Mamata Banerjee

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Mamata Banerjee slams PM Modi over hacking of social media accounts

All what CM Mamata Banerjee said about PM Modi's demonetisation drive

--- ENDS ---
Bhopal gas tragedy is back in the news again nearly 26 years after this ghastly incident took place. Over 20,000 people were killed within days and people continue to suffer till today. Everybody is appalled at the verdict because it seems that the incident has been treated like a road accident. <br><br> Every media channel, whether online or offline, is abuzz with discussions about the tragedy. Media is leaving no stone unturned to blame the government for its inaction. But, a closer look and the media would realize that it is a failure on its part as well. How? The kind of media attention that this incident is getting now could have been given earlier also. Media is very powerful. Had it kept the issue alive, then the government could have been pressurized to act earlier and faster. This has happened in the past in cases of Jessica Lal, Nitish Kataria, 26/11, tiger conservation, Rouvanjit Rawla etc. It is widely known that had the media not followed these incidents, these too would have died their natural death. <br><br> There is no written rulebook for media coverage for such incidents but, it is the medias moral responsibility to act on such issues. Unfortunately, media too is driven by TRPs. That is why some channels prefer to give more coverage to Amitabh Bachchans religious pilgrimages, Shilpa Shettys wedding shopping, the Ambanis handshake etc. <br><br> It is not that the media has not given coverage to the incident but, the focus is event driven. The focus has shifted back to the Bhopal gas tragedy because of the recent verdict. A few weeks down the line, this issue would again fade away. After all, the law of diminishing returns applies to them as well. <br><br> Back in the eighties, media was not so powerful but, now that it is, it can act as a catalyst in bringing a change in our society. After all, well done is better than well said. What has happened in the past cannot be changed, but going forward the media can learn from the same and make sure that this issue does not die down till it reaches its rightful conclusion. It is not the light that we need but, the fire.
The JAC had boycotted the Congress party owing to the alleged repeated betrayal on the part of the Congress government for the past many years in declaring Sadar Hills, now Kangpokpi, into a full-fledged district.

By Manogya Loiwal : With the historic declaration of districthood to Kangpokpi which was once popularly known as Sadar Hills, Joint Action Committee for Sadar Hills has withdrawn its total boycott of Congress in the district today.

Earlier, the JAC had boycotted the Congress owing to the alleged repeated betrayal on the part of the Congress government for the past many years in declaring Sadar Hills, now Kangpokpi, into a full-fledged district.

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However, the momentous declaration of seven new districts including Kangpokpi district by Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh led Congress government evaded the annoyance of the people which significantly made the JAC withdraw its boycott called over the Congress.

Meanwhile, Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills and various civil bodies including the JAC expressed their sincere and deep gratitude to the Manipur government led by Okram Ibobi Singh for the bold and historic declaration of districthood to Sadar Hills in the name of Kangpokpi district.

"The people of Kangpokpi district are immensely thankfull to the Government of Manipur, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and his cabinet ministers as well as MLAs particularly of Kangpokpi, Saitu and Saikul," said Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills while extending gratitude to the like-minded civil bodies like UCM, AMUCO, etc including the people of Manipur on its joyful moment.

JAC conveyed heartiest gratitude to the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh led Congress government for the momentous declaration of districthood to Kangpokpi and wish successful future in its political endeavours.

READ| BJP took to street protest demanding resignation of CM and Home Minister in Manipur

Meanwhile, hectic preparation have been going on for the past 2-3 three days for the official inauguration of Kangpokpi district on December 15 at DC Complex Kangpokpi.

Thousands of Kangpokpi denizens under the supervision of district council and town administration engaged themselves in cleaning the surrounding areas of DC Complex today while volunteers of KYU and KWCare cleaned the roadside for the official inauguration.

A giant banner writh "Welcome to Kangpokpi District Shri. O.Ibobi Singh, Hon'ble Chief Minister, Govt. of Manipur" written on it was put up at Gamgiphai village over the National Highway while another welcome banner has been put up on wall and roadside by GUDUP members of Kangpokpi apart from the official welcome banner put up by the district administration.

Various cultural dances will be performances on the historic inauguration of Kangpokpi district on December 15.

--- ENDS ---
San Francisco: In a clear message to US President-elect Donald Trump, the famed National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden has said that government surveillance programmes will create "vulnerabilities" for social media users.

"The same technologies that are being used to connect us, to tie us together, to let you listen to this right now, are also being used to make records about your activity. Recording the activities of someone creates vulnerabilities for them," Snowden said during a question-and-answer session with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey CEO on the live video app Periscope owned by the micro-blogging site.

According to Re/Code, Trump had called for enhanced digital surveillance as well as a federal registry of Muslim-Americans.

"While other major tech companies have refused to comment about whether they plan to participate if asked to hand over data to build a database specifically profiling Muslim-Americans, Twitter said it definitely would not," the report said.

"Pardon Snowden", a campaign launched in September by major civil rights groups working to win official forgiveness for the whistleblower who is currently in exile in Russia, had announced the Periscope session watched by over 150,000 people.

Snowden also spoke about the prevalence of fake news on social media plaforms.

"The answer to bad speech is not censorship. The answer to bad speech is more speech. We have to exercise and spread the idea that critical thinking matters now more than ever given the fact that lies seem to be getting very popular," Snowden said.

On Wednesday, several top-notch tech executives are set to meet Trump at Trump Tower in New York City.

Among them are: Indian-born Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Alphabet CEO Larry Page, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and Oracle CEO Safra Catz.

The tech giants may discuss issues ranging from immigration reform, encryption and social concerns.

According to reports, Twitter CEO Dorsey was not invited for the tech summit.
Dubai: Former CIA director Leon Panetta said on Wednesday that President-elect Donald Trump risked being blamed after any potential attack on the United States if he refused to receive more regular intelligence briefings.

US officials told Reuters that Trump is receiving an average of one presidential intelligence briefing a week - far fewer than most of his recent predecessors - but that his deputy Mike Pence gets briefings around six days a week.

Panetta, a former Democratic Congressman who served as CIA director and defense secretary in President Barack Obama`s first term, told the Arab Strategy Forum, a conference sponsored by the government of Dubai, that Trump`s aversion "can`t last."

"I`ve seen presidents who have asked questions about whether that intelligence is verifiable, what are the sources for that intelligence, but I have never seen a president who said, `I don`t want that stuff,`" Panetta said.

"If we endure another attack and the intelligence officials had indications or information regarding that attack and the president did not want to listen to that, for whatever reason, the responsibility for that attack would fall on the president."

In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Trump said he found the intelligence briefings repetitive and that he already understood potential threats.

"You know, I`m a smart person. I don`t have to be told the same things in the same words every single day for the next eight years," Trump said.

Panetta said Trump should heed the view of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia had interfered in the presidential election through cyberattacks.

"When it comes to Russian interference in our last campaign, 17 intelligence agencies agree that Russia is involved in that effort. I think the President would do well to say we ought to find out what Russia`s role was, we ought to investigate it and ensure that it never happens again."

The CIA reportedly believes Russian hacking was aimed at boosting Trump`s candidacy - an assessment not shared by the FBI, which along with other U.S. agencies has concluded that Russian cyberattacks sought generally to undermine the election.

Trump called the CIA assessment "ridiculous", and Russia has denied meddling in the election.
Islamabad: Pakistan Army on Wednesday successfully test-fired an enhanced version of an indigenously-designed cruise missile that can hit targets at 700 kms with all kinds of warheads, bringing many Indian cities within its range.

Called 'Babur' after Mughal invader and founder of the dynasty of the same name, the missile is part of Babur Weapon System version- 2 because it is enhanced version of the earlier missile.

Army said in a statement that it incorporates advanced aerodynamics and avionics that can strike targets both at land and sea with high accuracy.

"It is a low flying, terrain hugging missile, which carries certain stealth features and is capable of carrying various types of warheads," it said.

The missile is equipped with state-of-the-art navigational technologies of Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) and all time Digital Scene Matching & Area Co-relation (DSMAC), which enables it to engage various type of targets with pinpoint accuracy even in the absence of GPS navigation.

"Babur Weapon System is an important force multiplier for Pakistan's strategic defence," it said.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, senior officers from Strategic Plans Division, Strategic Forces, scientists and engineers of strategic organisations were present at the launch.

The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee congratulated the scientists and engineers on achieving yet another milestone of great value and significance.



He appreciated the technical prowess, dedication and commitment of scientists who contributed to the success of this launch.

Expressing his full confidence over the Strategic Command and Control System and the Strategic Forces' operational preparedness, General Zubair said that this test further strengthens Pakistan's Deterrence Capability.

The President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan have congratulated the scientists and engineers on the successful conduct of the missile test.
Karachi: At least one person was injured as a low-intensity blast targeted a Chinese engineer's vehicle convoy near Rohri in Sindh province, Police said.

The Chinese engineer working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) escaped unhurt in the explosion, police said.

"Unknown accused attacked a Chinese engineer's vehicle near Rohri. Rescue teams moved [to the location]," said a police statement.

Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Rohri Masood Mahar said, "Today at 15:45 hours, in the jurisdiction of Patni police station, when a Chinese engineer's vehicles convoy along with a Ranger's escort were passing by near Qasim Ali petrol pump, a remote control bomb planted in a bicycle exploded."

The DSP said that a truck driver was injured by the broken glass as the windscreen of the truck was shattered.

Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Sukkur Amjad Shaikh said the low-intensity blast occurred along a roadside leading to three campsites set up for Chinese staffers working on the CPEC.

The USD 46 billion CPEC project was launched in early 2015 to link China's remote Xinjiang region with the Arabian Sea through Pakistan by building a network of roads, railways, energy parks and industrial zones.
Rome: Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni won the backing of the fragmented Senate on Wednesday, allowing his government to formally take office as a new threat emerged to the legacy of predecessor Matteo Renzi.

Renzi resigned last week when he lost a referendum on his proposed reform of the Constitution. Looking to stave off political turmoil, the head of state asked Gentiloni, the outgoing foreign minister, to form a new cabinet.

After winning an initial vote of confidence in the lower chamber of Parliament on Tuesday, Gentiloni secured victory in the upper house Senate and promised to push ahead with Renzi`s reform agenda.

But the reform drive, once heralded by investors as a sign that Italy was finally facing up to myriad problems such as chronic economic underperformance and rampant graft, looks increasingly ragged.

With the constitutional reform already shot down by a referendum, another of Renzi`s flagship projects, a shake-up of the labour market, risks suffering the same fate with Italy`s main union demanding a plebiscite on the law.

Italy`s Constitutional Court said on Wednesday it would review the request on Jan. 11. If it gives the green light to the CGIL union, a referendum on the Jobs Act could be held before next summer.

Business leaders denounced the move to overturn the reform, which made it easier to hire and fire workers, and the labour minister told reporters the initiative on unions made it more likely that national elections would be brought forward.

Following the referendum defeat, Renzi supporters fear the anti-establishment drive will push Italians to reject the Jobs Act. By bringing forward the national vote, the referendum would be automatically delayed by up to 12 months.

"It seems to me that the prevailing attitude is to go to elections soon, before any referendum on the Jobs Act," said Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti.

A new electoral law must be drawn up before national elections can be held. In a speech to the Senate, Gentiloni said his government, which is a virtual carbon copy of the previous administration, would seek cross-party consensus on the law.

Many senators representing opposition parties left the chamber before Gentiloni spoke to protest over the make-up of the new cabinet, saying the recent referendum showed Italians did not want continuity but rather a new beginning.

The largest opposition party, the anti-establishment, anti-euro 5-Star Movement, is feeding off the popular discontent and has promised to stage major street protests in the coming weeks to push for elections.

The understated Gentiloni won 169 votes in the 320-seat Senate, with 99 voting against and many opposition senators not taking part. Gentiloni is Italy`s fifth prime minister in as many years and heads its 64th government since 1946.

One of the first problems awaiting the new government is a mushrooming banking crisis.

Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Italy`s third-biggest lender, needs EUR 5 billion (USD 5.3 billion) of fresh cash before the end of the year to stay afloat. It is widely expected to seek funds from the state to stave off collapse, bankers say.
The Income Tax department in the last two weeks has been cracking the whip on those hoarding unaccounted money.

By India Today Web Desk: Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency on November 8, several reports of hawala operators and businessmen trying to convert their black money into white have being doing the rounds.

The Prime Minister had called the demonetisation one of the steps to curb the menace of black money. Based on intelligence reports and tip-offs, the Income Tax department in the last two weeks has been cracking the whip on those hoarding unaccounted money.

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We bring five of the biggest I-T seizures in the last two weeks.

December 14: The Income Tax department and Crime Branch officials recovered Rs 3.25 crore in old notes from a hotel in Delhi's Karol Bagh locality. The money, according to preliminary investigation, belongs to hawala operators based in Mumbai. The notes were packed in a way that they went undetected through scanning machines at airports.

Photo: ANI

ALSO READ: Delhi: Income Tax officials recover old notes worth Rs 3.25 crore from Karol Bagh hotel

ALSO WATCH

December 12: The Income Tax department swooped down on several branchces of a cooperative bank in Jaipur and found Rs 1.56 crore and jewellery worth Rs 50 lakh from the premises. The I-T officials searched the bank's premises for three days and during the period bank officials were made to stay inside. The bank's CEO is missing.

ALSO READ: Jaipur bank CEO goes missing after IT raid, Rs 1.56 crore seized

December 10: Delhi Police recovered Rs 13.65 crore in cash, including Rs 2.60 crore in new currency notes, from its raid on lawyer Rohit Tandon's firm T&T. Interestingly, Tandon saw the raid at his Greater Kailash residence on his phone. He had declared Rs 125 crore as unaccounted income in October. His son, also a lawyer, tied the knot last year at a Rs 100-crore wedding ceremony.

ALSO WATCH

ALSO READ: Delhi: Lawyer watches own house getting raided on phone, Rs 2.62 crore found in new notes

December 10: I-T officials seized new currency worth Rs 5.7 crore from a hawala operator's secret bathroom chamber, in Hyderabad. Around 28 kg of bullion, about 4 kg of gold and jewellery were also recovered from his house.

Photo: PTI

ALSO READ: Karnataka: Rs 5.7 crore in new currency seized from hawala dealer's secret bathroom chamber

December 2: An Income Tax raid on the premises of two engineers and two contractors in Bengaluru found Rs 5.7 crore of cash, all in new Rs 2000 notes. In addition, 7 kg gold and about 9 kg of jewellery were also found, all valued at nearly Rs 5 crore.

Photo: ANI Photo: ANI

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ALSO READ: Bengaluru: In India's biggest seizure since Nov 8, Rs 5.7 crore found - all in new Rs 2000 notes

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--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: Seeking extension of the judicial custody of SP Tyagi and two other accused in AgustaWestland scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday told the court that it would need further remand for investigation as the case.

The CBI officials told the court today that it seeks to extend the judicial custody of Tyagi and other accused for seven more days.

The CBI further added that some materials have been received from Switzerland,Italy and other nations and that custodial interrogation of accused is imperative.

Tyagi, along with two others accused in VVIP chopper scam, was produced in the Delhi's Patiala court today.

On Saturday, the court had sent former Air Force Chief SP Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and advocate Gautam Khaitan to four-day judicial custody in a case related to the alleged irregularities in the Rs 3,700 crore AgustaWestland chopper deal.

Metropolitan Magistrate Sujit Saurabh sent them to CBI custody saying their custodial interrogation was required for a 'fair probe' in the case.

Earlier, during the proceedings, CBI sought 10 days' custody of the accused saying it was a 'very large conspiracy having international ramifications'.

Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi (retd.) was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation on December 9, along with his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan, for their alleged involvement in the Rs 3,700-crore AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter scam.

They have been accused of routing kickbacks.

The CBI has determined that about Rs 450 crore or 12 per cent of the Rs. 3,767-crore deal for procurement of 12 helicopters was paid as bribe. The government rescinded the contract in January 2014 in view of the bribery allegations.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday hit back at Rahul Gandhi for alleging having information about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "personal corruption", saying the charge was a result of the Congress vice president's "desperation and frustration".

Earlier in the day, the Congress leader said he wanted to expose Modi's personal complicity in corruption but "a terrified government" didn't let him speak in Parliament.

However, top ministers in the government later dismissed Gandhi's allegation as "false and baseless", insisting there cannot be a bigger "lie" than it.

Senior ministers including Manohar Parrikar, Ananth Kumar, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar went ballistic at the Congress vice president.

"Rahul Gandhi tells lies. He speaks baseless. Come to Parliament, discuss and also listen to our reply. He is the same person who kept quiet during the 10 years when the country, under Manmohan Singh government, was being looted," Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Earlier, addressing a press conference after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day, Gandhi alleged that he had information about "personal corruption" involving the Prime Minister and that he was not being allowed to speak in the House because of it.

Prasad said Gandhi has become "restless" because of the steps taken by the government against black money and corruption, adding "because of restlessness he is speaking such things."

Also Read: Make CBI report on Kiren Rijiju public, demands Congress; Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha adjourned till tomorrow

Ridiculing Gandhi for making unsubstantiated charges, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kumar said the Congress vice president has been "exposed", adding the charges were made out of "desperation" and "frustration".

"Had he (Gandhi) got any information, he would have said it by now. It is a baseless allegation. He is saying this out of frustration. Today they are saying they are not being allowed to speak. It is wrong because every day Congress members are coming to the well of the House. Now they are trying to spread rumour and baseless allegations," Kumar said.

Rejecting Gandhi's claim that he is not being allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Parrikar said the question as to who has stalled Parliament should be put to him.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Javadekar said only Congress and not the government will be exposed when Gandhi speaks even as he dismissed the charge that the government was not letting the Congress leader speak in Parliament.

There cannot be a bigger "lie" than this, the Union Environment Minister said.

Javadekar also used a news channel sting, which purportedly showed some leaders from rival parties offering to change old currency notes for a commission, to attack the Congress, SP, and BSP, and taunted Gandhi, saying he should rename All India Congress Committee as "All India Currency Conduit".

"The more Rahul Gandhi speaks the more Congress will be exposed... These parties are protesting outside. They stand by Mahatma Gandhi's statue to protest. They have been unmasked now. They are opposing (demonetisation) because their wounds are deep. They have now opened money exchange centre," he said.

Mocking the Congress vice president over his "personal corruption" jibe at Modi, Javadekar said Congress has become a "commission agent" while the world has come to appreciate the Prime Minister's "spotless" character in the two-and-a-half-years of his rule.

Another Union minister Kiren Rijiju called Gandhi's charge the "biggest joke" of the year.

"Everybody feels that it is the biggest joke of the year that Rahul Gandhi says Narendra Modi is scared of his oratory skill. If he speaks there will be an earthquake or the balloon will burst.

"I don't think anyone takes the comments he makes seriously. Congress itself is very scared when Rahul Gandhi speaks as the party has to defend his words. That's the level of threat he poses to his own party," Rijiju said.

Union Minister Vijay Goel too attacked Gandhi, saying the Congress leader is "under scanner" of people for not letting Parliament function and that he made the statement "out of trepidation".

"Rahul Gandhi and Congress did not allow both the Houses to function even after they were told that the Prime Minister will intervene. They are under public scanner. They did not allow business to take place in Parliament even as crores of rupees of public money has been wasted. Hence, such statements," he said.

Goel also claimed that people are supporting Modi in his fight against black money and were "ready to spend additional 30 minutes in queues" outside banks and ATMs.

The Prime Minister and his office, however, didn't react to the remarks.

Amid the allegations and counter-allegations, Parliament again faced disruptions on Wednesday as the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha convened after an extended weekend.

(With Agency inputs)
Kolkata: In a blow to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, a complaint has been lodged against her for statements that she made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian Army.

A West Bengal BJP worker has lodged a complaint against the CM.

Police said that BJP worker Manav Sharma wanted to lodge the complaint at Jorasanko thana in central Kolkata but later emailed it to the city police commissioner following advice of police officials.

'Mamata Banerjee had attacked Indian Army'

His complaint said, "On December 1, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had attacked Indian Army in an unprecedented manner. She maligned the image of Indian Army, wilfully with nefarious political motives, through uncorroborated allegations and baseless insinuations. She alleged that Indian Army was 'colluding and conspiring' against her government. It is a serious attempt to misinform public."

Angered by the deployment of army personnel at toll plazas on National Highways in the state, Banerjee on December 1 had accused the Modi government of imposing an undeclared Emergency.

'Mamata denounced the post of PM of India'

The complaint further said, "On various occasions, Ms Banerjee denounced the post of Prime Minister of India with baseless insinuations and even threatened him with dire consequences. We therefore ask you to treat this complaint as FIR against her and take strictest legal actions.
New Delhi: Ex-IAF chief SP Tyagi's will undergo further custodial questioning for three more days as CBI on Wednesday told a court that AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam was a "very serious" case requiring his interrogation to unearth the larger conspiracy as the "interest of the nation was compromised".

Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar his custody till December 17 along with that of his cousin Sanjeev alias Julie and advocate Gautam Khaitan, also accused in Rs 450 crore chopper deal bribery case.

CBI, however, had sought an extension of their custody by seven days, saying, "It`s a very wide and serious case and some accused and firms from abroad were also involved in the conspiracy. Right now we are handicapped due to want of material.

"It is a very high-profile case and we need proper material. One part of the crime was committed in India while various other angles are in foreign land," CBI said, noting that it has received help from various countries including Italy, Mauritius, Switzerland and the UK.

The agency said that their further custodial interrogation was required to reach the bottom of the conspiracy.

However, the counsel appearing for SP Tyagi opposed CBI's plea, saying that he was "a decorated war hero of the nation" and "CBI, which was termed as 'a caged parrot' by the Supreme Court, is trying to tarnish his image".

"The FIR only says that the ex-ACM 'also' received some amount of cash. It is just a vague allegation," Tyagi's counsel said.

The counsel submitted that SP Tyagi has already been confronted with his cousin and enough confrontation had taken place much before his arrest.

"This arrest was made only for humiliation and not for confrontation," the counsel said.

The court had on December 10 sent the three accused to four days' CBI custody, which expired today, in the case related to procurement of 12 VVIP choppers from UK-based firm during the UPA-2 regime.

During the last hearing, Tyagi's counsel had claimed that the decision to procure VVIP choppers from AgustaWestland was a "collective" one and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was also a part of it.

The CBI had alleged that Tyagi had "abused his official position" and when he was the Air Chief Marshal, he had made huge investments in land and other properties and had not disclosed the source his income.

Tyagi's counsel had refuted CBI's claim, saying, "As per the allegations, conspiracy and money transaction were going on much before my client came into picture."

The counsel appearing for the other two arrested accused had also opposed CBI's case saying the FIR was lodged over three years ago and there were no fresh grounds to arrest them at this stage.

The CBI, however, had alleged that Khaitan was the "brain" behind how the bribe money reached India and several firms through which the money travelled came into existence and Sanjeev was known to alleged European middleman Carlo Gerosa.

71-year old Tyagi, who had retired in 2007, his cousin Sanjeev and Khaitan were arrested on December 9 by the agency in connection with the case.

During the day's proceeding, the CBI also claimed that alleged European middleman Guido Haschke's statement, which was received through LR (Letter Rogatory), proved that he was assured by Sanjeev Tyagi that the latter's brother was going to be Air Chief Marshal.

"The investigation is at a very crucial stage," it said.

The accused persons, however, alleged that the "CBI was trying to extract the confession using force".

While opposing the police plea, Khaitan's counsel said that he was already in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate and that the agency already has all the documents.

"My client has joined the CBI investigation on a number of times since registration of FIR in 2013. What the CBI has been doing all this while," the counsel said.

The counsel for Sanjeev also opposed the CBI plea, saying that the evidence through LR was received much earlier and there was no fresh ground for further custodial interrogation.
Rajgarh: The death toll in yesterday's accident in which a mini bus collided with an auto-rickshaw near the district headquarters here has risen to 15, as three more persons succumbed to injuries, police said today.

12 persons, including five students, were killed last evening when the speeding mini bus collided head-on with the auto-rickshaw on National Highway-12, about 7 kms from Rajgarh.

"Fifteen persons have died so far. Two more girls and a boy died in hospital during treatment in Bhopal," Superintendent of Police, Rajgarh, Himani Khanna told PTI.

The students were returning from Rajgarh after appearing in an open school exam when the mishap took place.

State Minister for Home and Transport Bhupendra Singh suspended the Regional Transport Officer of Rajgarh district and directed that an FIR be filed against the operator of mini bus, which was allegedly being run illegally.

"I have told Additional Transport Commissioner Vijay Raghuvanshi to inquire into the circumstances that led to the accident and submit the report within 24 hours," Singh said.

The accident occurred near Kishangarh culvert on NH-12.

The auto-rickshaw was going from Rajgarh to Hirankhedi village while the bus was on its way from Kalipeeth to Rajgarh when the two vehicles collided.

The overloaded auto-rickshaw was carrying 16 passengers, including some students.

Police said nearly 24 passengers of the bus were also injured as the vehicle overturned after crushing the auto-rickshaw.

All the deceased belong to Hirankhedi village.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had yesterday expressed grief over the mishap and announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 10,000 to each of the injured.
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is extremely popular on social media and known for helping people in distress abroad, has now added one more feather in her cap.

Yes, our hyper-active EAM Swaraj has been named as one of the 15 'Global Thinkers' of the year by the international Foreign Policy magazine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first few who congratulated the indefatigable Swaraj, who's in the august company of 14 other notable thinkers including Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel and Justin Trudeau.

Here is what the PM Modi said on Twitter.

Very proud to see our hardworking EAM @SushmaSwaraj part of the @ForeignPolicy Global Thinkers list 2016! Congrats. https://t.co/92H4a2drCI  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 14, 2016

Ever since taking charge as the EAM, Swaraj has worked tirelessly to help people in difficult situations. She has been lauded by one and all for responding quickly to people's appeal for help.

EAM Swaraj is currently recuperating after a successful kidney transplant at AIIMS

Swaraj has helped both Indians and non-Indians.

Most notably, she was instrumental in coming to the rescue of 10,000 migrant workers who were going hungry in the Gulf after either being laid off or because their salaries were withheld.

It is in fact this episode that Foreign Policy took special note of.

"In July, Sushma Swaraj, India's external affairs minister, tweeted to roughly 6 million followers that 10,000 Indian workers employed inside the kingdom faced a 'food crisis.' What followed was a weeks-long social media operation in which Swaraj posted information for migrants about rations provided by the Indian Embassy, claims for unpaid wages, and government-organized transportation home," Foreign Policy magazine wrote describing what put Swaraj on the list of influential decision-makers of 2016.

Interestingly, sometimes back, the Washington Post had called EAM Swaraj 'Supermom of the State'.
New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday cancelled the renewal of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licenses of Greenpeace India and two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) run by activist Teesta Setalvad.

Renewal of licences of Greenpeace India, Teesta's NGOs - Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace - under FCRA stands cancelled with immediate effect, a Home Ministry official said.

The order comes three months after "inadvertently" renewing the NGOs' licenses for five years.

The ministry further ordered an investigation by the Computer Emergency Response Team-India to ascertain if the computer systems had been hacked due to which the licences were renewed "automatically". Also, a review of recent renewal of FCRA registration of 13,000 NGOs has been ordered to look into the possible violation of rules.

The government ordered that applications of all "red-flagged NGOs will have to be vetted by Joint Secretary handling Home Ministry's Foreigners Division.

Orders, generated online, renewing FCRA licences of Greenpeace India, Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace stand "null and void" and they cannot receive foreign funds, the official said.

Registration of these three NGOs was renewed for five years in September.

While the licences of Greenpeace India and Sabrang Trust had been cancelled by the government in the past, Citizens for Justice and Peace was put in prior permission category, thus preventing it from receiving foreign funds without government permission.

The Home Ministry had seen embarrassing moments two months ago when similar lapses were witnessed in "automatic renewal" of licence of Zakir Naik-run NGO -- Islamic Research Foundation -- leading to suspension of four officials including a Joint Secretary.

The FCRA licence of IRF was later cancelled by the government permanently after declaring it as a terror outfit.

The three NGOs were accused of "prejudicially affecting public interest" of the country and violation of various provisions of FCRA.

(With PTI inputs)
Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday dared Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to 'expose' allegations against Prime Minister if he actually has them.

Kejriwal tweeted: "If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modi ji's personal involvement in corruption, then why doesn't he expose it outside Parliament?"

If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modi ji's personal involvement in corruption, then why doesn't he expose it outside Parl? https://t.co/5xc2WkCd5B  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 14, 2016

Meanwhile, the allegation by the Congress VP was dismissed by the BJP as "false and baseless" and "very unfortunate".

Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Ananth Kumar while rejecting as "baseless" the allegation levelled against PM said they were made out of "desperation" and "frustration" and asked Gandhi to apologise.

The allegation was levelled by Gandhi at a joint news conference in Parliament premises with leaders from 15 other Opposition parties after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day failing to break the continuing deadlock over demonetisation.

Gandhi claimed he has detailed information about alleged "personal corruption" by the PM and that the latter is personally terrified of him being allowed to speak inside Lok Sabha.

"The Prime Minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside Lok Sabha because I have information about the Prime Minister that is going to explode his balloon. And I am not being allowed to speak in the House," he said, as per PTI.

Asked what kind of information he has, the Congress VP said, "That information is personal information about Narendra Modi ji which I want to state in Lok Sabha. It is personal corruption of the Prime Minister that I have, we have detailed information about. We want to present it, which the Prime Minister is not allowing us to speak."

On the other hand, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said only Congress and not government will be exposed when Rahul speaks as it rejected his charge that the government was not letting him speak in Parliament, saying there cannot be a bigger "lie" than this.

Another Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said Gandhi's allegation was the "biggest joke" of the year.

(With PTI inputs)
Hyderabad: A day after Yasin Bhatkal and four others were convicted for their role in twin blasts in Hyderabad's Dilsukhnagar locality in 2013, it has now emerged that terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM) co-founder Riyaz Bhatkal is holed up in Karachi under the patronage of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

A ToI report claimed on Wednesday that IM top operative Riyaz Bhatkal, who is believed to be a prime accused and mastermind in Hyderabad blasts case, has made a huge amount of money courtesy the benevolence of ISI.

The NIA claimed in its chargesheet filed in the Dilsukhnagar blast case that "several IM members have received financial and material assistance from ISI, which has been providing shelter to Riyaz and his brother Iqbal Bhatkal in Karachi."

NIA officials claim that Riyaz is currently living a lavish life at a house in Karachi.

Riyaz's decision to join hands with the ISI has led to the split in IM, the NIA believes.

His decision was opposed by former IM members such as Shafi Armar who is reportedly in Syria luring Indians to join the ranks of the Islamic State (IS) - and others, who wanted to further the cause of either al Qaida or the IS.

Since Riyaz reportedly posses a passport issued by Pakistan, it is getting difficult for the NIA officials to track his movements and nab him.

To execute the blasts, Riyaz reportedly sent Rs 1.25 lakh through hawala and a legitimate money transfer channel.

After the blasts, he wired nearly Rs 70,000 to his associates from the United Arab Emirates.

It is said that Riyaz was constantly in touch with Yasin Bhatkal, who kept changing his location, before executing the Dilsukhnagar terror strike from Pakistan.

Riyaz, who wanted to avenge alleged anti-Muslim activities in Hyderabad, directed the trio, the planters Asadullah Akhtar, alias Haddi, Mohd Tahseen Akhtar, alias Hasan and Zia-ur-Rahman, alias Waqas, to join Yasin and execute the twin blasts in Dilsukhnagar and other places across the country.

A day before the blast, Riyaz told Yasin that a blast would be triggered and asked him to pray for its success. The Dilsukhnagar blasts were financed by Riyaz through Western Union money transfer and hawala channels, the sources said.
Kolkata: US Ambassador to India Richard Verma on Wednesday said the military logistics memorandum agreement signed with India was mundane in nature and was only limited to logistics.

"The logistics memorandum agreement between India and the US is only limited to logistics and mundane in nature. There is no question of India compromising on its security by signing the pact," Verma told reporters at the Press Club here.

He said the agreement would enable both countries to share bases, fuel and food and was a good recognition of where the bilateral ties stood today.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury had earlier demanded the contents of the military logistics pact between India and the US be made public.

Verma, who had been in office in India for the last two years, said the defence ties with India "stand on its own."

"Defence relations with India stand on its own and is not a buyer-seller relation," the Ambassador said.

He said both countries had important defence deals in the past as well.

"We have a special cell in the Pentagon that looks only after these matters and the US does not have this kind of arrangement with any other country," he said.

"US and India are the world's largest two democracies with 1.6 billion people. If the two countries are close friends, then the world will be a safer and a prosperous place. There is a ripple effect," Verma said.

To a query on the US' position on Pakistan as an "exporter of terrorism", Verma said there has been condemnation of cross-border terrorism from their side.

"The US has been speaking about condemnation of cross-border terrorism which has to end. We want to see that kind of unity in our relations with India. With Pakistan, it is complex, based on cross-border terrorism. With India it is on a different plane," he said.

Asked about the future of Indo-US relations under the new dispensation, he said, "In the coming years, US and India relations will continue as it is today."

"Relations between India and US is on an upward trajectory and irreversible. Indians settled in the US will continue be the natural bridge between the two countries," Verma said.

"We believe it is the strategic interest of the US to see a stronger India. We strongly believe in that," he said.

On the economic front, he said US was the largest trading partner of India with two-way trade hovering at USD 100 billion.

There were 500 US companies in India and 100 Indian companies in the US, he said.

Verma was in the city to attend a seminar on regional connectivity where participants from Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Thailand were present, besides USA and India.

He also said US was ready to share its best practices on dealing with border security to help countries in protecting their citizens.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has been fervently demanding for the Prime Minister's presence in Parliament.

By India Today Web Desk: PM Narendra Modi will be present in Parliament for the remaining three days of the winter session and can participate in proceedings for either of the House depending on the need, said Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has been fervently demanding the Prime Minister's presence in Parliament.

ALSO READ | Modi to be present in Parliament for remaining 3 days of Winter Session: Venkaiah Naidu

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While the Rajya Sabha has already started discussions on demonetisation, the Lok Sabha is yet to initiate it. The BJP has also shifted responsibility saying the Opposition has created a ruckus regardless of the Prime Minister's presence and as a result he could not intervene in past discussions. While PM Modi will address the topic in the House, the BJP has reiterated that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's reply will be the final word on the matter.

Here are the top developments:

Bracing for a showdown in Parliament, BJP and Congress issued whips asking their members in both Houses to ensure their presence for the remainder of the winter session which resumes today with the issue of demonetisation casting a shadow. Leaders of Opposition parties will hold a meeting at around 9:30 am to decide their strategy in the House. The ruling BJP also issued a whip to ensure that the treasury benches are in full strength in both Houses. PM Modi will hold a meeting with key ministers before Parliament meets today to decide their strategy. The Opposition has been disrupting both the Houses of Parliament demanding, among other things, presence of the Prime Minister throughout the discussion on demonetisation. Congress sources said the government has made no attempt to reach out to the Opposition to break the logjam. Both the government and the Opposition, especially Congress and Trinamool Congress, have stuck to their stand that the debate be held under a Rule that entails voting which the treasury benches have ruled out. Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha continued to be deadlocked over the way a debate should take place on demonetisation announced by the Prime Minister on November 8. Ever since the session began, the Lok Sabha has managed to conduct only two legislative actions -- passage of Income Tax amendment bill and approval of Supplementary Demand for Grants -- that too amid din and without much debate. The Rajya Sabha has functioned normally only on the first day of the session when the debate on demonetisation was initiated and held for about 5 hours. The winter session, which began on November 16, is scheduled to conclude on Friday.

ALSO READ | Demonetisation: Congress is champion of scams, says BJP in response to Chidambaram's claims

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New York: Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi won the online reader's poll for Time 'Person of the Year 2016', he was ranked among the top 10 most powerful people in the world by Forbes.

The list has been topped by Russian President Vladimir Putin for a fourth straight year and had US President-elect Donald Trump in the second place.

PM Modi ranks 9th on the Forbes list of 74 of the World's Most Powerful People.

Forbes said India's 'populist' PM remains hugely popular in his country of 1.3 billion people.

To quote the magazine - "India's populist prime minister remains hugely popular in his country of 1.3 billion people. In November 2016 he unexpectedly announced plans to eliminate India's two largest bank notes in a bid to reduce money laundering and corruption, creating a nationwide frenzy to quickly swap out the bills. Modi has raised his profile as a global leader in recent years during official visits with Barack Obama and Xi Jinping. He has also emerged as a key figure in the international effort to tackle climate change, as planetary warming will deeply affect millions of his country's rural and most vulnerable citizens."

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama comes in on the 48th spot.

"There are nearly 7.4 billion humans on planet Earth, but these 74 men and women make the world turn. Forbes' annual ranking of the World's Most Powerful People identifies one person out of every 100 million whose actions mean the most," it said.

Forbes said Russia's 64-year-old president has exerted his country's influence in nearly every corner of the globe; from the motherland to Syria to the US presidential elections, continuing to "get what he wants".

The list includes Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani on the 38the spot. Forbes said the 59-year-old oil and gas tycoon sparked a price war in India's hyper competitive telecom market with the launch of 4G phone service Jio at the annual shareholder meeting of his Reliance Industries in September.

"The USD 44.7 billion (revenue) Reliance Industries is locked in a legal battle with the government related to the recovery of costs associated with developing a gas field," it said, adding that his wife Nita, who sits on Reliance's board, is a member of the International Olympic Committee, as per PTI.

The list also includes Microsoft's India-born CEO Satya Nadella on the 51st spot, with Forbes saying the 49-year-old has steered the company away from a failing mobile strategy and focused on other lines of business, including cloud computing and augmented reality.

The third most powerful person in the world also happens to be the most powerful woman: Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany and the backbone of the European Union.

The list includes Xi on the 4th spot, Pope Francis (5), Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (7), Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (10), French President Francois Hollande (23), Apple CEO Tim Cook (32), North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (43) and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (57).

On December 05, PM Modi had won the online reader's poll for TIME Person of the Year 2016, beating out other world leaders like Trump, incumbent Obama and Vladimir Putin.

He had won with 18 percent of the vote, getting significantly more votes than his closest contenders, including Obama, Trump and Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange, who all received 7 percent of the 'yes' vote.

PM Modi was also placed far ahead of other prominent figures of this year, like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (2 percent) and US Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (4 percent), Time had said.

Time had said the reader poll is an "important window" into who they think most shaped 2016.

It was for the second time that PM Modi won the online readers' poll for Time Person of the Year title, securing the honour in 2014, when he had got more than 16 percent of the almost five million votes cast.

Later Trump was chosen as Time's final Person of the Year for 2016.

Last year German Chancellor Angela Merkel was Time's 'Person of the Year'.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: For the first time since the Winter session began on November 16, Rajya Sabha on Wednesday saw a legislative action as it passed the Disabilities Bill in a cordial atmosphere which did not last long as the Opposition again created uproar, leading to early adjournment for the day.

In the Lok Sabha, however, stand-off between the government and the Opposition resulted in a washout again.

The Rajya Sabha witnessed unusual bonhomie and meeting of minds over the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, with both the Opposition and the government agreeing to pass it, setting aside temporarily their confrontation over demonetisation and other issues like alleged misuse of office Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju with regard to a power project in Arunachal Pradesh.

The foundation for it was laid as soon as the House met for the day, with members cutting across party lines pitching for immediate passage of the "crucial" legislation without any discussion.

Among those who pressed for it were Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, BSP chief Mayawati, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury and SP leader Naresh Agarwal.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi agreed to immediately take up the bill which stipulates up to two-year jail term and a maximum fine of Rs 5 lakh for discriminating against differently-abled persons.

Expressing happiness over the rare unanimity on display, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien decided to set aside the Zero Hour to take up the bill. However, he did not agree to passage of the bill without any debate, saying there could be some members who would like to speak on it, particularly those who have moved amendments.

Accordingly, the process to pass the bill took place partly during the Zero Hour and partly in post-lunch session.

However, as soon as the bill was passed, uproar was again witnessed as Congress members raked up the demonetisation issue and Rijiju matter.

This led to adjournment of the House till tomorrow at around 2.45 pm.

The Disabilities Bill, passed just three days before the

Parliament session ends, aims at securing and enhancing the rights and entitlements of disabled persons.

It provides for imprisonment of at least six months up to two years, along with a fine ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 5 lakh for discriminating against differently-abled persons.

The bill also gives effect to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and related matters.

Earlier during Zero Hour, Azad said priority should be given to the passage of the Bill. "This should be passed without any discussion."

He said if the Bill is not passed today, it cannot be taken up by the Lok Sabha for passage in the current session ending Friday. "You can take it up right now (and) pass it straight away without any discussion," he said.

Similar views were expressed by Mayawati and Agarwal, leading to consideration of the legislation which was moved by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot.

During the short debate, some members pointed out that the reservation for the disabled should be against the cadre strength and not vacancies.

In response to some amendments moved by K K Ragesh and Yechury (both CPI-M), Gehlot said while framing rules efforts would be made to ensure that four per cent reservation is granted against cadre strength.

Yechury also pointed out that the original bill had a provision of 5 per cent reservation for the disabled, but the amendment was for 4 per cent only.

To this, Gehlot said the bill has raised the quota from the prevailing 3 per cent to 4 per cent.

The process of passing the bill was still underway when the clock struck noon and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Hamid Ansari came in to conduct the Question Hour. Some members said the process of consideration and passage of the Bill be continued.

However, Ansari said Question Hour should be taken up.

Meanwhile, Congress members were seen on their feet, including its Deputy Leader Anand Sharma, with some of them being heard raising slogans over allegations against Rijiju.

Ansari insisted on taking up the Question Hour and told the members that there cannot be a 'Jekyll and Hyde' character. However as the protests continued, he adjourned the House till 2 pm.

When the House re-convened, rare unanimity was witnessed again and the Disability bill was passed.

After the Bill was passed, Anand Sharma (Cong) raised the issue of allegations against Rijiju, which led protests from the members from the Treasury benches.

Kurien told Sharma: "There is rule, there is a procedure. Go by that. You cannot suo motu raise an allegation."

Members of the Congress and the BJP indulged in shouting slogans and counter-slogans in the House.

Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the allegations against Rijiju are "totally false and fabricated. ... I dare you for a debate on this."

Particularly addressing the Congress members, he said, "Your party is misleading you."

Kurien told Sharma that to raise an allegation, a member has to give prior intimation to the Chairman.

Sharma said he was merely referring to the media reports, which was not accepted by the Deputy Chairman.

Amidst constant din, Kurien adjourned the House for the day.

In the Lok Sabha, the three-week deadlock over

demonetisation issue deepened with the government accusing the Opposition of making attempts to fail the "pro-poor" decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inviting a furious response.

Congress members were also angry over Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's decision to allow Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJD) to raise the issue of AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal scam, ignoring their leader Mallikarjun Kharge's plea to have his say. Sonia Gandhi too was seen protesting against Mahajan's decision.

Kharge shouted angrily as to why the BJD member was allowed to speak as he repeatedly banged the bench.

With members of Congress, TMC and others raising slogans in the Well, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar fired a fresh salvo at the Opposition, citing a sting operation aired on a news channel to allege that Congress, SP and BSP leaders had joined hands to "finish off" the government's efforts to bolster the white economy.

Kumar insisted that the ruling side was ready for a discussion on demonetisation but the Opposition was running away and disrupting proceedings.

"It is a very sad day. The leader (Kharge) of the Opposition is challenging the Speaker. He cannot do that. It is very unfortunate. We are always ready for discussion," Kumar said and then cited the sting to attack the Opposition.

"They have become 'note-jugaad' (managing currency) parties. It is a conspiracy to finish off what Modi has brought for the poor," he said.

Jagdambika Pal (BJP) claimed that the Opposition would be exposed. "It is a matter of shame that the Congress which participated in freedom struggle has become a commission agents," he said amid vociferous slogan-shouting by Opposition.

Opposition members were also heard raising slogans against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju over an alleged case of corruption in an Arunachal pradesh hydal project.

With ruckus continuing, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.
Srinagar: All hell broke loose on Tuesday after Jammu and Kashmir Government cleared ex-gratia to next of kin of 17 persons, including Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani's brother Khalid Wani.

This ex-gratia has been announced for those killed in militancy-related incidents in the Valley.

The biggest bone of contention in the entire list is Burhan Wani's brother, Khalid Muzaffar Wani, who died in firing by security forces in Buchoo forest area of Tral on April 13 last year.

Khalid was Hizbul Mujahideen's over-ground worker, says Army

Army had said that Khalid was an over-ground worker of Hizbul Mujahideen and was killed in an encounter. According to army, he was a terrorist.

Why Rs 4 lakh compensation for terrorist?

According to a notification issued on Monday by Deputy Commissioner Pulwama, ex-gratia relief under rules has been cleared by the District Level Screening-cum-Consultative Committee (DLSCC) in favour of next of kin of those persons who died in militancy-related incidents.

Under the rules, an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh is sanctioned in such cases.

The compensation by J&K's Mehbooba Mufti government has stoked a huge controversy.

Noteworthy, Burhan Wani's killing by security forces in an encounter in south Kashmir's Kokernag area on July 8 this year triggered unrest in the Valley which has left as many as 86 people dead.

Khalid Wani

Khalid (25) was pursuing Masters Degree in Political Science from the Indira Gandhi National Open University.
New Delhi: Taking a dig at Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for favouring the formation of an alliance ahead of next year`s assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Wednesday said this proves that the ruling party in the state is `weak` and in a `very bad shape`.

Mayawati told media here that the condition of the Samajwadi Party is so bad that they have a need to search for support from another party.

"When Samajwadi Party`s chief has done developmental work in Uttar Pradesh, then why does it need to form an alliance? If everything is on the right path, then why do they want an alliance? It only means that they have completely failed to maintain law and order in the state and the government has totally failed to bring development in the state," she said.

"All the work was done by my party only the name and the government has changed and they have done nothing. When they are in power and have got all the time to work for the state and still they are trying to form an alliance, it only means that they have accepted that they are going to lose.That means the Samajwadi Party is weak and they know that they will lose," she added.

Amid reports of Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had said on Tuesday that if such a tie-up takes place in the upcoming state assembly polls it would win over 300 seats."Though Samajwadi`s are going to form the majority government in the state, but if alliance takes place, it will win over 300 (of the 403) seats.

The final decision in this regard will be taken by party National president (Mulayam Singh Yadav)," he said when asked about the possibility of his party`s alliance with Congress.
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was on Tuesday shifted out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at AIIMS.

The EAM, who underwent a kidney transplant three days ago, was recovering well.

The 64-year-old minister is likely to be discharged in another seven to ten days, senior hospital officials said.

"The minister has been shifted out of the ICU to a private ward of the Cardio-Neuro Centre. Her post-surgery recovery is on the expected lines," AIIMS Director Dr MC Mishra said, as per PTI.

He said her recovery is being closely monitored by a team of transplant surgeons, physicians (endocrinologist, nephrologist, cardiologist and pulmonologist) and anaesthesist besides critical care expert, physiotherapist and transplant specialists.

"She is likely to be discharged in another seven or 10 days," Mishra added.

Swaraj had undergone a kidney transplant on Saturday with the organ being harvested from a living unrelated donor.

According to Mishra, the woman who donated her kidney to the minister is also in the process of being discharged.

"During transplant surgeries, the recipient is put on Immunosuppressants in order to lower the body's ability to reject a transplanted organ.

"That is the reason why the minister, after the transplant, was shifted to ICU and kept in isolation to avoid any infection," a senior doctor at AIIMS said.

AIIMS earlier had stated that the surgery of Swaraj was successful and uneventful.

Swaraj's nearly six-hour long surgery was performed by a team of 50 personnel led by Dr Mukut Minz, former head of the department of renal transplant surgery at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and Dr VK Bansal from AIIMS.

Minz is currently with Fortis, Mohali. A team of transplant anesthesiologists, nurses, technicians and other support staff assisted them.

On November 16, Swaraj herself had posted on Twitter that she was in AIIMS because of kidney failure.

I am in AIIMS because of kidney failure. Presently, I am on dialysis. I am undergoing tests for a Kidney transplant. Lord Krishna will bless  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 16, 2016

Some friends have also offered their kidneys for my transplant. I have no words to express my deep sense of gratitude towards them.  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 17, 2016

With your good wishes and Lord Krishna's blessings, I will be able to come out of this situation.  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 17, 2016

Swaraj, who has been in and out of the hospital for last few months, was admitted to AIIMS on November 7.

After Swaraj made public her health condition on social media, several people had offered their kidneys to her.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on being named in the Global Thinkers of 2016 list compiled by the Foreign Policy magazine.

Swaraj was named in the 'decision makers' category along with the Democratic Party nominee for US presidential election Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch among others.

"Very proud to see our hardworking EAM @SushmaSwaraj part of the @ForeignPolicy Global Thinkers list 2016! Congrats," Modi tweeted.

https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/808897786347397121

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup also tweeted, "MEA proud to be led by EAM @SushmaSwaraj, who receives yet another recognition for her unique brand of diplomacy."

https://twitter.com/MEAIndia/status/808900866967306240

The magazine complimented Swaraj "for fashioning a novel brand of Twitter diplomacy".

"From evacuating Indians from Yemen to helping replace lost passports, Swaraj has earned the nickname 'the common tweeple's leader' for her aggressive use of Twitter," the magazine noted.

Sushma Swaraj, global thinkers 2016, Sushma swaraj in global thinkers list 2016, Narendra Modi, PM Modi congratulated Sushma Swaraj,
Lagos(Nigeria): Nearly a half million children will face starvation in northeastern Nigeria next year and 80,000 will die if they don't get treatment in the humanitarian crisis created by Boko Haram's Islamic uprising, the U.N. Children's Agency warned.

"What is already a crisis can become a catastrophe," UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake said yesterday.

His statement said the 400,000 children at risk of starvation represent just a fraction of the suffering among some 2.6 million refugees in the seven-year insurgency that has killed more than 20,000 people.

"If they do not receive the treatment they need, one in five of these children will die," Lake said.

"Large areas of Borno state are completely inaccessible to any kind of humanitarian assistance. We are extremely concerned about the children trapped in these areas," he added.

He spoke just days after Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari accused the U.N. And private international aid agencies of exaggerating the crisis to seek donations. Buhari declared that Boko Haram was "technically defeated" a year ago and appears fixed on maintaining that fiction.

While soldiers from a multinational force of Nigeria and neighboring countries have pushed the extremists out of towns and many villages they occupied, attacks on military outposts and suicide bombings of soft targets continue.

The Associated Press has reported since September that children already are dying of starvation in Maiduguri, the biggest city in Nigeria's northeast that is easily accessible. Doctors Without Borders said in November that thousands of kids already have died, including 10 percent to 25 percent of children admitted to its 110-bed Maiduguri emergency treatment center.

Nigeria's Senate is investigating allegations that government agencies are diverting food aid that could help prevent those deaths.

Buhari was elected in March 2015 on a platform that pledged to finish off Boko Haram and halt endemic corruption.
Kabul: The Afghan National Security Forces have killed 29 militants in 13 of the country`s 34 provinces, the Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday.

"In the past 24 hours, the Afghan forces conducted several anti-terrorism operations to clear some of the areas from terrorists and enemies of peace and stability of Afghanistan, killing 29 armed insurgents and injuring four others," the Ministry said in a statement.

Many of the killed were members of Taliban outfit and among the dead were eight fighters of the Islamic State terrorist group, Xinhua news agency reported.

The security forces also confiscated light and heavy ammunition besides defusing one car bomb and eight Improvised Explosive Devices.
Advocate Naidu argued that as long as he was footing his own bill, Bhujbal should be allowed to stay in the hospital. The high court dismissed the haebus corpus petition filed by Bhujbal.

By Vidya : Even as Bombay High Court rejected former Maharashtra home minister Chhagan Bhujbal's petition for bail on health grounds, his lawyers in the special PMLA court in Mumbai argued that he should be allowed to stay in the JJ hospital where he has been admitted.

Advocate Naidu argued that as long as he was footing his own bill, Bhujbal should be allowed to stay in the hospital. He further asked the court that since Bhujbal was unwell, who would be responsible if anything happened to him in the hospital.

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Also read | Mumbai court reserves intervention plea on NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal's hospital stay till Dec 15

The high court dismissed the haebus corpus petition filed by Bhujbal. Bhujbal had alleged illegal detention in a money laundering case, in which he was arrested by ED.

DAMANIA COUNTERS BHUJBAL'S CLAIMS

Activist Anjali Damania, on the other hand, told the special PMLA court that Bhujbal had been doing fine and that he should be sent back to jail. She also showed a picture of Bhujbal taken last evening where he is seen strolling outside ward number 22 in the hospital as a few policemen posted outside his ward look on. Until now, Bhujbal had been garnering public sympathy as a picture of him slouching in a wheel-chair wearing a heavy white beard was doing the rounds.

Doctors at the JJ hospital as well as jail authorities have filed an application in the special PMLA court, stating that Bhujbal, who had been advised angiography earlier, has been counselled thrice. But disregarding doctors' advice, Bhujbal refused to undergo the test.

Also read | Chaggan Bhujbal held political meetings in Bombay hospital: ED

Damania had requested the court that in case Bhujbal was adamant on not appearing for the test, he should be sent back to jail as he cannot be allowed to stay at a hospital just on this account of his refusal.

The special PMLA court will be passing an order on this issue on Thursday.

--- ENDS ---
Geneva: Syria`s government forces and their allies have almost certainly violated international law and probably committed war crimes by the latest bombardment of civilians hoping to be evacuated from eastern Aleppo, the UN human rights chief said on Wednesday.

"The Syrian Government has a clear responsibility to ensure its people are safe, and is palpably failing to take this opportunity to do so," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra`ad al Hussein said in a statement.

"The Government of Syria is also obliged under international law to provide medical assistance to all sick and wounded people  civilians and fighters alike," he said.

He added that he was appalled that a deal to evacuate many thousands of civilians from eastern Aleppo appeared to have collapsed, and said it was outrageously cruel that hope of survival had been snatched away from them.

A evacuation of besieged rebel districts was announced late on Tuesday but did not go ahead as planned early on Wednesday after Iran, one of President Bashar al-Assad`s main backers, imposed new conditions, saying it wanted the rebels to allow the simultaneous evacuation of two Shi`ite villages.

A ceasefire that had coincided with news of the evacuation plan broke down and fighting raged again in Aleppo on Wednesday.

"While the reasons for the breakdown in the ceasefire are disputed, the resumption of extremely heavy bombardment by the Syrian Government forces and their allies on an area packed with civilians is almost certainly a violation of international law and most likely constitutes war crimes," Zeid said.

"The agreement was there, the buses were in place, the first convoy had set off and was then reportedly blocked by pro-Government militia. This is inexcusable.
Aleppo: The evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo due to start at dawn has been delayed, perhaps until Thursday, with an opposition official blaming Iran and its Shi`ite militias allied to President Bashar al-Assad for the hold-up.

A ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia, Assad`s most powerful ally, and Turkey ended years of fighting in the city and has given the Syrian leader his biggest victory yet after more than five years of war.

Officials in the military alliance fighting in support of Assad could not be reached immediately for comment on why the evacuation was delayed.

Rebel sources said the ceasefire remained in place despite the delay in the evacuation plan.

"What is stopping the agreement presently is Iranian obstinacy. But the deal still stands, the ceasefire stands until now," said a commander with the rebel Nour al-Din al-Zinki group, speaking in a voice message to Reuters from eastern Aleppo.

Sources on Tuesday had given different expected start times for the evacuation.

A military official in the pro-Assad alliance had said the evacuation was due to start at 5 a.m. (0300 GMT), while opposition officials had been expecting a first group of wounded people to leave earlier.

However, none had left by dawn, according to a Reuters witness waiting at the agreed point of departure. Twenty buses were waiting there with their engines running but showed no sign of moving into Aleppo`s rebel-held eastern districts.

"There is certainly a delay," said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory, a war monitor.

Officials with Aleppo-based rebel groups accused Shi`ite militias backed by Iran of obstructing the Russian-brokered deal.

The pro-opposition Orient TV cited its correspondent as saying the plan may be delayed until Thursday.

People in eastern Aleppo have been packing their bags and burning personal possessions as they prepare to leave, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed militia allies when they restore control.

In what appeared to be a separate development from the planned evacuation, Russian defence ministry said 6,000 civilians and 366 fighters had left rebel-held districts of Aleppo over the past 24 hours.

Rapid Advances:

The evacuation was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire.

By taking full control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia`s air force and an array of Shi`ite militias from across the region.

Rebels groups have been supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but the support they have enjoyed has fallen far short of the direct military backing given to Assad by Russia and Iran.

Russia`s decision to deploy its air force to Syria 18 months ago turned the war in Assad`s favour after rebel advances across key areas of western Syria.

In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year.

The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria.

Russia regards the fall of Aleppo as a major victory against terrorists, as it and Assad characterise all the rebel groups, both Islamist and nationalist, fighting to oust him.

But at the United Nations, the United States said the violence in the city, besieged and bombarded for months, represented "modern evil".

The once-flourishing economic centre with its renowned ancient sites has been pulverised during the war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, created the world`s worst refugee crisis and allowed the rise of Islamic State.

As the battle for Aleppo unfolded, global concern has risen over the plight of the 250,000 civilians who were thought to remain in its rebel-held eastern sector before the sudden army advance began at the end of November.

Tens of thousands of them fled to parts of the city held by the government or by a Kurdish militia, and tens of thousands more retreated further into the rebel enclave as it rapidly shrank under the army`s lightning advance.

The rout of rebels from their shrinking territory in Aleppo sparked a mass flight of terrified civilians and insurgents in bitter weather, a crisis the United Nations said was a "complete meltdown of humanity". There were food and water shortages in rebel areas, with all hospitals closed.

"Shot In Their Homes"

On Tuesday, the United Nations voiced deep concern about reports it had received of Syrian soldiers and allied Iraqi fighters summarily shooting dead 82 people in recaptured east Aleppo districts. It accused them of "slaughter".

"The reports we had are of people being shot in the street trying to flee and shot in their homes," said Rupert Colville, a U.N. spokesman. "There could be many more."

The Syrian army has denied carrying out killings or torture among those captured, and Russia said on Tuesday rebels had "kept over 100,000 people in east Aleppo as human shields".

Fear stalked the city`s streets. Some survivors trudged in the rain past dead bodies to the government-held west or the few districts still in rebel hands. Others stayed in their homes and awaited the Syrian army`s arrival.

For all of them, fear of arrest, conscription or summary execution added to the daily terror of bombardment.

"People are saying the troops have lists of families of fighters and are asking them if they had sons with the terrorists. (They are) then either left or shot and left to die," said Abu Malek al-Shamali in Seif al-Dawla, one of the last rebel-held districts.

Terrible conditions were described by city residents. Abu Malek al-Shamali, a resident in the rebel area, said dead bodies lay in the streets. "There are many corpses in Fardous and Bustan al-Qasr with no one to bury them, he said.
Aleppo: Plans to evacuate besieged rebel districts of Aleppo were under threat on Wednesday as renewed air strikes and shelling rocked the city in a bombardment the United Nations said "most likely constitutes war crimes".

Iran, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad`s main backers in the battle that has all but ended four years of rebel resistance in the city, imposed new conditions, saying it wanted the simultaneous evacuation of wounded from two villages besieged by rebel fighters, according to rebel and U.N. sources.

There was no sign of that happening. Insurgents fired shells at the two majority Shi`ite villages, Foua and Kefraya, in Idlib province west of Aleppo, causing some casualties, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

There was no immediate indication when the Aleppo evacuation might take place but a pro-opposition TV station said it could be delayed until Thursday.

A ceasefire brokered on Tuesday by Russia, Assad`s most powerful ally, and Turkey was intended to end years of fighting in the city, giving the Syrian leader his biggest victory in more than five years of war.

But air strikes, shelling and gunfire erupted on Wednesday and Turkey accused government forces of breaking the truce. Syrian state television said rebel shelling had killed six people.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra`ad al Hussein said he was appalled that the evacuation deal appeared to have collapsed.

"While the reasons for the breakdown in the ceasefire are disputed, the resumption of extremely heavy bombardment by the Syrian government forces and their allies on an area packed with civilians is almost certainly a violation of international law and most likely constitutes war crimes," he added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov predicted that rebel resistance would last no more than two or three days. The defence ministry in Moscow said the rebels now controlled an enclave of only 2.5 square km (1 square mile).

Turkey was in contact with Iran, Russia and the United States to try and ensure the evacuation of civilians and rebel fighters from Aleppo. Moscow said Lavrov had discussed the situation with his U.S. and Iranian counterparts.

Officials in the military alliance backing Assad could not be reached immediately for comment on why the evacuation, expected to start in the early hours of Wednesday, had stalled.

RAPID ADVANCES

Nobody had left by dawn under the plan, according to a Reuters witness waiting at the departure point, where 20 buses stood with engines running but showed no sign of moving into rebel districts.

People in eastern Aleppo packed their bags and burned personal belongings, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed militia allies.

U.N. war crimes investigators said the Syrian government bore the main responsibility for preventing any attacks and reprisals in eastern Aleppo and that it must hold to account any troops or allied forces committing violations.

In what appeared to be a separate development from the planned evacuation, the Russian defence ministry said 6,000 civilians and 366 fighters had left rebel-held districts over the past 24 hours.

A total of 15,000 people, including 4,000 rebel fighters, wanted to leave Aleppo, according to a media unit run by the Syrian government`s ally Hezbollah.

The evacuation plan was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire.

By taking full control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia`s air force and an array of Shi`ite militias from across the region.

Rebels have been supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but the support they have enjoyed has fallen far short of the direct military backing given to Assad by Russia and Iran.

Russia`s decision to deploy its air force to Syria 18 months ago turned the war in Assad`s favour after rebel advances across western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year.

The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria.

FEAR STALKS STREETS

As the battle for Aleppo unfolded, global concern has risen over the plight of the 250,000 civilians who were thought to remain in its rebel-held eastern sector before the sudden army advance began at the end of November.

The rout of rebels in Aleppo sparked a mass flight of terrified civilians and insurgents in bitter weather, a crisis the United Nations said was a "complete meltdown of humanity". There were food and water shortages in rebel areas, with all hospitals closed.

On Tuesday, the United Nations voiced deep concern about reports it had received of Syrian soldiers and allied Iraqi fighters summarily shooting dead 82 people in recaptured east Aleppo districts. It accused them of "slaughter".

The Syrian army has denied carrying out killings or torture among those captured, and Russia said on Tuesday rebels had "kept over 100,000 people in east Aleppo as human shields".

Fear stalked the city`s streets. Some survivors trudged in the rain past dead bodies to the government-held west or the few districts still in rebel hands. Others stayed in their homes and awaited the Syrian army`s arrival.

"People are saying the troops have lists of families of fighters and are asking them if they had sons with the terrorists. (They are) then either left or shot and left to die," said Abu Malek al-Shamali in Seif al-Dawla, one of the last rebel-held districts.
Shanghai: Quoting a senior state planning official, the official Chinese Daily newspaper reported on Wednesday that China will soon direct a penalty on an unnamed US automaker for monopolistic behaviour,

The news of the penalty comes at a sensitive time after US president-elect Donald Trump called into question a long-standing US policy of acknowledging that Taiwan is part of "one China".

Beijing maintains that self-ruled Taiwan is a wayward province of China and has never renounced the use of force to take it back.

Investigators found the US company had instructed distributors to fix prices starting in 2014, Zhang Handong, director of the National Development and Reform Commission`s price supervision bureau, was quoted as saying.

In an exclusive interview with the newspaper, Zhang said no one should "read anything improper" into the timing or target of the penalty.

The article did not give further details and the NDRC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

China, the world`s largest auto market, has become crucial to the strategies of car companies around the world, including major U.S. players General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co.

"We are unaware of the issue," said Mark Truby, Ford`s chief spokesman for its Asia-Pacific operations.

In a statement, GM said, "GM fully respects local laws and regulations wherever we operate. We do not comment on media speculation."

Comments Unsettle Companies:

The penalty follows a government crackdown on what it has called anti-trust behavior by foreign automakers and dealers.

It would be the second penalty by the NDRC this month and the seventh fine issued to automakers since the commission began anti-monopoly investigations in 2011, the newspaper said.

Targeted firms have included Audi AG, Daimler AG`s Mercedes-Benz and Toyota Motor Corp, and one of Nissan Motor Co Ltd`s joint ventures.

The NDRC`s move was not directed against Trump`s latest comments but to show it was not letting up pressure on price fixing behaviour in the auto sector after a raft of fines last year, a source at a government-affiliated industry association said.

"I don`t think NDRC had only made a decision two weeks ago or a week ago. This is a long-term plan for them," the source said.

Local media had reported NDRC officials saying a penalty would be levied against an international automotive firm this year prior to Trump`s remarks on Taiwan, although they did not specify it would be a U.S. company.

In a separate editorial, the China Daily urged Trump to recognise the importance of close economic ties between China and the United States rather than "trying to gain an upper hand in what is essentially a win-win relationship".

"History proves that what it good for Sino-U.S. relations is good for their economies," it said, noting that Chinese customers bought more than a third of the 9.96 million vehicles GM sold worldwide last year.

"For the American economy to be great again... the U.S. needs to cement its economic relations with China, rather than destroy them."

Trump`s challenges to China on trade and Taiwan have rattled American companies who have long benefited from stable relations between the two countries.

In 2011, China imposed duties of up to 22 percent on large cars and SUVs exported from the United States during a wide-ranging spat on trade and currencies that became a focus of criticism for U.S. presidential candidates.
Islamabad/Karachi: A Chinese engineer working on the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor on Wednesday escaped an attempt on his life when his vehicle was targeted by a bomb planted on a motorbike in Pakistan's Sindh province, police said.

The low-intensity explosive, rigged to a motorbike and exploded with the help of a remote control device, injured a truck driver in Rohri area of Sukkur district.

"Unknown accused attacked a Chinese engineer's vehicle near Rohri but he was unhurt," Superintendent of Police Special Branch Masood Mahar said.

He said the truck driver received minor injuries in the blast.

He said the Chinese engineer was being escorted by paramilitary Rangers when the explosion occurred.

He also said that 500 grammes of explosive material was used in the blast.

Rescue teams and police have arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack but police and Rangers conducted a search operation in the area following the blast and arrested at least 20 suspects who have been taken to undisclosed locations, DawnNews reported.

Taliban militants in the past had been targeting foreigners, especially Chinese nationals working in Pakistan.

Several Chinese workers and engineers are working in Pakistan in various schemes being implemented under the China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC) project.

The ambitious CPEC project was launched in early 2015 to link China's remote Xinjiang region with the Arabian Sea through Pakistan by building a network of roads, railways, energy parks and industrial zones.

The attack on the Chinese engineer came on a day when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated a 448-kilometre-long Sorab-Hoshab road, an important segment of western route of the CPEC in the restive Balochistan province.

He said that billions of rupees were being spent on development of Balochistan and the government was in particular focusing on its development to mitigate the sense of deprivation of Baloch people.

The road network in Balochistan would connect Gwadar port up to Khunjerab border with China and would ensure economic activity, reduce poverty and unemployment in the province, Sharif was quoted as saying by the media.
Aleppo: Deadly clashes erupted in Syria`s Aleppo on Wednesday as a deal for the evacuation of rebel areas was put on hold, leaving thousands of cold and hungry civilians uncertain of their future.

Entire families had gathered in the streets before dawn hoping to leave the ravaged city after an agreement announced the night before to evacuate civilians and rebels.

The first departures had been expected around 5:00 am (0300 GMT) but there was no movement, and a few hours later, fierce fighting shook the city.

The landmark evacuation deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey, came after the Army seized more than 90 percent of east Aleppo from the rebels.

It would have marked the end of opposition resistance in Syria`s second city after years of fighting and dealt the opposition their worst blow since the conflict began in March 2011.

But it appeared increasingly fragile by Wednesday afternoon as the government and the rebels, as well as their foreign allies, traded accusations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would speak with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later in a bid to rescue the deal.

"The situation on the ground is very fragile and complicated," he said.

After hours of quiet, government air strikes and heavy tank fire resumed in the last pocket of rebel-held territory in east Aleppo, an AFP correspondent reported.

Terrified residents ran through the streets in a fruitless bid to find adequate shelter, he said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported "very intense clashes on every front line" and said two people had been killed in rebel-held areas.

State television said rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas had also resumed, killing at least seven people.Moscow, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad, said Damascus resumed its assault on Aleppo after rebels violated the ceasefire.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow expected rebel resistance in the city to end in the next "two to three days".

Rebels and a source close to the regime told AFP that the evacuation had been suspended after objections from the Syrian government.

The source said Damascus had objected to the number of people leaving, claiming rebels had sought to raise it from 2,000 to 10,000.

But Yasser al-Youssef, a political official from the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group, said the regime and its ally Iran were trying to add "new conditions" to the agreement.

"They want to link this deal to other issues, including the areas of Fuaa and Kafraya," he added, referring to two government-held Shiite-majority villages in northwestern Syria that are under rebel siege.

Turkey too accused Assad`s regime and its supporters of blocking the deal.

Before the fighting resumed, AFP`s correspondent saw crowds of civilians gathered in the streets of rebel areas from the early hours, some clutching bags of belongings, to await evacuation.

Some had slept in the open, despite the cold and a fierce storm that brought heavy rain and high winds.

Many were hungry, after weeks without regular meals because of dwindling food supplies caused by the army`s siege.The evacuation deal was announced a month into an army operation that has seen the government take more than 90 percent of east Aleppo, held by rebels since 2012.

It called for civilians and fighters to leave Aleppo for opposition territory elsewhere in northern Syria.

Turkey said those leaving would be taken to Idlib province, which is controlled by a powerful rebel alliance that includes Al-Qaeda`s former affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

The agreement came amid mounting international concern about the plight of civilians in the city, and as the UN said it had reports of atrocities being committed by advancing government forces.

The UN has expressed concern over allegations that men have gone missing after crossing to government areas, and on Tuesday said it had credible reports of summary executions by pro-regime fighters.

UN rights office spokesman Rupert Colville described reports of at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, being executed in recent days.

He said pro-government fighters had reportedly entered homes and killed those inside, and "caught and killed on the spot" fleeing civilians.

Aleppo, a cultural and economic hub second only to Damascus in importance, had been split between a rebel-controlled east and government-held west since 2012.

It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, after an estimated 130,000 fled to other parts of Aleppo during the government advance.

The assault has been accompanied by heavy air and artillery bombardment and more than 460 civilians have been killed in east Aleppo since it began in mid-November, according to the Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group.

Another 130 have been killed by rebel rocket fire on western districts, it says.

More than 310,000 people have been killed since the Syrian conflict began, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees.
Paris: France's top diplomat on Wednesday slammed the bullish tone taken by President-elect Donald Trump with key trade ally Beijing in threatening to upend Washington's One China policy.

"Watch out for China... It's a big country. You can have disagreements with China but you don't talk like that to a partner," remarked French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on France 2 television.

He was responding to apparently off-the-cuff remarks by Trump in an interview with Fox News Sunday in which he questioned whether Washington should continue its "One China policy" unless Beijing makes concessions on trade and other issues.

US diplomatic tradition has long held to this policy, which does not recognise self-administered Taiwan as a sovereign state but sees Beijing as the sole representative.

"I don't want China dictating to me," Trump said, defending an earlier phone conversation with the president of Taiwan.

"I don't know why we have to be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade."

Beijing swiftly hit back, saying it was "seriously concerned" by Trump's suggestion he could drop the longstanding policy, saying it could have a big impact on bilateral ties.
Sydney: The last vessel searching for missing MH370 has left on its final sweep across the southern Indian Ocean, Australia said on Wednesday, as the transport minister cautioned the airliner might not be found in coming weeks.

Fugro Equator sailed from Fremantle port on Australia's western coast on Monday for the 120,000 square-kilometre zone where investigators believe the Malaysian Airlines jet disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 passengers and crew.

No trace has been found in the massive undersea hunt off Australia but investigators have confirmed that three pieces of debris recovered on western Indian Ocean shorelines came from MH370.

"It has been an heroic undertaking but we have to prepare ourselves for the prospect that we may not find MH370 in the coming weeks, although we remain hopeful," Transport Minister Darren Chester told The West Australian yesterday.

The newspaper added that the ship's final hunt would involve examining some 200 small areas which were either too deep for previous sweeps or were not properly examined due to poor sonar readings.

The government agency leading the search, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), said on Wednesday that the Equator's mission was expected to draw to a close next month.

Many next-of-kin have repeatedly complained about the lack of a coordinated search in the western Indian Ocean and along the African coast.

Relatives of some of the missing passengers are currently in Madagascar, combing beaches for clues about the lost plane, after fragments identified with "near certainty" as coming from MH370 were discovered in recent months on the coast of East Africa.

The families have been accompanied by American amateur investigator, Blaine Gibson, a lawyer from Seattle who has travelled the world trying to solve the MH370 mystery.

Gibson has also recovered other possible MH370 debris, but authorities have yet to confirm if any of the pieces belong to the missing plane.

Neither the location nor the cause of the crash are known, feeding wild conspiracy theories.

The ATSB said in a report last month that MH370 was likely out of control when it plunged into the ocean with its wing flaps not prepared for landing.

It cast doubt on theories a pilot was still in charge.

The governments of Australia, Malaysia and China, where most of the passengers were from, agreed to pull the plug on the operation once the search area was fully scoured unless "credible new information" emerged.
Jerusalem: A few dozen Israeli lawmakers and their assistants have protested outside the Parliament building after female staffers were denied entry for wearing skirts that were deemed too short.

Asaf Goldfarb of the Israeli legislative assistants' union says at least 15 female staffers couldn't go into the Knesset today because of their dress. The protesters denounced similar entry refusals in recent weeks.

Goldfarb says a Knesset representative told protesters that dresses must be no more than 5 centimeters above the knee.

Knesset spokesman Yotam Yakir said Parliament dress code forbids sandals, shorts, and "too short skirts." Yakir called the protest a "provocation."

He says only one legislative assistant was denied entry today over her dress, and the Knesset enforces the dress code equally with men and women.
Manila: The Philippines has cancelled a trip next year by the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings to look into the rising death toll in its war on drugs, the country`s foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Perfecto Yasay said the United Nations could not pursue its investigation because special rapporteur Agnes Callamard had declined to accept the conditions set by the government of President Rodrigo Duterte.

"They cannot come," Yasay told reporters in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. "If they will not comply with the conditions of our president regarding their visit to the Philippines to validate their claims, then the trip will not push through. They cannot come here."

Yasay said there were no indications Callamard would comply with Duterte`s guidelines. He did not say what the government`s guidelines were, although Duterte has said he wanted to challenge the U.N. rapporteur to a public debate.

Since Duterte took office on July 1, police say more than 2,000 people have died in anti-narcotics police operations, with another 3,000 deaths, caused by motorcycle-riding masked men and by vigilante groups, under investigation.

Last month, Callamard wrote to the government, welcoming the Philippines` invitation to examine situations of extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions due to the war on drugs. She had intended to visit during the first quarter of next year.

Yasay said the government must be given the opportunity to question the rapporteurs because the Philippines had already been maligned by allegations of extrajudicial killings.

In its October letter inviting the UN rapporteur, the government said it was "entitled to know the motive for the investigation, and why the focus is on the Philippines, when there are other nations responsible for the death of innocent and defenceless individuals elsewhere in the world".

Duterte has lashed out at US President Barack Obama, the European Union and former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon for criticising the government`s anti-drug campaign.
By PTI: Bhopal, Dec 14 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Government has submitted a proposal to Union Health Ministry to upgrade the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC), set up to treat the victims of 1984 gas tragedy, with a medical post-graduate teaching facility.

BMHRC, a 350-bed multi-speciality tertiary care centre, is managed by Union Health Ministry.

"The state government has submitted a proposal to develop a medical PG teaching institute in the BMHRC as well. Various other decisions for the revival of BMHRC have also been taken at a meeting yesterday," Vishwas Sarang, MoS for Bhopal Gas Relief and Rehabilitation, told reporters today.

advertisement

Sarang yesterday held a high-level meeting with Manoj Pant, Joint Secretary, Department of Health and Research, Union Health Ministry.

"It was also decided at the meeting that a steering committee would be constituted for the coordination between the state government and the Centre in regard to BMHRC," Sarang said.

He said 17 departments were instituted initially at the health centre but most of them are non-operational in absence of doctors and experts.

"Health Ministry officials have assured to fill vacant posts of contractual doctors immediately and other regular posts during next six months," the minister added.

Sarang, also an MoS for Cooperatives, said a panel of private and government hospitals would be constituted for the treatment of gas victims.

"If any treatment is unavailable at BMHRC, the doctors here would refer the patients to other hospitals included in this proposed panel and be paid in accordance with Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) rates," he said. PTI ADU LAL NSK JMF

--- ENDS ---
Doha: Qatar has denied any link with a Cairo church bombing that killed 25 people and accused critics of trying to sully the country`s name.

Doha`s Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that it condemned all "terrorism acts", in a statement released through the Qatar News Agency on Tuesday night.

On Monday, Egypt accused fugitive Muslim Brotherhood leaders who fled to Qatar of training and financing those responsible for the deadly bomb attack on the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church a day earlier.

Cairo`s Interior Ministry pointed a finger at suspect Mohab Mostafa el-Sayed Qassem, also known as "The Doctor", who travelled to Qatar in 2015.

It said Qassem was offered financial and logistical support to carry out attacks in Egypt.

But Qatar said such claims were baseless.

The Foreign Ministry condemned allegations that Qatar was involved in the bombing on "the pretext that the suspect Mohab Mostafa (el-Sayed Qassem) visited Qatar in 2015".

Ministry spokesman Ahmed Al-Rumaihi said such statements to "sully the name of Qatar" were an attempt to "cover up any failures of the relevant Egyptian authorities" and would inflame tensions.

Qassem visited Qatar on December 3, 2015, "like hundreds of thousands of others who are allowed to enter the country for work or a visit", he said.

The suspect headed back to Cairo on February 01, 2016, but Doha received no requests from Egypt to detain him, Rumaihi said.

Sunday`s incident was the deadliest attack in recent memory on Egypt`s Christian minority, who make up about 10 percent of the population.

The Islamic State jihadist group claimed responsibility for the attack on Tuesday, and the Muslim Brotherhood has denied any involvement in the bombing.
Aleppo (Syria): Civilians and rebel fighters were to start evacuating from Syria's Aleppo "within hours" under a deal that would end years of opposition resistance in the city.

Rebel officials, Russia and Turkey confirmed the agreement yesterday which, if implemented, would mark a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad over opposition forces who rose up against him in 2011.

Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said the Syrian military had stopped its operations in Aleppo under the agreement, adding: "The fighting around eastern Aleppo is over."

Green government buses gathered at the edges of the divided Salaheddin district late yesterday, with some entering briefly but returning empty and parking on the outskirts again, an AFP correspondent said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the evacuations were now expected to begin around 0830 IST.

The agreement came amid mounting global outrage over reports of atrocities, including dozens of summary executions, as forces loyal to Assad closed in on the last pocket of rebel territory in Aleppo.

Officials from several rebel groups said there was a deal to allow civilians and fighters to leave Aleppo for opposition-held territory to the west of the city.

"An agreement has been reached," said Yasser al-Youssef from the political office of the key Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group, adding that the deal had been "sponsored" by Russia and Turkey.

"The first stage will be the evacuation of civilians and wounded, within hours, and afterwards fighters will leave with their light weapons."

As the UN Security Council met in emergency session to discuss Aleppo, Churkin said: "There is indeed an arrangement achieved on the ground that the fighters are going to leave the city."

Turkey said that under the agreement civilians would first evacuate, followed by a withdrawal of rebel groups.

"While we are pleased with today's step taken to secure a ceasefire, at the same time we must always be aware of the fragile situation in front of us and it is wise to be cautious," said foreign ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu.

US ambassador Samantha Power told the Security Council Washington wanted international observers in Aleppo to oversee the evacuation.

She raised concern for "people who wish to leave but who, justifiably, fear that if they try they will be shot in the street or carted off to one of Assad's gulags."
Ankara: Turkey was in contact with Iran, Russia and the United States on Wednesday to try and ensure the evacuation of civilians and rebel fighters from Syria`s Aleppo, as air strikes and heavy shelling threaten to scupper a truce.

President Tayyip Erdogan accused Syrian government forces of breaking the truce he brokered on Tuesday with Russia, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad`s main backers, but said Turkey was still trying to open a humanitarian corridor from the city.

Erdogan said he would speak later on Wednesday by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation in Aleppo, which he described as "very fragile".

"The realisation of the ceasefire brokered by Turkey`s intense efforts is perhaps the last hope for the innocent people in Aleppo," Erdogan told a meeting of local administrators in the presidential palace in Ankara.

"This humanitarian corridor must be opened immediately, and the evacuation of civilians from eastern Aleppo must be allowed at once. Assad is committing war crimes in eastern Aleppo, and we cannot remain silent to the assassinations by the regime."

Iran, another key Assad backer alongside Russia, was said to have imposed new conditions on the truce deal which were delaying its implementation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke to his Iranian and U.S. counterparts on Wednesday to try to keep the agreement on track. He was also due to speak to the Russian foreign minister.

"There was an understanding as of yesterday, and within that was first the evacuation of civilians ... We see that the regime and other groups are trying to prevent this," Cavusoglu told reporters.

Russia`s defence ministry said that rebels in Aleppo had resumed fighting at dawn and Syrian government forces had repelled their attacks, Russia`s Interfax news agency reported.



A senior Turkish official told Reuters earlier that the ceasefire deal was very fragile but not broken, despite the reports of attacks in the city.

Erdogan said preparations were complete for evacuees from Aleppo to come to the rebel-controlled Syrian province of Idlib west of Aleppo and to Turkey.

An aid convoy by Turkish humanitarian aid group IHH carrying flour, food rations and clothing left Istanbul for the Syrian border on Wednesday.

Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said on Tuesday that Turkey, which is already home to around 2.7 million Syrians who have fled the country`s civil war, would set up a tent city to accommodate up to 80,000 people fleeing Aleppo.
Washington: The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the CIA disagree on the purpose of the alleged Russian involvement in the November 8 presidential election that resulted in Donald Trump winning the White House.

The CIA has concluded that Russia intervened to help Trump win the election, since Moscow launched cyberattacks on both the Republican and Democratic parties but only disclosed damaging information about the Democrats, EFE news reported.

The ODNI agrees with the CIA that the Kremlin was responsible for the hacking, but it concluded that the goal was not to help Trump, Fox News reported, citing government sources.

The FBI also concluded in late October that the main goal of the Russian hacking was "to distort" the US presidential campaign and not to assist Trump.

The CIA conclusions have created a controversy in Washington, with members of Congress, including some Republicans, preparing to investigate the matter.

Trump has said he does not believe Russia interfered in the electoral process to help him, adding that the CIA`s theory has been "promoted" by Democrats "embarrassed" over their loss in the elections and unwilling to accept defeat.

The claim of Russian meddling arose following the publication by WikiLeaks of e-mails from the Democratic National Committee and from John Podesta, the chair of Democrat Hillary Clinton`s presidential campaign.

The DNC communications showed that supposedly neutral body was anxious to ensure that Clinton defeated Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primaries.

The government and the Democrats said the e-mails were obtained through hacking carried out by groups aligned with Moscow, EFE news added.

President Barack Obama`s administration announced last week that the intelligence agencies were in the process of putting together a report on the hacking to be submitted to Congress.

Ten members of the Electoral College sent an open letter to National Intelligence Director James Clapper asking for a briefing on the probe of alleged Russian interference.

Meanwhile, a close associate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said of the CIA assertions that "they are absolutely making it up".

Craig Murray, a former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan, told Britain`s Guardian newspaper that WikiLeaks obtained the DNC e-mails via a leak, not a hack.

"I know who leaked them. I`ve met the person who leaked them, and they are certainly not Russian and it`s an insider. It`s a leak, not a hack. The two are different things," Murray said.

The Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), meanwhile, said in a memorandum that the allegations of Russian interference in the election were "sadly, evidence-free".

"This is no surprise, because harder evidence of a technical nature points to an inside leak, not hacking -- by Russians or anyone else," the group of former intelligence officials said.

VIPS said its goal was "to cut through (the) uninformed, largely partisan fog", surrounding the allegations of Russian involvement in the election.

"We have gone through the various claims about hacking. For us, it is child`s play to dismiss them. The e-mail disclosures in question are the result of a leak, not a hack," VIPS said.

The group, whose members include former CIA, NSA and State Department intelligence officers, said the information was likely removed physically, using some kind of data storage hardware.

"All signs point to leaking, not hacking. If hacking were involved, the National Security Agency would know it -- and know both sender and recipient," VIPS said.
The last couple of weeks were the toughest of times for Indians. The terrorists, who wrought havoc in Mumbai, threatened to destroy the very idea of India. <br><br> The attack on Indias financial capital has really shaken the nation from its torpor. The incident has made common people take to the streets, cutting across lines of caste, creed, community and religion. <br><br> The consequence of the attacks has not even spared the sporting field. To be precise, it has turned India into a vulnerable cricketing hub where any foreign team will now give a second thought before planning a tour. <br><br> The terrorists launched their bloody battle in Mumbai when India had thrashed England five consecutive times in the seven-match ODI series, making a mockery of the English snobbery. Already shaken on the field, the Mumbai mayhem traumatized the British team and compelled them to leave the country midway through the series. <br><br> Some cricket pundits, administrators and former cricketers envious of Indias emergence as a new cricketing super power, started writing obituaries for India as a host nation for important cricketing events in the future. This sent shivers down the spines of cricket lovers and administrators in India. <br><br> Some feared that India is going the Pakistan way, which was robbed of several international cricket tournaments including the prestigious Champions Trophy in recent times due to security concerns. Nobody wants to be the guest of a person whose house is on fire. None should be blamed for being frightened. <br><br> But India is different in every aspect. The indomitable spirit of Indians is its greatest strength. In the past 60 years India has taken such beatings only to emerge as a much stronger nation. The largest democracy of the world may seem fragile on the face value, but has withstood several challenges in the past with resounding courage. <br><br> A nation, which braved four (1962, 1965, 1971 and Kargil) devastating wars, is on the threshold of becoming a super power. The nation is desperate to shed its third world tag. In every sector India as a nation has shown superb growth and improvement. <br><br> Its no difference in sports. Though in other sports India has only started doing well by securing its first individual gold in Beijing Olympics, cricket is the game the entire nation takes to with passion. Its all but natural that both as a cricket playing nation and international cricketing hub, India has emerged as a super power. <br><br> Our cricket team has emerged from a potential challenger, to becoming true champions by thrashing Australia 2-0 recently. Every cricket playing nation wants India to tour their country because it is the most followed team with plenty of charismatic players in its ranks. <br><br> Team India have the capacity to draw people out of their homes to the grounds. When India tour any country, people gather in huge numbers to catch a glimpse of the men in blue that ultimately proves to be a huge revenue generating factor for any country. So its all but natural that it will not be possible for any country to sever cricketing ties with India due to security reasons. <br><br> With a huge fan following and a powerful media, Indias emergence as the new cricketing hub cant be ignored. Its India which has heralded a new beginning in cricket by introducing Indian Premier League (IPL), a city-based rivalry everybody loves to take part in. <br><br> The snobbish England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) with ever-conservative MCC at its helm, seems to be losing its ground as more and more English players want to be part of this money making extravaganza in India. Some foreign players may not like this third world country, but they simply cant ignore the land which fattens their purses. So much so that the IPL and even Indian Cricket League (ICL) saw players including Adam Gilchrist, Stephen Fleming and Shaun Pollock taking early retirements to get a taste of this moolah. <br><br> Moreover, best of the players from England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa who generally get lukewarm response from their own people, get a sense of fulfilment when cheered by millions in India as they play for Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Superstars. Money cant buy adulation. <br><br> Indian people, despite having faced poverty, unemployment and terrorism, have always found solace in cricket in their hour of crisis. Even the greatest cynic of the game accepts its overwhelming influence on Indians. The game binds the whole nation on a common platform. It makes them forget their mundane sufferings. <br><br> A country in which cricket is considered as religion and its heroes as demigods, a handful of terrorists dont have the power to destroy the game or its spirit.
Shops, establishments and educational institutes falling on the rally route remained shut as the Maratha community took to the streets demanding reservation.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: After massive rallies in almost all districts of Maharashtra, the Maratha reservation march stormed into the vice capital of Maharashtra today.

An estimated 50,000 participated in a silent morcha in Nagpur. A series of march have been organised by the Maratha community demanding action against the culprits of the rape and murder of a Maratha girl in Kopardi village of Ahmednagar in Maharashtra and also to demand reservation for the community.

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Taking place on the sidelines of the winter session of the state legislature in the Orange city, the march also saw participation of members of legislature cutting across party lines.

Prominent among the ones who participated were RS MP Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje, descendent of Maratha warrior King Shivaji Maharaj, BJP MLAs Ashish Shelar, Ashish Deshmukh, NCP MLC Vidya Chavhan, Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap, among others.

READ | Lakhs of Marathas march in 'silent rally' demanding reservations

SHOPS, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES REMAIN SHUT

For last few months, Maharashtra's biggest and politically dominant community, Maratha is on the streets over the issue. Elaborate arrangements were made by the administration before the rally. Several policemen were deployed on the rally route. Shops, establishments and educational institutes falling on the rally route remained shut.

Education Minister and Maratha Reservation Committee President Vinod Tawde met Morcha organisors at the Morcha site. He took an all girls' delegation to meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Vidhan Bhawan. The delegation put forth their demands in front of the CM.

Assuring the delegation that the government was positive and serious about the community's demands Fadnavis said, "In order to solve the issue by way of dialogue, a committee comprising of professors, retired justices of high courts, doctors, litterateur, constitutional experts and other dignitaries from Maratha community will be formed."

The delegation presented a memorandum of their demands to the CM.

Meanwhile, NCP Legislators in the upper house protested inside the house by wearing saffron caps supporting the demand for Maratha reservation. Speaking to reporters outside the Vidhan Bhawan, Leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde alleged that despite mammoth rallies, the government was not serious about the demand of Maratha reservation.

READ | Maratha protest intensifies, silent march to be held in Navi Mumbai today

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Washington, Dec 13 (PTI) NASAs OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is set to search for elusive "Trojan" asteroids which are constant companions to Earth as it orbits the Sun.

NASAs first mission to return a sample of an asteroid to Earth will be multitasking during its two-year outbound cruise to the asteroid Bennu.

The OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security? Regolith Explorer) spacecraft will activate its onboard camera suite and commence a search for elusive "Trojan" asteroids.

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Trojans are asteroids that are constant companions to planets in our solar system as they orbit the Sun, remaining near a stable point 60 degrees in front of or behind the planet.

Since they constantly lead or follow in the same orbit, they will never collide with their companion planet.

There are six planets in our solar system with known Trojan asteroids - Jupiter, Neptune, Mars, Venus, Uranus and Earth.

The Earth Trojan is elusive; to date, scientists have only discovered one Earth trojan asteroid - 2010 TK7.

Yet there are more than 6,000 known Trojans that are co-orbiting the Sun with the gas giant Jupiter.

Scientists predict that there should be more Trojans sharing Earths orbit, but these asteroids are difficult to detect from Earth because they appear close to the Sun from Earths point of view.

In mid-February next year, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will be positioned in an ideal spot to undertake a survey.

Over 12 days from February 9, the OSIRIS-REx Earth-Trojan asteroid search will employ the spacecrafts MapCam imager to methodically scan the space where Earth Trojans are expected to exist.

Many of these observations will closely resemble MapCams planned activities during its upcoming search for satellites of asteroid Bennu, so the Trojan asteroid search serves as an early rehearsal for the missions primary science operations.

"The Earth-Trojan asteroid search provides a substantial advantage to the OSIRIS-REx mission," said Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona.

"Not only do we have the opportunity to discover new members of an asteroid class, but more importantly, we are practicing critical mission operations in advance of our arrival at Bennu, which ultimately reduces mission risk," said Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx Principal Investigator.

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is currently on a seven-year journey to rendezvous with, study and bring a sample of Bennu to Earth.

This sample of a primitive asteroid will help scientists understand the formation of our solar system more than 4.5 billion years ago. PTI MHN SAR MHN

--- ENDS ---
When the phone goes in the early hours of the morning, it's never going to be good news.

Aaron Galyer knew that. And so, when he answered the call at 3 am one day in November 2015, he braced for the worst. It was the police. His brother, Ricky, was dead. Ricky was an inmate at Auckland Prison, at Paremoremo. He was 45 years old.

Ricky Sellar grew up in Masterton as Richard Galyer, changing his name by deed poll in an effort, says his sister Kim Goodin, to escape his past, including that the more hed used it, the less useful the Galyer surname had become for committing fraud. The reason for choosing Sellar was apparently his own little joke, drawn from the fact that his forte was stealing stuff, and selling it.

As a kid, his sister says he loved pulling things apart and putting them back together again. In a way, that would become a metaphor for his own life. Except the last time, he went too far. Were in the small lounge of the Masterton house where his father Keith Galyer lives, across the road from a Killer Beez pad. The family photos on the walls tell a sad story: of the five children, only three are still alive. Rickys eldest brother died in his 20s. Theres a sweet-looking, blonde-haired Ricky, though the picture may belie what was really happening. Ricky was only 11 when he committed his first crime. He went to a local car dealership and took a car out for a drive while in his school uniform, says his dad. Ricky would later be diagnosed with ADHD and his life of crime gained momentum, landing him in and out of boys homes, then in and out of prison. They were mostly crimes of dishonesty - says his sister Kim, hed do bad things, steal things, fraud - but it escalated, and in 2007 at the age of 36, Ricky Sellar was sentenced to ten years for rape. The sentencing Judge noted Sellar had a formidable list of prior convictions. But this conviction, his father believes, changed everything.

Families can be complicated.

Aaron Galyer, a truck-driver, like his father, hadnt had contact with his brother Ricky for years, on account of the fact that Ricky had tried to pin the rape on him. Ricky had also lost contact with his sister Kim. Hed done too many things to hurt the family, she says, though she hadnt lost hope that they could one day repair their damaged relationship. She laments the fact that she didnt get a chance to make peace with her brother before he died. Thats what hurts the most, something could have been done when he was released but I never got that chance. Because for all hed done wrong, his family did still love him. They dont seek in any way to diminish his crime; they know he deserved his sentence. But they did think - deserved to think - hed be safe in prison. You see November last year wasnt the first time Ricky Sellar had tried to kill himself. Several years prior hed made another suspected suicide attempt, that time in prison in Christchurch. His father believes Ricky didnt know how to deal with the seriousness of the crime he was inside for. I dont know, Im not in his head, but I think he just chose that way out because he couldnt deal with it anymore. He was just so full of guilt.

''I think he just chose that way out because he could't deal with it anymore.'' -Keith Galyer
An Amazon picture of a flying "octocopter" mini-drone that would be used to fly small packages to consumers

Amazon said Wednesday it completed its first delivery by drone, in what the global online giant hopes will become a trend in automated shipments by air.

The delivery to a customer near Cambridge, England, was announced in a tweet by Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos.

"First-ever #AmazonPrimeAir customer delivery is in the books. 13 min -- click to delivery," he wrote of the December 7 order.

A video on Amazon's web page showed the delivery process -- with a quadcopter drone delivering an Amazon Fire TV box and a bag of popcorn to a customer identified only as Richard B.

Amazon, which has been testing drone deliveries in the US and elsewhere, has on several occasions complained that the regulatory environment in the United States for these automated deliveries is more cumbersome.

In its video, Amazon noted that it is working with two customers receiving drone deliveries in the Cambridge area and soon hoped to expand to "dozens" near its warehouse.

Amazon is not the only group working on drone deliveries. Google parent Alphabet has a similar project known as Wing and some reports say US retail behemoth Wal-Mart is also studying drone deliveries.

In the US, the first commercial drone delivery was made in July when convenience store 7-Eleven, with drone startup Flirtey, transported a chicken sandwich, hot coffee and donuts to a customer near Reno, Nevada.

Project Wing announced plans this year to deliver burritos in partnership with US food chain Chipotle to students at Virginia Tech University, one of the campuses where drone research is being conducted.

US officials earlier this year announced the first steps in drone regulations, covering applications such as newsgathering and commercial flights over populated areas.

But the first set of rules stopped short of allowing some long-sought applications, including delivery of goods by retailers like Amazon in populated areas.

Amazon got British approval this year for flying drones that are no longer within sight of their operators in rural and suburban areas; having one person operate several highly automated drones; and testing devices to make the drones able to identify and avoid obstacles

The world's largest online retailer, Amazon raised eyebrows in late 2013 with its plan to airlift small parcels to customers by drone in select markets less than 30 minutes after orders are received.
The "affair-minded" dating website Ashley Madison saw personal data on millions of members in 46 countries released through a hacker group in 2015, the fallout of which led to reports of blackmail and even suicides

The operators of the Ashley Madison affair-minded dating website agreed Wednesday to pay a $1.6 million penalty over a data breach exposing data from 36 million users, US officials announced.

Ashley Madison's Canadian parent company Ruby agreed to the penalty to settle charges with the US Federal Trade Commission and state regulators for failing to protect confidential user information.

The settlement comes after a hacker group last year released what was said to be personal data on millions of members of Ashley Madison, who were based in 46 countries. The fallout led to reports of blackmail and even suicides.

The financial penalty, split between the federal government and US states suing the company, would increase to $8.75 million if Ashley Madison fails to abide by new information security practices and refrain from misleading consumers.

"This case represents one of the largest data breaches that the FTC has investigated to date, implicating 36 million individuals worldwide," said FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez.

"The global settlement requires AshleyMadison.com to implement a range of more robust data security practices that will better protect its users' personal information from criminal hackers going forward."

Earlier this year, the dating website -- whose motto had been "life is short, have an affair" rebooted, calling itself an "open-minded dating" service.

The company said at the time it will no longer use female "bots" or automated programs that respond to members pretending to be women on the hunt for men.

According to the FTC complaint, until August 2014, operators of the site lured customers, including 19 million Americans, with fake profiles of women designed to convert them into paid members.

The company failed to adequately protect users' personal information such as date of birth, relationship status and sexual preferences.

The company confirmed the settlement, saying it would help it move past the hacking episode.

"Today is a pivotal day for our members and for Ashley Madison," said a statement from Ruby chief executive Rob Segal.

"Today's settlement closes an important chapter on the company's past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity and to building a new future for our members, our team and our company."
Trumps fiscal policies could mean commodities rally in the short term, boosting the Australian governments budget, but this could be undone in the long term as his trade policies are bad news for base metals and energy commodities.

Global growth and movements in commodity prices have important implications for the Australian economy. A significant component of economic growth and tax receipts derives from the sale of commodities, and so generally rising commodity prices are a positive for Australia.

The recent 2016-17 Federal Budget assumed an iron ore price of US$55 per tonne (currently US$79) and a thermal coal price of US$52 per tonne (currently US$105). Treasury also forecast that a US$10 per tonne increase in the iron ore price would raise nominal GDP by US$6.1 billion, and provide an additional US$1.4 billion in tax receipts over the next year. As a result, the government will receive a significant budget boost in the near term.

Author provided

As a Donald Trump victory became increasingly likely, investors were initially cautious. Risky assets, such as stocks, were sold and funds flowed into safe havens such as government bonds and gold. Within hours this reaction was reversed as investors considered the broader repercussions of the result.

Gold has proven to be one of the more volatile assets; the Trump victory initially pushing prices almost 5% higher, but falling 9% from a peak a week before. The price of commodities that are typically related to economic output, such as base metals and energy, have surged as markets hope that Trump will enact a fiscal expansion to boost growth.

Copper (nicknamed Dr. Copper owing to its status as an economic bellwether), which is used in pipes and wiring, has increased in price by more than 7%. More impressively, iron ore has risen nearly 19%.

Author provided

However these gains could be short lived as volatility sets in, in the long term.

Trump policies and commodities

Much of the volatility in commodity prices relates to uncertainty surrounding what economic polices President-elect Trump will actually seek to implement once he is inaugurated in January 2017. This task is made all the more difficult by the lack of honesty during the campaign and backtracking on policies in the days since. Until there is some resolution regarding Trumps specific plans this market uncertainty will last  likely benefiting the gold safe haven.

Story continues

Trump has already signalled that he will bring an end to fiscal restraint. He has vowed to drastically reduce taxes, increasing the federal debt by US$7.2 trillion in the process, and pledged to invest US$550 billion in infrastructure. Both measures are meant to boost growth, and both would be positive for base metal prices.

Trump is also not a believer in climate change and is intent on using more fossil fuels. This could be a positive for commodities such as coal (the price of which has more than doubled since the start of the year) and crude oil. However, the outcome is not clear as the promised removal of environmental regulations may also serve to increase oil & gas drilling in the US and produce a price depressing glut.

Greater demand for coal would clearly be beneficial for Australian coal miners (if not the environment). Although the prospect of lower oil prices would not be good news for operators of major LNG projects still struggling to break even, at least households would gain from lower fuel prices.

The more important factor for long term commodity prices is the risk that a Trump Presidency provides for global trade should his policy of protectionism be enacted. If this happens, then global growth will be adversely affected which would be bad news for base metals and energy commodities.

In Australia, this could push the Federal budget further into deficit, reduce economic growth, and increase unemployment (or at least ensure that wages continue to stagnate). Clearly, this would not support the Turnbull mantra of jobs and growth.

A trade war also could mean geopolitical tensions will increase, particularly between the US and China, and this would be positive for precious metals such as gold.

At the very least, the coming period will provide greater geopolitical uncertainty that may delay corporate investment, hamper economic growth and put pressure on commodity prices.

The Conversation

Lee Smales, Associate Professor, Finance, Curtin University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
At least 80,000 children could die of starvation in Nigeria next year if they are not treated in the humanitarian crisis created by Boko Haram's uprising, warned UNICEF.

By India Today Web Desk: UNICEF has predicted that the humanitarian crisis created by Boko Haram's uprising could lead to the starvation of nearly half a million children in northeastern Nigeria next year.

In this crisis, at least 80,000 children could die if not treated, warned the UN Children's Agency.

As UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake said, the "crisis" could "become a catastrophe,".

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"If they do not receive the treatment they need, one in five of these children will die," Lake said.

Also read: India, Nigeria account for 1/3 of global maternal deaths in 2015

In a statement, Lake said the 400,000 children at risk of starvation represent just a fraction of the suffering among some 2.6 million refugees in the seven-year insurgency, which has already killed more than 20,000 people.

"Large areas of Borno state are completely inaccessible to any kind of humanitarian assistance. We are extremely concerned about the children trapped in these areas," he added.

Lake spoke just days after Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari accused the UN and private international aid agencies of exaggerating the crisis to seek donations.

According to Buhari, Boko Haram was "technically defeated" a year ago.

MEANWHILE, REALITY SAYS OTHERWISE.

The Associated Press has reported since September that children already are dying of starvation in Maiduguri, the biggest city in Nigeria's northeast that is easily accessible.

Doctors Without Borders said in November that thousands of kids already have died, including 10 percent to 25 percent of children admitted to its 110-bed Maiduguri emergency treatment center.

Nigeria's Senate is also said to be investigating allegations that government agencies are diverting food aid that could help prevent those deaths.

(With inputs from AP)

--- ENDS ---
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker speaks during a debate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on December 14, 2016

Italy's banking problems can be solved and the EU will do everything to help, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Wednesday, dismissing fears of something akin to the euro crisis.

New Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni has said his government was prepared to come to the aid of the country's third largest bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS), if private rescue efforts fail.

The bank, seen as being in danger of failing if it is not recapitalised, needs to raise five billion euros ($5.29 billion) to avoid a state-subsidised rescue.

"I do not think that we have to expect that the problems of the Italian banks have to be considered as unsolvable," Juncker said in an interview with the German public television ZDF.

"We will do everything... to be helpful to the Italian authorities, indeed the government," he said, speaking in German. "I do not believe that Italy could be the origin of something which could resemble a new euro crisis."

The Italian government has been sending signals it is ready to help recapitalise the troubled BMPS should it fail to raise enough money from private investors to complete a badly needed strengthening of its balance sheet.

If that happens there are fears retail savers might be hurt with EU rules potentially preventing the government from fully covering their losses.

Juncker, who was interviewed on the eve of a Brussels summit of EU leaders, also defended the bloc's diplomacy on Syria, which is on the summit agenda unlike Italy's banking woes.

"Should we have sent soldiers? Would the Germans and the Luxembourgers, the Dutch, the Italians be ready to send soldiers to Syria?" the former Luxembourg prime minister asked.

Even with a still non-existant European army, he said, "I do not believe that there are many Europeans who want to die for Syria. But we urge with all means at our disposal that humanitarian solutions are strived for."
 When I studied photography in St. Petersburg, I needed to shoot a graduation project. At the same time, I was working at the office 9 to 5, five days a week. I made futile attempts to find my theme, but most of my life was occupied by work.

My mentor Anna Fedotova told us: Choose whatever is closest to you. What excites you, what makes you high. But where and how would I have look for such a theme if the work occupied almost all of my time and all my energy? So photograph work, Anna suggested, to which I listlessly replied that it was very boring and nothing ever happened there. And this was what I started to photograph  the fact that nothing was going on. Boredom and my despair, the feeling of time that slips through my fingers, the absurdity of office life.

It was officially prohibited from taking photographs at work, but I think nobody was just taking me seriously. I wandered around with a point-and-shoot film camera, and my colleagues saw this as a harmless hobby. Such an unprofessional camera allowed me a certain freedom. Later, when I looked at the resulting photographs, I realized that the snapshots with flash were exactly what I needed to document the mundane office episodes.
Before Rodrigo Duterte was elected president of the Philippines, he was the mayor of the southern city of Davao, where he boasted of authorizing death-squads that murdered suspected drug-users and drug-dealers with impunity.



When he took the presidency, he walked back his personal involvement with the killings  which have gone national since his election  saying that he had not personally committed murder, despite eyewitness testimony. Now he has admitted to personally murdering "suspects" during his tenure as mayor.





Duterte is a trumpian figure, who says transgressive, racist and sexist things that would disqualify a "normal" politician. Death squad members who served under Duterte during his mayoralty say they witnessed him machinegunning a justice department agent with an Uzi. Since Duterte took office, some 6,000 people are believed to have been murdered by his police force.

Duterte has frequently spoken out against "human rights" as a contemptible frippery for the weak. Given the popularity of his extrajudicial murders of drug suspects, he is now openly mooting executing lawyers who represent people accused of drug crimes.



Nearly 6,000 people are said to have been killed by police, vigilantes and mercenaries since Mr Duterte launched his drug war after being elected in May. He has expressed few regrets about the policy, once saying: "Hitler massacred three million Jews There's three million drug addicts. I'd be happy to slaughter them." Mr Duterte has repeatedly said he does not care about human rights and has suggested that lawyers defending drug suspects might also be targeted in his campaign, says the BBC's Jonathan Head.



Some human rights lawyers believe the outspoken president's open support for a shoot-to-kill policy by the police could make him vulnerable to prosecution for crimes against humanity at the international court.

Philippines' Duterte admits personally killing suspects

[BBC]

(Image: President Rodrigo Duterte speech, Presidential Communications Operations Office, PD)
Your selfies are about to get a whole lot more realistic.

Loom.ai, a San Francisco-based tech startup that wants to make virtual communication more personal, emerged from stealth mode Tuesday with $1.3 million in seed funding. Using basic digital photos, Loom.ai automatically generates detailed 3D avatars that can be used in text messages, social media, virtual reality games, and e-commerce (think Bitmoji, but 3D and more expressive).

The artificial intelligence startup plans to license the technology to third-party platforms that will incorporate it into new or existing applications.

Loom.ai was founded by seasoned visual effects artists Mahesh Ramasubramanian and Kiran Bhat. Ramasubramanian previously worked at DreamWorks Animation as a visual effects supervisor on movies such as Shrek and Madagascar 3. Bhat worked on facial animation at LucasFilm for movies such as The Avengers and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Until now, creating realistic 3D avatars was an expensive process done exclusively in a Hollywood studio. Ramasubramanian and Bhat want to change that.

"What we found is that the audience no longer wants to sit back and watch a movie  they want to interact," Bhat says. "We believe that you need to bring the user into the experience, which means figuring out a way to digitize the everyday user just like we used to digitize the movie stars."

After launching in March, Loom.ai was selected for the Y Combinator fellowship, a remote program that gives prototype-stage startups guidance and $20,000 in funding for 1.5% equity.

Loom.ai relies on machine learning to capture the subtleties of the human face. As the company's software collects more data about facial movements, it becomes better at guessing and inferring other facial expressions as well.

"Even if we can't see everything, we can predict a lot of other things about how the face should move," Ramasubramanian says.

The startup is backed by investors such as Danhua Capital, Y Combinator, Presence Capital, Anorak Ventures, and GV partner Joe Kraus. (Greg Castle, managing partner at Anorak Ventures, was also a seed investor in Oculus, the virtual-reality company now owned by Facebook.)

Story continues

Loom.ai would not disclose the third-party platforms currently testing its API, but said it's aiming for platforms like Facebook with a massive user base.

"Facebook has a ton of users, and we would love it if they would use our technology to turn a 2D photograph into a 3D avatar in the future," Ramasubramanian says.

In October, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg released a video showing how the future of work would involve 3D avatars talking to each other through the Oculus Rift device.

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com
By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China appears to have installed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, on all seven of the artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea, a U.S. think tank reported on Wednesday, citing new satellite imagery. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said its findings come despite statements by the Chinese leadership that Beijing has no intention to militarize the islands in the strategic trade route, where territory is claimed by several countries. AMTI said it had been tracking construction of hexagonal structures on Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi reefs in the Spratly Islands since June and July. China has already built military length airstrips on these islands. "It now seems that these structures are an evolution of point-defense fortifications already constructed at Chinas smaller facilities on Gaven, Hughes, Johnson, and Cuarteron reefs," it said citing images taken in November and made available to Reuters. "This model has gone through another evolution at (the) much-larger bases on Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief reefs." Satellite images of Hughes and Gaven reefs showed what appeared to be anti-aircraft guns and what were likely to be close-in weapons systems (CIWS) to protect against cruise missile strikes, it said. Images from Fiery Cross Reef showed towers that likely contained targeting radar, it said. AMTI said covers had been installed on the towers at Fiery Cross, but the size of platforms on these and the covers suggested they concealed defense systems similar to those at the smaller reefs. "These gun and probable CIWS emplacements show that Beijing is serious about defense of its artificial islands in case of an armed contingency in the South China Sea," it said. "Among other things, they would be the last line of defense against cruise missiles launched by the United States or others against these soon-to-be-operational air bases." AMTI director Greg Poling said AMTI had spent months trying to figure out what the purposes of the structures was. "This is the first time that we're confident in saying they are anti-aircraft and CIWS emplacements. We did not know that they had systems this big and this advanced there," he told Reuters. "This is militarization. The Chinese can argue that it's only for defensive purposes, but if you are building giant anti-aircraft gun and CIWS emplacements, it means that you are prepping for a future conflict. "They keep saying they are not militarizing, but they could deploy fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles tomorrow if they wanted to," he said. "Now they have all the infrastructure in place for these interlocking rings of defense and power projection."The report said the installations would likely back up a defensive umbrella provided by a future deployment of mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) platforms like the HQ-9 system deployed to Woody Island in the Paracel Islands, farther to the north in the South China Sea. It forecast that such a deployment could happen "at any time," noting a recent Fox News report that components for SAM systems have been spotted at the southeastern Chinese port of Jieyang, possibly destined for the South China Sea. China has said military construction on the islands will be limited to necessary defensive requirements. The United States has criticized what it called China's militarization of its maritime outposts and stressed the need for freedom of navigation by conducting periodic air and naval patrols near them that have angered Beijing. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has also criticized Chinese behavior in the South China Sea while signaling he may adopt a tougher approach to China's assertive behavior in the region than President Barack Obama. The State Department said it would not comment on intelligence matters, but spokesman John Kirby added: "We consistently call on China as well as other claimants to commit to peacefully managing and resolving disputes, to refrain from further land reclamation and construction of new facilities and the militarization of disputed features." (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Additional reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Alistair Bell)
People can deposit invalid Rs 500 currency in their bank accounts. "Exemptions for use of old Rs 500 notes will end on December 15 midnight," Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das tweeted.

By Press Trust of India: People can use old Rs 500 notes for paying utility bills or buying medicines till tomorrow mid-night as the government has decided not to extend exemptions beyond December 15.

At the same time, mobile recharge facility with old Rs 500 notes will not be available. However, people can deposit invalid Rs 500 currency in their bank accounts. "Exemptions for use of old Rs 500 notes will end on December 15 midnight," Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das tweeted.

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That means old Rs 500 currency notes will not be acceptable at medicine shops and for paying public utility services such as payment of electricity and water bill etc.

Also read: Caught on camera: Politicians offer to convert black money into white for 40% commission. An India Today expose

The government had already withdrawn some of the relaxations like booking railway or plane tickets and payment at petrol pump and toll plaza by using the old Rs 500 notes. While cancelling legal tender of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 8, the government had allowed them to be used for utility bill payments for the first 72 hours.

This deadline was extended repeatedly and the last extension was granted till December 15. In between, the government withdrew use of Rs 1,000 notes for utility bill payments and discontinued use of even Rs 500 for services like purchase of petrol and diesel at petrol pumps as well as buying air tickets at airport counters.

PROMOTING CASHLESS TRANSACTIONS

Since the demonetisation announcement, the government has been pushing towards promoting digital transactions and has come out with a package to incentivize cashless payments.Also read: Modi government cracks whip on black money: 5 biggest Income Tax seizures in 15 days

Now petrol, railway tickets and insurance policies of Public Sector Undertaking (PSUs) companies will cost less if bought through debit card, credit cards or other digital modes. The government also waived service tax for payments up to Rs 2,000 made through cards and decided to do away with transaction fee for payment to the central government departments and PSUs.

Also read: Demonetisation: Rs 1000 notes can't be used now, Rs 500 will live on till Dec 15

--- ENDS ---
TUESDAY, Dec. 13, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Winter doesn't necessarily mean the end of the Zika threat in the United States, a public health expert says.

Zika is transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Their eggs can survive in conditions that kill adult mosquitoes, explained Dr. James Diaz. He is program director of Environmental/Occupational Health Sciences at Louisiana State University's School of Public Health in New Orleans.

"Not only can the eggs of Aedes species mosquitoes survive winter, wide variations in daytime temperatures can stimulate egg-laying," Diaz said in a university news release.

Unlike adult mosquitoes, the eggs can survive up to a year without water. All it takes is some rain for them to hatch, he said.

Diaz also pointed out that some of the mosquitoes that carry Zika can transmit the virus to their offspring. This would allow the virus to survive from one season to the next. He said it's relatively rare for this to happen, though.

Diaz also said many people are confused about when the mosquitoes bite.

"It's not just dawn and dusk when people must take precautions. Aedes mosquitoes are primarily daytime biters and sip feeders, preferring multiple small-sip human blood meals when they can sense, see and repeatedly attack their hosts best, but they can also bite at night in well-lit areas," he said.

Most adults who are infected with Zika experience mild symptoms. But, the babies of women who are infected while pregnant can experience terrible birth defects, the most common of which is microcephaly, where the brain is underdeveloped and the head is abnormally small.

"As we learn more about the consequences of Zika infection, including the recent revelation that babies of Zika-infected mothers who had normal head sizes at birth have been diagnosed with microcephaly months later, it is vital that we know this enemy and remain vigilant in protecting ourselves," Diaz said.

And learning more about how to defend against Zika will only help prepare scientists and public health officials for the next threat to emerge from the changing world ecosystem, he said.

The research was published in the December issue of the journal Wilderness & Environmental Medicine.

More information

The World Health Organization has more on Zika.

This Q & A will tell you what you need to know about Zika.

To see the CDC list of sites where Zika virus is active and may pose a threat to pregnant women, click here.
Mexican marines police cross-border tunnel Tijuana San Diego

The Mexican military and federal police, working with other law-enforcement agencies, raided two cross-border tunnels traversing the border between Tijuana and San Diego on Monday.

The Mexican attorney general's office said the tunnels were thought to be the work of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, likely for transporting drugs into the US.

Located in Garita de Otay, one tunnel reached across the border into San Diego and the other was under construction.

Mexican authorities reportedly uncovered the tunnels after the US consulate in Tijuana reported that the passages were being reactivated after falling into disuse.

These tunnels are only the most recent ones uncovered in Tijuana.

In October, authorities working on an anonymous tip found a tunnel west of the city's airport, seizing 5 tons of marijuana inside it. The entrance on the Tijuana side was inside an ice store, and it emerged in a store on the US side just a few hundred yards away.

That tunnel was the 13th large-scale tunnel discovered in operation on the California-Mexico border since 2013, and over the last five years, 75 such tunnels have been found crossing the border, primarily in California and Arizona.

Tijuana, and the Garita de Otay area in particular, is a hotspot for cross-border tunnels for several reasons. The promixity of buildings and infrastructure on both sides of the border facilitates clandestine construction, and heavy industrial activity in both areas helps conceal such convert building.

Otay Mesa Garita de Otay San Diego Tijuana California Mexico tunnel

Otay Mesa, a suburb of San Diego that abuts the border, sits on a plateau that stretches across the border and is made up of a kind of clay called bentonite that is "self-supporting and workable as wax."

This clay is sturdier than typical soil, and cartel laborers can dig down into it and carve out tunnels without bracing to reinforce the passageway.

Weiterlesen

The Sinaloa cartel pioneered cross-border smuggling tunnels in the early 1990s.

Tijuana San Diego cross-border smuggling tunnel

The first one the cartel constructed was so efficient at moving drugs that the cartel's Colombian suppliers gave Sinaloa chief Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman the name "El Rapido." The cartel is also adept at building tunnels into prisons, such as the ones Guzman used to mount a jailbreak in summer 2015.

The cartel made quick advancements in its tunnel-building efforts, adding features like ventilation systems, electric lights, and tracks to move drug-loaded carts.

The Sinaloa cartel's tunnel-building has focused on Tijuana in recent years, since the cartel wrested control of the city away from the Arellano Felix Organization in the late 2000s.

Cross-border smuggling tunnel Tijuana San Diego

More recently however, remnants of the AFO have joined with the ascendant Jalisco New Generation cartel to challenge the Sinaloa cartel's control of the area.

The fighting has been relatively low-level, striking mainly street-level dealers and cartel members, and the Sinaloa cartel appears to still be active in the city.

Cross-border tunnel San Diego Tijuana Mexico

But violence in Tijuana has risen considerably. According to a recent report, 2016 has become the most violent year in the city's history, with 849 homicides through December 12.

NOW WATCH: Federal agents found one of the longest US-Mexico drug tunnels hidden under a dumpster





More From Business Insider


By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 14 (PTI) People can use old Rs 500 notes for paying utility bills or buying medicines till tomorrow mid-night as the government has decided not to extend exemptions beyond December 15.

At the same time, mobile recharge facility with old Rs 500 notes will not be available. However, people can deposit invalid Rs 500 currency in their bank accounts.

advertisement

"Exemptions for use of old Rs 500 notes will end on December 15 midnight," Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das tweeted.

That means old 500 currency notes will not be acceptable at medicine shops and for paying public utility services such as payment of electricity and water bill etc.

The government had already withdrawn some of the relaxations like booking railway or plane tickets and payment at petrol pump and toll plaza by using the old Rs 500 notes.

While cancelling legal tender of 500 and 1,000 notes on November 8, the government had allowed them to be used for utility bill payments for the first 72 hours. This deadline was extended repeatedly and the last extension was granted till December 15.

In between, the government withdrew use of 1,000 rupee notes for utility bill payments and discontinued use of even 500 ones for services like purchase of petrol and diesel at petrol pumps as well as buying air tickets at airport counters.

Since the demonetisation announcement, the government has been pushing towards promoting digital transactions and has come out with a package to incentivise cashless payments.

Now petrol, railway tickets and insurance policies of PSU companies will cost less if bought through debit/credit cards or other digital modes. The government also waived service tax for payments up to Rs 2,000 made through cards and decided to do away with transaction fee for payment to the central government departments and PSUs. PTI DP CS ARD

--- ENDS ---
The final showdown between the government and the Opposition over demonetisation and other issues began today.

By India Today Web Desk: With three days left for Parliament's winter session to end this Friday, the final showdown over demonetisation and other issues began today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended Lok Sabha, which was adjourned till 12 pm as soon as it met.

Meanwhile, a belligerent Opposition has decided to continue its protest against demonetisation. It is also asking for the resignation of Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju for his alleged involvement in the Rs 450-crore Arunachal hydro power project scam.

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Here's a quick look at the latest developments:

Rahul Gandhi addresses media: Highlights

Uproar in Rajya Sabha as Congress raises issue of Kiren Rijiju's alleged involvement in corruption related to Arunachal Hydro Project.

Why Congress and Rahulji did not allow the House to function and have proper debate on demonetisation issue in last 15 days, asks Venkaiah Naidu.

Under desperation, R Gandhi's making such false charges as under his nose in AICC headquarters this scam came up;has to apologise: A Kumar pic.twitter.com/CbKxr7WbCi&; ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016 I have some personal information on PM Modi, which is what I want to speak on in Lok Sabha, but I am not being allowed to speak: Rahul Gandhi

Both things cannot happen at the same time that you (Opp) protest in well and also ask for discussion: Sumitra Mahajan, LS Speaker pic.twitter.com/ECNwqLJNYS&; ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016 Will act against Congress leader caught in expose: Rahul Gandhi on India Today sting.

Allow opposition to speak in the house.PM owes country an explanation, cannot keep running away to pop concerts&public meetings-Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/b9c2Dcx4ON&; ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016 PM Modi is afraid that if he lets me speak then his balloon will burst: Rahul Gandhi

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm.

Lok Sabha today continued to see ruckus with the Opposition training their guns on the government over the controversy involving Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and the demonetisation issue, forcing adjournment of the proceedings till noon.

PM Narendra Modi present in Lok Sabha.

A united Opposition will raise Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju's alleged involvement in the Arunachal Pradesh hydro power plant scam in Lok Sabha. Sources have said the Opposition is unanimous in demanding Rijiju's resignation over allegations that he helped a contractor get payment for fake bills. The contractor happens to be Rijiju's cousin. The Opposition will also continue with its protest against demonetisation, the deadlock over which has already threatened to wipe out the winter session. The Congress is planning to let Rahul Gandhi initiate the debate on demonetisation in Lok Sabha today. The NDA, on its part, has decided to raise the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, in which a number of high-profile arrests have been made. A number of officials from former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office have been named in the Rs 3600-crore chopper deal. The government will also raise President Pranab Mukherjee's damning statements against the ruckus in Parliament last week and demand an apology from the Congress for disrupting the House. The government's aggressive stand is a strategy to prevent Rahul Gandhi from speaking first on demonetisation in Parliament. Last week, Rahul had claimed his speech on the banning of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes will cause "an earthquake" in Parliament. In all likelihood, Parliament will be repeatedly adjourned as has been the trend in the last three weeks of the winter session

--- ENDS ---

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English Dutch

Regulated Information - Inside Information

14 December 2016 at 7am CEST

Nyrstar NV ("Nyrstar" or the "Company") today announces that it has entered into Share Purchase Agreements to sell its Contonga mine in Peru and various mineral claims located in Quebec, Canada to subsidiaries of Glencore plc, a global diversified natural resources company, for a total cash consideration of USD 26 million (the "Transactions"). The total cash consideration for the Transactions is made up of USD 21 million for the Contonga mine and USD 5 million for the mineral claims. Closing of the Transactions are subject to customary closing conditions and are expected to occur in the first half of 2017.

The Transactions are part of the sale process for all or the majority of Nyrstar's mining assets which was formally launched in January 2016 and includes the completed sale of the El Toqui mine in Chile and the announced sale of the El Mochito mine in Honduras. Nyrstar is continuing to progress the divestment of mining assets and will issue further updates in due course.

BMO Capital Markets Limited and Lazard & Co. are acting as financial advisors to Nyrstar in connection with the Transactions.

About Nyrstar

Nyrstar is a global multi-metals business, with a market leading position in zinc and lead, and growing positions in other base and precious metals, which are essential resources that are fuelling the rapid urbanisation and industrialisation of our changing world. Nyrstar has operations located in Europe, the Americas, and Australia and employs approximately 5,000 people. Nyrstar is incorporated in Belgium and has its corporate office in Switzerland. Nyrstar is listed on Euronext Brussels under the symbol NYR. For further information please visit the Nyrstar website: www.nyrstar.com

For further information contact:

Anthony Simms - Group Manager Investor Relations T: +41 44 745 8157 M: +41 79 722 2152 anthony.simms@nyrstar.com

Franziska Morroni - Group Manager Corporate Communications T: +41 44 745 8295 M: +41 79 719 2342 franziska.morroni@nyrstar.com

The full press release can be downloaded from the following link:
English Dutch

On December 13 2016, Heijmans has reached agreement on the sale of all shares in its German-based foundation specialist Franki to PORR Deutschland GmbH, a company of the Austrian construction group PORR. It is expected that the transaction will be completed in January 2017, subject to the approval of the responsible competition authorities. The anticipated net proceeds for Heijmans will be almost  15 million.

The transaction is the outcome of Heijmans' assessment of the strategic fit and international business opportunities of Franki within the group, combined with the interest potential buyers have shown in the company. Moreover it contributes to Heijmans' objective to improve the debt/ebitda-ratio structurally. The company also contains an unfunded pension liability that is part of the deal. Franki reported a turnover of over  60 million in 2015, has approximately 230 employees and is active in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Poland. The international organisation of PORR can provide the specialized foundation business of Franki with an international business platform as well as additional resources to further develop the company.

AXECO Corporate Finance is acting as financial advisor to Heijmans in this process.





About PORR

With currently more than 15,000 staff members and production output of around  3.5 billion (as of year-end 2015), the PORR Group is one of the largest Austrian construction companies and one of Europe's leading infrastructure specialists. As a full service provider, it covers every aspect of the modern construction industry - from building construction through to complex projects in railway and bridge construction, tunneling and road construction. The Group generates more than 86% of its production output on the five home markets of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Poland and the Czech Republic. In terms of projects, the Group additionally works in selected countries in the CEE/SEE region, in Scandinavia, the UK and Qatar. PORR AG is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since April 1869; today it is listed on the prime market.



About Heijmans

Heijmans is a listed company that combines activities related to property development, residential building, non-residential building, roads and civil engineering in the working areas living, working and connecting. Heijmans is active in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany and as a technology partner delivers know-how and concepts in various markets. Our constant focus on quality improvements, innovation and integrated solutions enables us to generate added value for our clients. Heijmans realises projects for private consumers, companies and public sector bodies. With almost 6,500 employees and close to  950 million in revenues in the first half of 2016, we are building the spatial contours of tomorrow. You will find additional information on www.heijmans.nl

For more information / not for publication:



Press

Marieke Swinkels-Verstappen

Communication

+31 73 543 52 17

mswinkels-verstappen@heijmans.nl



Analysts

Guido Peters

Investor Relations

+ 31 73 543 52 17

gpeters@heijmans.nl
German English

Mannedorf, Switzerland, December 14, 2016 - The Tecan Group (SIX Swiss Exchange: TECN) announced today that Dr. Stefan Traeger has informed the company, that he will be leaving Tecan to become Chief Executive Officer of another publicly listed company. Stefan Traeger has been Head of the Life Sciences Business division and member of the Management Board since July 2013. He will leave Tecan by no later than the end of June 30, 2017.

Tecan's Board of Directors and CEO thank Stefan Traeger for his strong engagement and the important service of developing Tecan's Life Sciences Business and wish him all the best for the future.

About Tecan

Tecan (www.tecan.com) is a leading global provider of laboratory instruments and solutions in biopharmaceuticals, forensics and clinical diagnostics. The company specializes in the development, production and distribution of automated workflow solutions for laboratories in the life sciences sector. Its clients include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, university research departments, and forensic and diagnostic laboratories. As an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Tecan is also a leader in developing and manufacturing OEM instruments and components that are then distributed by partner companies. Founded in Switzerland in 1980, the company has manufacturing, research and development sites in both Europe and North America and maintains a sales and service network in 52 countries. In 2015, Tecan generated sales of CHF 440 million (USD 459 million; EUR 411 million). Registered shares of Tecan Group are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (TECN; ISIN CH0012100191).

For further information:

Tecan Group

Martin Braendle

Vice President, Communications & Investor Relations

Tel. +41 (0) 44 922 84 30

Fax +41 (0) 44 922 88 89

investor@tecan.com

www.tecan.com
This week with the Naked Scientists you can learn about Neanderthal genetics and what DNA can tell us about ancient societies, the reason why humans cry, the effect of alcohol on the body after a stint of abstinence, and much more.
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
While Shah Rukh Khan's Sunday meeting with Raj Thackeray has not gone down well with the actor's fans, now BJP spokesperson Shaina NC has come forward and questioned the point of the meeting.

By India Today Web Desk: Shah Rukh Khan met MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday and assured him that Pakistani actor Mahira Khan, who is a part of Raees, will not be promoting the film in India.

Now, this action has not gone down well with Shah Rukh's admirers and fans who feel that King Khan allowed himself to be politically bullied by MNS.

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ALSO READ | Shah Rukh meets Raj Thackeray ahead of release of Raees

ALSO READ | Regarding SRK-Thackeray meet over Raees, Congress says Maha CM Fadnavis wants 'MNS terror' to prevail

OPINION | Has MNS bullying actually worked post Ae Dil Hai Mushkil?

Now, BJP spokersperson Shaina NC has come forward and questioned the entire point of SRK meeting Raj as well.

"I don't know what assurances Shah Rukh has gone to give Raj Thackeray. Because it is not in Raj Thackeray and his party MNS' hands to control Indian outrage against the Pakistan presence in India and Bollywood. This is a matter for the Indian government to handle. Why should Raj Thackeray be consulted about it," Shaina NC told DNA.

Shaina, however, agrees with Shah Rukh Khan that Mahira is not needed in India for Raees-related promotional activities.

"The film can be marketed and promoted easily without Mahira. Why is there a need to even contemplate on her presence in India to promote the film when Shah Rukh Khan is the film's hero? What did SRK hope to achieve by meeting Raj Thackeray?," Shaina said.

Shaina also said that since relations between both India and Pakistan are at a sensitive stage, it is in everyone's best interest that Pakistani artists should stay away Bollywood.

"If Pakistan is exporting terror and terrorism to India we cannot import their artistes. It's out of the question. I feel Pakistani artists should willingly stay away until border issues are resolved as these issues concern people in both the countries," Shaina said.

That said, Shaina added that if a Pakistani is legally employed to act in an Indian film, he/she cannot be stopped.

"If a Pakistani artist agreed to be part of a Hindi film contractually and he or she had the relevant papers to be in this country, I don't think any element has the right to stop that artiste from coming to India," she added.

In Raees, Shah Rukh Khan plays Raees Alam, a Gujarat-based don who establishes his criminal empire by starting off with the bootlegging business. However, his attempt to go big is challenged by an honest cop ACP Majumdar played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Mahira Khan plays the wife of Raees's character.

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Directed by Rahul Dholakia, the film is slated to release in theatres on January 25 next year.

WATCH | Shah Rukh meets MNS chief Raj Thackeray for Raees

--- ENDS ---
The zonal offices of the I-T department have decided to keep some officials on standby all the time to support the investigation team.

By Virendrasingh Ghunawat: Since the demonetisation drive was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, the investigation wing of the Income Tax department, in Mumbai, has been conducting raids and seizing black money.

In the past one month, the Income Tax department has surveyed and searched individuals and companies associated with the bullion trade, real estate, catering, event management, retail outlets, scrap and electronic good, and of course hawala dealers.

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Several have been booked under the Income Tax Act. Further, action has been taken in at least two dozen cases of illegal currency exchange.

Given the surge in such cases across the country, the zonal offices of the I-T department have decided to keep some officials on standby all the time to support the investigation team.

ALSO READ: Axis Bank again: 44 fake accounts with Rs 100 crore found in raids on Delhi branch

Not a taskforce

Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Sushil Chandra confirmed the information.

ALSO WATCH

"It is not a taskforce, but a process of roping in those officials (inspectors and assessment officers from administration wing) who have no important cases on their hands or are not busy in surveys or searches. They will be kept on standby for emergency situations," said Chandra.

A few days ago, CBDT had written to Income Tax commissioners to rope in officials to assist the investigation team in looking into the irregularities that have cropped up after demonetisation of currency.

ALSO READ: Delhi: Lawyer watches own house getting raided on phone, Rs 2.62 crore found in new notes

Struggling for specific information

Meanwhile, the I-T department has so far seized Rs 17 crore in cash and 20 kg gold in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai areas, said sources.

"Pre-emptive steps were taken soon after the demonetisation drive was announced. The conversion of black money into white has slowed down to a large extent. However, there's no denying that the city, being the financial capital of the country, has not yet witnessed a large-scale crackdown," a senior official said.

Of late, reports of the I-T department struggling to get "specific information" from the local police on cases have raised eyebrows.

ALSO READ: The big I-T raid in Bengaluru: Inside story

A few days ago, the director general of Income Tax had reportedly written to the Mumbai Police seeking better synergy between the two forces in terms of sharing crucial information on specific cases.

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Bankers under scanner

The I-T department, however, denied such reports. A senior official said, "Currently, we have no such complaints with the Mumbai Police. We are both working together on credible information. In some cases, details of investigation are also shared with the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation."

ALSO READ: Post-Demonetisation: 27 public sector bankers suspended after Bengaluru IT raid

On bankers helping in illegal currency conversion, the department said a "number of bankers are under scanner" and are being questioned. "It will be difficult for us to give any specific details on the bankers, but those who are linked to seizure of new currency notes are being probed and their statements are being recorded," said a source in the Income Tax department.

ALSO READ: Modi government cracks whip on black money: 5 biggest Income Tax seizures in 15 days

ALSO WATCH

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Bdesh

Shillong, Dec 14 (PTI) Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma today sought establishment of an alternate transit route connecting Meghalaya and West Bengal via Bangladesh reducing the travelling distance between the two states.

At present the entire North Eastern states are connected through a 8 km-wide stretch of land in West Bengals Siliguri, popularly known as the Chickens Neck.

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?The distance between Bangladesh and the hilly and western border of Meghalaya is just 100 km and with a transit through Bangladesh we can reach both sides of India," Sangma said after meeting Madhukar Gupta, chairman of the committee and members constituted by National Security Council Sectt (NSCS).

"This can be for creating alternative connectivity both for rail and road," he said adding, the transit route can bring down the overall distance between the rest of the country and the North East.

The Committee discussed ways and means on how to strengthen border protection and address the issues of gaps and vulnerabilities in border fencing along the Indo-Bangladesh border.

On improving bilateral ties with Bangladesh, Mukul proposed of supplying power to Bangladesh to promote business partnerships.

According to the Chief Minister, setting up of border haats is important from both the economic viewpoint and also from the security perspective to avoid anti-national elements from taking advantage of the economic stress at the border. PTI JOP DKB

--- ENDS ---
Meeting MNS chief Raj Thackeray was the best decision Shah Rukh Khan could have taken for himself, his film Raees and all the players involved.

By Devarsi Ghosh: Shah Rukh Khan met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday assuring him that Pakistani actor Mahira Khan, who is a part of Raees, won't be promoting the film in India.

Raj Thackeray is not the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, forget holding any ministerial position. The number of MNS MLAs in Maharashtra legislative assembly is one.

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Shah Rukh Khan going out of his way to meet Raj Thackeray - a person who has made a political career out of bullying several filmmakers and actors over the years for 'national interest - has earned the ire of SRK's fans, admirers, armchair critics and opinion-makers on several websites.

"The excuse that Bollywood advances is always the same - the stakes are too high and no cinema owner would like their property to be attacked by vandals. But behind this is the complete lack of faith in the state government," a piece in The Wire read. A headline to an open letter in The Indian Express read "'King Khan', you bowed to hate, hate won".

ALSO READ | Shah Rukh meets Raj Thackeray ahead of release of Raees

ALSO READ | BJP spokesperson disapproves of Shah Rukh meeting Thackeray, says it's not MNS's job to control outrage

OPINION | Has MNS bullying actually worked post Ae Dil Hai Mushkil?

These opinions can go take a hike because the stake Shah Rukh's critics have invested or would invest in Raees is, at the most, the price of a multiplex ticket. Shah Rukh, on the other hand, has more than hundreds of crores riding on Raees, not to mention, the job and livelhihood of the employees of his company Red Chillies Entertainment, one half of the producers of Raees. If someone sits on a high horse, behind a keyboard and judges Shah Rukh for doing what was in the best interest of him, his film, those dependent on him and those eagerly awaiting his film, they should shut the f**k up.

Recently, in an interview with The Guardian, Shah Rukh said, "I have 200 to 300 people who are attached to the business of Shah Rukh Khan. To affect the lives of some 250 people for a comment that I make, which is misread or misquoted or misunderstood by the people reading it? To me, to be able to carry on working as an actor and a star, it is a big responsibility to do it this way. I can't let them down."

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Shah Rukh's quote is telling because even if he is not saying it literally - wise for him to do that - his comment suggests that India is not a hundred-percent tolerant country and even if Indians want to live in peace and harmony, those with political muscle can poison the people's minds at any time. As such, going by Darwin's law, Shah Rukh is only doing what is needed to survive in an environment that is getting increasingly hostile for artists, Muslims and Muslim artists.

Ever since the Uri attacks of September, India's political quarters have witnessed a heavy anti-Pakistan wave, a school of thought that invariably leads to Islamophobia in general. Keeping that in mind and the fact that MNS has, time and again, proved that they can get away with arm-twisting Bollywood to get what it wants, perhaps, Shah Rukh, the businessman, is just doing his dhandha as a baniya with little regard for frowning pen-pushers on the sidelines. As he rightfully should.

Idealism is an easy virtue to cling to and force upon others when someone else is footing the responsibilities and is enduring the travails of doing business in a country as volatile as India. Let's get that straight.

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Where Shah Rukh has shown real daring is his film Raees. As pointed out in a fantastic piece on DailyO, Shah Rukh's character in Raees embodies everything the 21st-century majoritarian Indian hates or fears.

"SRK's Raees Khan is a surma-sporting, no-holds-barred gangster warlord, AK-47 toting terrorist - the ultimate Other in Indian imaginary. This Shah Rukh offers to us, the meekly complying, nationalism-loving, cow vigilantism-witnessing good citizens of India, as 'Mian Bhai ki Daring' as well as 'baniye ka dimag', Angshukanta Chakraborty writes in DailyO.

Big or small, what you do is what matters, and you do what it takes to make it work. #Dialoguebaazi #TalkLikeRaees pic.twitter.com/fxLtrhAe1C Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) December 10, 2016

Said to be inspired by the real-life Gujarati don Abdul Latif - a claim denied by the film's makers - Raees's character is similar to nothing Shah Rukh's contemporaries have been seen playing in recent years. In these hyper-nationalistic times, playing characters who sacrifice for the nation (or are somehow, by hook or crook, connected to patriotism...here's looking at Rustom) gives you added brownie points with the market. Forget what an actor brings or may bring to a dicey character such as that of the cokehead rapper Tommy (Shahid Kapoor) in Udta Punjab - a character light years away from 'Indian values' - these days, often a performance's goodness or badness is judged by 1. whether the actor has criticised the government in power in the past and 2. whether the role the actor is playing is a patriot, as defined in certain political circles, of late.

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Therefore, having made a film and having played a character, both fraught with danger, Shah Rukh has done the best thing he could do in his position by meeting Raj Thackeray himself to get a greenlight for his film.

And this action is an important political move as well. With one stroke, Shah Rukh has exposed how absolutely callous the Maharashtra BJP government is in regard to protecting the interests of tax-paying citizens against political thugs. Earlier, during the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil fracas, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis acted as nothing but a middleman and cut a deal between Thackeray and ADHM director Johar wherein the army welfare fund was to be paid Rs 5 crore by Johar and only then, would his film be allowed to release in peace.

Of course, the Indian Army, conscientious as it is, refused to take Johar's money, a donation, which if accepted, would have been a product of extortion and not patriotism.

Now, the road is clear for Raees. All is well. All the players involved are happy people. Meanwhile, a Shia group from Uttar Pradesh has filed an FIR against Shah Rukh for disrespecting Islam in Raees. They have also gone ahead and written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

But little do they know, India ki hawa mein cinema hai, iss hawa ko kaise rokoge?

(The writer tweets as @devarsighosh .)

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: London, Dec 14 (PTI) Birds wings generally become shorter and more rounded the closer they live to the equator, according to a new study that may help us better understand how life on Earth has developed.

Birds with smaller wings are to a greater extent restricted to stay in the same area, because their wings have not evolved for long distance travel, researchers from University of Copenhagen in Denmark said.

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Short round wings have not evolved in order to aid travel over long distances, meaning these birds stay within a relatively restricted area throughout their life.

Although it might seem obvious that all birds are capable fliers because they have wings, our results challenge this assumption, said Jonathan Kennedy from the University of Copenhagen.

Actually, birds that are found in different parts of the world have very different wing types. In many cases, birds will not fly longs-distances, unless their wings have specifically evolved for it, said Kennedy.

Our results provide new knowledge about how species spread across the world and improve our understanding of how life on Earth has evolved, he added.

Birds in the tropical rain forests of South America, Africa and New Guinea generally have smaller and more rounded wings compared to birds in temperate regions, like Europe or North America, whose wings tend to be longer and more pointed.

The reason is that the wing shape reflects the birds life style, Kennedy said.

Some birds have long projected wings specially evolved to travel long distances. For example nomadic birds like the Dusky Woodswallow are able to fly numerous miles in order to find food, he said.

Other birds, like the sedentary Dark Batis, do not need to make long journeys in search of food, because it lives in tropical areas in which food is available year round, he said.

Instead, these birds have short and round wings developed to manoeuvre quickly between trees and bushes in the dense rainforest in which they occur, he added.

Researchers have created the first global map to show the distribution of birds across Earth as a result of their wing shape.

The map is based on measurements of 782 different kind of birds found across the globe. With the map, the scientists have been able to show that different wings types have had a big impact upon where bird species are found in the world.

Now, we have finally shown what scientists have long suspected. A birds wing plays a major role in determining where on Earth it is found, said Kennedy.

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This knowledge gives us a solid foundation to better understand how bird species have spread across the Earth in search of food and places to live, he added.

The study was published in the journal Royal Society Proceedings B. PTI NKS SAR SAR

--- ENDS ---
Kamlesh Pandey, who shot to fame with Crime Patrol, committed suicide in Jabalpur on Monday by shooting himself in the chest.

By India Today Web Desk: TV actor Kamlesh Pandey committed suicide in Jabalpur on Monday by shooting himself in the chest. The actor, who was in an inebriated state, first fired in the air and then shot himself in the chest.

Reportedly, at the time of the incident, he was in Sanjeevani Nagar with his wife's sister Anjani Chaturvedi. According to reports, Kamlesh was upset about not getting invited to the wedding of Anjani's daughter.

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Also read: This TKSS video has made it to YouTube's top trending videos 2016; full details inside

The actor was known for playing a police officer in hit TV series Crime Patrol.

While police think that prima facie it appears to be a case of suicide, the investigations are still on.

--- ENDS ---
Thanks for this question because it raises a challenging one for many folks like yourselves. Do you need to come out if you identify as bisexual or pansexual, especially when it may be possible to pass by being in what appears to be an opposite-sex relationship? Like any decision about coming out, this is highly personal -- for both members of a couple. But let me tell you why it's perfectly acceptable to do so if you want: Straight couples come out about their sexuality just about every minute of every day. "My husband did this ..." "My girlfriend just got promoted...." In other words, they are telling us that they are in an opposite sex relationship and presumably that they're straight. If you're uncomfortable with that presumption when it comes to you (which I can completely understand), let people know how you identify.

If a straight friend or colleague gives you some news that discloses their sexual orientation, I'd use that as an opportunity to thank them for that information and then add, "And I just want you to know that I identify as bi-sexual or pan sexual...." You've done nothing more or less than they have.

As for whether to marry or not, I wouldn't let rumors about the possible death of same-sex marriage to deter you from what's right for you two. But by all means, donate and volunteer to LGBTQ rights organizations.
Akshay Kumar and Sonam Kapoor will be seen acting alongside Amitabh Bachchan in Cheeni Kum and Paa director R Balki's next project.

By India Today Web Desk: Sonam Kapoor will be seen opposite Akshay Kumar after five long years.

According to reports, Sonam is acting with Akshay and Amitabh Bachchan in a film to be directed by Cheeni Kum and Paa director R Balki. Sonam and Akshay were seen together for the first time in Anees Bazmee's flop comedy Thank You.

Apparently, Balki and Sonam had a meeting where the director gave a lengthy narration to the actor and discussed the project with her. A source close to the film's making told Mumbai Mirror, "It was an immediate go ahead from the actress after Balki narrated it to her. She loves the script and will kick off shooting next year."

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ALSO READ: Sonam and other actors who bravely opened up about abuse

ALSO READ: Did Deepika's demand sideline Sonam at the last minute?

The film is said to be a slice-of-life feature which will feature Amitbah in a cameo role. Balki is retaining his usual crew of cinematographer PC Sreeram and composer Ilayaraaja for the same.

Sonam, thus, will be busy shooting for three films next year. The first being her sister Rhea Kapoor's production Veere Di Wedding whose principal photography will begin in April. Then, there's Rajkumar Hirani's Sanjay Dutt biopic where Ranbir will essay the role of Dutt, and finally, R Balki's film.

However, earlier, Balki had rubbished rumours that he is making a film with Amitabh and Akshay. The director was quoted as calling reports of the same as "Outrageous, completely fabricated!"

Balki was quoted by Bollywood Hungama as saying, "I've been busy with my wife Gauri Shinde's film Dear Zindagi. Taking advantage of my unavailability a section of the media has gone berserk. I had no clue that this is been going on behind my back. When I started getting messages and calls asking about my film with Amitji and Akshay, I was like?thanks for telling me about it."

WATCH | Sonam says Neerja helped her conquer her own fears

--- ENDS ---
Eugene Robinson

Eugene Robinson is an Associate Editor and twice-weekly columnist for The Washington Post. His column appears on Tuesdays and Fridays. In a 25-year career at The Post, Robinson has been city hall reporter, city editor, foreign correspondent in Buenos Aires and London, foreign editor, and assistant managing editor in charge of the paper's award-winning Style section. In 2005, he started writing a column for the Op-Ed page. He is the author of "Coal to Cream: A Black Man's Journey Beyond Color to an Affirmation of Race" (1999) and "Last Dance in Havana" (2004). Robinson is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and has received numerous journalism awards.
As the media is awash with reports on summary deportations in Algeria, Morocco stands out once again setting the example with the launch of the second phase of its genuine solidarity-based policy regarding sub-Saharan migrants, a ground breaking experience of migrant regularization and integration in Africa.

The second phase of the regularization of undocumented migrants will be launched upon directives from King Mohammed VI, said the commission in charge of the regularization and integration of migrants on Monday.

This second phase is meant to treat the remaining cases of migrants seeking regularization. The first phase ended in February 2015 with the regularization of over 25,000 migrants.

The sovereigns decision is part of a comprehensive African policy that attaches particular importance to the human dimension alongside economic and political cooperation.

Before embarking on his African tour which led him to strengthen old friendships and establish new ones with west and eastern African countries, King Mohammed VI set out an African strategy where the human dimension takes pride of place.

We attach as much importance to improving the livelihood of Africans in their countries as we do to African migrants in Morocco. As a result, they do not suffer the same hardships endured in many parts of the world, the Moroccan Monarch made it clear in a speech last August.

The king added that Morocco regularized the situation of migrants using fair and reasonable standards. It has provided the conditions needed for migrants to reside, work and lead a dignified life within our community.
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Sooraj Pancholi has filed an intervention application at the Bombay High Court alleging that Jiah Khan's mother Rabia Khan is coming in the way of his fair trial.

By Vidya : The legal battle between Sooraj Pancholi and his deceased ex-girlfriend Jiah Khan's mother Rabia has taken a new turn. Sooraj has filed an 'intervention application' which was been accepted by the Bombay High Court. The court will hear the petition filed by Rabia Khan along with Pancholi's application on January 16.

Pancholi in his intervention has alleged that he is "facing fake allegations for past three-and-a-half years at the behest of Rabia.".

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Sooraj also alleged that Rabia "has made contradictory statements time and again before the investigating agencies and by mere perusal of the certified copy of the roznama of the learned trial court it can be prima facie inferred that, Rabia has been intervening in the said trial court proceedings by orchestrating several adjournments."

And this according to Pancholi has come in the way of his "fundamental Rights to face a free, fair and expeditious trial."

ALSO READ | This is what Jiah Khan's letter to Sooraj Pancholi read

ALSO READ | Jiah's death not suicide? Hanging was staged, says British forensic expert

On June 3, 2013, late Nafisa alias Jiah Khan was found to be dead at her residential premises. Mumbai's Juhu Police Station had registered an accidental death report and investigation was set into motion.

Soon, Jiah's mother Rabia Khan found certain letters not addressed to anybody and neither signed by the deceased. She had handed over the letters to Juhu police who registered an FIR and arrested Pancholi on 10th of June.

However, owing to the attitude of Juhu police which Rabia found to be lackadaisical, she filed a writ in Bombay High Court asking the case to be transferred to CBI. Bombay High Court passed the order on July 3rd and after investigations, CBI filed a chargesheet in which Sooraj Pancholi was accused of abetting suicide.

However Rabia feels that her daughter has not committed suicide and has therefore requested for a special investigation team to look into the case.

While Rabia khan had brought in a forensic report from UK's Payne James which said that Jiah Khan's suicide was staged, Pancholi is relying on UK resident Desmond Lawrence Bloom.

Bloom's son was acquitted by the UK court in 2002 against whom Jiah Khan had alleged an indecent assault. According to a letter that Bloom has written to Pancholi, which Pancholi has attached as an exhibit in his petition, "There are documentary evidences to prima facie reflect that, late Nafisa Khan had attempted to commit suicide in her childhood days."

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He has also pointed out through the said email that, late Nafisa Khan had a disturbed childhood. Bloom had marked the mail that specifically talks about all the documentary evidences relating to the trial at London to the Mumbai Police Commissioner.

Pancholi had moved an application before the learned trial court for expediting the trial against him. However, the Bombay High Court stayed the proceedings there pending hearing in Rabia's case.

WATCH | Sooraj opens up on ex-girlfriend Jiah Khan's suicide

--- ENDS ---
YEREVAN.  The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) respects the new union of opposition parties, and all the other opposition.

National Assembly Vice President and RPA Spokesperson, Eduard Sharmazanov, on Wednesday told the aforesaid to reporters in Parliament.

In his words, however, the recently signed union between the opposition Bright Armenia, Civil Contract, and Republic Parties may not be the only one, and new ones also may appear in the lead-up to the parliamentary election slated for April 2017.

As per Sharmazanov, the RPA is ready for a free and level competition, regardless of who is heading which political force.

We respect all of them, he assured.
YEREVAN.  Recent statements by the senior European Union (EU) officials suggest that the EU is deeply disappointed with the current Turkish authorities.

Director of the Institute of Orientology at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, historian and turkologist Ruben Safrastyan, told the aforementioned to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In his words, it is apparent that the current leadership of Turkey seeks to establish a totalitarian rule in the country.

Human rights abuses, curtailing of free speech, not respecting the rights of national minorities, and massive political pressure, which we see today in Turkey, do not correspond to European values, said the turkologist.

In his view, however, the European officials statements regarding Turkey are even mild, to some extent.

The European Union will take more decisive actions against Turkey, assured Safrastyan.
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Turkey says Russia assures not to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

CSTO deputy chief: Armenia-Azerbaijan escalation, confrontation risk remains

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Uzbekistan refuses to resume operation of Mir cards in country

Belarus Council: If Poland unleashes aggression, war will spread throughout Eastern Europe

Peskov: It is up to the Ministry of Defense to increase the term of military service

Valerie Boyer: Corrupt, racist Azerbaijan is attacking Armenia borders, seeking to continue ethnic cleansing, genocide

Meeting of CIS Security Councils chiefs kicks off in Moscow

Charles III travels with teddy bear and toilet seat

EU plans to finance programs in Armenia for AMD 55 billion 747 mln

Economy minister: Armenia and Iran are making efforts to jointly sell goods to third countries

Azerbaijani Armed Forces practice capturing borders during exercises on border with Iran

Storm in Philippines leaves 150 people killed

Inflation in Turkey is up to 85.51% in October

Armenia economy minister on Central Bank: First they said increase would be 4%t, then 1%, then 6%

Borrell thanks UN and Turkey for facilitating Russia's return to the grain deal

Foreign direct investments in Armenia last year totals AMD 129.2bln

Minister: Examination of Armenian soldiers' bodies continues

Jaguar station wagon from Elizabeth II fleet to be sold at auction

IMF plans to provide more than $165 million to Armenia

Marukyan: Baku says Karabakh Armenians should either stay on Azerbaijan terms or leave for 3rd country

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Biden says U.S. troops will stay in Europe for a long time

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Outgoing Artsakh Minister Artak Beglaryan to take position in state government system

Japan Coast Guard reports 3 North Korean missile launches in a day

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Oil falls in price

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Moody's downgrades outlook for banks in Germany, Italy, and 4 other countries to negative

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Regnum Agency suspends its work

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Experts of the Council on International Relations have attributed the military confrontation between Russia and NATO member countries and well as the crisis in North Korea to the most likely sources of international tension in 2017.

Preventive Priorities Survey included seven potential sources of conflict escalation, which could have serious consequences for US national interests, reports Voice of America. The intentional or non-intentional confrontation between Russia and NATO members is in the first place in the list, which might happen to aggressive behavior of Russia in the Eastern Europe.

The crisis in North Korea, because of testing nuclear weapons or missiles, internal political instability, military provocations, destructive cyberattack on the US infrastructure, and large scale terrorist attacks in the US or ally states, is among the most serious threats as well.

The increase in violence and instability in Afghanistan, violent clashes between Turkey and Kurdish armed groups, and the escalation of the civil war in Syria though a possible foreign intervention are assessed as moderate threats.

"Our annual survey aims to highlight the most likely sources of instability and conflict around the world so that the government can prioritize its efforts appropriately, said the author of the study Paul Stares.
LeT commander Abu Bakr was holed up in a residential house in Bomai. The security forces blasted the building where he was hiding and firing from.

By Ashraf Wani: The 6-hour-long encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore has come to an end after security forces killed a top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander.

LeT commander Abu Bakr was holed up in a residential house in Bomai. The security forces blasted the building where he was hiding and firing from.

TIP-OFF RECEIVED

Security forces had cordoned off Bomai village near Sopore after a tip-off about the presence of a Lashkar militant in a residential house in the town.

Sopore encounter #UPDATE: top LeT commander Abu Bakr killed by security forces. Encounter ends ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

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As forces approached the house in question, they were fired upon by the militant. Abu Bakr was killed in retaliatory firing by security forces, bringing the encounter to an end.

Also read | 1 terrorist killed, 2 believed to be hiding in encounters in J-K's Sopore, Bijbehara

In another encounter in Jammu and Kashmir earlier in the day, a terrorist was killed in Bijbehara area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir.

Watch the video here:

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The Moscow City Court has refused to lift seizure of property belonging to Armenian businessman Levon Airapetyan, who was sentenced to four years in prison for embezzlement.

Airapetians apartment and bank accounts were seized, charges of fraud being brought against him, Rosbalt reports.

Earlier, Airapetyan was sentenced to four years in prison for stealing $700,000 from the mother of former Bashkortostan senator Igor Izmestyev sentenced to life for terrorism. The senator demanded that the businessman be sentenced to seven years in prison.

According to the investigation, in 2010, Airapetian along with his attorney Sergey Antonov misled the mother of the ex-senator, Tamar Izmestyev, by promising a reduced sentence for her son for money.
YEREVAN. - President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on Wednesday received new French Co-Chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Minsk Group (OSCE MG), Ambassador Stephane Visconti.

Sargsyan congratulated Mr Visconti on his new appointment and wished him good luck in his important diplomatic mission, the press-service of the Armenian Presidents Office reports.

President Sargsyan expressed hope that the efforts of the OSCE MG co-chairing statesRussia, U.S. and Francetowards the exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict based on the norms and principles of international law will be productive. He also stressed Armenias readiness to continue the work in this direction together with the OSCE MG.

Stephane Visconti, for his part, assured that he is going to work hard, realizing all the difficulties and importance of the problem, since it has to do with the stability, security and prosperity of the entire region.
Russia will support to resolve the Libyan crisis, said the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a meeting with the head of the Libyan parliament Akila Saleh, reports RIA Novosti.

"We are interested, that our Libyan friends overcome this protracted crisis as soon as possible, create their own state, and have efficient army and law enforcement forces. We are in solidarity with our Libyan friends in their aspirations to build stable state institutions, economy, and strike an effective fight against terrorism, "he said.

The minister said, that "without a doubt, this presumes organizing efforts toward a political settlement of the crisis and can be resolved only by the Libyans." "We, like other international members, are ready to support you to create necessary conditions for a dialogue with participation of all political forces," said the RF Foreign Minister.
YEREVAN. - Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan on Wednesday met with the heads of ten large taxpaying companies of Armenia to listen to the issues hindering their activity, as well as the steps the government is expected to take in order to create favorable conditions for their further development.

Referring to the issues of concern to them, the taxpayers noted the large amounts of tax overpayment, facilitation of tax and customs administration, reduction of customs clearance time, competition field, etc.

Touching on the overpayments, the PM noted that it is necessary to work together with the State Revenue Committee of Armenia (SRC) next year to draw out a certain schedule. Apparently, we must solve this issue. We have envisaged quite an aggressive growth of our own revenues next year. If during the growth of our own revenues we decide to reduce overpayments, can you imagine how much growth we envisage, mathematically speaking? Thus, the basic entries should grow even more, he noted.

Responding to the observation that in the diesel duel market the largest importing companies work with zero income due to the invigoration of competition, PM Karapetyan noted that the competition field will come right on its own.

Furthermore, large companies rendering public services raised issues related to the improvement of infrastructure and normative field. Apart from this, a number of issues concerning the expansion of the activity of large taxpaying companies, increase of production volumes and issues related to the further development of economy were discussed.

Karapetyan proposed to form a joint platform with the agencies concerned to discuss the issues raised in greater detail, be in constant touch and develop the public-private sector discourse.
"This is militarization. The Chinese can argue that it's only for defensive purposes, but if you are building giant anti-aircraft gun and CIWS emplacements, it means that you are prepping for a future conflict ," AMTI director Greg Poling said.

By Reuters: China appears to have installed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, on all seven of the artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea, a US think tank reported on Wednesday, citing new satellite imagery.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) said its findings come despite statements by the Chinese leadership that Beijing has no intention to militarize the islands in the strategic trade route, where territory is claimed by several countries.

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DEFENCE FORTIFICATION

AMTI said it had been tracking construction of hexagonal structures on Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi reefs in the Spratly Islands since June and July. China has already built military length airstrips on these islands.

"It now seems that these structures are an evolution of point-defense fortifications already constructed at Chinas smaller facilities on Gaven, Hughes, Johnson, and Cuarteron reefs," it said citing images taken in November and made available to Reuters.

"This model has gone through another evolution at (the) much-larger bases on Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief reefs."

Satellite images of Hughes and Gaven reefs showed what appeared to be anti-aircraft guns and what were likely to be close-in weapons systems (CIWS) to protect against cruise missile strikes, it said.

Images from Fiery Cross Reef showed towers that likely contained targeting radar, it said.

AMTI said covers had been installed on the towers at Fiery Cross, but the size of platforms on these and the covers suggested they concealed defense systems similar to those at the smaller reefs.

"These gun and probable CIWS emplacements show that Beijing is serious about defense of its artificial islands in case of an armed contingency in the South China Sea," it said.

"Among other things, they would be the last line of defense against cruise missiles launched by the United States or others against these soon-to-be-operational air bases."

HUNT FOR EVIDENCE

AMTI director Greg Poling said AMTI had spent months trying to figure out what the purposes of the structures was.

"This is the first time that we're confident in saying they are anti-aircraft and CIWS emplacements. We did not know that they had systems this big and this advanced there," he told Reuters.

"This is militarization. The Chinese can argue that it's only for defensive purposes, but if you are building giant anti-aircraft gun and CIWS emplacements, it means that you are prepping for a future conflict."

"They keep saying they are not militarizing, but they could deploy fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles tomorrow if they wanted to," he said. "Now they have all the infrastructure in place for these interlocking rings of defense and power projection."The report said the installations would likely back up a defensive umbrella provided by a future deployment of mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) platforms like the HQ-9 system deployed to Woody Island in the Paracel Islands, farther to the north in the South China Sea.It forecast that such a deployment could happen "at any time," noting a recent Fox News report that components for SAM systems have been spotted at the southeastern Chinese port of Jieyang, possibly destined for the South China Sea.

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INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CRITICAL

China has said military construction on the islands will be limited to necessary defensive requirements.

The United States has criticized what it called China's militarization of its maritime outposts and stressed the need for freedom of navigation by conducting periodic air and naval patrols near them that have angered Beijing.

US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has also criticized Chinese behavior in the South China Sea while signaling he may adopt a tougher approach to China's assertive behavior in the region than President Barack Obama.

Also read: China hints it will veto India's bid to sanction Masood Azhar

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December 2016, Krabi  Join our group trip to the Phi Phi National Marine Park and experience dramatic landscapes, breathtaking natural beauty, idyllic beaches, crystal clear waters, and glorious island coral reefs teeming with fish.

Known as the jewel of the Andaman Sea, our unforgettable trip to Phi Phi Island includes some of the best snorkeling spots in the area.

1st Stop: Ao Noi

Ao Noi has amazing clear blue water and a large variety of colourful fish and coral; a perfect place for snorkeling!

2nd Stop: Monkey Bay

A beautiful bay great for swimming and relaxing and local monkeys can sometimes be spotted in the trees and on the beach.

3rd Stop: Maya Bay

This stunning bay is where the Hollywood movie The Beach was filmed in 1999. Still as beautiful as ever, its one of the must see places in Krabi!

4th Stop: Phi Leh Lagoon

The lagoon lies within Phi Phi Leh Island and has the most beautiful scenery.

Explore the amazing hidden lagoon and marvel at the wonders of nature.

5th Stop: Viking Cave

This large stunning cave is where prized swallow birds nest are collected.

The caves also have bamboo ladders hanging from incredible heights where the men climb up to collect the swallows nest.

6th Stop: Tonsai Bay

The main tourist center where most people who come to Phi Phi stay. Take some time out at your leisure, explore the town and browse the shops for souvenirs.

7th Stop: Bamboo Island

This island is to the north of Phi Phi Don. It boasts crystal clear waters and pristine white sand beaches excellent for swimming and sunbathing.

Inclusive of:

The service and attention of our skilled excursion team, snorkel, marks and fins, life jacket, beach mats and towels, an exclusive picnic lunch, canapes, seasonal fruits, drinking water and soft drinks, national park admission fees and insurance.

Duration: A full day lasting approximately 7 Hours (9 a.m. 4 p.m.)

Private trip aboard our luxury speedboat, tailor make your trip: THB 30,000++

(up to a maximum of 6 guests THB1,500++ for additional guests)

Join a trip aboard our luxury speed boat: THB 5,200++ / adult

THB 2,600++ /child (a minimum of 6 guests are required)

Advanced booking is required. For more information, please email H6184-TH1@sofitel.com or call +66 75 627 800
- President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria is among the delegation of some heads of state who recently went to Gambia

- Their mission is to prevail on President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia to step aside after a heavy defeat in a recent election

- An aide to former President Jonathan has revealed why he thinks Buhari is not the right person for the mission

Reno Omkri, the former special adviser on new media to former President Goodluck Jonathan has new reasons to castigate President Muhammadu Buhari over the latters actions and leadership style.

Buhari recently visited the Gambia with heads of some African countries to prevail on Yahya Jammeh to step down from the leadership of the country after he was woefully defeated in a presidential election by Adama Barrow.

Buhari, Mahama of Ghana and Yahya Jammeh

He had congratulated Barrow and promised a smooth hand-over only to make a u-turn.

While some have hailed the decision of Buhari and his counterparts over the move, Omokri says the president does not have any moral right to prevail another person to step down.

READ ALSO: Reno Omokri hits el-Rufai for paying Fulani herdsmen

Omokris argument is that Buhari has been doing his best to muzzle the opposition using every means including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other such agencies.

Illustrating with the 2011 election, Omokri also wondered if Buhari would have conceded defeat if he was in Jammehs condition.

The interesting thing about the Yahya Jammeh episode is that President Muhammadu Buhari is, as I write this, in Gambia to urge Jammeh to accept defeat.

Does President Buhari himself know how to accept defeat? Three times he was defeated and three times he refused to concede.

READ ALSO: Omokri mocks Dalung, slams Buhari over Super Falcons plight

What will he tell Jammeh when Jammeh reminds him of his history? What moral authority does he have to preach to Jammeh?

Even if he says 2003 and 2007 were rigged, what about 2011 which was one of our most transparent elections?

Did he concede? By going to Gambia, President Buhari only strengthens Yahya Jammeh's argument, he queried.

Omokri says Buhari has spent 18 months blaming Jonathan

Omokri further lamented that while Donald Trump, the president-elect of the United States, has put Hillary Clinton behind him and is focusing on how best to lead his country, Buhari has continued to blame Jonathan 18 months after taking over as Nigerias leader.

He said: Donald J Trump has not even been sworn in, yet he has already turned his attention away from Hillary Clinton and moved on with his life. Yet 18 months after President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in, he is still blaming Goodluck Jonathan! How do you expect the country to move forward when you the leader have not moved on?

Source: Legit.ng
The tiger was rescued by setting up goats as bait in two iron cages.

By Indrajit Kundu: Forest officials in West Bengal have rescued a 6-year-old tigress from South 24 Pargana district on Wednesday morning after it had entered a village locality in Sunderban a few days back.

According to locals, the tigress had wandered off from the Pirkhali forest in Sunderbans and had slipped into the Kishorimohnapur village triggering panic on Monday.

Immediately, West Bengal Forest Department officers were informed who promptly reached the spot and fenced parts of the village with nylon nets.

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They also set up two iron cages with a goat inside it as a bait to trap the tigress. Finally they succeeded on Tuesday night as the tigress walked into the trap by herself.

On Wednesday morning forest officials rescued the tigress and took her to the Jharkhali Tiger Rescue Centre where she is being provided medical attention. Forest department officials plan to release her in her habitat once she fully recovers.

READ | Delhi's resident leopard captured after falling for two lambs

READ | Leopard, cubs spotted in Gurgaon village within a fortnight

Also read: Gurgaon villagers beat leopard to death: How the forest department failed to save the animal's life

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CHVote : a public system, Swiss and open source

The electronic voting system CHVote is a concrete answer and a real breakthrough in digital technology and e-government.

This system is the fruit of a partnership between the State Chancellery and the General Directorate of Information Systems (DGSI) of the Department of Security and Economy (DSE) of the Geneva Canton.

The State of Geneva is pioneering in the e-voting domain with over 100 polls successfully accomplished since 2003.

CHVote, entirely developed, hosted and operated by the Geneva Canton is today one of only two accredited electronic voting systems by the Federal Council in Switzerland. It is offered to nearly 125000 voters in 4 cantons (Geneva, Bern, Lucerne and Basel), as much for voting as for electing at the communal, cantonal and federal levels. It also allows people with disabilities to participate in the polls.
This article was originally on GET.com at: 3 Incredible And Affordable Countries For Travellers With A Small Budget

There are plenty of things you need to think about when you're planning a holiday beyond the shores of Singapore. Budgeting is obviously one huge component that most travellers have to consider unless they're rolling in tons of money despite the lacklustre economic outlook. Regardless of whether you're thinking of going away for a short getaway or feeding your wanderlust with holiday destinations that will blow your mind, we at GET.com believe it's always a good idea to spend your money wisely amidst the economic slowdown.

If you're intending to travel while still keeping a close watch on your bank balance, read on to learn more about the following incredible and affordable countries that are fantastic vacation options for travellers with smaller budgets.

3 Incredible Countries For Travellers With A Small Budget

1. Cambodia

If you're getting increasingly bored of visiting Bangkok or nearby Johor Bahru for your eating and shopping sprees, perhaps you could consider making a trip to Cambodia for a change.

The more touristy areas of Cambodia include Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, which I spent a couple of days at after about 3 weeks of volunteering in the Prey Veng province of Cambodia.

I kid you not when I say that hanging out at a restaurant or bar there will only cost you a fraction of the price that you pay in Singapore. Plus, who would say no to $2 T-shirts? Did I mention that I tried a tiny piece of fried tarantula leg? Yep.

A must-visit in Cambodia includes the world-famous ancient Angkor Wat Archaeological Park where you can take your time to marvel at the intricate exemplars of Khmer architecture, catch the beautiful sunrise and get acquainted with serendipity.

Be prepared to spend a good amount of time there though because this expansive UNESCO heritage site spans over 400 square kilometres! Read our Cambodia travel guide to learn more about this unique Asian country.

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2. Indonesia

To be fair, Indonesia doesn't just bestow upon Singaporeans with what we've come to reluctantly accept as haze season. On top of many Singaporeans' quick getaway of choice to Batam for some inexpensive massages and their A&W fast food fix, Indonesia has plenty of amazing islands that certainly check the boxes for being both incredible and affordable.

Just to name a few, Raja Ampat Islands, Bali, Lombok and Bintan make amazing holiday destinations for travellers who live and breathe the sun, pristine blue waters, sandy beaches, nature and water sports.

Not sure where to begin? Here's our Ubud travel guide where you'll find the top things to do in the cool mountains of Bali. Also, we've compiled these Seminyak Bali 5-star hotels that you'll love for that splendid sunset view that you might dig.

For those who are truly looking to get away from the human crowd and city living in general, visit Lombok for that calming peacefulness and serenity that you've been coveting for ages. Popping by Mawun Beach is a must-do when you're there. Discover more about this beach paradise for nature lovers in our Lombok travel guide.

Heading to Bintan? Try going on eco tours to ease yourself right in Mother Nature after you're done chilling with a good book in hand and sipping fancy cocktails on the white, sandy beaches.

3. Vietnam

Did you know that you can enjoy different types of climates in different parts of Vietnam? This is due in part to its long and thin geographical shape that stretches across a multitude of latitudes.

Besides must-tries like pho soup noodles, banh mi and goi cuon, unspoiled Vietnam also has a ton of rivers, beautiful beaches, bustling cities and Buddhist pagodas to offer its visitors. Be sure to take in all the post-colonial charm that Hanoi has to offer, but don't forget to stop by lush rice terraces as well.

And if you dare and you don't mind, you can try their specialty civet cat coffee, though I personally won't because of animal rights issues.

Fret not if Vietnam isn't your cup of tea, here are some little-known travel destinations in Asia that you must visit!

What do you think? Share your comments with us below!

GET.com Singapore is Singapore's lifestyle and personal finance website. We help you GET more for your money - food, travel, home loans, credit cards, shopping - everything!

Like GET.com on Facebook and sign up to get the HOTTEST stories delivered to your inbox!

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Daily Briefing: Singapore inks deal with Malaysia on high-speed rail link; GrabTaxi gets a shot in the arm from Honda

And HDB sees more than 5,000 applicants for Proximity Housing Grant.

Authorities have signed a deal on a new high speed rail link between Singapore and Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. The expected rail-link will slash travel times between the southeast Asian neighbours from over five hours by road to 90 minutes. Get to know the full story here.

In an effort to fend off Uber Technologies' widening reach in Southeast Asia, GrabTaxi Holdings received an undisclosed sum from Honda Motor Co. Ltd. The deal with Honda comes less than two weeks after Grab unveiled a tie-up with Japans top car-leasing company, Tokyo Century Corp. Check out here to see the full story.

The Housing and Development Boards (HDB) Proximity Housing Grant has received a very encouraging response, with 5,217 households applying for the scheme as at 31 August, involving a total grant of $100.8 million. Click here to read the full story.





More From Singapore Business Review


Thailand will free a Swiss man jailed for blackmail in a case linked to a graft scandal engulfing the 1MDB Malaysian state investment fund, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Xavier Justo was jailed last August for attempting to blackmail his former employer PetroSaudi International, a Saudi oil firm allegedly involved in corrupt dealings with Malaysian fund 1MDB.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who launched the scandal-mired 1MDB, has been besieged by allegations that he and his cronies looted billions of dollars from it, prompting calls for him to resign.

According to Thai police Justo was jailed after demanding around $2.5 million from PetroSaudi to return sensitive company data he claimed to have taken before leaving the firm in 2011.

He was arrested on the Thai island of Koh Samui in June 2015 and handed a three-year sentence.

But on Wednesday his lawyer said he will get out early after a mass prisoner amnesty.

"After he is released he will be sent to Thai immigration and then sent back to Switzerland," Worasit Piriyawiboon told AFP, adding that his precise release date had not been set.

Malaysia has been gripped by the financial fiasco for over a year, with investigations now underway in several countries, including Switzerland and the United States.

Allegations that hundreds of millions of dollars in 1MDB money went missing from the PetroSaudi deals have swirled.

The US Justice Department -- which has filed lawsuits to seize assets it says were purchased with stolen 1MDB money -- says the fund was bilked with the involvement of an unnamed top Malaysian official.

A Malaysian Cabinet official has since admitted that individual was Najib.

Najib, 1MDB and PetroSaudi deny wrongdoing.

Last month tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Kuala Lumpur to demand Najib's resignation.
Venezuelan opposition lawmakers relaunched efforts to drive President Nicolas Maduro from power on Tuesday after negotiations to ease the country's political and economic crisis stalled. Deputies in the National Assembly made a declaration ruling that the socialist president bore "political responsibility" for the crisis and urged state attorneys to investigate him with a view to prosecution. The opposition MUD coalition has been divided over whether to pursue talks with Maduro's government. Maduro has consistently blocked efforts by the legislature to challenge his power since the opposition took over the assembly in January. He retains the support of the military and key state institutions including the Supreme Court, which has frequently overruled the legislative assembly. Maduro's allies in the assembly boycotted Tuesday's session, branding the motion a "coup d'etat." Tuesday's move "is a blow from the legislature, but it does not mean the president will be deposed," legal expert Pedro Afonso Del Pino told AFP earlier, anticipating the lawmakers' declaration. An economic crisis fueled by falling prices for Venezuela's crucial oil exports has led to food shortages and riots over recent months. The socialist president says the crisis is a US-backed conspiracy. The opposition blames his economic management. "This is going to heat up the political process in Venezuela," said political scientist Carlos Romero of Tuesday's move. "It is going to make the situation worse."
AFP News

Denmark's left-wing Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday kicked off the process of forming a new, broader government one day after scoring a narrow election victory. The Social Democrats, the largest party in parliament with 50 of 179 seats and accustomed to leading minority governments, now want to govern across the political divide after Frederiksen secured their best election win since 2001. "It will be very, very difficult. We don't know if it will be possible, but we will try our utmost", she told a party debate on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, the prime minister formally presented the resignation of her outgoing government to Queen Margrethe. The leaders of Denmark's 11 other parties in parliament were each meeting the queen individually on Wednesday before the monarch formally tasks Frederiksen with trying to form a new government. Frederiksen will then "enter into negotiations to form a broader government and that will probably take a while," political scientist Rune Stubager, a professor at Aarhus University, told AFP. Her left-wing bloc, which includes five parties plus three seats from the autonomous territories Greenland and the Faroe Islands, won a majority of 90 seats, compared to 73 for the right and far-right, and 16 for the centre. It was the Social Democrats' best election outcome in two decades, gaining two seats and securing over 27 percent of the vote, and allows Frederiksen to enter negotiations from a position of strength. Frederiksen's photo-finish win scuppered hopes of former two-time prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who founded a new Moderates party just months earlier, of becoming kingmaker in the new administration. - Broken dreams - The Moderates won more than nine percent of votes and Lokke Rasmussen insisted he wanted to be "the bridge" between the left and right, but daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten concluded that "in theory, Mette can do without Lars Lokke". While the Moderates will be part of negotiations, Stubager expressed doubt that they would be willing to "compromise sufficiently" to secure posts in the cabinet. A "more realistic" plan for Frederiksen would be a coalition government with various parties on the left, he said. While Frederiksen's government was largely hailed for handling the Covid-19 pandemic, the election was triggered by the country's so-called mink crisis. The affair erupted after the government decided in November 2020 to cull the country's 15 million minks over fears of a mutated strain of the novel coronavirus. The decision turned out to be illegal, and the Social Liberal party propping up Frederiksen's minority government threatened to topple it unless she called early elections to regain voters' confidence. The Social Liberals paid a price for the gamble, losing nine of their 16 seats and on Wednesday their party leader resigned. - 'Zero refugees' - To rule, the Social Democrats will still need to depend on support from the Social Liberals, which has made clear it will not support another minority one-party government. Broad consensus for Denmark's restrictive migration policy left the issue largely absent from the election campaign, but it could resurge in government negotiations. Advocating a "zero refugee" policy, the outgoing government had worked on setting up a centre to house asylum seekers in Rwanda while their applications are processed. The Social Liberals oppose the plan. "It will be very difficult for the Social Democrats to turn soft or to the left on immigration, because that has been a very pivotal point in their strategy over the past five, six years," Stubager said. "To give up on that would have dramatic consequences for them." The far-right has heavily influenced Danish politics in recent decades, but three populist parties together won just 14.4 percent of votes and are not expected to play a key role in the upcoming negotiations. The anti-immigration Danish People's Party, which hovered above 20 percent a few years ago, fell to 2.6 percent, its worst result since entering parliament in 1998. A new party founded by former immigration minister Inger Stojberg, the Denmark Democrats, instead won 8.1 percent, on a platform of less centralisation, less influence from Europe and fewer immigrants. cbw-jll/po/jm
In this undated photo provided by Akara Resources, an aerial view of Chatree gold mine in central Thailand. An Australian mining company said Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 that it was shutting down its gold mines in Thailand, laying off more than 1,000 workers and focusing on projects in Chile. It said it will not come back unless it gets an "ironclad guarantee" from the government that it will be allowed to operate without interruptions. (Akara Resources via AP)

BANGKOK (AP)  An Australian mining company said Wednesday it is shutting down its gold mine in Thailand, laying off more than 1,000 workers and focusing on projects in Chile. It said it will not come back unless it gets an "ironclad guarantee" from the government that it will be allowed to operate without interruption.

A Cabinet resolution and an executive decree  citing environmental and health concerns  forced Kingsgate to shut down its Chatree mine in central Thailand, owned through a Thai subsidiary, Akara Resources. But recently, a sliver of hope emerged when the Thai parliament passed legislation that could allow mining with a lesser degree of regulation.

Also, the government said separately it will form a committee with powers that could allow gold mining to resume at a later date.

But Kingsgate executives said they are once bitten, twice shy.

"We'd need an ironclad guarantee of tenure," Ross Smyth-Kirk, chairman of Kingsgate, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "It's been a disgrace. There's still a lot of gold there still to be taken out, needing expertise of people like ourselves who are prepared to spend big investments to get it out. It's not some tin-pot operation."

He said Kingsgate is planning a new mine in Chile, and hopes to launch operations there after they finish paying off their debt, which now stands at about $10 million, by the end of the year.

"Chile has a government that understands mining and that understands its importance to the economy," Smyth-Kirk said. "We'll see how negotiations go."

Operations at Kingsgate's mine in Phichit province were first shut down in January 2015 after a government body conducting blood tests on nearby residents found high levels of arsenic and manganese. Though the mines were reopened, the government announced again in May of this year they must be shut down by Jan. 1, according to a Cabinet order issued amid claims by residents that chemical and heavy metal runoff from the mine was making them ill.

Story continues

However, Thailand's parliament last week passed a bill that could in theory allow gold mines to continue operations by suspending a regulatory requirement. The legislation must be signed by King Vajiralongkorn to become law, and would come into effect only four months after the signing.

In an evident move to allay concerns of residents and activists that the new law could give Kingsgate a chance to reopen, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday issued an executive order halting all gold mining in Thailand from Jan.1.

However, the order also mandates creation of a new committee to manage and oversee the country's mineral resources, with power to allow gold mining to resume at a later date. Prayuth acted under Article 44, a provision giving him absolute power that was part of an interim constitution adopted after the army seized power in May 2014 from an elected government.

Given the series of seemingly contradictory developments, Kingsgate's Smyth-Kirk said his company cannot work in Thailand anymore and is letting go of more than 1,000 employees and contractors.

"We will want to be compensated," he added. Kingsgate says there's no evidence of substantial health or environmental damage caused by its activities.

Environmentalists also remain wary, and have vowed to protest any move to resume mining.

"This (executive) order is a good thing but we don't know how long it will last," said Penchom Saetang, director of a Thai environmental group protesting the mines. She said that if the bill easing regulations becomes law, the mining company could resume operations and mine even more than before.
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark's new right-wing government will allow Uber to continue operating under new rules in order to encourage more competition among taxis, its transport minister Ole Birk Olesen said. Under new proposals put forward by the government on Tuesday, Uber [UBER.UL] drivers must meet certain criteria, including paying tax and proving they are in good health. At the moment they operate without any rules. Olesen said he saw no reason why Uber should not compete with established taxi companies, although he wants to implement rules that distinguish between taxis which are ordered via an app and those where customers hail them in the street. But the government, which has only 53 seats of 179 seats in parliament, faces a majority which does not support the plan as well as opposition from the Danish People's Party (DF), which would normally support government proposals. "I regard the initiatives as an open door to Uber, which I do not like. We shall not have two sets of rules as proposed," DF spokesman Kim Christiansen told Reuters. A Social Democrat spokesman also dismissed the proposals. Together, the two parties have 85 parliamentary seats. (Reporting by Erik Matzen; Editing by Alexander Smith)
President Duterte left yesterday for state visits to Cambodia and Singapore, where he is expected to push for a unified stand among Southeast Asian countries on issues affecting the region.

Duterte said it is important to gather insights from his fellow leaders in the region because the Philippines is set to host the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit next year.

For the reason that we are hosting the ASEAN summit next November, I have to go around the ASEAN countries and get their views on what will be the policy or policies of ASEAN vis-a-vis the rest of the world, he said in his departure speech at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2.

Duterte said the trade policies in the world seem to be convoluted because we do not seem to get a clear view of where we stand with the poor nations.

These state visits will reaffirm our relations with our close neighbors in Southeast Asia and seek to further strengthen our engagement with our brothers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the President said.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, acting Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra and Office of the President Undersecretary Jesus Quitain will serve as administration caretakers.

In Cambodia, Duterte is set to meet with King Norodom Sihamoni, who invited the President to visit the country.

The ties between his family and the family of the Philippines run long and deep. It is a strong foundation for true friendship that must be renewed, the President said.

Duterte will also meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to discuss ways to further intensify bilateral ties between the two countries.

These include defense and security measures, bilateral trade and investments, law enforcement and the war against illegal trade of drugs; the protection of Filipino and Cambodian migrant workers; and cultural and tourism cooperation, the President said.

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The visit takes place while the Philippines and Cambodia prepare to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2017.

In Singapore, Duterte will meet with President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to discuss common concerns and to talk about ways to expand bilateral cooperation.

I will also discuss further increasing the levels of two-way trade and investments with Singapore, as I seek to strengthen defense and security cooperation to address traditional and emerging threats that undermine progress, he said.

Duterte revealed that a Singaporean is one of the leaders of extremist groups in Sulu.
Law and Justice (PiS) party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, right, speaks during the demonstration organized by Polish party Law and Justice on the 35th anniversary of the introduction of martial law at Three Crosses Square, in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poland came under tough scrutiny at the European Parliament on Wednesday, with critics of the populist ruling government denouncing what they consider an erosion of rule of law in the country.

Defenders of the government denounced the criticism as unjustified and an unacceptable meddling in the nation's affairs.

It was the fourth debate on the state of democracy and rule of law in Poland since the populist and nationalist Law and Justice party won power last year and moved quickly to cement its hold on power.

The party, under chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has imposed greater control over state media, increased government control over prosecutors and moved to neutralize the constitutional court's ability to strike down new laws.

The debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, came a day after large protests took place in Warsaw to denounce the country's new political direction.

On Tuesday, the Polish parliament passed two new laws that are being denounced by civic groups and the political opposition as violations of democratic freedoms.

One gives state authorities greater power to regulate public gatherings.

"This is really an unlawful limitation on our constitutional rights and freedoms," Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz, a lawmaker with the opposition Modern party, told The Associated Press.

The second new law regulates how the Constitutional Tribunal works and the status of its judges. The provisions are legally complex, but will give the executive branch greater control over the court and weaken the separation of powers envisioned in Poland's constitution.

EU Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans opened the debate in Strasbourg saying he was "deeply concerned by these new developments which threaten to deepen the rule of law crisis in Poland."

In particular, he faulted the Polish government for its treatment of the constitutional court. The government has over the past year refused to publish rulings by the court that it doesn't like, preventing them from taking legal force.

Story continues

"You do not get to pick and choose which judgments you like and then only publish the judgments you like. That is a violation of the separation of powers," he said.

Ryszard Legutko, a member of the European Parliament hailing from Poland's ruling party, denounced the criticism as "unjustified, unfair, biased and based on nothing." He argued that other European countries should focus on the problems they have in their own societies rather than pointing the finger at Poland.

Poland's ruling party, which has increased welfare spending, remains relatively popular, with 36 percent support in a recent poll, more than the top two opposition parties combined.

___

In an earlier version of this story, there was a correction note to state that this was the fourth, not third, EU Parliament debate on Poland.
By India Today Web Desk: Sunny Leone might be one of the most popular faces but the actor is like any other normal girl when it comes to personal life. The 35-year-old actor, who will be next seen in Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees, took a break from her busy schedule to attend her brother Sundeep Vohra's wedding in Los Angeles. Sunny gave a sneak peek into the intimate wedding ceremony by posting a few pictures from the special day.

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ALSO READ: Shah Rukh Khan and Sunny Leone's Twitter conversation is oh-so-sweet

ALSO READ: Sunny Leone and 4 other Indians feature in BBC's 100 most influential women of 2016 list

The Jackpot actor, who looked stunning in a blue and gold kurti and patiala, was accompanied by husband Daniel Weber. Sunny's brother Sundeep got hitched to Karisma Naidu in a traditional Sikh wedding ceremony.

Here are the pictures posted by Sunny on Instagram and Twitter from the wedding festivities.

Last prayers before @chefsundeep got married! A photo posted by Sunny Leone (@sunnyleone) on Dec 12, 2016 at 3:33pm PST

Our family complete pic.twitter.com/E7c0kNlOMv Sunny Leone (@SunnyLeone) December 12, 2016

Love these photos @DanielWeber99 @hitendra1480 @chefsundeep last prayer to God and my parents before the Gurudwara :) pic.twitter.com/8VlIdiHiWP Sunny Leone (@SunnyLeone) December 12, 2016

@chefsundeep @hitendrakapopara and Nama uncle! A photo posted by Sunny Leone (@sunnyleone) on Dec 12, 2016 at 9:35am PST

On the work front, Sunny will be seen in a special number in Rahul Dholakia's Raees. The film is set to release on January 25, 2017.

--- ENDS ---
By Gabriela Baczynska and John Irish BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) - The European Union will not pay towards rebuilding a post-war Syria if Moscow and Damascus leave no space in the future for opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, according to sources and EU documents. For weeks, Syrian, Russian and Iranian firepower has pounded rebels - including those backed by the West and Turkey - in what was their main urban stronghold of Aleppo. On Tuesday, thousands of people fled the city where defeat of the rebels seemed imminent. Establishing full control over Aleppo would mark government forces' biggest battlefield victory yet in the conflict, which has raged for nearly six years, killing more than 300,000 people. But, even if the rebels are defeated, the EU says the prospects for peace are poor as Damascus would face years of guerrilla warfare and the country could fall apart if power is not decentralised or devolved to give the opposition a role. "The EU will provide support for Syria's reconstruction only once a credible political transition is firmly under way," the EU leaders will say on Thursday, according to a draft statement prepared for their meeting in Brussels and seen by Reuters. The EU is the world's largest aid donor and both the World Bank and the United Nations have said reconstruction of Syria will cost billions - something that would be extremely difficult for Russia to handle alone. "It is out of the question to finance a Syria under the control of Assad ... The EU and France will not pay for the Russians ... We will not pay for a false peace," said a senior French diplomat. "This is one of our few pressure levers on the Russians." The bloc's top diplomat Federica Mogherini has been delivering this message to Middle Eastern regional players - some of which are waging proxy wars in Syria - for several weeks, sources say. The EU has already signalled it will press for more sanctions on Damascus. But it is not ready to impose any on Russia over the war in Syria. "The EU would normally have a key role in reconstruction. But if they create this monster there, we just won't pay for it. It'll be their responsibility," one EU official said, referring to Damascus, Moscow and their allies in the war. Encouraged by November's U.S. presidential election victory by Donald Trump, who has vowed to improve Washington's ties with Moscow, the Kremlin has intensified its campaign in Syria. An internal document prepared by Mogherini's service, which was also seen by Reuters, for her contacts with top officials from countries including Qatar, Iran and Turkey sticks to the same message: that Assad's opponents must have a role in the future of Syria. Its stipulations include an "inclusive" political system to ensure "broad social and political representation". (Writing by Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Louise Ireland and Richard Lough)
This Dec. 10, 2016 photo provided by the North Dakota Department of Health shows an oil spill from the Belle Fourche Pipeline that was discovered Dec. 5 in Ash Coulee Creek, a tributary of the Little Missouri River, near Belfield, N.D. The discovery of the pipeline spill in western North Dakota has drawn heightened attention because of the battle over the Dakota Access oil pipeline being built across the state. (Scott Stockdill/North Dakota Department of Health via AP)

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- The discovery of an oil pipeline spill earlier this month in western North Dakota has received heightened attention because of the battle over the Dakota Access oil pipeline being built about 150 miles to the southeast.

While the spill was on a different pipeline, the Standing Rock Sioux and its supporters say a spill on the Dakota Access pipeline could threaten the tribe's drinking water, which is drawn from the Missouri River.

The developer of the Dakota Access project, Energy Transfer Partners, and the Army are battling in court over permission to cross under Lake Oahe, a Missouri River reservoir  the last large chunk of construction for the $3.8 billion project.

Here are some questions and answers about the spill on the Belle Fourche Pipeline:

___

HOW BIG WAS THE SPILL?

About 176,000 gallons of oil spilled, with about 130,000 gallons that flowed into Ash Coulee Creek. The spill went about 5 miles down the creek, which feeds into the Little Missouri River, a tributary of the Missouri River. A photo released by the North Dakota Department of Health shows the brown muck on the creek's surface, and another photo shows what appears to be the pipeline break with oil oozing out.

As of Wednesday, about 46,000 gallons had been recovered. Regulators don't expect the cleanup to be completed until spring.

It appears no oil got into the Little Missouri River, and no drinking water sources were threatened, according to Bill Suess, an environmental scientist with the health department. The creek was free-flowing when the spill occurred but has since frozen over.

The spill was in a remote area of the southwest part of the state, far from any major population centers. It fouled an unknown amount of private and U.S. Forest Service land along the waterway.

___

HOW WAS THE SPILL DISCOVERED?

A landowner spotted the spill Dec. 5. Electronic monitoring equipment failed to detect the rupture, but it's not clear why, according to Wendy Owen, a spokeswoman for Casper, Wyoming-based True Cos., which operates the pipeline.

Story continues

The pipeline was shut down as soon as the leak was discovered. Owen said erosion of a hillside might have ruptured the pipe, but the cause is still being investigated.

___

IS THIS A BIG SPILL?

It's sizeable, but there have been much larger oil spills in North Dakota. In September 2013, a Tesoro Corp. pipeline break spilled more than 840,000 gallons of oil into a wheat field near Tioga. That spill is still being cleaned up.

True Cos. has a history of spills in North Dakota and Montana, including a January 2015 pipeline break into the Yellowstone River. That 32,000-gallon spill temporarily shut down water supplies in the downstream community of Glendive, Montana, after oil was detected in the city's water treatment system.

___

IS THIS PIPELINE LIKE THE DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE?

It's much smaller. The 6-inch steel Belle Fourche Pipeline, built in the 1980s, is mostly underground but crosses Ash Coulee Creek above ground.

It's one of a network of thousands of miles of similar pipelines that crisscross western North Dakota's oil patch to pick up oil from wells and carry it to collection points, where it ultimately moves into larger pipelines or railroad tankers destined for refineries across the U.S.

The Dakota Access pipeline is a 30-inch steel pipeline that will carry nearly 20 million gallons of North Dakota oil daily through South Dakota and Iowa to a shipping point in Illinois.

It is largely complete except for a segment, blocked by the federal government, that's near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, where it would be buried 90 to 115 feet below Lake Oahe. Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners says the line will have modern leak detection equipment, and that workers monitoring the pipeline remotely could close valves within three minutes if a breach was detected.

The Standing Rock tribe argues that putting the pipeline under the lake imperils drinking water for more than 8,000 tribal members and millions downstream. ETP and other pipeline advocates maintain that transporting oil through pipelines is safer than shipping it by truck or train.
The most popular musicians of the year didnt necessarily sell the most CDs. In fact, the musician that accomplished that feat in 2016 has been dead for 225 years.

His name is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. And a box set titled Mozart 225: The New Complete Edition is the reason he was able to sell more CDs than Beyonce, Adele and all the other popular musicians of today.

The box set actually contains 200 discs. So it only took five weeks for 1.25 million CDs to be sold. But at about $500 per set, thats still an impressive feat, especially considering the overall decline of CD sales.

For small businesses, this accomplishment includes a few important lessons. First, the box set already contained a lot of products in one, which is a big part of the reason people bought it. So if youre able to bundle products or upsell to large sets of items, you should be able to make more sales.

Product Bundling with a Twist

But even if you bundle products together, you still have to create something special that consumers will actually want. So making this box set the complete edition could make it more meaningful for big fans or those looking for special gifts to purchase.

And finally, its not always the people getting all the attention who make the most sales. If you know your market and can sell your products to those specific consumers, it doesnt matter that youre not on the cover of every magazine. Just ask the team behind Mozarts box set.
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Years after it began, the civil war in Syria's Aleppo -- a war that cannot be recalled nothing less than a blot on humanity -- ended after Russia brokered a truce between Syria and Turkey.

Forces loyal to Assad standing inside the Umayyad mosque in the government-controlled area of Aleppo. Photo: Reuters

By Reuters: BATTLE OVER ALEPPO OVER

A ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's most powerful ally, and Turkey ended years of fighting in the city and has given Assad his biggest victory yet after more than five years of war.

The evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo was delayed on Wednesday and, while a war monitor said the reason was unclear, an opposition official blamed Shi'ite militias allied to President Assad for the hold up.

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Officials in the military alliance fighting in support of Assad could not be reached immediately for comment on why the evacuation was delayed.

Sources on Tuesday had given different expected start times for the evacuation. A military official in the pro-Assad alliance had said the evacuation was due to start at 5 AM (0300 GMT), while opposition officials had been expecting a first group of wounded people to leave earlier.

Also read: Syrians in Aleppo are making goodbye posts, say they're prepared to die

Also read: Aleppo's Toy Smuggler, the man who risks his all to bring joy to Syrian children

However, none had left by dawn, said a Reuters witness waiting at the agreed point of departure. Twenty buses were waiting there with their engines running but showed no sign of moving into Aleppo's rebel-held eastern districts.

"There is certainly a delay," said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory, a war monitor.

Officials with Aleppo-based rebel groups accused Shi'ite militias backed by Iran of obstructing implementation of the Russian-brokered deal. The pro-opposition Orient TV cited the negotiation committee in eastern Aleppo as saying there was no clear reason why the wounded had yet to be evacuated.

Assad has been backed by an array of Shi'ite militias from across the region in his campaign for Aleppo.

RAPID ADVANCES

The evacuation was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire.

By taking full control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia's air force and the Shi'ite militias.

Rebels groups have been supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but the support they have enjoyed has fallen far short of the direct military backing given to Assad by Russia and Iran.

Russia's decision to deploy its air force to Syria 18 months ago turned the war in Assad's favour after rebel advances across key areas of western Syria.

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In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year.

Also read: Obama meets 6-year-old who offered Syrian boy Omran Daqneesh his home

Also read: 6-year-old American boy seeks Obama's help to bring Omran Daqneesh from Syria

However, Assad is far from taking back all of Syria. Wide areas of the country remain in the hands of armed groups including Islamic State, which this week managed to retake the desert city of Palmyra from Syria's army.

Russia regards the fall of Aleppo as a major victory against terrorists, as it and Assad characterise all the rebel groups, both Islamist and nationalist, fighting to oust him.

But at the United Nations, the United States said the violence in the city, besieged and bombarded for months, represented "modern evil".

The once-flourishing economic centre with its renowned ancient sites has been pulverised during the war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, created the world's worst refugee crisis and allowed for the rise of Islamic State.

As the battle for Aleppo unfolded, global concern has risen over the plight of the 250,000 civilians who were thought to remain in its rebel-held eastern sector before the sudden army advance began at the end of November.

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Tens of thousands of them fled to parts of the city held by the government or by a Kurdish militia, and tens of thousands more retreated further into the rebel enclave as it rapidly shrank under the army's lightning advance.

The rout of rebels from their shrinking territory in Aleppo sparked a mass flight of terrified civilians and insurgents in bitter weather, a crisis the United Nations said was a "complete meltdown of humanity". There were food and water shortages in rebel areas, with all hospitals closed.

"SHOT IN THEIR HOMES"

On Tuesday, the United Nations voiced deep concern about reports it had received of Syrian soldiers and allied Iraqi fighters summarily shooting dead 82 people in recaptured east Aleppo districts. It accused them of "slaughter".

"The reports we had are of people being shot in the street trying to flee and shot in their homes," said Rupert Colville, a UN spokesman. "There could be many more."

The Syrian army has denied carrying out killings or torture among those captured, and Russia said on Tuesday rebels had "kept over 100,000 people in east Aleppo as human shields".

Fear stalked the city's streets. Some survivors trudged in the rain past dead bodies to the government-held west or the few districts still in rebel hands. Others stayed in their homes and awaited the Syrian army's arrival.

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For all of them, fear of arrest, conscription or summary execution added to the daily terror of bombardment.

"People are saying the troops have lists of families of fighters and are asking them if they had sons with the terrorists. (They are) then either left or shot and left to die," said Abu Malek al-Shamali in Seif al-Dawla, one of the last rebel-held districts.

Terrible conditions were described by city residents. Abu Malek al-Shamali, a resident in the rebel area, said dead bodies lay in the streets. "There are many corpses in Fardous and Bustan al-Qasr with no one to bury them," he said.

--- ENDS ---
By Ed Cropley JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar, who fled to Democratic Republic of Congo in August after fierce fighting, is being held in South Africa to stop him stirring up trouble, diplomatic and political sources said on Tuesday. Removing Machar from circulation would be a blow to his rebel SPLA-IO faction in its three-year war with President Salva Kiir's mainstream SPLA, and could sway a conflict the United Nations fears is tilting towards genocide. Over a million people have fled the world's youngest nation since conflict erupted in late 2013 when Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, fired Machar, a Nuer, as his deputy. The cross-border exodus is the largest in central Africa since the 1994 Rwanda genocide. In South Africa, a well-connected regional political consultant said Machar was being held "basically under house arrest" near Pretoria with his movements restricted and his phone calls monitored and controlled. "If he wants to go to the toilet, he has to hand over his phone and a guy stands outside the cubicle," the source said. Foreign ministry spokesman Clayson Monyela denied Machar was being held against his will, describing him instead as a "guest" of Pretoria as South Africa tried to prevent the civil war sliding into genocide. "Him being our guest here is part of our responsibility as a mediator," Monyela said, adding that it was "difficult to predict" the duration of his stay. "It's very hard to put timelines on these peace and security situations." Dickson Gatluak, a Machar spokesman in Ethiopia, denied there were any restrictions on Machar and dismissed the reports as misinformation. "This is not true. It's baseless and unfounded," Gatluak told Reuters in Juba. "Dr. Machar is safe and doing his normal duties as usual. He is communicating to us daily, including his field commanders in the entire country." Attempts by Reuters to speak to Machar in South Africa via his spokesman there were unsuccessful. Kiir visited his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma, on Dec. 2 to "review... the latest regional political and security developments on the continent", according to a South African statement that gave no further details. Refugee accounts and human rights reports point to both sides in South Sudan targeting civilians along ethnic lines. JUBA OR JOBURG - YOU DECIDE Machar reached a peace deal in 2015 with Kiir but the agreement fell apart in July, leading to several days of intense fighting in Juba, the capital of the five-year-old nation. Machar himself was wounded and after fleeing to Congo went to Sudan - a long-term supporter of his rebel faction - for medical treatment. He then turned up in South Africa in October for more treatment. A diplomatic source said the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an eight-country East African group, had asked Pretoria to make sure Machar did not leave. The United States, Britain and Norway had supported that request, the source added. "He keeps going back and mobilising his people and stirring up problems," the source said. "It's best to keep him here for a while." Machar flew two weeks ago to Ethiopia, which has also tried and failed as a mediator, but was refused entry and given a stark choice: go back to South Africa or get dumped in Juba, to be left at the mercy of Kiir's troops, two of the sources said. "The Ethiopians told him there were two planes sitting on the tarmac - one heading to Juba and one heading to Joburg - and told him he had 10 minutes to decide," the political source said. "It didn't take long." (Additional reporting by Peter Fabricius and Denis Dumo; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday vetoed a controversial bill that would have banned abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy but signed a measure prohibiting the procedure later in pregnancy.

The measure the Republican governor rejected would have barred a woman from obtaining an abortion if a fetal heartbeat could be detected. The legislature passed the measure last week even though it conflicts with Supreme Court decisions upholding the right to abortion at least until the point at which the fetus is viable. The bill he signed, banning the procedure at 20 weeks of pregnancy, may run afoul of these rulings, because viability is generally interpreted to be around 24 weeks.

In a statement, Kasich said he vetoed what has been called the heartbeat bill because it was clearly contrary to Supreme Court rulings. The state would have been forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars trying unsuccessfully to defend the law and would have provoked lawsuits that would end up rolling back other restrictions enacted by the state, he said.

In a separate statement, he said he agreed with major antiabortion groups that have preferred to challenge precedent with the 20-week ban, which he said is the best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life.

Abortion rights groups condemned Kasichs support for the 20-week ban, which has no exception for rape or incest and has an exception for the life of the mother that rights groups said was too narrow.

He thinks that by vetoing one abortion ban Ohioans will not notice that he has signed another, Kellie Copeland, NARAL Pro-Choice Ohios executive director, said in a statement. Kasichs actions today will fall hardest on low-income women, women of color, and young women. History will not judge Gov. Kasichs disregard for womens health kindly.

Ohio becomes the 16th state to ban abortion at around 20 weeks, based on the contention that fetuses may be able to feel pain at that stage. Most experts believe that point comes later in fetal development.

While abortion rights advocates on Tuesday focused on the bill Kasich signed, the more restrictive measure drew more attention over the past week because it would have banned the procedure before many women realize they are pregnant. Two other states, Arkansas and North Dakota, recently passed abortion bans at a very early point in pregnancy but the measures were blocked by the courts.

Still, Ohio lawmakers  emboldened by the election of Donald Trump  approved the bill as a new offensive to curb abortion rights. Trump has pledged to appoint justices who oppose Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationally.

The law may yet be enacted if the legislature overrides Kasichs veto. In Ohio, that requires a three-fifths majority in each chamber.

Also on Tuesday, the Oklahoma Supreme Court threw out a law that required doctors who perform abortions at clinics to have admitting privileges at hospitals nearby. The court ruled that the law violates both the U.S. and Oklahoma constitutions.

ohio-abortion
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a state law that would have required abortion providers to have special relationships with hospitals, in continuing fallout from a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year striking down a similar provision in Texas.

The Oklahoma measure, passed in 2014, required a physician to have so-called admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the facility where he or she was performing an abortion. Supporters said it was necessary to ensure that the doctor could treat a woman at the hospital in case of a medical complication. Opponents argued that the standard was virtually impossible to meet, effectively preventing the doctor from performing abortions for no good medical reason considering how safe most abortions are. The law was opposed by medical groups including the American Medical Association.

In an opinion issued Tuesday, the court found that the law creates an undue burden on a womans access to abortion, violating protected rights under our federal constitution. It also found that it violates the Oklahoma constitution as well as Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt, the Supreme Court decision six months ago that struck down a Texas law that, among other things, required admitting privileges of abortion clinic doctors.

It is the latest abortion regulation to be struck down in light of that recent high court decision, which increased the burden on lawmakers to show that evidence supports a restriction enacted in the name of patient health. Shortly after that ruling, the Supreme Court let stand lower court decisions in Mississippi and Wisconsin blocking admitting privileges laws. It also prompted groups last month to file lawsuits over laws in North Carolina, Missouri and Alaska on the grounds that the regulations are medically unnecessary.

Todays decision is a victory for Oklahoma women and another rebuke to politicians pushing underhanded laws that attack a womans constitutionally guaranteed right to safe, legal abortion, Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement. Her organization helped represent the plaintiff, Larry Burns, a physician from Norman, Oklahoma

In a report issued separately Tuesday, Americans United for Life, an antiabortion group, enumerated violations recorded against abortion clinics in 32 states. The data show the need for regulations on clinics and doctors, such as ones that require admitting privileges, the organization said.

Because of the Whole Womans Health decision, many of these protective laws may now be in jeopardy, subject to legal challenges brought by an increasingly predatory abortion industry more motivated by profit margins than by protecting the very women it claims to champion, the group said.

oklahoma-abortion-1stld-writethru
Every four years, presidential candidates routinely signal their support for moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Then, after theyre sworn into office, they balk when faced with the potential ramifications.

Comments from Trump aides and the mayor of Jerusalem, though, suggest that Trump could be poised to discard yet another diplomatic axiom and relocate the embassy fairly quickly after he enters the White House. That move would be highly political, effectively meaning that the United States was recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which it has refused to do for decades out of concern about provoking Palestinians who want part of the city to become their own capital.

They are serious about this, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said Tuesday after returning from a trip to the United States, where he met with transition aides whom he declined to identify. I am optimistic that this will happen sooner rather than later.

The question of Jerusalems status is the most sensitive and complicated issue in the long-running conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. It is fraught with political, religious and nationalist implications that potentially could create an uproar throughout the Middle East and the worlds 1.5 billion Muslims.

Trump will have an opportunity to decide the fate of the U.S. diplomatic mission on June 1, at the expiration of another six-month waiver President Barack Obama signed to the Jerusalem Embassy Act passed by Congress in 1995 mandating that the embassy be moved by 1999.

Jerusalem sits in the middle of the contested land, figuratively and literally. To avoid the appearance of favorites, the United States and every other country place their embassies in and around the commercial city of Tel Aviv and drive to Jerusalem to meet government officials.

The armistice lines from before the 1967 war are considered the broad starting point, with some modifications, for any final settlement that would end up with two states, a Jewish state for Israelis beside a Palestinian state for Arabs. During the campaign, Trump repeatedly promised that if elected he would 100 percent move the embassy.

About a week after the election, Jason Greenblatt, a real estate lawyer and Trump adviser, told Israels Army radio that Trump was going to do it. That confidence was reinforced Monday when Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said moving the embassy was a very big priority for Trump.

Meir Turgeman, the head of the Jerusalem building and planning committee in the Jerusalem City Council, said on Israeli radio this week that the transition team contacted Barkat asking for help finding an appropriate property.

Everything is on the table; they are still checking things out, said Barkat in an interview Tuesday.

The decision was already approved by Congress, and it is the right thing to do to recognize Jerusalem. Its been the capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years, said Barkat, who is a friend of Trump son-in-law Jarad Kushner.

But because Jerusalems final status can be used as a bargaining chip, diplomats have advised presidents against giving it up outside the context of a peace deal.

Its hard to argue you could harm an already-comatose peace process, but you dont want to make matters worse, said Aaron David Miller, a former State Department official who advised Republican and Democratic administrations on the Middle East. And you do want to maintain the hope and illusion that under some circumstances, a two-state solution is possible. By forcing the issue upfront as an immediate act of the Trump administration, youre essentially burying that possibility.

The move would be unpopular among Arabs across the Middle East and make it even more difficult for Arab governments to acknowledge publicly that they have been developing under-the-table relations with Israel, said Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights.

It would fan the flames of a region already on fire, he said. I dont think anyone benefits from that very much.

Meanwhile, a large plot of land in West Jerusalem has sat barren for a quarter-century, while the United States pays $1 a year to Israel on a 99-year lease for a site where an embassy could be built some day. The plot is within the 1967 borders, and even if there were a peace deal, it would still be inside Israel.

Rationally, theres a historic injustice that the United States does not have an embassy in West Jerusalem, said David Makovsky, an analyst with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Palestinians would say this is a great cherry on the top after a deal, he added. The problem is, nobody believes a grand deal is in the offing. So to link it to a deal is like linking to the end of the rainbow.

  

Eglash reported from Jerusalem. Morello reported from Washington.

israel-policy
A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld Virginias voting rules requiring residents to present photo identification to cast ballots.

The 3-0 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit comes only months after a different panel of judges in the Richmond, Virginia-based court threw out North Carolinas far-reaching election restrictions, finding its state legislators had intentionally made it harder for minorities to vote.

In the Virginia case, the appeals court sided with attorneys representing Virginia election officials who said the states requirement for in-person voting is far more flexible than election measures in other states and was not designed to discriminate.

Not only does the substance of SB 1256 not impose an undue burden on minority voting, there was no evidence to suggest racially discriminatory intent in the laws enactment, the panel ruled.

Lawyers for the state Democratic Party who challenged Virginias law argued the photo-ID requirement was just as bad as North Carolinas rules because of the disparate impact on minority voters who are less likely than white voters to have the required identification.

Judges are bound to follow the rulings of their appeals court colleagues, but in this case the three-judge panel determined that the facts of the Virginia case are in no way akin to the situation in North Carolina.

Unlike in North Carolina, the judges said Tuesday, Virginias law was passed through the standard legislative process after debate, and there is no evidence it targeted African-American voters.

Todays ruling is a victory for a common-sense law that protects the integrity of Virginias elections, Virginia House Speaker William Howell, R-Stafford, said in a statement. He called the lawsuit politically motivated and unnecessary.

Attorney General Mark Herring, D, appointed an independent counsel, Mark Thor Hearne II, to defend the law.

The Virginia challenge was one of a set of similar voting cases throughout the country. Judges repeatedly sided with opponents of new requirements in recent months, overturning or weakening restrictive voting laws.

Virginia is a very helpful decision, said Michael Carvin, an attorney who wrote an amicus brief in support of the law. There is obviously a concerted effort by Democrats  to attack photo identification laws throughout the country. I think it will have an influence on other states regarding this issue.

Spokesman Brian Coy said Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, D continues to believe the law is an unnecessary restriction on voting rights that disproportionately impacts minorities and elderly Virginians.

McAuliffe will continue to work to expand access to the ballot box for qualified voters and resist political efforts to erect new barriers to our democracy, Coy said.

Herring declined to comment on the decision.

In 2012, Virginia lawmakers passed election rules that required voters to present identification  with or without a photo. The state mailed voter-registration cards, which could be used to cast ballots, to all registered voters.

Ten months later, the Republican-controlled legislature approved a more restrictive measure requiring photo identification for in-person voting. Voters could obtain free photo IDs from the Board of Elections and use a photo ID that had expired within the past year. A person without the required identification can cast a provisional ballot and later present a photo ID.

Both bills were signed into law by McAuliffes Republican predecessor, Gov. Robert McDonnell.

If Virginia had required voters to present identifications without accommodating citizens who lacked them, the rule might arguably deprive some voters of an equal opportunity to vote, the judges found. But  Virginia allows everyone to vote and provides free photo IDs to persons without them.

A federal judge in May upheld Virginias law, finding the state had provided all of its citizens with an equal opportunity to participate in the electoral process and that the voting rules are constitutional and do not violate the federal Voting Rights Act.

The three appeals judges who unanimously upheld Virginias law Tuesday  Dennis Shedd, Paul Niemeyer and G. Steven Agee  were nominated by Republican presidents.

Claire Gastanaga, executive director of the Virginia American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement that the decision discounts the reality of the hardships that voters with disabilities encounter, and ignores that many other vulnerable groups of people lack ID or the means to obtain one.

Whether our voter ID law is legal is of no moment; the fact is that it is wrong to enact unnecessary barriers to voting just because you can, she added.

Bruce Spiva of the law firm Perkins Coie suggested the plaintiffs could appeal again.

Were disappointed in the courts decision and are reviewing to determine our next steps in this litigation, he said. We remain fully committed to fighting unnecessary burdens on the right to vote in the commonwealth.

A different 4th Circuit panel found in the North Carolina case that the states legislature had intentionally enacted voting restrictions to blunt the growing political power of African-American voters, who turned out in record numbers for President Barack Obama.

The North Carolina provisions target African Americans with almost surgical precision, Judge Diana Gribbon Motz wrote in that opinion.

An evenly divided Supreme Court in August refused to restore the states strict voting law.



The Washington Posts Gregory S. Schneider contributed to this report.

virginia-voterid
The results are in, the conclusion inescapable: Black women are exceptional, phenomenal even.

The latest evidence is perhaps the most compelling: While the life expectancy for everybody else in the country declined last year, the black woman held her own.

Ironic, isnt it?

White men, white women and black men took a hit, according a report last week by the Centers for Disease Control. As a result, the nations overall life expectancy has declined.

Among the leading causes of death was a spike in heart disease related primarily to obesity and a sharp rise in drug overdoses and suicide associated with depression and hopelessness.

With black women being disproportionately overweight, overworked, overlooked and underpaid, youd think they would be on the verge of extinction.

How the black woman managed to escape such a widespread decline in life expectancy borders on the miraculous. Not only did they hold on to an average life span of 78 years, other recent studies show that black women are also the most optimistic.

What we are seeing is that the message about the importance of health is getting through to black women, said Linda Goler Blount, president and chief executive of Black Womens Health Imperative, a national health advocacy nonprofit based in the District of Columbia. The data show that the majority of us know that we need to improve and are working on it. We also understand the importance of having a positive attitude. When black women are asked to define what good health means, we say things such as being calm or being at peace. We dont use diseases to define it. We dont let a condition like obesity define who we are, even though we work on getting into shape.

A recent report by the Black Womans Health Imperative shows that black women tend to be less sedentary than other groups.

Whether its because of a lack of transportation or a determined effort to get exercise, black women tend to walk a lot, Blount said. We are on the move more than most.

The report, which is based on 20 years of research by Boston University, also found that more black women are talking with their daughters, nieces and granddaughters about the risks of unprotected sex. That and other programs focusing on teenage girls have resulted in a dramatic drop in teen pregnancy and infant mortality.

In the Washington area, black women have started dozens if not scores of neighborhood-based fitness groups and organizations that advocate health. Churches, beauty shops and sororities are on the forefront of these efforts.

There has also been the Michelle Obama Effect,  Blount said. Her emphasis on healthy eating and exercise during the past eight years has really paid off. Black women are so inspired by her  her relationships with her husband, children and mother. Black women are really trying to emulate her.

This is not to say that black women dont have serious health issues.

Breast cancer still claims far more black lives than white ones. There are gross disparities in medical treatment for black women and white women. Blacks are more likely to live in areas without quality grocery stores that offer a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

You can come to Prince Georges County, one of the wealthiest black counties in the country, and there are only two upscale, high-end supermarkets, says economist Rhonda Sharpe. Why wouldnt a store of that caliber put down roots in a wealthy black community? Some folks will call it systemic racism: Black money isnt green enough.

The struggle for black womens health continues. Black women are more likely to become victims of violence than any other group of women. The perpetrators are usually black men. Still, black women have been the driving force behind the Black Lives Matter movement, whose primary purpose is to stop police from killing innocent black men.

Moreover, watching cellphone videos of black men being shot by police has caused many black women to experience symptoms akin to post-traumatic stress disorder. With the election of Donald Trump, whose campaign was tainted with racism and misogyny, black women have reported heightened levels of fear and anger.

The good news is that black women are coming together to help each other, Blount said. We are learning the importance of self-care. We have to take care of ourselves first if we expect to help others.

And the outlook is good: Although white women still live on average three years longer than black women, the gap is rapidly narrowing. Black women are living longer and longer.

You can speculate on the reasons, but the results are nothing short of astounding.

health-comment
In a ceasefire deal, the Syrian rebels will evacuate from eastern Aleppo. The deal comes after Russia announced that all its military action in the territory have stopped.

A Syrian army soldier places a Syrian national flag during a battle with rebel fighters at the Ramouseh front line, east of Aleppo, Syria. (Photo: AP)

By AP: Syrian rebels reached a ceasefire deal to evacuate from eastern Aleppo in an effective surrender on Tuesday, as Russia declared all military action had stopped and the Syrian government had assumed control of the former rebel enclave.

The dramatic developments, which appeared to restore the remainder of what was once Syria's largest city to President Bashar Assad's forces after months of heavy fighting and a crippling siege, followed reports of mass killings by government forces closing in on the final few blocks still held by the rebels.

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Damascus confirmed the evacuation deal and the UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, called for immediate access to the former rebel enclave to confirm the end of military operations and to oversee the safe departure of tens of thousands of civilians and opposition fighters. He was at the Security Council where an emergency meeting for Aleppo was underway.Russia's U.N. ambassador Vitaly Churkin took to the floor near the end of the session at the U.N. Security Council to announce fighting had ended.

Also read: #SaveAleppo: Syrians in Aleppo are making goodbye posts, say they're prepared to die

MILITARY ACTIONS IN EASTERN ALEPPO OVER

"According to the latest information that we received ... military actions in eastern Aleppo are over," Churkin said. "The Syrian government has re-established control over eastern Aleppo."

Minutes earlier, he had announced that "all militants" and members of their families, as well as those wounded in the fighting, were being evacuated through "agreed corridors in directions that they have chosen voluntarily," including the rebel stronghold of Idlib province.

As word spread of the deal, celebrations broke out in the government-controlled western sector of Aleppo, with convoys of cars driving around honking their cars and waving Syrian flags from the windows.

Retaking Aleppo, which has been split between rebel and government control since 2012, would be Assad's biggest victory yet in the civil war. Aleppo, the country's former commercial powerhouse, has long been regarded as a major gateway between Turkey and Syria and the biggest prize in the conflict.

The agreement Tuesday came after world leaders and aid agencies issued dramatic appeals on behalf of trapped residents, and the U.N. human rights office said that pro-government forces reportedly killed 82 civilians as they closed in on the last remaining rebel areas.

That and other reports of mass killings, which could not be independently confirmed, reinforced fears of atrocities in the final hours of the battle for the city.

CREDIBLE REPORTS OF CIVILIAN KILLINGS

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the emergency meeting he had received "credible reports" of civilians killed by intense bombing and summary executions by pro-government forces.

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"To the Assad regime, Russia and Iran -three member states behind the conquest of and carnage in Aleppo - you bear responsibility for these atrocities," said U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power.

In Turkey, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul, chanting against Russia's involvement in the push to retake rebel-held areas of Aleppo.

Several residents and opposition activists in Syria told the AP that government forces carried out summary killings of rebels in neighborhoods captured on Monday, but the Syrian military denied the claim, saying such allegations were "a desperate attempt" to gain international sympathy.

None of the residents witnessed the alleged killings, and the reports came amid deepening chaos in the remaining rebel-held areas. Mohammed Abu Rajab, the administrator of the last remaining clinic in rebel-held parts of the city, said the dead and wounded were being left in the streets.

Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syria's ambassador to the United Nations, denied any mass executions or revenge attacks, but added it was Syria's "constitutional right" to go after "terrorists," a reference to all opposition fighters.

"Aleppo has been liberated from terrorists and those who toyed with terrorism," he said. "Aleppo has returned to the nation."

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OVER 100 UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN TRAPPED

The U.N. children's agency said in a statement that it had received a report of more than 100 unaccompanied children trapped in a building under fire in eastern Aleppo. UNICEF is concerned over reports of "extrajudicial killings of civilians, including children," said the agency's regional director, Geert Cappalaere.

The U.N. human rights office said it had received reports of pro-government forces killing at least 82 civilians in four neighborhoods of the rapidly-shrinking rebel enclave, including 11 women and 13 children.

Spokesman Rupert Colville, speaking to reporters in Geneva, said the reports described pro-government forces entering homes and killing civilians "on the spot."

A news release by the U.N. human rights office in Geneva said that multiple sources reported dozens of civilians were shot dead Monday by government forces and allied militiamen in the Kallaseh and Bustan al-Qasr neighborhoods of eastern Aleppo.

Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said hundreds of bodies were still under the rubble.

CONFLICTING REPORTS

There were conflicting reports about the timing and route of the rebel withdrawal.

Syria's military media said the gunmen would be evacuated through the Ramouseh crossing and from there to rebel-controlled areas of northern Idlib province.

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"Aleppo will be declared a secure and liberated city within the coming hours," it said on its Telegram channel.

Osama Abu Zayd, a Turkey-based legal adviser for an umbrella group of rebel factions known as the Free Syrian Army, said the cease-fire went into effect Tuesday evening and that the first groups of rebel fighters would begin evacuating later that day.

Yasser al-Youssef, a rebel spokesman, confirmed the deal, and another spokesman, Ahmed Karali, said those leaving the city would head to rural areas in western Aleppo province then head north.

A government win in Aleppo would significantly strengthen Assad's hand but does not end the conflict - significant parts of Syria are still outside government control and huge swaths of the country are a devastated wasteland. More than a quarter of a million people have been killed since the conflict began in 2011 with peaceful protests against the Assad family's four-decade rule.

--- ENDS ---
SANTA FE  An armed robber fired a handgun at Santa Fe Home Depot loss prevention employees as he was leaving the store with over $2,000 in merchandise Monday afternoon, according to an incident report released Tuesday by the Santa Fe Police Department.

Officers believe the same man and his younger accomplice previously pointed guns at employees at an Albuquerque Home Depot while stealing similar items.

The Santa Fe Home Depots staff told police that a man who was about 50 years old, 6 feet tall and 250 pounds with a knit cap and a shaggy beard came into the store around 3 p.m. and was looking around in a suspicious nature. The man put two drills and three welders in a shopping cart and began to walk out the emergency exit at the rear of the store. When employees tried to stop him, he pulled a handgun from the front of his pants and said, Do you want to die? The workers took cover and heard the gun go off.

The suspect was in the doorway and yelling for another male to hurry up. He then got into a Chevy van with license plate number KDX112 that was parked near the emergency exit. The driver led officers on a high-speed chase on Cerrillos Road and onto southbound Interstate 25 before the pursuit was called off at the Waldo Canyon exit. The report says the van ran a couple red lights and nearly caused an accident on Cerrillos and Camino Entrada. Police later found a 22-caliber shell casing near the emergency exit of the store but couldnt find bullet fragments.

Employees told police that the suspect had shoplifted before and was known to carry a gun. Officers say the same man took similar items from the Home Depot on Coors Boulevard in Albuquerque and brandished a gun at loss prevention employees Sept. 30. Workers at the Coors store also say a younger man had previously pointed a gun at them while taking similar items.

An Albuquerque Police Department officer spoke with the Albuquerque man whose name is registered to the getaway vans license plate number, and that man said the license plate was stolen
SANTA FE  A bloody fight in Taos between elected members of the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative has resulted in identical charges against both men involved.

Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Trustees Chris Duran and Virgil Martinez face citations for petty misdemeanor assault, battery and public affray stemming from the Nov. 29 argument and fight, which started in a closed executive session and moved to a hallway, Taos police said. They both assaulted each other, they both battered each other and they fought in public, Taos police Lt. David Maggio said.

Police and the towns attorney agreed on the charges after viewing blurry surveillance video of the incident, which occurred at the co-ops Taos office, Maggio said. That video, according to a police report, shows Martinez, 62, and Duran, 44, in a hallway with Duran in a defensive stance and Martinez facing him.

The two engage in a pushing match and they continue to be locked in grips and the two fall  Virgil is now on his back and Chris is on his knees above him and is observed cocking his arm back and striking Virgil three times to the head, the report states. Martinez suffered a black eye and bloodied lip requiring stitches.

The report says Duran told police Martinez started shoving and grabbing him around the neck in the hallway and put him in a headlock type position and he tried to get away and he (Duran) hit him back, the report said. Martinez also threatened to kill him after the physical fight was over.

Duran has said previously that he acted in self-defense. Martinez said last week he tried to push Duran out of the way and was knocked to the floor and beaten by Duran.

The police report says Martinez told investigators he had Duran by the shirt and he tried to push him away but he had a hold of his (Durans) scapular, a religious item worn around the neck. Martinez started to hit him in the chest area on the right side, Duran told police.

Police interviewed Martinez at the hospital and his recollection was somewhat hazy. Martinez said the board didnt like what he had said and they continued to argue and Chris told him they should go outside. According to the report, Martinez also said he followed Duran to the hallway and as soon as he walked past the door, Duran punched him in the face and kicked him. A board witness said they observed him (Martinez) grabbing hold of Chris.

Martinez told police he did not threaten Chris or not that he remembered. But board chair Bobby Oretga said that before the combatants left the boardroom, Martinez told Duran in Spanish to go outside and that he was going to kill him. Attorneys for both declined to comment on the charges.
SANTA FE  A former Santa Fe pharmacist received a three-year probation term after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of dispensing a controlled substance without a prescription.

He was sentenced at a hearing in Albuquerque federal court Tuesday.

The U.S Attorneys Office said that per his plea agreement, David Nunez admitted that in May 2011 he allowed someone from another pharmacy to lease space in the pharmacy Nunez owned  Medicap Pharmacy  to compound medications. He also admitted that he received more than a kilogram of testosterone, a controlled substance, at his pharmacy which had been ordered by the lessee using Nunezs Drug Enforcement Administration registration number.

Nunez provided the testosterone to the lessee even though he did not process any specific prescriptions for any patients for the testosterone and was not aware of any specific prescriptions for the medication, says the new release from the U.S. Attorneys Office.

The New Mexico Board of Pharmacy suspended Nunezs pharmacist in June 2015 as the result of a separate investigation and he subsequently sold the pharmacy, says the news release.

Nunez isnt allowed to reapply for a pharmacist license or a DEA registration to dispense controlled substances during his probation term. Nunez must also serve 100 hours of community service.
One wonders what it is exactly that the Albuquerque Journal is attempting to accomplish with its official opinion articulating a young-thug pipeline.

To commence, the opinion offers a rebuttal of its own claims. That despite the large body of research that demonstrates that adolescents have inept impulse-control and decision-making skills, that what actually enables these young thugs is some sort of personal accountability problem, which the Journal falsely claims has been encouraged by laws and policies that, literally promote illiteracy and driving while ditching/dropping out  .

Instead of responsibly analyzing the reasons behind juvenile delinquency or discussing evidence-based solutions, the Journal skips facts and scruples, and offers other fuzzy and incoherent speculations  including a bizarre claim that New Mexico has not even taken basic steps to ensure that children can read.

Predictably, the Journal concludes by calling for enhanced criminal penalties, as always  this time even proposing an unconstitutional bill of attainder  meanwhile disregarding that every credible study shows that enhanced criminalization has no deterrent effect, a rule that is even more true when applied to juveniles.

Children in the juvenile justice system comprise a principally vulnerable population: primarily impoverished and minority children, and children who have been in the protective services system due to abuse or neglect. Bearing in mind that children are more amenable to treatment and that juvenile delinquency differs in appreciable respects from adult crime, New Mexico has adopted well-conceived laws that seek to rehabilitate and function in the childs best interest.

These laws include confidentiality, a prohibition of online record publication and record sealing, and they experienced broad, bipartisan support and were passed unanimously.

These policies protect children from what are known as collateral consequences, i.e. the unofficial civil ramifications that result from merely being charged. Collateral consequences include the ability to access federal student loans for college, acceptance into military or police forces, ability to secure gainful employment and access to housing.

Additionally, current ramifications for children in the media spotlight include access barriers to treatment and high school programs.

The Journal et al., who are parading childrens names and faces as teasers for the 10 oclock news or printing them in the Sunday circular, are undermining these universally held objectives and confusing the public regarding the severity of the issue. These practices are belligerent, unfair and unethical.

Unless you are a criminal justice insider, you have little context from which to derive what actually happened in the real world for what has been charged, thanks to the smoke-and-mirrors practices of the District Attorneys Office.

For example, I recently had a 12 year old charged with two counts of drug trafficking. He allegedly sold one marijuana joint for $5. Also this year, I represented a child who faced over eight years when he was charged  as an adult  with aggravated battery on a police officer with a deadly weapon after he accidentally ran over the toe of an officers boot with his ATV in the Rio Grande ditch bank.

The officer stated in a recording that he never felt any pain; was not injured; never thought he was injured; did not think the child did it on purpose; and did not think the child even knew he did it.

Neither of these children were wholly innocent in the strictest sense but, if they were your kids, you would want to rest assured that their pictures alongside the named charges, two counts of drug trafficking or aggravated battery upon a police officer with a deadly weapon, could not possibly appear on TV or in the Sunday paper so as to stigmatize the child and their family for time eternal.

The Journals lack of clarity in terms of understanding the causes of juvenile delinquency and its unethical, harmful treatment of the subject matter is alarming. Please, members of the media, refrain from sensationalizing our youth and do right by New Mexicos children.
A political earthquake happened in November. While most of the nation went right (Republicans control 69 of the nations 99 legislative bodies), New Mexicos House, which had been under Republican control for the first time since the 1950s, flipped back to Democrat control.

While Democrats lost liberal Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, the new legislative leadership is, if anything, more liberal than past leaders. With Republican Susana Martinez in the governors mansion for two more years, compromise would seem hard to come by.

However, stalemate is not an option. There need to be some positive economic reforms in New Mexico.

The trick will be to find common ground. Democrats may try to achieve their goals through the constitutional amendment process, but those take time to be approved by voters. This 60-day legislative session is an opportunity to put forth innovative bipartisan reforms that can improve the economy.

One idea that might have some bipartisan legs is occupational licensing reform.

While conservatives going back to Milton Friedman have had serious concerns about the constant growth of licensing, President Obamas administration issued a report Occupational Licensing: A Framework for Policymakers which decried the negative impact of too many licensing requirements and how those requirements disproportionately impact low-income workers.

It would seem that removing some licensing requirements or at least revamping the licensing process to make jobs more accessible to more people might be an area of bipartisan agreement with positive outcomes for jobs and economic growth.

Licensing reform should also be undertaken for those with criminal records. It can be difficult or impossible for people who have been involved in the criminal justice system to obtain required licensing under New Mexico law. We know that New Mexico has a serious crime problem, why let licensing laws stand in the way of those who have paid their debt to society and wish to find productive work?

One licensing-related issue that has already generated bipartisan support in New Mexicos Legislature is the embrace of mid-level dental providers known as dental therapists. Particularly in rural areas of our state, dental care can be hard to come by. Dental therapists are licensed providers between dentists and hygienists. They can do basic procedures like fillings thus allowing dentists to focus their attention on more complicated procedures.

Minnesota is one of an increasing number of states that have embraced dental therapy. I had an opportunity to visit the state earlier this year and found dentists, dental therapists and patients all excited to share the positive impacts of this slight licensing reform.

The last issue to consider is, rather than simply raising taxes, which Im confident is on the agenda for many Democrats, we need to have a deeper discussion about tax reform.

The gross receipts tax is both regressive (something Democrats claim they care about) and a jobs killer. Without a thriving oil and gas sector, it also isnt generating the revenue that New Mexico has grown accustomed to. A recent Legislative Finance Committee noted a 30 percent drop-off in revenues from October 2015 to October 2016.

If New Mexico is going to get out of its current economic rut, squeezing that proverbial blood from the turnip by raising taxes isnt the answer.

The next two years are going to be a real challenge for this state. The easy economic reforms like right to work are off the table due to shifting political winds. Stalemate between the legislature and governor is not an option. Hopefully some positive agreement can be reached for the sake of New Mexico.
Theres a wonderful exchange in A Man for All Seasons in which Thomas More debates young idealist William Roper about the need for laws and giving the accused the benefit of the doubt. For space considerations, lets jump to the end:

Roper: So now youd give the Devil benefit of law!

More: Yes. What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?

Roper: Id cut down every law in England to do that!

More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This countrys planted thick with laws from coast to coast  mans laws, not Gods  and if you cut them down  and youre just the man to do it  do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, Id give the Devil benefit of law for my own safetys sake.

As partisans continue to retreat to their corners to either weep or gloat about the election results and whats in store from a Trump presidency, this is a helpful little sermon to keep in mind.

Turnabout is fair play is a deeply human sentiment. In politics, its both tedious and fun, because while reciprocity is satisfying, hypocrisy is annoying. For instance, when Republicans take control of the Senate, Democrats instantly become sticklers for procedure, precedent and constitutionalism. When Republicans lose the Senate, its Democrats, start your steamrollers.

While You did it, so now we can too is a perfectly natural attitude, it encourages cynicism precisely because it renders principles into arguments of convenience.

When President Obama was testing  and exceeding  the limits of his constitutional powers, liberals grabbed their pompoms and cheered. Now that Donald Trump is in power, theyre rediscovering that constitutional safeguards are there for everybody. When Obama grew the deficit, Republicans insisted there was a debt crisis. Now, the president-elect says we must prime the pump with up to $1 trillion in deficit spending, and the former deficit hawks slumber in their nests.

Regardless, that excerpt from A Man for All Seasons is not intended to imply that Trump is the devil  or that Obama is. Suffice it to say that one partisans devil is another partisans angel. Im more interested in breaking the cycle and seizing an opportunity.

One of my most cherished principles is the importance of localism, subsidiarity or what is most commonly called federalism. The idea is pretty simple: People on the ground in their own communities have a better understanding of how they want to live and what they want from government. Local politicians are easier to hold accountable, and culture-war arguments arent abstractions when the combatants have to look each other in the eye.

Normally, under Democratic presidents, liberals treat any discussion of federalism as code for wanting Jim Crow or even slavery. They mock anyone who invokes the 10th Amendment, which holds that any rights not constitutionally spelled out for the federal government belong to the states or the people. I could provide countless quotes to demonstrate this, but again, Im trying not to score partisan points but to seize an opportunity.

You see, under Republican presidents, many liberals suddenly discover the benefits of progressive federalism  as some called it under George W. Bush  or states rights for the left, as it was called in Jeffrey Rosens recent New York Times piece. Under president Obama, virtually any talk of secession  even in theory  was deemed the obsession of cranks and weirdos. But days after Trumps victory, Calexit  a movement for California to secede from the United States  took on new life.

And guess what? I dont care about the hypocrisy. What I want is buy-in.

This is a rare and ripe moment for conservatives and libertarians to convert progressives to a good idea. And why shouldnt they?

Much progressive thought centers around notions of social solidarity and community. Liberal millennials and hipsters are receptive to the idea that the feds shouldnt regulate their stinky cheeses, raw milk, micobrews and weed. Personally, I think sanctuary cities are legal bunk, but the idea that localities should have the maximum allowable autonomy within the boundaries of the Constitution is perhaps the best way to maximize freedom and happiness.

The trick, however, is not just to convince liberals that local autonomy is good for them in the era of Trump. It is to get them on record that this is also acceptable for conservatives when the winds change direction and its their devil in the White House.
WASHINGTON  After post-truth comes all-fake.

The election of Donald Trump has seen the flowering of the post-truth landscape. Emotion outranks fact; believing makes it so. We are all Tinker Bell now.

So when the president-elect claims, with no basis in reality, that he would have won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally, the customary burden of proof is flipped: Where, his minions ask, with no hint of embarrassment, is the evidence that the assertion is untrue?

I dont know that that is a false statement, George, and neither do you, vice president elect Mike Pence told George Stephanopoulos said on ABCs This Week. Incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus took a similar true-until-proven-otherwise stance toward Trumps outlandish assertion: I dont know if thats not true.

In this post-truth universe, institutions  news media, the intelligence community  are drained of all credibility. Thus Trump, speaking to Fox News Chris Wallace on Sunday, summarily rejected not only the CIAs conclusion that Russia intervened in the election on Trumps behalf, but even the less controversial assessment that Russia was behind the hacking.

Personally, it could be Russia. I dont really think it is, Trump told Wallace. But who knows? I dont know either. They dont know and I dont know. Yes, intelligence can be wrong, a point the Trump transition team seized on last Friday in a written response to The Washington Posts report: These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

But appropriate skepticism about intelligence is one thing  summary, self-interested dismissal without engaging in this inquiry is quite another. This behavior was shocking enough coming from a major-party nominee.

From a president-elect, it is appallingly irresponsible. No president-elect would want to hear the assessment that a foreign power intervened to boost his campaign. A responsible president-elect would want to hear the evidence, and consider his options. How much easier, in the post-truth universe, to believe it all away, to blame it on some guy in his home in New Jersey.

With facts passe, the next, inexorable move is to reduce all news to the same level of distrust and disbelief. If nothing is true, then everything can be false.

So #pizzagate, the dangerously false accusation of a child sex ring run by Hillary Clinton operatives, occupies the same diminished rung as a news report that fails to toe the official line.

Trump is not responsible for the explosion of fake news, but he and his advisers seem delighted to exploit it. Reports by @CNN that I will be working on The Apprentice during my Presidency, even part time, are ridiculous & untrue  FAKE NEWS! Trump tweeted Saturday morning.

Similarly, transition spokesman Sean Spicer, disputing a New York Times report that Russia hacked the Republican National Committees computer system, tweeted that the story was Exhibit #1 in the fake news.

And Trump adviser Newt Gingrich made the connection even more explicit: The idea of The New York Times being worried about fake news is really weird, he told a chuckling Sean Hannity on Fox News. The New York Times is fake news.

Journalism is an inherently imperfect profession. We write the first rough draft of history  as best we can, subject to correction and revision. But there is a difference between inevitably flawed and intentionally false. To deliberately blur this distinction is to seek to undermine the central role of media in a free society.

This is where Trump has gone beyond the norm, and beyond the pale.

All politicians chafe at their coverage. In 1992, George H.W. Bushs campaign passed out bumper stickers proclaiming, Annoy the media, re-elect Bush. But the tone of Trumps unrelenting assault on the dishonest media and his zeal in inciting the mob against them are more menacing than any president since Nixon.

Thomas Jefferson famously wrote that he would prefer to have newspapers without a government than a government without newspapers. The Trump team would clearly make a different choice, at least when it comes to his government.

If that is not within his reach, Trump is going for second best: a society in which all truth is malleable and all news suspect. Whose voice, whose vision, whose authority will then be trusted? Trump doesnt say, but it is not hard to guess.

Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.
Heather Wilsons impressive resume, breadth of world experience and thoughtful approach to the most complex of problems make her a wise choice for a role in Americas national security apparatus.

The New Mexico Republican met with officials on President-elect Donald Trumps transition team Monday at Trump Tower in Manhattan. A Fox News tweet has her under consideration for the critical position of director of national intelligence  along with former Hewlett-Packard CEO/GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, who has received far more media attention regarding the post and who has met with Trump personally.

Still, Wilson checks the right boxes.

She is a Rhodes scholar with masters and doctoral degrees in international relations from Oxford University in England. She understands U.S. military strategies and challenges as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and an officer. She has been stationed overseas and has worked in Washington.

Any single assignment in her intelligence background would set her apart and above other candidates  Wilson was the negotiator and political adviser to the commander of the U.S. Air Force in Britain, the negotiator and defense planning officer for the U.S. mission to NATO, acting representative of the secretary of defense to the negotiations on the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, director of defense policy and arms control for the National Security Council, and chairwoman and ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, overseeing Americas defense and technical intelligence capabilities.

(Wilson has also owned a small business, run a state Cabinet department and represented New Mexico  and its four military bases and three national laboratories  in Congress for a decade.)

While there are other accomplished individuals up for the job, including Fiorina, Wilson has a personal understanding of the civilian, military and political sides to any national security issue.

Wilson has been a college president in South Dakota since 2013, no doubt a job with its own challenges but one that arguably does not take full advantage of her unique education and professional experience.

There is little question that political unrest and terror attacks have made this a scary world, and the United States needs an experienced hand to help guide it through dangerous national security waters. Heather Wilson would provide it.

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.
Albuquerques Holly Holm will be back in action Feb. 11, fighting for a newly minted UFC 145-pound womens UFC title.

The UFC announced Tuesday that Holm (10-2) will face The Netherlands Germaine de Randamie 6-3) for the 145-pound belt at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

How awesome is that? Holm said in an interview with ESPN.com. In my dream world, I want to win the 145-pound belt and get back the 135-pound belt I lost. Id like to hold both simultaneously.

Holm won the UFC bantamweight (135-pound) title in November 2015, defeating previously beaten Ronda Rousey by second-round TKO. Holm lost the title last March in Las Vegas, Nev. to Miesha Tate by fifth-round submission.

In July, Holm lost by unanimous decision to Valentina Shevchenko in Chicago. A broken thumb suffered in that fight kept Holm out of action the remainder of this year.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

University of New Mexico President Bob Frank will step down as head of the states largest university at the end of this month, about five months ahead of schedule, and Provost Chaouki Abdallah will step in as interim until a new president is hired, UNM announced Tuesday.

The dean of the Anderson School of Management, Craig White, will serve as acting provost.

UNM regents have agreed to pay Frank through May for professional development, at which time Frank will be offered a tenured position at the Health Sciences Center at an annual salary of $190,000.

The board of regents has determined it is in the best interest of UNM to bring a quick resolution to this matter that is both fair and doesnt impede our ability to move forward as an institution and conduct a successful presidential search, regents President Rob Doughty said in a statement after a special closed meeting Tuesday.

Jaymeson Pegue, Franks attorney, said the president would not comment on the agreement on Tuesday, but he may make a statement today. Pegue said the document would contain a release agreement between both parties that would require that they drop any claims related to the matter.

Pegue also said that as of Tuesday afternoon Frank had not signed the agreement.

The university has already launched a search for a new president and says it expects to have one in place in the spring. Abdallah, a professor who has been with UNM for nearly 30 years, said he does not plan to seek the permanent position.

The regents voted 5-2 early Tuesday to accept the settlement agreement, with regents Marron Lee and Tom Clifford casting the dissenting votes.

Under the new agreement UNM released Tuesday, Frank would step down as president at the end of December, continue to receive pay through May, and then have the option to work at the Health Sciences Center under chancellor Dr. Paul Roth at the $190,000 salary. He would need to move out of the presidents house by March 1.

The option of a tenured position at Health Sciences  at a much higher salary of $350,000  was first included in a resignation agreement between Frank and the regents that was signed in September. In that agreement, Frank said he would resign when his current contract ends on May 31 and the regents promised the Health Sciences tenured position at the much higher salary.

In late November, the Journal obtained two reports critical of Frank. One was an audit that found $5,500 had been over-reimbursed to Frank, and the other criticized his management style as being too bullying.

Frank has not seen a copy of the management style report, which was leaked to the news media a day before the meeting. The regents did not take action at that meeting.

Frank in turn sent the regents a notice last week that he intended to sue the board in connection with the defamatory documents leaked to the media.

Frank, who earned three degrees from UNM, has been leading the university since June 2012, and in that time has raised the four-year graduation rate and the retention rate of freshmen students.

The new agreement would appear to end recent legal wrangling between Frank and the regents.

Successful search

Abdallah, an outspoken faculty leader, started as interim provost in 2011 under then-President David Schmidly before later officially assuming the post under Frank.

Abdallah will have to lead the university through tough financial straits as the state budget continues to look bleak. In 2016, the state cut 5 percent of all state higher education institutions, and the state is on track to finish the current fiscal year with a deficit of roughly $69 million. To address the shortfall, the university froze staff hiring and slowed the replacement of empty faculty positions.

The university is also being monitored by the Department of Justice in connection with the way it handles incidents of sexual assault.

Abdallah said hes aware of the issues and as a member of Franks administrative team had some roles in addressing most of them. He added he does not plan any major changes.

My whole focus is to make sure that the things that are working well continue to progress and to try to calm things down so we can have a successful search, Abdallah said.

Focus on the future

The announcement regarding Franks future was met with a mixture of surprise and relief by representatives of the campus community. In a statement, the president of the undergraduate student government, Kyle Biederwolf, said his organization was shocked at the news regarding Frank and that the group will work with Abdallah for a smooth transition of leadership.

Glenda Lewis, the president of the graduate student association, is a member of the presidential search committee. She said she didnt think the tensions between the board and president would affect that search, and that those interested in the job should know the difficulties they will inherit.

Theyre going to know these are some challenges and they have a vision and foresight to meet those challenges, Lewis said.

Pamela Pyle, head of the faculty senate, said faculty members were concerned that the recent events at the university could harm UNMs reputation. She also said many were grateful that the matter between Frank and the board was resolved quickly.

It is essential that current events do not adversely affect the working relationships of the governing bodies at the University, and thus the ability of an incoming president to fulfill his or her duties, Pyle said in a statement at the board of regents meeting Tuesday.
The ATS has written to Centre requesting them to provide all the information about new ISIS recruit Tabrez Khan.

By Mustafa Shaikh: Mobile and laptop seized from Tabrez Khan family have been sent for forensic tests. Tabrez Khan, a Mumbaikar had left his house to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The ATS believes that the laptop and mobile are important to understand what Ali, the ISIS recruiter, who recruited Khan, did during his month-long visit to Mumbai.

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Ali, a Saudi national, whose identity has been confirmed by Maharashtra ATS was in Mumbra in 2015 for a month, he is said to be the recruter for Khan. The ATS suspects that Ali recruited more people during his stay.

The ATS has written to Centre requesting them to provide all the information about new ISIS recruit Tabrez Khan. The ATS wants to know about the present status of Tabrez, where is he now, at what position he is working for the banned terrorist organisation and if at all he has been apprehended by the Libiyan Enforcement Agency. "We have written to the Central Government requesting them to seek and provide detail about Tabrez Khan," said a senior ATS official. Forensic department to retrieve data from mobile and laptop which can be used for investigation purpose. "We are getting the details of bank accounts which Tabrez and his family member hold so that we can get knowledge about money trail," added an official.

The agency has also started recording statement of those people whom Tabrez and Ali met during their stay in India earlier this year.

Last week, Tabrez was booked by the ATS under Sections 16 (committing terrorist acts), 18 (conspiracy), 18 (B) (recruiting person or persons for terrorist act), 20, 38 (member of a terrorist organisation) and 39 (supporting a terrorist organisation) under UAPA .

According to sources, Tabrez, who hails from Ratnagiri had completed his graduation from Mumbai University and subsequently done a diploma course in Air Cargo management.

He has three brothers and a sister. While the brother who lodged the complaint with ATS works with a private airline as an executive with its booking and reservation centre, one brother works with an IT firm in Hinjewadi, Pune and the other is a student. In 2009, the family had moved to Mumbra.

--- ENDS ---
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  An influential New Mexico state senator is warning that a failure to act quickly in the coming 60-day legislative session to address persistent budget woes could lead to the cancellation of public school days and unpaid furloughs for teachers.

Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, chairman of the Legislative Finance Committee, pointed out that the states budget year will already be more than half over by the time lawmakers convene in Santa Fe next month  the states budget year ends in June  and waiting until late in the 60-day session to approve a solvency fix would make it difficult to come up with necessary savings.

New Mexico is on track to have a deficit of about $69 million for the current fiscal budget year even if all cash reserves are spent, according to new revenue estimates unveiled last week.

Weve got to save money fast, Smith told the Journal in an interview this week. If we cant get a consensus and find some corners that still have money in them, were going to have to take drastic action.

The last thing I want is a furlough of classroom teachers for three days, he added.

However, a spokesman for Gov. Susana Martinez called Smiths warning absurd, saying the two-term Republican governor believes classroom spending and economic initiatives can be spared from further state government belt-tightening.

We have serious budget challenges, but its counterproductive to resort to scare tactics in order to push an agenda that would raise taxes on our families, Martinez spokesman Michael Lonergan said Tuesday.

Although no solvency package has been put forward publicly, Smith earlier this year proposed an increase of 5 cents a gallon in the states gas tax as a way to help balance the budget.

Meanwhile, the Governors Office also said state lawmakers left various solvency options on the table during a special session held this fall, including a proposal to divert money from their retirement accounts.

During that session, legislators slashed spending for universities, public schools and most state agencies  by as much as 5.5 percent in some cases  in response to the ongoing budget crunch, which is largely due to low oil and natural gas prices and their ripple effect on the states economy. Lawmakers also signed off on several one-time fixes during the special session.

Currently, K-12 public school spending makes up about 44 percent of state spending  or nearly $2.7 million. Although education has had smaller budget cuts, percentage-wise, than other agencies and programs over the last year, protecting school funding could prove difficult if the revenue downturn persists.

Unpaid furlough days for state workers have been used as a budget-balancing tool in the past  most recently in 2010 under then-Gov. Bill Richardson  and have been mentioned as a possibility for some agencies, including the judicial branch, for the current budget crunch.

Furloughing public school teachers would likely have a big impact on families and educators around New Mexico. There are currently about 23,000 public school teachers statewide, according to the Public Education Department.

In hopes of avoiding such a drastic move, Smith and others would like for lawmakers to approve an emergency solvency package for the current budget year in the sessions opening days. It could then be sent to the Governors Office for final approval.

In a rare move for a 60-day session, the Legislatures two budget-writing committees  the Senate Finance Committee and the House Appropriations and Finance Committee  will begin meeting the week before the session starts on Jan. 17, after leading legislators gave authorization earlier this week. That could pave the way for a quick vote once the full Legislature convenes.

Smith is widely regarded as one of the Legislatures top budget gurus. He has clashed with the Martinez administration over budget issues in recent years, but he called last week on the executive branch and legislators to work together on a solvency plan for the latest budget crisis.

In addition to a short-term budget fix, lawmakers will also have to approve a budget for next fiscal year during the session. The total revenue projected to be available for the budget year starting in July 2017  slightly more than $5.9 billion  is nearly $300 million less than original state spending levels for this year.

Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, said lawmakers will face hard decisions about whether to sign off on steeper cuts or raise revenue levels through tax increases or other mechanisms.

He also said changing state law to pass some of the states financial burden down to cities and counties  presumably by getting rid of a state subsidy for those local governments that have recently raised their tax rates  could be an option.

Weve got to do the best we can to make sure the ships right, and still floating, Ingle said. We dont have a choice.

Journal Capitol Bureau reporter Deborah Baker contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):

11:25 p.m.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans to hold an open hearing in January that will examine possible meddling by Russia in last months presidential election.

An aide to Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee says he and Ben Cardin of Maryland received a classified briefing on cyber threats prior to the Nov. 8.

Corker is the committees Republican chairman and Cardin is the top Democrat on the panel.

The aide was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.

Corker said on MSNBC Tuesday that the Director of National Intelligence, the CIA and the FBI differ over whether Russia interfered to help Donald Trump win the White House. He says, I know thats frustrating to people.

___

10:45 p.m.

The agency that oversees U.S. intelligence says it will release more information to the public about Russias attempts to influence the election once a review ordered by President Barack Obama is complete  but not before.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is responding to reports that the U.S. intelligence community is conflicted about whether Russian hacking was intended to help Donald Trump.

Obama has ordered a review of foreign interference in U.S. elections to be completed before he leaves office on Jan. 20. The office of DNI James Clapper says it will brief Congress on the conclusions and will also inform the public consistent with protecting intelligence sources and methods. That means some details may be withheld.

Clappers office says it wont comment until then.

___

10:20 p.m.

President-elect Donald Trumps transition team says a questionnaire sent to Energy Department officials was not authorized or part of our standard protocol.

The Trump team had sought information about the agencys operations and personnel, including a list of employees and contractors who attended international meetings on climate change over the past five years.

An Energy Department spokesman said Tuesday that the agency will not be providing any individual names to the transition team. The spokesman said some of the questions asked left DOE workers unsettled.

Democrats have called the questionnaire a modern-day political witch hunt that could have a chilling impact on federal workers.

The transition team released a statement Wednesday evening saying the questionnaire was not authorized and the person who sent it has been properly counseled.

___

4:50 p.m.

President-elect Donald Trump is naming Michigan GOP leader Ronna Romney McDaniel deputy chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, in anticipation of her becoming RNC chairwoman next year.

Trump is praising McDaniels loyalty to our movement and says, I look forward to her serving as the partys chairman in 2017.

McDaniel is the niece of 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who sharply criticized Trump throughout the 2016 election campaign. Trump was the first Republican presidential nominee to carry Michigan in 28 years.

The 168-member Republican National Committee is expected to select a new chairman at its winter meeting, scheduled for next month in Washington.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has been asked to serve as Trumps White House chief of staff. Priebus had supported McDaniel as his successor.

___

4:20 p.m.

A bipartisan advocacy group sees President-elect Donald Trump as a potential leader in long-dormant efforts to reduce big money in politics.

Issue One has united more than 100 former lawmakers behind a plan to give small donors more power in the political process through tax rebates. The coalition is led by former Indiana Rep. Tim Roemer, who says lawmakers often describe their fundraising duties as sickening.

Lawmakers think the new president could use his political juice to help pass the first major campaign finance overhaul in more than a decade. The group hopes to break through to Trump, who has put forward no policy proposals on the issue even as he has repeatedly pledged to drain the swamp in Washington.

Issue One has passed along its proposals to Trump transition aides.

___

2:45 p.m.

President-elect Donald Trump has told group of technology executives that hes here to help you folks do well.

Trump assembled the leaders at Trump Tower in New York on Wednesday.

Many in Silicon Valley were among Trumps sharpest critics during the campaign, expressing concerns his policies could stifle innovation and compromise digital privacy.

But Trump struck a positive message at the top of the meeting. He put it this way: We want you to keep going with the incredible innovation and said, We will be there for you.

Among those at the meeting: Apples Tim Cook, Alphabets Larry Page, Amazons Jeff Bezos (BAY-zohs) and Telsas Elon Musk, as well as Trumps adult children.

___

2:35 p.m.

Donald Trump could have big legal or political problems if he doesnt dump his new hotel in the nations capital.

Democrats say hed be in breach of his lease to use the government-owned building that houses the hotel unless he sells his ownership interest before he assumes office on Jan. 20.

House Democrats cite a Dec. 8 briefing by a deputy commissioner at the government agency thats overseeing the lease.

The General Services Administration says in a statement that it wont make a decision on whether theres a breach until after Trump is in the White House.

A clause in the lease requires that no elected official shall be admitted to the lease. Some experts in government contracting law have said that means Trump must divest his ownership interest.

___

12:10 p.m.

Hundreds of inaugural planners are spending the day planted in front of a giant 60-by-40-foot floor map of Washington trying to game out how each moment of Inauguration Day will play out.

These arent people who like surprises. Theyre trying to anticipate every scenario for a day that should be all about the peaceful transfer of power and not some pesky mix-up.

The military provides 13,000 active duty and National Guard members to help with the logistics associated with the swearing-in ceremony, massive parade, big protests, fancy balls and hundreds of thousands of spectators.

What really keeps the inaugural planners up at night? The weather.

One military commander jokes that theyve put the chaplain in charge of that variable, and hes promised a beautiful day for Jan. 20.

___

12:04 p.m.

Democratic senators are calling on Betsy DeVos (dih-VAHS)  President-elect Donald Trumps nominee for education secretary  to ensure that a political action committee she controlled pays $5.3 million in fines and penalties owed for campaign finance violations.

DeVos All Children Matter PAC broke Ohio election law by funneling $870,000 in contributions from its nationwide PAC to its Ohio affiliate in 2008. The state of Ohio later fined the group $5 million. That fine hasnt been paid yet.

Five Democratic senators have written DeVos to express concern that she and her PAC would  in the lawmakers words  brazenly disregard election law and blatantly refuse to take responsibility and pay the fines.

The senators note that, as education secretary, DeVos would oversee repayment of $1 trillion in debt from millions of student-loan borrowers.

___

12 p.m.

The chief government ethics agency says President-elect Donald Trumps plans to transfer management control of his business to his children wouldnt eliminate the issue of conflicts of interest.

Thats the word from the Office of Government Ethics in a letter responding to questions from Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware. The office says transferring management control to Trumps childrens wouldnt meet the requirements for setting up a blind trust or eliminate conflicts.

Other presidents have sold their financial assets and left the money in a blind trust overseen by a manager without ties to them. Thats not required by federal law.

Presidents are generally exempt from federal rules on conflicts of interest.

Trump tweeted on Monday that he plans to hand managerial control of his business to two of his children.

___

11:30 a.m.

Trump Hotels says itll no longer operate a Rio de Janeiro luxury hotel thats involved in a criminal investigation. The company also is pulling its name off the Brazilian property.

Trump Hotels spokeswoman Christine Lin tells The Associated Press that the decision was made because developers are behind schedule.

The beachside hotel in the upscale suburb of Barra da Tijuca was supposed to be finished in time for the Rio Olympics this past August. Today, only a portion of it is operational.

In October, prosecutors said they were investigating questionable investments in the hotel by two pension funds. Hotel owner LSH Barra has denied wrongdoing.

President-elect Donald Trump has faced criticism for investments overseas that many say present conflicts of interest.

___

11:03 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trumps team says he is receiving formal intelligence briefing three times a week.

Spokesman Sean Spicer says Trump is also meeting daily with incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn to be briefed on intelligence matters.

Trump has challenged the necessity of a daily intelligence briefing, telling Fox News Sunday in a recent interview that he doesnt need to hear the same information every day. He says hes told intelligence officials to let him know if situations change.

Trump has also publicly challenged the intelligence communitys assessment that Russia interfered in the presidential election in order to help his prospects.

___

10:07 a.m.

Americas Got Talent star Jackie Evancho will sing the national anthem at Donald Trumps inauguration ceremony in January.

The 16-year-old tells NBCs Today that shes excited, and its going to be awesome.

Her website says the Pittsburgh native is a soprano who has performed at the National Prayer Breakfast and the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington.

Her Facebook page includes a photo of her with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn tweeted a confirmation of Evanchos booking, calling her an inspiration for all Americans.

___

9:27 a.m.

Donald Trump says he appreciates House Speaker Paul Ryan, but the president-elect also is warning the top congressional Republican not to cross him.

At a rally Tuesday in West Allis, Trump praised the Wisconsin politicians in attendance. When Ryan drew boos, Trump said he was like a fine wine. Every day that goes by I get to appreciate his genius more and more. He added, however, if he ever goes against me Im not going to say that.

Trump and Ryan were at odds throughout the campaign, with the speaker declining to campaign for the GOP nominee after a video emerged of Trump making predatory remarks about women. Since the election, Ryan is all-in on Trump, even repeatedly using the Trump slogan, Make America Great Again.

___

8:10 a.m.

Democrats on the House oversight committee say a government administrator told them that Donald Trump must divest himself of all financial interests in his Washington hotel or be in breach of his lease with the federal government.

Thats according to a letter they wrote reflecting what they say is the General Service Administrations assessment. Led by Maryland congressman Elijah Cummings, the Democrats wrote that Trumps daughter, Ivanka, is the primary contact on the lease and that presents obvious conflicts of interest.

The letter also says the GSA had not, as of Dec. 8, heard from the Trump Organization about how it will solve the contract issue.

Trump contracted with the GSA to redevelop the Old Post Office building as a hotel. A provision in the contract expressly prohibits any elected official from having a financial interest in the lease.

The property opened for business this fall.

___

6:10 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump has announced his selection of former campaign rival Rick Perry to be the countrys next secretary of energy.

In a statement early Wednesday on his decision, Trump said that Perry, a former governor of Texas, had led his state through a sustained period of economic growth and prosperity by developing its energy resources and infrastructure.

Trump says in his statement that his administration is going to make sure we take advantage of our huge natural resource deposits to make America energy independent and create vast new wealth for our nation.

Perry calls it a tremendous honor to be chosen for Trumps Cabinet. Perry adds that he looks forward to engaging in a conversation about Americas energy future.
Before it sank, the fishing boat was crammed with more than 700 migrants, who had fled conflict and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa in the hopes of reaching Europe. Firefighters who later recovered the bodies from the decaying ship said they had been packed in like on the trains for Auschwitz. Only 28 passengers were rescued from the inky waters on that night, which became the single deadliest shipwreck involving migrants crossing the Mediterranean and galvanized calls for Europe to harness the refugee crisis.

On Tuesday, the Tunisian captain of the boat that sank in April 2015 off the coast of Libya was sentenced to 18 years in jail. An Italian court convicted Mohammed Ali Malek, 28, of multiple counts of manslaughter, smuggling illegal immigrants and causing the shipwreck, according to court documents. The captains crew member, a Syrian named Mahmud Bikhit, 25, was sentenced to 5 years in prison on smuggling charges. Each of the men were ordered to pay a fine of nine million euros ($9.5 million).

A prosecutor in the case in Catania, Sicily told The Washington Post that Malek behaved with enormous negligence, as he maneuvered the boat that night.

He was driving a 65-foot boat with 700 people on board, without life jackets, in the night, without lights, Andrea Bonomo said in a phone interview. His grave conduct left 700 people dead.

A Portuguese vessel, the King Jacob, had been approaching the fishing boat that night in pitch darkness, racing to to rescue those aboard, when the boats captain tried to steer toward it. A faulty maneuver by the captain caused the boat to collide with the King Jacob, and as the migrants moved to one side of the cramped boat, it capsized.

In court Tuesday, Malek insisted that he was not the captain of the boat, despite the fact that every surviving passenger  including the crew member  told investigators he was, Bonomo said.

In addition to bringing an aspect of closure to the tragedy, the verdict was significant for two reasons. First, it reaffirmed Italys right to take on illegal immigration cases occurring in international waters, Bonomo said. The court also made the notable move to consider the surviving migrants victims, instead of suspects, of illegal immigration. This rationale was that the migrants never reached Italys coast on their own, but rather, were transported by rescuers to the country after the sinking of the boat, Bonomo said.

This was one of the first times they have been considered victims and witnesses, and were not penalized, Bonomo said.

The shipwreck marked what was then the deadliest month yet in an surge in refugees making the dangerous journey to Europe to escape war, persecution and poverty in West Africa, the Middle East and beyond. Both the number of migrants making the journey to Italy  and the number who died in the process  grew in the year that followed: In 2016, 176,678 people arrived by sea in Italy, more than in either 2014 or 2015, according to the International Organization of Migration. The number of known deaths in 2016 resulting from smuggling between Libya and Italy totaled 4,244, compared to 2,868 last year.

Through an exchange of letters with BBC News earlier this year, Malek reiterated his innocence, saying he paid the equivalent of $1,600 to take the boat to Italy. He drew the BBC a diagram of the shipwreck, claiming the boat had lost balance because of waves created by the King Jacobs propeller.

Malek affirmed that he was simply a migrant passenger on the boat and was scapegoated by the other survivors because he is Tunisian, AFP reported.

Its the truth. Ive always told the truth, Malek said in court before the verdict Tuesday. Malek, who said he lived in Italy for two and a half years, told the court that as soon as he told police his name, he said he was a passenger. He plans to appeal the verdict, according to Italian news service ANSA.

I have a young son with an Italian woman, he said. I want to marry her and recognize the baby.

The King Jacobs captain, Abdullah Ambrousi, said when he saw the fishing boat sail erratically toward him, he cut the engines to avoid a crash. But the boat full of migrants increased its speed, slamming into the vessel.

In their witness accounts, surviving passengers told authorities Malek had been organizing the trip with traffickers and smugglers in Libya, Bonomo said. While prosecutors have been able to investigate and identify such organizers in parts of Egypt, they have been unable to investigate further in Libya, due to the political instability there.

Bonomo said the prosecutors were satisfied with Tuesdays conviction, but that the real challenge will be to find and charge the people involved back in Libya.

Unfortunately without international cooperation, he said, we are not able to do that.

Unlike most criminal trials, not a single family member represented the 700 dead at Tuesdays court sentencing, as the victims came from poor families in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, making them unable to travel to Europe for the trial, James Reynolds reported for BBC News.

Many of the victims were from Mali, Gambia, Senegal and Ethiopia. Two of the survivors were young Bangladeshis who took part in the case as civil plaintiffs.

The ships passengers  who each had to pay between 500 and 1,000 Libyan dinars for the trip  had departed from somewhere near Tripoli on April 16, 2015. For up to 30 days, the migrants had been kept inside a farm near the port and were loaded onto trucks before they embarked, The Post reported. In at least one instance, one of the migrants was hit with a club because he wanted to go to the bathroom and did not ask for permission.

According to interviews with survivors, many were trapped below decks on the three-tiered vessel, leaving them helpless as the boat capsized.

For months, Italian forensic scientists sorted through decomposed body parts to count the victims. The Italian navy raised the rotting ship  packed with corpses  from the seabed earlier this year, at a cost of ten million euros ($10.6 million) AFP reported.

The government had promised to provide victims with decent burials as a symbol of respect for the migrants who have died crossing the Mediterranean. Corpses were found packed five to a square yard, with some even squeezed into the bilges, The Times reported. The Italian court totaled the dead at about 700, but the head pathologist has said the death count could be as high as 900.

Libya has served as a main departure point for migrants, and has been in a state of turmoil since allied military action helped bring down the regime of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. A joint United Nations report released Tuesday described the abuses faced by migrants detained in Libya, calling the violations a human rights crisis affecting tens of thousands of people.

People smuggled or trafficked into Libya face torture, forced labour and sexual exploitation along the route, and many also while held in arbitrary detention, said Martin Kobler, the Secretary Generals Special Representative for Libya and Head of the U.N. Support Mission in Libya.

The report was based on information gathered in Libya and from interviews with migrants who had arrived in Italy from Libya. According to interviews, the places of detention are severely overcrowded, with insufficient food and clean water and no access to toilets. Detainees are often forced to defecate and urinate in their cells, and malnutrition and illness are common.

We are called animals and are treated as animals, a 16-year-old boy from Eritrea told the U.N. Support Mission in Libya. They beat us with what falls into their hands . . . it can be a rock, a stick, a brick, a child migrant interviewed in Italy said.

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MOSCOW  In one corner, the government of Ukraine. In the other, four museums on the disputed peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.

The prize? A trove of precious Scythian gold and ceremonial daggers, helmets and amulets made by the fearsome horseback nomads who ruled parts of Ukraine and Russia from 600 B.C. to A.D. 300 and who, according to Herodotus, drank from the (sometimes gold-lined) skulls of their vanquished enemies.

Never before has Ukraine made so many prize archaeological exhibits available on loan: stunning artefacts made of gold, including a scabbard and a ceremonial helmet, and countless precious gems, the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam announced in an enthusiastic news release before the February 2014 opening of its exhibit Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea.

Then, the world turned upside down.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was toppled in a revolution in February 2014, and Crimea was annexed by the Russian government the next month. The political upheaval sparked a two-year legal battle to decide who would recover the Scythian gold, along with ancient artifacts from the Greeks, Romans, Goths and Huns dating to the 7th century B.C. There were other treasures like a Chinese lacquered box that made its way to Crimea along the Silk Road.

Four of the five museums that loaned the artifacts to the Allard Pierson Museum were based in Crimea, which Russia claimed as a subject on March 20, 2014. (Ukraine calls the peninsula temporarily occupied.) When the Allard Pierson Museum delayed return of the exhibit, saying the objects were loaned by the Ukrainian government, the museums filed suit in Dutch court, fearing the loss of the most treasured items from their collections.

On Wednesday, a Dutch court ruled that the exhibit should be handed over to the Ukrainian government, as UNESCO rules dictate that items should be returned to the sovereign state, and that Crimea, an autonomous republic under Ukraine, did not qualify.

Ukrainian politicians did a victory lap, saying the exhibition would be displayed in the National History Museum in the capital city, Kiev. The legal battle was presented as a proxy for larger questions of sovereignty.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that the decision means that not only is the Scythian gold Ukrainian. Crimea is also Ukrainian. Crimea is ours, period. That follows from the decision of the court in the European country.

Russian and Crimean officials, along with employees of the museums, voiced their anger. The museums said that they planned to appeal the decision, and Russias Culture Ministry said the decision set an extremely negative precedent.

On Tuesday, Sergei Aksyonov, who heads Crimea, told journalists from the Russian state news agency TASS that he would continue fighting for the Scythian gold regardless of the courts decision.

We will never give up our struggle for Crimeas right to these exhibits, he said, according to TASS. We will go ahead with our efforts together with the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Ministry of Culture. We have shaped our judicial and legal stances. It is hard for me to say how the situation is going to unfold. We will do everything within our power.

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About 6 percent of Zika-infected pregnant women in the United States had a baby or fetus with at least one birth defect related to the viral infection, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Its the first analysis of data reported to the U.S. Zika pregnancy registry. The registry is a collaboration between the CDC and state and local health departments in the continental United States and Hawaii that was set up in January to monitor pregnant women with laboratory evidence of Zika virus infection.

The report, published online in JAMA late Tuesday, details what happened to 442 Zika-infected women who completed their pregnancies between Jan. 15 and Sept. 22. Twenty-six of those pregnancies, or 6 percent, resulted in one or more Zika-related birth defects. The birth defects primarily involved microcephaly with brain abnormalities.

But among women infected during the first trimester, 11 percent were reported to have fetuses or infants with birth defects, underscoring earlier research that Zika poses the greatest risk early in pregnancy.

CDC officials said the findings show that the rate of microcephaly and other fetal abnormalities related to Zika is similar among these babies born in the United States  whose mothers were infected during travel  to the estimated rate in Brazil, the epicenter of the Zika outbreak.

This basically puts to rest speculation that Brazil was different in some way, CDC Director Tom Frieden said in an interview Wednesday.

All the women had travel-associated infections, meaning they were infected outside the mainland United States through a mosquito bite or through sex with an infected traveler. Margaret Honein, chief of the birth defects branch at the CDC and an author of the report, noted the variety of countries where the women had been exposed. The countries were: Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Marshall Islands and Venezuela.

The commonality here is Zika, not one geographic location, she said.

Of the 26 infants or fetuses with birth defects, there were 18 with microcephaly, or about 4 percent of all completed pregnancies. That figure is substantially higher than the prevalence of microcephaly in the United States, which is typically 7 per 10,000 live births, or about .07 percent of live births.

Microcephaly is characterized by abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains.

Officials said the findings support public health recommendations that pregnant women avoid traveling to areas where Zika is spreading.

One reason for extreme caution is that women often do not know they are infected with Zika, which typically causes few or no symptoms in adults. For the first time, the data in the study also show that there was virtually no difference in the rate of birth defects between women who had symptoms of Zika and those without symptoms.

We really see no difference by symptom status, Honein said.

Given the severity of Zika-related birth defects and the preliminary estimates outlined in the report, officials said its critically important for all pregnant women with possible exposure to Zika virus to be tested, and also for infants born to mothers with possible infection to be tested. Previous research has shown that Zika-related brain damage may not be apparent at birth.

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Count New Mexicos Democratic U.S. senators among those deeply skeptical of President-elect Donald Trumps choice of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to lead the State Department.

Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich  both of whom serve on committees with vital foreign policy roles  each said this week that Tillerson is the wrong person to serve as Secretary of State, citing Tillersons close ties to Russia as especially problematic. Udall is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which will conduct Tillersons confirmation hearing. Heinrich serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Udall said the Senate should think long and hard before confirming the ExxonMobil CEO.

The U.S. Secretary of State represents the United States on the world stage, Udall said. Rex Tillerson is the highly paid CEO for Exxon, a multinational oil company that has made tens of billions of dollars in profit over the years in part due to its foreign oil interests. And that raises troubling questions about what his agenda might be as Americas top diplomat.

With this nomination, President-elect Trump is blatantly breaking his promise to drain the swamp of wealthy special interests and instead, is giving a position of vital national importance to the leader of a corporation that defends its massive profits by operating one of the largest and most expensive lobbying and political influence efforts weve ever seen.

Mr. Tillerson also reportedly has close personal ties to Vladimir Putin and the Russian government, and has lobbied against sanctioning Russia for its invasion of Crimea  a move that protected Exxons own oil interests, Udall continued. This deserves particular scrutiny, especially in light of Russias aggression on the world stage, its record of violating human rights, and the questions that have been raised about its attempt to sway the 2016 presidential election.

Udall also suggested Tillerson could work against efforts to mitigate climate change.

While Mr. Tillerson has recently made statements in support of the Paris Agreement and a carbon tax, Exxon Mobil has a questionable record on this topic, to say the least, Udall said. Ensuring a coordinated, global response to prevent catastrophic climate change is one of the singular national security and foreign policy challenges of our time, and many Americans have reason to be skeptical that a wealthy CEO of an energy company would put their interest first in this regard.

As a member of the Intelligence Committee, Heinrich is scrutinizing allegations that the Russian government hacked Democratic emails to influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He focused on Russia in his statement about Tillerson.

When a Secretary of State has a massive stake in Russias oil sector, I wonder whether Americas interests will be put first or those of Russia and its business dealings, Heinrich said. We are in unprecedented times and the President needs to take a step back and assure Americans that he has as much respect and admiration for them as he has bestowed on Vladimir Putin.

Of course, Tillerson has plenty of supporters on the Republican side of the Senate aisle, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who controls the Senate agenda.

Rex Tillersons decades of experience have been widely recognized for forward-looking strategic planning, managing international partnerships and risk, and focused leadership around the world, McConnell said in a statement this week. As President-elect Trumps choice for nomination for Secretary of State, he will bring this critical skills, knowledge and capabilities into an important role after eight years of the Obama administrations uncertain leadership.

Meanwhile, Udall joined other Democratic senators on Tuesday calling called for a National Intelligence Estimate to determine the extent of Russian intervention in the 2016 United States presidential election, as well as unclassified summary of its key judgments by January 20th, 2017.

An NIE is the formal, authoritative assessment of the Director of National Intelligence related to a particular national security issue, which reflects the collective judgment of the nations sixteen intelligence agencies.

The senators also called on Attorney General Loretta Lynch to publicly confirm that nonpartisan career Justice Department officials are conducting a criminal investigation into the matter, and if not, to open one immediately. On Friday, the Washington Post reported that the CIA concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the election to assist Donald Trump.

We must conduct a complete, transparent and unbiased examination of this unprecedented interference in our democratic process, and we will need Congress and the administration  including the State

Department  to work together to prevent it from happening again and to bolster Americans faith in our elections, Udall said.

Others signing the letter included Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Al Franken (D-MN), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Gary Peters (D-MI), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Ed Markey (D-MA).

Direct and deliberate interference in our election is an unprecedented breach and threat to U.S. democracy and national securityit is absolutely critical that information about these matters be disclosed to the public and to Congress, the senators said. We strongly support calls for bipartisan investigations by Congressthis issue requires the full attention of the executive and legislative branches alike, and a conclusive, public national intelligence estimate will lay out the facts for the American people. The public also needs transparency and reassurance that federal law enforcement is actively investigating these matters and that, if the investigation finds evidence that Russian officials perpetrated or directed such acts, appropriate criminal charges will be announced.
LONDON  The barbs just keep on coming.

On Wednesday afternoon, at the final Prime Ministers Questions of 2016, British Prime Minister Theresa May called Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson an FFS, which she defined as a fine foreign secretary.

She was responding to a question from Labour lawmaker Peter Dowd, who asked whether May regretted putting gaffe-prone Johnson in charge of the Foreign Office.

In the light of the foreign secretarys display of chronic foot-in-mouth disease, when deciding on cabinet positions, does the prime minister now regret that penciling FO against his name should have been an instruction, not a job offer, he said. FO is an abbreviation for a commonly used vulgar expression.

Dowds Labour colleagues laughed heartily. Some on the Conservative benches could be seen trying to stifle smiles.

As often happens in such cases, Speaker John Bercow was forced to intervene by shouting Order! and demanding silence.

May then quipped: The Foreign Secretary is doing an absolutely excellent job. He is, in short, an FFS  a fine foreign secretary.

Some wondered whether May had another phrase in mind when she used the three-letter acronym  like FO, FFS also has a crass alternative meaning.

Since becoming prime minister, May has found a number of opportunities to gently mock Johnson, and there are suggestions that he is tired of being the punchline of jokes made by his government colleagues.

In her speech this fall to the Conservative Party conference, May joked about Johnsons ability  or inability  to stay on message. She began her keynote address by saying that big questions are hanging in the air, such as whether the country has a plan for exiting the European Union, and can Boris Johnson stay on message for a full four days?

Its unclear whether this is all good-natured fun, or whether it speaks to a larger tension in the relationship between May and Johnson, who have clashed previously on issues such as the expansion of Heathrow airport and the use of water cannons for riot control on London streets.

Downing Street also recently slapped down Johnsons suggestion that Saudi Arabia  a key ally of Britain  was acting as a puppeteer by backing proxy wars in the Middle East.

But the foreign secretary has shown that the barbs can fly both ways.

On Tuesday night at a swanky diplomatic reception, he made a joke that referenced trousergate  the controversy over May wearing a pair of $1,200 leather pants at a recent photo shoot with the Sunday Times. She has come under scrutiny for the expensive pants (never mind that male politicians wear suits that cost far more.)

In his speech, Johnson highlighted the trade links between the European Union and the United Kingdom, and he mentioned some of the products that Britain imports from places such as Germany.

Our wonderful prime minister actually wears lederhosen, he said.

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Last week, when Trump named Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt to head his Environmental Protection Agency, critics instantly seized on Pruitts views about climate change. He had co-authored an article for the National Review incorrectly stating that the debate is far from settled. Scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind. (Actually, scientists have concluded that it is extremely likely that global warming is mostly driven by humans.)

In comparison with this statement, ExxonMobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson  just tapped to be Trumps secretary of state, and hence perhaps the future lead player in U.S. international climate negotiations  has tended to articulate a more nuanced position on climate change. Its one that, at least in the context of how Trumps administration is shaping up on energy and environmental policy, could almost be called moderate.

Consider some of Tillersons remarks in 2012 at an event sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations. There, Tillerson discussed what he said were problems with climate change models  we cannot model clouds, he said  and suggested humanity has bigger problems. But also bluntly acknowledged, Im not disputing that increasing CO2 emissions in the atmosphere is going to have an impact. Itll have a warming impact.

Thats a far cry from the kind of things that Tillersons predecessor at ExxonMobil, Lee Raymond, used to say.

On the Charlie Rose show in 2005, for instance, Raymond engaged in a lengthy exchange about global warming. Citing how natural variability can change the climate, Raymond then stated, Now, the question is, is part of whats happening related to something other than natural variability? And if so, how do you determine what that is? And the reality is, the science isnt there to make that determination.

Its statements like that that explain why many scientists and environmentalists continue to intensely assail ExxonMobils climate change record. But whatever the companys past actions, even they tend to acknowledge that Tillerson speaks differently than Raymond did and is hard to label a denier.

Where Tillerson gets into more contested territory, though, is his assessment of the scale of the risks and how to respond to them. He suggested at that 2012 event that the impacts of things like sea-level rise would probably be manageable  something that very much remains to be seen. He mentioned the possibility of sea level rising four inches, six inches, which is nowhere near the worst case scenario.

Most prominent of all, perhaps, was Tillersons technological optimism about humans finding a way to solve the problem:

And as human beings as a  as a  as a species, thats why were all still here. We have spent our entire existence adapting, OK? So we will adapt to this. Changes to weather patterns that move crop production areas around  well adapt to that. Its an engineering problem, and it has engineering solutions. And so I dont  the fear factor that people want to throw out there to say we just have to stop this, I do not accept.

Its true humans have found some engineering solutions. We protected New Orleans with a huge seawall. Scientists are now contemplating negative carbon technologies that will remove emissions from the air  it works in the lab, but its not exactly scalable yet. And maybe well have no other choice but to blast the skies full of aerosol particles using fighter jets or cannons, and mimic a volcanos effects of reflecting away the suns radiation, cooling the planet. (Of course, there would be other, er, consequences if we did that.)

One senses a geo-strategic attitude from Tillerson on energy and climate, in which oil and gas flows for example play a larger role in the broader foreign policy agenda, said Paul Bledsoe, an energy and climate consultant and a former Clinton White House climate adviser. On climate change, this might lead the Trump Administration toward different technologies, he said, including not only nuclear energy but negative emissions approaches or so-called geoengineering.

This could be seen a distinctly Republican brand of climate effort, representing a kind of brave new world in climate policy, but one certain to be highly controversial, said Bledsoe.

Controversial indeed. So what can we make of Tillersons non-denialist optimism?

First, there are still reasons to worry Tillerson may be downplaying the magnitude of the problem  may be too rosy-eyed, basically.

According to a transcript of ExxonMobils annual shareholder meeting in 2015, for instance, Tillerson was asked a question about what it would mean for ExxonMobil if we couldnt get climate change under control and ended up in a world where atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations were at 600 parts per million (they are just over 400 now). Tillerson responded that we dont really know what the climate effects of 600 ppm versus 450 ppm will be, because the models simply are not that good.

But actually, we do know one thing for sure  warming at 600 ppm will be worse than it will be at 450. Going that far is a huge risk.

In fairness, Tillerson did then go on to say, I dont want to suggest that we know at 650, you get x-centimeters rise in sea level versus 450 because the models just arent that good. But it is a risk management problem which we have always described it. And in risk management, you have to consider the range of possible consequences and be prepared for those. So Tillerson acknowledges a worst case. Assuming such a very bad scenario arises, his answer once again was:

Our plan B has always been grounded in our beliefs around the continued evolution of technology and engineered solutions to address and react to whatever the climate system and its outcomes present to us, whether that be in the form of rises in sea level which we think you can address through different engineering accommodations along coastal areas, to changing agricultural production due to changes in weather patterns that may or may not be induced by climate change.

The key question, then, is whether Tillerson is really justified in thinking that well find a way to adapt, especially if things turn out badly. Especially if parts of West Antarctica collapse, leading to a surge in sea levels and a huge pulse of freshwater into the oceans.

The strong counterpoint is that its unjustified to assume that adaptation will be possible, or that the costs will be tolerable, and argue instead that we should be moving rapidly to change our energy system in order to stave off possible worst-case scenarios.

Since the time that Mr. Tillerson became CEO, ExxonMobil has acknowledged climate science on its website, said Ken Kimmell, the president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, which has been critical of ExxonMobil. But, he continued, Mr. Tillersons own public statements emphasize the alleged uncertainties of climate science models and the unproven possibilities of future engineering solutions, which divert all of us from the task at hand-transitioning now to a clean energy economy.

Others have blasted the idea of geoengineering the climate in particular, which may (or may not) be implied by Tillersons constant reference to engineered solutions.

In some ways, for the free-market fundamentalist, geoengineering is a logical way out because it reflects an extension of faith that the free market and technological innovation can solve any problem we create, without the need for regulation, argue climate scientist Michael Mann and Washington Post cartoonist Tom Toles in their book The Madhouse Effect.

Moreover, while humanity has indeed adapted to climatic changes in the past, the changes that are coming in the future could be a lot more rapid, says Texas Tech climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe.

Today, climate is changing faster than any time in the course of human civilization on this planet, 10 times faster than between the last ice age and today, Hayhoe said. Human society has never adapted to this magnitude of change, happening so fast, with 7 1/2 billion people on the planet. And that really is the sticking point. What if sea level rose by 3, 4, or even 5 feet, 1000 years ago? If we lived in Houston, wed just pick up our tents and move. . .Today, with every acre of arable land already allocated, and two thirds of the worlds largest cities within a few feet of sealevel, that type of adaptation is no longer possible.

On the other hand, in some sense, its of course true by definition that barring any other solution well adapt  humanity wont go extinct. Well be around even if we retreat from the coasts, at least from where they currently lie. But the human costs could be enormous  not to mention many things we cant really price, like, say, living in a world that no longer has summer Arctic sea ice.

In the end, maybe it depends on what you mean by adaptation. MITs Kerry Emanuel, an atmospheric and climate scientist, responded to Tillersons comments by arguing that clean energy is in a sense the epitome of just that.

I very much agree that it is [an] engineering problem, but its solution will also have social and political components, said Emanuel. Yes, we will adapt, and part of that adaptation will be to transition away from carbon-based fuels. Corporations and nations that do not take part in this adaptation will surely be left behind.

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Squirrels hate Christmas. Or maybe squirrels love Christmas?

Hard to tell. Either way, theyre messing with it across the continent.

In Seattle earlier this month, homeowner Margaret Rican filmed a squirrels repeated theft of her Christmas light bulbs. One by one, a rodent she dubbed the Bulb Bandit made off with dozens of them a day. He has stolen 150 in 24 hours, carefully and precisely chewing through the wires to steal the bulb and bury them around the neighborhood, Rican wrote on YouTube. Hes the hardest working rodent weve ever seen.

This week, the Boston Globe reported that a band of squirrel outlaws had repeatedly caused outages of the holiday lights adorning 60 trees on Boston Common. A city official said he had been told the rodents like the taste of copper. A city contractor who maintains the lights referred to the local squirrels as more and more aggressive. He said his company was turning to an organic product called Critter Ridder to keep the squirrels from killing the citys holiday vibe.

And on Wednesday, the Canadian Broadcasting Company revealed that squirrels have been destroying the lights that cast a glow on a park called Mel Lastman Square in Toronto. A city council member, John Filion, told the CBC that officials were looking into squirrel-proof lights to brighten the park and its ice-skating rink.

I believe it totally has to do with one or more squirrels who perhaps dont like Christmas, Filion said.

Mikel Delgado does not concur. Delgado, a doctoral candidate at the University of California at Berkeley who studies squirrel caching, said she does not think squirrels have a vendetta against Christian holidays.

Instead, she said, its likely bulb-stealing squirrels are simply mistaking their booty for nuts. Its a busy, pre-winter food storage time for squirrels, and Christmas lights are vaguely shaped like acorns, so theres something about the light bulbs that is similar enough to nuts that its probably worth taking the chance, she said. Also, nuts fall during autumn like manna from squirrel heaven, so the little fellows are not super hungry and they probably bury their treasures without testing for edibility, she said.

If there were Christmas lights in summer, the squirrels would probably figure it out pretty quickly, she said, though she said it was puzzling that they do seem to realize that lightbulbs do not smell like food.

As for those wires: Rodents love chewing wires (in car engines, too). Their teeth grow constantly, so its their instinct to gnaw and keep the chompers trimmed. A wire is not that different from a thin branch of twig they might chew on, said Delgado, who added that shed never heard squirrels have a taste for copper.

This is hardly the first holiday season that squirrels have sought to stymie. Last year, the Norwalk, Connecticut city halls tree lights were hit with attacks by bushy-tailed insurgents. In 2014, the Cincinnati Zoos Festival of Lights was regularly darkened by strand-chewing squirrels. Zoo workers doused the worst-hit spots in hot sauce, but, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported at the time, it seems the squirrels may like their cords with a little hot sauce.

But as is well known, squirrels harbor far grander ambitions: They want to take our power.

Squirrels have successfully knocked out parts of the worlds power grids at least 854 times since 1987, according to the monitoring website Cyber Squirrel 1. The sites Twitter account, which is written by an unnamed Cyber Squirrel operative and chronicles animals most recent unclassified ops against electrical systems, said this week that Christmas light strands are appealing not because they contain copper, but because of the soy-based plastics covering the copper.

  

Video link:

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The owner of dating site Ashley Madison has agreed to pay $1.6 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission investigation and state charges related to the massive 2015 data breach, the FTC announced Wednesday.

This case represents one of the largest data breaches that the FTC has investigated to date, implicating 36 million individuals worldwide, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez said in a news release. The global settlement requires AshleyMadison.com to implement a range of more robust data security practices that will better protect its users personal information from criminal hackers going forward.

Ruby, the Canadian company that owns Ashley Madison, said the proposed settlement will help the company and its members move on.

Todays settlement closes an important chapter on the companys past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity and to building a new future for our members, our team and our company, said chief executive Rob Segal in a statement. Segal was appointed in April and has sought to rebrand the company, including changing its name from Avid Life Media to Ruby.

The Ashley Madison hack was notable in part because the site aimed to help people discretely cheat on their significant others, yet the data breach left personal information about its users exposed. Hackers who called themselves the Impact Group posted a massive cache of data stolen from the site online, which was quickly turned into a searchable database that wreaked havoc on some users lives.

It also revealed that the site created fake users to lure men into paying for premium messaging service  a practice the FTC calls deceptive has cracked down on before.

Ruby has since said it stopped using bots. Under the terms of the proposed settlement Ruby would be barred from using such deceptive practices in the future and required to set up a comprehensive security plan, according to the FTC.

The proposed settlement calls for an $8.75 million judgment against Ruby, but the company wont actually be on the hook for that full amount. Instead, the bulk of that figure will be partially suspended after it pays $828,500 to the commission, according to the FTCs news release. Ruby will also have to pay $828,500 to a coalition of 13 states and the District of Columbia which worked with the FTC on the settlement. The combined amounts equal $1.6 million. If the government finds that the company misrepresented their financial circumstances, then Ruby may have to pay the full judgment. The deal will become official once a federal district court judge signs off on it.

Ruby had already entered into a compliance agreement with Canadian privacy regulators that requires the company to improve its security and made similar arrangements with Australian authorities. Officials from both countries collaborated on an earlier investigation of the breach and assisted the FTCs investigation, according to the agencys news release.

In the digital age, privacy issues can impact millions of people around the world, Canadian Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien said in a statement. Its imperative that regulators work together across borders to ensure that the privacy rights of individuals are respected no matter where they live.

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By PTI: Kochi, Dec 14 (PTI)Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, who ison a state visit to India from December 14-18,arrived here this evening.

The President and a delegation accompanying him will leave for New Delhi on December 16 after spending two days here.

Officials said no official engagements have been scheduled during his Kerala visit.

Ernakulam District CollectorMohammed Y Safirulla and top officials of the state government received the President and the delegation accompanying him at Kochi International Airport on their arrival from Colombo, a Kerala government spokesman said.

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The Tajikistan President will leave for New Delhi on December 16 after visiting Kerala, he said.PTI TGB BN SUA

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CORTEZ, Colo.  A Cortez residents generosity to allow hiking and biking on his land will continue long into the future thanks to a conservation easement that preserves recreation access.

Bicycle enthusiast Keith Evans teamed up with the Montezuma Land Conservancy and Great Outdoors Colorado to permanently protect public access to his 40-acre mountain bike park, reported The Journal (http://bit.ly/2gXlYBe).

Evans Back 40 has several miles of trails he built that link to a biking and hiking trail network on the adjacent Geer Memorial Park and Carpenter Natural Area.

The new easement also includes 10 acres for a new access trail and trailhead from Mildred Road, expected to open next summer.

In 2014, Evans tore down his boundary fences and negotiated with the city to allow public access. Now he has added a conservation easement.

Protecting these open spaces not only provides people with access to the outdoors, it also provides habitat and helps ensure the continued presence of wildlife, Evans said.

Great Outdoors Colorado chipped in a $100,000 grant toward the easement, a portion of which is paid to the landowner and toward transaction costs.

Jon Leibowitz, executive director of the Montezuma Land Conservancy, said there is a lot of funding available for other landowners who are interested in providing public access to their properties.

You can never have enough open spaces for people to enjoy and we partner with willing landowners to provide public access for recreation, he said. Permanently protected open space and trails close to town is all about quality of life.

Conservation easements do not require public access, but landowners can choose to allow such access voluntarily.

For Evans, there is satisfaction in knowing that his contribution will benefit generations of future mountain bikers, walkers, runners and dog walkers.

I welcome the public to enjoy my humble contribution to the local ambiance, he said. Having that open space out the back door was, and still is, a large part of what living in rural Colorado is all about.

The Cortez-based Montezuma land trust now holds 85 conservation easements protecting 43,908 acres of agricultural land, open space, and wildlife habitat across southwest Colorado.

___

Information from: Cortez Journal, http://www.cortezjournal.com/
Michelle Lujan Grishams run for governor could shake up politics from City Hall to the Roundhouse.

Her decision opens up the campaign for an awfully attractive seat  representing Albuquerque in the U.S. House of Representatives, in a district thats never defeated an incumbent.

This has the potential to be a big field both on the Democratic and Republican side, said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc. Rarely are congressional districts handed over on a silver platter to any one individual.

The last two representatives in the 1st Congressional District came out of local government  Lujan Grisham, a former Bernalillo County commissioner, and Martin Heinrich, a former Albuquerque city councilor. Heinrich is now in the Senate, and Lujan Grisham announced Tuesday that she will run for governor in 2018 rather than seek re-election.

Both are Democrats, but Sanderoff said the district is in play for either major party, depending on the mood of the country and the popularity of Republican President Donald Trump when voters head to the polls.

Among those who said Wednesday that they are considering a run are five Democrats:

 Jacob Candelaria, a state senator and, at 29, the youngest member of the New Mexico Senate.

 Pat Davis, a city councilor and executive director of ProgressNow New Mexico.

 Maggie Hart Stebbins, a county commissioner who has also worked for the Mid-Region Council of Government, state Legislature and Congress.

 Javier Martinez, a state representative and attorney for the Partnership for Community Action, a community group.

 City Councilor Ken Sanchez, who is also eyeing a run for mayor.

More potential candidates are sure to emerge, especially on the Republican side.

Lt. Gov. John Sanchez  often mentioned as a candidate for governor, too  said hes been encouraged to consider a run for the House.

I have been contacted by some key Republicans in the 1st Congressional District who are offering some very strong encouragement of me to consider this, he said in a statement released by Manuel Gonzales, a volunteer and campaign treasurer for Sanchez.

Gonzales said the encouragement includes a sense that they have that he would be the strongest Republican candidate who could win that race. But he added that Sanchez is focused on preparing for the coming legislative session.

Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, a Republican whose term ends in November next year, wouldnt say whether hes interested.

Mayor Berry is dedicated to finishing the job he was elected to do, spokewoman Rhiannon Samuel said. He will address next steps once the time is right.

County Commissioner Wayne Johnson, also a Republican, said he has no plans to run for Congress at this point. Instead, hes preparing for a campaign for mayor in 2017.

The 1st Congressional District has changed over time, but its been held by both Republicans and Democrats. It covers much of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and Torrance County, plus a slice of Valencia County.

But the five people whove held the seat since 1969  when another congressional seat was added  have never been defeated in a re-election bid, Sanderoff said. Four left to run for another office or take another job, and one, Steve Schiff, died in office.

The previous incumbents include Republicans Manuel Lujan, Schiff and Heather Wilson. Heinrich won the seat in 2008 and election to the Senate four years later. Lujan Grisham won the office in 2012.

Its a winnable seat for either party, Sanderoff said. Holding all things equal the Democrat has the edge.

For the record

An earlier version of this story incorrectly described Jacob Candelaria as the youngest member of the Legislature. He is the youngest senator, but Rep. Andres Romero is 12 days younger, making him the youngest member of the Legislature as a whole.
Jonathan Burks began his career as a congressional staffer in a windowless office buried inside the Rayburn House Office Building.

Eighteen years later, hes risen to become one of the most powerful staffers on Capitol Hill, taking over as a historic chief of staff to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., at a critical moment in Washington as President-elect Donald Trump vows to change the way the nations capital does business.

Ryan announced Wednesday that Burks, 38, is taking over for David Hoppe, replacing the longtime veteran of Washington battles with a trusted policy specialist who has been at the speakers side most of the past six years.

Burks, whose career includes stints inside the George W. Bush White House and at the highest policy levels in Congress, now has the mandate of trying to implement the sweeping agenda that Ryan has tinkered with for more than a decade. Before Trump came to town, Ryans proposals  some of which are quite controversial  might as well have been academic exercises because President Barack Obama would always be able to veto any of them that landed on his desk.

Now, however, with Trump soon to be president and publicly praising Ryan after months of jousting, Burks has been charged with crafting serious proposals that have a real chance of becoming law as Republicans control both wings of Congress and take over the White House.

The last many years of Pauls career have been all about preparing for this moment, of putting together a conservative policy agenda that we could enact if the political stars aligned, and thats really whats happened now, Burks said Wednesday morning in an interview inside the Capitol.

Despite one-party rule, enacting Ryans agenda is no easy task because the House Republican Conference has been deeply fractured and Republicans hold a tenuous 52-48 majority in the Senate.

Burkss rise to the pinnacle of staff power comes with an added historical impact: He is the first African-American to serve as the top aide to a speaker of the House. The chief of staff position has existed 30 years, and no speaker, Democrat or Republican, has ever had a black chief of staff. Before that, the top House aide was called administrative assistant, and there is no known instance of a speaker hiring a black administrative assistant. Congressional directories of past decades do not include pictures or cite personal background of aides.

Race has never been an issue in any of the jobs that Ive ever held, Burks said Wednesday. Ive succeeded or failed, and thankfully mostly succeeded, and race has just never been anything thats been discussed or been at issue in those jobs.

Burkss appointment marks another historic first, as the four chiefs of staff to top party leaders are dominated by women and minorities: currently, there is Burks; Nadeam Elshami, chief of staff to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who is Egyptian American; and Sharon Soderstrom, chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

No one is better suited to step into this role at this time than Jonathan Burks. Simply put, he can do it all. Jonathan is whip-smart, determined, and just knows how to get things done, Ryan said in a statement.

Burks is already serving as Ryans top liaison to the Trump transition team, holding daily talks with the president-elects top officials. From his time working on the House Budget Committee, Burks counts Stephen Miller as a longtime ally. Miller, who once served as the Republican spokesman on the Senate Budget Committee, is going to be Trumps senior policy adviser.

The speaker framed Hoppes departure as long planned, saying that he asked Hoppe to take a year of his career and put together a speakership almost overnight. That was in October 2015, when John Boehner, R-Ohio, resigned as speaker and Ryan was drafted into the post.

Hoppe seemed like a natural fit with Ryan, both Wisconsin natives with ties to the same mentor, the late Jack Kemp. But Hoppe, 65, hailed from the congressional wars of the past. His deepest experience was at Trent Lotts side when the Mississippi Republican was Senate majority leader battling Bill Clintons White House.

In tapping Burks, Ryan is making a generational shift to an aide well-versed in recent political battles, both within Republican circles and with congressional Democrats.

From 2010 through 2014, Burks served as Ryans policy director on the House Budget Committee, giving him deep knowledge of the speakers passion for fiscal policy and willingness to take on difficult political tasks  including revamping Medicare, which Ryan has proposed turning into a premium support system rather than its current federal guarantee.

Burks said proposals shaped for the 115th Congress will not be a surprise to anyone.

Weve been introducing these ideas over years. I mean, you go back to the first budget that the speaker offered back in 2011 and started making the case for entitlement reform, Burks said.

Democrats have already signaled they are ready and hoping for Ryan to renew his push on Medicare, believing that any effort to vastly change the popular health program will be politically deadly for Republicans.

Burks grew up in Boiler Springs, Pennsylvania, outside of Harrisburg, in a family that wasnt overly political. He fell in love with government watching television news at the kitchen table and then attended Georgetown University for foreign service undergraduate studies.

After a couple years working for then-Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., inside the Rayburn building, Burks joined Richard Cheneys vice presidential staff on economic policy, shifting over to George W. Bushs policy staff a few years later. After the Bush White House, he received his masters from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in 2010, when he joined Ryans staff.

In 2015 he worked on what he jokingly calls a study abroad program, serving a year in the Senate as McConnells top budget adviser, his only stint in the Senate. Once Ryan took over as speaker, Burks returned to become his top foreign policy adviser.

Burks is clear-eyed enough to know that both that job and his new one come with big expectations.

Its the difference between one set of problems and trading them for another, he said.

ryan-aide
NEW YORK CITY  A dozen or so technology executives filed into a conference room on the 25th floor of Trump Tower Wednesday wearing suits not usually seen in Silicon Valley.

Their combined net worth  at least $136 billion  was gilded even for the likes of Trump Tower. After months of acrimony that at times felt personal, they had come to make nice with the president-elect.

And make nice they did.

As they went around the room introducing themselves one-by-one, Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos, once the target of President-elect Donald Trumps attacks, said he was super-excited to talk about innovation in this administration. (Bezos is the owner of The Washington Post). Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg was also excited to talk about jobs.

Donald Trump also was on his best behavior during the roughly two-hour meeting.

This is a truly amazing group of people, he said. Theres nobody like you in the world. In the world. Theres nobody like the people in this room. And anything we can do to help this go along, and were going to be there for you.

But behind the cordiality was a sense of trepidation. Trump, both as candidate and president-elect, has used his perch to shame companies, and the consequences havent been trivial.

When Trump tweeted earlier this month that he wanted to cancel Boeings $4 billion contract to build Air Force One, Boeings stock price took a hit.

Trump has targeted Apple and other companies for manufacturing their products in China, and has called to raise tariffs on Chinese goods, a crucial issue for Silicon Valley companies that import widgets and other hardware components from China.

At the meeting, which included the leaders of Google, Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, IBM, Cisco, and Tesla, Trump seemed willing to back down from a signature campaign promise to end free trade deals.

Were going to make fair trade deals, he told the executives. Were going to make it a lot easier for you to trade across borders.

Last month, Trump negotiated with equipment maker Carrier, a division of United Technologies, to avoid losing 800 jobs to Mexico in exchange for $7 million in government subsidies. In the days leading up to the meeting, staff for the companies tried to parse whether the image-conscious Trump would try to use his leverage with them to do something similar.

After the CEO roundtable, Trump met privately with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook. Tesla manufactures its vehicles in California but purchases components from China. Apple hardware largely comes from China.

Attendees had a wide-ranging and generally positive conversation, discussing issues from visas for high-skilled immigrants to trade issues to the cloud, according to people familiar with the discussion.

Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration a central campaign promise, and called for an end to the high-skilled visa program during a presidential debate, though he later backtracked. Technology companies are some of the heaviest users of such visas.

At the meeting, Trump seemed open to keeping the high-skilled visa program, a person familiar with the discussion said.

The president-elect also heaped praise on Facebook board and transition team member Peter Thiel, shaking his hand and calling him a special guy.

Trump made a point of saying that Thiel, who convened the meeting, nixed companies that were too small from attending. But one relatively small company with ties to Thiel made the cut: Palantir. Unlike the other companies in attendance, the data-mining start-up, which Thiel founded in 2004, is private and had revenue last year of less than $300 million, according to a person familiar with the matter. A large portion of Palantirs business involves contracts with federal agencies, and the company is currently engaged in a lawsuit with the Department of Defense over the right to compete for more contracts.

The executives left as they arrived  wordlessly and quickly, striding through the lobby and ignoring press questions. Some smiled; Oracles Catz flashed a brief thumbs-up when asked how the meeting went.



VIDEO:

President-elect Donald Trump held a meeting on Dec. 14 with some of Silicon Valleys biggest companies. Attendees included Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Satya Nadella, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, Eric Schmidt, Safra Catz, Brian Krzanich, Chuck Robbins, Ginni Rometty and Peter Thiel. (The Washington Post)

URL: http://wapo.st/2gLWcSH

Embed code:

trump-tech
DALLAS  Growing up, Cathy Hinz and her five siblings would run up and down the stairs at their Minneapolis home, one hand on the banister, the other skimming a memento hanging on the wall that their father had brought back after fighting in World War II: a 16th century tapestry that once graced Adolf Hitlers retreat perched high in the Bavarian Alps.

On Friday, that tapestry, purchased for Hitlers Eagles Nest the year before the war began from a Munich art gallery owned by a Jewish family, will be formally returned in a ceremony in Germany. It will eventually be displayed at the Bavarian National Museum in Munich.

The tapestry has been on a journey, and now its going home, Hinz said.

The tapestrys trip back to Germany began when Hinz gave it to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Enough was known about its past that Gordon Nick Mueller, president and CEO of the museum, and Robert Edsel, a board member and founder of the Dallas-based Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, knew it needed to be returned to its rightful owner.

So Edsel began untangling the mystery.

Hinzs father, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Paul Danahy, often told the story of taking the tapestry after being struck by the historical significance of the moment after his 101st Airborne Division made it to the Eagles Nest above Berchtesgaden and began interrogating German officers. Danahy, who served in the war as an intelligence officer, died in 1986 at the age of 71, and the tapestry eventually landed on the wall of Hinzs dining room.

Seeing carefully preserved tapestries on a trip to Italy in 2000 gave Hinz pause about continuing to keep the 7-foot-by-7-foot tapestry depicting a courtly hunting scene. She knew it was time to let go of it, she just wasnt sure how.

Edsel said the key was determining whether the September 1938 sale of the tapestry would have been considered forced. His foundation endeavors not only to honor but also continue the work of the Monuments Men, a group of art experts from more than a dozen countries who worked with Allied forces to protect cultural treasures during the war, and afterward to return works stolen by the Nazis.

Thomas R. Kline, a Washington D.C.-based attorney who specializes in art restitution, said multiple factors can go into determining if a sale was forced. For instance, some gallery owners decided to sell collections for fear the Nazis would confiscate them anyway.

It was the family of Konrad Bernheimer, a present-day Munich art dealer, who owned the gallery that sold the tapestry.

My first reaction was, if you have the invoice then lets have a look at how much they paid, Bernheimer said. There are two possibilities: Either it was sold below the actual value  then it would indicate that this was a false sale. Or it was sold at the full price  then I would not be able to say its a false sale.

Bernheimer said he didnt consider it a false sale because the full price  about $10,000 U.S. dollars at the time  was paid. Not everything that was sold between 1933 and 1945 could be considered a false sale, he said.

Bernheimer said that up until the Nazis attacks on Jewish synagogues, businesses, schools and homes on Kristallnacht in November 1938, his family was convinced they were safe. After that, family members were taken to a concentration camp, and the Nazis took over their gallery. They were eventually able to rebuild the business after the war.

So with Bernheimer not laying claim to it, the tapestry goes to the Bavarian State, the heir to items once belonging to Hitler. Bavarian National Museum official Alfred Grimm said the tapestry will be restored, studied and then displayed at the museum.

Edsel said the return is a reminder to family members of World War II soldiers to be aware of what items might be found in their homes.

Theyre going to inherit these things, and so this is going to be a good chance for us if we can make sure people are aware of the foundation to come forward without feeling any sense of concern about getting in trouble  thats not what were about, he said.

Edsel founded his group in 2007 and has written several books on the efforts to save art during WWII, including The Monuments Men, on which the 2014 George Clooney movie of the same name was based. Last fall he announced his foundation would likely be closing due to a lack of funds, but it was reinvigorated after a donation and the offer to participate in a television show called Hunting Nazi Treasure that will air next year.

Hinz, who is traveling to Munich for the return ceremony, said shes been a bit nostalgic about seeing the tapestry go so far away, but says it feels right.

My thought was, you know, it never was ours to begin with. Its something that came into our lives as a result of a moment in history, but the tapestry itself is so much more than our history with it, she said.

___

Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art

http://www.monumentsmenfoundation.org/
DALLAS  Pregnant women should consider postponing travel to Brownsville, Texas, because of concerns about mosquitoes there spreading the Zika virus, federal health officials said Wednesday.

The warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises doctors to tell pregnant women and their sex partners to take precautions and to consider putting off travel to the city while the advisory is in place. It comes after five cases of Zika virus infection spread locally were recently diagnosed in people living near each other in the city located on the states border with Mexico.

Were recommending pregnant women not travel to Brownsville, and if they do travel to that area, to ensure that they avoid mosquito bites and they avoid the risk of sexual transmission, the CDCs Dr. Denise Jamieson said. And that when they return from the area, that they undergo testing for Zika virus infection.

Florida is the only other state in the U.S. that has had homegrown Zika cases. The CDC has issued a similar warning there in Miami-Dade County.

The CDC notes that temperatures in the Brownsville area are still conducive to mosquito breeding, so the risk of more cases cant be ruled out.

Zika is primarily transmitted to humans by mosquitoes that have previously bitten an infected person, though sexual transmission can also occur. Most infected people dont have symptoms, but for those who do, its usually a mild illness with fever, rash and joint pain.

But the disease is especially dangerous to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects, including babies born with unusually small heads. None of the people with homegrown Zika cases in Texas is pregnant, officials said.

Texas Department of State Health Services officials on Wednesday recommended that all pregnant Brownsville residents and those who have traveled there on or after Oct. 29 be tested for Zika.

The recommendation is now to test pregnant women more broadly in that area, department spokesman Chris Van Deusen said.

The CDC says that people living in the Brownsville area should be counseled on the possible risk of Zika before getting pregnant.

The locally transmitted Florida cases were detected over the summer. Until then, all U.S. cases had been connected to people traveling to countries with outbreaks, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Health officials note that because areas of active Zika transmission have been reported in Mexico near the U.S. border, theyve been recommending since last year that pregnant women shouldnt travel to any low-elevation area in Mexico, where the virus-spreading mosquitoes thrive.

___

Associated Press writer Mike Stobbe contributed from New York.
We can help you make sense of the agribusiness industry, extending from chemicals and fertilizers used as inputs into agriculture, to the commodities, food and by-products that are an output to farming, with policy and regulation applied at every step of the value chain.
Ahead of Urjit Patel's visit to West Bengal today, the TMC legislators sat on a dharma outside the RBI office to protest against demonetisation.

By Indrajit Kundu: The Trinamool Congress has decided to raise its pitch against the Reserve Bank of India, ahead of the it Governor Urjit Patel's scheduled visit to West Bengal on Wednesday.

The party continued its agitation against the Centre's demonetisation policy with a delegation of the TMC legislators demonstrating outside the RBI's Eastern zonal office in Kolkata.

With banners and posters, the TMC lawmakers sat on a dharma outside the RBI office, amidst speculation about a possible meeting between the RBI governor and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

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The legislators once again reiterated its party chief's allegation that the central bank had discriminated against the state while disbursing new currency notes.

Speaking to India Today, senior minister Firhad Hakim slammed the new RBI chief over the ensuing cash crunch. "The Reserve Bank governor must know that he is not being paid by Narendra Modi," he said.

Also read: West Bengal: 3 injured in clashes over religious procession

Questioning the role of the central bank, Hakim asked, "Who gives the Reserve Bank the right to indulge in rationing of the deposits made by a common man?"

Hakim said the RBI had failed to protect the interest of the common man and was trying to fire fight the situation by issuing circulars almost daily.

"People are not even going for their work as they are busy standing in queue outside banks daily," he added.

Also read: Ye Pakistan hai kya: Bengal BJP chief over fatwa for 'derogatory' remarks against Mamata Banerjee

--- ENDS ---
While as many as 61 trains are running late, 7 have been rescheduled and 13 others are cancelled.

By India Today Web Desk: Trains and flight services in the national capital have been hit for yet another day as Delhi and many parts of north India continue to be enveloped in a blanket of dense fog.

While as many as 61 trains are running late, 7 have been rescheduled and 13 others are cancelled. 3 international flights and 6 domestic flights from and to Delhi have been delayed. 3 domestic flights have been cancelled due to fog.

#DelhiFog 61 trains running late, 7 rescheduled and 13 cancelled due to fog, passengers stranded (Visuals from New Delhi railway station) pic.twitter.com/CnyJofIapf ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

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Meanwhile, cold wave and dense fog has also gripped the Haldwani city in Uttarakhand.

In Uttar Pradesh, a thick fog cover shrouded Varanasi city, affecting visibility on roads.

17 trains running late, 6 cancelled as dense fog blankets Lucknow city in Uttar Pradesh resulting in low visibility. ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 14, 2016

--- ENDS ---
Evan A Feingenbaum , the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State said, "What the United States should be encouraging is a liberal, open, market-based economic order in the region. And the TPP by itself would not have been enough, in any case."

By PTI: The US must not abandon the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and should supplement it by negotiating bilateral investment treaties with China and India to respond to the growing Chinese activism in Asia, a former US diplomat said.

Evan A Feingenbaum, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, in the latest issue of the Foreign Affairs magazine, said, "What the United States should be encouraging is a liberal, open, market-based economic order in the region. And the TPP by itself would not have been enough, in any case."

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KEY PLAYER

Feingenbaum played a relevant role in negotiations over the India-US civilian nuclear deal, also said that instead of repealing TPP, the incoming Trump Administration should supplement it with a direct trade deal with both India and China.

"Rather than abandoning the deal, Washington should be supplementing it, by negotiating bilateral investment treaties with China and India to open up their economies to U

S firms and to support economic reformers in both countries, pursuing public-private partnerships to get US businesses involved in infrastructure development across Asia, striking specific agreements to open up markets in the service and technology sectors, where the US excels and seeking new pacts in areas such as fishing and environmental standards for China?s Belt and Road project," Feingenbaum said.

"Doing so would mean that Washington was helping set the agenda, not merely reacting to Chinese proposals," he argued.

CHINA

"It is also worth noting that China often succeeds at its efforts to reform global institutions and build pan-Asian groups because its demands mesh with those of India, an increasingly close US partner," he argued.

For example, India helped found the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and now ranks as its second-largest shareholder, he said.

"Despite their suspicion of Chinese power, officials in New Delhi tend to agree that new forums act as a needed counterweight to unrepresentative global institutions. Like China, India is not content to live in perpetuity in architecture largely built by the West," the former Bush era official said.

WARNING TO UNITED STATES (US)

He also warned that US should not force its allies into a binary choice between Beijing and Washington on issues that are not vital to US national security or to the national security of its allies. "In the South China Sea, where China is challenging maritime law and customary practice, such pressure is necessary. But China?s financing of a commercial railway or power line is not a comparable threat," he said.

It is in Asia, not in global institutions, that the United States faces its toughest choices about how to respond to China?s growing activism, he said.

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Also read: Trans-pacific threat

--- ENDS ---
Modified On Jan 17, 2017 05:31 PM By Raunak

It will not carry the Punto moniker forward and will make its official debut around mid 2017 in Brazil

Fiat is developing a successor to the ageing Punto and its Brazilian wing has been entrusted with the job. Even in India, the Punto has lost its sheen  despite the current facelift, feature additions and the introduction of the Abarth version  and is in dire need of a replacement. Though sporting the timeless Giugiaro design, the Punto has been present in several international markets  including India  for too long (more than a decade) without a generation change.

The first alleged test mule of the Puntos replacement  yet to be named, but codenamed X6H  was spied exactly a year ago, in December 2015. And now, according to the Brazilian media, the Italian automaker is on the verge of wrapping up testing the car, which will have its market launch next year (reportedly in the first half of 2017) in the South American country and will replace the Punto as well as the second-gen Palio. The information about the X6H is scarce at this moment, but heres what weve been able to piece together about the upcoming spiritual successor to the Punto.

Indian launch

Fiats CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed earlier this year that the European market will get no replacement for the Punto EVO (facelifted Grande Punto). However, in all probability, well get the new X6H hatchback since the Puntos sales have been declining drastically, year-on-year, in the country. Also, the Indian and Brazilian markets have similar sentiments and they share a lot of entry-level cars  including the Renault Kwid  as well. This may compel the Italian automaker to launch it in India. We hope Fiat launches the new hatchback by the end of this year or early 2018 in India.

Platform

Brazilian media suggests that the X6H will have a new platform, which will borrow a few of its components from the second-generation Palio. Also, some of the components in the car will be made of boron steel. The Ford EcoSport and the Fiesta (discontinued) also use boron steel in their construction. Also, this new platform will give us a sedan offering, which is codenamed X6S, and will replace the Linea. The Punto and Linea are known to be some of the best vehicles in the ride and handling department, and we believe the upcoming versions will carry that tradition forward.

Design

All the test mules of the hatchback were heavily camouflaged. Fiat has even come up with a weird camouflage for the ORVMs in some of the mules. Though it has been designed and developed by Fiat of Brazil, its inspiration might lie in some of its latest siblings, especially the Tipo hatch.

Mechanicals

In the Brazilian market, the new hatchback is likely to be powered by the 1.3-litre four-cylinder motor from Fiats brand-new, global Firefly family of petrol engines. This motor puts out over 100PS of power and nearly 134Nm of torque. Apparently, the company will offer a turbocharged version of the same too, and will also offer a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated petrol.

In India, Fiat might offer the new Firefly engine in the country, but the chances of that happening are low. However, we are sure that the 1.3-litre MultiJet will soldier on in the upcoming hatchback. Transmission options are expected to include a new five-speed manual and six-speed automatic (the latter from cars like the Jeep Renegade and the Fiat Tipo).

Recommended Read: Fiat Unveils Punto Evo Karbon And Linea 125S Royale Special Editions

Source
Press Release For Immediate Release: Tuesday, December 13, 2016 Contact: Media Relations

(404) 639-3286

Zika virus can make thousands of copies of itself in fetuses brains and in the placentas of pregnant women, which may help explain how the virus causes devastating birth defects and pregnancy losses even if a woman had only a minor illness. A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the first to show Zika virus RNA (genetic material of the virus) replicating in brain tissues of infants with microcephaly who later died and in placentas of women who suffered pregnancy losses.

CDC scientists found Zika virus RNA persisted in fetal brains and in placentas for more than seven months after the mothers contracted Zika. The researchers also found evidence of the virus replicating in an infant with microcephaly who died two months after birth. The RNA levels were about 1,000 times higher in the infants brains than in the womens placentas, according to the study published today in CDCs Emerging Infectious Diseases journal.

Our findings show that Zika virus can continue to replicate in infants brains even after birth, and that the virus can persist in placentas for months  much longer than we expected, said Julu Bhatnagar, Ph.D., lead of the molecular pathology team at CDCs Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch and the studys lead author. We dont know how long the virus can persist, but its persistence could have implications for babies born with microcephaly and for apparently healthy infants whose mothers had Zika during their pregnancies. More studies are needed to fully understand how the virus can affect babies.

The study sheds light on how the virus can cross the placenta and infect the fetuss brain. The researchers found Zika virus infects and proliferates in Hofbauer cells, a type of migratory immune cell in the placenta. Because the Hofbauer cells can move freely throughout the placenta, they may help transfer the virus to the fetuss brain. Once there, the virus can infect various types of brain cells.

The CDC researchers tested tissues from 52 patients with suspected Zika virus infection, including brain tissues (tested postmortem) from eight infants who had microcephaly and later died. They also tested placental tissues from 44 women: 22 who had adverse pregnancy or birth outcomes (miscarriage, elective termination, stillbirth or babies born with microcephaly) and 22 who had babies who appeared healthy. Most of the women were U.S. residents who had traveled to countries with Zika outbreaks during their pregnancies. The eight infants with microcephaly who died were from Brazil and Colombia.

More evidence that Zika is most dangerous during early pregnancy

Brain tissues from all eight infants were positive for Zika virus, and Zika virus was detected in placentas of nearly three-quarters (16/22) of women who had an adverse pregnancy or birth outcome. Mothers of all the infants with fatal microcephaly and all of the women with positive test results contracted Zika virus during their first trimester of pregnancy. Zika virus RNA was also detected in the placentas of more than one-third (8/22) of the women who had apparently healthy infants. All of these women had Zika infection during their third trimester of pregnancy, but the babies who were tested for Zika after birth tested negative. These findings further confirm that Zika virus infection during the first trimester of pregnancy poses more danger for pregnancy and fetal development than infection contracted during the third trimester.

As part of the Zika response, CDCs Infectious Disease Pathology Branch developed a variety of tests to detect Zika virus in human tissue samples. The molecular tests used in this study can show evidence of Zika virus in tissues long after the virus would be undetectable by blood tests, which typically can only be used during the 12 weeks following infection.

Our molecular tests for tissues extend the timeframe to detect Zika virus, Bhatnagar said. For women who contracted Zika virus during early pregnancy but were never diagnosed, these tests could help determine whether Zika virus may have caused their miscarriage, pregnancy loss, or adverse birth outcome.

CDC recommends monitoring babies born to mothers who had Zika virus infection during their pregnancy. CDC established the US Zika Pregnancy Registry (USZPR), in collaboration with state, tribal, territorial, and local health departments, to monitor the effects of Zika virus infection during pregnancy on fetal and infant outcomes. The data collected through the USZPR is used to update recommendations for clinical care, to plan for services and support for pregnant women and families affected by Zika virus, and to improve prevention of Zika virus infection during pregnancy.

CDC continues to recommend that pregnant women not travel to areas with Zika. If a pregnant woman travels to or lives in an area with active Zika virus transmission, she should talk with her healthcare provider and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites and sexual transmission of Zika virus. For more information, please visit www.cdc.gov/zika/pregnancy/.

As of Dec. 12, 2016, Zika virus outbreaks have been reported in 50 countries and territories in the Americas. More than 4,000 travel-associated cases of Zika have been reported in the United States. A total of 1,172 pregnant women in the United States have had evidence of Zika virus infection.

The EID article is available at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/23/3/16-1499_article. For more information about Zika, please visit www.cdc.gov/Zika.

###

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
In recent days there have been some rumblings of complaint in the charity sector, following two critical judgements against two charities by the Information Commissioner's Office, and some triumphal crowing in the Daily Mail.

Essentially the complainants said it wasn't fair. The ICO didn't use the same sort of language about PPI firms when they breached the Data Protection Act. The newspapers are guilty of systemic bias, and have got it in for the sector.

In this one very particular respect the sector's current travails resemble those of Brooks Newmark, its former, rarely regretted minister, who departed after only a couple of months in the job, after being honey-trapped into sexting a journalist.

Newmark could also reasonably complain that the tabloids were out to get him, and that he'd been unfairly singled out. But here's the thing. He'd still got caught with his pants round his ankles. And it's hard for the papers to catch you with your pants down, unless you have lowered them yourself.

Simply, charities are the authors of their own misfortune. Most of the UK's largest charities have been behaving unlawfully, pretty much every year since the Data Protection Act was signed into law. If they don't like the consequences, too late now.

How to repair the reputation of the charity sector

In one way, we're lucky there's a reputation left to protect at all. The evidence of wrongdoing is stark. Elderly people getting pestered thousands of times a year. Thirty million donor records wrongly swapped or sold, many of them hundreds of times, some of them not even to other charities but to outright crooks. Tens of thousands of complaints. Howls of protest on TV, in the papers, and in Parliament.

If other sectors were hounding people this way and had behaved so unapologetically when caught, they would have no goodwill left.

Instead, the sector has been spared from disaster by the magic of a single word.

Here's a thought experiment. Write the word charity and draw a circle around it, and forty or fifty arrows pointing in different directions. At the other end of those arrows write every word you associate with that word, charity.

Basically, you'll find that charity has such positive connotations, such good feelings linked with it, that it's quite hard to think about charity and have negative attitudes. As soon as you stop concentrating, all the positive words at the end of the arrows crowd forward into the brain when you hear people talking about charities. The same magic protects firefighters, Christianity and the NHS.

If you want more goals, move the goalposts

So there is a reputation left to protect, and charities had better get on with doing it. In order to do so, they need to ensure that the problems of the past cannot reoccur.

In the short term, this is happening. Charities are moving away from mass mailings. Different approaches to fundraising are being championed. And obviously, the sector now plans to obey the law. There are many drives to enshrine best practice. In theory, that best practice is also being enforced much more rigorously by the ICO and the new Fundraising Regulator.

But many of these initiatives will fade away over time. If in a few years, the base incentives remain the same, then behaviours will reflect those incentives.

And so far, the incentives do remain the same.

The root of the problem is the tragedy of the commons. Fundraisers who behave badly accrue 100 per cent of the benefit from their actions. They pester people and get money. But most of the disbenefit - the reputational harm and distrust involved - accrues to other fundraisers.

The logical conclusion to thisis that there ought to be a strong push for change from the best fundraisers - the ethical, long-term relationship builders, focused on donor wellbeing - to stop shysters from ruining their good name. Yet it doesn't seem to have happened.

I think there are two reasons for this. First, fundraisers - perennial optimists that they are - believe in the power of the ask. They believe that if we ask more, in the right way, the public will give more. It was this attitude which drove the Institute of Fundraising's standards committee, when it set the Code of Fundraising Practice, to effectively make it as easy as possible to ask as often as you wanted. This unfortunately meant that bulk mailing vulnerable people ended up looking like a top drawer idea.

But the evidence suggests that donations are a limited resource. Data collected by Cass Business School shows no change in the proportion of household income given to charity over the past 40 years. You cannot grow the pool - at least as far as individual giving goes. So you need to tend it carefully. It's rather counterintuitive, but the best fundraisers should be in favour of rules making it harder to ask for money. Then their beautiful, careful, thoughtful asks will stand out much more clearly from the tsunami of mass-produced guilt.

The second issue is fundraisers think well of one another. They believe in the carrot, not the stick.

This is admirable. Most fundraisers, in my experience, are positive, enthusiastic people who love other people, and want to do good. They are gregarious, compassionate, and trusting. They believe that if you just show people the light, they will walk into it.

The problem is that even good people can behave badly if given bad incentives  if the trustee board sets short-term giving targets, for example. And some people just don't want to be nice people, no matter how much you tell them how.

So I want to make it harder to follow poor practice, I hear you say. Well, isn't that what we're already doing, with the ICO and the Fundraising Regulator? Creating stronger incentives? Isnt the job already done.

Pardon me for my skepticism, but I don't think it will really work. I think the drive needs to come from within the profession. The Fundraising Regulator - necessary though it is - is not self-regulation, whatever the government wants to call it. It also does not have powerful tools at its disposal to enforce compliance. And it can only take action after receiving a complaint and carrying out an investigation. In some cases this will be so long after the event that everyone has forgotten.

The best way is if the fundraising profession gets its own house in order. Fundraisers must be quick to identify poor practice in their peers.

The Institute of Fundraising is taking some very positive steps in this direction. Its moving towards a system of accreditation for fundraising bodies. Its working towards becoming a chartered institute, meaning its members will become both more strictly licensed and more employable. It is this system of accreditation and licensing the fundraising sector needs.

If charities only hire accredited agencies and licensed fundraisers, it both promotes best practice and creates a process to weed out the worst offenders. If you can achieve a higher level of qualification if you demonstrate excellence - and a better job thereby  then there is an effective mechanism to push good practice.

We need to make good practice easy to follow. But we also need to make bad practice hard.
The Boeing Company is the worlds largest manufacturer of airplanes and commands more than 50% of the market in some channels and categories. The company and its family of subsidiaries design, develops, manufacture, sell, service, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight, and related services worldwide. The company operates through four segments including Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital providing products and services to end-users in 150 countries.

Boeing got its start in 1910 when William E. Boeing developed a love for aircraft. Soon after he takes his first plane ride which leads him to build a hangar and begin construction of his first plane. The onset of WWI helped spur the companys growth but business was cut drastically in its wake. The start of WWII was another milestone for the company and one that led to its current position of dominance. The company was incorporated in 1916 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. Boeing employs over 140,000 people in 65 countries making it one of the most diverse employers on the planet.

The Commercial Airplanes segment is built around the iconic 7-series which includes the 737, 747, and 787. The segment provides commercial jet aircraft for passenger and cargo requirements, as well as fleet support services for regional, national, and international air carriers and logistics and freight companies. In terms of global volume, the company estimates about 90% of all air freight is carried aboard one of its jets. This segment also includes the Dreamliner family of planes. The Dreamliner is a game-changing airplane for many carriers as it opens up the potential for new one-stop destinations because of its capacity and range.

The Defense, Space & Security segment develops and manufactures a range of systems including manned and unmanned aircraft, missiles, missile defense systems, satellites, communications equipment, and intelligence systems for governments. Among the many iconic brands within this segment are the AH-64 Apache, Air Force One, B-52, C-17 Globemaster, Chinook, F/A-18, and the V-22 Osprey VTOL aircraft used by the Marines.

The Global Services segment offers a range of products and services that include supply chain and logistics management, engineering, maintenance, upgrades, conversions, spare parts, pilot and maintenance training, technical and maintenance documents, and data analytics to its commercial and defense customers.

Boeing is also a leader in innovation, leveraging its many decades and avenues of experience to further aerospace and defense technology. Among the many innovations is the MQ-25 Stingray which will be the worlds first autonomous aircraft. The Stingray is only one of many areas of research that also include drones and undersea vehicles.
Work on the world's largest Hindu temple will soon begin in Bihar. The construction will begin after Holi festival in 2017.

The original plan of Viraat Ramayan Mandir was modified following objections from the Cambodian government who called it a replica of Angkor Wat. (Photo: Reuters)

By Indo-Asian News Service: Work is set to start soon to build what could well be the world's largest Hindu temple -- in Bihar.

Those behind the idea say no more hurdles are left for the construction to begin after Holi festival next year, now that the original plan was modified following objections from the Cambodian government.

"We modified our original plan after Cambodia raised objection to our Viraat Ramayan Mandir, saying it is a replica of Angkor Wat," said Acharya Kishore Kunal of the Patna-based Mahavir Mandir Trust.

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"We are set to start work after Holi, which will be an auspicious time," he said.

A former Indian Police Service officer, Kunal said the design or architecture of the proposed temple will have nothing to do with Angkor Wat, visited by millions every year.

Also read: Cambodia's protest hinders Virat Ramayan Mandir construction in Bihar

The Cambodian temple complex was built in the 12th century during king Suryavarman's rule and is now a Unesco World Heritage site.

The proposed temple will come up over 165 acres at Janki Nagar near Kesaria in West Champaran district, about 150 km from Patna. It will cost over Rs 200 crore in the first phase.

That is when the Ramayan Mandir and a Shiv and Mahavir temple each would be built.

HIGH OCTANGULAR SPIRES

Its main attraction will be its 405-feet-high octangular spires. It will be taller than the Angkor Wat temple, which is 215 feet high. The complex will comprise 18 temples.

It will have a Shiva Linga, 44 feet tall and 33 feet in circumference -- proposed to be the tallest in the world.

Also read: Angkor Wat shrine inspired Bihar temple on Cambodian radar

Kunal said when work on the temple was to start last year, the Cambodian government raised objections with New Delhi, saying it was a copy of Angkor Wat.

Kunal and his team then re-exmained their plan. The modified plan was sent to Phnom Penh last year and again early this year through the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Cambodian embassy in New Delhi reportedly indicated that in case of any objection, it will suggest modifications.

NO RESPONSE FROM CAMBODIAN EMBASSY

"I have been informed by our government that there is no response from the Cambodian embassy," Kunal said. "So, a decision has been taken to start the construction work."

He said the temple design has been influenced by over a dozen famous temples in India and abroad, particularly Thailand and Indonesia.

Many Muslims have provided land at a nominal rate for the temple. "Without their help, it would have been difficult to take up this dream project," Kunal said.

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The temple would have a seating capacity of 20,000 in a hall facing the main temple having the idols of Rama, Sita, Luv and Kush.

L&T, India's leading construction company, will build the temple.

--- ENDS ---
There's a lot of talk about the high cost of health care, but do you know which conditions contribute most to health care spending?

If you said diabetes, you're right -- a new study finds diabetes costs $101 billion annually in diagnosis and treatment and is growing 36 times faster than the cost of heart disease, the leading cause of death and the second most-expensive condition.

"While it is well known that the US spends more than any other nation on health care, very little is known about what diseases drive that spending." said Dr. Joseph Dieleman, lead author of a paper published in JAMA and Assistant Professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. "IHME is trying to fill the information gap so that decision-makers in the public and private sectors can understand the spending landscape, and plan and allocate health resources more effectively."

In fact, the study found that just 20 conditions make up more than half of all spending on health care in the United States.

While diabetes and heart disease primarily affected consumers 65 and over, lower back and neck pain, the third-most-expensive condition, primarily strikes adults of working age.

These three top spending categories, along with hypertension and injuries from falls, comprise 18% of all personal health spending and totaled $437 billion in 2013.

This study distinguishes between spending on public health programs from personal health spending, including both individual out-of-pocket costs and spending by private and government insurance programs. It covers 155 conditions.

$2.4 trillion

In addition to the $2.1 trillion spent on the 155 conditions examined in the study, Dr. Dieleman estimates that approximately $300 billion in costs, such as those of over-the-counter medications and privately funded home health care, remain unaccounted for, indicating total personal health care costs in the US reached $2.4 trillion in 2013.

Other expensive conditions among the top 20 include musculoskeletal disorders, such as tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis; well-care associated with dental visits; and pregnancy and postpartum care.

Other key findings include:

Women ages 85 and older spent the most per person in 2013, at more than $31,000 per person. More than half of this spending (58%) occurred in nursing facilities, while 40% was expended on cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, and falls.

Men ages 85 and older spent $24,000 per person in 2013, with only 37% on nursing facilities, largely because women live longer and men more often have a spouse at home to provide care.

Less than 10% of personal health care spending is on nursing care facilities, and less than 5% of spending is on emergency department care. The conditions leading to the most spending in nursing care facilities are Alzheimer's and stroke, while the condition leading to the most spending in emergency departments is falls.

Public health education and advocacy initiatives, such as anti-tobacco and cancer awareness campaigns, totaled an estimated $77.9 billion in 2013, less than 3% of total health spending.

Top 10 diseases

The top 10 most costly health expenses in 2013 were:

1. Diabetes - $101.4 billion

2. Ischemic heart disease - $88.1 billion

3. Low back and neck pain - $87.6 billion

4. Hypertension - $83.9 billion

5. Injuries from falls - $76.3 billion

6. Depressive disorders - $71.1 billion

7. Oral-related problems - $66.4 billion

8. Vision and hearing problems - $59 billion

9. Skin-related problems, such as cellulitis and acne - $55.7 billion

10. Pregnancy and postpartum care - $55.6 billion
Facebook says its discontinued research app collected data from about 187,000 users who were paid $20 a month to allow the social media company observe how they used their phones.

The app made news earlier this year when Apple blocked Facebook from offering the app to iPhone users. At the time, Facebook said it users were paid for their participation, it never tried to hide the program, and none of the information was shared.

In a letter to members of Congress, Facebook disclosed it had collected data from 31,000 users in the U.S., 4,300 of whom were teenagers. The rest were consumers who lived in India.

At the time, Facebook said the app was part of an effort to help the company better serve its users.

Since this research is aimed at helping Facebook understand how people use their mobile devices, weve provided extensive information about the type of data we collect and how they can participate, a spokesperson said at the time.

The information may or may not be relevant to the current debate about Facebooks size and scale, and whether it is a monopoly in need of regulation. The company has defended its discontinued research app as transparent and non-intrusive.

New research app

This week, Facebook released a new Android app, available to users who are at least 18 years-old. Facebook says users who download the app will agree to let Facebook analyze the apps on the phone, looking at how much they are used and the device or network that is being used.

The company says users who agree to participate will still receive compensation for sharing their data and can leave the program at any time.

As for the new research app, at least one lawmaker thinks it is an ill-conceived move. Sen. Richard Bloomenthan (D-Conn.) told CNET he thinks Facebook should be emphasizing consumer privacy.

"At a time when the company is under investigation for its data practices and anti-competitive actions, the Facebook Study app is at best tone-deaf and ill-considered," Bloomenthal told CNET.

Facebook and other tech giants have come under closer government scrutiny in recent weeks and could face antitrust action. For its part, Facebook is attempting to settle a Federal Trade Commission action over its handling of user data.
NAFCU President and CEO Dan Berger and NAFCU-member CEOs met with House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, Tuesday in Dallas, Texas, to discuss the Financial CHOICE Act and credit union issues facing the 115th Congress.

Berger described the meeting as positive and noted appreciation for Hensarlings focus on regulatory relief.

NAFCU and our members thank Chairman Hensarling for his leadership in seeking ways to reduce the regulatory burden on credit unions in Texas and across the country, Berger said. A reduction in the amount of unnecessary regulation for the nations community financial institutions would allow institutions do more of what they do best: serve consumers.

The meeting, held in Hensarlings home district, also included Charles Rutan, president and CEO of Southwest Airlines Federal Credit Union, and Brent Sheffield, president and CEO of Advancial Federal Credit Union. Both credit unions are based in Dallas, and Rutan is an at-large member of the NAFCU Board of Directors.
Years of social change have broken the old stereotype of men being the traditional breadwinners and managers of their familys finances. Women are no longer sitting on the sidelines of financial management.

In fact, many women are taking on the role of money manager and financial planner on their own. According to Pew Research, 40% of households now have a female breadwinner and 63% of breadwinning moms are single moms.

If you are a woman who wants, or needs, to take charge of your familys finances, heres how you can get started.

Study Up On Your Household Finances

Prudentials Financial Experience & Behaviors Among Women study found that:

27% of married women surveyed say they take control of financial and retirement planning.

Among married women who are their familys primary breadwinner, 65% say they take the lead role in financial and retirement planning.

Among married women who contribute half or less of their household income, nearly 50% share equally in the responsibilities of financial and retirement planning.

If your spouse has always been the primary money manager in the family, you should make an effort to be involved in and aware of the basics of your household finances. You never know when an unexpected event will require you to step into the day-to-day money management.

Sit down with your spouse every month or every quarter and review the following:

Your monthly household income

How your monthly expenses are broken down (home & living expenses, food, transportation, entertainment, etc.)

The amount of outstanding debt you owe on your credit cards, your mortgage or other loans

The amount in your savings account, retirement accounts or other investment accounts, and your childrens college savings plans

How your bills are paid (automatically deducted from your accounts, automatically charged to your credit card, or with a paper check)

Move Beyond Saving and Start Investing

The Prudential study further shows that the majority of women (over 90%) feel they understand savings accounts somewhat well or very well. However, when it came to understanding tools of investments, only 38% said they understand mutual funds and 31% said they understand annuities somewhat well or very well.

Although women realize the necessity of long-term financial planning, outside of an employee sponsored 401K, many dont have much background with investing. They also tend to choose safe, low-risk options. However, investing needs to play a role in anyones personal finances to increase the value of their money over time.

If you dont feel comfortable preparing a long-term financial strategy on your own, a financial advisor can help you devise a plan and walk you through your options. Talk with your family, friends, or co-workers for recommendations on financial planners they feel are trust-worthy, easy to work with, and who theyve worked with successfully.

Plan For A Longer Life

Statistics from the CDC tell that women outlive men by nearly five years. For this reason a womans retirement funds need to last longer. The reality though is that women have saved nearly $42,000 less for retirement than men in the same age range.

Start making smart financial choices now to ensure that youll be able to live comfortably in your retirement.

Make the Most of Your 401K

A big mistake that women and men alike make with their 401K is not taking full advantage of a company match. One of the big selling points of a 401K is that, in most cases, your company will match your contribution. (A typical company match can be around 3%  6% of your salary.) If a company match is available, be sure that you are contributing at least that amount into your 401K. Otherwise, youre passing up on free money.

Save More with an IRA

To take the place of a company 401K, or to take retirement planning a step further, look into the option of an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). These investment accounts can be opened at your credit union to build funds for your retired years. There are many IRA options and benefits associated with each, so we recommend reading through our Essential Information on IRAs slideshare to explore the options available to you.
Surprise: N Korea Hacked S Korea Cyber Command

North Korea appears to have hacked South Korea's cyber command in what could be the latest cyberattack against Seoul, the military has admitted.

"It seems the Intranet server of the cyber command has been contaminated with malware. We found that some military documents, including confidential information, have been hacked," an official at the Ministry of National Defense told Yonhap News Agency. He said that authorities suspect North Korea is behind the latest online infiltrations.

The cyber command said it isolated the affected server from the whole network to avoid the spread of viruses. But it has yet to fully determine what data were leaked.

It marked the first time that the data of South Korea's cyber command has been compromised. South Korea set up the command in January 2010 as part of its efforts to counter external hacking attempts on the country's military.

North Korea, which has thousands of cyber-warfare personnel, has a track record of waging cyber-attacks on South Korea and the United States in recent years, though it has flatly denied any involvement.

Earlier this year, South Korea accused North Korea of stealing information from about 10 South Korean officials by hacking into their smartphones.

Then two months ago, Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, a lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, claimed that the cyber command was hacked in September. He told Yonhap that the hacking targeted the "vaccine routing server" installed at the cyber command.

Kim, who is a member of the parliament's national defense committee, said that a malicious code was identified and it appears to have taken advantage of the vulnerability of the routing server.

The server is tasked with security on computers that the military has for internet-connection purposes. Around 20,000 military computers are known to have been connected to the server.

Kim said in October that chances are "very low" that the hacking led to a leak of confidential information, given that the military's intranet is not connected to the server.

The defense ministry later announced it has identified the intrusion of the malicious code into the system and as a precaution, separated the server from the network.

But according to the source, there is a possibility that the military's Intranet may have been compromised due to the hacking which could force South Korea to rewrite its military operation plans.

Yonhap News: North vs. South: Cyber Warfare In Korea Is Escalating:
Tristan Cayaoyao takes a bite of cake with red and white Canadian flag-themed icing on it and darts over to stand next to his mother, father and two older siblings for a photo.



This is more than just your average snapshot in the making: It's one of the first images taken of the third-year Dalhousie Industrial Engineering student and his family together as Canadian citizens.



Just moments earlier, the family and 35 other individuals from 13 countries took the oath of citizenship here in the atrium of Dal's LeMarchant Place.



Tristan was one of three Dal students to receive their citizenship certificates during Wednesday afternoons ceremony, the first of its kind ever to be held at Dal. The university hosted the event on behalf of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the government department that administers citizenship ceremonies in different locations across the country throughout the year.



Tristan and his father, brother and sister first arrived in Canada from the Philippines in August of 2011 to join his mother, who had been working in the hotel industry in Halifax for about four years prior in order to support the family back home.



The family came seeking better opportunities. Fifteen years old at the time, Tristan entered into grade 10 at his local high school and eventually completed the qualifying year for Engineering at Saint Mary's University before becoming a Dal student.



"The people here are very friendly, says Tristan, now 20, on what he appreciates about living in Canada. "They accepted me even though I was from the Philippines and wasn't that good at speaking English in the beginning.



He credits this welcoming atmosphere for some of the many opportunities hes had since arriving, including working as a leader for international student orientation in his high school and as a mentor for children at a local church.



I don't know if I could have done that in the Philippines, he says, but here I was very free to do these things.

Strength in diversity



Dal President Richard Florizone was on hand at the ceremony to welcome Tristan and the others on behalf of the university. He said Dal and other universities are woven into their communities with teaching and research and in the service they provide to society, in part, through attracting and retaining international students and scholars.



As Dr. Florizone noted, Dal now has students from more than 115 countries and nearly 15 per cent of its student population comes from outside Canada. Times Higher Education, a weekly publication known for its global university rankings, has ranked Dal as one of the top 200 most international universities in the world for the past two years, something Dr. Florizone said brings him great pride.



Diversity is Canadas strength, he said. Our international students and faculty make amazing contributions to Dalhousie and I know that each of you who take that oath today will make your own profound contribution to this country we call home.



Dal president Richard Florizone presents a box of chocolate to a young boy at Wednesday's ceremony.



Citizenship judge Ann Janega presided over the afternoons proceedings, which included the swearing of an oath to Canada (in the name of Queen Elizabeth II) by all candidates and the presentation of citizenship certificates to each individual.



The new citizens  some of them affirming their oath together with family members  were also presented with mini Canadian flags and pins as well Dalhousie chocolates, a gift that seemed doubly appreciated by the children being sworn in.

Everyone has a unique story, whether refugee, a new skilled worker, or someone who has just fallen in love with Canada, or perhaps who has fallen in love with someone in Canada, said Janega, to laughs from a packed room filled with friends, family and supporters of the new citizens.



She spoke of the rights and responsibilities that come with being Canadian and the values of compassion, openness and diversity that all are expected to embrace as our newest citizens.



Janega also took a moment to reflect on those citizens who were here first. I think its useful for us to remember that Indigenous people were the very first citizens of Canada, she said, after expressing her honour in sharing the stage with Geri Musqua-Leblanc, one of Dals Elders in Residence who presented a prayer later in the ceremony.

A meaningful ceremony



Third-year Dal music student Maggie Anderson led the room in a bilingual rendition of the Canadian national anthem to close out the ceremony, during which Dal students Hemlata Shirsat (a fourth-year resident physician in Anatomical Pathology from India) and Sidney Klein (a first-year Management student originally from New York City) joined Tristan in gaining citizenship.



Sidney, who first moved to Ontario in 2008 with his family at 10 years old, said the occasion was particularly special for him.



Its pretty cool to say you got to become Canadian at your university, he said, adding that a bunch of his new friends from the fraternity he just joined came out to his ceremony.



Although exams have been keeping him busy, Sidney said it was nice to wake up Wednesday morning knowing that he was finally about to become Canadian.



It was a pretty amazing feeling, he said. I woke up and looked at all my study schedules and was like, Oh yeah, I have to go become a Canadian today.

Dal student Sidney Klein raises his hand to swear his citizenship oath.
A natural connection to the land and a love for animals led Christian Francis to the Faculty of Agriculture and on the right path for him.



Christian is a member of the Mikmaq First Nation from Pictou Landing in Nova Scotia and is enrolled as a third-year Environmental Sciences student on the Agricultural Campus.



The people are probably my favorite part of being here, says Christian. Everyone on campus is really friendly and willing to help you out if you need it. Barring exam season, campus has a very 'relaxed' vibe to it, which resonates really well with me.



Christian was recently acknowledged on a national scale for his commitment to the revitalized forest products industry and to Aboriginal communities.



But it hasnt always been a simple journey.



I've always had an interest in nature, but it took me a few years to get into it academically, he explains. Originally Christian studied on the Halifax campuses and then completed a two-year Audio Engineering program, but decided the music industry wasn't what he was looking for.



After that was done I was still trying to find my path, he adds.



Honestly, I was initially hesitant about the Ag Campus, but after my mom and I took a tour a few years ago, I quickly grew to love it here. Being able to go and see the animals was a big draw for me early on, but eventually the whole campus grew on me.

A new direction



Things really came together for Christian a few years ago when he started to work on environmental issues. It was rewarding to know that the work I was doing would be helping create habitat for animals, or providing data for conservation biologists, or trying to get Aboriginal youth involved in science and the environment, he explains.



Christian was recently recognized by the Forest Products Association of Canada in partnership with the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers with a Skills Award for Aboriginal Youth.



Christian was one of two youth honoured November 22 in Ottawa, Ont. with an award that celebrates individuals who exemplify the qualities of strong academic standing, commitment to the revitalized forest products industry and a demonstrated commitment to Indigenous communities.



The award was brought to Christians attention by a community friend late last summer while he was working with a not-for-profit organization based out of Millbrook called the Mi'kmaq Conservation Group, in its new Aboriginal Forestry program.



The award is very meaningful to me, explains Christian. I see it as a sort of confirmation that I am doing good work."

A dream of giving back



"I am hopeful that my valuing of education and my developing experience with the forestry and land management industry will enable me to someday find and create opportunities for economic growth in my home community," he adds. "Someday I hope to do my part in helping First Nations people as a whole."



Christian also acknowledges the importance of recent events on campus, such as the permanent installation of the Mikmaq Grand Council Flag on the Agricultural Campus and the renaming of River Road to Sipu Awti  the literal Mikmaq translation.



The flying of our flag and renaming of River Road are a great way to acknowledge the shared history and relationship between the campus and the Mi'kmaq people who lived here, explains Christian. Events like these are an excellent way for Aboriginal youth to experience the campus atmosphere and also for the students and faculty on campus to experience Aboriginal culture firsthand.



I am hopeful that experiences like this can inspire more Aboriginal youth to continue pursuing an education and to realize the opportunities that exist if you just put in a little work and try new things.


This year has seen a reversal of fortunes for some renewable energy certificate (REC) markets, with some of last year's best performing US markets seeing big price drops, while EU and Australian markets saw record gains. Hamza Ali reports

Renewable energy certificate (REC) markets have had a tough year in the US, as the supply of certificates outstripped demand.

"Power consumption has been lower this year, and that's just a factor of the weather being warmer and an increase in the uptake of energy efficiency upgrades, so you've had less electricity usage overall and this lowered demand for RECs," says Izzet Bensusan, CEO of Karbone, which was voted Best Advisory and Best Broker for the North American RECs markets in this year's poll.

In the US, 29 states and the District of Columbia have put in place mandatory requirements for electricity suppliers to source part of their electricity load from renewable sources.

Each REC is essentially proof that a megawatt of renewable energy has been delivered to the grid and sufficient certificates have to be presented by electricity suppliers to regulators at regular intervals to meet the mandatory targets, known as Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs).

While RECs are tradable separately from the renewable electricity they represent, lower power usage means demand for RECs falls as electricity suppliers need fewer certificates to comply with the RPS, says Bensusan.

Even as demand fell this year, build rates of renewable energy plants did not taper off, which meant compliance markets such as the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland Power Pool (PJM)  the largest RECs market in the US  saw an oversupply which caused prices to fall.

"Certain compliance markets, such as PJM, have remained extremely volatile, currently trading below $10 per MWh from a high around $20 per MWh," says Scott Eidson, vice president, environmental markets at 3Degrees, which won the title of Best Trading Company for North American RECs for the second time.

Markets like PJM include RECs generated by different renewable energy technologies and different states.

Within these larger markets, some states set additional RPSs to give additional support to certain technologies. For example, Pennsylvania and others have Solar RECs (SRECs), which set targets purely for solar technologies.

Prices for SRECs dropped sharply in many states in 2016, as the falling cost of the technology led to more projects being built, resulting in an oversupply of certificates.

The Maryland SREC market, for example, has seen prices fall from $170 per MWh in December 2015 to an all-time low of $18 in November. Solar farm build rates in the state reached 30MWh/month during the first quarter of 2016, which far outstripped demand of 6MWh/month.

Although this slowed towards the end of the year, the market is forecast to have an oversupply of 291,000 SRECs or 80% of the RPS in 2016, according to SRECTrade, a management firm specialising in solar RECs.

Similarly, prices have fallen in the New Jersey SREC market from a peak of $260 in 2015 to $206 in 2016.

"In New Jersey we saw build rates continue to rise as prices began to go down, as projects were fully hedged for the fall in SREC prices," says Rich Weihe, managing director of Karbone. "It's kind of what we saw in Maryland where build rates had not been declining as fast as prices."

"It's not often that you see such dramatic price jumps in this market"

Suvi Viljaranta, Enegia

The reason developers can continue to build, despite the low price of power and RECs, is that costs have also fallen dramatically, agrees Todd Alexander, a partner at Chadbourne & Parke, which shared the title of Best Law Firm for North American RECs with Baker & McKenzie.

"Contractors are achieving greater economies of scale and operators are lowering costs through the use of new technologies and the benefits of having more projects in closer proximity. We now see solar projects willing to offer energy prices near 3 cents per kWh," he says.

Another factor affecting RECs prices is the federal government's extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and Production Tax Credit (PTC), notes Alexander.

The ITC is a tax break for renewable energy which allows some investors to recoup up to 30% of the value of the project and was due to expire at the end of 2015. The PTC provides renewable energy generators with tax relief of 2.3 cents per kWh.

RENEWABLES MARKET RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES - NORTH AMERICA Winner Runner up Best broker Karbone Evolution Markets Best trading company 3 Degrees DTE Energy Best advisory Karbone Evolution Markets Best law firm =Chadbourne & Parke; =Baker & McKenzie RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES - EUROPE Winner Runner up Best broker Enegia Group Cleanworld Best trading company South Pole Group Best advisory South Pole Group Best law firm Baker & McKenzie RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES - AUSTRALIA Winner Runner up Best broker TFS Green Best law firm Baker & McKenzie RENEWABLE IDENTIFICATION CERTIFICATES Winner Runner up Best broker Element Markets Best trading company Bluesource Best advisory Element Markets Best law firm Baker & McKenzie

ITC and PTC were extended in a surprise bipartisan move by Congress in December 2015, for another five years. However, many projects that had been rushed through before the credits were due to expire, came online in 2016. These added to the oversupply of RECs, explains Alexander.

However, while RECs prices have fallen in some markets, various factors, including the election victory of Donald Trump, could cause power prices to rise in the coming year, according to Bensusan.

"The immediate effect of the US election was that the yield on 10-year Treasuries went up, and this is impeding some people from making deals that they could have made a month earlier, due to their cost of capital going up," he says. "REC prices may go up next year, if it becomes apparent that there isn't more supply coming online."

As most RECs markets are state regulated, Bensusan expects the market to continue to grow as "states that have a RECs markets will pursue the course even deeper."

Chadbourne & Parke's Alexander agrees saying: "I do not expect that we will see a repeal of either the investment tax credit or the production tax credit, which are the two principal federal incentives available to renewable energy projects. Rather, I expect that Congress will allow the current phase outs of these tax credits, which are already underway, to continue to take effect."

Across the Atlantic, the price of Guarantees of Origin (GOs), the EU version of RECs, more than doubled early in 2016.

For example, prices for Norwegian hydro GOs climbed to 0.40 ($0.43) per MWh February from 0.15, before seeing prices drop back down to 0.20. This unusual level of volatility was attributed to a surprise announcement by the UK regulator, Ofgem, that foreign GOs could be used to comply with its national system.

However, the UK, which operates a separate renewable certificate market called Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO), dampened market exuberance when it later clarified that the scheme would not affect 2016 supply, causing prices to fall back slightly.

"It's not often that you see such dramatic price jumps in this market," says Suvi Viljaranta, portfolio manager at Enegia, which was voted Best Broker for European RECs for the second year in a row. "All of a sudden, in February, Ofgem makes an announcement that some GOs could be used to get exemptions from the feed-in-tariff and the price of GOs jumps to 0.40."

GOs have also been boosted by a rise in European demand for renewable energy of just over 9% since 2014. Initiatives such as RE100  through which companies have pledged to source 100% of their electricity from renewable sources  have added to the traditional household demand for green energy in Europe, says Marie Christine Bluett, head of renewables portfolio management at South Pole Group, which was voted Best Advisory for European RECs.

"We now have large end-consumers prescribing themselves to renewable energy consumption goals on a never before seen scale," she says.

Five countries account for three quarters of the RECs demand in Europe  Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Italy. But Germany, which has for the past few years been the biggest importer of GOs, has seen demand fall for the first time in five years. The country purchased 65 TWh during the first half of 2016, a drop of 5% year-on-year, but remained the biggest market.

Norway, Austria, Finland, Denmark, France and Belgium currently make up the next group of countries  each with a steady market demand of between 10 and 35 TWh annually, according to Viljaranta.

"We have seen a tremendous drop in the cost of these projects"

Izzet Bensusan, Karbone

Meanwhile, in Australia, the RECs market reached record highs, after the government's new targets for renewable energy, announced in June 2015, gave a boost to trading.

The new targets are 33,000 GWh by 2020 for large scale renewable energy such as wind farms (the Large Scale Renewable Energy Scheme) and a Small Scale Renewable Energy Scheme for technologies, such as solar PV on residential properties, which has an aspiration, but not a target, of 4,000 GWh by 2020.

While these new targets have helped revitalise investment in renewables, a forecasted shortfall in supply caused the price of large-scale generation certificates (LGCs)  formerly known as RECs  to rise steadily over the past year, from AUD65 ($48) to AUD90 in November.

"For a period we had a lot of uncertainty around the government's renewables targets which has now been settled," says Martijn Wilder  head of the global environmental markets practice at Baker & McKenzie. "We have seen the reengagement of investment in renewables and increased demand for these products."
Researchers have identified neutralizing antibodies against Zika virus from an infected patient that fully protected mice from infection, adding to the current arsenal of antibodies in development for much needed antiviral therapies and vaccines. Unlike other human antibodies under investigation that recognize both Zika and the closely related dengue virus, the antibodies used in this study exclusively target Zika, demonstrating a high specificity that could be important in avoiding potential side effects - such as enhanced dengue infection in regions where both viruses are endemic. The 2015 outbreak of Zika virus disease, a mosquito-borne infection linked to a birth defect known as microcephaly in babies, has spread to more than 80,000 people in 69 countries and regions worldwide. Zika is fortunately no longer considered an international public health emergency, according to the World Health Organization, but an urgent need for preventative and treatment approaches, none of which has been clinically approved, remains. Here, Qihui Wang and colleagues isolated 13 monoclonal antibodies from the blood of a Zika virus-infected patient returning from Venezuela to China. Two of these antibodies (known as Z23 and Z3L1) potently eliminated Zika virus in vitro, without cross-reacting with dengue virus strains, and shielded mice completely from Zika virus infection. Structural analysis suggests that the antibodies block infection by targeting sites on the virus' envelope protein, which aids viral entry into cells. Further analysis is necessary to better understand how Z23 and Z3L1 specifically offer protection, the authors say.

###
Novel training may rehabilitate impaired limbs by allowing healthy limbs to lead 'by example,' say Tel Aviv University researchers

A combination of traditional physical therapy and technology may improve the motor skills and mobility of an impaired hand by having its partner, more mobile hand lead by example through virtual reality training, new Tel Aviv University research suggests.

"Patients suffering from hemiparesis -- the weakness or paralysis of one of two paired limbs -- undergo physical therapy, but this therapy is challenging, exhausting, and usually has a fairly limited effect," said lead investigator Prof. Roy Mukamel of TAU's School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, who conducted the research with his student Ori Ossmy. "Our results suggest that training with a healthy hand through a virtual reality intervention provides a promising way to repair mobility and motor skills in an impaired limb." The research was published in Cell Reports.

Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing?

53 healthy participants completed baseline tests to assess the motor skills of their hands, then strapped on virtual reality headsets that showed simulated versions of their hands. The virtual reality technology, however, presented the participants with a "mirror image" of their hands -- when they moved their real right hand, their virtual left hand would move.

In the first experiment, participants completed a series of finger movements with their right hands, while the screen showed their "virtual" left hands moving instead. In the next, participants placed motorized gloves on their left hands, which moved their fingers to match the motions of their right hands. Again, the headsets presented the virtual left hands moving instead of their right hands.

The research team found that when subjects practiced finger movements with their right hands while watching their left hands on 3D virtual reality headsets, they could use their left hands more efficiently after the exercise. But the most notable improvements occurred when the virtual reality screen showed the left hand moving while in reality the motorized glove moved the hand.

Tricking the brain

"We effectively tricked the brain," said Prof. Mukamel.

"Technologically, these experiments were a big challenge," Prof. Mukamel continued. "We manipulated what people saw and combined it with the passive, mechanical movement of the hand to show that our left hand can learn even when it is not moving under voluntary control."

The researchers are optimistic that this research could be applied to patients in physical therapy programs who have lost the strength or control of one hand. "We need to show a way to obtain high-performance gains relative to other, more traditional types of therapies," said Prof. Mukamel. "If we can train one hand without voluntarily moving it and still show significant improvements in the motor skills of that hand, we've achieved the ideal."

The researchers are currently examining the applicability of their novel VR training scheme to stroke patients.

###

Tel Aviv University (TAU) is inherently linked to the cultural, scientific and entrepreneurial mecca it represents. It is one of the world's most dynamic research centers and Israel's most distinguished learning environment. Its unique-in-Israel multidisciplinary environment is highly coveted by young researchers and scholars returning to Israel from post-docs and junior faculty positions in the US.

American Friends of Tel Aviv University (AFTAU) enthusiastically and industriously pursues the advancement of TAU in the US, raising money, awareness and influence through international alliances that are vital to the future of this already impressive institution.
Diary notes, meticulously maintained by master-middleman Christian Michel and now in the custody of India Today TV, strike at the very heart of the VVIP chopper scam and show how the Indian system was rigged for a few million euros.

By Rahul Kanwal: Bribes as high as 16 million euros might have been routed to one of India's most powerful political families to swing the AgustaWestland deal during the UPA rule, secret notes written by British arms dealer Christian Michel reveal.

India Today has exclusively accessed his emails and hand-written remarks that shed light on how the VVIP chopper scandal could have been orchestrated.

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Meticulously maintained by the master-middleman, Michel, the diaries provide a compelling evidence of how shadowy agents steered the Rs 3,600-crore contract that the Manmohan Singh government signed in 2010.

His notes, which were seized by the Italian police and handed over to the CBI later, show AgustaWestland's parent company Finmeccanica set aside 52 million euros to bribe decision-makers in India to clinch the deal.

ALSO READ: What is AgustaWestland chopper deal? Why is Sonia Gandhi under attack for it?

Michel, who Finmeccanica hired as a broker for the Indian business, sent regular updates to his bosses in Europe and also to Guido Haschke, the other alleged middleman in the scrapped helicopter contract, the notes show.

Updates, according to the highly-placed CBI sources, were sent through fax and email.

The CBI, they told India Today, has corroboratively confirmed contents of Michel's diaries by questioning his secretary, who typed some of them.

MRS GANDHI IS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE VIP

In entries dated March 15, 2008 he named some of India's top politicians in and outside of government offices. "As Mrs Gandhi is the driving force behind the VIP, she will not fly any more in the Mi-8," the letter reads.

It listed then prime minister Manmohan Singh and Ahmed Patel among Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's key advisors.

Separately, Michel mentioned 15 to 16 million euros for a "family" and another three million for initials "AP".

He did not explain who the family or AP was.

Whether the initials AP mentioned by the middleman in his diaries refer to Ahmed Patel remains unclear and unproven.

His diaries, however, reveal he might have paid six million euros to Indian air-force officers, 8.4 million to bureaucrats in addition to 15-16 million to a political family.

ALSO READ: Full text of Agusta middleman Christian Michel's interview to India Today

They also show he had knowledge of intimate details of meetings of the high-profile contract negotiation committee (CNC).

Michel also claimed to have paid off influential people in India, who helped reject Russian and American choppers.

Besides, he claimed to be in touch with officials from the PMO, the SPG, the CVC and the defence ministry

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"Presentation of offer saw the Russians being rejected through a technicality, which was no accident," reads a note dated April 10, 2008 in a potential sign how the Indian system could have been subverted by brokers sitting overseas to secure military contracts. "We are consciously and deliberately trying to disqualify competition at this state," Michel added.

Michel also appeared to be having prior information about meetings before they happened. He might have been able to offer big money whenever an opportunity for bribing from his staggering budget of 52 million euros arose, most-senior investigators say.

His kickback sheet recorded 6 million euros to at least four different IAF officers, cited mostly with the initials of their official titles - DCH (deputy chief of air staff), PDSR (Project director Service Requirement), FTT (Field Trial Team) and DG Maintenance (Director-General Air Force Maintenance).

His diaries recorded bribes purportedly paid to the defence ministry under then minister AK Antony.

MICHEL CLAIMS HE PAID 8.4 MILLION TO BUREAUCRATS

A tidy 8.4 million euros might have been given to at least five senior bureaucrats in the MoD and also to the CAG, coded in his diaries as DS (Defence Secretary), JSAF (Joint Secretary Air Force), AFA (Additional Financial Advisor Air Force), DG ACQ (DG Acquisitions), CVC (Central Vigilance Commission), Auditor General (Comptroller and Auditor General).

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"The family want their agreement honoured," said a line in another letter, which pegged the "agreement" with the "family" at 28 million euros.

On April 10, 2008, the diaries also recroded that the CCS (cabinet committee on security) had appointed a "spokesperson to interact with us to facilitate an understanding."

In a Feb 8 letter the same year, it claimed the CVC's chairman "was willing to be persuaded".

"(The) Maintenance Command is ready to work with us on all technical issues to make the above possible," Michel wrote.

According to top CBI investigators, former air-force chief S.P. Tyagi, now in custody over allegations of involvement in the AgustaWestland scandal, had made cash investments worth Rs 2.5 crore in real estate while in office.

Tyagi, however, claims he had re-invested money he received from the sale of his land.

But the CBI suspects the cash came from Agusta payoffs. Investigators, most senior officials said, would file their first charge-sheet in the next few weeks.

They believe they have sufficient evidence to establish the deal was compromised. Top CBI sources say their probe would now focus on suspect bureaucrats and politicians.

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"Who is stopping the government to take action in that matter?" asked Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala in his reaction to the Michel diaries accessed and reported by India Today. "Whatever action was taken, it was taken by the UPA - rom starting the process to blacklisting the company to the seizures. The big question is why all this is happening now. What had this government been doing since two-and-a-half years?" he said.

Meanwhile, BJP MP Kirti Somaiya today said that he will raise the issue in the Parliament tomorrow as the India Today sting provides substantial proof that not only the PMO of the UPA government, but also the Gandhi family are involved in the VVIP chopper scam.

WATCH: Exclusive: Full interview of AgustaWestland middleman Christian Michel with India Today

--- ENDS ---
SAN FRANCISCO -- The arid Atacama Desert, thought to be a barrier to early South American settlers, may have held lakes large enough to sustain small human populations, according to new research presented here today. The lakes' presence challenges the current understanding of the paths early settlers took to explore and settle South America, according to the researchers.

Chile's Atacama Desert spans roughly 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) along South America's western coast. The desert is sandwiched between two mountain ranges, which prevent water from reaching its valleys and salt flats, making it the world's driest location outside the poles.

Now, new research shows standing water may have existed in the heart of the Atacama. Scientists recently discovered remnants of freshwater plants and animals buried in the sediment of the desert's salt flats: the large stretches of dry, salty soil that pepper the Atacama Desert. Many of the flats span 600 to 1,000 square meters (6,400 to 10,400 square feet), though some are larger. Radiocarbon analysis showed the freshwater lakes and wetlands existed in the desert between 9,000 and 25,000 years ago, according to the researchers.

Many archeologists believe South America's early settlers traveled from the west coast inland toward the Andean Mountains, avoiding the desert's dry center by walking along its wetter edges. But the new findings suggest the Atacama's ancient lakes could have provided another path through the desert, and possibly even homes for South American settlers.

"The implication is that a landscape previously thought to be uninhabitable was actually an important stepping-stone for colonization of South America," said Marco Pfeiffer, a soil scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, and lead author of the new study. Pfeiffer will present the study's results today at the 2016 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting.

When Pfeiffer and his colleagues dug into the salt flats, they discovered organic material left by freshwater plants, snails and microorganisms. Radiocarbon dating suggested those organisms lived after one or more wet climate cycles, known as the Central Andean Pluvial Events.

Pfeiffer said the climate cycles likely brought rain from the Andes down to the water-starved soil of the Atacama Desert, creating the lakes and wetlands. Even populations of guanaco, the undomesticated parent of the modern llama, may have once thrived near the Atacama's ancient water bodies, he added. When the climate cycles ended, the lakes and wetlands transitioned from fresh to saltwater before completely disappearing several thousand years later, Pfeiffer said.

Pfeiffer said the new findings could help guide future archaeological expeditions. Only three archaeological sites within the desert have been searched for evidence of human settlement, all of which stand near streams. Pfeiffer believes the Atacama Desert holds a "rich, early archaeological record remaining to be discovered and analyzed."

###

Media Q&A and presentation information

The researcher, Marco Pfeiffer, will be available to answer questions from members of the news media during a media availability from 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. PT today in the Press Conference Room, Moscone West, Room 3000. The media availability will also be streamed live over the web. Information about how to stream press conferences can be found here.

The researchers will present a poster about their work on Thursday, 15 December 2016 at the AGU Fall Meeting.

Poster Title: Wetlands and Paleolakes in the Hyperarid Atacama Desert During the Late Quaternary and Their Implications for Early Human Occupation of South America

Session: PP43B: Recent Advances in Lakes and Lacustrine Material: Responses to Regional Climate and Environmental Change II Posters

Date: Thursday, 15 December 2016

Time: 1:40 - 6:00 p.m.

Abstract number: PP43B-2321

Location: Moscone South, Poster Hall

Contact information for the researcher: Marco Pfeiffer: mpfeiffer@berkeley.edu, +1 (510) 612-3783

2. Today's press events

8:30 a.m. - A new understanding of South American settlement (Media Q&A)

9:00 a.m. - New research on the ionosphere, our interface to space

11:30 a.m. - Thomas Zurbuchen (Media Availability)

1:45 p.m. - Sally Jewell (Media Availability)

2:30 p.m. - Preparing for the 2017 total solar eclipse (Workshop)

4:00 p.m. - Sharing big, hard ideas with many kinds of people (Workshop)

5:00 p.m. - Early returns from four far-flung field experiments (Workshop)

All Fall Meeting press events will be streamed live on the AGU press events webpage and archived on AGU's YouTube channel.

3. Noteworthy sessions happening today

CSLDF and AGU symposium on law and science: The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund and AGU are hosting a symposium to discuss the legal issues facing scientists under open records Laws from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Salon 2. Press registered for the AGU Fall Meeting are invited to attend, but must RSVP in advance to AGU Public Affairs Manager Elizabeth Landau at elandau@agu.org. You must be registered as press for the AGU Fall Meeting to attend.

Special post-election session: The shifting landscape for science: The recent election of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and new members of Congress have introduced new uncertainties in terms of the strength of federal support for scientific investment, trust in scientific integrity, and the level of support for educating and developing the next generation of scientists. AGU will host a special session with Katharine Hayhoe, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University; and Daniel Kammen, Director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL), Professor in the Energy and Resources Group Energy and Resources Group (ERG), and Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at University of California, Berkeley. There will also be a Q&A moderated by AGU president Eric Davidson. The special session, which will explore ways AGU can work with and provide support to scientists during this period of uncertainty, will take place from 10:20 - 11:20 a.m. in Moscone North, Hall E.

Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, will deliver a Special Lecture from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. in Moscone North, Hall E. A media availability will be held immediately following the lecture in the Press Conference Room, Moscone West, Room 3000.

The post-election session and Sally Jewell's Special Lecture will be streamed live in the Press Conference Room, Moscone West, Room 3000 and on AGU On-Demand. Registered journalists who are interested in attending these events should meet an AGU staff member at the entrance to the lecture hall 30 minutes prior to the start of the talk.

4. Potentially newsworthy presentations happening today

Gas exchange in the ice zone: the role of small waves and big animals

8:00 - 8:15 a.m., Moscone West, Room 3009, Session C31D

8:00 - 8:15 a.m., Moscone West, Room 3009, Session C31D What will Europa sound like? Modeling seismic background noise due to tidal cracking events

8:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m., Moscone South, Poster Hall, Session P31A

8:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m., Moscone South, Poster Hall, Session P31A Petrified lightning: the role of bubbles in the physical and chemical processes leading to formation of rock fulgurites

8:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m., Moscone South, Poster Hall, Session V31A

8:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m., Moscone South, Poster Hall, Session V31A The role of the subtropical North Atlantic water cycle in the 2015 extreme precipitation events in the U.S.

1:40 - 6:00 p.m., Moscone South, Poster Hall, Session GC33C

1:40 - 6:00 p.m., Moscone South, Poster Hall, Session GC33C Sequencing of tsunami waves: Why the first wave is not always the largest

4:30 - 4:45 p.m., Moscone South, Room 102, Session NH34A

4:30 - 4:45 p.m., Moscone South, Room 102, Session NH34A AGU journal editors recommend these sessions happening today, tomorrow, and Friday.

5. Online media resources

For journalists: During the Fall Meeting, journalists can find many resources online in the Virtual Press Room in the Media Center on the Fall Meeting website. These resources include press releases, press conference materials and other information. Videos of press conferences will be added to the Virtual Press Room during the meeting for easy online access.

For public information officers: PIOs are now able to share press releases and other materials in the Virtual Press Room by directly uploading them via the Press Item Uploader. PIOs can upload press releases, tip sheets and press conference materials to the Virtual Press Room at any time before or during the meeting, including uploading items in advance and scheduling them to post during the meeting.

The AGU press office is offering two new online tools to connect reporters with scientific experts at the 2016 Fall Meeting. The Find an Expert tool allows public information officers to list scientific experts who are available to be interviewed by reporters at the meeting. The Request an Expert tool allows reporters to send requests for experts directly to PIOs.

More information about these tools can be found in the Fall Meeting Media Center.

The American Geophysical Union is dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs. AGU is a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization representing more than 60,000 members in 139 countries. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and our other social media channels.
The BioScience Talks podcast features discussions of topical issues related to the biological sciences.

The science of human microbiomes is advancing at an incredible pace. With each passing day, more is known about the vast suite of microorganisms that inhabit human bodies--and about the important role that they play in maintaining our health. In this episode of BioScience Talks, we look at the human microbiome from an environmentalist's perspective. What are the health benefits of microbiota from environmental sources? What are the threats of altered microbiota? How should we manage the landscapes that play host to this crucial microbial diversity? To help answer these questions, we spoke with Craig Liddicoat of the University of Adelaide and the South Australian government's Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Liddicoat and his colleagues recently published an article in BioScience that shines a light on the myriad benefits of preserving environmental microbiomes and proposes a unifying conceptual framework for the multidisciplinary approach needed to tackle this emerging research area.

To hear the whole discussion, visit this link for this latest episode of the Bioscience Talks podcast.

###
The ability to deceive someone by telling the truth is not only possible, it has a name -- paltering -- it's common in negotiations and those who palter can do serious harm to their reputations, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

"To date, research has primarily focused on two types of deception: Lying by commission -- the active use of false statements - and lying by omission -- the passive act of misleading by failing to disclose relevant information," said lead author Todd Rogers, PhD, of Harvard University. "In this study, we make a novel contribution to the deception literature by identifying a third, and common, form of deception. Rather than misstating facts or failing to provide information, paltering involves actively making truthful statements to create a mistaken impression."

Paltering is used by politicians commonly, according to Rogers. "Politicians often palter when the truthful answer to a question would be harmful," he said. "When candidates get questions they don't want to hear, they often focus on continuing to make truthful statements, but try to mislead listeners."

One famous example Rogers cited was when President Bill Clinton said "there is not a sexual relationship" between him and former White House intern Monica Lewinski. The Starr commission later discovered that there had been a sexual relationship but it had ended months before Clinton made that statement - thus, it was technically true but clearly misleading.

Rogers and his colleagues conducted two pilot studies and six experiments involving over 1,750 participants.

The first pilot study confirmed that people in general could distinguish paltering as a distinct form of deception, different from lying by commission or omission. In the second pilot study, the researchers determined that it is a common form of deception, with over 50 percent of business executives enrolled in an advanced negotiation course at Harvard Business School admitting they had paltered in some or most of their negotiations.

In the experiments, the researchers discovered that people preferred paltering to lying by commission, but the results of being found out can be just as harsh. While palterers tended to think of their actions as more ethical because they essentially told the truth, when the deception was revealed, they were graded as harshly by their counterparts as if they had lied by commission.

"When individuals discover that a prospective negotiation partner has paltered to them in the past, they are less likely to trust that partner and, therefore, less likely to negotiate with that person again, "said Rogers.

"Taken together, our studies identify paltering as a distinct and frequently employed form of deception." Rogers postulates that people palter because they have a flawed mental model. Palterers think it is OK because they are telling the truth but their audience sees it as lying.

The results were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

###

Article: "Artful Paltering: The Risks and Rewards of Using Truthful Statements to Mislead Others," by Todd Rogers PhD, Richard Zeckhauser, PhD, Francesca Gino, PhD, and Mike Norton, PhD, Harvard University and Maurice Schweitzer, Phd, University of Pennsylvania. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published online Dec. 12, 2016.

Full text of the article is available from the APA Public Affairs Office and at http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/psp-pspi0000081.pdf.

Contact: Todd Rogers can be contacted by email at Todd_Rogers@hks.harvard.edu.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA's membership includes more than 117,500 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.
Patients are eager to help their health care teams 'get it right'

BOSTON - OpenNotes evidence has shown that transparent medical records can increase patient engagement - patients who read the clinical notes written by their doctors report feeling more in control of their care and being better able to adhere to the treatment plan. Now new research from OpenNotes investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) suggests that offering patients a mechanism to provide feedback about their notes further enhances engagement and can improve patient safety.

The study results appear online today in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Quality and Safety.

"Our findings add to a growing literature suggesting that patients can help identify mistakes," says lead author, Sigall Bell, MD, OpenNotes Director of Patient Safety and Discovery and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "We were struck that nearly all patients and care partners in the study found the feedback tool valuable. What that indicates to us is that patients are eager to help their health care teams 'get it right.'"

What's more, Bell says, the majority of patients who reported a possible inaccuracy also provided positive feedback, with one doctor commenting that it was an 'anti-burnout' experience.

Bell and colleagues created a simple, low cost, online feedback tool that patients could link to from their notes on the secure, patient portal. 41 doctors signed on to the pilot intervention, and 6225 patient visits were included in the one year study period. During that time 44 percent of patients read their notes, and among them one in 12 used the reporting tool.

Bell found that nearly all (96 percent) of the patients who sent feedback reported understanding the content of the note. Among those who provided feedback, 23 percent reported potential safety concerns, most commonly citing possible mistakes regarding medications, or documentation of existing health problems or symptoms. Upon clinician review, 64 percent of the patient reported items were confirmed as definite or possible safety concerns, and 57 percent of the cases resulted in a change to the record or care.

Bell says that what didn't happen during the study period is equally as important. Although some clinicians worried that identification of errors in notes may adversely affect the patient-doctor relationship, not a single doctor in the small pilot reported such an event. After a year, 99 percent of patients and care partners found the tool valuable, 97 percent wanted it to continue, and none of the doctors reported worsening workflow.

"We were pleased to find that the OpenNotes reporting tool helped to identify quality improvement opportunities without appearing to add to clinician burden," says Bell. "We believe that if patients know their feedback is welcome and encouraged, the potential to reduce errors or clear up confusion about the care plan will be even greater."

The reporting tool is currently being piloted at Boston Children's Hospital under the guidance of Fabienne Bourgeois, MD, MPH , pediatric hospitalist and the Medical Director of Patient-Facing Applications.

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In addition to Bell, study authors include Macda Gerard; Alan Fossa MPH; Tom Delbanco, MD; Barbara Sarnoff Lee, LICSW; Kenneth Sands, MD; Patricia Folcarelli, PhD; and Jan Walker, RN, MBA all of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Dr. Bell's research is supported by CRICO/Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions.

About OpenNotes

OpenNotes is a national movement that invites patients, families and clinicians to come together and improve communication through shared clinicians' notes and fully transparent medical records. The movement is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Peterson Center on Healthcare and Cambia Health Foundation. Learn more at http://www.opennotes.org.
The latest recipients of Germany's most prestigious research funding prize have been announced. In Bonn today, the Joint Committee of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) chose ten researchers, three women and seven men, to receive the 2017 Leibniz Prize. The recipients of the prize were selected by the Nominations Committee from 134 nominees. Of the ten new prizewinners, three are from the natural sciences, three from the humanities and social sciences, two from the life sciences and two from the engineering sciences. Each of the ten winners will receive 2.5 million in prize money. They can use these funds for their research work in any way they wish, without bureaucratic obstacles, for up to seven years. The awards ceremony for the 2017 Leibniz Prizes will be held on 15 March in Berlin.

The following researchers will receive the 2017 "Funding Prize in the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Programme" awarded by the DFG:

Professor Dr. Lutz Ackermann , Organic Molecular Chemistry, University of Gottingen

, Organic Molecular Chemistry, University of Gottingen Professor Dr. Beatrice Grundler , Arabic Studies, Free University of Berlin

, Arabic Studies, Free University of Berlin Professor Dr. Ralph Hertwig , Cognitive Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin

, Cognitive Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin Professor Dr. Karl-Peter Hopfner , Structural Molecular Biology, University of Munich (LMU)

, Structural Molecular Biology, University of Munich (LMU) Professor Dr. Frank Julicher , Theory of Biological Physics, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden

, Theory of Biological Physics, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden Professor Dr. Lutz Madler , Mechanical Process Engineering, University of Bremen

, Mechanical Process Engineering, University of Bremen Professor Dr. Britta Nestler , Materials Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

, Materials Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Professor Dr. Joachim P. Spatz , Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, and University of Heidelberg

, Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, and University of Heidelberg Professor Dr. Anne Storch , African Studies, University of Cologne

, African Studies, University of Cologne Professor Dr. Jorg Vogel, Medical Microbiology, University of Wurzburg

The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize has been awarded by the DFG annually since 1986. Each year a maximum of ten prizes can be awarded, each with prize money of 2.5 million. With the ten prizes for 2017, a total of 348 Leibniz Prizes have been awarded to date. Of these, 115 were bestowed on researchers in the natural sciences, 101 in the life sciences, 79 in the humanities and social sciences, and 53 in the engineering sciences. The number of award recipients is higher than the number of awarded prizes because, in exceptional cases, the prizes and money can be shared. Accordingly, a total of 374 nominees have received the prize, including 326 men and 48 women.

The Leibniz Prize is the most significant research prize in Germany. Seven past prizewinners have subsequently received the Nobel Prize: 1988 Professor Dr. Hartmut Michel (Chemistry), 1991 Professor Dr. Erwin Neher and Professor Dr. Bert Sakmann (Medicine), 1995 Professor Dr. Christiane Nusslein-Volhard (Medicine), 2005 Professor Dr. Theodor W. Hansch (Physics), 2007 Professor Dr. Gerhard Ertl (Chemistry) and most recently in 2014 Professor Dr. Stefan W. Hell (Chemistry).

Profiles of the 2017 Leibniz Prize winners:

Professor Dr. Lutz Ackermann (43), Organic Molecular Chemistry, Institute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Gottingen

Lutz Ackermann has been selected for the 2017 Leibniz Prize for his outstanding work in the field of organic chemistry. His international reputation is based especially on his research into the catalytic activation of carbon-hydrogen bonds. These bonds, which occur in all organic substances, are usually extremely inert and permit only very poor and frequently non-selective transformation. The methods developed by Ackermann and his colleagues have paved the way for fundamentally new and low-impact manufacturing methods for important chemical products including active substances, agrochemicals and fine chemicals. Through his other work, Ackermann has also created new concepts for environmentally friendly chemical synthesis.

Lutz Ackermann studied chemistry in Kiel, and, after further studies in Rennes and Mulheim an der Ruhr, he obtained his doctorate from the University of Dortmund. He did postdoctoral research at Berkeley before going to Munich in 2003 to work as the leader of a DFG-funded Emmy Noether independent junior research group. Ackermann has held his current chair in Gottingen since 2007 and has headed the Institute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry there since 2015. He is one of the most frequently cited researchers in his field in the world.

Professor Dr. Beatrice Grundler (52), Arabic Studies, Seminar for Semitic and Arabic Studies, Free University of Berlin

Beatrice Grundler will receive the Leibniz Prize for her studies on the diversity of voices in Arabic poetry and culture. She has been interested in the medium of script and its fundamental importance to Arabic traditions since an early stage in her career, as evidenced for example by her book "The Development of the Arabic Script" (1993). Through her research she has developed a complex media history of the Arab world, from the introduction of paper to book printing and beyond - indeed, she refers to an 'Arabic book revolution'. In a pilot project for a critical, annotated digital edition of the "Kalila wa-Dimna", begun in 2015, Grundler has unravelled the history of the text, development and impact of this collection of fables, considered one of the earliest Arabic prose works and a central text of Arabic wisdom literature. Grundler's own approach puts into practice in an exemplary way the encounters between Arabic and European knowledge traditions that she investigates in her work - another reason for the importance of her research.

Beatrice Grundler studied at Strasbourg, Tubingen and Harvard, where she received her doctorate in 1995. After a period at Dartmouth College, she began teaching at Yale University in 1996, first as an assistant professor and from 2002 as Professor of Arabic Literature. In 2014 she returned to Germany, and has since been undertaking research at the Free University of Berlin.

Professor Dr. Ralph Hertwig (53), Cognitive Psychology, Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin

Ralph Hertwig will be recognised with the 2017 Leibniz Prize for his pioneering work in the psychology of human judgement and decision-making. His research has expanded our understanding of the possibilities and limitations of human rationality. Hertwig investigates the strategies which humans use, faced with limited knowledge, limited cognitive resources and often limited time, to nonetheless make good decisions and organise their actions. Central to his work is the question why a limitation also constitutes a strength, in other words how adaptive heuristics, as simple rules of thumb for problem-solving, can be as effective as complex optimisation models. Another of Hertwig's important contributions to decision research is the distinction between experience-based and description-based assessment of risk. This explains why the dramatic consequences of climate change, for example, are systematically underestimated by society, because although there is plenty of information available to describe the problem, there is little everyday experience - the main thing that people base their decisions on.

Ralph Hertwig has been the director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development since 2012 and heads the Center for Adaptive Rationality. Hertwig began his scientific career in 1995 at the Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research in Munich. In 1997 he moved to the Max Planck Institute in Berlin. Between 2000 and 2002 he was a Research Fellow at Columbia University. In 2003 he obtained his habilitation from the Free University of Berlin. In 2005 he was appointed Professor of Cognitive Science and Decision Psychology at the University of Basel, and moved from there to his current position.

Professor Dr. Karl-Peter Hopfner (48), Structural Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry - Gene Center, University of Munich (LMU)

Karl-Peter Hopfner will receive the Leibniz Prize for his outstanding work in structural molecular biology and genome biology, with which he has made pioneering contributions to the field of DNA repair and the cellular detection of foreign nucleic acids. Hopfner's research focused on the molecular mechanisms of multiprotein complexes, which play an important role in the detection of damaged or viral nucleic acids. These detection processes are crucial to the protection of the genome; errors in detection and repair are among the main reasons for the development of cancer. Building on that work, Hopfner has carried out essential work on DNA double-strand break repair and in recent years has decoded the mechanism of the central MRN complex Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1, a DNA damage sensor. He also contributed substantially to answering the question of how cellular sensors of the innate immune system recognise viral or bacterial nucleic acids in the case of infection. Here, the sensors must distinguish between the body's own RNA and foreign RNA.

Karl-Peter Hopfner studied biology in Regensburg and in St. Louis, USA. He completed his doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Martinsried as part of the Division led by Nobel Prize winner Robert Huber. Between 1999 and 2001 he carried out postdoctoral research at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, before accepting a tenure track professorship at the Gene Center at LMU Munich. He has been a full professor at LMU since 2007.

Professor Dr. Frank Julicher (51), Theory of Biological Physics, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden

The award of the Leibniz Prize to Frank Julicher recognises a world-leading researcher in biophysics with the ability to identify universal physical principles in the complex world of living matter. He had already attracted attention with his early work on the physics of hearing and cell mechanics. Through his investigation of active matter - the components of which exhibit autonomous activity, such as molecular motors, which play a key role in cell movement and division - Julicher has established a new field of research. This raises many fundamental questions in non-equilibrium physics and has also inspired numerous new applications as well as biomimetic design. In collaboration with French researchers, the biophysicist laid the foundations for the dynamics of active matter by formulating a general hydrodynamic theory of active matter. Most recently, Julicher has turned his attention to the control and organisation of cells in tissue. His seminal work is contributing to our understanding of cell self-organisation in tissue. This phenomenon, as yet poorly understood, is of enormous importance to developmental biology and medical applications.

Frank Julicher studied physics in Stuttgart and Aachen, received his doctorate in Cologne in 1994 and then spent two years researching in the USA and Canada. He subsequently worked with leading researchers in Paris in the field of soft matter and biophysics, before obtaining his habilitation in 2000 at Paris Diderot University (Paris 7). Since 2002, Julicher has been the director of the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden and Professor of Biophysics at the Technical University of Dresden.

Professor Dr. Lutz Madler (45), Mechanical Process Engineering, Stiftung Institut fur Werkstofftechnik (IWT) and Department of Production Engineering, University of Bremen

Lutz Madler will receive the Leibniz Prize in recognition of his pioneering work in the targeted reactive formation of nanoparticles in the gas phase and their effect on living matter. He has developed an improved variant of flame spray pyrolysis for the cost-effective synthesis of nanoparticles, involving the thermochemical splitting of organic compounds. His work has made flame spray pyrolysis available for industrial applications. Madler subsequently refined this pyrolysis technique when he discovered the droplet explosion phenomenon in flame sprays and its effects on material synthesis. However, as well as looking at the tailored synthesis of nanoparticles, Madler has also investigated how toxic these particles are to the human body. This is important because many applications, for example paints, textiles and dental fillings, have direct impacts on humans. Madler was able to demonstrate that interactions between synthetic nanoparticles and biological tissue produce reactive oxygen species which can trigger undesirable reactions.

Lutz Madler studied physics at the Technical University of Zwickau and then process engineering at Technische Universitat Bergakademie Freiberg, where he obtained his doctorate in 1999. He completed his habilitation at ETH Zurich and then, with the support of a DFG fellowship, became a Senior Researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 2008 he was appointed professor at the University of Bremen.

Professor Dr. Britta Nestler (44), Materials Science, Institute for Applied Materials - Computational Materials Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

Britta Nestler has been selected to receive the 2017 Leibniz Prize for her significant, internationally recognised research in computer-assisted materials research and the development of new material models with multiscale and multiphysical approaches. Nestler has developed extremely flexible and high-performing simulation environments to simulate the microstructure of materials for use on supercomputers. These are based on her own quantitative models for the description of multicomponent systems. She has thus achieved a new quality of microstructure representation in the thermomechanical simulation of materials and the simulation of solidification processes and thus depicted these processes through realistic 3D simulation for the first time. Through her creative application and further development of the phase field method, Nestler has achieved outstanding fundamental insights which are also of enormous practical relevance. For example, her simulation calculations are used to predict the spread of cracks in design materials such as brake discs and therefore help to extend their lifetime.

Britta Nestler studied physics and mathematics in Aachen, where she also received her doctorate. Research visits took her to Southampton, UK and Paris. In 2001 Nestler accepted a professorship in the Faculty of Computer Science at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences and in 2009 her current chair at KIT.

Professor Dr. Joachim P. Spatz (47), Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, and Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg

Joachim Spatz will be recognised with the Leibniz Prize for his outstanding research at the boundaries of materials sciences and cell biophysics. His research is concerned with cell adhesion, that is, the adhesion and bonding of cells to one another and to surfaces. His exemplary experimental approach has garnered precise insights into the control of cell adhesion and indeed physiological processes. To achieve this, Spatz used artificial, molecularly structured boundary surfaces to reduce possible interactions to a minimum of molecular components. Joachim Spatz' scientific achievement lies in the fact that he can study the communication mechanisms between cells in a new way with the help of concepts from materials science and physics. Using these resources, he was able to explain how the molecular mechanism of collective cell migration works in wound healing.

Joachim Spatz studied physics in Ulm and at Colorado State University. He obtained his doctorate in macromolecular chemistry in Ulm, and it was also there that he completed his habilitation with a topic on cell mechanics. Since 2000 he has been a professor of biophysical chemistry in Heidelberg. In 2004 he was appointed director of the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research, now the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, in Stuttgart. Since 2008 he has also held a visiting professorship in molecular cell biology at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel.

Professor Dr. Anne Storch (48), African Studies, Institute for African Studies and Egyptology, University of Cologne

In awarding the 2017 Leibniz Prize to Anne Storch, the DFG is honouring an extremely innovative and world-renowned researcher in African Studies who has contributed to a far-reaching reorientation of her field through her pioneering work. Drawing on questions and methods from cultural anthropology and the social sciences, Storch has introduced new thematic and methodological dimensions, both theoretical and practical, to African Studies. Her exemplary studies have also shown how linguistically based analyses can be used in an interdisciplinary approach to develop a cultural-anthropological understanding of contemporary Africa. Of particular significance was her study of taboos and secret languages in central Africa, published in 2011, which describes linguistic observations in such a way that they lead to complex sociological descriptions of power practices and political mechanisms of effect. Storch's case studies, rooted in, yet transcending, linguistic speech description, have become internationally significant model studies for a modern, self-critical approach to African Studies.

Anne Storch has been Professor of African Studies in Cologne since 2004. She trained in anthropology, African Studies, Oriental Studies and archaeology in Frankfurt am Main and Mainz. Between 2006 and 2009 she served as president of the Fachverband Afrikanistik, the specialist society for Africa-related scholarship in Germany. Since 2014 she has been the president of the International Association for Colonial and Postcolonial Linguistics.

Prof. Dr. Jorg Vogel (49), Medical Microbiology, Institute for Molecular Infection Biology, University of Wurzburg

Awarding the Leibniz Prize to Jorg Vogel recognises one of the world's leading researchers in the field of ribonucleic acid biology. He was selected for his pioneering contributions to our understanding of regulatory RNA molecules in infection biology. Vogel recognised the importance of RNA biochemistry in prokaryotes very early on and has done pioneering work in the application and development of high-throughput sequencing for RNA analysis. Using this method, he has studied the influence of pathogens on the host cell. Vogel has also discovered how small regulatory RNA molecules control protein synthesis and the breakdown of RNA. This in turn has contributed to the development of new methods which can be used in gene therapy. Together with Emmanuelle Charpentier, who won the Leibniz Prize in 2016, Vogel was able to understand tracrRNA (trans-activating RNA) and its function, which made the application of the CRISPR/Cas9 system possible. Vogel thus uncovered general biological principles which play a major role in our understanding of pathogenic microorganisms and are resulting in new treatment approaches.

Jorg Vogel studied biochemistry at the Humboldt University of Berlin, where he also obtained his doctorate on RNA splicing in plants. After doing postdoctoral research in Uppsala and Jerusalem, in 2004 he was appointed Head of Division at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin. Since 2009 he has been a professor at the University of Wurzburg, where he heads the Institute for Molecular Infection Biology.

Award Ceremony

The Leibniz Prizes will be awarded on 15 March 2017 at 3.00 pm at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Berlin. A separate invitation will be sent to members of the media.

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Further Information

Media contact:

DFG Press and Public Relations, Tel. +49 228 885-2109, presse@dfg.de

DFG programme contact:

Annette Lessenich, Scientific Prizes, Tel. +49 228 885-2835, Annette.Lessenich@dfg.de

Additional information about the 2017 prizewinners can be requested at the start of the new year by contacting the DFG Press and Public Relations Office or at http://www.dfg.de/en.

Detailed information about the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Programme is available at: http://www.dfg.de/en/funded_projects/prizewinners/leibniz_prize
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is establishing seven new Research Units, following a decision by the DFG Senate during its winter session in Bonn. The research collaborations will enable researchers to pursue pressing current issues in their research areas and take innovative directions in their work.

Research Units can be funded for a maximum of two periods of three years each. In the initial funding period, the seven new groups will receive approximately 17 million in total. Together with the new collaborations, the DFG will be funding a total of 242 Research Units, including Clinical Research Units.

The New Research Units

(In alphabetical order by spokesperson's university)

How does extreme flooding occur in rivers and how does it develop in spatio-temporal terms? This is the question that will be examined by the "Space-Time Dynamics of Extreme Floods (SPATE)" Research Unit, by carrying out the first systematic analysis of hydrological and meteorological data on six major river basins in Germany and Austria. The researchers will study four topic areas: sequence of events, spatial and temporal fluctuations and the resulting predictability of extreme floods.

(Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Andreas H. Schumann, University of Bochum)

Robots that interact with humans are able to register situations in real time. However, they cannot predict the actions of a human, and the situations that may result, in order to adapt their own behaviour accordingly. The "Anticipating Human Behaviour" Research Unit therefore aims to develop technologies which enable the creation of applications based on predicting human movement patterns. It will take a holistic approach that comprises the recording, modelling and prediction of human motion sequences and behavioural patterns in everyday environments.

(Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Jurgen Gall, University of Bonn)

Research that relies on animal experimentation must strictly comply with the 3Rs principle (Replace, Reduce, Refine) - not only on ethical grounds but also to ensure that the data obtained is comparable. Central to this is the assessment of pain, stress or lasting damage caused during animal experiments. Such assessments are now required by European and national guidelines, but there is a lack of suitable, generally accepted methods for objective evaluation. The "Severity Assessment in Animal Based Research" Research Unit intends to remedy this deficit and further develop model standardised methods for severity assessment. The focus will also be on non-invasive methods. It is hoped that a more objective assessment will enhance the quality of animal-based research and also identify approaches with which to minimise animal stress in animal experimentation.

(Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Andre Bleich, Hannover Medical School)

The Research Unit entitled "Functional Dynamics of Ion Channels and Transporters - DynIon" will combine experimental methods used in electrophysiology, biochemistry and structural biology with computer-based theoretical approaches to study ion channels and transporters. Its focus will be on dynamic processes on various time scales, particularly the activation of ion channels by chemical signals. In this way, the Research Unit intends not only to provide new insights into selected ion channels and transporters, but also to advance theoretical and experimental approaches in ion channel research.

(Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Klaus Benndorf, University of Jena)

The philosophy-centred "Inductive Metaphysics" Research Unit intends to illuminate the non-analytical aspect of metaphysics. It is firstly concerned with the history of so-called inductive approaches in metaphysics, and secondly with a metaphilosophical discussion of these ideas. This means, above all, accurately identifying and categorising inductive approaches, and then their methodological foundation. Finally, the researchers aim to apply and test inductive methods in established metaphysical questions.

(Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Andreas Huttemann, University of Cologne)

Expectations of knowledge-based action are increasing, the importance of directly applicable research is growing, and the pressure for legitimation in science and the humanities, in view of expanding discourses on risk, uncertainty and ignorance, is becoming more urgent. But how do known facts such as data, findings or conclusions achieve the quality characteristic of evidence? And how does the proffered evidence influence decisions in different contexts? The Research Unit entitled "Practicing Evidence - Evidencing Practice in Science, Medicine, Technology and Society PEEP" will address these questions by investigating both the growing importance of evidence in the knowledge society and its functionalisation.

(Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Karin Zachmann, Technical University of Munich)

The Research Unit "Matter Under Planetary Interior Conditions - High-Pressure, Planetary and Plasma Physics" will focus on matter under extreme conditions. The researchers will study the behaviour of rocks and complex molecular mixtures, which is essential to our understanding of the most frequently discovered planets: so-called super-Earths and Neptune-like planets. It is intended that their findings will contribute to the development of new models explaining how these types of planets are formed and evolve. They will also be used to evaluate observation data from ongoing and future satellite missions.

(Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Ronald Redmer, University of Rostock)

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Further Information

Media contact: DFG Press and Public Relations, Tel. +49 228 885-2109, presse@dfg.de

Further information will be provided by the spokespersons of the established units.

Further information on the DFG Research Units: http://www.dfg.de/for/en
Whether it's planes, trains or automobiles, the nation's transportation systems are growing rapidly and present a number of challenges related to safety as well as sustainability. Florida Atlantic University will receive $1.4 million per year from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), for five years, for its Freight Mobility Research Institute, housed in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering within FAU's College of Engineering and Computer Science.

A combined match from the state and private sectors will bring the award to more than $10 million in total. Funds from this award will help to address critical issues affecting the planning, design, operation, and safety of the nation's intermodal freight transportation system, in order to improve freight mobility through information technology, freight network modeling and operations, intermodal logistics, as well as freight and supply chain sustainability. More than 200 proposals were submitted to the USDOT, and only 20 institutions were selected for funding and designation as a Tier 1 University Transportation Center.

"Florida Atlantic University is at the forefront of pioneering transportation research and we are honored that our Freight Mobility Research Institute was selected by the United States Department of Transportation as a university transportation center," said FAU President John Kelly. "We extend our deepest gratitude to state representatives Lois Frankel and Ted Deutch for their commitment to the future of transportation in Florida and our nation, and for their unwavering support and vision, which helped us to secure this funding."

The primary goal of the Freight Mobility Research Institute is to help strengthen the nation's economic competitiveness. FAU will lead a consortium of experts from leading universities across the nation who have expertise in freight transportation, network modeling, sustainability, and intelligent transportation systems. The institute will help to promote smart cities, improve multimodal connections, system integration and security, data modeling, and analytical tools to optimize freight movements that improve efficiency. The institute also will have a significant educational impact through integrated education and outreach components.

"Efficient and safe freight movement is inextricably linked to the economic vitality of a local area, state, region and even beyond," said Evangelos I. Kaisar, Ph.D., director and principal investigator of the Freight Mobility Research Institute, an associate professor in FAU's Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering, and director of the Multimodal Intelligent Transportation Systems Laboratory. "We are motivated to embrace innovative research projects, to train current and future transportation leaders and workforce, and to engage with industry to enhance collaboration between agencies."

Members of the Freight Mobility Research Institute are FAU (lead); University of Florida; University of Minnesota (Minneapolis); Portland State University; Hampton University; University of Memphis, and Texas A&M University (College Station).

In addition, FAU will receive $1.5 million in total for the next five years from the USDOT to co-direct the Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety, a National University Transportation Center housed at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. This is one of five national centers with the aim to reduce injuries and fatalities on the nation's roads by providing a new model for understanding and addressing traffic safety issues.

"We are very excited to join forces with the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and our partner universities to work collaboratively to address and improve road safety issues that impact millions of drivers throughout our country," said Eric Dumbaugh, Ph.D., associate director of the Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety, and an associate professor in FAU's School of Urban and Regional Planning within FAU's College for Design and Social Inquiry.

Researchers from FAU's College for Design and Social Inquiry will work with the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Duke University; the University of California, Berkeley; and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville on transportation research, planning, public health, data science and engineering programs related to the Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety.

"The establishment of these new designated centers will help to foster novel ideas that will lead and influence the future of transportation safety in the United States through multidisciplinary research, education, collaboration, and technology transfer activities," said Daniel C. Flynn, Ph.D., FAU's vice president for research.

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About FAU's College of Engineering and Computer Science:

Florida Atlantic University's College of Engineering and Computer Science is committed to providing accessible and responsive programs of education and research recognized nationally for their high quality. Course offerings are presented on-campus, off-campus, and through distance learning in bioengineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, geomatics engineering, mechanical engineering and ocean engineering. For more information about the college, please visit eng.fau.edu.

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit http://www.fau.edu.
Magdeburg, Germany, December 14, 2016 - Becoming blind changes a person's life on a fundamental level. Because new treatments can be slow to reach mainstream medicine, low vision patients are often told there is nothing they can do to restore their sight. Focus shifts towards helping them to adjust to their new situation; however, there are innovative vision restoration techniques that can help patients improve their eyesight. A new book by the world's leading expert on vision restoration, Professor Bernhard A. Sabel, PhD, delivers information about how to better understand the impact of vision loss and new treatment options that could potentially help the more than 150 million people worldwide who suffer from partial blindness.

In Restoring Low Vision: How to Strengthen Your Potentials in Low Vision and Blindness, Dr. Sabel examines the most up-to-date science behind blindness and explains the latest treatments. While conditions like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and cataracts can be fixed with established methods like corrective glasses and lenses, there are few solutions offered to patients with low vision due to nerve or brain damage. Conditions like glaucoma, optic nerve damage, ischemic optic neuropathy, age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, stroke, or brain damage can leave people with limited vision. Often medical practitioners are at a loss for treatment options for nerve-related vision loss, but there is emerging research and treatments that may be able to help these patients.

"This new field of vision restoration should not be known only to a few specialized researchers or those who are masters at navigating the Internet. It's an important issue affecting many millions of people and their families, and it needs to be explained clearly to everyone," commented Dr. Sabel. "This is why I wrote this book: to raise awareness about low vision and vision restoration."

The focus of this new book is on how the brain can help the eye to see, even when the nerve tissue is damaged. Building on the scientific principal known as neuroplasticity, Dr. Sabel's work explains how to modulate brain function to partially repair vision loss and his techniques focus on harnessing the natural power of the brain to enhance the visual signals that travel from the eye to the brain, allowing people with low vision to see better.

"The brain is a marvelous computer inside your head," explained Dr. Sabel. "It's a kind of amplifier that does all the information processing. It can amplify the visual information coming from the outside world, it filters and interprets the images, it stores visual images in memory, and it is the master that controls every behavior of our body and mind. But if less visual information reaches the brain because of a visual disease, the brains talents as an amplifier can be used to compensate for and recover the damage."

While the science Dr. Sabel covers in the book is complex, his mastery of the subject matter allows him to explain it in a way everyone can understand. His goal in writing the book was to give patients and their caregivers an overview of the latest breakthroughs in vision restoration techniques so they could take charge of their own health.

Dr. Donald G. Stein, Professor of Emergency Medicine at Emory University and a pioneer in the field of brain plasticity, praises the book as an accessible work that can make a real difference in patients' lives. "This well-written and easy-to-follow book on restoring vision is based on Dr. Sabel's decades of experience, first in basic vision research and later in clinical studies. Though the book is written primarily for patients, its rich and diverse content is based on highly credible science and builds on his experience with hundreds of visually impaired patients," wrote Dr. Stein. "This is a far cry from the 'there-is-a-drug-for-everything' approach so characteristic of medicine in developed countries. Sabel is combining hard-core science with an approach that embraces the full complexity of vision, while also looking at the 'person behind the eye' from different perspectives."

While Restoring Low Vision offers a wealth of scientific knowledge, the book also discusses the emotional ramifications of vision loss and takes a holistic approach that patients can apply to their own recovery. "When people talk about vision loss they focus mostly on what is gone," stated Dr. Sabel. "But to deal successfully with vision loss you have to think and talk about how to best make use of what you have and what you can still do, including the vision that is still left. This is rarely addressed. People talk about loss, impairment, inabilities. But instead of focusing just on what has been lost, lets rather focus on what can be done to uncover the hidden potentials that still remain."

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The Graduate School of Excellence "Materials Science in Mainz" (MAINZ) has again awarded visiting professorships to two outstanding scientists. The MAINZ Visiting Professorships 2016 were presented at a gala event on Monday evening to Professor Egbert Willem Meijer, a chemist of Eindhoven Technical University in the Netherlands and to Dr. Gen Tatara, a theoretical physicist of the Japanese research institute RIKEN. Visiting professorships are a way to attract foreign scientists to the various departments of the MAINZ Graduate School so they can do part of their research here as well as work with the doctoral candidates studying at MAINZ. Their input can take the form of lectures, seminars, and workshops that help in training doctoral candidates at MAINZ. The visiting professorships have been awarded annually since 2013 to a maximum of two scientists.

Egbert Willem Meijer is one of the world's leading scientists in the field of supramolecular chemistry. His research on functional supramolecular polymers has even resulted in a new class of materials. His work on supramolecular polymers, i.e., supra-structures consisting of self-organizing molecules, has also made them interesting from a technological viewpoint, all the more so since Meijer successfully achieved unanticipated material properties. Meijer is Scientific Director of the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems at Eindhoven Technical University. He has received numerous awards and visiting professorships for his work, among them the 2001 Spinoza Award, the highest scientific award in the Netherlands. Besides intensifying scientific collaborations, the chemist will offer MAINZ doctoral candidates an opportunity to participate in a master class in supramolecular chemistry.

Dr. Gen Tatara heads a department for theoretical physics at the RIKEN research institute in Japan. He works in spin physics, a field of research with a focus on the intrinsic angular momentum of electrons. Tatara's particular emphasis is on the reciprocal effect between spin currents and magnetization in condensed matter. He has made pivotal contributions to the theoretical description of the dynamics of domain walls. As a visiting professor in Mainz, he will not only forge contacts with scientists in the field of theoretical physics, but also intensify his connections to experimental groups with whom he has in part already published. In particular, the Japanese scientist will offer doctoral candidates at the MAINZ Graduate School an opportunity to participate in courses on theoretical methods in spintronics.

###

The Mainz Graduate School of Excellence was approved through the Excellence Initiative of the German Federal and State Governments in 2007 and its funding was extended for another five years in 2012. It consists of work groups from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, TU Kaiserslautern, and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research. Doctoral candidates benefit from the outstanding educational opportunities in the field of material sciences.

Photos: http://www.uni-mainz.de/bilder_presse/mainz_mvp_2016_meijer.jpg

(fltr) Professor Paul Blom from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Professor Egbert Willem Meijer, 2016 MAINZ Visiting Professor, and Professor Mathias Klaui, Director of the MAINZ Graduate School of Excellence

photo/: Frank Wiedemeier

http://www.uni-mainz.de/bilder_presse/mainz_mvp_2016_tatara.jpg

(fltr) Professor Mathias Klaui, Director of the MAINZ Graduate School of Excellence, and 2016 MAINZ Visiting Professor Dr. Gen Tatara

photo/: Frank Wiedemeier

Further information at http://www.mainz.uni-mainz.de/.
In democratic societies, it is considered an obligation of researchers and politicians to inform the public about modern technologies and their potential risks. Researchers of KIT and the University of Wollongong, Australia, recently found that information about technologies and their risks may have undesired side effects. It may also cause worries where they do not seem appropriate, as is reported in the international Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13100992

"Today, technical innovations dominate our everyday life in many areas. New technologies, however, always are associated with risks - and these are also seen by laymen," says Christoph Bohmert, first author of the recently published study and researcher of the Science Communication Group of KIT's Institute for German Studies. "It is crucial to enable adequate communication between science and society, which does not only consider scientific findings, but also concerns of the population." The study clearly showed that communication of risks may be complicated sometimes. Information on efficient precautions was found to lead to an increased risk perception by the recipients of the information.

In their study, the researchers analyzed communication about a technology that has become indispensable in our life - mobile communications and the electromagnetic fields on which it is based. All over the world, radiation protection authorities, such as the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection, communicate the current state of research into risks of electromagnetic fields as follows: Investigations made and all findings obtained so far do not allow any conclusions to be drawn with respect to mobile communications being a risk for human health. But, the experts continue, there still are knowledge gaps as regards long-term impacts. Then, measures are recommended to reduce exposure of the individual to electromagnetic fields. The Federal Office for Radiation Protection, for instance, recommends to keep telephone conversation short, to buy a mobile phone with a low radiation value, or to use a headset to prevent the mobile phone from being in direct contact with the head.

It had been known from previous studies already that information on precautions may increase worries. It had been suspected that people conclude from the recommendation of precautions that there really is a risk. This effect was not confirmed by the recent study. The scientists rather attributed the increased worries to a lack of knowledge about the propagation of electromagnetic fields.

Within the framework of the study, the recommended precautions were submitted to 1717 Australians, together with one of six information brochures providing scientific background information. When test persons were given not only the recommendations, but also explained why observation of these tips strongly reduces their exposure to electromagnetic fields, worries increased. For example, scientists explained to the test persons that telephone conversations with a headset largely reduce exposure. When a mobile phone is located ten centimeters instead of just one centimeter away from the ear, the electric power absorbed by the ear is about one hundredth of the initial value. Hence, the own mobile phone usually causes an exposure that by far exceeds that of mobile communications stations that are generally referred to as "cellphone towers." While the scientists wanted to explain the effectiveness of precautions, test persons mainly considered this information to be an indication of their mobile phone - not the transmission towers - being dangerous. As a result, they perceived increased risk potentials for telephone conversations with their mobile phones.

"The study reveals that messages on precautions and information are a double-edged sword in terms of subjective risk perception. Their use should be far better understood," Boehmert says.

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The study: Improving Precautionary Communication in the EMF Field? Effects of Making Messages Consistent and Explaining the Effectiveness of Precautions, Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2016, 13(10), 992; DOI:10.3390/ijerph13100992

For further information, please contact: Kosta Schinarakis, PKM - Science Scout, Phone: +49 721 608 41956, Fax: +49 721 608 43658, Email: schinarakis@kit.edu

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) pools its three core tasks of research, higher education, and innovation in a mission. With about 9,300 employees and 25,000 students, KIT is one of the big institutions of research and higher education in natural sciences and engineering in Europe.

KIT - The Research University in the Helmholtz Association

Since 2010, the KIT has been certified as a family-friendly university.

This press release is available on the internet at http://www.kit.edu.
The incident took place when a section of locals insisted on carrying a procession observing Prophet Muhammad's birth anniversary through the Mallarpur area despite police denying them permission.

By Indrajit Kundu: Atleast three persons have been injured after clashes broke out in West Bengal's Birbhum district on Tuesday over a religious procession. Two policemen and a teenager were injured during a clash between the police and a mob in Mallarpur area of Birbhum district.

The incident took place when a section of locals insisted on carrying a procession observing Prophet Muhammad's birth anniversary through the Mallarpur area despite police denying them permission.

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The police had not allowed the procession owing to objection from a section of locals in Mallarpur. However, trouble began on Tuesday morning when those in the procession insisted on passing through the area not permitted by the police.

Soon, clashes broke out as stones were hurled at police injuring two cops. Police in turn resorted to firing rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Police also detained atleast ten persons in connection to the incident and the situation has been brought under control.

ALSO READ: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee supports triple talaq

--- ENDS ---
(New York, NY - December 12, 2016) -- Even before tumors develop, breast cancer cells with a few defined molecular alterations can spread to organs, remain quiet for long periods of time, and then awaken to form aggressive, deadly breast cancer metastasis, says a team of investigators led by researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the University of Regensburg in Germany.

They say their finding, published in two papers in the journal Nature, and conducted in animal models and tested in human samples, now solves the mystery of how breast cancer metastasis forms without a primary tumor in this new model of early dissemination and metastasis. Furthermore, a clinical primary tumor may never develop, investigators say.

The University of Regensburg team had discovered that cancer cells could spread not only from a highly mutated, overtly evolved and pathologically-defined invasive tumors, but also from early stage cancers commonly considered incapable of spreading cells. However, how these early cancer lesions could spawn cells with traits of malignant tumors was unknown.

In two papers published in the journal Nature, and conducted in animal models and tested in human samples, the two teams now have identified the first mechanisms that allow cells to spread early in cancer progression and contribute to metastasis.

In the study from Mount Sinai, two changes in mammary cancer cells -- a switched-on oncogene and a turned-off tumor suppressor-- motivated cells to travel from breast tissue to the lungs and other parts of the body. There, the cells stayed quiet until a growth switch was activated and metastases developed in lungs.

"This research provides insight into the mechanisms of early cancer spread and may shed light into unexplained phenomena -- among them, why as many as 5 percent of cancer patients worldwide have cancer metastases but no original tumor, and most importantly, why it is so difficult to treat cancer that has spread," says the study's senior investigators, Julio A. Aguirre-Ghiso, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Maria Soledad Sosa, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacological Sciences, and graduate student Kathryn Harper of The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

"Biologically, this new model of early metastasis challenges everything we thought we knew about how cancer spreads and forms metastasis. It feels like we are going to have to adjust our ideas about the subject of metastasis," he says. "Our hope is that these findings will reshape the way we think about how metastasis should be treated."

An important finding from the Mount Sinai team is that most early spread cells remain dormant and most chemotherapy and targeted therapies are aimed at those cells that are proliferative. So early spread cancer cells would escape these conventional therapies even if it kills a primary tumor, Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso says. The work also poses new questions on how early spread cancer cells support metastasis development. Do they do it on their own, do they set the soil for later arriving cells from tumors not caught early, or do they cooperate with later arriving cells? This study reveals a new biological mechanism of early dissemination that must be explored to fully understand how to target the seeds of metastasis.

The companion paper headed by Dr. Christoph Klein at the University of Regensburg in Germany, published in the same issue of Nature and co-authored by Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso and members of his team provides additional key mechanistic clues on how early spread is controlled and proof in human cancer cells and tumors of the preclinical findings in this study. Researchers from both teams arrived at their findings independently and then collaborated on the project.

Researchers from both teams studied very early stages of breast cancer including DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), a noninvasive breast lesion, since 2-3 percent of women who have been treated for DCIS die of metastasis without ever developing a primary tumor. "The best explanation for this phenomenon is that early metastasis occurs before or as DCIS develops. A key finding from this second paper is that in the mouse models, 80% of metastasis originated from the early spread cells and not from the large tumors. In fact, the Klein group identified a mechanism by which spread is more efficient in early lesions than in large tumors.

In both studies, investigators found that early cancer cell spread is an extension of the normal process of creating a branching tree of breast milk ducts in females.

Two major pathways are activated in this ancient process -- p38, a tumor suppressor, and HER2, an oncogene. Switching off p38 and turning on HER2 activates a module of the EMT (epithelial to mesenchymal transition) signaling pathway. EMT promotes movement of cells during embryogenesis and tissue development. The Klein paper also shows that progesterone receptor signaling, which controls branching of the mammary tree, is important for this early spread by regulating cues involved in EMT and growth programs, a mechanism that was hinted in his earlier studies.

As a mammary tree develops, p38, HER2, and EMT are alternatively turned on and off. This, in cooperation with progesterone signaling, allows mammary cells to move through the mammary gland, hollow out a tubular, branching network of milk ducts that flow to the nipple.

"Tweaking these pathways are a normal way of forming hollow branching tubes," Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso says. But in their experiments, they found that if HER2 is over-activated (not switched off) or mutated, and p38 is permanently turned off, EMT was continually activated, allowing cells to move out of the mammary gland and into the animal's body through the blood.

"We were able to use organoids in three-dimensional cultures, and high resolution imaging directly in the live animal models to actually see these cells enter the blood stream from the mammary tree and travel to the lung, the bone marrow, and other places," he says. "We hadn't thought about oncogenes and tumor suppressors in this way before. This is a new function for these pathways."

John S. Condeelis, PhD, co-Director of the Gruss Lipper Biophotonics Center and its Integrated Imaging Program at Einstein, where the high resolution intravital imaging was performed, noted that "We were surprised to learn that cancer cells from DCIS-like lesions could show such robust dissemination using similar machinery found in tumor cells from invasive carcinoma. This is a new insight with implications beyond our expectations." Also David Entenberg MSc, Director of Technological Development and Intravital Imaging who led the imaging efforts within the same Center said, "A few years ago, it would not have been possible to image these disseminating cells inside a living animal with this level of detail. We're pleased that Einstein's imaging technology could, through this collaboration, contribute to the definitive proof of early dissemination."

And while both studies focus on the mechanisms of early dissemination in breast cancer, similar processes could control early dissemination and metastasis in other human cancers, including melanoma and pancreatic cancer. In fact, pancreatic cancer early dissemination has also been linked to an EMT process, Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso says.

Among the critical avenues they are investigating, Mount Sinai researchers are looking for the growth switch that pushes early spread of dormant cancer cells to form metastases. "While our findings add a whole new level of complexity to the understanding of cancer, they also add energy to our efforts to finally solve the big issue in cancer -- stop the metastasis that kills patients," Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso says.

###

Study contributors include lead co-authors Kathryn L. Harper, PhD, Maria Soledad Sosa, PhD, Julie F. Cheung, BSc, Rita Nobre MSc, Alvaro Avivar-Valderas, PhD, Chandandaneep Nagi, MD, and Eduardo F. Farias, PhD, from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Christoph Klein, MD and Hedayatollah Hosseini, PhD from the University of Regensburg, Germany; Nomeda Girnius, PhD and Roger J. Davis, PhD from Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Massachusetts Medical School; and David Entenberg, MSc and John Condeelis, PhD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

The study was supported by grants SWCRF, CA109182, CA196521, CA163131, CA100324, F31CA183185, BC132674, BC112380, NIH 1S10RR024745 Microscopy CoRE at ISMMS, the Integrated Imaging Program at Einstein, HHMI, DFG KL 1233/10-1 and the ERC (322602).

For a video on this release: https://youtu.be/MvPpghwr4Is

About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services--from community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care.

The System includes approximately 7,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 12 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the "Honor Roll" of best hospitals in America, ranked No. 15 nationally in the 2016-2017 "Best Hospitals" issue of U.S. News & World Report. The Mount Sinai Hospital is also ranked as one of the nation's top 20 hospitals in Geriatrics, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Nephrology, Neurology/Neurosurgery, and Ear, Nose & Throat, and is in the top 50 in four other specialties. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 10 nationally for Ophthalmology, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally. Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Hospital is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report in "Best Children's Hospitals."

For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Scientists from NASA and three universities have presented new discoveries about the way heat and energy move and manifest in the ionosphere, a region of Earth's atmosphere that reacts to changes from both space above and Earth below.

Far above Earth's surface, within the tenuous upper atmosphere, is a sea of particles that have been split into positive and negative ions by the sun's harsh ultraviolet radiation. Called the ionosphere, this is Earth's interface to space, the area where Earth's neutral atmosphere and terrestrial weather give way to the space environment that dominates most of the rest of the universe - an environment that hosts charged particles and a complex system of electric and magnetic fields. The ionosphere is both shaped by waves from the atmosphere below and uniquely responsive to the changing conditions in space, conveying such space weather into observable, Earth-effective phenomena - creating the aurora, disrupting communications signals, and sometimes causing satellite problems.

Many of these effects are not well-understood, leaving the ionosphere, for the most part, a region of mystery. Scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., the University of Colorado Boulder, and the University of California, Berkeley, presented new results on the ionosphere at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union on Dec. 14, 2016, in San Francisco.

One researcher explained how the interaction between the ionosphere and another layer in the atmosphere, the thermosphere, counteract heating in the thermosphere - heating that leads to expansion of the upper atmosphere, which can cause premature orbital decay. Another researcher described how energy outside the ionosphere accumulates until it discharges - not unlike lightning - offering an explanation for how energy from space weather crosses over into the ionosphere. A third scientist discussed two upcoming NASA missions that will provide key observations of this region, helping us better understand how the ionosphere reacts both to space weather and to terrestrial weather.

Changes in the ionosphere are primarily driven by the sun's activity. Though it may appear unchanging to us on the ground, our sun is, in fact, a very dynamic, active star. Watching the sun in ultraviolet wavelengths of light from space - above our UV light-blocking atmosphere - reveals constant activity, including bursts of light, particles, and magnetic fields.

Occasionally, the sun releases huge clouds of particles and magnetic fields that explode out from the sun at more than a million miles per hour. These are called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. When a CME reaches Earth, its embedded magnetic fields can interact with Earth's natural magnetic field - called the magnetosphere - sometimes compressing it or even causing parts of it to realign.

It is this realignment that transfers energy into Earth's atmospheric system, by setting off a chain reaction of shifting electric and magnetic fields that can send the particles already trapped near Earth skittering in all directions. These particles can then create one of the most recognizable and awe-inspiring space weather events - the aurora, otherwise known as the Northern Lights.

But the transfer of energy into the atmosphere isn't always so innocuous. It can also heat the upper atmosphere - where low-Earth satellites orbit - causing it to expand like a hot-air balloon.

"This swelling means there's more stuff at higher altitudes than we would otherwise expect," said Delores Knipp, a space scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder. "That extra stuff can drag on satellites, disrupting their orbits and making them harder to track."

This phenomenon is called satellite drag. New research shows that this understanding of the upper atmosphere's response to solar storms - and the resulting satellite drag - may not always hold true.

"Our basic understanding has been that geomagnetic storms put energy into the Earth system, which leads to swelling of the thermosphere, which can pull satellites down into lower orbits," said Knipp, lead researcher on these new results. "But that isn't always the case."

Sometimes, the energy from solar storms can trigger a chemical reaction that produces a compound called nitric oxide in the upper atmosphere. Nitric oxide acts as a cooling agent at very high altitudes, promoting energy loss to space, so a significant increase in this compound can cause a phenomenon called overcooling.

"Overcooling causes the atmosphere to quickly shed energy from the geomagnetic storm much quicker than anticipated," said Knipp. "It's like the thermostat for the upper atmosphere got stuck on the 'cool' setting."

That quick loss of energy counteracts the previous expansion, causing the upper atmosphere to collapse back down - sometimes to an even smaller state than it started in, leaving satellites traveling through lower-density regions than anticipated.

A new analysis by Knipp and her team classifies the types of storms that are likely to lead to this overcooling and rapid upper atmosphere collapse. By comparing over a decade of measurements from Department of Defense satellites and NASA's Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics, or TIMED, mission, the researchers were able to spot patterns in energy moving throughout the upper atmosphere.

"Overcooling is most likely to happen when very fast and magnetically-organized ejecta from the sun rattle Earth's magnetic field," said Knipp. "Slow clouds or poorly-organized clouds just don't have the same effect."

This means that, counterintuitively, the most energetic solar storms are likely to provide a net cooling and shrinking effect on the upper atmosphere, rather than heating and expanding it as had been previously understood.

Competing with this cooling process is the heating that caused by solar storm energy making its way into Earth's atmosphere. Though scientists have known that solar wind energy eventually reaches the ionosphere, they have understood little about where, when and how this transfer takes place. New observations show that the process is localized and impulsive, and partly dependent on the state of the ionosphere itself.

Traditionally, scientists have thought that the way energy moves throughout Earth's magnetosphere and atmosphere is determined by the characteristics of the incoming particles and magnetic fields of the solar wind - for instance, a long, steady stream of solar particles would produce different effects than a faster, less consistent stream. However, new data shows that the way energy moves is much more closely tied to the mechanisms by which the magnetosphere and ionosphere are linked.

"The energy transfer process turns out to be very similar to the way lightning forms during a thunderstorm," said Bob Robinson, a space scientist at NASA Goddard and the Catholic University of America.

During a thunderstorm, a buildup of electric potential difference - called voltage - between a cloud and the ground leads to a sudden, violent discharge of that electric energy in the form of lightning. This discharge can only happen if there's an electrically conducting pathway between the cloud and the ground, called a leader.

Similarly, the solar wind striking the magnetosphere can build up a voltage difference between different regions of the ionosphere and the magnetosphere. Electric currents can form between these regions, creating the conducting pathway needed for that built-up electric energy to discharge into the ionosphere as a kind of lightning.

"Terrestrial lightning takes several milliseconds to occur, while this magnetosphere-ionosphere 'lightning' lasts for several hours - and the amount of energy transferred is hundreds to thousands of times greater," said Robinson, lead researcher on these new results. These results are based on data from the global Iridium satellite communications constellation.

Because solar storms enhance the electric currents that let this magnetosphere-ionosphere lightning take place, this type of energy transfer is much more likely when Earth's magnetic field is jostled by a solar event.

The huge energy transfer from this magnetosphere-ionosphere lightning is associated with heating of the ionosphere and upper atmosphere, as well as increased aurora.

Looking Forward

Though scientists are making progress in understanding the key processes that drive changes in the ionosphere and, in turn, on Earth, there is still much to be understood. In 2017, NASA is launching two missions to investigate this dynamic region: the Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, and Global Observations of the Limb and Disk, or GOLD.

"The ionosphere doesn't only react to energy input by solar storms," said Scott England, a space scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, who works on both the ICON and GOLD missions. "Terrestrial weather, like hurricanes and wind patterns, can shape the atmosphere and ionosphere, changing how they react to space weather."

ICON will simultaneously measure the characteristics of charged particles in the ionosphere and neutral particles in the atmosphere - including those shaped by terrestrial weather - to understand how they interact. GOLD will take many of the same measurements, but from geostationary orbit, which gives a global view of how the ionosphere changes.

Both ICON and GOLD will take advantage of a phenomenon called airglow - the light emitted by gas that is excited or ionized by solar radiation - to study the ionosphere. By measuring the light from airglow, scientists can track the changing composition, density, and even temperature of particles in the ionosphere and neutral atmosphere.

ICON's position 350 miles above Earth will enable it to study the atmosphere in profile, giving scientists an unprecedented look at the state of the ionosphere at a range of altitudes. Meanwhile, GOLD's position 22,000 miles above Earth will give it the chance to track changes in the ionosphere as they move across the globe, similar to how a weather satellite tracks a storm.

"We will be using these two missions together to understand how dynamic weather systems are reflected in the upper atmosphere, and how these changes impact the ionosphere," said England.

###

ICON and GOLD are Explorer-class missions. NASA Goddard manages the Explorer Program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory will develop the ICON mission and the two ultraviolet imaging spectrographs, the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., will develop the MIGHTI instrument, the University of Texas in Dallas will develop the Ion Velocity Meter, and the ICON spacecraft is being built by Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia. GOLD is led by the University of Central Florida, and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder is building the instrument.

NASA Goddard manages the TIMED mission for the Heliophysics Division within the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, built the spacecraft for NASA.
Partnering with Services for the UnderServed Inc. in NYC to understand that knowing the barriers and facilitators to this transition is key to getting positive post-discharge outcomes

An estimated 2.15 million people in the U.S. - 9% of the population - have a diagnosable substance use disorder (SUD). Epidemiological and clinical studies suggest that SUDs follow a chronic, relapsing course, with cycles of recovery, relapse, and multiple treatment episodes, over the course of several years.

"According to SAMHSA (2015), alcohol and drug abuse and related problems contribute substantially to the burden of disease in the U.S., costing an estimated $400 billion annually," said Dr. Jennifer Manuel, PhD, an assistant professor at the NYU Silver School of Social Work, and an affiliated researcher with New York University's Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (NYU CDUHR). "It is essential to reduce the cycle of treatment for SUDs - both for public health and financial reasons."

Long-term residential substance abuse treatment is a preferred option for those seeking to recover from SUDs. "In-patient" treatment provides intensive recovery-related services combined with safe housing and assistance with daily living. However, relapse following discharge is still common and can reverse or deplete improvements made during treatment. According to the statistics, the rates of relapse within the first year after discharge range from 37% to 56%.

Engagement in aftercare services has been shown to improve this statistic. However research shows that only about half of patients make initial contact with outpatient care, and very few complete recommended duration of aftercare services.

In order to explore the factors that hinder and help individuals transition from long-term residential substance abuse treatment centers to the community, Dr. Manuel and her collaborators, Dr. Obie Nichols and Ms. Erin Palmer, from Services for the UnderServed, Inc., (SUS) conducted a qualitative socio-ecological model-based study, "Barriers and Facilitators to Successful Transition from Long-Term Residential Substance Abuse Treatment," the findings of which were recently presented at the 2016 Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers of New York State conference.

The research team focused on five barrier/facilitator categories: individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy. The study is published on-line ahead of print in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, December 2016.

"We know little about the transition barriers and facilitators from long-term residential substance abuse treatment from the perspectives of individuals with SUDs," notes Dr. Manuel. "Using the socio-ecological model as a guiding framework, this study explores the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy factors that impede and facilitate the transition from residential substance abuse treatment from the perspectives of individuals with SUDs who are anticipating discharge from treatment."

The study consisted of semi-structured interviews (45-90 minutes in length) with individuals (n=32) from a long-term residential substance abuse treatment program (average length of stay is 6 months) in NYC. Interviews were digitally recorded and subsequently transcribed. Individuals received a $30 gift card for participating in the interview. Participants ranged in age 23-55 years old; over three-fourths of the participants were male. All but one participant was receiving Medicaid benefits, with 56% of participants having been mandated to treatment. Nearly all (90.6%) participants reported being jailed or incarcerated in their lifetime; three-fourths reported being homeless in their lifetime.

Common barriers to successful transition:

The researchers noted that unmet basic needs, like financial stability, a job, and a place to live showed up as a primary individual barrier (in 62.5% of respondents).

Many participants expressed having limited to no support network (46.9%), strained relationships (43.8%), and friends who use drugs (40.6%) as interpersonal barriers.

One common organizational barrier was having a staff shortage in the residential treatment programs (34.4%). There were few challenges related to transition at community and policy levels; however, what did come up was returning to stressful neighborhoods (31.3%) and lack of housing available for people with only substance use problems (34.4%).

"What these results show is that the primary areas of intervention needed for these individuals include access to stable housing and employment, aftercare services and positive support networks; expanded discharge planning services and transitional assistance, and funding to address gaps in service delivery and meet individuals' basic needs," said Dr. Manuel "These findings suggest the importance of both informal and formal supports to reinforce and continue progress made in residential treatment."

The researchers' findings from this study suggest that transitions from residential treatment are stressful, particularly as people balance competing priorities of meeting their basic needs with managing their addiction. Enhanced support post-discharge from residential treatment is critical to improve the quality of transitions and outcomes of individuals with substance use disorders.

This study is the first phase of a larger initiative to develop and pilot test Critical Time Intervention, a transitional assistance model for individuals leaving residential substance abuse treatment. The study's findings are based on data that were generated from a small, non-probability sample of mostly male individuals from a single long-term residential substance abuse treatment program, and thus are not representative of other individuals in long-term residential treatment programs and their experiences.

Nevertheless, the results identify key factors to consider during the transition from long-term residential treatment to the community, and the findings from this study will inform future intervention development that aims to significantly improve mid-range and long-term outcomes among people with SUDs leaving residential treatment.

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Acknowledgements: Dr. Manuel would like to thank her collaborators, Dr. Obie Nichols and Ms. Erin Palmer, from SUS for their time, assistance, and guidance in making the research possible.

Researcher Affiliations: Jennifer I. Manuel 1, Yeqing Yuan 1, Daniel Herman 2, Dace Svikis 3, Obie Nichols 4, Erin Palmer 4, Sherry Deren 5.

New York University Silver School of Social Work Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Psychology Services for the UnderServed Inc. New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing

Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [K01DA035330].

About the NYU Silver School of Social Work:

The mission of the Silver School of Social Work at New York University is to educate professionals in a global perspective for social work practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities and to provide leadership in the development of knowledge relevant to social work practice in complex urban environments Since 1960, the Silver School has been a pioneer in training over 14,000 social work practitioners and leaders in every field of practice, affecting lives around the world. From 1960s gang violence to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s to 9/11, NYU's social workers have been at the center of response efforts that turn crises into social progress. Through faculty research, the School is a key source of scholarly research and publications directed at improving the practice of social work, evaluating social service and mental health programs, and developing new alternatives for meeting the needs of under-served populations.

About the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing

NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing is a global leader in nursing education, research, and practice. It offers a Bachelor of Science with a major in Nursing, a Master of Science and Post-Master's Certificate Programs, a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and a Doctor of Philosophy in nursing research and theory development.

About CDUHR

The mission of the Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) is to end the HIV and HCV epidemics in drug using populations and their communities by conducting transdisciplinary research and disseminating its findings to inform programmatic, policy, and grass roots initiatives at the local, state, national and global levels. CDUHR is a Core Center of Excellence funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Grant #P30 DA011041). It is the first center for the socio-behavioral study of substance use and HIV in the United States and is located at the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing. For more information, visit http://www.cduhr.org.

About Services for the UnderServed, Inc. (SUS)

Founded in 1978, SUS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating in New York City and Long Island serving individuals and families with life circumstances marked by intellectual/developmental disability, behavioral health challenges, poverty, histories of incarceration, unemployment and trauma. SUS provides close to $200M of services to 25,000 persons annually, including housing, treatment and rehabilitation, care coordination, and other wraparound services providing tools vulnerable New Yorkers can use to lead a life of purpose.
Prof Dr Beatriz Roldan Cuenya from the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum (RUB) will receive one of the renowned Consolidator Grants from the European Research Council (ERC). The funding totals two million euros for five years. The scientist aims to use the money to gain new insights into the catalytic abilities of nanoparticles, particularly how the size, shape and chemical state of the particles change during a catalytic reaction.

Tiny metal particles, just 1 to 50 nanometres large, can be used as catalysts for various reactions. Numerous parameters influence the catalytic activity of the nanoparticles: their size and shape, the support material to which the particles are bound, the environment, and the chemical state of the particles, i.e., for instance, whether they are present as a pure metal or as an oxide.

Catalysts for CO2 recycling

Little is currently understood about the role of particle shape; what's more, the aforementioned parameters can also influence each other. Beatriz Roldan Cuenya would like to understand in detail how the geometric and electronic properties of the nanoparticles determine their catalytic activity. This would make possible to specifically design catalysts with the best possible efficiency.

The research in Bochum as part of the ERC grant focuses on catalysts for two chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide into useful substances. In doing so, the scientists use the same nanoparticle catalysts for two very different kinds of reaction: the first takes place in the gas phase under high pressure (reduction of carbon dioxide with hydrogen), the second in the liquid phase under potential control (electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide). The aim is to increase the efficiency of these reactions, for instance by reducing the amount of unwanted by-products.

"The results are intended to open up new ways of directly converting the climate gas CO2 into valuable chemicals and fuels, for instance methanol, ethanol, propanol, methane or ethylene," says Chair Professor of solid state physics Roldan Cuenya, who is also a member of the cluster of excellence Resolv.

About the person

Beatriz Roldan Cuenya studied physics at the University of Oviedo, Spain. In 2001, she completed her doctoral thesis in the field of solid-state physics at the University of Duisburg-Essen. She then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California in Santa Barbara and became an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida (Orlando) in 2004, where she became Full Professor in 2012. Beatriz Roldan Cuenya has held the chair for solid-state physics at RUB since 2013 and is a member of the cluster of excellence Ruhr Explores Solvation (Resolv).

Two Consolidator Grants for RUB researchers

Prof Beatriz Roldan Cuenya's grant is one of two ERC Consolidator grants that RUB researchers have been awarded in the current application round. The second grant goes to Prof Dr Carmen Meinert from the Center for Religious Studies. More information will follow in a separate press release.

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Clicked on

Cluster of excellence Resolv

Press release by the ERC about the awarded grants

ERC Consolidator Grants
TORONTO, Dec. 14, 2016--The rate of opioid use in Canada has fallen 13.7 per cent since the publication in May 2010 of national guidelines for their use in chronic non-cancer pain, a new study has found.

Yet rates of opioid-related hospital visits rose 13 per cent between then and the end of 2013 the study found, possibly because people who continue to take some of these potent drugs are often being prescribed high doses, placing them at greater risk of overdosing.

The study, led by Tara Gomes, a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, and a principal investigator of the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network, was published today in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

Gomes and her team examined data for people who were eligible for the Ontario Drug Benefit program between Jan. 1, 2003, and Dec. 31, 2014, and identified 769,895 who were dispensed at least one opioid prescription.

The study found that rates of opioid use remained steady from 2003 until the publication of Canadian guidelines for the use of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain. After this time, the rate fell from approximately 27 per cent of ODB eligible persons in the first half of 2010 to 23 per cent in the second half of 2014.

However, the rate of opioid use was not further affected by the province of Ontario's enactment of the Narcotics and Safety Awareness Act in November 2011, the study found. A key component of that legislation was the requirement for prescriptions for narcotics and all other controlled substances to be disclosed to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for monitoring and surveillance.

Both the national guidelines and the provincial legislation were designed to promote more judicious and appropriate opioid prescribing, which was expected to reduce the risk of overdoses, as has been seen in some jurisdictions in the United States.

"The decline in the rate of opioid use after the publication of national guidelines could reflect more comprehensive assessment of patient pain, medical mental health and substance use history by physicians before initiating opioid therapy," Gomes said. "However, it is also extremely important to ensure that clinicians are safely tapering opioid therapy in their patients and ensuring that patients have access to addiction services when necessary."

Gomes said that despite decreasing rates of opioid prescribing, among the remaining opioid prescription users, the proportion of high dose use more than doubled from 4.2 per cent in 2003 to 8.7 per cent in 2014.

Canadian national prescribing guidelines currently recommend physicians try to avoid prescribing doses higher than 200 mg morphine or the equivalent in the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain.

In the last six months of 2014, 12,713 people in Ontario eligible for public drug benefits were treated with doses above 200 mg morphine (or the equivalent). Further, the study found 40.9 per cent of recipients of long-acting opioids exceeded daily doses of 200 mg of morphine (or the equivalent) and 18.7 per cent were treated with very high doses exceeding 400 mg morphine (or the equivalent).

Of note, in the last six months of 2014, more than half (55.4 per cent) of long-acting oxycodone users, and more than three-quarters (76.1 per cent) of fentanyl users were treated with daily doses exceeding the Canadian guideline's upper dose threshold of 200 mg morphine or the equivalent.

The study also found that rates of opioid-related hospital visits increased 34.5 per cent from the first half of 2003 to the second half of 2004, but remained relatively stable between 2005 and 2009. Between 2010 and 2013, rates increased again, rising 13 per cent from 12.4 to 14 hospital visits per 10,000 ODB-eligible persons. The rate of opioid-related hospital visits was not significantly impacted by the Canadian clinical practice guidelines in May 2010 or the Ontario legislation in November 2011. In 2013, there were 1,621 opioid related hospital visits among public drug beneficiaries in Ontario.

"The persistent growth in opioid-related hospital visits in recent years in Ontario could be explained by increased illicit opioid use if people previously using prescription opioids were denied access to these drugs without adequate dose tapering or addiction services," Gomes said. "Another potential explanation may be dosing errors among people switched from long-acting oxycodone to alternative opioids when formulary restrictions for OxyNeo were introduced in February 2012."

Gomes noted that one limitation of this study was that the majority of people eligible for the Ontario Public Drug Program are socioeconomically disadvantaged, so the findings may not be generalizable to the overall population. Despite this limitation, she suggested that these findings provide valuable information for physicians and policy-makers as they work toward improving opioid drug policy and appropriate prescribing practices in Ontario.

###

This study received funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

About St. Michael's Hospital

St Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in 27 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) is an independent, non-profit organization that uses population-based health information to produce knowledge on a broad range of health care issues. Our unbiased evidence provides measures of health system performance, a clearer understanding of the shifting health care needs of Ontarians, and a stimulus for discussion of practical solutions to optimize scarce resources. ICES knowledge is highly regarded in Canada and abroad, and is widely used by government, hospitals, planners, and practitioners to make decisions about care delivery and to develop policy. For the latest ICES news, follow us on Twitter: @ICESOntario

Media contacts:

Leslie Shepherd, Manager, Media Strategy

St. Michael's Hospital

416-864-6094

shepherdl@smh.ca

Inspired Care. Inspiring Science.

http://www.stmichaelshospital.com

Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stmikeshospital

Deborah Creatura

Media Advisor, ICES

deborah.creatura@ices.on.ca

(o) 416-480-4780 or (c) 647-406-5996
An analysis of more than 20 studies finds that the overall rate of attrition among general surgery residents was 18 percent and that the most common causes of attrition was uncontrollable lifestyle and choosing to join another specialty, according to a study published online by JAMA Surgery.

Despite the introduction of national regulations on resident duty hour restrictions in 2003, resident attrition remains a significant issue, particularly in general surgery training programs; however, there are wide discrepancies in the prevalence and causes of attrition reported among surgical residents in previous studies. Mohammed Al-Omran, M.D., M.Sc., F.R.C.S.C., of St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, and colleagues conducted a review and meta-analysis to determine the estimate of attrition prevalence among general surgery residents. The researchers identified 22 studies that met criteria for inclusion in the analysis.

The studies reported on residents (n = 19,821) from general surgery programs. The pooled estimate for the overall attrition prevalence among general surgery residents was 18 percent, with significant between-study variation. Attrition was significantly higher among female compared with male (25 percent vs 15 percent) general surgery residents, and most residents left after their first postgraduate year (48 percent). Departing residents often relocated to another general surgery program (20 percent) or switched to anesthesia (13 percent) and other specialties. The most common reported causes of attrition were uncontrollable lifestyle (range, 12 percent-88 percent) and transferring to another specialty (range, 19 percent-39 percent).

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"Future studies should focus on developing interventions to limit resident attrition," the authors conclude.

(JAMA Surgery. Published online December 14, 2016.doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2016.4086. This study is available pre-embargo at the For The Media website.)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
Synthetic organic chemistry consists of transforming existing molecules into new molecular structures or assemblies. These new molecular systems are then used in a myriad of ways in everyday life - in a wide range of sectors, such as public health, energy and environment, for use in drugs, solar cells, fragrances, and so on. The active element in the molecule that initiates these transformations, known as the catalyst, is often hydrogen. However, a research team at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, has found that a sulfur atom, if carefully inserted into a molecule, can not only become an extremely effective catalyst but can also operate with greater precision. This discovery, published in Angewandte Chemie, has the potential to revolutionize the world of synthetic organic chemistry. It paves the way for the creation of new molecules that can be used in our daily life.

Creativity in fundamental research in chemistry consists of finding new ways to transform molecules and to build new molecular structures. To achieve this, the starting molecule needs to undergo a series of transformations until the molecular architecture of interest is achieved. However, a molecule does not just change by itself - it has to be pushed by another molecule, the so-called catalyst. In nature, enzymes play this catalytic role. In chemistry and biology, the active element in catalysts is often the smallest possible atom - hydrogen.

"When we want to carry out a molecular transformation, we frequently use the hydrogen bond," explains Stefan Matile, Professor in the Department of Organic Chemistry in the Faculty of Science at UNIGE, and director of the research project. "More precisely, we place the molecule that we want to transform, known as the substrate, in contact with hydrogen. The catalyst then attracts negative charge from the substrate, to the point where the molecule is so poor in negative charges that it is forced to seek contact with another substrate and, in order to maintain itself, to transform." Hydrogen can be thought of as a vacuum cleaner that aspirates negative charges until the molecules are forced to come together and transform to compensate for the loss.

Sulfur increases precision

Professor Matile's team is interested in using bonds other than hydrogen bonds for catalysis and other activities. Most chemists consider these to be rather esoteric with little importance in the area of molecular transformation. However, when looking more closely at the sulfur atom in certain molecules, the UNIGE research team realized that the atom has a very localized area where it is extremely deficient in electrons, a sort of 'black hole'. The team wanted to know whether this hole could act as a 'vacuum cleaner', like hydrogen, if it were placed in contact with a substrate. If this were the case, sulfur could be used as a catalyst, causing molecules to transform themselves. This somewhat unorthodox bond, known as a chalcogen bond, would thus replace the conventional hydrogen bond.

As Professor Matile further explains: "To test our hypothesis, we created and tested a series of molecular structures using chalcogen bonds of gradually increasing strength. We noticed that they not only work, but that they increase the speed of the transformation by more than a thousand times, as when there is no catalyst. Additionally, we achieved a degree of precision that is impossible with hydrogen bonds." In fact, hydrogen's entire surface is 'electron poor'. Thus, when it is playing the role of catalyst, the entire atom can come into contact with the substrate and suck up negative charges all over. However, with sulfur, only a small area can act as catalyst. This will enable chemists to be more precise in bringing the catalyst and substrate into contact, and thereby to exercise increased control over the transformation. This has the potential to revolutionize synthetic organic chemistry.

This discovery puts a new tool in the hands of chemists. It proves that it is now possible to use different approaches to carry out molecular transformations, and it opens up entirely new perspectives to the world of synthetic chemistry. Professor Matile's group will now attempt to build molecules that are not accessible with conventional hydrogen bonds. This opens the door for the creation of new materials.

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Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new non-invasive method to detect infections in prostheses used for amputees, as well as for knee, hip and other joint replacements. The method, which is at the proof of concept stage, consists of a simple imaging technique and an innovative material to coat the prostheses.

"Current methods to detect infection require patients to undergo burdensome imaging procedures, such as an MRI, CAT scan, or X-rays," said Ken Loh, a professor of structural engineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego and the lead researcher on the project. "By contrast, our method could be easily used in a doctor's office or in the home and, potentially, provide quantitative diagnostic-relevant information about the extent and locations of the infection."

Researchers detailed their findings on Dec. 7 at the 6th Asia Pacific Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

The imaging technique the researchers relied on is an improved version of electrical capacitance tomography--or ECT-- which measures the human tissue and prosthesis' electrical properties using safe electrical fields. An algorithm processes the measurement data to allow physicians to reconstruct a predetermined area's electrical properties to reveal the health of the tissue, bone and prosthesis. Infection causes changes in the field, which can be detected via ECT. Loh and Ph.D. student Sumit Gupta improved the algorithm to make it more accurate.

In addition, Loh and Gupta developed a thin-film sensor that could be sprayed onto a prosthesis to improve the imaging technique's ability to detect infection or other issues occurring in the tissue or prosthesis.

The film is made of a conductive polymer matrix that is sensitive to pH, as well as carbon nanotubes embedded in the matrix that increase the material's ability to conduct electricity more sensitively regardless of the pH level. Infections caused by different microorganisms often change the local pH in human cells and affect their ability to conduct electricity.

"This is a new modality of sensing that hasn't been widely used to detect infection before," Loh said.

To test their system, the researchers spray-coated a plastic rod - as a surrogate of an actual prosthesis - with the thin-film sensor and then exposed it to several solutions that changed its pH. After each exposure to a solution, the researchers used their prototype system to scan the rod to obtain electrical measurements for their ECT algorithm. The method successfully detected the location of the rod and a change in the rod's electrical properties due to changes in pH.

"The combination of these two techniques makes our method optimal and, potentially, highly sensitive to different complications related to these prostheses and implants," Loh said.

He envisions multilayered thin-film sensors coated onto prostheses where each layer can detect different signals, such as for monitoring stresses and strains of the actual prosthesis, loosening, infection and pH changes.

Next steps would include refining the measurement setup and to conduct animal testing, which is about three years out, Loh said.

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The University of California, Berkeley's worldwide network of smartphone earthquake detectors has recorded nearly 400 earthquakes since the MyShake app was made available for download in February, with one of the most active areas of the world the fracking fields of Oklahoma.

The Android app harnesses a smartphone's motion detectors to measure earthquake ground motion, then sends that data back to the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory for analysis. The eventual goal is to send early-warning alerts to users a bit farther from ground zero, giving them seconds to a minute of warning that the ground will start shaking. That's enough time to take cover or switch off equipment that might be damaged in a quake.

To date, nearly 220,000 people have downloaded the app, and at any one time, between 8,000 and 10,000 phones are active -- turned on, lying on a horizontal surface and connected to a wi-fi network - and thus primed to respond.

An updated version of the MyShake app will be available for download Dec. 14 from the Google Play Store, providing an option for push notifications of recent quakes within a distance determined by the user, and the option of turning the app off until the phone is plugged in, which could extend the life of a single charge in older phones.

"The notifications will not be fast initially - not fast enough for early warning - but it puts into place the technology to deliver the alerts and we can then work toward making them faster and faster as we improve our real-time detection system within MyShake," said project leader Richard Allen, a UC Berkeley professor of earth and planetary sciences and director of the seismology lab.

In a presentation on Wednesday, Dec. 14, during this week's annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, UC Berkeley developer and graduate student Qingkai Kong will summarize the app's performance. Ten months of operation clearly shows that the sensitivity of the smartphone accelerometers and the density of phones in many places are sufficient to provide data quickly enough for early warning. The phones readily detect the first seismic waves to arrive - the less destructive P waves - and send the information to Berkeley in time to issue an alert that the stronger S wave will soon arrive.

"We already have the algorithm to detect the earthquakes running on our server, but we have to make sure it is accurate and stable before we can start issuing warnings, which we hope to do in the near future," Kong said.

The app can detect quakes as small as magnitude 2.5, with the best sensitivity in areas with a greater density of phones. The largest number of phones to record a quake was 103, after the 5.2 magnitude quake that occurred on the San Jacinto fault near Borrego Springs in San Diego County on June 10. Phones 200 kilometers from the epicenter detected that temblor. The largest quake detected occurred on April 16 in Ecuador: a 7.8 magnitude quake that triggered two phones, 170 and 200 kilometers from the epicenter.

Allen, Kong and their colleagues at Deutsche Telekom's Silicon Valley Innovation Center believe the app's performance shows it can complement traditional seismic networks, such as that operated nationally by the U.S. Geological Survey, but can also serve as a stand-alone system in places with few seismic stations, helping to reduce injuries and damage from earthquakes.

While the app has detected quakes in seismically active areas such as Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan and the West Coast of the U.S., one surprising hot spot has been the traditionally quiet state of Oklahoma. The practice of injecting oil well wastewater deep underground has activated faults in the area to the extent that the state is rattled hundreds of times a year.

"Oklahoma is now clearly No. 1 in terms of the number of earthquakes in the lower 48 states," Kong said.

Most of Oklahoma's earthquakes are small, but MyShake users in the state, which number only about 200, easily detected the Sept. 3 magnitude 5.8 quake, the strongest ever to hit the state. During that event, 14 phones in the state triggered, but even this relatively small number of phones allowed the seismology lab to peg the magnitude within 1 percent of estimates from ground seismic stations, and located the epicenter to within 4 kilometers (2.5 miles).

"These initial studies suggest that the data will be useful for a variety of scientific studies of induced seismicity phenomena in Oklahoma, as well as having the potential to provide earthquake early warning in the future," Kong said.

He will summarize the Oklahoma data during a poster session on Friday, Dec. 16.

The MyShake app and the computer algorithm behind it were developed by Allen, Kong and a team of programmers at the Silicon Valley Innovation Center in Mountain View, California, which is part of the Telekom Innovation Laboratories (T-Labs) operated by Deutsche Telekom, owner of T-Mobile. Louis Schreier, the leader of that team, co-wrote a paper with Allen and Kong on the first six months of MyShake's observations, published Sept. 29 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

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CINCINNATIA study led by University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers is offering new insight in how the fungus Pneumocystis, thrives in the lungs of immune-compromised individuals, where it can cause a fatal pneumonia.

The study, Functional characterization of the Pneumocystis carinii Inositol Transporter 1, is currently available in the online edition of the journal, MBio and details the use of mouse models to identify a new drug therapy for the potential treatment of Pneumocystis pneumonia.

Pneumocystis must transport inositola sugar-like nutrient essential for life in most organismsobtained from the mammalian lung using a specific transporter, explains Melanie T. Cushion, PhD, senior associate dean for research and professor of internal medicine at the UC College of Medicine.

Identifying a drug to inhibit the transporter will kill these fungi because they cant synthesize inositol as they lack two enzymes to do so, says Cushion. The transporters in humans and Pneumocystis are sufficiently different that inhibitors of the fungal transporter are not likely to impact the mammalian transporters. If thats the case, no toxicity is expected with this new line of drugs.

These fungi are immune to common current anti-fungal therapies, and the gold standard therapy, trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole, often results in life-threatening allergic reactions in many patients. In the journal article, researchers characterized the transport of inositol in the fungus and found that it was highly selective for inositol and did not transport any other molecules, explains Cushion.

For individuals living with HIV/AIDS, Pneumocystis jirovecii, causes a lethal pneumonia (PCP) despite the use of combined antiretroviral therapy in patients, says Cushion. The mortality rate from PCP is about 15 percent in HIV positive populations in the United States and other developed countries, while in the developing world or underserved populations in the U.S. the mortality rate approaches 80 percent, she explained.

An advance in combating Pneumocystis could also help transplant patients who are on immunosuppressive drugs for life and other patients receiving these therapies for ailments such as rheumatoid arthritis, says Cushion.

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Cushion is joined in this research by co-authors Aleksey Porollo, PhD, UC assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health and a researcher for Cincinnati Childrens Medical Center; Edward Merino, PhD, UC associate professor in the Department of Chemistry; Anish Kizhakkekkara Vadukoot, PhD, a former UC post-doctoral fellow; Margaret Collins, senior research assistant in the UC Department of Internal Medicine; and Thomas Sesterhenn, senior research assistant in the UC Department of Internal Medicine.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health under the award number HL119190 and by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
By PTI: London, Dec 14 (PTI) Practising Kundalini yoga - which involves meditation, breathing exercises, chanting mantras and adapting certain postures - may help improve the health and psychological wellbeing of children in care homes, a new study has claimed.

Researchers from the University of Nottingham in the UK found that children in care homes have a higher degree of physical and mental health needs than their not-in-care counterparts, and in comparison to children who are in other forms of care, such as foster care.

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The study was carried out under the belief of creative practice as mutual recovery, and looked at the idea that shared creativity, collective experience and mutual benefit can promote resilience in mental health and well-being among communities that have been traditionally divided - for example childrens home staff and children.

Researchers tested a 20-week Kundalini yoga programme in three childrens homes situated in the East Midlands.

The programme was evaluated according to recruitment and retention rates, self-reporting questionnaires from the participants and semi-structured interviews.

The study shows that yoga practice in childrens homes, especially when participation is high, has the potential to encourage togetherness and mutuality and improve health and psychological outcomes for children in care, as well as within the workforce.

All the participants reported that the study was personally meaningful and experienced both individual - like feeling more relaxed - and social benefits - for example feeling more open and positive.

Individuals reported that the yoga sessions helped to show them beneficial exercises that they could use in various contexts, such as before going to bed, or during emotionally challenging times at work as well as at home.

The social benefits were also far-reaching with some participants reporting that they felt more positive, open to others and, as a consequence, had seen an improvement in their social lives and out of work.

Some staff and residents noticed that other people also interacted more positively with them.

"The findings are very exciting as they suggest that the practice of Kundalini yoga, involving both staff and children in care, is a plausible intervention that can lead to individual and social benefits," said Elvira Perez from University of Nottingham.

"This could have potentially huge, wide-reaching benefits for children in care as well as for all the staff working in residential settings," said Perez.

"The study has generated a number of valuable guiding principles and recommendations that might underpin the development of any future intervention for children in care and the staff working in these homes," Perez added.

The study was published in The Journal of Childrens Services. PTI NKS SAR SAR

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Our bodies contain Natural Killer (NK) cells - an army that stops cancers and viruses before they can make us sick. A researcher from the University of Central Florida's College of Medicine has created a nanoparticle that increases the number of these killers 10,000-fold in the lab and her new technology has generated a licensing agreement that is expected to accelerate the therapy's path to clinical trials.

Cyto-Sen Therapeutics Inc., a Florida-based start-up company created by NK researchers and physicians including UCF researcher Alicja Copik and others at UCF, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, recently licensed the technology and plans to begin clinical trials by late 2017.

On a computer screen in her lab, Copik's heightened killers literally eat cancer cells before your eyes. "You realize how powerful this system is when you see these cells actually tearing apart the tumors," she said. "These Natural Killer cells are an army and they're your friends. This potential therapy means you have more of these fighters and they are armed to the teeth."

NK cells play an important first-line-of-defense in fighting all foreign cells in the body. Dr. Dean Lee, director of cellular therapy and cancer immunology at Nationwide, serves as medical director and vice president of Cyto-Sen. He said medicine had known very little about NK cells until researchers were able to identify and grow them in the late 1990s. Since then, more research is focusing on NK cell therapies for cancers including lymphoma, leukemia and even brain, ovarian and breast cancers. Previous studies attempted to use other types of cells, even tumor cells, to encourage NK cells to grow. But those therapies were commercially cumbersome and had serious side effects for patients in clinical trials.

UCF's technology uses nanoparticles that signal the NK cells to reproduce and arm themselves to fight the cancer. In Copik's lab, one NK cell taken from a patient and contacted by the nanoparticle yielded 10,000 new cells in two weeks. "UCF's discovery has really solved a key problem that makes NK cell therapies more accessible to all," Lee said. "We are very excited about the possibilities." If the technology can be safely manufactured and is effective in clinical trials, it could allow any hospital that provides cell therapies such as bone marrow transplants to create their own advanced NK cells on-site for cancer patients, he said.

Phil McKee, chairman of Cyto-Sen, has a personal reason for supporting Copik's work. The physicist/inventor needed chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant to cure his blood cancer and wants to create more natural therapies that beat the disease - without severe side effects.

"Dr. Copik's delivery-expansion method appears to create an important bridge between our desire to use the body's own cancer-fighting systems and medical science's ability to make that happen in the lab," he said. "With her system, we can take what the body naturally has and instead of a few soldiers, we can create a battalion."

The therapy has shown effectiveness in treating acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of blood-forming tissues including bone marrow. Further study could develop nanoparticles with signals for specific cancers and viruses such as Ebola or HIV, Lee and Copik said.

Lee will lead the manufacturing effort at Nationwide's cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices) facility, which is required to meet the strict quality and safety standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for creating medical therapies for humans.

Copik's NK cell research was supported by two $400,000 grants from the Florida Department of Health's Bankhead-Coley Cancer Research Program. She said her love of science was inspired by her father, an engineer in her native Poland who created automated mechanical locks and door openings to improve safety for coal miners.

"My mother was always proudly showing me pictures of his inventions," she said. "That's where I got my curiosity, my passion for developing new things, asking questions and solving problems."

She received her Ph.D. in biochemistry at Utah State University, did post-doctoral work at the University of Texas Medical Branch and Roche Pharmaceuticals, and worked at Florida Hospital before coming to UCF. The NK cell technology is a credit to a multidisciplinary team of researchers, immunologists, biochemists and physicians working with the College of Medicine to find better ways to help cancer patients, she said.

"So many people have worked together to get us to this point," she said. "As a researcher you dedicate your life to science. To be able to see your idea go from your lab to actual clinical trials that can help patients is a dream come true."

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View a video of Dr. Copik's nanoparticle-activated NK cells "eating" cancer cells here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbs7b9h7hlE

The University of Central Florida, one of the largest universities in the nation with more than 64,000 students, uses the power of scale and the pursuit of excellence to make a better future for our students and society. Described by The Washington Post as demolishing "the popular belief that exclusivity is a virtue in higher education" and credited by Politico with creating a "seamless pipeline of social mobility," UCF is recognized as one of the best values in higher education. UCF aligns its teaching, research and service with the needs of the community and beyond, offering more than 200 degree programs at more than a dozen locations, including its main campus in Orlando. Faculty and students are creating innovations in areas as diverse as simulation and training, optics and lasers, hospitality management, video game design, business, education and health care to solve local and global problems. For more information, visit http://www.ucf.edu.
LAWRENCE -- In February 1805, during their Corps of Discovery Expedition, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark encountered a purplish daisy prized by tribes of Native Americans across the Great Plains as a "cure-all." Learning the plant was used to treat bites from "mad Dogs [and] Snakes," the explorers sent a specimen off to Thomas Jefferson, president of the United States and part-time botanist.

Today, we know that same plant as Echinacea, one of the most popular medicinal plants in the U.S. and Europe due to its ability to fight colds and flu and boost the human immune system.

A recently published book co-authored and edited by Kelly Kindscher, senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey and professor of environmental studies at the University of Kansas, explores "everything known" about the purple coneflower.

Written for both popular and academic readers, "Echinacea -- Herbal Medicine with a Wild History" (Springer) explores the botanical's natural history and how it's been grown, conserved and used.

According to the KU researcher, Echinacea is still underappreciated in the U.S. Kindscher points out the immune-boosting plant was shown in a recent European clinical trial to be as effective and safer than the prescription medicine Tamiflu.

"Most of the good research on Echinacea comes from researchers in Europe even though this is native to North America," he said. "In the U.S., we don't have in interest in integrative medicine, we just use pharmaceuticals. In Germany, you'd find Echinacea behind the counter at the pharmacy. Here in the U.S., you'll find it up front with Coke and Pampers, not behind the counter."

The KU researcher lamented that U.S. medical professionals are unlikely to recommend Echinacea or other time-tested botanical health products to patients, instead opting for pharmaceuticals that often can cost more and hold higher risk of side-effects.

"Here's the problem with herbal products -- you can talk about them, but doctors can't prescribe them as medicine," Kindscher said. "One can go online and elsewhere and find a lot of good herbal products, (and some bad ones, too). Echinacea is a good one and best as a tincture -- an alcohol and water extract -- available in health food stores and pharmacies up front. Another clinical trial that came out a few years ago showed people who consume these extracts before, during and after long-distance flights were statistically less likely to get upper respiratory tract infections, or what we call a cold. Clinical trials -- we consider them the gold standard that doctors and medical professionals consider proof."

But most doctors don't learn about herbal product in medical school.

"Data shows doctors often pick medicines shown to them by pharmaceutical reps," he said. "It's not easy for doctors to keep up on all medical literature -- it's so voluminous -- but primarily there's not a huge industry urging doctors to prescribe Echinacea."

Beyond advocating for Echinacea in human health, Kindscher's new book on the purple coneflower reflects a career spent studying a genus that is native to Kansas.

"Echinacea has been that group of species that I've focused on most of my adult life, including my first published paper as an academic in 1986," he said. "I've been able to pull together everything that's known about that group of plants in a nice overview. I feel fortunate that I've been able to work on this over a period of time and see what are the most important things to know about this interesting medicinal plant that has its roots in Kansas, literally."

Indeed, the KU researcher said most wild-harvested Echinacea root used for medicine historically grows in western Kansas, especially in "post-rock country" north of Hays. He said there was cause for worry about the health of Echinacea populations in the state and across the Great Plains.

"Millions of dollars of Echinacea roots have been harvested from native prairies and pastures," said Kindscher. "I've documented there've been millions of plants dug out by 'diggers' -- wild harvesters who want to make some money on the side. If you go on the Internet you can find brokers selling Echinacea roots. We found out from harvesters themselves that about 50 percent of those plants actually re-sprouted and grew back. We know the plant produces a lot of seeds, so we found out that moderate harvesting isn't decimating the populations. The bigger threats are conversions of range lands to agricultural use, herbicide and development."

Kindscher's co-authors on the new book include KU colleagues and several of his former graduate students from KU, inducing Rebecca Wittenberg, Dana Price, Rachel Craft, Congmei Cao and Dr. Jeanne Drisko, director of the KU Integrative Medicine program at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

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MIAMI--Evolution is working hard to rescue some urban fish from a lethal, human-altered environment, according to a new study published Dec. 9 in the journal Science. Researchers from the University of California, Davis and the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science conducted the study.

While environmental change is outpacing the rate of evolution for many other species, Atlantic killifish living in four polluted East Coast estuaries turn out to be remarkably resilient. These fish have adapted to levels of highly toxic industrial pollutants that would normally kill them.

The killifish is up to 8,000 times more resistant to this level of pollution than other fish, the study found. While the fish is not commercially valuable, it is an important food for other species and an environmental indicator.

What makes Atlantic killifish so special is their extremely high levels of genetic variation, higher than any other vertebrate--humans included--measured so far. The more genetic diversity, the faster evolution can act. That's one reason why insects and weeds can quickly adapt and evolve to resist pesticides, and why pathogens can evolve quickly to resist drugs created to destroy them. Not all species are so lucky, however.

"The whole genome sequencing of the Atlantic killfish revealed innovative insights into how animals quickly evolve and may adapt to climate change because of its biology and ecology. Two co-authors from UM Rosenstiel School, Douglas Crawford and Marjorie Oleksiak, initiated genomic research in the Atlantic killfish by isolating more than 69,000 genes sequences and discovered large genetic variation. "Killfish have large populations that make natural selection more effective and live in a diversity of environments which enhances the genetic diversity," said Douglas Crawford. "This genetic diversity is the basis for evolutionary adaptation that was revealed by taking the ambitious goal to sequencing the whole genome of 394 individuals."

"Some people will see this as a positive and think, 'Hey, species can evolve in response to what we're doing to the environment!'" said lead author Andrew Whitehead, associate professor in the UC Davis Department of Environmental Toxicology and lead author of the study. "Unfortunately, most species we care about preserving probably can't adapt to these rapid changes because they don't have the high levels of genetic variation that allow them to evolve quickly."

The scientists sequenced complete genomes of nearly 400 Atlantic killifish from polluted and non-polluted sites at New Bedford Harbor in Massachusetts; Newark Bay, New Jersey; Connecticut's Bridgeport area; and Virginia's Elizabeth River. The sites have been polluted since the 1950s and 1960s by a complex mixture of industrial pollutants including dioxin, heavy metals, hydrocarbons and other chemicals.

The team's genetic analysis suggests that the Atlantic killifish's genetic diversity make them unusually well positioned to adapt to survive in radically altered habitats. At the genetic level, the tolerant populations evolved in highly similar ways. This suggests that these fish already carried the genetic variation that allowed them to adapt before the sites were polluted, and that there may be only a few evolutionary solutions to pollution.

The study lays the groundwork for future research that could explore which genes confer tolerance of specific chemicals. Such work could help better explain how genetic differences among humans and other species may contribute to differences in sensitivity to environmental chemicals.

"If we know the kinds of genes that can confer sensitivity in another vertebrate animal like us, perhaps we can understand how different humans, with their own mutations in these important genes, might react to these chemicals," Whitehead said.

"This study shows that different populations of Atlantic killifish exposed to toxic pollution evolve tolerance to that pollution through changes in one molecular pathway," said George Gilchrist, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the study along with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. "This pathway may play a similar role in many animals exposed to pollutants, with slightly different adaptations in response to different toxins."

###

About the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School

The University of Miami is one of the largest private research institutions in the southeastern United States. The University's mission is to provide quality education, attract and retain outstanding students, support the faculty and their research, and build an endowment for University initiatives. Founded in the 1940's, the Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science has grown into one of the world's premier marine and atmospheric research institutions. Offering dynamic interdisciplinary academics, the Rosenstiel School is dedicated to helping communities to better understand the planet, participating in the establishment of environmental policies, and aiding in the improvement of society and quality of life. For more information, visit: http://www.rsmas.miami.edu.
Arid land bird populations are in decline around the vicinity of oil and gas wells in Wyoming -- but, not for the reasons you might initially think.

While such development has encroached on and hindered nesting habitat for three types of sagebrush-obligate birds, predation of these birds has increased because rodent populations in the vicinity of oil and gas wells have increased, which has, in turn, increased nest predation.

Anna Chalfoun, a University of Wyoming associate professor in the Department of Zoology and Physiology, and assistant unit leader of the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit, and her graduate students have been studying and collecting data about three species -- the Brewer's sparrow, sagebrush sparrow and sage thrasher -- in Wyoming for seven years. These birds use sagebrush for cover to build their nests on the ground or low to the ground within the sagebrush.

The study, which began seven years ago, has taken place at six sites in Jonah Field and six more at the Pinedale Anticline in western Wyoming.

"We found the majority of nest predators at the nests are rodents. Rodents are more abundant where there is natural gas development," Chalfoun says. "We tested the hypothesis that rodents were more abundant surrounding gas fields because their main predators (raptors, coyotes and badgers) avoided gas fields, but our data did not support this idea."

vLindsey Sanders, a UW master's student in zoology and physiology from Boulder Creek, Calif., conducted work on the above hypothesis, Chalfoun says.

Besides mice, these rodents include two species of squirrels -- Uinta ground squirrels and the 13-striped ground squirrel. "We are now continuing to try to figure out why the rodents are in the natural gas development areas where there is (nesting) habitat loss," Chalfoun says. "We are seeing more rodents. We are not sure why they are drawn to those areas. Another hypothesis is that they are receiving food subsidies from the sometimes novel types of plants that establish in the reclaimed areas surrounding well pads and along pipeline scars."

The study's findings show:

Sagebrush songbirds settled areas with more surrounding natural gas development, simultaneously or earlier than areas with less natural gas development. The birds settled there even though nest predation rates were higher. Their nesting period runs from May through late July. "Do songbirds prefer to settle in habitats that are not in gas fields? The answer is 'no,'" Chalfoun says. "Birds come from their wintering grounds just to breed. Songbirds apparently are not able to assess they are going to have higher nest predation there. "We've found that birds select sites with less energy development and lots of energy development at the same time. There's no pattern to settling areas with zero surrounding wells and areas that have tons of wells. As long as there are patches of significant sage, they are there. Yet, the birds are less successful at reproducing in gas well areas, suggesting these areas may be serving as ecological traps."

Detection of most rodent species increased with natural gas development. One current hypothesis is that a number of sheds on property where natural gas fields exist have drawn in the rodents, who use the structures for protection, warmth and to build nests for their young. This behavior, in turn, may be attracting more predators of the rodents, Chalfoun says. "In places like the Jonah Field, there are lots of little sheds and structures," she says. "What if this is providing a source of rodents that depredate nests? If the infrastructure is harboring the rodents, do we go and put out traps?"

Rates of nest predation increased with local rodent abundance.

From 2011-16, 93 percent of predation to Brewer's sparrows was caused by rodents. Of 44 predation events captured on infrared video camera, 24 were by deer mice. Chipmunks accounted for 11 nest deaths, while ground squirrels were responsible for six casualties. The loggerhead shrike, a type of bird, was responsible for the other three deaths.

During the same time period, 60 percent of predation of 23 sage thrasher nest depredations caught on camera was caused by rodents, including deer mice (eight), chipmunks (eight) and ground squirrels (four). Badgers were responsible for six deaths and magpies two. A raccoon, loggerhead shrike, American kestrel, short-eared owl and northern harrier each accounted for one death.

"I get jazzed to know what's going on," she says. "The mice are so aggressive. They sometimes suffocate and take the nestlings out one at a time. We've found the majority of nest predators at the nests are rodents.

"We started this because state and federal agencies, such as the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the U.S. Geological Survey, were interested in the effects of habitat change on nongame species of wildlife," she says.v

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From Vienna to the Democratic Republic of Congo, fake medicines have threatened citizens across the board -- and borders -- in wartime as well as peacetime. 'Fake Penicillin, The Third Man and Operation Claptrap,' an article published today in BMJ's online Christmas edition, visits the history of falsified drugs and highlights what needs to be done to avert a problem that threatens us all.

"Falsified medicines have sadly probably been with us since the first manufacture of medicines and their producers may be the world's third oldest profession after prostitution and spying," according to authors Prof Paul Newton, Head of the Medicine Quality Group at the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO), and Viennese historian and author, Brigitte Timmermann. "It continues - last year falsified ampicillin was discovered circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in bottles of 1,000 capsules and containing no detectable ampicillin."

The post Second World War trade of fake penicillin inspired The Third Man, a fascinating film written by Graham Greene and set in Vienna. Many of the characters, including the protagonist, fake penicillin smuggler Harry Lime, were inspired by real spies and criminals who used penicillin - both falsified and genuine - to bribe, lure and get rich in the chaos of post-war Germany and Austria. Greene later turned the script into a novel.

Unfortunately, the problem is not yet consigned to history, as the authors point out: "There are probably thousands of Third Men hidden in today's world, for example, a Parisian who 'manufactured' falsified antimalarials containing laxatives, international trade in falsified medicines especially from Asia into Africa, and emergency contraceptives containing antimalarials in South America."

But falsification is not the only problem. "There are also severe issues with substandard medicines, poor quality medicines produced due to negligence, sometimes gross, in the manufacturing processes, but not deliberately to defraud patients and health systems." Their consequences are also very harmful; they are likely to be under-recognised drivers of antimicrobial resistance, as they often contain less than the stated amount of active ingredient.

"For both falsified and substandard medicines objective prevalence data are few and poor quality, as there has been remarkably little research or surveillance. The data are insufficient to reliably estimate the extent of the problem," the authors state. "Much more investment is needed to understand the epidemiology of poor quality medicines and guide interventions."

Operation Claptrap

Considered a 'miracle' medicine, penicillin was highly effective to treat gonorrhoea and syphilis, common venereal diseases among soldiers. During the Second World War and shortly after, the drug supply was controlled by the authorities and primarily reserved for the Army, but as often happens with prohibitions, the illegal trade flourished.

"Penicillin was so scarce but so sought after, as an innovative cure of many important bacterial infections, that it became a currency in post-war Europe," the authors explain.

The drug was also at the centre of Operation Claptrap, conducted by US Major Peter Chambers in the first years of the Cold War in Vienna. He offered genuine penicillin to Russian soldiers, in exchange for secrets and defection. It was an attractive offer, as venereal diseases were a court-martial offence in the Red Army.

Austria and France cooperated in 1946 to manufacture penicillin in the Alps to facilitate availability. In 1951, they developed the first oral version of the drug, as Penicillin V. The V, the authors explain, referred to vertraulich, the German word for confidential.

In the 21st century, government action remains key to fight both falsified and substandard medicines. "Although there has been an enormous increase in global pharmaceutical manufacturing, there has been a grossly inadequate parallel investment in support for national medicine regulatory authorities (MRAs) in many countries," according to the authors. "A key intervention to protect the drug supply in Low- and Middle-Income Countries will be investment in MRAs, the national keystones of medicine regulation."

###

IDDO works to strengthen knowledge of the scale of the problem of poor quality medicines and the most affected areas, and raise awareness among key stakeholders by sharing global expertise and collating information. The Antimalarial Quality Literature Surveyor, available through the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN), is an interactive tool that visualises summaries of published reports of antimalarial medicine quality, displaying their geographical distribution across regions and over time. (For more details, please visit https://www.iddo.org/medicine-quality and http://www.wwarn.org/aqsurveyor/).




Haiti - Elections : D-1 Last resort of protest before the BCEN





After the Office of the Departmental Electoral Litigation (BCED) declared itself incompetent https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19475-haiti-news-zapping-politics.html to order a verification of the Minutes at the Vote Tabulation Center (CTV) requested by the 3 complainants, the three protesting parties "Fanmi lavalas" LAPEH and "Pitit Desalin" lodged their cases before the National Electoral Litigation Office (BCEN), the last resort and promise once again to provide tangible evidence and not speculation and other convoluted allegations or reasoning on alleged massive frauds, what they have never done before.



For Me Andre Michel, one of Jude Celestin's lawyers "there was no quality control on more than 78% of the minutes" a sufficient element according to him so that the BCEN grnat this verification to the CTV.



Moise Jean-Charles who is not afraid of the paradoxes, while contesting the victory of Jovenel Moise, says he has documents proving that he came 2nd behind Jovenel Moise, (who would be first). Its arguments are based on the PV published on the website of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP).



Lawyers of the Fanmi Lavalas Party, like the others, say they have all the evidence of fraud, to convince the BCEN to order an audit at CTV



It seems that the 3 protesters will rely heavily on the PV published on the site of the CEP, to justify their accusations and to try to convince the BCEN to accede to their demands. Nevertheless, it is worth to remind that Berlanger had warned about the interpretation of PV published on the CEP website in an attempt to deduce a result and recalled "[...] we know that the data that allow to build the results are available to all, they will be on the CEP website, in the polling stations [...] but these data are not the results. The results are a combination of data, data analysis, data evaluation and a compilation of the data and finally a decision that the CEP will publish, it's only that which is the result." https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19292-haiti-elections-berlanger-satisfied-preliminary-results-in-8-days.html



For its part, the PHTK in appearance, does not seem worried. According to Renald Luberice, the political adviser of Jovenel Moise, all these accusations are "fanciful". He asked the CEP to enforce the Electoral Decree by requiring that the plaintiffs submit concrete evidence and not reasoning, speculation or hearsay on possible fraud.



For the 3 protesting parties, no one has any interest in opposing the verification they are asking, an argument which is reminiscent of what led to the establishment of the two previous Audit Committees, the last of which resulted in the cancellation and resumption of elections... The protesters, if they did not win the case before the BCEN, will they repeat the same scenario and require another Audit Commission ?



The BCEN hearings will begin tomorrow Wednesday, December 14, 2016 after the office is formed by public draw.



To be continued...



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





500 more prisoners, soon released

As part of the Fight Against Extended Pre-Trial Detention, Jean Danton Leger, the Port-au-Prince Government Commissioner confirmed that approximately 500 prisoners will be released before 31 December in addition to the 250 detainees released on Monday 12 December .



Andre Michel fears violence

According to Me Andre Michel, one of the lawyers of Jude Celestin, presidential candidate under the banner "LAPEH", other violence are to be feared in a post-election crisis, other sectors could use violence to fight what he calls an electoral coup.



A transparent CEP according to the COE

The Electoral Observation Coalition (WCC), composed of 5 organizations: National Observatory Council (NOC), Haitian Council of Non-State Actors (CONHANE) National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), Center for Analysis and Research In Human Rights (CARDH) and the Platform of Haitian Human Rights Organizations (POHDH), is convinced that since the establishment of the new Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), the electoral authorities have made an effort of transparency in the various Stages of electoral operations.



Catholic bishops deplore violence...

The Haitian Catholic bishops deplore the acts of violence recorded in the country following the publication of the results of the elections. The Bishop of Hinche, Jean Desinor, member of the episcopal conference urges candidates to follow the path laid down by law. The bishops ask the victors of elections to avoid triumphalism and to reach out to the losers.



Next International Conference of the Bars in Haiti

Friday, at the end of the 31st annual congress of lawyers from countries with a common legal tradition, held in Yaounde (Cameroon), which gathered 1,200 lawyers from 37 countries, Haiti won the right to organize the 32nd annual congress of this corporation after a vote. Me Stanley Gaston, the President of the Order of Lawyers Port-au-Prince, who led a delegation of 26 lawyers, was elected by acclamation to the Board of Directors of the International Conference of Bar Associations (CIB) of countries with a common legal tradition.



Haiti at the World Summit of the Partnership

Prime Minister Enex Jean-Charles, participated in the World Summit of the Partnership for an Open Government (7-9 dec.). The major challenge of the Paris Summit this year was to demonstrate that open government has a very concrete impact on the lives of citizens and on the way democracy works. The new summit brought together thousands of participants, representing States, parliaments, local authorities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector.



HL/ HaItiLibre


















Khazer Camp, Iraq: By the time the jihadists had finished, not even a womans eyes were legal. Showing them was a punishable offense.

The dress code imposed on the women of Mosul started soon after the Islamic State overran the city more than two years ago. It was carried out gradually, until every part of the female body was erased, starting with the face, then the rest of the body  including the hands, which had to be covered with gloves, as well as the feet, which had to be hidden by socks. It ended with an announcement blared over loudspeakers, telling women to wear a film of black cloth over their eyes.

Halima Ali Beder, 39, said she had resentfully made each new addition to her wardrobe, starting with the niqab to cover her face, and the abaya, also known as a jilbab, a loosefitting gown. Yet she still ran afoul of the Islamic States increasingly harsh enforcement of its codes when she stepped into the lane outside her home, planning to pop over to her neighbors house.

I put on everything  the niqab, the abaya, the gloves, the socks. All I forgot to do is cover my eyes, said Ms. Beder, one of a dozen women from recently liberated neighborhoods of the city who recounted their experiences in interviews at the Khazer refugee camp, about 45 miles from Mosul in northern Iraq.

Ms. Beder had taken only a few steps when the morality police spotted her, and officers began shouting at her, castigating her. They said: Where is your husband? Does he accept that just anyone can see your face? I said: But I wasnt showing my face. Only my eyes!

More than two million people lived in Mosul when it fell to the Islamic Stateon June 10, 2014. It was a conservative city where most women already covered their hair with a scarf and their arms with long sleeves. But as in other places where the militants imposed their creed, the new rules took enforced modesty to such an extreme that it riled families in Mosul, who described how they quickly began to feel suffocated.

Three days after seizing the city, the militants began going door to door to distribute the Bill of the City, laying out how they planned to govern, according to a study by a researcher, Rasha Al Aqeedi, a native of Mosul and now a fellow at the Al Mesbar Studies and Research Center in Dubai.

To the virtuous women, the bill said, in modesty and the wide, loose jilbab, stay in your homes and leave them only in cases of necessity.

All over territory controlled by the Islamic State, billboards were going up showing a picture of a woman looking like a black silhouette, completely covered in concealing clothes. It laid out the new look in seven bullet points, including that a womans gown should be thick and not reveal what is beneath and should not draw attention.

For at least a month, obedience to the new rules was not enforced. Then at the end of July, thousands of niqab sets were distributed to shops. The first of numerous decrees was issued, ordering women to don the niqab as well as gloves. Around the same time, residents began seeing vehicles painted with the logo of the Islamic States morality police, Ms. Aqeedi said.

Opposite the university, they opened the police units headquarters, known as the Diwan al-Hisba. Its enforcement officers fanned out across the city, carrying books of numbered citations.

When the police caught a woman straying from the dress code, they issued a notice in exchange for her husbands ID card. He then had to appear at a hearing before a judge. Depending on the offense, he was forced to pay a fine, or else either he or his wife was sentenced to a whipping, recent escapees said.

When the Islamic police barged into the home of Ms. Beder, they demanded her husbands ID. Then when he appeared before them, he was forced to pay a fine of 50,000 dinars  around $40, a sizable portion of the familys monthly income.

Women say the minders multiplied each month, until residents had the impression that the morality police were omnipresent. Officers loitered near shops and beside market stalls. One woman, Zeena Mohamed, 27, described how she lifted her flap just enough to see the cream-colored dress she was considering buying. She couldnt be sure of its hue through the black film, she said.

Straightaway she heard a man shouting, and looked up to see the officer, who expelled her from the shop.

Others described not being sure of the amount of money that shopkeepers handed back to them, afraid to lift up the veil to check. Tripping, even falling, became a regular occurrence, they said.

Throughout areas controlled by the terror group in Iraq, as well as in Syria and Libya, the Islamic States hisba became a bureaucracy of virtue, its offices filling up with binders of receipts for the various violations it had issued. It prosecuted a list of offenses, fining and flogging men for incorrect beard length, for failure to pray at the sanctioned time, for possession of cigarettes and alcohol and for a long list of other perceived moral failings.

On letterhead bearing the groups black flag, the Islamic State released fatwas detailing each new restriction and outlining penalties, according to documents obtained by the researcher Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, who agreed to share several unpublished examples with The New York Times. One fatwa discussed the appropriate color women should wear, concluding that red was illegal. Another stresses the importance of covering the entire face because it is the place of captivation and temptation.

One woman was stopped because her sock had a hole in it, revealing the skin on her ankle. A middle-aged secretary recounted how the gloves made it hard for her to hold a pen, which kept slipping. When she tried taking off the glove of her writing hand, she was spotted and threatened.

Because the dress code applied to what women should wear in public, Wafa, a 39-year-old woman, did not bother putting on the attire when she went to bake flatbread in the earthen oven inside her familys compound.

Though the compound is encircled by a wall, it was low enough for people to peer over, which is how the hisba saw her. Officers immediately came to demand her husbands ID.

I told them if you plan to start interfering even inside our homes, then you need to start bringing us propane, and groceries and the things we need, so that we dont have to go out, she said. Youre making us live in the Stone Age.

They let her go with a warning, but the next time, she was punished. Wafa, who asked that only her first name be used, said she had been at a picnic with her children. She lifted the khimar, the fabric over her face, just enough to bring her spoon to her mouth, when she noticed the black car with the green logo of the morality police, she said.

This time, they confiscated her husbands ID and gave him a notice to appear. Reason for detention, says the receipt, numbered 4715. Wife outside without khimar.

They then drove Wafa to their office, where a long-bearded judge jotted down her punishment: 21 lashes.

I tried to protest. To explain. How can I eat if I dont lift up the khimar? But they didnt listen, she said. They delivered her to a room where a Syrian woman ordered her to kneel. In the womans hand was a cable that had metal spikes on the end.

Its indescribable the pain I felt, Wafa said. I was screaming, crying  begging  reciting prayers.

Her back shredded, she spent two nights at a hospital and for weeks afterward she could sleep only on her stomach, she said.

It eventually became clear that the aim of the rules was to keep women cloistered inside their homes. This was the entire purpose. The essence of their Islamic jurisprudence is to make women melt away. To make them invisible, Ms. Aqeedi said. She gave the example of a woman she keeps in touch with who is still in Mosul and has not left her home for more than two years.

A small number tried to rebel. Ms. Mohamed said she was among them, routinely talking back to the morality police, an account confirmed by her mother and sisters.

Not long before their neighborhood was liberated, Zeena Mohamed and her sister Mona went to a store that sold womens intimate wear. Among the customers were two wives of Islamic State fighters, and they were buying the raciest lingerie in the entire shop, Zeena said.

When the sisters left the shop, they passed the two Islamic State husbands, loitering in the hallway outside the shop. One saw that Zeena had forgotten to pull down the flap over her eyes and began loudly admonishing her.

Your wife is upstairs buying racy panties, she recounted saying, and youre concerned about me showing my eyes?

Source : The New York Times
The Allahabad High Courts observations on triple talaq, terming the practice as unfair, must bring cheer to women activists and petitioners, who have for long been battling for equality and gender justice. Hopefully, the Supreme Court, which has a number of petitions before it, challenging the validity of practices related to triple talaq, nikah, halala and polygamy, will show the same progressiveness. Coming down heavily on the practice, the Allahabad High Court held that this form of instant divorce is most demeaning, and it impedes and drags India from becoming a nation. Refusing to comment on the legality of the practice, the court upheld constitutional supremacy and said that no personal law board was above the Constitution.

In fact, the Union Government, which had maintained silence over this issue, made it clear in an affidavit submitted to the apex court in October this year, that the validity of these practices required reconsideration by the top court in light of the principle of gender justice and overriding principle of non-discrimination, dignity and equality as well as evolution of women.

Triple talaq, as practised in the country, is unilateral and one-sided. It gives men the power to dissolve a marriage. Women, on the other hand, are not even given a chance to respond or object to the husbands pronouncement, and are often left vulnerable after suddenly being abandoned and shunned by the family. What is even more surprising is the ways and means adopted by Muslim men to seek instant divorce. The mere pronouncement of the word talaq, either by word or in writing, through placard or SMS, is enough to get divorce. Many women have also filed petitions, alleging divorce through social media and email. Clearly, tripletalaq has taken ridiculous forms.

There was a need for the courts to intervene when the custodians from the Muslim community, particularly the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, failed to safeguard womens interest and address the issues faced by the latter. Contrarily, the clerics took the onus onto themselves, citing absurd reasons, to decide their fate, often leaving them helpless. Women have continued to suffer bias  they have been denied constitutional rights and protection, and remained at the mercy of patriarchal set-up, controlled by Muslim clerics.

Thankfully, they are increasingly getting aware of their rights and have started fighting for their cause by taking the matter to the courts. Many petitions are lined up with the apex court. That such a practice, which is banned in more than 20 Muslim countries, including neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh, still exists in a secular, democratic country like India, is disgraceful. This must all the more propel the courts to take a decision sooner than later.

The Allahabad High Courts observation is, of course, a progressive stand, but not a ruling  which means theres no legality associated to it. Still, it will strengthen womens resolve to claim their fundamental right to equality. The court, while using strong words, has made it clear that it will no longer tolerate the whims of Muslim clerics. Each such pronouncement will come as a victory for all pro-rights petitioners and boost their resolve. Ultimately, it is the Supreme Court which has to take a final call.

Source : Daily Pioneer
Analysis of the political situation in the Philippines in the first 7 months of President

Duterte's administration.

PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTES KILLING FIELDS & PEOPLES WAR IN THEPHILIPPINESInterview with E. San Juan, Jr. by Andy Piascik..1.) Who is President Rodrigo Duterte and who and what does he represent?For 22 years, Duterte was mayor of Davao City, the largest urban complex in Mindanao island, Philippines. TIME magazine dubbed him the Punisher for allegedly organizing the death-squads that eliminated drug dealers and petty criminals via extra-judicial killings (EJK)no arrests or search warrants were needed, the suspects were liquidated on the spot. Thats the modus operandi today. If Davao City became the safest or most peaceful city in southeast Asia, it was also called the murder capital of the Phiippines.Drug addiction is rampant in the Philippines. Previous administrations either turned a blind eye or coddled druglords, often police and military officials, infecting poor communities and generations of unemployed and unschooled youth. My relatives in Manila and friends in the provinces have complained that their children have been corrupted by the drug culture in neighborhoods and schools, so that when Duterte ran for president last May, he got 16 million votes (39% of total votes cast), 6.6 million votes ahead of the closest rival, Mar Roxas, a grandson of Manuel Roxas, the first president of the Republic in 1946. This implies that people want a govt leader who can rid the country of the drug menace.2. News reports described Dutertes victory as an upset, like Trumps win over highly favored Hillary Clinton. It seems that voters simply want a change, regardless of the substance of the candidates platforms. Is that correct?While the U.S. set up the electoral system in the Philippines, the feudal/comprador classes manipulate it so that personalities, not ideology, and bribery determine the outcome. Democracy in the Philippines is actually the rule of the privileged minority of landlords, bureaucrat capitalists, and business partners of foreign mega-corporations (called compradors) over the majority.All presidential candidates promise change for the better. In the last two decades, the popular demand has been: get rid of corruption, drugs, rapes, wanton murders, etc. Over 75% of 130 million Filipinos are impoverished, sunk in palpable misery. Consequently, over 12 million have travelled to all continents to earn bare subsistenceabout 5,000 OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) leave everyday for Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, North America, Europe, etc.Scarce decent jobs, starvation wages for contractual labor, unaffordable housing, lack of adequate medical care and schoolingsymptoms of terrible underdevelopmenthave pushed millions out of the country, or driven them into the hills and forests to take up arms against an unjust, exploitative system whose military and police are trained and supplied by Washington-Pentagon, IMF-World Bank, and global capitalist powers. The country has been a basket-case in Asia since the Marcos dictatorship in the seventies, outstripped by smaller nation-states like Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, etc.Relatively unknown to the MetroManila political milieu, Dutertes reputation as a scourge of druglords was glamorized to the point that he became a harbinger of change. His slogan was: Change is coming. The public responded to this propaganda. Although unlike Roxas and his group, among them the Aquino-Cojuangco clan and Makati (Manilas Wall Street) corporate moguls, Duterte does not belong to the traditional elite dynasties, his campaign was supported by some of the biggest corporate stakeholders, such as the Floirendo agribusiness, and by billiionaire investors (Uy, Te, Alcantara, Villar) engaged in mining, public utilities, construction with huge government contracts, etc.We cannot underestimate the Marcos familys contribution, which added to the P375 million that Duterte allegedly spent. This fact explains why Duterte allowed the controversial burial of the Marcos cadaver in the National Heroes Cemetery. Dutertes father, & other relatives in Cebu, collaborated with the Marcos martial-law regime.Duterte thus belongs mainly to a hitherto excluded fraction of the comprador-bureaucrat capitalist class, with links to the patrimonial landlord families. He now serves as a populist front of the parasitic oligarchy that has dominated the class-conflicted order of this dependency since the U.S. direcly ruled the country from 1899 to 1946 as a classic colony, and a pacified neocolony during the Cold War up to now. Dutertes regime prolongs the moribund structure of colonial institutions and practices that feed off the labor of the peasantry, workers, middle stratum, women, Moros, and the Lumads (indigenous) communitiesthese last two are now mobilized to oppose this predatory status quo.2.) What is your assessment of Dutertes intent of becoming more independent of the United States and the moves hes made in that direction thus far?This was a burning topic before the US elections, when the Cold War was being revived. Duterte got the cue. His move to invoke his youthful experience with the nationalist movement during his student days was a smart one. Tactically, he beguiled the leaders of BAYAN (the major anti-imperialist legal opposition) and their parliamentary footsoldiers to join him against the lethargic Roxas-Noynoy Aquino fraction of the oligarchy. Obviously he needed symbols of radical change monopolized by BAYAN, which reinforced the outsider image.Part of his strategy is to firm up his base in the Mindanao-Visayas elite and consolidate his hold on the ideological State apparatus controlled by holdovers from the previous reactionary administrations. He has been doing this when Obama, the US State Dept., and the UN entered the scene and began scolding him for his murderous method of amplifying EJKs, his jettisoning of the Philippine Constitutions Bill of Rights and various UN covenants guaranteeing the right to life and due process for all citizens. Karapatan (a human-rights monitoring NGO), church groups, and civil-society associations blasted Duterte for the brazen impunity shown by the orgy of police violence and State terrorism.Cognizant of those criticisms, Duterte offered to renew peace talks with the National Demorcratic Front Philippines (NDFP) and its military arm, the New Peoples Army (NPA) which, up to now, is still stigmatized by the US State Dept. as terrorist. This broke the long stalemate in the peace talks during the Arroyo and NoyNoy Aquino regimes. Duterte made a token release of 18 political prisoners involved in the talks and promised to grant amnesty to 434 jailed dissenters. This was hailed by the local media as constructive and a promising sign of change-maker.At the same time, Duterte also made noises about meddlesome US military presence in Mindanao, the annual U.S.-Philippines Balikatan exercises, and the US intervention in the China Sea prior to his visit to China and Japan. This triggered heavy media coverage, projecting Duterte as a Latino anti-imperialist crusader like Fidel Castro or Chavez.4. For a while, there were rumors of a CIA plot to kill Duterte. When former president Fidel Ramos berated Duterte for his anti-US polemics and withdrew his support, was there a symptom of some crisis in the regime?No, it was a calculated publicity technique to divert attention away from the bloody police-vigilante blood bath. Dutertes complaint was mere grumbling, blowhard gestures of the bully in the hood. His pivot to China may have calmed down the turbulent waters of the South China Sea, with the US fleet continuing to maneuver from its bases in Hawaii, Guam, and Okinawa. Obama dismissed Duterte as uncouth, ignorant of diplomatic niceties. Vietnam and Japan rolled out their red carpet to the cursing Leviathan of what academics designated as Hobbesian Philippines. Poor Hobbes, maybe Machiavellis Borgia would have been the more appropriate analogy.Nothing to worry about for Washington and Pentagon. The US military presence all over the islands, legitimized by the 1947 Mutual Assistance Agreement and the 1951 Philippines-US Mutual Defense Treaty, plus the recent Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, (EDCA), insure the continued stranglehold of Washington-Pentagon on Dutertes military, police, and various security agencies. With Trumps condoning of Dutertes killing fields, Duterte has proved himself a wily demagogue whose touted popularity, however, is fast eroding on the face of mammoth protests all over the islands, and in the Filipino diaspora around the world.5.) Are we likely to see a decrease in the U.S. military presence in the Philippines soon?Not at all. First of all, as I already mentioned, all the onerous treaties that subordinate the Philippine State security agencies are safe and stable. Even the Supreme Court and the trial courts follow US protocols, as laid down initially by two well-intentioned civilizing missionaries, Justice George Malcolm and anthropologist David Barrows. Legal scholar Eric A. San Juan has clearly documented this fact in a recent essay, Cultural Jurisprudence (Asian Pacific Law & Policy Journal, 2013). In short, we have been thoroughly Americanized according to the racialized, utilitarian bourgeoise standards of the industrialized metropole.Of course, the entire ideological state apparatus, including the military- police, court and prison system, was systematically crafted by the U.S. colonial administrators for surveillance and repression of those unruly natives, as proven by Prof. Alfred McCoys research, Policing Americas Empire. Incidentally, Prof McCoy has also documented the role of the pro-U.S. military in the People Power revolt against Marcos in 1986 and the subsequent coups against Corazon Aquino marked by the assassination of radical militants Rolando Olalia and Lean Alejandro.Dutertes cabinet reflects the conjunctural alignment of class forces in society today. Vice-president Leni Robredo represents the Roxas-Aquino oligarchy which (except for Robredo, whose victory is now challenged by Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Dutertes patron) lost the May elections. Except for three progressive ministers, all the officials in Dutertes Cabinet are pro-US, chiefly the Secretary of Defense General Delfin Lorenzana and the Foreign Affairs Secretary Alfredo Yasay.More revealing of Dutertes retrograde bent is the newly appointed Chief of Staff of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) Eduardo Ano, the notorious architect of summary killings and abductions of activists in the last decade. He is the prime suspect in the kidnapping of activist Jonas Burgos, among others. The party-list youth group KABATAAN called Dutertes appointment of this blood-stained general a signal for more massacres of civilians, forced disappearances of critics, and military occupation of the countryside. This is in pursuit of US-inspired counterinsurgency schemes launched from the time of President Corazon Aquino and intensified by the Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo and Noynoy Aquino regimes.Like General Fidel Ramos, who succeded Corazon Aquino, all the military and police officials in the Philippines follow U.S.-ordained training, ideological indoctrination, and political goals. Their logistics, weaponry and operating procedures are transplanted wholesale from the Pentagon and US State Dept., following treaty regulations. Military aid to the Philippines rose during the Carter and Reagan administrations in support of the beleaguered martial-law Marcos regime. From 2010 to 2015, the US military aid totalled $183.4 million, aside from other numerous training and diplomatic exchanges, for example, the active presence of CIA and FBI agents interrogating prisoners at Camp Crame police headquarters.Given the masssive archive of treaties, ideological control, customary habits, and various diplomatic constraints, only a radical systemic change can cut off U.S. stranglehold on this neocolony. At least, thats a first step in changing peoples minds, dreams, and hopes.6. Will President-elect Trump water down Obamas Asian pivot in view of his isolationist impulse, instead of allowing Duterte to assert a more independent foreign policy?That remains to be seen. As of now, there is no real sign of a foreign invasion from China or anywhere elseits the U.S. that has re-invaded several times. Theres no sign of a brewing confrontation in the South China Sea today. The threat to the global capitalist system comes from the masses of oppressed workers and peasants, women, Lumads, and especially the formidable forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which Duterte has to address by diplomatic means before long. From Marcos up to Noynoy Aquino, for over four decades now, the Moro people have resisted total subjugation and genocide. It would be foolish, if not suicidal, for Duterte to persist implementing a militaristic approachunless the U.S. (via his generals) needs to dispose of surplus weapons following the imperatives of the profiteering military-industrial complex.For all his braggadocio and macho exhibitionism, Duterte is unable to halt the attacks of the dwindling Abu Sayyaf group, the al-Qaeda-inspired gang of kidnap-for-ransom Moros in Basilan and Sulu. Like drug addiction, the Abu Sayyaf is a symptom of a deep and widespread social and political cancer in society. Studies have shown that its followers have been paid and subsidized by local politicians, military officials, businessmen, and even by U.S. undercover agents. Only a radical transformation of class-race relations, of the hierarchy of power linked to property and economic opportunities, can resolve the centuries-long grievances of the BangsaMoro peoples.7. ) Will you address Dutertes crackdown on drug dealing and drug use, the one thing about him people in the U.S. are likely to have heard about?This is probably the only issue that preoccupies the infotainment industry eager for high ratings/profits. The international media (e.g.,Telesur, Al-Jazeera, UKs Guardian, CNN worldwide) does not allow a day to pass without headlining or commenting on the new killing fields in the Philippines. The New York Times, Dec. 7 issue, devoted a long elaborate video/print special to this topic, in English and in Filipino(in YOUTUBE), entitled They are Slaughtering Us Like Animals. This equals in visual power the TIME report The Killing Season: Inside Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes War on Drugs (October 10) that provoked Dutertes wrath. Harpers, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and social media have blanketed the atmosphere with Dutertes EJK performance.Right now, however, reports of Russian meddling in the US elections have marginalized Dutertes antics, overshadowing even the horrible war in Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan. We might have a reprieve on the carnage in that remote outpost of the Empire.The New York Times reporter Daniel Berehulak counted 54 victims of police raids in the 35 days he accompanied the guardians of law-and-order in the urban complex of MetroManila.Filipino addicts and small-time pushers inhabit impoverished squatter areas in suburban Caloocan, Pandacan, Tondo, outside the gated communities of the rich in Makati or Forbes Park. As of now, the total victims of police and vigilante violence of Oplan Tokhang (the rubric for the drug war) has reached 5,800 suspects killed: 2000 by the police, the rest by vigilante or paramilitary groups. According to the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters, there has been 35,600 arrests that netted 727,600 users and 56,500 pushers. Duterte himself initially said he will kill another 30,000 enough to fill the waters of Manila Bay and to make funeral parlors thrive. This represents a new level of ruthlessness that has converted the country into a macabre house of mourning.Most of the victims are part of the vulnerable, marginalized sectors of society. Curtailing their basic rights to a life of dignity, denying them due process and equal treatment under the law, will surely not solve addiction. Everyone recognizes that Dutertes plan is an insane program of solving a perennial socio-economic malady. Scientific studies have shown that drug addiction springs from family and social conditions, contingent on variable historical factors. Only education in healthcare, a caring and mutually supportive social environment, as well as support from government and health agencies, can reduce the havoc wrought by this epidemic. Not by stifling human lives, no matter how damaged or dysfunctional. But as weve remarked, the hegemnic norms of a class-divided society does not allow this consensus to prevail.8. So there is another motive or underlying purpose behind this terrible war against drugs?Surely there is a larger political intent: dividing your enemy, splitting communities, demoralizing the angry citizenry. To some degree the climate of fear and terror has sown animosities among members of the middle class, and incited antagonisms among the lumpen and ordinary citizens toward the relatively well-off and those who welcome authoritarian policies and security in exchange for liberties. Meanwhile, the police rides roughshod over everyone, and so far there is no sustained legislative or court opposition to the relentless executive coercive power behind this unconscionable outrage.Karapatan chairperson Tinay Palabay has acutely seen through the smokescreen of this drug campaign: the States program to pursue counterinsurgency under cover of a hitherto well-meaning campaign. The AFP has labelled national-democratic militants as drug suspects, such as the case of anti-mining activist Joselito Pasaporte of Compostela Valley, Davao.Under cover of the drug war, Oplan Bayanihan, the counter-insurgency low-intensity war of the AFP, proceeds in the form of civic action-peace and development programs. During Dutertes 100-days in office, Palabays group has documented 16 victims of political murder, 12 frustrated killings, two cases of torture, and nine victims of illegal arrest and detentions, mostly involving indigenous peoples in Sumilao, Bukidnon, and farmers massacred in Laur, Nueva Ecija. Today, Dec. 12, the NDFP has documented 18 activists killed, 20 survived from attempted assassination, and 13,000 persons victimized by forced evacuations from their homes. Consider also 14,000 cases of schools, clinics, chapels and civilian infrastructure being used as military barracks in violation of peace agreements on respect for human rights signed by both the government and the revolutionary NDFP.Irked by Karapatan, Duterte has vowed to kill all human rights activists. His agents are already doing their best to sabotage and abort the peace talks. If he dares to carry out this pompous threat, he might drastically shorten his own tenure and stimulate the opposite of what he wants: mass fury against tyrannical rule and police-state barbarism.9.) What is the state of the revolutionary armed struggle that has been going on in its modern form since 1969?As of last week, the revolutionary elan has peaked with huge nationwide mass demonstrations against Dutertes decision to allow the burial of Marcos in the National Heroes Cemetery. This has politicized millenials and a whole generation otherwise ignorant of the horrendous suffering of the people during the Marcos dictatorship. It has mobilized anew the middle strata of students, professionals, workers, women, urban poor, as well as Lumads, Moros, and the peasantry who constitute the majority of the citizenry. The anti-Marcos-dictatorship resurgence has diminished Dutertes popularity, exploding the myth of his supposed incorruptibility and pro-change posture. Its more of the same, and even worse.Its a mixed picture that needs to be viewed from a historical-dialectical perspective. While the size of the NPA has declined from about 25,000-30,000 fully armed guerillas in the 1980s to less than 15,000 today, its influence has increased several times. This is due to deteriorating socioeconomic conditions since the overthrow of the Marcos dictatorship. Thanks also to the immiseration of workers lives and the pain inflicted by the vicious rampage of the military and police in the countryside. Large areas in Mindanao, Luzon and the Visayas are under the sway of partisan units of the NPA. Meanwhile, the MILF continues to preserve and defend its liberated zones from AFP incursions.Meanwhile, the character of peoples war has changed in its quality and direction. The shift to political and diplomatic tactics within the strategy of protracted war (following Maos teaching) has made tremendous gains in organizing women, students, urban poor, and Lumads.Various cultural and social formations engage in pedagogical and agitational campaigns to expose the chicanery and deception of the Duterte regime. Not a single perpetrator of human-rights violations has been arrested and punished, such as the soldiers guilty of the Lianga and Paquibato massares, the murders of personalities such as Romeo Capala, Fernando Baldomero, Fr. Fausto Tentorio, William Geertman, Leonardo Co, Juvy Capion, Rebelyn Pitao, Emerito Samarca, and hundreds more. Meanwhile General Jovito Palparan, who murdered many activists, continue to enjoy army custody instead of regular civilian detention. The scandalous culture of impunity is flourishing in the killing fields of the tropical neocolony.Many disappeared activists (among them, Jonas Burgos, Sherlyn Cadapan, Karen Empeno, Luisa Dominado-Posa, and others) have not been accounted for by the State, while martial law victims and their famiies have not been idemnified. All these existing anomalies may explain the belief that given the corrupt bureaucracy and justice-system, the only feasible alternative is to join the armed struggle against the rotten, inhuman system. This is why the communist-led insurgency cannot be defeated, given its deep roots in the 1896 revolution against Spanish tyranny and the resistance against U.S. imperial aggression from 1899 up to the present.10.) What is your assessment of Dutertes overture to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and the Bangsamoro insurgency?As I noted earlier, Dutertes overture was hailed as a positive step to solve a durable, national-democratic insurgency dating back to the sixties, when the Communist Party of the Philippines was re-organized and the NPA founded. The peace talks began with Corazon Aquinos recognition of the role played by the underground resistance in overthrowing Marcos and installing her. Similarly, Duterte implicitly recognized the political traction of the left-wing representatives in Congress in the last few years. While Duterte welcomed the unilateral ceasefire declaration of the NDFP, lately he declared that he would not grant amnesty nor release any more prisoners unless the NDFP stop fighting and submit to the governments dictates. The severely punished prisoners are now pawns in Dutertes gambit to coopt the subversives. Dutertes mandate has been changed to: One step forward, two steps backwad.Duterte allows his military and police to terrorize the citizenry. No substantive reform of those decadent institutions has been carried out. Criminalization of political activities still continues with the AFP arresting Lumad teacher Amelia Pond and peace advocate John Maniquez, charging them with murder, illegal possession of firearms, etc.the usual alibi of detaining activists which proved utterly barbaric in the case of the Morong 45 during Macapagal-Arroyos tenure. Rape, torture, robbery, threat of assassination, and warrantless arrest of innocent civilians remain the States formula for safeguarding peace and order in society.No tangible step has been made to seriously confront the Bangsamoro insurgencyunless Dutertes attempt to cement his friendship with Nur Misuari, leader of the other Moro group, the Moro National Liberation Front, is a tactic to divide the enemy. That may be his Achilles heel.On this arena of diverse antagonisms, with fierce class war raging all over the country, Duterte finds himself in dire straits. Sooner or later, he will be compelled to either defy the pro-U.S. imperialist hierarchy of the AFP and the fascist PNP if he is sincere in challenging the status quo, or suppress a rebellion from within his ranks. He has to reckon also with the opposition of the more entrenched, diehard cabal of the Ayalas, Cojuanco-Aquino, the comprador owners of malls and export industries, as well as the traditional warlords and semifeudal dynasties that depend on U.S. moral and financial support. That will be the day when Dutertes fate as Punisher will be decided. Meanwhile, the struggle for national liberation and social justice continues, despite the trumped-up charges inficted on anyone denouncing Duterte and his friend, president-elect Donald Trump.#____________E, San Juan is professorial lecturer at Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Manila, and author of recent books US Imperialism and Revolution in the Philippines, In the Wake of Terror, Between Empire and Insurgency, and Working Through the Contradictions. He was previously a fellow of the W.B.Du Bois Institute, Harvard University, and the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin; and emeritus professor of Ethnic Studies, Comparative Literature, and English.Andy Piascik writes for Z, Znet and many other publictions and websites. His novel In Motion was published earlier this year by Sunshine Publishing ( http://www.sunshinepublishing.org ) This interview first appeared in ZNET Dec. 14, 2016.
Yemen's prime minister has accused the UK of "war crimes" after munitions reported to be manufactured by Britain struck the war-torn nation.

The British Foreign Office is "urgently seeking" more information after Sky News claimed a UK-manufactured cruise missile was used in a raid by Saudi Arabia-led forces.

Locals also shared pictures with the broadcaster of illegal cluster bombs, which experts said had been made in Britain.

The prime minister of the rebel Houthi government, Abdel-Aziz bin Habtour, said the UK Government had profited from the humanitarian crisis by selling arms.

He told the broadcaster: "They have sold cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia.

"They know the Saudis are going to drop them on Yemen ... in Sa'adah and in Sana'a and other provinces.

"I don't think they are guilty of war crimes, I believe so. They are participating in the bombing of Yemen people."

The nose cone of the Storm Shadow cruise missile, which the UK's Ministry of Defence calls "the most advanced weapon of its kind in the world", was reportedly found in the city of Sa'adah and was marked with a UK label.

A British Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are urgently seeking further information on these allegations. We will not be providing any further comment until more details are available."

Because of their extraordinary risk to civilians, cluster bombs were banned in 2010 in an international treaty signed by Britain.

The latest claims, which came as the US announced it was limiting arms sales to Saudi Arabia over concerns of civilian killings, are the most recent in a line of allegations that they had been used them in Yemen.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said earlier this month that the British Government was "deeply concerned" that UK munitions may have been used on civilian targets by the Saudi air force.

But he added he did not believe a "threshold has been crossed" to suspend the sales of British arms to Saudi Arabia, which has headed a regional coalition supporting the Yemeni government against the Houthi rebels.
However the facts are indisputable: Yegour was born in Kiev, Ukraine, on November 9 with a partially formed heart and was destined to die within hours in the absence of emergency surgery.

In the most serendipitous of circumstances, it happened that one Bill Novick, a world-class American cardiac surgeon, was reasonably close at hand, having worked earlier that day with a flying doctors mission, funded by Adi Roches Chernobyl Children International in the nearby Amosov Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery.

A team from the maternity hospital dashed to the cardiac hospital, woke Dr Novick at 1am, and begged him to come to the rescue.

The doctor dutifully obliged and, over the next 12 hours, worked his magic to save one-day-old Yegours life. His team was assisted by Irish nurse, Susan Clarke, from Rathfarnham, Dublin, who is living in London and was volunteering on the mission.

The cardiac team wept with joy at the successful outcome because they had neither the expertise nor training to save Yegour, who was born with fatal hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Chernobyl Children Internationals voluntary CEO, Adi Roche, in Kiev at the time of Yegours surgery, described Dr Novicks work as a miracle.

Yegour owes his life to the kindness and generosity of the Irish people who funded this mission, she said. Dr Novick has the expertise and knowledge, but without the funding behind this trip, Yegour would have most certainly died before the end of the week.

Yegour is the first child in Ukraine who has ever survived this complex surgery.

Even though Yegour will be visited by Santa Claus on December 25, he has already received the best gift he will ever receive  the gift of life and that is thanks to the people of Ireland said Ms Roche.

The doctors and nurses on Dr Novicks team were all there voluntarily, meaning Chernobyl Children International can save the life of a child born with a congenital heart defect for only 1,000.

Every mission aims to save as many children as possible, while also running training for local teams, in tandem with surgeries.

Without emergency surgery, up to 50% of these children will die before their sixth birthday due to lack of facilities and training.

Every year, 6,000 children are born with genetic heart diseases and defects in Ukraine. Medical experts say these conditions, some of which they describe as Chernobyl heart, are linked to radiation leaks from the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident in 1986.

chernobyl-international.com for donations.
The features of the new firmware in will allow you to work from two apps at the same time as well as work on more than one window at a time. You will also be able to share media files like video or audio clips, while the new update will also improve security.

It is also rumoured that the release will allow users to send GIFs with their keyboards.
Art Exhibits to Feature Works By Liebert, Cain

"Hey Claude" - Acrylic on Canvas by George Liebert

Dec. 14, 2016

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.Illinois Wesleyan Universitys Merwin and Wakeley Galleries will feature the work of Chicago-based artist and educator George Liebert and painter and printmaker Eric Cain in January.

Liebert, a painter, printmaker, and educator, will present a gallery walk of his work at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 19 in the Wakeley Gallery. By beginning with traditional plein air studies, and filtering them through digital and print media before incorporating them into his paintings, Liebert examines the longing for, and alienation from nature.

Education plays a critical role in his practice. In addition to teaching in the painting and print media department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) for over 25 years, Liebert has taught a semester study abroad program in San Miguel de Allende, GTO Mexico, and for the past three years, he has taught at Korea Universitys International Summer Campus. He was the resident director and associate program director for 14 years at Ox-Bow Summer School of Painting. Liebert holds both bachelors and master of fine arts degrees from SAIC.

His exhibit in the Wakeley Gallery, Now and Then, includes current work on canvas and a mixture of print and drawing-related material that has informed his finalized process. Liebert has been instrumental in the education of countless working artists, according to Ian Carey, director of the galleries at Illinois Wesleyan.

"18th Hole at Pebble Beach" - Mixed Media Print on Panel by Eric Cain

Champaign-based artist Eric Cain embraces the oddities of life in his work. By combining the concepts of deception, illusion and trickery in his paintings, Cain captures the state of human instability. His paintings are unsolvable puzzles, constituted of disparate elements that produce fragmented images. I am interested in conveying the sense of the beautifully bewildering complexity and absurdity of life in the 21st century, said Cain, who holds both BFA and MFA degrees from SAIC.

His Merwin Gallery exhibition, Hang Ups, focuses on the idea of how humans are constantly constructing and reconstructing their models of reality as they receive new information. The fragmented images in his paintings mimic the endless stream of sensory input that is constantly being reconstructed in the human mind, changing the perception of reality.

Cain currently works as a tattoo artist and occasionally takes on printmaking and illustration projects. He will discuss his work in an Artist Lecture on Jan. 19 at 4 p.m. in Room 218 of the Joyce G. Eichhorn Ames School of Art Building (6 Ames Plaza West, Bloomington).

Both exhibits will be on display through Feb. 23. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 12 to 4 p.m., Tuesday evenings 7 to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

By Vi Kakares 20
GMV Minerals Inc. (TSX.V: GMV) (the "Company" or "GMV") is pleased to announce that it has made application to the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) for two additional exploration permits which directly adjoin the northern boundaries of its Mexican Hat gold exploration project located in S.E. Arizona.

GMV has filed to acquire a 100% interest in Permit No.'s 08-119123 & 08-119124 covering Township 18 South, Range 25 East, (Sections 33 and 34 respectively). The two exploration permits are located adjacent to the north of the Company's claims and 500 metres north of the Hernandez Hill epithermal gold target. The favourable Tertiary volcanic rocks and structures that host the mineralization currently being assessed by the Company are projected onto these licenses.

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has received notification from the Bureau of Land Management that it may proceed to drill its newly discovered epithermal target (see NR dated December 6, 2016) subject to receipt of the reclamation bond which has now been posted. The Company has engaged American Drilling Corp. and expects that drilling will commence on this target in early January 2017. GMV also reports that Zonge International has commenced an expanded AMT survey, stepping out to the north, south and east of the test survey and including the Hernandez Hill area.

In addition, the Company announces that, subject to regulatory approval, it has granted incentive stock options to certain directors, officers, and consultants to purchase up to an aggregate of 880,000 common shares exercisable on or before December 13, 2021 at a price of $0.60 per share.

Dr. D.R. Webb, Ph.D., P.Geol., P.Eng. is the Q.P. for this release within the meaning of NI 43-101 and has reviewed the technical content of this release and has approved its content.

About GMV Minerals Inc.

GMV Minerals Inc. is a publicly traded exploration company focused on developing precious metal assets in Arizona. GMV, through its 100% owned subsidiary, has a 100% interest in a Mining Property Lease commonly referred to as the Mexican Hat project, located in Cochise County, Arizona, USA. The Mexican Hat property contains an inferred mineral resource of 23,452,000 tonnes grading 0.70 grams of gold per tonne hosting 531,400 troy ounces of gold. The project was initially explored by Placer Dome (USA) in the late 1980's to early 1990's. GMV is focused on developing the asset and realizing the full mineral potential of the property through near term gold production.

Source: GMV Minerals
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Dec. 14, 2016) - Everton Resources Inc. ("Everton" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:EVR) is pleased to report the results of a very successful I.P. survey on its 100% owned property of Arroyo Carpintero, Monte Plata Province, Dominican Republic. The Arroyo Carpintero property lies in the Los Ranchos formation, the same formation of the world class Pueblo Viejo gold-silver-copper mine (Barrick) only 30 kilometers away. The survey covered some 12,700 meters of survey lines in 9 lines, 200 meters apart.

Everton acquired 100% interest in the Arroyo Carpintero concession in the Dominican Republic from Brigus Gold Corporation in 2012. Surface reconnaissance identified anomalous mineralization in the south-central sector of Arroyo Carpintero in 2012. Further to these results, surface sampling and trenching returned 15m of 0.3 g/t including 1.17 g/t gold over 1m. Difficult times in the mining and exploration industry since 2012 have impeded the advancement of the Arroyo Carpintero project, however the goals remain unchanged. The Arroyo Carpintero concession is considered to have the potential to host a Cu-Au-Mo Porphyry target system. A Caracle Creek report (PUN ARROYO CARPINTERO - MAJAGUAL HILL, Dominican Republic, November 7, 2012) states there is "abundant evidence of a hydrothermal system and dome emplacement at Majagual Hill"... "The complex evolution, volcanism and intrusions, and the enrichment of the magma in metals like Au-Ag-As + (Cu-Mo-Pb) has generated centres with potential to host world class deposits." The IP survey has outlined an extensive area of more than one kilometer in strike length and 900 meters in width open in all directions.

The results of the "Insight" Induced Polarization survey have been received and indicate that there is a large, deep, and strong chargeability anomaly that is centered on Majagual Hill. Additionally, there is a strong resistivity signature which has a strong correlation with the chargeability (see accompanying maps). This signature could be indicative of a large scale copper porphyry system. There is a positive correlation between the locations of both the resistivity and chargeability anomalies with elevated concentrations of gold and copper in the soil and rocks.

Geologically, the Arroyo Carpintero project is part of a series of volcanic centers that developed during the formation of the Island Arc. The Pueblo Viejo deposit seems to be in the Northwestern most volcanic center; Arroyo Carpintero lies in the Central volcanic center and deposits such as the ones in the Bayaguana Region are interpreted to be in the Southeastern end of this belt.

Everton has outlined seven diamond drill holes that range between 400 and 600 meters in length with a program total of 3,065 meters to be started in late January 2017.

Andre Audet, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Everton, commented, "The Dominican Republic hosts the world class deposits Pueblo Viejo gold deposit. Everton believes there are more world class discoveries to be found in this mining friendly country. This concession has the geology, basic pathfinders, surficial anomalies, even artisanal gold miners on the concession. The results of this IP survey propel us to the drilling stage."

The technical content of this release was reviewed by Wade Kornik, P.Geo., a qualified person as defined by the National Instrument 43-101.

About Everton Resources Inc.

Everton is an exploration company with concessions in the Dominican Republic adjacent to the Pueblo Viejo Mine, owned by the world's two largest gold mining companies, Barrick Gold Corporation (60%) in partnership with Goldcorp Inc. (40%) ("Goldcorp"). Everton also holds an interest in the Opinaca region of James Bay, Quebec where the Company has partnered with Hecla Mining Company which is advancing Everton's interest in the Opinaca B project by funding 100% of all exploration work on one of the largest land packages adjacent to Goldcorp's Eleonore gold deposit. Everton recently announced the acquisition of two properties: the Blue Sky Jackpot lithium property in Ontario and the Detour Lake gold property in Quebec.

For further information on Everton Resources Inc., please visit: www.evertonresources.com
Barsele Minerals Corp. (TSX.V: BME) ("Barsele") is pleased to report a seventh operational progress update for the current exploration program within the Barsele Au-VMS Project area in Vasterbottens Lan, northern Sweden. The exploration program is being operated by joint venture partner Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (TSX: AEM) ("Agnico Eagle"). Ownership in the project is 55% Agnico Eagle and 45% Barsele.

During the month of October, diamond drilling with four machines was focused within and along the trend between the Central and Avan zones, where both extension and validation drilling has taken place. Highlight hole CNT16011 yielded 23.00 meters core length (estimated 11.50 meters true thickness) grading 7.90 g/t gold uncut (5.36 g/t gold cut) at a depth of 275 meters below surface. In addition, expansion hole AVA16011 returned several gold bearing zones, with the best intercept being 18.00 meters core length (estimated 13.5 meters true thickness) grading 2.35 g/t gold. This intercept at 370 meters depth, is located 125 meters east of previously drilled AVA16005, which yielded 26.00 meters core length (estimated 19.50 meters true thickness) grading 2.22 g/t gold.

Fourteen holes were completed during the month of October of which 6 were validation holes, 5 were expansion holes and 3 were continuity verification holes. Six thousand meters of core was produced during October, toward a cumulative 2016 total of 25,497 meters in 67 holes. During October there were 6,525 samples sent for analysis, with 2,452 results received.

Basal till drilling is completed for 2016. There were 135 holes totaling 1,366 meters drilled with 1,040 samples collected. From each hole, two samples representing till base and top of bedrock have been sent to the laboratory for analysis.

Highlight Results from the October 2016 Reporting Period Hole Category From (m) To (m) Core

Length

(m) True

Thickness

(m) Au (g/t) Top-Capped at 20 g/t Au (g/t) AVA16011 Expansion 347.00 355.00 8.00 6.00 1.95 369.00 376.00 7.00 5.30 1.04 445.00 463.00 18.00 13.50 2.35 CNT16009 Validation 33.00 62.00 29.00 21.80 1.44 CNT16010 Validation 15.00 40.00 25.00 18.80 1.68 50.00 87.00 37.00 27.80 1.46 1.13 146.00 161.00 15.00 11.30 2.08 CNT16011 Expansion 351.00 374.00 23.00 11.50 7.90 5.36 incl. 351.00 364.00 13.00 6.50 13.05 8.56 CNT16012 Validation 2.70 172.95 170.25 127.7 1.31 1.19 Incl. 121.00 141.00 20.00 15.00 4.72 3.34 CNT16013 Validation 45.00 97.00 52.00 39.00 3.14 2.43 133.00 197.00 64.00 48.00 2.69 CNT16016 Validation 72.00 113.00 41.00 30.80 2.50 CNT16018 Validation 5.80 42.00 36.20 27.20 2.45 65.00 74.00 9.00 6.80 2.22 94.00 113.00 19.00 14.30 1.38 135.00 140.00 5.00 3.80 10.59 9.17

Barsele's President, Gary Cope says, "We continue to observe positive progress as a result of the work by Agnico Eagle at Barsele. The 345-meter projected west-northwest extension of the Central Zone in Hole CNT16011 is highly significant result that is very positive for the future of the project."

Drilling will take place until December 21, 2016, at which time there will be a break until the New Year. For the remainder of 2016 it is planned that one machine will move from Avan and join the three machines deployed at Skirasen.

As project operator, Agnico Eagle has developed a community relations program to engage the various stakeholders in the project on a regular basis. Basic environmental assessment and surface water characterization, species studies and hydrogeology studies are ongoing. It is planned that Agnico Eagle will release a new resource estimate for Avan, Central, Skirasen, and Norra deposits on or around mid-February 2017.

About the Barsele Gold Project

Barsele Project is located on the western end of the Proterozoic "Skellefte Trend", a prolific volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits belt, where it intersects with the "Gold Line" in Northern Sweden. Both polymetallic deposits and intrusive hosted orogenic gold deposits are present in this region and on the property. Current and past producers in the region include Boliden, Kristineberg, Bjorkdal, Svartliden, and Storliden.

On September 25th of 2015, mineral resource estimates by Barsele were released for the Barsele Project in four zones, the Central, Avan and Skirasen Gold Zones and the Norra VMS Zone. The resource estimate for the Central-Avan-Skirasen Zones states an Indicated Resource of 14.1 million tonnes grading 1.21 g/t gold for 547,000 contained ounces, plus an Inferred Resource of 20.2 million tonnes grading 0.97 g/t gold for 627,000 contained ounces. The polymetallic Norra Zone contains an Indicated Resource of 110,000 tonnes grading 3.13 g/t gold, 30.3 g/t silver, 0.53 % copper and 0.72 % zinc, plus an Inferred Resource of 310,000 tonnes grading 1.62 g/t gold, 12.7 g/t silver, 0.26 % copper and 0.42 % zinc. All zones were estimated at a gold cut-off grade of 0.6 g/t.

Art Freeze, P.Geo. is the Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101 and takes responsibility for the technical disclosure contained within this news release.

About Barsele Minerals Corp.

Barsele is a Canadian-based junior exploration company comprised of highly qualified mining professionals. Barsele's main property is the Barsele Gold Project in Vasterbottens Lan, Sweden, a joint venture with Agnico Eagle Mines Limited.

Source: Barsele Minerals
Lundin Gold Inc. (TSX: LUG) ("Lundin Gold" or the "Company") announces it has signed the Exploitation Agreement ("EA") for Fruta del Norte ("FDN" or "Project"), its flagship gold project in Ecuador.

"I'm very happy to be in Ecuador for the execution of this important agreement. In just under two years, working cooperatively with the Government of Ecuador, we have negotiated this key agreement and completed the Feasibility Study for FDN, paving the way for the development of this world-class asset," stated Lukas Lundin, Chairman of Lundin Gold.

"The signing of the EA is a significant milestone for the Company and for the country of Ecuador. For Lundin Gold, this event signals the Company's commitment to growing the Company in Ecuador by moving towards the development of and achieving commercial production at FDN. For Ecuador, the signing of the EA brings opportunity for jobs and economic development at both the local and national levels and shows the country's commitment to mining," remarked Lundin Gold President and Chief Executive Officer, Ron Hochstein.

The execution of the EA follows the approval of the Environmental Impact Study for FDN on October 13, 2016 and the issuance of the related Environmental License at the end of October.

Exploitation Agreement

The EA, combined with existing laws and regulations, establishes the fiscal, operational and commercial terms and conditions for the development of FDN. The key features of the EA are:

The right to develop and produce gold from FDN for 25 years, which may be renewed.

Advance royalty payments totaling US$65 million to the Government of Ecuador, of which US$25 million will be paid within the next few days. The balance of the payments will be due in two equal disbursements of US$20 million on the first and second anniversary of signing.

A royalty equal to 5% of net smelter revenues from production. The advance royalty payment is deductible against future royalties payable.

Lundin Gold and the Government of Ecuador completed negotiating the key terms and conditions of the EA in January 2016. Since the Company's announcement of those terms, the Government has analyzed the manner in which extraordinary revenue tax (the "Windfall Tax") is to be calculated. Legislation is currently proceeding through the Ecuadorian National Assembly, which includes language seeking to modify how the Windfall Tax will be applied. Under the proposed legislation, the Windfall Tax will not be applied until a company has recouped the cumulative investment in a mining project from its inception until the start of production, plus four years. The four-year grace period replaces the application of a present value adjustment to the actual cumulative investment incurred from signing of the EA, as originally disclosed by the Company in January. "We believe this change simplifies the application of the Windfall Tax with no material impact on the Project," stated Ron Hochstein.

With the signature of the EA, Lundin Gold reaffirms its commitment to the responsible development of FDN for the benefit of local communities, the people of Ecuador and its shareholders. The Company - together with local and national government, NGOs and other partner organizations - will continue to promote sustainable development in the Project area through local employment and procurement opportunities, environmental stewardship, broad-based economic development and local infrastructure improvements, amongst other initiatives.

The English translation of the EA will be filed shortly on the Company's profile on the SEDAR website maintained by the Canadian Securities Administrators at www.sedar.com.

Investment Protection Agreement

A government resolution dated July 4, 2016 authorized the execution of the Investment Protection Agreement ("IPA") once the EA was signed. Following the required legalization of the executed EA, the Company will be signing the IPA with the Government of Ecuador. The terms and conditions of the IPA are unchanged from those announced in August.

About the Company

Lundin Gold Inc. owns the Fruta del Norte gold project located in southeast Ecuador. FDN is one of the largest and highest grade undeveloped gold projects in the world. The Company is advancing FDN in order to realize the significant potential of this asset.

The Company believes that the value created will not only greatly benefit shareholders, but also the Government and people of Ecuador who are the Company's most important stakeholders in this project. Lundin Gold views its commitment to corporate social responsibility as a strategic advantage that enables it both to access and effectively manage business opportunities in increasingly complex environments. Lundin Gold is committed to addressing the challenge of sustainability - delivering value to its shareholders, while simultaneously providing economic and social benefits to impacted communities and minimizing its environmental footprint.

Source: Lundin Gold
Artistic wide reaching Bono rapper Silas Amofa Yeboah known in showbiz circles as Silassie is making a warm appearance in the music scene with his single dubbed "Ade3 No"

The "Back To Business" signed artiste announced on his platforms the release of a remix of his previous single which talks about secrets of some top notch artistes and celebrities in Ghana.

In the song,Silassie gave a gist about dancehall artiste Stonebwoy and his "girlfriend, Edem ,Teephlow,DJ Black and others in a very interesting manner.

The remix features another popular Bono Rapper "Kooko" who also made a mainstream appearance into the music industry with songs like "Obiaa To" and "cde" which featured Yaa Pono .

According to Silassie, all music fanatics will definitely fall in love with his craft because of how unique his rap style looks comparing to the numerous rappers in Ghana.

"Ade3 No" which translates in English as "That Thing" was produced by popular music engineer called Tipcy.

Anticipate!
14.12.2016 LISTEN

Ghana's most decorated rapper of all time Michael Owusu Addo, popularly known in showbiz as Sarkodie has released the much anticipated cypher titled Trumpet. This new track is filled with hard core rap lyrics and flows by a group of young, uprising and talented Ghanaian rappers with different rhythmic rap styles. The beat was produced by Fortune Dane and the track features young rappers like TeePhlow, Medikal, Strongman, Koo Ntakra, Donzy Chaka and Pappy Kojo who have all been tagged as members of Sarkodies RAP UNIVERSITY. Many have argued about the absence of other young rap talents like Kofi Kinaata, Joey B, Tutulapatu, Awal etc on the track but it is up to the self-acclaimed African Rap god to explain reasons why he left them out on a feature on the track which I believe he will respond to it later on.

Fast forward, the intent of this article is to weather the storm on the arguments going viral in the country about who stood tall among the six (6) young rappers in the delivery of his rap lines in the said cypher track titled Trumpet. Therefore, I present to you an objective review of each rappers effort in the track in order of their appearance on the Trumpet cypher as:

SARKODIE

Sarkodie started with the rap intro which also served as the chorus of the song. According to Sarkodie, human efforts need recognition by others but however, when people outside look adamant about his achievements, he'll blow his own trumpet (meaning hell praise himself). This statement reminds me of a popular phrase in the Nigerian Playwright Ola Rotimi's play titled the gods are not to blame. In the book, Rotimi said, The lizard who jumps from the high iroko tree says it will praise itself if no one else did. So I am not surprised if Sarkodie says he want to praise himself if his competitors or significant others in the music industry wont do so for him. In all, it was a nice intro by Sarkodie and there are no qualms about his delivery which set the stage for the young rappers to ride on and flow with their rap.

TEEPHLOW

The baton was handed over from Sarkodie to TeePhlow to show his rap prowess on the microphone and according to him, so many guys are rapping, everybody claims to be on top, but he sees himself to be the best among all his colleague emcees. He metaphorically compared his competitors to Wisa Greids childish manhood explosion during the December2Remember 2015 concert. TeePhlow undoubtedly did well as he reminded us of his classic collaboration with Sarkodie titled The Warning, being his breakthrough into the music scene. To him, he deserves an applause for his little contribution to the music industry so far which had been overlooked. I rate him 7/10 on the track.

MEDIKAL

Realistically, Medikal put up a very wack performance on the beat. Medikal has been the most hardworking upcoming artiste for the past months being featured on recent releases by the various top artistes in the country. Truly, his output or better still his rap verses and punch lines on tracks like I dont think far remix, Confirm remix, Too Risky, King of Queens by Eno, Tension by Okyeame Kwame and many other tracks of which Medikal in recent times have featured on, had him putting up a very splendid performance to the satisfaction of every music lover. Nonetheless, with regards to the Trumpet cypher, his performance wasnt up to the expectation per the survey I conducted from sampled music lovers. Although, he was able to spit some bars like, I no go fit take your shit, meny3 pampers. I rate him 5/10 on the track.

STRONGMAN

As usual, strongman has been very consistent with his diction, rhymes and metaphorical punch lines which make listening to him so enjoying. Truly, apart from the voice modulation of Strongman of which I had problem with, he never disappoint in any day. He knows how to combine proverbial words to make meaning to the masses. Hes indeed, the future of Ghanas rap genre. Hes one of the finest upcoming rappers to put Ghana on the map after Sarkodie in some time to come. Strongman again tried to put his rap ego to display by showing that hes sizeless among his peers. He ended his verse by saying his rap style and skills stands tall like a prostitute at Accra-circle. I rate him 8/10 on the track.

KOO NTAKRA

The new graduate from the old school style of rap to the new school joined the trumpeters to spit some bars on the beat. Factually, among the rappers who featured on the cypher, he was the one regarded as underdog. Therefore, the expectations from the various artistes by music lovers prior to the release of the cypher was not high as compared to his competitors. Nonetheless, Koo Ntakra did his best with his Akuapem style of rapping infused with proverbial rhymes. Simply, Ill give him the benefit of the doubt. He showed a concern of neglect as when he started his music career, but now the story is entirely different as he has gotten the recognition from Ghanaians. Rating 6/10.

DONZY CHAKA

Donzy acknowledged the opportunity given to him by Sarkodie to show his prowess on the mic in the trumpet cypher. He also blended proverbial sayings with raps to make rhythmic lines in the track. He did justice to his role so well. Truly, since the release of his breakthrough hit single titled The Crusade which featured Kofi Kinaata, and Club featuring Piesie and Sarkodie, he has proven beyond reasonable doubt about his rapping dexterity. Rating 7/10.

PAPPY KOJO

The most surprising of all of all the acts on the Trumpet cypher is the self-acclaimed Fante Vandam whos popularly called Pappy Kojo. Prior to, a silky voice lady burst into the scene to ask why Pappy Kojo calls himself Fante Vandam. The zeal with which he used to deliver his rap verse in the cypher was unprecedented. He goes back with his one-time hit single Realer No style of rapping. Here, he goes a lengthy rather than his usual slow delivery after his two major hit singles. He bragged about his two major hit singles titled realer no and too raw to show that hes the realest among all his competitors. He ended his verse in a romantic style to depict the real character of him as he normally does in his songs. Again, he expressed interest in Yvonne Nelson for reasons only known to him. Rating 7/10.

Truly, Sarkodies quest and burning desire to leave an unprecedented legacy in the history of Ghanaian music is depicted in this cypher. For his ability to put together these fast and rising artistes on a single beat shows his selfless attitude to nurture young talents to replace him when he exit the musical scene. He featured these fast rising acts because hes a source of motivation for many young hip-life and hip-hop acts in our current music industry.

Adu Sarpeah

[email protected]

0241210870/0506140870

UCC
Sly Collins and the management of the Obiba Foundation have congratulated Ghanaians for the peaceful conduct of the December 7 general elections.

He also expressed his profound gratitude to all stakeholders whose diverse efforts contributed to the 'Ghana+Peace Campaign' project.

Sly Collins and Obiba Foundation, together with their international counterparts, have been involved in a peace building process (Ghana+Peace Campaign 2016) for about three months leading up to the December 7 polls.

The three months peace campaign was climaxed with a musical concert held at the Efua Sutherland Children's Park in Accra on November 19.

The well-attended peace concert which attracted people from all walks of life, including chiefs, political party representatives, religious leaders, among others, witnessed performances from stars such as Obiba Sly Collins, Amandzeba, SP Kofi Sarpong, Karmelyon, Agbeshie and a host of others.

The peace concert was aimed at promoting peace and unity among Ghanaians, as well as educating Ghanaians about the importance of peace before, after and during the December 7 elections.

Sly Collins on behalf of the Obiba Foundation expressed gratitude to all party leaders and their various supporters for their commitment to a peaceful process.
Ghanaian artiste, songwriter and producer Kwame Ametepee Tsikata, known popularly as M.anifest, will on Friday, December 16 host his annual music jam dubbed 'M.anifestivities Concert' at the Sand Box, Osu in Accra.

Noted for his magnetic stage presence, he has performed with several internationally-acclaimed artistes, including Damon Albarn, Flea, Tony Allen and Erykah Badu.

Twice nominated for the 2012 Ghana Music Awards in the Best Rapper of The Year and Songwriter of The Year categories, M.anifest has performed in various parts of Accra and beyond since his return from the United States a few years ago.

The event, according to the organisers, is the official end-of-year party, and is being organised to entertain all M.anifest fans in and around Osu. It is also his gesture of appreciation to his fans for their unwavering support.

A number of hiplife and dancehall artistes have been invited to perform alongside M.anifest.

This year, like many others, M.anifest has been among the most spoken-about rappers in the country, dominating headlines and being named among the top emcees in the country, notably by international music channel MTV Base Africa.

In a remarkable career, M.anifest has won Best Rapper of The Year (2013), Ghana Music Award, Hip-Hop Song of The Year (2013), Ghana Music Awards, Best Hip-Hop Video at the 4syte Music Video Awards, Minnesota Emerging Composer Award (MECA) (2010), American Composers Forum, Songwriter of The Year (2008)City Pages, among others.
Wiyaala has dropped another scintillating video, her fourth this year, with the release of the visuals for Kandibanye from her self- titled debut album Wiyaala.

In Kandibanye (Had I Known), Wiyaala plays the role of a young woman casting a spell on an unfaithful lover who abandons her after tricking his victim into surrendering her virginity, despite promises that his love is sincere and will lead to marriage.

Wiyaala says, after shooting my previous two videos in Wa, and being on tour in the UK, it was an opportunity to film in a scary historical location that complimented the story line. Africans have been in the UK for several hundred years, so there were no problems with authenticity, but rather the chance to show how young women can be duped into believing the flattery of an artful seducer whose real intentions are dishonourable. But unfaithful lovers should be warned there can be consequences to betrayal!

The video was directed by Charlotte Appleton and shot on location in Dewsbury in the north of England, a former textile manufacturing town which rose to prominence in Victorian Britain.

Watch Kandibanye here: http://vevo.ly/4shk5P

Buy Kandibanye here: http://smarturl.it/WiyaalaKandibanye
Charles Wesley Mumbere was arrested in November during a violent police crackdown on his palace. By (AFP/File)

14.12.2016 LISTEN

Kampala (AFP) - A Ugandan tribal king and 151 others have been charged with treason for allegedly seeking to overthrow the government, their lawyer said Wednesday.

The Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere was arrested in late November during a violent police crackdown on his palace -- from where he is accused of commanding a militia -- which left at least 87 dead.

"The king was charged today (Wednesday) together with 151 people with treason," Evans Ochieng a lawyer representing the group told AFP. The charge carries a possible death sentence.

"Definitely my clients including the king deny the charges. They are trumped up by the state" he said.

"The state claims my clients overtly or covertly uttered statements with political intentions to overthrow the government or promote their own political agenda."

Destroyed houses of royal guards from the Rwenzururu Kingdom, in Kasese, Uganda, following fighting last month

There were no further details of the charge, however the government has accused Mumbere of organising a militia from his palace with the aim of creating an independent state straddling Uganda and the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

The traditional kingdom in western Uganda has a history of separatist leanings dating back to independence. The region where it is based is an opposition stronghold that has long complained of marginalisation from Kampala.

International rights groups condemned the crackdown by security forces on the palace, with Amnesty expressing alarm at what "appears to be shocking examples of unlawful killings and a complete disregard for human rights during the arrests".

Mumbere is also facing charges of terrorism, aggravated robbery, attempted murder and murder.

Ochieng said some of his clients were unable to appear in court "because they have serious bullet wounds and yet they have been kept in police cells without medical attention".

"It's a concern that the rights of my clients... are being trampled upon by the state including not receiving medical attention and long days of detention," he added.
13.12.2016 LISTEN

By Joyce Danso, GNA

Accra Dec. 13, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Tuesday sentenced an Electrician to 10 years imprisonment for dishonestly receiving a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone valued GHC 1,500.00 through robbery.

Zebulon Anyeteye aka Abdul Rashid Sowah was found guilty by the court presided over by Mrs Abena Oppong Adjin Doku.

Anyeteye was said to have dishonestly received the phone belonging to Gershon Gbediame, Member of Parliament for Nkwanta South on January 11, 2014 at Community 17, Lashibi.

This was after the MP was robbed at the dawn on the same day by some armed robbers.

The case of prosecution was that on January 11, 2014 at Community 17, Lashibi within the hours of 02:30 hours and 04:00 hours eight armed robbers attacked the MP at his residence.

The robbers armed with pump action gun and pistols assaulted the occupants of the house including the MP and made away with six mobile phones, three laptops, two Ipads and a set of jewellery, cash of GH 5,000.00 and $7,500.00.

Prosecution said on the same day, a report was made to the Police by the MP and during investigations Anyeteye was arrested at First Junction Melcom, Accra with the phone.

According to the Prosecutor, when the room of the convict was later searched, the original housing of the complainant's phone was retrieved.

When the Police quizzed him, he mentioned one Payin aka Aya, now at large as the one who gave him the phone to sell.

GNA
Accra, Dec. 13, GNA - The National Council and the entire membership of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) have extended their heartiest congratulations to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party for winning the December 7 election.

'We are proud to say that for the seventh time running in our fourth republic, Ghana has once again stood out as a beacon of democracy among many African countries,' the AGI said in a statement signed by its President, James Asare-Adjei.

'Indeed Ghana has traversed a challenging path in building a strong democracy and the success of our recently held elections deepens our democracy,' it said.

The AGI said business and investor confidence had been consolidated and expressed the hope that the trust reposed in President Akufo-Addo by Ghanaians would be a source of inspiration in the delivery of his mandate as president.

AGI also congratulated the Electoral Commission, political parties and Ghanaians on holding peaceful and successful elections.

'We trust that the challenges facing the private sector will receive the incoming government's utmost attention and quickly get to work to save suffocating industries as we work together towards achieving a sustainable economic development.

'AGI is ready to work with you and your government to achieve the industrial objective of this country,' it said.

While congratulating the President-elect, the AGI also requested an engagement within the next one month to further discuss key initiatives and proposals for promoting industrial development and private sector growth in Ghana.

GNA
Agona Asafo, (C/R) Dec. 13, GNA - Prophetess Vida Gorllu, the Founder of the Mountain Camel Prayer Centre at Agona Asafo, has admonished prophets and Prophetesses to desist from using fallacious prophecies to extort money from their members.

She said God abhorred false prophecies and they did not also advance the work of the Kingdom.

Madam Gorllu was addressing the congregation as part of the activities marking the third Anniversary of the Church at Asafo, in the Agona East District of the Central Region.

Prophetess Gorllu said false prophecies undermined the faith of Christians when on realising that they had been deceived, while it caused mistrust and disunity in some families.

Narrating the establishment of the Church, she said about three years ago, she and her husband and few members started as prayer camp, but God had raised the membership to 400.

On politics, Prophetess Gorllu asked the defeated the parties to put their disappointment behind them and assist the President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo - Addo to realise the vision he had for the country.

She stated that Ghanaians had spoken so the losers should not engage in any act that would frustrate or undermine the success of the incoming Government.

The victors, she said, should also not intimidate or unjustly punish the losers.

The supporters of both sides, especially the youth, she said, should remain calm to ensure the peace and stability the nation needed for its progress.

'There is only one Ghana so this election should not be used in any way to divide the country or destroy us,' she said.

She commended the Electoral Commission (EC), National Peace Council, Ghana Pentecostal Council, Christian Council of Ghana, the Media, Political Parties, Police and other security agencies for their various roles played during and after elections.

Nana Yamfo Asuako, the Agona Asafohen, praised the youth for not allowing themselves to be pushed into anything acts that would cause bloodshed.

GNA
Ghana and the European Union on Tuesday met to review achievements chalked under the Ghana-EU FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA).

The agreement aims to improve forest governance and verify the legality of Ghanas timber trade.

The Ghana-EU VPA Joint Monitoring and Review Mechanism (JMRM) oversees the implementation of the Agreement and includes representatives of all stakeholder groups.

The JMRM reviewed the status of development of Ghanas timber legality assurance system and discussed outstanding issues to be addressed before FLEGT licensing can begin. When issued, the FLEGT licence will enable Ghanas timber products to enter the EU market without importers having to do further due diligence to meet their obligations under the EU Timber Regulation.

On 15 November 2016, Indonesia became the first country in the world to issue FLEGT licences. Ghana is advancing rapidly towards the same goal, which will establish it as a leader in the fight against illegal timber trade.

Today, we presented the Legislative Instrument which we will submit to Ghanas Parliament for enactment, said Musah Abu-Juam, Technical Director of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

This Instrument has strong civil society and private sector involvement and support. It strengthens the Legality Definition which underpins the Agreement.

The Legislative Instrument enhances forest governance in Ghana and helps Ghana to meet the terms of the VPA by enhancing transparency, generating benefits for communities and clarifying the allocation of all timber rights.

 in addition to these advances, Ghana is also addressing illegal logging in its domestic market, as well as regional trade. Ghana is rolling out a new system for tracking timber on the domestic market that involves both suppliers and traders and requires proof of legality through the chain of custody.

 These major achievements show that Ghana continues to strengthen forest governance through the VPA and is advancing toward FLEGT licensing, said Benoist Bazin, Team Leader for Infrastructure and Development at the Delegation of the European Union to Ghana. Good governance of Ghanas forests is crucial to sustainable development. Moreover, it helps both Ghana and the EU contribute to achieving the worlds Sustainable Development Goals, mitigating climate change and protecting biodiversity.

Through the VPA, Ghana is controlling illegal timber trade, modernising timber operations and ensuring forestry brings employment in the formal economy and social benefits such as payments to communities through Social Responsibility Agreements. For the EU, the VPA contributes to achieving the goals of the EUs FLEGT Action Plan which aims to improve forest governance and combat illegal logging.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
The reported disturbances perpetrated by some New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters have been exaggerated, the National Youth Organiser of the NPP, Sammy Awuku, has asserted.

He expressed concern over the impression that the disturbances were rampant nationwide describing them as reckless acts of mischief geared towards causing fear and panic.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Awuku expressed his scepticism with the reportage saying there are not more than three or four examples but when you make it topical as if it is across the country, over the 275 constituencies, I find it a bit outrageous.

He further made references to some alleged hoax reports that suggested that some high profile National Democratic Congress (NDC) supports were being targeted by the NPP.

NPP won't accept blame for attacks

The NPP youth organiser also maintained that the NPP and its victorious Flagbearer, President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo, would not take responsibility for calming tensions when there was already a sitting President and police administration in place.

Mr. Awuku instead asserted that it behoves on the John Mahama administration and the current police administration to ensure that the country is at peace with itself and intact as at January 7.

If you talk to me on January 8 and you are citing these examples, then as a party, we take the fall for that , but not when there is government in place, there is an administration in place and you want us to carry this on our hear.

What I am saying is that President Mahama has to put his foot down. He is the Commander and chief of the farmer forces. Nana Addo is the president-elect. He cannot order even a single prison officer, Mr. Awuku added.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The outgoing John Mahama-led administration will Wednesday morning present its handing over notes containing details about the state of the nation to the incoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

The Transition Team, jointly inaugurated by President Mahama and president-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo, is expected to sit for six weeks from Wednesday.

The meeting will afford the incoming government the opportunity to enquire about matters of national interest from the Mahama administration.

The transition team will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the International Conference Centre to set up the Transitional Committee comprising those of the incoming and outgoing teams.

There would also be the transitional sub-committee on finance, energy, infrastructure, social services, the presidency, etc, presenting their handing over notes to representatives of the incoming administration.

The spokesperson for president-elect Nana Akufo-Addo, Mustapha Hamid, said Tuesday once his team gets the notes they would scrutinise it and ask further questions for clarity as this would be the basis for proceeding on anything.

"Certainly there would be questions that we would need clarifications on, and those questions would be the basis for meetings...we already have a lot of information from various ministries and government agencies and we hope that the notes that we would be given would be consistent with some of the things that we know. Where there are inconsistencies we would ask questions," he said.

Mr Hamid does not expect any hiccups past transitions have experienced if the teams work with honesty, openness and transparency as said Nana Akufo-Addo said.

He stressed that past traditions did not have a law governing them, unlike the current system where there is a law governing the process adding he has "no doubt this would be arguably the smoothest transition process we are likely to have."

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | GN
We, the Tijjaniya Muslims of Ghana (TMMG), under the leadership of His Eminence Zaeem Sheikh Abdul Wadudu Haruna, wish to congratulate the president-elect of the Republic of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his Running mate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on the victory of their party in the December 7 general elections.

It is our conviction that the victory of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by the President-elect and his running mate, is the victory of Ghana's democracy, the victory of the Muslim Community, and the victory of humanity. We believe that the experience of the two gentlemen in democratic governance and their expertise in relevant fields of nation-building would help accelerate economic transformation and national development.

In all democratic societies, governance is a team work. We pray that Allah grant the President-elect the wisdom to select a competent team that would raise Ghana to another pedestal of development and prosperity. With faith in Allah, we are confident that Ghanaians would move forward as a unified nation with a common destiny in a new era of hope, development, freedom, and justice.

We take this opportunity to commend fellow Ghanaians for their role in the peaceful conduct of the elections. By the exemplary conduct, we have demonstrated our commitment to constitutional democracy and good governance. Furthermore, the result of our conduct is a reflection of our readiness to maintain our accolade as the beacon of democracy in the West African sub-continent.

Finally, we hail President John Dramani Mahama for conceding defeat and opting for a smooth transition of power to a new administration. He is, indeed, a statesman who respects the sovereign will of the people as demonstrated in the democratic tradition of the ballot.

God bless our Homeland Ghana.

Director of communications

Sheikh Abubakar Mohammed Marzuq Azindoo

Executive Secretary

Alhaji Khuzaima M. Osman
President elect, Nana Akufo-Addo

14.12.2016 LISTEN

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is the president elect of the Republic of Ghana. He defeated President John Dramani of the NDC in the December 7, 2016 elections to become the 5th president of the 4th republic.

At the launch of his parties manifesto captioned  change, an agenda for jobs the NPP promised to transform the technological base of the country. As the dust settles on the 2016 election, this paper seeks to explore what the Science, Technology and Innovation sector should expect from Nana Addos government.

Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) have become a significant element in the growth and development equation for every country. All sectors of the economy: energy, transport, environment, education heath and others are being disrupted and managed efficiently by improvement in science and technology. It is therefore imperative for all developing economies to harness the potential of STI for national development.

The contribution of STI to Ghanas Gross Domestic Product GDP is less than one percent 1%, below the 2.5% average in Africa. Low investment in Research and Development, which is the lifeblood of STIs explains this worrying trend. Ghana currently invests only between 0.2 and 0.5 per cent of GDP in Science and Technology is as compared to other African countries such as Mauritius, Uganda, Togo that invest more of their GDP on STI. This by extension explains the poor performance of other sectors of the economy especially agriculture, education and manufacturing industry.

The New Patriotic Party has promised largely in its 2016 manifesto to leverage and promote science and technology to transform the economy, projecting a 1.5% contribution to Ghanas GDP. Here is what Nana Addos presidency would mean to the STI sector in the next four years:

An increase in STEM talents

One of the biggest challenge facing the Science and Technology based industries is attracting and retaining qualified STEM professionals.

In the United States for instance, according to the National Science Foundation, the number of Scientific and Engineering jobs in the United States has grown at an average annual rate of 5.9%, since the early 1990s compared with 1.2% for the general workforce.

This situation is not any different in Ghana. The few locals with professional expertise in the oil and gas industry in Ghana paint a clear picture of this challenge. The root cause of this challenge is the low interest and poor achievement of students in STEM courses in both junior and senior high schools. Performance in integrated Science and mathematics in Senior High Schools in Ghana has been on a decline for the past four years. Since 2012 where the performance students in integrated science and Mathematics peaked slightly above 50% in the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) performance has been on a steady decline. In 2015, scores in mathematic and integrated science was only about 24%.

According to the National Accreditation Board, there are currently 182 tertiary institutions in Ghana. Though an increase in enrollment into tertiary education is a welcome development, the number of humanities courses surpasses the Science/Tech subjects. This means fewer students are being trained in STEM related professions in tertiary schools.

The National policy target is a 60:40 ratio of enrolment in Science / Technical subjects as compared to Humanities / Arts. Some progress has been made in the past years towards this target. In 2014/15, 41% of students were enrolled in Science/Technical disciplines as compared to 40% in 2013/14. This overall increase is driven by increases in the proportion of enrolees in Science/Technical disciplines in Polytechnics from 39% in 2013/14 to 43% in 2014/15.

To support the 60:40 national policy, the NPP promises to expand STEM scholarship schemes, and provide incentives and support for accredited private tertiary institutions to establish schools and faculties of science and technology

The NPP also intends to establish a presidential Advisory Council for Science and Technology (PACST). The Council according to the NPP will be an advisory group of the nations leading scientists and engineers, who directly advise the President on all matters and policies regarding science, technology and innovation, and who will also provide leadership in the propagation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in our education system.

Other plans of the NPP intended to stimulate the demand for science and technology through the private sector such as the 1-district-1-factory will likely increase STI related jobs and hence demand for STEM graduates, an incentive for more students especially girls to consider STEM.

High investment in STI infrastructure

It is conventional wisdom that investment in infrastructure development is a pre-requisite in a countrys economic growth. Developing infrastructure enhances a country's productivity, consequently making firms more competitive and boosting a region's economy.

Similarly, to improve the growth and adoption of STEM in Ghana, it is important to invest in the building blocks such as research centers, laboratories in schools, innovation spaces, a robust telecommunication network, STEM teaching and learning materials.

The NPPs promise to improve the infrastructure required to boost STEM education and STI industry in Ghana include:

Regional Technology Parks

Nana Addo is promising to build a technology park in all the 10 regions of Ghana. This according to the NPPs manifesto will expand the research and development capabilities of the country. No further details has been given about the tech parks hence the nature, locations and timeline for execution for this project is unclear

Technology parks, a model for promoting clustering of high technology industries has been successful policy in industrialization drive of some countries. Technology parks are mostly located close to a university or a research centre, with infrastructure built to house companies and targeted financial support such as subsidies or tax breaks. The parks are expected to attract entrepreneurs and innovators who build commercial products/services with a spill over effect on the economy. Beijings Zhongguancun Science Park established in 1988 is attributed to the success of China in the semiconductor, computer and telecommunication industry during the 1990s. World-renowned IT firms that emerged from the Beijings park include Lenovo and founder group. Currently, many global technology companies such as Google, Intel, AMD, Oracle Corporation, Motorola, Sony, Micorsoft and Ericsson have their Chinese headquarters and research centers in Zhongguancun Technology Park

Though the science park model has been replicated in other countries, not all of these parks have been successful. It is therefore important for the NPP to have a clear strategy on focusing each of the 10 technology parks, matching them with the core research strength of the universities in that region and good incentives for companies to set up in these parks.

It must however be noted that the technology park policy is not novel to Ghana. Attempts were made at establishing such parks in KNUST and Tema.

Ghana Centres of Excellence (GCEs)

The NPP also promises to build 3 centres of excellence across the country by 2020. These centres will be established in collaboration with the private and international financial institutions. The purpose of these centres will be to network all Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), including all other research organizations such as Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)s institutes and Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG). The GCEs will cover themes such as:

biomedical engineering, pharmaceutical technology and bioequivalence research crop improvements and seed technology, environment and sanitation engineering, energy engineering, manufacturing equipment engineering, agricultural technology, food process engineering, building technology, and electronics and electronic assembly,

The GCEs tie in well with concept of regional technology parks in providing the right infrastructure required for the acceleration of STEM education and STI jobs in Ghana.

While we wait for the details of the Centers of excellence, it is not clear how it will differ from existing projects ongoing in this regard. The World Bank is currently funding the US$150 million Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) project across West and Central Africa. The objective of the project is to create capacity in African universities to provide quality research and teaching. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Ghana currently host 3 of these centers

High priority on mainstreaming Research and Development

Ghana has consistently dropped in the Global competitive index, a ranking of how competitive a country is by the world economic forum. Ghana is currently 111th competitive nation out of 144 countries ranked. Key indicators for highly competitive nations are : top-notch academic institutions, high spending on R&D, strong cooperation between the academic and business worlds and others.

STI Research and Development will be highly prioritized under the presidency of Nana Addo. In the NPPs manifesto, a merit-based research system is promised with the objective of encouraging more scientific research for priority sectors of the economy

Nana Addo also promises to strengthen the collaboration between industry, universities, and research centres to promote the commercialization of scientific research outputs. We have heard this promise before, what will be interesting is how this promise is executed. In terms of utilization of Research works, Nana Addo promises to employ science & technology in waste management, energy, agriculture and land use, environment and water. These include use of renewable energy sources such as biogas, wood gasification, biodiesel in our energy mix; waste to energy power plants; soil mapping for intelligent decision making in use of agriculture inputs, use of tech in managing forests; water desalination projects and others.

These promises give a clear indication that the utilization of STI research and development will highly influence policy decisions in the Nana Addos government. This is welcoming news for the STI sector. However, the implementation of these laudable promises will largely depend on the experience and expertise of the personality designated to head the ministry of Science and Technology.
14.12.2016 LISTEN

The Curator for the very successful TEDxUniversityofCapeCoast event, Asari Emmanuella Inyang, won a scholarship to attend the 2016 TEDWomen Conference from 26th to 28th of October 2014 in San Francisco, U.S.A.

The Global Conference was supported with scholarship to over 17 past TEDx event organizers under the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. These organizers had the opportunity to meet amazing people from all over the world who came together to share ideas.

Asari Emmanuella Inyang was awarded the scholarship after organizing a TEDx event, TEDxUniversityofCapeCoast successfully in her community in Cape Coast in April this year.

Asari Emmanuella expressed her excitement at the opportunity granted her to witness a TED event at the global level. She met new people and learned better ways to organize TEDx events. She also had the chance to network with thought leaders from around the world, the TEDx community and attend a TEDx workshop to learn and brainstorm with TED staff and other TEDx event organizers.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation collaborates with TEDx to raise awareness around global health and development through TEDxChange, and to develop programs to help bring new information and ideas to underdeveloped communities. As part of this partnership, the Foundation is proud to offer scholarships to selected TEDx organizers to experience an official TED Conference.

TEDxChange Scholarships cover the cost of pre-selected TEDx organizers from across the globe to attend official TED Conferences.

Consequently, the TEDx scholarship winners airfare, hotel, transportation to and from the event venue, and the TED Conferences registration fee are taken care of by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

At the end of the conference, the TEDxChange Scholarship recipients including Asari Emmanuella Inyang returned home to implement the learnings from the conference to grow their TEDx community. She is looking forward to organizing the next big TEDx event in Cape Coast.

Attending an official TED Conference gives organizers the privilege of hosting a TEDx event with more than 100 attendees, expanding the reach of TED and TEDx in their communities.
What a man! Indeed he is a man! Even Nature cannot but admire this man of high principles and ideas; this man brimming full of energy and offering genuine national services in all its ramifications. Indeed he is such a man!

Who can beat him? Who can wrestle him to the ground? And who is this icon of a man? He needs no introduction at all, as his name has become a household name throughout the country. Yes, his name is Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo. Yes, Nana, you are our man and the Champion of Champions. You are our beacon of hope, a darling of the people and God's own elect. Yes, you are unstoppable. Your moment of glory has come for you have been elected President of this country. You will make Ghana and the entire black race proud because of the laudable policies you will introduce in the country. And just as the Queen of Sheba did, great people including Presidents and Kings from far and near will flock to the country to see the great victories that will be chalked under your presidency. Who will surpass you? Who will come so close to comparing his/her achievements with you? None! No Challenger!!

I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate you and the Vice President  Elect, Dr. Mahammadu Bawumia on your decisive victory in the presidential elections held on December 7, 2016. Your victory confirms the adage that no person or power can destroy the person whom God has blessed. At the beginning, the task appeared insurmountable. Here was a cabal of unpatriotic elements who were armed to the teeth and well dug in the trenches. The matter was made worse when most of the security forces took sides with the ruling government. You remained undaunted and picked the number five slot on the ballot paper just like David who picked 5 stones when he was going to fight the uncircumcised Goliath, the Philistine.

It was only evil-minded person who continued almost on daily basis to cast aspersions on your character and credibility. The President and the NDC taunted, abused and called you unprintable names. They even went to the ridiculous extent of cursing your ancestors. Paid agents including journalists, traditional rulers, musicians and the clergy said you were cursed and could never be President. They said they would retire you from Politics in the December Elections.

The Gbese Mantse said he would abdicate his throne if you won the Presidential Elections. Mzbel, a musician said that she and her family would relocate to Burkina Faso if Nana Addo won the Presidency. Now that President Mahama has lost the election, will the King makers and the Elders of the Traditional Area initiate the process to remove the said Chief from the stone? Will Mizbel also do the most honorable thing by relocating her family and herself to Burkina Faso in line with her vow? After all, the Nkomfem are still in Burkina Faso and so hunger no go wire am

But, you knew the stuff you were made of. You put your trust not in man nor mammon. You dairy mantra was and still remains The Battle is the Lords. And like David when he was going to fight Goliath, you said Thou comest to me with all the instruments of co-ercion (including the Security Forces, the Greedy Bastards, Babies with Sharp Teeth, and Evil Dwarfs), but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts.

Your victory is significant in one sense. It is about your resilience. You put all your trust in the hands of Almighty God who created you and knows the purpose why He made you the way you are. Indeed, this is the most opportune time for you to ascend the Presidency of this country. It couldnt have come at any other time.

You see, there is a saying that Gold fish has no hiding place You are the Gold Fish in the Ghanaian Politics. As we all know, gold in its crude form has to go through the furnace in order to refine it. David was anointed King of Israel, but it took several years before his coronation took place. In between the Anointing and the Coronation he passed through a lot of trials and tribulations.

In a similar vein, God put the seal of the Presidency on your fore head many years ago. Your selection as Flag-bearer of the NPP for the third consecutive time was the turning point in political history of your life. It was known to all and sundry that you were the chosen one  Gods Own Elect There is conclusive evidence that your long period of waiting has prepared you adequately for the Presidency

Your charming and charismatic personality will make all good people gravitate towards you as you ascend the Presidency. Under your administration, darkness and failure will have no place in the dictionary of the country because you will look squarely at the faces of these drawbacks and ask them to evaporate and make way for your laudable and people's friendly policies. You are the very embodiment of Light and Greatness. Who can match you? You are a man of high principles, unequaled in the history of this country.

Who can beat you and who can match your impeccable credentials? None! As you take hold of the mantle of leadership on 6th January, 2017, my greatest prayer is that God should continue to endow you with the Wisdom of Solomon and make you great before the children of this world. May the Great dreams you have for Ghanaians and the rest of the world be realized under your government. May Ghanaians never lack peace and the blessings of the Lord in the course of your administration!

I see a cloud of uncertainty being lifted off the entity called Ghana. Earlier on, in the course of the electioneering campaign, I saw President Mahama making desperate calls to you to come and take over the leadership of this country. He said he never knew the burden would be so great for him. But just before you emerged, I heard the looming darkness emitting discordant tunes. At the point when everything appeared to go bleak, a ray of hope surrounds your physical presence. Mahama took off the crown and waited anxiously to hand it over to you. His hands were shaking as he held the crown. He walked slowly to you. He lifted the crown and put it on your head. He intoned: Nana, you are the man, God's own elect. You are favoured of the Lord and a rare gem. You lead and I will follow. You are our decisive President in waiting. You are indeed the great man our forefathers spoke loftily of.

The journey to the Presidency has not been easy. You encountered the ugliest, bitter and the most beautiful things during the period. Friends you had trusted told negative tales about you. Some deserted you. But nothing disturbed your mien as you continued to wax stronger in all that you did. It is indeed God's own purpose of making you great. May the Good Lord keep and bless you. May the Lord keep you and make his countenance shine upon you and your family. May the Lord give you peace and above all may He keep you from all evil.

This is the vision the Lord showed me about your upcoming elevation and the better things Ghanaians will enjoy under your Presidency? The time is coming when all patriotic men and women will stand up and shout in unison: Nana, Ghanaians are indeed grateful to you. We have never had things so smooth until you assumed the presidency of this country. Your administration has been the best thing that ever happened to this enclave we all call Ghana. Indeed it has been christened the 'Golden Age of Ghana'. You are indeed the true son of your father.

We thank the Good Lord for your life. Remain blessed for you are highly favoured of the Lord.

In ending this message, I would like you to take note of the following:

Please, keep Kwesi Pratt at alms length. He is worse than a vicious and snarling serpent. If you see Kwesi Pratt and a snake, run away from Kwesi Pratt. There is an antidote to a snake bite, but none for Kwesi. It is important that you hold everybody accountable for his/her stewardship. There should be no sacred cow in the country. All those who have brought the country to the state of comatose we find ourselves in should be brought to book. Let people call it with-hunting or whatever name they ascribe to it. But please do the job of house cleaning as thorough as you deem fit. Those who have lived above board have nothing to fear. But those who have skeletons in their cupboards should be made to face the music. Retrieving the money illegally paid to Alfred Woyome should be a top priority of your Administration. It should come with interest. All those who collected part of the money for whatever reason should be made to refund it with interest. This is public money. Those who twice flouted late President Mills order not to pay the money to Woyome should face the music. Flouting a presidential directive is the greatest sacrilege in the political history of a country. The culprits should be sanctioned to send a strong signal to Ghanaians that Akufo Addos presidency will not countenance any such insubordination. no matter how highly place the person is. Bring to book all those who flouted lay down regulations especially in the award of contracts. For example those who awarded contracts through sole sourcing when the Procurement Act states clearly that it should be on Tender basis. There should be a contract review committee to ensure that all contracts conform to specifications. Set up a Committee to evaluate the way and manner the new day secondary schools were built by Mahamas administration. We appreciate their efforts on that, even though the costs were highly inflated. But my grouse is with the time used in putting up such buildings. Most of the buildings were constructed in a rush between 6 and 9 months and they are storey buildings. What safety measures were put in place to ensure that the buildings would withstand the test of time and not collapse to bring disaster to the country? Adopt a maintenance culture to ensure that public buildings and monuments like the Sports Stadia, Peduasi Lodge, The Castle and others are not allowed to deteriorate. De couple the Attorney General Department from the Ministry of Justice. In the alternative, a Public Prosecutor should be appointed. I recommend Martin Amidu for the job Institute a public enquiry into the deaths of former President, Professor John Evans Atta and Honorable J.B.Danquah, former MP for Abuakwa North. Investigate the circumstances which led the BNI to come to the conclusion that the death of Hon. J. B. Danquah was the work of one person. Order a probe into the death of the pregnant woman who died during interrogation at the BNI Cells Revisit the complaint lodged by the NPP on the killings of 3 of its supporters right in front of the Abglogbloshie Police Station with a view to bringing to book the police officials at the station and those at the Attorney Generals office who refused to act on the docket. Re-organize the entire BNI outfit and the Police Service to ensure that the two security agencies owe allegiance not to individuals but to the State. Re-structure the NHIS Policy to make it work again. Pursue the Free Education Policy and the School Feeding Programme with vigor by removing all deadwoods from positions of responsibility and bringing on board those who understand what those policies mean and who are willing to go the extra mile to ensure their successful implementation. Establish a public school at Israel on the land which has been a subject of dispute amongst three schools and various Land Lord Associations. The land in dispute is part of the National Sports Complex acquired by the late Acheampong Regime. The site was originally meant for AMA Schools. Compensation has not been paid to the original owners of the land and so Government can re-possess it to be used for the purpose which it was meant for. Appoint Presidential Liaison Officers in the Ministries and Departments to ensure that Presidential directives are carried out. This is particularly important in the Sports Ministry to ensure openness and fair play. . Reintroducing free maternal care for pregnant women Reduce fuel prices, electricity, water, renewal of vehicle licence, insurance fees and taxes on other essentials  import duties etc. Make the One District, $I million and the One Village, One Dam top priorities of your Government Put on hold all promotions in both the Civil Service and the Security Services Recruitment into the Security Services should also be put on hold. Your administration should look into the way and manner the candidates were recruited so as not to fill the Services with party foot soldiers. Establish a Chaplaincy at Jubilee House to see to the spiritual needs of the President and his staff

The above are not impossible objectives. They lie with the grasp of Nana Addos government and it is to their attainment that Nanas efforts should be concentrated.

There is a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the flood leads on to fortune. The tide flowing at the moment is Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, together with his indefatigable Vice, Dr. Bawumia. Ride on, Nana, for you have fought a good fight and have come out victorious.

Once again, a big congratulation to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and the NPP team which worked tediously to attain this historic landmark. May the Good Lord Guide you as you embark on the journey to our El-Dorado.

Daniel Danquah Damptey ([email protected]) 0243715297

(Self- Appointed Special Aide to President Elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo)
This message is directed at the proud, the arrogant and those who live in a fools paradise and believe that they are better than others. It has been published before, but Ghanaians having lived through the arrogance, akakabensem, patapaasem and litany of lies exhibited by the Nefarious Destructive Cancer, I sincerely feel a second publication will give us time to ponder on issues raised in this write-up.

Many a time, we see, meet or read about people who value themselves so much that they have no regard for anybody else. It may be their fine complexion, their wealth or their strength and courage in fomenting trouble. Outgoing President, John Dramani Mahama was somebody who was respected and cherished by many Ghanaians. That was the period just before he was nominated to partner late Professor Atta Mills. Unfortunately President Mahama and most of his ministers appeared to have fallen into the class of such people who in their lifetime try to invent God

In all walks of life, proud people abound. Frankly speaking, a man has no good reason to be proud. If we analyze mans achievement, his worth or his possessions, we can see that he is deficient. The genius is still ignorant of many things. He is still untutored in many aspects of life for no man is all-knowing. The beginning of all knowledge is the realization that I know nothing. There are always people who are much wiser than ourselves whom we should consult or seek their opinion in order to improve on our knowledge and understanding of the universe. Knowledge is an endless pursuit, a life-long journey.

President Mahama, Vice President Amissah Arthur, Omane Boamah, Kofi Adams, Kofi Porturphy, Ade Coker, Allotey Jacobs, Fiifi Kwetey, Koku Anyidoho, the Babies with sharp teeth, the Greedy Bastard and the Evil Dwarfs should take a look at a womans body and answer this poser. Should she be proud because of it? No! It is a borrowed garment which will soon wear out or tear away. Like a flower, this beauty blooms in the morning or during her youthful days and will surely fade away in the evening or during her old age. No woman maintains her beauty till the end of her life. Therefore, no woman should bluff people because of this uncertain perishable commodity.

President Mahama and the IGP , John Kudalor ought to have pondered over that and come to the realization that their bravado, tantrums, self edification, disrespect to fellow human beings, holier than thou attitude, and always wanting to be the centre of attraction would one day come to an end. The IGP reckless utterance that he owed no body any apology after the men under his command had turned the routes of a peaceful demonstration by members of Let My Vote Count Alliance into a war zone leaves a soul taste in the mouth. Again, reckless statements made in the presence of the President by his acolytes like the Presidency is not for short people, he, who does not feel the Bitter Ghana Agenda is either sleeping or dreaming, If you use gold to make the streets of Kumasi, Asantes will not appreciate it, It is only those who have been president before that can criticize him(President Mahama). Ethno centric remarks like if the NPP wants the vote of Northerners, they should put a Northerner as its Flag-bearer did not help matters

To make matters worse, the President degenerated into a serial caller by repeating verbatim everything everything his subordinate said and referring to his main political opponent in uncomplimentary terms. Referring to the Chairman of the NPP as Opana was the last thing one should expect of a President. So, when President Mahama fell what a great fall it was!

Judge a mans wisdom. Even Solomon, all his glory still wanted more wisdom. Why not? Wisdom, after all, is a spark which a man borrows from God. Look at a mans wealth. This comes and goes and has no lasting value. Many wealthy people turn poor and miserable by sheer change of fortune. I pitied President Mahama as he was delivering his concession speech. He was a man who had every power and could do an undo. Now, power is slipping off his hands. We should be careful with the way we exercise power.

When we hear that the IGP and the high ranking Police Officers had gone to pledge their loyalty to the President-Elect, I laughed myself to stupor. Hmm, the IGP has realized that power pass power. While the going was good for them, they forgot the fact that power is transient. Now, the hens have come home to roost. Does the IGP think the incoming administration will retain him in office? I am not a soothsayer, but I doubt it. If he had exercised the powers entrusted to him with circumspection, maybe, and I use the expression, maybe, the NPP Government might think of that possibility. But now, as it appears, I make bold to state that IGP John Kudalor is falling, falling sinking fast into the deepest abyss, the ocean of forgetfulness where he rightly belongs.

My candid advice to President Mahama and his men is that they s face of God and ask Ghanaians to forgive them for the unpardonable crimes they have committed against God and humanity. Instead of members of the outgoing government especially President Mahama thinking they are the repository of all knowledge with their innuendos and sarcasm, they should humble themselves like Julius Nyerere, Leopold Senghor, Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton and offer voluntary service to purge themselves of all the crimes they have committed against our motherland.

Did President Mahama take time off to observe a mans might and strength? A soldier, regardless of anything, mows down lives on the battlefield like a farmer weeding his farm. Sooner or later, he too is mowed down notwithstanding his strength. What then is President Mahama and the Security Chiefs strength and power when they cannot conquer death? They ought to have realized that so many people, indeed, their betters had lived before them. They tried to invent God. They failed because they could not possibly change nature. This should be a lesson to all such people. They should take their time and spend it better in building themselves.

President Mahama and the NDC should have some moments of reflection of the pride and power that was Great Britain. She used to rule the waves, the skies and everything. Where is she now? A shadow of her former self, living on its past glory! What about Napoleon Bonaparte? He wanted to conquer and rule the whole world just like President Mahama and his Nefarious Destructive Cancer wanted to do. What happened? He crumbled. I said in most of my write ups that President Mahama would surely meet their Waterloo and Armageddon in their efforts to stifle the truth so as to cow the masses into a position of subjugation. And it has happened!

Remember Julius Caesar and his arrogance  Danger knows that I am more dangerous than he (danger) We were two lions littered in one day and I the elder and more terrible. What arrogance! That was arrogance at its extreme. Yet our arrogant Caesar was stabbed to death by his own best friend.

Surely the Tsunami and the Hurricane Catherine which President Mahama unleashed on his political opponents were the same tools which have swept him from the political limelight into the dungeon where he really belongs.

It is in this wise that my humble appeal goes to outgoing President, John Dramani Mahama and his cohorts who felt they had been ordained to rule this country through lies and deceit to beware of the immense influence of Gods power over affairs of the universe, for God abhors lies, violence and cruelty to fellow human beings. They should reflect on the fact that they are not the first to possess such crude and inhuman traits which made people run helter-skelter when they chance upon the former. But let me ask one question. Does being charismatic depend on forcing ones will on another? What people term charisma will soon fade away and the real face will bear its wrinkles in its own time. It is only a matter of time.

Did President Mahama and the top members of the NDC ever sit down to think about how apartheid crumbled in South Africa? After subjugating a group of people to a position of servitude, a De Clerk came to alter the status quo. What about the Soviet Union and its Satellites? A surgical operation undertaken by Mikhail Gorbachev with his Perestroika and Glasnost was enough to bring the Giant to its knees. A De Klerk in the person of the Gentle Giant (J.A.Kufour) came and a Gorbachev who has been lurking in the corner and waiting to administer the coup de grace has now sung the requiem mass of the NDC

The capricious use of power by President John Mahama to pardon the Muntie Three against the advice of his legal counsel, Tony Lithur confirms my view that the President was acting like God, and daring the rest of us to say anything if we had guts. He forgot the fact that there is a Supreme Being who superintends over the affairs of His entire creatures. Thus, I will shed no tears for John Dramani Mahama, for he played a dangerous game and lost it.

This is a big and bitter lesson to the Nefarious Destructive Cancer. They should cool their heads for they could not invent God and overthrow the world of tomorrow. There have been their betters who also tried this feat and failed. They tried to intimidate and suppress the public with their threats of mayhem but failed because they were not sure how long their power to foment trouble would last.

We live in a wonderful world where anything could happen.

Daniel Danquah Damptey ( [email protected] ) 024371529

(Self-Appointed Special Aide to Decisive President-Elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo)
Gulu (Uganda) (AFP) - Lily Atong's anxious eyes fix on the sky where a helicopter gunship circles over her thatched hut, so low she must shout to be heard.

"When I see gunships like this it brings back the fear of being in the bush," Atong says.

Abducted as a young girl and forced to become a wife to Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) chief Joseph Kony, Atong bore the self-proclaimed mystic five children. Her relationship with him proved pivotal to the survival of both her and her older brother, Dominic Ongwen.

Here in northern Uganda, the war with the LRA is long past and today the helicopter is on a training flight.

But the sight and sound transport Atong back to the days when Ugandan aircraft would strafe men, women and children alike as the military sought to defeat the rebels, and she would scramble for her life.

While Atong lives a quiet life in Gulu, Uganda, selling beadwork for a living, her brother is in jail at The Hague, charged with 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Making of a killer

Keneth Kaunda, a former child soldier in the Lord's Resistance Army, was 13 when an older boy appeared out of the forest and grabbed him, after which "life was very harsh"

Ongwen was about 10 when he was abducted the year before Atong. She recalls a boy who liked singing and telling jokes, who was sometimes bossy but thoughtful and kind.

"In primary school he was a bright child and teachers loved him," says Atong.

The LRA's ranks were stuffed with abductees, boys forced to fight and girls made wives. The youngsters were brutalised, and became savage themselves.

Sitting outside a neat motorcycle garage in Gulu, mechanic Kenneth Kaunda nervously fiddles with oily engine parts as he recalls his time "in the bush" with the LRA.

He was 13 when an older boy appeared out of the forest and grabbed him by the wrist in the family agricultural plot, dragging him away.

After that, "life was very harsh," says the 32-year-old.

A man punches a picture of former child soldier-turned-warlord Dominic Ongwen, charged with 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the ICC

Newly abducted children were ferociously beaten to break their spirit and ingrain fear of their captors.

"When you see someone being beaten like a pig... and all those new recruits, their hearts were broken, they ask themselves, am I going to survive?" Kaunda says haltingly.

The dehumanising violence never ended and children quickly learned that there was no one they could trust, no one to protect them and little chance of escape.

"If you attempt to run, even your friend will just shoot you," says Kaunda, who was himself eventually put in charge of the new kidnapped recruits.

'Set him free'

Many of those who knew Ongwen as a boy or as a fighter argue that he cannot be blamed for his actions having suffered at Kony's hands from childhood.

Ongwen may never have risen to prominence -- and international prosecution -- were it not for his younger sister, Atong. Kony, now an indicted war criminal still at large, noticed him because of her, seeing the two talking often.

When Atong explained he was her brother Kony promoted Ongwen to sergeant then lieutenant and ultimately to LRA brigade commander, a position that put him in the crosshairs of ICC prosecutors who have charged him with waging a "ferocious" campaign of terror.

The contradictions of victim-turned-perpetrator in Ongwen's story are echoed in his sister's, a victim of abduction and rape who acknowledges both Kony's brutality and his closeness to her.

"We have a very strong bond," she says, "I produced so many children with him. Although he has done some bad things also it's very difficult to go very deep to explain about his life."

Atong says her brother should not be judged as a war criminal.

"He was abducted while he was very young, indoctrinated. He never knew anything to do with laws. Is there no opportunity to set him free?" she asks.
I dont even know where to start from? In the Ghanaian cliche or parlance, should I laugh enter Mahama Ford or I should cry enter his appointees mansions? All jokes parried aside, in this election, Ghana won and we have inched a notch higher in our democratic endeavor as a nation. Ghana remains a shining star in Africa, a prototype of democracy and good governance earning her a pedigree of respect and recognition amongst the comity of nations.

Among the reasons for failure are self-inflicted after a post mortem. He just blew another opportunity of a northern descent as president. A golden opportunity for a second term has been shattered and has left many northern kith shocked and sickened to the bone. What happened? He did not see this coming? Brethren Alban Bagbin, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, Martin Amidu and some good hearted genuine NDC gurus had sounded the alarm bells that fell on deaf ears. The likes of these faithful patriots were said to be envious of the president, whereas their genuine concern was actually to see a brother succeed, was really to see a comrade do well.

Some of them having witnessed Dr. Hilla Limans presidency come to an abrupt end owing to a military junta, they just could not fathom why the guy was so impervious to genuine pieces of advice. How many times the security folks did warn Dr. Hilla Liman of the impending danger which was treated with contempt? And then, the unexpected happened. For the records, this current guy was so cloistered with a firewall that was so impervious to voice of reason.

The very day he shipped Dr. Tony Aidoo, Dr. Sulley Gariba, and Mr. Victor Smith abroad as ambassadors to their accredited countries, he literally shut down the opportunity of a second term. These guys were needed back home to steer domestic policy right which was of utmost priority and of critical need. But their departure signaled a void in policy analysis. He was deprived of the expertise, the experience and competence that he most needed. He literally shot himself in the foot by that singular act of posting these policy hawks abroad. Dr. Raymond Atuguba would later tender in his resignation and Mr. Ben Malor, a communication expert who was to streamline communication also relocated back to his communication position at the UN.

The Oldman then surrounded himself with the other guys with less or without expertise, experience or competence to boot on neither policy nor strategy. The rest of his bunch of appointees would be considered in the words of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as a basket of low energy folks. These low energy sluggards were bootlickers without a slice of a mind on critical analysis of issues. They were a basket case to all intent and purposes.

How could you focus on massive infrastructure without a corresponding need to improve the purchasing power of Ghanaians? The unemployment rate soared, the economy tanked, incompetence reigned and affluent living was the norm for the arrogant appointed few. All the negative lifestyle went on unabated; building of mansions, buying and changing expensive cars, making deals out of contracts and short changing Ghana to that effect in order to support their obtrusive lifestyles? It did not end there: owning filling stations and companies to facilitate state contracts without proper bidding? The writing was on the wall and he superintended over it to the chagrin of many. He exercised no parental control over them and their arrogance and incompetence let him down.

Now that its over, my northern brethren are advised to have hope in Dr. Bawumia. As for me, my wish is for the President-elect to tackle corruption with much alacrity. There is an imperative need to retrieve all ill-gotten monies, confiscate all property that were ridiculously acquired within a short span of time, disband all companies established and run by government appointees with intent to loot. Such actions are in contravention of the conflict of interest provision in our constitution.

The President-elect must consider the Nandom and Lawra constituencies for which little was done to improve lives by this guy. We started a voter revolution in the 2004 election campaign with Mr. Ambrose Dery, the NPP candidate for the then Nandom-Lawra constituency and with Dr. S.K Bemile, the NPP candidate for the then Lambussie-Karni constituency culminating in the positive results we see today. Many of us were, however, disappointed after working tirelessly to create voter awareness and swayed minds as evidenced by the margins of the votes in 2004, only to be spited with the infamous Kufour remark that he did not find any suitable candidate for his cabinet from the Upper West region. That reckless remark disengaged many northern NPP sympathizers from party activism but, who later allowed sleeping dogs to lie.

All said and done, the positive results we have today cannot be delinked from the work we did in the past. We are hopeful; the president-elect will not disappoint us in the Nandom and Lawra constituencies this time around for the massive show of support.

Cletus D Kuunifaa

TMC Group

Can be contacted at:

[email protected] , [email protected] or follow him on [email protected]
Now its my turn to make the most difficult phone call. The call many world leaders dread. Im calling Gambia President Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh.

I dont know where he got Jemus Junkung from. He was born Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jammeh. But anyway, thats beside the point. Well let me start it this way, if we cant get it into the warehouse we would dump it at the junkyard.

Hallo!

HalloEiish. Are you hearing me?

I wish you all the best. The country will be in your hands in January and youre assured of my guidance on your transition and I dont mean to .but afterwards work with me 

Whos this?

Mr. President this is Gordon Offin-Amaniampong (GOA for short).

Hey, you sounded like me.

GOA: Yeah right, Im mimicking you if dont get it. Doesnt the line sound familiar?

Those were the exact words you spoke barely two weeks ago to congratulate President-elect Adama Barrow following his victory on Friday in the December 2, 2016 presidential election.

Did you really say you arent relinquishing power because there were irregularities in the election process? And I suppose such irregularities only affected you and not the other candidate right?

Chaiiii, Yahya youve disappointed me. Youve disappointed many too, many across the continent and the world at large. Most people thought you meant well in your concession speech. But it didnt last long. Youve proved your sceptics right. I was one of them. I knew something wasnt right.

Remember I likened you to a Born-Again Lion?

See what youve done. Youve put the whole Gambia on edge.

The ECOWAS nations are worried about whats going to happen should you follow through this wacky plot. Id barely crossed the border to my homeland when the news came in that you arent going to hand over power to Mr. Barrow. For a moment I thought I was dreaming. Wasnt he the one I spoke to? So what happened to all the admonitions and the sweet talks you sang to the ears of the world?

Please tell me, what came upon you this time?

I recall the first one you said: Allah is telling me that my time is up and I hand over graciously with gratitude to the Gambian people and gratitude to the Almighty Allah to you.

You said that right?

YJ: Yes, I did.

Dont tell me Allah commanded you to continue to stay in office. Allah himself knows Gambians are sick and tired of you. Theyve had enough of your gimmicks and antics. Theyve had enough of your despotic rule. They gave you the chance but you blew it away and theyve voted for a change. So Im appealing to you to back down your decision. I guess it isnt that bitter to swallow it now.

Back to my question, you think Ill let you lose.

What necessitated your dramatic U-turn?

Was it Zeinab who influenced your decision?

YJ: No.

GOA: Did I get that right are you guys still married, I learned youre getting divorce?

Anyway, lets get back to the substantive issue. You dont want us to talk about it. Why?

I called you purposefully for that.

What was that for? You cleared your throat as if to say leave me alone. I aint leaving you alone. Youre hurting the whole continent; youre psychologically and emotionally torturing your people. So lets talk about it.

I bet you saw my president there (and you met all the guys Buhari dems). Im talking about Ghanas president John Mahama. Hes leaving office as the first one-term president in the fourth republic in our nations political history. And if you think thats cool reconsider your stance.

Mind you, it isnt about you the leaders anymore. Its about the peoplethe citizenry. Its about us. The young chap in the village who squats or lay on his belly to study at school while you guys line the state funds in your pockets. Its about the unemployed graduates, its about the teachers and nurses and the judges whose allowances havent been paid for months or years.

The leaders have come to talk to you. Listen to them as they pump some ideas into your coconut. Have you forgotten what happened to Kabila of DR Congo? How about Sani Abacha of Nigeria? Where are they now?

See how your nose is shaking like that of a mouse caught in a trap. Youre laughing Mr. President. Well, this isnt funny. This is a serious matter. Ok go ahead and tell me what made you change your mind not to hand over.

GOA: Are you just power-drunk?

I shouldnt kid myself anymore. You must be intoxicated with some substance.

Did you sniff something?

YJ: No.

Did you drink something? No.

Did you smoke something? No.

Did you swallow or ingest something? No.

I dont want this to become a telegraphic conversation. So please give some tangible reasons.

What actually made you change your mind?

Let me tell you something quick you probably dont know whats going on around the world. CNN failed to give coverage on the Ghanas general election because of you. Wed a successful, peaceful, free, fair and transparent election yet they spent days talking about you. The good image about us went unnoticed because of you and your ego.

All the cable news networks were taking about you. It was all about you as usual as ambitious as Lucifer. Because of you the west thinks we Africans arent capable of ruling ourselves. Yes, because of you and some rogues on the continent whove made themselves life patrons in office---resulting economic hardships, youth unemployment and brain drain.

Excuse me, Baffour can I get some pain relief meds (sorry Sir that was my son). I think Paracetamol or Benadryl would be alright. Ive lost my deep thought. I just cant think far Yahya. And its all because of you Yahya. I feel a little better now.

Theres one thing though, I seem to agree with you on. Its about the International Criminal Court (ICC) headquartered in The Hague the Netherlands. I think the intergovernmental organisation isnt fair in its approach when it comes to prosecuting individuals deemed to have committed crime against humanity. How can the ICC be targeting only African, Arabian and East European leaders?

By the way, youre aware former Ivorian president Lauren Gbagbo is there. Charles Taylor was also tried there and former Yugoslav and Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. Ive never heard any western leader (s) hauled before the international court.

But you cant use that as an excuse to put your country on edge or punish your people. You withdrew from it right? And Im not sure Mr. Barrow intends to send you there for trial. I hear all the conspiracy theories flitting around in the air.

Do you still have the two speed boats on the waters by the State House and what are they for?

And whats your plan now do you still want to stay or to hand over to the president-elect?

I would advise you as a brother to take the deal leave peacefully and allow Gambians to have some semblance of peace. Aba 22 years and you still want more. You will be offered a safe haven in one of the countries in the sub-region.

Oh I think Ghana would be your next destination. We already have two Guantanamo guys with us. Yeah it was a deal Mr. Mahama struck with the United States government. So I believe we can accommodate you. You arent a threat at all. Call me and let me know when you soften your stubborn heart. OK.
At last we have elected a President who understands good governance and has the political will to improve upon the standard of live of Ghanaians. Congratulations Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on your well-deserved and timely victory. You will be a breath of fresh air for this country, Ghana because of your uncompromising commitment and readiness to fight corruption to the later, create jobs for the youth and create an enabling environment for the economy to take off.

Indeed, there is a wind of change blowing in Ghana. Your victory has brought new aspirations to the people of Ghana especially the youth. We the leadership and members of the Austria branch of the New Patriotic Party would like to congratulate the good people of Ghana for their massive endorsement for change. You have shown to the world that indeed Ghana's democracy has come of age.

We also want to commend the out-going President H.E. John Dramani Mahama for his show of statesmanship to concede defeat from the outcome of the election; a gesture that has proven to the world that in deed Ghana is a beacon of Africans democracy.

We again want to congratulate the chair of the Electoral Commission Madam Charlotte Osei and her entire team for their suscint exposition of professionalism and diligence in making this historic election credible.

We believe that under the competent governance of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the economy of Ghana will be viable for businesses to thrive to better the living standard of all Ghanaians. We are convinced that the policies and program enshrined in the NPP manifesto is a vivid indication that the President Elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his team has what it takes to better the lives of all Ghanaians.

Once again, we wish the President Elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his Team the very best of success in their government.

Long Live NPP

Long Live mother Ghana

Frank Boakye

General Secretary

NPP Austria


Onaapo and Kalypo were the two catchphrase ingredients that caused the indigestion under the Umbrella.

First , we all saw how a mere photo aimed at taking a comical poke at the NPP flag bearer, now President elect Nana Akuffo Addo, actually taking a 360 degrees by rather making Kalypo the most sort after Beverage and the President elect the most popular candidate on the Ballot papers.

The NDC led government under the leadership of President Mahama, was engulfed at its realms by people who didn't for one minute dream about being in such position of power after the demise of the late Honorable President Atta Mills , and an opposition party that was bent on discrediting the legitimacy of the government in power.

President John Dramani Mahama, was like a athlete with no tracks to run onto, and in trying hard to built or set up his own tracks or stadia to run in , people around him failed to provide him the right environment. The NDC economic policies and infrastructural developments failed the Ghanaian populace because NDC communicators were effectively busy with building/buying homes and cars. And to add salt to injury NDC branches around the world were all neglected by the government operatives , thereby making it also difficult for Ghanaians in the Diaspora to add their voice to the campaign. From the USA / Canada / UK / The Netherlands/ Germany / Spain / France / China , NDC members were doing everything possible to reach out to the Head Office so some thoughts/ideas/concerns etc can be exchanged /expressed but to no avail . Some would argue that as petty as this may seem , it could be a contributing factor to the loss because just as Party die-hards were busy fending off the lies and fake news that flourished on social media , they also needed to feel connected to the mother ship (NDC Headoffice).

Dec 7th 2016 was a day that Ghanaians spoke and the social fabric of our being as Ghanaians was tested to the core. The complacency and somewhat arrogance of some communicators made it impossible for the average Ghanaian to truly connect with NDC , and this translated in the votes where NDC assemblymen lost miserably because they thought building houses and buying posh cars with tinted glasses is what would retain them in power . Most Ghanaians who also did not see JJ Rawlings on the campaign trail because some argued he was too old and therefore we needed younger folks , left them feeling there was no need to go vote for NDC because to them Rawlings was the uniting factor to what their grievances were towards the NDC leadership /government.

With the dust settling, all the Kalypos and the Onaapos now have their eyes set on what the next governing Team and the new set of cultural arrogance they would inject into civil society.

NDC members and the Ghanaian community both home and abroad should commend President Mahama for showing graceful political maturity amidst all the hostilities that some NPP followers exhibited on Social Media .

Finally congratulations to the President Elect , as a patriotic Ghanaian it's fair to say DONT YOU MESS UP because NDC won't be happy cleaning up a lot of mess come 2020.

Long live Ghana

A Dodoo

Member

NDC HOLLAND
Eventually, a new government is on the verge of being installed following a hectic general election. The expectations of Ghanaians are rather high and it is justifiable given their long suffering under a government whose policies did not appear to assuage the socio-economic challenges they had endured for eight years.

The outgoing ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) was ousted for bad governance foisted on the people and its attendant hydra-headed fallouts, among others.

Nana Akufo-Addo came to power after promising to address the aforementioned problems which have bedeviled and stalled the country's growth and threatened the livelihood of countless households.

As he settles down to tackle these problems with his team even before formally swearing the oath of office, he is already contending with the hassle of party supporters demanding to be appointed as players in the incoming administration.

While this is a normal phenomenon in all dispensations across the democratic world, we ask that such applicants, as it were, let service to the country be the watchword.

Self-aggrandizement, graft and those factors which earned for the outgoing government the unenviable tag of corruption and served as catalyst for their exit should not be the driving urge by such applicants.

Ghanaians now understand the power of the thumb and would always change non-performing governments when the time is due.

They did it for the Mahama-led government and would not hesitate to do same for Nana Akudo-Addo in the unlikely event of him going the way of President John Mahama.

Even after the distribution of an unprecedented volume of goodies ranging from head-pans to Land Cruisers and even houses, the Mahama government was rejected emphatically, a feat unrivalled by any since the Union Jack was lowered over five decades ago.

Whoever takes over the mantle of political leadership, as Nana has done, must be strong-willed, committed to the cause of Ghana's progress and ready to push for the provision of jobs.

Nana Akufo-Addo must not fail the people of Ghana, lest they suffer broken hearts. Ghanaians have reposed their confidence in him and would want to witness the country launched for a marked transformation with the old ways of dirty politics giving way to decency.

We have faith in Nana Addo to do as he promised his compatriots but would ask that whoever is engaged to serve in his government share in his vision.

Let them eschew hubris which the appointees of the outgoing government exhibited excessively and incurred the wrath of Ghanaians.

Those who refuse to be in line but rather pursue their selfish projects should not be spared the rod by the new President as his predecessor did.

Assuming power at this critical moment in the history of Ghana exerts unusual pressure on the new President, but it is our hope that with determination and focus he would cover appreciable grounds which can launch the country onto the path of remarkable economic growth.
THE NATIONAL Democratic Congress (NDC) appears to be overwhelmed with internal strife over the party's humiliating defeat in the Wednesday, December 7, 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Since the defeat  which may probably be felt after the party has handed over power to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on January 7, 2017  things have not been the same, with activists of the NDC going after their leaders for 'supervising' the defeat.

Supporters and activists of the outgoing governing party are peeved with the executives for woefully failing to deliver victory for President John Mahama, thereby sending the party into opposition.

They wondered why the leadership sat aloof for the NPP to snatch power from them without protest.

Party's founder, Jerry John Rawlings, was said to have visited the party headquarters on Monday to access the situation.

National Coordinator of NDC's 2016 elections campaign team, Kofi Adams; Siidi Abubakar and Fred Agbenyo, National Youth Organizer and Deputy Communications Officer of the NDC respectively, have been accused by angry supporters of doing what they described as lazy jobs during the elections.

They have also accused the officers of pocketing money meant for the campaign and stinting those who could do the work of cash.

The supporters have been attacking the NDC's executives, threatening to beat up some of them. Some have allegedly gone to the level of issuing death threats on some of the executives like Kofi Adams.

On Monday, they stormed the party's Greater Accra Regional head office clad in red cloths with red bands tied around their heads and hands to drum home their displeasure. The Regional Chairman, Ade Coker, was nearly beaten up for dropping the party's parliamentary seats from 20 to 13 while the rival NPP jumped from 14 to 21 under his watch.

Siidi Abubakar was also attacked at the national headquarters at Adabraka when he was organizing a press conference to ostensibly condemn the New Patriotic Party concerning reports of purported attacks on NDC supporters.

An aggrieved activist of the NDC reportedly disrupted the said press conference, saying the Youth Organiser should be ashamed of himself for not helping the party to win the elections.

The activist, according to reports, nearly fought Siidi Abubakar, claiming the NDC National Youth Organizer failed to campaign for the party as Sammy Awuku, National Youth Organizer of the NPP did, claiming that Abubakar rather used the monies given him for campaign activities allegedly for his personal gains.

Ade Coker, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, NDC's Director of Elections and other bigwigs of the party were under attack by their supporters who believed they were responsible for Mahama's defeat.

Kumasi Office Locked

In Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, where the NDC had hoped to secure 1.5 million votes, Citi Fm reported that some members of the party woke up to find the head office locked up by a known party activist, Yakubu Tony Aidoo.

Angry Tony Aidoo, according to reports, took the decision to punish the executives, who in his view, were responsible for the massive defeat.

He was reported to have said the party executives failed to use monies allocated for the campaign judiciously.

IT Failure

President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo, flogged Mr. Mahama in the presidential election with a margin of over one million votes.

Mr. Adams has since accepted responsibility of the NDC's defeat, blaming his inability to secure victory for the party on IT failure.

Yamoah Ponkoh Fumes

But former Ejisu Juabeng Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Afrifa Yamoah Ponkoh, has reportedly stated that Kofi Adams should be killed for the party's defeat.

He blamed the humiliating defeat of President Mahama and the NDC on the incompetence of the party's campaign team, which Kofi Adams headed.

I laughed it off when I heard Kofi Adams saying he should be blamed for our defeat. He should stop irritating our ears; why should he accept the blame, why did he accept to be the National Campaign Coordinator when he knew that he was going to fail us? He queried.

Ponkoh continued, I mean, why? It is an unforgivable sin. Andy Okrah and Kofi Adams need to be hanged for our defeat. They should have humbly rejected the offers when they were appointed. They have no excuse to give.

Speaking on Kumasi-based Abusua FM Tuesday, Yamoah Ponkoh said the defeat was a serious blow to the NDC.

He suggested a death sentence for the Ashanti Regional NDC 2016 Campaign Coordinator, Andy Osei Okrah, alleging that he caused the party's defeat in the region.

He needs to be hanged because he has committed a serious crime against humanity, the ex-MCE for Ejisu/Juaben fumed, adding that Mr. Okrah's inefficiencies led to the NDC's defeat.

According to Yamoah Ponkoh, This defeat is a serious blow to us. We are now going to feel the impact of our loss; our supporters are being vilified, killed, beaten everyday by the New Patriotic Party supporters. Watch the space; the harassment will be worse after the president-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is sworn into office.

BY Melvin Tarlue




The Cyber Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service has apprehended 10 youngsters believed to be engaging in cyber fraud, popularly known as 'sakawa,' in their homes at Tabora, an Accra suburb.

The suspects, according to information, had obtained for themselves electronic devices and were allegedly using them for their nefarious activities when the police swooped on them.

The suspects are Issah Future, 27 years of age; Gyasi Frederick, 23; Ditamel Boateng, 21; Acquaye Dominic, 28; Obed Sam, 21; Saed Danlad, 24; Hudson Ansah, 21; Nhyiraba Kwabena, 23; Emmanuel Kwadwo Atua, 28 and Richmond Agbozo, 28.

Briefing DAILY GUIDE, Chief Superintendent Dr Herbert Gustav Yankson, director in-charge of the Cyber Crime Unit, said the police gathered intelligence of their activities on November 11, 2016.

The suspects were arrested for allegedly obtaining electronic payment medium falsely, contrary to Section 119 of the Electronic Transaction Act.

A search conducted at their premises led to the retrieval of items including 8 laptops, an HP system unit and 15 mobile phones.

Preliminary investigation by the police indicated that the suspects had been operating for some years now and had purportedly succeeded in defrauding their victims, mostly foreigners, in various sums of money.

According to Chief Superintendent Yankson, the youngsters used the monies to purchase several electronic gadgets including 50 television sets, laptops, tablets and mobile phones.

The suspects are currently under investigation and will be charged and put before court after investigation, he said.

Dr Yankson said several complaints had also been received from Interpol about the spate of cyber fraud activities from Ghana and accordingly, the Cyber Crime Unit was embarking on an operation to clamp down on them.

He called on the youth to desist from the criminal activities as they could be convicted to a maximum of 10 years if found guilty.

The general public should also exercise due diligence when transacting business on the internet, he charged.

By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey

([email protected])
Ten people suspected to be involved in cyber fraud, popularly known as Sakawa, have been arrested at Alhaji Tabora, near Lapaz, in the Accra metropolis.

The suspects, who use the Internet to obtain payments falsely through various types of electronic transactions are said to have operated in a rented house at Alhaji Tabora.The police gave their names as Issah Future, 27; Frederick Gyasi 23; Ditamel Boateng, 21; Dominic Acquaye 28 and Obed Sam, 21.

The rest are Danlad Saed, 24; Hudson Ansah, 21, Nhyiraba Kwabena, 23, and Richmond Agbozo 28.

They are said to have defrauded their victims, who are mostly foreigners, of unspecified amounts of money.

Intelligence

Briefing journalists in Accra, the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Superintendent of Police Mr Herbert Gustav Yankson, said the suspects were nabbed following police intelligence on the activities of young men engaged in the criminal activity of obtaining electronic payments falsely.

The activities of the young men, he said, were contrary to Section 119 of the Electronic Transaction Act.

He said the police, after conducting a search of the house where the suspects were arrested, retrieved eight laptops, an HP system unit and 15 mobile phones believed to be the gadgets used by the suspects to aid their illegal transactions.

Recruitment

Preliminary investigations conducted following the arrest of the suspects, Mr Gustav said, indicated that they used the money they obtained illegally to buy electronic gadgets, including 50-inch flat-screen television sets, laptops, tablets and mobile phones.

He said the police had observed a recent trend in the country where masterminds of cyber fraud recruited young men who had skills and knowledge in information technology (IT) for such activities.

When the young IT-inclined men succeeded with their cyber activities, Mr Gustav said, the booty was shared with their paymasters.

He said the Cyber Crime Unit had received numerous complaints from Interpol about cyber fraud activities from Ghana in recent times.

To curb the activities of cyber crimes, he said, the Cyber Crime Unit was embarking on an operation to clamp down on cyber criminals.

He advised the public to exercise due diligence when transacting any form of business on the Internet and urged the youth to desist from cyber crimes.

The maximum punishment for any culprit, he said, could be a jail term of 10 years if found guilty.
The Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Angela El-Adas, has cautioned People Living with HIV (PLHIV) not to be swayed by claims and stories by some people and organisations parading as having a cure for the pandemic.

There are many series of tests that substances must be subjected to before a claim of cure is made. The Ghana AIDS Commission, along with the Ministry of Health and the Food and Drugs Authority will be most proud to support the announcement of any such finding, she added.

The director-general made the statement in a speech read on her behalf by the Technical Director of the Commission in the Ashanti Region, Mrs Olivia Graham, at Obogu in the Asante Akim South District in the region.

World AIDS Day

The statement was made at this years World AIDS Day observed on December 1 on the theme 90-90-90: Providing Comprehensive Services for all Towards an HIV-Free Generation.

It was attended by some selected groups within the region and some junior and senior high school students.

Dr El-Adas said every researcher must be astute and stay within the ethics of research rather than being sensational, urging people living with the disease to continue to stay on the drugs prescribed by their caregivers.

She announced that the Commission on Human Right and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the law enforcement agencies were playing key roles in addressing the human rights needs of PLHIV and key persons who dealt with them.

She described elimination of stigma and discrimination as paramount to the commission, and urged PLHIV not to hesitate to report any abuse as soon as it occurred, assuring them that they would be assisted.

Dr El-Adas commended the government and the legislature for the progress made with the new Ghana AIDS Commission Bill, which will receive presidential assent before the close of this year.

Regional minister

The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Director, Mr Kofi Dwumor-Asubonteng, who spoke on behalf of the regional minister, Mr John Alexander Ackon, advised the students to realise that they were the future leaders and should steer clear of any electoral violence.

He also urged them to refrain from premarital and unprotected sex and also educate their families on the need to refrain from stigmatising people living with HIV.

The United Nations (UN) Women identifies some of the factors that prevent adolescent girls and young women from protecting themselves against HIV as gender-based violence, limited access to health care and education coupled with systems and policies that do not address the needs of young people.

According to a 2015 United States Agency for International Development (USAID) report, young women aged 15 - 24 had the highest risk of being infected with HIV, and in sub-Saharan Africa, the most affected region in the world, the situation was even more alarming, with women accounting for 60 per cent of the total number of people living with the virus in West and Central Africa.
Constant acts of physical attacks, and arbitrary arrests and detentions of journalists and other rights activists in West Africa by state security forces, continue to chip away the modest but steady gains in the Freedom of Expression (FOE) environment in the region.

Latest analysis of the freedom of expression situation in West Africa by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) for the third quarter of the year (July-September, 2016) reveals a decline in the number of violations from 45 during the same period in 2015 to 25 this year.

The decline in the incidents of free expression violations is a positive development that gives reason for hope and lends credence to the impact of work by free expression advocacy organisations working in the region. The positive development is, however, negated by continued intolerance on the part of state security officials towards press freedom and citizens right to freely express themselves.

In the latest report for example, state security officials were the perpetrators of 80% (20 out of the 25) of the violations predominantly in the form of physical attacks, and arbitrary arrests and detentions. During the period, the police in Mali shot and killed a demonstrator. Similarly, the police in Sierra Leone also killed a demonstrator. In both instances, the police opted to use live ammunition to dispel peaceful demonstrators resulting in the casualties.

Another major challenge to freedom of expression in the region apart from the continued abuses by security forces is an unending phenomenon of impunity for crimes against journalists and other free expression activists. Crimes committed against journalists and other free expression activists almost always go unpunished, a phenomenon that tends to embolden perpetrators and potential perpetrators of free expression violations.

The latest analysis is part of the MFWAs routine quarterly FOE trends analysis focusing on the West Africa region. The analyses are published each quarter as the West Africa Free Expression Monitor. The current edition of the Monitor featuring all the incidents of violations; presentation of the incidents per country and per perpetrators; as well as a comparison of the situation with trends during the same period in 2015; and recommendation for improving the situation can be found here .
Boniface Abubakar Sadique

14.12.2016 LISTEN

Mr Boniface Abubakar Sadique Member of Parliament-elect for Madina Constituency has submitted that the overwhelming victory by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2016 elections is a victory for Ghana.

According to him, now that the elections were over, there was the need for Ghanaians to bury their differences and forge ahead in unity to ensure national development.

Mr Sadique said this during his thank you tour of the Constituency at Madina on Sunday.

He had earlier on Friday joined Muslims to worship at the Madina Mosque and crowned it with Church services at the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches, both in Madina.

Mr Sadique, a former Minister of State in the Kufuor administration, urged Ghanaians to have hope in the NPP under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, adding that, whatever promises the party has made would be carried out.

He commended Ghanaians for the peaceful elections.

The Reverend Michael Gabriel Anim Tettey, Madina District Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana congratulated Mr Sadique for his election as the Member of Parliament for the Constituency and urged him to work tirelessly to develop the constituency.

Mr Sadique was accompanied by members of the party, including Mr Michael Makenzi, Constituency Chairman, Mr Padmore Baffour Agyemang, First Vice Chairman, Madam Genevive Boahene, Women Organizer and Mr Stephen Dadson, Financial Secretary.

GNA


Some observers in the tax industry have called for an evaluation of the petroleum tax and other tax components in the Road Fund Levy to positively impact businesses.

Some Ghanaians expressed dissatisfaction at the beginning of this year when the price of fuel was made up of about 70 percent taxes.

Tax Consultant, Ali Nakyea-Abdallah reiterated calls for such laws to be evaluated to determine their real impact on businesses.

Speaking to journalists, he said the subject is still relevant since businesses have complained about the adverse impact of some components of the taxes.

Industry has always complained about the cost of doing business. What translate into cost is the indirect taxes on the input that they use in their productive process. One of which is the petroleum product so if you have a lot of inbuilt taxes by way of recovery levies, road fund levies and all that, then you introduce another special petroleum levy. If you think that taking off some of them will not affect your revenue base and can ease pressure on these businesses, then evaluate it, he said.

He pointed out that a comprehensive evaluation will show whether a review of such taxes will impact positively on business operations which could be recouped by corporate tax.

If you think that when cost goes down these businesses will make more profit and you can get revenue through corporate tax, then you can evaluate and also review, he stressed, adding that tax evaluation is the best form of determining the effectiveness of tax laws.

Cautioning against calls to scrap taxes without evaluation, Mr. Nakyea-Abdallah stated that taxes are intended for a purpose, hence must always be evaluated before they are removed.

Taxation is such that you cannot just cancel without finding an alternative. You don't just review. There are reasons why taxes are levied, he said.

NPP's Proposed Reforms

Speaking in March, this year, the President-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo, promised to reduce the corporate tax rate, abolish VAT on Financial Services and remove duties on the importation of raw materials and manufacturing equipment, among other fiscal incentives, to stimulate growth in the private sector.

Citifmonline


Vodafone Ghana has reiterated its commitment to customers this Christmas by offering a special package for users of its fixed broadband product.

The move is in line with the company's overall programme this December dubbed, #VodafoneSuperRedChristmas.

As part of the package, customers, who pay for two months of their fixed broadband bundle between December 1 and 30, will enjoy unlimited internet browsing for 30 days.

Patricia Obo-Nai, Director of Fixed Business and Customer Operations at Vodafone Ghana said: Data is very crucial in the activities of our customers and clients during this festive period. This package is our way of emphasizing our commitment and dedication to customers. We want them to be comfortable, happy and very effective as they prepare to spend time with family and loved ones this Christmas.

Meanwhile, Vodafone has introduced mobile data packages for customers as back-up whenever they experience any disruption to their Fixed Broadband service.

With fibre cuts and cable thefts plaguing the industry, this initiative goes to emphasise the extent the company is willing to go to ensure customers are connected at all times.

Under the initiative, customers will be required to provide their preferred Vodafone lines on which to receive the mobile data anytime they experience a fault on their broadband.

The telecommunications company believes that this is an effective intervention to address the inconveniences customers go through whenever they encounter problems with their fixed network.

A business desk report


Daniel Amateye Anim, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Institute of Certified Economists, has called on the next government under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to focus on growing the agricultural sector.

He said paying special attention to the agriculture would grow the sector, create more jobs for the youth and ensure food supply sufficiency.

The contribution of agriculture to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has declined since 2009 from 31.8 percent to about 12.8 percent as at September 2015.

Many have attributed the decline to governments refusal to invest in the sector which has imposed untold hardship on farmers and denied many jobs.

The outgoing National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, in its 2016 budget, allocated GH501.5 million to the sector, a mere 1.2 percent of governments total expenditure.

Speaking in an interview with BUSINESS GUIDE, Mr. Amateye Anim said the gradual decline of the agric sector was unacceptable, adding that failure to put immediate measures in place to address the situation would affect the country's economy adversely.

I expect the new administration to focus on the agricultural sector and invest hugely in it so that we can have food supply sufficiency.

Once there is sufficient food supply, the government will not spend hard currency importing food from other countries to feed the people. This will mean that the price of foodstuff will also be cheaper at the markets, he said.

Mr Amateye Anim said Ghana has a competitive advantage over other countries when it comes to agriculture, adding that we must capitalize on that and produce more to feed the people.

He said the agric sector should also be linked to industry to create more jobs, stating that the one-district, one-factory campaign promise was appropriate and achievable when linked to agriculture.

Engage Private Sector

Mr. Amateye Anim also urged the new administration to immediately engage the private sector so as to expand the country's economy.

The operators in the sector will be able to tell the government their major concerns and what must be done to address the concerns when engaged.

[email protected]

By Cephas Larbi


New entrant into Parliament next year, Alhassan Suhuyini has rejected the view that corruption, incompetence, and arrogance cost the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), the 2016 general elections.

In a post-election analysis, the NDC MP-elect for Tamale North in the Northern region said he is convinced that the party lost because of ignorant voters and a forgetful electorate.

Suhuyini does not believe that 200 million lost in SADA scandal, 952 million lost through GYEEDA and the payment of 657 million in questionable judgment debts had any impact on voters.

The NDC was trounced in the December 7 polls which threw up records unseen in Ghana's politics. The NDC's presidential candidate became the first President to lose a re-election and the first to lose in a first round vote.

Mahama's 44.40% is the lowest any incumbent presidential candidate has ever obtained at the polls since a return to democracy in 1992.

But analysing its failure, three new MPs, Tamale North NDC MP Alhassan Suhuyini, NPP MP-elect George Andah and Ledzokuku NPP Dr. Okoe Boye were on Joy FM's Super Morning Show Tuesday.

The NDC MP stressed that he does not think that NDC lost because of corruption, incompetence, arrogance as claimed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The word 'incompetent' became a sensitive word during the campaign as the NPP tried to cast the NDC government as spectacularly incompetent.

"I disagree that [corruption, incompetence, arrogance cost us]. Those are not the reasons... I think forgetfulness and perhaps ignorance played a major role", he said.

"If people voted because they think the NDC was corrupt it is because they have forgotten or it is because they were not, let me say, mature enough at the time NDC won power in 2009."

Explaining his point, Suhuyini said Ghanaians forgot past corruption scandals under the erstwhile NPP administration led by President John Kufuor.

The Tamale North MP said Ghanaians forgot about the mismanagement of the [email protected] celebrations and the arrogance of certain officials like Stephen Asamoah Boateng.

Mr. Suhuyini believes children during the NPP administration between 2001 to 2008 had turned 18 years and above and had become eligible voters.

These 'Primary 3, Primary 4' students turned 18 years were not 'matured enough' to remember the sins of the past NPP government.

The MP who is a show host of a pro-NDC radio station, Radio Gold repeated his party's long-held belief that the media worked against the NDC government.

Suhuyini accused the media of weakening the base of the party using negative stories. He insisted "NPP's propaganda machine fuelled by a media conspiracy led to a despondency within NDC".

He stressed that the NPP media-supported propaganda machine was "so strong" and "bitter" in spite of government media blitz weeks to the elections.

Contributing to the discussion, another new entrant, the NPP's Nenyi George Andah who brought down the mighty Hanna Tetteh at Awutu Senya West expressed surprise at his opponent's view.

"You are simply not reading enough, you are not smelling the ground enough, you are not hearing the people....you are living in total deception," he told Suhuyini.

Photo: George Andah won Awutu West in the Central region, a seat held by the Foreign minister Hanna Tetteh

The former Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Ghana and Glo Ghana's Chief Operating Officer rejected Alhassan Suhuyini's view that Ghanaians were ignorant about NPP's past sins.

George Andah said for eight years in government, the NDC failed to prosecute any NPP official for alleged corruption and mismanagement.

"You haven't been able to prosecute one single NPP official ,,,and after eight years you come and sit on air after you have lost an election and say that Ghanaians have forgotten that NPP people were corrupt?"

"And you tell us that NPP people are doing propaganda? Like seriously? How does that work?"

"Ghanaians are discerning. Ghanaians are not immature.... Ghanaian heard the message of change...Ghanaians punished the NDC...Ghanaians are not an ungrateful people," the marketing guru emphasised.

The one-time CIMG Marketing Man of the Year said if the Tamale North MP and the NDC persist in this kind of analysis, then "NDC is going to be in opposition for a very, very long time".

Contributing to the debate, Ledzokuku NPP Dr. Okoe Boye said he found it unfortunate that the NDC MP-elect believes immature voters cost the government the elections.

Photo: NPP MP-elect for the Ledzokuku constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Dr. Okoe Boye defeated NDC's Okity-Duah

He said the 2016 elections was squarely decided by the issues of jobs and corruption. He explained voters found government's job creation record abysmal but found faith in the NPP's manifesto titled "Change, an agenda for jobs".

"The number one issue on everybody's mind was jobs...unemployment was a national security issue..." he stressed.

He stressed an NPP line of argument that Ghana is not poor, it is poorly managed. This mismanagement contributed to the problems of joblessness.

He linked corruption to job creation noting that to fix the economy, it was important to kick out the NDC government.

Dr. Oko Boye said for an senior NDC member turned anti-corruption activist Martin Amidu to campaign against his own party proves that the NDC lost because of its incompetence and corruption.

"Corruption was an issue. Why wouldn't corruption be an issue if you have a founding member saying that President Mahama is a brother from the North but looking at his disposition against corrupt officials, he must go so we fix the country" he said.

The Ledzokuku MP-elect said no amount of media campaigns or propaganda can influence a voter who has had to endure 8 years of economic hardship.

"You can throw up propaganda to him that look we are doing well but it will take sometime. But after 8 years of increasing hardship, you can buy three hours of air-time, it will do little because the experience down there overwhelms what is put out there" he said.

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|[email protected]
The 2016 presidential election would forever be remembered not based on the fact that it is the first time an incumbent failed to be given the second bid but rather how a man tagged as a failure, divisive, ridiculed because of age and height, persevered and succeeded.

I was in Accra, February 2013, to submit a report. The office had not been opened and feeling lonely, I tuned on my phone radio to an unknown radio station. There was a man, a prophet to be precise, who indicated that God had revealed to him that Nana Addo, who had then lost 2012 presidential election, can never become a president of this nation. His destiny was not to be president. Since then, any time I see Nana Addo, the message of the prophet rings loudly in my mind. I didnt believe the saying of that man but I have seen how messages of prophets and men had placed many people in abyss of failure. I have come across young men and women who gave up their hard work and belief after people in the name of God had spoken words of discouragement and failure to them. The victory of our president elect, is a great tool of encouragement to the youth of this country and to generation unborn that a mans destiny is not determined by what people say but rather what you really believe in your heart to be true. Geraldine Brooks once advised, You go on. You set one foot in front of the other, and if a thin voice cries out, somewhere behind you, you pretend not to hear, and keep going.

Looking through the history of the President elect, it is untrue that he is a failure. Firstly, he is a man who speak frequently in French. A language I have seen great men and women struggled to learn. I dont recall any of our past presidents speaking fluently in this language. To me, anyone who does something I cant do is never a failure and I have come to believe that every individual, whether small or great, can do something I cant do. No man is a failure in my world. Secondly, how can a man who co-founded a law firm that has produced outstanding lawyers in our times be termed failure? An ace journalist once indicated that one man who has suffered verbal abuses, insults and mockery in the history of Ghanaian politics is Nana Addo. This man had hundred reasons to give up in his presidential bid but, I believed in his heart he had a thousand reasons to move on. Many people forgot that he was elected three times between 1996 and 2008 as Member of Parliament for the Abuakwa South constituency in the Eastern Region. Many people forgot that he was Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as well as Foreign Minister during the government of President Kufuor. Many people forgot that he helped protected the independence of judiciary, the right of the citizen to demonstrate without police permit and the right to equal access of all political parties to the State-owned media, yet, people called him failure. In this life, you are the best person to encourage yourself. All eyes surrounding you see your failure more and not your success but you should be controlled by your small success you chopped and not the huge defeat you suffered. Indeed, what my Sunday School teacher once told me about failure is really true, Failure is a term for the dead not for the living.

The victory of Nana Addo confirms that life is not about what others say about you, in fact, life is staying alive to prove your critics wrong. I am imagining to hear the reaction of all those men and women who showered abusive and condemnable words to this man. Young men and women in this country, indeed, you can succeed. Young men and women in this country, today, we have had an example, he is the president elect, he made it and you too can definitely make it. Benjamin Disraeli once said, Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure. All we need is to have a vision which will not serve our selfish interest but an interest that would help the people of this country.

This man called Nana Addo, as stated by a social commentator, has competed with 36 men in his race to become president in this country. It has never been so in the history of this country. He lost twice to John Agyekum Kufuor. He won the presidential candidate bid in 2007 for his party but lost to John Atta Mills in the general election. He won again to contest on behalf of NPP but lost to John Dramani Mahama in 2012. He lost again in 2013 during the 2012 election petition at the Supreme Court. Many including his own party members spoke against his decision to contest for 2016 elections but he was never discouraged despite his age. He won again as the presidential candidate for his party and there followed the worst of his attack in his life. He was called names, a murderer, divisive, authoritative, had cancer, discriminator, engaging tribalism, cocaine dealer, corrupt and so forth. What caused the pain was the caliber of people who were verbally attacking him. The least said about them the better. Yet, Nana moved on. What motivated this man so much? I saw one thing, he understood that life is a battle, and that battle is the LORDs. As a Christian, I have never in my life seen people whose focused was not on the actions and words of men but of God, grew to be disappointed and discouraged. They always put their accusers to shame.

Nana Addos victory has proved that people do not need to change their names in order to excel or achieve victory in life. Many thought you need to be named John in order to be president. it is untrue and when in doubt, just remember the name of the 2016 president elect. Young man and woman, all you need is perseverance. This is what Martin Luther King, Jr. meant when he said, If you cant fly then run, if you cant run then walk, if you cant walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. This is how Julie Andrews defined it, Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th. The economy may be hard, family finances weakened, job unsecure, friends disappoint, relationship broken, yet move forward, just move forward.

Nanas road to victory is one face of inspiration but his leadership and governance can decide whether his name will be immortal in the lips of people of this country or just be lost and buried. The task ahead is a difficult one and he should look up to the those who brought him to the throne especially whenever he makes decisions. He should remember that Ghanaians voted for him to be president and as he has promised, he will never fail Ghanaians, so this must be his policy. He should again remember, its the Lord who placed him there and therefore whatever he encounters, he shouldnt shun this God and as he said in his acceptance speech, the Battle is still the Lords, so should this be his hearts desire.

May God be with you, Nana Addo, and God bless Ghana.

Jeffery Amo-Asare

[email protected]
For reading the heading and this first line, I know you love to read. So just imagine you visit a bookshop and there you have it as a gifta book titled The Mind's Paradigms.What do you think would come to mind? In all probability,I am sure you may want to take a closer look at it; read a line or two about the author and book from the back cover; flip through the table of content, etcetera, etcetera! But you know what? The Mind's Paradigms as interesting as it sounds is neither a title of a book nor even a chapter of any book (that I have sighted yet). Rather, it is the motto for University of Ghana's Department of Psychology. Yeah!

But then, let me say this quickly. I am not sure I have the know-how to write on the technicalities of psychology; I find it is such a complex discipline of study. Rather, I would like to engage you in a conversation about another subject. A subject that, I believe is best reflected by the motto of the Psychology Department. And, that is about the need for us to have the right mental paradigm to redeem our nation. Friends, it's obvious Ghana needs redemption from how she is gradually, and with speed, losing her vital values. Values? Yes! I mean the very virtues and actions that gave the average Ghanaian the confidence to 'boast' in any part of the world that I am a Ghanaian.

Why?

I write here, and I do so with understandable sadness, when I consider how only few decades gone by, as Ghanaians we used to talk about, and discuss matters of national interest everywhere with relish at schools, in churches, and by even those who had leisure times under the trees. I was born, bred and had my primary education in Sefwi-Wiawso, a farming community in Ghana's Western Region, as a boy. And I remember how we sang patriotic songs and recited poems in school as part of the orientation to make love for our country and countrymen an integral part of our everyday thinking. I am sure it was so for many children, at least for those in my generation in almost every part of the country. Today, I dare ask: where is that spiritof nationalism? How come patriotism seems to be a matter of little or no interest to the average Ghanaian? It is no more newsworthy! Why?

'Di wo fie asm'. Do you remember that? And do you understand it? Well, I assume without concluding, that you remember but do not understand, as I intend to mean here. Or, perhaps your Twi reading proficiency is that of a beginner.Either way, I am more than willing to help you out. Because, that simple and one-time-popular phrase is what I intend for us to interrogate in a little while. In the end, I should have explained myself. And of course, I trust you would have made out your own conclusions too.

It was in the reaction of a prominent statesman of Ghana to a political tension mounting in a neighbouring country, when that simple but profound four-worded phrase di wo fie asmwas uttered. Almost immediately, as it is the norm with political and social commentators in contemporary Ghana, it became a political and media jargon. Years down the lane, it goes without saying: Di wo fie asm is a household slogan. To the typical English person 'di wo fie asm 'is to wit mind your own business.

Are You Sure?

Be that as it may, I observe with much surprise and keen interest how that simple statement resonates with many who seem to have completely taken the intended meaning of what our late President said out of context. (And to be fair to all, that is not to hold brief for anyone). For instance, consider the way some individuals have deliberately resorted to 'di wo fie asm' as a claim to make legitimate excuse for irresponsible conduct. When a little boy, of say twelve misbehaves in public, no adult has the 'right' to call him to order. Because if you dare try it, his answer will be or would imply 'di wo fie asm'!

Most probably, the little said about sanitation concerns, the better. The woman in 'trotro' who threw on the street the waste she had created by buying food items wrapped in plastic or polythene bags, thinks no one has the 'right to question her. That one too, if you try to point to her the effect that backward-uncivilised action of hers would have on all of us as nation, she would not spare you; not at all. In fact, she would keep it simple by asking at least one of these: What is your problem? How does that concern you? And then she would add: Masa, 'di wo fie asm'! But the question is: Is that really true? Are we getting to the point where nobody has, at least the civic right to demand that another citizen act rightfully and lawfully? Not even for the sake of your own safety? All in the name of 'di wo fie asm'? Are you sure?

The emotions I feel right now as I write may be exactly how my good friend, Mr Joe Lartey felt when he worriedly demanded an answer from me by asking:Is that how we are ruining this country? This he expressed in total dismay upon hearing of one such bizarre attitude or behaviour by some of his countrymenespecially those conducted in public with no remorse whatsoever.

The Huddle

Permit me to mention this at this point. The central idea and motivation for writing this piece was ignited by that wonderful presentation by Dr Richard Selormey at an event held recently by the Human Development (HuD) Group. Dr Selormey thoughtfully captioned his presentation:None of my business: How does it concern me?I believe Richard, himself a rising Ghanaian medical professional could not have achieved what he has wanted to do so far in his short life, if his 'mind's paradigms' were not different from that of the other Ghanaians he so passionately appealed to, beyond those present. Little wonder, he is a Mandela-Washington Fellow. I have no doubt judging from his voracious appetite-for-social development, with which I saw him speak that he is one of the hope-inspiring sons and daughters who are doing, and would continue to do their best for Ghana to become the desired place of rest and work for their children and grandchildren.

The System

So what did Dr Selormey share with us in that meeting? A lot! That should be the simplest answer to such a question. But certainly, that would be too short an answer to be enough for such a vital matter we are discussing herein. So I decided to summarise his presentation as this. Here we go:

Is it your father's job?What or who is it for? Is it not government's job? Didn't we vote?Kindly pause here. Let me ask you: Does any of these expressions ring a bell as you read them? Without waiting for your response I will take you to the bottom line: they all point to one crystal thought which says'politicians in government must do all' Thus, 'it is about them; not us'. In some sense, it is almost as if to say the 'politicians' are to blame for all our national woes. Is that true? Or that's debatable, right? I have no ready answer. But I can share in both opinions. Yet, you see, what we lose sight of is, as John F. Kennedy, Jr. rightly pointed out, that Politics is too important to be left to the politicians, Said differently, Government is too big and too important to be left to the politicians. Sometimes, I wonder who these politicians truly are. Aren't they no other people but some of usGhanaians?

Therefore, we owe it to ourselves. The system will always haunt us one way or the other if we don't help it to change. And if I may ask you: what is THE SYSTEM? Here is the answer: It is you and I; what you and I do. I just could not help but applaud that young Senior High graduate for the simplicity yet conviction with which she answered this very question during the HuDdle where Richard spoke. How I wish many young Ghanaians of her age understood it, as she does. She was so right! The system is the collective effect of our mindsets, as a nation. That is the system we always blame for our collective retrogression.

The Little Candle

If that is the case, then we I mean, you and mehave the power to change and improve the system. Especially, with us the youth. We have the Youth Power! As Dr Yaw Perbi trumpets. Thankfully, it doesn't take much to help the situation. Solving the challenges may not be as difficult as we may imagine; only if we are truly COMMITTED and willing to sacrifice for OUR greater good! My Liberian friend, Cisco Emmanuel in his book, 'Between Her Womb & Your Tomb'puts it this way: If you cannot become the big sun to brighten everywhere [at once] then be that little candle to brighten the little corner wherever you may find yourself.

If only you and I can commit to dealing with just ONE problem or attitude in your community, one at a time, we will all be amazed at how our dear country would tend out to be in a decade or two to come.And, in addition to the national benefits, are also great personal benefits each one of us stands to enjoy as a bye product. I have taken to serving the ageing. What about you? Please, let us adopt a better of the mind's paradigm! We cannot work with di wo fie asm. No! It must be sman byeyie aefiri me ne wo.Indeed,if this country will do well, it depends on me and youTogether, we can all help in building a well-developed Ghana! Let's just do it!!

The writer is a freelance writer

[email protected]

By: Evans A. ADU-GYAMFI
NPP Northern Regional Chairman Bugri Naa with Northern Regional Police Commander DCOP Ken Yeoah addressing party supporters

The Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Bugri Naabu has warned supporters of the party in the Northern Region to desist from attacking supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and seizing government properties.

According to him, when the NDC won power in 2008, their youth seized toilets and NADMO offices.

He condemned the closure of the offices of National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) in Damongo by some NPP youth and appealed to them to desist from that practice.

He indicated that Nana Addo administration would create jobs for them.

Some supporters of the NPP in the Damongo West Gonja District in the Northern Region on Saturday also locked down the district offices of NADMO and YEA.

Mr Naabu said he was able to prevent an attack on the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) office and the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) office in Tamale by NPP supporters last Saturday.

He stated the NPP government cannot work effectively without peace in the region, adding that the NPP youth should be careful because the party would definitely go to opposition in future.

I have retired the NDC party in the Northern Region forever because I would make sure that there are jobs for the youth, and if there are jobs and everything is moving smoothly, nobody would want to change government.

The outspoken chairman indicated that Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, the Vice President-elect and economist, would effectively economy of the country to create jobs for the youth in the country.

Chairman Bugri disclosed that Nana Addo administration would implement the one-district one-factory and one-village one-dam policies to create jobs for the youth.

There would be yam factory, yam market and watermelon factory in the region, I can assure you that.

He thanked the people of the Northern Region for coming out in their numbers to vote massively for the NPP and assured them that his door would be opened for everyone in the region no matter his or her political or tribal affiliations.

The Northern Regional Police Commander DCOP Ken Yeboah warned the youth in the Northern Region to stop the seizure of government properties.

According to him, those party supporters who are going round stealing government properties are depriving their relatives of resources.

DCOP Ken Yeboah stated that the police would arrest anybody who violate the laws of the country.

If you do anything unlawfully, straight away I will take you to prison, he said.

He urged the youth to report any person who steals or takes anything that belongs to the state unlawfully to the police.

From Eric Kombat, Tamale


Former National Organizer of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) Yaw Boateng Gyan has said he and other elders of the party have vowed to resist any attempt to allow persons he describes as small boys to manage President John Mahama if he should be elected as the Flagbearer of the NDC in the future.

According to him, these small boys who have no political experiece were allowed too much space and authority to ran the show around the President, which contributed to the painful defeat of the NDC in the December 7 polls.

The NDC lost last Wednesdays general polls, both Presidential and Parliamentary in an election that the party was so confident of winning, due to the massive infrastructural development carried out by President John Mahama in his first term of office.

But on Friday, December 9, 2016, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei, declared the NPPs presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo winner and President-elect of the Republic of Ghana.

The opposition leader polled 5,716, 026 votes to beat the incumbent President John Dramani Mahama who garnered 4,713,277 votes out of the 10,615,361 valid votes cast.

The NDCs painful defeat suffered at the hands of its arch political opponent has caused some angry and disappointed members including former Ejusi Juaben, Municipal Chief Executive to mention names of certain key party and government officials whose actions and inactions they claim caused the NDCs downfall.

Young men such as Minister of Communications, Dr Omane Boamah and Stan Dogbe have been mentioned by party members as persons who have surrounded the President and continue block access to the President and giving him false information to keep their positions.

Speaking to Kasapa News, Mr Yaw Boateng Gyan whos also a former Presidential Staffer, stated that henceforth only veteran politicians will manage the NDCs future Flagbearer.

President Mahama is the most marketed person in NDC and if hell come back as the Flagbearer, he will not come with those small boys. Well not allow those small boys to surround and manage him again. Stan Dogbe and the rest who have no political experience but yet managed President Mahama let the NDC down in this election.

He added: Well not allow them to disgrace Mahama a second time. Weve vowed to let these small boys know that there are elders in NDC with vast political experience and theyll manage our future flagbearer. We have the likes of Kojo Tsikata, Ato Ahwoi, Totobi Kwakye, Iddrisu Mahama and Issifu Ali, these are the people who will work with our next leader. As for these small boys, well fight them. Politics is no childs play,
Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper has charged the media to compel a Ga chief who promised to abdicate his stool if Nana Akufo-Addo won the presidential elections to speak.

According to Kweku Baako, the chief, Nii Ayi Bonte II, who like others, blatantly went against the constitutional provision which forbids them from being partisan should not be left off the hook.

The veteran journalist believes the Ga Chief should be made to say how he feels about Nana Akufo-Addos win and if indeed he will abdicate his stool as he pledged before the December polls.

Speaking on Peace FMs morning show Kokrokoo, Mr Baako said they called him and he said Im not granting interviewsdo you see the point we were making that it was unwise for chiefs to put themselves in politics? Some of them went to the extreme.

Today he has been disgraced, and he is hiding in a hole, they should drag him out of the hole, put a microphone right in front of him and let him speak for us to hear, the incensed Baako said.

The campaign period towards the 2016 general elections was a charged one. Aside the spurious allegations made by the candidates against each other, there were endorsements from celebrities and chiefs, among others.

Nii Ayi Bonte declaring his support for President Mahama

One chief who pledged his unflinching support to President John Mahama was Nii Ayi Bonte II. During a gathering, largely attended by supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the chief swore to abdicate his stool if Nana Akufo-Addo was voted president.

The Gbese Mantse said President Mahama and the NDC government had done more than enough in terms of projects, hence, was sure they would win the elections and decided to put his stool on the line.

Interestingly, the man has since gone silent after Akufo-Addo was declared winner of the election. He was spotted in Dodowa on Tuesday when president-elect Akufo-Addo paid a courtesy call on members of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs and attempts to get him to speak on president-elects win proved futile.

Nii Ayi Bonte (arrowed) trying to hide from cameras in Dodowa

He told journalists he was not granting interviews at the moment. But Kweku Baako finds this laughable.

The veteran journalist has been criticized and chastised for saying earlier this year that chiefs who endorsed political parties were unwise.

Akufo-Addos victory has somehow vindicated him. He queried why any serious chief, who understood his role as a traditional leader would make unpardonable endorsements like the one the Gbese Manste did.

Why would you make such a pledge, this is a total lack of wisdom and wisdom is a key attribute of a chief, it is a requirement, but when we speak they dont listen.

Now all the other chiefs will see the wisdom in the point we were making, that you should not engage in politics, he added.

For him, it did not make sense for chiefs to assume that they could control their subjects simply because of what their role.

Now they have been disgraced and this should tell people the wisdom in the constitutional provision that chiefs should not play active role in politics, he said.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Naa Sakwaba Akwa | [email protected]
Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood has said the Justice For All programme needs a complete overhaul to ensure its effectiveness.

At the first stakeholders' workshop since the inception of the program, she revealed, though it has saved lots of persons from unduly lavishing in jail and saved the government purse, is fraught with difficulties that impede its success.

More soon...

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Abubakar Ibrahim
On December 12, 2016 the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Valentin Rybakov, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Burkina Faso to the Republic of Belarus non-resident, Antoine Somdah, on the occasion of presentation of copies of the Credentials.

During the meeting, the sides discussed current issues of bilateral cooperation in political, economic, educational spheres. The parties also noted their willingness to intensify contacts in agriculture, technologies and trade.
President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to meet the Asanteman Council in the Ashanti region today December 14.

Nana Addo left Accra Tuesday after meeting with the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs.

Residents of Kumasi have called on him to be a unifier and also fulfil the campaign promises he made to the people of Ghana.

Nana Addo is visiting Kumasi for the first time after his victory in the December 7 polls.

He is also expected to meet party leaders, the clergy and some traders at the Kumasi Central Market. He is expected back in Accra on Thursday December 15.

-Starrfmonline
Adam Shaw reports for Fox News on December 13, that Reps. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., and Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, sent a letter to Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing CEO, warning the deal could weaponize the regime. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) systematically uses commercial aircraft to transport troops, weapons, military-related parts, rockets and missiles to hostile actors around the world, they wrote.  These terrorist groups and rogue regimes have American blood on their hands. Your potential customers do as well.

Lawmakers showed no sign of budging, even after Sundays announcement, and a senior aide to Roskam told FoxNews.com that he intends to aggressively fight the deal in the next Congress. Their hope is that the policy will shift in their favor once President-elect Donald Trump takes office. The aide said, The incoming appointees at Treasury and State will no longer report to a White House willing to bend over backward and ignore national security concerns to keep Iran from walking away from the nuclear deal.

Hensarling, while calling the deal disappointing to say the least, placed blame on President Obama. The President wants us to sell planes not just to this dangerous regime, but to an airline that his own Treasury Department sanctioned in 2011. President Obama even wants U.S. banks to draw on American citizens deposits to finance Iran, a regime that Treasury calls a jurisdiction of primary money laundering concern. If a U.S. financial institution attempts to bankroll Iran in the waning days of the Obama administration, it will have to answer to Congress, he warned.

Hensarling is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Roskam heads the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight.

The House already has passed measures, including a bill in November prohibiting the Treasury Department from financing aircraft sales to Iran, but the bill has not yet gone to the Senate. It will almost certainly be vetoed by President Obama if it passes. On the other hand, it is not clear what President-elect Trump will do with this legislation. He has not yet commented on the Iran Air deal.

While Trump has been a critic of the Iran nuclear agreement, he also advocates for American manufacturing jobs, and has reached out to both Ford and Carrier among other companies in an effort to keep jobs in the U.S. Which is why, in its announcement, Boeing framed the deal as one that would support American jobs.

Todays agreement will support tens of thousands of U.S. jobs directly associated with production and delivery of the 777-300ERs and nearly 100,000 U.S. jobs in the U.S. aerospace value stream for the full course of deliveries, Boeing said, noting that it currently supports more than 1.5 million American jobs.

Some lawmakers backed the deal because is will create jobs for American workers. This deal is good news for Washington state and will help support the thousands of good-paying jobs in my district that rely on trade and Boeings ability to compete in the global marketplace. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., said in a statement.

Trump has already had issues with Boeing, and tweeted that he wants to cancel an order with the company for a new Air Force One, saying the costs are out of control, earlier this month.

The removal of trade sanctions on Iran as part of the nuclear deal last January made the Boeing deal possible. The first planes are set to be delivered to Iran in 2018.
Seven vehicles and a shop were burnt to ashes, Tuesday night, when a fuel tanker exploded at Ejisu-Besease on the Kumasi-Accra road.

It took personnel of the fire service hours to bring the ravaging fire under control and prevent it from spreading to nearby homes.

The cause of the explosion is unknown, though eyewitnesses suspect the fuel tanker may have developed mechanical fault.

No casualty was recorded as the affected vehicles had no occupants at the time of the explosion.

The KNUST Fire commander, DO2 Francis Darko-Kono acknowledged that his team had a hectic time in fighting the fire but managed to bring it under control eventually. He said investigation has commenced to establish the actual cause of the fire.

-3news
There is every reason for us Ghanaians to be grateful after a largely successful election. Sure thing is not everyone is in a jubilant mood, because a candidate you campaigned for, have faith in, and believe could better the lot of many Ghanaians was rejected by voters, for reasons you can never fully know or understand but conjecture. The energy invested, time commitments, late night strategic planning, the house-to-house campaigns, not forgetting the financial support you provided. Sorry if you are that person reading this. Like or loathe, time heals and you will be fine with time. For those whose candidates were triumphant, congratulations! In whichever category you belong, the president-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, assures that You have not elected me to serve one party, but to serve the entire nationWhether you voted for me or not, I can promise you one thing. I will do my best to serve your interests, and put our country back on the path of progress and prosperity. Words of hope indeed! How then are we preparing ourselves to take advantage of the opportunities that will present themselves? Three things are key: orientation of the mind, attitudinal change, and value addition.

I believe and you will agree with me that many of us need to re-orient our minds as a start if we are to take advantage of opportunities that will come our way. Lets be positive and stay positive! You are your thoughts, so staying positive can only trigger the energy and drive needed to improve on your current situation. Theres no need worrying nor being skeptical about what the government will do. That is way too much work! Fact is, we gave them the opportunity to progress our country, so lets allow them do their jobs. If they fail, we will vote them out the next time. Lets constructively criticize government policies, plans, and programs, and engage them with civility when we have the chance. Together and, with such positive energy, we can exorcise the spirit of these guys will not do anything different, they (governments) are all the same. Even in stormy and difficult times, stay positive, for there is nothing more exhilarating than remaining positive and reaping great results. In fact, you spend too much time being negative than training the mind to focus on the right things in life. Your thought is powerful, so be positive because For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee (Proverbs 23:7) says the good book. Lets transmit the positive energy everywhere we find ourselves, and prepare the mind for success.

Now we have a positive outlook on life. We have positioned ourselves to exude the positives even in the worst possible situation, but if we do not change our poor attitudes we cant make progress. Are you going to continue to be late for work yet be the first to leave your office? Do you still fancy littering around and emptying your garbage containers into open drains? Is cutting corners to achieve what you want still your stock in trade? Why do you want to take a brown envelope before you do what you are paid to do? I am not sure why you are incensed by these questions. You ask me what my business is pointing them out? Because I am concerned! I am impacted! Your deeds are retarding the growth of our beloved country, and I cannot be indifferent about them! With the right attitude, we are able to take advantage of opportunities, be successful, and become a guide to others. Its that simple. You cant sleep all day and expect your account balance to increase. Yes, miracles still do happen, but you are not short of success with the right attitude. Truth is, if we are not willing to change our attitudes, the CHANGE Ghana voted for will forever be an illusion. One change here, one change there, and we are good to go! Lets begin reflecting on the negative attitudes and behaviours as a first step; explore proper alternatives to our actions; and begin to pursue these right ways of doing things.

Finally, we cannot be static and not improve ourselves. Without adding value to our lives, we will soon be obsolete and discarded. For those of us who loved our Nokia phones, particularly the Nokia 3310 (a very solid phone!), we could only hope and imagine that we will be purchasing newer versions with improved and better technology. But we have been disappointed, we hardly even hear of Nokia phones these days. We have been ushered into the era of Samsung and iPhone, for the simple reason that Nokia could not improve its technology to compete in the market. So you see, opportunities will present themselves, but if you stay the same, you will be out of the race before it starts. Lets start improving in all facets of our lives. Lets read a few more books than we have done previously. Lets advance our marketing strategies as traders. Lets increasingly make ourselves marketable in the work environment, so that when opportunities beacon, we will be prepared and ready to snatch them. Trust me, it is going to be more competitive than it used to be and we owe ourselves improvement. Mo ma y3n nom nsuo ntw3n )p3!

So, yes, change is here, but are you prepared to take advantage of it? Re-orienting our minds, changing our poor attitudes, and adding value to ourselves will surely go a long way in preparing us to make the most of the opportunities that this CHANGE promises to bring. The time is now!

Anderson Assuah

Natural Resources Institute,

University of Manitoba, Canada ([email protected]).
Mr. Williams Klogo, Projects Coordinator of NEX Group has urged the people of Ghana to support Presidenrt Elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo to execute hs duties as President in a peaceful nation.

In his congratulatory message he commended the people of Ghana for learning much about Democracy and the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by President John Dramani Mahama for showing true love for the nation and exceptional leadership qualities in accepting defeat and preparedness to hand over peacefully in early January next year

NEX Group of Companies Security Alliance congratulated Ghanaians for displaying their maturity in Democracy in the very peaceful elections and the Countrys president-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on his success at the Dec. 7, 2016 poll.

We applaud the Ghanaian people. It is an extraordinary sign of Ghanas strength and resilience as a country that there has been this election with its outcome accepted so clearly said Mr Williams Klogo, Projects Coordinator.

We commend President John Dramani Mahama, for graciously conceding defeat, this is what makes us proud as Ghanaians he added.

We also commend the countrys security agencies for their professional deployments throughout the election period. We edge all Ghanaians to unite and support the new administration he stressed.

NEX is administered and managed by well-motivated Ghanaians of vast experience tapped from the British Army with credentials as security instructors, VVIP protection, NEX have over the past years voluntary provided security assistance to the Ghana High Commission UK and will continue to do so.
The Greater Accra Regional Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Anthony Nukpenu, is blaming the party's founder, former President Jerry John Rawlings for contributing to the partys loss in the general elections.

According to him, Jerry John Rawlings publicly painted the party as corrupt, which the New Patriotic Party (NPP) capitalized on to campaign against them.

Some political analysts have said a lot of Ghanaians voted against the NDC over the recurring corruption scandals under the Mahama-led administration.

The NPP won with an overwhelming 53.85% of the total votes cast, against the NDC's 44.4%.

In an Citi News interview, Anthony Nukpenu said Mr. Rawlings cannot be left out of the blame game.

We as a party we have a founder in the person of Jerry John Rawlings and as party members we felt he should be a protective cover for the party and the government; but he chose to arm the opposition against us. The NPP got to our heels by campaigning against us heavily on this so called corruption perception and anytime they made that claim they claimed that the founder of the NDC is the one who said the president is the most corrupt person and his appointees are very corrupt so they should be voted out. So if you have this message being used against you by your political opponents and courtesy the founder of your party, it goes a long way to affect your political fortunes. And that has been one of the tools that caused us to have this humiliating defeat, he argued.

Why did Akufo-Addo thank Rawlings?

Nukpenu expressed anger over president-elect, Nana Akufo-Addos expression of gratitude to former president Rawlings during his acceptance speech last Friday, after he was declared winner of Ghana's polls.

One of the tools he gave them was corruption, and Nana Akufo-Addo in his acceptance speech congratulated him. On what basis was he congratulating him, thanking him so much for what he has done for him?

Rawlings shut his doors at us but met NPP

The NDC Greater Accra Regional Organizer, also lamented that the former President closed his doors to the NDC, yet met with some NPP executives prior to the election

We as a party making moves to have a meeting with our founder, he will not agree, but he has the time and opportunity to open his doors with Volta Regional NPP executives to have meeting with him. What is he telling the world? So things have gone bad, we don't want to go there. I know the several moves that we made when we needed him and he turned us down. He has brought us to opposition which has been his call, so he should call us; we are ready to go to him.



By: Godwin A. Allotey & Philip Nii Lartey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
The Secretary-General has learned with dismay the takeover yesterday morning of The Gambias Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) premises by the military. He condemns this outrageous act of disrespect of the will of the Gambian people and defiance towards the international community at a time when a high-level Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) delegation was in the country to broker a peaceful transfer of power. This action violates the independent status of the IEC under the Gambian constitution, and could compromise the sensitive electoral material under the Commission's custody.

The Secretary-General reiterates his call for a peaceful, timely, and orderly transfer of power, in full respect of the will of the Gambian people as expressed in the presidential election. He calls on the Gambian military and security forces to immediately vacate the IEC premises and to refrain from any further acts with the intent to jeopardise efforts towards the peaceful transfer of power. Those found responsible for acts of violence and human rights violations must be held accountable.
On December 12, 2016 the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Valentin Rybakov, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Eritrea to the Republic of Belarus non-resident, Petros Tseggai Asghedom, on the occasion of presentation of copies of the Credentials.

During the meeting, the sides discussed prospects for cooperation of the two countries, underlined main directions for cooperation in various spheres.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies has welcomed the manufacturing investment by a Chinese company, Yangtze Optics Africa Cable (YOAC) at the Dube Trade Port Industrial Development Zone in Durban. According to Minister Davies, the investment is strategic in terms of building local capacity in manufacturing of fibre optic cables.

YOAC is a R150 million investment to set up and operate a modern optical fibre cable manufacturing plant in South Africa, by Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company (YOFC) from China, and Mustek Limited, a JSE listed company.

Following the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) that took place in December 2015, and the recent Bi-National Commission (BNC) with China held last month, this investment is a boost in terms of our bilateral relations with China and the commitment made by the Chinese government towards building industrial capacity on the African continent. During the BNC, the Chinese Vice President, Dr Li Yuanchou, commended South Africa for building world-class infrastructure in the Special Economic Zones to attract investment, says Davies.

He adds that YOACs optical fibre cable manufacturing plant, with an initial capacity of one million fibre kilometres, will introduce new modern manufacturing equipment and processes, in the manufacturing of optical fibre cable in SA. Davies also asays it is the intention of YOAC to manufacture a range of new generation optical fibre cable products for the SA Information and Communication Technology and broadband market, as well as key export markets in West and East Africa.

The construction on the optical fibre cable plant started in May this year after a successful soil-turning event attended by Chinese and South Africa government officials. The build and installation phase of the project was completed by end of November 2016, a mere six months from the start of the plant construction. We are able to roll out green field plants in record, which bodes well for the Dube Trade Port as an attractive investment value proposition, adds Davies.

He highlights that the new manufacturing facility is expected to create a number of hi-tech new jobs within the sector and that high level technical skills development will be at the forefront of the companys skills development programme.

To date, YOAC has recruited 42 employees of which a significant majority of them was sourced from local communities adjacent to the King Shaka International Airport. YOAC intends to create a further 80 employment opportunities in 2017. Nearly two-thirds of the employment opportunities created are technical positions, requiring additional technical skills transfer training from YOFC adds Davies.

According to him the plan for the next phase is to build an optical fibre drawing facility which will mainly produce optical fibre which is the main raw material for cable production.

"The YOAC investment further signifies that South Africa remains an attractive investment destination for hi-tech advanced manufacturing sectors and reinforces our collaboration on a bilateral level with China. The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) through InvestSA remains committed to supporting foreign and domestic investors through the reduction of investment related challenges in line with the mandate of the One-Stop Shop model in South Africa, says Minister Davies.
Juba (AFP) - President Salva Kiir called Wednesday for a "national dialogue" to end the three-year-long civil war in South Sudan.

In a speech to parliament, Kiir, whose wrangling for power with his former deputy Riek Machar plunged the world's newest nation into a brutal, destructive and ongoing civil war in December 2013, said the dialogue would "consolidate peace" in South Sudan.

Kiir said a panel of "eminent personalities and people of consensus" would guide the national dialogue which would involve "all the people of South Sudan" but did not say who the panel members would be.

The ambitious aims of the initiative, he said, are to "save the country from disintegration and usher in a new era of peace, stability and prosperity."

"As long as I am your president, I will not allow the suffering of our people to continue and I will not also allow this country to fall apart," Kiir said.

Kiir's troops and allied militia have been accused of ethnic massacres, rape and sexual slavery, looting, pillage and the forced recruitment of child soldiers. Rebels have perpetrated similar crimes.

In recent weeks fresh ethnic killings -- most allegedly carried out by Kiir's forces -- in and around the southern town of Yei have triggered genocide warnings from the UN.

In his speech Kiir asked forgiveness "for any mistakes I might have committed" but did not specify what they might be.

Neither was there any mention of justice for crimes committed, nor of his arch enemy Machar who is currently in exile in South Africa after being chased from the country during battles that raged in the capital Juba in July.

Nevertheless, Kiir issued a directive to both government and rebel forces "to immediately cease hostilities, protect their fellow citizens and prepare the ground for a more peaceful, secure and joyous Christmas and New Year."

Kiir's call comes at the start of the traditional fighting season, after the rains have stopped, and on the eve of the civil war's third anniversary.
International Relations Expert Vladmir Antwi Danso has asked the West Africa High delegation to the Gambia to be stern in getting Yahya Jammeh out of office.

President Yahya Jammeh has refused to step down after he was defeated in the December 1 polls.

He initially conceded defeat but later said he was no longer accepting the results.

The US and his opponents have condemned his turn around. Speaking to Roland Walker on the AM Show today, Mr. Antwi Danso said Jammehs actions dent the countrys democratic credentials.

He suspects the fear of unknown may have contributed to Jammeh's refusal to step down.

Jammeh at 29 took over the reins of power in 1994 in a bloodless coup d'etat which removed Dawda Jawara from office.

Seen as a dictator by some human rights activists, Jammeh has been in office for 22 years after winning three separate elections.

His fourth attempt at the presidency was foiled by Adama Barrow who defeated him in the 2016 election .

Mr Barrow won 263,515 votes representing 45.5% in Thursday's election, while President Jammeh took 212,099 representing, 36.7%, according to the electoral commission.

A third party candidate, Mama Kandeh, won 102,969 (17.8%).

President Yahya Jammeh conceded defeat but made a u-turn several days later claiming there were massive irregularities in the elections. He has since refused to hand over power to the president elect.

A number of African leaders including President John Mahama are in Gambia as ECOWAS initiates efforts to get that countrys President Yahya Jammeh to step down after losing the elections.

Antwi Danso said the ECOWAS leaders should not treat the Gambian leader with kid gloves.

"It is very unfortunate. The ECOWAS group should be resilient, relentless in their quest for Jammeh to hand over power.

"If they don't succeed we shall have a certain monster there. What Jammeh has done amounts to a coup d'etat. The protocol on governance and change of government should be applied to the letter," he said.

Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com
The incoming New Patriotic Party administration says it has information that government is improperly dishing out contracts and appointments after losing power.

The representative of the president-elect on the transition team Yaw Osafo Maafo said this is part of several complaints and allegations which have come to the attention of the NPP transition team.

Revealing more, he said there are allegation that the National Democratic Congress is recruiting its people into the security services and also selling off government properties and assets.

Yaw Osafo Maafo said some temporary staff and assistants of some NDC officials are being given permanent employment within the civil and public service.

The Chief of Staff-designate said he had heard all this 'from the grapevine'.

"I hope it is not true" he said at a meeting between members of the incoming government and the out-going government.

Photo: Out-going Chief of Staff Julius Debrah [left] President-elect and Vice-President-elect [in middle] and NPP transition team members [right]

At the Accra International Conference Centre where the handing-over meeting is being held, the co-chairperson warned that the NPP will probe these allegations when it is sworn into office January 7, 2017.

"We do not want to believe that these allegations are true" Yaw Osafo Maafo said and called on government officials to be circumspect of its actions.

"We need to be cautious, We need to be transparent, We need to be candid and we need to be factual" he said.

He said the out-going NDC administration must consult the in-waiting government within the transition period before binding agreements are finalised.

"We are therefore appealing to our colleagues....if there is a need for an agreement to be concluded, it is only fair ....that you bring in the in-waiting government, discuss and get the green light to carry it out"

Osafo Maafo said this is in line with international convention.

The Mahama-led NDC government will be handing over on January 7 to President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo [right]

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Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|EA
In 1988, the elder Montazeri spoke out against his colleagues participation in a massacre of political prisoners, particularly members of the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran. The incident greatly contributed to Montazeris subsequent ouster from the regime, after which point the remaining officials maintained a conspiracy of silence regarding the massacre. But in August of this year, Ahmed Montazeri used the Telegram social networking application to release the recording of his fathers critical statements. The result was virtually unprecedented public dialogue about the massacre, but also immediate reprisal against Montazeri for the release.

The Human Rights Watch statement noted that this simple release of decades-old information was essentially treated as an act of treason, resulting in Montazeri being handed a six year prison sentence. The judiciary also warned Montazeri that but for his family background and his lack of a criminal record, he would have been condemned to a much longer sentence.

Despite seeking to make an example of Montazeri and thus continue to minimize awareness of the massacre, some Iranian officials have continued to defend the events of 1988. Current Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi, for instance, stated in the wake of the recordings release that he was proud to have carried out Gods commandment of death for the PMOI. Human Rights Watch observes that it is expected that hardliners would defend such violence.

But some Western lawmakers may have previously regarded Pourmohammadi as a moderate, by virtue of his membership in the cabinet of the supposedly moderate President Hassan Rouhani. As many critics of the Iranian regime have done in the past, the Human Rights Watch statement serves to question the moderate or reformist credentials of the Rouhani administration and the entirety of the Iranian government. It chastises the self-described moderates and reformists for their refusal to so much as question the sentence against Ahmed Montazeri or any number of other repressive actions.

A rather similar and even more strongly worded statement came from inside Iran shortly after the Human Rights Watch statement. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported on Monday that the Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi had declared in an interview that President Rouhani was personally to blame for the recent repressive actions of the Intelligence Ministry, which has been major driving force in a recognized crackdown on activists, journalists, and supposedly pro-Western citizens.

The International Campaign notes that every Iranian president since the Islamic revolution has exerted some level of control over the Intelligence Ministry, but Rouhani has appeared to cede all that control back to the organization. This move comes in spite of a series of reformist campaign promises preceding Rouhanis 2013 election. Ebadi accused the president not only of violating these promises but also of failing to uphold the countrys constitution at a time when the Intelligence Ministry and other hardline authorities continue to make threats against political targets and their families, in line with her own personal experience.

High on the list of Rouhanis broken promises is freedom for Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, the leaders of the 2009 Green Movement, which emerged out of protests against the disputed reelection of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Another report by the International Campaign pointed out on Friday that the Iranian judiciary had suggested that it might finally be able to formally bring the two men up on charges, six years after they were placed in house arrest without trial.

The report goes on to say that while the judiciary appears to be presenting this as a threat, the Green Movement leaders have been demanding a public trial virtually since their arrests. Karroubi himself issued eleven formal requests, all of which were ignored. The International Campaign quoted Karroubis son as saying that the Islamic Republic has been engaged in unlawful behavior and that President Rouhanis government has not taken any steps in this regard to carry out its duty in defending the constitution.

In this way, both Ebadi and Karroubi contradict the narrative, long advanced by the purveyors of conciliatory Western relations with Iran, that the Rouhani administration could be expected to advance a trend toward moderation. Some other sources have been noticeably more charitable in their assessment of Rouhanis record, but in most cases even these assessments have stopped well short of saying that the president is seriously improving the lives of his people or pushing back against hardline repression.

IranWire claimed on Monday that the situation for labor activists in Irans unofficial teachers unions had improved under Rouhanis presidency, but not so much so that they do not still face frequent arrests. More than that, the article emphasized that in many cases, arrest and prosecution had simply been replaced by other forms of repression, such as damaging cuts to already subsistence-level salaries.

The clear implication of the IranWire article is that in some respects, the current Iranian presidential administration continues to exhibit a moderate image even while failing to uphold that image in a meaningful way. At the same time, a wide variety of other criticisms serve to deny the notion that there is even an appearance of moderation in the Rouhani government. Indeed, looking beyond the situation of teacher-activists, labor relations throughout the Islamic Republic have frequently turned violent in recent months and years, and virtually always in service of the denial of rights to workers. Another IranWire report points out that bus drivers had organized protests early this month over broken promises regarding compensatory housing. The initial protest was met with beatings by security forces, and a subsequent gathering outside a government building resulted in threats of further violence and dismissal.

Of course, labor rights activists are by no means the only groups to face this treatment. The Human Rights Activists News Agency reported over the weekend that a crowd of people had been attacked with batons and tear gas, and at least 15 people had been forcibly arrested after gathering outside of the hospital where religious leader Mohammad Ali Taheri was reportedly lying in a coma as a result of his lengthy prison hunger strike.

Taheris supporters have frequently been targeted for repression as a result of their status as a minority religious movement. Only a handful of religions are acknowledged by the Iranian constitution, and apart from mainstream Shiite Islam even these are frequently subject to repression. A separate HRANA report highlights the cases of nine members of one of the most persecuted religious groups, the Bahai. As well as being victims of the same sort of repression as Taheris supporters, the given Bahai practitioners represent a range of other familiar activities by the regime, including the denial of medical treatment and the ouster of undesirables from education and public commerce.

In light of the reports from HRANA and other human rights oriented sources, it seems clear that these behaviors remain unchanged and may even be increasing in frequency as the crackdown continues on supposed threats to the regimes hardline Shiite identity. Insofar as that crackdown began in earnest last year, it also coincided with a period of executions greater than any equivalent period in the past 20 years.

While the figures for the current year have yet to be determined, it is clear that the regime continues to execute people en masse, perhaps partly with an eye toward public intimidation. Another HRANA report recently revealed another six drug offenders who had been killed at once in Urmia on November 14.

Iran has been internationally condemned for its record on executions, not only because of the rate thereof but also because of the regimes penchant for public executions and other practices that deliberately defy international standards. It has so far proved unwilling to relinquish those behaviors, thereby suggesting that the factor of intimidation is important to the regime.

The same conclusion was suggested by IranWire on Friday when it published an article on the topic of the various raids that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has conducted mixed-gender parties. The article pointed out that the media coverage of these incidents is an important aspect of their prosecution, being a means of both publicizing Iranian standards of moral behavior and making it clear to Iranian citizens that the apparatus of repression remains in place and functional, even during the Rouhani presidency.
The representative of President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo, on the Transition team, Yaw Osafo Marfo, has asked for clarity on alleged fresh recruitments into the public sector, and the awarding of fresh contracts, after the National Democratic Congress government lost the elections.

He warned that such last minute deals could have far-reaching consequences for the incoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

Mr. Marfo was speaking at the plenary session of todays [Wednesday] transition team meeting, where he expressed concern about the allegations he claimed to have heard from the grapevine.

We have heard of ongoing recruitment into the security services now which we hope is not true. We have heard of the conversion of temporary staff of political assistants and some of the staff we took on into permanent public servants.

We have heard of the awarding of new contracts after the election results were announced on December 9. We've heard of the procurement of sales and national assets also after the results, the former Finance Minister added.

Mr. Marfo however indicated that, he and his team were not going to overreact to these allegations, as he urged the government to be open to consultation if any decision had to be taken.

We need to be cautious, we need to be transparent, we need to candid and we need to be factual. We are therefore appealing to our colleagues that within this period, if there is anything that needs to be done, consultation needs to be brought on board.

The role the Transition team

The 16-member Transition team was officially inaugurated on December 12 by President Mahama.

By the provisions of the Presidential Transition Act 2012 (Act 845) the Transition team is to make comprehensive arrangements to regulate the transfer of political power following a Presidential election, and to do this by forming various sub-committees that will be responsible for different aspects of the process of the transfer of power.

Government had earlier indicated the Transition team meeting today [Wednesday] was expected to settle on the committees to be established and the composition of each committee so that the various committees can begin the process of planning the inauguration ceremony, handing over the machinery of the Civil Service.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The Chief of Staff Julius Debrah has admonished spokespersons of the transition teams to switch from a campaign mode as serious governance business begins.

The comments by Mr. Debrah comes after the spokesperson for the President-elects Transition Team, Mustapha Hamid, said the outgoing government has not handed over any notes to the incoming administration contrary to the Transitional Act 2012.

But speaking to the media Wednesday during the ongoing transition process in Accra, Mr. Debrah dismissed the claims stating that handing over notes from most of the ministries are ready.

He added that notes from the other ministries will be ready by Monday as agreed between the two teams.

As we speak now almost all the handing over notes are readythe handing over notes from Ministries of Finance, Lands, Transport, Chieftaincy, Food and Agriculture, Fisheries, Interior and Defence are ready and we will make sure the others are ready by Monday.

Mr. Debrah added that the statements by the spokesperson of the NPP campaign team is not helpful to the progress of the transition team.

I also want to draw the attention of the spokespersons of the two campsit seems some people want us to continue with the campaign mode but since we are shifting from campaign mode to governance mode as much as possible we should try and control what we say so the transition does not veer off, the former Eastern regional minister added.
Rome (AFP) - Academy award-winning director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is planning to put on public show a boat which sank off Libya killing up to 900 people, Italy's La Repubblica reported Wednesday.

The Mexican, of "Birdman" (2014) and "The Revenant" (2015) fame, wants to transport the blue migrant vessel -- now empty of its cargo of death -- from Sicily to Milan, and display it in front of the city's Gothic cathedral.

The director hopes to put it on show by March 24, to coincide with a visit by Pope Francis, a fierce defender of migrant rights.

Inarritu plans to use the northern Italian city as a launchpad for exhibiting the boat in sites around the world, the daily said.

The heavily overcrowded vessel capsized in pitch darkness on April 18-19, 2015 after running into a freighter that was racing to its aid.

It was the Mediterranean's worst disaster since World War II.

The migrant vessel's Tunisian captain was found guilty of multiple manslaughter Tuesday and sentenced to 18 years in prison. His Syrian first mate got five years.

Migrants wait to be rescued by a Maltese boat off Libya last month

While prosecutors put the number of dead at around 700, forensic scientists counting body parts said it was closer to 900.

Italy's navy had the grisly task of raising the corpse-packed vessel from the seabed this year after the government promised to give the victims decent burials as a symbol of respect for all migrants who have died trying to reach Europe's shores.
President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is expected to meet the Asanteman Council after his victory in last Wednesday's presidential poll.

He would outline some key programmes and projects he would implement to bring about development in the Region.

The incoming President would also thank the chiefs for their support in an election incumbent President John Mahama was predicted to win.

Related Article: I remain committed to fulfilling my promises- Akufo-Addo

President-elect meets Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs

His visit comes a day after he addressed the chiefs of the Greater Accra Tradition Council on the outskirt of Accra, Tuesday.

The President-elect thanked the chiefs for the stunning performance of the party in the Region which saw the New Patriotic Party (NPP) winning 21 out of the 34 parliamentary seats.

He also won 52 percent of the popular votes in the Region.

'I remain committed to fulfilling my promises made to the people of the Region," he said in Ga.

'The promise to build a harbour at both the James Town and Teshie Townships would be carried out,' he added.

Kumasi goes agog

Some NPP supporters in Kumasi have massed up at the Kumasi Airport awaiting the arrival of Nana Akufo-Addo.

Some residents of Kumasi who spoke to Joy News were high-spirited that the new President will deliver to the satisfaction of all Ghanaians.

I am aware that he is coming and by Gods Grace he has done well and Ghanaians have voted for him, we expect him to do well. To do what he has for us one-village, one-dam and one-district, one-factory, one resident told Joy News.

This election was about Kumasi so Nana is here to say Thank you. From there he will be at the Central Market to interact with the people. Nana will be able to deliver, another also said.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | AKABP
There is no reset button in life. You cant take anything back, and you cant undo anything. All of your actions have consequences, and the things you say and do today will have a lasting impact on the rest of your life. You have to understand that, and be aware of it while making your decisions - Sampuita Marquez

The 2016 Ghanaian elections are over. A careful assessment of the process and what have transpired over the years since President Mahama assumed office showed the NDC and the Mahama led administration lost a very important election they could have won so easily. There were several factors that contributed to it. For instance they had much resource than the NPP. The NPP had also suspended three of their top national executives going into the elections.

I have always maintained that, President Mahama failed to crack the whip on issues of corruption. There were lots of scandals under the mahama led administration which the perpetrators where not brought to book or prosecuted. Examples , 15 million cedis SADA money spent on gunea fowls that could not be accounted for , DVLA deal of 3.6 million dollars with Foto X Which was highly inflated to 9.9 million dollars, 32,498,00 Ghana cedis was paid to ACICL to plant 5 million trees but only 700,000 were accounted for, the BNI in 2014 uncovered allowances paid 22,612 non existent service personnels, 4 million dollars was sent on a chattered flight to Brazil to the Black Stars players as their appearance fee that became an international ridicule, the GYEEDA scandal in 2013 and 1.1 billion Cedis was lost, overbilled bus branding of 1.9million to 3.6 million cedis, the controversial judgment dept. paid business man Alfred Agbesi Woyome and many others. Life is full of choices and it is those choices that will make the difference between a good or bad outcome, and President Mahama often times appeared unconcern.

During the heat of campaigns for the election, some of these issues came up. Many Ghanaians expected the President and his communicators to address them but on the other hand, many of government communicators like Omane Boamah, Kofi Adams and Felix Ofosu Kwakye, very intelligent guys, rather sort to defend most of these scandals. This posture also made many discerning Ghanaians feel insulted and could not succumb to the propaganda being peddled by this member of the NDC. I am so sure President Mahama had seen all this but fell death ears to it.

This Propaganda and lies by some top nation executives of the NDC started growing so it transcended to some members of their party. In an attempt to make those lies work, they lost the social media campaign. The door to door campaign that won them 2012 elections was ignored and not effective anymore because it was characterize with insults and character assignation of then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo. Monies also did not go down to the grassroots footsodiers for the campaign. This also annoyed most of them and did not even go out to vote at all for the NDC and others also voted the NPP.

Some the leaders were very selfish. Rumor also has it that, Dr. Omane Boamah may be seeking and nurturing his Presidential ambitions so directly or indirectly blocked colleagues access to the President. Rumor also has it that the President on most occasions was not briefed about the truth on the grounds until realizing how miserably he lost an election he could have won.

There were no Jobs for the youth and many other NDC loyalists who sacrificed their time for the party to win power. Many of them felt neglected. Yet the president at some point in time on national television attributed the unemployment situation to the fact that Ghanaian students dont choose the right courses in school. This I know didnt go down well with some employed NDC friends I know and promised to vote him out.

Governments must have the interest of its people in mind by so doing ensure equal participation in the process. The NDC provided some social interventions but school fees were high, food, electricity bills, water etc. There were also several agitations, strikes from nurses, teachers and doctors on allowances, drivers on over hiked insurance fees. To some people the roads and hospitals are good but it wont put food on their table. This informs their decision to vote.

Koku Anyidoho insulted almost everyone. Some national executives never visited their constituents again after 2012 elections. Others only sits in their V8S and pass. Some party members who visited their MPS for jobs had the shock of their lives when some of the MPs told them their offices are not labor office.

So cumulatively, the posture of some leaders of the party and President Mahamas failure to crack the whip on corruption and some behaviors of his party members lead to his shocking loss of over one million votes, which if care is not taken can keep the NDC in opposition for a long time also with the growing Buwumia factor in the NPP and the nation at large.

Now the NDC seem disorganized because of the loss. They need to regroup and strategize for 2020 otherwise suffer another humiliation.
14.12.2016 LISTEN

There is no denying the fact that genuine Christians or servants of God face various forms of harassment worldwide. It is also not novel to our generation because whatever situation people of God find themselves in today is a manifestation and fulfillment of bible prophecies.

Jesus Christ himself, during his earthly ministry, made it clear to his apostles in John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

We read about John the Baptist or Baptizer in the bible, a Jewish itinerant preacher in the early first century who baptized Jesus.

John is revered as a major religious figure in Christianity, Islam, the Baha'i Faith, and Mandaeism. He is called a prophet by all of these traditions, and is honoured as a saint in many Christian traditions.

There is enough evidence backed by biblical scriptures which point to the fact, that John the Baptist was decapitated for standing against ungodly practices.

The book of Matthew 14:1-12 accounts; When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus, he said to his advisers, This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles. For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herods brother Philip). John had been telling Herod, It is against Gods law for you to marry her.

Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet. But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodiass daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted.

At her mothers urging, the girl said, I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray! Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders.

So John was beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. Later, Johns disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.

The scriptures quoted above dispel the misconception that ONCE YOU ARE BORN AGAIN YOU SHALL FACE NO CHALLENGES. In fact, all the apostles called into ministry by Jesus Christ himself faced various degrees of persecution; some were beheaded, nailed on the cross, beaten to death etc.

According to the canonical gospels, Jesus, the Christ, himself was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally crucified by the Romans. Jesus was stripped of his clothing and offered wine mixed with gall to drink, before being crucified. 2 Corinthians 5:21 explains: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

It is therefore clear that NO ardent follower of Jesus Christ will be spared of torture and humiliation in this world.

But should Christians give up their godliness or salvation for the sake of persecution? No!

Matthew 10:28 says, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Christians must rise to the occasion and preach the gospel, win souls for God in the name of Jesus without fear or favour. For, in doing so, we have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

BUT CAN ANY WELL MEANING PERSONS PERSECUTE THE CHURCH? No, unless the tormentor is under some demonic influences because such barbaric attacks on Gods people originate from the pit of hell where Satan rules. The bible teaches us that God is love and as such; we must love our neighbours as Christ loves the church. This goes without saying, Anything close to God receives attack. That is why we hear of news in recent times about various Holy Spirit filled churches and their leaders being hounded across the globe.

This canker has even crept into weaker churches whose members and leaders become the mouthpiece of Satan castigating the fivefold ministry namely apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors (or "shepherds") and teachers.

Jesus and his apostles, during their earthly ministry, demonstrated power; the sick were healed, blind received their sight, dead people were resurrected, the lame walked, demon possessed delivered, and sinners received salvation by the word of prophecy etc.

Hebrews 2:3-4 points out: How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.

But many unbelievers and blind churches do not believe in miracles, signs and wonders. Hence, they humiliate servants of God who minister healing, deliverance, prophecy and baptism in the Holy Spirit.

BUT DO FALSE PROPHETS EXIST? Yes! The gospel according to 1 Timothy 4:1-7 admonishes: Gods Spirit specifically tells us that in later days there will be men who abandon the true faith and allow themselves to be spiritually seduced by teachings of the devil, teachings given by men who are lying hypocrites, whose consciences are as dead as seared flesh.

These men forbid marriage, command abstinence from foodgood things which, in fact, God intends to be thankfully enjoyed by those who believe in him and know the truth.

Everything God made is good, and is meant to be gratefully used, not despised. The holiness or otherwise of a certain food, for instance, depends not on its nature but on whether it is eaten thankfully or not, It is consecrated by the man who has accepted the message, and thanks God for food.

You will be doing your duty as Christs minister if you remind your church members of these things (false teaching), and you will show yourself as one who owes his strength to the truth of the faith he has absorbed and the sound teaching he has followed. But steer clear of all these stupid Godless fictions. Take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit.

The best way to differentiate between a true and false prophet is by heavily relying on the Holy Spirit for revelation because we are encouraged to walk by FAITH and not by SIGHT; the way and manner we see things with our naked eyes is different from Gods way of judging things. Only HE can disclose the truth. We are bound to fail or sin if we depend on our own strength to judge or test all spirits.

We are also presaged to know true or false teachers by their fruits. Galatians 5:22-23 categorizes such fruits as the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

These are the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, anyone who does not bear such fruits is not a true follower of Christ.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO PERSECUTE CHRIST AND HIS FOLLOWERS? The gospel of Mark 3:27-29 answers: Indeed, no one can enter a strong mans house to steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Truly I tell you, the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin.

The main problem of many Christians today is tongue problem; they are quick to condemn other people based on media reports, gossips or personal vendetta. It is for this reason Jesus said, How can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, while there is still a beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers eye. Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.Matthew 7:4-6

My advice to all Christians is to channel their resources into the spreading of the gospel of Christ Jesus rather than expend towards the annihilation and persecution of the church. In James 1:26-27 the bible says: If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not restraint his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

In conclusion, I must stress that; the language our LORD JESUS CHRIST understands is LOVE. To be a true child of God we must love our neighbours as we love ourselves.

To God be all the glory!!!
Speaking at the official opening of a 30million Kwacha UKaid funded weighbridge in Kafue today, British High Commissioner to Zambia Fergus Cochrane-Dyet said: "The UKs new support for the weighbridge will make it easier, safer and quicker to move goods from the point of production to border crossings. Infrastructure development is vitally important for a 'land-linked' country like Zambia, helping it to diversify its economy and increase its trade with neighbouring countries. Projects like this one will help to stimulate economic growth and create more jobs for young Zambians. "

"The Kafue weighbridge is one element of UK support to boost trade and develop key transport infrastructure in Southern Africa. It includes the upgrading of the final section of the road from Lusaka to Chirundu (Link 4), which is expected to be completed early next year. Link 4 connects with the One Stop Border Post at Chirundu, which was also developed with an earlier grant from the UK and reduced waiting times for freight vehicles at the border from 3-5 days to 24 hours."

The state-of-the-art weighbridge has been made possible with the help of a 30 million kwacha grant from the UKs Department for International Development (DFID) .

The new facility will measure the axle weight of trucks using the Lusaka to Chirundu road, helping to reduce overloading and the damage this causes on one of Zambia and Southern Africas most important trading routes. Studies suggest the new weighbridge can reduce overloading from about 20% of trucks to around 5% - producing maintenance savings for the Zambian government of over 80 million kwacha.
Brussels (AFP) - The EU on Wednesday hailed Niger for sharply curbing the flow of irregular migrants coming to Europe as Brussels steps up aid-for-cooperation efforts with African countries.

At a European Union summit Thursday in Brussels, leaders are to discuss a European Commission report showing Niger has cut the number of migrants from 70,000 in May to 1,500 in November.

"The main success story is going to be Niger," a senior EU official told reporters on the eve of the summit and a visit to Brussels by the impoverished African country's president Mahamadou Issoufou.

The EU is seeking aid-for-cooperation "compacts" with Niger as well as Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mali and Senegal by early next year, when the weather improves and migrants are likely to head en masse again to Europe.

Migrants from west Africa travel north through Niger to the Mediterranean coast of Libya, where smugglers put them on rickety boats to Italy, which received a record number of 175,000 people this year.

The EU has been turning its sights on the Libya-to-Italy passage since a March deal with Turkey dramatically slowed the number of migrants landing in Greece, the main entry point for Europe last year in the worst migration crisis since World War II.

The EU is also training the Libyan coast guard to stop migrant smuggling but the UN-backed Government of National Accord is struggling to end a civil conflict.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the 28-nation EU, said Niger had not only cut the numbers but also helped repatriate 4,430 migrants to their home countries.

It said it has earmarked another 500 million euros to an emergency trust fund for the five African countries, bringing the total to more than 2.3 billion euros.

The fund, announced at an EU-Africa summit in Malta last year, is meant to help finance development projects and so ease the poverty driving migrants to Europe.
A GNA feature by Laudia Sawer, GNA

Tema, Dec 14, GNA - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the just ended general elections lost a huge number of parliamentary seats to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) even at constituencies deemed to be strongholds of the ruling government.

As names of some of the bigwigs of parliament including ministers were being announced on the numerous radio and television stations for being shown the door by their electorates, others whose ballots were still being collated could not be still as they don't know what was in the pipeline for them.

Some of the bigwigs who failed to win the seat for the NDC were Miss Hannah Tetteh, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and MP for Awutu Senya West, Amadu Sorogho of Madina-Abokobi, Baba Jamal, MP for Akwatia, Sena Okity Duah, MP for Ledzokuku and Deputy Minister Fisheries and Aqua Culture, Paul Evans Aidoo, MP for Sefwi-Wiawso and former Western Regional Minster, among others.

Even though the electorates punished the NDC in some constituencies, the party managed to retain their dominance in the Kpone-Katamanso, Ningo-Prampram, Shai-Osodoku, Ada West and Ada constituencies as voters showed their unflinching support for the party.

Kpone-Katamanso

At the Kpone-Katamanso constituency, Mr Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, Greater Accra Regional Minster and incumbent MP was retained with 30,541 votes as against the 27,001 his closest contender Solomon Tettey Appiah, of the NPP got.

The win meant Mr Afotey Agbo has been given the chance to represent his people for the fourth consecutive time in Parliament.

Even though he won, he lost about 3, 048 votes out of the 33,598 he won with during the 2012 elections. Mr Appiah on the other hand gained 3,017 votes in addition to the 23,984 votes he received in 2012.

Mr Afotey Agbo after his win attributed the reduction in his votes to some members of his party campaigning against him for selfish reasons. According to him monies were also given to some of them to vote 'skirt and blouse'.

Being a native of Nungua also contributed to him losing heavily in Kpone, as the people of Kpone were bent on getting an MP from their midst.

He however won due to his affable nature, championing of developmental works in the constituency including making the roads in the area motorable, lobbying for the construction of one of the day secondary schools in Kpone, among others.

Ningo-Prampram

Mr Samuel Nartey George, popularly known as Sam Dzata George, won the seat for the NDC in the Ningo-Prampram constituency with a difference of 10,272 as he polled 23,860 votes over the 13,588 his closest contender Mr Sylvester Tetteh, of the NPP garnered in the polls.

Mr Sam George's win was a great improvement over the 21,178 the current MP, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah won the seat with in 2012. The NPP Mr Tetteh on the other hand lost some 3,534 from what the 17,122 he got in 2012.

The MP-elect managed to retain the seat for the NDC despite some alleged mechanizations by some aggrieved members of his party who supported the incumbent MP during the primaries.

In 2012, the people of Ningo massively voted for the NPP Mr Tetteh as according to them they were fed up with Mr E.T. Mensah who hailed from Prampram. They accused him of developing his hometown and Ningo hence incurring their wrath.

The situation in the 2016 election was however different as both Mr Sam George and Mr Tetteh hailed from Ningo making it difficult for the NPP to get that sympathy vote from that town.

Shai-Osudoku

The Shai-Osudoku constituency which is made up of 52 and 55 Shai and Osodoku villages respectively, voted massively to retain the seat for the NDC with a new MP Mrs Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo.

Mrs Ocloo received 20,114 votes as against the NPP's Mr Stephen Nene Oyortey 6,518, Mr Emmanuel Martey Tettey of the Progressive People's Party's (PPP) 3,203 and 154 votes polled by Mr Solomon Narh Boih.

The MP-elect who decided to contest for the seat to honour her deceased husband who was then the NDC's parliamentary candidate won big as she received some sympathy votes from electorates.

Her campaign team also embarked on an intensive house to house campaign exercise which gave the electorates especially the grassroots members a sense of belonging.

The contributions of Mr Kpessah Whyte, who lost to her in the primaries, also helped project the NDC as having a united front in the constituency. He supported her campaign with money and logistics.

Ada East

The MP for Ada East, Madam Comfort Doeyo Cudjoe Ghansah, also did not disappoint the NDC as she received 18,707 forming 79.13 per cent of the votes. The other candidates polled 3,137 for the NPP's Mr Sanakey Kanor, 1,006 for the NDP's Mr Manasseh Asupah and Mr Daniel Katey Ossah of the Convention People's Party (CPP) was rewarded with 435 of the votes.

Madam Ghansah's big win as been attributed to her presence in the constituency. Residents praised her for being there whenever her help was needed.

She ensured the provision of sea defence projects, helped farmers with implements and other farm needs to boom their farming activities in the area. A tomato factory was also inaugurated under her leadership.

Ada West

The incumbent MP for the Ada West constituency, Mr Christian Korletey Otuteye, retained his seat with a total vote of 13,269 as against the 11,342 Mr Divine Otoo Agorhom of the NPP gained.

It is however interesting to note that despite his winning, the presidential candidate for the NDC President John Dramani Mahama received 16,426 votes, 3,157 more than what Mr Otuteye won with.

On the other hand, Mr Agorhom received 3,552 more votes over the 7,790 the NPP presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo received. This is an indication that most of the NDC sympathizers voted for President Mahama and the NPP parliamentary candidate.

Even though the electorates were determined to change their MP, he narrowly won to retain his position. The MP during the campaign period provided streetlights in the constituency, donated exercise books to schools, helped completed a school building, ICT centre, library and police offices for the area but one thing remains obvious- his declining popularity.

GNA
By Francis Ameyibor, GNA

Dodowa, (GAR), Dec. 14, GNA - Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President-Elect, has commended the chiefs and people of the Greater Accra Region for the massive endorsement of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary Election.

Nana Akufo-Addo noted: 'I thank the people of the Greater Accra Region for taking the message of the NPP to heart and for voting massively for the NPP. We had 14 seats before the elections on December 7. We now have 21 seats, and I also had 52 per cent of the valid votes in Greater Accra.

'So as we speak now, the NPP is the majority party in the Greater Accra Region. I thank you the traditional rulers and the people of Greater Accra for this massive show of support.'

Nana Akufo-Addo stated during a courtesy call on the Regional House of Chiefs at Dodowa which also set the stage for broader consultation with traditional rulers across the country for counselling to build a progressive and prosperous nation.

He said: 'In such an important job as the President of the Republic, I would need the advice of eminent persons like you. You are the traditional rulers of the Ga State.

'If I do something which is not in order, please do not hesitate to point it out to me. My doors are always open to you. I want all of you to help me so we can do a good job for all Ghanaians.'

Nana Akufo-Addo appealed for the unflinching support of the Regional House of Chiefs.

'The elections have been conducted and, as you know, I emerged victorious. So, I thought it proper to come here again and thank you for your support and for the words of encouragement you offered me. I am truly grateful,' he said.

He said: 'All the things I said I was going to do for the Region during my campaign, I will fulfil it. They were not just campaign or platform talk. Amongst them include the construction of a harbour at Jamestown and landing sites at Teshie.

'We want Ghana to move forward. Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah first President of Ghana referred to this country as the Black Star of Africa. The Black Star has to shine for everybody to make it in our nation.'

Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, the President of the Greater Accra House of Chiefs, on behalf of the Ga State thanked Nana Akufo-Addo for the respect and honour shown to the House by his visit.

'You called on us before the election, and you have called on us again after your victory. This shows us that you hold us in high esteem and we thank you for that. Whatever we can do to help your Presidency succeed, we will do it. Ghana must succeed, so we can create a bright future for our children,' he added.

Mrs Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo, who accompanied Nana Akufo-Addo to the meeting, also thanked the Chiefs and people for the massive support given to her husband and the NPP on December 7.

She urged the Chiefs and Queen Mothers of the Region to call on her at anytime, assuring them of a listening ear, and the fulfilment of the pledges made to the region by the President-Elect on the campaign trail.

GNA
However, it seems reasonable to assume that at least some of these plans would entail attacks on the economic deals that have grown out of the JCPOA. Such deals have already faced considerable difficulty on account of the US sanctions that remain in place, which make it difficult if not impossible for Iran to obtain financing or conduct transactions involving American currency. This situation has not been helped by Irans own stance on doing business with Western entities. Hardliners have kept Iranian businesses and more pragmatic officials under pressure to avoid providing foreigners with much access to Iranian resources and capital.

As a well-known businessman, Trump has clearly taken a keen interest in these financial aspects of JCPOA implementation, and he has expressed concerns that the US does not stand to benefit nearly as much in this respect as does the Islamic Republic of Iran. This leaves some question as to whether Trump will allow existing agreements between Iran and American companies to stand, or whether he will undermine them for the sake of putting more pressure on the Iranians to make concessions that would be beneficial to American industries in general.

This question is particularly current in light of the news that Seattle-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing had officially finalized its agreement to sell commercial jets to Irans aging and decaying fleet. The 80 aircraft specified by the deal have been valued at 16.6 billion dollars, but even with the deal having been signed Boeing is reportedly proceeding with caution due to fears that Trump could stand in the way of the deal itself, or complicate the conditions that made the deal possible.

The Wall Street Journal reported that existing restrictions on doing business with the Islamic Republic made it necessary for Boeing and other American companies to obtain special permissions from the Treasury Department, the State Department, and Congress. And with Congress firmly in the hands of Republican allies, Trump could wield tremendous influence over all of these. As the world waits to see how Trump utilizes this influence, most American businesses remain in a sort of holding pattern with regard to their prospective deals in Iran, according to the same Wall Street Journal pieces.

Trumps decisions on the Boeing deal and the JCPOA may serve as significant precursors for his overall approach to Iran policy. It is well understood that that policy will be a great deal more aggressive than the Obama administration policies which made the JCPOA possible and ultimately pushed it through the approval process. And the possibility of significant confrontation between Iran and the US under Trump seems to increase with each new public statement from either side.

On one hand, some of Trumps closest advisors and most ardent supporters are urging him to make a priority of exhibiting control over the Islamic Republic. This point of view was expressed, for instance, by former CIA director and Trump foreign policy advisor James Woolsey on CNN, when he told host Fareed Zakaria that Iran was the most dangerous country in the world. He cited the Islamic Republics ongoing reliance on the slogans of death to America and death to Israel, as well as to the increase in Iranian cyberattacks against Western espionage, and the widely held belief that Tehran still intends to obtain nuclear weapons capability.

Meanwhile, some of these threats continue to be proudly acknowledged by Iranian officials such as Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan. The Daily Mail reported on Monday that Dehqan had both responded to and further instigated the supposed danger of war with the US once Donald Trump assumes the presidency. While pointing to Trumps aggressive streak, Dehqan also suggested that a calculation of the costs and benefits would lead Trump to back down from the threat of war, because any such war would mean the destruction of the Zionist regime, i.e. Israel.

Reuters added that Dehqan had also warned that a war between Iran and the US would engulf the entire region and would also destroy the smaller Arab kingdoms, namely the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain. These countries and their larger allies have clearly been aware of an increase in Iranian influence and regional aggression in the wake of the JCPOA. For this reason, many traditional US allies in the Middle East can be expected to eagerly embrace a shift away from the policies of the Obama administration. But it still remains to be seen what sort of shift the Trump administration will offer, as well as what sort of input he will accept from Israel and the Arab Kingdoms that have tended to see themselves as enemies of the Jewish state.
14.12.2016 LISTEN

By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA

Accra, Dec. 13, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court has remanded four persons for allegedly possessing explosives, firearms and ammunition.

The accused persons are Adams Alhassan; businessman, Michael Dogbema; driver, Bright Tawiah; driver and Abdul Rahman; driver.

Presenting the facts, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) George Amega told the Court that the complainants in the case were police officers from Ashiaman District.

He said on December 3, the police had intelligence that Adams, who was arrested for shooting one Mohammed at Appolonia and his accomplices, had hidden quantity of arms and ammunition at Gbetseiele, a suburb of Ashiaman.

He said on December 4, Michael, Bright, and Abdul were arrested at their various hide-outs at 'New York' Zenu near Ashiaman.

He said, however, the fifth accused person was not found but the other accused persons led police to a block factory owned by Adams and pointed at his container as where the arms and ammunition were kept.

DSP Amega said Michael, the caretaker of the place and who had the key in his possession, opened the door for the police and a search conducted revealed for SMG rifles, three SLR rifles, one G3 rifle, 12 assorted magazines and about one thousand and eighty-nine live ammunition was found hidden among cement bags.

GNA
14.12.2016 LISTEN

By Isaac Newton Tetteh, GNA

Kpone (GAR), Dec. 13, GNA - The District Chief Executive for the Kpone-Katamanso District Assembly in the Greater Accra Region, Alhaji Essah Antiaye Tetteh has passed on.

Alhaji Tetteh died at the 37 Military hospital in Accra on Tuesday

December 13, 2016 at about 11:30 hours. He was 69 years old.

Confirming the DCE's death to the Ghana News Agency, the secretary to the Antiaye WE clan in Kpone,Nii Addo Ba ,said the news came to them as "very shocking".

He however added that even though the DCE was sick for a while, they did not expect to hear of his demise at this time.

Nii Addo Ba said the DCE was taken ill and rushed to the C&J hospital in Lashibi but was later transferred to the 37 military hospital were he passed on Tuesday.

The family secretary announced that plans were far advanced to have the mortal remains of the DCE buried on Wednesday December 14, 2016 in accordance with the Islamic tradition.

The late Alhaji E. A. Tetteh until his appointment as the DCE for the Kpone-Katamanso District Assembly (KKDA) on June 28, 2012, by the late President John Evans Atta, was the chairman of the Ghana Private Roads and Transport Union (GPRTU) Greater Accra Regional Branch.

He was the first DCE of KKDA and served in that position for four years, six months.

GNA
By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA

Accra, Dec. 13, GNA - Africa's largest airline group, Ethiopian Airlines, has been awarded Africa Best Employer Brand and Business Leadership Excellence Awards at the third Edition of Africa Best Employer Brand Awards.

The Awards recognizes top organizations across Africa, who have demonstrated excellence in building the Employer Brand, through a distinct identity that is visible through HR practices; polices & strategy as an Employer of Choice.

The 'Business Leadership Excellence Award' was given to Ethiopian Group CEO in recognition of his leadership excellence, while the 'African Best Employer Brand Award 2016' was given in recognition of the valuable contribution Ethiopian was making to be the most sought after employer.

Mr Mesay Shiferaw, the Assistant Vice-president Corporate HRM, Ethiopian Group, receiving the award remarked, 'We are sincerely honoured to receive the Africa Best Employer Brand and Business Leadership Excellence Awards.

'We wish to thank the organizers and the jury for recognizing Ethiopian and our Group CEO, Mr Tewole GebreMariam, for his excellence in leadership,' he added.

He said human resource development, being one of the core pillars of their long term growth plan, vision 2025, the airline was continuously nurturing HR practices, standard work ethics and values that help them achieve their targets.

He said to this end, Ethiopian Aviation Academy was playing a paramount role in producing and fostering future leaders of the aviation industry.

'We shall continue to invest in training and empowering our employees with the required skill and knowledge to keep Ethiopian on a fast growth trajectory,' he said.

He said investing over $100 million to revamp the Ethiopian Aviation Academy was currently the largest and the most advanced center of excellence in developing skilled workforce not only for Ethiopian Airlines but also the wider African aviation industry.

Ethiopian has won several prestigious awards including Airline of the Year Award, for the fifth consecutive year, by African Airlines Association, SkyTrax World Airline Award for Best Airline Staff in Africa and Passenger Choice Awards for Best Airline in Africa.

GNA
By Dennis Peprah, GNA

Kenyase Number Two, (B/A), Dec 14, GNA - The Ahafo Mine of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) is estimated to produce four million ounces of gold annually from its proposed underground mining, the acting General Manager, Mr. Joshua Mortoti, has announced.

It has currently been doing 322,000 ounces through surface mining.

He said the underground operation would additionally extend the lifespan of the mine to year 2033 and create more than 600 permanent jobs.

Mr. Mortoti made these known at a public hearing held at Kenyase-Number-Two on the proposed project.

He told the people that there was going to be a rise in the Mine's contribution to the Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NADeF), from US$17 million to US$25 million, to support the development of communities in the area.

If approved, construction works on the project, would begin in 2017, with commercial gold production set to start by the third quarter of 2018.

Mr. Mortoti expressed concern about, what he said was the volatile gold prices, high cost of inputs and declining ore grades.

It was against this background that the prospect of developing the 'Subika pit' for the underground gold mining, should be a refreshing news to the people.

Mr. Michael Sandow Ali, Head of Mining of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), gave the assurance that due diligence would be done before giving the greenlight to the Mine to commence the project.

The Agency would carefully evaluate the interventions and measures put in place to address noise pollution, blasting and prevent the destruction of water bodies.

Despite the assurance by the EPA, many in the area remain opposed to the project.

They are demanding that the mine put in place realistic and sustainable mitigation measures before it is allowed to mine underground.

Abdallah Salifu, a teacher, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the forum, insisted that the activities of the Mine had adversely impacted the lives of the people.

He said the 10 years of surface mining had polluted rivers and streams running through the area and destroyed farmlands.

Those who lost their farmlands to the Mine were finding the going really tough, as they had no alternative livelihoods, he added.

The forum was organized by the EPA to collate views and concerns of the people about project.

GNA
14.12.2016 LISTEN

By Gifty Amofa, GNA

Kumasi, Dec 14, GNA - A Kumasi Circuit Court, presided over by Mrs. Mary Nsenkyire, has ordered a caught with 44.30 grams of marijuana to be held in prison custody.

Inusah Dramani, alias 'Dagoe', 21, pleaded not guilty to the offence and would make his next appearance on December 27.

Police Chief Inspector Hannah A. Acheampong told the court that the accused was arrested on June 16, at about 2100 hours.

This was during a special operation mounted by officers of the Asokwa Divisional Police Command to help smoke out drug peddlers in the Kumasi metropolis.

Dramani was seen riding a motorbike and when stopped and search, the drug in 25 wraps was uncovered.

The prosecution said sample of the dried leaves sent for forensic laboratory examination proved to be marijuana.

GNA
President elect, Nana Akufo-Addo

14.12.2016 LISTEN

It is said, God reveals to redeem. However, in most cases when a revelation comes, the same God revealing what is about to happen does prescribe a solution in a form of instructions to whoever that problem is about to happen to. It is only when the person about whom the revelation has been made abides by the instructions so-prescribed that the problem can be averted. It is also only when the problem is averted that we can say, the person has been redeemed hence the saying, God reveals to redeem

This goes to tell that if a revelation is made and the instructions to avert the problem are not followed through, whatever the problem to happen to the person as revealed is, can still happen.

It has been revealed by God Almighty to a man of God that I trust, concluding from how his previous and ongoing prophetic revelations turn out, his humility, his honesty and sincerity, his aversion for corruption and disinterest in asking for money and many other good qualities about him, that some evil persons have plotted against President-elect Nana Akufo Addo.

They want to strike him down with illness, STROKE to be precise. How can they do it, one may ask? On the day of his formal swearing in as the President of the Republic of Ghana, someone will HUG him after he has been sworn in. As soon as the person embraces him, the illness will have been transferred to him and that will be his end.

Could a paralyzed President be allowed to govern Ghana? NO!!! When you are paralyzed and probably lost your speech, there is no way that you will be allowed to govern Ghana despite any good intentions you may have.

The instruction God has prescribed to avert the problem is, Nana Akufo Addo MUST NOT ALLOW ANYONE to hug him before, during and after his swearing in. This is solely about 7 January 2017.

Anyone in the sense as applied here means NOBODY must be allowed to embrace Nana Akufo Addo. Whether the person is his wife, daughter, former President, Outgoing President, best friend, trusted pastor, Abaawa, Nana Amoatia Ofori Panin II, Captain Koda, Rev. Owusu Bempah, DJ Sources, Hon. Sarfo Marfo, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong or Rockson Adofo who has been writing copiously in his defence or to project him and his good intentions, they should not be allowed to hug him, period!

NOBODY as defined by the dictionary is no person; not anyone; no one

Is this any difficult instruction to follow?

Mrs. Rebecca Akufo Addo, the soon-to-be First Lady of Ghana and President-elect Nana Akufo Addos security detail of whom Captain Koda may be in charge are please to ensure that this simple instruction is followed through to the letter.

Once he overcomes this last hurdle, he will perform wonders for the people of Ghana and his country Ghana, so the revelation came across.

His opponents are still working around the clock but the good God that he believes in and serves, in whom he has entrusted his entire political career and surrendered himself wholeheartedly, will protect him.

The protection comes only when he abides by certain simple instructions as hereby revealed.

I feel it is the collective responsibility of all discerning Ghanaians if not the entire Ghanaian population, to ensure the safety and security of our incoming President hence this publication.

If I had sought to pass this information to him secretly, come the day of his swearing in if he refuses to embrace anyone, people will start talking crap saying he is arrogant or this or that, not knowing the actual reason behind why he has behaved that way.

Captain Koda, please make sure no one hugs him as instructed. Mrs. Rebecca Akufo Addo, make sure your husband is protected.

Failing to obey simple instructions from God comes at a great, but regrettable price. Many years back, in Paris, a Ghanaian lady who came from Asokore Okaikrom in the Ashanti region was issued a very simple instruction as directed by God, by a prophet after she had prayed with him on the phone.

She was asked not to go to work for a week but fast and pray to avert a calamity that was ominously looming upon her. She told friends, I cannot fast but will send him money to do the fasting for me. Again, how can I stay away from work for a week? Was she not self-employed? Yes, she was.

She ignored the instructions as issued to her by the prophet. She refused to stay home. She refused to do the fasting and praying. Barely three or four days after the revelation, did an unknown person kill her at work by inflicting fatal hammer injuries to her head. For about fifteen years until today, her assassin has not been found by the French police.

What about the fate of King Saul as in I Samuel 15:1-35? Saul disobeyed God and suffered the consequences of his disobedience.

15 Then Samuel said to Saul: Jehovah sent me to anoint you as king over his people Israel; now listen to what Jehovah has to say. 2 This is what Jehovah of armies says: I will call to account the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they opposed them along their way coming up from Egypt. 3 Now go, and strike down the Amalekites, and devote them to destruction along with all that they have. You must not spare them; you are to put them to death, man as well as woman, child as well as infant, bull as well as sheep, camel as well as donkey. 20 However, Saul said to Samuel: But I have obeyed the voice of Jehovah! I went on the mission, to which Jehovah sent me, and I brought back Agag the king of Amalekites, and I devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took sheep and cattle from the spoil, the best of what was devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Jehovah your God at Gilgal.

22 Samuel then said: Does Jehovah take as much pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Look! To obey is better than a sacrifice, and to pay attention than the fat of rams; 23 for rebelliousness is the same as the sin of divination, and pushing ahead presumptuously the same as using magical power and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Jehovah, he has rejected you from being king.

The above extensively quoted bible verses go to conclude that when God gives us instructions, we have to obey them.

Finally, I shall personally advise President-elect Nana Akufo Addo not to accept any personal gifts, be they money, food, drinks or clothes from anyone.

A word to the wise is sufficient.

Rockson Adofo

(Written on Wednesday 14 December 2016)
MTN Ghana Foundation has presented scholarship worth One Hundred and Twenty Five Thousand cedis to twenty selected teachers across the country under its second edition of the MTN Teacher Improvement Award Programme.

The twenty were shortlisted out of 311 entries received from ten regions of the country. This will enable them further their education at the Bachelors and Master Degree.

Corporate Services Executive of MTN Cynthia Lumor says her outfit has so far invested 22.2 Million in 135 Education, Health and Economic Empowerment projects.

According to her the beneficiaries of this year comprises of ten Women and ten Men to bring gender balance in the selection process for the second edition. We consider this investment very important because the contribution that one good teacher makes the lives of student cannot be quantified she said.

It is the firm belief of MTN Ghana Foundation that beneficiaries of the Programme would be better equipped to transform the teaching and learning in the classroom and ultimately build the capacity of the students She added.

MTN has over the past twenty years, built seventy five classroom blocks and provided scholarship to over one thousand students in line with its commitment to support development through education.
The spokesperson for governments transition team, Hanna Tetteh, has denied allegations that the outgoing National Democratic Congress (NDC), administration, is awarding new contracts days after it lost the election.

The president-elect's representative on the transition team, Yaw Osafo Marfo, expressed this concern , among others, on Wednesday morning, where he asked for some clarity from government.

But speaking to the press after the plenary session of the transition team on Wednesday, Ms. Tetteh said, I am not aware of any contracts being awarded, I am not aware of the sale of government properties.

On the other hand, she indicated that she was aware of an advertisement in some newspapers announcing the opening of recruitment for the Ghana Armed forces.

Ms. Tetteh, however, said it was unlikely that the recruitment exercise will be concluded before January 7, in which case the incoming administration will have the responsibility and have the oversight to see how the exercise is concluded.

The question really is to make sure that whatever exercise takes place, takes place in a transparent manner and that if there are any concerns that the transition team wishes to raise, one would hope that it will be addressed, she added.

Osafo Marfo not being alarmist

Meanwhile, the Spokesperson for the President-elects side, Mustapha Hamid, said the earlier concerns raised by Mr. Osafo Marfo were only to draw the attention of the outgoing team for redress.

Yaw Osafo Marfo

We take it that it is a concern that he [Osafo Marfo] expressed in order that they would address them. We were not really looking for answers. It was just a concern to say that; please look at this for us and I guess that they understood the language.

He didnt put it to them as if he telling was them a matter of fact. He said this is what is in the air, in the press and so on. If it is true, please lets stop it. If it is not true, so be it, Mr. Hamid explained.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The High Level Dialogue (HLD) was part of the celebrations of 2016 as the Year of Human Rights in Africa with Particular Focus on the Rights of Women. The event was held in Arusha, Tanzania, jointly by the AU Organs with a human rights mandate. The Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania was the guest of honour during the Opening Ceremony.

The opening ceremony of the Fifth Annual African Union (AU) High Level Dialogue (HLD) on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance in Africa: Trends, challenges and prospects held in Arusha, Tanzania from 23-26 November, 2016 was graced by the Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Hon. Samia Suluhu Hassan on behalf of the president of the United republic of Tanzania, H.E Dr. John Pombe Joseph Magufuli. It celebrated under the theme Reflecting, celebrating and advancing Human and Peoples Rights in Africa with a special focus on the Rights of Women following the AUs declaration of the year 2016 as the African year of Human Rights with particular focus on the Rights of Women.

The Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Hon. Samia Suhulu Hassan, in her opening remarks, extended words of welcome to the distinguished participants and underlined that, the dialogue comes at an opportune moment when many countries in Africa are at the stage of transforming their economies to middle income economies emphasizing on the importance of incorporating human rights in business. Hon. Samia Suhulu commended the African Union for the achievements that have been attained over the years, particularly in the area of human rights but underscored that we should not be blinded by these successes and headways, rather we should be able to assess whether they have made significant impact to the majority of our people in the continent.

Hon. Samia further highlighted that despite the existing intricate correlation between human rights and women rights, Africa still continues to experience, among other things the practice of female genital mutilation and early marriages, few education opportunities, low wages, human trafficking, domestic abuse and gender based violence. She therefore urged all African human rights institutions to continue their efforts in addressing challenges related to the promotion and protection of these rights in order to maintain their relevance.

The President of the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, Hon. Justice Sylvain Ore, underscored that the Dialogue would provide an opportunity to consolidate the gains already made over the years and ensure better coordination of human rights bodies on the continent, based on the ideals encapsulated in AUs Agenda 2063. It is hoped that the celebrations will initiate an advocacy and coordinating campaigns that will effectively reach out to African stakeholders and partners at all levels, he added. Hon. Justice Sylvain emphasized the need for human rights institutions on the continent to work in more active synergy with Regional Economic Community organs adding that the adoption by ECOWAS, the EAC and SADC of similar norms on human rights, democracy and good governance requires us to work more towards the harmonization rather than the duplication of norms.

Representing the Commissioner for Political Affairs Department of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E Dr. Aisha L. Abdullahi in his statement was the Director of AUC Department of Political Affairs, Dr. Khabele Matlosa who stated that As we gather here today to reflect critically on the state of human rights in Africa with particular focus on the rights of women, we should not forget that history is the best teacher for all of us.

In addition, Dr. Matlosa recalled that since the transformation from OAU to the AU, the continent has moved from norms setting to institutional building in the field of human and peoples rights in general, and the rights of women in particular, with the adoption of several human rights instruments. The Africa we want will depend largely on the importance given to the promotion, protection and observance of human and peoples rights on the continent. He reiterated.

The Dialogue which was full to capacity and attended by distinguished permanent representatives to the African Union, representatives of the UN, the AU and the African Court, regional organizations, civil society and academics among others, ended with group and plenary discussions centered around topics such as the State of Human Rights in Africa, the Normative Framework of Human Rights in Africa: Development, Trends and challenges, the rights of Women in Africa as well as the role of Civil Society organizations in the promotion and protection of Human Rights in Africa.
Newly appointed Ambassadors of the Republics of Liberia and Senegal to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Permanent Representatives to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), have presented their Credentials to the African Union Commission Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, on 8 December 2016.

H.E. George S.W. Patten, Sr., is Liberias new Ambassador of Liberia to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU and UNECA, while H.E. Mr. Baye Moctar Diop is Senegals new Ambassador of Liberia to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU and UNECA.

Liberia

Presenting his Credentials, the newly appointed Ambassador of Liberia to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, H.E. George S.W. Patten, Sr., also delivered greetings from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She appreciated the Chairperson for her work for Africa, particularly in the fight against the Ebola Virus Disease.

The Ambassador reminded the Chairperson to prolong presence of the AU Liaison in Liberia, as particularly as the country prepares for elections in 2017. They also discussed the recognition of role of Liberia in the work of the Union, which the Chairperson committed to work with Liberia to improve. She also committed to extending AU Liaison Office in the Liberia before, during and after elections.

Senegal

Presenting his Credentials later on the same day, H.E. Mr. Baye Moctar Diop, Senegals new Ambassador of Liberia to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU and UNECA, expressed readiness to work in close collaboration with all the members of the PRC to strengthen the work of the AU. He committed to work fully with the AU Commission.

The Chairperson of the AU Commission said both are Liberia and Senegal active members of the AU, and hope they will continue.

She also wished the two new Permanent Representatives a successful tour of duty.
The spokesperson for governments transition team, Hanna Tetteh, has said she is not aware of any last minute contracts being awarded by the outgoing National Democratic Congress (NDC), administration days after it lost the election.

The president-elect's representative on the transition team, Yaw Osafo Marfo, expressed this concern , among others, on Wednesday morning, where he asked for some clarity from government.

But speaking to the press after the plenary session of the transition team on Wednesday, Ms. Tetteh said, I am not aware of any contracts being awarded, I am not aware of the sale of government properties.

On the other hand, she indicated that she was aware of an advertisement in some newspapers announcing the opening of recruitment for the Ghana Armed forces.

Ms. Tetteh, however, said it was unlikely that the recruitment exercise will be concluded before January 7, in which case the incoming administration will have the responsibility and have the oversight to see how the exercise is concluded.

The question really is to make sure that whatever exercise takes place, takes place in a transparent manner and that if there are any concerns that the transition team wishes to raise, one would hope that it will be addressed, she added.

Osafo Marfo not being alarmist

Meanwhile, the Spokesperson for the President-elects side, Mustapha Hamid, said the earlier concerns raised by Mr. Osafo Marfo were only to draw the attention of the outgoing team for redress.

Yaw Osafo Marfo

We take it that it is a concern that he [Osafo Marfo] expressed in order that they would address them. We were not really looking for answers. It was just a concern to say that; please look at this for us and I guess that they understood the language.

He didnt put it to them as if he telling was them a matter of fact. He said this is what is in the air, in the press and so on. If it is true, please lets stop it. If it is not true, so be it, Mr. Hamid explained.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo's transition team has confirmed the receipt of the handing over notes from some ministries.

The President-elect's Spokesperson, Mustapha Hamid, confirmed this to the media after a plenary session of the transition team on Wednesday.

Some handing over notes of some seven ministries have been given to us. We have them so our team is also going to look at these notes and questions that will arise. We have agreed on modalities and procedures for asking questions and how those questions will be answered and et cetera, Mr. Hamid said.

Everything is proceeding well. There was an understanding. All of us have agreed to deal with each other on the basis of respect, trust, openness and transparency so we are very satisfied with the process.

Remaining notes to be ready Monday

This confirmation followed the government transition team's assertion that the handing over notes from all ministries were ready , contrary to some media reports.

But the revelation that only seven ministrys handing over notes were handed over is slightly at odds with a statement released by the government transition team on Tuesday which assured that each ministrys handing over notes would be ready.

The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, also speaking after the session on Wednesday indicated that the remaining handing over notes will be ready by Monday, December 19.

Per law, all the handing-over notes were supposed to be ready by September 2016 but a few hiccups prevented this from happening, according to the Chief of Staff.

But Mr. Debrah, however, said the President-elect's transition team had agreed to wait till Monday for the remaining handing over notes.

This won't be an issue for the other side of the transition team as Mr. Hamid said this will be perhaps the smoothest transition process that this country has ever had from both sides.

Sub-committees created

Wednesday's meeting of the transition team was to settle on the sub-committees to be established and the composition of each committee so that the various committees can begin the process of planning the inauguration ceremony, handing over the machinery of the Civil Service among other mandates.

Mr. Hamid indicated that the all the relevant committees have been created as expected, per the remits of the law.

By the provisions of the Presidential Transition Act 2012 (Act 845) the transition team is to make comprehensive arrangements to regulate the transfer of political power following a Presidential election.

This is to be done by forming various sub-committees that will be responsible for different aspects of the process of the transfer of power.

The law provides for the establishment of three specific committees; the inauguration sub-committee, the government machinery sub-committee and the presidency sub-committee and any other committees the transition team considers relevant for the performance of its functions.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
14.12.2016 LISTEN

The Bono Ahafo Regional branch of the NPP says it is going to court to contest results of all but two parliamentary seats the party lost in the region.

Officials say some irregularities have been detected in the Asutifi South, Banda and Pru East Constituencies.

Parliamentary candidates in the Kintampo North and Kintampo South are yet to join others who are contemplating court action over Wednesdays poll results.

The NPP won 19 out of the 28 constituencies in the region, 3 seats more than it did in 2012.

Counsel for the petitioners, NPP Deputy General Secretary, Nana Obiri Boahen, says affected parliamentary candidates have begun internal processes to contest the results in court.

Even if the NPP as a party decides not to contest, the candidates themselves and I will do so. The proper thing has to be done, he added.

Meanwhile, Nana Obiri Boahen wants party supporters to refrain from attacking third NDC counterparts as they celebrate victory.

He alleges some individuals are taking advantage of the NPP victory to attack a toll booth at Fiapre, near Sunyani.
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14.12.2016 LISTEN



By Maxwell Ofori

[email protected]

The President-Elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on chiefs in the Greater Accra Region to criticize him if he goes wrong to ensure the success of his government.

Addressing the Regional House of Chiefs at Dodowa yesterday, Nana Addo said his doors would always be open for suggestions and ideas from the Chiefs, for the development of the country. The President Elect expressed his profound gratitude to the Chiefs for their unflinching support towards his success.

Nana Addo indicated that the NPP had become popular in the Greater Accra region following the 52% popular votes it obtained in the region.

He said prior to the elections, NPP had 14 seats but the figure has now moved to 21. Nana further told the Chiefs that he still remembered all his promises, including the construction of fishing habour at James Town and Teshie.

The visit, Nana Addo indicated, was necessary to acknowledge the Chiefs and people of the region for giving him the permission to campaign in the region, when he came to them during the campaign season.

He extended his appreciation to the people of Greater Accra region for accepting his message of change and going all out to vote massively for him and the party.

Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, wife of the President-Elect, also thanked the chiefs for voting for her husband.

She assured the Chiefs that she would fight for the region as a Ga woman and would use her position to let the voice of the region be heard.

Reechoing her sincerest gratitude to the people, she stated that she was happy the region did not disgrace its own daughter, promising to be always there for the people.

On the other hand, the President of the Osu Traditional Council, Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, on behalf of the people of Greater Accra, congratulated Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for winning the just ended polls.

He noted that as traditional leaders they are not supposed to be political but swiftly added that whatever help a government would need from them, as Chiefs, they would gladly and openly offer them.

Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI commended Nana Addo for showing maximum respect to the Chiefs by paying a visit to thank them.

The Chief continued that the country needed peace to prevail in the general elections and by the grace of God the country had peaceful polls.

Commenting on the post-elections violence, the chief called on those perpetrating the violent acts to look at the character of Nana Addo and desist from such behavior.

He said Nana Addo is law abiding and that was why he did not rush to go to the Flagstaff House after winning the elections, but rather is waiting for the stipulated time as stated by the constitution.




14.12.2016 LISTEN



From Richard Owusu-Akyaw, Kumasi..

The Forum for Christians against Corruption (FoFCAC) has noted that the newly-built Community Day Schools is a noble idea, but, at the moment, is a potential source for corruption.

According to FoFCAC, being day schools, the government would have to immediately convert the majority of them (in deprived rural locations) into boarding schools to make them viable.

Rev. Dr. Kojo Osei-Wusu, interim President of FoFCAC, a newly-formed Christian organisation by a group of Grace Baptist Church members, with the vision of working to help build a corruption-free Ghana, said FoFCAC seeks to officially present the agenda to whichever government is formed after the elections, and continue with strict and continuous monitoring of the governments performance, with reference to the agenda.

He explained at a news conference in Kumasi a couple of days ago that even where private rental housing facilities are available, many Ghanaian parents would find it uncomfortable to have their wards (ages between 12 and 15) live in such communities without any supervision, as they attend school.

He charged the incoming government to make corruption unattractive to Ghanaians, and suggested that two considerations must become paramount in the approaches for fighting the menace, to achieve that deserved end.

The group said governments should demonstrate credible intent and political will in the fight, by focusing consistently, as a priority, on the very common day corrupt practices that victimise the ordinary person, and which seem to have been accepted as the norm in our Ghanaian society.

Examples of such acts include public workplace corruption, the corruption in our educational system, as well as road and highway corruption involving the police.

FoFCAC is convinced that failure of successive governments to give due attention to fighting corruption holistically, justifies the need for future governments to be helped to succeed, through a monitored anti-corruption agenda that can be executed with accountable results.

Dr. Osei-Wusuh expressed concerned about growing corruption in the Ghanaian society, and noted that the failure of successive governments to give due attention to fighting corruption holistically, it justifies the need for future governments to be helped to succeed, through a monitored anti-corruption agenda.

Digging deeper into corruption in Ghana, Rev.Osei-Wusuh, a board member of Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), stated: There has, for ages, been in existence serious corruption, which is now endemic in our pre-tertiary educational system, through repeated examination leakages, and mostly, with the connivance of schools and parents.

According to FoFCAC, The nation has looked on for years, in apparent hopelessness, while the corruption canker continues to rattle the system into tatters, the quality of both its development and its products. No serious government can afford any longer to put this nagging problem on the back burner, but to demonstrate the necessary political will to effectively deal with the problem of corruption in the system.

Taking on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), he said the examination body should be pressurised to adopt processes with better transparency and improved security, than currently exists, while its officials cited for complicity in examination question leakages are severely sanctioned, to serve as a deterrent to others.

A lot more emphasis will also need to be placed on continuous assessment of students, instead of one-time pass or fail examinations.

The retired Baptist Prelate suggested that corruption within the nation's educational system should be tackled from the point of view of the annual SHS admissions/placement system, and its attendant corrupt 'protocol' concept. Whatever needs to be done, must be done, to curtail the ordinary Ghanaian parent being compelled to pay huge amounts of bribes to secure placement for their wards in schools, the group suggested.

Commenting on Public Workplace Corruption, FoFCAC said: Acts of extortion of money and payment of bribes in exchange for public workplace services that should be free, have become the normal daily experience of the ordinary person in the Ghanaian community.

It should be incumbent upon any government in Ghana, committed to truly fighting corruption, to target, as a major starting point, the elimination of workplace corruption, through every means possible, that may include: Commitment to the e-governance project aimed at simplifying access to public services, reducing the human contact points, red-tapism, Sustained public educational campaign, including posters at public places on corrupt acts, their adverse effects, the need to resist them, and how to report them, Ensuring more transparency in the cost of public services, and how long it should take one to access them.

He indicated: The daily open display of acts of bribery and extortion that involve the police and motorists on our roads, have, unfortunately, become accepted as the norm, and the source of many street jokes, which should not be glossed over by a nation which claims to abhor corruption and is committed to fighting it.
SIC Life Savings and Loans Company Limited has donated motorbikes and helmets to the Achimota Mile 7 District police station in Accra.

This gesture, according to the company's Managing Director, Richard Appietu is for effective and efficient running of the station.

It will also provide the much-needed security for the communities in the area, he said.

He indicated that, the donation was to show appreciation and encourage the police in their hard work.

Mr. Appietu who was accompanied by the Chief Operating Officer, Osman Ahmed and the Customer Service and Corporate Affairs Manager, Abigail handed over the five motorbikes to the police as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Superintendent Iddrisi Tanko who received the motorbikes on behalf of the IGP, thanked the company for the donation and recognition of their work.

He assured the management of SIC Life Savings and Loans that the gifts will be used effectively and for the purpose for which they were donated; to bring down crime rate in the community.

Story by Ghana/Myjoyonline.com
By Lydia Asamoah, GNA

Accra, Dec 14, GNA - Pastor Joseph Quansah, the Senior Pastor at the Revival Fortress Ministry at Sowutuom in Accra, has urged Christians to pray for the incoming administration so it would rule the nation in the fear and knowledge of God.

He said without God's help, nobody could succeed and so the new government would need the prayers of all to succeed.

While commending the outgoing government for nobly accepting the outcome of the election, Pastor Quansah said the election victory was for all Ghanaians.

He, however, advised the people, especially Christians, to put their trust only in God to provide for their needs.

'You can believe in man but you do not have to rely on man to provide for you. It is only God that can be your great helper,' Pastor Quansah said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.

Meanwhile, more people continue to express their joy over the success of the December 7 elections with others being in high hopes that the incoming government would build upon what the outgoing administration had started for Ghana.

Some of the Christians who spoke to the Ghana News Agency said all they prayed for was for God to ensure that the country remained intact after the elections and that was what God had done for the nation.

Mr Emmanuel Ofori, an organist and Church Administrator at Revival Fortress Ministry, said: 'I am very happy at this moment because God has really listened to our prayers. All we wanted was a free and fair election and that is what God has granted us'.

Mrs Betty Quansah, Leader of the Women Ministry, Revival Fortress Ministry, said: 'Ghana has won in the elections and we women and our children can go about our duties in peace'.

Meanwhile, Pastor Isaac Obed Asamoah, the Head Pastor of the Gospel Faith Ministry at A-Lang in Accra, has cautioned Ghanaians to celebrate the election victory with decorum so as not to mar its beauty.

'We need to celebrate what God has done for Ghana but it should be in modesty. We are all one people and one nation so we need not hurt one another with our actions,' Rev Asamoah said.

GNA
Accra, Dec. 14, GNA - The Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) has congratulated the President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, for emerging the victor in the December polls.

Bice Osei Kuffour aka Obour, the President of MUSIGA, said Nana Addo's victory was an expression of the will of Ghanaians after a keenly contested election.

In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, Mr Kuffuor said: 'On behalf of the music industry and the entire creative arts sector, I would like to convey our warmest felicitations and look forward to a continued growth of the creative arts sector in general and the music industry in particular."

He referred to an interaction between the Creative Arts Industry and Nana Addo at his residence where the President elect assured the creative arts practitioners of his intention to ensure that the sector was developed to exploit the immense business opportunities it holds.

Obour said: 'It is essential in the post-election era for all Ghanaians to support the President-elect to chart a progressive and meaningful path for the continued development of the country as a whole.'

The MUSIGA President also called on Ghanaians to avoid acts of violence to ensure that the peaceful election was not marred by any post-election violence.

MUSIGA also commended President John Dramani Mahama and Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, the outgoing Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, for their support for the Creative Arts Industry and the music industry in particular.

The MUSIGA President said they would cherish the fond memories they shared with both President Mahama and Mrs Ofosu-Adjare at the various events of the union such as the MUSIGA Grand Ball and Ghana Music Week.

He said it was the union's prayer that the incoming sector minister would continue key projects started by the current administration such as the passage of the Creative Arts Scheme for the establishment of the Creative Arts Council.

MUSIGA engaged in numerous activities to promote a peaceful and credible election and ensure peace before, during and after.

The MUSIGA Peace initiative dubbed 'Using Music as a Tool for National Cohesion during Election 2016' was sponsored by STAR Ghana with support from Midland Savings and Loans.

GNA
Accra, Dec. 14, GNA - Food Sovereignty Ghana(FSG), a food advocacy group, has congratulated Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as President-Elect in the December 7 Presidential election and President John Dramani Mahama for gracefully conceding defeat.

This FSG said had once more, ensured that Ghana's transition in a change of government had been as peaceful as it ought to be, despite a bitter and acrimonious campaign.

A statement issued in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency said: 'We thank and congratulate all Ghanaians, especially all those who took the extra needed steps to see that the right things are done, the Electoral Commission, the security agencies, the media, the faith-based and civil society organisations.

'As we congratulate Nana for his well-deserved victory in the just ended elections, we take this opportunity to cry out and call on him, as a matter of high priority, to consider the systematic application of agroecology and sustainable agriculture as a crucial national challenge.

'We urgently need to tackle this in the face of climate change and our survival needs. We need to tackle this for the sake of ensuring the sanctity of human health, environment, for our own sake and for the sake of future generations.

'We need to tackle this in order to reverse the dwindling incomes of small household farmers, the backbones of Ghana's agriculture, who are almost half of the entire population of Ghana.'

The statement called on Nana Akufo-Addo to uphold the rights as enshrined in the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), of which Ghana was a signatory.

'In particular, the farmers' right to use, sell, save and exchange farm-saved seeds, is currently under a serious threat by the Plant Breeders' Bill, 2103, as well as the Arusha Plant Protection Protocol, which also awaits ratification by Parliament.

'The Arusha PVP is so bad that the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food recently raised concern in an open letter addressed to the Member States of the African Regional Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, dated 24 November 2016.'

It said it was about time Ghana sought local solutions to Ghanaian problems rather than allowing foreign giant agricultural and chemical corporations to impose their solutions to their advantage for profit maximisation, and at the expense of poor Ghanaian farmers.

It said this was a crucial issue and called on Nana Akufo-Addo and the Ghanaian public to keep a keen eye on the fact of the illegitimacy of the bill.

'This was beautifully highlighted in the petition presented by more than 50 international CSOs and NGOs. A reading of that particular petition shows clearly that the accompanying Memorandum to the Plant Breeders' Bill sent to Parliament by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, was at best, based on false premises, or at worst, designed to mislead the House in favour of the Bill. It raises more questions than answers.'

The statement said in the said Memorandum accompanying the Bill, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs. Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, dated 28th May, 2013 states: 'The Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which resulted from the negotiations of the Uruguay Round requires contracting parties to protect varieties either by patent or by an effective sui generis system of protection or by a hybrid of these two systems, which is the plant breeders rights system.'

'Here is the catch, notice that without any explanation or justification for such a strange decision to take Ghana to UPOV, she goes further to indicate: 'Clause 1 of the Bill defines the scope of application of the Bill. Ghana has opted to apply the requirement for compliance with the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants of December 2, 1961 and subsequently revised on November 10th, 1972, on 23rd October, 1978 and on 19th March, 1991'.'

The statement said the fundamental question that needed to be answered in the interest of accountability and national security, is, 'if according to WTO rules, Ghana has the right to develop its own unique system of plant breeders rights protection that is suitable to our developmental needs, what informed or provoked the decision, contrary to obvious national interests, to opt to apply the requirement for compliance with the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants of December 2, 1961'.

It said the African Union model should have been the option, which includes language that compels any entity or individual who provides germplasm resources to any foreign entity, organisation or individual in cooperation to conduct research, shall make an application and submit a national benefit-sharing plan.

'Considering the numerous objections from experts all over the world, that UPOV benefits the big multinational seed corporations, and that a developing country like Ghana stands to lose by its adoption; the ubiquitous problem of corruption and the track records of the corporate lobby behind the UPOV bill, we strongly smell a rat.

'We do not only demand its withdrawal from Parliament, and a replacement with a sui generis plant variety protection system, but also, investigations into why we came so close as a people to be sold out to foreign seed companies, and draw the appropriate lessons. For the same reasons, we... call for the total rejection of the Arusha New Plants Protection Protocol, currently pending Parliamentary ratification, as just another way of smuggling into our laws, the same UPOV convention without public scrutiny.'

The statement said: 'It is against this background that those of us who saw just how close Ghana came to a new form of colonialism led by rich multinational corporations through the control of our seeds! We are happy to welcome change. We have a huge sigh of relief, as we contemplate our prospects with the new administration.

'The Plant Breeders' Bill was postponed recently. Majority Leader... Alban Bagbin assured Parliament that 'it will be brought to the house next year'. It is our hope that it will be completely withdrawn and replaced with a sui generis plant breeders' and farmers' rights protection bill.

'Ghanaians voted for change. Change has come. It is time to change the obnoxious UPOV-compliant Plant Breeders' Bill,' it said.

'Our congratulatory message would be incomplete, if we do not end with an appeal to your incoming administration to place an indefinite moratorium on the cultivation and sale of genetically modified foods in Ghana until the science of GM foods and human health, as well as environmental impact, has been thoroughly studied and cleared as safe by independent science rather than corporate-driven, profit-oriented scientists and regulators, ridden to the core with conflicts-of-interest.

'We are happy for change also because President Mahama failed to heed to our numerous calls.'

GNA
By Francis Ameyibor, GNA

Accra, Dec. 14, GNA - Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President-Elect, has pledged a different kind of government for Ghana, saying he is heading an Executive that governs in the national interest, not for private gain.

'Ghana deserves the best. My vision for Ghana is of an optimistic, self-confident and prosperous nation with a strong and thriving democratic society in which mutual trust and economic opportunities exist for all, irrespective of their background.

'My government will place people at its centre. Their hopes and their concerns will drive its policies and priorities. I promise to build a Ghana that works and gives each and every one of us the opportunity to improve our lives.

'A Ghana that works for us and our families, not just for the rich and powerful,' Nana Akufo-Addo said in a Forward captured in the Party's Election 2016 Manifesto, copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

Nana Akufo-Addo said: 'I will be a President for all Ghanaians. Whatever your region, your tribe, your gender, your status, or your religion, I will serve you all.

'I will champion your cause with the help of the Almighty God.

He said everyday he woke up as President his consideration would be what is best for the country 'we all love and what will improve the lives of all our people'.

Nana Akufo- Addo said he had an unshakeable faith in Ghana, the Black Star of Africa, and under the leadership of the New Patriotic Party, had a bright future, a future that would be secured by the enterprise, creativity, and hard work of the Ghanaian people.

He called on Ghanaians to join him, so together, 'we can build a country where, if you show up, step up, and work hard, you will have your fair share of its wealth, and be fairly rewarded for your hard work'.

'A country in which hard work pays, and cutting corners does not. A country in which, no matter where you come from, you will be rewarded based on merit, not on whom-you-know-basis.

'A country in which every young person can hope, and aspire, and reach his or her fullest potential, right here in Ghana.

'I have dedicated my life to public service to change Ghana for good as President, with the help of the Almighty God.'

Nana Akufo-Addo noted: 'I have seen the pain and sacrifices made by ordinary Ghanaians everyday - by the farmer who struggles to feed his family and send his children to school, but does not know, whether having made that sacrifice to pay the bills, his children will even be able to get a job at the end of their studies.

'By the mother of the sick child, who has to walk miles on the dusty road to the clinic to get medicine only to be turned away because the clinic will not accept her National Health Insurance Scheme card and she has no money to pay.

'By the young man and woman who, through no fault of their own, have had to drop out of school and cannot find a way out of life's difficulties.'

Nana Akufo-Addo observed that he had noticed the young man who, because of financial circumstances at home, never had the opportunity to go to school and was now sleeping rough on the streets of Accra.

He said he had seen the youth who worked hard at school, or the university, but still cannot find a job when they leave.

'They become street hawkers and even open roadside shops, but find they struggle to survive because the falling cedi raises the costs of their goods. Their shops also close because they cannot afford electricity bills.

Nana Akufo-Addo said: 'I have also seen that young woman whose wages can barely cover her transport fares to and from work and her share of the one bedroom she shares with her friend, and by the Kayayei who have no opportunities or shelter and are forced to sleep on the streets of our cities.

'It is for these people that I contested for the Presidency - for ordinary Ghanaians who have been betrayed by a government that does not care. It is to them that my Government will be dedicated to.'

GNA
By Hafsa Obeng, GNA

Accra, Dec. 14, GNA - The Chief Justice, Mrs Theodora Georgina Wood, has called on the media to verify legal stories before publication in order not to undermine the rule of law.

She tasked media practitioners to be circumspect, especially on reporting the Justice for All programme, as some reports seem to portray the programme as a vehicle for releasing suspected criminals onto the streets.

Chief Justice Wood said such distortion was rather disturbing because the Justice for All programme went through a court of competent jurisdiction that followed due process and the determinations made by those courts must be respected by all.

She entreated the media to educate the public fully on what this programme seeks to achieve so as to enhance public trust and confidence in the justice system, saying 'it would help build strong and lasting institutions'.

The Chief Justice made the call at the maiden Justice for All stakeholders forum on the theme: 'Justice for All - Strengths, Weaknesses and the Way Forward,' held on Wednesday in Accra.

She said the programme was a special in-prison court sitting on remand prisoners adding that 'prisoners whose trials are unreasonably delayed constitutes key component of the programme'.

It ensures that the rule of law, access to justice and the sustained promotion and protection of the human rights of prisoners -both remand prisoners and convicted prisoners - the officials of the Prisons Service and by extension their families are protected.

The workshop, she said, was to provide opportunity for introspection with a view to strengthening the criminal justice system.

'A well-known constitutional legal principle relevant to this workshop is that an accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Article 14(4) of the 1992 Constitution indicates that: 'Where a person arrested, restricted or detained under paragraph (a) or (b) of clause (3) of this article is not tried within a reasonable time, then, without prejudice to any further proceedings that may be brought against him or her; he or she shall be released either unconditionally or upon reasonable conditions, including in particular, conditions reasonably necessary to ensure that he appears at a later date for trial or for proceedings preliminary to trial.

Understandably, the existing constitutional and other legal texts do not provide a contextual definition of the legal term 'reasonable time, and the absence of a statutory definition for the expression 'reasonable time', has contributed to the general inordinate delays in the trial of remand prisoners, the Chief Justice said.

The programme seeks to remedy some of these acts of gross miscarriage of justice but something more fundamental, and more far reaching, needs to be done, she said.

Chief Justice Wood said: 'The system is crying for a radical overhaul in terms of the procedural law in particular, and the sanctions to be applied following conviction. One such important statutory intervention would definitely help bring sanity into the criminal justice system and, therefore, ease the congestion in the prisons.'

She said the process through which cases were selected for the special court sittings was quite robust. The process was well-structured and transparent and hence could not be manipulated or compromised to a large extent.

'I would propose that we come out with a manual or handbook on which the programme would operate.

'The official remand list from specific prisons, which is obtained from the Prison Headquarters, is vetted by the Remand Review Task Force made up of the four key institutions; the Attorney General, Judiciary, Police and Prisons in accordance with laid down selection criteria for each category of offence.

'The approved list from the Remand Review Task Force is then submitted to the Defence team for remand prisoners made up of lawyers and paralegals to enable them to interview the selected remand prisoners and draft applications/motions for them,' she said.

The Chief Justice said the programme was beneficial to the vulnerable and poor who found themselves in detention, for one reason or the other, and who were unable to afford the legal fees and so for some of them they self-represent or remain unrepresented. Nonetheless their rights at law must be protected.

She said available statistics indicated that since the inception of the programme in 2007, out of a total of 3,293 inmates who had appeared before the Justice for All courts, 672 were discharged, 985 were granted bail and 135 were convicted.

'Other applicants who have had their applications rejected had their expired warrants renewed to enable them to appear before the various trial courts for the commencement of their trials. Others have also referred to psychiatric hospital for medical examination and treatment,' she said.

She expressed appreciation to stakeholders for ensuring the sustenance of the programme, and encouraged them to use the workshop as a forum to identify the strengths, weaknesses and the way forward, bearing in mind plans for its continuity, sustainability and maximum impact.

Mrs Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, the Representative of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, said the programme had helped to build synergy among key criminal justice institutions by affording them a wider platform to constructively engage with each other and plan better for the well-being of accused persons.

She, however, said its major shortcoming was that it had mainly survived on donor funding and even though it had come a long way and proved to be very beneficial it must be supported to ensure its sustenance.

'We must discuss ways in which we can improve upon the system to such an extent that persons arrested are dealt with on time. We must have guidelines in place that ensure that investigations are carried out quickly, and the bureaucracy within the criminal justice system must be drastically reduced,' Mrs Obuobisa said.

GNA
By Gideon Ahenkorah, GNA

Accra, Dec. 14, GNA - Traders who deal in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) paraphernalia continue to enjoy good sales one week after the December 7 general election.

Some sellers on the streets of Accra have expressed excitement over the sudden rise in the patronage of their wares.

They said business was becoming increasingly profitable as hundreds of supporters of the NPP whose presidential candidate won the slot poured out in their numbers to buy the party flags, T-shirts, hats, handkerchiefs, wrist watches, necklaces and stickers.

This was revealed in a survey conducted by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Wednesday, six days after the declaration of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the President- elect.

Kwabena Kwarteng Ameyaw, one of the sellers in Dansoman, told the GNA that prior to the announcement of the election results business was slow.

Edward Kwaakye Yiadom, a seller at Osu, said; 'Shortly after the declaration I made a sale of GHE340.00, out of which I got a profit of GHE100.00.

"Now no one is even requesting for NDC or CPP's paraphernalia."

Adwoa Adu Gyamfi, a trader at Kantamanto, said business had shot up drastically since the declaration of the election results.

Except for a few who told the GNA that they got their materials from the political party, majority of the supporters said they bought theirs from the streets.

Isaac Kyeremeh, a party supporter, said for the victory of the party he would not have bought any of the materials as he had no money.

'In fact, I borrowed money to buy this hat and handkerchief. It feels good to be seen as a supporter of the winning party," he said.

Akosua Yeboah, who was spotted at a chop bar at Dansoman wearing an NPP party T-shirt on a pair of blue jeans trousers, said she bought six of the T-shirts for her children immediately after the victory.

Similarly, Sadik Mohammed, who lives at Mamprobi, said he also bought 10 of the T-shirts for his family on Saturday.

Some churches on Sunday were full to capacity with some NPP supporters clad in party colours to sing and praise God for His mercies that have seen the nation through a successful election.

GNA
By Hafsa Obeng, GNA

Accra, Dec. 14, GNA - Two persons were on Tuesday put before an Accra Circuit Court for possessing narcotic drugs without lawful authority.

Louis Golo, labourer and Wisdom Kpogli, driver, were arrested on October 16 at KICC, Baatsonaa, Accra with two and a quarter compressed parcels of narcotic drugs.

Louis pleaded guilty with explanation and was convicted on his own plea while Wisdom pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of 10,000 with two sureties.

The court, however, deferred sentence of Louis to December 29 for the Criminal and Investigative Department to ensure the substance was tested.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Kwabena Adu told the court that Louis and Wisdom live in the same room.

He said on October 16, at about 2300 hours, the Baatsonaa Police Patrol Team had a tip-off that the two had in their possession plant substances believed to be narcotic drugs at Baatsonaa Kiosk Estate area.

He said the Police Patrol Team was dispatched to the area and Louise was arrested while Wisdom escaped.

Police Chief Inspector Adu said a search conducted in their room revealed the two and a quarter compressed parcels of dried leaves suspected to be narcotic drug.

He told the court that Wisdom was later arrested upon a tip-off.

GNA
The Nigerian Senates ad-hoc committee on the Humanitarian crisis in the North East has indicted the secretary to the state government Babachir Lawal on handing out of fraudulent contracts in the IDP camps in the northeast.

A Senate committee report has indicted SGF Babachir in fraudulent IDP camps contracts

Chairman of the committee Senator Shehu Sani, while presenting the committees interim report, revealed that the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE) approved contracts for projects that were not directly related to the plight of the IDPs.

READ ALSO: Pres. Buhari shifts 2017 budget presentation

Senator Sani noted that many millions of naira went into contracts that were not of any use to the IDPs. He also noted that many contracts were also inflated for inexplicable reasons.

Copies of the report seen by Legit.ng indicted the PINE under Babachir's leadership of profiting from the misery of the people displaced by Boko Haram insurgents.

The senators have called for Babachir's resignation.

Leading this group are Senators Dino Melaye of Kogi and Solomon Adeola of Lagos.

The Senate committee report front page

Committee report inside page

Another page of the report showing accusations against the PINE

More indictment in the report

Source: Legit.ng
Boko Haram militants on Tuesday, December 13, attacked a military base in the remote Borno state village of Kamuya leaving scores dead.

According to Sahara Reporters, the militants stormed the area at about 10 a.m which is about 10km to the hometown of Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen TY Buratai, in Biu local government area.

It was reported that many were killed in the two-hour duel, but the terrorists went away with their dead bodies.

A source said: "We lost some soldiers as well, some also wounded in the course of repelling the invaders, but we killed more than a dozen of them in a gun battle that lasted for two hours."

READ ALSO: Tension: Northern Nigeria, a place of death - Sen Sani

The source further said that the road linking Biu town with Buratai has been closed temporarily as a result of the attack.

It was gathered that the terrorists had dislodged and burnt down the base before its renewed attack yesterday.

In another development, the Chief of Army Staff has assured Nigerians that the insurgency in the North-East will come to an end in 2017.

Buratai, during his visit to 81 Battalion on Monday, December 12, promised all soldiers fighting against terrorists that they would also return to the Barracks next year.

Source: Legit.ng
President Muhammadu Buhari has presented the 2017 appropriation bill to the National Assembly.

The budget which is a N7.298 trillion proposal that will become effective immediately the Assembly approves and passes it back to the president for assent.

President Buhari presenting the N7.298trn 2017 budget as his national assembly aides watch.

The N7.298tn proposed in the budget is a 20.4% increase over the 2016 estimate and the president's breakdown reveals why.

President Buhari shaking hands with officials during the event

Some ministries witnessed increases in their budgetary allowances for improved service delivery.

READ ALSO: Save Nigerians, they are suffering  Saraki tells Buhari

President Buhari taking a bow after presenting the 2017 budget

The judiciary saw an increase in its funding 'to help it to perform even better', according to President Buhari, while ministries like power, works and housing also got increases.

READ ALSO: 6 prominent people that disappointed Nigerians in 2016

President Buhari noted that the need for increase in the funding of the power sector goes without saying. He noted that the ministry oversaw a critical sector in the government's drive to help the country recover from the economic recession.

President Buhari shaking hands with the officials during the event

The president also announced announced that the 2017 budget would also use a zero budgeting method like the 2016 budget in order to ensure transparency.

President Buhari delivering his speech

The president also assured Nigerians that the country would regain its economic strength on the basis of the provisions he has made in the 2017 budget.

READ ALSO: Pres. Buhari shifts 2017 budget presentation

Also, the president made provisions for more payments to ex-militants because according to him 'we all must be committed to ensuring there is peace in the Niger Delta'.

Smiles and handshakes

The National Assembly has promised to swiftly approve the budget but warned that it would monitor closely the implementation of the document.

Bukola Saraki assured President Buhari that the legislature will pass the budget as quickly as possible

Senate president and chairman of the national assembly Bukola Saraki assured President Buhari that the legislature is committed to passing the budget quickly for the recovery of Nigeria's economy but warned that it would deeply scrutinize the document.

The N7.298trn 2017 budget presentation in high gear

Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara echoed a similar thought and hoped that the presidency would realise that the assembly would ensure that it did its best for Nigerians.

Some top officials during the presentation of the 2017 budget

The 2016 budget was trailed by many controversies ranging from insertion of projects and monies (padding) by the national assembly to poor implementation by the executive.

Whether 2017 budget process would be different remains to be seen.

Watch video:

Source: Legit.ng
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso  He recently boasted that the streets would never oust him, not after he had won at the ballot box and survived multiple violent outbursts against his 27-year rule.

But after days of turmoil in which protesters burned the Parliament building here and set fire to the homes of his relatives and aides, President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso announced Friday that he had stepped down  a rare case of the kind of popular uprising that toppled autocrats during the Arab Spring succeeding in sub-Saharan Africa.

The political demise of Mr. Compaore, 63, who stoked some of the regions worst conflicts but later refashioned himself into an elder statesman committed to resolving them, closed the book on one of Africas most enduring rulers in a region where some leaders cling to power for decades.

When you imagine that our young men and women who are now 27 years old have known a single president, its absurd, said Issouf Traore, a 44-year-old business owner who took to the streets this week to demand the presidents resignation.
Upset by the groups dire warnings, Mr. Conde publicly criticized Doctors Without Borders, despite its lonely efforts to blunt the disease on the front line. But as Mr. Conde played down the outbreak, Ebola was steadily entrenching itself in the Guinean forest villages where it surfaced nearly a year ago.

Now, after more than a thousand deaths in Guinea, Mr. Conde has reversed course. Disturbed by the threat to his countrys people and economy, he is grappling with Ebola nearly every waking moment. Having initially overlooked the crisis, he is now micromanaging it, some international officials say.

While shaving I think of Ebola, while eating I think of Ebola, while sleeping I think of Ebola, Mr. Conde, 76, said at the drab, concrete, Chinese-built presidential palace named for Ahmed Sekou Toure, the nations first president and strongman, who forced Mr. Conde into exile in 1970 and condemned him to death in absentia.

When you are at war, how can you think of anything else? Mr. Conde said, leaning forward, describing his battle with Ebola in the rapid staccato delivery for which he is known.

Much of Guineas political establishment has been compromised by association with the countrys past autocrats, reinforcing the go-it-alone tendencies honed by Mr. Condes decades in exile. The soldiers now guarding the presidential palace are aggressively loyal: Mr. Conde was the target of an assassination attempt at his home by restive army officers three years ago.

A new coup is never far from his thoughts. During a news conference on Ebola last month, he veered off to warn that those who are dreaming of a coup detat, they are kidding themselves.
Also check out our Lets Talk Beer Styles: Christmas Beers companion piece, where we dive into the history of Christmas/winter seasonal beer styles.

The first holiday season I was at Paste was in 2014, and we tasted 31 Christmas beers. By the time the holiday season rolled around in 2015, our beer coverage and press contacts had expanded greatly, and we blind-tasted a much more robust 71.

Well, its another year later. And now we have 104. Dear lord, people.

As these blind tastings continue to grow larger and larger, and we hear a wonderful array of feedback from both breweries and readers, I find myself reflecting on a few things. First, how fortunate we are to have an opportunity to do this. And second, how much Ive learned about tasting in the last few years. If I came into Paste with a pretty experienced palate, its now a palate that has been drilled with military or scientific rigor. Over the course of 2016, Ive probably blind-tasted nearly 1,000 beers in the name of work  and 247 IPAs in August alone. Its dizzying, or maybe thats just the booze.

The Christmas/holiday beer tasting, though, is one that predates my time at Paste, and its the tasting that probably means the most to the people who founded this company. As a group of guys who are uniformly passionate about big, malty, boozy, Belgian-y beers, they look forward to this one all year round. So lets get into it.

A Note on Beer Acquisition

Like every other blind-tasting at Paste, we acquire these beers in a variety of ways. Most are sent in directly by the breweries when we send out a call for that style. Others were able to purchase directly because theyre available in Georgia. In the end, were at the mercy of press contacts and seasonal availability. Sometimes, we simply cant get a beer that we know we should have. This year (and last year as well), one of those beers was the great Corsendonk Christmas Ale from Belgium, which for some reason still hasnt arrived in the Atlanta market as I type this. Others, like Scaldis Noel, we were only lucky enough to acquire on the last day of tasting. For whatever reason, perhaps due to lack of demand, the classic Belgians in particular seem to not be arriving in our market as often as they once did.

A Note on Beer Selection For This Tasting

Theres no other way to say it, so Ill just say it: The beers in this tasting dont make a whole lot of sense. In past years, we limited it only to Christmas beers that specifically featured the holiday. That, however, would eliminate the likes of Sierra Nevada Celebration or any of the other beers featuring snow and winter themes  so we expanded the criteria. Ultimately, I accepted anything with holiday or winter theming, or even specific mentions of them in the beer description. If it was described as being for the holidays or winter on the package, then its in this tasting. The end result is rather schizophrenic, but well be back to tasting a single style next month (non-barrel aged imperial stout!).

Rules and Procedure

 There was no ABV limit for this tasting, for obvious reasons. And for the reasons explained above, there was no limit on which styles were acceptable.

 There was no limit of entries per brewery. The beers were separated into daily blind tastings that approximated a sample size of the entire field.

 Tasters included professional beer writers, brewery owners, multiple professional brewers and beer reps. Awesome, style-appropriate glassware is from Spiegelau.

 Beers were judged completely blind by how enjoyable they were as individual experiences and given scores of 1-100, which were then averaged. Entries were judged by how much we enjoyed them for whatever reason, not by how well they fit any kind of preconceived style guidelines. As such, this is not a BJCP tasting.



The Field: Christmas/Winter Beers #104-31

The biggest trend Ive noticed in these winter tastings for the last few years is that it has become harder for the standard winter warmers and Christmas ales to stand out. Sure, many of them are tasty, and serve their purpose, but any time we have a specific style that makes up a vast chunk of the entries, its harder for one to really catch the attention of the tasters or rise above. There are a whole lot of spiced beers here; brews that taste like ginger snaps or snickerdoodles or oatmeal raisin cookies. A handful of those types of beers were able to rise into the top 30, but a lot of them are here in The Field. And youll no doubt notice that many of the big Belgian ales and barrel-aged beers made the final, but observe that not ALL of them did. Although objectivity in rating is difficult when comparing so many different types of styles, we tried our best to treat them all alike.

The beers below in The Field are simply listed in alphabetical order, and are thus not ranked. I repeat: These beers are not ranked.

Alaskan Brewing Co. Winter Ale

Bells Christmas Ale

Bells Winter White Ale

Boneyard Beer Co. Backbone Chocolate Espresso Stout

Boulder Beer Co. Killer Penguin

Boulder Beer Co. Slope Style Winter IPA

Brew Kettle Winter Warmer

Brooklyn Brewery Insulated

The Bruery 9 Ladies Dancing

Canton Brewing Co. Winter Beer

Capital Brewery Schwarz in a Box

Capital Brewery Winter Skal

Coronado Snowy Plover Winter IPA

Double Mountain Fa La La La La

Drakes Brewing Jolly Rodger Winter Warmer

Elysian Brewing Co. Bifrost Winter Ale

Evolution Southern Pecan Pie Imperial Brown Ale

Fat Heads Holly Jolly Christmas Ale

Fiction Beer Co. Wintry Emblem

Fort Collins Brewery Sled God

Fremont Brewing Co. Bonfire Ale

Fremont Brewing Co. Winter Ale

Full Sail Brewery Session Fest

Full Sail Brewery Shortest Day CDA

Full Sail Brewery Wassail

Full Sail Brewery Wreck the Halls

Golden Road Back Home Gingerbread Stout

Grand Teton Brewing Co. Coming Holiday Ale

Great Lakes Brewing Co. Christmas Ale

Great Lakes Brewing Co. Bourbon Barrel Aged Christmas Ale

Great Raft Brewing Awkward Uncle

Harpoon Brewery UFO Winter Blonde

Heavy Seas Winter Storm

Highland Brewing Co. Cold Mountain

Indeed Brewing Co. Old Friend

Iron Hill Reindeers Revenge

Karbach Yule Shoot Your Eye Out

Lakefront Brewery Brandy Barrel Spiced Winter Lager

MadTree Brewing Thundersnow

New Belgium Accumulation

New Belgium Anne Francoise

New Holland Brewing Cabin Fever

Ommegang Lovely, Dark and Deep

pFriem Belgian Christmas Ale

Point Beer Snow Pilot

Red Hare Brewing Berry Belgian Waffle

Revolution Brewing Co. Fistmas

Rogue Ales Santas Private Reserve

Rogue Ales Yellow Snow IPA

Saint Arnold Sailing Santa

Sam Adams Hopflake

Sam Adams White Christmas

Sam Adams Winter Lager

Samuel Smith Winter Ale

SanTan Brewing Co/ Winter Warmer

Schlafly Christmas Ale

Sebago Brewing Slick Nick

Second Self Beer Co. JunIPA

Shmaltz Brewing Hanukkah Beer

Sierra Nevada Christmas Jam

Silver City Brewery Wonderland Winter Lager

Sixpoint Global Warmer

Sixpoint Old Ale

Smuttynose Smistletoe

Summit Winter Ale

SweetWater Festive Ale

Third Street Brewhouse Sugar Shack

Troegs Blizzard of Hops

21st Amendment Fireside Chat

Two Brothers Brewing Co. Peppermint Porter

Two Roads Brewing Co. Holiday Ale

Uinta Brewing Rise & Pine

Warped Wing Esthers Little Secret

Wormtown Brewery Blizzard of 78

Yards Poor Richards Tavern Spruce

Next: The finals! Christmas/winter beers #s 30-1



City: Boston, MA

ABV: 5.9%

The verdict: Sam Adams has been making this winter seasonal for a long time  since 2001! Do you realize what an eternity that is in the world of craft beer, especially for a yearly seasonal? Most beers, even successful ones, DO NOT make it that long without getting updated and replaced by changing tastes, and yet Old Fezziwig still manages to keep plugging away. Of all the Boston Beer Co. holiday seasonals (four in total), its the most old-school and inherently approachable. Crisp grain and caramel maltiness mingles with light dark fruit notes of cherry and raisin, ending in touches of ginger and nutmeg-like spice. Just a touch of sweetness, but dry overall, its a very drinkable, food-friendly, old-school Christmas ale. This is exactly the sort of beer that is likely to be overlooked by beer geeks because its been around for so long, and its exactly why we do these tastings blind. Its an excellent example of what an American beer geek means when he says Christmas ale.





City: Asheville, NC

ABV: 5.6%

The verdict: This is how you do the Christmas cookie-style spiced beer rightits all about balance of spice intensity, the underlying beer and residual sweetness. ABC knows how to make a porter already, considering that they have a whole yearly line of various Ninjas, which helps put this beer on a solid footing. You get pronounced cinnamon and gingerbread on the nose, which is sweet, fragrant and invitingdistinctly different from some of the gingery Christmas ales that initially smell like spicy ginger ale/ginger beer. Cocoa notes make for an excellent supporting player, as does the velvety texture noted by one score sheet. A kiss of sweetness that avoids being cloying puts it right where it needs to be.





City: Chico, CA

ABV: 6.8%

The verdict: One of the true classics of the genre, Sierra Nevada Celebration is always hanging around the periphery of the finalsit seems like each year it still manages to find its way in, even as the competition gets tougher and tougher. Its hard to believe that this beer has been around since 1981, which at the time made it legitimately one of the very first American IPAs on the market  as a Christmas beer! Weird, right? Tasting our way through 104 beers this year, it was really easy to see the impact of Celebrationmany of the other hop-forward winter beers are seemingly made in its image, and you can understand why. Its calling card is an impeccable balance between malt and hops: Toasted bread and light caramel maltiness offers a touch more malt sweetness and body than in most modern IPAs, supported by plenty of grassy, piney, old-school American hops. Its a living representative of craft beer history that is still a pleasure to drink.





City: Newburyport, MA

ABV: 6.3%

The verdict: This winter seasonal was so well-liked by its audience that its apparently becoming a year-rounder this year, which I suppose will probably disqualify it from future lists. Still, this is another beer that pulls off a tough task: Making something that feels like a dessert beer without coming off as either overly sweet or artificial. Its a big porter with cinnamon and vanilla, and the fact that it doesnt immediately taste like horchata is your hint that they knew what they were doing. Its a full bodied, very creamy beer that many of the tasters assumed was a milk stout of some kind, thanks to the creamy, velvety texture. Substantial roast gives plenty of coffee impressions, but the hints of vanilla round it out nicely and add richness and moderate residual sweetness. You really dont see many breweries using vanilla beans this deftly, to the point that they probably have people in the tasting room asking for more vanilla in future batches. We like it just the way it is.





City: Clifton Park, NY

ABV: 16.8% (!)

The verdict: Good god. At almost 17% ABV, theyre not kidding when they label this one as strong ale. This beer is a celebration of booziness, and youre going to need a certain ability to tolerate intensity to appreciate it. It has the sort of booze profile that actually starts to contribute bitterness, not from hops but from the alcohol itself. Matching the alcohol presence is the size of the mouthfeel, which is extremely thick and chewySam Adams Utopias-like. Like a dram of potent port wine or sherry, it flows down your throat and you can immediately feel it warming your chest. Theres definitely winey-ness to this one; a vinous fruity quality that makes it feel like a liqueur or cordial youd drink out of one of those tiny crystal glasses. If youve just come back in from shoveling your driveway for an hour, this is what you open up. Just make sure youve got like, half a dozen people to share it with.





City: San Francisco, CA

ABV: 6.5%

The verdict: I called Sierra Nevada Celebration a classic of the genre, but if were talking about American Christmas beers, then Anchor Christmas is the genre. The original American Christmas beer has been around since 1975, and is different in recipe and label every single year. And real talk here: We dont always love Anchor Christmas on a yearly basis, but this is the best damn batch of this stuff in recent memorycertainly since Ive been doing these tastings at Paste. This years beer seems a bit beefed up in terms of malt presence, with a touch of roast and nuttiness that isnt always present. Thanks to the dark, berry-like fruitiness, deep caramelization and very subtle spicing, you might even mistake it for a Belgian Christmas ale, albeit one with considerably cleaner-fermenting yeast. Regardless, Our Special Ale 2016 is an exceedingly well balanced, beautifully executed beer, and Anchor should be proud that they made something like this 42 years after making it for the first time.





City: Achouffe, Belgium

ABV: 10%

The verdict: NIce Chouffe doesnt quite get the automatic mention that St. Bernardus does when you say Belgian Christmas ale, but this one is a real sleeper. In fact, the first tasting sheet makes an immediate Bernie comparison: Like Abt. 12, but subtler, more balanced. The rest of us dont necessarily agree with the more balanced portion, because this one is definitely a rich, sweet, slow sipper of a beer. The nose is full of candy-sweet maltiness and fruity estersthink cherry, but also something tarter like Granny Smith apples. On the palate you get more spice and a touch of yeast-driven funk to add complexity, but this is still a very sweet, very rich take on Belgian dark strong ale. Red fruitiness, spice and molasses lead the way. It tastes like the candied fruits youd get in a loaf of panettone.





City: Kansas City, MO

ABV: 6.3%

The verdict: Boulevard deserves props on this one for designing a Christmas beer that reflects hallmarks of the style while still being a unique concept. Snow & Tell is based around the framework of a scotch ale, although at 6.3% ABV, it might be more accurate to call it a Scottish ale or an 80/90 shilling. Regardless, the brewery was clearly trying to enhance drinkability by going on the lower side of the ABV spectrum, and the resulting beer still packs a lot of character into a slightly smaller frame. Nutty and bready malt are supported by just a hint of smoke, making one think of a winter fire. Theres no actual spicing in this one, but youd be forgiven for thinking there was, as the malt complexity and slightly spicy hop profile give it a hard-to-place exoticism. Interesting stuff.





City: Boulder, CO

ABV: 8.3%

The verdict: This is an American Christmas beer that I think tends to fly under the radar, but its also one that has performed well in previous Paste tastings, so I wasnt surprised to see it score highly again. Its a nuanced, more subtle take on Belgian dark strong ale than almost all the other offerings, either from Belgium or the U.S.A. With a slightly lower ABV, Upslopes Christmas Ale offers many of the same elements of flavor you find in the classic Belgians, plus superb balance, with a lower threshold of assertivenessi.e., its less likely to put you on your ass after a single beer. Fairly significant residual sweetness and dried fruitiness is tempered by a heavy dose of baking spices and classic Belgian abbey ale esters. It reminds me of nothing so much as a lighter version of Saint Bernardus, and what better compliment can you possibly pay to a Belgian Christmas ale than that?





City: Avondale Estates, GA

ABV: 8.2%

The verdict: This is a holiday variant of Wild Heavens year-round coffee brown ale, Ode to Mercy, which is additionally treated with bourbon-soaked oak chips. This more modest alternative to barrel-aging gives the resulting beer a very subtle background structure of wood, vanilla and caramelization that is quite different from the decadent flavors youre usually getting out a barrel. Theyre a supporting player to the base beer, which features nutty malt and a very pronounced note of spicy coffee. Theres something about the coffee character of this particular brown alespicy, herbal and a touch vegetalthat is quite distinctive, and something Ive not tasted in many other coffee beers. Its definitely the signature flavor, and a unique addition to the coffee beer canon.





City: Silverdale, WA

ABV: 8.5%

The verdict: This is easily the brewery that made the two most surprising beers of this tasting. Weve never had Silver City Brewing in a tasting before, but they showed up in a big way; emphasis on big. This is the beer that Paste editor Josh Jackson flat-out refused to believe could possibly weigh in at the stated ABV level, because it tastes much bigger. In effect, it feels like an American-style Christmas ale or old ale, amped up in all dimensions. That it does so without getting cloying or artificial is what makes it so goodyou get the decadence of malt and fruitcake, plenty of spice and no shortage of residual sweetness, but it never feels like a gimmick. As one score sheet reads: Right on. Big, boozy, red-cheeked Christmas. Red cheeked indeed.





City: Escondido, CA

ABV: 9.4%

The verdict: Its always a bit easy to forget that Enjoy By weighs in at 9.4%its usually such a straightforward hop bomb (and a fairly dry one), that it tends to drink like a considerably lighter IPA rather than a true American DIPA. Thats certainly the case on the cleverly named Enjoy By Christmas, which combines a substantial hop punch with impressive drinkability. This is notable for being an unfiltered batch of Enjoy By, although oddly enough it actually seems a bit less purely hoppy to us in the pastperhaps because there was another beer on the table that day that was also a hop bomb. Regardless, you get some very nice citrus on the nose, but also some more unexpected fruity notesa berry/pine combination that reminds one of juniper, perhaps in deference to the holiday season? Its also a bit creamier in terms of mouthfeel than we remember, but Enjoy By does tend to change from batch to batch. All in all, an excellent choice if youre looking for hops rather than malt this season.





City: Decatur, GA

ABV: 10%

The verdict: This spiced Christmas Belgian quad from Three Taverns is a perennial contender in these Christmas tastings, and it never fails to perform. Compared to some of the other classic Belgians, its the spices that stand out on Feest Noelcinnamon, cardamom and allspice are the holiday trifecta here. Strong carbonation creates a dense, foamy head that takes a long time to dissipate, preserving the aromatics. Booze is well hidden, and although this quad is on the sweeter and richer side, it finishes dry in the manner that you associate with the great Belgian strong dark ales. As weve said in previous years of tasting, its an American quadrupel that really fits in well alongside the old-school Belgian recipes that inspired it.





City: Escondido, CA

ABV: 8.1%

The verdict: Oh, hello there again, Stone. Welcome back. As we said last year when this beer also performed well, Mexican hot chocolate is a flavor profile that is hardly new or novel in craft beer stouts these days. What sets this particular one apart is the dual quality of both the base beer and the deft use of its spices. Theres a really solid stout under the hood of this beer, packed with bittersweet cocoa and oily espresso flavors, which make an ideal framework for fragrant, sweet cinnamon, nutmeg and just a light touch of pasilla peppers that add a bit more dark fruitiness. This beer feels indulgent in a well-earned way. Its not the kind of thing youd refer to as sophisticatedits wish-fulfillment, crowd-pleasing beer that does so in a genuine way. It may well be the best dark beer that Stone makes all year.





City: North Olmstead, OH

ABV: 10.5%

The verdict: Fat Heads: Perennially underrated on a national level, perennially raking in awards at GABF and beyond. Theyre simply one of the Midwests best breweries in any capacity, and theyre the rare brewery that can seemingly do any style well. This is the first beer of its kind weve ever had from thema spiced Belgian dark strong ale makes for quite a change of pace from the IPAs weve downed from them in the past. This one really revels in the dark fruit aromatics and flavors, with huge notes of raisin and fig. Multiple tasters also went out of their way to note black currants, which was a note unique to this beer. As for the spice, theres definitely some anise/licorice notes happening here, in a beer that is also notable for feeling every bit of its heftvery thick, very creamy. It has the mouthfeel of something youd be saving for a special occasion.





City: Boston, MA

ABV: 5.9%

The verdict: This beer, and Harpoon in general, get a bad rap. No, they dont dominate via Beeradvocate and Ratebeer rankings, and perhaps their lineup can be a little dated at times, but damnit, they still perform well in blind tastings when the style and time are right. Harpoon Winter Warmer was the very first seasonal they ever brewed in 1988, and the fact that its still being made 28 years later should tell you something. Indeed, this is really one of the beers that helped establish the entire concept of the American Christmas ale/spiced winter warmer. Every tasters notes read almost exactly the same: Classic-style Christmas ale, gingerbread molasses cookies. From another: The space between a winter warmer and bigger Christmas beer. Flavorful but easy drinking. Its simply a people-pleaser. Include it in a blind tasting, and we think youll agree with us.





City: San Marcos, CA

ABV: 12%

The verdict: This is, in short, a very unusual beer. They call it a biere de garde, but its initially fermented with lager rather than ale yeast. The beer is literally brewed with small amounts of frankincense and myrrh in honor of the holiday season, and is then finished with brettanomyces for bottle conditioning. So yeah, that is an odd cocktail. Its big, boozy and assertive, with red fruit and banana notes and a touch of herbal hops. The brett doesnt present with any real funk to speak of, given that it didnt perform the primary fermentation, but it does seem as if the pH is a bit lower than normal as a result. The booze is slightly shocking on an initial sip when tasting blind, but the beer improves as it warms and you subsequently reevaluate it. Theres actually some unexpected hop bitterness here as well, which helps give it structure and keeps the final beer far from the sweet sideits actually surprisingly dry, for 12% ABV. It feels calculate to be a very conscious deviation from what people are expecting in Christmas beer, and it clearly worked on us.





City: Hood River, OR

ABV: 7.5%

The verdict: How weird is this: The hoppiest beer in this entire damn tasting doesnt say anything about hops or IPA on the bottle. Youve never think so from the name winter ale, but stick your nose in a glass of this stuff and prepare yourself for a serious hop bomb, and a damn good one too. Big, resinous, green grassy and pine aromatics dominate, chased by orange citrus and a bit of doughy malt. Balance is completely in favor of the hops on this one, though. It actually reminds me favorably of our 2015 American IPA blind tasting winner White Rajah, from The Brew Kettle in Ohio. As it warms up, you get a bit more fruit in the aroma, and a twist of something that might be a bit juicier and more tropical, but definitely dont go into this thing expecting some kind of typical winter warmer or spiced ale. It may not be labeled as IPA, but it was the best overall IPA of this tasting, and thats a fact.





City: Decatur, GA

ABV: 10%

The verdict: Last year, it was the standard version of Three Taverns Feest Noel spiced Belgian quad that stole our hearts, but this year it was the barrel-aged version that surged ahead on the score sheets. As we similarly noted last year, this beer takes on an unusual character when its bourbon barrel-aged. Unlike so many other BBA beers, it doesnt take on huge dimensions of vanilla, sour oak, caramel, etc. Instead, bourbon barrels seem to amplify the spice profile of Feest Noel in a way that makes some tasters mistake what kind of barrel has been used. Looking at the tasting sheets, some thought this was some kind of red wine barrel-aged beer, while others thought it had more of a brandy character. Regardless, the result is a quad with prickly carbonation that takes on a spicy, almost cola or root beer-like bouquet. Cherry and raspberry-like red fruit and raisin mingle with winey alcohol and pronounced woodiness to create a very distinctive final product. Everything you get on the palate of this beer is festive.





City: San Marcos, CA

ABV: 10.5%

The verdict: I rather admire that Port looks at the winter seasonal spot in their lineup and says Spiced winter warmer? Screw that, lets just make a straight up Russian imperial stout. And thats what Santas Little Helper isan honest-to-god imperial stout that isnt barrel-aged, spiced or gimmicky in any way. And its great! Thick, creamy and roast-forward, its an excellent example of a classical RIS flavor profile, with heavy coffee, ashy roast, very dark, bittersweet cocoa and a touch of smoke that is supported by moderate-to-high hop bitterness. This is by no means a big, decadent, sweet stoutit stays dry despite the 10.5% ABV and definitely caters to lovers of roast. Writers often cite big, sweet stouts as being ideal to pair with desserts, but this is the beer you actually want for that purpose; a dryer, coffee-like roast with a flavor profile that complements your Christmas cookies but also counterpoints them rather than simply doubling down on sugar.





City: Boulder, CO

ABV: 8.3%

The verdict: This is one of those beers you know is going to be in the tasting every single year, but you never quite know where it will end up in the rankings. It is such a solid concept and executiona traditional English winter warmer/old ale/strong alethat it always scores well, but just needs to hit tasters the right way on any given day to really shine. Clearly, that happened this time. Its a beer that is all about malt complexityas the brewery puts it, no spices, just a perfect blend of five specialty malts. The English ale yeast (presumably) does contribute some unique fruity and herbal esters, though, to match a wealth of molasses and toffee-driven maltone of the tasters referred to it as plummy. Its also in exactly the right ABV range to be warming without being overtly boozy, which makes it probably the most overtly approachable beer in the top 10. Its probably about time to anoint Old Jubilation as a holiday classic on the same level as Miracle on 34th Street, or at the very least, The Christmas That Almost Wasnt.





City: Hershey, PA

ABV: 11%

The verdict: If youre on the East Coast, then youve probably been fairly intoxicated at Christmas thanks to Mad Elf. It came along at a time (2002) when extreme beer was much more of a novelty from American craft breweries, and it used that notoriety to claim a prominent spot in the consumer consciousness as a decadent, over-the-top holiday tipple. But the thing is this: Its still quite good, 15 years later. This is, in short, not a subtle beer. It hammers you with booze and with big Belgian yeast esters of banana and clove. Huge red fruit flavors (cherry, plum) and sticky toffee ride a tidal wave of booze and sweet caramel. Multiple tasters score sheets actually use the word sticky on this one, and one contains the word yowza. It tastes like something you could easily reduce into a syrup for topping a banana split sundae. Which is to say, it tastes like Christmas.





City: Mechelen, Belgium

ABV: 10.5%

The verdict: Gouden Carolus Van De Keizer was actually our #1 Belgian quad, back when we blind-tasted 32 of them in May, so its safe to say that we had some fairly high expectations for their Christmas beer. Compared to some of the other classic Belgian Christmas ales in the same style, it differentiates itself in a few interesting ways. The pH is noticeably lower, which gives the dark/dried fruit flavors more of a vinous character than in most of the others, and a correspondingly pleasant touch of vinegar-like tartness on the nose. Its by no means one-dimensional, though, boasting great malt complexity and an expressive Belgian yeast, along with a prominent anise note of spice. It also has more residual sweetness than some of the other classic Belgians, making this one a particularly slow sipper. Its a big, bracing Christmas beer that is best shared.





City: Berkeley, CA

ABV: 5.8%

The verdict: Genuine sour beers were a rarity in this tasting, so a big thanks to The Rare Barrel for breaking up the field with a very unorthodox entry. This is a pretty darn unusual beer in terms of construction: A golde sour beer fermented with brettanomyces and lactobacillus, aged in oak barrels with peaches, cinnamon and vanilla bean. That sounds like a combination of elements that could go pretty wrong, but here they go very right. The beer presents with big citrus and stone fruitiness and firm aciditybright and tart, and with an underlying cinnamon/nutmeg-like spice that is quite subtle compared to the fruitiness and tang of acid. Almost all the tasters correctly identified the stone fruit quality in their tasting notes, although the vanilla bean was more difficult to find. All in all, though, Home Sour Home is a wonderfully complex, session-strength sour that provided an extremely welcome break from spiced beers in this tasting. We expect it would do well in just about any other category as well.





City: Esen, Belgium

ABV: 12%

The verdict: Very fruity, very boozythats the De Dolle calling card. Unlike almost all of the other classic Belgian Christmas ales, Stille Nacht isnt a Belgian dark strong/quadrupel (which are more or less the same style, by the way). Instead, its classified as a Belgian strong pale ale, and as a result the fruit flavors dont run quite as dark/dried as most of the quads. Instead, you get powerful impressions of citrus and especially peach/apricot stone fruit, and a massive nose of sherry-like booze. Medium-high residual sugar makes this beer seem similar to a lighter-colored Gouden Carolus Noel, in the sense that theyre both high-ABV Belgian flavor bombs that revel in fruit and booze. It almost demands you allow it to warm up at least a tad after pouring to let those fruit flavors come even further into the forefront.





City: Melle, Belgium

ABV: 10%

The verdict: Compared to the De Dolle or Gouden Carolus Christmas beers that precede it, Delirium Noel is significantly more approachable, drier, and dangerously drinkable. The signature flavor and aromatics here are driven by the spices and especially by the estery Belgian yeast strain, which produces big notes of clove and banana, making the final product smell something like spiced banana bread. Theres absolutely no missing that its a classic Belgian ale if you have any familiarity with this type of yeast profile. Modest booziness and spice (ginger, cinnamon) round out a Christmas ale that actually has a little bit of hop bitterness that is absent in some of the others, which is another factor that helps it stay more dry than most. Our end impression is the same as it was last year: Compared to its big brothers, Delirium is a well-measured Belgian Christmas ale that is more about subtlety than blowing the doors off.





City: Seattle, WA

ABV: 14%

The verdict: Last years #1 beer from Fremont, the aptly named B-Bomb, had another tremendous showing in 2016. We really cant praise the consistency of Fremonts barrel-aging program enoughtheir BBA stouts and winter beers are uniformly world class in execution, and theyre monsters in any blind tasting setting. This is a huge, boozy beer that brings gigantic flavors to the party, but dare we say its actually a touch less hot in terms of alcohol than youd expect, when you see the 14% ABV written on the side of the bottle. Its a beer that falls somewhere in between style boundariesnot an imperial stout (although theres a bit of roast), not a barleywine (not enough hops); just an absolutely massive American strong ale. Dark and dried fruit flavors of prune and raisin are drenched in maple syrup/vanilla sweetness from the bourbon barrels, with whiskey flavors that are assertive but still well-integrated into the whole. Drinkable actually appears on one of the tasters score sheets for this 14% ABV beer. Were keeping an eye on that guy.





City: Silverdale, WA

ABV: 9.5%

The verdict: I said earlier that Silver City Brewing made the most surprising beers that were entered into this tasting: Case in point, right here. This barrel-aged version of their earlier Old Scrooge Ale is just hugely, massively flavorful. If Paste editor Josh Jackson had trouble believing that their other beer was 8.5% ABV, then he about had a coronary when he saw this one listed at a mere 9.5% ABV. Its seriously comparable, in terms of volume of flavor, with the Fremont barrel-aged beer immediately above it, and that beer is ostensibly 4.5% ABV strongerhow they pulled that off, I have no idea. Regardless, this beer is awash with intense dried fruit flavors of dates, prune and raisin, followed up by huge swells of oak, maple and vanilla, and a plethora of baking spices. Its exceedingly Christmasyyou could probably serve it warm in a big crystal punch bowl, except for the fact that everyone at your party would end up blacking out. Festal celebration, indeed.





City: Watou, Belgium

ABV: 10%

The verdict: Hello Bernie, our old friend  year in and year out, this previous #1 winner remains one of the very best Belgian Christmas ales. You could set your watches by it, and its especially impressive to see it continue to do so well on a yearly basis in a blind tasting environment, which removes the unwanted nostalgia factor. From one tasting sheet: Big, creamy Belgian dark strong. Classic. Bready, with touches of licorice and spice. The hallmark of this particular beer is pretty much always balance. Its not the biggest in terms of ABV, or the most bombastic in terms of flavors, but its always among the most balanced and perfectly calculated. From another score sheet: The Real Deal. The bready malt character is to me one of the signatures of both Abt. 12 and St. Bernardus Christmas Ale; a lightly toasted, bread crust-like note that blends seamlessly with Belgian yeast esters less pronounced than say, the Delirium Noel. Its just delicious stuff.





City: Leuze-Pipaix, Belgium

ABV: 12%

The verdict: History repeats itself. Last year, Scaldis Noel edged out St. Bernardus, Delirium and a few others to finish at #2, the highest of all the classic Belgian Christmas ales. This year, it dethrones the barrel-aged stuff to capture the overall #1 spot. If Im going to compare it to any of the other classic Belgians, St. Bernardus is probably the closest example  except its a bit bigger, bolder and somewhat less balanced. Big, expressive Belgian yeast aromatics of banana and clove are a signature, but theres also plenty of black cherry/brown sugar on the nose as well. Residual sweetness is right in the middle, as is boozebig enough for one of the tasters to describe it in his notes as Bumble Sized, but still drinkable enough to be on the dangerous side. On the palate, you get some nutty/toasted malt, toffee and tons of dark fruit, with plenty of spice: This is a beer with a high volume of flavor for folks who like to live large. It would probably age really well  but thats assuming you were ever able to save any for next Christmas, when it drinks perfectly well when fresh. This year, when you have friends over for Christmas, open up a few bottles of Scaldis Noel.



Jim Vorel is Pastes resident craft beer and whiskey guru. You can follow him on Twitter for much more drinks coverage.
On Brooklyn Nine-Nine, ridiculousness comes in many flavors, but Andy Samberg and Joe Lo Truglio take down the Latvian mob in their underpants is an entirely new profile in the shows comic repertoire. Granted, Captain Latvia, which is both Brooklyn Nine-Nines requisite holiday episode as well as the capper on its brief mid-season break (sorry, suckers, but see you in 2017!), neither lingers on that particular joke nor carries it out to its full and obvious conclusion, but for a few, glorious seconds, Jake and Boyle give serious consideration to busting in on a warehouse full of gangsters in their boxers, guns blazing, flies fluttering, and the idea alone is just goofy enough to make us giggle.

Captain Latvia is also a necessary window into Boyles soul. Everyones favorite uncomfortably awkward slash gross 9-9 detective hasnt been given much prominence in Brooklyn Nine-Nines recent episode hierarchy, which makes a degree of sense: Season Fours early overarching plot scheme was shaped around Jake and Holt, and most of whats transpired since has been devoted to wrapping up those loose ends bit by bit. Through the arrest of Figgis and the return of Pimento, though, Boyle has had young Nikolaj as a focal point for growth and development, and as we all hurtle toward Christmas, maybe its only appropriate for this years seasonally themed chapter to focus on a fathers bond with his son. Or a mothers bond. Remember, were talking about Boyle here; hes a man possessed of a surprising iron will and a casual ignorance of his own weirdness.

But the will is more noteworthy in Captain Latvia. We know Boyle has a way of being creepy, or gross, or both without ever picking up on it, and thats as true of Captain Latvia as literally any number of more roundly Boyle-centric episodes in Brooklyn Nine-Nines history. Do you recall his umami makeout sessions with Vivian way back in the shows first season? No? Thats probably because you blocked them from your memory on purpose, using a combination of meditation techniques and a zeta-interacting protein regimen. These are the things that make Boyle, well, Boyle, but they belie the tremendous resolve housed within his diminutive, hirsute frame. If you threaten his kid, hell go full action-hero on your ass, spouting indelicate turns of phrase all the way.

Dont worry: Nobody actually threatens Nikolaj in Captain Latvia, but rather his Christmas. See, Captain Latvia is an action figure from (surprise) Latvia, and its the present Boyle promised to get for young Nikolaj on his first Christmas, not just with Boyle and Genevieve (who gets in a handful of stealth-amazing jokes in her short time on screen), but in general. Turns out that Nikolaj never got to celebrate Christmas in Latvia, due to the orphanage cancellingeither on account of natural disasters, like fire and blizzards, or utter horrors, like dry rot and famine. The kids had it rough. But Boyles having it rougher. Captain Latvia figures are hard to get in the States, and Boyle keeps on getting stonewalled by the shipping company. As the traditional Brooklyn Nine-Nine pattern goes, Jake decides to intervene, first by offering to help Boyle track the toy down, then by unintentionally rousing Boyles inner parental strength and thus bringing out Boyles alpha side (which is just as fundamentally gross as his beta side).

Concurrent with the search for Captain Latvia is Holts desperate attempt to whip the 9-9 into singing shape to best the snotty (and extremely talented) MTA choir, a pack of golden throated dorks (burn courtesy of Gina, of course, though Terrys pasty-assed mole people is the better burn of the two) readying themselves for the annual charity caroling competition. We know Holt is prone to pettiness when his pride is on the line, so its little surprise that hes determined to win. Its more of a surprise that hed be willing to go into the drunk tank to fetch Patrick (Lance Barber), a man arrested for public intoxication (he peed on two snowmen and one real man) who happens to have the voice of an angel. You would think that this kind of strategy would be anathema to Holt, but hes totally cool with it, and for that matter so is Amy, who would normally turn into a font of armpit sweat at the thought of testing ethical lines.

So weve got multiple people acting against their normal tendencies in Captain Latvia, though Boyle is motivated by something much more pure than Holt or Amy: Hes motivated by parenthood. If Season Three taught us anything about Boyle, its that hes a perfectly suitable butt kicker should occasion demand (see: Yippee Kayak), and as soon as mention is made of A Good Day to Die Hard, we pretty much know exactly what to expect from Captain Latvia: Hard-Boyled supercop antics, but without the increasing disappointments of each entry in the franchise after the first. (Jake: Trust me, its gonna be fine. Boyle: Really? But you said that about Die Hard 5, Jake! Jake: Oh. Its not gonna be fine.) But Brooklyn Nine-Nine is about teaching its characters lessons, so while Captain Latvia is the object, its not the mission. The mission is fatherhood, even though Boyle cant keep fatherhood straight from motherhood.

Is it schmaltzy for Captain Latvia to circle back around to a dads anxieties about disappointing his son? Sure. But Brooklyn Nine-Nine is so gag-heavy that its punch lines mellow out the schmaltz of Jake telling Boyle, in essence, that the best gift he can give Nikolaj is himself, or of Boyle telling Jake hell be a dad someday, too (or poor Scully insisting that caroling is about family togetherness while everyone else ignores him). The results are just sweet enough to justify the silliness of Boyle using his musk to flirt with a Latvian nightclub manager, or Jakes anxiety over his firmly inappropriate clubbing T-shirt, or Hitchcocks insistence on backing up the 9-9 chorus by rapping, or Patrick dissing New York City and proclaiming his love for Hoboken, of all places. In Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Christmas couldnt go any other way. God bless us, everyone.



Boston-based critic Andy Crump has been writing about film online since 2009, and has been contributing to Paste Magazine since 2013. He writes additional words for Movie Mezzanine, The Playlist, and Birth. Movies. Death., and is a member of the Online Film Critics Society and the Boston Online Film Critics Association. You can follow him on Twitter and find his collected writing at his personal blog. He is composed of roughly 65% craft beer.
Surprise appearance on The Tonight Show aside, we knew we werent going to be seeing the Nintendo Switch for a while after its debut in October.

Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has previously said that at the Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017, well learn when in March the Switch will release, how much itll cost, and what games are currently in development for it, a list that thus far includes some untitled Mario game and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The presentation will be on Thursday, Jan. 12, at 11 p.m. EST, which could be Nintendos way of toying with us because they know well stay up late. But time zones being what they are, it does place the presentation at a rather early 1 p.m. Tokyo time. The presentation will be livestreamed on Nintendo.com, but if you go there (or here) now, youll just have to rewatch the Switch trailer again.

Revisit our November feature on the Switch here.
The government of Myanmar is currently carrying out the early stages of an ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya, an ethnic group that lives in Rakhine Province. Already one of the most oppressed people in the world, the Muslim minority Rohingya have been denied freedom of movement, freedom of opportunity, and are considered non-citizens in their own country. They have been herded into settlement lands. Apartheid, in other words.

In early October, three police posts were attacked, in a coordinated assault. Nine officers were killed. Several days of fighting followed. The attacks were tied back to a few of the Rohingya. The government is using this incident as an excuse to go on a rampage of wild oppression, and it is gruesome to watch. Sexual assault, violent sprees, fifteen hundred buildings burnedmaybe more.

What we are witnessing now is a pogrom. The most remarkable fact of all is that the leader of the countrya woman beloved by the West, who won a Nobel Peace Prizeis doing very little.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a Southeast Asian country, squeezed between Bangladesh and India to the west, Thailand to the east, and China to the north. It is majority-Buddhist and made up of 136 ethnic groups. Of those, 135 are recognized by the government. The 136th are the Rohingya. They number 1.1 million souls, and are despised as outsiders.

They are accused of being recent arrivals in the land of Myanmar, of being nationals of Bangladesh. But this is not true; the Rohingya have been there at least since the 15th century, and we have accounts of their presence in the 18th century. As Johnston and Neelakantan point out in Time magazine, the Rohingya have never been a radicalized population, and the majority have eschewed violence, seeing it as counterproductive to improving their lot. The current goal of the government is to squeeze them until they die or move west.

Why? It is partially their religion, Islam, but it has more to do with ethnicity. After all, there are other mosques in other parts of the country that are not being destroyed or burned. Part of the reason for this has to do with the recent history of Myanmar. A post-colonial society, the Burmese subscribe to a weird ethno-nationalism which encourages xenophobia and drives extremist Buddhist priests to denounce the Rohingya.

Since the end of colonialism, Burma has been ruled mostly by its military. Ruled is a light term to describe how the military (called the Tatmadaw) ran the country. Myanmar under the Tatmadaw was one of the most repressive nations in the world: up there with North Korea. It had, and has, one of the worst human rights records in history. The country was condemned thoroughly by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and every other human rights organization worth a gallon-jug of warm spit. If theres a basic human right, the governments violated it. Slavery, child labor, sexual violence, human trafficking: theyre all on the table.

One of the guys who originally led the country to independence was named Aung San. He was killed by a paramilitary group a long time ago. Hes still considered Father of the Nation. His daughter is named Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK).

ASSK grew up and eventually went to London for school. She married an Englishman and lived her life in the U.K. In 1988, her mother got ill, so she went back to Myanmar. Saw her country in a sorry state. She decides enough is enough, founds a party, runs, and wins the election of 1990. The Tatmadaw wouldnt recognize the result. As Thant Myint-U wrote:

Members of the army under Ne Win began to see themselves as Burmas saviors  from foreign aggression and internal fragmentation  looking backward to the glory days of Burmese warrior-kings and tapping into Burmese nationalisms more xenophobic strains.

The generals couldnt kill her, so they placed her under house arrest for fifteen years. So there she stayed, for a decade and a half, in a colonial-era house in Yangon (formerly Rangoon), staring out at Inya Lake. The junta offered her a chance to leave the country to be with her husband and sons, but she wouldnt do it:

As a mother, the greater sacrifice was giving up my sons, but I was always aware of the fact that others had given up more than me. I never forget that my colleagues who are in prison suffer not only physically, but mentally for their families who have no security outside- in the larger prison of Burma under authoritarian rule.

During her house arrest, ASSK was considered a secular saint, and continued nonviolent resistance in the face of incredible oppression. The junta were frankly frightened of her. In 2010, the generals decided to give up a bit of their powerASSK was released from her imprisonment, and met with monks, rebels, nobles; anyone who had been opposed to the regime, which in Myanmar, meant practically everyone.

The country held elections. ASSK became leader about a year ago. Although a legal triviality prohibits her from becoming President, as Prime Minister and boss of the largest party, she is the de facto leader of the country.

Myanmar opened the door. But as her biographer Peter Popham described, with greater openness, long-suppressed prejudices have burst into the open: intolerant Buddhist preachers have whipped up the latent hostility of the Burmese against people of other races and beliefs, especially the Muslim Rohingya.

Human Rights Watch isnt allowed into Rakhine. Very few aid workers are. John McKissick, who runs the UNs refugee agency, said ASSKs government seeks the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya. Human Rights Watch says the government is engaged in crimes against humanity. Nick Robins-Early reports:

Rohingya villagers told rights groups that the army has used helicopter gunships to fire on civilians. They also say soldiers have set fire to their homes. Multiple Rohingya women also reported to Reuters in late October that soldiers raped or sexually assaulted dozens of villagers at gunpoint during the military advance. Thousands of Rohingya who attempted to flee to Bangladesh in recent months have been turned back, according to Amnesty International.

If youre curious how genocide works, this is a pretty good start for it: women, men, and children are deprived of their citizenship, made strangers to their own country, as if they were visitors whod overstayed their welcome. The government has taken their name. ASSK does not refer to them by their actual name, the Rohingya.

That would give them too much power, you understand.

We are left with the strange fact that ASSK hasnt denounced the ethnic cleansing.

Some writers, such as Lex Rieffel from Brookings Institute, are writing in to newspapers, claiming that ASSK is trying to consolidate power. She has to make sure her position is strong, so she cant say anything. Or so the story goes. But this is idiotic. She has vast influence in the country. If she stood up against the slaughter, then she would be able to change the direction of the nation.

The truth is that ASSK does not care about the Rohingya, or violence against them in Rakhine state. She is only a moral giant by the standards of the Westin other words, the standards of people who use drones and invade Iraq. Our ethics are not particularly high, in other words. She is not a saint, but the representative of the majority of Myanmar. She is their voice. The key word to focus on in that sentence is their. She does not speak for the Rohingya.

Her compassion stops at that border. Her decency ends there. As Nicholas Kristof wrote in Time magazine, Instead, as her country imposes on the Rohingya Muslim minority an apartheid that would have made white supremacists in South Africa blush, she bites her tongue. Where is her speech of human rights now? What about the rights of the weaker party? Rather, we have silence. We have denial. Instead of condemnation, we have empty wheezes about the rule of law.

The sad fact is, even with the return of ASSK to power, the Burmese state is a bent twig grown full-up into a warped tree: the leadership of the country consists of a crooked band run by a crooked leader. The basic test of a state is whether it can or cannot protect its citizens. If a state cannot do that, it has no moral authority.

The rule of law? There is a higher law. There is a higher rule. If the law of Myanmar says that the Rohingya deserve to be expelled from their homeland, then the law is a lie, and so is she.
Schwippert and Marchese Chop the WPT Five Diamond $100,000 Super High Roller

December 14, 2016 Frank Op de Woerd

The highest of high rollers in the world of poker faced a tough decision this week: Either go to Prague to play the last European Poker Tour (including its high rollers), or go to Las Vegas to play the World Poker Tour Five Diamond and the $100,000 Super High Roller that followed it.

A total of 38 players choose the latter Dec. 11 and ponied up the $100,000 buy-in for event 23, among them, a small battalion of German speaking players. One of them, Jan Schwippert from Austria, came out on top after striking a deal with Tom Marchese.

Position Player Country Prize 1 Jan Schwippert Austria $1,439,274 2 Tom Marchese United States $1,018,566 3 Talal Shakerchi United Kingdom $521,360 4 Erik Seidel United States $335,160 5 Christian Christner Germany $223,440 6 Ankush Mandavia United States $186,200

The tournament started with 24 players but soon more players entered. Justin Bonomo, coming fresh from a fifth place in the Main Event for $345,272, hopped in just after the third level. Jake Schindler, having finished the Main Event in third for $736,579, joined him not much later.

By the time the first day of play concluded, just 15 players remained. German high roller Christian Christner lead with Dan Coleman and David Peters close on his heels. Surviving the day with the shortest stacks were Ankush Mandavia, Bryn Kenney and Ben Tollerene.

Kenney (deuces versus the ace-king of Erik Seidel) and Tollerene (ace-deuce against the ace-seven of Talal Shakerchi) were out early on Day 2. Mandavia did better and collected chips left and right to become a serious contender for the title.

Rick Salomon hit the rail in eighth place after getting it in with pocket eights against the jack-nine suited of Shakerchi. The flop and turn were a save, but the jack on the river did him in. With that, the tournament was on the bubble.

Half an hour later, the bubble would burst and Peters was the last to go home empty-handed. Jan Schwippert raised from the hijack with pocket jacks and called Peters' small blind. Peters tabled pocket nines and failed to improve enough to stay alive.

Ankush Mandavia was next to go, losing pocket sixes to Seidel's ace-nine to go out in sixth place for $186,200.

A huge pot between Shakerchi with ace-king and Seidel with jacks followed. The board blanked out and Shakerchi was knocked down to the role of short stack while Seidel soared. Shakerchi, however, wasn't the next to go as Christian Christner missed with king-four against the ace-jack of Schwippert. Christner collected $223,440 for his fifth-place finish.

Even though Seidel won the big pot with jacks from ace-king, he would be the next to head to the cage. He collected $335,160 after falling victim to Schwippert who had flopped a set of fives. Seidel called the push, but mucked upon finding out his opponent had a full house.

Shakerchi followed Seidel out the door, suffering a bad beat with ace-jack preflop all in against the ace-deuce of Schwippert. The deuce on the turn hit Schwippert and Schakerchi didn't recover.

That left Marchese and Schwippert heads up. They played for about 10 minutes before they decided to chop the tournament and call it a day. While the original payout had $1,564,080 reserved for first and $893,760 for second, the two agreed to make it $1,439,274 and $1,018,566 and not play any further. And like that, the tournament was on the books, with Schwippert from Austria as the official winner.

For a complete report from the tournament, head over to PokerTelegraph.com.
AEW, on behalf of its Europe Value Investors Fund (EVI), has acquired De Vyzel, a multi-let office building in Amsterdam City Centre, from Chalet Group, for 14.5 million. It is the second acquisition in the Netherlands for EVI, a value add fund focusing on European manage-to-core office assets, following

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Citing regulations that there should not be any restrictions on supply of spare parts, the Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) on Friday has stated that three automakers  Ford India Pvt. Ltd, Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd and Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd are guilty of such practices. A fine has been imposed on these three automakers that are guilty of anti competitive conduct in the spare parts market.

The ruling states that there should be no restrictions on the supply of spare parts, however, it was found that these three automakers have denied independent workshops access to their original spare parts thus restricting the functions of third party workshops. Following these revelations, COMPAT has imposed a 2% fine on companys annual average turnover from spare parts for a period of 3 years preceding the year of inquiry which was initiated in 2011.

This penalty differs from that imposed by CCI which amounts to 2% of automakers average annual turnover for the 3 years which amounts to INR 93.38 crores for Toyota, INR 1.62 crores for Nissan and INR 39.78 crores for Ford. CCI stated that the investigation included 14 companies including these three automakers.

This new judgment would aid in better transparency in terms of spare parts while customers will have easier access along with a certain level of fairness. Toyota, Nissan and Ford have also been found guilty of entering into agreements which led to restrictions on third party workshops. All three automakers have however, denied independent workshop access to spare parts.

Toyota has confirmed that its lawyers are working on getting a complete copy of the order to study these allegations and gain understanding of its impact following which the next course of action would be determined while Nissan and Ford are yet to responded to these allegations.

via livemint
A hallmark of good government is policies which lift up vulnerable or neglected populations. But crafting effective policy requires sound knowledge of vulnerable groups. And that is a daunting task since these populations -- which include undocumented immigrants, homeless people or drug users -- are usually hidden in the margins thanks to cultural taboos, murky legal status or simple neglect from society.

"These are not groups where there's a directory you can go to and look up a random sample," said Adrian Raftery, a professor of statistics and sociology at the University of Washington. "That makes it very difficult to make inferences or draw conclusions about these 'hidden' groups."

Since these groups are hard to identify and reach, researchers like Raftery can struggle to make accurate inferences about them, determine their needs and find effective ways to reach them. And government policies to help vulnerable groups run a high risk of failing.

Sociologists once hoped that an approach called respondent-driven sampling -- or RDS -- would help them make reliable inferences about hard-to-reach groups. But subsequent analyses cast doubt on the efficacy of RDS studies.

In a paper published online Dec. 7 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Raftery and his team report how a statistical approach called "tree bootstrapping" can accurately assess uncertainty in RDS studies. That would put RDS on firm ground as one of the few methods to study vulnerable groups.

First described in 1997, respondent-driven sampling in studies works around the "problem" of recruitment. Normally, social scientists try to recruit study subjects at random from their target population. But this is not possible when social or legal issues act as barriers between researchers and subjects.

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"This is an underlying problem when you're trying to access and make inferences about populations that are hard to access, like drug users," said Raftery.

With the RDS method, researchers can start with a handful of participants, and use them to recruit additional participants using existing social connections.

"You can set up a storefront and find a few people in the hard-to-reach population: You interview them, collect data and give them vouchers to give to their friends -- who can come in as well," said Raftery. "It was immediately useful for accessing these populations."

To date, over 460 RDS studies of vulnerable populations have been conducted. But researchers have shown that the standard estimates of uncertainty are wrong, making it hard to use RDS in a valid way. It turns out that the inferences that researchers drew about these populations were biased by the fact that their study subjects weren't chosen at random.

"RDS is kind of like trying to describe an elephant when you're blindfolded and only get to touch one part of the elephant," said Raftery. "You can get a lot of data about that one part of the elephant, but we -- the researchers -- didn't have the proper methods to draw firm, scientifically sound conclusions about the elephant as a whole."

Raftery and his team started looking for methods to assess the uncertainty in RDS studies. They quickly settled on bootstrapping, a statistical approach used to assess uncertainty in estimates based on a random sample. In traditional bootstrapping, researchers take an existing dataset -- for example, condom use among 1,000 HIV-positive men -- and randomly resample a new dataset, calculating condom use in the new dataset. They then do this many times, yielding a distribution of values of condom use that reflects the uncertainty in the original sample.

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The team modified bootstrapping for RDS datasets. But instead of bootstrapping data on individuals, they bootstrapped data about the connections among individuals.

To see if this "tree bootstrapping" could attach certainty to conclusions from RDS datasets, they turned to two large, publicly available datasets. One was a multiyear survey of health and achievement among more than 90,000 adolescents, while the other was a survey of social contacts and sexual and drug habits among about 5,400 heterosexual adults. Neither dataset was collected using the RDS method. But since both datasets included information about the social contacts among subjects, the researchers could modify them to "simulate" data from a RDS study.

By tree bootstrapping, Raftery's team found that they could get much better statements of scientific certainty about their conclusions from these RDS-like studies. They then applied their method to a third dataset -- a RDS study of intravenous drug users in Ukraine. Again, Raftery's team found that they could draw firm conclusions.

"Previously, RDS might give an estimate of 20 percent of drug users in an area being HIV positive, but little idea how accurate this would be. Now you can say with confidence that at least 10 percent are," said Rafferty. "That's something firm you can say. And that can form the basis of a policy to respond, as well as additional studies of these groups."

With tree bootstrapping, Raftery believes researchers can draw more certain, less variable conclusions from RDS studies. He wants other groups to examine and use tree bootstrapping on both existing RDS datasets and future RDS studies.

"I hope this paper will help put RDS on a firm basis, and tell us what we can and can't conclude from RDS studies," said Raftery.
Only 20 percent of medically diagnosed child abuse and neglect cases in U.S. Army dependent children between 2004 and 2007 were found to have a substantiated report with the Army's Family Advocacy Program (FAP) -- the agency responsible for the investigation and treatment of child abuse -- according to a new PolicyLab study. This rate is less than half of the rate (44 percent) of medically diagnosed child abuse cases substantiated by civilian Child Protective Services (CPS). Researchers say this contrast raises questions about the Army-reported rates of child abuse, and suggests under-reporting of abuse cases by medical providers and/or a breakdown in communication between civilian CPS and established military services.

The study, published online Dec. 10 by Child Abuse & Neglect, also found that the number of medically diagnosed abuse cases with corresponding substantiated Army FAP reports was poorest for children cared for at civilian treatment facilities, 9.2 percent, but still low for children receiving care from military health care providers, 24.2 percent. PolicyLab partnered with U.S. Army FAP on this research.

Following is a statement reacting to these new findings from senior author Dave Rubin, MD, MSCE, director of PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), pediatrician at CHOP and a presidential appointee to the federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse & Neglect Fatalities.

"For many years, the U.S. Army has reported rates of child abuse well below that of the civilian population. This study calls those reports into question. Yet, the U.S. Army can only report cases they know about, and our findings suggest that they may not be aware of the majority of their cases.

"When any health care provider suspects a child has been abused, they are required to report that case to a child welfare agency, or risk losing their license. The Department of Defense created an extra layer of support for children in military families -- recognizing their unique needs related to the stress of deployment and frequent moves around the country -- by establishing its own child and family services program in 1981, the Family Advocacy Program (FAP). With offices across each military branch, FAP is tasked with investigating child abuse cases and providing treatment and supportive services for affected military families. However, FAP can only provide these supports if both military and civilian health care providers either report cases directly to them or if Child Protective Services reports all cases they receive involving a military child back to FAP.

"Unfortunately, what is implied by the low number of substantiated abuse cases by U.S. Army FAP compared to known substantiation rates in the civilian population is that some children are falling through the cracks of a broken system. Military children move across states more frequently, making it particularly important that FAP know about any maltreatment since they can monitor at-risk military children wherever they are. Although the numbers of abuse cases linked to substantiated reports were higher from military treatment facilities, where health care providers are required to report to FAP, still only one in four diagnoses were linked to a substantiated report, suggesting that under-reporting may be part of the problem at military treatment facilities.

"Among civilian health care providers, the problems are even more complicated. Since they are located off-base, these providers may not be aware of the need to report to FAP and there is no mechanism to mandate they do so. They may well be reporting cases to civilian agencies -- that are then assisting children in need -- but for the most part, those cases are not communicated back to FAP, which is best positioned to intervene with military families.

"What this study tells us is that we have an incomplete picture of what is happening to a large population of children in this country who might need our help. We must support further research that will detect how systematic true under-reporting and under-recognition is within the Army and other military branches and shed light on why under-reporting may be occurring. We must also hold Child Protective Services accountable for identifying the military family when they are reported to them, and for communicating their involvement back to FAP so the agency can provide consistent military-specific services to children and families in need. Finally, by knowing the true magnitude of this stress to the U.S. Army family, we can better identify the resources FAP needs to meet its obligations in serving military families."

"Our hope is that by bringing this problem to light, we can work together with our civilian partners and the Army to build a better approach to tracking child abuse cases in the military to ensure no child in danger nor at-risk family is neglected."

The other authors on the study are Joanne Wood, Heather Griffis, Christine Taylor, Doug Strane, Gerlinde Harb, Lanyu Mi, Lihai Song and Kevin Lynch. This work was sponsored by the Department of the Army (award number: W81XWH-11-2-0100). The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014 was the awarding and administering acquisition office. The information in this manuscript does not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred.

Limitations: The study period for this data is 2004-2007. Additionally, the data used didn't include substantiated reports, so the analysis cannot determine what percentage of cases were reported to FAP, but not substantiated. The authors and their Army partners understand the need to reproduce this analysis on more recent and complete data to see if trends observed during this study have continued to present day.
Researchers at Yale Cancer Center have identified a new subtype of triple negative breast cancer that shows significantly improved response to chemotherapy. Patients with the newly defined "BRCA deficient" subtype experienced better survival with chemotherapy. The study was published on Dec. 13 in PLOS Medicine.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) disproportionately affects younger women and women of African ancestry, contributing to health disparities. In the era of personalized cancer therapy, patients with TNBC remain at considerably higher risk of relapse and death than patients with other breast cancer subtypes, due to the aggressive nature of TNBC and the lack of newer targeted therapies for the disease.

The Yale-led study performed whole exome sequencing  -- a technique for sequencing all the expressed genes in a genome  -- on TNBC tumors to identify mutations in specific genes or pathways that may indicate response or resistance to the standard of care, which is anthracycline/taxane (ACT) chemotherapy. Researchers found that tumors carrying mutations in the AR and FOXA1 pathways had a significantly higher response rate, 94.1% compared to 16.6% in tumors without the mutations.

Analysis of genomic, epigenetic, and RNA sequencing data revealed that the combinations of mutations that lowered the levels of functioning BRCA1 and BRCA2 RNA -- genes that produce the breast cancer tumor suppressor proteins -- were associated with significantly better survival outcomes.

"Low levels of functional BRCA are associated with a greater number of clonal mutations and enhanced immune recruitment, which may explain the greater chemosensitivity of these tumors and better outcomes for patients," explained Christos Hatzis, assistant professor of medicine and director of Breast Bioinformatics, Yale Cancer Center and senior author on the paper.

"The strong connection of ACT chemosensitivity and immune activity in the newly defined BRCA-deficient phenotype of TNBC could help inform future therapeutic strategies for our patients," said Lajos Pusztai, M.D., professor of medicine (medical oncology), Yale Cancer Center, and disease aligned research team leader for the Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital.
In support of forest-related decision-making, methods are needed which enable the assessment of potential impacts of forest management activities and the comparison of different forest policies. The amount of suitable habitat for the Siberian flying squirrel in the future was predicted in different felling scenarios using a Finnish large-scale forestry dynamics model MELA and sample plot data from the National Forest Inventory (NFI).

Initial forest data for the scenario analyses was generated by means of satellite imagery and the NFI sample plot data. The spatial forest data enabled the use of patch- and landscape-scale models in predicting the presence of flying squirrels. "Integrating the estimation method with the MELA model will allow the impact assessment of alternative felling scenarios in areas of different sizes," explains Helena Haakana, Researcher at Luke. The same approach can be applied to assess the impacts of habitat conservation measures on wood production and forest revenues.

The sample plot data from the NFI is commonly used in national and regional scenario analyses to assess the development of forest resources and future felling potential. The NFI covers the whole country, but the fairly sparse network of sample plots allows calculations only for large areas, such as provinces. Satellite imagery provides a means to estimate forest data for smaller areas and on full geographic coverage. This allows scenario analyses of forest production and utilization possibilities also at local level, for example, for municipalities. In addition, spatially explicit constraints on wood production, such as steep slopes and local land-use plans, can be taken into account in the analyses.

Regional variation in the impacts of fellings on the predicted habitats suitable for the flying squirrel

The Siberian flying squirrel is strictly protected in Europe and classified as a near threatened species in Finland. One reason for this population decline is most probably the loss of suitable habitats, resulting from intensive forest management. The flying squirrel prefers mature spruce-dominated mixed forest with some deciduous trees such as aspen.

The development of suitable habitats for the flying squirrel was studied in three alternative felling scenarios in Southern Finland. The results confirmed that increasing the utilisation rate of felling potential from the level of business-as-usual to meet the policy targets of regional forest programmes would decrease the amount of suitable habitat in the future. The impacts varied between the regions, depending on the species density and forest structure. However, the occurrence of the flying squirrel could not be accurately predicted with forest and landscape variables only. Obviously, there are other factors than forest management, such as predators and historical species distribution, also affecting presence.

The research was carried out in cooperation with the Finnish Museum of Natural History in a project funded by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment entitled "Habitats of the Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans) in South Finland and the development of potential habitats in different cutting scenarios in 2005 -- 2055."
For surfers, it's not enough just to wait for the right wave: they still have to know how to catch it. As it turns out, one challenge faced by surfers also applies to protons. An experiment recently conducted by physicists from Poland, Italy and France provided new information on surfing taken to its absolute extreme: protons synchronizing their movement with the vibrations of atomic nuclei.

We can say a lot of things about atomic nuclei that are more or less certain, but we know this much for sure: nothing about their nature is boring, despite how we were taught about it in high school. As proof of this we can look at a recent experiment which studied how protons in atomic nuclei can, in their own way, take part in a popular sport. A team of researchers from the Italian Universita' degli Studi di Milano (UniMi), and the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN) in Cracow along with broad international cooperation, measured, for the first time, the time needed for a single proton in a nucleus to synchronize with the oscillations of the nucleus. The achievement can be illustrated with an analogy: some protons can 'surf' on top of a nucleus, and we finally know how long they have to wait to catch the wave.

Atomic nuclei contain from one proton to more than 200 protons and neutrons, and, like atoms, they can absorb and emit certain amounts of energy. In atoms, these processes are accompanied by the transitions of electrons between orbitals, lying further or closer to the nucleus and grouping in the electron shells. Like the electrons around the nucleus, protons and neutrons of the same nuclei are in constant motion. Although they do not revolve around the highlighted point, it turns out that we can talk about the existence in the nuclei of certain shells with well-defined energies. On the whole, the space in these shells may be occupied by both protons and neutrons. Some shells, however, are reserved for protons, and others only for neutrons.

To jump to an adjacent layer may sometimes require absorbing or emitting a large amount of energy (this occurs particularly when the shells are full). If the available energy is less, the nucleus can still change its energy state, but in a more sophisticated way: it starts to vibrate. It is known that in such situation the proton or neutron may couple with the oscillation of the nucleus. At first glance, the phenomenon seems very abstract. Meanwhile, a similar mechanism plays a major role in a popular, iconic sport. That is, as we already mentioned, surfing.

"Surfers can wait a long time for the right wave. But when it does come along, it doesn't always mean a good time is guaranteed! If the surfer just gawks at it, it will pass, and he just pops up on the surface like a cork. The real fun only comes if he can time his jump onto the wave. Good surfing depends on a precise harmonization between surfer and wave. In a similar way, under appropriate conditions protons 'jump' on the surface oscillations of the atomic nucleus and travel with them. And I think they're more natural surfers than people are: after all, they do it under extreme conditions and they don't need a board...," explains Prof. Bogdan Fornal (IFJ PAN).

Coupling of the proton with the vibration of the nucleus is difficult to study because there must be a system where a single proton is outside a shell which is completely filled with numerous protons and neutrons. To observe the 'proton surfers', the Italian-Polish team conducted an experiment in the laboratory of the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, in which millimeter-sized lumps of uranium 235U and plutonium 241Pu were irradiated with neutrons. In order to increase the chance of capture by atomic nuclei, the neutrons were slowed considerably. When a neutron joined the nucleus of the target, the system became unstable and fell apart in different ways. Among the decay products were excited nuclei of antimony 133Sb.

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"The nucleus of antimony 133Sb is basically the nucleus of tin 132Sn with an extra proton. Tin 132Sn is special: it contains 50 protons and 82 neutrons, exactly enough to completely fill the neutron and proton shells. In this nucleus -- what we call a doubly magic nucleus -- a jump from shell to shell requires emission or absorption of large amounts of energy. Antimony 133Sb was so interesting for us, because it gives us a loosely bound proton and a compact core which is prone to fall into vibrations, and that's an ideal system for testing coupling," explains Prof. Fornal.

The nuclei of antimony 133Sb rid themselves of excess energy by emitting gamma quanta of several specific energies. In the experiment the radiation was recorded, and the results were compared to theoretical predictions. In this way, it was established through which energy states the nucleus of 133Sb returned to the ground state. The scientists found that the decay path consists of two parts: one with an uncoupled proton and the other with a proton coupled with the oscillations of the nucleus. The collected data show that when it comes to coupling, the nucleus loses energy quickly, and the same coupling is retained for all subsequent steps down the ladder of energy.

"We first measured the time required for the proton to couple with the core oscillations. As a result, we know that when the proton jumps on the wave, it behaves like a champion surfer: it stays on till the wave crashes, that is, until the nucleus reaches the ground state. What gives the proton the most difficulty are the transitions between uncoupled and coupled states, that is, getting on the wave," says Prof. Fornal.

Interestingly, several protons can join together and couple to the oscillation of the shells. They then form a kind of group, one that acts in a very intricate manner, engaging not only with the waves but also among themselves.

The results of the experiment (on the Polish side funded by grants from the National Science Centre) are important in the context of further research into neutron-rich nuclei. Science now knows of 258 stable nuclei and approximately 3,000 unstable ones -- roughly as many as all the known exoplanets. It is predicted that the atomic nuclei number in total 7 to 9 thousand. So at least twice as many nuclei as we have come to know throughout the entire history of nuclear physics are still waiting to be discovered and explored. A single, consistent model of the atomic nucleus would be extremely helpful in that search, but interactions in atomic nuclei are so complicated that even after decades of ongoing concerted efforts, such a model has yet to be created.

It's very easy for a schoolteacher to describe, for example, electrostatic interaction between two bodies with electrical charges, because there are only two charges, and the force between them depends only on their mutual distance. Protons and neutrons in the nucleus are bound by strong interaction, but strong interaction depends not only on the distance between each pair of interacting nuclear particles, but also on the constantly changing mutual orientation of their spins (angular momentum). In addition, nuclei are heavy elements incorporating not only two particles but a significant number of protons and neutrons, all interacting with each other and each moving in a field produced by the others. The entire system is so complicated that so far only approximate models have been built, each of which describes only some aspects of nuclear reality reasonably well. In this situation, any qualitatively new experimental measurements are extremely important.

"Our joint experiment at the ILL has provided my group with data which have made it possible to construct a new model to better describe the coupling of the protons with the oscillating nucleus. For the first time, we can, for example, calculate in this case the probabilities in which excited nuclei de-excite individual energy states. As a result, we can better predict the properties of nuclei with a greater excess of neutrons, including those which are just waiting to be discovered," concludes Prof. Silvia Leoni (UniMi).

The model, built and designed based on the experience of physicists from UniMi and IFJ PAN, is a significant step towards (among other matters) a better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the formation of elements heavier than iron in the Universe (i.e., elements formed in the process initiated by the rapid capture of neutrons emitted in large amounts during supernova explosions). Another potential area of application of the model is nuclear power. Its use here could help to better predict how the nuclei formed by the reactions in reactors decay, and thus contribute to further ensuring their safety.
Spanish scientists have sequenced the genome of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), currently one of the world's most endangered felines. They have confirmed the "extreme erosion" suffered by its DNA. The Iberian lynx has one of the least genetically-diverse genomes. It is even less diverse than other endangered mammals, such as the cheetah or Tasmanian devil, or birds, like the crested ibis or osprey.

The study, being published in the scientific journal Genome Biology, has been coordinated by scientists from the Donana Biological Station (CSIC). The Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) contributed to this research project from the very beginning including several groups and facilities. In particular, the laboratories of Roderic Guigo, Cedric Notredame and Toni Gabaldon at the Bioinformatics and Genomics Programme as well as the CRG Bioinformatics unit. This is the first mammal genome of reference generated entirely in Spain.

The project, financed by Banco Santander and managed by the Fundacion General CSIC, has integrated the efforts of 50 scientists from research groups of 12 institutions, two of them from outside Spain, that cover a broad range of disciplines, including bioinformatics, genomics, oncology, evolution and conservation.

The scientists have managed to read and organize 2.4 billion letters of DNA from Candiles, a male lynx born in the Sierra Morena lynx population, who now forms part of a program for breeding in captivity. To do so, they have used new sequencing techniques and developed innovative procedures to generate a high-quality draft genome on a limited budget.

A total of 21,257 genes were identified, a number similar to that of human beings and other mammals, and they have been compared to those of cats, tigers, cheetahs and dogs.

Specifically, Toni Gabaldon's group at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona has compared the Iberian lynx genome with those of other species, attempting to identify genes that have lost their function because they have remained isolated and the existence of a small population of specimens of this species. Researchers have found evidence of modifications in genes related with the senses of hearing, sight and smell to facilitate the adaptation of the lynx to its environment, which have enabled them to become exceptional hunters specialized in rabbits as prey.

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History and diversity of the Iberian lynx

With the aim of studying the history and genetic diversity of the species, analysis was conducted on the genomes of another ten Iberian lynxes from Donana and Sierra Morena, the only two surviving populations on the Iberian Peninsula, which have been isolated from each other for decades. Researchers have also completed a comparative analysis with a European lynx, to discover the bonds between the two lynxes that inhabit Eurasia.

The Iberian lynx began to diverge from its sister species, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) some 300,000 years ago, and the two species became completely separated some 2,500 years ago. Throughout that period, they continued to cross-breed and exchange genes, probably in the periods between glaciations, when the climatology allowed the species to spread and encounter each other on the Iberian Peninsula and in southern Europe.

The demographic history of the Iberian lynx has been marked by three historic declines, the last of which took place some 300 years ago, decimating its population. In addition to this, there was a drastic drop in the number of specimens in the 20th century due to its persecution, the destruction of its habitat, and two major viral epidemics suffered by the rabbit, its main food source.

Scientists have interpreted these demographic drops as the cause of the low levels of diversity observed, and warn that this could impair the lynx's capacity to adapt to changes in its environment (climate, disease, etc.). Furthermore, existence of multiple potentially harmful genetic variants has been confirmed, which could be contributing to the reduced survival and reproduction rates of the species.

This genetic deterioration is especially marked in the Donana population-smaller, and isolated for a longer period-which has half the genetic diversity of the Sierra Morena group.

Nevertheless, the study reflects the situation before the exchange between the two relict populations and their inter-breeding in captivity were begun. These measures, taken within the Iberian lynx conservation program, have led to improvement of the species' genetic situation in recent years.

The use of new genomic resources, within the framework of the project, will contribute to optimizing management aimed at preserving the greatest genetic diversity, in addition to diminishing these populations' genetic defects as much as possible.
Researchers have identified neutralizing antibodies against Zika virus from an infected patient that fully protected mice from infection, adding to the current arsenal of antibodies in development for much needed antiviral therapies and vaccines.

Unlike other human antibodies under investigation that recognize both Zika and the closely related dengue virus, the antibodies used in this study exclusively target Zika, demonstrating a high specificity that could be important in avoiding potential side effects -- such as enhanced dengue infection in regions where both viruses are endemic.

The 2015 outbreak of Zika virus disease, a mosquito-borne infection linked to a birth defect known as microcephaly in babies, has spread to more than 80,000 people in 69 countries and regions worldwide. Zika is fortunately no longer considered an international public health emergency, according to the World Health Organization, but an urgent need for preventative and treatment approaches, none of which has been clinically approved, remains.

Here, Qihui Wang and colleagues isolated 13 monoclonal antibodies from the blood of a Zika virus-infected patient returning from Venezuela to China.

Two of these antibodies (known as Z23 and Z3L1) potently eliminated Zika virus in vitro, without cross-reacting with dengue virus strains, and shielded mice completely from Zika virus infection.

Structural analysis suggests that the antibodies block infection by targeting sites on the virus' envelope protein, which aids viral entry into cells. Further analysis is necessary to better understand how Z23 and Z3L1 specifically offer protection, the authors say.
A sound in the Mariana Trench notable for its complexity and wide frequency range likely represents the discovery of a new baleen whale call, according to the Oregon State University researchers who recorded and analyzed it.

Scientists at OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center named it the "Western Pacific Biotwang."

Lasting between 2.5 and 3.5 seconds, the five-part call includes deep moans at frequencies as low as 38 hertz and a metallic finale that pushes as high as 8,000 hertz.

"It's very distinct, with all these crazy parts," said Sharon Nieukirk, senior faculty research assistant in marine bioacoustics at Oregon State. "The low-frequency moaning part is typical of baleen whales, and it's that kind of twangy sound that makes it really unique. We don't find many new baleen whale calls."

Recorded via passive acoustic ocean gliders, which are instruments that can travel autonomously for months at a time and dive up to 1,000 meters, the Western Pacific Biotwang most closely resembles the so-called "Star Wars" sound produced by dwarf minke whales on the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast of Australia, researchers say.

The Mariana Trench, the deepest known part of the Earth's oceans, lies between Japan to the north and Australia to the south and features depths in excess of 36,000 feet.

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Minke whales are baleen whales -- meaning they feed by using baleen plates in their mouths to filter krill and small fish from seawater -- and live in most oceans. They produce a collection of regionally specific calls, which in addition to the Star Wars call include "boings" in the North Pacific and low-frequency pulse trains in the Atlantic.

"We don't really know that much about minke whale distribution at low latitudes," said Nieukirk, lead author on the study whose results were recently published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. "The species is the smallest of the baleen whales, doesn't spend much time at the surface, has an inconspicuous blow, and often lives in areas where high seas make sighting difficult. But they call frequently, making them good candidates for acoustic studies."

Nieukirk said the Western Pacific Biotwang has enough similarities to the Star Wars call -- complex structure, frequency sweep and metallic conclusion -- that it's reasonable to think a minke whale is responsible for it.

But scientists can't yet be sure, and many other questions remain. For example, baleen whale calls are often related to mating and heard mainly during the winter, yet the Western Pacific Biotwang was recorded throughout the year.

"If it's a mating call, why are we getting it year round? That's a mystery," said Nieukirk, part of the team at the Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies, a partnership between OSU and the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. "We need to determine how often the call occurs in summer versus winter, and how widely this call is really distributed."

The call is tricky to find when combing through recorded sound data, Nieukirk explains, because of its huge frequency range. Typically acoustic scientists zero in on narrower frequency ranges when analyzing ocean recordings, and in this case that would mean not detecting portions of the Western Pacific Biotwang.

"Now that we've published these data, we hope researchers can identify this call in past and future data, and ultimately we should be able to pin down the source of the sound," Nieukirk said. "More data are needed, including genetic, acoustic and visual identification of the source, to confirm the species and gain insight into how this sound is being used. Our hope is to mount an expedition to go out and do acoustic localization, find the animals, get biopsy samples and find out exactly what's making the sound. It really is an amazing, weird sound, and good science will explain it."
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California's exempt salary threshold will rise along with the state's minimum wage regardless of what happens to the now-blocked federal overtime rule. But employers in the state will still need to stay informed about movements at the federal level.

One of the biggest challenges for California employers is complying with ever-changing workplace rules, said Michelle Lee Flores, an attorney with Cozen O'Connor in Los Angeles.The injunction on the federal overtime rule adds another layer of complexity for employers as they struggle to comply with updated regulations on both the federal and state level, she said.California employers have had the luxury of ignoring the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for a long time, said Robert Jones, an attorney with Ogletree Deakins in San Francisco. But they now have to keep an eye on what's happening with the federal overtime rule because it was set to exceed the state thresholdat least for the next few years.

Federal Rule

The salary threshold for the FLSA's overtime exemption would have increased to $47,476 from $23,660 on Dec. 1. And employers had the option of raising salaries for exempt employees above the threshold or reclassifying employees to nonexempt However, a federal judge temporarily prevented the rule from taking effect while litigation ensues over the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL's) authority to double the salary level.It remains unclear whether the rule will be restored or permanently halted.The DOL has appealed the injunction, and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to expedite the case . But no one really knows what's going to happen with respect to the appeal, Jones said.Some employers have opted to wait and see what happens to the federal rule before reclassifying employees or raising their salaries. Those employers should keep track of the hours worked by the potentially affected employees, pending a final decision on the federal rule, Jones said.He noted, however, that many employers have already made changes to comply with the federal rule.The federal increase wasn't as significant for California employers because the state already has a much higher threshold. And a state increase scheduled for Jan. 1, 2017, would further close the gap.

State Increases

Year Minimum

Wage Weekly

Salary Monthly

Salary Annually

Salary 2017 $10.50 $840 $3,640 $43,680 2018 $11.00 $880 $3,813.33 $45,760 2019 $12.00 $960 $4,160 $49,920 2020 $13.00 $1,040 $4,506.67 $54,080 2021 $14.00 $1,120 $4,853.33 $58,240 2022 $15.00 $1,200 $5,200 $62,400

Employers in California need to know that the state minimum wage impacts the minimum salary threshold for exempt employees, Flores explained.Under California law, the salary threshold is twice the minimum wage. Specifically, exempt employees must earn a fixed monthly salary of at least double the minimum wage for full-time employment. The current salary threshold is $3,466.67 a month ($41,600 annualized) based on the $10-per-hour state minimum wage.[SHRM members-only HR Q&A: What is the difference between California overtime exemption requirements and federal overtime exemption requirements? California employers should note that the state minimum wage is scheduled to increase in phases between 2017 and 2022. So that means the minimum exempt salary will also rise each year as follows (for businesses with at least 26 employees):Businesses with 25 or fewer employees will have an extra year to comply with each increase.Flores noted that some cities and counties in California have their own, higher minimum wage that impacts nonexempt hourly rates and overtime payments, but the exempt salary threshold is based on the state minimum wage.

Regular Audits

Flores said employers should set a calendar reminder each year for September to start thinking about the changes that will take effect the following January.Have a list of exempt employees and determine if any of their salaries will need to be adjusted for the upcoming year, she said. Start crunching those numbers and set up a timeline to roll out any changes before the effective date.She noted that exempt employees in California must also be "primarily engaged" in certain exempt activities more than 50 percent of the time.This is a quantitative duties test, as compared to the FLSA's qualitative test."Someone performing exempt duties this year may not be performing exempt duties next year simply because of changes in business," she said. So employers need to take a look at the duties test , too."The biggest key is to be organized in the way you look at itit's a step-by-step approach," she added. "Know your wage order, know who your exempt folks are and keep up with changeswhile keeping in mind there may be midyear changes, too."

Retroactive?





"It's a long shot that the DOL would enforce the rule retroactively," Jones said, "but if it did, the burden would be on employers to show the hours employees worked."



There are specific rules in California about how work hours must be tracked for nonexempt employees, he explained. Employers have to record when nonexempt employees start and stop work and when they start and stop their meal breaks.



Those times should be recorded for any employees with questionable classifications pending any action by the court or by Congress on the federal rule.



For financial purposes, employers may consider recording the planned increases and "tucking away those funds for a rainy day," Flores suggested. "If the federal rule is applied retroactively, it will still be a hit but won't be so noticeable. If it isn't, the funds are there for something else."



For now, employers should comply with California's changes and wait and see what happens at the federal level, she added.

California HR Newsletter: The California HR e-newsletter is a free monthly newsletter that provides the top California HR and employment law news, including updates on state and federal court decisions and analysis of state legislation and regulations. Subscribe



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Employers have been asking whether the federal overtime ruleif revivedcould be applied retroactively to the original Dec. 1 effective date.
First Horizon Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Horizon Bank that provides various financial services. The company operates through three segments: Regional Banking, Specialty Banking, and Corporate. It offers general banking services for consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments. The company also underwrites bank-eligible securities and other fixed-income securities eligible for underwriting by financial subsidiaries; sells loans and derivatives; and offers advisory services. In addition, it offers various services, such as mortgage banking; title insurance and loan-closing; brokerage; correspondent banking; nationwide check clearing and remittance processing; trust, fiduciary, and agency; equipment finance; and investment and financial advisory services. Further, the company sells mutual fund and retail insurance products; and credit cards. It operates approximately 500 banking offices in 22 states under the First Horizon Bank brand; and 400 banking centers in 12 states under the FHN Financial brand in the United States. The company was formerly known as First Horizon National Corporation and changed its name to First Horizon Corporation in November 2020. First Horizon Corporation was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.
Carnival Corporation & plc is a leisure travel company operating a fleet of cruise ships, hotels, and resorts with international destinations. Brands under the Carnival Corporation umbrella include Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America, P&O Cruises, Seaborn, Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, and Cunard. The companys goal is to provide extraordinary vacations at an exceptional value. As of 2022, the company laid claim to nearly half of the global cruising market share with several new ships in the works.

Carnival Cruise Line was launched in 1972 with one second-hand ship and a tank of fuel. The first port of call was San Juan, Puerto Rico, but soon more were added. The original growth strategy included a festive atmosphere, features and amenities unlike any other cruise line at the time. Slow to start, the growth strategy shifted into overdrive in 1980 when Carnival shocked the world by building its own ship. The Tropicale became an iconic name in the cruising industry and sparked a wave of shipbuilding that is still underway.

The companys growth hit a new stride in 1987 following the IPO which floated 20% of the company on the open market. The proceeds from the IPO allowed the company to embark on a voyage of acquisition and now Carnival is the worlds largest travel and leisure business.

Today, Carnival Corporations 87 ships visit approximately 700 ports worldwide and employ more than 120,000 people while serving more than 13 million guests annually for a total of 85 million passenger cruise days per year. Net revenue, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, peaked out at over $6.5 billion annually.

Carnival Cruise Line is the companys largest brand serving guests on all coasts of North America. The brand's 22 ships make 1500 voyages per year with trips ranging from 2 days to 3 weeks and ports of call from the Caribbean to Alaska. The company's largest ship is named Panorama and can accommodate more than 4,000 passengers.

Carnivals 9 brands provide access to a wide range of cruising styles and destinations including the Caribbean, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, England, and ports in Asia. The company is headquartered in Miami, Florida and has offices around the world. The company also has the distinction of being the only company included in both the S&P 500 and FTSE 250 indices.
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.

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[December 13, 2016] Arctic Wolf Networks Chosen by Hornblower to Provide Security Operations Center (SOC)-as-a-Service

Arctic Wolf Networks, a leading security operations center (SOC)-as-a-service company, today announced that Hornblower, the nation's largest private vessel company with over 70 vessels, has selected AWN CyberSOC to provide comprehensive SOC services. The service was selected because it made security simple, actionable and affordable for Hornblower. The growing company, which provides premier luxury cruise experiences for special events, private charters and tourism excursions, has recently added more ports of departure to its portfolio, creating more data and demand for a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. Hornblower's lean IT team found it challenging to monitor and identify security threats in real-time and needed to implement a more holistic security strategy with limited IT resources. The company had invested in numerous security appliances from the leading security vendors, but Hornblower learned that a strong perimeter defense was no longer adequate for today's threat landscape. Within weeks of implementing AWN CyberSOC, Hornblower's Concierge Security Engineer detected multiple phishing attacks that bypassed their existing perimeter defenses. Without the detection and response capabilities of AWN CyberSOC, Hornblower could have experienced significant financial damage from these attacks. "My Arctic Wolf security engineer is truly an extension of my IT team, and has detected phishing attacks tht bypassed our existing prevention tools twice in the first few weeks," said Tim Johnson, Director of IT at Hornblower Cruises & Events. "I could not have achieved visibility into our security posture within my budget without Arctic Wolf."



"Every company needs a SOC, but smaller companies do not have the luxury of multimillion budgets to build, staff and maintain them," said Brian NeSmith, chief executive officer at Arctic Wolf. "Our Concierge Security Engineers find breaches that bypass traditional defenses every day." AWN CyberSOC, with its Concierge Security Engineer proved its value immediately upon installation by detecting threats that previously went undetected. Among the threats it detected was a malware-infected server sending encrypted traffic to a malicious website, which previously went undetected by both a firewall and antivirus software until the Concierge Security Engineer discovered it.

AWN CyberSOC is a turnkey SOC-as-a-Service that redefines the economics of security. The service differs significantly from do-it-yourself solutions that require big budgets or services from traditional managed security service providers with multiple support tiers. AWN CyberSOC provides a SOC in less than 60 minutes with a personal Concierge Security Engineer for about the cost of your firewalls. Learn more about Hornblower and their partnership with Arctic Wolf here. For more information on Arctic Wolf and SOC-as-a-service, visit the website at www.arcticwolf.com. About Arctic Wolf: Arctic Wolf redefines the economics of security with a turnkey SOC-as-a-service that deploys in less than 60 minutes. Concierge Security Engineers use the AWN Platform to provide tactical and strategic insights into your security to answer the question, "Am I safe?" We lead the industry in making security simple, actionable and affordable for mid-market companies. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161213005378/en/

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Like for many soldiers retiring from duty, when veteran Peter Coukoulis returned to civilian life, things just weren't the same. After serving five years with the Marine Corps., which included a deployment to Afghanistan where his unit suffered losses, he arrived home to Florida to find out his dog from childhood had passed away while he was gone. That was three years ago, and Coukoulis continued to reel from PTSD from his experience overseas. But thanks to a special gift from his family, things are starting to brighten again.

Facebook/Dena Coukoulis

Though Christmas Day is still some weeks away, Coukoulis's family decided to surprise him with an early present to help lift his spirit. Little did he know at the time how happy it would make him - and his tears are proof of that. Then again, nothing heals like a puppy's wagging tail. Here's the touching moment he met his new pup, Willa.

Dodo Shows Pittie Nation The Sweetest Pittie Was Living Under A Jeep
Even though he was surrounded by his new family, Ham spent much of his first night wondering if he was actually there. As he lay sprawled on his bed in the living room, the dog would occasionally lift his head and take stock of his surroundings.

Neil Abramson

There was his new family: Neil Abramson - a prominent champion for animal welfare - and his veterinarian wife, Amy Rodriguez. Their children were there too. The TV was on. And there were his four new dog siblings. Somewhere, there was also a parrot. A horse. A tortoise. Pigs. A flamingo. No, you're not dreaming, Ham. This is for real. "He would wake up every 30 minutes to make sure everything was the same," Abramson tells The Dodo. "I hope that eventually he wakes up every two hours or every four hours. And then he will wake up when everybody else does and know that this is his life now. And he doesn't have to worry about it being taken away."

Dodo Shows Soulmates Dog Goes Everywhere In His Dad's Kangaroo Pouch

Neil Abramson

You can't blame Ham for wanting to double and triple check. Just a week earlier, he may have been the loneliest dog in the world. Ham's former family considered him too much of a bother - all that fur on the furniture, all those demands on their time. So they kept him at their second home, an empty house in the suburbs of White Plains, New York. Ham would sit in the window, watching people pass by.

Lisa Heart

As often as she could, Lisa Heart, a volunteer at Special Needs Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Northeast, would pay him a visit. The family had asked her to try to find a home for Ham. It was either that or the shelter. Heart took Ham on daily expeditions. He always cried when he knew he was going back to the empty house.

Lisa Heart

Abramson and Rodriguez read the story of the dog who lived in the empty house - and realized he was practically in the neighborhood. "You see a lot of stories about dogs and places that I can't get to - the West Coast or South America or in different countries," Abramson explains. "And then I looked and said, 'Holy crap. This dog's in White Plains. I mean this dog is like 20 minutes from where I live.' "Sometimes, you've got to pick up the phone." On Sunday, Heart picked up Ham from his empty house for the last time. He arrived at his new home outside of Manhattan - nine sprawling acres that are home to a kaleidoscope of animals. "We got there and they had everything," Heart recalls to The Dodo. "Pigs, chickens, tortoise, rabbits, cats, parrots. I thought there is no sensory deprivation here. This is overload." All the animals shared one thing in common: They had been rescued. And Ham insisted on meeting every one of them. There was the horse, who mystified Ham.

Lisa Heart

And the other dogs, who were keen to greet him. Then there was the parrot who pecked his nose - sorry, Ham, not into it. And the eight cats who decided to judge, as cats often do, from a distance. And then, there were the humans. Abramson, a celebrated author and groundbreaking animal welfare attorney would just be daddy. Mommy? A veterinarian who has devoted her life to helping animals. Yes, Ham. This is the place.

Neil Abramson
Dog lovers tend to interpret the licks dogs give them as kisses - but are these sloppy slurps really signs of affection?

"The meaning of a dog lick can depend on how the licks are offered to their people," Dana Ebbecke, animal behavior counselor at the ASPCA Adoption Center, told The Dodo. According to Ebbecke, "long, slurpy kisses that are accompanied by a soft, wiggly body are usually very affectionate gestures."

Dodo Shows Comeback Kids Family Stops At Nothing To Help Their Great Dane Run

Shutterstock

But some small kisses around the mouth can mean something different. "Sometimes small licks near the mouth are ways for the dogs to get more information into their nose," Ebbecke said, adding that the licking helps the smells get to the dog's vomeronasal organ, which gathers information on his surroundings.

This browser does not support the video tag. Giphy

Some dogs even lick people to give themselves some space. "Some dogs are even unintentionally taught to give kisses as a way to get space from their people," Ebbecke said. "This usually happens when a person puts their face too close to the dog's face before they are comfortable."

This browser does not support the video tag. Giphy

This is what Ebbecke calls an "appeasement" lick: "After the 'kisses' the person moves away and the dog learns that you can get a person's face further away by licking it," Ebbecke said. The best way to tell what kind of lick your dog is giving you is to look at her body language. "If the dog looks loose and wiggly and is trying to get to your face, they're probably very comfortable," Ebbecke said. "If they offer a lick and slink away, they probably weren't trying to French kiss you."

Shutterstock

But licks aren't the only way you can tell your dog's head-over-heels for you. "Dogs show affection to humans in lots of ways," Ebbecke said. If your dog leans into you or rests his head or paw on you, it's a really good sign. And there's one thing that people don't often realize is a real sign of love, Ebbecke said. "Sometimes when dogs offer a soft stretch towards a person, especially if they haven't been resting or lying down recently, it's actually very close to an 'I love you' gesture," Ebbeck said.

This browser does not support the video tag. Giphy
When Jeff Bezos, Amazons chief executive, first said that the e-commerce giant wanted to use drones to deliver packages directly to customers homes, many people thought he was crazy.

Three years later, his claims no longer look so outlandish.

On Wednesday, Bezos announced on Twitter that his company had made its first commercial drone delivery, on Dec. 7, to an Amazon shopper in Cambridgeshire, England, a major step forward in its experiments with automated shipments.

The flight  to deliver an Amazon Fire streaming device and popcorn to a customer identified only as Richard B.  took off from a nearby Amazon warehouse and lasted 13 minutes, covering about three kilometres.

Amazon said it would now test drone deliveries with two more customers near Cambridge, an English city where the company has a large drone-testing plant. If the tests are successful, the company says it wants to expand the number of consumers who could participate in the trial to dozens in the coming months, eventually allowing hundreds to use the drone service.

The start of customer trials for the drone delivery service, which Amazon calls Prime Air, is a milestone for a technology that could eventually automate an important part of Amazons business as the company looks to cement its position as the worlds dominant online retailer.

There are reasons to be skeptical about how broadly drones can be used, however, because of aviation rules, weather restrictions and weight limitations on cargo.

Experts say that the advent of widespread drone deliveries, even if technically possible, would take years, and regulators from the United States and elsewhere could block the plans.

Even if drones end up handling only a small portion of Amazons overall deliveries, the implications could be far-reaching.

The company, for instance, might not need as many truck drivers or other costly logistical operations. Drones could also have environmental benefits, by reducing reliance on pollution-belching vehicles. The biggest boon may be to customers, who could be able to receive their orders more quickly, depending where they live.

The fact that Amazons latest drone tests were in Britain is no coincidence.

The countrys regulators have been more co-operative than their U.S. counterparts about such flights, even signing an agreement with Amazon in July to allow the testing of drones in rural and suburban areas.

As part of those trials  some of which have taken place at a secretive farm in rural Cambridgeshire  Amazon has been allowed to fly drones without a human pilot at the controls, navigating to destinations solely by GPS. The company says it has developed sense-and-avoid technology to help the machines fly around towers, birds and other obstructions.

Not all of the residents in the area have been fans, however.

Julia Napier, who helped found a Cambridgeshire association that maintains public footpaths around one of Amazons test sites, said the companys drones threatened wildlife and the wider countryside, something that the company has denied.

They are testing those drones here because they cant do it in America, she said. Whatever the Americans dont want, I dont want it, either.

While Amazon has experimented with different drone designs, the one that makes the delivery in the companys video appears to be a quadcopter  a helicopter with four rotors  that can take off and land vertically.

So far, the devices are limited to carrying cargo weighing less than 5 pounds. They use cameras to identify landing marker pads that customers place in their backyards or in other unobstructed locations.

In the United States, regulators have been more cautious about drone tests, though the Federal Aviation Administration issued new rules this year to allow for the commercial use of drones under certain circumstances. One major limitation was the stipulation that devices must be operated remotely by a human pilot.

Amazon is not the first company to test drone delivery.

Chinese internet retailer JD.com has a fleet of drones flying autonomously on round trips of a maximum of 15 miles to reach rural communities (though a person still takes the package on the last leg of its journey to the recipient). In New Zealand, Dominos Pizza is testing drones to deliver fast food across the country.

And in the United States, 7-Eleven said in July that it had delivered Slurpees, doughnuts and other food to a customer in Reno, Nevada. Google has tested drone delivery of Chipotle burritos on the Virginia Tech campus.

Amazon, however, with its deep pockets, logistical expertise and technological prowess, still seems the most likely to push widespread drone delivery into the mainstream, at least in the Western world.

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The Toronto-based parent company of adultery website AshleyMadison.com has agreed to pay a steeply discounted $1.65 million (U.S.) settlement to resolve U.S. state and federal probes into a 2015 hack that exposed personal data of 37 million users of the site, whose slogan was Life is Short. Have an Affair.

The company, which changed its name to Ruby Corp. from Avid Life Media Inc. after the breach, agreed to a $17.5 million penalty to resolve the multistate investigation, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement.

The amount was reduced by about 90 per cent due to an inability to pay, and the rest was suspended.

Reckless disregard for data security will not be tolerated, Schneiderman, who joined with 12 other U.S. states and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to announce the settlement.

Hackers dumped almost 10 gigabytes of data on the Internet, providing information on previously anonymous users, including e-mail addresses, names and details of sexual preferences and fantasies, authorities said. As many as 652,627 New York residents were members of Ashley Madison at the time of the security breach.

Toronto-based Ruby, which now bills Ashley Madison simply as an online-dating site, has been cooperating with the FTC for more than a year, according to a statement by Rob Segal, the companys chief executive officer since July.

Todays settlement closes an important chapter on the companys past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity, Segal said in the statement.

Company spokeswoman Debra Quinn declined to comment on why the company cant afford to pay the full settlement, despite reporting more users than it had at the time of the breach.

But it stresses it neither admits nor denies the allegations made by the FTC and the various state attorneys general, according to the Canadian Press.

The multistate probe uncovered lax data-security practices at the company, including a failure to maintain its information-security policies or to use so-called multi-factor authentication to secure remote access, according to the statement.

This case represents one of the largest data breaches that the FTC has investigated, said chairwoman Edith Ramirez in a statement.

The investigation revealed Ashley Madison failed to purge the user information of millions of customers who cancelled their memberships, even though many had paid for a premium service that promised their data wouldnt be stored on the companys servers, according to the attorney generals statement.

Under the accord, the website operator also agreed to not use fake female profiles, which were often created to entice customers, according to the statement. The data breach revealed those profiles to be bogus and exposed the companys use of customer photographs for phony profile pictures, it said.

It used portions of the profile photographs of actual users who had not had account activity within the previous year as the photographs in the fake profiles that it created, cropping or hiding users faces, but not their bodies, Schneiderman said.

The hack led Noel Biderman, the companys former CEO, to step down, and triggered a probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

With a file from The Canadian Press

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More wireless competition is needed to promote greater choice and lower prices for Canadian households, according to the federal minister responsible for the telecom industry.

This is an issue we hear about from consumers, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said in an interview Wednesday at the departments regional offices in Toronto.

I think consumers want to see better price points and we as a government need to look at the affordability issue. We need more competition. The best way to deal with affordability is through more competition.

He said the Liberal government aims to release wireless airwave spectrum to mobile carriers that could lower cell infrastructure costs and promote new entrants, adding that: We're looking at 600MHz band and how we get that out there.

He also said a recent ruling by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission reconfirming that Bell Canada must sell access to its high-speed fibre networks to independent Internet providers signals the governments pro competition stance.

Even though former Conservative industry minster James Moore made promotion of a fourth wireless provider in each region a key goal, three major carriers continue to dominate in Canada, after upstart providers encouraged by spectrum set asides failed to win market share and were absorbed by incumbents.

And Canadians continue to pay among the highest telecom prices in some categories, says a study commissioned by the CRTC and released this year  although it revealed mixed results in price trends across Canadian cities and found that many cell plans are less costly in Canada than in the United States and Japan.

The federal government is reviewing Bell Media's proposed takeover of independent provider Manitoba Telecom Services, a deal that some analysts say would reduce competition and lead to higher consumer prices, but Bains said it is way too early to forecast an outcome.

He noted that the Competition Bureau is seeking public input on the deal as part of the review process. We will look at all the facts before making a determination, he said.

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NEW YORKPresident-elect Donald Trump, who faced fierce opposition from some Silicon Valley leaders during the election campaign, strove to assure the titans of tech on Wednesday that his administration is here to help you folks do well.

Trump, still savoring his election victory, convened a summit at Trump Tower for nearly a dozen tech leaders, whose industry largely supported Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Many in the industry are worried that Trump will stifle innovation, curb the hiring of computer-savvy immigrants and infringe on consumers digital privacy.

He immediately tried to allay those fears.

We want you to keep going with the incredible innovation. Anything we can do to help this go on, we will be there for you, Trump said. Youll call my people, youll call me. We have no formal chain of command around here.

The CEOs who filled the table in Trumps 25th floor conference room included Apples Tim Cook, Alphabets Larry Page, Googles Eric Schmidt, Microsofts Satya Nadella, Amazons Jeff Bezos, Teslas Elon Musk, IBMs Ginni Rometty, Oracles Safra Catz and Cisco Systems Chuck Robbins. Facebooks chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, attended instead of its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, who is one of many tech executives who have expressed misgivings about Trumps pledge to deport millions of immigrants who are in the country illegally.

The meeting remained amiable and the group, which agreed to meet quarterly, also had preliminary discussions about immigration and how to stay competitive with China, though no firm commitments were made, according to a person briefed on the meeting but not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Trump was joined by several members of his senior staff and his three eldest children, who are expected to help run his business once he takes office, again blurring the line between the president-elects personal and professional lives.

Reporters were allowed to witness only the first moments of the meeting and most of the attendees departed without comment. But Bezos, who is also owner of The Washington Post, which has been a frequent target of Trump complaints about campaign coverage, said he found the meeting to be very productive and said he shared the view that the administration should make innovation one of its key pillars.

No industry was more open in its contempt for Trump during the campaign. In an open letter published in July, more than 140 technology executives, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists skewered him as a disaster for innovation.

And Trumps denigration of Mexicans, his pledge to deport millions of immigrants now living in the U.S. illegally and his crude remarks about women were widely viewed as racist, authoritarian and sexist by an industry that prides itself on its tolerance.

Trump, in turn, sometimes lashed out at the industry and its leaders, and  despite his reassurances Wednesday  questions remain about how hell govern.

He has lambasted Bezos for the Posts campaign coverage and has suggested that Amazon could face antitrust scrutiny after his election. Trump also rebuked Cook for fighting a government order requiring Apple to unlock an encrypted iPhone used by a shooter in last years terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif.

And Trumps repeated negative comments about immigrants raised fears that he might dismantle programs that have enabled tech companies to hire tens of thousands of foreign workers with the skills to write computer programs, design web pages and build mobile apps.

The industry is also worried that Trump might try to undermine net neutrality, a regulation requiring internet service providers to offer equal access to all online services. Trumps harsh characterization of the media as dishonest and unfair has raised other fears that he might try to restrict free speech online.

Some in Silicon Valley think the industrys best move would be to keep its distance until Trump changes his tone. Former Google executive Chris Sacca, now a tech investor, argues that industry leaders should have steered clear of the meeting altogether.

Sitting down with the president-elect would only make sense after Trump has given public assurances he wont encourage censorship, will stop exploiting fake news, will promote net neutrality, denounce hate crimes and embrace science, Sacca said. If and until then, tech figures who visit are being used to whitewash an authoritarian bully who threatens not just our industry but our entire democracy.

One major tech company not invited, despite Trumps frequent use of its product, was Twitter. Sean Spicer, communications director for the Republican National Committee, disputed that they were singled out  Twitter has said it declined to make branded emojis on the campaigns behalf  and explained its absence by simply saying the conference table was only so big, OK?

Separately on Wednesday, Michigans Republican Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel was officially named Trumps choice to become the new RNC chair next year. The niece of 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney would be the first woman to hold the committees top position in 40 years, and her promotion comes after Trump became the first Republican to carry Michigan in 28 years.

Trump also officially announced his selection of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as his secretary of energy, leading a department Perry once suggested scrapping.

While Trump remained in his Manhattan skyscraper Wednesday, he was hitting the road Thursday for the latest stop in his thank you tour, this time in Hershey, Pa. The tour, which is designed to salute supporters in states that helped him win the White House, will continue Friday in Orlando, Fla., before wrapping Saturday at a Mobile, Ala., football stadium which was the site of the biggest rally of his campaign.

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SAN FRANCISCOUber is bringing a small number of self-driving cars to its ride-hailing service in San Francisco  a move likely to excite the citys tech-savvy population and certain to antagonize California regulators.

The Wednesday launch in Ubers hometown expands a public pilot program the company started in Pittsburgh in September. The testing lets everyday people experience the cars as Uber works to identify glitches before expanding the technologys use in San Francisco and elsewhere.

California law, however, requires a test permit for self-driving prototype vehicles, and Uber does not have one. The company argues that the law doesnt apply because its cars require a human backup.

Uber has a history of testing legal boundaries. Although the company has been around less than a decade, it has argued with authorities around the world about how much of its drivers histories should be covered in background checks and whether those drivers should be treated as contractors ineligible for employee benefits.

The streets of San Francisco

Ubers self-driving tests in San Francisco will begin with a handful of Volvo luxury SUVs  the company wouldnt release an exact number  that have been tricked out with sensors so they can steer, accelerate and brake, and even decide to change lanes. The cars will have an Uber employee behind the wheel to take over should the technology fail. Users of the app may be matched with a self-driving car, but can opt out if they prefer a human driver. Self-driven rides cost the same as ordinary ones.

The cars will be put to the test in the congested streets of San Francisco. The city can be a daunting place to drive given its famously steep hills, frequent fog, street and cable cars, an active bicycle culture and roads that are constantly being repaved, remarked and restricted for bike lanes and traffic management.

Uber believes its technology is ready to handle all of this safely, though its executives concede the vehicles are nowhere near able to drive without a human ready to take control in dicey situations.

There was room for improvement during a Tuesday test drive attended by The Associated Press. The car was destined for a local pizza parlour, but didnt pull directly in front of the restaurant, and instead stopped in the middle of the street. The cars may strike some riders as overcautious, too. During the test drive, one idled in a traffic jam even though an adjacent lane was clear, prompting the human driver to make the move himself.

Ubers fleet of Volvo XC90s wont be the first self-driving cars on San Francisco streets  several other companies visit regularly with test prototypes, though none offer public rides.

Once testing is complete, the ultimate vision is to sell to the public technology which supporters argue will save thousands of lives because it doesnt drink, text, fall asleep or take dangerous risks.

Permit me not

Under state law, self-driving tests on public roads require a permit from the Department of Motor Vehicles. The department has issued permits to 20 companies, mostly a collection of traditional automakers and tech companies  but not Uber.

Uber argues that its cars arent really autonomous, and thus arent covered by the law. Under the law, an autonomous vehicle requires a permit if it can drive itself without the active physical control or monitoring of a natural person.

According to Anthony Levandowski, the leader of Ubers self-driving program, Ubers cars simply arent advanced enough to drive themselves without human monitoring. Were just not capable of doing that yet, he said. Therefore, the Volvos are not autonomous and do not require a permit.

It makes no sense to get a permit when one is not needed, Levandowski said: This is where science and logic needs to trump blind compliance.

In a statement issued late Tuesday, the DMV said it encourages the responsible exploration of self-driving cars and noted that 20 companies have permits to test hundreds of cars in California.

Uber shall do the same, the statement said.

Operating without a permit arguably gives Uber a competitive advantage. Companies with one must report to the state all crashes and every instance in which a person takes control during testing. All that information is public. To receive a permit, a company must show proof of insurance, pay a $150 fee and agree that a human driver can take control of the vehicle.

Ubers stance seems likely to upset both state officials and competitors, said Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina who tracked Californias law as it was drafted in 2012. While an attorney could argue that Uber is reading the letter of California law correctly, Smith said, testing permits were envisioned as a gateway, as an interim step to launching self-driving cars on public roads.

Smith recalled discussing at the time the argument that Uber is now making: One day, a company might go public without a testing permit precisely because the law requires human oversight during testing.

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[December 13, 2016] Citi Private Bank Law Firm Group and Hildebrandt Consulting Announce 2017 Citi Hildebrandt Client Advisory

The Law Firm Group at Citi Private Bank and Hildebrandt Consulting today released their Citi Hildebrandt 2017 Client Advisory. The Citi Hildebrandt Client Advisory outlines the current landscape for the legal industry, how law firms are responding to these conditions and their best opportunities for growth in the year ahead. Based on the data compiled in this year's advisory, 2017 will likely be another year of modest industry growth in an uncertain and fragile global economy and market for law firm services. "We anticipate seeing continued dispersion and volatility in the performance of individual firms, in line with what we have observed during the post-recession years. To succeed, firms will need visionary leadership, a high-caliber management team, and each partner's commitment to hard work and profitability. The most successful firms will focus on adapting their business, leverage and partnership models to operate more efficiently and grow revenue under these challenging market conditions," said Gretta Rusanow, head of Advisory Services, Law Firm Group, Citi Private Bank. Brad Hildebrandt, Chairman of Hildebrandt Consulting, goes on to note, "It is essential now more than ever for firms to build a differentiated brand if they want to see revenue growth. Brand differentiation will come from being the market leader in specific practices and industries." "In a market where clients want the most efficient delivery of legal services, the market will reward law firms who focus on operational efficiency in its broadest sense - not just managing expenses, but transforming the way they run their firms and deliver legal services," said Dan DiPietro, Chairman, Law Firm Group, Citi Private Bank. The Citi Hildebrandt 2017 Client Advisory draws from data collected from a sampling of primarily US-headquartered law firms by Citi Private Bank and Peer Monitor, as well as conversations with leaders of law firms headquartered around the world. For firms headquartered outside the US and third-party providers of legal servics, the information is mostly anecdotal. Sources include the "Citi Annual Survey Database" of 205 US-headquartered firms, including 41 Am Law 1-50 firms, 35 Am Law 51-100 firms, 53 Am Law 2nd 100 firms, and 76 additional firms; the "Citi Flash Survey," including 41 Am Law 1-50 firms, 38 Am Law 51-100 firms, 52 Am Law 2nd 100 firms and 57 additional firms; the "2016 Citi Law Firm Leaders Survey" of 51 large firms headquartered in the US, UK, Australia and India; and "Thomson (News - Alert) Reuters Peer Monitor" data of 165 U.S.-based law firms, including 55 Am Law 100 firms, 45 Am Law 2nd 100 firms, and 65 additional firms.



About Citi Citi Private Bank's Law Firm Group provides financial services to more than 650 U.S. and U.K. law firms and more than 38,000 individual lawyers, with over 200 professionals and local service teams in 14 offices. Each quarter, the Law Firm Group confidentially surveys firms in The Am Law 100 and Second Hundred, along with smaller firms. In addition, we conduct a more detailed annual survey. These reports, together with extensive discussions with law firm management conducted on an ongoing basis, provide a comprehensive overview of financial trends in the industry and insight into where it is headed.

Citi Private Bank is a part of Citi, the leading global financial services company, which has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter (News - Alert): @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://new.citi.com| Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn (News - Alert): www.linkedin.com/company/citi Hildebrandt Consulting is continuing its long and distinguished history as the preeminent global consulting firm in the legal profession. With clients in over 15 countries, Hildebrandt has built up unmatched expertise in every aspect of professional firm management. Our reputation for helping firms arrive at strategic solutions comes from our knowledge of the interdependent elements that contribute to overall business performance. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161213005989/en/

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OTTAWAAn announcement on the deployment of Canadian soldiers on an overseas peace mission has been postponed until after the holidays as Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says the government wants to take the time to get this right.

Sajjan said the decision  originally expected before Christmas  is taking time because of the complexity in organizing a mission that involves more than just the Defence Department but foreign affairs and development, too.

This is a whole-of-government effort in terms of where were going to be doing peace operations, he told reporters on Parliament Hill Tuesday.

A lot of work has been done. But you know, theres still work that needs to be done in terms of making sure that we co-ordinate and synchronize our efforts within as a government, and also within international partners as well, Sajjan said.

The Liberal government is weighing options for the deployment of up to 600 soldiers and 150 police officers.

The Star has reported that the Canadian mission is likely headed to Mali in West Africa, where French forces and a United Nations mission are already on the ground. That mission ranks as the most deadly for the UN as peacekeepers have found themselves targeted by insurgent fighters.

We want to make sure that we get this right. Its a very big decision as a country when we send troops anywhere in the world. I also want to make sure that we can have the right impact, Sajjan said.

In the Commons Tuesday, Conservative MPs pressed the Liberals to follow the example of the Dutch government, which presented its Parliament with a detailed outline of its proposed mission to Mali in 2013.

The 14-page letter given to Dutch lawmakers outlined the strategy, cost, risks, goals and challenges for that mission.

In a recent report, the Senate defence committee cited the Dutch letter and said the federal government should table a statement of justification containing similar facts about the upcoming Canadian mission.

On Tuesday, that call was echoed by Conservative MPs, who pressed the Liberals to be forthcoming about the deployment.

In the Netherlands the government is open and transparent about missions of this nature. A letter explaining the minute details of the mission are shared with Parliament, and there is a debate, said Pierre Paul-Hus.

Will the Liberals commit to as much transparency, said the Conservative MP (Charlesbourg  Haute-Saint-Charles).

James Bezan (Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman) demanded to know whether the Liberals will submit the proposed deployment to Parliament for debate and vote. In his response, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion didnt rule it out.

It is a very serious decision. The government is considering it very seriously. We are working with our allies to see in which way Canada will fulfill its responsibility for peace in the world, and we are also considering in which way we will engage Parliament about it, Dion told MPs.

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A Progressive Conservative MPP who once said its not a bad idea to stop teaching evolution in schools has been taken to the woodshed by PC leader Patrick Brown for promoting a socially conservative agenda.

The dressing down came after Ontarios French-language television network, TFO, reported that MPP Rick Nicholls promised supporters the Tories have a secret plan if they win the 2018 election.

Brown has been trying to put a more modern face on the party, saying it supports Premier Kathleen Wynnes updated sex education curriculum, gay marriage and wont change access to abortion  all measures opposed by social conservatives.

Social issues are really, really important. We need to form government. Then . . . watch us go! Nicholls said to applause captured by TFO cameras Dec. 7 at Queens Park in a meeting with the Canadian Multicultural Care Group and the Canadian Christian Association.

That will happen. That will happen.

Brown, who has recently had to quell concerns about the partys direction after the recent byelection victory of 19-year-old social conservative Sam Oosterhoff in Niagara West-Glanbrook, said he was not aware of the full extent of Nicholls comments until Tuesday.

As leader, and as premier, I will lead an Ontario PC party focused on reversing the economic damage of the Wynne Liberals . . . I will lead an inclusive government where intolerance will have no place, Brown added.

Any statement or implication to the contrary, including the comment made by MPP Nicholls, is false and needs to be immediately retracted.

Nicholls (Chatham-Kent-Essex), who was co-chair of Browns leadership campaign two years ago, issued a statement Tuesday saying he fully supports the partys direction under Brown and reversed course on his remarks of last week.

I retract and apologize for my comments. Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown has made it clear that he is committed to leading a modern, inclusive and pragmatic Progressive Conservative Party, Nicholls said.

The party will not be revisiting divisive social issues, either as an opposition party or if we are fortunate enough to form government.

Brown has been in the hot seat over social conservative issues since his flip-flop on sex education during the Scarborough-Rouge River byelection in late summer, with Liberals saying its hard to know where he truly stands.

Several Conservative MPPs, including Nicholls, were absent for last weeks vote on legislation to make it easier for gay couples to become parents.

Nicholls shouted the remark about evolution at then-education minister Liz Sandals in February 2015 during a debate in the legislature over the new sex education curriculum, which some Conservatives opposed.

I dont believe in evolution, Nicholls later told reporters as his off-the-cuff comment about striking it from school curriculums prompted rebukes from several colleagues.

It obviously did not help our position, said veteran Tory MPP Jim Wilson, who was interim party leader at the time and frequently blamed his party for poor decisions that led to four successive election losses to the scandal-plagued Liberals.

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A $600-million class-action lawsuit was certified in an Ontario court this week, opening the door for thousands of prison inmates with diagnosed mental illnesses to seek compensation for their alleged mistreatment in federal jails.

The lawsuit alleges Canadas federal prison agency fails to properly care for mentally ill inmates, relies too much on the cruel and unusual punishment of solitary confinement, and neglects to adequately train its staff. Superior Court Justice Paul Perell ruled that the lawsuit should go ahead in a decision released Wednesday.

Its an incredibly vulnerable population, said James Sayce, a lawyer for the plaintiffs who expects tens of thousands of current and former inmates to join the class action against the federal justice ministry.

Its a group of people who are often ignored by most of society, he said. Theyre people who are often subjected to solitary confinement for months and years as a result of their mental and medical conditions.

Chris Brazeau, one of the lead plaintiffs in the suit, said in a statement through his lawyer that he has a duty to participate in the class action.

In my own case, I remember asking myself, How much more of this can I take? I must have asked myself 500 times, before I reached my breaking point. I now know what it feels like to want to die. I know what it feels like to have no hope and no options, said Brazeau, 34, who claims to have spent periods of up to a year in solitary confinement during his 12-year sentence at an Edmonton jail.

A spokesperson for the federal justice ministry referred questions on the lawsuit to the Correctional Service of Canada, the agency responsible for federal prisons.

In an emailed statement, Corrections spokesperson Veronique Rioux said effective and timely treatment for inmates with mental illness is a priority for the agency. Front-line staff are trained to understand the mental health needs of offenders, and $77 million was invested to address the needs of these inmates during the 2015/16 fiscal year, she said.

Rioux added that segregation  the term the government uses for solitary confinement  is a legally available tool that is used to manage risk, either to the inmate or staff, and is not a punitive measure. She said there are ongoing reviews of an inmates placement in solitary confinement, including on their physical and mental health, and that the agency is legally required to remove them from segregation at the earliest time.

She would not discuss the newly-certified lawsuit, because it is currently before the courts.

The lawsuit arrives at a time of heightened concern over the use of solitary confinement in provincial and federal jails, particularly when it involves inmates with mental illness. In his mandate letter to the justice minister after he came to power last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for restricted use of solitary confinement and the improved treatment of mentally ill inmates, as recommended by inquests into the death of Ashley Smith, a 19-year-old who strangled herself in 2007 after more than 1,000 days in segregation.

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association and John Howard Society launched their own lawsuit in 2015, alleging the use of solitary confinement in federal prisons violates prisoners charter rights to life, liberty and security of the person.

In Ontario, the issue caused a storm this fall when the provinces human rights commissioner revealed how Adam Capay, a 24-year-old with mental illness who is charged with murdering another inmate, was kept in solitary confinement at the Thunder Bay Jail  a provincial facility  for almost four years.

The United Nations considers 15 straight days of solitary confinement to be a form of torture.

Eligible class-action participants must have been in a federal prison at some point since Nov. 1, 1992, and been diagnosed with a mental illness during or before their time in jail, according to Perrells decision this week.

Alongside Brazeau, the other lead plaintiff in the case is David Kift, a 58-year-old former Mountie who is now serving a six-year sentence at the Joyceville Institution for gun possession-related crimes, according to the statement of claim. He is diagnosed with PTSD and depression, and the statement of claim alleges that he has endured long periods without his medication and has been held in solitary confinement.

You become unfit to function in a social way, Brazeau said in his statement to the Star. That is a prerequisite to live. You need social skills to survive. Solitary confinement removes that.

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Reading the 106-page report of the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation, with its determinedly bland cover design and its epically drab title, A Framework For the Legalization and Regulation of Cannabis in Canada, its hard to shake the urge to blow off a little steam by sparking up a great big bowl of 

Whoa! Wrong attitude! Sorry about that. Lord forbid anyone suggest that the point of legalizing marijuana in Canada is to increase the amount of fun anybody might be having.

In a sense, this is easy to understand. The Trudeau Liberals are facing very little effective criticism on their promise to legalize pot from people who think they are being too slow, stodgy or old-fashioned about it all.

Of course there are Canadians who think pot should be legalized yesterday, and that it should be promoted and celebrated as a universal panacea. But pot activists tend not to be a formidably organized voting bloc, for reasons of general lethargy and perhaps an occasional serious case of the munchies. And at least one, the Vancouver pot evangelist Jodie Emery, actually sought to run as a Liberal candidate in the last election.

So nobodys saying go faster, be bolder. On the other hand, the Liberals have faced constant criticism from the Conservatives, elevated concern from many parents, as well as non-trivial nervousness in some immigrant communities over health and safety concerns, hypothetical increased pot use among children and widespread cultural taboos against pot use.

It was a stroke of genius, then, for health minister Jane Philpott to recruit Anne McLellan, a former minister of justice and health in Liberal governments a generation ago, to report on the implications of legalizing marijuana. McLellan has made a career radiating the impression of superb competence, combined with the uncanny ability to measurably decrease the amount of whimsy in a room just by walking into it.

Her report is custom-designed to harsh the mightiest of buzzes. It contains zero occurrences of the word enjoy, 11 of the word recreational and 168 of the word risk. Reading it, one envisions approaching a government-sanctioned wacky tobacky dispensary in more or less the same manner, and perhaps even with the same bulky wardrobe, that Jeremy Renner used to approach Iraqi-made explosive devices in The Hurt Locker.

The report, from McLellan and eight other panel members, goes to awesome lengths to reassure the nervous by envisaging a Canada in which recreational (but risky!) marijuana has entered the realm of legality with only the most tenuous and exquisitely regulated toehold.

To wit: The national minimum age of pot purchase would be 18. In some provinces, including probably Ontario, itd be higher, to match drinking laws. There would be comprehensive restrictions to the advertising and promotion of cannabis. Plain packaging would be required. Promotion that encourages excessive consumption would face sanctions. What kind of sanctions? Strict.

Mixed products, like cannabis with alcohol or cannabis with tobacco, would be prohibited. Potent pot would be priced and taxed with an eye toward discouraging use. Public education campaigns would also spread the word that marijuana is, at least in certain circumstances, bad for you.

Many, many stakeholder meetings would lead to the elaboration of workplace impairment policies. Many more meetings would address . . . determinants of problematic cannabis use, such as mental illness and social marginalization.

Marijuana would not be sold in the same place as alcohol or tobacco, wherever possible. Sorry, LCBO! Anyone tempted to grow their own would be limited to four plants whose height would be capped at 100 cm each.

I could go on. They certainly do. We have discovered that the regulation of cannabis will touch on every aspect of our society, McLellan and her colleagues write. Not the use of cannabis, or its existence, note, but its regulation. Police until now have had a simple rule to apply  Hey, do you have marijuana? Well, you shouldnt  along with considerable leeway in applying it. Their life, if the feds implement all or most of McLellans report, is about to become more complicated.

To what end? Look, I have considerable sympathy for the notion that a criminal record should not await recreational pot users. But the regime McLellan and her colleagues envision hardly looks like a great leap forward for relaxed and libertarian attitudes toward drug use.

Justin Trudeau ran on a promise to legalize and regulate the non-medical use of marijuana. He is well on the way to delivering. But voters who heard only the first part of that promise are in for a surprise.

Paul Wells is a national affairs writer. His column appears Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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A Parkdale man who spent more than five years behind bars before he was acquitted years after his release is suing the Toronto police officers involved in his arrest, alleging they used unfounded and fraudulent accusations to detain him.

Nosakhare Ohenhen, 36, filed a $4.5-million lawsuit Wednesday against the Toronto Police Service Board, police Chief Mark Saunders and the five officers involved in his arrest, charge and subsequent conviction: Clint Westell, Scott Tait, Kaine Mildenberger, Adam Landry and Chris Beckwith.

None of the allegations have been proven in court and no statement of defence has yet been filed.

As of Wednesday morning, Toronto police said they had not received the lawsuit and would not be commenting.

The lawsuit alleges the five officers involved in Ohenhens arrest conspired to secure his conviction, regardless of his guilt or innocence, by planting drugs seized from another person on him.

It also alleges the officers failed to provide complete disclosure of evidence at the trial and allowed false evidence that resulted in Ohenhens wrongful conviction.

Nosa can never get back the time he lost, the liberty he lost, said Ohenhens lawyer, Michael Smitiuch. We hope that what happened to Nosa will not happen again in the future He suffered in a way that I dont think anybody can understand.

Ohenhen was arrested on Aug. 21, 2008 and charged with drug and firearm offences, as well as resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer. Ohenhen had a criminal record that included drug trafficking offenses and firearms possession.

In 2010, a judge ruled that Ohenhens version of his arrest, including the allegation that Toronto police planted drugs on him, to be a fabrication and totally implausible. Ohenhen was sentenced to nine years in prison, with credit for time spent in custody since his 2008 arrest.

It wasnt until after he had completed his sentence that the Ontario Court of Appeal ordered a new trial in 2015, finding the judge made errors in assessing Ohenhens credibility.

In September, Ohenhen was acquitted of all charges. Superior Court Justice Michael Quigley found that the case also raised the serious prospect that police planted drugs on him.

Despite the evidential factors that point that direction, I remain uncertain of whether that actually occurred, though it certainly remains distinctly possible and arguably probably on the evidence, Quigley said.

According to the statement of claim, while in prison, Ohenhen suffered physical, emotional and psychological harm from assaults, dangerous conditions and time spent in isolation.

The lawsuit says Ohenhen is entitled for compensation over his loss of liberty, loss of reputation, loss of privacy while in prison, humiliation and disgrace, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of potential normal every life experiences.

Everything in my life has revolved around that day in 2008, Ohenhen told the Star.

I just hope that this never happens to anyone ever again. Its not good for your mind, its not good for your body, its not good at all. Period. I just want these officers to be held accountable for what they did.

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A driver who firefighters are calling lucky survived being sideswiped by a dump truck and forced over the expressway rail, before landing safely beside railway tracks, police said.

Emergency crews got a call at 6:54 a.m. that an accident had occurred on the westbound Gardiner.

When they arrived it was determined that the car had flipped upside down off the expressway at Spadina.

The vehicle had landed a few metres away from the CN railway tracks.

Toronto Police Services spokesperson Const. Victor Kwong said that a tandem dump truck had sideswiped the car, off the elevated highway.

The dump truck did not remain on scene.

The driver of the car managed to crawl out of the car window before emergency crews arrived, said police.

He spoke with police at the scene and was taken to a local trauma centre as a precaution. He sustained minor injuries.

Capt. Adrian Ratushniak of Toronto Fire said firefighters were amazed at the mans fortune in emerging relatively unscathed.

Youve gotta go buy a lottery ticket today, youre so lucky! said Ratushniak.

With files from Sophie van Bastelaer

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Ottawa has eliminated the notorious 4-in-4-out rule that kicked out migrant workers after four years, ending what some critics call the revolving door of indentured labour to Canada.

In many ways, the four-year rule put a great deal of uncertainty and instability on both temporary workers and employers. We had the sense that it was an unnecessary burden on applicants and employers, and also on officers who process applications, Immigration Minister John McCallum said in a news release posted late Tuesday.

We believe this important recommendation . . . requires rapid action, which we are taking today.

The former Tory government introduced the rule in 2011 to ban migrant workers from returning to Canada for four years after they worked here for four.

Were caught off guard by the announcement. Everyone was expecting it in January, but this is a positive development, said York University political science professor Ethel Tungohan, who specializes in migrant activism.

Many migrant workers have felt insecure with their status because of this rule. This is the result of the hard work by advocacy groups who have been lobbying the government for change.

Ottawa said it will also require low-wage employers to advertise openings first to the under-represented groups in the workforce  youth, persons with disabilities, indigenous people and newcomers  before they fill the positions with temporary migrant workers.

However, the percentage of low-wage migrant workers at a business will still be capped at 20 per cent for employers who accessed the program before June 20, 2014, and at 10 per cent for those who did after that date.

McCallum did not provide details on how the government is going to develop more pathways for eligible migrant workers to become permanent residents.

This repeal is a first step which came about because migrant workers organized against an unjust rule that resulted in thousands of deportations and migrants becoming undocumented, said Syed Hussan of the Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada.

We need permanent status for migrant workers already here and (for) those that were uprooted and forced out, for it to be really meaningful.

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The Federal Court has ordered Ottawa to honour a settlement reached in a human rights complaint by an immigrant who was born with ambiguous genitalia and who asked to change her citizenship ID from male to female.

In 2012, Audrey Chedor, 53, filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission based on sex identity and citizenship after immigration officials required her to provide proof of sex change surgery to amend the gender designation on her citizenship certificate.

Chedor, an immigrant from Germany, came to Canada and first became a Canadian citizen identified as male based on her German ID, but decided in 2010 to change the gender on her identification to female, an identity she has grown comfortable with. She told the Star she was born with ambiguous genitalia.

Although Chedor was able to obtain a birth registration from the province of Quebec, where she resides, to declare herself female, she couldnt change the gender designation on her citizenship certificate because as an immigrant, she also needed to provide the sex change documentation. However, she has never had any sex reassignment surgery.

In settling the human rights complaint in February 2015, the federal government issued Chedor a citizenship certificate reflecting her sex as female, and agreed to revise its policies within a year to remove the requirement for evidence that they have undergone sex reassignment surgery in addition to the provincial documentation indicating a gender change.

In return Chedor agreed to terminate the complaint and not to seek damages. The settlement was approved by the Canadian Human Rights Commission in March 2015.

The terms of the settlement had remained confidential until recently, after Chedor went before the Federal Court earlier this year claiming Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada had breached the agreement.

According to Chedors claim, immigration officials had not revised and updated their policies, application forms and instruction guides after a year. She also made anonymous calls to the immigration call centre as a test and was told she needed to submit medical proof of a sex change.

The settlement is to a very great extent for the general benefit of a broad group of disadvantaged people facing gender or sex discrimination. Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth, Justice Luc Martineau wrote in his recent ruling in favour of Chedor.

The fundamental question, in this evolved society, is whether the sex designation appearing on a birth certificate always corresponds with the individuals gender or sex identity, that is, the one the individual really identifies with and is comfortable living with.

In granting the conversion of the terms of the settlement agreement into a court order, the judge said he was satisfied Chedor acted in good faith and the government had not fully complied with its obligations.

In a courageous move, the applicant resisted (the Immigration Departments) pressures to provide proof of sex reassignment surgery and made a complaint, praised Martineau, who awarded Chedor $1,200 in costs.

It turns out that the applicant had nothing to gain personally . . . and has made this application for the benefit of a large group of disadvantaged individuals.

Despite the October 31 court order, Chedor said the Immigration Department has not removed the proof of sex change surgery from its instruction guides. She notified the Justice Department as well as Immigration Minister John McCallum this month that she was giving officials 30 days to comply with the settlement by removing the reference or else she would take the matter back to court.

In a reply to Chedor, lawyers for the government said the Immigration Department offers gender change applicants a number of options other than proof of sex change surgery, though that remains one of the choices.

The departments identity management program delivery instructions, they said, also provide an express caveat that immigration officials do not require proof of sex reassignment surgery to amend the sex designation on documents.

This is in compliance with the settlement and simply recognizes that there are individuals who may prefer to forego adducing documentary evidence and submit proof of surgery, wrote government attorney Daniel Latulippe. This is always an option  never a requirement.

Immigration spokesperson Remi Lariviere said the department has already taken steps to facilitate changing the sex designation on passports and travel documents, citizenship certificates and documentation for temporary and permanent residents.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is committed to facilitating the issuance of identification with a sex designation that reflects a persons gender identity, Lariviere told the Star, adding that officials are currently reviewing its forms and products to better reflect gender inclusiveness.

Chedor, who has represented herself in both the human rights and court proceedings, said she was raised by her parents as a boy and had undergone treatment to conform to the societys gender expectations. A person should not have to undergo a surgery to claim his or her self-identity, she noted.

There is no word to express how disappointed Im. It is just bad faith what the government is doing here, said Chedor, who believes the government is still not complying with the agreement. I will keep fighting till the end.

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BEIRUTFirst came the distress calls from doctors in underground shelters and morgues. Then, residents under relentless bombardment in the few remaining blocks under rebel control in Aleppo began posting emotional goodbyes on social media and in widely circulated messages.

They wanted to have the final say in this merciless war.

There is a problem with this planet, said Monther Etaky, a 28-year old graphic designer. This planet doesnt want people to live as free or to live as humans.

The worlds view of the Syrian conflict has been largely driven by YouTube, Twitter and Facebook  making it one of the worlds most documented wars through amateur videos and coverage. This has given the activists the biggest role in chronicling the war in detail, and in lobbying for the worlds response.

Nearly six years into the conflict, they complained the world has been looking the other way.

Why is this silence? People are being eliminated, tweeted Abdulkafi Alhamdo, an English teacher who has been a vocal critic of President Bashar Assads government. Then he wrote: The last (message). Thanks for Everything. We shared many moments. The last tweets were from an emotional father. Farewell #Aleppo.

Alhamdo later went live on the video-streaming app Periscope to say government troops were approaching.

This is the last space, he said. I hope you can remember us.

A local aid worker, who gave only his first name, Omar, sent an emotional recorded message that was widely shared on WhatsApp.

The government forces are at the end of the street. Forgive us, he said in issuing a tormented apology for failing to protect the rebel enclave, once seen as the jewel of Syrias rebellion.

After four years of holding onto nearly half of what was once Syrias largest city and commercial centre, thousands of residents of rebel-held Aleppo had been cornered in a one-square-mile sliver of land for days as Syrian government troops, backed by Russia, resisted calls for a ceasefire, pushing into the territory as rebel defences crumbled.

Hospitals were knocked out and civil defence vehicles were bombed. Thousands of residents fled to government areas, but thousands more, likely diehard government opponents, squeezed with the rebels into the ever-shrinking enclave.

Etaky said the fast buckling of rebel defences shocked him at first.

But when I turned on my brain and thought about what is happening and the cause of what is happening, I knew, he said.

After months of a siege imposed since July, the rebels had no more power to go on, he said. With their families trapped in the city with them, many fighters left the front lines to tend to their relatives safety.

But most importantly, he said, it was the world silence.

Speaking to The Associated Press shortly before a ceasefire was announced late Tuesday, Etaky said as a witness of the gruelling war, he thought he had become numbed by the violence years earlier. Since moving to the rebel-held sector in 2012, he said he had lost about 50 friends.

Yesterday, when I was saying the last goodbyes, this was the first time I was affected because it was the last time, he said.

He said he was proud of his role in documenting the war. There was no record, he said, of previous Syrian government crackdowns, including in the 1980s in Hama and Aleppo.

If my son grows up and just explores the Internet, he can see his father and what he was documenting and be proud that his father was a hero, Etaky said, choking back tears.

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[December 13, 2016] CrisisResponsePro Receives 2016 'Red Herring' Top 100 Global Award

MARINA DEL REY, Calif., Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- At an awards ceremony in Southern California, Red Herring magazine announced that CrisisResponsePro, a secure SAAS for crisis and litigation communications, was named to its Top 100 Global list of the leading private companies from North America, Europe and Asia. The prestigious award celebrates innovations and technologies across their respective industries. Red Herring's Top 100 Global has become a mark of distinction for identifying promising companies and entrepreneurs. Red Herring editors were among the first to recognize that companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Skype, Salesforce.com, YouTube and eBay would change the way we live and work. "Choosing the companies with the strongest potential was by no means a small feat," said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. "After rigorous contemplation and discussion, we narrowed our list down from hundreds of candidates from across the globe to the Top 100 Winners. We believe CrisisResponsePro embodies the vision, drive and innovation that define a successful entrepreneurial venture." "We are honored to be named to this prestigious list, and feel it's a testament to the success of our young start-up," said Jim Haggerty, Founder & CEO of CrisisResposePro. "The level of talent represented on this list is extraordinary. We're humbled by our inclusion."



CrisisResponsePro was developed by PRCG | Haggerty LLC, a leading communications firm specializing in crisis communications, litigation communications and other sensitive areas of public relations and reputation management. Jim Haggerty's new book, Chief Crisis Officer, will be published in 2017 by Ankerwycke Books, an imprint of the American Bar Association. Red Herring's editorial staff evaluated the companies on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, management quality, strategy, and market penetration. This assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the track records and standing of startups relative to their peers, allowing Red Herring to see past the 'buzz' and make the list a valuable instrument of discovery and advocacy for the most promising new business models from around the world.

Red Herring has been selecting the most exciting and promising start-ups since 1995. About CrisisResponsePro CrisisResponsePro.com's highly secure, web-based subscription portal brings the crisis communications team together and provides content and a collaborative platform to respond quickly and effectively to immediate crises like physical accidents, data breaches or product recalls, as well as longer-term issues related to legal, regulatory or public affairs matters. Built around the "Virtual WorkRoom" concept, CrisisResponsePro.com allows Users to access more than 10,000 statements issued by other companies, as well as hundreds of templates, checklists and other resources. Users can alert members of the crisis team and open a new Virtual WorkRoom at the touch of a button and view their crisis plan, approved messages and background materials from any computer, tablet or smartphone. CrisisResponsePro's subscription, browser-based software is cost-effective and scalable to organizations of any size, with billing based on Users and Virtual WorkRooms in service. All data is hosted on secure, private servers that allows CrisisResponsePro to deliver cost-effective crisis communications planning and response with the highest level of security: NSA-level, 256-bit encryption (in transit and at rest); password protection for all documents; secure, encrypted confidential messaging; two-factor authentication; and daily backup to multiple server locations with bank-level security. For more information, visit www.crisisresponsepro.com. Media Contact: Andrea Garcia, 1-212-683-8100, [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/crisisresponsepro-receives-2016-red-herring-top-100-global-award-300377437.html SOURCE CrisisResponsePro

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Some 66 million years ago, a giant space rock smashed into the Gulf of Mexico and brought the age of the dinosaurs  along with 75 per cent of all organisms on Earth  to an abrupt and fiery end. Tsunamis roiled the oceans, superhot shrapnel from the impact rained down from the skies, dust swirled into the atmosphere and blocked the sun, and minerals from the asteroid turned the surrounding water toxic.

But life wouldnt stay away for long.

Scientists drilling into the site where the asteroid struck found evidence of microscopic organisms in the layers of rock that were deposited in the days, months and years after the impact. Within the geological blink of an eye of one of the worst mass extinctions in Earths history, two hardy disaster species, called Braarudosphaera and Thoracosphaera, had returned to the scene of the crime.

Its a sign of life in the surface ocean right after the mass extinction, said Timothy Bralower, a paleoceanographer at Pennsylvania State University. It certainly wasnt sterile.

The finding, presented Monday at the American Geophysical Union fall meeting, is the latest result from the Chicxulub drilling program  an effort to drill more than 2,000 feet into Chicxulub crater, which was left behind when the asteroid hit.

Last month, the team published a paper in the journal Science describing jumbles of shocked granite rocks from deep in the crust that had been pushed upward by the impact. The finding helped validate their models about how rocks that were displaced during the asteroid strike collapsed into a mountainous peak ring around the centre of the crater  a phenomenon seen on other bodies in the solar system but never before found on Earth. It also let them figure out how powerful the impact was: It had roughly the same energy as 100 million atomic bombs.

Unlike that research, the finding about the organisms in the crater has not yet been published in a peer reviewed scientific journal (though Bralower hinted there will be more studies coming soon).

The investigation into the life that survived  and even thrived  at ground zero for the mass extinction could help scientists illuminate one of the darkest times in Earths history.

Bralower explained that there are three main theories about what factors made the asteroid impact so deadly. One is darkness: Dust from the cataclysm could have spread throughout the atmosphere, blocking out the sun and killing anything that relied on its light. This explanation is problematic because its unlikely that the effect would last very long. You can stop photosynthesis for days and weeks, its really hard to stop it for 1,000 years, he said.

Another is ocean acidification caused by a sudden influx of carbon dioxide released after the impact. But the dilemma you have is it dissolves all the evidence that youre primarily looking for, Brawloer said, noting that the calcium carbonate shells of many marine organisms are dissolved by acidic water.

Then there are the toxic metals expelled by the impactor  things like nickel and iridium that make the ocean a distinctly unpleasant place to be. These will be easiest to test for in the cores taken from the site.

Bralower and his team spent two months on a rig in the Gulf of Mexico, extracting long tubes of rock from the craters peak ring. The samples were then sent to a lab in Germany, where they were examined for clues about the environment in the wake of the cataclysm.

The cores divided into easily identifiable segments. The first layer of rock came from the seconds after the impact. Then came a calcium carbonate-rich settling layer, which captured the days and years that followed. This is the layer where Bralower and his colleagues found the two disaster species. (These are actually genera, but disaster species rolls off the tongue more easily, Bralower said.)

The scientists will search for other living things in this layer, but its not clear how much theyll find. Braarudosphaera and Thoracosphaera are incredibly resilient; they still dwell in the most stressful environments in todays world.

Whether they find other creatures  and where they find them in the rock record  could indicate what factors had a role in the extinctions, and when their effects started to fade.

Beyond the devastation to life, which was admittedly pretty bad, the crater will also reveal just what happens when a huge space rock slams into the Earth. Chicxulub is one of the best preserved impact craters on Earth, noted Bralowers colleague Philippe Claeys, a geologist at the Free University of Brussels.

To me the exceptional story is that this material is preserved, this extended sequence (of rock layers) is showing us exactly what happened at the impact, he said. It was very bad luck for the dinosaurs. But it is good luck for us.

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BEIRUTSyrian President Bashar Assad accused western countries of seeking a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo in order to save the terrorists as the ceasefire deal between rebels and the Syrian government effectively collapsed on Wednesday.

Assad spoke to the Russia Today channel in excerpts of an interview aired Wednesday.

Assad said the ceasefire was to stop his governments advance in the city and keep the terrorists and save them. He also said the capture of the ancient city of Palmyra by Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL) militants was to distract from the Aleppo offensive.

Fighter jets resumed deadly air raids over the oppositions densely crowded enclave in the east of the city.

His governments attacks threatened to scuttle plans to evacuate rebels and tens of thousands of civilians out of harms way, in what would seal the oppositions surrender of the city.

The evacuation was supposed to begin at dawn but shelling resumed in the morning hours and buses meant to be used in the pullout of rebels and civilians returned to their depots. Activists and fighters trapped in the oppositions last sliver of territory in Aleppo said pro-government forces had struck their district with dozens of rockets since mid-morning.

They said aircraft resumed bombing shortly after noon.

They began to strike as if theres no such thing as a ceasefire or civilian evacuation, said media activist Mahmoud Raslan. Theyve announced they are going to kill us all.

It was not clear whether the planes were Syrian or Russian. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported at least six people had been killed.

A legal adviser to the rebels accused Iran of foiling the Russia- and Turkey-brokered deal by imposing new conditions on the rebels. Along with Russia, Iran backs President Bashar Assads government and has committed advisers and elite Revolutionary Guard forces to the governments war. Turkey backs the rebels fighting to topple Assad.

Osama Abo Zaid, the adviser, said Iran was imposing new conditions for the truce, demanding the remains of Iranians killed in Aleppo be returned and that Iranian hostages held in rebel-controlled Idlib province be released. He said the conditions were exclusively sectarian and crippling.

The Syrian government, meanwhile, withdrew its green-coloured buses from the evacuation point at the edge of the city of Aleppos opposition enclave. The Lebanese al-Manar TV, the media arm of the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah fighting alongside Assads forces, broadcast footage of the buses leaving the evacuation point empty and said government forces had resumed fighting with rebels in the city.

Mohammed Abu Jaafar, head of forensics in eastern Aleppo, said eastern Aleppo residents felt duped.

People have left their shelters ... to be ready for the evacuation. I cant describe it, Abu Jaafar said. Since the morning, they started to target the areas where people have gathered ... these people were walking to the crossings designated for exit.

Activists in eastern Aleppo blamed the violence on pro-government forces, saying they shot first. Raslan said he was reporting for a Turkish agency when a rocket crashed nearby at around 10:15 a.m. He shared an audio recording of the explosion with The Associated Press. He was unharmed.

The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that the rebels resumed the hostilities at dawn, trying to break through Syrian government positions to the north-west.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the Syrian government and its allies of trying to scuttle the deal. We see now that the regime and other groups are trying to obstruct this (deal), he said in remarks quoted by the state-run Anadolu Agency. This includes Russia, Iran, forces supported by Iran and the regime.

The surrender of Aleppos remaining opposition-run neighbourhoods to government control would be a turning point in Syrias civil war.

The last-minute deal was mediated by Ankara and Moscow as the rebel enclave rapidly dissolved and ceded more and more territory in the face of the brutal advance by Syrian forces, backed by Russia and assisted by Shiite militias from Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Late on Tuesday, the UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, called for immediate access to the former rebel enclave to confirm the end of military operations and to oversee the safe departure of tens of thousands of civilians and opposition fighters. De Mistura was at the Security Council where an emergency meeting for Aleppo was held.

Earlier Wednesday, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV broadcast footage of the government buses idling at the agreed-on evacuation point. The TV said the buses are prepared to move 5,000 fighters and their families to Atareb, an opposition-held town in the northwestern Aleppo countryside.

Brita Haj Hassan, a Syrian opposition official living in exile, said from Luxemburg that there were 800 sick and wounded people requiring immediate medical evacuation from eastern Aleppo. He said the U.N. and others had informed the opposition the evacuation had been delayed until Thursday but there was no comment from the Syrian government, the United Nations or aid groups on the ground.

The dramatic developments surrounding Aleppo  which would restore the remainder of what was once Syrias largest city to Assads forces after months of heavy fighting and a crippling siege  followed reports of mass killings by government forces closing in on the final few blocks still held by the rebels.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the emergency meeting late Tuesday that he had received credible reports of civilians killed by pro-government forces as they swept into the last rebel areas in Aleppo.

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Scarborough beauty queen Anastasia Lin is allowed to smile and look pretty at the Miss World pageant in Washington, but shes reportedly barred from opening her mouth and speaking her mind about human rights abuses in China.

Pageant officials wouldnt connect the Star with Lin, 26, on Wednesday.

Lin was blocked from attending last years Miss World pageant in China after her outspoken criticism of Chinese human rights abuses against Falun Gong practitioners.

American news reports say that shes not allowed to speak with the media this time around.

And the hosts of a film in which she stars say she has been blocked from attending its Washington premiere tonight. The film sharply criticizes Chinese human rights practices and is being presented by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

We were informed by the organization that she would not be able to attend tonight, Marion Smith, a spokesperson for the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, said on Wednesday.

Smith said that pageant officials hadnt passed on messages to her, despite assurances that they would.

Their stated reason is that they have rehearsals and they were unable to release her to attend, Smith said.

Lin, a Chinese-born actress and classically trained pianist, has posted on Twitter and Facebook about human rights conditions in China, especially regarding the Falun Gong meditation system. The Falun Gong is outlawed in China.

Amnesty International is among the human rights groups that has widely reported abuse of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

On Facebook and Twitter, she has posted clips from her film, The Bleeding Edge, in which she plays a Falun Gong practitioner whos locked up and tortured for her beliefs. The organization sponsored the premiere.

She has also accused the Chinese government online of illegally harvesting organs from Falun Gong practitioners.

Sophie Richardson, China director of Human Rights Watch, said Lin has impressed her in the past, including during testimony before U.S. Congress.

I think she is a very careful, factual person, Richardson said.  and who has requests that are not just reasonable but entirely consistent with international law.

After she was barred from attending last years pageant in China, Lin had several speaking engagements, including talks at Oxford University, the National Press Club in Washington and the Oslo Freedom Forum.

Jeff Jacoby, a Boston Globe columnist, wrote two weeks ago that pageant officials interrupted his attempt to speak with Lin at the pageant.

Two of them hustled Lin from the lobby, angrily accusing her of breaching the rules and causing trouble, Jacoby wrote. The third blocked me from talking to Lin, and assured me that my interview would be scheduled the next day. It wasnt, of course.

The Miss World pageant has been held six times in Sanya in southern China since 2003 as Chinese businesses have become a prominent sponsor of the event.

Lin released a prepared statement after she was blocked from competing in the 2015 Miss World pageant in China, saying she was barred because of her Falun Gong beliefs.

My denial was unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected, Lin said, adding she was not given a reason why she wasnt allowed to attend.

The Chinese government has barred me from the competition for political reasons, Lin said in her 2015 prepared statement. They are trying to punish me for my beliefs and prevent me from speaking out about human rights issues.

She also said that many others have received similar treatment as the Chinese government has used the threat of visa denials to punish dissidents or anyone with unapproved views, and to bring academics and journalists to heel.

Lin continued: The slogan of the Miss World competition is Beauty with a purpose. My purpose is to advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves  those who suffer in prisons and labour camps, or whose voices have been stifled by repression and censorship.

This is a very personal cause for me. When I was a child growing up in China, my job as a student council president involved enforcing ideological purity among my classmates, organizing them to watch Communist propaganda.

Lin also praised Canada for teaching her the meaning of freedom.

It was only after I moved to Canada that I discovered what it meant to think freely, to use my own mind, and to live without fear of arbitrary punishment or reprisal. I also learned about the severe persecution that people in China face for following these values.

Hundreds of thousands of peaceful and law-abiding people have been imprisoned and tortured, and many have died or disappeared in custody after they refused to renounce their beliefs and swear allegiance to the Communist Party.

In her 2015 statement, Lin lauded Chinese citizens who maintain their convictions, despite government pressure.

They refuse to be silenced or submit to fear and coercion. They have the courage to live in accordance with their conscience, no matter the price.

Their courage is a constant source of inspiration to me.

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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREAYouTube has blocked North Koreas state television channel, which broadcasts news on everything from nuclear tests to Kim Jong Uns outings, to avoid breaching American sanctions against the defiant regime.

The action was apparently taken not because of the content in the channel but because the North Korean regime could earn money from it through advertising.

This account has been terminated for violating YouTubes Community Guidelines, a message on the Korean Central Television channels page reads.

YouTubes community guidelines ban videos that include violent, sexual or harmful content, or breach copyright. Google also asks users to flag content on that may violate the law.

The Washington Post understands that Google, YouTubes parent company, blocked the channel last month to avoid breaching sanctions, but the company has so far declined to comment.

We dont comment on individual videos or channels, said Taj Meadows, head of communications in Asia for Google, but we do disable accounts that violate our terms of service or community guidelines, and when we are required by law to do so.

Under sanctions imposed in March this year, the Treasury department designated North Koreas Propaganda and Agitation Department for engaging in censorship on behalf of the North Korean authorities. The measures ban any American company or person from doing business with the department.

Joshua Stanton, a lawyer and keen proponent of sanctions who writes the One Free Korea blog, said that YouTube and Google probably realized there was a problem with money changing hands.

Having reviewed the sanctions in March, they would have said that this is risky, we are potentially in violation, he said. Its good that they have done this, although its a fairly small piece of the picture.

Bruce Klingner, an Asia expert at the Heritage Foundation, said North Korea had other options. The Propaganda and Agitation Department is perfectly free to post the videos without making money on them, or have one of their many supporters do it, he said. Or they could stop censoring free expression inside North Korea.

The channel used to show North Koreas evening news broadcasts and other propaganda programs, and at times featured breaking news. After the January nuclear test, Korean Central Television went live on YouTube, with the announcer declaring that the state had tested a hydrogen bomb, although this was disputed by scientists.

The decision has disappointed analysts who used the channel for insights into this most impenetrable of states.

While it provided daily news shows on events the regime wanted shown countrywide, it also helped give context to structures I would normally only see via satellite image, said David Schmerler, a researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey.

Using this account for image collection, along with other sources, allowed North Korea watchers to build a much fuller sense of how something unfolded, Schmerler said.

This led to a better understanding of an event, even if the North Koreans tried to hide or spin a particular event as being a success when it may not have been, he said.

While there are other YouTube channels that broadcast North Koreas news bulletins, this one was the fastest and one of the most reliable sources of images. The channels termination also means the archive of videos that analysts pored over have also disappeared.

Because the channel has been shut down, The Washington Post was unable to see how many views the clips had and therefore unable to work out how much money the channel was making money from ad revenues through YouTube. But analysts estimated that the amount was likely minimal.

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Donald Trump won. His critics would be better off to forget the Moscow-centred conspiracy theories aimed at explaining his upset victory and acknowledge this fact.

He may turn out to be a disastrous U.S. president. But hes the one that Americans, using their idiosyncratic method of electing presidents, chose.

That makes him the legitimate winner. The world should deal with it. Alas, his critics are choosing instead to challenge his legitimacy.

They began by pointing out Trump didnt win the popular vote. Indeed, as ballot-counting nears completion, he is trailing Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent, by about 2.8-million votes.

But George W. Bush and three other U.S. presidents didnt win the popular vote either.

All did, however, win enough electoral college votes to clinch the presidency. And under the U.S. system, which is weighted in favour of less populous states, this is all that counts.

Now the critics are seizing on Russias alleged involvement in the campaign.

The suggestion first surfaced earlier this year after hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clintons election campaign were made public.

Some of those emails revealed attempts by the Democratic establishment to scupper the candidacy of Bernie Sanders, Clintons sole challenger for her partys nomination. Others revealed the text of frank speeches she had made to Wall Street financiers.

But most were merely mildly embarrassing to senior members of her campaign.

More to the point, the Clinton email leaks appeared to have had little lasting effect on her popularity as measured by public opinion polls.

But the leaks took on greater significance in October, after U.S. intelligence agencies said they had concluded Russia was behind the entire business.

Had Clinton won the election, little more might have come of this. But she didnt and now Moscows role has become a cause celebre.

The idea of Trump as Moscow stooge got a boost last week after the CIA told select senators that Russia was deliberately trying to help the Republican candidate win.

According to the New York Times, the spy agency has no concrete proof of Moscows intentions. There is no smoking gun.

Moreover, the FBI, according to the Times, does not share the CIAs certainty. It believes Russia orchestrated the hacking but thinks Moscows motive may have been merely to denigrate the U.S. electoral system.

Certainly, it is possible the Russians were trying to influence the elections outcome. Big powers do that kind of thing. The U.S., for instance, has routinely interfered in Central and South American politics. In 2000, the CIA issued a document detailing its involvement in Chilean elections all the way back to 1961.

That involvement ran the gamut from propaganda to coup-planning and assassination.

As well, Britains Guardian newspaper has detailed American government attempts to sway elections in Serbia (2000), Belarus (2001), Georgia (2003) and Ukraine (2005).

Operating through third-party agencies, Washington provided funds and expertise to promote leaders deemed suitable to the West. In every case except that of Belarus, the U.S. efforts succeeded.

In 2011, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Clinton, at that time U.S. Secretary of State, of fomenting antiregime protests in Moscow.

So its not beyond the realm of possibility that Russia was playing tit-for-tat in the Clinton-Trump contest. If so, however, Moscows attempts to influence the outcome appear singularly lame.

The most politically significant leak in the campaign did not come from a hacked Democratic National Committee email repeating inside-the-Beltway gossip. Rather it was the release of an audio tape detailing Trumps views on women.

Similarly, the most damaging event in the Clinton campaign  the announcement that her emails were once again under investigation  was not orchestrated by a Russian intelligence agency. It was orchestrated by an American intelligence agency, the FBI.

There is much about Trump that worries much of the world. He has unorthodox views on trade. He is casual about the use of torture. He has questioned Americas military alliances, including NATO.

He favours better relations with Russia, as does Exxon Mobil chief Rex Tillerson, his nominee for secretary of state.

Still, Trump is as legitimate as anyone who has occupied the White House. A lot of Americans may detest him. But he is their president. Whether they like it or not, he speaks for their country.

Thomas Walkom appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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Voting for an increase in fees, tolls or taxes is seldom a popular move for a politician. So Mayor John Tory and the 31 city councillors who overwhelmingly supported his bid to pay for transit by bringing road tolls to the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway should be congratulated.

They did the right thing for the city, and even for commuters in surrounding communities who benefit from the upkeep of the highways, despite any political costs they may have to pay down the road.

Council has yet to debate how the tolls will be structured. But at $2 a pop, the proposed charge could raise $200 million a year to help pay for transit and other projects that have been shamefully neglected for years. They could be in place by 2019.

This is excellent news for a city with $33 billion in unfunded capital projects, everything from a relief line for the Yonge subway to major improvements in the Port Lands.

Toronto council has done its part. Now its time for the province to get on side and make it clear that the city will have its support.

While the Gardiner and DVP are paid for and maintained by Toronto taxpayers, the city needs the provincial governments permission to implement tolls.

Premier Kathleen Wynne has already said she wont stand in the citys way. If Mayor Tory and his council determine that they would like to embark on a tolling of certain roads  local roads in the city of Toronto  then we will work with them, she says.

But both opposition parties are letting the city down. Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown vows that if his party takes power in the 2018 election, he will stop Tory from tolling the two city-owned highways. With Wynnes Liberals trailing badly in the polls, thats a real threat.

Worse, Brown tried to curry support for his party in the 905 suburbs, at the expense of Torontonians, by proposing a motion in the legislature aimed at getting Wynne to block new tolls on existing lanes of any highway in the province, including the DVP and Gardiner. The New Democrats, to their discredit, supported the motion.

Bizarrely, the NDPs point person on the toll issue is Timmins MPP Gilles Bisson. He argued that his party would support the Conservative motion because we, too, believe that citizens back home, our friends and our neighbours, are being squeezed.

He cant be serious. Taxpayers in Timmins dont pay for the upkeep of the Gardiner or DVP. Only Torontonians do. And very few of Bissons constituents would ever end up paying tolls around Toronto.

Both opposition parties have clearly picked a side in this debate, and its not the side of Toronto. Both are channeling anger in communities surrounding the city, where many commuters resent the idea of paying $4 to drive in to work and back home every day.

In fact, its time they helped to pay to maintain the highways and contribute to keeping the city moving. Forty per cent of drivers on the Gardiner and DVP are from outside Toronto, and they should pay something towards the road system they use.

If Brown and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath object to Torys plan for road tolls, they should propose their own plans to tackle the citys transit issues  including spelling out how to pay for it.

Tolls may not be the perfect solution, as weve said before. But at least theyre a start towards paying for what we all know we need. And they would have the added merit of encouraging people to take transit and get some of those cars off the road entirely.

Tory has had the courage to break the political gridlock on paying for transit and big infrastructure projects. And the great majority of Toronto councillors have had the courage to get behind him.

They deserve support, not sniping from the sidelines or, worse, threats to block the entire project down the road. Fixing Torontos transit and transportation mess will take many years and the city needs assurance that it wont run into a wall at Queens Park after the next provincial election. Its time for Brown and Horwath to get on board.

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The Trudeau government is delaying an announcement on exactly where Canadian soldiers will be deployed on peace operations overseas. It says it wants to take all the time needed to get this right.

Nothing wrong with that. But one thing the government should not delay is making clear that Parliament will get a chance to debate what could be a risky and controversial mission.

An announcement was expected by Christmas, but Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan now says it will take a few weeks longer because it will be a whole-of-government effort, involving not just defence but foreign affairs and development as well. The government also has to coordinate with international partners.

Up to 600 soldiers and about 150 police officers are expected to be involved, and as the Star has reported they will likely be dispatched to the West African nation of Mali. They would work with French forces and a United Nations mission to fend off Islamist insurgents in the north and stabilize the country. It could be deadly; rebels have already targeted UN peacekeepers.

All the more reason for Parliament to have a say. The government hasnt ruled that out, exactly, but it has hedged on the issue. It says cabinet has the authority to order a deployment and theres no requirement to seek the approval of Parliament.

Thats true, but its not the wisest course. For one thing, the Harper government set a precedent of sorts when it authorized military action. It had a solid majority in the House of Commons (as the Liberals do now) so the outcome was never in doubt. But it allowed the peoples representatives a chance to make their views known on a solemn issue that involves sending our troops into harms way.

Theres a way to do this without even requiring a vote. The Commons has held so-called take note debates since the 1990s, allowing MPs to tell the government what they think without actually voting on the question at hand.

Such debates have been used to discuss military matters such as the deployment to Afghanistan and the Iraq war. It would be a good way to consult with Parliament and avoid making the Africa mission a needlessly partisan issue.

The Conservatives have been pressing the government on this, demanding that it commit to a debate in Parliament. Theres an easy course for the government here, both in terms of precedent and principle. Just say yes.

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Re: Rescue, ransom, escape or death are the only four outcomes for hostages, Dec. 6

Rescue, ransom, escape or death are the only four outcomes for hostages, Dec. 6

It is beyond my ability to imagine the pain and sorrow suffered by the families of their loved ones who are abducted abroad and beheaded. On the other hand, I am fully able to see that our federal government must revise and improve the way it handles these cases.

Shame on Ottawa for not coming to the timely rescue of these victims and for not doing what some other governments do in secret  pay the abductors behind closed doors. Surely, the abductors would prefer a modest ransom to no ransom at all. And, as a Canadian citizen, I would rather know that some of my tax money went to preventing the death of a fellow citizen than to buying a new jet plane.

Knowing that these unfortunate victims are killed while our government fails to stop their murders makes me feel ashamed about being a citizen of this country. If we can spend money on new fighter jets (reportedly unneeded), and on foreign aid and refugees, surely we can afford to save the lives of our own citizens who  apparently through no fault of their own  are abducted, tortured and killed.

I weep for our stupidity as much as for our murdered citizens and their families.

Frann Harris, Toronto

There a great many Canadians who cannot afford a vacation of any kind. Canadians who can afford to travel should be held totally responsible for the consequences of their travel. For example when travelling to the U.S. and abroad most purchase supplemental health insurance to cover any costs above and beyond what Canadian health insurance will reimburse.

The same should be true for hostage situations. These travelers should purchase hostage and ransom insurance. The Canadian government has enough on its plate without having to rescue Canadians who can afford to travel to far off and dangerous places.

Michael Yaffe, Toronto

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As expected, Japan's upper parliamentary house voted to legalize casino gambling in the country of 127 million Wednesday, opening the door for a potential $30 billion annual industry.

The bill now goes back to the lower house of Japan's parliament for final approval.

Legalized gambling has been a source of contention in Japan in recent years, with a previous bill to approve gambling being abandoned due to a lack of support. This time around, the opposition bloc unsuccessfully resorted to using stall tactics and no-confidence motions to delay debate, according to the Japan Times.

A recent opinion poll by public broadcaster NHK showed that 44% of those polled opposed gambling in the country, while 12% were in support and 34% were undecided.

Japan already has some legalized gambling in the form of Pachinko pinball parlors as well as horse, boat and bicycle race betting, but this bill would expand the scope to include casino resorts.

If the bill is finalized this week, questions remain about which gaming companies would receive licenses from the government to build casino resorts and where they'd be located.

Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka were in the running for potential casino resorts.

In October, MGM Resorts Intn'l (MGM) CEO James Murren said that his company is prepared to invest between $4.8 billion and $9.5 billion in Japan on an integrated resort that combines gaming with hotels, shopping and conference space.

Las Vegas Sands (LVS) CEO Sheldon Adelson has said that his company is ready to invest $10 billion in Japan. "We will spend whatever it takes. We could pay all cash," Adelson said, according to Bloomberg.

Asia is shaping up as the next growth frontier for the gaming industry as the Macau gaming region in China continues to show signs of recovery. Last month the region posted its fourth consecutive month of year over year gambling revenue growth after 26 straight months of declines.
[December 13, 2016] Epson Introduces PowerLite 975W Projector with Ultra-Long Lamp Life for K-12 Classrooms

LONG BEACH, Calif., Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Epson, the number-one selling projector brand worldwide, today announced the PowerLite 975W projector  Epson's first classroom projector to offer up to a 10,000-hour lamp life in Bright Mode1. Featuring 3,600 lumens of color brightness and 3,600 lumens of white brightness2 and WXGA resolution, the new projector delivers vivid, widescreen images, even in well-lit classrooms. It also offers enterprise-level security via an included wireless module, and teachers can wirelessly share content simultaneously from multiple devices, providing a classroom experience that is brighter and more connected. "Technology has enabled a new breed of teaching strategies, and Epson is focused on developing cutting-edge display products that maximize image quality while minimizing maintenance and down time so teachers and students can focus on learning" said Veronika Knight, product manager, Projectors, Epson America Inc. "The PowerLite 975W introduces the latest advancements in education technology with features such as ultra-brightness for good quality display images, long lamp life in Bright Mode for minimized maintenance, wireless connection for easy projection, and screen mirroring capabilities for classroom collaboration." Epson 3LCD projectors have 3x Higher Color Brightness than competing models3, offering extraordinary vivid image quality. The Epson PowerLite 975W offers a 16:10 aspect ratio ideal for widescreen computers or to display HD video, providing 30 percent more usable area than a regular 4:3 image and 10 percent more than a 16:9 image. The projector still offers the flexibility of displaying 4:3 and 16:9 images, as needed. In addition, teachers can wirelessly share content simultaneously from multiple devices with the Epson iProjection4 wireless display solution, including content from Chromebooks, PCs and Mac computers, as well as iOS and Android devices. Miracast offers wireless HD screen mirroring for displaying a variety of content, or for comparing students' work side-by-side. More about Epson's New PowerLite 975W Projector

The PowerLite975W provides advanced quality, performance, and flexibility for schools, with features including: Widescreen Images  native WXGA resolution (1280 x 800) and 16:10 format

 native WXGA resolution (1280 x 800) and 16:10 format Ultra- Long Lamp Life  Epson's first classroom projector offering up to a 10,000-hour lamp life in Bright Mode 1

 Epson's first classroom projector offering up to a 10,000-hour lamp life in Bright Mode Wireless Networking  Enterprise-level security for peace-of-mind; wireless HD screen mirroring with Miracast; display Chromebook, iOS, Android, Mac and PC screens 4

Enterprise-level security for peace-of-mind; wireless HD screen mirroring with Miracast; display Chromebook, iOS, Android, Mac and PC screens Simultaneously Display and Control Multiple Device Screens  Wirelessly share content from up to four devices, including Chromebooks, using Moderator software 5

 Wirelessly share content from up to four devices, including Chromebooks, using Moderator software Split Screen 6 Feature  Simultaneously project two images (video or still) from different sources side-by-side up to 280-inches

 Simultaneously project two images (video or still) from different sources side-by-side up to 280-inches Image Sharpness and Detail  15,000:1 contrast ratio for added clarity

15,000:1 contrast ratio for added clarity Versatile Connectivity  2x HDMI  ports support multiple high-definition A/V devices, with MHL  support 7

2x HDMI ports support multiple high-definition A/V devices, with MHL support Remote Management  Easy network connectivity; software included



Brighter Futures program, a unique sales and support initiative available specifically for schools. Designed to help educators select and implement the best products for their classrooms while making the most of their budgets, Brighter Futures offers special pricing, extended Epson limited warranty coverage for a total of three years, dedicated education account managers, and toll-free technical support for all Epson projectors and associated accessories. About Epson Education Products

Designed with educator input, Epson's advanced interactive display and projector technologies make bright, collaborative learning environments a reality. Compatible with a wide range of devices and widely-used interactive software, Epson projectors make it easy for teachers to share content to engage students, no matter where they sit in the classroom. Epson's unmatched technology, service and support ensure educators are confident that high quality, bright images and multimedia are available in the classroom every day.

Availability, Pricing and Support

The Epson PowerLite 975W is now available for $1,099* through national resellers, pro audio/visual dealers, mail order, distribution, Epson.com, and the Brighter Futures program. Epson PowerLite projectors come with a two-year limited warranty (three years for Brighter Futures customers) that includes two elite technical support services  Epson PrivateLine phone support with direct access to an expedited support telephone line, and a Road Service replacement program that includes product exchange in one business day with paid shipping. For additional information, please visit: www.epson.com/education. About Epson

Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to connecting people, things and information with its original efficient, compact and precision technologies. With a lineup that ranges from inkjet printers and digital printing systems to 3LCD projectors, smart glasses, sensing systems and industrial robots, the company is focused on driving innovations and exceeding customer expectations in inkjet, visual communications, wearables and robotics. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 73,000 employees in 91 companies around the world, and is proud of its contributions to the communities in which it operates and its ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impacts. Epson America, Inc., based in Long Beach, Calif., is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/EpsonAmerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica). * Brighter Futures pricing 1 The projector has a single lamp mode, rated to last up to 10,000 hours. Lamps are warranted for 90 days.

2 Color brightness (color light output) and white brightness (white light output) will vary depending on usage conditions. Color light output measured in accordance with IDMS 15.4; white light output measured in accordance with ISO 21118.

3 Color brightness (color light output) measured in accordance with IDMS 15.4. Color brightness will vary depending on usage conditions. The projectors used by a third-party lab for measuring color brightness were leading Epson 3LCD business and education projectors and leading 1-chip DLP projectors, based on NPD sales data for June 2013 through May 2014 and PMA Research sales data for Q1 through Q3 2013.

4 For wireless functionality, including via the Epson iProjection App, the projector must be configured on a network, either through the Ethernet port on the projector (check model specifications for availability) or via a wireless connection. Check your owner's manual to determine if a wireless LAN module must be purchased separately to enable a wireless connection. Not all Epson projectors are able to be networked. The Epson iProjection App does not support all files and formats. See www.epson.com for details

5 Moderator feature is part of EasyMP Multi-PC Projection software.

6 Consult your user manual for input combinations.

7 Includes one Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) HDMI port. Note: EPSON and PowerLite are registered trademarks, Epson iProjection is a trademark, and EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark of Seiko Epson Corporation. Brighter Futures is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc. Mac and iOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Android and Chromebook are trademarks of Google Inc. Miracast is a registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/epson-introduces-powerlite-975w-projector-with-ultra-long-lamp-life-for-k-12-classrooms-300377521.html SOURCE Epson America, Inc.

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Cenovus Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in Canada, the United States, and the Asia Pacific region. The company operates through Oil Sands, Conventional, Offshore, Canadian Manufacturing, U.S. Manufacturing, and Retail segments. The Oil Sands segment develops and produces bitumen and heavy oil in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. This segments Foster Creek, Christina Lake, Sunrise, and Tucker oil sands projects, as well as Lloydminster thermal and conventional heavy oil assets The Conventional segment holds assets primarily located in Elmworth-Wapiti, Kaybob-Edson, Clearwater, and Rainbow Lake operating in Alberta and British Columbia, as well as interests in various natural gas processing facilities. The offshore segment engages in the exploration and development activities. The Canadian Manufacturing segment includes the owned and operated Lloydminster upgrading and asphalt refining complex, which upgrades heavy oil and bitumen into synthetic crude oil, diesel fuel, asphalt, and other ancillary products, as well as owns and operates the Bruderheim crude-by-rail terminal and two ethanol plants. The U.S. Manufacturing segment comprises the refining of crude oil to produce diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, asphalt, and other products. The Retail segment consists of marketing of its own and third-party refined petroleum products through retail, commercial, and bulk petroleum outlets, as well as wholesale channels. Cenovus Energy Inc. was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. The company's personal banking products and services include checking and savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages, and financial and investment advice services; and commercial banking products and services comprise business deposit accounts, commercial credit cards, business loans and commercial mortgages, cash management solutions, foreign exchange, specialized banking programs, treasury and payment solutions, and risk management products for small business and commercial banking customers. It also offers investment and wealth advisory services; digital investing services; financial services and solutions; and investment management, and trust and custody services. In addition, the company provides life insurance, accident and sickness insurance, and annuity products; creditor and travel insurance to bank customers; and reinsurance solutions. Further, it offers client's debt and equity capital-raising services, as well as loan origination and syndication, and treasury management; strategic advice on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and recapitalizations, as well as valuation and fairness opinions; and trade finance, risk mitigation, and other operating services. Additionally, the company provides research and access to markets for institutional, corporate, and retail clients; trading solutions that include debt, foreign exchange, interest rate, credit, equity, securitization and commodities; new product development and origination services, as well as risk management advice and services to hedge against fluctuations; and funding and liquidity management services to its clients. It operates through approximately 900 bank branches and 3,300 automated banking machines in Canada and the United States. Bank of Montreal was founded in 1817 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses. This segment offers financial products and services through branches, automated teller machines, and mobile sales network. Its Wealth Management segment provides a suite of advice-based solutions and strategies to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, and institutional clients. The company's Insurance segment offers life, health, home, auto, travel, wealth, annuities, and reinsurance advice and solutions; and business insurance services to individual, business, and group clients through its advice centers, RBC insurance stores, and mobile advisors; digital, mobile, and social platforms; independent brokers; and travel partners. Its Investor & Treasury Services segment provides asset servicing, custody, payments, and treasury services to financial and other investors; and fund and investment administration, shareholder, private capital, performance measurement and compliance monitoring, distribution, transaction banking, cash and liquidity management, foreign exchange, and global securities finance services. The company's Capital Markets segment offers corporate and investment banking, as well as equity and debt origination, distribution, advisory services, sale, and trading services for corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, private equity firms, and governments. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
MPLX LP owns and operates midstream energy infrastructure and logistics assets primarily in the United States. It operates in two segments, Logistics and Storage, and Gathering and Processing. The company is involved in the gathering, processing, and transportation of natural gas; gathering, transportation, fractionation, exchange, storage, and marketing of natural gas liquids; gathering, storage, transportation, and distribution of crude oil and refined products, as well as other hydrocarbon-based products; and sale of residue gas and condensate. It also engages in the inland marine businesses comprising transportation of light products, heavy oils, crude oil, renewable fuels, chemicals, and feedstocks in the Mid-Continent and Gulf Coast regions, as well as owns and operates boats and barges, including third-party chartered equipment, and a marine repair facility located on the Ohio River; and distribution of fuel, as well as operates refining logistics, terminals, rail facilities, and storage caverns. In addition, the company operates terminal facilities for the receipt, storage, blending, additization, handling, and redelivery of refined petroleum products located through the pipeline, rail, marine, and over-the-road modes of transportation. MPLX GP LLC acts as the general partner of MPLX LP. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. MPLX LP operates as a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation.
[December 14, 2016] Ontario Healthcare System Installs Mobile Digital Radiography Systems

Lakeridge Health (Oshawa, Ontario) installed three CARESTREAM DRX-Revolution Mobile X-ray Systems (see video link) to help staff members capture digital radiography exams for patients in the emergency department and intensive care units, as well as inpatients. Two imaging systems are installed at Lakeridge Health Oshawa and the third is deployed at Lakeridge Health Bowmanville. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005149/en/ Lakeridge Hospital (Oshawa, Ontario) installed three Carestream DRX-Revolution (News - Alert) Mobile X-ray Systems to enhance care in ED and critical care areas, as well as for inpatients, at its Oshawa and Bowmanville locations. (Photo: Business Wire) These systems are used to capture images of the chest, abdomen and extremities in addition to cross-table exams. "This installation was part of a technology upgrade designed to help improve care for critically ill patients. DRX-Revolution systems deliver access to X-ray images in just a few seconds so physicians can make immediate diagnostic and treatment decisions," said Lydia Antalfy, Director of Diagnostic Imaging, Lakeridge Health. "Carestream's software also provides a companion image that delivers optimized visualization of tubes and lines, which allows physicians to immediately verify placement and reposition them if needed," she adds. Converting to DR technology has reduced exposure rates by approximately 30 percent, according to Antalfy. "Reducing X-ray exposure is especially important for critical care patients since they are often imaged frequently to track the status of their condition," she reports. Each new portable imaging system is equipped with a CARESTREAM DRX Plus detector, which delivers higher DQE* (detective quantum efficiency) to enable improved image quality and lower dose. In addition, DRX Plus detectors can be submerged in one meter of water for 30 minutes without failure, which achieves IPX Level 7 rating for liquid resistance and the IEC (News - Alert) standard 60529. A reduced weight and thinner profile allow even easier handling.



Prior to making this purchase, staff members evaluated portable imaging systems from leading suppliers at the 2015 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) tradeshow. "Our technologists selected the DRX-Revolution because of its excellent image quality, collapsible column, easy maneuverability and intuitive user interface," Antalfy said. Training time for the new system was about 10 to 30 minutes, which expedited implementation, she added. *As compared to Carestream's DRX-1 Detector

About Lakeridge Health Lakeridge Health has 15 sites in the Durham Region, including three hospitals with emergency rooms (Oshawa, Bowmanville and Port Perry) and one specialty hospital (Whitby). Lakeridge Health in Oshawa is one of Ontario's largest community hospitals. A dedicated team of health care professionals give their all every day to improve the quality of care delivered, drive down wait times and improve results. For more information visit www.lakeridgehealth.on.ca. About Carestream Health Carestream is a worldwide provider of dental and medical imaging systems and IT solutions; X-ray imaging systems for non-destructive testing; and precision contract coating services for a wide range of industrial, medical, electronic and other applications-all backed by a global service and support network. For more information about the company's broad portfolio of products, solutions and services, please contact your Carestream representative or call 888-777-2072 or visit www.carestream.com. To view Carestream's latest news announcements, please visit www.carestream.com/news. CARESTREAM is a trademark of Carestream Health. Follow Carestream Health online:

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http://www.linkedin.com/company/carestream-health View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005149/en/

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Delek US Holdings, Inc. engages in the integrated downstream energy business in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Refining, Logistics, and Retail. The Refining segment processes crude oil and other feedstock for the manufacture of various grades of gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation fuel, asphalt, and other petroleum-based products that are distributed through owned and third-party product terminal. It owns and operates four independent refineries located in Tyler, Texas; El Dorado, Arkansas; Big Spring, Texas; and Krotz Springs, Louisiana, as well as three biodiesel facilities in Crossett, Arkansas, Cleburne, Texas, and New Albany. The Logistics segment gathers, transports, and stores crude oil, intermediate, and refined products; and markets, distributes, transports, and stores refined products for third parties. It owns or leases capacity on approximately 400 miles of crude oil transportation pipelines, approximately 450 miles of refined product pipelines, an approximately 900-mile crude oil gathering system, and associated crude oil storage tanks with an aggregate of approximately 10.2 million barrels of active shell capacity; and owns and operates ten light product distribution terminals, as well as markets light products using third-party terminals. The Retail segment owns and leases 248 convenience store sites located primarily in West Texas and New Mexico. Its convenience stores offer various grades of gasoline and diesel under the DK or Alon brand; and food products and service, tobacco products, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, and general merchandise, as well as money orders to the public primarily under the 7-Eleven and DK or Alon brand names. It serves oil companies, independent refiners and marketers, jobbers, distributors, utility and transportation companies, the U.S. government, and independent retail fuel operators. Delek US Holdings, Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.
The following companies are subsidiares of Novartis: 1 A Pharma GmbH, Abadia Retuerta S.A, Admune Therapeutics, Advanced Accelerator Applications, Advanced Accelerator Applications, Advanced Accelerator Applications International SA, Advanced Accelerator Applications S.A., Advanced Accelerator Applications S.r.l., Advanced Accelerator Applications USA Inc., Aeropharm GmbH, Alcon, Alcon  Couvreur NV, Amblyotech, Amblyotech Inc., Arctos Medical, Arctos Medical AG, Australia Pty Ltd, Beijing Novartis Pharma Co. Ltd., BioMedical Research Co. Ltd., CELLforCURE, Cadent Therapeutics, Cadent Therapeutics Cambridge, Cellerys, Cellerys AG, CellforCure, Chiron Corporation, Ciba-Geigy Japan Limited, Co. Ltd, CoStim Pharmaceuticals, CoStim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Coalesce Product Development Limited, Corthera, Development Co. Ltd., EBEWE Pharma Ges.m.b.H Nfg. KG, Encore Vision, Endocyte, Endocyte Inc., Eon Labs Inc., Farmanova Saglik Hizmetleri Ltd, Fougera Pharmaceuticals, Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc, Gyroscope Therapeutics, HEXAL AG, Hexal, IDB Holland BV, Iberica S.L.U., Ilaclari Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S, JSC Sandoz, Japat AG, Kedalion Therapeutics Inc., Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d., Lek S.A., Manufacturing Pte Ltd , Navigate BioPharma Services Inc, Neutec Pharma Limited, Novartis (Hellas) S.A.C.I., Novartis (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Novartis (Taiwan) Co. Ltd, Novartis (Thailand) Limited, Novartis Argentina S.A., Novartis Australia Pty Ltd, Novartis Austria GmbH, Novartis Biociencias S.A., Novartis Biosciences Peru S.A., Novartis Bioventures AG, Novartis Business Services GmbH, Novartis Capital Corporation, Novartis Chile S.A., Novartis Corporation, Novartis Corporation Sdn. Bhd., Novartis Deutschland GmbH, Novartis Ecuador S.A., Novartis Farma S.p.A., Novartis Farma  Produtos Farmaceuticos S.A., Novartis Farmaceutica S.A, Novartis Farmaceutica S.A. de C.V., Novartis Finance Corporation, Novartis Finance S.A., Novartis Finance Services Ltd, Novartis Finland Oy Espoo, Novartis Gene Therapies, Novartis Gene Therapies EU Limited, Novartis Gene Therapies Inc., Novartis Grimsby Limited, Novartis Groupe France S.A., Novartis Healthcare A/S, Novartis Healthcare Philippines Inc., Novartis Healthcare Private Limited, Novartis Holding AG, Novartis Hungary Healthcare Limited Liability Company, Novartis India Limited, Novartis Inflammasome Research, Novartis Integrated Services Limited, Novartis International AG, Novartis International Pharmaceutical Investment AG, Novartis Investment Ltd, Novartis Investments S.a r.l., Novartis Ireland Limited, Novartis Israel Ltd, Novartis Korea Ltd., Novartis Middle East FZE, Novartis Netherlands B.V., Novartis Neva LLC, Novartis New Zealand Ltd, Novartis Norge AS, Novartis Ophthalmics AG, Novartis Optogenetics Research Inc., Novartis Overseas Investments AG, Novartis Pharma (Logistics) Inc., Novartis Pharma (Pakistan) Limited, Novartis Pharma AG, Novartis Pharma B.V. , Novartis Pharma GmbH, Novartis Pharma GmbH, Novartis Pharma K.K., Novartis Pharma LLC, Novartis Pharma Maroc SA, Novartis Pharma NV, Novartis Pharma Produktions GmbH, Novartis Pharma S.A.E., Novartis Pharma S.A.S., Novartis Pharma Schweiz AG, Novartis Pharma Schweizerhalle AG, Novartis Pharma Services AG, Novartis Pharma Services Romania S.R.L., Novartis Pharma Stein AG, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Limited, Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited, Novartis Poland Sp. z o.o., Novartis Portugal S.G.P.S. Lda., Novartis Ringaskiddy Limited, Novartis Saglik Gida ve Tarim Urunleri Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S, Novartis Saudi Ltd., Novartis Securities Investment Ltd, Novartis Services Inc., Novartis Slovakia s.r.o., Novartis South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Novartis Sverige AB, Novartis UK Limited, Novartis US Foundation, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Inc, Novartis Vietnam Company Limited, Novartis de Colombia S.A., Novartis de Venezuela S.A., Novartis s.r.o., Oriel Therapeutics Inc., PT. Novartis Indonesia, Protez Pharmaceuticals, Pte Ltd, Research Inc, Salutas Pharma GmbH, Sandoz A/S, Sandoz AG, Sandoz B.V., Sandoz Canada Inc., Sandoz Egypt Pharma S.A.E., Sandoz Farmaceutica S.A., Sandoz Farmaceutica Lda., Sandoz GmbH, Sandoz Hungary Limited Liability Company, Sandoz Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Sandoz Inc, Sandoz Industrial Products S.A, Sandoz International GmbH, Sandoz K.K., Sandoz Limited, Sandoz Manufacturing Inc., Sandoz NV, Sandoz Pharma K.K, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals AG, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals d.d., Sandoz Philippines Corporation, Sandoz Polska Sp. z o.o. , Sandoz Private Limited, Sandoz Pty Ltd, Sandoz S.A. de C.V, Sandoz S.A.S., Sandoz S.R.L., Sandoz S.p.A., Sandoz South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Sandoz Ukraine LLC, Sandoz d.o.o. farmaceutska industrija, Sandoz do Brasil Industria Farmaceutica Ltda, Sandoz s.r.o., Selexys Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Shanghai Novartis Trading Ltd., Societe par actions SANDOZ, Spinifex Pharmaceuticals, The Medicines Company, The Medicines Company, Triangle International Reinsurance Limited, Trinity River Insurance Co Ltd, Vedere Bio, Vedere Bio ll, Xiidra, Ziarco, and Ziarco Group Limited.

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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.
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President-elect Donald Trump has picked Rex Tillerson as his nominee for Secretary of State. Here's what you need to know about Tillerson. (Thomas Johnson,Victoria Walker,Danielle Kunitz/The Washington Post)

President-elect Donald Trump has picked Rex Tillerson as his nominee for Secretary of State. Here's what you need to know about Tillerson. (Thomas Johnson,Victoria Walker,Danielle Kunitz/The Washington Post)

When ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson showed up in June at the annual St. Petersburg international economic forum that is dubbed Russias Davos, he was asked about the impact international sanctions on Russia were having on his company, which had abandoned ambitious drilling plans there.

Its a question for the government  if you find anyone from the U.S. government whos willing to answer this question, he replied to laughter from the audience of Western executives, who had been lavishing praise on their Russian hosts.

It was the first time in three years that Tillerson or most other chief executives had attended the confab, for the moment laying aside friction over Russias abrupt annexation of Crimea and its backing of violent separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. Back in Washington, the State Department was not amused. State Department spokesman John F. Kirby commented that most American companies understand that taking part in the forum sends the wrong message about the acceptability of Russias actions.

Six months later, Tillersons relationships with autocrats remain a source of friction after his surprise appointment by President-elect Donald Trump to be secretary of state. The ExxonMobil chiefs ties to Russia have alarmed hawks in Congress, who vow to scrutinize Tillersons good working relationship with President Vladimir Putin and the latters longtime confidant Igor Sechin, the chairman of the Russian petroleum giant Rosneft.

With his nomination, the 64-year-old Tillerson has been thrust into the long-standing U.S. foreign policy divide separating those who value pragmatism and dealmaking from those who attach greater importance to principles, human rights and democracy. This is a divide that cuts across both parties.

The Washington Post's Paul Kane and Steven Mufson explain why Rex Tillerson, Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state, might face a few hurdles in his confirmation. (The Washington Post)

Should he be confirmed, Tillerson will no longer answer to the more than 93,000 shareholders of ExxonMobil but primarily to a single shareholder named Trump. And he will draw on views refined in industry, not diplomacy.

To fans of Tillerson, his relationship with Putin is a sign of his pragmatism, seeking advantage for his company with a blunt, straightforward style that has won respect abroad. Speaking to students from the Texas Tech business school last year, Tillerson said the reason why Ive been able to gain Vladimir Putins trust is because throughout my career Ive wanted people to view me as an honest person.

To his critics, however, Tillerson and ExxonMobil come across as arrogant and indifferent to Russias record in Ukraine or Putins harsh suppression of domestic opposition. The oil giants vast enterprise spanning six continents and more than 50 nations has embraced a varied cast of national leaders, including the Saudi oil ministers, Equatorial Guineas corrupt Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the autocratic government of Kazakhstan and the emir of Qatar.

These contrary views are in some ways connected. Edward S. Verona, who worked for ExxonMobil for two years and spent several more working in Moscow, said one reason Tillerson was respected in Moscow was because of the way the company dealt with Venezuelas then-president, the voluble Hugo Chavez. In 2007, Chavez had wanted to rewrite contract terms for companies operating in the countrys vast, oil-rich Orinoco belt. Exxon said no, abandoning 2 percent of its worldwide reserves and winning arbitration court orders to freeze Venezuelan assets.

In the same way, Exxon exited Nigerias Niger Delta after insurgents disputed operations there.

You have to be willing to say, No, we arent going to do it that way, we are going to do it this way; if we cant do it this way, we wont be here,  Tillerson said about the companys strategy of keeping its Nigerian exploration to offshore areas, where it was safer.

Rex Tillerson gained the respect of Russians, particularly Sechin and Putin, because he was prepared to stand up and push back when he felt his company was being treated unfairly, said Verona, now a senior adviser to McLarty Associates.

The fight coincided with efforts by Russias Gazprom, a state-owned company, to horn its way into a Sakhalin Island project off eastern Russia that Tillerson had helped negotiate years earlier. ExxonMobil was able to navigate the dispute with help from Putin and Sechin. The project, built in extremely harsh conditions, remains one of the companys most lucrative, Tillerson has said.

Some of Exxons perceived arrogance is rooted in the companys history as the largest of the corporations split off from the Standard Oil Trust, the enterprise built by John D. Rockefeller.

Lifelong Scout

Tillerson was born in Wichita Falls, Tex., the son of a Boy Scout administrator. He still lists the rank of Eagle Scout on his resume and has remained active in the organization. In 2012, he was instrumental in pushing the Boy Scouts board to admit openly gay youths.

His experience as a Scout fit well into the company, which insisted on rules that were more detailed than most other oil companies.

In 1997, Exxon sent Tillerson, then a promising executive who had been in Yemen, to Moscow to pick up the relationship and repair it, Tillerson later recalled. His predecessor had been kicked out of the country. Tillerson met six different prime ministers over the course of 14 months.

The last of those was Putin.

Nearly 15 years later in Sochi, Putin provided the blessing for what could become Exxons largest Russian deal, a joint exploration agreement with Rosneft covering almost 190 million acres, almost halfway across the Arctic shoreline and covering nine time zones.

Speaking later at Texas Tech, Tillerson cited the Boy Scout motto and urged students to have honor and integrity. Those words mean a lot to me, Tillerson said. And I can tell you they mean a lot in any culture. He added that integrity is recognized by every government, every leader. Its the most valuable asset you have, your personal integrity.

But while Tillerson preaches the value of honesty and integrity, ExxonMobil has not shied away from doing what is good for its bottom line, which has made environmental groups and others suspicious of its aims.

While Tillerson has acknowledged human involvement in the warming of the globe and backed a carbon tax to deal with it, the oil giant has continued to fund groups such as the American Legislative Exchange Council, whose leading members have cast doubt on climate change or its urgency. The relationship contrasted with that of Shell, which also acknowledges climate change but dropped its membership in ALEC last year, citing differences over the issue.

The company is also in the midst of a bitter fight with the attorneys general of New York and Massachusetts and with more than a dozen nongovernmental organizations that are looking at whether the oil giant failed to disclose what it knew 40 years ago about the damage fossil fuels were doing to the Earths climate. The attorneys general issued broad subpoenas for internal Exxon documents, and the NGOs have encouraged them to consider bringing a fraud case similar to the one that extracted billions of dollars from tobacco companies years ago.

ExxonMobil has fought back, going to a Texas federal court near its headquarters and winning the judges highly unusual backing for discovery on the attorneys general, including with regard to internal emails, to determine whether they were acting in good faith.

The company also is scrutinizing individuals and organizations. The day after the presidential election, for example, the company hand-delivered a subpoena to Carroll Muffett, the head of the Center for International Environmental Law, a nonprofit organization focused on environmental and human rights issues.

The subpoena is in fact a fishing expedition that goes far beyond any issue arguably before the Texas court, Muffett said in an email. It is clear that Exxon is trying to leverage this case, outrageous as it is, to intimidate and silence its critics.

Engineering quotient

Another important piece of Tillersons background is his engineering background. ExxonMobil has been widely seen as a place with a higher EQ, for engineering quotient, than IQ, or intelligence quotient.

Even the EQ has failed from time to time. The Exxon Valdez oil-tanker accident spilled crude off the pristine coast of Alaska in 1989, and more recently company pipelines leaked in Montanas Yellowstone River and in Mayflower, Ark. The company has taken tough legal strategies in those instances, too, and it litigated the Valdez spill for 20 years.

Still, Tillerson draws on that engineering construct and has applied it to the problem of climate change. Its an engineering problem, and it has engineering solutions, he said at an event sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations in 2012.

As he looked back on his career during the Texas Tech event, Tillerson said that he views the companys oil and gas operation on Sakhalin Island  an area beset by poverty, seismic instability, long icebound winters and 100-foot waves in the summer  as one of his crowning achievements.

It might look easy compared to being secretary of state.


A migrant enters his tent in Penas Blancas, Costa Rica, along the Nicaraguan border, where an encampment of migrants stretches for a quarter-mile. Guarded by the Nicaraguan military, the border has been closed because of a surge in migrants trying to head north. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

On the 41st day of his journey to the United States, Dumano Aristide woke up in a dust-caked tent along the Pan-American Highway, with 4,000 miles down, 3,000 miles to go. There were three others in his tiny tent and 2,000 migrants camped out in this border town and tens of thousands more making this same trek through the Western Hemisphere, a trip that Aristide had not yet begun to regret.

Because on this day, at least, Aristide, 29, from Haiti had a plan. He knew someone who knew someone who might be able to smuggle him across the next border, this one guarded by the Nicaraguan military.

So he packed a bag with his last two shirts and tossed on a ballcap that read Keep Calm and Respect My Dopeness. He smoothed a pocket holding close to $1,000, wired two days earlier by his mother, a hotel worker in Orlando whom he had not seen in 16 years. He rushed over to Abubakari Bawah, a Ghanaian friend he made along the route. A trip this long could be measured only in segments, and here began the next 50 miles.

We have to try this, Aristide told Bawah on Sept. 19.

Aristide was now one in a surging number of people  mostly from Haiti and Africa  going by bus and by foot from the Amazon to the Rio Grande, marking a new and dangerous pattern of movement into North America. Though migrants have long face difficult journeys to the United States, the new group is enduring a far longer journey that takes them across trickier terrains and many more borders.

The path northward has been driven by a sustained recession in Brazil, which had long been a magnet for low-wage laborers and where most of the migrants had worked, helping to build roads and construct Olympic stadiums.



Dumano Aristide of Haiti and his friend Abubakari Bawah of Ghana began a long, dangerous trek in South America to reach the United States, traveling along the Pan-American Highway. (Chico Harlan/The Washington Post)

A discarded mattress is left along the highway in Penas Blancas, 4,000 miles from where Aristide began. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

Yet even as Aristide and as many as 20,000 other migrants made their way across 10 countries, dealing with hunger and exhaustion and false turns, they faced an unexpected peril in the country they had hoped to call their new home.

The United States had been a welcoming place for some migrants in the past, but a sudden change in approach by the Obama administration, followed by the presidential election of tough-on-immigration Donald Trump, left the migrants in a new crisis with echoes across the developed world. They had been pushed out of the Western Hemispheres second-largest economy, closed off from its first, and were now stuck in between. Although their days along this journey were filled with questions of basic survival, their future  whether they would ever be accepted into the United States  was at the mercy of turbulent economic and political forces far from their control.

This is about what happens when you have a large flow of labor migration combined with a boom-and-bust economy, said Roeland de Wilde, who is the top International Organization for Migration official in Costa Rica and who has interviewed migrants making this trip. The boom attracts large numbers, and then the bust creates an unplanned secondary, outward migration. This is a phenomenon that is just emerging in the public eye.

Aristide wound up at this northernmost point in Costa Rica only after trying so many other paths to get the life he wanted. At the time of Haitis massive earthquake, in 2010, Aristide had been studying pediatrics. Under a crush of new disaster-related costs, the government revoked his scholarship. Aristides family lacked the money to keep him in school, so he fled for Curitiba, Brazil, an inland city where he worked two jobs, 17 hours a day. He kneaded dough at a pastry shop and handled packages at a warehouse. But in 2015, as Brazils economy faltered, he lost the warehouse job. His take-home pay, used partly to support his younger brother back home, fell by more than a third. There was no money for school. He decided to leave.

I went to Brazil to save my life was how Aristide put it, but it was a waste of time.

Just to reach Costa Rica, Aristide had passed through five countries, traveling by bus along snow-capped mountain ranges and walking for days through some of the worlds remotest jungle. He used palm fronds as blankets and pulled bread out of trash cans for meals  unwilling, as some migrants did on the run, to eat uncooked spaghetti. Because he never knew what immigration rules he was breaking or which authorities might be after him, he kept his shoes on when he slept.

Once here, he had no clear way out. The border with Nicaragua  the country to the north  was only up the road, but it had been closed because of the surge of migrants.

As a result, tents here stretched along the road for a quarter-mile, winding up into muddy hillsides, staked with sticks or pinned down with beer bottles. Mothers breast-fed babies, and men washed themselves in a stream. Birds and howler monkeys squawked from tree limbs. Green, stale water ran from a bank of portable toilets that Aristide considered so nasty that he would splash rubbing alcohol under his nose when he used them as a way to mask the stench.



Some of the thousands of migrants who are stuck in Penas Blancas do their laundry in a polluted river near the border town. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

Migrants tried to escape over mountains and by boat, guided by a legion of smugglers who would pull up in beat-up 1990s sedans touting their plans. But many of the purported escapes were setups, in which hikes through the mountainside turned into orchestrated robberies at knife- or gunpoint, according to scores of migrants who returned to the camp, without money, after such incidents.

Aristide had heard about the latest potential escape route from a Haitian with dreadlocks whom other migrants called Rasta Man. The night before, Rasta Man had wove through the camp, whispering to several dozen people that they should scrounge up whatever money they had and find a way to a nearby beach on the Pacific Ocean. They needed to be there by sunset. The details, as always, were vague.

Its a dangerous trip, said Bawah, 29, the more cautious of the two. You cant vet anything.

We have no power, Aristide said. Im scared, too.

By late afternoon, Aristide and Bawah pushed onto a pair of crowded buses  Liberia-Frontera Ruta 51, they said on the windshield  and headed to a town 15 miles south. They split cab fare to the beach, a 30-minute ride. About 80 migrants were there as night fell, and Aristide, who paid the smugglers $900 for the trip, figured that he was clearing one of the final hurdles on the path to America.

Under a lightning storm, four wooden boats carrying the migrants pushed off from the coast.



Bawah, seen here in the encampment along the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border, met Aristide in Tumbes, Peru. Despite the surmounting dangers of their trip, both push on. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

A backpack is abandoned in the Penas Blancas encampment, which most migrants reached overland. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

Mapping the journey north

Six weeks earlier, when he left Brazil, Aristide had felt confident that he knew what was ahead of him. Several of the Haitians he met in Brazil had set off on the journey, switching their Facebook profile pictures to U.S. flags when they arrived successfully. His cousin made the trip months earlier, too, and now he is living in Orlando. The worst that could happen, Aristide figured, is that he would worry his mother, who had hung up the phone when he told her he was coming.

This one decision Im going to make by myself, he remembered telling her. Everything will be okay.

During the journey, Aristide quickly burned his own savings and grew dependent on wire transfers from several family members, including his mother, half-brother and half-sister, all living in Florida. Aristides half-brother, Tevin Dugazon, 34, said he took on debt of his own  borrowing from a business partner  to help fund the journey; the family sent Aristide at least $6,000. The stress of Aristides trip weighed on his mother, who barely had an appetite and lost more than 20 pounds.

She was a beautiful, healthy woman, Dugazon said. Now shes like a stick.

Aristide loathed the idea of himself as a beleaguered migrant. He learned some English in Haiti and told people he was very intelligent. He read U.S. newspapers on his smartphone. He kept a careful log on Google Maps of his trip, dropping pins in the dozens of towns he crossed.

Rio Branco, in northwestern Brazil, where he headed west by bus, beginning a slow curl across the western coast of South America.

Tumbes, Peru, where he met Bawah, who climbed aboard a bus  muttering in English  minutes after surrendering his smartphone to a predatory border policeman.

Pasto, Colombia, where they splurged for a motel  only to find a room without a bed.

Capurgana, Colombia, right at the doorstep of Panama, where all roads stopped and the only way through was a 40-mile trek through jungle.

The Darien Gap, a 100-mile maze of ravines and river crossings on the Panama-Colombia border, a refuge for venomous snakes and narcotics traffickers, where they walked for six days, guided in by smugglers, and where their shoes decomposed and they survived on salted rice.

Passing this way  its misery, he said.

The Washington Post met Aristide and Bawah in Costa Rica in late September and kept in touch via WhatsApp chats and regular phone calls during the next 3,000 miles of their journey. The Post reconvened with the two migrants as they neared the U.S. border.

Experts who have studied the path of migrants across the Western Hemisphere in recent months have been stunned that so many are willing to take such a harrowing and sometimes deadly journey on the mere chance to carve out better lives elsewhere. The movement, they say, reveals a massive, transitory workforce  one that relocates gradually during boom times but is apt to flood out rapidly as opportunity evaporates.

Far removed from the cataclysms that have caused attention-grabbing refugee flows into Europe, the journey from Brazil represents an extreme version of a more common tale: one in which jobs and money compel people to move. Despite the spike in people fleeing war and persecution, 95 percent of global migrants move for economic reasons, according to an International Monetary Fund report published in October. Most of those people move from emerging to advanced economies.

Their journey out of Brazil is causing a rapid shift in the composition of people showing up at the U.S. Southern border, where for decades the flow was dominated by Mexicans and, more recently, Central Americans.

Although a trickle of people have made this cross-continental journey for years, the numbers barely registered among immigration authorities in Latin America. That changed in late spring, when migrants began pooling at bus terminals in the lower Amazon and in jungle outposts once used only by tribes and adventure tourists and eventually began gathering at border crossings in Central America and Mexico. Hardly any had passports or visas.

Costa Rican officials said they were expecting 20,000 migrants  about 85 percent from Haiti, the others from Africa  to pass through the county by the end of the year. Mexican officials offered similar numbers.

You can put the most powerful army across the border, Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis has said, and they will come through.

On Sept. 19, after four hours at sea, Aristides boat arrived in the middle of the night somewhere along the northern Nicaraguan coast. The migrants dashed two or three hours through the jungle, packed into the back of a truck and were in Honduras by sunrise.

Nothing bad happened, Bawah said by telephone two days later. Barbed wires cutting us. All of my skin is full of scars, but that is all.



Migrants in Penas Blancas jostle to get on a bus that will take them to the beach, where they hope they can board a boat, operated by smugglers, that will sneak them into Nicaragua. Aristide said he paid the smugglers $900 for the trip. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

A convergence of Haitians

Aristide was still in Honduras later that week, staying with seven others in a garage, when one morning his phone  programmed to filter news about Haiti  pinged with alerts. He tried to make sense of what was happening. He read articles and watched one or two YouTube news videos, each with similar phrases.

Sudden shift . . .

Resuming removals . . .

Processed and detained . . .

What is happening? Aristide asked Bawah.

For months, Haitians had been arriving at the U.S. border without visas and other documents. While that was usually a recipe for swift deportation, Haitians benefited from a policy drawn up after the 2010 earthquake that essentially granted Haitians admittance to the United States with a special humanitarian parole. They could then remain in the country for years. If there was any surprise, immigration experts say, its that so few  until recently  took advantage. In 2014 and 2015, according to government records, about one Haitian arrived daily at the Southern border.

But that changed in late May, as the first wave of migrants crossed through Honduras, then Guatemala, then Mexico. Bus routes ended at the Mexican border with California, and in Tijuana, just south of San Diego, Mexican immigration authorities gathered up aid workers and warned them to prepare for a massive influx. Soon, shelters once used as way stations for recent deportees from the United States were instead being filled with migrants. And when those shelter beds filled up, migrants started sleeping on the streets. Police in Tijuana closed down several areas to traffic. Hundreds of migrants were arriving daily, aid workers said.

Then, on Sept. 22, in a jarring reminder of the journeys uncertainty, the Obama administration reversed its stance toward Haitians.

The special privileges were revoked.

New arrivals faced a far higher probability of being detained and then deported.

The situation in Haiti has improved sufficiently to permit the policy change, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement.

For Africans, their odds of remaining in the United States depended on the specifics of their cases; those facing persecution or war in their home countries stood a chance at asylum. Others were likely to be deported. But for Haitians, the U.S. policy shift spelled particular doom: Even before the 10-country journey, they made lives outside Haiti. Now, they stood to be returned there.

You couldnt have a shift thats more night and day, said Ginger Jacobs, an immigration lawyer in San Diego.

Hurricane Matthew, which blitzed Haiti in October, briefly placed a stop on deportation flights from the United States to Port-au-Prince. But that only worsened a backlog at U.S. immigration detention facilities, where new arrivals are held while awaiting removal. The number of people held in U.S. immigration detention facilities soared by 7,000  more than half of that because of the Haitian influx  leaving the United States scrambling to find additional bed space.

Nevertheless, Aristide and Bawah continued their journey north, and by the time they made it to Tijuana, a common spot to apply for acceptance into the United States, they found a town so overrun with migrants that they decided to backtrack to a smaller border town, Mexicali, three hours to the east, to await their turn to meet with U.S. immigration in a calmer place.

People keep coming, Aristide said to Bawah after they arrived in Mexicali.

Its not easy, Bawah said. America cannot take care of everybody.

I think theyre not going to allow us to enter, Aristide said.



Two migrants reach out to friends and family in a shelter in Penas Blancas. Many of them use their smartphones to keep track of their journey and to keep in touch with loved ones, including those who have made it to the United States. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

I should have stayed

In the flat dust bowl of Mexicali, nose to nose with California, Aristide and Bawah took shelter with nine other migrants in an abandoned strip of buildings, many of which were little more than rubble, graffiti and copper wire.

During his first day there, Aristide visited a booth run by Mexican immigration authorities near the border, the first step to gain a spot in the long wait for admittance to cross into the United States. He received a stamped number, and as the weeks dragged on, he showed up daily at the booth, hoping his would be called. And when the authorities did not announce his number  U.S. officials, trying to manage the surge, had begun to curtail the number they accepted daily  he would return to the rental and pass the time camped out in a courtyard on a dirty love seat, next to a broken-down car and a discarded toilet.

He read the Bible and science fiction books.

He ate plain pieces of white bread, a loaf of which he kept next to his mattress on the floor.

No longer were American flags popping up on Facebook as profile pictures. A few migrants, before crossing the border for their immigration meetings, took to selling their phones, figuring they would not need them in detention. Even those who held onto their gadgets went dark. Aristide, after some Googling, pulled up a map of U.S. immigration detention facilities. California. New Mexico. Georgia.

Could I go anywhere? he asked. Could I see my family? Would my family even know? Could I get a lawyer?

And if the journey seemed doomed, why were people still coming? Why was he still waiting? He did not know the answers, and for the first time since his journey began, he felt pain creep across his left shoulder, something he attributed to anxiety. Occasionally, his nose bled. His mother, in one of their video chats, said that he should return to Haiti on his own  something he quickly told her that he would not do.

I can feel the problems in my heart, Aristide said. I made this whole trip. Even just to hug my mom one time.

He paused.

Then they can deport me, he said.

He was still waiting in Mexicali, on the 91st day of his journey, when Trump was elected president. He had little sense of how Americans felt toward migrants, but the election of Trump, he figured, probably signaled that he would not be welcome. He watched a feed of CNN on his phone as the results came in. He called his mom. They both cried. He could not sleep, even as his roommates dozed off, and by the next day, he was still on his stomach, his phone plugged in, watching Hillary Clintons concession speech, shocked by the faces of her supporters.

Oh wow, its the end of the world, Aristide said.

He tried to think through being deported, something he now felt was nearly certain. Would the United States take him back to Haiti on a plane? How would he feel as Port-au-Prince came into view? He had not been in the country since 2012. Leaving Brazil, he said, had been a profound mistake.

I should have stayed, he said. If somebody had told me, Oh Dumano, you dont have no chance  Seriously, I would have stayed. I wouldnt have tried. But I didnt know.

One afternoon, tired of sitting in the courtyard, Aristide and Bawah walked closer to the border, about a mile from their rental. The temperature touched 95 degrees, and they passed window-tinting shops, small bars with leathery men, empty streets, a store selling sombreros and cowboy hats, and a store for mechanic uniforms.

And then, in the middle of downtown, they saw migrants everywhere. Faces peering from second-floor balconies, from hostels, inside taquerias. Hundreds were sleeping in the hallways above Bar 13 Negro. Bawah talked about how empty Mexicali must have been before the migrants got here.

Mexico is a big country, he said, but all of the Mexican people must be in America.

Aristide laughed.

As they reached the border, at the edge of downtown, Aristide removed his hat and brushed some sweat. In the distance, about 150 feet away, an American flag was taut in a stiff breeze. They walked past Hotel del Norte and came to a fence capped with barbed wire. Zona Federal, it said. Prohibido.

That is the U.S., Bawah said, pointing.

There are so many walls, Aristide said. One and then two.

Even if you jump one wall, Bawah said, there is another waiting for you.

On the other side, in California, there was a Starbucks and a stadium-seating movie theater, gas stations, a Jack in the Box, a 7-Eleven and an AutoZone. All of them within a mile.

Aristide pointed his phone at the U.S. flag, holding it low by his hip, as if trying not to be noticed. If he had come 7,000 miles, he was going to take a photo.

There are security cameras everywhere, he said.

His phone snapped the picture.

Dusk was coming, and the sun was low. A harsh light flooded the lens.

In the only photo Aristide took of the flag, America looked nothing like what he had hoped for.



Aristide and Bawah walk through the blighted streets of Mexicali, a Mexican city along the border with California. Here, they wait days for an appointment with immigration authorities. (Chico Harlan/The Washington Post)

Some migrants arriving in Mexicali set up tents in the hallways of a hostel as they wait for their number to be called by immigration officials. (Chico Harlan/The Washington Post)

The last move

On Nov. 22, Bawahs number was finally called. Aristides was called Dec. 2. Both were interrogated by immigration officials and bused to immigration detention centers, Bawahs in California, Aristides in Arizona.

At the facility in Calexico, Calif., surrounded by two layers of razor wire, Bawah was stripped of his belongings and given a navy jumpsuit. He slept in a hall with 63 others. Even after he arrived there, he retained some hope and began pressing for an asylum claim. But then he called four lawyers who said they were too overloaded to take him on, and he met another Ghanaian, also pursuing asylum, who had been at the facility for a year.

Hearing that, my heart was beating like it would explode, Bawah said in an empty visitation room.

Aristide was sent to a facility a two hours drive away, in San Luis, Ariz., where he too surrendered his belongings and then seemed to disappear. His family searched a database to locate detainees and found nothing. (His name had been entered improperly.) His half-sister pinged him with WhatsApp messages but never heard back. His mother fell sick from the stress, Dugazon, Aristides half-brother, said.

In a phone interview from the Arizona facility, Aristide said he had been pelted with so many questions from U.S. immigration authorities before he was detained. They asked him whether he feared for his life in returning to Haiti, and he said he did not. And even though he had not tried to sneak into the country, they asked him whether he knew he committed a crime by trying to enter without a visa. He said he did.

Finally, they asked him why he had come.

It was my best choice, he had said, and though he knew he might be deported, he was not certain.

I told them everything, Aristide said. I told them my whole story.

For U.S. immigration officials, that story boiled down to one central fact: He had sought entry into the United States without proper documentation. He would now remain in detention, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said last week in a statement, pending his removal to Haiti.
It was the feel-good story of the Christmas season about a feel-bad situation. It was so feel-good, in fact, that it may have been too good to check.

The Knoxville News Sentinel said Wednesday it could not verify a columnists account of a Tennessee man who plays Santa Claus and his encounter with a child as he died in his arms.

The sentimental story, published earlier this week, quickly went viral, turning a global spotlight on the man, Eric Schmitt-Matzen, who has played Santa Claus for nine years.

In interviews with The Washington Post, Schmitt-Matzen stuck by his story of being summoned to a nearby hospital to visit a terminally ill 5-year-old whose last wish was to see Santa. He described cradling the unnamed boy as he died last month, telling the child that he was Santas number one elf. He repeatedly declined to provide corroborating details of his story, in the interest, he said, of protecting medical personnel and the privacy of the childs family.

In a story posted Wednesday afternoon by News Sentinel Editor Jack McElroy, the paper said it has done additional investigation in an attempt to independently verify Schmitt-Matzens account. This has proven unsuccessful. Although facts about his background have checked out, his story of bringing a gift to a dying child remains unverified. The News Sentinel cannot establish that Schmitt-Matzens account is inaccurate, but more importantly, ongoing reporting cannot establish that it is accurate.

Therefore, McElroy wrote, because the story does not meet the newspapers standards of verification, we are no longer standing by the veracity of Schmitt-Matzens account.

The Post also could not corroborate any details of the story, but its reporting also did not disprove what Schmitt-Matzen had told the newspaper in its original story, written by columnist Sam Venable.

Venable, a veteran writer who wrote the story based on an interview with Schmitt-Matzen, did not return multiple requests for comment.

The newspapers first story was republished by USA Today and picked up by multiple news outlets Tuesday, including CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and The Washington Post, none of which raised doubts about it. The Post has added an editors note to its original story about Schmitt-Matzen that notes that the Knoxville paper no longer stands by it. As a result The Washington Post no longer stands by this story, the note reads.

Schmitt-Matzen said he also received inquiries from news outlets around the world.

Venable learned of Schmitt-Matzens story through friends of friends, Schmitt-Matzen said in an interview with The Post.

One of those people was Ricky Joiner, who said that Schmitt-Matzen called him shortly after the events at the hospital. Joiner told another couple, who in turn contacted the News Sentinel columnist. Joiner said he still believes his friends account. Southern people are pretty heartfelt people, Joiner said in an interview. Not all the thing you hear or see on the news is correct, but in this situation, I believe it to be true. Eric is not the type of person who would tell something like this if it wasnt so.

In Schmitt-Matzens interview with the The Post, he said that he would not disclose additional information about the incident, including the hospital at which he said it occurred and the name of the nurse who contacted him about the boy.

Hospitals near Schmitt-Matzens home and workplace in Jacksboro, in suburban Knoxville, said they had no record of the events described in the News Sentinels column and accompanying videos.

We know for certain that it did not happen at our hospital, said Erica Estep, public-relations manager at East Tennessee Childrens Hospital. She said the hospital checked its mortality data for the entirety of 2016 and had no records of a 5-year-old child.

Jim Ragonese, a public-relations manager at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, said, I checked with the leaders in the particular intensive unit where we have children, and they confirmed that it did not happen at our facility.

Jerry Askew, a spokesman for Tennova Healthcare, a network of local hospitals, replied to an inquiry by saying: If youre calling about the Santa story, Im sorry, but it didnt happen at our hospitals. Weve received calls from all over the world, but Santa didnt happen here.

Schmitt-Matzen, a mechanical engineer who heads his own manufacturing company, was unfazed by skepticism about his tale. He remained emotional about the encounter that he said took place last month, saying in the Post interview that he most vividly remember the childs pleading eyes. . . . You know, the little guys, they have a hard time fathoming death. But they know Christmas. They know its a lot of fun. He was more upset about missing Christmas than he was about dying. . . . The whole concept of dying just doesnt sink in, you know. And maybe thats a good thing. All I could do was make him smile, [make him] happy, as best as I could. All he knew was that he was hurting.

If some people want to call me a liar . . . I can handle that better than I can handle a child in my arms dying, he said. Its sticks and stones.


The Manhattan headquarters of Goldman Sachs. Why does this white-shoe investment firm always turn up, a tuxedoed stowaway, in the White House? (Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Goldman Sachs. The name feels like the bob of a yacht in Biarritz and tastes like the marbling of a Wagyu steak. It sounds like money being moved, invested, tripled, then moved again to avoid taxes and bubbles and crashes. Its headquarters on Lower Manhattans West Street smells like wealth, from the handsomely kitted-out coffee station on the 11th floor down to the $5 million, 1,800-square-foot painting commissioned for its lobby.

Goldman Sachs. Again with Goldman Sachs! Always Goldman Sachs. An alien race could invade Earth, create an economy based on quasars and dark matter, and our new six-eyed overlord would still hire someone from Goldman Sachs.

The investment bank gave George W. Bush one of his treasury secretaries, and Bill Clinton one of his before that. It was the largest private donor to Barack Obamas 2008 campaign. Throughout 2016, Donald Trump hammered Hillary Clinton for giving paid, closed-door speeches to Goldman Sachs, and he spat its name like it was the embodiment of evil. Goldman Sachs has total control over Clinton, he charged again and again.

And now? Trump has plucked his treasury secretary from Goldman. Trumps senior adviser is a former Goldman guy. On Monday, Trump officially named his choice for director of the National Economic Council: the president of Goldman Sachs, Gary Cohn.

Gary Cohn, a Goldman Sachs veteran, is reported to be Trumps pick to head the National Economic Council. Heres what you need to know about him. (Deirdra O'Regan/The Washington Post)

What gives? Why does this white-shoe investment firm always turn up, a tuxedoed stowaway, in the White House?

The Goldman mystique has been honed over 147 years, since the day a German immigrant named Marcus Goldman left the tailoring business to trade debts, via slips of paper he stacked under his silk top hat. Goldmans first office was a block from Wall Street, in a basement, by a coal chute.

Now its a publicly traded behemoth with deep roots in Washington and branches reaching into economies all around the world.

Weve got Goldman Sachs people in every major market, Cohn said in an in-house podcast recorded Monday after his departure for Washington was announced. You know, you look at the size of our capital, you look at the size of our balance sheet, you look at the size of our people  its just enormous.

Goldmans omnipresence inspires anxiety in both regulators and conspiracy theorists. It makes it easy to imagine the type of rigged system that both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump campaigned against.



For top administration posts, Donald Trump has picked Goldman Sachs President Gary Cohn, former Goldman trader Stephen Bannon, and former Goldman executive Steven Mnuchin. (Kathy Willens/AP; Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post; Richard Drew/AP)

Next year, four of the 12 presidents at the regional Federal Reserve Banks will be former executives from one firm: Goldman Sachs, Sanders tweeted a year ago.

Goldman has been a dark punchline as far back as the 1930s, when vaudeville superstar Eddie Cantor  who lost a fortune in a Goldman shell game on the cusp of the Great Depression  worked the firm into his act.

They told me to buy stock for my old age, and it worked perfectly  within six months, I felt like a very old man, Cantor joked onstage, according to Charles D. Elliss Goldman history The Partnership.

Cut to 2008, when Goldman made money off the economic collapse by shorting the housing market. The firm was charged with fraud in 2010.

When youve had a financial calamity like wed experienced [in 2008], symbolism and symbols become very important  and Goldman is the perfect cultural touchstone of greed and avarice, says author and former Wall Street banker William D. Cohan, who wrote Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World.

In 2012, internal Goldman emails were leaked that suggested its traders referred to clueless investors as muppets, an unflattering bit of British slang. The comedy site Funny or Die retaliated with a skit featuring three irate Sesame Street-style Muppets who crash a meeting of conniving Goldman executives.

Sure we advise them against their own best interests to make us richer, but does that make us bad guys? asks the actor Kyle MacLachlan, playing a pinstriped executive.

Yes! says a Muppet.

Its occasionally dodgy reputation among the public, though, is outweighed by the deference it commands in circles of power. Thats why Trump is going to these Goldman people, Cohan says. Because its so easy to claim instant financial respectability by tapping into the Goldman network.



A sign is displayed in the reception of Goldman Sachs in Sydney, Australia. (David Gray/Reuters)

The network. The platinum Rolodex. Rich people who help powerful people get rich, and powerful people who make rich people powerful. It all stems from a culture of backbreaking work and breathtaking exclusivity, to which Goldman recruits are exposed as soon as they walk in the door.

Those candidates who do not evince a scorching ambition, total commitment, and an inclination for teamwork are quickly weeded out, wrote former Goldman trader Lisa Endlich in her book Goldman Sachs: The Culture of Success.

Everything  individuality, ego, feelings  is subordinate to the firm. If you say I, you are being abrasive, a veteran partner told Endlich. And yet: The firm is special, and you are special or you would not be here, she quotes a former vice president as saying.

The legend of Goldman Sachs is such that business blogs chatter obsessively about what its like to work there: Having a tan means youre not working hard enough . . . Only partners can wear Ferragamo loafers . . . Women are conditioned to avoid makeup and keep their hair pulled back.

Partners were always looking to see whether an intern had the makings of a culture carrier, Goldman-speak for someone who is able to deal with clients and colleagues in a way that preserves the firms reputation  one that has made it an incubator for senators, treasury secretaries and central bank governors, wrote Greg Smith, a former executive director, in Why I Left Goldman Sachs: A Wall Street Story.



Bill Clinton in 1994 with Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary he hired from Goldman Sachs; George W. Bush in 2008 with Henry Paulson, whom he also hired from Goldman for the same role. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP; Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post/AP; The Washington Post)

The reason Trump is stocking his White House with Goldman Sachs is because its tradition. And who started that tradition?

A 5-foot-4 clerk named Sidney Weinberg, who in 1909 lugged an eight-foot flagpole onto the New York subway.

Weinberg  a dumb, uneducated kid from Brooklyn, he would later call himself  accompanied the pole from Wall Street to the 138th Street home of Paul Sachs, a partner in the firm who wanted it installed there. As the industrious clerk raised the American flag, Sachs told him he should go to night school and perhaps advance from a gopher to something grander.

A gifted networker, Weinberg rocketed up the Goldman ladder and made friends with New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt. When his pal moved into the White House, Weinberg helped create the Business Advisory Council, a conduit for corporate execs to nudge and sway the policymakers in the capital.

As a Goldman partner, Weinberg helped ramp up private industry for the war effort during both World War II and the Korean War. He raised money for Dwight D. Eisenhowers campaign and then handpicked his treasury secretary  cementing the notion that our government had much to learn and gain from our financial titans.

The people that know the industry better than anybody are the people who work in the industry.

That was Hillary Clinton, some 60 years later, at Goldmans headquarters in New York, where she reassured financial titans of this special relationship in one of those pricey speeches that would later give her such grief.

Goldman everywhere.

Goldman in mergers (RCA and GE). Goldman in acquisitions (one of the worlds largest coffee-bean suppliers). Around 1900, Goldman imported and exported gold across the Atlantic. In the 1950s, it took the Ford Motor Co. public. It has recently invested in Spotify and Uber.

Currently, Goldman alumni are:

At the top of the New York Fed (President William Dudley).

In the studios of CNN (anchor Erin Burnett).

Married to once and future presidential candidates (Heidi Cruz).

Running entire nations (Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull).

The firm has expanded its philanthropy in recent years to rehabilitate its image and is considered by some insiders to be one of the more ethical Wall Street firms. Goldman sees the number of top staffers it has sent to Washington as a feather in its cap.



Goldman alumni include, clockwise from top left: William Dudley, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Heidi Cruz, wife of Sen. Ted Cruz; Malcolm Turnbull, prime minister of Australia; and CNN anchor Erin Burnett (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg; Scott Olson/Getty Images; Mick Tsikas/EPA; Kevin Hagen/Getty Images)

Throughout its 147-year history, Goldman Sachs has encouraged its employees to give back to the community while they are working here and after they leave, says Jake Siewert, the firms communications director  and former top aide in the Clinton and Obama administrations, as it happens. We are proud that many have gone on to serve their country and their communities after they have left.

[How money eclipsed power as Washingtons chief social currency]

Turn your gaze up the street from the White House: Weinbergs Business Advisory Council still exists after all these years, under a slightly different name, in a seventh-floor office on Pennsylvania Avenue. Current Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein is a member, along with other captains of industry and finance  including ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, Trumps nominee for secretary of state. (The councils outgoing chairman is Jeffrey P. Bezos, the founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post.) In his first year in office, Obama invited the council to the East Room. Early next year, the council will meet in Washington for at least two off-the-record schmooze sessions with lawmakers. President Donald J. Trump will be at the top of the invitation list.

Despite favoring Clinton, Blankfein is optimistic about Trump.

Hes a very smart guy, a businessman, Blankfein told German newspaper Handelsbatt recently. If his policies are more stimulative, our fortunes rise along with that.

Starting next year, Blankfeins former Goldman colleague, Steven Mnuchin, will be running the Treasury. Blankfeins current deputy, Cohn, will be Trumps economy whisperer. And once again, that Goldman Rolodex could come in handy.

You think about, Who is [Apple CEO] Tim Cook going to call in this administration if he has a problem? I think his first thought would be Gary Cohn, says a former Treasury official whos familiar with Cohns leadership style (and requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the topic). Who else on that [Trump] team could tell you: Hows the Bank of Japan going to react to some announcement youre going to make? At this point, I think hes your only game in town.

In both towns, really. New York and Washington. Since Election Day, stock in Goldman Sachs is up more than 30 percent.
Anne Arundel County

The following incident was reported by the Anne Arundel County police. For information, call 410-222-8050.

FORESTVILLE AREA

ASSAULTS

Forestville Rd., 7:20 a.m. Dec. 4. A man was assaulted and stabbed at a gas station by an unknown person.

Annapolis

These were among incidents reported by the Annapolis Police Department. For information, call 410-268-9000.

ROBBERIES

Defense Hwy., 100 block, 2:14 a.m. Dec. 4. Two masked, armed males robbed a gas station.

Graff Ct., 1200 block, 7:45 p.m. Dec. 2. Three armed males robbed a man and fled on foot.

Taylor Ave., 600 block, 12:15 a.m. Dec. 7. Two armed males robbed a store and fled.

ASSAULTS

West St., 2:15 a.m. Dec. 4. Two men assaulted another man with a small knife.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

August Dr., 1100 block, 8 p.m. Nov. 30 to 8:42 p.m. Dec. 1. An unlocked vehicle was entered; nothing was reported stolen.

August Dr., 1100 block, 9 p.m. Nov. 30 to 6:30 a.m. Dec. 1. An unlocked vehicle was entered; nothing was reported stolen.

Caleb Lane, 700 block, 8:45 a.m. Dec. 3 to 3:12 p.m. Dec. 4. Jewelry was stolen from a home.

Damsel Lane, 1400 block, 8:30 p.m. Nov. 30 to 6:15 a.m. Dec. 1. A purse was stolen from an unlocked vehicle.

Forest Hills Ave., 1000 block, 3 p.m. Nov. 30 to 7:30 a.m. Dec. 1. Cash was stolen from an unlocked vehicle.

Janwall Ct., 6 p.m. Nov. 30 to 4:30 a.m. Dec. 1. A coat and a black duffle bag were stolen from a vehicle.

Janwall St., 100 block, 2:30 a.m. Dec. 7. Cash was stolen from an unlocked vehicle.

Madison St., 1200 block, 6 p.m. Dec. 2 to 7 a.m. Dec. 3. An unlocked vehicle was entered; nothing was reported stolen.

Meares Ct., 300 block, Dec. 4 to Dec. 5. Sunglasses were stolen from an unlocked vehicle.

Primrose Rd., 900 block, 12:15 a.m. to 7:20 p.m. Dec. 1. Electronic devices were stolen from an unlocked vehicle.

Rosecrest Dr., 100 block, 5 p.m. Nov. 28 to 9:10 a.m. Dec. 2. Cash was stolen from an unlocked vehicle.

Taylor Ave., 500 block, 10:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., Dec. 3. A parking placard was stolen from an unlocked vehicle.

West St., 200 block, 12:25 a.m. Dec. 8. Cash was stolen from a business.

WEAPONS

Woods Dr., 100 block, 7:45 a.m. Dec. 1. A handgun was found on the ground outside a home.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Janwall St., 100 block, 6 p.m. Dec. 6 to 7 a.m. Dec. 7. A red 2004 Ford F150 truck was stolen.

Washington St., 300 block, 1:20 to 10:45 p.m. Dec. 3. A silver 2016 Toyota Camry was stolen.

Howard County

These were among incidents reported by the Howard County Police Department. For information, call 410-313-2236.

COLUMBIA AREA

ROBBERIES

Quiet Hours, 6600 block, 11 p.m. Dec. 1. Two males assaulted and robbed a man after he showed up at the location to meet a someone from an online dating app.

Snowden River Pkwy., 8200 block, 5:01 a.m. Dec. 4. An armed male with his face partially covered robbed a business and fled.

Thunder Hill Rd., 5800 block, 5:59 p.m. Dec. 1. An armed man robbed and assaulted a pizza delivery driver and stole his food. A Columbia man, 18, was charged with robbery, second-degree assault and theft.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Quarry Bridge Ct., 9600 block, Dec. 1 to 2. Airbags were stolen from three vehicles.

Snowden River Pkwy., 9300 block, 12:45-4:30 a.m. Dec. 2. Property was stolen from a swim school.

Tamar Dr., 8300 block, Dec. 2 to 3. A houses door was damaged; nothing was stolen.

Tamar Dr., 8800 block, Dec. 6 to 7. Cash was stolen from a home.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Foreland Garth, 6000 block, 9:01 a.m. Dec. 4. A gray 2011 Chevrolet Aveo was stolen. A Columbia man, 22, was charged with unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and related charges.

Red Haven Rd., 6300 block, 2:18 p.m. Dec. 2. A silver 2012 Chevrolet Impala was stolen.

Tamebird Ct., 8800 block, 9:57 p.m. Dec. 2. A black 2017 Toyota Camry was stolen; the vehicle was recovered.

Vantage Point Rd., 5600 block, 1:23 p.m. Dec. 1. A Suzuki GSX-R was stolen.

ELKRIDGE AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Kit Kat Rd., 7000 block, 9:44 to 10:34 p.m. Nov. 30. Power tools were stolen from six storage units.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Fox Glen Ct., 5900 block, 5:30 a.m. Dec. 7. A 1992 burgundy Honda Accord was stolen.

ELLICOTT CITY AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Alice Ave., 4900 block, 6:30 to 10 p.m. Dec. 3. A camera was stolen from a home.

Baltimore National Pike, 8800 block, 4:52 a.m. Dec. 1. Cash was stolen from a hair salon.

JESSUP AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Washington Blvd., 8600 block, 8:09 p.m. Dec. 3. A storage room door at a business was kicked in; nothing was stolen.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Sheffield Ct., 8100 block, Nov. 30 to Dec. 2. A green Honda Civic was stolen.

LAUREL AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Bluebell Way, 1000 block, Dec. 2 to 6. A water heater, ceiling fan and lights were stolen from two houses under construction.

SAVAGE AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Larkin Rd., 8700 block, 10:40 p.m. Dec. 6. Glass in the front door of a business was broken in an attempt to gain entry; nothing was stolen.
Homeless people sleep in the walkway area near the entrance to the McPherson Square Metro station in this file photo. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

The District had the highest rate of homelessness in a new survey that looked at the problem in 32 U.S. cities.

The Hunger and Homelessness survey from the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that D.C. has 124.2 homeless people for every 10,000 residents in the general population. The city also had one of the fastest increases in homelessness between 2009 and 2016, with a 34.1 percent gain. By comparison, New York had the largest increase during that period, at 49 percent.

The number of homeless people in families in the District also surged by 103.54 percent between those years, the survey found. That was second only to Wichita, which had a 160.8 percent increase.

In some areas, the District fared well, registering the lowest proportion of unsheltered homeless people and one of the lowest proportions of homeless youths in the survey. The report also praised a Department of Human Services program that houses homeless veterans.

The office of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said the report shows that more work needs to be done to battle the citys shortage of affordable housing.

This report offers both encouragement for many of the things we are doing right in the District, as well as an honest assessment of additional steps we can take to reduce homelessness, Bowsers communications director, Kevin Harris, said in a statement. The mayor agrees that a comprehensive approach is needed to adequately address homelessness, including more affordable housing and higher wages  two areas this administration has led on through our minimum wage increase and an unprecedented $100 million annual investment in the affordable housing fund.

[The rent is too high in big cities. This mayor has a plan to fix it.]

The Conference of Mayors  the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more, as its website explains  has reported on homelessness since 1982.

It completed the survey, which is based on HUD data, to serve as a reference for policymakers and journalists on the extent of and solutions to hunger and homelessness in U.S. cities, the report says.

The 32 cities in the survey, from 24 states, were chosen partly because better data for those areas was available, the reports authors said. Some cities were excluded because they are not part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and one city asked not to be included.

The report pointed out that nationwide, homelessness has fallen almost 13 percent since 2009 but that 75 percent of cities in the study had rates higher than the national rate of homelessness.

Samantha Batko, director of research for the National Alliance to End Homelessness, an advocacy group that participated in the report, said the District faces unique challenges in fighting homelessness. Large swaths of the citys land are under federal control, she said, and the city lacks skyscrapers seen in other major cities.

I just dont think theres another city in the country like the District of Columbia, she said.
[December 14, 2016] IDFinance Has Launched MoneyMan in Brazil

In November 2016, MoneyMan granted the first loan through MoneyMan.com.br website to a resident of Sao Paulo, Brazil. One of the service's advantages is a fully-automated process of loan review and granting. MoneyMan Brazil utilizes the risk assessment models developed by IDFinance. The seventh-generation decision-making system includes global and local scoring tools; applies elements of machine learning, probabilistic risk assessment based on statistics and analysis of data obtained from multiple sources. The project has been implemented in cooperation with Socinal Financeira bank and serves as an integration example of a FinTech company and a traditional lending institution. Through API, MoneyMan utilizes the bank infrastructure as a lending platform. Hence, MoneyMan automates processes and concentrates on key competences: customer acquisition and risk assessment without diverting resources to the back office, wheras the bank monetizes the structure and the staff.



"The Brazilian market of online lending has a maximum potential in LATAM. The population of the country is about 207 million people, 130 million of which have high-speed Internet access. Expansion of telecommunication services brings about an increase in volumes of e-commerce, a rise in interest to online banking and services of non-banking online lending. The potential annual volume of the online lending market in Brazil may be $7 billion," declared Boris Batin, IDFinance Co-Founder. "IDFinance will continue its international expansion. The range of interests of the FinTech Group includes such states of Central and Southern America as Mexico, Columbia, Peru, as well as Eastern Europe countries. We are intending to use the unique competences of business scaling in the shortest possible time as our competitive advantage," said Alexander Dunaev, Co-Founder of IDFinance.

Brazil has become the sixth country where IDFinance projects are in operation. Besides the company currently runs in Spain, Poland, Georgia, Russia and Kazakhstan under MoneyMan and AmmoPay brands. IDFinance is a fast-growing FinTech company specializing in data science, credit non-fico scoring and online lending in emerging and well-developed markets. The company concentrates its R&D efforts on developing innovative risk assessment models stepped up with proprietary high-tech instruments of predictive analytics and developing secure applications for both web and mobile platforms. It brings innovations into emerging markets and provides financial inclusion as a social mission. More info at idfinance.com, official Facebook and Twitter pages. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005430/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
In this file photo from 2013, then-Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius read the Dr. Seuss book "Green Eggs and Ham" to students enrolled in a Head Start program at Rolling Terrace Elementary School in Takoma Park, Md. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Head Start, the federal program that provides education, nutrition and health services to low-income children and their families, is not adequately funded and is administered so differently from state to state that children do not benefit equally, according to a new report from the National Institute for Early Education Research.

The 478-page report, State(s) of Head Start, released Wednesday, calls for a near tripling of the programs budget  to more than $20 billion  to fully meet its goals for serving 3- and 4-year-old children living in poverty. It also points to wide gaps in Head Start programs related to quality of instruction, amount of instruction, access to programs and levels of funding.

[A Nobel Prize winner says public preschool programs should start at birth]

Despite decades of bipartisan support for Head Start, we conclude that the program suffers from inadequate overall public investment, the reports authors wrote. Simply put, the program is not funded at a level that would make it possible to provide child development services of sufficient quality and duration to achieve its goals while serving all eligible children even at ages 3 and 4, much less for those under age 3.

The report, which compiled program data from 50 states, the District of Columbia and six territories, provides a deeper understanding of who Head Start serves and where it operates best, said Steven Barnett, executive director of NIEER and one of the studys authors. But it also makes clear, he says, how and where the program has fallen short.

The percentage of poor kids that Head Start serves nationally could be as low as a quarter, meaning that 75 percent of the children in poverty are not getting Head Start, Barnett said in an interview. I dont think people understand that. And then if you say that the intended population is not just kids who are poor, but kids who are near-poor, then I think people dont understand that thats half the children in the country.

The report arrives as Donald Trump prepares to step into the White House amid uncertainty about funding priorities in the new administration. The Health and Human Services Department, which is expected to be led by Trumps nominee, Tom Price (R-Georgia), runs Head Start.

Barnett said that while there are questions about the new administrations plans, he believes there is reason to be optimistic.

Head Start has been moving in the right direction, Barnett said. Certainly there are some folks who are worried that the new administration might not recognize that. But I also think this is an administration thats willing to take bold steps and see if you could go beyond staying the course and really trying to figure out how do we get all of those local, state and federal programs together to serve the same population of low-income kids and make sure we deliver higher quality with more equal access.

The report calls for a bipartisan commission of policymakers, researchers and educators to look at how Head Start, which President Lyndon Johnson established in 1965 as part of his War on Poverty, can meet its mandate to serve children in poverty.

We feel everybody is going to have to come to the table, Barnett said. This is not an easy problem. Its not just a matter of saying you should just appropriate $14 billion more. I dont think anyone thinks thats going to happen.

But the report does make clear that additional investments are necessary to ensure that every eligible child has an equal opportunity to attend a high-quality, effective Head Start program.
A man firing into a car at a Baltimore intersection was shot and killed Tuesday night by a Coppin State University police officer, a police spokesman said.

The man was not identified. T.J. Smith, a spokesman with Baltimore police, said the shooter was not a student at Coppin State.

Smith said the campus officer spotted the man shooting at another vehicle around 6:20 p.m. at Windsor and North Warwick avenues. The intersection is at the eastern edge of the Coppin campus.

The shooters car and another car were traveling down North Warwick from the Mondawmin Mall area, when at some point one of the cars made a turn. Smith said the shooter then jumped out of the passenger side of a vehicle and started firing at the turning car from the middle of the intersection.

The campus police officer was behind the shooters car in an unmarked vehicle, said Smith. The officer, in full uniform, got out of his vehicle and shot the man, he said.

The man was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Smith added that the driver of the shooters vehicle sped off after the police-shooting.

The officer happened to be in the right place at the right time. This could have been a run-and-gun battle that could have ended up on the campus, said Smith. He said authorities are still searching for the driver of the vehicle from which the gunman emerged. They are also looking for the vehicle that was the target of the gunfire, Smith said.
D.C. police said Wednesday that they are searching for a man who allegedly threatened to shoot police officers earlier this month.

The man threatened officers in the 400 block of L Street NW on Dec. 4 about 6 a.m., D.C. police said in a statement.

Police ask that anyone with information about this incident or who can identify the man call 202-727-9099.
A D.C. Public Schools employee was arrested last week on federal charges that she conspired to import cocaine, court documents show.

In August, Rita Gray was indicted in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida for conspiracy to knowingly import into the United States a controlled substance . . . 5 kilograms or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine in Brevard County, the indictment read.

Public records from earlier this year listed a Rita Gray as a business manager for D.C. Public Schools.

Gray was arrested on Dec. 6 in the District on a federal warrant, according to D.C. police. A spokesman for D.C. Public Schools said she is on administrative leave.
The Rev. William Barber, president of the North Carolina NAACP, addresses a crowd during a Fight for 15 rally on Nov. 29 in Durham. (Kaitlin Mckeown/Associated Press)

The Rev. William Barber, the head of the North Carolina NAACP and a leader in the states Moral Mondays movement, says he was kicked off an American Airlines flight earlier this year because he is black.

He filed suit against the company on Wednesday in Alexandria, Va., federal court, demanding unspecified monetary damages as well as changes at the airline. According to the minister, he was harassed by fellow passengers and a flight attendant before being removed from his flight, which was departing Reagan National Airport, for no reason.

To be born two days after the March on Washington and still have to deal with this kind of racism and discrimination, its troubling, Barber said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Barber, the pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, N.C., has for the past several years helped lead Moral Mondays protests against Republican leadership in his state. He gained new prominence after his passionate speech on the final night of the Democratic National Convention in July.

American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller said in a statement that the airline would not discuss Barbers account because it involves litigation. But he said the airline does not tolerate discrimination of any kind and we are committed to providing a positive travel experience for all of our customers.

The Rev. William Barber from North Carolina brought the crowd at the Democratic convention to tears and then to its feet, calling for a shock to revive the heart of our democracy. (The Washington Post)

[The Rev. William Barber dropped the mic]

The alleged incident occurred April 15, when Barber was flying to Raleigh from a conference in the District. He was exhausted, he recalled, but had decided not to spend the night in the District because he had so much work to do at home.

All I wanted to do was sleep. All I wanted to do was get on that plane, lay my head against the seat, he said Wednesday.

But according to the lawsuit, Barber was seated in front of a pair of loud and unruly white men who appeared to be intoxicated. A flight attendant only reluctantly responded to his request that they be asked to keep their voices down, Barber alleges, and singled him out as the complaining passenger. The two men, he said, then became even more belligerent, cursing at Barber. One allegedly told the other that he did not like those people, and that those people made him sick.

That kind of language, if you know where it comes from, it concerns me, Barber said.

Meanwhile, an off-duty pilot boarded the plane. According to Barbers suit, the same flight attendant  a white woman  directed the pilot to sit next to the pastor. Because he has an advanced form of arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis, Barber explained that he bought two seats on the plane so he could use one to rest his leg. The pilot found another seat, but an American Airlines agent approached Barber and demanded that he produce the two boarding passes he had purchased, the suit says.

After that interaction, the lawsuit alleges, the two men behind Barber began mocking him more viciously, with one passenger saying Barber was so big that he could not fit in one seat. Barber said he stood, turned around, and asked that man to stop talking about him and keep his voice down. The man allegedly responded with more verbal abuse, saying he wanted Barber to hear him. The minister said he would pray for his fellow passenger and got back in his seat, the suit says.

The same flight attendant came over and threatened to call the police, according to the lawsuit. Barber said the situation was under control. About 10 minutes later, he said, an officer came on the plane and asked the man behind him what had happened. Barber was ordered off the plane, where he was told that American Airlines had demanded his removal.

This differential treatment was based on race, as other passengers noted and stated to American Airlines employees, the lawsuit says. Reverend Barber was calm, complied with all directives from the flight crew, and did nothing that remotely warranted being ejected from the airplane.

A black airline employee at the gate, according to the lawsuit, told Barber that this tends to happen a lot and that she was sick of American Airlines doing this. Barber was re-booked on a flight to North Carolina the following morning but was not given a hotel room or any other compensation.

He also alleges that his cane was taken away when he got off the plane, forcing him to walk in pain to the gate.

Barber says he was further humiliated by news stories about the incident. American Airlines, he said, falsely claimed that the flight had to turn around midair and that he had grabbed the flight attendant. The North Carolina Republican Party issued a statement blaming Barber for delaying the flight.

I didnt have an opportunity to say what really happened, Barber said.

In an anonymous interview with a North Carolina news station, a person who said he was one of the two white passengers acknowledged that he was definitely out of line but said that Barber was as well. When he talked about those people, the passenger said, he meant not African Americans but those types of people who would call someone over and say something to the stewardess.

Barber and his attorneys said they brought the suit in hopes of preventing such incidents in the future.

Sometimes you just get tired, Barber said. Its been a major battle this year, fighting against all this oppression.

The suit was brought by Michael G. Allen, John P. Relman and Jia M. Cobb of the D.C. firm Relman, Dane & Colfax.
THE DISTRICT

Guilty plea in BB gun incident at Capitol

A Tennessee man pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection with a U.S. Capitol Visitor Center shooting incident that led to brief lockdowns at the White House and across the Capitol complex on March 28, authorities said.

Larry Russell Dawson, 67, of Antioch, Tenn., admitted pulling out a spring-loaded BB gun that resembled a semiautomatic handgun, pointed it at officers and ignored commands to drop it, prosecutors said. A U.S. Capitol Police officer shot Dawson in the chest and thigh.

Dawson faces sentencing Feb. 24 in federal court on one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers while using a deadly or dangerous weapon.

 Spencer S. Hsu

MARYLAND

Kitten is found with cord around neck

A cat was found with an electrical cord tied around its neck in the basement of a Greenbelt apartment building, city police said.

On Friday, Greenbelt Animal Control responded to a call in the 6100 block of Springhill Lane, Greenbelt police said. Although the electrical cord found tied around the kitten was plugged in, police said the animal did not appear to be injured.

 Justin Wm. Moyer

Hogan appoints two

to state Senate seats

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has appointed Del. William C. Smith Jr. (D-Montgomery) and Del. Barbara A. Robinson (D-Baltimore) to state Senate seats to replace U.S. Rep.-elect Jamie B. Raskin (D) and new Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh (D), who resigned from the legislature after their elections.

Smith, a lawyer who has served in the House of Delegates since January 2015, will represent District 20 in Montgomery County and be the first African American to represent the county in the Senate. Robinson, a House member since 2007, will represent Baltimore district 40.

 Ovetta Wiggins

Campus officer slays gunman in Baltimore

A man firing into a car at a Baltimore intersection was shot and killed Tuesday night by a Coppin State University police officer, a Baltimore police spokesman said.

T.J. Smith, the city police spokesman said the Coppin officer was in an unmarked car when he saw the man jump out of a vehicle and begin shooting.

 Victoria St. Martin

VIRGINIA

Fairfax chiefs SUV hit by vehicle, police say

Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. was injured Monday after his unmarked SUV was rear-ended by an alleged drunk driver, police spokeswoman Julie Parker said.

The chief was stopped at a traffic light when struck. Police said Tuesday that Christie A. Edgar, 40, of Centreville, was charged with DWI.

 Dana Hedgpeth and Martin Weil
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) will ask the General Assembly for $31.7 million to improve and standardize treatment for mental illness and substance abuse around the state when he presents his budget on Friday.

The initiative will be one of the biggest and costliest proposals of McAuliffes final General Assembly session, his office said. Virginia governors are limited to a single four-year term, and McAuliffes winds up after next year.

[McAuliffe proposes one-time bonus for state employees and teachers]

As we all know, our current behavioral health system is not a 21st century system, McAuliffe said Wednesday in announcing the proposal. It was set up many decades ago when we did not understand all the issues that we needed to. . . . It was a system that was built around institutionalizing individuals in order to treat them, and that does not breed success.

Instead of responding only in times of crisis, he said, the state mental-health system needs to be updated to reflect current thinking about treatment and to provide consistent care around the state. In Virginia, regional agencies known as community services boards screen people for admission to publicly funded mental-health or substance-abuse services. There are 40 such boards in localities across the state, and they all operate differently.

If we are successful, Virginians no matter where they are  that they be in Dickinson County, or Fairfax County  should all receive the same level of care, McAuliffe said.

His budget will call for:

$8.2 million to fund more staffers at the community boards around the state so they can evaluate people seeking help on a same-day turnaround.

$7.4 million to help state mental-health hospitals deal with a capacity crunch, enabling them to pay for beds in private facilities or take other steps to alleviate crowding.

$2.1 million to hire another 24 full-time security employees at state mental hospitals.

$5.3 million to help prevent opioid overdoses, including treatment and buying doses of naloxone, a drug that can stop the effects of heroin and other opioids.

$4.2 million for positions to conduct mental-health screening at local and regional jails.

As part of the request, McAuliffe is also seeking $4.5 million to conduct a study of all related statewide services and come up with a comprehensive behavioral health-care plan.

Many of the same issues have also been evaluated by the General Assemblys Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health Services, which has announced its own package of legislation for the upcoming session.

That effort is led by state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath), whose son was denied mental-health services and then stabbed his father before killing himself in 2013.

Asked why he wanted to spend $4.5 million to study something thats already being studied, McAuliffe said its important for state government itself to take stock of the issues.

Weve reached out to Senator Deeds; hes very supportive of what we announced here today, McAuliffe said. I believe it is incumbent upon us to use all of our state resources to bring everybody together under our auspices to come up with a comprehensive plan.

Several uniformed sheriffs, deputies and other law enforcement officials attended the news conference and applauded McAuliffes announcements. About 16 percent of the states jail population suffers from some form of mental illness, according to state figures.

Law enforcement also is grappling with what the state has officially declared to be a public health emergency of opioid addiction and overdoses. The state is on pace for 1,000 overdose deaths this year  more than deaths from gun homicides or automobile crashes.

To any family or to any Virginian out there who is struggling with addiction, state Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D) said at the news conference, help is on the way.
Republican candidate for Governor of Virginia, Ed Gillespie, gestures as he speaks at the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Economic Summit at Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Va. (Steve Helber/AP)

GOP strategist Ed Gillespie leads a pack of Republicans running for governor next year, while Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) edges Gillespie in a head-to-head matchup, an early poll finds.

Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman who came close to toppling Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) in 2014, gets 24 percent of Republican support, according to a Qunnipiac University poll released Wednesday.

Polling for the survey began before U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) bowed out of the race late last week. The poll found his support at 10 percent. State Sen. Frank Wagner (Virginia Beach) ad Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, were tied at 4 percent.

The poll found that 57 percent of Republicans are undecided. The party will choose its nominee in a June primary.

[Trump win shakes up 2017 race for Virginia governor]

By margins ranging from 66 percent to 86 percent, Republicans said they did not know enough about the primary contenders to form an opinion of them.

Ever since Ed Gillespie came oh-so-close to upsetting U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner two years ago, he has had his eye on the governors mansion, Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll, said in a written statement. He enters this campaign with a solid, but by no means overwhelming, lead for the Republican nomination.

On the Democratic side, Northam has no competition to succeed term-limited Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D).

In a hypothetical general election matchup, Northam beats Gillespie 38 percent to 34 percent. The lieutenant governors lead is larger over Stewart (38-29), Wittman (39-30) and Wagner (39-30).

The poll also finds that voters approve of the job McAuliffe is doing, which could benefit Northams bid since he has worked closely with the governor. Fifty-two percent approve of McAuliffes performance, while 30 percent disapprove.

Opinions of the governor vary sharply by party. Democrats approve of the job he is doing by a huge margin, with 75 percent saying he is doing a good job and 8 percent saying he is not. Independents approve of his performance by a 52-32 percent margin. Among Republicans, 57 percent disapprove and 27 percent approve.

The Republican-controlled General Assembly gets lower marks, with 47 percent of voters approving and 31 percent disapproving  scores that were consistent with voters of all stripes.

The poll, which surveyed 1,098 Virginia voters on landlines and cellphones from Dec. 6 through Dec. 11, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The survey includes 451 Republicans, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percentage points.


Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) (Brittany Greeson/The Washington Post)

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) is calling on fellow members of Congress to delay a Dec. 19 electoral college vote because of reports about foreign interference in the presidential election aimed at helping elect Republican Donald Trump.

Recent, credible intelligence reports suggest a concerted effort by a foreign power to interfere in the outcome of the election, Beyer, a liberal Democrat, said in a statement posted to Twitter at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

I believe that Electors should be given all information relevant to this interference before they make their decisions and before they cast their votes, he tweeted.

Congress must take whatever action is necessary to protect the integrity of our democracy. I call on the leaders of Congress to delay the date of the vote for the Electoral College until an intelligence briefing has been given to each Elector.

A growing number of electors have signed an online letter requesting a briefing from U.S. intelligence agencies about the alleged interference in the election by Russia before they vote.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid also called for an intelligence briefing for electors Tuesday evening.

[What you need to know about CIA assessment of Russian hacking]

Beyer said in a midday telephone interview that his call mirrors closely what Reid said, although he did not coordinate or notify other members of Congress of his call for a delay. With due respect to the leadership, I nevertheless had a responsibility to speak out, Beyer said. Theres no such thing as a small voice. Briefing electors would only delay the electoral college vote a few days, Beyer said.

If we dont act early, and soon, we run the risk of having an illegitimate president, the freshman lawmaker said. Thats not good for Donald Trump and not good for America.

With criticism flying about the electoral college, here's what you need to know about our system for electing the president and why the "Hamilton electors" don't like it (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Beyer, who was elected to his second term in November with 71 percent of the vote, represents the liberal enclave of Alexandria, Falls Church, Arlington and part of Fairfax County. He strongly backed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for president, as did about 75 percent of voters in his district, but Beyer said his call is not about overturning the results.

Let the electors see the appropriate evidence, and then vote, he said. I personally have no proof there was interference by the Russians ... but given the CIAs well-considered report, the electors should see it.
PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump had promised to meet with the news media this week to explain how he would separate his businesss interests from the publics. That promise is no longer operative. Instead, for the time being, the public  and electors set to gather next week to ratify his victory  will have to settle for a few tweets.

Even though I am not mandated by law to do so, I will be leaving my busineses [sic] before January 20th so that I can focus full time on the Presidency. Two of my children, Don and Eric, plus executives, will manage them. No new deals will be done during my term(s) in office, Mr. Trump wrote Monday night. He said he would hold his much-anticipated news conference  which would be his first since July  sometime in the near future.

The outline of a conflict-of-interest policy he sketched on Twitter would not satisfy many ethics watchdogs. But, if filled in and adhered to, it would provide at least the beginning of some insulation between the White House and the presidents bottom line. If, as he has repeatedly said, he cares about this presidency more than he does about making a buck, he will follow up with these three steps.

First, Mr. Trump must finally release full information about his holdings in all their corporate complexity. Are there Russian investors? What are his connections in Turkey? Domestic holdings, too, could raise big questions where they are subject to federal regulations. If he cannot be open with the public on his ethical exposure, there will be no way for Americans to trust  or verify  that he is acting in their interests rather than his own.

Second, Mr. Trump must establish procedures to render him blind to the operation of his company. The executives he taps to run his firm should have no contact with him  or anyone in his family. Mr. Trump should reconsider giving responsibility to his adult children and appoint an independent caretaker.

Third, caretaker should in fact be the job description  to keep the business running, not to grow it. Mr. Trump appeared to have this in mind when he suggested that, even if his children would still be involved, they would not be striking deals. Once again, transparency will be crucial: Without more information on Mr. Trumps business holdings now, it would be hard for Americans to judge whether his executives leveraged his position to expand his company after he entered the White House.

Of course, the ideal way to avoid any potential for corruption or appearance of corruption would be for Mr. Trump to sell his holdings and establish a blind trust. But that would not be easily accomplished, as he has said. When you sell real estate, thats not like going out and selling a stock, he said in an interview with Chris Wallace on Sunday. That takes a long time. Indeed, the process of selling off real estate assets could in itself create conflicts of interest. In other words, even divestment would be inadequate without the three safeguards suggested above. If Mr. Trump wants something other than wave after wave of conflict-of-interest questions to define his presidency, he must build a high wall between his presidency and his former life.
Joomla is a widely used CMS by business owners and marketers to custom develop their promotional and e-commerce websites. For whatever purpose you maintain a website, it is very important to ensure its search engine performance in order to make your site visible to the public.

Every Internet user these days first lands on a search page to further move on to their preferred website, and if you rank low at search engines, there is hardly any scope of business through online. This article puts forth some essential aspects one should know about optimizing your website for search engines.

Optimizing your Joomla site

There are still many misconceptions lingering around SEO and when it comes to Joomla development, this gets intensified, most of the time with the ignorance of the developers and site owners. So, this blog is prepared with the objective of educating Joomla users to get a real insight about Chicago SEO with Joomla and prepare their sites accordingly.

As the primary step towards this goal, you should ensure that you have access to the following;

A Google (News - Alert) Webmaster account

Google+ Account

Google Analytics tool

Bing Webmaster Account

Next, we will take a quick overview of the other actions to perform.

Installing SH404SEF

SH404SEF is one of the most popular SEO extensions developers can use, which can give you the power of custom configuring SEO for your sites. There are more such plug-ins too, which one can consider, but SH404SEF has proven to be the mightiest among all when it comes to white hat SEO.

The most primary aspects of SEO in which SH404SEF can help include;

Making search engine friendly URLs  Making the URL search engine friendly is a sure-shot action you can take towards getting close to SEO.

SH404SEF can give you a central spot in order to update all your meta titles in the page and page descriptions.

Using XMAP and Submit

Xmap is another popular Joomla extension, which can be installed for free. You can use this tool to create site maps. Once created successfully, you can log on to Google webmaster tool to submit the sitemap of your website to be indexed adequately by Google. Proper site mapping makes it easier for the crawlers to track your website and adequately list it against relevant searches.

Blogging

This is a non-technical tip, which everyone can follow easily, but is most effective when it comes to new-age SEO. Good quality content is essential in modern SEO practices to rank better. You need to frequently post informative articles at least twice per week in order to attract more viewers to your page by offering what they need.

Do your research and find out the trending topics in your niche to write about. You can check for the suggestions from your customers or can also make use of Google auto-compete and AdWord tools to search for various top-rated blog topics to write about.

Optimizing the contact page

While developing Joomla sites, another essential, as per SEO Advise, is that your contact page should also be optimized with all vital information to help your business associate effectively with other listings over the Web. You should have all important information there as well.

Business Name in full - Address - Contact numbers (NAP).

Next, you need to effectively link your NAP to Google+ local and use the micro-data to ensure more readability. It is also advised to embed Google Maps to the contact page, which will help link your business locally and make it visible on Google Map searches.

Expanding your content

While developing Joomla websites, it is ideal to create separate pages for each service or product you offer. It is also worthwhile to create separate pages for multiple locations rather than simply dumping all information onto one page.

This effort will offer the search engines more pages with content to be more specific on what your business is doing and make it easier to tell which specific products, services, and locations are relevant on specific searches. So, diversify the content as much as possible and write unique and specific content on separate pages to engage the beneficiaries.

Ensuring website speed

It is very important to have a quick loading website. According to research, it is noted that each one-second delay can reduce conversions by 7 percent, and this may largely affect the popularity of your site if you have a slow-loading site.

The ideal loading time for your website is 1.5-2 seconds to ensure an excellent user experience and better SEO performance. Technically, Google bot can effectively crawl more pages with fewer resources, which makes the process faster and efficient in search engine ranking. To increase the speed of your Joomla site, take care of the following things;

Resize the images and infographics for faster loading.

Mind the usage of too many photos and videos on the page.

Always ensure hosting in a faster Web server.

Clear duplicate content

Look for duplicate content, which can pose a big hazard to your optimization efforts. With duplicate content, Google will not be able to determine which content is more relevant to index and give the link credit. This will ultimately end up in adversely affecting the overall ranking of the page.

You can also make use of third party tools like SEOMoz to identify duplicate content and work on it. The duplicate content which used to occur in Joomla as categories and tags etc. can be easily tracked and cleared with SH404SEF and .htaccess rewrites.

Putting the page titles as H1 tags

One key tactic to enhance the SEO performance is to tag (News - Alert) all of your pages as H1's. This is done with most of the Joomla templates, but not all of them. As the Google algorithms use H1 tags to identify the subject of the page, putting it in the right manner can help enhance your pages SEO performance.

What we have discussed above are a few quick tips for the Joomla developers to try out for better SEO performance. There are countless other tips too for on-site and off-site SEO of Joomla websites, which we may discuss in other articles in this series.

About the Author

Barrack Diego is active in online SEO communities. He posts frequently at Chicago SEO and handles the tech columns of many leading online news portals.

Edited by Alicia Young
CHINAS PRESIDENT Xi Jinping carries a big stick. He has demanded that Chinas leading news media serve the ruling Communist Party with absolute loyalty and have the party as their family name. He has launched a merciless attack on lawyers who represented dissidents or victims of human rights abuse; tried to smother freedom of expression on social media; and placed onerous restrictions on foreign nongovernmental organizations attempting to operate in China. Now the campaign for control has put higher education in its sights.

China has long controlled curriculum and speech at universities, having strong memories of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy student protests of 1989. But colleges and universities have also been something of a gray area where Western influences are evident. The party has been making renewed efforts in the past few years to impose tighter control. In 2014, Mr. Xi demanded that universities shoulder the burden of learning and researching the dissemination of Marxism, and in 2015, universities were ordered to expand classes on Marxism and socialism. Chinas education minister vowed to ban textbooks that carried Western values.

Mr. Xi told a two-day meeting of party and university officials last week in Beijing that the partys Marxist ideology must guide all of higher education. He exhorted the officials to build colleges into strongholds that adhere to Party leadership. Mr. Xis personal intervention appears to signal a determined crackdown that could reverberate for years, as has been the case in the drive against lawyers and the media.

According to a report in the South China Morning Post, party chiefs at the meeting were eager to comply. One promised that instructors political views would be made central to their performance evaluations and that party committees on campus would routinely report on the political thoughts of young lecturers. Another party official from the South China Normal University in Guangdong province said it built a database to track the political opinions of more than 2 million students. A professor with the Beijing Institute of Technology said that it planned to introduce electronic games to make political education more appealing, the article reported.

Whats wrong with this picture? Mr. Xi is demanding loyalty to an ideology that has been abandoned for some time by most Chinese , who thrive in a system of vigorous if imperfect capitalism. No amount of indoctrination is going to change that. The big bookstores in China are crowded with readers seeking the latest translations of books about entrepreneurship, but the volumes on Marx sit moldering. Moreover, university campuses where students and scholars are free to inquire and innovate without fear are more likely to contribute to a strong and healthy society than a return to the rigidity of the past would. It is telling that Mr. Xi and other Chinese leaders have sent their children off to the best U.S. universities, to be schooled in an environment of freedom. At the same time, a number of Western schools have established campuses in China; they must resist any demands for blind loyalty and ideological orthodoxy.
ON MONDAY, U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch visited a mosque in Northern Virginia, and on Tuesday she held a roundtable with LGBT youths at a New York high school. It is not happenstance that she is using her last month in office to reach out to groups that are among the most vulnerable to hate crimes. Hopefully her message will be embraced and extended by the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Ms. Lynchs visit to the All Dulles Area Muslim Society was her first to a mosque while in office and came amid what she previously characterized as an alarming rise in anti-Muslim crime. A report by the FBI last month showed reported hate crimes against Muslims increased by nearly 67 percent in 2015 compared with the previous year, making for the highest number since the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Since the election of Mr. Trump, civil rights groups and others have catalogued hundreds of incidents around the country that targeted Muslims, immigrants, blacks, Jews, women and LGBT people.

A report from the Southern Poverty Law Center documented 867 reports of harassment and intimidation in the 10 days following the Nov. 8 election. Hate crimes and incidents of racial and ethnic harassment, the report noted, have always been with us, but the targets of the post-election incidents reported they were experiencing something new, with many of the harassers invoking the name of Mr. Trump, whose campaign included thinly veiled appeals to white nationalists. Mr. Trumps perfunctory denunciation of the attacks thus far stands in disappointing contrast to Ms. Lynchs outreach or, for that matter, to then-President George W. Bushs visit to a mosque in the emotional aftermath of 9/11.

What Ms. Lynch and Mr. Bush realize is that the damage of a hate crime extends beyond the individual being targeted to an entire group of people who fear becoming the next victim. When one of us is threatened, we all have to speak out, Ms. Lynch told the interfaith gathering of Christians and Muslims in Loudoun County on Monday. Just as important is the enforcement of federal hate-crime laws, and here again there is cause for concern with the incoming administration. Mr. Trumps choice to replace Ms. Lynch as attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), vigorously opposed expansion of federal hate-crime protections in 2009; if confirmed, he will have great sway in deciding the direction of the Justice Department. It is important that Senate confirmation hearings press Mr. Sessions on where ensuring just and fair treatment for all Americans ranks in his priorities.
The Dec. 11 editorial Let the Peace Cross stand opined in favor of retaining a cross on public land and visible to thousands of passing vehicles for the sake of history. Hey, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and atheists did not matter in 1925, when the cross was erected to honor World War Is fallen soldiers. Who could possibly be harmed by viewing a cross? Perhaps todays religious minorities.

Marvin Friedlander, Fairfax

I agree with the conclusion of the editorial. The Peace Cross was meant specifically to honor the 49 soldiers from Prince Georges County who died in World War I. While many American Jews and other non-Christians died in service during World War I, perhaps none of those were from Prince Georges County. Is not this cross akin to the individual crosses, Stars of David and other religious symbols that mark tombstones in Americas national cemeteries?

Barry Mendelsohn, Ashburn
Intelligence officers like to distinguish between knowable secrets that spies can steal and fuzzier mysteries that have to be assessed without final, definitive proof. The intent of Russias covert meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election is probably somewhere between the two.

But after conversations with a half-dozen knowledgeable sources, here are two simple judgments: Russias secret hacking against Democratic Party officials threatened the integrity of the U.S. political system. And President-elect Donald Trump shouldnt have criticized the CIA after its analysts told Congress about the Kremlins efforts. Trump, unbelievably, seemed to be taking a potential adversarys side against his own nations intelligence professionals.

The Russian hacking scandal went into overdrive last weekend after CIA analysts warned Congress on Thursday that the goal of Russian hackers hadnt simply been to destabilize our political system, as previously thought, but to boost Trump and undermine his opponent, Hillary Clinton. That stronger judgment, first reported by The Post, is said to have been based on an evolving analysis, rather than a smoking gun.

President Obama had been notified earlier, in his daily intelligence brief and other documents, of this tougher evaluation. Early last week, he ordered Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr., a 50-year veteran of the spy business, to conduct an assessment of the evidence that could be completed by Jan. 20 and presented to Trump as a set of lessons learned about foreign political meddling, including Chinas cyberattacks in the 2008 election as well as Russias actions.

The evidence that led CIA analysts to conclude that Moscows aim in 2016 was to help Trump  rather than simply spread confusion  was based on a variety of sources. One indication was that the Russians didnt disseminate information from their snooping into Republican files, as they had with the product of hacking against Democrats; the Russians also didnt disseminate material after Trumps victory. The CIA had other, more sensitive evidence that officials wont discuss.

CIA officials told senators it is now quite clear that electing Donald Trump was Russias goal. In an interview on Fox News Sunday on Dec. 11, President-elect Trump denied the CIA's assessment. (Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

An administration official wouldnt comment on whether Obama had shared with Trump the intelligence assessment and plan for wider review. But its unlikely such an important decision wouldnt have been conveyed to his transition team, which makes Trumps Twitter blasts at the CIA last weekend all the more puzzling and disturbing.

Obamas somewhat cautious response to Russias covert intervention angers some Democrats. Rep. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview Tuesday that he had been urging the White House since August to identify Russian hackers, talk with allies about imposing sanctions and take clandestine steps to deter Russia from further meddling.

Had the administration begun months ago, we would now be much further along, Schiff said. Failure to push back against Russia was seen by them as an open door. . . . There need to be costs or they will do it again.

Schiff said he had no doubt the Russians wanted to hurt Clinton and help Trump. In Russias eyes, he said, Clinton had sought to undermine President Vladimir Putin after the 2011 parliamentary elections and to foment color revolutions in areas of Russian influence. Trump, by contrast, had lauded Putin, suggested lifting sanctions and belittled NATO.

Schiff said Obama had initially resisted calls to name and shame Russia for its hacking because the president feared it would sow doubt about the elections and play into Russias hands by acknowledging what they were doing. Obama eventually agreed to an Oct. 7 public statement that Russias senior-most officials had authorized actions intended to interfere with the U.S. election process.

According to Schiff, the administration didnt take further public steps after Oct. 7 because Obama feared it could risk escalation, including dumping of forged documents, in ways that would have further destabilized the election.

Theres no question the White House worried, right up to Election Day, that Russian hackers might ignite what was already a toxic, combustible political environment. Trumps bogus claims that the election was rigged and that he might not accept the outcome added to Obamas concerns.

Obama has five weeks left to shape the transition and deter Russian actions. The administration doesnt rule out the possibility of taking covert action in retaliation, which officials privately said hadnt been done before the election. The rubric now is simply that the administration will respond at a time and place of its choosing.

Perhaps the trickiest task will fall to Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), Trumps nominee to head the CIA. He must reassure a battered agency workforce that the next administration values its own intelligence officers and is vigilant against machinations by foreign spies.

Read more from David Ignatiuss archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Donald Trump is seen speaking through a camera at a news conference in February in Hanahan, S.C. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

In the Trump movie now playing in the American theater, connecting all the dots requires the artistry of a mapmaker and the insight of a psychic.

Or, perhaps, the critical eye of a movie reviewer.

The leading man, President-elect Donald Trump, is gradually revealing himself to be a hybrid of Daniel Plainview (There Will Be Blood), Keyser Soze (The Usual Suspects) and Gordon Gekko (Wall Street)  each a Machiavellian, sociopathic narcissist bent on reshaping the world in his own image.

Not to put too fine a point on it.

Whomever people thought they were voting for, sayonara to all that. The Trump of Fifth Avenue has returned to his palace. Hes the star of his own movie, and everyone else, especially the Republican base he so skillfully seduced, is mere crowd scenery. Sorry.

There are alliances, a mansion and a lot of time in spent in the "confessional." (Nicki DeMarco/The Washington Post)

It is probably time to concede that, notwithstanding his apparent lack of complex articulation skills, Trump is smarter than he pretended. From the beginning, everything he has done has been calculated toward a reordering of the universe. A better actor than orator, he performed as circumstances required  the everyman, the comedian, the boaster, the flirter, the winker and, finally, the world champ  and plundered the imaginations of the wanting.

It must have been a supreme test of will to keep his true intentions to himself and his gaze steady upon the prize until, by some miracle (or however you say that in Russian), he won.

As the transition unfolds, new stars cascading into a constellation of superpower, the moviegoer willingly suspends disbelief in passive acceptance of whatevers to come. Trump instinctively understands that he must feed the suspense, both to hold his audiences attention and to keep them distracted while hes busy masterminding his biggest deal ever  to Russia with love.

Whether it was his false courtship of Mitt Romney or Tuesdays bizarre meeting with Kanye West, everything seems designed to distract and entertain the masses. His Romneyvous in a public dining display apparently was a setup for his ultimate rejection of one of his fiercest critics.

His selection of former Texas governor Rick Perry to run the Energy Department was a masterful prank, with lots of laughs to come. Energy, of course, was the very department Perry couldnt recall when, unforgettably, his brain froze during a 2011 Republican debate. Secretary Oops?

All the while, Trump was focused on his future with Russia and Vladimir Putin, whose leadership the president-elect has publicly admired. In July, during the last news conference Trump has held, he openly requested Russias help in defeating Hillary Clinton.

Russia, if youre listening, I hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing, he said, referring to messages deleted from Clintons personal server.

Trump later dismissed the comment as a joke, but you know what they say about truths cloaked in jest. Recently, the CIA affirmed that Russia did interfere with the election by hacking the Democratic National Committees computers and releasing damaging information via WikiLeaks.

True to character, Trump called the report ridiculous and said the whole thing was a fabrication by Democrats. Former U.N. ambassador John Bolton, reportedly in line to be named deputy secretary of state, called the CIAs conclusion that Russia meddled in the election to help Trump a false flag. He then added that the Obama administration has spent the past eight years politicizing intelligence.

Meanwhile, Trumps pal Roger Stone, a Republican operative, claims to have had back-channel communication with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. How are those dots coming along?

Trump has always said that building a relationship with Russia is essential to defeating the Islamic State. But Russia has been assisting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in bombing the city of Aleppo, which is occupied by insurgents, not terrorists.

Into this fracas enters ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson, Trumps choice for secretary of state, whose business relationships with Russia have raised concerns. In a fresh twist, Tillerson is a globalist who supports open trade and has praised the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Trump campaigned against. Might the president-elect be open to negotiating another of his promises?

To the critics eye, a Trump-Putin-Exxon alliance  the autocrat and plutocrats assisted by generals  does not suggest a triumph of altruism. But, relax, its just a movie. And centralized casting is watching you.

Read more from Kathleen Parkers archive, follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook.
Labor Secretary Tom Perez will launch a campaign to be Democratic National Committee chairman this week, becoming the first serious challenger to Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) for a lead role in rebuilding a shellshocked party.

According to two sources familiar with Perezs thinking, he will announce his candidacy Thursday, a day after a planned rally for Ellison with the American Federation of Teachers and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

The announcement would come after weeks of quiet pressure on Perez to give Democrats another alternative to the Minneapolis congressman. The New York Times first reported his plans.

A spokesman for Ellison said there would be no comment until Perez made his bid official, but the two other candidates for the job welcomed him to the race.

Toms a good friend, a great Democrat, and I welcome him to the race, said Jaime Harrison, the chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Im a firm believer that iron sharpens iron.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) served two terms in Minnesotas legislature and has served five terms in Congress. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

I spoke with Secretary Perez today [and] welcomed him to the discussion about the future of the Democratic Party, said Ray Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party. I am confident by the time the DNC meets in 10 weeks, the party will have had ample opportunity to hear our plans and participate in an open and vibrant process.

Each candidate comes from the progressive wing of the party; there is no discussion, as there was after the partys 1988 or 2004 defeats, of tacking right.

Pete Buttigieg, the 34-year-old mayor of South Bend, Ind., who has already earned a shoutout from President Obama, also is considering a run, according to Democrats familiar with his plans.

Buttigieg, whom some Democrats had hoped would consider higher office in Indiana, is said to have concluded that a DNC post would be a better use of his talents, according to people who have spoken with him.

He earned national attention for his innovative work in the industrial city and also because he is gay. A New York Times op-ed in the summer touted him as potentially the nation's first gay president

Meanwhile, theres less drama in the race to lead the Republican National Committee, where president-elect Donald Trump is expected to endorse either Georgia strategist Nick Ayers or Michigan GOP chair Ronna Romney-McDaniel as a successor to incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus.

Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, was the first candidate in the DNC race, with backing from Sanders and incoming Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).

When the DNC opened up, [Sanders] called me and said we need to make the DNC not a fundraising and political organization but a true organizing tool, Schumer told The Washington Post earlier this month. I said, Youre exactly right. And he says, The guy to do it is Keith Ellison. 

Since then, Ellison has fended off fresh stories about his support for the Nation of Islam when he was younger and his criticism of Israels treatment of Palestinian citizens. The stories were not surprising, echoing the attacks that have come Ellisons way whenever his profile had risen.

Privately, Democrats say Ellison has locked up the support of perhaps one-eighth of the 450-odd voting DNC members. The Anti-Defamation League, which initially praised Ellison, admitted serious doubts about him after conservative media publicized a 2010 speech in which the congressman suggested a country of 7 million people had too much weight in Americas approach to the Middle East.

He is clearly an anti-Semite and anti-Israel individual, Haim Saban, an Israeli-American businessman and a Democratic Party donor, said at a December policy forum endowed by his donations. Keith Ellison would be a disaster for the relationship between the Jewish community and the Democratic Party.

Ellison has apologized for some of his old remarks, writing in a Washington Post op-ed this month that he rejected all forms of racism and anti-Semitism but should have listened more and talked less. In interviews Wednesday, neither Ellisons rivals nor the state party chairs who will vote on the next chairman criticized his old remarks. The bigger stumbling block had been that Ellison serves in Congress  a problem he had ameliorated, at a DNC gathering last week, by saying he would quit that job if elected.

Perezs decision is seen as an effort by the exiting Obama-era leadership to keep control of the party in trusted hands. For Sanders supporters, for whom Hillary Clintons loss provided bitter vindication, thats a strike against Perez. From inside the Obama administration, Perez had supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a non-starter for many progressives.

A Perez candidacy will undoubtedly create another Clinton-vs.-Sanders debate and divide the party, said Jane Fleming Kleeb, a climate change activist and Ellison backer who chairs the Nebraska Democrats. Tom Perez is another suit, and we dont need another suit running the party. We need someone from middle America who knows how to organize and respects the grass roots.

Perez, who has not commented on the DNC run, has less of an electoral record to present. The Detroit-born Ellison served two terms in Minnesotas legislature and five terms in Congress, and he cites that as proof he can turn out the electorate that will bring Democrats back across the country. Perez never won an office higher than county council in Maryland. In the summer, Progressive Change Campaign Committee founder Adam Green said that Perez would be a fine choice for vice president; today, he argued that Ellison clearly outclassed the labor secretary when it came to leading the DNC.

Hopefully [Perez] will be attorney general someday, Green said in a statement. His mind is needed on important policy issues, and he could be a leader right now helping Silicon Valley companies figure out a gig economy that works for workers. He has a different set of superpowers than those needed to be the DNC Chair.

Perezs relatively late decision also came after major labor unions, including the AFL-CIO and AFT, had gotten behind Ellison. We love Tom Perez, said AFT president Randi Weingarten. We have worked with Tom, and hes done a great job as secretary of labor, but Keith is an organizer who can unite and rebuild the party from the grass roots up.

For Ellisons backers in the states, the choice was simple: They knew Ellison, and he knew them. Martha Laning, the chairman of Wisconsins Democrats, credited Ellison with coming to the state for low-profile visits that revved up activists.

He didnt just come in and give a speech and leave, said Laning. He really talked to the people. We just had an election where rural areas that had voted Democratic in the past voted for Donald Trump, so we need to rebuild from the grass roots up.

Kleeb gave Ellison similar praise for a speech at the partys annual fundraising dinner. If elected, she said, he could be counted on to help Democrats in places theyd seemingly cut loose  and to follow activists where they were leading.

I havent seen Tom Perez at the front of marches in the last 10 years, said Kleeb. He could have used his position as secretary to bring together labor and environmentalists to talk about jobs. We were crying out for that type of leadership, and he failed.

Ed OKeefe and John Wagner contributed to this report.
President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence greet each other during an event at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on Dec. 08, 2016. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Officially, Mike Pence is the vice president-elect, the head of President-elect Donald Trumps transition team and the governor of Indiana.

Unofficially, some Republicans see a few more titles in front of his name.

It seems like hes taken on the role of explainer-in-chief, said Rep. Charlie Dent (Pa.), a centrist Republican who did not support Trump in the campaign.

Hes the comforter-in-chief, said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group. That role works . . . because everyone respects his integrity and likes him personally.

Speaking to reporters in front of Trump Tower, Dec. 13, Vice President-elect Mike Pence lauded President-elect Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, saying he has "proven leadership" and "the caliber of experience the American people are coming to expect." (The Washington Post)

After Trump was elected, some Republicans were nervous about how he would govern and how closely his agenda would align with their traditional conservative priorities. In Pence, a soft-spoken former congressman with deep roots in Republican politics, many hear a reassuring and familiar voice who has mollified some of their concerns.

In speeches and conversations with elected officials, donors and other party power brokers, Pence has talked up the next administrations desire to undo President Obamas signature health-care law, nominate a staunchly conservative Supreme Court justice and implement deep tax cuts  policies mainstream Republicans have craved.

When Trump rattles them with unorthodox ideas  as he did when he threatened to impose tariffs on companies shipping operations overseas  Pence seems to always be there to try to soothe their discomfort.

The vice president-elect has also become an ambassador to some of Trumps fiercest Republican critics in the campaign, such as former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, whom Trump met with Monday, and Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), who sat down with the vice-president elect last week.

All of this has put Pence on a trajectory to be a potentially powerful vice president. Already, he is drawing comparisons to the last Republican to hold that office, Richard B. Cheney, who had immense influence in the West Wing.

My observation is that Mike Pence will be as powerful a vice president in domestic policy as Vice President Cheney was in foreign policy, said Bobbie Kilberg, a longtime Republican fundraiser. I think there is a significant parallel.

But the value of that power, particularly with Congress, will be closely tied to Trumps popularity with voters.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence walks out to speak during an event at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

If you lose your political stroke and your favorability . . . well then I dont care how good the salesman is then, youre going to have a problem moving the product, said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a Pence supporter who noted that Cheney initially could move a lot of votes, but as Bushs popularity declined, so did the vice presidents influence on the Hill.

Pence, whose boss does not like to be upstaged, is wary of being viewed as playing an outsize role behind the scenes or as the person who has to explain Trump to fellow Republicans.

He believes the president-elect has a very unique and clear way of communicating, said Marc Short, a senior adviser to Pence. He would reject the notion that the president-elect needs to have an explainer-in-chief or a comforter-in-chief.

Trump has repeatedly praised Pence publicly. But he has also sought to make clear who is in charge.

He is a great guy. Thats one of my great decisions. Hes a friend of mine, but hes a great guy. Hasnt he done a good job? Trump asked at a rally in Des Moines last week.

[The latest on Donald Trumps Cabinet picks]

In the span of a few hours one day last week, Pences impact on the incoming administration could be seen as his outreach to Republicans extended from the hallways of the Capitol building to a glitzy hotel ballroom at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.

He attended Senate Republicans weekly lunch on Dec. 6, which he hopes to continue doing when he is in town, and used his remarks to underscore the importance of fighting the health-care law known as Obamacare and assert that tax reform is a real and achievable goal, according to a person familiar with the conversation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private meeting.

Later, Pence met privately with Sasse, one of the most vocal Republican Trump critics during the campaign. Sasses office called the meeting productive. Short called Sasse an up and coming leader whom Pence and the new administration look forward to working with.

In the evening, Pence addressed wealthy patrons of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, at a fundraising dinner in the new Trump International Hotel a few blocks from the White House.

Donors dined on a roasted grape and kale salad and beef tenderloin, and Pence went point by point through Trumps most urgent legislative priorities: repealing Obamacare, reinforcing national defense, putting a conservative jurist on the Supreme Court to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia and slashing taxes across the board.

[Pence claims Trump has mandate in speech laying out conservative agenda]

He also defended Trump for helping broker the deal with furnace and air-conditioner manufacturer Carrier to keep about 800 jobs in the United States. The move drew charges of crony capitalism from some conservatives.

Make no mistake about it: Our president-elect and I believe fervently in the free market, Pence said. But you cannot say you are for free markets and stand by while an avalanche of higher taxes, regulations and big government stifle out the competitiveness of the American economy.

Trumps tweet a few days earlier warning he would slap a 35 percent tariff on products sold in the United States by companies that outsource operations concerned right-leaning groups such as the anti-tax Club for Growth and spurred further worries about Trumps corporate intervention.

During the dinner, Pence once again sought to heal some of the wounds left over from the campaign, inviting Fiorina to stand and the crowd to applaud her for being a great, great voice for American conservatism. During the campaign, Fiorina said she was horrified by Trump, and Trump once appeared to insult Fiorinas appearance.

Following her meeting with Trump on Monday, Fiorina praised the Cabinet being put together by the president-elect.

The high quality of people that hes named already says so much about his executive abilities, she told reporters. But it also says that people recognize the opportunity that our new president-elect has to really make a huge impact on peoples lives in this country and on events around the world. So it was an honor for me to be there.

Beyond opening a dialogue between the incoming administration and its critics, Pence has also left a mark on the team Trump is assembling. He championed Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) to be nominated for CIA director and Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) for health and human services secretary, people familiar with the process said.

But some Pence allies have been passed over. Trump chose former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin for treasury secretary, not Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.).

Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), a Trump ally who is serving as the transition teams liaison to Congress, predicted Pence will be the administrations key point person working with GOP congressional leaders. Pence knows many members from his days as the House Republican Conference chairman from 2009 to 2011.

It will be a vice president with a real meat-and-potatoes job description, Collins said.

Pence likes to introduce himself in speeches as a Christian, a conservative and a Republican  in that order. Some religious conservative leaders see him as a figure who will give a voice to their causes in the White House.

Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, has known Pence for two decades. From Pence, Perkins said, he hopes Trump will learn to be open about faith and conservative principles.

Pence has not compartmentalized his life, Perkins said. And I think it would be great benefit to the president to do the same. I think hell have that opportunity, to have someone beside him that is guided by faith and his relationship with God.

The contrasts between Pence and Trump have been clear to many Republicans since Trump tapped him as his running mate in July. But Pence appears determined to try to convince his party that Trump is not all that dissimilar from him  and them.

I often tell people that, you know, other than a whole lot of zeros, Donald Trump and I have lot in common, Pence said in his speech at the Heritage Foundation dinner.

Robert Samuels contributed to this report.
Shelling resumed in Aleppo on Dec. 14, and evacuations from the besieged Syrian city stalled despite a deal brokered the day before to allow trapped civilians and rebels to leave. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Shelling resumed in Aleppo on Dec. 14, and evacuations from the besieged Syrian city stalled despite a deal brokered the day before to allow trapped civilians and rebels to leave. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

A deal for Syrian rebels and civilians to leave their shattered stronghold in eastern Aleppo broke down Wednesday as fresh fighting raged and evacuation buses were forced to turn away.

Brokered by Russia and Turkey, the pact began with a cease-fire that was supposed to be followed by evacuations at dawn, ending one of the most intense and bloody battles of the five-year civil war.

But by late morning Wednesday, those terms already seemed defunct.

The clashes are violent, and bombardment is very heavy, said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It seems as though everything is finished.

After a month-long offensive, government loyalists have surrounded the rebels in a tiny pinprick of territory of the strategic northern city. Hundreds of civilians have been killed. Many have been buried in shallow mass graves.

On Wednesday, large explosions echoed through audio recordings sent from the enclave. Airstrikes were also reported, after the skies cleared from a heavy storm that had brought respite to civilians trapped below.

And as news broke that the evacuation buses were returning to their depots, relief from the night before turned to confusion and despair.

We want to leave . . . we dont want more massacres, let us leave, what is happening, wrote Yasser Hemeish, a former accountant, in a message to journalists.

A video shared on social media showed dozens of children huddled in a basement orphanage. Contacted by phone, the director, Asmar al-Halabi, paused as the sound of warplanes echoed over the phone. Can you hear that? he asked. The children are downstairs  they are terrified.

[Endgame for Aleppo]

Rebel officials and a U.N. representative contacted by the Agence France-Presse news agency said the withdrawal deal had broken down after Iran  a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad  imposed new conditions, saying it wanted the simultaneous evacuation of wounded from two villages besieged by opposition fighters.

Despite Russian and Turkish attempts to revive the deal, there were doubts over whether Iran or the Syrian government, whose cooperation will be needed, are ready to allow rebels to leave now that they are surrounded.

Violence on the ground may already have overtaken diplomacy.

In rejecting the Iranian demand, rebels shelled the villages Wednesday in retaliation. According to a local doctor, pro-government forces then responded by launching mortar attacks on the beleaguered town of Madaya, where residents have starved to death.

In Aleppo, a delayed deal and surge in fighting would deepen an already desperate crisis inside the remaining opposition-held districts. U.N. war crimes investigators said Wednesday that the Syrian government would be responsible for preventing revenge attacks by its troops or allied forces as they swept through what remained of the rebel area.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Tuesday that it had received reports that 82 people  including women and children  were shot in their homes or as they fled.

Assads forces have been bolstered in Aleppo by Iran-backed Shiite militias with a dark track record of torture and summary executions.

Rebel forces in Aleppo said Tuesday that they had launched their own military action. Syrian state television said shelling killed six civilians in the government-held Bustan al-Qasr district. Car bombs also were apparently used elsewhere.

With the tide of Syrias war turned firmly in Assads favor, pockets of resistance across the country have been forced  often through starvation sieges  into surrender deals that culminate in local fighters boarding buses and heading to the northern province of Idlib.

The evacuation of Aleppos rebel-held east would be the largest of its kind, and the biggest victory to date for Assad in a conflict that has smashed much of the country and left hundreds of thousands of people dead.

Pressed by reporters about the U.S. response to the bloodshed, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the Obama administration continues to support humanitarian assistance and seek a negotiated end to the conflict. He rejected suggestions that the United States has a responsibility to do more to halt the violence.

He said the Syrian regime has crossed all the lines, bombing and starving its own citizens, in its attempt to consolidate power. They do cross just about every line that I can think of, Earnest said. And frankly, they cross lines I hadnt previously thought of.

What kind of civilized country is going to support those tactics? But thats what Russia has done, he added.

Secretary of State John F. Kerry spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday about the situation in Aleppo, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

Asked what new actions the United States could take in an attempt to change the equation in Syria, Kirby said the United States has a range of options at its disposal, but he declined to provide specifics.

Ryan reported from Washington. Heba Habib in Stockholm and Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul contributed to this report.

Read more:

Endgame in Aleppo, the most decisive battle of Syrias war

Syrian forces push Aleppos residents to the brink

Hundreds of men vanish as they flee Aleppo, U.N. official says

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Brutality allegations against Vice President Abdurrashid Dostum have thrown the Afghan government into an uproar, with President Ashraf Ghani facing intense international pressure to investigate the case and aides to the powerful former warlord claiming the charges are part of a political plot against him.

Ghani met with a group of foreign ambassadors at his palace Wednesday to discuss their concerns. Sources familiar with the meeting said there were hints that some foreign aid might be withheld unless swift action is taken, but they also said Ghani was furious at Dostum and reassured the group that he wanted him brought to justice.

[Afghan vice president accused of brutal assault on former governor]

Dostum, a mercurial former general and ethnic Uzbek militia leader who has previously been accused of human rights abuses, allegedly beat and stomped on Ahmad Ishchi, a former provincial governor and political rival, in front of hundreds of people at a polo match several weeks ago.

From there, Ishchi said in a TV interview Tuesday, he was taken prisoner in Dostums compound in northern Afghanistan, where Dostum allegedly brutalized him and ordered his guards to rape the white-bearded man. Ishchi was released after five days through negotiations with local elders.

Ahmad Ishchi, who says he was beaten and detained by Afghan Vice President Abdurrashid Dostum, speaks during an interview at his home in Kabul. (Omar Sobhani/Reuters)

Dostum, 62, has remained in his compound in Jowzjan province and has not spoken publicly about the accusations, but aides from his party held a news conference at his ornate office in the Afghan capital Wednesday, where they charged that the reports were a fabrication and part of a domestic and foreign conspiracy to discredit Dostum.

The vice president has been in a running battle for several months with Ghani, who once denounced him as a warlord but selected him as a running mate in 2014 because he commanded wide electoral support among ethnic minority groups in his northern regional stronghold.

Dostum, who was nearly killed in a Taliban attack on his convoy several months ago, harshly criticized the government for not protecting him and then accused Ghanis national security adviser of plotting the attack.

Ahama Tahij, the spokesman for his National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan party, said Wednesday that Dostum was the victim of an organized conspiracy by internal and foreign groups. He said Ishchi had been collaborating with anti-government groups and was arrested by security forces upon being released from Dostums compound.

Tahij said the party obeys the law and welcomes a fair probe into the case, but he also said a delegation from Dostum that met Wednesday with Ghani had been assured that the problem would be solved through a traditional meeting of elders and in consultation with other groups.

[Divisions within Afghanistans government reach a new crisis point]

Diplomatic sources said the president was determined to make sure the case was investigated and referred to judicial authorities. One diplomat said Ghani had spent two years in office tolerating bad behavior by former warlords to avoid political tensions, but that this incident might be the breaking point.

A government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said that if Dostum were prosecuted and found guilty of the alleged assaults, he would be removed from his post. Sources said Ghani met Wednesday with Abdullah Abdullah, the governments chief executive, and with senior court officials to discuss further steps.

Politically, it would still be risky for Ghani to move against Dostum. The rogue former militia leader commands a large number of armed men, and he is a longtime rival of other ethnic leaders in northern Afghanistan. Observers said he could retaliate violently against the government or attempt to destabilize it politically.

In parliament Tuesday, a heated debate erupted between legislators who called for Dostum to be prosecuted, saying he had brought shame to the country, and supporters who insisted he was the victim of a plot.

Tahij said Dostum had been elected by the people in a package along with Ghani and that the controversy would not harm his position.

Read more:

Between panic and euphoria, Pakistan tries to figure out Donald Trump

Finally, Afghanistan is trying to penetrate and purge high-level corruption

Afghans are rooting for Zalmay Khalilzad to end up in Trump administration

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Syrians evacuated from Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite villages under rebel siege, are welcomed by pro-government forces as they arrive in Jibrin, on the eastern outskirts of Aleppo.

Dec. 19, 2016 Syrians evacuated from Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite villages under rebel siege, are welcomed by pro-government forces as they arrive in Jibrin, on the eastern outskirts of Aleppo. George Ourfalian/AFP/Getty Images

When Syrian rebels surged into Aleppo in the summer of 2012, it was the high point of their still young, still idealistic revolution against President Bashar al-Assad.

Four and a half years and hundreds of thousands of deaths later, troops loyal to his government were poised to take the city back, heralding the end of an era for the rebellion.

With the rebels clinging to a tiny pinprick of territory in one corner of the city, it is now only a matter of time before the government reclaims full control over the countrys biggest metropolis, an architectural and historical jewel that has now become a symbol of the catastrophe of the Syrian war.

A deal brokered by Russia and Turkey to rescue the tens of thousands of people still trapped by the fighting stalled on Wednesday amid indications that the Syrian government and allied Iraqi militias do not agree with the plan to evacuate fighters and civilians to rebel-held territory elsewhere.

Residents reported renewed artillery attacks on the rebel-held enclave and a brief cease-fire intended to facilitate the evacuations appeared to be breaking down.

Details of the civilian evacuation deal reached in Syria remain unclear. Among the questions: Where will the evacuated be taken and what might the rebel fighters face? (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

But details were unclear, and U.S. officials said they were doubtful it would be implemented fully, if at all.

We remain skeptical, said one U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a quickly changing situation. Weve seen these kind of declarations before by the Russians and the regime, and just as many times weve seen them violated and broken.

[How the Syrian revolt went so horribly, tragically wrong]

If the evacuation does not go ahead, an even bigger nightmare could unfold, U.N. agencies and human rights groups warned. Jens Laerke, the U.N. humanitarian spokesman, called the scenario in Aleppo a complete meltdown of humanity.

There have already been disturbing reports of abuses as Assad loyalists converged in recent days on former strongholds of rebels who had been fighting the government. The U.N. Human Rights Council said it was given the names of 82 civilians who were summarily executed in two neighborhoods on Monday. According to Rupert Colville, spokesman for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the reports asserted that Syrian soldiers and allied Iraqi militiamen entered homes and killed people on the spot. Among them were 11 women and 13 children, he said.

Tens of thousands of people who fled the neighborhoods overrun in recent days have sought refuge in the tiny enclave still under opposition control, joining the residents who were already there and creating chaos in the cramped streets. People stumbled over the bodies of the dead as they fled for their lives ahead of advancing government troops, and they now fear for their lives should they be caught, said Zouhir al-Shimale, an activist who lives in one of the last rebel-held neighborhoods.

Most people now only want the chance to escape the area safely, and they welcomed the news of Tuesdays deal with a kind of shock of happiness, said Shimale, who was among those who joined in the uprising against Assads rule. But now, he said, all anyone can think about is getting out.





Its dead. Its over, and no one cares, he said.

The rout of the rebels gives the Assad government its biggest victory yet in the five-year-old war. It wont, however, change the course of the conflict, which was all but sealed by Russias military intervention more than a year ago. That Assad is in no danger of being toppled has been clear since Russian airstrikes began turning back rebel gains, putting beyond doubt that the opposition would ever be able to overthrow his regime in Damascus.

It also wont end the war. The rebels still control large areas of northwestern Syria, much of the countryside of southern Syria and several pockets of territory around Damascus and near Homs.

But the endgame in Aleppo does change the parameters of the conflict, leaving the rebels with no hold over any strategically significant area of the country and no real bargaining chip to try to force the government into a negotiated settlement. Coming weeks before the inauguration of a new U.S. president, Donald Trump, it leaves the Obama administrations five-year-old policy of using rebel gains to force Assad to compromise in shreds.

The bloodshed could now intensify, diplomats fear, as an emboldened government, backed by its Russian and Iranian allies, steps up its efforts to fulfill Assads promise to reclaim all of the territory lost to the rebels.

Whether they can, at least anytime soon, is a different question. It has been three years since government forces turned the tide in Aleppo and began taking back rebel areas.

And the war, which has claimed, by most estimates, at least 400,000 lives, has since become much more complicated.

The Islamic State now controls more than a third of the eastern part of the country, and has drawn the United States into Syrias war. While attention was focused on the battle for Aleppo, the militants recaptured the Syrian city of Palmyra, overrunning in just three days loyalist positions that had been depleted by diversions to the Aleppo front.

[The Islamic State has been a catastrophe for Sunnis]

Syrian Kurds are now governing a big area in northeastern Syria that Assad has also said he wants to reclaim. Turkish troops have intervened in another area of the north of the country and control a chunk of territory alongside a force of allied rebels.

Two things are absolutely clear here, said the U.S. official. One, the regime doesnt have capability to end this war, even with Russias backing, and the scorched-earth approach that theyre taking is only going to attract more extremists.

Aleppo will nonetheless be remembered as a symbolic milestone, the final death of a dream of a more democratic Syria that had waned long ago. The brutality of the government crackdown and the reluctance of world powers to pressure the Assad regime into softening its tactics exposed shortcomings in the global system of laws and norms designed to ameliorate the suffering of civilians in war.

Aleppo represents the death of respect for international law and the rules of war, according to David Miliband, who heads the International Rescue Committee, an aid agency.

U.S. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), who have long advocated a more assertive U.S. policy toward Syria, said Aleppo would go down in history as one of the great failures of the international community to halt human rights abuses.

The name Aleppo will echo through history, like Srebrenica and Rwanda, as a testament to our moral failure and everlasting shame, the senators said, citing the locations of major atrocities in the Bosnian war and in Africa.

And Aleppo also became a symbol of the failures of the Syrian revolution, which began with peaceful protests against a dictatorial regime but mutated into an armed rebellion that also violated many of those international rules.

In Aleppo, rebels looted homes and factories. They squabbled, fragmented and turned on one another, even in the last days of the siege, battling one another for control over stockpiled weapons, according to rebel commanders and residents of the city. A sizable number embraced the extremist visions of Islam that so alarmed the United States and its Western allies that promises of more significant support were never fulfilled.

And now the shattered city stands as a symbol, too, of a wrecked and polarized country. West Aleppo, which always remained in government hands, is still largely intact, though rebel shelling killed many civilians there as well. Tens of thousands of civilians from eastern Syria have sought refuge there in recent days, streaming across the front line clutching bags and blankets.

East Aleppo, which was under rebel control, is destroyed.

Syrian state television broadcast live footage throughout the day on Tuesday showing its reporters roaming through the ruins of the newly reconquered neighborhoods, trumpeting the governments victory as they climbed over piles of rubble, peered into abandoned homes and sifted through the remains of rebel defenses. There was no other sign of life in the empty streets.

Ryan reported from Washington. Heba Habib in Stockholm and Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul contributed to this report.
They are the family at the center of it all, the standard-bearers of Europes right-wing populism and an anti-establishment establishment.

The Le Pen dynasty has presided over Frances National Front from its inception, guiding the party from the fringes of political life to the center stage. Its success has in turn spurred similar movements across the continent, the first in a populist upheaval that now spans from Hungary to the Netherlands to Britain. Once unthinkable, a National Front victory is now a serious prospect in Frances 2017 presidential election. Whether or not the party wins, the Le Pen family ideology will remain  a new normal in a drastically altered political landscape.

The astonishing success of the National Front is inextricably tied to the evolution of the Le Pens from a family who preached outright xenophobia to a clan of savvy insiders who rely on loaded euphemisms and the latent anxieties of voters. But despite the familys remarkable political advances, there is trouble in the ranks  a heated dispute among the generations of this most disruptive of dynasties over their future direction. On the eve of the most important election in their partys history, how the family handles these tensions could make all the difference.

[Rhetoric of fascism is rising in U.S. and Europe, says U.N. rights chief]

The story of the Le Pens begins with Jean-Marie Le Pen, the octogenarian patriarch and convicted Holocaust denier who co-founded the National Front in the early 1970s and gave it the reputation for racism and especially anti-Semitism. Then there is his estranged daughter, the outspoken Marine Le Pen, who dramatically severed all ties with her father to boost her chances to win the presidency next year. And finally, there is Marion Marechal-Le Pen, 26, whose hard-line social conservatism has put her at odds with her aunts campaign.

The two women exemplify the divisions in a party for which the doors of power, analysts say, have finally begun to crack open.

Marine Le Pen, in the midst of her campaign, has sought to project an image of seriousness, competence and composure. Although she has been married and divorced twice, her private life is rarely a matter of tabloid speculation. A former lawyer, she always measures her words carefully. And while she has heralded the victory of Donald Trump in the United States, she does not emulate his tactics  her Twitter account does not attack private citizens or scandalize the French foreign-policy establishment in the same way.

To cleanse the party of her fathers legacy, Le Pen has also sought to present a new, more mainstream image of the National Front, despite maintaining its extreme anti-immigrant and anti-Europe bottom line. The French call this the de-demonization of the party.

For scholar Nonna Mayer, an expert in the partys history at Sciences Po in Paris, Le Pens aim has been to make the party look nicer, a party like the others, presenting the National Front as the guardian of democracy against Islam and defending the rights of men, gays and Jews.

[Can Trumps win boost far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen?]

To that end, Le Pens campaign materials have all conspicuously omitted her last name and the name of her party.

Furthermore, she has heavily used the color blue throughout, a color traditionally reserved for Frances Socialist Party. And now, according to polling data, the National Front has the support of more working-class voters than any other political party in France.

By contrast, Marion Marechal-Le Pen often seems closer to her grandfather than her aunt. She is a young firebrand with a stronger commitment to the ideology of the old National Front.

And if she cultivates the image of a Joan of Arc safeguarding a nation under siege, she has also become a French Bristol Palin, a headline staple who has fascinated readers here with her shotgun wedding and, for a while, the mystery over her true fathers identity.

In 2013, a French newspaper revealed that the father was Roger Auque, a war correspondent who died the following year. Marechal-Le Pen later sued for invasion of privacy.

Her tone is often more severe than her aunts. In the wake of the Nice attack in July, for instance, she immediately gathered before her supporters and blamed Islamism  before there were any known links between the suspect and terrorist networks.

You are with us and against Islamism, or you are against us and for Islamism, she said. Those who choose the status quo become complicit with our enemies.

In this election year, the two younger Le Pens have increasingly butted heads over just how much of the status quo must be rejected.

[Some of Europes least religious countries are shaped by politicians faith]

Their latest feud erupted over the issue of abortion rights, which Marine Le Pen now tepidly supports, in marked contrast to her previous opposition.

In May, the leader of the National Front said that existing laws on abortion should not be cast into question. France legalized abortion in 1975, and the French health system has covered the full cost of abortions since 1982.

But last week, her niece, who at 22 became the youngest member of Parliament in modern French history, declared that France should ban the full and unlimited reimbursement of abortion.

Then she went further, saying in an interview with a Catholic magazine that full and unlimited abortion should be reversed, because women are responsible and should be treated as such.

These remarks prompted a swift rejection from her aunt, who quickly assured voters that such a reversal is not in my program.

In the end, Jean-Marie Le Pen had the last word.

The 88-year-old, who once referred to the Nazi concentration camps as a detail of history, agreed with his granddaughter. Abortion is legal, he wrote on Twitter, but the encouragement of abortion is criminal, in a country with a severe demographic deficit.

In the 2017 election, Marine Le Pen will face challengers from other parties. But first, she must win this latest family feud.

Read more

In secular France, Catholic conservatism makes a comeback

French left stakes its hopes on Manuel Valls in presidential race

Francois Hollande wont seek another term as Frances president

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn called for Hillary Clinton to drop out of the presidential race during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. (Republican National Convention)

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn called for Hillary Clinton to drop out of the presidential race during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. (Republican National Convention)

A secret U.S. military investigation in 2010 determined that Michael T. Flynn, the retired Army general tapped to serve as national security adviser in the Trump White House, inappropriately shared classified information with foreign military officers in Afghanistan, newly released documents show.

Although Flynn lacked authorization to share the classified material, he was not disciplined or reprimanded after the investigation concluded that he did not act knowingly and that there was no actual or potential damage to national security as a result, according to Army records obtained by The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act.

[Read the military investigation into Michael Flynn in 2010]

Flynn has previously acknowledged that he was investigated while serving as the U.S. military intelligence chief in Afghanistan for sharing secrets with British and Australian allies there. But he has dismissed the case as insignificant and has given few details.

The Army documents provide the first official account of the case, but they are limited in scope because the investigation itself remains classified. Former U.S. officials familiar with the matter said that Flynn was accused of telling allies about the activities of other agencies in Afghanistan, including the CIA.

President-elect Donald Trump named retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn his national security adviser on Nov. 18, but Flynn has a history of making incendiary and Islamophobic statements that have drawn criticism from his military peers. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

The Army files call into question Flynns prior assertion that he had permission to share the sensitive information.

During the presidential race, Flynn campaigned vigorously for Republican nominee Donald Trump and drew attention for his scalding attacks against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified material. Clinton was investigated by the FBI for allowing classified information to be transmitted on her private email server when she ran the State Department. No charges were filed against the former secretary of state, but the issue dogged her for more than a year.

[Trumps national security adviser says hes ready to fight another world war]

At the Republican National Convention in July, Flynn called on Clinton to drop out of the race for putting our nations security at extremely high risk with her careless use of a private email server. He egged on the partisan crowd in chants of lock her up, adding: If I, a guy who knows this business, if I did a tenth, a tenth of what she did, I would be in jail today.

Flynn did not respond to requests for comment.

The office of the Armys Judge Advocate General released a four-page summary of the investigation into Flynn in response to The Posts Freedom of Information Act request for records of any misconduct allegations involving the retired three-star general.

The U.S. military opened the investigation into Flynn in 2010 after receiving a complaint from an unnamed Navy intelligence specialist, according to the documents. The intelligence officer charged that Flynn violated rules by inappropriately sharing secrets with various foreign military officers and/or officials in Afghanistan.

1 of 35 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Heres a look at Trumps administration so far View Photos The men and women the president-elect has selected for his Cabinet and White House team. 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.

The documents do not reveal the nature of the information. But former U.S. officials familiar with the case said it centered on slides and other materials containing classified information about CIA operations in Afghanistan.

It was a general intelligence briefing that included stuff that shouldnt have been on those slides, said a former senior U.S. intelligence official, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the subject. The disclosures revealed stuff the intelligence community was doing that had a much higher level of classification.

The agency has had an extensive presence in the Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Beyond gathering intelligence on al-Qaeda and the Taliban, the CIA has also assembled its own paramilitary networks in the country, paying warlords for cooperation and funding armed groups known as Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams.

A second former U.S. official said Flynn failed to secure permission to reveal those secrets. This was a question of whether or not information was put through proper channels before it was shared, the second official said.

The episode marked the second time in a year that Flynn had drawn official complaints for his handling of classified material.

Former U.S. officials said that Flynn had disclosed sensitive information to Pakistan in late 2009 or early 2010 about secret U.S. intelligence capabilities being used to monitor the Haqqani network, an insurgent group accused of repeated attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Flynn exposed the capabilities during meetings with Pakistani officials in Islamabad. The former U.S. intelligence official said a CIA officer who accompanied Flynn reported the disclosures to CIA headquarters, which then relayed the complaint to the Defense Department. Flynn was verbally reprimanded by the Pentagons top intelligence official at the time, James R. Clapper Jr.

Clapper subsequently became director of national intelligence and endorsed Flynn to become his successor as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. In 2014, however, Clapper forced Flynn out of that job over concerns with his temperament and management.

The newly disclosed Army documents state that the 2010 investigation was ordered by the head of U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Although the records do not say exactly when the case was opened, the commander at the time would have been Marine Gen. James Mattis.

Mattis took charge at Central Commands headquarters in Tampa, Fla., in August 2010. One month later, Flynn was ordered back to Washington from Afghanistan. He was assigned to a temporary job at the Pentagon as the special assistant to the Armys chief of intelligence while the investigation unfolded, records show.

Mattis was nominated this month by Trump to serve as secretary of defense. In that role, Mattis will work closely with Flynn; the retired generals are expected to be the most influential voices on national security in the Trump administration.

The Army documents that summarize the investigation into Flynn do not specify which countries he was accused of improperly sharing secrets with. In an interview with The Post in August, Flynn said he was scrutinized for giving classified information to British and Australian officials serving in Afghanistan alongside U.S. forces.

In that interview, Flynn defended his actions and said he did nothing wrong. That was substantiated because I actually did it. But I did it with the right permissions when you dig into that investigation. Im proud of that one. Accuse me of sharing intelligence in combat with our closest allies, please.

The Army documents, however, state explicitly that the Central Command investigation determined that Flynn did not have permission to share the particular secrets he divulged. The Defense Departments inspector general, which conducted an independent review of the investigation, came to the same conclusion, the documents show.

It is routine for the U.S. military to share intelligence in Afghanistan with NATO allies such as Britain, as well as other members of the broader international coalition fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda, including Australia. But there are established mechanisms and guidelines that must be followed.

Flynn was highly regarded within the Army for the key role he played in shaping U.S. counterterrorism strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pentagon officials had intended to promote Flynn in 2010 to the rank of lieutenant general and to make him assistant director of national intelligence, a job that would place him in charge of improving ties with foreign intelligence agencies.

The Central Command investigation delayed his career advancement for a full year. He received his promotion and new assignment in September 2011.

After being forced to retire from the military in 2014, Flynn became a vocal opponent of the Obama administrations policies regarding Iran and al-Qaeda. At the same time, he gained a reputation for floating conspiracy theories on Twitter.

Some Democratic lawmakers have criticized his selection as Trumps national security adviser. The position, however, is not subject to Senate confirmation.

Read more:

Trump advisers son removed from transition after spreading conspiracy theory

Trumps pick for national security adviser brings experience and controversy

Makeup helps women look more attractive: This employee dress memo went around Flynns DIA
The Trump Hotel in Rio de Janeiro in April, when it was under construction. (Nadia Susman/Bloomberg News)

Trump Hotels said Tuesday it is removing its brand name from a luxury hotel it manages in Rio de Janeiro and will no longer be responsible for its operation. The move came after prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into investments in the property.

The decision takes effect Thursday, just days after President-elect Donald Trump tweeted that his sons would run his businesses while he was in the White House and vowed they would launch no new deals during his time in office. The president-elect has faced criticism that his companys overseas investments could present conflicts of interest.

The 170-room Trump Hotel Rio de Janeiro, a modern, triangular structure with the Trump name on top, is owned by a Brazilian developer whose former chief executive is Paulo Figueiredo Filho, grandson of the last president under Brazils 1964-1985 military dictatorship. The hotel had partially opened in June, just weeks before the Summer Olympics, in the upscale Barra de Tijuca neighborhood where the Olympic Park and Athletes Village were located.

In pulling out of the project, the Trump firm cited delays in the construction of the hotel and differences with the developers in vision.

Brazilian federal prosecutors said in a document issued in October that they were investigating questionable investments by pension funds in the hotel, which is owned by the Brazilian company LSH Barra. It has been managed by the Trump Organization, which has no financial investment in the project.

Trump representatives have said that the criminal investigation didnt target the U.S. politician or his firm.

LSH Barra did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Trump companys decision to remove its name from the project. Figueiredo Filho left his executive position at the development company in March, though he retains a financial stake, according to the company. The development company says the hotel is worth at least $75 million.

In his early 30s, Figueiredo Filho is an outspoken young conservative and property developer. His Facebook profile features a photograph of him with the president-elect.

Two small Brazilian public-sector pension funds invested a total of $40 million in the fund that controls LSH Barra, according to the document issued by prosecutors in October.

The prosecutors said that the reckless investments by the two pension funds  Serpros, for employees of a government IT agency, and Igeprev, for employees of Tocantins state in Brazils vast interior  entailed a high risk that raised suspicion. In addition, Igeprev bought debentures in the fund that controls LSH Barra, increasing its exposure, the document said. The investigation is part of Operation Greenfield, a wider investigation into pension fund investments in Brazil.

It is necessary to verify if the favoritism shown by the pension funds towards LSH Barra Empreendimentos Imobiliarios SA and The Trump Organization was due to illicit payments and bribes, Anselmo Lopes, a prosecutor, wrote in the document.

LSH Barra has denied any wrongdoing.

Last year a Brazilian court froze $36 million of assets belonging to former Igeprev executives and companies that had managed and administered some of its funds. In September, Brazils government pensions watchdog suspended the management of Serpros.

The Trump hotel was supposed to be fully operational in time for the Summer Olympics. But even today, only 60 percent of the rooms at the beachside hotel are ready. The rest, along with a convention center, are due to be completed next year, the company has said.

Christine Lin, a spokeswoman for Trump Hotels, said in an emailed statement that the company sought to provide guests with unparalleled service and world-class experiences. Unfortunately, the developers of the Rio de Janeiro hotel are significantly behind on the completion of the property, and their vision for the hotel no longer aligns with the Trump brand. As a result, we have made the decision to remove our brand name from the project.

Trump Hotels will also no longer manage the project, Lin said. She did not respond to questions about the Brazilian investigation and said the decision takes effect on Thursday.

When media reports about the investigation first surfaced in November, the Trump Organization sought to distance itself from the hotels owners and the pension funds.

We have no relationship or involvement with these pension funds, Alan Garten, executive vice president and general counsel at the Trump Organization told the Reuters news agency. We have an arms length agreement with the developer where we were hired to provide a service.

Read more

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Mohammed Ali Malek  one of two survivors of Saturdays migrant boat disaster who were later arrested on suspicion of human trafficking  watches bodies being taken off the ship.

April 20, 2015 Mohammed Ali Malek  one of two survivors of Saturdays migrant boat disaster who were later arrested on suspicion of human trafficking  watches bodies being taken off the ship. Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters

An overloaded boat with hundreds of desperate migrants capsized and sank off the Libyan coast on Sunday.

An overloaded boat with hundreds of desperate migrants capsized and sank off the Libyan coast on Sunday. Nearly 20 rescue vessels  from commercial fishing boats to military ships from Italy and Malta  scrambled to help at the site of the capsizing, about 120 miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa.

An overloaded boat with hundreds of desperate migrants capsized and sank off the Libyan coast on Sunday. Nearly 20 rescue vessels  from commercial fishing boats to military ships from Italy and Malta  scrambled to help at the site of the capsizing, about 120 miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The United Nations refugee agency estimated Tuesday that as many as 850 migrants had perished in a boat capsizing this week off the coast of Libya, as the ships captain and a crew member were taken into custody on criminal charges.

The U.N. estimate would confirm fears that the accident was the single worst disaster involving the flow of migrants seeking to reach Europe across the Mediterranean Sea.

But Italian prosecutors gave a broader range on the possible death toll, saying that interviews with survivors placed the number of victims between 400 and 950.

They said crew members from the Portuguese merchant vessel that had tried to aid the ship had estimated about 850 were aboard. Only 28 migrants survived.

[3 reasons why Europe is being held responsible for migrant deaths]

A substantial number of passengers  including scores of women and children  perished Sunday as they were trapped below decks on the three-tiered vessel, apparently helpless as the boat tipped over, according to interviews with survivors.

Coupled with previous fatalities during the first half of the month, the estimate by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees would put the migrant death toll for April so far well over 1,000  making it the worst month ever recorded, said Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for the refugee agency.

[Amid flood of refugees to Europe, Italy opens a back door]

The prosecutors office said  according to witnesses  that the capsized ship left from somewhere near Tripoli on Thursday evening. The migrants had been kept  up to 30 days  inside a farm near the port and were loaded onto trucks in groups of 30 before they embarked. In at least one instance, one of the migrants was hit with a club because he wanted to go to the bathroom and did not ask for permission. Each passenger had to pay 500 to 1,000 Libyan dinars for the trip.

Prosecutors also offered more insight into what went wrong in the inky waters that night.

They said the capsizing appeared to be the product of two factors. The captain, they said, executed a faulty maneuver when attempting to steer toward the King Jacob, the Portuguese vessel whose crew was attempting a rescue, leading to a collision. At the same time, migrants shifted to one side of the overloaded boat, leading it to capsize.

With more migrants streaming toward Europe  including three more reported dead off the coast of Greece on Tuesday  aid agencies feared the numbers would yet rise.

On Tuesday, the Italian coast guard launched a dawn rescue about 80 miles southeast of Calabria, saving 446 migrants aboard a fishing boat that was starting to sink. All passengers  including 59 children and 95 women  were taken aboard an Italian navy vessel.

In Sundays tragedy, Italian prosecutors said Mohammed Ali Malek, 27, the Tunisian captain, and Mahmud Bikhit, 25, a Syrian crew member, were taken into custody after a ship carrying survivors docked in Catania, Sicily.

Both men were charged with aiding and abetting illegal immigration. The captain was also charged with reckless multiple homicide and faulty handling of a vessel at sea.

Stephanie Kirchner in Berlin, Stefano Pitrelli in Treviso, Italy, and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.

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YouTube has blocked North Koreas state television channel, which broadcasts news on everything from nuclear tests to Kim Jong Uns outings, to avoid breaching U.S. sanctions against the regime.

The action was apparently taken not because of the content in the channel but because the North Korean government could earn money from YouTube through advertising.

This account has been terminated for violating YouTubes Community Guidelines, a message on the Korean Central Television channels page reads.

YouTubes community guidelines ban videos that include violent, sexual or harmful content, or breach copyright. Google, YouTubes parent company, also asks users to flag content that may violate the law.

Google apparently blocked the channel last month to avoid violating sanctions, but the company has declined to comment.

We dont comment on individual videos or channels, said Taj Meadows, head of communications in Asia for Google, but we do disable accounts that violate our terms of service or community guidelines, and when we are required by law to do so.

Under sanctions imposed in March, the Treasury Department designated North Koreas Propaganda and Agitation Department as engaging in censorship on behalf of authorities. The measures ban any U.S. company or person from doing business with the department.

Joshua Stanton, a lawyer and proponent of sanctions who founded the One Free Korea blog, said YouTube and Google probably realized there was a problem with money changing hands.

Having reviewed the sanctions in March, they would have said that this is risky, we are potentially in violation, he said. Its good that they have done this, although its a fairly small piece of the picture.

Bruce Klingner, an Asia specialist at the Heritage Foundation, said North Korea had other options. The Propaganda and Agitation Department is perfectly free to post the videos without making money on them or have one of their many supporters do it, he said. Or they could stop censoring free expression inside North Korea.

The channel showed North Koreas evening news broadcasts and other propaganda programs, and it featured breaking news at times. After a January nuclear test, Korean Central Television went live on YouTube, with an announcer declaring that the state had tested a hydrogen bomb, although this was disputed by scientists.

The YouTube decision has disappointed analysts, who used the channel for insights into this most impenetrable of states.

While it provided daily news shows on events the regime wanted shown countrywide, it also helped give context to structures I would normally only see via satellite image, said David Schmerler, a researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, Calif.

Using the YouTube account for image collection, along with other sources, allowed North Korea watchers to have a much fuller sense of how something unfolded, Schmerler said.

This led to a better understanding of an event, even if the North Koreans tried to hide or spin a particular event as being a success when it may not have been, he said.

Although other YouTube channels also broadcast North Koreas news bulletins, this one was the fastest and one of the most reliable sources of images. The channels termination also means that the archive of videos that analysts pored over also has disappeared.

Analysts estimated that the amount of money the channel was making was probably minimal.

Read more:

Japan and South Korea impose new sanctions on North Korea

Being Kim Jong Un: A Chinese impersonator has little luck with the opposite sex

China is putting the squeeze on North Korea. But for how long?

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
An agreement brokered by the governments of Russia and Turkey to evacuate remaining Islamist militia members and a relatively small number of civilians from the last remaining neighborhood of eastern Aleppo under rebel control appeared on Tuesday to have ended four years of fighting in what was previously Syrias largest city and its commercial capital.

The fall of eastern Aleppo to Syrian government forces, backed by Russian airpower and Shia militias aligned with Iran, marks a turning point in the more than five-year-old war for regime change that was orchestrated by Washington and its regional allies. The enclave within the northern Syrian city represented the last significant population center under rebel control.

It also represents a debacle for the US and the other Western powers, along with Saudi Arabia and the other reactionary Sunni oil monarchies, which poured in billions of dollars of arms and funding for the Islamist militias, while funneling in tens of thousands of jihadist fighters from across the Middle East, Europe and beyond to ravage Syria.

This strategic setback for the US imperialist intervention in Syria has exacerbated the bitter internecine conflicts within the US ruling establishment over US foreign policy and particularly Washingtons war drive against Russia in the run-up to Donald Trumps inauguration as US president next month. Trump had insisted during his presidential campaign that the US should ally itself more closely with Moscow in combating terrorism in Syria, a policy strongly opposed by top echelons within the Pentagon and CIA.

The bitter frustration of Washington and its allies was evident Tuesday at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council in which the US, Britain and France denounced the Syrian government and Russia for alleged atrocities in Aleppo. Unconfirmed reports from the city have cited incidents in which pro-government militias have summarily executed prisoners, including civilians, while the death toll from aerial and artillery bombardment has continued to mount.

Both the Syrian government and Russia have denied the reports of massacres, charging that the Western-backed rebels had fired on civilians attempting to flee their zones of control and had attempted to use the population as human shields.

When the jihadist militias overran the same areas of eastern Aleppo in 2012 and carried out their own summary executions, it should be recalled, these same Western governments remained silent, while the Western media justified these killings by referring to the victims as supporters of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, gave the most inflammatory speech to the Council, demanding of Russia whether it was literally incapable of shame. She went on to declare that the siege of eastern Aleppo would join those events in world history that define modern evil, that stain our conscience decades later--Halabja, Rwanda, Srebrenica and now Aleppo. Predictably, she left out war crimes carried out by US imperialism and its allies in Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Gaza and elsewhere.

Even as Power and her British and French counterparts were railing against Moscow and the Assad government, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin reported that over the previous hour military activities in east Aleppo have stopped, and that the Syrian government had consolidated its control over all of Aleppo. He added that an agreement had been reached to evacuate the remaining rebels from the city to the western province of Idlib.

This agreement was confirmed by both the Turkish government and by representatives of the Nour al-Din al-Zenki militia. This Islamist outfit was one of the main so-called moderate factions backed by the US, backing that included the provision of TOW anti-tank missiles. It gained international notoriety last July when its members posted a video of themselves beheading a wounded 12-year-old Palestinian boy.

At least half of the so-called rebels in Aleppo were made up of the Al Nusra Front, Al Qaedas main affiliate in Syria, and the Ahrar al-Sham, another Al Qaeda-linked militia which has been designated by the United Nations as a terrorist organization. This latter group also confirmed the ceasefire.

The evacuation agreement was reportedly brokered between the Russian military and Turkish intelligence, with Washington apparently playing no role in the resolution of the crisis in Aleppo. The US had repeatedly blown up previous negotiations with Russia on reaching a cease-fire in the city because of its determination to rescue the Al Qaeda-linked forces upon which its efforts toward regime change have rested. The State Department was compelled to acknowledge Tuesday that it had received no advance notice of the Russian-Turkish agreement, underscoring the crisis gripping US policy in the region.

The speed with which the Islamist forces have collapsed appears to have taken Washington and their other Western and regional state patrons by surprise. In part this was due to ferocity of the Syrian government assault on eastern Aleppo, but it is also attributable to divisions among the various factions that make up the rebels, which as recently as last month erupted into armed clashes between them over control and influence.

While the Western governments and media routinely accuse the Assad government of massacring its own people and blame it for all of the hundreds of thousands who have died since the war for regime change began in 2011, a report issued by the anti-government Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Tuesday presents a different story.

According to its documented count, 312,000 people have died since the war began. Of these, Syrian government troops and pro-regime militias accounted for 110,000 of the dead. The toll also includes 53,000 members of Syrian anti-government militias and over 54,000 foreign jihadis. The number of civilians killed, according to the groups report, is 90,000. These figures paint a very different picture than the propaganda narrative advanced by Washington and the various supporters of human rights imperialism. It is of a country that has been decimated by imperialist intervention.

This rape of Syria is not about to end. Even if it is the end of the of the siege in Aleppo, it is not the end of the war in Syria. It will go on, State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington.

Similarly, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the foreign minister of Qatar, a principal backer of the rebels, told Al Jazeera: If Aleppo falls into the government, into the regimes hands, this will be the end of the war? I don't think so. We believe that the Syrian people and the Syrian opposition are willing to resist, and to continue their efforts. This will not end the war.

For its part, the Obama administration, barely one month before it leaves office, has ordered another 200 US special operations troops into Syria, joining 300 on the ground there, ostensibly to prepare Kurdish and allied militias to retake Raqqa, the so-called capital of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria.

And last week, Obama ordered a waiver of the US Arms Export Control Act with relation to foreign forces, irregular forces, groups, or individuals engaged in supporting or facilitating ongoing US military operations to counter terrorism in Syria. The presidential directive sets the stage for a major escalation of the US arms flow into Syria.

While the initial beneficiaries are the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-dominated militias that serves as the main proxy force in the US-backed offensive against Raqqa, the same ruling can be used to turn on the CIA spigot once again of US arms to Al Qaeda-linked forces fighting the Syrian government.

The fall of Aleppo raises the prospect of the Syrian government, backed by Russia, turning its own attention to Raqqa, even as Turkeys intervention into Syria, ostensibly to combat ISIS, but largely in opposition to Washingtons Kurdish proxies, has already severely complicated the US offensive. A Russian-backed Syrian drive against the city would raise the real threat of a clash between the worlds two largest nuclear powers.
Two weeks have passed since Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn absented himself from parliament to avoid voting on a motion to investigate whether Tony Blair was guilty of misleading parliament in pursuit of British involvement in the Iraq War.

It was not the first time that Corbyn has afforded protection to Blair and his backers in the Parliamentary Labour Party. Despite becoming party leader based on appeals to popular anti-war sentiment, the new Labour leader was similarly staunch in his refusal to publicly conflict with Blair after the Chilcot Report into the Iraq war was released in July.

Though Corbyn claimed as recently as May 2016 that Blair should face war crimes charges, he remained silent when the Chilcot Report provided an evidentiary basis for this. The Financial Times praised Corbyns restraint, noting the absence of an electrifying Commons performance and observing with satisfaction that the B-wordBlairdid not pass his lips.

Most recently, on November 30, Corbyn did not even bother to show up for the parliamentary vote.

Britains pseudo-left organisations, including the Stop the War Coalition, the Socialist Party, Left Unity, Momentum and the Socialist Workers Party, have adopted diplomatic silence in relation to Corbyns treachery and are preventing workers and young people from drawing the necessary lessons from his de facto support for Labours pro-war majority.

Corbyns refusal to attack Blair is not simply a product of political cowardice. For the past 15 months, he has provided a platform for right-wing Labour MPs to argue the case for war: allowing them to back the Trident nuclear programme, supporting the NATO build-up against Russia, and enabling the free vote in November 2015 in support of bombing raids on Syria and, just last month, in support of war in Yemen.

A report in this weekends Telegraph shows the consequences of Corbyns actions. His role in blocking anti-war sentiment, handing the initiative to the right, has given British imperialism the green light for a massive escalation of militarist violence.

RAF jets busiest for 25 years as they pound Isil [Islamic State] positions in Iraq and Syria, ran the headline of an article by chief political correspondent Christopher Hope on Sunday. A year after MPs voted to expand Britain's military activity against Isil from Iraq to Syria, the Royal Air Force is operating at its most intense for 25 years, far outstripping UK involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan

Ministry of Defence figures show that the Royal Air Force is now operating at its highest intensity in a single theatre of operation for 25 years with six Typhoons, eight Tornados and Reapers over Iraq and Syria. The RAF has also dropped 11 times more ordnance on Syria and Afghanistan in the past year1,276 strikes...

The support for Corbyn among the pseudo-left organisations has played a critical role. They have blocked any challenge to his defence of the right-wing, giving Labour a blank cheque to facilitate British military aggression.

An article posted by the Stop the War Coalition (STWC) on November 30, authored by STWC convenor Lindsey German, complained, it is particularly shameful that so many MPs are rallying in defence of Tony Blair, including so many Labour MPs.

But German did not make a single reference to Corbyns absenting himself from the vote. Her silence is all the more striking given that Corbyn was chairman of the STWC, resigning after he became Labour leader in September 2015. German also remained tight lipped on the cowardly absence of STWC patron Dianne Abbott, who joined Corbyn in exiting the chamber.

According to German, The Labour right wing is rapidly turning itself into a war party, justifying everything from arms sales to Saudi Arabia to further interventions in the Middle East.

This is a historical fabrication. The British Labour Party has served as a party of war and Empire throughout the twentieth century, supporting two world wars that led to the deaths of tens of millions of people throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. For more than a century, the fight for socialism in Britain has required a relentless struggle to expose the pro-imperialist politics of the Labour Party and to break the working class from its political influence. The Stop the War Coalition is dedicated to the opposite task.

The day after the parliamentary vote on the anti-Blair motion, the STWC held a public meeting in Sheffield addressed by the groups convenor, Andrew Murray. During question time, the World Socialist Web Site challenged Murray on his organisations continued promotion of Corbyn. This reporter asked, Why have you been silent in your remarks tonight on Corbyns cowardly decision to absent himself from yesterdays vote? Why was Lindsey German silent? Why do you continue to promote Corbyn as an anti-war figure and a socialist when Corbyn has, in relation to Trident, in defence of NATO and by arranging a free vote on Syria, ceded the initiative to Blairite warmongers such as Hilary Benn each and every time?

Murray, a hard-line Stalinist who joined the Labour Party in 2016, responded with hostility, asserting, In attacking Jeremy Corbyn on international policy you are lining up with the Telegraph and the Conservative Party.

We were led into the Iraq war by a Labour government, he conceded, and I was proud to be in the room this summer when the leader of the Labour Party stood up and said that was wrong, and the Labour Party owes the country an apology and that leader was Jeremy Corbyn.

Murray refused to address why Corbyn now baulks at any mention of Blairs name and has dropped his earlier call for war crimes charges. As far as the STWC is concerned, a personal apology is sufficient response to a brutal, unprovoked war of aggression that has killed an estimated one million Iraqis. The Canary, the pro-Corbyn news site whose stated mission is to disrupt the status quo of the UK and international journalism was also silent on Corbyns cave-in. Their article, Parliament just saved Tony Blairs ass, and paved the way for more reckless wars, provoked the following response from a self-declared Corbyn admirer: I find it odd there is no mention in the article of Corbyns role in this outcome given the fact he is the current Labour leader and has spoken out against the Iraq war many times. His omission from the article speaks volumes.

Momentum, the grassroots movement founded to support Corbyn, chose not to report the debate on the motion at all. Instead, they tweeted regarding Corbyns performance earlier that day at Prime Ministers Question Time, Great work from @jeremycorbyn today, highlighting the failure of the Tories long-term economic plan for the people of Britain #PMQs.

The Stalinist Morning Star airbrushed Corbyns role with a December 1 article that was silent on his parliamentary no-show, but which instead hailed him for introducing a one-line whip so that Labour MPs could back [Scottish National Party MP] Mr Salmonds motion [calling for Blair to be investigated] without fear of sanction.

The one-line whip is a less-binding parliamentary maneuver that was used by Corbyn to avoid a confrontation with the PLP majority, enabling his key supportersincluding shadow Chancellor John McDonnellto absent themselves from the vote.

The Socialist Workers Partys Charlie Kimber attacked cowardly Labour MPs for voting to protect Blair, while Corbyn himself evaded any such chargewith Kimber merely noting his absence from the debate, because he was committed elsewhere.

The Socialist Party (formerly Militant), mildly criticises Corbyn for retreating before the Blairites, describing his non-appearance for the motion against Blair as a mistake. However, the SPs concern is that Corbyns naked capitulation to the right-wing is exposing the political fiction underlying their bid for readmittance to the Labour Partythat Corbyn embodies the possibility of Labour being transformed into an anti-austerity, socialist party.

It is vitally urgent that no more concessions are made and that a clear campaign is launched to consolidate the landslide victory that Jeremy won back in September, they insist, before reprinting the correspondence that has so far taken place between Ian McNicol, general secretary of the Labour Party, and Hannah Sell, deputy general secretary of the Socialist Party, urging the readmission of 75 SP members expelled or excluded for their socialist ideas.

Masters of understatement, the SP writes that McNicol has not responded positively to the application as he has presided over the exclusions of many tens of thousands of Labour Party members during the attempted coup against Corbyn
Girlfriend of Alaska Teen Allegedly Killed for Smoking Friends Weed: He Was an Old-Fashioned Gentleman

The last time Victoria Danielle saw boyfriend David Grunwald alive, he dropped her off at her Palmer, Alaska, home. It was Nov. 13, a Sunday evening, and David had plans to hang out with friends later that evening.

Victoria never saw David again. That night, he was allegedly kidnapped and killed by his friends for allegedly smoking all of their weed, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. The 16-year-old was bludgeoned with a handgun, driven to a remote wooded area and shot to death. Police have arrested five teens in connection with his death.

It was exactly one month ago, but for Victoria, it feels like yesterday.

Ill never forget the many times he told me he loved me, Victoria tells PEOPLE exclusively. And the many times he told me he was going to marry me, he will always have a very special place in my heart.

Victoria says she and David had dated for a year. They often talked about spending the rest of their lives together.

Classmates of the couple at Mat-Su Career & Tech High School say they were an inspiring example of young love.

It was pure, a friend tells PEOPLE. The kind that could have lasted forever.

 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 start, David was a gentleman, Victoria remembers. He never raised his voice, always made her smile and loved his family and friends.

He was very old-fashioned in many ways, Victoria tells PEOPLE. Especially with dating. I was extremely lucky to be introduced to such a gem.

He never let me open a door, he took me on real dates he picked me up almost every Friday at 6pm to take me out to a nice dinner and said Yes, Mam and No, Sir, she continues.

Courtesy the Grunwald family

Victoria remembers one time when she and David were waiting for their parents to pick them up from the movies and people nearby made them uncomfortable. Instead of leaving her when his mother arrived, David waited for Victorias mother to arrive as well. While they waited, David held her hand, she says.

Story continues

He will always be one of my bestest friends, she says.

A Violent Night

Davids remains were discovered on Dec. 2, according to an Alaska State Troopers news release. The same day, 16-year-old Erick Almandinger allegedly confessed to involvement in the killing, saying he was a friend of Davids, according to the state troopers. He was charged with murder in the first degree, kidnapping, murder in the second degree and evidence tampering. He has been charged as an adult.

 Pick up PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBenet Ramsey and more.

Almandinger allegedly told investigators David came over to hang out, drink and smoke with two friends when things turned violent.

The only motive that Almandinger indicated was present during the event was that had smoked all his weed, court documents state.

On Friday, four additional teens were charged in connection with Davids kidnapping and murder, bringing the number of teens charged to five.

Devin Peterson, 18, Austin Barrett, 19, and two minor teens were all taken into custody for allegedly playing a role in Davids death, according to a news release from the Alaska State Troopers obtained by PEOPLE.

Peterson is charged with evidence tampering and hindering prosecution in the first degree. Barrett is charged with murder in the first degree, kidnapping, and murder in the second degree. The two youngest suspects, both 16, are charged with murder in the first degree, kidnapping, murder in the second degree, and evidence tampering. It is unclear if the two minor suspects will be charged as adults.

Peterson, Barrett, Almandinger and the two minor teens are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon, Palmer County court officials have told PEOPLE. Information about their attorneys was not immediately available.

Family Seeking the Death Penalty

In an interview with KTVA, Davids parents called his death unconscionable and said Alaska should consider implementing the death penalty, which has not existed in Alaska since it became a state in 1959.

My son doesnt get to breathe anymore. Hes gone, Edie Grunwald told the station. These kids  or these people  they get to breathe.

Victoria didnt comment on the Grunwalds wishes but says she has faith in the prosecution.

 was taken from us in an unimaginable horrible way, she tells PEOPLE. There will be justice.




Kanye West was looking healthy in New York City on Monday, following his recent hospitalization.

The 39-year-old GRAMMY winner, who is apparently feeling well enough to travel, was snapped in New York City's SoHo neighborhood, still wearing his new bleach blond hairdo.

A source close to Kanye tells ET that, "Kanye is in [New York] for meetings about his fashion line. They are looking for a new studio for his line as well."



Splash News

West first displayed the new 'do in a photo shared on Instagram last week, showing the Life of Pablo rapper attending the Rick Owens "Furniture" exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

#KanyeWest at the "Rick Owens: Furniture" exhibition at the MOCA PDC. December 8. (: @giovannileonardobassan) A photo posted by Kanye West (@kanyewest_daily) on Dec 8, 2016 at 5:48pm PST

The Instagram pic was the first time West had been spotted in public since he was admitted to the UCLA Medical Center on Nov. 21.

Though the Kardashian family has stayed relatively tight-lipped about West since his hospitalization, ET recently learned that the topic will be discussed on Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

PIC: Kanye West Resurfaces After Hospitalization

West's wife, Kim Kardashian, is also slowly returning to the spotlight. The 36-year-old reality star has made few appearances since being the victim of a terrifying robbery in Paris two months ago.

#loveadvent @kimkardashian #jameslima @simonrobins100 @coach @agentprovocateur @cesar4styles @makeupbyariel  A video posted by LOVE MAGAZINE (@thelovemagazine) on Dec 11, 2016 at 11:07pm PST

The mother of two strutted her stuff in a lace-up bra for day 12 of Love magazine's online advent calendar in a video that was released Monday.

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One quick-thinking, off-duty North Carolina firefighter ensured dozens of people happy and healthy holidays when he noticed signs of a potentially deadly carbon monoxide leak while dining at a restaurant over the weekend.

Lonnie Wimmer, a firefighter with the Lewisville Fire Department, was attending a birthday party at the River Ridge Taphouse in Clemmons on Saturday when he and other patrons began to experience headaches and nausea, LFD Assistant Chief Steve Williams tells PEOPLE.

Wimmer immediately called the LFD and alerted them to what he deciphered was a carbon monoxide leak.

Multiple ambulances responded, and all restaurant patrons were evacuated, Williams said. Around 30 people showed signs of carbon monoxide poisoning, with at least 16 transported to local hospitals.

Williams said that significant levels of carbon monoxide were found in the building and that the River Ridge Taphouses heating unit had malfunctioned and caused the leak. The restaurants manager Dawn Vanorden told the Winston-Salem Journal it was repaired on Saturday, and the restaurant re-opened on Sunday.

Even though it was a fairly large incident, I think early recognition prevented it from being more serious than it could have been for those exposed to the carbon monoxide, Williams told PEOPLE.

According to the CDC, carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas found in fumes produced by burning fuel in cars or trucks, small engines, stoves, lanterns, grills, fireplaces, gas ranges or furnaces.

Initial symptoms include headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting and chest pain, the CDC said. Breathing in significant amounts of carbon monoxide can lead to death.

Anybody that has fuel-burning equipment, or burns fireplaces, gas logs, gas hot water heaters, gas furnaces  anything that uses fossil fuels, so to speak, has the chance of having  like this restaurant  a malfunction in the equipment, said Williams. The danger is, it truly is a silent killer. You cant smell it, you cant tell that its there. Unfortunately, you just start having symptoms, and the symptoms are very similar to flu symptoms.

Story continues

RELATED VIDEO: Meet the Veteran Firefighter and His Wife Who Are Reducing the Risk of Cancer For All Other Firefighters

Homeowners can prevent carbon monoxide poisoning by installing a battery-operated detector. All gas, oil or coal burning appliances should be inspected yearly by a technician.

The exhaust system of cars and trucks should also be checked yearly by a mechanic. Vehicles should also never be run inside a detached or attached garage without the door open.




Ohio Governor John Kasich has vetoed the controversial Heartbeat Bill, an anti-abortion measure that would outlaw pregnancy as soon as a fetuss heartbeat can be detected, which usually occurs about six weeks after conception.

The bill was passed by Ohio lawmakers last week, but it was up to Kasich to ultimately pass or veto the new measure. If passed, it would have become the most restrictive time-based abortion bill in the nation.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, Kasich had previously said on several occasions during the past two years that he opposed the Heartbeat Bill, primarily because of constitutional concerns.

While the Heartbeat Bill did not pass, Kasich did sign into law a bill which bans abortions after 20 weeks.

I agree with Ohio Right to Life and other leading, pro-life advocates that SB 127 is the best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life, Kasich said in a statement obtained by the Dispatch.

The new abortion regulations will make it a fourth-degree felony for a physician to perform an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy except to save a mothers life, the newspaper reports.

According to the Huffington Post, fewer than 1 percent of abortions occur after 20 weeks, and most women who make the decision at that point have discovered a severe fetal anomaly or health issue that had not been detected earlier in the pregnancy.

WATCH: The Daily Show Receives Serious Backlash After Tweeting Risque Abortion Joke

However, some pro-choice advocates see the passing of the bill as a step towards outlawing abortions altogether.

Kasich is on a mission to make abortion illegal in Ohio, and hes intent on using smoke and mirrors and backdoor politics to do it, Dawn Laguens, a spokeswoman for the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, told Huffington Post. He may hope that by vetoing a six-week ban  which would have virtually banned abortion with almost no exceptions  he comes off as moderate. But Ohio women see right through this and reject this extreme agenda. The 20-week ban will force women to travel long distances and cross state lines in order to access safe, legal abortion  a barrier that many women simply cannot afford.




An Ohio man arrested in 2015 for pouring gasoline on his then-girlfriend and lighting her on fire was sentenced Monday to 11 years in prison after being convicted of aggravated arson, possession of criminal tools and assault, PEOPLE confirms.

Michael Slager, 41, pleaded no contest to all three criminal counts just before his sentencing, according to a statement from Ron OBrien, the prosecutor for Ohios Franklin County.

OBrien said in his statement, which was obtained by PEOPLE, that Slager received the maximum sentence for his crimes.

On Aug. 2, 2015, police responded to a gas station in Gahanna, Ohio, after dispatchers received reports from several witnesses claiming a woman was engulfed in flames, set ablaze by a man who was later identified as Slager.

Authorities say the victim  Slagers girlfriend, Judith Malinowski  was rushed to Ohio State Universitys Wexner Medical Center in critical condition. According to OBrien, Malinowski, 33, still remains in the hospitals care and her condition remains unchanged.

A majority of her body bears scarring and she has undergone innumerable surgeries to keep her alive, OBrien said. The attack left 90 percent of her body covered in third- or fourth-degree burns, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Would she want to be like this? Would she want to go on? Malinowskis mother told the paper. She would.

Shed want to stay to help someone  anyone, Malinowskis mother said. Do you want to know why she was Miss New Albany? Because she was the sweetest kid there was. She had the nicest personality. (Her family could not immediately be reached by PEOPLE.)

 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.

Slager was also treated for burns hed sustained in the altercation, authorities said.

Police said he initially characterized the conflagration as a horrible accident, but investigators learned from witnesses that the couple had been arguing just before Malinowski was set on fire.

Story continues

At least one witness told police that Slager used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames.

Slagers attorney, Robert Krapenc, could not immediately be reached for comment following the sentencing, and it was not immediately clear if he plans to appeal.

Krapenc has denied Slager intended to start the fire. But Malinowskis family told the Dispatch she was afraid of him.

Before Slagers plea and sentencing Monday, Malinowskis mom told the Dispatch her daughter planned to testify  remotely, if she had to: Shes fighting.




On Dec. 13, 2016, Donald Trump officially announced Rex Tillerson as his pick to be the next pick for Secretary of State. Tillerson is the CEO of ExxonMobil and is known for his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was also a whos who at Trump Tower, with everyone from Kanye West to Bill Gates stopping by to meet with the president-elect. Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric gives the latest in the Trump transition in 60 seconds or less.
Jordanian producer-director Mahmoud Al Massad is no stranger to the Dubai Film Festival. His documentaries Recyle (2007) and This Is My Picture When I Was Dead (2010) both premiered in the fests Muhr competition. This year he returned to the competition with fiction feature Blessed Benefit, an ironic comedy set mostly in a Jordanian prison.

Asked why he decided to move into fiction, Al Massad says he doesnt think there is any difference between fiction and documentary films, in that they both basically tell a story. He says the only difference is the approach he takes. In fiction, you work on a script, and in documentary you work on following [the course] of daily events back and forth to create the full story, he notes.

And which approach does he prefer? Its hard to say, because I love both, he answers.

The inherent risk in making a documentary, of course, is that the story might take an unplanned course. In fiction, you have no limit to what you can create and you are in control of the outcome, Al Massad notes. The tough part, after writing a good script, is finding the right character or person to deliver the message of the story.

In Blessed Benefit the lead character is played by Ahmad Thaher, whose real-life story inspired the film.

Al Massad says hes known Ahmad for over two decades and always dreamt of making a film about him because hes such an interesting and very positive character, no matter what comes his way or happens around him.

In real life Ahmad, who worked as a contractor, has spent three months in prison for taking 1800 Jordanian dinars (about $2,540.00) and not delivering the job he was asked to do from a client, Al Massad notes. That is exactly what happens in the film.

One of the ironies of Blessed Benefit is that the character played by Ahmad eventually finds himself more comfortable and free inside the prison than in his everyday life. So, what sort of reputation do Jordanian jails and Jordanian police actually have?

Story continues

The police are friendly and helpful, says Al Massad. In terms of prisons, I have visited and scouted several in Jordan and I noticed how they treat prisoners humanely, unlike what we see or hear of in other countries worldwide, he adds.

Most of the cast are non-professionals.

Working with them was very challenging, but they were very eager to be part of the film and this is why I believe they brought honesty into their performance, he notes.

Besides the blessed benefit of being in jail, another comic element of the film are visualizations of Ahmads nightmares while behind bars.

Shooting them required a lot of preparation in order for them to have the same look as the rest of the film, Al Massad recounts. With his cinematographer they decided to shoot these scenes in sequential order so they could begin with a realistic feel and subsequently veer into fantasy.

Al Massad, who lives in the Netherlands, moved back to Jordan to make Blessed Benefit. Hed always wanted to return to his country but, despite the boost that Naji Abu Nowars Oscar-nominated Theeb has supposedly given Jordanian cinema, his return home actually coincided with decreasing opportunities for filmmakers in the region.

There are less than a handful Arab funds left to support filmmaking, he laments.

Nevertheless, Al Massad already has a new project in the works. He is working on an new narrative feature project for the international market which he hopes to shoot in Dubai, where the story takes place.

Related stories

Dubai Film Festival Director Masoud Amralla Al Ali on Helping Arab Cinema

Egyptian Director Sherif El Bendary on His 'Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim'

Dubai Film Connection Announces Arab Projects Prizewinners
Build Good Study Habits Before College

College is hard and adapting to a new environment, culture and workload can make the transition to campus harder than students expect. But students who build strong academic habits now can alleviate some of the pressure.

U.S. News collected tips from experts to help students find out which study skills and routines will help teens become star college students.

Ask for Help

College freshmen are often uncomfortable reaching out to their professors or tutoring services.

Get in the habit of seeking help when you need it now, and don't wait until you're falling, which may be too late to make a difference. Reach out to your teachers and take advantage of any tutoring or support services that your school provides. It can help you build the confidence and practice of asking for help that you'll need in college, experts say.

Block Off Time to Study Outside of Class

"You really have to force yourself to set that time aside and devote that time to understanding and trying to comprehend new material," says Ron Elsenbaumer, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at University of Texas--Arlington.

Students may need to spend an hour or two on college coursework outside of class for each session, Elsenbaumer says. Getting in the habit of scheduling time to study will pay off in the long run.

Use Your Peers

Your classmates can help you better understand your material, experts say.

Work with your classmates to absorb your lessons and build the communication skills you'll need to survive group projects in college.

Get Organized

"Use a planner," says Neva Lozada, director of writing services and supplemental instruction at Monmouth University in New Jersey. She encourages students to look through their syllabus, find out when exams and major assignments are due and work backwards to determine when to start working. Allow time to reach out for help if you need it, she says.

Story continues

Go to Sleep

Staying up late to binge-watch Netflix will be even easier to do when you leave home, but pulling all-nighters in college and downing energy drinks to cram for an exam can negatively affect your grades.

Eliminate Distractions

Technology can be a great study tool, but if you get lost every time you log onto Snapchat or Twitter, it may be time for you to disconnect.

Establishing media-free zones can help you retain your attention span.

Maintain Your Health

College is stressful. Eating right and staying active will help you keep your mind sharp.

"Students tend to do better when they have at least some sort of exercise incorporated into their daily activities," Elsenbaumer says.

Track Your Habits

Do you study better in your room, or at the library? Do you need visual aids or recorded notes? Do you need more study time for math than English?

Being self aware can help students create a schedule that matches their needs.

"They need to be aware of their weaknesses and strengths coming in and they should know after high school what courses were the hardest for them," Lozada says.

Stop Procrastinating

"Sometimes it's not even that they're struggling with academic content. They're just not organized and they're not managing their time effectively," Lozada says. "For that reason, they could do poorly in certain courses."

Students who wait to the last minute to study or do assignments score worse than their more prepared peers.

Work on Your Soft Skills

Read, write and learn how to work in teams. These tasks will help you build the communication and critical thinking skills that will help you ace your classes.

Get More Tips on Preparing for College

Heading to college in the fall?

Find out how to prepare for your freshman year and learn which first-year mistakes to avoid.

Follow U.S. News Education on Facebook and Twitter to stay informed on how to get ready for college.

Briana Boyington is an education digital producer at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at bboyington@usnews.com.
Waymo Logo

Good morning. Here's everything you need to know in the world of advertising today.

1. The BBC, ITV, and AMC Networks are teaming up to take on Netflix in the US. They will launch Britbox, a subscription online video service that will offer British TV content.

2. Reuters obtained a draft document for a new online security law due to be proposed by the European Union. It would introduce stricter new rules for how messaging companies handle user data  and also do away with the obligation for websites to ask for permission to place cookies on users' computers in Europe.

3. Tinder wants to become your next party game by launching its own TV app. Tinder calls its Apple TV app "the biggest thing to hit family night since Yahtzee," and advises consulting with your hypothetical aunts and cousins on your matches.

4. Retiring Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Levy has delivered his final annual holiday video. The "2017 wishes" video makes some subtle hints as to who his successor might be.

5. A judge has denied WPP's efforts to dismiss the discrimination lawsuit filed by JWT chief communications officer Erin Johnson against her former CEO Gustavo Martinez, AgencySpy reports. WPP now has less than a month to directly address her claims.

6. Netflix uses an algorithm to determine what it pays for content deals. A Netflix lawyer told a documentary maker there was "no discussion to be had" about the price Netflix was offering because an "algorithm determined how much the film should be worth."

7. Zapier, a service for business apps, has put together 20 of the fastest-growing business apps. They include marketing and advertising tools such as Facebook Lead Ads, Active Campaign, and ConvertKit.

8. The Australian Ads Standards Board has revealed the ads it received the most complaints about in 2016. Topping the list was an ad for Meat & Livestock Australia, which made fun of vegans.

9. Amazon is looking to create its own competitor to cable TV, and it's entering a bloodbath. At a recent Recode conference, Turner CEO John Martin appeared to confirm rumors that Amazon is working on a streaming TV service.

Story continues

10. Google is spinning out its self-driving car business into a new company called Waymo. The name stands for "way forward in mobility."

NOW WATCH: Why almost every pair of jeans has a zipper that says YKK





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On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to meRedbreast Lustau Edition Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

Rather than settle for three French hens, as the song calls for on this day, we opted for a redbreast. Specifically, a triple-distilled Redbreast 12-Year-Old Lustau Edition Irish Whiskey ($70), one of the worlds best-selling single pot still Irish whiskeysa proprietary term used by Pernod Ricards Irish distillers to identify brands coming from one distillery. Redbreast is aged using the original formula of two-thirds bourbon barrels to one-third sherry casks, but given the Midleton Distillerys close relationship with the prestigious Bodegas Lustau in Jerez, Spain, for obtaining their sherry barrels, master blender Billy Leighton decided to finish the already-matured 12-year-old Redbreast for an additional year in hand-selected, first-fill Lustau sherry buttsthus melding the creamy butter and red apples of Redbreast 12-year-old with the stewed fruit and toasted oak of Lustaus Don Nuno oloroso sherry. The result is a rich fusion of prunes, dates, and figs with marzipan, slightly smoky honey, and a hint of butterscotch. (irishdistillers.ie)

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Paris (AFP) - An 18th-century Chinese imperial seal sold for 21 million euros in Paris Wednesday -- more than 20 times its estimate, the Drouot auction house told AFP.

Decorated with stylised dragons, the symbol of imperial authority, the extremely rare stamp in red and beige nephrite jade comes from the Qianlong period (1736-1795).

It was snapped up by an unnamed Chinese collector after a furious bidding battle between would-be telephone buyers and those in the salesroom.

The seal belonged to the Emperor Qianlong, who is regarded as the longest serving emperor in Chinese history, holding ultimate power long after he officially retired.

Under this hugely capable and cultured emperor, the Qing dynasty reached its apogee of wealth and power, almost doubling in size during his six decade reign.

The nine dragons that decorate the seal's sides symbolise both his masculine power and imperial authority, the auction house said.

The empire's population rose to some 400 million people as he expanded its borders, but by the end of Qianlong's long reign China was slipping into slow decline.

Still, the Qing dynasty, which came from the Manchu minority from Manchuria in northern China, staggering on until 1912.

The seal was acquired by a young French naval doctor in China in the late 19th century and has remained in the same family since.

According to Drouot, the young officer visited China many times and built an impressive collection through his "taste, culture and the friendships he was able to build up over the years".

Two paintings by the Japanese master Katsushika Hokusai -- "36 Views of Mount Fuji" and "Big wave at Kanagawa" -- from the same collection were also going under the hammer with estimates of 30,000 euros ($32,000).
Martin Garrix loves his fans  but they can act like Animals sometimes!

The Dutch deejay-producer came to fame in 2013 with his breakout EDM hit Animals, and hes since become an internationally beloved mainstay in the industry. But in his native Netherlands, hes just another guyfor the most part.

With Dutch people, they will recognize you, but they wont, like, attack you, says Garrix, 20. They might politely ask for a photo, but if Im having dinner with my parents in a restaurant, they just let me have dinner.

But that hasnt been the case everywhere for the crossover musician, who is slated to perform his new single with Bebe Rexha, In the Name of Love, during Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017 (airing Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC).

Well, I was on the toilet  I was peeing, and someone recognized me and had his phone and was like, Can I take a selfie? I was like, Dude, are you serious right now?!' Garrix recalls.  I couldnt believe it  super awkward.

Since breaking out, Garrix (born Martijn Gerard Garritsen) has signed to RCA Records and scored a number of high-profile collaborations, including with Avicii and Usher, who was featured on his 2015 single Dont Look Down.

The biggest pinch-me moment was last year: Usher flew down to perform our song live at Ultra Music Festival in Miami, which is like the biggest electronic music festival, he says. Four years ago, I was there in the crowd myself, and last year when I was onstage and Usher jumped on, I was looking down at the crowd and was like, What the actual f?! It was really crazy.

Still, the EDM wunderkind insists his family and friends keep him grounded in Amsterdam, where he continues to reside when hes not touring or traveling for work.

I grew up here. All my friends are here, they work here; my familys here. I have my own apartment, and above the apartment I have my studio, so my friends will go to work, and Ill be in the studio, and at the end of the day, Ill have dinner at my parents place and afterwards we do some drinks in my apartment, Garrix says. With all the craziness thats happening, it feels very normal.




New York (AFP) - The year 2016 began with David Bowie releasing one of the most acclaimed albums of his vast career, a sign of new creative energy from the rock legend. Two days later, he was dead, from an undisclosed battle with cancer.

Three months after that, another pop icon, Prince -- who had covered Bowie's classic "Heroes" at one of his final concerts -- also died, succumbing to an accidental overdose of painkillers despite his outward signs of vigor.

By late 2016, Leonard Cohen put out an album ominously entitled "You Want It Darker" -- and the storied songwriter and poet, who spent his life reflecting on spirituality and mortality, passed away within weeks.

The past year -- so momentous on the political front -- also marks a symbolic turning point for rock, with a generation of musical elders starting to exit the stage.

The year culminated with another milestone -- the Nobel Committee for Literature endorsed rock as part of the literary canon, selecting music icon Bob Dylan as this year's laureate and hailing his "new poetic expressions."

The sense of a rock era's passing could also be felt in California in October with Desert Trip, a new music festival that is likely to go down as the most profitable in history.

Some 150,000 fans, disproportionately older, came out to hear six top rock acts including The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Dylan -- with a subtext that it was unclear for how much longer the septuagenarian greats would be playing.

Other major musicians who died in 2016 included: Maurice White, founder of funk all-stars Earth, Wind and Fire; Eagles frontman Glenn Frey; country icon Merle Haggard; two-thirds of the prog-rock trio Emerson, Lake and Palmer (only Carl Palmer is left); Jefferson Airplane co-founder Paul Kantner; and Phife Dawg of hip-hop groundbreakers A Tribe Called Quest.

- Like jazz in another time -

It is obviously coincidence that so many artists died in quick succession. But there is also a precedent -- the 1980s and early 1990s, when towering figures in jazz were dying.

Story continues

In a loose parallel to Dylan's Nobel prize and the establishment recognition it represents, the US Congress in 1987 designated jazz as "an American national treasure."

Lawmakers at the time were hoping to step up education and historical preservation of jazz -- a process well under way for rock, with Dylan earlier in 2016 announcing that his archive would go to the University of Tulsa, alongside papers of his Oklahoma-born inspiration Woody Guthrie.

Like with jazz in the late 20th century, the deaths in 2016 come at a time when music purists fret that the future will have fewer cohesive albums of the type of Bowie's final work, "Blackstar."

The top stars who died in 2016 consciously made music away from the spotlight.

Bowie lived with his family in a New York penthouse and was rarely seen, Cohen retreated to Los Angeles where he spent time in a Buddhist monastery and the prolific Prince secluded himself in his Paisley Park complex in Minnesota.

For Bowie and Prince, "basically for the last couple of decades, they either were in isolation or at least had autonomy over what they were doing," said Theo Cateforis, an associate professor of music history and cultures at Syracuse University.

"And that seems unusual for a newer artist who has such accessibility and is expected to have a Twitter feed and be in some sort of constant engagement," he said.

"Their passing allows us to reflect on what careers were like in previous eras -- and that that kind of artist may be less and less frequent in the future."

- Lasting influences -

But many of the musical innovations of Bowie and Prince live on. Both recognized the importance of a visual component to their music and embraced MTV in its infancy.

Prince and Bowie both became well-known for their collaborations. Kanye West may be the closest contemporary parallel, Cateforis said, with the rapper pursuing his vision by bringing in other musicians.

Among their most lasting legacies, Bowie and Prince were both fluid in their conceptions of masculinity. Each at least suggested an openness to gay relationships and designed outlandish outfits that smashed through gender barriers.

"These two men kind of gave masculinity a gift," said Rob Lindley, a theater director and actor who recently co-staged a joint concert of Bowie and Prince music at the Chicago Humanities Festival.

"They said it's okay -- you can wear heels and mascara and still be a dude, and there is something really rebellious and rock 'n' roll and beautiful about that, and nobody was doing it before them," he said.

Lindley, 43, said that when he was growing up, he would hear the phrase "gone too soon" and think of earlier times and the deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Patsy Cline and Billie Holiday at young ages.

"Then all of a sudden it becomes your music," he said. "It's getting personal now."
Police use tear gas to disperse protesters during a demonstration against the Dakota Access pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D., on Sunday. (Stephanie Keith/Reuters)

The worlds largest crowdfunding platform released a year-end report this week detailing the biggest online fundraising efforts of 2016. At the top of GoFundMes list? The $11.2 million raised for the victims of the deadly flooding in Louisiana, through hundreds of individual campaigns.

The second-largest GoFundMe response of the year generated more than $9 million following the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., including a $7.9 million fund for the victims of the June 12 massacre  the largest amount raised by a single GoFundMe page in the sites six-year history.

Third-largest was the effort to raise $7.8 million in support of protesters who demonstrated against the construction of an oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. Three separate campaigns  including one for Sophia Wilansky, a protester who was severely injured during a standoff with police  generated $4.5 million alone.

In the U.K., a campaign launched by friends and family of slain British MP Jo Cox raised nearly $2.4 million for three of Coxs favorite charities. (It was also the biggest GoFundMe campaign in U.K. history.)

There were also a pair of successful GoFundMe efforts launched by celebrities in 2016. Country music star Brad Paisley started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his flood-ravaged home in the state of West Virginia. Paisleys page netted more than $700,000.

And a GoFundMe page that raised more than $700,000 for the family of Alton Sterling, a father of five who was killed by police outside a Baton Rouge, La., convenience store, was spearheaded by Issa Rae, an HBO actress best known as the creator of the YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl.

Fidencio Sanchez and his popsicle cart. (Photo: GoFundMe)

Among the top 16 campaigns highlighted in the report, two were launched by strangers on behalf of community members in need. In Chicago, a crowdfunding effort launched by Joel Cervantes Macias to help Fidencio Sanchez, an 89-year-old Popsicle vendor he had seen struggling to push his cart, raised more than $384,000  so much, in fact, that Macias hired a lawyer and financial adviser to help Sanchez manage his newfound wealth.

Story continues

In Memphis, a crowdfunding effort launched by a man who by chance met a 16-year-old student struggling to help his family pay the bills raised more than $342,000.

Here comes this kid inside the Highland Kroger asking if he could help take my groceries to my car in exchange for buying him some glazed donuts, Matt White explained on his GoFundMe page in June. He had me at donuts.

Weve reached a point in popular culture where GoFundMe has become shorthand for help, GoFundMe CEO Rob Solomon CEO wrote in the companys second annual Year in Giving report. What do you do when there are floods or a fire? You start a GoFundMe. What do you do when your neighbor has fallen on hard times or your childs classroom needs books? You start a GoFundMe.

And sometimes GoFundMe campaigns beget new ones. A crowdfunding campaign launched by Kate Brandon, whose fiance, Mike, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, raised more than $573,000 for him. He survived, they got married and recently launched a new campaign to support British families that are having similar therapy.

We were so moved by the last campaign that now we want to give something back, they wrote.

Sadly, not all GoFundMe efforts have such happy endings. Two of the top 16 fundraisers were to help cancer patients who later died.

The top individual GoFundMe campaigns of 2016

1. Support Victims of Pulse Shooting, $7.9 million

2. The Official Sacred Stone Camp, $3 million

3. Jo Coxs Fund, 1.9 million ($2.4 million)

4. Veterans for Standing Rock, $1.1 million

5. Alton Sterling Family Scholarship, $714,000

6. West Virginia Flood Relief, $710,000

7. Cambridge Mayors Fire Relief Fund, $649,000

8. Donate4Mike, 454,000 ($573,000)

9. Pulse Tragedy Community Fund, $562,000

10. Victory for Vinny, $457,000

11. Medical Fund for Sophia Wilansky, $423,000

12. Your Help Can Save Erins Life, $385,000

13. Relief for Fidencio the Paleta Man, $384,000

14. Support for Blue Angel Jeff Kuss Family, $379,000

15. Ballwin Officer Flamion Family Fund, $371,000

16. Chauncys Chance, $342,000

Source: GoFundMes 2016 Year in Giving report
MATTOON -- Pepper Nicky Craig has spent decades telling children in her own family bedtime stories about the magical adventures of the make-believe Nicky family.

Craig, of Gays, recently put some of these stories into book form for young readers as "Treasure of Lost Refuge: A Nicky Family Chronicle," which was released on Nov. 1 by Page Publishing Inc. The book's illustrations are provided by Craig's neighbor, artist Monica June Beals.

A book signing for "Treasure of Lost Refuge" will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Mattoon Public Library, 1600 Charleston Ave. Craig said she and Beals will sign books, sell copies, and give away a limited number of "Nicky Family Chronicle" activity books.

The newly published author, who is 68 years old, said the fantastic tales that are found within the 312 pages of "Treasure of Lost Refuge" got their start when she was a little girl in Tennessee.

"I am the oldest of four girls. I was often left in charge of them, so I told them stories," Craig said, adding that she based her characters on family and friends in her life. Craig said she also took inspiration from books about the family oriented adventures of young detective Trixie Belden.

Craig said she later told stories about what would become the Nicky family to her children and grandchildren, as well as children at her former Pepper's Playhouse child care service. She now has great grandchildren on their way to being her next generation of listeners.

Still, Craig said she had never recorded her stories in a permanent form for her family or other potential readers.

"My kids insisted that I write them down," Craig said.

Craig said "It's one thing to tell a story, it's another thing to write a book." Consequently, she sought the help of Craig. She said her neighbor typed up and copy edited the stories, printed out a draft and sent it to the publisher. Craig added that, "I could not have done it without her."

The "Treasure of Lost Refuge" compiles five of her stories into one book, Craig. It tells the story of Lost Refuge Island being invaded by a ruthless treasure hunter called Mr. Sir and his mercenaries. A group of children make plans to rescue a dragon from her treasure-decorated cavern before the invaders get there.

Craig said the book has a theme of "community, cooperation and family." The author said she cried tears of joy when she first saw the book based on the stories that she told her family.

"I just sat there, stared at it and cried for a while," Craig said, adding that she plans to write a three book series.

More information about Craig's book is available at http://www.pagepublishing.com/books/?book=treasure-of-lost-refuge-a-nicky-family-chronicle. Hard copies and digital copies are available via from Barnes & Noble and other booksellers.
Aligning with Nissans declaration of 2016 as the Year of the Truck and confirming market trends toward crossovers and away from sedans, the Nissan Rogue officially hopped past the Altima as the companys best-selling vehicle through November. Perhaps more significant is that the Rogue is vying with the Honda CR-V and the Ford Escape for top sales honors in its segment. The Rogues success rests in its intriguing styling in a sea of bland-looking crossovers and a size advantage over most competitors. For 2017, Nissan added a hybrid version and gave the Rogueall-new in 2014refreshed styling and interior appointments.

The two-row version we tested landed at $35,645, toward the high end of the Rogue spectrum, due to its premium features. The front-wheel-drive Rogue S starts at $24,760, and adding all-wheel drive tacks on $1350. Stepping up past the midrange SV to our test cars SL trim level adds $6140. Our example also had three option packagesPremium, Platinum, and Platinum Reservedressing it with a full array of safety technology (Intelligent Cruise Control, Lane Departure Prevention, Forward Emergency Braking, pedestrian detection), 19-inch aluminum wheels, and a leather-lined interior, inflating the bottom line another $3040. Its possible to spend more on a Rogue, but not much moreNissan said the hybrid would be on sale by the end of the year, but the company has yet to announce pricing. We expect it to square up against the Toyota RAV4 hybrid, in the $29,000 to $34,000 range.

The 2017 nonhybrid Rogue update was mostly superficial but brings a more upscale vibe. Its face was restructured to bolster the V-Motion design theme, the head- and taillamps were reworked, and more chrome accents were added. The rear liftgate now has motion-activated opening, and 19-inch wheels appear on the options list. In the cabin, a flat-bottomed and optionally heated steering wheel was adopted, the shift knob was redesigned with a leather boot, the center stack was redesigned, and a few of the dashboard and door accents have new finishes. Nissan also took advantage of a made-to-be opportunity by launching the new model in conjunction with the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story film with a Rogue: Rogue One Star Wars Limited Edition package ($1990). Featured in a commercial alongside AT-ACTs and TIE fighters, the limited-edition package atop the SV trim level adds black trim, Galactic Empire and Rebel Alliance logos, and Star Warsbranded doorsills. Oh, and buyers also get a Death Trooper helmet.

The Force Is Not Strong with This One

Sales success and high-profile co-branding aside, were not big fans of the Rogues mundane driving experience. The 10Best Truckswinning Honda CR-V, all-new this year, leads segment sales, with the Mazda CX-5 and the Ford Escape also among our favorites. The Rogue is narrowly outselling the also-refreshed-for-2017 Ford, but it isnt the behind-the-wheel experience that fuels its sales surgeit shares much of its hardware with the Sentra and, like that car, inspires little enthusiasm. Its nonconformist exterior belies a mundane dynamic personality. Call it the rebel appliance.

The standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder remains the same as before and was the engine in this test car. It generates 170 horsepower and 175 lb-ft of torque, less power than the base engines in the AWD Escape (179 hp), the Kia Sportage (181 hp), the Mazda CX-5 (184 hp), and the CR-V (184 hp). Whereas most competitors offer even more powerful engine options, the Rogue has only the one powerplant, paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).

Driving the Rogue in traffic can resemble those movie scenes where the lead character moves in slow motion while the surroundings turn to blurry streaks. The Rogue AWD turned in a zero-to-60-mph time of 9.1 seconds0.2 slower than in our test of the 2014 model, though it ran the quarter-mile in an identical 17.0 seconds. The new CR-Vs turbocharged 1.5-liter/CVT combination carries it to 60 mph in 7.6 seconds, and most others in the class can beat 8.0 seconds; even the slow ones outrun the Rogue. In our 50-to-70-mph top-gear acceleration test, simulating a passing maneuver or freeway merge, the Rogue took an interminably long 6.1 seconds to do what most competitors manage in less than 5.0. Our test driver cited a sluggish response from the CVT as a contributing factor.

Rogue buyers who care little about the performance deficit may be attracted by the fuel economy labels. Its EPA-rated at 25 mpg city and 32 mpg on the highway, better than the AWD Escapes 21/31, the Sportages 21/25 and the CR-Vs 25/31 mpg ratings. In our testing, though, the Rogue returned only 21 mpg, well behind its 27-mpg EPA combined rating. Our drivers often felt compelled to floor the accelerator in the Rogue in order to keep up with traffic, negating its efficiency at steady speeds.

Cushy Coach

The Rogues ride is placid and makes for relaxed, comfortable cruising. For 2017, Nissan added more sound absorbing materials in the floor and body pillars and thickened the rear door glass to cut down on noise intrusion, and it shows. Its spongy suspension, though, leaves the Rogue lost in no-mans land. It bobbles going around normal turns, never seems to feel planted even in a straight line, and the electric power steering offers minimal feedback. Under hard braking, the car does a noticeable nose dive and our tests showed that stopping from 70 mph took 178 feet, five more than both the Escape and the Sportage.

One competitive advantage for the Rogue is that it offers a third-row option (in SV trim levels), a rare choice in this segment. Just make sure the people climbing back there arent fully grown yet. Part of Rogues cabin volume advantage comes from its longer 184.5-inch overall length, versus the CR-Vs 180.6 inches. With the seats up, cargo space is average, but once theyre folded down, theres 70 cubic feet. Choosing the five-seat model brings the benefit of Nissans divide-n-hide cargo system that provides multiple configurations, such as a raised or lowered rear floor, a shelf, or hidden compartments.

The SL as equipped with the Platinum Reserve interior package offers a warm and welcoming vibe. The detailing on the seat cushion and lower backrest looks upscale, even at the risk of looking like one of those poofy down jackets. The dark camel leather extends to the door armrests, the center console, the gearshift housing, and above the glove compartment yielding a two-tone scheme. The extra stitching designs on the passenger dash and the console cover round out a wonderfully appointed environment, and the seats are every bit as comfortable as they look.

Other Rogue SL features make the drivers life easier. Heated seats (no ventilation), a 7.0-inch infotainment screen, a digital info display between the tachometer and the speedo, and a heated steering wheel are among the comforts. Available intelligent cruise control, 360-view cameras, and remote start also up the crossovers game. But unlike its sibling, the Murano, the Rogue is not accommodating to the connected lifestyle. It has only one USB port, and the rear has doesnt have any controls or ports of any kind. The Escape and the CX-5 both have two USBs up front, and the Sportage and CR-V both have at least one in the rear (the CR-V has two up front, two in back).

Inferior Infotainment

The NissanConnect infotainment is in need of some refinement, or maybe more modern hardware. The screens look low-res, and pressing the touchscreen multiple times too quickly frequently triggers a buffer wheel pop-up. When youre on the move, a system pausing to gather its wits is unacceptable.

Separate physical buttons surround the screen for access to phone, audio, navigation, or information functions but the system lacks a central home button, the menus are not well organized, and, at night, the small print makes the buttons harder to identify. Theres also no option for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto just yet. (Nissan just introduced the smartphone integration technology on the new Maxima, and the Murano, but Nissan wouldnt reveal when it might be coming to the Rogue.) The entire system also blacked out on us once. We had the navigation system and satellite radio running but had entered no new commands. It simply restarted itself mid-drive.

That the Rogue is Nissans new sales darling and one of the most popular vehicles in its class doesnt surprise. What it lacks in propensity for road-romping, it makes up for in the more widely appreciated virtues of comfort, size, and convenience. This test cars robotic-driving featuresmore popular in the marketplace than they are with ussurely improve the Rogues competitive stance and play into its new Star Wars marketing scheme, but for anyone interested in driving pleasure, this is not the crossover youre looking for.

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback



PRICE AS TESTED: $35,645 (base price: $26,110)



ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection



Displacement: 152 cu in, 2488 cc

Power: 170 hp @ 6000 rpm

Torque: 175 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm



TRANSMISSION: continuously variable automatic with manual shifting mode



DIMENSIONS:

Wheelbase: 106.5 in

Length: 184.5 in

Width: 72.4 in Height: 66.6 in

Passenger volume: 106 cu ft

Cargo volume: 32 cu ft

Curb weight: 3694 lb



C/D TEST RESULTS:

Zero to 60 mph: 9.1 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 27.0 sec

Zero to 110 mph: 39.1 sec

Rolling start, 560 mph: 9.4 sec

Top gear, 3050 mph: 4.5 sec

Top gear, 5070 mph: 6.1 sec

Standing -mile: 17.0 sec @ 80 mph

Top speed (governor limited): 118 mph

Braking, 700 mph: 178 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.81 g



FUEL ECONOMY:

EPA combined/city/highway driving: 27/25/32 mpg

C/D observed: 21 mpg

*stability-control-inhibited




Ahhh, dont you just love the cosy old Royal Variety Performance? The family-friendly comedy skits, the colourful song and dance routines, the dodgy racist jokes

David Walliams/Rex Photos

Yep, apparently so.

A handful of viewers have slammed Little Britain star and Royal Variety Performance presenter David Walliams of casual racism after a gag he made during this years festive TV spectacular fell a wee bit flat.

It all started innocently enough. A Jackanory-style sketch, complete worth cute child actors roped in to celebrate a decade of Britains Got Talent appearing on our screens.

Although Simon had no talent of his own, he liked to judge others, Walliams joked. Because he couldnt judge this show all by himself, he had to care what other people thought too. He tried a succession of judges.

Royal Variety Performance/ITV

This was the cue for a bunch of smiling kids to strut across the stage dolled up as former Britains Got Talent judges, including Piers Morgan appearing to hack a phone, and Walliams himself dressed up as Emily Im A Laaaaady! Howard.

When it was time for a pint-sized version of Michael McIntyre to appear, things got a little weird. A loud gong was heard and then a young Asian boy beamed at the crowd.

Royal Variety Performance/ITV

No, us neither.

Am I the only one who thought the Asian Michael McIntyre gag during the pathetic BGT history was casually racist? asked one Twitter user.

Another added: Did they really just make a slightly offensive slit eyed joke about michael mcintyre? Wow!

Am I the only one who thought the 'Asian Michael McIntyre' gag during the pathetic BGT history was casually racist? #RoyalVarietyPerformance  Andrew Keates (@andrewkeates) December 13, 2016

Did they really just make a slightly offensive "slit eyed joke" about michael mcintyre? Wow! #RoyalVarietyPerformance  Brendan Bunting (@DapperArtist) December 13, 2016

Didn't know Michael Mcintyre was Chinese? #RoyalVarietyPerformance  Lee ???????????? (@Leemond) December 13, 2016

Anyway, if youre wondering what the hell David Walliams was on about, apparently McIntyre has often joked that he looks a bit Chinese during some of his stand up shows.

Guess you had to be there.
Founded in 1947, Franklin Templeton Investments prides itself in offering exceptional asset management to its clients in more than 180 nations throughout the globe. It has a presence in 29 countries and has over 600 investment professionals. With around $733.3 billion assets under management, the company manages a wide range of mutual funds across different categories including both equity and fixed income. The company offers investment management strategies and integrated risk management solutions to individuals, institutions, pension plans, trusts and partnerships.

Below we share with you three best-ranked Franklin Templeton mutual funds. Each has earned a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and is expected to outperform its peers in the future. Investors can click here to see the complete list of all Franklin Templeton mutual funds, their Zacks Rank and past performance.

Franklin High Income A FHAIX seeks high current income with growth of capital as its secondary objective. FHAIX invests primarily in high yield securities that are rated below investment grade. FHAIX invests in debt securities including bonds, notes and debentures. FHAIX may also invest all of its assets in junk bonds. Franklin High Income A has returned 18% over the past one year.

As of September 2016, FHAIX held 283 issues, with 1.10% of its assets invested in Citigroup FRN.

Franklin Founding Funds Allocation A FFALX allocates its assets equally between the three underlying funds  Franklin Income Fund, Franklin Mutual Shares Fund and Templeton Growth Fund. These funds in turn primarily focus on acquiring equity securities of both domestic and foreign companies. Franklin Founding Funds Allocation A has returned 15.1% over the past one year.

T. Anthony Coffeyhas been the portfolio manager of FFALX since 2003.

Franklin Real Estate Securities A FREEX seeks maximum total return. FREEX invests the lions share of its assets in domestic companies whose operations are related to the real estate domain. FREEX invests in securities of REITs and companies that derive the major portion of their revenues by carrying on real estate related operations. Franklin Founding Funds Allocation A is a non-diversified fund and has returned 8.9% over the past one year.

Story continues

FREEXhas an expense ratio of 1.00% compared with the category average of 1.28%.

Franklin High Yield Tax-Free Income A FRHIX invests the major portion of its assets in securities that are expected to provide yield exempted from federal income taxes, including the federal alternative minimum tax.FRHIX seeks high level of tax-free income. FRHIX primarily invests in municipal securities, which may also include defaulted securities. Franklin High Yield Tax-Free Income A has returned 1.2% over the past one year.

As of September 2016, FRHIX held 765 issues, with 1.52% of its assets invested in Public Auth 6.5%.

To view the Zacks Rank and the past performance of all Franklin Templeton mutual funds, investors can click here to see the complete list of funds.

Want key mutual fund info delivered straight to your inbox?

Zacks free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing mutual funds, 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



Get Your Free (FRHIX): Fund Analysis Report



Get Your Free (FFALX): Fund Analysis Report



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
Every December, for the past 10 years, Lloyd Gurley has put money into his two grandsons' college savings accounts. He views the money as a gift and likes doing so at the end of the year because it allows him to contribute in a systematic way.

"It is the Christmas season , and that is a good time to provide that," says the Durham , North Carolina, resident.

Gurley invests the money directly into two North Carolina 529 accounts that he owns. A 529 account is a college savings account that allows money to grow tax-deferred and to be taken out tax-free if used for qualified education expenses.

For those who want to give college savings as a gift, there are now more ways than ever to do so.

That's important, because 84 percent of parents said they would welcome college contributions in lieu of traditional presents from family and friends, according to a study by Fidelity Investments.

Parents, friends and family spend an average of $658 per child on gifts, according to the study.

[Learn what options there are for giving the gift of college savings.]

"I feel pretty confident a portion of that is going to be on something they lose interest in relatively quickly," says Keith Bernhardt, vice president of retirement and college products at Fidelity. "If you think about a portion of those gifts going to college savings, it can go a long way, particularly if there's a long time for that money to grow."

Bernhardt added that parents are on track to save less than a third of what they hope to cover in college costs, according to another Fidelity study.

"There's a gap between what they're hoping to cover and what they're actually saving," he says.

Here are four ways to give the gift of college contributions.

[Learn four college savings myths grandparents should avoid.]

-- Gift cards: Toys R Us and Babies R Us retail stores across the U.S. are selling plastic gift cards that link to college savings accounts. Offered by giftofcollege.com, an online registry for gifts to 529 plan accounts, friends and family can purchase the cards and give a tangible gift card for college savings.

Story continues

"It's not only easy, but it's really familiar," says Wayne Weber, founder and CEO of Gift of College Inc. "We all get gift cards every year. Thinking about it in terms of a 529, it should be the replacement of a savings bond from Grandma."

The cards can be used with any 529 account in the country but are redeemed through the company's website. The recipient must register for a profile at the site and link to his or her 529 plan account to redeem the card.

California residents might notice that cards there are co-branded with that state's 529 program, ScholarShare College Savings program. They can still be used for any 529 plan. The cards cost $5.95 to purchase and are also available online.

-- 529 websites: Some 529 plans allow college savers to create customized web pages with pictures and information about themselves. Friends and family can then contribute directly to a recipient's college savings account via the web page.

Bernhardt says these 529 gift platforms give friends and family the peace of mind that the gift is going to college savings.

"There is concern from some friends and family that if they give that cash or check, does it really go toward college savings?" he says. "This way they know it's going into the 529."

Plans in about a dozen states , including four states managed by Fidelity, offer gifting options . Check your plan's website to see what's available.

[Get tips on how to set a college savings goal.]

-- U.S. Savings bonds: The old stand by, savings bonds, can still be given, although not in paper form anymore. Now they need to be purchased via the Treasury Direct website. Certain U.S. savings -- series EE (issued after 1989) and series I -- can be redeemed free of federal tax es for qualifying higher education expenses.

The benefit is that the bonds are a very safe investment. "You have the backing and safety of it being a U.S. government bond," says Bernhardt.

But the drawback is that the interest earned will likely be very modest, depending on when the bond is purchased.

-- Cash or checks: It may not be cutting-edge, but giving a child cash or a check and earmarking it for college may still be a welcome gift. Nine out of 10 parents say higher education is one of the best gifts they ever received, according to the Fidelity survey.

Trying to save for college? Get tips and more in the U.S. News College Savings 101 center.

Deborah Ziff is a Chicago area-based freelance education reporter for U.S. News, covering college savings and 529 plans. You can follow her on Twitter.




Photo credit: undefined

From ELLE

After weeks of anticipation, President-Elect Donald Trump announced the winner of his most high-stakes pageant yet. He's tapped ExxonMobil executive Rex Tillerson for secretary of state.

Photo credit: YouTube

Tillerson wasn't an obvious contender for the top cabinet position. Unlike Mitt Romney or David Petraeus, who were both in talks to take on the post, he's never run for president or pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for providing classified information to his mistress! So!

Who is Rex Tillerson?

Okay! He has no experience.

As America's top diplomat, a secretary of state is supposed to be fluent in issues of international consequence. Historically, that means some experience in the public sector, if only to demonstrate a commitment to American interests and freedoms. Tillerson, 64, has never held elected office or even served in a government-appointed position. He joined ExxonMobil in 1975 and has worked there ever since. He's been chairman and chief executive since 2006.

The good news is he's at least Delta Platinum, having traveled all over to represent Exxon around the world, and he's probably pretty good at dealing with jet lag. The bad news is he's spent quite a bit of time in Russia.

So, yes, Russian President Vladimir Putin loves him so much he gave Tillerson the "Order of Friendship" in 2013.

How sweet! According to New York Magazine, Tillerson has known Putin for almost two decades and received the award in 2013 for making a deal that allowed Exxon access to a Russian-controlled swath of the Arctic Ocean.

He's gone further, decrying the sanctions that the U.S. has imposed on Russian for its intervention in Ukraine and occupation of Crimea. Guess why? Surprise!: It's costing Exxon billions of dollars. Since the CIA has now concluded that Russia not only interfered in, but actively worked to help Trump during the election, Tillerson's cozy repartee with Putin isn't exactly a credential.

Story continues

And, sure, noted white-supremacist Stephen Bannon is a fan, too!

The New York Times writes that Tillerson was recommended for secretary of state by James A. Baker III, secretary of state under George H. W. Bush, and Robert M. Gates, the former secretary of defense. But it was when Stephen Bannon, Trump's chief strategist, and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, started to favor him that the president-elect became seriously interested.

So, that's awesome.

But at least Tillerson sort of believes in climate change!

While Exxon has polluted the planet for decades, the business now admits that global warming is a real thing. Brave! According to the Washington Post, the acknowledgment came during Tillerson's tenure and has spurred the company to support the conclusions reached at the 2015 climate talks in Paris.

Okay! Sounds reasonable!

Less positive, however, is that Trump has already said more than once that he opposes the Paris agreement and apparently isn't sure that humans have contributed in any way to the global warming crisis.

CoooOOOooooool.

True, this is quite literally a catastrophe of worldwide proportions. But there's a chance you won't need to know much about him at all because he might not be cleared to serve.

All this Russia buddy-buddy stuff isn't just making Democrats nervous. Republican senators John McCain, James Lankford, and Marco Rubio have all spoken out to raise their concerns.

Being a "friend of Vladimir" is not an attribute I am hoping for from a #SecretaryOfState - MR - Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 11, 2016

If even a few Republicans choose to oppose Tillerson and no Democrats break rank, Tillerson won't hit the critical number of votes he needs to receive Senate confirmation. Which means we could be stuck with Rudy Giuliani after all.

Sandra Bullock, please. Please come save us.

You Might Also Like
5 non-awkward ways to ask your coworker to hang out outside of work

The older we get, the harder making friends can be, especially at work. Were all so set in our ways, have our friendships solidified with history, and our routines firmly planted. But sometimes we meet someone who we just know wed get along with smashingly, like Vicky in the cubicle across the way who seems so funny and cool, or Carlos the graphic design guy whose style we dig.

So, how do you ask your co-worker to hang with you outside of work without coming across like a total creepo?

Here are some ideas. With each, make sure to be way casual, like #NBD, but also not too-cool-for-school. Keep it real, be engaging, but not desperate, but know that its okay to cry if they say no.

1. Start with a sleepover lunch.

Everyone knows that what are you doing for lunch? Want to grab a sandwich? is really code for, Hey, you want to do each others nails and hair tonight? But, social etiquette dictates starting slow. So learn the code and stick to it. Lunch is casual and easy because you can just talk about work, and then get to know each other a little better before ramping up to the epic sleepover.

2. Ask your co-worker if you can sob on her shoulder about your breakup hed like to see La La Land or whatever big movie is out at the time.

Everybody likes movies, and theyre great activities for getting to know someone because the movie gives you a topic to talk about.

3. Invite her or him to cuddle with you during your thousandth watching of The Shining a cool/interesting but low-key event.

Have you heard about that holiday stage musical version of Die Hard? Im thinking of going this weekend. Would you like to come with me?

4. Plan a nude spa day group outing and invite your co-worker along.

My friends and I are going to that wine tasting picnic after work tonight. Would love for you to join, if youre free. Takes the pressure off of having to do the one-on-one conversation thing, as your other friends will take part in the getting-to-know-you game.

Story continues

5. Go to shots! shots! shots! happy hour.

If you dont already know where the nearest happy hour is, find out. And then casually ask your cubicle neighbor if theyd like to grab a drink with you. Im grabbing happy hour at Culver Hotel tonight. Wanna join?

Phrase it casually enough, and

youll soon have your designated holding-your-hair-back bestie on lockdown.

The post 5 non-awkward ways to ask your coworker to hang out outside of work appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Every couple of months, Kelly Smith makes the 450-mile drive from Tampa to Atlanta to visit her father during one of her school breaks.

The University of Tampa senior says she cuts down on her travel spending using a fuel perk points program at Winn-Dixie, a regional grocery store chain.

"I buy all my groceries there and every $50, I get five cents off per gallon. So I rack those up and make sure to use them while I'm driving up there," the 22-year-old writing major says.

While most students stay close to home, 42 percent chose a college that is more than 100 miles away, a Niche study found. That number, according to the study, drops to 11 percent for students attending a college more than 500 miles away.

Students, whether they live close to home or farther away, can look for ways to save on travel through different strategies or deals that offer student discounts, experts say.

College financial planners say that travel is an indirect college expense and often an afterthought following the cost of tuition, books and living expenses.

For students who plan to study a longer distance from home, it's a good idea to check the school's proximity to an airport, says Peg Keough, founder and college financial planner at Way to the Quad, a Seattle-based firm that advises families on paying for college.

"Something to look at is how expensive it is to get to the airport and how easy it is because that can add up over four years," Keough says.

[Learn how to estimate living expenses to determine college affordability.]

For prospective students planning a college budget or students interested in saving on travel-related expenses, here are several strategies to consider.

1. Hitch a ride with other students: "Ride share is the most obvious one. So if the student lives close to or near their hometown, they can get with a couple friends and split gas," says Jodi Okun, founder of College Financial Aid Advisors, an educational consulting company based in California.

Story continues

Smith, the University of Tampa student, says that when she was at Florida State University for her freshman and sophomore year, many students posted ride share requests on Facebook.

"A lot of people will put up a Facebook status like: 'Is anyone driving to Tampa?'"

There are also ride-matching services, such as Ridebuzz and College Carpool, that have college-ride programs on many campuses across the country.

2. Don't go home: College financial planners say that one option for students who study far away from home is to limit their number of trips.

[Find out where students pay the most for room and board.]

"Sometimes you make good friends, and they just bring you home for the weekend," Keough says.

Okun, who also works with Discover Student Loans, says it's easier for students with their own apartments to stay since they don't need to worry about dorm closures.

"Freshman year, they come every chance they get. But as sophomore year goes on and junior year goes on, they seem to create at new set of traditions," she says. "It's less home as they get older."

3. Take advantage of school shuttles: Colleges within driving distance of a major city or airport often have low-cost shuttle buses. These shuttles are operated by either the school or an outside company, which often offer discounts to local students.

Students at the University of Wisconsin--Madison, for example, receive a discount on shuttle buses that travel from UW--Madison's campus to O'Hare Airport or Midway Airport in Chicago.

4. Look for cheap flights: "A lot of my students use StudentUniverse, whether it's for hotels or cheap flights, and they go on at specific times to look for student discounts," Okun says.

Emily Wood, a student at Salt Lake Community College, who tries to travels to Europe whenever she can to practice her language skills in Russian and German, says she looks to low-budget airlines for cheap tickets.

[Explore 10 ways that incoming freshmen can save for college.]

"One of the best things I started doing was buy tickets from Norwegian.com," the 23-year-old Utah native says, who boasts that those fares are lower than most commercial airlines. "Norwegian.com let's you exclude the checked bag and $45 meal, which lowers the price even more."

Wood says, even though Norwegian doesn't have any direct flights near her, she takes a seven-hour Greyhound bus ride from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas to take advantage of the cheaper fare.

5. Consider taking a bus or a train: While low fares can be found no-frills bus lines, such as MegaBus or BoltBus, students can also take advantage of special deals with Greyhound and Amtrak.

Bus company Greyhound offers students a 10 percent discount with the Student Advantage Discount Card, which costs $20 annually. For those students near an Amtrak train station, the U.S. passenger railroad line offers fare reductions to students with a valid ID between ages 13 and 25.

6. Use your student ID everywhere: "I also ask for student discounts everywhere I go -- even if they're not advertised," Smith says. "Some people really understand the struggle of being in school and trying to enjoy life."

Trying to fund your education? Get tips and more in the U.S. News Paying for College center.

Farran Powell is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering paying for college and graduate school. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at fpowell@usnews.com.
With the holidays fast approaching, you may are already thinking about a quick getaway. Of course, traveling at last-minute is typically expensive, but fortunately there are still plenty of cruise deals out there that allow you to plan a trip on a whim without busting your budget. U.S. News went in search of some of the most wallet-friendly cruise bargains this winter that allow you to set sail for less than $1,000, including all taxes and fees (and based on double occupancy). Here are eight excellent cruise vacation ideas for procrastinators.

[See: The 2017 Best Cruise Lines for the Money.]

A Royal Caribbean Cruise from Miami

Miami offers plenty of cheap cruise fares at any time of year, but it's hard to match Royal Caribbean International's five-night cruise aboard the Empress of the Seas. With rates starting at $723 for the sailing departing on Jan. 7, 2017, Royal Caribbean offers price-conscious cruisers the opportunity to escape the winter doldrums for warmer weather. What's more, the Empress of the Seas is one of the cruise line's smaller ships, and offers a more intimate feeling than today's modern megaships. Ports of call on the itinerary include Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico.

A Carnival Cruise from Long Beach, California

Budget-minded travelers looking for a West Coast getaway are in luck. Carnival Cruise Lines is offering a trip departing on Jan. 9, 2017, from Long Beach for just $652 with all taxes and fees included. The four-day trip aboard the Carnival Inspiration doesn't go far, with stops in nearby Catalina Island in California and Ensenada, Mexico. Still, for just over $650, you can pull off a fun spur-of-the-moment getaway without worrying about pinching pennies after the holidays.

A Norwegian Cruise Line Sailing from Miami

Norwegian Cruise Line is offering a five-night trip departing on Jan. 15, 2017, from Miami for just $721 per couple. And thanks to a special deal Norwegian is running, this fare includes your choice of a free open bar, 250 minutes of complimentary Wi-Fi or an extra stateroom guest. The itinerary aboard the line's Norwegian Pearl includes stops in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Key West, Florida.

Story continues

[See: 10 Cool Honeymoon Cruise Ideas.]

A Carnival Cruise from Galveston, Texas

If you have some flexibility in your travel dates, consider cruising aboard the Carnival Valor on Jan. 23, 2017. If you are one of the 20 million people that live within a few hours' drive of Galveston, you won't have to splurge on airfare to get to the port. Plus, every itinerary during January is offering rates in under $1,000 per couple in an interior cabin. The voyage departing on Jan. 23 costs just $736 for two passengers, with all taxes and fees included, and the itinerary includes stops in Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico, with two days at sea to enjoy the ship.

A Norwegian Cruise Line Voyage from Miami

If you don't have the time to take a weeklong trip, then this shorter voyage may just fit the bill. This four-night cruise aboard the Norwegian Pearl departs on Jan. 25, 2017 from Miami. The itinerary includes a stop in Cozumel, with a day at sea each way between Miami and Mexico. Rates for an interior cabin start at $564 for two people. And if you want to upgrade to an ocean-facing stateroom, you can spring a balcony cabin and still pay just $1,004 for the entire trip.

A Carnival Cruise from New Orleans

If you can't make it to Florida's popular departure ports in Fort Lauderdale, Miami or Tampa, consider starting a cruise from the Big Easy. The Port of New Orleans has grown to see more than 1 million passengers sail annually from its port, making it one of the most popular cruise ports outside of Florida. Starting on Jan. 26, 2017, this four-day voyage to Cozumel aboard the Carnival Triumph is offering interior cabins starting at $613.

A Carnival Cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Sailing from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Carnival offers a six-night trip aboard the Carnival Conquest, departing on Jan. 29. The cruise costs just $976 for two people in an interior cabin, including all taxes and port fees. The itinerary includes stops in Key West, Grand Cayman and Cozumel before returning to Fort Lauderdale.

[See: The Best Cruise Lines of 2016.]

A Carnival Cruise from Miami

For $648, you and a travel companion can set sail for Mexico aboard the Carnival Victory on Jan. 30, 2017. The trip is scheduled for four days, and includes two stops. The first port of call is Key West, followed by a stop in Cozumel. What's more, since this itinerary costs less than $1,000 (for interior cabins), you can upgrade to a balcony room for $898, including all taxes and fees. And if you need more flexibility in your travel dates, there are several trips leaving in January that offer the same itinerary for a little more dough.





More From US News & World Report


Doris Payne, a notorious international jewelry thief, was arrested Tuesday at an upscale shopping mall in Georgia. Payne was reportedly caught shoplifting a $2,000 diamond necklace from Von Maur at Perimeter Mall, just north of Atlanta. In an email to the Associated Press, Dunwoody police spokesman Mark Stevens said Payne put the necklace in her back pocket and tried to leave the store before she was apprehended.

Her history of thievery spans over five decades and two countries. Shes been arrested more than 20 times for shoplifting in various countries around the world including, France, Switzerland, Britain and Greece.

Just a year ago, Payne was arrested and later released for stealing a pair of $700 earrings from Saks Fifth Avenue at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta. During the trial for that particular arrest, Paynes lawyer said she was too sick to show up in court, according to reports.

Payne, who was the subject of Netflixs The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne documentary, reportedly started stealing when she was a teenager. During a jailhouse interview with The Desert Sun in 2014, Payne said she initially started stealing watches to help her mother get out of an abusive relationship. However, she said her lust for shoplifting continued as she got older and helped her maintain a more glamorous lifestyle than what she experienced growing up in West Virginia.

In early 2016, Payne told the Associated Press that she was a thief. She reportedly had over 20 aliases and more than likely got away with more shoplifting crimes than what she has been arrested and charged for over the years. Associated Press reported Payne picked up charges in six cases in southern California alone, dating back to 1999. Industry trade group, Jewelers Security Alliance, sent out warning bulletins with Paynes picture on them as early as the 1970s.

Related Articles
Photo credit: Getty

From Cosmopolitan

Former ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson was confirmed Feb. 1, 2017, as secretary of state. "He will be a forceful and clear-eyed advocate for America's vital national interests, Trump said in a statement when he nominated him. Tillerson, who was selected for Americas chief diplomat over names like former New York mayor Rudy Guiliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, faced criticism from both Republicans and Democrats due to his deep ties to Russia, but was confirmed in a 56 to 43 vote. Here are 10 things to know about Tillerson, the man who will soon be in charge of American diplomacy around the world:



1. He was at ExxonMobil for four decades.

Tillerson, 64, a Texas native, lived in Irving with his wife. They have four children. He had been employed by ExxonMobil since he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975. He started as a production engineer and steadily rose up the ranks, becoming president and director of the energy giant in 2004. In 2006, he was tapped as the chairman and CEO of the company. He has brokered oil and gas deals all over the world, including Venezuela, Sudan, and Kurdistan. In 2015, Tillerson ranked no. 20 on Forbess list of most powerful people in the world. His salary was $27.3 million (and that's after an 18 percent pay cut) and he had an estimated $218 million in Exxon stock plus and a pension plan valued at about $69.5 million, the Washington Post reports.

Photo credit: Getty

2. His business ties with Russia may pose a conflict of interest.

In 2011, ExxonMobil negotiated a multibillion dollar deal with Rosneft, Russias state-controlled oil behemoth, that would allow ExxonMobil access to drill in vast, untapped oil deposits in the Russian Arctic. But in 2014, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia after the annexation of Crimea that have yet to be lifted, halting Exxons Arctic drilling plans. The New York Times describes the conflict of interest: The company has billions of dollars in oil contracts that can go forward only if the United States lifts sanctions against Russia, and Mr. Tillersons stake in Russias energy industry could create a very blurry line between his interests as an oilman and his role as Americas leading diplomat.

3. And he is close with Vladimir Putin.

In 2013, Putin awarded Tillerson the Order of Friendship, a decoration bestowed upon foreign nationals whose work has helped improve relations between Russia's government and its citizens. His coziness with Putin and Russia - who may have interfered with the U.S. election - has concerned lawmakers like Sen. John McCain and Sen. Marco Rubio. McCain called Putin a thug, bully and a murderer, adding, anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying. At his confirmation hearing, Rubio asked Tillerson if Putin is a war criminal. I would not use that term, Tillerson said.

Photo credit: Getty

4. He has no public sector experience.

Though Tillerson surely has extensive experience in international business, he has no experience in public service. In fact, the Washington Post reports that his lack of experience in the public sector is a first in modern history for a potential secretary of state. His positions on social issues are mostly unknown, reports the New York Times, meaning its unclear how hell build alliances with other nations and approach human rights issues around the world. Planned Parenthood issued a statement expressing concern over Tillersons nomination, saying, It is imperative our leaders champion human rights to continue global progress, which is why Planned Parenthood is alarmed to see the nomination of Rex Tillerson, who has an international track record of putting corporate profit over the fundamental rights of people. On the flip-side, ultra-conservative, anti-LGBT group Family Research Council is worried that Tillerson's policies will be too liberal, saying he may be the "greatest ally liberals have in the Cabinet for their abortion and LGBT agendas."

5. He backed Jeb Bush in the Republican primaries.

Tillerson has donated to the political campaigns of George W. Bush and Mitt Romney. In the 2016 election, he backed Jeb Bush - not Donald Trump. Jeb Bush praised the Tillerson as secretary of state nominee, telling a Tennessee TV station Monday that Tillerson "represents the interests of United States really, really well. But [the Senate] will have the chance to discuss all these things in an opening hearing. Thats how the process works.

6. He says climate change is real but not an imminent security threat.

Tillerson has previously acknowledged that climate change is real. At a recent shareholder meeting, he said, We believe that addressing the risk of climate change is a global issue. However, he also insisted that fossil fuels continue to be the only viable energy source for humans. The reality is there is no alternative energy source known on the planet or available to us today, he said. At the same shareholders meeting, company shareholders voted against four investor recommendations for addressing climate change. The SEC is currently investigating ExxonMobil over how the company accounts for the cost of climate change when valuing assets and future projects. At his confirmation hearing, Tillerson said, "The risk of climate change does exist, and the consequences could be serious enough that action should be taken" but our ability to predict the effect of greenhouse-gas concentrations on climate is "very limited." He also said of climate change, "I dont see it as the imminent national security threat that perhaps others do.

Photo credit: Getty

7. He supports the Trans-Pacific partnership.

The trade deal, prioritized by President Barack Obama, removes tariffs on a range of goods and establishes standards on labor and environmental protections among the United states, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Chile, and Peru. Though all 12 nations signed on in February, to go into effect, several nations including the United States and Japan have to ratify the deal by February 2018. Trump has said he does not support the TPP, but Tillerson supports the trade agreement. The 11 nations that have been working to lower trade barriers and end protectionist policies under this partnership are a diverse mix of developed and developing economies, he said at a speech for the Asia Global Society in 2013. But all of them understand the value of open markets to growth and progress for every nation. The BBC notes that the 12 nations are responsible for 40 percent of the worlds trade.

8. He is a fan of Common Core education.

Tillerson has been a vocal supporter of the Obama administrations Common Core initiative, a standardized guideline for math and language concepts children should learn throughout grade school. States that adopted the Common Core program received federal and state funding to help build curriculum to achieve the standards. Tillerson criticized his home state, Texas, for being among the handful of states that has not adopted Common Core I dont think the [K-12] schools realize that were their customer, he said at a Business Roundtable meeting. They need to produce students with skills that allow them to get a job. If they dont, they are essentially producing a defective product. And in this case, the product is a human being. Its tragic. His views are at odds with those of Trump, who has called Common Core a total disaster," and Betsy DeVos, Trump's pick for education secretary.

9. LGBTQ advocates are critical of his record on gay rights.

Tillerson served as a Boy Scout and Eagle Scout, and later served as the national president of the Boy Scouts of America from 2010 to 2011. The New York Times notes that though the organization did not accept gay members during his tenure, as a member of the executive board, Tillerson voted in 2013 to lift the ban. However, the Human Rights Campaign has voiced concern over gay rights under Tillerson's appointment, noting that ExxonMobil has been very slow to adopt LGBTQ-inclusive policies.

10. He did not originally want to be secretary of state.

Tillerson revealed that he did not originally want the role during an interview with Independent Journal Reviews Erin McPike, the only journalist allowed to cover Tillerson's recent trip to Asia. He said, "I didnt want this job. I didnt seek this job." An aide then asked him why he said yes, and Tillerson replied, "My wife told me Im supposed to do this."

He went on to explain that he had never met Trump before the election, though when he was president-elect, Trump asked to talk with Tillerson "about the world." At the end of their conversation, he asked Tillerson to be secretary of state.

McPike reported that Tillerson said, "I was supposed to retire in March, this month. I was going to go to the ranch to be with my grandkids."

This article was originally published Dec. 16, 2016, and has been updated.

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Following the completion of its mega-merger with SABMiller in Oct 2016, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV BUD, alias AB InBev, is still in the process of fulfilling the regulatory requirements for the deal. In this regard, the company recently agreed to sell some of SABMillers eastern European businesses to Japans Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. for 7.3 billion (or US$7.8 billion).



Per the deal, AB InBev will dispose SABMillers businesses in five countries namely, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania (termed as CEE Business), as was already promised to the European Commission. The sale which awaits an approval from the European Commission, includes leading beer brands like Pilsner Urquell, Kozel and Tyskie, is likely to close in the first half of 2017.



The sale of aforementioned assets is a ploy on the part of the Budweiser maker to meet the antitrust commitments. However, the deal has significant importance for Asahi as it presents a lucrative opportunity to diversify outside its home market, where the brewers are plagued by an aging and shrinking population.



Additionally, this acquisition complements Asahis previous buy of the Western European brewing assets from AB InBev for 2.55 billion, including SABMillers premium beer brands Peroni and Grolsch, and British craft brewer Meantime. Together, the assets acquired from AB InBev provide Asahi the platform to expand in Europe and establish itself as a global player. Further, the recent acquisition will bring the company to the third spot among the Asian brewers.



While the deal raises the optimism of investors, we note that shares of AB InBev have dropped nearly 17% year to date. Moreover, this Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) stock has underperformed the Zacks Categorized Beverages  Alcoholic industry which has declined 4.8% year to date.

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(Adds details from ruling and background)

By Tracy Rucinski

Dec 14 (Reuters) - A leading U.S. subsidiary of Abengoa SA received U.S. court approval to exit its Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to court records filed on Wednesday, putting the Spanish renewable energy group closer to achieving a global debt-cutting plan.

Abeinsa Holding Inc was one of dozens of U.S. Abengoa subsidiaries that filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection while the Seville-based parent worked out a high-stakes plan to cut $10 billion of debt and avoid its own bankruptcy in Spain.

"It is both relevant and consequential that confirmation of the (Abeinsa) plan is a material component, and a condition, of the global restructuring of the Spanish companies," U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Carey said in a written ruling.

Under Abengoa's so-called master restructuring agreement, big bank lenders such as Santander will take equity in exchange for debt in the family-founded engineering company that invested heavily to finance a quick expansion in global renewable energy.

As part of the U.S. reorganization, Abengoa will retain its control of the U.S. businesses, which range from engineering and construction firms to biofuel and solar energy plants, thanks to a $23 million cash payment by its new bank owners.

Abengoa will also put funds into a litigation trust to resolve potential lawsuits and a separate reserve pool for potential insurer claims.

Carey overruled objections to the plan by Portland General Electric, which had sued Abengoa over alleged cost overruns and construction defects at a power plant in Oregon, and by the U.S. Trustee, a government bankruptcy watchdog.

While Carey agreed with the U.S. Trustee's concern that lawsuit shields provided to Abengoa and affiliated parties were overly broad, he said there was "no doubt that the plan before me is part of the overall restructuring of the Abengoa group."

Though U.S. creditors will recover only pennies on every dollar of debt, Carey said the reorganization plan offered a better outcome that an outright liquidation.

Abengoa's global debt restructuring agreement has received support from shareholders and the Spanish court, though several creditors are still challenging the court validation in Spain.

(Additional reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, James Dalgleish and Bernard Orr)
By Greg Roumeliotis and Oliver Hirt NEW YORK/ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland's Actelion Ltd is in talks with French drugmaker Sanofi about a deal, sources said on Wednesday, after U.S. healthcare group Johnson & Johnson abandoned efforts to buy the company. Actelion's shares traded 10 percent lower amid concern among investors that J&J's exit made a successful deal for Europe's biggest biotech group less likely. Sanofi declined to comment. The French drugmaker was trumped in August by Pfizer's $14 billion bid for U.S. cancer drug company Medivation and is still eager for deals to broaden its drug line-up. However, analysts said Sanofi CEO Olivier Brandicourt could ill afford to fail in a second high-profile bid. Actelion told J&J it was confident it could attract an offer significantly higher than the approximately 250 Swiss francs per share the U.S. company had offered, according to one person familiar with the matter. There were also disagreements about the proposed deal's structure, the person added. Actelion shares had closed at 208.50 Swiss francs on Tuesday, a 25 percent premium to their price before J&J's bid became public two weeks and giving the company a market capitalization of 22.5 billion Swiss francs ($22.2 billion). "I presume these parties are prepared to make offers that are more attractive than that which J&J was envisaging," said Eleanor Taylor Jolidon, a fund manager at Union Bancaire Privee in Geneva, which is among Actelion's top 40 investors. "Otherwise, the board of directors would not have acted in the interests of the stakeholders by creating a situation in which J&J walked away." CEO'S PIVOTAL ROLE The Swiss company, founded by its chief executive Jean-Paul Clozel in 1997, confirmed talks over a "possible strategic transaction" but did not name the counterparty. A spokesman declined further comment but sources with knowledge of the matter identified Sanofi. Analysts have previously named Sanofi as a potential buyer for Actelion, whose portfolio of drugs against deadly pulmonary arterial hypertension -- elevated pressure in arteries connecting the heart and lungs -- would supplement Sanofi's Genzyme rare disease unit. Even so, a competitive auction could drive up its price to unrealistic levels. "Winning a bidding war when it comes to acquiring biopharmaceutical companies almost always equates to way over-paying," wrote Tim Anderson, an Bernstein analyst. "These are not bragging rights," he said. "If Actelion were to go out at around $30 billion, this equates to around 13 times sales and 30 times earnings before interest and taxes. These are high figures." A source close to J&J said the main problem was Clozel did not want to sell. "It wasn't about price, he simply doesnt want to give up control," the source said. Clozel and his wife, Chief Scientific Officer Martine Clozel, have built up a world-leading drug portfolio at Actelion to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. They aim to expand in drugs for multiple sclerosis and clostridium difficile, but regulatory approvals for those are years away. The company is also counting on its new pulmonary arterial hypertension treatments Opsumit and Uptravi, which combined are forecast to bring in nearly 4.5 billion francs in annual sales by 2020. Clozel has rebuffed past pressure from some shareholders to do a deal, maintaining Actelion is better off staying independent. Five years ago, he successfully fended off an effort by activist hedge fund Elliott Management to put Actelion up for sale. (Additional reporting by Pamela Barbaglia, Sophie Sassard and Ben Hirschler in London, John Miller in Zurich, Ismail Shakil and Diptendu Lahiri in Bengaluru and Matthias Blamont in Paris; Editing by Alexander Smith and Keith Weir)
By Oliver Hirt and Pamela Barbaglia ZURICH/LONDON (Reuters) - Switzerland's Actelion Ltd is in talks with French drugmaker Sanofi about a deal, sources said on Wednesday, after U.S. healthcare group Johnson & Johnson abandoned efforts to buy the company. Two people familiar with the situation said discussions were advanced but a deal was not assured. Actelion's shares ended 9 percent lower on investor concern that J&J's exit underlined the challenges facing any bidder for Europe's biggest biotech group. One option under consideration is for Sanofi to give shareholders a so-called contingent value right (CVR) on top of cash. The CVR would pay out if certain Actelion drugs live up to commercial expectations. Sanofi, which also provided a tradable CVR when it bought U.S. rare diseases firm Genzyme for $20 billion in 2011, declined to comment. Sources said Roche was closely monitoring developments and might yet step in, if talks with Sanofi foundered. A Roche spokesman declined to comment. Sanofi was trumped in August by Pfizer's $14 billion bid for U.S. cancer drug company Medivation and is still eager for deals to broaden its drug line-up. However, analysts said Sanofi Chief Executive Olivier Brandicourt could ill afford to fail in a second high-profile bid. Actelion told J&J it was confident it could attract an offer significantly higher than the approximately 250 Swiss francs per share the U.S. company had offered, according to one person familiar with the matter. There were also disagreements about the proposed deal's structure, the person added. Actelion shares had closed at 208.50 Swiss francs on Tuesday, a 25 percent premium to their price before J&J's bid became public two weeks and giving the company a market capitalization of 22.5 billion Swiss francs ($22.2 billion). "I presume these parties are prepared to make offers that are more attractive than that which J&J was envisaging," said Eleanor Taylor Jolidon, a fund manager at Union Bancaire Privee in Geneva, which is among Actelion's top 40 investors. "Otherwise, the board of directors would not have acted in the interests of the stakeholders by creating a situation in which J&J walked away." CEO'S PIVOTAL ROLE The Swiss company, founded by its CEO Jean-Paul Clozel in 1997, confirmed talks over a "possible strategic transaction" but did not name the counterparty. A spokesman declined further comment but sources with knowledge of the matter identified Sanofi. Analysts have previously named Sanofi as a potential buyer for Actelion, whose portfolio of drugs against deadly pulmonary arterial hypertension -- elevated pressure in arteries connecting the heart and lungs -- would supplement Sanofi's Genzyme unit. Even so, a competitive auction could drive up its price to unrealistic levels. "Winning a bidding war when it comes to acquiring biopharmaceutical companies almost always equates to way over-paying," wrote Tim Anderson, an Bernstein analyst. "These are not bragging rights," he said. "If Actelion were to go out at around $30 billion, this equates to around 13 times sales and 30 times earnings before interest and taxes. These are high figures." Clozel, who worked for Roche for 12 years before founding Actelion, and his wife, Chief Scientific Officer Martine Clozel, have built up a world-leading drug portfolio at Actelion to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. The Clozels aim to expand in drugs for multiple sclerosis and clostridium difficile, but regulatory approvals for those are years away. The company is also counting on its new pulmonary arterial hypertension treatments Opsumit and Uptravi, which combined are forecast to bring in nearly 4.5 billion francs in annual sales by 2020. Clozel has rebuffed past pressure from some shareholders to do a deal, maintaining Actelion is better off staying independent. Five years ago, he successfully fended off an effort by activist hedge fund Elliott Management to put Actelion up for sale. (Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York, Sophie Sassard and Ben Hirschler in London, John Miller in Zurich and Matthias Blamont in Paris; Editing by Keith Weir and David Evans)
By Oliver Hirt and Pamela Barbaglia

REUTERS - Switzerland's Actelion Ltd is in talks with French drugmaker Sanofi about a deal, sources said on Wednesday, after U.S. healthcare group Johnson & Johnson abandoned efforts to buy the company.

Two people familiar with the situation said discussions were advanced but a deal was not assured. Actelion's shares ended 9 percent lower on investor concern that J&J's exit underlined the challenges facing any bidder for Europe's biggest biotech group.

One option under consideration is for Sanofi to give shareholders a so-called contingent value right (CVR) on top of cash. The CVR would pay out if certain Actelion drugs live up to commercial expectations.

Sanofi, which also provided a tradable CVR when it bought U.S. rare diseases firm Genzyme for $20 billion in 2011, declined to comment.

Sources said Roche was closely monitoring developments and might yet step in, if talks with Sanofi foundered. A Roche spokesman declined to comment.

Sanofi was trumped in August by Pfizer's $14 billion bid for U.S. cancer drug company Medivation and is still eager for deals to broaden its drug line-up.

However, analysts said Sanofi Chief Executive Olivier Brandicourt could ill afford to fail in a second high-profile bid.

Actelion told J&J it was confident it could attract an offer significantly higher than the approximately 250 Swiss francs per share the U.S. company had offered, according to one person familiar with the matter.

There were also disagreements about the proposed deal's structure, the person added.

Actelion shares had closed at 208.50 Swiss francs on Tuesday, a 25 percent premium to their price before J&J's bid became public two weeks and giving the company a market capitalisation of 22.5 billion Swiss francs ($22.2 billion).

"I presume these parties are prepared to make offers that are more attractive than that which J&J was envisaging," said Eleanor Taylor Jolidon, a fund manager at Union Bancaire Privee in Geneva, which is among Actelion's top 40 investors.

Story continues

"Otherwise, the board of directors would not have acted in the interests of the stakeholders by creating a situation in which J&J walked away."

CEO'S PIVOTAL ROLE

The Swiss company, founded by its CEO Jean-Paul Clozel in 1997, confirmed talks over a "possible strategic transaction" but did not name the counterparty.

A spokesman declined further comment but sources with knowledge of the matter identified Sanofi.

Analysts have previously named Sanofi as a potential buyer for Actelion, whose portfolio of drugs against deadly pulmonary arterial hypertension -- elevated pressure in arteries connecting the heart and lungs -- would supplement Sanofi's Genzyme unit.

Even so, a competitive auction could drive up its price to unrealistic levels.

"Winning a bidding war when it comes to acquiring biopharmaceutical companies almost always equates to way over-paying," wrote Tim Anderson, an Bernstein analyst.

"These are not bragging rights," he said. "If Actelion were to go out at around $30 billion, this equates to around 13 times sales and 30 times earnings before interest and taxes. These are high figures."

Clozel, who worked for Roche for 12 years before founding Actelion, and his wife, Chief Scientific Officer Martine Clozel, have built up a world-leading drug portfolio at Actelion to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension.

The Clozels aim to expand in drugs for multiple sclerosis and clostridium difficile, but regulatory approvals for those are years away.

The company is also counting on its new pulmonary arterial hypertension treatments Opsumit and Uptravi, which combined are forecast to bring in nearly 4.5 billion francs in annual sales by 2020.

Clozel has rebuffed past pressure from some shareholders to do a deal, maintaining Actelion is better off staying independent. Five years ago, he successfully fended off an effort by activist hedge fund Elliott Management to put Actelion up for sale.

(Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York, Sophie Sassard and Ben Hirschler in London, John Miller in Zurich and Matthias Blamont in Paris)
Ashely Loper, in labor in Mississippi. (Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz for Yahoo News)

Ashley Loper, 27, is in the throes of labor.

Shes on her hands and knees, naked, alternately quiet and screaming expletives, on a bed in a room in a rented house in southern Mississippi. Classical best-ofs  Pachelbels Canon, Debussys Clair de Lune  play softly from an iPhone. A forest of flickering white pillar candles stretches out on the headboard behind her, and the father-to-be, Joseph, a kind-faced 28-year-old commercial fisherman, stands anxiously alongside the bed, awaiting the arrival of what will be the couples third child. Loper flips onto her back, and her doula places a cool blue washcloth on her sweaty pink forehead.

Goddammit! I cant do it! she yells, propping one foot on the shoulder of Colleen Tullis, her midwife, who is sitting near her on the bed, a calm and steadfast presence.

Youre doing it, Tullis tells her firmly.

This is a home birth  of sorts. Its just not at the home of either Loper or Tullis, who each live about 40 miles away and over the state line, in Alabama, where this sort of activity could get Tullis arrested.

Ashley Loper struggled through the pain of a contraction while her midwife, Colleen Tullis, and midwifery student Star Croucher looked on. (Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz for Yahoo News)

Home-birth midwives are banned from practicing there, so the birth is happening where most do in Tulliss practice  in a white guesthouse, just over the border in Mississippi, where the owner allows women to have their babies.

I work in Mississippi, and I live in Alabama, where Im a criminal, Tullis, 54, a certified professional midwife, tells Yahoo News. Its ridiculous. People driving four hours for prenatal care is ridiculous. Many of her clients travel that far to see her for checkups and births of these so-called border babies. A handful of other midwives in the state cross borders in different directions, such as north into Tennessee, or east into Georgia, with their clients following them there. But Alabama is vast, says Tullis, who also makes it a point to train midwifery students, adding, There needs to be more of us.

Its why an army of home-birth advocates has been pushing the state legislature to change the legal standing of midwives with legislation called the Childbirth Freedom Act (House Bill 284). But the work to pass it, led by the consumer-focused Alabama Birth Coalition and the professional Alabama Midwives Alliance, began a decade ago and has been stuck in the state House of Representatives Health Committee ever since.

Story continues

A new crop of activists is confident that 2017 will be their year.

We have a strong presence at the statehouse now, Kaycee Cavender, president of the Alabama Birth Coalition, tells Yahoo News  the result of recent lobbying efforts, she says, to educate legislators on the millions of dollars that licensed midwives could save the states health care system. If the bills supporters can just get it out of committee  and theres the rub  she believes theyll have the votes. Her group is about to pre-file its latest version of the bill to both the House and Senate, which reconvene in February.

Joseph and Ashley Loper. (Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz for Yahoo News)

Such a change in the law would be welcome news to many women. Although not even 2 percent of U.S. births take place out of hospitals, the amount has been increasing: In 2012, births at home amounted to less than 1 percent of all American births, up from 0.79 percent in 2004, according to federal data  but that 2012 figure still totaled more than 35,000. The rise is largely the result of more women wanting to avoid medical interventions such as induced labor, epidurals, cesarean sections, episiotomies and the risk of obstetric violence  a growing, collective term that refers to when OBs bully or force laboring women into one or more of these interventions.

The trend of nonhospital births has drawn national attention to issues of midwife training and licensing, coordination between midwives and doctors, and arrangements for transferring women to hospitals should problems arise. And nowhere, perhaps, are the issues more clearly illustrated than in Alabama  a state that is consistently rated among the worst to give birth in the nation, according to the March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card, which recently issued Alabama another F (a grade it has maintained for years).

Its where access to quality maternal care is scarce because of a rash of hospital labor-and-delivery room closings over the years for economic reasons, leaving 38 of 67 counties with no hospital delivery units. Its also where mother-of-four Caroline Malatesta recently won her high-profile, $16 million obstetric violence case against a Birmingham hospital that had sold her on the chance at having a personalized, natural birth  but instead had her restrained by nurses during labor to the point of suffering intense physical and emotional injuries. The case highlighted just the type of traumatic birth that so many women seek to avoid.

Add into that messy mix the states outlawing of certified professional midwives (CPMs), and youve got a real watershed moment for women in Alabama.

Ashley Loper, exhausted, being comforted by her doula, Andolyn Fitzgerald. (Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz for Yahoo News)

We have a maternity crisis in this state, and its getting bigger and bigger and bigger, Jennifer Crook, a CPM in Birmingham, tells Yahoo News. And were not talking about one little niche population thats just gung-ho about midwifery care. Were talking about a group of women who want access to quality, evidence-based care, and cant find it. So not only do we have women driving hours over the state border to access legally recognized midwives, we have women who want hospital births and are having to drive hours to access the less than a handful of obstetricians in the state. Crook, who stopped practicing in recent years to devote full-time efforts to lobbying on behalf of the Childbirth Freedom Act, addresses the topic with a mix of exasperation and hard-to-temper passion.

CPMs become accredited either through an apprenticeship or educational program, or a combination of the two. They differ from certified nurse midwives (CNMs), whose professional path includes graduating from a CNM education program, maintaining an active registered nursing license, and having a bachelors degree. In Alabama, CNMs cannot attend home births but can legally practice in hospitals; still, they rarely do because of highly restrictive physician-supervision rules. There are currently only about 25 CNMs in the entire state (Colorado and South Carolina have similar populations and, for comparison, have 372 and 123, respectively).

Colleen Tullis preparing to check the babys heartbeat with Ashley Lopers leg resting on her shoulder. (Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz for Yahoo News)

CPMs, meanwhile, are banned  not explicitly, but by legal precedence, and by the states having dissolved any path to licensure back in 1976. While 20 other states also ban or restrict CPMs to some degree, Alabama has shown its one of a handful (including California, Connecticut and Illinois) that will actually arrest midwives caught assisting a birth  as it did in the early 1990s, and again in 2002.

But the ban, rather than snuff out the practice of midwifery in Alabama, has effectively made home-birth midwives and the women who desire to work with them even more determined, as theyve gone underground and across state lines.

As bluntly stated by Simone Jones, a woman who defiantly gave birth to her baby at home in Birmingham in 2011 with a midwife who risked prosecution by operating in the state (a handful still do): Its a bunch of bulls***. Why is it so important to control womens bodies? Why is it so important to have the state involved when it isnt necessary? The truth is we do what we want to do, clearly. Theres always a way around it.

* * *

Loper is one of many women who have found their way around the law with the aid of Tullis in this cozy Mississippi birthing house. After unhappy hospital experiences and what she believes were unnecessary C-sections with her first two babies, including one given because the doctor said her baby (8 pounds, 7 ounces) was too big to be born vaginally, she yearned this time around to have a VBAC  vaginal birth after C-section  a practice thats banned or heavily regulated by every hospital policy in the state. (The doctors say its a risk of rupture, but that risk is still less than all of the risks that come with a C-section, Tullis tells me.)

Here, Loper is allowed to give birth in any position she desires, and is supported by her husband, her midwife, and a team of skilled and soothing women composed of a doula, two midwifery students and Tullis assistant. They all seem to know just when to close in on her with focused, supportive energy, when to hand Tullis her small pink flashlight or fetal Doppler, and when to fan out through the house, fetching ice cubes or ice water or a rice sock heated in the microwave, or grabbing sustenance for themselves  a steaming bowl of noodles, a Boltons berry smoothie, carrot juice in a jelly jar.

Still, Lopers labor has been going on since early morning, and now, in the late afternoon, shes begun to lose strength, both physically and mentally.

VBACs are just a different breed, Tullis explains while taking a break from Lopers side. Theyre more scared. Shes going to be filled with a lot of doubt and extra anxiety.

Soon Loper, red-faced, sweaty and angry, stalks out of the bedroom and announces, I cant do this anymore. She gives it one more shot, squatting as she hangs onto Josephs middle, as if he were a tree. The coy angel tattoo on her lower back glistens with sweat as Tullis feels inside for the baby, telling her, Push! Hes right there!

But shes too exhausted to continue.

Tullis sits alone on a stool for several moments, looking back over the days meticulously kept labor notes and thinking intently about their options. She could take Loper to the hospital for some fluids and possibly drugs, though she knows it would most likely mean a C-section. (An average of 6 percent of Tullis birthing moms will wind up requiring midlabor transport to the hospital, for reasons ranging from placental bleeding to fevers to sheer exhaustion.) Shes wearing her company T-shirt, which says, Mothers Comfort Birthing Services: Create Your Own Birth Story. Birth Is As Safe As Life Gets, and rubbing her temples.

Nothing is wrong, she says softly in her gentle Southern twang. Shes just exhausted.

* * *

Safe, healthy, empowering birth experiences are what any midwife really wants. They just come from a place thats different from a physicians, who sometimes look at birth as something inherently dangerous, and are instead guided by the woman-centered Midwifery Model of Care. The approach looks at birth as a normal physiological event, stressing individual education and counseling, minimal technological interventions, monitoring of the mothers physical and psychological well-being, and the referral of high-risk pregnancies to obstetricians.

That latter goal is particularly tricky in states like Alabama, where few doctors will collaborate with CPMs because of their legal status, creating fear and friction where there needs to be openness and support, particularly if it becomes necessary to transfer a patient to the hospital in the midst of labor.

Jennifer Crook in Mobile, AL. She is a leading advocate for midwifery and birth rights in the state. (Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz for Yahoo News)

The best situations are where the midwives may work with a range of providers  the receiving physicians know the midwife, and is confident, and theyre a team and nobodys afraid of the other, Arkansas-based CPM Ida Darraugh tells Yahoo News. Darraugh serves as a board member on the North American Registry of Midwives and is part of an effort to create federal recognition of the CPM credential. Thats the ideal situation.

Its a big part of what women like the Alabama Birth Coalitions Kaycee Cavender are fighting for  and what they ideally want as patients. Cavender, a part-time paralegal who had her second child with Tullis in Mississippi in November, drove there frequently for her prenatal checkups  which required a nearly two-hour trip each way from her home in southwest Alabama.

I made the trip with her one morning, along with her supportive husband, Robert, and then-14-month-old, Doriella, and after procuring some warm biscuits at a Hardees drive-thru, she tells me that she found her way to home birth as a result of miscarriage, and how dismissed she felt by her medical provider.

There was no sympathy, no empathy, no nothing  just, You need to go home and bleed it out. And I just had this feeling of, Im already overwhelmed with emotion and this is not the kind of care I want if I become pregnant again. I dont want to ever be treated like this again, she says, raw emotion creeping into her voice. So I started researching other options, and thats when I came across midwives, and started reading about midwives and watching documentaries, and found [pioneering midwife and author] Ina May Gaskin and read her books. From there I was, like, well, I wonder if I can find a midwife in Alabama? And I couldnt.

As Cavender speaks of her own journey, and how she eventually found the Alabama Birth Coalition (ABC) and began her life as an advocate, we fly along Interstate 10 with a sweeping Southern backdrop: cornfields, a Waffle House, fireworks shops, lush trees dripping with Spanish moss, Mobiles skyline, the Escatawpa River, a billboard for a Roots & Boots country music tour, 14 churches. She shares statistic after statistic with a disarming confidence and ease, such as, There are only 474 ob-gyns in the state serving over 2 million women of childbearing age, and 10 to 12 percent of Alabama families dont even own a single vehicle  so with half of the state not even having a hospital with obstetrical care available, youve got families with no options but to be at home.

She notes how deeply underground midwives practicing in Alabama have gone. Its so tight-lipped that unless you know a mother who delivered with one, youll never find one, she explains. The thing about these midwives is they do it for the mothers: You have mothers who are giving birth unassisted in Alabama because they have no other option. And thats why ABC is working so hard to give them that option, so midwives can openly practice and collaborate with physicians.

Dana Warner at her prenatal checkup. (Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz for Yahoo News)

At Tullis office, Cavender has a relaxed checkup while her husband and bouncy, curly-haired infant hang out in the living-room-like waiting area in a house next door to the birthing house. Her exam room feels like a warm office, with a dark wood desk and a low exam table that Tullis kneels alongside on a plush gray carpet, to prod pregnant bellies and check their size with a measuring tape and listen to fetal heartbeats with her Doppler. A bookcase holds titles like Heart & Hands: A Midwifes Guide to Pregnancy and Birth, A Child Is Born, and Color Atlas of Life Before Birth, as well as a model of a birth canal that holds a blank-faced baby doll, and pamphlets about the Bradley Method of birth. A framed sign on the wall reads, She believed she could do it so she did.

Tullis first over-the-border rental property, she recalls, was a little yellow house, a guesthouse on a German ladys property. She let people come and have babies. Then I was temporarily in a 750-square-foot cottage on a lake. The current spot, though  on a half-acre of property with graceful, shady trees, and additional structures that provide room to grow  has been ideal. I want to be able to have a classroom, she says. I can put a playground out there, I have parking, and Im nine-and-a-half miles from a hospital.

I sit with Tullis and her clients through two days of prenatal appointments, with patients explaining theyve come mainly because previous hospital births were highly medicalized. One recalled feeling so defeated the whole time, and others described terrible inductions. These checkups feel like mellow, one-sided social visits, with women answering questions about eating and sleeping habits in between measures of blood pressure and weight. They sometimes stay for up to an hour.

Dont forget to bring a one-gallon-size bag for your placenta, Tullis says. Have you been taking your alfalfa?

One expectant mom, Heather McClain, has driven two hours from Florida. She has three kids  ages 2, 6 and 8  and is due in a week. She has been having persistent contractions, and reports that shes been seeing a chiropractor to alleviate sacral pain.

Heidi Bates, pregnant with her third child and two little ones in tow, after her prenatal exam with midwife Colleen Tullis. (Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz for Yahoo News)

Dont stop if youve found something that works, Tullis tells her. Then she goes over a checklist for the day of the birth. Supplies are gathered? she asks. Do not come without food. If labors long, we have to have food. (McClains baby, a rare footling breech, arrived safely in Tullis hands.)

Some express resentment for having to drive here rather than give birth at home. It sucks, says Dana Warner, 33, a stay-at-home mom of three married to a Navy shipbuilder. I was born and raised in Alabama; my kids birth certificates are all Mississippi.  Colleen makes it as homey as possible, its comfortable and everything, but its not your home. I wish I could just go squat in my bathroom, push the baby out and get in my bed, and be done with it.

Tullis, with her strawberry blond hair and porcelain skin, is like a shaft of light  both ethereal and reassuringly powerful, in charge at all stages of a birth but humble enough to take a back seat at any moms request. (A recent such incident, she explains, concerned a third-time mom determined to labor unassisted and catch her own baby; Tullis dutifully waited in the next room, rushing in to assist only at the end, when the infants head was out and its shoulders wouldnt budge.)

A former schoolteacher and a mother of seven  including six daughters, one of whom has become a birth educator and doula  Tullis learned about the world of home birth more than 20 years ago, when she volunteered at a crisis clinic for girls and wound up teaching childbirth classes there. She first became a doula, then a certified professional midwife.

When she spoke before the Health Committee about H.B. 284 last spring, she was serene but unwaveringly knowledgeable and professional, prompting some legislators to exclaim behind the scenes that Tullis was not what wed expected. (Not a Birkenstock-wearing hippie with hair down my back, I guess, the bemused midwife surmised upon hearing this.) She calmly answered questions from legislators about how many births she had attended so far (525) and the farthest she had traveled to serve women in need of maternal care (four hours).

Robert and Kaycee Cavender and their daughter, Doriella. (Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz for Yahoo News)

The reworked and refined legislation has been modeled on successful laws in other states, including Indiana, Rhode Island and Maryland, which have approved midwifery licensing in recent years. But efforts here and elsewhere have lagged because of strong opposition from medical groups, including the Medical Association of the State of Alabama (MASA) and the Alabama Department of Public Health  which are practically one and the same, say critics. The nonprofit MASA controls 12 of the 16 seats on the Department of Public Healths governing committee, as well as all 16 seats on the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners and Medical Licensure Commission.

Essentially, what we have here is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission it is to protect the bottom line of its 7,000 physician members overseeing the operation of a state governmental agency, Crook told Weld for Birmingham recently.

Yahoo News made repeated requests to MASA for comment for this story, although none were returned. The Alabama Department of Public Health also did not respond to requests for comment.

But MASA president Mark Jackson testified in opposition to the bill at the hearing in April, saying, If this were to pass and just one child were to suffer, just one child were to have irreversible brain damage or die, it would not be worth it. Still, Cavender says, theyve had productive meetings since then.

Also speaking against the bill, on behalf of the Alabama Department of Public Health, was Dr. Grace Thomas, using statistics from a recent New England Journal of Medicine study on planned home-birth outcomes.

Maya Loper, 2, and her brother Ethan, 3, are introduced to their new baby brother, Gavin, by mom Ashley. (Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz for Yahoo News)

The study, which has been praised by both doctors and midwives for its approach and tone, looked at nearly 80,000 births in Oregon. It found that although severe complications were rare in all locations, in planned out-of-hospital births 3.9 out of 1,000 cases resulted in a babys death during the birth process or within four weeks afterward, compared with 1.8 deaths out of 1,000 in planned hospital births. On the other hand, out-of-hospital births were far less likely to involve cesarean sections  5.3 percent compared with 24.7 percent in a hospital  which are high-risk surgeries.

Its just one of many studies in circulation about in- vs. out-of-hospital births  including a landmark 2014 study of 17,000 home births, the largest-ever such analysis. It showed that among low-risk women, planned home births resulted in low rates of interventions and extremely healthy outcomes, including excellent birth weights, a low 5.2 percent C-section rate, high rates of breastfeeding and a 10.9 percent rate of hospital transfer for babies, for the majority non-emergency reasons.

In any event, what it often comes down to for proponents of legalizing certified professional midwives is accessibility and choice.

Its a freedom issue, says Cavender. What other medical decision doesnt let you have a choice? Oh, right  anything involving a uterus, she adds. And that makes me angry.

* * *

The practice of midwifery in Alabama is far from new. In fact, it has a very long and complex history studded with themes of racism, classism and sexism. And its the medical establishments orchestrated effort to paint midwives as dirty, uneducated and backwards thats unfortunately had the most lasting effect, according Steff Hedenkamp, spokeswoman for the Big Push for Midwives, an organization that supports efforts across the country to legalize CPMs.

Historically, lay or granny midwives in Alabama were predominantly African-American women who served poor populations  those kept out of hospitals because of segregation and economics. In 1921, the federal Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Act became law. And while its suffragist-supported aim to lower mortality rates of mothers and newborns had good intent, it helped support the idea of midwifery as a negative, horrible thing, according to Shafia Monroe, founder of the International Center for Traditional Childbearing, which aims to expand the number of black doulas and midwives.

White America stopped having their babies at home long before black women, Monroe, who is based in Oregon but has roots in Alabama, tells Yahoo News. In the past, authorities shamed black women for choosing midwifery care, she explains, so some have been slower to reembrace it. For a lot of African-American women, she says, having a baby at home means youre not progressive.

Still, Monroe reports, shes seen a rise in the number of black women who are studying midwifery, as well as those who are seeking out and advocating for home births, including in Alabama. That includes Jones  the woman who had given birth at home in Birmingham in 2011, who says her moms attitude was all about, you go to the hospital.' But after negative hospital experiences with her first two births as well as with a miscarriage, Jones was determined not to return  and was pleasantly surprised to learn along the way that her great-great grandmother had actually been a lay midwife.

Maya Loper, 2, is introduced to her new baby brother, Gavin by his mother, Ashley. (Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz for Yahoo News)

In 1931, Alabamas lay midwives became strictly regulated, with a rigorous screening program reducing the number by half. Those who remained were required to attend a long training course, pass a written exam, wear white uniforms and submit to monthly inspections of their equipment bags and homes, according to a history summed up by the Alabama Midwives Alliance (AMA).

Then, in 1976, the state legislature passed a line-in-the-sand law. The purpose of this act was to legislatively redefine midwifery to include only the practice of nurse-midwives. Simultaneously, it placed stringent regulations on the practice of nurse-midwifery, preventing autonomous practice, the AMA history explains. But enforcement, placed in the hands of county health departments, was inconsistent: Some counties actively revoked permits, some grandfathered in those that already existed, and still others continued to refer pregnant women to such midwives, sending mixed messages across the state.

By the 1990s, Alabama, like the rest of the country, was seeing a rising interest in out-of-hospital birth, with mainly Caucasian, middle-class women seeking alternatives, according to AMA. Toni Kimpel, a woman who gave birth with a permitted granny midwife, became a midwife herself  but was soon charged, twice, with practicing nurse-midwifery without a license, both times after transferring women to the hospital; in one instance the baby was delivered at the hospital, stillborn, and in another the infant was born at home but died at the hospital. Although a judge threw out charges based on the law against lay midwives being unconstitutionally vague, the state appealed one of the cases and won.

The bottom line with midwifery is political, Kimpel, who received probation and now lives and practices in Texas, tells Yahoo News. Midwife Karen Brock was arrested on the same charges, of practicing without a license, in 2002.

But none of this means that midwives dont want regulation. I think its important to have standards, Crook says. I think its important for parents to make an informed decision and to know that when theyre choosing a midwife to attend them that that midwife has met a certain educational level. And the way it is now, anyone can call themselves a midwife in Alabama.

Yet another layer of the licensing conflict is financial, as it hampers reimbursement for midwifery. Medicaid agencies in only a dozen states authorize payment for certified professional midwives, the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives told the Washington Post recently. And seizing on this angle could get midwifery proponents the most leverage, suggests the International Center for Traditional Childbearings Monroe.

I think its economic in the Old South  its a patriarchal system, and they need education, she says about Alabamas fight. So its about coming to them in a way that talks about economics, people with abject poverty, and not so much as we have our right to have a baby at home.

Alas, tensions between midwifery and obstetrics remain. Big Push for Midwives Hedenkamp says, Its about power, influence, money  about Big Medicine not wanting any kind of competition for maternity care. She notes, Hospitals get over 30 percent of revenue from maternity wards, so its very important to continue the non-evidence-based approach, keep the moms coming, and make them feel like its a train wreck waiting to happen.

* * *

Thats thankfully not what happens during Lopers increasingly difficult labor, when everything shifts and a decision is made that she will be transported to the hospital  back over the state line into Alabama, where Tullis backup doctor (whose name she wont disclose, owing to the delicate balance he faces in such an illegal environment) is fortunately on call.

Everyone else hates us, she says, referring to ob-gyns who seem more intent on punishing home birthers who show up at hospitals needing help than on providing supportive care.

And so, with Loper at her wits end and Tullis still calm but sharply focused, they trade the cool dark cocoon of the birthing house for the blinding 90-degree heat of the afternoon and then pile into Lopers van, with Joseph at the wheel. Then its a mad dash for an ER in Mobile  where Loper rallies and pushes for just 45 minutes, quickly achieving the vaginal birth shed wanted so badly. It wound up being the most ideal type of midwife-doctor collaboration, and illustrates why Darragh and most others in this movement are so intent on getting physicians onboard as allies.

I would have regretted transferring if I had wound up with another C-section, a blissful Loper discloses to me the next day from her hospital bed, with sleepy Gavin at her breast and tots Maya, 2, and Ethan, 3, doing their best to hijack moms attention. But because it worked out this way, it doesnt bother me. Its still a great birth story.
By Pamela Barbaglia and Dasha Afanasieva

LONDON (Reuters) - UniCredit's (CRDI.MI) plan to shore up its balance sheet could earn investment banks underwriting its rights issue up to an estimated 325 million euros (271.58 million pound) in fees, the largest such haul for any Italian share sale.

The bank, which has a market value of 17 billion euros, wants to tap equity markets early next year for one of Europe's biggest rights issues of the past decade, raising 13 billion euros to shield itself from a broader banking crisis.

With the wider Italian banking system plagued by bad debts, the country is home to some of the highest fee payers in Europe for equity capital deals. Underwriters charge more for riskier issues as they may have to mop up any unsold shares.

Unicredit's capital buffer was one of the slimmest among banks deemed important to the financial system in the latest European Union stress tests, results of which were announced in July.

Chief Executive Jean Pierre Mustier, who was appointed the same month, has gathered 10 banks to help him fix UniCredit's balance sheet with the rights issue, the size of which goes well beyond similar deals launched by Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and Standard Chartered (STAN.L) in the past two years.

The banks underwriting the cash call by UniCredit - Italy's biggest bank - will share a pot of between 195 and 325 million euros, according to estimates from Freeman Consulting.

Underwriting fees for rights issuances typically stand at 2-3 percent of the overall amount. Freeman estimated the banks will offer UniCredit a small discount, charging between 1.5 and 2.5 percent, given the size of the transaction.

Morgan Stanley (MS.N), UBS (UBSG.S), Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAC.N), JPMorgan (JPM.N) and Mediobanca (MDBI.MI) have secured leading roles as joint global coordinators.

Of these, Morgan Stanley and UBS will also act as "structuring advisers". The duo recently worked with UniCredit on a series of divestments which resulted in overall proceeds of more than 6 billion euros for the Italian lender.

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Five other banks - Citigroup (C.N), Credit Suisse (CSGN.S), Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs (GS.N) and HSBC (HSBA.L) - have come onboard as co-global coordinators and joint bookrunners on the offer, which is set to be one of Europe's largest equity capital markets deals next year.

Bank of America's global head of equity capital markets, Craig Coben, predicted a series of such deals and initial public offerings next year in a sector which investors have been cautious about due to its troubles since the financial crisis.

"We should see a combination of high-profile IPOs and capital increases from European financial institutions over the course of 2017," Coben said.

"These will be major liquidity events and will give investors the opportunity to increase their exposure to the sector and to cure their longstanding underweight."

LUCRATIVE FEES

Italy remains a lucrative market for large investment banks.

Ailing Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS.MI) had to cough up more than $400 million in underwriting fees for two consecutive capital increases in 2014 and 2015. Shares in the bank, which has a market value of 600 million euros, have fallen 83 percent this year.

However, the banks that signed up to underwrite Monte dei Paschi's latest attempt to raise 5 billion euros in an emergency cash call have all walked away amid scant investor interest.

JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs agreed in July to help the world's oldest bank clinch a rescue, but never made a firm commitment to pull off a deal.

Deutsche Bank itself paid about 119 million euros in 2014 to underwriters for its 8 billion euro capital increase, according to the prospectus for its rights issue. The deal was priced at about 1.5 percent of the overall amount, given its low risk profile.

Yet the German lender may still fall short of capital next year as it tries to settle U.S. allegations that it mis-sold mortgage-backed securities for around 2.75 billion euros during the global financial crisis, analysts said.

This means Deutsche Bank may need to press ahead with another issue depending on the final demands by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Credit Suisse is also expected to pay attractive fees as it seeks to raise 2-4 billion Swiss francs ($2-4 billion) by selling 20-30 percent of its domestic unit in what could be Switzerland's biggest stock market listing in more than a decade.

"Financial institutions have historically been the most active issuers of equity in Europe," said Bank of America's Coben. "It is consistently the most active sector."

(This version of the story refiles to fix UBS and Credit Suisse codes.)

(editing by David Stamp)
Kicking off the international licensing strategy of one of the most-awaited teen TV fictions for 2017, De Agostini Editores TV channel Super! has acquired Italian rights to daily series Love, Divina, starring Argentine TV-pop star Laura Esquivel (Patito Feo).

Teaming Mexican TV giant Televisa, Argentinas Pol-ka and Paris-based Federation Kids & Family, Love, Divina marks a groundbreaking, pan-Latin American teen production, designed for both broadcast and digital distribution, with multiple digital spin-offs.

The new drama debuts January on Argentine channel El Trece and will receive a pan-Latin American SVOD release on Televisas digital platform Blim first quarter 2017. It will broadcast on Super! in 2017, according to Massimo Bruno, head of TV channels at De Agostini Editore.

Love, Divina, is a natural sequel to Patito Feo, which De Agostini Editore helped make such a huge success in Southern Europe; we are delighted to be working with them again, David Michel, managing director at Federation Kids & Family, said in a statement.

Super! Is the perfect place to connect Love, Divina with its target music-loving audience -including new and established Esquivel fans- and create an exciting new teen brand, he added.

Patito Feo, also a Televisa co-production, was broadcast in more than 40 countries, including Italy, where it became a ratings, licensing and music sensation, spawning five platinum and five golden albums.

Having the opportunity to work again with a partner like Super! who understands the product and how it engages with the audience, the relevance of the music and interaction with all digital platforms makes the consumer products strategy the key for its success, said Maca Rotter, managing director of Televisa Consumer Products.

New series narrative mixes humor, music and drama, with Laura Esquivel playing Divina, a kind and conscientious teenager who grew up without a family that takes a group of homeless kids under her wing, saving them from a life on the streets. Just before social services tear the group apart, they are all taken in by Irene, Divinas long-lost grandmother.

Story continues

Federation Kids & Family manages Divina European rights; Televisa handles the rest of the world.

One of Argentinas top film-TV production companies, Pol-ka previously produced for Disney Channel Latin America teen drama hit Violetta, broadcast in over 140 countries.

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Alan Thicke suddenly passed away on Tuesday, December 13, his rep confirms to Us Weekly. He was 69. According to a source, his son, Robin Thicke, rushed to be by his side.

PHOTOS: Celebrity Deaths in 2016: Stars Weve Lost

According to TMZ, he reportedly died of a heart attack after being transported to Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center. He had been reportedly playing hockey with his 19-year-old son, Carter.

The actor was most recently in Whistler, British Columbia, on Monday, December 12, and tweeted about Fuller House season 2 early Tuesday afternoon.

PHOTOS: '90s Pop Stars, Then and Now

The veteran actor was best known for his role as Jason Seaver on sitcom Growing Pains.

The Canadian-born star composed music and served as a producer before making a name for himself as a talk show host in Canada, starring on The Alan Thicke Show from 1980 to 1983.

Thicke, who received his first Emmy nomination for The Barry Manilow Special in 1977, went on to host popular shows in the 90s such as Pictionary and Threes a Crowd. The actor also starred in films The Growing Pains Movie and Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers. He recently made an appearance on NBC's hit new show This Is Us.

He leaves behind his wife, Tanya, and adult children Brennan, Robin and Carter Thicke. He was previously married twice before to Gloria Loring and Gina Tolleson.

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Alan Thicke was the kind of TV talent who transcended the vehicle that carried him to fame. Thicke, who died Tuesday at age 69, was the star of Growing Pains in the mid-1980s. He starred as dad-psychiatrist Jason Seaver. Jason worked out of his house and took care of the kids while his wife (Joanna Kerns) went off to her job. The show, which ran from 1985-92, gradually became primarily a showcase for teen idol Kirk Cameron, with Leonardo DiCaprio brought in during the seventh and last season as a homeless youth the family took in.

Related: Remembering Alan Thickes Career (Photos)

Growing Pains was a goofy, kid-oriented sitcom, but Thicke infused his role with a surplus of charm and energy that delivered more to the viewer than this flimsy production promised. It turned Thicke into an American household name, one that he capitalized on subsequently in scores of guest-starring TV roles and a string of mostly forgettable movies. He continued to be a star on the strength of sheer likability.

Thicke was born in Canada and had a successful career there as a comedy writer as well as a performer. He hosted his own talk show there, The Alan Thicke Show. Norman Lear hired him as a writer for Fernwood 2-Night, the very funny 1970s Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman spinoff starring Martin Mull.

Related: Stars React to Alan Thickes Sudden Death

After Growing Pains, he hosted his own talk show (American, this time), called Thicke of the Night  and the title was just about the only clever thing about this pedestrian, one-season, 1983-84 flop. Nevertheless, Thicke was gamely enthusiastic as always. Here he is chatting with Fee Waybill (What? You dont remember the rock band the Tubes?) and comedian Richard Belzer.

Thicke became even more charming  more intriguing  after his Growing Pains star-period. He grew into a kind of raffish, devil-may-care attitude; the twinkle in his eye was more sparkly. He made winking appearances as himself in sitcoms such as How I Met Your Mother. He returned to his family sitcom roots in the second season of the Netflix series Fuller House  and he did an excellent job in the pilot of This Is Us, playing a wise, world-weary old-pro version of himself.

I guess what it comes down to is that Thicke was a true TV star in the sense of being someone viewers wanted to see  they were glad when he popped up onscreen. He was welcome in anyones home.
An Alaska Airlines jet sports a paint job that pays homage to Virgin Americas red color scheme as it taxis at San Francisco International Airport. (Boeing Airplanes Photo via Twitter)

Alaska Air Group completed its acquisition of Virgin America today, celebrating the rise of the nations No. 5 air carrier with a co-branded jet painted in blue, purple and red.

Alaska Airlines and Virgin America are different airlines, but we believe different works  and were confident fliers will agree, Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group, said in a news release.

The acquisition follows through on months of work to seal the $2.6 billion deal ($4 billion, including debt and aircraft operating leases). The U.S. Department of Justice gave its regulatory approval last week after tweaking the terms to comply with antitrust requirements.

The combined airlines vaulted Alaska Air Group from No. 6 to No. 5 on the list of U.S. carriers  past JetBlue, which had courted Virgin America as well. Alaska and Virgin America are projected to generate more than $7 billion in annual revenue and operate about 280 aircraft.

For the time being, the all-Boeing Alaska Airlines fleet and the all-Airbus Virgin America fleet will retain their separate brands. Except for one plane.

To mark the acquisition, Alaska had one of its 737-900ER jets painted in a blend of Virgin Americas and Alaska Airlines livery (including the Eskimo face on the tail). The jets interior lighting scheme glowed in red and blue as well.

Alaska Airlines / Virgin America merger jet. One of a kind paint job. "Roll in" this morning at Sea-Tac. #differentworks pic.twitter.com/VoJRMHipEs  Glenn Farley (@GlennFarleyK5) December 14, 2016

Alaska employees boarding special flight to SFO where they will meet-up with fellow Virgin America workers in a few hours. Festive. pic.twitter.com/Tbn5FEqzHA  Cale Ramaker (@CaleKIRO7) December 14, 2016

Alaska & Virgin diving in head first on embracing the differences between the two airlines. pic.twitter.com/oBOUUom4Yx  Jon Ostrower (@jonostrower) December 14, 2016

That's how you welcome an aircraft. CEO Brad Tilden greeting the flight. #differentworks #SFO pic.twitter.com/5yeZDAqu44  Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) December 14, 2016

The co-branded 737 went on a celebratory flight this morning, starting out from Alaska Airlines home base in Seattle and ending up in San Francisco, Virgin Americas stomping grounds. Alaska expects Virgin Americas hip, Silicon Valley-centric clientele to provide a lift for its West Coast service. The deal also gives Alaska better access to high-demand airports in the New York City region as well as Washington, D.C.

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In conjunction with closing the deal, Alaska said it would offer new flights from its San Francisco hub to Minneapolis; Orlando, Fla.; and Orange County, Calif., beginning next summer. Schedule and availability are to be announced on Dec. 21.

Alaska Air Group said it would give away 1,200 round-trip tickets in honor of the combined airlines nearly 1,200 daily flights. For more information on the contest, check out Twogether.DifferentWorks.com. Starting Monday, the members of each airlinesfrequent-flier plans will be able to earn miles on the other airlines flights. Itll also become possible to purchase Virgin America tickets on Alaska Airs website as well as the Virgin America website.

Virgin America frequent fliers will be invited to activate new Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan accounts next month.

We plan to make this the most customer-friendly merger ever, and we will have much more to announce over the coming weeks, Tilden said.

Alaska said no decision has yet been made about the long-term future of the Virgin America brand, which has been licensed from the British-based Virgin Group. This is a big decision, and one that deserves months of thoughtful and thorough analysis, Tilden said. We plan to make a decision about the Virgin America brand early next year.

Ben Minicucci, Alaskas president and chief operating officer, also took on the title of Virgin America CEO today. We are being very thoughtful about culture and are working to create an environment that reflects who we are and where weve been, that also enables us to work together, be bold, and succeed in a rapidly evolving industry, Minicucci said.

Alaska Airlines and Virgin America said theyll spend the next year working to secure certification from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate officially as a single carrier. Horizon Air, a regional subsidiary of Alaska Air, will continue to operate under a separate FAA certificate.

More from GeekWire:
By Maha El Dahan DUBAI (Reuters) - When a group of friends took their cameras to the streets of Damascus to document Syria's 2011 uprising, they could not have foretold how events would spiral out of control and change their lives forever. Obaidah Zytoon, a radio host with big dreams for her country, was full of hope for freedom when she started filming the demonstrations that broke out against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011. Five years later, she is in Copenhagen living as a refugee. Zytoon is one of the lucky ones. Most of her friends did not make it out of Syria alive. Much of the death and destruction documented in Zytoon's hometown of Zabadani in the film is eerily similar to images coming out of the battle of Aleppo this week, where Syrian government forces and their allies finally broke rebel resistance to hand Assad his biggest victory of the civil war. "What remains is the crime," Zytoon narrates as she watches dogs eating a dead sheep amidst the death and destruction of war. The War Show, which premiered in the Middle East this week at the Dubai Film Festival, is a disturbing documentary that compiles footage shot inside Syria from 2011 to 2013, taking viewers through a journey of euphoria and revolution to disappointment and despair. In one scene at the beginning, the friends sit together at a Damascus apartment smoking hash and discussing revolution. "By 2014, we will all be free," one of them says. Another replies that by 2014 they will all be dead. The harrowing effect is amplified as viewers become deeply involved in the lives of Houssam, Hisham, Lulu, Rabea, Amal and Argha, joyful young Syrians who fall in love, play heavy metal, go to the beach and dream big, only to meet tragic ends. "You were the love of his life, you know," Zytoon tells her friend Lulu in Turkey after they discover that Hisham, who had gone missing for years after being picked up at a checkpoint, had died in prison after repeated torture. Rabea, a musician who Zytoon described as "universal" in his views on life, gets assassinated in his car. He is found dead by his sister, who desperately tries to put part of his shattered forehead together to bring him back to life. Zytoon collaborated with Danish filmmaker and co-director Andreas Dalsgaard to bring those stories to life after meeting him in Turkey and showing him the footage. "I hope the rest of the world can see the film and have a deeper understanding of what a Syrian leaving their country is forced to leave: what is it that they carry inside, and what was the experience emotionally that they are dealing with," Dalsgaard told Reuters in Dubai. He said that unlike mainstream media coverage, which can desensitise viewers, the documentary was important in putting a face to the tragedy and revealing a story behind the pain. "I see pictures from Aleppo, and everyone from around the world sees pictures of Aleppo, but theres no human connection," he said. "It destroys our senses. And only when we start understanding each other, and connect deeper on a human level, can our senses come alive." (Reporting by Maha El Dahan; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
A cease-fire plan that would have allowed rebel fighters and civilians to exit the Syrian city of Aleppo collapsed less than a day after it was announced, as pro-government forces renewed airstrikes and artillery shelling on Wednesday.

The attacks suggest a resumption of the four-year-long battle for Aleppo, just when it appeared that its conclusion had finally arrived. The unraveling of the evacuation deal also raises the possibility that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad could capture the remaining rebel-held neighborhoods of Aleppo by force, potentially imperiling the lives of tens of thousands of people. The shelling also comes a day after the U.N. human-rights office said it had credible evidence that pro-Assad forces had entered homes and shot civilians on sight.

The massacres will start again and all the people in the city will get killed, says Monther Ataki, an opposition activist in the rebel-held section of Aleppo, in a voice message to journalists on Wednesday morning.

The announcement of the plan to evacuate rebels from the city had signaled what might still be the Assad regimes most important victory in five years of conflict in Syria. Aleppo was Syrias most populous city prior to the 2011 uprising that triggered the current war. Much of what was once an ancient and thriving city has now been shattered by years of fighting since rebels seized part of it in 2012. For years, Aleppo was an icon of the Syrian rebels struggle against the regime and a symbol of the Syrian peoples agony.

Russia and rebel groups announced the cease-fire deal on Tuesday evening following negotiations supported by Turkey, a key state backer of the opposition to Assad. The first evacuations were expected to begin early Wednesday morning. Buses stood idle at a rendezvous point on the edge of the besieged rebel enclave, but returned empty later on Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press. The Russian Defense Ministry blamed rebel groups for breaking the cease-fire, claiming the opposition resumed hostilities at dawn.

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Opposition activists suggested differences among the Assad regimes allies were to blame for the collapse of the cease-fire deal. The Russian military, along with Iraqi militias, Iranian forces and Lebanese Hizballah militants, have all been instrumental in supporting Assads push to retake Aleppo. Rebel officials blamed Iran specifically for allegedly rejecting the evacuation deal. We need that push on the Iranians and the Russians. The Syrian regime has not any finger in this deal, said Ataki, the activist in Aleppo.

In the besieged neighborhoods, people expressed fear and bewilderment at the dramatic reversal of events on Wednesday. The day began before dawn, when residents left their homes and shelters, believing they were headed to a convoy of buses that would take them to safety. By daybreak, it became clear that the deal was not proceeding as planned. Then the shelling started again. In text messages, many continued to send calls for relief or safe exit. People are dying in the streets, said one resident, who called his messages, our last scream from last free neighborhoods in Aleppo.

Whether a truce is reinstated or not, Assads victory in Aleppo now seems assured. Since Nov. 28, forces supporting him have seized almost the entirety of the citys besieged rebel sector, forcing the opposition to retreat to a handful of neighborhoods in one corner of the city. An estimated 50,000 civilians also remain trapped in the rebel pocket. Many fear arrest, torture or disappearance at the hand of the security forces if they flee to parts of the city controlled by the regime. Hundreds of men have gone missing after fleeing to government-held areas in recent weeks, according to the U.N. As a result, opposition officials have demanded safe passage for civilians to another rebel-held area as a condition of any surrender.

The failed truce deal followed some of the worst violence in more than four years of war in Aleppo. The U.N. expressed alarm on Tuesday after receiving reports that pro-government forces had shot civilians on sight as they swept into opposition-controlled neighborhoods, killing at least 82 people including 11 women and 13 children. U.N. spokesperson Jens Laerke said the situation in the city represented a complete meltdown of humanity.
The evacuation of civilians and rebel fighters from east Aleppo has been delayed despite a ceasefire deal brokered by Russia and Turkey on Tuesday that ended military operations in the battered city. However, a monitoring group said shelling resumed Wednesday morning.

Russia blamed the delay in evacuation on rebel forces who, Moscow said, opened fire on pro-government, forcing them troops to retaliate. The Russian Defense Ministry said rebel troops had resumed the hostilities at dawn Wednesday. The ministry also alleged that rebel groups fired at a convoy carrying other rebel fighters who had agreed to leave eastern Aleppo.

Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said rebel resistance was likely to end in the following two or three days. He also added that Russias talks with Turkey on Syria would be more efficient than fruitless get-togethers with U.S., state media reported. Lavrov also said Russia was in talks with all armed groups in Syria except the Islamic State terrorist group and the Nusra group.

Meanwhile, Turkey blamed pro-government forces and other groups for the delay in evacuation, adding there would be more talks with Russia and Iran. Russian President Vladimir Putin will be speaking via telephone to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan later Wednesday. The two leaders will be discussing the situation in Aleppo, reports said.

But rebel groups blamed Iran for the delay.

What is stopping the agreement presently is Iranian obstinacy, a commander with the rebel Nour al-Din al-Zinki group told Reuters.

aleppo truce deal

Photo: REUTERS/OMAR SANADIKI

The ceasefire deal was expected to hasten the end of the five-and-a-half-year war in which Aleppo, once Syrias industrial center, was a key battleground. Rebel groups have had control over east Aleppo since 2012. In 2016, troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad, backed by Russian airstrikes, launched an offensive to retake eastern Aleppo.

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A senior Turkish official told the Guardian the ceasefire deal would allow civilians and moderate rebels with light weapons to leave Aleppo for Idlib province and that they would be free to relocate elsewhere once they reached Idlib.

The United Nations alleged Tuesday that Syrian troops had carried out extrajudicial killings in newly reclaimed districts in east Aleppo. The U.N. said Wednesday it was not involved in the evacuation process but was ready to help.

[The UN] stands ready to facilitate the voluntary and safe evacuation of injured, sick and vulnerable civilians from the besieged part of the city, the U.N. office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs reportedly said.

In a separate development not related to the Ankara-Moscow ceasefire agreement, Russian media reported 6,000 civilians and 366 rebel fighters left east Aleppo over the past 24 hours.

Russias aid in the Syrian war has helped Assad gain not only the whole of Aleppo but also rebel-held districts near Damascus this year.

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Aleppo (Syria) (AFP) - In the last rebel-held pocket of Aleppo, residents were bidding a tearful farewell to their battleground city, expecting to evacuate, only to be plunged back into a familiar nightmare.

"Bombing is ongoing, no one can move. Everyone is hiding and terrified. The situation is indescribable," activist Mohammad al-Khatib told AFP on Wednesday from inside the city of northern Syria.

"The wounded and dead are lying in the street. No one dares to try and retrieve the bodies," he said.

The tiny enclave still held by rebels in the ravaged east of the city had been quiet for hours, after a deal brokered by Turkey and Russia was announced Tuesday to allow civilians and fighters to leave.

Civilians had gathered in the streets from early morning, devastated at the prospect of exile from their city but relieved to finally escape the hell created by years of bombardment and a months-long siege.

But there was no movement, no sign that the buses parked outside rebel-held areas would enter, and then word spread that the deal was on hold, and suddenly fighting erupted anew.

The booms of air strikes and artillery fire rang out, sowing panic across the five square kilometres (two square miles) of residential districts still held by rebels.

Terrified residents ran through the streets in a fruitless bid to find shelter, with some hiding in the doorframes of damaged buildings, AFP's correspondent said.

- Desperate messages to outside world -

The correspondent saw several wounded civilians as well as a regime tank turning its cannon towards opposition-held districts and opening fire.

Some residents took to Twitter, for many their only link with the outside word, to publish desperate messages from neighbourhoods under fire.

"Ceasefire is over. Everyone will be executed when Assad's forces and their thugs capture our liberated area," wrote Ismail Alabdullah, a member of the White Helmets rescue worker group which operates in rebel areas.

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He posted a video of a grim, rainy neighbourhood inside Aleppo rocked by the boom of air strikes.

The scene was worlds away from the calm but downcast atmosphere at dawn just hours earlier on Wednesday.

Crowds of civilians had gathered in the chilly streets to await evacuation, after weeks of heavy government fire and a siege that left food supplies scarce.

Entire families had slept in the open, despite the cold and a fierce storm that brought heavy rain and high winds.

Some set fire to their cars or motorcycles to prevent them being confiscated by the regime, and rebels even set alight heavy weapons so that they would not be seized by government troops.

The atmosphere was funereal, AFP's correspondent said. "Everyone around me is crying," he said.

Many feared they had seen their homes for the last time and might never be able to return to the city.

- Devastated by siege -

Civilians have been desperate to escape the increasingly dire conditions in the east, which has been ground into rubble by bombing.

In one local hospital, bodies had lain in rows on the floor for days, with relatives too afraid to identify and collect them for burial because of the ferocity of the bombardment.

Wounded residents with exhausted, emaciated faces were taking shelter inside the clinic, which was at capacity.

Amputees lay on the cold floor as all the beds were full, and others shared the few blankets available to try to stay warm.

Doctors said they were spending their night inside the facility to care for victims with the few remaining medical supplies they had.

The government's suffocating five-month siege of east Aleppo has created shortages of medicine and food supplies, leaving residents gaunt and weak.

As fighting intensified in recent days, many could find nothing but a few dates to eat, AFP's correspondent said.

In the early morning, as she prepared to leave, a mother carried her infant child and bags of belongings under the freezing rain, among them a single box of baby formula.

The container suddenly fell to the ground, its contents spilling out.

Desperate, the woman rushed to scoop up the precious powder now mixed with the mud underfoot.
More than 80 people, including women and children, were killed by rebels in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday, according to the United Nations. High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson Rupert Colville said during a press conference Tuesday that pro-government forces caught and killed 82 people, including 13 children and 11 women, in the neighborhoods of Bustan al-Qasr, al-Kalleseh, al-Firdous and al-Saleen on Monday alone.

Staffan de Mistrura of the U.N. Syria envoy said the people killed had been shot with handguns. It was unclear who specifically led the murders. Some of the people killed were reportedly trying to escape the city and were shot on sight.

The killings come amid reports of Russia, Turkey and Syrian rebel groups announcing plans to evacuate Aleppo. Russian officials said Tuesday the four-year war over Aleppo was over after rebels finally agreed to return the territory back over to the Syrian government. Evacuations of thousands of civilians, many who had been trapped in rebel enclaves, were set to start at 5 a.m. on Wednesday.

Syrian officials said the army was successfully able to drive rebels out a number of Aleppo neighborhoods. However, about 80,000 people are still reportedly trapped in an area east of Aleppo still under rebel control. UNICEF said in a statement that about 100 children were reportedly trapped in a building in east Aleppo.

Along with government-backed assaults, air strikes and independent killings led be by rebel forces, at least 463 civilians, including 62 children, were killed in eastern Aleppo since mid-November, according to data collected by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The group estimated another 130 people, including 40 children had been killed in western areas of the city following opposition-led bombings.

The U.N. estimates about 400,000 people have been killed in Aleppo since the battle first started back in March 2011.

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By Orhan Coskun and Tulay Karadeniz ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey is talking to Russia and Iran to try to ensure a ceasefire in Aleppo holds and civilians and rebel fighters can be evacuated, despite efforts by the Syrian government to prevent it, Turkey's foreign minister said on Wednesday. The ceasefire, brokered on Tuesday by Turkey and Russia, was supposed to allow the evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo from dawn on Wednesday but has been delayed. Syrian government forces resumed shelling for about half an hour on Wednesday, rebel officials and witnesses told Reuters. "There was an understanding as of yesterday, and within that was first the evacuation of civilians ... We see that the regime and other groups are trying to prevent this," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara. "We are continuing our meetings. We will speak with (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov and the Iranian foreign minister again today," he said. Russia's defense ministry said that rebels in Aleppo had resumed fighting at dawn, but that Syrian government forces had repelled their attacks, Russia's Interfax news agency reported. A senior Turkish official told Reuters the ceasefire deal was very fragile but not broken, despite the reports of attacks in the city on Wednesday. Cavusoglu said preparations had been completed for camps in Turkey and northern Syria planned for those fleeing Aleppo. Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said on Tuesday that Turkey, which is already home to around 2.7 million Syrians who have fled the country's civil war, would set up a tent city to accommodate up to 80,000 people fleeing Aleppo. (Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Nick Tattersall)
Beirut (AFP) - Syria's rebels once dreamed of overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad's government and taking control of the country, but with the imminent loss of Aleppo they now face the prospect of total defeat.

Though rebels retain territory elsewhere in Syria, including almost all of neighbouring Idlib province, a crushing defeat in the country's second city would be highly symbolic.

It "means the end of Syria's opposition as a force that can plausibly challenge the Assad regime or control a country", said Sam Heller, a fellow at The Century Foundation think tank.

When rebels stormed Aleppo in 2012, a year after the uprising against Assad began with anti-government protests, the opposition believed it was on the verge of overthrowing his regime.

With the support of backers including Western nations, Gulf countries and Turkey, opposition fighters appeared to have momentum on their side.

But in recent months, and particularly after Russia's September 2015 intervention in support of Damascus, they have suffered a string of defeats capped off by their likely loss of Aleppo.

"We're now past the point where the opposition has any hope of pulling back," said Yezid Sayigh, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Centre.

"They just no longer have the numbers and the geographic spread to be able to mount major offensives."

With Aleppo out of rebel hands, the largest remaining rebel bastion is Idlib province, which is controlled by an alliance dominated by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

Rebels also hold territory in southern Daraa province and the Ghouta region around Damascus, although the army has been advancing there.

- 'Capitulation deals' -

In recent months, the government has sealed a number of "reconciliation deals" with rebel areas in Ghouta, securing the surrender of opposition fighters in return for granting them safe passage to Idlib.

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The opposition criticises these deals as a "starve or surrender" tactic, with rebels forced into deals after months or years of army siege and sustained bombardment.

But Assad has long touted such deals as the best way to resolve a conflict that has killed more than 310,000 people and displaced over half the population since it began in March 2011.

"I thinks it's very likely that the loyalist forces will move quickly to impose capitulation deals on other rebel pockets," said Aron Lund, a non-resident fellow also at The Century Foundation.

"Dismantling the insurgency in Eastern Ghouta will be one of the regime's big projects in 2017," he added.

In Idlib, with access to the Turkish border and a deep well of fighters -- including new arrivals from surrendering areas elsewhere -- rebels are likely to be able to hang on for longer.

"You have an armed opposition there that remains vital and motivated," said Heller.

But the rebel forces in the northwestern province are also dominated by hardline Islamists and jihadists, making them an unappealing prospect to foreign backers, he added.

And with no plausible route to regime change left for the rebels, their backers may see little reason to continued provide support.

- Uprising seen as 'failure' -

"If the rebels are seen as a lost cause, they're not going to get the same level of foreign investment indefinitely," Lund said.

"I'm already seeing some opposition sympathisers and rebel figures discuss events in Aleppo as if the uprising is now officially a failure."

Faced with overwhelming odds, some fighters may seek to lay down weapons and blend back into the civilian population, though more were likely to try to escape abroad, fearing regime retaliation.

Others could rally around the remaining hardliners like the jihadist Fateh al-Sham Front, though the Islamic State group was unlikely to become an attractive prospect, Heller said.

IS has fought against many rebel factions, and considers all those who have not pledged allegiance to be its enemies.

"Its reputation has been poisoned among pro-opposition Syrians," Heller said.

Despite their losses, pockets of rebels are likely to fight a low-level insurgency for a "long, long time", Lund said.

As rebel ranks shrink and remaining fighters cling to dwindling territory, the political opposition will find its already slim leverage in any negotiations all but exhausted.

"I don't see a political deal coming, there's no basis for it," Sayigh said.

"None of the actors have changed their positions to make a deal possible of any kind."
Alexa Chung is a British television personality and a model. (Photo: John Lamparski / WireImage / Getty Images).

Alexa Chung has made a considerable impact within the fashion industry throughout her professional career, but she holds a unique perspective on its relevance. The British model and television personality, who is known for her personal style, recently spoke to Fashionista and offered a unique perspective on the place of fashion in her life.

One day, Ill look at it, and Ill be like, how f***ing frivolous and stupid are clothes? she said. Theyre just what we adorn our bodies with, and its all about status and bulls***. And the next day, Ill be like, no, these change the way I feel about myself. What I shroud myself in can change my attitude and empower me to be more confident.

Even though its just an aesthetic and its quite shallow, because its how I appear on the outside, it still, on the inside, gives me the strength to have a stronger voice, Chung continued.

Studies in the past have proven that dress can affect ones confidence, perspective, and demeanor, so Chung is not wrong; in fact, many share that perspective. Theres even a term to describe the effects of clothing on cognitive and psychological processes  enclothed cognition.

Although the three time winner of the British Fashion Awards Style Icon of the Year might consider the concept of fashion to be trite at times, she has never been afraid to experiment in the area. She constantly debuts fresh looks and works with a variety of different designers on new collections. Its clear that Chung puts effort into personal styling, but it seems that she realizes that while some might consider fashion to be of little importance, many others find confidence and shape their self-image through it.

Chung also spoke on how style allows women to make a statement and how far women have come in society in terms of dress. I think fashion and feminism make great bedfellows, she said. Women wearing trousers in the 40s kicked up a f***ing s*** storm. Similarly, in the 20s when everyone was like, Im not going to wear a corset anymore! Those clothes had been suppressive, and the more we play with whats acceptable between the genders  and even not affiliating with any one gender in particular  dressing is becoming far more interesting, and its becoming powerful because it sends a message.

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As an outspoken feminist and purveyor of unconventional trends, Chung stays true to her words. She often sends messages through her looks, experiments with menswear on the red carpet, and she even included a FEMINIST graphic t-shirt in her 2015 fall second collection with AG Jeans.

Feminism to Chung is, To be equal, to stand up for yourself and not be objectified. Whoever it is whos filtering stuff makes it seem like women want to be more than men. My understanding is that were asking to be treated the same, she told Stylist Magazine.





Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
In the campaign, President-elect Donald Trump vowed to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with something great. His campaign website said all Americans deserved high quality, affordable health care. As president, he has the opportunity to deliver on that promise  with a little help from Speaker Ryan and Republicans and Democrats (yes, Democrats) in both houses of Congress.

If the Great Dealmaker wants to show his skills and build an enduring legacy, he should start by brokering a deal that preserves the best aspects of ObamaCare, fixes its design flaws, and turns it into a sustainable program with his name on it. Putting this deal together will test the new presidents skills in the art of the deal as real estate never could.

Fortunately, the basic structure of the existing law features consumer choice among competing private health plans, which many Republican plans also espouse. This should give the framework strong appeal to market-oriented Republicans  once it no longer has President Obamas name on it.

ObamaCare offers those who do not have affordable coverage from their employment or other sources a range of choices on electronic marketplaces and income-related subsidies through the tax system to help them pay for their chosen plan.

President-elect Trump said after his meeting with President Obama that he does not want to go back to the days when insurance companies could refuse coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, charge sicker people higher premiums, or cut people off when they got sick.

He also likes requiring carriers to keep young people on their parents insurance until they turn 26. But these popular features of current law, plus rules against charging older people more than triple the rate for younger ones made the Obamacare marketplaces difficult to sustain without repairs.

These features drove up premiums for younger healthier people, who tend to resist buying insurance anyway, and left insurance carriers offering plans on the exchanges with customers who were older and sicker (and therefore more expensive) than they expected.

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Many carriers lost money, so they increased premiums or dropped out of the market. Sparsely populated rural areas with few health care providers  always a challenge in this vast country  often did not have enough potential enrollees to attract competing insurance carriers.

President Obama and candidate Hillary Clinton both recognized that flaws in the design of the program would require fixing even if Democrats won. Mandating that everyone have insurance and penalizing those who didnt was supposed to keep the younger, healthier folks in the insurance pool, but the penalties were insufficient and mandates are always unpopular, not just with Republicans.

Republicans also complained that the law required covering benefits that not everyone needed (single men dont want maternity coverage), did not allow bare-bones protection only against medical catastrophes, and did not give states flexibility to use their Medicaid funds for to fund innovative solutions to achieving broader insurance coverage.

If it is to be truly great, TrumpCare must avoid all or most of these pitfalls. The challenge for the new team will be to craft a deal that relaxes the age rules to make it more attractive for younger, healthier people to buy at least bare-bones insurance and gives them strong incentives to enroll without an actual mandate; allows insurance companies to make at least a modest profit by off-loading some of the costs of the very sick onto subsidized reinsurance or high risk pools; and gives people who live in sparsely populated rural areas more options at affordable cost.

Interstate compacts to broaden insurance pools across state lines might play a role in cracking the perennial problem of covering rural areas, and other Republican favorites, such as health savings accounts and medical malpractice reform, should also be part of the package. Giving states more flexibility in using Medicaid should be high priority, either by expanding the waiver process in existing law or by carefully crafting block grants with per capita caps and realistic growth rates.

Republicans want to repeal the taxes associated with ObamaCare, but a good Republican idea could be invoked to replace the lost revenue, namely capping the exclusion of employer-paid health insurance benefits from taxable incomea proposal made by Senator McCain in his presidential bid. This tax change would discourage extremely generous Cadillac health insurance plans (which encourage unnecessary health spending) and would fit with reform of the individual income tax to lower marginal tax rates.

The President-elect needs to act quickly to persuade Congress to replace ObamaCare at the same time it enacts repeal. If he allows immediate repeal accompanied with a vague promise of replacement later, he will have an unnecessary calamity on his hands. Not only will about 20 million people lose their current health insurance coverage, but the market for individual insurance is likely to implode, causing hardship to everybody who buys their own insurance, including those buying outside the ObamaCare marketplaces.

There is a deal to be had here, which could build on the structure and experience of the existing law and provide a smooth transition to a new TrumpCare that is far more successful and sustainable than its predecessor. This is a true win-win situation if statesmanship can dominate party pride and the Great Deal Maker can pull it off.

This opinion column was first published by The Hill. Alice M. Rivlin is a Senior Fellow in Economic Studies and Health Policy at the Brookings Institution and a former director of the Office of Management and Budget.

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Washington (AFP) - Amazon said Wednesday it completed its first delivery by drone, in what the global online giant hopes will become a trend in automated shipments by air.

The delivery to a customer near Cambridge, England, was announced in a tweet by Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos.

"First-ever #AmazonPrimeAir customer delivery is in the books. 13 min -- click to delivery," he wrote of the December 7 order.

A video on Amazon's web page showed the delivery process -- with a quadcopter drone delivering an Amazon Fire TV box and a bag of popcorn to a customer identified only as Richard B.

Amazon, which has been testing drone deliveries in the US and elsewhere, has on several occasions complained that the regulatory environment in the United States for these automated deliveries is more cumbersome.

In its video, Amazon noted that it is working with two customers receiving drone deliveries in the Cambridge area and soon hoped to expand to "dozens" near its warehouse.

Amazon is not the only group working on drone deliveries. Google parent Alphabet has a similar project known as Wing and some reports say US retail behemoth Wal-Mart is also studying drone deliveries.

In the US, the first commercial drone delivery was made in July when convenience store 7-Eleven, with drone startup Flirtey, transported a chicken sandwich, hot coffee and donuts to a customer near Reno, Nevada.

Project Wing announced plans this year to deliver burritos in partnership with US food chain Chipotle to students at Virginia Tech University, one of the campuses where drone research is being conducted.

US officials earlier this year announced the first steps in drone regulations, covering applications such as newsgathering and commercial flights over populated areas.

But the first set of rules stopped short of allowing some long-sought applications, including delivery of goods by retailers like Amazon in populated areas.

Amazon got British approval this year for flying drones that are no longer within sight of their operators in rural and suburban areas; having one person operate several highly automated drones; and testing devices to make the drones able to identify and avoid obstacles

The world's largest online retailer, Amazon raised eyebrows in late 2013 with its plan to airlift small parcels to customers by drone in select markets less than 30 minutes after orders are received.
The U.S. economy added nearly 2.5 million jobs in the last 12 months, a growth of 1.7%. Employment is expanding even more rapidly in some parts of the country. Due to a variety of factors, job growth in a number of cities was more than double the national employment growth rate. Together, the 25 cities with the fastest job growth added more than half a million new jobs.

To determine the 25 U.S. cities adding the most jobs, 24/7 Wall St. compared employment levels in 387 metro areas in October 2016 with levels a year prior. Job growth in these 25 cities ranged from 4.4% in Ithaca, New York to 7.6% in the Bend-Redmond metro area in Oregon.

ALSO READ: The Best and Worst Run States in America: A Survey of All 50

National employment growth is often attributed to thriving industries. In the past year, the education and health services industry added the most jobs, while professional and business services was the second biggest contributor to employment growth nationwide. Meanwhile, manufacturing was the biggest drag on employment, followed by the information industry.

These broad national trends, however, often do not reflect economic conditions within a given metro area. Many of the cities adding the most jobs have thriving manufacturing industries, and only four reported employment declines in their manufacturing sectors.

In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., Martin Kohli, chief regional economist with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, explained that steady manufacturing employment has been very important to certain cities on this list, particularly in Oregon and Tennessee. The Portland area has actually got one of the largest concentrations of employment in computer and electronic product manufacturing, Kohli said. Nashville, too, has unusual concentrations of employment in electrical equipment and transportation equipment manufacturing. Both the Portland and Nashville metro areas have either maintained steady manufacturing employment or added industry jobs in the past year.

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In many of the cities on this list, rapidly growing job markets often create something of a virtuous cycle. When you have strong growth," Kohli said, "that will attract people and jobs. It is perhaps no coincidence that labor force growth was within a percentage point of total job growth in all but two cities on this list as people entered the workforce to fill newly available employment opportunities.

A rapidly growing labor force will have implications across many industries, often health care, education, and construction in particular. Of course, in return, these sectors add more jobs. Such seems to be the case in Oregon, where job growth in other industries also caused a construction employment boom. Nationally, employment in construction and residential construction is still below where it was back in 2006," Kohli said, "so the fact that you're seeing 8% [employment] growth in construction in some of these areas in Oregon is remarkable. More than one out of every four cities adding the most jobs is in Oregon.

Unlike construction job growth, which is more unique to some growing areas, education and health care job growth seems to follow the national trend. Much like across the country, the industry was a leading contributor to increased employment in 13 of the 25 cities adding the most jobs.

Strong annual job growth does not always mean a given areas economy is especially healthy. Though the number of jobs in the Detroit metro has grown by 4.4% in the past year, faster than in all but 21 other U.S. metros, Detroit has been the poster child of the decline of American manufacturing in the last several decades. Similarly, though Yuma, Arizonas job market grew by 6.8% since October 2015, the third highest rate in the country, the citys 18.4% unemployment rate remains nearly the highest in the country.

To identify the cities with the highest job growth, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed metropolitan statistical areas with the largest employment growth from October 2015 through October 2016. Unemployment rates, the size of the labor force, and employment levels are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and are seasonally adjusted. Industry-specific growth rates for the same period are from the Current Employment Survey (CES), a monthly BLS survey. Educational attainment and median household income came from the 2015 American Community Survey (ACS) of the U.S. Census Bureau.

25. Ithaca, NY

> Employment change: 4.37%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 52,077

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 54,353

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 3.8%

The Ithaca metro area added more than 2,200 jobs in the 12 months ending in October 2016. This 4.4% employment growth was the 25th highest of any metro area in the country. The area's unemployment rate also fell over the same time period, from 4.0% to only 3.8%. Home to both Cornell University and Ithaca College, 54.6% of Ithaca adults have at least a bachelors degree, the largest share of any metro area in New York.

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24. Auburn-Opelika, AL

> Employment change: 4.41%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 67,726

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 70,714

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.2%

Since October 2015, the Auburn metro areas labor force -- the number of people either employed or actively seeking work -- grew by about 3,200, or about 4.4%. The number of employed people grew at about the same rate. In the last 12 months, the city added nearly 3,000 jobs, also a 4.4% growth rate.

23. Eugene, OR

> Employment change: 4.44%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 162,780

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 170,006

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.5%

The number of jobs in Eugene, Oregon increased by 4.4% in the past year, one of the fastest rates in the country. It appears area job growth has a good chance to improve in the coming year as well. Semiconductor supplier, Avago Industries, just bought a 1.2 million square foot plant in the city to manufacture cell phone components. The Eugene Chamber of Commerce anticipates the facility will bring hundreds of new jobs to the area.

22. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

> Employment change: 4.44%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 1,879,073

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 1,962,510

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.3%

Parts of the Detroit metro area are among the most economically depressed in the country. However, the broader metro area has added jobs faster than the vast majority of U.S. metros. Expanding by 83,400 jobs, total employment in the area increased by 4.4% between October 2015 and October 2016. Employment in the majority of sectors in the area grew faster than their growth rates nationwide, including in the manufacturing sector, as well as the professional and business services sectors.

21. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

> Employment change: 4.47%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 2,688,412

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 2,808,572

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.0%

One of the largest metro areas in the country, Atlanta has also undergone one of the largest employment booms. Nearly every industry in the Atlanta metro added jobs in the past year, with the professional and business services sector adding the most new jobs. Additionally, like many of the cities that added the most jobs, the Atlanta metro area reported an uptick in manufacturing employment, bucking the national trend of employment declines in the industry.

20. Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY

> Employment change: 4.60%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 60,387

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 63,166

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 4.7%

In the Elizabethtown metro area, 4.6% employment growth brought unemployment in the area below the national rate. Between October 2015 and October 2016, employers in Elizabeth added nearly 2,800 jobs, bringing unemployment down from 5.2% to 4.7%. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy added 2.4 million jobs which brought unemployment down from 5.0% to 4.9%. The professional and business services industry contributed most to job growth in the area.

19. Clarksville, TN-KY

> Employment change: 4.61%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 102,105

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 106,811

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.5%

Clarksville, Tennessee added around 4,700 jobs over the past year, a 4.6% increase in total employment. The largest drivers of growth appeared to be in the education and health services sector as well as the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, the latter of which added about 600 jobs over the past year. While the job growth helped drive the area's unemployment rate down 0.5 percentage points to 5.5%, the jobless rate remains above the national rate of 4.9%.

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18. Fargo, ND-MN

> Employment change: 4.62%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 129,048

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 135,014

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 2.5%

The number of jobs in Fargo increased by 4.6% between October 2015 and October 2016, far faster than job growth nationwide. Despite the rapid employment growth, the number of jobs in the area did not keep pace with labor force expansion over the same period. As a result, the unemployment rate in the Fargo metro area climbed from 2.3% to 2.5%. Still, unemployment in Fargo is well below the 4.9% unemployment rate nationwide and appears likely to remain there as the city continues to add jobs. Specifically, the Sanford Fargo Medical Center, the largest employer in the area, provides more than 6,600 jobs and is opening a new 11 story, million square foot facility in 2017.

17. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

> Employment change: 4.67%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 1,879,827

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 1,967,536

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 4.4%

The number of jobs in the Seattle metro area grew by 4.7% in the last 12 months. Employment growth in the information and trade and transportation industries was particularly strong. Seattle is home to the headquarters of Amazon.com, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and Microsoft.

16. Knoxville, TN

> Employment change: 4.69%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 384,235

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 402,262

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 4.7%

The Knoxville area labor force -- the number of people either with a job or looking for one -- increased by 16,700 over the 12-month period ending in October 2016. While an increase in the labor force can lead to rising unemployment, Knoxville added an even greater number of jobs -- about 18,000 -- over the same period. As a result, the area's unemployment rate fell from 5.2%, slightly above the national figure at the time of 5.0%, to 4.7%, below the national rate of 4.9%. Last October, Comcast announced it was expanding a Knoxville call center and adding 250 jobs.

15. Savannah, GA

> Employment change: 4.86%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 166,559

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 174,646

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 4.9%

A city steeped in historical significance, Savannah is a popular tourist destination. As such, the metro areas leisure and hospitality industry accounts for a much larger share of jobs than is typical. It has also accounted for a considerable share of job growth in the past year, expanding the number of industry jobs in the area by nearly 5%, more than double the industrys employment growth nationwide. Overall, Savannahs job market grew far faster in the past year than the vast majority of U.S. metro areas.

14. St. George, UT

> Employment change: 4.89%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 62,386

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 65,435

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 3.6%

When populations expand, regardless of the driving factors, the government and health services sector, as well as the education sector typically expand to accommodate the growing population. In a large number of metro areas with the greatest employment growth, one of these two sectors had the largest proportional employment increases of all sectors in the area. In St. George, employment in the government sector increased slightly, while the education and health services sector added around 800 jobs, the largest increase of any sector in the area.

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13. Grants Pass, OR

> Employment change: 5.06%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 30,906

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 32,471

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 7.0%

Despite declines in government employment and a loss of jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector, Grants Pass, Oregon has added a larger share of jobs than all but a dozen other U.S. metro areas since October 2015. An especially small city, the net addition of some 1,600 jobs in the past year has helped drive down the metro areas unemployment rate from 7.8% to a still quite high 7.0%. Bucking national trends, the areas manufacturing sector and mining, logging, and construction industries reported especially strong 3.3% and 11.1% employment growth respectively.

12. Medford, OR

> Employment change: 5.10%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 91,343

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 96,006

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 6.3%

In Medford, Oregon, every major industry, from manufacturing to government, added jobs in the past year. The metro area is one of seven in Oregon to rank among the 25 U.S. metros adding the most jobs. Despite the addition of nearly 4,700 jobs, Medfords 6.3% unemployment rate remains well above the corresponding 4.9% national rate.

11. Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN

> Employment change: 5.16%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 893,361

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 939,494

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 3.9%

The United States shed tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs between October 2015 and October 2016. In the Nashville metro area, however, employment surged in the manufacturing industry. Manufacturing employment grew by 5.9% in the past year. Major manufacturing employers in the area include automakers Nissan and General Motors.

10. Albany, OR

> Employment change: 5.20%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 50,990

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 53,641

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.8%

Metal manufacturing is central to Albanys economy. Specialty metal alloy maker Allegheny Technologies Incorporated is one of the largest employers in the area. Within the past year, employment in the areas mining, logging, and construction sector grew by 13.3%, the eighth largest employment growth in the sector among U.S. metro areas. Like many Oregon metros, the rapid employment growth was not enough to bring unemployment below the 4.9% national rate.

9. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

> Employment change: 5.21%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 1,171,041

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 1,232,021

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.0%

At over 1.2 million, the Portland metro area has one of the largest workforces in the country. The area's job market is also growing rapidly, adding nearly 61,000 jobs in the past year -- a 5.2% increase in total employment. Despite far faster than average job growth, the citys 5.0% unemployment rate is roughly in line with the corresponding 4.9% national rate.

8. Morristown, TN

> Employment change: 5.46%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 46,612

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 49,159

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.5%

The 5.5% employment growth in the Morristown metro area was higher than in all but a handful of other U.S. metro areas. Job growth greatly outpaced the workforce expansion, and as a result, the area's unemployment rate fell from 6.3% in October 2015 to 5.5% in October 2016. The education and health services industry helped drive growth, with employment in the sector increasing by 10.9%, far faster than any other industry in the area.

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7. Athens-Clarke County, GA

> Employment change: 5.52%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 88,488

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 93,375

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.0%

The number of jobs in the Athens metro area increased by about 4,900, in line with the areas labor force expansion. Home to the University of Georgia, Athens also happens to be a highly educated area. A highly educated population can be more attractive to potential employers, and 38.0% of area adults have at least a bachelors degree, a far larger share than the 30.6% of adults nationwide.

6. Bismarck, ND

> Employment change: 6.00%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 66,278

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 70,255

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 2.8%

The number of jobs in the Bismark, North Dakota metro area increased by 6% between October 2015 and October 2016, faster than in all but five other U.S. metros. While job growth was strong, it did not keep pace with the areas growing labor force. Over the same time period, Bismarcks labor force expanded by about 6.5%, or roughly 400 more workers than jobs. Still, the areas 2.8% unemployment rate is nearly the lowest in the country.

5. Salem, OR

> Employment change: 6.01%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 179,402

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 190,190

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.4%

No state has more metro areas on this list than Oregon. In Salem, the number of jobs increased by 6% last year, more than in all but four other metro areas. The citys mining, logging, and construction sector, as well as the professional and business services sector grew the most rapidly. Employment in each grew by 6.7% and 17.5%, respectively, well above the industries 1.1% and 2.7% corresponding growth rates nationwide.

4. Prescott, AZ

> Employment change: 6.57%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 92,552

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 98,637

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 4.7%

The number of jobs in Prescott, Arizona has spiked by 6.6% since October 2015. Job growth in hospitality, education and health services, and trade, transportation and utilities each was more than double the corresponding national growth rate. Employment in the areas manufacturing sector also grew by 2.9%, even as manufacturing jobs nationwide fell by half a percentage point. Prescott is home to major manufacturing plants of firearm maker Sturm Ruger & Co. and of aircraft parts company Cobham Aerospace Communications.

3. Yuma, AZ

> Employment change: 6.81%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 72,473

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 77,407

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 18.4%

Yumas employment increased more than any metro area in Arizona and all but two other American metros. The city added nearly 5,000 new jobs in the last year, a 6.8% increase. While Yumas growth was rapid, the citys overall economic picture is bleak. More than 18% of Yumas labor force is unemployed, the second highest share of any metro area in the country.

2. Cleveland, TN

> Employment change: 7.31%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 53,770

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 57,700

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 4.7%

Cleveland is one of five Tennessee metro areas on this list and one of only two metro areas in the country with more than 7% job growth. Driving employment growth was the areas professional and business services industry. Employment in the industry grew by 20.3% between October 2015 and October 2016, more than in any other U.S. metro. Major employers in the area include Whirlpool Corporation and Amazon.com.

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1. Bend-Redmond, OR

> Employment change: 7.63%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 80,446

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 86,587

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.2%

The Bend-Redmond metro area had the most rapid job growth of any U.S. metro over the past year. The 7.6% employment growth was more than quadruple the nationwide job growth. A former saw mill town, wood products still make up a significant share of the areas economy. Last year, employment in mining, logging, and construction went up by 10.3%, more than in any other industry in the area. Strong growth in a number of other industries, including leisure and hospitality as well as professional and business services were enough to offset a 4.3% decline in the areas finance industry.

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The U.S. economy added roughly 2.4 million jobs over the past year. Over the same period, the unemployment rate fell from 5.0% to 4.9%, close to the lowest it has been in nearly a decade. The 1.7% employment growth nationwide was not uniform, and some areas lost a substantial share of jobs.

To determine the cities that lost the most jobs, 24/7 Wall St. analyzed employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most cities added jobs in past 12 months, and most have posted unemployment declines. In 75 metro areas, however, there was a net loss in total employment. The Lafayette, Louisiana metro area had the most job loss, with total employment falling by 4.5% since October 2015.

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One major factor driving employment changes across the United States is industrial composition. Continued outsourcing and automation has lowered international demand for American manufacturing, and the downturn in the price of petroleum has hurt the oil and gas sector. Nationwide, the worst performing sectors were manufacturing, information, and mining, logging, and construction.

Cities with economies that heavily depend on these industries tended to have the most job loss. In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., Martin Kohli, chief regional economist at the BLS, explained that a large concentration of employment in energy and construction-related industries has definitely been negative in the last few years for communities. In many cases, a major round of layoffs or plant shutdowns contributed to employment declines in the past year.

People are not likely to move to a city without a job or some other opportunity available. As a result, the distribution of job growth across the country mirrors todays domestic migration patterns. Kohli added that residents of the Northeast and Midwest, where a majority of the metro areas are losing jobs, have been relocating to major cities in the Sun Belt, which is gaining the most jobs.

Story continues

Employment tends to increase as unemployment declines. In metropolitan areas with the most job loss, employment declines contributed to labor force declines and a rise in unemployment. In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for example, the 14,200 jobs lost in Oklahoma City was among the most of any metro area. At the same time, the labor force shrank by a total of 9,000 workers, while area unemployment rate rose from 3.6% to 4.4%.

To identify the cities losing the most jobs, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed metropolitan statistical areas with the largest employment decline from October 2015 through October 2016. Unemployment rates, the size of the labor force, and employment levels are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and are seasonally adjusted. Industry-specific growth rates for the same period are from the Current Employment Survey (CES), a monthly BLS survey. Educational attainment is from the 2015 American Community Survey (ACS) of the U.S. Census Bureau.

These are the cities losing the most jobs.

25. Lynchburg, VA

> Employment change: -1.41%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 116,888

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 115,240

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 4.9%

The Lynchburg metro area lost a net total of more than 1,600 jobs in the past year. While U.S. total employment increased by 1.7%, Lynchburg employment fell by 1.4%. Similarly, while the number of education and health professionals declined by 3.3% in Lynchburg, employment in the education and health sector grew more than nearly any other industry nationwide. In February 2016, insurance company Genworth Financial announced it would lay off 200 workers in Lynchburg.

24. Bloomington, IL

> Employment change: -1.41%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 93,826

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 92,502

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.1%

The Bloomington metro area lost a net total of roughly 1,300 jobs in 2016. While the areas college attainment rate of 44% is among the highest in the country, the talented workforce did not attract jobs in the metropolitan area. The largest employment decline occurred in the manufacturing industry, which shed 1,200 jobs over the past year. This was likely driven by the closing of the Mitsubishi Motors manufacturing plant in the metro area earlier in 2016, which led to the loss of roughly 1,000 jobs.

23. Elmira, NY

> Employment change: -1.45%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 35,529

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 35,014

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.9%

There are roughly 500 fewer workers in the Elmira metro area today than there were one year ago. While the number of U.S. workers grew by 1.7% over the past year, the Elmira workforce contracted by 1.4% over the same period. Elmira is one of many cities undergoing rapid employment decline in New Yorks Southern Tier region. The Southern Tier includes the neighboring Binghamton metropolitan area, where employment declined 2.0% over the past year. In both Binghamton and Elmira, manufacturing was among the sectors contributing to the largest job losses.

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22. Joplin, MO

> Employment change: -1.54%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 84,395

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 83,093

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 4.5%

The number of jobs in Joplin fell by 1.5% in the past year, while nationwide employment increased by 1.7%. In October 2015, more than one in four Joplin employees worked in the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, nearly the highest proportion of any metro area. Over the past year, however, Joplins largest sector shed a net total of 700 jobs, contributing heavily to the area's total employment decline. In addition to major job losses in the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, battery parts manufacturer Eagle Picher laid off 225 Joplin workers in the past year. Despite the Eagle Picher layoffs, Joplins manufacturing sector had net job growth over the past year.

21. Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ

> Employment change: -1.57%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 61,685

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 60,718

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 7.9%

The Vineland-Bridgeton metro area lost a net total of 967 jobs in the 12 months ending October 2016. While employment in Vineland-Bridgeton fell by 1.6%, the total number of U.S. jobs nationwide increased by 1.7%. Cities with an educated workforce are more likely to attract cutting-edge businesses and have fewer obstacles to job growth. In Vineland-Bridgeton, however, just 13.5% of adults have at least a bachelors degree, less than half the 30.6% national college attainment rate. Vinelands relatively small professional and business services sector, which includes many of the industries most likely to benefit from an educated labor force, lost more jobs proportional to its size in the past year than any other sector in the metro area.

20. Duluth, MN-WI

> Employment change: -1.67%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 133,885

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 131,650

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.6%

Over the past year, the Duluth workforce contracted by 1.7%. The job loss may stem from the overall economic decline of Minnesotas Iron Range, a mining region in which a steep downturn in iron-ore prices has led to massive layoffs and shutdowns. While not a part of the Iron Range, Duluth relies heavily on the mining industry. The DM&IR railroad is the transportation hub for much of the ore produced in the Iron Range, and the Port of Duluth-Superior is the exit point for many of the mining products that are shipped throughout the Great Lakes region. As the Iron Range generates less revenue, Duluths trade facilities may suffer. Employment in the metro areas trade, transportation, and utilities industries declined the most of any sector in Duluth in the past year.

19. Alexandria, LA

> Employment change: -1.67%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 62,409

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 61,367

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 6.5%

Alexandria lost a net total of more than 1,000 jobs over the past year. As employment in the metro area fell by 1.7%, the number of jobs nationwide increased by the same amount. Like many metropolitan areas in Louisiana, the job loss was largely due to the decline in oil prices. As employment in the area fell, the unemployment rate rose, from 6.1% to 6.5%.

18. Decatur, IL

> Employment change: -1.68%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 47,203

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 46,409

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 6.6%

The number of unemployed people in Decatur fell by more than 400 over the past 12 months. While this decline may appear to be an improvement in job market conditions, it may actually be more an indication of area residents giving up looking for work as the area's labor force contracted by an even greater 1,219 workers. Total employment dropped by 1.7%.

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17. Williamsport, PA

> Employment change: -1.82%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 56,793

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 55,758

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 6.9%

The Williamsport, Pennsylvania metropolitan areas largest industry is the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, which accounts for about one in five area jobs. Williamsport employment in that sector also took the biggest hit over the past year, declining by about 300 jobs for a 2.7% decline. As a whole, the number of workers employed in the area declined by more than 1,000.

16. Fairbanks, AK

> Employment change: -1.86%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 43,823

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 43,007

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 6.1%

Low-skilled jobs tend to be less stable and more subject to major job cuts. The major industries to lose workers over the past year -- energy and manufacturing -- tend to rely on workers without a college degree. In most of the metropolitan areas to lose the most jobs, a lower share of the adult population has a bachelors degree than the national share of 30.6%. Fairbanks is an exception. Despite an above-average 34.5% bachelors attainment rate, area employment fell by 1.9% over the past year. Fairbanks government sector shed the largest share of jobs over that period.

15. Topeka, KS

> Employment change: -1.96%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 116,159

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 113,879

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 4.1%

Employment in the Topeka, Kansas metropolitan area fell by nearly 2% over the last 12 months, among the biggest declines in the country. Topekas government sector, its largest by employment as it accounts for nearly one in every four jobs, actually added about 400 jobs over the period. This was not enough to offset job losses in both the manufacturing and the trade, transportation, and utilities sectors, the latter of which shed about 800 workers over that time.

14. Binghamton, NY

> Employment change: -1.98%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 103,787

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 101,727

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.7%

Binghamton is one of many cities reporting rapid employment decline in New Yorks Southern Tier region. The Southern Tier includes the neighboring Elmira metropolitan area, where employment declined 1.4% over the past year. In both metropolitan areas, job losses in manufacturing contributed substantially to the overall employment decline. Once home to major manufacturing operations for giants such as IBM, General Electric, and Endicott Johnson, Binghamtons manufacturing sector today is a shadow of its post-WWII heyday.

13. Mankato-North Mankato, MN

> Employment change: -2.01%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 58,051

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 56,886

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 3.0%

The Mankato-North Mankato metropolitan area in Minnesota shed about 1,200 jobs over the past year. During that time, a similar number of workers left the labor force entirely. According to BLS chief regional economist Martin Kohli, the nationwide economic recovery over the past few years may have led to an acceleration of the long-term migratory trend of Americans moving from the Midwest and Northeast to the South and Southwest. This may have driven the decline in the Mankato region's labor force. It appears that area employment will struggle to return to previous levels as an area plastics manufacturing plant, which had just opened in 2014, will close in early 2017, affecting 86 jobs.

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12. Staunton-Waynesboro, VA

> Employment change: -2.02%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 56,138

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 55,003

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 4.4%

The Staunton-Waynesboro metropolitan area in northern Virginia lost about 1,100 jobs over the past year. A similar number of people, possibly many of those who lost their jobs, left the labor force entirely. Still, even with the employment decline, unemployment in the area remains below national levels. While Stauntons unemployment rate increased from 4.1% to 4.4% over the past year, it remained lower than the national unemployment rate of 4.9%.

11. Tulsa, OK

> Employment change: -2.03%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 457,325

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 448,061

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.3%

Tulsa is one of three metro areas in Oklahoma in which total employment fell by more than 2.0%. While the number of jobs in Tulsa fell by roughly 9,300, the number of people in the area's labor force fell by just 4,400, pushing the area's unemployment rate higher. Tulsas unemployment rate surged from 4.2% in October 2015 to 5.3% in October 2016. The 1.1 percentage point increase is tied as the fourth largest of any metro area.

10. Manhattan, KS

> Employment change: -2.03%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 49,209

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 48,208

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 3.5%

The number of employed workers in the Manhattan, Kansas metro area declined by 2.0% over the past year. By comparison, employment across the country grew by 1.7% over the same period. The job losses may have contributed to a shrinking labor force as well as rising unemployment. The Manhattan labor force contracted by 866 eligible workers between October 2015 and 2016. At the same time, the unemployment rate rose from 3.2% to 3.5%, reflecting an increase of 135 unemployed workers. In total, the metro area lost a little over 1,000 jobs. One company that contributed to the area's job loss was the Florence Manufacturing Company, which laid off an estimated 80 workers in December 2015.

9. Cheyenne, WY

> Employment change: -2.07%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 47,071

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 46,098

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 4.1%

Due to persistently depressed global oil prices, the mining, logging, and construction sector often led employment declines in the metropolitan areas that lost the largest share of jobs in the past year. In Cheyenne, which reported one of the biggest relative overall job losses in the country, the sector shed about 500 jobs, or 12.5% of the sectors workers. In an interview with the Wyoming Eagle Tribune at the beginning of 2016, Cheyenne Mayor Rick Kaysen said that in addition to lost tax revenue from the oil sector, the regional decline of oil operations would likely affect the construction industry in the area as well in the future.

8. Lawton, OK

> Employment change: -2.07%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 51,029

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 49,971

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 4.8%

While the number of jobs nationwide increased by 1.7% in the past year, employment in the Lawton, Oklahoma metro area decreased by 2.1%. With many Americans moving from the Midwest to the Sunbelt states, the Lawton labor force contracted by a net total of 671 eligible workers between October 2015 and 2016. Additionally, as the number of residents out of work grew by roughly 400 unemployed people, the citys unemployment rate rose from 4.0% to 4.8%. The total number of jobs in the metro area fell by more than 1,000, many of them in the oil and gas sector.

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7. Carbondale-Marion, IL

> Employment change: -2.15%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 57,565

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 56,328

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.9%

Employment in the Carbondale-Marion metro area decreased by 2.1% over the past year. Unlike most cities losing jobs, Carbondales employment decline is likely less due to a weak economy and more the result of outbound migration. While the number of jobs fell by roughly 1,200, the total labor force in the area fell by 1,500. So while there was one job less in Carbondale for every member of the workforce who moved from the metro area, some previously unemployed residents also found work. The area's unemployment rate fell from 6.2% in October 2015 to 5.9% in October 2016, one of best improvements of any metro with a shrinking labor force.

6. Oklahoma City, OK

> Employment change: -2.20%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 647,024

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 632,814

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 4.4%

Oklahoma City is one of three metro areas in Oklahoma with employment decline greater than 2.0%. The job losses likely led to both outbound migration and rising unemployment onset by low energy prices. With many Americans relocating from the Midwest to the Sunbelt states, the Oklahoma City labor force contracted by a net total of 9,000 eligible workers in 2016. As the unemployment rate rose from 3.6% in October 2015 to 4.4% in October 2016, the number of unemployed workers grew by more than 5,000. In total, Oklahoma City lost an estimated 14,210 jobs in 2016, more than any metro area in the country other than New York and Minneapolis.

5. Mansfield, OH

> Employment change: -2.33%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 50,576

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 49,399

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.6%

Cities without a talented, educated workforce often rely on one dominant, low-skilled industry and may be more vulnerable to changes in commodity prices and other market shifts than more diversified economies. Nearly one in five workers in Mansfield works in manufacturing, and just 14.4% of adults in the metro area have at least a bachelors degree. As demand for American manufacturing continues to decline, Mansfields reliance on the industry may have partially caused accelerated job loss over the past year. The number of jobs in the city decreased by 2.3% in 2016, more than nearly any other metro area.

4. Shreveport-Bossier City, LA

> Employment change: -2.35%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 180,977

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 176,731

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 6.8%

Employment in the Shreveport-Bossier City area decreased by over 4,200 jobs in the past year. During the same period, nearly an equal amount of people left the labor force.

Following the statewide trend, the Shreveport area is losing jobs in the oil and gas sector. Unlike other areas in Louisiana that are more dependent on the oil and gas industry, however, Shreveport has a more diverse economy, and job losses in this industry have had a less dramatic effect on the area's overall employment. Still, due to falling oil prices and reduced natural gas production at the Haynesville Shale -- a rock formation rich in natural gas -- the industry's job losses accounted for a sizable share of the area's 2.3% employment decrease.

3. Houma-Thibodaux, LA

> Employment change: -3.74%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 91,738

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 88,311

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 6.7%

The number of jobs in the Houma-Thibodaux area decreased by around 3,400 in the past year. While area employment declined by 3.7%, the number of jobs increased by 1.7% nationwide. A large share of the areas employment decline resulted from a shrinking oil and gas sector. Following a drop in oil prices and the first decrease in North American oil production in years, many oil workers nationwide have lost their jobs. The effects of these industry declines are exaggerated in Houma-Thibodaux, where a large share of residents are employed in the sector.

ALSO READ: Beers Americans No Longer Drink

2. Casper, WY

> Employment change: -3.77%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 40,156

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 38,644

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 6.6%

The Casper metro area lost around 1,500 jobs in the past year. This 3.8% decrease was largely caused by a declining coal mining industry in Wyoming. During the first quarter of 2016, coal production nationwide was the lowest it has been in 35 years, with Wyoming among the regions whose production has declined the most. The Casper metro area is around 100 miles from Americas two largest coal mines. Earlier this year, both of these mines announced large layoffs.

1. Lafayette, LA

> Employment change: -4.46%

> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 210,224

> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 200,845

> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 7.1%

The Lafayette metro area lost around 9,400 jobs in the past year. Employment in the area fell by around 4.5%, even as nationwide employment increased by 1.7%. Following a trend of declining manufacturing jobs nationwide, Lafayettes manufacturing sector shed the most jobs of any industry. The job losses likely led to a large share of residents giving up looking for work or leaving the area. The overall labor force decreased by nearly 8,500 in the past year. This 3.8% decline in labor force was the largest of any U.S. metro area.

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By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - An American was taken into U.S. custody on Wednesday after arriving from Russia to face charges that he helped orchestrate a massive computer hacking and fraud scheme that included an attack against JPMorgan Chase & Co, prosecutors said. Joshua Aaron, 32, was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after being deported from Russia to the United States, where he will face charges pending since last year, U.S. authorities said. Aaron came back to the United States voluntarily, said Benjamin Brafman, his lawyer. During a court hearing, Aaron pleaded not guilty to charges including computer hacking and securities fraud. Aaron, who was born in Maryland and attended Florida State University, is one of nine people to face charges following an investigation connected to a data breach that JPMorgan disclosed in 2014 involving records for more than 83 million accounts. He was charged along with two Israeli men, Gery Shalon and Ziv Orenstein, in an indictment filed in November 2015 for his alleged role in crimes targeting 12 companies, including nine financial services firms and media outlets like the Wall Street Journal. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in a statement said Aaron "worked to hack into the networks of dozens of American companies, ultimately leading to the largest theft of personal information from U.S. financial institutions ever." Prosecutors said the scheme dated back to 2007 and compromised more than 100 million people's personal information. Prosecutors said the enterprise included pumping up stock prices with sham promotional emails, running online casinos, operating an illegal bitcoin exchange and laundering money through shell companies and accounts around the world. The scheme also involved a massive attack on JPMorgan affecting 83 million customers, the largest theft of customer data from a U.S. financial institution, authorities said. A separate indictment in Atlanta in November 2015 against Shalon and Aaron said that brokerages E*Trade Financial Corp and Scottrade were also targets, and personal information of more than 10 million customers was compromised. The case is U.S. v. Shalon et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00333. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - An American was taken into U.S. custody on Wednesday after arriving from Russia to face charges that he helped orchestrate a massive computer hacking and fraud scheme that included an attack against JPMorgan Chase & Co , prosecutors said. Joshua Aaron, 32, was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after being deported from Russia to the United States, where he will face charges pending since last year, U.S. authorities said. Aaron came back to the United States voluntarily, said Benjamin Brafman, his lawyer. During a court hearing, Aaron pleaded not guilty to charges including computer hacking and securities fraud. Aaron, who was born in Maryland and attended Florida State University, is one of nine people to face charges following an investigation connected to a data breach that JPMorgan disclosed in 2014 involving records for more than 83 million accounts. He was charged along with two Israeli men, Gery Shalon and Ziv Orenstein, in an indictment filed in November 2015 for his alleged role in crimes targeting 12 companies, including nine financial services firms and media outlets like the Wall Street Journal. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in a statement said Aaron "worked to hack into the networks of dozens of American companies, ultimately leading to the largest theft of personal information from U.S. financial institutions ever." Prosecutors said the scheme dated back to 2007 and compromised more than 100 million people's personal information. Prosecutors said the enterprise included pumping up stock prices with sham promotional emails, running online casinos, operating an illegal bitcoin exchange and laundering money through shell companies and accounts around the world. The scheme also involved a massive attack on JPMorgan affecting 83 million customers, the largest theft of customer data from a U.S. financial institution, authorities said. A separate indictment in Atlanta in November 2015 against Shalon and Aaron said that brokerages E*Trade Financial Corp and Scottrade were also targets, and personal information of more than 10 million customers was compromised. The case is U.S. v. Shalon et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00333. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
NEW YORK (AP)  He stood a majestic 5-foot-5, weighed around 100 pounds and maybe had a harem. That's what scientists figure from the footprints he left behind some 3.7 million year ago.

He's evidently the tallest known member of the prehuman species best known for the fossil skeleton nicknamed "Lucy," reaching a stature no other member of our family tree matched for another 1.5 million years, the researchers say.

The 13 footprints are impressions left in volcanic ash that later hardened into rock, excavated last year in northern Tanzania in Africa. Their comparatively large size, averaging a bit over 10 inches long (26 centimeters), suggest they were made by a male member of the species known as Australopithecus afarensis.

The prints were found at a site called Laetoli, which is famous for another set of smaller footprints left by other A. afarensis individuals. Those made headlines in the 1970s as the earliest clear evidence of upright walking by our ancestors. The newly discovered prints are only about 160 yards (150 meters) away.

Researchers named the new creature S1, for the first discovery made at the "S'' site. From the footprints, they calculated that he stood about 5-foot-5 (roughly 165 centimeters) and weighed around 100 pounds (about 45 kilograms).

They figured that he loomed at least 8 inches (more than 20 centimeters) above the individuals who made the other tracks, and stood maybe 3 inches (7 centimeters) taller than a large A. afarensis specimen previously found in Ethiopia. "Lucy", also from Ethiopia, was much shorter at about 3  feet (107 centimeters).

The findings are described in a report released Wednesday by the journal eLife. Authors include Giorgio Manzi of Sapienza University in Rome, Marco Cherin of the University of Perugia in Italy, and others.

Nobody knows the ages or sexes of any of the track-makers, although the size of the latest footprints suggest they were made by a male. It's quite possible that the new discovery means A. afarensis males were a lot bigger than females, with more of a difference than what is seen in modern humans, the researchers say. That's not a new idea, but it's still under debate.

Story continues

The large male-female disparity suggests A. afarensis may have had a gorilla-like social arrangement of one dominant male with a group of females and their offspring, the researchers said.

But not everybody agrees with their analysis of S1's height.

Their estimate is suspect, says anthropologist William Jungers, a research associate at the Association Vahatra in Madagascar who wrote a commentary on the study. That's because scientists haven't recovered enough of an A. afarensis foot to reliably calculate height from footprints, he said in an email.

Philip Reno, an assistant anthropology professor at Penn State who didn't participate in the new work, said he believed the height estimate was in the right ballpark. But he's not convinced that S1 was really taller than the large Ethiopian A. afarensis.

So rather than setting a record, "I think it confirms about the size we thought the big specimens were," Reno said.

Manzi and Cherin said they can't be sure S1 was taller than the Ethiopian specimen. "We only suggest," they wrote in an email.

___

Follow Malcolm Ritter at http://twitter.com/malcolmritter

His recent work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/malcolm-ritter
BEIRUT (AP)  The Syrian government's expected recapture of Aleppo after a prolonged and punishing air assault is a defining moment in the country's devastating civil war: it leaves President Bashar Assad in control of almost all major urban areas  and poised to petition for a role in the world community's broader war against Islamic State militants clinging to parts of Syria's northeast.

The prospect of such cooperation would once have been considered highly improbable. Assad became anathema in the West and much of the region after the brutal means he employed during six years of carnage that killed hundreds of thousands, displaced half his population and sent millions of refugees to neighboring countries and Europe.

But much has changed. Vladimir Putin's Russia is fully engaged on Assad's side, with no world players eager to take it on. The assortment of rebel groups now clings to a handful of pockets around the country, lacking momentum and likely to return to a low-grade insurgency at best.

Most critically, the incoming U.S. president projects a sort of flexibility lacking under Barack Obama. Promising to scale up the war on the Islamic State group, Donald Trump has hinted he would be ready to work with Assad and Russia. "I don't like Assad at all," Trump said during the second presidential debate in October. "But Assad is killing ISIS. Russia is killing ISIS," he said, using an alternative acronym for the group. And his selection of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who has extensive business dealings with Russia and ties to Putin, has only fueled speculation that Trump would pursue closer ties with Moscow.

If such a shift occurs, it would resolve an awkwardness that has bedeviled the two-year, U.S.-led military effort to uproot IS militants from the swaths of Iraq and Syria they seized in 2014. In these areas, the group established an extraordinarily ruthless "caliphate" with mass killings and enslavement, imposed their brutal interpretation of Islam and fomented regional insurgencies and global terrorism.

Story continues

That helped pull together a broad coalition of Western and Middle Eastern nations that seems near victory in Iraq, where the Baghdad government has been a critical ally leading the fight on the ground and where a major battle for the key city of Mosul is now underway.

But in Syria, the fight was complicated by Assad's pariah status. Lacking a local military ally, the U.S.-led coalition has partnered with irregulars and relied on air power and some special forces' operations. That approach, which has had modest success, may well erode if Assad is widely deemed to have survived the war.

Aleppo is key to cementing that perception  its loss is a crushing blow to the rebels, leaving them little chance of recovering momentum. Syria's largest city was once the country's commercial powerhouse, holding symbolic and strategic importance as an ancient trading post and longtime gateway to Turkey and the West. The rebels' hold on the eastern sector of the city has been crumbling this week, reduced to a few neighborhoods, and the government seems on the verge of re-establishing authority over the city.

Assad also controls the capital, Damascus, the major cities of Homs and Hama, as well as most of the Lebanese border and the Mediterranean coast, where his minority Alawite sect holds sway.

Assad has vowed to carry on with the war until all of Syria is retaken, but has expressed confidence that opposition to him is on the decline. "Even if we finish in Aleppo, we will carry on with the war against them," he told a local newspaper last week.

Now he can free up some of his troops and thousands of allied militiamen to turn to remaining pockets held by rebels elsewhere in Syria, as well as the Islamic State jihadis. These rebel areas include some stretches around Damascus and near the Jordanian border, as well as in northern Idlib province, a stronghold of Syria's al-Qaida affiliate.

"The recapture of Aleppo will position Assad to claim that he is Syria's legitimate sovereign ruler and lobby the international community to provide him with support," said Jennifer Cafarella of the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.

He seems more likely to achieve that if he is actively engaged in fighting the Islamic State group, which has not been a top priority despite the fact that its major stronghold is the mid-sized Syrian city of Raqqa. On Sunday, IS extremists re-occupied the central town of Palmyra, which they had been expelled from earlier this year  a surprise attack that clearly took advantage of the Russian and Syrian government's preoccupation with Aleppo.

It's unclear whether Assad will prioritize retaking Palmyra, with what's left of its archaeological treasures after the first Islamic State occupation. He may prefer to wait a few months in hopes of engineering a new situation with the new team in Washington.

Either way, Syria's future will likely be messy for a while, given the array of armed factions, the likelihood of continued foreign meddling through porous borders and the trauma and rage felt by much of the population. Many expect a continued insurgency  which in turn would help Assad argue that he should be viewed as a partner in the international fight against "terrorism."

In the battle for local hearts and minds, it looms large that Assad relied so heavily not only on Russia and longtime ally Iran to retake Aleppo, but was also aided by Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah militia and volunteers from Iraq and Afghanistan.

This stands in stark contrast to the outside powers supporting the opposition. No one sent in troops other than Turkey, an intervention mostly bent on downsizing Kurdish fighters it deemed a threat to its own security. The Syrian rebels were armed only lightly, and the United States refrained from attacking Assad even after the 2013 use of chemical weapons. Even the notion of a no-fly zone over northern Syria was rejected.

Cafarella said this environment legitimizes an emerging narrative among jihadi groups that says the international community allowed Iran and Russia to dominate Syria, and as a puppet Assad must be opposed.

Radicals' "ability to recruit will grow rather than diminish after Aleppo's fall," she said. "The terror threat emanating from Syria will increase rather than decrease."

A big question now is the position of Assad's regional enemies, from Saudi Arabia and other gulf nations to Turkey. Assad may lobby for restarting peace talks, betting on the opposition's weakness to force concessions  chiefly that he should remain in power at the head of a more inclusive government. But given the epic devastation he has overseen, a genuine rapprochement seems unlikely in the extreme.

___

Zeina Karam is the AP's news director for Lebanon and Syria and has covered Syria since 1997. Dan Perry is AP's Middle East editor leading text coverage in the region.

An AP News Analysis
LONDON (AP)  Across much of Europe and Africa, 2016 was a year of tumult. There were seismic shifts in politics, with the falls of prime ministers David Cameron of Britain and Matteo Renzi of Italy, both of whom stepped down after losing referendums. Iceland's prime minister resigned, triggering early elections, after protests over his offshore holdings, which were revealed in the Panama Papers leak. Europe itself often seemed to be falling apart amid disagreements about migration, money and sovereignty  an impression that was confirmed when Britons voted to leave the European Union.

Brussels, Istanbul and Nice in southern France were rattled by horrific attacks blamed on the Islamic State group. Earthquakes shook Italy, destroying churches and historic buildings and leaving nearly 300 people dead. Hundreds more died in a failed coup attempt in Turkey, the repercussions of which are still being felt five months later.

The flow of refugees into Europe from war-torn and poverty-stricken regions continued in much smaller numbers than 2015, but more people died trying to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa to Italy. In Calais, France, authorities finally dismantled the sprawling camp known as the jungle.

In Africa, a number of countries, notably Congo, simmered over corruption claims or leaders accused of clinging to power. In Kenya, police beat and tear gassed people during weeks of protests over electoral reforms. Witnesses said at least five were killed. In the Central African Republic, the U.N. World Food Program estimated that nearly half the country faced hunger as more than two years of violence has disrupted agriculture and health care.

Here is a selection of top 2016 photos from AP photographers across Europe and Africa.
The Daily Beast

GettyRussia announced Wednesday that it views Norways work with other countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as provocative, warning that Norways efforts to bolster its military in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine this year will likely be the death knell for Oslo-Moscow relations moving forward.Oslo is now among the most active supporters of NATO's involvement in the Arctic, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday, according to TASS. We cons
Ariel Winter is looking fierce!

The Modern Family star rocked a sexy black bustier and oversized white sweatpants while attending a concert at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California, on Tuesday.

WATCH: Ariel Winter and Levi Meaden Share a Sweet Kiss

"These b*ches at light weight, I am always at fight weight," Winter captioned the hot photo, borrowing lyrics from Nicki Minaj's hit song, "Shanghai."

These b*tches at light weight, I am always at fight weight  A photo posted by ARIEL WINTER (@arielwinter) on Dec 13, 2016 at 11:43am PST

Moments after posting the pic, Winter's fans were quick to give her racy look their stamp of approval, writing comments like, "Ugh I love everything about this outfit ! You go girl" and "You exemplify beauty, girlfriend."

On Sunday, Winter debuted a sassy new look at the Critics' Choice Awards. She walked down the red carpet in an slinky black gown by Uel Camilo and accessorized it with a bold new set of bangs.

Critics Choice Awards with @nolangouldofficial #modernfamily #awards A photo posted by ARIEL WINTER (@arielwinter) on Dec 11, 2016 at 4:02pm PST

WATCH: Ariel Winter Gets New Tattoo With Older Sister

And just last week, the actress flaunted a little cleavage while attending the Trevor Project's 2016 TrevorLIVE LA event. See Winter's daring look -- and her red carpet debut with boyfriend Levi Meaden -- in the video below.

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SAN ANTONIO (AP)  An Army sergeant who worked as a military recruiter has admitted he funneled dozens of assault weapons to a Mexican cartel last year with the help of other soldiers.

The San Antonio Express-News reports (http://bit.ly/2hvm4As ) Sgt. Julian Prezas pleaded guilty this week to charges that include lying on federal firearms forms.

Prosecutors relied on the testimony of informants who assisted Prezas in forwarding the weapons to the Gulf Cartel. There are at least three other defendants in the case.

A lawyer for Prezas says he's a decorated veteran who misunderstood regulations over the sale of guns.

Sentencing is scheduled for March in federal court. Prezas also is facing a disciplinary discharge from the military.

___

Information from: San Antonio Express-News, http://www.mysanantonio.com
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver are definitely friendly exes.

Schwarzenegger and Shriver celebrated their eldest child Katherine's 27th birthday together on Tuesday, posing for an adorable pic with Katherine as well as two of their younger children, 25-year-old Christina and 23-year-old Patrick. Katherine Instagrammed the sweet family pic and gave a shout-out to their younger brother, 19-year-old Christopher, who missed out on the festivities.

"This is 27!" Katherine wrote. "Thank you to my amazing family and my fabulous friends for making this birthday one for the books! Christopher you were missed. 27 is going to be my best year yet!"

WATCH: 7 of Hollywood's Friendliest Divorces

This is 27! Thank you to my amazing family and my fabulous friends for making this birthday one for the books! Christopher you were missed  27 is going to be my best year yet!  A photo posted by Katherine Schwarzenegger (@katherineschwarzenegger) on Dec 13, 2016 at 10:31pm PST

Schwarzenegger and Shriver split in 2011 after 25 years of marriage. The split came in the wake of revelations about the former Governor of California's affair with the couple's long-time housekeeper, Mildred Baena, that resulted in the birth of a son, Joseph, 14 years prior. "This was without a doubt the biggest setback and the biggest failure [in my life]," Schwarzenegger told Howard Stern last July on Stern's Sirius XM show about the demise of their marriage. "Not only failure, but you really feel like, 'I'm to blame for it. It was me that screwed up,' and you can't point the finger at anyone else."

Still, it appears the two have had no issue coming together to support their children. In May, they posed for a pic together at Patrick's college graduation from USC.

And last July, Schwarzenegger even spent his birthday with his ex.

WATCH: Arnold Schwarzenegger Says He Definitely Would Have Run for President This Year If He Was Allowed

ET spoke to Schwarzenegger last month, when he talked about replacing president-elect Donald Trump on the new Celebrity Apprentice.

Story continues

"I've been governor twice in California, and now to go, and go to this is terrific for me," Schwarzenegger said. "And for [Trump], it's great to go from this to politics. The bottom line is, the country, America, where do you have the possibilities to do that many things? Only in America."

Watch below:

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Im jazzed this morning because eLife has published a paper by Fidelis Masao and colleagues describing new footprint trails from the famous site of Laetoli, Tanzania: New footprints from Laetoli (Tanzania) provide evidence for marked body size variation in early hominins.

The scientific theme of the paper is about body size and dimorphism. The species presumed to have made all the trackways is Australopithecus afarensis, the only species that has so far been reported from fossil remains at Laetoli, although the tracks at 3.66 million years old are a bit more ancient than any of the fossils. This is the same species as the Lucy skeleton, which was found at Hadar, Ethiopia, and the First Family series of fossils from Hadar in the locality known as A.L. 333. In 2010, Yohannes Haile-Selassie and colleagues reported a partial skeleton from Woranso-Mille, Ethiopia, some 3.6 million years old, which also seems to represent a large male individual, that stood just under 160 cm tall. Based on a regression of foot size to stature, the new footprint trail in test pit L8 represents an individual that probably stood around 165 cm, with 10 cm or so error either way.

Heres a neat graphic showing stature estimates for early hominins up through early H. erectus:

Figure 12 from Masao et al. 2016. Original caption: "Estimates of predicted stature of fossil hominin individuals by species over time for the interval 41 Ma. Solid symbols (or crosses in bold) refer to stature estimates based on actual femur length; open symbols refer to stature estimates based on estimated femur length, in turn based on femur head diameter. For Laetoli and Ileret, stature estimates are based on footprint length (see Materials and methods). For Laetoli, Ileret and Woranso-Mille, the average value and range of predicted stature are shown. Colours are associated to the geographical location of each fossil/ footprint site on the map."

Thats a bit complicated but the point is pretty clear. A. afarensis overlaps with H. erectus substantially in stature. If we consider only the tiny Lucy skeleton (the lowest x in the figure at less than 110 cm), we get a misleading view of body size in this early hominin species. But at the same time, Lucy and some other specimens of A. afarensis really are quite a lot smaller than any H. erectus specimens. The conclusion made by Masao and colleagues, applying some statistics, is that A. afarensis was more variable and sexually dimorphic than humans and H. erectus.

This idea of higher dimorphism in early hominins has been the subject of pointed debate over the past fifteen years, a debate that has been driven by insufficient fossil data. One group of authors has, through the use of increasingly complicated statistical games, tried to show that a tiny sample of fossils are not really as variable as they look to the eye.

These new data dont revolutionize the question, they just move the ball downfield slightly. Adding a few more data points, even very large individuals, doesnt vastly narrow the confidence limits on second- and higher moments of a size distribution. But what these footprints should remind us is that discovering new fossils is a lot more valuable than statistical games. With that in mind, I think we should also be skeptical about whether these footprints were really produced by A. afarensis. That species already has problems at Hadar and at Woranso-Mille, where some researchers now recognize multiple species are present. At Laetoli, we should probably apply a level of skepticism to the idea that only one fossil species could be present.

As I was reading this new paper, what struck me was that the authors had some difficulty being certain that the new footprints represent the same Footprint Tuff in which the older track G hominin footprints were found back in the 1970s. They found that the original scientists involved in describing the footprints, including Tim White, Mary Leakey, and Richard Hay, had been very thorough in describing the footprints themselves and some aspects of the geological setting. But those original descriptions just did not present sufficient detail about some geological aspects essential to recognizing the geological layers in the field setting. There were no published photographs of the stratigraphic sequence, for example, and no description of the color or eye-scale characteristics of the tuffs. Without such details, it is difficult to do replicable work on new aspects of the geology. That is, the level of detail sufficient to publish fossils in the 1980s does not meet the basic needs of scientists today. We need better descriptions of the context of fossils, and we need to know when those fossils are really in situ like these footprints.

We have come a long way in understanding aspects of microstratigraphy and taphonomy, and we have come to demand greater contextual detail in addition to the basic description of fossils. You can see that shift manifested in this paper by Masao and colleagues, which includes clear field descriptions of all the geological units they encountered.

Figure 3 from Masao and colleagues (2016), illustrating footprint trail L8 with an elevation map applied.

What we demand in descriptions today is also much more detailed than forty years ago. Then, it was sufficient to publish line drawings of footprints, with a few topographic views. But even then, researchers recognized that publications didnt provide all the detail that was necessary to really evaluate the science. So they made casts available to allow other researchers to compare the evidence. Of course we all know that some scientists have stopped exercising such care, but for the rest of us, we place higher demands on the evidence were willing to accept.

Today, we can make three-dimensional models available instantly. So in addition to the different modes of visualization used in the research paper, Masao and colleagues have placed research-grade models of the footprint trails on Morphosource for anyone to download. Thats the same mechanism we used to distribute 3D surface models of the Homo naledi discovery, and it is great to see more and more scientists taking advantage of the opportunity to increase the replicability and quality of their science in this way.

Its just really exciting to see researchers around the world engaging with new discoveries like this, getting them out to the public in open access journals, and building the global support for our science.

References

Masao F, Ichumbaki EB, Cherin M, Barili A, Boschian G, Iurino DA, Menconero S, Moggi-Cecchi J, Manzi G. 2016. New footprints from Laetoli (Tanzania) provide evidence for marked body size variation in early hominins. eLife 2016;5:e19568. doi:10.7554/eLife.19568

Jungers WL. 2016. Paleontology: These feet were made for walking. eLife 2016;5:e22886. doi:10.7554/eLife.22886

Haile-Selassie, Y., Latimer, B. M., Alene, M., Deino, A. L., Gibert, L., Melillo, S. M., ... & Lovejoy, C. O. (2010). An early Australopithecus afarensis postcranium from Woranso-Mille, Ethiopia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(27), 12121-12126.
(Adds details from FTC conference call, interview with Ruby executives)

By Alastair Sharp and Diane Bartz

TORONTO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The owner of hacked infidelity website Ashley Madison will pay a sharply discounted $1.66 million penalty to settle an investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and several U.S. states into lax data security and deceptive practices, the company and authorities said on Wednesday.

The remainder of a $17.5 million settlement was suspended based on privately-held Ruby Corp.'s inability to pay.

"I recognize that it was a far lower number frankly than I would have liked," FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez said on a call with reporters. "We want them to feel the pain. We don't want them to profit from unlawful conduct. At the same time, we are not going to seek to put a company out of business."

The size of the payment means that Ashley Madison's customers will not receive any financial redress for the breach, which exposed the personal details of more than 36 million people who signed up for the site with the slogan "Life is short. Have an affair".

Class-action lawsuits against the company are pending.

The joint investigation, which also included authorities in Australia and Canada, found the Toronto-based company's lax security practices allowed intruders access to its computer networks several times between November 2014 and June 2015 without being discovered.

The investigation also found that Ruby, as the company previously known as Avid Life Media has rebranded itself, created fake female profiles to lure men into paying for conversations and retained user information even after customers had paid for a service to "remove all traces of your usage."

The company first disclosed it was the target of an FTC investigation in a Reuters interview in July. At that time it said it was likely to collect $80 million in revenue in 2016 and had $50 million to spend on acquisitions.

Top executives on Wednesday declined to update that outlook and said they had spent millions of dollars to beef up security.

Story continues

"The company is stable. We're very pleased with the outcome," said Rob Segal, who took over as chief executive earlier this year. Founder Noel Biderman left the company soon after almost 10 gigabytes of its data was leaked in several stages in mid-2015.

The company has offered a free delete function since September 2015, when it discontinued the paid feature.

Avid shut down the fake profiles in the United States, Canada and Australia in 2014 and by late 2015 in the rest of the world, but some U.S. users had message exchanges with foreign fembots until late in 2015, according to an Ernst & Young report commissioned by the company.

Another site, JDI Dating, paid $616,165 in redress for similar fake profile practices in an October 2014 settlement with the FTC.

(Editing by Alan Crosby)
ashley madison

The Toronto-based parent company of the website Ashley Madison has settled with the US Federal Trade Commission for $1.6 million over allegations the company misled consumers and did little to secure private information on its users.

As part of the settlement, ruby Corp. (the "ruby" is intentionally lower case) did not admit or deny the allegations made by the FTC and various states' attorneys-general.

Half of the settlement will be paid out to the FTC, while the other half goes to states who participated in the settlement.

"Today is a pivotal day for our members and for Ashley Madison," Rob Segal, ruby CEO, said in a statement. "Todays settlement closes an important chapter on the companys past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity and to building a new future for our members, our team and our company."

Now rebranded as ruby Corp., the company formerly known as Avid Life Media was the subject of a "highly critical" review by Australian government investigators in August. It's also still enduring multiple legal battles since the massive breach of its database in July 2015 exposed the identities of some 32 million users.

Segal and company president James Millership have been on the job for less than a year, after being brought in to turn around the beleaguered company previously led by CEO Noel Biderman. Biderman resigned soon after the data breach, which exposed customer data and many of his own embarrassing emails, including some that suggested he was having affairs himself, according to Buzzfeed News.

Since July, Ashley Madison has undergone a number of changes to win users back. One of the most notable was its pivot away from infidelity. Instead of the tagline "Life's short. Have an affair," it's website now says simply: "Find your moment."

The new leadership team also brought in outside cybersecurity experts from Deloitte to beef up its infrastructure, implemented more secure credit card processing, and did away with fake female profiles that had been widespread across the site. An audit by Ernst & Young confirmed that they had indeed been removed.

Story continues

Ruby boasted in October that roughly 17 million people had signed up for the site after it was hacked, and its own employee ranks have grown 40%.

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afp syria rebels say battle to break aleppo siege has begun

A cease-fire agreement aimed at stopping the battle for Syria's largest city long enough to evacuate civilians and rebel fighters collapsed less than one day after it was brokered in Ankara by Russian and Turkish officials.

The deal was reinstated by Wednesday night, Syrian rebels announced, but not before Iran introduced new conditions on the truce as its proxy militias resumed their attacks on the rebel-held east.

Whether the evacuation takes place or not, though, Aleppo has effectively fallen to Syrian President Bashar Assad and his allies.

"The fall of opposition forces is largely inevitable, whether evacuated or destroyed by military force," said Chris Kozak, an expert on Syria at the Institute for the Study of War.

Still, as Assad said in a recent interview, the fall of Aleppo "won't mean the end of the war."

The fear now, analysts say, is that the violence will become increasingly sectarian as Iraqi Shiite militiamen assembled by Iran seek revenge on Sunni Arab rebels and civilians who are either trapped in, or trying to flee from, Aleppo.

Syria Army Soldiers Flag Aleppo Mosque

A big concern is that the militiamen will "go through ruined east Aleppo with a fine-toothed comb, murdering, looting, and pillaging from one neighborhood to the next," said Fred Hof, the director of the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East who served as special adviser for transition in Syria to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2012.

Reports emerged on Monday that Shiite militias and Syrian army soldiers were executing injured and fleeing civilians as they cleared rebel-held areas of the city.

Story continues

"Washington is pleading with Moscow to prevent the worst from happening, but it does so with no leverage and no 'or else,'" Hof told Business Insider on Wednesday. "Those who have slaughtered civilians and who continue to do so have enjoyed, courtesy of the West, a free ride."

The evacuation of rebels and civilians from eastern Aleppo could therefore alleviate short-term suffering. But many of those forced to leave perceive the displacement  and, in many cases, the mandatory conscription  as a form of ethnic cleansing.

aleppo syria

"Displacing or detaining populations has become business as usual in areas retaken by the regime," Faysal Itani, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, wrote in The New York Times on Tuesday.

The "cleansing," Itani said, reflect a pattern used by the Assad regime to clear areas once controlled by the opposition.

"It is sometimes called the 'green bus' strategy after the vehicles used to transport the displaced," he wrote.

'Foreshadowing something far worse to come'

It is unlikely that the roughly 7,000 fighters inside Aleppo will give up on the revolution once they are evacuated from the city. About 40,000 fighters affiliated with the Free Syrian Army are still fighting the regime outside of Aleppo, along with about 30,000 in southern Syria, and several thousand in the suburbs of Damascus and Idlib.

Abdul Hadi Sari, a former air force general and commander in the Southern Front forces, told the Christian Science Monitor that his forces are preparing for an "underground, insurgency phase  a popular resistance  against the regime, its allies, and their interests."

In other words, while recapturing Aleppo would leave Assad with firm control over Syria's major urban centers  including Damascus and Homs  opposition forces still control large parts of northwestern and southern Syria.

syria

From there, they could become an insurgency, as Sari suggested, or join the anti-ISIS fight led by the US, Turkey, and Jordan.

Because foreign actors such as the US, Turkey, and the Gulf states have little leverage in Idlib and around Damascus, however, the regime can operate there "with impunity," said Syrian journalist and Middle East analyst Hassan Hassan, a resident fellow at The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.

"The areas in Syria in which the regime can operate at this point without having to face foreign countries are mostly Idlib and rural Damascus," Hassan, coauthor of ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, told Business Insider on Wednesday. "This sounds to me like the beginning of a new dynamic in the Syrian conflict, which happens to be just as a new administration comes to Washington."

Alternatively, the rebel forces could radicalize.

"There are some individuals that are drawn to Al Qaeda because they are disappointed with the West and American policy in Syria," Fabrice Balanche, a Syria expert and visiting fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the CS Monitor. "If they want to continue the fight, they will join Al Qaeda."

Rebel fighters drive their motorcycles under the smoke of burning tyres, western Aleppo city, Syria November 3, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

Either way, the fall of Aleppo is "foreshadowing something far worse to come," Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official under George W. Bush, said during a conference call with reporters hosted by the Foreign Policy Initiative on Wednesday.

Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of the US-led anti-ISIS operation in Syria, said in a press conference Wednesday that he expects that most of the actors in Aleppo "probably have other ideas about what theyre going to do next," and that the fall of Aleppo will likely be "a complicator" for the US-led anti-ISIS coalition. But he said he doesn't think it will have a huge effect on the coalition's anti-ISIS efforts in the rest of the country.

Rubin, however, said that Aleppo's fall has consolidated the Assad regime's power, which is the "greatest recruiting tool that ISIS has ever had."

Hof predicted that aerial attacks by Russia and the regime on civilian neighborhoods in Idlib will continue, and that pro-government forces could launch a ground offensive in the direction of Raqqa, the Islamic State's de facto capital in Syria.

"Attacking Raqqa would enable the Russians to say they are actually fighting ISIS," Hof said. "They would also be able to sweep away the anti-ISIS coalitions efforts and restore Assad rule in Raqqa: misrule that made Syria safe for ISIS in the first place."

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ATLANTA (AP)  An Atlanta couple has decided to pay it forward by filling their wedding registry with toys and other items to be donated to sick children and their families.

WAGA-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2hFLU87) Kristin Klingshirn is a personality on "The Bert Show," a syndicated radio morning show. Klingshirn says she and fiance Bart Mattingly decided they didn't need the normal items included on a wedding registry.

So they decided to use it to raise donations for Bert's Big Adventure, a nonprofit that provides Walt Disney World trips for kids with chronic and terminal illnesses and their families.

Supporters have bought more than 3,200 gifts for the charity so far, and Klingshirn says she plans to keep adding items to the registry.
Today in 5 Lines

Donald Trump chose Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson to serve as secretary of state, calling him one of the truly great business leaders of the world. The president-elect said he discussed life with Kanye West during a meeting at Trump Tower. Syrian rebels have reportedly reached a truce with Russia, and civilians are expected to evacuate Aleppo tonight, after a spokesman for the United Nations human rights office said at least 82 civilians were killed by government forces. The Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected a law requiring doctors at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, saying it violates the U.S. and Oklahoma Constitutions. Ohio Governor John Kasich signed a bill banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but vetoed more restrictive legislation that would have prevented abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected.

Recommended: My President Was Black

Today on The Atlantic

My President Was Black: In the final months of Barack Obamas administration, he and Ta-Nehisi Coates had a series of conversations about his ascension to the White House, race in the United States, and his legacy as the countrys first black president.

What About Those Tax Returns?: Congress should insist that Donald Trump disclose his tax returns, argues Conor Friedersdorf, because if he doesnt, Americans cant be sure whether the president-elect is acting in their best interests or his own.

Tension Building: Donald Trumps pick for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, sets up a battle between the Trump administration and Republicans in the Senate due to Tillersons connections with Russia. (David A. Graham)

Follow stories throughout the day with our Politics & Policy portal.

Snapshot

Vice President Joe Biden is joined by comedian Jon Stewart and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon during a roundtable on the Cancer Moonshot to discuss military and first responder care. Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

Recommended: The Problem With Obama's Faith in White America

What Were Reading

How They Did It: A New York Times investigation into Russian cyber-interference with the U.S. presidential election reveals a series of missed signals, slow responses and a continuing underestimation of the seriousness of the cyberattack. (Eric Lipton, David E. Sanger, and Scott Shane)

Story continues

Presidential Tweet Risk: Donald Trumps tweets attacking companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin have had an immediate impact on stock prices. On Wall Street, a person who can move a stock is called an axe, and the president-elect, with his itchy Twitter finger, is quickly emerging as the biggest axe there is. (Ben White and Patrick Temple-West, Politico)

Its Complicated: Under the Affordable Care Act, the uninsured rate in Kentucky fell dramatically. Still, an overwhelming majority of voters in the state supported Trump in the election. What happened? (Sarah Kliff, Vox)

Vanishing Act: Scientists have begun a feverish attempt to copy reams of government data onto independent servers in hopes of safeguarding it specifically from possible attempts by the Trump administration to interfere with crucial climate data. (Brady Dennis, The Washington Post)

Public Frenemy No. 1: The Soviet Union united the American political establishment against a common threat. Those shared opinions appear to be shifting as the Trump teams warm approach to Russia creates divisions betweenand withinthe major parties. (Greg Myre, NPR)

Recommended: Trump's Bait-and-Switch Presidency

Visualized

The Making of a Black President: This animation uses snippets of conversations between The Atlantics Ta-Nehisi Coates and President Barack Obama to illustrate the presidents journey to the White House.

Question of the Week

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced its nominees Monday for this years Golden Globe Awards, which has us thinking about our favorite characters from political films and television. Candice loves Parks and Recreations Leslie Knope, the lovable deputy director of an Indiana citys parks department, and Elaine is partial to Bob Roberts, the conservative Senate candidate in the 1992 mockumentary film Bob Roberts.

Who are your favorite political characters in movies and TVand why?

Send your answers to hello@theatlantic.com, and our favorites will be featured in Fridays Politics & Policy Daily.

-Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey) and Candice Norwood (@cjnorwoodwrites)

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
BANGKOK (AP)  An Australian mining company said Wednesday it is shutting down its gold mine in Thailand, laying off more than 1,000 workers and focusing on projects in Chile. It said it will not come back unless it gets an "ironclad guarantee" from the government that it will be allowed to operate without interruption.

A Cabinet resolution and an executive decree  citing environmental and health concerns  forced Kingsgate to shut down its Chatree mine in central Thailand, owned through a Thai subsidiary, Akara Resources. But recently, a sliver of hope emerged when the Thai parliament passed legislation that could allow mining with a lesser degree of regulation.

Also, the government said separately it will form a committee with powers that could allow gold mining to resume at a later date.

But Kingsgate executives said they are once bitten, twice shy.

"We'd need an ironclad guarantee of tenure," Ross Smyth-Kirk, chairman of Kingsgate, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "It's been a disgrace. There's still a lot of gold there still to be taken out, needing expertise of people like ourselves who are prepared to spend big investments to get it out. It's not some tin-pot operation."

He said Kingsgate is planning a new mine in Chile, and hopes to launch operations there after they finish paying off their debt, which now stands at about $10 million, by the end of the year.

"Chile has a government that understands mining and that understands its importance to the economy," Smyth-Kirk said. "We'll see how negotiations go."

Operations at Kingsgate's mine in Phichit province were first shut down in January 2015 after a government body conducting blood tests on nearby residents found high levels of arsenic and manganese. Though the mines were reopened, the government announced again in May of this year they must be shut down by Jan. 1, according to a Cabinet order issued amid claims by residents that chemical and heavy metal runoff from the mine was making them ill.

Story continues

However, Thailand's parliament last week passed a bill that could in theory allow gold mines to continue operations by suspending a regulatory requirement. The legislation must be signed by King Vajiralongkorn to become law, and would come into effect only four months after the signing.

In an evident move to allay concerns of residents and activists that the new law could give Kingsgate a chance to reopen, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday issued an executive order halting all gold mining in Thailand from Jan.1.

However, the order also mandates creation of a new committee to manage and oversee the country's mineral resources, with power to allow gold mining to resume at a later date. Prayuth acted under Article 44, a provision giving him absolute power that was part of an interim constitution adopted after the army seized power in May 2014 from an elected government.

Given the series of seemingly contradictory developments, Kingsgate's Smyth-Kirk said his company cannot work in Thailand anymore and is letting go of more than 1,000 employees and contractors.

"We will want to be compensated," he added. Kingsgate says there's no evidence of substantial health or environmental damage caused by its activities.

Environmentalists also remain wary, and have vowed to protest any move to resume mining.

"This (executive) order is a good thing but we don't know how long it will last," said Penchom Saetang, director of a Thai environmental group protesting the mines. She said that if the bill easing regulations becomes law, the mining company could resume operations and mine even more than before.
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f317826%2f9e2a67146b9c45debc9c9eb9be88a420

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the Australian turn of phrase is a gorgeous linguistic riddle.

Even those who live there can be confused by popular phrases. Flip flops are called "thongs," and woe betide the Australian who says otherwise, for they will be dragged.

The Australian National Dictionary Centre have released their annual round up the most mundane popular Australian words of 2016 and in the interest of international diplomacy, we're here to help explain what the hell they mean.

Australians do love their brunch and the "smashed avo" is the king of all brunch foods. The problem is a certain journalist penned a "think" piece explaining that the reason young people couldn't get into Sydney's exploding housing market was because they spent too much on the food stuff.

The opinion pieces were swift and Twitter rage uncontainable. The humble food became immortalised, at least for a year.

As they claim...eating my home ownership dream away. #smashedavo pic.twitter.com/cYc7FUrzaz  Adrienne Downes (@AdrienneDownes) December 1, 2016

To drink alcohol from a sweaty shoe is a great act of courage, or else a momentary delusion brought on by intense joy.

It usually involves teenage boys. Or else Australia's emperor of F1 racing, Daniel Ricciardo, who this year performed a shoey not once, but with startling regularity after achieving podium places around the world.

Get it, boy.

Image: mark thomas/getty images

Kind of gross and kind of beautiful. Just like Australians.

Britain's decision to split from the EU prompted a wave of political discourse across Australia, asking whether the island continent should break away from its convict past and become an independent republic.

Story continues

Alt-right conservative politicians even used the term to petition (to little success, obviously) for an Australian separation from the United Nations and Britain.

The best use of the term however, occurred after Australia was viciously robbed of first place during the 2016 Eurovision competition.

The ineffable Dami Im came second to the Ukraine, and Australians flooded social media proposing a split from the EU, even though they're not in the EU.





Every five years Australians must fill out a form with which the federal government gathers information on the population. However 2016's transition to an entirely digital system was the logistical equivalent of sh*tting the bed.

Citizens couldn't even access the Australian Bureau of Statistics website from which the forms were to be filled out. In the following days the department cited DDoS attack as the culprit, rendering the domain inaccessible for most of the countrys 23.13 million citizens.

The English have tea, but in Australia a sausage sandwich on election day is the most sacred of traditions.

Voting is compulsory in Australia, so the best way to feel better about spending your Saturday at a polling booth is to stuff one's face with a delicious and relatively cheap sausage in white bread with tomato sauce. Maybe grilled onions if you're fancy.

Though democracy sausage is in fact two words, it exists as a phrase where both words are necessary for the desired meaning. So there.

Dj @albomp passing out Chicken Dinners to 12vies down at the Marrickville polling booth. Shame they can't vote. Happy Election Day adlays. #ausvotes #democracysausage A video posted by eshaygram (@eshaygram) on Jul 1, 2016 at 9:30pm PDT

#Straya.

BONUS: Rare shark breach caught on camera
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has set new diversity standards for two of its main film prizes as well as tweaking membership requirements to allow more flexibility for incoming candidates.

Beginning in 2019, the Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer categories will adhere to the diversity standards set out by the British Film Institute. That means productions will need to demonstrate that they have worked to increase the representation of under-represented groups in two of the four following areas: On screen representation, themes and narratives; project leadership and creative practitioners; industry access and opportunities; and opportunities for diversity in audience development.

In terms of membership eligibility, the requirement for new applicants to be proposed by someone from the existing membership has been removed. Says BAFTA, This widens the pool of potential members and ensures that its only talent, and not also who you know, that enables BAFTA membership.

The film awards changes, which BAFTA says demonstrate its intention to take a leading role in increasing representation, come following a consultation with the BFI and leading British film producers. Under-represented groups in the film industry include people from minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people, women and LGBT. It also includes people from lower socio-economic groups. In certain categories, productions based or set outside London can also count towards achieving the standards.

BAFTA Deputy Chair, Anne Morrison, tells Deadline the moves are a means to level the playing field for people trying to enter the industry and help them all the way up. The changes have been universally welcomed, from James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli to Brooklyns Finola Dwyer and beyond.

The BAFTA Film Committee says it believes these standards are a flexible and achievable model, which the whole industry can adopt as a shared language for understanding diversity. They also provide a shared framework for measuring diversity so that the industry can track progress over time.

Story continues

BAFTA has found that its initiatives have already effected change. The latest intake of 375 new members during 2016 is 43% female, 18% from minority ethnic groups, and has a median age of 44. Thats compared to the previous intake which found that 41% of respondents who chose to answer the question were female, 13% were from minority ethnic groups, and had a median age of 52.

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The collection of Scythian gold and other treasures from Crimean museums has been exhibited at the Allard Pierson archaeological museum in the Netherlands since early 2014, Joinfo.com reports with reference to the Dutch media.

While the exhibition was running, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, and the Dutch museum decided to keep the treasures until the court decides where they should be sent back to: the Crimean Museums and thus indirectly to Russia, or to Kyiv, and thus to Ukraine.

Both parties had filed a case.

On Wednesday the court ruled that the treasures should be sent back to Ukraine as the sovereign state which loaned them to the museum, on the basis of a UNESCO treaty.

The judge based his decision on the UNESCO Convention of 1970, which guarantees the protection of cultural property. Both Ukraine and the Netherlands are partners of the convention. Crimea is no partner, and is not recognized in the Netherlands as a sovereign state.

The judge ruled that Ukraine will receive the collection that belongs to the Ukrainian cultural heritage, but Ukraine will have to pay the fee for storing the treasures at the Allard Pierson Museum and the insurance of about 111,000 euros.

The parties have three months to appeal.

Russia has already claimed to appeal the decision, but Ukraine is considered to win the litigation.
Paris (AFP) - Dream castings don't come much better than Mikhail Baryshnikov playing Vaslav Nijinsky -- one great ballet dancer playing another.

Baryshnikov, now 68, is the star of "Letter to a Man", a one-person theatre show by the acclaimed American director Robert Wilson which follows Nijinsky's slide into insanity.

The Russian dance genius, who had revolutionised ballet with his choregraphy for Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" while he was still in his early twenties, went slowly mad after his former lover, the impresario Serge Diaghilev, cut him lose.

Diaghilev had bedded Nijinsky and made him the leading man of his legendary company the Ballets Russes after spotting the 19-year-old prodigy at the Mariinsky theatre in St Petersburg in 1908.

Now more than a century later, Wilson has dramatised Nijinsky's searing and scandalous diaries, in which he excoriated Diaghilev.

It is, as Baryshnikov admits, a dance show in which he doesn't actually dance.

"It's more body language, it's not really dance," said the man once described by the New York Times critic Clive Barnes as "the most perfect dancer I have ever seen".

His face whited up, and wearing top hat and tails on stage, Baryshnikov has lost none of his charisma.

The former star of Russia's Kirov Ballet and later American Ballet Theatre, who still does his bar exercises every morning, said "Nijinsky was always important for me" -- even though physically the two are very different.

- 'Strange creature' -

Baryshnikov said Nijinsky was "a kind of universal actor. At that time, the level of male dance was not of the highest level, it was the ballerinas and divas" like Anna Pavlova that dominated,

"Then suddenly this very strange creature arrived, not very tall, not very beautiful in fact, with a kind of heavy musculature but of extraordinary strange proportions."

Nijinsky did not have "a classical body. It was very developed and at the same time very soft, very ambivalent sexually, and he was mesmerising to watch, every role was so different. He was a true cameleon."

Story continues

Baryshnikov, who has mostly lived in New York since defecting from the Soviet Union in 1974, said he had met Nijinsky's wife Romola as well as his two daughters Kyra and Tamara.

"Tamara came to see this show in Los Angeles," the dancer born in Latvia told AFP just before it opened Thursday in Paris and will run to January 21.

"She is now 96 years old, she lives in Arizona and she is remarkable -- a 96-year-old young woman really."

- Diaghilev not to blame -

While Baryshnikov says he was moved by playing such a great artist losing his mind, he does not blame Diaghilev for Nijinsky's fate.

"I don't know what would have happened if he had stayed with Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes. Probably it was genetic. His brother went to an asylum and his mother later on, and his daughter Kyra, who I knew at the end of her life," also suffered from mental illness, he said.

But the fascination with the early 20th century's greatest dancer who descended into madness at only 29 endures.

"He wrote the diary in six weeks, and then nothing. He retreated into darkness and silence into the end of his life," Baryshnikov added. Nijinsky died aged 61 in London.

For his own part, Baryshnikov does not miss dancing with the world's best ballet companies -- "there's life also beyond that" -- and claims he wants "to retire one day".

There is little sign of that yet, however. "Letter to a Man" is his second collaboration with Wilson after the acclaimed comedy "The Old Woman", where his double act with Hollywood star Willem Dafoe was compared to such partnerships as Laurel and Hardy and Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

He also runs the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York and is performing in his one-man show "Brodsky/Baryshnikov" based on the poems of the Russian Nobel laureate Joseph Brodsky.
London (AFP) - Britain's heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua says beating Ukrainian veteran Wladimir Klitschko in their mouthwatering showdown for the IBF and WBA crowns next April would entitle him to be called a legend.

The 27-year-old 2012 Olympic champion -- who defended his IBF title successfully last Saturday against American journeyman Eric Molina -- will face off against Klitschko on April 29 at Wembley Stadium and said the bout could be a life-changing experience for him. "A knockout is the cherry on top but to win, whichever way, is very possible," said Joshua at a press conference also attended by Klitschko at Wembley on Wednesday.

"This is a fight that can change one from champion to legend overnight.

"It will draw masses of attention and they are the type of fights that can change the way people view you."

Klitschko, who will be 41 by the time the bout takes place, said he has stayed in the sport since losing his WBA, IBF and WBO belts in a surprise defeat by troubled British pugilist Tyson Fury in November 2015 expressly to regain his titles.

"I am obsessed with my goal to become the champion again," said Klitschko, who has not fought since that defeat.

Johsua, who is 18-0 in his professional career and has never been taken the distance, conceded that while Klitschko might be on the elderly side for a boxer contesting a world title it did not make him any less dangerous.

"I know what they mean when the say the old lion still roars and I know what that obsession is like because I live with that same obsession, it's just a clash of the titans," said Joshua, who was a sparring partner for Klitschko early in his professional career.

"In life you have to prepare for the unpredictable so you just never know.

"This is the step up people want to see, what more can I ask for? I'm true to myself, true to my sport and that's why I'm ready for any challenge."

Story continues

- 'Following in my footsteps' -

Their press conference was conducted in a dignified and respectful manner which would have delighted the promoters after two rowdy recent press conferences.

Former world heavyweight champion David Haye threw a punch at his next opponent Tony Bellew and Dereck Chisora -- who lost to Klitschko in a title challenge -- hurled a table.

"It's amazing that two fighters aren't throwing tables or punching each other or saying what they're going to do to each other," remarked Klitschko.

Klitschko said his respectful attitude would not change towards Joshua.

"I was, I am and I will be very complimentary of him (Joshua)," said Klitschko.

"The first time I saw him perform in 2012 when he became Olympic champion here in London, I felt he was following in my footsteps.

"Whatever the outcome, I truly believe he is one of the best heavyweights right now. I think Anthony is an absolutely outstanding athlete. It's great that eventually we meet."

Klitschko admitted even to addressing Joshua as 'little bro' -- although he added it didn't mean he would go easy on him in the ring.

"We are friends in a certain way," said Klitschko.

"I did call him little bro' but even when I am in the ring with my bro', I am very competitive."
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's IBF world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua believes beating Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley stadium in April would raise his status to the level of a "legend". "This is a fight that can change (me) from champion to legend overnight," he told a news conference on Wednesday to promote the April 29 bout. "It's the fight that will get the masses out and draw massive attention and they're the type of fights that can change the way that people view you in your industry," added the 27-year-old. The 2012 Olympic super-heavyweight champion has won all of his 18 professional fights well inside the distance and stopped American Eric Molina in Manchester last Saturday in the third round. Another knockout, he said, would be the "cherry on top".The April fight between Joshua and the Ukrainian former champion, who will be 41 by then, has been officially sanctioned by the WBA for that vacant title while the Briton's IBF belt will also be on the line. Klitschko lost the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts to Britain's Tyson Fury in November 2015. Before that bout, he had not been beaten in 11 years and had a career record of 64 wins and three defeats. Fury vacated the WBA, WBO and IBO belts last October after having his license suspended pending investigation of anti-doping and medical issues. He had already been stripped of the IBF belt for not fighting a mandatory challenger. Klitschko, who was ringside for the Molina fight in Manchester, has said he is "obsessed" with getting the belts back and had been training hard in the past year for fights that never happened. He recognized his last fight against Fury had not been good but said the break of nearly a year and a half could work in his favor. "My motivation is as high as the sky," said the Ukrainian. "I have to wake up. It was just a wake-up call before the big event. This is definitely a signature fight for Anthony and myself. "If Anthony wins this fight, I will congratulate him," he said. "When I win this fight, I will help him to come back." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)
By Karolin Schaps and Susanna Twidale

LONDON (Reuters) - Nearly all customers of Britain's second-biggest energy supplier, SSE, are paying standard tariffs rather than cheaper rates on offer, a league table published by regulator Ofgem showed on Wednesday.

The league table, which for the first time records how many customers pay more expensive tariffs, showed that 91 percent of SSE's customers are paying a standard tariff. That is by far the largest percentage among the country's Big Six suppliers, with Centrica's British Gas in second spot at 74 percent.

So-called standard variable tariffs (SVTs) are basic rates that energy suppliers charge if a customer does not choose a specific tariff, a mechanism put in place to ensure consumers are always supplied with energy.

On average, the Big Six's SVTs are 132 pounds more expensive than their cheapest tariffs, the league table showed.

SSE's nearly 4 million customers placed on an SVT are paying nearly 100 pounds more a year than those customers placed on its cheapest offer, according to the table.

"We regularly tell customers about the cheapest tariff available to them so they can make informed decisions," said an SSE spokesman, adding the company's retail profit margin is around 5 percent.

Energy bills have doubled in Britain over the past decade to an average of around 1,200 pounds a year for gas and electricity combined, and the government said it could intervene in the market if it believes prices are too high.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark, who has previously said he wants energy companies to treat all customers fairly, welcomed Ofgem's move to publish how many customers pay more expensive tariffs.

The league table also showed that Innogy-owned Npower has the highest difference among the biggest suppliers between its SVT and cheapest tariff at 261 pounds.

Other Big Six energy suppliers are Iberdrola's Scottish Power, E.ON and EDF Energy.

The table reflects the fact that over the past two years millions of customers have moved away from big providers to smaller companies.

Story continues

The percentage of SVT customers at some of the small suppliers is as low as 9 percent in the case of First Utility.

Analysts at Jefferies said that further switching away from expensive tariffs would hit Centrica hardest.

"Centrica will be most exposed to customers switching to cheaper fixed tariffs," they said. Centrica, as Britain's biggest energy supplier, has 6.6 million customers on SVTs.

However, latest switching data published on Wednesday by industry group EnergyUK showed that more and more customers are returning to or staying with big suppliers.

A record 92,632 customers switched from a small to a large supplier in October and the figure remained high in November at 74,924.

(Editing by David Evans and Susan Fenton)
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte frequently makes controversial comments that he or his aides later seek to clarify or quash completely.

Here are some of Duterte's remarks and subsequent clarifications that often leave journalists and the public unclear on his actual position:

- Journalists at fault -

The quote:

Just before taking office, Duterte said in June that journalists could be murdered if they were corrupt.

"Just because you're a journalist you are not exempted from assassination, if you're a son of a bitch."

The explanation:

After UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern at the comments, Duterte's then spokesman, Salvador Panelo, released a statement blaming the controversy on "incorrect news reports".

"The president-elect has not endorsed -- cannot -- and will never endorse extrajudicial killings, they being contrary to law."

"He does not condone the killing of journalists nor any citizen for that matter, regardless of its purpose."

- Death threat -

The quote:

Duterte threatened in November to kill human rights activists because of their criticism of his crime crackdown that has seen police and vigilantes kill thousands of people:

"Human rights (defenders) say that I kill. I said: 'Okay, let us stop and let them (criminals) multiply. So when harvest time comes, here will be more who will die.' I will include you in that because you let them multiply."

The explanation:

Presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said human rights activists should not fear being killed.

"The president did not mean he would do that. It was just frustration he expressed through language. You know that is how the president talks."

- Split from US -

The quote:

In an October address to Chinese businessmen in Beijing, Duterte signalled his intent to end the Philippines' decades-long alliance with the United States in favour of closer ties with China and Russia:

Story continues

"In this venue, I announce my separation from the United States."

"America has lost. I've realigned myself in your (Chinese) ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way."

The explanation:

After Duterte said upon returning from China he would not sever US ties, spokesman Ernesto Abella urged journalists not to take the president literally:

"Let us not be too literal. Youve seen the way he speaks, so in other words watch and understand the context of what he says, okay?"

"Maybe the most important thing here is to understand the words 'cut ties.' He said it's a possibility that he could, that he might... so let's try to use our creative imagination, okay."

- Leaving the UN -

The quote:

In August, Duterte said the Philippines may withdraw from the United Nations in response to UN criticism of his war on crime.

"Maybe well just have to decide to separate from the United Nations. If you are that disrespectful, son of a whore, then I will just leave you."

The explanation:

Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay quickly insisted the Philippines would remain with the United Nations:

"The president was tired, disappointed, hungry when he made the statement. We must give him leeway. He is also human."

Later, when reporters asked him about the issue, Duterte replied: "Can't you take a joke?"

- Respectful -

The quote:

Just before departing for a September summit in Laos that was meant to include a bilateral meeting with Barack Obama, Duterte used foul language in a warning to the US president against criticising the crime war.

"You must be respectful. Do not just throw away questions and statements. Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum."

The explanation:

Duterte quickly released a statement expressing regret, after Obama cancelled their planned meeting:

"While the immediate cause was my strong comments to certain press questions that elicited concern and distress we also regret it came across as a personal attack on the US president."

But, once out of Laos, Duterte said he had never insulted Obama.

"I never made that statement. You can check it out."

- Chat with God -

The quote:

Duterte said in October he spoke with God, who ordered him to stop swearing:

"A voice said that you know: "If you don't stop epithets, I will bring this plane down now.' And I said: 'Who is this?' So, of course it's God. Okay. So I promised God not to express slang, cuss words and everything."

The explanation:

After the comments were widely reported in the Philippines and overseas, Duterte said he was only joking and ridiculed journalists for believing him:

"Those idiots fell for it. I may not be a (law) bar topnotcher but I am not that stupid."
Bernard Fox, who played witch doctor Dr. Bombay on Bewitched, has died of heart failure; he was 89 years old. The Hollywood Reporter first confirmed the news with Foxs publicist.

In an acting career that spanned six decades, the Welsh actor with the distinctive mustache was best known for a pair of TV roles, both airing in the late 1960s. On Bewitched, he played warlock physician Dr. Bombay, who was summoned by Samantha to treat all kinds of supernatural illnesses. And on Hogans Heroes, he played Colonel Crittendon, a bumbling British officer whose plans for escaping the German POW camp never quite succeeded.

RELATEDAlan Thicke Remembered as Old-School Pro, Genuinely Nice Guy

Fox went on to guest-star on shows like Love, American Style, Columbo, M*A*S*H and The Love Boat. But he often returned to the character of Dr. Bombay. He reprised the role in two episodes of the 1977-78 Bewitched spinoff Tabitha, and again two decades later on the NBC daytime soap Passions. He had a long film resume as well, appearing in both the 1958 Titanic film A Night to Remember and 1997s Titanic.

Fox is survived by his wife Jacqueline, whom he married in 1961, and their two children.

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- By Holly LaFon





As another tumultuous year has wiped out nearly 85% of Valeant Pharmaceuticals' market value, Bill Ackman (Trades, Portfolio), one of its biggest investors, sold some shares to give his clients a year-end tax break.





Ackman's Pershing Square hedge fund initiated its Valeant (VRX) position in early 2015 during the drugmaker's heyday north of $177 per share, before its price went into freefall beginning in July that year. In the first quarter 2016, Ackman responded by purchasing 5 million additional shares, but Valeant's further drop has resulted in a total estimated loss of 81% on the stake, a blow to returns at his fund.

The Dec. 12 filing shows Ackman sold 3,359,178 shares, at $14.85 per share. The trade, representing 16% of his ownership, garnered him roughly $52 million.

U.S. law provides for investors to deduct up to $3,000 per year on investment losses, even if the losses exceed that amount. The break rewards shareholders who have stood by him. Ackman's Pershing Square funds had net losses of 20.5% in 2015 in their worst year ever and by June this year, sat on another 20% loss. By November, losses had eased to 12.4%, thanks to resurgences in his holdings of Restaurant Brands International (QSR), Air Products & Chemicals Inc. (APD) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP), which he sold in the previous quarter. Nearly $7 billion of assets have flowed out of Pershing Square in the past two years.

The concentration of Ackman's portfolio, with only 11 long positions and one short sell in Herbalife (HLF), subjects it to violent swings. In 2014, Ackman had handed a 40.4% net gain to clients.

Primarily an activist investor, Ackman described his strategy In a shareholder letter last year as "the implementation of a private equity approach to the public markets - with nearly all of the control-oriented benefits of private equity without the negatives, i.e., the requirement to pay large premiums for control, the necessity of using large amount of leverage in order to win competitive auctions, and the inherent illiquidity of private investments."

Story continues

After his sell, Ackman's funds reported in his quarterly portfolio filing to the SEC owned 21,261,122 shares of Valeant. Overall, his funds own more than 27 million shares, comprising common stock and underlying listed American-style call options, which can be exercised at any time, giving him a 7.8% stake in the company.

After questions were raised about its accounting and growth strategy that caused its price plunge, Valeant has appointed a new chairman and CEO, chief financial officer - previously of Ackman company Zoetis (ZTS) - and chief quality officer. It also began to display financial results in three segments to increase transparency: Bausch + Lomb / International, Branded Rx and U.S. Diversified Products.

At it launches its transition from a serial acquirer of smaller companies to a manager of a suite of related businesses, Valeant's revenue for the third quarter declined 11% year over year, to $2.48 billion on a decrease in product sales. The third quarter also marked sequential improvements in revenue operating margin and adjusted EBITDA, though revenue benefited from a adjustment in reports of Walgreens agreements.

Valeant posted a net loss of $1.22 billion, or $3.49 per share, compared to profit of $49.5 million, or 14 cents per share, in the third quarter last year, primarily due to a $1.2 billion goodwill impairment charge resulting from its change in accounting methods.

In its third-quarter release, Valeant also announced lowered full-year revenue guidance to a range of $9.55 billion to $9.65 billion, from $9.9 billion to $10.1 billion. It expects a decrease in adjusted non-GAAP EPS to a range of $5.30 to $5.50, from $6.6 billion to $7.00.

"We are going to continue to build our capability by investing in research and development, quality and new product launch capability," CEO Joseph Papa said in a conference call. "Given the strength of our near-term product pipeline, this will be a key area of focus going forward."

See Bill Ackman (Trades, Portfolio)'s third-quarter portfolio here. Start a free 7-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - Roughly six percent of women in the United States who were infected with the Zika virus during pregnancy had fetuses or babies with birth defects, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday. Of the 442 women in a U.S. Zika registry who had completed their pregnancies, 26 of their babies had one or more birth defect thought to be linked with Zika infection during pregnancy, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A total of 18 of the fetuses or babies had microcephaly, meaning an abnormally small-sized head, which often signifies arrested brain development. Once considered a mild, mosquito-borne infection, Zika has been linked with thousands of cases of birth defects in Brazil and elsewhere. The birth defects occurred among fetuses or babies of pregnant women from the United States who were exposed to Zika in places where the virus was spreading, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said the study is important because it shows the rate of microcephaly and other fetal malformations among babies born to women in the United States is similar to the estimated rate of infections in Brazil. "Zika poses a real risk throughout pregnancy, but especially in the first trimester; it's critical that pregnant women not travel to areas where Zika is spreading," Frieden said in a statement. In the study, 11 percent of the 442 women infected during the first trimester had fetuses or babies with birth defects. The study also shed light on whether babies whose mothers had Zika symptoms were more likely to be affected than those who had lab evidence of infection but no symptoms. In the study, whether a pregnant woman had symptoms of Zika infection did not seem to matter. The researchers found the same proportion of pregnancies with birth defects regardless of whether the mother showed symptoms. The finding is significant because only one in five people infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus ever develop symptoms, meaning many pregnant women who become infected likely would never know it. Locations where the women in the study were infected include Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Republic of Marshall Islands and Venezuela. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Alan Crosby)
Mentougou (China) (AFP) - The global fight against climate change and Beijing's efforts to combat choking pollution have been a disaster for Lu Zhanyong.

Facing unemployment after years working with explosives deep in a coal mine on the outskirts of the Chinese capital, Lu has little hope of finding another job, no rights to farmland in his rural hometown, and fears he is dying from an occupational disease.

They'll just give us contract labourers a bit of severance and send us packing," he said. "But no one wants to hire someone in their 40s."

There are tens of thousands of miners like us; even if the government wanted to, what could it possibly do for all of us? he asked.

China's rise to become the world's second largest economy was largely powered by cheap, dirty coal gouged out of the earth by migrant workers like Lu.

But with growth slowing to its lowest rate in 25 years and Beijing beginning to reduce coal's share of the national energy mix, the country's demand for the fuel may have peaked, leaving the miners on the slagheaps of economic history.

All five of Beijing's coal mines, Lu's Da'anshan colliery among them, have been ordered to shut by 2020, the city's main planning body said in November.

Lu came to work for the mine from the distant southwestern province of Sichuan nearly a decade ago.

For now, he makes 4,000 yuan ($560) a month doing some of the most dangerous underground work, paying 200 yuan to rent a small brick room to share with his wife and 10-year-old son.

- 'War on pollution' -

It is heated by a single coal-burning brazier and papered in colourful government posters decrying the dangers of undiagnosed HIV or coal gas poisoning.

Among Lu's own greatest fears is that he has silicosis, a common miners' lung disease caused by inhaling fine dust, and may not live long enough to raise his son.

"Every year the coal mine authorities give us an exam, but they never give us the results," he said.

Story continues

The hills surrounding his mine are crowned with heavy machinery, swathed in thick grey smog.

Public discontent about coal's environmental toll has grown in China and many of the country's giant state-owned coal mining firms are now unviable and plagued by overcapacity, leading the government to declare a "war on pollution" and attempt to curb output.

The Asian giant set a target of reducing coal production capacity by 250 million tonnes this year, which Premier Li Keqiang announced had been met by the end of October -- although figures for actual output were not yet available.

Its consumption of the fuel -- the country accounts for half of the world's demand for coal and almost half of its production -- had "likely peaked", the International Energy Agency said Monday.

But critics say that efforts to cut coal use have fallen short of expectations.

Even while China makes cuts to the sector and operates many of its coal-fired power stations at less than half their capacity, it "perversely" has plans to spend as much as half a trillion dollars on building more such units, London-based campaign group Carbon Tracker Initiative said in a report last month.

While coal cuts are crucial for the global battle against climate change, they spell catastrophe for the workers they cast aside.

- 'Nothing but wolves' -

According to the website of Beijing Coal Group, the state-owned enterprise that owns the mines near the capital, their government-mandated closures will mean the loss of 6 million tons of coal production capacity and the "resettlement" of more than 11,000 workers, mostly migrants.

It did not make clear whether that meant assigning them to other units, sending them home, or simply sacking them.

"Once those mines are closed, there won't be a damn thing left for them," predicted one disaffected retired miner in his 50s, a Beijing native surnamed Wu. "Nothing even to eat, drink or sustain them unless they go out and beg."

The ruling Communist Party has a difficult balance to strike between turning off the financial taps to the industry and risking widespread unemployment, with its potential for anger and unrest.

Wang Shuqing, 77, worked in Beijing Coal Group's Wangping mine for 34 years before retiring in the 90s. It formally closed this year and the village population has already shrunk by two thirds, with all the able-bodied young people heading out to find work elsewhere.

"If I could leave, Id leave too," he said, indicating his cane and stiff legs, crippled in the mines.

The industry left the once-clear water polluted and the land unfit for cultivation, he added.

Abandoned workers' houses stood across from where he sat, and the hill beyond them loomed black and treeless.

"This is the kind of place you see once and never want to visit again. Its too desolate. In a few years, there'll be nothing here but wolves."
LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has publicly poked fun at Prime Minister Theresa May, telling dozens of foreign ambassadors she was so cosmopolitan that she sported leather trousers like German "lederhosen". Johnson, known in Britain and beyond for his often outlandish persona and dishevelled mop of platinum hair, said his country would not turn its back on the world after Brexit and cast the United Kingdom as a cosmopolitan consumer of imports. "We are gluttons in this country for imports. We buy huge quantities of stuff, particularly of course from our friends in the European Union, as of course we shall continue to do so when we do that great free trade deal," he told ambassadors. Johnson quipped that Britain had even managed to export Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, who enjoys a friendship with President-elect Donald Trump, to the United States. "We managed to export Nigel Farage to America," he said, before joking about May's decision to be photographed wearing fashionable full-length leather trousers that British media said had cost 995 pounds. "We are so cosmopolitan that we drink more champagne, more prosecco, buy more German cars than anyone else and our wonderful prime minister actually wears lederhosen," he said, using the German word for traditional Alpine leather shorts. Johnson denied a media report that he had privately told some EU ambassadors that he supported freedom of movement, one of the EU's fundamental citizenship rights that was established by the 1992 Treaty of Maastricht. Britain wants to control immigration from EU countries as part of Brexit, though EU leaders say Britain cannot have full access to EU markets if it does. "The last time I spoke to so many ambassadors, I'm afraid a rather curious account of what had I said emerged ... perhaps the media misunderstood something," Johnson told ambassadors at a reception in London late on Tuesday. "I am in favour of the free press, I am in favour of freedom of speech, I am in favour of free universal suffrage, I am in favour of free drinks which you are all having tonight but I am not necessarily in favour of freedom of movement," he said. It was not the first time that Johnson and May seemed to be on different wavelengths. Last week, May slapped him down after video emerged showing him saying Saudi Arabia was stoking proxy wars across the Middle East. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Bosnia will expel more than 300 foreigners, most from the Gulf, as illegal residents after they bought property for investment that they may have evaded taxes on, the office for expatriate affairs said on Wednesday. In recent years, Bosnia has seen an influx of Arab investors who have built residential complexes and tourist resorts, attracted by low prices and a favorable climate in a country where half the population is Muslim. Over the past three months officials inspected nearly 700 firms and 16 tourist resorts owned by citizens from the Gulf, Libya, Russia and Ukraine. About 500 of the firms, between them owning more than 600 residential and business premises, were found to be registered at false addresses and had no staff, the office said. Many of the property owners had registered the firms as real estate companies for a 2,000 Bosnian mark ($1,000) fee in order to buy or develop property worth hundreds of thousands of marka to rent out to tourists, then not filing tax declarations. Some of the owners were living illegally in the country, some were not registered as having arrived in the country at all, some had violated their visa requirements and others misused their work permits, the office said. Depending on the offence, more than 300 will be either asked to leave the country voluntarily or be expelled and banned from returning for between one and five years, a source at the office said. Details of the violations will be passed on to tax authorities and the police. (Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; editing by John Stonestreet)
Rejected by American soldiers in WWI, its now home to this dwindling community in the city.

The Bow Barracks was a garrisons mess built for the American army soldiers posted in India during World War I. Back then, the US army soldiers thought it beneath them to stay in such housing. The apartments were handed over instead to the thriving Anglo-Indian community, who have held onto them ever since. Located in central Kolkata, just behind the Bowbazaar police station, it is currently home to over 80 Anglo-Indian families, along with several Anglo-Chinese families too.

Subscribe to 101India



Over the course of the last 50 years, members of the community have been moving out from Kolkata to places like Australia and the United States. Today, Bow Barracks is a community trying to hold on to its identity as the world moves on.

101 Traces looks at the last of anything: ethnic communities, folk craftsmen, disappearing trades, forgotten people. It sketches portraits of these unique individuals, locked in a battle they cannot win: a battle against the future. Together, they represent the dying whispers of ancient heritage and traditional individuality. As India moves towards homogenized global pop culture, 101 Traces honors the people, the objects, and the skills that connect us to our ancient identity.

Subscribe to 101India


Dec 14 (Reuters) - BP Plc's U.S. Lower 48 onshore business said it would establish its headquarters in Denver, Colorado, as it moves closer to its operating assets in the Rocky Mountains.

The unit, whose onshore operations span five states - Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming - and seven oil and gas basins, has average daily net production of about 300,000 barrels of oil equivalent.

"With two thirds of our operated oil and natural gas production and proved reserves in the Rockies... Denver is a logical - and strategic - place for us to be and a natural fit for our business," BP Lower 48 Chief Executive David Lawler said. (http://on.bp.com/2h0qCyo)

The company said it expected to open the Denver office in the first quarter of 2018 with at least 200 employees, including the CEO and executive leadership team.

A number of employees from Lower 48's current head office in Houston would relocate to Denver, it added.

Houston will remain a large and important center for Lower 48's business and Oklahoma City will continue to remain a key hub for managing its assets in the Mid-Continent region, the company said.

BP started operating its Lower 48 onshore unit as a separate business in early 2015.

(Reporting by Anet Josline Pinto in Bengaluru; Editing by Martina D'Couto)
Sao Paulo (AFP) - Evaristo Arns, a much-loved senior leader of Brazil's Catholic Church who stood up for human rights during the country's brutal two decades of dictatorship, died Wednesday. He was 95.

He died of complications linked to pneumonia after being hospitalized with lung problems on November 28, Sao Paulo's archbishop Odilo Scherer said.

"He has returned to God," he said.

Arns was a priest for 71 years, rising to archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil's biggest city, and spent 43 years as a cardinal.

After being ordained in 1945, he studied at Sorbonne University in Paris and began a prolific writing career that included authoring 57 books. As he rose through the ecclesiastical ranks, he made his name promoting programs dedicated to helping the poor.

However, it was for his stand against torture during the 1964-85 military dictatorship that he became most famous.

He denounced the torture of a priest in January 1971 shortly after becoming archbishop, and used church media outlets to pressure the government over its repressive policies.

Argentine human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel said he "was saved twice" by Arns from the Brazilian regime.

President Michel Temer paid homage to Arns on Wednesday, saying Brazil had "lost a defender of democracy."
By Lisandra Paraguassu and Leonardo Goy BRASILIA (Reuters) - One of Brazilian President Michel Temer's closest aides resigned on Wednesday following allegations he had received graft money from engineering conglomerate Odebrecht in a widening corruption scandal that is besieging the government. Lawyer Jose Yunes, a friend of the president for 50 years, denied the allegations in a letter to Temer but said he could not stay on as his special advisor, according to a copy of the letter released by the government. Another key Temer aide, infrastructure investment secretary Wellington Moreira Franco, denied that he planned to quit after being named in the same plea bargain testimony by a former Odebrecht executive. "I am dedicated to helping draw up stimulus measures and strengthening the infrastructure concessions program. I do not abandon battles when I believe in the cause," he said through a spokesman. A source close to Moreira Franco, however, told Reuters he had drafted his resignation letter and considered leaving to lessen the fallout for the government, which has lost four ministers to graft allegations in the six months since Temer took over from impeached leftist Dilma Rousseff. If Moreira Franco quits, it would be a big blow to Temer's scandal-buffeted government since he is the architect of plans to draw private investment for a badly needed upgrading of Brazil's roads, railways, ports and airports. Moreira Franco was named in the plea bargain statement as having received illegal campaign funds for the party. The testimony given to prosecutors by Odebrecht's former government affairs director Claudio Melo Filho is part of the massive corruption scandal centered on bribes and political kickbacks at state-run oil company Petrobras. Temer's political survival is threatened by allegations that he, members of his Cabinet and leaders of his PMDB party received payments from Odebrecht SA [ODBES.UL], as political contributions or rewards for passing legislation favoring the firm. Odebrecht, Brazil's largest construction and engineering firm that prosecutors say benefited the most from the Petrobras graft scheme, has signed a leniency deal that includes plea statements by executives and employees. The deal has sent shudders through Brazil's political establishment which is bracing for more leaked statements likely to implicate as many as 200 politicians. According to Melo Filho's testimony, the first to be leaked to Brazilian media, Temer himself asked the company for 10 million reais ($3 million) in political contributions for the 2014 election campaign. Part of the undeclared money was delivered in cash to Yunes' law office in Sao Paulo, Melo Filho claimed in his plea bargain. (Additional reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier in Rio de Janeiro; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Alistair Bell)
London (AFP) - As British lawmakers prepare for the Christmas break, many issues surrounding the country's divorce from the European Union remain shrouded in confusion.

Here are key things known about the Brexit process, and the issues that need to be addressed in the new year.

- KNOWNS -

- Britain will leave the EU -

Prime Minister Theresa May is currently appealing a High Court ruling that she must seek parliamentary approval before triggering Brexit, with a decision due in January.

The original ruling allows lawmakers, technically, to delay indefinitely the triggering of Article 50, which starts the break-up process, throwing into doubt May's promise to begin proceedings by the end of March.

However, May was able to get MPs to agree to stick to the timetable -- regardless of the appeal ruling -- in exchange for agreeing to reveal the government's broad negotiating strategy to parliament.

- UK plans immigration curbs -

May has insisted that Britain would no longer accept the free movement of people to and from the EU on Brussels' terms, and also pledged to repatriate legal powers.

"We are not leaving the European Union only to give up control of immigration again and we are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice," she told her Conservative Party's conference in October.

- Economy defies expectations -

Confounding economists, Britain's economy has grown solidly since the June referendum, household spending has grown faster than expected, while the housing market has remained resilient and unemployment has dropped to its lowest level since 2005.

"For households, the signs of an economic slowdown are notable by their absence," Bank of England chief Mark Carney said in October.

- UNKNOWNS -

- Parliament not sure to vote -

If the government is successful in overturning the High Court ruling, the government will be able to trigger Article 50 as planned, without a parliamentary vote.

Story continues

- 'Soft' or 'hard' Brexit -

May has revealed little about what Britain will ask for during Brexit negotiations, but her vow to curb immigration and repatriate legal powers suggested she favoured a "hard Brexit", which would mean Britain leaving the EU's single market.

Former minister Oliver Letwin last week went further, stressing that "we've been very clear what the outlines are, we're leaving the single market, we're leaving the customs union."

- A transition deal? -

Once article 50 is triggered, Britain and the EU have two years to agree the terms of the divorce, while at the same time thrashing out a deal for future trading arrangements between the two parties.

Finance minister Philip Hammond on Tuesday insisted that the government would likely seek a transitional trade deal to smooth the Brexit process after that deadline.

Brexit minister and arch eurosceptic David Davis said such an agreement should be struck "only if it's necessary" and to implement gradually a final deal, rather than to extend negotiations.

A parliamentary report to be released on Thursday is also expected to warn that uncertainty over EU single market access threatened 200,000 jobs in Britain's financial services industry, unless a transition deal is agreed.

Brexit champion Nigel Farage called such a deal a delaying tactic and evidence of "backsliding".

- An early election? -

If May loses her court appeal, and is worried lawmakers will frustrate her attempts to trigger Article 50, she could decide to call an early general election and expose pro-EU MPs -- many of whom represent constituencies that voted for Brexit -- to public opinion.

Bookmakers have slashed the odds of a general election in 2017 to 2/1.

- Long-term economic prospects -

While short-term economic data is encouraging, the Office for Budget Responsibility last month cut its 2017 growth figures from 2.2 percent to 1.4 percent and warned of a knock-on effect on public finances.

Critics also point out that Britain is at least two and a half years away from actually leaving the EU, when any new trade, immigration and other arrangements would come into force.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's government does not know whether it could halt the process of leaving the European Union once it has begun but it does not intend to change course in any case, Brexit minister David Davis said on Wednesday. "We don't intend to revoke it. It may not be revocable. We don't know," Davis told a committee of members of parliament in parliament. British government lawyers have argued that once the formal divorce talks on leaving the EU are triggered there is no going back. But EU leaders have suggested Britain could still change its mind. (Reporting by Andy Bruce; Writing by William Schomberg)
Britains production sector is bursting at the seams, with movies and television shows being shot in every corner of the country. But can the infrastructure and workforce keep pace with the demand?

The boom has been fueled by a nearly 10-year-old film tax credit, worth 25% of a productions budget, which was extended to high-end TV production in 2013. The steep fall in the value of the pound following Britains June decision to leave the European Union has made the country even more attractive to those offshore.

If you add the currency exchange rate, plus the tax credit, plus everything else, the U.K. is incredibly popular at the moment, says Adrian Wootton, chief executive of the British Film Commission and head of Film London, the agency in charge of production in the capital.

Movie spending in Britain has remained high, totaling 1.37 billion ($1.74 billion) in the 12 months to Sept. 30. Television spending has gone through the roof, with the 77 shows that qualified for the tax credit paying out 631 million ($800 million) during that period, more than twice the amount spent two years ago.

The TV credit has really accelerated things, and not just in London and the Southeast, Wootton says.

Londons high-end studios  Pinewood, Leavesden, and Shepperton  are nearly booked solid with Hollywood blockbusters, including the Star Wars and Fantastic Beasts franchises. That has forced big-budget drama series to seek smaller studios or alternative spaces. Netflixs The Crown set up shop at Londons Elstree, HBOs Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland, Sonys Outlander in Scotland, and BBCs Sherlock in Wales.

At the same time, facilities are adding studio space. Pinewood opened a three-stage facility in Wales last year; Northern Irelands 20 million ($25.4 million) Belfast Harbour Studios, with two stages, opens in January. Film London is studying the possibility of building a large studio complex in Dagenham, east of London.

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Pinewood opened five sound stages June 30; the next day, they were full, according to Pinewood Group corporate affairs director Andrew Smith. Ironically, Pinewood had no space for a high-end TV production that the studio itself had invested in, Amazons period drama The Collection, so the series wound up filming at an unoccupied factory in Wales.

Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the county of Yorkshire all offer funding for production, which is further stimulating growth. Screen Yorkshires 15 million ($19 million) Yorkshire Content Fund has invested in films like Ghost Stories, starring Martin Freeman, and TV series like Peaky Blinders. The organization also assisted with the conversion of a former air force base into a film studio with three stages, where Buckingham Palace interiors were re-created for Victoria.

Hugo Heppell, Screen Yorkshires head of investments, says 75% of the Victoria crew came from the local area. Extra crew can be brought in from Manchester, another major production hub less than an hours drive away.

But the race is on in Britain to train new below-the-line staff, as well as to help existing artisans and technicians move up the ladder. We do have a skills shortage. We have managed to crew everything, but we are getting a huge amount of demand, Wootton says. Were coping, but we need to do more than cope.

Training programs are gradually filling the gaps in qualified crew members. So are initiatives like Trainee Finder, a database run by government agency Creative Skillset, which helps place newcomers with production companies.

The problem is, it is quite a slow process, says Barry Ryan of Warp Films, which is shooting Ghost Stories in Yorkshire. We need people in almost every department. It will take a number of years.

The demand for crew allows experienced freelancers to be selective. There are more choices for crews, and theyre able to work on what they want to work on, says Alison Small, chief executive of The Production Guild. Inevitably, freelancers gravitate toward jobs with bigger paydays, which can leave independent producers scrambling for experienced staff.

Its great for crews because theyre in a good position, says Ryan. As a grip, the difference in your job on a $100 million film and a $3 million one is very small, but the difference in what the producer is able to pay isnt. As a producer, you still have to attract people with the same amount of passion and engagement.

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LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has publicly poked fun at Prime Minister Theresa May, telling dozens of foreign ambassadors she was so cosmopolitan that she sported leather trousers like German "lederhosen". Johnson, known in Britain and beyond for his often outlandish persona and dishevelled mop of platinum hair, said his country would not turn its back on the world after Brexit and cast the United Kingdom as a cosmopolitan consumer of imports. "We are gluttons in this country for imports. We buy huge quantities of stuff, particularly of course from our friends in the European Union, as of course we shall continue to do so when we do that great free trade deal," he told ambassadors. Johnson quipped that Britain had even managed to export Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, who enjoys a friendship with President-elect Donald Trump, to the United States. "We managed to export Nigel Farage to America," he said, before joking about May's decision to be photographed wearing fashionable full-length leather trousers that British media said had cost 995 pounds ($1,260). "We are so cosmopolitan that we drink more champagne, more prosecco, buy more German cars than anyone else and our wonderful prime minister actually wears lederhosen," he said, using the German word for traditional Alpine leather shorts. Johnson denied a media report that he had privately told some EU ambassadors that he supported freedom of movement, one of the EU's fundamental citizenship rights that was established by the 1992 Treaty of Maastricht. Britain wants to control immigration from EU countries as part of Brexit, though EU leaders say Britain cannot have full access to EU markets if it does. "The last time I spoke to so many ambassadors, I'm afraid a rather curious account of what had I said emerged ... perhaps the media misunderstood something," Johnson told ambassadors at a reception in London late on Tuesday. "I am in favor of the free press, I am in favor of freedom of speech, I am in favor of free universal suffrage, I am in favor of free drinks which you are all having tonight but I am not necessarily in favor of freedom of movement," he said. It was not the first time that Johnson and May seemed to be on different wavelengths. Last week, May slapped him down after video emerged showing him saying Saudi Arabia was stoking proxy wars across the Middle East. ($1 = 0.7892 pounds) (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) has reached a deal to fully take over Brussels Airlines, the Belgian carrier said on Wednesday, part of a drive by the German carrier to grow its budget unit and consolidate the fragmented European airlines industry.

"I can confirm that a deal has been reached," a spokesperson for Brussels Airlines said, adding further details would be given at a news conference on Thursday morning.

Lufthansa bought 45 percent of Brussels Airlines from owner SN Airholding in 2009 for 65 million euros (57.44 million pound), with an option to acquire the rest from 2011.

Its decision, taken in September, to acquire the rest via a call option forms part of the expansion of its budget Eurowings division, the carrier's response to competition from Ryanair (RYA.I) and easyJet (EZJ.L).

A source has previously said that because Lufthansa has loaned 45 million euros to Brussels Airlines, the German carrier can buy the remaining stake for as little as 2.6 million euros.

The deal for Brussels Airlines, plus a plan to lease 35 planes and crew from struggling Air Berlin will see Eurowings grow to over 160 planes from a current 90 aircraft by the end of next year.

Lufthansa management has praised restructuring efforts at Brussels that have brought its costs down to among the lowest in the Lufthansa Group. Brussels Airlines is also strong on routes to Africa, where Lufthansa has gaps in its network.

Brussels Airlines served a record 7.5 million passengers in 2015 and made a record net profit of 41.3 million euros, although that is expected to fall this year after the Brussels airport attack in March.

(Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Additional reporting by Victoria Bryan in Berlin; editing by Philip Blenkinsop and Maria Sheahan)
CORONADO, Calif. (AP)  California Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday asked President Barack Obama to permanently ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in the state before he leaves office.

If Obama agrees, the edict would set up a potential showdown with the incoming administration of Donald Trump. Brown said he didn't know if Trump would have the authority to overturn a permanent prohibition.

"California is blessed with hundreds of miles of spectacular coastline, home to scenic state parks, beautiful beaches, abundant wildlife and thriving communities," Brown wrote to Obama. "Clearly, large new oil and gas reserves would be inconsistent with our overriding imperative to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat the devastating impacts of climate change."

Working to lock in environmental protections as the clock runs out on his presidency, Obama last month released a plan that bans any new oil drilling off the coasts of California, Oregon or Washington state until 2022.

The White House declined to comment on Brown's request to make the ban permanent.

Brown said he would invite fellow Democratic governors of Oregon and Washington to join the effort, which he announced at an event to launch a new organization to protect oceans. Those states also joined the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification, which includes the governments of France, Chile, the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Quebec, businesses and advocacy groups.

Many Democrats in California's congressional delegation, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, have urged Obama to use executive authority to permanently block oil and gas leasing on the West Coast. In 2014, Brown asked for a ban on Pacific offshore drilling through 2022, but climate activists have pushed him to ask for a permanent ban.

Skyli McAfee, national oceans director for the environmental advocacy group The Nature Conservancy, said she was "extremely pleased at how seriously (Brown) is taking the issue and his reliance on the academic community."

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An oil industry group, the Western States Petroleum Association, called Brown's effort unrealistic, and said it ignores the state's energy needs.

"If offshore production is banned it will force us to import more oil from foreign sources," the association said in a statement. "That oil is produced under less stringent environmental regulations, and its transportation to California will create an increase in greenhouse gases and other pollutants."

The group added that offshore drilling has been done safely and responsibly for decades.

Brown later joined the Western Governors Association's winter meeting, where he warned against expectations of major policy changes happening quickly under Trump. He said Congress and the judiciary serve as checks on the president and that differences tend to narrow over time.

"If the world ends, we're in deep trouble, but that hasn't happened yet," Brown said at a news conference, responding to a question about the consequences of overturning the Affordable Care Act.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, said he didn't expect significant changes under Trump toward states like his that have legalized recreational use of marijuana.

Hickenlooper said Democrats may find themselves in the unusual position of advocating for states' rights in a Trump administration, a stance more commonly associated with Republicans.

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, a Republican, wrapped his arm around Hickenlooper and said, "Welcome to the party."

___

Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer in San Francisco contributed to this report.
By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California police officer responding to a report of a man with a gun shot to death an unarmed 73-year-old man who approached the officer without taking his hands out of his pockets, police said on Tuesday.

The family of victim Francisco Serna has called the shooting unjustified and told local media he had at least some form of dementia.

The shooting early on Monday in Bakersfield, about 100 miles (161 km) north of Los Angeles, follows an intense debate and several protests in the United States against police use of force on minorities and the mentally ill.

The Los Angeles Times and other local media have reported that Serna was carrying a crucifix.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Bakersfield assistant police chief Lyle Martin did not discuss what Serna was carrying but said he was unarmed.

Serna was acting strangely as he approached a woman in the driveway of her house while she was being dropped off by a friend in a car just after midnight on Monday, Martin said.

He kept his hand in his jacket pocket and the woman believed he had a gun so she ran into her house, Martin said.

Her boyfriend or husband later called emergency dispatchers to report a man with a gun was outside, Martin said.

When police officers arrived and spoke with the woman outside her home, she pointed out Serna as he exited his own property across the street, Martin said.

She told the officers he was the one who had approached her. Serna was walking toward the officers with his hands in his jacket pocket, Martin said.

The officers, fearing he had a gun, took cover and told Serna to stop and take his hands out of his pockets but he did not obey, Martin said.

One officer opened fire seven times on Serna, shooting him to death within 20 to 30 seconds of the woman pointing him out, Martin said.

"This is a very tragic event," Martin, who takes over as police chief in Bakersfield this week, told reporters at the news conference.

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The officer who opened fire, Reagan Selman, has been on the Bakersfield police force since July 2015, Martin said. He has been placed on leave as the shooting is under investigation.

A spokesman for Bakersfield police could not be reached for further details on the shooting.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
(Reuters) - Police in San Diego said on Wednesday they were investigating the "suspicious" death of the founder of yoga studio chain CorePower Yoga.

The body of 48-year-old Trevor Tice was found in a home in the oceanfront community of Sunset Cliffs on Monday afternoon after someone asked police to conduct a welfare check on the residence, San Diego Police said in a statement.

"Due to suspicious circumstances related to the death of the male, San Diego Police Homicide Detectives were called to the scene and are currently investigating the incident," police said.

Further details were not provided.

CorePower Yoga, a chain of yoga studios that according to its website has locations in 21 states, released a statement on Tuesday mourning Tice's death.

"CorePower Yoga is a manifestation of the best Trevor brought to the world: boundless energy, an electric smile, an immutable desire to improve," the company said. "Together, our community is grieving this tragic loss and honoring Trevor's tremendous legacy."

The Denver Post newspaper reported that the workout-oriented yoga studio opened its first location in Denver in 2002 before expanding to dozens of locations across the country. The company's website says it runs 160 studios nationwide.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Los Angeles (AFP) - California Governor Jerry Brown has urged US President Barack Obama to ban oil and gas drilling off the state's coast to protect the oceans and fight global warming.

Moving swiftly before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Brown asked the government to use its authority to permanently remove federal waters off the coast of California from areas subject to future oil and gas drilling permits.

"Clearly, large new oil and gas reserves would be inconsistent with our overriding imperative to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat the devastating impacts of climate change," Brown wrote a letter released by his office.

"Now is the time to make permanent the protection of our ocean waters and beaches," urged Brown, who has been a proponent of many forward-looking environmental policies in the most populous US state.

The governor also said he had signed an agreement with US Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell to increase the production of renewable energy, "including offshore wind or waves."

Obama has just over a month left in the White House before he hands over the job to Trump.

The developer-turned-reality TV star-turned-politician is unlikely to preserve Obama's pro-environment legacy, having pledged to remove barriers to energy production in the United States and offshore.

Trump has also called global warming a "hoax" and his pick for the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Priott, is a known climate change skeptic who has battled the agency he is tapped to lead.

ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson is Trump's nominee for secretary of state.

And US media reported late Tuesday that Trump has chosen Republican lawmaker Ryan Zinke, 55, to serve as Interior Secretary.

A former Navy SEAL, Zinke campaigned for his House seat on a platform of achieving North American energy independence.
Uber Travis Kalanick

Uber and Google are fighting to dominate the self-driving car market.

But the real battle may turn out to be Uber versus California's Department of Motor Vehciles.

A day after Uber launched self-driving cars in San Francisco with great fanfare, the California DMV, which oversees autonomous vehicle development in the state, said in a statement that it "encourages responsible exploration of self-driving cars".

It then added was reads like a stern warning aimed directly at Uber.

"We have a permitting process in place to ensure public safety as this technology is being tested. Twenty manufacturers have already obtained permits to test hundreds of cards on California roads," the DMV said. "Uber shall do the same."

The problem is: Uber has no permit to operate a self-driving car in the state, and it insists it has no plans to apply for one.

In Uber's view, its "self-driving" cars don't fall under the DMV's self-driving regulations because they can't be operated without a person controlling or monitoring them.

"We have looked at this issue carefully and we dont believe we do [need a permit]," Uber's head of self-driving, Anthony Levandowski, wrote in its blog post. "The rules apply to cars that can drive without someone controlling or monitoring them. For us, its still early days and our cars are not yet ready to drive without a person monitoring them."

Self-driving vs. self-driving

Uber's positioning puts the regulators in a tough place.

Under the DMV's rule for self-driving vehicles, an autonomous vehicle means any vehicle equipped with technology that has the capability of operating or driving the vehicle without the active physical control or monitoring of a natural person, whether or not the technology is engaged. Tesla's autopilot system, for example, doesn't fall into the category since the company claims a driver always needs to be engaged and it's only acting as an advanced cruise control.

Story continues

Uber follows the same argument that its technology is not capable of driving a vehicle either without a person monitoring or being there. Yet, it's advertising its cars as self-driving and has said that it's working (via these tests) towards a future where the cars don't require drivers at all.

Crimes and misdemeanors

Uber volvo xc90

What happens next in the dispute is unclear. The DMV did not respond to further requests for comment on whether it was in touch with Uber or investigating the development of its autonomous vehicle technology.

Should a company be found to be violating the self-driving vehicle rules, though, it is considered a misdemeanor and the DMV could pursue legal action, including asking for injunctive relief, against the violator, a DMV spokesperson told Business Insider in response to a different request about Uber's trucks on California's roads. California Highway Patrol could also cite any self-driving vehicle that's operating without a permit, according to the DMV.

Uber's argument that it doesn't need a permit would allow it to avoid California's stringent regulations, which include updates on any accident the cars have within 10 days and a summary of how many times the car has disengaged from self-driving and switched back to a driver's manual control.

In its blog post, Uber seemingly implied that the state's regulations are not "pro-technology" and could have the "unintended consequence of slowing innovation."

"Most states see the potential benefits, especially when it comes to road safety. And several cities and states have recognized that complex rules and requirements could have the unintended consequence of slowing innovation. Pittsburgh, Arizona, Nevada and Florida in particular have been leaders in this way, and by doing so have made clear that they are pro technology," the company wrote. "Our hope is that California, our home state and a leader in much of the worlds dynamism, will take a similar view."

NOW WATCH: Heres all the futuristic technology Ubers self-driving cars use to get around





More From Business Insider


Ottawa (AFP) - Several nations gathered in Ottawa on Wednesday to explore importing Canada's unique refugee system that looks in part to private individuals, church groups and others to sponsor asylum seekers.

Developed in the late 1970s, at the height of the boat-people crisis in Southeast Asia, the program has facilitated the resettlement of 288,000 refugees to Canada.

Since November 2015, more than 13,000 Syrian refugees have also been resettled in Canada through private sponsorship.

Its operation is simple: A Canadian or a group of individuals may sponsor an individual refugee or family by committing to the government to cover the needs of the individual(s) for one year.

The cost is about Can$ 30,000 (US$21,000) for housing, food and administration.

"The world is living through the worst refugee crisis it has seen in decades," McCallum told a press conference kicking off the three-day forum.

"This initiative, which is essentially to export to interested countries in the rest of the world our private response (for) refugees, could make a significant impact on the refugee crisis."

"It won't solve it. It's a huge crisis... but it could make a difference."

Representatives of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Chile, Germany, New Zealand, and the United States are attending the conference, which wraps up on Friday.

More have expressed interest in the system, said McCallum.

Britain has already started implementing the Canadian system while other nations have pilot projects under way.

"The UNHCR fully embraces this sponsorship... private sponsorship by ordinary citizens, by professionals (because) it shows how individuals are engaged for refugees to create this welcoming society that today we need more than ever," commented Johannes Van Der Klaauw of the UN refugee agency.

"It has been working for thirty years, it is very well developed and there are strong lessons to be learned."
By Antoni Slodkowski YANGON (Reuters) - As Myanmar's army was stepping up an anti-insurgency operation in the country's northwest in October, senior officers canceled talks with their Bangladeshi counterparts, straining ties with a key potential ally in dealing with the violence on their border. The canceled meetings, revealed in documents seen by Reuters, are the latest on a long list of failed initiatives to improve relations between fractious neighbors who both see the largely stateless Muslim Rohingya at the heart of the crisis as the other nation's problem. Bangladeshi diplomats say the abrupt cancellation of the talks, planned for mid-October, reflected Myanmar's reluctance to deepen bilateral ties and press ahead with talks on security cooperation and the establishment of border liaison officers. "Those two documents are incredibly important, particularly given the situation we're dealing with right now, but we've hit a wall," said a senior Bangladeshi official, who did not want to be identified because of the private nature of the exchanges. Myanmar officials did not comment on the meetings. Defusing the deep-seated mistrust between the two countries is crucial both to improving the plight of the Rohingya minority and curbing the insurgency Myanmar's government says it is fighting in the northwest, diplomats and analysts say. Close to 27,000 people have fled across the border from Myanmar's Rakhine State to Bangladesh since Nov. 1, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, with more people likely to have fled since the onset of violence in October. The Rohingya, of whom there are around 1.1 million in Rakhine, are denied citizenship by Myanmar and Bangladesh, who both cite census documents and historical accounts to argue they have a long-established presence in the other country. GROWING ISOLATION The canceled meetings also point to the growing isolation of the eight-month-old administration of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, facing criticism of her handling of the crisis from both Western nations and Asian countries such as Malaysia. Myanmar's military and the government have rejected allegations by residents and rights groups that soldiers have raped Rohingya women, burnt houses and killed civilians during the military operation in Rakhine. "Regarding the Army to Army Talk between Bangladesh Armed Forces and Myanmar Defence Services...I deeply regret to inform you that our authorities would like to postpone," said the head of the Myanmar military's foreign relations department, Lieutenant Colonel Aung Zaw Linn, in a letter to Bangladesh officials on Oct. 13. The military cited "unforeseen commitments" as a reason to cancel the nearly week-long talks scheduled in Bangladesh from Oct. 16. The letter was sent four days after nine Myanmar police officers were killed in attacks on border posts. Since then, security forces have flooded northern Rakhine, hunting a Rohingya insurgent group the government says was responsible. Five days later, the head of the Myanmar police division against transnational crime also pulled out of talks with the Bangladeshi border guard force planned for Oct. 25-27 in Dhaka, citing the security situation in Rakhine. One of the documents Bangladeshis were keen to discuss was a memorandum of understanding on security dialogue and cooperation. Another document, reviewed by Reuters, would set up border liaison officers (BLO) on both sides of the frontier and other collaboration measures including joint patrols. Underscoring deterioration of the ties, Bangladeshi diplomats said last month they pulled out of bilateral foreign ministry consultations seen as a preparatory step before a meeting of heads of state. "We went everywhere and met with everyone, but we have been met with delays and lack of interest," said the senior Bangladeshi official. Bangladesh is the only neighboring country Suu Kyi, who serves as Myanmar's foreign minister as well as being the de facto leader of the government, has not yet visited. The Myanmar military's press office and presidential spokesman Zaw Htay did not respond to an emailed request for comment. Aye Aye Soe, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said there had been an "earlier meeting" between the two militaries on the "current refugees issue but (that) also involved other border related issues - drug trafficking and other transorganized crimes". She said she had no other details. Bangladesh Army spokesman Colonel Rashidul Hasan said he could not comment because he was not aware of the meeting. Gowher Rizvi, an external affairs advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, declined to comment. DIPLOMATIC REPRIMAND Tensions between the two countries were exacerbated last month, when Myanmar's envoy in Dhaka was reprimanded over reports in state media that some of the insurgents blamed for the Oct. 9 attacks had crossed the border from Bangladesh. The violence in Rakhine is the biggest crisis faced by Suu Kyi's government, threatening her No. 1 goal of ending years of ethnic war. Insurgencies dogged Myanmar through decades of military rule, and fighting has also recently flared near the border with China. Rohingya activists claim a centuries-old lineage in Rakhine, which like the rest of Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist. Myanmar sees the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Predominantly Muslim Bangladesh disowns the Rohingya and has refused to grant them refugee status since 1992. The United Nations' refugee agency supports more than 32,000 registered Rohingya in official camps in the east of Bangladesh, and estimates up to 500,000 undocumented Rohingya live in the country. The population has grown since 2012, when communal clashes between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya killed more than 100 people and displaced thousands. Richard Horsey, a former UN diplomat in Myanmar, said relations with Bangladesh had always been characterized by "deep tension and suspicion", adding that Myanmar was missing an opportunity by not seeking more help from Dhaka in the wake of the Oct. 9 attacks. "The Bangladeshi side has cooperated in the early stages," he said. "And, given their track record of investigating radical organizations, it is somewhat surprising Myanmar has seemingly not reached out more openly about cooperation on the attacks." (Additional reporting by Wa Lone; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Carrie Ann Inaba and actor Robb Derringer are engaged, the couple tells PEOPLE exclusively.

Derringer, 49, proposed to the Dancing With the Stars judge on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the site of their first date  a secluded beach cove along the California coast  and the smitten pair shared one of the most romantic moments of their lives.

Saturdays are special to us, because our first date was on a Saturday and we have celebrated with a toast, a visit to a beach, special date, a motorcycle adventure, or a road trip on every Saturday since, Inaba, 48, tells PEOPLE. So on Saturday, we returned to the place of our first date and got engaged at the same place we shared our spontaneous and magical first date.

With the Pacific as a romantic backdrop, the former General Hospital actor proposed with a ring by designer Jean Dousset, and the couple celebrated their future.

We shared our desire to commit to one another for life by beginning that journey in a very intimate and private way, just the two of us, alone on the beach with a bonfire, a bottle of Aubert Chardonnay and the majestic Pacific ocean that has always been an integral force in both our lives, she says.

Carrie Ann Inaba and Robb Derringer

Carrie Ann Inaba

For his part, Derringer took to paper to described his feelings for Inaba.

Im a better writer than a speaker so I chose to share my thoughts with Carrie in a letter expressing how much she meant to me, how much she had changed me, how much she had taught me in our time together thus far and what my hopes and dreams and intentions were for our future together, says Derringer, who will begin a new role on Days of Our Lives in the Spring and co-stars in the upcoming feature film, Home Again.

I then got down on one knee under what I will always remember as the most serene and tranquil night sky Ive ever seen and asked my beautiful girl if she would do me the honor of being my wife, to which she thankfully replied yes, he adds.

Story continues

Carrie Ann Inaba and Robb Derringer

Its a moment Inaba will never forget.

The ocean mist created an ambiance that was magical, and I will always remember the way that sky looked as Robb got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife, she says, who lives in L.A. with Derringer and their menagerie of rescue pets, including three dogs, a cat, a raven and a fish named Steve.

All alone on that beautiful beach, it was as if time stood still and we were the only two people on earth. I will never forget it. It was perfect, she continues. Getting engaged where we had that perfect first date, was really such poetic destiny.

It didnt take long for Derringer to know Inaba was special.

I knew after our first romantic date, that if she felt for me what I felt for her, then it was something that was going to be significant and life changing and lasting, he says. There was just a powerful and palpable sense of destiny that I could not deny.

Like something bigger was guiding us both towards one another, Derringer continues. Carrie is simply the most beautiful heart Ive ever known, and the best thing that has ever happened to me. I truly feel like Im the luckiest guy in the world.

Likewise, Inaba fell hard  and fast  for Derringer.

As a young girl, I had always dreamed about going on a date like the first date I shared with Robb, she says. Somehow, he instinctively knew what that was and went to great lengths to surprise me with the most romantic night ever. I could see then how pure of heart he was and how generous and caring his soul was.

Everything about the evening felt so right. There was an ease and an authentic familiarity, Inaba continues. We talked about everything under the stars even marriage. There was a strong sense of destiny that night, and I think I knew then, deep in my heart, that he and I were going to be together forever.

With age, says Inaba, has come unique perspective that makes their union all the more special.

I think that because we were both 48 when we met and had both experienced so much life before meeting, our love unfolded in a different way than it does when you are 28, and for that we are grateful, says Inaba, who will be back at the DWTS judges table next season (she is also dedicated to rescuing animals through her Animal Project Foundation).

Weve had to let go of things that worked for us as individuals to find better ways that worked for us as a couple, she continues. We naturally balance each other. Our love seems to grow exponentially with every new experience we share and I look forward to waking each day knowing my love is in this world with me, and I am excited to face every thing that comes our way in life together, united in this beautiful love. Because hes my person and I am his.

While Inaba and Derringer havent set a wedding date as yet, they say one things for sure: itll be on a Saturday.




The awning that hung above the legendary New York City punk club CBGB between 1988 and the early 2000s has sold at auction for $30,000, The Village Voice reports.

The awning was put on the block at Sotheby's by former CBGB manager, Drew Bushong, who began working at the club in 2000. In an interview with the auction house, Bushong explained that he'd been holding on to the awning for over a decade after dragging it out of the trash.



"It was my day off and I was drunk at Mars Bar, the beautiful, nasty dive bar that was nearby," Bushong recalled. "I think it was about 2004. I walked over to CB's to see if anyone was around and there was this box in the dumpsters outside. I had seen it before above [owner] Hilly [Krystal's] desk for a year or so. I remember thinking, 'Why is this in the trash?' I woke up the next morning  shoes on, I was rather hung over  and the box with the awning in it was sitting in my bed. I learned later that it was in Hilly's office because one of the interns was supposed to put stamps on it to send to the Cleveland Hall of Fame and it just never got there. I've had it under my bed ever since."

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame eventually received the awning that hung above CBGB until the club closed in 2006. The museum had hoped to get the original awning, but the punk band Jodie Foster's Army supposedly stole it after a gig in the Eighties, a story corroborated by several former employees per the Gothamist.

In a separate Gothamist piece about the whereabouts of the CBGB awnings, former booker Brendan Rafferty explained that the second awning  the one that sold at auction  ended up on Krystal's desk, and eventually in the trash, after being damaged and vandalized. One band, the Toilet Boys, painted their name across the awning, and soon after people began tearing pieces off the fringe.

For Bushong, the awning will forever be tied to his time at the club, beyond the fact that he smuggled it out of the trash: "I actually got stabbed underneath the awning  which is a sales point I hope," he told Sotheby's. At the time, Bushong was working the door when he got stabbed in the neck by a concertgoer he had to eject for starting a fight. "Instead of calling the cops I called Hilly, the owner of the club, and he said, 'What are you doing calling me?! Call the cops!' About a month after that I was the manager. It was a violent, exciting time. I wouldnt want to relive it now, but in my twenties and thirties, it was pretty fun."

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On Wednesday, Syrian rebels said a cease-fire deal to let fighters and civilians flee the Aleppo battleground was back on  just hours after it collapsed.

A spokesman for rebel group Ahrar al-Sham said civilians and wounded people would begin leaving the besieged city on Thursday morning under the terms of the new, new deal.

The initial cease-fire deal, which Russian officials earlier said would have allowed rebels to leave Aleppo and provided humanitarian arrangements to civilians, fell apart Wednesday morning. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, shelling and airstrikes prevented the evacuations from even beginning.

The clashes are violent and bombardment is very heavy it seems as though [the cease-fire] is finished, said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Observatorys monitoring group.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, meanwhile, reportedly accused Tuesdays cease-fire agreement of seeking to keep the terrorists and save them. He blamed the West for pressuring Russia to enact the cease-fire just when it looked like the rebels were nearing defeat.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reportedly was also underscoring the return of violence by predicting the rebel resistance in Aleppo would fall in two to three days.

Instead, Aleppo will, at least as of now, be evacuated.

The on-again, off-again, then on-again cease-fire first stumbled just one day after Russian ambassador to the U.N. Vitaly Churkin and a Syrian rebel spokesman said a deal was reached. Their announcement followed a Monday wrecking campaign in Aleppo by Syrian forces, backed by their Russian and Iranian supporters, reducing rebel-held territory to a small sliver. According to the United Nations, 82 civilians were executed.

But at least there was an attempt for peace  even if it condemned rebels in their east Aleppo stronghold to a near certain loss, five and a half years after the Syrian civil war began.

Story continues

Its far from the first time an internationally brokered cease-fire in Syria has disintegrated. In February, the United States and Russia brokered a partial cease-fire in an effort to end the war and establish a transitional government. It lasted six weeks before it fell apart, due to numerous violations by Russia, Assads regime, and the loose coalition of rebel forces.

In September, the United States again tried  and failed  to broker another Syrian truce, hoping to enlist Russian airstrikes against the Islamic State and not against rebel forces or civilians. Instead, Moscow and Damascus unleashed an all-out attack on Aleppo and its embattled population. The United States and its Western allies traded sharp diplomatic barbs with Russia at the United Nations, but the rhetorical spats did nothing to stop Moscow and the Syrian governments military campaign.

Hurling insults across U.N. negotiating tables didnt curry any favor with Russia, which vetoed new cease-fire proposals by the United States six times in the U.N. Security Council.

It is still to be seen if this latest cease-fire can hold long enough to allow rebels and civilians to finally leave Aleppo.

Photo credit: GEORGE OURFALIAN/AFP/Getty Images
By Timothy Mclaughlin

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago will pay around $5.4 million in settlements for two men killed by police officers after the city council voted to approve the payments on Wednesday.

The estate of Cedrick Chatman, 17, who was shot and killed by police officers in January 2013, was awarded $3 million, while the estate of Darius Pinex, 27, who was killed during a 2011 traffic stop, was awarded $2.36 million. Both men were black.

Both killings brought increased scrutiny of the Chicago Police Department for its use of deadly force as well as criticism of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's handling of shootings involving the police. The U.S. Justice Department is conducting a civil rights investigation into the department.

Attorneys for the families could not immediately be reached for comment.

Video footage of Chatman's shooting was released in January 2016 after being sealed under a protective order three years earlier.

The videos of Chatman's killing came after the November 2015 release of footage of the killing of Laquan McDonald, 17, by police officer Jason Van Dyke, which sparked widespread protests and calls for Emanuel to step down.

One 10-second segment of video showed two officers chasing Chatman, who then ran around a corner out of sight. It next showed an officer drawing his gun, followed by an image of Chatman on the ground. An officer stood with one foot on Chatman before emergency crews arrived.

The city had originally opposed release of the videos but changed its position a day before a judge was set to rule on the issue.

Lawyers for Chatman's mother said the videos contradicted police statements that Chatman, a carjacking suspect, had a dark object that he pointed at them. The object turned out to be a cell phone box.

The city settled the lawsuit in June, according to local media reports.

Pinex was killed during a January 2011 traffic stop. A city lawyer resigned after being accused of withholding an emergency radio dispatch in a civil trial over the killing.

Story continues

A judge ordered a new trial in the case, reversing a federal jury's decision in favor of the two officers, Raoul Mosqueda and Gildardo Sierra.

It also prompted Emanuel to launch an independent review of the Chicago law department's civil rights litigation division, which resulted in dozens of recommended changes.

The trial, scheduled to start last summer, was averted when a mediator's settlement proposal was accepted, according to court documents.

(Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Santiago (AFP) - A judge in Chile questioned the 94-year-old widow of the late dictator Augusto Pinochet on Wednesday over charges she embezzled public funds through a women's non-profit group she ran.

Lucia Hiriart is accused of using money from the foundation to fund Pinochet's battle against extradition from Britain in the 1990s.

Investigating judge Guillermo de la Barra visited the suspect, Lucia Hiriart, at her luxury home in the east of the capital Santiago.

He left the building without commenting to reporters.

De la Barra said before the visit that he would question Hiriart over the embezzlement accusations.

She is suspected of embezzling the proceeds from selling off real estate ceded by the state to the CEMA-Chile foundation, over which she presided over until a few weeks ago.

Formerly a training institution for women, the foundation provided popular backing for the Pinochet regime, under which thousands of people were abducted or killed.

After the dictatorship, CEMA transformed into a lucrative property business until the embezzlement charges caught up with Hiriart.

The government is suing to recover possession of 135 public properties it says were ceded to CEMA, worth some $120 million.

Chile marked the 10th anniversary of Pinochet's death on Saturday.

He ruled the country with an iron fist from 1973 to 1990.

He was arrested in London in 1998, when British magistrates ordered him to be extradited to Spain, where judges wanted to try him for human rights violations.

However, the British government eventually ordered Pinochet's release on health grounds.

He died in 2006 without ever being brought to justice for crimes committed by his regime.
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese banks extended 794.6 billion yuan (90.98 billion pounds) in new yuan loans in November and look set to lend a record amount this year as Beijing boosts the economy to meet growth targets despite worries about the risks of prolonged debt-fuelled stimulus.

Lending continued to be driven by consumer loans, primarily home mortgages, despite a series of measures rolled out by the authorities to cool surging home prices and avoid property bubbles.

New bank loans rose to a record 11.6 trillion yuan in the first 11 months of the year, according to Reuters calculations based on central bank data, and have handily surpassed the levels of China's massive credit-led stimulus during the global financial crisis in 2009.

But analysts said the increase in November was partly seasonal, as outstanding yuan loan growth held steady at 13.1 percent by month-end on an annual basis, unchanged from October.

Corporate loan growth remained weak in November, increasing by only 165.6 billion yuan, pointing to subdued credit demand from companies and a preference by banks to lend to households, as mortgages are usually considered higher quality assets, said Nomura economist Yang Zhao.

"With the property market cooling down, I would expect that loan growth faces downward pressure next year. I don't think there is a fundamental improvement in investment demand by corporates," said Yang.

Mid- to long-term loans to households rose to 569.2 billion yuan, or 71.2 percent of all loans, up from September's 66.5 percent, though analysts said it might take a few months to know how tighter restrictions will impact mortgages.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected new lending to have risen to 720 billion yuan from October's 651.3 billion yuan.

Broad M2 money supply (M2) grew 11.4 percent from a year earlier, central bank data showed on Wednesday, slightly below forecasts.

Outstanding loans had been forecast to rise 13 percent, while money supply was seen up 11.5 percent.

Story continues

China's total social financing (TSF), a broad measure of credit and liquidity in the economy, rose to 1.74 trillion yuan in November from 896.3 billion yuan in October, with a big jump in shadow lending.

TSF includes off-balance sheet forms of financing that exist outside the conventional bank lending system, such as initial public offers, loans from trust companies and bond sales.

China's central bank said recently that it will maintain ample liquidity in the economy while taking steps to prevent asset bubbles, adding that the balance between stabilising growth and preventing bubbles has become more challenging.

The Chinese economy expanded at a steady 6.7 percent in the third quarter and looks set to hit Beijing's full-year target, fuelled by stronger government spending, a red-hot property market and ample credit that are adding to its growing pile of debt.

China's overall debt has jumped to more than 250 percent of GDP from 150 percent at the end of 2006, the kind of surge that in other countries has resulted in a financial bust or sharp economic slowdown, analysts say.

($1 = 6.9036 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Elias Glenn and Yawen Chen; Editing by Kim Coghill and Richard Borsuk)
For months, as Gage Capone got closer to his release from a Nebraska prison, he wrote letters, grievances and interview requests and told therapists and a corporal what he would do when he got out.

"If I start emptying clips into people when I get out the senate can blame it on you," he wrote to prison psychiatrist Dr. Martin Wetzel on July 10, 2015. "The bloodshed won't be mine."

Five months later, at the prison jail inside the Nebraska State Penitentiary, as Cpl. Shea Pence watched infamous inmate Nikko Jenkins, Capone told the Corrections officer he was getting out soon and was going to buy ammunition and guns and start killing people.

"I'm going to do what Nikko did," Pence said Capone told him.

Jenkins warned prison officials he'd kill once he was released, and he did, shooting four people to death shortly after he got out in summer 2013.

At the time, Capone, also known as James D. Walker, was three months from the end of a 16- to 25-year sentence on theft and weapons charges out of Madison County.

But that March, instead of being released, he went straight to jail on suspicion of a new felony.

At trial this week, Pence testified that on Dec. 5, 2015, Capone told him he was a trained killer and was going to go after a doctor at the Lincoln Correctional Center and every case worker who'd caused him problems.

A Lancaster County jury was asked to decide if those and other statements and additional writings amounted to a terroristic threat against Wetzel or if they represented a cry for help from Capone, a mentally ill man fearful of what he might do on the outside.

Defense attorney Bob Creager said Pence may have been the most insightful witness when he said he wondered if Capone said what he did because he didn't want to get out of prison.

"He's saying, 'Don't make me another Nikko Jenkins,'" Creager said in closing arguments. "Wouldn't you want that to be the inmate's response? ... Instead of getting out and becoming the next Nikko Jenkins? I don't get it."

He said Capone, 56, spent time in the Navy and has post-traumatic stress disorder, psychosis, anxiety and depression. Creager said mental health workers encouraged him to share what he was thinking and then used it against him.

But Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Amy Goodro said the system didn't make Capone threaten Wetzel.

"Those are decisions he made. No one forced him to do that," she said.

Goodro said Capone wasn't asking for mental health treatment. He was terrorizing Wetzel to get what he wanted: Wellbutrin, an antidepressant he'd been taken off.

"And he'll stop at nothing to get that medicine," she told the jury.

In a letter to Corrections Director Scott Frakes in December 2015, Capone said if he had been released directly from the LCC control unit a year ago he would've gotten rifles and killed as many people as he could, starting with Wetzel.

Around the same time, Capone wrote to Wetzel, saying, "Don't think for the life of you that I've forgotten about the way that you have treated me and others. You're a piece of (expletives deleted). I'm hoping for your sake that the VA can help stabilize me and undo the hate and anger that I feel daily towards you. I hope you still want to play (expletive deleted). My game is next."

Goodro said Capone had terrorized Wetzel for more than a year.

In the end, it took jurors less than an hour to find Capone guilty. If the judge finds him to be a habitual criminal, as the state has alleged, he'll face at least 10 more years in prison when he's sentenced.
Chinese antitrust officials are investigating General Motors in the wake of escalating tensions between Beijing and US President-elect Donald Trump, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

Earlier, the state-run newspaper China Daily reported that China would slap fines on an unnamed US carmaker for monopolistic behaviour.

A penalty will be issued "soon" against an American firm for telling distributors to fix prices, the paper said in a front-page story, citing an "exclusive interview" with the director of the price supervision bureau in the country's top economic planner.

Chinese authorities often use state-controlled media to test out lines of attack and broadcast pointed messages while preserving a more neutral official stance.

Asked about the fine at the regular foreign ministry press briefing Wednesday, spokesman Geng Shuang said he knew "no details", adding that China welcomes US companies in principle but they must abide by local regulations.

Zhang Handong, director of the National Development and Reform Commission's price supervision bureau, which is conducting the probe, told the newspaper "no one should read anything improper into the timing" of the decision.

A spokesman for General Motors, the largest US automaker, said the company was in compliance with the law.

"GM fully respects local laws and regulations wherever we operate. We do not comment on media speculation," he said.

The story comes in the midst of a war of words between Trump and Chinese media, after the billionaire Republican businessman suggested he may reject the One China policy unless Beijing makes concessions on trade and other matters.

In an interview Sunday he said he did not see why Washington must "be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade".

The president elect's protocol-breaking decision to take a call earlier this month with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has angered Beijing, which regards the island as a rogue province awaiting unification.

Story continues

Trump, who takes office on January 20, has also repeatedly threatened to slap 45 percent tariffs on Chinese exports to the US.

It would not be the first time Chinese regulators have penalised foreign carmakers, with the commission in 2014 slapping multimillion-dollar fines on German and Japanese companies, drawing accusations of protectionism to boost local firms.

In an editorial, also published Wednesday, the China Daily took a swaggering tone, saying that if Trump wants to make Taiwan a bargaining chip, "he has no leverage".

"However, since he has indicated with his pre-office sound bites that his real interest is trade, let's talk about trade," it said.

The editorial singled out General Motors, noting that the US automaker had sold in China more than one-third of the nearly 10 million vehicles it sold last year.

"For the American economy to be great again," it added, "the US needs to cement its economic relations with China, rather than destroy them".
China has been blocking Mongolian truck drivers from crossing into its borders following a visit from the Dalai Lama, according to reports. More than 100 truck drivers from Mongolian mining conglomerate Rio Tinto were stuck at the Gants Mod border in southeastern Mongolia on Friday after China officials closed off the border entry, which Mongolian authorities believe was a response to the Tibetan spiritual leaders four-day visit in late November.

It was expected that the Dalai Lamas visit to Mongolia last month would add to tension between the country and China. The Chinese have been against the Dalia Lama since he fled to India and formed a government supporting Tibets independence during his exile in 1959. Although the Dalai Lama retired from political life in 2011, the Chinese still view him as a separationist.

China closed its border when the Dalai Lama visited Mongolia in 2002. It also temporarily canceled flights from Beijing to Mongolia when the Dalai Lama visited in 2006. Before his most recent visit to Mongolia, China issued a warning to the country urging it against admitting the Dalai Lama in an effort to maintain bilateral ties between the governments, the New York Times reported.

New tariffs have been imposed on commodity shipments from Mongolia, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang confirmed last week. However, Chinese officials havent confirmed that the recent border blocking was connected to the Dalai Lamas visit to Ulaanbaatar.

"As for the Dalai Lama's visit to Mongolia, China has expressed its position many times," Shuang told Reuters.

The border closing came right after Mongolian leaders requested a $4.2 billion loan from Beijing. Mongolia asked for the loan to help pull the country out of a recession. China accounts for about 90 percent of Mongolian exports. However, commodity prices have declined, making it even harder for Mongolia to pay off foreign debts to other countries.

Related Articles
(Corrects wording of paragraph 10 to clarify reference to "monopolistic" behaviour)

* China has been investigating auto industry since 2011

* Penalty comes at a sensitive time for U.S.-Sino relations

* Trump comments on trade, Taiwan have rattled U.S. firms in China

By John Ruwitch and Jake Spring

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, Dec 14 (Reuters) - China will soon slap a penalty on an unnamed U.S. automaker for monopolistic behaviour, the official China Daily newspaper reported on Wednesday, quoting a senior state planning official.

News of the penalty comes at a sensitive time for China-U.S. relations after U.S. president-elect Donald Trump called into question a long-standing U.S. policy of acknowledging that Taiwan is part of "one China".

Beijing maintains that self-ruled Taiwan is a wayward province of China and has never renounced the use of force to take it back.

Investigators found the U.S. company had instructed distributors to fix prices starting in 2014, Zhang Handong, director of the National Development and Reform Commission's price supervision bureau, was quoted as saying.

In an exclusive interview with the newspaper, Zhang said no one should "read anything improper" into the timing or target of the penalty.

The article did not give further details and the NDRC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

China, the world's largest auto market, has become crucial to the strategies of car companies around the world, including major U.S. players General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co .

"We are unaware of the issue," said Mark Truby, Ford's chief spokesman for its Asia-Pacific operations.

In a statement, GM said: "GM fully respects local laws and regulations wherever we operate. We do not comment on media speculation."

COMMENTS UNSETTLE COMPANIES

The penalty follows a government crackdown on what it has called monopolistic behaviour by foreign automakers and dealers.

It would be the second penalty by the NDRC this month and the seventh fine issued to automakers since the commission began anti-monopoly investigations in 2011, the newspaper said.

Story continues

Targeted firms have included Audi AG, Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz and Toyota Motor Corp, and one of Nissan Motor Co Ltd's joint ventures.

The NDRC's move was not directed against Trump's latest comments but to show it was not letting up pressure on price fixing behaviour in the auto sector after a raft of fines last year, a source at a government-affiliated industry association said.

"I don't think NDRC had only made a decision two weeks ago or a week ago. This is a long-term plan for them," the source said.

Local media had reported NDRC officials saying a penalty would be levied against an international automotive firm this year prior to Trump's remarks on Taiwan, although they did not specify it would be a U.S. company.

In a separate editorial, the China Daily urged Trump to recognise the importance of close economic ties between China and the United States rather than "trying to gain an upper hand in what is essentially a win-win relationship".

"History proves that what is good for Sino-U.S. relations is good for their economies," it said, noting that Chinese customers bought more than a third of the 9.96 million vehicles GM sold worldwide last year.

"For the American economy to be great again... the U.S. needs to cement its economic relations with China, rather than destroy them."

Trump's challenges to China on trade and Taiwan have rattled American companies who have long benefited from stable relations between the two countries.

In 2011, China imposed duties of up to 22 percent on large cars and SUVs exported from the United States during a wide-ranging spat on trade and currencies that became a focus of criticism for U.S. presidential candidates.

(Additional reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
By John Ruwitch and Jake Spring

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - China will soon slap a penalty on an unnamed U.S. automaker for monopolistic behaviour, the official China Daily newspaper reported on Wednesday, quoting a senior state planning official.

News of the penalty comes at a sensitive time for China-U.S. relations after U.S. president-elect Donald Trump called into question a long-standing U.S. policy of acknowledging that Taiwan is part of "one China".

Beijing maintains that self-ruled Taiwan is a wayward province of China and has never renounced the use of force to take it back.

Investigators found the U.S. company had instructed distributors to fix prices starting in 2014, Zhang Handong, director of the National Development and Reform Commission's price supervision bureau, was quoted as saying.

In an exclusive interview with the newspaper, Zhang said no one should "read anything improper" into the timing or target of the penalty.

The article did not give further details and the NDRC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

China, the world's largest auto market, has become crucial to the strategies of car companies around the world, including major U.S. players General Motors Co (GM.N) and Ford Motor Co (F.N).

"We are unaware of the issue," said Mark Truby, Ford's chief spokesman for its Asia-Pacific operations.

In a statement, GM said: "GM fully respects local laws and regulations wherever we operate. We do not comment on media speculation."

COMMENTS UNSETTLE COMPANIES

The penalty follows a government crackdown on what it has called monopolistic behaviour by foreign automakers and dealers.

It would be the second penalty by the NDRC this month and the seventh fine issued to automakers since the commission began anti-monopoly investigations in 2011, the newspaper said.

Targeted firms have included Audi AG (NSUG.DE), Daimler AG's (DAIGn.DE) Mercedes-Benz and Toyota Motor Corp , and one of Nissan Motor Co Ltd's joint ventures.

Story continues

The NDRC's move was not directed against Trump's latest comments but to show it was not letting up pressure on price fixing behaviour in the auto sector after a raft of fines last year, a source at a government-affiliated industry association said.

"I don't think NDRC had only made a decision two weeks ago or a week ago. This is a long-term plan for them," the source said.

Local media had reported NDRC officials saying a penalty would be levied against an international automotive firm this year prior to Trump's remarks on Taiwan, although they did not specify it would be a U.S. company.

In a separate editorial, the China Daily urged Trump to recognise the importance of close economic ties between China and the United States rather than "trying to gain an upper hand in what is essentially a win-win relationship".

"History proves that what is good for Sino-U.S. relations is good for their economies," it said, noting that Chinese customers bought more than a third of the 9.96 million vehicles GM sold worldwide last year.

"For the American economy to be great again... the U.S. needs to cement its economic relations with China, rather than destroy them."

Trump's challenges to China on trade and Taiwan have rattled American companies who have long benefited from stable relations between the two countries.

In 2011, China imposed duties of up to 22 percent on large cars and SUVs exported from the United States during a wide-ranging spat on trade and currencies that became a focus of criticism for U.S. presidential candidates.

(This story was refiled to correct wording of paragraph 10 to clarify reference to "monopolistic" behaviour)

(Additional reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
By John Ruwitch and Jake Spring

(Reuters) - Shares of U.S. automakers General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co skidded on Wednesday after a Chinese official warned the government could slap a penalty on an unnamed U.S. automaker for monopolistic behavior.

The warning from a senior Chinese state planning official, conveyed through the official China Daily newspaper on Wednesday, came days after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump questioned the longstanding U.S. policy of acknowledging that Taiwan is part of "one China."

Chinese officials had been investigating the pricing practices of automakers prior to Trump's comments, sources said.

Trump's rhetorical challenges to long-established policy toward China have rattled U.S. corporations. Relying on stable U.S.-China relations for more than 40 years, the companies have ramped up sales in China and developed complex supply chains that feed Chinese-made parts to their U.S. operations.

Jason Miller, a spokesman for the transition team, said on Wednesday that members of the team were aware of the China Daily report but that it would be premature to comment. He said he expected Trump to discuss the matter with billionaire investor Wilbur Ross, who has been tapped to be commerce secretary, when the two meet on Wednesday.

The president-elect has made very clear that hes going to get out there and fight for American companies and American jobs, and thats something he has not been shy about doing so far and its not something that were going to be shy about going forward, Miller said.

While Chinese officials did not directly link the warning about a possible penalty of a U.S. automaker to Trump's comments, the Chinese government has used regulatory sanctions against foreign corporations during previous episodes of diplomatic discord.

GM <GM.N> shares slumped 2.2 percent, while Ford <F.N> was down nearly 1 percent as the wider Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> slipped.

Story continues

In a statement on Wednesday, GM did not say directly whether it was under investigation by Chinese authorities. "GM fully respects local laws and regulations wherever we operate," the company said. "We do not comment on media speculation."

A spokesman for Ford's Asia-Pacific operations said the company was "unaware of the issue."

The China Daily quoted Zhang Handong, director of the National Development and Reform Commission's (NDRC) price supervision bureau, as saying investigators had found that a U.S. auto company had instructed distributors to fix prices starting in 2014.

The China Daily article did not give further details and the NDRC did not respond to requests for comment.

There are many ways that China could retaliate against the United States, including leveraging its holdings of $1.19 trillion of U.S. treasuries in September.

In an editorial, the China Daily urged Trump to recognize the importance of close economic ties between China and the United States.

"For the American economy to be great again ... the U.S. needs to cement its economic relations with China, rather than destroy them."

China, the world's largest vehicle market, is crucial to GM. Chinese consumers bought more than one-third of the 9.96 million vehicles GM sold globally in 2015. Profits from Chinese operations, including joint ventures, accounted for about 20 percent of GM's global net income of $9.7 billion in 2015.

Ford's China joint ventures represented about 16 percent of its global pretax profit of $9.4 billion in 2015.

"This action is just a hint as to how much power China wields," said Michael Dunne, president of Dunne Automotive and a veteran of the Chinese auto industry. "A small fine of several million dollars is likely. The message is, 'If you want to play, we can play.'"

While Zhang's comments to the China Daily appeared just days after Trump's remarks, people familiar with the situation said Chinese officials have been cracking down on what they have called monopolistic behavior by foreign automakers and dealers for several years.

If the NDRC levies a new penalty it would be the second this month and the seventh issued to automakers since the commission began anti-monopoly investigations in 2011, the China Daily said.

Targeted firms have included Audi AG <NSUG.DE>, Daimler AG's <DAIGn.DE> Mercedes-Benz and Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T>, and one of Nissan Motor Co Ltd's <7201.T> joint ventures.

"I don't think the NDRC had only made a decision two weeks ago or a week ago. This is a long-term plan for them," a source at a government-affiliated industry association said.

Analysts said on Wednesday that a separate Chinese action would undercut confidence in the Chinese auto market outlook.

Separately, China will extend a tax cut on small-engine vehicles to 2017, two sources told Reuters, a move that could prevent a predicted steep drop-off in sales.

(Additional reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu in Beijing, Bernie Woodall in Detroit and Emily Stephenson in Washington)
(BEIJING)  Any change in U.S. policy favoring formal recognition of Taiwan will seriously damage peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and undermine relations between Beijing and Washington, a Chinese government spokesman said Wednesday.

The comments from the Cabinets Taiwan Affairs Office follow President-elect Donald Trumps remarks over the weekend that he didnt feel bound by a one-China policy unless the U.S. could gain benefits from China in trade and other areas.

Under the one-China policy, the U.S. recognizes Beijing as Chinas government and maintains only unofficial relations with Taiwan, a former Japanese colony which broke from the Chinese mainland amid civil in 1949.

Spokesman An Fengshan said breaching the one-China principle will seriously affect peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

The one-China policy is an important political foundation for relations between China and the U.S., An told reporters. If such a foundation is disturbed or undermined, there can be no talk of a healthy and stable development of U.S-China relations.

Read More: Trumps Doubting of One China Has Sparked Both Hope and Fear in Taiwan

Trump broke diplomatic precedent by talking on the phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Dec. 2, during which the islands leader congratulated Trump on his election victory. Then, this past weekend, Trump said he might use Americas recognition of Beijing as leverage for gaining advantages in trade and other areas.

That is placing him perilously close to touching on Chinas bottom line that brooks no formal recognition of Taiwan or challenge to its claim to sovereignty over the island. Chinas response has thus far been fairly muted, mainly blaming Tsai for placing the call.

The last major crisis over Taiwan came in 1995, when China staged threatening war games and missile tests near the island in response to then-president Lee Teng-huis visit to the U.S., which was seen by Beijing as a bid to solidify the islands de-facto independent status. The move was largely seen as backfiring, with Lee winning the islands first direct presidential election in 1996.

Story continues

Washington responded by putting two aircraft carrier battle groups on alert, one of which crossed the Taiwan Strait, although Chinas vast strides in military power in the years since would likely complicate such a move in the current era.

The U.S. and China are the worlds two largest economies with bilateral trade in goods and services reaching nearly $660 billion last year.

Although the U.S. does not challenge Chinas claim to sovereignty over Taiwan, Washington remains Taiwans main source of weapons, with $14 billion in approved arms sales since 2009, and is bound by law to consider threats to the islands security a matter of grave concern.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China is willing to work with the international community to fully implement U.N. resolutions on North Korea, but opposes any unilateral sanctions outside that framework, a senior Chinese diplomat told Japan on Wednesday. Japan and South Korea said this month they would impose new unilateral sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, following a new U.N. Security Council resolution imposed on the reclusive country. North Korea has rejected the U.N. resolution, aimed at cutting its annual export revenue by a quarter after its fifth and largest nuclear test in September. It says the resolution is a conspiracy hatched by the United States to deny its sovereignty. Both South Korea and Japan already have comprehensive unilateral sanctions in place against North Korea. Speaking by telephone to Kenji Kanasugi, director-general of Asian and Oceanian affairs bureau at Japan's foreign ministry, China's special envoy for the Korean peninsula Wu Dawei said China had always pushed for denuclearization via talks. "China is willing, along with the international community, to fully and completely enforce Security Council resolutions, and opposes unilateral sanctions imposed outside the framework of Security Council resolutions," China's Foreign Ministry cited Wu as saying. "The situation on the Korean peninsula is complex and sensitive. All sides should work hard together to maintain the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula," Wu said. China also hopes all parties can create conditions for the early resumption of a six-party talks process, he said, referring to a stalled dialogue mechanism involving the two Koreas, China, Japan, the United States and Russia. China is North Korea's sole major ally though their relations have been seriously strained by North Korea's repeated missile and nuclear tests. While China has signed up for several rounds of U.N. sanctions it has repeatedly said civilians and normal trade contacts should not be affected. China has long feared that cutting off North Korea completely could lead to its collapse, pushing waves of refugees into China's poor northeast. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)
BEIJING (AP)  China says any change in U.S. policy favoring formal recognition of Taiwan will "seriously" damage peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and undermine relations between Beijing and Washington.

The comments from the spokesman for the Cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office Wednesday follow President-elect Donald Trump's remarks over the weekend that he didn't feel "bound by a one-China policy" unless the U.S. could gain benefits from China in trade and other areas.

Under the one-China policy, the U.S. recognizes Beijing as China's government and maintains only unofficial relations with Taiwan, which broke from the Chinese mainland in 1949.

Spokesman An Fengshan said breaching the one-China principle "will seriously affect peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."
BEIJING (AP)  Any change in U.S. policy favoring formal recognition of Taiwan will "seriously" damage peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and undermine relations between Beijing and Washington, a Chinese government spokesman said Wednesday.

The comments from the Cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office follow President-elect Donald Trump's remarks over the weekend that he didn't feel "bound by a one-China policy" unless the U.S. could gain benefits from China in trade and other areas.

Under the one-China policy, the U.S. recognizes Beijing as China's government and maintains only unofficial relations with Taiwan, a former Japanese colony which broke from the Chinese mainland amid civil in 1949.

Spokesman An Fengshan said breaching the one-China principle "will seriously affect peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

"The one-China policy is an important political foundation for relations between China and the U.S.," An told reporters. "If such a foundation is disturbed or undermined, there can be no talk of a healthy and stable development of U.S-China relations."

Trump broke diplomatic precedent by talking on the phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Dec. 2, during which the island's leader congratulated Trump on his election victory. Then, this past weekend, Trump said he might use America's recognition of Beijing as leverage for gaining advantages in trade and other areas.

That is placing him perilously close to touching on China's bottom line that brooks no formal recognition of Taiwan or challenge to its claim to sovereignty over the island. China's response has thus far been fairly muted, mainly blaming Tsai for placing the call.

The last major crisis over Taiwan came in 1995, when China staged threatening war games and missile tests near the island in response to then-president Lee Teng-hui's visit to the U.S., which was seen by Beijing as a bid to solidify the island's de-facto independent status. The move was largely seen as backfiring, with Lee winning the island's first direct presidential election in 1996.

Story continues

Washington responded by putting two aircraft carrier battle groups on alert, one of which crossed the Taiwan Strait, although China's vast strides in military power in the years since would likely complicate such a move in the current era.

The U.S. and China are the world's two largest economies with bilateral trade in goods and services reaching nearly $660 billion last year.

Although the U.S. does not challenge China's claim to sovereignty over Taiwan, Washington remains Taiwan's main source of weapons, with $14 billion in approved arms sales since 2009, and is bound by law to consider threats to the island's security a matter of "grave concern."
(New throughout, adds financial and product details for Lucid and LeEco)

By Paul Lienert and Alexandria Sage

DETROIT/SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Three electric-car startups funded by Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting will display vehicles at the giant CES 2017 trade show in Las Vegas next month, and two former executives told Reuters that one of the companies plans to roll out a dozen models through 2026.

The three companies still have not detailed how they plan to fund their efforts to challenge Tesla Motors Inc in the luxury electric vehicle market.

One of the three, Faraday Future, has said it will unveil a prototype of its first production vehicle but did not provide details. The two former executives, who declined to speak on the record, described the vehicle to Reuters and gave other details of the company's ambitious 10-year strategy.

Faraday has said its first vehicle is slated for production in early 2018. The former executives said the company uses the internal designation Project 91 for the vehicle. They described it as a large, luxury flagship sedan designed to sell for $150,000-$200,000 -- more than the most expensive Tesla.

They said a second model, designated Project 81 and due about a year later, is a mid-size crossover slotted in size and price between the Tesla Model S and Model X. Faraday plans a third, less expensive model to debut around 2020.

A Faraday spokesperson declined to comment on those details.

Faraday started building a $1 billion assembly plant outside Las Vegas, but stopped work in November. According to a Nevada state official, the company missed several payments to the building contractor.

On Wednesday, another of the companies, California-based Lucid Motors, unveiled a prototype of the Lucid Air, a $100,000 luxury sedan it hopes to begin building in Arizona in late 2018. Lucid, formerly named Atieva, plans to follow the launch of the Air with a pair of luxury crossovers in 2020-2021, company executives told Reuters in June.

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Lucid executive Peter Rawlinson on Wednesday said the company plans to seek additional funding from investors in early 2017. He said LeEco is a minority investor in Lucid, but has no other connection.

In November, Jia said the third electric vehicle company he is backing, Beijing-based LeEco, faced a shortage of cash and was suffering from expanding too fast, in too many directions. Weeks later, LeEco's parent, Leshi Holdings, said it had secured commitments in China for $600 million to support LeEco.

Jia's plan to build three factories - one for each brand - is expected to cost at least $3.5 billion, according to estimates from each company. Design and engineering could boost startup costs by another $1 billion or more, according to sources familiar with Jia's strategy.

LeEco, whose U.S. headquarters is in San Jose, earlier this year announced plans to build its own $1.8 billion factory in Hangzhou, China. It plans to show a self-driving concept called LeSEE Pro at CES.

(Reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit and Alexandria Sage in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio)
Theyve met each Thursday for more than a year now in a conference room near 26th and P streets, the same item on their agenda appearing week after week: Identify and help the most vulnerable people in Lincoln.

A dozen representatives from the agencies and offices that work with homeless people all turn to the same screen displaying a database of risky behavior and sad situations. The men and women on this list had, at some point, answered a series of uniform questions about their habits and health designed to quantify the danger they're facing.

Among them:

How long have you been homeless?

Have you ever been beaten?

Do you share needles?

How often have you checked into an emergency room?

Are you wanted by the law?

Have you resorted to prostitution?

Do you have anything that brings you enjoyment, or are you just getting through the day?

The higher you score, the more vulnerable you are, said John Turner of Region V Systems, one of the agencies at the table every week. And really, the more likely you are to die on the streets.

The Most Vulnerable Review Teams goal has been to get Lincoln's most chronically homeless off of the street, under a roof and receiving the services they need. For their drug and alcohol abuse. For their mental and physical health problems. For their inability to find and keep jobs.

When you look at the list, the goal is to decide a housing strategy for each person, Turner said. What's our plan? Does anybody have any openings? Does anybody have any beds?"

But money has been tight, apartments scarce, and some weeks, those at the meetings have been able to help only the most vulnerable and chronically homeless person on the list, the others having to wait until the next meeting, or the meeting after.

That's changing. Last month, Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach announced a $200,000 federal grant to pay for 15 apartments. And this week, CenterPointe, Region V and the Mental Health Association provided details on about a $1.9 million grant for services to support those they intend to place in 60 additional homes.

So the hope now is to officially end chronic homelessness in Lincoln, something known as functional zero -- where the city has more beds available than it does chronically homeless people.

Thats the goal, Turner said. We know everyone, weve assessed everyone and we have a plan for everyone.

Housing first, then help

The list of Lincolns most vulnerable contained 63 people last week -- but the effort is focused on those also considered chronically homeless.

That means they have a disability and have been continuously homeless for the past 12 months or were homeless four times for a total of 12 months over three years.

Last week, 38 people met that description, said Jeff Chambers, director of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center on Children, Families, and the Law.

Most were men, most were white. Their average age was 47, though they were as young as 21 and as old as 62. Their periods of homelessness ranged from one month to 132. Nearly 85 percent were sleeping in places not meant for human habitation, like apartment laundry rooms, abandoned porches or their cars.

Theyre often the least desirable renters. They have a history of evictions. They've run up unpaid utility bills. Theyve left damaged apartments in their wakes.

But those who serve Lincolns homeless are embracing whats known as the Housing First approach: Put a roof over someones head -- without requiring their commitment to recovery or sobriety, without a credit check or background check -- and theyre more likely to then get the intensive support they need, to take better care of themselves.

CenterPointe, which has long offered behavioral health and substance abuse help, has provided homes with a Housing First approach since the 1990s. Last year, 373 people were housed through CenterPointe programs, and 97 percent of them had been homeless, said Director Topher Hansen.

People arent going to get better if theyre living on the streets, Hansen said. We see this as a critical link to help the people we serve get better.

Some will still drink, said Turner. But instead of killing a bottle of vodka and crashing in an alley, maybe theyll have a few drinks before going to bed.

If you put me in an apartment, Im going to like the fact Im not on the streets anymore, he said. Im going to work a little harder.

Always new names

The $1.9 million, three-year grant will pay for the support homeless people need to stay in their new homes.

It paid for CenterPointe to hire two peer support workers and two case managers. It paid for Region V to add a housing coordinator and an assistant. And it paid for the Mental Health Association to hire a supported employment worker and a half-time benefit analysis expert.

Together, theyll help people find and keep apartments and jobs, get them enrolled in treatment programs and provide the health and support services they need.

The focus is retention. The system talks a lot about housing people, which is what were doing, Turner said. But its really hard to keep them housed.

Still, he said, its worth it to try. The most chronically homeless people can tax the system. Several years ago, providers calculated the cost of the 13 highest users of Lincolns emergency system, like ambulances, the jail and detox. The total: $700,000.

The grant cant pay for rent, so Region V is allocating 60 housing vouchers -- 30 in 2017, then 15 each of the next two years -- to put people in apartments. The vouchers cover rent, security deposit, utilities and furniture.

In some cases, Region V will also help ease the fears of reluctant landlords by promising to pay for damages.

Were coming to the table and saying, 'If theres a problem, call us. Well take care of it, Turner said. Thats something that I offer to landlords so they answer my phone when I call.

And that can be the tricky part of Housing First initiatives.

Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach is just starting to fill 15 apartments -- its first tenant moved into a place Monday -- and has been meeting with potential property owners.

I wont say weve been rejected, said Director Susanne Blue. Theres just been a lot of caution expressed.

So far, Matt Talbot has verbal agreements with seven landlords and property managers to work with the nonprofit as it fills its next 14 apartments, which it hopes to do by March.

Turner has found larger property management companies to be the least cooperative. But hes been able to build relationships with private landlords, like Jack Irons.

There is a risk of Housing First tenants falling off the wagon and damaging an apartment, Irons said. Still, theres a risk with any tenant.

Anybody in the real estate business understands youre going to have good and bad tenants.

But theres also a reward with these tenants and lots of success stories. Hes watched some kick their addictions and reunite with their families.

I think everybody comes across hard times one way or another. I believe in their program, and I believe in helping people that need help.

The groups will begin filling the next 30 apartments in January. The list of Lincolns chronically homeless will get shorter as providers shoot for functional zero, the official end of chronic homelessness.

But the Thursday meetings at CenterPointe will continue.

New names are going to come in, Turner said. Theres always new names.
Chris Evans is ditching Captain America to play a famously terrifying villain

Ever since 2011, the world has known Christopher Robert Evans as Captain America, the kindest, studliest, swolest superhero to ever live (in two entirely different time periods).

But pretty soon, the dude who took down an entire helicopter using only his massive biceps and protected his BFF Bucky at his own peril in Captain America: Civil War is going to get a whole lot darker  like, Jekyll & Hyde darker. Everyones favorite woke internet boyfriend is officially set to star as Dr. Tom Jackman in the film adaptation of Jekyll, with Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) committed to direct.

Jekyll was originally a BBC miniseries starring James Nesbitt, focusing on Jackman  a modern-day descendent of the OG famous Jekyll from the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde novella  and his descent into Jekyll and Hyde madness. Once a happily married father, Dr. Jackman abandons his family and pals up with a psychiatric nurse to help him contain his rage-filled alter ego. However, Hyde frequently takes over, and per Deadline, well get to see Evans show heightened strength and speed in the role, and act like a charming, flirtatious scoundrel as well.

Though seeing Evans rage out might be a little bit strange for diehard Cap fans, what the actor might do after his contract with Marvel expires has been a major point of conversation over the past couple of years. Seeing him get a role this big is major  last year he tried out indie movie directing and it, uh, didnt go so well  and proves once and for all that quitting acting is no longer on Evans to-do list.

Also, though hes never played a villain quite as terrifying as Dr. Jackman, he has shown his bad guy skills before, most notably in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. That film also showed off Evans impressive comedic chops, so well just be over here hoping and praying that the charming, flirtatious scoundrel Hyde has some epic one-liners up his sleeve as well.

Story continues

Because, if theres anything that can save America as it exists today, its not Cap  its Chris Evans, comic actor.

The post Chris Evans is ditching Captain America to play a famously terrifying villain appeared first on HelloGiggles.
This Immigrant Doctor Is Reimagining Health in the American City

On Sunday, Donald Trump told Fox News that nobody really knows whether climate change is real. But scientists who staged a rally in San Francisco on Tuesday had a stinging rebuke for the president-elect: Its real, its here, and we are bracing for an epic battle against your policies and appointments.

The election result was not the one that many of us would like to see, but the battle goes on and must go on, Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University, said at the rally.

Mann spoke outside the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, where 26,000 scientists are gathering in the first major convening of climate scientists since the presidential election. He was joined by other climate researchers and activists representing Native Americans and people living in frontline communities near polluting refineries, power plants, pipelines, and other fossil fuel infrastructure.

The rally, called Stand Up for Science, was organized by ClimateTruth.Org and The Natural History Museum, a self-described mobile and pop-up museum that champions bold climate action.

Its critical that scientists step forward and make our voices heard, not just for the sake of scientific research but for the sake of the entire planet, Mann said. We have our work before us. This is our home. Its time to start acting like it.

Kim Cobb, professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology, said hundreds of scientists attending the conference were at the rally.

We have, for too long as scientists, rested on the assumption that by providing indisputable facts and great data, we are providing enough of an attack to counter the forces against science, she told the crowd. Obviously, that strategy has failed miserably.

We need all scientists who care deeply about their work, the facts, and the truth to shake off all fear that holds them back from engaging in this space, Cobb said. Its time. Its past time. If we do speak together, I am confident we can change the course of history.

Story continues

RELATED: President Trump Could Trash the Paris Agreement, but Why Would He Want To?

In an interview, Beka Economopoulos of The Natural History Museum said, Were thrilled there are dozens of scientists getting up from the labs and into the streets, and I anticipate we will see more of this. Our biggest message is the role for scientific institutions standing up for science.

Economopoulos said the rally underscores points made in recent weeks by hundreds of climate scientists who have signed petitions, written open letters to the president-elect, and organized colleagues to take action.

In the wake of the election weve seen anti-science and climate-denier forces gain unprecedented power, and science is under attack, Economopoulos said. The Trump administration proposes to gut or ax science funding, dismantle our climate and clean energy policies, and has appointed climate deniers with ties to the fossil fuel industry to key cabinet positions and asked for the names in the Department of Energy of all employees who have worked on climate change in what has been referred to as a witch hunt.

Requests for comment from the Trump transition team were not returned.

Around the world, scientists and activists are bracing for what they say will be Trumps dismantling of laws and regulations that protect clean air and water, limit greenhouse gas emissions, and restrict drilling and mining offshore and on public land. Other concerns include Trumps pledge to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.

Its a nightmare, Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an interview. This is the wealthiest, most corporate, most climate-denying cabinet in the history of our government, and were going to be looking at assaults on any efforts to rein in global warming by a unified front throughout the entire federal government.

His biggest fear? That this new administration is able to structurally undermine these agencies such that the impact is going to last for decades rather than just the four years [its] likely to get, he said.

First on the chopping block: President Obamas Clean Power Plan, which requires all new and upgraded power plants to comply with federal Clean Air Act greenhouse gas emissions standards. The rule is enforced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which will likely be headed by Kansas Attorney General Scott Pruitt, an energy industry ally and climate-change denier.

Its the No. 1 target of the head of the EPA because that rule, more than any other, is hated by the oil and gas industry, Suckling said, adding that industry will overturn many Obama policies simply by taking the government to court.

A lot will be done through the sue-and-settle tactic, he said. Industry will file suits, and the administration will simply settle them. Its the fastest, easiest way for industry to change policy. The rule-making procedure is long and complicated and has to be approved under scientific legal standards. This way its just presto, and Obama energy policies disappear.

Suckling added that Trump will undermine the political ability of cities and counties to go forward with fracking bans, and create a free-for-all for fossil fuel extraction on public lands.

The 'Keep It in the Ground' movement has gained some steam in the last four years, but with Trump and his bevy of oil industry executives, well see a huge ramp-up in oil, gas, and even coal mining on public lands, Suckling said. Were rapidly progressing into becoming the United States of Oil.

Sign the Petition: Sign the Petition to Help End Climate Change Denial in the Media

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Original article from TakePart
By Noor Zainab Hussain (Reuters) - Spreadbetting group CMC Markets Plc said on Wednesday it was considering future options for its business after Britain's finance watchdog proposed tightening regulation of the 3.5 billion pound industry where most retail investors lose money. The Financial Conduct Authority said last week it had found evidence of poor conduct across the market over the past six years and proposed changes, including a cap on use of leverage in betting in some cases. Sky News reported on Tuesday that CMC could move its headquarters and its London-based contracts-for-difference (CFD) operations to Germany, where proposed new rules on spreadbetting are less draconian. (http://bit.ly/2hJZN1o) CMC was set up nearly three decades ago by Peter Cruddas, its current chief executive who is also one of the City of London's most prominent supporters of Britain's exit from the European Union. "CMC will consider all options open to the business to ensure that shareholder value is delivered whilst continuing to offer the highest levels of customer protection," the company said in an emailed statement to Reuters. "Until CMC has finished discussions with the UK and German regulators as part of the consultation process the board is not in a position to make any comment on the outcome of its review," CMC said. CFDs allow investors to bet on both the direction of a share price, currency or other financial product and the extent of the change in price. The industry is regulated by European Union rules which have no caps on leverage. That means investors can take out bets that are far larger than their initial outlay, offering greater potential returns but also running the risk of huge losses. France has already moved to ban digital advertising of CFDs and the Netherlands is considering a similar measure. Belgium has banned CFD trading, Cyprus has issued a warning to retail currency brokers and Germany has also announced new rules to curb spreadbetting. CMC, which listed on the London stock market in February, has said that it welcomed a more balanced approach by German regulator Bafin. CMC's rivals include IG Group Plc, Plus500 Denmark's Saxo Bank and FXCM Inc. Sky News also reported that IG Group's Chief Executive Peter Hetherington was in Germany on Tuesday to talk with BaFin about the reforms. "The UK has been IG's home market since the company was established in 1974, and we have absolutely no intention to change this," IG's Head of Investor Relations Kieran McKinney told Reuters. Shares in CMC, IG and Plus500 all dropped more than 30 percent on Dec. 6, after the UK watchdog's announcement. CMC's shares rose more than 3 percent early on Wednesday in reaction to Sky's report. By 1249 GMT they were up 1.6 percent at 96.5 pence. (Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by Jane Merriman and Susan Fenton)
LONDON (AP)  It's not quite Cold War II, but the collapse of U.S. military relations with Russia could prove to be one of the most consequential aspects of President Barack Obama's national security legacy while presenting an early test of Donald Trump's hope for friendly ties to Moscow.

Beyond the prospect of the two militaries accidentally brushing against each other in Europe or the Middle East, there is concern that a near-complete absence of military-to-military communication could enable a miscalculation or escalation leading to a nuclear confrontation. The United States and Russia possess 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons. Some are continuously on high alert.

While Secretary of State John Kerry and his predecessor, Hillary Clinton, kept up frequent contact with their Russian counterpart on Syria, Iran and other issues, the Pentagon and the Kremlin went largely silent on topics like nuclear risk reduction. The Pentagon cut off most military-to-military contacts with Moscow in 2014 after Russia's annexation of Crimea and its incursions into eastern Ukraine, and the Russians ended longstanding cooperation with the U.S. on nuclear security. That left the relationship at a low ebb that worries some experts.

Former Sen. Sam Nunn, who heads a non-partisan group that advocates for measures to reduce the risk of nuclear conflict, warns that Washington and Moscow are in a "race between cooperation and catastrophe." Cooperation, he says, is losing.

"The dangers are growing," he said in a telephone interview. "Distrust between the U.S. and Russia, between NATO and Russia, is in a downward spiral."

The slide has quickened, and the repair perhaps made more difficult, by allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election and the Pentagon's sharp criticism of the Russian military's role in Syria. Trump has held out hope of improving relations with his future counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, whom he has praised. But it's unclear what that portends for military ties.

Story continues

Some of Trump's top administration picks, including Rex Tillerson for secretary of state, are seen as friendly toward Russia. But the president-elect's choice for defense secretary, retired Gen. James Mattis, has expressed worry about Russia's intentions. In remarks to the Heritage Foundation in 2015, he said Russia wants to "break NATO apart."

Mattis may face some urgency in setting a new course for military ties with Russia, but some voices in the new administration may press for other early priorities, such as advancing the anti-Islamic State fight in Iraq.

The man Mattis would replace, Defense Secretary Ash Carter, is wrapping up a world tour this week, but did not visit Moscow. In fact, he has not been there during his nearly two years in office. His two immediate predecessors, Chuck Hagel and Leon Panetta, never made it to Moscow, either. The last defense secretary to visit Moscow was Obama's first, Robert Gates, in 2011.

During the Gates period, the biggest sticking point in relations with Russia was Moscow's unbending opposition to U.S. plans to deploy missile defenses in Europe, which the Russians view as provocative and a potential military threat. Since then, contention has grown in multiple directions, including Russian military moves in Crimea and eastern Ukraine and its military support for the Bashar Assad government in Syria.

The U.S. also asserts that Moscow is violating the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty by developing a ground-launched cruise missile - a charge the Russians deny while making their own claims of American treaty violations. Carter has accused Russia of engaging in "nuclear saber-rattling" that he says calls into question their respect for norms against nuclear use.

In a report released this week by Nunn's group, the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the stakes are described in stark terms.

"Russia and the West are at a dangerous crossroads," the report says. "During the past several years, we have been in a state of escalating tension, trapped in a downward spiral of antagonism and distrust."

The report recommends steps to reduce the likelihood of accident or miscalculation leading to a nuclear exchange, which it says is "now higher than any period since the end of the Cold War" in 1991. Even during the darkest periods of the Cold War, Washington and Moscow pursued negotiations aimed at controlling nuclear risk. Today there are no active U.S.-Russia arms control talks and none are on the horizon.

The report says this "national security malpractice" must change.

The report is based on the group's consultations with defense and security experts from the U.S., Russia and Europe, including Andrew Futter, a nuclear weapons and missile defense expert at Britain's University of Leicester, and Andrey Kortunov, director general of the Russian International Affairs Council, a Moscow think tank. Among the recommendations:

Require all Russian and NATO military aircraft to fly with their transponders turned on to make it easier to identify aircraft flying over sensitive areas like the Baltic Sea and the Nordic region.

Restore U.S. and NATO military-to-military communication, suspended in 2014.

Exclude nuclear-capable forces from military exercises.

Issue presidential declarations in Moscow and Washington reaffirming that "nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," a phrase used by President Ronald Reagan in 1984.
(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.) By Mark Miller CHICAGO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Ed Slott is one of the nation's top experts on IRAs. But a couple of years ago, someone near and dear to him neglected to take a required minimum distribution from one of her individual retirement accounts.

"It happened to my mother," Slott admitted with a laugh - an ironic story for someone who has written numerous books on retirement distribution planning, and who also hosts a popular financial advice series on public television and trains financial advisers on IRAs.

"Her adviser just forgot about one of her accounts," said Slott, who is based in Rockville Centre, New York. "That shows you how easy it can be for this to fall through the cracks." Internal Revenue Service rules require retirement investors to begin withdrawing a certain amount annually from traditional IRAs (not Roths) and 401(k) accounts in the year that they reach age 70-1/2. The deadline for most required minimum distributions (RMDs) is Dec. 31, so this is a good time to double-check on your retirement accounts, or those of any family members you might be assisting with money management. Missing the RMD deadline leaves you on the hook for an onerous 50 percent tax penalty - plus interest - on the amounts you failed to draw on time.

The RMD rules exist to limit the tax benefits of these accounts to the years when you save for retirement; income taxes on withdrawn assets are due in the year of your drawdown.

But RMDs can be a real headache. They can trigger an increase in income taxes if they push you into a higher bracket - and they can trigger higher taxes on Social Security benefits and substantial high-income surcharges on Medicare premiums.

TRICKY RULES All IRAs and 401(k) account owners who have reached the magic age are subject to the RMD rules. One exception: if you are still working for the company that sponsors your 401(k), the IRS rules do not require that you take a distribution.

Story continues

There is also an exception to the Dec. 31 deadline. In the year that you turn 70-1/2, you have until April 1 to take your RMD. However, waiting until April means you will be taking two distributions in the following year.

If you inherit an IRA, distributions are required unless you received it from a spouse. The IRS rules on managing your inherited IRA can be found here: (http://bit.ly/2hqH5wp) RMDs must be calculated for each account you own by dividing the prior Dec. 31 balance with a life expectancy factor that you can find in IRS Publication 590. Often, your account provider will calculate RMDs for you - but the final responsibility is yours. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the financial services self-regulatory agency, offers a calculator to help figure out RMDs (http://bit.ly/1xKMPWm).

Slott warns that the rules are especially tricky for people who have multiple accounts. "People often ask which of their RMDs can be combined and taken from one account - they often think it doesn't matter where the distribution comes from," he said. "But they're wrong." The IRS rules require that RMDs must be calculated separately for all the accounts you own. In some cases, RMD amounts can be added together and the distribution taken as you like from one or more of the accounts. Any type of IRA accounts can be aggregated, which means you could total up your RMDs and take it all from one IRA - one that is a poor performer, perhaps, or one that will help you rebalance an account that might be overweight in equities in your allocation plan.

Multiple 403(b) accounts also can be aggregated, but you cannot satisfy an RMD from an IRA with funds from a 403(b), or vice versa. And 401(k) RMDs cannot be aggregated at all - if you have more than one 401(k) account from former or current employers, those RMDs cannot be aggregated - you must take the RMD from the accounts separately.

KEEP IT SIMPLE Slott notes that simplicity is the retirement investor's friend when it comes to RMDs - consolidating IRAs reduces paperwork and complexity. Likewise, consolidating 401(k) accounts during your career makes it easier to track investments and RMDs - and even avoid them if you are still working at age 70-1/2.

The 50 percent penalty is a tough pill to swallow - but Slott says the IRS often will waive the penalty if you make a mistake but can offer a "reasonable cause" for the error. First, take corrective action immediately by taking the required distribution. Then, file IRS Form 5329, explaining in one written sentence how you screwed up. "You were confused by the rules, or you miscalculated, or your financial adviser made an error," he suggests.

"It's easy to get it waived," he added. "That's what happened in my mother's case." (Editing by Matthew Lewis)
(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)

By Alison Frankel

NEW YORK, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Christopher Bogart, the CEO of the litigation financier Burford Capital, has a five-year plan. Within that time frame, Bogart told me Wednesday, he believes the litigation funding industry will become so well-established that the CFO and general counsel of every major company contemplating big-ticket litigation will engage in financial analysis - just as companies do when they are deciding how to fund tech investments. Sophisticated corporations, in Bogart's assessment, are going to decide in many instances to use outside capital to finance litigation.

To take full advantage of the anticipated boom, Bogart's Burford announced Tuesday that it has acquired one of its best-known competitors, the Chicago-based litigation financier Gerchen Keller Capital.

Burford, which is publicly traded on the London stock exchange and had total equity shareholders' funds of nearly $500 million as of June 2016, will pay $160 million to acquire Gerchen Keller in a combination of cash and Burford shares and notes.

Gerchen Keller's three principals will assume high-ranking jobs at Burford and the two outfits will combine their staffs, bringing Burford's total number of lawyers to about 40.

Even before the merger, Burford and Gerchen Keller described themselves as the two largest litigation financiers in the world. Between them, they've invested more than $2 billion in litigation or arbitration. In combination, they are unquestionably the dominant force in the litigation finance industry.

The two companies operate via different business models - and the combined Burford plans to continue to use them both. Burford's management owns 13 percent of its publicly traded equity, so its principals make money alongside investors when the firm's investments pay off.

Gerchen Keller, by contrast, is structured like a hedge fund. It has raised more than $1 billion in a handful of closed-end investment vehicles, mostly from large institutional investors such as university endowments and public pension funds, including Michigan and Texas municipal employee funds.

Story continues

Gerchen Keller earns a stream of income from the 1-to-2 percent management fees it charges for deciding how to invest the money it has raised. It may also bring in performance fees of 15 to 50 percent if its investment decisions pay off. Gerchen's funds have not been in operation long enough to have kicked off performance fees, which will belong in the future to the combined entity.

According to Burford's Bogart and Gerchen Keller principal Travis Lenkner, Burford will step into Gerchen Keller's place as the manager of Gerchen's existing funds. (The funds are closed so Burford will not be a direct investor.)

Burford shareholders will benefit from the steady stream of management fees and, assuming the funds' investments are successful, eventual performance fees. Burford shareholders seem to have welcomed the Gerchen deal: The share price rose 16 percent on Tuesday after the merger was announced.

"THERE HAS TO BE AN INDUSTRY"

The combination will also diversify the two funds' investment portfolios.

Burford is best known for funding the cost of big-dollar commercial litigation and arbitration, historically earning more than 70 percent returns on the capital it invests. Gerchen Keller similarly funds commercial litigation, with a particular niche in intellectual property cases.

But it also has raised money for what it calls post-settlement funding. Mostly, that means factoring law firm billing receivables, whether those receivables are contingency fees for plaintiffs' lawyers in personal injury litigation or hourly legal bills for law firms that don't want to wait around to collect from clients.

Typically, these post-settlement investments offer much lower returns than litigation financiers can earn from backing the winning side in a big commercial dispute: Gerchen Keller's internal rate of return on its $400 million post-settlement funding play, for example, has been 12.6 percent, according to the merger announcement - less than the 52 percent returns it has realized so far from its pre-settlement investments.

The post-settlement business is also less risky, which is why institutional investors are attracted to it. Burford said that adding Gerchen Keller's post-settlement funding expertise "will permit Burford to continue to innovate and expand its products and solidify its client relationships while also managing balance sheet risk."

Bogart and Lenkner both emphasized that this combination is good for their firms.

Each funder is staffed with lawyers with dazzling resumes. Their client lists overlap but are also different enough that, between them, Lenkner said, they've worked with just about every law firm in the Am Law 100 and the prestige litigation boutiques.

Litigation funding is a booming asset class, Lenkner said, with all sorts of law firm lenders and asset managers steering money into the space. In a crowded field, he said, the expertise and experience of the combined Burford firm is a distinct competitive advantage.

So it may come as something of a surprise that Bogart said his ambition is not at all for the combined Burford and Gerchen Keller to squish competitors. Quite to the contrary, he said: Bogart wants the new Burford to strengthen the entire industry of law firm finance.

In the U.K., several dedicated litigation funders such as Harbour Litigation Funding, Calunius Capital and Therium have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in British, European and Asian cases.

Litigation funding was slower to catch on in the U.S., probably because of contingency fees and the American rule, and remains a splintered, opaque business.

That will have to change if Bogart is going to realize his five-year goal of making litigation finance a routine consideration within big corporations. Even the newly combined Burford and Gerchen Keller can't capitalize all of the litigation in the U.S. that Bogart believes should be funded. "There has to be an industry," he said.

The new Burford could be a model for the litigation funding industry in the U.S. if other funders here follow its example of (relative) transparency and investment due diligence. Or its dominance could send competitors into the shadows, chasing shady deals with desperate law firms.

I sure hope it's the former.

(Reporting by Alison Frankel. Editing by Alessandra Rafferty.)
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - The centre-right European People's Party (EPP) nominated Italian Antonio Tajani as its candidate for head of the European Parliament to succeed German Socialist Martin Schulz, who has said he will step down in January.

Tajani, 63, who was European commissioner for industry from 2010-2014 under Jose Manuel Barroso, was comfortably elected at a party meeting in Strasbourg Tuesday evening.

Besides Tajani, three party MEPs were candidates in the "primary": former French minister Alain Lamassoure, Irishwoman Mairead McGuinness and Slovenian Alojz Peterle.

"With his experience, Antonio Tajani will be a bridge builder between the political forces inside our House and a strong voice outside," EPP leader Manfred Weber said after the vote.

Schulz announced on November 24 that he was leaving the European Parliament to devote himself to German politics after almost five years as head of the institution.

On paper the EPP candidate has a serious chance of becoming the next president, as the party has the most MEPs, but the January 17 election looks set to be more contested than expected.

The social democrats, the second largest group in parliament, have warned they will not accept a "monopoly" by the EPP whose representatives already head the two other major EU institutions -- the EU Commission (Jean-Claude Juncker) and the European Council (Donald Tusk).
Great Wraps, 6100 O St. FC#4. Main cooler at front counter operating at unsafe temp for food safety, many products moved and discarded (corrected). Spray bottle of degreaser not labeled.

Russ's Market #21, 1550 S. Coddington Ave. Foodhandlers working without current permits in bakery and deli. Deli and bakery foodhandler info not kept current (corrected). Produce Quat dispensed Solutions below 200ppm, Quat source empty, repeat (corrected). Deli meat slicer with bits of meat and foul odor; undersides of baker mixers with residue accumulation (repeat). Grill pizza prep cooler not holding food at safe temp, product discarded (repeat). Shellfish stock tags for raw oysters incomplete and not saved for 90 days.
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP)  Bill Cosby's lawyers on Wednesday attacked what they called "vague, remote and often inconsistent" allegations from a slew of women whom prosecutors are seeking to call as witnesses at his sexual-assault trial next year.

Lawyers for the 79-year-old actor and comedian asked a judge to block 13 accusers from taking the witness stand, saying uncertainty about where and when some of the sexual encounters took place made them impossible to defend against.

Cosby, who was known as America's Dad for his top-rated family sitcom, "The Cosby Show," which ran from 1984 to 1992, is charged with molesting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

Prosecutors are seeking testimony from the other accusers to show Cosby had a long history of knocking out women with drugs and drinks and sexually assaulting them. Cosby has pleaded not guilty.

At a hearing, the defense portrayed the potential prosecution witnesses as "bandwagon" accusers who came forward because they sought to cash in on Cosby's fame and wealth.

The women went public at the urging of "clever, cunning lawyers who had the agenda of bringing down an American icon," Cosby lawyer Brian McMonagle told Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill, who must determine whether some or all of the accusers will be permitted to take the witness stand.

The two-day hearing closed without a decision, with the judge saying he'd take some time before ruling.

McMonagle argued prosecutors dredged up unsubstantiated assault allegations dating to the 1960s to try to breathe life into a weak case, and he urged the judge to "follow the money" when examining the motives of the accusers.

"There's no good reason in this world for these uncorroborated, unconfirmed, unreported, ancient allegations to be brought into this courtroom or any courtroom in this country," he said afterward.

Cosby is charged with assaulting Andrea Constand, then a Temple University employee. She filed a police complaint against Cosby, a long-married father of five and her friend and mentor, but a prosecutor at the time declined to file charges.

Story continues

Authorities reopened the investigation last year after scores of women raised similar accusations and after Cosby's damaging deposition testimony from Constand's lawsuit became public.

The judge ruled last week the deposition may be used at Cosby's criminal trial, arming prosecutors with Cosby's testimony about his affairs with young women, his use of quaaludes as a seduction tool and his version of the sexual encounter with Constand.

Cosby's attorney said Constand has offered shifting accounts of the encounter, making comparisons with the other accusers impossible. Under state law, prosecutors must demonstrate substantial similarities in the accusers' accounts to be able to call them to the witness stand.

Prosecutors have argued sexual-assault victims often recall more details in subsequent interviews, and they say the discrepancies in Constand's accounts aren't material to the case.

The other women should be allowed to testify, District Attorney Kevin Steele argued, because their stories are so similar they show the "handiwork of the same perpetrator."

Cosby befriended women who saw him as a mentor, incapacitated them out with pills and drinks and molested them, Steele said.

"This is a lifetime of sexual assault on young women," Steele told the judge.

Cosby's lawyers said the women's stories aren't similar enough to warrant their testimony. They pointed to differences in the locations and manners of the alleged assaults and the accusers' levels of education and lines of work.

"You cannot ignore the differences," defense lawyer Angela Agrusa said.

She said most of the potential prosecution witnesses are represented by famed civil lawyer Gloria Allred and have held news conferences and given dozens of interviews. She said one accuser shopped a book deal for her life story a few years ago.

Allred "duped" the district attorney's office, Agrusa argued.

"She executed a plan, and she got the DA's office to be her bag man," Agrusa said.

Allred, who attended Wednesday's hearing, has argued her clients have a duty to testify if the court wants to hear from them.

The Associated Press doesn't typically identify people who say they're victims of sexual assault unless they've come forward publicly, as Constand has done.
Photo credit: undefined

From Good Housekeeping

A Costco in Illinois announced that they're hosting sensory-friendly shopping event for people on the autism spectrum, according to the website Central Illinois Proud. This type of program has become popular with other well-known mega-stores, such as Target and Toys R Us.

The wholesale super-center is typically a nightmare of sensory stimulants, with the crowded aisles, free sample smells and flashing displays. These sort of distractions can make people on the autism spectrum feel overwhelmed, frustrated and scared. The store says they will take down all the visual displays, and turn the lights down so there's minimal bright lights.

"It's really helpful for stores to reduce the odors, reduce the sounds, reduce the distractions that make it really hard for children as well as adults," Jim Runyon, a spokesperson for an autism advocacy group called Easter Seals, told Central Illinois Proud.

The quiet hours will start at 8am and go until 9:30am at this particular location, and we hope this becomes a regular thing at other Costco locations. We reached out to Costco to see if there are other locations and will update the story when we hear. Several other stores have hosted similar, helpful programs, and it's a small change that can make life so much easier for parents of children on the autism spectrum. If you'd like to see about getting a similar program at a store in your community, just ask!

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Stories" customtitles="Target%20Offering%20Quiet%20Hours%20for%20Kids%20With%20Autism%7CToys%20R%20Us%20Adds%20Quiet%20Hours%20for%20Kids%20With%20Autism" customimages="|" content="article.41776|article.41150"]

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Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f30894%2f8061690f-9953-4069-85bd-027f4d18ad3c

One family Christmas card went to some pretty great lengths to get everyone in the shot.

Ashley Sistrunk wanted to include her entire family in her Christmas card this year, her four children and her husband, Brandon - even though he is currently deployed over 7,000 miles away in Iraq.

"I would see my friends posting their cute family Christmas photos and while I thought they were precious, my heart would get sad," Sistrunk told Mashable in an email, "I would think, 'I wish we could have a family Christmas card photo!'"

SEE ALSO: Watch The Rock surprise a 'Tonight Show' staffer with a military homecoming

Determined to make her family card a reality, Sistrunk decided to get creative and dig around the internet for ideas.

"I went to Pinterest and typed in 'Christmas card ideas for military' and saw a couple of different versions of photoshopped photos of military members and their families," she said. "I wanted to put my own twist on it!"

She took a photo with the couple's four children, and had Brandon pose by himself in Iraq. Then, she put her photoshop skills to use.

"We did a 'normal' Christmas photo and then a more quirky version since we're a pretty silly family," she said, explaining the adorably unique second card.

"We married in 2006 at the age of 18, and found out five weeks later that we were expecting our first child," Sistrunk divulged, "We quickly realized that the real world was hard and wasn't free, so Brandon joined the military when I was six months pregnant."

"My husband, Brandon, is one of the most kindhearted people on the planet," the wife proudly explained, "He will do anything for anyone, including taking silly photos for a Christmas card."

She posted a hilarious compilation of Brandon's side of the Christmas photo on her Facebook page to show just how selfless Brandon really is.

Story continues

"I can't even believe the coverage this is getting," Sistrunk revealed of their greeting card, "Brandon and I have always talked about wanting to be a voice for military families."

"Deployments are hard and you can feel so alone," she continued, "You'd be amazed at how strong military families are, but how sad you can get at the same time. We want other deployed families to know that the emotions they feel are normal."

"[Brandon] can't believe this little card has impacted so many lives," she added.

We can't say we're surprised. The joy of families reuniting are what the holidays are all about.
Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse Group AG CS is likely to face a fine of $10 billion, on account of allegations from the New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, accusing the bank of fraudulent residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) sale in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis. The case was filed by Schneiderman in 2012, which the company tried to dismiss by calling it outside the statute of limitations, however, was unsuccessful.



The court rejected the companys appeal to dismiss the case, stating that Schneiderman had provided proofs to the panel, consisting of five judges, which showed Credit Suisse may have involved in mortgage misconduct. Further, the court mentioned that the claims made by Schneiderman were within the six-year statute of limitations.



However, two of the judges disapproved the courts ruling, saying that a three-year statute of limitations was applicable for the case and should have been ruled out. Credit Suisses spokesman  Andrew Wilson  declined to comment on the matter.



Background



In Dec 2014, Credit Suisse made its first appeal to the New York Supreme Court Justice  Marcy Friedman  who denied the banks request to dismiss the lawsuit.



In Sep 2016, news surfaced that Credit Suisse was in talks with the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) to settle investigations into its mortgage-backed securities. At the same time, Barclays PLC BCS too was making efforts to dismiss a similar case with DoJ.



Among other major banks, UBS Group AG UBS and HSBC Holdings Plc HSBC have also disclosed the U.S. investigations into their mortgage-securities businesses.



Credit Suisse is also fighting similar lawsuits with the New Jersey attorney generals, who have accused it of misleading investors. Also, in addition to the mortgage-securities claims, Credit Suisse is facing allegations of rigging financial benchmarks and criminal complaints by its clients in Switzerland. The imposition of hefty fines resulting from ongoing lawsuits is likely to weigh on the companys profitability.



Credit Suisses stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). The companys stock has declined nearly 29% so far this year, underperforming the 7.4% growth for the Zacks categorized Foreign Banks industry.



You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.

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The Hague (AFP) - A Dutch court ruled Wednesday that priceless Crimean art treasures loaned to an Amsterdam museum shortly before Russia annexed the peninsula in 2014 should go back to Ukraine.

Four Crimean museums launched a joint legal bid in November 2014 to force the Allard Pierson Museum to return the historic collection of archaeological artefacts, displayed in an exhibition titled: "The Crimea: Gold and Secrets from the Black Sea."

Kiev also demanded their return, and the Dutch judges ruled "that the objects must go to Ukraine, the artefacts' country of origin and cultural heritage," the court said in a statement posted online.

"The claim by Crimean museums that the artefacts are Crimean heritage, or belong to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was not accepted by the judges, because neither are sovereign states," the Amsterdam regional court added.

The judges however "made no ruling as to the rightful owner of the collection," saying it was a question for Ukrainian courts once the artefacts had been returned.

The parties in the case now have three months to appeal, with the treasures remaining at the Allard Pierson Museum, the judges said.

Ukraine was ordered to pay the Allard Pierson 111,000 euros ($118,000) in temporary storage costs.

- Ukrainian 'victory'? -

Crimea was at the crossroads of ancient trade routes and the rich collection of items spanning the second century BC to the late medieval era was loaned to the Amsterdam museum less than a month before Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014.

Kiev says Russia illegally annexed the Black Sea territory, a month after Ukraine's Moscow-backed president was ousted in a pro-EU revolt.

It also accuses Moscow of backing the pro-Russian insurgency in Ukraine's industrial east in a conflict that has claimed nearly 10,000 lives since April 2014.

Ukranian officials welcomed the ruling, which they hailed as a wider victory.

Story continues

"The decision of the Amsterdam district court means that not only Scythian gold is Ukrainian. Crimea is also Ukrainian," President Petro Poroshenko said on his Facebook page.

"Crimea is ours, period. This follows the decision of a European country's court. We look forward to other positive news from The Netherlands," he said.

"Scythian Gold is coming back home -- to Ukraine. I'm sure, it will also return to Ukrainian Crimea. Grateful to all members of our team," tweeted Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.

But Moscow reacted with outrage.

"Unfortunately this decision is an example of the violation of the rights of cultural institutions and the destruction of the unity of museum collections," the Russian Culture Ministry said.

"It goes against not only the contracts' provisions but also blatantly violates the principles of inter-museum exchanges and the right of the people of Crimea to their own cultural heritage," it said in a statement on its website.

It said the Dutch court "ignored the principle of conservation of archaeological finds in close connection with the history and culture of the place they come from," saying "the museum items must return to Crimea where they were found and where they were kept for decades and studied by archaeologists."

Earlier this week both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande said they favoured extending EU sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict.
After more than half a centurys absence, Hollywood returned to Cuba in 2013, though in a slightly roundabout way. Papa: Hemingway in Cuba, a film about the American writer, was shot on the island as a Cuban-Canadian-U.S. co-production, requiring elaborate permissions from both Washington and Havana.

But thawing relations meant that Universal could land with a bang in Cuba this year with The Fate of the Furious, the latest in the Fast and Furious franchise. The mega-production created more than 300 jobs for six months  producers, personal assistants, drivers  and generated an unprecedented amount of money for the state-run Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC), though the official figure has not been made public. The new Transformers film also shot in Havana this year, and more interest from Hollywood is sure to follow. As Frank Cabrera, the Cuban producer on The Fate of the Furious, puts it: Cuba is an aphrodisiac. The island is a natural market for the U.S. film industry.

What affect Fidel Castros death Nov. 25 will have remains unclear, but as a shooting location, Cabrera says, it is very easy to film in Cuba. ICAIC supports up to 15 foreign productions every year, and independent producers  though not legally recognized by the government  also offer their services for international projects. Productions are scrutinized and approved by the institute on a case-by-case basis. And if you have the budget for it, you can get official authorization to import more than 40 trucks full of technological equipment, fly a noisy helicopter over Havana, or even close main streets for 12 days, all of which The Fate of the Furious did.

Favorite shooting sites are Old Havana and Centro Havana, districts where history and the feeling that everything is about to collapse create a unique ambience  but also perpetuate a stereotype. Old cars and pre-Revolution buildings give the idea that Cuba is still stuck in the 1950s. Prices certainly arent. Although Cuba is not a cheap location anymore and hotel prices are high, Cuban people are good hosts, socially skillful, and technical personnel are very well-prepared, Cabrera says.

Story continues

Claudia Calvino, an independent producer and filmmaker at production company Quinta Avenida, recently worked on Buena Vista Social Club: Adios, a sequel to Wim Wenders 1999 Buena Vista Social Club. (Adios is being directed by Oscar-nominated British documentarian Lucy Walker.) It is good to have big productions coming to Cuba. It creates jobs; it enriches the industry, says Calvino, who is now working on a project with Colombian filmmakers. But we need the money that comes out of that to support the Cuban film industry, instead of just going into government coffers via ICAIC.

There was a time when Cuba occupied a leading role on the Latin American film scene. But that time has faded, with the domestic movie sector now the virtual monopoly of the state. Independent producers like Calvino say that changing the law to recognize them as legitimate players would energize Cubas movie industry and elevate its status. We need to start thinking of our relations with the U.S. industry as more of a partnership, in which both parts are equally important, and not as the American industry hiring Cubas cheap labor force, Calvino says.

For Hollywood, as long as it sticks to politically inoffensive themes  whether Hemingway or Autobots and Decepticons  moviemaking in Cuba should go smoothly. But President-elect Donald Trumps warning that he might turn back the clock on improving U.S.-Cuba ties could hobble a Hollywood-Havana rapprochement. And if American filmmakers try to dig deeper into Cuban reality, the ideological hostility that kept Cuba and the U.S. apart for more than 50 years is likely to rear its ugly head.

Right now, Havana is hosting its annual International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, which runs from Dec. 8 to 18. But dont expect to see Santa & Andres, an independent co-production between Cuba, Colombia, and France that had its world premiere in Toronto. Centering on the unlikely relationship between a gay, dissident Cuban novelist and his government-appointed minder, the movie is about tolerance. But its release has not been authorized in Cuba. Even after Castros death, the full social and cultural effects of which remain to be seen, Cuba is not ready for tolerance just yet  on the streets or on screen.

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Watch the First Trailer for 'The Fate of the Furious'

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Watch the First Full Trailer for 'The Mummy' Reboot Starring Tom Cruise
STAMFORD, Conn. (AP)  Cuisinart is voluntarily recalling about 8 million food processors after dozens of consumers reported finding pieces of broken blades in their food.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says there have been 30 reports of mouth lacerations or tooth injuries from the broken blades. Cuisinart's parent company, Conair, announced the recall with the CPSC Tuesday.

The recalled processors were sold in the United States and Canada from July 1996 to Dec. 2015. Only processors with four rivets in the blades are included in the recall.

Affected consumers can receive a new blade for free from Cuisinart.

Conair, a privately held company, is headquartered in East Windsor, New Jersey, and has a sales and marketing office in Stamford, Connecticut.

___

Online: http://www.cuisinart.com/recall

___

This story has been corrected to show that Conair's headquarters is in New Jersey, not Connecticut.
From Woman's Day

When Sydney Willoughby, a high-school senior from San Antonio, was assigned to write a paper about her parents, she reached out to her dad for help and, to her surprise, his message about married life was profoundly moving.

Lance Willoughby, Sydney's 47-year-old father and a member of the military, responded to his daughter's inquiry with a few paragraphs explaining the ups and downs of his 27-year marriage to Sydney's mother, ABC News reports. His daughter was so touched by the heartfelt messages that she shared them on Twitter, where they have since racked up nearly 20,000 likes.

I'm writing an essay about my parents and hearing this from my dad about my mom made me cry. 27 years of marriage. pic.twitter.com/27muq07Xpz - sydney (@sydnyy_) December 5, 2016

Lance explained that Sydney's mom, Kimberly, was the first to propose marriage, and it was the best thing to ever happen to him. "I was absolutely madly in love with your mom," he wrote to his daughter. "She was more than a dream come true for me. I see her as my best friend, my hilarious wife, and my beautiful queen."

After having two kids, the couple hit a rough patch. They were both working multiple jobs while Lance was in school, and weren't seeing enough of each other. Then they had their third child, Sydney, which gave them a chance to bond again. "Being away from your mom and my kids ripped the heart out of me," he wrote. "Didn't know it at the time, but you changed our lives."

After being away for school and work, Lance came home to his family, and fell in love with his wife all over again. "I've learned that it's easy to fall in love with the same person multiple times," he told ABC News.

At first, Lance was shocked that Sydney had shared his intimate thoughts on social media, but he soon became happy about it when he saw how many people connected with the message. "When [Sydney] first told me, I was like, 'You posted what? My personal text messages?'" he said. "But she did it with good intentions and it was sweet how she did it."

Story continues

More than anything, he's so grateful for the life he's shared with his wife and children. "Bottom line, we fell into each other's lap under odd circumstances but it resulted in the coolest family ever," he wrote. "And it keeps growing. I've had the perfect life because of your mom. Give me a billion dollars, make me president, none of those would be worth it without her."

(h/t ABC News)

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This Company Will Make Dishware From the Remains of Your Loved Ones

The loss of a loved one is indescribable, and each person grieves in his or her own way. Chronicle Cremation Designs allows its customers to engage on a sensory level with your memories with personalized objects, from jewelry to centerpiece bowls, made with a deceased persons ashes. John Crowe, founder of the company, was inspired to start the cremation ceramics business when he experienced a death in his own family. Crowe told Mashable there were also practical reasons to consider cremation ceramics. "Everyone copes with death differently and we are watching our culture's narrow death care conventions become outdated, he said. Cemeteries are running out of plots, cremations have increased 25 percent in the last decade, and home funerals are a growing trend. The company has received praise for its work, as well as criticism; some people question the religious values, ethics, and respect of the business.

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Lukas Gojda / Shutterstock

Italian Man Breaks His Own World Record With 121 Scoops of Ice Cream on 1 Cone

Last week, Dimitri Panciera landed the Guinness World Record for Most ice-cream scoops balanced on a cone with 121 scoops of ice cream on a single cone at the Forno di Zoldos annual Gelatimo ice cream festival in Italy. The ice cream challenge required that the cone have a diameter no greater than 9.5 centimeters (3.74 inches), and all scoops must balance and stand for a minimum of 10 seconds, according to the Guinness World Records website. Panciera said he achieved the title by using local ice cream from Val di Zoldo, which uses almost 100-year-old machinery to produce the artisanal frozen dessert.

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Shutterstock

This Genius Hacked Her Fridge to Distribute Wine

An English woman has ingeniously thought of a much-needed improvement to the standard fridge water dispenser: Pour wine into it. She came up with the idea after she and her boyfriend bought a refrigerator for their new home. We ordered the fridge and Joe said it came with a wine cooler section and I said, Or we could put it in the water dispenser. It seemed to make perfect sense, the woman, named Clare, told BuzzFeed. Their simple hack has been shared thousands of times on Twitter, and the rest of the wine-loving universe seems to think its pretty cool, too.

Story continues

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Michael R Ross / Shutterstock

Former NASA Biologist Creates Glow-in-the-Dark Beer Kit

Science-loving home brewers can take a stab at synthetic biology and genetic design with the recent debut of a glow-in-the-dark beer kit by THE ODIN, a science and genetic engineering company that sells home kits. Josiah Zayner, a former synthetic biologist at NASA, created the company to bring science into peoples everyday lives. We want to give people the ability to reach into their imagination and bring things into existence using genetic design he told Gizmodo. The $199 kit allows home brewers to genetically engineer fluorescent yeast by inserting a protein found in jellyfish, the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), according to the company website. When the finished product is exposed to a black light, it emits a neon-green glow.

DD5

Jacob Lund / Shutterstock

The UKs Gin Industry Is Booming With Increasing Export Demands From US

Gin has been in high demand all year long in the United Kingdom, with increased sales within the country and increased exports to the United States. Sales for the premium product were up by 19 percent in 2016 in pubs, bars, and restaurants in the U.K., and up by 13 percent in shops, supermarkets, and off licenses, Beverage Daily reported. Three out of four bottles of exported gin come from the U.K., with the highest demand coming from the U.S., Canada, Spain, and Germany. UK gin brands have benefited from Americas love for hit shows like Downton Abbey and the James Bond franchise: helping to sell 159 million [$200 million] worth of British gin to the U.S. in 2015, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association told Beverage Daily.
Trevor Noah

A lot has been said about President-elect Donald Trump's meeting with Kanye West on Tuesday.

West, who voiced support for Trump at one of his concerts last month, showed up at Trump Tower with an entourage and later emerged for a photo with the president-elect.

On Tuesday night, "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah cracked a few jokes about the powwow, but he mostly criticized news outlets for how they covered it.

Noah pointed to clips showing CNN and MSNBC breaking away from regular programming to capture footage of the rapper walking through Trump Tower.

In the case of MSNBC, a commentator who was speaking about Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson's nomination as secretary of state, the current secretary of state, John Kerry, and the Iran nuclear deal, was interrupted by a news anchor mid-sentence so the network could cut to Kanye.

Watch the footage below, starting at the 1:10 mark:

"The media is the best," Noah said sarcastically. "It really makes you wonder how America ended up electing a celebrity president when the media is so focused on the issues."

The meeting between the next leader of the free world and the outspoken rapper turned designer raised more than a few eyebrows, considering Trump and West have equally bombastic personalities.

Soon after his pro-Trump outburst at a concert in Sacramento, California, in November, West canceled the rest of his tour and was checked into a Los Angeles-area hospital for exhaustion.

He checked out in late November.

NOW WATCH: 'To discuss multicultural issues'  Kanye explains why he met with Trump





More From Business Insider


In the murky world of intelligence, it isn't that often that anyone has crystal clear, absolutely certain, 100 percent guaranteed advance knowledge of a forthcoming operation. But in Europe right now, there is one prediction that everyone is happy to make: In 2017, the Russian government will mount an open campaign to sway the German elections.

We know that the Russians can do it. The CIA has confirmed that Russian cyberhackers procured material from the Hillary Clinton campaign that appeared, via WikiLeaks, at key moments in the election.

We know that the Russian operation has already begun. Last week, the head of the German domestic intelligence agency said that material hacked from the German Parliament, published recently by WikiLeaks, came from the same Russian group that stole material from the Democratic National Committee.

Not that hacking is the only tactic. Earlier this year, Russian media and pro-Russian trolls helped to create online hysteria by promoting a fake story of a Russian girl allegedy raped by a Syrian immigrant. Russia has also offered financial and moral support to Germany's far-right and far-left parties, just as it does in France, Italy and elsewhere in Europe.

We know what the operation's goals will be. There may well be a specific goal: defeat Chancellor Angela Merkel, who responded to Russia's annexation of Crimea with support for sanctions that are particularly hurtful to Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle. But there are certainly some broader goals: discredit democracy, in order to prevent Russians from agitating for it at home; undermine the European Union, in order to make the continent more amenable to corruption and authoritarianism; and demoralize NATO, which is preventing Russia from flexing its military muscles in its periphery.

We also know -- or should know -- why they could succeed. Long before anyone else, the Russian government spotted deep flaws in Western democracy. It realized that Western politicians could be bribed; that offshoring worked in oligarchs' favor; that anti-corruption laws weren't well enforced; that Western media was weak; and that social media had undermined trust in traditional sources of authority. Russian leaders also understood that, thanks to the global reach of the Internet, disinformation was far easier to produce and promote than ever before.

Merkel has also made serious mistakes. However well meant, her unilateral offer to house Syrian refugees in summer 2015 gave millions across the continent the impression that Europe no longer controls its borders. Terrorist attacks increased this anxiety. Germany has failed to back European solutions to crises in the Middle East, failed to take seriously the need for European defense, failed to invest in NATO. The bill for all of those failures is now coming due.

In the coming months, Russian media, and Russian-backed parties in Germany, will have no compunction about running openly an anti-immigrant, anti-American, anti-E.U. electoral campaign. They may have an unexpected ally: Breitbart, the far-right website run until recently by Stephen K. Bannon, incoming White House chief strategist, has announced it will invest in a German-language website, too.

As a state, and as a democracy, Germany has huge advantages. Economic success means that Germans still trust their government more than many other Europeans. The relative strength of German media means that the horrible insult, lugenpresse -- lying press -- once used by the Nazis to smear mainstream media and now used by the far-left and far-right for the same purpose, doesn't affect everyone.

German security officials say they already meet regularly with senior journalists, briefing them on stories they think are fake. Merkel and other German politicians have spoken openly of the threat. But is the anticipation of a disinformation campaign enough to rob it of its power? We are about to find out.
Danielle Brooks is not impressed with the revived America's Next Top Model.

The Orange Is the New Black actress, who's an advocate for body diversity in the industry and recently penned an essay for Refinery29 about being tired of not seeing women like her in the media, took to Twitter to express her frustrations with the long-running modeling competition.

"This 1% thing is real. The world really disregards plus size. Watched #ANTM and not one contestant was plus, hell, not even a size 6 or 8," she tweeted. "Even if producers felt well it'll be hard for a plus size girl, show that ish. Let the world see how much work still needs to be done for the 67% of women who are plus size. #seethe67 I can't tell you how upsetting it was to watch #antm and how many seasons has it been now?"

This 1% thing is real. The world really disregards plus size. Watched #ANTM and not one contestant was plus, hell, not even a size 6 or 8.

- Danielle Brooks (@thedanieb) December 13, 2016

Even if producers felt well it'll be hard for a plus size girl, show that ish. Let the world see how much work still needs to be done...

- Danielle Brooks (@thedanieb) December 13, 2016

for the 67% of women who are plus size. #seethe67 I can't tell you how upsetting it was to watch #antm and how many seasons has it been now?

- Danielle Brooks (@thedanieb) December 13, 2016

America's Next Top Model returned Monday on VH1, starring a new host, pop star Rita Ora, with supermodel Ashley Graham, image architect Law Roach and Paper Magazine chief creative officer Drew Elliott as judges. Former host Tyra Banks serves as an exec producer.

Since its premiere in 2003, ANTM has routinely featured thin models. However, there's been a few exceptions with Toccara from Cycle 3 and Whitney Thompson from Cycle 9. Thompson went on to become the first plus-size winner in ANTM history.

Read more: Costume Designers Often Left Out of Merchandising Fashion Around Big Budget Films, TV Shows

Story continues

Graham, who's been somewhat of a pioneer for full-figured models, is looking forward to finding the show's plus-size star for the next season though.

"Unfortunately, it didn't happen for this round, but that's alright," Graham told E! News. "Hopefully for season two - I'm looking for the woman who wins to be plus size. I think it would be so epic."

After expressing her frustrations on Twitter, Brooks continued the conversation on her personal Instagram account.

"This could've been a perfect opportunity for them to highlight fabulous designers that also do plus fashion or highlight strictly plus designers that rarely get any shine. They could've also highlighted the struggles that come with being plus," wrote the 27-year-old star. "Regardless, We are worth these incredible opportunities. We deserve to be seen. I'm going to continue to push back and speak up for that young girl that wants to model, wants to act, wants to be upfront and needs to be reminded that she is just as deserving as anyone else."

Brooks' rant comes at a time when the industry is slowly starting to be more inclusive of women of all sizes. For example, Graham most recently received her own Barbie and specifically asked that the doll have no thigh gap, and designer Christian Siriano featured one of the most diverse group of models for his runway show in September.

Read more: Ashley Graham Talks About Getting a Barbie Doll Made in Her Honor
Democratic leaders and activists across the country are calling for a united front against any threats to progressive immigration reform brought by President-elect Donald Trumps White House.

Several politicians made the case for strong opposition to any future anti-immigrant and anti-refugee policies at the National Immigrant Integration Conference in Nashville on Tuesday afternoon. Among those who spoke at the event was Pramila Jayapal, an immigration activist and the first Indian-American woman elected to the House of Representatives. Jayapal, who won a congressional seat in her home state of Washington in November, discussed the need for an unprecedented level of grassroots support to block any legislation that could diminish the protections granted to undocumented immigrants and programs like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative under President Obamas current administration.

RTX2NR2W

Photo: Reuters

Though the future congresswoman has admitted there is a looming threat to immigration reform and integration after Trumps polarizing rhetoric on the issue, she said thousands of activists are gearing up for battle, the Tennessean reported.

Together we in this room have moved forward the idea of immigrant integration, Jayapal told the crowd on Tuesday. We are going to be a love army for immigrants. We are going to be an army of solidarity, of bringing each other together.

Trump has promised to deport as many as three million people immediately upon taking office, though it was not immediately clear where the president-elect was garnering those numbers from. His campaign promises mainly focused on stringent immigration policies, including building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and possibly creating a national registry for Muslims entering and living in the country.

Meanwhile, a sprawling immigrant detention center system has continued to lock up as many as 440,000 immigrants annually. The level of deportations have risen under President Obama, who has been seen as a much more progressive politician on immigrant rights than his incoming predecessor.

Story continues

Also at the immigration conference Tuesday was Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who stressed the need for mobilization at the grassroots level from groups like the Black Lives Matter social justice movement, Muslims, Latinos and other minorities. "I wont rest until every immigrant in the United States has the same rights as I have," Gutierrez said.

Related Articles
WASHINGTON (AP)  Democratic senators on Wednesday called on President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for education secretary to ensure that a political action committee she controlled pays $5.3 million in fines and penalties owed for campaign finance violations in Ohio eight years ago.

Betsy DeVos' All Children Matter PAC broke Ohio election law by funneling $870,000 in contributions from its nationwide PAC to its Ohio affiliate in 2008. The state of Ohio later fined the group $5 million, but the fine has not yet been paid.

In a letter to DeVos, five senators expressed concern that DeVos and her PAC would "brazenly disregard election law and blatantly refuse to take responsibility and pay" the fines.

The senators noted that, as education secretary, DeVos would oversee repayment of more than $1 trillion in debt from millions of student-loan borrowers.

"When a student borrower defaults, it has serious ramifications that haunt that student for years  yet when DeVos's PAC defaulted on its fine for violating the law, they just walked away," said Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., who signed the letter along with Democratic Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Sherrod Brown of Ohio.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who aligns with Senate Democrats, also signed the letter, which asks DeVos to pay the fine and any late fees before her confirmation hearing with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

DeVos, a former Michigan Republican Party chairwoman, is an advocate for school choice and has pledged to oversee a "transformational change" in U.S. education. She leads the American Federation for Children, which along with its state-affiliated PACs contributed to 121 races in 12 states in the general election to support pro-school choice candidates, according to its website.

A spokesman for DeVos called the Senate letter "a transparently political maneuver" that seeks to revive a long-settled issue that derives from a lawsuit filed against the now-defunct PAC.

"This suit was a politically driven effort to derail education reform in Ohio," said spokesman Ed Patru, adding that DeVos was not named in the lawsuit, nor was she held liable for the judgment.
Voting machines in over one-third of Detroit precincts registered more ballots cast in the Nov. 8 presidential election than the number of voters tallied by poll workers, the Detroit News reported Tuesday.

Reports from the office of Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett revealed optical scanners registered more ballots cast than the number of voters recorded in poll books in 37 percent of Detroit precincts. These discrepancies have sparked plans for an audit by Michigan State Secretary Ruth Johnsons office, Elections Director Chris Thomas told the newspaper Monday.

President-elect Donald Trump won Michigan by 10,704 votes but his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton picked up more votes in Detroit and Wayne County. Former Green Party nominee Jill Stein had led the vote recount effort in Michigan but Detroits precincts were among those not recounted due to the Michigan Supreme Courts decision Friday to end the recount process.

According to state law, precincts are barred from being recounted if the numbers in poll books dont match the ballots cast, unless a valid explanation is given. In Detroit, 392 precincts couldnt be recounted of which two-thirds had more votes that they should have, the Detroit News reported.

Theres always going to be small problems to some degree, but we didnt expect the degree of problem we saw in Detroit, Krista Haroutunian, chairwoman of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers, said. "This isnt normal.

Officials plan to reexamine 20 precincts in Detroit.

Were assuming there were [human] errors, and we will have discussions with Detroit election officials and staff in addition to reviewing the ballots, Thomas said.

Related Articles
More than 80 voting machines in Detroit malfunctioned on Election Day, officials say, resulting in ballot discrepancies in 59% of precincts that raise questions about the reliability of future election results in a city dominated by Democratic and minority voters.

This is not the first time, adds Daniel Baxter, elections director for the city. Weve had this problem in nearly every election that we administer in the city of Detroit. Baxter says that the machines were tested for accuracy before election day in accordance with state and federal guidelines, but that sometimes the machines hit up against each other and malfunction as theyre being transported to the precincts.

The machines were optical scanners, meaning they registered and counted the votes marked on paper ballots. Many of the machines jammed over the course of election day, perhaps because Michigan had a two-page ballot this year, which meant that paper ballots were collected but inconsistently recorded by the machines. Michigan does not have early voting, so any mechanical malfunction would necessarily happen on election day, since thats the only day the machines are used. Thats why so many machines malfunctioned at the same time. You dont expect a laptop to last 10 years, and you shouldnt expect a voting machines to last 10 years, says Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey.

The errors were found as part of a recount process prompted by losing Green Party candidate for President Jill Stein. The Michigan recount was halted last week after a judge determined that Stein, who has urged recounts in several states, did not qualify as an aggrieved party in the election, making her request for a recount invalid. Trump won Michigan by 10,704 votes. The recount campaign was premised on the notion that we deserve a voting system we can trust, said Dr. Jill Stein in a press call Tuesday about the recount efforts. No, we do not have a voting system we can trust.

But even if the recount had moved forward, the precincts in question would not have been eligible for the recount because of an obscure 1954 Michigan law that prevents recounting votes if there is any discrepancy in ballots. As a result, those ballot counting machines that experienced mechanical malfunction are ones that cannot be recounted to divine voter intent from the paper ballots.

The states voting laws also specify that if theres any kind of mistake made by a poll worker, even something as small as forgetting to tally one person on the entrance log, the votes in that precinct cannot be recounted. Our laws dont allow for human error, said Winfrey. Thats unfortunate.

Pamela Smith, president of voting-accuracy organization Verified Voting, said she received enough calls from the Detroit area on Election Day to cause her to call a state official to express concern. They were running out of storage space for the ballots, she says, noting that paper ballots were piling up on desks and other unsecured surfaces as technicians raced to fix the machines. If youve only got a partial count from a voting place, something has to happen to the rest of the ballots.

Winfrey and Baxter say the city will be getting new voting machines in 2017.

Theres a dire need to modernize our system of running election across the country and particularly in Michigan, says Jocelyn Benson, former dean of Wayne State Law School and founder of the Michigan Center for Election Law, who noted the large number of voters in the state who were recorded leaving their ballots partially blank. When you have 75,000 votes for president that are blank, that could be because 75,000 people didnt vote for President, or it could be because you have 75,000 votes that werent counted.

Even if the recount had moved forward, Clinton would have been unlikely to have picked up the state. Before the recount was halted, 2.1 million votes were recounted, and only 102 of those were added to Clintons tally. If she had won Michigan after a recount, Clinton would have been unlikely to win the Electoral college without Wisconsin, Pennsylvania or Florida. Trumps victories in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin were verified earlier this week.

But the Detroit voting fiasco illustrates the larger problems of a voting system. Without post-election audits to catch problems, Michigan is unlikely to radically improve its election procedure anytime soon. By doing audits you actually increase voter confidence, says Smith of Verified Voting. And thats not gonna happen.
Senate Democrats opposed to several of Donald Trumps cabinet-level nominees might be powerless to stop the nominations due to filibuster rule changes. But a closer look shows these moves were seldom used in past nomination fights.

reidfilibuster456

The debate has begun in Washington, even among high-level Senate Republicans about Trump nominees Rex Tillerson and Jeff Sessions. But the rejection of either nominee as Secretary of State or Attorney General would be highly unusual given the Senates long-standing tradition of deferring to a President in selecting cabinet choices.

And the filibuster, or lack of it, doesnt seem to be a factor.

In November 2013, then Senate majority leader Harry Reid led the Democrats effort to kill the filibuster for cabinet-level and lower court nominees by making a rules change called the nuclear option. Prior to Reids move, a potential cabinet nominee needed 60 votes on the Senate floor to invoke cloture, a procedure that ended a filibuster and allowed a nomination to get a full vote on the Senate floor.

The Republicans in the Senate had used the filibuster to stall many of President Barack Obamas judicial nominations. The Founding Fathers never had any place in the Constitution about filibusters or extended debate, Reid told reporters at the time. This country operated fairly well for 140 years without filibuster protection.

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell opposed the move and said it could hurt the Democrats in the future. I say to my friends on the other side of the aisle, youll regret this. And you may regret it a lot sooner than you think, he said in November 2013.

Next month, a new Senate will probably consist of 52 Republicans and 48 Democrats (and independents who caucus with the Democrats). Under the old math, Senate Republicans would need eight more votes to get to 60 votes to end a filibustered cabinet nomination. Now, they just need 51 votes.

That said, the use of filibuster and cloture procedures for cabinet nominations was rare even during the modern filibuster era, which began in 1967. According to a 2013 research report from the Congressional Research Service, cloture attempts were only made on seven occasions for cabinet-level nominees between 1967 and 2012.

Story continues

Six of the nominees werent impeded by the cloture attempts and were easily confirmed: C. William Verity as Secretary of Commerce; Michael O. Leavitt as Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; Stephen L. Johnson as Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; Robert J. Portman as U.S. Trade Representative; Dirk Kempthorne as Secretary of the Interior; and Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor.

Only John Boltons nomination as U.S. Representative to the United Nations was blocked by a failure cloture vote in 2005. President George W. Bush then appointed Bolton to the position using his recess appointment powers.

In general, Congress has been deferential to cabinet appointments made by a President for most of its history. According to Senate records, there have been more than 500 cabinet nominations considered by the Senate since 1789. Only nine cabinet nominations have been rejected by a Senate vote and another 13 nominations have been withdrawn.

The first high-profile cabinet rejection by the Senate was in 1834, when President Andrew Jackson lost a fight to get Attorney General Roger Taney named as treasury secretary, in the bitter fight over the Second Bank of the United States. The Senate rejected Taneys nomination by a 18-28 vote, but a determined Jackson was able to get Taney appointed as the Supreme Courts chief justice in 1835 when his Democratic

The last high-profile nomination rejection was in 1989 when the Senate, for the only time, voted down a former Senator as a cabinet member. President George H.W. Bush had nominated John Tower as defense secretary. Tower lost the vote along party lines in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Dick Cheney was later approved in Towers place.

Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center.

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BOULDER, Colo. (AP)  Boulder police and prosecutors are looking at new DNA testing technology that they hope will further the investigation of the unsolved 1996 murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey.

The move comes after an investigation by the Boulder Daily Camera (https://goo.gl/5a8tLv ) and KUSA-TV in Denver that the news organizations say uncovered flaws in the interpretation of previous DNA testing.

Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett and Boulder police Chief Greg Testa confirmed Tuesday that they have discussed the issue with Colorado Bureau of Investigation administrators, who are about to unveil more sophisticated DNA tests.

The tests also would tap into an FBI database that includes genetic profiles from more than 15.1 million known offenders and arrestees.

JonBenet was found dead in the basement of the Ramsey home the day after Christmas in 1996.

___

Information from: Daily Camera, http://www.dailycamera.com/
SAN DIEGO -- President Obama is being pressured by immigration activists to pardon hundreds of thousands of undocumented young people so that Donald Trump can't deport them.

Democratic Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Lucille Roybal-Allard of California and Luis Gutierrez of Illinois recently sent a letter to Obama asking him to use his authority to forgive the "past and future civil immigration offenses" of the more than 740,000 so-called Dreamers who benefit from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

White House officials quickly nixed the idea, insisting that such a pardon would be the equivalent of granting permanent legal status. As they noted, the president has no such authority.

No surprise there. Obama doesn't listen to immigration activists, as he has shown by ignoring their pleas to curb deportations.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, shouldn't we stop and ask whether deporting Dreamers is something that President-elect Trump even wants to do in the first place? It doesn't appear so.

Granted, Trump did say that those who are in the country illegally would have to leave. He also threatened to reverse Obama's executive actions, including DACA, which allows the young and undocumented to apply for a two-year work permit and temporary reprieve from deportation.

But Trump's chest-thumping on immigration could be nothing more than theatrics. This is the kind of stuff Republicans do when they're trying to get elected. Now that he has been elected, it doesn't appear that Trump has the stomach for following through on much of his tough talk.

After Time named Trump its Person of the Year, the billionaire told the magazine this when asked about his plans for the Dreamers:

"We're going to work something out that's going to make people happy and proud. They got brought here at a very young age, they've worked here, they've gone to school here. Some were good students. Some have wonderful jobs. And they're in never-never land because they don't know what's going to happen."

That doesn't seem so harsh, does it? Hard-line restrictionists who want to see the Dreamers tossed out by the only country they've ever known should brace for disappointment. And those left-wing organizations that are asking for money to stop Trump from deporting a group of people that he doesn't seem so interested in getting rid of should find a new scare tactic for fundraising.

It's the immigration two-step. Republicans act tough when campaigning but go soft once they're in office to help big business. Democrats act soft on the campaign trail, but drop the hammer once they're in office to please organized labor. Everyone gets deceived. Nothing gets done.

Nevertheless, the White House was right to throw cold water on the whole idea of Obama issuing a mass pardon to Dreamers.

Let's start with what makes these young people special in the first place. It's not the attributes that seem to impress politicians. It has nothing to do with the fact that many of these undocumented immigrants are going to college and pursuing big-shot careers. Or that -- as Trump put it -- "some were good students" and "some have wonderful jobs."

What really makes Dreamers special is the same thing that makes them appear so sympathetic to many Americans. It's the fact that -- since they were brought here as children by their parents -- they did not make a conscious decision to break our immigration laws.

For these young people, coming to the United States was no more a voluntary act than the time your parents dragged you to Yellowstone Park for summer vacation.

There's the problem. A pardon would be legal, but it wouldn't be logical. A pardon is the official forgiveness of wrongdoing. And, as we've repeatedly been told, the Dreamers are innocent.

So how do you forgive wrongdoing by a group of people who did nothing wrong?
(WASHINGTON)  Aleppos fall to Syrian government forces is shaping up as the first major test of President-elect Donald Trumps desire to cooperate with Russia, whose military support has proven pivotal in Syrias civil war. The death and destruction in the city is only renewing Democratic and Republican concern with Trumps possible new path.

Though Trump has been vague about his plans to address this next phase in the nearly six-year-old conflict, hes suggested closer alignment between U.S. and Russian goals could be in order. His selection Tuesday of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who has extensive business dealings with Russia and ties to President Vladimir Putin, fueled further speculation that Trump will pursue a rapprochement with Moscow.

Indeed, Trump was already trying to portray Tillersons connections with Russia as a plus. In talking points circulated on Capitol Hill and obtained by The Associated Press, Trumps transition team said Tillerson would work closely with Russia on defeating radical Islam but would easily challenge Russia and other countries when necessary.

President Putin knows Mr. Tillerson means what he says, the talking points say.

Read More: Why Russia Is Excited About Donald Trumps Pick for Secretary of State

A warmer relationship could alter U.S. policy on nuclear weapons, sanctions, Ukraine and innumerable other issues  but none so clearly or quickly as Syria, where President Bashar Assads defeat of U.S.-backed rebels in Aleppo is poised to be a turning point. Assad and Russia are expected seize the moment to try to persuade the U.S. to abandon its flailing strategy of trying to prop up the rebels in their battle to oust Assad.

That decision will fall to Trump.

The president-elect has not commented or tweeted about the crisis in Aleppo and widespread fears of humanitarian disaster. Yet his previous comments on the broader conflict suggest hes more than open to a policy shift.

Story continues

During the campaign, Trump asserted that defeating the Islamic State group in Syria, not Assad, must be the top priority, a position that mirrors Russias.

I believe we have to get ISIS. We have to worry about ISIS before we can get too much more involved, Trump said in October, using an acronym for the extremist group.

Prioritizing the fight against IS could put the U.S. in closer alignment with Russias public position, in a Middle Eastern take on the adage that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Its a point Trump appeared to make during the second presidential debate when he noted that he didnt like Assad, but added, Assad is killing ISIS. Russia is killing ISIS.

And in his first days as the president-elect Trump suggested he might withdraw U.S. support for the various rebel groups that make up Assads opposition, telling a newspaper that we have no idea who these people are.

Read More: Ceasefire Agreed to Allow Fighters to Leave Aleppo to Syrias Regime

Trumps posture doesnt just buck President Barack Obamas policy, it conflicts with his partys stance, as well.

Trumps running mate, Vice President-elect Mike Pence, argued during the campaign that the U.S. should strike Assads forces if needed to prevent devastation in Aleppo. Trump took the remarkable step of contradicting him. I disagree, Trump said, and Pence quickly backed off the threat of military action.

Both Democratic and Republican critics say Trumps brushstroke analysis of Syrias internal conflicts paints a far rosier picture of Russias aims than reality  and even endorses some of the propaganda Assad has used to delegitimize his opponents.

Putin is a thug, a bully and a murderer, and anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said after word emerged that Trump was picking Tillerson as his chief diplomat.

While Moscow has attacked IS at times, the U.S. and its allies say most Russian airstrikes have targeted rebel-dominated areas where IS isnt active. American officials accuse Assad of a soft approach toward IS, and even of colluding with the group in hopes of marginalizing U.S.-backed rebels.

Though the U.S. under Obama has tried to work diplomatically with Russia, Syria cease-fire deals have repeatedly collapsed, with the U.S. accusing Moscow of failing to use its influence to prevent Assad from violating them. Meanwhile, Russias military intervention has been successful in helping Assad reclaim the upper hand, making Putin a key player in Syrias future.

So closely aligned are Russia and Syria that it was Russia that negotiated a cease-fire to evacuate the last civilians and opposition fighters from eastern Aleppo, rebels said. The rebels had been squeezed for months into smaller and smaller areas of Aleppo. The citys status as Syrias commercial hub makes its capture a key victory for Assad.

As world leaders debate what to do next, all eyes are on Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20. Robert Ford, the former U.S. ambassador to Syria and a Middle East Institute scholar, said the horrifying images of suffering emanating from Syria would force Trump to outline a more detailed response.

While the Trump administration may want to avoid getting into the business of regime change, its still going to have to address what it does about grotesque violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes, said Ford. Just saying were not interested in regime change is not a response.

Aligning with Russia would make it harder for the U.S. to corral the rebels more strident supporters into supporting peace mediation. Assad foes like Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia might become more inclined to give extremists advanced weaponry despite U.S. protestations.

Read More: The Loss of Palmyra Exposes Syrias Weakness, and ISISs Bloody Persistence

Concerns that Trump may soften U.S. policy toward Russia, currently under tough U.S. sanctions over its actions in Ukraine, burgeoned during the campaign amid signs of Russian hacking of political groups. U.S. intelligence agencies now say the hacking was intended to help Trump win.

Those concerns grew louder still Tuesday when Trump tapped Tillerson for secretary of state despite his history of arguing against sanctions on Russia, which could affect Exxons joint ventures with Russias state oil company. In 2013, Putin awarded Tillerson the Order of Friendship in honor of his efforts to improve U.S.-Russia ties.

___

AP Congressional Correspondent Erica Werner contributed to this report.
After meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at the Trump Tower in New York City on Tuesday morning (Dec. 13), Kanye West apparently walked away with a souvenir.

The outspoken rapper -- who made his second public appearance after being hospitalized last month (he popped up at a Rick Owens: Furniture exhibition in Los Angeles last week, sporting a new blonde hairdo) -- shared an image on Twitter of an autographed issue of the latest TIME magazine, in which Trump was named "Person of the Year."

"To Kanye, you are a great friend," wrote Trump, along with a "thanks" and his signature.

pic.twitter.com/tNMBk0sZJw

- KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 14, 2016

West also revealed on Twitter that the two had met to discuss "multicultural issues." He further explained, "These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago. I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change."

He also posted the hashtag "#2024" suggesting that he could make a presidential run that year, after claiming at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards that he decided he would run in 2020.
(NEW YORK)  U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and some of Silicon Valleys most powerful executives met at his Manhattan tower on Wednesday, a summit convened to smooth over frictions after both sides made no secret of their disdain for each other during the presidential campaign.

The meeting was expected to focus on economic issues and skirt the numerous disagreements the tech industry has with Trump  including on immigration, the trade relationship with China and digital privacy  in favor of a focus on shared priorities, sources said.

Theres nobody like the people in this room, and anything we can do to help this go along were going to do that for you, Trump told the executives gathered in a conference room on the 25th floor of Trump Tower. You call my people, you call me, it doesnt make any difference. We have no formal chain of command, he said.

Three of Trumps adult children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, sat at the head of a large rectangular table as the meeting began. Their attendance may fuel further concern about potential conflicts of interests for Trump, who has said he would hand over control of his business empire to his children while he occupies the White House.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence was also in attendance. Guests sat in front of paper name plates and bottles of water sporting the Trump brand logo.

The meeting between tech luminaries, including Apple Incs Tim Cook, Facebook Incs Sheryl Sandberg and Tesla Motors Incs Elon Musk, took place as Trump has alarmed some U.S. corporations with his rhetoric challenging long-established policy toward China, a main market for Silicon Valley.

A senior Chinese state planning official told the China Daily newspaper Wednesday that Beijing could slap a penalty on a U.S. automaker for monopolistic behavior, a warning delivered days after Trump questioned acknowledging Taiwan as part of one China. The official did not identify the automaker.

Story continues

The tech summit is being billed as an introductory session, said sources briefed on the talks.

Several company executives thanked Trump for hosting the meeting during introductions attended by reporters. Sandberg said she was most interested in discussing job creation.

Other expected participants include Alphabet Incs Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, Amazon.coms Jeff Bezos, Microsoft Corps Satya Nadella, and Ginni Rometty from IBM, sources said.

Cook and Musk will join Trump for a smaller meeting after the other technology executives leave, a spokesman for Trumps transition team said.

The CEOs of Airbnb and Uber were invited but are not attending. Ubers Travis Kalanick will instead be traveling in India all week, according to a person familiar with his plans.

SOME HESITATION

Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the election campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption, and his surprise victory last month alarmed many companies that feared he might follow through on his pledges. He has said that many tech companies are overvalued by investors.

You look at some of these tech stocks that are so, so weak as a concept and a company and theyre selling for so much money, he told Reuters in an interview in May.

Those concerns have not been assuaged in recent weeks as Trump has threatened to upset trade relationships with China and appoint officials who favor expanded surveillance programs.

For some of the companies, there was some hesitation about whether to attend because of sharp political and personal differences with Trump, one tech industry source said.

More than 600 employees of technology companies pledged in an open letter on Tuesday to refuse to help Trumps administration build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.

Silicon Valley enjoyed a warm rapport with President Barack Obama and heavily supported Democrat Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign.

Schmidt was photographed on election night at Clinton headquarters wearing a staff badge, and Musk said in interviews before the election that Trumps character reflected poorly on the United States.

Despite those tensions, Trump named Musk to a business advisory council that will give private-sector input to Trump after he takes office on Jan. 20. Ubers Kalanick was also appointed to the council.

From the employees of the 10 largest Fortune 500 tech companies, Trump raised just $179,400 from 982 campaign donors who contributed more than $200. Clinton raised $4.4 million from the employees of the same companies, with more than 20,400 donations, a Reuters review of contribution data found.

Trump publicly bashed the industry during the campaign. He urged his supporters to boycott Apple products over the companys refusal to help the FBI unlock an iPhone associated with last years San Bernardino, California, shootings, threatened antitrust action against Amazon and demanded that tech companies build their products in the United States.

Trump has also been an opponent of the Obama administrations net neutrality rules barring internet service providers from obstructing or slowing consumer access to web content. Two advisers to his Federal Communications Commission transition team are opponents of the rules, as are the two Republicans on the FCC.

Last week, the two Republicans on the panel urged a quick reversal of many Obama policies and one, Commissioner Ajit Pai, said he believed that net neutralitys days are numbered.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  The 13th Dubai Intl Film Festival handed out their prizes Dec. 14 at a ceremony preceding the gala regional premiere of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The Muhr feature jury, headed by maverick German helmer and artist Ulrike Ottinger, gave the best fiction feature nod to Kurdish writer-director Hussein Hassan for the poignant and topical The Dark Wind, a fact-based drama about a captured Yazidi woman sold into slavery by ISIS.

Lebanese director Maher Abi Samra nabbed the best non-fiction prize for A Maid for Each, focusing on a Beirut agency that recruits and supplies domestic workers. Samers compatriot Eliane Raheb, who earlier triumphed in the Dubai Film Connection awards, clinched the special jury prize for the documentary Those Who Remain, about the personal and political challenges of those living in the tense Akkar region of Lebanon.

Rounding out the feature awards, Egyptian helmer Mohammed Hammad took best director for his feature debut Withered Green, about a female Imam, while Egyptian street theater thesp Ali Sobhi nabbed best actor for Ali, The Goat And Ibrahim and Lebanese performer Julia Kassar earned the best actress nod for her work in Tramontane.

Renowned Egyptian helmer Yousry Nasrallah headed the Muhr Emirati jury, which recognized the boundary-pushing auteur film Only Men Go To The Grave directed by Abdulla Al Kaabi as best Emirati feature, Yaser Alneyadi as best Emirati director for the twisted short Shrimp and Mamsous helmed by Shatha Masoud as best Emirati short.

Ukrainian filmmaker Sergey Loznitsa presided over the Muhr shorts and Gulf shorts categories. Tunisian helmer Mehdi M. Barsaoui nabbed best short for We Are Just Fine Like This, while Lebanese director Mounia Akl took the jury prize for Submarine. Bader Alhomouds The Bliss of Being No One captured best Gulf short and Mohammed Alholayyil took the jury prize for 300KM.

Although the number 13 may be considered unlucky by some, this years DIFF was remarkable for how smoothly it ran while offering a diverse selection of galas, special presentations, live performances, red carpet events and informative industry sessions. Meanwhile, at the festival HQ, the opportunity to experience the latest trends in Virtual Reality proved one of the most popular Dubai Film Market offerings.

Story continues

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Dunkin' Donuts of Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. DNKN has announced the opening of a new restaurant at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) in Lindbergh, Main Terminal 1, with new franchisee EZ Chow Inc.



The new restaurant features Dunkin' Donuts' globally recognized menu, which includes coffee, lattes, teas and an assortment of donuts.



At present there are two Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in Minnesota and also other additional franchise opportunities in Rochester, MN, in sync with the company's persistent growth plan throughout the state.



To aid additional growth in the market, the company is offering certain attractive financial incentives, which include up to $5,000 in local store marketing support for opportune openings along with lower royalty fees for three years. It is also providing versatile concepts for any real estate format which includes free-standing restaurants, end caps, in-line sites, gas and convenience, travel plazas, universities coupled with other retail environments in a bid to keep the brand competitive.



Notably, Dunkin' Brands ranks among the well-established global quick service restaurant brands. Apart from foraying into domestic markets, the company is also looking to expand its footprint internationally in the emerging markets of Asia and the Middle East.



The companys shares have outperformed the broader Zacks categorized Retail-Food & Restaurant industry year to date. While the stock gained 24.9% and the broader market witnessed a gain of 2.5% in the same time period.





However, Dunkin group is experiencing challenges in the international markets due to sluggish macroeconomic growth in the emerging economies. Hence, it plans to continue its full-fledged franchisee model for expansion in both domestic and global markets. The franchisee model facilitates earnings growth and return on equity expansion due to lesser capital requirements.



Still, a soft consumer spending environment in the domestic restaurant space along with intense competition from similar food & beverages companies like Starbucks Corporation SBUX, McDonalds Corporation MCD and Jack in the Box Inc. JACK, might continue to put pressure on revenues.



Nonetheless, the companys continued expansion strategies, innovation in terms of products along with various sales and digital initiatives like increased focus on its beverage portfolio, ongoing loyalty program and mobile ordering service are expected to positively support earnings and revenue growth.



Dunkin' Brands currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



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AMSTERDAM (AP)  A trove of historical artefacts being held by an Amsterdam museum must be returned to Ukraine and not to four museums in Crimea that loaned them out for a 2014 exhibition, a Dutch court ruled Wednesday.

The decision goes a long way to resolving a cultural tug-of-war triggered by Russia's annexation of Crimea.

While the Amsterdam court's decision was a clear victory for Ukraine, the court said that the treasures should remain in storage in Amsterdam pending the outcome of a possible appeal.

Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea left the treasures in a legal limbo as both the Crimean museums and Ukraine demanded their return by Amsterdam's Allard Pierson Museum, which had borrowed them for a 2014 exhibition that opened a month before the annexation.

In a statement, the court said that the claim that the artefacts are "part of the cultural heritage of Crimea or of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was incorrect, as neither is a sovereign state."

Authorities in Crimea quickly condemned the ruling.

"This is yet another politicized, wrong decision which contradicts the laws," Russian news agency Tass quoted Crimean Culture Minister Arina Novoselskaya as saying. "Crimea will appeal to defend its claim to get the collection back to Crimea."

The court didn't rule on the actual ownership of the approximately 300 artefacts, saying that the issue must be resolved by a Ukrainian court.

Valentina Mordvintseva, the Crimean curator of the exhibition, said the ruling would drive a wedge between Crimea and Ukraine. She said it would make residents in Crimea feel "even more united, but divided from Ukraine. Such things, they bring cultural break."

Ukraine's deputy culture minister, Svetlana Fomenko, welcomed the decision, saying it supported efforts by her country to protect its national treasures.

"Crimea is occupied by the Russian Federation and we have no access to Crimea," she said. "We cannot protect our cultural heritage in Crimea."

___

Nataliya Vasilyeva contributed to this report from Moscow.
The proposal to create a nonprofit to allow the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau to keep secret some of the details on subsidies it doles out is a move in the wrong direction.

The Omaha City Council ought to turn down the proposal. It would keep local taxpayers in the dark in Nebraskas largest city, and set a bad example for other local government who might be tempted to try the same scheme.

The proposal shows how cut-throat communities have become in chasing after convention business, which pumps dollars into local economies.

Omaha has set aside $1 million for subsidies, although officials said it paid out only $90,000 last year to groups who held conventions in Omaha. Bureau director Keith Backsen said those conventions would have an economic impact of $22 million in Omaha.

Under the proposal from the bureau, city government would turn over a specified amount to the nonprofit every year.

The nonprofit use the money for subsidies. It would have a board consisting of the city attorney, the city finance director and a council member.

Backsen said the convention groups would have to meet certain requirements to be eligible for a subsidy, such as filling 500 rooms in two or more hotels.

The nonprofit would make annual reports to the City Council and the mayor showing the total amount of subsidies paid out, and the names of the convention groups that received them. No further detail would be included, including the amount that different groups received.

Proponents of the plan say that it would give the city more negotiating power. If the information is public, they say, groups might hold out for more money if they knew what other groups had received. The last thing you want to do is end up giving out this information and end up harming ourselves and our citizens and have to overpay, said Steve Curtiss, the citys finance director.

Those arguments cant be totally dismissed, but they are not as important as the need to inform the public on how its money is being spent. Council members are discussing a possible compromise that would delay release of detailed information, making it less useful in negotiations.

Taxpayers deserve a high degree of transparency in how their money is used. If city negotiators are savvy enough, they should be able to minimize the impact the information has on negotiations for convention business. Keeping the facts secret would just allow the trend to grow in size behind closed doors.
By Thomas Escritt

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A priceless collection of gold artifacts from Crimea that was on loan to a Dutch museum when Russia seized the peninsula must be returned to Ukraine and not Crimea, a Dutch court ruled on Wednesday in a judgement likely to anger Moscow.

Kiev and the four museums have been wrangling over the fate of the archeological treasures, including gems, helmets and scabbards, which were on loan to Amsterdam's Allard Pierson Museum when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March, 2014.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, alluding to Ukraine's ambition to restore Kiev's rule over the peninsula, tweeted: "The Scythian Gold is coming back home - to Ukraine. I'm sure, it will also return to Ukrainian Crimea."

In an initial reaction, the Russian Culture Ministry was quoted by RIA news agency as saying the museum objects should return to Crimea, where they were discovered and where, for decades, they were kept and studied by archaeologists."

The annexation, following the toppling of a pro-Russian president in Kiev, triggered the biggest confrontation between the Kremlin and the West since the end of the Cold War in 1991. It brought Western sanctions against Moscow and complications in the international arena for Crimean organisations from sports teams and cultural institutions to commerce.

Some Crimeans greeted the decision with dismay.

"I don't think it was a good idea to bring this before court," said Valentina Mordvinsteva, a historian and the exhibition's Crimea-based original curator, choking back tears.

"After this ruling what should Crimean people think about Ukraine?" she said.

But Elena Gagarina, director of the Kremlin Museum in Moscow, said she understood the courts decision.

In this case, when these objects were taken from the territory of Ukraine and belonged to Ukraine as a state, this decision seems perfectly reasonable to me, Interfax news agency quoted her as saying.

"NOT THE END OF THE STORY"

Story continues

The exhibition, its centrepiece a 4th century BC Scythian helmet, highlighted the rich history of the peninsula, a staging post on the silk road between from China to Europe, where Russian, Greek, Turkish cultures have met since ancient times.

The court ruled that only sovereign countries could claim objects as cultural heritage. Since only Ukraine, not Crimea, was sovereign, it was for a Ukrainian court to adjudicate the competing ownership claims.

"Ownership questions have to be settled when they have been returned to the state and in accordance with the law of the state in question," said judge Mieke Dudok van Heel. "The Allard Pierson Museum must return the treasures to Kiev."

A spokesman for the University of Amsterdam, owner of the Allard Pierson museum, said the museum would continue to hold the objects until all appeals were settled.

The Crimean museums have three months to appeal the ruling. Ukraine was ordered to pay a portion of the costs of storing the collection, estimated at 300,000 euros. But for Mordvinsteva, the story had further to run.

"It is not the end of the story," she said. "Such a rich story will never end."

(Reporting By Thomas Escritt; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
Washington (AFP) - Dylann Roof traveled half a dozen times to a historic African American church in Charleston, South Carolina in the months before he gunned down nine parishioners there, an FBI agent said Tuesday during his death penalty trial.

Joseph Hamski told jurors that the self-described white supremacist began making the two-hour trips from his home in Columbia, South Carolina, after downloading a book about the Ku Klux Klan with photographs of a cross-lighting ceremony.

Roof would linger in the area, local media quoted Hamski as saying, staying for up to five hours at a time during which he also visited former plantations and other historic sites linked to the US South during times of slavery.

Phone records showed a call was placed from the home of Roof's mother, where he lived, in February 2015 to the church. A day later, Roof drove past Mother Emanuel, GPS data showed.

Roof documented the trips with photographs in which he struck various poses in front of the spots, sometimes wearing a jacket with the flags of apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia.

In one photograph, he stepped on the American flag.

Many of the images were posted in a hate-filled online manifesto that included racist language directed at African Americans and other minorities.

The now-defunct website, lastrhodesian.com, mirrored diatribes that filled Roof's leather-bound journal uncovered by the authorities.

In it, he directed some of his anger at gays and Jews, and penned a logo featuring several white supremacist symbols, including the numbers 14 and 88, the Celtic cross and a rune used by Nazis to represent Aryan heritage.

Roof, who has been described as a loner, also expressed regrets about having never fallen in love.

At least 50 FBI agents collected more than 500 pieces of evidence and conducted more than 200 interviews about the massacre at "Mother Emanuel," the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the US South.

In Roof's room, investigators found a pillowcase that he had shaped into a KKK hood, along with various drawings of KKK and Nazi symbols, and his camera containing thousands of photographs such as those with racist references.

Story continues

A Walmart official said Roof had purchased ammunition on four separate occasions in the weeks leading up to the June 17, 2015 attack.

- Survivor to testify -

In a videotaped confession shown in court last week, Roof calmly told FBI agents interrogating him that he carried out the massacre in retaliation for alleged crimes committed by black people against white victims.

The prosecution plans to rest its case Thursday, and US District Judge Richard Gergel said he may also give his instructions to the jury that day.

Jurors are bracing for gripping testimony expected Wednesday from Polly Sheppard, one of the three survivors of the attack, and from the medical examiner, who collected 54 bullets or fragments from the bodies.

The first person to testify in the trial was another survivor, Felicia Sanders, who gave a heartrending account last week of how she lay in a pool of her son and her aunt's blood while cradling her granddaughter as the massacre unfolded.

She called Roof "evil" and said "there's no place on Earth for him except the pit of hell."

The defense team suffered another setback at the start of Tuesday's hearing when Gergel denied a motion to present evidence about Roof's mental state during the current phase of trial where jurors are weighing his guilt, not his sentence.

Assistant US Attorney Jay Richardson objected to what he called "self-serving hearsay" that would be used to justify Roof's crime.

Roof, 22, plans to represent himself during the sentencing phase, and his lawyers are seeking to spare him the death penalty.

Prosecutors refused to accept his offer to plead guilty to the 33 federal charges against him, including hate crimes and religious obstruction, in exchange for a life sentence. So Roof then entered a not guilty plea.

The accused gunman is also facing state murder charges in South Carolina that could see him sentenced to death. That trial is not due to begin until January 17.
E.R. Braithwaite, a Guyana-born novelist, writer, teacher and diplomat who wrote the international bestseller To Sir, With Love, has died. His companion, Ginette Ast, told the Associated Press that Braithwaite died Monday at a hospital in Maryland. He was 104.

Born in Georgetown, Guyana, Braithwaite attended Queens College, Guyana and the City College of New York. During World War II he joined the Royal Air Force as a pilot and afterward attended the University of Cambridge, earning a bachelors degree and doctorate in physics. Frustrated he could not find work in the field despite his qualifications and experience because of racism, he reluctantly took a job as a schoolteacher in Londons East End.

It was that experience that inspired his first book in 1959, the autobiographical To Sir, With Love. In 1967, the novel was made into a film starring Sidney Poitier as Braithwaite (renamed Thackeray) and Lulu, and the films title song became a No. 1 hit that year. The setting for the film was changed from postwar London to the swinging 60s. In 1996, Poitier reprised his role in the TV movie To Sir, With Love II. A stage production of the original story toured in 2013.

His other books included the novel Paid Servant, based on his time as a social worker, and Honorary White, a report of his visit to South Africa in the 1970s, as well as the autobiographical Reluctant Neighbors.

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CAIRO (AP)  An Egyptian judicial official says authorities have ordered the assets frozen of the chief of a media company that releases two daily newspapers including the English-language Daily News, over allegations of belonging to the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

The official said Wednesday that the Justice Ministry committee tasked with monitoring the businesses of the Islamist group has issued the order against Mustafa Saqr and his company Business News, which also publishes the economic daily al-Borsa. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the press.

The company, in a statement, said it has no political or religious affiliation and that President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi chose the same dailies to run his pieces on economic policies last year. Saqr said that he will defend his company's reputation.
CAIRO (Reuters) - The chairman of two independent Egyptian newspapers, including one of the country's only English-language papers, said on Wednesday that the company's assets were frozen for alleged ties to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, a charge he denied. The Muslim Brotherhood's activities were banned in 2013 after the army ousted President Mohamed Mursi of the Brotherhood following mass protests against his rule. The government formed a committee shortly thereafter to manage the Brotherhood's funds and properties. It has since seized the assets of many of the group's leaders. Mostafa Sakr, chairman of Business News -- the parent company of Al-Borsa, a widely read financial newspaper, and Daily News Egypt, a popular English-language paper -- denied any connection to the organization. "Our notebooks are open and our assets are clear and they have just one source, our advertisements and subscriptions," Sakr told Reuters. "We did not receive any explanations or even warnings about this beforehand whatsoever, so we are extremely surprised by this decision," he said. Human rights groups have accused Egyptian authorities of widespread violations that include rolling back press freedoms won in the 2011 uprising that toppled veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Sakr said the company has appealed the committee's decision and that the newspapers will continue to operate as usual. (Reporting by Eric Knecht and Haitham Ahmed, editing by Larry King)
Paris (AFP) - The lights of the Eiffel Tower in Paris were switched off on Wednesday to show support for the people of the shattered Syrian city of Aleppo.

The monument was plunged into darkness from 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) in what Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said was a protest at the "unbearable" situation for civilians in the city where fighting raged during the day.

Rebel forces announced a new deal late Wednesday to allow residents to be evacuated from the city.

Hidalgo said in a statement before the lights on the tower were switched off that "the final roads of Aleppo held by the opposition are being taken by the regime, creating hundreds of victims".

Several hundred people demonstrated in Paris on Wednesday in support of Aleppo's residents, an AFP journalist reported.

Some of the protesters wore a piece of red clothing to symbolise the blood spilled in the fierce battle for Syria's second city.
The lights of the Eiffel Tower will be turned off Wednesday evening in solidarity with the people of Aleppo.

Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, made the announcement on Twitter. The tower will go dark at 8 p.m. local time as a symbol to honor the inhabitants of Aleppo, the besieged Syrian city that has been largely recaptured by pro-government forces in recent days. Reports of atrocities committed against civilians have come from the city, as many of its residents filmed their last goodbyes to the world via social media.

The light displays of the Eiffel Tower have been used before to stand in solidarity with others around the world. The Parisian landmark lit up in rainbow colors as a tribute to the victims of the shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando in June, and in the colors of the Belgian flag following the Brussels attacks in March. It also went dark in honor of the victims of attacks in Paris in January and November last year.
In three somber moments, the Eiffel Tower went dark Wednesday in a gesture of solidary with the Syrian city of Aleppo. The monument extinguished its traditionally dazzling lights from the top down at 8 p.m. local time, leaving only its searchlight illuminated.

This symbolic measure at a building known worldwide will aim to once again alert the international community to the need for urgent action, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a statement.

The Eiffel Tower has previously served as a monument to remember those lost in other tragedies. In November 2015, the lights were shut off to mourn the victims of multiple terrorist attacks in Paris that left 129 dead and 352 wounded. In June, the structure lit up in all the colors of the rainbow to honor the victims of the deadly shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

At the request of the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, the Eiffel Tower will remain in the dark throughout the coming night as a sign of mourning, the Eiffel Towers website stated Wednesday.

The gesture of solidarity comes as the world looks on in horror at the bloodbath in Syria. The country has been the epicenter of an ongoing conflict since 2011 when anti-government protests fractured the region into pro-government forces and rebels. United Nations estimated that 82 civilians had been executed by pro-government forces Monday as they re-captured the city of Aleppo. Civilians trapped in the area have taken to posting final goodbyes on social media.

The Russian Ministry of Defense blamed rebel forces in the region for bombing hospitals and using civilians as human shields Tuesday. Russia has been conducting air strikes on the city since 2015 in a show of support for President Bashar Assad.

This could be my final appeal  everybody that can send a message to his government, to his country  ask him to stop the aggression, stop the killing, stop the war, Salim Abu Al-Nassar, a dentist in eastern Aleppo, posted in a video shared on social media Tuesday.

Story continues

The pictures and videos below show the darkened Eiffel Tower.

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President-elect Donald Trump may have to cross a major hurdle on his way to the White House as 20 Republican Electoral College voters are looking at voting against him, according to Harvard University law professor Larry Lessig. This number is more than half of what anti-Trump activists need to stall his election.

Obviously, whether an elector ultimately votes his or her conscience will depend in part upon whether there are enough doing the same. We now believe there are more than half the number needed to change the result seriously considering making that vote, Lessig told Politico.

Lessig runs an anti-Trump group called Electors Trust, which offers pro bono legal counsel to faithless electors or those Republican presidential electors who are considering a vote against Trump. The group allows the electors to communicate their intentions privately, without the fear of persecution.

Sources from the Republican National Committee, however, maintain that Republican electors will remain loyal to the president-elect with the exception of one elector  Chris Suprun of Texas  who has publicly declared his intention to cast a vote against the construction mogul.

During the Nov. 8 election, Trump earned much more than the bare minimum of 270 that he needed to be president. When the 538 members of the Electoral College  made up of 306 Republicans and 232 Democrats  cast their ballots on Dec. 19, if there are enough votes against Trumps presidency, the decision will pass on to the Republican-led House.

Lessig did not provide any evidence to back his claim. In the past, the largest number of electors to reject a presidential nominee was in 1808 when six Democratic-Republican electors rejected James Madisons election. However, no presidential election since 1832  when two Maryland electors abstained from voting  has seen more than one faithless elector.

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DUBAI (Reuters) - Eleven headless bodies have been dumped in a nature reserve in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, a local news website reported on Wednesday. The Aden al-Ghad news website quoted a security source in the city as saying that the male bodies were found on Tuesday evening in the al-Hiswa reserve, west of Aden. It was not immediately clear who killed the men and why, but Aden al-Ghad said the condition of the bodies suggested they had been dumped there more than a month ago. Yemen's second largest city has been suffering from lawlessness, as armed groups including Islamic State and al Qaeda continue to maintain influence nearly a year and-a-half after supporters of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, backed by Arab coalition troops, drove the Iran-aligned Houthis out. Hadi's government is struggling to restore security to the city of one million. The southern port city is under the control of the internationally recognized government in exile in Saudi Arabia. Last Saturday, a suicide bomber killed 50 soldiers when he blew himself up at a military base in the city in the latest of a series of attacks claimed by Islamic State. At least 10,000 people have been killed in the 20-month conflict, which has unleashed a humanitarian crisis on the impoverished country. (Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf, writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Michael Perry)
Who won?

United Technologies took President-elect Trump hostage and won. United Technologies gets tax and regulatory favors. Trumps phony rhetoric and giveaways will prompt more off shoring/outsourcing threats by companies everywhere.

Compared to United Technologies Carrier division jobs (1,100 claimed by Trump but 730 by Carrier), President Obamas bailout saved 250,000 jobs at GM and Chrysler and a total of 1 to 2 million jobs in the automotive supply chain. Plus Obamas bailout was paid for 100 percent when GM and Chrysler recovered.

The people of Indiana will be paying for the $7 million tax breaks given Carrier for years. Carrier will use the tax breaks to fund more automation, further reducing the number of jobs manufacturing their furnaces and air conditioners.

And Carrier still has 550 jobs slated to relocate to Mexico.

Yes, who won?

Loyal Park, Lincoln
Ankara (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed Wednesday in a phone call that violations of a ceasefire deal agreed for the Syrian city of Aleppo should stop, Turkish presidential sources said.

"In the phone call, they stressed that the ceasefire agreement secured yesterday night should be put into practice (and) the violations of the deal must be stopped," the sources said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed to RIA Novosti state news agency that the call took place.

Turkey, Russia and Syrian rebel groups on Tuesday confirmed an agreement had been reached for civilians and opposition fighters to leave Aleppo.

If implemented, the deal would mark the end of opposition resistance in Syria's second city after years of fighting, and a major victory for Moscow ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

But the deal appeared to be in danger of falling apart after shelling and air strikes resumed in Aleppo on Wednesday.

During the call, the presidents reaffirmed their committment to start the evacuation of civilians and rebels via safe corridors "as soon as possible", the Turkish sources said.

Erdogan told Putin that Ankara was ready to take all necessary measures to provide humanitarian aid and temporary housing following the opening of safe corridors, the sources added.
By Gabriela Baczynska and Toby Sterling BRUSSELS/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - European Union leaders, anxious to preserve a landmark cooperation agreement with Ukraine, will address Dutch concerns on Thursday by saying the deal does not give Kiev the status of a candidate for membership of the bloc, diplomats said. The Netherlands demanded caveats on the EU-Ukraine agreement, which establishes closer political ties and envisages a gradual freeing-up of trade, after Dutch voters rejected it in a referendum last April. The so-called association agreement, designed to bind Ukraine closer to western Europe as it tries to move away from Russia's orbit, is now being provisionally implemented. But it would unravel if Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte withdrew his support, which he had vowed to do should he fail to get a meeting of 28 EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday to agree to limit the promised benefits to Ukraine. Several senior EU diplomats said on Wednesday that the Brussels summit would approve a deal endorsing Dutch demands that Rutte would then take to his parliament for a vote to overrule the referendum result. "It should be OK," one senior EU diplomat said. "We are more or less there. Even though many people around the table are not very happy." Poland and the Czech Republic are among those annoyed with the additional Dutch demands, as they want to keep open the prospect of future EU membership for Ukraine. But both have now decided that their priority is to ensure the full ratification of the association agreement, the sources said. CHALLENGE AHEAD Rutte will still face challenges getting the treaty approved at home as his teetering coalition lacks a majority in either of two chambers of parliament, whose parties are gearing up for an election on March 15. A final vote in parliament would not come until February, when campaigning will be in full swing. "Everyone wants to be done with this," Rutte said in a debate on Wednesday. Approval will hinge on support from the opposition Christian Democrat party, which backed the original Ukraine deal but has changed its mind since Dutch voters rejected it. "If you hold a referendum, you can't pretend it was just an opinion of the Dutch people," Christian Democrat lawmaker Pieter Omtzigt told the debate in The Hague. He added, however, that members of his party may still back the agreement with the additional caveats from Brussels. While the association agreement does not specifically promise EU membership to Ukraine, Rutte wants the extra guarantees in order to reassure Dutch voters. (Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
BRUSSELS, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Euro zone lenders have put on hold the implementation of a short-term debt relief deal for Greece on Wednesday after the Greek government proposed to make a one-off payout to pensioners in December, the euro zone bailout fund ESM said.

Euro zone finance ministers agreed on Dec 5 to grant Greece short-term debt relief that would reduce the amount of the country's public debt by 20 percentage points of GDP by 2060.

But on Dec 8, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said, without consulting euro zone lenders, that his government would spend 617 million euros in one-off benefits for low-income pensioners ahead of Christmas because Greece exceeded its 2016 primary surplus target.

"Following recent proposals by the Greek government to spend additional fiscal resources for pensions and VAT our governing bodies have put their decisions temporarily on hold," a spokesman for the ESM said.

"Institutions are currently assessing the impact of Greek government decisions vis a vis the ESM programme commitments and targets. (We) will then analyze the institutions' assessment and subsequently decide how to proceed," he said.

(Reporting By Jan Strupczewski)
Everyone is trying to make sense of Ed Sheerans return to social media, because its really confusing

Its been exactly a year since Ed Sheeran took a break from his social media accounts. He posted a note on Instagram about why he was choosing to sign off for a little while, hoping his fans would understand his decision. He was just finishing up 16 months of traveling and touring around the world, so he wanted to give himself the time to relax and see everything [he] missed. Just as importantly, though, Ed was preparing to have ear surgery in January after he injured it from jumping off a yacht in Spain.

Please read x A photo posted by @teddysphotos on Dec 12, 2015 at 10:29pm PST

I find myself seeing the world through a screen and not my eyes so Im taking this opportunity of me not having to travel the world and see everything I missed, he explained.

We all nodded understandably and wished him well at the time, even though we knew we were going to miss him terribly. But yesterday, on December 13th, Ed has made his social media comeback  and its throwing us all for a spin. He posted the same picture on his Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

A photo posted by @teddysphotos on Dec 12, 2016 at 10:29pm PST

Okay, Ed, you wanna be mysterious, we get it (and its cute). But its causing quite a stir. People are confused and theyre starting to freak out a little bit. More than anything, we just want to know what it all means, for heavens sake.

@edsheeran I CANT WAIT FOR WHATEVER IT IS  shelby (@teenyprince) December 13, 2016

There are quite a few out there who are convinced that theyve cracked the code. Considering the fact that this post was done exactly a year later, down to the very minute, Ed is trying to send a particular message. Lets not forget that his goodbye-social-media post from 2015 mentioned a third album on the way.

Story continues

@edsheeran YALL KNOW THAT MEANS HE BOUT TO DROP THE HOTTEST ALBUM OF 2017  Landon Moss (@_LandonMoss) December 13, 2016

Something big is obviously happening, even if its not the brand new album. How much longer must you make us wait, Ed?!

The post Everyone is trying to make sense of Ed Sheerans return to social media, because its really confusing appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Heres everything we know about Netflixs ~mysterious~ brand new show, The OA

Netflix is releasing a brand new show on Friday, but unfortunately, we dont really have anything to tell you about it. In a completely unprecedented move for the streaming site, theyre dropping 8 brand new hour-long episodes of a show called The OA. It looks creepy and suspenseful. It looks a little bit like Stranger Things. And it most definitely looks like something we will spend the whole weekend binging.

The series was first announced way back in 2015 (omg, so long ago), and at the time, all Deadline could reveal was, the show will have some mystery elements to it. Thats it! Now four days before it drops, its still super mysterious and we need to know absolutely everything about it.

So you dont have to, we searched the internet and heres everything we can tell you about The OA:

1. It was created, written by, and stars this fierce lady: Brit Marling. You might known her from her role in the UKs Babylon, or that one Community episode she appeared in (where she played Page in Early 21st Century Romanticism). She also wrote and starred in two indie movies, The East and Another Earth. Get ready to start hearing her name a lot more.

2. The show is being produced by Plan B (aka, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Annistons production company) and Anonymous Content (aka, the production company behind such shows like True Detective and Mr. Robot).

3. This is literally the only tagline for the show: The series centers on Prairie Johnson, a woman who resurfaces after having been missing for seven years. Blind when she disappeared, she now has her eyesight restored.

4. Um, the Instagram for the show is hella creepy.

I remember A video posted by The OA (@the_oa) on Dec 9, 2016 at 10:13am PST

5. These are the only two pictures Netflix has released from the series:

6. The landing page on Netflix doesnt offer up much information either.

7. Netflixs tweets are a littleodd, but also HIGHLY INTRIGUING.

Have you seen darkness?  Netflix US (@netflix) December 12, 2016

Have you seen the light?  Netflix US (@netflix) December 12, 2016

And thats literally all we know about the show. TALK ABOUT MYSTERIOUS. Also lets talk about how were already hooked on this, even without the heavy Stranger Things vibes. Is it Friday yet??

The post Heres everything we know about Netflixs ~mysterious~ brand new show, The OA appeared first on HelloGiggles.
There are new details in the troubled relationship between twin sisters that allegedly ended in murder.

Keith Weiss, who once dated slain sister Anastasia Duvall, told Inside Edition Wednesday that the twins often fought, and the altercations often turned physical.

Read: These Roommates Look So Alike Even Their Friends Get Them Confused

I knew something was going to happen, he said. I knew it was just a matter of time  just never thought it would unfold like a made-for-TV kind of movie.

Weiss said Anastasia called him one night, saying she was going to kill her sister. Im like, 'wait, whats going on?' And shes like 'Alexandria and I are fighting.'

"And all of a sudden I hear thump, thump, thump. And shes like, 'Thats me. Im hitting her with the phone.'"

Alexandria is charged with murdering her sister by intentionally plunging their car off a steep cliff in Maui. Anastasia died from her injuries, while Alexandria was critically hurt and has since recovered.

She is being held without bail in upstate New York, where she is awaiting extradition to Hawaii.

Witnesses to the crash said the women appeared to be arguing and hitting each other before their vehicle went over the side.

Read: It's a Twin-Twin Situation: Adorable YouTube Sisters Are Double the Cuteness

Alexandria's attorney, Kevin O'Brien, said the crash was a tragic accident.

Weiss said he had seen the sisters become violent towards each other before.

He was driving both sisters in a car when they asked him to pullover to buy wine. Weiss said he didnt want to.

Anastasia turned around and she started kicking my right hand on the wheel, like she was trying to knock me over into the other lane, he said. Eventually, he managed to push her back into her seat, he said.

Either one of them at any given second could go from just Jekyll to Hyde, he said.

Story continues

Watch: Mariah Carey's Twins and Beyonce's Ivy Blue Are Instant BFFs on First Playdate

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Politically correct culture is dead. Or at least it should be. While lessons of compassion, respect and civility should be kept in our national discourse, we must get over the idea that we have a right not to be insulted or offended. This right absolutely does not exist.

Today, as in the past, our freedom of speech rights are under attack. When the president-elect demands an apology from citizens for perceived insults, he sends a message to the country that speech not conforming to the ideals held by those in power is unacceptable. We must fight back by speaking up. It is our duty, not just our right, to speak freely while engaging with others who hold different opinions and worldviews than ourselves.

We students at UNL must learn how to articulate and defend our opinions with facts. Do this by taking classes that explore controversial ideas. Participate in classroom discussions to learn how to communicate without resorting to ad hominem or red herring arguments. Discard politically correct speech if it prevents you from discussing a topic in an authentic and productive way. Every single person at UNL was chosen to be a part of this community because each of us has a unique and vital point of view to contribute.

Let us show other colleges and universities around the state and country what it means to be Nebraska nice and intellectually honest by exercising our constitutional right of free speech even when the ideas put forth are unpopular.

Abigail Coren, Lincoln
By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former minister of mines in Guinea was arrested on Tuesday on U.S. charges that he laundered bribe payments he had accepted to help award a Chinese conglomerate valuable rights, including near control of the West African country's mining sector.

Mahmoud Thiam, a U.S. citizen who served as Guinea's minister of mines from 2009 to 2010, was accused in a criminal complaint filed in Manhattan federal court of accepting about $8.5 million from the Chinese conglomerate.

The complaint said Thiam used that money to, among other things, reimburse an associate who helped him buy a 30-acre, $3.75 million estate in New York state, enroll his children in private schools and pay $46,375 to a piano company.

Thiam, 50, was arrested at his apartment in Manhattan, prosecutors said. U.S. Magistrate Judge James Francis later denied Thiam bail, after a prosecutor called him a flight risk.

"The defendant cannot be trusted to appear in court," Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisha Kobre said in court.

Andrew Solomon, Thiam's lawyer, declined to comment. But in court, he called the conduct at issue "quite ancient," and questioned why Thiam would have disclosed those bank accounts to the court when there was no evidence he had money in them.

"There's nothing here other than a lot of smoke," Solomon said.

The Chinese conglomerate was not named in court papers, but a key deal in the case matched the description of an agreement reached in 2009 involving a joint venture majority owned by China International Fund and China Sonangol.

China International did not respond to an email seeking comment. China Sonangol could not be immediately reached. Both companies during the period in question had the same address in Hong Kong.

The complaint said that Thiam had helped the unnamed Chinese conglomerate receive valuable rights in a wide range of sectors in Guinea's economy, including near control of the country's mining business.

Story continues

He received $8.5 million from its senior executives and officers, the complaint said, money that was deposited into a Hong Kong bank account that Thiam established by concealing his nationality and position as a public official.

In court, Kobre contended Thiam was not being candid about his assets when detailing them to court officials, claiming to only have $30,000 in assets despite a $1.2 million annual income and holding multiple accounts and companies worldwide.

Solomon denied that Thiam was trying to conceal anything, however, saying he had long had problems with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, which property records show has taken out millions of dollars in liens on his apartment.

The case is U.S. v. Thiam, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 16-mj-7960.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; editing by Bill Trott, G Crosse)
Beverly Hills 90210 alum Gabrielle Carteris is "always sending love" to Shannen Doherty as she continues to battle breast cancer.

"I know that she's really fighting the good fight," the 55-year-old actress and SAG-AFTRA president told ET during the SAG Awards nomination ceremony in West Hollywood, California on Wednesday.

RELATED: Shannen Doherty Reveals How 'Beverly Hills 90210' Foreshadowed Her Breast Cancer Battle

Doherty offers an honest peek inside her cancer fight, chronicling both good and bad days on via her Instagram account, and Carteris hopes that the 45-year-old actress continues to be strong.

"I know she will," said the mom of two, adding that Doherty is a "fighter."

"God bless her," Carteris continued before pointing to the camera. "God bless you, Shannen."

While Doherty's absence from the ReWindCon last month made for a bittersweet cast reunion Carteris gushed about being back together with fellow 90210 alumni Jason Priestly, Jennie Garth, Luke Perry, Brian Austin Green and Tori Spelling.

"I see a lot of the cast individually; for us all to be together I have to say that was really wonderful," Carteris gushed.

"Us being together, it was like we had never been apart," she continued. "We had so many things to share about our lives. It was really, really awesome."

WATCH: Ian Ziering on 'Tough Cookie' Shannen Doherty: She Handled '90210' Flak, She Can Fight Cancer

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By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China appears to have installed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, on all seven of the artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea, a U.S. think tank reported on Wednesday, citing new satellite imagery. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) said its findings come despite statements by the Chinese leadership that Beijing has no intention to militarize the islands in the strategic trade route, where territory is claimed by several countries. AMTI said it had been tracking construction of hexagonal structures on Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi reefs in the Spratly Islands since June and July. China has already built military length airstrips on these islands. "It now seems that these structures are an evolution of point-defense fortifications already constructed at Chinas smaller facilities on Gaven, Hughes, Johnson, and Cuarteron reefs," it said citing images taken in November and made available to Reuters. "This model has gone through another evolution at (the) much-larger bases on Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief reefs." Satellite images of Hughes and Gaven reefs showed what appeared to be anti-aircraft guns and what were likely to be close-in weapons systems (CIWS) to protect against cruise missile strikes, it said. Images from Fiery Cross Reef showed towers that likely contained targeting radar, it said. AMTI said covers had been installed on the towers at Fiery Cross, but the size of platforms on these and the covers suggested they concealed defense systems similar to those at the smaller reefs. "These gun and probable CIWS emplacements show that Beijing is serious about defense of its artificial islands in case of an armed contingency in the South China Sea," it said. "Among other things, they would be the last line of defense against cruise missiles launched by the United States or others against these soon-to-be-operational air bases." AMTI director Greg Poling said AMTI had spent months trying to figure out what the purposes of the structures was. "This is the first time that we're confident in saying they are anti-aircraft and CIWS emplacements. We did not know that they had systems this big and this advanced there," he told Reuters. "This is militarization. The Chinese can argue that it's only for defensive purposes, but if you are building giant anti-aircraft gun and CIWS emplacements, it means that you are prepping for a future conflict. "They keep saying they are not militarizing, but they could deploy fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles tomorrow if they wanted to," he said. "Now they have all the infrastructure in place for these interlocking rings of defense and power projection."The report said the installations would likely back up a defensive umbrella provided by a future deployment of mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) platforms like the HQ-9 system deployed to Woody Island in the Paracel Islands, farther to the north in the South China Sea. It forecast that such a deployment could happen "at any time," noting a recent Fox News report that components for SAM systems have been spotted at the southeastern Chinese port of Jieyang, possibly destined for the South China Sea. China has said military construction on the islands will be limited to necessary defensive requirements. The United States has criticized what it called China's militarization of its maritime outposts and stressed the need for freedom of navigation by conducting periodic air and naval patrols near them that have angered Beijing. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has also criticized Chinese behavior in the South China Sea while signaling he may adopt a tougher approach to China's assertive behavior in the region than President Barack Obama. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Ron Bousso

COPENHAGEN/LONDON (Reuters) - Talks between shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO) and DONG Energy (DENERG.CO) to merge their oil and gas business have stalled after the two Danish firms could not agree on a price, industry and banking sources said on Wednesday.

The breakdown in talks aimed at creating a joint company worth more than $10 billion may open the door for other bids for DONG's operations, which it is spinning off as it moves away from fossil fuels to focus on offshore wind, the sources said.

Maersk entered talks with DONG in November after announcing plans to merge or spin off its energy assets as part of a major restructuring to shift the company's focus to its transport and logistics businesses.

The development will be a blow for Maersk, which said on Tuesday it may consider selling assets or cutting dividends as it seeks to retain its credit rating, which is at risk.

In June, Maersk announced it had lost a major oil production contract in Qatar, adding to capital pressures.

Several private equity funds, including EIG Global Energy Partners, have shown interest in DONG, according to banking sources.

Maersk, DONG and EIG were not immediately available to comment.

This was the second merger attempt of the two businesses in recent years, the sources said.

Bringing together the two Danish companies' oil and gas divisions was seen by many in the industry as a natural fit, creating a company focused on the UK and Norwegian North Sea.

But they were unable to agree on the valuation of their assets and the terms of the merger, several sources close to the talks said.

The negotiations were unlikely to resume "any time soon", according to one source.

Maersk's Baa1 credit rating was put under review for a downgrade by Moody's in September. Last month, Standard & Poor's lowered the company's credit rating to BBB from BBB+ with a negative outlook.

Maersk said separately this week its planned acquisition of German shipping company Hamburg Sud will replace some 60 percent of revenue lost when the group spins off its energy division.

Story continues

Nevertheless, Morgan Stanley analysts said in a note this week that all of Maersk's energy units remained under pressure due to sluggish markets and finding ways to cut costs.

Deal making in the North Sea has slowed in the past few years partly as a result of a global oil price slump and a sharp rise in the number of assets offered for sale in the aging basin. Companies such as Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), ConocoPhillips (COP.N) and French utility Engie (ENGIE.PA) are seeking to sell their North Sea operations.

DONG produced 89,000 barrels of oil and gas per day in 2016, down from 115,000 barrels daily last year. Its main producing assets include the Ormen Lange, Syd Arne and Laggan-Tormore fields.

Maersk Oil produced an average of 295,000 barrels of oil equivalent in the first nine months of 2016. It suffered a major setback when Qatar chose not to extend its 25-year license to operate the giant Al Shaheen field and award it from 2017 to Total (TOTF.PA).

(Additional reporting by Arno Schuetze in Frankfurt and Jonathan Saul in London; Editing by Jane Merriman and Susan Thomas)
By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Ron Bousso

COPENHAGEN/LONDON (Reuters) - Talks between shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk <MAERSKb.CO> and DONG Energy <DENERG.CO> to merge their oil and gas business have stalled after the two Danish firms could not agree on a price, industry and banking sources said on Wednesday.

The breakdown in talks aimed at creating a joint company worth more than $10 billion may open the door for other bids for DONG's operations, which it is spinning off as it moves away from fossil fuels to focus on offshore wind, the sources said.

Maersk entered talks with DONG in November after announcing plans to merge or spin off its energy assets as part of a major restructuring to shift the company's focus to its transport and logistics businesses.

The development will be a blow for Maersk, which said on Tuesday it may consider selling assets or cutting dividends as it seeks to retain its credit rating, which is at risk.

In June, Maersk announced it had lost a major oil production contract in Qatar, adding to capital pressures.

Several private equity funds, including EIG Global Energy Partners, have shown interest in DONG, according to banking sources.

Maersk, DONG and EIG were not immediately available to comment.

This was the second merger attempt of the two businesses in recent years, the sources said.

Bringing together the two Danish companies' oil and gas divisions was seen by many in the industry as a natural fit, creating a company focused on the UK and Norwegian North Sea.

But they were unable to agree on the valuation of their assets and the terms of the merger, several sources close to the talks said.

The negotiations were unlikely to resume "any time soon", according to one source.

Maersk's Baa1 credit rating was put under review for a downgrade by Moody's in September. Last month, Standard & Poor's lowered the company's credit rating to BBB from BBB+ with a negative outlook.

Story continues

Maersk said separately this week its planned acquisition of German shipping company Hamburg Sud will replace some 60 percent of revenue lost when the group spins off its energy division.

Nevertheless, Morgan Stanley analysts said in a note this week that all of Maersk's energy units remained under pressure due to sluggish markets and finding ways to cut costs.

Deal making in the North Sea has slowed in the past few years partly as a result of a global oil price slump and a sharp rise in the number of assets offered for sale in the aging basin. Companies such as Royal Dutch Shell <RDSa.L>, ConocoPhillips <COP.N> and French utility Engie <ENGIE.PA> are seeking to sell their North Sea operations.

DONG produced 89,000 barrels of oil and gas per day in 2016, down from 115,000 barrels daily last year. Its main producing assets include the Ormen Lange, Syd Arne and Laggan-Tormore fields.

Maersk Oil produced an average of 295,000 barrels of oil equivalent in the first nine months of 2016. It suffered a major setback when Qatar chose not to extend its 25-year license to operate the giant Al Shaheen field and award it from 2017 to Total <TOTF.PA>.

(Additional reporting by Arno Schuetze in Frankfurt and Jonathan Saul in London; Editing by Jane Merriman and Susan Thomas)
By Mark Hosenball and Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The overseers of the U.S. intelligence community have not embraced a CIA assessment that Russian cyber attacks were aimed at helping Republican President-elect Donald Trump win the 2016 election, three American officials said on Monday. While the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) does not dispute the CIA's analysis of Russian hacking operations, it has not endorsed their assessment because of a lack of conclusive evidence that Moscow intended to boost Trump over Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, said the officials, who declined to be named. The position of the ODNI, which oversees the 17 agency-strong U.S. intelligence community, could give Trump fresh ammunition to dispute the CIA assessment, which he rejected as "ridiculous" in weekend remarks, and press his assertion that no evidence implicates Russia in the cyber attacks. Trump's rejection of the CIA's judgment marks the latest in a string of disputes over Russia's international conduct that have erupted between the president-elect and the intelligence community he will soon command. An ODNI spokesman declined to comment on the issue. "ODNI is not arguing that the agency (CIA) is wrong, only that they can't prove intent," said one of the three U.S. officials. "Of course they can't, absent agents in on the decision-making in Moscow." The Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose evidentiary standards require it to make cases that can stand up in court, declined to accept the CIA's analysis - a deductive assessment of the available intelligence - for the same reason, the three officials said. The ODNI, headed by James Clapper, was established after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the recommendation of the commission that investigated the attacks. The commission, which identified major intelligence failures, recommended the office's creation to improve coordination among U.S. intelligence agencies. In October, the U.S. government formally accused Russia of a campaign of cyber attacks against American political organizations ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election. Democratic President Barack Obama has said he warned Russian President Vladimir Putin about consequences for the attacks. Reports of the assessment by the CIA, which has not publicly disclosed its findings, have prompted congressional leaders to call for an investigation. Obama last week ordered intelligence agencies to review the cyber attacks and foreign intervention in the presidential election and to deliver a report before he turns power over to Trump on Jan. 20. The CIA assessed after the election that the attacks on political organizations were aimed at swaying the vote for Trump because the targeting of Republican organizations diminished toward the end of the summer and focused on Democratic groups, a senior U.S. official told Reuters on Friday. Moreover, only materials filched from Democratic groups - such as emails stolen from John Podesta, the Clinton campaign chairman - were made public via WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy organization, and other outlets, U.S. officials said. "THIN REED" The CIA conclusion was a "judgment based on the fact that Russian entities hacked both Democrats and Republicans and only the Democratic information was leaked," one of the three officials said on Monday. "(It was) a thin reed upon which to base an analytical judgment," the official added. Republican Senator John McCain said on Monday there was "no information" that Russian hacking of American political organizations was aimed at swaying the outcome of the election. "It's obvious that the Russians hacked into our campaigns," McCain said. "But there is no information that they were intending to affect the outcome of our election and that's why we need a congressional investigation," he told Reuters. McCain questioned an assertion made on Sunday by Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, tapped by Trump to be his White House chief of staff, that there were no hacks of computers belonging to Republican organizations. "Actually, because Mr. Priebus said that doesn't mean it's true," said McCain. "We need a thorough investigation of it, whether both (Democratic and Republican organizations) were hacked into, what the Russian intentions were. We cannot draw a conclusion yet. That's why we need a thorough investigation." In an angry letter sent to ODNI chief Clapper on Monday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said he was dismayed that the top U.S. intelligence official had not informed the panel of the CIAs analysis and the difference between its judgment and the FBIs assessment. Noting that Clapper in November testified that intelligence agencies lacked strong evidence linking Russian cyber attacks to the WikiLeaks disclosures, Nunes asked that Clapper, together with CIA and FBI counterparts, brief the panel by Friday on the latest intelligence assessment of Russian hacking during the election campaign. (Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Jonathan Oatis)
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - An exiled rival to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was sentenced in absentia to three years in prison Wednesday on corruption charges, his lawyer said.

A lawyer for Mohammed Dahlan condemned the sentencing as part of Abbas's attempts to sideline political rivals.

Dahlan, 55, "was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay back $16 million" (15 million euros), lawyer Salameh Halaseh told AFP by phone.

Halaseh said the defence had only been informed of the hearing, held in an anti-corruption court in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, on Tuesday.

Dahlan was expelled from Abbas's Fatah party in 2011 and now lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates.

Sevag Torossian, another lawyer for Dahlan, called the conviction a "cleansing exercise" for Abbas, who has sought to sideline perceived rivals in Fatah.

Dahlan, who has urged 81-year-old Abbas to step down, is believed to have the support of a number of Arab countries.

The conviction came two days after Abbas lifted the immunity of five members of the Palestinian parliament, including Dahlan, opening them up to prosecution.

The other four are alleged to be allied to Dahlan.

Torossian said the case had been going on for years but the charges were struck down in 2015 when a Palestinian court ruled he was immune from prosecution as a parliamentarian.

But last month, the Palestinian Constitutional Court ruled that Abbas has the authority to revoke immunity without the consent of parliament.

On Wednesday, a coalition of Palestinian human rights organisations criticised the lifting of immunity for the five lawmakers.

"Parliamentary immunity is one of the most important constitutional principles," the Council of Palestinian Human Rights Organisations said in a statement, calling its lifting "an act of aggression against the popular will".

The statement also warned of the potential "collapse of the entire political system and disappearance of basic law".

The full Palestinian Legislative Council has not met since a split between Fatah and Islamist movement Hamas in 2007, but the members are still in theory immune from prosecution.
Serbia's EXIT Festival has a lot of fans. The EU Festival Awards named it the Best Major European Festival in 2014, and its sister fest Sea Dance in Montenegro followed that with the award for Best Mid-Size European Festival the year after. Croatia is hailed as the new King of seaside dance attractions, so it should come as no surprise EXIT happily announces its foray into the Croatian dance kingdom.

Sea Star Festival will greet the white sands of the Adriatic Sea Friday and Saturday, May 26 and 27, with a big warm-up party Thursday night and an after-party Sunday for those who just aren't ready to go home. The Prodigy have been announced as headliners, with support from the local Dubioza kolektiv and Urban&4. More international and regional acts will be announced to fill Sea Star's six stages as the date approaches.

Sea Star kicks off what organizers call the EXIT Summer of Love 2017, a series of four festivals across Europe that includes June's Revolution Festival in Romania, the titular EXIT Festival in early July, and the fourth edition of Sea Dance festival a weeks later. Organizers will spread the love by offering a four-for-one ticket deal that grants attendees with a ticket to EXIT proper complimentary admission to any of its three sister fests. This deal is only available during the holiday season via exitfestival.org.
By Liz Hampton and Swetha Gopinath

(Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) said on Wednesday its president, Darren Woods, will become chief executive and chairman in January following the retirement of Rex Tillerson, who is U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state.

Tillerson, 64, will retire at the end of the year and Woods, 51, will take over effective Jan. 1, Exxon, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, said.

Woods, who was named president and elected to the board in January 2015, was widely expected to become the top executive after Tillerson's retirement next year, when he turns 65, the mandatory retirement age for the company.

Tillerson's nomination as secretary of state speeds up his retirement timeline due to "the significant requirements associated with the confirmation process," Exxon said in a statement.

Woods joined Exxon in 1992 and has held various senior positions at the company. Unlike Tillerson, who rose through the ranks in exploration and production, Woods' background is in the company's chemicals and refining businesses. He was elected as president of Exxon Mobil Refining & Supply in 2012.

The appointment of a 24-year veteran to run the company is not likely to shake up Exxon's strategy which has always emphasized long-term planning. The appointment also provides continuity at a time when oil companies are emerging from a two-and-a-half year rout in oil prices that saw profits and capital spending slashed.

"Broadly speaking, Exxons strategy is pretty well locked in," said Pavel Molchanov, an energy analyst with Raymond James & Associates in Houston. "It would have been locked in no matter who was CEO."

Some of the biggest challenges Woods will face is coping with low crude prices, and geopolitics, including U.S. sanctions against Russia, where Exxon has a joint venture with state oil firm Rosneft, said Fadel Gheit, Managing Director and Senior Energy Strategist with Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

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"Just because Darren Woods came from refining and chemicals doesnt mean that hes not familiar with the rest of the company's business," said Gheit.

Trump formally named Tillerson on Tuesday as his nominee to serve as secretary of state. He could face a rocky confirmation process, given concerns among both Democrats and Republicans about his ties to Russia.

With Tillerson's retirement, Exxon's board will have 12 directors.

Tillerson earned about $24.3 million in 2016. He has a net worth of $150 million, plus a $70 million pension plan.

Exxon's shares were down about 1.7 percent at $91, in line with the broader energy sector, which fell due to lower crude oil prices.

(Reporting by Swetha Gopinath in Bengaluru and Liz Hampton in Houston; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Alistair Bell)
By Liz Hampton and Swetha Gopinath (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp said on Wednesday its president, Darren Woods, will become chief executive and chairman in January following the retirement of Rex Tillerson, who is U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state. Tillerson, 64, will retire at the end of the year and Woods, 51, will take over effective Jan. 1, Exxon, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, said. Woods, who was named president and elected to the board in January 2015, was widely expected to become the top executive after Tillerson's retirement next year, when he turns 65, the mandatory retirement age for the company. Tillerson's nomination as secretary of state speeds up his retirement timeline due to "the significant requirements associated with the confirmation process," Exxon said in a statement. Woods joined Exxon in 1992 and has held various senior positions at the company. Unlike Tillerson, who rose through the ranks in exploration and production, Woods' background is in the company's chemicals and refining businesses. He was elected as president of Exxon Mobil Refining & Supply in 2012. The appointment of a 24-year veteran to run the company is not likely to shake up Exxon's strategy which has always emphasized long-term planning. The appointment also provides continuity at a time when oil companies are emerging from a two-and-a-half year rout in oil prices that saw profits and capital spending slashed. "Broadly speaking, Exxons strategy is pretty well locked in," said Pavel Molchanov, an energy analyst with Raymond James & Associates in Houston. "It would have been locked in no matter who was CEO." Some of the biggest challenges Woods will face is coping with low crude prices, and geopolitics, including U.S. sanctions against Russia, where Exxon has a joint venture with state oil firm Rosneft, said Fadel Gheit, Managing Director and Senior Energy Strategist with Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. "Just because Darren Woods came from refining and chemicals doesnt mean that hes not familiar with the rest of the company's business," said Gheit. Trump formally named Tillerson on Tuesday as his nominee to serve as secretary of state. He could face a rocky confirmation process, given concerns among both Democrats and Republicans about his ties to Russia. With Tillerson's retirement, Exxon's board will have 12 directors. Tillerson earned about $24.3 million in 2016. He has a net worth of $150 million, plus a $70 million pension plan. Exxon's shares were down about 1.7 percent at $91, in line with the broader energy sector, which fell due to lower crude oil prices. (Reporting by Swetha Gopinath in Bengaluru and Liz Hampton in Houston; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Alistair Bell)
A 41-year-old Ainsworth man has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor assault charge for taking a 17-year-old wrestler to the ground after the boy defeated his son at a tournament in Cambridge in February.

Stacey D. Micheel faces up to one year in jail at his sentencing Feb. 9.

In exchange for his plea last week, prosecutors reduced the child abuse charge he had faced to third-degree assault in connection with the Feb. 13 incident at Cambridge High School.

Witnesses told Furnas County Sheriff's deputies Micheel grabbed the Amherst High School wrestler by the neck in a hallway during the state district wrestling competition, according to an affidavit to jail Micheel.

Investigators said Micheel slammed him to the ground after the wrestler made a disparaging remark about pinning Micheel's son, then a wrestler at Sandhills-Thedford.

The 17-year-old suffered a cut on his hand, had red marks on his neck and was sitting on a bag of ice due to the fall, according to court documents.

Court records indicate Micheel weighed about 90 pounds more than the high-school wrestler.

Deputies arrested him and took him to jail.

A Furnas County judge later barred Micheel from attending any Nebraska School Activities Association event as a condition of his bond.
(Reuters) - The market for public listings in the United States promises to be robust next year, following what can at best be described as a dismal year for IPO activity.

Several so-called "decacorns", or companies valued at tens of billions of dollars, are widely expected to make their market debuts in 2017. Snap Inc, owner of messaging app Snapchat, could go public as soon as March.

While not many companies have publicly laid out plans for a 2017 IPO, experts believe the number will increase given that uncertainty has eased since the U.S. election.

Following is a list of some of the most anticipated IPOs of 2017.

SNAP INC

The Venice, California-based owner of Snapchat could go public as soon as March and be valued at $20 billion-$25 billion, making it the largest IPO since Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd <BABA.N> went public two years ago in a $170.9 billion IPO.

AIRBNB INC

The U.S. short-term home rental company has a valuation of about $30 billion and is one of the hotly anticipated debuts of next year. (http://reut.rs/2grJd51)

UBER TECHNOLOGIES INC [UBER.UL]

The U.S. ride-hailing company's IPO has been expected for a few years now. Uber raised $3.5 billion from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund in June. That valued the company at $62.5 billion, making it the most highly valued venture capital-backed company in the world. (http://reut.rs/25BPbsc)

PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES

Palantir was co-founded by Peter Thiel and Joe Lonsdale, two of Silicon Valley's more influential investors and entrepreneurs. The company helps government agencies track down terrorists and uncover financial fraud. It raised $880 million in funding late last year for a $20 billion valuation, and is considered one of Silicon Valley's most secretive companies. (http://reut.rs/2cyTrDL)

VICE MEDIA

The edgy video maker, known for its coverage of current affairs for the Millennial generation, counts Rupert Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox Inc <FOXA.O> and Walt Disney Co <DIS.N> as its investors. The company is valued upward of $4 billion.

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SPOTIFY

Founded in 2006 by Swedes Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, the music streaming service company has financial backing from the likes of Northzone, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Accel Partners and DST and now boasts of having close to 100 million users in about 60 markets.

ELEVATE CREDIT [ELVT.N]

The online lender has filed with the SEC for its IPO. Its last amended filing shows that the company will offer 3.6 million shares and expects them to be priced between $20 and $22 per share.

Source: Reuters, SEC, GoBankingRates

(Reporting by Sweta Singh in Bengaluru)
Global health officials are racing to better understand the Zika virus behind a major outbreak that began in Brazil last year and has spread to more than 60 countries.

The following are some questions and answers about the virus and current outbreak:

How do people become infected?

Zika is transmitted to people through the bite of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same type that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are found in all countries in the Americas except Canada and continental Chile. The virus can also be transmitted through sex, from either a male or female partner who has been infected, and a few cases of apparent infection via blood transfusion have been reported.

How do you treat Zika?

There is no treatment for Zika infection. Companies and scientists are racing to develop a safe and effective vaccine, but a preventative shot is not expected to be ready for widespread use for at least two or three years.

How dangerous is it?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that Zika virus infection in pregnant women can cause the birth defect microcephaly. The condition is defined by unusually small heads that can result in developmental problems and other severe brain abnormalities in babies.

The World Health Organization has said the "most likely explanation" is that Zika virus infection during pregnancy is a cause of congenital brain abnormalities including microcephaly. In addition, the agency said that Zika infection in children and adults can trigger Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder that can result in paralysis.

Brazil has confirmed more than 2,200 cases of microcephaly believed to be linked to Zika infections in pregnant women. It is investigating 3,173 suspected cases of microcephaly.

Current research indicates the greatest microcephaly risk is associated with infection during the first trimester of pregnancy, but health officials have warned an impact could be seen in later weeks. Recent studies have shown evidence of Zika in amniotic fluid, placenta and fetal brain tissue.

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What are the symptoms of Zika infection?

People infected with Zika may have a mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain and fatigue that can last for two to seven days. As many as 80 percent of people infected never develop symptoms.

How can Zika be contained?

Controlling Zika's spread requires eliminating mosquito breeding sites and taking precautions against mosquito bites such as using insect repellent and mosquito nets. U.S. and international health officials have advised pregnant women to avoid travel to Latin American and Caribbean countries, sections of Miami, Florida in the United States and Singapore where they may be exposed to Zika.

They are also advising that men and women who have traveled to Zika outbreak areas use condoms or abstain from sex for six months to prevent sexual transmission of the virus.

How widespread is the outbreak?

Active Zika outbreaks have been reported in more than 60 countries or territories, most of them in the Americas, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Brazil has been the country most affected. (http://1.usa.gov/1ovAJyh)

Africa (1): Cape Verde

Americas (50): Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saba, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthelmy, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States, U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela.

Asia, Oceania and Pacific Islands (10): American Samoa, Fiji, Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore and Tonga.

What is the history of Zika?

The Zika virus is found in tropical locales with large mosquito populations. Outbreaks of Zika have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia and the Western Pacific. The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys and was first identified in people in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania, according to the WHO.

What other complications are associated with Zika?

Zika has also been associated with other neurological disorders, including serious brain and spinal cord infections. The long-term health consequences of Zika infection are unclear. Other uncertainties surround the incubation period of the virus and how Zika interacts with other viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes, such as dengue.

(Compiled by the Americas Desk)
Thieves posing as police officers walked off with more than $5 million of gold after telling a group of men simply to hand it over, Japanese media reported Wednesday.

The fake cops stopped the group and demanded briefcases that contained the yellow metal, telling them: "We know it's smuggled," the Asahi Shimbun reported.

Apparently taken in by the disguise, the victims gave the pretend police what they asked for and watched as they drove off.

The heist, in Fukuoka, happened as the men were on their way to sell the more-than 100 kilogrammes (220 pounds) of gold, said reports, which valued the haul at 600 million yen ($5.2 million).

The men who were robbed later told the real police they had bought the metal the day before.

An official police spokesman in Fukuoka refused to confirm the reports, which said the theft took place in July, and most likely involved organised crime gangs.
(Updates with comment from public health group, paragraphs 10-11)

By Toni Clarke

Dec 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration left open the door on Wednesday for Swedish Match AB to claim its snus smokeless tobacco products represent a substantially lower risk to health than cigarettes.

The agency said the company could not remove a warning that the products may cause gum disease and tooth loss. But it deferred a decision on whether to allow the company to claim the products cause less harm than cigarettes.

It also deferred a decision on whether to allow removal of a warning that the products may cause mouth cancer. Snus is a moist tobacco product placed under the upper lip that does not involve spitting or chewing.

The FDA said evidence showed the products could cause gum disease and tooth loss. But it deferred action on the other requests, saying it believed the applications "could be amended to support issuance of modified risk orders."

Dr. Lars-Erik Rutqvist, senior vice president of scientific affairs at Swedish Match, said he was encouraged by the FDA's response.

"There doesn't seem to be a disagreement between the company and the FDA as to whether snus is a modified risk product," he said. "The disagreement seems to be the way to communicate this to the general public."

Rutqvist said there may be other ways to communicate a reduced harm message than altering the label. He said he expected the company to meet with the FDA soon.

Snus has been used for decades in Sweden and has overtaken cigarettes as the country's most popular tobacco product. Swedish smoking rates have plummeted as snus use has risen.

Last year, an advisory committee to the FDA recommended the company not be allowed to alter the label to claim the products are less harmful than cigarettes. They said the company had not shown the Swedish experience would be replicated in the United States.

Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a public health group, said in a statement that the FDA had no choice but to reject the company's application since it asked for the removal of statutory warning labels.

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"A properly prepared application could well have received a different result," he said.

Swedish Match was the first to have a modified risk application accepted for review by the FDA. Earlier this month, Philip Morris International Inc filed a modified risk application for an electronic product that heats rather than burns tobacco.

(Reporting by Toni Clarke in Washington; Additional reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gregorio and Peter Cooney)
The General Services Administration said it has not yet decided whether President-elect Donald Trump has to divest from his newly-opened Washington, D.C. hotel when he is inaugurated, despite a group of Democrats claiming otherwise.

In a letter sent to GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth on Wednesday, Representatives Elijah Cummings, Peter DeFazio, Gerald Connolly and Andre Carson said the GSA deputy commissioner informed their staff that President-elect Donald Trump will be in breach of his lease agreement the moment he takes office unless he fully divests himself of all financial interests in the luxury hotel.

The GSA disputed the claim in a statement on Wednesday afternoon, saying it does not have a position on whether the lease requires the president-elect to divest. "We can make no definitive statement at this time about what would constitute a breach of the agreement, and to do so now would be premature,"it said.

The provision of the lease in question is 37.19, which bars elected officials from sharing part of or benefiting from the lease.

The agency said that a determination regarding the Old Post Office, where Trump's D.C. hotel is housed, cannot be completed "until the full-circumstances surrounding the President-elect's business arrangements have been finalized and he has assumed office."

The Democratic lawmakers claim to have been told otherwise.

"The Deputy Commissioner confirmed repeatedly during the briefing that GSA reads this provision as we do, which is a categorical ban on the President of the United States or any elected official having any financial interest in this lease, or taking any financial benefit from it," they said in their letter to the GSA.

They said that if Trump does not divest, the GSA's general practice is to send a letter giving him 30 days to review and respond. If the breach is not resolved, the matter would be brought before the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals.

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According to the group, the GSA has received no communications to date from Trump's business organization regarding the issue. "This raises serious questions about how Mr. Trump plans to proceed," they said.

Norman Eisen, a former special assistant and counsel to President Barack Obama for ethics and government, said bipartisan experts have been warning of legal problems relating to the hotel lease, and those concerns have been confirmed by GSA.

"Their conclusion, that Trump must divest both control and ownership of the property, is necessitated not only by the plain language of the lease, but also by the Constitution," Eisen said. "GSA's call to exit control and ownership should be heeded by Trump more broadly, to apply to all his businesses, as another government agency, the Office of Government Ethics, told Congress yesterday."

He added that all indications are that Trump is headed in another direction, yielding control but not ownership. "That puts him on a collision course with his own government, with the law--and with common sense and common decency," he said.

GSA representatives did not immediately return a request for comment on the matter.

Trump spokesman Jason Miller declined to comment on the issue in a call with the press on Wednesday morning.

"This will be something that comes up at the press conference the president-elect will now be holding in January," he said, referring to the news conference the president-elect has said he plans to hold to discuss what will happen to his business operations.

Trump had initially announced the conference would be held on December 15 but earlier this week postponed the event. Aides now say the press conference will now take place in January, though they have not provided a specific date.

The delay of the announcement has largely allowed the president-elect and his spokespeople to deflect questions on potential conflicts of interest involving his business endeavors.

Trump's D.C. hotel has become a flashpoint for critics and ethics experts concerned about potential conflicts once the real estate magnate is in office.

Trump secured a 60-year lease for the Old Post Office Building from the GSA in 2013 and has filed to receive major tax credits for developing the building. For the project, he took out a $170 million loan from Deutsche Bank , which faces the threat of a $14 billion penalty over mortgage-bond investigations from the Department of Justice.

The president-elect has met apprehension about his business ties with a rather flippant attitude at times.

"When I ran, everybody knew that I was a very big owner of real estate all over the world," he told Fox News' Chris Wallace in an interview aired Sunday when asked about a New York Times report he plans to keep his stake in his real estate business.

Trump plans to hand over the reins of his company to his two eldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump. His daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, plan to move to Washington, D.C. All are members of Trump's presidential transition team.

Miller said on Wednesday that the transition team has been "very transparent" about the fact of his children's involvement. He added that proof of Trump's stock sales -- which his team said last week occurred in June -- could come in January as well. The president-elect has yet to offer any evidence of the sales.

"I would imagine as this process goes forward...additional financial information will be put forward," he said, punting the issue to January yet again.

Ron Orol contributed to this story.
Yes, I am in a psychiatric hospital even now. Not crazy, but in a severe depression for a year and a half now, with bad anxiety. Bad stuff in life a couple of years ago triggered this, plus a certain amount of genetic predisposition, plus not the right meds. In a year and a half, its been three psychiatric stays in the States, one in Norway, and three in Germany. Im joking sometimes now that I should write about international comparisons of mental facilities :)

I do have the feeling that Im finally betterknock on wood. I do often think about the everyday routines in these type of hospitals; the many biographies and patients with various illnesses you encounter; the humiliating events that happen; the bleak hopeless days where you merely hang in there; the struggle to maintain a measure of dignity for yourself; or the small unexpected comforts one finds.

I can think of many things to write about. And I would just love to hear from other people who have these types of experience. It is more common than one thinks.
Washington (AFP) - Islamic State fighters possibly seized air-defense weapons when they recaptured the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, a US general said Wednesday, adding a potential complication to the coalition's air war.

Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, who commands the US-led coalition bombing IS in Iraq and Syria, said jihadists seized a trove of gear when they retook the desert city from Russia-backed Syrian regime troops on Sunday.

"We believe that includes some armored vehicles and various guns and other heavy weapons, possibly some air-defense equipment," Townsend said in a video briefing from Baghdad.

The US-coalition that has been bombing IS since 2014 has enjoyed near-total air superiority across Iraq and Syria, sustaining only limited small-arms damage to a couple of aircraft.

"Basically, anything they (IS) seize poses a threat to the coalition, but we can manage those threats and we will," Townsend said.

"I anticipate that we'll have opportunities to strike that equipment and kill the ISIL that's operating it soon."

Townsend did not describe whether the air-defense weapons were anti-aircraft guns or missiles.

IS overran Palmyra on Sunday, nine months after being expelled by Russian air strikes and forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad.

IS had initially seized Palmyra in May 2015 and went on to blow up UNESCO-listed Roman-era temples and loot ancient relics.

Townsend said the coalition would, at least initially, defer to the Russians to try to retake Palmyra.

"If they don't, we will do what we need to do to defend ourselves and we'll de-conflict those actions with the Russians."

The Pentagon and coalition partners have accused Moscow and Damascus of taking their eyes off Palmyra to focus on bombing the former rebel bastion of Aleppo.

The US-led coalition, which is narrowly focused on fighting the IS group, has not had an active role in Aleppo, and Townsend said the regime's recapture of the city would have only a "relatively moderate" effect on coalition actions in Syria.

"Because I think the regime and the opposition forces that are fighting their war adjacent to ours will take their fight elsewhere," he said without giving details.
Dubai (AFP) - A Kurdish Iraqi film depicting the ordeal of a Yazidi girl taken hostage by the Islamic State jihadist group won best feature at the Dubai International Film Festival on Wednesday.

In "The Dark Wind", Kurdish director Hussein Hassan tells the tale of Pero and her fiance Reko, a young Yazidi couple preparing for their wedding when IS fighters attack their village.

Young Yazidi girls including Pero are abducted and sold into slavery but Reko -- who works as a security guard at an American oil firm -- escapes the attack.

Devastated, he sets off in search of his fiancee and his family.

Thousands of Yazidis were massacred when IS took over the Sinjar area in Iraq in August 2014 and thousands of Yazidi women abducted and turned into sex slaves.

The 92-minute feature -- an Iraqi-German-Qatari co-production -- made its regional premiere at the glitzy emirate's annual cinematic event.

It vied against 17 other films in the main competition of the festival, which screened more than 150 titles from 55 countries this year.

The Dubai event has become a major regional showcase for films from the Arab world, especially after a festival in its sister emirate Abu Dhabi ended two years ago.
UPDATED, June 19, 5 PM: Film producer Richard Rionda Del Castro of Hannibal Prods. was cleared of domestic violence charges after the case was thrown out by the District Attorneys office due to lack of evidence. His wife Patrica Eberle and he now are divorced, and she continues to work at the company. The case came after a supposed incident between Rionda Del Castro and his wife of 16 years at the Sunset production office one night during the time they were in the middle of a divorce. According to court documents, the case was thrown out a month before Rionda Del Castro was to appear before the court on Jan. 23. So it never made it into court.

EXCLUSIVE, December 13, 3:55 PM: Film producer Richard Rionda Del Castro was arrested last night for domestic abuse at his Hannibal Production offices at 8265 Sunset Blvd. after an argument and alleged altercation with his soon-to-be-ex-wife, the West Hollywood Sheriffs office confirmed to Deadline.

The incident between Rionda Del Castro and his wife Patricia Eberle took place as other employees were in the office. He was arrested at 5:35 PM. Eberle was transported to a local hospital emergency room afterward, the sheriffs office said, but any injuries were unknown. The producer posted a $50,000 bail at 4 AM Tuesday.

Rionda Del Castro, whose producing credits include Midnights Door, U.S.S. Indianapolis: Men of Courage and Rage, said that everything is not as it appears to be. We have been married for 16 years, and we are going through a difficult divorce. I have never hurt a woman in my life, he told Deadline. This comes after I called the police on her five weeks ago. This was a complete setup.

Rionda Del Castro will be arraigned on February 14.

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The last vessel searching for missing MH370 has left on its final sweep across the southern Indian Ocean, Australia said Wednesday, as the transport minister cautioned the airliner might not be found in coming weeks.

Fugro Equator sailed from Fremantle port on Australia's western coast on Monday for the 120,000 square-kilometre (46,000-square-mile) zone where investigators believe the Malaysian Airlines jet disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 passengers and crew.

No trace has been found in the massive undersea hunt off Australia but investigators have confirmed that three pieces of debris recovered on western Indian Ocean shorelines came from MH370.

"It has been an heroic undertaking but we have to prepare ourselves for the prospect that we may not find MH370 in the coming weeks, although we remain hopeful," Transport Minister Darren Chester told The West Australian Tuesday.

The newspaper added that the ship's final hunt would involve examining some 200 small areas which were either too deep for previous sweeps or were not properly examined due to poor sonar readings.

The government agency leading the search, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), said Wednesday that the Equator's mission was expected to draw to a close next month.

Many next-of-kin have repeatedly complained about the lack of a coordinated search in the western Indian Ocean and along the African coast.

Relatives of some of the missing passengers are currently in Madagascar, combing beaches for clues about the lost plane, after fragments identified with "near certainty" as coming from MH370 were discovered in recent months on the coast of East Africa.

The families have been accompanied by American amateur investigator, Blaine Gibson, a lawyer from Seattle who has travelled the world trying to solve the MH370 mystery.

Gibson has also recovered other possible MH370 debris, but authorities have yet to confirm if any of the pieces belong to the missing plane.

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Neither the location nor the cause of the crash are known, feeding wild conspiracy theories.

The ATSB said in a report last month that MH370 was likely out of control when it plunged into the ocean with its wing flaps not prepared for landing. It cast doubt on theories a pilot was still in charge.

The governments of Australia, Malaysia and China, where most of the passengers were from, agreed to pull the plug on the operation once the search area was fully scoured unless "credible new information" emerged.
Sacramento firefighters rescued four fishermen who became stranded on Tuesday, December 13, when the flood gates of the Nimbus Dam were opened.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District warned the public in a video posted on their Facebook page, to pay attention to scheduled water releases to becoming stranded. ABC10 interviewed one of the fishermen, Justin Lewis, who ignored the water release siren because the group felt the rising water level was not a threat. The American River dam released water to increase storage space in reservoirs following snow-melt in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Credit: Facebook/Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District via Storyful
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Firefighters on Wednesday extinguished a fire at a New York City hospital complex that sent up plumes of thick black smoke visible for miles but injured no one.

The building where the blaze broke out at NYU Medical Center is under construction, and no patients were present, medical center spokeswoman Allison Clair said.

The cause of the fire, which happened on the rooftop next to the main hospital building, was not immediately known, she said.

Social media users posted photos of the smoke rising near First Avenue in Manhattan and a video that showed flames coming from the rooftop.

City officials sent an email to residents advising them to close windows and reduce their outdoor activity where smoke is present.

The fire was not expected to delay the planned 2018 opening of the building under construction, which will house patients and administrators, Clair said.

(Reporting by Daniel Wallis and David Ingram; Editing by Bill Rigby and Grant McCool)
ATLANTA (AP) -- Federal authorities have announced nearly two dozen safety violations issued to an auto parts manufacturer after a bride-to-be who worked at its Alabama plant was crushed to death by a robotic machine.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Wednesday announced 23 violations after investigating the death at the Ajin USA plant in Cusseta, Alabama, about 90 miles southwest of Atlanta near the Georgia line.

Regina Allen Elsea, 20, was killed June 18, two weeks before her planned wedding day, OSHA said in a statement. The assembly line had stopped, and Elsea entered a robotic station to clear a sensor fault.

"The robot restarted abruptly, crushing the young woman inside the machine," OSHA said in a statement.

OSHA said Ajin failed to have procedures to prevent machinery from starting up during maintenance, among other violations. OSHA also said it cited two employee staffing agencies with four other safety violations.

Together, the three firms face a total of more than $2.5 million in penalties, according to OSHA.

Ajin said in a statement that safety has always been its "guiding principle," and that it fully cooperated with all aspects of OSHA's investigation, and intends to continue cooperating in the future.

"We at Ajin remain deeply saddened over the tragic accident that took the life of one of our valued teammates, Regina Allen Elsea," the company said.

But OSHA investigators said proper safety precautions could have prevented the death.

"This senseless tragedy could have been prevented if Regina Elsea's employers had followed proper safety precautions," David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for Occupational Safety and Health, said in a statement.

Workers at the Alabama plant, which employs about 700 people, stamp metal parts for Hyundai and Kia vehicles, authorities said.

Michaels had traveled to Korea in 2015 to meet top managers at both Hyundai and Kia to warn them of "hazardous conditions" at their suppliers, he said.

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"Kia and Hyundai's on-demand production targets are so high that workers at their suppliers are often required to work six and sometimes seven days a week to meet the targets," Michaels said in a statement.

"It appears that  to reduce its own costs in meeting these targets  this supplier cut corners on safety, at the expense of workers' lives and limbs," he added.

Kia Motors is committed to workplace safety, and its suppliers are vital to the success of its manufacturing plant in nearby West Point, Georgia, Kia spokeswoman Corinne Hodges said in statement.

"The items identified by OSHA are inconsistent with our company's core values and we will work closely with Ajin in the pursuit of continuous improvement," Hodges said.

In a statement Wednesday, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama said Ajin and its other suppliers are all required to comply with its "supplier code of conduct," which includes operating a safe workplace that complies with OSHA standards for safety and training. The company said it also encourages safety among companies that supply parts for its auto plants by offering quarterly safety forums and sharing best practices.

Ajin USA should have ensured that measures were followed to disable the machine at the Alabama plant before workers came close to it, said Kurt Petermeyer, OSHA's regional administrator in Atlanta.

"This was a preventable incident," Petermeyer said. "Ajin USA only had to ensure that proper safety measures were followed to de-energize the robot before the workers entered the station."
Warner Bros has released the first full trailer for Christopher Nolans World War II epic Dunkirk. The thriller, which is set during the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation of British forces in northern France, chronicles one of the darkest and brightest moments in UK military history.

Nolans film follows the moment the Third Reich successfully conquered France, putting it in position to begin the eight-month-long aerial Blitz campaign against Britain a few months later. But it also saw the successful escape from northern France of more than 300,000 British and allied soldiers who had been cut off and surrounded by German forces.

The film stars Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy and Kenneth Branagh as well as UK pop star Harry Styles from One Direction, who can be seen in the first trailer. This is Nolans first feature since his 2014 sci-fi epic Interstellar. Its the first film to have been made about the operation since the 1958 project Dunkirk, starring John Mills and Richard Attenborough.

Dunkirk is released in the U.S. on July 21, 2017.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-eMt3SrfFU&w=605&h=340]

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Theres plenty of data supporting the connection between a positive outlook and a healthier life  being optimistic can help you fend off stress, eat better and be more physically active, all of which can lower your risk of chronic illnesses.

But despite how often its repeated, doctors havent been able to definitively tell you that a positive attitude will help you live longer, mainly because most studies on the subject havent followed people over long enough periods of time. Studies to date tend to ask people about their outlook at one specific time  and the response can be affected by a number of transient events.

So researchers led by Andrew Steptoe at University College of London decided to look at a long-term study to track how peoples outlook over time affected their longevity. In a report published in BMJ, he studied nearly 10,000 men and women in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging between 2002 and 2013. During that time, the middle-aged volunteers were asked three times to assess their outlook by answering four questions that evaluated how they enjoyed the things they did: being with other people, their lives overall, and how energetic they felt.

Nearly seven years after their last answers, people who reported more enjoyment (or the highest satisfaction scores on all three occasions) were 24% less likely to have died than people who reported no enjoyment. Those who said they were happy on two of the occasions had a 17% lower mortality.

The longer people are in a positive state, the better it probably is as far as their health is concerned, says Steptoe. This adds weight to the evidence that outlook might be relevant to health.

Of course, there are many aspects of ones outlook  mood, or how happy or sad a person feels is one, as is a broader sense of satisfaction. In past studies, says Steptoe, most researchers captured the mood element, but werent able to incorporate the larger sense of satisfaction or well-being. An emotional state is distinct from finding life satisfying, he says. And its distinct from having a fulfilled life. The criticism of past studies is that it just looked at the pleasure aspect. So what we are trying to do is to use a measure that cuts across different distinctions. The four-questions in the study, he says, were designed to do just that.

And how did the people who reported more satisfaction and enjoyment achieve that state of well-being? Previous studies have pointed to things such as good mental health and social connections. Steptoe says that keeping up friendships and maintaining social interactions can be an important part of a satisfying life, particularly for older people. Once you enter middle and older ages, investment is social relationships is crucial, he says. Its something that is quite easy to forget about. When things are going well, you dont make so much of an effort to maintain friendships. But in many ways its an investment in the future as well as the present.
(The following statement was released by the rating agency) Link to Fitch Ratings' Report: South-East Asia Fiscal Outlook 2017 www.fitchratings.com">www.fitchratings.com/site/re/891756">https://www.fitchratings.com">www.fitchratings.com/site/re/891756 HONG KONG, December 14 (Fitch) Major south-east Asian economies have modest room for fiscal expansion to support growth and boost social and infrastructure spending in 2017, says Fitch Ratings. The agency expects a wider fiscal balance for the Philippines and Thailand in 2017 than in the previous year. Fitch believes room for fiscal expansion in Thailand and the Philippines is higher compared with Indonesia and Malaysia. For further information, see "South-East Asia Fiscal Outlook 2017" published at www.fitchratings.com">www.fitchratings.com or by clicking the link above. 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Flynn waits for an elevator in the lobby at Trump Tower on Monday. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President-elect Donald Trumps choice for national security adviser, railed during the campaign against Hillary Clinton for her reported mishandling of classified material as secretary of state. But according to U.S. Army records published Wednesday by the Washington Post, Flynn inappropriately shared classified information with foreign military officers in Afghanistan.

That was the conclusion of a secret 2010 U.S. military investigation, according to documents obtained by the newspaper under the Freedom of Information Act.

In 2010, military officials launched an investigation after receiving a tip from a Navy intelligence specialist alleging Flynn had inappropriately shared secrets while in Afghanistan.

According to a four-page summary of the probe published by the paper, the investigation concluded that during his tenure as deputy chief of staff for intelligence, Flynn shared classified information with various foreign military officers and/or officials in Afghanistan without proper authorization.

But it also determined no further action was warranted against Flynn, because he did not act knowingly and that there was no actual or potential damage to national security as a result.

The military report also noted efforts to properly cleanse the foreign officers read-books, the keen attention to mission accomplishment in a coalition combat environment and Flynns exceptional qualifications and dedicated service.

Representatives for Trumps transition team did not immediately return requests for comment.

However, Flynns son, Michael Flynn Jr., tweeted that the Posts story about his father was fake news. The younger Flynn was removed from the transition team earlier this month after spreading conspiracy theories, including the so-called Pizzagate story that apparently motivated a gunman to open fire inside a Washington, D.C., restaurant.

Related: Flynn Jr., who spread conspiracies, no longer with transition

Story continues

At the Republican National Convention in July, Flynn assailed Clinton for putting our nations security at extremely high risk with her careless use of a private email server, leading the crowd in chants of lock her up.

If I did a tenth, a tenth of what she did, I would be in jail today, Flynn said in his convention speech.

Trumps appointment of Flynn has drawn criticism from civil and human rights groups over his incendiary comments about Muslims and online embrace of conspiracy theories.

Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL, he tweeted in February, linking to a YouTube video that argued Islamophobia is an OXYMORON since having a Phobia means having an IRRATIONAL FEAR.

Theres something going on in the Muslim world, Flynn said in August. Why do we have heightened security at our airports? Its not because the Catholic Church is falling apart.

And his appointment has drawn the ire of former colleagues who were puzzled when Flynn traveled to Moscow last year to appear alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin at a gala for the Kremlin-run channel RT.

During his visit, Flynn said he didnt know whether the deadly 2013 sarin gas attack in Syria was conducted by the Russian-backed Syrian regime or staged.

I really dont know, Flynn said. Im not going to sit here and tell you that I know. To have that level of knowledge or insight or detail of what an intelligence service is doing to do a false flag  who knows.

Flynn later defended the trip, saying he was paid to attend as a speaker and used the opportunity to press Putin.

I wanted to tell Russia to get Iran the hell of out the four proxy wars theyre involved in in the Middle East, Flynn told Yahoo News.
Americans should indeed be concerned about fake news but not for the reason you think.

Defeated Democrats have increasingly whipped up fears of made-up media stories since the election. Bruised and battered, they hint that Donald Trump was not elected by a country fed up with stagnant wages and liberal baloney but rather because voters swallowed a lot of lies and belched up Republican votes.

Even the Pope is on board. Just last week His Holiness called out the dissemination of false stories by the media as a grievous sin, and likened the practice to coprophilia, or an abnormal interest and pleasure in feces and defecation. (One wonders how Pope Francis learned of such a rare affliction.) Moreover, the Pontiff said in the Belgian Catholic periodical Tertio that publishing false stories is probably the greatest damage that the media can do.

Related: Out Like Flynn: Why Trump Must Dump the Fake News General

Thats tough talk from gentle Francis, but his remarks dovetail a growing left-wing chorus of lamentation. President Obama has tagged fake news as being in part responsible for the election of Donald Trump and was described by one interviewer as being obsessed by the topic. Meanwhile, the vanquished Hillary Clinton denounced the scourge at her first post-defeat appearance on Capitol Hill and demanded action.

The epidemic of malicious fake news and false propaganda that flooded social media over the past year  its now clear the so-called fake news can have real-world consequences, Clinton said, clearly hinting that it wasnt her actual deficiencies as a candidate that lost her the election, but rather manufactured ones.

When you hear the same theme repeatedly from the ever-organized Left, theres cause for concern. Americans should indeed worry  not so much about the gullibility of the country in believing fake news items, but about the growing suggestion that Its a danger that must be addressed and addressed quickly, as Hillary said.

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How would Hillary address the supposed spread of fake news? Maybe by shutting down internet sites that carry false stories? By making it easier to prosecute slander? (Trump talked about that on the campaign trail; will Hillary pick up the threat?) By penalizing organizations that carry news items that turn out to be untrue?

Related: Here's Why Fake News Spreads So Fast on Facebook

Be careful, because that could quickly lead to censorship. When Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg promises to work with third parties, helping to label false news, doing the things we can do to make it clearer whats a hoax on Facebook our antennae should quiver. Facebook, the worlds largest social media platform, is seeking a patent for an automated technology that can identify fake news  as well as remove hate speech, porn and other objectionable material from the site.

That sounds reasonable until we remember that Facebook was accused earlier this year of manipulating its trending topics chart to diminish conservative news stories. CEO Mark Zuckerberg denied the charge, but some wonder, since reportedly he fired the team responsible for the listings.

To alert her students to widespread false news, an assistant communications professor at Merrimack College in Massachusetts published a list of news outlets that she considered untrustworthy. The list has since been taken down, but it attracted a great deal of attention since it includes satirical sites like The Onion (are her students really that clueless?) as well as right-wing outlets like The Blaze and Breitbart while omitting some left-wing sites like the Daily Kos. Like any good political Rorschach test, everyone found something not to like in Ms. Zimdars list.

Related: Clinton Calls 'Fake News' a Threat to U.S. Democracy

When lists are published and algorithms employed to weed out bad actors, there is every opportunity for malicious meddling. Who gets to determine what is fake news? Stories about Hillary Clintons health problems were fake until the nation saw a video of the former First Lady collapsing into her van. In August a story ran on the site RedState calling out Hillarys low energy and coughing fits and some odd behavior which led to speculation that she is likely not all there. The Washington Post dubbed this and similar pieces conspiracy stories and lamented that the media was forced to cover them.

Had Clintons collapse not been caught on tape, would the country ever have been briefed on her pneumonia? Under Hillary Clintons vision of a crackdown on fake news would RedState have been punished for publishing their concerns, or could I get in trouble for asking that question?

Theres a fine line between damping down politically unwelcome stories and smothering legitimate investigative reporting. For sure, there have been numerous instances of biased reporting  on the left and the right, and there have been plenty of fake stories circulated by a credulous press. When Hillary falsely said that the Benghazi attacks on our compound were instigated by an anti-Muslim video, she was spreading fake news. Thankfully, Americans soon learned the truth of the matter.

Related: Facebook's Zuckerberg Discloses Steps to Fight Fake News

There is no question that the spread of social media has enabled nearly anyone to concoct a politically helpful news item and put it before the American people. It is also true that the country increasingly goes online to find out whats happening. In part, that is because people have lost confidence in the mainstream media. In September, Gallup reported that trust in the media had sunk to an all-time low.

Why are people so down on the mainstream press? A new Harvard study shows that, just as many of us thought, coverage of Donald Trumps campaign across most major news outlets was overwhelmingly negative. Not surprisingly, that bias undermined those outfits credibility. (In fairness, coverage of Hillary was pretty dour as well.)

Instead of assembling a worrisome mechanism for revealing and filtering fake news perhaps news organizations could mount a serious effort to return to fact-based reporting. The New York Times could take the lead, reversing their extraordinary abandonment of impartiality in the recent election. Sadly, with the paper having just hired Politicos Glenn Thrush  a self-proclaimed hack for Hillary Clinton who famously ran his stories about her campaign by John Podesta for approval  to cover the Trump White House, a fairer presentation of the news seems unlikely.

Attracting readers back to legitimate newspapers and channels is as good a weapon against the spread of fake news as controversial filters. Unhappily, our liberal news organizations may not be up to the task.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
YouTube MCN Omnia Media has named David Brown as its new CEO.

Brown, the former head of YouTube Canada for Google, replaces Omnia Media founder Tamoor Shafi, who left a year ago to join Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media. Shafi launched Omnia to work with online video creators and brands in 2013, and steered the company for three years as CEO before becoming chief digital officer at Relativity Digital Studios in January 2016.

Before that, in mid-2014, Canadian indie broadcaster Blue Ant Media took a minority stake in Omnia Media. The deal allowed the Toronto-based parent to grow its digital and production business by combining its multiplatform assets with Omnia's roster of YouTube content creators.

Earlier this year, Blue Ant bought out the remaining stake in Omnia that it did not already own. And the search for Shafi's replacement soon turned to Brown, who after leaving Google in 2015 led corporate development at Victorious, a Santa Monica-based digital start-up helping social media stars launch stand-alone apps.

Brown joined Omnia around MIPCOM as CEO, with an eye to expanding the digital network's focus to include original content creation for gaming and DIY brands like Makeful. "There's a shared appreciation with Blue Ant for creating original content, owning IP and programming to really enthusiastic communities as the three fundamental pillars of how we want to now distribute content," Brown told the Hollywood Reporter.

Brown has bolstered Omnia's executive team by adding Dan Lubetkin as chief content officer. His TV credits include Comedy Central's Workaholics and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.

The goal is developing and producing original content with Omnia's existing and expanding talent network. "We're not out to change or diminish their authentic brand, but to elevate and give talent new opportunities with additional packaging or content," Lubetkin explained.

Story continues

Omnia is working with YouTube comedy star Beez, formerly known as Bugatti Beez, on a docuseries about his attempt to become a hit rapper and hip-hop artist. Beez already has 1.15 million subscribers on YouTube.

Omnia is also working with another social media star, Lilypichu, a League of Legends gamer with 750,000 YouTube subscribers, to develop a kids animated series. Blue Ant's YouTube MCN has also hired Greg Kampanis, most recently with Izo (formerly DanceOn), as senior vp, operations, and Mike Waghalter, former head of business development at BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, as its new senior vp, business development.

Read more: Canada's Blue Ant Media Invests in YouTube MCN Omnia Media
LONDON (Reuters) - Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged Britain to delay Rupert Murdoch's proposed deal to buy European pay-TV group Sky (SKYB.L) until the government completes an inquiry into a phone hacking scandal, the Guardian said on Wednesday.

Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox (FOXA.O) announced a preliminary deal to buy the rest of Sky it does not already own for $14 billion last Friday, five years after a hacking scandal at one of his tabloid newspapers derailed a previous attempt.

The scandal triggered a year-long public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press, led by senior judge Brian Leveson, that interviewed former prime ministers, celebrities and public figures.

A second part of the inquiry into specific claims around hacking has not started and the government is consulting the industry on whether it is still in the public interest.

Brown said in a statement sent to Reuters that he was calling for the second part of the inquiry to take place but did not mention the bid.

"It is clear that, given these questions (about wrongdoing), the Leveson 2 inquiry should take place in advance of any final decision related to the future of Sky TV," the Guardian newspaper quoted Brown as saying in a letter to the government department responsible for media.

Murdoch's bid for Sky was pulled in 2011 following public outrage at his now defunct tabloid the News of the World, some of whose staff hacked into phones to break news.

People familiar with the matter have told Reuters that Fox and Sky are working to hammer out the final details and could announce an agreement by the end of this week, possibly as soon as Thursday.

Any bid will be examined by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to see whether it damages media plurality in Britain. The department declined to comment.

(Reporting by Kate Holton and Paul Sandle; Editing by Adrian Croft)
A former West Virginia sheriffs deputy allegedly sexually assaulted and tortured his wife for hours this weekend, cutting off large portions of her hair and trying to waterboard her in their Boone County home, multiple media outlets report.

Kevin Woodrum was arrested on Monday and charged with malicious wounding, sexual assault and domestic battery, court officials tell PEOPLE.

Woodrum had for hours allegedly held his wife hostage in their home in Gordon, West Virginia, before police were called to the residence, Fox 11 reports, citing a criminal complaint.

According to the station, West Virginia State Police went to the Woodrum, 43, residence on Saturday to investigate a domestic situation. Woodrum allegedly told officers to leave unless they had a warrant and that his wife was asleep.

After a few minutes, officers were able to speak with the victim and noticed her face was swollen and bruised. She allegedly told officers that Woodrum had been beating and torturing her for hours.

The victim then detailed for officers the harrowing ordeal Woodrum allegedly put her through, including burning her several times with a lighter and cutting off her hair while pouring water on her face in an attempt to waterboard her, WSAZ3 reports.

 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.

She reportedly said that on Friday night, Woodrum became mad at her and tied her hands and feet to the bed. He allegedly punched her multiple times in the face and ran a lighter across her body burning her.

For the next few hours, the woman said in the complaint, Woodrum sexually assaulted her, threatened to kill her and choked her until she lost consciousness, WSAZ3 reports.

More than a decade ago, Woodrum worked as a deputy of the Boone County Sheriffs Office, a sheriffs spokesman tells PEOPLE. He was with the department for two and half years before leaving in 2004 to work in the coal industry.

Story continues

 Pick up PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America,on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBenet Ramsey and more.

Woodrum remains behind bars at the Southwestern Regional Jail awaiting trial, jail officials tell PEOPLE.

It is unclear whether he has retained an attorney or has entered a plea. West Virginia State Police could not be reached for comment.




Fox Networks Group has begun legal proceedings in Hong Kong and Bangkok against Bangkok Bank. It is seeking $71 million relating to distribution of its channels in Thailand.

The bank acted as guarantor for distribution fees payable to Fox under two separate contracts signed in 2013 with GMM Grammy and CTH, operators of pay-TV platforms and holders of TV channel licenses.

Three years ago the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) auctioned digital television licenses and raised approximately $1.46 billion for the state from 24 operators. Bangkok Bank provided bank guarantees for 14 of the 24 channels totaling more than $600 million, or approximately 41% of the license fees raised.

Many of the new digital TV channels collapsed or closed. Fox says that Bangkok Bank has failed since the end of 2015 to honor the guarantees it issued on behalf of channels.

Its a severe disappointment to us that a major Thai bank is failing to honor its guarantees to us, and its consequences go well beyond my own company, especially at a time of heightened sensitivity for investor confidence in Thailand, said Zubin Gandevia, president, Asia Pacific and Middle East for FOX Networks Group. The banks credit and its credibility; its entire stock in trade is on the line.

Varietys calls to Bangkok Bank went unanswered.

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Washington (AFP) - Hydraulic fracturing to release natural gas and oil can have a negative impact on the quality and availability of drinking water in the United States, the US government said Tuesday.

"This assessment is the most complete compilation to date of national scientific data on the relationship of drinking water resources and hydraulic fracturing," said Thomas Burke, the Environmental Protection Agency's science adviser.

The final EPA report "provides scientific evidence that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact drinking water resources in the United States under some circumstances," and is based on a review of over 1,200 cited scientific sources.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves pumping large quantities of water and chemicals at high pressure deep into the Earth to fracture rock to stimulate the flow of natural gas or oil.

The EPA report was issued at the request of Congress.

The EPA's initial assessment had found no evidence that fracking could systematically harm water supplies.

But the final report reversed course, and deleted that sentence.

It also "identified certain conditions under which impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities can be more frequent or severe," including fracking in areas where water availability is low, and disposing of wastewater in unlined pits.

The report did not document specific instances of drinking water impacts.

Nor did it estimate how common fracking pollution of drinking water might be.

"The value of high-quality science has never been more important in helping to guide decisions around our nation's fragile water resources," said Burke.

"EPA's assessment provides the scientific foundation for local decision makers, industry, and communities that are looking to protect public health and drinking water resources and make more informed decisions about hydraulic fracturing activities."
Paris (AFP) - France's parliament voted early Wednesday to extend a national state of emergency until July 15, after next year's elections.

The security measures, in force since attacks in Paris that killed 130 people in November 2015, are now expected to be approved by the Senate on Thursday. It is the fifth extension of the state of emergency, which gives police extended powers of search and arrest.

The overnight vote in the National Assembly passed by 288 to 32, with only Left Front lawmakers, protesting ecologists and a handful of centre-right Republicans voting against.

The extension, which will give the country its longest uninterrupted state of emergency since the Algerian War in the 1960s, will span the two-round presidential election in April-May and June parliamentary polls.

The government has cited a heightened risk of jihadist attacks coinciding with the polls.

Ahead of the vote new Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux stressed that France faced "an extremely high" risk of a terrorist attack.

Since the last extension -- shortly after the Bastille Day attack in July when a Tunisian jihadist rammed a truck through a crowd in Nice, killing 86 people -- he said "we have foiled no fewer than 13 attacks, involving about 30 individuals".

With numerous public meetings and campaign rallies expected in the coming months, Le Roux said "the intense electoral period we are entering increases the risk of further terrorist acts", echoing weekend comments by his predecessor, newly-appointed Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

The extension until July 15 would also allow a new president -- incumbent Francois Hollande is not seeking re-election -- to assess security and prolong the state of emergency if necessary.

Hollande's tenure has been marred by the three major Islamist-inspired terror attacks -- against Charlie Hebdo magazine in January 2015, then in Paris the following November and the Bastille Day attack in Nice.

Cazeneuve, the former interior minister who coordinated the introduction of the state of emergency, took over as prime minister on Tuesday after Manuel Valls stepped down to seek the Socialist nomination for the presidency.
How many points does Alshon Jeffery have in him this week?

Its the fantasy semifinals, amigos. Who are you going to dance with, the big-name brands from August, or the intriguing nobodies who suddenly have fantasy juice?

[Join the $90K Baller for Week 15 | Tips for your Daily lineup]

Tom Brady was terrific Monday, but now he faces the nasty Broncos defense. Whats the play? Do you trust A.J. Green off an injury layoff, or Alshon Jeffery off a suspension? Is there anything good in Denvers backfield? Is Kenneth Farrow a must-start back, or someone tied to a sinking offense? How high is the sky for Bilal Powell, or Robby Anderson? Is there any value left at tight end?

Andy Behrens and Scott Pianowski are here for all of your Week 15 conundrums. Help us help you. Your semifinal success is our reward.

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GENEVA (Reuters) - A former Syrian diplomat convicted in absentia of a brutal rape in Switzerland in 2001 has been arrested in Versailles, France, living under a false identity as a refugee, the Geneva prosecutor's office said on Wednesday. The man, whose name was not revealed, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for the 1997 rape of a 60-year-old woman that amounted to torture. The Geneva court cited the "unbearable severity" and perversity of his acts against the woman he had met at a spa. Previously accredited as a Syrian diplomat to the United Nations in Geneva, he had been living in Versailles "under a new identity, with the status of a political refugee" before his arrest on Tuesday, the prosecutor's statement said. Swiss judicial authorities were making an extradition request to France so that he would serve his prison term in Switzerland, it added. The former diplomat had denied the charges but after Swiss authorities asked the Syrian government to lift his diplomatic immunity, he was called back urgently to Damascus in late 1997, whereupon he lost his immunity in Switzerland, Vincent Derouand of the Geneva prosecutor's office said. "About a year later he was arrested in Germany and extradited to Switzerland," Derouand told Reuters. "He was held in preventive detention but then released on bail and fled." The daily Le Temps paper said in December 2001 that the bail had amounted to 100,000 Swiss francs. The man, who returned to Damascus, failed to appear at his trial, the newspaper said, adding that he was 35 years old when the crimes were committed. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Tom Miles; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Halifa Sallah, the spokesman for Gambias President-elect Adama Barrow, commented on December 14 on the ongoing impasse between President Yahya Jammeh and President-elect Adama Barrow, following the shock December 1 election.

Jammeh, who has ruled the country for 22 years, had accepted the results of the election a day after the vote, but rejected them a week later claiming the electoral process was corrupted.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the outgoing President of Ghana John Mahama, and President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra-Leone arrived in the capital, Banjul, on December 13, representing the West African bloc ECOWAS, for talks aimed at urging Jammeh to step down. ECOWAS told the BBC it might take military action if Jammeh refused to go.

Speaking to the press, Sallah said Jammeh had no authority to declare the election results void. He said the international delegation agreed with the opposition that Barrow was the incoming president, and that the opposition should prepare for the transition of power. He said the issue of military intervention had not arisen, and said a crisis would only occur if the military refused to accept the legitimacy of Barrows presidency.

He said security was paramount during the period of transition, and that the opposition wanted dialogue and cooperation.

The United Nations Special Representative for West Africa, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, said on December 14 that Jammeh would be strongly sanctioned if he seeks to hold onto power after January 19, when his mandate ends, Reuters reported. Credit: YouTube/Alhagie Manka/StateOfMic via Storyful
By Edward McAllister BANJUL (Reuters) - Gambian President Yahya Jammeh's ruling party challenged his defeat in a Dec. 1 election at the Supreme Court on Tuesday as West African leaders failed to reach a deal that would see him accept the result and end a deepening political crisis. Soldiers also seized the headquarters of the national elections commission and sealed it off just hours before the mediation delegation representing regional bloc ECOWAS touched down in the tiny riverside nation. Jammeh, who has ruled Gambia since taking power in a 1994 coup and is accused of widespread rights abuses, initially conceded defeat to his main challenger, Adama Barrow. But in a dramatic about-face that drew international condemnation he then rejected the poll results last Friday. The legal petition filed by the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction now raises the prospect that Barrow's narrow victory, which was poised to end years of Jammeh's autocratic rule, may be overturned. "The petition prays that it be determined that the said Adama Barrow was not duly elected or returned as president and that the said election was void," read the text of the document submitted to the court and seen by Reuters. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel peace laureate, led the ECOWAS delegation that also included Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari, Sierra Leone's Ernest Bai Koroma and Ghana's John Mahama, who lost an election last week and conceded defeat. "It is not time for a deal. It is not something that can happen in one day. It is something that we have to work on," Johnson Sirleaf said as the presidents prepared to leave Gambia. Regional leaders will discuss the crisis at an ECOWAS summit in Nigeria on Saturday, she said, adding Jammeh had given her assurances that peace and stability would be preserved. But in an apparent sign that Jammeh was further entrenching his position, security forces seized control of the Independent Electoral Commission headquarters, which holds the original poll records. "The military came to my office and said I am not to touch anything and told me to leave," said commission chairman Alieu Momarr Njai. "I am worried for my safety." "STANDOFF" Barrow, who received the unified backing of Gambia's opposition in the election, has vowed to reverse Jammeh's most capricious decisions, including a recently announced withdrawal from the International Criminal Court. "I think everyone knows the issue here. There is a standoff between the government and our side," Barrow said after meeting the regional heads of state. If negotiations fail, diplomats say, Gambia's neighbours might consider removing him by force. Marcel de Souza, head of the ECOWAS commission, told Radio France International on Monday that sending troops was "a conceivable solution". Gambia's president officially has 60 days to hand over power, but his move to challenge the result at the Supreme Court - the legal channel for resolving poll disputes - could put the international community in a difficult position. Rights groups say Jammeh exerts strong influence over the court, which has not held a session for a year and a half. Legal experts believe that at least four new judges would need to be hired to hear his petition. With Gambian judges no longer willing to serve on the Supreme Court, foreign judges have increasingly been brought in to hear cases. The current chief justice is from Nigeria. The role of Gambia's army will now be critical and the United States said on Monday some military officers had sided with Jammeh. Army chief General Ousman Badjie had previously called Barrow to pledge his allegiance, the latter's spokeswoman said. But Badjie's support for the president-elect appeared far less certain on Tuesday. "I support the commander in chief, whoever it may be. I support the commander in chief Jammeh," Badjie told Reuters. Barrow, who has no official state security detail, said in an interview on Monday he was concerned for his own safety. (Additional reporting by Nellie Peyton in Dakar; writing by Emma Farge and Joe Bavier; editing by Gareth Jones)
The deadly wildfires in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains area near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, caused an estimated $500 million in damage, local officials said Tuesday. The blaze claimed the lives of 14 people.

Firefighters contained the blaze 100 percent and authorities are now focusing on rebuilding efforts. The fire damaged more than 2,400 buildings, including over 2,100 homes and nearly 60 businesses in the Gatlinburg area, officials said. Gatlinburg Mayor Mike Werner himself reportedly lost his home, two dogs and all seven of the condominium buildings he owned.

The fire is reported to have started on Nov. 23 in the Chimney Tops area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and spread into Gatlinburg. The town officially reopened to the public Friday.

It was a great sight, a beautiful sight, to see this weekend our streets once again filled with visitors and locals alike, Gatlinburg City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle said, according to the Associated Press (AP).

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Deputy Superintendent Clay Jordan said extreme wind conditions affected the rescue operations.

First, we believe there was no way we could have controlled the fire prior to the wind event, Jordan said. And second, the reality is that we believe that no number of firefighters or fire engines could have stopped the spread of the fire in such extreme wind conditions.

Two juveniles have been charged with aggravated arson in connection with the wildfires. According to initial investigation, two juveniles allegedly started the fire. They were held at the Sevier County Juvenile Detention Center. Their identities have not been released due to their age, according to local District Attorney James Dunn.

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By Alwyn Scott and Anya George Tharakan

(Reuters) - General Electric Co <GE.N> on Wednesday renewed its forecast for strong earnings growth over the next two years despite weak energy markets, and said it expects to further build its 3-D printing and services businesses while selling other franchises.

In affirming a target of $2 a share in operating earnings in 2018, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Immelt said GE would overcome expected weakness in its oil and gas business next year and dropped cautiousness the company had expressed in October.

GE's target was slightly above analyst consensus estimates, and up from a range of $1.60 to $1.70 a share the company forecast on Wednesday for 2017. GE's 2016 estimate is $1.48 to $1.52 a share.

Immelt said GE will sell its $3 billion industrial solutions businesses along with its water business by mid-2017, and expects net proceeds of $4 billion.

Immelt also stumped for U.S. tax reform, a functioning Export-Import Bank and globalization. GE has backed those policies before.

In a reference to the U.S. election and President-elect Donald Trump, Immelt said it was important for GE "to be able to explain the difference between globalization and outsourcing." The 20-year-old notion of products being made in Mexico for U.S. consumers no longer fits GE's global operations, he said.

"Over the last 15 years, 85 percent of our gas turbines and jet engines have been sold outside the United States," Immelt said. "That's globalization today."

GE said it expects to be making more than 500 production parts with 3-D printers by 2020, up from an expected 15 parts in 2017, cutting manufacturing costs by at least $3 billion.

The acquisition of Baker Hughes Inc <BHI.N> that GE announced in October, will cut 2 cents a share from earnings next year, but will add 4 cents in 2018, the company said.

GE said it expected 2017 revenue of about $135 billion, above estimates of $122.72 billion. It expects to return between $19 billion to $21 billion to investors next year, compared with $30 billion in 2016.

GE's shares were little changed at $31.55 in after-market trading on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Alwyn Scott in Seattle and Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Jonathan Oatis)
Shares of General Motors (GM) fell 3 percent Wednesday after a report said China will penalize an unnamed U.S. automaker for monopolistic behavior.

Shares of American automaker Ford Motor (F) declined nearly 1.9 percent on the day.

Investigators found the unnamed U.S. automaker instructed distributors to fix prices starting back in 2014, the official China Daily newspaper reported, citing Zhang Handong, director of the National Development and Reform Commission's price supervision bureau.

The report said it would be the second penalty issued by the NDRC this month.

On Tuesday, GM asked the Supreme Court to overturn an earlier ruling that its 2009 bankruptcy filing did not shield it from lawsuits related to its faulty ignition switches.

General Motor's stock is up more than 5 percent year to date.





Reuters contributed to this report.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Transport Ministry will invest 250 million euros (209.47 million pounds) by 2019 in making hydrogen-fuelled cars suitable for mass production, German newspaper Die Welt said on Wednesday, without citing its sources.

Some of the money will be used for research and development with the aim of making such cars competitive and some of it will be used to develop infrastructure such as fuelling stations, the report said.

It said the German government had agreed on a support programme for fuel-cell cars that would run until 2026.

"With electromobility and automated and connected driving, the biggest mobility revolution since the invention of the car is ahead of us," Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt told the newspaper.

(Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
London (AFP) - France's ambassador to Britain Sylvie Bermann has warned of "great uncertainty" among the French community in the wake of the Brexit vote, in a House of Lords report published on Wednesday.

Speaking to the Lords' EU Justice Sub-Committee, Bermann said the French community has "a lot of questions" about the consequences of Britain's June referendum to leave the European Union.

"It is worried because of the great uncertainty about its future in the UK; its members have invested a lot in this country, both personally and professionally.

"It is also worried, because in the aftermath of the referendum some French nationals were subjected to negative or aggressive language," Bermann said in comments published in the House of Lords report.

The French ambassador said she and her colleagues had received testimonies of such abuse following the Brexit vote, coming after decades of Britain being seen as "a success story in terms of dynamism and respect for others".

Bermann estimated 300,000 French people were living in Britain and said some were ready to change their plans after the referendum.

"Some of them told me that before 23 June they felt like Londoners and now they feel like foreigners, which is different.

"Many express a sense of sadness and are waiting for answers," she said.

The envoy's comments echoed those made by her Polish counterpart, Arkady Rzegocki, and Romanian ambassador Dan Mihalache, who also spoke to the committee for its report on the impact of Brexit on rights.

Rzegocki said there were around 984,000 Poles in Britain, while Mihalache said there were 272,000 Romanians living there.

- Anxiety for Britons in EU -

In its assessment the House of Lords committee said the government had a moral duty to provide clarity to EU citizens in Britain.

"The government is under a moral obligation to provide certainty and legal clarity to all EU nationals working, living and studying in the UK, who contribute so significantly to the economic and cultural life of the UK. It should do so urgently," the report said.

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It further called on the government to explain its actions to combat xenophobia, while also warning that EU workers filled gaps in the labour market that cannot be filled by British workers.

"The longer their future is uncertain, the less attractive a place to live and work the UK will be, and the greater labour market gaps will be," the committee said.

Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly said she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living in Britain, although she has stopped short of guaranteeing their rights.

The premier has promised to start the two-year negotiating period to leave the EU -- by triggering Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty -- by the end of March 2017.

The House of Lords report additionally gathered testimony from Britons living in other EU countries, numbering around 1.2 million in total.

"The anxiety of EU nationals in the UK is matched by that of UK nationals in other EU states -- the evidence we received of their distress is compelling," the report said, calling again on the government to urgently provide certainty and legal clarity.

The biggest worry for Britons living elsewhere in the EU was healthcare, while pension rights and exchange rates were also listed as concerns sourced from the lobby group Expat Citizen Rights in EU.
Dear Doctor: If there's no proof that flossing is beneficial, do I really need to do it?

Dear Reader: You're referring to an article published by The Associated Press last summer, which revealed that the studies cited by the American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Periodontology to recommend daily flossing are scientifically inadequate. To say the story caused a ruckus is an understatement.

According to the AP investigation, the advice to floss daily is based on studies that are "very unreliable" and whose quality is "very low." Many of the studies were funded by dental floss companies, which opened up "a moderate to large potential for bias."

It's important to note, though, that while the AP story found fault with the research, it didn't offer evidence that flossing doesn't work. So while you could use the revelations as an excuse to ditch the dental floss, dentists and dental hygienists say that manually cleaning the space between your teeth is still a good idea.

Their reasoning? Each tooth has five surfaces. Three of these -- front, back and biting edge -- can be cleaned with a toothbrush. However, the sides of your teeth, which sit adjacent to other teeth and can capture food particles and bacteria, require a different tool for removing both plaque and debris.

Dental plaque, a clear film, is actually a mass of hundreds of different acid-producing bacteria that naturally form in the mouth throughout the day. When left undisturbed, plaque can give rise to cavities and gum disease. The only way to get rid of plaque is manually. That means brushing and, for the inner surfaces of your teeth, flossing.

Matthew Messina, DDS, a spokesman for the ADA, concedes that the existing research on the benefits of flossing is less than rigorous. When flossing is done properly, however, Messina says it remains the most effective way to remove damaging plaque from those hard-to-reach inner surfaces of your teeth.

If flossing is painful, then you're probably doing it wrong. Rather than a sawing motion at the gum line, proper flossing is a gentle, vertical sweep along the inner edge of each tooth. Messina recommends that you ask your dentist or dental hygienist to demonstrate proper flossing technique.

For optimal dental health, the ADA recommends brushing with a fluorinated toothpaste at least every morning and evening, and visiting a dentist for professional cleaning twice a year. Considering how little time it takes and what's at stake, dental professionals agree that flossing should continue to be part of your daily personal hygiene.
Nicosia (AFP) - Greek and Turkish Cypriots marched together Wednesday to urge rival leaders on the divided island to reach agreement at a make-or-break reunification summit in Switzerland next month.

Around 250 Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots presented a peace declaration to Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and crossed south to also deliver it to President Nicos Anastasiades, his Greek Cypriot counterpart.

They urged the two leaders to "move forward without hesitation towards reunification as the "window of opportunity will not be open forever".

The march comes at a critical time for the eastern Mediterranean island, with the Cypriot leaders due to engage in UN-brokered peace negotiations in Geneva.

The marchers representing 95 civil society organisations called on the leaders to intensify their efforts and encouraged Cypriots to embrace reunification.

"Cyprus belongs to its people," and "Solution now," they chanted.

Anastasiades and Akinci have agreed to resume the reunification talks after negotiations broke down in Switzerland last month.

There had been mounting international pressure for the leaders to pick up where they left off in an effort to reach a deal as soon as possible.

The leaders will meet for a final push in Geneva on January 9 and 11, having agreed to present maps of their respective proposals for the internal boundaries of a future federation.

And from 12 January, a conference on Cyprus is to be convened with the added participation of guarantor powers Greece, Turkey and Britain.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded the island in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.

Anastasiades and Aknc have been among the most outspoken proponents of a deal, but any agreement they reach will have to be approved by their respective communities in referendums.
PARIS (Reuters) - Greenpeace activists blocked access to the Paris headquarters of French power utility EDF on Wednesday in a protest against the company's nuclear activities. Some 30 activists of the environmental organization scaled the front of the building close to the Champs Elysees and unfurled a banner with a picture of EDF Chief Executive Jean-Bernard Levy. Others sat at the entrance to the building, their hands linked through large oil barrels painted yellow and plastered with radioactive warning stickers. The banner stated EDF was 74 billion euros ($79 billion) in debt, which would continue if it pursued its nuclear policy. EDF said it would file a complaint against Greenpeace over the action at its headquarters, which it described as a "violent aggression". French state-controlled utility EDF, is the world's single biggest nuclear power operator. It manages 58 French reactors that provide over 75 percent of electricity in the country. Greenpeace said EDF had not been honest with taxpayers about indebtedness caused by the soaring cost of maintaining its nuclear fleet, and what its says is the company's unwillingness to plan for a nuclear-free France. "The situation of EDF is absurd and those responsible for this are the managers with Jean-Bernard Levy leading," Cyrille Cormier, Greenpeace energy campaigner, said. (Reporting by Bate Felix, Benjamin Mallet and Jacky Naegelen; editing by Susan Thomas)
PARIS (AP)  French police detained dozens of Greenpeace protesters Wednesday who were blocking the Paris headquarters of EDF, the public electricity company that operates the nuclear power plants in France.

Officers were seen rappelling down the front of the EDF building to take down a big protest banner and lower down militants perched on the rooftop.

Activists protesting the pro-nuclear policy of EDF had handcuffed themselves to heavy yellow barrels and lined up along the main entrance of the building beginning early Wednesday. At least two other militants had locked themselves inside a huge container placed on the forecourt.

Activists were taken away in police vans. EDF said in a statement it will file a complaint against Greenpeace over the disruption that lasted some six hours.

Hundreds of employees were asked by EDF company management not to go to work in the morning until police drive the protesters away.

Greenpeace was protesting what they claim is EDF's inability to maintain the safety of France's nuclear plants while sitting on a debt of dozens of billion euros and keeping on investing in nuclear energy.

Cyrille Cormier, a Greenpeace official taking part in the demonstration, told The Associated Press that "30 out of 58 EDF nuclear reactors have serious anomalies in tanks or steam generators."

EDF denounced as false the statements made by Greenpeace during its protest.

___

Jeff Schaeffer and Alex Turnbull contributed to this report.
In the weeks following the election, there has been widespread speculation as to whether the members of the electoral college who are charged with voting for President-elect Donald Trump will do so on Monday.

One Texas elector, Christopher Suprun, already has vowed not to vote Trump in a New York Times op-ed, and electors in Colorado, California and Washington are petitioning the courts to overturn laws requiring them to vote in support of their state's winner.

People who break from the party's pledged candidate typically are called "faithless electors" - and this time around they have the support of a nonprofit group called The Electors Trust.

Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig, who ran for president as a Democrat in this election, California attorney Mark Lemley and Michael Hawley co-founded the organization to provide free and confidential legal help to electors who "wish to vote their conscience."

The Hollywood Reporter asked Hawley to explain how the Electoral College is designed to work and why their pro-bono legal services are needed.

What is the purpose of the Electoral College?

The Electoral College conducts the actual vote for president and vice president. Its purpose is to unify and double check the general election, and if something went wrong, attempt to fix it.

Remember your social studies class? The U.S. Presidential Election has three steps: first, the primary election, to vet and choose candidates within different parties; second, the general election on Nov. 8, which is conducted in each of the 50 states simultaneously where each state votes for its representative electors; and third, the electoral college vote on Dec. 19 this year (it's the first Monday after the second Wednesday of December) to choose the president and vice president. The results of that vote are sent to Congress, where they are counted - and where any objections can be raised and dealt with. If a candidate has won more than the majority of electoral votes (270 now), the election is finished. But if no candidate wins a majority, Congress holds a vote: the House of Representatives votes for president from among the top three choices; and the Senate votes for vice president.

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The point is, the "election" on Nov. 8 is indirect and chooses representatives - electors - who, about six weeks later, vote for president and vice president.

In a nutshell, how does the Electoral College vote on Dec. 19 work?

In each State, on Dec. 19, the chosen electors gather in their respective state's capitol and they vote for president and vice president on separate ballots. The electors sign, seal and certify six sets of electoral votes, and these are distributed to the vice president (for counting in Congress): two packets to the local secretary of state (for State archives), two packets for the National Archives, and one packet for the presiding judge (and a backup set, in case the vice president needs to replace missing votes).

See: https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/key-dates.html

What is a "faithless elector" and how rare is it for someone to become one?

That's a historical but also disparaging term. "Conscientious elector" would be more appropriate. This is one who votes differently from their pledged candidate. In our history, over 22 elections there have been 179 electors who have not cast their votes for president or vice president as prescribed by their state legislatures.

They are rare, but that's only because in most elections, the popular vote and the state vote and the resulting electoral totals all agree. Rarely, the candidate who lost the popular vote is nevertheless elected by the Electoral College (it has happened twice: Bush v. Gore in 2000, and Harrison v. Cleveland in 1888). But neither of those elections was comparable to the current dilemma. Bush v. Gore was essentially a tie decided by the Supreme Court; and Harrison v. Cleveland was a notoriously fraudulent election, where the mafia of Tammany Hall swung New York's electors to elect Harrison. And in both of those elections, electors could have flipped a coin to select a plausible candidate. Not so today.

Who founded The Electors Trust and why?

It was principally founded by Michael Hawley, Mark Lemley and Larry Lessig. It was founded in anticipation of an acute need: to provide electors with strictly confidential legal counsel and legal defense for the freedom of their electoral vote.

Approximately how many electors have contacted you for advice so far?

We are aware of dozens, and are working with them as rapidly as we can. But all are strictly confidential.

Why is having access to free, anonymous legal advice so important for electors, especially at this time?

Right now, if Donald Trump shoots someone on Fifth Avenue in front of witnesses, electors from most states are required to still vote for him. That can't be right. Yet binding of pledges is done in 29 states. It has never been tested in court. Most "faithless" or "conscientious" electors have paid a nominal fine (comparable to a speeding ticket). Nevertheless, an elector who votes their conscience (contrary to a pledge) may face legal attacks. The freedom of a vote is sacrosanct in our democracy, and may need to be defended.

Now, think about the current election. Trump lost the popular vote by a significant margin (2.8 million and growing), but he is projected to win the electoral majority by 37 votes, thanks to just a few states. This situation is a tinder box, and electors have been bombarded with thousands of emails every day. Also, electors are being pressured by their local attorney general or secretary of state to vote mindlessly, according to their pre-programmed pledge. And when an elector states publicly that he or she is unwilling to vote as pledged, the barrage is even more intense. There have been death threats.

So it is crucial for electors to know: They have the legal right, the constitutional duty and the moral obligation to, ultimately, vote their conscience. The Electors Trust will defend the freedom of their vote.

In how many states could electors who "vote their conscience" face penalties?

Twenty-nine states and D.C. have laws binding electors to pledges. But those laws do vary; some may call for a fine, others may simply nullify the vote.

Is there anything else you feel THR's readers should know?

Two things. First, the underlying "bug" in our modern sense of the electoral system is the notion of "winner take all" within states. It wasn't always that way. But in the mid-1800s, bigger states wanted to drive their preferred candidate into the presidency, so they chose electors who would vote unanimously. Smaller states had little choice, and to preserve their clout, they also adopted "winner-take-all" policies. The result is as dumb as driving a big truck down a one-way, one-lane dead end alley.

"Winner take all" is fundamentally at odds with the idea of "one person, one vote" - the bedrock of democracy. Second, this practice has meant that political parties now ruthlessly peck away at the electoral map, gerrymandering, redistricting, purging voter rolls, doing whatever they can in order to gain the most leverage in a handful of "swing" states. It's like watching vultures peck at a carcass.

The result has been to cast the Electoral College into an arcane, vestigial role - to see electors as little more than mindless cogs. But Justice Jackson in the Supreme Court (Ray v. Blair) about 60 years ago wrote: "No one faithful to our history can deny that the plan originally contemplated ... that electors would be free agents, to exercise an independent and nonpartisan judgment as to the men best qualified for the Nation's highest offices."

The Electors Trust was established to ensure that electors could indeed function as free agents: as thoughtful citizens who put the needs of their country and their state above the wishes of their political party.

Second, I would reiterate something we all should remember: Donald Trump did not "win" the election on Nov. 8. Trump has not yet "won" the vote of the Electoral College: It hasn't happened yet. Technically, nobody is "president-elect" until after the Electoral College votes. Indeed, it may be that no "president-elect" is determined by the Electoral College, and the decision is left to Congress. But the news media, and even the White House, have been complicit in pushing this snowball downhill toward Washington. Nevertheless, it is, frankly, too soon for Mr. Trump to be measuring the drapes.

If ever there were a year when the Electoral College may think and act a bit differently, this is it. Mr. Trump has not shot anyone on Fifth Avenue; however, he has done just about everything but that. The revelations made since Nov. 8, which now are growing to include Russian tampering, are shocking. This may well cause Electors to vote against him in sufficient number to leave the decision to Congress. As Chris Suprun (the conscientious elector from Texas) put it: Mr. Trump has demonstrated his unfitness every day since Nov. 8.

So this is exactly why we have electors - as a safeguard to avert a disastrous appointment to the presidency.
Scientists have started copying recent environmental measurements from government servers to make sure they are not lost under the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has denied mainstream climate science.

Several efforts have taken off throughout North America to preserve information from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that environmentalists consider at high risk of being deleted or removed from online public access: data on climate change, water, air and toxins.

Researchers from various organizations have preemptively started to rewrite the code for publicly available information on the EPAs website into a format that can be preserved by the Internet Archive, a San Francisco-based digital library.

Its a better-safe-than-sorry approach. Scientists are unsure of what will happen once the Trump administration takes office, so theyre guarding against any public loss of access, Michael Halpern, the deputy director of the center for science and democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told Yahoo News on Wednesday.

And the concern is not unfounded. Under the George W. Bush administration, Halpern noted, government websites disappeared or were altered when the scientific information did not support the administrations policy decisions. And now the U.S. government provides many more terabits of data that inform the work of scientists around the world and local decision makers on important public health and environmental issues, he added.

Scientists at a rally in conjunction with the American Geophysical Unions fall meeting Tuesday in San Francisco. (Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

They are not necessarily expecting the Trump administration to start deleting data sets, but simply taking this information offline or failing to collect additional public health and environmental data would have serious implications for communities around the United States and scientists to protect the public.

Neither Trump nor his transition team has threatened to tamper with publicly available scientific data.

But Trump has repeatedly denigrated the work of climate scientists and padded his Cabinet with people who share that view. For years, Trump has railed against climate change as a hoax and even bulls*** while calling for additional global warming whenever it was especially cold outside. (He has since softened his stance, falsely saying in a recent interview that no one knows if climate change is real.)

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32 in New York  it's freezing! Where the hell is global warming when you need it?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 14, 2013

It's freezing and snowing in New Yorkwe need global warming!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012

The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012

Several professors at the University of Toronto have heeded the call of the Internet Archives End of Term 2016 project, which plans to preserve all relevant government websites before the transition takes place. They are asking the public to join them for a full day of hackathon activities called guerrilla archiving on Dec. 17 with their techno-science research unit. These sorts of projects have attracted even more attention after receiving write-ups in the Washington Post, Motherboard and elsewhere.

One of the events organizers, Patrick Keilty, an assistant professor at the University of Torontos faculty of information, noted that its not unusual for new administrations to change government websites after taking power.

When the changes are made, theres a lot of publicly accessible data that simply falls through the cracks, even in a more normal transition, he told Yahoo News.

Keilty said its important to protect certain programs and information at the EPA because the Trump administration, his transition team and his environmental advisers have marked them for the chopping block. Environmentalists have been particularly alarmed by Trumps choice of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the EPA, an agency that he has repeatedly sued.

Were worried that because of the defunding, the data will be starved out, slowly over time, Keilty continued. The reason thats a bad thing is that a lot of evidence-based environmental policy is based on these documents.

Water flows through a series of retention ponds built to contain and filter out heavy metals and chemicals from the Gold King mine chemical accident, in the spillway about a quarter-mile downstream from the mine, outside Silverton, Colo., in August 2015. (Photo: Brennan Linsley/AP)

The EPA isnt the only government agency with valuable climate data online. Information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) could also be vulnerable.

The Trump transition team recently sent a list of 74 questions to the Energy Department that many find disconcerting. Questions about which employees have participated in climate change meetings or their professional affiliations have led some to view the questionnaire as a Joe McCarthy-style witch hunt. The Energy Department has refused to comply, according to Reuters.

But an official with Trumps transition team told Yahoo News that such questionnaires do not reflect the views of the transition. The questionnaire was not authorized or part of our standard protocol. The person who sent it has been properly counseled, the official said.

Bob Inglis, a former Republican congressman and conservative environmentalist, sharply criticized the questionnaire.

It has all the look of a purge  where you eliminate the people in government, civil servants even, you dont like or figure out some way to demote them or make their lives miserable to the point that they leave, Inglis told Yahoo News. Its right to fear that theres a purge of personnel as well as data underway. It surely makes sense to preserve the data.

Inglis, the executive director of republicEn, a campaign that advocates for free-enterprise solutions to climate challenges, said he was very concerned about Pruitt at the EPA. According to the Trump teams announcement, Pruitt will attack President Obamas job-destroying executive actions and eliminate some regulatory barriers.

Thats quite a turn of events to have someone whos not passionate about the work of the EPA, but passionate about undoing the work of the EPA, Inglis said. Thats new territory.
John Waters, writer-director of Pink Flamingos and the original Hairspray, has been selected by the Writers Guild of America East to receive its Ian McLellan Hunter Award to honor his body of work.

Waters will be honored at the 2017 Writers Guild Awards, to be held at New Yorks Edison Ballroom on Feb. 19. The Ian McLellan Hunter Award was established in 1992.

Decades ago, a critic once wrote that my screenplays were merely clotheslines to hang out my dirty wash,' Waters said. Im glad the WGAE disagrees  or maybe they DO agree, who knows? Either way, I couldnt be more honored and excited to get this award.

David Simon will present the award. Simon was previously honored with the Hunter Award for his work on The Wire, Treme, and Homicide: Life on the Street.

The metropolis of Baltimore, Maryland contains multitudes: The stolid rowhouse folk of Menckens Heathen Days; the post-Yiddishe wit of Barry Levinsons assimilating Diner guys; Anne Tylers hermetic yet idiosyncratic Roland Park; Laura Lippmans crime narratives of Bawlmer women and their carried secrets; The Wires inverse economies of the citys poorest and most vulnerable, Simon, a Baltimore native, said.

But only John Waters has made being not right, not normal, not ordinary, nor expected seem so, well, Baltimore, Simon added. Time and again, on film and in prose and eventually on Broadway, he has celebrated the very American notion that there is, in fact, no normal. That we are all, if we are honest, at least two standard deviations from the mean. In Baltimore, it is our goddamn birthright. Ive shared my crew with this man. Ive shared some cast, at points. Ive shared some meals and jokes and the very real benefit of his having been a pioneer for a film community that has punched well beyond its weight class. But most of all, like damn near every Baltimorean, I am proud that I share a city with this fine storyteller.

The Hunter Award has been presented to Andrew Bergman, John Sayles, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Richard LaGravenese, John Patrick Shanley, Claire Labine, and Nora Ephron.

Story continues

In 1972, Waters wrote and directed Pink Flamingos, which became one of his most notorious films. He followed the success with Female Trouble, Desperate Living, Polyester, and 1988s Hairspray, which has been remade, turned into a musical, and a live TV event.

Waters also directed Serial Mom, Pecker, Cecil B. Demented, and 2004s A Dirty Shame.

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Writers Guild Signs New Deal With 'Cash Cab' Producer Lion TV

Writers Guild East Pickets A&E in Manhattan Over Low Pay Rates

Fusion Employees Move Toward Unionization With Writers Guild East
Photo credit: Ashley Sistrunk

From Good Housekeeping

While her husband Brandon may be serving overseas in Iraq, Ashley Sistrunk was determined to have him on their family Christmas card. The Air Force staff sergeant isn't due home until late January, but the mom of four found a clever way to include him in their group shot.

Using a little Photoshop magic, a friend stitched together one picture taken in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with another photo shot halfway around the world. The result is a reminder of what many military families go through during the holiday season.

According to InsideEdition.com, Ashley saw a similar idea on Pinterest and asked Brandon to take pictures (both serious and silly!) holding up his half of a "Merry Christmas" sign. She hoped that the final product could not only go out to friends, but also provide a little comfort to other military families.

"I always have wanted to reach out to other military spouses going through that, just because you can feel mentally alone and emotionally alone," Ashley told CBS Denver. "Hopefully them seeing that we're getting through it, they can get through it too."

The gesture is just one of the ways she gets the family "together" during the holidays, besides including Dad's photo at dinner and making a deployment wall at home. "We tell the kids, 'Yes, other kids have their daddy home right now.' But their daddy is out being a superhero, keeping our country safe and that's important," Ashley told KKTV.

Unsurprisingly, the Sistrunks' family photo soon went viral, with commenters loving their adorable poses in addition to appreciating Brandon's sacrifice. "I'm going to try not to cry. Just reading some of the comments of, 'Oh that's so cute,' but also people feeling our sadness in it," Ashley told KKTV.

Brandon is currently on his fourth deployment, and he's expected home sometime next month. It's another perfect opportunity for a photo, but this time it'll happily be in person.

Story continues

[h/t CBS Denver]

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One Direction fans might want to sit down for this one.

A new trailer for the upcoming World War II drama Dunkirk dropped on Wednesday, finally giving fans a glimpse at Harry Styles in his first feature-length role.

The upcoming film from writer and director Christopher Nolan tells the true story of the evacuation of the French city during World War IIs Battle of France in 1940. As German soldiers advanced across Europe, British, Belgian and French forces were pushed to the coast at Dunkirk.

There are 400,000 men on this beach, a military official says in the trailer before an airstrike leaves soldiers running for their lives  and fighting for survival. Theres no hiding from this.

Filming occurred 76 years after 338,000 French, Belgian and British troops were saved from the surrounding German soldiers  the largest military evacuation in history.

Dunkirk also stars Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh and Oscar winner Mark Rylance, and is set to hit theaters on July 21, 2017.




RACINE  The Horlick Dam, a fixture on the Root River for much of the citys history, should be demolished and removed, regional planning experts have recommended.

In 2014, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources found that the dam, originally built in 1835 and re-constructed four times since, does not meet state safety standards.

Planning Commission experts, local government officials and river property owners discussed the future of the dam during a workshop Monday night at the River Bend Nature Center, 3600 N. Green Bay Road, Caledonia.

The DNR gave Racine County, the dams owners, until 2024 to either repair the structure or remove it. The dam needs to be repaired or razed in order to increase the amount of water its spillway can handle, specifically during a once-in-a-century storm, the DNR said in its 2014 report.

By DNR estimates, the dam would likely fail during such a storm, causing stormwater to pour over the dams abutments on either side of the river.

The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission developed five options to bring the dam in compliance, and has recommended completely removing the dam from the river.

Removing the concrete structure and allowing the river to flow unimpeded would cost $551,000.

The Planning Commissions repair options are:

Lowering the dam by 3 feet to allow more water to flow for $411,000.

Lowering the dam and creating a fishway to allow fish up and down river for $555,000.

Raise the abutments by 3 or 4 feet for $998,000.

Cut notches out of the dam at various spots to allow more water to flow for $483,000.

Environmental pros, cons

Michael Hahn and Laura Herrick, engineers with the Planning Commission, explained their final report and why they recommended the dams removal.

Removing the dam would be best for the environment, Hahn told the crowd of two dozen people at Mondays meeting.

Removal would improve water quality and improve the stock of fish in the river, Hahn said. On the other hand, removal could make it easier for aquatic invasive species to come into the river from Lake Michigan, he said.

We made our recommendation solely on environmental factors, Hahn said. But it will be the countys decision.

The county will take its time making a decision, said Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave, who attended Monday nights session. But 2024 will come quicker than people think, Delagrave added.

This wont be an emotional decision for us, Delagrave said. We will use facts and listen to what people have to say.

The county would like to make a decision at least two years before the 2024 deadline, Delagrave said.

Patrick Flynn, a resident who lives along the river north of the dam, said he worried that removing the dam would drop water levels so low that he could not kayak on the water.

We use the area between Linwood Park and the dam on a regular basis, Flynn said, referring to the park near 5 Mile Road and Highway 38.

Leaving the dam alone and doing nothing is not an option, said Julie Anderson, Racine Countys director of public works and development services who also was at Mondays meeting.
Helpless citizens trapped in eastern Aleppo have been posting heartbreaking messages and videos on social media as pro-government forces renewed airstrikes and artillery shelling this week following the collapse of plans for a ceasefire.

If the ceasefire had gone ahead, the remaining Syrian civilians and rebel forces were likely to have been evacuated from the city. Instead, reports have emerged of pro-government forces shooting civilians on sight, killing at least 82 people including 11 women and 13 children, and U.N. spokesperson Jens Laerke has described the situation as a complete meltdown of humanity. A spokesmen for three rebel groups told the Associated Press on Wednesday afternoon that the cease-fire was back on and would go back into effect later Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, desperate citizens, journalists and activists have been sharing goodbye messages as government forces continue to close in on the last rebel-held pockets of the city. Activist Lina Shamy uploaded a video on Twitter from Aleppo, in which she said: To everyone who can hear me, we are here exposed to a genocide in the besieged city of Aleppo. This may be my last video.

In another video, posted by Salah Ashkar, something that sounds like bombing can be heard in the distance. We are still here under siege, he said. There are a lot of children and people helpless. The world has to act now, please, please. He later posted another clip begging viewers to go to the U.N. headquarters and block the way. Please, dont let them sleep. Do it now. There is no minute to spare.

Story continues

Go to the embassies and block the way

Go to the UN headquarters and block the way There is no minute to spare#standwithaleppo pic.twitter.com/9JQq7yQ9sm  salah ashkar (@SalahAshkar) December 12, 2016

Journalist & documentary filmmaker Bilal Abdul Kareem posted what he said was probably his final message from eastern Aleppo, also on Twitter. I am not coming to you at this time as a representative of On the Ground News, I am coming to you as an average person of besieged Aleppo. We may not be able to post any more messages so this might be close to if not the last communication, he said.

Perhaps my final message from E. Aleppo. Regime forces are closing in and bunker busters are raining down. pic.twitter.com/XgK0DSa08x  Bilal Abdul Kareem (@BilalKareem) December 12, 2016

Teacher-turned-activist Abdulkafi Alhamdo streamed a video called The last call from Aleppo live on Periscope. I hope I can speak on Periscope to you again, he said. I really dont know what to say but I hope you can do something for Aleppo people, for my daughter, for the other children.

the last massage. Thanks for everything. we shared many moments. The last tweets were from an emotiomal father. Farewell, #Aleppo  @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016

Seven-year-old Bana Alabed, whose eye-opening tweets about life in eastern Aleppo have captivated the world, wrote on Twitter that it was her last moment to live or die. She had posted a message the day before saying her father was injured and she was crying.

My name is Bana, I'm 7 years old. I am talking to the world now live from East #Aleppo. This is my last moment to either live or die.  Bana  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 13, 2016

An activist in the besieged area spoke to Jared Malsin, TIMEs Middle East bureau chief over WhatsApp. Our last scream from last free neighborhoods in Aleppo. The agreement has been broken. Hundreds of shell bombs fell on us dire medical situation. No ambulance cars. People are dying in the streets, he wrote.

Rami Zien, a Syrian journalist based in eastern Aleppo, tweeted goodbye on Dec. 12. Thanks all who stand for us and pay for us. But its almost over and they are just hours away of killing us, he wrote. Zien has continued to tweet in the 48-hour period that has passed since. His most recent message read: Sorry everyone I am offline due to situation in Aleppo is extremely bad Every single meter being shelled.

U guess it's goodbye..

Thanks all who stand for us and pay for us.

But it's almost over and they are just hours away of killing us  Rami Zien (@Rami_Zien) December 12, 2016

An English-speaking activist called Monther Etaky thanked those who stood up for the besieged citizens of Aleppo, telling them I will never forget you. Etaky, who describes himself as a journalist, artist, graphic designer, media trainer and photographer on Twitter has continued to tweet and upload videos since news of the failed ceasefire broke. In one of his most recent posts, sent on Dec. 13, Etaky said We are facing mass executions and there are a lot of families, women and children living here who are afraid about what will happen if the city is captured.

I would like to thank all the humans whose stood for the humanity with our case, i will never forget you if we passed to the other life  Monther Etaky (@montheretaky) December 12, 2016

A journalist and student based in London thanked the Syrian citizens for staying to document what was happening in the city. To those who stayed to document Aleppo and now send final goodbyes: thank you. You did more than your part, we didnt do ours, she tweeted.
GettyImages 107433337

A hot new hedge fund says it has found a way to beat competitors by parsing info about the stock market that few are looking at.

Manoj Narang of MANA Partners told Business Insider that his New York hedge fund would process data from the options market.

"There are certain areas, because of the nature of our business, where we have a proprietary edge in data collection," Narang told Business Insider in a recent interview. "So for example, we have a very strong infrastructure for both high-frequency trading and for options trading, and that allows us to collect and manipulate data that arises from those markets very effectively."

The data is technically available to anybody but is hard to access unless the firm is already set up to trade options, according to Narang. He said:

"The options market generates more than 10 times the data as the equities market does, and same with micromarket structure. You're talking about over a dozen exchanges with their own direct feeds, and you have to properly collect the data and synchronize and time-stamp it. And it's just a massive amount of data. That kind of data is, we feel, very differentiated. There aren't that many firms that have the ability to incorporate signals from those markets into their strategies.

It is possible to collect this data on the options market from OPRA, or the Options Price Reporting Authority, but few firms do, Narang said. He added:

"The options market definitely contains information about the equity market. The options market is all about how investors are pricing in risk. That's why there's this notion of implied volatility. Implied volatility is essentially how investors are pricing their estimates of risk into the market. There's definitely information there about the underlying stocks. We think that that is very fertile ground for alpha."

Read the full interview with Narang here.

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By Martinne Geller and Rahul B

(Reuters) - Dutch brewer Heineken (HEIN.AS) and an investment partner are in advanced takeover talks with Punch Taverns (PUB.L), Punch said on Wednesday, but face competition from a higher rival bid from one of the British pub company's founders.

Shares in Punch, Britain's second-biggest pub operator, jumped as much as 39 percent on Wednesday after it said it had received a "proposal" from Patron Capital Advisers, working with Heineken, about a possible cash offer of 174 pence per share, and "an approach" from Emerald Investment Partners about a possible cash offer at 185 pence per share.

Punch said it was in "advanced discussions" with Patron and Heineken and in "discussions" with Emerald. Officials for Patron and Heineken declined to comment.

Emerald confirmed that it had made a proposal about a possible 185 pence per share offer and said it currently held 2.2 percent of Punch's shares.

Emerald's founder, Alan McIntosh, is the former Punch finance director who helped to build up the company through a series of acquisitions alongside entrepreneur Hugh Osmond.

Heineken's offer values Punch's equity at about 386 million pounds while Emerald's offer would equate to a 410 million pound valuation, according to Reuters calculations.

Punch said that both proposals were conditional on the recommendation of its board, among other things, but that Emerald's also depended on it arranging committed financing and doing due diligence.

The bidders have until Jan. 11 to make a firm offer or walk away, according to UK takeover rules, Punch said.

Established in 1997 with a portfolio of pubs from the Bass Lease Co, Punch expanded through the purchase of Inn Business Group and real estate from Allied Domecq. It listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2002 and now has about 3,300 pubs.

MARKET DOMINANCE?

Punch said Heineken would acquire about 1,900 of its pubs from Patron immediately after a takeover, with Patron keeping more than 1,300 sites.

Story continues

That would give Heineken a total of about 3,000 UK pubs, moving closer to market leader Enterprise Inns (ETI.L), which has nearly 4,500 sites.

The UK pub industry has struggled for years with declining customers, due partly to a UK smoking ban and increased competition from restaurants and supermarkets. There were 50,800 pubs in Britain last year, the British Beer and Pub Association says, down from 67,800 in 1982.

Punch and its large rivals, which also include Greene King (GNK.L) and Mitchells & Butlers (MAB.L), have also been working to broaden their food and drink offering to appeal to Britons' evolving tastes.

But Punch recently scaled back its portfolio with disposals that delivered net proceeds of 234 million pounds in the year to Aug. 20 and performance has improved.

Pub operators are also adjusting to new regulations that give pub tenants more rights and greater protection when dealing with large companies that own so-called tied pubs.

Tenants of tied pubs, which account for most of Punch's portfolio, are obliged to buy beer and other drinks from their landlords. This means that Britain has a long history of brewers operating pubs but the large multinational brewers are generally not in the pub business.

CUSTOMER CONTACT

Heineken is unusual in that it has an existing portfolio of about 1,100 pubs, most bought from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) in 2011. A Punch acquisition would triple the number of Heineken pubs selling the Dutch group's beers, including Amstel, Sol and Lagunitas alongside Strongbow cider and its green-bottled Heineken lager.

In a presentation last month, Heineken's president of Europe lauded its pub business for providing direct contact with consumers, allowing the company to test and build new products quickly while giving it an understanding of how customers and pubs work.

"You actually get a direct, a very direct and a very different contact with your consumer," Stefan Orlowsky said, adding that the pub business is very attractive from a margin perspective.

Jefferies said that Heineken's approach could be viewed as a defensive move aimed at protecting margins in Britain, which accounts for about 6 percent of group profit.

Other consumer goods companies have taken similar steps into the retail sphere, with Nestle (NESN.S) running Nespresso coffee boutiques, Estee Lauder (EL.N) operating MAC cosmetic stores and Diageo (DGE.L) testing Johnnie Walker Houses.

Patron Capital, with 3.4 billion euros (2.8 billion) of capital across several funds and investments, focuses largely on real estate.

Punch shares were up 38 percent at 178 pence by the close, while Heineken shares closed flat.

Punch is being advised by Goldman Sachs (GS.N).

News of the bid approaches was first reported by Sky News.

(This story corrects to show Heineken splitting portfolio with investment partner Patron; paragraphs 1, 10, 11)

(Additional reporting by Vidya Loganathan in Bengaluru and Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels; Editing by Jane Merriman and David Goodman)
New York, December 12, 2016  Help For Children is pleased to announce the appointment of four new members to its Global Board of Directors. Joining the Board

are Don Steinbrugge, Jeffrey Bronheim, Lucia Arienti and Nicholas Halaby.

At the Board meeting on November 16th, Dean Backer, Chairman of the HFC Board of Directors, welcomed their participation, stating that, the breadth, depth and diversity of experience that these newest members bring to HFC will play an important role in our ability to continue to grow and expand our global impact.

Don Steinbrugge is the Founder and CEO of Agecroft Partners, a global

hedge fund consulting and marketing firm. With over 30 years of experience within

the alternative investment community, Don frequently writes white papers on trends

he sees in the hedge fund industry, has spoken at over 100 hedge fund conferences,

has been quoted in hundreds of articles relative to the hedge fund industry and is a

regular guest on business television. In addition to HFC, Don is also involved in several other non-profit organizations that benefit children.

A supporter of HFC for close to 10 years, Jeffrey Bronheim is General Counsel and

member of the Executive Committee of Cheyne Capital which he joined in 2007. Also a

member of the Board of Hedge Funds Care UK, Jeff has extensive experience across

the alternative investment and legal sectors. He was a founding member of the FSA

committee on Market Abuse, and is a Senior Member of the UK Hedge Fund Lawyers

Association and a member of AIMA Communication and Legal Committees.

Lucia Arienti is head of the Hedge Fund Consulting Group and co-head of the Capital

Introduction Group in EMEA within the Prime Services business at Goldman Sachs. She serves as co-head of the EMEA Securities Division Womens Network and was named managing director in 2012. Lucia is also a member of Pilotlight, a United Kingdom-based charity that connects charitable organizations with business mentors and a member of the Princes Trust Womens Leadership Group.

Story continues

Nick Halaby manages Goldman Sachs Prime Brokerage team in Boston, where he has sales and relationship management responsibilities for the regions hedge fund clients. Nick joined Goldman Sachs in 2006 and was named managing director in 2011. He is currently on the Board of Overseers of the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

About Help For Children

Help For Children (HFC), established in 1998 as Hedge Funds Care, is a global foundation supported by the alternative asset management sector. Its sole mission is to support efforts to prevent and treat child abuse. Help For Children raises money and awards grants in 12 major cities in the United States, Asia, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Ireland and the United Kingdom. HFC is largely a volunteer-driven organization with professionals from the hedge fund and alternative asset management industry serving on the Board and on local committees that plan events and evaluate proposals. For more information, visit www.hfc.org.

Donald A. Steinbrugge, CFA

Managing Partner

Agecroft Partners, LLC

103 Canterbury RD

Richmond, VA 23221

804 355 2082

donsteinbrugge@ agecroftpartners.com

www.agecroftpartners.com

Gaining the Edge- 2016 Hedge Fund Investor Leadership Summit  Dec. 7th NYC

Hedgeopolis New York  October 20th and 21st NYC

Hedgeweek Global Awards 2016, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 Third Party Marketer of the Year

Hedgeweek US Awards 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 Third Party Marketer of the Year

International Hedge Fund Awards 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013 Third Party Marketer of the Year  US

HFMweek 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009 Best Third Party Marketer

Agecroft Partners is a licensed broker-dealer, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and is a member of The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), member SIPC and a member of The National Futures Association (NFA).

Investments in alternative investments are speculative and include a high degree of risk. Investors could lose their entire investment. Past results are not indicative of future performance. Alternative investments are suitable only for persons who are able to assume the risk of losing their entire investment. Alternative investments often engage in leveraging and other speculative investment practices that may increase the risk of investment loss; can be highly illiquid; may have restrictions on transferring interest; may have no secondary market nor is one expected to develop; are not required to provide periodic pricing or valuation information to investors: may involve complex tax structures and delays in distributing important tax information; are not subject to the same regulatory requirements as mutual funds or other investment vehicles: can be highly illiquid; can have volatile performance; may have higher fees than other investment vehicles, and these fees can offset profits. Alternative investment managers have total trading authority over their funds. Some portion of an alternative investments trades may be executed on a foreign exchanges. This information should not be used as financial, legal or tax advice or an offer to sell an interest in any hedge fund. No offer may be made prior to the delivery of the appropriate hedge fund offering documents to qualified prospective investors. Prospective investors should carefully read the offering documents before investing. Investors should perform their own independent due diligence on a hedge fund before investing.

Agecroft Partners is compensated by the hedge fund managers it represents. This fee is paid by the hedge fund manager from fees they receive by investors. The manager has a standard fee schedule and is not adding a differential to compensate Agecroft Partners, which means there is no additional cost to the investor in utilizing Agecroft Partners services. Agecroft is not affiliated with and has no relationship with the hedge fund managers it represents other than a separate written agreement covering their marketing and consulting services for the benefit of the hedge fund manager.

The information (including any attachments) contained in this e-mail is privileged, confidential, and intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or the taking of any action in reliance on the contents of this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender by e-mail and destroy the original message and all copies.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) the day after the U.S. presidential election in New York City, U.S., November 9, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Dave Lutz, the head of Exchange Traded Funds at JonesTrading, has a brief overview of what's happening in markets on Wednesday:

Stock futures are little changed ahead of a big day for the economy. Retail sales numbers will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. They will capture Thanksgiving and Black Friday, providing the first snapshot into the consumer spending in this holiday shopping season.

And at 2 p.m. ET, the Federal Reserve will release its interest rate decision, which is expected to be a hike. Chair Janet Yellen will hold a press conference afterwards.

Good Morning! US Futures are slightly higher ahead of a pile of headlines today (FOMC, Retail Sales, Tech Summit). While the S&P climbs small, VIX Futures up 1% as dealers continue to roll to higher strikes and the street scrambles for upside protection. Over in Europe, Euro Stoxx retreating from January peaks as the DAX drops 20bp  Discretionary and Fins leading to downside. Italian Banks down 1% on Moodys, but relatively holding Yesterday gains in light trade. Asia broadly closed around 1month highs, with Aussie climbing 70bp - Shanghai continued its downward trajectory, closing 50bp lower, and Nikkei closed little changed despite better Tankan.

Ahead of the Fed (2pm header and dots, 2:30 Presser)  US Treasuries are seeing dip buyers, but repeatedly holding 2.43% in the overnight. Eyes were on Tokyo, where the Bank of Japan moved sharply to stem a recent climb in yields, knocking the 10YY JGB back down under 6bp. The DXY is weaker, with Euro, Yen and Commodity Currencies making gains, while Cable is under pressure on weaker UK employment. Metals are shrugging off lower Ore prices in China, with Silver adding 1% and Gold battling w/ $1164. Sea of red in Energy, WTI weaker on chatter Iraq Non-Compliance (already), and heavy Inventory builds reported by API weigh hard on Gasoline. Zero bid remains for Natty Gas, as end-of-year weather forecasts show a warming trend.

Story continues

Ahead of us today, Advance Retail Sales for November and PPI hit at 8:30  US Business Inventories hit at 10, and DOE posts data at 10:30 (API showed a build 4.7mln, Street expecting 1.5mln DRAW. Cushing stocks climbed 630k, far less than the 3.2mln jump expected by analysts. Gasoline Stocks leapt 3.9mln barrels higher, the biggest increase since January)  At 2pm we get the FOMC Rate Decision; Fed Summary of Economic Projections (Dot Plot), and the Yellen Presser is at 2:30.

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Twitter was cut out of Wednesdays tech summit with president-elect Donald Trump because of a failed emoji deal during the campaign, Politico reported.

The social media platform was told it was bounced from the meeting because it refused to allow an emoji version of the hashtag #CrookedHillary, a source close to the matter said.

The absence of Twitter is somewhat surprising, since Trump still strongly uses the platform as a main form of communication. The company is not a big fan of Trump and had said recently that the incoming president could be banned from the site if he violates their hate-speech policies.

The emoji incident was explained in a Medium post last month by the director of digital advertising and fundraising for the Trump campaign, Gary Coby.

Coby said Dorsey personally intervened to block the Trump campaign from launching an emoji showing a small bag of money being given away or stolen. The emoji, which was designed in different versions, showed a bag with little wings on each side. It was meant to serve as a replacement to the hashtag #CrookedHillary, which was Trumps favorite insult towards his opponent Hillary Clinton.

"We told them it was BS and what they were doing with a public platform was incredibly reckless and dangerous," wrote Coby about the dealings between the Trump team and Twitter.

RNC spokesman Sean Spicer, who is also an adviser to the Trump transition, was the one who made the decision to refuse to invite Dorsey or other Twitter representatives to the summit, a source told Politico.

Back in October, Spicer told the Washington Examiner about the emoji fallout that "while Twitter claims to be a venue that promotes the free exchange of ideas, it's clear that it's leadership's left wing ideology literally trumps that."

What Happened at the Tech Summit

Although Trump has had some run-ins with Twitter, the company isnt the only one in the tech industry that had public disagreements with the president-elect (i.e. Apple and Amazon). Many other tech giants attended the summit.

Story continues

Those who attended the meeting were: Apple CEO Tim Cook, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Alphabet CEO Larry Page, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, Tesla's Elon Musk and Amazons Jeff Bezos.

Trump praised the tech leaders for their "incredible innovation" and promised to do "anything we can do" to help the industry, according to USA Today. Trump also told tech leaders to call him or his people directly if they need anything.

The tech giants sat down with Trump, Vice-President elect Mike Pence and Peter Thiel where they discussed jobs, immigration, free trade, cybersecurity and taxes with Trump.

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The Yankees may not be able to add much more this offseason. (Getty Images/Rich Schultz)

Welcome to The Stews Hot Stove Digest, our daily rundown of MLB news, rumors and gossip for Hot Stove season. Here youll find a quick recap of all the days action and other fun stuff from around the internet that we think is worth your time.

TAPPED OUT: Dont expect the New York Mets or New York Yankees to add any more money to their payrolls this offseason. Both teams are reportedly looking to cut payroll, and are currently in holding patterns unless they can sell off expensive veterans. The Yankees payroll is already over the 2017 luxury tax limit, and the club is determined to get under the $197 million limit for 2018. The Mets are under the 2017 luxury tax limit, but dont want to add to their $150 million payroll. [New York Post]

MYSTERY TEAM: A mystery team made a strong offer for Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen, but the Pirates opted to pass on the deal. The team in question reportedly offered prospects who were far away from the majors. Pittsburgh is seeking young players who are either already established, or close to making an impact at the major-league level. [@JonHeyman]

DONE DEAL: The Milwaukee Brewers have signed pitcher Ryan Webb to a minor-league deal. Webb, 30, posted a 5.19 ERA over 17 1/3 innings with the Tampa Bay Rays last year. Hell attempt to compete for a spot on the teams 25-man roster in camp. [@Brewers]

ANOTHER DONE DEAL: The Brewers also acquired catcher Jett Bandy from the Los Angeles Angels. In exchange for Bandy, the team will send catcher Martin Maldonado and pitcher Drew Gagnon to Los Angeles. The 26-year-old Bandy hit .234 over 231 plate appearances last season. Maldonado hit .202 in 253 plate appearances. [@JeffPassan]

A couple teams have shown interest in Justin Wilson this offseason. (Getty Images/Duane Burleson)

TALK ABOUT IT: The Houston Astros have been in contact with the Detroit Tigers regarding reliever Justin Wilson. Wilson, 29, posted a 4.19 ERA over 58 2/3 innings last year. Wilson has been mentioned as a popular trade candidate all offseason. The Chicago Cubs have also shown interest in the reliever. [@jonmorosi]

Story continues

CLAIMED: The San Diego Padres have claimed pitcher Zach Lee off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. The 25-year-old pitcher spent all of last season in the minors. He posted a 6.14 ERA over 148 innings in Triple-A. [@MLBRosterMoves]

SIGN THEM: The Washington Nationals made a handful of minor-league signings Tuesday, including pitchers Tim Collins and Jacob Turner and infielder Emmanuel Burriss. Collins, 27, posted strong numbers as a reliever with the Kansas City Royals from 2011 to 2014, but has been limited by injuries since then. Turner posted a 6.57 ERA in 24 2/3 innings with the Chicago White Sox in 2016. Burriss was limited to 50 plate appearances with the Philadelphia Phillies last year. [@MarkZuckerman]

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

      

Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
Political action committees more than doubled their spending on Wisconsin Legislative races this year, according to a report from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

The PACs contributed $4.5 million to legislative candidates in 2016, more than PAC contributions for roughly the same period in the 2010, 2012 and 2014 elections combined, according to the report released last week.

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a nonpartisan group that tracks campaign spending, reviewed candidate campaign finance reports from January 1 through October 24, 2016, according to the group.

It found that PAC contributions represented 44 percent of the total amount raised by legislative candidates through Oct. 24, more than double the percentage of PAC contributions in past election cycles. In about the first 10 months of 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014 PAC contributions ranged from 16 percent to 19 percent of a candidate's total fundraising, according to the report.

"It's bad enough that Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-dominated Legislature doubled the amount of money that PACs could give," Matt Rothschild, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, said in a statement. "But what's even worse is that they snuck a clause into the new law that now allows big national special interest PACs to play by different rules in Wisconsin and to hide their influence-peddling."

Rick Esenberg, president of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, doesn't see the problem. The complaint appears baseless if the public can still find out how much is being spent from the candidate campaign reports that enabled the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign to assemble its report in the first place, he said.

"You can see that they were able to figure out who was supporting whom so its not that clear that drawing the line where it is results in some significant deficit in information. Nor am I sure that it is why PAC spending increased," Esenberg said. "Its not clear that this was the reason why or that PAC contributions are a bad thing or that there are matters that we dont know about."

Esenberg noted that it's not that difficult to figure out who is donating to candidate committees because the committees themselves must disclose that.

The surge in spending comes nearly one year after Gov. Scott Walker signed campaign finance changes into law. Major changes included lifting a ban on corporate donations to political campaigns and increasing donation limits. The law also reclassified the definition of Political Action Committees, altering how or if they are required to register with the state and report their donations to candidate campaigns.

Under the old law, any type of group other than a personal campaign committee that raised money, accepted donations and/or donated to other people or groups in excess of $300 were considered PACs. The PAC was required to register with the state and file statements on its activity.

The new law narrowed that definition, eliminating filing and registration requirements for some groups that would have previously been required to report spending to the state.

Now, a group is only considered a PAC if it meets two or more new standards laid out in the law. It has to either have the "major purpose of express advocacy," which means its primary mission is to endorse or campaign for a specific candidate, or spend more than 50 percent of its total annual spending (not including its fundraising or administrative expenses) on opposing or endorsing a specific candidate, a referendum, legislative campaign committee or political party.

The new law requires all PACs that make or accept contributions or support or oppose a candidate in a calendar year  spending or taking in more than $2,500 total  to file statements on spending.

"The new law does allow many small and non-residents (outside Wisconsin) to make donations without being required to register in Wisconsin or report the donations," said Reid Magney, spokesman for the Wisconsin Ethics and Elections Commissions. "Small committees with under $2,500 total are not required to register, and non-resident committees where supporting WI state and local candidates or committees is not their major purpose (over 50 percent) would not be required to register or report."

The new PAC classification would allow large national groups like the conservative Americans for Prosperity, Club for Growth and liberal AFL-CIO and American Federation for Teachers  that do not solely operate in Wisconsin  to make political contributions to candidates in the state without disclosing them. The candidate's committee, however, would be required to disclose the donations in the reports it files.

The increase in PAC spending makes sense since the campaign finance changes last year deregulated the industry, said Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin, a nonpartisan group that has lobbied for more restrictions and disclosure of how campaigns are financed and has been critical of the Walker administration.

"Certainly the political action committee flow is greater and that's just because the campaign finance law in general has been almost eliminated and there's almost no restrictions," he said.

Wisconsin citizens will likely know less about where money is coming from in state legislative and gubernatorial races than the U.S. Senate or Congressional races because of the state law, which outlines fewer restrictions than what the U.S. Supreme Court outlined in its Citizens United decision in 2010.

"State races in particular, there's just going to be much less information where the money was spent and the final figures in what was spent in state legislative races. We're going to know less than we've ever known before because so much of the money as a result of the campaign finance law (changes) is now closed secretly," Heck said. "Were not even going to know how much money was spent to defeat certain candidates because so much more of it is in the form of issue advocacy."

In the 2010 Citizens United opinion, in which the U.S. Supreme Court permitted corporations to make political donations, the court encouraged states to uphold disclosure requirements when it comes to independent advocacy spending in campaigns.

"The First Amendment protects political speech; and disclosure permits citizens and shareholders to react to the speech of corporate entities in a proper way. This transparency enables the electorate to make informed decisions and give proper weight to different speakers and messages," wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Wisconsin has virtually ignored that guidance, Heck said.

"Weve gone further than any other state, and weve gone further than federal campaign finance law in protecting the sources of secret interest money that can flow in state campaigns," Heck said.

Esenberg said disclosure has a cost, pointing out that it could have the potential to chill political speech, especially for smaller grassroots groups.

"You have to draw the line somewhere. You can't impose these requirements on everybody," he said. "This natural desire for privacy, I dont think that's necessarily a nefarious thing.

"I think sometimes we overvalue the notion that if we just really know who is behind the particular communication, that will be some stark revelation and we will know something we didn't know before."
By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are accelerating efforts to craft a sweeping tax reform bill for 2017 and looking at ways to smooth the transition to a new tax system for some businesses, the House Republican tax chief said on Wednesday. Republicans on the House tax committee met in a special recess session to work on a reform bill based on an election campaign blueprint that would cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent and end taxation of foreign profits for U.S. multinational corporations. Representative Kevin Brady, Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means panel that is expected to unveil legislation early next year, said his committee is consulting with President-elect Donald Trump's transition team and Republicans in the Senate. "We're meeting here to take the broad outlines of our blueprint, begin filling in the specific provisions (and) identifying a path forward," Brady told reporters after Wednesday's session. The panel, which oversees tax policy in the House, will hold a second session on Thursday to discuss provisions of the U.S. healthcare law popularly known as Obamacare, which Republicans have promised to repeal. The meetings were initially scheduled for January but were moved forward to be ready for Trump's arrival in the White House. Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Brady and House Speaker Paul Ryan see tax reform as a way to promote economic growth and create jobs. One of the most dramatic changes under consideration is a border adjustability provision that would exempt U.S. exports from corporate income tax but would tax imports. Advocates say the reform parallels Trump's call for import tariffs and could help the president-elect foster manufacturing jobs for blue-collar Americans, who are among his most ardent supporters. Border adjustability has strong support among exporters. But it has also raised concerns within industries that rely heavily on imports, including retailing and oil refining. Brady said on Wednesday that his committee is sensitive to the way tax reform could affect different businesses. "We're looking at a number of transition rules that in effect accelerate the growth aspects of all of our tax reform proposals but also acknowledge (that) these are major changes," the Texas Republican said. "We're proposing bold changes. We know that. All of them affect different businesses differently. So we're listening very closely to how we can make sure we smooth that out." (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
- By Grahamites







"It's a good habit to trumpet your failures and be quiet about your successes." - Charlie Munger (Trades, Portfolio)





"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted, and experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer." - Randy Pausch, "The Last Lecture"







Above are two of my favorite quotes because they remind me of staying humble no matter how much progress I have made in my value investing journey. Reflecting back on what I have written, I realized the paucity of articles dedicated to trumpet my failures or investments that went much worse than I had expected. Certainly this lack of failure trumpeting articles is not due to my lack of failures.

One thing I found comforting is that since I was able to add a few items on my personal investment checklist, over time the frequency and magnitude of my mistakes have become more manageable and bearable as I am more aware of my blind spots. But there are still plenty of investments I have made that went far worse than I had expected. Fortunately, I have detailed my thinking and analysis in my journal along the way. In this article I'd like to share one such example and the lessons I have learned.

How Colfax got my attention

It was in October 2014 that I set my attention on an industrial company that I thought was on the way to potentially become the next Danaher (DHR). This company is Colfax Corp. (CFX). Colfax is a leading welding equipment and consumables, gas handling and fluid handling manufacturer.

Colfax serves a variety of industrial, power, energy and infrastructure end markets. It was founded in 1995 by the Rales brothers as a vehicle to bring the highly successful management tools of the Danaher Business System (DBS) to the fragmented industrial pump and positioning market. Danaher's success formula can be summarized as the following four points:

Story continues

Continually improve the cash flow generated from your own existing assets. Deploy cash flows into intelligent acquisitions. Continually improve the cash flow generated from acquired entities. Repeat, repeat, and repeat.







The Colfax Business System (CBS) is basically the same as the Danaher Business System and most of Colfax's senior executives such as the then-CEO Steve Simms were ex-Danaher. Therefore, it seems that Colfax has the potential to become a Danaherlike business.

There were two particularly powerful biases working against me back then (October 2014):

The stock price had just dropped from over $70 a share to $50 a share. GAAP net income for 2013 was $1.56 per share, but my calculated owner's earning per share was about $2.65 per share. So Colfax valuation went from more than 26 times owners' earnings to almost 19 times owners' earnings. The drop in price triggered a contrast bias. Liking and mere association bias - Colfax was owned by a few great value investors that I admire back then including Chuck Akre (Trades, Portfolio), Tom Gayner (Trades, Portfolio) and Brian Bares. A few other well respected funds also owns the shares in Colfax such as Tiger Global, Blue Ridge and BDT Capital Partners. According to my notes, Akre added some when the stock was in the $60s and $70s.







What's also interesting was that Colfax had a transformational deal at the beginning of 2012 with the acquisition of Charter International. Charter had been struggling with the competitive post-recessionary environment; it had seen falling margins and rising working capital levels. With the acquisition of Charter, Colfax leaped from a $700 million revenue firm to nearly $4 billion. With the Charter acquisition, I thought Colfax could leverage CBS on a much larger scale and improve Charter's businesses efficiency and margins, which would have a meaningful impact on Colfax's business.

Colfax is much better managed than most of its competitors such as Illinois Tool Works (ITW), Flowserve Corp. (FLS) and Xylem Inc. (XYL) besides Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO). Critical to Colfax 's value proposition is that Colfax 's competitors do not all have lean cultures as well - if so substantially all of their efforts would be passed along to the customer in lower price or higher service. Given how fragmented Colfax 's end markets are and the level of cultural commitment needed to really apply a lean process, I feel comfortable that the overwhelming majority of peers are not practicing anything resembling CBS culture, and Colfax stands to benefit from its internal improvements.

Why I thought the stock was cheap

In assessing why the stock was cheap in October 2014, I came up with the following:

After a near-perfect 2013, Colfax headed straight into execution challenges in 2014. What's more is that each quarter seemed to bring new headwinds affecting the business. These issues were:

1) An attempt at complicated, large fluid pump.

2) Softness in end markets, particularly O&G, power-gen, mining and Europe.

3) ESAB plant issues.

4) Perception issues with percentage completion projects at Howden.

5) Acquisition is hard to model.

6) Significant foreign exchange headwinds.

7) There were a lot of noises in reported financials.

Dealing with psychological biases

My conclusion was the market was overreacting to a collection of short-term problems. But I was also aware of the powerful psychological biases. In an attempt to straighten out my biases, I wrote the following in October 2014:

In the assessment of Colfax I am greatly exposed to two tendencies, which could make me less rational than I thought I was.

1. Liking/disliking tendency - reminder: what Munger said about this tendency.

"One very practical consequence of the liking/loving tendency is that it acts as a conditioning device that makes the liker or lover tend:

To ignore faults of, and comply with wishes of, the object of his affection.

To favor people, products, and actions mere associated with the object of his affection.

To distort other facts to facilitate love."







Applying this to my analysis of Colfax, I admire Chuck Akre, the Rales Brothers and Steven Simms, I may naturally have a favorable view of the company associated with them.

2. Mere association tendency - again, it is worthwhile revisiting what Munger has taught us:

"Some of the most important miscalculations come from what is accidentally associated with one's past success or one's liking and loving or one's disliking and hating, which includes a natural hatred for bad news.

To avoid being misled by the mere association of some fact with past success, use this memory clue. Think of Napoleon and Hitler when they invaded Russia after using their armies with much success elsewhere. And there are plenty of mundane examples of results like those of Napoleon and Hitler

I know the Rales Brothers and Steven Simms have achieved fabulous results at Danaher and when I think of Colfax, I can't help but associate Colfax with Danaher; I am naturally inclined to assume Colfax will be another successful story just from mere association of Danaher's admirable track record. In order to remain rational, I need to turn to the antidotes Munger subscribed:

To carefully examine each past success, looking for accidental, no causative factors associated with such success that will tend to mislead as one appraises odds implicit in a proposed new undertaking. To look for dangerous aspects of the new undertaking that was not persistent when past success occurred."







In terms of antidote No. 1, I don't know for sure whether the success of Danaher is accidental or not, but I can't disapprove it as a lucky endeavor either. From what I have read and observed, the success that the Rales brothers achieved at Danaher is well deserved. They had the right philosophy, the right system and the right discipline.

Now turn to antidote No. 2, Colfax differs from Danaher in that Colfax is the in global industrial and engineering business whereas Danaher was more like a manufacturing and instruments business when the Rales brother took the reins in the mid-1980s. Although CBS and DBS are essentially the same system, the incremental return on capital generated through the application of the system is likely to be different given different economic characteristics of the businesses Colfax and Danaher operate in. To get comfortable with this, I looked at the operating margins and net margins of Colfax and compare them to those of Danaher in Danaher's early years, I observed that the margins are not that different but Colfax's current ROIC is much lower than that of Danaher's in its early days.

Danaher was riding the emerging market growth wave (especially China) and Colfax is facing a different world (slow EU growth, China Growth).

What went worse than expected?

My biggest misjudgment was where Colfax was in the cycle in some of the end markets. After the acquisition of Charter, I got excited that Colfax can finally put CBS use on a large scale so that significant operational improvement was imminent. That led me to underweight the disconfirming evidence that the cycle in the end markets is turning. I had identified the softness in some of Colfax's end market but didn't think it was going to last long. I also knew Colfax was facing significant currency headwind as a large portion of Colfax's revenue comes from emerging markets.

I started a position in Colfax when the stock was between $45 to $50. Mitch Rales had some large insider buy at those level too.

It turned out that the industry went straight into a recession that wouldn't bottom out until more than a year later and foreign exchange became a brutal drag on earnings.

The stock went from $47 to $37 to $27 and then finally bottomed out at $18 early in 2016. I added to the position all the way down and the last add was at $20. My average cost was about $30 per share.

Checklist items added

Are the end markets in which the company sells its products and services experiencing softness? If so, collecting information to assess whether the cycle was about to turn sharply down? What are competitors and industry leaders seeing in terms of the market condition across the globe?

Summary lesson

In short, I got the business quality right, but I was too excited about jumping on the Colfax wagon while ignoring the end market danger signs. I don't think it was a disaster to initiate a position for Colfax at $47, but my average cost could have been a lot lower had I been paying more attention to what was going on in Colfax's end markets.

Disclosure: Long Colfax.

Start a free seven-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






VISALIA, Calif. (AP)  A husband and wife who married in Mexico in 2007 have been charged with murdering another woman who the man married in California so the man could get legal permission to stay in the U.S., authorities said Wednesday.

Francisco Valdivia, 37, and Rosalina Lopez, 39, were arrested Tuesday in connection with the June 9 disappearance of Cecelia Bravo. The suspects lived in the small central California city of Visalia, the Tulare County Sheriff's Office said.

The body of Bravo has not been found but sheriff's spokeswoman Teresa Douglass said authorities have evidence Valdivia and Lopez threatened Bravo and that detectives have "significant digital forensic evidence" she would not describe implicating the couple.

Valdivia and Lopez are both from Mexico and they married there before coming to the United States, the sheriff said.

Valdivia later married the California-born Bravo in an attempt to gain legal residence, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux told the Sacramento Bee (http://bit.ly/2gJkg8K).

"He used Cecilia in a business relationship to gain himself legal residence," Boudreaux said

Bravo was last seen at the Tachi Palace Casino in Lemoore, California, about a half hour drive from Visalia in California's agricultural heartland. Boudreaux said the motive for the killing was linked to "the relationship of these three people," but declined provide more specifics.

"We're comfortable and confident in our belief that (Bravo) was murdered," Boudreaux said.

Bravo's car was set ablaze in an orchard and her four children have not heard from her since her disappearance. They are in protective custody, Douglass said. Boudreaux said they have been placed with close family members.

Valdivia was already in custody when he was arrested in connection with Bravo's death. He had been arrested on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana and jailed for lack of $1 million bail.

Lopez was arrested Tuesday in the small town of Goshen near Visalia. Both remained jailed Wednesday with no bail, Douglass said.

Boudreaux said they are not yet represented by attorneys.
Reportedly, International Business Machines Corporation IBM CEO Ginni Rometty has expressed her intent to create 25,000 job opportunities for U.S. citizens and invest $1 billion over a span of four years for the same purpose. The announcement comes ahead of the meeting between technology leaders and Donald Trump scheduled to be held today in New York.

Notably, Rometty will be joined by other industry leaders such as Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook FB, Eric Schmidt and Larry Page from Alphabet GOOGL and Jeff Bezos of Amazon AMZN at the meeting that will emphasize on improving the state of jobs in the U.S.

INTL BUS MACH Price

INTL BUS MACH Price | INTL BUS MACH Quote

Why this Move?

Right from his election campaign days, Trump has been vocal about scrapping of trade deals that took jobs away from the U.S. as well as keeping imports under check through the imposition of tariffs.

Technology companies seem to be increasingly focusing on creating jobs as well as investing generously in the U.S. ahead of the meeting with Trump (the plan was already in place even before Trump was elected).

The main objective behind doing so is to be on the safe side and avoid any criticism for outsourcing jobs to other nations.

What this Means for IBM?

Rometty notes that with the increasing adoption of technologies such as cloud computing and data science, there is good demand for skilled workers who need not have an advanced degree in technology. Rather government initiatives in vocational training and education will help to bridge the distance between the workforce and the job at hand.

As per an IDC report, worldwide spending on public cloud services is estimated to reach $195 billion by 2020, which is currently growing at a CAGR of 20.4%. Not surprisingly, the job market related to the sector is also likely to benefit in the coming years.

While the company does spend considerable resources in preparing its employees to adapt to the emerging sectors such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, a little help from the government in the form of vocational training institutes would be much appreciated by Big Blue.

Story continues

Stock Performance Overview

Notably, shares of IBM have underperformed the broader Zacks Computer Integrated Systems industry on a year-to-date basis. While the industry generated a return of 29.3%, the stock returned 20.3%.

The underperformance of the stock could be due to sluggish IT spending particularly on on-premise and data center hardware and foreign exchange volatility. Moreover, intensifying competition in the cloud remains a major concern for the company. However, IBM's strategic growth initiatives, including its Big Data & business analytics, cloud computing, mobile and social business are expected to drive growth in the coming quarters.

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At present, IBM carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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By Jim Finkle

(Reuters) - IBM Chief Executive Ginni Rometty pledged to hire and train workers in the United States as she and other technology executives prepared to meet on Wednesday with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

"We have thousands of open positions at any given moment, and we intend to hire about 25,000 professionals in the next four years in the United States," Rometty wrote in a USA Today piece published on Tuesday afternoon.

IBM spokesman Adam Pratt declined to say how that hiring might be offset by staff reductions or disclose how many people IBM employs in the United States.

We expect to end 2016 with our U.S. workforce about the same size as it was at the beginning of the year. By 2020, we expect it to be larger than it is today," Pratt said.

IBM had nearly 378,000 employees at the end of 2015, according to the company's annual report.

While the firm does not break out staff numbers by country, a review of government filings suggests IBM's U.S. workforce declined in each of the five years through 2015.

In annual Department of Labor filings, IBM has reported that the active number of participants in its 401(k) pension plan fell to 84,350 last year from 110,876 in 2010.

When asked why IBM planned to increase its U.S. workforce after those job cuts, company spokesman Ian Colley said in an email that Rometty had laid out the reasons in her USA Today piece.

Her article did not acknowledge that IBM had cut its U.S. workforce, although it called on Congress to quickly update the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act that governs federal support for vocational education.

"We are hiring because the nature of work is evolving," she said. "As industries from manufacturing to agriculture are reshaped by data science and cloud computing, jobs are being created that demand new skills  which in turn requires new approaches to education, training and recruiting."

She said IBM intended to invest $1 billion in the training and development of U.S. employees over the next four years. Pratt declined to say if that represented an increase over spending in the prior four years.

Rometty is one of more than a dozen U.S. executives serving on an advisory council that Trump has formed to consult him on job creation.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle in Boston; Additional reporting by Tim McLaughlin in Boston; Editing by Andrew Hay and Peter Cooney)
New York (AFP) - US technology giant IBM said Tuesday it would hire 25,000 people in the country over the next four years, a day before President-elect Donald Trump meets with tech industry leaders.

About 6,000 of those hirings will occur in 2017, IBM chief executive Ginni Rometty said in an opinion article published in the newspaper USA Today.

IBM, which has undertaken in recent years a restructuring of its activities, will invest $1 billion on employee training and development in the next four years, said the IBM president, chairman and CEO.

"We are hiring because the nature of work is evolving -- and that is also why so many of these jobs remain hard to fill," Rometty said, noting that many industries were being reshaped by data science and cloud computing.

"Jobs are being created that demand new skills -- which in turn requires new approaches to education, training and recruiting," she said.

"This is not about white collar vs. blue collar jobs, but about the 'new collar' jobs that employers in many industries demand, but which remain largely unfilled."

Rometty is a member of Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum, a group of US business leaders focused on boosting economic growth and jobs.

The IBM jobs investment news came before the highly anticipated meeting Wednesday of the Republican property tycoon-turned-next US president and the leaders of several major technology companies.

Among those expected to attend are Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Apple's Tim Cook, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Larry Page of Alphabet (Google) and Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, according to US media.

Trump is expected to push them to create jobs after saying last week that he would like Apple -- whose coveted iPhones are made in China -- to open a large factory in the United States.

But he will be stepping into hostile territory. The tech sector overwhelmingly supported the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during this year's election campaign and has expressed fear about the effect Trump's policies will have on the industry.

The sole notable exception is the controversial PayPal co-founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel, currently a member of Trump's transition team.
SAN FRANCISCO  Though they appear to be frozen giants, glaciers and ice sheets can move and change in unexpected ways over time, according to a new database that is now tracking the movement of ice, including the extent of its melt and slow creep into the sea.

With imagery and data from Landsat 8, an Earth-monitoring satellite, scientists at NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are tracking the speed of glaciers' movement and melt. These observations are in"near real time" and help to better predict how global sea levels will be affected by climate change, the researchers said.

The so-called Global Land Ice Velocity Extraction (GoLIVE) project uses observations from Landsat 8, as well as historical data from older Landsat satellites. By comparing data from Landsat 8, which images the Earth's entire surface every 16 days, the GoLIVE team can track subtle changes in the glacier, such as bumps and dunes, the researchers said. Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Colorado lead for the GoLIVE project, said Landsat 8 can even capture changes in a glacier's "skin." [Photo Gallery: Life Inside a Glacier]

"Not only are we able to map the glacier chunks where there are large crevices and high-contrast features, but [we can] also [map] the surface of the ice sheet even where it's smooth, down to these snow-dune features," Scambos said here Monday (Dec. 12) in a news briefing at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. "By being able to track with higher precision what the surface texture looks like, we can actually map the flowing skin of the ice sheet."

Such observations were previously extremely difficult, if not impossible, for researchers to make. The first time scientists studied a surging glacier in detail, they did so via annual field research, said Mark Fahnestock, a professor in the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Scientists visited that glacier every year for 15 years, putting down stakes during each visit. They then surveyed those stakes to determine any changes in the glacier.

Story continues

But these very large, remote glacial systems in Alaska could experience sped-up melt events for months without scientists taking notice, Fahnestock said.

"We've entered an era where instead of a pilot telling us a glacier is changing, or instead of a field party recognizing a change in one of the 242 glaciers followed, we are actually following on a month-by-month basis with Landsat 8," Fahnestock said. "We are now watching all of the outlet glaciers on Earth change in near real time."

Twila Moon, a research scientist at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, joked that rather than researching several glaciers over hundreds of years, the GoLIVE project allows for the study of hundreds of glaciers over several years.

The project could also "launch a thousand ships" in terms of international research into glaciers, Scambos said. As a public database, the project will allow for scientists around the world to conduct more effective field research, according to the GoLIVE time, because scientists will have better "situational awareness" of a given glacier before researching it in person.

One other important implication, Scambos said, is that the data makes it clear that the glaciers are melting.

"By presenting the data in an easy-to-understand way, it makes it obvious what's going on in the world's eyes, and that the world is changing and that there's no attempt to hide it at all," Scambos said. "It makes it plain as day that we have a changing Earth."

Original article on Live Science.

Editor's Recommendations
MAPUTO (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its 2016 growth forecast for Mozambique further on Tuesday, saying it would require fiscal policy adjustments to pave the way for financial assistance and a recovery program. The Fund and other donors suspended aid earlier this year after the emergence of loans that were not approved by parliament or disclosed publicly and which the IMF said on Tuesday amounted to $1.4 billion. In a statement after aid talks with government officials on Tuesday, the lender said it now expected economic growth of 3.4 percent compared with the 3.7 percent seen in September and against an outcome of 6.6 percent in 2015. "The outlook remains challenging," it said, adding that total public debt, mostly denominated in foreign currency, had increased to "distressed levels" in 2016 owing to the addition of the previously undisclosed loans. "While good progress was achieved on a number of technical questions, additional policy adjustments are required to further consolidate macroeconomic and financial stability, and pave the way for a Fund-supported program," it added. A medium-term budget plan for the next three years, posted on the finance ministry website, slashed the Mozambican government's own growth estimate for this year to 3.9 percent this year from 4.5 percent. The government cited the impact of drought, high levels of public indebtedness and exchange rate shocks. The document said the budget deficit, projected at 11 percent of GDP for this year, would narrow to 8.2 percent by 2019. (Reporting by Manuel Mucari; Writing by Stella Mapenzauswa; Editing by Ed Cropley)
Three Evansville, Indiana, police officers will not face criminal charges for a use of force on a suspect who was in handcuffs that was captured by the officers bodycamera.

The prosecutor announced Officers Nick Henderson, Mark DeCamps and Marcus Craig would not face charges on Friday, December 9, though the three officers remain on administrative leave with department and are awaiting a disciplinary hearing scheduled for February. A fourth officer, Sgt. Kyle Kassel, also faces disciplinary action. The four officers were initially suspended for 21 days.

Chief Billy Bolin recommended the three officers be fired and the sergeant be demoted after an internal review of the October 29 arrest of burglary suspect Mark Healy. The bodycamera footage contradicts what officers wrote in a probable cause report about Healys arrest, according to reports. The report stated Healy ran from officers and struggled with them while he was arrested. The video shows Healy was handcuffed without incident.

Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Nicholas Hermann said he could not prove any punches were thrown during the incident, citing how Healy claimed none were thrown, according to a local report. Hermann also acknowledged the differences in the report and characterized them as discrepancies. He said three hours passed between the incident and the report being written and officers did not watch the video before filing their report.

Evansville Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jason Cullum disagreed, according to a report, and said the discrepancies in the report were not minor. Credit: YouTube/Evansville Police Department via Storyful
By Gopal Sharma and Manoj Kumar

KATHMANDU/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's scrapping of high-value bank notes last month has dragged down economic growth in neighbouring Nepal with trade, remittances and tourist numbers all down, BMI Research, a group company of the Fitch rating agency, said on Wednesday.

BMI has revised down its forecast for land-locked Nepal's economy, saying that India's demonetisation could shave Nepal's growth down to 2.2 percent for this fiscal year to July 2017, from an earlier estimate of 2.5 percent.

Nepal's $21 billion economy was already suffering with growth at less than 0.8 percent in the 2015-16 fiscal year after earthquakes in 2015 that killed about 9,000 people.

"The disruption in funds from India is likely to weigh on ongoing reconstruction efforts," the research agency said in a report, adding that Nepal's economy was heavily reliant on India for trade, jobs and aid.

The announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Nov. 8 to ban 500- and 1,000-rupee notes was intended to flush out billions of dollars in unaccounted wealth and hit the finances of militants suspected of using fake currency.

The Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank, has now banned Indian currency, saying it wanted a formal communication from the Indian central bank about new Indian bank notes being brought into circulation.

"Until such a notice is received, we will not accept the new Indian notes," said central bank official Rajendra Pandit.

That leaves thousands of Nepalis doing informal trade along the open border with India without the means to receive or make payments for their business.

Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, a former Maoist rebel commander, spoke to Modi after the currency ban to ask for arrangements for the exchange of the now defunct Indian cash held in Nepal, but that has yet to happen.

The inflow of Indian tourists to Nepal, who account for a quarter of about 800,000 visitors a year, has fallen. Many Indian tourists have traditionally carried Indian currency for payments in Nepal.

Story continues

In addition, Nepal depends heavily on funds from workers in India, who sent home $640 million in 2016, or about 2.6 percent of Nepal's gross domestic product.

Thousands of Nepali migrants are returning home as Indian businesses cut production following the cash crunch.

($1 = 107.4800 Nepalese rupees)

($1 = 67.4850 Indian rupees)

(Writing by Manoj Kumar; Editing by Tom Lasseter, Robert Birsel)
Tata Group's former chairman Cyrus Mistry Wednesday said his ouster from IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has strengthened his resolve to continue his fight against company patriarch Ratan Tata.

Mistry was ousted as the director of Tata group's cash cow IT business TCS on Tuesday by an overwhelming vote.

In a letter Wednesday after the vote, Mistry remained unperturbed and promised to fight for corporate governance practices adopted by Tata goup affiliate companies.

"I will continue to work at various forums to be voice for change in Tata Group, its governance and protection of stakeholders' rights," Mistry said in his letter.

Mistry was unceremoniously sacked in October as chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of India's most famous family conglomerate -- the $103 billion steel-to-salt Tata Group.

The shock move saw Ratan Tata, 78, who led the group for more than two decades, reassert his authority over the sprawling group, including taking interim charge until a successor is found.

The pair have traded barbs since Mistry's ouster, plunging the group into bitter infighting with directors firmly placed in either camp.

In a statement Wednesday after he was booted out, Mistry said Tata Sons owned a 73 percent stake in Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Of the remaining shareholders, 70 percent either abstained or voted against the resolution to remove him from his post of director, Mistry said.

"The voting in TCS is a strong signal from minority shareholders that the need for governance reform must not go unheeded," Mistry said.

In a letter sent to investors and shareholders ahead of the vote, Mistry said he wasn't seeking to save his job, but was attempting to "save the soul" of the conglomerate.

"We have witnessed an unmatched erosion of ethical values and the very foundation of the institution being put to grave risk by the conduct of a few," Mistry had said in the letter.

Story continues

Tata Sons has called for its operating companies to hold Extraordinary General Meetings to oust Mistry from their various boards. Tata Industries was the first to do so earlier this week, followed by TCS and Tata Teleservices.

Other Tata group companies including Indian Hotels, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, and Tata Chemicals are scheduled to hold EGM's next week to decide Mistry's fate.

The Tata Group was founded under British colonial rule in 1868. It operates in more than 100 countries and owns high-profile companies such as Britain's Tetley Tea and Anglo-Dutch steel firm Corus.
President-elect Donald Trump has perfected the art of political misdirection. Under fire for delaying an announcement of how hed handle his business affairs while in the White House and facing questions about his ties to Russia, Trump took a meeting Tuesday morning with rapper Kanye West, which swiftly buried the other coverage. Trump has done this before, by talking up flag burning or the price of a new Air Force One, and it reveals how his skills as a showman help him avoid scrutiny from the press and the public.

The president-elect is set to meet with a host of top Silicon Valley executives Wednesday, including Apples Tim Cook, Teslas Elon Musk, Facebooks Sheryl Sandberg, and more. The meeting comes as the tech community, which overwhelmingly backed Hillary Clinton, looks to ingratiate itself with the new administration. Trump will now oversee policies that impact their businesses, from net neutrality to offshore tax profits.

Inside the Russian hack of the Democratic National Committee. How Trumps Secretary of State pick sets up a proxy fight in the Senate over Russia. And scientists prepare for the age of Trump.

Here are your must reads:

Must Reads

Heres The Evidence Russia Hacked The Democratic National Committee

Such as it is. A declassified review comes next month. [TIME]

Donald Trumps Big Senate Confirmation Test Will Focus on Russia

Slim Senate margins put Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson nomination at risk [TIME]

Donald Trump Gets the First Test of His Stance Toward Russia With Aleppos Fall

Both Democratic and GOP critics say his view of the war and Russias role is far rosier than reality [Associated Press]

Detroit Voting Machine Failures Were Widespread on Election Day

The votes could not be recounted under state law [TIME]

The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S.

Inside the DNC hack [New York Times]

Donald Trump, Technology Executives to Talk Jobs, Regulations

Story continues

Prominent Silicon Valley executives will meet Wednesday with president-elect in a high-profile summit [Wall Street Journal]

Sound Off

Its going to be a busy year starting with the first nine months being very much consumed through Obamacare and tax reformincoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus on the priorities for 2017.

You know, Rex is friendly with many of the leaders in the world that we dont get along withThats why Im doing the deal with Rex Donald Trump in Wisconsin Tuesday night on his intended nominee for Secretary of State.

Bits and Bites

Scientists are frantically copying U.S. climate data, fearing it might vanish under Trump [Washington Post]

Donald Trump Selects Rick Perry as Energy Secretary [Associated Press]

Kanye West Explains Why He Met With Donald Trump [TIME]

White House Touts Momentum in Fight Against ISIS: We Are Killing Their Leaders [TIME]

Donald Trump Picks Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke as Interior Secretary [Wall Street Journal]
This Immigrant Doctor Is Reimagining Health in the American City

Body shaming, girlfriend hating, and threats are just a few of the reasons celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato decided to do a social media detox in 2016. But its not only those in the limelight who become the target of digital name-calling. As a result, Twitter and Facebook have been making moves to curb online bullying, and now Instagram is stepping up its efforts to make the photo-sharing service a safer environment.

Last week the company announced three new features designed to shut down bullies: being able to turn off commenting on individual posts, removing followers from private accounts without needing to block them, and the addition of a like button for comments rather than just photographs.

The new features come on the heels of updates the platform made this fall, such as the keyword moderation tool that lets users ban words they find offensive from appearing on their posts. Kevin Systrom, the cofounder and CEO of Instagram, wrote on the company blog in September that the company plans to keep building features that safeguard the community and maintain what makes Instagram a positive and creative place for everyone.

Whether an individual has a public or private account, users need more control, Sameer Hinduja, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Florida Atlantic University and the cofounder of the Cyberbullying Research Center, told TakePart. Hinduja would like to see Instagram implement a mute button, similar to what Twitter has done. The alternative on Instagram is simply to unfollow someone, but then their feelings are hurt, Hinduja said. If you could just mute them so that they dont show up as youre scrolling down in your feed, then I think that lends itself to being able to manage delicate friendships and relationships without unnecessarily hurting peoples feelings.

RELATED: How Online Harassment Can Cause Damage in Real Life

Data from Hack Harassment, an initiative started in 2015 to curb digital bullying, indicate the practice is widespread and underreported, despite real-life threats. According to the organization, 40 percent of Internet users say they have personally experienced online harassment, while 29 percent said they had reason to fear for their lives. But 90 percent of tech professionals agree more tools to block or report content would have an effect at reducing online harassment.

Story continues

Those tools are especially needed for the protection of younger users. In his work at the Cyberbullying Research Center, Hinduja deals primarily with children, and he notices that they will want to keep their account public so that it leads to perhaps more followers and interactions, likes and comments, and so forth. Along with opening the door to bullying from strangers, the danger is also that you unwillingly reveal your location, and you unwillingly reveal what school you go to based on your outfits or what you wear, he said.

Although adolescents are more impressionable, they arent the only ones seeking a self-esteem boost. As an adult, hopefully youre more mature and you can deal with the haters or any negative comments in a healthier and more constructive fashion, but thats not always the case, Hinduja said.

RELATED: Banned Body Image Hashtag Still Thrives on InstagramHeres Where Its Most Prevalent

Instagram is unique in the social media world because of its focus on picture sharing. But the amount of harassment and bullying seen on the platform cannot be wholly attributed to its visual focus, Hinduja said.

Targets are victimized in different ways depending on their sensitivities. Regardless of the platform, whether it is Twitter or Facebook or Instagram, if you know what it takes to get under the skin of somebody else, you can cause a lot of emotional and psychological harm, he said.

Although the platform still lacks a mute button, Hinduja applauded Instagrams efforts. The fact that you can like individual comments now I think is going to help with making the environment a little bit kinder by promoting, again, more compliments, he said.

Take the Pledge: Stand Up To Bullying At Any Age

Related stories on TakePart:





 Women Call Out Online Abusers by Name to End Cyber Violence

 Women Drown Out Bullies on Twitter With Sage Advice for Girls

Original article from TakePart
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f30948%2fcde68a41-0b24-40ef-aa09-287354b2bdc1

This Texas police department is handling traffic offenses a little differently this holiday season.

Instead of handing out citations, the Godley Police Department is issuing notes asking citizens to voluntarily bring an unwrapped toy to the station for a child in need. (That doesn't mean you can drive recklessly through the small town located near Dallas-Fort Worth  only minor traffic offenses will be forgiven.)

SEE ALSO: Neil Patrick Harris really wants you to get a real Christmas tree this year

The idea came from the city's new police chief, Jason Jordan, who took over the position in March, and is hoping to make the notes a new annual tradition.

"We've probably handed out a couple hundred," Jordan told Mashable of the charitable slips  and it looks like the idea is really paying off.

Here is a photo of gifts so far supplied to the police department:

Image: courtesy jason jordan

"We will stop handing [the notes] out in the next few days," Jordan said, noting that way, the gifts can make it to children in time for Christmas.

"I am also looking at getting something started for the next school year to help with clothing and supplies," he revealed.

Who would have thought a traffic stop could be the perfect way to get you into the holiday spirit?
KANSAS CITY, MO / ACCESSWIRE / December 14, 2016 / Intelligent Cloud Resources (ITLL) is pleased to announce an agreement to acquire a perpetual license to provide world class Leagoo Smart Phones and the innovative Fonia "All Access Mobile" platform to the territory of Florida.

This will be the first step in a program to launch the product and service in multiple territories.

Fatima Khan, CEO of Intelligent Cloud Resources Inc. comments: "After considerable research, we have settled on using the Leagoo Smart Phones (www.leagoo.com) and the Fonia All Access Mobile Platform which we believe will revolutionize the way Mobile Cellular services are accessed in the Americas. This is the first step in a series of offerings that will be made to customers via their Leagoo Smart Phone. Leagoo Smart Phones are a high quality product at competitive price points that fit our overall expansion plans."

"This initiative fits well with Intelligent Cloud Resources Inc.'s longer term vision of delivering market disruptive products and pricing to the millions of consumers who are looking for better deals in the Mobile Phone and Application space," she added.

The Fonia "All Access Mobile" Inc. is an end-to-end Mobile solution, working primarily to serve individuals, regardless of their credit score, through an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) Fonia Mobile (and Fonia Financial). The Fonia "All Access Mobile" service will bundle a traditional handset sale with a hybrid phone rate plan (a mix of prepaid and postpaid plans) and a prepaid MasterCard. This benefits customers immediately as they can achieve a more affordable phone plan through Fonia, and build a credit history.

To effect the permanent license, Intelligent Cloud Resources is completing a placement of US $1,000,000 and shall transfer 34 million existing restricted shares to 2440499 Ontario Inc., the developer of Fonia "All Access Mobile".

About Intelligent Cloud Resources: The Company has been aiming to offer cloud enabler and cloud broker services to small and medium sized organizations in Canada and plans to expand to such organizations. The launch of the Fonia "All Access Mobile" platform will be a powerful consumer oriented addition to Intelligent Cloud Resources' product offering.

Story continues

For more information visit: www.intelligentcloudresources.com

Contact:

Intelligent Cloud Resources Inc.

Press Relations

info@intelligentcloudresources.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, without limitation, may contain the words believes, expects, anticipates, estimates, intends, plans, or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated. Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Intelligent Cloud Resources Inc.
Invesco Ltd. IVZ announced its preliminary month-end assets under management (AUM) for Nov 2016. The companys AUM came in at $805.6 billion, a slight decline of 0.2% from $807.5 billion recorded in the prior month.



This decline was stemmed by lower money market AUM and net long-term outflows, partly offset by favorable market returns. However, there was a favorable foreign exchange impact of $0.3 billion.



Additionally, Invescos preliminary average total AUM for the quarter through Nov 30 was $808.2 billion, while preliminary average active AUM was $666.7 billion.



At the end of November, Invescos total Equity AUM inched up 1.4% from the prior month to $359.8 billion. Further, Fixed Income AUM of $202.1 billion edged down nearly 1.8% from the Oct 2016 level.



In addition, Balanced AUM came in at $46.8 billion, declining 1.3% from $47.4 billion recorded in Oct 2016. Also, Alternatives AUM dipped nearly 1.2% from the preceding month to $119.3 billion. Further, money market AUM was recorded at $77.6 billion, down 1.5% from the prior month.



Apart from Invesco, another investment manager, Franklin Resources Inc. BEN, declared preliminary AUM of $714.4 billion by its subsidiaries for Nov 2016, a 1.2% decline from the prior month. Notably, Legg Mason, Inc. LM is expected to release preliminary AUM results for Nov 2016 in the coming days.



Invesco currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). The companys stock has declined around 3.5% so far this year, underperforming the 8.1% growth for the Zacks categorized Investment Management industry.





A better-ranked stock in the same space is Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. VRTS, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can seethe complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The companys shares have gained over 4.2% so far this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the stock climbed 9.3% to $5.75, over the last 60 days, for the current year.



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



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LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 13, 2016 / Lundin Law PC, a shareholder rights firm, announces a class action lawsuit against InfuSystem Holdings, Inc. ("InfuSystem" or the "Company") (NYSE MKT: INFU) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws between May 12, 2015 and November 7, 2016 inclusive (the "Class Period"). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares during the Class Period should contact the firm prior to the January 9, 2017 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

To participate in this class action lawsuit, click here. You can also call Brian Lundin, Esquire, of Lundin Law PC, at 888-713-1033, or e-mail him at brian@lundinlawpc.com.

No class has been certified in the above action yet. Until a class is certified, you are not considered represented by an attorney. You may also choose to do nothing and be an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, InfuSystem made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: that InfuSystem lacked effective internal control over financial reporting; that the Company's financial statements from back to the beginning of 2015 overstated the estimated accounts receivable collections, which then overstated revenues and pre-tax income by a corresponding amount; that financial statements dating back to the beginning of 2015 could no longer be relied upon; and that as a result of the above, the Company's financial statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When this news was announced, shares of InfuSystem fell in value, causing investors harm.

Lundin Law PC was founded by Brian Lundin, a securities litigator based in Los Angeles dedicated to upholding the rights of shareholders.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in certain jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

Contact:

Lundin Law PC

Brian Lundin, Esq.

Telephone: 888-713-1033

Facsimile: 888-713-1125

brian@lundinlawpc.com

http://lundinlawpc.com/

SOURCE: Lundin Law PC
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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.

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By Osamu Tsukimori

TOKYO (Reuters) - Iran's crude oil exports in December are set to fall 8 percent from November to a five-month low, a source with knowledge of its preliminary tanker schedule said, as lower shipments to China and others in Asia offset bumper exports to Europe.

Iran was exempted from last month's OPEC deal to reduce output by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) starting from January, and had been expected to boost its output slightly.

But Iran's December crude exports excluding condensate are set to fall to 1.88 million bpd, from 2.04 million bpd in November, the source familiar with its export situation said. That may be a sign it is having trouble maintaining output after the lifting of sanctions this year led to a surge in production.

Exemption from the deal agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was a victory for Tehran, which has argued it needs to regain the market share it lost under Western sanctions targetting its nuclear programme.

Compared with a year ago, Iran's December crude exports are still set to jump 81 percent as shipments to Europe resumed only in February this year, according to the source.

ASIA EXPORTS TO TUMBLE

Iran exports to Asia this month are set to fall 17 percent from November to 1.11 million bpd, the lowest since February, as major importers all cut their purchases except for India.

Exports to Europe look set to rise 10 percent from November to this year's high of 767,000 bpd, topping levels seen prior to the imposition of toughened sanctions in 2012.

Before the sanctions were enforced, Iran was exporting about 2.2 million bpd of crude each month, with Europe taking about 600,000 bpd, according to the International Energy Agency.

Loadings headed for China in December will tumble 28 percent from November to 400,000 bpd, the lowest since October 2015.

Japan is lifting 134,000 bpd of crude, down 1.6 percent from November, while South Korea is loading 60,000 bpd, half its November volumes.

Story continues

India - the only major Asian buyer to show growth - will load 517,000 bpd in December, up 12 percent from November and making it Iran's top buyer for the month.

In Europe, Italy and Turkey are both lifting around 190,000 bpd, while Greece and Spain are taking around 97,000 bpd.

Austria is loading about 1 million barrels this month, following its first purchase in years in August.

In addition, another 161,000 bpd is heading to unspecified destinations in Europe.

(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Tom Hogue)
Tehran (AFP) - Iran's President Hassan Rouhani phoned his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday to congratulate him on the impending defeat of rebel forces in the battleground city of Aleppo, his website said.

"The victory in Aleppo... constitutes a great victory for the Syrian people against terrorists and those who support them," Rouhani told Assad.

The Syrian leader reportedly responded that Iran had stood "on the side of the Syrian people and government in its most difficult moments, and we will never forget it".

Iran has not committed its regular army to the Syrian conflict, but its paramilitary Revolutionary Guards have played a crucial coordinating role.

Thousands of Iranian volunteers -- many of them motivated by a desire to protect Shiite shrines in Syria -- are thought to have fought on the frontline.

With just a small pocket of rebel resistance left in Aleppo, Tehran officials say the offensive has underlined Iran's growing regional clout.

"The coalition between Iran, Russia, Syria and (Tehran-backed Lebanese militant group) Hezbollah led to the liberation of Aleppo and will next liberate Mosul (in Iraq)," said Yahya Safavi, top foreign policy adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Safavi, a former head of the Revolutionary Guards, said a clear message was being sent to the incoming US president, Donald Trump, who has vowed to take a tougher line with Iran.

"The new American president must accept the reality that Iran is the leading power in the region," the Guards' Sepahnews website quoted him as saying.

Iran accuses the United States and its allies of supporting "terrorists" in Syria.

Fresh panels have sprung up around Tehran, with one reading: "The fight against the United States has once again paid off. Aleppo is liberated."

Western governments counter that Assad is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of his own people in more than five years of conflict in Syria.
Qaraqosh (Iraq) (AFP) - Factories churning out tens of thousands of munitions and an entire street turned into a conveyor belt for car bombs: advances by Iraqi forces around Mosul have laid bare the scale of the Islamic State group's arms industry.

In the more than two years since it seized control over swathes of the country, IS established a sprawling and highly organised system that experts say no other insurgent group has matched.

The capability has seriously boosted the threat from the group as it battles ferociously to cling to territory in Iraq and Syria -- and the fresh intelligence could now prove vital in countering its plots to carry out attacks on the West.

Iraqi army deminer Hashim Ali picked his way carefully through the rubble as he explained how IS transformed Mart Shmony street in Qaraqosh, some 16 kilometres (10 miles) southeast of Mosul, into a production line of death after seizing the town in 2014 and forcing the mainly Christian population to flee.

Once it was a bustling thoroughfare of car workshops and stores selling Turkish furniture, but for the jihadists it offered all they needed to make the armoured car bombs they use to blow up civilians and slow advancing Iraqi troops.

In one building they stripped the vehicles, in the neighbouring one they cut the metal plates for armour. A few doors down they made the explosives. Just up the road they loaded the bombs into the car.

"These people are not stupid, they are very well organised," Ali told AFP. "If you give them more time then they always find ways to surprise you."

Nearby the remnants of a pickup truck with a metal plate welded to its front stood inside a former furniture shop devastated by an air strike from the US-led coalition backing Iraqi troops.

In towns, villages and districts retaken from IS the pattern was repeated.

AFP visited a number of sites where the group cannibalised existing infrastructure to create their own improvised arms factories.

Story continues

In a former cement plant in the town of Areej the lathes in a cavernous hall had been put to work manufacturing mortars and rockets. Moulds for shells lay on tables and unfinished casings littered the floor.

At another location nearby, part of an abandoned gas storage facility was strewn with the deadly improvised explosive devices IS produced there.

The white powder of homemade explosives spilled out of large bombs that the group had not had time to lay in the path of the advancing Iraqi troops.

- 'Something else' -

"In terms of scale, planning, centralised command and control and the precision to which they are manufacturing, this is something else," James Bevan, director of Conflict Armament Research, a UK-based group which investigates arms flows around the globe, told AFP.

"I can't name another armed group that manufactures on such a scale and with such a degree of coordination."

Bevan and teams from his organisation have been on the ground in Iraq cataloguing the extent of IS arms production.

Their findings, detailed in a report released Wednesday, show a sophisticated system that pours out tens of thousands of standardised mortars, rockets and explosives on an "unprecedented scale" and under strict quality controls.

While the raw materials for shell casings and missiles come from scrap metal and spare parts in the cities that IS have captured, the explosives and propellant are made from precursors mostly procured in bulk from the open market in Turkey and diverted through Syria.

As proof of their high standards the final IS products are often painted a military green, branded with the group's logo and packed into specially made crates to be dispatched to the various fronts it is fighting on.

- Lessons for West? -

On the battlefield the weapons they manufacture themselves have proven an important way for IS to supplement their flow of factory-made arms seized from government forces or rebel groups in Iraq and Syria.

Commanded by former Iraqi military and intelligence officers, the group has fought conventional campaigns with the help of its own improvised weaponry.

But now, as the group faces increasing fragmentation with the territories it controls under pressure from various offensives, the intelligence being gleaned could prove invaluable for countering its threat beyond its shrinking heartland.

"This will be critical for future efforts to counter the spread of this group," said arms expert Bevan.

From France and Belgium to Egypt and Turkey the group and its affiliates have already carried out bloody terror attacks in a string of countries across the globe.

Earlier this month the Europol police agency warned that IS were evolving their tactics to attack soft targets in Europe and could use the deadly car bombs they have employed to devastating effect in Iraq and Syria.

"If you look at the Iraq and Syria theatre as a hotbed for the development of more and more sophisticated improvised devices then it is probably unparalleled," Bevan said.

"If and when Islamic State is pushed out of Mosul and pushed out of large parts of Syria its fighters will disperse and that means its bomb-makers will disperse too."
The Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, has been manufacturing weapons near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on an industrial scale, an arms monitoring group said in a report published Wednesday. The militant group also uses products mostly purchased in bulk from Turkey.

ISIS had a robust and reliable supply of raw materials from Turkey and the weapons manufacturing could not be called as improvised due to technical accuracy, according to the London-based Conflict Armament Research (CAR) that last month visited six facilities previously operated by ISIS in eastern Mosul.

Although production facilities employ a range of non-standard materials and chemical explosive precursors, the degree of organization, quality control, and inventory management indicates a complex, centrally controlled industrial production system, the CAR report stated. The production of factory grade packaging is one example, whereby the group has constructed palletized wooden boxes for the long-term storage, and long-range transport, of rockets and mortar rounds.

The CAR researchers examined the extremist groups weapons found at manufacturing sites and on the battleground during the current Iraqi operation to retake the ISIS stronghold of Mosul. With the ongoing offensive of the Iraqi military, the militants have been unable to make weapons on an industrial scale. However, CARs Executive Director James Bevan said that the highly trained fighters are likely to take their skill set with them as they move back.

Given that this group is so organized, they clearly see the writing on the wall in Mosul, Bevan told the Associated Press. They place a very high value on technical capacity and they will do everything they can to preserve it.

According to the CAR, ISIS has manufactured tens of thousands of rockets and mortar rounds in the months prior to the Mosul offensive. It also stated that the documents it examined in Mosul suggested the Sunni hard-line group had provided its fighters with instructions on making and planting improvised explosive devices and operating complex weapons systems, such as anti-tank guided missiles.

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By Lin Noueihed and Ahmed Mohammed Hassan CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a suicide bombing at Cairo's main Coptic cathedral on Sunday that killed at least 25 people. The militant group said in a statement carried by its news agency Amaq that a suicide bomber whom it identified as Abu Abdallah al-Masri had detonated his explosive belt inside the church. "Every infidel and apostate in Egypt and everywhere should know that our war ... continues," it said. The Interior Ministry identified the bomber on Monday as 22-year-old student Mahmoud Shafik Mohammed Mostafa, and said he was a supporter of the banned Muslim Brotherhood political movement who had joined a militant cell while on the run from police. In an interview with Reuters, Mostafa's mother said he had been sexually abused in police custody in 2014, but that she had seen no sign that he had been radicalised. In addition to the dead, at least 49 people were wounded when the bomb went off in a chapel adjoining St Mark's Cathedral, Cairo's largest church and seat of the Coptic Christian papacy. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said four people had been detained and two were on the run. PREVIOUS ARREST Sisi took power in 2013, deposing the Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi, and has since outlawed the Islamist movement as part of a crackdown in which hundreds of its supporters have been killed and thousands jailed. The Interior Ministry said Mahmoud had been arrested in March 2014 for carrying arms during a protest, and freed on bail after two months. It said he had joined a cell led by Mohab Mostafa Sayyed Qassem, a militant with links to Islamic State fighters in Northern Sinai and exiled Brotherhood officials in Qatar, and was wanted in two other cases. His mother, Umm Bilal, said Mahmoud had fled to Sudan shortly after being released. "Mahmoud would not do this ... he would not kill anyone," she shouted as she listened to a news report on the bombing. She said Mahmoud's father had died two years ago, and that Mahmoud called her regularly from abroad, most recently about a week ago. "He said he would not return because security forces would detain him again ... He was asking after me and his sisters ... I didn't notice any change in his voice or anything to suggest he would blow himself up." "HE CRIED ALL NIGHT" Umm Bilal, who wore an Islamic face-covering or niqab, said her son had returned broken from police custody, and had confided in his brother that he had been sexually assaulted. "He kept crying all night ... He wasn't crying because he was beaten or tortured, though the scars were still visible on his face and body," she said. "I believe they broke him at the station, they violated his honour." But she said Mahmoud had not been radicalised. She said his two brothers had also been arrested, one of them after the bombing. The Muslim Brotherhood won Egypt's first free elections after the 2011 uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. Mursi became president, but was toppled two years later after mass protests. Egypt's oldest Islamist organisation says it is peaceful, but has split into rival wings since the crackdown, while some erstwhile supporters have formed splinter groups that have carried out attacks on police and judicial officials. Disillusioned by its ill-fated flirtation with democracy, some younger Brotherhood supporters have gone to fight in Syria or joined the local arm of Islamic State, Sinai Province. Since 2013, the group has killed hundreds of soldiers and police in the Sinai Peninsula, and it has started to attack Western targets within Egypt. The army has responded with air strikes and by bulldozing entire villages. (Additional reporting by Ahmed Tolba and Ali Abdelaty; writing by Lin Noueihed and Amina Ismail; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
CARLSBAD, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 14, 2016 / Isodiol, the Southern California-based cannabinoid innovator, is proud to announce that it has reached an agreement with Vancouver, British Columbia, Canadian Zeolite Corp. (the "Company") (CNZ.V) (CNZCF) (ZEON.F) to research and develop cannabinoid-infused Zeolite products. The initial products to be developed are intended for human and animal consumption.

Zeolites are microporous, aluminosilicate minerals commonly used as commercial adsorbents and catalysts. The term zeolite was originally coined in 1756 by Swedish mineralogist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt, who observed that upon rapidly heating the material stilbite, it produced large amounts of steam from water that had been adsorbed by the material. Based on this, he called the material zeolite, from the Greek word meaning "to boil" and "stone". Zeolites occur naturally but are also produced industrially on a large scale.

The Canadian Zeolite products developed with Isodiol will be nano-amplified for immediate bioavailability then combined with cannabinoids and other adaptogenic herbs. The first products will encompass a full line of anti-aging skin care and products for animal consumption.

As with all of Isodiol's cannabinoid products, all Zeolite products will be laboratory tested for purity prior and documented with certificates of analysis with each product run.

Isodiol's Chief Operating Officer, Troy Nihart, stated, "Isodiol is looking forward to introducing these new products to the marketplace. Zeolite, as an additive, has tremendous potential especially with its detoxification properties. We feel there is an undiscovered zeolite market which we can begin to develop and are very excited to begin a partnership with Canadian Zeolite."

Ray Paquette, Chief Executive Officer for Canadian Zeolite stated, "We are excited to be working with Isodiol who is at the forefront of developing and marketing consumer based CBD products. We are excited to implement our natural zeolite into Isodiol's already successful product lines which will bring immediate value to our shareholders."

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About Canadian Zeolite:

Canadian Zeolite Corp. is an environmentally friendly Green Tech business well suited to today's economic environment. The Company is operating and has a competitive advantage in the world of zeolites given the products has been tested, applied and exceeds the standards of specific markets. The Company is working with dedicated global advisors recognized as leaders in zeolite use.

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.

Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future expenditures. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, among others, the ability to complete contemplated work programs and the timing and amount of expenditures. Canadian Zeolite does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

About Isodiol:

Isodiol and its team of collaborators are a group of companies that together, grow & harvest hemp on an industrial scale, and then process it to extract the non-psychoactive cannabidiol CBD to the highest available purity for worldwide distribution. By utilizing one of the world's largest hemp farms, Isodiol and its partners are the choice for industrial volumes of high-grade, non-psychoactive CBD. Pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic companies worldwide have gained market share due to our products. For more information, visit www.Isodiol.com. To follow Isodiol online, visit the Company's website at http://www.isodiol.com, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

LEGAL DISCLOSURE

Isodiol does not sell or distribute any products that are in violation of the United States Controlled Substances Act (US.CSA). Cannabidiol is a natural element of industrial hemp. Isodiol's products are not intended to cure, mitigate or diagnose disease states.

SOURCE: Isodiol
MOSCOW (AP)  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Kazakhstan, the first trip to the ex-Soviet nation by an Israeli leader.

Following Netanyahu's talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the two countries on Tuesday signed agreements on cooperation in scientific research, civil aviation, medicine and agriculture. They also agreed to work more closely together in fighting terrorism.

Netanyahu commended Nazarbayev, who has led Kazakhstan for 27 years, first as its Communist boss and then as president, for creating an atmosphere of tolerance in the Central Asian nation. He said Jews who came from Kazakhstan to Israel "speak very warmly of Kazakhstan and of the attitude towards all religions here."

He hailed agreements to bolster ties between Israel and Kazakhstan, saying that "this example of Muslim-Jewish cooperation is something that reverberates throughout the world."
By Crispian Balmer and Giselda Vagnoni ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni won the backing of the fragmented Senate on Wednesday, allowing his government to formally take office as a new threat emerged to the legacy of predecessor Matteo Renzi. Renzi resigned last week when he lost a referendum on his proposed reform of the constitution. Looking to stave off political turmoil, the head of state asked Gentiloni, the outgoing foreign minister, to form a new cabinet. After winning an initial vote of confidence in the lower chamber of parliament on Tuesday, Gentiloni secured victory in the upper house Senate and promised to push ahead with Renzi's reform agenda. But the reform drive, once heralded by investors as a sign that Italy was finally facing up to myriad problems such as chronic economic underperformance and rampant graft, looks increasingly ragged. With the constitutional reform already shot down by a referendum, another of Renzi's flagship projects, a shake-up of the labour market, risks suffering the same fate with Italy's main union demanding a plebiscite on the law. Italy's Constitutional Court said on Wednesday it would review the request on Jan. 11. If it gives the green light to the CGIL union, a referendum on the Jobs Act could be held before next summer. Business leaders denounced the move to overturn the reform, which made it easier to hire and fire workers, and the labour minister told reporters the initiative on unions made it more likely that national elections would be brought forward. Following the referendum defeat, Renzi supporters fear the anti-establishment drive will push Italians to reject the Jobs Act. By bringing forward the national vote, the referendum would be automatically delayed by up to 12 months. "It seems to me that the prevailing attitude is to go to elections soon, before any referendum on the Jobs Act," said Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti. A new electoral law must be drawn up before national elections can be held. In a speech to the Senate, Gentiloni said his government, which is a virtual carbon copy of the previous administration, would seek cross-party consensus on the law. Many senators representing opposition parties left the chamber before Gentiloni spoke to protest over the make-up of the new cabinet, saying the recent referendum showed Italians did not want continuity but rather a new beginning. The largest opposition party, the anti-establishment, anti-euro 5-Star Movement, is feeding off the popular discontent and has promised to stage major street protests in the coming weeks to push for elections. The understated Gentiloni won 169 votes in the 320-seat Senate, with 99 voting against and many opposition senators not taking part. Gentiloni is Italy's fifth prime minister in as many years and heads its 64th government since 1946. One of the first problems awaiting the new government is a mushrooming banking crisis. Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Italy's third-biggest lender, needs 5 billion euros ($5.3 billion) of fresh cash before the end of the year to stay afloat. It is widely expected to seek funds from the state to stave off collapse, bankers say. (Additional reporting by Francesca Piscioneri; editing by Mark Heinrich)
ROME, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni won a confidence vote in the upper house Senate on Wednesday, allowing his coalition government to take office.

Former premier Matteo Renzi resigned last week after losing a referendum on his proposed reform of the constitution. Looking to stave off political turmoil, the head of state asked Gentiloni, the outgoing foreign minister, to form a new cabinet.

Gentiloni re-appointed virtually all of Renzi's old ministers and easily won an initial confidence vote in the lower house of parliament on Tuesday. His administration might only last a few months, with many party leaders pushing for elections in the first half of 2017, a year ahead of schedule.

Gentiloni won 169 votes in the 320-seat Senate, with 99 voting against. Many opposition Senators did not take part in the confidence ballot.

(Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni, Writing by Crispian Balmer)
Rome (AFP) - Italy's parliament on Wednesday endorsed a new government tipped to be so short-lived that its inauguration was seen as the start of battle for the next election.

Incoming Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni's new line-up, appointed after Matteo Renzi quit a week ago following a crushing referendum defeat, was approved by 169 votes for to 99 against in the Senate.

That completed a required parliamentary approval process that was boycotted by some opposition parties which claim the government has no legitimacy in light of the referendum defeat.

Gentiloni has been slammed for naming a new line-up that is virtually a carbon copy of the team that served Renzi.

Italy's biggest opposition party, the populist Five Star Movement (M5S), led the boycott.

Comedian Beppe Grillo's party is betting that a wave of street protests will serve it better as it seeks to displace Renzi's Democratic Party as the country's biggest political force in the countdown to the election.

Opinion polls currently point to them being neck-and-neck, each able to count on the backing of around 30 percent of voters.

With all the opposition parties pounding away at it, the 'photocopy' or 'puppet' government issue has played well on social media with the new premier accused of being a #RenziCloni or heading up a #Genticlone government.

So far, it does not seem to have helped the opposition significantly.

But the issue is reportedly causing concern among some Democratic Party officials who fear the longer the Gentiloni administration goes on, the stronger M5S will get.

Gentiloni said Tuesday his government would continue as long as it could command a majority in parliament, suggesting he would like to continue until the end of the current parliament in February 2018.

- 'Digging own grave' -

But centre-left daily La Repubblica said that would be a "nightmare" scenario for Renzi, who is planning to be the PD's candidate for a return to his old job, and is said to prefer a June election.

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Luigi Di Maio, the sharp-suited 30-year-old tipped to be M5S's candidate, claimed that every single day of a Gentiloni administration would be a bonus for his party.

"They are digging their grave with their own hands," he said.

Renzi meanwhile said he was not short of offers of employment after nearly three years as premier.

But he indicated he would be concentrating on his comeback in between doing the school run and getting stuck in traffic around his home town of Pontassieve in Tuscany.

"I know I have a responsibility to all the people who believe in the PD and I can't just say I'm dropping everything," Renzi was quoted as saying by La Repubblica.

- Business as usual -

The 41-year-old ex-premier is widely seen as having ensured grey-suited Gentiloni took over because he is unlikely to emerge as a serious rival for the party leadership.

Gentiloni, 62, whose measured, softly-spoken manner is in sharp contrast to Renzi's more frenetic style, is due to attend a summit of EU leaders on Thursday.

He has said he will use the Brussels meeting to reiterate Italy's demands for more support on dealing with the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants on its southern shores and for greater leeway on the application of budget rules.

The new leader has reshuffled Renzi's cabinet slightly with former interior minister Angelino Alfano taking over as foreign minister and created a new ministry to promote the economic development of the relatively impoverished south of the country.

Otherwise, it is business as usual on domestic matters: to the delight of the opposition.
The newly-appointed government of Paolo Gentiloni is the 64th in the barely 70-year-old history of the Italian republic  and it is also set to have one of the shortest lifespans.

Following the referendum blow that triggered former Prime Minister Matteo Renzis resignation, President Sergio Mattarella picked Gentiloni, a dovish member of the Democrat Party and former foreign minister, as the best man to head an interim, technical government and steer the country out of the current political chaos, paving the way to another legislature.

Gentilonis cabinet is supported by the existing majority that sees an alliance between Democrats and right-wing centrists. The government team underwent a slight reshuffle but still features key ministers of Renzis cabinet, triggering violent reactions from populists and opposition parties, and making its long-term survival quite unlikely.

This new cabinet is just a photocopy of Renzis one. It has no power nor the legitimacy to do anything, let alone make new laws, pass reforms nor change the electoral law, Danilo Toninelli, a deputy with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement tells TIME.

Renzis enemies have turned down his offer of a national unity cabinet where all parties, and not just the Democrats, share the burden of passing crucial measures and reforms. The two most likely scenarios for an early vote are either between February and March, after an expected ruling on Italys electoral law, or in June straight after the G7 summit which will take place in Taormina, Sicily, and which Italy cannot afford to disrupt with internal domestic issues.

The Five Star Movement has called for an immediate vote and pledged to hinder Gentilonis work in every possible way, working on creating a new government program from out of parliament by asking citizens in online surveys what they wish for their country. We will bring forth a violent obstructionism. Theres no chance of cooperation, says Toninelli.

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Gentiloni represents a temporary fix, and certainly not a long-term solution to Italys pressing problems, above all its high public debt burden and banking woes. The post-referendum political chaos and uncertainty have fueled speculation over the stability of Italys finances and financial system, where lenders are stifled by almost 360-billion-worth of bad loans. Banks appear to be unable to survive without some sort of direct public intervention.

One of the first matters Gentiloni will deal with is expected to be an emergency decree to safeguard ailing banks though recapitalization plans that respect European Union rules, though much will depend on the timing of such measure.

The second thorny issue, which is crucial for a next vote, is changing the current electoral law. Italys constitutional court is expected to rule on January 24 over a few allegedly unconstitutional aspects of the new electoral law approved last year by Renzi and opposed by opposition groups. Most political parties have agreed to wait for that ruling in order to change the electoral law before facing an early ballot  but the populists want a vote straight away. The only way out of this mess is to wait for the constitutional courts ruling, do the eventual changes to the electoral law as suggested by the judges, and then straight off to the ballots, Toninelli says.

The new premier shares President Mattarellas concern that an early vote should not take place if, as it is now, there are two different electoral laws governing the elections of the two branches of parliament  the Lower House and Senate. This double system would lead to having different majorities in parliament and further hinder the process of legislation.

However, given the harsh non-cooperation stance of populists and the tight timeframe, Gentiloni will probably not succeed in harmonizing the two different voting systems. A thorough makeover would in fact need at least a year, until 2018, and not even the Democrats are willing to wait so long.

The referendum blow stands as a closing landmark for this legislature. The defeat has disempowered the reformatory scope of Renzis cabinet, and by extension of his successor Gentiloni. Renzi wanted to change the constitution but it failed, therefore theres the need of a new elected government and parliament, said Giampaolo Galli, a Democrat deputy and member of the Lower House budget committee.

However, Renzis resignation does not mean he is out of the political picture. For the time being the former premier is licking his wounds, but has kept the leadership of the Democrat party, where the majority sees him as the only real leader right now in Italy, says Galli, and the only one able to guide the party towards the next elections.

Renzi has repeatedly pledged that the referendum defeat was not the end of his political career and will therefore likely attempt a comeback. The former premier would prefer to hold an early vote in June in order to avoid another bombshell, that could turn out to be even more destructive than the constitutional referendum.

Italys main workers lobby CGIL has appealed to the constitutional court against Renzis labor reform, dubbed the Jobs Act, and its scrapping of several workers protection rules. The labor union wants a referendum and theres a high chance that the court might rule in favour of the request for the summer. That vote could only be avoided if an election takes place.

According to Italian law, explains Galli, if a national ballot is scheduled then its not possible to hold a popular referendum at the same time. So an early vote could turn out to be the best option for Italy, at least as far as the ruling parties are concerned. The last thing the country needs right now is yet another disruptive referendum, as it continues to deal with the fallout of the last one.
Brussels (AFP) - Italy's banking problems can be solved and the EU will do everything to help, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Wednesday, dismissing fears of something akin to the euro crisis.

New Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni has said his government was prepared to come to the aid of the country's third largest bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS), if private rescue efforts fail.

The bank, seen as being in danger of failing if it is not recapitalised, needs to raise five billion euros ($5.29 billion) to avoid a state-subsidised rescue.

"I do not think that we have to expect that the problems of the Italian banks have to be considered as unsolvable," Juncker said in an interview with the German public television ZDF.

"We will do everything... to be helpful to the Italian authorities, indeed the government," he said, speaking in German. "I do not believe that Italy could be the origin of something which could resemble a new euro crisis."

The Italian government has been sending signals it is ready to help recapitalise the troubled BMPS should it fail to raise enough money from private investors to complete a badly needed strengthening of its balance sheet.

If that happens there are fears retail savers might be hurt with EU rules potentially preventing the government from fully covering their losses.

Juncker, who was interviewed on the eve of a Brussels summit of EU leaders, also defended the bloc's diplomacy on Syria, which is on the summit agenda unlike Italy's banking woes.

"Should we have sent soldiers? Would the Germans and the Luxembourgers, the Dutch, the Italians be ready to send soldiers to Syria?" the former Luxembourg prime minister asked.

Even with a still non-existant European army, he said, "I do not believe that there are many Europeans who want to die for Syria. But we urge with all means at our disposal that humanitarian solutions are strived for."
Jacqueline Kennedy was cosmopolitan and had a global point of view. And Fox Searchlights Jackie reflects this international perspective: The movie was made by Chilean filmmakers and a French crew, the title character was played by an actress born in Jerusalem, and the part of JFK was handled by an actor from Denmark.

In all, 10 countries were represented, as 1960s America was re-created in Paris by a team led by two brothers: producer Juan de Dios Larrain and director Pablo Larrain.

The reproduction of the Kennedy White House was a crucial aspect of the film, which includes scenes that replicate portions of the 1962 CBS special A Tour of the White House With Mrs. John F. Kennedy, in which the first lady showed off her renovations. The big challenge was not just to make the White House of 1963, but to make it really real, to match it with real footage, says French production designer Jean Rabasse.

He and his team conducted months of research, even finding the blueprints for Jackies renovations and measuring the exact size of the paintings that hung on the wall. We fell in love with the information we found, he says.

Among their discoveries was the fact that Kennedys interior designers in many cases sourced fabrics from a French house, which the Jackie team was also able to use. Sometimes we were so lucky to find the exact same fabrics she had used, Rabasse notes. It was a link between our dreams and the reality.

Paris-based costume designer Madeline Fontaine also tapped into the first ladys international tastes. Among the clothes re-created for the film was the iconic pink Chanel suit Kennedy wore in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.

We had to find the right shade of pink. It had to be the pink, because that suit is so famous, Fontaine says. She and her team ended up making five copies of the suit, including one in a slightly different shade that would duplicate the color conveyed by 1963 newsreel footage.

There were multiple challenges for cinematographer Stephane Fontaine (no relation to the costume designer). The busy DP  who also shot Elle and Captain Fantastic this year  had to match scenes that would be intercut with the newsreel footage, as well as the black-and-white White House tour. The solution: 16mm cameras, the closest they could get to reproducing the technology of the time.

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Most of the White House scenes take place in the week following JFKs assassination. Both the DP and director wanted the setting to have a gentle, soft feeling, since it was the one place she could feel safe from the mayhem of the outside world, says Fontaine.

There were long shots of Jackie in the White House, to convey her isolation, but Larrain in general wanted the camera very close to the face of star Natalie Portman. Fontaine had a camera on his shoulder and stayed tight on the actress in moves that were usually carefully laid out but occasionally improvised.

They were like dancing around the White House, says Larrain.

To ensure the cameras flexibility, they put all lighting high up, so no floor lamps would interfere with movement that sometimes turned 360 degrees. Portman quickly adjusted to the up-close approach. I think one-third of the movie was done in one take, the director estimates.

The narrative is framed by an interview Kennedy gave a week after the assassination, based on Theodore H. Whites story for Life magazine. The movie blends moments from that interview with the events in Dallas, developments in the week following the shooting, and her earlier CBS TV tour. It was the job of Chilean editor Sebastian Sepulveda to combine those four key periods into the complex mosaic Larrain had devised.

Asked if it was a complicated editing process, Sepulveda rolls his eyes and laughs, Very! He says he and Larrain dictated the structure by focusing on the emotional throughline of Kennedys attempts to hold herself, her family, and the world together after the assassination.

Larrain  who loved the script by Noah Oppenheim but agreed to direct it contingent on Portmans participation  conducted a worldwide search for the right actor to play JFK. Danish actor Caspar Phillipson  found via Facebook  got the part. He is a really good actor, and he looked like JFK, Larrain says. When they did hair and makeup on him, and he walked on the set for the first time, we all kind of freaked out. (Catherine Leblanc Caraes was the hair designer; Miwoo Kim and Odile Fourquin were makeup designers.)

To maintain order among the multilingual team on the set, the director declared that English would be spoken. I would go to the bathroom, and when I came back, everyone had started talking French. Id shout, English only, please! 

Larrain says, laughing. My French wasnt good enough to understand them.

In all, it was a United Nations of collaborators, which is exactly what the filmmakers wanted. One of the beautiful things about cinema, Larrain says, is that we could come from different spaces and connect.

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TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States military on Wednesday grounded its tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey aircraft in Japan after Tokyo called for a halt to flights following a crash southwest of Okinawa island, the first accident involving the aircraft in the Asian nation. The aircraft has become a lightning rod for opposition to the U.S. military presence in Okinawa, with local groups seeking the closure of American bases saying it is prone to crash and poses a danger to residents. A U.S.-operated Osprey ditched into the sea on Tuesday, injuring its crew of five after a hose connected to the aircraft broke during a refueling exercise. Images of the scene aired by Japan's public broadcaster NHK showed the aircraft broke into several pieces in waters close to the coast. "No flights in Japan are planned today," said a U.S. Marine Corps spokesman in Okinawa. The U.S. military was still investigating the cause of the crash, which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described as "regrettable" on Wednesday. The Osprey, built by Boeing Co and Textron Inc's Bell Helicopter and designed to take off like a helicopter and rotate its propellers to fly like a plane, has suffered a series of incidents in other parts of the world prior to the crash in Okinawa. The United States says it has two Osprey squadrons in Japan, although it does not disclose the precise number of aircraft. A squadron typically comprises between 12 to 24 aircraft. "We regret the accident, but we do not regret the work of our young pilots," Lieutenant General Lawrence D. Nicholson, the USMC commander on Okinawa, told a news briefing on the island broadcast by NHK. The first Osprey crash in Japan could further delay plans to relocate some U.S. forces on the island and comes amid a surge in resentment over U.S. bases after an American civilian working for the military was arrested this year over the murder of a 20-year-old Japanese woman. Okinawa, which was under U.S. occupation until 1972, hosts the bulk of the approximately 50,000 U.S. military personnel in Japan. (Reporting by Tim Kelly, Kaori Kaneko and Nobuhiro Kubo; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
The US Marines suspended flights of their Osprey aircraft in Japan on Wednesday as anger mounts over an accident that saw one of the hybrid planes crash off the southern island of Okinawa.

The incident came at a delicate time, with Tokyo and Washington pushing to build a new airbase on Okinawa despite local opposition against the heavy US military presence there and concerns by residents about the Osprey.

The MV-22 Osprey, a so-called tiltrotor plane that can carry 24 troops, is half helicopter half turboprop and boasts the manoeuvrability of a chopper and the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft.

But a series of accidents mostly in the United States involving the plane have prompted protests by Okinawa residents.

The crash happened overnight after the aircraft damaged one of its propellers during an aerial refuelling drill with another plane around 10 pm Tuesday (1300 GMT), according to Marine Lieutenant General Lawrence Nicholson.

The Osprey pilot guided the violently shaking aircraft to shallow waters near US Marine base Camp Schwab, and conducted "a controlled landing" in the water to reduce injuries to crew and avoid flying over Okinawan residential areas, he told reporters.

Nicholson said that investigations were under way and flights would not resume until he was satisfied with the results of the reviews.

He stressed, however, that the incident was not due to a mechanical problem with the aircraft.

"We apologise to Okinawan people, who perhaps will lose faith and confidence in the Osprey based on this accident," he said.

"I hope that they will not."

Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed the main wings of the craft broken in half and the cockpit separated from partially submerged fuselage.

Of the five crew members aboard, one needed "a few more days" of medical attention, one suffered a broken bone and the other three did not require serious attention, Nicholson said.

The incident quickly sparked anger on Okinawa -- a strategic outpost of US military power -- where the local governor has spearheaded a campaign against the presence of US bases, while in Tokyo the government demanded the halt to flights, which the Marines later announced.

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the accident "serious" and "regrettable", while Okinawa governor Takeshi Onaga, an outspoken critic of the US military presence, called the incident "really outrageous".

The accident came as Japanese media reported that another Osprey landed on its fuselage late Tuesday at Futenma airbase, located in a crowded Okinawan residential district.

The US military told the Japanese government that the plane had trouble deploying its landing gear, chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters.

Tokyo and Washington want to move the Futenma base to a sparsely populated area in the north of the island, but many locals, including Onaga, want it removed altogether.

More than half the approximately 47,000 American troops in Japan under a decades-long security alliance are stationed on Okinawa, the site of a major World War II battle that was followed by a 27-year US occupation of the island.
Japan is reportedly tinkering with the idea of allowing the U.S. two new military bases in the Kuril Islands despite Russias all-over jurisdiction of the archipelago, the Moscow Times reported Wednesday. The move could awaken an issue thats been relatively dormant since the end of World War II more than 70 years ago.

Two high-ranking diplomats from each side, the General Secretary of Japans Security Council Shotaro Yachi and his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev, discussed the idea during a meeting on Nov. 9, according to two Japanese news outlets.

Russia has previously refused to discuss any of Japans claims on the islands. However, President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to make an official visit to Japan running Wednesday to Thursday and the Kuril Islands are expected to be one topic of discussion.

The islands, 56 in total that stretch more than 800 miles across the Sea of Okhotsk in the northern Pacific Ocean, are a direct chain that leads straight from mainland Japan to Russias Kamchatka Peninsula. Russia claims jurisdiction over the entire chain, while Japan claims the largest islands to the south of the chain, Iturup and Kunashir.

A spokesperson for the Kremlin told reporters in a briefing Wednesday that Putin had previously said Russia "could not ignore the presence of Japan's allied commitments."

Still, the idea of the U.S. expanding its military presence in Japan could be a difficult issue for all parties involved. The U.S. currently has three bases in Japan, two on the island of Okinawa and a third in Zama. Adding another so close to Russia could worsen already tense relations between the superpowers.

It could also hamper Russias potential plans to expand its foreign military presence around the globe. In October, Russias defense minister said there was a possibility of reopening bases in Vietnam and Cuba, both sites of Cold War proxy wars between the U.S. and Russia, and Russias already expanded its presence in Syria by opening a base there as well.

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Jennifer Lawrence absolutely lost it over the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills praising her and its so relatable

Proving again that shes an everywoman, Jennifer Lawrence loves The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and she totally lost it when she found out they loved her, too.

Now, we knew that in between starring in blockbuster movies with Chris Pratt, pulling pranks on her co-stars, and generally being a badass, J.Law loves a bit of downtime with everyones favorite Beverly Hills-based crew.

In fact, so taken with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is she that Access Hollywood decided to treat the star, who is currently on the promo trail for her new movie Passengers, to a bit of a Real Housewives love-in and its so darn adorable (and 100% relatable, tbh).

Access Hollywood host Liz Hernandez surprised Jennifer with a cute AF video of the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills heaping praise upon her, and the way that J.Law freaks out is too much.

Pointing out the cast to Chris as they appear on the screen, Jennifer is so visibly excited by seeing the cast that her hands begin to shake and she says that she might cry.

Jennifer Lawrence, I adore you, Erika Girardi says in the clip. The fact that you even know who I am, like, blows my mind.

Also appearing in the video are Lisa Vanderpump, Kyle Richards, and Lisa Rinna.

You really asked them for me? Lawrence asks Hernandez. Genuinely, thank you so much.

Thats the kindest thing you couldve done for her, Chris Pratt says, while Jennifer looks on the verge of tears.

Watch the full love-in below.

We can totally imagine Jennifer Lawrence getting her life to episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. We just know that, like us, shell be on the hunt for an amazing GIF to use, and will totally be up on the d-r-a-m-a that seems to follow the Housewives around.

The post Jennifer Lawrence absolutely lost it over the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills praising her and its so relatable appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Jack Schlossberg stepped away from grad school applications on Tuesday night to host the 2016 John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards.

Schlossberg, the only grandson of former President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, was at the JFK Library in Boston to present Compton, California, Mayor Aja Brown and Bard Prison Initiative founder Max Kenner as this years honorees.

This event is particularly important to me because its about young people and young leaders, and I think that theres a sense among people of my generation that  it seems like there may not be that much that you can do to help, Schlossberg, 23, told PEOPLE at the event. But these people that we honored here tonight really demonstrate that if you are committed, if you do want to make a difference, that you can. And its great to celebrate young people who do that themselves, so we can have an example to look up to.

While Schlossberg  who is the youngest of Caroline Kennedys three children  said that its important to be invested in politics, he insisted he doesnt have his sights set on following in his grandfathers footsteps. (At least not yet.)

Keiko Hiromi/Polaris

Im more focused on getting my applications done on time, he said.

Schlossberg  a 2015 Yale grad  is currently applying to grad school and studying for the Graduate Record Examination from his home in New York City. He also confirmed he took the Law School Admission Test a month ago, so fingers crossed.

The young Kennedy, who until last month worked for the State Department Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science, might not be campaigning himself anytime soon, but he did share his opinion on the 2016 presidential election  and President-elect Donald Trump.

Well, you know, one side is always disappointed when their candidate doesnt win, so I certainly felt that way this time, he admitted. And while thats true, I think its important to approach this election with an open mind, but at the same time to be ready and willing to stand up for progressive values and President Obamas legacy.

Story continues

RELATED VIDEO: Would JFK Jr. Have Run for President?

While Schlossberg felt he couldnt speak to what his late grandfather would have thought of Trump, he said that JFK would have been inspired by how involved my generation currently is.

Id say hed be hopeful about how much work we have to do as a country and that we can all get it done, he told PEOPLE.

The New Frontier Awards honor an exceptional elected official as well as an individual in the realm of community service, advocacy or activism.

Brown became the youngest mayor in the history of Compton when she was elected in 2013 at age 31. Shes since significantly reduced violence and crime in the city, and brought jobs and redevelopment projects to the area, according to the JFK Library.

Kenners Bard Prison Initiative helps bring higher education to those incarcerated in six prisons across New York State. According to the JFK Library, 83 percent of graduates of the program are employed in the public and private sector.

Reporting by JULIET PENNINGTON


Even though Jocelyn Wildenstein is accused of attacking him, stabbing him with scissors, throwing hot wax on him and clawing him with her nails, designer Lloyd Klein says of their 13-year relationship, It was a beautiful romance and a beautiful story. I wish it could have continued in the same way without all of the stress issues.

Since the alleged attack last Wednesday at her Manhattan Trump World Tower apartment, Wildenstein, 71, is facing both second and third degree assault charges. In an exclusive PEOPLE interview, Klein says, Im devastate, emotionally devastated.

Sitting down in a Manhattan hotel, Klein, 49, tells the story of their early romance, how he did not see the woman described as catwoman the way others saw her, and what led up to their fight and her arrest  and then his arrest early Sunday morning when he returned to the apartment. Both Klein and Wildenstein now have restraining orders against each other, according to a district attorneys office spokesperson.

Lloyd Klein and Jocelyn Wildenstein in 2013. (Photo: Michael Bezjian/WireImage)

The couple first met in 2003 during New York Fashion Week and he invited her to see his designs. She said she was enchanted by the collection, he recalls. A few dinners and social events followed. They conversed in French (Klein was born in Canada and raised in Paris. Wildenstein was born in Switzerland and also speaks French.) We spoke the same language, he says. She understood high fashion. When attending fashion week in Paris, we knew the same people and we had a great connection. She had impeccable taste.

We became lovers, he says. We tried to meet as much as possible. We had a lot of fun and everything was going extremely well.

When it came to her extreme plastic surgery, Klein says she always had feline features. Of course, we see that she had some surgery, he notes. Its obvious she had lifting and she had some work done. She had some little repairs here and there, but its not that she tried to look like a cat, she had those features at 18, these same eyes, the nose, the cheekbones.

Story continues

He claims not to know what she had done during their years together. If she traveled and did some alterations, I was not present, he says. Still, he says he doesnt view her the way others do. Im not shocked, he says. Beauty is subjective.

Their relationship became more stressed in 2008 when she sold her Manhattan townhouse and moved to the Trump Apartments. There were times when she went into rages. but I mean its human, he says. Each was okay on its own. It was a little shocking  but I thought she would get better.

When they argued, he says, she could take a cup or glass and throw it to the other side of the room.

The pressure increased and on the night of December 7, he says, She was under stress, financial duress. On top of that, they began to trade pointed barbs about their respective family members. She went into a rage, he says. She took a candle that was burning and threw it on my face. My eyes were burning.

Then he claims, She scratched me with nails in the face. She has sharp nails. Then she said Dont get any closer to me or I am going to kill you. She stabbed me with a pair of scissors. Small ones. In the chest.

She is fragile, so it did not go far, he notes.

After he went to wash his face in the bathroom, she walked into her closet and got locked inside. (Klein says he doesnt know how she got locked in.) I was packing my stuff, he says. She asked me to open the door and I said I dont want to open the door because you are going to come at me again, let me finish packing and then I will open it.

She called 911 and NYPD arrived. I did not want to press charges, he says. My plan was to clear the air and hope things go better and that life goes on and we both learn our lessons. I didnt want her to be hurt in terms of being arrested or charged.

He returned to the apartment late Saturday evening to pack up his belongings. He says she came running down to the lobby when she saw him leaving. She was not injured when we saw her coming out of the elevators, she was okay, he says. She said she was locked out of her apartment. I was about to leave. And she requested my keys.

After Klein got in a taxi to go downtown, he got a call from NYPD asking him to return to the apartment  after Wildenstein had claimed hed attacked her and taken her keys. That is not the case, he says. I didnt take any of her belongings. I took my belongings  that is it.

He was placed under arrest and charged with robbery, assault with intent to cause physical injury, grand larceny for taking a credit card and mischief with intent to damage property. It was horrific, Klein says of his night behind bars. For a few hours I was without shoes, my belt and it was freezing and I was put in a cell with criminals.

I was completely lost, he says. I was shocked and I also thought about Jocelyn at the same time. I couldnt believe she had gone through thisthat they put you in handcuffs and you go with the chain.

Despite all the headlines and the drama, Klein now says, I feel sorry for her and feel sad. I wish her the best. Its a very unfortunate situation. I hope she will reunite with her children because that is the main part of her sadness. I cant speak for her but the lack of contact with them is not acceptable to my values.

As for the future, he wants to return to his work and hopefully, calm. Am I going back to her? I dont think so, he says but it was a beautiful love story.

Wildensteins attorney, Alan Kachalsky, tells PEOPLE that Kleins arrest should remind people that there are two sides to each story.

The new arrest certainly complicates the situation, Kachalsky said. It should remind people that there are two sides to each story. People shouldnt draw any inferences that she is guilty from only hearing Lloyd Kleins version of the story. Now hes going to see what its like to be the one arrested and spend 18 hours locked up.
Hairspray and Pink Flamingos auteur John Waters will be honored February 19 with the Writers Guild of America Easts Ian McLellan Hunter Award at the 2017 WGA Awards gala.

The award was established in 1992 in memory of the longtime WGAE member and is presented to a WGA member in honor of his/her body of work as a writer in motion pictures or television.

Decades ago, a critic once wrote that my screenplays were merely clothes lines to hang out my dirty wash. Im glad the WGAE disagrees  or maybe they do agree, who knows? Waters said in the announcement of the award. Either way, I couldnt be more honored and excited to get this award.

Presenting the Hunter Award to Waters will be his fellow Baltimore native David Simon, a previous honoree for his work on The Wire, Treme and Homicide: Life on the Street. Waters appeared twice on Homicide.

John Waters has made being not right, not normal, not ordinary nor expected seem so, well, Baltimore, said Simon. Time and again, on film and in prose and eventually on Broadway, he has celebrated the very American notion that there is, in fact, no normal. That we are all, if we are honest, at least two standard deviations from the mean. In Baltimore, it is our goddamn birthright.

The 2017 Writers Guild Awards New York show will be hosted by Lewis Black.

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ST. LOUIS (AP)  A federal judge has approved a $4.7 million lawsuit settlement for nearly 2,000 people who were illegally jailed in a St. Louis suburb.

The town of Jennings agreed in July to pay $4.7 million to settle the lawsuit on behalf of people who were jailed over a five-year period for failing to pay a fine or court cost, often from minor traffic offenses.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (http://j.mp/2h1e61g ) U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson approved the settlement Wednesday, calling it "fair, reasonable and adequate."

Blake Strode, a lawyer with ArchCity Defenders who worked on the case, estimates each person could receive $1,500 or more per day in jail, which is "well within the range" of similar cases. But he says only 414 people have come forward with valid claims.

___

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com
Pedro Almodovar sits in a swank hotel restaurant in Midtown Manhattan decked out in a blazing red sweater, looking a little stunned by the December chill. Its an appropriate fashion choice for the Spanish auteur behind All About My Mother, Talk to Her, and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! to name just a few. No filmmaker has ever gotten more leverage from a color: Red, at its biggest, most sensual, and blistering, appears frequently in Almodovars films, popping up in carpets, drapery, couches, dresses, and, of course, blood. At one time, such brashness was a reflection of his status as the enfant terrible of foreign-language cinema.

But Almodovar is older now. His helmet of spiky hair is nearly completely gray. His most recent effort, Julieta, is also one of his more restrained works, adapting a series of Alice Munro stories that dramatize the disintegration of a relationship between a mother and daughter. Armed with a cup of coffee to fight the cold, the filmmaker discusses what drew him to Julieta, as well as politics, sex, and his dissatisfaction with modern movies.

Do you ever watch your movies after theyre finished?

I cannot be a spectator of my own work. In general, things that are related to my own life Im not that interested in.

Have you ever tried to keep a diary?

I tried many times, but I only wrote something when I was very depressed.

When you watch other peoples movies do you think about how you would have shot them differently?

I never sit there and think how I would do something differently, except for movies that I dont like and I dont like for specific reasons. Then I might think about the technical aspects of what I would have done.

What do you think about the state of Hollywood movies?

Its very difficult for me to go to the theater and find movies that I love  much more difficult than before. Maybe Im getting old. Either that or I find it more difficult for a story to surprise me. I think that film right now is worse than it used to be. For example, I dont think that you see the kinds of films you saw in the 60s or the 70s.

Story continues

I have no real interest in films that have to do with superheroes and sequels, prequels, reboots  all this kind of business. Ironically, on some level, the fact that movies are so technically proficient works against them. I used to be interested in the adventure film or any chase film before the effects were so perfect. The digital, the synthetic aspect of the image, has taken some of that away from me. There was a sense of danger that was exciting.

Did you see Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

No. The last adventure film I liked a lot was Spielbergs Raiders of the Lost Ark.

What movies have you enjoyed recently?

I saw Silence by Martin Scorsese. Its absolutely one of my favorites. I felt it was sort of a spiritual adventure. I come from a Catholic country. Im an atheist, but Im very interested in faith.

I want to see Moonlight. I loved Manchester by the Sea. I loved the script by Kenneth Lonergan and I loved Casey Affleck.

Do you see any similarities between the way Julieta treats the subject of grief and the way Manchester deals with that issue?

Theyre two very different films, but as directors, we have both approached the subject of pain in a very sober and unaffected way. For both movies, it might be more pleasing for there to be some closure, but it would be false for the films to have a happy ending.

Do you think celebrities should weigh in on politics?

Artists are citizens like anybody else and should be able to express their opposition, if thats how they feel, toward the government. Artists should express their ideas, but I dont think that our opinion should be more valued than anyone elses.

Your films have a lot of sex. Do you use sex to make a political statement?

Im not thinking about how its going to be perceived or whether its going to be censored. Im not thinking so much of politics. My great privilege as an artist is to represent life from my point of view. That point of view sees many different kinds of people and identities and many different kinds of relationships to sexuality. I present life as I see it, in its multiplicity. When you look at television or reality television, theres much broader visibility for transgender people, and Im happy to see this change.

Do you feel you had a role to play in that change?

I wouldnt want to be so presumptuous. But if I have, Im happy to be a part of this change. The world changes and the world evolves.

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court could make it easier for companies to defend themselves against patent infringement lawsuits.

The justices said Wednesday they will decide whether such lawsuits can be filed in any court in the country  as they are now  or be limited to courts that are more convenient for corporate defendants.

The issue is important to many companies that complain about plaintiffs "forum shopping" for favorable courts. More than 40 percent of patent lawsuits are now filed in eastern Texas courts, where local rules favor quick trials and juries can be more sympathetic to plaintiffs.

The justices will hear an appeal from TC Heartland, an Indiana-based food sweetener company sued by Kraft Foods in Delaware. Lower courts refused to transfer the case to Indiana.
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f30931%2f1a021dbc-85ff-4a74-a6d9-a725ed16ba9e

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau went to see Rogue One on Tuesday, and  because this is an outing at the movies, after all  he invited some friends.

Twenty patients from the Children's Hospital of Ontario sat with Trudeau at the special advance screening, where they all got to see Felicity Jones, Diego Luna and a whole lot of Stormtroopers in action.

SEE ALSO: Justin Trudeau has worked his way back into our hearts

Bonus: They all got to see it before all their friends. Midnight screenings? More like amateur hour.

Some friends from @CHEOhospital joined me for a sneak preview today...the verdict? #RogueOne is the best of the Star Wars prequels. pic.twitter.com/UNCEZWTzPY  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) December 14, 2016

And it looks like Trudeau enjoyed his Rogue One experience. "The verdict?" he wrote on Twitter. "#RogueOne is the best of the Star Wars prequels."

It's a valuable endorsement  Trudeau is a longtime Star Wars fan. He even dressed up as a Hoth-bound Han Solo for Halloween last October.

#TBT to @JustinTrudeau's Han Solo costume, featuring our Snow Mantra Parka. What are you dressing up as for Halloween? (Photo: @CdnPress) pic.twitter.com/yy9oqHllGm  Canada Goose (@CanadaGooseInc) October 27, 2016

Last December, he also took a group of kids from CHEO to see The Force Awakens. He enjoyed that film too, BTW, but apparently not as much as he enjoyed Rogue One.

No spoilers, Trudeau.

BONUS: A behind-the-scenes look at the many lives of BB-8 from 'Star Wars'
By Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - A set of giant security gates financed by China and intended to protect Kabul from large bombs and drug smuggling lie stored in a warehouse more than five months after they arrived, while Afghan authorities bicker over who should install them. Intended for the four main entry points into Kabul, they have been delayed by infighting between departments and by a land dispute, underlining the difficulty of getting things done in a country where conflict and corruption have slowed progress. The hangar-style gates, each weighing around 30 tonnes, are to reinforce the so-called "Ring of Steel" that surrounds Kabul, a city of five million people already protected by blast walls, armed checkpoints and eye-in-the-sky surveillance cameras. Although there are many entrances to the city, security officials believe channeling large vehicles through the gates could help reduce the risk of big truck and car bombs that have previously wrought devastation in Kabul. The gates are to be equipped with control rooms and surveillance scanners to enhance inspections of vehicles. Civilian deaths are rising across the country as Afghan Taliban insurgents fight to topple the Western-backed government and drive out foreign troops, while an offshoot of Islamic State has claimed responsibility for several attacks in the last year. Not all are carried out by car or truck bombs, but in September a car bomb went off outside a central Kabul security office during rush hour, killing dozens of people. "It shows that the ministry's different departments are sadly incapable of setting them (the new gates) up, and Kabul police is delaying them for no reason," said a senior Interior Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. "These gates are made with the latest technology, and delaying their installation is a big injustice to the residents of Kabul," the official added. He said the Interior Ministry's Support and Procurement Office, which had agreed to pay for and organize the installation of the gates, had tried to subcontract the work, but the bids were too high. Now responsibility has been transferred to a similar body run by Kabul police, who, in turn, rejects accusations that they have been dragging their feet. "We understand it is our department that is responsible for the gates, but the government has to purchase the land first and then we need a budget for it from donors," said Salem Almas, deputy chief of Kabul police. $13 MILLION DEAL Sorting out exactly who is responsible for what in Kabul has proved a challenge. The chief of police comes under the authority of the Interior Ministry, but officials there have said he prefers to report to the National Security Council, a body that answers directly to President Ashraf Ghani. The fact that Afghan power is shared between Ghani and a chief executive and former political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, can add to the confusion of reporting lines and decision making. Almas said the police chief understood and respected his reporting line to the interior ministry. A spokesman for the presidential palace declined to comment and referred questions to the interior ministry. According to documents seen by Reuters, the security gates were part of a $13 million deal signed between China and Afghanistan in September, 2012, called an Agreement of Economic and Technical Cooperation. China, which fears an Islamist insurgency may by stoked by fighters from Pakistan and Afghanistan, has taken a keen interest in the Afghan conflict, but major investment plans in the mining sector have been held back by deteriorating security. The documents show that the security gates built by Chinese firm NUCTECH Co Ltd, in addition to 400 items of associated equipment including scanners and jammers, arrived in Kabul via neighboring Uzbekistan in eight shipping containers on July 2. Twelve Chinese engineers worked for two months to assemble the parts for the security gates. Two Chinese engineers are still in Kabul, waiting for installation work to begin. The company did not respond to questions. "We are not familiar with the situation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters at a regular briefing last week. (Additional reporting by Christian Shepherd in BEIJING; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
Kanye West now holds the rare celebrity distinction of grabbing the attention of three consecutive presidents. George W. Bush said that West created the worst moment of his presidency when the rapper accused him of not caring about black people. Barack Obama called West a jackass because West had done some things that were pretty jackass-y.

And now Donald Trump has deemed West a good man and a friend, hugging him when West visited the Trump Tower this morning. West later said on Twitter that the two had discussed multicultural issues, such as bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago and that it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change. He added, ominously, #2024. The media frenzy around his visit, for now, has taken attention away from other Trump doings.

For a lot of West fans, its another crisis in a year of them. The rapper once railed against American capitalists exploiting black people and ignoring their well-being. Now hes palling around with a man whoto name just one of the many sources of cognitive dissonance todaymay boost the private prison system West has denounced. The caveats: For a while now, enjoying Wests music has often required separating art from artist; with this being his first major public appearance since being hospitalized for psychiatric observation in November, Wests motives may be more tangled than ever; West has said he would have voted for Trump had he voted, but he donated to Hillary Clintons campaign; and visiting the president-elect can be a chance to lobby him on topics you disagree about, as Al Gore presumably did when he met with Trump recently.

But even with all of that stipulated, theres a feeling of inevitability around this mornings photos of West and Trump in a golden lobby. Trump is, on some level, very much Wests kind of guy. The reason why that is goes beyond the superficial reading that Trump is an ostentatious rich man and West is a leader in the hip-hop world where ostentatious rich maleness is especially coveted (prior to trashing Jay Z during the campaign, Trump had a decades-long relationship with rap). Rather, Trumps rhetoric and actions suggest a worldview in line with Wests, one in which talent is supposed to work like a magic talisman, removing all obstacles to exerting control.

The typical gist of the long speeches that West gives at concerts, or of the occasional interviews he gives, is that (1) Kanye is very good at whatever he does, and therefore (2) the world should let Kanye do whatever he wants. Hermes should have him as creative director. Mark Zuckerberg oughta collaborate withand fundhim. Educators should let him design their curricula. And America should, whether in 2020 or 2024, elect him president. When he hears a spoken or implied noas he has from, say, Nikethe speaker becomes a target of his ire. So naturally, the institution from which he hears the most naysaying, the media, is Kanye enemy No. 1.

Recommended: The Four-Letter Code to Selling Just About Anything

Trump seems to approach the world in much the same way. His I alone can fix it pitch is near exactly the one that West goes around making. He is accused of authoritarian tendencies in part because he casually proposes policies that would fall outside of the Constitutions constraints. And he rails against the media constantly. Trumps allure, to hear West explain it, as he did on-stage last month, is not in the views he holds but rather in the way that he has unlocked powerhis nonpolitical methods to speaking that are very futuristic. West believes Trump to have circumvented the traditional gatekeepers keeping a check on his ability to execute his visionand really, who can argue?

In the same speech where he said hed have voted for Trumpshortly after which he canceled the rest of his tour and checked into the hospitalhe expressed hope that political celebrities of all parties could come together. Theres things that Benjamin Carson believes in that I believe in, he said. I think that Benjamin Carson should still be a consultant. I think that Hillary Clinton should still be a consultant. I think that Bill Clinton should still be a consultant. Like Obama said, I think Obama should still be a consultant. It wasnt the first time he expressed a vision of a world governed by neither principles nor professionals, only famous people. Maybe thats one of the things he and Trump talked about.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
10-day Sindhuli Fair to kick off on Dec 22

Sindhuli Chamber of Commerce and Industry is organizing a 10-day Sindhuli Fair, an event that showcases products, businesses, cultures and traditions of the district, from December 22.
Kanye West has explained why he went to meet with Donald Trump

Yesterday (December 14th), the internet lost its collective mind after Kanye West visited the President-elect Donald Trump. Now Kanye has explained why he visited Trump Tower.

Last month it was announced that Kanye West had been hospitalized for mental health reasons. The star cancelled a bunch of live dates after what some were calling erratic behavior, which included lengthy speeches on stage, and declarations that he would have voted for Donald Trump in the recent election.

At the beginning of this month, however, Kanye was released from hospital after suffering from sleep depravation and exhaustion. Then yesterday Kanye West visited Trump Tower to speak with the President-elect.

As TMZ reported, it was Kanye who had requested the meeting with Trump. Speaking as he was leaving the building, Trump claimed that the pair had been friends for a long time. However, when quizzed by reporters why he had visited the President-elect, Kanye kept pretty quiet, explaining that he just wanted to have his picture taken with Trump at that time.

"We've been friends for a long time": Kanye West and President-elect Trump appear together at Trump Tower https://t.co/QoofBJzY1x pic.twitter.com/DK6z1P9LhG  CNN (@CNN) December 13, 2016

Now the rapper has spoken out about why he visited Trump Tower and it kind of makes sense.

Taking to his favorite medium of Twitter, Kanye explained that he had met with Trump to talk about multicultural issues.

I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues, Kanye tweeted. These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago. I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change.

I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues.  KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 13, 2016

These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago.  KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 13, 2016

I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change.  KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 13, 2016

Kanye ended his explanation with just one simple tweet

#2024  KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 13, 2016

Last year, Kanye West announced his plans to run for President of the United States in 2020. While he skirted around the announcement in an interview this year, it seems that Ye still has plans to run for the White House, albeit four years later than originally planned.

The post Kanye West has explained why he went to meet with Donald Trump appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Donald Trumps effort to line up talent for the inauguration has been stymied by the fact that so many musicians, artists, and entertainers supported Hillary Clinton.

But the New York Post reported that Andrea Bocelli was being personally approached by Trump to perform at the inauguration. A representative for Bocelli did not return a request for comment.

He is among a number of musicians who are being asked to perform at inaugural events. Trumps inaugural committee sent out packets to potential donors outlining a series of events in the days preceding the event, including a concert on the National Mall. The committee has not yet announced a complete lineup of events.

Meanwhile, sources say that Garth Brooks will not perform at the inaugural, after reports last week that he was among those being eyed by the inaugural committee. Asked by TMZ earlier this month if he would perform at the inauguration, Brooks said that he had not been asked yet, but said, Its always about serving. Its what you do. He has been apolitical this election cycle. Reps for the entertainer did not return a request for comment.

On Tuesday, Trumps meeting with Kanye West stirred speculation that he would perform at one of the inaugural events, although West declined to comment when the two appeared before photographers at Trump Tower. He later tweeted that they met to discuss multicultural issues, including bullying, education, and violence in Chicago.

I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future president if we truly want change, he wrote.

Boris Epshteyn, spokesman for the inaugural committee, declined to say whether West would perform. He said that first-class entertainers are eager to participate in the inaugural events. The inauguration as a whole will be an exciting and uniting celebration of freedom and democracy. We will be releasing specifics at the appropriate time.

Variety reported last week that casino and hotel mogul Steve Wynn is reaching out to entertainers to perform at the event.

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Even though the Trump campaign has described the inauguration as a unifying experience, the bitter campaign has left many of Clintons showbiz supporters angry and raw, in the words of some backers who worked on the campaign. Others have expressed alarm at some of his appointments, particularly when it comes to the environment.

Leonardo DiCaprio met with Trump last week to talk about climate change, and gave Trumps daughter Ivanka a copy of his documentary Before the Flood. But later that day, Trump selected Scott Pruitt, Oklahomas attorney general, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Pruitt has challenged the science on climate change, writing that the debate is far from settled.

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Donald Trump Meets With Kanye West at Trump Tower
Kanye West is a fan of President-elect Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, the rapper tweeted a photo of his autographed copy of Trump's Time magazine cover declaring the controversial businessman 2016's "Person of the Year," a day after the pair's surprise meeting at Trump Tower in New York City.

"To Kanye, you are a great friend," Trump wrote to West, underlining the word great. "Thanks."

WATCH: Donald Trump Shamed Kim Kardashian, Called for a Kanye West Boycott Years Before Meeting With Rapper

A source close to the 39-year-old rapper told ET that his visit with Trump was "a general meeting without any agenda." Later, West tweeted that he met with Trump to discuss "multicultural issues."

"These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago," West tweeted on Tuesday. "I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change."

"#2024," he added, referring to his own outspoken plans to run for president of the United States, though apparently pushing back his original 2020 plans another four years.

On Tuesday, Trump continually referred to West as a friend as the two walked out of an elevator together. "Just friends, just friends, and he's a good man," Trump told reporters while pointing at the GRAMMY-winning artist. "We've been friends for a long time."

WATCH: Kanye West Meets With Donald Trump at Trump Tower, Discusses 'Life' and Poses for Pics

Last month, West told the audience at his Saint Pablo tour stop in San Jose, California, that he would have voted for 70-year-old Trump had he voted in this year's election. "I told y'all I didn't vote, right? But if I were to vote, I would have voted on Trump," he told the audience, who then began to boo.

Story continues

Shortly after, West canceled the rest of his tour and was hospitalized for what one source told ET was a "mental breakdown," while another source attributed it to sleep deprivation and exhaustion. He was released from UCLA Medical Center on Nov. 30.

Related Articles
Kate Middleton Just Wore This Insanely Beautiful Royal Heirloom Homepage photo: Getty Images Shes already widely recognized as a fashion icon, but this time Kate Middleton is taking after another style supreme: Princess Diana. At the Buckingham Palaces annual Diplomatic Reception, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appeared alongside Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the royal family looking divinely festive. But what really captured our []

When it comes to classic, feminine elegance, no one does it quite like Kate Middleton. The incredibly poised Duchess of Cambridge never steps out looking like less than a million bucks, and theres a slew of photographic evidence to prove it. To honor her most stylish ensembles of the year, weve compiled a list of our favorites. From her memorable trip to India to events in her home country, Kate is always dressed to impress. See her standout sartorial moments here.
Beirut (AFP) - Following are key dates in the battle for Syria's Aleppo where fierce fighting resumed on Wednesday in a blow to hopes for the peaceful evacuation of the last rebel-held areas.

- Dragged into war -

- April-May, 2011: Thousands of students demonstrate in Aleppo, a northern city that had been spared the violent protests that erupted elsewhere in the country. The protests are swiftly crushed by security forces and rival students who back the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

- July 20, 2012: Fierce fighting breaks out between the army and rebels of the Free Syrian Army, a group of armed civilians and army deserters, in several city districts.

- In August the same year, troops backed by heavy artillery and warplanes secure central Christian neighbourhoods after a two-week offensive.

After that, the city is divided between loyalist districts in the west, where around 1.2 million people live, and rebel-controlled areas in the east with a population of more than 250,000.

- Barrel bombs -

- December 15, 2013: Regime air strikes drops "barrel bombs" on rebel districts, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The crude and imprecise bombs are made of TNT packed into oil drums that are dropped from the air.

Rebel tactics include firing rockets on government-held areas of the city.

- Russian intervention -

- September 2015: Russia comes to the aid of Assad's government, launching air strikes on Syria.

- February 1, 2016: The regime launches an offensive against rebels in Aleppo province, backed by Hezbollah fighters and Russian aircraft.

- July-August: Government forces cut the rebel's last supply route into Aleppo, effectively placing east Aleppo under regime siege, with inhabitants hit by food and petrol shortages. Rebels make several attempts to break the siege, but aid does not get through.

- September 22: After the end of a one-week ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States, the Syrian army announces a major offensive to retake all rebel-held areas.

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- October 5: The United Nations declares Aleppo's eastern districts "besieged".

- Blistering offensive -

- November 15: After almost a month of relative respite, regime forces, initially with Russian air support, launch a new assault to recapture the entire city. Rebel areas come under the heaviest bombardment for two years, with barrel bombs, shells and rockets.

- November 26: The government announces that the district of Masaken Hanano -- the largest rebel zone -- has been recaptured.

- December 6: Eight more districts in eastern Aleppo, including the strategic Shaar neighbourhood, fall into regime hands.

- December 7: Rebels make a highly symbolic retreat from the Old City.

- December 12: The army captures the Sheikh Saeed district in the southeast, giving it control of 90 percent of the onetime rebel sector.

- December 13: The guns fall silent after regime-backer Russia and rebel-supporter Turkey broker an agreement for a ceasefire and the evacuation of thousands of civilians and fighters from the last remaining rebel districts.

- December 14: Fierce fighting resumes after hours of calm, as the evacuation agreement is put on hold with the rival sides trading blame.
RIYADH (Reuters) - King Salman told Saudis on Wednesday he recognized that economic restructuring measures adopted in response to a sharp drop in oil prices were painful, but said they were necessary to avoid long-term damage to the country. "The state has sought to deal with these changes ... through a variety of measures to restructure the economy, some of which may be painful in the short run but ultimately aim to protect the economy of your country from worse problems," he told the consultative Shura Council. "Similar circumstances have happened before over the past three decades, forcing the state to cut its expenses, but it emerged from them, thanks be to God, with a strong economy and continuous and increasing growth," Salman said. In a drastic step to save money, the king in September ordered salaries of ministers and Shura Council members to be cut by 20 and 15 percent, and scaled back financial perks for public sector employees. The plunge in oil prices since mid-2014 has pushed energy-rich Gulf Arab states to rein in lavish public spending. Saudi Arabia racked up a record budget deficit of nearly $100 billion last year, forcing it to find new savings and ways to raise money. King Salman also said that Saudi Arabia sees the security of neighboring Yemen as part of the kingdom's own security, and issued a thinly veiled warning to regional rival Iran not to meddle there. "We will not accept any interference in its internal affairs or anything that affects its legitimacy (government), or will make it a hub or a passage for any state or party to target the security of the kingdom and the region as a whole," he said, without mentioning Iran by name. Saudi Arabia is leading an alliance of Arab states fighting to restore Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power after Houthi rebels aligned with Iran forced him into exile nearly two years ago. Saudi Arabia accuses non-Arab Iran of trying to expand its influence into Arab countries such as Syria and Yemen, a charge Tehran denies. Salman also said that Saudi Arabia would continue to work with world powers to achieve world peace. He made no direct reference to Syria, where government forces finally broke rebel resistance this week in the city of Aleppo to deliver a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war. (Reporting by Hadeel al-Sayegh, writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
The Department of Education announced that it was denying the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools' appeal to overturn the department's September decision to cease recognition of the agency. The initial decision came after the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, a federal panel, recommended shutting down the accreditor following strong criticism of ACICS' poor oversight. . The body accredited the now-defunct for-profit Corinthian Colleges, which closed last year, among others, such as the also recently closed ITT Technical Institute.

Since schools must be accredited by a Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency to receive federal financial aid funding, this decision will cause some upheaval with the 200-plus schools that ACICS currently accredits. If you are a current or past student at an ACICS-accredited school, here are answers to six key questions you may have right now.

[Consider school accreditation when determining a college's value.]

1. How do I know if my school is accredited by ACICS? Most schools post their accreditor on their website and marketing materials. If you're still not sure, you can check the ACICS database. The Department of Education is also requiring schools to issue disclosures to existing students regarding the schools' ACICS accreditation status.

2. Since my school is ACICS-accredited, will it now have to close? Probably not. When an accreditor loses recognition, its accredited schools have 18 months to find a new accreditor. The Department of Education has asked ACICS-accredited schools to indicate their plans to find new accreditation within the next 10 days.

If the schools do not find new accreditation within that 18 months, that does not automatically mean they will close, but it does mean that they will no longer be allowed to participate in federal student loan or other federal financial aid programs. If that happens, students will need to transfer to an accredited institution if they want to continue to use federal financial aid.

Story continues

[Here's what to know if your college loses federal funding.]

3. What if my school does close? If a school closes within 120 days of your attendance and you were unable to complete your degree or certificate either at that school or by transferring to another school, you are eligible for discharge of your federal student loans.

The school may also assist you in the form of a teach-out, which is an agreement with another institution to accept the existing credits and help you complete your degree or certificate. The Department of Education requires all ACICS-accredited schools to submit teach-out plans now to ensure that students have these plans available if any affected schools do close.

[Learn about the three times college closings can affect student loan repayments.]

Note that you cannot both receive a discharge and transfer your credits -- you must choose one or the other. The Department of Education has recently clarified that those who cannot use their credits for the same or a comparable degree are eligible for discharge. This is because those who choose to pursue a substantially different major or educational focus would unlikely be able to use the majority of their credits from the prior degree attempt.

While discharging your loans may seem like an attractive option, it's important to understand that there's no way to recover the time or out-of-pocket expenses you have invested in your education up to this point. Transferring your credits and completing the degree or certificate may be a better investment than discharging the loans, starting over and possibly incurring the same amount or even higher debt to do so.

4. Are degrees and certificates from ACICS accredited schools still valid? Yes, an accreditor losing recognition has no effect on existing degrees or certificates.

5. Can I still get financial aid or use my veterans education benefits if my school loses accreditation? Most forms of financial aid require the school and program to be accredited, so if you school does not succeed in obtaining a new accreditor, you will no longer be able to receive most forms of aid.

If you are receiving veterans benefits, most, but not all, of these will also cease if the school loses accreditation. With that said, there are some nonaccredited programs that are allowed under these benefits. You can find more information regarding eligibility for veterans benefits on the Department of Veterans Affairs website.

6. Are my loans from an ACICS accredited school dischargeable? No. An accreditor losing recognition by the Department of Education does not in and of itself qualify your loans for discharge. You can find all the reasons for student loan discharge on the Federal Student Aid website.

Keep in mind that this situation remains somewhat fluid, particularly since ACICS is expected to file suit against the Department of Education to try and overturn the decision. Unless and until such a suit is filed and only if the court stops the clock during the proceedings, students can expect the steps outlined above to move forward.

While an accreditor losing recognition is a rare occurrence, the Department of Education has put several safeguards and plans in place to ensure that affected schools and their students are impacted the least amount possible. With that said, it's always a good idea to understand the impact that such a situation will have on you and know the best course of action to ensure your long-term academic and career success.

Betsy Mayotte, director of consumer outreach and compliance for American Student Assistance, regularly advises consumers on planning and paying for college. Mayotte, who received a B.S. in business communications from Bentley College, responds to public inquiries via the advice resource "Just Ask" and is frequently quoted in traditional and social media on the topics of student loans and financial aid.
Afghan Vice-President Dostum accused of sex assault

A senior official in Afghanistan says he was violently kidnapped and sexually molested by Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum late last month.
janet yellen

Welcome to Finance Insider, Business Insider's summary of the top stories of the past 24 hours.

Goldman Sachs has named David Solomon and Harvey Schwartz the new co-chief operating officers for the bank, replacing longtime COO Gary Cohn.

Schwartz is CFO of the company and will stay in that role until the end of April, when he will be replaced by Martin Chavez. Richard Gnodde and Pablo Salame were also appointed vice chairmen of the bank.

"These five leaders have distinguished themselves in their respective areas of expertise and I look forward to working with them in formulating and executing our global strategy," Lloyd Blankfein said.

Virtually all market watchers expect the Federal Reserve to raise its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday by 25 basis points to a range of 0.50% to 0.75% from the current range of 0.25% to 0.50%.

You can follow all of the Fed news as it unfolds here.

A staggering number of Americans aren't making a living wage. And there's really only one thing Americans want from corporations.

Silicon Valley's most powerful executives are meeting with president-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday at Trump Tower. In related news, Elon Musk and Travis Kalanick, the chief executives of Tesla and Uber, are joining Trump's new economic advisory board.

In other news, there's crucial info about the market out there that most investors are missing, according to Manoj Narang of MANA Partners. DoubleLine Funds founder Jeff Gundlach said the stock market could sell-off around inauguration day. Money managers all agree one trade is really crowded, but they're loading up on it anyway.

And it has been a hectic end-of-year for Bill Ackman and Valeant.

In deal news, Sanofi is reportedly in talks to buy Actelion Pharmaceuticals after Johnson & Johnson backed out of negotiations. And Salesforce just bought a startup called Twin Prime, adding to its $5 billion buying binge.

Lastly, 17 photos that show why the rich and famous flock to St. Barts in the winter.

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Here are the top Wall Street headlines at midday

The head of the No. 1 investment bank in the world explains why Brexit, Trump, and everything else have been great for trading - A bunch of events in 2016 had the potential to send the market into a tailspin.

Wells Fargo failed its 'living will' test a second time and is on the brink of sanctions - Wells Fargo's plan for how it would resolve its business in the event of a crisis was again rejected by regulators on Tuesday, putting it closer to serious sanctions under the Dodd-Frank Act.

The Feds just started charging drug company executives for price fixing - The Department of Justice has accused two executives of fixing prices of generic antibiotics, in the first charges to be leveled after a sweeping two-year investigation into the matter.

A massive shift is underway in the restaurant industry - Wednesday's retail sales report was disappointing, missing economists expectations and raising concerns over the outlook for the holiday shopping season.

"It really does look like Vancouver's housing bubble has burst" - Home prices in Vancouver dropped for the second month in a row, declining by 1.3% month-over-month in November, according to the Teranet-National Bank Composite House Price Index.

Silver isn't getting the attention it deserves - Precious metals got off to a blistering start in 2016.





More From Business Insider


Lady Gaga recently opened up about her struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder caused by sexual assault and previous traumas, all of which Piers Morgan has basically called B.S. Now the two are setting up an interview to debate the merits of Gaga's claims.

Gaga first revealed that she faces PTSD on a segment for Today in which she visited the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBTQ youth in New York. She followed that up with a letter posted to her Born This Way Foundation website, elaborating on the disorder. Most recently, she thanked Madonna for her "brave and strong" Billboard Women in Music acceptance speech, which touched on issues of feminism, misogyny and more.

Read more: Lady Gaga Reveals She Suffers from PTSD: "I've Never Told Anyone That Before"

Morgan, meanwhile, wasn't buying any of it. First he responded to Gaga's PTSD claims, asserting it was "vain-glorious nonsense" and claiming outrage that she would use this to "promote" herself. He went on to state that Gaga and Madonna's "allegations" of rape are simply that, since they did not file any police reports.

No, soldiers returning from battlefields do.

Enough of this vain-glorious nonsense. https://t.co/WR2ODolv8v- Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 10, 2016

I come from a big military family.

It angers me when celebrities start claiming 'PTSD' about everything to promote themselves. https://t.co/IeSiGQkOjb- Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 10, 2016

No.

Lady Gaga & Madonna have both made ALLEGATIONS of rape many years after the event.

No police complaint, no charges, no court case. https://t.co/N8oWjcMKAC- Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 10, 2016

I don't think all claims of rape should be necessarily accepted as fact without proper criminal investigation, do you? https://t.co/ogFjSUmgTU

- Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 10, 2016

I wouldn't automatically believe anything either Madonna or Lady Gaga claimed about their lives. https://t.co/4JJcP17cjp

Story continues

- Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 12, 2016

Eventually, Gaga responded, tweeting with a respectful but assertive tone, offering to help educate him and his viewers about why women often don't report rape. Naturally, he agreed. They will also discuss that PTSD is "not just a 'military' disorder," as Gaga put it.

No interview officially has been announced yet.

@piersmorgan I've work w/ our VP Joe Biden on helping educate people about why women don't report, would love to share it w/ you some time.

- xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) December 13, 2016

OK, you're on.

Let's do an interview about this & you can tell me why I'm wrong to be sceptical. https://t.co/CFLOL06Emq- Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 13, 2016

@piersmorgan would also love to talk with you about PTSD, that it's not just a "military" disorder. There is a mental health youth epidemic.

- xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) December 13, 2016

@piersmorgan if anyone in your family suffers from it, I pray they have more good days than bad. It has affected me & my whole family.

- xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) December 13, 2016

I know numerous soldiers with PTSD, it's a very serious thing.

I also know people who claim to have it but clearly don't.

Let's talk... https://t.co/ZTk5mSZLBt- Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 13, 2016

I'm both.

This interview would air worldwide.

Reckon you can handle me @ladygaga ? https://t.co/tedWugyXHi- Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 13, 2016

@piersmorgan Let's do that & yes Mr. Morgan, I can handle u. Suprised you would question that. Was that the 1st question of our interview?

- xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) December 13, 2016

Yes!

OK @ladygaga, we have a deal.

I'll get my people to contact your people.

It's an important debate. https://t.co/WY2mmVZDFT- Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 13, 2016

@piersmorgan if you continue to shame me in the process of kindly agreeing to interview w/ u I'll happily do the interview with someone else

- xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) December 13, 2016

This article first appeared on Billboard.com.
Piers Morgan, Madonna, Lady Gaga (Getty Images)

A wise person once said you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer  just ask Lady Gaga, who has agreed to sit down with Piers Morgan to discuss her (alleged, as he called it) posttraumatic stress disorder. She was in good company, though, considering the Brit host has also questioned Madonnas sexual assault claims and had recently skewered 11-year-old Cruz Beckham for releasing a Christmas-themed single  for charity.

ICYMI, on Dec. 6, Gaga revealed she suffered from PTSD as a result of being raped as a teenager. It is a daily effort for me, even during this album cycle, to regulate my nervous system so that I dont panic over circumstances that to many would seem like normal life situations, she wrote on her Born This Way Foundation website. While she admitted that she is taking medication to help manage the condition, she also argued that she believed the most inexpensive and perhaps best medicine in the world is words. Kind words  positive words  words that help people who feel ashamed of an invisible illness to overcome their shame and feel free.

Enter Piers Morgan and some not-so-kind words. Beneath a clip of Gaga announcing she suffers from PTSD, he tweeted, No, soldiers returning from battlefields do. Enough of this vain-glorious nonsense. Moments later, he added, I come from a big military family. It angers me when celebrities start claiming PTSD about everything to promote themselves. At that point, his commentary turned from general to specific, as he took aim directly at Gaga and Madonna (who had discussed being raped on a rooftop during her recent Billboard Women in Music speech).

No. Lady Gaga & Madonna have both made ALLEGATIONS of rape many years after the event. No police complaint, no charges, no court case, he argued.

No.

Lady Gaga & Madonna have both made ALLEGATIONS of rape many years after the event.

No police complaint, no charges, no court case. https://t.co/N8oWjcMKAC  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 10, 2016

It took Gaga a few days to respond, but respond she did. @piersmorgan would also love to talk with you about PTSD, that its not just a military disorder, she wrote. There is a mental health youth epidemic.

Story continues

@piersmorgan would also love to talk with you about PTSD, that it's not just a "military" disorder. There is a mental health youth epidemic.  xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) December 13, 2016

He then promised to have his people contact her people to arrange it  just in case anyone thought for one second that he might no have people to do that for him.

Yes!

OK @ladygaga, we have a deal.

I'll get my people to contact your people.

It's an important debate. https://t.co/WY2mmVZDFT  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 13, 2016

Hearing he landed an interview with the world-famous pop star, Morgan changed his tone. I rather admire @ladygaga for agreeing to my interview after my criticisms. Should be a fascinating debate. Ill press my meat suit, he vowed. She didnt like that meat suit comment so much and quickly wrote back, @piersmorgan if you continue to shame me in the process of kindly agreeing to interview w/ u Ill happily do the interview with someone else.

Morgan then put on his big-boy pants and agreed, If youre big enough to do this, Im big enough to play fair too. Madonna has yet to respond to his comments, though she did share a shot from her Billboard Women in Music speech, declaring, True solidarity amongst women is a power on its own. (Piers, she might be talking to you.)

Tune into Lifetime Tonight! 9/8c. Hear what I have to say! ???????????????????????????????? A photo posted by Madonna (@madonna) on Dec 12, 2016 at 1:07pm PST

The former Americas Got Talent host has been on a bit of a roll lately, having raked David and Victoria Beckham over the coals for pimping out their tween son, Cruz, after he released a single called If Everyday Was Christmas to benefit Global Radios Make Some Noise charity.

@cruzbeckham shooting his #IfEveryDayWasChristmas video supporting @globals_make_some_noise x VB smarturl.it/IEDWCi A photo posted by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Dec 10, 2016 at 10:39am PST

After being accused of trolling a child, Morgan did what he does best and blasted back on Twitter. Im trying to protect Cruz Beckham from his fame-hungry parents, he wrote, adding that the child should be in school.

I'm trying to protect Cruz Beckham from his fame-hungry parents. https://t.co/vOqXuS5qfh  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 7, 2016

Scooter Braun, who helped Cruz with this project (and whose name sounds familiar because he is also Justin Biebers agent), couldnt help but respond. He is an 11 year old who wanted to make a song to help other kids. Once again Piers shows why he is a jacka** and why his show was cancelled, Braun wrote, referencing Morgans former CNN show.

For what its worth, David Beckham shared a video of Cruz hearing his song being played on the radio, and Cruzs reaction (a mix of excitement and embarrassment) is pretty much the most adorable thing ever.

Not his average morning before school Proud of my little man with his new Christmas single and also helping children around the UK with the proceeds from this #ifeverydaywaschristmas @cruzbeckham @AppleMusic @globals_make_some_noise ???????????????? smarturl.it/IEDWCi  A video posted by David Beckham (@davidbeckham) on Dec 7, 2016 at 1:10am PST

At least Morgan helped raise awareness for the charity.




Laeta Kalogridis is expanding her relationship with Skydance Media. The Altered Carbon writer-producer, who has been under a first-look consulting deal, has signed an exclusive, multi-year overall agreement for television production with the studio thats behind the upcoming Netflix series. Kalogridis also serves as executive producer on Skydance TVs Sword Art Online, the first live action SAO TV series. Executive producing both projects alongside Kalogridis are Skydances David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Marcy Ross.

Laeta is truly a visionary talent and we are incredibly honored that she has elected to make Skydance her creative home, said Skydances Chief Executive Officer, David Ellison. Both Altered Carbon and Sword Art Online are epic stories that span massive worlds, and I can think of no greater artist than Laeta to bring these two series to the screen.

Kalogridis writing work includes the first X-Men, Tomb Raider, Scream 3, Alexander, Night Watch, Bionic Woman, Pathfinder, and Martin Scorseses Shutter Island, which she also executive produced. She also worked alongside Skydance as writer and producer on 2015s feature film Terminator Genisys. Additional producing credits include James Camerons Avatar and White House Down. Kalogridis is repped by WME and Katz Golden Rosenman.

David and the entire team at Skydance have been so good to me over the last couple of years, giving me a great deal of artistic license and creative freedom to see the vision for my projects come to life, and I am beyond excited to extend this partnership into the future, said Kalogridis.

Kalogridis deal is the third overall agreement recently put into place by Skydance, following pacts with Marti Noxon and Michael B. Jordan.

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Skydance Media Buys Game Developer The Workshop And Launches Interactive Division
KELOWNA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 14, 2016 / Laguna Blends Inc. (CSE:LAG) (OTC PINK: LAGBF) (LB6A.F) (the "Company" or "Laguna"), has extended the deadline associated with the letter of intent (the "LOI") with Carlsbad Naturals ("Carlsbad") dated October 10, 2016, pursuant to which Laguna and Carlsbad plan to enter into an equity acquisition and exclusive licence agreement for the purpose of pursuing mutually beneficial business opportunities in the Cannabidiol (CBD) bottled water Industry and CBD ingestible products Industry. Laguna and Carlsbad anticipate finalizing the definitive Agreement by December 31, 2016. All other terms of the LOI remain the same.

About Carlsbad Naturals

Created by a team of doctors, Carlsbad Naturals brings cutting edge science to deliver nutrients and hydration in an effective way, naturally and responsibly. Applying quantum physics, our nanotechnology successfully increases the surface area of each substance we put in our water, so that less is much more.

Carlsbad Naturals is a market leader in the distribution and sales of CBD Water. With its unique and proprietary way of infusing CBD's though nanotechnology Carlsbad is poised to remain the market leader.

We at Carlsbad Naturals are committed to providing the highest quality products for our customers. This is why we work with Solar Rain, a company in California with the same high standards, not only for the products they make but also their strong belief in preserving our planet by their use of sustainable and renewable resources.

For more information about Carlsbad Naturals, go to www.cbdnaturals.com.

For more information about Solar Rain, go to www.SolarRainWatery.com.

About Laguna Blends Inc.

Laguna Blends is a market leader in the distribution of Hemp and CBD products. Lagunas growth strategy includes acquiring and incubating companies who formulate and or manufacture Hemp products. Laguna Blends markets Hemp products utilizing its B to B Network along with driving traffic to its online marketplace. It's Lagunas intent to provide the highest quality hemp product experience for the end user, utilizing a proprietary nanotechnology in many of its consumable and topical skin care products.

Story continues

Laguna is currently seeking joint ventures and acquisitions to expand its portfolio and will aggressively begin international expansion into Asia and Europe in 2017.

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Twitter: @LagunaBlends

Forward-Looking Information:

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to statements regarding the Company's business, products and future the Company's business, its product offerings and plans for sales and marketing. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Such forward looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance and developments to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements depending on, among other things, the risks that the Company's products and plan will vary from those stated in this news release and the Company may not be able to carry out its business plans as expected. Except as required by law, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation, and does not intend, to update any forward looking statements or forward-looking information in this news release. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct and makes no reference to profitability based on sales reported. The statements in this news release are made as of the date of this release.

SOURCE: Laguna Blends Inc.
Middlesbrough went down 3-0 to Liverpool at the Riverside on Wednesday thanks to a brace from Adam Lallana and a second-half strike from Divock Origi.

The home side got off to a decent start and nearly found the back of the net when Ben Gibson saw his header well saved from an Adam Forshaw free-kick.

However, Jurgen Klopp's side were ahead just before the half-hour mark when Lallana nodded home a good cross from Nathaniel Clyne at the back post to make it 1-0.

Viktor Fischer nearly found the perfect response for Boro, but his drilled shot was well stopped by Simon Mignolet, who had a solid game in goal after coming in for the under-fire Loris Karius.

Sadio Mane came within inches of making it 2-0 before the break, but his low strike came back off the post from inside the area.

The visitors started the second half with real intent and refused to let Aitor Karanka's side build any momentum. They then doubled the lead on the hour mark after a slick move down the right resulted in Origi finishing well from close range.

The win was sealed on 69 minutes when Origi turned provider by slotting the ball into Lallana, who blasted it into the top corner from six yards.

The result pushes Liverpool into second, six points behind Chelsea, while Middlesbrough sit just one place above the relegation zone.
Former Los Angeles Lakers player Lamar Odom isnt done with reality television. He is slated to star on a series about his recovery, People Magazine and Us Weekly reported Tuesday. A name and air date for the reality show was not revealed.

Odom, 37, checked himself into a rehabilitation center near San Diego, California, last week, a year after he almost died from an overdose at a Nevada brothel in October 2015.

Lamar checked into rehab a week ago. He plans to stay for 30 days. Its a substance abuse program, but he was not abusing drugs when he went in. He is clean. This is a precautionary measure, an insider told People Magazine Tuesday. He wants to stay clear and focused. With the divorce from Khloe being finalized and the holidays coming up, he doesnt want to slip up. Hes trying to take care of himself. He really wants to be better.

The source added: His friends and family encouraged him to go in and he agreed and made the decision.

Before he and TV personality Khloe Kardashian split in 2013, Odom appeared on reality shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians and spinoff Khloe & Lamar.

Odom wants to get better for his children. He went to continue making sure he stays sober and on the right path, a source told Us Weekly Tuesday. It was something he chose to do.

Kardashian, 33, has not responded to Odoms rehab stay. Their divorce will be finalized Friday, two months after she and Odom signed divorce documents.

Keeping Up With the Kardashians is currently filming Season 13.

Lamar Odom

Photo: Getty Images

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella

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Revolutionary Model Provides Building Ownership by Long-Term Tenant

LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / December 14, 2016 / Lance Bradford, founder/CEO of Stable Development LLC in Las Vegas, Nevada, announces a unique Shared Equity Ownership Model. With this approach, tenants take ownership of their office space with minimal cash outlay.

Real estate expert Lance Bradford created this model to provide long-term tenants with the opportunity to affordably acquire a share of real estate equity. In turn, the developer receives greater security and stability - a win-win for both parties. According to Bradford, "We are thrilled at the acceptance of our revolutionary approach. Long-term tenants see the value immediately. They can reap the benefits of ownership without the management headaches."

Stable Development LLC was established with the vision of enabling medical and professional business owners the opportunity for Class A building ownership. The remarkable Shared Equity Ownership Model empowers tenants to receive the benefits of ownership, including growth in equity and property appreciation.

Stable Development has the track record to back up this model. With over 410,000 square feet of medical and professional office space in the southern Las Vegas area, Bradford's company has both performance and staying power. In fact, the company thrived during the recession of 2008-9. Operations have expanded and a full-service architectural division has been added. Stable Development continues to expand its acquisitions, development, property management, and real estate investment services.

"We will continue to grow, both in size and services. We also plan on employing more people in the southern Nevada community," states Bradford. Originally an accountant, Lance Bradford transitioned his practice into commercial development in 2006. He has since become one of the most trusted and respected executives in the real estate industry. There are significant Las Vegas area projects in his portfolio - and more to come. His reputation is now expanding nationally.

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He plans to expand this unique model across the country to California, Texas, Kansas, and New York. In Nevada, the company continues to expand its ownership and operation of professional and medial office space. Commercial development opportunities are also under consideration.

Accredited investors are welcome. For information, please contact Stable Development at www.StableDevelopment.com or call (702)735-5532.

Company Contact:

Lance Bradford

(702) 735-5532

info@stabledevelopment.com

Media Contact:

Anthony Harding

602-740-8334

SOURCE: Stable Development LLC
PARIS (AP)  The Latest on migration issues in Europe (all times local):

3:25 p.m.

Human rights and aid groups are calling on the European Union to make it safer for refugees to reach Europe rather than try to keep out people seeking sanctuary or better lives.

The 25 NGOs said in a statement Wednesday they are "gravely concerned" about EU policies that make it harder to seek asylum and put the burden for handling the problem on overwhelmed Greece.

They said that "in any other part of the world, Europe would be calling on governments to improve the situation. Instead, European countries are shifting their protection responsibilities on to countries outside the EU."

Their appeal comes on the eve of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels focused in part on migration, notably the bloc's efforts to persuade Turkey to stop refugees coming to Europe.

___

12 p.m.

A German pro-refugee group says that around 50 Afghans will be deported to their homeland after being rejected as asylum-seekers in Germany.

Pro Asyl said that the group of Afghans would be deported on Wednesday night from Frankfurt airport.

The German government has declined to confirm any upcoming deportations, saying that it never announces such measures.

So far, Germany has deported very few Afghan migrants. Instead, it has tried to convince them to go home on a voluntary basis by offering financial incentives upon their return.

Recently, however the government has said it would toughen its stance on rejected asylum-seekers and that more people would be deported.

Around 890,000 migrants arrived in Germany last year, with many coming from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

___

11:40 a.m.

Funded by Britain, a wall has been built to stop migrants from jumping onto trucks in the northern French city of Calais heading across the English Channel.

The threat, however, appears to have already receded.

Regional spokesman Steve Barbet says no migrants have been reported trying to hop a truck since French authorities dismantled Calais' refugee camp in October. He said Tuesday that police scouring the city and the surrounding area daily have found no new camps, though a handful of migrants still gather at the port.

He says the new 4 meter-high (13-foot-high) concrete wall along a Calais highway aims to deter future migrants.

Thousands of migrants from the Mideast and Africa, who had converged on Calais after fleeing conflict and poverty, have now been dispersed across France.
Havana (AFP) - It's been a bad year for the Latin American left, which lost its spiritual leader Fidel Castro, saw its "pink tide" ebb to new lows and now faces the menace of Donald Trump.

The band of union leaders, ex-guerrillas and other left-wing rabble-rousers that dominated Latin American politics for more than a decade has fallen from favor as the region's economic boom of yesteryear has gone bust.

Of the 15 countries swept up in the so-called pink tide that began in the late 1990s, just eight have leftist leaders today -- and several of those are wobbling.

Charismatic figures such as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have given way to a new generation whose members fought to cling to power in 2016 (Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela) or lost it (impeached president Dilma Rousseff in Brazil).

In just over a year, center-right leaders have surged to power in Argentina, Peru and Brazil. Venezuela's right-leaning opposition won a landslide in legislative elections, while Bolivia's Evo Morales lost a referendum to allow himself a fourth term.

More leftist leaders are due to bow out in 2017.

A decade after taking power, the radical economist Rafael Correa is set to step down in an increasingly discontented Ecuador. Change is also in the air in Chile, which will elect a successor to the unpopular President Michele Bachelet after a term marred by corruption scandals.

"In some countries, like Bolivia and Ecuador, the leftist leaders will have to leave and learn to organize themselves as opposition parties," said Columbia University's Christopher Sabatini in New York.

"The pink tide has receded," said Michael Shifter, head of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based research institute.

He listed two key reasons: a plunge in prices for the natural resources whose sales funded leftist governments' social spending, and a "natural desire for change."

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- Fading Cuban star -

There was a sense of a page turning last month with the death of Castro, the symbol of the Latin left's fight for social justice and defiance of US hegemony in the Americas.

He inspired the left wing's next generation when they were young radicals plotting to imitate the Cuban Revolution and topple right-wing dictatorships during the Cold War.

But Cuba's influence has dwindled.

Economic chaos in oil-rich Venezuela, Cuba's top ally and benefactor, has taken a toll on the communist island's own economy.

Seeking to end its status as a pariah of the global economy, Cuba sealed a historic rapprochement with the United States -- thanks in part to its symbolic weight in Latin America.

But President Raul Castro, Fidel's little brother, now faces two big challenges: reinventing an outdated economic model and handing power to the next generation when he retires in less than 15 months.

After years of playing an outsize role on the world stage, the small country seems to have lost some of its red-hued aura.

That was clear from the absence of big-name world leaders at Fidel's funeral, says Paul Webster Hare, a former British ambassador to Cuba.

"This suggests that Cuba's stature is declining," said Hare, now a professor of international relations at Boston University.

"One can expect the likes of Russia and China to urge Raul to stop sentimentalizing about the old Revolution and get real with reforms of the economy."

- Trump backlash? -

Fidel's demise comes just as Latin America's struggling left faces an even more uncertain future when Trump -- a tough-talking, immigrant-bashing, America-first Republican -- takes office in the United States on January 20.

His vows to build a wall on the southern US border and tear up trade deals he deems unfavorable have sown panic in Latin America, a region both keenly aware and resentful of US dominance in the hemisphere.

The Latin left will have to try to regroup at a time of shifting regional relations with a more hardline United States.

But that could be a blessing in disguise, Shifter says.

"If Trump tries to bring back a traditional hegemonic strategy in Latin America, and has an aggressive tone and style, that will create a backlash across the region," he said.

"Trump may pave the way for new leftist leaders."
Firelight Media and Field of Vision are establishing a new series in reaction to Donald Trump's presidential election win.

The new initiative is commissioning short films that "explore threats to U.S. democracy and the stories of its most vulnerable communities in the current highly polarized political climate," according to Wednesday's announcement. Ten films will be produced and distributed - on Field of Vision and with additional partners - for release next year. Funding and production support also will be provided.

The filmmakers and subjects will be jointly chosen by Field of Vision executive producers Laura Poitras, AJ Schnack and Charlotte Cook, along with Firelight Media executive producers Loira Limbal, Stanley Nelson and Marcia Smith.

"We are proud to launch this initiative that aims to disrupt the march towards normalcy, because for many Americans, there can be no business as usual when extremism is on the rise," Nelson, co-founder of Firelight Media, said in a statement.

Read more: Alex Gibney, Stanley Nelson Call on Doc Filmmakers to "Do Better" During Trump Era

Specifically, Our 100 Days seeks compelling, investigative or character-driven shorts addressing topics like political transition, the rise in hate crimes, immigration, racial justice, threats to democratic institutions, gender equality, LGBTQ rights, criminal justice, surveillance, climate change and beyond. Though the inaugural round is only inviting pitches from the Firelight Documentary Lab community, the announcement encourages filmmakers to "examine the current experiences of vulnerable communities, the projected challenges they face, and ways they are adjusting to those challenges as the country enters a new and uncharted landscape."

"Projects can vary in scope but we are especially interested in rapid response pieces that capture this frightening moment in our country. We'll accept pitches until February 28, 2017, and are committed to a speedy greenlighting process," said Poitras, co-creator of Field of Vision.
According to a new lawsuit, Uber is being sued for spying on "high-profile politicians, celebrities [including Beyonce, and even personal acquaintances of Uber employees," The Guardian reports.

Uber employees would use a tool called "God View," which allows them to track the location of Uber vehicles and their customers who have requested cars, according to Uber's former forensic investigator Samuel Ward Spangenberg's court testimony. Uber has come under fire for mistreating customer data before, once in 2011 when venture capitalist Peter Sims was tracked by a visitor to Uber's Chicago headquarters, and 2014 when Buzzfeed reported that Uber's New York general manager spoke about using it to track a reporter.

In an official statement, Uber says that it "continues to increase our security investments and many of these efforts, like our multi-factor authentication checks and bug bounty program, have been widely reported. We have hundreds of security and privacy experts working around the clock to protect our data. This includes enforcing to authorised employees solely for purposes of their job responsibilities, and all potential violations are quickly and thoroughly investigated."

Spangenberg disagrees, however, also claiming that there are a number of other ethical breaches at Uber, including storing driver and employee information in an insecure manner. His testimony from October further claims that he was fired because of his concerns over the company's lack of security, for which he was fired 11 months after making them known to Uber executives, and is now suing them for age discrimination and whistleblower retaliation.

Uber has confirmed that "fewer than 10 employees have been fired for abusing "God View."

Continue Reading On PigeonsandPlanes

More from PigeonsandPlanes
Hair salon straightening treatments can cause a host of health problems. So why hasnt the FDA taken action? (Photo: Getty Images)

When Natalia OToole began working at a New York City hair salon several years ago, she was lucky enough to move up quickly, from assistant to stylist, within just a few months. She soon became the full-time Brazilian Blowout specialist, pulling in a full client load and doing two to four treatments daily  until a debilitating pileup of respiratory symptoms caused by the chemicals involved, specifically formaldehyde, forced her into early retirement.

At first I thought, Well, if theres enough formaldehyde to be really bad for me, it wouldnt be allowed, OToole tells Yahoo Beauty. But I was in denial.

So, it seems, is the Food and Drug Administration  which today was slapped with a lawsuit from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and Womens Voices for the Earth for its failure to protect the public from the dangers associated with popular hair-straightening treatments.

The health risks posed by these products deserved immediate action from the FDA when it was brought to their attention in 2008, said Alexandra Scranton, director of science and research for Womens Voices for the Earth, in a press release. Allowing salon workers and their customers to continue to be harmed by these products for over six years is unconscionable.

The FDA has been aware of the health hazards associated with the products, including breathing difficulties, eye irritation, and nosebleeds, since at least 2008, adds Tina Sigurdson, EWG assistant general counsel. Despite these dangers, she says, the FDA has yet to take action to remove them from the market. In 2011, EWG filed a formal request that the FDA investigate the products and take appropriate action. But after five years, there has been no final response to the letter and no resulting action.

A spokesperson for the FDA, Theresa Eisenman, tells Yahoo Beauty, We are unable to comment on pending litigation.

However, she notes, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, cosmetic products and ingredients do not need FDA premarket approval, with the exception of color additives. Companies and individuals who manufacture or market cosmetics have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of their products, Eisenman says. But [the FDA] does not have the authority to require companies to present data demonstrating the safety of their products before they are marketed. Similarly, cosmetic labeling must be truthful and not misleading, in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. However, cosmetic labeling is not subject to premarket review and approval by the FDA.  Companies also do not have to register their products with the FDA, nor is there any requirement for cosmetic companies to share information about adverse events with the FDA.

Story continues

The largely toothless Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was last updated in 1938, although pending legislation hopes to strengthen it by improving safeguards and enacting bans on harmful chemicals used in personal care products.

In the meantime, many salon workers have noticed harmful reactions from the fumes of the hair-straightening products in question but, like OToole, have been lulled by a false sense of safety because the products had not been banned. In the beginning, I was really excited to do the treatments, including on my own horribly frizzy hair, because I loved the results, OToole recalls. But she soon started noticing troubling symptoms: red and burning eyes, a scratchy throat, and a runny nose followed by chronic sinus infections. She kept trying to explain it away by saying it was allergies, doing daily Neti Pot treatments, and reassuring herself that the products were, after all, allowed on the market and therefore must be safe.

The treatments  often with products from the brand name Brazilian Blowout  involve liquids being applied to the hair and then heated with blow dryers and straightening irons. Whether the product contains formaldehyde in its ingredients or not, the high temperatures cause the chemical to release into the air.

Its probably the reason OTooles symptoms worsened and she noticed painful and bloody blisters in her nose, as well as breathing and wheezing problems that almost sent her to the hospital. She began doing online research on risks related to the products. One night I couldnt catch my breath, she says, and the next day I went to the salon and said, Im not doing this anymore. She tried working as a stylist, although the treatments still taking place in the salon exacerbated her breathing problems. Her doctor gave her an asthma inhaler that she still uses, although she left the profession in 2013 to work as a flight attendant. She hopes the lawsuit has some affect on the FDA because, she says, youd like to trust that the government has protections in place.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, claims that the FDA has failed to adequately respond to the risks posed by formaldehyde contained in and released by salon keratin hair products. High levels of formaldehyde, an allergen and human carcinogen, in keratin hair straighteners put both consumers and salon workers at risk.

Wynne Sisk of Charleston, S.C., tells Yahoo Beauty that she owned a hair salon for 13 years and that hers, like other salons, jumped on the Brazilian Blowout bandwagon because they were all the rage and everyone loved the outcome. Right away, though, she noticed that the treatments would fill her salon with smoke and that customers and workers alike, depending on how sensitive they were, would feel their mouths burning and eyes on fire and start coughing. Still, Sisk says, we didnt think it was a problem because it was available to us. She discontinued using the products in her salon after learning about the formaldehyde, but then switched to another brand that was supposedly safe, although it was in fact still releasing formaldehyde when heated.

Formaldehyde is a chemical that we know can lead to cancer, Sisk notes. And now that I know what I know, I make sure to tell everyone. To that end, she has left the salon business and become a full-time consumer advocate. I was floored when I learned that the EU bans over 1,300 chemicals from beauty products and the U.S. only partially bans 11, she adds. Theres something really wrong with that.

Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.


Fifty-five members of the Electoral College were demanding Wednesday a classified intelligence briefing on the Russian governments involvement in cyber attacks that may have swayed the 2016 presidential election in favor of President-elect Donald Trump.

The group of bipartisan electors threw their support behind an open letter published Monday to the director of National Intelligence, James R. Clapper, as an extensive whip count operation by Republicans sought to prevent any defections among electors expected to vote for Trump.

Nine Democratic electors and one Republican initially signed the open letter Monday, calling for more information from the U.S. intelligence community on any ongoing investigations into Trumps ties to the Kremlin.

"The Electors require to know from the intelligence community whether there are ongoing investigations into ties between Donald Trump, his campaign or associates, and Russian government interference in the election, how far those investigations may have reached, and who was involved in those investigations," the letter read. "We further require a briefing on all investigative findings, as these matters directly impact the core factors in our deliberations of whether Mr. Trump is fit to serve as President of the United States."

The number of electors adding their name to the letter rose to at least 55 by Wednesday as news of Russia's apparent attacks on the U.S. election continued to dominate the news cycle throughout the week.

RTX2U1KQ

Photo: Reuters

Trump currently remains well above the 270-vote threshold to assume the Oval Office, having secured 306 electoral votes on Nov. 8. But a small number of electors have said they will refuse to vote for the president-elect come Monday, instead seeking any other formidable Republican candidate or his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Story continues

As the GOP rushed to ensure Democratic electors would be unable to sway the votes of at least 37 of their Republican colleagues  an unlikely-but-technically-possible scenario that could end with Clinton in the White House  her campaign announced its support for the Electoral College to receive a classified briefing, as well.

"The bipartisan electors' letter raises very grave issues involving our national security," John Podesta, Clintons former campaign chairman, said in a statement published Monday. "Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed."

Growing support among electors for the briefing, which would take place before the Electoral College casts its official vote for the presidency Monday, came after reports from the FBI and CIA that scrutinized Russias involvement in the U.S. election.

Whether those cyber attacks, which included hacking the Democratic National Committee as well as several top members of Clintons campaign, were meant to place Trump in the White House, remained unclear. Trump himself has rejected the claims.

"I think its ridiculous," Trump told "Fox News Sunday." "I think its just another excuse. I dont believe it . . . No, I dont believe it at all."

The director of national intelligence had not yet responded to the group of electors request for a briefing Wednesday morning.

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Legendary has bolstered its film production team with hiring of Herbert W. Gains as EVP Physical Production, Valerie Flueger Veras SVP Post- Production and Sara Flamm as SVP Physical Production.

Herb comes to us with a tremendous body of experience working alongside some of the most prolific filmmakers in our industry, said Mary Parent, Legendarys Vice Chairman of Worldwide Production, who made the announcement. His strong business acumen and commitment to supporting the vision of storytellers with preeminent production resources makes him an excellent complement to our team here at Legendary.

Gains, who will report directly to Parent effective immediately, was an exec producer on such films as Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, The Judge and Watchmen. His responsibilities at Legendary will include overseeing production of its feature film slate including Pacific Rim: Uprising, Pokemons Detective Pikachu and Godzilla: King of Monsters. Gains will also work closely with the post-production team to ensure that the filmmakers vision remains intact through production to final distribution.

Legendarys evolution over the past decade has been nothing short of remarkable, Gains said. I am proud to take a key role in the companys continued growth in feature film production and excited by the potential of its established franchises and the diverse slate of films currently in development.

Flueger Veras is a seasoned executive who has led the post-production efforts on films including The Revenant, Selma and Nebraska. She immediately will begin overseeing post on Legendarys spring action film Kong: Skull Island.

Flamm most recently worked alongside Gains as unit production manager on Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and the upcoming film Geostorm. She also has worked as Production Supervisor on films including The Judge, Green Lantern and Watchmen. In her new role, she has already begun work on the production of Pacific Rim: Uprising, which is shooting in Australia.

Story continues

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Legendary Acquires Frank Herbert's Classic Sci-Fi Novel 'Dune' For Film And TV

Matt Damon Receives Birthday Text From Dad During 'Great Wall' Panel: "In Exactly One Month, We Can Kiss Trump Goodbye"
Hedda Gabler is at home. Again. Always. Ivo van Hoves stark and self-conscious staging of Ibsens drama Hedda Gabler, a National Theater remount of the production that played New York back in 2004, imprisons her in an empty flat: an art-wife on display in a gallery home. Ruth Wilsons languid Hedda refuses that role, but she never finds another, and in that, van Hove (A View from the Bridge, The Crucible) treats her with all of Ibsens ambivalence: sympathizing with the trapped housewife but scorning the kept woman. Why, he asks, doesnt she pull a Nora? Why doesnt Hedda Gabler make more of herself?

His is a clinical evaluation of a difficult play. Though it brings the action into the present, this isnt just an update of Ibsen, or one that finds Hedda as she exists in our world. Its slyer than that, and more self-aware. Rather than smoothing Ibsens text into contemporary speech, Patrick Marbers new version honors the original: strangely stiff, slightly formal and vaguely unsettling as a result. The people are recognizable but also off-kilter. They exist in a play  actors in character on a stage  and Van Hoves calculated choreography never loses sight of that. This isnt a hot Hedda, but a chilled slow-burn. Ibsen on ice. Hedda on the rocks.

Jan Versweyvelds design boxes her up. The Tesmans new home, Heddas reward for settling, is an empty flat, not just unfurnished but unfinished. Its a white plasterboard shell, hostile and harsh, all light and space as her new husband insists. Its his house, his rules. And she rebels by staple-gunning flowers to the walls  an act of almost violent beauty.

Squint, though, and the space is something else too. Its a minimalist gallery: two guns in a display case, a fire extinguisher on the wall and Berte the maid (Eva Magyar) sat like an attendant guard. Van Hove frames Hedda herself as an artwork: the sort of wife an ambitious young academic like Kyle Sollers Tesman ought to have. He shows her off accordingly, his prize objet dheart, and he bores her dreadfully. Stuck at home with a piano, she resembles a performance artist making a show of her passivity. Of course, by the end, the guns are bound to come out.

Story continues

This is where Van Hove ultimately damns her: Wilsons Hedda is a willing captive. Other characters enter from the auditorium, but while shes stuck up onstage, she never once tries to leave it. Instead, she stays at home in her night slip, sexily swanning about, Blue as the Joni Mitchells song that slinks through the action. She turns saboteur out of frustration and ennui, but she might have got dressed and done something positive instead. As it is, van Hove never lets us lose sight of Heddas privilege, nor the indulgence of her insistence on beauty and a life free from all ugliness.

Wilsons mercurial in the role, swaggering and sharp, but shes a woman weighed down too. Bored stiff by her husband, an awful mansplainer, shes exhilarated by Rafe Spalls buff Judge Brack  an establishment thug if ever there was one  and at her most open with Chukwudi Iwujis brilliant Lovborg. Beneath it all, though, theres a glint of nihilism.

Its all richly theatrical, a strong reading translated into a full staging. Its full of oddities that sit just out of reach: Spalls accent slides in and out, posh to rough, and Soller does a quick jig. The action stills into statuesque postures: active men and passive female bodies. Its a mark, in the end, that Heddas at home onstage: the sort of strong woman we sometimes see in art, but not in the world. By the end, blackmailed by Brack, roughed up and drenched in tomato juice by Spall, she hasnt overhauled the system that hems her in. Shes only angered it.

Related stories

London Theater Review: 'The Red Barn' With Mark Strong, Hope Davis

Rufus Norris on Moving 'London Road' From Stage to Screen

Film Review: 'I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House'
By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - London Mayor Sadiq Khan has put up for sale three water cannon that were bought in 2014 by his predecessor Boris Johnson but never used, because the government refused permission for police to use them. The decision to sell the cannon, which cost in total over 322,800 pounds to buy, refit and maintain, prolongs a humiliation originally inflicted on Johnson, now foreign secretary, by fellow Conservative Theresa May, now prime minister. Johnson bought the second-hand cannon from Germany arguing they could help prevent a repeat of riots that broke out in London in 2011, but May, then interior minister, refused to allow their use anywhere in England or Wales. Water cannon have been used in Northern Ireland but not elsewhere in the United Kingdom. May told parliament last year her concerns included the risk of injuries, the cannons' limitations in dealing with riots, and the potential damage to police legitimacy in the eyes of the public. Khan, who is from the opposition Labour Party, said proceeds from the sale would go towards tackling gang crime. He issued a detailed breakdown of the money spent on the cannon, ranging from the purchase price of 85,000 pounds to repainting costs of 19,000 pounds and the fitting of CD players for 970 pounds. "It beggars belief that such a huge amount of taxpayers' money has been wasted on paying to store these redundant machines," Khan said in a statement, blaming Johnson for acting "rashly" in purchasing them. Johnson's office did not immediately return a call requesting comment. May's decision to block the use of Johnson's cannon was an early skirmish in a relationship that has remained volatile. Launching her campaign to be prime minister on June 30 this year, May referred back to the episode to make fun of Johnson, then considered a potential rival for the job. "Last time he did a deal with the Germans he came back with three nearly-new water cannon," she said to laughter. She later surprised everyone by appointing Johnson her foreign secretary, but it has not all been plain sailing. Last week, she slapped him down after he said Saudi Arabia was stoking proxy wars in the Middle East, a comment at odds with Britain's official line. This week, Johnson got his own back by comparing a pair of expensive leather trousers worn by May to rather less fashionable traditional German leather shorts. "We are so cosmopolitan that ... our wonderful prime minister actually wears lederhosen," he said. (Editing by Stephen Addison)
Aleppo battle: Rebels await evacuation, as fighting ends

Rebel fighters await evacuation from eastern Aleppo under a deal that could end more than four years of fierce fighting in the Syrian city.
The year 2016 will likely go down in the history books as one of the most eventful and tumultuous years in recent memory. To bid farewell -- or good riddance -- to 2016 and usher in new beginnings, editors of Lonely Planet remind travelers it's not too late to book a last-minute New Year's Eve getaway.

Here are some of their picks on the best destinations to enjoy the countdown:

New Orleans, USA

Every year, it's tradition in Nola to head to Jackson Square, where revelers are treated to live music, and a fleur-de-lis drop that counts down to the new year. The St. Louis Cathedral also serves as a regal backdrop to the fireworks display over the Mississippi River, editors note, while the Cafe du Monde will warm up cold hands with their world famous beignets and chicory coffee.

Melbourne, Australia

While Sydney may boast the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House as backdrops to annual fireworks displays, Melbourne holds its own as a New Year's Eve hotspot with its plethora of rooftop bars, balmy summer nights, boutique hotels, and morning-after brunch destinations.

Nassau, the Bahamas

On New Year's Day, the streets of Nassau take on Bahamas' biggest, flashiest street carnival, with costumed dancers parading through the town, ringing in the new year with horns, drums, and whistles. Once the festivities subside, revellers can soak in the sun and relax on the beaches of New Providence such as Cable, Delaporte and Junkanoo.

Hangzhou, China

While the Chinese New Year falls on January 28 in 2017, Lonely Planet editors say January is a good time to visit southeast China, where the countryside is still green and vibrant. Their suggested itinerary? The idyllic city of Hangzhou, footpaths along West Lake, and Yongfu Temple. Finish the day off at the luxurious Shangri-La Hotel, which offers waterfront views of the lake.
PARIS (AP)  Swiss authorities say a former Syrian diplomat has been arrested in Versailles after 15 years on the run from rape charges in Switzerland.

The Geneva prosecutor's office said in a statement Wednesday that the man was detained Tuesday by French police based on an international warrant, and that extradition proceedings will be launched.

Swiss prosecutors charged the man, whose name wasn't released, with rape and sexual violence in 1997 when he was based in Geneva as a Syrian diplomat. Syria recalled him, and he was convicted in absentia in 2001 and sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Geneva police recently located him in Versailles, where he was living under a false identity with the status of a political refugee, the statement said.
DIDYMOTEICHO, Greece (AP)  This time of year, the Evros river runs broad and icy, its banks muddy and remote. It's a formidable sight for migrants reaching Turkey's land border with Greece, but not formidable enough to stop people who have already come so far in their bid to make it to a new life in Europe.

"It was horribly cold," said Kevin Mohamadi, 37, an Iranian who said he crossed the river after paying smugglers. "We were a group of 16, including Afghan families with four children each, and crossed in two boatloads. Then we had to walk through forests for four hours, to avoid being caught."

A year after the uncontrolled influx of more than 1 million refugees and economic migrants to debt-hobbled Greece, this border region is again seeing rising flows of migrants. It's largely due to a legal loophole: restrictions imposed in March to curb new arrivals by sea in the Greek islands don't apply to the land border.

That means that anyone entering here is far ahead of island arrivals in the queue for refugee relocation to other European countries, and those who do not qualify for asylum could even be spared deportation that they would otherwise face under the deal between the European Union and Turkey.

Also, despite the river crossing, the discomfort and danger pales when compared with the sea journey to the islands.

"The refugees usually cross in boats," said Panagiotis Ageladarakis, mayor of the border village of Amorio, about 1.5 kilometers (just under a mile) from the river. "At its widest the river is about 150 meters across, but there are narrower points, and Turks ferry them over. ... Then they walk to our villages. It's a regular sight."

Figures on arrivals here are far from complete. The only statistics released are of people who are caught with the smugglers they pay to ferry them over the Evros, which runs along most of the 180-kilometer (110-mile) border. There is no information on migrants who make it across without the help of smugglers, nor for those who are smuggled successfully across and taken further into Greece or elsewhere in Europe.

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But even the few numbers that do exist show a rapid upward trend. About 655 people  largely Syrians  were arrested with 33 smugglers in October, double the figure for September.

A police official also told The Associated Press that Greek authorities are deterring about 4,000 people a month from coming over by driving patrol cars to the Greek side of the river when they see a group of migrants about to cross, or calling Turkish officials to pick them up. That's nearly three times the number seen in an average summer month, even though the crossing is much easier then because low water levels make it possible to wade across the river.

Migrants seeking to be included in EU plans to relocate them to other European Union countries often immediately hand themselves over to police and start their asylum application process. Ageladarakis said they usually arrive early in the mornings.

"They come here to the coffee shop and ask us to call the police," he said.

Others, though, aim to go much further. Police say they pay smuggling gangs 2,000-2,200 euros ($2,100-2,300) each to be taken over the river and then driven in small trucks or cars to the northern city of Thessaloniki, or the capital, Athens, 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) to the southwest. Once there, they can apply for relocation  or pay to be spirited through the sealed Balkan borders, or for a forged passport and a plane ticket to anywhere in Europe.

People who cross on their own seek temporary shelter. Their transit is marked in a disused farm warehouse close to the railway station in the town of Didymoteicho, where flaking brick walls are blackened by fires lit to cheat sub-zero temperatures, and discarded clothing, soiled diapers, worn-out shoes and toothbrushes litter the floor.

Paschalis Syritoudis, police chief in the nearby town of Orestiada, said people from Syria, Iraq, Eritrea, Somalia or Myanmar are automatically treated as refugees, and Syrians and Iraqis get documents that allow them to join the lengthy relocation process.

"All other migrants are arrested and detained ... and if they don't request asylum the deportation procedure starts."

But maximum detention is six months, after which if the migrants haven't been deported  and countries such as Pakistan routinely block deportation requests  they are freed.

The figures for people passing through here are still low compared with those using the island route. Around 170,000 people have used that so far this year  but the vast majority before the Aegean island restrictions kicked in.

Under the March EU-Turkey deal  which, combined with Balkan border closures, slowed the migratory influx to a trickle  migrants arriving on the islands must be deported back to Turkey, even if they are bona fide refugees. To stay in Greece, they must prove not only that they merit asylum, but that there is a good reason for their not being granted asylum in Turkey.

Conditions for those who had already made it to the island camps before March are dismal because of severe overcrowding, delays in the asylum process and tension among ethnic groups or with Greeks, often reliant on tourism and angry at their islands being turned into open prisons.

"It's true that migratory pressure since August has been higher than in the same months last year," police chief Syritoudis said. "But there is no indication that the overall flow is turning toward the Evros area."

___

Follow Costas Kantouris at http://www.twitter.com/CostasKantouris
By Coco Liu and Shanshan Chen HONG KONG/BEIJING (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Living in Beijing for 23 years, Li Xue has never attended school, not even for a day. China provides a free, nine-year education to every child but Li was not included. For the past 23 years, she has had no access to any form of social welfare. She has not been allowed to get married, find a job, or open a bank account. For Li was the second child born to her parents and, due to the nation's one-child policy that ran from around 1978 until 2015 to curtail population growth, she didn't exist in the Chinese government's database. Li said her parents tried to register her at the police station when she was born but staff there refused and demanded a letter of approval from the local family planning commission. With no letter approving her birth, Li's parents were faced with the prospect of paying a hefty fine for breaking the one-child policy to register her but could not afford to do so. Since then it has been a two-decade battle with officials until China scrapped its one-child policy last year and Li finally received an official paper to prove her existence. Ending the one-child policy has left people like Li scrambling to make up for lost years, resentful as they fear this recognition may have come too late and unsure what the government is going to do to help them make up for those years. Li missed out on an education and struggled to learn everything by herself, using library books borrowed under her elder sister's name with her family unable to afford a tutor. "My mother was dismissed from her job because she gave birth to me," Li told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview at her home in Beijing, a shabby house without a private toilet and with a make-shift shower. "All four of us had to live off my father's meager salary." Li's mother, Bai Xiuling, a former factory worker, said her daughter used to cry when other children set off for school. "She wanted to study at school, but she can't. My child has already missed the nine-year compulsory education. No money can buy her time back," she said. 13 MILLION LIVES According to China's latest population census, conducted in 2010, there were 13 million unregistered citizens like Li, almost one percent of the country's total population. "Most of them are children born outside the country's one-child policy," said Jiantang Ma, the then head of China's National Bureau of Statistics who conducted the census. A 2015 study by the Academy of Macroeconomic Research at the National Development and Reform Commission found nearly half of China's unregistered citizens were illiterate or lacked formal education. For during the years of the one-child policy, second children would not be registered in the household system unless a hefty fine was paid with some exceptions to this rule. Births out of marriage are also considered a violation of China's strict family planning rules, and unmarried couples had to pay a fine to register their newborn. China is one of few countries which has a household registration system, known as hukou in Chinese, that contains the births, marriages and other information on citizens. A person without a hukou record in China is denied public services, such as education and health care, and is barred from getting married, finding a job or even opening a bank account. The link between the one-child policy and hukou is controversial with Chinese policymakers saying the household registration system is open to all citizens without any conditions. But families affected say the link was clear. "Although China's household registration and one-child policy shouldn't have been bound together, local authorities have been doing so for years because they found it useful to force families to comply with the family planning law," said Youshui Wu, director at Zhejiang Bi Jian Law Firm. Wu, who assisted many Chinese couples to register their second child, added there was also an economic incentive as people who had children born without permission were unable to register them unless they paid a hefty fee which became a lucrative source of local revenue. REVENUE RAISER Data that Wu obtained from 24 provincial-level governments under the country's open government information regulations found that in 2012 alone, Chinese authorities collected more than 20 billion yuan ($2.95 billion) in fines from parents. "None of the governments were able to fully account for how the money was spent," Wu said. Wenzhuang Yang, an official at China's National Health and Family Planning Commission, denied China's one child policy - and punishments associated with it - have played a role in blocking millions of citizens from being registered. At a press conference earlier this year, Yang said his department had tried its best to remove hurdles set by local authorities in household registration and many unregistered citizens have now been included in the hukou system. Yang was not available to be reached for further comments despite repeated phone calls. Unmarried mother Chunyan Liu, a freelance English teacher, said she was unable to pay the fine so she kept her daughter's birth secret for seven years until April this year when she finally registered her child. "The fine in Beijing was really high. I thought about it over and over again, but still I dared not to let the government know that I have a child born without permission," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Due to a lack of hukou, Liu's daughter had no access to government-subsidized healthcare. She was unable to buy train tickets or travel abroad. "When other parents took their kids to the Hong Kong Disneyland, we couldn't even think of it," Liu said. "My daughter is now seven years old, and she has never set her foot outside Beijing," she said, adding that she was still worried that government official might ask her to pay the fine. Despite all the concerns, however, Liu calls herself "lucky." Last year, she tried but failed to find a place for her daughter to study, due to a lack of hukou. "Now, my daughter has everything she needs to go to public school," Liu said. But others are not so lucky with researchers from the Academy of Macroeconomic Research at the National Development and Reform Commission saying more than half of China's unregistered citizens are above 18 years old. Many of these adults not only lost out on schooling, but also struggled to find a job as they couldn't provide hukou record and other legal documents often needed for hiring. For example Liu Wei, from northern China's Henan province, had no choice but to work in a coal mine. After the mine was closed, Liu couldn't find another job and ended up sleeping on the streets for five years, the report said. The social isolation can also pass from one generation to the next with the researchers unsure how the end of the one-child policy would impact those people. "Quite a lot of unregistered children in China have grown up and started their own families, creating the second generation of unregistered children," the report said. Wenzheng Huang, a demographer and a former assistant professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said the government had tried to address this problem after the 2010 census highlighted 13 million unregistered citizens. "As far as I know, many unregistered children now have their hukou ... the Chinese central government has begun taking household registration seriously," Huang said in a phone interview. "The government has recognized having so many citizens unregistered is a serious problem. It not only takes a toll on social development, but has caused huge pain to many families." (Editing by Belinda Goldsmith @BeeGoldsmith; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
Where do the responsibilities of a loyal civil servant begin and end?

It is an important question to consider now, when the incoming Donald Trump administration may be compiling an enemies list of Energy Department employees, the person nominated to head the Environmental Protection Agency seems to question its mandate, and the president-elect rejects out of hand the analysis of a foreign governments actions by career intelligence specialists.

There has been spirited debate among critics of Trump whether potential political appointees should serve in the new administration. Some have argued that it is a moral obligation. Others offer grudging support. Still others counseled in favor but later warned against doing so after meeting with the incoming administrations representatives.

What about career employees? Rosa Brookss advice was that it is absolutely vital for all decent people currently working within the federal government to stay in place but advised them to identify personal red lines that would necessitate resignation.

At the State Department, where Trump has nominated ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary, there is trepidation among career officers that a politicized workplace could force them to choose among their loyalties to the incoming president, the State Department as an institution, and national interests. Although career foreign service and civil service personnel are accustomed to operating amid layers of institutional equities, their primary loyalty must be to the Constitution  the subject of the oath, dating in its current form to 1884, that all employees swear.

To friends and former colleagues at State, particularly new officers who have not previously served through a change of administrations, here are a few suggestions regarding how to reconcile professional loyalties:

Engage incoming political appointees. Explain what you do and why. Be helpful during the complicated transition. Dont roll your eyes if they tell you how much fun theyve had at Mar-a-Lago. Answer questions forthrightly, especially when they are skeptical or less than well-informed. It is essential for the proper functioning of the department  and for your and your colleagues professional happiness  that political appointees who may start off skeptical of State (or government in general) come to appreciate it. Also, although not every new political appointee will be able to find Juba on a map, many will have valuable experience and perspectives you dont.

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Defend the institution. Most Americans dont often think about civil service protections, so they value them insufficiently as a bulwark of democracy. Convey to incoming appointees that politicization will ultimately harm both national interests and the administrations reputation. Support the relevant professional association and union when they defend institutional safeguards, whatever you think about their other activities. At the same time, convey by your example a commitment to providing the best nonpartisan advice you can and a determination to avoid professional entanglement in domestic politics. If you park in the basement garage, lose the election bumper sticker  whether it says Stronger Together or Make America Great Again.

Fix whats broken. The Obama-Trump transition could mark a dramatic shift in foreign-policy philosophy and perhaps organizational temperament. Although campaign promises to drain the swamp might not have been aimed directly at Foggy Bottoms marshy topography, at least some Trump supporters would like to take a wrecking ball to the State Department as a symbol of the foreign-policy establishment. And while the transition may pose a challenge for those seeking to portray long-term consistency in U.S. foreign policy, it is an opportunity for institutional reform, if well-channeled. Think about what State does well and what it does poorly. Compile specific recommendations about things that can be fixed and how. Tame the clearance process. Reform entry-level hiring. Flatten the hierarchy. Dream big!

Reconcile yourself to life in a large organization. Working for State is an awesome multiplier of personal foreign-policy influence. Thats why the competition for foreign and civil service jobs at the department is so fierce (well, that and the groovy globe sculpture in the courtyard). The downside of life in a large organization is that you are identified with decisions over which you have no control. I worked for four different administrations during my time at State, and each one of them did something I thought was jackass stupid and something that made me proud. That is the compact accepted by public servants. Also, console yourself that, although now an epithet, bureaucracy was initially a great invention  a professional system optimized to handle complex public administration (thank you, Confucius, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Dorman Bridgman Eaton, et al.). The Founding Fathers meant for the gears of government to turn deliberately  even for the all-powerful star of The Apprentice.

If you cant deal, leave. A public service career in government is a noble calling, but it is not the only valuable thing you can do with your life. Aside from principled resignations (which well get to in a minute), there are many appropriate reasons to leave government service  to pursue career opportunities, develop skills/experience, for family reasons, to make more money, or simply because bureaucratic life isnt for you. Public service comes in many forms  military service, humanitarian work, teaching, civil rights litigation, consumer protection, environmental investigations, public interest journalism. Pursue a new path that inspires you. See the world outside of the State Department cafeteria! Escort senior citizens across busy intersections. Adopt a pet. Get your dad to give you $1 million to start your own real estate business! Who knows what might happen?

But if youre going to stay, serve with professionalism. Dissatisfaction is not an excuse to undermine operations through policy sabotage or slowdowns. America deserves government employees conscientious best efforts, and a new administration deserves the chance to pursue its vision for American foreign policy. Although civil servants retain freedom of speech rights, public criticism of an administration you serve is not usually consistent with professional duty. Given the stereotype of government workers as partisan and entitled, sniping at the White House would be counterproductive anyway. That would undermine trust in the State Department and the civil/foreign service and could subject you to a yuuuuuge POTUS Twitter storm. Anyway, the media will be only too happy to instrumentalize stories of disgruntled bureaucrats. [Ed. Yep]

Fight for what you believe in. Consistent with loyalty is the obligation to be principled. The State Department is exquisitely structured to foster argument. Although the clearance process is sometimes abused, its original purpose  to carefully scrutinize potentially risky initiatives  was pure. Insist to the staff secretariat that major policies be promulgated in writing. Demand that memos include opposing views or write a separate memo yourself. Be just short of obnoxious if you have to. Make and utilize bureaucratic allies, both from State and other agencies (and Congress as appropriate). For as long as you can, argue the merits of your position. But when a decision can no longer be appealed, respect and implement it, even if you think it imprudent (unless it is unconstitutional, otherwise illegal, or so dangerous you must resign).

Create a paper trail. Leaking classified documents is criminal and, except in grave circumstances, an abrogation of moral responsibility. While policymaking at State is informed by sensitive material, debate over foreign policy in a democracy should be as open as possible. If you can do so while respecting policy sensitivities, reach out to people at universities and think tanks (some of us will even buy you coffee). Consult with congressional staff members. Whether you just want to maintain a tick-tock on a debate that didnt go your way, or you want to write a memoir someday, preserve key chronologies  classifying them when appropriate. These can facilitate popular oversight of government operations by ensuring the historical record is accurate  particularly important if a policy or decision will be reviewed by either the legislative or judicial branches.

Use the Dissent Channel process. The Dissent Channel offers employees the ability to convey critical views directly to the secretary of state and compel an answer. Its establishment in 1971 was a victory for good government. If you can influence policy in no other way, the Dissent Channel allows you to critique a decision that you believe ill-considered, impractical, unwise, or illegal. It is not meant to be used routinely, however. Particularly regarding charges that a policy might be unlawful, master the legal terrain before you start typing. Understand differences in the relative bindingness of international treaties, the Foreign Affairs Manual, other U.S. laws, nontreaty international agreements, executive orders, policy proclamations, guidelines, and precedent. Youll want to construct a flame-proof argument (that can hold up in the face of big league public scrutiny  since, if it leaks, thats exactly what youll get).

Should employment become intolerable, honorably resign. Resignations of civil servants over issues of principle risk ceding even greater control to those who precipitated the departure. But if youre considering walking away, ground the decision on the threat to American interests or rights, rather than a single lost argument or someones latest tweet. Even if you disdain the limelight, do not go quietly. If the cause is so great as to make you give up your career, there should be public debate. Continue to engage on issues you care about from outside government. Although moving directly into immediate post-State employment may to some eyes undercut your argument that your departure was principled, not just opportunistic, civil servants do not take lifetime vows of poverty. Understand your professional options, ensure your skills are up to date and marketable, and have savings to tide you over.

Above all, prevail. Although a martyrs cloak may offer temporary solace, resignation (even use of the Dissent Channel) marks failure of a sort. It would be far better to succeed, persuading a new administration of your wisdom and utility. I hope the talented and principled career State Department employees I worked with will stay. You dont have to sit passively and wait for instructions from the White House. Act as your own internal transition team. Craft persuasive arguments and proposals that resonate with the new administration. Be bold  seize the opportunity.

Oh, and also redecorate. As long as a real estate developer used to living in a gilded penthouse is president, State might as well seek funding to replace the linoleum hallway floors and the tired aluminum blinds. In its current dilapidated condition, the Truman building is just sad.

Photo credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images
The Anti-Defamation League deemed Lupe Fiasco's new freestyle "N.E.R.D." "offensive" and "anti-Semitic" in a statement issued on Wednesday. The organization's CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, targeted one controversial lyric  "Artists getting robbed for their publishing/ By dirty Jewish execs who think that its alms from the covenant"  as reinforcing the "myth of Jewish control of the music industry, a stereotype that has been exploited in recent years by well-known hatemongers."



"It is irresponsible for a recording artist to perpetuate the hateful anti-Semitic stereotype of the 'greedy Jew,'" Greenblatt continued. "Even if Lupe Fiasco has concerns about exploitation of his artistic output, it's deplorable to stigmatize an entire group in response. Fiasco has a well-earned reputation as a highly respected hip-hop artist. At a time when there are significant divisions across the country, we are disappointed that he has not chosen to use his platform and voice to promote a more inclusive message."



A rep for Lupe Fiasco did not immediately return a request for comment.

The acclaimed rapper released "N.E.R.D.," which uses the instrumental to A Tribe Called Quest's "Lyrics to Go," Monday via Soundcloud. After some fans tweeted their indignation on Twitter, the rapper defended himself in a series of tweets discussing racism, his relationships with "Jewish friends," his respect for the faith and his reasoning for specifying that the "execs" in the lyrics were Jewish.

"I've walked inside the ovens of Auschwitz," he wrote. "I've been inside the dorms where workers starved to death to [sic] frail to move. I've seen the showers & the rail cars where millions died. I've been in the Ghettos of Warsaw. Ive seen [systemic] genocide. I've studied the Hebrew bible. And the stories of the Maccabees and the traditions of old Judea. I've swayed to the songs of Roshanna & eaten pomegranate seeds and Kibbeh with beets with Israelis who can't fly on Emirates. I've sat in fellowships & watched Israeli Jews accuse American Jews of being not really Jewish becuz they wont live in Israel."

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On Tuesday, the rapper tweeted that SoundCloud took down "N.E.R.D." because of "hate speech," though a spokesperson for SoundCloud tells Rolling Stone, "We can confirm that Lupe Fiasco's track 'N.E.R.D' has not been removed." He also announced his retirement from music: "I get the hint God," he wrote. "Yo Lupe fans it's been fun and I hope you've had fun. I'm officially not releasing anymore music. Albums cancelled."

Lupe briefly set his Twitter to private before making it public again. He also tweeted a series of angry responses directly to Greenblatt, including, "I didn't called them dirty becuz they were Jewish I called them dirty becuz their [sic] horrible fucking human beings."

Related Content:
John Kahrs, who won an Oscar for his 2013 animated short Paperman, has gotten into the drivers seat on a new project with the ride-share company Lyft.

Kahrs has directed the animated short film June, a co-production between Lyft and Broad Reach Pictures, with design and animation by Kevin Darts Chromosphere and scored by award-winning composer Christophe Beck (Trolls, Frozen). In addition to Becks score, the seven-minute film features the original song Moving, by one-time Lyft driver Sir the Baptist, who is now a recording artist.

June premieres today, Wednesday, Dec. 14, as part of Lyft Driver Appreciation Day. In addition to pink carpet events for the film to be held in Los Angeles and Chicago, the company will match tips each driver receives for the day, up to $20, as a thank you to its 315,000 drivers.

June follows the inspiring story of a lonely woman who finds new purpose as a Lyft driver. The story comes from an idea by Lyft Creative Director Ricardo Viramontes, based on the experiences of real Lyft drivers and passengers.

As John and I read through countless stories, we realized there was a strong common theme of people coming together through the Lyft experience, says Viramontes.

Ricardo brought the story to me as a very loose sketch of an idea. Could we tell the story of a woman who starts driving for Lyft, and it changes her life and transforms her connection to her community?' explains Kahrs.

Animation felt like the right medium to tell this story, Viramontes says. A lot of what happens in the car is serendipitous and special for each driver and passenger, and with live-action, it can be hard to believe its true. Theres something really magical about animation that allows you to really get the core essence of the story.

And story is important to Lyft as a company, Viramontes explains. We believe in storytelling as a organization. Its part of our throughline to take something like transportation that isnt usually celebrated through storytelling, and create more work along these lines to celebrate drivers and other things about Lyft that make us unique, he says.

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Kahrs credited the unique look of June to Kevin Darts design. I got really excited when I saw what Kevin had been doing over the last year or so. It was the perfect thing at the perfect time to stumble across, says Kahrs. He has this style that really doesnt resemble hand-drawn. It feels more like a moving illustration. Theres a flatness to it, but theres also photographic dimensionality.

And that played perfectly into Junes story. I feel like the idea of transportation is something thats always changing, says Kahrs. This story of this one driver is a journey that takes you on a tour of our relationship with transportation, of matching the fantastic and the mundane together. Its about people driving around in a car, but its also about the connections these drivers and passengers can have with each other.

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Baraha Temple at erosion risk

The Baraha temple in Barahachhetra, Sunsari, is at high risk of erosion from the Koshi river.
China tells Japan it opposes unilateral North Korea sanctions

China is willing to work with the international community to fully implement U.N. resolutions on North Korea, but opposes any unilateral sanctions outside that framework, a senior Chinese diplomat told Japan on Wednesday.
Netflix is staging a key One Day at a Time reunion.

Original series star Mackenzie Phillips is returning to the Norman Lear franchise for the streaming giant's revival, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

But there's a catch. Phillips, an original series star who played rebellious eldest daughter Julie in the CBS original, will not be reprising her role. Instead, she will guest-star as Pam, a psychologist and leader of a female veterans' therapy group that Penelope (Justina Machado) reluctantly attends in a later episode. (Watch a first-look video of Phillips' return, above.)

Phillips' casting marks a key reunion with Lear, who was forced to fire the former series star during One Day at a Time's original run.

Read more: 'One Day at a Time' Trailer Delivers First Look at Norman Lear's Netflix Remake

Netflix's reimagining of the iconic comedy revolves around three generations of a Cuban-American family living under one roof. Newly single mom and military veteran Penelope enlists the "help" of her old-school Cuba-born mother, Lydia (Rita Moreno), and building manager, Schneider (Todd Grinnell), while raising two millennials: her radical daughter Elena (Isabella Gomez) and socially inept son Alex (Marcel Ruiz). Lear, who created the original series, executive produces the revival alongside How I Met Your Mother's Gloria Calderon Kellett and Men of a Certain Age's Mike Royce.

The series debuts Jan. 6 on Netflix.
By Jamie Freed

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A group including private equity firm KKR and Macquarie Group Ltd on Wednesday offered up to A$7.3 billion ($5.47 billion) to buy Australian lottery operator Tatts Group, threatening a takeover deal with Tabcorp Holdings Ltd.

Tatts said in a statement that its board had not yet formed a view on how the proposal compared with the Tabcorp offer currently valued at about A$6.03 billion, but two Tatts shareholders said they believed it was a superior deal and could spark a bidding war with the entry of additional players.

The consortium, also including Morgan Stanley Infrastructure and First State Superannuation Scheme, has the advantage of not needing approval from the competition regulator, which is closely examining the offer from Tabcorp, Australia's biggest bookmaker.

Tabcorp in October agreed to acquire Brisbane-based Tatts to form a gambling powerhouse and fend off a growing challenge from overseas online rivals. But that deal is now in doubt as the new offer already has the backing of at least some shareholders.

"The value of the lotteries business is starting to be recognised," said Charlie Green, a director at Hunter Green Institutional Broking, which owns Tatts shares. "It is now undeniably game-on in terms of an auction."

The latest offer, while an improvement on Tabcorp's, was unlikely to be the last, said Gabriel Radzyminski, managing director of activist investor Sandon Capital, which also owns Tatts shares.

Tatts' stock soared as much as 13 percent to a nine-year high of A$4.74 after it announced the new proposal, suggesting the market prefers the consortium's bid.

The proposal from the Pacific Consortium comprises A$3.40 per share cash for the lotteries business and shares in a spinoff wagering company the consortium values at A$1 to A$1.60 a share, Tatts said.

The wagering company would be listed in Australia under the proposal, unless it was sold to a strategic buyer, such as Tabcorp, first.

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Tabcorp has outlined A$1.4 billion of synergies associated with the Tatts merger, all of which relate to wagering rather than lotteries.

"The consortium bid, in a way, is an exploration if Tabcorp values lotteries or not," Radzyminski said, calling the structure of the new offer an invitation to Tabcorp to drop its takeover proposal and acquire the wagering component from the consortium.

TWO HORSE RACE?

Tabcorp's offer of 0.80 Tabcorp shares plus A$0.425 cash for each Tatts share held equated to A$4.11 per share based on Tabcorp's trading price on Wednesday.

Tabcorp's shares were down 1 percent, further lowering the value of its offer.

A Tabcorp spokesman said the company remained committed to completing the Tatts deal.

Each member of the Pacific Consortium holds a 30 percent stake except for Macquarie, which holds 10 percent, said a source familiar with the situation who was not authorised to speak publicly.

It was not immediately clear which member of the group would call the shots if the bid succeeded, the source said.

Pacific Consortium Chairwoman Kerry Schott said in a statement the group had a record of long-term investment in assets that "deliver annuity-style returns similar to infrastructure assets.

Tatts shareholder Green said lotteries were attractive to infrastructure investors because they offered large, reliable cashflows. Wagering, he said, was more volatile.

Radzyminski said he believed Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP), the owner of UK lottery operator Camelot Group, might also consider bidding for Tatts.

A spokesman for OTPP could not be reached for comment.

($1 = 1.3351 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Jamie Freed; Editing by Stephen Coates)
By Jamie Freed

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A group including private equity firm KKR (KKR.N) and Macquarie Group Ltd (MQG.AX) on Wednesday offered up to A$7.3 billion (4.32 billion pounds) to buy Australian lottery operator Tatts Group (TTS.AX), threatening a takeover deal with Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (TAH.AX).

Tatts said in a statement that its board had not yet formed a view on how the proposal compared with the Tabcorp offer currently valued at about A$6.03 billion, but two Tatts shareholders said they believed it was a superior deal and could spark a bidding war with the entry of additional players.

The consortium, also including Morgan Stanley Infrastructure and First State Superannuation Scheme, has the advantage of not needing approval from the competition regulator, which is closely examining the offer from Tabcorp, Australia's biggest bookmaker.

Tabcorp in October agreed to acquire Brisbane-based Tatts to form a gambling powerhouse and fend off a growing challenge from overseas online rivals. But that deal is now in doubt as the new offer already has the backing of at least some shareholders.

"The value of the lotteries business is starting to be recognised," said Charlie Green, a director at Hunter Green Institutional Broking, which owns Tatts shares. "It is now undeniably game-on in terms of an auction."

The latest offer, while an improvement on Tabcorp's, was unlikely to be the last, said Gabriel Radzyminski, managing director of activist investor Sandon Capital, which also owns Tatts shares.

Tatts' stock soared as much as 13 percent to a nine-year high of A$4.74 after it announced the new proposal, suggesting the market prefers the consortium's bid.

The proposal from the Pacific Consortium comprises A$3.40 per share cash for the lotteries business and shares in a spin off wagering company the consortium values at A$1 to A$1.60 a share, Tatts said.

The wagering company would be listed in Australia under the proposal, unless it was sold to a strategic buyer, such as Tabcorp, first.

Story continues

Tabcorp has outlined A$1.4 billion of synergies associated with the Tatts merger, all of which relate to wagering rather than lotteries.

"The consortium bid, in a way, is an exploration if Tabcorp values lotteries or not," Radzyminski said, calling the structure of the new offer an invitation to Tabcorp to drop its takeover proposal and acquire the wagering component from the consortium.

TWO HORSE RACE?

Tabcorp's offer of 0.80 Tabcorp shares plus A$0.425 cash for each Tatts share held equated to A$4.11 per share based on Tabcorp's trading price on Wednesday.

Tabcorp's shares were down 1 percent, further lowering the value of its offer.

A Tabcorp spokesman said the company remained committed to completing the Tatts deal.

Each member of the Pacific Consortium holds a 30 percent stake except for Macquarie, which holds 10 percent, said a source familiar with the situation who was not authorised to speak publicly.

It was not immediately clear which member of the group would call the shots if the bid succeeded, the source said.

Pacific Consortium Chairwoman Kerry Schott said in a statement the group had a record of long-term investment in assets that "deliver annuity-style returns similar to infrastructure assets.

Tatts shareholder Green said lotteries were attractive to infrastructure investors because they offered large, reliable cashflows. Wagering, he said, was more volatile.

Radzyminski said he believed Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP), the owner of UK lottery operator Camelot Group, might also consider bidding for Tatts.

A spokesman for OTPP could not be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Jamie Freed; Editing by Stephen Coates)
A North Carolina postal worker has become a holiday savior as she saved packages from a burning mail truck this week.

The truck started smoking and then caught fire near its engine while the carrier was on her route Tuesday, according to the fire department.

Read: Bold as Ice: Brave Boy Calls 911 to Help Mom Who Fell in Frozen Lake

The woman stopped the vehicle, jumped out, and began removing the packages with the help of a stranger, according to the police report.

We saw the mail carrier lady and a local neighbor helping take all of the Amazon packages out of the back while the truck was on burning immensely, bystander Dominic Manzo told InsideEdition.com.

Manzo captured the ordeal on video.

The postal worker was very concerned and brave at the same time. She just focused on one thing and that was getting the packages out safely, said Manzo. It was a very scary but uplifting story at the same time.

Read: Deputies Rescue Horse Nearly Submerged in Pond After Only Its Head Was Left Sticking Out

The woman and stranger were able to save 99 percent of the packages from the burning truck.

She saved a lot of peoples possessions for Christmas. We did the easy thing. Pulled up and put it out. She did the bulk of the work, Wake Forest Fire Battalion Chief Ed Barrett told InsideEdition.com.

Watch: Officers Save a Woman Trapped in Her Burning Car

Related Articles:
By Joseph Sipalan KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Jailed Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday lost his final bid for freedom when a federal court rejected his appeal to set aside his sodomy conviction and five-year jail term. Once a rising star in the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party, Anwar is the greatest threat to Prime Minister Najib Razak and his coalition, after leading a three-party opposition alliance to stunning electoral gains in 2013. A panel of five judges ruled unanimously that Anwar's application for a review of his 2014 conviction, his final legal option for an acquittal, was without merit. "This is not a fit or proper case for this court to exercise its inherent jurisdiction to initiate a review," Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, the Chief Judge of Malaya, said as he read excerpts from a 60-page ruling. Anwar was convicted and jailed for sodomizing a former aide, a charge he and his supporters describe as a politically motivated attempt to end his career. "This is not the end of the road ... I have pleaded and reiterated my innocence, but the judiciary has ignored my pleas," Anwar told reporters in the court after the verdict. "This is a long walk to freedom," he said. Anwar is widely expected to be released after serving another 16 months, as Malaysia grants a one-third reduction of jail terms for good behavior. Anwar's prison term ends in 2020. But the conviction disqualifies him from political office and from contesting the next election that must be held by 2018. Najib has been buffeted by graft allegations and faced the biggest challenge to his leadership last year following reports that hundreds of millions of dollars had been misappropriated from state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). However, the prime minister weathered the political crisis by consolidating power and cracking down on dissent. TRAGEDY FOR JUSTICE Crowds of demonstrators gathered outside the court ahead of the verdict, to show support for the 69-year-old Anwar, backed up by the presence of his wife, children and grandchildren in the courtroom. The verdict was a "real tragedy for justice," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch. "With this final decision running roughshod over Anwars rights and sending him back to prison, Najib and the ruling UMNO party have just fired the starting gun on the expected 2018 election by permanently sidelining the oppositions most capable leader," Robertson added. A former deputy prime minister of the ruling party, Anwar's legal troubles began soon after he fell out with then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in the late 1990s and was sacked. He then campaigned against corruption and nepotism and led a nationwide "reformasi", or reform, protest movement. He was later jailed for the first time on charges of sodomy and graft. In a 2013 election, Anwar led an opposition alliance that posed the first genuine challenge to UMNO, which has ruled Malaysia since independence in 1957. But the opposition fell apart after Anwar's imprisonment, and the ruling coalition took advantage to coast to victory in several by-elections this year. (Writing by Praveen Menon; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
A Cleveland, Ohio, man has been arrested for fatally shooting a friend during a dinner party on Thursday, PEOPLE confirms.

Steven Leannais, 30, is charged with third-degree felony involuntary manslaughter in the allegedly accidental shooting of 27-year-old Anthony Stanford II. He has not yet entered a plea, though his attorney said the incident was tragic.

Leannais had been drinking on the night of the shooting, police allege.

Before the shooting, he allegedly live-streamed the party on Facebook Live. A person who viewed the recording  which was posted before the shooting  then released the video to Cleveland.com.

In the video, Leannais and another man, who has not been identified, are seen brandishing a handgun as they crack jokes. The video shows discussion about whether the gun is loaded. At one point, Leannais grabs the gun from the other man and removes the clip.

There you go, Leannais says in the video. Now its not loaded.

The other man then jokingly sticks the gun in his mouth. The last thing they say is always, I didnt know it was loaded,  the man jokes. In response, Leannais holds up the clip of hollow-point bullets to the camera to prove that the gun isnt loaded.

About a minute into the video, Stanford arrives at the party. The men crack more jokes as the video ends.

One Bullet Left in the Chamber

Police say that, although the guns clip had been removed, there was still one bullet left in the chamber. According to court documents, Leannais picked the gun up and pulled the trigger, unaware that there was still one bullet left in the chamber. The bullet hit Stanford in the upper abdomen.

 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 the shooting, according to documents, Stanford ran out of the house. Leannais followed after him, calling 911.

Stanford was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead an hour later. (Stanfords family could not immediately be reached.)

Story continues

According to documents, investigators tested Leannais blood alcohol content about three hours after the shooting and his BAC tested at 0.058, apparently indicating that he was legally impaired at the time that Stanford was shot.

Shooter Is Extremely Sorry: Attorney

Defense attorney Leif Christman told reporters that Leannais, his client, is distraught about the shooting.

Its so tragic, Christman said, according to Cleveland.com. His friend is deceased. He hasnt eaten or slept since it happened. He needs to get counseling.

Christman, who did not return PEOPLEs call seeking comment, also said that Leannais was extremely sorry for what happened and extends his condolences to Anthonys mother. If there was any to trade places, hed gladly do it.




WICHITA, Kan. (AP)  A convicted sex offender has been ordered to spend a year and three months in prison in the theft of a nearly life-sized carved clown that was the mascot of a closed Kansas amusement park.

Forty-one-year-old Damian Mayes was sentenced Tuesday in Sedgwick County, where he pleaded no contest in October to felony theft.

Louie the Clown and other items missing from the one-time Joyland Amusement Park in Wichita were found in February 2015 at Mayes' home. Mayes was an employee of the park who helped build and repair organs. He also helped restore the clown that played an automated organ near Joyland's entrance for decades before the park closed in 2006.

The clown statue disappeared from Joyland sometime in 2005 or 2006 and was officially reported stolen in 2010.
Michael Sandford, a 22-year-old British man, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in a U.S. prison Tuesday for seizing a policemans gun at a June Donald Trump presidential campaign rally in Las Vegas in an attempt to kill the president-elect, BBC News reported Tuesday.

Sandford burst into tears in the Las Vegas courtroom, apologizing to U.S. District Judge James Mahan for his actions and for wasting tax dollars on his trial.

"I just feel terrible about it," Sandford told Mahan.

Sandfords defense team argued he was autistic and had been dealing with seizures and obsession-compulsion anxiety.

Mahan seemed to be moved by Sandfords emotional confession and sympathized with the ways in which his health disorder may have influenced his actions.

"You have a medical problem," Mahan told Sandford while explaining that because of his ailments he had nothing to be ashamed of.

"I don't see you as evil or a sociopath," Mahan said, I don't think you harbored malice in your heart."

Sandfords mother said she was remorseful over what he did, adding Sandford was cherished and adored by his family and friends. She said she had not heard from her son since he left the U.K. to travel to the U.S. in 2015.

Sandfords mother said she didnt have an answer to why her son attempted to shoot Trump, explaining she had never witnessed him demonstrating any interest in politics.

Mahan said Sandford had the potential to be released from prison after four months, and if so, he would be deported to the U.K.

Sandford pleaded guilty to federal charges of attempting to shoot Trump on Sept. 13, as well charges of disrupting an official function and being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, which could have resulted in Sandford being sentenced to 20 years in prison, Reuters reported.

When Sandford was arrested for attempting to shoot Trump in June, he admitted to police he had been plotting to kill the billionaire Republican presidential nominee for a year. He said if he hadn't tried to assassinate Trump at the Las Vegas event, he had planned to do so at his next rally in Phoenix.

Story continues

Sandford told the Secret Service he had been homeless and living in California illegally after his temporary visa expired when he drove to Nevada to shoot Trump. He said he had gone to a gun range in Las Vegas the day before his attempted attack to learn to shoot.

Sandford failed to remove the police officers gun from its holster while inside the Las Vegas theater where Trump was holding his campaign rally, CNN reported at the time. Sandford approached the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer under the guise he wanted the officers autograph and attempted to steal the gun while the two were having a conversation. Other officers at the event quickly detained Sandford. There were no other interruptions at the campaign rally.

"I tried to take a gun from a policeman to shoot someone with, and I'm pleading guilty," Sandford told the judge in September.

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Court hearing deferral allows controversial KUKL chair to retain his post

How can a drinking water supplying company, which appears to be gripped by partisan interests, provide effective services once 170 million litres of water starts flowing into the water-starved Kathmandu Valley per day from next year?
It has been a busy week for attorneys involved in the legal circus surrounding media mogul Sumner Redstone.

The latest filing comes courtesy of Manuela Herzer, Redstone's former companion who is being sued for elder abuse - and also is suing the mogul's daughter Shari Redstone for spying and scheming to remove her from his life.

Herzer is asking the court to stay discovery against her, and against third parties regarding her, until Redstone is deposed.

"Redstone refused to appear for deposition due to his claimed health conditions, and has filed his own motion for protective order that his deposition not occur unless and until his physician opines that he is healthy enough to do so," writes Herzer's attorney Ronald Richards in the motion. "It is patently unfair, inequitable, and prejudicial to force Herzer to respond to Redstone's discovery and for Redstone to be able to conduct discovery, while at the same time Redstone takes the position that he cannot sit for his own deposition. Redstone filed this case, not Herzer."

Richards questions how Redstone was able to convey the factual allegations in his $150 million elder abuse complaint (and a real estate dispute in New York) to his attorneys if he's not well enough to sit for deposition.

"Mr. Redstone has the alleged stamina to cancel large mergers effecting billions of dollars and thousands of shareholders," says Richards in a Monday statement. "Yet, he has voluntarily chosen to not appear for two depositions noticed in two cases on two sides of the country due to health issues."

Herzer claims Shari Redstone is a "puppet master" and is behind all of her father's purported decisions.

"At some point, a court in New York or Los Angeles will exclude his testimony from the case and take appropriate measures to avoid this continued manipulation of Mr. Redstone and his estate by others," says Richards. "It is unfortunate that this American icon is now relegated to a Moscow show trial where he is the unwitting actor in litigation he cannot possibly know about or appreciate."

Story continues

Redstone's attorney Robert Klieger, who first learned of the filing when contacted for comment by the press Tuesday afternoon, sent The Hollywood Reporter a statement. "Ms. Herzer apparently believes that a 93-year-old victim of financial elder abuse with a severe speech impairment must either sit for a deposition against the unequivocal medical advice of his physician or otherwise accede to a $150 million fleecing," says Klieger. "Fortunately, that is not the law."

This comes on the heels of a Monday cross-complaint filed by Redstone's ex-fiancee Sydney Holland. She claims it makes no sense that she and Herzer are the only defendants in the elder abuse suit because Redstone gave millions to multiple women with whom he engaged in "lurid" relationships. The mogul's legal team called the filing "a work of fiction punctuated by not-so-subtle threats of extortion and an overwhelming stench of greed."

Read more: Sumner Redstone's Ex Details "Lurid" Relationships in Reply to Elder Abuse Suit
DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / December 13, 2016 / With a keen ability for predicting market trends, Founder of Western Rim, Marcus Hiles began his distinguished career developing affordable properties that offered upscale amenities in 1990. To date, his companies manage and own over 15,000 townhomes and apartments across Texas. His vision for offering luxury homes to working class Texans revolutionized the Dallas real estate landscape. Now, Hiles is taking his property expertise and focusing on the areas poised for exponential growth - Woodlands and coastal regions of Houston.

There has been much speculation about how President-elect Donald Trump will affect real estate policies when he enters office in January. Many investors are looking forward to having a businessman in the role of President of the United States, believing this is an opportunity to lessen many of the regulations being applied to businesses. Even with his extensive background in real estate, Trump has been mostly silent about what his impact in this area will be. According to a recent Forbes article written by Lawrence Yun, the Chief Economist of National Association of REALTORS, one of Trump's biggest influences on the property industry could be changes in some form to the Dodd-Frank financial regulation. "A clear positive would be the lifting of compliance costs imposed on small-sized banks. Around 10,000 local and community banks have traditionally been the source of funding for construction and land development loans. With less regulatory burden, these small banks can make more loans and will boost home building activity - something that is needed in the current housing situation."

https://vimeo.com/marcushiles

The growing municipality of Houston ranks as the fourth largest metro area in the United States, coming in just behind New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Nearly half of all Fortune 500 energy companies are headquartered here, giving the city unparalleled influence in the global energy industry. Much of Houstons job and population growth has been driven by the energy industry. The expansion of the Panama Canal also offers big benefits to the city, where industrial giants strive to beat West Coast competitors in attaining foreign goods. The Port of Houston is the second busiest port in the United States, quickly becoming competitive with the Port of Los Angeles for trade and jobs. And the Texas Medical Center, sitting just three miles south of downtown, has over 100,000 employees and includes facilities such as hospitals, research institutions, nursing programs, pharmacy schools, and a dental school.

Active in the real estate market for over twenty-five years, Marcus Hiles is a graduate of Pepperdine University and Rice University with a deep commitment to education. His philanthropic contributions include over $2.5 million donated to various K-12 initiatives, after school programs, and job placement programs. Coming from humble beginnings as the son of an inner city minister, Hiles funded three large Churches in Texas as well as his home state of Massachusetts. He also underwrote a $13 million environmentally impactful tree planting initiative. Marcus Hiles is driven by his unwavering commitment to create communities and improve the lives of others.

Marcus Hiles - Chairman & CEO of Western Rim Property Services: http://www.MarcusHiles-News.com

Western Rim Property Services- Marcus Hiles - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Western-Rim-Property-Services-Marcus-Hiles-1013270532051763/

Marcus Hiles (@marcus_hiles) - Twitter: https://twitter.com/marcus_hiles

Marcus Hiles - New Luxury Apartments in Frisco, TX - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmsJNbfOh-g

Contact Information:

MarcusHiles-News.com

marcus@marcushiles-news.com

SOURCE: Marcus Hiles
Mariah Careys twins had a playdate with Blue Ivy Carter, and it was so fabulous

Did you feel the earth move underneath your feet just now? Yeah us too. The explanation has nothing to do with earth science, only with celebrities hanging out with other celebrities. Mariah Careys twins had a playdate with Blue Ivy Carter and the world has been changed forever. On Sunday, Moroccan and Monroe Cannon hung out with Blue backstage at Careys Christmas show at New York Citys Beacon Theater. All of them were dressed to the nines in adorable holiday attire.

Carey posted a pic on Instagram of herself, fellow divalicious mom, Beyonce, and their crew of kids. She captioned the photo, Backstage at Christmas time with our beautiful children. @beyonce #christmas #family #love.

Backstage at Christmas time with our beautiful children. @beyonce #christmas #family #love A photo posted by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey) on Dec 12, 2016 at 7:50pm PST

Beyonce took Blue to Careys All I Want For Christmas Is You show which will run at the Beacon Theater until Saturday, December 17th. The two coolest moms in the world took a selfie, which Carey posted on Instagram with the caption, I love you @beyonce thank you sooooo much for coming out tonight!

I love you @beyonce thank you sooooo much for coming out tonight! #merrychristmas A photo posted by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey) on Dec 11, 2016 at 8:41pm PST

Careys kids have been helping her with her Christmas show, and even make cameos here and there onstage. Clad in earmuffs, Roc and Roe joined mom to introduce themselves to the audience and Roe-Roe even showed everyone how she poses like Mommy.

Screaming bothers her, but we better get used to it because she has a very nice voice, Carey explained in an Instagram video from her show.

My name is #roeroe  A video posted by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey) on Dec 9, 2016 at 6:36pm PST

And when theyre not being utterly adorbz onstage, Roc and Roe hang out in the green room while Mommy does her thing!

Story continues

#backstage moments #rocandroe A photo posted by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey) on Dec 10, 2016 at 9:18pm PST

These kids are living the dream right now. The got to hang out with Blue Ivy and Beyonce, and then they got to meet Santa! The real Santa!

Santa Claus is coming to town! #rocandroe #alliwantforchristmas #beacontheatre Show tomorrow at 8pm! #aiwfciy  A photo posted by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey) on Dec 12, 2016 at 12:03pm PST

If the Cannon twins and Blue become BFFs, they are going to be the coolest kid gang in the whole world. Fingers crossed theyll be taking member applications.

The post Mariah Careys twins had a playdate with Blue Ivy Carter, and it was so fabulous appeared first on HelloGiggles.
By Huw Jones

LONDON (Reuters) - It may be hard for markets to absorb debt worth up to 276 billion euros (231.34 billion pound) that banks in the European Union must issue to comply with rules aimed at shielding taxpayers from bailouts, the bloc's banking watchdog said on Wednesday.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) said regulators will have to give some lenders enough time, given the strain on markets from raising such amounts of debt.

The debt is known as MREL and can be written down or "bailed in" to replenish burnt through capital if the lender collapses, thus avoiding governments having to pick up the tab as they did during the 2007-09 financial crisis.

"Market capacity is uncertain and, at this stage, its potential evolution cannot be adequately assessed," the EBA said in a statement.

The European Parliament and EU member states are due to scrutinise a draft law on fleshing out the MREL rules, and the EBA's statement on Wednesday is intended to help that process.

The watchdog estimated the financing needs of 133 banking groups at 186 billion euros to 276 billion euros to absorb losses in a crisis, lower than previous estimates.

In July the watchdog had estimated that banks would have to raise some 470 billion euros, but changes in German law on treatment of senior unsecured debt means it qualifies for inclusion in MREL buffers.

Some of the MREL requirement can be met by rolling over existing bank debt in a form that complies with the new rules.

The biggest banks and many of the second tier lenders should be able to access markets and issue debt that complies with the new rules, but smaller lenders currently have limited or no access to liquid international markets, the watchdog said.

"MREL will not be met overnight but built up over appropriate transitional periods determined on a case by case basis," the EBA said.

"This should help to mitigate this challenge as banks will be given more time to comply with the MREL requirement."

Story continues

The very biggest banks like Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), SocGen (SOGN.PA) and HSBC (HSBA.L) will have to begin building up their MREL buffer from 2019 as they also come under a similar, global set of rules. The EBA has set no deadline for the region's other banks, leaving it up to regulators.

EBA said regulators should have stronger powers to deal with any breaches in MREL rules. The Single Resolution Board is responsible for setting MREL for the euro zone's main banks, while the Bank of England sets MREL for UK lenders.

Lenders should be required to publish how much MREL they hold and the amount asked for by regulators, EBA said.

($1 = 0.9407 euros)

(Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Keith Weir and Susan Thomas)
giant sandwich

Wednesday's retail sales report was disappointing, missing economists' expectations and raising concerns over the outlook for the holiday shopping season.

Within the retail sales report, however, was an interesting nugget that may be worrying for America's major restaurant chains.

The percentage of retail sales devoted to bars and restaurants compared with food and beverage stores was nearly the smallest gap in decades, according to Bespoke Investment Group.

"With Bars and Restaurants accounting for 11.97% of total sales and Food and Beverage Stores accounting for 12.84%, the spread between the two is narrowing," Bespoke wrote in a note following Wednesday's report. "At the current level of 0.87, this month's spread is the fifth narrowest on record, and the only four smaller monthly readings also occurred in 2016."

Screen Shot 2016 12 14 at 11.16.44 AM

Despite this, large chains have been reporting steadily declining sales. Falling fast-food sales and declines at major chains have even led some to suggest the industry is a sign of the broader economy. Executives at these companies even blamed the election for their declining sales.

This logically doesn't seem to square. If Americans are devoting an ever growing percentage of their spending to restaurants, why are all of the industry giants seeing such sluggish business?

Now this may mean that nominal sales are sliding, but it also indicates another change: people are choosing smaller restaurants when they eat out.

Essentially, the spending on eating out is increasing, but industry measures for larger restaurants are missing out on the growth of local bars and eateries. Colloquially, this would match the "eat local" trend that seems to have grown into a cliche, but at least in this case there is some data to back it up.

As we noted before, Bank of America credit card customer data also indicated that Americans are choosing smaller, local restaurants over the largest chain brands when they eat out.

Story continues

While the reasons are unclear, part of the shift may be because smaller restaurants can more easily adjust their prices when ingredient prices drop. Right now the cost of food at home (basically groceries) is declining, while food away from home (restaurants and bars) is increasing. Industry insiders have cited this as a reason for the drop in sales.

It may also indicate why more people would choose smaller, local restaurants. Instead of protecting and growing margins like a large restaurant, smaller stores can fluctuate prices as their inputs get cheaper to attract more customers and protect sales.

Whatever the reason, it appears Americans are eating out  but choosing the local corner diner over the massive chain at the mall.

NOW WATCH: Watch Yellen explain why the Federal Reserve decides to raise rates





More From Business Insider


Matt Letscher has no idea yet whether hes part of the upcoming musical crossover episode between The Flash and Supergirl, but if he ends up being involved in the special event, the actor already has a great idea for his potential song-and-dance number.

During a recent interview with AfterBuzz TV, Letscher  who currently plays Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. Reverse-Flash, on Legends of Tomorrow  admitted that he isnt blessed with the kind of musical talent that Grant Gustin (Barry Allen/The Flash) has, but that doesnt rule out the possibility of seeing him in a musical number in the said crossover event.

Probably a rap, some sort of rap, hip hop, really cutting edge stuff, the actor said of what kind of song-and-dance number hed like to do in the musical.

When asked if he would like to perform a rap piece written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Letscher answered: Exactly, anything less than that just feels like, Why would I do it?

Im not here to do karaoke, he joked. No, that would be so much fun.

This isnt the first time Letscher has expressed his interest in doing a rap number in the musical. Last October, TheWrap asked him how he thinks the Reverse-Flash could be included in the crossover, and he said: Maybe theyll write me some sort of Reverse-Flash rap. Maybe I can be the real hip-hop element in this universe.

As to why he prefers rapping over singing, Letscher explained: Nobody wants to hear me sing. I can sing, but nobody wants to be there for it.

Details about the musicals plot are very limited at the moment, but The Flash and Supergirl executive producer Greg Berlanti told IndieWire last September that the crossover event might feature some original songs.

Well have to start talking about clearing music, Berlanti said at the time. I have a few ideas for tone and style in my head but were just starting to talk about what that can be. I do want to try and get an original piece of music written. As we make a deal on that well probably make some announcements on the original songs.

Story continues

The musical crossover is expected to air sometime in spring 2017.

Do you want to see Letscher rap in the musical? Sound off in the comments below!

Matt Letscher

Photo: Reuters/Bret Hartman

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Matthew McConaughey had a lot of fun while gaining weight for Gold.

The upcoming mining drama - which also stars Edgar Ramirez and Bryce Dallas Howard - sees McConaughey sporting a much rounder figure to play a modern-day prospector searching for gold in the jungles of Indonesia.

"[That's] a whole lot of McConaughey," he told Ellen DeGeneres in an Ellen segment airing Wednesday. "That's cheeseburgers and beer for eight months, whenever I wanted them."

Read more: Matthew McConaughey's 'Gold' Shifts Wide Release to 2017

The actor said the process didn't dampen his energy. "I did learn that the only thing that makes you tired of overindulging is the thought of quitting," joked McConaughey, who then lost the weight over a six-month period. "My nickname in the house was Captain Fun. My wife misses all 217 pounds of me, and the kids do, too, because any night was pizza night."

McConaughey also commented on leading the voice cast of the animated Sing - "You can go in your pajamas if you want to" - and being named People magazine's top reason to love America: "Hot damn!"
McKee Homes recently received the 2016 Builder of the Year award by the Home Builders Association of Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE, NC / ACCESSWIRE / December 13, 2016 / The 2016 Builder of the Year award was presented to Pat McKee, President of McKee Homes, at an awards luncheon hosted by the HBAF on November 15, 2016 at Highland Country Club in Fayetteville, NC.

One of the reasons McKee Homes received Fayetteville's 2016 Builder of the Year Award and a primary reason that McKee Homes stands out in the community is their involvement in numerous local and national charities. McKee Homes has been the presenting sponsor of the Fayetteville Walk to End Alzheimer's for the past six years which has raised approximately $350,000 to support Alzheimer's Association initiatives. The 2016 Walk was held on September 24 at the SwampDogs Stadium in Fayetteville and raised over $97,000 to date with a goal of $104,000 by the end of 2016.

"We are thrilled to be recognized by our peers in the Home Builders Association of Fayetteville as the 2016 Builder of the Year. This is a honor for our entire team and we are proud to be associated with such a great organization. This award is also in recognition of the incredible work that Julie Russo has done in working with the community in our charitable endeavors especially with the Alzheimer's Association of Eastern North Carolina. We are committed to be more than just a Home Builder in our community and Julie is the champion of those efforts," said Pat McKee.

Upon founding McKee Homes, Executive Officers Pat and Mike McKee established the Joe McKee Memorial Alzheimer's Fund in memory of their father whose dream of becoming a home builder was taken away by this devastating disease. A percentage of every new home sale goes into this fund to support Alzheimer awareness, care and research.

For more information about the 2016 Builder of the Year award, please visit http://www.mckeehomesnc.com/blog/2016-builder-of-the-year/

Story continues

McKee Homes Ribbon Cutting

McKee Homes will have the official ribbon cutting event for their new office and design center sponsored by the Greater Fayetteville Chamber on December 14 at 10 am in the design studio at 109 Hay Street, Suite 101, Fayetteville, NC.

For information about this event, please visit http://www.faybiz.com/events/details/mckee-homes-ribbon-cutting-10169

About McKee Homes, LLC

Since its inception, McKee Homes has done more than build quality new homes at competitive prices. They give homebuyers the freedom to personalize their homes with custom options and special features to get the new home they truly desire. McKee Homes is one of the fastest growing new home builders in Eastern North Carolina with new homes located in some of the area's most desirable neighborhoods, offering comfort and convenience only a short drive from the Fort Bragg, Raleigh and Wilmington Metro Areas.

For more information, please visit http://www.mckeehomesnc.com/

Contact Info:

Name: John Rives

Organization: McKee Homes

Address: 109 Hay Street, Suite 301 Fayetteville, NC 28301

Phone: 910-475-7100

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/mckee-homes-receives-2016-builder-of-the-year-award/154223

SOURCE: McKee Homes
richard branson virgin america

On Wednesday, Alaska Airlines announced that it has completed the acquisition of Virgin America for $2.6 billion.

However, it is believed the total value of the deal, including Virgin's debt and aircraft-leasing obligations, could reach $4 billion.

"Alaska Airlines and Virgin America are different airlines, but we believe different works  and we're confident fliers will agree," Alaska Air Group CEO Brad Tilden said in a statement. "The two airlines may look different, but our core customer and employee focus is very much the same."

Together, the newly merged carrier will form the fifth largest airline in the US with 40 million customers generating $7.4 billion in revenue so far this year.

Only American, Delta, United, and Southwest Airlines are larger.

Together, the new Seattle-based airline will operate a fleet of 286 aircraft on 1,187 daily flights. With Virgin America in the fold, Alaska Airlines will be able to bolster its position as a powerhouse West Coast rival for Southwest Airlines. In addition, Virgin's boutique product offering and award-winning service will provide Alaska access to a different set of clientele.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737

It is unclear what will become of the Virgin America brand in the long-run, however Alaska Airlines confirmed on Wednesday that no immediate changes will be made to VA's current "onboard product or experience".

"We appreciate that there is great interest in the future of the Virgin America brand among customers and employees alike," Tilden said. "This is a big decision and one that deserves months of thoughtful and thorough analysis. We plan to make a decision about the Virgin America brand early next year."

With the sale of Virgin America to Alaska, Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Group has divested its 25% stake in the airline. As a result, future use of the Virgin brand by Alaska Air Group will likely require a licensing agreement with Branson.

Story continues

Airbus A319 Virgin America

According to Tilden, beginning on December 19, Alaska Air and VA passengers will be able to earn reciprocal benefits across each others' networks.

Alaska Air first announced the deal in April following a bidding war with JetBlue. The merger gained board approval from Virgin America in July followed by anti-trust approval from the Justice Department on December 6.

Alaska Airlines and Virgin America expects to receive authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate as a single airline in early 2018.

NOW WATCH: Why airlines ask you to raise the window shades for takeoffs and landings





More From Business Insider


By Alexandria Sage SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google self-driving car project recast itself as Waymo on Tuesday, an independent entity within the technology giant, as executives suggested the company is close to bringing its autonomous driving to the public. Although no deals were announced, the move signals a desire to finally monetize the company's valuable research amid fierce competition from a score of rivals all vying to be the first to launch production-ready self-driving cars. Google's high-profile program, now in its seventh year, has been at the forefront of self-driving technology, but is now challenged by companies from Uber Technologies Inc to Apple Inc and traditional car companies in the fast-growing industry. "It's an indication of the maturity of our technology," John Krafcik, Waymo's chief executive, told reporters at a press conference in San Francisco. "We can imagine our self-driving tech being used in all sorts of areas." The move shows "confidence that we are close to bringing this (technology) to a lot of people," Krafcik said. "We've sort of reached an inflection point." That came in October 2015, when one of the company's self-driving cars gave the first fully autonomous ride in Austin, Texas, to a blind man with no one else in the car. Normally during testing, an engineer sits in the passenger seat to monitor the technology. Until now, the program has been part of secretive research unit Google X. Waymo stands for "A new way forward in mobility," according to Krafcik. Waymo would reveal when the technology will be production-ready "soon", he said. Krafcik reiterated that Waymo has no interest in producing self-driving cars, but rather in developing the technology to drive them. Possible applications would be in ride-sharing, transportation, trucking, logistics, and personal use vehicles, he said. Fiat Chrysler, Google's first partner, teamed up with the tech company in May to work together to integrate Google's self-driving system into 100 of the carmaker's minivans. Google's goal to perfect an autonomous vehicle that requires zero human intervention stands in contrast to that of some other automakers developing partial autonomy, which requires some driver supervision. Google's self-driving cars have driven over 2 million miles and testing now focuses on the trickiest scenarios faced by cars on surface streets. Google has expanded its program over the past year, hiring more engineers while doubling its testing centers from two U.S. cities to four. Although there have been some significant departures over the past year - Chief Technical Officer Chris Urmson left in August after leading the project from its inception - some new hires have pointed to the program's readiness to move past its experimental stage. In July, the project appointed its first general counsel and a month later it hired former Airbnb executive Shaun Stewart as director of the project, with a mandate to commercialize the company's self-driving technology. (Reporting By Alexandria Sage; Editing by Bernard Orr)
Dahal poorest PM after Sushil Koirala

The government on Wednesday made public the property details of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and other ministers.
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f30882%2ff22a760b-713b-4eaf-8d83-b8351e4107f9

If you're secretly looking for the final push to quit your job, this woman's success story might convince you.

Leanne Lauricella left the NYC grind to open Goats of Anarchy, a sanctuary for special needs goats  and she has never been happier.

SEE ALSO: Nothing calms Polly the goat's anxiety like her duck costume

Mashable spoke with Lauricella about how her new career came to be.

A photo posted by Goats of Anarchy (@goatsofanarchy) on Nov 11, 2016 at 2:04pm PST

"I was living in NYC and had been working as an event planner for several years. In 2011, I was married and moved to New Jersey and began commuting. My job was very stressful and required me to work during the day, some evenings and from home every night and on the weekends. It was consuming my life and I found myself feeling very unhappy, stressed and unfulfilled. I often thought to myself, 'there has to be more to life than this,'" she told Mashable.

"In April of 2014, I decided to get my first pet baby goats. I didn't have any experience with farm animals, but I have always loved animals and was intrigued by goats in particular. After visiting a goat farm and seeing them, I just knew I had to have them.

"I was a new vegan and wanted to learn more about farm animals. I was so surprised to find that goats are very similar to dogs. They are so intelligent, funny and affectionate. They are each very different and have unique personalities. They are curious and extremely entertaining. The more time that I spent outside with my goats, the more I hated the thought of going to work," she said.

Two months later, Lauricella added three more goats to her family. "I began volunteering at a farm animal sanctuary and knew that I wanted to work with animals some day," she said. "I started an Instagram account to share the daily antics of my baby goats with family and friends."

A photo posted by Goats of Anarchy (@goatsofanarchy) on Dec 12, 2016 at 6:11pm PST

Sweet baby  A photo posted by Goats of Anarchy (@goatsofanarchy) on Oct 31, 2016 at 12:35pm PDT

From day one of Lauricella's journey, she had a good feeling.

Story continues

"The thought of giving up shopping and appointments at the nail salon was scary, but I didn't care. It didn't take me long to realize what was really important in life. On my very first day of unemployment, Instagram featured a photo of mine on their home page and I acquired 30k new followers in one day. I took this as a sign that I was on the right track!" she said.

Once Lauricella took in her first two rescue goats, Ansel and Petal, she was able to focus her passion on caring for sick or special needs baby goats.

"They were both very sick with e. coli rescued from a hoarding situation nearby. There were many sleepless nights, staying up with Ansel when the doctors feared he would not survive."

A photo posted by Goats of Anarchy (@goatsofanarchy) on Dec 8, 2016 at 8:43am PST

A photo posted by Goats of Anarchy (@goatsofanarchy) on Nov 26, 2016 at 6:19pm PST

An added bonus to running the goat sanctuary is being able to interact with her fans online.

"The wonderful people who follow my account are the most supportive, goat-loving people from all over the world. Many of them are emotionally invested in the lives of these goats and check out the Instagram account several times per day to find out what they're up to," she told Mashable.

A photo posted by Goats of Anarchy (@goatsofanarchy) on Nov 14, 2016 at 10:23am PST

Lauricella was frank about how costly running Goats of Anarchy is.

"Most rescues and sanctuaries are either too large or not well funded enough to handle the physical and financial demands of special needs goats. Surgeries, medications, prosthetics and rehabilitation adds up!" she explained. "I am very fortunate to have so many dedicated followers who will step up to provide our babies with the medical care that they need."

So how did Lauricella financially adjust from her fancy New York career to running Goats of Anarchy?

Through donations, t-shirt sales, calendar sales and other fundraisers, Lauricella has been able to sustain the sanctuary. She also wrote a book about her goats, which is coming out in March.

She also explained how she was able to support herself with no salary at the beginning of this journey.

"I was fortunate to have a supportive husband and was able to go without income for a good while," she said. "I just had to get used to living without a few things."

A photo posted by Goats of Anarchy (@goatsofanarchy) on Nov 12, 2016 at 12:29pm PST

You may remember reading about Polly, one of Lauricella's goats who suffers from blindness, anxiety and other neurological issues, which are allayed when she wears her duck costume. Lauricella feels particularly connected to Polly, so much so that she wrote a book about the sweet baby goat and her duck costume that's slated for release sometime in 2017.

Polly went shopping with me at @tractorsupply today. As soon as I swaddle her or put her duck coat on, she's out like a light! I bet every parent wishes their kids behaved this well in the store! #swaddlebaby A photo posted by Goats of Anarchy (@goatsofanarchy) on Oct 20, 2016 at 11:44am PDT

And books aren't Goats of Anarchy's only future plans  it has a second location opening in January.

"I have been blown away by how fast we are growing and by the amount of support we receive from all over the world. I had no idea that the need for a special needs goat rescue was so great. I built a barn in June and it's already full!" she told Mashable. "I am so excited to announce that we are opening our second location in January of 2017! It's only 15 minutes away and we will be able to continue saving lives with this property."

We can't wait to see the cute new Instagram photos the second location inevitably brings.


Meghan Markle's romance with Prince Harry has definitely made headlines, but it's also made her the most searched actress on Google.

The Suits star, alongside Brad Pitt, topped Google's list of 2016's most searched actors. Interestingly, Pitt's ex, Angelina Jolie, did not make the top 10.

WATCH: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Spotted Christmas Tree Shopping in London

2016 was also a great googling year for Beyonce, who was the most searched musical artist -- "Formation" was also the most-searched song, and Rachel Roy was the most searched fashion designer (see: Becky with the good hair).

Kanye West also made the list -- coming in at the 10th most searched designer and 8th most searched musical artist.

The top searched people, however, were perhaps more fitting for this year's landmarks: the Rio Olympics and the presidential election. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were the first and second most searched people, respectively, while Olympians Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Simone Biles and Usain Bolt all placed in the top 10.

The Olympics was also the top-searched news keyword, with elections coming in second in both news and the "How to..." category. "How to register to vote" came behind "How to play Pokemon Go." The popular app also topped election-related questions in the "What is" category.

RELATED: Social Media Posts That Changed the Game in 2016: From Kim Kardashian's Naked Selfie to Taylor Swift's New Man

Though Kim Kardashian has taken a break from her selfie game since her robbery in Paris, the reality star still topped the list of most searched selfies.

As for the top searches overall, that would be Powerball, Prince and Hurricane Matthew, as the top three, respectively, with the Olympics, David Bowie, Trump, Election and Hillary Clinton all making the top 10.

Worlds -- and search terms  collided recently when Trump and West met up at Trump Tower in New York City on Tuesday.

Story continues

See more about their meeting in the video below.

Related Articles
Photo credit: Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved

From Cosmopolitan

"What are you?" A question I get asked every week of my life, often every day. "Well," I say, as I begin the verbal dance I know all too well. "I'm an actress, a writer, the editor-in-chief of my lifestyle brand The Tig, a pretty good cook, and a firm believer in handwritten notes." A mouthful, yes, but one that I feel paints a pretty solid picture of who I am. But here's what happens: They smile and nod politely, maybe even chuckle, before getting to their point, "Right, but what are you? Where are your parents from?" I knew it was coming, I always do. While I could say Pennsylvania and Ohio, and continue this proverbial two-step, I instead give them what they're after: "My dad is Caucasian and my mom is African-American. I'm half black and half white."

To describe something as being black and white means it is clearly defined. Yet when your ethnicity is black and white, the dichotomy is not that clear. In fact, it creates a gray area. Being biracial paints a blurred line that is equal parts staggering and illuminating. When I was asked by ELLE to share my story, I'll be honest, I was scared. It's easy to talk about which makeup I prefer, my favorite scene I've filmed, the rigmarole of "a day in the life," and how much green juice I consume before a requisite Pilates class. And while I have dipped my toes into this on Thetig.com, sharing small vignettes of my experiences as a biracial woman, today I am choosing to be braver, to go a bit deeper, and to share a much larger picture of that with you.



It was the late '70s when my parents met. My dad was a lighting director for a soap opera and my mom was a temp at the studio. I like to think he was drawn to her sweet eyes and her Afro, plus their shared love of antiques. Whatever it was, they married and had me. They moved into a house in the Valley in L.A., to a neighborhood that was leafy and affordable. What it was not, however, was diverse. And there was my mom, caramel in complexion with her light-skinned baby in tow, being asked where my mother was since they assumed she was the nanny.

Story continues

I was too young at the time to know what it was like for my parents, but I can tell you what it was like for me - how they crafted the world around me to make me feel like I wasn't different but special. When I was about 7, I had been fawning over a boxed set of Barbie dolls. It was called The Heart Family and included a mom doll, a dad doll, and two children. This perfect nuclear family was only sold in sets of white dolls or black dolls. I don't remember coveting one over the other, I just wanted one. On Christmas morning, swathed in glitter-flecked wrapping paper, there I found my Heart Family: a black mom doll, a white dad doll, and a child in each color. My dad had taken the sets apart and customized my family.

Fast-forward to the seventh grade and my parents couldn't protect me as much as they could when I was younger. There was a mandatory census I had to complete in my English class  you had to check one of the boxes to indicate your ethnicity: white, black, Hispanic or Asian. There I was (my curly hair, my freckled face, my pale skin, my mixed race) looking down at these boxes, not wanting to mess up, but not knowing what to do. You could only choose one, but that would be to choose one parent over the other - and one half of myself over the other. My teacher told me to check the box for Caucasian. "Because that's how you look, Meghan," she said. I put down my pen. Not as an act of defiance, but rather a symptom of my confusion. I couldn't bring myself to do that, to picture the pit-in-her-belly sadness my mother would feel if she were to find out. So, I didn't tick a box. I left my identity blank - a question mark, an absolute incomplete - much like how I felt.

When I went home that night, I told my dad what had happened. He said the words that have always stayed with me: "If that happens again, you draw your own box."



I never saw my father angry, but in that moment I could see the blotchiness of his skin crawling from pink to red. It made the green of his eyes pop and his brow was weighted at the thought of his daughter being prey to ignorance. Growing up in a homogeneous community in Pennsylvania, the concept of marrying an African-American woman was not in the cards for my dad. But he saw beyond what was put in front of him in that small-sized (and, perhaps, small-minded) town, and he wanted me to see beyond that census placed in front of me. He wanted me to find my own truth.

And I tried. Navigating closed-mindedness to the tune of a dorm mate I met my first week at university who asked if my parents were still together. "You said your mom is black and your dad is white, right?" she said. I smiled meekly, waiting for what could possibly come out of her pursed lips next. "And they're divorced?" I nodded. "Oh, well that makes sense." To this day, I still don't fully understand what she meant by that but I understood the implication. And I drew back: I was scared to open this Pandora's box of discrimination, so I sat stifled, swallowing my voice.

I was home in L.A. on a college break when my mom was called the N-word. We were leaving a concert and she wasn't pulling out of a parking space quickly enough for another driver. My skin rushed with heat as I looked to my mom. Her eyes welling with hateful tears, I could only breathe out a whisper of words, so hushed they were barely audible: "It's OK, Mommy." I was trying to temper the rage-filled air permeating our small silver Volvo. Los Angeles had been plagued with the racially charged Rodney King and Reginald Denny cases just years before, when riots had flooded our streets, filling the sky with ash that flaked down like apocalyptic snow; I shared my mom's heartache, but I wanted us to be safe. We drove home in deafening silence, her chocolate knuckles pale from gripping the wheel so tightly.

It's either ironic or apropos that in this world of not fitting in, and of harboring my emotions so tightly under my ethnically nondescript (and not so thick) skin, that I would decide to become an actress. There couldn't possibly be a more label-driven industry than acting, seeing as every audition comes with a character breakdown: "Beautiful, sassy, Latina, 20s"; "African-American, urban, pretty, early 30s"; "Caucasian, blonde, modern girl next door." Every role has a label; every casting is for something specific. But perhaps it is through this craft that I found my voice.

Being "ethnically ambiguous," as I was pegged in the industry, meant I could audition for virtually any role. Morphing from Latina when I was dressed in red, to African-American when in mustard yellow; my closet filled with fashionable frocks to make me look as racially varied as an '80s Benetton poster. Sadly, it didn't matter: I wasn't black enough for the black roles and I wasn't white enough for the white ones, leaving me somewhere in the middle as the ethnic chameleon who couldn't book a job.

This is precisely why Suits stole my heart. It's the Goldilocks of my acting career - where finally I was just right. The series was initially conceived as a dramedy about a N.Y. law firm flanked by two partners, one of whom navigates this glitzy world with his fraudulent degree. Enter Rachel Zane, one of the female leads and the dream girl - beautiful and confident with an encyclopedic knowledge of the law. "Dream girl" in Hollywood terms had always been that quintessential blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty - that was the face that launched a thousand ships, not the mixed one. But the show's producers weren't looking for someone mixed, nor someone white or black for that matter. They were simply looking for Rachel. In making a choice like that, the Suits producers helped shift the way pop culture defines beauty. The choices made in these rooms trickle into how viewers see the world, whether they're aware of it or not. Some households may never have had a black person in their house as a guest, or someone biracial. Well, now there are a lot of us on your TV and in your home with you. And with Suits, specifically, you have Rachel Zane. I couldn't be prouder of that.

At the end of season two, the producers went a step further and cast the role of Rachel's father as a dark-skinned African-American man, played by the brilliant Wendell Pierce. I remember the tweets when that first episode of the Zane family aired, they ran the gamut from: "Why would they make her dad black? She's not black," to "Ew, she's black? I used to think she was hot." The latter was blocked and reported. The reaction was unexpected but speaks of the undercurrent of racism that is so prevalent, especially within America. On the heels of the racial unrest in Ferguson and Baltimore, the tensions that have long been percolating under the surface in the U.S. have boiled over in the most deeply saddening way. And as a biracial woman, I watch in horror as both sides of a culture I define as my own become victims of spin in the media, perpetuating stereotypes and reminding us that the States has perhaps only placed bandages over the problems that have never healed at the root.

I, on the other hand, have healed from the base. While my mixed heritage may have created a grey area surrounding my self-identification, keeping me with a foot on both sides of the fence, I have come to embrace that. To say who I am, to share where I'm from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman. That when asked to choose my ethnicity in a questionnaire as in my seventh grade class, or these days to check "Other," I simply say: "Sorry, world, this is not Lost and I am not one of The Others. I am enough exactly as I am."



Just as black and white, when mixed, make gray, in many ways that's what it did to my self-identity: It created a murky area of who I was, a haze around how people connected with me. I was gray. And who wants to be this indifferent color, devoid of depth and stuck in the middle? I certainly didn't. So you make a choice: Continue living your life feeling muddled in this abyss of self-misunderstanding, or you find your identity independent of it. You push for color-blind casting, you draw your own box. You introduce yourself as who you are, not what color your parents happen to be. You cultivate your life with people who don't lead with ethnic descriptions such as, "that black guy Tom," but rather friends who say: "You know? Tom, who works at [blah blah] and dates [fill in the blank] girl." You create the identity you want for yourself, just as my ancestors did when they were given their freedom. Because in 1865 (which is so shatteringly recent), when slavery was abolished in the United States, former slaves had to choose a name. A surname, to be exact.

Perhaps the closest thing to connecting me to my ever-complex family tree, my longing to know where I come from, and the commonality that links me to my bloodline, is the choice that my great-great-great grandfather made to start anew. He chose the last name Wisdom. He drew his own box.

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Photo credit: undefined

From ELLE

Meghan Markle has topped Google's list of the most-searched actresses in 2016. Markle was best known for her role in USA's slick legal drama Suits until the end of October, when news broke that she was dating Prince Harry  so to put this in context, a majority of those Google searches probably happened in the last month and a half.

Marion Cotillard is number two for what would appear to be reasons similarly unconnected to her acting career. Cotillard has had a relatively quiet year in terms of mainstream film work, but made headlines in September thanks to unsubstantiated rumors of an affair with Brad Pitt.

Things get more encouraging further down the list: both of this year's female acting Oscar winners, Brie Larson and Alicia Vikander, made the cut, as did Star Wars' Daisy Ridley and Stranger Things' young breakout star Millie Bobbie Brown. Read the full list below:

1. Meghan Markle

2. Marion Cotillard

3. Jodie Sweetin

4. Daisy Ridley

5. Brie Larson

6. Jenna Dewan Tatum

7. Leslie Jones

8. Kate McKinnon

9. Alicia Vikander

10. Millie Bobby Brown

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Mexico City (AFP) - Mexico's Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing medical marijuana after a national debate on narcotics policy in a country mired in brutal drug violence.

In a major policy shift, President Enrique Pena Nieto proposed legalizing medical marijuana in April after his government organized forums to discuss changes to the laws.

Senators voted 98-7 for the legislation, moving Mexico closer to joining several US states and other nations in Latin America in allowing cannabis for medical uses.

The bill -- which now moves to the lower chamber of deputies -- falls short of demands among some lawmakers and civil groups who argue that a wider legalization of marijuana use can help the country reduce drug-related violence.

But proponents said it is a major step that will address Mexicans' need of an alternative medical treatment.

The bill authorizes the health ministry to design regulations for the use, import and production of pharmaceutical products made from cannabis or marijuana, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the plant's main psychoactive ingredient. Products with one percent concentration of THC would be allowed.

The cultivation of marijuana for medical and scientific purposes will not be punishable.

Senator Cristina Diaz, of Pena Nieto's centrist Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), said the legislation was a historic move that will "lay the foundation to establish in our country an industry for the national production of medicine with cannabis."

Senator Angelica de la Pena Gomez, of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), said there was consensus to "do something different in drug policy" because prohibition "has generated high levels of violence, more than 100,000 deaths and the systematic violation of human rights."

- 'Tiny' step -

But Senator Miguel Barbosa, of the PRD, lamented that the legislation was "well below the expectations of society" regarding reforms of marijuana laws.

Story continues

Senator Armando Rios Piter voted against what he called a "tiny" step to resolve a "failed policy in the battle against organized crime" and called for a discussion on regulating opium poppy production, a source of violence in Guerrero state.

A family in northern Mexico became a symbol of the push to legalize medical marijuana last year when the parents of a young epileptic girl won a court battle to import a cannabis-based treatment to stop her daily seizures.

The girl's father, Raul Elizalde, told AFP that the legislation represented "great progress" but that it should make it easier for patients to acquire THC by letting them buy it without a prescription.

In a separate major case in November 2015, the Supreme Court authorized four individuals to grow and smoke pot for recreational purposes.

Pena Nieto is opposed to a broader legalization of marijuana but he has proposed increasing the amount of the drug that can legally be possessed for personal consumption from 28 grams (one ounce) from five grams.

The Senate will draft separate legislation on raising the possession limit.

For Elizalde, a broader legalization of marijuana is "still a long way off" in Mexico.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a bill approving the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, the latest in a series of legal changes and court rulings that have somewhat relaxed cannabis laws in Mexico.

The Senate said in a statement summarizing the debate that the measure directs the Health Department to "design public policies to regulate the medicinal use of this plant and its derivatives."

The legislation now goes to the lower Chamber of Deputies for consideration.

Sen. Cristina Diaz Salazar, a member of President Enrique Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party, said the measure aims to solve the urgent needs of Mexicans who are unable to access pot-based medicines.

According to the summary, she called it "a historic step."

Some lawmakers argued that the bill does not go far enough because it does not cover individual cultivation of marijuana, other narcotics such as opium paste and poppies, or broader issues such as the war on drugs.

Sen. Armando Rios Piter of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party voted no. He acknowledged the legislation would benefit patients suffering from some chronic diseases, but called it a "very small" achievement that fails to address "the failure of the policy of combatting organized crime."

"To celebrate that we are making a material change on marijuana would be fooling ourselves at this stage of the game," Rios Piter was quoted as saying.

In the decade since then-President Felipe Calderon launched a militarized offensive against Mexico's drug cartels, more than 100,000 people have been killed and some 30,000 more are missing.

Starting last year the Mexican government began granting permits letting some patients import medicinal marijuana products. It has also decriminalized small amounts of marijuana and issued several permits for people to cultivate and possess pot for personal use.

Those permits have only covered the specific individuals involved, however, rather than blanket laws applicable to all of Mexican society.

The bill passed Tuesday would also authorize cultivation of marijuana plants for medical and scientific purposes and establish that industrial products with concentrations of 1 percent THC or less would be legal to buy, sell, import and export.

It was approved on a vote of 98-7, with one abstention.
Mexicos Colima volcano erupted twice on December 13, emitting two columns of steam and ash over Jalisco and Colima provinces.

Jaliscos Civil Protection agency said in a series of tweets that one of the columns was over 6,000 feet high and warned residents of the western Mexican province to avoid contact with the volcanic ash.

This video shows the two exhalations from the Colima volcano on Tuesday. Credit: YouTube/webcamsdemexico via Storyful
Canada's China-born Miss World contestant Anastasia Lin will not attend the U.S. premiere of an indie movie she stars in, apparently because she has protested Chinese human rights abuses.

Lin, the reigning Miss World Canada and a Vancouver-based actress, has had to back out of appearing a Wednesday night screening of The Bleeding Edge, a thriller about forced human organ harvesting in China by award-winning director Leon Lee.

Marion Smith, executive director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, which is organizing the film screening in Washington, D.C., claims the London-based Miss World Organization imposed a "gag order" on Lin because of her longstanding activism against religious persecution in China.

"The premiere will go on, but we are disappointed she (Lin) will not be able to attend because the Miss World organization denies her permission," Smith said Tuesday in a statement. The screening of the film, in which Lin plays a mother and Falun Gong practitioner jailed and tortured in a Chinese labor camp, comes ahead of Sunday's Miss World pageant in Washington.

Lin won the Miss World Canada competition in 2015, but was denied a visa by Chinese authorities in Hong Kong to attend last year's Miss World competition in her native China. Having missed the 2015 Miss World finals, Canada asked Lin to represent the nation at the 2016 Miss World pageant.

Julia Morley, chairman of the London-based Miss World Organization, in an email to The Hollywood Reporter, said Lin "is with every other nation rehearsing" for the pageant. "She is doing this of her own free will," Morley added, without directly addressing her absence from Wednesday night's screening of The Bleeding Edge.

Lin was not immediately available for an interview. But sources close to the pageant say the Miss World Organization has denied all requests by media outlets, including from the Associated Press, The New York Times and Reuters, to interview Lin.

Story continues

Sources indicate Miss World organizers do not want their pageant event to become embroiled in Lin's activism, which includes support of the Falun Gong, a religious group banned in China. Lin left China at age 13 to live in Canada, but her aging father remained behind.

The Canadian pageant contestant is understood to have met this week at the U.S. State Department in Washington with David Saperstein, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. Because the meeting was private and included Lin voicing concern for the safety of her father in China, it was allowed to go ahead, but only with a representative from the Miss World pageant coming along as a chaperone.

The Bleeding Edge was financed by Canadian tax credits and industry subsidies received after Lee earned a Peabody Award for his 2014 documentary Human Harvest, about illegal organ harvesting in China.

This is not the first time Canadians have been subject to apparent pressure from Chinese authorities over films about the banned Falun Gong. The CBC in 2007 pulled a documentary that probed Falun Gong persecution in China after receiving protests from Chinese diplomats and ahead of the public network's broadcast of the 2008 Summer Olympics from Beijing.

Lin's other movie credits include the thriller Destined, directed by Ray Yuan and Xinyu Wang, and Red Lotus, a short film for Swedish television by Fenix Film that has the Canadian actress playing a young woman jailed for her Falun Gong ties.

Read more: Miss Universe Pageant Returns to NBC, Telemundo in 2015
Deuba urges NC cadres to prepare for local polls

Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has urged party leaders and cadres to lead by example by being the first party to prepare for local polls.
Credit Suisse Group AGs CS long-term rating has been upgraded to A1 by Moodys Investors Service. This includes the senior unsecured debt ratings of the group's main operating entity, Credit Suisse AG. Further, the companys senior program ratings were upgraded to (P)Baa2 from (P)Baa3.



The rating agency also upgraded the guaranteed long-term debt ratings of Credit Suisse Group Funding (Guernsey) Limited by a notch to Baa2.



The companys baa2 standalone credit assessment (BCA), A1 (cr)-Prime-1(cr) Counterparty Risk Assessments, and other long and short-term ratings remained unchanged.



The rating firms outlook for the parent holding company and the main operating company remains stable.



Why the Upgrade?



The rating upgrade was prompted by changes in the groups liability structure, whereby the senior unsecured debt level of the groups parent holding company was increased, in addition to the planned issuance in future. This will enable the company to provide additional loss absorption facility to bondholders in an event of failure.



Further, the evaluation is based on Moody's advanced loss given failure (LGF) analysis that considers the group's balance sheet position at the end of Sep 2016, the senior unsecured issuance made and Moody's expectation of additional issuance in the near term. This results into an extra notch of LGF uplift in the related ratings.



The A1 rating of the Credit Suisse AGs senior unsecured includes the addition of three notches of uplift, reflecting its exceedingly low LGF. Additionally, it also incorporates one notch of uplift, highlighting a modest possibility of government support.



The senior unsecured rating for the holding company is rated at the bank's baseline credit assessment (BCA), highlighting its moderate LGF. Moodys believes that the company has a small chance of obtaining support from the government in case of need and, thus, will not gain from any uplift resulting from government support.



Also, as required under the Swiss banks Too-Big-To-Fail regulation, the company has built CHF 22.7 billion of Gone-Concern capital so far, with CHF 26 billion of loss-absorbing capital remaining under the Total Loss Absorbing Capacity (TLAC), set by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). This will be issued by Jan 1, 2020, to meet end-state requirements. Notably, management estimates issuance of CHF 1012 billion in senior holding company in 2017.



In addition, the rating firm believes that Credit Suisses performance related to its restructuring efforts is in line with the current baa2 BCA, reflecting a balance between future profitability and execution challenges. Moodys anticipates that this could result in a higher rating, if the bank is able to achieve a significant and sustainable level of profitability resulting from successful restructuring exercises.



However, Moodys remains apprehensive owing to the current state of the companys business, which is presently in the trough of restructuring efforts, resulting in poor profitability. Further, it projects that the companys business will continue to be strained by the disposal of non-core assets held in Strategic Resolution division.



Credit Suisses stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). The companys stock has underperformed the 7.4% growth for the Zacks categorized Foreign Banks industry since the beginning of the year.

Story continues











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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
There's a scene at the end of Barry Jenkins' Moonlight - a magnetic coming-of-age drama told in three chapters which trace the journey of a Florida boy as he becomes a man - when that man named Chiron (played in the final chapter by Trevante Rhodes), answers a question from onetime crush Kevin (played by Andre Holland).

The question: "Who is you, Chiron?" Chiron's response: "I'm just me, man. I ain't trying to be nothing else."

Although actor Ashton Sanders plays the part of Chiron in the second chapter and, thus, the line is not his to deliver, the statement has had an impact on the 21-year-old actor who clearly has embraced that same level of authenticity in his own life ... and closet. So much so that he borrows Chiron's words when asked by The Hollywood Reporter about his style strategy. Not even in an ironic way. It's just him.

Getty Images

"This is just me, man," Sanders explained just steps away from the press line at Vulture's first-ever Awards Season Party at Sunset Tower on Dec. 8.

But just who is Ashton Sanders exactly?

The L.A.-bred actor, who left DePaul University early to chase his Hollywood dreams just across town from where he grew up in a Baptist church, is a man who loves fashion. He's been profiled by WWD and W magazine, and if that weren't enough, his appearance in a cool-as-hell, three-piece look by Louis Vuitton at the Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York in late November, snagged the attention of fashion blogs that had yet to zoom in.

His father worked as a fashion designer, Sanders said, so it's in his blood. But that doesn't mean he can handle the red carpet all by himself, especially when Moonlight is so in demand on the current and very demanding stretch called awards season. The film just snagged an ensemble nomination for the upcoming SAG Awards, and he'll also be walking the carpet at the Independent Spirit Awards where he and his costars will be honored with a special acting prize. The accolades list seems to be growing by the day, and the praise has been supreme. (The New Yorker singled out Sanders, writing that the burgeoning star "has a conjurer's gifts, and an intuitive understanding of how the camera works.")

Story continues

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Sanders also understands how the red carpet works, so he hooked up with stylist Jessie Jamz to collaborate on his carpet ensembles. The two met at an October shoot with celebrity photographer Shanna Fisher for LADYGUNN magazine (he's featured in the mag's Spring/Summer 2017 issue) and have been working together since. "Everything is a twist of how I love to dress and what I like right now and she makes sure that it's A1," Sanders gushed. "I like to have fun and be myself and express myself through how I dress."

Those expressions, which so far have included everything from Valentino and Topman to ASOS and Vuitton, don't necessarily draw from his hometown. Yes, he loves trendsetters like Pharrell Williams, Andre 3000 and the original innovator Jimi Hendrix, but he also loves anything "super mod."

"I look at different generations, like Paris in the '60s," he continued. "And the U.K. All of those artists during that time and the ones I mentioned are unafraid to be themselves and to step out and do something risky."

Alison Buck/WireImage

His steps so far have been well-received, but he can't really put one foot in front of the other these days and not get ambushed by a fan or well-wisher complimenting him on his work in Moonlight. It happened that night at the Vulture party, which hosted big-name attendees like Natalie Portman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Constance Zimmer, Tony Hale, Fred Armisen and Rachel Bloom. (Also making the rounds were New York Mag's CEO Pam Wasserstein, publisher Larry Burstein, editor-in-chief Adam Moss, culture editor Lane Brown, editorial director Neil Janowitz, Hollywood editor Stacey Wilson Hunt and senior editor Kyle Buchanan.)

But it was Regina King who stopped him to say, "You're so wonderful in Moonlight - congratulations. Let's take a picture together," she gushed.

"It's so surreal," Sanders explained of all these opportunities to rub elbows with A-list actors. His favorites so far include Tom Hanks in Rome and Emma Stone down the street. "Hollywood is showing respect for all different types of art."

Spoken like a man who knows exactly who he is.

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images

Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
This is the most expensive ugly Christmas sweater in the world, and it costs $30,000

It turns out the holidays are indeed the most wonderful  and also the most bizarre!  time of the year. To make your holiday season truly ~magical~ Swarovski teamed up with a clothing company called Tipsy Elves to create the most expensive ugly Christmas sweater in the world, and its a doozy.

Priced at $30,000, the sweater is covered in an astonishing 24,274 crystals and took the so-called crystal ninja at Swarovski 52 hours to make. Thats more than two days  sheesh! And though its not quite the 20-pound lingerie set from Victorias Secret  covered in a staggering 450,000 Swarovski crystals  that walked the runway in Paris recently, this puppy is sure to turn a few heads at the office Christmas party.

Feast your eyes on this festive fabrication, friends!

Ooh wee!

And take a closer look at bedazzled Santa on his magical unicorn  because you know you want to.

So swagged out.

You can actually buy this sweater if you really want to, but in case youd rather spend $30K elsewhere, allow us to make a few suggestions.

Buy yourself a Camaro.

The 2017 2LT starts at $30,405.

Kick off 2017 in your new home  this amazingly stylish tiny house (made from a storage container!) in Phoenix.

df05114996994fa1aba81d3128c3203d

Its actually cheaper than the sweater, at $28,500. See more here.

Fly first class from Los Angeles to Dubai with Emirates and luxuriate in your private suite complete with lay-flat mattress.

We are so not kidding about the cost of this ticket.

Pay off your student loan.

Seriously. How good would that feel? Happy holidays, indeed!

The post This is the most expensive ugly Christmas sweater in the world, and it costs $30,000 appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Photo credit: Jay Bennett

From Popular Mechanics

Just minutes ago, editors at the Popular Mechanics office in Midtown Manhattan noticed that a USAF C-130 and multiple Black Hawk helicopters were circling the area. Shortly after, Twitter erupted with speculation from reporters about the purpose of the military exercise.

Of course, it seems likely that the military flight was conducted because President-elect Donald Trump is currently in New York City and plans to live in Trump Tower for a significant portion of his presidency. One plausible theory is that the aircraft were testing new sensors or other security equiptment installed on Trump Tower or in the surrounding area. Another speculative theory is that the aircraft were scouting out an improvised landing strip that could be used in a future emergency situation to evacuate the president and his family.

Seeing multiple reports of a USAF C-130 and several Black Hawk helicopters circling low (3,000 feet) over Manhattan.



No, that is not normal pic.twitter.com/DaFByrAX3O - Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) December 13, 2016

The aircraft is likely an HC-130 search and rescue aircraft from the 106th Rescue Wing stationed at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, New York. A screenshot of flight information lists the aircraft's call sign as King 22, possibly identifying the plane as an HC-130N Combat King, which are stationed in Westhampton Beach. (Despite the name, the HC-130N is used for combat search and rescue rather than armed conflict.)

The 106th Rescue Wing did not respond to Popular Mechanics' request for comment. Thomas Gibbons-Neff of the Washington Post reports that Colonel Broccoli, commanding officer of the 106th, stated the flights were part of a standard military training exercise.

Col. Broccoli, CO of the 106th Rescue Wing says the C130 circling Manhattan is doing "standard military training." - Thomas Gibbons-Neff (@Tmgneff) December 13, 2016

It may have been a been a benign training exercise, but there isn't anything standard about a C-130 flying at 3,000 feet over Manhattan. At least not until now.

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Photo credit: Tyler Joe

From Harper's BAZAAR

"Interning post-college was the easiest decision I've ever made," exclaims Catherine Smith, founder and CEO of Plan de Ville. The site, one of fashion's newest (and most exciting) e-commerce platforms-and dubbed the Retail Rising Star by Fashion Group International-specializes in emerging and undiscovered designers. Smith's business (like any successful one) solves two problems: one, emerging designers struggle to obtain liftoff in the climate of major department stores and e-comm giants who don't have the time or the appetite to invest in risks; and two, the high-end customer and the entry-level luxury consumer are frustrated by the style sameness in their social circles and in the stores they frequent. In other words: why should a woman purchase a designer dress or jeans she knows her friend is bound to buy as well? And why should a customer new to spending at the luxury price point empty their savings on an item that's bound to feel less special when two other women in her office own it in three colors?

Photo credit: Tyler Joe

Smith and I are sitting in Plan de Ville's new office and showroom in Manhattan's fashion district, just two years after she founded the company out of her downtown apartment. At just shy of 30 years old, Smith's career trajectory from college to corner office is inspiring. Even as her friend, I'm stunned at how far she's come in such a short time. A loud-and-proud "professional coffee getter," her time spent low on the totem pole at an internship at W magazine and then an assistantship at Yigal Azrouel, means she can rescue a garment bag from the depths of a corporate messenger center or a package lost in transitskills she uses to run her own business. The pivotal Devil Wears Prada scene where Miranda Priestly tears apart Andie Sachs during a run-through comes to mind as Smith connects the problem solving skills she learned in internships with her current talents as a buyer, founder and CEO.

"Owning something from a new designer communicates insider status, which is priceless."

"It's about identifying that you have a problem based on an instinctual realizationlike a dress that you intended to have on hand is missingand figuring out how to get it back efficiently because you understand that the dress isn't just a dress," she says emphatically. "It represents jobs and people's income and livelihood and a designer's dreams. If you can track down a rogue messenger in time for a key press or sales appointment, you can do anything."

Photo credit: Tyler Joe

Catherine wears a Beaufille dress and bracelet, her own belt and Chloe Gosslein shoes.

Working for a designer also allowed Smith to witness a collection's production cyclehow an item goes "from sketch to draping, to pre-production samples, a runway show, market appointments to landing on the floor at Saks." She took that knowledge with her when she went back into publishing, this time to be an editorial assistant at Brides, and continued styling freelance with her boss' blessing. "It was when I was dressing women in emerging designers' productbecause as an emerging stylist it was all I really had access tothat gave me the idea of a shopping experience like Plan de Ville," she recalls.

This was around 2013, when Instagram introduced "this idea of aesthetic economy on an app, so young designers were using it to craft their brand identities and launch collections direct-to-consumer." According to Smith, Instagram allowed both her and young designers to launch something without the roadblocks of industry protocol."A designer can now say, 'I've designed seven bags, let's go to market on Instagram.' That's not going to be the most profitable business, but that kind of hype allowed brands like Mansur Gavriel to sell out their collections and waitlist their key styles from the outset."

"A dress isn't just a dress. It represents jobs and people's income and livelihood and a designer's dreams."

Smith noticed a trend: a demand for luxury designer products designed by relative no-names. "But, there was no single shopping destination that just owned that market," she says. Whoever dared to, by default, would stand to please fashion editors, stylists, and the leagues of cosmopolitan women with access to any and every designer brand who were tired of their style overlapping with friends or, even worse, acquaintances. Smith's gut feeling and what Plan de Ville's growth in its early stages have proven is that in this new world of social clout, dropping a brand name that nobody else knows rather than a household one can instantly equate to style star power.

Photo credit: Tyler Joe

Catherine wears a Maison Pere coat and fur scarf, her own pants, Bionda Castana shoes and a Kallmeyer bag.

"Owning something from a new designer communicates insider status, which is priceless," Smith confirms. "I've been lucky enough to attend Couture Week in Paris, and that customer desires a real sense of exclusivity. When you drop that psychology down to shopping off the rack, the experience is ruined for a women who spends $4,000 on a dress for a party only to see it on someone else that same night."

Smith understands that nobody wants to spend $4,000 to feel buyer's remorseand so few customers can afford to. "I don't really subscribe to this whole 'more is more' thing; I'm definitely about less is more where you have a real connection to the things that you buy." In ushering a new wave of young talent, Smith has also championed a graduating class of customers in her own age bracket, who until recently (and likely still) were pillaging sample sales and fast fashion for their statement pieces.

"I'm definitely about less is more, where you have a real connection to the things that you buy."

" I like to say we have statement pieces that have a high degree of wearability. You bought a dress you coveted on the site because it was priced well and you'll love to wear it again and again. I gravitate towards pieces that don't really require a lot of self stylingI want a woman to shop with us, put the pieces on and immediately feel like a rock star." The site aims to "buck the idea of seasonality" where items are selected to withstand the test of time in a buyer's closet and inventory stays on the site until it sells out.

Photo credit: Tyler Joe

Catherine in an Ellery top and jeans.

Early on, Smith pulled away from approaching angel investors to grow her business and decided to run on the smallest budget she could. Starting with fine jewelry and handbags might not seem like the most affordable starting point, but Smith feels confident in her decision to launch ready-to-wear one year in. "It's one thing to sell beautiful earrings that have no size requirements when you have about this much space for inventory, but to jump into ready to wear was a huge endeavor. I decided to do it around the holidays because the site had editorial support from the launch." Her first season was Fall/Winter 2015; she launched with eight designers including Ellery, Gayeon Lee and Giacobbe. "It was basically about who I could get to say yes to selling with us and can I get them to deliver on timeeight designers was the magic number," she admits.

A graduate degree from Parsons under her belt helped her shape how she plans to scale her business, but Smith does not claim to be in the big leagues when selling prospective newcomers to the site. "From the very beginning, I have said that we place very small, conservatively-structured wholesale buysperiod. I have never misrepresented my ability to order from brands, but I pay on time and my buys are not on consignment." This is where that problem for designers to obtain liftoff is solved by Plan de Ville; rather than offering to host the sale of their products on her site, Smith pays for her (albeit, limited) product buys in full and on time, and does not require brands to incur fees on sale or unsold inventory.

"I really have to credit Instagram,..I spend a lot of time looking at everything on there from young design students who are posting sketches to people who are just communicating during market."

As for advice to young designers looking for a jumpstart on her site or any other, Smith has a few keys to success: "Focus on a category, don't try to design an entire collection. Decide what you are very good at and design the best bodysuit or the best dress a woman can wear from coffee in the morning to the beach to lunch. You have got to have a singular vision because there is so much noise in the marketthe only way to be seen is to stand out." The other credos she insists on? Having a cohesive distribution strategy, ask for help, and don't spend too much moneywhether you choose to cut back on hires, travel or participating in every single tradeshow. "Design really strong, core product and put it on the internet. Be strategic about when you hire a team and know full-well what that team is going to do for you," she explains. In practicing what she preaches, Smith has just made her first full-time hire, "a really enthusiastic" recent graduate.

Photo credit: Tyler Joe

From left: Lee Savage clutch, Beaufille bracelet, Richard Braqo sandal, Bionda Castana pump, L'Afshar clutch, Beaufille cuff & Tilda Biehn rings.

There is no room for fluff at Plan de Ville; each brand is hand-plucked with intentionbut there are some that are undoubtedly tentpoles for the site who customers recognize off the bat, ushering them in to shop the even lesser known labels available. Of those, Ellery immediately comes to mind, as does L'Afshar, a minimalistic line of evening clutches. The fashion markets she predicts are the ones to watch for emerging talent include Tbilisi, Georgia as well as Australia and New Zealand.

As for how she scouts these markets, Smith credits the thing she claims started it all-and the fact that she has no shame when it comes to finding the next big thing. "I really have to credit Instagram, I need to call those guys and we need to work together. I spend a lot of time looking at everything on there from young design students who are posting sketches to people who are just communicating during market. I stop women on the street if they are wearing something and I can't place it. I have no shame going up to a women and touching her skirt and asking about the fabric and where she got it."

Photo credit: Tyler Joe

Catherine wears a Georgia Alice top, her own jeans and Chloe Gosslein fur-trimmed pumps.

As far as her goals for Plan de Ville, Smith is open-minded: "I want us to eventually become a partner for a larger retail entity to do all the due diligence needed to incubate young brands. We're dabbling in that right now, but I want to do that on a larger scale, be able to reach more women and be empowered to place big orders that really make a difference in designer's first few seasons."

"I have no shame going up to a women and touching her skirt and asking about the fabric and where she got it."

Plan de Ville has also nailed down tactics to get buyers excited to shop the site over other larger e-tailers, launching new products each week rather than seasonally, per their desire to remove a season's trends from how women invest in their wardrobes. For next season, PDV is speeding up its revolving door of new designer product. Expect labels like Brandon Maxwell, Atea Oceanie, Lee Savage and Brother Vellies as well as newcomers like Rejina Pyo, Mari Giudicelli, Stephanie Rad, Frater Paris, Elenareva and Georgia Alice.

As for Smith, she is looking toward the future for Plan de Ville as quickly as she's expanded its current iteration. "What has been very exciting for me is to partner with brands exclusively to help with their distribution." Smith smartly employs the mantra 'if you can't beat 'em,' and has chosen to represent L'Afshar in the United States, scoring them an audience with Moda Operandi after introducing them to the market in their founding stages. "We are not a showroom, but because we work as a retailer, we are in a position to help introduce designers to the market. Once we get a little bit of support for the on the consumer side and the press side, were in a position to say 'Hey, cool chic buyer that I look up to, I think you might like this line'and then it's off to the races."

Photographs by Tyler Joe; Styled by Carrie Goldberg; Hair & Makeup by Melissa Formica.

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(Corrects title of Pablo Salame in para 10)

By Philip Scipio

NEW YORK, Dec 14 (IFR) - Goldman Sachs on Wednesday named David Solomon and Harvey Schwartz presidents and co-chief operating officers to replace Gary Cohn, who is leaving to head the National Economic Council.

Cohn had been widely expected to succeed CEO Lloyd Blankfein, and his departure - after 26 years - shook up the succession planning at the bank. He had been COO for a decade.

Donald Trump tapped Cohn to lead the NEC, clearing the way for Blankfein to balance his leadership ranks with executives from both Goldman's investment banking and trading wings.

"Solomon as a client guy in investment bank and Schwartz as a client guy in capital markets," said Mike Mayo, an analyst at brokerage CLSA.

"Both traders and bankers are represented at the top of the house," he said, noting that the departure of Cohn, who sees 500 GS clients per year, was a significant loss for the bank.

Solomon, 54, has been the co-head of the investment banking division for a decade.

He is a member of Goldman's management committee and co-chairs the investment-banking division's executive committee.

He had been global head of the financing group, which includes all capital markets and derivative products for the firm's corporate clients.

He joined Goldman Sachs as a partner in 1999.

The bank named another co-head of the investment-banking division, Richard Gnodde, and Pablo Salame, co-head of securities, as vice chairmen of the firm, effective January 1.

The bank has no plans to name a third investment bank head in the near term, according to sources.

Schwartz, 52, is currently Goldman's chief financial officer and will remain in that post until the end of April.

The bank named Martin Chavez deputy CFO, allowing him to learn the ropes as the bank completes its 2016 annual financial disclosure and its first-quarter earnings report in mid-April.

Chavez will assume full responsibilities as CFO in May.

"These five leaders have distinguished themselves in their respective areas of expertise," Blankfein said in a statement.

Story continues

Schwartz has been CFO since 2013 and had been global co-head of the securities division since 2008.

He was head of North America sales from 2005 to 2007, and from 2004 to late 2005 he was co-head of the Americas financing group within investment banking.

Schwartz sits on the bank's management and risk committees.

The installation of co-presidents could lead to a natural competition to succeed Blankfein, as the post has been a launching pad for the top job in the past.

Blankfein served as president, as did his predecessor Henry Paulson, who left Goldman to serve as US Secretary of the Treasury.

Whichever side of the bank is seen to be performing better when the time comes could tip the scales in favor of one candidate or the other.

"The winner will definitely be the guy who generates the most income," said Rafferty Capital analyst Dick Bove. "To me that gives the edge to Solomon."

For the past decade investment banking has outperformed trading, which would favor Solomon. The next decade could see a rebound in trading, however, favoring Schwartz.

CLSA's Mayo said: "Goldman has such a cohesive culture that if there is a contentious relationship they both lose." (Reporting by Philip Scipio; Editing by Marc Carnegie)
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, Africa's oldest leader, criticized some ruling party officials on Wednesday for "shameless and unbridled" ambition in their quest to succeed him. Mugabe, 92, who has ruled the former British colony since independence in 1980, has refused to name a successor, saying the party will do so when the time comes. His age and frequent rumors about his health have stoked a scramble in ZANU-PF over who should succeed Mugabe, who has said he will seek re-election in 2018. Looking frail and laboring through a 40-minute speech, Mugabe condemned what he called "dirty politics" in the party during an address to the ZANU-PF Central Committee ahead of a two-day annual conference starting on Friday. "There is nothing wrong in expressing an ambition, an aspiration, aspiring for position in leadership or for any other higher post in the party," Mugabe said. "But I have, however, frowned upon shameless and unbridled ambition, which seeks to ride roughshod over others. The tradition of our party is never one of bickering over party positions." One faction is widely believed to be maneuvering to impose Mugabe's wife Grace as a successor, another backs Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has the support of war veterans. Political analysts say Mugabe has manipulated politics to set himself up as a president for life and fear instability if he dies in office before the matter of his successor is resolved. (Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by James Macharia and Janet Lawrence)
Passengers at the central train station in Munich, Germany, will no longer be allowed to drink alcohol there at night.

City officials voted Tuesday to forbid people from imbibing at Munchen Hauptbahnhof, which sees nearly a half a million people daily. Rising crime rates were to blame: During the first half of this year, police received 188 reports of assault and robbery  which not only shakes out to multiple attacks per day but also represents more than double the number of attacks from the first half of 2015, the Local reported.

Clusters of Bavarians have reportedly been meeting up at the station and getting rowdy.

"[People are] stealing things from the outside, they're drinking here, they're screaming here, they're dancing here, and we're afraid  not me personally, but my workmate, who was scared in the evening," Sead Korbekowitsch, a florist who works nearby, told BR 24 in German.

The ban, which is scheduled to take effect in January, will forbid the obvious carrying or open consumption of alcoholic beverages between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time daily. People won't be allowed to drink in the station, on nearby streets or at the Paul-Heyse Underpass, Abendzeitung reported.

Johannes Mayer, a spokesman for the district administrative board, told BR 24 the decision to ban alcohol was "a very thorough consideration" made with law enforcement.

Despite Germany's reputation for being a land of free-flowing beer, a movement limiting train drinking has been growing for years. In 2012, the German Police Union complained that inebriated celebrations on the rails quickly became "bellowing and shouting," causing "horror trips" for people who were not partaking, Spiegel Online reported.

Bavaria wasn't even the only place restricting passengers' partying this fall. The city of Nuremberg, which is about two hours from Munich by car, also voted to implement a rule against drinking alcohol at its main train station recently, according to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

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They're baaaack! And they've got Rihanna's stamp of approval.

Juicy Couture track suits, the ubiquitous off-duty celeb uniform of the early 2000s, have seriously upped their fashion game since the days when Britney Spears and J. Lo were paparazzi catnip while traipsing to the grocery store or pumping gas in their velour sweats. Some 21 years into it's history, the brand finally took a giant step closer to its couture namesake when the edgy, high-fashion brand Vetements walked its Juicy collaboration down the Paris Couture runway this July. Vetements designer Demna Gvasalia emblazoned "Juicy" in sparkling sequins along the sleeves and across the plush backsides of his re-envisioned high-glam track suits, in one of 18 brand collaborations with for its Spring 2017 collection.

It wasn't just an ironic wink. It struck a chord with critics and stylish risk-takers like RiRi, who's already worn garments from the collection to two high-profile occasions. She donned a pair of black Vetements x Juicy Couture sleeves while accepting her win for Shoe of the Year for her Fenty Puma Creeper on Nov. 29 in NYC, and she'd already sported looks from the collection during a performance at this year's VMAs.

That musicians would lead the charge makes sense for the brand, which was founded by Duran Duran bassist John Taylor's wife Gela Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy, and eventually acquired by Authentic Brands Group in 2013. Over the years, the brand's been increasingly inspired by "rocker chic" looks (branching out with concert-inspired tees, moto jackets, leather prints and chokers), featured the music of LL Cool J, Blondie and Joan Jet in its digital campaigns, and shot ads on Sunset Blvd in close proximity to famed music venues like the Whisky a Go Go and Viper Room.

"Music plays a very integral role in Juicy's brand identity,"explains Nick Woodhouse, CMO and President of Authentic Brands Group. "The art of music and the lifestyle of celebrities and musicians is very influential to the design, branding and marketing campaigns." Woodhouse also notes that "iconic musicians such as Madonna, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears have supported Juicy Couture throughout the years - and continue to do so today."

The key difference now, thanks to the Vetements collaboration? The brand's not just being rocking down the supermarket aisles or on the way to yoga class, but on the Paris runways and the red carpets of some of the most glamorous nights out. You've come a long way, Juicy.
KU faces leadership void first time in 25 years

Kathmandu University (KU) appears to be heading for leadership void due to failure of members of the selection committee to pick a common candidate for the post of the vice chancellor.
By Simon Lewis YANGON (Reuters) - A group of Rohingya Muslims that attacked Myanmar border guards in October is headed by people with links to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, the International Crisis Group (ICG) said on Thursday, citing members of the group. The coordinated attacks on Oct. 9 killed nine policemen, and sparked a crackdown by security forces in Muslim-majority Rakhine State in northwest Myanmar. At least 86 people have been killed, according to state media, and the United Nations has estimated 27,000 members of the largely stateless Rohingya minority have fled across the border to Bangladesh. Predominantly Buddhist Myanmar's government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, blamed Rohingyas supported by foreign militants for the Oct. 9 attacks, but has issued scant further information about the assailants it called "terrorists". A group calling itself Harakah al-Yakin claimed responsibility for the attacks in video statements and the Brussels-based ICG said it had interviewed four members of the group in Rakhine State and two outside Myanmar, as well as individuals in contact with members via messaging apps. The Harakah al-Yakin, or Faith Movement, was formed after communal violence in 2012 in which more than 100 people were killed and about 140,000 displaced in Rakhine State, most of them Rohingya, the group said. Rohingya who have fought in other conflicts, as well as Pakistanis or Afghans, gave clandestine training to villagers in northern Rakhine over two years ahead of the attacks, it said. "It included weapons use, guerrilla tactics and, HaY members and trainees report, a particular focus on explosives and IEDs," the group said, referring to improvised explosive devices. It identified Harakah al-Yakin's leader, who has appeared prominently in a series of nine videos posted online, as Ata Ullah, born in Karachi, Pakistan, to a Rohingya migrant father before moving as a child to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. "Though not confirmed, there are indications he went to Pakistan and possibly elsewhere, and that he received practical training in modern guerrilla warfare," the group said, noting that Ata Ullah was one of 20 Rohingya from Saudi Arabia leading the group's operations in Rakhine State. Separately, a committee of 20 senior Rohingya emigres oversees the group, which has its headquarters in Mecca, the ICG said. Groups like Islamic State and al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent have referred to the plight of the Rohingya in their material, and the battlefield experience of at least some of the Rohingya fighters implied links to international militants, the ICG said. However, ICG said the group has notably not engaged in attacks on the civilian Buddhist population in Rakhine. And Harakah al-Yakin's statements to date indicate its main goals are to end the persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar and secure the minority's citizenship status. "It is possible, however, that its objectives could evolve, given its appeals to religious legitimacy and links to international jihadist groups, so it is essential that government efforts do not focus only or primarily on military approaches, but also address underlying community grievances and suffering," the ICG said. (Editing by Robert Birsel)
On December 14, 1799, George Washington died at his home after a brief illness and after losing about 40 percent of his blood. So what killed the 67-year-old former President?

Modern medical experts are focused on several likely reasons for why Washington fell ill and died in a 21-hour period. But the illness as diagnosed by his physicians isnt one of those likely causes of death. And it was the same group of physicians that let massive amounts of Washingtons blood in an attempt to cure him.

What is known is this, based on contemporary accounts, including those of Tobias Lear, Washingtons secretary. Two days earlier, an apparently healthy Washington rode around his estate at Mount Vernon on a cold, miserable day. According to Lear, Washington decided to stay in his wet clothes so he could be on time for dinner.

Over night, Washington woke his wife Martha to say he was feeling very sick, and that he could hardly breathe or talk on his own. The former President asked his overseer, Albin Rawlins, to bleed him. Doctors then arrived and bled him four more times over the next eight hours, with a total blood loss of 40 percent.

Washington also gargled with a mixture of molasses, vinegar and butter; he inhaled a steam of vinegar and hot water; and his throat also was swabbed with a salve and a preparation of dried beetles. An enema was also used. By late afternoon, Washington knew he was dying and asked for his will.

Washingtons last words, said Lear, were spoken around 10 p.m. on December 14: I am just going! Have me decently buried; and do not let my body be put into the vault less than three days after I am dead. Then, Do you understand me? . . . Tis well!

Since Washingtons death in 1799, medical practitioners have tried to ascertain what killed the former President so quickly. At the time, Washingtons doctors considered four possible reasons for his demise, and the consensus was cynanche trachealis, also known as the croup, an inflammation of the glottis, larynx or upper part of the trachea that obstructed Washingtons airway.

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But over the years, different theories emerged. In 1917, one doctor theorized that Washington died from diphtheria, and a decade later, another theory arose that Washington suffered from septic sore throat, probably of streptococcic origin, associated with acute edema of the larynx.

But in recent years, a different theory emerged. Dr. Howard Markel, writing for PBS.com last year, summarized the findings, citing research from Dr. David Morens in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In the 215 years since Washington died, several retrospective diagnoses have been offered ranging from croup, quinsy, Ludwigs angina, Vincents angina, diphtheria, and streptococcal throat infection to acute pneumonia. But Dr. Morenss suggestion of acute bacterial epiglottitis seems most likely, said Markel.

Not everyone agrees with that theory, with inflammatory quinsy, or a peritonsillar abscess, as another possible killer.

However none of these diagnoses quite fit the description of Washingtons terminal illness but on the other hand acute epiglottitis does explain all of his symptoms and his demise. His illness is a classic textbook case of acute epiglottitis, wrote Dr. White McKenzie Wallenborn, for the University of Virginia back in 1997.

Another debate has centered on the massive blood letting and the ignored suggestion of a tracheotomy as possible main contributors to Washingtons death. Morens said back in 1999 that the bloodletting likely didnt kill a man of Washingtons size, and the little-used tracheotomy was only occasionally successful.

The truth of the matter is that they did the best they could, against a pathologically implacable foe, using now antiquated and discredited theories of medical practice, Markel said.

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in n out

Fast-food shoppers are more loyal to In-N-Out than any other chain in the business.

In-N-Out customers are more likely to recommend the chain to friends than customers of any other fast-food chain, according to new brand advocacy rankings from YouGov BrandIndex. The West Coast burger chain earned the top score of 52.4, from a range of -100 (would never recommend) to 100 (would always recommend).

According to YouGov BrandIndex CEO Ted Marzilli, In-N-Out's scarcity is key to customers' intense loyalty.

Marzilli told Business Insider that, while YouGov didn't measure exactly why some chains garner more loyalty than others, people may be more likely to recommend In-N-Out because it presents a chance to brag that they've had the chance to visit  an opportunity you would only get if you're on the West Coast.

"In-N-Out is a bit of a scarce resource," said Marzilli. "Burgers and fries don't travel very well."

Critics have said that the 313-location chain's regional nature leads to the "over-hyping" of In-N-Out, with customers singing its praises simply because it is so exclusive.

In n out

"This regional scarcity has played with the minds of burger fans and West Coast residents, realizing they can't get their precious burgers when they travel to other areas," wrote Business Insider's Dennis Green. "Californians should be embarrassed that they fell for this psychological trick hook, line, and sinker and have even gone as far as to integrate it into the regional identity."

Food writer Andy Kryza is another In-N-Out skeptic.

"In-N-Out is beloved by your friends, who encourage you to go for a quickie whenever you can," Kryza wrote in Thrillist. "On my first taste, excitement slowly turned into crippling disappointment. It couldn't be that this legendary burger wasn't great. It must have been a fluke... But it's not. The only constant is the constant disappointment."

Still, Marzilli says that chains can't rely on exclusivity alone. Food quality and dining experience are also key  and have helped provide further reasons for In-N-Out to stay on the West Coast.

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"You can argue it's harder to maintain control [over food quality and restaurant management] as you get bigger," said Marzilli.

In-N-Out says it will not expand because it wants to continue to serve food that is fresh and never frozen. That means all locations need to be relatively near distribution centers in Baldwin Park, California, and Dallas.

NOW WATCH: Why McDonald's and Chipotle test new food concepts in Ohio





More From Business Insider


Photo credit: NASA/JPL

From Popular Mechanics

Engineers are troubleshooting a snag on NASA's Curiosity that's preventing the rover from moving its robotic arm and driving to another spot on Mars, the space agency said Tuesday.

The problem involves a motor in the rover's drill that is used to bore into rocks. Curiosity has been taking pictures and tracking the weather, but doing little else for the past two weeks.

"We're keeping busy with using the other instruments on the rover while they do these tests," said Ashwin Vasavada, project scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the mission.

The team gave a health update on Curiosity while discussing research findings at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.

Photo credit: NASA

Since landing in Mars' Gale Crater in 2012, Curiosity has uncovered geologic evidence of an ancient environment that could have supported primitive life early in the red planet's history.

It clocked nine miles (15 kilometers) since landing, arriving two years ago at its main target - a Martian mountain dubbed Mount Sharp - where it plans to climb to higher and younger rock formations.

Before the snag, the six-wheel rover found more evidence of a watery history on the slopes of Mount Sharp including the presence of certain chemicals that suggests a warmer and wetter past unlike the current frigid, harsh environment.

As NASA diagnosed Curiosity, the long-lived Opportunity rover has been surveying the rim of a huge crater near the Martian equator. Opportunity landed on Mars in 2004 and has outlasted its twin, Spirit, which lost contact after seven years of exploration.

Mars was supposed to get another visitor this year, but a European Space Agency spacecraft crashed while trying to land in October. The mission was not all lost: A companion spacecraft successfully slipped into orbit around Mars, joining five others currently circling overhead.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  The National Guard has stopped all public events at toxic armories across the country in a step to prevent lead exposure.

The order comes a week after an investigation by The Oregonian found that lead from indoor firing ranges had contaminated hundreds of buildings, including nine in Oregon, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported (https://goo.gl/Tvf2hx).

The order, issued Dec. 6, was received by the Oregon Guard on Friday, an Oregon Guard spokesman told the newspaper. Nine Oregon armories were immediately closed to community events.

The order sets imminent deadlines, pledges federal money for cleanup and launches an effort to collect details about contaminated buildings nationwide.

Previous cleanup efforts were sidetracked partly because the Guard required states to assume most of the cost.

The national price tag of the initiative isn't clear, but cleaning contaminated armories could cost federal taxpayers tens of millions. Oregon National Guard officials estimate that taking out lead from the state's armories and repurposing firing ranges will cost $21.6 million.

Oregon spent $2 million on one armory cleaning alone. Ohio spent $3 million decontaminating armories last year.

The order comes almost 20 years after the Guard was warned that its indoor firing ranges were unnecessarily exposing soldiers and others to dangerous lead dust.

It is imperative for states to start cleaning their armories, Lt. Gen. Timothy J. Kadavy, director of the Army National Guard, wrote in the Dec. 6 order.

The order sets deadlines and provides a way for federal Guard officials to have added oversight of toxic armories. But it establishes no firm date for all armories to be cleaned.

National Guard officials did not respond to calls and emails from the newspaper for comment.

___

Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com
Let Parliament decide fate of statute amendment bill: DPM Nidhi

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi has urged the main opposition CPN-UML to end the current political stalemate by allowing the Parliament to decide on the fate of the constitution amendment bill registered by the government.
SNYDER, Neb. (AP) -- A Nebraska company that specializes in making fire trucks is being sold to a publicly traded Michigan company for $36.3 million.

Smeal Fire Apparatus has 400 employees in Nebraska, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. It wasn't immediately clear how the employees would be affected by the deal announced Tuesday with Spartan Motors, which is based in Charlotte, Michigan. The deal is set to close in January.

Firetruck manufacturers like Smeal have been consolidating to increase market share due to a decline in truck orders. Spartan's product line is not as specialized as Smeal, which provides buses along with military, recreational and emergency vehicles.

Smeal currently buys about $30 million worth of structural framework from Spartan, the Omaha World-Herald (http://bit.ly/2gJ2G6t ) reported. The sale terms include financial forgiveness of money that Smeal owes Spartan for recent purchases.

Spartan will determine what happens to Smeal's manufacturing locations and employees, Spartan marketing director Samara Hamilton said. She said combining the companies would most likely increase overall business, which could require more need for employees.

Smeal Chairman Rod Cerny issued a statement saying Spartan was "the perfect fit" for its customers and employees. Spartan President and CEO Daryl Adams said the purchase would enhance his company's emergency vehicle products and expand the geographical reach of its buyers.

About 230 people work at the Smeal's headquarters in Snyder. Smeal also has operations in Neligh.

Smeal became one of the 10 largest fire apparatus companies in the nation after acquiring an aerial ladder business and a tanker company in 2014. Combining with Spartan would make the combined company among the top four.

___

Information from: Omaha World-Herald, http://www.omaha.com
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  More colleges are getting bomb-sniffing dogs in a time of always-looming security threats, with two in New England among the latest.

Black Labradors named Figaro and Bella attended the same training class and arrived in October at the University of Rhode Island and Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, respectively.

Many colleges have used dogs for years to look for drugs. And while some larger schools have had explosive-detection dogs for a while, there has been an uptick in the past year or so, said David Bousquet, president-elect of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators.

"You have to prepare for that and say, 'I'd rather have the protection and not need it, than need it and not have it,'" he said.

Colleges are often a community's hub  the very place bombers seeking maximum carnage would strike, authorities say. The openness of most campuses makes them inherently hard to close off, and some colleges note their events are increasing in size.

And if a threat or bombing occurs, college police don't want to have to wait, sometimes hours, for dogs to arrive from other departments and help do sweeps.

More federal funding is now available for schools to get dogs through the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, Bousquet said, and the law enforcement community in general has adopted a mindset that violence can happen anywhere. The recent car and knife attack at Ohio State, while not a bomb or bomb threat, underscores that reality.

North Carolina State University got two dogs this summer. Yale University in Connecticut has had one for a few years now, as have some schools in the California State University system.

Ohio launched a program in 2014 to place explosive-detection dogs at public colleges. Eight schools received them, including Ohio State, and the initial cost of about $12,000 per dog was paid by the state, according to Ohio Homeland Security spokesman Dustyn Fox.

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Campus police chiefs say having a dog in place will help their departments respond quickly  and can improve relations with students.

"They just feel safe seeing these dogs and knowing they're at work, helping to contribute to the various things the police department does to keep them safe," said Anne Glavin, police chief at California State University, Northridge.

"And who the heck doesn't love a dog?" she said. "Well, a cat lover, I guess."
NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP)  Newtown held a moment of silence Wednesday and flags were flying at half-staff across Connecticut to mark the fourth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

It was Dec. 14, 2012, when 20 children and six educators were killed by a troubled 20-year-old gunman who shot his way into the Connecticut schoolhouse. Adam Lanza fatally shot his mother before driving to the school, and then killed himself after the rampage.

President Barack Obama said in a Facebook post that the anniversary was a day to remember staff and teachers who guided children to safety, the first responders and the victims.

"And we remember the children who held each other in the face of unconscionable evil; who, even as they've grown up in the shadow of this tragedy, will grow up loved and cared for more fiercely than ever," Obama wrote.

Newtown typically does not hold an official memorial event on the anniversary, but prayer services were offered Wednesday and a counseling center was open for extended hours. The governor ordered flags to fly at half-staff in remembrance of the victims.

First Selectman Pat Llodra asked town employees to refrain from doing any work, including answering phones, between 9:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. to mark the time when the shootings took place. In Newtown's schools, it was a regular day of classes, although School Superintendent Joseph Erardi said there would be quiet reflections and age-appropriate messages for students.
Its been four years since a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 20 students and six educators before taking his own life. The town has planned a moment of silence to remember the victims and has asked all town employees to stop working between 9:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. as a sign of respect. Gov. Dannel Malloy also requested that all flags remain at half-staff Wednesday.

"I am certain that many of you will join me in finding private space for personal reflection as the Newtown community continues to recover from an unconscionable act of violence," said Newtown School Superintendent Joseph Erardi Jr.

Though the town does not usually have a designated memorial event, prayer services were planned for Wednesday.

"It never ceases to amaze me the ripple effects that we still feel," Jennifer Barahona, executive director of the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation, told the Hartford Courant.

Since the shooting, 77 related charities have been registered at the Attorney Generals office and have raised more than $28 million. Much of that money has gone to in-school mental health services.

"We had someone who was really debilitated just come forward now who needs a lot of assistance," said Barahona. "There is no uniformity to grieving and people are all over the map when it comes to the help they need."

Sandy Hook Elementary School was demolished in 2014 and rebuilt two years later on the same site. The $50 million new school has advanced security measures including gates, deadbolt locks, impact resistant glass and surveillance cameras.

"I have respect beyond words for the personal bravery and strength of the survivors in Newtown  and for the tens of thousands of others who shoulder such pain and loss each day across our nation," said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal on the anniversary in 2015. "We will never forget the loved ones lost, and I will never abandon this cause. We must honor with action today and every day."

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Four years after 20-year-old Adam Lanza opened fire on dozens of children at Sandy Hook Elementary Schoolkilling 20 students and six teachers, as well as himself and his motherthe community of Newtown, Connecticut, mourned the anniversary of the massacre Wednesday with moments of quiet reflection, prayers and flags flown at half-staff.

Businesses posted signs informing visitors of a 15-minute period of silence from 9:30 to 9:45 a.m., while the Newtown Interfaith Association led a prayer service at local public schools. Counseling centers extended their hours for those in need of comfort, the News-Times in Danbury, Connecticut reported.

The town has been vocal in recent years about working toward an end to gun violence. In the wake of the election of National Rifle Association-endorsed candidate Donald Trump and a Republican-dominated Congress, many Newtown activists are honing in on a grassroots effort to elect state-level politicians who favor gun control and mental health measures.

Were pivoting to the states and to American businesses and saying, OK, when Congress wont protect constituents, its up to state lawmakers and companies to protect their constituents and customers, Shannon Watts, who created the advocacy group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America after the Dec. 14, 2012 shooting, told the Washington Post. Its a proven, effective strategy and [a] winning strategy. And were going to keep at it as long as it takesto point Congress and the Supreme Court in the direction the nation is headed in.

The advocacy group Sandy Hook Promise has taken its effort to social media, where it won attention with a viral video warning of the consequences of overlooking the behavior of potential shooters.

Gun violence is preventable, text at the end of the video states, when you know the signs.

Activists saw a major victory on the mental health front Monday, when President Barack Obama signed a sweeping health bill that included provisions for boosted mental health support. Congress had passed it by a vote of 94 to 5.

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By Camillus Eboh

ABUJA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Nigeria's parliament is resisting an attempt to underwrite the private companies that run the country's power sector with public money, saying they need to improve the "abysmal" service they provide.

The West African nation, long crippled by blackouts, privatised its electricity sector in 2013 in an effort to improve supplies and attract new investment, neither of which has happened.

In a public hearing on Tuesday, lower house Speaker Yakubu Dogara criticised the plan by the state-backed Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company to issue a 309 billion naira ($983 million) bond to pay monies owed to the firms that took over.

"The whole essence of the ... reform was to bring about efficiency to the Nigerian electricity industry," Dogara said. "Since the transfer to privately-operated companies, we have not had a good report. The statistics show an abysmal situation."

Chronic power shortages are one of the biggest constraints on investment and growth in Africa's largest economy.

Despite the privatisation, Nigeria still produces just a tenth of the 40,000 megawatts a day needed to guarantee supply to its 180 million people, and the system continues to bleed money.

The bulk trading company was set up to guarantee payments to generators from distributors but, with many consumers leaving bills unpaid, is now running a deficit of around 700 billion naira that is growing by 25 billion naira a month, Dogara said.

After privatisation, the government said it would review tariffs as more power was generated and upgrade the transmission network to give more people access to the grid. But tariff reviews have not kept pace with rising costs, worsened by a 30 percent devaluation of the naira currency in June, analysts say.

In August, the power firms warned they would shut down supplies unless the government paid bills due from pre-privatisation days.

The central bank has provided a 213 billion naira loan to allow them to access credit and keep the system afloat, but an oil price slump that began in 2014 has forced the OPEC member state to tighten the purse strings as state revenues have shrunk.

Story continues

With the slump also having hammered the naira, Nigeria is in its worst economic crisis in 25 years.

The government planned a record 6.06 trillion naira budget for this year to kick-start a recovery but has struggled to fund it.

($1 = 314.50 naira) (Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by Alexis Akwagyiram and John Stonestreet)
Local level restructuring report within Dec 22

The Local Level Restructuring Commission is making preparations to submit its report to the government before December 22.
By Maki Shiraki and Naomi Tajitsu

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Renault SA (RENA.PA) CEO Carlos Ghosn is set to receive a third salary after Nissan-controlled Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T) on Wednesday approved the Frenchman as its chairman along with a tripling in compensation for board members.

Shareholders voted in favour of raising the ceiling on combined annual compensation for Mitsubishi's 11 internal and external directors to 3 billion yen (20.60 million pounds), including 2 billion yen in salary and 1 billion yen in stock options.

Mitsubishi has revamped top management and appointed Ghosn to head its 11-member board after Nissan in October took a 34 percent controlling stake in Japan's sixth-largest automaker, which is struggling to recover from a mileage-cheating scandal.

At a special shareholders meeting, some raised concerns about bumping up executive pay while Mitsubishi was on track to post an annual net loss after it overstated the fuel economy on many of its domestic models.

"We didn't think it was appropriate to reduce compensation while prioritising the company's recovery," CEO Osamu Masuko told shareholders.

The automaker said it was increasing its top-level pay scheme to incentivise executives to improve the company's management and attract talent.

"Compensation (excluding stock options) will not be doubled if we don't return to the black next year, for example. Because compensation will be merit-based, if our performance is not good, director salaries will reflect that," he said.

Mitsubishi now has the firepower to raise compensation after paying its previous board of 10 directors 423 million yen in the year ended March, below the maximum 960 million yen previously set aside for such compensation.

The company has yet to determine salary and benefits for Ghosn, and a breakdown of Wednesday's voting was not immediately available.

As the head of the Renault-Nissan automaker alliance, Ghosn received combined compensation of around $17 million in 2015 despite a vote by Renault shareholders against his pay package of 7.2 million euros ($7.65 million) earlier this year.

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Executive pay is a major political issue in France, whose government commands more than 18 percent of voting rights in Renault. Ghosn last month told Reuters he expects the government to oppose his pay package in 2017.

Ghosn is already among the top-paid executives in the auto industry, which also include General Motors CEO Mary Barra, who received a combined $28.6 million in salary and perks last year, and Ford CEO Mark Fields, who was paid a total of $18.6 million.

($1 = 115.1100 yen)

($1 = 0.9407 euros)

(Reporting by Maki Shiraki and Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
SCOTTSDALE, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / December 14, 2016 / On December 14, 2016, NOHO, Inc. (OTC PINK: DRNK), a Wyoming corporation (the Company), announced the following:

The Company has negotiated a letter of intent to acquire, TargetRemarket, with an anticipated closing date of January 31, 2017.

This acquisition target has done $500,000 in revenues for the 2016 test period. The Company is a related business component that was not made a part of the initial transaction with ChoiceAdz.com, Inc.

The Company is proud to announce that the acquisitions of Essential Marketing Systems, LLC (EMS), of Scottsdale, Arizona and ChoiceAdz.com, Inc. (ChoiceAdz), operating as BizConnect360.com, of Yorba Linda, California, have now been completed.

ChoiceAdz.com has already done $350,000 in revenue in 2016 and is operating profitably. Its projected revenue for 2017 is well beyond $1,800,000.

These companies presently operate in the advertising technology space and the acquisitions will expand NOHO's product lines to offer customers a bundled suite of advertising and business services from a streamlined and direct platform.

NOHO, Inc., CEO David Mersky stated: "To get these acquisitions done before the end of the year has been a gigantic effort and I want to thank the people on my staff for their hard work.

The EMS acquisition will add an additional minimum $1 Million valuation to the Company's balance sheet as well as consolidate operations and support. Integration of the ChoiceAdz platform will allow the Company to launch sales from its new sales center opening in January 2017 and offer the full slate of services under the BizConnect360.com brand."

The Company also intends to consolidate Make It Rain Enterprises, Inc. (MIR), Inc., in a related party transaction, as a wholly owned subsidiary. MIR has provided acquisition consulting services that resulted in the recent acquisitions by NOHO. This transaction is anticipated to be accomplished without any issuance of stock.

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CEO David Mersky continued: "Now that BizConnect360 has been acquired, the Company is focusing on a related business component that was not made a part of the initial transaction TargetRemarket."

Retargeting is a form of online advertising that uses cookie-based technology to track users as they move across the web. As initial display advertising results in low sales conversions, retargeting allows advertisers to follow prospective customers on many different sites as they browse the web and display their ads on multiple occasions. Studies show that retargeting increases conversions up to 70%.

The main challenge in retargeting for small businesses has been the high cost and limited data. TargetRemarket has solved both of those concerns in line with the newly acquired BizConnect360 product suite, by using its proprietary ad technology to pass on significantly reduced costs to customers and provide access to highly targeted data sets that will maximize conversions for any marketing campaign. In addressing the acquisition, CEO David Mersky said: "This is the first legitimate retargeting product we've seen that is actually affordable for the small business owner."

The Company will also offer its third-party leasing and financing options that will permit many smaller advertisers to enter the online space for the first time. Further announcements on the progress of these negotiations will be made as they develop.

The Company, in an ongoing effort to retire debt and restructure, intends on becoming fully reporting again under Section 12(b) or (g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in the near future.

The Company has just completed a logo contest for its new proposed name, IMBUTEK CORPORATION, at www.logomyway.com. The Company is asking shareholders to provide input to help choose the winning design. Please let us know your selection by emailing us at: info@nohodrink.com.

Safe Harbor for Forward-looking Statements:

This news release may contain forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. While these statements are made to convey to the public the Company's progress, business opportunities, and growth prospects, they are based on managements current beliefs and assumptions as to future events. However, since the Company's operations and business prospects are always subject to risk and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this news release might not occur, and actual results could differ materially from those described, anticipated, or implied. For a more complete discussion of such risks and uncertainties, please refer to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investor/Media Contact:

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info@nohodrink.com

SOURCE: NOHO, Inc.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- The discovery of an oil pipeline spill earlier this month in western North Dakota has received heightened attention because of the battle over the Dakota Access oil pipeline being built about 150 miles to the southeast.

While the spill was on a different pipeline, the Standing Rock Sioux and its supporters say a spill on the Dakota Access pipeline could threaten the tribe's drinking water, which is drawn from the Missouri River.

The developer of the Dakota Access project, Energy Transfer Partners, and the Army are battling in court over permission to cross under Lake Oahe, a Missouri River reservoir  the last large chunk of construction for the $3.8 billion project.

Here are some questions and answers about the spill on the Belle Fourche Pipeline:

___

HOW BIG WAS THE SPILL?

About 176,000 gallons of oil spilled, with about 130,000 gallons that flowed into Ash Coulee Creek. The spill went about 5 miles down the creek, which feeds into the Little Missouri River, a tributary of the Missouri River. A photo released by the North Dakota Department of Health shows the brown muck on the creek's surface, and another photo shows what appears to be the pipeline break with oil oozing out.

As of Wednesday, about 46,000 gallons had been recovered. Regulators don't expect the cleanup to be completed until spring.

It appears no oil got into the Little Missouri River, and no drinking water sources were threatened, according to Bill Suess, an environmental scientist with the health department. The creek was free-flowing when the spill occurred but has since frozen over.

The spill was in a remote area of the southwest part of the state, far from any major population centers. It fouled an unknown amount of private and U.S. Forest Service land along the waterway.

___

HOW WAS THE SPILL DISCOVERED?

A landowner spotted the spill Dec. 5. Electronic monitoring equipment failed to detect the rupture, but it's not clear why, according to Wendy Owen, a spokeswoman for Casper, Wyoming-based True Cos., which operates the pipeline.

Story continues

The pipeline was shut down as soon as the leak was discovered. Owen said erosion of a hillside might have ruptured the pipe, but the cause is still being investigated.

___

IS THIS A BIG SPILL?

It's sizeable, but there have been much larger oil spills in North Dakota. In September 2013, a Tesoro Corp. pipeline break spilled more than 840,000 gallons of oil into a wheat field near Tioga. That spill is still being cleaned up.

True Cos. has a history of spills in North Dakota and Montana, including a January 2015 pipeline break into the Yellowstone River. That 32,000-gallon spill temporarily shut down water supplies in the downstream community of Glendive, Montana, after oil was detected in the city's water treatment system.

___

IS THIS PIPELINE LIKE THE DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE?

It's much smaller. The 6-inch steel Belle Fourche Pipeline, built in the 1980s, is mostly underground but crosses Ash Coulee Creek above ground.

It's one of a network of thousands of miles of similar pipelines that crisscross western North Dakota's oil patch to pick up oil from wells and carry it to collection points, where it ultimately moves into larger pipelines or railroad tankers destined for refineries across the U.S.

The Dakota Access pipeline is a 30-inch steel pipeline that will carry nearly 20 million gallons of North Dakota oil daily through South Dakota and Iowa to a shipping point in Illinois.

It is largely complete except for a segment, blocked by the federal government, that's near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, where it would be buried 90 to 115 feet below Lake Oahe. Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners says the line will have modern leak detection equipment, and that workers monitoring the pipeline remotely could close valves within three minutes if a breach was detected.

The Standing Rock tribe argues that putting the pipeline under the lake imperils drinking water for more than 8,000 tribal members and millions downstream. ETP and other pipeline advocates maintain that transporting oil through pipelines is safer than shipping it by truck or train.
If you want to hail a ride in San Francisco, but dont want to deal with that pesky talking to the driver thing, Uber has good news for you. The ridesharing service has expanded its fleet of autonomous vehicles-for-hire to its home market.

San Francisco is now the second city where Uber has driverless car pickups for public use, after debuting the service in Pittsburgh in September. Like its Pittsburgh service, Ubers self-driving San Francisco fleet is made up of XC90 vehicles made by Volvo, which are equipped with lidar, seven cameras, and wireless technology.

The promise of self-driving is core to our mission of reliable transportation, everywhere for everyone, Anthony Levandowski, Ubers vice president of self-driving technology, wrote in a blog post.

The service will work much like it does in Pittsburgh: starting today, when riders request an UberX, theyll be matched with a self-driving car if one is available. But while the service is only available to some of Ubers most frequent passengers in Pittsburgh, anyone in San Francisco will have a chance to hail one of the driverless cars.

Related Stories From Consumer Reports

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Guide to the State of Self-Driving Cars

Prefer a regular vehicle? Customers will be able to cancel and request a regular driver in the app if theyre matched with a driverless car. There will be a human in the car when it arrives, a company engineer who sits behind the wheel to take over when needed.

A large touch screen showing the route will also let passengers take selfies from a camera facing the back seat, and then, Uber is hoping, email those photos to themselves and share them on social media.

As for whether Uber is actually allowed to do this in San Francisco, its unclear, the New York Times notes: the company wasnt listed on Californias Department of Motor Vehicles website among others that have permits to test autonomous vehicles in the state.

Story continues

All of our vehicles are compliant with applicable federal and state laws, an Uber spokeswoman said in a statement.

Levandowski acknowledges the issue as well, and says everything is fine because the company has humans in every car.

We have looked at this issue carefully and we dont believe we do, he writes, adding that Uber isnt planning to operate any differently than it does in Pittsburgh, where our pilot has been running successfully for several months.

Second, the rules apply to cars that can drive without someone controlling or monitoring them, Levandowski says. For us, its still early days and our cars are not yet ready to drive without a person monitoring them.





More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

7 best mattresses for couples



Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright  2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S.
As the United States battles against a devastating opioid epidemic, reports persist of children and babies accidentally overdosing after mistakenly consuming pills. Other babies are affected even before birth.

The incidence rates for neonatal abstinence syndrome, or babies born addicted to drugs, increased nearly five-fold in the United States since 2000, a report published Monday found. Neonatal abstinence syndrome refers to the multitude of problems that occur when a newborn is exposed to addictive opioids while in the womb. Drugs like heroin, codeine, oxycodone and others pass easily through the protective placenta and cause dependence in the baby before he or she is born. After birth, an addicted baby can exhibit symptoms ranging from blotchy skin to seizures and death if not properly treated.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the rate of babies diagnosed with drug withdrawal symptoms in rural areas skyrocketed to 7.5 cases per 1,000 births in 2012 and 2013 from just over one case per year in the preceding decade.

RTX1XN2A

Photo: Reuters

What this trend tells us is the country faces an addiction crisis. Many Americans face hopelessness, despair, economic hardship and very little appropriate coping mechanisms to deal with that, Dr. Sean Loudin, medical director of a neonatal therapeutic unit at Cabell Huntington Hospital in West Virginia, told CNN. We need to focus on helping Americans deal with their problems of addiction. If we can help the adults who face the disease of addiction, then that will eventually trickle down and reduce the number of babies born exposed to drugs.

The rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome increased 383 percent from 2000 to 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee, nearly two dozen babies were born addicted to drugs in the span of just five months, Wisconsin Public Radio reported in November.

Related Articles
yasmin seweid facebook

A Muslim teenager who reported being harassed on the New York City subway by supporters of President-elect Donald Trump fabricated the story, a New York City Police Department spokesperson told Business Insider.

Yasmin Seweid, 18, a Baruch College student, was in police custody as of Wednesday afternoon and has been charged with filing a false report, as well as obstructing governmental administration, according to the NYPD.

She initially reported that three white men shouting "Donald Trump" verbally accosted her on the subway around 10 p.m. on December 1 as she was leaving a Baruch College event, a local CBS affiliate reported.

"They were surrounding me from behind and they were like, 'Oh look, its an f---ing terrorist,'" Seweid said, according to CBS. "I didnt answer. They pulled my strap of the bag and it ripped, and thats when I turned around and I was really polite and I was like, 'Can you please leave me alone?' And everyone was looking, no one said a thing, everyone just looked away."

Seweid also claimed no bystanders intervened  even as the men, she said, ripped her hijab, or headscarf.

Seweid had many opportunities to tell police the truth, but stood by her story, a police source told the New York Daily News. The source also said that police had "dedicated a lot of resources" to investigating the incident.

"This isnt something we normally like to do but she had numerous opportunities to admit nothing happened and she kept sticking by her story," the source told the Daily News.

Seweid left her house and was reported missing by her father for days, though she later turned up safe at a friend's house.

"You try to raise your children as best you can," Seweid's father, Sayeed, told DNAinfo. "Maybe she was afraid that night. She was running late."

In a separate incident, an 18-year-old Muslim student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette reported being assaulted and robbed by two white men following Trump's election night win. However, the student later admitted to fabricating the story, and wasn't charged.

Story continues

NOW WATCH: Why Ivanka can't serve in a Trump cabinet





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(OAKLAND, Calif.)  Complaints mounted about the cluttered warehouse converted into an illegal artists colony before a deadly blaze ripped through earlier this month, but few  if any  made it to the Oakland Fire Department.

Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed said Tuesday there are no city records showing her department receiving concerns about the building , which former residents, neighbors and others say was the subject of numerous calls to 911.

We do not inspect buildings, we inspect businesses, Reed said during a press conference. There were no indications this was an active business.

City administrator Sabrina Landreth, who also is in temporary charge of the Oakland Police Department, said officials are compiling and reviewing police records to determine how many times officers responded to complaints about the warehouse.

Read More: The Ghost Ship Warehouse Fire Prompts Official Soul-Searching in Oakland

The deadliest structure fire in the U.S. in more than a decade broke out during a Dec. 2 late-night dance party in the cluttered warehouse. It killed 36 people. The building had been converted to art studios and illegal living spaces, and former denizens said it was a death trap of piled wood, furniture, snaking electrical cords and only two exits.

Investigators said that they still havent determined what started the fire, though they say it didnt appear to be intentionally set. Instead, investigators have been focusing on electrical appliances plugged into the rear of the building where the fire started.

The electrical system is still part of the analysis of what sparked the fire, said Jill Snyder, the special agent in charge with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

The ATF has finished collecting evidence, Snyder said. The Oakland Fire Department will prepare a final report for handover to prosecutors.

Prosecutors have warned murder charges are possible as they determine whether crimes are linked to the blaze.

Story continues

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley said Tuesday the criminal investigation will be thorough, methodical and calculated.

City and state officials fielded complaints for years about dangerous conditions, drugs, neglected children, trash, thefts and squabbles at the warehouse, raising questions about why it wasnt shut down.

There are no records that inspectors from the fire and building departments ever set foot in the warehouse.

The fire chief said the warehouse wasnt on the departments list of businesses to inspect because no one ever applied for permits to occupy the building.

Derick Ion Almena, the sometime photographer who rented the warehouse and sublet it to artists, has not responded to emails or calls by The AP to phone numbers associated with him. In a brief interview with NBCs Today show, Alemena said he didnt attend the Dec. 2 party and that he is sorry. Alemena said he lived at the warehouse with his wife and three young children, though they were staying at a hotel the night the fire broke out.

The warehouses owner, Chor Ng, has not responded to emails and calls made by The AP to phone numbers associated with her. The landlords daughter, Eva Ng, told The Los Angeles Times that the Ng family didnt know people were living in the warehouse in violation of city zoning laws.

The blaze was the nations most lethal structure fire since 100 people perished in a Rhode Island bar in 2003.

___

Associated Press writers Kristen Bender and Ellen Knickmeyer in San Francisco contributed to this report.
(Adds quotes, background)

By Matt Spetalnick and Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will make his case directly to President-elect Donald Trump not to derail the recent U.S.-Cuba detente, the White House said on Tuesday, insisting that "turning back the clock" would be damaging to American interests and the Cuban people.

Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said the outgoing administration hopes to persuade the incoming Trump administration to preserve Obama's policy of engagement despite the president-elect's threat to roll back the opening with the communist-ruled island.

Just weeks before Trump takes office, Obama and his aides are seeking to further cement one of his top foreign policy legacy initiatives, a breakthrough between former Cold War foes announced two years ago. But since Obama eased travel and trade restrictions through executive actions, Trump would be able to reverse them on his own if he chooses to do so.

"Cuba has been and will be on the list of issues where President Obama will make his case that this is the right approach for American interests," Rhodes told reporters on a teleconference, referring to transition talks between the two.

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has vowed to "terminate" Obama's engagement with Cuba unless Havana gives the United States what he calls a "better deal," including allowing broader political freedoms on the island. The Cuban government so far has refrained from commenting on Trump's statements.

"What we believe would be very damaging is any effort to turn off the opening," Rhodes said, asserting it would hurt the Cuban people, U.S. business interests and Washington's standing in Latin America.

He said the administration has sought to make the policy "irreversible," and suggested that Trump, a businessman-turned-politician, should consider whether it makes sense to roll it back.

Rhodes, who played a key role in negotiating the opening, said a reversal would boost Cuban "hardliners" opposed to engagement as Havana heads into its own political transition. Cuban President Raul Castro has said he will step down in 2018.

Story continues

"Do you really want to cancel travel plans for hundreds of thousands of Americans?" Rhodes asked. "Do you want to tell businesses as diverse as our major airlines or Google or General Electric... that have been pursuing opportunities in Cuba that they have to terminate those activities?"

Rhodes, who was also in Cuba for memorial services for late Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro this month, said Cuban officials were uncertain about Trump and would wait to see how he proceeded.

The White House is planning a meeting with "stakeholders" on Cuba policy this week, he said.

The administration is pressing Cuba for further economic reforms, Rhodes said, and encouraging new deals with U.S. companies before Obama leaves office.

Rhodes also said there was currently an "incentive structure" for economic change following the death of Fidel Castro, a vocal critic of detente, but that no progress has been made on political reforms.

U.S. critics of Cuba engagement have accused Obama of making too many concessions. But despite restoration of relations, the Republican-controlled Congress has resisted lifting the broader U.S. economic embargo.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner, Ayesha Rascoe, Matt Spetalnick; editing by G Crosse)
By Matt Spetalnick and Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will make his case directly to President-elect Donald Trump not to derail the recent U.S.-Cuba detente, the White House said on Tuesday, insisting that "turning back the clock" would be damaging to American interests and the Cuban people. Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said the outgoing administration hopes to persuade the incoming Trump administration to preserve Obama's policy of engagement despite the president-elect's threat to roll back the opening with the communist-ruled island. Just weeks before Trump takes office, Obama and his aides are seeking to further cement one of his top foreign policy legacy initiatives, a breakthrough between former Cold War foes announced two years ago. But since Obama eased travel and trade restrictions through executive actions, Trump would be able to reverse them on his own if he chooses to do so. "Cuba has been and will be on the list of issues where President Obama will make his case that this is the right approach for American interests," Rhodes told reporters on a teleconference, referring to transition talks between the two. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has vowed to "terminate" Obama's engagement with Cuba unless Havana gives the United States what he calls a "better deal," including allowing broader political freedoms on the island. The Cuban government so far has refrained from commenting on Trump's statements. "What we believe would be very damaging is any effort to turn off the opening," Rhodes said, asserting it would hurt the Cuban people, U.S. business interests and Washington's standing in Latin America. He said the administration has sought to make the policy "irreversible," and suggested that Trump, a businessman-turned-politician, should consider whether it makes sense to roll it back. Rhodes, who played a key role in negotiating the opening, said a reversal would boost Cuban "hardliners" opposed to engagement as Havana heads into its own political transition. Cuban President Raul Castro has said he will step down in 2018. "Do you really want to cancel travel plans for hundreds of thousands of Americans? Rhodes asked. "Do you want to tell businesses as diverse as our major airlines or Google or General Electric ... that have been pursuing opportunities in Cuba that they have to terminate those activities?" Rhodes, who was also in Cuba for memorial services for late Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro this month, said Cuban officials were uncertain about Trump and would wait to see how he proceeded. The White House is planning a meeting with "stakeholders" on Cuba policy this week, he said. The administration is pressing Cuba for further economic reforms, Rhodes said, and encouraging new deals with U.S. companies before Obama leaves office. Rhodes also said there was currently an "incentive structure" for economic change following the death of Fidel Castro, a vocal critic of detente, but that no progress has been made on political reforms. U.S. critics of Cuba engagement have accused Obama of making too many concessions. But despite restoration of relations, the Republican-controlled Congress has resisted lifting the broader U.S. economic embargo. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner, Ayesha Rascoe, Matt Spetalnick; editing by G Crosse)
Nepal on path to record paddy harvest, says DoA

Timely and an above-average monsoon have put Nepal on a path to a record paddy harvest that is expected to boost the economy and farm incomes besides helping the country regain food surplus status.
By Jon Herskovitz

(Reuters) - The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a state law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital near their clinic, saying the measure "places an undue burden on a women's access to abortion."

The court said the 2014 law violates the state's constitution and if it remained on the books, it would have left the state of about 4 million people with only one abortion clinic.

Its decision comes after the U.S. Supreme Court in June struck down a similar restriction in neighboring Texas. Abortion providers challenged the Texas law, saying the requirement it stipulated was medically unnecessary and specifically intended to shut clinics. [nL1N19J0NI]

"We find there is no evidence to support defendants' position that this legislation protects and advances women's health," the Oklahoma court wrote.

Oklahoma Republican lawmakers who backed the law said requiring admitting privileges would ensure continuity of care if there were complications from an abortion. Abortion rights advocates said complications are rare and could be treated at any emergency room.

"I'm disappointed to see another pro-life law struck down by the courts," Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, a Republican, said in a statement.

"Like many bills passed in Oklahoma, this bill was designed to protect the health and welfare of the mother along with the life of the unborn, which always should be among our society's priorities," she said.

The Oklahoma court cited the views of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, a leading group of medical professionals, which opposed the measure on the grounds that it did nothing to advance or protect women's health and the regulation was not in the best interest of patients.

Since the law on admitting privileges was passed in late 2013 in Texas, the number of abortion clinics in the state with about 27 million people, had dropped to 19 from 41, court documents show.

Story continues

"Evidence matters and the evidence shows that there was no compelling public health interest for the measure," said Elizabeth Nash, senior state issues associate for the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights group whose data is used by both sides in the debate.

Lawmakers in Texas, Oklahoma and several other Republican-led states have been lining up a new series of restrictions on abortions for legislative sessions that start next year.

Abortion rights advocates believe that many Republican lawmakers feel emboldened by the upcoming presidency of Republican Donald Trump and view his administration as supporting their restrictions on the procedure.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Sandra Maler)
OWASSO, Okla. (AP)  An Oklahoma couple has been arrested in what a police officer calls the worst case of child abuse he's seen.

Police arrested 25-year-old Kevin Fowler and 24-year-old Aislyn Miller on Friday at an urgent care center in Owasso on complaints of abusing their twin 9-month-old infants.

Police told reporters that nurses described the children as looking like skeletons and said a maggot crawled out of one child's wound. The other hand an infection from hair being wrapped around a finger and not removed. Police also say nurses found human waste in one infant's ear.

Jail records show both Fowler and Miller have been released and are due in court on Friday. A phone message left Tuesday at a number listed in Miller's name was not immediately returned.
bathroom sign womens

Oklahoma passed a law earlier this year that will require restaurants, hospitals, and other businesses with public bathrooms to spend an estimated $2.3 million on signs intended to reduce abortions.

On Tuesday, the State Department of Health began considering the regulations for signs, which will be required to be posted in hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants, and public schools, "for the purpose of achieving an abortion-free society," the Associated Press reported.

Hospitals and restaurant groups in the state are opposing the new regulation, saying that it serve as an unnecessary tax on small businesses.

"We don't have any concern about the information they're trying to get out to women about their babies and their pregnancy. This is just the wrong way to do it," said Jim Hooper, president of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association, told the Associated Press. "It's just another mandate on small businesses. It's not just restaurants. It includes hospitals, nursing homes. It just doesn't make sense."

The Oklahoma Hospital Association estimated making the signs would cost from $45 to $150 per sign, which could add up to roughly $750 in costs for a small rural hospital and $60,000 for Integris Health, Oklahoma's largest network of health care systems, reported NewsOK.

Many took to social media to complain about the new signage requirement.

"I'm for small government! I'm for fiscal responsibility" *spends 2.3 million on posters that facilities are forced to put up* #oklahoma  LvilleClinicEscorts (@LouClinicEscort) December 13, 2016

Oklahoma: our education is severely underfunded but thank god we magically have $2 million for bathroom signs to "prevent abortions"  Peyton Benge (@PeytonBenge) December 13, 2016

#republicans "we need to end gvt overreach and wasteful spending" also "BUSINESSES are forced to put up this sign that will cost millions" 3  MARKEUX (@markeux) December 13, 2016

Oklahoma: doesn't have enough money to properly fund education & infrastructure

Also Oklahoma: Spends 2.3 million on anti abortion signs. https://t.co/BpEZxsxHes  lauren (@laurenbrownjpg) December 13, 2016

Leaders of the Oklahoma Assisted Living Association also opposed the required signage, though for different reasons.

Story continues

"This rule could have a negative emotional impact on our residents," a comment from the association reprinted in NewsOK. "I understand the purpose of House Bill 2797 is to educate those of childbearing age of option to terminating a pregnancy. However, our residents are obviously older and not of childbearing age. Is it necessary to inform them of options which are not applicable?"

Public bathrooms have become a major target for city and state regulation  at times to the detriment of local businesses.

North Carolina's "bathroom law"  which mandates that transgender people must use the bathroom that corresponds with their biological sex  has reportedly cost the state nearly $400 million due to lost business.

Meanwhile, cities including Philadelphia and Seattle have passed legislation in recent years to require all businesses with public bathrooms to designate all single-stall restrooms as open to all genders, something cities said was a relatively low-cost proposition.

NOW WATCH: Here are all the germs, diseases, and bacteria that live on our phones





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Destination festivals are all the rage, and each exotic event becomes more beautiful, more intimate, and more "magical" than the one before. Ondalinda might be one of the most fanciful and personal festival experiences yet, with a full capacity of 450 representing cities as wide as New York, Paris, London, Berlin, Los Angeles, and Mexico City.

The inaugural four night excursion hit the Mexican beaches of Costa Careyes Oct. 27 through Oct 30 of 2016, with significant aesthetic and spiritual emphasis on the ancient Mayan culture and Dias De Los Muertos for which the festival was leading up. Dinners, jungle yoga sessions, and spa treatments kept attendees busy between musical performances from Blond:Ish, Sabo, NU, and more. There were even sculptural elements from Burning Man, courtesy of Mexico City's Mayan Warrior collective.

The event was presented in collaboration with the Careyes Foundation, who's president Filippo Brignone said called Ondalinda "an incredibly curated event."

"(It) succeeded by breathing new energy into Costa Careyes," Brignone is quoted in a press release, "a great fit for our already existing art and film events and our education programs with the local communities while remaining focused on the area's natural beauty. I'm proud to say that all the settings throughout the event were built and gathered by the members of the local communities surrounding Careyes."

Watch the official Ondalinda after movie below to catch a glimpse and learn more.

Ondalinda x Careyes 2016 Aftermovie from Ondalinda X Careyes on Vimeo.
donald trump paul ryan

With the Republican sweep of both Congress and the White House, it appears that the Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare, is on the verge of being overhauled from its current form.

And as Business Insider's Allan Smith reported after speaking with Rep. Kevin Brady, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, the idea of a "healthcare backpack" has grown to become the predominant tagline for the GOP's Obamacare replacement  even if they don't have a full plan yet.

"A backpack that is tailored to the needs of patients and demands of families, that can go with them throughout their lifetime," Brady told Business Insider when describing a new law. "From job to job and state to state and home to start a business or a family."

The "state to state" part of this "backpack" has been touted by Republican leaders  from President-elect Donald Trump, to House Speaker Paul Ryan, to Trump's nominee for secretary of health and human services, Rep. Tom Price  as the idea of "selling across state lines." But such a provision could lead to other forms of baggage.

It would allow private insurers to sell insurance in any state as long as they met the minimum requirements for the state in which their business was based. For instance, an insurer could be based in Texas but sell their plans in Maine, as long as they met Texas requirements.

Currently, state insurance agencies set the rules and minimums insurers must meet to sell plans in their states.

Aside from the conflict between Trump's promise to "give power back to the states" on healthcare and stripping away their ability to regulate plans in their own state, there is also a practical issue with the no-state-lines idea:

It's been tried, and it hasn't worked.

Not a lot of interest

A small provision of the ACA allowed multi-state insurance agreements that would allow plans to be sold between states  as long as the two states had an agreement allowing it. Despite five states enacting this provision  Georgia, Wyoming, Kentucky, Rhode Island, and Maine  no insurer has sold between states.

Story continues

As reported by Georgia Health News last week, the Georgia government passed a bill in 2011 that allowed out-of-state insurers to enter the Georgia marketplace with plans sold outside of the state. Not a single insurer has done so.

Mostly, it seems that the cost of having to negotiate contracts with community healthcare providers makes robust interstate offerings difficult.

In an analysis of the proposal, Linda Blumberg at the Urban Institute noted that the barrier to entry for out-of-state providers would be incredibly high. From the researcher's study (emphasis added):

"Out-of-state insurers face major barriers to entering new markets because of the difficulty in building provider networks whose payment rates allow them to compete with established insurers. In-state insurers have for years negotiated with doctors and hospitals and, with many covered lives in a given market area, can get significant rate concessions. Out-of-state plans have no market share and thus no bargaining power. The net result would be higher premiums than existing competitors, not lower."

Put another way, it's expensive and time consuming to negotiate provider contracts, so it is unlikely there would be any insurers clamoring to jump from state to state.

Or as Blumberg told The Hill in October, "Insurers arent interested at this point."

doctor patient pacemaker

Lower standards for care

Even if the incentive existed to sell in a variety of states, opponents of the provision fear a worst-case scenario could come in the form of drastically reduced coverage for Americans. Unless there are strong federal requirements for coverage, it would be easy for insurers to drop their plans' quality to compete and leave patients with poor coverage.

For instance, states could drop their standards to the bare minimum to attract the headquarters of various insurance companies. These companies could sell bare-bones plans in other states. Without recourse to block these plans, it could end up crowding out more robust plans and patients could go without the coverage they need.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has come out against the idea of allowing plans across state lines. Among the group's fears: If insurers begin to abuse rules, it would be difficult for state-level regulators to assist patients across the country.

NOW WATCH: 'That hypocrisy is also real'  Jon Stewart takes liberals to task for calling all Trump supporters racist





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In its Monthly Oil Market Report for November, released Wednesday morning, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) noted that the cartel's price for its reference basket fell to $43.22 a barrel (down 10%) last month.

Global demand growth for 2016 increased by 10,000 barrels a day to 1.24 million, or a daily average of 94.41 million barrels. The cartel's projected demand growth for 2017 remained unchanged at 1.15 million barrels a day to average 95.56 million barrels.

The cartel increased its estimate of non-OPEC production for 2017, forecasting non-OPEC supply will rise by 70,000 barrels a day and average 56.5 million barrels a day for the year.

ALSO READ: The Most Democratic County in Every State

The cartel said OPEC production in November, as reported by secondary sources, rose by 150,000 barrels a day to a daily average of 33.87 million. The cartel has produced more than 33 million barrels a day in each of the past five months, led by increases in production from Libya, Nigeria and Angola. Iranian production has risen to 3.7 million barrels a day compared with 4.56 million from Iraq and 10.51 million from Saudi Arabia.

The cartel also reiterated its estimate of 2016 demand for OPEC crude of 31.9 million barrels a day in the November report. The cartel now forecasts the demand for OPEC crude at 32.6 million barrels a day in 2017, down by 100,000 barrels since the October report.

ALSO READ: The Most Republican County in Each State

OPEC also included a revised forecast for global oil markets in 2017. Non-OPEC supply is projected to fall by 780,000 barrels a day in 2016, led by lower production in the United States, China, Mexico, Columbia and other OECD countries in Europe. For 2017, non-OPEC supply is forecast to rise by 300,000 barrels a day, mainly due to higher price expectations.

In July the cartel had forecast that non-OPEC supply would fall by 110,000 barrels a day in 2017.

Interestingly, OPEC does not expect U.S. production to increase next year. The cartel sees production increases from Brazil (250,000 barrels a day), Kazakhstan (210,000 barrels a day) and Canada (170,000 barrels a day).

Story continues

ALSO READ: America's 25 Dying Industries

Demand for OPEC crude in 2017 is forecast at 32.6 million barrels a day, just 100,000 barrels above the agreed level of production following the cuts that take effect next month. Unlike the International Energy Agency, which said on Tuesday that demand likely would outstrip supply in the first half of next year, OPEC forecasts a rebalancing of the crude market in the second half of the year.

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JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli policeman with a screwdriver, slightly wounding him, in East Jerusalem on Wednesday, and the assailant was shot and killed by police, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. At least 230 Palestinians have been killed in violence in Israel, the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip since October 2015. Israel says at least 156 of them were assailants in lone attacks often targeting security forces and using rudimentary weapons including kitchen knives. Others died during clashes and protests. The street assaults killed at least 33 Israelis and two visiting Americans over the same period. The latest attack occurred inside the walled Old City in East Jerusalem, areas captured by Israel along with the West Bank in a 1967 war. Police released a photo of a screwdriver they said the Palestinian assailant used to stab the policeman in the head. "The terrorist was shot by police units that responded. The policeman was treated at the scene for minor injuries," the spokesman said. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the assailant died in hospital. Palestinians have accused Israeli police and soldiers of using excessive force against assailants, saying many could have been stopped or detained without being killed. In several cases, Israel has opened investigations. Israel says one of the main causes of the violence has been incitement by the Palestinian leadership, with young men encouraged to attack Israeli soldiers and civilians. Palestinian leaders say assailants have acted out of desperation, frustrated by the Israeli occupation of land Palestinians want for their own state. (Reporting by Jeffrey Heller; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Company to Become Provider of Innovative Technology Solutions for Infrastructure Products Utilizing "Green" Substitute for Steel

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / December 14, 2016 / Paymeon, Inc. (OTC PINK: PAYM) today announced its entry into the $1 trillion steel component of the construction industry by agreeing to acquire privately-held Rockstar Acquisitions, LLC. Rockstar is positioned to capitalize on the substantial growth in infrastructure spending coming in the United States, as well as around the world. Rockstar's proprietary technology solutions were recently utilized in the construction of the University of Miami's widely-acclaimed Innovation Bridge.

Rockstar leverages its intellectual property, technology, and processes to produce Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer products that are superior to anything in the market today and that are used as replacements for steel products that reinforce concrete, such as rebar. Rockstar's products, which include RockRebar, RockStirrups, RockStaples, and RockMesh, are three times stronger and 80% lighter than steel. Unlike steel, Rockstar's products never rust, create virtually no carbon footprint, and have lifespans of more than a century. These characteristics will redefine the standards that the construction industry adheres to. Rockstar's materials are more fully described at www.norustrebar.com.

Rockstar's products are the first of their kind to be used in conjunction with the construction of projects that formerly were exclusively steel. In 2016, the University of Miami, working with standards from the Florida Department of Transportation and the US Army Corps of Engineers, constructed the Innovation Bridge, a 70 foot bridge on the University of Miami's campus made exclusively out of fiber reinforced polymers and without any steel at all. A summary of the work done on the Innovation Bridge can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy3ISYNJfOI&t=44s.

According to Vincent L. Celentano, member of Paymeon's Board of Directors and the Company's largest shareholder, "We see Rockstar's products as disruptors of today's modern steel industry and believe their characteristics will create a paradigm shift in construction that will lead to the next industrial revolution. Given the expected increase in infrastructure spending, Rockstar is well positioned to participate in what is expected to be a high-growth industry by offering its green technology solutions, which compare favorably with steel in many aspects."

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In conjunction with the acquisition, the Company will take certain steps to improve its balance sheet. Mr. Celentano and certain of his affiliates will convert certain existing debt currently outstanding and the Company's Chairman and CEO, Edward A. Cespedes, will forgive certain accrued payroll owed to him by the Company. Mr. Celentano and Mr. Cespedes are controlling shareholders of Rockstar. The transaction will be more fully described on Form 8k to be filed as required by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Mr. Celentano continued, "We see considerable upside to this investment, which we initially made privately. The opportunity is so substantial that we felt our public shareholders should have the opportunity to benefit."

D isclaimers

Forward-Looking Statements:

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation expectations, beliefs, plans, and objectives regarding the development, use and marketability of products and partnerships, as well as potential transactions the Company may be considering. Such forward-looking statements are based on present circumstances and on PAYM's predictions with respect to events that have not occurred, that may not occur, or that may occur with different consequences and timing than those now assumed or anticipated. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, and are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include general economic and business conditions, the ability to successfully develop and market products, consumer and business consumption habits, the ability to fund operations, reliance on representations from third parties that may not execute as planned and other factors over which PAYM has little or no control. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release, and PAYM assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and other factors are discussed in documents filed from time to time by PAYM with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release does not and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy any securities. For additional information and potential risk factors, readers should review PAYM's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which can be found at www.sec.gov.

SOURCE: Paymeon, Inc.
Washington (AFP) - The US Defense Department on Tuesday released an updated version of its military war rules that now includes extra language aimed at reducing civilian casualties.

The revised Law of War Manual gives examples of precautions the US military should take to avoid civilian deaths, such as providing warnings and conducting detailed assessments of potential casualties.

"Protecting civilians in armed conflict is critical, and it's important that our legal guidance is clear and practical," Pentagon General Counsel Jennifer O'Connor said in a statement.

"This version of the manual provides greater clarity and also reflects important developments such as the president's recent executive order on civilian casualties."

President Barack Obama in July released an executive order that provides additional information on "best practices and procedures" that can be applied to air strikes.

During his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, suggested he would loosen rules of engagement in the ongoing war against Islamic State jihadists.

The manual also includes new discussion of the principle of "proportionality" -- aimed at avoiding "unreasonable" use of force.

Tuesday's changes are the latest in a series of updates to the Law of War Manual.

Media organizations blasted the Pentagon in 2015 when the document said reporters could be treated as "unprivileged belligerents."

The Pentagon has since altered the language to emphasize the protection of journalists as civilians, and "to clarify that a journalist can only be considered a combatant on an exceptional basis when that person had acquired such status."

For instance, journalist protections do not extend to members of non-state armed groups being used for propaganda purposes, the manual states.
In February of 2016, President Barack Obama revisited the site where his journey to the White House began, Springfield, Ill., and reflected on his eight years in office.

At the time, Obama admitted he had failed to fulfill a major promiseto bridge the partisan divide that exists in U.S. politics. One of my few regrets is my inability to reduce the polarization and meanness in our politics, Obama said.

The results from a new survey by the Pew Research Center show that beyond contributing to the nastiness of American politics, that failure will have an impact on Americans perceptions of his legacy.

Americans perceptions of the president vary greatly along party lines; according to Pew, a U.S. presidents average job approval rating has not been as polarized as Obamas since President Dwight Eisenhower. A president leaving office with low expectations is hardly newmore Americans overall thought President George W. Bush left a below average legacybut the partisan differences appear to be more pronounced than in years past, according to the report.

For example, about 78% of Democrats and left-leaning Independents believe Obamas accomplishments will outweigh his failures when historians look back on his presidency, but only 13% of Republicans agree. With regard to past presidents, when Clinton left office, 76% of Democrats said the good of his presidency would outweigh the bad and, unlike under Obama, a full 45% of Republicans felt the same way. Under Bush, a full 77% of Democrats thought history would be unkind to the 43rd president, but 30% of Republicans agreed.

That being said, the president will leave office on Jan. 20 as a generally well liked commander-in-chief. The presidents favorability ratings, which soared during the contentious 2016 presidential election, are currently at 64% and a whopping 72% of Americans are fans of his wife, first lady Michelle Obama. About 58% of Americans surveyed said they approved of the job he did in the White Housethe highest his job approval rating has been since his 2012 re-election. Pew reports that Obamas job approval rating is only slightly lower than those of Presidents Reagan and Clinton when they left office. Nearly half, 45% of Americans even think the president will be remembered as an above average or outstanding president, a far more positive outlook than citizens had at the end of his predecessor President George W. Bushs two terms in office.

Along racial lines, the divisions are just as stark for the nations first African American president. Pew found theres a 38-point gap between black and whites on whether or not Obama will be considered an average or outstanding president.

The Pew study of 1,500 Americans was conducted between Nov. 30 and Dec. 5, it has an overall margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.
Indra Nooyi

PepsiCo's CEO and Chairman Indra Nooyi is joining President-elect Donald Trump's new economic advisory board, less than a month after Trump supporters began threatening to boycott Pepsi over fake news reports.

Nooyi has been named a member of the President's Strategic and Policy Forum, it was announced on Wednesday, alongside Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Travis Kalanick, chef executive of Uber.

The forum, which launched in early December, is intended to serve as a group of business leaders who advise President-elect Trump on economic matters.

In November, shortly after the election, fabricated quotes began circulating in which Nooyi told Trump supporters that the company didn't want their business, reported Snopes.

The misinformation quickly spread on social media:

Pepsi Co. CEO to Trump supporters: "We don't want your business" #BoycottPepsi   Let's watch stock go down some more   pic.twitter.com/z54pG0xorz  Latina RussianHacker (@terrymendozer) November 15, 2016

As of Wednesday, some Twitter users were still encouraging the boycott, using the #BoycottPepsi hashtag.

Articles featuring the fabricated quotes on Truthfeed and The Conservative Treehouse linked to a Business Insider article, covering an interview of Nooyi at The New York Times' DealBook conference. At the conference, Nooyi congratulated Trump on the election win, but acknowledged that many Pepsi employees were in mourning following the results.

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"Our employees were all crying," Nooyi said. "And the question that they're asking, especially those who are not white, 'Are we safe?' Women are asking, 'Are we safe?' LGBT people are asking, 'Are we safe?' I never thought I would have to answer those questions."

However, Nooyi, who supported Hillary Clinton in the presidential race, has maintained that Americans need to unite and accept the outcome of the election.

"The process of democracy happened," she said. "We just need to let life go on."

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

NOW WATCH: Coke and Pepsi are ditching sugar



More From Business Insider
By Sophie Davies LIMA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Feminist activists in Peru are fighting a government decision to stop investigating claims by women who say they were forcibly sterilized, arguing that thousands of women deserve to have their cases heard. Some 350,000 women were sterilized in the mid-1990s under a program promoted by former president Alberto Fujimori, who argued a lower birth rate was crucial to eliminating poverty in Peru. Many were sterilized without their knowledge and consent, and those who refused were often threatened with a fine or prison, say activists who view the campaign as one of Peru's biggest human rights scandals. More than 2,000 women have given statements to Peruvian and international rights groups and prosecutors saying they underwent sterilization without being informed or consenting. The government's public prosecutor had opened investigations into the forced sterilizations, the first in 2009 and most recently last year. But last week, the prosecutor opted to close its investigation into complaints by 77 women. Another investigation into more than 2,000 other women was closed this past summer. Demus, a Lima-based non-profit women's group, filed an appeal this week asking for the decisions to be reversed. The government is denying these women the right to continue seeking justice, said Demus attorney Milton Campos in a video posted by the group. One of those women is farmer Ines Condori, who told the Thomson Reuters Foundation she was sterilized in 1995 when she went to a hospital for a check-up after the birth of her fourth child. She traveled several hours from her remote village to a hospital in the southeastern city of Cusco, helped by a woman she said she met in the street who said she knew how to get there. At the hospital, she recalls seeing women lying on the floor. "There were no stretchers. They were shouting, vomiting," Condori said. Given an injection, she said she woke up hours later in terrible pain. The hospital staff told her she would no longer have children and would be "young again". "To this day, I don't know what kind of surgery they did on me," she said. POOR, ILLITERATE INDIGENOUS WOMEN Fujimori, in prison for graft and human rights abuses during his 1990-2000 authoritarian rule, was cleared in 2014 of any wrongdoing linked to the program. Prosecutors have said three of Fujumori's health ministers cannot be held responsible for the forced sterilizations. Nevertheless, "there are plenty of people involved in this matter who are still enjoying their freedom because they haven't been prosecuted," said Sandro Monteblanco, a Lima criminal attorney. Others have been tried but acquitted, said Monteblanco, an outspoken critic of the government on its handling of the sterilizations. "Nobody has taken this case and dissected it in order to determine all of the guilty parties," he said. Monteblanco said he sees little hope that the administration of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, which assumed power in July, will support efforts for the women's cases to move forward. "It's a taboo that forbids many government officials from daring to make any kind of statement about it," he said. The state must acknowledge the violence inflicted on the women, said Marina Navarro, Amnesty International director in Peru. "The state is not recognizing its responsibility," she said. "That is the most basic thing that is needed right now." Many of the women sterilized were indigenous peasants from the nation's poorest areas. Those who signed consent forms in Spanish were illiterate and spoke only the indigenous Quechua language, rights groups say. Nearly two decades later, many of these women suffer psychological and physical damage, Navarro said. Condori has been unable to do physically demanding agricultural or domestic work. "Eventually, this too will be yet another horrendous occurrence in the long list of dark occurrences in this country that gets swept under the rug or simply becomes a couple of paragraphs in our history book," Monteblanco said. (Reporting by Sophie Davies, editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Alisa Tang. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
LIMA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - For the first few months of Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's term, the right-wing populist party he narrowly beat in June's election helped his technocratic government push out an initial raft of reforms.

But the tenuous ties between the two are rapidly unraveling as the opposition-controlled Congress prepares to oust his education minister on Thursday, despite Kuczynski's pleas to spare him, raising the prospect of increasing political instability in one of Latin America's fastest growing economies.

Just five months into Kuczynski's five-year term, the battle over Education Minister Jaime Saavedra has exposed Kuczynski's vulnerability to his defeated rival Keiko Fujimori, daughter of jailed former authoritarian leader Alberto Fujimori.

Fujimori has declined to meet with Kuczynski since losing her second bid for the presidency and has commanded her Popular Force party from behind the scenes, heaping praise on lawmakers who railed against Saavedra in a hearing last week, according pictures of a cellphone chat taken by the Correo newspaper.

"Now they know who they're messing with," Popular Force lawmaker Cecilia Chacon responded in the chat, later adding publicly that she was referring to corrupt officials.

Popular Force has said Saavedra, a former World Bank economist whom Kuczynski reappointed from the previous government, must leave office because of allegations of corruption in a contract for school computers on his watch.

But Saavedra's supporters said Popular Force lawmakers want to halt tougher standards for private universities and have put him in their crosshairs to flex their muscles.

Thousands of Peruvians marched in Lima to back Saavedra on Monday, some calling for Kuczynski to dissolve Congress.

Kuczynski said he would not turn the vote on Saavedra into a vote of confidence on Prime Minister Fernando Zavala, a move that could limit Popular Force's ability to threaten him. Presidents in Peru can order new congressional elections if lawmakers oust the prime minister twice.

Story continues

"We've decided to avoid a scenario of greater confrontation," Kuczynski said in a TV and radio message to Peruvians late on Tuesday. "The campaign ended seven months ago. Now we have the tremendous task of governing Peru."

Opposition lawmakers said afterward that they would still support the motion to force Saavedra from office.

Kuczynski, a former Wall Street banker, wants to bolster domestic demand with infrastructure investments ahead of an expected slowdown in growth in 2018 when surging copper output from new mines will subside. Popular Force tends to back business-friendly policies.

(Reporting By Mitra Taj; editing by Grant McCool)
(Adds details of alleged irregularities, banks comments)

SAO PAULO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The pension fund for oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA's employees called on Wednesday for securities industry watchdog CVM to investigate some of Brazil's largest asset managers over allegations of irregularities, a statement said.

Walter Mendes, president of Fundacao Petrobras de Seguridade Social, commonly known as Petros, asked CVM to probe the reasons for losses in investments managed by asset management units of Banco Bradesco SA and Caixa Economica Federal.

Petros also asked the regulator to investigate Mantiq Investimentos Ltda, previously owned by Banco Santander Brasil SA, and Mare Investimentos.

Petros alleged that the banks' asset management units either had conflicts of interest or violated the guidelines agreed to manage the investments, which resulted in losses for Petros.

Bradesco declined to comment. Caixa, Mantiq and Mare did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Tatiana Bautzer; Editing by Bernard Orr)
Not a good idea for now

Smart meters are the ones capable of communicating with each other and executing command signals remotely and locally.
Tobacco maker Philip Morris International Inc. PM seems to have hit a rough patch at the moment. The companys shares gained 3.3% on a year-to-date basis, underperforming the Zacks categorized Tobacco industry, which has gained 10.3%. Increased competition in the vapor category, declining volumes, strict anti-smoking regulations by governments globally and currency headwinds are the main factors that are weighing upon the company.

Lets delve deeper and find out whats going on with this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) consumer staples stock.

Factors Affecting the Company

We note that Philip Morris has been experiencing lower volumes for the past few quarters primarily due to the general shift of consumption away from tobacco products. Although the company posted a positive surprise in third-quarter 2016, the average surprise in the trailing four quarters was a negative 3.8%. Further, cigarette shipment volumes fell 5.4% to 2.1 billion units in the third quarter, reported in Oct 2016, chiefly attributable to lower cigarette industry volume in Argentina, Indonesia, Philippines and Russia, as well as lower cigarette market share, notably in North Africa, Philippines and Russia.

Moreover, the company is losing share in Europe and the performance of Marlboro brand remains under pressure in the region. Further, the vapor category too did not perform as expected during the third quarter. The situation is not anticipated to improve soon and analysts are not bullish about the company as evident from the fact that they have moved their estimates downward significantly in the last 30 days.

PHILIP MORRIS Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

PHILIP MORRIS Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | PHILIP MORRIS Quote

Additionally, Philip Morris is facing competitive pressures from several local brands. These brands are cheaper and thus, negatively affect the companys volume and sales. Such alternatives compel Philip Morris to keep its prices low, which consequently affect the margins.

Story continues

Further, the tobacco industry faces many challenges which put margins under pressure. Governments worldwide are imposing restrictions on tobacco companies which in turn are lowering cigarette consumption. The U.K. and Australia governments have imposed regulations regarding plain packaging for cigarettes. Such actions negatively impact margins of the company.

Nevertheless, we are encouraged that the company is focusing on less harmful tobacco products in order to cater to growing demand for low-risk, smokeless tobacco products. The company also has considerable presence in the unconventional tobacco products category. In Dec 7, 2016, it filed an application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its IQOS products (Heatsticks that heat tobacco instead of burning it). Once the Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) claim is approved by FDA, the company will be able to enjoy a significant marketing advantage over other reduced risk tobacco products that are being sold currently.

Hence, we believe the concerns are transitionary in nature and will allow space for this company to rebound in the long run. Philip Morris has an expected earnings growth rate of 9% for the next five years.

Hence, we suggest investors to hold on to the stock and for the rest let's wait and watch.

Stock to Consider

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader consumer staples sector include Inter Parfums Inc. IPAR, US Foods Holdings USFD and Sysco Corporation SYY, all carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Inter Parfums Inc. has an expected earnings growth of 15%. US Foods has an expected earnings growth rate of 17.1%, while Sysco Corporation has a long-term growth rate of 8.8%.

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MANILA (Reuters) - Ministers in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's cabinet on Wednesday said he was in good health, after the leader talked about ailments afflicting him and said he might not live to complete his six-year term. Duterte told a gathering of business leaders on Monday that he suffered from back pains, migraines and Buerger's disease, a cause of blockages in the blood vessels, associated with smoking in his youth. The 71-year-old president stirred further questions about his health by telling a crowd of a few thousand expatriate Filipinos in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, where he is on a visit, that he might not "be around" until the end of his term. "He is doing very well," presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella told a news briefing in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, however. "Whatever pains he's experiencing, is basically, as the doctors would say, 'Wear and tear'. So nothing to be afraid about, nothing to be concerned about. Hes doing fine." Duterte, who will be 77 at the end of his term in 2022, is the oldest person to be elected president in the Philippines since the post-war period. He missed some events during meetings of the ASEAN grouping of South East Asian nations in Laos in September and last month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru, due to migraine attacks and a bad stomach. Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello told the same media briefing he had difficulty keeping pace with Duterte's schedule, and did not know where the leader got his energy. "He is super-healthy," said Bello. "Whatever he is doing, I don't think somebody who is sick can do that. He must be in the pink of health." The officials dismissed a suggestion by a lawmaker for the president's office to issue a regular bulletin on his health, saying it was not necessary. (Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he personally killed suspected criminals when he was mayor of a southern city to set an example for police.

Duterte made the comments in a speech late on Monday night to businessmen as he discussed his campaign to eradicate illegal drugs, which has seen police and unknown assailants kill thousands of people since he became president on June 30.

After speaking about police killing suspects during the current crime war, Duterte said he led similar efforts when he was mayor of Davao, the major southern city that he ruled for most of the previous 20 years.

"In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys (police) that if I can do it why can't you," Duterte said in his speech at the presidential palace.

"And I'd go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also. I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill."

Duterte, 71, also responded to criticism from human rights groups and US President Barack Obama about his anti-crime tactics, vowing he would not be intimidated by their criticism into stopping.

"Sorry, I am not about to do that," he said.

In a speech to expatriate Filipinos during a state visit to Cambodia on Tuesday, Duterte joked that as mayor of Davao he would go on missions with police and shoot blindly at criminal suspects.

"I (would) sometimes go along with them. If you say I shot someone, maybe I did. I was closing my eyes because I am scared of firing a gun," said Duterte, a lawyer and former state prosecutor.

Rights groups have previously accused Duterte of running vigilante death squads in Davao that killed more than 1,000 suspected criminals, including children accused of petty crimes.

Duterte has variously denied and acknowledged involvement in the death squads.

But he easily won presidential elections in May after promising to roll-out his Davao law-and-order policies across the nation.

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He pledged that 100,000 people would die in the crackdown and that so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that fish there would grow fat from feeding on them.

- Bloody crackdown -

Since Duterte took office in late June, police have reported killing 2,086 people in anti-drug operations. More than 3,000 others have been killed in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures.

Often masked assailants break into shanty homes and kill people who have been tagged as drug traffickers or drug users. Rights groups have warned of a breakdown in the rule of law with police and hired assassins operating with complete impunity.

Duterte has insisted that police are only killing in self-defence and gangsters are murdering the other victims.

But he has also said he will not allow any police to go to jail if they are found guilty of murder in prosecuting his crime war.

Surveys show a majority of Filipinos continue to support the charismatic Duterte and his crime policies, accepting his argument that drastic action is required to stop the Philippines from becoming a narco-state.

In October, Duterte compared himself to Adolf Hitler and said he would be "happy to slaughter" three million drug addicts.

He later apologised for the Hitler reference but said he was "emphatic" about wanting to kill the millions of addicts.

In September, a self-confessed Davao death squad member told a Senate hearing into the drug war that then-mayor Duterte personally gunned down a justice department agent and ordered the murders of opponents.

The confessed hitman, Edgar Matobato, said one of the victims was fed to a crocodile.

Duterte's aides denied the claims, sought to discredit Matobato and orchestrated the removal of the president's chief political opponent as chair of the Senate hearing.
Santa Clauss Christmas Eve journey has always required a leap of faith for believers. After all, if it takes nine hours just to get from Pittsburgh to Helsinki, no one could deliver presents to boys and girls around the world in just one night. Plus, in the age of modern technology someone would have seen Santa from a plane window or on radar and theres no way a guy with a stomach like a bowl full of jelly could fit down a chimney, right? Maybe not.

A physicist has endeavored to use cold hard science to prove that Santa could in fact make the trip thanks to a little help from an unlikely sourceAlbert Einstein.

Dr. Katy Sheen at the University of Exeter used Einsteins Theory of Relativity to explain how Jolly Old Saint Nick could make the trip in one night, not get caught on radar, and fit down a chimney, she presented her findings to a group of children at the universitys Science of Christmas Festival on Wednesday.

Sheen calculated how fast Father Christmas would have to travel by crunching the number of households likely to be celebrating Christmas around the world, along with the number of children likely to be in them. Visiting around 700 million children in 31 hours would mean he would have to travel at six million miles per hour if he is to deliver presents to every child, Dr. Sheen said in a press release. Some strange things happen when you start to travel that fast. Firstly, time slows down. Second, Santa gets squished which means that he can fit down a chimney more easily.

Sheen hopes her thorough explanation for Santas delivery system will inspire children to take a greater interest in both physics and science, and keep the magic of Christmas alive.

[PlymouthHerald]
2nd UPDATE 12:25 PM: Attorney Gloria Allred today became the not-so-thinly veiled focus of Bill Cosbys defense teams argument against allowing the testimony of 13 other accusers in the 2004 rape case set to go to trial in June.

gloria allred dec 14

As they did in the first day of the pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, lawyers Brian McMonagle and Angela Agrusa made a point of noting to Judge Steven ONeill and the rest of the courtroom that the LA-based and media-savvy Allred represents the majority of the women who are being seen as potential prosecution witnesses in the case of Andrea Constand.

If found guilty in the only criminal case against him in the county, the 79-year-old Cosby could face up to a decade behind bars and big fines. With Montgomery County DA Kevin Steele having finished his presentation earlier today, both Cosby and Allred were in the courtroom too  as they have been in past pre-trial hearings.

Saying that the 13 other women have no business in this trial, McMonagle added today that the allegations here cannot be defended. To further that point, both Cosby lawyers repeatedly noted the differences in circumstances and other material matters between the claims of sexual assault and drugging of the 13 accusers and former Temple University employee Constand.

While past Cosby tactics to see the case dismissed have failed since the actor was charged late last year, it is important for the defense to poke holes in the DAs strategy of showing a common scheme to allegations of the actors behavior. Pennsylvania law only allows the introduction of witnesses from formally unrelated cases if such commonality can be asserted.

While two of the 13 women have not gone public with their claims, Agrusa spent a portion of her presentation attacking the media profile of the Allred clients. While her colleague McConagle noted how one woman had gone on both CNN and the syndicated Dr. Phil show before sitting down with law enforcement, the fairly recent addition to Cosbys team said another had turned talking about Mr. Cosby into a career.

Story continues

With far fewer loud voices that yesterday from all parties, the defense will continue its argument this afternoon. ONeill is not expected to rule today on whether he will allow the 13 women to testify, but if the ruling eventually does not go its way, you can expect Team Cosby to appeal and try again to get the case dismissed .

RelatedBill Cosby Loses Latest Attempt To Have 2004 Rape Case Dismissed

UPDATED, 7:51 AM: Bill Cosby shouldnt be rewarded for being good at intoxicating people and putting them in a state where they cant resist, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele told a judge, the actor and others today in a Norristown, PA, courtroom. It marks the second day of pre-trial hearings in the case against Cosby, who is facing three felony charges of second-degree aggravated indecent assault against a former Temple University employee.

This case was not brought because of Andrea Constand, Cosby attorney Brian McMonagle said in his remarks. This is a means by way to overcome statutes of limitations because somebody decided to bang the drum and try to destroy an American citizen, he added, also calling Cosby an icon. Pennslyvania has a 12-year statute of limitations on crimes such as the ones Cosby is accused of. The Keystone State also only allows such witnesses from formally unrelated cases is a common scheme, as Steele called it yesterday, can be shown.

Steele concluded his argument Wednesday in the hearing about whether 13 other accusers of the actor will be allowed testify at next years trial. Over the past few years, more than 60 women have claimed Cosby sexually assaulted and/or drugged them  the same manner in which the former Constand allegedly was raped by the actor in his suburban Philly mansion in 2004.

This is a lifetime of sexual assault on young women, said Steele as he detailed how Cosby used his fame to lure in women and then drug them for sexual favors. Making no mention of a possible plea deal and going through the tales of the potential 13 witnesses to display a pattern of behavior, the DA was continuing the arguments he began at the end of the yesterdays hearing. The Tuesday hearings were mainly characterized by loud voices and harsh tones from Steele and Cosbys lawyers over admissible evidence and the positioning in the courtroom of a PowerPoint presentation. It was behavior that Judge Steven ONeill called uncivil at one point.

There was little of that today, as Cosby seemingly casually listened to Steeles remarks with the knowledge his team would be making their case later in the day. Having been unsuccessful in their repeated attempts to have the criminal charges tossed, Cosbys lawyers are more than aware that if found guilty in the trial scheduled for June, their 79-year-old client could face up to a decade behind bars and heavy fines.

Anticipating the defenses arguments of how the incidents described by the 13 other women might differ from Constands, Steele made a point of noting that Cosby drugged all these women. They might have intermittent memories, he admitted, but the pattern and consequence remains similar. All 14 instances that we are putting forward are so related that the proof of one tends to establish the proof of another.

The court is on a break until later this morning.

PREVIOUSLY, 6:47 AM: Bill Cosby was back in court in suburban Philadelphia this morning for a second day of pre-trial hearings on the 2004 rape case scheduled to go to trial in June. Even though the actor could face up to 10 years behind bars and big fines if found guilty of the three felony charges of second-degree aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand, the 79-year-old Cosby was in an upbeat mood when he arrived at the Norristown, PA courthouse  even as a source says a possible plea deal is now on the back burner.

Getting out of his SUV at around 8:34 AM local time, the apparently nearly blind Cosby was laughing with his entourage and asking if they like my socks? With some of the same vigor he exhibited at yesterdays hearing, Cosby then was heard to ask, Did you remember my peanut butter and jelly?  which got even bigger laughs from his crew before they entered the courtroom.

It might not be such fun and games for the rest of today as prosecutors and Cosbys defense team present arguments before Judge Steven ONeill over why 13 other accusers of the actor should or should not be allowed to testify in this case. The more than a dozen potential witnesses come from the more than 60 women who have claimed in recent years that Cosby sexually assault or drugged them over the last four decades.

While there have been early conversations about a possible plea deal, according to the source close to the matter, if the fiasco of the screaming matches that overwhelmed yesterdays hearing are any indication of the backroom moves, any such agreement is now barely simmering,

While numerous civil cases are in various degrees of progress around the country, the Pennsylvania case is the only criminal one against the actor, with charges laid by newly elected Montgomery County D.A. Kevin Steel late last year just before the states 12-year statute of limitations in such sex crimes expired. Cosby was arraigned December 30 and released on $1 million bail without entering a plea.

Since then, Cosby has tried various tactics and courts to get the case dismissed  all unsuccessful.

After hours of bickering between both sides over evidence and the positioning of a defense PowerPoint presentation, Steele on Tuesday delivered about an hour of his argument on allowing the 13 witnesses. Believing their testimony would show a common scheme of using drugs to sexually assault women as he did with former Temple University employee Constand back in 2004, Steele referred to the method as Cosbys signature in his remarks.

Anna Orso contributed to this report.

Related stories

Bill Cosby Hearing Ends 1st Day With Grinning Actor Getting Into Courtroom Yelling Matches - Update

Bill Cosby Dealt Legal Blow As Judge Rules Depositions Can Be Used In 2004 Rape Trial

Bill Cosby Loses Latest Attempt To Have 2004 Rape Case Dismissed
Warsaw (AFP) - Poland is planning to buy a private art collection, including Leonardo da Vinci's "Lady with an Ermine", the culture ministry and local media said Wednesday.

Painted at the end of the 15th century, "Lady with an Ermine", the most famous painting exhibited in Poland, is part of a two-century-old collection estimated to be worth two billion dollars (euros).

Owned by the princely Czartoryski family, the collection is currently housed in the National Museum in Krakow, run by the Polish culture ministry.

Deputy culture minister Jaroslaw Selin unveiled the plan on Tuesday as the Polish parliament discussed funding for cultural purchases.

"The Polish state and thus the Polish nation will own one of the world's most valuable art collections, including this work, which many art historians deem superior to the 'Mona Lisa'," Selin said, quoted by the PAP agency.

Princess Izabela Czartoryska, who founded the collection in 1801, sought to preserve Polish and European works while her country was dominated by Austria, Prussia and Russia, following a 1795 split.

The ministry told AFP on Wednesday that Minister Piotr Glinski had "announced steps to finally set the status of the collection," which requires a deal with the president of the foundation, Prince Adam Karol Czartoryski, who lives in Madrid.

The ministry wants to ensure the collection never leaves Poland, which is a possibility as long as it is owned by the foundation.

The collection comprises thousands of works, with an estimated value of two billion euros (dollars), said Rzeczpospolita.

"Lady with an Ermine" is insured for about 350 million euros, it added.

But Marian Wolski, head of the Czartoryski Foundation in Krakow, said a takeover of the collection by the state might hit legal obstacles as its statutes stipulate it is "non-transferable and indivisible".

"Our lawyers tell us that these principles cannot be changed," he told AFP.
BRUSSELS, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Poland has not addressed the European Commission's concerns about the independence of the judiciary and new Polish laws threaten to deepen the rule of law crisis even further, European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans said on Wednesday.

Timmermans spoke in the European Parliament in Strasbourg to update lawmakers on the state of the rule-of-law monitoring procedure launched against Poland a year ago.

The unprecedented procedure can end in Poland losing its voting right in the 28-nation European Union if all other EU leaders agree to that.

"Regrettably, the situation has not improved," Timmermans, who is in charge of the procedure, told the parliament, adding the EU's executive European Commission would discuss what next steps to take "soon".

He noted that Poland's parliament has now passed three new laws on the country's highest court, the Constitutional Tribunal, which, while addressing some of the issues raised by the Commission, actually raised new concerns as well.

"I am deeply concerned by these new developments, which threaten to deepen the rule of law crisis in Poland," Timmermans said.

(Reporting by Jan Strupczewski)
Over 300 Nepali students competing for Hult Prize

More than 300 students from Nepals two universitiesTribhuvan University (TU) and Kathmandu University (KU)are competing in the Hult Prize,
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Poland has not addressed the European Commission's concerns about the independence of the judiciary and new Polish laws threaten to deepen the rule of law crisis even further, European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans said on Wednesday. Timmermans spoke in the European Parliament in Strasbourg to update lawmakers on the state of the rule-of-law monitoring procedure launched against Poland a year ago. The unprecedented procedure can end in Poland losing its voting right in the 28-nation European Union if all other EU leaders agree to that. "Regrettably, the situation has not improved," Timmermans, who is in charge of the procedure, told the parliament, adding the EU's executive European Commission would discuss what next steps to take "soon". He noted that Poland's parliament has now passed three new laws on the country's highest court, the Constitutional Tribunal, which, while addressing some of the issues raised by the Commission, actually raised new concerns as well. "I am deeply concerned by these new developments, which threaten to deepen the rule of law crisis in Poland," Timmermans said. (Reporting by Jan Strupczewski)
A West Bank resident attacked at least two people in a stabbing attack Wednesday in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. The attacker was fatally shot and later died of his wounds.

A 35-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy were lightly wounded. The man was stabbed in the upper boy and it was unclear how the boy, who suffered from head trauma, was injured. The suspect was not named and his motive was unknown, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told local media.

The incident began when the 21-year-old suspect approached some officers standing near the Lions Gate in the Old City. He then pulled out a screwdriver and stabbed one of the officers, police said. The other officers fatally shot the attacker. The attack saw police shut down some area businesses and all entrances to the Muslim Quarter.

Stabbing attacks aren't new to Jerusalem. A similar attack unfolded in November when a 16-year-old Palestinian boy was fatally shot by Israeli security forces after he tried to stab them while they guarded a roadblock in East Jerusalem. A Palestinian from the West Bank was shot dead after another November stabbing attack aimed at a security guard at Qalandiya checkpoint. Before that, there was a series of Palestinian stabbing attacks earlier this year that saw several stabbings a day. More than 30 Israelis and two American visitors were killed in the attacks since October 2015.

Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, has said Israel was carrying out "extra-judicial killings" of the attackers. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security officials in the past year who were accused of attacking or intending to do so.

"Israel is flagrantly employing a systematic and willful policy of summary executions against the Palestinian people; such provocative acts are in direct violation of international law and conventions," Ashrawi said. "We call on the international community to engage rapidly and effectively before it is too late."

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Israel claimed Jerusalem's Old City and nearby areas, as well as the West Bank, from Jordan in a 1967 war.

Related Articles
Warsaw (AFP) - Poland's conservative populist-dominated parliament has passed a law restricting public meetings which was slammed by the opposition as being anti-democratic, media reports said Wednesday.

The legislation, passed late on Tuesday, introduces the concept of "periodic meetings" for rallies organised repeatedly in the same place and on the same date, giving such gatherings priority over other meetings.

Under the new law, unrelated meetings must take place at least 100 metres (yards) away from any meeting designated "periodic".

The ruling rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) party said the law would boost the security of participants at all gatherings by preventing clashes.

But opposition lawmakers said the rules prevented "street dialogue" and restricted freedom of speech.

They claim the law will allow PiS to organise a monthly meeting, protected from counter-protests, to commemorate the 2010 Smolensk plane crash.

Ninety-six people died including president Lech Kaczynski, the twin brother of PiS head Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

Last Saturday, the 80th such ceremony outside the presidential palace in Warsaw was slightly disturbed by an opposition rally.

The bill that was ultimately adopted did however shed provisions that would have given priority to rallies organised by the state and religious organisations.

Opposition politicians and rights activists claimed that the original proposals restricted fundamental rights and freedoms.

European lawmakers joined Polish opposition politicians in criticising the law.

"Yesterday was a sad day for Poland because now there is a new law governing protests which limits the right of assembly," Polish MEP Janusz Lewandowski said in Strasbourg.

"Like all other EU citizens, Poles have the right to an independent judiciary... Polish women have freedom of choice, and Poles have the right to freedom of assembly, expression and thought," Dutch MEP Sophia in't Veld said.

Tens of thousands of Poles took to the streets across the country to protest the PiS government on Tuesday, the 35th anniversary of the martial law crackdown in communist-ruled Poland.
By Marcin Goettig WARSAW (Reuters) - Nearly 200 Polish human rights groups and non-governmental organizations urged President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday to veto a bill the country's Supreme Court and ombudsman said would violate Poles' constitutional right to freedom of assembly. Lawmakers of Poland's right-wing ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) removed late on Tuesday some restrictions on free assembly from the bill, part of a wave of legislation the government says aims to strengthen traditional Catholic and national values. But the bill would still provide a legal basis for prioritizing rallies deemed by the authorities to have national importance - such as historical anniversaries - over other demonstrations and gatherings. A government official would be given powers to ban any counter-demonstrations if they took place closer than 100 meters to a rally deemed to be of national importance. Under current rules, local authorities give precedence to whichever organization files the first request to stage a rally or demonstration, irrespective of the aims of the gathering. "We call on you, Mr President, to veto this bill as it violates the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and international conventions ratified by Poland," 194 rights groups and other organizations said in a petition filed to Duda. Duda's spokesman said on Wednesday the president, a close ally of the government, wanted to ensure that the right to assemble freely remained as broad as possible in Poland. "The president will analyze the bill with the greatest attention and will take his decision in due course," spokesman Marek Magierowski said. Government officials say the bill is necessary to ensure the safety of demonstrations. But Poland's Supreme Court has said the bill as a whole is an attempt to undermine the constitutional order. An earlier version of the bill gave specific privileges to rallies organized by the state and the church, later removed. The Council of Europe rights group has said the bill would disproportionately restrict the right to freedom of assembly, in disregard of the European Convention on Human Rights. The nationalist-minded, eurosceptic PiS passed laws earlier this year that made it more difficult for the constitutional court to pass rulings, a move that led the European Commission to say democracy and rule of law were threatened in Poland. Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans said on Wednesday he was deeply concerned about Poland's new laws on the constitutional tribunal. (Additional reporting by Pawel Sobczak; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Pope Francis is turning 80, but don't tell him "happy birthday," too soon. Francis thanked well-wishers Wednesday ahead of his Saturday birthday, and teased them about extending his celebration.

"I thank you all for your well-wishes for my upcoming birthday, Pope Francis said while speaking to Italian pilgrims Wednesday after his weekly General Audience, playfully adding, "those, who offer birthday congratulations ahead of time, are jinxes!"

To celebrate the pope's milestone birthday, here are 15 quotes from the pontiff, the first church leader from Latin America:

1. "Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!"

2. "Once our grandparents were very careful not to throw away any leftover food. Consumerism has led us to become accustomed to the superfluous and the daily waste of food, which we are sometimes no longer able to value correctly, as its value goes far beyond mere economic parameters."

3. "All the peoples of the earth, all men and women of good will, we must raise our voice in defense of these two precious gifts: peace and nature  Sister Mother Earth, as Saint Francis of Assisi called her."

4. "Clearly, creation itself is a sign of Gods boundless love for us."

5. "Healthy families are essential to society. It provides us with consolation and hope to see so many large families who welcome children as a gift from God. They know that every child is a blessing."

6."Charity, and charity alone, frees us."

7. "Let no one use God as a shield while planning and carrying out acts of violence and oppression."

8. "When we read about creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so. He created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfillment."

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9. "The 'big bang,' that today is considered to be the origin of the world, does not contradict the creative intervention of God, on the contrary it requires it."

10. "May no one use religion as a pretext for actions against human dignity and against the fundamental rights of every man and woman."

11. "Watch out against the terrorism of gossip!"

12. "God is not afraid of new things."

13. "Love is the measure of faith."

14. "Never condemn. If you feel like condemning, condemn yourself, there's got to be something there, huh?"

15. "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?"

Related Articles
China Muslim Net, a popular website for Chinese Muslims, has been inaccessible since Saturday after a critical letter addressed to Chinese President Xi Jinping was posted on one of its forums.

The website, which is immensely popular among Hui  a large and relatively well-assimilated community of China's Muslims  is reportedly an important platform where Chinese Muslims discuss matters related to their religious practice.

It was unclear if the website was down because of the critical letter posted on the website.

According to Reuters, the letter called for the release of a student named Kwong Pyong, who the letter said has been missing since October. The letter claimed that the student disappeared shortly after he shared photos online of a satirical T-shirt with a message likening Xi to Hitler. The student reportedly said in the forum that he planned to wear the shirt in public.

Shortly after the letter was posted, a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Xi Wuyi, posted screenshots of the letter and some content from the website on to her Weibo account, saying that the China Muslim Net website promoted religious extremism.

Gu Yi, one of the three co-authors of the letter, told Reuters that the loss of access to China Muslim Net could be linked to the letter.

"Why would they target the website at this time?" he told Reuters Wednesday. "Wuyi's screenshots of the post of the open letter gained almost 500 reposts in several hours, making the open letter spread beyond their control."

However, there has been no confirmation on the reason why the website was inaccessible to its users.

Over the last few months, Chinese officials have claimed that religious extremism had begun to spread to central China from the far western region of Xinjiang, which is mostly populated by ethnic Muslim Uighurs.

While China's constitution guarantees religious freedom, rights groups have argued that the officially atheist ruling Communist Party seeks to restrict religious practice, especially for Muslims. However, the Chinese government strongly denied such allegations.

Related Articles
By Christian Shepherd BEIJING (Reuters) - A popular website for Chinese Muslims has been inaccessible since Saturday after a critical letter addressed to Chinese President Xi Jinping was posted in one of its forums. Users of China Muslim Net, one of China's main websites carrying material by and about the Hui, a large and relatively well-assimilated community of China's Muslims, say they have been unable to access the website since Saturday. A critical open letter addressed to Xi had been uploaded in a discussion forum on the site hours before it became inaccessible. Young, internet-savvy Hui consider the website to be an important forum for discussing matters relating to their religious practice. Chinese officials recently said that religious extremism had begun to spread to central China from the violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang, mostly populated by ethnic Uighurs, who make up another large portion of China's Muslims. China's constitution guarantees religious freedom, but rights groups say the officially atheist ruling Communist Party seeks to restrict religious practice, especially for Muslims. The Chinese government strongly denies such charges. The reason for the website's inaccessibility was not clear. The internet address for China Muslim Net on Wednesday showed a message saying the website was under maintenance. The Cyberspace Administration of China, the government's internet regulator, did not reply to requests for comment on Wednesday. Messages and calls to the website's chief executive went unanswered. A copy of the critical letter posted on the site, and seen by Reuters, called for the release of a student named Kwong Pyong who the letter said has been unreachable since October, shortly after he shared photos online of a satirical T-shirt with a message likening President Xi to Hitler. The student said he planned to wear the shirt in public. Shortly after the letter was posted, a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Xi Wuyi, shared a screenshot of it along with other China Muslim Net content on her Weibo account, saying that the website promoted religious extremism. Previous Weibo posts by the same scholar have lambasted the website for its critical stance on atheism. President Xi in July urged Chinese Muslims to resist illegal religious "infiltration". Gu Yi, one of the letter's three co-authors and a student activist studying in the United States, said he suspected the loss of access to China Muslim Net was related to the letter. "Why would they target the website at this time?" he told Reuters on Wednesday. "Wuyi's screenshots of the post of the open letter gained almost 500 reposts in several hours, making the open letter spread beyond their control." (Reporting by Christian Shepherd)
Beijing (AFP) - One of China's most popular online communities for Muslims has been shuttered after posting a petition asking Chinese President Xi Jinping to stop his "brutal suppression" of activists, the letter's authors told AFP Wednesday.

Since 2003, the "Zhongmu Wang" website, or 2muslim.com, functioned as an "online network of Muslims sharing Islam", according to archived descriptions.

But as of Wednesday the site was inaccessible, showing only a message stating it was "under maintenance".

Two of its affiliated social media accounts were also unavailable, displaying messages that declared one account "abnormal" and the other "in violation of required guidelines".

China officially has more than 23 million Muslims, though some independent estimates say there may be as many as 50 million -- which would put China among the world's top 10 Muslim nations.

While China's constitution enshrines freedom of religious belief, authorities keep strict limits on it, recognising only five belief systems and seeking to control their messages.

The closure came after the posting of an open letter to Xi calling for a halt to the "brutal suppression" of activists and the immediate release of those still detained by the state, according to students who wrote the petition.

The letter criticised Xi for overseeing a crackdown on dissent since coming to power in 2012, with hundreds of lawyers, activists and academics detained and dozens jailed.

"You are not responsible for all of the crimes of the totalitarian system, but as the totalitarian system's head and its commander-in-chief of repression, you must take responsibility for the blood and tears which now flow," it said.

"In the next spring of China's new Jasmine Revolution, who will drive your tanks to crush us, the new generation of students after 1989?"

Yi Sulaiman Gu, a Muslim student studying in the US at the University of Georgia, told AFP the website shut the day after he posted the letter to a forum that had previously hosted sensitive discussions on issues such as China's persecution of Muslim dissidents.

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"We believed it would be safe for Zhongmu to post it there," Gu said.

Phone calls to the website's owner went unanswered.

But the letter gained attention when screenshots of it were reposted to China's Twitter-like Weibo by opinion leader Xi Wuyi, a professor of Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who said it proved the site supported Xinjiang separatists.

Violence in Xinjiang, the homeland of China's 10-million strong Uighur ethnic minority, has killed hundreds, with Beijing attributing it to Islamic extremism and foreign influence.

"The Chinese government is very unfriendly to the Muslims inside China, especially the Muslims in Xinjiang," Anthony Chang, a co-author of the letter completing his bachelor's degree at the University of Queensland in Australia, told AFP.
New York (AFP) - Donald Trump and Brexit: 2016 was a year of populist earthquakes on both sides of the Atlantic, spelling huge uncertainty for upcoming European elections and the direction of US policy.

On June 23 and November 8, barely 20 weeks apart, millions of Britons and Americans rejected the establishment in what Richard Wike of the Pew Research Center interpreted as a surge of anxiety about globalization, immigration and terrorism.

Globalization and immigration have shifted the jobs market and demographics in the West. Many people, even in a country built by immigrants such as the United States, draw a connection between crime and immigration, Wike said.

Across Europe, from the Netherlands to Poland, from Sweden to Italy, comparisons with the 1930s have become an echoing refrain.

There are now a plethora of populist movements seeking to rise up against established urban and political elites, as well as against Brussels, and "return" their countries to the struggling middle classes.

So after Trump takes office on January 20 at the helm of the most powerful democracy on the planet, will 2017 see populists also take power in Europe?

As during the Brexit and US campaigns, the pre-electoral season has been dominated by debate about globalization, the arrival in Europe since 2015 of more than 1.3 million migrants, many of them Muslim, and extremist attacks.

Traditional and pro-European parties breathed a sigh of relief when nationalist Norbert Hofer was defeated in the December 4 Austrian presidential election.

- 'Huge uncertainty -

But hopes were immediately dashed in Italy, the third largest eurozone economy, by the resignation of prime minister Matteo Renzi, opening the door to possible elections and galvanizing the populist Five Star movement -- which wants to quit the euro -- and the anti-immigrant Northern League party.

The Netherlands goes to the polls in March: the extremist, anti-Muslim party of Geert Wilders could win for the first time, even if the country's fractured political landscape prevents him forming a coalition government.

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France will vote for a new president in May. The National Front led by Marine Le Pen is expected to go to a second round against the conservative Francois Fillon regardless of President Francois Hollande's decision not to run.

In the autumn, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who in 2015 opened her country to an influx of refugees, again stands for re-election. Having long resisted populist movements sweeping neighboring countries, Merkel now has to contend with the rise of anti-immigration, anti-Islam party AfD, credited with having about 13 percent of support -- and strong criticism from within her own party.

While polls predict that Merkel will win and Le Pen will lose, that can still change. Polls were also widely discredited after predicting that Britain would vote to remain in the European Union and that Trump would lose to the far more experienced Hillary Clinton.

Yascha Mounk, a lecturer on political theory at Harvard University, said there was "huge uncertainty" going into 2017.

"One thing is clear: Trump's election proved that there is no natural limit on the growth of populist movements. If people think it's impossible for Marine Le Pen to win, they're making the same mistake that a lot of my friends made in thinking that Trump couldn't win," he said.

- Time will tell -

Will Trump be an American Berlusconi? An unpredictable narcissist in charge of the American nuclear codes? Or a pragmatist capable of finding novel solutions to stem or reverse the pace of American decline?

For Mounk, Trump could threaten "basic democratic principles such as the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary," which could see US democracy become as flawed as "some countries in Latin America or Ukraine."

His victory may also initially inspire "a certain self-confidence" among European populist movements, concedes Giovanni Grevi, senior fellow at the European Policy Centre in Brussels.

But as time goes on, it will depend how the real estate developer and former reality star translates his rhetoric into "actual policy." For example can he bring back jobs from China or Mexico to expand the workforce? Will he deport illegal immigrants? These are priorities shared by European populists.

Some already call themselves Trump allies. Le Pen congratulated Trump before Hollande. British Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage flew to New York to visit him in person, irritating at best the establishment in London.

But European populists risk a backlash if Trump fails.

Already severely tested by the woes of the eurozone and a mass influx of refugees, "Europe remains vulnerable to a whole set of crisis factors," warned Grevi.

How European countries succeed -- or fail -- in working together to tackle future crises will be key, Grevi believes, and "will make a difference to the political fortunes of populist forces."
Promising start

Nepali doctors have pushed the frontiers of medical treatment in the country
A mail carrier with the United States Postal Service saved packages from a burning delivery truck in Wake Forest, North Carolina, on Tuesday, December 13.

According to Dominic Manzo, who took this video, he and his brother were pulling out of his driveway headed to school at 7 am when they saw the mail truck engulfed in flames.

WTVD reported the blaze started in the engine of the truck and quickly spread to the rest of the vehicle while stopped at intersection of Heritage Lake Road and Heritage Heights Lane. The damaged packages got wet but were not burnt.

Manzo said the woman in the video is a mail carrier and a neighbor rushed to the scene to help her. Credit: Dominic Manzo via Storyful
Dec 14 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL

** British Columbia New Democratic Party leader John Horgan says the Canadian federal government could end up having to use the notwithstanding clause to proceed with the controversial expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline if his party wins next spring's provincial election. https://tgam.ca/2gJHag4

** In the first-ever commitment of government funds to Canada's leading defender of the wrongfully convicted, the government of Ontario and the Law Society of Upper Canada have committed a total of $900,000 over three years to Innocence Canada - at a time when the organization was facing financial catastrophe. https://tgam.ca/2hqj8YW

** Canadian National Railway Co denied a report that alleges the Montreal-based freight carrier has overcharged Ontario taxpayers for construction work for the past 15 years. https://tgam.ca/2htAUYa

NATIONAL POST

** An attack on a mosque in Chakwal, Pakistan, has led to calls for an investigation in Canada over allegations a Toronto-area man was part of a group that vowed "extreme measures" against the place of worship. http://bit.ly/2hssb8z

** A $1.5 billion project to train Canada's fighter pilots, touted by the Liberal government as an example of how it is improving defense procurement, has gone off track as the Liberal government has quietly pushed the contract award date to next year, an extension that could see the deal announced as late as October. http://bit.ly/2gFzqO3 (Compiled by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru)
Dec 14 (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.

- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump pushed ahead with his controversial pick for secretary of state, Exxon Mobil Corp chief Rex Tillerson, setting up a likely battle with senators - including some Republicans - who have raised questions about his closeness to Russian leader. http://on.wsj.com/2hv13pY

- Goldman Sachs plans to elevate David Solomon and Harvey Schwartz to be top lieutenants to CEO Lloyd Blankfein, filling a void left by Gary Cohn, who is leaving the bank to join the Trump administration. http://on.wsj.com/2hv2TqQ

- U.S. regulators slapped Wells Fargo with new regulatory sanctions, saying the firm failed to address alleged "deficiencies" in a plan to manage its own bankruptcy without a taxpayer bailout. http://on.wsj.com/2hv6ENf

- Tens of thousands of civilians and the remaining rebels are preparing to evacuate opposition-held parts of the decimated city, sealing a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. http://on.wsj.com/2hv62ao

- An on-air reporter at a 21st Century Fox-owned local television station in New York is suing the company for hostile work environment and age and pregnancy discrimination. http://on.wsj.com/2hv6CVy

- Inspectors from the U.S., China and four other nations visited Areva SA 's Le Creusot Forge in central France earlier this month to examine the plant's quality controls and comb through its internal records. http://on.wsj.com/2hv9VvI

- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has selected Montana Representative Ryan Zinke to lead the interior department, according to a transition official, tapping a freshman Republican congressman who, like the president-elect, is often at odds with environmentalists but has opposed efforts to sell federal lands to states. http://on.wsj.com/2hv4i0T

- Oculus VR, the troubled virtual-reality company owned by Facebook Inc, is looking for a new head after revamping its structure. Oculus said it is creating two divisions - one focused on mobile, the other on PCs - and that CEO Brendan Iribe is stepping down to run the PC group. Jon Thomason, who joined Oculus this summer as its head of software, will run the new mobile VR group at Oculus. http://on.wsj.com/2hv4ZXO (Compiled by Parikshit Mishra in Bengaluru)
With online shopping at a record high, delivery boxes left on doorsteps, porches and in mailboxes may prove enticing to criminals this holiday season. According to a 2016 Holiday Results Adobe Digital Insights report, Cyber Monday online sales hit $3.45 billion, up more than 12 percent compared to last year.

While national statistics and data on package theft (or porch piracy as it's often called) aren't readily available to the public, police departments across the country have released statements cautioning local residents about the possibility of theft. In addition, some neighborhood group email lists like Nextdoor and Facebook groups buzz with complaints about lost or stolen packages.

According to a survey of 2,000 Americans conducted by market research company Research Now and commissioned by home security and automation company Vivint Smart Home, nearly three-quarters of respondents are concerned about this issue (many studies in this space are commissioned by home security companies, who have a vested interest in the topic).

[See: 14 Important Personal Finance Dates to Mark on Your Calendar.]

Count Kathy Osborne among those who think about the potential for package theft. A few years ago, when she lived in upstate New York, Osborne ordered a pair of rain boots from Zappos. But on the date her confirmation email said the boots should arrive, her doorstep was empty. She contacted the delivery service, and they had her fill out a missing package report -- to no avail.

"After finally talk to Zappos about the problem, they told me they would send me a new pair of boots -- on them," she says. For the second shipment, the boots shipped with signature required upon delivery. Osborne says she now ships things with signature required whenever possible and tries to order from retailers known for their customer service in case another package disappears.

A number of gadgets, including home security cameras and even a product called the Package Guard, are aimed at combatting this problem. Here's a look at low-cost strategies for minimizing the risk of package theft and what to do if you encounter porch piracy.

Story continues

Ship to an alternate location. If you don't live in a building with a doorman and can't be home when your package arrives, consider having it shipped to an alternate address such as the home of a trusted neighbor. FedEx offers a service called Delivery Manager, and UPS features a My Choice option that gives you some control over when and where packages arrive. Or you and your neighbors might agree to collect packages for each other if you see boxes left on each other's doorsteps. "My neighbors are retired and home most of the day, so this is a great option for me," says consumer and money-saving expert Andrea Woroch.

Shipping packages to your workplace is another option, but not all employers are designed to serve as your personal mail concierge, especially if it's a large company. "Here at MIT, it takes almost as long to go through the mail system as it does to go through the country," says Chris Caplice, executive director of MIT's Center for Transportation & Logistics.

[See: 10 Ways to Protect Yourself From Online Fraud.]

Parcel lockers, or secure lockers where customers pick up packages when it's convenient for them, are popping up in areas of the country that have the population density to support them. Amazon Locker is one example of a self-service parcel delivery, and DHL has used lockers in Europe for over a decade, Caplice says. UPS has its own solution called the UPS Access Point Network, which allows customers to pick up packages from a holding area in places such as a local dry cleaner, deli or convenience store.

Many retailers with brick-and-mortar locations also give customers the option to ship online orders to a store location for free, a development that Caplice says is shifting the retail footprint towards more warehouse space and less storefront area. "When I was a kid in the late '70s, back rooms were massive, and then they got really tiny. Now they're shifting the other way to deliver from store," he says.

Track your packages. Most online retailers give you a tracking number in your confirmation email, Woroch points out, so keep track of details like when items should arrive so you'll know if a package has gone missing. Mobile apps like Slice can also help you keep track of deliveries from multiple retailers by scanning your emails and aggregating your order information into a single feed. Woroch recommends checking your mail every day, especially if you have a community mailbox. "Don't let mail sit overnight," she adds. She recently discovered that some of her mail had been stolen after neighbors reported vandalism via the Nextdoor app.

Report missing items. If your tracking information shows that a package has been delivered but you can't find it, contact the retailer. "Most retailers will replace any stolen or undelivered items," Woroch says. "Sometimes the carrier will deliver to the wrong address or leave a package in the wrong mailbox too," Woroch adds.

Depending on the card you used to place the order, you might also be able to file a claim with the credit card issuer if the retailer isn't helpful. "Check your card policy to find out if your card offers purchase security which will replace or reimburse cardholders for stolen items purchased with the credit card," Woroch says. "Call the credit card hotline to find out info or to place a claim."

Depending on the value of the item and other specifics of the situation, you may also need to file a police report. According to UPS spokesperson Matt O'Connor, in cases where a UPS package has gone missing, the recipient should file a police report and contact the merchant. "[UPS] will collaborate with the local law enforcement and the merchant on a resolution," he says. "Each package shipped with UPS has a declared value of $100 [unless the sender pays for a higher declared value] that so if the package is properly packaged and shipped, that could kick in to help compensate for the package," he adds.

[See: Prepare Your Finances for the Holidays.]

With that said, a police report won't help Santa explain missing gifts on Christmas morning. Planning ahead and taking precautions to prevent package theft can minimize these kinds of headaches.

Susan Johnston Taylor has contributed to the money section of USNews.com since 2011, covering everything from personal finance apps and spending strategies to mortgages, insurance and estate planning. Her articles on business and personal finance have also appeared in or on The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, Learnvest, Entrepreneur and Fast Company. Susan's goal is to offer readers new insights and practical ways to save money, advance their careers or improve their lives. You can find her on Twitter @UrbanMuseWriter.
With online shopping at a record high, delivery boxes left on doorsteps, porches and in mailboxes may prove enticing to criminals this holiday season. According to a 2016 Holiday Results Adobe Digital Insights report, Cyber Monday online sales hit $3.45 billion, up more than 12 percent compared to last year.

While national statistics and data on package theft (or porch piracy as it's often called) aren't readily available to the public, police departments across the country have released statements cautioning local residents about the possibility of theft. In addition, some neighborhood group email lists like Nextdoor and Facebook groups buzz with complaints about lost or stolen packages.

According to a survey of 2,000 Americans conducted by market research company Research Now and commissioned by home security and automation company Vivint Smart Home, nearly three-quarters of respondents are concerned about this issue (many studies in this space are commissioned by home security companies, who have a vested interest in the topic).

[See: 14 Important Personal Finance Dates to Mark on Your Calendar.]

Count Kathy Osborne among those who think about the potential for package theft. A few years ago, when she lived in upstate New York, Osborne ordered a pair of rain boots from Zappos. But on the date her confirmation email said the boots should arrive, her doorstep was empty. She contacted the delivery service, and they had her fill out a missing package report -- to no avail.

"After finally talk to Zappos about the problem, they told me they would send me a new pair of boots -- on them," she says. For the second shipment, the boots shipped with signature required upon delivery. Osborne says she now ships things with signature required whenever possible and tries to order from retailers known for their customer service in case another package disappears.

A number of gadgets, including home security cameras and even a product called the Package Guard, are aimed at combatting this problem. Here's a look at low-cost strategies for minimizing the risk of package theft and what to do if you encounter porch piracy.

Story continues

Ship to an alternate location. If you don't live in a building with a doorman and can't be home when your package arrives, consider having it shipped to an alternate address such as the home of a trusted neighbor. FedEx offers a service called Delivery Manager, and UPS features a My Choice option that gives you some control over when and where packages arrive. Or you and your neighbors might agree to collect packages for each other if you see boxes left on each other's doorsteps. "My neighbors are retired and home most of the day, so this is a great option for me," says consumer and money-saving expert Andrea Woroch.

Shipping packages to your workplace is another option, but not all employers are designed to serve as your personal mail concierge, especially if it's a large company. "Here at MIT, it takes almost as long to go through the mail system as it does to go through the country," says Chris Caplice, executive director of MIT's Center for Transportation & Logistics.

[See: 10 Ways to Protect Yourself From Online Fraud.]

Parcel lockers, or secure lockers where customers pick up packages when it's convenient for them, are popping up in areas of the country that have the population density to support them. Amazon Locker is one example of a self-service parcel delivery, and DHL has used lockers in Europe for over a decade, Caplice says. UPS has its own solution called the UPS Access Point Network, which allows customers to pick up packages from a holding area in places such as a local dry cleaner, deli or convenience store.

Many retailers with brick-and-mortar locations also give customers the option to ship online orders to a store location for free, a development that Caplice says is shifting the retail footprint towards more warehouse space and less storefront area. "When I was a kid in the late '70s, back rooms were massive, and then they got really tiny. Now they're shifting the other way to deliver from store," he says.

Track your packages. Most online retailers give you a tracking number in your confirmation email, Woroch points out, so keep track of details like when items should arrive so you'll know if a package has gone missing. Mobile apps like Slice can also help you keep track of deliveries from multiple retailers by scanning your emails and aggregating your order information into a single feed. Woroch recommends checking your mail every day, especially if you have a community mailbox. "Don't let mail sit overnight," she adds. She recently discovered that some of her mail had been stolen after neighbors reported vandalism via the Nextdoor app.

Report missing items. If your tracking information shows that a package has been delivered but you can't find it, contact the retailer. "Most retailers will replace any stolen or undelivered items," Woroch says. "Sometimes the carrier will deliver to the wrong address or leave a package in the wrong mailbox too," Woroch adds.

Depending on the card you used to place the order, you might also be able to file a claim with the credit card issuer if the retailer isn't helpful. "Check your card policy to find out if your card offers purchase security which will replace or reimburse cardholders for stolen items purchased with the credit card," Woroch says. "Call the credit card hotline to find out info or to place a claim."

Depending on the value of the item and other specifics of the situation, you may also need to file a police report. According to UPS spokesperson Matt O'Connor, in cases where a UPS package has gone missing, the recipient should file a police report and contact the merchant. "[UPS] will collaborate with the local law enforcement and the merchant on a resolution," he says. "Each package shipped with UPS has a declared value of $100 [unless the sender pays for a higher declared value] that so if the package is properly packaged and shipped, that could kick in to help compensate for the package," he adds.

[See: Prepare Your Finances for the Holidays.]

With that said, a police report won't help Santa explain missing gifts on Christmas morning. Planning ahead and taking precautions to prevent package theft can minimize these kinds of headaches.





More From US News & World Report


Prince Harry is continuing to use his influence to shed light on good causes. The 32-year-old royal is the patron for the disaster relief group MapAction, which released video footage of the prince surprising aid workers in Norway this fall.

WATCH: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Spotted Christmas Tree Shopping in London

MapAction gathers data from the scene of emergencies and is able to translate that information into the form of a map, identifying the critical areas in need of immediate response. Harry visited the organization during a simulation exercise to see how the work is executed.

Today @mapaction has released a film of Patron Prince Harry seeing its volunteers in action at a major disaster simulation exercise pic.twitter.com/mIPhYDG24m  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 14, 2016

"MapAction brings order to chaos. Its unique mapping skills help all the other aid workers in a disaster or emergency," Harry said in the clip, released by Kensington Palace on Wednesday. "MapAction is helping more people in a shorter space of time and allowing other humanitarian organizations to get to the areas most affected, to start saving lives as soon as possible."

The son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana wants to continue to help highlight the work of MapAction, which was created in 2004 and has since responded to 64 disasters.

"To see highly-skilled individuals give up their time like this is remarkable. Considering how few people there are, it is unbelievable how much they can achieve," Harry said. "It's the glue that binds everyone together. After being Patron for nearly ten years, I want more and more people to know what MapAction does."

"@MapAction brings order to chaos. Its unique mapping skills help all the other aid workers in a disaster or emergency." - Prince Harry pic.twitter.com/2TvcYVi0vo  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 14, 2016

Harry also recently returned from a two-week Royal Tour of the Caribbean, on which he traveled to seven different countries, meeting with many locals and children and even getting an HIV test with singer Rihanna on World AIDs Day.

Story continues

MORE: Prince Harry All Smiles as He Returns to London for Charity Event Following Trip to See Meghan Markle

But all this hard work doesn't mean the prince isn't enjoying his down time. His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, is currently in London for the holidays and the pair were spotted shopping for a Christmas tree together in Battersea Park on Monday evening.

"They seemed like they were getting on well," Pines and Needles employee Ollie Wilkinson told ET of the couple. "They walked off hand in hand and he was carrying a tree on his shoulder."

For more on their Christmas tree shopping date, watch the clip below!

Related Articles
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 14, 2016 / Prophecy Development Corp. ("Prophecy" or the "Company") (TSX: PCY; OTC PINK: PRPCF; Frankfurt: 1P2N) is pleased to announce that it has signed a letter of intent ("LOI") for toll milling services with the Bolivian company, Empresa Minera Senor de Maica (the "Service Provider"), whereby the Service Provider will provide dedicated toll milling services at its ore processing facility (the "Processing Plant") located in Potosi, which is a 2.5 hour drive by car, on paved road from Pulacayo.

The toll milling services will entail the processing of mined product, to be supplied by the Company, utilizing conventional crushing, grinding, and flotation technology to produce zinc-silver and lead-silver concentrates.

The Processing Plant will be dedicated to mined product supplied exclusively by the Company to optimize recoveries and avoid co-mingling with mined product from third parties so that during the contract term, only mined product supplied by the Company will be processed at the Processing Plant.

The Service Provider will provide toll milling services for a minimum of 5,000 tons of mined product per month, at a fixed price (in US dollars) per tonne of mined product processed.

The Service Provider will be responsible for all costs incurred in providing the toll milling services, which will include (but not be limited to) the cost of power, water, chemicals, labour, fuel, unloading of mined product from the Company's trucks at the Processing Plant location, loading of concentrate onto the Company's trucks at the Processing Plant location, management of the tailing facility and other costs associated with providing the toll milling services.

The Company will commence supply of the mined product to be processed at the Processing Plant on or about April 1, 2017. The grade of the mined product to be supplied by the Company will be: silver 100 to 200 g/t, zinc up to 5% and lead up to 5%.

Story continues

The Service Provider will guarantee minimum metal recoveries for silver of 80%, zinc 70% and lead 70%.

The proposed payment terms are: 20% in advance, paid in the first week of each month, and the remaining 80% balance when the concentrate is ready to be loaded onto the Company's trucks.

The Company will have the right to have its personnel present at the Processing Plant and to supervise the processing of mined product supplied by the Company at all times.

The Service Provider will be solely responsible for management of the Processing Plant and its tailing facility, and for any damage including environmental damage caused by the Processing Plant and its tailing facility operations.

The Service Provider is an experienced private enterprise that owns and operates multiple ore processing facilities in and around Potosi. Pictures of the Service Provider's ore processing facility are available at www.prophecydev.com.

The LOI will expire without any effect to Prophecy or the Service Provider if a final toll milling service contract is not signed on or before April 1, 2017. The proposed term of the final contract for toll milling services will be 18 months.

The mined material to be supplied by the Company is expected to be mined from its Paca and/or Pulacayo deposits located within the Company's Pulacayo project concessions.

Mercator Geological Services Limited produced the Paca, and Pulacayo technical reports, which are compliant with National Instrument 43-101, disclose the resource estimates prepared according to the CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Reserves, and were filed on SEDAR by the Company. The resource estimates by Mercator and contained metals estimated by the Company are as follows:



Paca Mineral Resource Statement - Effective September 9, 2015 Ag Eq. Cut-Off (g/t) Category Tonnes* Ag (g/t) Pb (%) Zn (%) Ag Eq. (g/t) 300** Inferred 1,260,000 363 0.98 1.02 444

Contained metals in September 9, 2015 Paca*** mineral resource estimate:



Metal Inferred Resource* Silver 14.7 million oz. Zinc 28.4 million lbs. Lead 27.2 million lbs.

Pulacayo Mineral Resource Statement - Effective June 16, 2015 Ag Eq. Cut-Off (g/t) Category Tonnes* Ag (g/t) Pb (%) Zn (%) Ag Eq. (g/t) 500** Indicated 1,270,000 530 2.51 3.63 688 Inferred 350,000 419 2.47 4.58 620

Contained metals in June 16, 2015 Pulacayo*** mineral resource estimate:



Metal Indicated Resource* Inferred Resource* Silver 21.7 million oz. 4.7 million oz. Zinc 101.6 million lbs. 35.3 million lbs. Lead 70.3 million lbs. 19.1 million lbs.

*Figures are rounded to nearest 100,000 or 0.1 million

**Ag Eq. cut-off value adopted by the Company

***Based on the resource estimate Ag Eq. cut-off value adopted by the Company

A positive production decision would not be based on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability so would carry increased uncertainty and the risk of failure as to the mining method and profitability.

Qualified Persons

The technical content of this news release was reviewed and approved by Christopher M. Kravits, CPG, LPG, who is a Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101. Mr. Kravits is a consultant to the Company and serves as its Qualified Person and General Mining Manager.

Grinding Circuit

To view the photos, click onto these links:

https://www.accesswire.com/uploads/Prophecy1.jpg

https://www.accesswire.com/uploads/Prophecy2.jpg

Flotation Circuit

To view the photos, click onto these links:

https://www.accesswire.com/uploads/Prophecy3.jpg

https://www.accesswire.com/uploads/Prophecy4.jpg



Concentrate Dewatering Area

To view the photo, click onto this link:

https://www.accesswire.com/uploads/Prophecy5.jpg



Crushing Circuit

To view the photo, click onto this link:

https://www.accesswire.com/uploads/Prophecy6.jpg



About Prophecy



Prophecy Development Corp. is a Canadian public company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange that is engaged in developing mining and energy projects in Mongolia, Bolivia, and Canada. Further information on Prophecy can be found at www.prophecydev.com.

PROPHECY DEVELOPMENT CORP.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"JOHN LEE"

Executive Chairman

For more information about Prophecy, please contact Investor Relations:

+1.888.513.6286

ir@prophecydev.com

www.prophecydev.com

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release, including statements which may contain words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," or similar expressions, and statements related to matters which are not historical facts, are forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements, which reflect management's expectations regarding Prophecy's future growth, results of operations, performance, business prospects and opportunities, are based on certain factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These estimates and assumptions are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive and other uncertainties and contingencies, many of which, with respect to future events, are subject to change and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements made by Prophecy. In making forward-looking statements as may be included in this news release, Prophecy has made several assumptions that it believes are appropriate, including, but not limited to assumptions that: there being no significant disruptions affecting operations, such as due to labour disruptions; currency exchange rates being approximately consistent with current levels; certain price assumptions for coal, prices for and availability of fuel, parts and equipment and other key supplies remain consistent with current levels; production forecasts meeting expectations; the accuracy of Prophecy's current mineral resource estimates; labour and materials costs increasing on a basis consistent with Prophecy's current expectations; and that any additional required financing will be available on reasonable terms. Prophecy cannot assure you that any of these assumptions will prove to be correct.

Numerous factors could cause Prophecy's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including the following risks and uncertainties, which are discussed in greater detail under the heading "Risk Factors" in Prophecy's most recent Management Discussion and Analysis and Annual Information Form as filed on SEDAR and posted on Prophecy's website: Prophecy's history of net losses and lack of foreseeable cash flow; exploration, development and production risks, including risks related to the development of Prophecy's mineral properties; Prophecy not having a history of profitable mineral production; the uncertainty of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates; the capital and operating costs required to bring Prophecy's projects into production and the resulting economic returns from its projects; foreign operations and political conditions, including the legal and political risks of operating in Bolivia, which is a developing jurisdiction; amendments to local Bolivian laws which may have an adverse impact on the Company's operations; title to Prophecy's mineral properties; environmental risks; the competitive nature of the mining business; lack of infrastructure; Prophecy's reliance on key personnel; uninsured risks; commodity price fluctuations; reliance on contractors; Prophecy's need for substantial additional funding and the risk of not securing such funding on reasonable terms or at all; foreign exchange risks; anti-corruption legislation; recent global financial conditions; the payment of dividends; and conflicts of interest.

These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on Prophecy's forward-looking statements. Prophecy believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In addition, although Prophecy has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Prophecy undertakes no obligation to release publicly any future revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law.

SOURCE: Prophecy Development Corp.
By Jonathan Saul

LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The global shipping industry will hit a credit crunch if proposed new bank capital rules are implemented in a sector already weighed down by toxic debt, bankers involved say.

The Basel Committee of banking supervisors from nearly 30 countries met in Chile last month in an effort to complete the new rules for lenders in the world's major financial centres. It is now trying to pin down the details.

While the rules do not target shipping specifically, some of the biggest rises in requirements under the proposed regulation are likely to be in the models banks use to decide how much capital to set aside when they lend to shippers.

Around 90 percent of world trade is transported by sea but the shipping industry is stuck in its worst slump on record, as international trade slows and freight rates fall in a market flooded with too many vessels.

Sources told Reuters this week the regulators were working to soften proposals after the European Union threatened to boycott the proposed rules, fearing big increases in capital requirements that would throttle credit.

Despite the progress on the talks, which still need endorsement, banking sources say the likelihood of a sizeable increase in capital requirements remains the core worry.

Ratings agency Moody's said this week its global shipping outlook for 2017 was negative.

German banks - which provide a quarter of the world's $400 billion of outstanding shipping debt - are struggling to recoup their loans. Other European lenders with stable shipping portfolios fear the proposals will squeeze them too.

"Those banks which have clearly defined prudent strategies, top credit, very carefully structured transactions ... are thrown into the same bracket as those with higher risk strategy and with problematic portfolios. That is the biggest problem," said Paul Taylor, global head of shipping finance with France's Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking.

Story continues

"Everyone suffers - but those with defaulting portfolios will be the big losers."

Taylor said depending on what emerges, banks may consider re-allocating some of their capital from shipping elsewhere "which may make a better return on equity".

"Therefore this could mean that we do less business due to pricing," he said.

"These are real assets we are financing," he added. "If the liquidity is too expensive, the economy will be hit."

Currently banks in Europe tend to use internal models, based on how similar assets have performed historically.

Sources told Reuters in July the European Central Bank had launched a review of banks' lending to the shipping sector, which had already raised concerns among lenders that could be required to set aside more capital and make higher loss provisions.

Many lenders to the shipping sector are looking at ending or scaling back their exposure, but that will take time.

"This is going to heap even more pressure on banks with large exposures to shipping that have non-performing loans," a shipping finance source said.

Deutsche Bank, state owned rivals HSH Nordbank and NordLB are among the German banks with some of the biggest portfolios of troubled shipping loans.

Chief executive of NordLB Gunter Dunkel said the Basel proposals would "affect us, but not as much as other German banks".

Deutsche Bank said in their quarterly results in late October they were still positive that any new rules would not send their capital requirements spiking.

HSH is currently trying to sell parts of its portfolio including 500 million euros of shipping loans. A source familiar with the HSH transaction was still confident and said the bank was committed to selling shipping loans.

Finance sources said offers received so far came were at 25 to 35 percent of the value of the loans.

"If that's the value of such debt and you add potential Basel regulations, they are looking at a big hit somewhere," the shipping finance source said.

Britain's Royal Bank of Scotland, once among the biggest lenders to the sector, said in September it would wind down its global shipping finance business, ending efforts to sell off loans.

TOUGH CHOICES

Hans Christian Kjelsrud, head of shipping, offshore and oil services with Nordea, said lending to the shipping industry was tough for many European banks since the financial crisis.

"It is a result of a very challenging business model for European banks given the capital intensity of the business and the demand for long-term U.S. dollar funding of which many European banks are short," he said, "and also because many banks have taken substantial loan losses over the last five to six years."

Kjelsrud said Nordea, the Nordic region's biggest bank, was well capitalised and not concerned by a new regulatory deal, known as Basel IV. Norway's biggest bank DNB echoed that view.

"Italian banks, German banks have a longer way to go if they are to conform to Basel IV," said Harald Serck-Hanssen, head of large corporates and international at DNB.

(Additional reporting by Arno Schuetze and Andreas Kroener in Frankfurt and Maya Nikolaeva in Paris; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
Protesters gathered in Asuncion on Tuesday, December 13, to demonstrate against a constitutional amendment that would allow for the reelection of the president, according to local reports.

The constitutional amendment has been controversial because it would end a ban on reelection to office. Uruguayan presidents currently have a five-year term limit. Opposition politicians have argued that the constitutional proposal is the breaking of a democratic process, according to reports.

The largest sector of the ruling Colorado Party, which supports the current president, Horacio Cartes, has argued that constitutional amendment is the most democratic tool to allow for reelection. Credit: Twitter/Carlos Alberto Gomez via Storyful
Religious leaders call for restraint

Muslim and Hindu religious leaders in Banke have issued a call for restraint and calm after Mondays clash during a rally that was organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of prophet Mohammad at Matehiya VDC.
Two leading executive headhunters once wrote a book called Lessons From the Top: The Search for Americas Best Business Leaders that celebrated 50 titans of industry. Readers were encouraged to learn from and pattern themselves after the leadership qualities displayed by these executives. Yet within a few years of the books 1999 publication, three of those 50 were convicted of white-collar crimes and headed to prison, and three more faced tens of millions of dollars in fines for illicit activity. It was an extraordinary rate of failure for executives once deemed the very bestand most successfulbusiness leaders in America.

Ive spent much of the last seven years investigating why so many respected executives engage in white-collar crime. Why is it that fraud, embezzlement, bribery, and insider trading often seem like disturbing norms among the upper echelons of business? Some commentators like to chalk up these executives failures to greed. Others argue that the extraordinary harm these executives do suggests that theres something constitutionally different about themthat they are bad apples. Still others wonder if perhaps these individuals were blinded by ambition and just unable to admit failure.

Recommended: The Four-Letter Code to Selling Just About Anything

In order to test these theories, I interacted extensively with nearly 50 of the most prominent executives convicted of white-collar offenses. Many of them had lost the confidence that they once displayed. Isolated from the business community that had placed them on a pedestal, many openly shared their views and perspective with me. Over the phone, by letter, and during visits to prison, I little by little began to better understand them.

At first, I was struck by their lack of remorse regarding either their actions or the harm those actions had caused. One executive even joked with me about how hed been practicing with his $1,000-an-hour lawyer to convincingly, albeit falsely, express regret during his upcoming parole hearing. Troublingly, those who received lenient sentences for testifying against others often told me stories that differed from their sworn testimony.

Story continues

Many of the convicted executives I spent time with described their conduct bluntly. Morals go out the window when the pressure is on, explained Steven Hoffenberg, who confessed to running a Ponzi scheme that stole from thousands of investors in his company, the Towers Financial Corporation. When the responsibility is there and you have to meet budgetary numbers, you can forget about morals. The reactions to engaging in crime were not always as I expected, either. David Myers, the former controller of WorldCom, recalled thinking that he was helping people and doing the right thing while perpetrating one of the largest accounting frauds in history. In his mind, the fraud was superficially sustaining the company, its stock price, and the jobs of its employees.

Recommended: My President Was Black

Some former executives defiantly denied that they did anything criminal. I was in a good career making a couple million a year, explained one executive who helped devise millions of dollars in illicit tax structures (and spoke on the condition of anonymity, given his continuing legal situation), so its not that Im going to risk everything to go do something shady or illegal. Others felt that they were unfairly and selectively prosecuted for behavior that was ubiquitous in their industry. Most, however, accepted that they did something wrong. Yet, in spite of this recognition, it wasnt clear even to the executives themselves why they made decisions that looked so thoughtless. After successful careers characterized by decades of careful decision-making, they found their own basic failures just as startling as others did.

At the time this was going on, I just never really thought about the consequences.

When prosecutors try to explain white-collar misconduct, they often describe it as resulting from a cost-benefit calculation. A 1976 Wall Street Journal piece distinguished corporate crimes from other kinds of offenses by saying that unlike the tempestuous and murderous spouse or the impoverished and desperate mugger, suite criminals are sophisticated and deliberative businessmen who engage in crime only after carefully calculating the benefits and costs.

This idea that white-collar offenders weigh expected costs against expected benefits comports with notions of how executives ought to make decisions. The explanation is also rooted in the influential work of Gary Becker, the University of Chicago economist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for, among other things, mathematically modeling crime based on such trade-offs. Beckers work contrasted with decades of prior scholarship that characterized criminals as somehow psychologically aberrant. Instead, he argued that crime could be explained by seeing criminals not as physically or psychologically different kinds of people, but rather as individuals who simply viewed the costs and benefits of criminal activity differently.

Recommended: The Problem With Obama's Faith in White America

Motivated by this theory, I initially thought that if I could understand how executives thought about the costs and benefits of engaging in illicit conduct, Id come to appreciate why they decided to act criminally. Perhaps they saw the rewards of hitting bonus targets or trading ahead of a deal as outweighing the potential repercussions. Maybe the executives just didnt think they would get caught, so they underestimated the potential costs during their calculation.

The problem was that the more I listened, the more their criminal decisions didnt look like carefully deliberative cost-benefit calculations at all. At the time this was going on, Scott London, a KPMG executive convicted of insider trading, told me, I just never really thought about the consequences. This executives remark wasnt unique. For instance, Sam Waksal, the former CEO of ImClone Systems who shared inside information with his daughter in a scandal that would infamously also engulf Martha Stewart, was surprised that many viewed his actions as some kind of giant byzantine idea that [he] was trying to perpetrate. Waksal understood that calling his daughter and telling her to dump her shares was wrong. Since he knew the SEC monitors this kind of trading, his decision couldnt possibly represent the careful reasoning of a self-made man who prided himself on his intellectual prowess. Had he actually put his mind to it, presumably he could have devised a better fraud. I dont know what I was thinking, he lamented. I wasnt, sadly.

It was, in my mind, a very small thing dealing with small dollars.

If its bewildering that intelligent, even brilliant, people can fail to anticipate this devastationnot only to their firms, investors, and employees, but also to themselvesthats because people assume they always act with careful thought and analysis. As a species, though, humans are incredibly poor at actually understanding their own decision-making processes. In fact, many decisions, even consequential ones, arise not from deliberation or reflection but from intuitions and gut instincts.

But if these executives relied on intuition when making their criminal decisions, why didnt they sense the possible consequences for themselves and for others? To outsiders, the harm caused by white-collar crimes is obvious. Economically, theres relatively little difference between embezzling money from shareholders and stealing it from their wallets. But theres a critical difference between a physical, intimate crime like taking someones wallet and the white-collar variant. The perpetrators of white-collar crimes are physically, psychologically, and even temporally distant from their victims. An embezzler doesnt have to get close to victims, touch them, or see their reactions. As a consequence, embezzling doesnt motivate the same visceral senses as robbery.

Indeed, the former executives I came to know were unable to relate to those they had harmed. It was, in my mind, a very small thing dealing with small dollars, London, of KPMG, explained as he described the impact of his insider trading on his amorphous victims. Others, like Andrew Fastow, the former CFO of Enron, were being honored by the likes of CFO magazine at the same time that they were engaging in fraud, perversely suggesting that their actions might be viewed positively by others. People thought this stuff was frickin brilliant, Fastow recalled of his excitement.

Usually, a gut feeling that something will be harmful is enough of a deterrence. But when the harm is distant or abstract, this internal alarm doesnt always go off. This absence of intuition about the harm creates a particular challenge for executives. Today, managerial decisions impact ever-greater numbers of people and the distance between executives and the people their decisions affect continues to grow. In fact, many of the people most harmed or helped by executives decisions are those they will never identify or meet. In this less intimate world, age-old intuitions are not always well suited to sense the kinds of potential harms that people can cause in the business world.

Reflecting on these limits to human intuition, I came to a conclusion that I found humbling. Most people like to think that they have the right values to make it through difficult times without falling prey to the same failures as the convicted executives I got to know. But those who believe they would face the same situations with their current values and viewpoints tend to underestimate the influence of the pressures, cultures, and norms that surround executive decision making. Perhaps a little humility is in order, given that people seem to have some difficulty predicting how theyd act in that environment. What we all think is, When the big moral challenge comes, I will rise to the occasion, [but] theres not actually that many of us that will actually rise to the occasion, as one former CFO put it. I didnt realize I would be a felon.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
ANKARA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone call on Wednesday to make a joint effort to start the evacuation of civilians and opposition forces from eastern Aleppo as soon as possible, Turkish presidential sources said.

Putin and Erdogan emphasised the need to prevent the violations of a ceasefire deal that Russia and Turkey brokered on Tuesday. The evacuation stalled early on Wednesday after Damascus's ally Iran set new conditions, and both government forces and rebels have since resumed fighting.

Erdogan told Putin that Turkey was ready to take all possible measures to provide temporary shelter and humanitarian aid following the opening of safe corridors.

(Writing by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Ahead of his visit to Japan later this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin brought his dog Yume into an interview with Japanese journalists, and the large Akita breed made sure she as well as her master were well heard. Putin gave an interview to Nippon Television and Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper in Moscow on Tuesday, accompanied at first by Yume, who was given to him by Japan's Akita Prefecture in 2012. Yume, who was not on a leash, entered the room quietly but she soon began barking loudly at the media crew, who stood still and smiled at the dog. Putin eventually drew Akita's attention with treats before showing some tricks she can do. "We are glad to see Yume happy and cheerful. However, we were a bit surprised and afraid that the beginning of the meeting would be like this," one of the journalists said, according to a Kremlin transcript of the interview. Putin said Yume was protective of him. "You were right to take caution, Yume is a no-nonsense dog," he said. "There are many people here, with camcorders running, lights shining and cameras clicking. She is being a guard dog." A decade ago, with cameras running, Putin allowed his big black labrador Koni to bound into a room where he was receiving German Chancellor Angela Merkel at his Black Sea residence, ignoring warnings from protocol that she has a fear of dogs. (Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; editing by Mark Heinrich)
The English actress will be taking on the traits of a man in an upcoming movie role. Deadline reports that the Rachel Weisz will be playing James Barry, a woman who lived her life as a man to pursue a medical career with the army in 19th century England.

Born and raised a woman, Margaret Bulkley chose to live life disguised as a man to fulfill her dream of studying and practicing medicine.

The ruse began in 1809, 70 years before female students were permitted to attend medical school. In the hopes of becoming a surgeon, Margaret adopted the name James Barry and disguised herself as a man.

After finishing her studies, she decided to keep the name so as to pursue a military career, another world strictly reserved for men at the time. A model officer and an excellent surgeon, James Barry led an exemplary career that saw him travel to India, South Africa, Jamaica and Malta. Noted for his progressive ideas, he implemented medical reforms and was a fervent defender of disadvantaged sections of society in the British colonies.

A 40-year career

It was only upon his death in 1865, after a career spanning more than 40 years, that James Barry's true identity was discovered. As a result, James Barry became the first known qualified female British surgeon or doctor in history, as well as the first women to carry out a cesarean section in 1826, saving mother and child, at a time when neither antibiotics nor anesthesia was available.

This extraordinary tale is being brought to the big screen for the first time in a movie based on Rachel Holmes' biography, "The Secret Life of Dr. James Miranda Barry." Adaptation rights for the book have been acquired by the Maven Pictures production company.

Rachel Weisz has been seen recently in "The Light Between Oceans," "Youth" and "The Lobster."
This rare J.K. Rowling book just sold for A LOT of money at auction

While wed all love to get our hands on a rare J.K. Rowling book, a rare hand written and jewelled copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard has been sold at auction for $470,000 so were shelving that dream for the moment.

First introduced during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a fiction collection of childrens stories for the wizarding world, most notable for the inclusion of The Tale of Three Brothers and its references to the Deathly Hallows.

Following the release of the seventh book in the series, J.K. Rowling announced that she was going to publish and IRL version of the book. To celebrate the release, the prolific author hand wrote seven special copies of the book, giving six copies to those most closely connected to the Harry Potter books. The seventh, final copy was sold at auction back in 2007 in aid of Rowlings charity, Lumos, for a hefty 1.95 million (or around $2.4 million).

Now another handwritten copy of the limited edition hand-written copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard has been auctioned off.

Tales of Beedle the Bard

Given that Rowling offered the books to those who were instrumental in helping make Harry Potter the success that it is, it seems only fitting that her publisher, Barry Cunningham, was offered a copy of the rare book.

Tales of Beedle the Bard auction

Speaking to The Telegraph about receiving the special edition of the book from Rowling, Cunningham recalled how it had arrived by surprise back on 2007.

It arrived with absolutely no warning, he said. It was just an ordinary, anonymous jiffy bag with an Edinburgh stamp on. There was no covering letter or note, I hadnt been rung by a delivery company. It could have got lost in the post! There were layers of bubble wrap and a box and then there was this purple bag. I saw that there were jewels shining through it. I pulled it out and suddenly realised what it was.

Cunningham also explained why he put the rare item up for auction, revealing that he didnt want his six children to have the burden of such a prized possession.

Story continues

Its been a very difficult decision because it is an extraordinary gift and Im so very grateful for it, but I dont want my children to inherit a burden or end up squabbling over it, he said.

Tales of Beedle the Bard

Cunninghams copy of the book ultimately sold at auction at Sotherbys, London, yesterday for 370,000 (around $470,000). Parts of the proceeds will go to charity.

The post This rare J.K. Rowling book just sold for A LOT of money at auction appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Photo credit: undefined

From Country Living

It's a tale not many fans of the 1946 Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life know, but after filming, the actress who played little Zuzu Bailey experienced a personal tragedy that took her far away from Hollywood, and sidetracked her acting career for decades. Her life made such a drastic turn, in fact, that nearly 35 years after the film's debut, when her co-star Jimmy Stewart finally tracked her down, Karolyn Grimes hadn't even seen the movie.

A resurgence in public interest in the film in the early 1980s prompted Stewart to find out whatever happened to the little girl who had played Zuzu, said Grimes at a press conference with fellow "Bailey children" Carol Coombs (Janie) and Jimmy Hawkins (Tommy) on Dec. 9. This year marks the film's 70th anniversary, a milestone that brought the actors together in Seneca Falls, New York, the town that inspired Bedford Falls, for the annual "It's a Wonderful Life" festival.

During the festival, Grimes, who appeared in the film at age 6, shed light on the origins of her character's name. "There was a product [called Zu Zu Ginger Snaps] made in the early 1900s by the National Biscuit Company, which today is Nabisco. There was a little blonde clown on the box of these cookies. When George comes back from his 'unborn' sequence, he runs up the stairs and he's so happy to see his little girl and his family, and he says, 'Zuzu, my little ginger snap!'" Grimes explained. "So, I was named after a cookie."

Grimes also opened up to the audience about her personal life. Sadly, Grimes' childhood was cut short by unforeseen circumstances. "I was orphaned at the age of 15. I was sent to live in a little town in the Midwest," said Grimes, now 76, who also had roles in films starring Cary Grant, John Wayne, and Bing Crosby.

Grimes's mother died of early-onset Alzheimer's disease when she was 12; less than three years later, her father died in a car accident. A court order forced Grimes, an only child, to move to Missouri to live with her strict aunt and uncle, whom Grimes has described as "religious fanatics" who frowned upon singing, dancing, watching movies, and even, to some extent, laughter.

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She got into college, thanks to the help of teachers, and eventually became a medical tech in Kansas City. She married young, had two daughters, then divorced. Tragically, her first husband died in a hunting accident not long after they had parted ways.

By the time Jimmy Stewart's secretary, who'd been tasked with the job of finding Grimes, tracked her down, she was remarried, working full-time, and raising seven children. She was 40 years old and had never watched the holiday classic she was swiftly becoming known for.

Photo credit: Getty Images

"I never saw movies I was in because my mom told me that would be prideful, being stuck on yourself," Grimes told the Washington Post in 2011.

"The minute I watched the movie I knew what it was and I was thrilled to death that I got to be a part of this wonderful story," Grimes said recently, now estimating that she's seen the film over 500 times. During the '80s, she began receiving requests from the media for interviews, offers to make appearances, and fan mail from people who wanted to meet her-an exciting yet shocking experience for a small-town mom with young children.

"I didn't really embrace it," said Grimes, adding that she mostly granted interviews to local media, so that her newfound celebrity wouldn't take her far from her kids.

Photo credit: Getty Images

In 1989, tragedy struck again when her 18-year-old son committed suicide. "He was a good kid," Grimes told People. Overwhelmed with guilt, Grimes forged ahead by confronting her emotions.

"I chose to face it. Feel it. And release it," she said. "I did the best I could."

A bright spot came during 1993, when Target decided to send the "Bailey kids" on a cross-country tour for its holiday marketing campaign. For the first time since filming had wrapped, Grimes was reunited with fellow child actors Carol Coombs, Jimmy Hawkins, and Larry Sims (Pete Bailey), who passed away in 2009. By the end of the tour, they'd formed a long-lasting bond.

"They've come to my birthday parties, we've stayed at each other's homes," said Carol Coombs, who played Zuzu's older sister Janie. "We have a wonderful relationship."

In 1994, adversity challenged Grimes once again when her second husband died of cancer.

Although Grimes enjoys what she does today, "traveling all over and sharing the message of the film"-a message of faith, God, and community-her life has never been "wonderful," she has said. "Maybe when I was a child, but not after age 15."

Photo credit: Getty Images

The misfortune Grimes has personally endured is part of what makes It's a Wonderful Life so important to her. "It's not a Christmas movie, not a movie about Jesus or Bethlehem or anything religious like that," she told the Washington Post. "It's about how we have to face life with a lot of uncertainty, and even though nobody hears it, most of us ask God to show us the way when things get really hard."

It's a Wonderful Life will air on NBC on December 24, as well as on USA (check your local listings).

Follow Country Living on Pinterest.

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By Tiisetso Motsoeneng

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African retail magnate Christo Wiese sought to create an African retail giant on Wednesday with the proposed takeover of Steinhoff's African assets by Africa's biggest grocery retailer Shoprite.

Wiese owns 16 percent of Shoprite and 23 percent of Steinhoff, the owner of UK's Poundland and U.S.-based Mattress Firm, which said on Wednesday they were in talks about an all-share deal that would create a no-frills retailer with $15 billion in annual sales spanning food, furniture and clothes.

The deal, which was initiated by Wiese, would give Steinhoff, which is dubbed Africa's IKEA and vies with the Swedish firm for global market share, a major interest in Shoprite, a 110 billion rand ($8 billion) company operating in countries including South Africa, Nigeria and Angola.

Wiese, also a top shareholder and board member in Brait, which owns British clothing retailer New Look and gym chain Virgin Active, told Reuters in September a Shoprite and Steinhoff merger would be a "natural development".

But investors were not immediately convinced by the proposed tie-up, which one banker said could value the merged entity at around $15 billion, sending shares in both companies between 4 percent and 8 percent lower as analysts questioned its merits.

Shoprite fell 6.6 percent to 180 rand, on course for its biggest daily percentage decline in nearly a decade, while Steinhoff slumped 7 percent in Johannesburg and Frankfurt, where it took its primary listing a year ago to raise its profile and access deeper capital markets.

"I see no logic in this deal...Both have operated independently well on their own for last 20 years and they've never needed each other," Evan Walker, an analyst at 36One Asset Management in Johannesburg.

"The overlap is so miniscule that it doesn't make a difference."

Under the proposal, Shoprite would issue shares to Steinhoff in exchange for its assets on the continent that include clothes discounter Pepkor and furniture business JD Group.

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For Shoprite, the deal allows it to branch out of grocery retail into clothing, electronics, shoes and furniture while Steinhoff, through its "significant" stake in Shoprite, would add groceries to its sprawling four continent empire.

AFRICA'S IKEA

Steinhoff has also agreed in principle to buy Wiese's 1 billion rand stake in Shoprite and that of the Public Investment Corporation, a South African government employee pension fund that owns 11 percent.

In addition, the two companies said Steinhoff may be required to extend a mandatory offer it plans to make to the two biggest shareholders to other investors on the same terms, a move that could lead to a full takeover of Shoprite.

"If this is the case, such offer will be in the form of a Steinhoff share-for-Shoprite share exchange," they said.

The potential tie-up excludes Steinhoff's European, Asian and U.S. assets. It extends Steinhoff's deal-making binge that has taken the company across the Atlantic for first time with the $3.8 billion rand acquisition of U.S-based Mattress Firm.

Steinhoff, which targets budget-conscious consumers with t-shirts, cup-boards and mattresses in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the U.S., also acquired Britain's Poundland earlier this year in an $800 deal after failing to secure the U.K.'s Home Retail and France's Darty Plc.

($1 = 13.6800 rand)

(Additional reporting by Tanisha Heiberg and Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Keith Weir and Alexander Smith)
President-elect Donald Trumps decision to nominate ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State drew an immediate rebuke Tuesday from environmental groups and policy makers insistent that an oil executive as the countrys chief diplomat would undermine global action to address climate change.

Tillerson, who first joined Exxon in 1975 upon graduating from college, accepts the scientific consensus that man-made climate change is occurring, but also has a vested financial interest in avoiding strong action to address global warming. The company he runs remains under investigation for misleading investors on the risks of climate change for decades to avoid harming its business.

If the only voice that acknowledges that climate change is even real comes from a secretary of state who was CEO of one of the largest oil companies in the world, then that speaks volumes about where this administration is headed, said Jeremy Symons, who works on climate politics for the Environmental Defense Fund.

Read More: Its Hard to Describe Just How Badly the Arctic Is Doing

A wide range of institutions within the U.S. government have some say in the countrys climate policy, including every agency from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Department of Justice. But on the international stage, the Secretary of State reigns supreme as the face the U.S. governments efforts to address the issue. Environmental groups said Tillerson would send the message that the country does not take climate change seriouslyand perhaps under Trump it will not.

On the climate front, Tillerson could not be more different from his would-be predecessor John Kerry. The current Secretary of State initially devoted himself to working on climate change during his time as a U.S. senator when the issue first rose to the national stage in the early 1990s. In recent years, Kerry has played a key role as a dealmaker helping broker the Paris agreement on climate change, along with other international climate treaties.

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Tillerson has voiced support for the Paris agreement, unlike many of the other Trump cabinet nominees, and even came out in support of a carbon tax in 2009. But many critics dismiss those policy positions only as politically expedient decisions made to defray criticism of the company in the face of what once seemed like inevitable regulation. Indeed, ExxonMobil has not made a carbon tax a focus of its massive lobbying efforts and has supported a number of candidates and organizations that oppose measures to tackle the issue. And, unlike several of its chief competitors including BP and Shell, ExxonMobils support came nearly a year after the conclusion of the Paris talks.

Read More: Donald Trumps Victory Could Mean Disaster for the Planet

International talks about the future of the Arctic would also fall to Tillerson should he be confirmed by the Senate. In that position, he would be responsible for working with other countries to protect the region. As CEO of ExxonMobil, Tillerson pushed to open the Arctic to oil drilling.

Beyond specific regulatory measures, Tillerson has questioned the severity of climate change to argue that the world should not move too fast on the issue. What if everything we do, it turns out our models are lousy, and we dont get the effects we predict? Tillerson said at a shareholders meeting last year. Mankind has this enormous capacity to deal with adversity, and those solutions will present themselves as those challenges become clear.

Tillerson is just one of a slew of Trump nominees with close ties to the oil and gas industry. Trumps choice to lead the EPAOklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruittis a self-professed foe of the agencys climate change agenda and has sued on multiple occasions to block implementation of policies like the Clean Power Plan. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Trumps Department of Energy nominee, has called climate change a scientific theory that hasnt been proven and opposed funding to address it.

Rex Tillersons career is the embodiment of the American dream. Through hard work, dedication and smart deal making, Rex rose through the ranks to become CEO of ExxonMobil, one of the worlds largest and most respected companies, Trump said in a statement this week. His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him an excellent choice for Secretary of State. He will promote regional stability and focus on the core national security interests of the United States.

Climate policy aside, Tillerson faces perhaps the most challenging Senate confirmation battle because of his close ties to Russia and the countrys president Vladimir Putin. Tillerson negotiated several large deals with Putin as ExxonMobils CEO and received an Order of Friendship from the Russian leader. Several prominent Republican senators, including John McCain of Arizona and Marco Rubio of Florida, have said they have serious concerns. Only three GOP senators would need to defect, along with a united Democratic caucus, to block confirmation.

But should that occur, it remains unclear whether an alternative candidate would appeal more to climate policy experts.Tillerson can be better than the alternatives, but that is damning with faint praise, said Robert Stavins, director of the Environmental Economics Program at Harvard University, noting that Tillerson would have to win over the like likes of Perry, Pruitt and others to be effective. That is a tall order.
The iconic moment of former Texas Gov. Rick Perrys ill-fated 2012 presidential run came when he struggled during a debate to rattle off the names of three federal agencies he had vowed to eliminate  uttering an infamously painful oops instead of naming the Department of Energy.

In an ironic twist, President-elect Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Perry was his pick to lead that very agency, which handles energy research and policy as well as the nations nuclear weapons program.

Once Perry has the reins, will he try to slim down  or even get rid of entirely  the agency he once vowed to eliminate?

If so, he faces a rough road ahead. Significant reform of federal agencies is difficult and has few precedents. Former President Ronald Reagan, who vowed to shut down the Department of Education and the Department of Energy, famously complained that a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life well ever see on this earth.

Reagan dutifully appointed people to lead both of his least favorite agencies, and he did not succeed in shutting them down or even significantly shrinking them.

He always respected the men who he put there; he just didnt respect the agencies, said Craig Shirley, a historian who has written several books about Reagan. They either cut spending or at least they toed the line on spending.

Eliminating a federal agency is almost impossible, Shirley added.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry at Trump Tower. (Photo: Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

President Jimmy Carter created the Department of Energy in 1977 during the oil crisis, but its major responsibility is the countrys nuclear weapons stockpile. The agency spends about $30 billion per year  with $18.4 billion of that going to the U.S. nuclear weapons program, including maintaining, securing and designing the nukes. Another $10 billion goes to energy and physical sciences research. The current leader of the agency, Ernest Moniz, is a nuclear physicist.

Its unclear what Perry planned to do with the nuclear weapons under his 2012 proposal to shut down the agency. Some have suggested that the military could take charge of the program, but having them in the hands of a civilian agency is seen as a crucial check on the militarys power. In a statement about his selection, Perry said he looked forward to engaging in a conversation about the development, stewardship and regulation of our energy resources, safeguarding our nuclear arsenal, and promoting an American energy policy that creates jobs and puts America first.

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Avik Roy, a policy adviser to Perry in his unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign, said he believes that Perry may focus less on slimming down or shutting down the agency and more on limiting the scope of its powers.

Generally speaking, conservatives believe agencies should be slimmer, but its not really about the personnel, its about what powers these agencies have been assigned by Congress, Roy said. If you really want to reform agencies, you can slim down the staff, but if the agency has certain responsibilities invested by Congress  thats why you have staff.

James Burnley, the secretary of transportation under Reagan, agreed that any administration has relatively little power to change a federal agency on its own. Youve got a lot of power in the executive branch, but when it comes to the basic structure of the federal government, Congress does really have the whip hand.

Reagan was able to shrink the size of a small agency in 1981, when Congress agreed to reduce appropriations for parts of the Action Agency, an umbrella agency for volunteer programs such as the Peace Corps. Years later, the agency was eliminated.

Roy predicted that Perry will be a noninterventionist leader, reluctant to intrude on private energy exploration and vigilant in trying to ensure that the department isnt having negative affects on the economy.

Still, there are some signs that Perry may have some cuts in mind for the department. The Trump transition team sent a 74-item questionnaire to Energy Department employees last week asking which of its programs are necessary to meet President Obamas goals of reducing carbon emissions. The survey raised concerns that the Trump team may be considering eliminating those programs. The questionnaire even asked for the names of scientists working on climate change topics. Both Trump and Perry have denied that human-caused climate change exists, though Trump said in Fox News interview Sunday that he is keeping an open mind about it.

On Wednesday, a Trump transition official said the questionnaire was not sanctioned. The questionnaire was not authorized or part of our standard protocol. The person who sent it has been properly counseled, the official told Yahoo News.
Senior chinese leader Liu arriving

Liu Qibao, a senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party and head of the partys propaganda department, is arriving in Kathmandu on Saturday.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Human rights groups on Wednesday welcomed a decision by Thailand to close the country's only active gold mine by the end of the year as the mine's operator said it had laid off the employees. Thailand's ruling junta on Tuesday said it is suspending all gold mining operations in the country from Jan. 1 "due to its impact on locals and the environment." The junta invoked Article 44 of the interim constitution which makes any action it takes final. No new licenses for mining would be issued, it said. In May, Thailand said it would shutter the country's only gold mine after the government said environmental concerns outweighed the economic benefits of the Chatree mine, located 280 km (174 miles) north of the capital Bangkok. A military government investigation team in January 2015 said more than 300 people tested positive for arsenic and manganese at Chatree, which is run by Akara Resources Public Company Limited, a subsidiary of Australia's Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd . Fortify Rights, a Bangkok-based campaign group, welcomed the decision to shutter the mine. "The implementation of this order should focus on the rehabilitation of health and environment impacts linked to gold mining operations," said Sutharee Wannasiri, a Thailand human rights specialist at Fortify Rights. Akara Resources produced and exported 4 tonnes (4000 kg) of gold in 2015. Its license was due to expire on Dec. 31. The company was at the center of protests by locals who said that mining activities poisoned residents, their water supply and crops. In a statement released on Wednesday Kingsgate Chief Executive Officer Greg Foulis acknowledged the junta order and said the company "has never damaged environment or the health of the villagers." All Akara employees have received termination letters and company compensation packages, he said. (Reporting by Cod Satrusayang; Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Christian Schmollinger)
Roger Ailes might be out at Fox, but the accusations of sexual misconduct keep coming.

Former Fox News CEO Ailes has been accused of sexual harassment again in a lawsuit filed Monday by Fox 5 reporter Lidia Curanaj, who claims that Ailes didnt give her a job with Fox News Channel because he believed she wouldnt have sex with him.

The suit, filed in federal court in New York on Monday, alleges that Curanaj was subjected to discrimination at Fox5 in New York, and harassment when she was interviewed by Ailes (who is not a defendant in the lawsuit) for a position with Fox News Channel.

Also Read: Gretchen Carlson Was 'Inconsolable' After First Time Being Sexually Harassed (Video)

Curanaj alleges that, during the interview, Ailes told her to stand up and turn around.

Ailes leered at her and commented, I like what I see,' the lawsuit reads.

The suit claims that, after the interview, Ailes quizzed New York State Senator Gregory Ball, who had dated Curanaj, about whether Ms.Curanaj put out sexually.

To be clear, Ailes also asked Senator Ball, hows the sex, in reference to Ms.Curanaj, the suit reads.

Also Read: Roger Ailes Denies Megyn Kelly's Sexual Harassment Claims

After being told by Ball that Curanaj is a very nice girl, the suit contends, Ailes determined that she would not submit to him sexually and opted not to hire her.

Ailes never said that he was dissatisfied with her abilities or qualifications, nor did he suggest that this was the reason she was not ready,' the lawsuit reads.

A Fox Television Stations spokesperson told TheWrap in a statement, We do not think the plaintiffs claims have merit, and we intend to defend vigorously.

Also Read: Megyn Kelly's Memoir: 7 Eye-Openers From 'Settle For More'

Alleging discrimination,retaliation and numerous other counts, Curanaj is seeking unspecified damages.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Roger Ailes, Megyn Kelly Movie in the Works

Megyn Kelly Fires Back at Bill O'Reilly: 'Roger Ailes Made the Company Look Bad' (Video)

Megyn Kelly: Roger Ailes 'Tried to Kiss Me 3 Times' (Video)
The wait is almost over: Rogue One  the first stand-alone installment in Star Warss history and a direct prequel to 1977s original Star Wars: Episode IV  A New Hope  blasts its way into theaters this Friday. And in our exclusive new featurette, director Gareth Edwards discusses how he and Disney sought to differentiate their chapter in the franchise by customizing it for the absolute largest canvas possible  via IMAX.

Related: Rogue One 101: Everything to Know Ahead of New Star Wars Movie

In the above video, Edwards and his cast talk about the way that IMAX provides the scale and sound necessary for the epic intergalactic action of Rogue One. Edwards also talks about the films war-movie roots: In order to effectively cast his material in a war-movie mold, he prepared for the shoot by photoshopping rebel helmets on soldiers in war photography from Vietnam, the South Pacific and the Middle East  as well as replaced those images military vehicles with sci-fi crafts like X-Wings. The result, according to the filmmaker, is a slightly more realistic Star Wars film, albeit one that still adheres to the series core elements.

Watch Felicity Jones on the one prop she wants to keep from Rogue One:




A hat trick of stunning headers from Salomon Rondon earned West Bromwich Albion a 3-1 win over Swansea City at The Hawthorns on Wednesday.

The Venezuelan frontman nodded in three times in less than 15 minutes at the start of the second half to put Tony Pulis' men in control after a dismal first period.

Wayne Routledge pulled one back for the visitors late, but it wasn't enough to stop all three points from staying in the Midlands.

Both teams struggled to settle into the match early on and it took over half an hour for there to be any real goalmouth action. Nacer Chadli, on his return to the Baggies side, slid in Rondon after 37 minutes, but the frontman's effort was met by a spread-eagle Lukasz Fabianski.

The hosts nearly fell behind just before the interval when Chris Brunt reacted too slowly to a Neil Taylor cross and nearly directed the ball into the back of his own net.

Pulis must have given his team a rocket at the break because they immediately came out firing at the interval - particularly Rondon.

His first came on 50 minutes when he lost his marker to bullet a header past Fabianski from eight yards after getting onto the end of a Matt Phillips free-kick.

Twelve minutes later he doubled his account; Brunt swept in a delightful cross from the left and Rondon met it at the back post, heading back across goal to put West Brom two up.

And he completed his hat trick only two minutes afterwards in a carbon copy of his second, Brunt caressing a delivery in from the touchline and the ex-Zenit man powering a header into the top right-hand corner.

Swansea reduced the deficit to two with 10 minutes to go as Routledge scruffily bundled in after Borja Baston's shot had been stopped by Ben Foster.

But, despite a late opportunity for Baston and a point-blank save from Foster to stop a possible Gareth McAuley own goal, West Brom deservedly held on to go seventh in the Premier League.
By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Dylann Roof visited Charleston, South Carolina, at least six times in the months before he shot and killed nine people in a historic black church there in June 2015, an FBI agent told jurors at Roof's federal death penalty trial on Tuesday. GPS data from Roof's car shows he drove by Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the site of the massacre, on several of the trips dating back to December 2014, testified Joseph Hamski, the lead federal agent on Roof's case. The self-described white supremacist's apparent scouting trips also included stops at historic plantations and Fort Moultrie, the U.S. arrival point for thousands of African slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries, the agent said, noting Roof always traveled alone. In February 2015, Roof called Emanuel from a landline at his mother's home near Columbia, Hamski said. Roof, 22, has confessed he targeted the church. Law enforcement officers who took the stand on the fifth day of testimony in Charleston detailed their findings of Roof's racist ideology and a timeline of the months he appeared to spend planning the mass shooting. Photos found at his mother's home showed Roof pointing his gun at a camera and sitting on a bed wearing a pointed white hood, investigators said, referring to something traditionally worn by members of the Ku Klux Klan hate group. Jurors saw chilling video Roof made of himself taking target practice with a laser sight mounted on a pistol in his mother's backyard and surveillance footage from stores where he bought hundreds of rounds of ammunition. "Did your investigation reveal that Mr. Roof was a member of any organization?" defense lawyer David Bruck asked Hamski on cross examination. "No," said the agent, adding investigators determined Roof acted alone in the shooting. Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel said he would not allow the defense to call witnesses to testify about Roof's state of mind and personal characteristics until the penalty phase of the trial. The defense has not disputed Roof's guilt on federal charges of hate crimes resulting in death, obstruction of religion and firearms violations but hope jurors will spare him from execution. Roof is not asserting an insanity defense and was found competent to stand trial, Gergel noted in a written order on Monday. Prosecutors said they expect to finish their case on Wednesday with testimony from Polly Sheppard, who was at the church but not killed because Roof said he wanted her tell what he had done. (Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Bill Trott and Tom Brown)
(Reuters) - Britain's Royal Mail Plc said it expected little or no impact on its parcels and letters operations from a planned strike by Communication Workers Union (CWU) members against the Post Office in the crucial week leading up to Christmas. The Post Office, a branch network that sells stamps and other services, has confirmed that it expected its 11,000 branches to continue operating as normal, Royal Mail said in a statement. "Customers who need to post at a Post Office should use these branches," it added. CWU had said its members working at the state-owned Post Office would strike for five days starting Dec. 19 in relation to concerns over job security and pensions. Christmas delivery results will be extremely crucial to Royal Mail this year, as some analysts have questioned its ability to match a full-year profit consensus after a turbulent first half, where it was hit by a fall in spending on junk mail by companies rattled by the Brexit vote. Royal Mail said on Wednesday there was no change to its guidance. (Reporting by Esha Vaish in Bengaluru; Editing by Martina D'Couto)
Donald Trump liked to say this fall that Hillary Clinton had only "bad experience" in government. Soon, Americans will start learning how that compares to virtually none.

By tapping Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson for secretary of State, the president-elect has moved to fill the six top jobs in his administration. The team he assembled has less government experience than any in recent presidential history  by far.



For the White House, Trump has picked Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus as chief of staff and Ret. Gen. Michael Flynn as national security adviser. To stock his Cabinet, he picked finance executive Steven Mnuchin for the Treasury Department, Ret. Gen. James Mattis for the Pentagon and Tillerson for State.

Like Trump, all lack any experience in civilian government service. The only top choices who do are Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump's pick for attorney general, and Rick Perry, the former Texas governor who was selected for Energy secretary on Wednesday.



That's far different from the initial teams selected by any of the last five presidents.



Every one of the top six appointees by Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush boasted previous government service. In Bill Clinton's White House, only his first chief of staff, Mack McLarty, an Arkansas energy executive, had not worked in government before; in Ronald Reagan's, only Treasury Secretary Donald Regan, who had run Merrill Lynch, had never worked in government.



Moreover, Reagan, Clinton and the younger Bush had all spent years as governors of their states. The elder Bush had served in Congress, run the CIA and been U.S. envoy to China.



In some ways, the absence of government experience by Trump and much of his team fits the public mood. On Election Day, two-thirds of voters told exit pollsters they feel either dissatisfied or angry at the federal government. More than experience or judgment, they identified ability to "bring change" as the most important quality in the next president.



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During the campaign, Trump bluntly attacked the competence of recent presidents and their staffs. The billionaire real estate tycoon promised to improve on government's performance after three decades of stagnated middle-class incomes and persistent national security woes.



Now Trump's task is making the gears of a complex federal apparatus turn in ways that convert his rhetoric  on issues from cutting government waste to overhauling the tax system to implementing a new strategy against ISIS  into the changes voters want.







"The problem is simply enormous," said Donald Kettl, a professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy. The need to manage public opinion, reach accommodations with Congress and navigate the federal bureaucracy presents challenges unlike those that corporate executives or military commanders have to grapple with.



The absence of government experience doesn't mean a Cabinet secretary can't be effective. Kettl cited the strides made by former auto executive Robert McNamara in overhauling management of the Pentagon after President John F. Kennedy made him Defense secretary in the 1960s. But Kettl added that it increases the importance of selecting deputies who know enough to follow through and implement new policy commitments.



The issue extends well beyond the top echelons of the new administration. Trump is sending Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, to the Department of Housing and Urban Development with no experience in housing policy. Restaurant executive Andrew Puzder, his choice for Labor secretary, and philanthropist Betsy DeVos, his would-be Education secretary, haven't served in government. Nor has wrestling executive Linda McMahon, who's headed for the Small Business Administration.

Editor's note: This story was updated with the selection of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry for Energy secretary.





More From CNBC


A ceasefire between Russia and Turkey that aimed to end military bombardment in the Syrian city of Aleppo still had not seen the evacuation of civilians and rebel fighters or an end to fighting Wednesday. Russia blamed the delay in evacuations on rebel forces in the area, saying they had fired on pro-government troops and forced them to respond.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov attacked criticism of pro-Syrian government forces in the region Tuesday. All the theatrical screams supposedly in defense of the 250,000 civilians remaining in Aleppo, especially those voiced by British leadership and their colleagues in France, are no more than Russophobic hot air, said Konashenkov, according to the Moscow Times.

The nited Nations reported Monday that 82 civilians had been killed as pro-government forces forcibly entered their homes. The crushing of Aleppo, the immeasurably terrifying toll on its people, the bloodshed, the wanton slaughter of men, women, and children, the destruction, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad. And we are nowhere near the end of this cruel conflict.

Konashenkov blamed the rebels for civilian deaths, stating that they had used 100,000 civilians as human shields. He also denied that any non-governmental organizations or human rights advocates were in the area defending civilians and said that hospitals and schools were being bombed by rebel forces.

RTX2UVA3

Photo: Reuters

There were only hunger and total terror from the militants, said Konashenkov.

The International Rescue Committee released a statement Tuesday calling the region a bloody graveyard. The people of Aleppo are caught between medieval sieges, the horror of aerial bombardment and house by house retribution, said David Miliband, president and CEO of the IRC.

The conflict in the area entered its fifth year in 2016. In 2011, anti-government protests in Syria known as the Arab Spring fractured the country into a pro-government army and opposing rebel forces. Russia has since supported President Bashar Assad and began launching airstrikes in Syria in 2015.

Related Articles
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia prevented the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday from thanking outgoing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon specifically for promoting gay rights during his decade in office, diplomats said. The 15-member council met to pay tribute to Ban, who will step down later this month. Being gay is a crime in at least 73 countries, the U.N. has said, and the issue of gay rights consistently sparks heated debate at the United Nations. The United States and other members had wanted a council statement to read: "It is thanks to you, Mr. Secretary-General, that women, young people, and the LGBT community have been heard and assisted, and today their voices sound louder and stronger in this headquarters and around the world." However, Russia objected, diplomats said. The 15-member council instead agreed to a statement that said because of Ban's human rights promotion "the most vulnerable or marginalized have been increasingly heard and assisted by the United Nations." Ban has long advocated for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality but faced opposition from African, Arab and Muslim states as well as Russia and China. In 2014, Ban said the U.N. would recognize all same-sex marriages of its staff, allowing them to receive its benefits. Russia, with the support of 43 states including Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, India, Egypt, Pakistan, and Syria, unsuccessfully tried to overturn the move last year. In February, the 54-member African Group, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the 25-member Group of Friends of the Family led by Belarus, Egypt and Qatar protested six new U.N. stamps promoting LGBT equality. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Tom Brown)
Syria conflict: Fierce fighting halts Aleppo evacuation

A deal to evacuate rebel fighters and civilians from eastern Aleppo has stalled, with heavy shelling reported in the Syrian city.
London (AFP) - The trial of Soviet-era dissident Vladimir Bukovsky on charges of making and possessing thousands of indecent images of children was suspended Wednesday afer he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia.

Bukovsky's lawyer, Francis FitzGibbon, told Cambridge Crown Court the defendant could not attend the rest of the trial after being diagnosed by his doctor Tuesday with "bronchial pneumonia".

The 73-year-old, who has appeared at his trial in a wheelchair, is receiving treatment for the condition at a hospital in Cambridge, eastern England, the lawyer said.

"The oxygen in his blood is low and the word from the hospital is he will be unfit to attend until the end of January," FitzGibbon added.

Bukovsky, an author and activist who has been exiled from Russia since 1976 and now lives in Britain, is accused of accessing thousands of indecent images of children over a 15-year period.

He spent 12 years in Soviet prisons, forced-labour camps and psychiatric hospitals and was one of the first to detail the use of such places by the former Soviet Union to punish political prisoners.

He was arrested by British police in 2014 and charged with five counts of making indecent images of children, five of possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing a prohibited image of a child. He denies them all.
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f30943%2f3a317909-e2ab-439d-a877-6be0f04d3b36

Ryan Lochte's swimmers made it.

Or so we think.

SEE ALSO: Ryan Lochte claims his dog is eternally 8 years old

Today, Ryan Lochte  America's Golden Boy, Olympic athlete and famous liar  sort-of announced on Instagram that his fiancee, Kayla Rae Reid, is pregnant.

My Christmas gift came early this year, can't wait for next year! Best news I've ever received #CLOUD9 #excited #family #love #2017 A photo posted by Ryanlochte (@ryanlochte) on Dec 14, 2016 at 12:17pm PST

As he writes in the caption, "My Christmas gift came early this year, can't wait for next year! Best news I've ever received #CLOUD9 #excited #family #love #2017."

Now, because Lochte is a famous liar, can we even trust that this is real? It's possible that Lochte is further contributing to the current fake news catastrophe.

Luckily, Kayla's Instagram gave us more information, as well as a photo that nearly enters the uncanny valley.

Just when you think you think you have it all figured out, life always surprises you with blessings when least expect it. So excited to share this news with all of you!  #weareprego #omg #2017 A photo posted by KAYLA RAE REID (@kaylaraereid) on Dec 14, 2016 at 12:17pm PST

As we learn from her hashtag, they are "prego." A word which, interpreted as "pregnant" and not the Italian word for "you are welcome," means that they are expecting a child.

2017 should be a busy year for the couple if they're planning a wedding too. While we wish Lochte and Reid the best, we are filled with questions.

-Will this baby be friends with Boomer Phelps?

-Will Lochte give his baby a pair of grills?

-Will the baby be a good swimmer?

-Will the baby's first words be "I over-exaggerated that story"?
Sad Kermit meme is here  and hes going to make Dark Kermit and Tea Lizard super depressed

In case you havent heard, many people in the United States and all around the world have had a pretty lousy 2016. And since the internet is the internet, many people are choosing to express their feelings about said 2016 using  what else  hilarious memes.

Kermit the Frog, once famously dubbed Tea Lizard by a Good Morning America social media intern, has been one of the most popular meme subjects around ever since Black Twitter realized that this shot of Kermit drinking Lipton perfectly conveys a but thats none of my business sentiment.

#kermit #kermitmeme #butthatsnoneofmybusinesstho #nonofmybusiness A photo posted by Kermit The Frog (@notmybusinesstho) on Jun 30, 2014 at 12:19pm PDT

Kermit meme mania also recently spread to Evil Kermit, a dark side of the kindly frog (lizard?) who is always there to guide you through some bad decisions.

A photo posted by Kermit (@evil__kermit) on Nov 23, 2016 at 10:17am PST

As of Tuesday (December 13th), the latest iteration of Kermit to take the interwebs by storm is Sad Kermit, who is just about the cutest and most low-grade depressed little thing that ever was.

Twitter user @JonnySun kicked off the fun with this gem, which is basically me every Sunday night trying to console myself before the work week.

when u give urself a gentle hug evrey night before u go to bed, reassuring urself that no mater wat, the day was yours bc u chose to live it pic.twitter.com/fTH8o5k3h9  jomny sun, authoer (@jonnysun) December 13, 2016

@JonnySun then challenged his followers to use the meme to express sentiments of hope using Sad Kermit.

Some were able to pull it off.

when you felt so deeply that you become felt pic.twitter.com/qXecCVm3ms  Leah Tiscione (@LeahTiscione) December 13, 2016

@jonnysun when u read the wholesome memes ppl made with a picture where u dont look ur best and u sit n think about how good ppl truly are pic.twitter.com/5FnvkeVrgb  bri n (@wtfvcc) December 13, 2016

@jonnysun when a friend texts "i miss you" when you had all but given up hope that you were capable of being missed pic.twitter.com/0U032j73xf  hannah bardolph (@hannahbardolph) December 13, 2016

@jonnysun when u havent seen your toes in a while and u just wanna say hi pic.twitter.com/JkXQf4xgZf  "human" "being" (@RileyRedgate) December 13, 2016

@jonnysun when you're sitting outside and become mesmerized by the way the grass ripples in the wind pic.twitter.com/hAmI6QxvtM  sleigh-na (@DANACHRlST) December 13, 2016

But others just made things super, super depressing.

@jonnysun when you intellectually know that masculinity is a toxic prison but keep catching yourself perpetuating and benefitting from it pic.twitter.com/LErN3sAvTl  ohbusiness (@ohbusiness) December 13, 2016

when your heart hurts b/c you have to leave your family but you know they don't want you anywhere else but chasing your dreams @jonnysun pic.twitter.com/dZJCvoR4es  Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) December 13, 2016

@jonnysun When ur in an argument with a loved one and ur thinking of the right joke to break the silence and make things okay pic.twitter.com/TJCQnlqS96  Aaron Peever (@aaronpeever) December 13, 2016

@jonnysun when u think about all the beautiful places in the world you'll never see pic.twitter.com/UihUgDuHQP  golden girl (@hanabryanne) December 13, 2016

Yeeeeesh.

Has anyone checked on Tea Lizard and Dark Kermit? Do we know if theyre OK? Did Sad Kermit send both of them into the same low-grade depression the rest of us have been living in over the past few months?

The post Sad Kermit meme is here  and hes going to make Dark Kermit and Tea Lizard super depressed appeared first on HelloGiggles.
The Tennessee Santa Claus who went viral for his heartbreaking story about a terminally ill boy dying in his arms stood by his story Wednesday as its veracity came into question.

Eric Schmitt-Matzen, 61, made global headlines this weekincluding on TIMEafter he told a local newspaper of how he dressed as St. Nick to visit a 5-year-old boy in a hospital and how the ailing child took his final breath while wrapped in his arms.

However, many have started to ask whether the encounter really happened after the Knoxville News Sentinel, which first reported the story, published an editors note at the top of its article saying it could not independently verify Schmitt-Matzens account.

The newspaper said attempts to do so have proven unsuccessful. Although facts about his background have checked out, his story of bringing a gift to a dying child remains unverified, the note says. The News Sentinel cannot establish that Schmitt-Matzens account is inaccurate, but more importantly, ongoing reporting cannot establish that it is accurate.

Schmitt-Matzen, who has been donning the red suit for almost a decade, had tearfully told his story earlier this week to TIME, along with many other media outlets. On Wednesday, he said that he was hurt by all the doubts surfacing about his story. He declined to provide additional details about the incident, saying he wanted to protect the identity of the family of the child and the nurse who asked him to visit the boy.

I feel like I have been used and then hung out to dry, he said in a text message. I emphasized from the very beginning that I intended to keep my word and not disclose any information that could lead to the folks identity.

Now I am being made out to be a liar, he added. I tried to do a good deed, was talked into telling the story of what happened to me . . . and now the press is ridiculing me for standing my ground.
DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia, Dec 14 (Reuters) - State oil giant Saudi Aramco signed deals with several foreign companies as part of a drive to expand the kingdom's industrial base and manufacture a bigger share of products domestically.

Deals include setting up joint ventures with U.S.-listed firms Rowan Companies and Nabors Industries to own, manage, and operate drilling rigs in Saudi Arabia.

Aramco also signed agreements in local manufacturing development with Jubail Energy Services Company (JESCO) and ArcelorMittal in Jubail on the Gulf coast for tubes used in oil and gas production.

It signed another agreement with J-Power Systems Corporation Japan for submarine electrical cables.

The agreements were signed on Wednesday on the sidelines of Aramco's The In-Kingdom Total Value Add Program (IKTVA). No financial details were disclosed.

Last year, Aramco said it aims through IKTVA to double the percentage of locally-produced energy-related goods and services to 70 percent by 2021 and to export 30 percent of the total domestic energy goods and services produced in the Kingdom over the same time frame.

IKTVA, Arabic for self-sufficiency, will help generate 500,000 direct and indirect jobs for Saudis, a key part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, an economic reform programme the government announced this year, in which Aramco is to play a big role in developing industrial projects as Saudi Arabia tries to diversify its economy beyond reliance on oil exports.

Aramco outlined plans last year when it launched IKTVA to spend $300 billion on its supply chain in the next 10 years to boost local manufacturing.

"Our local manufacturing share has reached 10 billion riyals, or 43 percent, which is an increase of 16 percent from 2015, and represents the highest level of local content in the company's history," Saudi Aramco's CEO Amin Nasser told a business audience.

Nasser told Reuters companies had to change business plans to accommodate changes in doing business with the oil giant by manufacturing more in the kingdom, the world's largest oil exporter.

Story continues

"They need to invest more and we understand it needs to be a win-win. We would like them also to see what issues they might have in terms of investments and how we can help them make it viable to bring more investments here," he said.

The local sourcing target comes at a time of significant financial stress in Saudi Arabia, as the Gulf's largest economy has had to adjust to lower oil prices and reduced state spending and economic growth.

(Reporting by Reem Shamseddine; Editing by Adrian Croft)
Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia is determined to prevent external "interference" in neighbouring war-torn Yemen, King Salman said in an annual address on Wednesday.

He did not explicitly refer to the kingdom's regional rival Iran but Saudi officials have accused Tehran and the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah of aiding rebels in Yemen.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has itself led an Arab coalition conducting air strikes against the Shiite Huthi rebels and providing other assistance to local forces in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

"We will not accept any interference in the internal affairs of Yemen," King Salman said in an address opening a new session of the Shura Council, an appointed body which advises cabinet.

Salman said his country will neither accept that Yemen "becomes a base or a point of passage for whatever state or party to menace the security or the stability of the kingdom and of the region".

The Saudi-led coalition intervened after Huthi rebels allied with elite members of security forces loyal to Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh seized the capital Sanaa and overran other parts of the country.

The rebels have killed at least 110 civilians and soldiers in rocket fire and skirmishes along the Saudi frontier. They have also fired longer-range ballistic missiles over the border at Saudi Arabia.

International investigators last month said they had found a suspected "weapons pipeline" from Iran through Somalia to Yemen.

British-based Conflict Armament Research, which is primarily funded by the European Union, analysed photographs of weapons including assault rifles and rocket launchers to draw its conclusions.

Tehran has repeatedly denied sending arms to Yemeni rebels.

The Arab coalition, for its part, has faced repeated allegations of killing civilians, and on Tuesday the United States blocked the transfer of precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia.

Story continues

-- 'Sometimes painful' measures --

A senior US administration official said the move reflected "strong concerns with the flaws in the coalition's targeting practices" and its overall conduct of the Yemen air war.

Salman's son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 31, has had overall responsibility for the Yemen campaign as he holds the post of defence minister.

King Salman underlined that Riyadh was open to a "political solution" in Yemen, whose security "is intrinsically linked to that of the kingdom".

The Yemen war has killed more than 7,000 people, about half of them civilians.

Its intervention has cost Saudi Arabia billions of dollars despite austerity at home to cope with fallen oil revenues.

On top of hikes in the prices of petrol, electricity and water over the past year, the cabinet in September imposed a wage freeze on civil servants, who make up the bulk of the workforce.

The government was left owing billions of dollars to private firms, chiefly in the construction sector, where tens of thousands of foreign workers were left unpaid.

King Salman said the government "took measures that were sometimes painful" because of the effect of lower oil prices, but that it has coordinated with other producers to stabilise the petroleum market.

"The kingdom experienced similar circumstances in the past three decades, obliging it to reduce its expenses, but it always succeeded in surmounting them," he said.
Tika R Pradhan is a senior political correspondent for the Post, covering politics, parliament, judiciary and social affairs. Pradhan joined the Post in 2016 after working at The Himalayan Times for more than a decade.
Pascal Lee, co-producer of the documentary feature "Passage to Mars" and a NASA planetary scientist, with Maxx the giant robot at the Raw Science Film Festival. Rod Pyle

LOS ANGELES  Maxx the gigantic (and somewhat intimidating) robot wants you to get back into the theater. The premiere of a new film about the first colonists to travel to Mars is about to start, and when you must look up 3 feet (about 1 meter) to sheepishly nod to a giant robot, you do what you're told. And so began the Raw Science Film Festival in Los Angeles on Saturday (Dec. 10).

The event is the brainchild of Keri Kukral, the force behind the Raw Science website. The organization is devoted to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and STEAM (add in Art) education and the popularization of science across many venues, including online articles, slickly produced videos and live events such as this one. Kukral is a fascinating presence herself, having begun her career as a professional ballerina, then moving into medical technology development before founding Raw Science in 2013. It's a unique career trajectory.

The festival is a unique mix as well. Held on the lot of the 21st Century Fox movie studio, it is not so much a film festival as a celebration of innovation in science communication. The guest list included luminaries such as theoretical physicists Kip Thorne (who was an executive producer on the film "Interstellar") and Stephen Wolfram (an advisor on the recent film "Arrival" and developer of the science-visualization tool Mathematica), plus Naveen Jain (entrepreneur and co-founder of Moon Express, an effort to send a privately-funded probe to the moon), Philip Lubin (a professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara) and Janet Ivey (founder of the hit children's TV series "Janet's Planet"), among others. [Strange Cinema: Space.com's Favorite Offbeat Space Movies]

Keri Kukral, founder of the Raw Science website and film festival. Raw Science

The film festival dominated the first part of the day, featuring films notable for their interpretations of science aimed at a general audience. The screenings began with the space-based short film "Journey" by Radheya Jegatheva, a 17-year-old Australian student, artist, writer and now filmmaker with a gift for both prose and visual engagement. The piece is elegant, polished and deeply thoughtful.

Story continues

The new film "Seat 25" was next. Set in about 2020, the feature-length story centers on a young woman who has won, via lottery, the final seat on the first flight to Mars, joining 24 other hand-picked passengers. The project that will send them to the Red Planet is led by a fictional character who is clearly a mash-up of Elon Musk of SpaceX and Bas Lansdorp of Mars One. The film was produced on a micro budget, but does not look it. The acting is first-rate, headlined by a sensitive performance by the doe-like Madeleine Cooke, and the film is ably directed by Nicholas Agnew. Joe Kaufman, the movie's director of photography, capably wrangled the cinematography. The film is well worth tracking down once released more widely.

The feature documentary "Passage to Mars" was an award winner at the Raw Science Film Festival. Passage to Mars

Next up was the visual splendor of "A Passage to Mars," an epic and stunning documentary about an Arctic expedition to NASA's Haughton Mars Project base. Produced by Jean-Christophe Jeauffre and scientist Pascal Lee, and narrated by "Star Trek" actor Zachary Quinto, this feature documentary was released to high praise earlier this year.

Central to the story is the transporting of a new, ice-adapted Humvee from the last outpost in the frozen Canadian north to a research station on Devon Island, a punishing, icy landscape that's 100 miles (160 kilometers) across. A crew of six adventurers makes the journey, facing innumerable hardships and challenges along the way. At various stops in the trek, stunning visual effects remind viewers of the connective tissue between this expedition and similar hardships that will face explorers on Mars. The film is currently available for viewing on Amazon.

The early evening featured a round table hosted by iGIANT (the Impact of Gender/Sex on Innovation and Novel Techniques), an initiative that originated in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and is hosted through Stanford University. The round table focused on sex and gender in spaceflight: how to enhance the design and implementation of space hardware and facilities for women, as well as a more general push for greater gender inclusiveness in space initiatives.

The highlight of the festival was the evening gala, centered on an awards ceremony for the competing films, with a number of short talks interspersed throughout. Moon Express' Jain gave a stirring speech about the boundless resources that will become available as the new space age continues to unfold, centered on universal wellness for humanity.

"The most innovative decade of human history will occur in the next 10 years and will change the trajectory of how we live," he said. "Someone in this room will solve the big problems," he added, addressing the innovative young thinkers who made up a large part of the audience.

Lubin, of the University of California, Santa Barbara's Experimental Cosmology Group and an advisor to the privately funded Breakthrough Initiatives series of astronomical projects, spoke about high-speed photonic propulsion to Mars and beyond with micro craft flying at one-third the speed of light.

"Even with all the mass in the universe used to power a conventional chemical rocket, we could not get a single gram of mass to the speed of light using chemical propulsion," he said. "We need to change the paradigm of how we push things through space."

He added that the spacecraft Voyager, among the fastest vessels that humankind has sent out, would take over 100,000 years to reach Alpha Centauri if it the craft were headed in that direction. Lubin's group's design, using massive lasers on or near Earth to propel small robotic probes, would take about 20 years to accomplish the same mission. (The Breakthrough Starshot program, which is striving to build those probes, began in April.)

Thorne introduced Wolfram and presented him with the Kip Thorne Award for Scientific Accuracy in a Motion Picture, a prize first presented to Thorne last year for his work on the movie "Interstellar." Since the actual trophy was not yet ready, Thorne, with a chuckle, handed over his own trophy that he received at the same festival last year. Wolfram was an advisor on the new first-contact movie "Arrival." Wolfram then went on to introduce his son Christopher, who proceeded to dazzle the attendees with his computer simulations of the linguistic visuals used in the film. It was an inspiring moment for the STEM/STEAM component of the event. "Arrival" was the winner of the event's Best Picture award. ['Arrival', AI and Alien Math: Q&A with Stephen Wolfram]

Kip Thorne is joined by Philip Johnson, to left, and Kenneth Hughes, right. Raw Science Film Festival

The evening was ably, and humorously, emceed my Paul Hynek, a major contributor to the visual effects work in "Avatar," "The Hobbit" and the "Planet of the Apes" film franchises.

The giant robot named Maxx joined the presenters on the stage toward the end of the awards ceremony, after strolling intimidatingly throughout the crowd all evening. Though powered by a human operator inside, this massive showpiece was a convincing simulator of mechanical beings to come, and was a hit with the audience  and ably got them to their seats when necessary.

Competition contestants and presenters gather on stage with Maxx the robot at the conclusion of the Raw Science Film Festival. Rod Pyle

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Editor's Recommendations
Get an Engineering Education Overseas

If you're interested in pursuing an engineering degree, there are universities all over the world -- from Atlanta to Shanghai -- that offer a variety of engineering programs and produce top-notch research in engineering fields.

These are the top 10 Best Global Universities for Engineering, ranked by U.S. News based on academic research performance in the subject area.

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Location: Atlanta

Best Global Universities overall rank: 66

Fun fact: In a recent year, more than 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students were enrolled at the Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Engineering, according to the university's website.

9. Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Location: Shanghai

Best Global Universities overall rank: 138 (tie)

Fun fact: Shanghai Jiao Tong University runs a joint institute in Shanghai with the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor that offers engineering programs, with courses taught in English, per the SJTU website.

8. Stanford University

Location: Stanford, California, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 3

Fun fact: Five of Stanford University's first 15 professors specialized in engineering, according to the school's website. And a total of 141 of the university's first 559 students studied engineering.

7. Harbin Institute of Technology

Location: Harbin, China

Best Global Universities overall rank: 303 (tie)

Fun fact: The Harbin Institute of Technology has around 20 academic divisions, including schools of civil engineering, energy science and engineering, and municipal and environmental engineering, according to the university's website.

6. Nanyang Technological University

Location: Singapore

Best Global Universities overall rank: 74

Fun fact: In 2016-2017, around 10,500 undergraduates and more than 3,000 graduate students were enrolled at Nanyang Technological University's College of Engineering, according to the university's website.

Story continues

5. Zhejiang University

Location: Hangzhou, China

Best Global Universities overall rank: 138 (tie)

Fun fact: Zhejiang University has several engineering-focused national research centers, including centers for optical instrumentation and electrohydraulic technology, according to the school's website.

4. National University of Singapore

Location: Singapore

Best Global Universities overall rank: 50 (tie)

Fun fact: For students interested in both engineering and business, the National University of Singapore offers undergraduate double degree programs in engineering and business administration as well as engineering and economics, per the school's website.

3. University of California--Berkeley

Location: Berkeley, California, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 4

Fun fact: The average starting salary of University of California--Berkeley engineering undergraduates who graduated in 2014 was $82,000, per data posted on the university's website.

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 2

Fun fact: The School of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the largest of the institution's five schools. In 2016-2017, approximately half of the university's total student body was studying at the school of engineering, according to the MIT website.

1. Tsinghua University

Location: Beijing

Best Global Universities overall rank: 57 (tie)

Fun fact: Academic divisions at Tsinghua University focused on engineering education include schools of aerospace engineering, civil engineering, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, and more, per the university's website.

Learn More About Studying Overseas

Check out five scholarships that help international students pay for engineering and computer science studies overseas and learn about common mistakes students make when choosing a global university.

And you can follow U.S. News Education on Facebook and Twitter for more higher education rankings and advice.

Kelly Mae Ross is an education staff writer at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at kross@usnews.com.


Of the 1,000 or so film reviews Variety publishes annually, roughly two-thirds are written at film festivals  which is why, in 2014, I relocated to Europe for two years. The idea was to live on the international festival circuit, skipping from one sprocket opera to the next in a demanding attempt to cover the essentials in world cinema. I have since moved back to Los Angeles, but the experience taught me a few things.

You cant beat Cannes.

When it comes to showcasing international films, the French fest is by far the leader. The worlds top auteurs deliberately make their films to be shown at the Palais, and some (such as Terrence Malick, with Tree of Life) have been known to wait an entire year for the honor. Given its unique status, Cannes gets first pick of world premieres (much as Sundance does with American independent films, which benefit more from playing Park City than from playing the Croisette), and though critics may quibble with the lineup at times, inclusion can propel a relatively obscure filmmaker (or country, even) onto the international stage.

Venice isnt what it once was.

The Italian festival once rivaled Cannes in importance. While the program remains stellar, benefiting from a spot at the top of the awards-season calendar, in recent years, Venice has been overshadowed by Telluride and Toronto, which play many of the same movies mere hours or days later. Technically, Venice launched Gravity, Birdman, and La La Land, but those films Oscar runs effectively began with their North American receptions.

Fighting for premiere status undercuts premier status.

Major-market festivals such as Toronto, Berlin, and Busan manage to attract the level of press attention they do by debuting dozens (in some cases, upward of 100) new films: Critics flock there to review, distributors swarm to buy, agents descend to sign fresh talent. Yet theres no way attendees can take in all that new content (much of which is only so-so anyway). Meanwhile, many second- and third-tier festivals, desperate to attract press and industry attendees, scramble to program films that were rejected by the others, yielding ever-weaker offerings overall. Thats the reason few respect the Rome film fest. But the worst offender is Tallinn Black Nights, with its massive lineup of marginal new films.

Story continues

Better movies make for a better festival.

Many regional festivals fret about losing press and industry cache if they cut back on the number of premieres. Fair enough, but they would serve local audiencesbetter by delivering the cream of thecrop from the festival circuit, the way the New York Film Festival has done for years. (You cant find a stronger lineup anywhere; being selected is a major honor  and a huge boost in awareness for the American market.)

Better yet, augment truly great films with local offerings.

By combining an impeccably curated selection of non-premieres with spotlights on films made in their own backyards, festivals such as Dubai, Sydney, Karlovy Vary, and Rio offer attendees a chance to catch up with great films they may have missed at previous events, alongside a sampling of whats most deserving from their respective regions. Tokyo sets a great example, offering foreign attendees a showcase of standout Japanese commercial releases from earlier in the year. Likewise, Munich underscored its mission by opening with the years best German film, Toni Erdmann, shortly after it had played Cannes. (By contrast, cynics know to steer clear of German films at Berlin, Italian films at Venice, etc., as such premiere-driven events often miss out on their countries best debuts but are obliged to include a number of lesser local offerings in order to qualify for state funding.)

Finding a niche can give smaller fests an edge.

Cant compete for the big premieres? Smart fests focus on a more specific category of film, as defined by genre, format (animation, documentaries, etc.), or a unifyingaesthetic. That approach has distinguished Locarno in recent years. In staying true to their esoteric personal tastes, Locarno artistic director Carlo Chatrian and programming head Mark Peranson have carved out a platform for minimalist- to-taxing art films, serving a narrow yet highly engaged audience. If you see people wearing leopard-spotted lanyards on the fest circuit, those are Locarno evangelists  and few other festivals inspire such cult-like enthusiasm from attendees.

Related stories

What Cannes Can Do for Film

Film Review: 'Interchange'

Film Review: 'White Sun'
(Adds Trump quote on Tillerson, paragraph 11)

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump named the head of Exxon Mobil Corp, Rex Tillerson, as his choice for U.S. secretary of state on Tuesday and won backing from some Republican foreign policy figures ahead of a possible Senate fight over the oilman's ties to Russia.

The Exxon chief executive potentially faces difficulties getting confirmed in the Republican-controlled Senate. Some lawmakers worry about his links to Moscow and opposition to U.S. sanctions on Russia, which awarded him a friendship medal in 2013.

But several Republican establishment figures, including former Secretaries of State James Baker and Condoleezza Rice, and former Defense Secretary Robert Gates vouched for Tillerson, 64, who has spent more than 40 years at the oil company.

Rice and Gates, who have worked for Exxon as consultants, both issued statements of support on Tuesday.

Their backing could be crucial for Tillerson receiving the approval he needs in the Senate, where Republicans will have a slim majority when Trump takes office on Jan 20.

"The fact that Condi Rice, James Baker and Bob Gates are recommending Tillerson carries considerable weight," said Republican Senator Jeff Flake, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

By choosing Tillerson, Trump adds another person to his Cabinet and circle of advisers who may favor a soft line toward Moscow, which is under U.S. sanctions for its 2014 annexation of Crimea and at the center of allegations that it launched cyber attacks to disrupt the U.S. presidential election.

Republican foreign policy hawks in the Senate like John McCain and Lindsey Graham are likely to give Tillerson a rough time at a confirmation hearing in early January.

"It's very well known that he has a very close relationship with (Russian President) Vladimir Putin," said McCain, the Republican party's 2008 nominee for president.

Republicans will have a majority of just 52-48 in the Senate, and only a few defections from their ranks would block Tillerson if every Democrat also opposed him.

Story continues

'FIERCE ADVOCATE'

Trump, on a victory tour of states that backed him in the November election, told supporters in West Allis, Wisconsin, that Tillerson "will be a fierce advocate for American interests around the world." He called him "a strong man, a tough man."

Trump upset U.S. allies during his campaign by calling for a better relationship with Russia and questioning the usefulness of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the U.S.-led military bloc created after World War Two to counter the Soviet Union.

Trump has also pledged to confront China on trade and territorial issues and temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States, angering many Islamic countries.

Tillerson has foreign experience from years of cutting deals with foreign countries for his company, the world's largest energy firm. In 2012, Tillerson signed a deal with Russian state oil giant Rosneft to jointly develop oil fields in western Siberia.

He has been chief executive of Exxon Mobil since 2006 but like Trump he has never held public office.

Tillerson said in a statement that he shared the president-elect's "vision for restoring the credibility of the United States."

Exxon Mobil said its board would meet soon regarding its transition.

Trump was also poised to add another figure with close ties to the oil industry to his Cabinet.

A source close to the transition said Trump had chosen former Texas Governor Rick Perry, whose state is a leading oil producer, as his nominee for energy secretary, with an announcement expected soon.

Perry met Trump at Trump Tower in New York on Monday, part of a series of meetings that included rapper Kanye West on Tuesday.

Trump also has offered the position of interior secretary to Montana first-term Representative Ryan Zinke, an ex-Navy SEAL commander who was an early Trump supporter, according to media reports.

Trump appointed Stephen Miller, a top policy aide during the campaign, to be his senior adviser for policy. Miller had been an adviser to U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, whom Trump has nominated to be attorney general.

In 2013, Putin bestowed a Russian state honor, the Order of Friendship, on Tillerson, citing his work "strengthening cooperation in the energy sector."

There also has been controversy over alleged Russian interference in the Nov. 8 presidential election, with the CIA concluding that Moscow had intervened to help Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Tillerson's "cozy ties to Vladimir Putin and Russia would represent an untenable conflict at the State Department," Representative Eliot Engel, the ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, said in a statement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Trump and Tillerson were "pragmatic people" who could help America and Russia build a mutually beneficial relationship.

A group of U.S. state attorneys general is investigating Exxon for allegedly misleading the public about climate change and some environmental groups are alarmed Exxon's CEO could be America's top diplomat.

Exxon has said it has acknowledged the reality of climate change for years. Tillerson told a congressional hearing in 2010 he thought humanity contributed to climate change but the science was unclear about the size of the contribution. "It is extremely complicated," he told the hearing.

After Trump's election, Exxon came out in support of the Paris Climate Agreement to combat climate change.

There also are concerns among lawmakers about former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, who an adviser to Trump's transition team said was still under consideration for the deputy secretary of state role.

Bolton has urged Washington to do more to counter China's assertiveness in East Asia.

(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Patricia Zengerle and Phil Stewart in Washington and by Georgina Prodhan in Belgrade; Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)
By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump named the head of Exxon Mobil Corp, Rex Tillerson, as his choice for U.S. secretary of state on Tuesday and won backing from some Republican foreign policy figures ahead of a possible Senate fight over the oilman's ties to Russia. The Exxon chief executive potentially faces difficulties getting confirmed in the Republican-controlled Senate. Some lawmakers worry about his links to Moscow and opposition to U.S. sanctions on Russia, which awarded him a friendship medal in 2013. But several Republican establishment figures, including former Secretaries of State James Baker and Condoleezza Rice, and former Defense Secretary Robert Gates vouched for Tillerson, 64, who has spent more than 40 years at the oil company. Rice and Gates, who have worked for Exxon as consultants, both issued statements of support on Tuesday. Their backing could be crucial for Tillerson receiving the approval he needs in the Senate, where Republicans will have a slim majority when Trump takes office on Jan 20. "The fact that Condi Rice, James Baker and Bob Gates are recommending Tillerson carries considerable weight," said Republican Senator Jeff Flake, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. By choosing Tillerson, Trump adds another person to his Cabinet and circle of advisers who may favor a soft line toward Moscow, which is under U.S. sanctions for its 2014 annexation of Crimea and at the center of allegations that it launched cyber attacks to disrupt the U.S. presidential election. Republican foreign policy hawks in the Senate like John McCain and Lindsey Graham are likely to give Tillerson a rough time at a confirmation hearing in early January. "It's very well known that he has a very close relationship with (Russian President) Vladimir Putin," said McCain, the Republican party's 2008 nominee for president. Republicans will have a majority of just 52-48 in the Senate, and only a few defections from their ranks would block Tillerson if every Democrat also opposed him. 'FIERCE ADVOCATE' Trump, on a victory tour of states that backed him in the November election, told supporters in West Allis, Wisconsin, that Tillerson "will be a fierce advocate for American interests around the world." He called him "a strong man, a tough man." Trump upset U.S. allies during his campaign by calling for a better relationship with Russia and questioning the usefulness of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the U.S.-led military bloc created after World War Two to counter the Soviet Union. Trump has also pledged to confront China on trade and territorial issues and temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States, angering many Islamic countries. Tillerson has foreign experience from years of cutting deals with foreign countries for his company, the world's largest energy firm. In 2012, Tillerson signed a deal with Russian state oil giant Rosneft to jointly develop oil fields in western Siberia. He has been chief executive of Exxon Mobil since 2006 but like Trump he has never held public office. Tillerson said in a statement that he shared the president-elect's "vision for restoring the credibility of the United States." Exxon Mobil said its board would meet soon regarding its transition. Trump was also poised to add another figure with close ties to the oil industry to his Cabinet. A source close to the transition said Trump had chosen former Texas Governor Rick Perry, whose state is a leading oil producer, as his nominee for energy secretary, with an announcement expected soon. Perry met Trump at Trump Tower in New York on Monday, part of a series of meetings that included rapper Kanye West on Tuesday. Trump also has offered the position of interior secretary to Montana first-term Representative Ryan Zinke, an ex-Navy SEAL commander who was an early Trump supporter, according to media reports. Trump appointed Stephen Miller, a top policy aide during the campaign, to be his senior adviser for policy. Miller had been an adviser to U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, whom Trump has nominated to be attorney general. In 2013, Putin bestowed a Russian state honor, the Order of Friendship, on Tillerson, citing his work "strengthening cooperation in the energy sector." There also has been controversy over alleged Russian interference in the Nov. 8 presidential election, with the CIA concluding that Moscow had intervened to help Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. Tillerson's "cozy ties to Vladimir Putin and Russia would represent an untenable conflict at the State Department," Representative Eliot Engel, the ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, said in a statement. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Trump and Tillerson were "pragmatic people" who could help America and Russia build a mutually beneficial relationship. A group of U.S. state attorneys general is investigating Exxon for allegedly misleading the public about climate change and some environmental groups are alarmed Exxon's CEO could be America's top diplomat. Exxon has said it has acknowledged the reality of climate change for years. Tillerson told a congressional hearing in 2010 he thought humanity contributed to climate change but the science was unclear about the size of the contribution. "It is extremely complicated," he told the hearing. After Trump's election, Exxon came out in support of the Paris Climate Agreement to combat climate change. There also are concerns among lawmakers about former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, who an adviser to Trump's transition team said was still under consideration for the deputy secretary of state role. Bolton has urged Washington to do more to counter China's assertiveness in East Asia. (Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Patricia Zengerle and Phil Stewart in Washington and by Georgina Prodhan in Belgrade; Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)
Lawyer SEO Expert Qamar Zaman Says, Lawyers Need to Make sure that they are Keeping up with Search Engines and Observing Best Practices when Creating and Executing a Strategy

DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / December 14, 2016 / After Panda and Penguin, Google's sweeping search engine algorithm updates, the landscape of search engine optimization has never been the same since.

To cut the long story short, what used to work wonders back in the old days just doesn't anymore.

The good news is that, at its core, the goals and basic tenets of SEO haven't changed. Sure, some tactics and best practices may be different, but SEO is still about connecting your brand with your target audience by increasing your search rankings.

Perhaps the best way to describe new school SEO is that it's about optimizing for real people instead of search engines. Then again, this school of thought has already existed even in the old days of SEO.

For law firms, knowing the best practices for modern SEO is now more important than ever, as more and more providers of legal services jockey for online visibility.

So, how do you know which practices to avoid, and which ones you should be spending more time and resources on? Here are a few key differences between old and new SEO, which should tell you everything about the kind approach to take when marketing your law firm.

1. Today's SEO is About Engaging Customers, Not Just Rankings

Source

In the past, the thrust behind SEO was to focus on a few keywords and trying to rank for them on the search engine results pages (SERPs). Some search marketers believed that it didn't matter how you did it, as long as you managed to grab and keep top rankings on Google.

However, Google's Penguin and Panda updates saw to it that marketers could no longer game the system with link farming and keyword spamming.

Today, SEO is about managing your brand's reputation, and making people want to interact with your brand by spreading quality content about your products and services.

Story continues

For law firms, this means creating content that attracts your target audience and nurturing them until they become your actual clients. If you have this down pat, your rankings should improve through organic sharing/mentions, and natural linking across the Internet.

To put it simply, SEO is now rooted in traditional marketing and public relations, in that you're trying to build your law firm's authority through reputation management and savvy PR.

2. Keywords are Still Important, But They're Not the Only Thing Going On

Source

Anyone who's been engaged in SEO before 2011 knows that for many years, the industry was always focused on one thing: keywords.

In the past, search marketers would focus on just one major keyword, hinging all their efforts on getting ranked for that specific search term, and only that term.

However, as search engines continue to get smarter, the goal is now to think of what search engine users think and want when typing into the search engine. This has given rise to semantic SEO, which focuses on keyword intent and long tail keywords.

For law firms, this means the days of gaming Google with keywords are over, with the context behind searches now being taken into account when showing search results. In turn, this means your content has to be topnotch and relevant in order to generate traffic and improve your site's rankings.

Relevance will be the primary factor affecting how effective your website content is. This will be both a challenge and opportunity for providers of legal services, possibly requiring them to change their website content and marketing campaigns. But it can also place you in a prime position to beat your competitors in the SERPs.

Read more on semantic search here: http://news.oneseocompany.com/index.php?s=semantic.

3. Content for People, Not Search Engines

Although the concept behind using content to increase search engine rankings was to create content for readers, search marketers nevertheless deviated from its intended purpose.

In the old days, SEO was focused on creating content that would rank on the search engine results pages. This meant that keywords and keyword density took precedence before the actual quality of the content. And so, you had marketers flooding private blog networks with poor-quality and sometimes even plagiarized content stuffed with target keywords.

But Google's Panda update pretty much put that practice to an end, forcing marketers to realize that content needs to be written for people, as it was always intended.

Law firms thus need to focus on creating content assets that are not only relevant, but also educate and solve their target audience's problems.

Read my blog post content for people not for bots.

4. Link Building Should Be Natural and Earned

Source

To be fair, everyone knew what the best practices for link building were, even in the old days of SEO. Search marketers were already aware of black hat link building and that it was pretty much a way to trick search engines into increasing their rankings.

That didn't stop many people from building links the shady way though. It was all about jamming as many links into content assets whenever possible, and posting them on as many websites as they could. It was pretty much open season for search marketers, which made postings on discussion forms and social bookmarking sites so popular.

Such questionable practices never had a chance of lasting, though, so after Panda and Penguin, the only way to build links without suffering penalties is to do it the right way, as everyone should. In other words, links have to be natural and earned.

A link should be the result of forming a relationship between your law firm's site and a relevant and authoritative party. Of course, there's no rule prohibiting you from posting on forums and social bookmarking sites like Pinterest or Tumblr, but you should still be very selective on the sites you choose to avoid any penalties.

What Does All This Mean for Law Firms?

As with any other company, your law firm needs to make sure you are keeping up with search engines and observing best practices when creating and executing a strategy. Most of these changes aren't actual changes in best practices per se, because they've actually been recommended since the early days of SEO, so it shouldn't be too much of an adjustment if you've always put your audience first in your SEO efforts.

Still, it's important to be fluid with your SEO methods and be ready to adapt to trends and changes when they benefit your marketing efforts.

Qamar Zaman is a renowned national SEO expert for lawyers. With his office based in Dallas, Qamar Zaman specializes in conversion rate optimization for law firms. He works with all types of law firms and helps them get improve ROI without increasing more on marketing cost.

Follow Qamar on Huffington Post.

Source: http://news.oneseocompany.com/2016/12/12/seo-expert-qamar-zaman-explains-4-ways-old-seo-and-new-seo-are-different_201612121519.html

SOURCE: Qamar Zaman via Submit Press Release 123
Shane Smiths passport is running out of pages to stamp.

The co-founder and CEO of Vice logged plenty of frequent flier miles this year, given the rapid international expansion of his company, which currently operates in more than 30 countries  a number that is expected to exceed 80 by 2018.

Smith admits the speed at which Vice is crisscrossing the planet has exceeded even his own expectations. Its the fastest anyone has ever rolled out TV globally, including MTV, so were pretty excited about that, he says.

The prototype for Vices international strategy kicked in with Canadas Rogers Communications, which signed the company to a $100 million partnership.

That strategy went into overdrive in June at the Cannes Lions festival, where Smith unveiled a more aggressive distribution model that included Australia, India, and the rest of Southeast Asia.

The key to Vices global push has been the introduction of Viceland, a cable network launched in U.S. and Canada in February with a full slate of long-form original series, including Gaycation and F*ck Thats Delicious with the brands millennial-friendly irreverence.

The channel launched Stateside in partnership with A+E Networks, which has a stake in Vice along with Disney, 21st Century Fox and others.

Our plan, when we first started the network, was if we could have a break-even network here in America, would have all of that content for international deals, be it mobile, online or otherwise, Smith says. Thats a whole new business model.

Viceland airs in 25 countries in varying arrangements from licensing deals to branded blocks. But Vice isnt just focused on TV; the company also has websites and mobile deployments that keep the brand on three different screens that each fetch their own license fees.

If we can just launch all these territories and marry them to mobile deals, then theres the next three years of growth for Vice, and its exponential growth, Smith says. Thats basically the story of what our future is.

Story continues

Vice doesnt just make copies of Viceland for each territory in which the network launches. Theres a mix of content repurposed from the U.S. channel with localized programming more reflective of the market in which it launches, and produced by teams Vice puts on the ground in those markets.

Having a global network of Vice brand extensions also gives the company the ability to offer true scale to marketers seeking international reach.

Vice also translates to non-English-language markets such as French, whether in France via Canal Plus or Quebec via Groupe V Media.

To drive Vices international strategy, Smith turns to Viceland Intl. president James Rosenstock. He joined the company in 2015 after a stint at another company with a robust international TV profile, Discovery Communications.

Vice has 30 foreign offices abroad with production, editorial, and sales capabilities. Part of what is driving Vices growth is that markets such as Indonesia and Serbia have proportionally massive millennial populations and scant content for just that demographic. All of these deals arent happening because Vice is cool but because they like the content and it resonates, Smith says.

Smith has also set Vices sights on the Middle East via the Moby Group, which he hopes could also be a place that generates interesting content. But that also presents some challenges considering the very meaning of the word Vice there.

I was talking to some of the people there in the Middle East, who were saying, Surely the name cant be Vice? Smith says. Obviously the translation is highly politically and theologically charged [there]. To us, it means daily naughty addiction to content.

Related stories

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Vice Media Forms Alliance With Guardian Newspaper

Vice's Latest Documentary Takes Journey to Strange Land: Washington, D.C.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 14, 2016 / Levi & Korsinsky announces it has commenced an investigation of Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST) concerning possible breaches of fiduciary duty by the board of directors of the company. To obtain additional information, go to: http://zlk.9nl.com/monster-beverage 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.

Levi & Korsinsky is a national firm with offices in New York, New Jersey, California, Connecticut, 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 and shareholder lawsuits. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:

Levi & Korsinsky, LLP

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
By Nick Carey and Nandita Bose

ADDISON, Ill., Dec 14 (Reuters) - In an unassuming building in the Chicago suburb of Addison, United Parcel Service Inc engineers design custom boxes for retailers as part of a joint effort to tackle a vexing issue: the high cost of delivering e-commerce packages.

Online retail sales are expected to reach $392.5 billion this year, according to research firm eMarketer, but with U.S. consumers now demanding free shipping on most packages, shippers and retailers are facing a squeeze.

Shippers' margins are falling or stagnating, despite steady price increases, because homes are roughly three times as expensive to deliver to as business addresses. And retailers cannot pass along the cost, because they must offer free shipping in order to compete.

The shared solution: design new, space-saving packages that can help improve package density on delivery trucks. This cuts costs for retailers and raises margins for shippers.

Up to 60 percent of requests handled by UPS's package laboratory are for smaller packages to cut shipping rates, the company told Reuters.

"In most cases we are able to get retailers a better rate," says Quint Marini, who runs the lab. The average rate reduction is around 20 percent, he said. Main rival FedEx Corp has a similar facility in Memphis.

The UPS lab puts new packaging through rigorous tests, piling weights on boxes, then simulating the jolts of a delivery truck traversing a bumpy road. On a recent morning, the load was too much for a box containing a furniture shipment, spilling weights over the floor as it collapsed.

"If the box can't hold the weights, we'll have to fail this one," said Jonathon McWherter, a UPS engineer conducting the test.

RATES UP, MARGINS NOT

The stakes are growing. E-commerce shipments accounted for 46 percent of UPS's total volume last year, up from 36 percent in 2009. UPS expects the e-commerce share to hit 51 percent by 2019.

To counter rising costs, UPS and FedEx have raised package rates by between 4.9 percent and 5.9 percent annually since 2009. They also have levied surcharges on retailers for residential addresses and rural deliveries.

Story continues

Rates for a 5-pound (2.3-kg) box traveling up to 1,400 miles (2250 km) by UPS Ground or FedEx Home Delivery have nearly doubled since 2006, to $14.18, according to SJ Consulting Group.

Despite the increases, profit margins at UPS and FedEx's U.S. domestic business have stagnated or declined in recent years, in part because they have invested billions of dollars to handle rising volumes.

(See a graphic of UPS and FedEx's rates and margins here http://tmsnrt.rs/2h1ig9u)

UPS and FedEx have sought new ways to cut costs, such as dropping batches of packages at urban retailers, where customers can retrieve them. Now they are focusing more on packaging, charging a fee for design services while also levying what they call 'dimensional weight' surcharges for boxes that take up too much room in relation their weight.

Retailers are hemmed in by their need to match Amazon.com Inc. The world's largest online retailer offers free shipping to customers who pay a $99 annual fee to join its Amazon Prime program - a revenue stream most retailers have not been able to replicate.

"Amazon has forced everybody into free shipping," said John Haber, head of logistics consultancy Spend Management Experts.

Amine Khechfe, co-founder of Endicia, which provides shipping services to e-commerce companies, said retailers are squeezed. "They've got the pressures of free shipping, which isn't really free, and their costs are going up," he said.

'CONSUMERS DON'T CARE WHAT IT COSTS'

Many retailers have responded by procuring 'on-demand' packaging machines, which custom-tailor shipping boxes. Hanko Kiessner, CEO of Packsize International, which makes such machines and the software that drives them, estimates 16 percent of U.S. retailers are using on-demand machines, and predicts a majority will do so within three years.

Packaging "is now front and center and a glaring opportunity for improvement," Kiessner said. Packsize also collaborates on projects with UPS.

Office supply retailer Staples Inc said it has cut the weight of corrugated cardboard it uses in packaging by 65 percent, but declined to detail the cost savings.

Car accessory and electronics retailer Crutchfield Corp has saved several million dollars with on-demand packaging since August 2014, chief fulfillment officer Chris Groseclose said.

Companies like Monster Moto have worked with the UPS lab. The mini-bike maker has cut shipping costs up to 50 percent on bikes that sell for between $249 to $749, said CEO Alex Keechle.

"That was a real expense to us, and because of free shipping, we had to eat it," he said.

SJ Consulting founder Satish Jindel said retailers need to seek cost savings while also finding ways to pass on costs, such as minimum orders or membership fees.

"Any retailer who wants to be an e-commerce player and thinks consumers will have to recognize that shipping costs money and they need to pay for it, will be out of business," Jindel said. "The consumer doesn't care what it costs."

(Reporting By Nick Carey and Nandita Bose; Editing by Bill Rigby)
Tourism Minister off to Australia

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Jiwan Bahadur Shahi, on Tuesday evening left for Melbourne, Australia to take part in the Grand Nepal Festival.
This short-spined border collie mix may be classified as a disabled dog, but no other pup can pirouette quite like she can.

Read: Meet Mojo, the Elderly Short Spine Dog Who Is Stealing Hearts Across America

Meet Pig, the short-spined ballerina with a feature role as the Sugar Plum Fairy's on-stage companion during the Birmingham Ballet's "Mutt-Cracker".

"We love having her in the show. She was perfect for the [role]," said Cindy Free, director of the Birmingham Ballet. "She's a petite, dainty package of joy."

Pig, the 3-year-old border collie, can be seen in footage by APTN sporting a pink tutu as she dances on stage next to the Sugar Plum Fairy, working her hunched back  a result of her short-spine syndrome  to her advantage.

She is one of only seven dogs with short spine syndrome.

Free told InsideEdition.com it is now Pig's second year doing the "Mutt-Cracker."

"She has been working on her pirouettes since last year, and she's gotten them pretty well," Free said, "especially if you offer her bacon-chicken strips."

She said the Birmingham Ballet decided to start their annual Nutcracker run with a "Mutt-Cracker" opener five years ago, after she was inspired by a ballerina dancing with her dog.

"I said, 'That looks fun,' because I do love dogs," Free said. "People were putting dogs in the opening scene like they're taking them for a walk, [so] we auditioned dogs."

Read: Boy Born With Dwarfism Celebrates His Condition After Adopting a Dog Who Also Has Dwarfism

Their first production of "Mutt-Cracker" featured 17 dogs with unique talents, including jumping through hoops, or dancing on hind legs.

The Birmingham Ballet's opening night has since grown to include 29 dogs. A portion of every ticket for "Mutt-Cracker" goes to the Greater Birmingham Humane Society.

Watch: Bonsai the Bulldog, the Dog Born With Half a Body, Dies: 'He Was So Loved'

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Related Articles:
AP Photo

The day we found out the magnificent Sigourney Weaver was joining the Marvel universe was a great one. While Netflixs The Defenders is currently in production, everyone involved is still staying mum on which villain Weaver is playing. But that doesnt mean shes staying completely silent.

Fandango spoke with the actor who actually has a lot on her plate at the moment. Theres the Neill Blomkamp Alien film that will hopefully happen eventually, the four Avatar sequels, and the film shes currently promoting, J.A. Bayonas A Monster Calls. Shell be up against Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), and Finn Jones (Iron Fist) on the Netflix/Marvel team-up series, The Defenders, and had some interesting things to say about them.

Basically, the four heroes come up against this really nice woman, who Im playing, she told them. This just makes me think shell be the worst villain yet. I love it. She added, To me theyre not superheroes; theyre people with a gift. Its just a different scale, and Im really enjoying the scale of it. The apocalyptic thing is a little harder for me to understand.

It seems Weaver appreciates the street-level aspect of the Netflix series rather than the world-ending escapades on the big screen. In fact, Fandango asked if shed be interested in a Marvel film role but she told them shes happy where she is.

Weaver also told them filming has been a lot of fun so far and that the cast is wonderful. She also enjoys them filming in her birthplace, New York. Its been a blast and I really love my character, she said. I love the shows, too, which I wasnt familiar with before doing this. A real love letter to New York.

Iron Fist is next to premiere though and we just got some new images from that series the other day.

(Via The Mary Sue)
Photo credit: The New York Times

From Popular Mechanics

By now, U.S. intelligence agencies have established that Russia did in fact hack both the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee, which ultimately lead to the leaking of information intended to swing the 2016 election in favor of Donald Trump. Now, new reporting from The New York Times has some horrifying details on exactly how Russian hackers were able to break into the systems, and they illustrate some important lessons we could all stand to learn.

According to The New York Times, the Russian cyberinvasion of the DNC's servers took place in two stages, but the second and most severe breach happened in mid-March when Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta's private email account was hacked after he clicked on a phishing email, a fake correspondence purportedly from Google but actually from hackers, one designed to trick the recipient into revealing a password.

The Times got a look at the same attack as directed at another Clinton campaign official, Billy Rinehart. A full color image, as opposed to plain text as leaked with the rest of John Podesta's emails:

Photo credit: The New York Times

The attack referenced by the email is all but certainly fictitious, whereas the real attack is the big blue button, which does not actually lead to Google's but instead to an attacker's where all information will be intercepted. And as far as phishing emails go, it's pretty good! There are no obvious misspellings or other blatant errors that might expose the ruse.

Never ever change your password using a link from an unsolicited in-bound email.

The full leaked emails from Wikileaks reveal two important details: the address the email came from, and the link the button pointed to. In the case of most phishing attacks, these are the most obvious points where a hacker's illusions slip. Unable to use an actual @google.com email address or official Google website, hackers can only opt for rough approximations. In this case, the email came from "no-reply@accounts.googlemail.com" and the link in the email was obscured by the link-shortening service Bit.ly.

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What's worse is that, according to the report, one aide actually singled out the email as suspect, but another confirmed it to be legitimate, in what he now says was actually a typo. Per The Times:

"This is a legitimate email," Charles Delavan, a Clinton campaign aide, replied to another of Mr. Podesta's aides, who had noticed the alert. "John needs to change his password immediately."With another click, a decade of emails that Mr. Podesta maintained in his Gmail account - a total of about 60,000 - were unlocked for the Russian hackers. Mr. Delavan, in an interview, said that his bad advice was a result of a typo: He knew this was a phishing attack, as the campaign was getting dozens of them. He said he had meant to type that it was an "illegitimate" email, an error that he said has plagued him ever since.

Changing the password is generally not a bad idea when you are worried someone may be attempting to attack your account, but it was the method by which it was done-clicking the big blue button-that was the grave error. If there's one bit of useful, personal advice to come out of this whole mess it is this: Never ever change your password using a link from an unsolicited in-bound email. Instead, go to the website directly to start the process there, and do it on another device if you want to be extra careful.

Chances are there is not an entire presidential election at stake in your case, but it's an important thing for all of us to learn.

You can read more about the details of the hack at The New York Times.

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By Julie Zhu and Elzio Barreto

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China Petroleum and Chemicals Corp (Sinopec) has invited 14 banks to pitch for a role as a financial adviser to help it revamp the corporate structure of its fuels distribution unit ahead of a planned IPO in Hong Kong, people familiar with the plans told Reuters on Wednesday.

The group of firms invited to pitch included BOC International, CITIC Securities Co Ltd , China International Capital Corp Ltd (CICC) , Goldman Sachs (GS.N) and UBS AG (UBSG.S), added the people, who declined to be named because information on the proposed restructuring is not yet public.

The adviser will help the unit, Sinopec Marketing Co Ltd, transition from a limited liability company, which has less than 50 shareholders, into a corporation that can have a multitude of investors and a board of directors, among other things, added one of the people.

The IPO could raise about $12 billion (9.48 billion pound) next year, a separate person said, though the value is subject to market conditions at the time of the listing.

CICC, CITIC Securities, Goldman and UBS declined to comment, while Sinopec and BOC International didn't immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Sinopec Marketing was valued at about $58 billion when it sold a 30 percent stake to a group of 25 investors for $17.5 billion in 2014 in what was hailed at the time as the country's biggest privatisation since President Xi Jinping came to power.

The investors included one of China's biggest asset managers, Harvest Fund Management Co Ltd, China Life Insurance , Tencent Holdings Ltd and private equity firms Hopu Investment and RRJ Capital.

The unit operates fuel stations and more than 23,000 convenience stores around the country.

(Reporting by Julie Zhu and Elzio Barreto; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Six police officers have been shot while on duty in Georgia in the last seven days  and two have died  capping an abnormally violent week for law enforcement in the state.

The six officers, all members of small town departments, were shot during three separate incidents beginning Dec. 7, according to authorities and multiple reports.

In the first shooting that Wednesday, in Americus, Georgia, officer Nicholas Ryan Smarr was shot responding to a domestic dispute inside a local apartment complex, an Americus police spokesman confirms. His best friend  officer Jody Smith a recent member of Georgia Southwestern Universitys police force  decided to back Smarr up on the call.

Minguell Lembrick shot and killed Smarr, who was 25, before shooting Smith, who was 26 and eventually succumbed to his injuries, according to reports. Police immediately launched a manhunt for Lembrick that stretched into the next day. As police were closing in on Lembrick, they heard a single gunshot. Authorities later discovered he killed himself.

Smith had planned on marrying his fiancee this coming spring and Smarr was going to serve as his best man, according to 11 Alive.

Smith donated his organs so that others could live, according to a Facebook post from his father, Johnny Smith.

Jody not only is a brave hero in life, but he is a hero in death, the grieving father wrote. He may save as many as seven peoples lives. My beloved son is still saving lives.  No greater love has any man as to lay down his life for another.

The post ends: My son, you are still making me proud, you are my hero.

 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.

Michael Waters, who is Smarrs uncle, wrote on Facebook that after his nephew was shot, Smith rushed to his best friends side. Waters said Smarr died at the scene trying to resuscitate Smith: Smarr was performing CPR on his friend when he died, and his body was found across Smiths

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Lembricks relatives could not be reached for comment, and calls to the families of both fallen officers were not returned on Wednesday.

Two More Officers Are Hit

Early Monday morning, two more police officers were shot while serving a warrant in Byron, Georgia, the Macon Telegraph reports. The paper has identified the two officers as James Wynn and William Patterson; both men are expected to recover from their injuries.

The Telegraph reports the two officers knocked and announced their presence three times before entering the shooters home. As soon as they were inside, a man  who has not been identified  began shooting. The two officers returned fire, killing the suspect.

One of the two Byron officers remains in serious condition while the other was treated and released.

The Final Shooting

Several hours later on Monday, on the opposite side of the state, two officers in Lavonia, Georgia, were shot while trying to arrest an alleged car thief.

Officer Jeffery Martin and Capt. Michael Schulman had stopped a vehicle late Monday night and discovered the car was reported stolen, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. As the officers tried to detain the driver, 22-year-old Khari Anthony Dashaun Gordon, he allegedly produced a handgun and fired several shots at the officers.

A search for the suspect ended in a wooded area located just two miles from the shooting scene, according to the AJC.

 Pick up PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBenet Ramsey and more.

Gordon has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to the paper.

It is unclear if hes entered a plea to the charges, and court records indicate he has yet to retain an attorney who could comment on his behalf. Efforts to reach his relatives were unsuccessful.

Schulman, 50, was struck under the armpit while wearing a bulletproof vest. Martin, 22, was shot in the right hand, according to the paper. The bullet remains in Martins hand; hell have to undergo specialized surgery to have it removed.

Schulman, who remains in intensive care, started working with the Lavonia Police Department in 2001, the AJC reports. Martin joined the force less than a year ago. His condition was unknown as of Wednesday afternoon, and PEOPLE could not immediately reach relatives of any of the four surviving officers.




Jerusalem (AFP) - Skirt-wearing Israeli parliament staffers protested dress code rules at the building's entrance Wednesday after several of their colleagues were denied entry because their dresses were deemed too short.

Staffers say security at the Knesset, or parliament, had in recent days started to strictly enforce rules on the length of skirts, without giving a reason.

At one point on Wednesday morning, around 50 staffers and some parliament members gathered at the entrance to parliament in support of those refused entry, participants said.

Many of them wore skirts above the knee with stockings underneath on a cold and rainy day in Jerusalem.

They posted pictures and videos of themselves standing outside parliament together in protest.

One older MP, Manuel Trajtenberg, stripped down to his undershirt in protest at one point and yelled, "You'll all have to wear burkas!" Israeli media reported.

Around 10 to 15 women were denied entry for dress code reasons on Wednesday, but some were later allowed in, staffers said.

"I've worn this same dress many times," said Kesem Rozenblat, 30, an adviser to parliament member Ilan Gilon of the leftwing Meretz party who was refused entry.

"Maybe they're scared of women's legs, I don't know," she told AFP as she stood in the security hall to enter parliament along with supporters.

She said security officers did not measure her skirt, but a woman guard "simply looked me up and down and said it wasn't appropriate".

The issue emerged on Sunday when an aide to MP Merav Michaeli of the opposition Zionist Union was denied entry due to her skirt length.

Photos showed the aide, Shaked Hasson, wearing a blue dress that stopped above her knees, with stockings underneath.

- 'This is not Iran' -

Speaking to Israeli radio, Michaeli called the sudden strict enforcement an "attempt to impose fundamentalist standards," referring to dress rules followed by ultra-Orthodox Jewish women requiring them to cover their arms and legs as well as their heads with a scarf.

Story continues

Michaeli's spokeswoman Naama Shahar told AFP: "We don't know what's the reason for it but we won't accept it -- because we just want to work."

Knesset officials denounced the protest in a statement as an "organised provocation" and said security staff were just "doing their work to enforce a dress code that has been in place for years."

Israeli media reported that the code prohibits T-shirts, shorts, sandals and short dresses or skirts.

However, women protesting outside on Wednesday said they were not told how short is too short.

"They just said we cannot go in like this today," said Shira Amiel, a 27-year-old aide to Karin Elharar, a legislator of the opposition Yesh Atid party.

One person tweeted a photo of US First Lady Michelle Obama and Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing dresses above the knee and said they would also not be allowed inside the Israeli parliament.

Parliament member Gilon, who was outside in support of his aide who had been denied entrance, told AFP: "This is not Iran.

"It's crazy. I have a lot of very important things to do, but I spend my time with idiocy and stupidity."

Israeli society sees frequent tensions between ultra-Orthodox Jews demanding strict observance of Jewish law and secular citizens.

The ultra-Orthodox account for around 10 percent of the country's population.

Segments of Israel's Arab population, about 17.5 percent of the total, are also heavily conservative.

The chair of the Knesset committee on the status of women was among those demonstrating at the entrance to the building, wearing a black skirt that extended around knee-length.

She said she believed attitudes regarding dress had spread beyond the strictly religious communities and were becoming "mainstream".

"We are here to say that this is not accepted," said Aida Touma-Sliman of the Joint List, a coalition of Arab Israeli political parties.
LONDON (Reuters) - From art deco apartments in Sussex to a trendy burger bar in London, some of England's former petrol stations are enjoying a new lease of life following creative makeovers. In London, a distinctive old petrol station forecourt has bloomed into a florist. Another enjoyed a spell as an open air cinema before closure and an expected renovation into commercial property. The overhaul opportunities have been created as more than 20,000 stations closed in the United Kingdom over the past 40 years, according to the U.K.'s Petroleum Industry Association (PIC). Almost 8,500 stations were left in Britain at the end of 2015, with the PIC blaming the closures on strong competition and the expense of complying with environmental regulations. While large chain service stations, who carry lower overheads per liter sold, have been better placed to survive, smaller, independent outlets have tended to struggle. At the old Black Cat Garage near Tiverton, in the south-west English county of Devon, a rusting old pump can be seen outside the small outlet where a closed sign hangs on the worn green door. Wider Image photo essay: http://reut.rs/2gDH8Ir (Reporting by Toby Melville. Writing by Patrick Johnston in London, editing by Larry King)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Two people were injured Wednesday by a small explosion in a popular tourist district in Puerto Rico's capital, officials said.

Authorities said a gas leak or short circuit likely caused the blast, which occurred just outside a restaurant across from the upscale Condado Vanderbilt hotel.

The explosion forced authorities to temporarily close the main street in the Condado district.

Those injured were expected to recover.
Youth accused of raping 13  year  old arrested

The local authorities have arrested a youth in accusation of raping a 13  year  old girl here.
This is how to snag the ~to die for~ style in the Scream Queens episode Lovin the D

Welcome to your official Scream Queens Season 2 fashion recap. Here we will discuss the various lewks in each episode, complete with affordable shopping recs so you too can mimic the grandiose style of Chanel Oberlin and Co. Warning: spoilers within!

ALERT: We are now at the penultimate episode of the second season of Scream Queens! To brief us all on what the F is happening at C.U.R.E Hospital, all of the Green Meanies have been revealed including the surprising return of Wes, Graces dad from Season 1, as one of the killers. With Nurse Hoffel and Wes arguing over who gets to kill Chanel, Hester decides to hold a Green Meanie summit. Its getting even MORE ridiculous, yall!

Meanwhile, the Chanels are visited by Dr. Scarlett Lovin (perfectly cast with Brooke Shields), a fellow Kappa alum and host of daytime talk show, Lovin the D. Dr. Lovin has heard about the successful parasitic twin surgery at C.U.R.E. and proposes the filming of an episode of a LIVE operation conducted by the girls and Dr. Holt. The catch is, they have to pass the MCAT exam to prove theyre actual medical students.

Please pay close attention to #3s flamingo necklace, BTW.

The test scene is by far, the most fashionable exam in ALL OF HISTORY.

I mean look at these bedazzled calculators  are you kidding me?!

The girls pass (with the help of Dr. Holt and Dr. Cascade and earpieces), and prepare to live their dream as TV doctors! Throughout the 10-hour procedure, Chanel repeatedly looks at the camera, narrating the procedure in perfect reality TV fashion, consequently slaying her television debut. Damn, shes good! the publicist exclaims. OF COURSE SHE IS.

Even Chanels surgery spectacles are GORGE!

Lets talk about this new uniform option of hersSO GOOD.

Perfect for escaping a murderer!

And THIS lil number. HELLO NURSE! (Er, I mean fake doctor)

Are you ready to throw your holiday shopping lists out the window and get some Scream Queens-inspired goodies for yourself?

Story continues

via GIPHY

Switch up the candy-colored furs for something more neutral.

I know we LOVE all the bubblegum pinks and baby blues when it comes to the Chanels faux furries, but it only makes us appreciate it when Hester brings something different to the table. How cute does her gray fur coat look with her space buns?! This style from Choies is just $39.90 and comes in other colors if youre not feelin those neutrals.

Wear L-O-V-E around your neck, baby.

How CUTE is #5s LOVE choker? Grab this $7.90 style at Forever 21 ASAPINGTON!

A day without #5 in cat ears is a day without sunshine.

#5s cat ear beret is a sold-out Eugenia Kim design. This similar style is available, but over 300 BONES! Forever 21 has a more affordable and equally cute version here for $12.90.

Oooh, SHINY!

Yo, Im totally IN LOVE with whatever pretty-in-pink psychedelicness is going on with #3s skirt. This iridescent sequin $80 version from Dolls Kill will calm me downfor now.

Mary Janes on steroids? Well take two.





My eyeballs immediately zoomed to this sheer sock and multi-strap, chunky heel situation on the hooves of one #3. These $53 Mary Janes from ASOS gives me the vapors, as they say.

Coming up next week the FINAL EPISODE! Until next time, bitches!

via GIPHY

Check out our previous Scream Queens style coverage here!

The post This is how to snag the ~to die for~ style in the Scream Queens episode Lovin the D appeared first on HelloGiggles.
While members of Cirque du Soleil were in Buenos Aires this week rehearsing their acts for Sep7imo Dia -- the show inspired by the music and story of Argentine rock band Soda Stereo -- Charly Alberti and Zeta Bosio were in a studio in Los Angeles working with Grammy-winning engineer Gustavo Borner on the mixes of the music that will be heard both in the show and on an album set to be released to coincide with its March 9, 2017 premiere.

"The songs that people want to hear will be there," assures Alberti. For now, he names just two: "Primavera Cero," and the song that gives the Cirque show its name, "(En) El Septimo Dia." The album (and recorded music for the show, as there will be no live band), represents a year of work by Alberti and Soda bassist Zeta Bosio, who have gone through Soda's legacy, to "take apart the songs and then totally rebuild them."

Cirque has staged few productions dedicated to musical artists; its performers have paid tribute to The Beatles, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. The collaboration between Cirque and the Latin American rock heroes has proved to be as anticipated as it was unlikely: 50,000 tickets were sold in the first day of sales for the Buenos Aires shows, breaking a record in Argentina. Twenty-six of 65 consecutive over 5,000-capacity performances at Buenos Aires' Luna Park are sold out.

Sep7imo Dia comes ten years after Soda Stereo, who sowed their fame in the 1980s, first in Buenos Aires and then by forging a path in Latin America, played a reunion tour attended by over a million people in nine countries, including the US.

Since then, the artists, and Soda's now multigenerational fans, have mourned the loss of Gustavo Cerati, the trio's frontman, who died in 2014 at age 55.

"If this wasn't about the music we wouldn't have done it," says Alberti. During an early morning phone conversation earlier this week in which his voice revealed a rollercoaster of emotions, he deemed the Cirque show both an homage and "a fantasy."

Story continues

BILLBOARD: Would you call the new album a soundtrack?

ALBERTI: Yes, basically it's a soundtrack. It represents almost the entire show. The show is 90 minutes long and you can't put 90 minutes on an album, so possibly what will be left out is, more than anything, the intervals that come between each song; the incidental music that allows for scene changes or preparing for a new act. The important thing is that the songs are there, and the album will respect the set list of the show...it will allow you to navigate through your memories of one act after another as experienced in the show.

For a concert, we consider each song and we put together a set list according to the emotions that you want to keep following with that music during the length of the concert. This has that too, but obviously it's led by visual concerns and by the artistic interpretations you see in the show.

So the set list might not be exactly in the order that we would have put together, but the songs themselves are the ones that we would have chosen. And that really makes it even more interesting, because it breaks with the norm for what we would have done.

How closely does Sep7imo Dia follow the Soda Stereo story?

Basically, it is a fantasy. It takes you to a place where listening to Soda Stereo takes you.

Michel [Laprise, Cirque du Soleil's Creative Director] understood that Soda Stereo was a band whose career was driven by creativity and by going further. He and other people from Cirque du Soleil spent months and months of being immersed in our world, interviewing us, interviewing people around us, interviewing our fans, going to my house where we had started rehearsing. They went to Buenos Aires several times, and they experienced Latin America. In creating the show they were immersed in what it was that made this world of Soda Stereo. And that's what it's based on. But it's not chronological, it doesn't respect time.

So you wouldn't call it biographical?

Maybe you would expect something more of a story, something that documents historic moments. But it's nothing like that. It's much more about fantasy, and that makes it much more amazing for me; incredible things happen.

You and Zeta worked together in the studio for the past year. How did you approach the project?

What we basically did was take the multi-tracks of the [Soda] albums, digitize them, take apart the songs and then totally rebuild them. New mixes, new versions, things that people have never heard, different takes...technology has allowed us to do incredible things. What was always a priority for us, and for Cirque also, was that the musical parameters were set by Zeta and I. It's not like all of a sudden a song is going to cut off after two minutes. If this wasn't about the music, we wouldn't have done it.

Two things will come out of this mix - the album and the music for the show. The album will be in stereo, and the music for the show will be have surround, it wil have effects; There are incredible things that happen with the music in the show that you can't do on an album.

How did you feel about re-visiting Soda's past, especially after Gustavo's death?

There were so many different emotions, because listening to the albums, listening to Gustavo's voice, listening to the three of us laughing, it makes you sad. But the same way that we would have done with Gustavo, we respected the process. This work has the same characteristics as it would have if Gustavo had been with us.

People may say, 'well Gustavo isn't here and it's not the same'. No, he's not, and obviously we wish he were. But the truth is that we worked the same way as if he were. We always worked as a band in the studio. It was the three of us in the rehearsal room. We had to get used to not working as a trio. It was always so great, because if two of us didn't agree, there was always someone who would make the decision. When Zeta and I were together, there was no one to break the tie. So that was a little conflict for us, but it also made us work on our personal relationship.

Is there a moment in the show when there is a specific memorial or homage to Gustavo?

We're sure that in each country a lot of amazing things are going to happen, because it's not about one specific moment that's a tribute to Gustavo. The whole thing is the moment. From the moment you come in until the moment that you leave, it's an homage to the band, and the fact that one of us is no longer here makes it much more emotional. And you're going to think about him and you're going to envision him. We wanted to avoid that sometimes kitsch element of a tribute. It is implicit in the show.

When we first got together to talk with the people from Cirque du Soleil, it was a very delicate moment because it was just after Gustavo had passed. And the first thing that we said was, 'we're going to celebrate the story of the band.'

Have you been going to the rehearsals?

No. I want to give them time to rehearse and see the show when it's ready. Because you can get really anxious about it, and really we haven't had time. I've been with Zeta this whole time preparing the album. But soon will come the moment for us to see everything. They have been rehearsing for the last two months in Buenos Aires, and January 1 they'll be moving to Luna Park to rehearse there until the show premieres. Once they are there, we will have to prepare the music with the sound system we'll have at Luna Park.

Will you and Zeta actually be present at the shows?

We wil be at the premiere, and at the premieres in each country. The first year, the show will go to Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico. Then after, other countries in Latin America and the United States. There's a lot of demand, the tickets are selling fast. Maybe it will do a tour of Latin America and then come back to Buenos Aires for more shows. Or maybe it will be installed permanently there. It remains to be seen. At this point, we know when it starts, but not when it ends.
South Korea has started building a 3,000-ton submarine equipped with ballistic missiles to fortify its maritime capacity amid growing threats from North Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported Wednesday citing the state arms procurement agency. The country is also planning to develop indigenous long-range air-to-surface missiles to tackle threats from Pyongyang.

The Chang Bogo-III batch 1 submarine will be the third vessel of this class in the national navy, according to South Korea's Yonhap. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said that Hyundai Heavy Industries will be building the vessel  expected to be able to carry Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missiles with ranges of over 310 miles. The project is estimated to cost 630 billion won ($539 million) and is expected to be completed in nearly eight years.

South Korea is also planning to develop indigenous long-range air-to-surface missiles to tackle the mounting threat from North Korea. The DAPA has plans to develop 200 air-to-surface Taurus-class missiles until 2031. Research on relevant missile technologies is likely to begin from 2018, Yonhap reported, adding that these missiles will be mounted on the KF-X fighter jets that will be manufactured by mid-2020s. The total cost of the project is estimated to be 810 billion won ($695.2 million).

The Taurus-class missiles have a range of over 310 miles and can be fired from South Koreas F-15K Slam Eagle  a multirole fighter aircraft. According to the South Korean news agency, the missile can target the North Korean capital Pyongyang when fired from a plane near south of Seoul.

The Kim Jong Un-led country has conducted a series of missile tests since the beginning of this year, drawing condemnation from world powers. Last month, state-run Radio Pyongyang broadcast a series of cryptic numbers, which were believed to be a coded message for its agents in South Korea. The isolated nation had stopped such broadcast after the North and the South held their first historic summit in 2000. However, it resumed sending out coded messages 16 years later  in July this year.

Story continues

This also comes after South Koreas Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn warned last Friday that the reclusive nation may take advantage of the current political instability in Seoul to cause mischief. South Korean President Park Geun-hye was impeached last Friday over a political scandal after her close aide Choi Soon-sil was arrested over allegations of interfering in government affairs and influencing Park.

While retaining a watertight national defense posture, the government will work closely with the international community to thoroughly respond to the North Korean nuclear problem, Hwang said at the time.

Related Articles
Spanish police have arrested more than 200 Chinese nationals suspected of running call centres from luxury villas that swindled over 16 million euros ($17 million) from their compatriots in China, officers said Wednesday.

"We are talking about thousands of Chinese citizens, mainly poor families who were robbed of their modest savings and which led some victims to commit suicide," national police commissioner Eloy Quiros told a news conference.

The gang would allegedly contact people by telephone in China, pretending to be neighbours, friends or family members and warned them of fraud scams.

In later calls member of the gang would pretend to be police investigating the scams and would convince victims to deposit money in bank accounts run by the ring to help the authorities in their investigation.

Police said they dismantled 13 call centres run out of large houses in upscale neighbourhoods around Madrid and the eastern cities of Barcelona and Alicante.

"In each call centre a large number of operators would work -- in some cases up to 50 in the same building -- in great secrecy, without interruption and rest," police said in a statement.

Over 600 officers took part in the operation carried out on Tuesday in cooperation with Chinese authorities, who alerted Spanish police in July that many Chinese nationals were falling victim to scam telephone calls made from Spain.

Police said all of the suspects who were detained were Chinese nationals who arrived in Spain as tourists and then stayed in the country.

Chinese immigrants make up the fifth biggest foreign community in Spain with almost 170,000 people as of 2015, according to the national statistics institute.
By Selam Gebrekidan SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - One mild morning in October, when the roar of fighter jets over Sirte had died down and the crackle of gunfire had paused, Minya Mesmer decided to break free. After 14 months as a slave in Libya, the 33-year-old Eritrean had to get away. She could no longer let her Islamic State captors rape, sell and exchange her or her 14-year-old daughter. Her previous attempt to escape had left her with two broken legs. But she had healed enough to try again, she thought. She could lean on her daughter and limp past the cargo containers that marked the limits of Islamic State's shrinking caliphate in the besieged city. That morning, Mesmer (sounds like mess-mur) shared her plan with her daughter and another 16-year-old Eritrean girl. There were 22 other women holed up in the same building, all of them migrants enslaved by Islamic State. But Mesmer kept the others in the dark, worried that a large group would draw too much attention. At around 9 a.m., Mesmer and the two girls walked out of the building, their slight frames draped in black abayas and their faces hidden behind niqabs. Their captors were too distracted to stop them. Islamic State was four months into a vicious fight against pro-government Libyan forces, a war that had claimed hundreds of lives as it moved from neighborhood to neighborhood and door to door. The Islamist group was growing tired. The women walked towards the front line along narrow roads flanked by collapsed buildings. Three blocks south, they came under fire, and ducked into an abandoned building to lie in wait. "Let them kill us," Mesmer told the girls. "It's better than the life we're leaving behind." Mesmer and the girls did not die. But their life would take a new, cruel, turn. The Libyan brigades they surrendered to that day have imprisoned them. After more than a year as Islamic State slaves, the women are accused of being part of the group. African migrants fleeing their countries to seek freedom, peace or opportunity in Europe  some 175,000 this year alone  embark on a path of tribulation and likely death. Thousands perish crossing the Sahara Desert. Even more drown in the Mediterranean Sea after paying rich sums to smugglers who pack them into the bellies of dilapidated boats. Less documented are the ones who get trapped in Libya, a land that, by dint of its location and its lawlessness, is the gateway to Europe from Africa. Here, their survival depends on the whim of warring factions. As Reuters first reported in August, Mesmer and dozens of other women were captured and enslaved by Islamic State. They lived as chattel, human currency the extremist group used to draw fighters from the Middle East and Africa. But when a ragtag army from the nearby city of Misrata launched an attack on Islamic State in May, the women's captors could barely feed them. By October, they had become more of a burden than a prize, and their fallen value appears to have given them an opening to escape. Far from finding liberation, however, the three dozen women and their children, most of whom are Eritrean, are living a new nightmare. They are being held in a military airbase in Misrata, alongside the wives and relatives of Islamic State fighters. Brigadier Mohamed Gnaidy, an intelligence officer with the Misratan brigades who hold the women, says the military is investigating the escapees. This month, female suicide bombers blew themselves up after Misratan fighters granted them safe passage. "They have to be under investigation because they fought for some time with Daesh," Gnaidy said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. He did not give details of the investigation. He said the women were being kept in a safe and comfortable place and would be deported if no terrorist links were found. "We know they were forced to do this against their will," he said. "But we're investigating if any of them still espouse Islamic State's ideology." Reuters could not visit the escaped women at the prison. But last month, a reporter obtained access to 11 of them, including Mesmer and her 14-year-old daughter, at a military post in Misrata. All but two of the women spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their families. Reuters is withholding the names of minors who say they were sexually abused. The women looked emaciated. They said they had little food most days. The Misratan brigades expect them to pay for basic supplies, like soap, even though their money was confiscated, the women said. At least one woman is pregnant and in need of urgent care. They were not allowed to call their families. A United Nations representative visited the women last month to check on them. The U.N. declined to comment, but on Dec. 13, its Libya mission released a report that said "the situation of migrants in Libya is a human rights crisis." All of the women denied fighting on behalf of Islamic State or ever buying into its ideology. In one way, however, their lot under the extremists was better. "When we were were with Daesh, yes, they cheapened our lives and humiliated us. But when it came to our basic needs, they treated us like kin," a 42-year-old woman said. SEPARATION Mesmer left Eritrea in December 2010 with her husband, Kiflay Dawit, and their four children. The two had met in junior high in Asmara, Eritrea's capital, and were married before they graduated from high school. Dawit returned to school after their first daughter's birth and later worked for a government-owned bank in the city. Mesmer stayed home to care for the family. The couple set up a small convenience store in their neighborhood. Their oldest daughters thrived at school. But after local police jailed Dawit, twice, for speaking his mind at union meetings, they decided to leave the country. The family walked for days and crossed Eritrea's western border. They settled in the Shagarab refugee camp in Sudan. For two years, they lived on handouts from the U.N. refugee agency and earnings from a cafe Dawit set up on one edge of the sprawling camp. One morning in December 2012, Mesmer woke to find her husband gone. Frustrated by life in the refugee camp, Dawit had paid smugglers to take him to Lampedusa, a small Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. He had not told his wife his plans. And he did not say goodbye to his children. "I didn't have a choice. I left my children behind in the desert," Dawit, now in Britain, told Reuters last month. "But every day and every night all I wanted was for their lives to be better than mine." Two years later, Mesmer also set off for Europe, using 40,000 Sudanese pounds ($6,172) she'd saved peddling tea and coffee to pay smugglers for the journey. In July 2015, she traveled across the Sahara desert along with her four children and a caravan of about 100 migrants. In Ajdabiya, a town in northeast Libya where migrants stop to pay smugglers for passage through that country, they prepared for the truck journey to the capital, Tripoli. But on the night of her departure, as Mesmer settled into the back of a truck, she found her oldest daughter was missing. A Libyan smuggler had detained the girl and was demanding extra fees. Mesmer pleaded with him to let her daughter go. As he brandished a gun and threatened her, the truck departed with her three youngest children. Mesmer settled the dispute with the smuggler, but then had to wait two weeks before she and her daughter could board a new truck headed for Tripoli. The truck, crammed with 72 migrants in all, traveled four hours along the highway towards the capital before Islamic State fighters stopped it. The fighters separated the women and children and then took them to a compound in Harawa, a small town in central Libya. Over the next few months, as Islamic State built its caliphate in Libya, its fighters forced the captive women to convert to Islam and, one by one, sold them as sex slaves. "I AM THE OWNER" Mesmer and her daughter made their first attempt to escape in January. Together with 14 other women, the pair managed to get away from the Harawa compound. But they were caught after a few days and returned to their prison. In February, a middle-aged Saudi fighter called Abubeker bought Mesmer and her daughter. An Islamic State commander had promised Mesmer that her daughter would not be sold to a different owner. But Abubeker ignored that. "He told me 'I am the owner. I will sell your daughter and no commander can tell me what to do,'" Mesmer said. Mesmer tried to run away again. She fashioned a rope from hijabs, and in the early morning hours helped her daughter climb out of a third-floor window. But the improvised rope tore and her daughter fell and started bleeding. Mesmer jumped to the street below and broke both of her legs. Abubeker moved his slaves to the ground floor so they would not jump again. A month later, he sold Mesmer's daughter to a Sudanese fighter named Abu Telha. For two weeks, Abu Telha raped the 14-year-old girl across the hall from her mother. "I heard everything he did to my daughter. I heard her cry in her room and I cried in mine. I never imagined that my daughter would have to go through something like this," Mesmer said. "But that was God's plan." Abu Telha offered to marry Mesmer's daughter. When she refused, he sold her to another Sudanese fighter called Mensur, who also raped her. Mesmer's agony was compounded because she did not know if her other children had survived their journey through Libya or had made it to Europe. "I could not even remember what my children's faces looked like anymore. I would see them in my dreams at night and I would be happy. But then I would wake up and I would still be with Daesh," Mesmer said. Reuters was unable to locate the three Islamic State fighters or independently confirm some parts of Mesmer's account. "TWO WARS" In early May, Islamic State, emboldened by its state-building project in Sirte, ventured west and attacked checkpoints along a 250 km (155 mile) stretch to Misrata, Libya's third-largest city. The Misratan response was swift. The city's war-hardened youth joined brigades in droves. Backed by a U.N.-installed government in Tripoli, the brigades pooled their weapons  old Russian rifles, T-55 tanks, and other arms from Muammar Gaddafi's tenure  and took the fight to Islamic State. But the Misratans' zeal was matched by the tenacity of the hardline group's skilled snipers and suicide bombers. The death toll climbed on both sides. Then, in August, American fighter jets began bombing Sirte. Before the airstrikes, the captive women lived in separate buildings in groups of three or four. But after civilians abandoned the city and the bombings became more frequent, Islamic State fighters rounded up the slaves and placed them in a medafa or guesthouse. They placed their wives in the same building so they could keep watch over the slaves. The captive women said the fighters' wives wore suicide belts and threatened to detonate the explosives. The wives taunted and threatened the captives. Airstrikes punctured each day. When a slave's owner died in the fighting, another fighter would take his place within a week. Some of the women said they were resold up to four times over the summer. The guesthouse became, in essence, a brothel. "It felt like we were in two wars  one with the bombs and the incoming fire and the other with the Daesh men and their abuse," Tigsti Fisahaye, a 24-year-old captive said. "The men expected us to die with them." Eventually, the fighters separated the two classes of women. They took the slaves to a building in a residential neighborhood called Number 3, one of the last Islamic State holdouts in Sirte. Each fighter would visit the building at night and take his slave with him. He would then rape her in buildings along the frontline and return her in the morning. ESCAPE By August, Islamic State's caliphate had shrunk to a few city blocks. Resources dwindled and the women grew hungry. Their captors fed the women macaroni twice a day but the portions kept getting smaller. Some days, the women searched for food among the collapsed buildings. These scavenging tours doubled as reconnaissance missions. With only a few blocks left under their control, the Islamic State fighters retrenched. They dug tunnels to hide from airstrikes. They moved the captives to a building closer to the shoreline. Because the fighter jets struck every moving vehicle, the women had to walk to their new prison. Mesmer tried to walk, too, in part to test her strength, but her feet could not carry her. She sent her daughter back to fetch the wheelchair she had used since February. Her daughter had barely turned the corner when a fighter jet decimated the building the women had called home for a month. Three Islamic State snipers, who had been posted inside the building and had helped Mesmer's daughter carry the wheelchair outside, died in the blast. Just over a month later, on the first Wednesday morning of October, Mesmer decided to escape again. "In the end, I thought it was better to die trying to escape than to die crushed under the weight of a collapsed building," she said. Mesmer, her daughter, and the 16-year-old captive wore jeans and t-shirts under their long black abayas. They walked the few blocks held by Islamic State and then past the frontline, hugging walls as they could. Mesmer, still in pain from her broken legs, limped along. When they heard incoming gunfire, the women hid in a building next to an abandoned mosque. At 10 a.m., they heard the shouts of fighters from one of the Misratan brigades urging them to emerge from their hideout. In a grainy video shot by the brigade's fighters, one man can be heard screaming, "You are safe! I swear to Allah you are safe!" In the video, the 16-year-old captive walks out first, hands in the air, followed a few minutes later, by Mesmer and her daughter. As the women approached, the fighters told them to stop and strip down to prove they were not wearing suicide belts. The instructions were lost on the women who continued to walk toward the fighters. For a frightening moment, Mesmer was not sure whether they were safe or about to be shot  until she saw one of the soldiers do something forbidden by Islamic State. He dragged on a cigarette. A week later, eight more women jumped through a kitchen window and walked to their freedom. They had been locked up after Mesmer and the two girls escaped but decided to bolt when Islamic State fighters told them they were about to be moved again. They followed the same path Mesmer had taken. A different brigade took them in. "At first they were frightened, but after they realized they were safe, they took off their hijabs and said 'We are free again,'" said Mustafa Shaibani, the 30-year-old commander of the Misratan brigade that received the captives. The women asked for food and water. Shaibani's brigade brought them brioche, water and minced-meat sandwiches. By the end of October, 14 more women, including two Ethiopians and three Nigerians had escaped. Seven Filipino medical workers followed. There are now nearly 70 women in the military airbase where the Misrata brigades keep their female prisoners. The Eritrean refugees say they share rooms with Islamic State wives and female fighters who had helped sell them into sexual slavery while they were captives of the extremist group. Fights have erupted. "These women used to sell us and exchange us and now that they're here ... they call us dirty, they call us whores," said Mesmer. The brigades have not yet identified how many of the women were captives of Islamic State and how many came to Sirte on their own. What devastates the women is that their new captors see little distinction between them and Islamic State sympathizers. "They call us Daesh. We are not Daesh," the 42-year-old captive said. "We were captives. We suffered in the hands of Daesh. We want our freedom, but we haven't found our freedom." As Mesmer and her 14-year-old daughter began their captivity with the Misratans, Reuters determined what became of her younger children. The three children, aged 13, 10 and 8, had survived the crossing of the Mediterranean. They were in a small town in Germany, Giessen, a 50-minute drive north of Frankfurt. Her husband was living in the United Kingdom. The children had been unable to reunite with their father because he is an undocumented immigrant. But they were safe, living with a caretaker assigned by the German government. In Misrata last month, a reporter told Mesmer the news and showed her recent pictures of the three. For a moment, Mesmer was silent. Then she buried her head in her lap and burst into tears. "My children," she murmured between sobs. "I didn't know if they were still alive. I didn't know if they'd drowned at sea... I thank my God." (Additional reporting by Ahmed Elumami in Misrata; Edited by Simon Robinson and Alessandra Galloni)
Spoon has a new project on the way. After releasing 2014's critically acclaimed They Want My Soul through Loma Vista, sources confirm to Billboard that the Austin-based indie rock heroes will be returning to Matador Records for their ninth studio album, expected in March 2017.

On Sunday (Dec. 11) Spoon shared a clip of a new song called "I Ain't the One" on an episode of the Showtime drama Shameless. Afterwards, what appears to be the complete audio surfaced online. Check out the minimal, piano-based song below:

Yesterday, Spoon posted an unnamed skull image to its social media accounts, which could be some sort of album art. Matador posted the image as well.

pic.twitter.com/f558nJ3l62

- SPOON (@spoontheband) December 13, 2016

Spoon's new partnership with Matador is actually a reunion, albeit after a two-decade break. The longstanding indie label released Spoon's debut LP Telephono and Soft Effects EP in the mid-1990s, before the band split for Elektra to put out 1998's A Series of Sneaks. Spoon followed with a period of five LPs for Merge Records, during which its sound greatly matured.

Stereogum points out that Spoon has actually played "I Ain't the One" earlier this year. Below, watch Britt Daniel and keyboardist Alex Fischel perform it in Mexico City.

Reps for the band and Matador had no official comment at publication time. We'll update this story as we learn more.
Beirut (AFP) - Here are the latest developments on the main battle fronts in Syria and Iraq, as of 1830 GMT on Wednesday:

SYRIA

- Battle for Aleppo -

Shelling and air strikes sent terrified residents running through the streets of Aleppo amid international efforts to save a deal to evacuate rebel-held districts of the city.

A month into an assault to regain control of all of the northern city, Syria's army has taken back more than 90 percent of the former rebel stronghold in east Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported "very intense clashes on every front line" and said at least two people had been killed in rebel areas.

State television said rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas had also resumed, killing at least seven people.

It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, after an estimated 130,000 fled to other parts of Aleppo during the government advance.

More than 465 civilians, including 62 children, have died in east Aleppo during the assault, the Observatory said Wednesday in a new toll.

Another 142 civilians, among them 42 children, have been killed by rebel rocket fire on government-held zones in the same period, the monitor said.

- Palmyra -

With regime forces focused on taking Aleppo, the Islamic State group has re-seized the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria, just eights months after the army backed by Russia drove the jihadists out.

Retaking the UNESCO World Heritage site on Sunday gave the jihadist group an important propaganda boost as it faces assaults on two key bastions -- Syria's Raqa and Iraq's Mosul.

- Raqa -

A US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance is fighting to seize IS's de facto Syrian capital of Raqa, east of Aleppo.

Backed by US troops and air strikes from a US-led coalition, members of the Syrian Democratic Forces have advanced to within 25 kilometres (15 miles) of the city.

IRAQ

- Battle for Mosul -

Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitary forces said on Tuesday they retook three more villages southwest of Mosul, completing another phase in operations aimed at cutting the jihadists' link to Syria.

Story continues

Pro-government forces launched an assault on October 17 to eject IS from its last Iraqi stronghold. They have taken almost half of eastern Mosul.

The elite Counter-Terrorism Service now controls several eastern neighbourhoods and is closing in on the river Tigris that divides the city.

Federal police and interior ministry forces have mostly been fighting on a southern front, stalled within striking distance of Mosul airport.

The United Nations says a total of 90,000 people have been displaced as a result of the Mosul operation.
Sterling K. Brown picked up two SAG Award nominations ahead of the 2017 show on Wednesday, and he could not be more thankful. The actor was recognized for his roles in NBCs This is Us and FXs The People v. O. J. Simpson.

Shortly after the nominations were announced, Brown, 40, shared his emotional reaction on Twitter. In a video he appeared to be crying as he thanked fans for their support and the Screen Actors Guild for the nominations. He also made a point to note that it was exciting to be nominated as just an actor, rather than for a supporting or lead role.

Brown told fans that he was humbled by the news and loves his chosen career path. In closing, the Missouri native sent a message to his peers, telling them he has enjoyed getting to know them.

Brown was nominated for two 2017 SAG Awards. His first nomination is in the outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series category for playing Randall on This is Us. Hes up against Peter Dinklage, John Lithgow, Rami Malek and Kevin Spacey.

The second nomination is for outstanding performance by a male actor in a miniseries of TV movie for his part on The People v. O. J. Simpson. In that category, hell face off with Riz Ahmed, Bryan Cranston, John Turturro and Courtney B. Vance.

If Brown does win in either category it will be his first SAG Award. At present, he has both a Primetime Emmy and Critics Choice Award under his belt. Both were for his part in The People v. O.J. Simpson.

The awards are slated to air live on TBS and TNT on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2017.

Sterling K. Brown

Photo: Getty Images

Related Articles
The 114 feature films of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival just grew by two  or four, depending on how you look at it. Therell also be one more hot ticket with Quentin Tarantino appearing live at the Utah shindig.

Running from January 19-29 in Park City, Salt Lake City and at the Sundance Mountain Resort, the Robert Redford-founded fest today added the world premieres of American documentaries Bending the Arc and the Grateful Dead-spotlighting Long Strange Trip to its lineup.

Image (2) Tarantino-April-2014__140423012856.jpg for post 718482

Additionally with those new pics, Sundance has dusted off two old favorites, with Quentin Tarantinos Reservoir Dogs back for its 25th anniversary and the 31st anniversary of Donna Deitchs Desert Hearts. After the screening of the new 35mm print of the former, Tarantino and producer Lawrence Bender will participate in a Q&A with fans and fellow filmmakers. Both Reservoir Dogs and Desert Hearts are drawn from the Sundance Institute Collection at UCLA, which was established in 1997.

Its not quite our 25th anniversary, but Deadline co-Editor-in-Chief, Film, Mike Fleming Jr. and myself again will lead our Sundance coverage next month with breaking news on the deals, the films, the panels and whats going down on the streets of Park City.

Here are the films announced today:

DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES

Bending the Arc / U.S.A. (Directors: Kief Davidson, Pedro Kos, Screenwriter: Cori Shepherd Stern)  This powerful epic is about the extraordinary doctors and activistsincluding Paul Farmer, Jim Yong Kim, and Ophelia Dahlwhose work 30 years ago to save lives in a rural Haitian village grew into a global battle in the halls of power for the right to health for all. World Premiere

Long Strange Trip / U.S.A. (Director: Amir Bar-Lev)  The tale of The Grateful Dead is inspiring, complicated, and downright messy. A tribe of contrarians, they made art out of open-ended chaos and inadvertently achieved success on their own terms. Never-before-seen footage and interviews offer this unprecedented and unvarnished look at the life of the Dead. World Premiere

Story continues

FROM THE COLLECTION

Desert Hearts / U.S.A. (Director: Donna Deitch, Screenwriter: Natalie Cooper)  Nevada, 1959: Vivian Bell arrives to get a divorce and finds herself increasingly drawn to Cay Rivvers, a self-assured lesbian. The emotions released by their developing intimacy combined with Vivians insecurities are played out against a backdrop of rocky landscapes and country and western songs. The Festival will screen a new digitally restored version by the Criterion Collection and UCLA Film & Television Archive in conjunction with Sundance Institute and Outfest UCLA Legacy Project. Cast: Andra Akers, Dean Butler, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley, Helen Shaver, Glen Welles.

Reservoir Dogs / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Quentin Tarantino)  They were perfect strangers, assembled to pull off the perfect crime. Then their simple robbery explodes into a bloody ambush and the ruthless killers realize one of them is a police informant. But which one? Miramax provided a brand-new 35mm print for this special 25th anniversary screening, which will be followed by an extended Q&A with Tarantino and producer Lawrence Bender. Cast: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen.

RelatedSundance 2017: Donald Trumps America, Kristen Stewart & Punk Rock Fill Short Films Slate

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Harry Cohen To Receive Motion Picture Sound Editors' Career Honor

Sundance 2017: Donald Trump's America, Kristen Stewart & Punk Rock Fill Short Films Slate

Sundance 2017: Robert Redford, New Rashida Jones Netflix Series, 'Rebel In The Rye' & More On Premiere, Docu, Midnight & Kids Slates
Get ready for Deadheads to converge in Park City, Utah.

The Sundance Film Festival has added Amir Bar-Lev's Grateful Dead doc Long Strange Trip to its Premieres lineup. The film, which focuses on the legendary band whose multigenerational fans are dubbed "Deadheads," will offer never-before-seen footage and interviews.

Joining Long Strange Trip as a last-minute Premieres addition is Kief Davidson and Pedro Kos' Bending the Arc, which chronicles the work of doctors and activists who banded together 30 years ago to save lives in a rural Haitian village. Their efforts spawned a global movement for the right to health for all.

Sundance also is bringing out two classics from its archive: Donna Deitch's Desert Hearts and Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, which premiered at the festival in 1986 and 1992, respectively. The two films hail from the Sundance Institute Collection at UCLA, a joint venture between UCLA Film & Television Archive and Sundance Institute. The Collection, established in 1997, has grown to more than 4,000 holdings.

With the additions, Sundance 2017 will screen 118 feature-length films, representing 32 countries and 37 first-time filmmakers, including 20 in competition. The films were selected from 13,782 submissions, including 4,068 feature-length films and 8,985 shorts. Of the feature film submissions, 2,005 were from the U.S. and 2,063 were international. More than 100 feature films at the upcoming festival are world premieres.

The fest is set to take place in and around Park City from Jan. 19-29.

Read more: 'An Inconvenient Truth' Sequel to Debut at Sundance Opening Night

The lineup additions follow:

DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES

Bending the Arc / U.S.A. (Directors: Kief Davidson, Pedro Kos, Screenwriter: Cori Shepherd Stern) - This powerful epic is about the extraordinary doctors and activists - including Paul Farmer, Jim Yong Kim and Ophelia Dahl - whose work 30 years ago to save lives in a rural Haitian village grew into a global battle in the halls of power for the right to health for all. (World Premiere)

Story continues

Long Strange Trip / U.S.A. (Director: Amir Bar-Lev) - The tale of The Grateful Dead is inspiring, complicated and downright messy. A tribe of contrarians, they made art out of open-ended chaos and inadvertently achieved success on their own terms. Never-before-seen footage and interviews offer this unprecedented and unvarnished look at the life of The Dead. (World Premiere)

FROM THE COLLECTION

Desert Hearts / U.S.A. (Director: Donna Deitch, Screenwriter: Natalie Cooper) - Nevada, 1959: Vivian Bell arrives to get a divorce and finds herself increasingly drawn to Cay Rivvers, a self-assured lesbian. The emotions released by their developing intimacy combined with Vivian's insecurities are played out against a backdrop of rocky landscapes and country & Western songs. The festival will screen a new digitally restored version by the Criterion Collection and UCLA Film & Television Archive in conjunction with Sundance Institute and Outfest UCLA Legacy Project. Cast: Andra Akers, Dean Butler, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley, Helen Shaver, Glen Welles.

Reservoir Dogs / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Quentin Tarantino) - They were perfect strangers, assembled to pull off the perfect crime. Then their simple robbery explodes into a bloody ambush and the ruthless killers realize one of them is a police informant. But which one? Miramax provided a brand-new 35mm print for this special 25th anniversary screening, which will be followed by an extended Q&A with Tarantino and producer Lawrence Bender. Cast: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen.

Read more: Sundance Unveils Competition Titles, Including Gulf War Drama, ISIS Doc, Pair of Post-Ferguson Films
Dec 14 (Reuters) - U.S. solar company Sunrun Inc on Wednesday said it was expanding its home battery storage offering to homeowners in California after enjoying better-than-expected demand for the product in Hawaii.

With a solar energy system combined with storage, a product Sunrun called BrightBox, homeowners will be able to store some of the electricity generated by their solar panels in the middle of the day for use after the sun goes down, when power prices from the grid are higher.

The battery will keep 20 percent of its charge at all times for backup power in the event of an outage.

The battery system can be wrapped in to the monthly rate customers pay Sunrun for their solar system, requiring no money down, Sunrun said.

California, the nation's top solar market, is in the midst of overhauling its electricity rate structures. Customers are moving to so-called time-of-use rates, which will likely make electricity prices higher later in the day when the state's large amounts of solar generation begins to trail off.

The company's research suggests the product will appeal to about 15 to 20 percent of customers, Sunrun Chief Executive Lynn Jurich said in an interview.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Sandra Maler)
When the short-term effects of surgery -- such as oozing wounds and incision pain -- have long faded, an unseen complication may be lurking beneath the skin. Excess scar tissue, layers deep, can significantly reduce function and movement months after surgery. And on the skin's surface, visible, lingering scars might be noticeable enough to really bother patients. Before you undergo surgery, here's what to know about reducing scarring as you heal.

[See: What Only Your Partner Knows About Your Health.]

Layers of Scarring

Bend and straighten your elbow. The folds that form in your skin, known as Langer's lines, represent the direction and orientation of the collagen fibers, similar to the grain of wood, says Dr. Robert Klapper, director of the Joint Replacement Program in Orthopaedic Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. During surgery, it's not always possible for surgeons to cut parallel to the grain with their scalpels.

"If you are not able, because of heart surgery for example, to get down to the sternum, we as surgeons have to violate the Langer's line," Klapper says. "This can often lead to keloids and bumps and poor healing, and extra scar tissue can take place."

Performing joint surgery, Klapper says, involves cutting into multiple layers of anatomy: the epidermis or skin surface; subcutaneous fat; fascia or connective tissue; muscles, tendons and ligaments; and the lining around the bone called the ostium. "It's kind of like a seven-layer cake, if you will," he says. "As a surgeon, you must respect in your repair of the surgery all layers of the seven-layer cake. All should get closed properly."

The initial length of an incision after surgery could be deceptive. "You can't tell a book by its cover -- you can't tell a surgeon by the skin incision," Klapper says. "Oftentimes, if the surgeon can extend the length of the incision a little bit more, then your retractors are traumatizing the tissues less and you may end up with more of a disappearing scar than someone with a tiny incision."

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While surgery of the knees, wrists or ankles is meant to improve movement and function, excessive scar tissue around the joints can do just the opposite. Frozen shoulder, which sometimes follows surgery, involves a buildup of scar tissue around the shoulder joint, caused by irritation and inflammation. The result is pain and reduced range of motion. For unknown reasons, Klapper says, people with diabetes are much more prone to postoperative frozen shoulder.

Surgery anywhere in the body can lead to scarring. If your appendix is removed, for example, the small surgical scar on your belly is usually no big deal. But if you develop adhesions during abdominal surgery, that's different. Adhesions are bands of tissue that form between organs and abdominal tissues, sometimes making them stick together. That can lead to bowel obstruction or chronic pain in the abdomen.

Pelvic adhesions that form after gynecological surgery lead to pain and infertility in some women. Surgical techniques, including using certain types of suture or creating adhesion barriers, can reduce pelvic adhesions. It's worthwhile to ask surgeons how they plan to minimize adhesion risk.

[See: 8 Questions to Ask Your Pharmacist.]

Scarring Solutions

Surgery is a form of trauma. "Any type of trauma ends up causing inflammation -- swelling -- of the tissues," says Dr. Janet Yueh, who specializes in hand surgery with Cohen/Winters Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgeons, based in Maywood, New Jersey. "Over time, that inflammation ends up being converted into scar. That scar can demonstrate itself in many different ways." Healthy young people tend to form more surgical scar tissue than older patients, she says, because they have a bigger scar response to surgery.

At the skin level, a thickened, whitened, elevated scar, called a hypertrophic scar, can develop. Keloids occur when collagen buildup creates a larger, puffy-looking scar that grows beyond the boundaries of the surgical wound. Gels, silicone scar sheets and related products might be enough to even out skin color and improve the texture of a superficial surgical scar.

Injections, such as steroid compounds, can change the appearance, texture and size of elevated scar tissues. Other injectable treatments fill in caved-in scars. Surface treatments such as dermabrasion, laser or light therapy or chemical peels may also improve the appearance of scars. A dermatologist can guide you through cosmetic scar-revision choices.

With deeper scar tissue, Yueh says, patients complain about a sense of tightness rather than sharp pain. "That tightness can translate to soreness, to pain and to difficulty making a tight fist," she says. If there's no improvement after several months, surgical removal might be the next step. Although that comes with a risk of more scar tissue, it's relatively small.

"I always counsel patients that with revision surgery, in the majority of cases it gets better," Yueh says. "The numbers I usually quote are 70 percent that get better, 20 percent stay the same and about 10 percent get worse. It really depends on the surgeon and what the issue is."

Moving Beats Scarring

Before surgery, ask your doctor about how much scarring to expect and what preventive treatment you'll receive. Also, ask whether minimally invasive surgery is an option. According to Cleveland Clinic's Health Essentials webpage, minimally invasive surgery is the No. 1 method for reducing the risk of abdominal adhesions. And whether it's knee surgery or cataract removal, Klapper says, the concept of minimally invasive surgery is so successful because it minimizes the scar.

Moving your joints the right way after surgery not only improves function, it helps prevent excess scar tissue from forming. "The earlier you get the patient moving -- and I don't care what the surgery is -- the better the outcome," Klapper says.

After surgery, Yueh recommends that her patients work with hand therapists -- occupational or physical therapists with specialized training in conditions occurring anywhere from the shoulder to the fingertips. Targeted exercises and spring-loaded splints help stretch the skin and guide joints back into proper position. Massage and ultrasound therapy help soften scars. "With the combination of different therapies, over time the scar will soften and the patient is able regain motion of their fingers," she says.

At home, dedication to treatment plays a big role. By sticking with therapy and doing prescribed exercises at home, patients can do a lot to manage and minimize scarring.

[See: When Health Treatments Go From Hospital to DIY.]

"The main thing is working with a doctor who can diagnose why they're having the scarring and at what levels they're having the scarring to figure out a good plan for them afterwards," Yueh says. "Because often what's going on underneath is much more than they see on the skin."

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 Hugh Bronstein and Miguel Lobianco

BUENOS AIRES, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez failed to get into a meeting of the Mercosur trade bloc on Wednesday after threatening to enter through the window if necessary, despite her country being thrown out of the group this month.

The meeting, at Argentina's foreign ministry in Buenos Aires, also grouped fellow South American nations Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia and Paraguay.

"If they close the door to us we will, as our president (Nicolas) Maduro has said, go through the window," Rodriguez told reporters outside the ministry.

"We will put on rubber-soled shoes and get in through the window ... Venezuela does not need an invitation because it is for the time being president of Mercosur."

Venezuela was expelled from Mercosur this month in part due to concerns about the government's human rights record.

Maduro's socialist government, which has lost allies in the region as various countries have moved to the right, says its suspension from the bloc is an unjustified and illegal "coup".

The pugnacious foreign minister was later allowed into the ministry building, through the door, to meet with Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra but stayed only briefly before exiting without gaining access to the session.

Venezuela joined Mercosur in 2012.

(Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and James Dalgleish)
Swedish-Sami writer director Amanda Kernells first feature film Sami Blood, is a striking drama set against the backdrop of racism against the Sami people in the North of Sweden, about a young Sami girls decision to sever ties with her Lapland heritage to become seemingly Swedish. Its also the first bona-fide feature shot by a Sami director. Kernell was inspired by her grandmother to reconstruct the little known discrimination against the semi-nomadic reindeer-herding Sami community in 1930s Sweden. She developed the film from a short that premiered at Sundance in 2015. Sami Blood bowed in Venice, where it won the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European Film in the Venice Days section, before segueing to Toronto and now having its Middle East premiere in Dubai. It will be screening at Sundance in 2017.

Kernell spoke to Variety about the narrative and productive challenges of making a movie in a language spoken by roughly 500,000 people. Excerpts.

Simply put, what drew you to the subject matter?

People dont know about our heritage and race because they dont know our history. Im interested in whether these things define you or not, and whether you can you create another you. Whether your blood, your body and whats in it, define you.

Whats your personal connection to the story?

In my family there are a few older people that really dont want to have anything to do with Samis, who dont like them and say harsh things about them. For some of these people one of the Sami languages was their first language, their mother tongue. But now they have another name, they are someone else, they are Swedish. So there is, like, either a shame or a pride, depending on who you are with. I always wondered what happens if you sever your Sami ties? Can you really become someone else?

Well the fact that the film comes from a personal place really shows.

Its not an educational film. Its about healing. I wanted to explore shame and the colonisation of your mind, not explain how this and that works. I also wondered more and more, where does the shame come from? And the anger. [It comes from] knowing that you are considered a person at a lower step in evolution. That also defines rules and regulations and what the state does with people whom it thinks are not able to take care of themselves.

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How did the Sami Blood get made from a production standpoint? I know it started with a short that went to Sundance.

Ive been making shorts for ten years. When I started writing this I did a lot of interviews with older people and then decided to do this as a feature and do a short as a pilot with some development and production funding. Doing the short was a way of trying out some collaborations and how to use some traditional songs in the score, and a lot of things that I wanted to try out. One of these is the cast. The film is in Southern Sami language, which is spoken by only about 500,000 people. So I thought: I want two sisters and I want them to be really good and I want them to speak South Sami. Its always a struggle for a director to convey something emotionally truthful, in this case having sibling actors who are real Samis was key.

Tell me about the casting process

It was a long. Because I think its important to give people more than one chance, especially with amateur actors. In the case of Lene Cecilia Sparrok [the films protagonist] and her younger sister [Mia Erika Sparrok] I tried them for a few scenes and then went to Norway, where they live, and did a whole day with both of them. Actually they are three sisters and they are all really good, but I could only use two. But the whole casting process was long and complicated, it took about six months.

The fact that you are a very meticulous director comes through in the film. But actually Sami Blood took only three years to get done, which for a first feature is not that long.

It was not difficult to get the funding. In a way I was a bit worried when I got the funding, I was like: Am I ready for this? Making a feature is so difficult and shooting a period piece is even harder.

Do you feel part of a bigger global indigenous cinema movement?

Well, its encouraging that it exists, but I havent really had the time to learn enough about it. Its also encouraging that there are other Sami directors, and that there is a Sami Film Institute Its certainly very important for us [Sami directors] to have conversations.

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By John Miller ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland's highest court on Wednesday blocked efforts to ban a state-funded Islamic-focused academic center at a Swiss university, ruling that an anti-immigration political party's proposed local referendum on it was discriminatory. The University of Fribourg's Swiss Center for Islam and Society opened in early 2015 to advance public discourse about Islam in Swiss society, but the Swiss People's Party (SVP) almost immediately launched its bid to ban it. The center is part of the university's theology department and gets funding form Switzerland's federal education, research and innovation department. In March this year, Fribourg's regional parliament declared the SVP initiative invalid, prompting the party to appeal. In Wednesday's ruling, four members of the Swiss Federal Tribunal's five-judge panel in Lausanne backed the local government decision, concluding the initiative to hold a referendum on it in the region illegally singled out one religion. "The initiative cannot be considered constitutional since its title and text are explicitly and exclusively directed at Islam," the tribunal said in a statement. While the SVP makes up nearly 30 percent of the Swiss national legislature in Berne, the right-wing party's representation in the canton of Fribourg's parliament is only about half that. About 85 percent of residents of Fribourg, the birthplace of Gruyere cheese, are either Catholic or Protestant, with only a fraction Muslim. Across Switzerland, two-thirds of 8.3 million residents identify as Christians. But the nation has been wrestling with the role of Islam as its Muslim population has risen to 5 percent with the arrival of immigrants from former Yugoslavia. In 2009, a nationwide vote backed a constitutional ban on new minarets. While the Islamic center does not offer a formal curriculum to train imams, University of Fribourg President Astrid Epiney said some Muslim religious leaders did take part in classes or training sessions there. "With the questions raised by the initiative about the center now resolved, the center will be able to continue its activities on a more certain legal foundation," Epiney told Reuters following the ruling. (Reporting by John Miller)
Aleppo (Syria) (AFP) - Syrian rebels announced a new evacuation deal for Aleppo civilians and the injured, after shelling and air strikes sent terrified residents running through the city's streets.

However a source close to Syria's government denied the development, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said hostilities were ongoing after an earlier agreement collapsed.

Under the initial plan, thousands of civilians and rebel fighters were due early Wednesday to evacuate the east of Syria's second city, scene of some of the worst violence in more than five years of war across the country.

But cold and hungry civilians who had gathered before dawn to leave were instead plunged back into a familiar nightmare.

"Bombing is ongoing, no one can move. Everyone is hiding and terrified," activist Mohammad al-Khatib told AFP from inside east Aleppo.

"The wounded and dead are lying in the street. No one dares to try and retrieve the bodies."

Officials from the Nureddin al-Zinki and the hardline Ahrar al-Sham rebel groups confirmed to AFP that a new truce deal had come into effect after hours of violence Wednesday.

"A ceasefire has come into effect in Aleppo after negotiations between the Russians and the Turkish Red Crescent," said Yasser al-Youssef, a Nureddin al-Zinki political official.

"The first group of civilians and wounded people will leave at dawn on Thursday," Youssef told AFP.

He said an agreement on rebels had also been reached but news of the deal was denied by a source close to Syria's government.

"There is no agreement, the negotiations are ongoing," the source said.

- Telephone diplomacy -

As air strikes and artillery fire shook the city earlier Wednesday, AFP's correspondent in rebel areas of Aleppo saw panicked civilians running for cover.

The Britain-based Observatory reported "very intense clashes on every front line" and said at least two people had been killed in rebel areas.

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State television said rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas had killed at least seven people.

Former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front said Wednesday that one of its suicide bombers detonated a car bomb at a regime position in southern Aleppo.

A source with knowledge of efforts to resuscitate the ceasefire deal earlier said Syria, opposition backer Turkey, and regime allies Russia and Iran were locked in talks.

Moscow has blamed rebels for violating the ceasefire, saying it now expected opposition resistance in Aleppo to end in the next "two to three days".

A source close to the government said Damascus objected to the number of people leaving, claiming rebels had sought to raise it from 2,000 to 10,000.

But Youssef from the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group said the regime and Iran sought to link the Aleppo deal to the fate of Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite-majority villages in northwest Syria under rebel siege.

It was unclear whether the new agreement included a condition that wounded people would also be evacuated from there.

The rebels and Ankara have accused President Bashar al-Assad's regime and its supporters of blocking the evacuation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call that ceasefire violations must end.

"They stressed that the ceasefire agreement... should be put into practice (and) the violations of the deal must be stopped," Turkish presidential sources said.

- Moscow meet -

Turkey said it would meet with Russia and Iran in Moscow on December 27 to discuss a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

"We are striving to secure a ceasefire throughout the country and for negotiations for a political solution to start," said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday also spoke again with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, as well as with Cavusoglu and Qatar's Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

Syria's army has pressed a month-long assault that has seen it take more than 90 percent of the former rebel stronghold in east Aleppo.

Turkey has said those leaving would be taken to Idlib province, which is controlled by a powerful rebel alliance that includes the Fateh al-Sham Front.

The agreement came amid international concern about the plight of civilians in the city, and as the UN said it had reports of atrocities being committed by advancing government forces.

In Istanbul, more than a thousand people protested outside the Iranian consulate to denounce the actions of regime allies Tehran and Moscow and demand the evacuation of civilians from Aleppo.

In Kuwait around 2,000 demonstrated in front of the Russian embassy while in Paris several hundred people gathered in support of the victims of Aleppo.

- Eiffel Tower goes dark -

The lights on the Eiffel Tower were also switched off in what Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo was a protest at the "unbearable" situation for civilians in Aleppo.

The UN said Tuesday it had credible reports of at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, being executed in recent days.

And the UN's Commission of Inquiry for Syria said it had received reports opposition fighters were blocking civilians from fleeing Aleppo and using them as human shields.

Aleppo, a cultural and economic hub second only to Damascus in importance, had been split between a rebel-controlled east and government-held west since 2012.

It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, after an estimated 130,000 fled to other parts of Aleppo during the government advance since mid-November.

More than 465 civilians, including 62 children, have died in east Aleppo during the assault, the Observatory said Wednesday in a new toll.

Another 142 civilians, among them 42 children, have been killed by rebel rocket fire on government-held zones in the same period, the monitor said.

Syria's conflict has evolved from anti-Assad protests into a multi-front war that has killed more than 312,000 and drawn in world powers on all sides of the war.
By Matt Spetalnick and Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The fall of the last rebel-held areas in the Syrian city of Aleppo could seal the fate of the "Obama Doctrine," deepening the worlds worst humanitarian crisis in decades and staining U.S. President Barack Obama's legacy. With the U.S.-aligned rebels facing defeat by government forces backed by Russia and Iran, Obamas light-footprint approach to the Syrian conflict will suffer a serious blow weeks before he hands power to President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20. The rebel loss would underscore the failure of U.S. efforts to stem the carnage from Syrias nearly six-year-old civil war, leading some critics to predict that Obamas record will be tarnished just as President Bill Clintons was by his refusal to intervene to halt the 1994 Rwandan genocide. There is no doubt he will be hammered in historical terms, said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East adviser to Republican and Democratic administrations. The question will be why he didnt do more. While the war is expected to grind on, Syrian President Bashar al-Assads victory in Aleppo would provide fresh fodder for Trump, who has argued the insurgency has collapsed, and the United States should revamp its fight against Islamic State by joining up with Russia, and by extension, Assad. Syria has been one of the main testing grounds for Obamas doctrine of relying on local proxy fighters instead of large-scale U.S. military deployments, reflecting his reluctance to be drawn back into unpopular ground conflicts like the Iraq war. The approach has faltered in Syria, where on Tuesday the Syrian army said it could declare full control over eastern Aleppo by Wednesday. A deal was struck to allow the remaining rebel fighters to evacuate their last enclave there, Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said. "Leading from behind leaves a vacuum that is filled by the Bashar Assads and Vladimir Putins of the world," said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, referring to how an Obama aide described his strategy. "I think history will judge that these are unintended results that are going to cause great challenges to the United States for years to come." Obama has been criticized for refusing to provide sufficient arms and other support to moderate rebel groups to compel Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers to negotiate an end to his authoritarian rule. Obama has pursued a policy of calculated dithering in Syria, just agonizing over the choices until they no longer existed, said Emile Hokayem, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank. The Democratic president has defended his policy as judicious. His spokesman, Josh Earnest, said it was Obamas overriding responsibility to protect the interests and safety of the American people first. A Republican, Trump has vowed a dramatic shift from Obama's cautious strategy toward a more aggressive approach - although exactly how he will proceed remains unclear. He will inherit an increasingly complicated conflict in Syria, and many analysts fear his lack of foreign policy experience could lead to dangerous miscalculations. If Trump follows through after Aleppos fall on his pledge to cooperate with Russia, Assads military patron, there is a risk that frustrated moderate rebels could gravitate toward militant factions that pose a potential threat to Western interests. As Assad himself turns from the wreckage of Aleppo to assert his authority over a fractured Syria, he will have to contend with the loss of swaths of his country for the time being and tough pockets of resistance still to crush. The war has taken some 400,000 lives and made more than 11 million people homeless, driving many into neighboring countries or on a long perilous trek to Europe. COST OF INACTION The imminent fall of rebel-held eastern Aleppo  and the sense of U.S. powerlessness as it unfolds  suggests that Obama likely will be judged by history as much for what he did not do as for what he did. He first called on Assad to leave power in 2011. But Obama never supplied moderate rebels with enough firepower to topple him or force him to the negotiating table. His failure to carry out threatened air strikes to enforce his 2012 red line over Assad's use of banned chemical weapons dealt a heavy blow to U.S. standing, including by some of his staunchest regional allies. Obama also rejected recommendations, as recently as October, by members of his national security team for tougher action against Assad. Instead, he gave priority to striking Islamic State with a U.S.-led bombing campaign and local allies assisted by relatively small numbers of U.S. special forces. The strategy hewed to a prescription Obama laid out in a 2014 West Point speech in which he made clear he would intervene in foreign conflicts only when he believed U.S. interests were threatened. That led to the return of thousands of U.S. military personnel to Iraq to support Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State. But in Syria, despite providing billions of dollars in relief aid for refugees, Obamas approach has failed to quell what some have called the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two. Obama recently told an interviewer that the grim situation in Syria haunts me constantly - although he insisted there was not much he would have done differently. James Jeffrey, a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Turkey, said Obamas risk-averse approach had not only allowed Assad to attack the opposition with impunity but also opened the door to greater Russian and Iranian influence in the Middle East. But Paul Pillar, a former top U.S. intelligence analyst on the Middle East, said Obama was right to hold back in Syria because it was no place to commit U.S. prestige and resources for regime change. Earnest said on Thursday that historians may end up quibbling about Obamas Syria policy, when he was asked about a Syrian opposition leader who told the Wall Street Journal that history will never forgive Obama for what he has done to the Syrian people. White House aides privately acknowledge that Syria  and other Arab countries in turmoil, such as Libya and Yemen  could leave a black mark on his legacy. But they hope his record will be buoyed in other areas, including the landmark Iran nuclear deal, diplomatic openings to Cuba and Myanmar, the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the prevention of a 9/11-style attack on U.S. soil on his watch. Still, reflecting deep unease in Washington over the bloodshed in Aleppo, Robert Ford, who resigned in 2014 as U.S. ambassador to Syria over policy disagreements, and is now at the Middle East Institute, said: Im personally sad that after we thought we had learned lessons in places like Sarajevo, Srebrenica and Rwanda, it's in fact very clear that this administration doesn't really care. (Additional reporting by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Peter Cooney)
* Aleppo became main prize of Syria's civil war

* Shi'ite militias came from as far away as Pakistan

* Militia saw Aleppo as front in war against Islamic State

* Big losses suffered by Iraqi Shi'ite militia in Syria

* Graphic on Aleppo: http://tmsnrt.rs/2gfboV9

By Tom Perry, Laila Bassam, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Tom Miles

BEIRUT/AMMAN/GENEVA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - When rebel fighters launched a last desperate attempt to break the siege of Aleppo in October, they were beaten back - not by the Syrian army but by the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah fighting on its behalf, a senior official in the pro-government alliance said.

In the build-up to the final battle for Syria's second city, scores of fighters from a single Iraqi Shi'ite militia were killed in just two days of combat this summer, said a commander of another group fighting for President Bashar al-Assad.

Even in the last hours of fighting in Aleppo, allied Iraqi militia were at the vanguard. The U.N. human rights office said it had reports that the Syrian army and an allied Iraqi militia had killed at least 82 civilians in captured city districts - allegations denied by the army and militia in question.

These episodes show how in the decisive battle of Syria's nearly six-year-old civil war, Assad drew heavily on foreign Shi'ite militias sponsored by Iran for his most important victory to date.

Rebel sources say that among fighters taken prisoner by insurgents in the last months of Assad's campaign to retake Aleppo, there was not a single Syrian soldier.

To be sure, Russian air strikes were the most important factor in Assad's triumph. They enabled his forces to press the siege of rebel-held eastern Aleppo to devastating effect and regain full control of what was Syria's biggest city and economic hub before the war.

But on the ground, Shi'ite militias from as far afield as Afghanistan played an important role for Assad, a member of the minority Alawite sect which is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

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Among these militias, which fought in and around Aleppo alongside the Tiger Force, an elite Syrian army unit lavishly backed by Russia, was the Ansar Allah al-Awfiya group.

The rebels inflicted big losses on the militia's fighters by hitting them with a barrage of guided anti-tank missiles as they retreated in an area outside Aleppo, according to the militia commander, also an Iraqi. Reuters was unable to confirm the account with the group itself.

But Hezbollah, battle-hardened by years of conflict with Israel, played an even more important role. It ensured the siege was not broken by helping thwart a series of suicide attacks, according to the official in the pro-Assad military alliance.

"If they (the suicide attacks) had succeeded we would have been the ones under siege," he said.

Asked about the role of Shi'ite militias in the battle for Aleppo, a Syrian military source said army statements always referred to the "allied forces" working with the army. Last year Assad publicly credited Hezbollah for its role.

SUICIDE ATTACKS

Victory in Aleppo leaves Assad virtually unassailable by the rebels but he still faces great challenges in restoring the power of his state. While he controls the most important cities in western Syria and the coast, armed groups including Islamic State control swathes of territory elsewhere in Syria.

Assad could face prolonged guerrilla warfare from forces including the Nusra Front, until recently affiliated with al Qaeda, the global jihadist network founded by Osama bin Laden.

But victory in Aleppo shows how the direction of the civil war has shifted with the support of his allies.

"The course of events in Aleppo in the last few months ... has turned the tide in Syria's war in favour of the Syrian government and resistance movement," said Hossein Salami, the deputy head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which has also deployed forces in the protracted campaign for Aleppo.

He was referring to a regional alliance grouping Hezbollah, Iran and Syria defined by hostility to Israel.

Less than 18 months ago, Assad's forces had been losing ground across Syria and he had acknowledged there was a manpower problem in his army. Russia's decision to intervene militarily in September 2015 helped prop up Assad, while protecting its own interests in the region.

Russian warplanes played a key role in imposing the siege, and in August launched some of their most powerful sorties yet to thwart a rebel attempt to break the siege from the south.

The rebels' last attempt to break the siege came in late October, and was spearheaded by suicide car and truck bomb attacks on the western flank of government-held west Aleppo.

Syrian army soldiers fled when the first trucks, protected by makeshift armour, careered towards their positions. But Hezbollah sharp shooters stood their ground and opened fire, blowing up the trucks before they could hit their targets.

One Hezbollah fighter who destroyed one of the suicide truck bombs by hitting it from a distance of 200 metres (220 yards) was killed by the pressure of the blast.

"Hezbollah took a decision to halt the weapon of the car bomb regardless of how many martyrs it lost," said the senior official in the pro-Damascus alliance.

The siege continued unbroken, and proved Assad's most effective weapon in the campaign for Aleppo. Applied steadily over several months, it culminated with the full encirclement of eastern Aleppo this summer.

From then on, rebel fighters faced a daily struggle to find food and fuel for their families, sapping morale.

"WEIGHT" BEHIND PRO-GOVERNMENT FORCES

Hezbollah fighters have been in Syria since the early days of the civil war which grew out of protests against Assad and his government in 2011. Their role in the battle of Qusair in Homs province in 2013 was critical to stopping rebels splitting the Assad-held west in two.

Other Shi'ite militia groups arrived steadily, their level of organisation growing under Iranian leadership.

The Iraqi commander described foreign fighters as the "weight" behind the pro-government forces.

"The Iranians manage all the factions, but Hezbollah is independent," he said.

Like other sources interviewed for this story, he declined to be named as he was talking about military affairs which he was not formally allowed to discuss with the media.

Shi'ite militias generally took on the role of holding frontlines after advances led by Hezbollah or the Tiger Force, said Rolf Holmboe, a research fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and a former Danish ambassador to Syria, Lebanon and Jordan who has deep knowledge of the battlefield.

Iran sees the Syrian government's survival as vital to its regional interests.

With their support, pro-Assad forces consolidated their positions around Aleppo and in February severed the most direct supply route from Turkey. By June, air and artillery bombardment made what had been the only way into the rebel-held areas, the Castello Road, impassable.

The Tiger Force would finally capture the road in July.

Eastern Aleppo then had a population estimated at 275,000 by the U.N. and some 7,000 rebels. Opposition groups had stockpiled months of food. Yet rebel resistance collapsed more rapidly than expected.

"COMPLETE FAILURE"

Warplanes unleashed bunker-busting bombs that left craters metres wide and brought down buildings. Hospitals were bombed out of service.

Helicopters also dropped chlorine bombs, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, though the government denied this and other reported atrocities.

Some rebels said cooperation on the battlefield was weakened by a lack of trust between groups in eastern Aleppo. Others said government spies has sewn discord among the rebels.

Above all, rebel officials complain that their main allies -- the United States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- did not offer more military assistance when Russia began air strikes.

Some rebel groups were armed with weapons including guided anti-tank missiles under a military aid programme overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. But Washington has ignored their pleas for anti-aircraft systems because of fears that they fall into the hands of more militant groups.

"It's like you are fighting modern warfare with a sword. Bravery can only take you so far," a Syrian opposition figure said. "It's a complete failure of whoever is interested in seeing us win."

(Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in Beirut, Writing by Tom Perry, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
By Tom Perry, Laila Bassam, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Tom Miles BEIRUT/AMMAN/GENEVA (Reuters) - When rebel fighters launched a last desperate attempt to break the siege of Aleppo in October, they were beaten back - not by the Syrian army but by the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah fighting on its behalf, a senior official in the pro-government alliance said. In the build-up to the final battle for Syria's second city, scores of fighters from a single Iraqi Shi'ite militia were killed in just two days of combat this summer, said a commander of another group fighting for President Bashar al-Assad. Even in the last hours of fighting in Aleppo, allied Iraqi militia were at the vanguard. The U.N. human rights office said it had reports that the Syrian army and an allied Iraqi militia had killed at least 82 civilians in captured city districts - allegations denied by the army and militia in question. These episodes show how in the decisive battle of Syria's nearly six-year-old civil war, Assad drew heavily on foreign Shi'ite militias sponsored by Iran for his most important victory to date. Rebel sources say that among fighters taken prisoner by insurgents in the last months of Assad's campaign to retake Aleppo, there was not a single Syrian soldier. To be sure, Russian air strikes were the most important factor in Assad's triumph. They enabled his forces to press the siege of rebel-held eastern Aleppo to devastating effect and regain full control of what was Syria's biggest city and economic hub before the war. But on the ground, Shi'ite militias from as far afield as Afghanistan played an important role for Assad, a member of the minority Alawite sect which is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam. Among these militias, which fought in and around Aleppo alongside the Tiger Force, an elite Syrian army unit lavishly backed by Russia, was the Ansar Allah al-Awfiya group. The rebels inflicted big losses on the militia's fighters by hitting them with a barrage of guided anti-tank missiles as they retreated in an area outside Aleppo, according to the militia commander, also an Iraqi. Reuters was unable to confirm the account with the group itself. But Hezbollah, battle-hardened by years of conflict with Israel, played an even more important role. It ensured the siege was not broken by helping thwart a series of suicide attacks, according to the official in the pro-Assad military alliance. "If they (the suicide attacks) had succeeded we would have been the ones under siege," he said. Asked about the role of Shi'ite militias in the battle for Aleppo, a Syrian military source said army statements always referred to the "allied forces" working with the army. Last year Assad publicly credited Hezbollah for its role. SUICIDE ATTACKS Victory in Aleppo leaves Assad virtually unassailable by the rebels but he still faces great challenges in restoring the power of his state. While he controls the most important cities in western Syria and the coast, armed groups including Islamic State control swathes of territory elsewhere in Syria. Assad could face prolonged guerrilla warfare from forces including the Nusra Front, until recently affiliated with al Qaeda, the global jihadist network founded by Osama bin Laden. But victory in Aleppo shows how the direction of the civil war has shifted with the support of his allies. "The course of events in Aleppo in the last few months ... has turned the tide in Syria's war in favor of the Syrian government and resistance movement," said Hossein Salami, the deputy head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which has also deployed forces in the protracted campaign for Aleppo. He was referring to a regional alliance grouping Hezbollah, Iran and Syria defined by hostility to Israel. Less than 18 months ago, Assad's forces had been losing ground across Syria and he had acknowledged there was a manpower problem in his army. Russia's decision to intervene militarily in September 2015 helped prop up Assad, while protecting its own interests in the region. Russian warplanes played a key role in imposing the siege, and in August launched some of their most powerful sorties yet to thwart a rebel attempt to break the siege from the south. The rebels' last attempt to break the siege came in late October, and was spearheaded by suicide car and truck bomb attacks on the western flank of government-held west Aleppo. Syrian army soldiers fled when the first trucks, protected by makeshift armor, careered towards their positions. But Hezbollah sharp shooters stood their ground and opened fire, blowing up the trucks before they could hit their targets. One Hezbollah fighter who destroyed one of the suicide truck bombs by hitting it from a distance of 200 meters (220 yards) was killed by the pressure of the blast. "Hezbollah took a decision to halt the weapon of the car bomb regardless of how many martyrs it lost," said the senior official in the pro-Damascus alliance. The siege continued unbroken, and proved Assad's most effective weapon in the campaign for Aleppo. Applied steadily over several months, it culminated with the full encirclement of eastern Aleppo this summer. From then on, rebel fighters faced a daily struggle to find food and fuel for their families, sapping morale. "WEIGHT" BEHIND PRO-GOVERNMENT FORCES Hezbollah fighters have been in Syria since the early days of the civil war which grew out of protests against Assad and his government in 2011. Their role in the battle of Qusair in Homs province in 2013 was critical to stopping rebels splitting the Assad-held west in two. Other Shi'ite militia groups arrived steadily, their level of organization growing under Iranian leadership. The Iraqi commander described foreign fighters as the "weight" behind the pro-government forces. "The Iranians manage all the factions, but Hezbollah is independent," he said. Like other sources interviewed for this story, he declined to be named as he was talking about military affairs which he was not formally allowed to discuss with the media. Shi'ite militias generally took on the role of holding frontlines after advances led by Hezbollah or the Tiger Force, said Rolf Holmboe, a research fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and a former Danish ambassador to Syria, Lebanon and Jordan who has deep knowledge of the battlefield. Iran sees the Syrian government's survival as vital to its regional interests. With their support, pro-Assad forces consolidated their positions around Aleppo and in February severed the most direct supply route from Turkey. By June, air and artillery bombardment made what had been the only way into the rebel-held areas, the Castello Road, impassable. The Tiger Force would finally capture the road in July. Eastern Aleppo then had a population estimated at 275,000 by the U.N. and some 7,000 rebels. Opposition groups had stockpiled months of food. Yet rebel resistance collapsed more rapidly than expected. "COMPLETE FAILURE" Warplanes unleashed bunker-busting bombs that left craters meters wide and brought down buildings. Hospitals were bombed out of service. Helicopters also dropped chlorine bombs, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, though the government denied this and other reported atrocities. Some rebels said cooperation on the battlefield was weakened by a lack of trust between groups in eastern Aleppo. Others said government spies has sewn discord among the rebels. Above all, rebel officials complain that their main allies -- the United States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- did not offer more military assistance when Russia began air strikes. Some rebel groups were armed with weapons including guided anti-tank missiles under a military aid program overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. But Washington has ignored their pleas for anti-aircraft systems because of fears that they fall into the hands of more militant groups. "It's like you are fighting modern warfare with a sword. Bravery can only take you so far," a Syrian opposition figure said. "It's a complete failure of whoever is interested in seeing us win." (Click here for the graphics story "The fall of Aleppo" http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/MIDEAST-CRISIS-SYRIA-ALEPPO/010030NF1EW/index.html) (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in Beirut, Writing by Tom Perry, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two Syrian rebel officials and a representative of pro-government forces said on Wednesday night that a ceasefire deal for Aleppo was back on track, but a unit run by Damascus's Iranian-backed ally Hezbollah denied that a deal had been done. There was also disagreement over who would be included in a parallel evacuation from two towns besieged by rebels. Abdul Salam Abdul Razak, a military spokesman for the Nour al-Din al Zinki rebel group, told Reuters: "An agreement has been reached and within the coming hours its implementation will begin." An official in the pro-Damascus military alliance who declined to be named confirmed the truce deal was on, and said some 15,000 people would be evacuated from the villages of Foua and Kefraya, in return for the evacuation from Aleppo of "militants and their families and whoever wants to leave among civilians". However, Razak said the deal included the evacuation only of the wounded from Foua and Kefraya. An official in the Jabha Shamiya rebel group also said there would be an evacuation of rebel fighters and civilians from the remaining rebel-held districts of Aleppo, but that only the wounded would leave Foua and Kefraya. He said implementation would begin around 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Thursday. Shortly afterwards, the military media unit run by the Lebanese Shi'ite Hezbollah militia said reports about implementation of an Aleppo ceasefire deal and evacuations from the city were not true. "The negotiations are seeing big complications, in light of tension and operations on the front lines," said a statement from the unit. (Reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman, Tom Perry in Beirut; writing by John Davison; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
BEIRUT, Dec 14 (Reuters) - A Syrian rebel official said pro-Damascus Shi'ite militias were obstructing the departure of people from opposition-held districts of eastern Aleppo on Wednesday under a deal that will hand control of the area to the government.

Officials in the military alliance fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad could not immediately be reached for comment. Assad has been backed by an array of Shi'ite militias from across the region in his campaign for Aleppo.

Sources had on Tuesday given different expected start times for the evacuation. Opposition officials said they had expected a first group of wounded people to leave on Tuesday evening.

A military official in the pro-Assad alliance had said the evacuation was due to start at 5 a.m. (0300 GMT).

"Iranian militias are turning people back," said Zakaria Malahifji, a Turkey-based official with an Aleppo rebel group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said no fighter or civilian had left eastern Aleppo as of 5 a.m. (0300 GMT).

A Reuters witness said 20 buses were parked with their engines running on a main road out of the city, awaiting the evacuees. Another dozen were counted nearby.

(Reporting by Tom Perry/Laila Bassam/Lisa Barrington; Editing by Michael Perry)
By Laila Bassam, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Tom Perry ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - An evacuation of rebel-held districts of Aleppo is back on track and expected to begin within hours, officials on both sides of the war said late on Wednesday, a retreat that would mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and end years of fighting. An initial deal that would have seen thousands of civilians and opposition fighters granted safe passage out of the city stalled on Wednesday and the planned exodus failed to materialize. Iran, one of Assad's main backers, had imposed new conditions, saying it wanted the simultaneous evacuation of wounded from two villages besieged by rebels, according to rebel and U.N. sources. But Abdul Salam Abdul Razak, a military spokesman for the Nour al-Din al Zinki rebel group, said late on Wednesday that a new agreement had been reached which included those villages in Idlib province. "Within the coming hours its implementation will begin," he told Reuters. An official in the Jabha Shamiya rebel group said implementation would begin around 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Thursday. An official in the pro-Damascus military alliance confirmed the truce deal was on, and said about 15,000 people would be evacuated from the majority Shi'ite villages, Foua and Kefraya, in return for the evacuation from Aleppo of "militants and their families and whoever wants to leave among civilians". He said those leaving Aleppo would head for Idlib province to the west of the city. The Jabha Shamiya official however denied that 15,000 people would leave the two villages and said only the wounded would be evacuated. It was not immediately clear how the deal had been reached. The original ceasefire was brokered by Russia, Assad's most powerful ally, and opposition backer Turkey on Tuesday. But the planned evacuation of rebel-held areas did not happen and instead shelling and gunfire erupted in the city on Wednesday, with Turkey accusing government forces of breaking the truce. Syrian state television said rebel shelling killed six people. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, said the bombardment by Syrian government forces and their allies "most likely constitutes war crimes". Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call earlier in the day to make a joint effort to start the process, Turkish presidential sources said. Shortly before the new deal was announced, clashes raged in Aleppo. Government forces made a new advance in Sukkari - one of just a handful of districts still held by rebels - and brought half of the neighborhood under their control, the Observatory said. Rebels saying they launched an attack against government forces using suicide car bombs. The Russian defense ministry said - before the report of the government forces' advance in Sukkari - that the rebels controlled an enclave of only 2.5 square km (1 square mile). RAPID ADVANCES At dawn on Wednesday nobody had left under the initial evacuation plan, according to a Reuters witness waiting at the departure point, where 20 buses stood with engines running but showed no sign of moving into rebel districts. People in eastern Aleppo had packed their bags and burned personal belongings, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed militia allies. Officials in the military alliance backing Assad could not be reached immediately for comment on why the evacuation had stalled. U.N. war crimes investigators said the Syrian government bore the main responsibility for preventing any attacks and reprisals in eastern Aleppo and that it must hold to account any troops or allied forces committing violations. In what appeared to be a separate development from the planned evacuation, the Russian defense ministry said 6,000 civilians and 366 fighters had left rebel-held districts over the past 24 hours. A total of 15,000 people, including 4,000 rebel fighters, wanted to leave Aleppo, according to a media unit run by the Syrian government's ally Hezbollah. The evacuation plan was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire. By taking full control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia's air force and an array of Shi'ite militias from across the region. Rebels have been supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but the support they have enjoyed has fallen far short of the direct military backing given to Assad by Russia and Iran. Russia's decision to deploy its air force to Syria 18 months ago turned the war in Assad's favor after rebel advances across western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year. The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria. FEAR STALKS STREETS As the battle for Aleppo unfolded, global concern has risen over the plight of the 250,000 civilians who were thought to remain in its rebel-held eastern sector before the sudden army advance began at the end of November. The rout of rebels in Aleppo sparked a mass flight of terrified civilians and insurgents in bitter weather, a crisis the United Nations said was a "complete meltdown of humanity". There were food and water shortages in rebel areas, with all hospitals closed. On Tuesday, the United Nations voiced deep concern about reports it had received of Syrian soldiers and allied Iraqi fighters summarily shooting dead 82 people in recaptured east Aleppo districts. It accused them of "slaughter". The Syrian army has denied carrying out killings or torture among those captured, and Russia said on Tuesday rebels had "kept over 100,000 people in east Aleppo as human shields". Fear stalked the city's streets. Some survivors trudged in the rain past dead bodies to the government-held west or the few districts still in rebel hands. Others stayed in their homes and awaited the Syrian army's arrival. (Reporting by Laila Bassam in Aleppo and Tom Perry, John Davison and Lisa Barrington in Beirut; Writing by Angus McDowall in Beirut; Editing by Giles Elgood and Pravin Char)
Many Syrian women have begun debating a stark choice: Die or be raped. Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi, a prominent Syrian Islamic scholar who fled Syria, said Tuesday he was fielding desperate questions from people in Aleppo, including whether a man can kill his wife or sister to avoid rape by Assad regime forces.

"We are receiving from Aleppo questions like this one, can a man kill his wife or sister before she is raped by Assad Forces in front of him?" he tweeted.

A Syrian activist also posted on Facebook a message that was reportedly from a girl in Aleppo: "To all the religious leaders and scholars of the world. To all those who are supposedly carrying the burden on their shoulder. I am one of Aleppo's girls who awaits rape within a few hours. There are no men nor arms to stand between us and the monster whom are called the Syrian army. I dont want anything from you, not even prayers. I am still able to talk and I believe my prayers are more sincere then yours. All what I am asking for is dont take Gods place and judge me when I kill myself. I am going to kill myself and I dont care if you doom me to hell."

A humanitarian crisis that has seen 10 million Syrians flee their homes since the nation's civil war began in 2011 has fueled the haunting religious debate. Most recently, Syrian regime forces and sectarian militias executed Monday in Aleppo 200 people, including women and children. At least nine children and four women were reportedly burned to death as Syrian forces seized the city from rebel leaders fighting to unseat the government.

The United Nations described the violence as "a complete meltdown of humanity." Syria's civil war has taken the lives of 400,000 Syrians since 2011.

Nobel Laureate Jody Williams, co-chair of the International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict, has warned about the rape crisis in Syria.

"With every war and major conflict, as an international community we say 'never again' to mass rape," she told the Atlantic in 2013. "Yet, in Syria, as countless women are again finding the war waged on their bodies--we are again standing by and wringing our hands."

Story continues

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MOSCOW, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with Russian state television that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could become a natural ally to Damascus if he shows he is sincere about fighting terrorism.

"If Trump can genuinely fight against terrorism, he can be our natural ally," Assad, speaking through an interpreter, said in the interview which was broadcast on Wednesday.

Assad said he was encouraged by Trump's declarations during the election campaign about fighting violent Islamists and not interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. But it was unclear if Trump would carry through on those promises once in office, Assad said.

(Reporting by Christian Lowe; Editing by Jack Stubbs)
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -- Revenue for Atlantic City's casino industry declined in November by 3.5 percent compared to a year ago in the first full month after the Trump Taj Mahal casino closed.

The seven casinos remaining in the city saw their combined revenue increase by 3 percent to nearly $197.3 million, according to data released Wednesday. The Taj Mahal closed on Oct. 10.

Gambling revenue for the year is up by 1 percent to $2.39 million through November.

Internet gambling continued rising in New Jersey, bringing in $17.2 million in November, up nearly 30 percent from a year ago.

Both the Golden Nugget and Tropicana casinos saw their revenue increase by about 11 percent in November compared to a year ago. Caesars saw its revenue drop by 12.4 percent to $21.3 million.

The Trump Taj Mahal closed after months of a bitter union strike that hurt its already shaky business. Local 54 of the Unite-HERE union went on strike July 1 against the casino, which was built by President-elect Donald Trump but was shut down by his friend and fellow billionaire Carl Icahn.

___

This story has been corrected to remove an incorrect reference to Harrah's seeing its revenue drop. Harrah's revenue increased by 2.4 percent.
By Nicky Milne CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - In Cape Town, the slums of Flamingo Crescent and Santini are just 20 kms apart but the gap in the standard of living in these two settlements is being hailed as an example of how residents can actively upgrade their own lives. Shanty towns are a familiar sight across the picturesque coastal city, with a third of Cape Town's 3.7 million residents living in slums or informal settlements with limited access to basic services, such as water, electricity and toilets. Urbanisation is increasing with villagers flooding daily to South Africa's second biggest city to find jobs and better lives, increasing pressure for housing and expanding slums. Aware that city officials were facing a 25-year backlog to house people, one Flamingo Crescent resident took the initiative and, working with the authorities, has managed to transform her settlement into the envy of many slum dwellers in the city. Maria Matthews, known to all as Auntie Marie, is a 66-year-old firebrand who has driven a community project to bring water, electricity and toilets to every shack, changing the lives of the 400 or so Flamingo Crescent residents. About 900 million people now live in slum conditions globally with limited access to basic services but campaigners hope this small community, with its vital community lead, could set a precedent and give others a glimmer of hope. "When I first came here (11 years ago), there was nothing, it was an open field," community leader Matthews told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in her cosy, ensuite home in Flamingo Crescent that she shares with her partner Patrick Edward du Plessis. "Law enforcement brought people here to stay until they could find suitable accommodation elsewhere. That was for three months, but the three months became nine years. We had to dig holes to go to the toilet. It was like a pigsty." Matthews, together with other residents, decided things needed to change. She discovered the Informal Settlement Network (ISN), a community based movement that engages government to improve the lives of the urban poor by addressing security of tenure and better services, and worked with them on Flamingo Crescent. This innovative partnership between Flamingo Crescent residents, Cape Town city, and non-government organisations has brought taps, toilets and electricity to every shack. ORDERED STREETS It involved a process called 're-blocking' where shacks were demolished, the settlement layout re-designed and infrastructure brought in to allow for basic services of water, sanitation and electricity. Shacks were then re-built. The shacks of Flamingo Crescent are now vibrantly coloured, the streets have names, wheelie bins are neatly lined up outside the front gates, and mail is delivered to all residents. The project took three years from inception to completion, but regional co-ordinator for Cape Town City Council, Levona Powell, said it showed it could be done if all parties worked together. "It's the ultimate goal of the city to give every single resident a house, but whether we reach that goal in my lifetime, I'm not sure. There are people who have been on the housing list for 40 years," she admitted. Across town in Santini, a settlement housing about 200 people, the situation is a total contrast. It is a maze of tightly packed, dilapidated shacks strewn with rubbish with no garbage collection, no drainage and only one tap for all residents. Officials are aware that a lack of basic services in informal settlements poses many challenges. Crime is rife and health risks severe, but so far disputes amongst residents have stopped any progress in upgrading Santini. "There are only 7 toilets for 150 people," Grace Lebakeng, a young mother from Santini told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "We can't go out at night because there are many criminals. So we have a bucket to go to the toilet at night. And our children are always ill. They play by the toilets. There are no open spaces." FATAL FIRES With no electricity, residents rely on candles and fires for light, leading to frequent fires. On New Year's Day in 2013 the worst slum fire in recent history left over 4,000 people homeless and at least five people dead in Cape Town's largest settlement, Khayelitsha, that is home about 400,000 people. Powell from Cape Town City Council said authorities were struggling to cope with these sprawling settlements and explained that people living in these conditions were insecure about tomorrow. "The gap between the rich and the poor is huge, coupled with the global phenomenon of urbanisation, the challenges are clear," she explained in her office in Cape Town. "Urbanisation needs innovative ideas, we embrace that, we can't run away." ISN's national leader Nkokheli Ncambele said it was a massive problem as the conditions people were living were unacceptable. "Once a settlement exists, the government must provide basic services, but the city can't win the battle as settlements grow by night," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The upgrading of Flamingo Crescent seemed insurmountable at first to many. For while the city committed resources to providing infrastructure and services, the residents were asked to commit to paying 20 percent of the cost of the individual structures. That was a big call for Flamingo Crescent where 90 percent of residents are unemployed but Matthews convinced people. "You can't take a bread and not pay for it, because that's stealing," she said as she explained how she won over residents in time. "We have to contribute." Currently 22 pilot projects are underway in Cape Town but communities must agree before upgrading can happen. In Santini upgrading was due to have started this year, but local politics spurred fear in the community. The process has come to a standstill, to the dismay of many residents. "We want the re-blocking but some people fear they will lose their houses and then have nothing," Lebakeng said. For Matthews the years of work were worth it. "We don't want luxury, we just want to be comfortable," she said. "Luxury can come afterwards, if there is an opportunity, But if you know what you want in life and you do have a chance, take it!" (Editing by Belinda Goldsmith @BeeGoldsmith; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
By Nicky Milne CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - In Cape Town, the slums of Flamingo Crescent and Santini are just 20 kms apart but the gap in the standard of living in these two settlements is being hailed as an example of how residents can actively upgrade their own lives. Shanty towns are a familiar sight across the picturesque coastal city, with a third of Cape Town's 3.7 million residents living in slums or informal settlements with limited access to basic services, such as water, electricity and toilets. Urbanization is increasing with villagers flooding daily to South Africa's second biggest city to find jobs and better lives, increasing pressure for housing and expanding slums. Aware that city officials were facing a 25-year backlog to house people, one Flamingo Crescent resident took the initiative and, working with the authorities, has managed to transform her settlement into the envy of many slum dwellers in the city. Maria Matthews, known to all as Auntie Marie, is a 66-year-old firebrand who has driven a community project to bring water, electricity and toilets to every shack, changing the lives of the 400 or so Flamingo Crescent residents. About 900 million people now live in slum conditions globally with limited access to basic services but campaigners hope this small community, with its vital community lead, could set a precedent and give others a glimmer of hope. "When I first came here (11 years ago), there was nothing, it was an open field," community leader Matthews told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in her cosy, ensuite home in Flamingo Crescent that she shares with her partner Patrick Edward du Plessis. "Law enforcement brought people here to stay until they could find suitable accommodation elsewhere. That was for three months, but the three months became nine years. We had to dig holes to go to the toilet. It was like a pigsty." Matthews, together with other residents, decided things needed to change. She discovered the Informal Settlement Network (ISN), a community based movement that engages government to improve the lives of the urban poor by addressing security of tenure and better services, and worked with them on Flamingo Crescent. This innovative partnership between Flamingo Crescent residents, Cape Town city, and non-government organizations has brought taps, toilets and electricity to every shack. ORDERED STREETS It involved a process called 're-blocking' where shacks were demolished, the settlement layout re-designed and infrastructure brought in to allow for basic services of water, sanitation and electricity. Shacks were then re-built. The shacks of Flamingo Crescent are now vibrantly colored, the streets have names, wheelie bins are neatly lined up outside the front gates, and mail is delivered to all residents. The project took three years from inception to completion, but regional co-ordinator for Cape Town City Council, Levona Powell, said it showed it could be done if all parties worked together. "It's the ultimate goal of the city to give every single resident a house, but whether we reach that goal in my lifetime, I'm not sure. There are people who have been on the housing list for 40 years," she admitted. Across town in Santini, a settlement housing about 200 people, the situation is a total contrast. It is a maze of tightly packed, dilapidated shacks strewn with rubbish with no garbage collection, no drainage and only one tap for all residents. Officials are aware that a lack of basic services in informal settlements poses many challenges. Crime is rife and health risks severe, but so far disputes amongst residents have stopped any progress in upgrading Santini. "There are only 7 toilets for 150 people," Grace Lebakeng, a young mother from Santini told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "We can't go out at night because there are many criminals. So we have a bucket to go to the toilet at night. And our children are always ill. They play by the toilets. There are no open spaces." FATAL FIRES With no electricity, residents rely on candles and fires for light, leading to frequent fires. On New Year's Day in 2013 the worst slum fire in recent history left over 4,000 people homeless and at least five people dead in Cape Town's largest settlement, Khayelitsha, that is home about 400,000 people. Powell from Cape Town City Council said authorities were struggling to cope with these sprawling settlements and explained that people living in these conditions were insecure about tomorrow. "The gap between the rich and the poor is huge, coupled with the global phenomenon of urbanization, the challenges are clear," she explained in her office in Cape Town. "Urbanization needs innovative ideas, we embrace that, we can't run away." ISN's national leader Nkokheli Ncambele said it was a massive problem as the conditions people were living were unacceptable. "Once a settlement exists, the government must provide basic services, but the city can't win the battle as settlements grow by night," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The upgrading of Flamingo Crescent seemed insurmountable at first to many. For while the city committed resources to providing infrastructure and services, the residents were asked to commit to paying 20 percent of the cost of the individual structures. That was a big call for Flamingo Crescent where 90 percent of residents are unemployed but Matthews convinced people. "You can't take a bread and not pay for it, because that's stealing," she said as she explained how she won over residents in time. "We have to contribute." Currently 22 pilot projects are underway in Cape Town but communities must agree before upgrading can happen. In Santini upgrading was due to have started this year, but local politics spurred fear in the community. The process has come to a standstill, to the dismay of many residents. "We want the re-blocking but some people fear they will lose their houses and then have nothing," Lebakeng said. For Matthews the years of work were worth it. "We don't want luxury, we just want to be comfortable," she said. "Luxury can come afterwards, if there is an opportunity, But if you know what you want in life and you do have a chance, take it!" (Editing by Belinda Goldsmith @BeeGoldsmith; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An independent director of Tata Motors (TAMO.NS) has alleged governance lapses by the automaker's parent, Tata Sons, and said it wrongly influenced directors, stirring up a public power struggle at India's biggest conglomerate.

In a boardroom coup in October, Cyrus Mistry was removed as chairman of Tata Sons, holding company of the $100 billion steel-to-autos Tata empire, with family patriarch Ratan Tata temporarily returning to the helm.

Mistry, who had sought to strengthen the firm's governance, remains a director of several group companies such as Tata Motors, Tata Steel (TISC.NS) and Indian Hotels Co Ltd (IHTL.NS). Special shareholder meetings have been called by these companies next week to remove him.

Mistry has found support from some independent directors like Nusli Wadia, who sits on the boards of some group companies including Tata Motors, owner of luxury automaker Jaguar Land Rover, and Tata Steel.

In a scathing 13-page letter to shareholders, seen by Reuters on Wednesday, Wadia, who has been with Tata for about four decades, said Tata Sons "sought to illegally and inappropriately influence events and coerce the directors."

Wadia, head of the Wadia group that has business interests ranging from textiles to aviation, alleged that Tata Sons hurriedly sought legal advice to influence Nov. 14 meetings of Tata Motors' independent directors and its board of directors.

At a meeting on that day, Tata Motors' independent directors gave a tacit nod to Chairman Mistry, but stopped short of an outright endorsement.

Wadia said that, according to the legal opinion obtained by Tata Sons, if the independent directors were to express their support for Mistry, it could not be considered "material" and should not be disclosed to the stock exchanges, thus preventing Mistry's supporters from issuing any public statement.

Wadia sought legal advice on the company's effective silencing of the independent directors and was told that it was not only inappropriate, but also illegal, he said.

Story continues

In a statement, Tata Sons rejected Wadia's allegations and said that it had obtained a legal opinion on whether independent directors could evaluate the chairman's performance without taking account of the views of the executive and non-executive directors.

It had also sought advice on whether the independent directors could make public their views on the chairman without the board of directors approving it.

The opinions in no way imposed pressure or coercion, it said.

Wadia also alleged that Ratan Tata and his close aide, Noshir Soonawala, also a trustee of Tata Trusts, Tata Sons' biggest shareholder, sought, and were given, information and briefings from Tata Motors and Tata Steel about the company's affairs that were material and price sensitive.

As a result, Tata Steel Europe's strategy, financial data, and details on its proposed merger with ThyssenKrupp (TKAG.DE) and other price sensitive information were shared.

Tata Sons has called on shareholders to remove Wadia, as well as Mistry, as a director on company boards.

(Reporting by Aditi Shah; Editing by Adrian Croft)
Scores of tech industry employees Tuesday said they would not help Donald Trump register people based on their religion or participate in mass deportations, just a day ahead of a scheduled meeting between the president-elect and tech industry leaders.

More than 100 employees of such tech firms as Alphabet Inc.s Google, Twitter Inc., IBM, Slack and Salesforce signed an open letter on neveragain.tech, pledging to stand together to say: not on our watch, and never again.

"We are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administrations proposed data collection policies," the letter reads, likening the plans to the Holocaust and the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

The declaration comes a day before Trump is scheduled to meet in New York with technology company executives, including Alphabet CEO Larry Page, Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook, Facebook Inc. Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg and Amazon.com Inc. CEO Jeff Bezos and Oracle Corp. CEO Safra Catz.

Trump has suggested registering Muslims as a means to prevent terrorism. He also has promised to deport 11 million people who entered the United States illegally.

"We refuse to build a database of people based on their constitutionally protected religious beliefs. We refuse to facilitate mass deportations of people the government believes to be undesirable," the engineers, designers and business executives vowed.

The signatories say if they find data being misused within their organizations, they will work to correct the situation within, speak out in public, employ all legal avenues to stop the practices and resign rather than comply with directives to engage in any abuses.

We will raise awareness and ask critical questions about the responsible and fair use of data and algorithms beyond our organization and our industry, the letter concludes.

Story continues

Ahead of Wednesdays Trump tech summit, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, himself an immigrant, urged his colleagues to stand up for human dignity.

Tech investor Dave Pell said its unlikely tech leaders will stand up to Trump, given the way the president-elect went after Boeing and Lockheed. Pell characterized Trumps tweets as power plays.

They [tech leaders] fear he will purposely take action to punish their companies if they dont heed his wishes, Pell wrote in a Medium post. And that fear is wholly reasonable, and unlike most things associated with Trump, fact-based.

Related Articles
After months of online torment, a Texas teen fatally shot herself in front of her horrified family. Could she have been saved? Subscribe now to PEOPLE, or pick up this weeks issue, on newsstands Friday, more on this story.

Brandy Velas sister cant remember a time when she wasnt bullied.

People always talked about her, Jackie Vela tells PEOPLE. But in April of this year, it got really bad.

So bad that on Nov. 29, tragically, 18-year-old Brandy fatally shot herself at her Texas City, Texas, home in front of her family. Police have since opened a criminal investigation to determine if she was the victim of cyberbullying, and her family has joined broader efforts to prevent such behavior online.

Jackie and her family say bullying is indeed to blame, though they always thought Brandy brushed it off and didnt care.

And then Jackie received a text message from Brandy just hours before her death: Guys, I love you so much, please remember that, and Im sorry for everything.

Jackie jumped in her car, made the three-minute drive to her childhood home and found Brandy leaning against her bedroom wall with a gun to her chest.

I started yelling, Brandy, stop, talk to me!  Jackie recalls. Her family also rushed home, but all their pleading couldnt convince her to put down the gun.

Brandy VelaVela family

I cant do this anymore, Brandy said, according to her family. Im tired. Ive come too far not to do it.

She pulled the trigger.

What They Did Wasnt Just Bullying

On social media, Brandys tormentors made up fake Facebook accounts and posted about her weight and looks, her family tells PEOPLE. Even when the Facebook pages were deleted after they reported them, it was just a matter of days before a new one was created.

The profiles had Brandys name and photo and said she would offer sex for free, Jackie says.

It didnt stop, she says. What they did wasnt just bullying  it was stalking

The Vela familyVela family

They would say, Im a slut and Im a hoe. Anybody hit me up,  Jackie explains. It also had her phone number, so she would get text messages and phone calls all the time. It kept her up at night.

Story continues

Brandys school, Texas City High School, acknowledges that she came to them about harassing messages before Thanksgiving but that there was nothing they could do.

 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.

Our deputy investigated it, and the app that was being used to send the messages was untraceable, the school said in a statement to PEOPLE. They encouraged to change her phone number.

Meanwhile she would send her family screenshots of the cruel messages, but they were never able to figure out who the person was behind the phone number. Then it was too late.

She was frustrated by it, Jackie says, but we didnt know how much it really affected her until now.

Its just really heartbreaking, she says. My baby sister is gone.




This teenage girl found her doppelganger in a museum, and now shes famous

They say we all have a twin out there somewhere, and a teenager found her doppelganger  in a museum. Sixteen-year-old Yuki of Taiwan was on a school trip at the National Palace Museum in Taipei City when she came across a portrait of an unknown Yuan Dynasty Empress that happens to bear a striking resemblance to her own face.

Before I had seen it, my friend had a look. She called me over, so I was like, What is it? Then I saw that picture, she tells BuzzFeed News. It looked so much like me that even I was convinced!

I found my pre-pre-pre-existence, Yukis caption reads. Her tweet has gone viral, with over 60,000 shares since it was posted on December 3.

Social media users are obsessed with Yukis resemblance to the Empress  its inspired unique mashups of her face and the print.

In addition to becoming an overnight Internet celeb, Yukis story has been featured on local news stations.

Although Yuki found the chance encounter with her pre-pre-pre existence entertaining, she never expected her story to be picked up by news outlets all over the world.

Story continues

I didnt think it would go this far, she says.

During our next museum visit, were totally going to be on the lookout for our own doppelgangers. I mean, anythings possible  right?

The post This teenage girl found her doppelganger in a museum, and now shes famous appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Corruption scandals, tear gas in the streets and unrest in Congress -- things are looking ugly for Brazilian President Michel Temer and his bid to turn around Latin America's biggest economy.

His government cheered after the Senate voted Tuesday to approve an unprecedented 20-year spending freeze as the cornerstone of an austerity package.

"This was a historic measure," said Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles, picked by Temer to pull Brazil out of its deepest recession in decades.

But Temer -- who took power earlier this year after the bruising impeachment of the leftist former president Dilma Rousseff -- has little else to celebrate.

The second part of his austerity package, raising the minimum retirement age, faces a more hostile reception in Congress while street protests are becoming increasingly heated.

And hanging over the entire government, including Temer, is the specter of an ever-expanding corruption probe centered on the Petrobras state oil company that has sent Brazil's elite into a panic.

"When he took office as interim president, Michel Temer announced a government of 'national salvation,'" Folha newspaper columnist Bernardo Mello Franco wrote Wednesday.

"Seven months later, his administration appears reduced to 'save yourself if you can.'"

- Crumbling credibility -

Many Brazilians breathed a sigh of relief when Rousseff was dismissed in August. Elected to a second term in 2014, she had become hugely unpopular as Brazil slid into a seemingly bottomless pit of economic decline and corruption.

Temer, a center-right veteran who had been her vice president in an uncomfortable coalition, automatically took over the rest of her term to 2018.

Far from serving as a place-holder, however, Temer installed a new government and embarked on a radical shake-up, turning the page on more than a decade of leftist policies.

That was in line with demands from investors and business groups that had supported Rousseff's impeachment.

Story continues

However, Temer lacked the political legitimacy of a presidential election and rapidly became almost as unpopular as Rousseff, with only 10 percent currently saying his government is doing a good job. A Datafolha poll on Tuesday showed that 60 percent of Brazilians oppose the spending freeze.

Unlike Rousseff, Temer still enjoys strong congressional backing, but it is showing cracks.

Support in the Senate for the spending ceiling shrank from 61 senators in a first vote to 53 in the decisive round Tuesday. There are also signs that infighting in Temer's coalition will make support for pension reforms, which are up next, even harder.

And popular protests are growing in intensity. Although far smaller than the huge crowds pushing for Rousseff's impeachment, anti-Temer demonstrators have stood out in the last few weeks for violent clashes with riot police.

- Corruption whirlpool -

Last month, leftist legislators filed a request for Temer's impeachment.

Michael Mohallem, a law professor and politics expert at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, said Temer is not yet likely to fall.

The situation "is as critical as it was before, if not more, with president Rousseff," he said. "But he has major support from Congress, so that route is very unlikely to be followed."

"But as the environment becomes more complex, his situation is becoming more fragile."

At the core of Temer's problems is a gigantic corruption scandal centered on Petrobras that is sucking down much of Congress and the government.

The aggressive probe, dubbed named Operation Carwash, has already claimed several members of the cabinet.

On Wednesday, Temer's close advisor Jose Yunes became the latest to step down after he was implicated in the probe. The infrastructure investment chief, Wellington Moreira Franco, was also on the verge of resigning, Brazilian media reported.

Carwash is entering a new stage with plea bargains struck by more than 70 executives from Odebrecht, a big Brazilian construction company heavily involved in the Petrobras embezzlement scheme.

Leaked testimony has accused Temer himself of having asked Odebrecht for potentially illegal donations. He says he did nothing wrong.

As if that weren't enough, the Supreme Electoral Court is looking into whether Rousseff's 2014 election victory, with Temer on her ticket, should be annulled because of ill-gotten campaign funds. In that case, Temer would have to stand down for snap elections.
Warsaw (AFP) - Tens of thousands of Polish protesters took to the streets on Tuesday, to mark 35 years since a Communist-era martial law crackdown, while accusing the current rightwing government of undermining democracy.

In Warsaw, demonstrators gathered in front of the former headquarters of the communist Polish United Workers' Party, and then marched to the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party building.

"Today, just like 35 years ago, the government is attacking us, and depriving us of our freedom," said Mateusz Kijowski, leader of the KOD pro-democracy movement.

"Today, we must all stand together. Solidarity is what unites us today, just as it did in the past."

The demonstrators paid homage to the victims of a crackdown that followed the imposition of martial law on December 13, 1981, by General Wojciech Jaruzelski.

According to the Polish press, protests were held on Tuesday in more than 80 towns and cities across the country.

Meanwhile the PiS held its own event to commemorate the 1981 martial law announcement. Several thousand people took part in the rival event.

PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski criticised the opposition "for trying to compare the current government with the one from that era; the return to order in Poland to martial law".

He also said Poland had now become "the European nation with the most liberties".

The Polish opposition has condemned the government for pushing through Constitutional Court reforms that critics say were intended to paralyse the institution.

The reforms have notably alarmed the European Union and triggered a string of demonstrations in Poland in recent months.

The PiS party swept back into power in late 2015 after nearly a decade, playing on fears sparked by the refugee influx.

Kaczynski has said refugees bring "cholera to the Greek islands, dysentery to Vienna, various types of parasites".
The giant Slav Epic series by Art Nouveau icon Alfons Mucha is caught in a legal tug-of-war between the city of Prague and the Czech painter's grandson, triggered by plans to send the work on tour to Japan.

Though the late artist seduced early 20th century Paris with his floral posters of actress Sarah Bernhardt, Mucha considered his masterpiece to be the 20 huge paintings that recount the history of the Slavic people.

But his grandson, John Mucha, has sued the city, questioning Prague's ownership of the allegoric cycle inspired in part by mythology, with a local court scheduled to take up the case in January.

The legal wrangling puts a question mark on plans to display the canvases -- ranging between 20 and 50 square metres (215 and 540 square feet) -- in Japan next year.

"The Japanese are great admirers of Alfons Mucha," says Magdalena Jurikova, director of the Prague City Gallery in charge of the work.

"One of the Slav Epic canvases was already on display in Japan and the Japanese side has always sought to welcome the work as a whole."

The National Art Centre in Tokyo wants to exhibit the collection from March to June to coincide with the Year of Czech Culture, marking the 60th anniversary of renewed diplomatic ties between Japan and the Czech Republic.

But John Mucha has cited concerns raised by certain conservators that the transportation as well as the different climate in Asia pose risks of damaging the artwork.

Moving the collection to Asia would be "a risky and irresponsible business," says Karel Stretti, head of the restoration department at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague.

The Prague City Gallery begs to differ.

"I have rolled, installed and uninstalled these canvases in different galleries across the world and the Czech Republic and we never had to restore them after travel," says curator Tomas Berger, who will accompany the work to Japan.

In addition, the canvases will be flown in air-conditioned boxes and for security reasons put on three different planes, the gallery director says.

Story continues

- Who's the owner? -

Jurikova also says she does not believe the Tokyo exhibition is in jeopardy because of the court case.

According to a 1913 contract, the work was commissioned by an American Slavophile. Charles Crane, with the intention to donate it to Prague.

John Mucha, who lives in London, believes the contract says Crane donated the work on the condition that the city offer a decent building for it.

The versatile artist, who designed furniture, jewellery, stained glass, theatre sets, postage stamps and bank notes, even left in his files architectural sketches for the building he desired.

However, a century later the paintings have yet to find a permanent home and are temporarily on display at the national gallery in Prague's Trade Fair Palace.

"Prague has not met this clearly formulated condition to the present day," the grandson's lawyer Frantisek Vyskocil said in a letter to city hall.

He said the paintings should therefore return to the family -- a claim the city disputes.

The contract "clearly says that the Slav Epic belongs to the city and the conditions do not include the construction of a new building", said Prague councillor in charge of culture, Jan Wolf.

- Turbulent history -

The row adds another chapter to the work's turbulent history.

In the 1930s and 40s, the canvases were placed in a depository and then hidden under a pile of coal from the Nazis, who considered Mucha a freemason and Jewish sympathiser.

The post-war communist regime in turn denounced Mucha, who died in 1939, as a decadent bourgeois.

It was only in the 1960s that the collection was taken out of obscurity and put on display at the Moravsky Krumlov castle in the Czech countryside.

In 2012, the paintings were moved to Prague as castle conditions deteriorated.

John Mucha would like the work returned to Moravsky Krumlov, which lies only a dozen kilometres from Ivancice, the town where his grandfather was born.

He believes the castle could host a Mucha Centre.

But Jurikova says the castle is "in a sorry state", adding that because of space issues the "the work can't be displayed as a whole there" but would need to be spread across floors.

She believes the only solution is to build an ultra modern pavilion for it.

"We do have the money and we are willing to do that," adds city councillor Wolf.
By Jon Herskovitz

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The father of the so-called Texas affluenza teen was found guilty on Wednesday by a jury of impersonating a police officer and given probation, prosecutors said.

Fred Couch, 51, was charged with falsely representing himself as a reserve police officer when he was on the scene of a disturbance near Fort Worth, in 2014. He faced up to 180 days in jail, they said.

Prosecutors showed jurors a police dashcam video where Couch told officers on the scene he was a reserve police officer. They argued he did so to feel entitled. He also presented a police search and rescue badge from a Fort Worth suburb, the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported.

Local police later investigated the claim and found out he was not a reserve officer, the paper said.

Couch's lawyers contended he did nothing wrong and was trying to help the community.

Couch's son Ethan was given probation in juvenile court for killing four people in 2013 when he was 16, a sentence that sparked outrage, with critics contending the family' wealth helped keep him out of prison.

At his trial in juvenile court that year, a psychologist testifying on his behalf said Ethan Couch suffered from "affluenza," an affliction coming from being spoiled by his parents which prevented him from telling right from wrong.

Ethan Couch fled to Mexico with his mother in December 2015 after her appeared to violate the probation deal that kept him out of jail. He was captured, returned to Texas and sentenced to nearly two years in jail under new terns for his case when it was transferred to an adult court.

Fred Couch had been separated from Tonya Couch, his wife and Ethan's mother, when the pair fled to Mexico.

Tonya Couch faces a criminal trial on charges of hindering apprehension and money laundering. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Alistair Bell)
HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / December 14, 2016 / TEXEGY LLC (the "Company") announced it closed an agreement with Swift Energy Company (SWTF) acquiring the remaining share of Swift's holdings in the South Bearhead Creek Field and Burr Ferry Field areas located in Central Louisiana (the "Properties").

The acquisition is the third for TEXEGY LLC since October 2014. It falls in line with the Company's vision to acquire conventional assets in Texas and Louisiana. TEXEGY now serves as the principal operator of the Properties, conducting majority of all drilling, completion, and production operations.

TEXEGY LLC was formed in the fall of 2014 to acquire, operate, and develop producing conventional oil and gas properties in Texas and Louisiana. This acquisition includes oil-weighted properties in the Burr Ferry and South Bearhead Creek fields in Louisiana, as well as 62,000 acres of mineral servitude.

Michael S. Pedrotti, President of TEXEGY commented, "This is another milestone along our path. We believe we have the assets, resources, and expertise to be a 10,000 BOEPD enterprise by 2020."

Rajan Ahuja, CEO of TEXEGY commented, "These properties have significant upside and are in line with TEXEGY's long term vision. We have demonstrated our ability to develop such assets efficiently."

About TEXEGY LLC

TEXEGY LLC, founded in 2014, is an oil and gas exploration and development company focused on acquiring, developing, and operating oil and gas assets in Texas and Louisiana.

2020 Richmond Avenue, Suite 101, Houston, Texas 77098

COMPANY CONTACT:

Zachary Glaub

Business Development Coordinator

(832) 487-9384

SOURCE: TEXEGY LLC
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand will this month release jailed Swiss national Xavier Justo, a possible key witness in the global money-laundering probe linked to Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), after he was granted a royal amnesty for a fraud conviction, his lawyer said on Wednesday. Justo leaked several confidential documents from his employer Petrosaudi International relating to its joint venture with 1MDB that were published by Malaysian and international media groups early last year and formed the basis for the money laundering probe. Justo was among 150,000 Thai and foreign inmates who were pardoned or had their sentences commuted by Thailand's new King Maha Vajiralongkorn as the first act of mercy since he ascended the throne earlier this month. Founded by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who chaired its advisory board, 1MDB is the subject of money-laundering investigations in at least six countries including Switzerland, Singapore and the United States. Justo, now a former employee of Petrosaudi, a Saudi Arabia-based oil and gas company and former joint venture partner of 1MDB, was arrested by police on the Thai island of Koh Samui and was jailed for three years in August 2015 after being found guilty of blackmailing Petrosaudi. His sentence was cut by a royal amnesty in August, prompting Swiss authorities to request his transfer to serve the remaining term back home. Justo's lawyer in Thailand, Worrasit Piriyawiboon, said Justo would likely be released before Dec. 25. "The first lot of Thai prisoners will be released on Dec. 15 and foreign prisoners will be released seven to ten days later," Worrasit told Reuters, adding that Justo met the conditions for a royal pardon because he had less than one year of his prison term left. "Following his release he will spend some time at an immigration detention centre in Bangkok and will then be sent to Switzerland," said Worrasit. "All foreign prisoners must be supported by their embassy." Reuters was unable to reach the Swiss Embassy in Bangkok for comment. Malaysia last month rebuffed Switzerland's request for legal assistance in probing suspected corruption linked to the scandal-hit state fund. (Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Praveen Menon and Michael Perry)
Photo: CBS

When last we left The Big Bang Theory gang, Howard (and Raj and Stuart) were rushing Bernadette to the hospital, so its not spoiling anything to confirm that Bernie and Howie become parents in Thursdays episode, The Birthday Synchronicity. If you look at the timeline carefully, you might notice that she had been pregnant for 11 months, TBBT showrunner Steve Molaro tells Yahoo TV. It seemed like it was time for this baby to come out.

Ending the year with the birth of Baby Wolowitz seemed like the perfect timing to make that happen, Molaro says, and it also nicely coincides with another birthday: Amy Farrah Fowlers. Last season, Amys birthday was the occasion for one of the shows biggest milestones ever, as she and longtime boyfriend Sheldon had coitus  Sheldons preferred term  for the first time. The deed has remained a birthday-only event so far, which means its not only Amys birthday, but the couples anniversary, and they do plan to mark the occasion with a repeat performance.

We knew that Sheldon and Amys annual coitus was looming, and we were leaning toward not doing an episode solely focused on that, Molaro says. I dont know how you could top last years Star Wars episode. So it was nice that something else major is happening while Amys birthday is playing in the background.

Charming moments abound in the episode, including perfect shout-outs to Howards mom, whose death was written into the series when the actress who played her, Carol Ann Susi, died in 2014. There is also genuine enthusiasm on the part of change-adverse, emotion-shy Sheldon for his second night of passion with Amy, a sweet evolution for the character who had to be dragged along for much of the early years of their romance. [Sheldon] may not be the best at [romance], but hes trying, and as long as hes trying, I think its charming, says Molaro, who is also writing the young Sheldon Cooper TBBT prequel in development at CBS.

Story continues

Even though TBBT is in its 10th season  its the longest-running current live-action sitcom on network TV  Molaro says viewers shouldnt worry that the addition of the gangs first offspring will result in The Big Bang Theorys version of Cousin Oliver syndrome.

The show is, and remains, an ensemble show, Molaro says. The baby is an important part of whats going on, but when we had a take on a pregnancy story we were excited about, we were happy to run with it. But we were also just as happy to focus on business as usual, and Big Bang Theory doing what it does, which is these seven great characters  eight with Stuart  going to work and living together and having their relationship issues. I think we strove to have a decent mix, and hopefully we kept that mix. And thats what well continue to do going forward.

The Big Bang Theory airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on CBS.
Photo: ABC

Every December, network sitcoms make a point of giving loyal viewers a Christmas episode. If youre looking for Very Special Hanukkah Episodes, though, youd be lucky to find enough examples to program one night of television  let alone eight. Fortunately, theres one show on the air working to change that. For the second season in a row, ABCs hit nostalgia-fest The Goldbergs is hosting a Hanukkah half-hour to entertain Jews and non-Jews alike.

Its a tradition that started with last years episode, A Christmas Story (which, title notwithstanding, really was about Hanukkah), and continues Dec. 14 with Han Ukkah Solo, which blasts the Jewish Festival of Lights into a galaxy far, far away. While Barry and Erica compete over who can craft the best Hanukkah song for their schools holiday pageant, Adam feels a disturbance in the Force when he witnesses the debacle known as The Star Wars Holiday Special. We spoke with Goldbergs showrunner Adam F. Goldberg about giving Hanukkah a television platform, and the Christmas episodes that defined his casually Jewish childhood.

Like you, I grew up in a Jewish household during the 80s, and I remember the dearth of Hanukkah-themed holiday episodes on TV. But I did watch a lot of Christmas episodes and specials, and thats how I learned about that holiday. Do you hope young non-Jews are able to learn about Hanukkah in the same way from The Goldbergs?

Its funny  with this episode, I lean more towards the other story, which is about the Star Wars Holiday Special. That storyline is all about how Adam sees that special, which is the first version of Star Wars that he doesnt love, and it shakes him to the core. Then Pops shows him that the special is great in its own way. Thats the experience I had watching it as a kid, so this is a very emotional story that Im excited to share with people. Because if I have a religion, its the Force! [Laughs]

As far the Hanukkah element of the episode goes, we just wanted to tell a really fun story about what its like growing up [Jewish], and there are no Hanukkah songs except for the dreidel song. So this episode involves how Beverly loves hearing Erica sing, and then goes out of her way to con her kids into writing their own Hanukkah song they can perform at the holiday concert. For example, Barry creates this whole rap called Judah Maccabee, Dinosaur Hunter. Its spicing up the holiday a little bit. I guess what I want people to take away from it is that experience of having to stand in the Christmas concert singing about another holiday. For me, growing up, that experience was kind of a bummer, but we made a funny take on it.

Story continues

You held off on doing a Hanukkah-themed episode until the third season. Was there a reason you decided to wait?

There was no waiting. I mean, the show is called The Goldbergs, and Pops has always speaking Yiddish. It was just a matter of finding the right story to tell. With the first season, I didnt know that I would get more than five episodes, so I was just telling the stories that I thought were the most important to get people to understand the family. The holiday episode in our first season was Kara-te, which I think might be the best episode of the series.

And then in the second season, we couldnt figure out a Hanukkah story we wanted to tell. Eventually, we figured out one that would work, which was the idea of Pops and Beverly warring over what Hanukkah should look like, and that became our Season 3 episode, A Christmas Story. After that, it took me about a year to convince Lucasfilm to do a Star Wars Holiday Special-themed episode, so thats why were doing this one now. [Growing up], Hanukkah wasnt that huge of a deal; my siblings were older than me and out of the house, and I was the third child, so I often got the short end of the stick in terms of celebrations.

Are there any Hanukkah episodes that you do recall from your TV-watching youth?

The only thing that comes to mind is the episode of The Wonder Years when Paul had his bar mitzvah, and Kevin gets super-jealous. But then he realizes hes part of that family and that Paul is like his brother and he has a great time. Other than that, nothing comes to mind. And thats good for us, I guess, because it means its fresh. Its not a holiday youve seen a lot on TV.

What were some of your favorite holiday episodes that you watched as a kid?

I have a great appreciation for the ALF Christmas special. I taped every episode of that show as a kid, including that special. Its a very dark episode, done single-camera style. Its almost a mini-movie. I mean, ALF cries puppet tears, theres a kid whos dying of cancer and we find out the father was homeless as a kid! Its just very dark. We watched it in the Goldbergs writers room as kind of a perfect 80s time-capsule comedy turned drama.

Lucasfilm doesnt generally like to acknowledge the existence of The Star Wars Holiday Special. Was it difficult to get its permission to make it part of the episode?

In a world where they have this new Star Wars empire that theyre building up, doing a full-on episode right before their new movie [Rogue One] comes out about a special that George Lucas has disowned was a tough sell. It took a lot of passion, phone calls, and help from ABC executives. And maybe its silly to have that kind of passion, but thats what makes our show what it is. The character of Adam really loves Star Wars, and he is me.

The thing about The Star Wars Holiday Special is that theres a short about Boba Fett in it, which I ended up watching over and over and thought was the coolest thing ever. So [in the episode] Adam ultimately realizes that the special introduced his favorite character, which makes it an important piece of material because without it, thered be no Boba Fett. I think everyone really loved that my heart was in it. Perhaps they were rolling their eyes behind my back, but they really helped me push it through, which is great.

Now that youve done two Hanukkah episodes, will it become an annual tradition going forward?

Im not going to do a holiday episode unless I really have a great story. I dont want to shoehorn it in, because I still feel like every episode can make or break the show, even though were 80 episodes in. I dont have any ideas for next year yet, but I hope something great will pop up between now and then. All it takes is one notion that feels very real to me, like someone singing the dreidel song [at a Christmas concert] and everyone would kind of half-ass it. When I heard that, I was like, Thats totally true. Lets do an episode about that.

The Goldbergs airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of The Goldbergs on Yahoo View.
Mexico Tijuana migrants immigrants deportations border

Tijuana, pressed up against the US border, shares with San Diego one of the most heavily trafficked land borders in the world.

Tijuana's location and infrastructure have made it coveted territory for Mexico cartels vying to feed the US's voracious appetite for illegal narcotics.

The Sinaloa cartel, guided to dominance by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, has held control of the city since the end of last decade, and that control had helped keep homicides below their cartel-war peak.

But the Jalisco New Generation cartel, a relatively new organization ascendant on Mexico's narco scene, arrived in Tijuana over the last two years.

The CJNG has joined with remnants of the Arellano Felix Organization, which dominated Tijuana prior to the Sinaloa cartel's arrival, to form a new, local criminal group and challenge Sinaloa's hold over Tijuana.

In a city where the reduction of drug-war violence has been seen as a "miracle," the simmering cartel clash has pushed deadly violence to new levels, bringing grisly reminders of a period the city had put behind it.

Mexico Tijuana drug violence shootout police

Homicides in Tijuana  both cases and victims  have been pushed to new highs so far this year. According to the Baja California State Public Security Secretary, there were 671 homicide cases through October this year, nearly topping the 688 recorded in 2010, which was the highest annual total over the last decade.

Homicide cases can include more than one victim. The 709 homicide victims recorded by the state through the first 10 months of this year exceeded the 674 victims there were through all of last year. (Baja California has only released homicide-victim numbers for 2015 and 2016.)

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Homicides in Tijuana through Oct 2006 - 2016

The carnage only increased in November.

The city saw reportedly saw another 89 homicides that month, and 49 through December 11 have given the city the most violent year in its history, according to one report. (A Daily Beast report put the city at 92 homicides in November.)

The 709 homicide victims through October this year was a 29% increase over the 551 recorded over the same period in 2015.

That October number put the city on pace for just over 850 homicides this year  a number it has already surpassed with more than two weeks left in December.

Homicides numbers in Mexico have been politicized in the past, meaning the real figures may in fact be higher.

And the barbarity of the recent violence has many hallmarks of the dark days in the late 2000s.

Severed heads and dead bodies have appeared in and around the city since at least mid-2015, after a banner hung from a bridge in April that year, apparently by the CJNG, announced "We are going to begin the cleansing."

A March 2016 report from the US State Department noted an "increase in public announcements" in 2015 made "by self-proclaimed members of rival cartels (AFO and CJNG) against the Sinaloa cartel and conversely boasts from the Sinaloa Cartel of their continued dominance over the 'plaza.'"

In early September this year, a body hung from a footbridge less than 10 miles from the US border fell and crashed through the windshield of woman driving below. That body, and two other dismembered ones left nearby, are thought to be the work of the Sinaloa cartel.

In early November, a mutilated body was hung from a footbridge less than 10 miles from the US border.

The body of a man hangs from a bridge in Tijuana, northwestern Mexico, on late Nov 2, 2016

"They cut his hands, arms and legs while he lived, conscious. On the wobbly body facial features could not be distinguished," Mexican newspaper El Universal reported at the time. "His mouth battered, the nose broken, the eyes popped out, he had become an instrument of communication of war."

The body, reportedly that of a low-level dealer, was accompanied by a sign purportedly left by the CJNG  a warning to those who would work for the Sinaloa cartel.

The displays were what have been called "narcomantas"  public acts of violence, usually involving large number of dismembered bodies, left as messages by criminal groups that appeared frequently during the major cartel clashes in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

Despite the high homicide numbers, law-enforcement and military officials have stressed that the violence differs from that of the 2008-2010 period, when the battle between the Sinaloa cartel and the AFO left an average of four people dead a day.

Tijuana crime scene Mexico

"Ultimately, I don't think that we are living, despite the increase of the homicides, a situation similar (to 2008)," since there were other high-impact crimes, like kidnapping, that also went up during that time, Perla del Socorro Ibarra Leyva, Baja California state attorney general, told Frontera.

Jose Maria Gonzalez Martinez, state deputy attorney general for special investigations, told Frontera that 85% of homicides in the state were the result of a war between "narcomenudistas," a term generally referring to low-level drug dealers.

"Its not like 2008, it tends to be more street dealers battling over turf," William Sherman, special agent in charge of the US Drug Enforcement Administration in San Diego, told The Union-Tribune.

While the AFO and Sinaloa cartel are both less influential than they were several years ago, which may temper the violence, some observers have warned that treating the current bloodshed in Tijuana as simply a low-level affair involving "common criminals" could bring about a return to the killing of 2008-2010.

"There is a risk that if one doesn't act in an adequate manner and end the pretense present in the Mexican authorities, [Tijuana] could return to the periods of gravest violence," Vicente Calderon, director of Tijuanapress and a journalist on the border, told news site Sin Embargo.

NOW WATCH: Trump is not alone  animated map shows 6 border walls being built around the world





More From Business Insider


BEIRUT (Reuters) - Restoring full control over Aleppo, Syria's most populous city before the war, has been seen as critical to the fortunes of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a multi-sided civil war now in its sixth year. Insurgents who had held the eastern part of the city since the early days of the war effectively agreed to surrender what remained of their besieged enclave and evacuate after a fierce government assault. Famous for textiles, soap and its UNESCO-listed citadel, Aleppo was Syria's economic hub and of huge historic and cultural importance. Below is a timeline of the key events in the battle for control of the city: 2011: VIOLENCE BREAKS OUT IN SYRIA AFTER GOVERNMENT CRACKS DOWN ON PRO-REFORM PROTESTS In March 2011, mass demonstrations break out in the Syrian capital Damascus demanding political reform, civil rights and the release of political prisoners, soon spreading to other cities. A few small protests take place in Aleppo. 2012: REBELS TAKE PARTS OF ALEPPO CITY In early 2012 rebels take control of the rural areas northwest of Aleppo city, besieging the Minnegh military air base and the largely Shi'ite towns of Nubl and Zahra. Protesters in Aleppo are shot at for the first time in July 2012 and rebels start to fight for the city itself. Poorer eastern districts quickly fall to the insurgents. Fighting in the Old City damages much of the historic covered market. 2013: REBEL GAINS CUT ALEPPO-DAMASCUS HIGHWAY Rebels cut the main highway from Aleppo to the south, forcing government forces to use a longer, alternative route to reach it from the capital. The western, government-held half of Aleppo comes under almost complete siege as rebels briefly also cut the alternative route. But in October government and allied forces retake it and strengthen their position. In April 2013 the 1,000-year-old minaret of Aleppo's Umayyad Mosque collapses after being struck during fighting. 2014: REBELS AND GOVERNMENT CONSOLIDATE POSITIONS IN ALEPPO The government's control of the skies starts to show as it increasingly uses jets and helicopters to strike rebels. 2015: BIG REBEL GAINS, RUSSIA INTERVENES A series of rebel advances puts the government under pressure in northwest Syria, where Aleppo is located. But in October 2015 the first Russian air strikes take place and swiftly put the rebels on the back foot. 2016: THE SIEGE AND BOMBARDMENT OF EAST ALEPPO February advances by the army and allies with Russian air support cut the most direct road from Turkey to rebel-held east Aleppo, recapturing Minnegh air base, ending the rebels' siege of Nubl and Zahra and putting pressure on insurgent supply routes. On July 27 government forces fully encircle eastern Aleppo for the first time, but the siege is broken 10 days later by a rebel counterattack on the Ramousah district that briefly opens a perilous way into eastern Aleppo from the south. Russian air power and Shi'ite militias from Iraq and Lebanon help the army recapture Ramousah on Sept 8, firmly re-encircling the rebel enclave. On Sept. 22, the heaviest air strikes in months hit east Aleppo and the government announces a new offensive to retake it. After weeks of intense bombardment, in which many hospitals and other civilian infrastructure are hit, Russia and Syria's government declare a pause in their campaign on Oct. 18, urging rebels and civilians to quit east Aleppo. A last rebel offensive aimed at breaking the siege begins on Oct. 28 from the countryside to the city's west, but after making some progress in the first two days, it loses momentum and all gains are reversed within a week. Intense air strikes resume against east Aleppo on Nov. 15, putting all hospitals out of action by Nov. 19. On Nov. 28, pro-government forces take the northern part of the rebel sector in a sudden advance that reduces its size by more than a third. Another swift advance on Dec. 5 and 6 brings the al-Shaar district and much of Aleppo's historic Old City under government sway, leaving the rebels trapped in a small southern portion of their former enclave. On Dec. 12, the army makes a series of new advances after taking the Sheikh Saeed district after days of intense fighting and under a heavy aerial bombardment, leaving rebels stuck in only a tiny part of the city. On Dec. 13 insurgents agree to withdraw in a ceasefire deal which would see them evacuate to rebel-held areas outside Aleppo with their families and any other civilians wanting to leave. But the evacuation did not begin as expected on Dec. 14, with an opposition official blaming Iran and its Shi'ite militias allied to President Bashar al-Assad for the hold-up. Rebels said the ceasefire would continue despite the delay. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Angus McDowall and Giles Elgood)
(Updates with latest U.S. research, travel advisory) The following timeline charts the origin and spread of the Zika virus from its discovery nearly 70 years ago: 1947: Scientists researching yellow fever in Uganda's Zika Forest identify the virus in a rhesus monkey 1948: Virus recovered from Aedes africanus mosquito in Zika Forest 1952: First human cases detected in Uganda and Tanzania 1960s-80s: Zika detected in mosquitoes and monkeys across equatorial Africa 1960s-80s: Zika found in equatorial Asia, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan 2007: Zika spreads from Africa and Asia, first large outbreak on Pacific island of Yap 2012: Researchers identify two distinct lineages of the virus, African and Asian 2013-14: Zika outbreaks in French Polynesia, Easter Island, the Cook Islands and New Caledonia. Retrospective analysis shows possible link to birth defects and severe neurological complications in babies in French Polynesia March 2, 2015: Brazil reports illness characterized by skin rash in northeastern states July 17: Brazil reports detection of neurological disorders in newborns associated with history of infection Oct. 22: Colombia confirms cases of Zika Oct. 30: Brazil reports increase in microcephaly, abnormally small heads, among newborns Nov. 11: Brazil declares public health emergency November 2015-January 2016: Cases reported in Suriname, Panama, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Paraguay, Venezuela, French Guiana, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Guyana, Ecuador, Barbados, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Curacao, Jamaica Feb. 1: World Health Organization (WHO) declares public health emergency of international concern Feb. 2: First case of Zika transmission in United States; local health officials say likely contracted through sex, not mosquito bite Feb. 5: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says virus being actively transmitted in 30 countries, mostly in the Americas Feb. 8: U.S. President Barack Obama requests $1.9 billion to fight Zika Feb. 18: CDC adds Aruba and Bonaire to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 32 Feb. 23: CDC adds Trinidad and Tobago and Marshall Islands to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 34 Feb. 25: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases number more than 580 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers, with an additional 4,100 suspected cases of microcephaly Feb. 27: France detects first sexually transmitted case of Zika March 8: WHO advises pregnant women to avoid areas with Zika outbreak and said sexual transmission of the virus is "relatively common" March 19: CDC adds Cuba to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 38 March 22: CDC adds Dominica to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 39 March 31: The World Health Organization says there is a strong scientific consensus that Zika can cause the birth defect microcephaly as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can result in paralysis, though conclusive proof may take months or years April 1: CDC adds Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 40 April 4: CDC adds Fiji to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 41 April 13: The CDC concludes that infection with the Zika virus in pregnant women is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly and other severe brain abnormalities in babies. CDC adds St. Lucia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 42 April 18: CDC adds Belize to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 43 April 25: Canada confirms first sexually transmitted Zika case April 29: Puerto Rico reports first death related to Zika, according to the CDC. The island territory also confirms 683 Zika cases, including 65 pregnant women, and five suspected cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome from Zika May 4: Panama confirms four microcephaly cases tied to Zika May 6: Spain has first case of Zika-related brain defect in a fetus May 9: CDC adds Papua New Guinea, Saint Barthelemy and Peru to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 46 May 12: CDC adds Grenada to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 47 May 13: Puerto Rico reports first case of Zika-related microcephaly May 20: WHO says an outbreak of Zika virus on the African island chain of Cape Verde is of the same strain as the one blamed for birth abnormalities in Brazil May 26: CDC adds Argentina to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 48 June 9: WHO updates guidelines on prevention of sexual transmission of the Zika virus, including advising women living in areas where the virus is being transmitted to delay getting pregnant June 14: El Salvador confirms first case of microcephaly linked to Zika June 30: CDC adds Anguilla to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 49 July 8: CDC confirms a Utah resident's death from the previous month is the first Zika-related death in the continental United States July 14: CDC adds Saint Eustatius to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 50 July 15: New York City's health department reports the first female-to-male transmission of the Zika virus.

Story continues

July 18: CDC reports the caregiver of Utah man who died of Zika tested positive for virus, raising questions about its spread July 19: Florida health officials investigate a case of Zika virus infection that may have been caused by local mosquito bite July 22: New York City health officials reports first baby born with Zika-related birth defect July 25: Spain reports first case in Europe of baby born with Zika-related defect; CDC issues updated recommendations for preventing and testing for Zika infection, warning that the virus can be transmitted through unprotected sex with an infected female partner July 26: Honduras detects 8 cases of babies with Zika-related defect; CDC adds Saba to countries and territories with active outbreaks with total at 51 July 27: Paraguay reports first cases of microcephaly linked to Zika July 29: Florida authorities report what is believed to be the first evidence of local Zika transmission in the continental United States Aug. 2: CDC adds Antigua, Barbuda, and Turks and Caicos to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 54 Aug. 3: U.S. researchers said they launched Zika vaccine clinical trial Aug. 11: CDC adds Cayman Islands to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 55 Aug. 12: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declares a public health emergency in Puerto Rico over Zika with 10,690 laboratory-confirmed cases Aug. 13: Brazil reports 1,835 confirmed cases of microcephaly Aug. 16: Haiti reports first case of microcephaly linked to Zika Aug. 17: Guatemala confirms first case of newborn with microcephaly linked to Zika Aug. 19: Florida governor says five cases of Zika are believed to have been contracted in Miami Beach, the second area in Miami-Dade county where the virus is spreading.

Aug. 25: CDC adds The Bahamas and the United States to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 57 Aug. 26: FDA recommends that all blood donated in the United States and its territories be tested for Zika virus, starting with 11 states in the first phase; Nicaragua confirms first microcephaly birth linked to Zika Aug. 27-29: Singapore confirms first case of locally transmitted Zika virus, which rise to 56 cases two days later Aug. 30: Confirmed cases in Singapore rise to 82, with some of the latest infections detected beyond the area of initial outbreak. Several countries advise pregnant women or those trying to conceive to avoid traveling to the city-state. Australia, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States issue travel warnings Aug. 31: CDC adds Singapore and the British Virgin Islands to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing tally to 58 (The CDC groups together Antigua and Barbuda in its updated official count) Sept. 3: Malaysia detects first case of locally transmitted Zika Sept. 5: Philippines confirms first case of Zika virus likely to have been transmitted locally Sept. 6: Florida confirms 56 locally transmitted cases, 577 travel-related infections, and 80 infections involving pregnant women Sept. 8: Singapore reports 283 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus Sept. 10: Singapore locally transmitted Zika cases rise to 329 Sept. 13: Thailand said it has recorded 200 cases of Zika since Januuary, the first time the health ministry has confirmed the number of cases this year.

Sept. 16: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports 20,800 confirmed cases of Zika virus in U.S. states and Territories. The department says there are 3,176 confirmed cases in U.S. states and District of Columbia. As of Sept. 8, the department said there were more than 1,880 pregnant women with evidence of Zika virus in U.S. states, District of Columbia and U.S. territories Sept. 19: Florida's governor declares Wynwood neighborhood in Miami Zika-free but the CDC leaves travel warning for Miami Beach Sept. 26: CDC adds St. Kitts and Nevis to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing tally to 59 Sept. 29: CDC issues travel advisory urging pregnant women to postpone non-essential travel to 11 Southeast Asian countries in connection with the Zika virus and Brazil reports 1,949 confirmed cases of microcephaly believed to be linked to Zika infections in pregnant women Oct. 13: Florida reports new area of transmission in Miami and says it had 164 cases of Zika caused by local mosquitoes Oct. 19: U.S. health officials create color-coded system for Florida's Miami-Dade County to distinguish risks of transmission in certain areas Oct. 27: Myanmar confirms fist case of Zika virus infection Oct. 28: Brazil says there are 2,063 confirmed cases of microcephaly Nov. 16: CDC adds Singapore and Palau to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing tally to 61 Nov. 18: WHO declares end of Zika emergency but said more action needed through a "robust program" Nov. 21: CDC adds Montserrat to countries and territories with active outbreaks, pushing total to 62 Nov. 22: CDC says as of Nov. 16 there were 4,255 cases of Zika reported in the continental United States and Hawaii. Of the total reported Zika cases, 35 are believed to be through sexual transmission and 1 case from lab exposure.

Florida removes parts of Miami Beach in Florida from active transmission zone areas. The health department also reports 1,201 cases of Zika with 236 cases locally acquired Nov. 28: Texas reports first case of Zika spread by local mosquitoes Dec. 2: CDC says all pregnant women in the U.S. should be evaluated for possible Zika virus exposure during each prenatal care visit Dec. 3: Brazil confirms 2,228 cases of microcephaly linked with Zika, and is still investigating another 3,173 cases Dec. 9: Florida Department of Health says all areas cleared of active transmission in Florida CDC says as of Dec. 8, a total of 4,575 cases of Zika have been reported in the continental United States and Hawaii. Of the total, 38 cases are believed to be the result of sexual transmission. One case was the result of lab exposure Dec. 14: U.S. researchers say about 6 percent of women in the United States infected with Zika during pregnancy had fetuses or babies with birth defects CDC issues travel advisory warning pregnant women to consider postponing travel to Brownsville, Texas because of risk of contracting virus SOURCES: World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Reuters (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Compiled and edited by the Americas Desk)
As your eyes flutter open and you gradually become aware that you made it home and still have all of your valuables, suddenly you realize, that while you had an amazing time at your office or family holiday party, youve also been struck with a blinding headache, evolving nausea, weakness and a general feeling of awfulness.

Youre hungover and still have to find a way to function. But how?

While previous studies have said hangovers are avoidable simply by drinking less, thats a far less fun resolution and will likely make you the lamest person at any holiday party. So, in the effort to fight the good fight, here are several ways to treat your holiday hangover. Keep in mind, everyones body is different and while some of these tips may not work for some, they could help you.

Drinking Water

Many studies have debunked the idea of the downing tons of water the morning after drinking, including one conducted by a team of researchers from the Netherlands and Canada released last year.

Using 826 Dutch students as guinea pigs, the study had more than two-thirds of the students drink water while drinking alcohol and more than 50 percent of them also consumed water before heading to bed. They compared that group to 54 percent of the students who ate fat-rich foods.

Those who drank the water did show some slight improvement when it came to their hangovers, BBC reported.

Drink A Virgin Bloody Mary

The tomato juice-based cocktail, fused with vodka, is often turned to when trying to cure a hangover under the theory that having another alcoholic beverage in the morning will help your body ease away from said hangover.

However, Dr. Charles Cutler, the chair of the American College of Physicians board of governors told Health that another drink is the worst thing to do and instead encouraged avoiding more alcohol.

So a Bloody Mary, sans the vodka and perhaps some of the spices involved, could be the way to go.

Eat Simple Foods, Not A Greasy Breakfast

Cutler also told Health the common assumption that a greasy breakfast will coat your stomach and help with nausea from a hangover will likely cause heartburn, rather than assuage your hangover. He instead recommended foods that easier to digest, like toast or cereal.

Story continues

Korean Pear Juice

A personal study conducted by a GQ reporter last year tried to see if a hangover was avoidable by drinking one cup of Korean pear juice before guzzling booze. The notion was based off an Australian study that found the subjects had fewer hangover symptoms and that the anti-inflammatories found in Korean pear juice did help with headaches associated with hangovers. However, GQ found the juice didnt completely help.

Pain Meds

Though it might take a little while to kick in, one doctor speaking to Mens Health said taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen can help to fight off that headache. But you should avoid acetaminophen, better known as Tylenol, which could cause liver damage after your liver was already working overtime while you were drinking.

Related Articles
From the presidential election to the Rio Olympics, 2016 was a meme factory, chock-full of cultural events that produced some memorable, even internet-breaking memes. But while a countless number of these viral concepts flood social media networks every day, according to Googles annual round-up of the years most popular searches, these were the 10 terms that came to define the Internets sense of humor over the course of the past 12 months.

1. Harambe (the gorilla that was shot and killed after a child fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo inspired a series of Justice for Harambe tributes)

2. Damn Daniel (a catchphrase popularized by a Twitter video in which a teen compliments his friends outfits, taking specific note of his white Vans)

3. Pokemon Go (the buzzy augmented reality mobile game that requires players to venture out into the real world to catch Pokemon characters)

4. Dat Boi (images of an animated frog riding a unicycle)

5. SpongeBob Caveman (a still frame of the SpongeBob Squarepants character Primate Sponge that is used to react to various stress-inducing situations)

6. Michael Phelps (refers to the comically intense stare Phelps leveled at opponent Chad le Clos before the mens 200-meter butterfly semifinal at the Rio Olympics)

7. Donald Trump (jokes poking fun at President-elect Donald Trump)

8. Making a Murderer (humorously expressing outrage over the events documented in the Netflix true crime docu-series of the same name)

9. Ken Bone (the viral sensation surrounding the red sweater-wearing man who asked a question during the second U.S. presidential debate)

10. Birdman (an image of Louisiana rapper Birdman during his April appearance on The Breakfast Club radio show that is typically accompanied by some variation of the quote Put some respeck on my name)
rex tillerson vladimir putin

Top geopolitical expert Ian Bremmer wrote approvingly on Wednesday of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state, saying his ties to Russia could actually be a good thing.

Tillerson's nomination as Washington's chief diplomat and the primary conduit between the US and foreign governments has drawn criticism from those worried about his connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Tillerson, who has no government experience and has never worked as a diplomat, has ties to Russia that go back nearly two decades. Tillerson met Putin in 1999, according to Bloomberg, when he first represented Exxon's interests in Russia while the country was under Boris Yeltsin's leadership.

"He's a strong executive," wrote Bremmer, who is president of the Eurasia Group. "He has a better relationship with Putin than anyone else Trump could have chosen, and before we dismiss that as a bad thing, we should consider the benefits of better communications with a guy that has a demonstrated ability to make all kinds of trouble for Washington."

Bremmer speculated that Tillerson might foster better US relations with Russia than the Obama administration did.

"As an oilman, Tillerson, like Trump, will take a very transactional approach to Putin," Bremmer wrote. "Some good may come from that. At the very least, it will produce better results for the US than Obama ever got from Moscow."

Bremmer also said the US government's investigation of meddling in the US presidential election would only ratchet up tensions between the two nations and between Trump (whom Russia is accused of helping) and Congress.

Sonam Sheth contributed to this report.

NOW WATCH: The last time a losing candidate had a wider popular vote margin than Clinton was in 1876  here's the bizarre story





More From Business Insider


The search engine published its list of most frequently searched keywords and questions of 2016, Wednesday, December 14. The data shows what kind of foods and recipes were popular among Google users this year.

Google searches inevitably reflect the different food cultures of specific global regions. French web users, for example, kept it simple with traditional crepes proving the most searched-for recipe of the year.

Americans search for classics and cocktails

Across the Atlantic in the USA, web users looked for traditional American dishes, with "green bean casserole" of green beans, fried onions and mushrooms leading the way. "Hashbrown casserole" with potatoes and melted cheese also proved popular.

Cocktails are still very fashionable in the USA and are popular Google searches. In this category, American users favored sangria, martini and strawberry daiquiri.

Top 10 recipe searches of 2016 in the USA:

1. Green bean casserole

2. Brussels sprouts

3. Hashbrown casserole

4. Guacamole

5. Chicken marsala

6. Chicken tetrazzini

7. Snow cream

8. Buttercream frosting

9. Pork chops

10. Turkey gravy

Top 10 cocktail recipe searches of 2016 in the USA:

1. Sangria

2. Martini

3. Strawberry daiquiri

4. Sex on the beach

5. Mojito

6. Old fashioned

7. Hot toddy

8. Rusty nail drink

9. Mimosa

10. White Russian
(Adds confirmation, quotes, details, paragraphs 1, 3-4, 8, 10)

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump has chosen first-term Republican U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana, a former Navy SEAL commander, as his interior secretary, a senior transition official said on Tuesday.

Zinke, 55, will be nominated to head the Interior Department, which employs more than 70,000 people across the United States and oversees more than 20 percent of federal land, including national parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite.

Zinke's choice was something of a surprise since some Republican officials wanted him to challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Tester of Montana in the 2018 elections.

Zinke emerged after Trump had toyed with the idea of nominating U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state for the position.

He is a proponent of keeping public lands under federal ownership, putting him at odds with some in his Republican Party who are more favorable to privatization or placing them under the control of states.

It remains unclear where Zinke would stand on opening up more federal lands to increased drilling and mining, something Trump promised he would do as president.

Trump's official energy platform calls for opening "onshore and offshore leasing on federal lands, eliminate moratorium on coal leasing, and open shale energy deposits."

A Trump aide told Reuters last week that McMorris Rodgers had been picked for the post. She had met Trump at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, shortly after the president-elect began his Cabinet search.

On Tuesday, a source close to the congresswoman said she had never been offered the job.

"It was an honor to be invited to spend time with the president-elect, and I'm energized more than ever to continue leading in Congress as we think big, reimagine this government, and put people back at the center of it," McMorris Rodgers said in a Facebook post.

Story continues

Zinke had been an early Trump supporter, backing the New York businessman for president in May. His nomination must now be confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate.

"Congressman Zinke is a strong advocate for American energy independence, and he supports an all-encompassing energy policy that includes renewables, fossil fuels and alternative energy," Trump spokesman Jason Miller said before a meeting on Monday between Zinke and Trump at Trump Tower in New York.

Zinke, a member of the House of Representatives subcommittee on natural resources, has voted for legislation that would weaken environmental safeguards on public land.

But, unlike other candidates who were on the short list for the interior secretary job, Zinke opposes the transfer of public lands to the states, a position that echoes Trump's.

PUBLIC LANDS

Trump has said he does not think public land should be turned over to the states and should be protected.

"I don't like the idea because I want to keep the lands great, and you don't know what the state is going to do," Trump said in an interview with Field & Stream magazine in January.

Trump said putting states in control of public land would make it easier to sell it off for energy or commercial development. He thinks the federal government needs to focus on conservation.

"I mean, are they going to sell (states) if they get into a little bit of trouble? I don't think it's something that should be sold," he said. "We have to be great stewards of this land. This is magnificent land."

In July, Zinke resigned as a delegate to the Republican nominating convention because the party platform called for transferring public lands to the states.

"What I saw was a platform that was more divisive than uniting," Zinke told the Billings Gazette. "At this point, I think it's better to show leadership."

Public land comprises more than 30 percent of Montana, according to the Montana Wilderness Association.

The League of Conservation Voters, which ranks lawmakers on their environmental record, gave Zinke an extremely low lifetime score of 3 percent.

The Wilderness Society, a leading conservation group, said it was concerned by Zinke's support for logging, drilling and mining on public lands.

The Interior Department also oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs and handles tribal policy.

Under Obama, the department played a big role in efforts to curb the effects of climate change by limiting fossil fuel development in some areas.

(Reporting by Eric Beech, Valerie Volcovici, Susan Cornwell and Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Peter Cooney and Paul Tait)
West Allis (United States) (AFP) - Donald Trump defended his nomination of ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson as America's next secretary of state, dismissing concerns about the oilman's ties to Russia and saying US foreign policy needed a new direction.

The nomination, which capped weeks of debate about the right candidate, was the most keenly awaited in Trump's cabinet as the world waits to see how the incoming Republican president intends to alter US foreign policy.

Trump has stoked alarm among Democrats and fellow Republicans ahead of his January 20 inauguration by calling for closer ties with Moscow, in contrast to received wisdom in Washington that Russia remains a global security threat.

That sentiment -- coupled with the fact that Trump is at loggerheads with some Republican senators over a CIA assessment that Russian hackers helped him win the election -- may complicate Tillerson's confirmation hearings.

Trump, who announced the nomination early Tuesday, hailed Tillerson as a "great diplomat" and "one of the greatest and most skilled global business leaders of our time" at a campaign-style rally Tuesday night in the traditionally Democratic-leaning state of Wisconsin that helped elect him.

The 64-year-old Texan, who has no experience in government and spent his entire career at Exxon, "has the insights and talents necessary to help reverse years of foreign policy blunders and disasters," Trump told the crowd.

But politicians on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns over Tillerson's ties to Russia. The businessman was awarded Russia's Order of Friendship by Vladimir Putin in 2013 and has publicly opposed sanctions on Moscow that thwarted his attempt to pursue huge oil deals in the Russian Arctic.

The Kremlin welcomed his nomination with an aide praising him as a "very solid figure" with whom Putin and Russians have "good, business-like relations."

Story continues

- Putin's friend? -

"Rex is friendly with many of the leaders in the world that we don't get along with and some people don't like that," Trump told the crowd in West Allis, without mentioning Russia or Putin.

"They don't want him to be friendly. That's why I'm doing the deal with Rex, because I like what this is all about," he added.

"We need a new direction," said Trump. "Instead of jumping recklessly from one intervention to another, my administration will build a long term strategy for stability, prosperity, peace, and rebuilding our own country."

A series of establishment Republicans, including former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and James Baker, and former defense secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates have lined up to praise Tillerson.

Tillerson joined ExxonMobil in 1975 as an engineer, before rising to become president and chief executive, overseeing business activities in more than 50 countries. Appointed CEO in 2006, he had been due to retire in March.

But his lack of formal policy and government experience, and embedded relationship with a hugely powerful energy company is bound to result in sharp questions in the Senate confirmation hearings.

Senior Republican Senator John McCain has called Tillerson's ties to Putin "a matter of concern."

"Vladimir Putin is a thug, bully and a murderer, and anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying," McCain has said.

Senator Marco Rubio, a former Trump rival for the Republican White House nomination, tweeted: "Being a 'friend of Vladimir' is not an attribute I am hoping for from a #SecretaryofState."

McCain and other senators have backed a congressional probe into intelligence assessments on Russian election interference, putting top Republicans on a collision course with Trump, who dismissed the reports as "ridiculous".

- Business controversy -

If confirmed, Tillerson will face the hugely sensitive job of representing overseas a president apparently intent on trashing protocol and upending relationships built on decades of delicate diplomacy.

Beyond thorny ties with Russia, Sino-US relations are strained after a series of moves by Trump that provoked China, the world's second-largest economy, and controversy is also rife over his global business empire.

Trump postponed a press conference originally set for Thursday at which he was to unveil plans for separating himself from his global business dealings, instead writing on Twitter that his adult sons would manage the company.

The 70-year-old billionaire is now putting the finishing touches to his cabinet with former Texas governor Rick Perry and Montana Representative Ryan Zinke his reported picks for energy and interior secretary respectively.

On Tuesday he greeted a stream of guests in New York including rapper Kanye West and Bill Gates, the richest man on the planet who dedicates his life to philanthropy. Gates said Trump had an opportunity to inspire Americans to embrace innovation as John F. Kennedy once promoted space exploration.

"We had a good conversation about innovation, how it can help in health, education, the impact of foreign aid and energy, and a wide-ranging conversation about power of innovation," Gates said afterward.

Trump told the Wisconsin rally he also met Tuesday with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who was a vocal supporter of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

He praised Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, with whom he had a combative relationship during the campaign.

"Honestly, he is like a fine wine," he said to laughter. "Every day goes by I get to appreciate his genius more and more."
(Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump convenes a gathering of leaders of some of the largest technology companies at his New York headquarters on Wednesday as he continues to hold meetings before taking office on January 20.

The session has been billed as an introductory meeting that will not result in any job or investment announcements, sources said.

Below is a list of summit attendees and other meetings, according to Trump's transition team.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 14

TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT

* Amazon.com Inc CEO Jeff Bezos

* Oracle Corp CEO Safra Catz

* Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook

* Palantir Technologies Inc CEO Alex Karp

* Intel Corp CEO Brian Krzanich

* Tesla Motors Inc and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk

* Microsoft Corp CEO Satya Nadella

* CEO Larry Page and Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt of Alphabet Inc, Google's parent company

* Cisco Systems Inc CEO Chuck Robbins

* International Business Machines Corp CEO Ginni Rometty

* Facebook Inc COO Sheryl Sandberg

* Trump will hold an additional meeting with Musk and Cook after the summit, team members said.

OTHER MEETINGS

* Ezekiel Emanuel, oncologist and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, to discuss healthcare policy

* Wilbur Ross, Trump's commerce secretary-designate

* Andy Beal, member of Trump's economic advisory council and founder of Dallas-based Beal Bank

* Paula White, senior pastor at New Destiny Christian Center in Florida

JOHN BOOZMAN AND CHRIS COONS

* The two U.S. senators are co-chairs of the 2017 National Prayer Breakfast and announced a meeting in a statement on Tuesday; Trump aides did not mention the meeting in a call with reporters on Wednesday.

* Boozman is a Republican from Arkansas, Coons a Democrat from Delaware

(Reporting by Emily Stephenson and Susan Heavey; Writing by Eric Walsh; Editing by W Simon and Steve Orlofsky)
New York (AFP) - Donald Trump met Wednesday with some of America's most powerful tech executives in a bid to mend fences with a largely pro-Hillary Clinton industry and promote job creation and trade.

The afternoon summit at Trump Tower in New York gathered some of the wealthiest and brightest brains in the tech industry around the same table as the incoming billionaire Republican president after a bruising election campaign that revealed a bitterly divided country.

Five weeks before the 70-year-old property tycoon is scheduled to take office as head of the world's most powerful democracy, the participants discussed improving America's cybersecurity, repatriating US profits stashed overseas and market access with China, among other topics, according to the Trump transition team.

The meeting came as leading senators voice concern about Trump's pick of ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson as secretary of state and the oilman's ties to Moscow. The CIA said that Russian hackers interfered to help sway the November 8 election in his favor.

It was hostile territory for Trump by meeting Silicon Valley titans who -- with the notable exception of PayPal co-founder and Trump supporter Peter Thiel -- threw their weight behind his Democratic rival Clinton during the campaign.

"I'm here to help you folks do well," Trump told the executives in opening remarks that reporters were briefly allowed to observe.

"We want you to keep going with the incredible innovation. There's nobody like you in the world," he said.

Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence sat side-by-side in the middle of the table surrounded by CEOs that included Tim Cook of Apple, Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Larry Page of Alphabet (Google).

The executives attending also included Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk, Facebook's chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg and Oracle CEO Safra Catz.

Story continues

- Twitter absent -

Trump's three eldest children -- Don Jr, Ivanka and Eric -- also attended as did Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner, and other key Trump staffers.

The most glaring absence was Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey -- even more so given the president-elect's prolific use of the social network and its expanding list of 17.3 million followers.

Politico reported that Twitter was "bounced" from the meeting in retribution for refusing during the campaign to allow an emoji version of the hashtag #CrookedHillary.

But others have also been targets of the former reality television star's ire, including Bezos for allegedly using the newspaper he owns, The Washington Post, to secure tax benefits for Amazon -- and to attack the Republican.

Bezos responded by cheekily offering Trump a trip into space -- on a rocket operated by his Blue Origin space flight company.

The president-elect suggested reconvening the tech leaders again in the future, perhaps as frequently as every quarter, according to a post-meeting statement from his transition team.

The tech titans who passed through the lobby of Trump Tower on their way out declined to answer shouted questions from reporters.

Late last month, a group of 17 tech associations offered to work with Trump while calling for policies to "foster growth and innovation."

Signaling the path forward, Trump told the tech leaders Wednesday that they could call him or his team. "We have no formal chain of command around here," he said.

- Taxes and encryption -

While the tech industry is likely to oppose any trade barriers or efforts to limit immigration, many companies are expected to welcome a lowering of corporate tax rates promised by Trump, especially on profits repatriated from overseas.

"We're going to make fair trade deals. We're going to make it a lot easier for you to trade across borders," Trump told the leaders.

"There's a lot of restrictions, a lot of problems that I think you see. And if you have any ideas on that, that would be great," he added.

Tech firms led by Apple are responsible for the lion's share of an estimated $2.5 trillion being held overseas by US companies, which are reluctant to bring those funds back and face a hefty tax bill.

A potential clash between Trump and the sector is possible over encryption, and the ability of law enforcement and intelligence services to decrypt devices for national security investigations.

Trump said he would add Musk and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to his advisory council of business leaders tasked with helping to create new jobs "across the United States from Silicon Valley to the heartland."

Trump was putting the finishing touches on his cabinet, nominating former Texas governor Rick Perry as energy secretary on Wednesday and reportedly choosing Montana Representative Ryan Zinke as interior secretary.

Perry, who was crushed by Trump in the Republican presidential primary race, once assailed him as a "cancer on conservatism."

On Wednesday, Forbes magazine ranked Trump as the second-most powerful person of the year -- right behind Russian President Vladimir Putin.
(Adds comment from American Petroleum Institute, paragraphs 10-11)

WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday named former Texas Governor Rick Perry to head the U.S. Department of Energy, handing the job to a climate change skeptic with close ties to the oil industry who once proposed abolishing the department.

The choice adds to a list of drilling proponents who have been tapped for top jobs in Trump's administration. The selection of Perry was praised by the oil industry but viewed with worry by environmental groups concerned about the U.S. role in global climate change.

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has made energy policy a central issue in his agenda. He has promised to revive oil and gas drilling and coal mining by cutting back on federal regulations. He also has said he would pull the United States out of a global deal to curb emissions of carbon dioxide, which an overwhelming number of scientists say contribute to changes to the climate that are leading to sea level rise, droughts and more frequent violent storms.

In a statement from Trump's transition team, the president-elect cited Perry's tenure leading Texas, the nation's second most populous state and a major producer of oil, gas and wind power, from 2000 until 2015.

Trump said in the statement that Perry created "a business climate that produced millions of new jobs and lower energy prices in his state, and he will bring that same approach to our entire country as secretary of energy."

Perry, a one-time presidential rival and critic of Trump who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in 2016 and 2012, welcomed the planned nomination, which requires Senate confirmation.

Perry would replace Ernest Moniz, a physicist who was one of the chief negotiators in last year's Iran nuclear deal while energy secretary. The department is responsible for U.S. energy policy and oversees the nation's nuclear weapons program.

On Tuesday, Trump named Rex Tillerson, chief executive of oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp, as secretary of state. His pick for the Environmental Protection Agency is Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, an ardent opponent of Democratic President Barack Obama's measures to curb climate change.

Story continues

Jack Gerard, the president of the Washington-based oil lobby group the American Petroleum Institute, said he welcomed Perry's nomination, and called on him to support efforts to export U.S. natural gas overseas.

"As the former governor of Texas, Rick Perry knows the important impact that energy production has on our nation's economy. In his new role at the Energy Department, he has the opportunity to encourage increased exports of domestically produced natural gas."

OIL TIES

After his tenure as Texas governor, Perry joined the board of directors of Energy Transfer Partners, a Texas-based company building the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota that has been stalled by protests by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and supporters.

Trump's team has said it would review after he takes office the U.S. government's decision to delay the pipeline's final completion.

Perry has also said he believes the science around climate change is not yet settled, and has referred to himself as a climate change skeptic.

Anthony Scaramucci, a member of the Trump transition team's executive committee, said the president-elect was focused on preserving the environment as well as boosting the nation's energy production.

"Whether you believe in climate change or not, we want clean air, we want clean water for the American people. What we also want is energy independence," Scaramucci told CNN in an interview.

If Perry is confirmed, he would be in charge of a federal department he had proposed eliminating during his bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. During a November 2011 Republican candidate debate, Perry could not remember all of the three Cabinet-level departments he wanted to eliminate.

After mentioning the departments of commerce and education, he said, "I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops." A few minutes later in the debate Perry said with a laugh, "By the way that was the Department of Energy I was reaching for a while ago."

Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer, who backed Trump's Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election, said he hoped Perry's nomination would be blocked.

"Trump no longer has to abolish departments. He can dismantle them from within," Steyer said. "It's now up to the Senate to defend our health, our economy and our democracy by defeating this nomination."

(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Steve Holland; Writing by Richard Valdmanis; editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Will Dunham)
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday formally announced Rick Perry as his pick for the secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. Perry, who was a former Texas governor and Trump's presidential rival, had said in 2011 that he would eliminate the Department of Energy.

"As the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry created a business climate that produced millions of new jobs and lower energy prices in his state, and he will bring that same approach to our entire country as Secretary of Energy, Trump reportedly said, in a statement. My administration is going to make sure we take advantage of our huge natural resource deposits to make America energy independent and create vast new wealth for our nation, and Rick Perry is going to do an amazing job as the leader of that process."

Trump and Perry met each other at Trump Tower to discuss the position Monday. Perry, who ran in both the 2012 and 2016 primaries, welcomed the planned nomination to serve under Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20.

As the head of the Department of Energy, Perry will be responsible for clean energy, nuclear weapons cleanup, and the promotion of energy research and innovation.

During a Republican presidential primary debate in November 2011, Perry attempted to name the three departments he would eliminate.

I will tell you, it is three agencies of government when I get there that are gone: commerce, Education, and  whats the third one there? Lets see. While he was unable to remember the name, he later clarified that he did, indeed, mean to say the Department of Energy.

Perry, who had a face-off with Trump in the primary battle for the Republican presidential nomination, had hurled several insults toward the business mogul.

Let no one be mistaken Donald Trumps candidacy is a cancer on conservatism and it must be clearly diagnosed, excised and discarded, Perry said, during a speech in Washington, D.C., in July 2015. It cannot be pacified or ignored for it will destroy a set of principles that has lifted more people out of poverty than any force in the history of the civilized world and that is the cause of conservatism. He also called Trump a barking carnival act.

Related Articles
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former Texas Gov. Rick Perry for energy secretary, the transition team announced Wednesday.

Perry famously forgot the name of the Energy Department during his first presidential bid in 2012, when he pledged to eliminate the federal agency if elected. When pressed on the gaffe  which took place in the middle of a primary debate  Perry simply shrugged and said, Oops, earning himself, in some media and critics corners, the unfortunate nicknames Rick Oops Perry and Governor Oops.

Perry, 66, ran a second, short-lived campaign for president last year before dropping out in September to become the first Republican to leave the then-crowded GOP race. Perry was a vocal critic of Trump during the primaries, repeatedly denouncing the now president-elect and blasting him as a false prophet and a cancer on conservatism.

Trump, meanwhile, labeled Perry a hypocrite and questioned his intelligence, saying in one campaign speech: He put glasses on so people will think hes smart. And it just doesnt work! People can see through the glasses. He used to be really a nice guy. He used to come see me for contributions and support. All of a sudden he wants to show hes a tough guy with Trump.

KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty

But after Perry dropped out of the race, Trump called the former governor a terrific guy and said he wished him well. Perry also walked back his criticism of Trump last May, as it became clear that he was likely to win the Republican nomination. I believe that Donald Trump should be our guy, Perry said at the time, also noting, I will be open to any way I can help.

Trump released a statement Wednesday on his nomination of Perry, saying, As the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry created created a business climate that produced millions of new jobs and lower energy prices in his state, and he will bring that same approach to our entire country as Secretary of Energy. My administration is going to make sure we take advantage of our huge natural resource deposits to make America energy independent and create vast new wealth for our nation, and Rick Perry is going to do an amazing job as the leader of that process.

Story continues

Here are five more facts to know about Perry:

1. Hes an author

Perry has written two books. On My Honor: Why the American Values of the Boy Scouts are Worth Fighting For, published in 2008, is about the positive influence the Boy Scouts have had on Americas young men. In Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America from Washington, published in November 2010, Perry discusses his support for limited central government.

2. He wasnt always a Republican

Perry was elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1984. During the presidential primary in 1988, he was chairman of Democrat Al Gores campaign in Texas. Michael Dukakis eventually won the Democratic nomination, and lost the presidential election to George H.W. Bush. The following year, Perry announced he was switching parties.

3. Hes friends with rocker Ted Nugent

Perrys friend Nugent performed at his second inauguration ceremony in July 2007. The performance  and in particular, Nugents decision to wear a Confederate flag T-shirt onstage  sparked controversy.

4. He married his childhood sweetheart

Perry and his wife, Anita, met at a piano recital when they were both elementary school students in Texas. Anita Perry received a degree in nursing from West Texas State University and has led a number of health projects around Texas. The couple, who wed in 1982, have two grown children, Griffin and Sydney.

5. He cant resist a good prank

While a student at Texas A&M  where he initially wanted to study veterinary medicine  Perry figured out how to drop M-80s into the plumbing system on the second floor so that they would shoot out of toilets on the first floor. He also, on one occasion, put live chickens inside a fellow students closet.




Donald Trump held a "Thank You" rally in Wisconsin Tuesday night where he appeared with House Speaker Paul Ryan and defended his choice of secretary of state.

Read: Kanye West Visits Trump, Then Tells Reporters, 'I Just Want to Take a Picture'

The president-elect's pick for top diplomat, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, is facing scrutiny by Congress over his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Trump is standing by Tillerson's credentials.

Rex is one of the most skilled and global business leaders of our time, he said at the rally. He is a great diplomat, a strong man, a tough man, a man who has already earned an avalanche of endorsements and praise from our nations top leaders.

House Speaker Paul Ryan presented Trump with a No. 45 Green Bay Packers jersey and the former Apprentice host had some backhanded praise for the Wisconsin politician, whom he feuded with during the campaign.

"I've come to appreciate him," Trump said. "He's like a fine wine. Every day I appreciate his genius more and more."

Tuesday night marked the first time the two have stood on stage together. They were also joined by Vice President-elect Mike Pence.

Trump was not expected to have a victory in Wisconsin, since the Cheese State has swayed Democrat in every election since 1984, but in 2016, they went Republican.

Tech honchos that include Apple's Tim Cook, Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg and Googles Larry Page are meeting with the president-elect at Trump Tower Wednesday.

Read: Donald Trump Vs. CIA: The War of Words About Russia's Alleged Involvement in U.S. Election

Tuesday mornings surprise summit with Kanye West was fodder for the late night comics.

Jimmy Kimmel gagged: Donald Trump met with Kanye West today. He does know he's not hosting Celebrity Apprentice anymore, right?

Stephen Colbert joked on The Late Show: You can tell it was high-powered meeting because Kanye is wearing his formal sweatsuit.

Story continues

On The Daily Show, Trevor Noah mocked Kanye Wests new blonde hairdo and compared it to Trumps golden locks.

He was in Trump Tower less than an hour and Trumps people gold plated his head already?! I guess it could have been worse, Kanye could have come out rocking the full Donald," Noah joked as a mock-up of West with Trump's hair appeared beside him.

Watch: Ms. Trump Goes to Washington? Ivanka Reportedly Planning to Relocate Family to D.C.

Related Articles:
By Dustin Volz and David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has made no secret of his disdain for the titans of Silicon Valley, will host executives from top technology companies for a meeting at his Manhattan tower on Wednesday.

Tech luminaries, including Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook, Facebook Inc Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg and Tesla Motors Inc Executive Elon Musk, will seek to find common ground on economic issues at the roundtable even as much of the industry remains angered by the Republican president-elect's harsh rhetoric on illegal immigration, hostility to free trade and public broadsides against the industry.

The meeting, organized by Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and PayPal co-founder and Trump supporter Peter Thiel, is billed as an introductory session, four sources briefed on the talks said, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting.

Sources said Wednesday's meeting may skirt the numerous disagreements with the president-elect in favor of a focus on shared priorities.

"If he can reform the tax code, reduce regulation, and negotiate better trade deals, the U.S. technology community will be stronger and more competitive than ever," Oracle Chief Executive Safra Catz, who will attend the meeting, said in a statement.

Other expected participants include Alphabet Inc Chief Executive Larry Page and Chairman Eric Schmidt, Amazon.com Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Satya Nadella, IBM Chief Executive Ginni Rometty and Oracle, sources said.

The CEOs of Airbnb and Uber - which are not publicly traded - were invited but are not attending. Uber's Travis Kalanick, will not attend because he will be traveling in India all week, according to a person familiar with his plans.

'SOME HESITATION'

Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption, and his surprise victory last month alarmed many companies that feared he might follow through on his pledges.

Story continues

Those concerns have not been assuaged in recent weeks as Trump has threatened to upset trade relationships with China and appoint officials who favor expanded surveillance programs.

"For some of the companies, there was some hesitation about whether to attend" because of sharp political and personal differences with Trump, one tech industry source said.

More than 200 employees of technology companies pledged in an open letter on Tuesday to refuse to help Trump's administration build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.

Silicon Valley enjoyed a warm rapport with Democratic President Barack Obama and heavily supported Democrat Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign.

Schmidt was photographed on election night at Clinton headquarters wearing a staff badge, and Musk said in interviews before the election that Trump's character reflected poorly on the United States.

From the employees of the 10 largest Fortune 500 tech companies, Trump raised just $179,400 from 982 campaign donors who contributed more than $200. Clinton raised $4.4 million from the employees of the same companies, with more than 20,400 donations, a Reuters review of contribution data found.

Trump publicly bashed the industry during the campaign. He urged his supporters to boycott Apple products over the company's refusal to help the FBI unlock an iPhone associated with last year's San Bernardino, California, shootings, threatened antitrust action against Amazon and demanded that tech companies build their products in the United States.

Trump has also been an opponent of the Obama administration's net neutrality rules barring internet service providers from obstructing or slowing consumer access to web content. Two advisers to his Federal Communications Commission transition team are opponents of the rules, as are the two Republicans on the FCC.

Last week, the two Republicans on the panel urged a quick reversal of many Obama policies and one, Commissioner Ajit Pai, said he believed that net neutrality's "days are numbered." (Reporting by Dustin Volz and David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Grant Smith, Heather Somerville and Jim Finkle; Editing by Jonathan Weber and and Peter Cooney)
By Gina Cherelus and Dustin Volz

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump and some of Silicon Valley's most powerful executives met at his Manhattan tower on Wednesday, a summit convened to smooth over frictions after both sides made no secret of their disdain for each other during the election campaign.

The meeting was expected to focus on economic issues and skirt the numerous disagreements the tech industry has with Trump - including on immigration, the trade relationship with China and digital privacy - in favour of a focus on shared priorities, sources said.

"There's nobody like the people in this room, and anything we can do to help this go along we're going to do that for you," Trump told the executives gathered in a conference room on the 25th floor of Trump Tower. "You call my people, you call me, it doesn't make any difference. We have no formal chain of command," he said.

Trump added: "We're going to make fair trade deals. We're going to make it a lot easier for you to trade across borders."

Three of Trump's adult children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, sat at the head of a large rectangular table as the meeting began. Their attendance may fuel further concern about potential conflicts of interests for Trump, who has said he would hand over control of his business empire to his children while he occupies the White House.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence was also in attendance. Guests sat in front of paper name plates and bottles of water sporting the Trump brand logo.

The meeting between tech luminaries, including Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) Tim Cook, Facebook Inc's (FB.O) Sheryl Sandberg and Tesla Motors Inc's (TSLA.O) Elon Musk, took place as Trump has alarmed some U.S. corporations with his rhetoric challenging long-established policy toward China, a main market for Silicon Valley.

A senior Chinese state planning official told the China Daily newspaper Wednesday that Beijing could slap a penalty on a U.S. automaker for monopolistic behaviour, a warning delivered days after Trump questioned acknowledging Taiwan as part of "one China."

Story continues

The official did not identify the automaker.

The tech summit is being billed as an introductory session, said sources briefed on the talks.

Several company executives thanked Trump for hosting the meeting during introductions attended by reporters. Sandberg said she was most interested in discussing job creation.

Other expected participants include Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, Amazon.com's (AMZN.O) Jeff Bezos, Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) Satya Nadella, and Ginni Rometty from IBM (IBM.N), sources said.

Twitter was not invited to the meeting because it was too small, a transition spokesman told Reuters.

Cook and Musk will join Trump for a separate meeting after the other technology executives leave, a spokesman for Trump's transition team said.

The CEOs of Airbnb and Uber were invited but are not attending. Uber's Travis Kalanick will instead be travelling in India all week, according to a person familiar with his plans.

Bezos said in a statement the meeting was "very productive" and that he "shared the view that the administration should make innovation one of its key pillars, which would create a huge number of jobs across the whole country, in all sectors, not just tech - agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing -everywhere."

'SOME HESITATION'

Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the election campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption, and his surprise victory last month alarmed many companies that feared he might follow through on his pledges. He has said that many tech companies are overvalued by investors.

"You look at some of these tech stocks that are so, so weak as a concept and a company and they're selling for so much money," he told Reuters in an interview in May.

Those concerns have not been assuaged in recent weeks as Trump has threatened to upset trade relationships with China and appoint officials who favour expanded surveillance programs.

"For some of the companies, there was some hesitation about whether to attend" because of sharp political and personal differences with Trump, one tech industry source said.

More than 600 employees of technology companies pledged in an open letter on Tuesday to refuse to help Trump's administration build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.

Silicon Valley enjoyed a warm rapport with President Barack Obama and heavily supported Democrat Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign.

Schmidt was photographed on election night at Clinton headquarters wearing a staff badge, and Musk said in interviews before the election that Trump's character reflected poorly on the United States.

Despite those tensions, Trump named Musk to a business advisory council that will give private-sector input to Trump after he takes office on Jan. 20. Uber's Kalanick was also appointed to the council.

From the employees of the 10 largest Fortune 500 tech companies, Trump raised just $179,400 from 982 campaign donors who contributed more than $200. Clinton raised $4.4 million from the employees of the same companies, with more than 20,400 donations, a Reuters review of contribution data found.

Trump publicly bashed the industry during the campaign. He urged his supporters to boycott Apple products over the company's refusal to help the FBI unlock an iPhone associated with last year's San Bernardino, California, shootings, threatened antitrust action against Amazon and demanded that tech companies build their products in the United States.

Trump has also been an opponent of the Obama administration's "net neutrality" rules barring internet service providers from obstructing or slowing consumer access to web content. Two advisers to his Federal Communications Commission transition team are opponents of the rules, as are the two Republicans on the FCC.

Last week, the two Republicans on the panel urged a quick reversal of many Obama policies and one, Commissioner Ajit Pai, said he believed that net neutrality's "days are numbered."

(Additional reporting by David Shepardson, Andy Sullivan, Grant Smith, Heather Somerville, Steve Holland, Jim Finkle and Jeffrey Dastin; Editing by Alistair Bell and Grant McCool)
By Gina Cherelus and Dustin Volz NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump and some of Silicon Valley's most powerful executives met at his Manhattan tower on Wednesday, a summit convened to smooth over frictions after both sides made no secret of their disdain for each other during the election campaign. The meeting was expected to focus on economic issues and skirt the numerous disagreements the tech industry has with Trump - including on immigration, the trade relationship with China and digital privacy - in favor of a focus on shared priorities, sources said. "There's nobody like the people in this room, and anything we can do to help this go along we're going to do that for you," Trump told the executives gathered in a conference room on the 25th floor of Trump Tower. "You call my people, you call me, it doesn't make any difference. We have no formal chain of command," he said. Trump added: "We're going to make fair trade deals. We're going to make it a lot easier for you to trade across borders." Three of Trump's adult children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, sat at the head of a large rectangular table as the meeting began. Their attendance may fuel further concern about potential conflicts of interests for Trump, who has said he would hand over control of his business empire to his children while he occupies the White House. Vice President-elect Mike Pence was also in attendance. Guests sat in front of paper name plates and bottles of water sporting the Trump brand logo. The meeting between tech luminaries, including Apple Inc's Tim Cook, Facebook Inc's Sheryl Sandberg and Tesla Motors Inc's Elon Musk, took place as Trump has alarmed some U.S. corporations with his rhetoric challenging long-established policy toward China, a main market for Silicon Valley. A senior Chinese state planning official told the China Daily newspaper Wednesday that Beijing could slap a penalty on a U.S. automaker for monopolistic behavior, a warning delivered days after Trump questioned acknowledging Taiwan as part of "one China." The official did not identify the automaker. The tech summit is being billed as an introductory session, said sources briefed on the talks. Several company executives thanked Trump for hosting the meeting during introductions attended by reporters. Sandberg said she was most interested in discussing job creation. Other expected participants include Alphabet Inc's Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos, Microsoft Corp's Satya Nadella, and Ginni Rometty from IBM, sources said. Twitter was not invited to the meeting because it was too small, a transition spokesman told Reuters. Cook and Musk will join Trump for a separate meeting after the other technology executives leave, a spokesman for Trump's transition team said. The CEOs of Airbnb and Uber were invited but are not attending. Uber's Travis Kalanick will instead be traveling in India all week, according to a person familiar with his plans. Bezos said in a statement the meeting was "very productive" and that he "shared the view that the administration should make innovation one of its key pillars, which would create a huge number of jobs across the whole country, in all sectors, not just tech - agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing -everywhere." 'SOME HESITATION' Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the election campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption, and his surprise victory last month alarmed many companies that feared he might follow through on his pledges. He has said that many tech companies are overvalued by investors. "You look at some of these tech stocks that are so, so weak as a concept and a company and they're selling for so much money," he told Reuters in an interview in May. Those concerns have not been assuaged in recent weeks as Trump has threatened to upset trade relationships with China and appoint officials who favor expanded surveillance programs. "For some of the companies, there was some hesitation about whether to attend" because of sharp political and personal differences with Trump, one tech industry source said. More than 600 employees of technology companies pledged in an open letter on Tuesday to refuse to help Trump's administration build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations. Silicon Valley enjoyed a warm rapport with President Barack Obama and heavily supported Democrat Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign. Schmidt was photographed on election night at Clinton headquarters wearing a staff badge, and Musk said in interviews before the election that Trump's character reflected poorly on the United States. Despite those tensions, Trump named Musk to a business advisory council that will give private-sector input to Trump after he takes office on Jan. 20. Uber's Kalanick was also appointed to the council. From the employees of the 10 largest Fortune 500 tech companies, Trump raised just $179,400 from 982 campaign donors who contributed more than $200. Clinton raised $4.4 million from the employees of the same companies, with more than 20,400 donations, a Reuters review of contribution data found. Trump publicly bashed the industry during the campaign. He urged his supporters to boycott Apple products over the company's refusal to help the FBI unlock an iPhone associated with last year's San Bernardino, California, shootings, threatened antitrust action against Amazon and demanded that tech companies build their products in the United States. Trump has also been an opponent of the Obama administration's "net neutrality" rules barring internet service providers from obstructing or slowing consumer access to web content. Two advisers to his Federal Communications Commission transition team are opponents of the rules, as are the two Republicans on the FCC. Last week, the two Republicans on the panel urged a quick reversal of many Obama policies and one, Commissioner Ajit Pai, said he believed that net neutrality's "days are numbered." (Additional reporting by David Shepardson, Andy Sullivan, Grant Smith, Heather Somerville, Steve Holland, Jim Finkle and Jeffrey Dastin; Editing by Alistair Bell and Grant McCool)
Next up on President-elect Donald Trump's victory tour? The Badger State.

Trump and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, were scheduled to appear at 7 p.m. local time



Tuesday at the Wisconsin State Fair Exposition Center in West Allis, Wisconsin, to thank voters and drum up support for the new commander-in-chief.

Watch a live stream of Trump's appearance below or on CNN here:

The USA Thank You Tour's Wisconsin stop comes just a day after the state ended its presidential election recount, which started Dec. 1 at Green Party nominee Jill Stein's request. In November, Trump beat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, nabbing 1,409,467 votes to her 1,382,210, according to Politico.

The recount found 844 more votes for Trump and 713 for Clinton, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Bottom line: Trump did, indeed, win the state's 10 electoral votes.

"Completing this recount was a challenge, but the real winners are the voters," Elections Commission Chairman Mark Thomsen said in a statement. "Based on the recount, they can have confidence that Wisconsins election results accurately reflect the will of the people, regardless of whether they are counted by hand or by machine."

The announcement of the final results coincided with Friday's news that a CIA assessment recently found Russia had interfered in the election in Trump's favor, namely by hacking the Democratic National Committee.

Trump addressed both the recount and the Russia assessment on Twitter this week. "The final Wisconsin vote is in and guess what - we just picked up an additional 131 votes. The Dems and Green Party can now rest. Scam!" he wrote Monday, adding that if the election results were opposite, and the Republican party "tried to play the Russia/CIA card," it would be called a conspiracy theory.

Trump's Wisconsin appearance was also set to follow his nomination of Rex Tillerson, the chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation, to secretary of state.

Related Articles
By Timothy Gardner and Emily Stephenson

WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump's transition team on Wednesday disavowed a survey sent to the U.S. Department of Energy that requested the names of people working on climate change in the agency.

"The questionnaire was not authorized or part of our standard protocol," Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said. "The person who sent it has been properly counseled."

Spicer declined to comment further on the team's protocols.

The survey of 74 questions, which the Energy Department received last Tuesday, asked for the names of workers and contractors who had attended U.N. climate meetings. It also asked for the names of those who had attended meetings on the social cost of carbon, a metric that federal agencies use in formulating regulations on the energy business.

The department had balked at the survey this week, saying it would not comply. "We are going to respect the professional and scientific integrity and independence of our employees at our labs and across our department," department spokesman Eben Burnham-Snyder said on Tuesday.

"We will be forthcoming with all publicly available information with the transition team. We will not be providing any individual names to the transition team."

The survey had also asked for a list of all the professional society memberships that workers at the department's 17 laboratories belong to.

The White House weighed in on the survey this week. Josh Earnest, a White House spokesman, said the questionnaire "could have been an attempt to target civil servants" including career scientists and lawyers and other experts critical to the government's ability to make policy.

Trump, a Republican, said during the campaign that climate change was a hoax perpetrated by China to damage U.S. manufacturing. He said he would rip up last year's landmark global climate deal struck in Paris that was signed by Democratic President Barack Obama.

Since winning however, Trump has said he will keep an "open mind" about the Paris deal. He also met with former Vice President Al Gore and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, strong advocates for action on climate change.

Trump has picked climate skeptic Rick Perry to run the Energy Department. Perry, governor of Texas from December 2000 to January 2015, would replace nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner and Emily Stephenson; editing by Grant McCool)
(Adds Energy Department spokesman, letter to Pence from Democratic lawmakers)

By Timothy Gardner and Emily Stephenson

WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump's transition team on Wednesday disavowed a survey sent to the U.S. Department of Energy that requested the names of people working on climate change in the agency.

"The questionnaire was not authorized or part of our standard protocol," Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said. "The person who sent it has been properly counseled."

Spicer declined to comment further on the team's protocols.

The survey of 74 questions, which the Energy Department received last Tuesday, asked for the names of workers and contractors who had attended U.N. climate meetings. It also asked for the names of those who had attended meetings on the social cost of carbon, a metric that federal agencies use in formulating regulations on the energy business.

The department had balked at the survey on Monday, saying it would not comply.

A department spokesman said on Wednesday that the Trump team's disavowal hopefully signals the return to a smooth transition at the agency.

The survey had also asked for a list of all the professional society memberships of workers at the department's 17 national laboratories and all of their recent publications.

The White House weighed in on the survey this week. Josh Earnest, a White House spokesman, said the questionnaire "could have been an attempt to target civil servants," including career scientists and lawyers and other experts critical to the government's ability to make policy.

In addition, hours before the disavowal, Democratic U.S. Representatives Frank Pallone and Elijah Cummings sent a letter to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, the head of the transition, saying the team is entitled to select political appointees who share Trump's climate views, but that any effort to marginalize civil servants on the basis of their scientific analysis would be an "abuse of authority."

Story continues

Trump, a Republican, has said that climate change was a hoax perpetrated by China. He said he would rip up last year's landmark global climate deal struck in Paris that was signed by Democratic President Barack Obama.

Since winning the election, however, Trump, who will take office on Jan. 20, has said he will keep an "open mind" about the Paris deal. He also met with former Vice President Al Gore and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, strong advocates for action on climate change.

Trump has picked climate change skeptic Rick Perry to run the Energy Department. Perry, governor of Texas from December 2000 to January 2015, would replace nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz.

(Additional reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Grant McCool and Jonathan Oatis)
WASHINGTON (AP)  Donald Trump's transition team said Wednesday that he is getting formal intelligence briefings at least three times a week, despite his assertion that he doesn't need frequent briefings.

Spokesman Sean Spicer said the president-elect also is meeting daily with incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn on intelligence matters. Flynn is a retired Army general and led the Defense Intelligence Agency until 2014.

"Every single day, he's getting a briefing," Spicer told reporters on the daily transition conference call. "Three times a week, it's the actual" President's Daily Brief, the highest-level intelligence document produced in the United States.

Trump has challenged the necessity of a daily intelligence briefing, telling Fox News Sunday in a recent interview that he doesn't need to hear the same information every day.

"I get it when I need it," he said of the top-secret briefing sessions, which are generally designed to give a president the latest information on security conditions around the world.

"I'm, like, a smart person," Trump said. "I don't have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years."

President Barack Obama fired back on Comedy Central a day later, saying any president who shuns daily intelligence briefings would be "flying blind" on national security matters and that Trump probably will change his mind once in office.

Trump campaigned heavily on national security, crafting one widely seen ad that claimed he'll "make America safe again." He wrapped several campaign proposals in the national security theme, including a temporary ban on Muslim immigration and immediate deportation of millions of people in the country illegally.

Most modern-day presidents-elect had intelligence officials brief them nearly every day on the contents of the President's Daily Brief. It covers hot spots around the globe, U.S. covert operations and intelligence about world leaders.
Understanding Donald Trumps foreign policy is truly an exercise in separating the signal from the noise. Trump says and does so much, often on a whim, that it can overwhelm the senses. There is so much that he knows so little about  Taiwan, for instance  that it is hard to say if small actions are part of a coherent strategy or if hes simply winging it.

But now that the president-elect has announced his picks for key foreign-policy positions, his foreign policy is starting to become clear or at least clearer. Though Trumps own foreign-policy views are captured by his America First slogan, his administration will be split between three national security factions  the America Firsters, the religious warriors, and the traditionalists  each of which distrusts the others but also needs them to check the third. The question is what effect this power struggle will have on U.S. foreign policy, particularly amid a crisis  and whether Trump, over time, will insist on asserting his personal will against the other factions with which he has surrounded himself.

Donald Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, and Trump campaign CEO Stephen Bannon stand on stage at the New York Hilton Midtown in the early morning hours of Nov. 9. (CHIP SOMODEVILLA/Getty Images)

America First

Few people think of Trump as a foreign-policy thinker. He has been on every side of numerous issues, including climate change, Syria, North Korea, Iraq, and nuclear weapons. However, it is indisputable that Trump has a small number of core beliefs dating back three decades about Americas role in the world. His overarching worldview is that America is in economic decline because other nations are taking advantage of it.

Three beliefs stand out. Trump has been a staunch critic of Americas security alliances since 1987 and has demanded that U.S. allies transfer vast sums of money to the United States in exchange for protection. He has opposed every trade deal the United States has signed since World War II and advocated for the widespread use of tariffs. And he has a soft spot for authoritarian strongmen, particularly of the Russian variety. This appears to date back to 1990 when he visited Russia and came back deeply disillusioned in Mikhail Gorbachev and convinced that Moscow should have emulated Chinas repression in Tiananmen Square. Trump has been consistent on each of these issues for 30 years. For a detailed analysis of his statements and writings on these topics, see here and here. Trump repeatedly raised these views in the campaign, even when it was politically risky to do so (as in his praise of Vladimir Putin).

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The big question has been whether and how Trump may act on these beliefs and convert them into policy. Trump is unlikely to unilaterally withdraw from Americas treaty alliances and commitments, but he is also unlikely to support and uphold them as much as his predecessors have. If one looks closely at his statements over the past three decades, Trumps frustration is that the United States gets little for protecting other countries or securing the global order, which he sees as a tradable asset that America can use as a bargaining chip with friend and foe alike.

For instance, when asked in an interview with Fox News Sunday about his call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, he said, I dont know why we have to be bound by a One-China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade. The implication was that if China were to make major concessions on the economic front, Taiwan may be on the table. Indeed, the Taiwan call fits into the negotiating framework described in his book The Art of The Deal, which describes how Trump would open up previously closed issues to get leverage that could later be traded in a negotiation. So, what is it that Trump wants? Anecdotal evidence from the past month suggests that his top concern in discussion with foreign leaders and diplomats is: Whats in it for America economically? He wants major concessions on the terms of Americas economic relationship with other countries, including greater direct investment in the United States.

This would be a revolutionary diplomatic strategy. For 70 years, the United States has protected its alliances and refused to abandon them under pressure from rivals. The United States does not do deals with Russia and China over the heads of its friends  the mantra has been nothing about you without you. Trump is signaling something different. Allies that are seeking bilateral trade deals with the United States should be cautious. The United Kingdom, for instance, may find that a President Trump will ask London what it is willing to pay for continued military and intelligence cooperation.

The mystery in all of this is why Trump is so keen to work with Russia. The United States has little economic interest in the Russian economy. Trade and investment are miniscule compared with China. And Russia has very little that the United States wants. Instead, the demand for change comes almost entirely from Russia  on NATO, sanctions, and in the Middle East. But Trumps fondness for Russia, however idiosyncratic, is long-standing and unwavering.

But although Trump may have strong foreign-policy views, he does not have a large cadre of followers willing and capable of turning his worldview into reality. Steve Bannon, his chief strategist and an avowed nationalist, is an exception, though he is not a foreign-policy professional. The Republican Partys foreign-policy establishment overwhelmingly rejected Trump because they took him at his word and saw him as a threat to the U.S. postwar strategy. Some  the #NeverTrumpers  signed a letter opposing him. Others left the door open to serving but primarily because they wanted to prevent him from realizing his decades-old ambition. Trump lacked allies for his cause, but he found them in another place.

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn delivers a speech at the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. (CHIP SOMODEVILLA/Getty Images)

Religious warriors to Trumps rescue

Republican foreign policy since 9/11 has had two basic strands, which sometimes contradict each other. The first is that the United States is in an existential fight against radical Islam. The second is that Americas global interests involve the maintenance of U.S. leadership in Europe and East Asia  interests, in other words, that extend far beyond combating radical Islam. The Republican establishment has always toed the line on the first, but it has increasingly focused much more on the second. The global war on terror has, of late, taken second place to balancing China and containing Russia.

But a group within the Republican tent never made this shift. These are the people who believe the United States is engaged in a war against radical Islam that is equivalent to World War II or the Cold War. They believe it is a struggle rooted in religion to which all else should be subservient  that Americas overwhelming focus must be on radical Islam instead of revisionist powers in Europe or Asia. They also generally favor moving away from a values-based foreign policy to harsh methods to wage a major war.

For the most part, the leaders of this school of thought have been dismissed as cranks or ideologues. But their views were widely shared in the Republican electorate, who were increasingly alarmed by the Islamic State. And they found an ally in Trump.

In January and February, Trump was under pressure to unveil a foreign-policy team. The Republican foreign-policy establishment overwhelmingly condemned him, largely because of his America First views. It was at this point that retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn started advising him. Flynn won plaudits in the mid-2000s for his role in the intelligence effort against al Qaeda in Iraq, but when he was appointed head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, he ran into trouble for his management style and policy views. He was forced out of his position and subsequently made it clear that he thought the Obama administration was not taking radical Islam seriously. Several weeks after Flynn came on board, Trump rolled out a list of foreign-policy advisors. Most were completely unknown, but the name Walid Phares stood out. Phares has a controversial past as a leading figure in a Lebanese Christian militia and is known as a hard-liner in the war on terror. Other such hard-liners would follow.

Trump made the fight against radical Islam the heart of his foreign policy in the campaign, and it allowed him to promote his America First worldview by translating it into terms recognizable to Washington. Being pro-Russia is not a popular position in U.S. politics, but it sounds more plausible if voters believe that radical Islam is an existential threat. The specter of radical Islam also provided a context for Trumps view that NATO is obsolete and the United States is doing too much in Asia.

The effect of this alliance was to elevate advisors and politicians who believe that radical Islam is a new world war that justifies an extraordinary response. This group sees Trump as a means of waging the war on terror, but they do not fully buy into the rest of his worldview. Even though they see other challenges as secondary, they are reluctant to collapse U.S. influence in Asia and Europe and hand those regions over to China and Russia. During the campaign, there were numerous reports that these advisors had personally assured foreign ambassadors that Trump did not really mean what he said on alliances and trade. He was, they said, looking for a marginally better deal. Notably, this never came from Trump himself, and it is unlikely that he knew of these briefings. Whenever Trump spoke on these topics  in the debates or at rallies  he was as uncompromising as ever.

Vice president-elect Mike Pence, President-elect Donald Trump, and retired United States Marine Corps general James Mattis exit the clubhouse after their meeting at Trump International Golf Club. (DREW ANGERER/Getty Images)

Looking for a traditionalist safety net

The Trump administration will take office with these two ideas in the ascendant  Trumps version of America First and those who want to wage all-out war against radical Islam  but both are crude and underdeveloped. There are no specific policy proposals about how to implement either approach, let alone reconcile them. Instead, there are vague headline-grabbing gestures  call radical Islam for what it is, use waterboarding, stand up to allies, bomb the shit out of ISIS, and so on. There has never been a foreign-policy school of thought that won an election and is less prepared to govern than America First or the desire to fight a religious war.

Consider, for example, Flynns book, The Field of Fight, published this year. The book is written in Flynns voice, but his co-author is Michael Ledeen, a hard-liner known for wanting to wage war against radical Islam. In it, Flynn writes that the Muslim world is a spectacular failure and radical Islam now represents this failed civilization. He argues, without providing any evidence, that radical Islam is in an active alliance with Russia, China, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela, all of which share a hatred of the West. He calls for the United States to wage a war against this alliance on a scale comparable to World War II or the Cold War. He states repeatedly that the United States must counter Iranian influence, including in Syria.

Its a mystery what could motivate a foreign policy professional to espouse such views or what practical policy agenda could possibly emerge from them. Thats not to mention Flynns history of appearing regularly on RT, a Kremlin-funded TV station; meeting with Putin; saying positive things about Russia; and proposing partnerships with Moscow to fight the Islamic State. He did this before and after his book was published. One interpretation is that the Russia sections of the book more reflect Ledeens views and Flynn went along. Alternatively, perhaps Flynn adjusted his views on Russia to align with Trumps after the book was finished but before it was published. Either way, it raises many more questions about Flynns future policy advice than it answers.

Trump and the religious warriors know that they cannot govern alone or just with each other. With his isolationist tendencies, Trump likely worries that the religious warriors will drag him into new wars in the Middle East that he wants to avoid. For their part, the religious warriors worry that Trump will use the partnership with Russia to largely abandon the Middle East and empower Iran. They also have no desire to liquidate Americas alliances, and some are wary about Russian influence in Europe. Moreover, neither the America Firsters nor the religious warriors have the number of qualified people required to take over all of the key foreign-policy positions in government, especially for Europe and Asia.

This is where the traditionalists come in. The traditionalists include all those officials who support the institutions of American power and are generally comfortable with the post-World War II bipartisan consensus on U.S. strategy, even though they may seek to change it on the margins. It is a broad tent. There are Russia hawks and China hawks, unilateralists and multilateralists, those who favor restraint and those who want to dramatically increase U.S. power and influence. Among them are Mitt Romney, James Mattis, Richard Haass, Mike Rogers, Bob Corker, and Stephen Hadley. One level down, it includes most of the Republican foreign-policy establishment who could staff a Trump administration.

The traditionalists who enter the administration or consult with it see their role as steering the Trump administration toward a mainstream foreign policy, especially in Europe and Asia, and avoiding the excesses of America First and religious war. Their first priority will be to maintain Americas alliance system and military presence around the world.

There was some evidence in the early days of the transition that Trump was willing to move in a traditionalist direction to avoid precipitating a crisis. Two days after the election, on Nov. 10, Trump told President Park Geun-hye in a phone call that he supported the alliance with South Korea, despite having criticized it for the past 30 years. Trump would later tell the New York Times that President Barack Obama had identified one major national security problem facing the country that required urgent attention. It was subsequently reported that this was North Korea. Deterring an imminent threat from North Korea was probably the reason why Trump reversed himself on the alliance with South Korea.

Curiously, Trump did not issue a statement supporting the U.S.-Japan alliance after his in-person meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Japanese leader described Trump as a person he could trust, but the absence of any mention of continuing U.S. support for the alliance was conspicuous. Perhaps Trump felt under less pressure on Japan than on Korea, but the contrast between the call with Park and the meeting with Abe was striking.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson attend the signing of an agreement between state-controlled Russian oil company Rosneft and ExxonMobil on June 15, 2012. (MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/AFP/Getty Images)

A delicate balance

These three factions  the America Firsters, the religious warriors, and the traditionalists  are mutually suspicious. But each also needs the others to check the third. Trump needs the religious warriors to prevent a mainstream takeover, but he fears they will drag him into a war against Iran. The religious warriors need Trump to achieve their objectives, but they also have no desire to collapse the U.S. alliance system. The traditionalists need both to check the radical impulses of the other.

Preserving this delicate balance appears to have been a key priority in the formation of the cabinet. It explains why Flynn reportedly objected to Mattis on the grounds that he did not want any principal to militarily outrank him and also why Trump overruled him. It could also explain why Trump passed on Mitt Romney. As secretary of state, Romney could have forged a partnership with Mattis, giving the traditionalists tremendous power.

This is why naming Rex Tillerson as secretary of state was so important for Trump. A week before he was named, Trumps senior aide Kellyanne Conway told the press that Trump was expanding the list of names for secretary of state and that the most important consideration was that the nominee would be to implement and adhere to the president-elects America-first foreign policy  if you will, his view of the world. The implication was clear: Romney, David Petraeus, and others would not fit the bill, so Trump would have to look elsewhere. He found Tillerson.

Tillerson is a pragmatist and a dealmaker. In many ways, he is a traditionalist. After all, he was endorsed by James Baker, Robert Gates, Hadley, and Condoleezza Rice. However, Trump also sees him, based on his personal relationship with Putin and opposition to sanctions on Russia, as someone willing to cut deals with strongmen and who sees national security through an economic lens and is thus an embodiment of his own America First views. Speaking in Wisconsin hours after naming Tillerson, Trump said, Rex is friendly with many of the leaders in the world that we dont get along with, and some people dont like that. They dont want them to be friendly. Thats why Im doing the deal with Rex, cause I like what this is all about. Tillerson, ultimately, is an unknown quantity  nobody knows whether he will serve as a proxy for the establishment and steer Trump in a traditionalist direction or rather be the means by which Trump cuts deals with Americas rivals over the heads of U.S. allies.

Mattiss role as secretary of defense is also critical. Mattis will not be bullied or pushed around, and he will likely work closely with Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to stop outlandish policy proposals and irresponsible military operations and to reassure Americas allies. Mattis has said one or two things about political Islam that resemble the rhetoric of the religious warriors, but these have generally been taken out of context. He has a track record of working closely with Americas Arab allies and has a much more mainstream view of U.S. policy in the Middle East. Its fair to say that he is an Iran hawk, but it bears noting that he has clearly stated that the United States should not unilaterally withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

The three-way power struggle inside the Trump administration will not be particularly stable. It is riven by distrust. There are serious doubts about Flynns capacity to manage his staff and the interagency process and his ability to navigate the national security bureaucracy. Its already widely expected that Flynn will clash regularly with Mattis and others. This may play out in the hundreds of foreign-policy appointments that are still to be made. Moreover, if the Trump administration experiences early problems of its own making, Trump will look for someone to blame  and how he does so will affect the national security teams tripartite balance.

But the greatest clashes will be over how to tackle specific issues. The first may be Syria, where Trump told the New York Times that he disagrees with all of his advisors on how to act. He was probably referring to his preference to ally with Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which would have the inevitable consequence of empowering Iran  anathema to the religious warriors who want to fight Shiite Iran and Sunni extremists simultaneously. The Iran nuclear deal is a second stumbling block  the religious warriors favor an extremely tough policy toward Tehran, but there are serious doubts about whether Trump would attack Irans nuclear facilities if the deal collapsed. There is also Trumps proposal to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, which could raise tensions in the region. And there is the outreach to Russia and the saber rattling with China, which some traditionalists (and perhaps, too, the Taiwanese government) fear is a precursor to negotiation.

US President-elect Donald Trump gets on an elevator after speaking with the media at Trump Tower on December 6. (EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Trumpism ascendant

Taking a step back, the inescapable fact is that American national security policy is a hierarchical enterprise. There are some checks and balances, but they are fewer than in the domestic space. No one can make the commander in chief do something he does not want to do. They cant make him threaten force or use it to uphold an alliance. They cannot make him sign a trade agreement or a treaty. And they cannot make him support democracy and human rights around the world. Trumps worldview is to reduce Americas role in the world, and there is no foolproof check or balance to that.

This places an enormous premium on what Trump says and does. And although he may try to maintain his alliance with the religious warriors and endeavor to keep the traditionalists on board to stay out of trouble, much will depend on how he fares under the extraordinary pressure of the presidency. How will he react to being vilified by the Europeans for pulling out of the Paris climate agreement or for partnering with Putin in Syria? Will he tell them that they are on their own against Russia? Will he insult leaders who are critical of him? His tweets of the past few weeks provide no reassurance on this score.

It is quite possible that Trumps reactions to spats with allies, if they are motivated by his long-standing America First perspective, will have strategic consequences that render the best efforts of the other two factions completely meaningless. Trump may even welcome the chaos. A nationalist needs foreign rivals and foils. The problem with quarreling with real enemies is they may call your bluff and force you to use force or be humiliated. Quarreling with allies is easier. The long-term risks are enormous, but they are abstract and hard to communicate to the public.

Trumpism will also play out in hundreds of small ways. We got a preview in the days after Trumps election when he spent a couple of hours hanging out with Nigel Farage, the British nationalist and scourge of the European Union, and later tweeted his support for Farage becoming Britains ambassador to the United States. He then called Viktor Orban, the anti-EU illiberal democrat leading Hungary, offered to reset relations, and invited him to Washington. If such entreaties are repeated after Trump enters office, it could mark the unraveling of Americas traditional support for the European Union. But Trump is unlikely to care. Indeed, Bannon, his chief strategist, is already on the record as wanting to empower populists around the world in a global rebellion against the establishment.

The United States has built and led a liberal international order for the past 70 years. For the first time, America will have a president who rejects that strategy. Trump is not unchallenged, and there are few who share his vision. But he is poised to revolutionize U.S. foreign policy nevertheless.
By Ginger Gibson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump left Twitter off the invitation list for a meeting of technology company executives on Wednesday because it is too small, a spokesman for his transition team told Reuters.

The omission of Twitter from the meeting surprised some in the industry given Trump's prolific use of the social media platform during his election campaign and the company's high profile in discussions over policy issues such as cyber security and the spread of violent online propaganda.

"They werent invited because they arent big enough," the transition official said.

With a market capitalization of $13.85 billion, Twitter is smaller than Facebook and Amazon, companies that were included in the meeting in New York.

The smallest company in attendance was electric car maker Tesla, with a market capitalization of $31.92 billion.

Twitter's platform played a big role in Trump's ability to speak directly to millions of voters. Trump leveraged his sizable following on Twitter to circumvent traditional media to speak directly to the public and to bash his opponents.

During the Obama administration, Twitter was a regular participant in meetings meant to address technology concerns, especially given its use by groups such as Islamic State and the ease with which the site is used for online bullying.

One source familiar with Trump's relationship with Twitter said the decision to exclude Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey was motivated by the president-elect's ire at the company, which rejected an advertising deal with his campaign in October.

Trump's election campaign had offered to pay to have an emoji, or small picture, that would show up on tweets during the second presidential debate anytime Twitter users tweeted the phrase "#Crooked Hillary," Republican Trump's nickname for his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

Twitter rejected the deal, saying it might mislead users who would not be able to tell that the campaign had paid for the emoji.

Story continues

The Trump transition spokesman said the emoji had nothing to do with the invitation omission. The official said Trump has had public spats with other tech leaders who were invited, including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, and Apple CEO Tim Cook, who hosted a fundraiser for Clinton.

Trump, speaking to the group of technology officials at the meeting, acknowledged others had been left off the list, but he did not mention Twitter specifically.

"I won't tell you the hundreds of calls we've had asking to come to this meeting," he said to laughter in the room, "and I will say Peter (Thiel) was sort of saying 'no that company's too small,' and these are monster companies."

(Addtional reporting by Emily Stephenson and Dustin Volz; editing by Grant McCool)
By Ginger Gibson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump left Twitter off the invitation list for a meeting of technology company executives on Wednesday because it is too small, a spokesman for his transition team told Reuters. The omission of Twitter from the meeting surprised some in the industry given Trump's prolific use of the social media platform during his election campaign and the company's high profile in discussions over policy issues such as cyber security and the spread of violent online propaganda. "They werent invited because they arent big enough," the transition official said. With a market capitalization of $13.85 billion, Twitter is smaller than Facebook and Amazon , companies that were included in the meeting in New York. The smallest company in attendance was electric car maker Tesla, with a market capitalization of $31.92 billion. Twitter's platform played a big role in Trump's ability to speak directly to millions of voters. Trump leveraged his sizable following on Twitter to circumvent traditional media to speak directly to the public and to bash his opponents. During the Obama administration, Twitter was a regular participant in meetings meant to address technology concerns, especially given its use by groups such as Islamic State and the ease with which the site is used for online bullying. One source familiar with Trump's relationship with Twitter said the decision to exclude Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey was motivated by the president-elect's ire at the company, which rejected an advertising deal with his campaign in October. Trump's election campaign had offered to pay to have an emoji, or small picture, that would show up on tweets during the second presidential debate anytime Twitter users tweeted the phrase "#Crooked Hillary," Republican Trump's nickname for his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Twitter rejected the deal, saying it might mislead users who would not be able to tell that the campaign had paid for the emoji. The Trump transition spokesman said the emoji had nothing to do with the invitation omission. The official said Trump has had public spats with other tech leaders who were invited, including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, and Apple CEO Tim Cook, who hosted a fundraiser for Clinton. Trump, speaking to the group of technology officials at the meeting, acknowledged others had been left off the list, but he did not mention Twitter specifically. "I won't tell you the hundreds of calls we've had asking to come to this meeting," he said to laughter in the room, "and I will say Peter (Thiel) was sort of saying 'no that company's too small,' and these are monster companies." (Addtional reporting by Emily Stephenson and Dustin Volz; editing by Grant McCool)
GettyImages 629845080

An aide to President-elect Donald Trump said that a representative from Twitter wasn't invited to Wednesday's tech meeting at Trump Tower because the company is too small.

"They weren't there because they aren't big enough," the aide to Trump's transition team told Business Insider.

Jack Dorsey, CEO and cofounder of Twitter, was conspicuously absent from the meeting, which included tech heavyweights Apple CEO Tim Cook, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Citing a source, Politico reported earlier that Dorsey was snubbed by Trump in retribution for Twitter not permitting an emoji version of the "#CrookedHillary" hashtag during the campaign. The hashtag was a play on Trump's preferred campaign moniker for his rival, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Twitter's market capitalization of $13.85 billion, according to Reuters, puts it far below the likes of Apple, Facebook, and Tesla. The carmaker's market capitalization of $31.92 billion made it the smallest company in attendance at the meeting, Reuters reported.

A spokesperson for Twitter did not respond to requests for comment.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump plans to unveil his choice to fill the lingering U.S. Supreme Court vacancy around the time of his Jan. 20 inauguration after the Republican-led Senate refused to consider President Barack Obama's nominee, a senior Trump aide said on Wednesday. The top U.S. court has been down one justice since the death of long-serving conservative Antonin Scalia on Feb. 13, leaving it ideologically split with four conservatives and four liberals. Obama nominated appeals court judge Merrick Garland for the post on March 16 but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked the customary confirmation process from proceeding. During an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump's incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said the president-elect had not yet had any in-person interviews with potential Supreme Court nominees. "I think that's going to be something that we're going to start after the new year," Priebus said. "And certainly by the time we get to inauguration, either shortly before or shortly thereafter, we'll reveal the name of who our nominee will be." Scalia's replacement could tilt the ideological balance of the court for years to come, restoring the long-standing conservative majority just at a time when it appeared liberals would get an upper hand on the bench. This could be pivotal in wide range of issues including abortion, the death penalty, religious rights, presidential powers, transgender rights, federal regulations and others. Priebus said the age of the nominee will be a factor in Trump's deliberations, possibly preferring a relatively young jurist for the lifetime post. Priebus said that "I tend to believe younger is better" and "certainly longevity's a factor" but competence will be the most important component. Trump previously unveiled a list of 21 conservative jurists he would consider for the job and said this month he had whittled the list down to "probably three or four." The U.S. Constitution calls on the president to nominate members of the Supreme Court, with confirmation of the selection in the hands of the Senate. McConnell's Senate, in a move with little precedent in U.S. history, simply refused to consider the nomination, saying the winner of the Nov. 8 presidential election between Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton should make the pick. (Reporting by Will Dunham and Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Bill Trott)
It is not hyperbole to say the growing public disagreements between the U.S. intelligence community (IC) and the incoming Donald Trump administration are unprecedented. By ordering a full review of allegations of Russian into the 2016 election process, President Barack Obama is essentially asking the IC to make an analytical judgment about the validity of the election that will place Trump in the Oval Office. The president-elect and his surrogates, in turn, are dismissing any IC claims of Russian involvement, and the abilities more broadly of the entire IC itself.

Theres reason to believe this acrimony may soon end in tragedy. History shows that when the White House ignores or disbelieves intelligence analysis it is underprepared for foreign policy crises.

For now, it is useful to review how we have reached this unique point in American history. On Oct. 7, a joint statement by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director for National Intelligence determined that:

The U.S. Intelligence Community is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations. These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process. We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russias senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.

This earlier IC finding has since been enhanced by additional analysis. On Saturday, the Washington Post first reported the results of a briefing by IC officials to select U.S. senators. According to the reporting, the CIA produced a secret assessment that concluded: Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency, rather than just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system. An anonymous senior U.S. official was quoted as stating, It is the assessment of the intelligence community [note: not just the CIA] that Russias goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected. Thats the consensus view.

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Soon after, the New York Times reported that intelligence agencies concluded with high confidence that Russia acted covertly in the latter stages of the presidential campaign to harm Hillary Clintons chances and promote Donald J. Trump. This reporting also mentioned that Russian-directed hackers also breached Republican National Committee servers, but that information extracted had not been released. It also disclosed that the IC identified individuals from Russias military intelligence agency (the GRU) who oversaw the hacking efforts.

Some context for understanding that high confidence assessment: According to IC doctrine, the phrase high confidence is roughly correlated with a 80 to 95 percent probability of something having occurred. Interestingly, 100 percent (and zero percent) judgments are not even allowed for IC analysts; no analytical judgements are an absolute fact or certainty, which is why they are always phrased in terms of probability. History shows that such probability language can disappoint or confuse anyone hoping for an undeniable, clear-cut assessment. Probability language can also be exploited by someone interested in muddying the waters of an analysis.

That brings us to President-elect Trump, who has apparently reached his own conclusions about these IC assessments. In an interview with Time magazine, which named him Person of the Year, he stated: I dont believe [Russia] interfered, though adding the strange caveat that it could be Russia. It could be China. And it could be some guy in New Jersey. Later, Trumps transition office released an unprecedented statement On Claims of Foreign Interference in U.S. Elections, which began by defaming the CIA: These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

Two days later, Trump told Fox News Sunday: I think its ridiculous. I think its just another excuse. I dont believe it, while making the perplexing addition: They have no idea if its Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place. I mean, they have no idea. Most disturbingly, Trump included this wholly inaccurate and deeply misleading observation: Hacking is very interesting. Once they hack if you dont catch them in the act, youre not going to catch them.

Summarizing the president-elects various positions: Russia did not interfere in the U.S. election, anybody could have interfered including Russia, the IC simply has no idea, and it is impossible to investigate a cyber data breach after the fact. In other words, even though the U.S. government, according to Trump, will never be able to determine whether the Russian government actively interfered in the election, the president-elect has already reached his own conclusions  one that is at odds with the reported consensus of the IC.

There is a convergence in the responses to the latest IC claims among foreign-policy commentators who are politically aligned with Trump, and those who are affiliated with the left. They respond with two counter-charges. First, that there is no reason to believe any assessment by a U.S. intelligence agency on account of the flawed sourcing and erroneous judgments made in the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), Iraqs Continuing Programs for Weapons of Mass Destruction.

This notorious document suffered from several tradecraft errors. Senate investigators found it was compiled hurriedly and approved in 20 days, while the IC ideally prefers three months. The CIAs own after-action review noted [the NIE] was the product of three separate drafters, each responsible for independent sections, drawing from a mixed bag of analytic product. The Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction named a central flaw of the NIE that it took defensible assumptions (of Saddams prior behavior) and swathed them in the mystique of intelligence, providing secret information that seemed to support them but was in fact nearly worthless, if not misleading.

If this single  though massively consequential  NIE is your reference point for all intelligence estimates, then you may never believe any IC judgements. But it is worth recognizing that there have been hundreds of NIEs produced since October 2002, which the American public has zero basis to evaluate. The one that we do have a partial picture of was released in December 2007, Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities. While the 2002 NIE was hurried to influence congressional votes to approve the Iraq War, the 2007 version effectively halted any Bush administration plans to militarily coerce or attack Irans nuclear sites. As the later NIE determined: We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program. Your belief of contemporary IC claims of Russias involvement may be determined by whether your present beliefs are anchored in the 2002 or 2007 NIE.

The second counter-charge is that there has been no evidence produced by the U.S. government that directly implicates the Russian government in interfering with the presidential election. Unfortunately, the IC generally does not, and likely will not, publicly release the evidence that serves as the basis for its analytical judgment of any Russian involvement. Doing so would reveal the sources and collection methods that were used to obtain the evidence. Indeed, an unnamed U.S. official has already told that Los Angeles Times that producing such specific information would compromise its future intelligence collection capabilities.

The IC  either in released documents, congressional hearings, or interviews  almost never declares such evidence publicly. (With then-Secretary of State Colin Powells February 2003 presentation before the U.N. Security Council being an extremely rare instance.) This has always been the case. Interested readers can skim over 1,700 fully or partially declassified NIEs at the CIAs Electronic Reading Room, which are searchable by title, geographic area, and function. You notice analytical judgments with qualifying language, but rarely the granular proof in the form of names, clear command and control instructions, or chains of evidence.

The most that citizens can realistically hope for the IC to publish regarding Russias involvement in the November elections are its key judgments, confidence levels, and general rationale for those judgments. President Obama has the authority to declassify anything he chooses. Hopefully, he is especially forthcoming and transparent with the results of the formal review that he ordered last week. Whether the Trump administration and policymakers of both parties are persuaded by the reviews conclusions, or remain firmly convinced of their prior positions, will reveal a great deal about whether anything close to an even semi-bipartisan consensus on foreign policy is possible over the next four years.

Photo credit: DREW ANGERER/Getty Images
Michael Flynn

President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of defense once presided over an investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of classified information to foreign allies that was carried out by Trump's pick for national security advisor, according to a new report from The Washington Post.

According to the Post, a 2010 investigation of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn found that he shared "classified information with various foreign military officers and/or officials in Afghanistan without proper authorization." Post sources said the secrets were about CIA operations in Afghanistan.

Flynn was never disciplined, documents released to the Post under the Freedom of Information Act showed, since it was not "done knowingly," and the investigation found the disclosures were not damaging to national security.

The investigation was ordered by the commander of US Central Command, which was led by Marine Gen. James Mattis from August 2010 to March 2013. The released documents do not name Mattis, so it is possible it was initiated by his predecessor, acting-commander Lt. Gen. John Allen, or Gen. David Petraeus, who served in the post until June 2010.

Mattis, Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Defense, did not respond to a request for comment.

The investigation by Central Command held the then-Maj. Gen. Flynn back from promotion for an entire year until it was concluded. He was then promoted to lieutenant general and assigned to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in September 2011.

"That was substantiated because I actually did it," Flynn told the Post of his disclosures in August. "But I did it with the right permissions when you dig into that investigation. Im proud of that one. Accuse me of sharing intelligence in combat with our closest allies, please.

The documents from the investigation however, which stemmed from the complaint of an anonymous Navy intelligence specialist, showed Flynn shared intelligence "without proper authorization."

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Flynn went on to serve as the commander of the Defense Intelligence Agency, until he was forced out due to reported mismanagement.

In November, NBC News reported that Flynn personally crossed out Mattis' name from a list of Trump's candidates for national-security positions. Transition sources who spoke with The Washington Post that month also said Flynn, a retired three-star general, did not want any military officer who outranked him to be part of the Trump Cabinet.

Flynn's early lobbying efforts were apparently unsuccessful. So far, Trump has nominated two four-star generals to his Cabinet: Mattis to lead the Defense Department and Marine Gen. John Kelly to head the Department of Homeland Security.

Donald Trump James Mattis

Flynn's sharing of classified information was not his first foray into rule-bending. While at DIA, Flynn had installed a secret internet connection in his Pentagon office, despite his office likely already having connections to the Internet that were monitored and secured by military standards.

The general has been under increased scrutiny since being named Trump's national security adviser, especially considering his repeated criticized Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail for using a private email server while she was secretary of state.

"So there seems to be a standard for the Clintons that's not the same standard for the rest of America," Flynn told The Heritage Foundation.

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Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump's pick of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state on Tuesday mirrors the case of Dick Cheney, another oil industry executive tapped for a top Republican administration post.

When former president George W. Bush selected Cheney as his choice for running mate in 2000, the future vice president had spent five years as chairman and CEO of Halliburton, the world's second-largest oilfield services and infrastructure company.

Cheney's role raised serious questions about conflicts of interest after the US-led invasion of Iraq, where the government granted Halliburton contracts worth billions of dollars, and there are fears Tillerson's four decades at ExxonMobil could cast a long shadow over his actions as top diplomat.

Critics of Tillerson -- whose nomination requires Senate approval -- argue he may face trouble disassociating from his role as chief executive of the world's largest publicly traded oil company with significant business around the world, not least in Russia, which many in Washington see as an adversary.

The 64-year-old CEO had been scheduled to retire from ExxonMobil -- where he spent his entire career -- next March with a large portfolio of company stock and a hefty pension.

Unlike Tillerson, Cheney had previously served as US secretary of defense from 1989 to 1993, a period that included the first Gulf war in 1991.

Bush first picked Cheney to head his search for a running mate in early 2000, and Cheney's recommendation of himself as best suited for the role raised criticism because he had stayed on as Halliburton chief during the process.

After his nomination, Cheney announced that he would sell his stock options from Halliburton to avoid a conflict of interest. He sold the last of them in 2005 and used the profit to create an institute for cardiovascular disease, from which he personally suffered.

- Cheney, Halliburton collusion? -

But the launch of the war in Iraq in 2003 revived accusations of collusion between Cheney and Halliburton.

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John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate running against the Bush-Cheney ticket in 2004, said at the time that "Dick Cheney's old company Halliburton has profited from the mess in Iraq at the expense of American troops and taxpayers."

"While Halliburton has been engaging in massive overcharging and wasteful practices under this no-bid contract, Dick Cheney has continued to receive compensation from his former company."

A Halliburton subsidiary, the construction and services company KBR, received large Pentagon contracts to provide supplies to the military operations in Iraq, including a no-bid contract to rebuild the country's oil infrastructure.

KBR was the main supplier to the US Army, with more than $16 billion in government contracts between 2004 and 2006 in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a report published in 2007 by The Center for Public Integrity, a Washington-based nonprofit investigative news organization.

The number-two supplier, DynCorp International, had only $1.8 billion in contracts during the same period, it said.

Halliburton sold KBR in 2007, after which the former subsidiary was accused of overcharging for fuel supplied to American troops deployed in Iraq, and of providing them unclean drinking water. Several lawsuits were filed against KBR in the United States.

Cheney steadfastly refused opposition Democrats' demands to provide a report about his communications with Halliburton while he was vice president.

Iraq wasn't the only controversy for Halliburton.

In 2010, Nigeria abandoned bribery claims against the company over the construction of a natural liquefied gas plant while Cheney was still CEO, after Halliburton agreed to pay a settlement of $35 million.

Cheney's reaction to Trump's pick of Tillerson on Tuesday will do nothing to mollify critics.

The former vice president hailed the nomination, calling Tillerson a personal friend and saying he would do a "super job" heading the State Department.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Michigan's Republican Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel is President-elect Donald Trump's choice to become the new Republican National Committee chair next year.

The niece of 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney would be the first woman to hold the committee's top position in 40 years, and her promotion comes after Trump became the first Republican to carry Michigan in 28 years.

Trump praised McDaniel's loyalty and performance as he made the announcement in a statement Wednesday.

"Ronna has been extremely loyal to our movement and her efforts were critical to our tremendous victory in Michigan," Trump said in tapping her as a deputy and adding, "I look forward to her serving as the party's chairman in 2017."

Mitt Romney, who grew up in Michigan, was a critic of Trump throughout the 2016 campaign. Still, Romney was considered as a candidate for secretary of state, but Trump passed him over.

McDaniel was hailed by members of the committee for remaining loyal to the nominee despite the public disagreement within her well-known GOP family.

Trump has asked Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus to serve as White House chief of staff. The 168-member Republican National Committee is expected to select a new chairman at its winter meeting next month in Washington.

Priebus, who helped guide Trump through the 2016 campaign, had supported McDaniel to succeed him as chairman. However, others within Trump's transition team had supported former Republican Governors Association executive director Nick Ayers, who is also a senior adviser to Vice President-elect Mike Pence.
By Nick Carey and Ginger Gibson CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's challenges to China on trade and Taiwan are rattling American companies who have long benefited from stable relations between the two countries but now fear retaliation by Beijing if Trump were to act. Trump jarred Chinese officials on Sunday by saying the United States did not necessarily have to stick to its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of "one China." Beijing expressed "serious concern" about Trumps remarks. Four U.S. industry sources who follow China policy closely said they were unsettled by any suggestion of abandoning the "one China" policy, which they said had served the business community well for several decades. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, stressed the importance of stability for businesses. They said Beijing could retaliate against U.S. companies that do business in China if Trump takes his tougher line too far. "The Chinese are deeply concerned and we hear now from reliable sources in Beijing who suggest the Chinese government, the Communist Party, are developing lists of U.S. interests against which they could retaliate, commercial interests, and obviously one merely has to look at top U.S. exports to China to get a quick sense of whose heads may be on the chopping block," said one China trade policy expert who interacts closely with U.S. business. The expert pointed out that more than 30 states have over $1 billion in exports to China and that there is over $500 billion in commercial engagements by U.S. companies in China. All of that would be at risk if China retaliated. "That commercial engagement supports American jobs, many American jobs here in the United States," the expert said. Another source said there had been "quiet outreach" by the U.S. business community to Trump's advisers but companies were wary of discussing their concerns about the China policy publicly for fear of becoming a target for the president-elect, who has singled out companies such as Carrier and Boeing. From Detroit's car makers to Silicon Valley's technology champions, China is both a critical source of revenue and profits, and a vital link in global supply chains. More than four decades after President Richard Nixon upset the status quo of his time with a surprise visit to Beijing, what's good for U.S.-China relations is good for General Motors and Starbucks and Apple and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. China has hit U.S. goods with retaliatory tariffs in the past when disputes flared. China in 2011 slapped duties on U.S.-made large cars and sport utilities as part of a trade dispute. The stakes are higher now. More than one-third of the 9.96 million vehicles General Motors Co sold globally in 2015 were delivered to Chinese customers. Profits from Chinese operations, including joint ventures, accounted for about 20 percent of GM's global net income of $9.7 billion in 2015. Ford Motor Co's China JVs represented about 16 percent of its global pre-tax profit of $9.4 billion in 2015. U.S. retail giant Wall Mart Stores Inc has 432 stores in China, while coffee chain Starbucks Corp has 2,500 stores there and outgoing CEO Howard Schultz told investors China will one day be a bigger market for the firm than the United States. Aircraft maker Boeing Co plans to build a "completion" factory in China for its 737 jets, anticipating the country will need 6,800 new jetliners worth $1 trillion over the next 20 years. "The United States and China are in a symbiotic relationship, we are wed to each other and do best when we grow together," said Susan Aaronson, a professor at George Washington University who teaches corruption and good governance. The total value of U.S. trade with China was $599 billion in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, of which $116 billion was exports to China from U.S. producers, while U.S. companies imported $483 billion in goods from China. Alan Deardorff, professor of international economics and public policy at the University of Michigan, said that if U.S.-China trade tensions were to reach a boiling point, "the pain would be widespread and deep for U.S. businesses. Trump and his advisers have said the U.S.-China trade deficit reflects bad trade deals and currency manipulation by the Chinese government, which they said justifies a tougher response than in the past. George Washington University's Aaronson said that while Taiwan is a sensitive topic, if Trump pushes ahead with trade tariffs that is far more likely to translate into retaliation against U.S. firms in China. "China's leaders need stability and Trump is totally disruptive," Aaronson said. "They will need to signal their strength in return." (Reporting by Nick Carey in Chicago and Ginger Gibson in Washington; additional reporting by Paul Lienert and Bernie Woodall in Detroit, Meredith Davis and Tom Polansek in Chicago, Alwyn Scott in Seattle, Caren Bohan and David Brunnstrom in Washington; editing by Joseph White and Grant McCool)
Fox News host Tucker Carlson recently told TheWrap his opinion changes if a guest makes a particularly good argument, but that was not the case on Tuesday night when he cut off a man who failed to cite any evidence of Russia interfering in the presidential election.

Professor and Huffington Post columnist Robert McElvaine appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight to discuss his recent posts about Russia influencing the election to benefit Donald Trump.

McElvaine recently wrote that there is substantial evidence that Russia stole the election for Trump, so the conservative Carlson asked, What is that evidence?

Also Read: Short Hair, Don't Care: Why Tucker Carlson Is Fox News' Latest Star (Exclusive)

McElvaine answered by explaining that WikiLeaks damaged Hillary Clinton and that Trump lost the popular vote, but Carlson pressed.

How did Russia steal the election? Please be precise, Carlson asked.

McElvaine couldnt come up with a specific example and got defensive. Carlson asked again, but McElvaine continued to avoid the answer while talking over the host.

Also Read: Cable Ratings: Harvey Levin, Tucker Carlson Boost Fox News to No. 1

Carlson eventually said, You are saying irresponsible things, that are misleading people. And I think its wrong. Robert, Im cutting you off, because I gave you a chance and you refused to be real with me.

In the first four weeks of the show, Tucker Carlson Tonight averaged 2.9 million viewers and 537,000 in the key demo of adults age 25-54, topping CNNs Erin Burnett Outfront and MSNBCs Hardball with Chris Matthews combined in both categories.

Im winnable, for sure. My views are not ossified at all. They change all the time, Carlson told TheWrap, but it seems McElvaine was not able to win over the Fox News host.

Watch the video above.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Short Hair, Don't Care: Why Tucker Carlson Is Fox News' Latest Star (Exclusive)

Cable Ratings: Fox News Beats CNN, MSNBC Combined

MSNBC Host Apologizes After Falsely Reporting Fox News Held Christmas Party at Trump Hotel
(This story published on Dec. 10 corrects date of declaration as a terrorist network to May 2016 in last paragraph) ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish authorities issued arrest warrants for 55 people, including businessmen, suspected of giving financial support to the network of the U.S.-based cleric Ankara accuses of orchestrating a failed military coup in July, broadcaster NTV said. The businessmen suspected of being linked to the cleric's network allegedly carried large sums of cash, which they have called a "favor", back and forth between Turkey, Tanzania, Uganda and Kazakhstan since 2014, NTV said. Ankara accuses the cleric Fethullah Gulen of orchestrating the July 15 coup bid, in which rogue soldiers commandeered tanks, fighter jets and helicopters to attack the parliament and attempt to overthrow the government. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, has denied involvement and condemned the coup. Police from the Istanbul financial-crimes unit conducted operations in 57 separate addresses on Saturday to root out sympathizers of Gulen, NTV said. Authorities have detained some of the suspects in the operations, while others are still being sought, NTV said, adding that some were found to be using Bylock, a smartphone messaging app which Ankara says was used by Gulen's adherents as a communication tool. Turkey has so far jailed some 36,000 people pending trial and has suspended or dismissed more than 100,000 people from the military, judiciary, civil service and others in the crackdown. Turkey's Western allies have voiced concern at the extent of the purges under President Tayyip Erdogan, who has repeatedly rejected such criticism, saying Ankara is determined to root out its enemies at home and abroad. Turkey classified Gulen's movement, which espouses philanthropy, interfaith dialogue and science-based education, as a terrorist network in May 2016. It says Gulen's followers spent four decades infiltrating the bureaucracy and security forces in a bid to eventually take control of the state. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu, editing by Louise Heavens)
* Erdogan says to speak with Putin later

* Turkish foreign minister also speaking with Iran, U.S.

* Erdogan says truce is last hope for civilians (Updates with aid convoy)

By Orhan Coskun and Tulay Karadeniz

ANKARA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Turkey was in contact with Iran, Russia and the United States on Wednesday to try and ensure the evacuation of civilians and rebel fighters from Syria's Aleppo, as air strikes and heavy shelling threaten to scupper a truce.

President Tayyip Erdogan accused Syrian government forces of breaking the truce he brokered on Tuesday with Russia, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main backers, but said Turkey was still trying to open a humanitarian corridor from the city.

Erdogan said he would speak later on Wednesday by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation in Aleppo, which he described as "very fragile".

"The realisation of the ceasefire brokered by Turkey's intense efforts is perhaps the last hope for the innocent people in Aleppo," Erdogan told a meeting of local administrators in the presidential palace in Ankara.

"This humanitarian corridor must be opened immediately, and the evacuation of civilians from eastern Aleppo must be allowed at once. Assad is committing war crimes in eastern Aleppo, and we cannot remain silent to the assassinations by the regime."

Iran, another key Assad backer alongside Russia, was said to have imposed new conditions on the truce deal which were delaying its implementation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke to his Iranian and U.S. counterparts on Wednesday to try to keep the agreement on track. He was also due to speak to the Russian foreign minister.

"There was an understanding as of yesterday, and within that was first the evacuation of civilians ... We see that the regime and other groups are trying to prevent this," Cavusoglu told reporters.

Russia's defence ministry said that rebels in Aleppo had resumed fighting at dawn and Syrian government forces had repelled their attacks, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.

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A senior Turkish official told Reuters earlier that the ceasefire deal was very fragile but not broken, despite the reports of attacks in the city.

Erdogan said preparations were complete for evacuees from Aleppo to come to the rebel-controlled Syrian province of Idlib west of Aleppo and to Turkey.

An aid convoy by Turkish humanitarian aid group IHH carrying flour, food rations and clothing left Istanbul for the Syrian border on Wednesday.

Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said on Tuesday that Turkey, which is already home to around 2.7 million Syrians who have fled the country's civil war, would set up a tent city to accommodate up to 80,000 people fleeing Aleppo.

(Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Istanbul; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Ralph Boulton)
President-elect Donald Trump may love the reach Twitter provides him for communicating directly with his followers but hes apparently not a fan of the social media platforms management. Trump barred Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey from his meeting Wednesday with tech executives, Politico reported.

It came one day after Twitter said it would not help build a Muslim registry that has been proposed as a means of preventing terrorism, and a group of engineers, designers and business executives signed an open letter saying they would not help create a Muslim registry or participate in mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.

Trump, who uses Twitter as a press channel for his 17.3 million followers, apparently still is smarting from Twitters refusal to allow an emoji version of the hashtag #CrookedHillary.

jack dorsey

Photo: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Trump had beefs with other tech executives but they still attended the meeting at Trump Tower in New York, including Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post, and Apples Tim Cook. Trump was critical of Apple for refusing to unlock an iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino, California, terrorists, and he has accused Bezos of directing negative news coverage of his campaign.

Gary Coby, director of digital advertising and fundraising for the Trump campaign, said in a Medium post last month Twitter rejected the emoji request even though the campaign had $5 million upfront deal. The campaign had approved two emojis before the first presidential debate, one was a hand holding a green moneybag that evolved into a stick figure running off with a moneybag.

Day after day, TW wouldnt give us an official yay/nay and my contacts inside TW told me the new design was causing a lot of heartburn and big meetings with folks at the top, Coby wrote. Approval for the first emoji also was withdrawn.

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Ahead of the second debate, the campaign wanted to use a moneybag with emoji wings to signify government waste, Coby said. Twitter approved that emoji but then Dorsey killed it.

Politico said RNC spokesman Sean Spicer disinvited Twitter executives to Wednesdays summit, which was organized by Trump adviser and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.

The meeting was billed as a fence-mending session since most tech leaders were Hillary Clinton supporters and differ with Trump on such issues as immigration, internet security and regulation on government investment. More than 140 executives signed an open letter during the summer predicting a Trump presidency would be a disaster for innovation.

tech summit

Photo: Andrew Kelly/Reuters

In addition to Bezos and Cook, Facebooks Sheryl Sandberg, Alphabets Larry Page, Microsofts Satya Nadella, Palantir Technologies Alex Karp, IBMs Ginni Rometty and Teslas Elon Musk were among those in attendance, as well as Trumps three oldest children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, and Ivankas husband, Jared Kushner. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and Airbnbs Brian Chesky did not attend, citing conflicting travel plans.

Im here to help you folks do well, Trump told the gathering before the press was ushered out, adding: And youre doing well right now and Im very honored by the [stock market] bounce. Theyre all talking about the bounce. So right now everybody in this room has to like me  at least a little bit  but were going to try and have that bounce continue.

Before the meeting, Trump announced Musk and Kalanick would join his Strategic and Policy Forum, which also includes Rometty.

Related Articles
WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. government has approved the sale to the government of the Philippines of two Sea Giraffe radars and related equipment, support and training for about $25 million, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Wednesday.

The Philippines requested the sale to improve monitoring of its territorial waters. The radars will be installed on two Philippines Navy ships and the principle contractors will be VSE Corp and Saab.

The radar sale will allow the Philippines to beef up its maritime security and helps reinforce an important U.S. regional security relationship at a time when Washington is concerned about what it sees as China's overreaching claims in the South China Sea.

The Philippines has for decades been one of the closest U.S. allies in Asia, but the relationship has been strained recently as President Rodrigo Duterte has voiced disdain and mistrust of Washington while U.S. officials are worried over potential human rights violations under his government.

The U.S. Congress was informed of the radar sale and did not object.

A recent sale of assault rifles to the Philippines' national police was blocked in the U.S. Senate over concerns that they could be used against civilians.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, editing by G Crosse)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government has approved the sale to the government of the Philippines of two Sea Giraffe radars and related equipment, support and training for about $25 million, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Wednesday. The Philippines requested the sale to improve monitoring of its territorial waters. The radars will be installed on two Philippines Navy ships and the principle contractors will be VSE Corp and Saab. The radar sale will allow the Philippines to beef up its maritime security and helps reinforce an important U.S. regional security relationship at a time when Washington is concerned about what it sees as China's overreaching claims in the South China Sea. The Philippines has for decades been one of the closest U.S. allies in Asia, but the relationship has been strained recently as President Rodrigo Duterte has voiced disdain and mistrust of Washington while U.S. officials are worried over potential human rights violations under his government. The U.S. Congress was informed of the radar sale and did not object. A recent sale of assault rifles to the Philippines' national police was blocked in the U.S. Senate over concerns that they could be used against civilians. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, editing by G Crosse)
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. business inventories recorded their biggest decline in nearly a year in October amid a drop in stocks at retailers, suggesting a modest contribution

to fourth-quarter economic growth from inventory investment.

The Commerce Department said on Wednesday that business inventories fell 0.2 percent after being unchanged in September.

That was the largest drop since last November.

Economists had forecast inventories, which are a key component of gross domestic product, dipping 0.1 percent in October. Retail inventories fell 0.4 percent in October as reported in an advance report published last month. They were unchanged in September.

Retail inventories excluding autos, which go into the calculation of GDP, decreased 0.2 percent in October instead of the 0.3 percent drop reported last month. That followed a 0.1 percent dip in September.

Inventory investment rebounded in the third quarter, contributing half a percentage point to the economy's 3.2 percent annualized growth rate during that quarter. Inventories had weighed on GDP growth since the second quarter of 2015.

In October, business sales increased 0.8 percent after a similar gain in September. At October's sales pace, it would take 1.37 months for businesses to clear shelves, down from 1.38 months in September.

((Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci))
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department on Wednesday fined American Airlines a record-matching $1.6 million for violating a rule that prohibits long tarmac delays.

The department said it found American had allowed a number of domestic flights to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours without allowing passengers an opportunity to get off the plane. The fine matched the amount that was assessed against Southwest Airlines in 2015 for violating the same rule.

American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller said the company was pleased to have resolved the issue. "It's worth noting that a large portion of the settlement is related to a winter weather event that occurred nearly four years ago in Charlotte," he said.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement the "tarmac rule is meant to prevent passengers from being trapped in aircraft on the ground for hours on end."

Under government rules, U.S. airlines operating aircraft with 30 or more passenger seats are prohibited from allowing domestic flights to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours without giving passengers an opportunity to leave the plane with some limited exceptions.

The rules also require airlines to provide adequate food and water, ensure that lavatories are working and, if necessary, provide medical attention to passengers during long tarmac delays.

The long tarmac delays that led to American's $1.6 million fine include some on flights operated by both American Airlines' predecessor, US Airways, and its regional partners during a snowstorm.

Of the $1.6 million fine, the government will deduct $602,000 for what American provided in compensation to passengers on delayed flights, and another $303,000 for what American paid towards its costs of maintaining a surface management and surveillance system at Charlotte and Dallas-Fort Worth to monitor the location of each aircraft, the department said.

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Timothy Ahmann in Washington and Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Editing by G Crosse and Sandra Maler)
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. industrial production fell 0.4 percent in November, a bigger drop than anticipated, due to a steep decline in utility output and a dip in manufacturing, data from the Federal Reserve showed on Wednesday.

The drop was the largest decline in industrial production since March, when the index fell 0.9 percent.

Output for October was revised to show a 0.1 percent increase rather than the unchanged level initially reported.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast industrial production falling 0.2 percent in November.

Manufacturing output fell 0.1 percent in November, less than the 0.2 percent decline anticipated by economists. It rose by an upwardly revised 0.3 percent in October.

Utilities production dropped 4.4 percent in November as warmer-than-normal temperatures reduced demand for heating.

Utilities output fell by a downwardly revised 2.8 percent in October.

Mining production, which has been hurt by low oil prices, was up 1.1 percent after a downwardly revised 1.9 percent gain in October.

Industrial capacity utilization declined to 75.0 percent from 75.4 percent in October. Economists had forecast this metric at 75.1 percent. Officials at the Fed tend to look at capacity use as a signal of how much "slack" there is in the economy and how much room there is for growth to accelerate

before it becomes inflationary.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Paul Simao)
Dec 14 (Reuters) - U.S. nuclear regulators are investigating whether the suspected falsification of documents at French nuclear power company Areva SA, which supplies components for reactors globally, poses any problems at U.S. nuclear plants.

Areva notified the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) last week that a review of paperwork "anomalies" at its Le Creusot facility in France "has not found any safety concerns," NRC spokesman David McIntyre said on Wednesday.

"A preliminary review by NRC inspectors indicated that Areva had made a reasonable assessment supporting no nuclear safety concerns," McIntyre said. There are nine U.S. plants with parts from Le Creusot, but the NRC did not immediately name them.

There are 99 reactors operating in the United States producing about 20 percent of the nation's power.

France's Nuclear Safety Authority, or ASN, requested a probe of Le Creusot in early May after a flaw was discovered in the vessel of a reactor under construction in Flamanville in France.

Areva checked the records of Le Creusot and found anomalies associated with about 400 parts manufactured there since the plant opened in 1965. Areva purchased the forge in 2006.

One U.S. plant with parts from Le Creusot is Dominion Resource Inc's Millstone station in Connecticut, which has had a pressurizer from the French forge in service in Unit 2 since 2006.

Dominion spokesman Ken Holt said that when Areva manufactured the pressurizer for Millstone they performed some additional heat treatment, but did not tell Dominion.

After Areva informed Dominion about the additional heat treatment in 2016, Holt said Dominion "looked at the documentation and determined there were no operability or functionality issues as a result."

The pressurizer keeps water in the reactor under pressure so it does not boil.

"We've got a component made at a plant with some issues, but we're confident the pressurizer is fully operational and will remain so through the life of the plant," Holt said.

Story continues

Another plant that may be affected is FirstEnergy Corp's Beaver Valley station in Pennsylvania. Beaver Valley has steam generators and reactor vessel heads manufactured by Spain's Equipos Nucleares SA, or ENSA, which FirstEnergy said may contain some subcomponents from Le Creusot.

"At this point, no one at ENSA, Areva or the U.S. NRC has contacted us to let us know there are challenges with any of the equipment we have," said Jennifer Young, a spokeswoman at FirstEnergy.

(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Tom Brown)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. oil and gas industry on Wednesday welcomed President-elect Donald Trump's choice of former Texas Governor Rick Perry to head the U.S. Department of Energy, and wasted no time making its first specific request of him: to support increased exports of America's natural gas overseas.

Trump named Perry as his pick for the top U.S. energy job on Wednesday morning, handing the portfolio to a climate change sceptic with close ties to the oil and gas industry, and who previously proposed abolishing the department.

The choice adds to a list of drilling proponents who have been tapped for top jobs in Trump's administration, worrying environmental groups but fitting neatly with Trump's promise to revive oil and gas drilling and coal mining as president by cutting back on federal regulation.

Jack Gerard, president of the Washington-based American Petroleum Institute representing oil and natural gas companies, said he welcomed Perry's nomination, and called on him to make increasing exports of U.S. natural gas a "top priority."

"As the former governor of Texas, Rick Perry knows the important impact that energy production has on our nation's economy. In his new role at the Energy Department, he has the opportunity to encourage increased exports of domestically produced natural gas," he said in a statement.

Natural gas companies are eager to access foreign markets for their supply after a decade-long drilling boom that triggered a domestic glut and depressed prices.

The oil industry successfully lobbied for an end to a decades-old crude oil export ban in December 2015 following a slump in prices, a move meant to help American companies weather lower prices at home.

There is no ban on natural gas exports, but U.S. law requires American companies to obtain authorization from the Energy Department before being able to ship it overseas, and there are tough permitting requirements for building the specialised facilities that make shipping gas possible.

Story continues

The United States exported its first cargo of liquefied natural gas earlier this year from an export facility on the Gulf Coast, but the industry has complained that boosting exports to match global demand has been constrained by a slow and opaque bureaucratic process.

U.S. energy exports have long been a contentious political issue, dividing lawmakers seeking to balance the benefits of low consumer prices at home and American energy independence against opportunities for companies to expand access to potentially lucrative foreign markets.

BUSINESS CLIMATE

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has made energy a central part of his agenda, vowing a revival in the oil, gas and coal industries, and picking industry allies for top administration jobs.

On Tuesday, Trump selected oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp's (XOM.N) CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state. His Environmental Protection Agency pick is Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a foe of Democratic President Barack Obama's initiatives to combat climate change.

Trump said during his campaign he would pull the United States out of a global deal to curb emissions of carbon dioxide signed in Paris last year, though he has since confused observers by saying he would keep an "open mind" on the accord.

An overwhelming number of scientists say carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels contributes to changes to the climate that are leading to sea level rise, droughts and more frequent violent storms.

Trump's transition team said Perry's tenure leading Texas, the nation's second most populous state and a major producer of oil, gas and wind power, from 2000 until 2015 made him a strong pick for energy secretary.

Trump said in a statement Perry had created "a business climate that produced millions of new jobs and lower energy prices in his state, and he will bring that same approach to our entire country as secretary of energy."

The department is responsible for U.S. energy policy and oversees the nation's nuclear weapons programme.

Perry is a former presidential rival and critic of Trump who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in 2016 and 2012. His nomination requires Senate confirmation.

If confirmed, he would replace Ernest Moniz, a physicist who was one of the chief negotiators in last year's Iran nuclear deal.

After his tenure as Texas governor, Perry joined the board of directors of Energy Transfer Partners (ETP.N), a Texas-based company building the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota that has been stalled by protests by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and supporters.

Anthony Scaramucci, a member of the Trump transition team's executive committee, said the president-elect was focussed on preserving the environment as well as boosting U.S. energy production.

"Whether you believe in climate change or not, we want clean air, we want clean water for the American people. What we also want is energy independence," Scaramucci told CNN.

Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer, who backed Trump's Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election, said he hoped Perry's nomination would be blocked.

"Trump no longer has to abolish departments. He can dismantle them from within," Steyer said. "It's now up to the Senate to defend our health, our economy and our democracy by defeating this nomination."

(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Steve Holland; Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Will Dunham)
By Ayesha Rascoe and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Monday insisted that Washingtons one China policy should not be used as a bargaining chip with Beijing after President-elect Donald Trump said the United States did not necessarily have to be bound by its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of China. Signaling further resistance Trump will face in Washington if he tries to overturn a principle that has underpinned more than four decades of U.S.-China relations, Republican U.S. Senator John McCain said he personally backed the China policy and no one should leap to conclusions that the president-elect would abandon it. I do not respond to every comment by the president-elect because it may be reversed the next day, McCain told Reuters when asked about Trumps statement in an interview broadcast over the weekend. Trump set off a diplomatic firestorm when he told Fox News: I dont know why we have to be bound by a one China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade. This followed an earlier protest from China over the Republican president-elect's decision to accept a telephone call from Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Dec. 2. The issue is highly sensitive for China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province, and Beijing expressed "serious concern" about Trumps latest remarks. It called the "one China" policy the basis for relations, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned against moves to damage China's core interests, saying that in the end, they are lifting a rock only to drop it on their feet." Some U.S. analysts warn that Trump could provoke a military confrontation if he presses the Taiwan issue too far. Scott Kennedy, director of the Project on Chinese Business & Political Economy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington called Taiwan the third rail of U.S.-China relations. "DISRUPTIVE EFFECT" White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the United States is committed to the one China" principle and will not use the Taiwan issue to gain leverage in any dealings with Beijing. The United States does not view Taiwan and our relationship with Taiwan as a bargaining chip, he told a daily briefing, calling Taiwan a close partner. "And bargaining that away is not something that this administration believes is our best interest. Disrupting this policy, he said, could have a disruptive effect on our ability to work with China in those areas where our interests do align. That reflects the high priority that China puts on the policy and on Taiwan. While saying the one China policy should remain intact, McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and an outspoken critic of Democratic President Barack Obama's foreign policy, said that somebody should hold China responsible for its behavior with regard to Taiwan, Hong Kong, island building in the South China Sea and propping up North Korea. After Trump's phone conversation with Taiwan's president, the Obama administration said senior White House aides had spoken with Chinese officials to insist that Washingtons one China policy remained unchanged. China's official Xinhua news agency said in a commentary on Tuesday it was clear Trump did not understand the policy. "The one-China policy is the cornerstone for any country, including the United States, to engage with China diplomatically, and is simply non-negotiable: no exceptions," Xinhua said. The State Departments senior diplomat for Asia, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, was due to speak to Chinas ambassador to Washington on Monday, the State Department said. Trump has tempered his strong criticisms of China and call to Taiwans president by announcing plans last week to nominate a long-standing friend of Beijing, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, as the next U.S. ambassador to China. However, he is also considering John Bolton, a former Bush administration official who has urged a tougher line on Beijing, for the No. 2 job at the U.S. State Department, according to a source familiar with the matter. Bolton has said the next U.S. president should take bolder steps to halt China' military aggressiveness in the South and East China seas and consider a "diplomatic ladder of escalation" that could lead to restoring full diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. (Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom, Jonathan Landay, Doina Chiacu, Eric Walsh, and Michael Martina; Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Jonathan Oatis and Lincoln Feast)
By Andrew Chung

(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to decide whether to limit where patent lawsuits may be filed, potentially threatening a years-long trend that critics say allows frequent and often-baseless litigants to sue in courts friendly to them.

The justices said they will hear an appeal by beverage flavoring company TC Heartland LLC to have a patent infringement suit brought against it by food company Kraft Heinz Co moved from federal court in Delaware, where it was filed, to Heartland's home base in Indiana. TC Heartland is challenging a lower court ruling denying a transfer to Indiana.

The dispute has been closely watched by high technology businesses, which are the frequent targets of companies that generate revenue by suing over patents instead of making products, sometimes called "patent trolls."

Critics say certain judicial districts, especially the federal court in Eastern Texas, have procedures and rulings that favor patent trolls. Though far from any high-tech center, more than 40 percent of all patent cases were filed there last year.

A decision by the high court in favor of TC Heartland could curtail lawsuits in East Texas even though the case did not originate there.

Pittsburgh-based Kraft, which makes the MiO brand of liquid water enhancers, sued in Delaware in 2014 alleging that TC Heartland's Refreshe-branded liquid enhancers infringed three of its patents.

TC Heartland, a subsidiary of Heartland Consumer Products Holdings, argued that it has no presence in Delaware and 98 percent of its sales are outside of that state. The court denied a transfer to Indiana. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington upheld that ruling last April.

TC Heartland urged the Supreme Court to take the case, saying the appeals court's precedent on where suits may be filed has "produced a plague of forum shopping."

The court will hear the case and issue a ruling by the end of June.

(Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham)
By Emmanuel Ayinebyona

Cancer patients in the country will have to wait a little longer after delays pushed the procurement of the new cobalt 60 radiotherapy machine to next year.

The director of the Uganda Cancer Institute, Dr. Jackson Orem says the shipment of the machine is likely to commence in March 2017.

However, the government has been flip-flopping on the progress of replacing the machine that broke down on March 27 this year and its absentia has afflicted about 2,000 cancer patients who were receiving radiotherapy treatment at the time.

In October Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng told reporters that the machine would be in the country by December 2016.

However, her promise has not come to pass after there were delays in getting the contractor to renovate the old bunker expected to house the new machine.

The refurbishment of the bunker will be done by Arab Contractors Limited at a cost of Shs1.1billion.
Uber is under scrutiny over allegations of employees abusing the company's "God view" tool to spy on personal acquaintances, high profile politicians and celebrities, including Beyonce.

According to testimony from Uber's former forensic investigator Samuel Ward Spangenberg -- who is suing over allegations of age discrimination and whistleblower retaliation -- there is a widespread lack of oversight at the company for customer data.

Spangenberg says he voiced concerns about a lack of security and was fired 11 months later, The Guardian reports.

This concern is echoed in his lawsuit, claiming that driver and employee information is stored insecurely.

In his suit, he also claimed the company has a "Vulnerability Management Policy" for its data security that is easily undermined by management and objected to the company's protocols to deal with government raids.

In response, Uber has confirmed that "fewer than 10" employees have been fired for abusing the "God view" tool. It also issued a media statement, saying it "continues to increase our security investments and many of these efforts, like our multi-factor authentication checks and bug bounty program, have been widely reported. We have hundreds of security and privacy experts working around the clock to protect our data. This includes enforcing to authorised employees solely for purposes of their job responsibilities, and all potential violations are quickly and thoroughly investigated."
Here are three of the biggest stories from the world of celebrity to get you all caught up:

Uber might have just lost its most famous client. A new lawsuit alleges that company employees abused an internal tool dubbed God View to track the movement of Beyonce, in addition to other celebrities. The companys former forensic investigator Samuel Ward Spangenberg testified about the privacy breach. Hes suing the company over age discrimination and whistleblowing in retaliation. Lady Gaga invited British host Piers Morgan to interview her after he expressed doubt over her claims of sexual assault and her confession of PTSD. The Good Morning Britain presenter said he thinks Gaga used PTSD to promote her new album. Gaga tweeted the below, and Morgan accepted the invitation, but not without further mocking.

@piersmorgan would also love to talk with you about PTSD, that its not just a military disorder. There is a mental health youth epidemic.  xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) December 13, 2016

I rather admire @ladygaga for agreeing to an interview after my criticisms.

Should be a fascinating debate.

Ill press my meat suit.  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 13, 2016

3. Quantico star Priyanka Chopra has been honored as a Goodwill Ambassador with UNICEF. She previously served as Indias national ambassador for the U.N. organization. UNICEF defends the rights of children across the globe.

Find out why Lady Gaga was such a fan of Madonnas recent speech:


Kampala (AFP) - A Ugandan tribal king and 151 others have been charged with treason for allegedly seeking to overthrow the government, their lawyer said Wednesday.

The Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere was arrested in late November during a violent police crackdown on his palace -- from where he is accused of commanding a militia -- which left at least 87 dead.

"The king was charged today (Wednesday) together with 151 people with treason," Evans Ochieng a lawyer representing the group told AFP. The charge carries a possible death sentence.

"Definitely my clients including the king deny the charges. They are trumped up by the state" he said.

"The state claims my clients overtly or covertly uttered statements with political intentions to overthrow the government or promote their own political agenda."

There were no further details of the charge, however the government has accused Mumbere of organising a militia from his palace with the aim of creating an independent state straddling Uganda and the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

The traditional kingdom in western Uganda has a history of separatist leanings dating back to independence. The region where it is based is an opposition stronghold that has long complained of marginalisation from Kampala.

International rights groups condemned the crackdown by security forces on the palace, with Amnesty expressing alarm at what "appears to be shocking examples of unlawful killings and a complete disregard for human rights during the arrests".

Mumbere is also facing charges of terrorism, aggravated robbery, attempted murder and murder.

Ochieng said some of his clients were unable to appear in court "because they have serious bullet wounds and yet they have been kept in police cells without medical attention".

"It's a concern that the rights of my clients... are being trampled upon by the state including not receiving medical attention and long days of detention," he added.
(Adds quotes, detail)

LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Britain wants a smooth exit from the European Union and will do what it is necessary to give businesses maximum access to the bloc's market with minimum disruption, Brexit minister David Davis said on Wednesday.

Davis also said his previous comments that Britain would consider paying into the EU in return for market access had been "slightly over-interpreted", and that the government was simply not ruling anything out or in yet.

Businesses and investors have raised concerns that Britain faces a "cliff-edge" after the Brexit negotiation period and on Monday finance minister Philip Hammond backed the idea of a transition period to smooth the process.

Asked about Hammond's comments, Davis, who has been reported to be less keen on a transitional deal, said: "What we are after is a smooth and orderly exit. That is the overarching aim."

"Within that box we want to get the maximum market access for British companies with the minimum of disruption so we will do what is necessary to that aim," he told a committee of lawmakers.

He said Britain needed to know what the "end game" was before it decided on the transition, but if it was necessary there could be an "implementation phase".

Prime Minister Theresa May has said she plans to begin formal exit negotiations with the EU by the end of March and Davis said the government would do this earlier if it could.

Work is still underway to prepare for the negotiations however and there were still "quite a few" decisions to be made, he said, adding that the government would not be ready to publish its Brexit plans next month.

He also said he did not know whether Britain could halt the process of leaving the EU once it had begun, but it had no intention of trying to do so.

Davis said he did not think it would be possible to hammer out an adequate deal with the EU in as little as six months, but that an agreement could be reached on both Britain's exit and future EU relationship within the two-year negotiating period set out under Article 50.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and Andy Bruce; Editing by Stephen Addison)
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will begin formal divorce talks with the European Union earlier than the end of March if it can, Brexit minister David Davis said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to begin negotiations by the end of March 2017, but not before the end of this year. "We're aiming to trigger by March 31, earlier if we can," Davis told a committee of lawmakers. Davis also said the government was still to decide how much detail to include in its letter to trigger Article 50. (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and Andy Bruce; editing by Stephen Addison)
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will begin formal divorce talks with the European Union earlier than the end of March if it can, Brexit minister David Davis said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will trigger Article 50 of the EU's Libson Treaty to begin negotiations by the end of March 2017, but not before the end of this year. "We're aiming to trigger by March 31, earlier if we can," Davis told a committee of lawmakers. Davis also said the government was still to decide how much detail to include in its letter to trigger Article 50. (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and Andy Bruce; editing by Stephen Addison)
KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin does not think relations between Russia and the United States will improve under Donald Trump's administration, news agency Interfax Ukraine reported him as saying late on Tuesday. The comments follow Trump's choice of Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state - a decision welcomed by the Kremlin, which said Russian President Vladimir Putin and many other Russian officials have good relations with the Exxon Mobil Corp boss. Klimkin said the United States' relationship with Ukraine and Russia in the future would not depend on the secretary of state alone, adding that officials in the Republican party and members of Trump's transition team had voiced support for Kiev. "It is not just up to the secretary of state, but up to his whole team, who will deal with issues relating to both foreign affairs and national security and global economics," he said. "I do not support the idea that it will be easier for Russia to work with the new administration." Some of Trump's campaign comments, from appearing to recognize Crimea as part of Russia to contemplating an end to U.S. sanctions on Russia, stoked fears in Kiev that Trump might mend ties with Moscow at Ukraine's expense. The United States and the European Union have imposed a range of economic sanctions on Russia as a result of its annexation of Crimea and its actions in eastern Ukraine that are reviewed every six months. (Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Alison Williams)
TUNIS (Reuters) - Oil and gas industry contractor Petrofac (PFC.L) is halting gas production in Tunisia after two weeks of renewed protests on the southern Kerkennah islands, officials said on Wednesday.

The announcement comes just three months after Petrofac restarted operations at Kerkennah's Chergui gas field, following nine months of disruptions due to protests.

Petrofac had threatened in September to shut down operations entirely and leave Tunisia, but the government reached a deal with protesters demanding jobs and development.

Tunisian Energy Minister Hela Cheikh Rouhou said the production stoppage had been expected because protesters "had not respected the deal signed in September".

"Unfortunately, trucks have been blocked several times to force Petrofac to close the field," she told Mosaique FM radio.

A senior Petrofac official confirmed that production was being stopped after stocks had run out during two weeks' of protests.

He declined to comment on local media reports that the company had once again told Tunisian authorities it would leave the country.

Petrofac's operations supply around 13 percent of Tunisia's domestic gas needs. It holds a 45 percent share at Chergui, with the rest held by a state-run company.

Any closure of operations would be a blow to Tunisia just as the government pushes to revive foreign investment, rein in the deficit, and spur growth through economic reform. Investment, growth and employment have been hit by labour unrest and militant attacks since Tunisia's 2011 uprising.

Government officials say importing gas from Algeria to make up for the shortfall caused by disruption to Petrofac's production during the first nine months of 2016 had cost the government about $100 million.

(Reporting By Tarek Amara; Editing by Aidan Lewis, Greg Mahlich)
Tunis (AFP) - British energy firm Petrofac stopped work at a Tunisia gas plant after renewed protests despite an agreement to end social unrest, a minister and a company official said Wednesday.

The halt in operations at Cherqui on Kerkennah island in southeast Tunisia comes after a deal in September ended a protest by local workers.

"Despite the agreement signed in September and the promises from civil society in Kerkennah, (protesters) several times blocked the road for trucks," Energy Minister Hela Cheikhrouhou told radio Mosaique FM.

"Civil society needs to deal with the situation in a responsible way. From our side, we want to listen to those who are blocking the way to trucks and to their new demands," she said.

Activities had resumed at the site at the start of the month, according to Tunisian media. The exact demands of the protesters were not immediately clear.

"This is not how we can best help (foreign) firms to work in out country," Cheikhrouhou said.

The head of Petrofac in Tunisia, Imed Derouiche, was quoted by HuffPost Tunisie as saying the company had decided on a "technical shutdown" after the road blocks.

Tunisia said in September that Petrofac would resume operations at the gas plant after a labour dispute was resolved that had halted work for months.

The accord, negotiated in the presence demonstrators and union figures, called for the creation of three-year contracts and a development company for Kerkennah, Social Affairs Minister Mohamed Trabelsi said at the time.

Petrofac, which works in cooperation with Tunisia's national oil company at the site, is the largest employer on the Kerkennah islands.

The unrest started at the start of the year after the end of a programme -- largely financed by Petrofac and created in the wake of Tunisia's 2011 uprising -- to get unemployed graduates into work, although often without permanent contracts or benefits.

Petrofac said it could no longer fund the programme and called on the Tunisian state to take over.

Tunisia is battling high unemployment and has been hit by a spate of jihadist attacks in the past 18 months, but has largely escaped the widespread unrest experienced by other countries that underwent 2011's wave of popular uprisings.
Over 150 Rwenzururu Royal guards have been charged with treason and remanded to Kirinya and Bugungu Government Prisons until December 28th.

The suspects including 19 women and 4 juvenile were this morning arraigned before Jinja Chief Magistrate John Francis Kaggwa alongside their king Charles Wesley Mumbere who was charged with similar offences earlier.

The four juveniles have been sent to Naguru Remand Home.

According to the state, between March and November 2016, Mumbere together with 151 others plotted to overthrow the government of Uganda by using firearms.

The accused are said to have expressed such a plot by utterances and acts such as attacks on various police attachments, killing police officers, robbing firearms and ammunitions, recruiting and training individuals to join an armed rebel outfit plus attending meetings abroad and attempting to acquire firearms illegally.

Yesterday the state brought new charges of terrorism, aggravated robbery and attempted murder against the Omusiga and remanded him to Luzira prison where he was picked this morning and taken back to Jinja court to be charged afresh.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday condemned the military takeover of Gambia's independent electoral commission, calling on the army and police forces to immediately leave the IEC's offices.

The seizure of the IEC on Tuesday came after President Yahya Jammeh refused to recognize electoral defeat and accused the election body of vote-tampering.

Ban expressed "dismay" over the takeover, saying he "condemns this outrageous act of disrespect of the will of the Gambian people," his spokesman said in a statement.

"This action violates the independent status of the IEC under the Gambian constitution, and could compromise the sensitive electoral material under the commission's custody," he added.

"He calls on the Gambian military and security forces to immediately vacate the IEC premises and to refrain from any further acts with the intent to jeopardize efforts toward the peaceful transfer of power."

The UN chief renewed his appeal for Jammeh, Gambia's leader for 22 years, to hand over power to President-elect Adama Barrow.

A UN envoy joined a delegation of African leaders in Banjul this week to press for a transfer of power, but Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said no deal had been reached following talks with Jammeh and Barrow.

The Security Council on Saturday released a unanimous statement demanding that Jammeh "transfer, without condition and undue delay, power to President-elect Adama Barrow."
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council on Wednesday dropped advancing gay rights from a tribute to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after Russia raised objections, diplomats said.

A draft statement that mentioned Ban's support for the LGBT community was changed to note instead that "the most vulnerable or marginalized have been increasingly heard and assisted" under his leadership.

Ban, the 72-year-old former South Korean foreign minister, steps down on December 31 after serving two terms as secretary-general of the United Nations.

He will be succeeded by Antonio Guterres, the former prime minister of Portugal who served as UN refugee chief for a decade.

Ban has won praise from LGBT activists for his appeals to countries to decriminalize homosexuality.

The outgoing UN chief came under fire from many UN member-states including Russia when he decided in 2015 to extend benefits to the same-sex partners of UN employees.

In September, he hosted the first high-level meeting at the United Nations on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to push for an end to discrimination.

More than 70 countries still have laws on their books making homosexuality a crime.

The statement read by Spanish Ambassador Roman Oyarzun, who holds the council presidency this month, listed the Paris climate deal and the UN's new sustainable development goals as Ban's major achievements.

Addressing the council, Ban said his "deepest regret on leaving office is the continuing nightmare in Syria."

He again appealed to the council to unite and take action to protect Syrian civilians as the city of Aleppo came under renewed shelling and air strikes in one of the fiercest battles of the five-year war.
Bangui (Central African Republic) (AFP) - The Central African Republic has seen an "alarming increase" in human rights violations since August, with at least 100 people killed, the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA said Wednesday.

"Since August 2016, MINUSCA has recorded an alarming number of violations and abuses committed by various factions of the ex-Seleka (rebellion), the anti-Balaka (militia) and their affiliates," the peacekeeping agency said in a report.

"These incidents have caused the death of at least 100 people," it added.

The report came two weeks after UN chief Ban Ki-moon on November 29 called on armed groups to "immediately stop the violence".

The country is struggling to emerge from a civil war that erupted in 2013 following the overthrow of former president Francois Bozize, a Christian, by Muslim rebels from the Seleka coalition.

The coup led to the formation of "anti-Balaka" (anti-machete) vigilante units, drawn from the Christian majority, which began to target Muslims. Both sides committed widespread atrocities.

Militias are still flourishing given the weakness of the state.

Former colonial power France intervened in 2013 to stop violent Christian-Muslim clashes and formally ended its peacekeeping mission only last month, hailing it a success despite fresh outbreaks of violence.

That leaves mainly the UN's 12,500-strong MINUSCA peacekeeping mission to protect civilians from armed groups.

Security and human rights are both areas of "major concern", the report said.

The peacekeeping mission's human rights division "has documented 1,301 violations and human rights abuses affecting at least 2,473 victims", MINUSCA said, adding that that constituted a 70 percent increase on the period from September 2014 to May 2015.

The abuses "were primarily arbitrary executions, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, sexual violence, arbitrary deprivations of liberty, destruction and confiscation of private property, and restrictions on freedom of movement", it added.

Story continues

Among the victims there were "203 children including 91 boys and 67 girls".

"A total of 46 children (31 girls and 15 boys)" had either suffered rape or other forms of sexual violence, it added.

The report urged authorities in Bangui to step up the fight against impunity, with support from the international community.
BERLIN (AP)  South Sudan is "on the brink of an all-out ethnic civil war which could destabilize the entire region," the head of a team of U.N. investigators told the U.N. Human Rights Council on Wednesday, describing a shattered country where children as young as 2 have been raped.

Yasmin Sooka addressed the council at a meeting in Geneva requested by the United States as alarm grows about the rise of hate speech by South Sudanese officials and others as civil war grinds on.

Tens of thousands have been killed in fighting in South Sudan, and more than a million people have fled the East African country. Sooka said thousands of women have been raped.

The recent visit by the U.N. team of investigators found indications that "a steady process of ethnic cleansing is already underway in some parts of the country," Sooka said. She said fighting is expected to "begin in earnest" now that the dry season has arrived in South Sudan.

The Human Rights Council approved without a vote a resolution expressing concern at "ethnically motivated incitement to hatred and violence by all sides," condemning sexual violence and calling on all involved to end rights abuses.

South Sudan's representative said the council meeting to discuss his country wasn't necessary.

Also Wednesday, South Sudan President Salva Kiir in a speech to parliament called for a national dialogue that would attempt to redefine the country's national identity. Kiir again called for a cease-fire in the civil war but offered few details on how it would work with multiple opposition groups across the country.

Kiir also urged an end to expressions of ethnic hatred. "I am calling upon all of you to forgive one another," he said.

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, told the council meeting that "there may still be some space for consequential action to pull the country back from a worst-case scenario," noting that when local leaders intervened recently to halt hate speech, threats of violence decreased.

Story continues

South Sudan's government remains under international pressure to quickly allow the deployment of an additional 4,000 peacekeepers to help protect civilians.

___

Associated Press writer Justin Lynch in Koboko, Uganda, contributed.
Harry Reid

Retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid blasted the Electoral College in an interview with BuzzFeed Tuesday calling it "very undemocratic."

Reid joins a chorus of critics asserting that the institution should be disbanded after President-elect Donald Trump's stunning victory in the presidential election.

Although Trump won enough electoral votes to win the White House, he lost the the popular vote to his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, by more than 2.6 million votes and counting.

"In this election Hillary Clinton wound up getting getting almost 3 million more votes than Trump," Reid said, "its time the system goes. It is very undemocratic."

The discrepancy has led to a movement among so-called "faithless electors" nationwide who are threatening to refuse to vote for Trump when all 538 electors meet on December 19 to finalize the results of the election and certify his victory.

People should join together to get rid of this. It is unfair presidential elections are focused on seven states. Its wrong. We should have a general election, Reid said.

A federal judge on Monday rejected a move by two Colorado electors who sought to get out of casting their votes for Trump. The two electors, who are both Democrats, sought to encourage Republican electors nationwide to pick a third-party candidate, and offered to cast their Democratic votes for a consensus candidate who is not Hillary Clinton.

During Reid's interview Tuesday, he commented on the CIA's findings that Russia attempted to help Trump win via a coordinated hacking campaign targeting the Democratic Party, calling the matter "as big a deal as Watergate or 9/11."

The CIA's revelation could be another point of contention when the electors meet later this month, Reid said.

If these electors had the same briefings that I had, they would be concerned about the election.

NOW WATCH: 'Stop it!': Trump tells his supporters to end racial discrimination after the election





More From Business Insider


Warner Bros.

The United Nations has abruptly revoked the honorary ambassadorship that it had recently announced for Wonder Woman. No not one of the actresses that has portrayed the character in pop culture, but the character herself. Upon the announcement that the Amazonian warrior was chosen for an honorary position, people lobbed criticism almost immediately at the organization for the choice. Among reasons for the uproar is a petition that collected more than 45,000 signatures stating that,

It is alarming that the United Nations would consider using a character with an overtly sexualized image at a time when the headline news in United States and the world is the objectification of women and girls. The image that Wonder Woman projects (life-size cut outs of which have already appeared at UNHQ) is not culturally encompassing or sensitive  attributes the United Nations expects all its staff members to embody in the core value of respect for diversity. A large-breasted white woman of impossible proportions, scantily clad in a shimmery, thigh-baring body suit with an American flag motif and knee-high boots.

The petition makes a lot of good points, up to and including the fact that appointing a hero who is active specifically in the United States to an ambassadorship that, however honorary, encompasses dozens of countries and cultures.

UN spokesperson Jeffrey Brez publicly acknowledged that some people felt the choice was inappropriate to represent women and girls worldwide since Wonder Woman is a fictional character  however he pulled up short of admitting that the honorary ambassadorship period was ending any earlier than planned, stating that honorary situations such as this sometimes only last a few days at most. At least Wonder Woman has a fictional presidency to hold on to elsewhere in the DC universe.

(via Variety)
The United Nations will no longer move forward with Wonder Womans honorary ambassadorship amid public uproar.

The U.N.s decision to drop the Amazonian superheroine comes after a petition, asking U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to reconsider the selection, collected nearly 45,000 signatures, including from staff members of the organization.

It is alarming that the United Nations would consider using a character with an overtly sexualized image at a time when the headline news in United States and the world is the objectification of women and girls, reads the petition. The image that Wonder Woman projects (life-size cut outs of which have already appeared at UNHQ) is not culturally encompassing or sensitive  attributes the United Nations expects all its staff members to embody in the core value of respect for diversity.

A large-breasted white woman of impossible proportions, scantily clad in a shimmery, thigh-baring body suit with an American flag motif and knee-high boots is not an appropriate spokeswoman for gender equity at the United Nations, the petition also said.

Though the United Nations has yet to release a formal statement, Jeffrey Brez, a spokesperson for the U.N., told the New York Times that many people voiced a concern that they didnt feel it was appropriate for a fictional character to be representing women and girls.

The selection came in celebration of Wonder Womans 75th anniversary as a DC Comics superhero. Wonder Womans ambassadorship, which was intended to run through 2017, formally ends on Friday.

Brez told Reuters that the campaign had not ended early as a result of the protest, but because honorary ambassadorships usually have brief tenures  sometimes as short as a few days.

Related stories

'Wonder Woman' Powers Up on Social Media With Latest Trailer

Gal Gadot Is 'Wonder Woman' in Second Trailer (Watch)

Wonder Woman Original Artwork Up for Bid, Proceeds Go to Children's Hospital
The biographical particulars of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who was nominated to serve as Donald Trumps secretary of state on Tuesday, seem crafted from a Mad Libs sheet of Michael Moores grimmest nightmares. A tall, strapping Texan with a twang to show for it and silver coiffure, Tillerson is an Eagle Scout-turned-multimillionaire after a four-decade run at one of the biggest and most domineering global corporations. And his favorite book is Ayn Rands Atlas Shrugged.

Tillersons myriad feats as a businessmanforging the deep ties required to negotiate billion-dollar oil deals with Russia, for examplequickly fomented anxiety, even among the Republican senators whose support his confirmation requires. But its these very accomplishments that President-elect Donald Trump chose to broadcast when he announced Tillerson as his pick for Americas top diplomatic post.

The thing I like best about Rex Tillerson is that he has vast experience at dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2016

Regardless of whether Tillerson manages to get confirmed, his nomination reflects the sometimes unfathomable extent of American powerAmerican corporate power, that is. In 2014, Exxon earned $32 billion in profit, more than the GDPs of more than half of the countries in the world. At times, Exxon has exerted its influence in ways that supplant foreign policy. Take, for example, Chad, one of the poorest countries in Africa, writes Steve Coll in The New Yorker. During the mid-two-thousands, the entirety of U.S. aid and military spending in the country directed through the U.S. Embassy in the capital, NDjamena, amounted to less than twenty million dollars annually, whereas the royalty payments Exxon made to the government as part of an oil-production agreement were north of five hundred million dollars. Idriss Deby, the authoritarian President of Chad, did not need a calculator to understand that Rex Tillerson was more important to his future than the U.S. Secretary of State.

Recommended: The Four-Letter Code to Selling Just About Anything

Its not exactly groundbreaking to suggest that the interests of U.S. corporate power dont always line up with the goals of American foreign policy. In Tillersons case, this has manifested itself in lobbying against the American sanctions against Russia, sanctions that have interrupted billions of dollars of Exxon projects in Siberia and sanctions that were coordinated in part by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry following Russias violation of Ukraines sovereignty and its annexation of Crimea. (Meanwhile, shortly after Russias encroachment, Vice President Joe Bidens son Hunter was named to the board of one of Ukraines largest gas companies, showing theres also profit to be made by going along with American policy.)

Whether a line can be drawn between the interests of a career businessman and the diplomatic interests of the United States is an important question for Trumps Secretary of State pick, but, notwithstanding Tillerson, this is only a small part of a dynamic in which business and diplomacy are so profitably intertwined. The emergence of Tillerson as a candidate for state was said to have been pushed forward by former Secretary of State James Baker, whose law firm has extensive links with Exxon, Shell, and Halliburton. And, following his nomination, Tillerson quickly found fawning vocal support from members of the Republican establishment, including former Defense Secretary Bob Gates and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Notable names for sure, but also now paid consultants for Exxon.

Much will be made of the timing of Tillersons nomination, which comes in the midst of furor over Russias efforts to influence the U.S. election. But while this all plays out, former Obama officials and appointees of not-so-distant memory may be greasing the regulatory gears of Uber and Airbnb and the Business Software Association. These examples may not be as crude as Exxon, but they also matter.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Otis, a unit of United Technologies Corp. UTX, was recently awarded a contract by Ottawa's electric Light Rail Transit (OLRT) system to provide 54 elevators and modernize two existing units of its state-of-the-art transit system, the O-Train Confederation Line.

Per the contract, Otis Canada Inc. will offer 44 Gen2 elevators, 10 special freight elevators, and modernize two additional ones. Otis will also provide maintenance to the company for 10 years.

The companys highly competent Gen2 elevators have the innovative ReGen regenerative drive, which captures energy created by the elevator, and feeds it back into a building's electrical grid. As a result, the Gen2 elevator is up to 75% more energy efficient than conventional systems with non-regenerative drives. With this advanced technology elevator, the OLTR system will be able to cut costs in its operations.

On completion, the new rail line will provide light rail transit service along a stretch of 12.5 kilometers, across13-station routes. For this historic project, Otis will provide sturdy products to enable smooth functioning in OLRTs latest project to handle a capacity of 24,000 passengers per hour in each direction. The project is likely to be completed by 2018.

United Technologies, the parent company of Otis, outperformed the Zacks categorized Diversified Operations industry with an average return of 8.6% in the last 90 days compared with 7.1% for the latter. Organic growth is likely to have a positive impact on this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stocks top line. The earnings estimates of the company for the current year have increased to $6.62 from $6.59, over the last 90 days.

Otis is a leading provider of elevator and escalator services. The company offers its services to over 200 countries and territories. Alongside, it maintains more that 1.9 million elevators and escalators worldwide. With a constant focus on innovation and expansion, Otis is likely to procure more such prime contracts in the near future.

Story continues

Some better-ranked stocks in the industry include Leucadia National Corporation LUK, Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation MIC and Hitachi, Ltd. HTHIY. Leucadia and Macquarie both sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), where as Hitachi carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Leucadiahas a long-term earnings growth expectation of 18% and is currently trading at a forward P/E of 108.5x.

Macquariehas a positive average earnings surprise of 29.6% for the last four quarters, beating estimates twice in the trailing four quarters.

Hitachihas a long-term earnings growth expectation of 13% and is currently trading at a forward P/E of 13.7x.

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Charleston (United States) (AFP) - A survivor of last year's massacre of nine African American churchgoers in Charleston recalled in federal court Wednesday how the gunman, Dylann Roof, spared her life, telling her he needed her "to tell the story."

Polly Sheppard dove under a table as shots rang out at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015 during prayers at end of a Bible study session.

When Sheppard opened her eyes, Roof's boots were in her line of sight, she told the jury hearing the federal death penalty case in South Carolina.

"Did I shoot you yet?" Roof asked, according to Sheppard.

"No," she replied.

"I'm not going to. I need you to tell the story," Roof said.

Sheppard's dramatic testimony was the last to be given before the jury convenes to decide whether Roof, who declined to testify on his own behalf, is guilty of a hate crime punishable by death.

Roof's lawyers called no witnesses, resting their case after failing to persuade the judge to allow two mental health experts to testify on behalf of the 22-year-old defendant.

Closing arguments are set for Thursday, with the jury then expected to begin deliberations. Should he be found guilty, Roof has elected to represent himself during the sentencing phase of the trial.

- 'He's shooting everybody ' -

Roof, who posted a racist manifesto online before the killings, showed no emotion, staring straight ahead with a sullen look on his face as the 72-year-old Sheppard testified, warmly recalling the nine men and women who died.

She said she had been at the church all day, and had planned to skip the Bible study group, but was prevailed on to stay by her friend Myra Thompson, one of the victims.

"I had planned on sneaking out," she said, to rare laughter in the courtroom. "(But Thompson) kept watching me."

Roof was given a Bible and pamphlet when he entered the church and joined the group, Sheppard recalled.

Story continues

At the end of the session about 50 minutes later, the group stood to pray, closing their eyes.

That was when gunshots rang out.

Sheppard said she mistook them for the sparking of old electrical wiring until her friend Felicia Sanders started screaming.

"Oh, he's shooting everybody, Miss Polly," Sheppard recalled Sanders saying.

Sheppard told the court how Roof executed 26-year-old Tywanza Sanders, Felicia Sanders's son.

"Why are you doing this? We mean you no harm," said a wounded Tywanza Sanders, who propped himself up on his elbows to address the attacker before being shot dead.

"I have to. I have to. You're raping our women and taking over the nation," Roof said, according to Sheppard's account.

- Panicked phone call -

A recording of a 911 call made by Sheppard at the time of the shooting was then played in court.

"There's plenty of people shot," said Sheppard. "He shot the pastor. He shot all the men in the church. Please come right away."

Speaking in panicked tones, Sheppard explained to the dispatcher that Roof was still in the building.

"He's coming. He's coming. He's coming. Please!" said Sheppard, who identified the shooter as a "21-year-old white dude."

Authorities soon responded to the scene but Roof had already fled and began to drive away from Charleston.

Before Sheppards testimony Wednesday, a doctor detailed the gunshot wounds discovered on each of the victims during autopsies. Each of the nine men and women, aged 26 to 87, had been shot five to 10 times.
Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa has called for increased funding to support refugees and host communities around the world

Speaking at the Central Emergency Response Funds High-Level pledging conference for 2017, at the UN Kutesa also highlighted the work and challenges faced by Ugandas leaders and partners in implementing the transformational approach to addressing vulnerabilities and refugee needs in the country.

Kutesa however commended the work of the Central Emergency Response Fund in prioritization and responding to immediate humanitarian needs.

Rosa Malango, UN Resident Coordinator, Designated Official and UNDP Resident Representative in Uganda noted that CERF allows the UN to deliver as one and to have a targeted and holistic approach.

Since CERF was established in 2006, its annual funding target of $450 million has remained unchanged.

Over the past number of years, global humanitarian needs have quadrupled and more than 128 million people are in need of assistance today.

Following this 2016 Conference, 29 donors pledged almost US$273 million to the Fund to support urgent aid whenever and wherever crises hit.
Global defense budgets will continue to rise in the face of increased tensions between world powers and geopolitical instability, according to IHS Janes latest annual Defense Budgets report. The analysis put the United States as the frontrunner in military spending, followed by China, United Kingdom and India.

Defense spending returned to a healthy rate of growth in 2016, kicking off what we expect to be a decade of stronger global defense spending, said Fenella McGerty, principal analyst at the London-based defense and security analysis firm, in a statement. Defense spending should recover to pre-financial crisis levels by 2018.

According to the report, global military expenditure rose to $1.57 trillion this year, as compared to $1.55 trillion in 2015. It looks at the defense spending for 105 countries, capturing 99 percent of global defense spending, IHS Janes press release says .

Here are the major trends seen in the report:

United States

The U.S. is the world leader in defense spending with $622 billion spent on the military in 2016. The countrys defense budget accounted for almost 40 percent of the global total, the report showed, and is expected to see a further push when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

The construction moguls Defense Department spending plans include 350 new Navy ships, 1,200 aircraft, equipment and weapons for at least 65,000 new Army soldiers and at least 13,000 more Marines. While there is no indication of how much all this will cost, defense analysts estimate it around $90 billion per year in spending increases.

The countrys investment levels going forward were to decrease by 1.1 percent in real terms, but with the election of Trump, the expectation is that both investment and readiness will receive injections of much needed funds, Guy Eastman, a senior analyst at IHS Janes, said.

world armies

Photo: REUTERS/Natalie Thomas

Story continues

China

According to the reports forecast, the Asian giant will almost double its defense budget from $123 billion in 2010 to $233 billion in 2020  four times that of the UK and more than the combined spending of Western Europe. This has been attributed to regional tensions, like the South China Sea altercations, and the need for power projection.

Europe

For the first time since 2010, European defense budgets have risen, mostly because of the deteriorating security situation in the region. While the combined budget for the European Union in 2016 was $219 billion, it is expected to stand at $230.4 billion in 2020.

However, growth could be set back if the regions economic recovery is derailed by the ongoing difficulties in Southern Europe as well as uncertainty surrounding the UKs negotiations to leave the EU, McGerty said.

India

The South Asian country has overtaken Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the fourth-largest spender in the world. India spent $50.6 billion in 2016 on defense, up from $46.6 billion from the year before. If the pound continues to weaken, India will spend more on defense than the U.K. by 2018, the report shows.

Procurement spending has been constrained in India over the last three years as personnel costs have increased, Craig Caffrey, principal analyst, IHS Janes, said in the statement. However, what we expect to see from 2017 onwards is a military focused on modernization. India needs new equipment to fulfill its modernization drive. Over the next three years, India will re-emerge as a key growth market for defense suppliers.

Russia

Russias defense expenditure saw its first reduction since the late 1990s, causing the country to drop to the sixth position in the report.

We expect the Russian defense budget to fall again next year and it will sit below France in the number seven position by 2020, based on current plans, with a total defense budget of $41.4 billion, Caffrey said.

Middle East

The fastest growing region in terms of defense spending between 2012 and 2014 saw a dip in spending because of the dramatic drop in oil prices. However, 2015 and 2016 figures are still higher than 2013 figures.

Weve seen a pause in growth in the Gulf States as a result of the collapse in oil prices, Caffrey said. However, generally speaking, defense has been protected from cuts due to regional instability. In the cases of Kuwait and Qatar, weve actually seen significant increases in defense spending.

Related Articles
By Andrew Cawthorne CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela freed on Tuesday another four opponents of President Nicolas Maduro, but activists demanded the immediate liberation of more than 100 others they say are also unjustly imprisoned. "I'm so happy after living through these storms," one of the four, bank messenger Gilberto Sojo, told Reuters ecstatically after his release overnight, surrounded by friends and family. Sojo and the other three - engineer Vladimir Araque, retired general Romer Mena and lawyer Leopoldo D'Alta - were arrested in 2014 and 2015 on various accusations of fomenting violence and plotting against the socialist government. All deny the charges. They were among the lesser-known Maduro opponents jailed since he won an election to replace Hugo Chavez in 2013. The ruling Socialist Party says its opponents, encouraged by the United States, want to seize power via a coup and denies the existence of political prisoners in Venezuela. But critics say Maduro has turned the South American OPEC nation into a dictatorship, far surpassing his predecessor Chavez in political repression. Resuming a more militant stance against Maduro after the collapse of Vatican-mediated talks over the last two months, the opposition-controlled National Assembly restarted a symbolic political trial of the president on Tuesday. In response to that and further escalating Venezuela's conflict of powers, the government-leaning Supreme Court later issued a ruling saying the legislature remained in "contempt" of the law and all its measures were thus null. ELECTION BOARD APPOINTMENTS The court also named three new members to the three-person electoral commission, despite the opposition's insistence that the Assembly should be allowed to exercise its constitutional right to make the appointments. Critics say the election board is biased to Maduro. Jesus Torrealba, head of the opposition coalition, said happiness at Tuesday's release of the prisoners was mixed with anger over the continued jailing others. "All the political prisoners are innocent; they all deserve freedom," he said. The subject of prisoners, as well as the assembly's right to name new election board members, had been high on the list of the dialogue between government and opposition that began at the end of October but stalled last week. The release of the four prisoners on Tuesday followed half a dozen other releases in goodwill gestures after talks began. Sojo, 51, an activist in a poor community of Caracas for hardline Popular Will party, was accused of plotting to bomb a Caracas court to free Popular Will leader Leopoldo Lopez, Venezuela's best-known prisoner, according to supporters. They said he was framed. (Additional reporting by Corina Pons; Editing by W Simon, Alan Crosby and Lisa Shumaker)
Buenos Aires (AFP) - Venezuela's top diplomat turned up uninvited to a meeting of the South America's Mercosur on Wednesday, despite Caracas' suspension from the trade bloc for failing to meet democratic and trade standards.

Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez pushed her way through a crowd of riot police and journalists to enter the Argentine foreign ministry in Buenos Aires where the extraordinary meeting was held.

"These (Mercosur) presidents insist Venezuela can't participate," she told reporters outside the building.

"Well we'll come in through the window because we're here to defend Venezuela's rights and also defend the rights of Mercosur."

She later tweeted a picture of herself inside the conference room.

But her colleagues -- who had explicitly said Venezuela was not invited -- excluded her from the meeting, Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra said.

The other Mercosur countries -- Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay -- had suspended Venezuela earlier this month for failing to ratify rules on trade, politics, democracy and human rights.

In a surreal turn, Venezuela insists it still holds Mercosur's rotating presidency -- a claim Rodriguez repeated on Wednesday.

But Malcorra said Argentina had in fact taken over the presidency at the meeting.

- Defiant -

Speaking in Havana, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro took a defiant tone.

"Nothing and nobody is going to remove us from Mercosur because Mercosur belongs to the people," he insisted, accusing an alliance of "ultra-right" governments in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay of trying to destroy the bloc.

Venezuela's neighbors are becoming increasingly wary of developments in the once-booming oil giant.

Maduro has presided over an economic meltdown marked by food shortages, riots and looting.

The opposition accuses the deeply-unpopular president of trampling on democracy by throwing its leaders in jail and blocking efforts to remove him constitutionally.

Story continues

Announced on December 2, the Mercosur suspension represents the international community's biggest rebuke of Maduro's government since the political crisis deepened this year.

Venezuela joined Mercosur in 2012 when fellow leftist governments held sway across the region.

But the political tide has turned as a regional recession bites, with Maduro now facing sharp criticism from center-right presidents Michel Temer in Brazil and Mauricio Macri in Argentina.

Wednesday's meeting was called to discuss the regional impact of the Venezuelan crisis and progress toward signing a trade deal with the European Union.
HOUSTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Sales of Venezuelan crude to the United States bounced to 742,535 barrels per day last month, a 23 percent increase versus October but 10.5 percent less than the same month of 2015, according to Thomson Reuters trade flows data.

Larger shipments of upgraded oil from the vast Orinoco belt, Venezuela's main producing region, contributed to the growth, even though state-run PDVSA has recently struggled to pay suppliers of the products used to dilute its extra heavy oil.

PDVSA and its joint ventures sent a total of 42 crude cargoes to their customers in the United States in November versus 37 in October.

PDVSA's unit in the United States, Citgo Petroleum, which has been receiving more Venezuelan crude this year under an exchange agreement allowing the South American country to import more refined products, was the biggest importer in November.

Refining and oil firms Valero Energy, Phillips 66 and Chevron Corp followed. PDVSA also did more spot sales to U.S. customers last month.

Declining crude production has affected PDVSA's exports this year. Venezuela plans to withdraw around 95,000 bpd more in 2017 to an average of 1.97 million bpd as part of the cut agreed by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The country's diluent imports have also been limited this year, affecting the formulation of exportable blends. PDVSA has bought some 12.1 million barrels of light crude and around 13 million barrels of heavy naphtha so far this year versus some 35 million barrels of diluents last year.

(Reporting by Marianna Parraga; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Caracas (AFP) - Not long ago, Yajaira Perez was queuing to withdraw cash from the bank, fearing bills would run short. Now she is queuing anxiously to put it back in.

Venezuela's food, medicine and currency crisis is now a cash crisis, too, with the government about to put millions of bank notes out of circulation.

As usual, it is ordinary Venezuelans suffering -- waiting in line for hours to deposit the doomed bills, when they could be working, studying or caring for their families.

"It's horrible, horrible. They can't do this a few days before Christmas," said Perez, a middle-aged housewife in a black and white headscarf.

Queuing in the early morning at a bank in eastern Caracas, she embodies the often absurd impact of the economic crisis on people's everyday lives.

Spooked by a shortage of banknotes, she had been withdrawing 100 bolivar bills to make sure she had ready cash.

Then on Sunday, President Nicolas Maduro ordered the most common bank note, the 100-bolivar unit, to be scrapped by Thursday.

"Little by little you put money aside in case of an emergency," Perez said.

"Now I have to come back and I'm ending up with no cash at all."

- Bread line -

Some vendors have already stopped accepting the 100 bolivar notes for fear of not being able to deposit them by Thursday.

Teresa Giraldo, 48, has been getting paid mainly in 100-bolivar bills for her job as a cleaner.

"I went to buy bread and when I got to the front of the queue they wouldn't accept them," she said, standing in line.

"Now I have to go through this to put them in the bank. Then I will have to come back in a few days and queue for more hours to withdraw the money again. This is crazy."

- Bags of cash -

The 100-bolivar bill is currently the highest-denomination bank note in Venezuela, but on its own it is scarcely enough to buy a piece of candy.

In a country with one of the highest rates of violent crime in the world, shoppers must carry round unwieldy wads of bills to pay for their purchases.

Story continues

Retirees had complained for months that their pensions were paid in unmanageable 50 and 20-bolivar denominations.

Eventually the government agreed to pay them in bills of 100.

Angel Retali, 71, queued Tuesday along with some 60 other people, holding his stacks of cash in a plastic bag.

"You have to carry so much money around in a bag like this," he said.

"Everyone knows what's in it, and it's not safe."

- Border closed -

The government is scheduled to start releasing new higher-denomination notes starting on Thursday, the biggest being a 20,000 bolivar bill.

But in the meantime, Maduro scrapped the 100-bolivar bill to combat what he called a US-backed plot against Venezuela.

He said billions of bolivars, in bills of 100, were stashed away by international gangs in Colombia, Brazil and even in Europe and Asia.

He ordered the Colombia border to be closed for three days, saying this would stop the gangs depositing their hoarded banknotes.

The government said on Tuesday that police had arrested 117 people and seized the equivalent of $155 million in raids on such gangs.

In the western border region of Tachira, the crackdown caused added misery for people who rely on cross-border trade.

Many locals in the city of San Cristobal are used to crossing to the Cucuta on the Colombian side to buy food and medicine.

"We were going to go to Cucuta to buy some supplies that we can't get here and save a few bolivars," said Carmen Hidaldo, a retired teacher of 60.

"Now, who knows what we'll be able to get."
Vice Media has long hinted at a possible IPO. But 2017 may be the year his company finally takes the plunge.

In an interview at Varietys annual Dealmakers breakfast Wednesday at Spago in Beverly Hills, Vice CEO Shane Smith told Variety co-editor in chief Andrew Wallenstein that the brands leadership is taking a hard look at going public.

Were talking to some banks and were getting ready, Smith said, adding that executives would present the case for an IPO at a scheduled company board meeting in January. Next year is going to be a banner year and now is the time to do it.

No final decision has yet been made on a Vice IPO. But Smith was bullish on the prospect, saying the ownership stakes media giants such as Disney and 21st Century Fox have in place compelled the company to take a hard look at its books, beginning the sort of due diligence that an IPO would require. Its ironic our partners forced us to go through that process and test the market, because when we went through that process, our actual growth metrics were higher than had been anticipated, he said.

That hypothetical IPO would take place against a media-business landscape that Smith expects to transform radically in the coming year.

In the de-stratification of the status quo, youre seeing companies implode, new companies being made, he said. We believe that on the public markets, the vote will be for the future, which would be us, so we need to sort of turn on the jets. Smith indicated that part of his jet-turning-on plan includes acquisitions  buy some tech companies, buy some TV companies, distressed media assets, of which there are a lot.

The Vice chief did not hold back from predicting what 2017 would hold for other media companies as well. Smith  who speaking to reporters at the Edinburgh International Television Festival in August predicted a forthcoming media bloodbath  forecast doom for poorly positioned competitors. On the digital media front, he reiterated his prediction that 30% of URLs will go away, just go bankrupt. On linear television, where Vice is partnered with A+E Networks on the less-than-a-year-old cable channel Viceland, Smith said, Theres going to be a lot of cable channels that are going to say Were fucked.

Story continues

He saved his most dire outlook for Viacom, the beleaguered television-film conglomerate that yesterday saw plans for a proposed merger with CBS Corp. evaporate amid family and boardroom drama surrounding Sumner Redstone, whose company National Amusements holds a controlling interest in both CBS and Viacom.

Noting that former Viacom chief Tom Freston sits on Vices board of directors, Smith said, Thats like a Shakespearean tragedy, with Viacom just circling the drain.

Smith predicted that 2017 would see a series of mergers and acquisitions in media as complementary companies pair off in hopes of better positioning themselves to survive in what he characterized as an increasingly hostile landscape.

That trend, he said, could be fueled by changing political realities following the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. Apple, in particular, according to Smith, could be headed for a major acquisition.

If Trump allows companies like Apple to repatriate money, and they say, We have to spend a certain amount here to make jobs and st, because its all about making jobs, then Apple will come back with a butt-pile of money and say, Okay, lets throw some golden bricks at people.'

The hit that Apple competitor Samsung took with the massive recall of its Galaxy Note7 phone bought Apple time, according to Smith, but the U.S. tech company is still primed to make a play for a major media acquisition on the scale of AT&Ts bid for Time Warner. I think they have to, Smith said of such a move.

Smith also talked about how Trump has impacted the news business, in which Vice, with its digital offerings and new nightly news program on HBO, has become a growing player, targeting the millennials that typically eschew cable news.

If you look at the greatest tragedies of our time, Iraq, Afghanistanthat sort of built CNN, Smith said, noting that Vice had long been the kid brother in news before gaining recent legitimacy with the HBO deal and an interview special with President Obama. In a way, Trump is fantastic for our business, because were mostly millennial. Its been incredibly galvanizing for our demo.

Asked whether he worries about Trumps apparent aggression toward the news media, insulting particular reporters and outlets and threatening to tighten libel laws, Smith offered that he was not.

The Sex Pistols got banned for God Save the Queen, and the next day it was No. 1, Smith said. So if he bans us from anything, wed be like Yes!'

Asked about todays summit between Trump and tech-industry leaders including Tim Cook, Larry Page, Satya Nadella, and Jeff Bezos, Smith said, I think the tech leaders going to kiss the ring, its hard not to, because if you dont, hes a vindictive guy.

Smith also discussed the international growth of Vice, with the companys content on pace to reach as many as 80 countries by 2018.

As this years Dealmakers keynote interview subject, Smith joined an illustrious group of CEOs who have joined the Variety event in recent years, including Disneys Bob Iger, CBS Leslie Moonves and The Chernin Groups Peter Chernin.

Related stories

Shane Smith Extends the Reach of Vice Media Across the Globe

Vice Media Announces Program to Employ Formerly Incarcerated People

Vice Media Forms Alliance With Guardian Newspaper
A Vietnam court has convicted four men of people-smuggling after they tried to sail to Australia with a boatload of migrants but were turned back under Canberra's hardline immigration policy.

Australia does not accept so-called boat people from any nation and the country has come under fire for holding migrants in isolated outposts in Papua New Guinea and the island of Nauru.

The four Vietnamese sentenced in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province on Tuesday were deported from Australia in June after their boat carrying 21 people was spotted in Australian waters.

Two were given three and three and a half years in prison, while another pair were handed 18-month suspended sentences, a court clerk told AFP on Wednesday.

The Vietnamese migrants, who were reportedly seeking higher paying jobs abroad, were also deported but did not face charges.

The ringleader of the group, 27-year-old Nguyen Giao Thong, had previously fled to Australia in 2013 before he was arrested and returned to Vietnam, according to state-run Thanh Nien newspaper.

Seeking to return, Thong organised the trip with three others and set sail on May 18, reaching Australian waters 20 days later.

The four men were sentenced just days after Canberra and Hanoi signed an agreement on the return of Vietnamese nationals deemed to be in Australia illegally.

Rights groups have slammed Australia for blocking asylum-seekers arriving by boat from settling in the country, including those found to be genuine refugees.

Canberra says the tough stance is crucial to deter people-smugglers and prevent deaths at sea. Many of those held in detention centres are from war-torn Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and the Middle East.

Since 2015, Australia has returned 113 Vietnamese national from three vessels intercepted at sea.

There are more than 230,000 Vietnamese people living in Australia, according to official figures, many of whom fled after the Vietnam War.

Millions escaped after the northern communist regime unified the country, with many going to the United States, Canada, France and Australia.
BRUSSELS/BERLIN (Reuters) - Audi's top-selling model released excessive toxic diesel emissions in results from lab tests run by the European Commission and seen by Reuters, raising suspicions of wrongdoing at Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) luxury division.

The results threaten to embroil Audi, the main contributor to VW group profit, in the scandal that has engulfed the company since it admitted cheating U.S. emissions tests with software to mask nitrogen oxides (NOx).

The lab tests run by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) in August showed the latest Euro 6 diesel generation A3 emitted 163 milligrammes (mg) of nitrogen oxides (NOx) per kilometre, double the statutory 80mg cap.

A separate lab-based test showed the A3 emitting 140mg of NOx at an engine temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, but emissions were below 80mg when the car was run with a cold engine.

"The differences between cold start and hot start are hard to explain," said Bas Eikhout, a lawmaker on the European Parliament's inquiry committee into the VW scandal.

Audi dismissed the results, saying the level of 163 milligrammes was inflated by erroneous measurements on behalf of the JRC. Key parameters such as the state of the catalytic converter systems of the tested vehicles remain unclear, a spokesman said by email.

Other tests in Britain and Germany have shown the A3 compact, which topped the brand's sales rankings this year ahead of the A4 and A6 models, is complying with legal limits, he said.

EU regulators depend on the JRC's work to help to shape policy, but member states are responsible for policing their car industries.

A Commission spokeswoman said that the JRC's results were still preliminary.

"If the test results raise some suspicion of wrongdoing, such as the installation of prohibited defeat devices, they will be shared with all relevant approval authorities," she said.

Germany's KBA motor vehicle authority declined to comment.

Amid frustration in Brussel over inaction by governments over the dieselgate scandal, the EU began legal action this month against seven countries, including Germany, for not fining VW over its use of illegal software.

Story continues

VW has set aside 18.2 billion euros ($19.4 billion) to cover the costs of the biggest corporate scandal in its history.

In Europe, however, VW has not admitted to using illegal software. Carmarkers in the bloc say that an exemption in EU law allows them to turn off emissions-control systems if that is needed to protect engines.

Signs of further emissions irregularities come at a bad time for VW as it tries to negotiate a deal with U.S. authorities on possible buybacks and fixes for about 80,000 polluting Audi, Porsche and VW 3-litre vehicles.

Audi also came under scrutiny last month over whether some gasoline vehicles have separate software that lowered carbon dioxide emissions.

(Reporting by Alissa De Carbonnel and Tom Koerkemeier; Additional reporting by Jan Schwartz and Andreas Cremer.; Writing by Andreas Cremer; Editing by David Goodman and Adrian Croft)
A Walking Dead actress is about to forge the final frontier.

Sonequa Martin-Green has been cast as the lead in the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery, EW.com reports.

Martin-Green will play a lieutenant commander in the sci-fi reboot, a role then-executive producer Bryan Fuller described at last summers Television Critics Association press tour as having caveats.

RELATEDStar Trek: Discovery: Bryan Fuller Now Says He Wont Be Involved at All

The 13-episode first season, which will be available weekly on CBS All Access after launching with a two-hour premiere on CBS network in May, follows an incident in the history of Starfleet that other series/movies in the franchise have touched on but never fully explored. Per Fuller, Discovery will tell that story through a character who is on a journey that is going to teach her how to get along with others in the galaxy.

CBS declined to comment on the casting.

RELATEDStar Trek: Discovery: Prime Setting, Gay Character, Heavy Alien Presence and 11 More Spoilers About CBS Reboot

Fuller stepped down as showrunner earlier this fall due to creative differences. Im not involved in production, or post-production, he recently confirmed. So I can only give them the material Ive given them and hope that it is helpful for them. Im curious to see what they do with it.

Martin-Greens casting is sure to raise questions about the future of her Walking Dead character, Sasha, who remains very much alive on the AMC hit. An AMC rep maintains that the actress remains a series regular on the AMC series.

RELATEDStar Trek: Brent Spiner on Discoverys Refreshing POV, Data Reboot Outlook

She joins a cast that includes Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Doug Jones (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Anthony Rapp (Rent), Shazad Latif (Penny Dreadful) and Chris Obi (American Gods).

Related stories

2016 in Review: Best/Worst Finales, Underrated Shows and Stars, Saddest Cancellation, LOL CGI and More

Story continues

The Walking Dead Season 7 Return Date Set -- When Will Rick & Co. 'Rise Up'?

Star Trek: Discovery: Penny Dreadful's 'Dr. Jekyll,' 2 Others Cast as Klingons
The commandant of the Marine Corps wants Marine Corps ground units to be able to target enemy ships without having to rely on air support.

Gen. Robert Neller has been a champion of innovation since he assumed command of the Corps in 2015, promoting efforts to integrate drones with small infantry units and to get experimental technology into the hands of quick-learning Marines. A new focus, he revealed earlier this month at the U.S. Naval Institute's annual defense forum in Washington, D.C., involves finding a way to fire anti-ship cruise missiles out of existing Marine Corps artillery equipment.

"Were looking at munitions and capabilities that can be fired out of existing things," he told reporters during the conference. "I would love to have an anti-ship cruise missile I could shoot out of a HIMARS launcher. So if the Marines, for example, were to go to seize and secure an advance expeditionary amphibious base and the adversary had ships, rather attack them with an airplane, Id like to be able to have some way to defend from the shore."

HIMARS, an acronym for high-mobility artillery rocket system, is a vehicle-mounted light rocket launcher system used by the Army and the Marine Corps. It is somewhat portable, as it can be carried in a C-130 aircraft. The HIMARS is currently used for firing M270 artillery rockets and anti-aircraft missiles.

Neller said the Marine Corps and the Army were both looking at requirements to assess the feasibility of using the system to fire anti-ship ordnance as well.

"The Armys looking at a lot of stuff and a lot of different type of capabilities that actually be fired from artillery, so Im not going to get into that," he said. "...We just need to make sure that we can continue to be able to invest in [research and development], and when we find something, that we can figure out a way to field it a little bit faster."

Neller would also like to see Tomahawk missiles aboard amphibious assault ships, which carry Marines across the globe, he said at the conference.

"Imagine that the big deck amphibs have F-35Bs that can hold any target at risk," he said, referring to the new joint strike fighter aircraft. "Imagine that the [vertical launching system] space on LPD-17 actually has Tomahawk missiles."

LPD-17, the USS San Antonio, is the lead ship of the class of amphibious transport dock, an element of the three-ship amphibious ready group aboard which Marine expeditionary units deploy.

"Theres a VLS cell on every LPD; we just dont put any missiles on there," he said. "Those forces are not just out there doing amphib stuff, but theyre a part of doing maritime domain operations, shaping the environment, fighting the naval campaign, along with the carriers, service action groups, submarines, maritime aircraft."

Tomahawks were most recently deployed from the destroyer USS Nitze in a retaliatory strike on radar sites on the coast of Yemen in October in response to missiles launched from those sites that targeted those ships.

Neller said the chief of Naval Operations, Adm. John Richardson, was also interested in adding cruise missile capability onto amphibious ships.

"Thats the capability we want to be able to provide to the nation, no matter the number of ships there are," he said.
Last week, bus driver John Lunceford picked up a kid who was waiting for the bus without gloves or a hat in the bitterly cold Washington morning.

His ears were red and his hands were pink, Lunceford, 52, of Kennewick, told Inside Edition Monday. I took my work gloves off and put them on his hands and he cried all the way to school.

Kids cant fend for themselves. Its up to adults to take care of them, said Lunceford, a grandfather and a self-described old softie.

Luncefords enjoying his newfound  if baffling, for him  celebrity this week after becoming the unwitting savior to several of the children on his route.

His next stop was a local store, where he purchased 10 sets of hats and gloves to distribute to the other kids in need on his bus.

The story made its way to the Kennewick School Districts Facebook page, and turned Lunceford, whos been driving since 2007, into a local hero. Hes not wild about the attention and insists it doesnt make him an outlier.

I wasnt doing it for popularity. I did it because it was the right thing to do. Thats the way I was raised. There are bus drivers who buy shoes for kids that need them, he added. We all really like the kids.




An earnest young police officer in Ithaca, New York, bravely captured the holiday seasons biggest curmudgeon, the Grinch.

Officer Colin Hayward Toland, a 9-year-old honorary member of the Ithaca police force whos battled brain cancer for most of his life, arrested the Grinch on Tuesday for the crime of stealing Christmas.

In a Facebook Live video posted by Ithacas mayor, Svante Myrick, Toland appeared in court alongside the Grinch, where the judge shared witness accounts from Whoville residents who complained about thefts of pop guns and bicycles, roller skates, drums! Checkerboards, tricycles, popcorn and plums.

Toland testified that the Grinch really does stink, while the defendant in question pleaded not guilty, with his legal counsel urging that the judge consider a petition that rhymed like the Dr. Seuss classic, allow him time for his heart to enlarge. He took this fall because his heart is simply two sizes too small.

Eventually, the Grinch was let off with probation, thanks to Officer Tolands kind intervention; as a part of his plea bargain, the Grinch was invited to spend Christmas with the young police officer and his family.

Myrick approved of the sentence, calling it restorative justice.

Watch the full clip below.
Photo credit: Brett Carlsenundefined

From Esquire

(Optional Musical Accompaniment To This Post)

Snipe we must at terrible journalism at a perilous time, but when folks do the craft well, even though what they tell us is infuriating, we should stand up and cheer. Today's huzzahs go to the crew at USA Today, who have taken, yes, a deep dive into the sorry state of this country's water supply. Water is something of an obsession here at the shebeen. Most of the attention over the past couple of years has been focused on the atrocity committed against the people of Flint in Michigan. But the USAT investigation shows that the problems with the country's drinking water know no racial, demographic, or geographic distinctions.

Consider, for example, a small town in Texas:

It came in city water, delivered to his family's tap through pipes nearly a century old. For almost a year, the little boy bathed in lead-tainted water and ate food cooked in it. As he grew into a toddler-when he should have been learning to talk-he drank tap water containing a toxin known to ravage a child's developing brain. Adam's parents didn't know about the danger until this fall. Officials at City Hall knew long before then, according to local and state records. So did state and federal government regulators who are paid to make sure drinking water in Texas and across the nation is clean. Ranger and Texas officials were aware of a citywide lead problem for two years-one the city still hasn't fixed and one the Waltons first learned about in a September letter to residents. The city and state even knew, from recent tests, that water in the Walton family's cramped, one-bedroom rental house near the railroad tracks was carrying sky-high levels of lead. Destiny and John Walton got their first inkling of a problem when blood tests in June detected high levels of lead in their son's growing body. They first learned that their tap water contained lead-about 28 times the federal limit-when a USA TODAY Network reporter told them in early November.

Story continues

They all know. The local politicians know. The state politicians know. The national politicians know. It's all another benefit brought to us by the deregulated new economy. (This is what the new nominee for Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, calls creating a "good business climate." Honest. That's what he says.) It turns out that utility companies that serve less than 1,000 customers don't have to treat their water for lead content until lead is discovered. Even then, federal and state regulators rarely bother to take any action. As a result, as the USAT crew discovered that:

About 100,000 people get their drinking water from utilities that discovered high lead but failed to treat the water to remove it. Dozens of utilities took more than a year to formulate a treatment plan and even longer to begin treatment.

Some 4 million Americans get water from small operators who skipped required tests or did not conduct the tests properly, violating a cornerstone of federal safe drinking water laws. The testing is required because, without it, utilities, regulators and people drinking the water can't know if it's safe. In more than 2,000 communities, lead tests were skipped more than once. Hundreds repeatedly failed to properly test for five or more years.

About 850 small water utilities with a documented history of lead contamination-places where state and federal regulators are supposed to pay extra attention-have failed to properly test for lead at least once since 2010.

When annoying liberals talk about environmental justice, this is exactly what they're pestering us all about.

Officials in West Virginia, for example, labeled more than a dozen systems "orphans" because they didn't have owners or operators. Enforcement efforts for those utilities amounted to little more than a continuous stream of warning letters as utilities failed to test year after year. All the while, residents continued drinking untested-and potentially contaminated-water. "At the end of the day, it creates two universes of people," said water expert Yanna Lambrinidou, an affiliate faculty member at Virginia Tech. "One is the universe of people who are somewhat protected from lead. ... Then we have those people served by small water systems, who are treated by the regulations as second-class citizens." All of this endangers millions of people across the country, mostly in remote and rural communities. Utilities like East Mooringsport Water, serving part of a bayou town of about 800 people, where drinking water went untested for more than five years. Or Coal Mountain, W.Va., a remote 118-person outpost where a retired coal miner pours bleach into untested water at the system's wellhead in hope of keeping it clean. Or Orange Center School outside Fresno, Calif., where for more than a decade regulators let about 320 grade-school kids drink water that had tested high for lead.

This is, as Bernie Sanders repeatedly reminds us, the wealthiest country in the world. Its citizens deserve clean drinking water. Water is not a luxury good, no matter how many corporations believe it should be. Water is not more necessary and precious to rich people than it is to poor people. Water is 70 percent of all human beings. The brain and heart of every human being is 73 percent water. Water is that from which we all came, as Melville says at the beginning of Moby-Dick:

Take almost any path you please, and ten to one it carries you down in a dale, and leaves you there by a pool in the stream. There is magic in it. Let the most absent-minded of men be plunged in his deepest reveries-stand that man on his legs, set his feet a-going, and he will infallibly lead you to water, if water there be in all that region.

Everybody knows this, literally in their blood. But, hey, in the small places, some things just can slip your mind.

In West Texas, at Klondike Independent School District, water safety is handled by Superintendent Steve McLaren, whose first job is running a one-building school system serving 260 students. He wears many hats in the district amid cotton fields; he's been known to drive a school bus from time to time. McLaren acknowledged he skipped required testing for lead and copper in fall 2014 because "some things just slip by." When Klondike did test last year, it found excessive lead in both rounds of testing. Generally, the bar for running tiny water systems is low. Certification for hands-on operators varies by state and typically involves passing an exam and getting ongoing continuing education credits. Some states require licensing but with varying qualifications. Minimum requirements in Texas, for instance, are a high school diploma or GED and a training course in basic water operations. No experience necessary. "You might have to get more training to run a hot dog stand than a small water system," said Paul Schwartz with the Campaign for Lead Free Water, a group of people and organizations working to get lead out of drinking water.

Christamighty.

So much of the modern conservative creed is contained in this situation. Deregulation is good for people. Government is best at the local level. Except that deregulation leads to children with poisons in their brains, and government at the local level is wholly inadequate to address the problem, or it doesn't have the political will to address the problem, or both.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Republicans%20Have%20Abandoned%20Science%20for%20Profit" customimages="" content="article.51419"]

And I find it necessary to note at this point that Eastland County, where Ranger, Texas, is located, and where little Adam Walton is struggling against the lead in his body, voted for a presidential candidate who pledged to eliminate entirely the Environmental Agency, and who already picked a guy to head that department named Scott Pruitt.

As The American Prospect points out, Pruitt never has met an environmental regulation over which he couldn't sue someone. This, naturally, includes any regulation aimed at protecting the water supply.

One of the clearest signals Trump has sent is his intention to scrap the Clean Water Rule, a fight Pruitt has also championed. Finalized last year, the rule expands federal protections for some 20 million acres of lakes, wetlands, and streams-drinking water sources for 117 million Americans. Unlike other parts of Trump's environmental agenda, scrapping the rule is a core Republican objective. In the 18 months since the rule was finalized, more than a dozen GOP governors have sued to stop its enforcement, along with two oil companies. The Clean Water Rule is designed to help prevent crises like the toxic algae bloom in Lake Erie that left half a million Toledo residents without safe drinking water in 2014. Caused in part by agricultural runoff into wetlands and streams emptying into Lake Erie, cyanobacteria produced by the algae has been linked to diarrhea, dizziness, vomiting, and liver damage. And Ohio is not alone. Similar outbreaks have threatened water supplies in more than 20 states this past summer-a significant increase over previous years. Without a robust Clean Water Rule, experts say, one in three Americans could risk exposure to these and similar contaminants.

Eastland County voted for Donald Trump. He won 86 percent of the vote.

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Wells Fargo & Company WFC seems to close 2016 with yet another setback.



The San Francisco-based banking giant has been hit with restrictions by the U.S. regulators as the bank failed to adequately remedy deficiencies in its resolution plan. The plan, better known as living will, lays out the strategy for a companys fast resolution under bankruptcy in the event of failure of the company or severe financial stress. Notably, this turned out to be the second time this year that Wells Fargo flunked in the living will assessment.



Under provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the banks (with total consolidated assets of $50 billion or more) are required to submit living wills. The main objective behind the submission of living will is to avoid re-run of the 2008 financial crisis and reduce the risks of further bailouts.



Earlier in Apr 2016, The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Federal Reserve Board determined, that along with Wells Fargo, resolution plans of four other companies  Bank of America Corporation BAC, JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPM, Bank of New York Mellon Corp. BK and State Street Corp.  were not credible or would not facilitate an orderly resolution under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. These companies were required to remedy the deficiencies identified by the regulators, by Oct 2016. Notably, except Wells Fargo, the regulators found the remaining four companies have corrected the deficiencies.



Restrictions Imposed



According to the regulators joint release, Wells Fargo and its subsidiaries now face sanctions on international and non-bank activities. Particularly, Wells Fargo is barred from setting up international bank entities or acquiring any non-bank subsidiary.



By Mar 31, 2017, Wells Fargo is required to file a revised submission, addressing the shortcomings. However, if it fails again to correct the deficiencies, the regulators will limit the size of the companys non-bank and broker-dealer assets. Further, in case Wells Fargo has not corrected the deficiencies within two years, the regulators may force the company to divest certain assets or operations.



Wells Fargo Disappointed



In its response, Wells Fargo expressed disappointment on the regulators decision as the company believed that it had taken necessary steps to address the regulators concerns and made improvements in areas identified.



The company stated, Wells Fargo is committed to strengthening and enhancing its resolution planning processes, and we will continue to work closely with the agencies to better understand their concerns so that we can bring our resolution planning processes in line with their expectations. While we are disappointed with the determination issued by the agencies, we continue to be dedicated to sound resolution planning and preparedness. We believe we will be able to address the concerns raised today in the March 2017 revised submission.



Stock Performance



The latest development is indeed another trouble for Wells Fargo, which continues to struggle with the scam over its sales practices that sparked political and public outrage, triggered numerous federal and state investigations and saw banks former CEO  John Stumpf  losing his job.



Amid its crisis, shares of Wells Fargo gained just 2.7% year to date, significantly underperforming the 19.6% growth for the Zacks categorized Regional Banks-Major industry.

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Now that Meghan Markle has helped Prince Harry decorate his palace pad with a 6-foot Christmas tree, will she be joining the royal holiday celebrations with Queen Elizabeth at her Sandringham Estate?

If there is a setting for her at the holiday table, it would be a first for the royal family. Princess Kate didnt visit Sandringham for Christmas until she was married in 2011. (Although she became engaged in November 2010, she wasnt included in the festivities as Prince Williams fiancee.)

I very much doubt she will be there, a close insider tells PEOPLE. But if Harry asks for something, she would say yes as she adores him.

But the source notes that meeting the entire family and spending key time with them could be an ordeal.

It would be a tall order for her, and possibly put her off for good! the insider quips.

Royal biographer and Majesty magazine editor-in-chief Ingrid Seward, agrees, saying it would be extremely difficult for her.

Apart from the fact that it is unprecedented  which doesnt necessarily stop Harry  I doubt she will be there, she says. I dont think he would put her through that, if she hasnt met them all. It would be very stressful for her.

Ray Tamarra/GC Images; Samir Hussein/WireImage

Seward adds that Harry regularly seeks advice from his dad, Prince Charles.

And he would advise that it was not a good idea as the media would have them married off the next day! Seward says.

Want to keep up with the latest royals coverage? Click here to subscribe to the Royals Newsletter.

But as one friend tells PEOPLE, He is very serious about her, and she is spending time with him in London just a week after he flew to Toronto to see her following his two-week tour of the Caribbean.

Insiders say there is nothing to stop her being in the U.K. around the holidays and staying at one of the other royal homes, including nearby Anmer Hall  Will and Kates country home where she could join them for a shooting party and other festive fun after Christmas.

Story continues

In November, Markle opened up about her plans while she has a few months off from filming her hit show, Suits.

December is holiday time and Im really looking forward to seeing my family and traveling, she told the Vancouver Sun.

She also revealed her plans to spend two weeks in India in January to set up a girls program with World Vision, of which she is a global ambassador.

And then, come March, we start filming season seven of Suits. So, my cup runneth over and Im the luckiest girl in the world! she said.




Energy efficiency is important for a lot of homeowners -- not just to reduce environmental impact but also to decrease the cost of utilities.

But any major home renovation to achieve greater energy efficiency is going to be expensive. You may not have a lump of cash lying around, and additional financing on top of your current mortgage may seem like a daunting and dangerous burden.

Enter the PACE loan.

Property-assessed clean energy programs, first implemented in the U.S. in California in 2008, are a form of financing that allow property owners to fund energy-efficient retrofit projects at no upfront cost to them. Instead, an assessment is placed on the property and appears as an increase to property taxes until the loan is repaid as many as 30 years down the line.

[See: 10 Ways to Save Energy and Reduce Utility Bills at Home.]

The Good

PACE financing programs, first allowed by state legislatures and then adopted by local municipalities with third-party PACE programs to provide the funding for improvements, have grown nationwide over recent years. As of January 2016, PACE legislation has been authorized in 33 states and the District of Columbia, and 17 of those have active PACE programs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. However, most of these programs are specific to commercial real estate, with residential programs rare on a national scale but still fairly common in states like Florida and California.

Homeowners living in jurisdictions with PACE programming are able to fund upgrades like duct replacement, solar panel installation, new insulation and even impact-resistant windows in hurricane-prone areas. In commercial real estate, PACE projects are much larger, with improved air circulation, heating and cooling, and alternative energy sources costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Launched in July 2015, the Show Me PACE program in Missouri focuses on PACE financing for commercial, agricultural, industrial, nonprofit and multifamily properties. Just over a year after opening for business, $10 million worth of projects have been completed under the program, says Josh Campbell, executive director of the Missouri Energy Initiative and president of the Show Me PACE board of directors.

Story continues

"For a commercial property, that money they save as a business, they are much more likely to put that directly back into that business, making them stronger and much more likely to be happy with where they're at, and more likely to stay at the property longer," Campbell says.

Missouri requires the financial benefit of improvements made under a PACE project to outweigh the cost of the work itself, and the project must be approved by a third-party lender for an existing loan on the property.

The Bad

A property assessment automatically becomes the first lien for any property, which means in the case of default or foreclosure, all missed payments on that property assessment must be paid before the mortgage can be paid back. Prior to guidance from the Federal Housing Administration in July, repayment of entire PACE loans took priority over paying back the property's mortgage.

Therein lies the problem: Mortgage lenders aren't able to recover as many of their losses in the incidence of foreclosure, all for a loan that didn't require underwriting or credit approval. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac won't back mortgages with existing PACE assessments unless first-lien status is given to the FHA loan. Campbell notes Missouri clarified PACE programs' first-lien status to only account for that year's assessment status if a property goes into default. But not all states have defined the lien in the same way, leaving lenders at risk.

In June, the Federal Housing Financial Agency testified to the California legislature regarding PACE financing.

"The financing concept is simple -- if a residential property has to lose 90 percent of its value before a PACE lender incurs a loss, the investor has a very attractive investment opportunity," Alfred M. Pollard, general counsel to FHFA, said in his statement to the California legislature. "However, that opportunity comes at the expense of existing lien holders, who unexpectedly bear a new risk of loss, and, in some instances, to the disadvantage of consumers."

California's acceptance of PACE programs in many municipalities throughout the state was initially met with excitement from real estate professionals, explains Alex Creel, vice president of governmental affairs for the California Association of Realtors. But concern quickly took over when programs implemented didn't appear to clearly explain the potential for difficulty in future sale of the property, refinancing and mortgage lending deals, Creel says.

When selling a home just a few years after completing a PACE project on the house, you could find yourself having to pay off the entire assessment before you can close a deal, Creel says.

In his testimony to California legislators, Pollard echoed the concern about homeowners understanding the costs: "PACE programs in many, but not all, instances are administered by third parties that do not follow the same consumer protection requirements applicable to residential mortgage lenders."

Your Options

Both the FHFA and CAR stress that affordable solutions to energy-efficient renovations in homes as well as commercial real estate are important -- and necessary -- to reduce negative human impact on the environment. But the current PACE system creates more short-term problems for homeowners and mortgage lenders that wouldn't exist otherwise.

[Read: 11 Ways Homeowners Can Fund Major Home Improvements.]

For energy-efficient retrofitting, the FHFA recommends more traditional lending options, some even designed to finance energy efficiency, that operate similar to a second mortgage.

A home equity line of credit is one recommended alternative to PACE financing. This option is well-suited for home improvements that save money through reduced utility costs and add value to the property in the long run. As with any form of borrowing, homeowners should approach the process cautiously and carefully weigh the loan amount with a solid plan to repay it.

And while residential PACE programs may not be as informative as they could be, that doesn't mean all PACE financing opportunities aren't worthwhile. As Campbell notes, Missouri requirements for PACE financing have helped foster positive outcomes for not just the property owners receiving funding but also for the lenders already involved in the property, as those requirements encourage conversation and negotiation so both sides feel confident about a project.

A California state law that goes into effect in January 2017 requires PACE lenders to provide borrowers with disclosure information about the loan they're taking on -- similar to the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure forms now required for all mortgages issued nationwide.

[Read: A Homebuyer's Guide to Federal Policy on Mortgage Lending.]

Creel says this law, which as a bill was sponsored by CAR, will help homeowners understand what they're getting into when they sign on for PACE financing and be prepared for obstacles in the event they want to refinance or sell their home.

But even then, Creel says it won't completely solve future problems: "A lot of times people don't read what they sign, unfortunately."
On March 19, an IT employee at the Hillary Clinton campaign gave John Podesta, the campaign chairman, some computer-security advice. John needs to change his password immediately, he wrote in an email, and ensure that two-factor authentication is turned on his account.

The helpdesk staffer was responding to a Google alert with a bright red banner that had been sent to Podestas personal Gmail account. The alert said that someone in Ukraine had tried signing into Podestas email, and prompted him to change his password. An aide to Podesta had forwarded the warning when she saw it in his inbox.

The warning, it turned out, was fake. It was designed to look authentic by Russian hackers, who also created a fake password-reset page that would capture Podestas password when he entered it. But the Clinton IT employee, Charles Delavan, made a crucial error when he responded to the aide who forwarded the warning. This is a legitimate email, he wrote back. Somebody on the campaign clicked on the fake link, entered Podestas password, and the hackers gained access to tens of thousands of his emails.

Recommended: My President Was Black

In a detailed new report from The New York Times, Delavan said he didnt intend to legitimize the phishing email back in March:

He knew this was a phishing attack, as the campaign was getting dozens of them. He said he had meant to type that it was an illegitimate email, an error that he said has plagued him ever since.

The Times piece was a vivid, blow-by-blow reconstruction of what happened between September 2015, when an FBI special agent first alerted the Democratic National Committee to Russian-directed hacking attempts on its computer networks, and the moment voters elected Donald Trump president. The story details a string of missed opportunitieslike the FBIs lackluster outreach to the DNC back in 2015and an abundance of political caution, which kept the Obama administration from responding meaningfully to Russian aggression.

Story continues

But following the storys publication, headlines and tweets focused on the IT staffers typo, claiming it had allowed Russian hackers access to Podestas emailsand, by extension, perhaps lost Clinton the election.

This is missing the point. The typo was just one in a series of missteps that ended with two Russian intelligence agencies snooping through Democrats opposition research, emails, and chat logs. The problems were as basic as neglecting to require staffers to use two-factor authenticationDelavan recommended Podesta turn this on in his now-famous emailand as perplexing as the lack of urgency in the FBIs warnings that the Democratic political organization was under state-sponsored attack.

Recommended: The Problem With Obama's Faith in White America

Besides, Delavans claim that he made a typo is a little questionable. If he truly believed the email was illegitimate, he would likely go out of his way to make sure nobody clicked on the bad link. (He included a link to Googles actual security settings page, but didnt warn against clicking the original, more official-looking link.) He also would probably not use such urgent languageIt is absolutely imperative that this is done ASAP, he wrote in the same messageif he didnt think strangers were trying to access Podestas account. Finally, changing an illegitimate to a legitimate requires missing three entire keys, in an email with no other typos. It seems possible that Delavan simply didnt realize the warning was fake.

Theres no doubt that the moment Podesta clicked on the fake Google link in the phishing email and gave up his password was a pivotal point in the campaign: The resulting email leaks likely harmed Clintons chances of winning the presidency. But to focus on a typoreal or notin an email from the campaigns helpdesk is to lose sight of the larger picture.

There was a systematic lack of cybersecurity competence across the DNC and the Clinton campaign, and the FBIs response was slow and inadequate. Thats why Russian hackers vacuumed up enormous amounts of sensitive political material, andat least according to the CIAused it to try and influence the results of the election. And thats what needs to change to prevent this from happening again.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
The political gulf between Donald Trump and the high-tech community he has summoned to a meeting in New York City on Wednesday might be comparable to the technological distance between the latest cutting-edge smartphone and a Commodore 64 personal computer.

While Hillary Clinton, by most accounts, did not stir up as much enthusiasm as President Obama did among this group, the resistance to Trump across the technology industry was widespread and powerfulwhether measured by votes, campaign contributions, or endorsements. The list of tech-world notables who endorsed Trump essentially began and ended with Peter Thiel, the PayPal co-founder and libertarian investor who also bankrolled the lawsuit from wrestler Hulk Hogan that bankrupted Gawker Media.

The barriers between Trump and the technology world span both valuesthe industry emphatically leans left on social issuesand interests. Trumps hostility to immigration, opposition to free trade, and resistance to replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources to combat climate change all clash directly with the constellation of technology industries that rely on importing talent from around the world, sell their products across the globe, and have invested heavily in developing clean-energy alternatives to oil, gas, and coal. Tech leaders are also bracing for Trump to attempt to unravel the net-neutrality rules that Obamas Federal Communications Commission adopted, and to push against the privacy standards many industry leaders have sought to maintain.

During the campaign, Trump in turn lashed Apple for manufacturing too many of its products overseas. Stephen Bannon, the former chief executive of Breitbartwho has emerged as the ideological synthesizer of Trumps worldviewhas touted Democrats courtship of the technology industry as evidence the party had abandoned heartland workers for coastal elites. As Bannon recently told The Hollywood Reporter, They were talking to these people with companies with a $9 billion market cap employing nine people. Its not reality. They lost sight of what the world is about.

Across this DMZ of mutual suspicion, financial support for Trump from the technology industry barely registered as trace amounts.

Trump and most leaders in the tech community start from an inimical view of what makes the economy prosper. While Trump presents the economy essentially as a zero-sum competitionwith immigrants and foreign trading competitors in effect taking opportunities from native-born Americansthe tech industrys dominant view is that more openness to ideas, people, products, and markets ultimately creates a widening circle of growth.

The technology giants face their own questions about inclusion of racial minorities and women, and whether, as Bannon questioned, their market-shaking products are generating good jobs for the many or just wealth for a few. But they are virtually united in believing that Trump is trying to restore an economic order that is irretrievably past.

Recommended: My President Was Black

Trump holds a totally antithetical worldview to most people there, said a political operative who works closely with technology companies and who asked not to be identified. Thats not to say he is entirely wrong and they are entirely right. But he is the personification of the mythical past. Basically from 1947 until 1965, during that period of time, things were pretty sweet if you were a white, straight, non-college-educated guy.  It felt dominant and it was. But [among technology leaders] there is a very strong belief that we are not going back to the economy the way it was. There is definitely a belief that is not going to happen, and that it is not going to look and feel like it did.

Across this DMZ of mutual suspicion, financial support for Trump from the technology industry barely registered as trace amounts. The industry is usually thought of as leaning left, but even compared with Mitt Romneys fundraising among techies in 2012, Trumps cratered. The Center for Responsive Politics, on its authoritative OpenSecrets.org website, tracks contributions from individuals and political action committees from all major industry sectors. Among the companies the Center includes in the Internet sectorfirms like Google, Facebook, and AmazonClinton and the super PACs supporting her outraised Trump and his affiliated PACs through mid-October. Clintons haul was far greater: $5.6 million compared with just $54,472 for Trump. (Final figures through Election Day arent available yet.) Thats an advantage of nearly 103 to 1. Four years ago, Obamas advantage over Romney among these firms was much more modest, at just under 3 to 1.

Recommended: The Problem With Obama's Faith in White America

In the Centers larger grouping of firms involved in electronics manufacturing and equipmentcompanies such as Microsoft, Apple, Cisco, and OracleClinton outraised Trump by about 22 to 1: $10.7 million to $483,313. In 2012, the Centers figures show, Romney and his affiliated PACs actually outraised Obama and his allies among these firms, $8.6 million to $8.3 million. That means even Romney outraised Trump from these companies by nearly 18 to 1. Individuals from firms identified in the venture-capital industry gave the Clinton campaign about $1.1 millionand Trump less than $46,000. Romney, a former investor himself at Bain Capital, also outraised Obama among venture capitalists.

Trump not only faced policy conflicts with tech leaders, but was also hampered by his almost complete lack of personal relationships with them.

The striking things about these numbers is not the level of support for Clinton; very few technology executives made the massive personal donations to political action committees supporting her that she received from wealthy executives and entrepreneurs in some other sectors. Instead, the notable point is the minuscule support for Trump, who not only faced policy conflicts with tech leaders, but was also hampered by his almost complete lack of personal relationships with them. Among both the internet and electronics manufacturing and equipment firms, Trump was significantly outraised not only by Clinton, but also by Republican primary rivals Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Jeb Bushall of whom obviously stopped collecting money long before Trump did.

In the increasingly dispersed geographic clusters of technology manufacturing and digital design, the voting results were nearly as lopsided. Looking at the results by county, Clinton won about four-fifths of the vote in San Francisco and Kings County (Brooklyn); about three-fourths in San Mateo (Silicon Valley) and Denver; and just under three-fourths in Suffolk (Boston), Multnomah (Portland), Santa Clara (Silicon Valley), and King (Seattle). She won almost exactly two-thirds of the vote in Travis County (Austin). One of few emerging technology nodes that Trump carried was Maricopa County (Phoenix), where the staunchly conservative and older eastern suburbs tipped the balance.

Recommended: Trump's Bait-and-Switch Presidency

An analysis of the election results by metropolitan arearather than by countythat was conducted by my colleague Richard Florida and his associates at the Martin Prosperity Institute adds to the picture. Florida and his colleagues found that in a regression analysis designed to isolate the impact of different social and economic factors on the results, Clinton support was  much greater in metros with larger concentrations of start-ups, venture-capital investment, and high-tech industry, while Trump votes were negatively correlated with each. These correlations are all stronger for 2016 than they were in 2012.

In fact, subsequent analysis by Florida and his associates, conducted for The Atlantic, found that Clinton carried 18 of the 20 metropolitan areas with the highest amount of venture-capital investment. The only exceptions were the Dallas and Houston metro areasthough in each case Clinton comfortably won the county directly centered on the city itself. The 18 high-investment metropolitan areas that Clinton carrieda list topped by San Francisco; San Jose; Boston; New York; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; San Diego; and Seattlecollectively account for over 85 percent of the nations total venture-capital investment.

In all these ways, the high-technology industries accustomed to thinking of themselves as visionaries shaping an increasingly digital, globalized, and green economic future expressed their resistance to Trumpa presidential candidate who, in his pledge to make America great again, chose as his model a mid-20th century economy that relied more on manufacturing and fossil-fuel extraction, and less on immigrants and imports, than todays economy does. Trump, for his part, may see the socially liberal, metropolitan-based tech community as an ideal foil: a prominent industry he can confront for his blue-collar, largely non-urban base with very little risk, because he has so little support in it to lose. Wednesdays meeting will offer the first indication of how these clashing perspectives will convergeor, more likely, collideover the next four years.

Assistant editor Leah Askarinam contributed.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
This woman lost her leg because of the blisters she got wearing heels

Prepare yourself for a horror story that will change the way you treat your feet for the rest of eternity. Lorraine Burnett did nothing more than buy a new pair pretty shoes to wear to a Christmas party and danced the night away in them. A couple years later, she had to have her leg amputated due to the damage caused by her high heels.

Lorraine, a 37-year-old care assistant from Scotland, spent the night like any of us would  dancing with her friends until the sun came up. Her feet ached (a feeling pretty much all of us are familiar with), but she didnt think anything of it. She figured it was just because her shoes hadnt been broken in yet.

When she woke up the next day she noticed a big blister, so she did what she knew was best. She cleaned it and dressed it, and waited for it to get better.

But after a week, it was so painful so I went to the doctors and was prescribed antibiotics. I really thought they would help as it just seemed like a bad wound, she said, per Cosmopolitan U.K.

It only got worse from there. It became so bad that Lorraine couldnt walk, which prompted doctors to send her to the hospital, where a medical team got rid of the contaminated skin and tried to clean it up. But two years went by and it kept getting infected over and over again, until she was told they would have to amputate her leg or she would endure these severe infections forever.

In 2010, she agreed to have the surgery, which took five hours to complete. She had her lower left leg removed, and her life was changed forever. Its speculated that the infections kept blistering because Lorraine had Type 2 diabetes, which prevents the blood from properly circulating to the legs and arms.

It breaks my heart to think my five inch heels cost me my leg, she says.

Lorraine is now living with a prosthetic leg and shes raising funds to buy herself a more realistic-looking prosthetic. You can donate to her GoFundMe campaign here.

The post This woman lost her leg because of the blisters she got wearing heels appeared first on HelloGiggles.
By Andrew M. Seaman (Reuters Health) - Women who are denied abortions have a higher risk for mental health problems soon afterward compared to women who are allowed to go through with the process, a new study suggests. For five years, researchers tracked nearly 1,000 women who either received or were denied abortions from 30 facilities in 21 U.S. states. Altogether, 273 women received an abortion in their first trimester, 413 received an abortion within two weeks of the facility's gestational limit, and 231 were denied an abortion because their pregnancy fell within the three weeks after the facility's limit. A week later, compared to women who received abortions, those who were turned away were more likely to report anxiety symptoms, lower self-esteem and lower life satisfaction. "Those differences disappear after six months to a year," said lead author Antonia Biggs of the University of California, San Francisco. By six months, women who had abortions and those who were turned away had similar mental health profiles. Nine states have laws that force healthcare providers to tell women that having an abortion will increase their risk for mental health problems, Biggs and her colleagues point out in JAMA Psychiatry, online December 14th. "This research shows the information they are mandating women receive (is)inaccurate and out of date," Biggs told Reuters Health. "We dont have evidence that abortion leads women to have worse mental health." "Its true that we havent had great evidence looking at this particular question before," she said. "Now that we do, we should really go back and think about the information were giving women and making sure its accurate and up-to-date." Biggs and colleagues write that numerous studies of the mental health effects of abortion on women found no evidence that it leads to poor outcomes, but those studies were often flawed. This new study, Biggs said, addressed limitations in past research. Women seeking abortions were compared to other women seeking abortions, and not women who wanted their pregnancy. Additionally, the comparisons were made among women who were around the same point in their pregnancies. In a statement, the chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Federation of America said the results show why politicians should not play doctor. "Every woman should have accurate information about all of her options," said Raegan McDonald-Mosley in the statement. "That information should support a woman, help her make a decision for herself, and enable her to take care of her health and well-being. It should not be provided with the intent of coercing, shaming, or judging a woman." The researchers caution that the new study can't say denying women abortions caused the increase in symptoms. Additionally, only 40 percent of invited women agreed to participate in the study, and nearly a third of participants did not complete all five years of follow-up. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2gKe9m3 JAMA Psychiatry 2016.
Mom of the year has a nice ring to it.

A dog that gave birth in a Michigan snowstorm is a wonderful mama, according to the rescue group that is caring for the clan and shared a detailed account of her ordeal on Facebook.

The dogs birth story began in the middle of the night when a concerned citizen called 911 to report that she noticed a possibly injured dog wandering around in dangerously low temperatures.

The caller stated that the dog had been seen throughout the day but now that it was midnight and the dog was obviously on his/her own, the caller was even more concerned because of the bitter temperature and accumulating snow, the Facebook post says.

A staffer from Pound Buddies animal shelter named Robert Pringle was just headed to bed when he was notified and responded without hesitation, according to the post.

Little did Robert know, his call to action was the determining factor between life and death for what he was about to discover, the post says. Upon arrival to the Muskegon Heights address, Robert noticed a small shadowed figure curled up in a ball covered with snow. The freezing cold dog allowed Robert to approach without concern; as if the dog knew he was there to help.

Pringle soon realized the dog was not alone. As the dog stood up, Robert quickly realized that SHE was curled up on top of FOUR NEW BORN PUPS! the post says. Along with help from police officer Chris Stoddard, the pair loaded the family into a car and took them to Pound Buddies just before 1 a.m., where theyve been resting up ever since.

An update said the dog and her charges were doing really well, despite the ordeal theyve been through.

This morning, mama was very responsive to staff and seemed to enjoy all attention she was getting, the update says. She is a wonderful mama and the puppies are no more than 2 days old! She is safe, warm, and already loved too much!




Worldwide protests call for an end to violence in Aleppo A Bosnian woman holds a banner during a solidarity rally in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. Up to a thousand people gathered in Sarajevo, a city that became synonymous with civilian suffering during the Balkan wars of 1990s, to express solidarity with the civilian victims of Aleppo. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)

From Colorado to Kuwait, protesters around the world are demanding a halt to the violence in Aleppo.

A U.N. commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria says it is imperative to ensure that civilians are granted safe passage out of eastern Aleppo.

The Commission of Inquiry says the Syrian government and its allies now bear primary responsibility for preventing rights violations and reprisals in the area.

It said Wednesday that numerous reports of violations perpetrated by pro-government forces continue to emerge, including summary executions, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and forced conscription.

In a statement issued in Geneva, the group said it also received allegations that opposition groups, including Ahrar al-Sham and the al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front (Nusra Front), were preventing civilians from leaving and embedding fighters among civilians, putting the civilians at risk. (AP)

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr.
Washington (AFP) - Yahoo said Wednesday more than a billion users may have had data stolen in a hack dating back to 2013 -- separate from its previously disclosed breach affecting 500 million.

In a huge blow to the struggling internet pioneer, Yahoo said it made the discovery as it was investigating what was already the largest data breach of a single company.

"Yahoo believes an unauthorized third party, in August 2013, stole data associated with more than one billion user accounts," it said in a statement.

Yahoo said this case "is likely distinct from the incident the company disclosed on September 22, 2016."

The news comes with Yahoo in the process of selling its core operating assets to Verizon for $4.8 billion.

The breach disclosed in September had already threatened to derail the deal with Verizon or result in a reduction in the price.

In November, Yahoo disclosed that as part of its investigation into the prior breach, it had received data files from law enforcement "that a third party claimed was Yahoo user data."

Using outside forensic experts, Yahoo now confirms that this was indeed user data but added that it "has not been able to identify the intrusion associated with this theft."

Yahoo said in September it believed the breach of information on 500 million users was "state sponsored" but some analysts have questioned this theory.

The stolen user account information in the newly disclosed breach may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, "hashed" passwords and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers, Yahoo said.

The hackers did not obtain passwords in clear text, payment card data, or bank account information, it said.

- Further embarrassment -

The latest breach discovery is a further embarrassment to a company that was one of the biggest names of the internet but which has failed to keep up with rising stars such as Google and Facebook.

Story continues

Yahoo's valuation hit $125 billion during the dot-com boom, but it has been losing ground since then despite several efforts to reboot.

In the mid-1990s, Yahoo was among the most popular destinations on the internet, helping many people navigate the emerging web.

It became the top online "portal," connecting users to news, music and other content. But its fortunes started to fade when Google began to dominate with its powerful search engine.

But as its core business declined, Yahoo's stake in outside investments -- notably Chinese internet giant Alibaba -- surged.

After a series of management changes and revival efforts, Yahoo decided to sell its main operating business as a way to separate that from its more valuable stake in Alibaba.

Yahoo's plan would place its main operating business within Verizon, which has already acquired another faded internet star, AOL.

The remaining portion would be a holding company with stakes in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan.

Verizon said in a statement it would await further news of the investigation before making any decision.

"As weve said all along, we will evaluate the situation as Yahoo continues its investigation," the statement said.

"We will review the impact of this new development before reaching any final conclusions."

Verizon had said the prior breach was likely "material," meaning it could allow the telecom giant to scrap the deal or lower its offer.
London (AFP) - The leader of Yemen's rebel Huthi government on Wednesday accused Britain of war crimes by supplying weapons that Saudi-led forces were using to "bomb the people".

Abdel Aziz bin Habtoor said Britain had "sold cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia" that it knew would be dropped on Shiite Huthi rebels fighting the internationally-recognised, Saudi-backed administration of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

"I don't think they are guilty of war crimes, I believe so," he told broadcaster Sky News. "They are participating in the bombing of Yemen people."

In response to a parliamentary question about the allegations, Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs that Britain had a "very strict regime for export licences in relation to weapons".

"We exercise that very carefully, and in recent years we have indeed refused export licences in relation to arms, including to Yemen and Saudi Arabia," she added.

"Where there are allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law, then we require those to be properly investigated."

The United States on Tuesday blocked the transfer of precision munitions to ally Saudi Arabia, amid anger about the civilian death toll from the kingdom's bombing campaign in Yemen.

"This reflects our continued, strong concerns with the flaws in the coalition's targeting practices and overall prosecution of the air campaign in Yemen," said the White House.

Saudi Arabia has been a long-term ally of the US and Britain in the Middle East, but British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson last week was rebuked by his government after accusing the country of backing "proxy wars" in the region.

In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against Iran-supported Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies after the rebels overran much of Yemen.

Since then, the rebels have been pushed out of much of Yemen's south, but they still control nearly all of the country's Red Sea coast as well as swathes of territory around the capital Sanaa.

More than 7,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations. Millions of others are dependent on food aid, with nearly 2.2 million children acutely malnourished due to the near-collapse of the health system during the conflict.
Malnutrition in Yemen has reached a critically unprecedented level after a two-year conflict has ripped the country apart. At least 462,000 children are currently suffering from acute malnutrition and another 2.2 million people require urgent care, according to a report published Monday by UNICEF, the United Nations' children program.

Millions of people in Yemen have been displaced since the countrys civil war began in 2015, causing an unprecedented refugee crisis, as the nations medical facilities continue to fall into a state of peril. In its report, UNICEF cites Yemens crumbling health system and aid envoys being unable to access large portions of the region to supply trapped residents with much-needed food, aid and resources. Meanwhile, the situation continues to become increasingly harrowing for the Yemeni people.

RTX1CHUY

Photo: Reuters

"The state of health of children in the Middle East's poorest country has never been as catastrophic as it is today," Meritxell Relano, a representative for UNICEF, said in a statement. "Malnutrition in Yemen is at an all-time high and increasing."

Severe acute malnutrition, the depletion of the human body from a lack of food and nutrients, has quickly become one of the most common causes of death for Yemeni children. The conflict has also raised a slew of other medical concerns that includes stunting, when children do not grow to typical heights due to chronic malnourishment.

"Violence and conflict have reversed significant gains made in the last decade in the health and nutrition of Yemeni children," Relano continued. "Diseases such as cholera and measles have spread and, with few health facilities functional, such outbreaks are taking a heavy toll on children."

The spike in malnutrition rates  up nearly 200 percent since 2014  follows news of the U.S. federal government blocking arms sales to Saudi Arabia over concerns of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Over 140 people in Yemen were killed in October after airstrikes hit civilians gathering for a funeral.

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Opposition parties and financial policymakers of South Korea held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss measures to tackle growing uncertainties over the economy after President Park Geun-hye's impeachment.

Vice Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and other senior officials discussed mounting household debt and growing external complexities surrounding Asia's fourth largest economy during the meeting with policy officials from the Democratic Party and the splinter People's Party.

Sources said the meeting was arranged at the request of the opposition bloc.

The ruling Saenuri Party was excluded from the consultation as the opposition has shunned its leadership dominated by Park loyalists. The National Assembly voted to impeach Park on Friday.

Amid growing factional fighting, Saenuri policy chief Rep. Kim Gwang-lim stepped down from the post this week. (Yonhap)


For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  In this edition of the Dutram Report, we explore the dividend market with the CEO of Reality Shares, Eric Ervin. However, we dont look at any old segment of the yield world, as we focus in on dividend growth investing and what investors need to watch out for in this market segment. Make sure to listen for a guide to this important market segment! To listen to the podcast, click here: ( https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/240842/how-to-find-stocks-poised-to-grow-dividends-now )

Dividend investing is always one of the most popular areas in the stock market world. But the term dividend investing covers a pretty wide range of topics, and it can mean a lot of different things to various investors.

In an effort to find the best dividend stocks though, many investors zero-in on high dividend payers for exposure. However, for many investors, this might not be the best approach, as a look to dividend growth could be optimal instead. That is because companies in this market segment are often more disciplined than their high yield peers and can offer outperformance as well.

To help investors navigate this market segment, I spoke with Eric Ervin, the CEO of Reality Shares to get some insights in the latest edition of the Dutram Report. Ervins company has a series of funds that utilize their DIVCON system which seeks to find S&P 500 companies that are most likely to increase their dividends within the next year.

This technique is the basis for several of the companys fundsincluding LEAD, DFND, and GARDand it focuses on a number of quantitative factors to find the stocks most likely to increase dividends. This includes free cash flows, buybacks, recent dividend actions, as well as other fundamental factors. Some key examples of recent companies that meet these criteria include Nike (NKE), Tyson (TSN), and Starbucks (SBUX), to name a few.

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This approach is in contrast to the world of dividend aristocrat ETFs which includes funds such as SDY, VIG and NOBL. These funds just focus on companies that have consistently raised dividends in the past, while the DIVCON approach offers up more of a forward-looking take, a twist that could be of interest to some investors out there.

Lastly, we also discuss the companys DIVS ETF (DIVY). This unique product seeks exposure to the growth rate of expected dividends and can be thought of as a play on the dividend swap market. This is a pretty novel approach, and we detail in the podcast why this technique might make for an excellent dividend play for some investors.

This was certainly an informative podcast, and a must-listen for investors focused on the dividend market, so make sure to check out this edition of the Dutram Report for a guide to this underappreciated market segment. And for more news and insights into the world of ETFs, make sure to be on the lookout for the next edition of the Dutram Report, and check out the many other great Zacks podcasts as well!



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Oxford University got caught up in the fake news epidemic this week when international media began to circulate a report that the school's student union told people to use gender neutral pronouns when speaking. The organization rejected Monday claims that it had released instructions about not using "he" or "she" but "ze," the Guardian reported.

"We have not produced a leaflet implying that all students must use ze pronouns to refer to others, or indeed to themselves," the union wrote in a blog post on its website. "We would also like to clearly state that we would never tell anyone to use 'ze' pronouns instead of 'he' or 'she' if 'he' or 'she' is the pronoun someone wishes to use. That would be misgendering and would likely have the biggest impact on individuals (ie, some trans students) who may already be struggling to get people to use 'he' or 'she' for them. It would be totally counterproductive."

Though Oxford may not be making its students use the gender neutral pronoun, other institutions have been welcoming alternate pronouns for a while.

Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced last year that it was letting students pick their pronouns during registration. People can select their preferences from choices like "he/him/his," "she/her/hers," "ze/hir/hirs" and "they/them/theirs." Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, produced a document that explained professors should ask students "what should I call you?" rather than assuming their pronouns based on their names.

The schools say it's a way to demonstrate their commitment to diverse students who might not identify with genders that correspond to their biological sex.

If you're confused, here's how it breaks down: The traditional words "he/him/his" and "she/her/hers" are what are called gendered pronouns, meaning that their use implies all males identify as men and all females identify as women. This can be problematic if you're nonbinary, meaning you don't feel male or female, according to TransMediaWatch.

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These days, people have a variety of options for gender neutral pronouns. Some are more common than others. There's the singular "they/them/theirs," which the Washington Post added to its style guide last year; "ze/hir/hirs," pronounced "zee," "here" and "heres;" and "e/em/eirs," the Spivak pronouns, as laid out in this document from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Gender Neutral Pronoun Blog also lists "ne/nem/nir," "ve/ver/vis" and "xe/xem/xyr" as gender neutral pronoun sets. But the blog notes that "ze/hir/hirs" is the most popular set used online.

Now that you've learned the various nonbinary pronouns, try using them in a sentence. Just swap them in the places you would say "he" or "her"  instead of "She read the IBTimes article on her computer," adjust to "Ze read the IBTimes article on hir computer."

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HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP)  Zimbabwe's ruling party says the country's 92-year-old president, Robert Mugabe, is certain to be endorsed as the party's presidential candidate for elections in 2018.

Ignatius Chombo, secretary for administration of the ZANU-PF party, said Wednesday that Mugabe will get the endorsement at the party's annual conference this week.

Chombo says Mugabe brings "wisdom and unity" to his leadership of Zimbabwe, which is struggling with a dire economic situation that has prompted periodic protests against the government.

Mugabe, who has ruled this southern African country since independence from white minority rule in 1980, won elections in 2013 despite allegations of voting irregularities. He turns 93 in February.

Mugabe previously said he wants to rule until he dies, although he said he is open to retirement if asked by his party.
The "affair-minded" dating website Ashley Madison saw personal data on millions of members in 46 countries released through a hacker group in 2015, the fallout of which led to reports of blackmail and even suicides (AFP Photo/EVA HAMBACH) (AFP/File)

Washington (AFP) - The operators of the Ashley Madison affair-minded dating website agreed Wednesday to pay a $1.6 million penalty over a data breach exposing data from 36 million users, US officials announced.

Ashley Madison's Canadian parent company Ruby agreed to the penalty to settle charges with the US Federal Trade Commission and state regulators for failing to protect confidential user information.

The settlement comes after a hacker group last year released what was said to be personal data on millions of members of Ashley Madison, who were based in 46 countries. The fallout led to reports of blackmail and even suicides.

The financial penalty, split between the federal government and US states suing the company, would increase to $8.75 million if Ashley Madison fails to abide by new information security practices and refrain from misleading consumers.

"This case represents one of the largest data breaches that the FTC has investigated to date, implicating 36 million individuals worldwide," said FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez.

"The global settlement requires AshleyMadison.com to implement a range of more robust data security practices that will better protect its users' personal information from criminal hackers going forward."

Earlier this year, the dating website -- whose motto had been "life is short, have an affair" rebooted, calling itself an "open-minded dating" service.

The company said at the time it will no longer use female "bots" or automated programs that respond to members pretending to be women on the hunt for men.

According to the FTC complaint, until August 2014, operators of the site lured customers, including 19 million Americans, with fake profiles of women designed to convert them into paid members.

The company failed to adequately protect users' personal information such as date of birth, relationship status and sexual preferences.

The company confirmed the settlement, saying it would help it move past the hacking episode.

"Today is a pivotal day for our members and for Ashley Madison," said a statement from Ruby chief executive Rob Segal.

"Today's settlement closes an important chapter on the company's past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity and to building a new future for our members, our team and our company."
The Galaxy S8 will bring several brand new features to Galaxy fans, and Bluetooth 5.0 support should be one of them, a new report reveals.

Don't Miss: Upset VW owners are stripping their buyback cars to the bone, then turning them in

Announced recently, Bluetooth 5.0 is going to bring faster data transfer speeds and longer range than its predecessors, and itll hopefully fix the various Bluetooth issues that we frequently run into. At least on paper, Bluetooth 5.0 promises twice the speed, four times the range, and eight times the broadcast message capacity of Bluetooth 4.0.

The Bluetooth SIG consortium, of which Samsung is a member of, said that Bluetooth 5.0 devices should arrive within two to six months, which seems to indicate that the Galaxy S8 might be included in the first wave of Bluetooth 5.0-ready devices. SamMobile heard from a source that theres a possibility the Galaxy S8 will support Bluetooth 5.0.

If the rumors are true, the Galaxy S8 should be the first flagship to support Bluetooth 5.0, considering that its supposed to beat rivals to market.

The Galaxy S8 is expected to be unveiled in late February, and its slated to arrive with a bunch of interesting features in tow, including an all-screen design, a fingerprint sensor placed underneath the display, and a Siri-like virtual assistant.

Considering that the Galaxy S8 will surely be one of the best phones of 2017, itd be a shame for Samsung to miss out on the opportunity of offering buyers Bluetooth 5.0 support, a feature that wouldnt be available on other devices, including the older iPhone 7.

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See the original version of this article on BGR.com
By Julia Love and Ginger Gibson SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alphabets Google is racing to hire more conservatives for its lobbying and policy arm, trying to get a foothold in President-elect Donald Trumps Washington after enjoying a uniquely close relationship with the administration of President Barack Obama. In the weeks since the Nov. 8 election, Google has ramped up efforts to hire Republican lobbying firms and in-house lobbyists to change the composition of its Washington office, according to three lobbyists with knowledge of the matter. The company also posted an advertisement for a manager for conservative outreach and public policy partnership, seeking a "liaison to conservative, libertarian and free market groups." While the position is not new, it gives Google a chance to make a hire that reflects the new political climate. Conservatives already are represented in the office. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment on the record for this article. Chief Executive Officer Larry Page of Alphabet , Google's parent company, is expected to be in the room on Wednesday when Trump convenes a gathering of leaders of some of the largest technology companies in his New York headquarters. The session, organized by Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, adviser Reince Priebus and Trump supporter and tech financier Peter Thiel, is billed as an introductory meeting that would not result in any job or investment announcements, two sources briefed on the talks said. Others attending are Apple Inc Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, Facebook Inc Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos, Tesla Motors Inc CEO Elon Musk, Microsoft Corp CEO Satya Nadella and Oracle CEO Safra Catz, according to sources familiar with the session plans. The Information Technology Industry Council, a trade group whose members include Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, had a conference call last Friday to discuss policy objectives it could agree on to present to Trump, according to a person familiar with the call. Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the election campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption. His surprise victory alarmed many companies, which fear he might follow through on his pledges. Trump has also opposed the Obama administration's "net neutrality" rules, ordered in 2015 by the communications regulator to reclassify broadband internet services to treat them more like public utilities. The rule is now said to be headed for a reversal. GOOGLE BET HEAVILY ON CLINTON Liberal-leaning Silicon Valley bet heavily on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton winning the White House, and many technology companies have found themselves scrambling in the wake of Trump's election. But Google, which forged deep ties to the Obama White House and was the largest corporate contributor to Clinton's campaign, appears to have been caught especially off guard, Washington insiders said. Only 33 employees of Google and its parent company Alphabet donated $201 or more to Trump, for a total of $23,300. Clinton received donations from 1,359 Google or Alphabet employees for a total of $1.6 million. Google NetPAC, the company's political action committee, made 56 percent of its contributions to Republicans in the 2016 election cycle, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. During Obama's presidency, more than 250 people moved between jobs at Google or related firms and the federal government, national political campaigns and Congress, according to a report this year by the Campaign for Accountability, a watchdog group. The company notched several wins during the administration, including favorable policies on net neutrality. Google seemed poised to enjoy similar treatment under a Clinton administration. Schmidt was seen wearing a staff badge at Clinton's election night party, a sign of their close relationship. But those ties are now something of a liability as the company tries to re-position its presence, lobbyists said. The hiring push will adjust the political makeup of Google's Washington office, where the team of lobbyists for Congress and the agencies contains more Democrats than Republicans, according to people familiar with the operation. Such a skew is not unusual given that Democrats controlled the White House the past eight years. To be sure, conservatives are well-represented in the company's Washington office: Susan Molinari, a former Republican congresswoman from New York, has been the top lobbyist since 2012, and Seth Webb, who worked for a former Republican speaker of the house, helps lead Congressional lobbying. But the company has tended toward moderate Republicans in past hiring. Its previous director of conservative outreach was alumnus of Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, and a number of former staffers for Sen. John McCain have passed through the office as well. But the company still has to reconcile the lobbyists it hires with its liberal-leaning existing staff. Said one lobbyist for a rival tech company, "I think they are going to have a tough time really finding the cultural fit." (Reporting by Julia Love in San Francisco and Ginger Gibson in Washington; Additional reporting by Dustin Volz and David Shepardson in Washington and Grant Smith in New York; editing by Linda Stern and Grant McCool)
The security situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating rapidly, along with America's position there. The question now is whether the administration of President-elect Donald Trump will decide to pursue the war or will withdraw U.S. support for the government of President Ashraf Ghani, letting it fall to  or make a deal with  the Taliban and other Islamic forces.



The United States has been at war in Afghanistan since 2001, after the 9/?11 attacks. The cost is estimated at $500 billion. There are still 10,000 U.S. troops there. Now, Ghani's government in Kabul is staggering and controls only an estimated 60 percent of the country's area. The Taliban, the Ghani government's most prominent enemy, are carrying out an offensive across the country that could easily lead to the fall of Kabul, the capital.



Another unhelpful element is that rich Saudis, Qataris and sheikhs from the United Arab Emirates are providing financial support not only to the Taliban but also to al-Qaida and Islamic State forces fighting on the side of the Taliban. The Sunnis of these states see Afghanistan as an important battleground in their regional struggle with Shiite Iran. Afghanistan has a nearly 600-mile-long border with Iran. The Sunnis also have established some 4,000 radical Islamist schools in Afghanistan in recent years.



The Sunni states, while backing the Taliban, the Islamic State and al-Qaida, have maintained openly normal relations with the Ghani government, also Sunni, in effect working both sides of the street.



The United States, caught in the middle again in the Sunni-Shiite, Saudi Arabia-Iran struggle, as it is in the Yemen war, supports the Ghani government against the Taliban, the Islamic State and al-Qaida, which are supported by ostensible U.S. allies Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. It may be that the Trump administration will understand what is going on and take steps to extricate America from this truly absurd situation without further damage.



This editorial appeared on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




In this April 2016 photo provided by the law office of Lipsig, Shapey, Manus & Moverman P.C., Marc Eli Freund stands next to his client Katrina Williams at the law firm's offices in New York, as she recovers from injuries she said says she got from an exploding e-cigarette. The rising popularity of e-cigarettes has been accompanied by a climbing number of incidents of explosions in the decade since their debut. (Lipsig, Shapey, Manus & Moverman P.C. via AP)

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) -- Katrina Williams wanted a safer alternative to smoking, and e-cigarettes seemed to be the answer until the day one exploded in her pocket as she drove home from a beauty salon.

"It was like a firecracker" as it seared third-degree burns in her leg, blasted through her charred pants and stuck in the dashboard, the New Yorker said. That was in April. Williams, a freight manager, said she still hasn't returned to work. "It was very disturbing."

Similar painful accidents have been recorded with increasing frequency over the past year as use of e-cigarettes has climbed, with faulty batteries seen as the suspected culprit. The industry maintains e-cigarettes are safe when used properly.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which started regulating e-cigarettes in May, identified about 66 explosions in 2015 and early 2016, after recording 92 explosions from 2009 to September 2015.

In late November, a clerk at a liquor store in New York's Grand Central Station was casually leaning against a counter when the e-cigarette in his pocket erupted. A security camera captured him frantically trying to snuff out a fountain of white-hot sparks.

Surveillance video also captured an e-cigarette explosion in September at a New Jersey mall that left a woman's Louis Vuitton bag smoking as she stood at a checkout counter.

Police say a teenage girl on a train at the Universal Orlando amusement park suffered burns in October when an electronic cigarette belonging to another visitor exploded and shot a fireball at her.

The numbers kept by the FDA may be an undercount. One hospital, the UW Medicine Regional Burn Center at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, says it has seen about 23 patients with e-cigarette burns since it started tracking them informally in October 2015.

"They are extremely dangerous and need to be revamped or revised," said Marc Freund, a New York attorney who represents both Williams and a 14-year-old boy who was partially blinded when an e-cigarette device exploded at a kiosk selling e-cigarettes at a Brooklyn mall.

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The problems with the devices are linked to their lithium-ion batteries, which help vaporize liquid nicotine into a mist that distributors and some health experts say is far less harmful than traditional tobacco cigarettes.

The same types of batteries are used safely in many consumer electronics, but they've also been behind fires in hover boards and smartphones. Last year, the federal Department of Transportation issued a rule prohibiting passengers from packing e-cigarettes in checked luggage to protect against in-flight fires.

Thomas Kiklas, co-founder of the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, argues the devices are safe when used properly. He said the TVECA encourages proper recharging of the batteries as a way to prevent possible injuries.

Euromonitor International, a market research company, noted there were 10.8 million regular e-cigarette users in the U.S. in 2015, generating $3.5 billion in sales.

Gregory L. Bentley, an Irvine, California, attorney, won a nearly $2 million judgment in a product liability lawsuit for a woman burned by an e-cigarette last year. He said he has a growing list of similar cases, most of which involve batteries and other components manufactured in China that have been subject to little safety oversight.

"The problem is defectively manufactured batteries," he said. "Consumers need to know it's next to impossible to sue a Chinese company. If people want to seek compensation they have to target distributors, wholesalers and retailers."

Last week, the U.S. surgeon general called e-cigarettes an emerging public health threat to the nation's youth, although he highlighted the risk of nicotine addiction, not explosions.

New York Sen. Charles Schumer said the FDA should consider a recall.

"It's bad enough that e-cigarettes cause nicotine addiction and may be dangerous to a person's health, but now it seems they're doubling as a ticking time bomb," he said.

FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum said the agency is reviewing the health impacts of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. He said the review will include an evaluation of the use of e-cigarette batteries, including "amperage, voltage, wattage, battery type" and other issues.

___

Associated Press researcher Jennifer Farrar contributed to this report. Follow Eltman on Twitter at @feltman41.

___

This story has been corrected to show the U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified reports of e-cigarette explosions, not received reports, and has been corrected to show the FDA review will include an evaluation of the use of e-cigarette batteries, deleting the reference to recommendations being prepared.
Bloomberg reports that Line CEO Takeshi Idezawa has tapped strategy chief Jun Masuda and co-founder/Chief Global Officer Joongho Shin to build upon the 20 percent share gain the company has enjoyed since going public in July.

Line's user base of 220 million is not growing as expected and revenue from its stable of games and digital stickers is also slowing, according to the report. Line's core product is a free messaging service and app, though the Tokyo-based company has expanded to other areas including music streaming.

Line Music, which is currently available in Japan and Thailand, boasts 30 million songs and has the benefit of being heavily integrated with the flagship Line app. Spotify launched in the country in late September, joining Apple Music and Google Play. The country's physical market dwarfs its (rising) digital recording business, each respectively generating $1.9 billion and $255 million in the first half of this year.

"You need to be ready to change your philosophy, your culture and your brand," Masuda said. "All three of us believe that the good times don't last and everything can be lost in a moment. That's why we've always remained hungry."

""We need to make sure that Line continues to produce destructive innovation," Masuda said in a separate interview with The Japan Times.

Line, which has a market value of 888 billion ($7.71 billion), is reportedly eyeing expansion into the BlackBerry-loving market of Indonesia.

Masada and Shin's new roles, along with a broader revamp in Line's corporate culture, are expected to be discussed at a company-wide meeting in January.

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Microsoft has achieved another milestone by creating a universal translator that can help up to 100 people speaking different languages understand each other in just one session. The all-new Microsoft Translator app makes this quite advanced communication possible.

On Tuesday, Microsoft took to its official blog to formally introduce Microsoft Translator to the world. The app currently supports Android, iOS, Windows and Amazon Fire. Interested consumers can download it for their smartphone, tablet or PC from the apps respective website.

According to the Microsoft Research team, this advanced translator app works quite well in translating conversations real-time. For voice conversations, the app supports up to 100 speakers. However, this feature is still limited to nine different languages. When it comes to chats, the app supports more than 50 languages at launch.

Microsoft Translator is designed to be a simple tool of communication. Using it is very easy because it only has a couple of simple steps to follow. First, one can commence a communication by clicking on the Start conversation button of the app. From there, the user will be asked to log in by providing his or her name and language.

Using the Translator app or the website, one can invite other people by sharing with them the conversation code of the session. Once participants are already in the session, they can converse using their own languages. The recipient will receive messages in his or her language, and the same thing is going to happen when the recipient responds to the speaker.

Microsoft uploaded on YouTube a video that showcases how the new universal translator tool works. In the clip, Microsoft explains the practicality of this technology when used by tour guides, professors, tourists and many more.

Microsoft Translator's launch comes just a day after a Skype update that features advanced real-time translation was released. The translation feature for the messaging app has been integrated with mobile phone and landline calls. Thus, voice messages are recorded and translated real time, so recipients will only hear the translated version. However, The Verge noted that this feature is not free from errors, but it is a step forward to ensuring better communication among individuals with different languages.

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Nokia Networks, a division of Nokia Corp. NOK recently declared that it has signed contract agreements to install 4.5G wireless network infrastructure with 110 wireless carriers globally. The capabilities Nokia is rolling out under the 4.5G and 4.5G Pro labels map to the LTE-Advanced Pro standard that was included in the 3GPP's Release 13 earlier this year. Nokia Networks acquisition of its rival company Alcatel-Lucent for $17.4 billion last year has transformed it into a formidable player in the global telecom infrastructure market.

Nokias network infrastructure is primarily centred on telecom operators. The buyout of the wireless business of Alcatel-Lucent has significantly strengthened Nokias foothold in North America. Leading U.S. telecom operators, namely Verizon Communications Inc. VZ and AT&T Inc. T are prominent customers of Alcatel-Lucent. Additionally, Alcatel-Lucent has a strong presence in China, while Nokia enjoys considerable dominance in Europe and Asia.

Importantly, Alcatel-Lucent has lucrative assets to support the enterprise segment, which Nokia intends to capitalize on, to get a strong foothold in the sector already dominated by large network infrastructure solution providers like Cisco Systems Inc. CSCO and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

The merged entity can effectively capitalize on the emerging Internet-of-Things (IoT) platform and offer competent triple-play voice, video and data solutions worldwide. The core focus areas will be next-generation 5G wireless technology, IP and software, defined networking, cloud-based solutions, big data analytics, and sensors and imaging.

The takeover of Alcatel-Lucent by Nokia has created a network solutions behemoth in the industry with a significant global customer base and solid operational efficiencies. Nokia boasts strong technical expertise in professional managed services and customer experience management apart from a rich portfolio of mobile broadband infrastructure and 4G LTE network. On the other hand, Alcatel-Lucent enjoys relative advantage in IP-based products, optical networking, cloud computing/software-defined networking, fixed broadband network and professional services.

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Price Performance of Nokia

So far, 2016 has turned out to be a pathetic one for Nokia. Year to date, the stock price of the company plunged a substantial 34.05%, underperforming the Zacks categorized Wireless Equipment industry that declined 6.13% in the same time frame. However, Nokia is restructuring its wireless infrastructure gear making wings to capitalize on upcoming 5G network, IoT and lucrative enterprise solutions business. These factors are the primary reason behind the company currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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Instead of a smile and a greeting at the checkout counter, shoppers may soon be dealing with a robot.

Meet "Reji Robo"  short for register robots  a new automated checkout system that scans and bags groceries, and was unveiled Monday by Japanese electronics giant Panasonic (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 6752.T-JP).

Reji Robo syncs to a computerized shopping basket with a bar code reader attached. Customers can scan merchandise to keep track of their purchases.

The shopping basket has a sliding bottom, and when placed on Reji Robo the bottom opens. The items then gently drop into a plastic bag while the customers pay using cash or a card.

Panasonic teamed up with convenience store chain Lawson (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 2651.T-JP) to test out the unmanned cashier concept, which it claims can cut labor costs by 10 percent while speeding up the checkout process for customers, according to the Japan's Nikkei newspaper.

The company is currently piloting the system at a Lawson outlet in Osaka, Japan, where Panasonic is headquartered.



For now, shoppers using the robotic baskets must manually scan their purchases. But by February, Panasonic aims to fit each item in the store with an electronic tag. That way, customers will be able to walk into a store, place the items they want into the basket, then head to the robotic station where they simply pay and go.



If successful, the electronics maker aims to introduce the system in more than 10 stores next fiscal year, and nationwide by 2018.



The system "could bring a revolution to the broader retailing industry," Lawson President and COO Sadanobu Takemasu told the told The Wall Street Journal. "We all face a scarcity of labor."

Self-service checkout kiosks have been around for years globally, but a growing number of companies have been pushing to advance retail automation.



Last week, Amazon (AMZN) revealed its new retail concept, promising no checkout lines. The e-commerce giant's latest innovation, dubbed Amazon Go , allows customers to grab food off the shelves and exit the store. Instead of waiting in line to check out, the items get charged to the user's Amazon.com account.



Story continues

For most Americans, paying for groceries through an online account is an appealing feature of an automated store. But in other countries including Japan, where using cash is still widely preferred, Panasonic's take could come out on top.





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Cleveland (AFP) - At a photography studio in Cleveland, instructor Nicole Follen is trying to convince her students to step back in time and technology -- to the age of the humble Polaroid.

She wants the students to create something they can touch and feel -- perhaps even something that  gasp -- isn't perfect.

So, she guides her class in how to transform digital photos taken on their smartphones into Polaroid-style instant photos that hark back to the bygone analog era.

"You go from something so digital to having a mark in your photography," Follen said. "You have to work for it."

Once upon a time, before digital cameras, people trying to capture moments on film only had the clunky box cameras that spit out square photos with wide white borders that you needed to shake to develop.

Now, Follen uses a printer that links to smartphones and churns out prints similar to those that were all the rage in the 1970s.

Across the United States and Europe, instant photography is making a comeback -- and not just in hipster enclaves like Brooklyn.

Leading the trend are those planning weddings and other special occasions. A simple internet search unearths endless do-it-yourself suggestions for asking guests to participate in creating instant memories.

"There's something about Polaroids that just feels so cozy," wrote one bride on a Reddit comment thread.

"I love the photos we have," wrote another. "A few of the pictures were kept by our guests, but we have an amazing keepsake!"

- Sales growth -

Weddings are a natural setting for instant film because the process makes photos more personal, said Nicole Kaney, a Florida-based wedding planner.

Photos snapped with instant cameras "tend to be a little more carefree and relaxed" than those taken with digital cameras, which are sometimes endlessly finessed for social media, she said.

The throwback trend has led to the creation of new instant cameras to meet demand.

Story continues

Used classic cameras by Polaroid meanwhile sell for prime sums, sometimes hundreds of dollars, on eBay. Companies making new versions are seeing sales growth few would have predicted even a few years ago.

Fujifilm, which makes a new line of Instax instant cameras and film, said in a recent earnings report that sales remained strong in the United States and Europe, even as its sales of digital cameras decreased.

The Japanese company says it sold five million instant cameras worldwide in fiscal 2015 and expects to sell 6.5 million in fiscal 2016.

The Impossible Project, the company that bought Polaroid's last remaining instant film plant in the Netherlands  rescuing it from extinction  is also bullish about its own future.

The company founded by Florian Kaps, an Austrian biologist-turned-entrepreneur, now makes Polaroid-style instant film, an instant camera with a modern touch (it has Bluetooth and a mobile app), and an instant film printing device, which is what Follen uses in her studio, the Cleveland Print Room.

- 'Something nostalgic' -

"Florian really saw this kind of niche product that would never fade away," said Mark Appleton, head of North American sales for The Impossible Project.

Even Polaroid itself is optimistic about instant photography in the analog form, even though the company discontinued instant film production in 2008.

"We think this category will continue to grow and thrive, and then there will be more products in different formats, different size prints, different types of printing devices -- whether they're printers or cameras," said Polaroid CEO Scott Hardy.

A new instant camera licensed under the company name was released last January, with an updated version released in September.

Tom Lewis, who teaches photography at the Kansas City Art Institute, said he is seeing the appeal of instant photography firsthand among a younger generation who is used to digital photos that are somewhat disposable.

Students "seem to be more considered in their approach to the instant film" versus what they do with phone cameras, Lewis said.

Students are framing instant photos as works of art and using them in collages, he said, adding that some "see it in terms of something nostalgic, something they missed out on."
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Tech giants Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) were among the companies that posted disappointing quarterly results and saw their stock prices subsequently plunge. With powerful brands such as Windows, Office, Android, and Google between them, Alphabet and Microsoft have had unquestionable impacts on consumer technology and are still likely to continue doing so well into the future. As a result, you might be wondering which is the better buy: Alphabet or Microsoft?
South Korea will push to develop its own indigenous long-range air-to-ground missile to cope with the growing military threat from North Korea, the state arms procurement agency said Wednesday.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) plans to start its research on relevant missile technologies from 2018 with a plan to produce some 200 air-to-surface Taurus-class missiles until 2031.

The missile will be mounted on the KF-X fighter jets to be developed by mid-2020s. The military will spend an estimated 810 billion won ($695.2 million) on the project.

The missile will be modeled after the Taurus which has a 500-kilometer range and can be fired from the country's F-15K. It is known to be capable of hitting the capital city of Pyongyang when fired from a plane flying over Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul.

The military is currently deploying the German long-range air-to-ground missile within this year.

The North has continued to enhance its military capabilities, carrying out two nuclear tests and dozens of missile launches this year alone. (Yonhap)
Ever since Republican nominee Donald Trump has won the U.S. presidential election, the telecom industry circle is rife with speculations that the Trump regime may pave the way for a merger between T-Mobile US Inc. TMUS and Sprint Corp. S. These companies are the two smaller national telecom service providers in the U.S., lagging telecom behemoths Verizon Communications Inc. VZ and AT&T Inc. T.

The previous Democrat regime with Barack Obama at its helm was strictly against further consolidation of the U.S. telecom industry which provides nationwide telecom services. The U.S. telecom regulator Federal Communications Commission (FCC) firmly stated that it wanted at least four powerful national telecom operators in the country. Therefore, a merger between top four telecom operators seemed a distant dream.

However, it has been widely speculated that the new Republican regime under Trump may not pursue such strict regulatory measures. Consequently the FCC might be open to a possibility of a merger proposal between the top four national telecom operators.

Notably, both T-Mobile US and Sprint is currently controlled by non-US firms. Deutsche Telekom AG is the parent company of T-Mobile US while Sprint is controlled by Softbank. Since 2011, Deutsche Telekom is looking for a suitable acquirer for T-Mobile US.

In 2011, AT&T placed the first bid of $39 billion for gaining full control of T-Mobile US. After a close inspection, the FCC thwarted AT&Ts attempt to acquire T-Mobile US, stating that it seeks a minimum of four national carriers in order to maintain competitiveness. In Jul 2014, Sprint offered $16 billion for a little over 50% stake in T-Mobile US. The deal was thoroughly evaluated by both the FCC and the U.S. Department of Justice with the regulators coming to the same conclusion again. Consequently, Sprint opted out of the race.

In Aug 2014, French telecom startup Iliad SA offered $15 billion ($33 per share) for a 56.6% stake in the nations fourth largest telecom operator. However, Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of the T-Mobile US, outright rejected the offer on ground of inadequacy.

Story continues

Whether Sprint and T-Mobile US will try for a merger yet again or not is remain to be seen. However, if a merger happens, a combined Sprint-T-Mobile US will become a formidable entity which can challenge the telecom market supremacy of Verizon and AT&T.

Price Performance of Sprint and T-Mobile US

Year-to-date, the Zacks categorized U.S. Wireless industry has registered an impressive growth of 20.15%. Both Sprint and T-Mobile US experienced strong momentum in stock price in the same time frame. Year-to-date, shares of Sprint surged a whopping 126.52% while T-Mobile US shares climbed 43.48%.

Nevertheless, both T-Mobile US and Sprint are emphasizing on their core wireless network offering several price concessions to entice customers away from their large peers. However, this may negatively impact their margins going forward. Moreover, the U.S. wireless market is likely to become even more competitive as several cable TV operators are set to enter in the fray in 2017. We believe these are the primary reasons behind both Sprint and T-Mobile US currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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BlackSky platform shows Aleppo

Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries is giving early adopters a preview of its online BlackSky satellite imagery platform, which blends overhead views of sites around the world with social-media posts and other reports about whats shown in the pictures.

One of the first subjects to be tackled is the humanitarian crisis in the Syrian city of Aleppo, where tens of thousands of civilians have been caught in devastating bombing attacks and house-to-house fighting. Thats apt, because the members of the early adopter program include the United Nations as well as the World Bank and RS Metrics, a company that uses satellite imagery to track global developments.

Tracking critical global events as they happen is of interest to all of our early customers, Jodi Sorenson, vice president of marketing and communications at Spaceflight Industries, told GeekWire in an emailed comment. We chose to use Aleppo as an example to demonstrate the platforms ability to provide insights on areas of particular international importance.

The BlackSky platform offers access to imagery from more than 10 Earth-watching satellites, including Koreas KOMPSAT spacecraft and UrtheCasts Deimos-2. Customers can also use the platform to order up near-real-time images of specified sites.

As BlackSky builds up its own 60-satellite constellation, pictures from those spacecraft will be put online as well. The first BlackSky satellite, a prototype called Pathfinder-1, was launched this year in preparation for the start of commercial space operations in 2017. The full constellation is due to be in orbit by 2020.

The platform offers much more than raw imagery: It uses curated data feeds as well as machine-learning tools to link up the pictures with news reports, social-media posts and other information about the locations shown. Users can also scan through satellite data and additional context based on specified themes, such as geopolitical conflicts, disease outbreaks or energy resources.

Story continues

Our business plan has always been to look at the planet in real time, in every spectrum, to solve real-world problems, Spaceflight Industries CEO Jason Andrews said in a news release. Today we are announcing significant progress on that journey. For the first time, organizations can fuse satellite imagery with a wide array of data services contextualized in time and space to better understand the most critical issues of our time.

Rakesh Narasimhan, executive vice president at BlackSky, said the platform could be used to direct humanitarian relief, secure borders, track economic assets or monitor maritime activity, among other applications. Availability will be expanded beyond the Early Adopter Program as BlackSky, a service subsidiary of Spaceflight Industries, develops the program further.

Having the support of these high-caliber partners and customers at this early stage is very encouraging, and we intend to use their feedback to ensure the platform is poised to provide actionable and tangible value to our global society, Narasimhan said.

Other companies are also getting a foothold in the expanding market for satellite imaging: Just last week, San Francisco-based Planet opened an office in Bellevue, Wash., which will focus on the development of its satellite data platform. And Planetary Resources, based in Redmond, Wash., is working on its Ceres satellite constellation for hyperspectral Earth imaging.

More from GeekWire:
President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with some of the biggest names in technology today. Its expected that the discussion will focus on jobs, and with many of the biggest tech companies in the United States relying heavily on cheap foreign labor to manufacture their products, itll be interesting to see if the billionaire can convince the other billionaires to tweak production in a way that will create more domestic jobs.

Don't Miss: Watch Amazons Prime Air drone make its very first delivery

Trumps guest list is rather exclusive, as you can see by the names it includes:

Elon Musk (CEO, Tesla) Tim Cook (CEO, Apple) Larry Page (CEO, Alphabet) Jeff Bezos (CEO, Amazon) Sheryl Sandberg (COO, Facebook) Safra Catz (CEO, Oracle) Satya Nadella (CEO, Microsoft) Brian Krzanich (CEO, Intel) Chuck Robbins (CEO, Cisco) Ginni Rometty (CEO, IBM)

Those are some pretty big names  one might even consider them yuge  but theres also a couple of interesting omissions. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who has given Trump perhaps the biggest gift of all by creating the President-elects favorite social platform, was not offered an invitation. Likewise, Gary Shapiro, who heads the Consumer Technology Association, did not receive an invite.

The entire affair was reportedly organized by Peter Thiel, a Facebook board member and early Trump supporter. Thiel, who plans to inject himself with the blood of young people in order to escape the ravages of Father Time, co-founded PayPal, and has been an increasingl controversial figure in Silicon Valley. Apparently he still pulls enough weight that, with the President-elects backing, he can coax the countrys biggest tech decision makers out of California and into Trump Tower.

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
By Heather Somerville and Alexandria Sage SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber [UBER.UL] has rolled out its self-driving car fleet in its hometown of San Francisco, despite lacking the proper permit that state regulators say is required. Starting Wednesday, riders who request an UberX, one of the company's budget ride options, may be matched with a self-driving Uber. It is unclear how many of these cars Uber has in San Francisco. Launching the program kicked off a battle with the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which said on Tuesday that Uber does not have a permit to test autonomous vehicles on California roads, and demanded the company follow the permitting process that is in place. "Twenty manufacturers have already obtained permits to test hundreds of cars on California roads. Uber shall do the same," the agency said in a written statement. Uber's self-driving cars have been seen around San Francisco since at least September. Uber argues that its cars are not able to drive without a person monitoring them - a driver and an engineer are in the front seats to take over frequently in situations such as a construction zone or pedestrian crossing - so the California law does not apply. California defines autonomous vehicles as cars that have the "capability" to drive "without the active physical control or monitoring of a natural person." "All of our vehicles are compliant with applicable federal and state laws," a spokeswoman said. In a company blog post, Uber called on California to take a more "pro-technology" approach to regulating autonomous cars. "Several cities and states have recognized that complex rules and requirements could have the unintended consequence of slowing innovation," Uber said. "Our hope is that California, our home state and a leader in much of the world's dynamism, will take a similar view." Uber said the San Francisco program will mimic its pilot in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where three months ago Uber unveiled its secretive work on autonomous cars for the first time to the public. The company started with just four self-driving cars available to Pittsburgh passengers, although it had a fleet of more than a dozen for testing. At that time, engineers at Uber's Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh, where much of the company's research on autonomous cars takes place, emphasized that Uber was not attempting to build a driver assistance system. Rather, Uber had its sights on building fully autonomous cars, with no driver intervention. Uber's San Francisco fleet features the Volvo XC90, an upgraded model from the Ford Fusions that were unveiled in Pittsburgh. (Editing by Alistair Bell)
KIEV (Reuters) - A Ukrainian security chief said on Wednesday Ukraine needed to beef up its cyber defences, citing a recent spate of attacks on government websites that he said originated in Russia. Over the past week, Ukraine's Finance and Defence ministries and State Treasury said their websites had been temporarily downed by attacks aimed at disrupting their operations. "These attacks were planned in advance and coordinated from a center based in the Russian Federation," the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, Oleksander Turchynov, said. At the end of 2015, the council blamed Russia for a cyber attack on its power grid that left part of western Ukraine temporarily without electricity. Cyber security experts consider Russia one of the world's most advanced cyber powers, along with the United States, China, Israel, France and Britain. Bratislava-based computer security company ESET said it believed the recent attacks on the ministries were attempted "cybersabotage" and likely carried out by the same group that targeted Ukraine's power grid last year. Relations between Kiev and the Kremlin collapsed in 2014 following Moscow's annexation of Crimea and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, where fighting continues despite a ceasefire agreement. As a result of the recent cyber attacks, Ukraine's security council will discuss how best to strengthen cyber security, particularly in relation to potential actions from Russia, Turchynov said. "A decision will be taken detailing a plan of action to increase the level of cyber defence," he said. (Reporting by Alessandra Prentice; Additional reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff in Singapore; Editing by Ken Ferris)
The same two consoles that have dominated sales in previous years are still the hottest gaming rigs in town. Sure, they have received updates that make them even more appealing, but the PS4 and the Xbox One are still the undisputed kings of the console gaming universe.

This year theyre better and cheaper than ever. Sony and Microsoft slashed the prices for the PS4 and Xbox One S for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Green Monday. But if you missed out on any of those sales, then we have good news for you.

Don't Miss: Steve Jobs brought up the idea of new movies hitting iTunes while still in theaters six years ago

Microsofts Xbox One and Xbox One S bundles will cost you $50 less through Christmas Eve, matching previous holiday deals. According to Microsofts Xbox Wire blog, the deals are available at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Microsoft Stores, and Walmart, to name just a few.

We already told you that Best Buy cut the prices for the PS4 and Xbox One S this Sunday, but it looks like Best Buy wont be the only one to sell you cheaper consoles in the final weeks leading to Christmas.

In case youre a fan of the other console, you neednt worry about it being more expensive. Sony is also dropping the price of the PS4 by $50, which means bundles will sell for the same $249 as Xbox One S consoles.

However, dont expect to find the brand new PS4 Pro in stores for the same low price. Sonys 2016 console update will be slightly more expensive, which is always the case with brand new hardware releases.

That said, the tough job begins now. Youll have to choose the perfect bundle, and what to do with the extra $50 that you save. You could get an extra controller or game to go with your console purchase  head on over to Microsofts store to see whats on sale  or you could even decide to upgrade the storage of your console. $249 bundles include 500GB consoles, while $299 bundles will get you 1TB of storage.

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
Yahoo announced in September 2016 that hackers in 2014 stole personal data from more than 500 million of its user accounts (AFP Photo/Ethan Miller) (Getty/AFP/File)

Washington (AFP) - Yahoo said Wednesday more than a billion users may have had data stolen in a hack dating back to 2013 -- separate from its previously disclosed breach affecting 500 million.

In a huge blow to the struggling internet pioneer, Yahoo said it made the discovery as it was investigating what was already the largest data breach of a single company.

"Yahoo believes an unauthorized third party, in August 2013, stole data associated with more than one billion user accounts," it said in a statement.

Yahoo said this case "is likely distinct from the incident the company disclosed on September 22, 2016."

The news comes with Yahoo in the process of selling its core operating assets to Verizon for $4.8 billion.

The breach disclosed in September had already threatened to derail the deal with Verizon or result in a reduction in the price.

In November, Yahoo disclosed that as part of its investigation into the prior breach, it had received data files from law enforcement "that a third party claimed was Yahoo user data."

Using outside forensic experts, Yahoo now confirms that this was indeed user data but added that it "has not been able to identify the intrusion associated with this theft."

Yahoo said in September it believed the breach of information on 500 million users was "state sponsored" but some analysts have questioned this theory.

The stolen user account information in the newly disclosed breach may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, "hashed" passwords and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers, Yahoo said.

The hackers did not obtain passwords in clear text, payment card data, or bank account information, it said.

- Further embarrassment -

The latest breach discovery is a further embarrassment to a company that was one of the biggest names of the internet but which has failed to keep up with rising stars such as Google and Facebook.

Story continues

Yahoo's valuation hit $125 billion during the dot-com boom, but it has been losing ground since then despite several efforts to reboot.

In the mid-1990s, Yahoo was among the most popular destinations on the internet, helping many people navigate the emerging web.

It became the top online "portal," connecting users to news, music and other content. But its fortunes started to fade when Google began to dominate with its powerful search engine.

But as its core business declined, Yahoo's stake in outside investments -- notably Chinese internet giant Alibaba -- surged.

After a series of management changes and revival efforts, Yahoo decided to sell its main operating business as a way to separate that from its more valuable stake in Alibaba.

Yahoo's plan would place its main operating business within Verizon, which has already acquired another faded internet star, AOL.

The remaining portion would be a holding company with stakes in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan.

Verizon said in a statement it would await further news of the investigation before making any decision.

"As weve said all along, we will evaluate the situation as Yahoo continues its investigation," the statement said.

"We will review the impact of this new development before reaching any final conclusions."

Verizon had said the prior breach was likely "material," meaning it could allow the telecom giant to scrap the deal or lower its offer.
NASHVILLE  Back in March, when most couldnt fathom the notion of President-elect Trump, I wrote a column comparing the Manhattan mogul to Phineas Taylor Barnum. The Indiana presidential primary was just taking shape but I could sense his potential for a Republican nomination.

Comparing Trump to P.T. Barnum was because the two, separated by more than a century in time, had a unique love for the show. Wikipedia describes Barnum as an American politician, showman and businessman remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus. He once said, I am a showman by profession  and all the gilding shall make nothing else of me.

Trump loves the show too. He doesnt read books and is not interested in intelligence briefings. He gets his news from the shows and he loves beauty pageants and starred in his own show, The Apprentice with the famous line, Youre fired! He turned the 2016 election cycle into the most sensational reality show in history, ending with a stunning presidential upset on Nov. 8. It promises to get exponentially impactful as he brews an administration.

On Dec. 1, he and Vice President-elect Mike Pence brought this show to Indianapolis to save Carrier jobs. As the pair entered the plant where 1,400 had been told Youre fired, you could almost hear Barnum whisper into the billionaires ear, If you hesitate, some bolder hand will stretch out before you and get the prize.

Trump and Pence announced they had saved 1,100 jobs, though when it was all sorted out in the following days, we learned the Indiana Economic Development Corporation had promised $7 million, with 730 Carrier jobs remaining. Trump rounded it off by including 300 jobs that were never slated to move to Mexico, though some 500 Carrier jobs will end up there at $5.90 an hour, along with 700 United Technologies jobs in Huntington.

By this past Wednesday, Trump ended up in a Twitter feud with Chuck Jones, president of the United Steelworkers Local 1999, who was left in the dark until Trump and Pence appeared. Jones was initially grateful for the saved 730 jobs, but told the Washington Post that Trump was lying his ass off by claiming 1,100. Our President-elect then tweeted that Jones has done a terrible job representing workers. No wonder companies flee country!

So there!

What should we make of this?

This was good politics for a fledgling administration, at least until the Trump/Jones tweet spar. There were great headlines spread over several news cycles. Trump understands the art of political theater.

It contrasts with President Obama, who actually saved about 150,000 Hoosier jobs with his 2009 General Motors and Chrysler restructuring. But Obama didnt understand the show. His Democratic Party got shellacked in the 2010 mid-terms. Then U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly remembers Chrysler workers telling him they were voting for guns, not jobs. The irony there is that Obama and Vice President Biden showed up at a Kokomo Chrysler plant and announced billions of dollars of investments three weeks after the 2010 elections.

So here was Trump at the Carrier show delivering on a campaign promise, right? Actually, Trump delivered on a campaign euphemism. Ill let him explain:

Trump recalled a handsome Carrier employee on an NBC Nightly News broadcast. He said something to the effect, No were not leaving, because Donald Trump promised us that were not leaving. And I never thought I made that promise  not with Carrier. I made it for everybody else. I didnt make it really for Carrier.

In that other show last August  NBC Nightly News  Trump actually did say, Were bringing jobs back to our country. Were not going to let Carrier leave. And at every Trump rally I attended, he castigated Carrier for leaving Indy.

I said, Carrier will never leave. But that was a euphemism, Trump explained. I was talking about Carrier, like all other companies from here on in. Because they made the decision a year and a half ago. But he believed that was, and I could understand it.

It prompted Salena Zito of The Atlantic to observe, The press takes him literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally.

So allow me to roll the credits. Trump did retrieve at least 730 Hoosier jobs. But close to a 1,000 are still headed to Mexico. Attorney General Greg Zoeller told me this week that Trump knows the art of the deal. A great businessman (or attorney) will hold the facts and perceptions close to the vest, cut the deal, then proclaim victory.

Half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin termed it crony capitalism. The Wall Street Journal called it Trumps Carrier Shakedown. Irwin M. Stelzer, writing in the Weekly Standard, observed, A decent deal but a rotten precedent. Trump threatened other companies with consequences if they take jobs abroad. Board rooms around the country are being entertained with Power Point presentations, How to Turn a Credible Threat of Plant Closure Into a Nice Subsidy.

Or as P.T. Barnum would observe, Remember the proverb of Solomon: He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand; but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

 The columnist is publisher of Howey Politics Indiana at www.howeypolitics.com. Find him on Facebook and Twitter @hwypol.
ALBION  Zachary Smith, Noble County Highway Department engineer, was selected by the Indiana Association of County Commissioners as its 2016 Outstanding County Highway Engineer of the Year on Dec. 2.

The award is in recognition of his contributions made to county government throughout his years of public service.

Smith started his position in 2014 and became involved from day one in every aspect of the highway department and county government by participating in the Indiana Association of County Commissioners, IACHES, AIC, LTAP Road Scholar Program and ACEC as well as the many educational offerings that are available through the State of Indiana.

Smith developed and implemented several cost-saving programs at his county and has brought Noble County into compliance in many areas that are required for grant awards and federal funding. Those programs include:

 Transportation Asset Management Plan which he started in 2014 and has updated annually. This information is readily available on their website and has doubled the effectiveness of the highway dollars.

 Noble County was chosen to receive a Community Crossing Award of $1 million.

 He was instrumental in the county receiving multiple Federal grant LPA awards.

 He developed a cost effective in-house partial depth reclamation process (which he will be presenting at the upcoming road school).

 He has also become extremely involved in the county in serving as the ADA Coordinator as well as being a sitting member of the Title VI Program, UDO Committee, Safety Committee and the Job Classification committee.

 Smith has implemented innovative techniques and new ideas that have saved the county money.

 He has prioritized projects to have them shovel ready when state and federal dollars become available which has positioned the county for grants and matched dollars.

Smith and others attended several training workshops while at the conference concerning such county related topics on Building for the Next 200 years where they discussed building a strong foundation in all areas of local government and focused on transportation funding, asset management, collaborative leadership, economic development, public safety communications, criminal justice reinvestment and data transparency.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Areas of patchy fog early. Partly cloudy skies. High 69F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 53F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
The Hokah City Council met for the last time in 2016 on Dec. 6, clearing the way for a property tax levy virtually unchanged from last year.

The levy breakdown includes $220,933 for the general fund, a $21,000 allocation for the library and $53,650 for the wastewater treatment plant bond. City administrator Rod Blank said that the council worked hard on holding the line on taxes, allowing an increase of only 2 to 3 percent over the last 10 years.

The council also ratified a master subscriber agreement for Minnesota Court Data Services. Under the agreement, the city attorneys office can order bulk data downloads from the state court system, even confidential data as long as it pertains to the specific case.

Before the meeting, Blank explained how the new system will benefit the city. The city attorney does everything except felonies, he said. If he is involved in issuing drunk-driving charges, for example, he needs access to those files. Blank noted that the city attorney for La Crescent already uses a similar arrangement and said the system could also be used for background checks.

Council member Rebecca Albrecht reported that the Thursday after-school program at the library has been heavily used by children. The library was recently awarded an Arlin Falck grant totaling more than $4,000, with much of the funds going toward the purchase of new commercial-grade computers and support for the childrens program. Albrecht also said that library hours have been extended on Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon to accommodate working families.

The council also sent 10 names to the county auditor for delinquent utility accounts totaling more than $11,000. Blank explained how he actually discounted one bill in order to encourage people who are in arrears to pay. He also noted that people often choose to wait until the end of the year and pay delinquent accounts along with their taxes.

In other news

The council signed an agreement with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to clear snow on Hwy. 44 from its junction with Hwy. 16 to Third Street. The state will pay for the plowing and loading and Hokah will be responsible for hauling and disposal.

Council members noted that traffic has slowed now that Hokah has an officer on the street. Voting unanimously, the council directed the police department to provide a report of its activities at future council meetings as a public service.

A few police responses include: 13 assists with other agencies, four traffic stops, and four traffic crashes with property damage. In addition, police responded to four theft complaints, three medical emergencies and one arrest for forgery.

Blank also announced that the Minnesota Department of Health recognized Hokah with its Water Fluoridation Quality Award for maintaining consistent levels of fluoride in its drinking water.

Top vote-getters in the Nov. 8 elections Matt Vetsch (Incumbent) and Cindy Pfiffner, along with re-elected Mayor Mike Walsh. They will all be sworn in at the January meeting.
U.S. Sen. Al Franken will soon have a chance to ask several questions of Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trumps nominee for secretary of education.

Thats because Franken serves on the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Marc Kimball, state director of communications for Franken, recently confirmed in a phone call that the committee will meet with DeVos as part of her confirmation process.

Here are several issues that I hope Franken will consider raising. You may want to suggest these or others.

1. Promoting safety, respect and optimism among students

If students are frightened, intimidated or bullied, they learn much less.

A recent national poll of more than 10,000 educators, conducted by the Southern Poverty Law Center, found that since the election: 90 percent of educators report that school climate has been negatively affected, and most of them believe it will have a long-lasting impact. A full 80 percent describe heightened anxiety and concern on the part of students worried about the impact of the election on themselves and their families. Also on the upswing: verbal harassment, the use of slurs and derogatory language, and disturbing incidents involving swastikas, Nazi salutes and Confederate flags.

The SPLC acknowledged that this was not a scientific poll, noting that respondents were not a representative sample: (Respondents) may have been more likely to perceive problems than those who did not.

However, I agree with the SPLCs conclusions: The tremendous number of responses as well as the overwhelming confirmation of what has been anecdotally reported in the media cannot be ignored or dismissed. More information about the poll can be found here: http://bit.ly/2fzqiKg.

2. School choice  which Trump says he wants to expand to include private and parochial schools

Minnesota offers lessons about choice, as we have within-district and cross-district schools, magnet schools, teacher-led schools, charter public schools, dual-credit programs (credit for high school and college) and tax credits. Weve found that choice can promote widespread improvements  for example, districts added more dual-credit courses in response to Postsecondary Enrollment Options. But I think weve wisely avoided providing per-pupil funds to private and parochial K-12 schools.

3. Educating students with some form of disability

Congress requires that these students be served appropriately, but does not come close to providing the amount of funding that it originally promised. Will DeVos recommend an increase or other changes in these programs to make them more efficient?

4. Other priorities for improving pre-K-12 schools

There was little discussion during the campaign about K-12 education. Other than choice, what priorities does DeVos have?

5. Postsecondary education

Most jobs require a one- or two-year certificate or a four-year diploma. But many families are suffering from huge college debt. Completion and graduation rates are quite low at many institutions. College access, cost and quality urgently need more attention.

6. Learning from success

The U.S. Department of Education honors many schools, but it could do much more to help educators and families learn from the most effective.

Its worth noting that people disagree about DeVos. Dan Quisenberry, who Ive known and respected for years, is president of the Michigan Charter School Association. Hes worked with DeVos and believes she is a passionate education reformer (who) has high expectations for schools to perform academically and will hold all schools, including charters, accountable for results. Others, including, for example, presidents of national teacher unions, have strongly criticized her.

DeVos has written: I am committed to transforming our educational system into the best in the world. However, out of respect for the United States Senate, it is most appropriate for me to defer expounding on specifics until they begin the confirmation process. (Read more from her at http://betsydevos.com/qa.)

Only about 10 percent of the funding for public schools comes from Congress. But thats still more than $68 billion. Equally important, the head of the U.S. Department of Education can speak out on many issues. The department also can increase or decrease regulations on U.S. schools.

Fortunately, Franken can ask DeVos for details and encourage her to consider whats happening in Minnesota.
The University of Wisconsin-Extension Office in Black River Falls will host a Family and Farm live webinar on Jan. 26, 2017, from 1-3 p.m.

The webinar is officially named Estate Planning for your Family and Farm and is the fifth in a series that the UW-Extension offices offers on farm succession.

Bridget Finke, an attorney with Valley Crossing Law in Baldwin, Wis., will lead the webinar with four outlined topics; lifetime planning, choosing the estate planning vehicle that is right for your family, tax consequences of death and how to get started with estate planning.

Estate planning is a topic of importance, whether there is a successor lined up. This webinar is for both farm business owners and successors.
Joanne H. Wuensch, 84, of La Crosse died at her home Monday, Dec. 12, 2016, after a brave and courageous battle with cancer, while surrounded by the love of her family.

She and her twin sister, Jean, were born May 20, 1932, in La Crosse, to Mac and Kathleen (Weigel) Erickson. Joanne and Jean would later come to be known to friends and family as the gold dust twins. Joanne grew up in La Crosse, and graduated from Central High School in 1949. She met and fell in love with her high school sweetheart, Lorin Lou Wuensch. Following high school Lou enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed in Biloxi, Miss. Before leaving for Germany, they decided to marry. Joanne borrowed her sisters wedding dress and took a three day train trip to Biloxi by herself. They were married Oct. 12, 1952, at the Air Force chapel, in front of a whole congregation of strangers. They recently celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. When Lou left for Germany, Joanne came back to La Crosse. During this time their first daughter, Cathi, was born. Lou didnt meet her until she was nine months old. They settled in San Antonio, Texas, while Lou completed his military service. They then relocated back to La Crosse, where their second daughter, Jennifer was born. 22 months later, they welcomed their only son, Erik, and the family was complete.

She was a feisty, little lady who loved picnics, fireworks, attending her sons and grandsons sporting events, bird watching at her daughters country home and going out for Chinese with her granddaughter, Rachel.

When she was younger, she held various jobs and for many years had served as a wedding consultant and also was employed with Honigs Gift Shop for 17 years.

She was an active member of English Lutheran Church, having been baptized and confirmed there. She was an alter guild member, Sunday school teacher, kitchen volunteer for funeral lunches and a member of the church quilters. She loved her quilting friends, especially Joanne Tomalka. Joanne traveled to Alaska, 35 times over the years to visit her daughter, Cathi and family.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Conrad and Donald D.D Erickson; her twin sister, Jean Groth; and many nieces, nephews, and other family members.

She is survived by her husband, Lorin Lou Wuensch of La Crosse; daughters, Cathi (Butch) Novotney of Anchorage, Alaska, Jennifer (Tim) Whitman of Bangor; one son, Erik (Jeannette) Wuensch of La Crosse; grandchildren, Amy Novotney, Kerry (Simon) Muller, Stefan (Lindsay) Novotney, all of Anchorage, Rachel (Clint) Braunel, Ben (Samantha) Berger of La Crosse, Jessica Ekern, Kristina (Brad) Seidel and Alex (fiancee, Addie) Wuensch all of La Crosse; eight great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild due in June; one brother-in-law, Rum Groth; and one sister-in-law, Kathy Erickson. She is further survived by her best friend, Barb Walsh and her family of La Crosse.

Mom, Thanks for all the great memories. You will live in our hearts forever. You are so loved and will be missed tremendously.

The family would like to offer their heartfelt thanks to Gundersen Hospice and English Lutheran Church, for their compassion during this time of need.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at English Lutheran Church. Pastor Mark Solyst will officiate. Private family burial at Mormon Coulee Memorial Park will be at a later date. Friends may call on the family from 5 until 7 p.m. Thursday evening at the church and again from 10 a.m. until the time of services Friday at the church. Memorials may be directed to either English Lutheran Church, WAFER, or any organization of donors choice. Online guestbook may be signed at www.schumacher-kish.com.
With an aging population and shrinking workforce, Wisconsin is facing a perfect storm that could send employers packing and leave even fewer wage earners to fund the schools, roads and other amenities needed to make the state an attractive place for young people to settle.

Competitive Wisconsin Inc., a consortium of business, labor and education interests, is urging employers to help develop new ways of recruiting, educating and retaining new workers.

CWI adviser Jim Wood outlined the problem Tuesday before a group of local leaders.

As with many states, Wisconsins residents are living longer and having fewer children. With little net immigration, that makes for an aging population whose tax contributions decline as they enter retirement. On top of that, fewer young people are working today, in part because the available jobs require skills and degrees they dont have.

By 2040, one study has projected Wisconsin will see a more than 5 percent reduction in the number of workers between the ages of 25 and 54. At the states current average per capita wage, that adds up to a loss of more than $5 billion in earnings and more than $450 million in tax revenue.

Demand for public services is going up at the same time as our capacity to pay for it is going down, Wood said. If we cant figure out how to get the workers we need, we cant get the tax base we need.  These things are inextricably linked.

Formed in 1981, CWI uses strategic policy analysis to focus attention on economic growth and prosperity. Since 2010 the group has developed a series of job growth initiatives under the Be Bold brand.

Over the next year, Wood said, CWI aims to put together committees to develop research-based policy recommendations to frame public discussion during the 2018 election cycle. The group is looking to businesses to commit time and expertise toward crafting those recommendations.

We cant get where we need to go if the private sector doesnt engage differently, Wood said.
HOLMEN  Holmen Middle School students experienced Hmong music, dance, fashion and cuisine as part of a cultural celebration Wednesday.

More than 30 Hmong students at the school started work on the program in October, which culminated in the all-school assembly. During the celebration, Hmong students shared their traditional and modern garments as well as Hmong instruments, music and dance.

I thought it was really nice, Holmen eighth-grade student PaNhia Yang said after the celebration. I thought it was really cool to show the other students our culture.

The middle schools Hmong students were heavily involved with planning and designing the program, Principal Ryan Vogler said. Along with the assembly, all of the students at HMS had Pho for lunch and contributed work to a research video on the history of Hmong-Americans.

The research project began in November, ESL teacher Cody Meyers said, and asked all of the students to learn about the history of the Hmong support of U.S. troops during the Vietnam War, the resulting bloodshed and refugee situation in Thailand after the United States pulled out of the region and the experiences of the Hmong people who came to live in the U.S. The research project culminated in a student-produced video that was shared with students on Monday.

The kids learned a lot through that process, he said. Many of the teachers spoke about how a lot of students never realized many of these things about the Hmong peoples past.

During the cultural celebration, Holmen Middle School students played music on the qeej, a traditional bamboo instrument that is similar to a reed pipe, as well as performing a dance to Hmong music choreographed by students and sisters See and PaNhia Yang and a red carpet fashion show. The different garments worn by the students highlighted the use of coins and beads in Hmong garments, as well as the symbols and meanings woven into the garments.

The patterns in different clothing have different meanings, PaNhia said, such as identifying which clan the student belonged to. Some of the most common clan names are Yang, Vang, Moua and Xiong, she said, and the way clothing was decorated allowed the Hmong people to communicate and identify among themselves without having to speak.

Deja Moua, an eighth-grade student, said the Hmong students put a lot of work, time and effort into the celebration. All of the students involved got to decide what they were going to do as part of the program, and she said she enjoyed sharing her culture and heritage with other students, who might lump her culture in with bigger ethnic groups such as the Chinese or Japanese.

I wanted to show them that our culture really means a lot to us, she said. Our culture is who we are.
WEST ALLIS  President-elect Donald Trump thanked Wisconsin supporters, bragged about his victory and vouched for House Speaker Paul Ryan during a speech here Tuesday.

You went out and you pounded the pavement, organized your fellow citizens and propelled to victory a grassroots movement the likes of which the world has never seen before, Trump said. I will never forget you, and I will never ever stop fighting for you.

The event marked the first time Trump and Ryan spoke at the same Wisconsin rally after the Janesville Republican publicly feuded with the bombastic billionaire throughout the campaign, angering many Trump supporters. Although most people cheered, several booed when Ryan took the stage and later when Trump thanked Ryan for his leadership. Trump urged the detractors to give Ryan a chance.

Hes like a fine wine: Every day that goes by I get to appreciate his genius more and more, Trump said, before adding: Now if he ever goes against me Im not going to say that.

The rally at the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds is part of Trumps victory tour, which has already been to several of the Rust Belt states that were critical to his victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton last month. The Wisconsin event drew a crowd of roughly 5,000 people.

In addition to Ryan and Trump, the event featured speeches from Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Ron Johnson, Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus, of Kenosha, and U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wausau.

Trump said Walker was a tough opponent during the presidential election and gave a nod to Walkers prospects as a future White House contender, saying now its going to be your turn very soon.

You and Pence are going to have to fight it out.

The speech came a day after the state completed a historic recount, showing Trump winning the states 10 Electoral College votes with a more than 22,000-vote lead. The recount, which had been requested and paid for by Green Party nominee Jill Stein, resulted in Trump increasing his victory margin by 131 votes.

Trump called the recount a waste of time and money.

I called it a scam, but I wont say that (tonight) because we want to be nice, Trump said.

In his 50-minute speech, Trump also touted his Cabinet picks, reinforced his campaign platform of creating jobs, cutting taxes, securing the border and strengthening the military, boasted about his stamina in the final stretch of the campaign and detailed at length his experience watching results on Election Day, culminating with the Wisconsin victory.

At one point he mocked Clintons decision to buy fireworks for her Election Night party.

When he asked if the crowd remembered his opponent, they started chanting lock her up. Trump, who has said he is no longer interested in prosecuting Clinton as he said he would during the campaign, responded: Weve won.

When the chants grew louder, Trump turned to Walker and said: These people are brutal. Now I know why its always a blood bath for you. But you win.

Rochelle Matthews, 52, an accountant from Greenfield who has supported Trump since he entered the presidential race, but was surprised he won, said she was impressed by the size of the crowd given the cold temperatures and how many of her friends and family continue to be reticent about their support for Trump.

This is our president-elect, this is part of history, so this is why were here, Matthews said.

Tina Gorzalski, treasurer of an education reform group from the town of Erin, said the event was her fifth Trump rally and people were just as exuberant as they were before the election  a sign they approve of his Cabinet picks and the way he is handling the presidential transition.

Theyre still smiling and the recount just made it sweeter, Gorzalski said.

Democrats greeted Trumps visit with criticism of his Cabinet picks and recent reports that the CIA has determined Russia was connected to hacking the Democratic National Committee to help Trump win the election. Trump has dismissed those reports.

A storm of questions about election meddling by foreign governments to put Trump in the White House continues to build, casting a growing shadow of corruption and illegitimacy, state Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, said in a statement. The only way to clear the air is for Trump to disclose his secret financial ties with Russia along with his corporate interests that conflict with our American national security and prosperity.

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, said Russias possible involvement in the election and Trumps statement that he doesnt participate in daily intelligence briefings are very frightening developments, especially when considered with the fact that President-elect Trump has chosen to nominate a secretary of state with no foreign policy experience other than his close ties to Vladimir Putin.

Trump said during the speech that he nominated Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state because he is friendly with many leaders in the world that we dont get along with.

American foreign policy has lacked a clear vision and a clear understanding of the threats, Trump said. Instead of jumping recklessly from one intervention to another, my administration will build a long-term strategy for peace.

Pence thanked the crowd for electing a president who will hunt down terrorists, stand with law enforcement, repeal Obamacare and President Barack Obamas executive orders, cut taxes, make sure that trade means American jobs and make the American economy great again.

Thanks to you were going to have a government as good as our people, Pence said.

Ryan touched on many of the same goals in his short speech, in which he thanked Trump and Pence for helping Wisconsin and other Midwestern states finally see the light of day and finally put a Republican back in the White House.

Walker joked how he, Ryan and Priebus all grew up in southern Wisconsin and that when people ask him what was in the water, I tell em its beer.

Priebus introduced Walker as the person who helped launch this revolution.

How does it feel to win twice? Priebus said, referring to the recount. Wisconsin brought it home for America.
Megan Budde knows how hard work and perseverance can pay off.

The 28-year-old student from Brownsville, Minn., will complete Western Technical Colleges nursing program with a pinning celebration this evening. She will also be the first Western student to receive a Wisconsin Nurses Association Future Nursing Leader Award.

A single mom who went through several stops and starts to her education, Budde said the honor sums up her view that life isnt easy, but the journey is worth it.

The award makes me feel like all the hard work was noticed, she said. And worth it.

Budde said she had always liked Western since it was close to home and two of her brothers, Drew and Darren, attended the college. She also comes from a family of nurses. Her mother Mickey Budde-Jangula and brother Jarad are nurses.

She enrolled at the college in 2006 and started taking her general education courses. She left Western for a year to study psychology at Winona State University and then a family tragedy struck.

Her first semester at WSU, Buddes brother Drew died in a car accident, and it was up to her to help pick up the pieces. Many of her family members were devastated by the loss, and Megan did a lot of the work planning the funeral arrangements for her brother.

She tried to go back to school after everything that had happened, but had fallen too far behind in her coursework and had to withdraw for the semester. The next semester, she fought to get back into the program, but after that semester was over, decided to take some time off for reflection.

But her family kept pushing her to finish her education, especially from her mother who wanted her to finish her nursing degree. She decided to come back to Western in 2012.

Along with her classes, Budde also had to raise her son Kamden, who is now 9, by herself as Kamdens father was unable to care for his son. It wasnt always easy balancing work, school and family and Budde said there were a lot of nights when supper was a burnt frozen pizza as she focused on getting back into school.

Her mom was a big help, she said, and watched Kamden on some of those nights when she had a lot of school work. The teachers at Western were also really good to work with, she said, and were understanding when she had a family emergency or something would come up that impacted her ability to make a test or attend one of her practical experience days.

Her first semester back at the college, Budde said her teachers gave the students a speech about the impact of having a positive attitude. She tried to live by that motto by always looking forward and trying to be a role model and mentor for her fellow students.

Nursing Instructor Charlene Hopkins was the instructor who nominated Budde for the award. Hopkins said Buddes efforts balancing her family and school work while mentoring students and staying active in leadership positions in the student nursing organization not only motivated her peers but the instructors she worked with.

Ive seen her grow not only as a nursing student, but as a caring individual, Hopkins said. Shes been a tremendous asset to the program. It is kind of hard to let her go.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  Republican Gov. John Kasich signed a bill Tuesday imposing a 20-week abortion ban while vetoing stricter provisions in a separate measure that would have barred the procedure at the first detectable fetal heartbeat.

The so-called heartbeat bill would have prohibited most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy  or before many women know they are pregnant. Its provisions cleared the Republican-led Legislature during a lame-duck flurry last week after being tucked into separate legislation.

Similar measures elsewhere have faced legal challenges, and detractors in Ohio feared such legislation would lead to a costly fight in the courts. Opponents predicted it would be found unconstitutional, a concern Kasich shared.

Kasich, an abortion-rights opponent, chose instead to sign off on a 20-week ban similar to those now in effect in 15 states and blocked from enforcement in two others. The measures are based on the assertion that fetuses can feel pain then, which opponents characterize as scientifically unsound. Ohio lawmakers rejected a Democratic amendment that would have added exceptions for rape and incest.

Kasich said the heartbeat provision would have been struck down based on other federal court rulings. Enacting the law would also invite challenges to current Ohio abortion prohibitions and would mean costly litigation.

The State of Ohio will be the losing party in that lawsuit and, as the losing party, the State of Ohio will be forced to pay hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to cover the legal fees for the pro-choice activists lawyers, Kasich said.

Therefore, this veto is in the public interest, the governor said.

Abortion-rights groups criticized Kasich for signing the 20-week ban. Planned Parenthood called it dangerous legislation that blocks a woman from making important medical decisions during her pregnancy.

The 20-week ban will force women to travel long distances and cross state lines in order to access safe, legal abortion  a barrier that many women simply cannot afford, said Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio said the 20-week ban would allow abortions only if a woman is on the brink of death or suffering permanent organ damage.

Ohio Right To Life praised Kasich for signing the ban, saying it would save hundreds of unborn lives each year and allow Ohio to directly challenge the U.S. Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion until viability, usually at 22 to 24 weeks.

The 20-week ban challenges the current national abortion standard and properly moves the legal needle from viability to the babys ability to feel pain, said Mike Gonidakis, Ohio Right To Life president. He agreed with Kasichs decision to veto the heartbeat bill.

Ohio lawmakers still have the option to override Kasichs veto. Doing so would require a three-fifths majority of each chamber.

The developments in Ohio are a prelude to a broad offensive to be launched in January by abortion-rights opponents emboldened by the election success of Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

GOP lawmakers in numerous states  including Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana and Kentucky  plan to push for new anti-abortion legislation. Their efforts are being supported by a national anti-abortion group, Americans United for Life, which released a report Tuesday contending that many abortion clinics are in violation of state health and safety standards.

In Congress, Republicans are expected to advance legislation banning most abortions after 20 weeks and halting federal funding for Planned Parenthood as long as it performs abortions. The president-elect has pledged to support both measures.

In Oklahoma on Tuesday, the state Supreme Court threw out a law requiring abortion clinics to have doctors who have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles of their facility.

The court ruled that measure, which requires doctors with admitting privileges to be present for abortions, violates both the U.S. and Oklahoma constitutions. Republican Gov. Mary Fallin signed it into law in 2014, but courts had blocked it from going into effect. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year struck down a similar provision in Texas.

The law will allow Ohio to directly challenge the U.S. Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion until viability, usually at 22 to 24 weeks.
Sen. Jennifer Shilling is again trying to convince us that the condition of Wisconsin's highways is a problem brought on by the Republican-controlled Legislature. How short her memory is, or, maybe, she hopes our memory is short. Republicans have been in control since 2011. The problem with our roads preceded their control. It was the Democrats and former governor who raided highway funds in order to increase spending on education (code phrase) to give teacher unions more money and benefits.
It used to worry me that my children cant tell time from a clock with hands. But now Im more concerned about ensuring they acquire a more important skill  telling fake news from real.

Every generation throws up its hands over once-critical skills going by the wayside, I suppose. My grandparents probably thought it was strange I wasnt taught how to milk a cow or use a slide rule. With the world going digital, teachers arent going to spend a semester showing kids how to read a clock. They might as well teach a unit on using the librarys card catalog. If it still has one.

But today, discerning legitimate news from satire  not to mention complete fabrication  is crucial. According to a new study from Stanford researchers, its a skill many American students have yet to master. Just like me with cow-milking.

Researchers spent more than a year studying how middle school, high school and college students in 12 states evaluated information online. Researchers were shocked by students failure to determine the credibility of tweets, Facebook posts and websites. They fear a generation of easily duped people will bring down our society. But in fairness to todays youths, they werent the ones who bought all those pet rocks in the 1970s.

And lets face it, vetting information has never been more difficult. There are more news sources than ever before, and todays headlines wouldve seemed unthinkable only a few years ago. Cubs win World Series. Trump elected president. Dylan wins Nobel Prize. At this point we might read a headline like Narwhals breed with musk oxen, take over Greenland and accept it as fact.

You might assume youngsters are Internet-savvy because they were born holding iPhones, but the study found they tend to accept information as presented, without supporting evidence. This may come as great news to parents looking to convince their kids not to repeat the misdeeds of their youth  Why shouldnt you follow your favorite band on a European tour? Its a bad idea, because I said so  but it should prove troubling when you consider were going to hand some of these kids the nuclear launch codes in 30 years.

The trouble for todays youths is that fake news sources are proliferating. When I was growing up, all we had was The Onion and Saturday Night Live. Today, Comedy Central pays the bills with satiric news shows, and the Internet teems with sites offering spoofs, spin and straight-out lies. Even your local newspaper publishes a column by some goofball who foresees narwhals mating with musk oxen. How are kids to tell fact from fiction?

The study found students failed to differentiate between news articles and sponsored content ads masquerading as news. Somehow, children born in the post-Photoshop world also accepted photographs as legitimate, without verified sources. And they couldnt tell real and fake news apart on Facebook.

The kids might deserve a pass here, too. After all, half the things your friends post on Facebook are lies. Oh yeah sure, their kids are awesome at everything, their marriages are a constant source of elation, and their mothers-in-law are cherished treasures. If you believe all that hooey, I have some photos of narwhal-musk oxen babies for sale.

Because Facebook is a mine field of misinformation, it should come as no surprise that only a quarter of students could tell a Fox News parody article from the real thing, or that more than 30 percent argued the parody was more trustworthy.

No respectable journalist  especially not a wisecracking humor columnist  would encourage kids to believe everything they read. In an age when anyone with Internet access can become a reporter, every consumer must become an editor. With so many outlets and so few gatekeepers, we all must become fact checkers and critical thinkers.

These are skills that, unlike reading a slide rule or using the Dewey Decimal System, likely will become even more important in the years to come. Thats why the findings of the Stanford study are a call to action for every parent.

My kids may never be able to tell you what it means when the big hand is on four and the little hand is on six. But when it comes to evaluating what they read online, Im going to make sure they know what time it is.
Heres the fact: Reindeer cant fly.

And before you helicoptering mommies and daddies get your overprotective undies in a bunch, any kid precocious enough to be reading the newspaper is precocious enough to apprehend that simple fact without undue emotional distress  and ought not be believing in Santa in the first place.

Its not good for people to believe in things that just arent so. Its even worse when entire countries fall into the habit.

Welcome to our new fantasy-based reality where facts are always optional and as long as your pumpkin patch is sufficiently sincere, what you believe is what you get.

Which I believe is going to get us into deep, deep do-do. Just remember, what those folks believed they really, really believed, but it was too late for Heavens Gate when they learned there was no space ship waiting for them behind comet Hale-Bopp.

Over the years, the more rational among us have learned that facts have a nasty habit of asserting themselves whether we want them to or not.

Take gravity, for example  as George Carlin summed it up, not just a good idea, but the law... And for generations of clever, wing-wearing boys climbed atop the barn roof  and when they fought the law, the law won.

It happens all the time. Some folks learn from it. Some folks dont. The brighter bulbs learn early on to consider the source before betting life and fortune on the latest oddball notion to come their way.

And what may have been best source yesterday may not hold that status tomorrow. When Bishop James Ussher sat down to figure out how old the earth was, the best source he had was an oft-translated collection of Bronze Age manuscripts. Its not to disparage Holy Scripture to observe that the state of paleontology in the 16th century wasnt quite what it is today, and had the good bishop contemporary information available to him, he may well have concluded that the earth predated Oct. 23, 4004 B.C.

Or maybe not.

They just opened the replica Noahs ark in Williamstown, Kentucky. Where they came up with all the gopherwood is anybodys guess  neither Menards nor Home Depot stocks it. Anyway, those folks insist that the Flintstone lifestyle is historically accurate, right down to the bronto burgers and house breaking Dino. And folks believe it  believe it to the tune of $40 a pop.

Id remind folks that we live in a time when men have visited the moon ... but somebody would just point out that was all done in a Hollywood studio and all the tens of thousands of Project Apollo employees and contractors have kept mum about it for the past 50 years.

Besides, we all know the moon consists of green cheese  an over-ripe Camembert to be precise.

Believe the one, you may as well go for the other.

And you wont believe it if I tell you Al Qaeda was behind 9/11  not the CIA.

Or that the only thing in Area 51 are a bunch of tourist traps for gullible suckers.

Or that vaccines prevent disease, not cause it.

Or the Masons dont really rule the world.

That there are no witches.

Really.

Thats what the facts say. But who listens to facts anymore?
I took a walk in a winter wonderland a week ago Sunday. I was carrying my muzzle loader, but I wasnt really thinking about filling a deer tag, just getting some fresh air. Heavy snowflakes fell and piled up, bending over tree tops and covering my blaze orange hat and coat. The beauty was only surpassed by the sound of silence. I crossed the Mushroom Hole ditch and slipped and slid my way up through the prickly ash to a path that lead up the hill where I planned to take in a quiet hour or so. The Mushroom Hole holds some good memories for me.

One of my favorites was a cool spring Saturday morning back in the '80s. El and I had been cutting wood and when the truck was full of dead elm, we started looking for morels in the pasture. Ben was a toddler and Mark an infant in a baby chair. We found a few morels. Little Ben came walking along in a furry blue winter coat, holding a morel he found on his finger. Another time, when Mark was maybe 6, I took him squirrel hunting down by the Mushroom Hole. It started to rain, so we took shelter under a cedar tree. We leaned in tight against the trunk to try and keep dry. We were quiet for a while, but then he started asking questions about squirrels, the rain and my .22 rifle. We didnt kill any bushy tails, but I treasure the memory of that sit under the cedar.

This morning I leaned against a big cedar tree and watched the edges of my horizons for movement. A few squirrels moved about, shopping for breakfast before the snow got too deep. The heavy, wet snow never quit falling. I took a few pictures with my phone. The cedar trees were almost tipped over with wet snow weight. I never saw a deer.

I stopped in my shop to keep my powder dry and tend to my wet rifle. I dried it off with a towel and headed into the house. As I have said before, sometimes the best part of going out in the snow and cold is the coming into the house to get into dry clothes and warm up by the fireplace with a hot drink.

On Friday, Ellen and I had a shopping date out by Valley View Mall. Actually, we dropped our truck off for some work at The Neighborhood Wrench, a business owned by friends Ashley and Mike Stolsberg. We started with breakfast at Nutbush. We went to Farm and Fleet next. After that, it was Best Buy for a new printer and then Target for a special gift for a niece. We spent an hour at Barnes and Noble and had lunch at Burger Fusion -- good stuff.

I kept checking my phone, hoping the mechanic had called. I might have been able to skip out on Dantes 7th layer of Hell if he had. He hadnt, so I accompanied my much more adventurous better-half to Woodmans on a Friday afternoon with a snowstorm in the forecast, truly a level that Dante hadnt considered. Anyway, the truck was done and Ashley, a former student, left me a present on the seat, a copy of her book, "Customizing Model Horses Painting and Etching" by Ashley Konichek. If one is looking for a gift for a horse lover/hobbyist type, this would be the bomb. You can purchase this unique and beautifully illustrated and written 252-page how to book on Ebay. You can also find her other book, "The Beauty of Horses" at Amazon or Barnes and Noble or Books in a Million. Thanks, Ashley.

The snowstorm on Saturday and Sunday covered us with a different kind of snow. The soft covering smoothed out the rough and gently placed pillows on every spot that stood still long enough to accumulate some of the white stuff. The icing makes for a real Christmas wonderland for some -- not me necessarily. Still, theres hope. I was at the hardware store the other day and they have snow blowers outside out front, but all of their charcoal and gas grills were up front inside with a header or two of grilling tools and such set up right as you walked into the warmth of the store. I couldnt help but smile at the thought of some spring evening when I will watch our old Weber burn up a couple of cheeseburgers for a supper served in the screen porch. The way time seems to have going, it wont be long.

I am not a snow fan, but I love Christmas. I like what the author and retired radio host, Garrison Keillor once wrote, Christmas is magical. It's brief, and its powers are limited, but it can make you happy, if that's what you want. It only works once a year, of course. In August, the songs sound dumb. You have to work up to it through the fall, starting right after Halloween. Thanksgiving, of course, is a sort of dress rehearsal, Christmas minus the gifts, and then December is like a fast chute that you sit down on and ssshhhhhhoop, ssshhhhhhoop, ssshhhhhhoop, suddenly it's December 24, there's your tree, the candles, the candy, the stockings, and the traditional Christmas cat.

I guess Gypsy is our traditional Christmas cat. But she talks to me all the time, well, she mumbles mostly, but it is pretty clear she wants a back rub and more Tasty Treats.

Anyway, channeling a memory of Dumb and Dumber, I tried to step onto the ice in Goose Island on Saturday morning. It only took one step to realize I needed knee boots if I was getting on the ice. I observed the half-a-dozen fellows who were jigging through the shallow covering of hardwater. I saw only one small fish come up a hole in five minutes. Earlier I observed a couple of guys tip toeing on the ice of Stoddard Bay. I think it is time to get my ice fishing stuff untangled and set up, but I can wait a couple days to get on the hardwater.

Until next time, get out -- kitchen aromas abound at our house: cookies baking, chocolate melting on the stove, turkey cooking in a soup kettle, and this morning it is the spicy, sweet scent of a breakfast pizza being delivered to the table by the guilty party. Thanks Darlin. Enjoy.
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.

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Following the lead of state lawmakers, Governor Jerry Brown called on President Obama to ban offshore oil drilling in the waters of California.

"California is blessed with hundreds of miles of spectacular coastline; home to scenic state parks, beautiful beaches, abundant wildlife and thriving communities," Brown wrote in the letter Tuesday. "Clearly, large new oil and gas reserves would be inconsistent with our overriding imperative to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat the devastating impacts of climate change. Now is the time to make permanent the protection of our ocean waters and beaches from new oil and gas drilling."

The letter, unsurprisingly, comes as Obama's term in office ends to make way for President-elect Donald Trump, who, by the way, has called climate change a hoax, called for more drilling, picked Exxon Mobil's CEO for Secretary of State, and has reportedly just tapped someone that scores a 3% with the League of Conservation Voters for Secretary of the Interior. Yikes!

According to the L.A. Times, it'd be unclear if President-elect Trump would be able to reverse such a ban.

Santa Monica-based environmental group Heal the Bay applauded Brown for the letter. "We've seen first-hand how oil spills can kill marine life and spoil once-pristine shorelines, such as the recent Refugio spill in Santa Barbara," Heal the Bay spokesperson Matthew King said in a statement to LAist. "As climate change worsens, it's simply time to embrace cleaner, less damaging forms of energy production. Let's invest in the future, not hold onto harmful practices of the past." Last year, Heal the Bay led the charge when voters in Hermosa Beach rejected a proposal to drill for oil in the Santa Monica Bay.

The California State Lands Commission controls the waters up to 3 miles offshore and they have not been opened to any new oil exploration since the Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969 (drilling continues at existing sites off Santa Barbara). The waters beyond that, up to 200 miles offshore, are under the jurisdiction of the federal government. The last oil exploration off California in those further waters was done in 1981, the same year a federal moratorium on offshore drilling went into effect. That moratorium was lifted in 2008, but there still hasn't been any oil development off the Golden State since.

Today's letter comes as the governor has the oceans on his mind. He's currently in Coronado launching the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification with the governors of Washington and Oregon, as well as representatives from Chile and France. Along with climate change, ocean acidification is another unfortunate effect of rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Sea surface waters have gotten 30% more acidic since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, according to NOAA, negatively affecting biodiversity, especially coral reefs and animals with a calcium shell (shellfish).

Brown also signed an agreement today with the Department of the Interior to explore the options of renewable energy off our coasts, including wind and wave energy.

With the future uncertain, California could be leading the progressive charge against the forthcoming Trump administration. In September, Brown signed the most ambitious greenhouse gas laws in the country, and today's actions show he's not done yet.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Photo courtesy of the Sacramento Bee

Stephen Magagnani of the Sacramento Bee has a nice story on our Immigrant of the Day, Steve Ly, who recently won election as Mayor of Elk Grove, a suburb of Sacramento. "When Hmong refugee Steve Ly was elected mayor of suburban Elk Grove . . . was celebrated worldwide. His successful campaign to become the nations first Hmong mayor was backed by Hmong in Minnesota and Wisconsin, who contributed more than $10,000 to help him get elected."

The Hmong in the U.S. have reached a milestone and theyre very happy, said Ly, 43, who will preside over a suburb of more than 162,000 residents. Ive gotten messages from Hmong in China, France, South America. America, Canada, Australia and Southeast Asia.

Ly fled communist Laos with his family when he was 4 years old. The first member of his family to go to college, he graduated from UC Davis, where he worked his way through school as a janitor. He later graduated from law school and works for the Sacramento County Board of Education, where he provides academic support and counseling to youths in juvenile hall.

KJ

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2016/12/immigrant-of-teh-day-steve-ly-mayor-of-elk-grove-california-laos.html
On December 1st, five West African countries agreed to stop importing dirty fuel from Europe.

Dirty fuel is the name for diesel fuel that has a high amount of sulfur.

Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Ivory Coast will join seven other African countries that have already suspended imports of the product.

The imports will not stop immediately. Ghana plans to halt them in March 2017. The other countries will stop accepting dirty diesel next July.

Pollution and Health Problems

Emissions from dirty fuel make air pollution worse. The emissions also may be partly to blame for health problems. Studies have linked them to asthma, lung cancer, and stroke.

Millions of deaths every year are blamed on air pollution. Health officials say children are especially likely to be hurt by poor air quality.

United Nations, or U.N. officials have praised the new agreement. But they say that Africa has a long way to go to meet air quality rules in other areas.

Jane Akumu works on transport issues for the U.N. Environment Programme.

She explains that diesel emissions, especially from large vehicles, help create black carbon  the second most important climate pollutant. Black carbon comes from the incomplete burning of oil or other fossil fuels.

Europe, Akumu adds, now uses cleaner diesel. But some traders are able to sell dirty diesel to Africa by mixing it with other fuels with higher sulfur levels. Much of the dirty fuel exported to Africa is said to come from The Netherlands.

Future plans for cutting emissions

Three countries in Southern Africa could agree to ban dirty diesel next year.

Akumu says low-sulfur diesel fuels should not cost more than other fuels. Even with progress being made, she adds, there is still more work to be done:

"I think the next step would be to look at the kind of vehicles that are coming into these countries. So, we've been partnering with countries to introduce cleaner fuel. But the ultimate objective is actually to combine the cleaner fuels and the cleaner vehicles to have vehicle emission standards, which are still lacking in Africa."

Akumu notes that Africa imports many older, used vehicles. The average age of a car in Ghana, she says, is 14 years.

According to U.N. Environment, "A combination of low sulfur fuels with advanced vehicle standards can reduce harmful emissions by vehicles by as much as 90 percent."

I'm John Russell.

Joe De Capua wrote this story for VOANews.com. John Russell adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

sulfur  n. a yellow chemical element that has a strong, unpleasant odor when it is burned and that is used in making paper, gunpowder, medicine, etc.

emission  n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source

incomplete  adj. not complete

introduce  v. to bring into play; to lead or bring in, usually for the first time

standard  n. something set up as a rule for the measure of quality, amount of value


After years of political disputes, President Barack Obama and top United States congressional leaders have found something on which they can agree.

The two sides believe there should be an official investigation of suspected Russian attacks on American computers and whether they influenced the 2016 presidential election.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, have expressed support for such an investigation.

The Russians are not our friends, McConnell said.

Ryan said an investigation by the House should not make anyone question Donald Trumps victory in the presidential election. But Ryan said foreign interference in a U.S. election is entirely unacceptable. He called possible involvement by Russia especially problematic.

On Monday, Obama said he had ordered a complete examination of possible Russian cyberattacks.

The reason I have called for a review is really to just gather all the threads of the investigations, the intelligence work that has been done over many months so that the public and our elected representatives going forward can find ways to prevent this kind of interference from having an impact on the elections in the future.

Obama spoke on the Comedy Central television program, The Daily Show.

The Central Intelligence Agency found that Russia interfered late in the election campaign to help Trump win the presidency. Trump has dismissed that CIA report.

Experts said Russians attacked the computer systems of both the Republican and Democratic Party national committees. But they say the Russians targeted embarrassing emails involving the Democrats and their presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. These emails were given to the Wikileaks organization, which published them on its website.

Democrats in Congress want to study the possibility of Russian involvement in the election separate from the investigation ordered by the president.

Delaware Senator Chris Coons is a Democrat. Coons told VOA he is happy that congressional leaders from both parties have called for both public and private investigations.

Ive heard evidence that convinces me that at the highest level the Russian government was directly involved in trying to influence the outcome of our election, Coons said. I think it is a shocking action by the Russian government and something that deserves close consideration, action and response.

Coons also said that the reports of Russian involvement in the election raise questions about President-elect Trumps ties to Russia because he refused to ever disclose his taxes during the course of the campaign.

Earlier this week, Democratic Senators Benjamin Cardin, Dianne Feinstein and Patrick Leahy called for the creation of an independent investigation.

Trump has suggested the Democrats only want an investigation because they are unhappy that he won the election.

Trump has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some members of the U.S. intelligence community believe Trump does not understand that Russia is a threat to U.S. national security.

Im Anne Ball.

VOA Correspondents Wayne Lee and Michael Bowman reported this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

threads - n. an ideas, feelings, etc., that connect the different parts of something (such as a story)

impact - n. a powerful or major influence or effect

embarrass - v. to make (someone) feel confused and foolish in front of other people

convince - v. to cause (someone) to believe that something is true

outcome - n. something caused by an activity or process; result

response - n. something that is done as a reaction to something else

disclose - v. to make (something) known to the public
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he killed suspected drug dealers while serving as mayor of the southern city of Davao.

Duterte made the comment Monday as he spoke to a group of business leaders at the presidential palace in Manila.

In Davao, I used to do it personally, Duterte said, referring to his 20-year term as mayor of the countrys second largest city. Just to show to the guys that, if I can do it, why can't you?" he said.

He added that he would ride around the city on a motorcycle looking for a situation, in his words, to be able to kill.

The Philippine justice minister later told reporters that Duterte may have been exaggerating. Vitaliano Aguirre II said, The president always resorts to hyperbole, he always exaggerates just to put his message across.

Duterte was known for carrying out strong policies to crush crime as mayor of Davao. His critics, including rights group Human Rights Watch, accused him of using death squads to kill more than 1,000 people in Davao.

Duterte was elected on a promise to greatly reduce crime and corruption across the Philippines.

Since taking office in June, Duterte has been criticized for his extreme measures against illegal drug activities. Police and unofficial civilian security groups have killed more than 5,000 people since then.

Human rights groups, the United Nations, and officials from the United States and European Union have all criticized Dutertes drug war.

The Philippine president has rejected the criticism and promised to keep pushing forward with his anti-drug campaign.

Duterte is set to take over leadership of the Association of South East Asian Nations, or ASEAN. The Philippines period as chair of the 10-nation group begins in 2017.

ASEAN member disputes over territory in the South China Sea is expected to be a main issue of discussion next year.

The Philippines and China dispute large areas of the South China Sea. In July, an international court ruled in favor of the Philippines. China rejected the decision. Three ASEAN members - Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei  and Taiwan also have claims in the sea.

In the past, the Philippines strongly objected to Chinese action in disputed areas of the South China Sea. But, Duterte has taken a softer position and moved to strengthen ties with China.

Tim Johnston is with the nongovernmental organization International Crisis Group.

The chair of ASEAN has the power to set the agenda," Johnston said. "What [the chair] has been used for historically is to cut things out of the agenda, particularly the South China Sea.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs says Duterte has identified maritime security and cooperation as one of his six top interests for 2017.

Some Asia experts believe strong ASEAN movement in 2017 on the South China Sea could make China rethink its activities in the disputed waters. But they say that weak action, or none, could lead to additional Chinese development in the sea.

Im Ashley Thompson.

Ralph Jennings and Richard Green reported this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English, with additional material 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

exaggerate  v. make something seem bigger, better, worse, etc. than it is; to stretch the truth

hyperbole  n. words that make something seem better or worse that it actually is

death squads  n. a group of people given the task of killing others, usually with the indirect approval of government

agenda - n. a list of things to be considered or done
Earlier this year, we reported on how some English teachers are using murder mysteries to teach English.

Today we tell about an educational series called One Minute Mysteries. Each book in the series requires students to solve a mystery by using their knowledge of mathematics and science.

The latest additions are written in both English and Spanish. The books are targeted at schools where students are taught in both languages.

Here is an example.

Imagine this situation: A mother writes a note to her children and then leaves home for the day. The note says the children should prepare a meal for themselves. There are eggs in the home. Some are hard-boiled, while others are not. Both kinds of eggs look the same. How can the children know which is which, without breaking them open?

The students at Mundo Verde have to think scientifically to solve this mystery. One fifth grader, Samadhi, says she had to try more than one idea to recognize a difference between the eggs.

"It was kind of difficult, but it was fun too You get to do things yourself. You get to try new things, you don't have to do what the teacher tells you. You get to try stuff that you think might work for what you're doing."

Samadhi discovered that spinning the eggs solved the problem. Raw eggs spin more slowly than hard-boiled ones because the liquid inside slows them down.

This mystery is called, The Eggcellent Idea. It is one of 65 mysteries in the series. Each one takes about 90 seconds to read and requires students to solve it using their math and science knowledge.

Karen Geating Rivera teaches at Mundo Verde. She notes that the mystery series was the creation of Eric Yoder and his daughter Natalie.

"When they were first written, the daughter was still a middle schooler, Rivera said. So it's not just written for children, but it was actually written in part by the child herself."

"Every single mystery is written with characters that are children, and children that are facing real world situations and that they need to solve using their background knowledge on math or science."

Science teacher David Levin says the mysteries get the children excited.

"I like having the opportunity of having them in small groups, sharing their ideas, feeling out the experimentusing their hands."

To complete the mysteries, the students need to discuss the facts with each other before giving an answer. Ten-year-old Dante finds these discussions useful.

"So, you might come to an agreement, and you might come to disagreement. But sometimes once you share your opinions, then you can find out which one is the right response and which one isn't."

According to Rivera, bringing the mysteries into the classroom enables her students to develop several skills at the same time, and learn from each other.

"The kids who don't speak Spanish at home, and who are learning Spanish as a second, or maybe third language, are able to hear the native Spanish speakers in a natural, authentic setting and start picking up some of that language and vice versa."

According to Rivera, the fact that the students are leaving the classroom still talking about what they had done tells her that she really made it an authentic experience, something that they can walk out and continue using in real life.

Im Phil Dierking.

Faiza Elmasry wrote this story for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

What are other creative ways to teach science and math in the classroom? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

authentic  adj. real or genuine

character  n. a person who appears in a story.

bilingual  adj. able to speak and understand two languages

boil  v. to become so hot that bubbles are formed in a liquid and rise to the top

opportunity  n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

raw  adj. not cooked

spin  v. to turn or cause something to turn around repeatedly

vice versa  adv. used to say that the opposite of a statement is also true
Three suicide bombers attacked market towns on the shores of Lake Chad, killing at least 30 and injuring 80 others Saturday.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. But the Islamist militant group Boko Haram from Nigeria has targeted the area. A state of emergency was declared last month in the Lake Chad region after raids and suicide bombings there by Boko Haram.

The attacks increased after Chad helped to force Boko Haram to give up territory earlier this year. Chad weakened Boko Haram's six-year effort to create a Nigerian caliphate, or extreme Islamic government.

The bombers struck on the island of Koulfoua on the Chad side of Lake Chad, Reuters reports.

The attacks coincided with market day and the death toll may rise.

Half of terrorist killings carried out in 2014 were carried out by Boko Haram and Islamic State terrorist groups, sources said. Boko Haram killed more people than their fellow Islamists, claiming 6,644 lives, compared to 6,073 by the other group.

They are based in Nigeria, but are also active in Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

In Lebanon, a suspected Islamist militant killed himself and two members of his family in northern Lebanon on Saturday. Reuters reported that he blew himself up during an army raid on his home.

Audio will be added to this story at a later time.

Kathleen Struck adapted this story for VOA Learning English.

Please leave a comment or post to our Facebook page.


U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state -- the top cabinet position.

Tillerson currently serves as Chief Executive Officer at the Texas-based oil company ExxonMobil.

In a statement, Trump said the businessmans experience operating a major company will help him lead the State Department.

His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him an excellent choice for secretary of state. He will promote regional stability and focus on the core national security interests of the United States, Trump said.

Tillerson has no experience as a diplomat, but his company has business relationships with governments in many countries, including Russia.

Trump says those contacts should serve Tillerson well as Americas top diplomat. In Trumps words, a great advantage is he knows many of the players and he knows them well. He does massive deals in Russia.

Tillerson has reached major agreements with Russian companies for the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. These deals led Russian President Vladimir Putin to give Tillerson his countrys Order of Friendship in 2013.

Earlier this year, Tillerson said he has known Putin since 1999 and has a very close relationship with him.

The ExxonMobil chief has strongly criticized American limits on trade with Russia. These measures have forced him to cancel some projects that would have been profitable for his company.

Political observers say Tillersons ties with Russian officials may cause some members of the United States Senate to question his appointment. While American presidents can appoint members of their cabinet, the Senate must approve the nominees before they can serve. The Constitution gives the Senate this power.

On Sunday, John McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tillersons relationship with Putin is a matter of concern.

Marco Rubio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a Tweet about Tillerson: Being a friend of Vladimir is not an attribute I am hoping for from a secretary of state.

Relations between the United States and Russia have worsened in the past week after publication of intelligence findings. U.S. intelligence agencies found that Russia was involved in the theft of emails from Democratic Party officials. Some political observers believe the theft influenced the 2016 presidential election.

Trump has said repeatedly that he wants to improve relations with Moscow.

On Monday, Russia praised Tillerson. It said he is highly professional.

Im Ashley Thompson.

VOAs Zlatica Hoke and Steve Herman reported this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted their reports for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

tenacity  n. the act of being very determined to do something

geopolitics  n. the study of how geography and economics have an influence on politics and on the relations between nations

regional  adj. parts of the world

focus  v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific

core  n. the most important or basic part of something

attribute  n. a quality or feature that someone or something has
The election of Donald Trump as president of the United States has caused Vietnam to look for new trade deals.

Vietnam wants to support exports to keep its economy strong if the U.S. Congress fails to approve the planned U.S.-led Trans Pacific Partnership. President-elect Trump also has been highly critical of the trade deal, known as the TPP.

Now, Vietnamese officials are taking steps to keep their countrys factories from being hurt if the TPP is not put in place.

Vietnams economy has been dependent on the export of manufactured goods since the 1980s. Last year, Vietnams economy grew 6.7 percent.

Because the future of the TPP is unclear, observers say, Vietnamese trade officials are seeking markets for their countrys manufactured goods. These markets include China, Russia and the European Union.

Twelve nations agreed to the TPP trade deal. Trump has said he will try to remove the United States from the agreement, which was signed in February after 10 years of negotiations. The nations that are a part of the TPP represent 40 percent of the global economy.

Four of the 12 nations, including Vietnam, are in Southeast Asia. Experts believe Vietnam would have been one of the nations that gained the most from the agreement. But Vietnamese officials have worried since the middle of this year that the U.S. Congress would not approve the agreement before its time limit ends in February 2018.

Oscar Mussons advises international businesses for the Dezan Shira & Associates company in Ho Chi Minh City.

He said, I think they were already aware the TPP wouldnt work out. I think Vietnam already has lots of free trade agreements signed.

Experts believe the TPP would have increased the size of Vietnams economy, which is now about $193.6 billion. Trade deals permit exporters to pay lower tariffs or even avoid them when shipping goods into a country that is a trade partner.

International companies that own factories in Vietnam include Intel, Samsung Electronics and major Japanese carmakers.

Vietnam exports an estimated $29.9 billion in goods to the United States. That is more than it exports to any other country. American companies want to expand their operations in Vietnam because their Chinese operations are becoming increasingly costly.

But about a month after the TPP trade agreement was signed, financial experts in Vietnam began to predict that the U.S. Congress might not approve it.

In August, a group led by the Vietnamese deputy prime minister decided to delay the countrys approval of the deal until other countries do so. Its next chance to approve the deal will come early next year.

Vietnam and the EU completed negotiations on a trade deal this year. In October, Vietnam joined the five-member, Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union. The agreement gives Vietnam access to a market of 181 million people.

Vietnam also is part of 16 free-trade deals, including agreements signed by Southeast Asias 10-member ASEAN trading group of countries. ASEAN has agreements with China, India and Japan.

Louie Nguyen started and is the editor of the news website VietnamAdvisors. He believes Vietnam will begin to pay more attention to trade agreements with smaller markets.

I think the fact that Vietnam has not ratified the TPP is one indication. It would make sense that they would be sending out trade groups doing research in markets that are less competitive, he said.

Vietnam is also likely to be part of the Chinese-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. The trade deal would include India. Neither China nor India is part of the TPP. Experts say it will take several years for negotiations to be completed. They consider the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Chinas answer to the TPP.

Fiachra MacCana leads research at the stock trading company Ho Chi Minh City Securities. MacCana says many people are disappointed that the TPP seems to be headed for defeat, but few are surprised. He says another trade deal will be negotiated that will easily take the place of the TPP.

MacCana says Vietnams economy will be affected if the TPP does not go forward, but it will not be hurt too much.

Im Mario Ritter.

Correspondent Ralph Jennings reported this story from Taipei. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted his report for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

tariffs  n. taxes placed on imports or exports

access  n. a way of getting into or taking part in an activity or place

ratify  v. to make an agreement or treaty official by signing or voting on it

indication  n. something that serves as a sign or points out something

competitive  adj. able to compete; able to do as well or better than others at some activity or in some competition
Black Adam, the Dwayne Johnson-fronted DC superhero film, kept its hold on the No. 1 spot at the North American box office in its second weekend in theaters. Down 59% from its launch, Black Adam added $27.7 million in ticket sales, bringing its domestic total to $111.1 million. That is according to studio estimates Sunday. Bucking recent romantic comedy trends, moviegoers remained curious about Ticket to Paradise, Universals Julia Roberts and George Clooney destination romp, which fell only 37% in weekend two to claim second place with $10 million. The horror films Prey for the Devil," Smile and Halloween Ends rounded out the top five.
The memory of a beloved pet inspires one couple's fight against injustice.
UPDATE: The ongoing investigation in Dawson County by the Dawson County Sheriffs Office now indicates the human remains found at a rural Lexington address were those of 37 year old Jose Hernandez. Preliminary results of the autopsy indicate a manner of death being a homicide.

LEXINGTON  Authorities continue to investigate what they say was a homicide after a body was discovered Monday morning on a rural Dawson County property 2 miles north of Lexington.

Dawson County Chief Deputy Sheriff Mike Hudson said in an interview with the Hub that the gender and age of the body were to be determined by a Tuesday afternoon autopsy.

The way that the body was, we could not tell, he said. Results of that procedure hadnt been released late this morning.

Hudson said Tuesday he wasnt able to say when the homicide occurred or how the person died.

It had been there for an amount of time, and we dont know until after the autopsy the amount of time, Hudson said.

He did not say where the homicide occurred or where on the five-acre property the body was found. He said the residence, outbuildings and open ground were searched.

Items of evidentiary nature were taken from the property during the investigation, Hudson said.

The department received a phone tip last week that there was a potential homicide, Hudson said.

He said there was a Lexington missing person case in late October or early November, but he wouldnt identify the person or say whether he or she is connected to the homicide case.

The sheriffs office has some persons of interest as suspects, Hudson said, though none are being detained and questioned.

Assisting with the search of the rural farmstead and adjoining property, investigators from South Central Area Law Enforcement Services, the Kearney Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Buffalo County Sheriffs Office, Phelps County Sheriffs Office, Dawson County Attorneys Office and the Nebraska State Patrol, according to a Dawson County Sheriffs Office press release.

The Dawson County Sheriffs Office and the County Attorneys Office continue to investigate.
HOLDREGE  Property taxes were the main topic for a state senators panel at the South Platte United Chambers of Commerce luncheon meeting Tuesday in Holdrege.

Retired state Sens. Tom Carlson of Holdrege and Ed Schrock of Elm Creek joined District 37 state Sen.-elect John Lowe of Kearney and District 33 Sen.-elect Steve Halloran of Hastings to talk about the main issues the state and the Legislature will face.

A hot button with people is property tax. They are too high, Carlson said. We need property tax relief, and agriculture needs property tax relief. They are not making money at all. Thats why the Legislature has a problem now on the budget because the funds are not coming in from agriculture the way we would like to see them.

The retired senators reflected on their days in the Unicameral and gave advice to the incoming senators.

Schrock gave suggestions to Lowe and Halloran about items that need to be tackled during the upcoming session, including the school aid formula, doing away with personal property taxes, removing community colleges from the property tax rolls and providing ethanol incentives.

Why arent we using more E85 in this state? Pass some incentives for E85. Last time I checked, there are no oil sheiks living in Nebraska. There are a lot of corn farmers, he said.

A concern Carlson voiced was the shift of population from rural to metro areas.

Try to understand the concerns of the people in Lincoln and Omaha so they will learn what your concerns are, he said.

Both Lowe and Halloran discussed how taxes are affecting the state, from citizens moving away because of high taxes and how schools are funded.

If (seniors) move to Arizona, Florida, or even South Dakota now or Wyoming, if they live there for six months and one day, they are residents of that state, and they dont have property taxes or their taxes are much lower. We need to keep our people here in the state, Lowe said.

We need to look seriously at how we fund schools. Right now, we are looking at about 20 percent of the funding comes from sales tax, 30 percent from income tax and 50 percent comes from property tax, Halloran said. My suggestion is we need to level that out. Sales tax needs to come up to 30 percent; property tax needs to come down to 30 percent so there is some balance in that equation.

One of Hallorans ideas is to alleviate the pain of property tax for farmers.

I would like to look at helping design a bill that would take valuation of farm ground away from the sale value, he said. Id like to take it away from that  and create a system where its based upon the income-producing ability per acre per farm. That way you are tying into the commodity market. Our valuations will float with the market.

The new senators also talked about which committees they would like to join when the session begins.

My preference is Judiciary Committee, Revenue Committee. I cant have those both at the same time. If I cant have one, then Id like to have the other. And then Natural Resources would be a third choice, as well, Halloran said.

Lowes choice of committees are Education, Health and Human Services and Natural Resources.

While all four acknowledged the challenges ahead, Carlson gave advice to the newcomers.

In a body of 49 people, one person can make a difference, he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and his wife Sarah met with children at the Azerbaijan Ohr Avner Chabad Jewish Day School today, where they spoke with the students about many topics, including the weekly Torah reading and the miracle of Chanukah. We hope you come to Israel, to visit and to stay. We are waiting for you, Mrs, Netanyahu told them.

Prime Minister Netanyahu recalled the advice he took from the Lubavitcher Rebbe many years ago, that still inspires him today.

Thirty-two years ago, I met the Lubavitcher Rebbe for the first time when I went as Israels ambassador to the UN. You are going to the house of darkness, he told me. Remember that if you light one candle of truth, you ignite a precious light that will be seen far and wide. Ever since then, I have been trying to do exactly what the Rebbe told me.

The Rebbe taught us to love every Jew and every person, and here in Azerbaijan there is both Ahavat Yisrael and Ahavat Adam.

He noted that Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev and his son Heydar have set up a fund that supports Jewish education in Azerbaigan, a Muslim country, which the state of Israel also contributes to.

The Prime Minister pointed to the Israeli and Azerbaijan flags hanging next to each other. Look at these two flags, thats what we show the whole worldwhat could be and what should be. Its just the opposite of the darkness, that light is penetrating the darkness. This is the spirit that guides us in Israel, in Azerbaijan, in Chabad, and eventually, God willing, in other places around the world, too . . .
A craving for french fries apparently led to a fire that has displaced almost two dozen residents at a Tampa apartment complex.

Apartment fire gutted building in Tampa Tuesday evening

Fire officials: Resident making french fries left stovetop unattended

1 minor injury, 2 dogs killed

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue and Tampa Fire Rescue responded to the fire Tuesday evening at the Cordova Apartment Homes at 12702 University Club Drive.

The complex's buildings are made of wood frame construction - which burned hot and fast.

So fast, in fact, that a mother and her son had to jump off a second-floor balcony to escape. The woman suffered minor injuries and was taken to an area hospital to be checked out.

About 45 firefighters responded to the scene to fight the fire with 16 units from HCFR and Tampa Fire Rescue.

Nearly two dozen families - consisting of one infant, two toddlers, three teens and 14 adults - have been displaced because of the fire.

According to fire investigators, the fire started when a tenant was making french fries on his stove top and left the kitchen. By the time he returned, flames were shooting through his first-floor kitchen.

The flames spread quickly and torched the central section of the entire apartment building.

In addition to the one injury, two dogs perished in the fire.

The Red Cross is assisting residents and apartment officials are looking into using vacant units to help the residents impacted.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said that any film certified by the Censor Board (CBFC) will be released without any hurdles.

According to an Indian Express report, Fadnavis said that there is no question of buckling under anybodys pressure. Any film which is certified by the Censor Board will be allowed a hassle-free release. My government will not allow anyone to disrupt the law and order in Maharashtra, he said.

This comes days Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan assured Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray that Mahira Khan, a Pakistani actress in his forthcoming release Raees will not come to India for promoting the film.

"Shah Rukh Khan met Thackeray at his residence a short while ago and gave this assurance. He has also committed to not engaging any Pakistani actors in any of his future film ventures," MNS Chitrapat Sena chief Ameya Khopkar told IANS.

Shah Rukh was concerned by rumours floating on social media networks that his co-star in Raees, Mahira Khan, was likely to come to India next month for promoting the film and joining its premiere.

However, Shah Rukh put all rumours to rest and personally called on Thackeray to apprise him of the real situation, Khopkar said. In view of his clarifications, the MNS will not oppose the 25 January release or screening of Raees in cinema halls, he added.

Meanwhile, the state Congress slammed Fadnavis and asked whether Thackeray is running a parallel government in the state.

"Why should filmmakers run to Thackeray for getting 'permission' to release their films even though the Central Board for Film Certification had cleared them," Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam said in a statement on Monday.

In the name of patriotism, some people resort to extortion, and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government is keeping quiet," Nirupam said.

"Yesterday (Sunday), Shah Rukh Khan went to meet him (Raj Thackarey) for permission to ensure the safe release of his upcoming film Raees, which has a Pakistani actress," Nirupam said.

"Who is Raj Thackeray? What has gone wrong that even after a green signal from the film board, filmmakers are forced to knock on his doors for releasing their movies?" the Congress leader asked.

After 18 September Uri attack that left 19 Indian soldiers dead and the 28 September surgical strikes by India on Pakistan terror camps, the MNS had strongly protested against hiring of Pakistani actors by Indian film-makers.

Thackeray had vowed to stop the release of a few films in which Pakistani actors are playing roles, including Karan Johar's recent Ae Dil Hai Mushkil featuring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.

MNS had staged dramatic protests prior to the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil but finally relented after Fadnavis brokered peace with MNS, Johar and the Film & Television Producers Guild of India.

This paved the way for the film's peaceful release and exhibition across Maharashtra on 28 October.

In 2013, SRK's Chennai Express had run into trouble with the MNS after it allegedly threatened to yank off Marathi films to accommodate its shows in single-screen cinemas.

Prior to that, SRK's blockbuster My Name Is Khan had run into trouble with the Shiv Sena but the issue was later amicably sorted out.

With inputs from agencies
New Delhi - Moral victory for Cyrus Mistry or a vote of trust in Ratan Tata? The ouster of Mistry as chairman of the Tata Groups cash cow, TCS, yesterday was a foregone conclusion as the Tatas hold about 73% stake in the company and had moved a resolution seeking his ouster.

According to a filing with the stock exchanges, an overwhelming 93% votes were on favour of the resolution, which ultimately led to Mistry being removed. But the same filing also noted that almost 11.77 crore valid votes were cast against the resolution. This amounted to less than 7% of the total votes cast but by itself, this is not a small number.

Calling the results a big moral victory, Mistrys office said today that almost 20 per cent of shareholders of TCS  that accounts for more than 70 per cent of non-promoter shareholders  supported him by voting against the resolution or abstaining, which meant they were expressing disapproval of the promoters actions.

Whether Mistrys interpretation of the EGM outcome is correct or not, one must note that shareholders raised several uncomfortable questions at the same EGM in Mumbai  clearly showing that while a majority voted for the resolution out of loyalty and respect for Tata, the group has a lot to explain on the arbitrary way in which it has ousted Mistry from the board of group holding company Tata Sons.

Another noteworthy development in the TCS EGM was the decision of LIC, an institutional investor, to abstain from voting. Though LIC holds just over 3% stake in TCS, should the decision to abstain be seen as a clear signal from the government that it is not taking sides  yet  in the battle between Tata and Mistry? This article in the VCCircle recounts how the governments in the past have not shied away from preventing hostile boardroom battles by prepping up the state-owned insurer to take sides, such as in the case of L&T and Escorts takeovers.

LICs vote either way may not have mattered much in TCS but it holds far more importance in some other group companies where insurers (LIC and private insurers) hold a higher stake and whose EGMs are coming with a resolution similar to TCS  seeking removal of Mistry from their respective board of directors.

According to proxy advisory firm Stakeholders Empowerment Services (SES), if LIC votes against the resolution to remove Mistry, the resolution could face defeat all across Tata group companies, with the exception of TCS. LIC and other insurers together hold over 10 percent stake in group companies Tata Motors, Tata Steel, IHCL, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals and Tata Global. They hold over 21% of Tata Power.

According to this report in the Business Standard, many shareholders asked for an explanation at the TCS EGM on reasons for removing Mistry from the TCS board.

Here are some questions the shareholders threw up:

1) What are the actual reasons for removing Mistry from the chairmanship of Tata Sons? Specially since TCS was doing well under Mistry

2) Of the 38 shareholders who spoke at the EGM, 34 supported the resolution to remove Mistry but also suggested both Tata and he to resolve the issue amicably, instead of fighting like cats and cobras.

3) Many shareholders suggested that Tata take help from other business heads such as Anand Mahindra, Kumar Mangalam Birla or Rahul Bajaj as mediators.

4) The annual report shows all decisions were taken unanimously by the board. Then, why is Mistry is being singled out, one shareholder wanted to know

5) This report quotes shareholder Dinesh Kotecha saying Mistry had raised some valid and pertinent points. He is specific, he is humble. He has drawn attention to at least 50 issues and I think of those at least 40 points require deliberations.

It is clear from these questions and reactions of shareholders that though the move by Tata Sons to oust Mistry as chairman of this holding company and the subsequent move to remove him as chairman of group companies may well succeed, it will not be an unqualified success.

As proxy advisory firms and other market watchers have noted in the past, the biggest question which still begs an answer is the reason or reasons for removal of Mistry as chairman of Tata Sons. Shareholders want to know what were the parameters for evaluating the performance the chairman of Tata Sons, whether they had been laid down previously and were these violated by Mistry?

Many shareholders also rightfully want the entire Tata-Mistry battle to be amicable, instead of becoming an ungainly public spectacle. And some others want a clear succession/leadership plan for Tata Trusts  which hold the largest stake in Tata Sons.

In summary, the Tatas may well succeed in removing Mistry from group companies after a prolonged process of shareholder approval and perhaps some legal challenges, but they would do well to put an institutional structure in place for future chairmen of the group.
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) shareholders voted to remove Cyrus Mistry, the ousted chairman of Tata Sons, as a director, according to the results of an extraordinary general meeting on Tuesday.

About 93 percent of TCS shareholders, who cast their vote, were in favour of removing Mistry, TCS said in a regulatory filing.

His ouster comes as no surprise given Tata Sons majority stake in the company, about 73 percent as of September end, according to Thomson Reuters data.

TCS, India's biggest technology services firm by sales, contributes the bulk of the group's revenue and profit.

About 43 percent of TCS's institutional holders who voted were against the removal of Mistry, according to the filing. Interestingly, 78 percent of voting shareholders who were not promoters or institutional holders were against Mistry's ouster.

The divisions within the minority shareholders on the contentious issue were out in the open with a few minority shareholders voicing support for Mistry. As many as 38 shareholders spoke at the 150-minute long EGM. Even though a bulk of them voiced support for Tata, those handful who affirmed their support to Mistry were applauded.

Mistry's office, meanwhile, issued a statement late in the night, claiming moral victory.

"Almost 20 percent of shareholders of TCS that accounts for more than 70 percent of non promoter shareholders supported Cyrus by voting against the resolution or abstained (expressing their disapproval of the promoter actions)," said the statement.

In a bitter boardroom coup in October, Mistry was ousted as the chairman of Tata Sons, the holding firm for the $100 billion steel-to-software conglomerate, and group patriarch Ratan Tata returned to the helm temporarily.

A public power struggle has since ensued between the two sides. Mistry, however, still sits on the boards of several group companies. Tata Sons has called shareholder meetings at these companies over the next few days to vote on his removal.

Indian Hotels Co Ltd, Tata Steel and Tata Motors will hold their shareholder meetings next week.

"The fight is a matter of principle rather than facing the foregone outcome (of this meeting)," Mistry said ahead of the TCS shareholder meet in an indication that he had expected to be ousted given Tata Sons' majority shareholding in TCS.

"The very future of TCS hinges on good governance and ethical practices. In the past several weeks, we have seen good governance being thrown to the wind in every sense of the term, replaced by whims, fancies and personal agenda," he said.

Since his ouster from Tata Sons, Mistry has attacked the group's corporate governance standards several times, saying that his efforts to establish stronger guidelines contributed to his removal.

"Whatever be the decibel level of the voice that would drown your vote, I call on you to vote with your conscience and send a signal that catalyses a larger discussion on governance reforms," Mistry said.

Independent director Aman Mehta, who officiated the meeting after interim chairman Ishaat Hussain recused himself, said Mistry had lost "the trust and confidence" of the promoter group (Tata Sons and Tata Trusts) which had nominated him and it was in best interest of TCS that he leave now.

Asserting that the core issue goes far beyond the "performance or competence", Mehta said, "It seems to me that the real issue here is one of trust and confidence of the promoter group in its nominated chairman."

"Independent directors of TCS have met separately and have reviewed the whole issue in some details. It is clear to all of us that the current issue can have some materially negative effect on the functioning of the company," he said.

With Reuters and PTI
By Dustin Volz and David Shepardson

| WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Silicon Valley executives have a chance to smooth over frictions when they meet at his Manhattan tower on Wednesday for talks, after both sides made no secret of their disdain for each other during the presidential campaign.Sources said the meeting may skirt the numerous disagreements with Trump -- who has accused tech companies of being overvalued -- in favor of a focus on shared priorities."If he can reform the tax code, reduce regulation, and negotiate better trade deals, the U.S. technology community will be stronger and more competitive than ever," Oracle Chief Executive Safra Catz, who will attend the meeting, said in a statement.The tech luminaries, including Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) Tim Cook, Facebook Inc's (FB.O) Sheryl Sandberg and Tesla Motors Inc's (TSLA.O) Elon Musk, will get a chance to promote their priorities like strong encryption and liability protections from content shared by their users.The meeting is billed as an introductory session, said four sources briefed on the talks, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting.Other expected participants include Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, Amazon.com's (AMZN.O) Jeff Bezos, Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) Satya Nadella, and Ginni Rometty from IBM (IBM.N), sources said.The CEOs of Airbnb and Uber were invited but are not attending. Uber's Travis Kalanick will instead be traveling in India all week, according to a person familiar with his plans.

'SOME HESITATION'

Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption, and his surprise victory last month alarmed many companies that feared he might follow through on his pledges. He has said that many tech companies are overvalued by investors."You look at some of these tech stocks that are so, so weak as a concept and a company and they're selling for so much money," he told Reuters in an interview in May.Those concerns have not been assuaged in recent weeks as Trump has threatened to upset trade relationships with China, a key market for U.S. tech companies, and appoint officials who favor expanded surveillance programs.

"For some of the companies, there was some hesitation about whether to attend" because of sharp political and personal differences with Trump, one tech industry source said.Nearly 600 employees of technology companies pledged in an open letter on Tuesday to refuse to help Trump's administration build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.Silicon Valley enjoyed a warm rapport with President Barack Obama and heavily supported Democrat Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign. Schmidt was photographed on election night at Clinton headquarters wearing a staff badge, and Musk said in interviews before the election that Trump's character reflected poorly on the United States.

Despite those tensions, Trump named Musk to a business advisory council that will give private-sector input to Trump after he takes office on Jan. 20. Uber's Kalanick was also appointed to the council.From the employees of the 10 largest Fortune 500 tech companies, Trump raised just $179,400 from 982 campaign donors who contributed more than $200. Clinton raised $4.4 million from the employees of the same companies, with more than 20,400 donations, a Reuters review of contribution data found. Trump publicly bashed the industry during the campaign. He urged his supporters to boycott Apple products over the company's refusal to help the FBI unlock an iPhone associated with last year's San Bernardino, California, shootings, threatened antitrust action against Amazon and demanded that tech companies build their products in the United States.Trump has also been an opponent of the Obama administration's net neutrality rules barring internet service providers from obstructing or slowing consumer access to web content. Two advisers to his Federal Communications Commission transition team are opponents of the rules, as are the two Republicans on the FCC. Last week, the two Republicans on the panel urged a quick reversal of many Obama policies and one, Commissioner Ajit Pai, said he believed that net neutrality's "days are numbered." (Additional reporting by Andy Sullivan, Grant Smith, Heather Somerville, Steve Holland and Jim Finkle; Editing by Peter Cooney and Alistair Bell)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Gina Cherelus

| NEW YORK

NEW YORK U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Silicon Valley executives met at his Manhattan tower on Wednesday to smooth over frictions after both sides made no secret of their disdain for each other during the presidential campaign.The meeting may skirt the numerous disagreements the tech industry has with Trump -- including on immigration, the trade relationship with China and digital privacy -- in favour of a focus on shared priorities, sources said. "There's nobody like the people in this room, and anything we can do to help this go along were going to do that for you," Trump told the executives gathered in a conference room on the 25th floor of Trump Tower. "You call my people, you call me, it doesnt make any difference. We have no formal chain of command," he said. Three of Trump's adult children -- Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka -- sat at the head of a large rectangular table as the meeting began. Their attendance may fuel further concern about potential conflicts of interests for the president-elect, who has said he would hand over control of his business empire to his children while he occupies the White House.Vice President-elect Mike Pence was also in attendance. The tech luminaries, including Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) Tim Cook, Facebook Inc's (FB.O) Sheryl Sandberg and Tesla Motors Inc's (TSLA.O) Elon Musk, met with Trump as U.S. corporations worry about his challenges to long-established policy toward China, a key market for Silicon Valley.A senior Chinese state planning officials told the China Daily newspaper Wednesday that Beijing could slap a penalty on an unnamed U.S. automaker for monopolistic behaviour, a warning that came days after Trump questioned acknowledging Taiwan as part of "one China." The tech summit is being billed as an introductory session, said sources briefed on the talks.Other expected participants include Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, Amazon.com's (AMZN.O) Jeff Bezos, Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) Satya Nadella, and Ginni Rometty from IBM (IBM.N), sources said. Cook and Musk will join Trump for a smaller meeting after the other technology executives leave, a spokesman for Trump's transition team said.

The CEOs of Airbnb and Uber were invited but are not attending. Uber's Travis Kalanick will instead be traveling in India all week, according to a person familiar with his plans. 'SOME HESITATION'

Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption, and his surprise victory last month alarmed many companies that feared he might follow through on his pledges. He has said that many tech companies are overvalued by investors.

"You look at some of these tech stocks that are so, so weak as a concept and a company and they're selling for so much money," he told Reuters in an interview in May.Those concerns have not been assuaged in recent weeks as Trump has threatened to upset trade relationships with China and appoint officials who favour expanded surveillance programs. "For some of the companies, there was some hesitation about whether to attend" because of sharp political and personal differences with Trump, one tech industry source said.More than 600 employees of technology companies pledged in an open letter on Tuesday to refuse to help Trump's administration build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.Silicon Valley enjoyed a warm rapport with President Barack Obama and heavily supported Democrat Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign.

Schmidt was photographed on election night at Clinton headquarters wearing a staff badge, and Musk said in interviews before the election that Trump's character reflected poorly on the United States.Despite those tensions, Trump named Musk to a business advisory council that will give private-sector input to Trump after he takes office on Jan. 20. Uber's Kalanick was also appointed to the council.From the employees of the 10 largest Fortune 500 tech companies, Trump raised just $179,400 from 982 campaign donors who contributed more than $200. Clinton raised $4.4 million from the employees of the same companies, with more than 20,400 donations, a Reuters review of contribution data found. Trump publicly bashed the industry during the campaign. He urged his supporters to boycott Apple products over the company's refusal to help the FBI unlock an iPhone associated with last year's San Bernardino, California, shootings, threatened antitrust action against Amazon and demanded that tech companies build their products in the United States.Trump has also been an opponent of the Obama administration's net neutrality rules barring internet service providers from obstructing or slowing consumer access to web content. Two advisers to his Federal Communications Commission transition team are opponents of the rules, as are the two Republicans on the FCC. Last week, the two Republicans on the panel urged a quick reversal of many Obama policies and one, Commissioner Ajit Pai, said he believed that net neutrality's "days are numbered." (Additional reporting by Dustin Volz, Andy Sullivan, Grant Smith, Heather Somerville, Steve Holland and Jim Finkle; Editing by Alistair Bell)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Former chief of air staff, Air Chief Marshall (Retd) SP Tyagi and two others have been sent to three days' CBI custody by the Patiala House Court in the capital. Tyagi, his cousin Julie, and Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan were arrested in the multi-crore AgustaWestland chopper scam on Saturday. They were remanded to CBI custody until 14 December, and the court has now extended it by an additional three days.

According to ANI, the CBI in court said that a senior official from AgustaWestland had met Tyagi at his residence, which was an abuse of his official position. It also informed the court that some material were in possession of the investigating agency from Switzerland, Italy and other countries for which more time for custodial interrogation of the accused is needed.

The defence counsel for the former Air Force chief was, however, unhappy with the CBI and said that the agency is detailing out the nature of material available with them only to help the media, the ANI said.

On Saturday, the former IAF chief said the changed specification of VVIP helicopters, especially the reduction in service ceiling, were made under the advice of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), after which the court sent him to CBI custody till 14 December in the Rs 3,767-crore AgustaWestland helicopter case.

"The PMO then advised to keep the minimum mandatory requirement of the service ceiling of the helicopters to 4,500 metres (from the earlier 6,000 metres)," Tyagi's defence counsel N Hariharan told the court while opposing the CBI plea seeking custodial interrogration of the accused.

However, putting aside the submissions, metropolitan magistrate Sujit Saurabh allowed CBI to quiz Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi alias Julie Tyagi, and Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan till 14 December even as the agency sought 10 days custody to unearth bribery charges, saying a huge amount was routed to India through various companies.

"Considering the serious nature of the allegations and gravity of the matter, I am of the considered opinion that police custody for the accused is required for fair investigation," said the magistrate after a two-hour-long argument between counsel of the CBI and the accused.

The agency told the court that crucial information was collected from three countries  Italy, Switzerland and Mauritius  via letters rogatory and the accused are required to be confronted with it to unearth the larger conspiracy in the deal.

Telling the court that regular meetings were taking place between senior officials of AgustaWestland and SP Tyagi with the help of Sanjeev Tyagi, the CBI has alleged that a conspiracy was hatched to reduce the service ceiling of the helicopters after which AgustaWestland became eligible to supply a dozen helicopters for VVIP flying duties.

It told the court that the words "at least twin engine" were inserted in the amendment proposal in 2005 for procuring VVIP helicopters to bring AgustaWestland into the eligibility criteria, adding that the changes were made deliberately as AgustaWestland helicopters had three engines and a service ceiling of 4,500 metres. Claiming innocence in the case, the former IAF chief's defence counsel Hariharan apprised the court that it was a collective decision to procure VVIP helicopters.

Denying the charges, he opposed the request of custodial interrogation, saying that the probe agency had not given any specific and vital point for seeking remand. Countering the CBI allegations, Tyagi said that, as IAF chief 2004-2007, he had nothing to do with the deal and the decision was taken collectively in in consultation with then Defence Ministry, the Special Protection Group and the PMO.

The decision came during the tenure of Manmohan Singh but was axed in January 2013 when the corruption allegations surfaced.

The CBI told court that in 1999, the government decided to phase out the old helicopters as they were not fit to reach high-altitude areas, and the Defence Ministry in 2002 issued global tenders for procuring new VVIP helicopters in which 11 companies participated including AgustaWestland.

However, AgustaWestland could not qualify for the shortlisted companies as it could not meet the eligibility criteria.

"Therefore a conspiracy was hatched by the accused person to help AgustaWestland win the chopper contract by making change in the operational requirements," contended the CBI, saying Italian nationals and middlemen Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke were in constant touch with Tyagi's cousin to influence the bidding, and also accessed crucial information.

The middlemen told Sanjeev Tyagi that they had a good contact with Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini, then CEOs of the Italy-based Finmeccanica and Britain-based AgustaWestland, which is a subsidiary of the former, and could fix the meeting with them, CBI disclosed.

All the accused, companies included, were booked for criminal conspiracy, cheating and under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

With inputs from IANS
Witnesses whose deposition could have a serious bearing on a number of cases against self-styled Godman Asaram 'Bapu' and his son, Narayan Sai, have petitioned the Supreme Court with a strange request: They do not want to die.

The four witnesses, the list includes a journalist from the Dainik Jagaran newspaper, claim they need protection because they survived murderous attacks by alleged followers of Asaram. As many as three witnesses who deposed in the cases  there are many spread across four states  involving Asaram and his son, have been murdered by unidentified killers.

Their fears appear genuine.

Asaram, who has over 400 centres across 12 nations and over two million followers, is currently in Jodhpur jail while his son is lodged in a jail in Surat. Both are facing charges of rape and killing children for occult practices.

Among those who were killed was Asarams personal (ayurvedic) physician, Amrut Prajapati, gunned down by motorcycle-borne assailants in Rajkot in June 2014, and Akhil Gupta, Asarams personal cook, shot dead in Muzaffarnagar on 12 January, 2015. The third witness to be killed was Kirpal Singh  he was to testify in the 2013 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) - on 10 July, 2015 in Shahjahanpur. Another person, Rahul Sachan, a key witness, went missing in the afternoon of 21 November, 2015. He is also feared dead.

Sachan - a former personal assistant to Asaram from 2009 to 2013  had been calling cops every week from his home in Balagunj in UP for almost a year to make one, strange request: Save me till I depose in the courts, if they find me, they will surely kill me.

Soon after a deposition at a Jodhpur court in February, 2015, he was attacked by one Satyanarayan Yadav, an alleged follower of Asaram. Sachan escaped with stab wounds on his chest and even managed police protection from UP Police. Sachan also demanded that the assault and murder of key witnesses be probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) because he felt followers of Asaram and his son, Narayan Sai, were trying their best to tamper with witnesses in the case.

The Allahabad High Court, pushed by the Supreme Court, got him an armed constable but once the deputed constable went on leave in early November, 2015, no replacements were offered. The killers, probably lurking nearby, picked him up and - in the records of the police  Sachan was a missing person.

Afzal Mehendi, a senior officer in charge of the Balagunj police station  entrusted to ensure security for Sachan  said efforts are still on to trace him. The case is not closed, and Sachans guard was replaced within a few days. We were in constant touch with him.

But those petitioning the countrys apex court argue it was police laxity that helped Sachans kidnappers complete their job with consummate ease.

Sachan complained about the cops, it was ignored, he got twitter threats (see attachment), it was ignored. I doubt he is alive, says one of the four petitioners, Mahendra Chawla, once personal assistant (PA) to Narayan Sai, and now a prime witness in the cases.

The countrys premier investigating agency moved in only this August to probe Sachans disappearance after a public interest litigation was filed before the Allahabad High Court by an Indian origin lawyer based in faraway New Zealand, Bennet Castellino. In the PIL, Castellino  who had already earned a name for himself for taking on dubious Godmen and pastors across the world - argued that the CBIs investigation was necessary because the Uttar Pradesh police had messed up the investigation.

Besides Chawla, other petitioners include Naresh Gupta, father of late Akhil Gupta, the murdered witness. Also in the list is the father of an alleged minor rape victim of Asaram and whose son was assaulted despite police protection, and a journalist, Narendra Yadav.

The petition mentions how one Narayan Pandey, alleged attacker of the brother of the rape victim, was arrested but, later managed to procure bail and allegedly murdered Kirpal Singh. The journalist, Yadav, has claimed he was also attacked by unidentified assailants. Yadav has also mentioned in the petition about how Pandey - though back in Shahjahanpur jail - has been writing threatening letters.

Chawla, who lives in an undisclosed location in Haryana, said the 2015 attack on Sachan in court was actually meant for me, but the killers attacked Sachan.

A former sub-broker and insurance agent, Chawla said he had once found solace in the ashram but later grew disillusioned after seeing the father-son duo committing a series of illegal activities. Eventually, he deposed against both last year. The threats, claims Chawla, started immediately after his deposition.

Now, Chawla lives in a one room home, and has a armed constable round the clock for protection. But the fear of death hangs menacingly on his head like the proverbial Sword of Damocles, he even made a chilling deposition in his affidavit to the Allahabad High Court: I want to live at least till I complete my testimony in the Surat and Ahmedabad cases.

I know I am on the radar of the killers. A single constable is not enough to stave off the murderers. I genuinely live in fear, he said in a telephonic interview from his hideout in Haryana.

Chawla says there are times when he covers his face with a dupatta to go out and buy essentials like milk and vegetables from the neighbouring market.

On paper, the seems to be going from bad to worse for Asaram and his son, against whom allegations of occult practices surfaced in 2008 following the mysterious death of Abhishek and Deepesh Vaghela (cousins) in Asarams Motera Ashram. The post mortem report said Deepeshs small and large intestines, stomach, spleen, kidneys and bladder were missing. Yet, Asaram and his son got the shaft from both the Gujarat High Court and the Supreme Court which held there was enough scientific reason to proceed with a charge of death caused by negligence and not murder.

Eventually, Gujarat police submitted a chargesheet in 2012 against seven of Asarams followers. The Gujarat government appointed the DK Trivedi commission, tasking it to probe charges occult practices and also of rape - a school girl in Jodhpur and two sisters in Surat - against the father-son duo. Asaram is lodged in Jodhpur jail since August 2013 while his son has been behind bars at Surats Lajpore central prison since December 2013.

And then, in what appeared to be a strange series of incidents, a gang of unidentified killers started silencing the witnesses.

The Supreme Court, throughout last year, heard how the attacks had continued on those deposing against Asaram and his son, both lodged in a jail in Jodhpur. Asaram - known for openly flouting rules because of his Godman status - grabbed headlines early this year when he used a handset from within the premises of Jodhpur prison to threaten Kirpal Singh, the witness in Shajahanpur. Singh, in turn, recorded his voice and handed over the clip to the Shaharanpur police. But soon, Singh was killed.

The charges, however, have been denied by Asarams counsel, Saurav Ajay Gupta, who called them baseless and unproven. There are nearly ten cases pending against Asaram and his son in courts in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

The next hearing in the Supreme Court is slated for January, 2017. The petitioners are hoping against hope, they know if they get killed, the cases could take a peculiar, U-turn.
From 16 November to 14 December, we have finally reached the last three working days of Winter Session which, as I had mentioned in an earlier article (Parliament logjam eroding the basic tenets of India's representative democracy), has witnessed near-total disruption causing the wastage of almost Rs 400 crore of taxpayers' money.

Unfortunately, the unfolding of recent events inspire no confidence that the remaining 72 hours will see any proceedings being held, leave alone the passing of any of the pending 23 bills or even a meaningful debate on demonetisation.

If the decommissioning of notes brought about a hostile stasis in India's supreme legislative body, the mood has been exacerbated by a game of chess that started with CBI's arrest of former Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi in AgustaWestland case. As soon as BJP got political ammo with the IAF chief's lawyer dragging Manmohan Singh-led PMO into the scam, the Congress on Tuesday hit back with gusto, unleashing a charge of its own by targeting Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju in what is being called Arunachal power project 'scam'.

Whether or not former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office was involved in the procurement of VVIP choppers or Rijiju misused his office for nepotism is a moot point. What matters is Congress's bishop trying to counter BJP's rook in a complicated opening gambit. The Congress believes in the "scam" charge against Rijiju it finally has a deterrent against BJP stirring the political pot too much over AgustaWestland, a case which it finds distinctly uncomfortable to deal with.

Beset by consistent claims that all scams can be traced at its door, the Congress sees a golden chance in overturning the narrative. It has already demanded the removal of Rijiju, with spokesperson Randeep Surjewala saying, "The role of Kiren Rijiju in this issue is under cloud. He has no right to stay in office. He should either be dismissed by the prime minister or asked to resign till an independent probe is complete."

Rijiju, however, has denied all charges. The minister told The Times of India that instead of leveling charges against him, the Congress should apologise to the nation and to him because "all the contract works were allotted during Congress's time. All payments were (also) made during Congress's time. We were not in the government. I was not even an MP at the time."

The Grand Old Party, however, has taken an aggressive stance vowing to raise the issue both inside and outside the Parliament, an euphemism for more disruptive tactics. Congress's belligerence is in contrast with its earlier ambivalence over demonetisation when it was unsure about openly criticising a move that had eradication of black money as one of its stated goals. But 35 days into the move, shoddy implementation, collusion of bank officials with the corrupt, an economy grinding to a halt and never-ending queues for elusive cash have slowly turned an euphoric electorate into a restive one.

Narendra Modi, who earlier looked to be running away with all plaudits for implementing a bold move, now has to spend considerable amount of time persuading the populace not to lose patience. In this fast altering economic and political scenario, the Opposition believes it has hit upon the right formula. It has forged a unity out of divergent views and goals and wants a debate in the Lower House with provision for voting. In Rajya Sabha, after many shifting of goal posts, it now wants the Prime Minister to sit through the entire debate and even apologise for his earlier remarks linking some political parties to black money.

Though the government has indicated that Modi will be present in the Parliament over the next three days (a key Opposition demand), it certainly won't concede easy ground. It, therefore, remains to be seen how rest of the Winter Session pans out. Only a brave punter will bet against more disruptions.
New Delhi: A child born out of rape is entitled to compensation, independent of any such relief granted to the mother, the Delhi High Court has ruled.

The verdict to this effect, in which a man has been sent to jail for his entire "natural life" for raping his minor step-daughter, was delivered after the court noted that there was no such provision under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act or under the Delhi government's victim compensation scheme.

Ironically, the high court, which had earlier laid down a law in this regard, reduced the amount of compensation to the rape victim from Rs 15 lakh awarded by the trial court to Rs 7.5 lakh, saying the higher amount went against the 2011 compensation scheme formulated by the Delhi government.

It also faulted the trial court by giving a go-by to the guidelines for maintaining confidentiality of the rape victim.

However, a bench of Justices Gita Mittal and RK Gauba said a child born out of rape, either of a minor or a woman who is an adult, "is clearly a victim of the act of the offender and entitled to compensation independent of the amount of compensation paid to his/her mother."

This "vacuum" in the law came to the court's attention when it was hearing the appeal of a man convicted and awarded life term for raping his minor step-daughter who, as a result of the crime, gave birth at the tender age of 14 years.

Noting the "sordid scenario" in the instant case, where "the trust and confidence reposed in the man by his wife and step-daughter, was abused by him to bring about, out of sheer lust, untold miseries on the body, mind and psyche of the prosecutrix child leaving scars which would not ever heal", the court upheld his conviction and sentence.

It also clarified that the man shall remain behind bars for the remainder of his natural life, saying "we see no scope for any ruth (pity) in the matter of punishment."

While upholding the sentence, the bench also expressed displeasure over the manner in which the trial court "gave a go-by" to the precaution mandated under POCSO to keep the minor victim's identity confidential.

The high court also reiterated its earlier direction to all trial courts not to disclose the identity of minor victims in POCSO cases.

Apart from the lack of provisions under the POCSO Rules and the Delhi Victims Compensation Scheme 2011 for children born out of rape, the court noted the absence of any provision in the scheme for child victims of sexual offences.

It also observed that no victim compensation fund has been set up under the 2011 scheme despite directions in this regard by the high court in a PIL.

The high court noted this while examining how the trial court awarded a compensation of Rs 15 lakh to the victim.

The bench said under the existing scheme, the maximum compensation that can be paid was Rs three lakh and under the proposed new scheme of 2015, it would be enhanced to Rs 7.5 lakh.

Setting aside the compensation awarded by the trial court, the bench awarded a total amount of Rs 7.5 lakh to the victim, saying "given the nature of loss, pain and suffering which she undoubtedly would have undergone, we find this to be a fit case where the state must pay compensation for the minimum sum of Rs 7.5 lakh (which would be the compensation awardable under the proposed scheme of 2015, as and when brought in force)."
Hyderabad: The Income Tax Employees Federation and Income Tax Gazetted Officers Association (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) on Tuesday urged the Centre to fill up the vacancies and take other steps to ease the workload in the wake of demonetisation.

There were almost 30-35 percent vacancies at assistant commissioner of income tax (ACIT) and deputy commissioner of income tax (DCIT) level and first supervisory position like joint commissioner of income tax (JCIT) and additional commissioner of income tax (Addl CIT), while at the staff level around 40 percent posts were vacant, it said in a release.

The employees were under "unbearable extra workload", it added.

The issues of "faulty cadre structure", promotions, recruitment, inadequate infrastructure including severe office space crunch and poor Internet and intranet connectivity should be dealt with, it said.
The unified Hurriyat conference has sent out a fresh calendar to the people of Kashmir, asking them to strike only on Fridays and Saturdays, meaning the Valley would witness five days of peace every week now, coming as a relief to the strife-torn region, which has been facing unrest since July.

The move comes after pressure was mounting on the Hurriyat to relax the existing calendar which had brought normal life to a grinding halt. "The leadership feels that a sustainable long-term strategy based on proactive initiatives, programmes and sustainable modes of protest is the way forward. We want maximum public participation and implementation, and minimum costs for the people," a statement issued by the joint Hurriyat leadership said.

In the statement, Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik said, "People's uprisings of the last six months have taken our freedom struggle forward, and have opened out the possibilities and the scope of our struggle. We have moved closer to our goal."

The new calendar was issued by the separatist leadership only called for two days of strikes, while giving people time to relax or to conduct their other businesses.

Citizens in the Valley have welcomed the move, saying the calendar should have been relaxed two months ago, to ease the economic blockade that rendered thousands of people jobless. The Valley has been simmering ever since the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani on 8 July in an encounter. A sense of weariness has since crept in, as weeks have gone by without any let up in curfew or shutdown.

The Valley has been witnessing a complete shutdown since 9 July, one a day after security forces killed Burhan Wani, the local commander for south Kashmir, triggering clashes between security forces and protesters. Over 100 people have been killed and thousands have been injured in these clashes since.

Even Mehbooba Mufti, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, acknowledged that unwarranted force was used on protesters during the last five months. "During the past five months, excessive force was used and I don't deny that, but normalcy has started prevailing. I hope police will cooperate and change their behavior while dealing with people," Mufti had said, speaking at the passing-out parade of Jammu and Kashmir Police at Commando Training Centre in Lethpora in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.
The Union Home Ministry renewed Greenpeace India's registration under the Foreign Contributions Registrations Act, (FCRA) 2010 after permanently cancelling its licence in September 2015.

Greenpeace India's executive director Ravi Chellam, speaking to The Times of India said that they had applied for the renewal of the licence in March 2016 and it was renewed with effect from 1 November, 2016.

The Islamic Research Foundation's licence, Zakir Naik's organisation was also mistakenly renewed in August because the FCRA software doesn't have a provision to flag pending inquiries or adverse intelligence reports against NGOs under scanner.

Even, the licence of activist Teesta Setalvads NGO, Citizen for Justice and Peace (CJP) was renewed, reported The Indian Express. The NGO was under for alleged misuse of grants.

According to CNN-News 18, the MHA has ordered an enquiry and cancelled the renewal.

Greenpeace and NGOs Sabrang and CJP get FCRA clearance. MHA orders enquiry, cancels renewal and asks CERTIN to investigate possible hacking  News18 (@CNNnews18) December 14, 2016

According to The Times of India, the ministry only noticed the erroneous renewal of Greenpeace India's licence after 1 November, 2016.

The organisation was under the ministry's scanner which cited that Greenpeace India was receiving "mixed foreign and domestic funds" and had "not disclosed the movement of funds properly," according to a report in The Indian Express.

The Times of India report said that Greenpeace India had cancelled the licence on grounds of affecting public interest and economic interest.

The report added that the MHA had suspended the registration of the NGO saying it had violated norms, alleging that Greenpeace India had opened five accounts to use foreign donations without disclosing it to the relevant authorities. The NGOs bank accounts in IDBI, ICICI and Yes Bank were frozen. Greenpeace India had challenged the decision calling it arbitrary and it was granted relief by the court on 27 May, 2016.

The NGO has always maintained that the suspension was government's way of controlling dissent. Vinuta Gopal quoted in The Indian Express after the suspension said: The cancelling of our FCRA registration is the governments latest move in a relentless onslaught against the communitys right to dissent. It is yet another attempt to silence campaigns for a more sustainable future and transparency in public processes.
Islamabad: Pakistan is encouraged by growing support in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for establishing criteria for membership of non-NPT countries, but are wary of "big powers" pressurising smaller countries into granting exemptions for India in the admission process, media reported on Wednesday.

"There are a lot of countries that now recognise the need for a criteria-based approach rather than granting exemptions, but pressures are still being exerted on smaller countries," Dawn quoted Kamran Akhtar, Director General of Disarmament at the Foreign Office, as saying.

"We are pretty confident that NSG countries would not go down the exemption way, but if they ultimately do so and give exemption to India, there would be serious repercussions not just for Pakistan, but also for other non-nuclear weapon states that may feel being unjustly denied their right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy," Akhtar said.

He said it was now up to NSG countries to decide if they wanted the group to be seen as being driven by political and commercial interests or else they would want non-proliferation goals to be strengthened.

The official warned that strategic stability in South Asia would be undermined if Pakistani application was not treated equally with the Indian case.

"Pakistan wants to deny India space for war and create a space for peace. Its (Pakistan's) weapons are for maintaining peace in the region and for deterrence," said Khalid Banuri, Director General of Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs.

Additional Secretary to Foreign Office Tasneem Aslam said the issue of membership of non-NPT countries was deeply linked to strategic stability in South Asia.

"... the NSG stands at crossroads, once again, as it considers membership for non-NPT states. An even-handed and non-discriminatory approach by the NSG at this juncture would be of far-reaching significance for strategic stability in South Asia and global non-proliferation efforts," she said and recalled, the NSG had missed in 2008 the opportunity to promote adherence to non-proliferation regime by granting waiver to India.
The abrupt withdrawal of the latest issue of a literary magazine and the apology tendered by the publishers following protests against the publication of a painting and the image of a sculpture from communal quarters have caused anxiety in literary circles in Kerala.

Malayala Manorama, the biggest media group in the state, recalled the December issue of its 125-year-old literary magazine Bhashaposhini after objections were raised against an illustration showing a half-naked dancer surrounded by nuns and the photograph of a sculpture of the spiritual leader of Ezhava community.

The painting, an artistic interpolation of Leonardo da Vincis classic 15th century mural  'The Last Supper'  by noted painter Tom Vattakkuzhi accompanied the review of a play Mrudwangiyudeh Durmruthyu (The Unnatural Death of the Fragile) was carried in the issue of the literary magazine.

The play by C Gopan is based on Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menons poem Narthaki (Dancer) on Mata Hari, a Dutch dancer and courtesan who was executed by the French during World War 1 on the charge of spying. The poem depicts the dance she performed as per the last wish granted to her.

The sculpture of Sree Narayana Guru, on the other hand, was created by Riyas Komu, a well-known artist and sculptor, as part of an exhibition held on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Kashi Art Gallery 11 years ago.

The image of the sculpture was used as cover visual of a book on Guru, Guruchinthana: Oru Mughavura, published by Kottayam-based DC Books last month. Bhashaposhini reproduced the image on its cover while carrying an extract on the book in its December issue.

Trouble started after Vattakkuzhi posted the painting and the report carried by the magazine on his Facebook page. The publishers faced a backlash on social media and outside. They recalled the issue and removed the painting after some Christian groups questioned the portrayal of the nuns in bad light.

But when it reappeared in the newsstands, fresh objections came from Hindu groups that felt that the sculpture showed a distorted image of their spiritual leader. The publishers once again recalled the issue and removed the cover picture after various Ezhava groups like the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam and its political arm the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) threatened to take to the streets.

The protests were called off only after an unconditional apology was published by the group in its daily, Malayala Manorama, which incidentally is the largest circulated daily in the state. The apology appearing in the front page of the daily in all its editions in the state and outside said that they had realised that the pictures published on the cover and in the inside page of the December issue had hurt the readers and had apologised for the mistake.

Manorama editorial director Thomas Jacob refused to say anything further on the issue. He said that they had said whatever they had to say on the matter in the newspaper. It is a closed chapter as far as we are concerned, he added.

However, artistes and writers have termed the Manorama groups decision to remove the works of art in the wake of protests by certain sections very dangerous. This is not the first time that publications have succumbed to such pressures.

Mathrubhumi, which is the second largest circulated daily published from the state, had last year ended a series on the Ramayana by noted scholar and critic, MM Basheer after a Hindutva group questioned the propriety of a Muslim writing on a Hindu subject.

Tom Vattakkuzhi said he was shocked by the Bhashaposhinis decision to recall the issue because of the protests against his work. He felt protests against certain artistic works were coming up because of misunderstanding among the people.

I think it is the duty of media and cultural leaders to clear the misunderstandings. If they run away from their responsibility and succumb to pressures there will be nobody to protect the creative freedom in the country, says the painter.

The painter told Firstpost that the protests against his painting may have arisen because of the reading of the painting out of context. He said the work was the essence of the play that captures a poignant moment in the life of the Dutch dancer.

The two have different languages. A writer may not be able to express everything through words. Feelings or ideas which cannot be articulated through words can be presented through visual. Both are complimentary in a work of art, says Vattakkuzhi.

He said that the piece of art was also being misunderstood due to the air of intolerance prevailing in the country at present. The people are becoming intolerant because they have not internalised the democratic values. He said that the painters were unable to do much in this respect as they have no popular medium to share their works.

The painters need galleries and other niche places to display their works. Only the elite have access to such places. I grabbed the opportunity to do the painting for Gopans play thinking it will get better viewership, Vattakkuzhi added.

Noted writer MN Karaserry has viewed the protests against the painting and sculpture as an indication that people had lost their sense to appreciate the work of art. Keralites have stopped understanding art, he added.

The painter has placed Mata Hari in place of Jesus Christ not because of any disrespect to Christ. His intention was to show how women are being crucified now. If people understand the work in this sense there will be no protests, said Karaserry.

He said that Riyas Komu had rightly portrayed Sree Narayana Guru in the current social context. He may have been influenced by the misuse of Guru for political and other gains by the present generation. If Guru is to be presented in the way these people treat him there is no need for a sculpture. A picture is enough.

Art interprets people and the times. Those who do not understand this or those who pretend not to understand are creating troubles. It is not easy to guide them correctly," says Karaserry.

Komu, who is a founder member of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Indias biggest exhibition of contemporary art, refused to say anything about the controversy.

I am currently concentrating on the third edition of the biennale now on in Kochi. I dont want to be dragged into a controversy as I am fully engaged with the biennale activities, Komu said.
New Delhi: Taking a jibe at Samajwadi Party over its possible tie-up with Congress, BSP supremo Maywati on Wednesday said that "only weak needs support" and that the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led party's keenness for an alliance shows its poor condition.

Mayawati's remarks came at a time when the prospects of a poll alliance between the ruling Samajwadi Party and Congress appeared to be brightening.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in a gathering had said that the alliance between the two parties can win more than 300 out of 403 seats in upcoming Assembly election.

Replying to a question on reports about alliance between Congress and SP, the former UP Chief Minister said, "Only weak needs support, they (Samajwadi Party) are in power and got clear majority also. They could have done a lot and now they are keen on an alliance. It shows the poor condition of the ruling party in the state."

She said that the SP has accepted defeat and that the party is in a bad shape in the state.

Speaking on the issue of demonetisation, Mayawati said the government was not prepared for the move and it is a "hasty decision".

She also attacked the prime minister over this issue and said he is speaking everywhere except in Parliament as he lacks strength to address the House.

Replying to a question on reports about sting operation in which a BSP member was found allegedly accepting black money, the Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh termed the operation as "pre-planned" to defame the opposition.

However, she said, if anyone from BSP is found indulging in money laundering, strict action will be taken against him or her.
Former Reserve Bank of India governor Bimal Jalan has raised two pertinent questions about the demonetisation scheme that the Narendra Modi government rolled out on 8 November - one is about the requirement of secrecy and the other about the timing.

In an interview to The Indian Express, Jalan, a distinguished central banker whose tenure saw India weathering the Asian financial crisis, has said that the exercise could have been done in a way where the people are prepared.

"Telling people that we are concerned about black money is also about giving them a notice," he has told the newspaper. According to him, if people were informed about the impending move, people would have gone to the bank to deposit money, which is what is happening now precisely.

"...This is precisely what they are doing (with the decision being kept a secret) now, maybe not to the same extent," he has been quoted as saying in the report.

However, he feels people should have been given a notice and hence there is no clarity over the timing of the decision.

"There is no reason to my mind to be secretive, unless there is an emergency," he has said.

According to him, a decision like this is taken when there is war or a security threat.

Jalan is right in questioning the timing because the government's reiterations that secrecy was indeed required do not hold water, given the big difficulties millions of poor have been put to.

Secrecy was essential for this action. It is only now, as I speak to you, that various agencies like banks, post offices, railways, hospitals and others are being informed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in his televised speech on 8 November, announcing the decision.

The problem with secrecy is that it snowballed the difficulties of the poor and others who are not holding black money as it created a panic among the consumers. The mood was of a financial emergency.

Moreover, in a democracy, how can a policy decision be kept secret, especially if it is one which impacts the lives of millions of people? Considering the pain inflicted up on common people's lives, the decision to demonetise 86 percent of the currency in circulation should not have been taken in a secret manner.

An exception to this is possible only if there is hard evidence that there is a state of emergency.

But the truth is the government has not given any evidence whatsoever of such an emergency. At the first press conference after demonetisation, finance minister Arun Jaitley had in fact ducked all the specific questions regarding the move.

When one of the correspondents asked him about the perception that the BJP has taken this step to drain the opposition parties ahead of the UP elections, Jaitley just said that all such assumptions are baseless. That was an opportunity for the minister to give details as to why the decision was taken.

Another correspondent asked whether the government has proof that fake currency is being used to finance terror. To this too, the minister had no convincing reply.

Moreover, even after the rollout of the scheme the secrecy continues. Neither the government nor the RBI gives regular updates on the cash situation, deposits received or printing status of the new notes. Moreover, there are new rules every other day.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the RBI's directive to banks on Tuesday that they should keep the CCTV footage of branches and currency chests is the 51st order by the central bank after the demonetisation announcement. (Nobody has yet counted the number of orders the government has passed.)

This is only adding to the confusion of the banks and customers.

Given the evolving situation, the government definitely owes an explanation. It should also clarify why exactly was the decision taken and why at this point in time. If it doesn't do, the BJP may find itself at the receiving end.
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, his cousin, who also is a contractor in Arunachal Pradesh, Goboi Rijiju, and several top officials of the state-run North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), have been accused of corruption in the construction of two dams in the Arunachal Pradesh hydro-electric projects scheme.

The reports claimed that Kiren, Goboi, and several top officials of the state-run NEEPCO, including its chairman and managing director, have been named in a 129-page report by the PSU's Chief Vigilance Officer Satish Verma that alleges corruption in construction of two dams for 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Project, one of the biggest hydro-electric projects in Arunachal Pradesh. NEEPCO comes under the Union Power Ministry.

Verma's report was sent to the CBI, CVC and the Ministry of Power in July this year. It alleges an "elaborate conspiracy" involving contractors, NEEPCO officials and the West Kameng district administration to defraud NEEPCO and the government of funds that "may extend up to Rs 450 crore".

West Kameng, the site of the project, comes under the parliamentary constituency of Kiren Rijiju. After Kiren Rijiju came under attack for his alleged involvement, he not only rejected allegations of wrongdoing but also said that those who have "planted" the story against him "will be beaten up with shoes". The Congress, meanwhile, alleged that it was a Rs 450 crore scam and demanded his resignation.

Who is Goboi Rijiju?

The 129-page report described Goboi as Kiren Rijiju's cousin, according to The Telegraph.

Kiren then distanced himself from Goboi. His statement was echoed by BJP National Secretary Shrikant Sharma, who also insisted that the contractor was not Rijiju's cousin as alleged.

Really cheap! This is the copy of representation I received & forwarding letter to Power Minister. Is it a corruption helping poor Tribals? pic.twitter.com/lwQXthQsNI  Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) December 13, 2016

Sab gaonwaale cousin hi kehlaate hain hamaare yahan pe, koi blood relation hona zaruri nahi: Kiren Rijiju on Arunachal Hydro Project pic.twitter.com/jrHVg4Lm20  ANI (@ANI_news) December 13, 2016

Further, in an interview to NDTV's Barkha Dutt, Kiren Rijiju said that the entire contract work was awarded during Congress' time and that the scam was simply not worth mentioning. He added that his intervention was because of the local people from his village who asked him to get them their money and that he forwarded their memo verbatim to the power minister.

Barkha Dutt then asked Kiren, "Who is Goboi Rijiju," to which the Union Minister replied, "everybody is related to me that way. Goboi is not a contractor there; he's not on the list."

Dutt then brought up an old piece in The Hindu where Kiren Rijiju mentioned that Goboi was his distant cousin and that he would not tolerate if his name is used to get work done. Kiren Rijiju defended himself saying, "In the tribal community, in our local community, everybody is somehow related in name-calling. He is not blood relative to me; we belong to the same village, the same place. That's all."

Kiren Rijiju also told PTI that both his elder and younger brothers have expired.

With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: Union minister Thaawarchand Gehlot on Wednesday expressed hope that the Disability Bill, passed by Rajya Sabha, will be cleared by Lok Sabha with co-operation from all parties in the remaining two days of the Winter Session, which has otherwise seen poor business due to repeated disruptions.

Speaking to reporters after the Rajya Sabha cleared the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014  which aims at securing and enhancing the rights and entitlements of disabled persons  he said the government will try to present the Bill in the lower House on Thursday.

"We are now trying to present this Bill to Lok Sabha for its consideration. We hope all parties co-operate in Lok Sabha the way they did in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. We will try to present it to Lok Sabha on Thursday... We hope it gets cleared over the next two days," he told reporters on Parliament premises.

The Social Justice and Empowerment minister said once cleared, the Bill will ensure no disabled person is deprived of benefits of Centre or state's schemes meant for him/her. The Bill stipulates two-year jail term and a maximum fine of Rs five lakh for discriminating against differently-abled people.

It was passed by a voice vote after rare unanimity was witnessed among the Opposition and Treasury benches in the House, which has seen acrimony and disruptions since the session began on 16 November.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday asked security forces to restrain themselves from using pellet guns and differentiate between stone-pelters/militants and their families, while noting that force was used to deal with law and order in the Valley during the recent unrest.

"When we have to deal with such situation, we have to use force sometimes and I have no hesitation in saying this. We should all speak truth. We had to use force because we had to protect the lives and properties of all the people of Jammu and Kashmir," she said.

The chief minister was speaking at the passing-out parade of Jammu and Kashmir Police at Commando Training Centre in Lethpora in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.

Mehbooba said if force was not used, losses would have been more.

"If we had not done so, there could have been more killings, more losses. But now, our endeavour should be to see towards those people who were confined to their homes because of the situation, strikes and curfew and what they have gone through in these six months," she said.

The chief minister said now that the situation has improved and the time has come to "change our ways".

"But now I think that when the situation has improved, the time has come to heal the wounds of the people. Now, we have to change our ways. We have to differentiate between the situation as of on Wednesday and what was four months back. We will have to give special focus to the youth," she said.

She said security forces have to differentiate between offenders like militants and stone-pelters and their families.

"We cannot weigh every youth by the same scale, we cannot see every youth with suspicious eyes, then the situation will not improve. We have to differentiate between militants and their families. We have to differentiate militants from their parents, siblings and children and we cannot weigh them by the same scale.

"If any youth is a habitual stone-pelter, we will have to differentiate between him and his family. You have to differentiate between an elder person involved in such activities and a student and see how to tackle them," she said.

Mehbooba asked the security forces to exercise restrain while dealing with law and order situations.

"I hope that you will not deject me because I want J-K to prosper again, where guns or pellet guns are not used. I hope that police and security forces try to not use pellet guns. If there is an attack on your camp or police station, then I understand, but if someone throws stones at you, you should try to restrain yourselves till we find an alternative to pellet guns and ban them completely," she said.

As many as 86 people, including two policemen, have been killed and several thousand others injured in the ongoing unrest in the Valley that began on 9 July, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces.

Around 5000 security forces personnel have also been injured in the clashes.

The chief minister said reconciliation was the only way forward in Jammu and Kashmir.

"I am of the belief that there is no way forward in J-K other than reconciliation. PSA and Afspa are temporary and I want you to help me, our government, in creating such an atmosphere in J-K where a time will come when PSA is used only against criminals, drug addicts and smugglers and not against 40-year-old or 80-year-old or 19-year-old or students.

"No one from outside can help us in doing that. We have to help ourselves and in that, the role of police is very important," she said.

"We had army and security forces here before as well, but when militancy erupted here, Afspa had to be imposed. Now, we all have to try together to create such an atmosphere where such laws like Afspa, PSA or other hard measures are gradually revoked. I or my ministers cannot do this alone, after the role of people of J-K, your role is very important for that," she said.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his decisions like paying a visit to Lahore and demonetisation, Mehbooba said no other prime minister would have taken such decisions.

"I am hopeful that you will help me in creating such an atmosphere in J-K where there is reconciliation and dialogue. I want to make it clear that the current PM has guts to visit Lahore and he did it despite criticism but unfortunately Pathankot (attack) happened.

"It is this PM who took such a huge decision of demonetisation, knowing that people will face hardships and will be angry for some time. I do not think any other PM would have taken such decisions," she said.

The chief minister said once peace is established in the state, it can act as a bridge of peace between India and Pakistan.

"If you all help us in creating peace in J-K, then I assure you, the people of J-K, that the way our PM went to Lahore by keeping everything else on the side and offered a hand of friendship, and when there was unrest, he sent a (all-party) delegation from Delhi to listen to people, understand and talk, so if we can create a better situation, then we can create conditions for dialogue with everyone not

only in J-K, but we can act as a bridge of peace between India and Pakistan (as well)," she said.
Nagpur: Maratha Kranti Muk Morcha met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday and warned him that if the state government fails to accommodate quotas for the community an electoral rout might be a possibility.

This is for the first time that the morcha established a direct contact with the chief minister despite holding over 40 silent rallies all over Maharashtra since 9 August this year seeking reservations.

"The chief minister is the highest authority of the state. So please dont send us back empty handed. If you fail to give reservation to Maratha Community then we will teach you a lesson but not through bullet but ballot in the next election," a delegation member of the Maratha Kranti Muk Morcha apparently told Fadnavis during the meeting in Nagpur.

The delegation sought to know from the chief minister when Prime Minister Narendra Modi could implement a decision as big as demonetisation overnight why the state can't give reservation to the Maratha community in a speedy manner. The delegation made it clear that it wants a resolution to the issue in a time-bound manner.

Upon suggestion from state Education Minister Vinod Tawde, Fadnavis assured the delegation that a panel would be formed with experts as members from different fields to discuss the Maratha reservation issue threadbare.

The Nagpur edition of the Maratha Morcha started by 12 noon from Yashwant Stadium and ended at Moris T point at 3 pm on Wednesday in which over 1.50 lakh people from all age groups and varied professions participated. More than 150 all-party MLAs, MLCs and ministers were part of the rally.

Three senior ministers of the state government Chandrakant Patil, Vinod Tawde and Deepak Sawant personally took Morcha delegates  Rutuja Mohite, Ankita Bhandwalkar, Himani Bhaltilak, Sanjana Wanapur, Jayashree Bhuiwar and Vaishnavi Daph  to the chief minister.

Apart from reservations, other major demands of the Morcha included the amendment in Atrocities act, capital punishment to the accused in the Kopardi rape case and the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations.

Among the political participants in the rally Maratha leader from BJP Chandrakant Patil, minister Vinod Tawde, MLC and opposition party leader Radhakrishna Patil, MLA Nitesh Rane, NCP MLA Shashikant Shinde, MLC Narendra Patil, MLC Vidya Chavan, BJP MLA Aashish Shelar and MLC Pravin Darekar were prominent. From the Shiv Sena, Cabinet Minister Eknath Shinde, Minister of State Dada Bhuse, Ravindra Waikar, Sanjay Rathod and MP Sambhaji Raje Bhosle were persent.

Several schools and colleges and business establishment remained shut in Nagpur although no incidents of violence were reported.
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"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

As the Parliament Winter Session reconvenes after a four-day break, it looks like the Opposition may finally get the debate on demonetisation it has been asking for, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to attend all the remaining parliamentary proceedings, reports said on Wednesday.

According to The Indian Express, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress has instructed their Member of Parliaments (MPs) to be present in both Houses for the rest of the session.

The news story, however, indicated that the government seems to have managed to convince the Opposition to forego its demand of a discussion under Rule 193, a primary demand of the Opposition  mostly Congress and Tirnamool Congress  that had lead to a deadlock in both the houses of Parliament since the beginning of the session. It will now be a no-rule discussion, it said.

As for the Opposition's second demand, which was that Prime Minister Modi should answer questions from the Opposition, CNN-News18 said that Modi is likely to attend the parliamentary proceedings. However, whether or not he will speak, remains unclear.

However, 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.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with key ministers before Parliament convenes this morning to decide their strategy," the report said.

The Opposition will discuss its strategy during the parliamentary proceedings on Wednesday in an Opposition party's meet at 9.30 am, CNN-News18 reported.

The Parliament's Winter Session has been facing a deadlock on demonetisation ever since it began on 16 November. While the Lok Sabha has managed to conduct two legislative actions  pass the Income Tax amendment bill and approve the Supplementary Demand for Grants  the Rajya Sabha, on the other hand, functioned normally only on the first sitting of the session when a debate on demonetisation took place for five hours.

While three bills related to Goods and Services Tax (GST), are unlikely to be cleared on Wednesday, The Indian Express said, "Rajya Sabha is likely to pass the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 in a brief remission of hostilities."

However, apart from the listed topics of business, the Parliamentary proceedings are likely to attract heated discussions on the arrest of former Air marshal, SP Tyagi, in relation to the AugustaWestland VIP chopper scam as well as BJP leader Kiren Rijiju's alleged corruption in the Arunachal Hydro Power project.
Two bullies once challenged each other to a public fight. On the designated day, when they met in a bazaar, both rolled their sleeves, fumed from the nostrils, stamped their feet on the ground, and threatened each other with dire consequences. While the eager public waited impatiently for them to stop talking and start fighting, the two spent hours screaming, shouting and challenging each other. Eventually, both of them walked away, claiming the other was not letting him fight.

This, essentially, is the story of the government and the Opposition today: Two poltroons putting up the pretense of a fight but not willing to take the first step because of the fear of consequences.

The defining moment of this faux belligerence was on display in Parliament on Wednesday. Surrounded by the media, flanked by other opposition leaders and imbibing last-minute tips from Jyotiraditya Scindia, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi claimed he has information on "personal corruption" that would bust Prime Minister Narendra Modi balloon. The PM is scared, so he won't let me speak in Parliament, Gandhi said.

It seems Gandhi is currently inspired by marketing tricks adopted by Bollywood filmmakers before the release of a film. First he builds up hype  "It would cause tremors"  then accuses his rivals of usurping all the screens and creating problems before the release. But, unlike Bollywood producers who finally go on to put their work out in the market, Gandhi has a habit of simply disappearing.

A year ago, for instance, after raising war hysteria over the death of Hyderabad university student Rohith Vemula, demanding a debate in Parliamanent over the incident, Gandhi took the narrowest exit by claiming  what else  that the government did not allow him to speak.

"I will speak, but they will not let me speak. Because they are scared of what I will say," Gandhi boasted before the debate began. In the end, he bolted, leaving the battlefield empty for Smriti Irani to dominate. And now he is back to familiar threats and, god forbid, an encore of the Vemula denouement.

Here is a question for Gandhi: If he really has ammo that would demolish the PM, what is he waiting for? Instead of waiting for a mahurat, an auspicious day and date, why won't he just fire his weapon at Modi and get it over and done with it? To quote Ram Prasad Bismil, let us see how much strength he has in his arms.

The Winter Session of Parliament would end this week. If the remaining days are also marred by sloganeering and shouting, Gandhi may not get the opportunity to "bust Modi's balloon". If that happens, will he wait till the Budget Session to launch his war?

The problem with Gandhi is essentially this: In spite of his decade-plus presence in politics, he has done nothing to obliterate the trust-deficit that exists between him and voters. He has rarely, if ever, lived up to expectations; never carried a fight to its logical conclusion; hasn't walked his bluster. Because of all this, most of his words are either taken with a bucketful of salt or barely suppressed giggles. With his politics of "I would destroy you, but you won't let me", he merely adds to the image people already have of him.

Demonetisation, especially its faulty implementation, is in many ways a godsend for Gandhi. After the initial euphoria around the announcement, the mood on the ground is fast turning from circumspection to criticism on its way to complete dejection. And when the prime minister, the leader of a government with a comfortable majority in parliament, starts avoiding a debate and claiming in public that he is not being allowed to speak (by whom, the 44 MPs of Congress?), it shows the BJP is on the defensive, if not on the run. For Gandhi, it really is the right time to turn the knife.

But what we are witnessing instead is a charade of cowardice masquerading as parliamentary helplessness. Never before in the history of Indian democracy did we witness the tragi-comic spectacle of both the ruling party and the opposition roaring in public gatherings and crying about their inability to speak in parliament.

The ruling dispensation's reluctance, even when the opposition has given up its insistence on a debate followed by voting, is understandable. The demonetisation story is still unfolding in the hinterland, towns and metros of India. Nobody can predict with certainty where it would end. So, the government would prefer discretion over an immediate debate.

But Gandhi's refusal to open his mouth and show his cards unless he is allowed to do so in parliament defies logic. There could be only two explanations for his reluctance to start the promised war with Modi. Either he doesn't have the ammo to back his bluster. Or, he is looking for the safety of Parliamentary privilege to throw some wild allegations at the PM instead of facing the consequences of an assault launched in public.

Perhaps Gandhi is himself scared of his own words. If he isn't, bring it on.
Rahul Gandhi has brought Armageddon to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's door. After having threatened an "earth-shattering" expose for the last few days, the Congress vice-president in a joint press conference on Wednesday called the Prime Minister a corrupted man and said he has "concrete" proof of Narendra Modi's personal complicity in the "demonetisation scam".

That is why, the Gandhi scion said with a swing and a swagger before the media, the "prime minister is terrified of me and is not letting me speak inside the Parliament."

As the parliamentarians heave a secret sigh of relief at not having the House descend on their heads due to the Congress vice-president's seismic revelations, cynics are already wondering why Rahul Gandhi isn't making the proof public. After all, there are no rules against lawmakers speaking to media when Parliament is in session and surely, if the allegations are so damning and the evidence of Modi's "personal corruption" so "concrete", wont it make sense for the Congress vice-president to divulge the information and expose the prime minister before the world?

The short answer is: no.

On the contrary, the Gandhi dynast stands to gain much more from the politics of allegation and insinuation than furnishing of "concrete proof". It seems fairly certain, as much as certainty is possible in politics, that Rahul Gandhi's allegations are more in the realm of rhetoric than facts.

This inference is based on the fact that the Congress president-in-waiting got ample opportunities during the course of the entire Winter Session to furnish his "incriminating documents" against the Prime Minister.

Let us, for arguments' sake, assume that the Gandhi scion has only recently been in possession of the documents. If that is the case, what stopped him from tabling the papers on the floor of the House when Lok Sabha began its proceedings on Wednesday after a four-day break?

It was quite evident from the behavior of both the government and the Opposition that neither side were even remotely ready for a debate on demonetisation. If Congress was ready to expose the Prime Minister, why did it create a ruckus over Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, knowing well that the provocation would trigger a counter offensive from the treasury benches?

The gusto with which the Opposition was ready to disrupt proceedings and the way the treasury benches reacted by raising AgustaWestland issue in return make it clear that both sides were unwilling to meet even halfway for a meaningful debate on decommissioning of notes which would have also allowed Rahul Gandhi the chance for an intervention.

This refutes the Congress dynast's claim that he was not allowed to speak in the Parliament. And even if he was obstructed from speaking, there is always the option of going public with the details. He did hold an impromptu news conference within the House premises but only to stoke the allegation fire a little bit more.

This brings us to the motive behind Rahul Gandhi's shoot-and-scoot strategy in which he seems to have been inspired by the pioneering Arvind Kejriwal.

This is a low risk game for Rahul Gandhi and a seemingly smart move. By accusing the Prime Minister directly of corruption (a rarity even by the standard of Indian politics), the Gandhi scion was trying to achieve several objectives in one stroke.

One, this was attempt to dispel the prime minister's aura of incorruptibility. Modi's track record as a Gujarat Chief Minister and at 7 race Course Road has so far been clean. Despite a lot of controversies over different issues, his personal integrity as a politician has rarely been questioned. The BJP has exploited this political capital to the hilt, contrasting itself with a scam-ridden Congress. At a time when AgustaWestland ghosts have been resurrected, such a direct attack ensures conversation about PM and corruption and gives Congress some breathing space.

Two, perception matters in politics. Rahul Gandhi would be able to make a political capital out of these charges when he hits the streets for rallies and public appearances. As the leader of a party that is fast eroding from public consciousness after a never-ending string of defeats at every level of elections, the Congress vice-president stands to lose little even if he fails to substantiate his allegations.

Three, on the contrary, these daring allegations immediately catapults Rahul, whose image is that of a bungling politician who lacks leadership capabilities, into the league of PM hopefuls that also includes Kejriwal. Little wonder that the AAP supremo wasted no time in tweeting that Rahul Gandhi should reveal the details instead of just talking about it.

Four, the resultant sound and fury has the additional benefit of elevating Congress to the forefront of rivalry against the government. The Congress feels upstaged by the mercurial Mamata Banerjee, who has emerged as the most vocal opponent of Modi, and this could therefore be seen as an attempt to seize the narrative and show that they are in charge.

Finally, politics of insinuations and allegations lower considerably the bar of electoral politics (consider the recent charges of coup, assassination, earthquake) and each time the proponent has to come out with something even more outlandish to get noticed. This is the biggest tragedy.
New Delhi: A bill stipulating up to two-year jail term and a maximum fine of Rs 5 lakh for discriminating against differently-abled people was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, which aims at securing and enhancing the rights and entitlements of disabled persons, was passed by a voice vote after rare unanimity was witnessed among the Opposition and Treasury benches in the House, which has seen acrimony and disruptions since the Winter Session began on 16 November.

The bill, which was moved in Upper House earlier this month by Social Justice Minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot, also gives effect to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and related matters. The Bill was the only one such to see the light of the day in the Upper House throughout the Winter Session as issues like demonetisation and corruption charges against Congress and BJP leaders kept the Parliament from functioning. As earlier reported by Firstpost, fate of many significant legislative bills were stuck, including the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Bill, 2014. The bill, though listed for business four times, did not come up for discussion even once. Candle light marches and rallies pushing for the passage of the Disability Bill were reported from various parts of the country.

It provides for imprisonment of at least six months up to two years, along with a fine ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 5 lakh for discriminating against differently-abled persons.

When the House met in the morning and took up the Zero Hour, members from the Opposition benches including Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, BSP chief Mayawati, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and SP leader Naresh Agarwal, pitching for immediate passage of the "crucial" legislation.

Responding to them, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the measure could be taken up immediately.

With rare unanimity on display, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien agreed to take up a short debate on the legislation before its passage, though he first said the matter was listed in the agenda in the afternoon and could be taken up then.

When the Bill, which had 120 amendments, was being passed in the afternoon, Anand Sharma (Cong) raised the issue regarding the numbering of the clauses, to which Gehlot assured that the issue will be looked into.

Yechury (CPI-M) raised the issue of who will be the authority to interpret the definition of disability, whether physical or mental. "There is disability such as speech and language and intellectual capability as mentioned in the bill. Who is the authority to define it," he asked.

S C Mishra of BSP too raised the same query.

In his response, Minister Gehlot said a Medical Board will be formed which will define disability.

Viplove Thakur of Congress raised the issue of disability pension not being provided to persons below 18 years of age, to which the Minister said this was not provided in the laws. Rapolu Ananda Bhaskar of Congress said that a comprehensive bill needs to be worked out due to the large number of amendments.

Madhusudan Mistry enquired whether the definition of 'Mental Illness' is same in the Disabilities Bill as in the Mental Health Bill, which was passed recently. Gehlot said the definition is based on the United Nations Convention. After the Bill was passed, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien congratulated the members for their cooperation.

"I congratulate every member. Why can't this cooperation be there always? Let us proceed like this," he noted, apparently indicating the turmoil that has been prevailing in the House over the demonetisation issue. The Union Cabinet had earlier approved these amendments to the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (RPWD) Bill, 2014, that had replaced the 1995 Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act.

In the bill, disability has been defined based on an evolving and dynamic concept and the types of disabilities have been increased from existing seven to 21. The Centre will have the power to add more types of disabilities to it. The types of disabilities now include mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions. It also strengthens the office of chief commissioner and state commissioners for Persons with Disabilities which will act as regulatory bodies.

The bill was examined by the parliamentary standing committee last year. Then, a Group of Ministers, headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, examined its provisions and sent their recommendations to the Prime Minister's Office. Earlier in the day during Zero Hour, members cutting across party line demanded that the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill 2014 be passed without discussion. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said priority should be given to the passage of the Bill. "This should be passed without any discussion."

He said if the Bill is not passed today, it cannot be taken up by the Lok Sabha for passage in the current session ending Friday. "You can take it up right now (and) pass it straight away without any discussion," he said. Similar views were expressed by Mayawati (BSP) and Naresh Agarwal (SP). Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the bill could be taken up immediately.

Initially, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said though he is happy that there is consensus in the House for passage of an important legislation, procedurally it is listed for 1400 hours and should be taken up only then. But he relented and allowed it to be advanced considering the unanimity in the House. Gehlot, who had moved the legislation last week, said it was first introduced in February 2014 and thereafter sent to the Standing Committee.

Of the 82 suggestions the panel made, 59 have been incorporated in the bill, he said, adding that a number of categories of disabled has been increased from 7 to 21. Karan Singh (Cong) said five per cent of people in the country suffered from some form of disability. The government, he said, should ensure that 4 per cent reservation provided to them is filled up also. A public education campaign should also be launched to sensitise people about the rights and courtesies to be extended to the disabled, he said.

Naresh Agrawal of Samajwadi Party said the definition of disabled should be relaxed and the procedure for obtaining disability certificate be eased. He also demanded raising reservation quota for them. Md Nadimul Haque said the government should ensure that none of the vacancies against the quota of disabilities remain vacant. C P Narayanan of CPI-M, said the amendments curtailed the rights of the disabled and unless these were corrected, the benefits will not accrue to them.

During the consideration of the bill, some members pointed out that the reservation for the disabled should be against the cadre strength and not vacancies. In response to some amendments moved by K K Ragesh and Yechury, both of CPI-M. Gehlot said while framing rules efforts would be made to ensure that four percent reservation is granted against cadre strength.

Yechury also pointed out that the original bill had a provision of 5 percent reservation for the disabled, but the amendment was for 4 percent only. To this, Gehlot said the bill has raised the quota from the prevailing 3 percent to 4 percent. The process of passing the measure could not be completed during the Zero Hour and was taken up at 1400 hours.

When the clock struck noon, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Hamid Ansari wanted to take up the Question Hour. Some members expressed the opinion that the process of consideration and passage of the Bill be continued. Ansari however insisted that Question Hour should be taken up. Meanwhile, Congress members were seen on their feet, including its Deputy Leader Anand Sharma, with some of them being heard raising slogans over allegations against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju.

Ansari pressed for taking up the Question Hour and was heard saying there cannot be a 'Jekyll and Hyde' character. However as the protests continued, he adjourned the House till 1400 hours.
For live updates follow the Parliament live blog here.

After accusing the government of not allowing him to speak in Parliament on demonetisation, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he wanted to speak on a lot of issues and it was to be seen if the government allows it. In a joint media briefing of the Opposition parties on Wednesday, Rahul said that he had some "personal information" about the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi's involvement in a scam.

Addressing the media, Rahul Gandhi said, "Modi is very scared because I have personal information on the prime minister. We have told the Speaker that please let us speak in Parliament and it is our political right to speak in Parliament but this government is opposing. Members of ruling government is up in arms and they are not letting the Opposition speak."

The Congress leader had said that when he gets a chance to speak about demonetisation in the House, "the Prime Minister will not be able to even sit there...Demonetisation is the biggest scam in the history of India... I want to speak in Lok Sabha. I will tell everything there."

Gandhi also said, "If he lets me speak then his balloon will burst...Since the last one month, the entire Opposition is discussing in the Lok Sabha and wants to discuss with the prime minister but they don't want to."

"I have come here to speak. Let's see if the government allows me to speak," Gandhi told reporters outside the Parliament earlier on Wednesday.

Gandhi said the entire Opposition wants a debate in Parliament and have discussed with the Speaker to allow it while dispensing all rules.

"Pretty much unconditionally we are ready to have a discussion, but the government is not interested in having a discussion. I have already said it before, the prime minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside the Lok Sabha," he said.

He claimed Modi has taken a decision against the poor people of this country and has "destroyed" millions of lives and thus is answerable. He said he has personally taken this decision and he cannot keep running away from the House. Gandhi said the prime minister cannot keep "running away" to pop concerts to public meetings. This is a democracy, he owes this country an explanation and he owes the entire Opposition a space in the discussion in the Lok Sabha, he said.

"The prime minister is worried. He goes to pop concerts and public meetings. Why does he not come to the House. For the first time in history, the treasury benches and the government is stalling Parliament. Normally, the Opposition stalls the House. The prime minister should stop taking alibis and he should come to the House and give all of us an opportunity to speak. Then the country should take a decision on whether the Opposition or the prime minister is speaking the truth," he said.

TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who was accompanied by Gandhi, said the entire Parliamentary system is facing a "threat" as government is not allowing the House to function smoothly and allow the Opposition to speak.

"We cannot understand why so much arrogance on the part of the government. The voice of the Opposition is going to be gagged. Parliamentary democratic system is now under threat only to resist that Rahul will not be allowed to speak," he said.

He said the government is spreading rumours that after Rahul speaks, the Opposition will not allow the House to function. "It is totally incorrect," he said. Bandyopadhyay charged the government is not allowing the Opposition to speak in Lok Sabha and this was "unfortunate and disgraceful".

P Karunakaran (CPM) said all 16 parties came together on the issue of demonetisation and wanted a discussion on the issue, but the government is now allowing this.

"Government is not willing to answer questions. The prime minister is accountable to Parliament but has not come to the Lok Sabha. It is very clear that they are not ready to answer the questions raised. The prime minister is running away from Parliament which means he is running away from people," he said.

NCP leader Tariq Anwer said this is the first time that such an atmosphere has been created where the Opposition is not allowed to speak. "It is a conspiracy by the government. The entire Opposition is united. What is the government fearing from. We are all united. Let us be allowed to speak," he said.

Rahul was accompanied by a few other party leaders besides his own leaders in Lok Sabha, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Earlier leaders of 16 Opposition parties on Wednesday met in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad's and decided to launch a united offensive against the government on demonetisation. They also decided to launch a united offensive against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who is under opposition fire over his alleged role in the "Arunachal power scam".

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar rejected Gandhi's allegation as "false and baseless" and "very unfortunate". "The allegation was made out of desperation and he (Gandhi) should apologise to the nation," he told reporters. He added that from Day One, the BJP has been ready for a debate, but it is the Opposition that has not allowed the House to function.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju tweeted that Modi is very scared of Rahul's 'oratory skill'.

After self-goal by the Congress here comes biggest joke of the year;

Rahul Gandhi says that Modi ji is very scared of his oratory skill !! https://t.co/ZHcZk0JdL7  Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) December 14, 2016

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that they are ready for a debate or any revelation.

Wo kehte hain bolunga to bhukamp aa jayega.Hum kehte hain bolo,bhukamp nahi aayega, unke pairo taley zameen khisak jayegi: Prakash Javadekar pic.twitter.com/evzT3iocHD  ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

Gandhi had on Friday last said his party wants debate on demonetisation so that the truth can come to the fore, but the government is running away from it.

The Winter Session of Parliament resumed on Wednesday after a four-day hiatus. It has seen little transaction of any substantial business due to ruckus over demonetisation and other issues.

With inputs PTI
Harare: Zimbabwe's ruling party says the country's 92-year-old president, Robert Mugabe, is certain to

be endorsed as the party's presidential candidate for elections in 2018.

Ignatius Chombo, secretary for administration of the ZANU-PF party, said that Mugabe will get the endorsement at the party's annual conference this week.

Chombo says Mugabe brings "wisdom and unity" to his leadership of Zimbabwe, which is struggling with a dire economic situation that has prompted periodic protests against the government.

Mugabe, who has ruled this southern African country since independence from white minority rule in 1980, won elections in 2013 despite allegations of voting irregularities. He turns 93 in February.

Mugabe previously said he wants to rule until he dies, although he said he is open to retirement if asked by his party.
Cairo: The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a bomb attack on a Cairo church that killed 25 people, the first claim for one of the worst attacks on the Coptic Christian community in recent memory.

IS identified the suicide bomber who carried out Sunday's attack by the pseudonym Abu Abdallah al-Masri in a statement circulated on social media on Tuesday.

The bomber "got in between the crowd" and detonated his explosive belt, the jihadist group said in the statement.

The group said it would continue attacks against "every infidel and apostate in Egypt, and everywhere".

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi named the suicide bomber as Mahmoud Shafik Mohamed Mostafa, 22, during a funeral for the victims on Monday.

Egyptian authorities are battling an Islamist insurgency led by an Egyptian affiliate of IS.

While most of the insurgents' attacks have mainly targeted police and military in northern Sinai province, the jihadists have also targeted security forces and government officials in Cairo.

The attacks have worsened since the July 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. The ouster was led by Sisi, who was defence minister at the time.

Following the deadly dispersal by security forces of two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo in August 2013, mobs attacked more than 40 churches nationwide, as well as dozens of schools, houses and businesses belonging to Copts.

They pointed to the appearance of Coptic Pope Tawadros II next to Sisi in July 2013, when the then army chief  also surrounded by Muslim and opposition figures  announced Morsi's removal on television.

Sisi said Mostafa, the suspected suicide bomber, had detonated his explosive belt at the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church, which is adjacent to Saint Mark's Cathedral, the seat of the Coptic pope.

The interior ministry said late on Monday that Mostafa had been identified by DNA tests from body parts which matched that of his family.

It also said Mostafa was working with a group that received logistical and financial support from Muslim Brotherhood members residing in Qatar.

The Muslim Brotherhood has denied any involvement with the incident.

Worst attack against Copts

The authorities have arrested four alleged members of this group, the interior ministry said.

They are still searching for others, including the suspected ringleader Mohab Mostafa el-Sayed Qassem, also known as "The Doctor", the ministry said.

Qassem travelled to Qatar in 2015 where he met some Brotherhood leaders who had fled Egypt, it claimed.

There, they offered him financial and logistical support to carry out attacks in Egypt and upon his return, he travelled to North Sinai, where Islamist insurgents trained him in using weapons and making explosive devices.

When Qassem returned to his home in Cairo, the Brotherhood members residing in Qatar instructed him to start preparing and planning for attacks targeting Copts.

The attacks were "aiming to foment a large-scale sectarian crisis" without linking the group with these attacks, the interior ministry said.

The ministry statement claims a group named The Egyptian Revolutionary Council, an alleged arm of the Brotherhood, has issued a statement on 5 December "vowing to target the heads of the Orthodox Church because of its support for the state."

Some analysts had warned that Islamists affiliated with the Brotherhood, though not necessarily under their control, could turn to serious violence after the 2013 post-coup crackdown.

Copts have faced persecution and discrimination dating back to the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled by a popular uprising in 2011.

Sunday's bombing was the worst attack against the Copts since a 2011 suicide bombing killed more than 20 worshippers outside a church in the coastal city of Alexandria.
Washington: Propelled to the position of the Secretary of State to "undo" years of American foreign policy "blunders and disasters", ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson now faces the biggest challenge of his life to translate his business acumen to international diplomacy.

From making yet another attempt at resolving Israel-Palestine conflict, on which Secretary John Kerry, has spent considerable time; to engaging the world in the quest to defeat Islamic State, building new relationship with Russia, addressing the concerns of countries in the Asia Pacific region against an aggressive and assertive China; and negotiating fresh trade deals with the mandate of bringing jobs back to the country, Tillerson has a tough task ahead of him.

This is for the first time after the Regan Administration that the position of Secretary of State, which has been traditionally held by individuals, including three women (Madeline Albright, Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton), with foreign policy and national security experience, that Trump has nominated a businessman to be America's top diplomat. "A key test of Mr Tillerson's skill set will be how well he can translate his business acumen to international diplomacy," The Wall Street Journal said. Hours after nominating 64-year-old Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump told a audience in Wisconsin said that his nominee would "undo" years of foreign policy blunders and disasters.

The Washington Post described this as "unexpected decision, nominating as the country's top diplomat a multinational corporate chief executive who had previously been on nobodys short list for the job".

The Wall Street Journal said while Tillerson is unusual for his lack of prior government experience, other business leaders have moved into cabinet posts and other high-ranking government positions. It cited the example of George Shultz who served for seven years as secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan after rising to president of international engineering firm Bechtel. The Washington Post said with his nomination, Tillerson has been "thrust into the long-standing US foreign policy divide separating those who value pragmatism and deal-making from those who attach greater importance to principles, human rights and democracy. "This is a divide that cuts across both parties," the daily said.

"To fans of Tillerson, his relationship with Putin is a sign of his pragmatism, seeking advantage for his company with a blunt, straightforward style that has won respect abroad. Speaking to students from the Texas Tech business school last year, Tillerson said the reason 'why Ive been able to gain Vladimir Putin's trust' is "because throughout my career I've wanted people to view me as an honest person'," the daily said.

His nomination also raised concerns over his potential conflict of interests, given that billions of dollars in deals for the oil giant can go forward only if the US lifts sanctions against Russia. A report in the The New York Times said Tillerson has earned a friendship award from Russia and voiced skepticism about American sanctions that have stopped some of Exxon Mobil's biggest projects in the country.

Tillerson's stake in Russia's energy industry could create a "very blurry line" between his interests as an oilman and his role as America's leading diplomat. Several top Republican leaders including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Defence Secretary, Robert Gates and former Vice President Dick Cheney welcomed Tillerson's nomination as the Secretary of State.
Beirut: First came the distress calls from doctors in underground shelters and morgues. Then residents under relentless bombardment in the few remaining blocks under rebel control in Aleppo began posting emotional goodbyes on social media and in widely circulated messages.

They wanted to have the final say in the merciless civil war.

"There is a problem with this planet," said Monther Etaky, a 28-year old graphic designer. "This planet doesn't want people to live as free or to live as humans."

The world's view of the Syria conflict has been largely driven by YouTube, Twitter and Facebook  making it one of the world's most documented wars through amateur videos and coverage. This has given the activists a major role in chronicling the war, and in lobbying for the world's response.

Nearly six years into the conflict, they complained the world has been looking the other way.

"Why is this silence? People are being eliminated," tweeted Abdulkafi Alhamdo, an English teacher who has been a vocal critic of President Bashar Assad's government. Then, he wrote: "The last (message). Thanks for Everything. We shared many moments. The last tweets were from an emotional father. Farewell #Aleppo."

the last massage. Thanks for everything. we shared many moments. The last tweets were from an emotiomal father. Farewell, #Aleppo  @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016

Alhamdo later went live on the video-streaming Periscope to say government troops were approaching. "I hope you can remember us," he said.

A local aid worker, who gave only his first name, Omar, sent an emotional recorded message that was widely shared on Whatsapp.

Final message - I am very sad no one is helping us in this world, no one is evacuating me & my daughter. Goodbye.- Fatemah #Aleppo  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 12, 2016

Perhaps my final message from E. Aleppo. Regime forces are closing in and bunker busters are raining down. pic.twitter.com/XgK0DSa08x  Bilal Abdul Kareem (@BilalKareem) December 12, 2016

"The government forces are at the end of the street. Forgive us," he said in issuing a tormented apology for failing to protect the rebel enclave, once seen as the jewel of Syria's rebellion.

After four years of holding onto nearly half of what was once Syria's largest city and commercial center, thousands of residents of rebel-held Aleppo had been cornered in a one-square-mile sliver of land for days as Syrian government troops, backed by Russia, resisted calls for a cease-fire, pushing into the territory as rebel defenses crumbled.

Hospitals were knocked out and civil defense vehicles were bombed. Thousands of residents fled to government areas, but thousands more, likely die-hard government opponents, squeezed with the rebels into the ever-shrinking enclave.

Etaky said the fast buckling of rebel defenses shocked him at first.

"But when I turned on my brain and thought about what is happening and the cause of what is happening, I knew," he said.

After months of siege imposed since July the rebels had no more power to go on, he said. With their families trapped in the city with them, many fighters left the front lines to tend to their relatives' safety.

But most importantly, he said, "it was the world silence."

Etaky said that as a witness of the grueling war, he thought he had become numbed by the violence years earlier. Since moving to the rebel-held sector in 2012, he said he had lost about 50 friends.

"When I was saying the last goodbyes, this was the first time I was affected because it was the last time," he said.

He said he was proud of his role in documenting the war. There was no record, he said, of previous Syrian government crackdowns, including in the 1980s in Hama and Aleppo.

"If my son grows up and just explores the internet he can see his father, and what he was documenting and be proud that his father was a hero," Etaky said, choking back tears.

Speaking to the Associated Press shortly after a cease-fire was announced late Tuesday, he added: "It is quiet in Aleppo right now. And it looks so sad to be saying goodbye to its residents, who will leave it forever."
Sydney: The last vessel searching for missing MH370 has left on its final sweep across the southern Indian Ocean, Australia said Wednesday, as the transport minister cautioned the airliner might not be found in coming weeks.

Fugro Equator sailed from Fremantle port on Australia's western coast on Monday for the 120,000 square-kilometre (46,000-square-mile) zone where investigators believe the Malaysian Airlines jet disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 passengers and crew.

No trace has been found in the massive undersea hunt off Australia but investigators have confirmed that three pieces of debris recovered on western Indian Ocean shorelines came from MH370.

"It has been an heroic undertaking but we have to prepare ourselves for the prospect that we may not find MH370 in the coming weeks, although we remain hopeful," transport minister Darren Chester told The West Australian.

The newspaper added that the ship's final hunt would involve examining some 200 small areas which were either too deep for previous sweeps or were not properly examined due to poor sonar readings.

The government agency leading the search, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), said on Wednesday that the Equator's mission was expected to draw to a close next month.

Many next-of-kin have repeatedly complained about the lack of a coordinated search in the western Indian Ocean and along the African coast.

Relatives of some of the missing passengers are currently in Madagascar, combing beaches for clues about the lost plane, after fragments identified with "near certainty" as coming from MH370 were discovered in recent months on the coast of East Africa.

The families have been accompanied by American amateur investigator, Blaine Gibson, a lawyer from Seattle who has travelled the world trying to solve the MH370 mystery.

Gibson has also recovered other possible MH370 debris, but authorities have yet to confirm if any of the pieces belong to the missing plane. Neither the location nor the cause of the crash are known, feeding wild conspiracy theories.

The ATSB said in a report last month that MH370 was likely out of control when it plunged into the ocean with its wing flaps not prepared for landing. It cast doubt on theories a pilot was still in charge.

The governments of Australia, Malaysia and China, where most of the passengers were from, agreed to pull the plug on the operation once the search area was fully scoured unless "credible new information" emerged.
Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he personally killed suspected criminals when he was mayor of a southern city to set an example for police.

Duterte made the comments in a speech late on Monday night to businessmen as he discussed his campaign to eradicate illegal drugs, which has seen police and unknown assailants kill thousands of people since he became president on 30 June.

After speaking about police killing suspects during the current crime war, Duterte said he led similar efforts when he was mayor of Davao, the major southern city that he ruled for most of the previous 20 years.

"In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys (police) that if I can do it why can't you," Duterte said in his speech at the presidential palace.

"And I'd go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also. I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill."

Duterte, 71, also responded to criticism from human rights groups and US President Barack Obama about his anti-crime tactics, vowing he would not be intimidated by their criticism into stopping.

"Sorry, I am not about to do that," he said.

In a speech to expatriate Filipinos during a state visit to Cambodia on Tuesday, Duterte joked that as mayor of Davao he would go on missions with police and shoot blindly at criminal suspects.

"I (would) sometimes go along with them. If you say I shot someone, maybe I did. I was closing my eyes because I am scared of firing a gun," said Duterte, a lawyer and former state prosecutor.

Rights groups have previously accused Duterte of running vigilante death squads in Davao that killed more than 1,000 suspected criminals, including children accused of petty crimes.

Duterte has variously denied and acknowledged involvement in the death squads.

But he easily won presidential elections in May after promising to roll-out his Davao law-and-order policies across the nation.

He pledged that 100,000 people would die in the crackdown and that so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that fish there would grow fat from feeding on them.

Bloody crackdown

Since taking office in late June, police have reported killing 2,086 people in anti-drug operations. More than 3,000 others have been killed in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures.

Often masked assailants break into shanty homes and kill people who have been tagged as drug traffickers or drug users. Rights groups have warned of a breakdown in the rule of law with police and hired assassins operating with complete impunity.

Duterte has insisted that police are only killing in self-defence and gangsters are murdering the other victims.

But he has also said he will not allow any police to go to jail if they are found guilty of murder in prosecuting his crime war.

Surveys show a majority of Filipinos continue to support the charismatic Duterte and his crime policies, accepting his argument that drastic action is required to stop the Philippines from becoming a narco-state.

In October, Duterte compared himself to Adolf Hitler and said he would be "happy to slaughter" three million drug addicts.

He later apologised for the Hitler reference but said he was "emphatic" about wanting to kill the millions of addicts.

In September, a self-confessed Davao death squad member told a Senate hearing into the drug war that then-mayor Duterte personally gunned down a justice department agent and ordered the murders of opponents.

The confessed hitman, Edgar Matobato, said one of the victims was fed to a crocodile.

Duterte's aides denied the claims, sought to discredit Matobato and orchestrated the removal of the president's chief political opponent as chair of the Senate hearing.
Beirut: The Syrian government's recapture of Aleppo after a prolonged and punishing air assault is a defining moment in the country's devastating civil war: It leaves President Bashar al-Assad in control of almost all major urban areas  and poised to petition for a role in the world community's broader war against Islamic State militants clinging to parts of Syria's northeast.

The prospect of such cooperation would once have been considered highly improbable. Assad became anathema in the West and much of the region after the brutal means he employed during six years of carnage that killed hundreds of thousands, displaced half his population and sent millions of refugees to neighboring countries and Europe.

But much has changed. Vladimir Putin's Russia is fully engaged on Assad's side, with no world players eager to take it on. The assortment of rebel groups now clings to a handful of pockets around the country, lacking momentum and likely to return to a low-grade insurgency at best.

Most critically, the incoming US President projects a sort of flexibility lacking under Barack Obama. Promising to scale up the war on the Islamic State group, Donald Trump has hinted he would be ready to work with Assad and Russia. "I don't like Assad at all," Trump said during the second presidential debate in October. "But Assad is killing ISIS. Russia is killing ISIS," he said, using an alternative acronym for the group. And his selection of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who has extensive business dealings with Russia and ties to Putin, has only fueled speculation that Trump would pursue closer ties with Moscow.

If such a shift occurs, it would resolve an awkwardness that has bedeviled the two-year, US-led military effort to uproot IS militants from the swaths of Iraq and Syria they seized in 2014. In these areas, the group established an extraordinarily ruthless "caliphate" with mass killings and enslavement, imposed their brutal interpretation of Islam and fomented regional insurgencies and global terrorism.

That helped pull together a broad coalition of Western and Middle Eastern nations that seems near victory in Iraq, where the Baghdad government has been a critical ally leading the fight on the ground and where a major battle for the key city of Mosul is now underway.

But in Syria, the fight was complicated by Assad's pariah status. Lacking a local military ally, the US-led coalition has partnered with irregulars and relied on air power and some special forces' operations. That approach, which has had modest success, may well erode if Assad is widely deemed to have survived the war.

Aleppo is key to cementing that perception  its loss is a crushing blow to the rebels, leaving them little chance of recovering momentum. Syria's largest city was once the country's commercial powerhouse, holding symbolic and strategic importance as an ancient trading post and longtime gateway to Turkey and the West. Assad also controls the capital, Damascus, the major cities of Homs and Hama, as well as most of the Lebanese border and the Mediterranean coast, where his minority Alawite sect holds sway.

Assad has vowed to carry on with the war until all of Syria is retaken, but has expressed confidence that opposition to him is on the decline. "Even if we finish in Aleppo, we will carry on with the war against them," he told a local newspaper last week.

Now he can free up some of his troops and thousands of allied militiamen to turn to remaining pockets held by rebels elsewhere in Syria, as well as the Islamic State jihadis. These rebel areas include some stretches around Damascus and near the Jordanian border, as well as in northern Idlib province, a stronghold of Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate.

"The recapture of Aleppo will position Assad to claim that he is Syria's legitimate sovereign ruler and lobby the international community to provide him with support," said Jennifer Cafarella of the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.

He seems more likely to achieve that if he is actively engaged in fighting the Islamic State group, which has not been a top priority despite the fact that its major stronghold is the mid-sized Syrian city of Raqqa. On Sunday, IS extremists re-occupied the central town of Palmyra, which they had been expelled from earlier this year  a surprise attack that clearly took advantage of the Russian and Syrian government's preoccupation with Aleppo.

It's unclear whether Assad will prioritise retaking Palmyra, with what's left of its archaeological treasures after the first Islamic State occupation. He may prefer to wait a few months in hopes of engineering a new situation with the new team in Washington.

Either way, Syria's future will likely be messy for a while, given the array of armed factions, the likelihood of continued foreign meddling through porous borders and the trauma and rage felt by much of the population. Many expect a continued insurgency  which in turn would help Assad argue that he should be viewed as a partner in the international fight against "terrorism."

In the battle for local hearts and minds, it looms large that Assad relied so heavily not only on Russia and longtime ally Iran to retake Aleppo, but was also aided by Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah militia and volunteers from Iraq and Afghanistan.

This stands in stark contrast to the outside powers supporting the opposition. No one sent in troops other than Turkey, an intervention mostly bent on downsizing Kurdish fighters it deemed a threat to its own security. The Syrian rebels were armed only lightly, and the United States refrained from attacking Assad even after the 2013 use of chemical weapons. Even the notion of a no-fly zone over northern Syria was rejected.

Cafarella said this environment legitimises an emerging Al-Qaeda narrative that the international community allowed Iran and Russia to dominate Syria, and as a puppet Assad must be opposed.

"Al-Qaeda's ability to recruit will grow rather than diminish after Aleppo's fall," she said. "The terror threat emanating from Syria will increase rather than decrease."

A big question now is the position of Assad's regional enemies, from Saudi Arabia and other gulf nations to Turkey. Assad may lobby for restarting peace talks, betting on the opposition's weakness to force concessions  chiefly that he should remain in power at the head of a more inclusive government. But given the epic devastation he has overseen, a genuine rapprochement seems unlikely in the extreme.
By John Miller

| ZURICH

ZURICH Switzerland's highest court on Wednesday blocked efforts to ban a state-funded Islamic-focused academic centre at a Swiss university, ruling that an anti-immigration political party's proposed local referendum on it was discriminatory. The University of Fribourg's Swiss Centre for Islam and Society opened in early 2015 to advance public discourse about Islam in Swiss society, but the Swiss People's Party (SVP) almost immediately launched its bid to ban it. The centre is part of the university's theology department and gets funding form Switzerland's federal education, research and innovation department.In March this year, Fribourg's regional parliament declared the SVP initiative invalid, prompting the party to appeal.In Wednesday's ruling, four members of the Swiss Federal Tribunal's five-judge panel in Lausanne backed the local government decision, concluding the initiative to hold a referendum on it in the region illegally singled out one religion.

"The initiative cannot be considered constitutional since its title and text are explicitly and exclusively directed at Islam," the tribunal said in a statement.While the SVP makes up nearly 30 percent of the Swiss national legislature in Berne, the right-wing party's representation in the canton of Fribourg's parliament is only about half that.

About 85 percent of residents of Fribourg, the birthplace of Gruyere cheese, are either Catholic or Protestant, with only a fraction Muslim.Across Switzerland, two-thirds of 8.3 million residents identify as Christians. But the nation has been wrestling with the role of Islam as its Muslim population has risen to 5 percent with the arrival of immigrants from former Yugoslavia.In 2009, a nationwide vote backed a constitutional ban on new minarets.

While the Islamic centre does not offer a formal curriculum to train imams, University of Fribourg President Astrid Epiney said some Muslim religious leaders did take part in classes or training sessions there."With the questions raised by the initiative about the centre now resolved, the centre will be able to continue its activities on a more certain legal foundation," Epiney told Reuters following the ruling. (Reporting by John Miller)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Washington: More than 200 employees of technology companies, including Google, Twitter and Salesforce pledged on Tuesday to not help US President-elect Donald Trump's administration build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.

Drawing comparisons to the Holocaust and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the employees signed an open letter at neveragain.tech, rebuking ideas floated by Trump during the campaign trail. The protest, which began with about 60 signatures but had more than tripled within hours of publication, comes a day before several technology company executives are due to meet with the real-estate developer in New York City.

"We are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administrations proposed data collection policies," reads the letter, signed by a mix of engineers, designers and business executives.

"We refuse to build a database of people based on their Constitutionally-protected religious beliefs. We refuse to facilitate mass deportations of people the government believes to be undesirable," the letter said.

The group vowed to not participate in creating databases of identifying information for the US government on the basis of race, religion or national origin, to minimise the collection or retention of data that could facilitate such targeting and to oppose any misuse of data at their respective organizations considered illegal or unethical.

Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption, and his victory last month alarmed many companies who feared he might follow through on his pledges.

Those concerns have not been assuaged in recent weeks, as Trump has said he intends to nominate individuals to senior posts in his administration who favor expanding surveillance programs.

Alphabet chief executive officer Larry Page, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Oracle CEO Safra Catz are among those expected to attend the summit with Trump's transition team, according to two technology industry sources.

The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment regarding the open letter.
WASHINGTON President-elect Donald Trump plans to unveil his choice to fill the lingering U.S. Supreme Court vacancy around the time of his Jan. 20 inauguration after the Republican-led Senate refused to consider President Barack Obama's nominee, a senior Trump aide said on Wednesday.The top U.S. court has been down one justice since the death of long-serving conservative Antonin Scalia on Feb. 13, leaving it ideologically split with four conservatives and four liberals. Obama nominated appeals court judge Merrick Garland for the post on March 16 but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked the customary confirmation process from proceeding.During an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump's incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said the president-elect had not yet had any in-person interviews with potential Supreme Court nominees."I think that's going to be something that we're going to start after the new year," Priebus said. "And certainly by the time we get to inauguration, either shortly before or shortly thereafter, we'll reveal the name of who our nominee will be."

Scalia's replacement could tilt the ideological balance of the court for years to come, restoring the long-standing conservative majority just at a time when it appeared liberals would get an upper hand on the bench. This could be pivotal in wide range of issues including abortion, the death penalty, religious rights, presidential powers, transgender rights, federal regulations and others.Priebus said the age of the nominee will be a factor in Trump's deliberations, possibly preferring a relatively young jurist for the lifetime post. Priebus said that "I tend to believe younger is better" and "certainly longevity's a factor" but competence will be the most important component.

Trump previously unveiled a list of 21 conservative jurists he would consider for the job and said this month he had whittled the list down to "probably three or four."

The U.S. Constitution calls on the president to nominate members of the Supreme Court, with confirmation of the selection in the hands of the Senate. McConnell's Senate, in a move with little precedent in U.S. history, simply refused to consider the nomination, saying the winner of the Nov. 8 presidential election between Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton should make the pick. (Reporting by Will Dunham and Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Bill Trott)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said he isnt yet convinced of the CIAs assessment that Russia meddled in the presidential election to help President-elect Donald Trump.

Unlike Trump, Johnson, R-Oshkosh, didnt outright reject the CIA assessment, made public last week in a report by The Washington Post.

But Johnson told the Wisconsin State Journal in a statement that he would need more definitive information before drawing further conclusions about Russian interference in the election  which appears to have included hacking emails from the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta, Democrat Hillary Clintons campaign chairman.

Johnson, who just was elected to a second term, is a leading senator on national security issues. He is chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, sits on the Foreign Relations Committee and is chairman of its subcommittee on Europe.

His statement said he supports a bid by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, to launch a new probe of Russias hacking and interference in the elections. If Sen. Corker plans to hold a hearing on any recent Russian activities, I will work with the chairman ... to uncover the factsof the matter, he said.

Johnson said he held hearings of the Europe subcommittee on Russian propaganda and its disinformation campaigns and, during trips to Europe, heard firsthand of Russias efforts to destabilize and interfere in the internal affairs of its neighbors.

The hacked DNC and Podesta emails were made public by the international group WikiLeaks. U.S. intelligence agencies told the Washington Post they have identified individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided the emails to WikiLeaks.

Those officials described the individuals as actors known to the intelligence community and part of a wider Russian operation to boost Trump and hurt Clinton, the Post reported.

Previous assessments indicated Russian interference in the election was meant only to sow chaos and doubt about the U.S. electoral process.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, said Tuesday that the CIA should declassify and make public details of its conclusions regarding Russias online assaults.

Trump has called the CIA assessment ridiculous. while maintaining nobody really knows whos responsible for the DNC and Podesta hacks.

FBI officials reportedly have expressed less certainty about the conclusion drawn by the CIA, in part because the bureau requires a standard of proof that could sustain a possible criminal prosecution, according to a USA Today report.
The Asian Development Bank yesterday trimmed its economic growth forecast this year for developing Asia to 5.6 percent.

The revision was slightly below the previous projection of 5.7 percent due to a slight slowdown in India, one of developing Asias biggest economies. Forecast growth for the entire region next year remains unchanged at 5.7 percent.

ADB said in a report that Indias surprise demonetization of large banknotes will likely dampen growth this year to 7 percent from a previous forecast of 7.4 percent. But South Asia is the most dynamic part of the region, with growth expected at 6.6 percent this year, down from the previous forecast of 6.9 percent. South Asias growth is estimated at 7.3 percent in 2017.

The report says regional giant China is on course to grow 6.6 percent this year and 6.4 percent in 2017.

East Asia as a whole is seen to expand by 5.8 percent this year and 5.6 percent in 2017 as growth stabilizes in line with earlier forecasts.

The report said growth in the major Southeast Asian economies in the third quarter met projections and even surpassed them in Malaysia and the Philippines. The sub-region is forecast to expand by 4.5 percent in 2016, and picking up to 4.6 percent in 2017.

Asian economies continue their robust expansion in the face of global economic uncertainties, said ADB Deputy Chief Economist Juzhong Zhuang. Structural reforms to boost productivity, improve investment climate, and support domestic demand can help maintain growth momentum.

ADB said the combined growth for the major industrial economies exceeded expectations, ticking up 0.1 percentage point to 1.5 percent in 2016. The growth forecast for 2017 is maintained at 1.8 percent, with robust consumer spending supporting the U.S. economy, and monetary policy and improved labor markets fueling growth in the euro area.

Japans expansion, meanwhile, will be buoyed by strong exports, despite a stronger currency, the report said. AP
President-elect Donald Trumps questioning of long-established U.S. policy toward Taiwan is sparking a growing backlash in China and warnings about a potentially dangerous disruption in relations between the worlds two largest economies.

Trump broke diplomatic precedent by talking on the phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-

wen on Dec. 2. Then, this past weekend, he said he might use Americas recognition of Beijing as leverage for gaining advantages in trade and other areas.

That is placing him perilously close to touching on Chinas bottom line that brooks no formal recognition of Taiwan or challenge to its claim to sovereignty over the island. A look at the highly sensitive issue of Taiwan in China-U.S. relations:

WHERE THE U.S. STANDS

A former Japanese colony, Taiwan was taken over at the end of World War II by the Chinese Nationalist forces, who then moved their government to the island after fleeing the mainland in 1949 ahead of the Communist victory in the Chinese civil war. Beijing threatens to use military force to unify with Taiwan.

Washington, which changed its recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, technically maintains only unofficial ties with Taiwan, although U.S. law requires the government to ensure that the island has the ability to defend itself and to treat all threats to it as issues of national concern.

The U.S. and China have signed three communiques that guide Washingtons approach to Taiwan policy, including acknowledging Beijings claim to the island and pledging to reduce weapon sales to Taiwan as long as China takes a peaceful approach to unification.

However, a pair of former officials with the George W. Bush administration, Dan Blumenthal and Randall Schriver, recently argued in favor of re-examining that approach, a move that would deeply unsettle those overseeing relations in both Beijing and Washington.

WHY IT MATTERS

Chinas bottom line is that it will not allow any formal U.S. recognition of Taiwans government or a change of position by Washington that would view the island as independent from China. China would likely respond to such a move by severing diplomatic ties and suspending cooperation with the U.S. across a wide range of military, economic and political issues.

Trumps statement is an act of incredible brinksmanship and hubris  something that threatens some four decades of diplomacy that has preserved peace and promoted prosperity, Boston University China expert Joseph Fewsmith said in an email.

Although Beijing has so far been restrained in its response, should Trump continue on this tack, China will react, and strongly, Fewsmith said.

China has cut off links with Taiwans independence-leaning leader since her election in January over her refusal to endorse Chinas claim that Taiwan and the mainland are part of a single Chinese nation. The number of Chinese tourists visiting the island has been drastically reduced and China has intervened to prevent Taiwans participation in international forums ranging from the International Civilian Aviation Organization to world police body Interpol.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

As Trump seeks to carry out campaign promises to rebalance trade with China, Taiwan will serve as an essential part of the mission, Miles Yu Maochun, an expert on Chinese politics at the U.S. Naval Academy, said in an email.

A re-evaluation of U.S. policy toward Taiwan might not be a bad thing if it more closely aligns with current realities, Yu said. At the time the U.S. broke official ties with Taiwan, the island was ruled by a military dictatorship that insisted it was still the sole representative government of all China. Today, Taiwan stands as a standard bearer for liberal, multi-

party democracy.

The Trump administration is a revolutionary departure from the established system of diplomatic nuances and strategic ambiguity, Yu said. As such, it may well ditch the mother of all diplomatic double-talk called the One China policy. Christopher Bodeen, Beijing, AP
Heres how billionaire Edwin Leong, one of Hong Kongs largest retail landlords, got around Hong Kongs new property curbs and saved almost USD17 million on his tax bill.

He managed to qualify as a first-time homebuyer, purchasing three luxury apartments on the Peak for HKD1.2 billion ($155 million) on the same day last month. Previously, Leong had held no real estate in his name  despite owning more than 300 other properties, including apartments, hotels and shopping malls, through his company, Tai Hung Fai Enterprises Co., and having an estimated net worth of $4 billion.

Wealthy buyers are finding legal ways around restrictions designed to cool home prices in the worlds least affordable city, where leaders are grappling to shrink a yawning wealth gap. Hong Kong property prices have risen to near-record highs and sales volumes have surged since Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying announced the latest round of curbs on Nov. 4, underscoring the challenges in taming the market.

Since the policies of C.Y. Leung were introduced, most of the tycoons have been finding ways around them, said Alan Wong, director of the Hong Kong market at Landscope Christies International Real Estate.

About 70 percent of new apartments sold since last months measures in Hong Kong have involved first-time buyers who qualified for the lower rate, compared with about 30 percent before the new tax was imposed, said Henry Mok, regional director of markets at Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. The government doesnt publish figures on buyers who purchase multiple homes.

Leung, who announced last week that he would not seek a second term, has been trying to quell discontent over high housing costs, a factor that led to student protests in 2014. The government has tried to increase supply by releasing more land for sale, although prices have continued to climb because of the influx of mainland Chinese developers seeking a toehold in Hong Kong.

Prices in the secondary housing market have risen 0.8 percent since early November to just 1.4 percent below a September 2015 record, according to Centaline Property Agency Ltd. Adrian Cheng, executive vice chairman of New World Development Co., said the company was seeing a higher percentage of first-time buyers than before the new tax.

Apart from the first-time exemption, another method employed by the wealthy involves buying a shell company that owns a property, which is treated as a share transfer and only incurs a stamp duty of 0.2 percent. If the company is registered offshore, the tax is zero.

Thats the tactic used in the Nov. 28 sale of a free-standing home with a yard and swimming pool in the Kowloon district that was appraised at HK$410 million, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange. If it had been sold as a home rather than through the British Virgin Islands-registered company that holds the property, the sale would have triggered 45 percent in taxes, including a flip tax because it was purchased earlier this year  a total of more than HK$180 million. Instead, the tax bill will be $0.

The buyer, China Soft Power Technology Holdings Ltd. whose chairwoman is mainland property developer Lin Yuehe, didnt respond to e-mail and phone requests for comment.

In 2011, more than half of Hong Kongs homes worth more than HK$20 million were sold via companies, according to government data. Although the practice was virtually halted after the government in 2013 began taxing companies buying properties at higher rates than individuals, thousands of properties are still held in this way and can offer significant tax savings when they are resold.

Wong from Landscope said he gets many requests from foreigners, mostly rich mainland Chinese, looking to buy one of these companies, as they would otherwise face the new 15 percent tax plus an extra 15 percent tax on non-permanent residents. In fact, the property agencys website promotes the practice.

Beat the stamp duty hike, the site says. Intimidated by the 15 percent stamp duty? No worries! Our key persons have sourced an array of properties that can be sold via share transfer (of course you will need a lawyer to handle the process).

Still, because due diligence on the companies can be costly and complicated, only about 5 percent of luxury homes are bought in this way, Landscopes Wong said.

Leongs purchase at the Mount Nicholson development, a mountain-nestled enclave where his units have four marble bathrooms, his and hers walk-in closets, and private elevator lobbies, set a record for the most ever paid per square foot for a property in Asia, according to Jones Lang LaSalle. By being able to pay a lower stamp duty for first-time buyers, Leong saved 10.75 percent in taxes. Leong, though his company, said he liked the prestigious address, while declining to comment on the tax savings.

Two of the new apartments are adjacent units on the 16th floor and could be combined into more than 8,700 square feet of living space for Leong as his principal residence, more than 10 times the average size of a Hong Kong apartment. The third apartment, measuring 4,566 square feet, is nine floors below and belongs to Leong and his family, his company said.

Last months new tax is the latest in a series of measures since 2011 aimed at making it easier for low-income families to get onto the property ladder while increasing the costs for investors and foreign buyers. These include a tax that penalizes people who resell within three years and an extra stamp duty of 15 percent for non-permanent residents.

The governments new 15 percent stamp duty replaced taxes ranging from 3 percent on homes worth less than HK$3 million to a maximum of 8.5 percent on those worth more than HK$21.7 million. The rates are half that for first-time buyers, which includes people who may have owned homes in the past but currently do not.

This is clearly a loophole, said Raymond Yeung, chief economist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. in Hong Kong. The government hadnt thought about this before they launched the measure.

Singapore, which has been successful in driving down home prices since rolling out curbs in 2009, also levies a 15 percent tax on foreigners and companies, while first-time homebuyers face lower stamp duties. Singapore and Hong Kong both define a first-time buyer as someone who currently does not own property in their name, regardless of whether they previously owned a home. Unlike Hong Kong, however, Singapore doesnt allow first-time, multiple property purchases at lower rates.

The government is trying to cool the market, but there is no evidence that previous measures have done that, David Webb, a Hong Kong-based shareholder activist who bought his own home 10 years ago through a company registered in the Seychelles. There has been a whole series of misguided measures that have not had their intended effect.

A spokesman for the governments Transport and Housing Bureau said the measures are beginning to have an effect.

More time is required before we can have a better assessment of the impact of the new stamp duty measure on the market, the spokesman, Leo Law, said in a e-mail. Nevertheless, market intelligence suggested that after the government announced the latest round of measures, the property market has shown signs of cooling down. Trading activities quietened down, and the uptrend in prices also slowed.

Still, nobodys talking about making getting around tax measures more difficult, said Denis Ma, head of Hong Kong research at Jones Lang LaSalle.

These are loopholes that havent been closed, and I dont think they can be, he said. Hong Kong prides itself on being a very free market, and government intervention is not very high. Frederik Balfour, Bloomberg
The decorations, medals and certificates of merit for 2016 were announced yesterday. Thirty-six individuals and organizations were awarded.

Former Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Cheong U and NPC Macau delegate Lei Pui Lam both received the Decoration of Honor  Golden Lotus, the highest award under the MSAR honors and awards system.

Kou Hoi In and Van Kuan Lok both received the Decoration of Honor  Silver Lotus.

Among other award recipients, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) head Helena de Senna Fernandes won the Medal of Merit  Tourism, while the Medal of Merit  Professions went to the Identification Bureau. In the field of education, the medals of merit went to Leong Lai and the University of Macau.

Veteran artist Mio Pang Fei and the Macau Artist Society both received the Medal of Merit  Culture.
Syrian government forces poised for the final sweep to take the last rebel holdouts in eastern Aleppo yesterday as the international community and aid agencies appealed that the lives of thousands of civilians who have nowhere safe to run be spared and that those fighting to capture the rebel enclave refrain from atrocities.

The dramatic appeals came a day after the Syrian military announced it now holds 99 percent of the former rebel neighborhoods of Aleppo, signaling an impending end to the rebels four-year hold over parts of the city as the final hours of the battle play out.

Retaking Aleppo, which has been divided between rebel- and government-controlled zones since 2012, would be President Bashar Assads biggest victory yet in the countrys civil war. Aleppo has long been regarded as a major gateway between Turkey and Syria.

But a government win in Aleppo does not end the conflict  significant parts of Syriaare still outside government control and huge swaths of the country are a devastated waste-land. More than a quarter of a million people have been killed.

The International Committee of the Red Cross in a statement yesterday urged all fighting in Aleppo to spare civilian lives. It said thousands of people with no part in the violence have literally nowhere safe to run.

In order for this to happen, we appeal to the parties to put humanity ahead of military objectives, said ICRCs head of delegation in Syria, Marianne Gasser, who is currently in Aleppo. We stand ready to oversee the implementation of any mutual agreement that puts civilians first. We cannot urge this strongly enough: this must happen.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement late Monday that he is alarmed over reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children, in the past hours in Aleppo. While stressing that the United Nations is not able to independently verify these reports, the U.N. chief said he conveyed his grave concern to the relevant parties.

Ban also said the U.N. underlines the obligation of all parties on the ground to protect civilians and abide by international humanitarian and human rights law, adding that this is particularly the responsibility of the Syrian government and its allies.

In Moscow, which has been Assads major ally in the war, the Defense Ministry said yesterday that Syrian forces now control more than 98 percent of Aleppo and the rebels are holding out a neighborhood roughly the size of 3 square kilometers.

Several Syrian opposition activists claimed government forces were carrying out summary killings of rebels in the streets in neighborhoods captured on Monday but the Syrian military denied the claims, saying such allegations were a desperate attempt to try gain international sympathy.

Turkeys Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus called for an immediate cease-fire and if that is too late, he called on the international community, European countries, regional countries and Turkey to organize an international aid convoy to people in need in Aleppo.

On Monday, staff members of the last remaining clinic in rebel-held territory in Aleppo huddled in a shelter as Syrian government forces pushed in. Those killed and wounded are left on the streets, said the clinics administrator, Mohammed Abu Rajab.

The collapse is terrifying, said Bassam Haj Mustafa, a rebel spokesman in contact with fighters in the city. Opposition fighters were doing their best to defend what is left, he added.

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said more than 60 civilians and fighters were killed in rebel-held neighborhoods of Aleppo on Monday alone. Bassem Mroue, Beirut, AP
The six-day International Film Festival & Awards  Macau (IFFAM) came to a close last night with the five-member international jury announcing the 10 awards bestowed on the Competition films.

Among others, the Best Film award went to The Winter, Best Director to Marco Martins for Saint George and Best Actor to Nuno Lopes for his role in the same film, and Best Actress to Lyndsey Marshal for her part in Trespass Against Us.

At a press conference after the award ceremony, four of the five-member international jury panel shared their thoughts on the winning Competition films and the decisions they had collectively reached. Last nights panel was comprised of Japans Makiko Watanabe, Hong Kongs Stanley Kwan, Giovanni Fulvi from Italy, and jury president Shekhar Kapur.

Festival organizers had instructed jury members that no one film was to be awarded more than one accolade. However, the jury decided to ignore the instruction and to grant the 10 awards to whichever of the 12 competing films they saw fit.

Portuguese-language film Saint George, directed by Marco Martins, was awarded twice, receiving the Best Actor (Nuno Lopes) and Best Director (Marco Martins) awards. The film was so strong for me and the actors [conveyed] such emotion, said Japans Makiko Watanabe about the film. I felt something in the story the film gave me something that sank in.

Jennifer Yu, who plays Kay in local production Sisterhood, directed by Tracy Choi, was the recipient of the Best Young New Actress award, while the Best Actress award went to Meanwhile, The Winter, directed by Argentinian filmmaker Emiliano Torres, was also highly praised by the jury during the press conference, receiving Best Film. I think we as a jury responded to the minimalism of the film, said Kapur, and in that minimalism we found ourselves deeply immersed within the story.

The film is gorgeous; every single frame is a perfect frame [] and the acting was excellent, added Fulvi. There was also an impending sense of danger that really unsettled me I had a very emotional reaction to the film.

Of all the competition films, [The Winter] had the least dialogue and the least [prominent] plotline, said Kwan, but cinema allows us to have the imagination to fill in what the film is trying to tell us. The Winter managed to do this amazingly.

Kapur commented on how difficult the decisions had been, with the various jury members challenging each other on which films deserved the 10 awards up for grab.

It has been a hard fight, he said last night. As the chairman I had to stop the jury members [from] beating each other up. What that means is that the films were really good, because otherwise you dont feel that passionate about them.

My only request to my fellow jury [members] was look at the films emotionally. Yes, you have a mind, but you also have a heart. And youre in Asia and Asia is all about the heart, he explained, before assessing that that was a mistake, because they did open their hearts and then I was in trouble!

Shorts online voting disputed

According to a statement from the organizers, a dispute over the voting process for the Macao Short Film Competition Award has meant that the announcement of the winner and the subsequent award presentation will be delayed until further notice. The online Organizing Committee will look into the matter with the Selection Committee in order to ensure a fair competition, the statement read. The poll was due to close at 11:59 p.m. on Monday night.

Kapur surprised by festivals success

Speaking to media on the red carpet ahead of the IFFAM award ceremony, jury president Shekhar Kapur said that the festival had been largely successful. Kapur also made suggestions for how the festival might develop in future years.

A film festival is a festival and that means it needs to be festive. Filmmakers the world over need to come to the festival and enjoy themselves, so gradually there will be other things that are added [to the next IFFAM]  not just films but [also] discussion groups, said Kapur. I think [the second edition of IFFAM] should expand and add more ideas and [activities] for filmmakers from China, the rest of Asia and all around the world.

I see Macau as an incredible opportunity, he added.

Kapur also made clear that he thought the people who [organized the festival] this year were fantastic. They did a great job [and] I was surprised by how good it was.

On the other hand, he said, a replacement for Marco Muller will be necessary. We need somebody who is experienced and has relationships with international filmmakers. Whoever takes over next time to select the films will have a difficult job on their hands, said Kapur. But its always difficult its never easy.
Delegates from the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA)  the host coordinators of the event  organized a series of activities to promote the 2017 Macao International Environmental Co-

operation Forum and Exhibition (MIECF) to the mainland and overseas environmental protection industries.

According to a statement issued by IPIM the two entities visited Portugal and Beijing earlier this month to organize such events in a bid to enhance the exhibitions effectiveness.

The 2017 MIECF will be held in the region from March 30 to April 1, 2017, under the theme Innovative Green Development for Sustainable Future.

During the visit to Portugal, a 2017 MIECF promotional seminar was held at the Macao Economic and Trade Office in Lisbon.

The statement noted that a number of networking activities were organized to strengthen the publicity of MIECF in Portugal. Secretary for Economy and Finance Leong Vai Tac, as well as representatives from various trade, economic and environmental protection associations in Portugal attended and participated in these activities.

IPIM also organized the MIECF roadshow activities in Matosinhos and visited environmental protection enterprises and invited them to participate in the event.

The Portugal section of the project commenced this year with the immediate objectives of collaborating in order to effectively access the mainland market and to invest in environmental technology transfer.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2017, MIECF aims to promote Macau as a co-operation and networking platform between the EU, China and Portuguese Speaking Countries.
They toil high on scaffolding, pouring concrete and twisting iron bars. At night, they squeeze into shipping containers with their husbands by the dozens to get some rest.

They are female migrant construction workers, a rarity in most parts of the world, but not in Thailand. The International Labor Organization said in a report released yesterday that more than 200,000 women from Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos work in Thailand, accounting for almost 40 percent of the migrant construction workers in the country.

By comparison, less than 9 percent of construction workers in the U.S. are women, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and a 1990 survey found that among 49 developing countries Thailand was the only one where women made up more than 10 percent of the construction workforce.

They work alongside men to smooth walls, lay bricks, and carry bags of cement on Bangkoks high rises and railway digs.

But their large numbers dont shield them from the same problems women in the workforce face around the world. Theyre paid less and trained less. Their shipping container homes provide little security from rowdy male workers. Having a husband for protection is almost a prerequisite.

Employers think of hiring women migrant workers as a package with their husbands, said Rebecca Napier-Moore, a co-author of the study. They dont value them as highly as men and think of them as secondary or tag-alongs.

For migrants building stadiums in Qatar or skyscrapers in Dubai, stringent salary requirements for family visas mean that young men tend to leave their families, working to feed mouths thousands of kilometers away in India, Pakistan and Nepal. But proximity and relatively porous borders allow Cambodians and Burmese to come together as a family to don hard hats in Thailand.

Thailands long land borders often run through remote areas, said Nilim Baruah, a migration expert at the ILO. Many migrant workers enter Thailand informally.

For decades, Thai law has required men and women to receive equal pay for equal work, but managers say that migrant women are paid less because they are less capable. Most women work as manual laborers, cleaning up the site or moving materials around, while men do more skilled work such as welding or masonry.

More than 70 percent of the women surveyed earned wages as low as $5.34 a day. Employers often dont pay on time, and will ask employees to lie about their wages on their contracts to get away with paying below the minimum daily wage of about $8.40.

Some women, eager to earn more, stick around for hours of overtime every day and live in fear of getting pregnant.

Thai labor legislation provides for 90 days of paid maternity leave, but many companies get around this by firing women if theyre discovered to be pregnant. Companies skirt safety regulations as well.

Women go up high places. The structures are makeshift. Boards are tied together. There is no safety equipment, like belts, said Thong Kham, a former construction worker. Its difficult and dangerous.

Though construction fatality statistics are unreliable, the ILO estimates that construction in developing countries is three to six times risker than in Western nations. But even though the dangers are high for both men and women, some women reported that men had safety equipment training that women were excluded from.

The perils dont stop with chemical burns and heavy machinery. At night, women retreat to company-provided container housing with clean water and electricity, but with dim lighting, thin walls, and no locks, prompting some to wire their doors shut, scared of the drunk men outside. Some rely on their husbands to keep them safe.

But the tough conditions havent stopped Cambodian and Burmese women from pouring into Thailand. Many like the relative freedom of construction work, where unlike household cooks and maids they arent on-call 24 hours a day. Dake Kang, Bangkok, AP
A total of 374 Macau residents were caught consuming drugs in the first half of this year, eight of whom are under the age of 21, the Narcotics Control Committee announced yesterday after its second plenary meeting of 2016.

According to the committee, the number of drug users decreased 4.6 percent year- on-year, and, most noticeably, drug users under the age of 21 saw a 43.8 percent drop compared to the same period of last year.

The youngest user is 16 years old, while the oldest one is 70 years old. About 18 percent of drug users are women, a slight increase compared to last years 16.3 percent. Thirty-five percent of drug users took methamphetamine, and 26.1 percent have reported that they have used heroin.

On average, they each spent MOP7,489 on drugs every month, which is a 3.8 percent decrease compared to 2015.

Around 67 percent used drugs in Macau, while 30.2 percent used them in mainland China. Among the youth, only 10 percent used drugs in mainland China.

Most drug users took drugs at home, and 21.7 percent took them at their friends homes.

As for the reasons behind the drug usage, 30.8 percent said that they used drugs after being influenced by their friends and 26.2 percent said they had sought to relieve pressure.

Almost 90 percent are from Chinese ethnicity, and 47.1 percent are single.

The committee discussed recent issues regarding the restrictions preventing minors from leaving Macau by themselves.

In relation to the aforementioned restriction, the head of the Department of Prevention and Treatment of Problem Gambling and Drug Dependence of the Social Welfare Bureau, Hoi Va Pou, stated that the committee considered that the amendment of the related law will account for public opinion, and that detailed plans will only be announced when the government and the public reach a consensus.

Hoi also stated that amendments involving the citys laws regulating drug-related issues will be discussed at the Legislative Assembly (AL) soon.

Once the amendment is passed in the AL, drug dealers, when caught, will be sentenced to jail for a minimum of five years, two more than the current three-year incarceration period. Drug users will face a maximum of one year in jail, compared to the current maximum sentence of three months.

During the meeting, the committee also arranged its schedules for next year.

In 2017, it will assign commissioners to inspect Macaus anti-drug service and facilities, visiting Guangdong to exchange experiences of these matters, as well as to organize their attendance of drug abuse prevention seminars in Hong Kong.
A Myanmar journalist was killed yesterday while reporting on illegal logging in the northwest of the country, police said.

The journalist who was killed was working for the local newspaper the Daily Eleven. We found bruises and injuries on his face and head. We are still investigating the incident and for the culprit, said Thein Swe Myint, a local police officer.

The journalist, Soe Moe Tun, was a local-based journalist in Monywa in the Sagaing region where he was killed. He had worked for the Daily Eleven, part of Eleven Media Group, since early 2015.

The Myanmar Journalist Network that represents journalists across the country released a statement expressing condolences to Soe Moe Tuns family. It urged the government to investigate the killing.

Journalists are often threatened in Myanmar because of their reporting, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said a statement last month that ending impunity on all the harassment against journalists is the most important step toward guaranteeing the safety of journalists.

In 2014, a freelance journalist Aung Kyaw Naing was shot dead by the military after being arrested while reporting on clashes between the military and an ethnic armed group on the Myanmar-Thai border. At least three other journalists have been killed recently in Myanmar, according to the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

This is the fifth case that a journalist has been killed since 1999, said Zayar Hlaing, a member of the Myanmar Press Council. The government must make sure there is no impunity for the culprits and the rule of law should be implemented.

The council said there have been life threats against another journalist reporting on illegal logging, and that local police had failed to act.

Zayar Hlaing said the police must act quickly because there had been examples of impunity in the past. Esther Htusan, Yangon, AP
The Philippine defense chief yesterday rejected a demand by communist guerrillas for government troops to withdraw from rebel-influenced communities in the countryside for the insurgents to extend a months-long cease-fire.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said troops would continue to be deployed in all rural areas where they have to suppress lawlessness and added that the New Peoples Army guerrillas cannot claim any part of the country as their territory.

They always say we are encroaching on their area. What areas are they talking about? Lorenzana said.

The president says you dont have any area, he said, addressing the Maoist guerrillas. This is the Republic of the Philippines.

The Communist Party of the Philippines warned Duterte last week that the guerrillas may be forced to end their cease-fire and resume fighting if he doesnt suspend the governments counterinsurgency program and withdraw troops from rebel-influenced areas.

If Duterte fulfills the demands by January and releases what the insurgents call political detainees through an amnesty, the rebel party said it can guarantee the cease-fires extension.

Duterte has separately declared an indefinite cease-fire, and the truce declarations by both sides have helped foster peace talks brokered by Norway.

New Peoples Army guerrillas, however, will be forced to engage troops if the president presses the militarys deployment of troops in what the rebels claim as guerrilla zones in the countryside, the outlawed party said in a statement.

While no fighting has erupted since both sides declared separate cease-fires in August, the Maoist guerrillas have complained that troops continued to be deployed in rebel areas to carry out surveillance and other counterinsurgency operations in what they say are violations of the governments own truce.

Lorenzana said he favored proposals for separate cease-fires declared by the government and for the rebels to be strengthened into a signed joint truce with mutually agreed terms that he hopes could restrict rebel crimes being continuously committed, including extortion.

Duterte has also said he would no longer support the release of more insurgents after he worked to free several rebel leaders, adding that he would maintain his position even at the risk of the peace talks being terminated by the guerrillas. The rebels, he said, has asked him to free 130 detainees.

I conceded too much too soon, Duterte told troops Sunday at a military camp. Ill lose my cards. I always release.

I said, Thats my limit. Now its up to you if youll terminate it  Ive freed all your leaders, Duterte said.

Battle setbacks, surrenders and infighting have weakened the rebel group, which is blacklisted as a terrorist organization by the United States.

A confidential Philippine government assessment obtained by The Associated Press says the guerrillas declined to 3,800 fighters with more than 4,500 firearms in the first half of the year, with about 700 of the countrys 42,000 villages affected by the insurgency. Jim Gomez, AP
Singapore and Malaysia signed a final agreement to build a high-speed rail that will link the city-state to Kuala Lumpur by December 2026.

The accord was signed yesterday in the presence of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his counterpart Najib Razak in Putrajaya, Malaysias administrative capital, paving the way for the development and execution of the 300-kilometer line connecting the two cities.

The long-envisioned plan, six years behind an earlier target, is aimed at trimming the land journey between the two Southeast Asian cities to 90 minutes, from about five hours now, with trains plying at a top speed of more than 300 kilometers an hour, the two governments have said.

The link, when commissioned, is set to challenge budget carriers such as AirAsia Bhd. and Singapore Airlines Ltd.s Tiger Airways, which fly passengers from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur in about an hour. The two countries will jointly award the tender for a development partner in early 2017, according to a statement from Singapore and Malaysian transport authorities.

The two countries had in 2013 set the deadline for completion of the rail link for the end of this decade, with Najib calling it a huge game changer that will transform the way the neighbors do business. Kyunghee Park, Chong Pooi Koon, Bloomberg
South Koreas conservative ruling party is on the verge of a split following President Park Geun-hyes parliamentary impeachment last week.

Kim Moo-sung, leader of anti-Park lawmakers in the Saenuri Party, yesterday called Park loyalists her political slaves in an escalation of harsh rhetoric between rival factions in the largest political party in South Korea.

He told a televised conference that he and fellow lawmakers are considering leaving the party to create a new political group.

The feuding has intensified after dozens of Saenuri Party lawmakers aligned with a coalition of liberal opposition lawmakers to impeach Park on Friday because of a scandal involving her longtime, shadowy confidante.

Park supporters in the party criticized anti-Park members for betraying the embattled leader and told them to leave the party.

Its really hard to tolerate the fact that some people, who had enjoyed all the benefits and political conveniences under the big Park Geun-hye roof, took the initiative in the impeachment in a harsher manner than opposition parties, Choi Kyung Kwan, a senior party member who served as Parks finance minister, said on his Facebook page Monday.

But Kim said it was Park who betrayed the public and the party, describing her ties with her loyalists as similar to those of gangsters.

Parks presidency will formally end if the Constitutional Court approves the impeachment. That would lead to an election to pick her successor.

If that happens, then the anti-Park lawmakers could try to establish a new political party involving outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and some liberal opposition politicians. Ban has not said if he would run for president, but opinion polls put him in second place behind Moon Jae-in, a former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, to replace Park.

The scandal resolves around allegations that Park allowed her friend of 40 years, Choi Soon-sil, to manipulate government affairs and extort money from businesses. Choi and several top presidential and government officials have been indicted over their alleged roles with the scandal. Park has avoided prosecutors questioning because she has immunity from prosecution while in office. Hyung-Jin Kim, Seoul, AP
SPAIN Police say they have arrested more than 200 people of Chinese origin in a crackdown on gangs that ran call centers that swindled 16 million euros from compatriots in China. A National Police statement yesterday said the gangs made contact with people in China, warning them of fraud scams, and later pretending to be police investigating the scams, convinced many of victims to put money in bank accounts run by gangs.

PHILIPPINES-CAMBODIA Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has arrived in Cambodia on a state visit, where a meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen will bring together two Southeast Asian leaders known for their tough-guy approach to governing.

THAILAND An Australian mining company says it is shutting down its gold mine in Thailand, laying off more than 1,000 workers, following a Cabinet resolution and an executive decree that cited environmental and health concerns. It said it will not come back unless it gets an ironclad guarantee from the government that it will be allowed to operate without interruption.

INDONESIA A female would-be suicide bomber arrested one day before her planned attack in Indonesias capital said she took orders from an Indonesian with the Islamic State group in Syria accused of orchestrating several attacks in the past year.

JAPAN A U.S. military Osprey aircraft crash-lands off Japans southern island of Okinawa after its propeller was damaged during refueling training, and all five crewmembers are rescued. More on p12

JAPAN-RUSSIA Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be the first G-7 leader to welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin for an official visit since Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014. Despite continued sanctions on Russia, Abe is eager to make progress on a 70-year-old territorial dispute that has kept their countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II.

PAKISTAN-INDIA Officials from the two countries say they will consider resuming direct talks on water sharing after the World Bank halted a process to arbitrate a longstanding dispute over two Indian hydroelectric projects.

SAUDI ARABIAs King Salman vowed yesterday to prevent other nations from intervening in neighboring Yemen, where it has been at war with Iranian-backed Shiite rebels since March 2015.

EASTERN EUROPE The United States has decided to accelerate the deployment of troops to Poland, the Baltic states and Romania as part of raising the security of the region, Polish and U.S. defense officials said yesterday.
4 art scholarships available

KETCHUM  Sun Valley Center for the Arts is currently accepting applications for its 2017 Scholarship Program.

Blaine County students and educators who are interested in furthering their education in the arts and humanities are invited to apply at sunvalleycenter.org. The deadline is Feb. 22.

The program features four scholarships made possible through money raised at The Centers Annual Wine Auction and private donations. Awards are based on artistic merit, application materials and financial need.

The Educator Scholarship is offered to educators in the Wood River Valley who work in public or private schools, teaching pre-K through 12th-grade. Teachers can use scholarship funds to support formal professional development in visual arts, performing arts or humanities.

The Gay V. Weake Scholarship is offered to college students majoring in the arts or humanities. These funds are to be used to cover tuition.

The High School Arts and Humanities Scholarship is designed for Blaine County high school students currently enrolled in grades 9 through 12 looking to further their artistic pursuits in the visual arts, performing arts or humanities.

The Ezra Pound Scholarship is given to a high school junior studying visual arts outside of the Wood River Valley during the summer before his or her senior year.

The Centers Scholarship Committee reviews applications to determine recipients. The Center will contact applicants once applications have been processed. For more information, call Sarah Stavros, education coordinator, at 208-726-9491 ext. 121 or sstavros@sunvalleycenter.org.
BURLEY  A Heyburn man entered a plea agreement in a case where prosecutors said as a teen he had sexual encounters with a girl who was as young as 9.

Cassia County Prosecutor Doug Abenroth said the behavior spanned nearly three years.

Gabriel Lara, 23, was charged with five felony counts of lewd conduct with a child. One count will be amended to injury to a child and remainder dismissed.

Lara entered an Alford guilty plea to the charge. An Alford guilty plea means he maintains his innocence but admits prosecutors likely have enough evidence to convict him.

Lara was 13 to 17 years old when police said he performed the sexual acts on the girl.

A sentencing hearing is set at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 31 in Cassia County District Court.

But according to the plea agreement, the prosecutor will recommend to the judge that Lara receive a 5 to 10 year suspended sentence and that he be placed on 10 years of probation.

He will serve 15 days in the county jail as a term of probation.

Under the agreement, Lara can recommend a different sentence but he will waive the right to appeal.

In court documents, Lara wrote that he was pleading guilty to the charge so it would be amended to injury to a child.
BURLEY  The third of three sisters that police say together stole $221,000 in public assistance benefits has taken a deal offered by the state.

Olivia Mercado Munoz, 38, has pleaded guilty to one count of felony public assistance fraud for obtaining public assistance by making false statements to Health and Welfare and not disclosing all income from July 2008 to April 2015.

Two counts of the same charge will be dismissed under the plea agreement.

Munoz is set to be sentenced Jan. 31 in Cassia County District Court.

Under the agreement, Cassia County Prosecutor Doug Abenroth will recommend a two to 14 years prison sentence and that Munoz pay $28,612 in restitution to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The plea agreement also says she must pay restitution to Cassia County to cover the cost of her jail time at a rate of $25 per day not to exceed $500 per case and restitution to the county for any extradition costs incurred in the case, now and in the future.

She will also not be able to apply for or receive public assistance benefits for herself until the restitution is paid.

She will be able to make her own sentence recommendation to the judge.

Munoz said in the plea agreement that she did not report to welfare what needed to be reported.

Her sisters Teresa M. Martinez, 36, and Conception Mercado Lopez, 34, have both been sentenced in their cases.

Lopez, was found guilty after a jury trial in May on a charge of felony public assistance fraud. She was sentenced to one to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $92,499 in restitution to Health and Welfare.

Martinez pleaded guilty to one count of felony public assistance fraud under a plea agreement and was sentenced to serve one to 10 years in prison with the sentence suspended. She was placed in the states Retained Jurisdiction program. Three counts against her were dismissed. She was ordered to pay $54,659 in restitution to Health and Welfare.
TWIN FALLS  An armed robbery suspect in custody at the Twin Falls County Jail broke a mirror and window, climbed out of his cell and took an inmate hostage by holding the jagged, broken mirror frame around the mans neck and throat, police said.

Jail deputies rushed to rescue the hostage when the inmate tried adjusting the mirror frame at the victims neck.

The incident will result in another batch of felony charges for Cody William James Meade, 26, a Tennessee man who has racked up six additional felony charges while in custody since he was arrested in May on suspicion of robbing an Oasis Stop N Go at gunpoint.

Meade was set to be arraigned Tuesday in Twin Falls County Magistrate Court, but the hearing was postponed a day. Hes expected to be charged with felony counts of aggravated battery, injury to jail and propelling bodily fluid or waste at a law enforcement officer.

Deputies say the incident happened about 8 p.m. Dec. 5, the same day Meade was arraigned on two new felony charges for allegedly spitting on detention deputies at the jail. Two deputies on patrol heard a loud crash before staff in the control center told them Meade had broken the window above his door  about eight feet off the ground  and was climbing out.

The deputies arrived in the area in time to see Meade pick up the broken mirror frame from the floor as well as the thin piece of metal that is used as the reflective part of the mirror, court documents said. Meade then lowered the mirror frame over the head of inmate Zane Murri and brought the mirror up to Murris neck in a manner as if he could cut his neck with it if he chose.

The deputies, standing behind a sliding door, yelled for Meade to stop, and Meade dared the deputies to open the door, one of them wrote in a sworn affidavit. When control-center staff opened the sliding door, the deputies slowly approached the two inmates.

Meade kept saying Ill cut him! Deputy Jurgen Mumm wrote in the affidavit. Meade yelled take another step! and kept threatening to hurt Murri if we came any closer  Meade said back up out of here, back the (expletive) up out of here now! At this point, Murris eyes were large and his face was pale. Murri kept looking at us and slightly moving his head back and forth to (assure) us that he was not part of the situation.

As other detention deputies began arriving, Meade threatened them too, court documents said, telling Sgt. James VanZante back the (expletive) up out of here, VanZante, because after I cut him, Im going to cut you too.

Murri, responding to deputies questions, said he was doing OK, although he was visibly scared and still looked worried about the whole situation, Mumm wrote.

Finally, deputies saw an opportunity and moved in.

At one point Meade lifted the mirror off of Murris throat so he could readjust it in his hands, Munn wrote. As soon as he lifted the mirror from Murris neck, VanZante rushed forward and grabbed the mirror. VanZante dropped the mirror to the floor and grabbed Meade by the right arm and the neck and secured him up against the wall.

The other deputies moved in too, ensuring Murri was unharmed and securing Meade, court documents said.

The incident, while Meades most violent yet, was just his latest at the jail since his May arrest. In July, prosecutors charged Meade with breaking a window in a room designed for attorney visits, and last week, the day of the alleged hostage-taking, Meade was charged with two felony counts for reportedly spitting on two detention deputies.

In total, Meade now faces seven felonies for robbery, aggravated battery, two counts of injury to jail and three counts of propelling bodily fluid or waste at a law enforcement officer. Hes scheduled for a preliminary hearing for the new charges Dec. 23, and is set for a hearing in the robbery case Monday.
IDAHO FALLS  In just over eight months, a crush of people will descend on eastern Idaho  likely more than the region has ever hosted at once.

They will come here because its expected to be among the best places in the nation to view the Great American Eclipse on the morning of Aug. 21. It will be the first total solar eclipse seen from the mainland U.S. in nearly four decades.

Eclipse chasers will fly from countries around the world, packing hotel rooms and campsites they booked months, or even years, in advance. Thousands more will make the decision to see the once-in-a-lifetime event only a few weeks or days beforehand, driving south from Montana or north from Salt Lake City. Attendance estimates have ranged wildly, from 50,000 people to 500,000.

Imagine the largest public gathering that ever occurred in your area, and multiply that by two? Or 10? It could be either, said Michael Zeiler, an eclipse expert and cartographer from Santa Fe, N.M., who runs the website greatamericaneclipse.com.

Government planning will ramp up in the coming weeks. On Wednesday, the city of Idaho Falls hosts a meeting of officials from eight regional counties to begin mapping out the event. It will include discussion of forming a regional Type 3 incident management team.

The team will include police, fire and public health officials who ensure everything from traffic, to emergency services and public information flows smoothly in the days around the eclipse, which falls on a Monday, city of Idaho Falls spokeswoman Kerry Hammon said.

Were inventing something unique, Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper said of the planning process. We have no way to really gauge how many visitors (well get).

The eclipse will pass over a 67-mile-wide path moving west to east across the country, covering a stretch of land between Shelley and Ashton. Casper said she has also been in touch with officials outside the path, including Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad, who also are expected to see an influx of visitors.

Hotel rooms in the Idaho Falls area long ago sold out, other than a few held open for regular non-eclipse business travelers, said Michelle Holt, CEO of the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce.

Hotels and other lodging options require four-night minimums around eclipse time, and will charge sometimes hundreds of dollars per night more than usual, said Tom Walsh, chairman of the Yellowstone Teton Territory, the tourism organization that covers six eastern Idaho counties.

Walsh, who runs the Hansen Guest Ranch in Swan Valley, said hes been booked for the eclipse since before summer. His guests include groups from Luxembourg, Germany, Canada, France, Australia and California. He said many are coming for the eclipse, then looking to tour the national parks, or do any number of other outdoor activities as part of a larger vacation.

Plenty of visitors will be staying outdoors, in a campground, open Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management land  and probably sometimes on private property, Walsh said.

People are probably going to be putting a tent out in a pasture somewhere, Walsh said. Im serious. Thats going to happen.

Casper said the city is considering opening Sandy Downs or other public spaces around the city to camping. City officials also are starting to think about logistics such as renting dozens of portable toilets in advance, and setting up areas for RVs to dump their waste, she said.

Zeiler, the eclipse expert, created an interactive map that shows where major U.S. population centers are most likely to go to watch the eclipse, based on driving distance. Eastern Idaho could be among the busiest, considering its proximity to Interstate 15.

To the south, eclipse goers will come here from Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix and parts of southern California, due to the faster drive time. To the north, the Idaho Falls area is also the logical place to see the eclipse if you live anywhere in western Montana  or even the Canadian cities of Calgary and Edmonton.

The interstate acts as a funnel for many millions of people, many of whom wont make a decision (on where to see the eclipse) until a week before, or even a day before, their trek, Zeiler said.

A higher probability of clear weather is another factor that may convince people to see the eclipse in eastern Idaho over other locales, Zeiler said. For experienced eclipse watchers like himself, the region between Nebraska and Oregon is the sweet spot because the weather is more likely to cooperate, he said. Websites such as eclipsophile.com are devoted to helping predict clear weather on Aug. 21.

It will have been 99 years since the last total solar eclipse traced the length of the U.S. The last time an eclipse traced an extended track over such a populated area as the 2017 version was a European eclipse in 1999, Zeiler said.

Zeiler watched it from Austria  one of eight eclipses hes seen around the world  and recalls large crowds. But he said even that eclipse attendance is hard to compare to the coming American version: We didnt have social media, or a mature internet at the time.

Social media is going to go nuts in the days and months leading up the eclipse, he said.

Where does Zeiler plan to take in the eclipse next summer? Probably eastern Idaho. But hell be watching the weather closely, he said, and will prepare to drive hundreds of miles in either direction, at the last minute, to ensure he doesnt miss it.

Its unlike anything else youve ever seen in your life, Zeiler said he tells eclipse newbies. You will just be stunned at the spectacle, and it will affect you at a very primal level. Its a deeply emotional event.
TWIN FALLS  A fifth-grader at Sawtooth Elementary School in Twin Falls is the winner of the Idaho Department of Educations holiday card contest, the department announced Tuesday.

Kylee Thiel drew a penguin with a scarf, surrounded by presents. Her artwork will be featured on the Idaho Department of Educations holiday greeting card.

Shell also receive a certificate and copies of the card.
September 19, 1925 - December 11, 2016

Our sweet Ruthie, Ruth Ellen Sweat Swainston, went peacefully home to our Heavenly Father on December 11, 2016 at the age of 91.

Ruth was born, the seventh child, to David Sweat and Cora Moore Sweat in Jerome, Idaho on September 19, 1925. David passed away that same year, and Cora was remarried to his older brother, Uncle Bob, the following year. They then added one more little girl to the family. In 1928, the family moved to Richfield, Idaho where they had a large, nine-bedroom home west of town, but there was no electricity or running water. Ruth learned early the value of hard work, thrift, and self reliance growing up during a difficult time.

When she was a freshman in high school, Ruth contracted Polio and had to stay in the hospital in Twin Falls in an isolation ward with seven others. She was the only one there who escaped paralysis.

Albert Ross Swainston moved to Richfield with his family in 1940, and the two met in school. Ross told a classmate that he thought Ruth was cute, and it was quickly relayed to her. It didn't take long for them to become a couple. They were married in Gooding, Idaho on April 29, 1943 and weathered WWII together.

The couple had three children; two boys, Ross Wyn and Gary, and then finally a little girl, Rhonda, almost ten years later for whom Ruth loved to sew beautiful dresses. She lost her beloved Ross to cancer in 1980, and we are sure her reunion with him was a sweet one.

Ruth was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and she served in many capacities over the years. Her favorite, though, was probably her five years of teaching early morning seminary to the youth.

Over the years Ruth had many jobs to help make ends meet. She worked as a caregiver, City Clerk, gas station owner with Ross, cheese seller for Ward's Cheese, janitor for the LDS Church, and more.

Ruth earned the nickname Red with her fiery personality and her lovely red hair. She was always encouraging others, and loved to tell us to, Grin n bear it! Most importantly, Ruthie was an amazing, inspiring, and loving wife, sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. Her sweet spirit and uplifting smile will be missed by all.

Ruth was preceded in death by her parents and all seven siblings as well as her husband, A. Ross Swainston, her son, Gary Swainston, her daughter-in-law Nancy Estock Swainston, and her grandsons, Glade Brawn Swainston and Ross Lee Setser.

She is survived by her son Ross Wyn Swainston, her daughter-in-law Carol Swainston, and her daughter and son-in-law, Rhonda Kae and Don Setser, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, December 17, 2016 at the Richfield Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, with viewing beginning at 10:00 am. Graveside services will conclude at the Richfield Cemetery, Richfield, Idaho.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on Ruth's memorial webpage at www.farnsworthmortuary.com.
This appeared in the Idaho Statesman:

To procrastinate is human, but to really lose track of progress and what is right requires a concerted and warped federal government hell-bent on deferring to the politics of gridlock in lieu of justice.

There is an unfortunate example of this right now amid the circumstances swirling around the fate of Pocatellos David C. Nye, whom President Barack Obama nominated back in April to a federal judgeship in the District of Idaho.

Within days of that nomination our two Republican Senators, Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, chimed in and agreed with their Democratic president that Nye  now serving in the Sixth District Court of Idaho  was an excellent choice and ought to be approved by the Senate.

Crapo and Risch introduced Nye to the Senate Judiciary Committee back in June, and that body approved him on July 14 without dissent. Everybody, including us, is supportive of Nye, but nobody has been able to push him over the finish line and put him to work for Idaho  who desperately needs him.

Idaho only has two such judgeships (and has a great argument for a third), and the man occupying one of them, Judge Edward Lodge, announced his pending retirement two years ago. He went on senior status in 2015 and he just turned 83. He is doing his best to perform his duty  and waiting for the U.S. Senate to do its duty.

August came, the campaigns for the federal elections came and went, and so did the start of the so-called lame-duck session of Congress following the Nov. 8 election. Nye, and many other judges awaiting confirmation by the Senate, languish in the kind of limbo that only gridlock can create.

Carl Tobias, an ardent observer of the Senate and federal judges who is also a law professor at the University of Richmond, aptly framed the judicial crisis that Idaho and other states face because the Senate has failed to do its job. In an opinion piece Tobias wrote last month about the situation in Idaho he stated: The District currently has one vacancy in two active judgeships. This means that the court lacks 50 percent of its active judicial complement, which frustrates efforts to promptly, inexpensively and fairly resolve disputes. Because criminal prosecutions receive precedence under the Speedy Trial Act, litigants participating in civil suits experience difficulty securing trial dates and concluding their litigation. . . Senate leadership has been signaling for days that its lame-duck agenda has only one more item before adjournment until the 115th Congress convenes in January  the passage of a funding continuing resolution, which, as of this writing, the chamber was considering Friday.

Why not take 10 minutes to confirm Nye and others for the federal bench and allow them to get to work? Among the theories is that Senate Republican leadership and the rest of the world would be reminded of the GOPs obstinance to not even consider Obamas nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Merrick Garland.

We are unconcerned about face-saving  and only hoping for justice, which will have to wait.

If 2016 ends without Nyes confirmation, well all have to pray that President-elect Donald Trump will re-nominate him in 2017 and he can come on board with Senate confirmation. It sounds so simple, doesnt it?  unless, of course, some new distraction allows Nyes fate to once again slip into the abyss of Senate neglect.

What are the chances of that?
As a journalist of my acquaintance joked on Twitter this week, Im so old that I remember when it was dangerous and unpatriotic to question the validity of election results. Ah, yes. Those halcyon days, back when Hillary Clinton said that to not accept the results of an election was a direct threat to our democracy. In the modern political era, thats a lifetime ago. Six weeks ago.

In the course of that lifetime, Clinton lost an election she had been widely expected to win. And then last weekend, The Washington Post broke the news that a secret CIA assessment had concluded that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency, rather than just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, according to officials briefed on the matter.

These conclusions seem to be somewhat contested within the intelligence community, but that didnt stop social media from lighting up with calls for the Electoral College to overturn the results of the election. Most of this was probably the sort of idle chatter that used to fill barrooms instead of newsfeeds after elections, but I saw some sober, serious people I respect arguing that this completely delegitimized Trumps presidency, and at least one person say Trump hadnt really won. Now John Podesta, former chairman of the Clinton campaign, has joined electors urging that the Electoral College be given an intelligence briefing before they vote.

Democrats were right the first time. It is dangerous and unpatriotic to suggest that you wont abide by the results of an election, either by lobbying to overturn the vote through some procedural trick, or by declaring that the victor has no real right to execute the functions of the office.

Im no fan of Trump, so its not self-interest when I say he should receive the Electoral Colleges support and become president.

And Im troubled by the allegations that Russia is working to destabilize or sway U.S. elections, so its not that I see these latest allegations as no big deal. Theyre a big deal. But they dont undermine the outcome of the election.

If it became known, for example, that Russia had tampered with the voting machines so as to make them record phantom votes for Trump, I would support throwing out the results and calling another election. If the intelligence community had hard evidence that the Trump campaign had conspired with Russia to hack the Democratic National Committee, then I would be the first to call for indictments of those involved  or for impeachment and removal of the president-elect, if he knew.

But thats not what is being alleged, as far as I can tell. What is alleged is that Russia hacked the DNC and released information intended to make Clinton look bad. Thats a criminal act, and we should prosecute anyone we can get onto U.S. soil. On the other hand, its poor grounds for invalidating an election. The American voter had too much information about the Democrats is not a ringing slogan with which to argue that their party should really have won.

Short of invalidating the election outcome, what can be done? I share the horror at the thought of Russian meddling, and I too would like something to be done. But its rarely constructive policy to set out to just do something in reaction to a horrifying event; you have to do a specific thing, ideally with good reasoning behind that specific thing. And you need to take care that that specific thing does not create problems even worse than the one it was meant to address.

For example, at a panel last week, I was asked what we should do about fake news. Much of the audience was unhappy with my answer: Nothing. Im not too happy with it either. But this sort of news is often hosted outside the U.S., and it propagates through multiple channels  websites, e-mail, social media. Imagine the government apparatus youd have to create, and the powers youd have to give it, to prohibit people from sharing links to those websites with one another. Then imagine what could be done with those sorts of powers. By someone like Trump. Better to do nothing about the problem of fake news than to create an even worse problem.

So it is with this election result. Theres good reason that weve never let faithless electors nullify an election. The democratic nation-state is not a natural institution. It takes a lot of work, and a fair amount of magical thinking, to get 300 million people to the point where (most of the time) they will abide by sweeping decisions made by far-away people theyve never personally met.

The value of this is rarely much appreciated by the losing side, but it is the same emotional logic that guides the legal doctrine of stare decisis, which is to say that stuff that already got decided stays decided, even if the decision wasnt necessarily very good. Sometimes we get stuck with some real stinkers of election results and judicial decisions. But the alternative is even worse: a nation in which no one can ever plan or move forward, because nothing is ever final.

While a mutable past may seem splendid at the moment when your opposition controls the immediate future based on that decision, wise citizens know that not long from now, there will come a moment when your party gets to run the future for a while  and if you wont accept the results of the elections you lose, then your opponents wont either. When a country reaches this state, things get pretty bleak, pretty fast.

Our sacred norm has already been tested in recent years, from the left-wingers who called Bush the President Select to the conservatives who said that Obama was not my president. But this is minor grumbling compared to what youd see if the Electoral College went into a secret intelligence briefing and came out with a president other than the one who won the vote.

If the intelligence community has serious evidence that election machines were tampered with, or that the Trump campaign actively conspired with Russia to commit a felony, than that information should certainly be given to the Electoral College. But it should also be given to the rest of the American public, so that we can debate whether these circumstances rise to the extraordinary level required to invalidate an election, either through the Electoral College or through impeachment.

However, if all they have is information that was widely available to the American public before the election  that someone, probably Russia, hacked the DNC and released stolen e-mails  combined with the speculation that Russia really, really wanted Trump to be president, then the electors should stick with Trump. And Democrats should say He is my president  even if they have to say it through gritted teeth.

American voters had their chance to disagree with Russia, and didnt take it. Maybe the deciding votes in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania were swayed by those DNC e-mails. Maybe not. Regardless, their vote is sacred. And if we dont keep it that way, then the gates of political hell yawn wide indeed.
Tug-of-War on the case alone for over a decade. Capricious leaders versus Stakeholders and Prelates. likened to the battle between Good and Evil. Photo taken at Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Marinduque with parties involved.

by Asingh, Asian Pacific Post





A plan to pursue the multimillion-dollar suit against a global mining firm Barrick Gold Corp is headed for the Canadian courts, after a US court ruled that it was the wrong jurisdiction to hear the claim.

The plan has gained the support of the Catholic Church and civil society groups in Marinduque province to recover the cost of damage left by the 1996 mine tailings spill, tagged as the worst mining tragedy in the Philippines, reported the Inquirer.

The provincial board of Marinduque, in June, issued a resolution to refile the case in a Canadian court against the Toronto-based Barrick Gold Corp., the company that absorbed Placer Dome, the parent company of the defunct Marcopper Mining Corp.

In 1996, one of Marcoppers drainage tunnels gave way, unleashing about 200 million tons of tailings into Boac River. Traces of mine wastes are still visible in the water today.

The Marinduque provincial government, in 2005, filed a $100-million class suit against the mining company at the Nevada district court in the United States.

But after 10 years of court proceedings, the Nevada State Supreme Court threw out the case for forum non conveniens, meaning the US was a wrong jurisdiction to hear it.

In 2014, Barrick Gold offered a $20-million settlement but the Marinduque provincial board turned it down after it felt that the amount was not enough to compensate for the environmental damage wrought by the mining disaster on the island.

While the decision to reopen the case in Canada drew support, various groups in the province were divided as to whether they would continue engaging the services of law firm, Diamond McCarthy.

The US-based firm originally represented the Marinduque government under a contingency arrangement, meaning it would be paid a fraction of whatever the court awards the province once a resolution or a settlement is reached.

In a letter on Oct. 13, Marinduque Gov. Carmencita Reyes asked the provincial board to grant her the authority to enter into another contract with the firm for the immediate filing of suit in British Columbia or Ontario.

Reyes also sought authority to sign an agreement with the New York-based Parabellum Capital LLC as a third party funder. The purpose of a funder is to shoulder the costs during litigation, she said.

But the Marinduque Council for Environmental Concerns (Macec) opposed Reyes move to continue engaging lawyers from Diamond McCarthy saying it is unnecessary and costly.

We remain positive and we support the intention of the provincial government to refile the case in Canada, but we strongly oppose the continuous engagement of Diamond McCarthy  for the case, it said.

Macec instead urged the provincial government to directly engage the services of Canadian firms [or] lawyers for the case.

The Marcopper Mining Disaster occurred on March 24, 1996 on the Philippine island of Marinduque, a province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region in Luzon. It remains one of the largest mining disasters in Philippine history.

A fracture in the drainage tunnel of a large pit containing leftover mine tailings led to a discharge of toxic mine waste into the Makulapnit-Boac river system and caused flash floods in areas along the river.

One village, Barangay Hinapulan, was buried in six feet of muddy floodwater, causing the displacement of 400 families. Twenty other villages had to be evacuated. Drinking water was contaminated killing fish and freshwater shrimp. Large animals such as cows, pigs and sheep were overcome and killed. The flooding caused the destruction of crops and irrigation channels. Following the disaster, the Boac River was declared unusable.

Gina Lopez. From environmental activist to

environmental secretary of the Philippine government .





The plan to pursue the Marcopper case in Canada comes as Philippines continues an unprecedented crackdown on mining operations that was ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte.

A dozen more Philippine mines, mostly nickel projects, are now in danger of being suspended in in the ongoing environmental crackdown on the sector.

The Southeast Asian nation is the worlds top nickel ore supplier, and is the top supplier of nickel ore supplier to China.

The new government launched a review of the countrys 40 metallic mines on July 8.

Eight of the 10 suspended by end-August produced nickel ore, and the closures and the risk of more mines being shuttered lifted nickel prices to a one-year last month.

Duterte earlier warned he could cancel mining projects causing environmental harm, though he told business leaders he was not against mining per se.

"But in making money out of the precious metals of the earth that belongs to the Filipino people, you have to do it right," he told businessmen.

The country's mining sector, one of the world's largest in the 1970s, has since struggled partly due to tougher environmental rules and rebel attacks missing much of the mining boom in recent decades and now facing much lower commodity prices.

The crackdown is led by Gina Lopez, the anti-mining activist who is now Philippines environment secretary.

Lopez was earlier quoted as saying mining can cause suffering among the poor and has described it as "madness" even to consider open pit mining because of the environmental impact.

"We must stop killing our future for the interests of a few", said Lopez, a staunch environmentalist. The country has suffered mining disasters, including a 1996 tailings leak at Canadian-owned Marcopper Mining Corp's copper mine in Marinduque that contaminated rivers.

Ramon Adviento, senior vice president at Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc, the Philippines' second-biggest nickel ore miner, said the industry was "shell shocked" by Lopez' appointment.

"I don't think it means the death of the industry, but what we expect to see is the survival of the fittest," he said, adding that there could be a nationwide crackdown on irresponsible miners, likely targetting small-scale producers.

Miners say hardline policies could backfire particularly as the Philippines has become the biggest nickel ore supplier to China after previous top exporter Indonesia banned shipments of unprocessed minerals, shipping 34.3 million tonnes last year.

Mining contributes less than 1 percent to the Philippine economy. Of 9 million hectares identified by the government as having high mineral reserves, only 3 percent is being mined.

US activists rally outside the Nevada Supreme Court at the height of the Marinduque vs Barrick Gold. The case was thrown out after 10 years as US was wrong jurisdiction with parties urged to pursue it in Canada. File photo.
The Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for the Sunday suicide bombing in a Coptic cathedral in Cairo that killed at least 25 people and injured more than 49.

In a message posted online through its media, Amaq, IS warned that every infidel and apostate in Egypt and everywhere should know that our war  continues.

Prior to the statement, Egyptian authorities linked the attack to the banned Muslim Brotherhood and identified the suicide bomber as 22 year old Mahmoud Shafik Mohamed Mostafa who had been arrested at a Muslim Brotherhood protest in 2014 before being freed on bail after two months. IS identified the suicide bomber as Abu Abdallah al-Masri; a nom de guerre.

The Interior Ministry stated that financial and logistical support for the bombing was provided by leaders of the Brotherhood as it claims that Mahmoud joined a cell led by Mohab Mostafa Sayyed Qassem, a militant with links to IS fighters in Northern Sinai and exiled Brotherhood officials in Qatar.

Sundays attack was the deadliest militant attack on Egyptian civilians in years and the countrys worst act of sectarian violence since the bombing of another Coptic church in Alexandria in 2011. The government is strongly being blamed for failing to protect the Egyptian Copts who account for around 10% of the population as they continue to deplore the systematic discrimination they face in the country. Cairo usually blames the Muslim Brotherhood for trying to destabilize the country by supporting and funding attacks while it struggles to contain extremist groups in the Sinai Peninsula.

Human rights group have criticized President Abdel Fattah al-Sisis poor human right records but the government has often been swift in denouncing their allegations.

The Islamic State group emerged in 2014 and it has proven to be one of the deadliest extremist groups in the Middle East and North Africa.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco chaired Tuesday at the Royal Palace in Casablanca, the first meeting on the giant gas pipeline project that will go up from Nigeria to Morocco via several West African countries.

This landmark project, the biggest in West Africa, was announced during the latest visit of the Moroccan Sovereign to Abuja wherein he conferred with President Muhammadu Buhari.

This first meeting was attended by top royal advisors, Head of Government Abdelilah Benkirane and several members of the Moroccan cabinet as well as by Nigerian presidential advisor Ahmed Abubakar Rufai and senior officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Nigeria Gas Processing and Transportation Company (NGPTC).

The meeting, convened at the royal palace, shows the great importance King Mohammed VI grants to this project. It looked into the concrete steps to be made to turn this huge regional strategic project into reality. Talks focused on technical feasibility study and the projects funding, says a statement released by the Royal Office.

This strategic gas pipeline is expected to go along the coast from West Africa, starting from Nigeria and stretching all the way up to Morocco and into Europe eventually.

This ambitious project will help create an integrated North-West African zone, enabling the region to achieve energy independence, speed up electrification projects and give a new impetus to economic and industrial activities in the region, adds the Royal cabinet statement.

Following the official visit paid by King Mohammed VI to Nigeria Dec. 1-3, a joint statement was issued underlining the two Heads of States determination to boost partnership within the frame of South-South cooperation serving Africas development.

During the royal visit to Nigeria, Moroccan Phosphates Office (OCP) signed a deal with Dangote Group to build a fertilizer production complex in Nigeria.

Several other cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding were also inked. These agreements deal with partnership projects in agriculture, transports, port, energy, finance, banking/insurance, culture, tourism etc.

The two countries also agreed to waive visa requirements for diplomatic, official and service passport holders.
President Rouhani of Iran has ordered the countrys scientists to develop a peaceful nuclear program to be used in marine transportation while accusing the U.S. of breaching the nuclear agreement reached between the so-called P5+1 and Tehran with the renewal of the Iran Sanctions Act by the Senate.

The announcement made on Tuesday raised eyebrows in some quarters but Washington stated that it does not run counter to the international agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Rouhani wants work on planning the design and production of nuclear fuel and reactors for maritime transport to begin the soonest. He also underlined that while Tehran continues to abide by the agreement, it will react against any violation of the nuclear deal by other parties. Under the agreement, Iran is not allowed to enrich uranium above 3.67% purity for 15 years, a level unlikely to be enough to run such vessels.

The new program is likely to receive Russias support as a source in its foreign ministry stated that it does not violate the agreement because it will only be developing power-supply units for nuclear-powered marine vessels, and there is no suggestion in the letter about enriching uranium to higher levels.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the announcement made by President Rouhani gives an unprecedented insight into any countrys nuclear program and allows us to verify their ongoing compliance with that program. Our expectation is that as they undertake these kinds of research and development efforts, theyll do so consistent with their international obligations, he said.
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.
Four African heads of state landed in The Gambia on Tuesday with a mission to persuade President Yahya Jammeh to acknowledge his defeat in the recent presidential election and cede power to opponent Adama Barrow, who was officially declared the winner.

Jammehs party has vowed to challenge the December 1 vote result in court, leading to an avalanche of international condemnation and multitude of calls for him to step down.

Jammeh also demanded fresh polls to be conducted by what he called an impartial and God-fearing electoral commission.

After Tuesday meeting, Nigerias Buhari said Jammeh had been receptive of the ECOWAS leaders.

Local sources indicated that Jammeh has been demanding a power-sharing arrangement with the winner of the presidential election, Adama Barrow.

Only days ago, Jammeh blocked President Johnson Sirleafs plane from landing in the country. His decision not to step down, which has drawn criticism around and beyond the continent, has raised tension and fears of a possible breakout of violence in the tiny West African country.

We have not come to an agreement; we have come to help the Gambians to organize the transition. It is not something that can be accomplished in a single day, we have to work on it, Mrs Sirleaf told the press after meeting Jammeh and winner of the polls, Adama Barrow separately.

Despite the crisis talks with Jammeh, Marcel de Souza, ECOWAS commission president, said the deployment of troops could be a possible recourse if diplomacy failed.

We have done it in the past, de Souza told French media.

We currently have troops in Guinea-Bissau with the Ecomib mission. We have had troops in Mali. And therefore it is a possible solution.
The secretary general of Kenyan Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Dr Ouma Oluga, on Tuesday said, they would not resume operations, if the government fails to implement 300 per cent salary hike, as it was agreed upon in the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2013.

The move comes as the Employment and Labor Relations Court of the East African nation has declared the ongoing strike illegal and ordered the striking doctors and nurses to go back to work.

According Dr Ouma Oluga, they would stop at nothing until their pleas are heard. He castigated possible arrests for defying the Court order.

Medics in the private sector also said they would join the strike in solidarity with their public counterparts.

At least 14 patients have reportedly died in public hospitals since the strike began, according to Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday.

Kenyan doctors have long complained about low pay, and thousands have moved abroad for higher paying positions. Kenyans commonly criticize politicians for seeking medical treatment outside the country, demonstrating they have no faith in medical care in their home nation.

The Kenyan government offered 500 dollars pay increase to the lowest paid doctors, which would have raised their salaries. But unions rejected the offer and walked out of talks once again.
Some fifty Gambian professionals, mostly living or working abroad, have invited their countrymen and countrywomen to peacefully resist outgoing President Yahya Jammehs attempt to subvert their democratic will as expressed during the December 1st elections.

In a statement released on Tuesday (December 13, 2016) the expatriate professionals called upon Gambians to stay at home and refrain from going to work or school until the outgoing President Jammeh reverses his decision and peacefully hands over power to President-elect Adama Barrow.

The statement signatories explained that, President Jammehs statement constitutes a blatant disregard for, and an attempt to subvert the democratic will of the Gambian people. It is yet another manifestation of his contempt for the Gambian Constitution, which clearly envisages a peaceful transfer of power to the winner of democratic elections.

The December 1st elections were free, fair, transparent and credible by all international standards. They reflect the will of the Gambian people that elected Adama Barrow as President and put an end to tyranny, abuse of power and human rights violations over the past two decades, the statement said.

The signatories also reminded their brothers and sisters in uniform of their solemn obligation to show fidelity to the Constitution, and to serve and defend The Gambia and her people without regard to political affiliation. Anyone who uses violence against the peaceful citizens of The Gambia will be held individually accountable for their actions.

The Gambian diaspora members expressed appreciation to the governments of Senegal and the United States of America, to member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) and the United Nations for the support and solidarity they have shown to Gambians, since outgoing President Jammeh rejected the December 1st elections results.
There's new hope for patients with liver disease who are waiting for a donor liver to become available for transplantation. Doctors at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City have found a way to safely use a damaged liver to replace a dying liver, then cure the damaged liver of its disease. Credit: Intermountain Medical Center

There's new hope for patients with liver disease who are waiting for a donor liver to become available for transplantation.

Doctors at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City have found a way to safely use a damaged liver to replace a dying liver, then cure the damaged liver of its disease.

Intermountain Medical Center is the first transplant center in the nation to use a revolutionary approach for saving the life of patients who are on death's door.

This year over 13,000 people will be added to the liver transplant waiting list of around 17,000 people; however only 7,000 received a transplant in 2016. This creates an enormous supplydemand mismatch and results in about 1,500 people dying each year while waiting and another 1,700 being removed for getting too sick before they see their opportunity.

"We're excited about the possibilities this opens when it comes to providing life-saving treatment to some of the sickest patients waiting for a liver transplant," said Richard Gilroy, MD, medical director of the Liver Transplantation Program at Intermountain Medical Center. "We are able to make what were felt damaged goods work and sometimes far better than we ever thought we could. This outcome means more people can be saved before they get too sick and allows them to move back to an active life sooner."

During the procedure, the patient's dying liver is removed and a liver with hepatitis C virus infection is transplanted into the recipient. Following the transplant surgery, the patient begins undergoing treatment to cure them from the hepatitis C virus that was carried over from the organ donor via the liver.

Once treatment is complete, the patient is cured of hepatitis C and their new liver functions properly. What is ironic about this is the fact that hepatitis C is the most common indication for a liver transplant nationally. Because of this, multiple methods are in place to assure that the patient receives a "safe" hepatitis C liver.

Earlier this year, Lorenzo Swank's health was quickly declining. In 2010, he was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, or PSC, which slowly damages the bile ducts in his liver, causing bile to build up in the liver and damage liver cells. There is no cure for PSC.

In 2013, Swank was added to the liver transplant waiting list and went almost three years with no major issues. But in May 2016, his health was declining yet again.

"Getting a transplant was the only solution that would allow me to overcome PSC," said Lorenzo Swank, recipient of a hepatitis C positive liver who has since been cured of the virus. "If I had not received the hepatitis C positive liver, I was weeks, if not days away from dying. Now my doctors are telling me I can get back to my regularly scheduled life."?

Following Swank's transplant, he began treatment for the disease that was carried over from the liver donorhepatitis C. Following the treatment for the disease, which was developed by a research team led by Intermountain Medical Center transplant physician Michael Charlton, MD, late last year, Swank has been deemed hepatitis C free.

One other patient underwent the same transplant procedure using a hepatitis C positive liver and is currently undergoing the treatment regimen for hepatitis C.

"Giving a curable disease to a patient is a lot better than letting them die from an incurable disease," said Dr. Gilroy. "We feel this new method will save many more lives by increasing the number of available donor livers to those on the liver transplant wait list."
Individuals with mild cognitive impairment have a new resource in Pittsburgh with the recently established Brain Training and Exercise (BRiTE) mind and body wellness program, developed by a team of clinicians and scientists at the University of Pittsburgh with expertise in cognition and behavior. The program works to stimulate the brain and body of those with known or suspected cognitive impairment with the goal of improving overall health and wellness.

"There already are effective and well-developed programs that provide home care and nursing homes that benefit individuals with more advanced disease, yet there is little available for individuals with very mild cognitive deficits," said James T. Becker, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, neurology and psychology at Pitt. "The BRiTE program provides these individuals with the opportunity to maintain their active occupational and social lifestyles."

The BRiTE program is housed in an 800-square-foot space in Oakland, which is equipped with padded carpeting for physical activity. Stations around the room can be configured to host various classes, including cognitive strategy, music, art and yoga training among others. All activities are designed to reduce frailty, increase strength and endurance and improve balance and stability.

All program participants undergo an initial evaluation to generate a wellness profile of physical, cognitive, emotional and social health. This profile provides a baseline, allowing the individual participants to track their progress through the program as they utilize the various cognitive and physical stimulation programs.

The BRiTE team, including Becker, Oscar L. Lopez, M.D., director of both BRiTE and the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, and Elizabeth Skidmore, Ph.D., chairperson of the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, have been collaborating with experts at Fundacio ACE Barcelona Alzheimer Treatment and Research Center since 1998. This center pioneered a model of nonpharmacological programs to help stimulate cognitive, behavioral and physical functions to improve social and occupational functions.

Grifols International has provided funding for this new program in Pittsburgh.

"We are tremendously thankful for their support and the opportunity to provide these state-of-the-art programs in Pittsburgh," said Lopez. "The BRiTE program will provide the area's population with a new program to support cognitive health that is not available elsewhere in the United States at this time."
Credit: University of Bristol

Services for children who are exposed to domestic violence and abuse are vital, but NIHR-funded researchers have found that there is little evidence for what support works best.

While there is much good quality evidence for the support offered to adult survivors of domestic abuse, there is very little evidence for what might help children from these families.

Children living in a home where there is domestic violence, even if they don't directly witness violent acts, are more likely to suffer problematic behaviour, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and educational problems. When they grow up, they are more likely to have mental health problems, to be unemployed, and to perpetrate or experience domestic violence than people who aren't exposed to domestic violence as children.

There are support programmes for these children, or children and their non-abusing parent, that can improve the child's behaviour and mental health in the short term. Some of these programmes have been tested in rigorous research studies (mostly conducted in North America), but many haven't. Although the UK already has a number of programmes for children exposed to domestic violence, it's not clear whether they are working as they haven't been properly evaluated.

Researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Central Lancashire and Canada's McMaster University, have examined all the existing studies on this issue, as well as interviewing parents, children and professionals in the field. Their report, IMPRoving Outcomes for children exposed to domestic ViolencE (IMPROVE): an evidence synthesis, was published in the NIHR Journal Public Health Research on 9 December.

They recommend that there needs to be many more in-depth studies in the UK to understand which programmes work, and which don't. They also recommend that the programmes' effectiveness should be measured against outcomes that children, parents, service providers and policymakers think are important, rather than researchers' priorities.

The team, led by Dr Emma Howarth from the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) East of England and Professor Gene Feder, from the Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol, identified three different types of programme that they recommend are prioritised for further research in the UK. These are:

group based 'psychoeducation', where children (with or without their non-abusive parent) discuss and learn more about their situation and the effect it has on their mental health, with the help of a trained health professional

parenting training combined with 'advocacy' for parents, where they are given practical support by a professional to understand their options and rights, as well as to explore their reactions to their situation

programmes with a 'whole family' approach, where the perpetrators of domestic violence are also involved

The team recommend that priority is given to studies focusing on the complex enironments in which these interventions are delivered. Rather than a 'one size fits all' approach, tailored services for different groups of children and young people should be explored. And professionals in the field must agree a standard way of measuring success and 'outcomes' for children in these services. The team are also calling for a pause in developing new interventions, unless they meet a clear gap in services, and for the systematic evaluation of existing programmes.

The team are calling for the stakeholders in this field, including funders, researchers, commissioners and service providers, as well as the children and parents themselves, to come together to address the barriers that have hampered the development of the UK evidence base.

Dr Emma Howarth, who worked on the project while at the University of Bristol and then NIHR CLAHRC East of England, said: "More research into how best to support these children is needed urgently. Children exposed to domestic abuse are very vulnerable. They are more likely to grow up with mental health problems and not achieve their full potential as a result. Some of the support programmes that the various studies looked at show promise, but without more in-depth, UK focused research, we can't be sure that services are supporting these children in the best ways possible."

The University of Bristol's Professor Gene Feder, a leading researcher in the field of domestic violence and abuse, said: "We already knew that there wasn't much evidence for what support should be offered to children exposed to domestic abuse, but our research has revealed just how scant that evidence is. There have been no major studies in the UK, only service evaluations.

"Internationally, there is increasing emphasis on reducing the mental health impact of adverse events in childhood, including domestic abuse, through early intervention. However, the funding cuts we've seen in the UK over the last five years mean that many children are not being helped. And when programmes exist, we don't know which programmes are the most effective in improving outcomes for which children."

More information: Emma Howarth et al. IMPRoving Outcomes for children exposed to domestic ViolencE (IMPROVE): an evidence synthesis, Public Health Research (2016). Emma Howarth et al. IMPRoving Outcomes for children exposed to domestic ViolencE (IMPROVE): an evidence synthesis,(2016). DOI: 10.3310/phr04100
Being aggressive during interrogations is not likely to get you far. Credit: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

The US president-elect Donald Trump has on several occasions insisted that torture is a good idea and that procedures such as water-boarding are not "tough enough" when dealing with terrorist groups like Islamic State.

The view is clearly morally and ethically questionable. But if we put that aside, does he have a point? If we need to get information out of someone who is plotting to kill lots of innocent people, is it a necessary evil? Well, there's some psychological research on the subject that can help us answer this question.

Torture can be defined in many ways but it is always intentional and concerns inflicting psychological and/or physical pain to gain information, a confession or simply to punish. There must exist an asymmetrical relationship of power  a dependence and vulnerability where victims realise that they are at the mercy of their tormentors.

Torture has a long history, and despite being prohibited worldwide (in 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations inserted the prohibition against torture in the landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights), the use of torture appears to be increasing worldwide. The reason for this is unclear, but the current threat from international terrorism is severe or high in many countries. So, when dealing with those who threaten our security and who appear committed to withholding information, the pressure to get results is significant.

The most commonly cited reason for justifying torture is the hypothetical "ticking time bomb" scenario. Here, a terrorist knows where a bomb is concealed, and when it will go off. If the bomb goes off, then thousands of people will be killed and injured. So torture in such a circumstance is argued as appropriate because the ends justify the means. On the face of it this is a compelling argument. Indeed, even those who are against torture might be persuaded to waver.

Fact and fiction

But we have to ask ourselves a series of questions. For starters, if our terrorist does know the information we are seeking (the individual may not), will torturing that person really make him or her talk? Finding out is not as simple as it may sound. For obvious reasons, observing torture being carried out and testing whether it works is not legally possible  in the real world or in the laboratory. Rightly, there are ethical codes of conduct that prohibit psychologists' involvement in torture. The evidence that torture works appears to be anecdotal. Recently, a classified CIA report, which cited eight real cases of torture as evidence that the technique had thwarted plots and led to the capture of terrorists, was branded inaccurate and speculative by the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

But the effects of pain, stress, and coercive behaviour on our ability to think and make decisions are well known. In fact, the published science is very clear  extreme stress and pain (physical and psychological) can bring about false memories, reduce our ability to remember information and seriously affect our decision-making and memory performance in general. Recent research has found stressful interrogations and isolation brought about false memories in upwards of 80% of trained military personnel.

In fact, criminal justice research on false confessions provides irrefutable evidence that even less coercive techniques than torture have brought about verifiable false confessions  and continue to do so. The Reid technique, a method of questioning suspects to try to assess their credibility, is one such example. The technique, banned in some countries, is accusatory, psychologically manipulative, assumes guilt and prevents denials. Yet we know that the more aggressive the interrogation method the higher the probability of eliciting false confessions. Recent, and historical examples of miscarriages of justice as a result of aggressive, manipulative interrogation methods are easy to find.

Psychologists and governments have been working together for a number of years to develop science-based, non-coercive interrogation methods for persuading detainees to reveal information. One example is the US High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group, which develops new interrogation techniques and supports scientific testing of existing ones. The UK government also supports similar research.

Alternatives to torture

I am one one of many researchers who develops non-coercive, science-based intelligence interviewing methods. But what are they and how do you go about it?

A starting point is that we always have to accept that, even if a person knows the information we are seeking, we may never be able to "make" him or her reveal it. Even if we torture, some information may be offered, but it might be false, simply to stop the suffering.

Much of our knowledge comes from laboratory experiments and research in the criminal justice system, where the stakes are high, but not necessarily as high as for terrorists. We do know that aggressive behaviour does not help, but effective rapport building, and the way in which questions are presented and framed can bring about cooperation and persuasion.

A non-judgemental mindset on the part of the interrogator, and the use of psychologically-based methods such as framing questions to manage the mental distress that typically comes about when we try and change a person's attitude also helps bring about cooperation. Other effective techniques are managing the context and displaying empathetic behaviour associated with understanding the information holder's perspective. In this way, we can maximise the chances that information might be revealed.

Framing involves presenting questions differently in an attempt to get a desired answer. For example, I can ask "was anyone else was there with you?", or I could say, "who else was there with you?". An even better option would be "I appreciate this is very difficult for you, but I need to know who was there with you. Others who have fully explained what has happened, and who was there, have agreed with me that this was the right thing to do. Would you agree?"

Indeed, all things considered, the available science simply does not support the argument that torture is effective. What's more, new research shows it isn't just a case of avoiding being nasty  actually being fair and nice may be a far superior way of getting information out of people.

Psychological research has impacted on real world practice in the past. The PEACE investigative interviewing model  an acronym that spells out the stages to follow in an information gathering interview  was introduced in the early 1990s and was driven by research investigating miscarriages of justice. It is now used in a number of countries.

Changing hearts and minds is challenging. But, if we start by considering interrogations more like a game of chess against a very able opponent, rather than a fight, governments and policymakers might begin to understand the importance of brains over brawn.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
The medicinal plant Echinacea in flower in its native prairie habitat in the Smoky Hill River breaks, north of Hays. Credit: Kelly Kindscher

In February 1805, during their Corps of Discovery Expedition, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark encountered a purplish daisy prized by tribes of Native Americans across the Great Plains as a "cure-all." Learning the plant was used to treat bites from "mad Dogs [and] Snakes," the explorers sent a specimen off to Thomas Jefferson, president of the United States and part-time botanist.

Today, we know that same plant as Echinacea, one of the most popular medicinal plants in the U.S. and Europe due to its ability to fight colds and flu and boost the human immune system.

A recently published book co-authored and edited by Kelly Kindscher, senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey and professor of environmental studies at the University of Kansas, explores "everything known" about the purple coneflower.

Written for both popular and academic readers, "EchinaceaHerbal Medicine with a Wild History" (Springer) explores the botanical's natural history and how it's been grown, conserved and used.

According to the KU researcher, Echinacea is still underappreciated in the U.S. Kindscher points out the immune-boosting plant was shown in a recent European clinical trial to be as effective and safer than the prescription medicine Tamiflu.

"Most of the good research on Echinacea comes from researchers in Europe even though this is native to North America," he said. "In the U.S., we don't have in interest in integrative medicine, we just use pharmaceuticals. In Germany, you'd find Echinacea behind the counter at the pharmacy. Here in the U.S., you'll find it up front with Coke and Pampers, not behind the counter."

The KU researcher lamented that U.S. medical professionals are unlikely to recommend Echinacea or other time-tested botanical health products to patients, instead opting for pharmaceuticals that often can cost more and hold higher risk of side-effects.

"Here's the problem with herbal productsyou can talk about them, but doctors can't prescribe them as medicine," Kindscher said. "One can go online and elsewhere and find a lot of good herbal products, (and some bad ones, too). Echinacea is a good one and best as a tincturean alcohol and water extractavailable in health food stores and pharmacies up front. Another clinical trial that came out a few years ago showed people who consume these extracts before, during and after long-distance flights were statistically less likely to get upper respiratory tract infections, or what we call a cold. Clinical trialswe consider them the gold standard that doctors and medical professionals consider proof."

But most doctors don't learn about herbal product in medical school.

"Data shows doctors often pick medicines shown to them by pharmaceutical reps," he said. "It's not easy for doctors to keep up on all medical literatureit's so voluminousbut primarily there's not a huge industry urging doctors to prescribe Echinacea."

Beyond advocating for Echinacea in human health, Kindscher's new book on the purple coneflower reflects a career spent studying a genus that is native to Kansas.

"Echinacea has been that group of species that I've focused on most of my adult life, including my first published paper as an academic in 1986," he said. "I've been able to pull together everything that's known about that group of plants in a nice overview. I feel fortunate that I've been able to work on this over a period of time and see what are the most important things to know about this interesting medicinal plant that has its roots in Kansas, literally."

Indeed, the KU researcher said most wild-harvested Echinacea root used for medicine historically grows in western Kansas, especially in "post-rock country" north of Hays. He said there was cause for worry about the health of Echinacea populations in the state and across the Great Plains.

"Millions of dollars of Echinacea roots have been harvested from native prairies and pastures," said Kindscher. "I've documented there've been millions of plants dug out by 'diggers'wild harvesters who want to make some money on the side. If you go on the Internet you can find brokers selling Echinacea roots. We found out from harvesters themselves that about 50 percent of those plants actually re-sprouted and grew back. We know the plant produces a lot of seeds, so we found out that moderate harvesting isn't decimating the populations. The bigger threats are conversions of range lands to agricultural use, herbicide and development."

Kindscher's co-authors on the new book include KU colleagues and several of his former graduate students from KU, inducing Rebecca Wittenberg, Dana Price, Rachel Craft, Congmei Cao and Dr. Jeanne Drisko, director of the KU Integrative Medicine program at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Research is giving answers to more than 1500 Australians with a rare and debilitating genetic disorder that caused their brains to develop unusually.

The University of Queensland research may explain what leads to brain overgrowth  a characteristic of Sotos Syndrome and Marshall Smith Syndrome.

The lead author and a PhD candidate at UQ's School of Biomedical Sciences, Lachlan Harris, said the research was a significant contribution to understanding how the brain develops, and could help patients better understand their condition.

"Each unborn child has a certain number of stem cells in their developing brain," Mr Harris said.

"These stem cells need to differentiate, at the right time during brain development, to make the right number of neurons.

"If these cells differentiate too early you get a smaller brain; if they take too long you get a larger brain, and both cases can lead to impaired brain function.

"We found that deficiency in a gene called Nuclear factor one (Nfix) leads to the development of larger brains  an attribute common in Sotos and Marshall Smith patients."

Dr Michael Piper, of UQ's School of Biomedical Sciences and the Queensland Brain Institute, said little information was available to parents of patients with these conditions.

"The new information can help provide better diagnostic information and counselling to parents whose unborn child has a mutation in this gene," he said.

"We can let them know some of the things that are likely to happen in advance so they can prepare themselves earlier."

Patients with these debilitating syndromes themselves also have previously had little information about how altered brain development gives rise to these disorders' particular symptoms.

"Being able to fill that gap for patients is an exciting development," Dr Piper said.

The Hydrocephalus Association, the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council supported the collaborative research.

One in 14,000 people suffer Sotos or Marshall Smith syndrome in Australia.

Children who are diagnosed with these syndromes can live long lives but often experience learning disabilities or delayed development of mental and movement abilities.

The research is published in international journal Development.

More information: Transcriptional regulation of intermediate progenitor cell generation during hippocampal development. Development 2016 143: 4620-4630; doi: 10.1242/dev.140681 Journal information: Development Transcriptional regulation of intermediate progenitor cell generation during hippocampal development.2016 143: 4620-4630; doi: 10.1242/dev.140681
Georgia earns $104m by exporting over 45m bottles of wine

Georgia has exported over 45 million bottles of wine to 53 countries in the first 11 months of 2016, bringing $104 million back into the economy.Between January and November 2016 Georgia exported 45,628,091 bottles of wine - 40 percent more year-on-year (y/y), which generated 17 percent more revenue by selling its wine abroad, said the Georgian National Wine Agency.The top five countries that imported Georgian wine in January-November 2016 were:1. Russia  24,914,877 bottles2. Ukraine  5,179,454 bottles3. China  4,886,145 bottles4. Kazakhstan  3,227,639 bottles5. Poland  2,123,500 bottlesThe Georgian National Wine Agency said wine exports had also increased to the European Union (EU), to China and other of Georgias more traditional export markets.Year-on-year exports of Georgian wine increased to: China  128 percent (4,886,145 bottles) Ukraine  73 percent (5,179,454 bottles) Belarus  62 percent (1,060,806 bottles) Russia  48 percent (24,914,877 bottles) Poland  47 percent (2,123,500 bottles) Estonia  37 percent (588,450 bottles) Canada  30 percent (198,456 bottles) United States  27 percent (294,382 bottles) United Kingdom  25 percent (87,428 bottles) Latvia  15 percent (1,139,706 bottles)Meanwhile, in the reporting period Georgia exported more than eight million bottles of Georgia-made brandy. Latest figures showed Georgia exported 8,952,795 bottles of brandy to 17 countries in the first 11 months of this year. This was a 37 percent increase y/y between January and November 2016.So far this year, Georgia generated $20.14 million by selling brandy abroad.In total, Georgia enjoyed $175.2 million by exporting wine, brandy, Chacha and all alcoholic beverages. This was 31 percent increase y/y.
Turkey launches recon satellite

The Turkish reconnaissance satellite Gokturk-1 has been launched from its spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana Dec. 5, Anadolu reports.Gokturk-1 will provide Turkeys Armed Forces with high-resolution images of the Earth surface.The satellite will send over 60,000 pictures per year to the Earth.Contractors engaged in creation of the satellite are Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space.
Death at the workplace

By Messenger Staff

Georgias Public Defender, Ucha Nanuashvili, has reported that on December 3, a driver died in the country's western Chiatura mine.Apart from offering condolences to the deceased mans family, Nanuashvili stressed that it was necessary for the Government to adopt and implement proper safety regulations and to ensure strict monitoring of their implementation, which can minimize the number of casualties in the workplace.The Public Defender also called on law enforcement agencies to conduct a prompt and effective investigation into the death of a person that might be caused by the violation of safety rules in the workplace.Nanuashvili called on the Government to immediately take active measures to ensure labour safety and start the process of ratification of Convention No 81 (labour inspection), Convention No 129 (agriculture labour inspection) and Convention No 155 (labour safety and hygiene) of the International Labour Organization, as well as Article 3 of the European Social Charter (right to safe and hygienic working conditions) in order to ensure a safe and healthy environment for employees.The Chiatura mine accident once again underscores the severity of the problem relating to safety in the workplace, Nanuashvili said.Unfortunately, when such facts take place in Georgia, it is very often forgotten, without genuine address to the issue.The current Government of Georgia recently made positive changes to the country's labour code, however the existent problems have not been eliminated.Employees still feel that there are no guarantees or genuine support from the Government, when employers, in most cases, do what they want.Of course, the Government should think about businesses, but not always at the expense of employees.There are many structures in Georgia which are artificially found and do nothing important, and spend state money for their own comfort, when the country requires a labour inspection service that would do its job properly.
The News in Brief

InterTrans Company increases passenger fare without Rustavi City Halls consent



As Rustavi City Hall has declared, the InterTrans Company has increased the passenger fare for Rustavi-Tbilisi minibuses without the consent from the local government.



As City Hall representative Tamar Akubardia has declared, Rustavi City Hall is against the price increase.



The agency received the letter from the company on November 24 and advanced the tariff without our response, Akubardia remarked.



As earlier reported, the Inter Trans Company has advanced the passenger fare from 1.30 to 1.50 GEL, saying that the depreciation of the national currency was the reason behind the increase. (IPN)







Head of Adjaras Local Government Approved



The newly-elected Supreme Council of Adjara Autonomous Republic re-confirmed on December 5 Zurab Pataradze as the head of local government of the region.



Pataradze, who was nominated by President Giorgi Margvelashvili in agreement with the central government, was re-confirmed by the 21-member Supreme Council with 14 votes.



Pataradze, a native of Batumi, worked at the anti-organized crime unit of the Adjara Autonomous Republics interior ministry before joining the Foreign Ministry in 2000. Since 2004, Pataradze was a second secretary at the Georgian embassy in Moscow in charge of consular service and after Georgia and Russia cut diplomatic ties, Pataradze served as a consular at the Georgian interests section at the Swiss embassy in Moscow until 2009. Pataradze then served as Georgias consul general in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, and was ambassador to Turkey from 2012, before becoming ambassador to Kazakhstan in mid-2013. (Civil.ge)







It took two years to plan failed to solve mosque dispute



Muslims in Mokhe in southern Georgia do not accept a compromise suggested by a government commission and continue to pray on the ruins of a mosque in the village.



Local Muslims and Orthodox Christians have disagreed for two years about what should happen to the ruins. The local government wanted to build a culture center on top of the ruins, but local Muslims demanded that the ruins be preserved or the mosque rebuilt.



December 1, a commission which was tasked with settling the conflict and finding a compromise made its final decision. It recommended that the government should offer a new location to the Muslims for constructing a mosque, while the ruins should be preserved, as the decision was made in the beginning of November. The ruins will be granted status as disputed cultural monument.



Zaza Vashakmadze, who heads the State Agency of Religious Affairs, said after the commission meeting that the government will offer the Muslim community several locations in Mokhe for constructing a new mosque and this way solve their need for a prayer house.



As soon as we select the location for the new mosque and transfer it to the Muslim community, then the ruins in Mokhe will get status as cultural heritage with the following name: disputed cultural monument, Vashakmadze remarked.



Muslims in Mokhe do not trust to this promise. In addition, they are concerned about the fate of the ruins, which they believe used to be a mosque.



For more than a month, Muslims in Mokhe have gathered in front of the ruins and conducted their Friday prayer there.



November 25, when the Muslims again conducted prayer in front of the ruins, they read out a common statement saying that they made a mistake when the agreed to setting up the so-called commission two years ago. The work of the commission was out dragged in time with no actual results, the statement said.



The conflict dates back been more than two decades. Muslims asked the local government to preserve or restore the ruins in Mokhe, but in vain. In May 2014, the government decided build a culture center on the ruins, which caused the conflict to flare up. Muslims protested and demanded to hand the ruins back to them, but the local Orthodox Christians also protested. They were against rebuilding the mosque. This was when the commission was created to decide the fate of the ruins.



The Georgian church claimed that the ruins stem from a building that used to be a church but was turned into a mosque in the first half of the XX century.



Muslims in Mokhe demanded to abolish the so-called Mokhe commission and to decide the fate legal fate of the ruins without the commission. (DF watch)




THE TRUE COST OF ALL THAT 'CHEAP' LAOR THAT DESTROYED AMERICA THE BIG SECRET DEMOCRATS DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW: Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute has testified before a Congressional committee that in 2004, 95% of all outstanding warrants for murder in Los Angeles were for illegal aliens; in 2000, 23% of all Los Angeles County jail inmates were illegal aliens and that in 1995, 60% of Los Angeless largest street gang, the 18th Street gang, were illegal aliens.
@MichaelAuslen

When President-elect Donald Trump comes to Orlando this Friday on his nationwide "thank you" tour, Florida Gov. Rick Scott will be right there with him.

Scott has publicly supported Trump since January, even while Floridians Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio were still fighting for the Republican nomination. But he rarely appeared with Trump during the campaign.

That changes Friday, spokeswoman Jackie Schutz confirmed. Trump's event is at 7 p.m. at the Central Florida Fairgrounds.

Scott views Trump, a part-time Florida resident with a home in Palm Beach called Mar-a-Lago, as cut from the same cloth as himself. Neither man had served in public office before being elected to lead the country or the state of Florida, and both are exceedingly wealthy businessmen, seen as outsiders by the Republican Party.

A harsh critic of President Barack Obama, Scott has said he's looking forward to the new administration in Washington. He traveled to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to meet with U.S. Rep. Tom Price, Trump's appointee to run the Department of Health and Human Services.

"When we have a problem and need a solution, at least we have someone to talk to," Scott said last month.

Photo: Florida Gov. Rick Scott takes the stage to speak on behalf of Donald Trump at a June 11 campaign rally, one of the few where Scott publicly spoke. (Loren Elliott, Tampa Bay Times)
Fresh off a smooth election cycle, Florida's 67 county election supervisors will pursue changes to the election laws in the 2017 legislative session. They pitched their ideas for the first time at a meeting Tuesday of the revamped Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, chaired by Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples.

The supervisors' point man on legislative issues is David Stafford, the Escambia County supervisor of elections.

He told senators that the state should follow the lead of 19 other states and join ERIC, the Electronic Registration Information Center, an information-sharing consortium that helps states track down people who are registered to vote in more than one state. (Being registered to vote in more than one state is not a crime, but voting in more than one state would be).

The state has rejected joining ERIC in the past, but Stafford said joining forces with other states is the right course of action. He said ERIC has identified more than a million voters who have changed states in the past four years.

Stafford also renewed a request that proved controversial in the 2016 session: Making voters' personal information, such as home addresses and birth dates, exempt from disclosure under the public records laws. Supervisors say voters are often dismayed to discover their personal voting information on websites, but a bill to change the law did not get very far last session. It again would likely face strong opposition from the First Amendment Foundation, a group backed by newspapers that closely tracks proposed changes in public records laws.

Stafford also reminded lawmakers to be cautious about loading the 2018 general election ballot with proposed changes to the Constitution, because a Constitution Revision Commission will soon get to work and will have the power to place proposals directly on the 2018 ballot.
MINNEAPOLIS  Since 2003, the Star Tribunes Taste Holiday Cookie Contest has been shining a spotlight on wonderful recipes. Memorable stories, too. This years top winner is a doozy on both counts, and it involves that beloved made-in-Minnesota candy bar, the Nut Goodie.

And dont forget our other top cookies in this years contest: Cherry Pinwheels, Brandy Cherry Cookies, Pistachio Pinecones and Almond Ricotta Bars. The recipes are all below.

WINNER: NUT GOODIE THUMBPRINTS

Baker: Crystal Schlueter of Babbitt, Minnesota

Why we love it: This delicious, easy-to-prepare winner is a make-it-yourself tribute to the legendary made-in-Minnesota candy bar.

Nutty about Nut Goodies: Ive always been a fan, she said. In the checkout line at the grocery store, Mom would let me buy a candy bar, and it was always the one that Id choose. Of course, its a Minnesota classic. It sure is: Pearson Candy Co. in St. Paul has been producing the chocolate-maple-peanut confection since 1912.

NUT GOODIE THUMBPRINTS

For cookies:

1 cup flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg, separated

2 tablespoons whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup chopped roasted and salted peanuts

For filling:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon maple extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons whole milk

1 cup powdered sugar

For ganache:

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons heavy cream

To prepare cookies:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt, and reserve.

In a bowl of a mixer on medium-high speed, beat together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low, gradually add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Dip the top half of each ball into remaining egg white and then into peanuts. Place dough, peanuts-side up, 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using the back of a spoon or your thumb, press an indentation into the center of the top of each cookie. Bake until cookies are set but still soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully remake the same slight indentation into the top of each cookie. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool.

To prepare filling:

In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, combine butter, condensed milk, maple extract, vanilla extract, 1 1/2 teaspoons whole milk and powdered sugar, and beat until uniform and creamy. While cookies are still slightly warm, spoon filling into indentation in cookies, then allow them to cool completely.

To prepare ganache:

Combine chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl (or in a double-boiler over gently simmering water). Cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until fully melted. Stir until smooth. Use the tines of a fork to drizzle chocolate over cooled cookies. Allow ganache to set before serving.

 Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

FINALIST: CHERRY PINWHEELS

Baker: Pam Hopf of Edina, Minnesota

Why we love it: Festive and tasty, these beauties stand out on a cookie tray, and theyre surprisingly easy to prepare.

Our suggestion: Not a fan of cherry? Just about any fruit preserve  lingonberry, apricot, raspberry  works with this festive cookie. The original recipe called for Damsom Plum, she said. But thats more purple, and I wanted something red. I dont like baked strawberry, but I think that cherry is pretty.

CHERRY PINWHEELS

Taste Tip: This dough must be prepared in advance. Dough can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, or wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and frozen for up to a month. From a recipe in Gourmet magazine.

2 1/2 cups flour, plus extra for rolling dough

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup cherry preserves

2 tablespoons decorative sugar

***

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and cardamom, and reserve.

In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, cream cheese and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing just until combined and dough forms. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces, flatten each piece into a block, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 to 3 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough blocks (1 at a time, keeping remaining dough refrigerated until ready to roll) to 1/4-inch thickness. Working quickly (dough is easiest to work with when chilled), trim edges to make 8- by 12-inch rectangle. Rewrap scraps in plastic and chill, until ready to re-roll.

Using a pastry wheel, cut rectangle into 2-inch squares. Using a spatula, transfer squares to prepared baking sheets, placing 2 inches apart. With a small knife, carefully make a 1-inch-long cut in 1 square, from tip of each corner in toward center, halving each corner (you will have 8 points). With tip of knife, lift every other point and gently fold into the center (forming a pinwheel), overlapping ends slightly. Press center lightly to form a small well. Brush cookies with a lightly beaten egg white. Place 1/2 teaspoon jam in center and sprinkle with decorative sugar. Repeat process with remaining chilled dough and scrapes.

Bake until edges are pale and golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

 Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

FINALIST: BRANDY CHERRY COOKIES

Baker: Kathleen Sonsteng of Laporte, Minnesota

Why we love it: The secret to this tender sugar cookie? Brandy-soaked cherries, with a hint of Chinese five-spice powder.

Our suggestion: Experiment with different varieties of fruit brandy. We tried Calvados (apple brandy), and loved the results. We also found that refrigerating the dough  a step that Sonsteng skips  helps the cookies hold their shape.

BRANDY CHERRY COOKIES

Taste Tip: This dough must be prepared in advance. Five-spice powder is a blend of equal parts cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns and is available in the spice aisles of most supermarkets. If cherries are large, chop them. From a recipe in Country Home magazine.

1 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup brandy

2 1/2 cups flour, plus extra for dough, if necessary

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar, divided

1 egg

1 egg yolk

***

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine dried cherries and brandy. When brandy starts to simmer, remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving both cherries and liquid.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and five-spice powder, and reserve.

In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 3/4 cup sugar and beat until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Add egg, egg yolk and 2 teaspoons of the reserved brandy liquid (discard remaining liquid), and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Do not overmix (if dough is sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time; you need to be able to roll dough into balls in your hands). Stir in drained cherries. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place remaining 1/4 cup sugar into a shallow bowl. Roll dough balls in remaining 1/4 cup sugar to coat. Place dough 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned and set on the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 2 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

 Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

FINALIST: PISTACHIO PINECONES

Baker: Linda McEwen of Mahtomedi, Minnesota

Why we love it: A simple cut-and-bake formula, dressed up for the holidays with pistachios and white chocolate.

Gluten-free: McEwen has prepared this recipe using her favorite gluten-free flour mix (its the Cup4Cup brand, available at Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table and many Target stores), and was pleased with the results. You cant tell the difference, she said.

PISTACHIO PINECONES

Taste Tip: This dough must be prepared in advance. If salted, dry-roasted pistachios are unavailable, toast and salt them yourself. To do so, place nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring or shaking the pan frequently, until they just begin to release their fragrance, about 2 to 3 minutes (or preheat oven to 325 degrees, spread nuts on an ungreased baking sheet, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and bake, stirring often, for 4 to 6 minutes). Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. From a recipe in Midwest Living magazine.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 vanilla bean

2 cups flour

2 cups finely chopped salted, dry-roasted pistachios, divided

12 ounces white chocolate

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

***

In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter for 30 seconds. Add sugar, vanilla extract and salt, and beat until just combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from bean into the butter mixture, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low, add flour in 1/2 cup increments and mix just until combined. Stir in 1 cup of pistachios.

Divide dough in half and shape each half into logs measuring 1 1/2-inches in diameter, giving log an oval shape (one with distinctive wider and narrower ends) so that cut cookies will resemble pine cone shape. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a thin-bladed knife, slice chilled logs into 1/4-inch slices. Place dough slices 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until just firm and browned on the bottoms, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 2 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a microwave-safe bowl (or in a double-boiler over gently simmering water), melt white chocolate and shortening and stir to combine. Place remaining 2 cups chopped pistachios in a wide bowl. Dip the wider end of each cookie in melted white chocolate (to resemble a pine cone), then dip in the pistachios. Transfer cookies to waxed paper and let stand until set.

 Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

FINALIST: ALMOND RICOTTA BARS

Baker: Karen Cope of Minneapolis

Why we love it: Kringle lovers  and cream cheese fans  will love these rich, elegant, almond-packed treats.

It started at the mall: A lemon ricotta cookie encountered at the Mall of Americas Nordstrom Cafe sparked Copes imagination. She test-drove a few versions and ultimately decided to go the bar cookie route, adding an icing and then playing with flavors.

ALMOND RICOTTA BARS

Taste Tip: To toast almonds, place nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, and cook, stirring or shaking the pan frequently, until they just begin to release their fragrance, about 2 to 3 minutes (or preheat oven to 325 degrees, spread nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and bake, stirring often, for 4 to 6 minutes). Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

For bars:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pan

2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese

For frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (see Taste Tip)

To prepare bars:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of a 13- by 18-inch half-sheet pan.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt, and reserve.

In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat 2 sticks butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until thoroughly combined. Add 2 teaspoons almond extract and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low, add ricotta in 3 additions. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Spread batter in prepared pan and bake until cake is set, lightly golden and the edges start pulling away from sides of pan, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare frosting:

In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat 1 stick butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon almond extract, and mix until uniform and creamy. Spread frosting over cooled bar cookies, slice into squares and top squares with toasted almonds.

 Makes about 4 dozen bar cookies.
The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee officially stepped out of the bear spray market on Tuesday, taking a neutral stance regarding competing companies claims of which brand best repels a charging grizzly.

In particular, the IGBC dropped its six-second recommendation for how long a can of bear spray should spray. UDAP, a bear spray maker based in Butte, had filed legal action claiming the interagency group had no grounds to say one spray duration was better than another.

Another Montana-based bear spray company, Counter Assault, advertises its cans as meeting recommendations suggested by bear biologists and wildlife specialists of the IGBC for lasting 7.2 to 9.2 seconds. It notes that UDAPs cans spray for 4 to 5.4 seconds which it claims does not meet IGBC recommendations.

Scott Jackson, a U.S. Forest Service representative to the IGBC, said on Tuesday that the committee wanted to encourage people using bear spray safely, but did not want to get into product endorsements. He recommended the committee limit its advice to using sprays registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA reviews bear spray as a pesticide, and inspects products for the amount of active ingredient, spray distance and cloud size. But the agency doesnt give guidance on how long the spray should last.

When you have a female with cubs, they might bluff-charge two or three times, said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear manager Jamie Jonkel. You want a few extra shots in one can.

But that assumes someone being attacked by a bear can clearly gauge how long the trigger is pressed, Jonkel added. Whether a can shoots the same amount of spray quicker or longer has to be factored with what the bear is doing, how many bears are involved and other factors.

The bigger concern, committee members said, was the possible marketing of small palm-sized canisters that might deter dogs or muggers but arent large enough to faze a charging grizzly. Bear spray does not incapacitate a bear the way tear gas affects a person. Instead, it degrades the bears senses of smell, sight and hearing enough to discourage it from continuing an attack.

The irritating ingredient capsicum is mixed with vegetable oil in the spray, and may even have a reverse effect of attracting bears when people have sprayed it on campsites like mosquito repellent.

No method of bear deterrent is 100 percent effective, Jackson said. We encourage people to carry bear spray and know how to use it. But all the products perform differently.
Rob Chaneys "Timber Wars" articles are well researched and give readers a glimpse at the bigger picture of the history and current condition of the timber industry in Montana. But readers deserve a chance to consider whats left out since those omissions skew views of what is at stake in the real-world timber wars, including our life support system, our precious water supplies, native wildlife, and our own critical human habitat.

The "Timber Wars" series makes it clear that forests, not timber corporations, are losing the war. Sustainable logging is good in theory, but in practice, as the series points out, it is mostly wishful thinking and not the actual history of the logging industry in Montana.

The articles look at forest economics simply in terms of board feet and dollars, which reinforces a commodity view of complex living forests. It is a vital mistake to see a living forest primarily as a pile of lumber instead of an enormously complex ecosystem.

Actual environmental costs of logging are left vague and largely unmentioned. The articles do not suggest any appropriate measurements to gauge those real costs, which are accruing in our forests. One measurement would be the number of streams Montana has listed as impaired due to sediment from logging roads. Another, among many, would be the rate of extirpation of forest species. These and other costs accumulate out in the forests even when not acknowledged.

And there is no attempt to measure the monetary costs to the public to eventually remediate the damage done. These costs are "externalized" in the articles as well as in timber sale accounting systems, but not on the landscape.

A good case study would be Plum Creeks cut-and-run disaster at Gold Creek that was discussed in the articles. Plum Creek completely clearcut most of the drainage and then left the damage behind, including knapweed that perpetually sends seeds downstream to the Blackfoot River. Missoulians who frequent the Blackfoot can see that item of the unpaid bill continually accruing.

What will the monetary costs of restoring those impaired rivers eventually be, or the monetary costs to remediate extirpation of species like bull trout, lynx and grizzly bears?

The history of private corporations logging private forests resulted in wholesale liquidation of what they termed their timber assets. That was followed by conversion of land to real estate speculation as former timber companies became real estate investment trusts.

Then the private corporations turned to logging public forests and took the biggest, most profitable, cream-trees first. With most of the old growth gone, government forest managers began to give taxpayer subsidized sweeteners with cheap public trees to private industry.

Now, taxpayer money funds "fear-of-fire" timber sales that are offered to purportedly "restore" public forests damaged by historic management mistakes, but instead of paying money for the publicly owned trees, the timber industry cleans up some of the historical damage caused by logging in trade for even more logging on public forests. In essence, private industry finds a perpetual money machine built with public trees at the expense of public forests and taxpayers.

With public forests nearly down to the real estate phase of exploitation for private profit, hand-in-glove collaboration with corporate hands in protective government gloves, is poised to finish the job.

Rather than disparage forest activists who are helping prevent more forest casualties in the "timber wars," we should be supporting them for acting as guard rails obstructing industry, collaborator groups and government agencies blind leaps into the continuing bankruptcy of our natural economy.
In this Monday's column, weekly columnist George Ochenski asked, "Does anyone really believe the Republican legislature wants to collaborate with (Gov. Steve) Bullock?" The Missoulian asked our readers on Facebook: Do you think Republicans in the Montana Legislature are interested in collaborating with the Democratic governor?

***

Jack Wiegman: Collaboration in the Legislature is way the Legislature works. It is seldom without discomfort but it always happens and that is the big advantage of our system.

***

Timothy Fister: There is nothing sacred about collaborating. What we need are good policies, and the democrats have few. Socialism is a proven dead end failure and it is time to put that agenda in the dumpster with the rest of the garbage.

***

Ted Patten: ... I suppose you're ok with fascism.

***

Timothy Fister: Ted, I am no fan of fascism, socialism, or democracy. I much prefer the republic we have. Unlike you i prefer to figure out how to spend my own money rather than have some dip from Washington figure out how to spend it for me.

***

Ryan Berner: Why don't you Democrats list your accomplishments that don't require excessive taxation ?

***

Eric Wilsey: No, Republicans are interested in one thing: obstruction until they get their way. Even when they do, they still ... whine that it's not good enough.
BILLINGS  An incident in which a Billings bus driver handed out tape to noisy students wasnt as serious as social media posts portray, said School District 2 superintendent Terry Bouck.

Several posts by parents on Facebook described a bus driver who handed out tape to elementary school-aged students as they got on the bus to put over their mouths in response to the students' noise level.

A video recording from the bus shows that a student asked the bus driver where tape was, referring to previous joking statements the driver apparently made about taping kids' mouths because the bus was too noisy, Bouck said.

The driver pulled out a roll of clear tape similar to Scotch tape and asked students who wanted a piece. The driver then went down the bus aisle, distributing tape to students who raised their hands.

The situation didnt involve the driver disciplining kids in any way, Bouck said. It appeared that it was an attempt to play and interact with the kids that in my opinion was extremely poor judgement.

SD2 contracts with First Student, a private company that hires its own drivers, for busing. Bouck said he requested that First Student remove the bus driver from the route and that the company is taking the "appropriate discipline." The driver is no longer on the route.

The bus route took kids from Bench Elementary to Medicine Crow Middle School for the Boys and Girls Club.

Bouck was alerted to Facebook posts on the topic Saturday morning. He said he hadn't received any calls from anyone about the incident.

I wish I would have gotten a phone call, he said. I dont administrate a district through Facebook ... we cant do anything unless we know.
A randomly comprehensive survey of extraordinary movie experiences from the art house to the grindhouse, featuring the good, the bad, the ugly, but not the boring or the banal.
Copyright  2022 HT Digital Streams Ltd All Right Reserved
Nichols and Huffman File License to Carry Fee Reform Act

Nichols and Huffman File License to Carry Fee Reform Act

Austin, TX  This week, State Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) and Senator Joan Huffman (R-Houston) filed Senate Bill 16, the License to Carry Fee Reform Act.



Senate Bill 16 will reduce a barrier for all Texans to exercise their right to obtain a Concealed Handgun License," said Senator Robert Nichols. As a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, I look forward to working with the National Rifle Association, the Texas State Rifle Association, and the members of the Legislature to pass this important piece of legislation.



Senate Bill 16 will remove the requirement to pay the state's current application and license fee to obtain a Concealed Handgun License.



"It is time for the State of Texas to make the 'License to Carry' process more affordable," said Senator Joan Huffman. "I look forward to working with Senator Nichols and Lt. Governor Patrick to make this bill become law."



In the Texas Senate, Nichols serves as Chairman for both the Transportation Committee and the Select Committee on Transportation Funding. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee. He serves on the Senate Finance, Health and Human Services, Natural Resources and State Affairs Committees. He is a member of the Legislative Audit Committee and the Sunset Advisory Committee.
Since 2011, the torrent of ill-informed, inaccurate and often entirely dishonest analysis of events in Syria has been unremitting. I have written previously about the dangers of using simplistic explanations to make sense of the conflict, a problem that has surfaced repeatedly over the past five years. However, there is a greater problem at large. The mainstream discourse on Syria has become so toxic, detached from reality and devoid of nuance that anyone who dares to even question the constructed narrative of ongoing revolution, or opposes the arguments of those who advocate for the imposition of a no-fly zone by the West, can expect swift retribution. Such dissenters are immediately attacked, frequently slandered as Assadists or Pro-Assad and often accused of showing cruel indifference to the suffering of Syrians. One of many truths lost within this discourse is the reality that the creation of a no-fly zone would, in the words of the most senior general in the US Armed Forces, mean the US going to war against Syria and Russia. I wish to be clear from the outset that I write this as someone who has previously lived in Syria and cherishes deeply the memories of my time there. I remain in touch with many Syrian friends, most of whom are now refugees outside of the country. So it is particularly difficult for me to swallow accusations of callousness towards the plight of Syrians and their country: nothing could be further from the truth.

In the current environment, to express even a mildly dissenting opinion, point out basic but unwelcome facts such as the presence of significant public support for the government in Syria, or highlight the frequently brutal acts of rebel groups, has seen many people ridiculed and attacked on social media. These attacks are rarely, if ever, reasoned critiques of opposing views; instead they frequently descend into personal, often hysterical, insults and baseless, vitriolic allegations. Generally, a set of core arguments are used to denounce those who question the dominant narrative: they include the notion that it is somehow Islamophobic to criticise the actions of rebel groups or to label them as extremists, and that to highlight the central role of US imperialism in the conflict is Orientalist as it denies Syrians their agency. Often, legitimate criticism is simply dismissed outright as fascist, Stalinist, Putinist or all three. The policing of acceptable opinion in this way has a simple and practical function: to foster a climate in which people feel too intimidated to speak out, thus allowing the dominant narrative to remain unquestioned so that, crucially, it can continue to be utilised to generate public support for further Western intervention in Syria.

Of course, this is a strategy with a well-established precedent; the treatment given to many opponents of NATOs assault on Libya in 2011 and the US/UK invasion of Iraq in 2003 are obvious recent examples. Unfortunately, it remains an effective means to stifle dissent and establish the acceptable parameters of mainstream debate. Its success has meant that those in favour of greater Western intervention in Syria have virtually monopolised the popular debate and control the narrative. I know several people who have admitted to me that they are too intimidated to write or speak honestly about Syria in public and so either limit what they say or, if possible, do not broach the topic at all. I am certain that many reading this will have noticed a glaring difference between private conservations they have with friends and acquaintances that work on Syria in some capacity, and the statements that they make in public.

I have not been silent on the issue in the public domain, but frankly I too have occasionally found myself feeling intimidated. Consequently, I have not written as much on this area as I could have. Indeed, it is likely that as a result of writing this article, some of the individuals that I mention will attack me publicly as some kind of combination of crypto-fascist Assadist, stooge of Putin/Iran and deluded white anti-imperialist; many others may silently judge me in much the same way. However, notwithstanding the short-term uncertainty regarding the exact direction of US foreign policy that has been caused by Donald Trumps recent victory and looming presidency, direct US military intervention in Syria with the aim of regime change or a partition of the country remains a distinct possibility. Therefore, I feel it is incumbent upon me, as well as others, to speak out, if only to disrupt the usual spurious talking points that have been largely unchallenged for too long. Bassam Haddad has recently observed that the debate over Syria has now reached a dead end; in the UK, as in many other cases, the debate still continues, but it is increasingly dominated by a relatively small yet extremely vocal group of activists. The figures of whom I speakthe overwhelming majority of whom are non-Syrianare not a monolith; but what appears to unite virtually all of them is their full blooded support for the creation of a no-fly zone (which is, to be clear, an intrinsically pro-war stance), unquestioning support for the White Helmets, and utter disdain for any principled anti-imperialist position taken in respect of intervention in Syria. Many also share an inaccurate, and at times dishonest, analysis of NATOs intervention in Libya in 2011, which is frequently deployed to justify their stance on Syria.

In this context, I think it is important to be clear that I do not oppose any potential intervention by the West simply because it wont help as some argue: I do so because I do not believe that such an intervention would be motivated by humanitarian intentions. This clarification is crucial, because to accept this humanitarian premise before mounting any disagreement concedes important ground before the argument has even commenced. Reinforcing the notion that the US or the UK would be motivated to intervene in Syria, or anywhere else, through a genuine desire to stop the bloodshed is ahistorical and fundamentally disingenuous. On the contrary, any such intervention, in addition to inevitably killing more civilians, would constitute a self-interested and dangerous escalation in the Wests ongoing campaign of aggression against the Syrian state. Such an escalation would not only heighten the chances of the permanent dismemberment of Syria becoming a reality (evidently a long-standing and strongly desired outcome by some parties), but would potentially spark a broader conflict with Russia, the consequences of which could be absolutely catastrophic.

Arguably, no war has been more mediated by misunderstanding than the conflict currently taking place in Syria. This article will seek to correct some of the major fallacies in circulation, illuminate how dissenting voices are forced out of the mainstream debate through smears and intimidation, and unmask the ostensibly neutral stances of a number of prominent voices on the conflict.

The Myth of Western Non-intervention

One of the many fallacies that predominate in this prevailing narrative is that the West has not intervened in the conflict in Syria. For instance, Amnesty International has recently described the UK as sit[ting] on the sidelines of the conflict. This fundamentally false position ignores several years of the West and its regional allies (primarily Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar) arming, funding and training rebel groups, the crippling economic sanctions imposed against the Syrian Government, ongoing airstrikes, special forces operations, and a host of other diplomatic, military and economic measures that have been taken. Not only has the West (primarily the US) intervened, it has done so on a very large scale. For instance, in June 2015, it was revealed that the CIAs involvement in Syria had become one of the agencys largest covert operations in which it was spending roughly $1bn a year (about $1 for every $15 in the CIAs announced budget). At that time, this operation based out of Jordan had already trained and equipped nearly 10,000 fighters sent into Syria over the past several years. As Patrick Higgins has remarked, [i]n other words, the United States launched a full-scale war against Syria, and few Americans actually noticed. It is vital to place this aggression in the context of long-standing US animosity to the Syrian Government. As diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks have revealed, since at least 2006, the US has consistently sought to undermine it by any available means, utilising a variety of techniques including an effortin co-ordination with Saudi Arabiato encourage Islamic fundamentalism and sectarianism in the country by playing on fears of Iranian influence. Indeed, although it is rarely mentioned, a senior US intelligence official is on record in a televised interview with Mehdi Hasan confirming that facilitating the rise of ISIS and other Islamic extremist groups in Syria and Iraq was a wilful decision on behalf of the Obama administration. The BBC has recently reported that ISIS use ammunition bought legally in Eastern Europe by the US and Saudi Governments that is then transported via Turkey into Syria and Iraq, sometimes only two months from leaving the factory.

When US intervention in Syria is acknowledged, it is regularly portrayed as having been small-scale and insufficient. Professor Gilbert Achcar of SOAS has remarked that Washingtons support to the opposition is more the stuff of jokes than anything serious. Given that Achcar made this observation six months after the revelations concerning the enormous scale of the CIAs Syria operation, it is hard to imagine exactly what level of military support would be required in order to be considered more than a joke. This misleading narrative of non-existent or inadequate US intervention, coupled with a propensity to defend it with insults, is extremely common, including among commentators who write for ostensibly left-leaning publications. Some pundits such as Murtaza Hussain of The Intercept have recently even gone so far as to claim that the US is in fact intervening in Syria, but in favor of Assad, an absurd argument that Glenn Greenwald has also expressed.

An Atmosphere of Intimidation

I tell the following anecdote not to portray myself as some kind of victim or to try and garner sympathy, but rather to provide a small example from personal experience that indicates the level to which the discourse on Syria has descended and to illustrate why so many people are now fearful of partaking in open debate on the issue. In August 2016, Murtaza Hussain conducted an interview with Mostafa Mahamed, then spokesperson of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, the recently re-branded Jabhat al Nusra (i.e. al-Qaeda in Syria), during a period when the Western media were giving the group substantial coverage that was frequently entirely uncritical. In the interview, Mahamed pontificated on his vision for the future of Syrian society and Jabhat Fatah al-Shams role within it. Reading this interview I was struck that just as a Sky News interview with Mahamed had failed to do so four days before, Hussain had not thought it pertinent to ask why Mahamed, an Egyptian-born Australian fundamentalist with no previous links to the country, should have any say on the future of Syrian society. I posed this question to Hussain on Twitter and he responded dismissively, before declaring crudely: Its amazing how quickly Assadists start sounding like Mark Regev. In so doing, and without a seconds thought, he had not only denounced me to his 50,000 followers as an Assadist, but also cheaply compared me to one of Israels most repugnant propagandists.

Hussains knee-jerk response to immediately delegitimise even polite questioning of his work by implying that it came from an Assadist perspective is revealing and is indicative of the broader tendency at work. Following this exchange, a number of people questioned Hussains dismissal of me in such a manner. One of those individuals was the American journalist, Rania Khalek, who has subsequently become perhaps the most prominent victim of this trend. Khalek, who was already being widely criticised at that time, was eventually hounded for her stance on Syria to such an extent that in October 2016, after agreeing to attend a conference in Damascus, she was forced to step down as an editor of Electronic Intifada. Ironically, while Khalek ultimately did not even attend the conference, several other mainstream journalists and analysts who did so have received no criticism. Khalek was specifically targeted for several months by a group that included Oz Katerji, who currently works for the Turkish state broadcaster, TRT World and fellow journalist Charles Davis. In direct messages, Katerji warned Khalek to change your rhetoric or we will continue to campaign against you; he also sent similar aggressive messages to Khaleks colleague, Asa Winstanley.

A recent two-part investigation by the American journalist Max Blumenthal sparked an irate response and subsequent campaign of intimidation similar to that which Khalek faced. In the investigation, Blumenthal reported numerous inconvenient facts regarding the White Helmets and the lobbying group the Syria Campaign (both of which strongly advocate the imposition of a no-fly zone) that sent many of the groups supporters into meltdown. Blumenthals investigation, which I recommend reading, was factual, and anything but the smear it was widely depicted to be. The fury of the reaction to Blumenthals work took me aback, not only because much of the information it contained was already well known in some circles online and had been published elsewhere previously, but because Blumenthal did not explore the explosive allegations that the White Helmets have faked some of the footage and images. These allegations (to even mention which online had seen people condemned as heartless and sickening) have subsequently been lent some credence after a bizarre incident in which the White Helmets posted online a so-called mannequin challenge video (that has since been taken down) in which two of its members and a supposedly injured man trapped in rubble posed silently and motionlessly for thirty seconds before a dramatic rescue began and the man suddenly began to wail in pain.

Notwithstanding this omission, after his investigation was published, Blumenthal was immediately attacked and insulted by a number of prominent voices on Syria; Robin Yassin-Kassab slandered him as pro-fascist filth who was desperate for attention, to distract from genocide and Russian imperialist crimes. Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, who has declared that the White Helmets are his family and that [a]n attack on them is an attack on me, reacted to the articles with similar fury. Indeed, Blumenthal has alleged that many abusive and threatening phone calls that he received after the investigation was published were in fact from Idrees Ahmad. In his response to Blumenthals work, the BuzzFeed journalist Borzou Daragahi employed another tactic commonly used to smear leftist political positions, namely their pathologization, and claimed that the Lefts obsession with SyriaCivilDef [the White Helmets] so unseemly. Likely points to unresolved mommy issues. So much of left psychologically damaged. Daragahi proceeded to elaborate on this obscene domestic abuse analogy, stating Perhaps daddy beat mommy, as Assad bombs civilians. You feel guilty for siding with daddy (Assad) and feel rage at mommy (civilians). Previously, Daragahi has vilified anti-imperialists as not really leftists, just anti-West. They are angry, damaged people with huge Oedipal issues. In an exchange with Vijay Prashad, Joey Ayoub of Global Voices denigrated Blumenthal as a pseudo-journalist with clear disdain for Syrians, a particularly hypocritical criticism for Ayoub to make, considering thatin a truly crass distortion of realityhe then declared that there are not two sides in Syria, since the overwhelming majority of Syrians rose up against Assad. For Ayoub to so brazenly dismiss a substantial proportion of Syrias population solely because it does not agree with his own perspective raises serious doubts about his objectivity.

It appears that the source of this widespread and often hysterical reaction to Blumenthals investigation by Ayoub, Daragahi and othersnone of whom were able to challenge the accuracy of the reporting itself it should be notedis not only due to the fact that for the first time, a journalist of Blumenthals stature was daring to critique the Syria Campaign and the White Helmets, but that in the words of a now fierce critic of his, Blumenthal used to be one of us. Indeed, in 2012 Blumenthal resigned in very public fashion from the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, citing its purportedly pro-Assad editorial stance. A strong response to Blumenthals decision to resign written by Sharmine Narwanione of the Al-Akhbar writers he criticisedcan be read here. The treatment that both Blumenthal and Khalek have received is indicative of how extremely restricted the mainstream debate on Syria is. Both have previously expressed anti-Assad sentiment and have only changed their stances on Syria relatively recently. Yet despite their high profile, or possibly due to it, both have been widely attacked as supposedly callous pro-Assad stooges; and in the case of Khalek, the campaign against her forced her out of her place of employment.

The Campaign against Jeremy Corbyn and the UK Context

@DougHenwood @RaniaKhalek yes, I am unequivocally advocating for war against the Assad regime. This murder must be brought to an end  Oz Katerji (@OzKaterji) August 22, 2016

In the UK, significant attention has recently been focused on Jeremy Corbyns stance on Syria, notably so after the aforementioned Oz Katerji, who by his own admission unequivocally advocates for war against Syria, repeatedly heckled him during a Stop the War Coalition event in October 2016. This criticism of Corbyn is part of a broader campaign in the UK that has attacked the Stop the War Coalition and increasingly the Left in general for its refusal to support the imposition of a no-fly zone and its allegedly insufficient condemnation of the governments of Russia and Syria. Joey Ayoubs recent declaration that there is literally no difference whatsoever between much of the Western Left and the *actual Far Right* where Syria is concerned is typical of this trend. The Vice-Chair of Stop the War, Chris Nineham, can be seen responding to these criticisms calmly and effectively in this interview.

One of the most vocal critics of Corbyn in this regard has been the writer Robin Yassin-Kassab, most widely known for his 2008 novel The Road to Damascus and his recent book Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War (co-authored with Leila al-Shami). Yassin-Kassab is regularly given a prominent platform from which to speak and write about Syria, especially in the UK. He refers to Corbyn as pro-Putin, pro-Khamenei and a Stalinist worm and has even gone so far as to call for the Labour leader to be put to sleep on account of his supposed Stalinism (or Putinism, or Assadism, whatever you call it). Similarly, he has attacked Jill Stein (the US Green Partys presidential candidate) as a ridiculous piece of shit and has accused her of cuddling up to the criminal imperialist Putin.

In addition to these outrageous comments, Robin Yassin-Kassab has taken a number of extremely problematic stances that call into question his credibility as an unprejudiced voice on Syria. Yassin-Kassab has openly and vociferously called for the West to arm the opposition in Syria and has labelled the idea that the US is interested in regime change in Syria as a false notion that Western leftists are obsessed with. In February 2013, during a Q&A after a performance of the play Sour Lips by Omar el-Khairy, I heard him speciously argue that the situation in Syria was directly analogous to that in Palestine, a conflict between colonisers (Israel/Assad) and the colonised (Palestinians/Syrians). Yassin-Kassab has also praised Turkish military aggression in Syria several times and even offered his thanks after Turkey shot down a Russian plane in November 2015. Disturbingly, in April 2014, he praised the brilliant Lattakia Offensive and specifically thanked Erdogan and Turkey for the supply lines that facilitated it. This offensive, which was led by a coalition of rebel groups including Jabhat al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria), attacked civilian areas and, when it took the town of Kessab, looted Armenian-owned shops and homes, took Armenian families hostage, and desecrated the towns three churches, forcing around 2,000 ethnic Armenians to flee.

Perhaps most worryingly, in addition to those already detailed above, Yassin-Kassab has staked out some astonishingly reactionary positions in relation to events in Syria that illustrate just how extreme the views of many of these campaigners truly are. For example, in December 2015 when Zahran Alloush, leader of the Saudi Arabia-backed group, Jaish al-Islam was killed in an airstrike, Yassin-Kassab publicly called for his murder by Russian imperialists to be avenged. Alloush was a Wahhabi extremist implicated in a host of brutal human rights violations including torture and assassination as well as selling aid and food at inflated prices. In 2013, Alloushwho was strongly opposed to democracy in Syriaactually announced the re-establishment of the Ummayad Caliphate and declared that [w]e will bury the heads of impure Shiites in Najaf, God willing. Yassin-Kassab could not very well have been ignorant of this, which makes his call for the death of such a violently sectarian warlord to be avenged a serious concern. This is notably so asin a sectarian line of thinking that Alloush himself would likely have agreed withYassin-Kassab has stated that Iranian-Shia expansionism is a main cause of rising Sunni jihadism and argued that Irans trans-national Shia jihadist militias are currently the greatest driver of sectarianism in the region. In this context, he has even stated that [m]ost Syrian people would probably say, ISIS is better than Assad. That a man with such extreme opinions is regularly hosted at literary festivals, cultural institutions, UK/US universities, and even human rights organisations is indicative of just how skewed the mainstream narrative on Syria is.

In common with so many figures who argue for further military intervention in Syria, Yassin-Kassab also appears to be in denial about the reality of events in Libya. In May 2016, he argued that in Libya, a popular revolution against a fascist who was slaughtering his own people had taken place, and that it was West-centric to argue that the reason Gaddafi fell was because of intervention by France, the UK and the US. This stance has been echoed by many others including Ayoub, who has argued that to observe that Libya was destroyed utterly strip[s] Libyans of agency and described Libya as a paradise compared to Syria. This interpretation of events in Libya has been thoroughly disproved by several sources including a report by the UK Foreign Affairs Committee that is discussed in greater detail below.

The Discourse in Academia: Libyaa Model for Syria?

The dominant narrative on Syria in academia, with some notable exceptions, has been virtually indistinguishable from what is prevalent in much of the media. In fact, a number of academics have become open and in some cases fanatical advocates for greater Western intervention in Syria. For instance, Gilbert Achcar has repeatedly berated President Obama for failing to arm the Syrian opposition sufficiently. Although he has denied it vehemently since, Achcar supported NATOs intervention in Libya. In March 2011, Achcar argued that given the imminent threat of mass slaughter it was morally and politically wrong for anyone on the left to oppose the no-fly zone and that the idea that Western powers are intervening in Libya because they want to topple a regime hostile to their interests is just preposterous. Despite accounts of Libyan rebels indiscriminately attacking and detaining black Africans, Achcar described the opposition forces as being united in longing for democracy and human rights. He also dismissed the notion that much of the most powerful opposition were Islamic extremists, contending that this was Gaddafi trying to get the support of the West. On Libyas prospects after the removal of Gaddafi, he remarked: [I]f there is no clarity about what a post-Gaddafi Libya might look like . . . it cant be worse than Gaddafis regime.

Already dubious at the time, these claims have all subsequently been proven to be spectacularly incorrect. In September 2013, a Harvard University study stated that Gaddafi had not in fact targeted civilians or used indiscriminate force, that Islamists were indeed dominant in the ranks of rebel forces and that the intervention had not only dramatically increased the number of casualties in the conflict, but also exacerbated human rights abuses, humanitarian suffering, Islamic radicalism, and weapons proliferation in Libya and its neighbors. All of these conclusions were confirmed, and expanded upon three years later by the UK Governments Foreign Affairs Committee investigation into the intervention, which stated that it had caused political and economic collapse, inter-militia and inter-tribal warfare, humanitarian and migrant crises, widespread human rights violations, the spread of Gaddafi regime weapons across the region and the growth of ISIL in North Africa. Unfortunately, having been so wrong on Libya does not appear to have given Achcar pause for thought, and regrettably, he has taken a remarkably similar line on Syria and stuck with it persistently.

Similarly, Thomas Pierret of the University of Edinburgh has also adopted an explicitly pro-interventionist stance and called repeatedly for US military intervention in Syria. Perhaps unsurprisingly given his apparent fervour for an escalation in the conflict, Pierret takes a decidedly cavalier stance towards the potential dissolution of the entire Syrian state, brazenly arguing: Why shld [sic] we be scared of statelessness in Syria? Libya is so much better than Syria without a state'. Such an attitude is presumably easy to adopt from the comfort of Scotland compared to the position of a Syrian depending on the state for survival, or one of the approximately 1.8 million Libyans (one third of the entire population) who were forced to flee to Tunisia after the Libyan state was destroyed. In addition to his involvement in campaigns of intimidation as described above, Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, a Lecturer at Stirling University, has also made light of Libyas destruction, comparing its current state favourably to Syrias and arguing that it was being bulldozed into the abyss by Gaddafi prior to the intervention. Ahmad, who has taken a strongly pro-intervention stance on Syria, is a vitriolic presence on social media and frequently labels any stance or individual he disagrees with, including Jacobin magazine and Seymour Hersh, as fascist. He has also recently described Glenn Greenwald as objectively pro-Assad and the alt-left Ayatollah as well as blamed him for Trumps recent election win. Sadly, Idrees Ahmads opinions and attacks on his opponents are only the most florid expressions of a position that is widely held in the Western academy on military intervention in Syria.

The Myth of Neutral Experts

Predictably, over the past five years, a similar narrative has been dominant in the world of think-tanks and foreign policy expertise (usually what is in reality imperial strategizing in all but name). During this period, a number of unscrupulous pundits have managed to position themselves as experts on Syria and the broader region. It has been enormously dispiriting to see many peoplein both academia and the mediatreat the output of these partisan, often deeply compromised individuals as if it were objective analysis. One of the most prominent figures to have built their career on the back of the war in Syria in this fashion is Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute (formerly of the Brookings Institution in Doha). Lister is vocally pro-intervention and for a number of years has deceitfully obscured Western intervention in Syria. In October 2015, he argued that four and a half years of US/Western inaction in Syria had clearly demonstrated how doing nothing is so often worse than doing something'. More recently, Lister co-authored an op-ed with John Allen, a retired US Marine Corps General, in which the pair argued for US war against both Syria and Russia. In another recent article in which he attacked Trumps stance on Syria, Lister made, without providing any evidence, the extraordinary claim that the Syrian Government had methodically built both al-Qaeda in Iraq and then ISIS from 2003 until 2010. Yet, inexplicablygiven his overt ties to the US establishment, visibly pro-war sentiment and frequent unsubstantiated claimsmany continue to treat Lister as a neutral source of analysis. It is no surprise, however, that Yassin-Kassab has praised Lister and defended him from criticism.

In addition to his work with Brookings and subsequently the Middle East Institute, Lister is also a part of the Track II Syria Initiative. During the course of this work, which in his own description has been 100 percent funded by Western governments, Lister has evidently formed close links with members of a number of armed groups inside of Syria. At times, his role appears to have been effectively to act as a West-facing public relations agent for these groups, announcing their name changes and mergers and carrying out damage limitation exercises in the wake of their frequently brutal violence. No incident revealed this more starkly than the horrific beheading of a young Palestinian boy by the Nur al-Din al-Zinki Brigade in July 2016. Lister had previously championed al-Zinkia recipient of both funding and arms from the US Governmentas one of the groups that formed the 70,000 supposedly moderate fighters in Syria that David Cameron claimed existed in November 2015. When footage of the beheading emerged online, Lister tweeted almost immediately that he had just spoken to the group and that it would issue a statement in response to it shortly. Later the same day, Lister reiterated his argument that it was utterly absurd to compare al-Zinki and other groups to ISIS or al-Qaeda and that this was literally beyond debateable. To do so after having just watched the groups members taunt and then behead a child was shocking. Furthermore, Listers paradoxical plan for ostensibly winding down the conflict in Syriawritten after the al-Zinki beheading had occurredincluded the US dramatically increasing arms shipments to rebel groups.

Another analyst who has prominently backed US military intervention in Syria for several years is Listers former colleague at Brookings, Shadi Hamid. Like Lister, Hamid has repeatedly pushed the canard that the US has not intervened in Syria and throughout the Middle East, arguing Obama has had a Do-Nothing Policy in the region. He has even claimed that Obamas supposed inaction in the country contributed towards Donald Trumps recent election victory. In short, Hamidwho has argued that NATOs intervention in Libya was actually a success and that no better world is possible without the US militaryis one of the most egregious and blatant propagandists for US empire currently active. Few represent Edward Saids description of the chorus of willing intellectuals to say calming words about benign or altruistic empires, as if one shouldnt trust the evidence of ones eyes more accurately than Hamid. As such, it is astonishing that he is frequently treated as an objective expert on Syria and elsewhere. Again, it is important to remember that the pro-war stances held by Lister and Hamid are not exceptional, but in fact largely representative of their peers in both their own and other similar institutions. Other experts that could have been discussed at length in this regard include Hassan Hassan and Michael Weiss, who have explicitly called for the US to dismember and then occupy Syria, and Emile Hokayem of the ostensibly independent International Institute for Strategic Studies, which in reality has received up to a third of its funding directly from the ruling family of Bahrain. In a striking example of the kind of obfuscation that these analysts excel in, while on stage with Charles Lister in November 2015, Hokayem argued that it was essentially pointless to discover who was funding ISIS and that rather, the emergence of the group should be considered the result of failures in Middle Eastern society as a whole. Subsequently, in October 2016, Hokayem even argued that defeating Islamic state would be a negative development for the region.

In the course of writing this article, I have deliberately identified a number of individuals and documented exchanges and comments on social media that have hitherto been effectively hidden from ordinary view. There are many other individuals, incidents and themes that I could have discussed, but for reasons of (relative) brevity I have limited myself to focusing on only some of the most prominent. It is my hope that by highlighting the ongoing campaigns of bullying and intimidation that are being carried out by a number of prominent voices on Syria, in addition to pointing out that a number of these same individuals have disturbing attitudes and connections, I will encourage others to be more critical of the analysis that they read and question exactly who it is that they are listening to. Given the potentially disastrous consequences of increased Western intervention in Syria, the stakes could not be higher. We cannot afford for these voices to be the only ones that are heard in the debate.

Louis Allday is a PhD candidate at SOAS based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Louis_Allday.
Jazz in the Woods on Sunday

Celebrate summer with the annual Jazz in the Woods concert with the Wilbur Rehmann Quintet, plus special guests, on Sunday, Aug. 7, from 6-8 p.m. at Moose Creek Ranger Station. In a historic outdoor location, this musical group will shine a light on jazz standards. Experience original interpretations in a casual and very relaxed setting. Bring a picnic, lawn chairs or blanket and enjoy great music in the great outdoors. This program is family-friendly, free and open to the public.

To get to Moose Creek Ranger Station, turn south on Rimini Road and drive approximately 5 miles. There is parking just north of the cabin. There is significant road construction taking place on Rimini Road so please drive with caution. There will be volunteers on hand to assist with parking.

For more information, please call the Montana Discovery Foundation at 495-3711.

***

Camp-Mak-A-Dream benefit upcoming

The Camp-Mak-A-Dream walleye benefit will be held on Saturday, Aug. 13, at Canyon Ferry from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost is $60 per boat or team from shore. A donation entry fee of $50 goes to the cancer camp in Gold Creek, which allows children with this devastating disease to enjoy the outdoors with medical and support staff.

Canyon Ferry habitat receives a donation of $10 from the entry fee. This benefit tournament is open to all ages, and a team consists of as many people as is legal and safe in a boat. Families, fishing buddies and corporate teams are encouraged. Register on Friday, Aug. 12, before the barbecue and rules meeting. Call Carol Henckel for information, or to register or donate at 406-633-2598. Money prizes as well as raffle and grand prizes are awarded to all ages. Designed by the late Mark Henckel, outdoor editor of the Billings Gazette, his wife, Carol, continues to give an opportunity to families and friends to get out in the outdoors and help others through donating to the camp.

***

Surplus animal licenses on sale

Surplus deer, elk and antelope licenses will go on sale online at approximately 5 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 8. Theyll be available at license providers when they open that day and at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offices at 8 a.m.

A complete list of hunting districts with surplus licenses will be available online.

For more information, please go online to fwp.mt.gov or call you FWP regional office.

***

Fish, wildlife commission to meet Aug. 11

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission will make final decisions on a variety of proposals and hear information on a handful of others at its regular monthly meeting Aug. 11 at Montana WILD in Helena.

The meeting will include a regular morning session followed by an afternoon tour to the upper Clark Fork River where the commission will see re-vegetation efforts, the Racetrack Pond Fishing Access Site acquisition and tour the Warm Springs Pond Wildlife Management area.

The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. Also on the agenda for final decisions are:

Future Fisheries Project approvals

Bass fishing contest petition

Duck Creek Fishing Access Site construction closure (R6)

Blackfoot Clearwater forestry project

Keogh Conservation Easement addition

Selection of organizations to auction 2017 moose, sheep, goat, mule deer and elk licenses

***

PLPW Council meets Aug. 15-16

The Private Land/Public Wildlife Council will meet in Helena Aug. 15, from 1-8 p.m., and Aug. 16, from 8 a.m.-noon at the Holiday Inn Express Conference Room located at 3170 N. Sanders St.

During the meeting, the council will get updates on elk shoulder seasons, block management enrollment, and 2016 FWP license sales, and then spend the remainder of the meeting in structured information/question-and-answer sessions focused around the FWPs Block Management program payment system, program audit issues, program structure, delivery and administrative process.

Members of the public are invited to attend the meeting. Public comment is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Tuesday. For more information about the PL/PW Council, contact Hank Worsech, License Bureau Chief, at 444-2663 or by email at hworsech@mt.gov. Or, visit the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov on the Hunting page under Hunter Access.

***

BLM seeks comment on Marysville plan

The Bureau of Land Managements Butte Field Office is looking for comments on its Draft Proposed Action for the Marysville Landscape Restoration Environmental Assessment.

The Marysville Planning Area is in Lewis and Clark County, 20 miles northwest of Helena, and includes 14,170 acres of public lands administered by the BLM.

The Proposed Action would, among other things, restore and improve forest health in the Marysville area and treat hazardous fuel conditions to provide for the safety of firefighters and the general public.

Documents regarding the Proposed Action are available at the Butte Field Office at 106 N. Parkmont in Butte, or on the BLMs ePlanning website at http://1.usa.gov/1t28HMN.

Public comments may be used to alter the Proposed Action and/or create new alternatives to be analyzed prior to issuing an Environmental Assessment. Comments should be as specific as possible, including any suggestions regarding resource issues or changes to the Proposed Action. Comments can be sent to the Butte Field Office at 106 N. Parkmont, Butte, MT 59701, or by email to ctuss@blm.gov. Comments will be accepted until Sept. 15. To be considered, all comments must contain the name and address of the submitter.

For more information about the project and the Proposed Action, call 533-7634.

***

Drawing for hunting camp extensions upcoming

The Rocky Mountain Ranger District of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest will again be accepting applications Sept. 1 for 25 hunting camp extensions in the Beaver-Willow road closure area. To be eligible, applications need to be submitted to the Rocky Mountain Ranger District between Sept. 1-15.

The drawing for successful applicants will take place on or after Sept. 16. Applicants will be notified of the results of the drawing no later than Friday, Sept. 23.

Interested parties must complete an application form and mail or hand-deliver it, along with the required application/permit fees, to the Rocky Mountain Ranger District by the deadline. All applicants will be required to pay a a permit/monitoring fee of $155, and a non-refundable cost recovery fee of $59. The permit/monitoring fee will be returned to applicants who were not selected. All funds collected will be used to cover the costs of administering the hunting-camp-extensions program.

For more information, contact the Ranger District office in Choteau at 466-5341.

***

Black bear season license available

Hunters may purchase a license at all FWP offices, FWP license providers, or online at fwp.mt.gov, under "Online Services" until Aug. 31. After that date there is a 24-hour wait on the use of bear hunting licenses.

Black bear hunters must have successfully completed the Black Bear Identification Test and must present a certificate of completion when purchasing a black bear license. The training and test are available on FWPs website at fwp.mt.gov, under "Quick Links" choose "Education." A paper version of the test may be obtained at FWP offices.

Black Bear hunting regulations for 2016 are available on the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov, from FWP license providers and at FWP offices.
Meeting set for FWP proposal to buy DNRC land

Fish, Wildlife and Parks will hold a public meeting on an environmental assessment that proposes to buy 9,488.26 acres from the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation trust lands that lie within three FWP wildlife management areas. The WMAs are the Sun River, Beartooth and Blackleaf in FWP Region 4. The meeting will be at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 29, in the cafeteria of the Paris Gibson Education Center, 2400 Central Ave., in Great Falls.

The EA is available on the FWP website: fwp.mt.gov/news/publicNotices under the public notices link. Hard or electronic copies are available by emailing, fwprg42@mt.gov, calling 406-454-5840 or writing Region 4 FWP, 4600 Giant Springs Road, Great Falls, MT 59405.

Comments may be made online on the EA webpage or by mail or email to the above addresses. Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., April 8.

****

Corps of Discovery event planned

The Gates of the Mountains chapter of Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation will present a program on Tower Rock. Clark Carlson-Thompson will give a 45-minute presentation at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30, in the large meeting room of the Lewis & Clark Library, 120 S. Last Chance Gulch.

Meriwether Lewis climbed a 400-foot rock on the on the Missouri in 1805 to scout a view of the Rocky Mountains ahead and a pleasant view of the lands passed. He named it Tower Rock. This unique rock became Montanas newest state park 2005. Learn about the sites natural and cultural history as well as the Corps of Discovery's time here.

***

Input sought on proposal to restore westslope cutthroat

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Custer Gallatin National Forest are seeking public comment on a proposed project to restore native westslope cutthroat trout to the headwaters of the North Fork Spanish Creek drainage in the northern Spanish Peaks.

The project would restore WCT to 17 miles of high quality stream habitat in four interconnected tributaries as well as restoring the fish to two headwater high mountain lakes. The North Fork is a tributary to Spanish Creek, which joins the Gallatin River southwest of Bozeman.

For more information and to read the entire scoping notice, go to FWPs website, fwp.mt.gov, and click on News and then Recent Public Notices.

Interested parties can comment online or mail written comments to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, c/o North Fork Spanish Creek Restoration Comments, 1400 S. 19th Ave, Bozeman, MT 59718; or e-mail them to Dave Moser (davemoser@mt.gov). Comments must be received by March 31.

***

Comments sought on draft EA on Marias WMA

Fish, Wildlife and Parks is seeking public comment on a draft environmental assessment that proposes to convert vegetation on a 33-acre field on the Marias River Wildlife Management Area. Field conversion would be from crested wheatgrass to a more native composition. Eighteen acres fall on Bureau of Land Management lands and the remainder on FWP. Conversion goals are to enhance food and cover availability for upland game birds including sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge, Merriams turkey and ring-necked pheasant.

The proposed project is scheduled to begin this spring and entails using contemporary farming practices and herbicide application to eliminate crested wheatgrass.

The draft EA is available on the FWP website: fwp.mt.gov/ under the public notices link. Hard or electronic copies are available by emailing, fwprg42@mt.gov, calling 406-454-5840 or writing Region 4 FWP, 4600 Giant Springs Road, Great Falls, MT 59405.

Comments may be made online on the EA webpage or by mail or email to the above addresses. Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., April 11.

***

Block Management Areas not open to shed hunting

Recreationists are reminded that springtime searching for shed antlers, hiking, and other such activities are not allowed through the Block Management Program, but instead require permission from the private landowner. Block management only covers public hunting and typically is only in effect during fall hunting seasons.

Recreationists seeking access to private land for any reason are always encouraged to ask first for permission.

***

Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest office moving

The Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest-Great Falls office is moving to a new building at 1220 38th St. N. Moving is occurring now and is scheduled to continue for the next several weeks; however, the office will remain open during its regular business hours 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have been co-located since 2000, and through working with General Services Administration, will continue to share the office at the new location.

An open house and ribbon cutting ceremony is set for Friday, April 1, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Light refreshments will be served, and everyone is welcome. Office tours will be given throughout the open house. The new office is scheduled to open on April 11.

For more information, contact Dan Woods at 406-791-7750.

***

State parks seeks comment on use rule

Montana State Parks announced that public comment is being sought on the proposed Public Use Rules. The current Public Use Rules, which guide the publics use of state parks, are out of date, many of which were last updated in 1988. Public comments will be accepted through Friday, April 15.

A 28-day public comment period for the proposed Public Use Rule is now open. The board will hold a public hearing on April 11, at 6 p.m. at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Headquarters located at 1420 East 6th Ave., Helena, to consider the proposed adoption of the draft rules.

View a PDF version of the draft Public Use Rule and provide comments online at: fwp.mt.gov/news/publicNotices/rules/pn_0191.html or at fwp.mt.gov click on Submit Public Comments.

Comments may be submitted by email to FWPParksRules@mt.gov or by regular mail to: Public Use Rule, Attn. Maren Murphy, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701.

For more information contact Maren Murphy at 444-3364.

***

FWP college intern program gearing up

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is again offering college students an opportunity to gain practical experience working as interns in a variety of capacities. Students typically receive academic credit while completing practicum requirements and gaining valuable work experience.

FWP will fill positions around the state that involve work in the areas of fish and wildlife biology, environmental studies, education, interpretation, outdoor recreation, range management, natural resources, statistics and more. The majority of the internships run from April to September.

College students are urged to contact their career placement office immediately for current postings of all internship announcements, or visit the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov. Go to the Doing Business tab and click employment to learn more about available Internships, application deadlines and other details.

For more information, contact Debbie Cheek, statewide intern coordinator, at 406-439-8299

***

Future fisheries projects approved

The Montana Fish & Wildlife Commission recently approved more than $458,000 in funding for 14 projects to improve Montana fisheries.

The projects were submitted for the winter funding cycle of the Future Fisheries Improvement Program and are located across Montana.

The fisheries improvements will help Arctic grayling, bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout, brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout and other native fish. Work includes stream channel restoration, riparian fencing, planting vegetation to stabilize stream banks, construction of barriers to protect cutthroat trout, replacing fords and undersized culverts to allow for fish movement, increasing flow to streams, relocating roads to reduce sediment delivery, and removing mine waste to improve water quality.

Applications for the FFIP summer-cycle grants are due by June 1 to FWP's Fisheries Habitat Bureau. Any individual or group with a project designed to restore or enhance habitat for wild or native fish may apply for funding.

Applications are available on FWPs website at fwp.mt.gov. Applications are also available from FWP regional offices or headquarters in Helena.

***

Notice issued for proposed bicycle campsites

Montana State Parks announced that a decision notice has been issued for proposed shared group bicycle campsites at four state parks in western Montana. The decision notice recommends to move forward with the improvement and installation of the bicycle campsites at Whitefish Lake State Park near Whitefish; Flathead Lake-Wayfarers State Park near Bigfork; and Placid Lake and Salmon Lake Sate Parks near Seeley.

The proposed improvements include enhancing existing shared group bicycle campsites at Whitefish Lake and Wayfarers State Parks, and construction of new shared group bicycle campsites at Placid Lake and Salmon Lake State Parks. The shared group bicycle sites will accommodate up to 10 tent spaces and be equipped with a bicycle rack, fire ring, bear resistant food lockers, potable water, bicycle maintenance stand, electrical outlets and covered shelter with picnic tables.

The improved existing bicycle campsites and creation of new sites at two additional parks will address the increasing demand to accommodate touring bicyclist and help support bicycle tourism in Montana.

Seventy comments were received during the public comment period; all showing support of the proposal.

To view the Decision Notice and draft Environmental Assessment now viewed as a final EA, visit: stateparks.mt.gov/news/publicNotices/environmental-assessments/pn_0053.html.
The Butte Natural Resource Damage Council must decide Thursday whether to extend the life of the council which recommends spending decisions locally on $32 million in restoration projects.

The council also will hear an update from Mark Thompson of Montana Resources on the snow geese die-off in the Berkeley Pit.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Thornton Building, 65 E. Broadway St., second floor. Use the Wyoming Street entrance.

The restoration groups goals were expected to be completed by 2016 with its term set to expire on Dec. 31.

Most, but not all, of the money has been allocated, and the restoration work is not yet complete. Gov. Steve Bullock will make the final decision on whatever the council recommends.

The meeting will also include an evaluation from Len Ballek, senior ecologist with the Seattle-based Herrera Environmental Consultants, on revegetation efforts on the Butte Hill. Ballek visited Butte a year ago to assess restoration work and gave a report last year on his findings.

Julia Crain, the countys special projects planner, and Robert Pal, Montana Techs native plant project manager, will give presentations on revegetation plans for 2017. BNRC will then vote on the projects and budgets.
The state achieved a "major milestone" Tuesday when it signed a long-awaited agreement with Montana Resources, paving the way for removal of the Parrot tailings mine and smelter waste behind the Butte Civic Center by summer 2017.

The waste will be relocated to Montana Resources property, about a mile away.

Gov. Steve Bullock had hoped removal would begin this past summer. But various obstacles  including where to put the excavated contaminated dirt  halted the project.

Bullock said Tuesday via email that he welcomes the news.

Harley Harrison, director, Natural Resource Damage Program, called the agreement a major milestone as it now gives certainty to where the state will put the dirty dirt.

About 350,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil will be relocated to behind MRs main office off 600 Shields Ave., said Mark Thompson, the mines manager of environmental affairs. MR will then move it to wherever the mine can use it. That could mean a waste rock dump, a leach pad or wherever its convenient to take it.

The contractor who wins the contract will dig 40 feet below the surface to remove the source of the contamination; the tailings have been there for over 100 years.

The Parrot Tailings will become part of MRs reclamation responsibility when the mining company eventually shuts down. MRs mining permit with the Department of Environmental Quality runs through 2040. Thompson said the liability issue that held up talks in September got resolved because the company is taking responsibility for the waste under Montana's Metal Mine Reclamation Act.

Kristi Ponozzo, DEQ spokesperson, said agency does not yet know if MRs taking the contaminated waste will affect MRs financial bond with the state. That bond  set at $57.5 million  is insurance to ensure the mine will clean the Continental Pit when the mine closes.

MR believes the cost to the mining company to take the dirty dirt will be about $1.2 million.

Harris said the state hasnt quantified the financial savings to the state. But, he said, We do think it provides cost savings and hopefully they are significant.

The state has about $18.5 million set aside to spend on removing the Parrot tailings.

The Environmental Protection Agency has long argued the mine waste does not require removal and will not order responsible party Atlantic Richfield Company to clean it. The state has consistently countered that to leave the tailings in place endangers the states $125 million cleanup on lower Silver Bow Creek.

The $18.5 million comes from money the state won through its lawsuit against ARCO due to more than 100 years of damaged land and waterways from mining and smelting. The final piece of that lawsuit was settled in 2008.

The final obstacle to the Parrot Tailings removal wont get decided until next year. Butte-Silver Bow Countys vehicle-maintenance shops sit over about half of the removal site. An attempt to move the shops to the north side of Civic Center Road last summer ignited an outcry that the county needed to include the public more in this decision. So far, the location for the county shops is still up in the air.

Incoming BSB chief executive Dave Palmer told The Standard in an interview last week that more community input is needed before a decision can be reached.

Harris said he could not speculate on how long the removal will take. But the initial phase  excavating at the ball field behind the Civic Center  could be completed by the end of construction season 2017. The wild card is the county shops.
Nine days before his mysterious death, the incomparable Tchaikovsky conducted, in October 1893, the premiere of his unforgettable Sixth Symphony. It was remembered as a brilliantly moody performance of gloomy elegance. Afterwards, he took his usual position in the lobby of the theater in St. Petersburg to wait with intense anxiety for the impressions of the public and the music critics.

Eventually, a respected reviewer came to the genius composer. He could not control his tears and said: Maestro what have you done? How can you inspire such intensity of emotions with music?  This is a requiem!

This authentic anecdote illustrates, vividly, the magic of live performances; the touching vulnerability of the performer and the unique ability of great music to penetrate our souls to a depth that is almost indescribable.

When Larysa Blavatsky enters the stage with her violin, her long dark hair flows over her beautiful gown. Her face betrays the classic nervousness of the performer. Before a performance, she writes, I feel very anxious  but once I begin to play, all my worries disappear and I feel very calm  All talented musicians experience a sense of being transported, almost under the spell of the music.

Larysa, a Butte Central Catholic High School senior, is the youngest person on stage with the Butte Symphony, but all generations are well represented. She treasures the age diversity: I get along very well with other members in the symphony  Music is ageless, and it is exciting to connect with people of all different ages that play music.

Whoever considers classical music stuffy has never met Butte Symphony music director Maestro Luis Millan. His infectious smiles offer a comfortable balance to the formality of his impeccably tailored black coattails. He looks happy to bring to life the masterpieces from the past. His considerable gifts are shared with the audience without even a hint of self-importance. Throughout the program, his terrific sense of humor generates laughter.

BUTTE PERFORMANCES

Millan has a lot of respect for his musicians. About performing with guest soloists he writes: The Butte Symphony is an excellent collaborative orchestra. They listen to and react to the soloists so well it is always a very rewarding experience for the orchestra, soloist, and audience.

He remembers fondly the first time he met the orchestra: The reception was so warm and the rehearsals were so enjoyable. He, also, speaks about his audience with obvious affection: The audience in Butte is always enthusiastic and appreciative. It is always a joy to perform for them.

More than a performance, Butte Symphony puts on an event. As a member of the audience you get the sense that you are experiencing something vibrant and important. Glen Johnson, the gentleman who sits, with his wife, next to me, expresses it perfectly: What I like most about a live symphonic performance is the very aliveness. The enveloping sound in the live with all its dynamics both visual and auditory. Recordings can never duplicate that to that degree.

Four years ago, I discovered the splendid Mother Lode Theatre. Immediately after the first concert that I attended, I wrote with excitement to family and friends: We have a world class theater in Butte!

The Butte Symphony experience cannot be adequately captured without a tribute to its grand home. The acoustics are impressive and the interior sheds an ambiance of warmth, style and history. Distinguished and nostalgic ghosts of a refined past undoubtedly dwell here.

No education is complete without experiencing the enchantment of a live symphonic performance. I strongly encourage parents and grandparents to take their children at least once. It opens their minds to a sophisticated universe of beauty and passion. Just like Albert Einstein famously played the violin to resolve mathematical enigmas, so, also, a certain kind of music can unveil spiritual and emotional jewels concealed inside young hearts.

Arguably, no composition has recently introduced more children and adults to the grace of classical music than Tchaikovskys Christmas favorite  The Nutcracker.

A friend of mine from faraway New Zealand is flying into Butte on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 6.30 p.m. I will immediately take him and his staff to the Butte Symphony Holiday Concert (7:30 p.m. in the Mother Lode). The program that evening is very exciting with the participation of the choirs of Butte High, Anaconda High and Butte Central. I will do it, of course, for the enjoyment of my guests. But, I also love the idea of showing off to a man of great taste and a world traveler, the hidden treasure in our midst.
CAROUSEL BURGLED AGAIN

Two men called police at 8:30 a.m. Monday after seeing another man suspiciously carrying a space heater from the carousel construction site at Stodden Park. Police said the men also noticed tools stacked near the retaining wall of their workplace, which is an accounting firm next to the park, and a hole cut in a nearby fence. Police said they spoke with a man affiliated with the carousel, who confirmed the carousel building was entered by prying a wooden plank. Police said a $1,000 space heater and $1,500 worth of flood lamps are still missing. Police said they followed footprints from the hole in the fence to a trailer park on Hobson Street about a block away, but have no suspects. Police said the building could have been broken into by whomever has done so at least twice in recent months, and that this time the suspect was probably scared off.
When the Missoulians new-to-Montana editor asked With trees everywhere on the horizon, why cant our local sawmills find enough wood to cut? it prompted Rob Chaneys excellent series on the history of the timber industry and forests in Montana.

One problem with Chaneys series, however, was his editors question, which reflected the myth that the timber industry in Montana cant find enough timber to cut. The fact that Chaney omitted is that approximately 16 percent of the total volume of timber offered up for sale during fiscal year 2016 received no bids from the timber industry. Simply put, the Forest Service offered more trees for logging than the timber industry wanted. As Chaney correctly pointed out, the timber industry has now mostly moved on to the rainy, warm southeastern United States and its fast-growing tree farms rather than the slow-growing natural forests of the dry and cold Rocky Mountains.

Chaney also wrote that: "Montana has 32,000 miles of Forest Service roads, but construction of new roads was virtually halted in 2001. A simple reading of old Missoulian articles proves road-building has not been halted in Montanas forests. For example, the East Reservoir timber sale in the Kootenai National Forest authorizes commercial logging on 8,845 acres, including clearcutting on 3,458 acres with most of it in lynx and bull trout federally designated critical habitat. This logging project would rebuild a whopping 175 miles of roads for logging as well as building 9 miles of totally new and permanent logging roads in the area. The logging plan would also add an additional 13 miles of illegal user-created roads into the legal road system and open 9 miles of previously closed motorized trails.

Unfortunately, any assertion that Forest Service has somehow reformed its past get out the cut priority is erroneous. The agency, politicians and the timber industry all continue to push the myth that the timber industry is starved for timber and its the job of the publics national forests to supply it. According to them, all we have to do is get rid of pesky environmental laws and red tape and the good old days when Missoulas air smelled like rotten eggs will be back and timber mills will proliferate.

The truth is that even if we clearcut our few remaining old growth forests as the Forest Service, the timber industry and their political pals want, logging jobs are not coming back. Chaney offered a great explanation of how modern technology in the timber industry now requires far fewer workers when he wrote: Mechanized harvesters allow one logger to do the work of 20 in the forest The same applies in the mills. It takes fewer and fewer workers to turn a tree into a board.

While Chaney wrote about the massive clearcutting of old growth forest that occurred in the past, he didnt write about the concurrent and ongoing costs to Montanas environment. Bull trout continue to decline in western Montana because the streams are choked with sediment from logging roads and clearcuts. Numerous forests no longer have fisher, bull trout or lynx because of logging. The Garnet Range, for instance, has supported lynx since the last Ice Age until the Forest Service could no longer find them after the latest timber sale. Unfortunately, not one of the hundreds of streams in Montana that were listed as polluted under the Clean Water Act by logging roads and clearcuts has been cleaned up.

The Forest Service, the timber industry, and their political allies continue to push the myth that subsidized logging cures everything simply because they want more taxpayer money from Congress. A bureaucracy always wants to get bigger and corporations always want more taxpayer-funded subsidies.

Instead of focusing on how to help the Forest Service and the tiny portion of the population and economy in the Montana timber industry we need to focus on recovering our forests from the damages of the past, curtailing the ongoing environmental damage to our forests caused by the Forest Services misplaced priorities, and abandon the evil environmentalists and log shortage myths spawned by the timber industry and its political puppets.
My daughter and I recently had the opportunity to hunt on private land during Thanksgiving week. From what we experienced, I now have a better perspective of why many landowners will not allow access.

We hunted with a landowner and his daughter. On our trip we encountered two hunters who had made their way well onto the private land. These two hunters were dressed in camouflage without any hunter orange. Once they saw us they headed back towards public land at a rapid pace. We also watched four other hunters trespass on the private land. The landowner had to postpone his hunting trip in order to deal with this situation.

Once the landowner got back to the county road another group of hunters pulled up to him. This group was very rude, confrontational and cussed the landowner in front of his daughter. I witnessed this in just two days.

I definitely understand why many landowners will not allow hunting. Two of the three incidents that I witnessed were by Montanans and the third I am unsure of. The bottom line is if we Montanans do not do a better job of policing ourselves in respect to private property, there will be less and less access in the future.

 Michael Williams, Billings
HELENA  An attorney for four patients at Montana State Hospital who in a lawsuit claim they are subjected to long-term isolation nearly 24 hours a day made a final argument in court Tuesday for why the patients should be removed from seclusion rooms while they await a 2018 trial.

Helena District Court Judge Kathy Seeley did not make ruling on the request for an injunction, but said she would issue one soon.

Two of the patients who filed the suit, Faith Swanson and Tyler Sapp, say they are held in locked seclusion rooms most of the day. Swanson and Sapp are civilly committed to the state hospital. The other patients suing are Ryan Bragg and Charles White, who are criminally committed.

Patricia Klanke, an attorney with Drake Law Firm, who is representing the hospital, the Department of Public Health and Human Services and several employees being sued, said testimony during the hearing didnt show that the patients should be moved from where they currently live at the hospital. Seeley heard two days of testimony in September, including from Dr. Liviu Goia and Dr. Virginia Hill, psychiatrists at the hospital who are named in the suit, in addition to yesterday's hearing.

State law requires patients be held in the least-restrictive conditions in which they can be safely monitored and treated, and thats where Swanson and Sapp are now, Klanke said. She added that Goia and Hill said Swanson and Sapp are two of the most severe, difficult patients they've encountered in long careers.

Things get dangerous and this in fact is the least-restrictive conditions, she said.

White, who wanted to be moved back to the hospital from the Forensic Mental Heath Facility at Galen, was relocated after the suit was filed.

Bridgitt Erickson, an attorney for Disability Rights Montana, said while White was moved after the complaint and its no longer an issue, she is concerned about Bragg, Swanson and Sapp.

Part of the injunction sought to keep registered nurse Eleanor Combs away from Bragg. Erickson says Combs put Bragg into physical restraints as punishment after he broke a fire suppression sprinkler. Seeley removed Combs from the injunction, however, saying the allegations were based on past action, not future concerns, and that her court was not the place to determine Combs' professional competency.

Though Combs now works in a different part of the hospital, Erickson asked Seeley to reconsider.

In court today she said she would do it again, Erickson said.

Erickson said holding Swanson and Sapp in seclusion is not therapeutic and that alone ought to be the basis for allowing these people out of seclusion and into a regular room.

She also said Combs testified Tuesday that hospital employees have little mental health training before working with people in severe mental distress.

Employees go through a two-week orientation when hired and must complete 12 hours of training each year after. Training includes everything from fire safety procedures to first aid and is not solely focused on mental health, Combs testified.

Staff are trained how to put a patient in restraints, but not how to not restrain. Thats the very point of care, Erickson said.

In court Tuesday, Erickson sought to introduce summaries of nearly 57,000 pages of documents she said show Swanson and Sapp spend most of the time locked in their rooms and not receiving treatment. Michael Kauffman, who works for Drake Law Firm, succeeded in stopping the summaries from being filed as exhibits, however, after pointing out several errors in the compiled data.

His staff found errors on nine days in a sample month for one patient. The summary only counted eight treatment sessions for Sapp, but Kauffman said his staff found 10 sessions that were not reported.

We didnt find any that were overstatements of treatment, Kauffman said. They were all omission errors or under-reporting treatment.

Erickson said the summaries showed Swanson and Sapp spent less than 1 percent of their time in treatment, and even if the numbers were doubled it would still be a small amount. She added that summarizing the data is still a work in progress and it would be accurate by trial.

A video documenting Combs placing Bragg in restraints was not shown in court Tuesday, but it and a transcript were provided to the judge.
While coffee might hold beloved status throughout the U.S., not all places are created equal when it comes to finding a truly good cup. Here a
You are notified that there is now on file in the office of the Clerk of Court for Muscatine County, a petition to terminate parental rights in case number JV006170 which asks that your parental rights be terminated as it relates to your child born on the 5th day of April, 2016, in the State of Iowa. For further details contact the clerk's office. The petitioner's attorney is Joan M. Black, Assistant Muscatine County Attorney, Muscatine County Attorney's Office, 420 East Third Street, Muscatine, IA 52761, 563-263-0382.

You are notified that there will be a prehearing on the petition to terminate parental rights before the Iowa Juvenile Court for Muscatine County, at the Courthouse in Muscatine, IA on the 19th day of January, 2017, at 8:30 o'clock a.m. and a termination of parental rights hearing on the 9th day of February, 2017, at 1:30 o'clock p.m.

You are further notified that unless on or before this time and date of hearing, you appear, or, you serve, and within a reasonable time thereafter file, a written special appearance, motion or answer, in the above-named Court at the Courthouse in Muscatine, IA, judgment by default will be rendered finding your parental rights to be terminated as demanded in the Petition.

You are further notified that you are entitled to be represented by an attorney. If you are unable to employ counsel, you may apply to have counsel appointed by filling out an affidavit of your financial situation. You should do this immediately.

Jeff Tollenaer

Clerk of the

Juvenile Court

Muscatine County Courthouse

Muscatine, Iowa 52761

Dates of Publication:

December 7, 2016

December 14, 2016

December 21, 2016
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The Muscatine High School and Muscatine Catholic High School Class of 1954 will meet their Christmas lunch at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at the Pizza Ranch, 106 Ford Ave., Muscatine. All class members, spouses, and friends are welcome.
WEST LIBERTY, Iowa  Beat the winter blahs by coming to a show at Owl Glass Puppetry Center during winter break. See "In the Mirror: Three Tales from Asia" at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 28, (one show only!) at Owl Glass Puppetry Center, 319 N. Calhoun, West Liberty. Tickets are $5.00 each.

Its also time to reserve tickets for Eulenspiegels annual Puppets and Pastries; Dessert Theatre for Adults Feb. 24 and 25.

"In the Mirror" is a collection of three folk tales from Japan, Korea, and Turkey. The first, The Mirror, performed with finger puppets and masks based on traditional Korean masks, relates a series of misunderstandings that occur when people encounter a mirror for the first time. Though comic, it has poignant undertones and deals with interpersonal relationships.

The second, The Golden Pitcher, performed with flat paper puppets, comes from Turkey and features a vain king and a clever little girl who outwits him and leads him to a change of heart.

The third, The Little Old Lady and the Riceballs, stars an ingenious older heroine who outsmarts two Onis (Japanese trolls) who imprison her in order to sample her delicious cooking. It features several rod puppets and a combination rod puppet/rod marionette.

The show uses a clever stage that rises and folds out of a decorated box. It employs puppeteer Monica Leo as a narrator/storyteller, achieving a synthesis of puppetry and storytelling.

For further information or to reserve tickets, call 627-2487 (local call from Iowa City) or e-mail monica@puppetspuppets.com.
Louisa County Hunter Safety Course Offered

WAPELLO, Iowa - A Louisa County Hunter Safety course will be offered from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, Mar. 9 at the Monsanto Rec Building and from 8:00 a.m.  4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 11 at Langwood Education Center. Students must attend both classes in order to become certified. The course includes classroom lessons as well as live fire and shooting demonstrations. Snacks and drinks will be provided both days, but participants should bring a sack lunch on Saturday.

Iowa residents born after Jan. 1, 1972 and nonresidents born after Jan. 1, 1967, must satisfactorily complete a hunter education course in order to obtain a hunting license. Participants must be at least 11-years-old to attend, however certificates are not valid until the childs 12th birthday.

The Iowa DNR is now offering three different options for obtaining a hunter education certificate.

Option 1- successfully pass a hunter education class. This free option is for youth 11-years-old or older. This is the class being offered in Louisa County.

Option 2  online class plus field day. This option is for youth 16-years-old or older and allows students to take the majority of the class online. Students must then print off a certificate showing they passed and bring it to an official field day where they listen to the laws presentation, handle the guns and take the official test. Students are allowed to come to the Saturday class to obtain the field day requirements, however students need to contact the Louisa County Conservation office to make those arrangements. There is a fee for the online course.

Option 3  Online class only. This option is available to adults over 18-years-old. They are not required to do any hands-on activities and can pass the class completely online. There is a fee for this course.

Registration for all three of these options is available at the DNRs website: www.iowadnr.gov/huntered. If you have trouble, there is a link directly to the Louisa County class at LouisaCountyConservation.org. Click on Events/Hunter Safety then scroll down until you see the online registration and click the link. You can also try the Iowa DNR at 515-725-8200 or Louisa County Conservation at 319-523-8381.

There is no charge for this course thanks to donations from Monsantos Off-The-Job Safety Committee. This course is also sponsored by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Louisa County Conservation and Louisa Countys volunteer hunter education instructors.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Muscatine Police Officers, children, parents, siblings, and grandparents filled the toy aisles at the local Walmart Tuesday night, talking and excitedly looking at all of the brightly colored toys.

The 25th Shop with a Cop event is sponsored by the Muscatine Police Officers Association, which collects donations from area businesses and residents to make sure children who may be in need in the community have a happy holiday season.

"Every year since 1991 we have sought donations from the community and businesses in Muscatine to try and make Christmas a little brighter for people who could really use it," said Lt. Kevin Sink.

The donations received for the event have allowed more than 2,000 children to participate in Shop with a Cop.

"The community has been unbelievable in this effort," Sink said.

The officers who participate are almost serving as proxies for the businesses and community members who donated to the effort, Sink said, and they enjoy the chance to spend time with local children.

"Quite frankly, we tend to have more fun than even the kids do," he said.

Children are recommended to be part of the program by the Muscatine Community School District. Teachers at the schools, Sink said, are more familiar with which children may need some help getting presents for the holiday.

The only criteria the Muscatine Police Officers Association has, Sink said, is the students' names will be matched against the list of children who have already had the chance to participate.

Shop with a Cop began allowing about 30 children to participate, and were given money for presents and a chance to shop with a local officer, but Sink said they saw a greater need. Now most years, he said, more than 100 children are able to purchase toys.

Sink said the officers also hope the children who participate will remember the time spent with officers.

"If they remember this, maybe 20 years down the line they won't have such a negative opinion of law enforcement," he said.

Walmart donates snacks, punch and funds, and does not charge sales tax.

"Which allows us to take that many more children," Sink said.

Kristy Keith, the manager of the Vision Center at Walmart in Muscatine, said the event is a good opportunity to give back to the surrounding community.

Keith said she has enjoyed watching how happy children become, and she has seen their kindness as they also choose presents for their siblings or parents.

"They share their money well," she said. "Sometimes we have to make them go back and get something for themselves because they spent it on everyone else in their family but them."

Some children could be heard searching for the right gift for a brother or sister, or excitedly showing an officer the toy they had found while wandering the aisles Tuesday night.

Tonisha Hollingshed, of Muscatine, said she could see how excited the children got when they began to pick out their toys.

"It's amazing, and very helpful," she said. "And I think it's a great cause, especially for people that are in need and not doing too well."
The people of Iowa once again showed they are among the most civically-minded in the nation, thanks to their turnout in the 2016 general election. More than 1.58 million Iowans made their voice heard. Iowas 72 percent turnout ranks among the top five states in the country for voter participation.

I would like to personally thank everyone who took the time to cast a ballot. Increasing voter participation is one of the primary goals of my administration, and while a top five finish is very good, I want Iowa to be number one.

On Monday, December 19, the Republican Party of Iowas six electors will come to Des Moines to cast our states official votes for president and vice-president of the United States. Similar ceremonies will take place across the country. This action is a necessary step in the official process of selecting our next president.

There has been a lot of talk since Election Day, mainly from people upset with the outcome, that we should abolish the Electoral College and select our president through a popular vote. This line of thinking is contrary to what our Founding Fathers envisioned for the United States and enshrined in our U.S. Constitution. They did not construct a pure democracy. The U.S. was designed as a representative republic, giving power to the states, instead of a bloated, centralized federal government. It was Alexander Hamilton, first U.S. secretary of the Treasury, who advocated most strongly for the Electoral College.

A national popular vote would render Iowa and most other Midwestern states practically meaningless in the presidential election process. Candidates would no longer campaign here. The Iowa Caucuses would become obsolete. We would never be able to vet the candidates or ask them questions about their stances on the issues most important to us, because the entire focus of their campaigns would be on the most populous cities and states in the country, like New York, California and Texas. Attempts from rural voters to make their voices heard would be futile.

The Electoral College requires candidates to appeal to all of America, not just its top population centers. Iowa feeds the world and we deserve to have our issues discussed on a national level. We take our civic duty very seriously in Iowa, from the caucuses all the way to the general election. Thank you to the 1,581,371 of you who cast a ballot.
EDITORS: Many citizens have a limited understanding of American history and our unique form of constitutional government. Without this knowledge, how can we expect them to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship?

Two hundred twenty-five years ago this month, on December 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights became part of the U.S. Constitution.

In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who described the Bill of Rights as the great American charter of personal liberty and human dignity, declared December 15 Bill of Rights Day.

The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University in Ohio, provides an opportunity for you to test and refresh your knowledge of the signing and adoption of the Bill of Rights, which comprises the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.

1. The Bill of Rights states that

A. In criminal prosecutions, the accused shall have the Assistance of Counsel

B. No person shall be compelled in any civil case to be a witness against himself

C. No (search) warrants shall be issued but upon reasonable doubt

D. The people have a right to assemble peaceably or unpeaceably

2. In which city was the Bill of Rights signed by the First Congress?

A. Boston

B. New York

C. Philadelphia

D. Washington

3. In what year were the amendments comprising the Bill of Rights sent to the States for ratification?

A. 1776

B. 1787

C. 1789

D. 1791

4. According to the First Amendment, Congress shall make no law

A. Allowing only oil from Saudi Arabia to be sold in America

B. Respecting an establishment of religion

C. Favoring the appointment of conservative originalist judges

D. That imposes taxes without the consent of the people

5. Which memorable phrase is included in the Bill of Rights?

A. Give me liberty or give me death

B. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

C. The laws of nature and of natures God

D. Nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted

6. The Fourth Amendment addresses the issue of

A. Unreasonable searches and seizures

B. Trial by jury

C. Suits at common law

D. Excessive bail

7. Who was most responsible for guiding the Bill of Rights through the First Congress from its introduction to signing?

A. Thomas Jefferson

B. James Madison

C. George Mason

D. Patrick Henry

8. Which state provided the last vote needed to secure the adoption of the Bill of Rights?

A. Delaware

B. Massachusetts

C. Virginia

D. Kentucky

9. According to the specific language of the Bill of Rights

A. The powers not expressly delegated to the United States are reserved to the States

B. Congress can abridge freedom of speech and of the press in emergencies

C. The powers not delegated to the United States are reserved to the States or to the people

D. There shall be no standing armies in time of peace.

10. According the Bill of Rights the people have the following right:

A. The right to bear arms

B. The right to equal protection of the laws

C. The right to alter or abolish their government

D. The right to a free education

ANSWERS: 1-A, 2-B, 3-C, 4-B, 5-D, 6-A, 7-B, 8-C, 9-C, 10-A

ABOUT THE WRITER

Gordon Lloyd is a senior fellow at the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio and author and editor of a series of online exhibits on the American Founding hosted by the Ashbrook Centers website, TeachingAmericanHistory.org. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
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 []
OAKLAND  Investigators said Tuesday that they still cant pinpoint a specific cause in the fire that killed 36 partygoers in an Oakland warehouse.

They focused their investigation on electrical appliances plugged into the rear of the building where the fire started Dec. 2.

The electrical system is still part of the analysis of what sparked the fire, said Jill Snyder, the special agent in charge with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives.

At this time, no final determination has been made, Snyder said.

The ATF has finished collecting evidence, Snyder said. The Oakland Fire Department will prepare a final report for handover to prosecutors.

Prosecutors have warned murder charges are possible as they determine whether crimes are linked to the blaze.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley said Tuesday the criminal investigation will be thorough, methodical and calculated.

The deadliest building fire in the U.S. in more than a decade broke out during a late-night dance party in the cluttered warehouse. The building had been converted to art studios and illegal living spaces, and former denizens said it was a death trap of piled wood, furniture, snaking electrical cords and only two exits.

After arriving at the warehouse a day after the fire, ATF investigators quickly ruled out arson and focused their investigation on the electrical system.

City and state officials fielded complaints for years about dangerous conditions, drugs, neglected children, trash, thefts and squabbles at the warehouse, raising questions about why it wasnt shut down.

Building department inspectors had not set foot in the warehouse for at least 30 years.

A firefighter with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press last week that the warehouses address is not listed an Oakland Fire Department database used to schedule annual inspections and was likely never checked for fire hazards. Oakland fire officials are supposed to annually inspect commercial buildings for fire safety, according to a city website, with only single-family homes and duplexes exempted.

Officials typically pull addresses from a database to request the yearly checks, said the firefighter, who feared retribution for disclosing the information and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

Derick Ion Almena, the sometime photographer who rented the warehouse and sublet it to artists, has not responded to emails or calls by The AP to phone numbers associated with him. In a brief interview with NBCs Today show, Alemena said he didnt attend the Dec. 2 party and that he is sorry. Alemena said he lived at the warehouse with his wife and three young children, though they were staying at a hotel the night the fire broke out.

The warehouses owner, Chor Ng, has not responded to emails and calls made by The AP to phone numbers associated with her. The landlords daughter, Eva Ng, told The Los Angeles Times that the Ng family didnt know people were living in the warehouse in violation of city zoning laws.

The blaze was the nations most lethal structure fire since 100 people perished in a Rhode Island bar in 2003.
NEW YORK  From the outside, Samy el-Goarany seemed to have it all.

The son of a successful real estate broker, he lived in a big house with an indoor swimming pool on two acres in New York's bucolic Hudson Valley. As a teenager, he got into a good college in Manhattan and seemed set to follow his father into real estate.

Then he went off to Syria and joined the Islamic State group.

When he was killed in fighting a year ago, his father told friends his son had died in a car crash, his body so badly burned it couldn't be recovered. But the true story of el-Goarany's death remained a secret until October, when federal prosecutors revealed details in a case against an Arizona man accused of aiding IS by recruiting American fighters.

Shocked childhood friends were unable to explain why the skinny, studious history buff they once knew walked away from a promising future to die in the Middle East around the time he would have turned 25.

"I had been close to this guy for the past 10 years, and I honestly wouldn't have suspected him of joining this deplorable group," one friend, Peter Kwon, wrote on Facebook. "To find out about this is sad, infuriating, and quite frankly, disturbing."

In a brief interview outside his home in Greenville, New York, el-Goarany's father, Mohamed, said his son had been manipulated into traveling to Syria by Ahmed Mohammed el-Gammal, the Avondale, Arizona, man now scheduled to go to trial next month in New York.

"He made him go over there," Mohamed el-Goarany said.

Federal prosecutors said el-Goarany traveled through Turkey to Islamic State-controlled territory inside Syria in January 2015.

He made the trip, they claim, after communicating online for several months with el-Gammal, who also visited the Queens apartment el-Goarany shared with a younger brother.

Lawyers for el-Gammal suggest he did so willingly.

The government's own court documents indicate that el-Goarany "was a sophisticated, strong-willed young man who formed his own beliefs and arranged and financed his own travel," said el-Gammal's attorney, Sabrina Shroff.

After federal agents arrested el-Gammal the following August, el-Goarany appeared in a YouTube video wearing military fatigues and sitting on a mat in a sparsely decorated room to declare that he had come to Syria "out of my own will" and without any assistance. El-Gammal has pleaded not guilty.

Former friends of el-Goarany were reluctant to speak about him, but those who did said they were stunned to learn of the turn his life had taken.

Born in the U.S., el-Goarany was the son of an Egyptian civil engineer who became a developer and real estate broker in New York after emigrating to the U.S. in the 1980s. He lived in a town of fewer than 5,000 people about a 90-minute drive north of New York City.

Friends at Goshen High School knew Samy was a Muslim, but he was not a proselytizer. Classmate Sean Larkin said the two frequently talked about Islam, Christianity, Judaism and other religions before they graduated in 2008.

"Samy was never shoving Islam down anyone's throat," he said.

The family is warm and outgoing, said Quazi Al-Tariq, past chairman of the Middletown Islamic Center, located just miles from the el-Goarany family home. But since news of their son's fate was made public, they have felt "ashamed and helpless."

After the news broke, Samy's younger brother tearfully told Al-Tariq that his brother had been "reading a lot of literature about Islam and politics."

He attended Baruch College in New York City from 2009 to 2013, according to a LinkedIn profile, though a college spokeswoman refused to confirm his enrollment there, citing privacy rules.

How and why el-Goarany's beliefs hardened is unclear.

Reviewing almost 44,000 pages from his Facebook account, the FBI determined that el-Goarany had received both religious instruction and training from the Islamic State after traveling overseas, prosecutors said in a court filing.

Last fall, someone contacted el-Goarany's younger brother to tell him that his older sibling was killed in Syria, prosecutors said. That person sent photos of a four-page, handwritten letter in which the elder el-Goarany advised his brother to listen to the lectures of the radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

"You see how my life changed for the better when I came to the Land of Islam," he wrote. "You are a witness to my transformation."
The fifth annual North Coast Wine Industry Expo (WIN Expo) was held Dec. 1 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa.

The conference attracted 3,500 attendees, making it the second largest wine trade show in North America. Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in January in Sacramento is first with 12,000 attendees.

The show presented by Wine Industry Network featured about 300 exhibitors spread out over two large pavilions, plus six educational sessions, including one on the potential of legalized recreational marijuana. In a nutshell, pot hurt Colorado the first year, then wine recovered and more. And those who have alcohol licenses cant sell dope.

Most of the talks were pretty light in comparison to the presentations at the Napa Valley Grapegrowers smaller Rootstock held earlier in November. WIN Expo is more focused on exhibits and selling, while Rootstock is more educational.

Parking was a mess; I wonder what the Sonoma fairgrounds are like during the annual county fair!

You can get more information at wineindustryexpo.com.

Vinexpo

By contrast to our wine trade shows, Vinexpo in Bordeaux June 18 to 21 attracts almost 2,500 exhibitors and 50,000 professional visitors from 150 countries. Americans representing the second largest segment of international visitors, just behind China.

In addition to the show, Bordeaux is a historic city that is in full revival and packed with attractions for attendees. Chief among these is La Cite du Vin, a bold new architectural landmark that houses an extraordinary cultural facility devoted to wine and culture.

Get more information at www.vinexpo.com.

Wine Courses in Bordeaux

Hmm. Should I go to Davisor Bordeaux for wine short courses?

The Institut Superieur de la Vigne et du Vin and Bordeaux Sciences Agro will conduct four courses in English open to viticulture and enology professionals this coming spring:

 Bordeaux winemaking specificities, Feb. 1 to 3, with an optional extension in Burgundy, Feb. 5 to 8.

 Terroir and vineyard management, March 6 to 10, with an optional extension in Burgundy, March 13 to 17.

 Sensory Analysis, a tool for monitoring winemaking, April 11 to 13.

 International Wine Business, June 5 to 8

The programs will take place at Bordeaux Sciences Agro, a short tram ride from the center of Bordeaux.

Get more information at www.agro-bordeaux.fr/formations/formation-continue and information about visiting Bordeaux and its attractions at www.bordeaux-tourisme.com.

Enartis courses on phenolics

Enartis presents The Phenolic Series of workshops where winemakers, researchers and wine technologists will share their knowledge and experience and provide attendees with methods and technologies to create a more complete understanding about the key chemical processes and technical tools that maximize wine color, enhance structure, improve mouthfeel and prevent oxidation.

The sessions:

 Tannins: From Grapes to Wine in the Napa/Sonoma area Jan. 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 Color: From Grapes to Wine March 15 in the Paso Robles area

 Oxygen: Oxidation, Prevention and Benefits May 15 in the Napa/Sonoma area

The cost is $250. Register via www.enartis.com.

Call 838-6312 for more information.

Scholarships for wine industry kids

Napa County High School seniors and Napa Valley College transfer students and their relatives are eligible for scholarships administered by the Napa Valley Community Foundation. Of particular note to those in the wine business is the Fruit of the Vine Scholarship that gives preference to the children of winery and vineyard employees.

Other scholarships have other purposes Get more information at www.napavalleycf.org or contact Ellen Drayton at ellend@napavalleycf.org. Apply by March 7.
More than 200 stakeholders provided input on the qualifications and personal characteristics they would like to see in the school districts next superintendent, the recruiter told trustees at a special board meeting last week.

I had well over 200 contacts with a mix of parents, teachers, staff, students and other community members, said Scott Mahoney, the consultant who is conducting the search to find Calistoga Joint Unified School Districts next superintendent.

He said I have a good feel for what everyone is looking for in the replacement for current superintendent Esmeralda Mondragon, who will retire at the end of this school year.

Mahoney said he was impressed by the interest and response, especially since the district is so small.

I had more input by far from the Calistoga community than in any other search he has conducted, he said.

Some of the personal attributes and qualifications that emerged from surveys include finding a superintendent who is bilingual in Spanish, attends school and community events, lives in the community, has worked in a district similar to Calistoga, supports extras such as music, enrichment and classroom aides, is a good communicator, and is transparent.

The input phase of the search was the first step in Mahoneys process. The next step will be to recruit candidates and post the position on Edjoin.org. The application period will be open for about six weeks beginning in early January.

Candidates will be screened in mid-February followed by a special board meeting to select the candidates who will be interviewed by the Board of Trustees.

Mahoney would like to conduct the interviews in the beginning of March and finalize a selection by mid-March to be able to make an offer and get someone in before the end of the school year.
The Napa Valley Unified School Districts Board of Trustees elected new officers and welcomed three new members, generating one of the more significant shakeups in membership in recent school board history.

The swearing in of three new trustees, all women, on Thursday marked what one longtime school board member called the biggest change hes seen on the seven-member NVUSD governing body.

This is the largest turnover Ive seen in my 14 years on the board, said Thomas Kensok, trustee for Area 3 since 2002. Board Secretary Fran Carpenter confirmed Kensoks assertion after the meeting that this year was the first time since at least 2002 that three seats changed hands at once.

Joining the board were farmworker safety consultant Icela Martin, nonprofit executive Elba Gonzalez-Mares, and yoga instructor and community volunteer Stacy Bratlien.

Childrens health and nutrition, as well as educational opportunities, are key concerns of all three trustees.

Only one of the new trustees, Martin, had to compete for her seat. She defeated three other candidates in the November election for Area 5.

Gonzalez-Mares and Bratlien were the sole candidates to file for their seats, Areas 2 and 1, respectively.

All three newcomers received high praise from outgoing board President Robb Felder.

These three women are remarkable, said Felder, whose term as president expired Thursday. He will continue to represent Area 6 as a trustee.

After the new and returning trustees took the oaths of office, the board elected new officers for the next year.

Area 7 Trustee Jose Hurtado, who previously served as vice president, was elected president.

Area 4 Trustee Joe Schunk, the boards previous clerk, was elected vice president.

Kensok was elected clerk.

Martin won a contested four-way race in the November election to succeed longtime Trustee Frances Ortiz-Chavez, who retired after 13 years on the school board.

A single mother of two boys attending Vintage High School, Martins professional background is in human resources, safety and health consulting for the Napa Valley farming community. She launched her company, Agricultura Safety Training, in May 2015.

Martin moved to Napa County 10 years ago.

Her trustee area covers the southwest part of Napa, including the neighborhoods of Coventry Manor, Westwood, and a portion of Browns Valley.

During her campaign, Martin said her work with the agricultural community gave her the perspective that all children in our community should have equal opportunities for education.

It is important for our teachers to feel appreciated by providing financial support for the classroom. Parents need to be supported as well, so the educational path of their children will be a positive one, she said.

Gonzalez-Mares took over Area 2, formerly represented by educator Carlos Hagedorn, who chose not to run for re-election.

She is the executive director of Childrens Health Initiative (CHI) Napa County, which helps low-income children receive subsidized health insurance.

Originally from the state of Puebla, Mexico, her family moved to Napa when she was 12 years old. She attended Silverado Middle School and Napa High School, receiving her diploma in 2000.

Gonzalez-Mares attended U.C. Davis, where she earned her bachelors degree in international relations in 2005.

After college, she moved back to Napa and joined CHI as health services manager.

Inside her district are Alta Heights and McPherson elementary schools, Napa High School, New Technology High School, Valley Oak High School and the Adult Education program.

Bratlien, a 16-year resident of Napa, took over Area 1 from Helen Busby, who decided to not run in November after being appointed to the school board in 2015.

Health and wellness are big concerns of Bratliens, both on the school board and in the school district.

The yoga instructor helped found Free Yoga in the Park at Fuller Park, along with Jessica De Lasaux, who ran unsuccessfully for the Area 5 seat against Martin.

In her spare time, Bratlien mentors female students at Redwood Middle School as part of Mariposa, a Napa County Office of Education program designed to keep teen girls out of trouble.

As a trustee, she wants NVUSD to strengthen its wellness and nutrition programs by improving food choices and expanding physical activity and other health needs of students.

Her seat covers areas of east Napa, including Vichy Elementary, plus Vintage High School and the town of Yountville.
Napa County reports winning Department of Justice praise for its outreach to Spanish-only speaking voters in the Nov. 8 election, even as another federal branch dropped the county from the list of communities that must make such efforts.

The Bureau of the Census last week published a list of all communities that under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 must make special efforts to reach out to non-English language voters. Napa County first appeared on the list in 2011 for Spanish and doesnt appear on the updated list.

Apparently, the combination of English language proficiency and educational data that the Bureau uses in a formula to make such designations has changed for Napa County.

I am surprised as anybody else, county Registrar of Voters John Tuteur said.

Napa County after the 2011 listing began providing election materials in both English and Spanish. But the Department of Justice wasnt satisfied and last spring told the county to make further changes.

That resulted in the county and Department of Justice reaching a settlement last spring. Among other things, the county agreed to provide bilingual voting material and ballots, rather than separate versions in English and Spanish. It agreed to provide bilingual volunteer workers at all voter assistance centers.

The Department of Justice had six monitors in Napa for the Nov. 8 election. Tuteur said a conference call with department officials on Wednesday to discuss the results went well and described the conversation.

Among other things, Department of Justice officials told Tuteur they had talked to several long-time Spanish language voters who said they felt more included in and received more information about the Nov. 8 election than previous elections.

That was a nice confirmation, Tuteur said.

Now comes the news that Napa County is off the Census Bureau list that triggers the bilingual requirement. That makes it unclear what will happen to the settlement agreement between the Department of Justice and county.

Tuteur said he will go to the Board of Supervisors early next year with choices of how to proceed with bilingual outreach in the 2018 elections. He cautioned that Napa County might end up back on the Census Bureau list requiring such outreach when the next one is released in 2021.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Alfredo Pedroza helped work on the settlement agreement between the county and Department of Justice. He stressed that the county wants to maintain the working relationship it has built with the federal agency.

This is about making sure our community doesnt have any barriers to participating in the election, Pedroza said. Its the right thing to do, whether its mandated or not.

But why did Napa County fall off the latest Census Bureau list? Tuteur wasnt certain on Thursday. Federal officials didnt notify the county of the decision, but rather published a nationwide list in the Federal Register.

The trigger to being included on the list is to have 5 percent of voting age citizens or 10,000 voting age citizens who belong to a single minority language group, have depressed literacy rates and dont speak English very well, according to the Department of Justice.

Presumably, Napa County had enough Spanish-speaking citizens who met these criteria in 2011 and no longer does.

Census data for 2010 shows 33,074 people in Napa County spoke Spanish at home, of whom 55.5 percent spoke English less than well. The number of Spanish-at-home speakers rose to 37,730 in 2015, but the percentage speaking English less than well dropped to 49.6 percent.

In other election news, Napa County had 82.3 percent of its registered voters cast ballots in the Nov. 8 election, compared to the statewide turnout of 75 percent. Tuteur attributed the high turnout partly to the large number of voters using vote-by-mail ballots  94 percent.

But he sees another reason as well.

To some extent, I think the increased participation in the election has something to do with our Spanish language outreach, the bilingual ballots, the effort made in the community and support weve had in the Spanish language community, Tuteur said.
Law enforcement agencies from across the state could be seen in one room on Saturday as they congratulated the Napa Valley College Police Academys 100th graduating class. Many of those agencies, including the Napa County Sheriffs Office, Napa Police Department, and Solano County Sheriffs Office, were not just congratulating students, they were also congratulating their new hires.

Four of the 26 graduating cadets have already secured jobs with the Napa Police and another three have been hired on at the Napa County Sheriffs Office.

Kevin Walsh, 27, said that hes wanted to be in law enforcement for pretty much his whole life. Hes finally accomplished that dream by graduating the academy and being hired as a sheriffs deputy.

I will miss some things about this academy, but I am very happy to be done and to actually start my career, he said.

Napa native Marcus Solis, 26, said that the cadets time in the academy has really set them up for success. After serving in the Marine Corps, Solis said he is looking forward to working at the sheriffs office and serving the community. We need community focus, he said. (I want) to be a positive influence on other people.

Solis said that he thought getting into law enforcement seemed like the right fit since he had a military background.

It was hard, but like in the military, you create a bond with everybody you go through with, said Nathan Kistner, 24, who also served in the Marine Corps. Its like a sense of family.

The academy was more difficult than he thought it would be, he said. They really pushed us to our limits, he said. Its all worth it.

Kistners brother-in-law, and now fellow officer, Kevin Skillings pinned Kistners Napa Police badge on him in front of a crowd of hundreds including Kistners mother who flew out for the ceremony from Pennsylvania.

Most family members had a shorter commute  Laura Ballamys family drove in from Fairfield. Her daughter Hannah, 4, held up a sign that read My mommy is a rock star each time her mothers name was called.

We wanted her mommy to know we were proud of her, said Bellamys mother-in-law Holly Bellamy.

The graduation lasted nearly two hours as Criminal Justice Training Center Director Damien Sandoval shared something personal about each cadet.

This is probably the most diverse class ever to attend this program, he said. The class included members from immigrant communities as well as the LGBT community, he said. Ten of the graduating cadets were women  several of them mothers. A few had even served in the military.

You have endured achieved and overcome this part of your journey, Recruit Training Officer Tony Morris told the graduates. Your training development and career are in your hands now.

Although the academy training could be stressful and even painful at times, it was also fun, Morris said. Each cadet is different but they all exemplify the academys values of leadership, dedication and integrity.

Congratulations class 100.
Napa Valley College students will research the history of the Braceros in Napa County in a new semester course being offered this spring.

Napa Community History (History 200) will have students study the Bracero Program and its legacy in the Napa Valley.

Students will study a historical topic significant to the Napa Valley, do original research and produce a final paper based on their own research, including an oral history interview, said Dr. Jim McGowan, who will teach the course.

The Bracero Program was a series of formal agreements between the U.S. and Mexican governments that contracted Mexican men to work in the U.S. during and after World War II. The war caused a severe labor shortage in agriculture as most local young men became involved in military service or found higher paying jobs in war-related industries.

The first contingent of 78 Mexican laborers to work the harvest in Napa Valley arrived by train to Sacramento and by bus to the Valley in May 1943. This was made possible by the Napa Valley Farm Labor Association and the Farm Security Administration. At the peak of the 1943 harvest, 700 Braceros were employed on Napa Valley farms.

Braceros were paid 60 cents per hour, plus free housing. The average workday was 10 hours.

Braceros played a key role in California agriculture, as their experiences and legacies shaped the states history and culture.

History 200 will include learning about the importance of Bracero workers in Napa agriculture, the methodologies of historical research, guest speakers, field trips to museums and archives, original research and oral history interviews with community members, said McGowan.

Student work will contribute to a Napa Valley Museum exhibit scheduled for Sept 2 through Nov. 12, 2017, titled The Bracero Legacy in Napa.

The new course will be taught from 1:30 to 4:20 p.m. Thursdays. Registration is available through the Napa Valley College website www.napavalley.edu.
Cal Fire has awarded more than $15 million in grants to agencies looking to help prevent the spread of wildfires, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. More than $219,000 of that grant money will benefit Napa County residents.

The Dry Creek-Lokoya Volunteer Fire Department was awarded two separate grants totaling $152,000 for fuels treatment. That means that the money will be used to help fund projects focused on clearing dead and dying vegetation, particularly along roadways, said Joseph Nordlinger, Mount Veeder Fire Safe Council Board chairman and volunteer firefighter at Dry Creek-Lokoya.

Oftentimes, youll have dense forest vegetation that comes right up to the road, Nordlinger said. In the event of a fire, those fallen trees and branches act as fuel, possibly contributing to the spread of the fire. By getting rid of that fuel, the fire doesnt spread as quickly or as far.

Clearing that vegetation also increases survivability and access, he said. Breaks in the ground cover will allow for vehicles to get out more easily, he said.

When a fire happens, its easier to fight the fire, said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Joe Petersen.

The Dry Creek-Lokoya Volunteer Fire Department intends to use the grants for fuels reduction along limited access roads in the lower Mayacamas range  the ridge between Napa and Sonoma counties, Nordlinger said.

Were really grateful  to participate in the program, he said.

Another $67,200 was awarded to the Napa County Fire Department for the same purpose.

This grant process is just another way that the state has funded local communities in prevention efforts, Petersen said. The money helps support initiatives that are already in place, he said.

The Cal Fire grants, which were spread across 34 counties, were awarded using state funds and fees collected from homeowners who live in Californias urban-wildland interface. The main idea of the grants is that by removing dead and dying trees and thinning fuels that could otherwise worsen wildfires, the threat to the public will be reduced.

Communities in high-risk areas for wildfire and tree mortality need assistance and support, said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director and Californias state forester. These grants focus on reducing wildfire risk through education, planning, and the removal of dead trees and hazardous fuel. We look forward to seeing the results of these projects and the safeguarding effects they have on communities.
Mill Creek on Saturday was rushing full from the rain last Saturday. And so was the historic Bale Mill itself with kids, parents and grandparents, gathered in the granary to celebrate a Pioneer Christmas celebration in the 1846 hand-crafted building.

The Pioneer Christmas celebration at the Bale Mill continues to be one of those rare, cross-generational celebrations in which visitors return year after year. Each year the mill pulls visitors from as far away as Maine and Mississippi, and last Saturdays celebration was no exception. Kids and parents crowded around the Christmas tree in the granary room to learn 19th century skills of hand-making a Christmas.

In fact, so engaging were the craft activities that there was not a single cell phone in sight. Everyone was fully employed learning from volunteers dressed in period-appropriate clothing while fiddle and guitar players serenaded the activities with old-time music.

Then it was time for the first milling demonstration of the day. It was an experience that many will long remember. Miller Mario Scalise warned the gathered crowd that the first milling will be rough. Few actually understood what that might mean.

Scalise pulled a chain and then a lever and water, channeled from the flume outside, fell over the top of the 36-foot waterwheel. Under the building the shaft of the waterwheel engaged a series of cast-iron and wooden gears to turn the mill stones with a deep, harmonious hum. When the speed of the mill stones was judged about right, Scalise lowered the upper mill stone onto rotating bottom stone, and grain was poured into the top of a chute, falling between them.

Suddenly a tremendous cloud of grain dust billowed out the lower chute. Several people gasped, and like 19th century magic, a burlap bag began to fill with milled flour. Amazing, one visitor remarked. Simply amazing!

Back in the granary, kids were focusing on other skills. Gingerbread men received their clothing of white frosting, with raisin buttons and eyes and mouths. Rosemary branches were fashioned into holiday wreaths. Lemons were stuck with nibs of cloves. Lace was carefully delicately fashioned and sheaves of wheat sheaves were woven into lovely decorations. The wonderful music of fiddle, guitar and banjo spilled through the granary.

The Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park is run by the Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District along with Napa Valley State Parks Association as park partners. For more information about the mills day of operation and its many activities, visit napavalleystateparks.org/local-activities-attractions
Its starting to feel like Christmas in St. Helena, thanks to the Chamber of Commerces new decorations downtown. Wreaths and decorative signs on the electroliers, the holly jolly wreath/banner stretching across Main Street, the I didnt know they grew that tall Christmas tree at the corner of Main and Spring  what a sight it is, Dear Readers.

***

An urgent matter: Tish Wagner says St. Helenas Community Toy and Food Drive is coming up short. Unwrapped toys, gift cards and monetary donations are needed by Friday, Dec. 16, so that gifts can be distributed to local families on Saturday. Tish says you can leave donations at the St. Helena Catholic Church office on Tainter Street or at the St. Helena Fire Department (mailed or dropped in their front mail slot) with an envelope that says Donation for Food/Toy Drive. Questions? Email tishwagner@gmail.com.

***

One of these days Im going to write an entire column in the rollicking meter of the inimitable Dr. Seuss  and it will be a disaster. Fortunately we can always return to his timeless original books, including the ones that will be featured at Dr. Seuss Holiday Storytime at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, at the St. Helena Public Library. While we read together, the Grinch will try to steal our holiday spirit, the library playfully warns. Help us change his mind and make his heart grow three sizes larger! All ages are welcome, and snacks will be provided. The event is sponsored by the Friends & Foundation, St. Helena Public Library.

***

My thanks to Phil Murphy for passing on news of the annual Native Sons Crab Feed on Saturday, Jan. 14. Now in its 45th year, the event usually sells out well in advance. However, this year unforeseen circumstances (a few deaths, sadly) have resulted in 40 extra tickets being available. The bar opens at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m. consisting of salad, garlic bread, pasta, crab (or course), ice cream sandwiches for dessert, and plenty of wine. There will also be dancing to live music by Twice As Good, as well as live and silent auction lots, with all proceeds benefiting the hall renovation program  and heaven knows the hall could use some work, Phil says. Interested in experiencing a classic St. Helena affair? Tickets are $60 and available by calling Phil at 963-9080.

***

When youre mulling over which nonprofits youre going to help during this season of giving, consider that every dollar you give to Clinica Verde, up to $50,000, will be matched by a generous anonymous supporter. Donors of $100 or more will get their name (or that of a loved one) etched on a brick at the nonprofits new clinic in Nicaragua. To donate, visit ClinicaVerde.org.

***

Gift shoppers, meanwhile, should consider Wood Fiber Clay, the only St. Helena business featured in the Chronicles 2016 Style Gift Guide. The Chronicle first contacted us over a month ago asking for samples to photograph for their annual gift guide, explains co-owner Lisa Toller. We didnt know until we saw the Sunday paper which, if any, items would appear. Were thrilled that they featured the copper orbs, leather campstools, oak cutting boards, walnut trays, and letterpress posters that we carry. To peruse their wares, visit the pop-up location through Dec. 31 at the Oxbow Public Market in Napa, or go to woodfiberclay.com.

***

Troubling news from a dear friend who is active in various local charitable causes and just happens to be a vocal supporter of Hillary Clinton. He tells me two disturbing messages have been left on his car (which has a pro-Hillary sign) while parked outside Dean & DeLuca. One said Go to Cuba!!! $ociali$t and the other contained a racist slur he didnt even want to repeat. He notified the county sheriffs department, but its difficult to identify the culprit. Its sad to see this level of hate infect our wonderful city, isnt it? If you experience any harassment or threats, call the police right away (967-2850).
With hundreds of wineries in the Napa Valley, many on either Highway 29 or Silverado Trail between Napa in the south and Calistoga in the north, its probably hard for first-time visitors to decide which wineries to visit.

Below is a handful of wineries, all on Highway 29, from south to north, that will make your visit memorable. Just dont try to visit all in the same day. You want to make sure you have plenty of time to enjoy each of these special places. A good rule of thumb is to visit one winery in the morning, have lunch and then visit either one or two in the afternoon.

Be sure to do your homework before you come to the Napa Valley, as most wineries require advance reservations and many offer more experiences than just a winery tour and tasting of their latest release wines.

Most of all, remember to bring your attitude of fun to make this an adventure and a trip to remember.

Robert Mondavi Winery

7801 St. Helena Highway, Oakville

888-766-6328, ext. 2

The late Robert Mondavi established his namesake winery in 1966 with a vision to create Napa Valley wines that would stand in the company of the worlds finest. He chose To Kalon Vineyard in the heart of the Napa Valley as the home for Robert Mondavi Winery. This first-growth vineyard, located in Oakville, is renowned for producing some of the finest cabernet sauvignon wines in the world, as well as for its sauvignon blanc grapes, from which Mondavi crafted his signature wine, Fume Blanc.

Director of Winemaking is Genevieve Janssens, whose relationship with the winery began in 1978. She was selected Winemaker of the Year by Wine Enthusiast in 2010.

According to the website, The Robert Mondavi Winery was one of the first wineries to offer tours, tastings, culinary and art programs  our commitment to education continues with our world-renowned visitor programs. We offer three different types of wine tasting experience, for everyone from the novice to the most discriminating aficionado.

Besides winery tours and wine tasting experiences, the winery staff also offers wine and food programs and lunch and dinner experiences.

Its Discovery Tour and Tasting, a family-friendly walking tour with a taste of two wines is offered daily from May through October with no reservations required. The tour takes 30 minutes and costs $20 per person. Children are welcome.

The winery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., store is open until 6 p.m.

Louis M. Martini Winery

254 St. Helena Highway South, St. Helena

707-968-9403

The Martini family has been crafting world-class cabernet sauvignon from Napa and Sonoma's finest vineyards since 1933. According to its website, Our historic winery was among the first to open its doors in the Napa Valley after Prohibition. Our founder Louis M. Martini started with this simple premise: the best grapes make the best wines. Today, this tradition carries on at our historic winery in the Napa Valley with a range of unforgettable cabernet sauvignon wines. Located in the heart of the Napa Valley, our tasting room celebrates our storied history and acclaimed winemaking in every glass of wine we pour.

Daily offerings at Louis M. Martini Winery include curated tasting flights of award-winning wines, many of which are exclusively available through the winery. Again from the website, For first-time Napa visitors and collectors alike, our team will make every effort to make yours a memorable Napa Valley wine tasting experience.

Two of the curated tasting flights include The Celebrated Reds Tasting Experience ($25) and Our Good Life flight ($50.)

The first celebrates the time-honored tradition of blending a selection of grape varieties to create a single harmonious wine. Explore the distinctions between a cabernet-driven Bordeaux-style blend  the Meritage  and a blend that builds on non-cabernet varieties  the Mountain Red. Included are two of the staffs other cabernet favorites.

The Good Life flight pairs some of Martinis most sought-after wines with a curated selection of seasonal, local dishes that elevate and enhance the depth and flavor of the wines.

Please allow 30 minutes for either of these curated tasting experiences.

Merryvale Vineyards

1000 Main St., St. Helena

(707) 963-7777

Nestled in the heart of the Napa Valley, St. Helena has long been established as the heart and soul of California winemaking. Ideally located at the southern entrance to town, Merryvale Vineyards, built in 1933, supports this rich history. As St. Helenas hometown winery, Merryvale Vineyards offers guests the opportunity to walk to restaurants, shopping, lodging, and even other wine tasting locations.

In 2007, the Merryvale Vineyards winery building was renovated to become a luxury-class facility with small temperature controlled fermentors, intensive sorting equipment, a basket press, a cold room and other resources to produce great wine.

Merryvale Vineyards welcomes guests daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations are not required for its Merryvale Vineyards Tasting. Seated tastings at the bar or in the tasting room are $30 per person.

For those interested in enjoying an elevated experience, winery staff also offers two unique experiences that are privately hosted by our wine education team: Merryvales Artisanal Wine & Cheese Tasting and its Profile Library Tasting. Both of those experiences require advance reservations and can be made online or by calling 707-963-7777.

If you are in St. Helena at lunch time, make reservations for the winerys Burger Butler Tasting Experience. If youve ever ventured into St. Helena on a sunny day, no doubt youve noticed the line of folks waiting to order at what has become Napa Valleys best burger joint  Gotts Roadside Cafe. The Burger Experience will allow guests to skip the line and get right to the burger and fries paired with Merryvale wines, of course! Cost is $95 per guest or $35 per winery club member.

To reserve Burger Butler, email the tasting room at tastingroom@merryvale.com.

Beringer Vineyards

2000 Main St., St. Helena

866-708-9463 or 707-257-5771

In 1876, brothers Jacob and Frederick Beringer established Beringer Vineyards with a dream of making wines that would rival the finest in Europe. Today, Jacobs great great-grandson, Chief Winemaker Mark Beringer, guides what is now Californias longest continually operating winery and one of Napas finest producers. With more than 1,600 acres farmed across Napa's best appellations, as well as Sonoma County and Paso Robles, Beringer is recognized as one of the regions preeminent producers with a rich portfolio of wines.

After spending years working at Benzinger, Duckhorn and Artesa, in 2015, Mark Beringer came home to Beringer Vineyards, joining as Chief Winemaker and following in the footsteps of acclaimed Winemaker Emeritus Laurie Hook. He said, I'm absolutely thrilled to be making wines for the very winery that my ancestor built, and be part of the next chapter in this important story of Beringer and of the Napa Valley.

Two tours are of interest, the Taste of Beringer Tour, $50 per person plus tax; and the Legacy Cave Tour, $30 per person plus tax. Tours are offered throughout the day, reservations are recommended.

In the one-hour Taste of Beringer Tour, guests will be introduced to Beringer Vineyard's rich winemaking and culinary arts history. Following a brief walking tour of the property and demonstration vineyard, guests will be seated in the historic Rhine House family kitchen to explore the art of wine and food pairing and to enjoy a specially selected flight of Reserve wines paired with seasonal culinary treats prepared by Beringer's own Hudson House chefs.

Guests of all ages are welcome for the 30-minute Legacy Cave Tour that guides you through the Old Winery and historic tunnels, while exploring Beringer's long history and commitment to quality. For those 21 years and older, we'll taste a selection of three wines during the tour.

The winery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week.

Castello di Amorosa

4045 St. Helena Highway, Calistoga

707-967-6272

Visit Calistogas authentically-built, 13th century Tuscan castle and winery. You can visit for tasting only or take a guided tour.

By spending $25 for general admission, you may enjoy roaming access on two levels of the winery and a five-wine premium tasting in the winerys main tasting room. No reservations are necessary for groups up to 14 guests. General admission pricing includes a map of the winery, wine tasting, and access to the upper levels of the Castello, including the Main Tasting Bar and Knight's Hall.

Reserve a guided tour ($40 per person) and learn more about the Castello, including the lower levels which feature the torture chamber, armory, and Grand Barrel Room, followed by either a standard tasting of five premium wines in one of the winery's private tasting bars or a reserve tasting with a private tasting of six wines, including low-production, elegant reserve wines. All tours feature a barrel tasting and a complimentary tasting of current releases. The walking tour takes an hour and the tasting takes 45 minutes. Reservations are recommended.

In March 2011, owner Dario Sattui reflected on the history of Castello di Amorosa.

Nearly 20 years ago, I purchased the spectacular property upon which I built Castello di Amorosa. It sat on a 170-acres of forest and hills with a stream, a lake, one of the first houses built in Napa County and a great Victorian home where I chose to live. It was my dream property, culminating a search of many years. The purchase also came with a great building permit for a large winery building which had taken the previous owner 13 years to obtain.

At first, I had no intention of starting another winery -- I already had V.Sattui (in St. Helena.) My plan was only to replant historic vineyards there. However, throughout my adult life, I had been fascinated with Italian medieval architecture; and, because of my passion -- some would say obsession -- I had already bought a handful of ancient properties in Italy, including a small castle near Florence (now sold), a medieval monastery near Siena (now being refurbished) and a Medici palace in southern Tuscany, which we are remodeling into a period hotel.

My ideas began to crystallize. I would specialize in making small lots of primarily Italian-style wines, showcase them in an authentic, medieval castle setting and sell them directly to the public, not in stores or restaurants. Since I have never had a television, I had a lot of time on my hands. In early 1994, I embarked on my project. Concurrently with replanting 30 acres of vineyard on the property to sangiovese, cabernet and merlot, I began drawing plans for the winery building.

My initial intent was to build an 8,500 square-foot building without cellars. Gradually it morphed into 121,000 square feet with 107 rooms with four separate levels underground and four levels above!

Calistogas Tuscan castle opened in April 2007.

The winery is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., March through October and from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., November through February.
The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will participate in the European Council on Security and Defence to be held in Brussels, on Thursday 15 December 2016.

Media Advisory

14:50 Secretary Generals doorstep at Justus Lipsius Building  European Council

The doorstep will be available live from the NATO website and via satellite upon request to Eurovision.

Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress and @jensstoltenberg)
NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms. Rose Gottemoeller will meet with the Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Mr. Ahn Chong-ghee on Thursday, 15 December 2016. Mr. Ahn Chong-ghee will also participate in a meeting of the North Atlantic Council.

There will be no media opportunity. Still images of the visit will be available on the NATO website after the event.
RBI governor Urjit Patel today faced political heat over demonetisation when he was heckled by a group of alleged Congress workers at the NSC Bose airport in Kolkata.





Chanting slogans like "Urjit Patel go back" and "Urjit Patel hai, hai", over a dozen protesters tried to block his way when he stepped out of a car at the airport on his way back to Mumbai.





The protesters came too close for Patel's comfort as he started walking towards the entrance of the airport terminal.





Policemen accompanying him were seen pushing away the agitators and securing the way for the RBI governor, who earlier in the day attended a meeting of RBI board at the central bank's office here where TMC and CPI-M staged demonstrations. Even after he had entered the terminal building, the protesters were seen raising slogans. Police said he was also shown black flags by the protesters.





He also met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, one of the harshest critics of the demonetisation exercise, who voiced concern over the hardship faced by people and "political discrimination amongst states".
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Brian Heine, a senior in chemistry and biochemistry at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, works in a laboratory recently. A Trico High School graduate and Southern Illinois native, Heine is the first in his family to attend a four-year university. He will graduate this week with a degree in chemistry and a commission as an engineering officer in the Army National Guard, and he plans to attend graduate school at SIU. (Photo by Steve Buhman)

First-generation student takes advantage of opportunities

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- For Brian Heine, getting a glimpse of what holds the universe together made his choice of majors easy.

I picked chemistry as my major because I've always been interested in science, but chemistry was so fundamental its almost like peeking behind the curtain, if you will, and getting down to the fabric of the universe.

Heine, along with hundreds of others, will earn his bachelors degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale during fall commencement at the SIU Arena on Saturday, Dec. 17. For the Trico High School graduate and Southern Illinois native, the last four years have been filled with thrills, challenges and accomplishments as one of the top students in the College of Science and a soon-to-be-commissioned officer in the Army National Guard.

Hes the first in his family to attend a university, and Heine has made the most of the opportunity, racking up activities and accomplishments and building a solid future for himself in the field of chemistry.

Hes a member of the student chapter of the American Chemical Society as well as the Alpha Chi Sigma professional chemistry fraternity.

Research, a hallmark of life as an undergraduate at SIU, has also been a major part of Heines life. In 2011 he worked as a researcher for the American Cancer Society and in 2012 he worked as an extra help employee at the SIU School of Medicine, maintaining a laboratory, preparing stock solutions, training new students and running another research project.

Participating in Army ROTC on the SIU campus took up a major portion of his time and will pay off this week in his receiving a commission as an engineering officer. As a contracted cadet since 2013, he was responsible for managing a group of peers in the commissioning program. He also participated in an overseas deployment to Romania, where he helped to improve the English language proficiency of Romanian service members.

But Heine points to his work as a student researcher in the laboratory of Boyd Goodson, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, as being the most important of all his experiences as an undergraduate. Funded by top organizations such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, among others, Goodson has worked for years in the hyperpolarization field.

Hyperpolarization refers to the many techniques available that will effectively magnetize nuclei in the bodys molecules much more highly than if they are magnetized by just a powerful magnet, such as in a magnetic resonance imaging machine, or MRI. The work holds great promise for vastly more powerful imaging technology that could make it possible for doctors to see not only whats inside the body, such as bones and organs, but how the physiology is working at the molecular level.

In his role as an undergraduate researcher for Goodson, Heine was responsible for operating and maintaining all computer and mechanical equipment in the laboratory. He also was in charge of accounting and creating work schedules for other lab employees

Heine said working with Goodson was key to his success as a student. The faculty member also got Heine to consider furthering his education.

The most inspiring person to me is my boss and instructor, Boyd Goodson, who was one of my first teachers here, Heine said. He has pushed me to excel and to attend graduate school. As the first one in my family to attend or graduate from a four-year university, I always appreciated having someone pushing me and being there for advice.

Goodson said Heine possesses a can-do attitude and brings a strong work ethic to his studies.

He has a cheerful disposition and a great sense of humor, too, Goodson said. And hes not afraid of tackling challenging subjects.

Having participated in research since 2012, Heine has gained a variety of laboratory skills, including proficiently using multiple chemistry instruments, especially nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers.

Heine said working on Goodsons research projects has allowed him to see what can be possible in science.

Its been the most rewarding experience of my undergraduate time, working as a student researcher, he said. I've been able to contribute to active research here on campus for over four years now.

Heine intends to stay at SIU for graduate school, focusing his research on physical chemistry.
William Timpner, Pinckneyville, graduates from Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Saturday, Dec. 17, with a bachelors degree in agricultural systems and education. (Photo by Russell Bailey)

Graduating senior prepared to take next steps

by Andrea Hahn

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- When he eventually returns to the family farm, hell be the sixth William Timpner to manage the familys Pinckneyville area acreage.

William Vaino Timpner, the middle name distinguishing him from his similarly named predecessors, graduates from Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Saturday, Dec. 17, with a major in agricultural systems and education and a minor in agribusiness economics.

I chose agricultural systems and education because its a versatile degree, he said. But I think I might go into teaching. I started college at Rend Lake College, and I loved it there. I considered a few other colleges before deciding on SIU to finish with a bachelors degree. I knew I could get what I needed here, a degree that would help me get a job.

Timpner is engaged to marry Mary Cathryn Walker on June 17 next summer. Shes from Texas. They met through a mutual friend when they attended a conference in Atlanta, Ga., for young Christians. Their initial courtship was old-fashioned: Timpner said they exchanged letters -- the snail-mail kind, not emails.

Walker, whom Timpner described as a beautiful person and talented musician, graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., and currently teaches first grade in her hometown of Abilene. Hell join her there and, under a teacher certification program that emphasizes experience and in-the-classroom training, he hopes to become certified as a teacher in Texas. The two will return to Illinois after a year or so, Timpner said.

We definitely plan on living on the farm -- being on the farm is what I love, he said. And yes, Mary Cathryn is excited about it, shes ready for farm life.

The Timpner farm has evolved over the years from raising beef, then hogs, and is now a grain and fish farm. The family began an aquaculture project in 2000 in a strip mine lake on the property. An aquaculture specialist with the Fisheries and Illinois Aquaculture Center at SIU provided assistance and counsel as they learned how to raise healthy and marketable striped bass. Similarly, Timpner plans to keep his eyes on new trends and steady business practices when it comes to farming.

Timpner works hard. He holds a 4.0 grade point average, he helps farm, and he goes to visit his fiancee in Texas when he can. Hes a humble and reverent man. I really want to thank my family and Mary Cathryn for all they have done for me, he said. Im thankful for my family and friends and each blessing God has given me. All that I have done, have done and will do goes to God. He gave me everything, I owe it all to him.

The fall commencement ceremony for undergraduate, graduate and professional students is at 2 p.m., Dec. 17, at the SIU Arena. The commencement ceremony is open to the public, and there is no ticket requirement.
Fall commencement ceremony is Saturday

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Commencement exercises for fall 2016 graduates at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are set for Saturday, Dec. 17.

The commencement ceremony for all colleges begins at 2 p.m. at the SIU Arena. As of Dec. 7, there are 1,383 candidates for degrees: 930 for bachelors degrees, 319 for masters degrees, 99 for doctoral degrees, 22 for law degrees and 13 for associate degrees.

Media Advisory

Reporters, photographers and camera crews are welcome to cover the commencement ceremony.

The commencement ceremony is open to the public and tickets are not required. More information is available at commencement.siu.edu. The ceremony will beavailable via livestream by clicking on the Watch Live button on the commencement.siu.edu website.

Howard A. Peters III, who is receiving an honorary Doctor of Humane Arts degree, will present the commencement address. Peters earned his masters degree in guidance and educational psychology from SIU Carbondale in 1971. He is president of HAP, INC., a consulting, strategy and advocacy service that assists clients in pursuit of their business goals primarily in the areas of criminal justice, human services, and health care. Peters also serves as a criminal justice consultant and expert witness.

Peters received the universitys Distinguished Service Award during commencement ceremonies in May 2004. In 2001, Peters delivered the SIU School of Law commencement address, and his involvement with the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute includes serving on the Board of Counselors.

Peters nearly three-decade career in public service included two Cabinet positions under former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar. In 1991, he became the first African-American to head the Illinois Department of Corrections. Before being appointed director, he had more than 22 years of experience in the states Department of Corrections, serving as warden at Pontiac, Sheridan and Centralia correctional centers, and as superintendent of the Illinois Youth Center at St. Charles.

From 1995 through June 1997, Peters served as deputy chief of staff to Gov. Edgar. In 1997, Edgar selected Peters as the first director of the Department of Human Services. A massive reorganization consolidated programs previously administered by a half-dozen agencies with about 20,000 employees under single management.

From January 2000 until July 2012, Peters served as executive vice president of policy and advocacy for the Illinois Hospital Association. Peters worked at the state and federal levels to ensure hospitals received the kind of support they needed, particularly as it related to providing service to poor, disabled, elderly, and uninsured persons.
Hasina and Hamid placed wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals' Mausoleum here and stood in silence for two minutes to mark Martyred Intellectuals Day.

Both leaders spoke to freedom fighters and family members of the martyred intellectuals gathered here.

A contingent of Bangladesh Armed Forces presented a state salute, while a bugler played the Last Post, the Daily Star reported.

Members of the cabinet, mayors of city corporations, chiefs of the three Armed Services, as well as civil and military officials were present.

Flanked by leaders of her Bangladesh Awami League party, Hasina laid another wreath as the party chief.

She later went to Dhanmondi here and placed a wreath at the portrait of her father who is also the Father of the Nation, 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.

On the night of December 14 in 1971, over 200 intellectuals including professors, journalists, doctors, artistes, engineers, and writers were abducted by the Pakistani occupation forces.

They were taken to torture cells in different parts of the city and executed en masse at various killing fields, most notably Rayerbazar and Mirpur.

Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistani occupation on December 16, 1971.

--IANS sm/in/vm

( 244 Words)

2016-12-14-12:52:14 (IANS)
Thousands of Venezuelans on Tuesday rushed to public and private banks around the country to turn in their 100-bolivar bills, the highest denomination in the local currency, which will lose their value and be removed from circulation on Thursday by order of President Nicolas Maduro. According to what EFE was able to confirm, lines of up to 150 people were forming at banks located in the eastern part of the Venezuelan capital and most of those citizens were elderly and waiting their turn to turn in their currency. Just one private financial institution among those checked by EFE said that it was exchanging cash, that is to say, accepting up to 50,000 bolivares (about $75) in 100-bolivar bills and returning the same sum to customers in 2, 5 and 10-bolivar bills. The rest of the banks were accepting the bills as deposits to people's accounts. About a dozen customers told EFE that they had decided to make a trip to their banks exclusively to deposit those bills during the first of the three days the government has designated for Venezuelans to get rid of them. Meanwhile, ATMs which up until last week were mobbed with people looking for cash that had dried up days ago around the country now are mostly easily accessible and people using them to withdraw cash are continuing to receive the bills that are only good for another 72 hours. Interior and Justice Minister Nestor Reverol reported the deployment of more than 58,000 police and soldiers at 3,504 "financial entities" around the country to implement a "public national security" system until December 15. The decision to remove the 100-bolivar bills from circulation was made by Maduro on Sunday to deal with alleged criminal groups who allegedly are stockpiling paper currency with an eye toward destabilising the country. --IANS lok/ ( 316 Words) 2016-12-14-03:26:12 (IANS)
The 37-year-old actor who became a star after the mega success of 'Bahubali' has in no time gathered immense popularity amongst kids.

Recently, one of his young fans Aryan had a wish that he cuts a Bahubali birthday cake with Prabha's picture on it.

The kid's parents readily arranged for this cake and made sure that it remains a surprise for him.

So finally, Aryan, who turned 11 years old two weeks back, celebrated his birthday with a cake that had Prabhas's picture on it.

The Bahubali star when learnt about this was touched by the cute gesture of this young fan. (ANI)
Tata Consultancy Services, at its Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), today removed Cyrus P Mistry as a director of the company. The official announcement is expected around midnight. Sources present at the extraordinary general meeting at YB Chavan Auditorium in Mumbai told UNI that majority of stakeholders have voted against Mr Mistry as he has lost the shareholders' trust and be removed from the board for the betterment of the company. The Interim Chairman of Tata Group Ratan Tata himself was present in the meeting sitting in the front row whereas Mr Mistry did not turn up at the meeting. Out of nearly 400 shareholders present in the EGM, 40 spoke during the meeting in which 36 spoke against Mr Mistry whereas 4 in favour of him. Those who supported the removal of Mr Mistry, were of the opinion that he did nothing for the Company's future. Instead during his tenure the value of the Company got eroded. He never spoke anything about Tata till he was on the chair. He spoke only when he got sacked. On the other side, those who spoke in favour of Mr Mistry said that Tata Sons has not given any reason why he was sacked. On October 24, in an unexpected move, he was also removed from the post of Chairman of the Tata Sons. Today, Tata Industries shareholders' voted him out. This is the first such instance of the embattled executive being ousted from the board since his removal as Tata Group chairman. Yesterday, Tata had made serious allegations against Mr Mistry and he had refuted allegations that he misled the selection committee set up in 2011 to find new Tata Sons Chairman. On Sunday, Mistry had counter alleged that Tata Sons Interim Chairman Ratan Tata's conduct has eroded the Tata brand and values materially". Tata Sons had said that Mistry had misled the selection committee set up in 2011 for selecting a chairman to succeed Ratan Tata. In his counter reply to letter issued against him, Mr Mistry said, "Repeat a lie a thousand times and hope it becomes a truth, seems to be Ratan Tata's last-ditch effort to overcome a monumental disaster his actions have unleashed." Tata Sons had written a letter to all the shareholders to vote for removal of Mr Mystry from the board of the companies. Similarly, Mistry also wrote to the shareholders of Tata Motors and Tata Chemicals to seek their support against the special notice to remove him as director from the boards of both companies. Six of the seven Tata listed group companies where Mistry serves as a director have called extraordinary general meetings (EGMs) between December 13 and 26 after having received requisition to this effect from the promoter shareholder, Tata Sons.UNI ADP SB 2227 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1064292.Xml
Security forces today launched search operations in north Kashmir district of Baramulla and Anantnag in south, official sources said here. They said following a tip-off about the presence of militants, security forces and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a joint search operation at Bomai, Sopore, in north Kashmir. Sources said one militant was reportedly holed up in a house in the village. Details are awaited. In another operation, security forces cordoned off village Barwah in south Kashmir district of Anantnag this morning. However, when the security forces were sealing the village, some firing shots were heard. Additional security forces were rushed to the village and massive search operation was launched, they said, adding that details are awaited.UNI BAS SV 0954 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-1064408.Xml
A militant was killed in an encounter in south Kashmir district of Anantnag, while search operation was going on in Baramulla, official sources said.Security forces today launched search operations in north Kashmir district of Baramula and Anantnag in south, the sources said here. They said on a tip-off about the presence of militants, security forces and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police launched a joint search operation at a village in south Kashmir district of Anantnag. However, when the security forces were sealing the village and moving towards a particular area, militants hiding there opened fire. Security forces also retaliated and in the encounter so far, one militant was killed. The slain militant was identified as Basit Rasool, a local. Search operation was going on, when the reports last came in, they said. They said another operation was launched at Bomai in apple township of Sopore in Baramulla district this morning, following a tip-off about the presence of militants. Militants opened fire when security forces were sealing the area, they said, adding that security forces also retaliated. The operation was going on, when the reports last came in, they added.UNI BAS RJ 1056 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-1064449.Xml
Upping the ante on the Mehbooba Mufti government for announcing an ex-gratia payment to Burhan Wani's brother Khalid Wani, social activist Ashoke Pandit on Wednesday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention into the matter. "I as a citizen of this country make an appeal to our Prime Minister that he should intervene in this matter and see to it that this mistake is rectified, because the signal which we are giving to the neighbouring country is to 'send your terrorist and we will take care of them'," he told ANI here adding that the decision is dangerous step. The Mehbooba Mufti government had earlier on Tuesday sanctioned ex-gratia compensation to slain terrorist Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani's father in the case of killing of his other son, Khalid Wani. "Compensation to a family of a terrorist, who has killed people and raped women and who has been busy with anti-national activities, nothing can be sad and dark than this. I am amazed and shocked that what the family of a security forces must be feeling. Probably we have made a mistake by not picking up the guns. If terrorist is being given compensation then I think things are going on very wrong track," he told ANI. Questioning the motive behind state government's decision, he further said, "We should not be shocked the way things are going. Tomorrow the next compensation will be given to Hafiz Saeed, Yakub Memon family. This hypocrisy and entire mindset of state government is abosuletly questionable." According to a notification issued on Monday by the deputy commissioner of Pulwama, ex-gratia relief under rules were cleared by the district-level screening-cum-consultative committee (DLSCC) in favour of next of kin of those persons who died in militancy-related incidents. As per report, the ex-gratia relief entitles a victim's family to a payment of Rs. four lakh or employment for a member of the family. Burhan had left home at the age of 15 in October 2010 to join the Hizb-ul- Mujahideen, while his brother Khalid lived in Tral in Pulwama with his family. Twenty five-year-old Khalid was pursuing a Masters in political science from IGNOU, reportedly told his mother on the afternoon of April 13, 2015 that he was going for a picnic. However, his body was found in the nearby jungle hours later. (ANI)
The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Wednesday blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the continuing deadlock in the Parliament. CPI leader D. Raja told ANI, "The BJP led government and Prime Minister must be held responsible for the deadlock that's continues in the parliament. It is not that the opposition parties do not want parliament to function. In fact, opposition parties are demanding a meaningful debate on the issue of demonetisation and we want Prime Minister's presence and his intervention in the parliament," Raja further said that Prime Minister Modi is the one who is not coming to the parliament to discuss about demonetisation. "Having said that even now we are asking how come some individuals could get huge amount of new currency notes? It is not in one state, it happened in several states. What was the collaboration between those individuals and the government or the Reserve Bank of India or the banks? We demand for a probe by the joint parliamentary committee and this demand will be strongly raised," he added. The Parliament will meet today after a four-day break. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has reiterated that the government is ready for debate on the issue asking the Congress to rise above slogans and see advantage of the decision. Meanwhile, the BJP and the Congress have issued whips to their MPs in both the Houses, asking them to be present in parliament for the next three days. (ANI)
The Congress Party on Wednesday demanded an enquiry against Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju after his name and his cousin's figured in a report of the Chief Vigilance Officer of the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) that alleged corruption in the construction of two dams for the Kameng Hydro Electric Project in Arunachal Pradesh. Demanding his resignation, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said Rijiju cannot remain in such a position where such enquiry comes under his domain. "The allegation is not that he is guilty or he is wrong. The allegation is that, on the basis of the fact that came to light, there should be serious enquiry on that. He was found guilty within his own state enquiry," he told ANI here. Responding to Rijiju's comment that all payments for contractors named in a vigilance probe were made under Congress' regime, Dikshit said if the corruption was done during their tenure, then why is there no FIR or any kind of pre allegations registration. Meanwhile, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the party would take up the issue of a vigilance report accusing Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju of influencing payments for a hydro project contract in Arunachal Pradesh. "Today, we will have a party meeting. We have two to three important issues to raise in Parliament like demonetisation, India' foreign policy towards Pakistan, and of course, the issue involving Rijiju. We will discuss all these issues in the party meeting and accordingly raise our issues in parliament," Kharge told ANI. A 129-page report was submitted by the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), Satish Verma, with regard to Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, alleging an act of corruption in the construction of two dams for the 600 megawatt Kameng Hydro Electric Project in Arunachal Pradesh worth in excess of Rs.450 crore Goboi Rijiju, Rijiju's distant cousin, and several other officials of the NEEPCO have been alleged of corruption. (ANI)
The Srinagar-Jammu national highway, linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country and historic Mujhal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region remained through despite rain. However, traffic on Mughal road is being allowed only during the day.

A traffic police official told UNI that traffic on the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway was restored following improvement in the weather. Traffic on the highway was suspended yesterday following fresh snowfall at Sonamarg, Zojilla pass, Zero point and Meenmarg. However, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) immediately put into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the snow.

He said later vehicles from both sides were allowed to move towards their respective destinations in the afternoon. However, only one way traffic is allowed at Zojilla to avoid any accident or traffic jam.

Since the road is becoming very slippery in the morning and late in the evening, only day traffic is allowed on the highway now.

He said traffic was allowed from Drass and Kargil towards Sonamarg in central Kashmir this morning.

Later, traffic towards Drass and Kargil will be allowed from here in the afternoon, he said.UNI BAS SV RJ 1107

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-1064432.Xml
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, who created a ruckus by stating that his comment on Demonetisation can create an earthquake in the country, has now taken the road shown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to address anti-demonetisation public meetings . The vocal critic of the government's "unplanned, ill-implemented" demonetisation move, will address the rallies in poll-bound Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Karnataka, to capture the growing discontent over the Modi government's notebandi. The rallies will start from December 15 from Goa and in UP, they will be held in Jaunpur on December 19. Surprisingly, on December 19, Mr Modi will also be present in UP, where he will address a Parivartan rally in Kanpur. A senior Congress leader here today confirmed about the rally of Mr Gandhi in Jaunpur on the issue of demonetisation on December 19. The leader said besides Jaunpur, Mr Gandhi could address another rally on demonetisation before Christmas in the central and west UP. The leader maintained that Congress will go before the people to rake up the failures of Centre in the post demonetisation period and even after 36 days, people are facing a severe crisis of currencies.UNI MB RJ 1208 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1064563.Xml
The Supreme Court on Wednesday fixed the third week of January to begin hearing final arguments on the Delhi Government's plea seeking a clarification on its powers against the Centre. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had knocked the doors of the Apex Court challenging the Delhi High Court's order which had said that the Lieutenant Governor is the administration head of the government of NCT. The Delhi government today told the division bench of the apex court that in its order, the Delhi High Court had said that the Delhi government could suggest the Lieutenant Governor regarding certain powers, but it would be the LG, who could take a call and act as per the statute laid down in the law. After hearing this, the apex Court said, the government which was elected by the people, referring to Delhi government, have, of course certain powers and rights, but in this matter, nothing could be said, without hearing the case in detailed and arguments from respective parties. The apex Court posted the matter for further hearing till January 18, 2017, when it would start hearing the final arguments from all parties. The Delhi government on August 5 informed the apex court that it would file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the Delhi High Court verdict that erased all doubts over Delhi's status as a Union Territory. Putting a break to the ongoing turf war between Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the reins of the capital, the Delhi High Court had earlier declared that the LG is the administrative head of the National Capital Territory and that the latter is not required to act on the advice of the Delhi Cabinet. (ANI)
WBTDC created three packages under the promotion of tourist traffic for domestic and foreigners.

A special chartered bus would take tourists on a tour to the well-known churches of Kolkata on the evening of December 24.

Included in this package are trips to Mother House and to the midnight mass at St James Church. The package would cost Rs 1,050 per person.

Another package has been planned comprising a tour of the well-known churches of Kolkata, Chandannagar and Bandel, which includes churches of French and Portuguese heritage.

For this tour the price is Rs 1,250 per person.

For the last evening of the year, that is, December 31, a package titled ''Welcome 2017'' has been created, for which tourists would be taken on a luxury cruise along the Ganga on board MV Sumangal.

For Rs 2,999, tourists would be treated to cultural programmes as well as indoor games and a celebratory ushering in of 2017 at midnight.

All these tour packages can be booked either at the WBTDC office at BBD Bag in Kolkata or through the website of WBTDC, a statement today said.UNI PC AD1306

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Members of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha today expressed concern over the devastation caused by cyclone Vardah in Tamil Nadu and demanded that the Centre announce aid for the state government to help restore normalcy in the state. Responding to the concern by the members, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley assured the members that the Centre will take all necessary steps to restore normalcy in cyclone-hit Tamil Nadu. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Communist Party of India leader D Raja said the Centre should provide aid to the Tamil Nadu Government to deal with the affect of the cyclone. "Tamil Nadu has been badly affected due to the cyclone. The cyclone has destroyed several districts in the state. Several people have died. Thousands of trees have been uprooted. The Centre should come forward to help the state," Mr Raja said. He said many parts of the state were in the dark as electricity and telecommunication services were crippled due to the cyclone. ''The state government has asked for Rs 1,000 crore disaster relief fund,'' he said. Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram also demanded that the Centre announce financial aid for Tamil Nadu. "The government should respond to the Tamil Nadu government's request of financial aid. The Prime Minister and the Finance Minister must consult each other immediately and today they must announce a package or financial aid for the affected state," Mr Chidambaram said. While complementing the government for positioning the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) in advance and making Army columns available for rescue, Mr Chidambaram said more needed to be done. "What they have done is good but more needs to be done. Make sure that the ATMs and bank branches are replenished in Tamil Nadu so that people can withdraw their own money," Mr Chidambaram said. Responding to the concerns by members, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Centre will take all necessary steps to restore normalcy in cyclone-hit Tamil Nadu. "I have heard suggestions given by the members. Whatever needs to be done immediately, I will certainly have a discussion with the government and take appropriate steps,"Mr Jaitley said. UNI AR AE 1412 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0092-1064758.Xml
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today stumped Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi by delivering a googly ball in the political game over demonetisation by asking him to expose Prime Minister Narendra Modi outside the Parliament."If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modiji's personal involvement in corruption, then why doesn't he expose it outside Parliament?," Mr Kejriwal tweeted reacting to the Congress vice-president statement that he was not being allowed to speak in the Parliament.Earlier in the day, addressing a joint press conference with Opposition leaders, including from NCP, Trinamool Congress, and CPI-M, Mr Gandhi said, ''We have some information on Prime Minister's 'personal corruption' in demonestisation that I will reveal in the Lok Sabha."''It is our right as elected representatives to speak in the Lok Sabha,'' he said, adding that the Prime Minister was 'terrified' that ''If I speak, it will explode his balloon''.UN DS SHK 1508 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0177-1064842.Xml
Karnataka Excise Minister H Y Meti, who was allegedly involved in a sex scandal, today tendered his resignation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Mr Meti told newspersons here that his resignation has been accepted by the Chief Minister. Replying to a volley of questions from mediapersons, he denied his involvement in any sex scandal and had tendered his resignation on moral grounds. He sought Mr Siddaramaiah to conduct an inquiry to unearth the truth behind the allegation. During the last three days, the reports had surfaced about the alleged sex scandal, in which a woman had claimed that Mr Meti was involved in sexual act with her in a government office recently. Mr Meti had been denying the charge vehemently. His resignation followed release of a CD in New Delhi and shown in local news channels here.UNI MSP CNR CJ RJ 1400 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0287-1064664.Xml
The Rajya Sabha today witnessed uproar by the Congress over the allegations against Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju in the Arunachal power scam, forcing two adjournments of the House, the last one for the day. There was uproar by the Congress members soon after the House passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014. Deputy Chairman P J Kurien rejected a notice given by Deputy Leader of the Congress Anand Sharma on the issue. This was followed by slogan raising by Congress members. Soon members of the Treasury Benches also raised slogans forcing the Chair to adjourn the House for the day. More UNI RBE AE 1514 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0427-1064874.Xml
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will e-inaugurate several projects in his home-state for which MoUs were singed during the previous editions of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit. The next edition of this global investors' meet is slated to be held in January next year in Gandhinagar, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today informed. Addressing a function after the foundation stone laying of Rs 600-crore carpet, area rugs and carpet tiles facility and e-inauguration of the 30-million litre per day capacity of the waste water treatment plant of the Welspun group near Anjar in Kutch district, Mr Rupani said that the Prime Minister will e-inaugurate many these projects from the Vibrant Gujarat 2017 stage. Mr Rupani said that altogether 11 Nobel Prize winners including those from the fields of Physics, Chemistry and Medicine will also participate in the event this time around. They will also take part in a month-long science exhibition to be organised in the science city which will also be inaugurated by the prime minister. This time, delegates from 110 countries will participate in the Summit and there are 12 partner countries including the US, the UK, Canada and the UAE for the Summit, the Chief Minister said.UNI RAJ SNU 1516 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1064858.Xml
India is on a path of economic transformation -- from making business easier, eliminating corruption and reducing regulatory overburden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said. Stating this, Mr Modi told a gathering of influential leaders at an event organised on the emergence of Asia asa new economic force in the global arena, that cleaning the system from black money and corruption ''is very high on my agenda and we are working tirelessly towards it.'' ''We are now moving towards a digital and cashless economy,'' he said, adding that India was currently buzzing with entrepreneurial activity like never before. The Prime Minster was making the inaugural address through video conference at the Economic Times Asian Business Leaders Conclave being held in Kuala Lumpur. Recognising that the 21st century was the ''century of Asia'', Mr Modi noted that India was now the sixth largest manufacturing country in the world. ''Our economic process is being geared towards activities which are vital for generating employment or self-employment opportunities,'' Mr Modi said and encouraged investment in the country. India, he said, ''is not only a good destination. It's always a good decision to be in India.'' Earlier, the Prime Minister jointly inaugurated the ET Asian Business Leaders' Conclave 2016 with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak. He praised him saying that under his leadership, Malaysia was moving towards its goal of achieving developed country status by 2020. Close relations with Malaysia were integral to the success of ''our Act East Policy'', he further said. UNI SD SWSNU 1617 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0005-1064958.Xml
The security forces today launched search operations in Baramulla and Anantnag districts in south, official sources said here.

They said on a tip-off about the presence of militants, security forces and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a joint search operation at a village in Anantnag. However, when the security forces were sealing the village and moving towards a particular area, militants hiding there opened fire. Security forces also retaliated and in the encounter so far one militant was killed. The slain militant was identified as Basit Rasool, a local militant.

Later clashes erupted in different parts of Anantnag between the demonstrators and the security forces.

Security forces also conducted similar search operation at Bomai in apple township of Sopore following information about the presence of militants.

An encounter ensued after militants hiding there opened fire on security forces when they tried to seal the area. The security forces also retaliated and in the encounter, LeT commander Abu Bakr was killed, they said adding one AK rifle and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militant.

The operation was going on when the reports last came in, they added.UNI BAS SW SNU 1740

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While the first meeting is scheduled in Jaunpur on November 19, the second one will be in Bahraich on December 22. This was confirmed by the UP Congress Vice-president and Media Icharge Satyadev Tripathi here today.

The vocal critic of the Government's "unplanned, ill-implemented" demonetisation move, Mr Gandhi will be addressing the anti-demonetisation rallies in the poll-bound states like Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab to capture the growing discontent over the Modi Government's demonetisation move.

The rallies will start from December 15 from Goa and in UP, he will address rallies in Jaunpur on December 19 and in Bahraich on December 22.

Incidentally, on December 19, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi will address BJP's Parivartan Rally in Kanpur. UNI MB AE SNU 1710

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According to a lawyer, the Central Bureau of Ibvestigation (CBI) court of B.K. Tiwari pronounced the sentence in the disproportionate assets case.

On the directive of the Jharkhand High Court, the CBI had lodged an FIR against Rai and filed a chargesheet in 2010.

During the investigation, the CBI discovered that Rai had amassed wealth of around Rs 1.50 crore more than his known sources of income.

Rai was one of the three Independent legislators who had toppled the BJP government led by Arjun Munda in 2006, facilitating formation of the government led by Madhu Koda, an Independent member of tghe assembly.

Rai was a minister from 2005 to 2009 in three governments led by Arjun Munda, Madhu Koda and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren.

Speaking to reporters after the sentencing, Rai said: "I have faith in judiciary and will appeal in the high court."

--IANS ns/nir/vt

( 183 Words)

2016-12-14-18:22:12 (IANS)
Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma said the Department of Higher Education has decided to set up free Reliance Jio Wi-Fi campuses in all the government colleges of the state.

"Reliance Jio would deploy overall infrastructure for deployment of Wi-Fi or small cells in all the government colleges free of cost," the Minister said.

"As part of the introductory offer for all government colleges, Reliance Jio would give 20 MB free usage per day per user for all students and staff for one year. Reliance Jio would also block all objectionable websites as per Government of India directions," Sharma said.

He said that all the principals of government colleges have been directed to provide suitable space and security for Wi-Fi or small cell and other relevant network equipment. They would also provide power supply for the equipment.

Reliance Jio would pay the electricity bills so generated, Sharma added.

--IANS js/vgu/dg

( 174 Words)

2016-12-14-18:24:12 (IANS)
As part of its efforts to promote the variety of cuisines from different states of the country, the Tourism Ministry is endeavouring to develop traditional dhabas' with the authenticity of the local cuisines, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. "Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture has emphasised in its 229th report that traditional Dhabas should be developed and maintained with highest cleanliness, hygiene and authenticity of their local cuisine. "It has been incorporated in the guidelines for classification of hotel, which is a voluntary scheme of the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India. The guidelines provide that classified hotels, will impart training to specific number of people, under the scheme of 'Hunar Se Rozgar Tak",''Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply. He said the scheme is very beneficial for training people already employed or self employed in dhabas, restaurants, eateries etc. to learn basis skill of this sector thus making them tourist friendly, cleaner, hygienic with serving local cuisine in local ambience and incentivizing them to serve the tourist better. UNI AR SW 1937 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0092-1065590.Xml
Police said when the minitser was proceeding from Bengaluru totemple town of Nanjangudu in the district when the pilot vehicleveered off the road.

The minister was unhurt and continued his journey in another car.

Police said the incident occurred the minister was proceeding toNanjangud from Bengaluru. However. no one in the convoy or civilianswere injured in the incident.

The minister continued his journey in another car. The frontportion of his the State car was damaged.

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The Union Cabinet today approved the proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for signing of an Agreement between India and Kyrgyzstan on cooperation in the field of agriculture and food related industry, an official release said here. The proposed agreement covers various activities in the field of agriculture and allied sector, including but not restricted to areas such as exchange of information and experience in the field of research; animal breeding, Avian Influenza and Food & Mouth Disease (FMD); veterinary medicine; plant growing, production of seeds based on modern technology, certification of seed; introduction of different types of irrigation, and establishing Indian Pilot Project; information technology on efficient use of food processing and packaging technology. Apart from exchange of information, the MOU also provided for cooperation in the field of protection of plant variety rights; agricultural, food trade and horticulture; agricultural research and education, horticultural research and education and food safety and standards; aquaculture and fisheries, etc. The Agreement provides for constitution of a Joint Working Group comprising of representatives from both countries which shall prepare plans of cooperation, provide solutions to the problems arising during the implementation of this Agreement and implementation of tasks determined by the Parties. It shall enter into force on the date of its signing and shall remain in force for a period of five years and shall be automatically extended for a subsequent period of five years unless either Party gives written notice through diplomatic channels to the other Party of its intention to terminate the Agreement at least six months before its expiration.UNI NY SB 2057 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0099-1065717.Xml
Chamber of Commerce and Industries Jammu today expressed concern over alleged settlement of foreign nationals and non-state subjectees in this winter capital of the state. ''The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jammu is shocked at open mockery of Article 370 in Jammu by unseen forces with permanent settlement of thousands of Non State Subjects and foreign nationals in Jammu city and its peripheries,'' Mr Rakesh Gupta, CCI president here told reporters. He said, ''We also question the law enforcing agencies on their silence and inaction in this matter that too in a state where National and State Security should be their prime concern''. The CCI president questioned the state government's stand on dual policy of enforcing Article 370 on different lines in Kashmir where even the construction of Sanik Colony for the people serving in JKP and are the state subjects, and even colony for Kashmiri Pandit migrants who are indispensible part and parcel of the state has not seen the light of the day because of threats from anti-nationals within the state and on the other hand allowing the settlement of Non State Subjects and even Foreign Nationals in Jammu. Questioning the government that on one hand the Human Rights of the people from West Pakistan have been violated over decades by denying them their rights even being Indians , the CCI Chief said that on the contrary being a mute spectator to the unlawful settlement of foreign nationals here. ''It is a deliberate but a successful attempt by unseen forces who have made Demographic changes visible in Jammu city and around,'' he added. UNI VBH VS 2045 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1065689.Xml
The Supreme Court today said that only the Chief Justice of India, judges of the top court and the Chief Justices of various state High Courts are exempted from security checks at the airports. this Exemption does not include the judges of the High Courts. Setting aside the Rajasthan High Court's May 13, 2005, judgment, a bench of the Apex Court, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Tirath Singh Thakur, and also comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao, said that the matter of security was not an issue of prestige.Justice Chandrachud, speaking for the bench, in the order, said, "Matters of security are not issues of prestige. They are not matters of 'status' and do not depend only on the warrant of precedence". Allowing year 2006 appeal against the High Court order, the top court referred to the Centre's stand that only those people are exempted from pre-embarkation security checks who are under the government security on a 24x7 basis.The security perception of the Union government is that "no exemption can be granted to a dignitary if he/she is not under effective government security coverage on a 24x7 basis", the judgment said referring to the position spelt out by the Centre.As far as Heads of foreign missions are concerned, they are exempted from pre-embarkation security checks on a reciprocal basis, the Apex Court said referring to the government's position."What we have said above is to emphasise that the view of the Union government is based on a considered assessment of security perceptions and ought not to have been interfered with in the manner that the High Court did in the exercise of its jurisdiction under Article 226", the judgment said.UNI XC RP2010 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1065700.Xml
Seeking people's cooperation in making up for losses due to unrest in violence-hit Kashmir valley, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said her government has envisioned a developmental revolution for the Srinagar city, but regretted that much could not be done this summer due to the turmoil. Meanwhile, setting the execution of World Bank-funded Jhelum-Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) rolling, Ms Mehbooba laid foundation of first of its kind Disaster Centre and widening of road project from Mehjoor Nagar to Nowgam here. The $250 million JTFRP was formally launched by the Chief Minister last month and the project envisages recovery and reconstruction of critical infrastructure, capacity building and livelihood in the State under which major roads, bridges, schools etc. would be re constructed and capacity of emergency response units like hospitals, emergency services etc enhanced. The project would be executed in the State by Department of Relief, Rehabilitation, Reconstruction & Disaster Management. Interacting with the people on the occasion, the Chief Minister said her Government has envisioned a developmental revolution for the Srinagar city but regretted that much could not be done this summer due to the turmoil. She appealed people to facilitate Government in taking forward the developmental activities. She said people rightly have expectations with her Government and she would represent the aspirations of the people to every forum. The Disaster Centre near Srinagar airport would be used in case of emergencies like earthquakes, floods etc to provide relief and rescue to the people and can also be used to manage the operations during the crises times. The Disaster Centre would be equipped with a control room, emergency operations centre, hospital, SDRF unit and other equipments which could be used in case of disasters. It would have facilities of secretariat and a cabinet room to function in case of natural disasters. To be completed in two years, the Centre would provide the necessary back up support to the Government in its response to various natural calamities. On the occasion, Ms Mehbooba inaugurated the Emergency Operations Centre from a pre-fab structure which has started functioning from today. To begin with, it has been equipped with telephone numbers and staff who could be contacted in case of any eventuality. Later, a similar Centre would be set up at Jammu and at each district headquarters. Earlier, the Chief Minister also laid the foundation of widening of road from Mehjoor Nagar to Nowgam via Padshahi Bagh. The road project would help in decongesting traffic on the Natipora-Chanapora-Rambagh axis and it would also give direct and easy access from Jawahar Nagar to Railway Station at Nowgam. The project would cost Rs 14 crore.UNI ABS SB 2133 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-1065738.Xml
In a setback to the ten police officials booked in the 2014 custodial death case of a 25-year-old youth, the Bombay High Court today directed CBI to consider if prima facie evidencepoints to offences of unnatural sex against them. A division bench of Justices R V More and Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi was hearing a petition filed by the victim Agnelo Valdaris' father Leonard. Following the petition, filed in 2014, the case was handed over to CBI for probe. CBI, in its First Information Report, booked ten police officials from Wadala Railway Police on charges of murder, unnatural sex, kidnapping and falsifying evidence. However, in its charge sheet filed in January, CBI charged the accused only for criminal conspiracy, voluntarily causing hurt and other lesser charges. The charges under which the policemen have been booked will attract maximum punishment of three years, in contrast to life sentence, had they been charged with murder. Advocate Yug Chaudhary, appearing for the petitioner, today argued that CBI has failed to consider material evidence which clearly points to offence under section 377 (unnatural sex) of Indian Penal Code. After passing order, court adjourned the hearing till December 19. UNI AAA SS SB 2153 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-1065784.Xml
The Maharashtra government today informed the Bombay high court that it would appoint the Advocate General (AG) shortly. The government pleader informed this to the court after the high court set a deadline of December 23 for the state to inform when it would fill up the coveted post of AG. "Tell us on December 23 when would you appoint the Advocate General," a division bench of Justice Abhay Oka said, while hearing a petition filed by Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt. However, the high court said it wanted to know when such appointment would be made. The bench further said it was not satisfied with the government's reply on appointment of AG. Neeraj Dhote, legal adviser and joint secretary, Law & Judiciary Department, filed an affidavit on December eight assuring the court that "the state would appoint AG in accordance with the provisions contained in Article 165 of the Constitution of India, by the end of December." The bench had then remarked, "it is high time that the government appointed a new AG to represent the state. Many constitutional and statutory functions (of the government) are suffering due to the non-appointment of AG and it affects the cause of justice as well as the public." Mr Dutt sought a direction to the state government to appoint a regular AG in place of the acting AG. In his petition, he said that the court should declare that the post of 'acting AG' was unconstitutional, and that the appointment of AG should be made only as per the provisions of Article 165 of the Constitution. Mr Dutt clarified that he was not questioning the integrity and professional capability of acting AG Rohit Deo, but said he wanted a direction to the government to follow the Constitutional provisions. Mr Deo has been functioning as an acting AG since last seven months, while under the Constitution no post of 'acting AG' exists, he said. Mr Dutt had also raised the issue in the state Legislature earlier, the petition said. Mr Deo was appointed as acting AG after previous AG Srihari Aney was forced to resign in March.UNI AAA SS SB 2156 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-1065785.Xml
A steering committee headed by Madhya Pradesh Minister of State for Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Vishwas Sarang has been formed in order to provide coordination between the Centre and the state government over the functioning of Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC), which mainly caters for the treatment of Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims. The committee will comprise the Minister of State for Medical Education, local parliamentarians and legislators and officials of concerned departments. A decision in this regard was taken during a high-level meeting with the Joint Secretary of the Department of Health Research today. "If the hospital's 17 departments are unable to provide tertiary care for a certain ailment, it would recommend patients to private hospitals and the cost would be borne by the hospital. A proposal for developing the hospital into a teaching institute is being mooted," Mr Sarang told media today.UNI PS SB 2201 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-1065805.Xml
Suspected LeT terrorist Shaikh Abdul Naeem Karim, an accused in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case, has not been murdered but absconded in connivance with the West BengalPolice, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) informed the Bombay high court today. The statement was made by the SIT during the hearing of a petition filed by Naeem's mother, Qamar Nasreen Karim, who refuted claims of Chhattisgarh Police that her son had absconded and allegedhe was killed in custody. The high court in September had directed to set up the SIT under the joint director of CBI Chhattisgarh, director general of police Chhattisgarh and West Bengal and Maharashtra ATS chief to probe the allegations of murder. Advocate Hiten Venegaonkar, appearing for the SIT, today submitted a probe report to the court. ''An offence has been registered against the police officers concerned. Further probe is on,'' he said. Shaikh, a resident of Aurangabad, had been in the custody of West Bengal Police. On August 25, 2014, he was being brought to Mumbai to be produced before a special MCOCA court in connection with the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case from Dum Dum prison in West Bengal by Howrah-Mumbai Express when he allegedly escaped from the running train near Raigarh railway station in Chhattisgarh. Naeem's family, however, claimed that he was suffering from a kidney ailment that made him 'physically weak' and thus, it was very unlikely that he managed to escape. The court, after perusing the report, sought to know what would be done if the accused had fled to Bangladesh. To this, Mr Venegaonkar said, ''extradition proceedings will be initiated if this is established.'' The court posted the petition for further hearing on January 16 and said the SIT will continue its probe.UNI AAA SS SB 2156 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-1065787.Xml
According to police, upon a reliable information Anti-Narcotics Cell of city police conducted a raid in open parking area in front of Hotel El Paso Multicusine Bar and Restaurant, Arambol, Pernem, inNorth Goa, around 32 km from here.

The accused, Paul Chibuzor Ozoemena (53), a Nigerian national, was caught red-handed for being in illegal possession of 155 grams of Amphetamine, 50 grams of Ganja, all worth Rs 7,80,000 along with cash of Rs 2,000 and a mobile phone yesterday.

A case under section 20 (b)(ii)(A)(C) of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 was registered against him, sources added.UNI AKM SS SB 2208

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An Indian-origin computer science student arrested after a multinational operation to crackdown on young hackers has been charged with carrying out cyber attacks on a chat site, according to officials. Sean Krishanmakoto Sharma was produced before federal Magistrate Judge Alka Sagar in Los Angeles on Monday and was released on a $100,000 bail bond, said Brian Stretch, the federal prosecutor for Northern California. Sharma had used a "distributed denial of service" (DDoS) tool to disrupt the computers of a San Francisco company that provides chat services to other companies between November 2014 and January 2015, Stretch said in a statement. A court document identified the company as Chatango. DDoS is a form of cyberattack that floods computers with bogus requests that overwhelm and paralyse it. DDoS uses viruses and programmes known as botnets because they robotically transmit disruptive requests to servers, and trojans, which are secretly implanted in other people's computers to carry out attacks from there. A court document said that Sharma used a botnet called Xtreme Fire to carry out the attacks. Sagar, before whom Sharma appeared, became in 2013 the first Indian American woman to be appointed a federal judge. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which arrested Sharma on Friday in La Canada in California state, identified him as a 26-year-old graduate student at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The FBI said that his arrest was part of a joint anti-cybercrime operation by the US, Australia and 11 European countries that was coordinated by the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at The Hague, in the Netherlands. A total of 34 people were arrested during the five-day operation conducted from December 5, the FBI said without identifying the others or the countries they were arrested in. Many of them were under the age of 20, the FBI said. Steven Wilson, the head of EC3, noted that many computer enthusiasts are getting involved in "low-level fringe cybercrime" without being aware of the consequences. "One of the key priorities of law enforcement should be to engage with these young people to prevent them from pursuing a criminal path, helping them understand how they can use their skills for a more constructive purpose," he said. --IANS al/lok ( 382 Words) 2016-12-14-07:52:11 (IANS)
A Chicago man pleaded guilty today to his long-distance role in the 2014 murder of Sheila von Wiese-Mack, who was killed in Bali, Indonesia by her daughter's boyfriend and stuffed into a suitcase, prosecutors said.Robert Bibbs, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit the foreign murder of a US national, according to a statement from the office of the US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.Under terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors and Bibbs' legal counsel have agreed the maximum sentence will be no more than 20 years, but US District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer will impose the sentence on March 23, 2017, prosecutors said.Bibbs' attorney, Donna Hickstein-Foley, declined to comment yesterday.Bibbs advised his cousin, Tommy Schaefer, and Schaefer's girlfriend, Heather Mack, by text message on how to kill von Wiese-Mack, 62, in the hope of sharing in an inheritance, prosecutors said. Von Wiese-Mack was bludgeoned to death in her hotel room.Schaefer was sentenced to 18 years in prison for premeditated murder. Mack, who has had a baby girl in prison, is serving 10 years for being an accessory to murder.Bibbs acknowledged in his plea agreement that he was aware of the plot to commit the murder and counseled Schaefer on how to get away with it, prosecutors said. The idea was Schaefer would gain access to the estate through Mack, and share that with Bibbs.Mack and her mother, who had a troubled relationship, had traveled together to Bali in August 2014 and were staying at a luxury hotel, the St. Regis Bali resort. Schaefer joined them, surprising von Wiese-Mack, who did not know he was coming to Indonesia.Schaefer subsequently sent a text message to Bibbs in the United States and the two discussed killing the mother, with Bibbs suggesting drowning her or sitting on her face with a pillow to suffocate her, prosecutors said.Later in the day, Schaefer bludgeoned von Wiese-Mack to death, and Schaefer and Mack stuffed her body in a suitcase and placed it in a taxi cab.Schaefer and Mack were arrested the following day and convicted in April 2015 in Indonesia for their roles in the murder. Bibbs was arrested in the United States in September 2015. REUTERS PS 0405 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1064354.Xml
A unique demand and an unusual request has been made to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by eminent archaeologists and the historians of Cambodia. Mr Modi should perform a pilgrimage to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the famous Hindu Temple that embodies the ancient culture of India and considered as a living monument of age old Indian heritage, they said. If he accepts the invitation, Mr Modi will be second Indian Prime Minister after Atal Bihari Vajpayee to visit Cambodia, especially Angkor Wat, which is known as seat of the Hindu Kings. They have also demanded the Indian government to consider announcing at least one day national holiday during the 15-day 'Shraadh' rituals, observed to pay respect to ''our ancestors and forefathers'' in both India and Cambodia at the same time, which is a unique bounding factor between the two nations. The demand was made by prominent experts in Cambodia during a meeting they had with a visiting Indian media delegation, which is currently on a tour to the region, as part of the Indo-ASEAN Exchange Programme. The delegation was received by the top officials of Authority For The Protection And Management Of Angkor Wat and The Region Of Seim Reap, which is tasked to run the affairs of Cambodian cultural monuments. More UNI MK SV RJ 1000 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1064370.Xml
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has decided end its boycott of the National Assembly after failing to win a verdict from the Supreme Court against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over the Panamagate issue last week. The decision was announced by PTI chairman Imran Khan after presiding over a meeting of the party office-bearers and parliamentarians at his Banigala residence Khan said the decision was made in order to seek an explanation from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for allegedly making a false statement about his foreign properties on the floor of the house. The new session of the National Assembly begins today. Khan said an adjournment motion as well as a privilege motion would be moved by PTI against Sharif for his act of "lying to the parliament and the nation". This comes hours after the main opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) submitted a privilege motion against the prime minister over the same issue. Khan had announced the boycott of the National Assembly in October till a verdict from the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case but the hearing of the case was deferred by the court till the first week of January. The PTI chief said his party would seek a full-fledged debate on the matter through the adjournment motion. He said the next strategy of the party would be decided after seeing the response of parliament in respect to the two motions in the Assembly. Asserting that Sharif had made different statements in the Supreme Court and in the parliament, Khan said that the prime minister had informed the parliament of having all the required documents to prove trail of the money used for purchasing properties in London but his lawyers failed to produce any document in the court. Citing that impeachment was faced by the Brazilian president only for providing wrong figures about the budget to parliament, PTI chief said that here the prime minister has told lies to hide his corruption and properties worth billions of rupees. He alleged that Sharif was now "eying" the Supreme Court and the army after having destroyed each and every institution "Now Nawaz Sharif wants control over the SC and the army. He wants to convert the army into the Punjab police. I hope these two institutions will not disappoint the nation and will not come under their (rulers') control," Khan said. (ANI)
The task force would ensure security of Gwadar Port and CPEC in maritime domain.

The Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee, General Zubair Mahmood Hayat was the Chief Guest of the Ceremony and was received by Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah on his arrival.

While addressing the ceremony, Hayat lauded the initiative taken by Pakistan Navy in raising a dedicated Task Force for maritime security of CPEC.

He said that the initiative by Pakistan Navy would contribute significantly towards the success of CPEC.

General Hayat also acknowledged the role being played by Pakistan Navy in ensuring safe and secure maritime environment which is an essential pre-requisite for maritime economy to flourish.

"The role of Pakistan Navy is deeply embedded in the maritime operationalisation of CPEC as it will be required to shoulder greater responsibilities to ensure protection of growing maritime trade and to provide security to our sea lanes", he said.

Earlier in his address, Vice Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbassi, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Operations, said that viability and assured dividends of CPEC related projects are intrinsically linked with the security of maritime domain.

He said that providing security to CPEC on land as well as making its maritime prong safe is vital for the projects' success and in this regard, ensuring maritime security remains an important responsibility of Pakistan Navy which is set to grow in the coming years.

Earlier, during his welcome address, Chairman of GPA thanked Pakistan Navy for ensuring security of Gwadar Port and highlighted the importance of Gwadar Port for the prosperity of Pakistan.

The Chairman also handed over the traditional Command Telescope to the first Commander of Task Force-88, Commodore Muhammad Waris, on the occasion.

The Ceremony was attended by Federal Ministers, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan and other Civil, Military and Foreign Dignitaries. (ANI)
US President-elect Donald Trump has offered the position of the Secretary of the Interior to Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke, who will be in charge of developing the agenda previously proposed by the New York tycoon. Zinke, 55, represents Montana district in the House of Representatives since 2015, and before that served in the US Navy SEALs for more than two decades between 1985 and 2008, EFE news reported on Monday. Zinke will be incharge of federal land management, national parks and energy projects. The Republican will also have the power of dismantling the policies pushed by the Department of the Interior during the Obama administration, which aimed to mitigate the effects of climate change, in order to promote the developmental agenda that Trump promised during the election campaign. Trump has expressed his opposition to Obama's moratorium on the lease of federal land for coal mining, and he has been in favour of the increase in sea and land oil prospecting in areas controlled by the state. A few days ago it was the veteran Congresswoman Cathy McMorris who seemed to be destined for this position, but after Trump and Zinke held a meeting on Monday, McMorris confirmed that she will remain focused on the House of Representatives. An agency with 70,000 employees and a budget of $12 billion, the Department of the Interior is responsible for the management of national parks, energy projects, prospecting and the management of vast tracts of federal land, mostly in the western US. --IANS py/vm ( 261 Words) 2016-12-14-11:16:12 (IANS)
Video bloggers in China must register their real identities before publishing anything online from January 1, the Ministry of Culture announced Wednesday. All presenters -- including amateurs, many of whom have gained enormous fame on the internet -- would be compelled to comply with the new regulations in the new year, Xinhua reported. The Chinese administration has asked online video bloggers to seek operating licenses from the authorities, as well as identify themselves via interviews or video calls starting 2017, said the report. Foreign video bloggers would require special permission, as well as those coming from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The new regulation was arrived at after months of censorship on this type of new audiovisual media. The operators of video hosting services "must carry out real-time supervision of performances and keep records of all the shows", it said. They would also have to create mechanisms for handling "emergencies" such as suspending content that violates the regulations and report any infringement to authorities. The Chinese Ministry of Culture also announced the creation of a "blacklist" of video bloggers who failed to comply with these regulations in order to "ensure the sector's healthy and orderly growth". In recent months, the authorities have suspended video blog accounts and even arrested some of the presenters, claiming that they were broadcasting rude, erotic or violent content. In April, China removed the online videos of blogger Papi Jiang, who had become famous for her monologues as she joked about daily life in China using sarcastic language. Chinese President Xi Jinping had called for culture and media to be subordinated to the values of the communist regime, which has resulted in high levels of censorship not seen in decades. --IANS in/ahm/sac ( 296 Words) 2016-12-14-12:46:14 (IANS)
As Myanmar's army was stepping up an anti-insurgency operation in the country's northwest in October, senior officers cancelled talks with their Bangladeshi counterparts, straining ties with a key potential ally in dealing with the violence on their border.The cancelled meetings, revealed in documents seen by Reuters, are the latest on a long list of failed initiatives to improve relations between fractious neighbours who both see the largely stateless Muslim Rohingya at the heart of the crisis as the other nation's problem.Bangladeshi diplomats say the abrupt cancellation of the talks, planned for mid-October, reflected Myanmar's reluctance to deepen bilateral ties and press ahead with talks on security cooperation and the establishment of border liaison officers."Those two documents are incredibly important, particularly given the situation we're dealing with right now, but we've hit a wall," said a senior Bangladeshi official, who did not want to be identified because of the private nature of the exchanges.Myanmar officials did not comment on the meetings.Defusing the deep-seated mistrust between the two countries is crucial both to improving the plight of the Rohingya minority and curbing the insurgency Myanmar's government says it is fighting in the northwest, diplomats and analysts say.Close to 27,000 people have fled across the border from Myanmar's Rakhine State to Bangladesh since Nov. 1, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, with more people likely to have fled since the onset of violence in October.The Rohingya, of whom there are around 1.1 million in Rakhine, are denied citizenship by Myanmar and Bangladesh, who both cite census documents and historical accounts to argue they have a long-established presence in the other country.GROWING ISOLATIONThe cancelled meetings also point to the growing isolation of the eight-month-old administration of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, facing criticism of her handling of the crisis from both Western nations and Asian countries such as Malaysia.Myanmar's military and the government have rejected allegations by residents and rights groups that soldiers have raped Rohingya women, burnt houses and killed civilians during the military operation in Rakhine."Regarding the Army to Army Talk between Bangladesh Armed Forces and Myanmar Defence Services...I deeply regret to inform you that our authorities would like to postpone," said the head of the Myanmar military's foreign relations department, Lieutenant Colonel Aung Zaw Linn, in a letter to Bangladesh officials on Oct. 13.The military cited "unforeseen commitments" as a reason to cancel the nearly week-long talks scheduled in Bangladesh from Oct. 16.The letter was sent four days after nine Myanmar police officers were killed in attacks on border posts. Since then, security forces have flooded northern Rakhine, hunting a Rohingya insurgent group the government says was responsible.Five days later, the head of the Myanmar police division against transnational crime also pulled out of talks with the Bangladeshi border guard force planned for Oct. 25-27 in Dhaka, citing the security situation in Rakhine.One of the documents Bangladeshis were keen to discuss was a memorandum of understanding on security dialogue and cooperation. Another document, reviewed by Reuters, would set up border liaison officers (BLO) on both sides of the frontier and other collaboration measures including joint patrols.Underscoring deterioration of the ties, Bangladeshi diplomats said last month they pulled out of bilateral foreign ministry consultations seen as a preparatory step before a meeting of heads of state."We went everywhere and met with everyone, but we have been met with delays and lack of interest," said the senior Bangladeshi official.Bangladesh is the only neighbouring country Suu Kyi, who serves as Myanmar's foreign minister as well as being the de facto leader of the government, has not yet visited.The Myanmar military's press office and presidential spokesman Zaw Htay did not respond to an emailed request for comment.Aye Aye Soe, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said there had been an "earlier meeting" between the two militaries on the "current refugees issue but (that) also involved other border related issues - drug trafficking and other transorganized crimes". She said she had no other details.Bangladesh Army spokesman Colonel Rashidul Hasan said he could not comment because he was not aware of the meeting. Gowher Rizvi, an external affairs advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, declined to comment.DIPLOMATIC REPRIMANDTensions between the two countries were exacerbated last month, when Myanmar's envoy in Dhaka was reprimanded over reports in state media that some of the insurgents blamed for the Oct. 9 attacks had crossed the border from Bangladesh.The violence in Rakhine is the biggest crisis faced by Suu Kyi's government, threatening her No. 1 goal of ending years of ethnic war. Insurgencies dogged Myanmar through decades of military rule, and fighting has also recently flared near the border with China.Rohingya activists claim a centuries-old lineage in Rakhine, which like the rest of Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist. Myanmar sees the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.Predominantly Muslim Bangladesh disowns the Rohingya and has refused to grant them refugee status since 1992.The United Nations' refugee agency supports more than 32,000 registered Rohingya in official camps in the east of Bangladesh, and estimates up to 500,000 undocumented Rohingya live in the country.The population has grown since 2012, when communal clashes between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya killed more than 100 people and displaced thousands.Richard Horsey, a former UN diplomat in Myanmar, said relations with Bangladesh had always been characterised by "deep tension and suspicion", adding that Myanmar was missing an opportunity by not seeking more help from Dhaka in the wake of the Oct. 9 attacks."The Bangladeshi side has cooperated in the early stages," he said. "And, given their track record of investigating radical organisations, it is somewhat surprising Myanmar has seemingly not reached out more openly about cooperation on the attacks."Reuters CJ RAI1358 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1064701.Xml
Russia finds it easier to negotiate deals on the Syrian city of Aleppo with Turkey than with the United States, RIA news agency quoted a Russian foreign ministry official as saying today."Around Aleppo there was a complex tangle of negotiations. ...As far as I understand, for us it was much more straightforward to reach agreements with Turkey than with the Americans," RIA quoted Andrei Kelin, director of the European cooperation department at the Russian foreign ministry, as saying. REUTERS VS AS1508 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1064861.Xml
A priceless collection of gold artifacts from Crimea that were on loan to a Dutch museum when Russia occupied the peninsula must be returned to Ukraine and not the museums that originally held them, a Dutch court ruled today.Kiev and the four museums have been wrangling over the fate of the archeological treasures, including pots, gold leaf and other ancient objects, ever since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.The court ruled that Crimea was not a sovereign country and so could not claim the treasures as cultural heritage. Thus it was for a Ukrainian court to decide between the Ukrainian National Museum's and the Crimean museums' competing claims to ownership once the treasures were back on Ukrainian soil. REUTERS VS AS1530 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1064896.Xml
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused Syrian government forces of breaking a ceasefire deal in Aleppo today, but said Turkey is still making efforts to create a corridor to evacuate people from the Syrian city.Erdogan said he would speak later by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation in Aleppo, which he described as "very fragile". He was addressing a group of local administrators in Ankara, in comments broadcast live.Erdogan also said preparations were complete for evacuees from Aleppo to come to Idlib in Syria and to Turkey.The planned evacuation of rebel districts of Aleppo stalled today as air strikes and heavy shelling hit the city and Iran was said to have imposed new conditions on the deal. REUTERS AKC BL1653 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1065077.Xml
A former Syrian diplomat convicted in absentia of a brutal rape in Switzerland in 2001 has been arrested in Versailles, France, living under a false identity as a refugee, the Geneva prosecutor's office said today.The man, whose name was not revealed, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for the 1997 rape of a 60-year-old woman that amounted to torture. The Geneva court cited the "unbearable severity" and perversity of his acts against the woman he had met at a spa.Previously accredited as a Syrian diplomat to the United Nations in Geneva, he had been living in Versailles "under a new identity, with the status of a political refugee" before his arrest yesterday, the prosecutor's statement said.Swiss judicial authorities were making an extradition request to France so that he would serve his prison term in Switzerland, it added.The former diplomat had denied the charges but after Swiss authorities asked the Syrian government to lift his diplomatic immunity, he was called back urgently to Damascus in late 1997, whereupon he lost his immunity in Switzerland, Vincent Derouand of the Geneva prosecutor's office said."About a year later he was arrested in Germany and extradited to Switzerland," Derouand told Reuters. "He was held in preventive detention but then released on bail and fled."The daily Le Temps paper said in December 2001 that the bail had amounted to 100,000 Swiss francs.The man, who returned to Damascus, failed to appear at his trial, the newspaper said, adding that he was 35 years old when the crimes were committed. REUTERS VS BL1609 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1064966.Xml
Moscow still maintained contacts with Washington, but every time the two sides met for agreement, Washington backtracked, Lavrov told Russian 24 TV.

Meanwhile, the minister gave credit to Russia's interaction with Turkey over Syria.

"This channel (with Turkey) may prove to be more efficient than our fruitless small talks with our American colleagues over many months," he said.

Moreover, Lavrov blamed the US for contributing to the formation of the Islamic State terrorist group.

"It was the US which liberated the current IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from an Iraqi prison in 2006," he said.

The US suspended talks with Russia over Syria in early October, followed by rising tensions between the two powers with each side accusing the other of violating commitments under a cease-fire deal aimed to facilitate a peaceful solution to the Syria crisis.

Since then, no concrete agreements have been reached between the two sides.

The latest effort, which brought together experts from both sides in Geneva on Saturday, ended again without any accord.

--IANS ahm/vt

( 204 Words)

2016-12-14-17:28:13 (IANS)
Nearly 1,000 people from Syria's Aleppo evacuated overnight after a ceasefire deal are held at an Iranian militia checkpoint outside the city, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency quoted the head of the Turkish Red Crescent as saying today."These people had passed the Russian check point," Kerem Kinik told Anadolu, referring to those evacuated. "But after leaving Aleppo, they were stopped at the second point where Iranian militia was present and still they are denied passage," he said.Talks are still underway to allow the buses carrying civilians to move towards the rebel-held Idlib province, he added.A ceasefire was brokered yesterday by Russia, Assad's most powerful ally, and Turkey to end years of fighting in Aleppo but the planned evacuation of rebel districts stalled today as air strikes and heavy shelling hit the city and Iran was said to have imposed new conditions on the deal. REUTERS AKC BL1721 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1065171.Xml
Germany said today Russia was partly responsible for the destruction of eastern Aleppo and the option of imposing sanctions on Moscow was still on the table but the immediate priority was to help civilians in the city.Russia, as well as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and Iranian-backed fighters, were responsible for the destruction of eastern Aleppo, said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert at a government news conference."We know that this ruthless destruction of eastern Aleppo would not have been possible without massive military support from Russia," he said. "Russia has not prevented the crimes of the last few days although it was within its power to do so."Seibert added that Chancellor Angela Merkel had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday and called for an immediate ceasefire. REUTERS AKC AS1851 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1065470.Xml
King Salman told Saudis today he recognised that economic restructuring measures adopted in response to a sharp drop in oil prices were painful, but said they were necessary to avoid long-term damage to the country."The state has sought to deal with these changes ... through a variety of measures to restructure the economy, some of which may be painful in the short run but ultimately aim to protect the economy of your country from worse problems," he told the consultative Shura Council."Similar circumstances have happened before over the past three decades, forcing the state to cut its expenses, but it emerged from them, thanks be to God, with a strong economy and continuous and increasing growth," Salman said.In a drastic step to save money, the king in September ordered salaries of ministers and Shura Council members to be cut by 20 and 15 per cent, and scaled back financial perks for public sector employees.The plunge in oil prices since mid-2014 has pushed energy-rich Gulf Arab states to rein in lavish public spending. Saudi Arabia racked up a record budget deficit of nearly 100 billion dollars last year, forcing it to find new savings and ways to raise money.King Salman also said that Saudi Arabia sees the security of neighbouring Yemen as part of the kingdom's own security, and issued a thinly veiled warning to regional rival Iran not to meddle there."We will not accept any interference in its internal affairs or anything that affects its legitimacy (government), or will make it a hub or a passage for any state or party to target the security of the kingdom and the region as a whole," he said, without mentioning Iran by name.Saudi Arabia is leading an alliance of Arab states fighting to restore Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power after Houthi rebels aligned with Iran forced him into exile nearly two years ago.Saudi Arabia accuses non-Arab Iran of trying to expand its influence into Arab countries such as Syria and Yemen, a charge Tehran denies.Salman also said that Saudi Arabia would continue to work with world powers to achieve world peace. He made no direct reference to Syria, where government forces finally broke rebel resistance this week in the city of Aleppo to deliver a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war. REUTERS AKC AN2024 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1065716.Xml
Political conflict between Venezuela's opposition-run legislature and socialist government flared again today after the breakdown of Vatican-led talks, as each side moved to appoint its own members to the national election board.The opposition Democratic Unity coalition blames President Nicolas Maduro for the OPEC nation's shrinking and dysfunctional economy, and wants to remove him through a referendum or by bringing forward the presidential vote due for late 2018.Maduro, 54, says he will stay the course, and accuses opponents of sabotaging the economy to undermine him while also seeking a coup with US connivance.The feuding sides came together at the end of October in a dialogue convened by the Vatican and three former heads of government. But the opposition walked out last week saying officials were reneging on accords including an agreement to negotiate new members of the five-person election board.That issue is central to Venezuela's long-running political conflict because the election board has quashed the opposition's main request this year, for a recall referendum, and is viewed by many in Venezuela as being compliant towards the government.Today, the National Assembly pressed ahead with a symbolic political trial of Maduro, declaring him responsible for economic hardship and rights abuses in the nation of 30 million people. Later, the Supreme Court, which normally backs Maduro, named replacements for two outgoing election board members, saying the Assembly was in "contempt" of the law.Opposition leaders said that was an unconstitutional usurping of their functions and were set to appoint their own board replacements during a National Assembly session later today."The Supreme Court cannot substitute the Assembly's responsibility," said lawmaker Juan Pablo Guanipa, who sits on the assembly's appointments committee."They have caused a war of powers, and this leads us to a situation of total non-governance in the nation."While the politicians bicker, Venezuelans are reeling from a brutal economic crisis, with many skipping meals due to shortages and soaring prices in a third year of recession caused by falling oil prices and failing policies.The surprise pulling from circulation of Venezuela's largest denomination currency bill has added to consternation and chaos on the streets, generating huge lines at banks. REUTERS AKC VN2149 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1065843.Xml
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the situation in east Aleppo by phone today, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.Lavrov told Kerry the Syrian government had long been prepared to provide a safe withdrawal for militants leaving Aleppo but opposition fighters had refused a ceasefire, the ministry said.REUTERS AKC AN2303 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1065884.Xml
Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, meets with a visiting delegation from the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 13, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)

BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng on Tuesday met with a visiting delegation from the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce.

Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, called on them to carry on the tradition of loving the country and Hong Kong, and firm up their commitment and confidence in the "one country, two systems" policy.

"No one, no organization or political Party should be allowed to rip out any part of Chinese territory at any time or in any form," Yu said, adding that this is a unifying belief of all 1.3-billion Chinese including compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Acknowledging the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce's contributions in the past century, Yu said he hoped the chamber would continue to contribute to the development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).

The top political advisor encouraged the chamber of commerce to support the SAR government, boost the SAR's economic prosperity, and promote stability by developing the economy.

Yu called on its members to grasp the opportunity of the mainland's structural supply-side reform to promote development of both their own businesses and the mainland.
BERLIN, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande called for an extension of European Union (EU) sanctions against Russia here on Tuesday.

As the implementation of the Minsk Agreement in the Ukraine conflict is "very slow", it will be "necessary" to extend the sanctions against Russia once again, Merkel said on Tuesday during a meeting with Hollande at the chancellery in Berlin.

Hollande also said that "there are always the same blockades" in the conflict, adding that the Minsk Agreement should continue to be applied. "If there is no effort, no progress," he said, he will be in favor of extending the sanctions "like the Chancellor."

Merkel said: "We would like to see that we would continue to implement this process."

Meanwhile, the two leaders also called for a clear signal from the coming EU summit in Brussels to support the suffering people in Syrian Aleppo.

Merkel said it is necessary to ensure that the civilians are protected at all levels and that humanitarian aid becomes accessible.

Hollande demanded that everything must be done to bring the civilian population out of the east of Aleppo and create humanitarian corridors.

In view of the "fragile situation" particularly in the Mediterranean region, Merkel said that Germany and France would advocate at the summit for a prompt settlement of the planned migration partnerships with African countries following the example of the EU-Turkey Agreement.
SOFIA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The 44th Sofia International Book Fair opened in the National Palace of Culture (NPC) on Tuesday, gathering over 200 exhibitors from Bulgaria, China, Hungary, Italy, Iran, Romania, Russia, Spain and Turkey.

"We are very proud that this is the largest international book fair in Bulgaria," Vesselin Todorov, President of the Bulgarian Book Association, said at the opening ceremony.

During the event ending on Sunday, more than 60 new books will be presented and meetings with over 50 Bulgarian and foreign writers will be held, Todorov added.

Sofia's Deputy Mayor Todor Chobanov said in turn he was confident that thousands of fans would find their book at the fair.

China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corporation (CNPIEC), the largest import and export enterprise of the Chinese publishing industry, participate for the first time in the event.

On Wednesday, CNPIEC will hold a presentation on the Chinese book market as well as on how to cooperate with Chinese businesses.
BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China said Tuesday that the trilateral summit with Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) should be held at "an appropriate time" after Japan, the rotating chair, postponed the meeting until 2017.

Japan had been trying to hold the annual trilateral summit in December, but it was uncertain if scandal-hit ROK President Park Geun-hye could attend.

"Due to various circumstances, we will rearrange it and hold it in Japan at a suitable time next year," Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday.

"China is engaged in close communication about the summit with Japan," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a news briefing.

"The trilateral summit should be held at an appropriate time and under proper conditions for the three parties, and should achieve positive outcomes," Geng said.

Geng reiterated that China attaches great importance to trilateral cooperation with Japan and the ROK and is ready to work closely with the two countries.

China wants to keep improving trilateral cooperation and ensure its healthy, stable and sustainable growth, the spokesperson said.

China, Japan and the ROK have hosted regular trilateral summits since 2008, except for a three-and-half-year suspension starting in May 2012, due to regional tensions.

The sixth China-Japan-ROK leaders' meeting was held in Seoul in November last year.
GUANGZHOU, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Israeli research institutes and companies attending an exposition on Tuesday in Guangzhou are keen to cooperate on developing medical robots.

Nine Israeli companies at the event brought with them robotics currently used in spinal surgery, 3D imaging, and medicinal dosage handling devices.

Israeli Robotics Association Chairperson Zvi Shiller said Israel has developed robots to help the disabled go to the toilet, shower and climb escalators. Israeli firms are actively looking for partners to produce and sell their robots in the Chinese market. More than 40 Chinese companies have shown interest during the expo, while others have pitched business ideas to their Israeli counterparts.

Chinese tech firm Gosuncn Technology Group is investing heavily in patrol robots. A senior company official said his team have had a hard time overcoming some technological issues two years into the project and are hoping to find Israeli partners.

Du Lan, senior vice president of iFlytek, is working to combine speech recognition with health care. The company is working with its major shareholder China Mobile on a series of voice-to-text and text-to-voice applications.

In a recent experiment with Peking University School of Stomatology, the company designed a voice recognition device for doctors. The device captures the dialogue between doctor and patient and transcribes it into a formal diagnosis report without the doctor lifting a finger.

Du said the technology helps stressed medics save time and energy by delegating tasks to robots. iFlyteck, Du said, wishes to bring Israeli counterparts onboard to explore business opportunities.

Chinese research institutes and tech companies are looking to robotics and other innovations as new drivers of the economy, in manufacturing, services, finance and health sectors.

Chen Zhiying, a senior official in Guangzhou Development Zone, said the zone is planning a robot industry park with favorable policies to draw the world's leading firms and researchers.

The development will make Guangzhou a focal point of robotics in the region, which hosts a large number of Chinese manufacturers and played a key role in the development of the export-oriented economy.
Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang (C, back) attends a national teleconference on improving the working and living conditions in the rural areas, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 13, 2016. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese vice premier Wang Yang on Tuesday stressed improvement of living condition in the country's rural areas to further boost rural development.

Improving living condition in rural areas is a significant step to enhance China's efforts in narrowing the urban-rural development gap and boosting coordinated development, Wang told a national tele-conference Tuesday.

The vice premier underscored continued efforts to strengthen garbage and sewage control in the rural areas and enhance the protection of traditional houses and villages of historic and cultural importance.

Improving rural living condition should be integrated with promoting rural economic development, passing on traditional culture and protecting natural environment, Wang said.

He also called for more works to be done to remove safety loopholes and improve management of infrastructure construction in the rural areas.
Photo taken on Dec. 13, 2016 shows the United Nations Security Council holding emergency meeting on Syria at the UN headquarters in New York. A Chinese envoy on Tuesday told the UN Security Council that it was high time for the international community to seek a political settlement to the Syrian crisis since current situation there is complex and sensitive. (Xinhua/Hu Yousong)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Fighting between forces allied with the Syrian government and the opposition in eastern Aleppo "has stopped" and Damascus re-established control, Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the UN Security Council here Tuesday.

"The removal of the fighters was achieved a few hours ago," Churkin told the 15-nation UN body at an emergency council meeting on Syria.

"The fighters together with their families ... are going out in the direction they have chosen, including in the direction of Idlib," he said.

"In the last hour we have received information that the military activity in eastern Aleppo has stopped, it has stopped. So there is no question about cessation of hostilities or humanitarian operations."

"The Syrian government has established control over east Aleppo, so now the stage has come for practical humanitarian initiatives that the population that remains there should not need to leave," Churkin said.

"There should be some civilians who do wish to leave from this destroyed city, but the military actions have stopped so this very difficult chapter related to the situation in eastern Aleppo is now ended."

With the end of fighting, the Moscow envoy said "Let's hope that this indeed will be a precondition for establishing the political efforts, re-launching of negotiations" as called by Staffan de Mistura, the special Syria envoy of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who called the council session.

"There should be large-scale humanitarian support to those people of eastern Aleppo and to those people who have left the city and those who remained in the city and establish the preconditions so that those who left the city will as soon as possible be able to come back to their homes," Churkin said.
Donald Trump speaks on the last day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States, July 21, 2016. New York billionaire DonaldTrump officially accepted the presidential nomination of the U.S. Republican Party Thursday night on the final day of the Republican National Convention. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is at odds with his own party before his term has even started, and that could foreshadow a rocky presidency, experts said.

Republican Party presidential candidate Trump pulled off a surprise victory last month against rival Hillary Clinton and clinched the White House, proving wrong the vast majority of polls and experts who had predicted that Clinton would be the next president.

But deep divisions between Trump and the Republican Party are coming to the fore, and those are not likely to be smoothed over anytime soon.

"Trump's policies are far more populist, isolationist, and softer on some authoritarian regimes than the GOP traditionally has been," Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua.

"While it is rooted in ideology, the groundswell of public support for Trump's policies among the public has concerned the establishment," he said.

"The Russia issue is just one part of a divide between Trump and the GOP establishment that has existed since the primaries," Mahaffee said.

On Monday, the top two Congressional Republicans said they would support an inquiry into accusations that Russia interfered in U.S. elections in a bid to get the brash billionaire elected, as the Kremlin believes a Trump presidency might be favorable to Russia.

"Any foreign breach of our cyber security measures is disturbing, and I strongly condemn any such efforts. The Russians are not our friends," said Senator and GOP majority leader Mitch McConnell earlier this week.

Republican and House Speaker Paul Ryan echoed those sentiments, saying he backed a probe into whether Russia meddled in U.S. elections.

The election season was marked by a number of releases of information by the website Wikileaks, including private emails from the Hillary Clinton campaign. Those emails brought some of Clinton's embarrassing secrets to light.

The Clinton campaign and others have accused Russia of being behind the Wikileaks, in an effort to help get Trump elected, as the New York mogul has said he would cut a deal for better relations with Russia if elected.

On Friday, a Washington Post report seemed to support those allegations, saying the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency concluded that Russia was trying to help Trump win the election, although Trump dismissed the allegations, saying the hacks could have come from anywhere.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange also said Russia was not the source of the leaks.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that several of Trump's positions are at odds with his own party.

"He wants to mend relations with Russia, which many members of his party oppose. He opposes an investigation into whether Russia tried to influence the election. These differences will complicate the nominations of several people in his administration," he said.

Trump has put forward several people for cabinet who share his views on Russia, and that may threaten their confirmations, experts said.

Republicans hold a narrow 52 to 48 margin in the Senate, so it will not be easy to confirm individuals that do not have full GOP backing, as a Senate confirmation is required for approval of president's cabinet members, experts noted.

However, the GOP and Trump might be able to make amends, experts said.

Mahaffee said continuing to work with the GOP leadership in Washington -- and choosing cabinet appointments that know the establishment well -- will be key to bridging the gap with Republicans.

"However, as long as Trump continues to chart his own course, especially via some of the Twitter statements we see, that unpredictability will continue to raise concerns among the establishment," Mahaffee said, referring to Trump's often outlandish and unpredictable statements made on the U.S. social media.
File photo taken on July 16, 2016 shows Donald Trump speaking at a campaign event in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- With the announcement of his pick for secretary of state, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump again sparked division among the Republican Party.

Calling Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson "one of the truly great business leaders of the world," Trump announced Tuesday morning his pick for U.S. secretary of state, moving past 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, a choice favored by the party establishment.

"The thing I like best about Rex Tillerson is that he has vast experience at dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments," Trump wrote on Twitter.

Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of ExxonMobil Corporation, speaks at the session "Completing the Malaria Mission" during the Annual Meeting 2009 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 31, 2009. (Xinhua/World Economic Forum Swiss-Image.ch)

Tillerson, 64, is the Texas-based oil company's CEO since 2006. Like Trump, he has no government experience and so far little is known of Tillerson's views about foreign affairs.

However, as Exxon's CEO, Tillerson oversees business operations in over 50 countries and has known Russian President Vladimir Putin since 1990s when they first met.

Tillerson was awarded Russia's Order of Friendship in 2013, a state decoration to reward foreign nationals whose work is aimed at the betterment of relations with Moscow.

Some Republicans in the U.S. Congress immediately raised concerns about the close relations between Tillerson and the Russian government despite Trump's efforts to line up high-profile establishment Republicans, including former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to back his pick.

"The next secretary of state must be someone who views the world with moral clarity, is free of potential conflicts of interest, has a clear sense of America's interests, and will be a forceful advocate for America's foreign policy goals to the president, within the administration, and on the world stage," said Senator Marco Rubio, one of Trump's rival in the GOP primary in a statement on Tuesday.

Though Rubio's remarks were more measured compared with his comments on Monday, when he wrote on Twitter that befriending Putin "is not an attribute I am hoping for from a #SecretaryOfState," it still signaled a potentially uphill battle for Tillerson to pass his nomination vote in the U.S. Senate early next year.

Rubio is one of the 10 Republicans sitting on the 19-member Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and for Tillerson to get a full Senate vote, he must first get the greenlight from the committee.

Even he passes the hearing by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tillerson would need a simple majority in the full Senate vote, meaning that he could only lose up to three Republican votes if no Democrats vote for him.

So far, Senator John McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham, both Republican leaders in the upper chamber, have expressed their concerns about Tillerson's tie to Putin.

"Based upon his extensive business dealings with the Putin government and his previous opposition to efforts to impose sanctions on thew Russian government, there are many questions which must be answered," said Graham in a statement after the announcement.

Despite reservations among some Republican lawmakers, Tillerson on Tuesday won endorsement from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky.

"We need a full review of our national security policy, and I know Rex will face each problem head on with American interests and security as his top priority. I look forward to supporting his nomination," said McConnell in a statement.
DAMASCUS, Dec.13 (Xinhua) -- The rebels will evacuate the northern city of Aleppo by dawn Wednesday, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.

The rebels' evacuation comes as a result of intense negotiations between local and international powers for allowing the rebels to leave form the few remaining areas under their control in the eastern part of Aleppo, toward the western countryside of the city, said the report.

An undisclosed number of rebels will be evacuated out of Aleppo through al-Ramuseh road, the current road into and out of the city, toward the Rashidien area.

The civilians will have the choice to remain in their areas.

The general-command of the Syrian army is expected to make a statement soon to declare the official Syrian stance on the current situation in Aleppo.

Vitaly Churkin, Russia's permeant representative to the UN, said during a UN Security Council session Tuesday that "a deal has been reached for the evacuation of only the rebels from Aleppo in the next hours," stressing that "no one will harm the civilians."

Earlier in the day, a military source told Xinhua that the Syrian army has cornered the rebels in a very small area in Aleppo, trapping them in the neighborhoods of Mashad, Ansari and Amiriyeh.

This comes as thousands of civilians kept flooding out of eastern Aleppo toward government-controlled areas, and temporary shelters, where their identities are being scrutinized.

Local reports placed the number of evacuated people from eastern Aleppo at more than 80,000.

State news agency SANA said thousands of civilians fled eastern Aleppo on Tuesday alone.

Over 1,000 rebels surrendered in eastern Aleppo over the past two days.

On Monday and Tuesday evening, celebrations broke out in Aleppo, as the army has almost captured the city, with people chanting in support of President Bashar al-Assad and the army.

The state TV said it was the day of celebration for Aleppo's victory.

Sources in Aleppo said that the Syrian army is expected to make the declaration of the victory on Tuesday evening, or Wednesday morning.
Shoes are seen at the explosion site in Cairo, Egypt on Dec. 11, 2016. At least 25 people were killed and 49 others injured on Sunday in an explosion at the Coptic Cathedral in Abbasiya's neighborhood of Cairo, Egypt's Ministry of Health said in a statement. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

CAIRO, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for a recent deadly church blast in Cairo that killed at least 25, the militant group said in a statement circulated Tuesday on social media websites.

The blast took place on Sunday morning at Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church, known as al-Boutrosiya Church, which is adjacent to Saint Mark's Cathedrtal in Cairo's Abassiya neighborhood.

The IS statement said that a suicide bomber referred to as Abu Abdullah al-Masry carried out the attack with an explosive belt, killing and injuring 80.

During an official funeral on Monday, President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi revealed that the attack was done by a 22-year-old suicide bomber named Mahmoud Shafiq.

The attack came a day after an Egyptian top court confirmed a death sentence against Adel Habbara, a militant Islamist extremist, over a 2013 anti-military attack that killed at least 25 soldiers in restive North Siani province.

Most of anti-government terror attacks that took place over the past three years were claimed by a Sinai-based group affiliated with the IS.

On Monday, a blast killed two military conscripts and injured three others in Sheikh Zuweid city of North Sinai, while on Friday, a bomb attack killed six policemen in Giza province near the capital Cairo.

Terror attacks have been growing in Egypt since the military removed former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his now-oulawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Later security crackdown on Morsi's supporters left about 1,000 of them killed and thousands more arrested, while terrorist attacks killed several hundreds of police and military personnel.

A security campaign in Sinai killed over 1,200 militants and arrested a similar number of suspects over the past couple of years as part of the country's anti-terror war declared by former military chief and current President Sisi following Morsi's ouster.
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni (C, Rear) gives his first speech to the Lower House ahead of a confidence vote in Rome, capital of Italy, on Dec. 13, 2016. The new government of Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni cleared a Lower House confidence vote on Tuesday with 368 in favor and 105 against. (Xinhua/Jin Yu)

ROME, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The new government of Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni cleared a Lower House confidence vote on Tuesday with 368 in favor and 105 against.

The newly formed cabinet was officially sworn in Monday evening, and it would seek a second confidence vote in the senate on Wednesday, in order to fully entering into force.

Addressing lawmakers ahead of the voting, Gentiloni appealed for support in order to address the most pressing issues, including the financial troubles haunting Italy's third largest lender -- Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) -- the migration crisis, and the reform of the electoral system.

The weak economic recovery, high unemployment, and the reconstruction in quake-hit central regions were also enlisted as priorities.

"We all are aware we will have to work on the rules that would bring the country to elections,"Gentiloni said.

Two different laws currently govern the election of the Senate and the Lower House of parliament, and Italian president Sergio Mattarella stressed they need to be "harmonized" before the country could possibly face early elections, as all opposition forces were asking.

The freshly nominated prime minister then focused much of his address on unemployment.

"The priority of all our priorities will be: job, job, and still job," Gentiloni stressed.

"In a time when our economy has been showing timid signs of recovery, we certainly know we must boost such trend."

Almost half of the lower house hall was empty during Gentiloni's speech, since deputies from major opposition anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and Northern League party deserted the vote in protest against the new cabinet, to which they said they recognize no legitimacy.

Gentiloni was asked by President Mattarella to form a new cabinet following the resignation of Matteo Renzi as prime minister on Dec. 7.

Renzi stepped down after a sounding defeat in a crucial referendum on a cabinet-backed constitutional reform on Dec. 4.

Both Gentiloni and Renzi belong to the center-left Democratic Party (PD), which is the largest political force in parliament.

The new cabinet would count on the same majority of the previous one, since opposition forces said they were not available to take part in a national unity government.

Most key figures of Renzi's cabinet were confirmed in their office, including Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan, a respected economist whose figure was perceived as reassuring for the markets and European Union (EU) allies.
Image taken on Feb. 27, 2016 shows Angela Martinez, playing with her daughter Dominic Andrade (R), who suffers microcephaly, in Quito, capital of Ecuador. (Xinhua/Santiago Armas)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Zika virus can make thousands of copies of itself in fetuses' brains and in the placentas of pregnant women, which may help explain how the virus causes devastating birth defects and pregnancy losses even if a woman had only a minor illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday.

"Our findings show that Zika virus can continue to replicate in infants' brains even after birth, and that the virus can persist in placentas for months -- much longer than we expected," Julu Bhatnagar, lead of the molecular pathology team at CDC's Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch and the study's lead author, said in a statement.

The CDC researchers tested tissues from 52 patients with suspected Zika virus infection, including brain tissues from eight infants who had microcephaly and later died.

They also tested placental tissues from 44 women: 22 who had adverse pregnancy or birth outcomes, including miscarriage, elective termination, stillbirth or babies born with microcephaly, and 22 who had babies who appeared healthy.

The results showed that genetic material of the Zika virus, known as RNA, persisted in fetal brains and in placentas for more than seven months after the mothers contracted Zika.

The RNA levels were about 1,000 times higher in the infants' brains than in the women's placentas, according to the study published in CDC's Emerging Infectious Diseases journal.

A worker of Costa Rica's Health Ministry takes part in a fumigation to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the carrier of Zika virus, in San Jose, capital of Costa Rica, on May 4, 2016. (Xinhua/Kent Gilbert)

The researchers also found evidence of the virus replicating in an infant with microcephaly who died two months after birth.

Specially, they found the Zika virus infects and proliferates in Hofbauer cells, a type of migratory immune cell in the placenta.

Because the Hofbauer cells can move freely throughout the placenta, they may help transfer Zika to the fetus's brain, where the virus can infect various types of brain cells.

Brain tissues from the eight infants with microcephaly who died later were positive for Zika virus. The study showed their mothers and all of the women with positive test results and adverse pregnancy or birth outcomes contracted the Zika virus during their first trimester of pregnancy.

Zika virus RNA was also detected in the placentas of more than one-third of the women who had apparently healthy infants, all of which had Zika infection during their third trimester of pregnancy.

The CDC said that these findings further confirm that Zika virus infection during the first trimester of pregnancy poses more danger for pregnancy and fetal development than infection contracted during the third trimester.

"We don't know how long the virus can persist, but its persistence could have implications for babies born with microcephaly and for apparently healthy infants whose mothers had Zika during their pregnancies," Bhatnagar said. "More studies are needed to fully understand how the virus can affect babies."
Donald Trump speaks on the last day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States, July 21, 2016. New York billionaire DonaldTrump officially accepted the presidential nomination of the U.S. Republican Party Thursday night on the final day of the Republican National Convention.

(Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is at odds with his own party before his term has even started, and that could foreshadow a rocky presidency, experts said.

Republican Party presidential candidate Trump pulled off a surprise victory last month against rival Hillary Clinton and clinched the White House, proving wrong the vast majority of polls and experts who had predicted that Clinton would be the next president.

But deep divisions between Trump and the Republican Party are coming to the fore, and those are not likely to be smoothed over anytime soon.

"Trump's policies are far more populist, isolationist, and softer on some authoritarian regimes than the GOP traditionally has been," Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua.

"While it is rooted in ideology, the groundswell of public support for Trump's policies among the public has concerned the establishment," he said.

"The Russia issue is just one part of a divide between Trump and the GOP establishment that has existed since the primaries," Mahaffee said.

On Monday, the top two Congressional Republicans said they would support an inquiry into accusations that Russia interfered in U.S. elections in a bid to get the brash billionaire elected, as the Kremlin believes a Trump presidency might be favorable to Russia.

"Any foreign breach of our cyber security measures is disturbing, and I strongly condemn any such efforts. The Russians are not our friends," said Senator and GOP majority leader Mitch McConnell earlier this week.

Republican and House Speaker Paul Ryan echoed those sentiments, saying he backed a probe into whether Russia meddled in U.S. elections.

The election season was marked by a number of releases of information by the website Wikileaks, including private emails from the Hillary Clinton campaign. Those emails brought some of Clinton's embarrassing secrets to light.

The Clinton campaign and others have accused Russia of being behind the Wikileaks, in an effort to help get Trump elected, as the New York mogul has said he would cut a deal for better relations with Russia if elected.

On Friday, a Washington Post report seemed to support those allegations, saying the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency concluded that Russia was trying to help Trump win the election, although Trump dismissed the allegations, saying the hacks could have come from anywhere.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange also said Russia was not the source of the leaks.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that several of Trump's positions are at odds with his own party.

"He wants to mend relations with Russia, which many members of his party oppose. He opposes an investigation into whether Russia tried to influence the election. These differences will complicate the nominations of several people in his administration," he said.

Trump has put forward several people for cabinet who share his views on Russia, and that may threaten their confirmations, experts said.

Republicans hold a narrow 52 to 48 margin in the Senate, so it will not be easy to confirm individuals that do not have full GOP backing, as a Senate confirmation is required for approval of president's cabinet members, experts noted.

However, the GOP and Trump might be able to make amends, experts said.

Mahaffee said continuing to work with the GOP leadership in Washington -- and choosing cabinet appointments that know the establishment well -- will be key to bridging the gap with Republicans.

"However, as long as Trump continues to chart his own course, especially via some of the Twitter statements we see, that unpredictability will continue to raise concerns among the establishment," Mahaffee said, referring to Trump's often outlandish and unpredictable statements made on the U.S. social media.
BOGOTA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Colombia's Constitutional Court on Tuesday approved proposed fast-track application of a peace deal reached between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Eight out of the nine judges in the court approved the measure, which "will allow the swift application" of the peace agreements, Caracol News Agency said.

The vote is expected to expedite the process of undertaking government reform promised as part of the peace deal and of disarming the rebel group, which had been locked in a civil conflict with successive governments for more than 50 years.

The peace deal was approved on Dec. 1 by the Congress, which then proposed the fast-track measure, also known as the "Special Legislative Procedure for Peace."

The fast-track procedure grants President Juan Manuel Santos, who spearheaded the peace drive, special powers to "facilitate and assure the peace agreements," the news agency said.

It also calls for shorter or fewer legislative debates to speed up the adoption of the reform.

Santos received the Nobel Peace Prize over the weekend for his efforts to negotiate with the FARC to end the half-century-long civil war.
MADRID, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has celebrated the 15th anniversary of the company's arrival in Spain with a Gala celebration in Madrid.

The event was held on Monday night in the spectacular "Crystal Gallery" in the Cibeles Palace.

Chinese and Spanish dignitaries gathered together to look back on 15 years which have taken Huawei to the forefront of the Spanish telecommunications sector.

Lu Fan, the Chinese Ambassador to Spain, said Huawei is a company of the new generation.

Following its creation 30 years ago, the efforts of its personnel have made Huawei a leader in the communications sector, with international fame, Lu said.

Also speaking at the event, Spain's Minister of Energy, Industry and Tourism, Alvaro Nadal said the beginning of the 21st is the time of the digital revolution.

"It has been changing our lives for the last two decades," he said.

"China and Spain ... want to be main actors in this revolution and in this way the partnership between Huawei and Spanish companies is crucial," said Nadal.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- During a dramatic emergency UN Security Council meeting on Syria, the Russian UN ambassador announced that the fighting has ended in eastern Aleppo and that the Syrian government was back in control.

"The removal of the fighters was achieved a few hours ago," Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the 15-nation UN body on Tuesday.

"The fighters together with their families ... are going out in the direction they have chosen, including in the direction of Idlib," he said, referring to an opposition enclave.

"In the last hour we have received information that the military activity in eastern Aleppo has stopped," he said. "It has stopped. So there is no question about cessation of hostilities or humanitarian operations."

The council session opened with an impassioned plea from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his last weeks on the job, for a cessation of hostilities to allow humanitarian aid.

But then the Russian ambassador brought his own news.

"The Syrian government has established control over east Aleppo so now the stage has come for practical humanitarian initiatives that the population that remains there should not need to leave," Churkin said.

"There should be some civilians who do wish to leave from this destroyed city, but the military actions have stopped so this very difficult chapter ... in Aleppo is now ended."

With the conclusion of fighting, the Moscow envoy said, "Let's hope that this indeed will be a precondition for establishing the political efforts, re-launching of negotiations" as called for by Staffan de Mistura, the special Syria envoy of Ban.

"There should be large scale humanitarian support to those people of eastern Aleppo and to those people who have left the city and those who remain in the city and establish the preconditions so that those who left the city will as soon as possible be able to come back to their homes," Churkin said.

At the opening of the meeting, the secretary-general said, "During the last 48 hours, we have seen an almost complete collapse of armed opposition front lines, leaving them with only five percent of their original territory in the city. This came about after levels of bombardment that many witnesses describe as unprecedented."

"Civilian deaths and injuries continue at a brutal pace as the United Nations received credible reports of scores of civilians being killed either by intense bombardment or summary executions by pro-Government forces," he said. "We have seen shocking videos of a body burning in the street, ostensibly after aerial bombardment."

Ban added that the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights "received reports of civilians, including women and children, in four neighborhoods being rounded up and executed."

Churkin earlier had questioned the validity of such reports when there was no access for UN humanitarian workers. He said representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross could not validate such reports.

At times, before Churkin's announcement, the council session was highly emotional among those ambassadors calling for a halt in fighting to allow humanitarian access.

"This is a dark day for the people of Aleppo, surely the darkest of the past five years," said Ambassador Matthew Rycroft of Britain.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces "propped up by Russia and Iran, have once again redefined horror. They have gone from siege to slaughter," he said.

He said that the United Nations had received reports that pro-government forces were entering homes in eastern Aleppo, "going door to door, executing people on the spot; 82 people murdered, 13 of whom were women, 11 were children. None were terrorists. We have heard reports of women committing suicide, in order not to be raped."

The UK envoy, listing additional atrocity reports, added, "All these reports evoke the darkest days of the history of the United Nations. So, re-find your moral compass."

New Zealand's Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen also appeared moved, repeatedly rapping his knuckles on the desk calling this his "Rwanda moment," referring to the UN's failure to stop the genocide in Rwanda 23 years ago.

"I choose to believe the secretary-general when he comes to this council and tells us there are credible reports of atrocities being committed," particularly, "when they say the issue is not terrorism, but it is barbarism," van Bohemen said.

Ambassador Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, was more leveled.

"The international community should ponder in-depth the underlying causes of the current situation and adopt integrated measures in search of comprehensive, fair and proper solution," he said.

"Given the complexity and sensitivity of current circumstances, it is all the more important for the international community to stay the course without wavering towards our overarching goal," Wu said. "That is, to seek a political settlement."

"We should work together to move the Syrian issue back to the parts of dialogue and consultation with the view to finding a once-for-all solution to the war and chaos as soon as possible," Wu said.

"Any efforts by the international community should be ... on all four tracks, namely resumption of ceasefire, political talks, joint counter-terrorism and humanitarian assistance."
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- An international team of researchers has concluded that the Antarctic Ice Sheet plays a major role in regional and global climate variability.

The discovery, among other findings in a new study, may help explain why sea ice in the Southern Hemisphere has been increasing despite the warming of the rest of the Earth, according to the researchers.

Global climate models that look at the last several thousand years have failed to account for the amount of climate variability captured in the paleoclimate record, said Pepijn Bakker, a former post-doctoral researcher at Oregon State University (OSU) and now with the MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Studies at the University of Bremen in Germany.

"One thing we determined right off the bat was that virtually all of the climate models had the Antarctic Ice Sheet as a constant entity," said Bakker, lead author of the study being published this week in the journal Nature.

"It was a static blob of ice, just sitting there. What we discovered, however, is that the ice sheet has undergone numerous pulses of variability that have had a cascading effect on the entire climate system."

The research team's hypothesis was that climate modelers were overlooking one crucial element in the overall climate system that might affect all parts of the system.

In fact, said Andreas Schmittner, a climate scientist in OSU's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, the Antarctic Ice Sheet has demonstrated dynamic behavior over the past 8,000 years.

"There is a natural variability in the deeper part of the ocean adjacent to the Antarctic Ice Sheet - similar to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or El Nino/La Nina but on a time scale of centuries - that causes small but significant changes in temperatures," said Schmittner, a co-author on the study.

"When the ocean temperatures warm, it causes more direct melting of the ice sheet below the surface, and it increases the number of icebergs that calve off the ice sheet."

If the entire Antarctic Ice Sheet were to melt, global sea levels would probably rise some 200 feet, or about 60 meters.

"The introduction of that cold, fresh water lessens the salinity and cools the surface temperatures, at the same time, stratifying the layers of water," Peter Clark, a paleoclimatologist in OSU's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences and co-author on the study, was quoted as saying by a news release from OSU.

"The cold, fresh water freezes more easily, creating additional sea ice despite warmer temperatures that are down hundreds of meters below the surface."

The Antarctic Ice Sheet covers an area of more than 5 million square miles, or 13 million square kilometers, and is estimated to hold some 60 percent of all the fresh water on Earth.

The east part of the ice sheet rests on a major land mass, but in West Antarctica, it rests on bedrock that extends into the ocean at depths of more than 8,000 feet, or 2,500 meters, making it vulnerable to disintegration.

The team analyzed sediments from the last 8,000 years to reveal that many more icebergs calved off the ice sheet in some centuries than in others, and used sophisticated computer modeling to trace the variability in iceberg calving to small changes in ocean temperatures.

The discovery, the researchers said, may help explain why sea ice has expanded in the Southern Ocean despite global warming. The same phenomenon doesn't occur in the Northern Hemisphere with the Greenland Ice Sheet because it is more landlocked and not subject to the same current shifts that affect the Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Retiring UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon waves at an oath of office ceremony of UN Secretary-General-designate Antonio Guterres (not seen in the picture) at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 12, 2016. UN Secretary-General-designate Antonio Guterres was sworn in as the new secretary-general of the world body at an oath of office ceremony here on Monday. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday asked for an expansion of the annual funding target of the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to 1 billion U.S. dollars by 2018.

Addressing the CERF's annual high-level pledging conference at UN Headquarters in New York, Ban said that "today, the humanitarian landscape in which the CERF operates is vastly different than a decade ago. The scale of humanitarian deprivation is greater than at any time since the United Nations was founded."

"A one-billion-dollar CERF means tens of millions more people will receive timely life-saving food, medicine, water, shelter and protection when and where they need it most," he said.

"But, let us also recognize that a one-billion-dollar CERF is a bare minimum for the world we live in," he said.

"And let us not succumb to so-called donor fatigue," the secretary-general said. "The world has the wealth to come to the aid of every single person in dire straits."

The CERF was designed to provide fast and predictable funding to people affected by conflicts and crises, no matter where they were.

Global humanitarian needs have quadrupled since the CERF was founded in 2006, but CERF's annual funding target of 450 million dollars have remained unchanged over the past decade.

A record 130 million people need humanitarian assistance to survive, Ban said. "Together, they would form the tenth most populous nation on earth."

Sixty-five million men, women and children have been forced to flee their countries as a result of armed conflict, instability and persecution, he noted, adding that almost 5 million are from Syria.

At the same time, 40 million people are displaced within their own countries, he said.

"So let us get our funding priorities straight, and put the most vulnerable first," he said, adding that humanitarian needs now stand at a record 22.2 billion dollars.
MACAO, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Macao has confirmed its first case of human infection with bird flu virus, but the risk of large scale epidemic is low, the special administrative region's health authorities said on Wednesday.

Macao's Health Bureau told the press that a poultry trader, who has been quarantined after a sample from poultry market had been tested positive for bird flu, was tested positive for H7N9 strain earlier Wednesday. The trader is hospitalized and does not show any symptoms so far.

The bureau added that according to investigation about that trader and his wife, they have not had close contact with other people, therefore the risk of mass epidemic is low.

Macao's Health Bureau and Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau held a joint press conference on Tuesday night to issue a ban on all live poultry trade, after a sample from silky fowl tested positive for H7 strain of bird flu on Tuesday.

Health Bureau said a local poultry trader and a van driver from Chinese mainland have been recognized as contacts.

The dealer has been sent to hospital for virus test, and the driver who had return to Chinese mainland was already reported by Health Bureau to mainland authorities.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (3rd R) and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (3rd L) witness the exchange of the agreement in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Dec. 13, 2016. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung)

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The governments of Malaysia and Singapore signed a legally-binding agreement Tuesday on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR), which will cut travel time between the two cities to 90 minutes once it runs into operation by the end of 2026.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who was paying a visit to Putrajaya for the 7th Leaders' Retreat between the two countries.

The two leaders did not disclose what the cost of the project, which is estimated to cost more than 10 billion U.S. dollars. Companies from China, Japan and Europe have long expressed interests in this project.

The agreement, which followed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the project in July, has formalized the technical, safety and security requirements, commercial, financing, procurement and regulatory frameworks, as well as customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) arrangements for the HSR.

The two leaders looked forward to the appointment of a Joint Development Partner by early 2017, as well as the calling of the systems tenders from late 2017, said a statement released jointly by the two sides.

The agreement stated that the HSR will have a new double-track line, which will accommodate all types of conventional high-speed rail trains and technology available in the market with a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

Najib told press that the two sides are very committed to the deadline of 2026 as the operation date of the project, "which means we must work very closely together, and we must overcome all the challenges as we move ahead."

Describing the project as "a significant milestone" in their relationship with Malaysia, Lee said the HSR "will transform the way we interact, do business, and for the better, and give both sides a big stake in keeping the relationship to be stable and warm."

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (2nd R, rear) and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2nd L, rear) witness the signing of the agreement in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Dec. 13, 2016. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung)

According to the agreement, Singapore and Malaysia will design, build, finance and maintain the civil infrastructures and operate the HSR stations within their respective territories, but they will jointly call a tender for a privately-financed assets company to design, build, finance, operate and maintain rolling stock and other rail assets, including track-work, power, signaling and telecommunications.

The two countries will also jointly call a tender for an international operator to operate the transit from Kula Lumpur to Singapore, while Malaysia will call a tender for the operation of the HSR domestic service in Malaysia.

To allow for seamless travel for international passengers, the two sides will set up three CIQ facilities at Singapore, Bandar Malaysia in downtown Kuala Lumpur and Iskandar Puteri in Johor.
Photo taken on Dec. 13, 2016 shows fishing boats that damaged by storm due to Cyclone Vardah on a beach of Chennai, capital of southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. (Xinhua/Stringer)

NEW DELHI, Dec. 13 Xinhua) -- At least 18 people were killed and over thousands evacuated in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as Cyclone Vardah leaves a trail of destruction, local media quoting officials said Tuesday.

Chennai and Tiruvallur districts reported five casualties each, four persons were killed in Kancheepuram district, one each in Villupuram and Nagapattinam districts, and two in Tiruvannamali district, officials told local media.

The cyclone damaged houses, snapped power, communication lines, disrupted rail, road and air traffic.

According to NDMA around 12,000 people were evacuated to safer places and sheltered in about 300 relief camps, as Vardah hit Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts with heavy rain and strong winds.

Authorities have ordered closure of schools and colleges in the affected areas for the second straight day on Tuesday.

Photo taken on Dec. 12, 2016 shows a vehicle is hit by a tree blew down by strong wind when Cyclone Vardah approaches in Chennai, capital of southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. (Xinhua/Stringer)

Public transport (buses, suburban trains and aeroplanes) that came to a standstill on Monday in Chennai have been restored on Tuesday.

The squall damaged several transmitters and uprooted electricity poles and trees.

Vardah has affected two southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh on Monday triggering high speed winds and rain.

The cyclone made landfall with heavy rain and wind speed up to 140 kmph.

Photo taken on Dec. 12, 2016 shows huge waves rise in the Marina Beach when Cyclone Vardah approaches in Chennai, capital of southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. (Xinhua/Stringer)

India's official broadcaster - All India Radio (AIR) Tuesday said ten fishermen were reported to be missing off Andhra Pradesh coast in Kakinada.

The Coast Guard has deployed ship for search and rescue operation. So far no loss of life or major damage to property has been reported from Andhra Pradesh, however, heavy rain lashed Chittoor and SPS Nellore districts.

Meteorological department officials have classified Vardah as a very severe cyclonic storm and predicted it would bring heavy rains in coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry.
Lassina Zerbo, the executive secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Vienna, Austria, on Dec. 12, 2016. Certification of the first monitoring station of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) in China is a milestone, a small step forward made by China and a big step for the international community, chief of the CTBTO told Xinhua in a recent interview. (Xinhua/Liu Xiang)

VIENNA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Certification of the first monitoring station of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) in China is a milestone, a small step forward made by China and a big step for the international community, chief of the CTBTO told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Lassina Zerbo, the executive secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO, said he is to visit China to officialize the first certified monitoring station based in Lanzhou city, northwest China.

The certification means the formal acceptance of China's Lanzhou monitoring station in the CTBTO's monitoring system, and it will contribute to the global monitoring system under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty(CTBT).

"The certification of the Lanzhou station and cooperation with China in achieving this is a great step in the right direction," said the chief, noting that the certification with four more stations to be certified in the country in 2017 is "an important milestone for the organization."

Zerbo said China's efforts in cooperation with the CTBTO confirms "China's commitment to this treaty, it confirms China's role in contributing to the verification regime that for compliance with the comprehensive test ban treaty and the effort for China to fulfill all its obligation in regard to this treaty," commended the CTBTO chief.

"China is a big country with more than a billion population, so any step from China represents an important step for the international community," he said.

The CTBTO is a Vienna based international organization under the CTBT, a multilateral treaty by which states agree to ban all nuclear explosions in all environments, however, up to now, the CTBT has not entered into force.

The CTBTO is monitoring the possible nuclear explosions in the world to secure the regime of the CTBT, a key aspect of nuclear non-proliferation, but expecting the entry into force of the treaty, the organization now is still called a preparation commission.

However, Zerbo believes the organization should show its efforts and ability to facilitate the international monitoring system, building stronger confidence for the international community to move forward for implementing the treaty.

Over 90 percent of the CTBTO monitoring facilities of the international monitoring system have been in place, and they are effectively monitoring the world nowedays, including the DPRK's nuclear tests.

Zerbo said the cooperation between China and the CTBTO is enhancing. As the chief of the CTBTO, his first visit to China was in August 2013, "since then we've continued developing great cooperation with China as an important player in the comprehensive test ban treaty," he said.

He said China and the organization are cooperating in areas to facilitate the international monitory system, including knowledge exchanging and monitoring station building, noting China is contributing tremendously to the organization and increasingly involved in the organization.

"Not only now China is important, China has been important ever since the negotiation of the treaty," he said.

Currently five stations in China are transmitting data to the CTBTO, and the CTBTO chief expects to talk with Chinese officials over the prospect for finalizing the remaining certifications and completing China's portion of the international monitory system.
Giraffes at the Uganda Wildlife Education Center in central Uganda, Dec. 9, 2016. Although the global figures are falling, the giraffe herds in Uganda are increasing to the country's strict legal framework, according to conservationists. (Xinhua/Ronald Ssekandi)

by Ronald Ssekandi

ENTEBBE, Uganda, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Seguya, a giraffe here at the Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC) in central Uganda, saunters into his encampment as an ambassador of giraffes in the wild asking the world to spare their lives.

Seguya, a name given to him after a local conservationist, is a gentle animal who sometimes is fed on carrots by his visitors at the wild animal sanctuary.

Like the human finger prints, Seguya has a unique pattern of patches on his skin that cannot be found anywhere in the world, according to conservationists.

"Every giraffe is different from the other. You cannot find a giraffe with the same pattern as the other. This is why losing any giraffe is a big loss," Isaac Mujaasi, UWEC's Marketing and Public Relations Officer told Xinhua in a recent interview.

A new report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature shows that the population of the world's tallest land mammals have plummeted in the last 30 years from an estimated 157,000 to about 97,500 last year.

The global conservation body warns that the species is now 'vulnerable' to extinction, attributing the drop to shrinking habitat and illegal hunting.

The body says increasing human population which leads to destruction of the giraffe habitant as people look for land for cultivation is one of the key issues threatening the existence of giraffes.

The giraffes are also hunted down for meat and their tails are sometimes sold to the Middle East where they are used as a status symbol among the rich.

Although there is a global drop in the numbers, the herds in Uganda are growing. The east African country has had to relocate some giraffes from one protected area to another to be able to balance the numbers and avoid overgrazing.

Conservationist attribute this to the strict legal framework and increased public awareness to protect giraffes.

"We are unique not only because we have enabling laws but also the government will to implement the laws. In the 1970s and 1980s we had very weak laws but there is government will to revise laws so that we have penalties to deter you from committing wildlife crime," Mujaasi said.

Uganda being a signatory to many international treaties to safeguard wildlife has also contributed to the protection of giraffes. Mujaasi said this has helped to attract charities, non-governmental organizations and development partners to fund conservation efforts.

He said it is these efforts that are driving up the number of giraffes in the country.

In the 1980s giraffe numbers in Uganda had gone down to 280 individuals but from 2010 to 2014, the numbers went up and they are currently about 880, according to UWEC figures.

GENTLE ANIMALS

Giraffes are known to be gentle animals but when provoked, just like any other wild animals, can be dangerous.

According to Mujaasi, one kick of a giraffe can shutter the jaw of an elephant.

Giraffes used to be hunted down by lions but they have learnt the survival mechanisms in the wild.

When they are going to drink water, they take turns as others are on the lookout.
A technician checks solar panels at east Africa's largest solar power plant launched on Monday in the eastern Ugandan district of Soroti, Dec. 12, 2016. (Xinhua/Ronald Ssekandi)

by Ronald Ssekandi

SOROTI, Uganda, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- In the remote eastern district of Soroti, Uganda, blistering heat bounces off over 32,000 shiny solar panels across a 30 acre field.

The 19 million U.S. dollar solar power plant, the largest in East Africa, is the latest addition to Uganda's power generation plants, to feed its increasing demand for power as the east African country strives to fast track its development.

The plant run by Access Power Middle East and Africa and Luxembourg-based Eren Renewable Energy will power over 40,000 rural households in eastern Uganda.

Vahid Fotuhi, Managing Director Project Origination at Access, told Xinhua at the launch of the plant on Monday that although the station has a nominal capacity of 10MW, it is scalable to 20MW.

He said in future the electricity produced by the plant will be increased to 30MW.

He said the construction of the solar plant shows the potential the country has in generating solar energy.

"This is a source of inspiration, it shows that there is a possibility of not only become a national but an international player in the area of sustainable energy generation," Fotuhi said.

Frustrated by the expensive and not readily available hydro energy in most part of the country, many Ugandans in rural areas have been investing in their own solar panels to light their homes at night and keep small businesses running.

Villagers here are optimistic that the new power plant will improve their livelihood.

Achom Naomi who runs a nursery and primary school near the power plant said once the school accesses power, the standards will improve and there will be increased enrollment of pupils.

She said currently the standard is low because the pupils especially those in candidate classes cannot access power for reading at night.

ENERGY DEMAND

Ministry of energy figures show that electricity demand in Uganda is estimated to increase constantly at an average annual rate of about eight percent. Annually, 50MW of new generation capacity is needed to be added to the national grid in order to avoid supply shortages.

To avoid the shortages, the government has prioritized increasing power generation. In the mid-term, the country has opted to increase the number of small power generation plant as it awaits ongoing construction of big power hydro plants like the 600MW Karuma hydro power plant and the 180MW Isimba hydro power plant.

Ziria Tibalwa, Chief Executive of Officer of Electricity Regulatory Authority, a state agency, said several solar power plants are going to be constructed in the next two years with a capacity of 60MW connected to the national grid.
DAMASCUS, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The anticipated evacuation of rebels from the northern city of Aleppo has been delayed for unknown reasons, sources in Aleppo told Xinhua on Wednesday.

Government buses were ready at the Salahuddien crossing to transport the rebels from the few southeastern pockets they are located in, journalists in Aleppo told Xinhua.

Evacuation of the rebels was scheduled to take place at dawn on Wednesday, yet for unknown reasons, the evacuation has not taken place, without any official statement.

"The buses are ready, journalists are in place, but no one has any idea what's going on, and why the evacuation hasn't started yet," Firas Marwan, a journalist, told Xinhua.

However, the ceasefire which was agreed upon in tandem with the evacuation is still in place.

A day earlier, Vitaly Churkin, Russia's permanent representative to the UN, said during a UN Security Council session on Tuesday that "a deal has been reached for the evacuation of the rebels only from Aleppo in the next hours," stressing that "no one will harm the civilians."

Pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said an undisclosed number of rebels will be evacuated out of Aleppo through the al-Ramuseh road, the current road into and out of the city, toward the Rashidien area.

Civilians will have the choice to remain in their areas.

The Syrian army's general-command was expected to make a statement declaring the official Syrian stance on the current situation in Aleppo, but it hasn't yet.

The evacuation of rebels from eastern Aleppo comes after the Syrian army regained control of 99 percent of the rebel-held areas east of Aleppo.

The international community urged the evacuation of rebels out of Aleppo.

This comes as thousands of civilians flooded out of eastern Aleppo into government-controlled areas and temporary shelters, where their identities are being verified.

Local reports placed the number of evacuees from eastern Aleppo at over 80,000.

State news agency SANA said on Tuesday alone thousands of civilians fled eastern Aleppo.

Over 1,000 rebels surrendered in eastern Aleppo in the last two days.

On both Monday and Tuesday, civilians celebrated in Aleppo, as the army almost recaptured the entire city, with people chanting in support of President Bashar al-Assad and the army.

State TV declared it a day of celebration for Aleppo's victory.

With the military victory in Aleppo, Western powers have bombarded the Syrian army with accusations of committing atrocities in eastern Aleppo.

Observers believe that such tactics are using the humanitarian file to tarnish the military campaign in eastern Aleppo, especially since the remaining rebels have ties to the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, as well as the fact that Western powers did not want the Syrian army to recapture all of Aleppo.

In an interview to RT released on Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that "The West is telling Russia we went too far in defeating terrorists."

Al-Assad said the Western statements have other interpretations, basically asking Russia to stop the Syrian army's advance into Aleppo, and that the Syrian army went too far in defeating the terrorists.
by Xinhua writer Zhu Junqing

BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The European Union's proposed anti-dumping rules that would allow the bloc to impose higher tariffs, if approved, will open a dangerous road toward protectionism.

EU member states on Tuesday agreed to change the "lesser duty rule," which limits EU anti-dumping tariffs and makes EU measures less severe than U.S. duties in many cases.

The new EU position threatens its trade with China.

The proposal is simply another way of extending the surrogate-country approach practices in anti-dumping investigations.

In accordance with Article 15 of China's Accession Protocol for joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), the surrogate-country approach expires on Dec. 11, 2016.

With the proposed reform, the EU is apparently looking for ways to continue its old game of protecting its industries from competition from China. But as a matter of fact, imposing punitive duties on foreign imports is not a way out for European economic growth and jobs against the backdrop of sluggish global economic recovery.

The EU proposal, if approved, could dampen the sound momentum of the development of China-EU ties.

China-EU relations are maturing over the past decades and trade between them have benefitted both sides. The right way is to go forward, not backward.

All WTO members, including the EU, should fight protectionism and work to revive trade and investment, and build an open global economy that is dynamic, inclusive and sustainable.
TOKYO, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Residents and officials of Okinawa on Wednesday voiced shock and condemnation following the crash-landing of a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey in the sea off Nago a day earlier.

The incident, which saw five crew members airlifted to safety and treated for injuries, was the first major accident involving an Osprey since the U.S. military deployed Osprey squadrons in Japan in 2012.

Pictures beamed across the nation by public broadcaster NHK showed debris from the crash strewn across a wide area on shore.

In a bid to quell as much anger as possible from local residents and officials of the island, the U.S. Marines on Wednesday grounded all flights of its Ospreys.

"It was only a matter of time until something like this happened. We are only lucky that the accident wasn't more serious," a utility worker in Nago city in northern Okinawa was quoted by the local media as saying Wednesday.

"Unless these planes are banned completely, I'm 100 percent certain there will be further and more serious cases like these and more lives of innocent Okinawans will be lost at the hands of the U.S. military," he said.

While Tsukasa Kawada, a Foreign Ministry official in charge of Okinawa affairs, tried to allay the concerns of the locals, following an emergency meeting with Lt. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson, top U.S. military commander in Okinawa, on the matter, stating that the latest accident was the result of an "oil duct problem" during an air-to-air refueling operation, Okinawan officials were quick to voice consternation.

Okinawa governor Takeshi Onaga, who has been working tirelessly to try to reduce Okinawa's disproportionate post-war U.S. base hosting burdens was furious at the crash.

"It's absolutely outrageous," Onaga said Wednesday, echoing the sentiments of the islanders who have on repeated occasions taken to the streets to voice their opposition to the deployment of the U.S. military aircraft so close to where they live.

With anti-U.S. sentiment already on the rise in the island, following a spate of crimes committed against locals including the brutal rape and murder earlier this year of a young local lady by a U.S. base-linked worker and former Marine, the Osprey incident will only lead to greater abhorrence for the central government and the U.S. for its persistent overloading of Okinawa with U.S. base hosting responsibilities.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also described the accident as "extremely deplorable."

The crashed plane was based in Futenma, with the latest incident coming at a time when Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) has earmarked plans to add 17 Osprey aircraft units, each of which can carry 24 combat troops, to its fleet, with flights expected to be made commencing 2019.

Prior to Tuesday's crash, the infamous Osprey has never been far from the accident headlines since its inception.

The planes' safety was called into question when an MV-22B Osprey crashed in Hawaii in May last year, leaving two dead and 20 others injured.

In August a year earlier, concerns about the plane were further stoked here when four crew members narrowly escaped injury when a Marine Corps' Osprey made a hard-landing near the Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, in the United States.

Prior to that, an Osprey crashed in Morocco and killed two Marines in April 2012 and another crash in Florida injured all five crew members in June 2012.

The planes are also known for creating an unbearable amount of noise due to their massive turboprop engines.

A court in Japan handed down a ruling in October, ordering the state to pay 558 million yen (4.85 million U.S. dollars) in damages to residents over excessive noise from aircraft stationed at the Iwakuni base, which is jointly used by the U.S. military and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces in Yamaguchi Prefecture, in the Chugoku region on Japan's main island of Honshu.

The central government has also been partitioned to suspend some of the flights from the base and called for U.S. fighter jets flying to Iwakuni from the Atsugi base near Tokyo, that are involved in aircraft carrier maneuvers, to be canceled, as well as a blanket ban on all flights from the notorious, accident-prone MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircrafts.

For the locals in Okinawa, however, such damaging nuisances have been tolerated for years with the aggravation and potential danger showing no signs of letting up.

As the local media reported on Dec. 7, a U.S. Marine Corps' MV-22 Osprey plane in Okinawa repeatedly flew over residential areas a day earlier, transporting an unidentified object suspended below its airframe by cables.

The Defense Ministry's Okinawa bureau officially lodged a protest against the U.S. side, describing the actions as "intolerable."

"The history of the plane suggests that sooner or later innocent lives will be lost here (in Okinawa) because this plane is unsafe," a 30-year-old female tour operator in Nago said.

"Why should we have to live in fear of more accidents happening. It's not fair. The Ospreys should be withdrawn from Okinawa and based on the mainland or withdrawn from Japan altogether," she demanded.

Okinawa, which was under U.S. occupation until 1972, hosts some 75 percent of Japan's U.S. bases and around half of the 50,000 U.S. military personnel in Japan.
DAMASCUS, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- A truce to evacuate rebels from the few remaining rebel-held areas in Aleppo city in northern Syria was broken on Wednesday, sources in Aleppo told Xinhua.

Both warring sides exchanged mortar fire, hours following an anticipated evacuation of rebels from areas they still held in southeastern Aleppo was delayed for unknown reasons, sources said, on condition of anonymity.

The renewed shelling comes after a quiet night in Aleppo, as a truce went into effect for the evacuation process to take place at dawn on Wednesday.

Sources said government busses were ready to transport the rebels through the Ramouseh road out of Aleppo toward the western countryside of the city.

Local media outlets accused the rebels of breaching the truce, saying they attempted to attack military posts, and the army responded with firepower, thwarting their attempt.

As for the opposition, activists said Syrian forces breached the truce by targeting rebel-held areas with tens of mortar and artillery shells.
BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign exchange regulator said on Wednesday it will continue to crack down on underground banks to improve foreign exchange management and safeguard economic and financial security.

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said it will maintain intense pressure to clamp down on illegal banks, among other unlawful activities, according to a statement posted on its website.

The statement was published after a SAFE meeting with the Ministry of Public Security, the third this year, vowing to work closely together to disrupt illegal foreign exchange activities.

The total sum of overseas investments has grown rapidly, with some using capital with ambiguous origins, the regulator said, noting that concerns about capital outflow have also been on the rise.

The government will continue to support capable and qualified businesses to carry out outbound investment activities in accordance with regulations, an official statement said last week.

The principle in investment management policies has not changed, it said.

Outbound investment has grown quickly in recent years and played an important role in deepening mutually beneficial cooperation between China and other countries.
MANILA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Senate viewed the ratification of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as the "most noteworthy" resolution it adopted as the congress adjourned its session on Wednesday.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said Senate Resolution No. 33, pertaining to the ratification of Articles of Agreement of AIIB, is one of the 33 resolutions that the Senate approved since July 25 when the 17th Congress started.

Regular sessions will resume on Jan. 16, 2017.

Pimentel said the confirmation of AIIB's Articles of Agreement provided "the government access to more sources of funding so we can usher in a golden age of infrastructure for the Philippines."

The AIIB is a multilateral lending institution aimed at promoting economic development in Asia.

The AIIB's 57 members include China, India, Russia, France, Germany and Britain among others.

The Philippines signed the Articles of Agreement on Dec. 31, 2015, in Beijing.
BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The central authority of China has issued a regulation for Party and government chiefs to advance the rule of law.

The regulation was issued by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council.

The regulation, which applies to chiefs of committees of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and governments at the county level and above, is aimed at implementing efforts by the central authority in building a rule-of-law country.

These Party and governments chiefs have primary responsibility for advancing the rule of law, said the regulation, urging them to adhere to the Party's leadership and the supremacy of the Constitutions and laws, rather than substituting the law with their own words and placing their own power above the law.

It urges Party and government chiefs to advance publicity and education of rule of law, in a bid to foster a more favorable atmosphere for a rule of law society.

The regulation calls for advancing the transparency of government affairs.

The regulation went into effect on Nov. 30, 2016.
CHENGDU, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- A campaign to control a fatal parasitic disease in a Tibetan-inhabited county in southwest China's Sichuan Province has seen remarkable progress, with over 90 percent of local residents screened, according to local health authorities.

Echinococcosis, a type of tapeworm infection, mainly affects herding areas in Sichuan, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Tibet and Xinjiang. In 2012, about 50 million people were under threat from the disease. The government aims to control the disease by 2020.

Humans can be infected with the disease through contact with infected animals and contaminated food, water and sand.

Shiqu County in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze is among the hardest-hit regions. It has waged a war against the disease since November 2015 by regulating pet dogs, providing clean drinking water and raising awareness among residents.

Screening has covered 82,300 people, over 92 percent of the county's population, and more than 6,000 have been found to be infected. Free medication has been offered to patients.

Health authorities have employed 169 workers to send drugs to the homes of dog owners and properly dispose of dog feces every month to prevent an outbreak among Tibetan mastiffs, the favorite pet among locals.

Villager Dalo, whose wife underwent two surgeries due to the parasite, said he backs the government's efforts to control the disease. He feeds his mastiff the drug mixed in with its food.

"If our dog doesn't get the disease, we'll be safe," he said.

In addition, the local government dug 142 deep wells to provide safe drinking water to 11,400 villagers and has worked to eliminate rats on 243,500 mu (16,233 hectares) of grassland.

A survey conducted by Garze investigators from the National Bureau of Statistics showed awareness of echinococcosis among Shiqu residents has increased from 53 percent at the end of 2015 to 75 percent currently.
BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent condolences to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi over Sunday's deadly terrorist attack that killed 25 people in a Cairo church.

In the message, Xi extended his sincere condolences to the bereaved families and those wounded in the attack.

China firmly opposes terrorism of all forms and strongly condemns the grave terrorist attack, Xi said.

China stands ready to continuously and firmly back efforts made by the Egyptian government to fight terrorism and maintain national security and stability, Xi added.

A bomb went off inside the church in Cairo's Abassiya neighborhood that was full of worshippers attending Sunday mass, leaving 25 people dead and 49 others injured.
Israeli medics evacuate an injured police officer near the scene of a stabbing attack in Jerusalem's old city, Dec. 14, 2016. Israeli police said they shot a Palestinian attacker, who died later in the hospital, after he wounded a cop in Jerusalem on Wednesday. (Xinhua/JINI)

JERUSALEM, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Israeli police said they shot a Palestinian attacker, who died later in the hospital, after he wounded a cop in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

The incident took place in East Jerusalem's Old City.

A spokesman for Israel's emergency medical service said that the attacker stabbed a 35-year-old police officer, causing him light injuries and attacked a 12-year-old Palestinian teenager boy who sustained light wounds.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said that the attacker walked from the Damascus Gate toward the hospice, approaching two policemen who were patrolling the area. "He pulled out a screwdriver and stabbed one of the police officers in the head," Samri said.

In response, the other police officer shot the suspect, Samri added.

A later police notice reported that the suspect, identified as a 21-year-old resident of the West Bank village of Beit Suriq, was taken to the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, where he died of his wounds.

The incident came a week after Israeli forces shot and killed an 18-year-old Palestinian youth after he allegedly tried to stab them near a West Bank junction. No Israelis were injured.

An ongoing wave of violence in the West Bank and Israel has claimed the lives of at least 235 Palestinians and 34 Israelis since September 2015.
BEIJING, Dec 14 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday urged the United States to keep its promise not to take a position on the South China Sea issue and do more to contribute to regional peace and stability.

Spokesperson Geng Shuang's comment at the daily press briefing came after U.S. Pacific commander Harry Harris's provocative remarks about readiness to "confront" China in the South China Sea.

Referring to the situation in the South China Sea as "tending toward stability" and "moving in a good direction," Geng called on the United States to keep its promise to not take positions, respect the efforts of countries in the region and do more to contribute to peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Geng also slammed back against a senior U.S. defense official's remarks that Taiwan should increase its defense spending, urging the United States to keep its promise to stick to the one-China policy.

China opposes official and military relations between the United States and Taiwan in any form, Geng said.

"We urged the United States to stick to the one-China policy and three Joint Communiques between China and the United States, and to deal with the Taiwan issue in a prudent and discreet manner to prevent China-U.S. ties from being disturbed," Geng said.

Related:

China "highly values" peace, stability in South China Sea: envoy says

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- "China highly values the peace and stability in the South China Sea" and has "always taken a constructive and responsible approach in addressing the issue," a senior Chinese diplomat said here Wednesday.

Wu Haitao, the deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said this at the 71st UN General Assembly on Oceans and the Law of the Sea. Full story

People's Daily says China will never allow U.S. to run amok in South China Sea

BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The People's Daily, an official newspaper of the Communist Party of China, has criticized a U.S. warship's intrusion into Chinese territorial waters in the South China Sea, saying such action will only speed up the decline of U.S. influence.
TOKYO, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in Japan on Thursday to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe though analysts have pointed out that prospect of the summit has been largely undermined by a decades-old territorial row.

Putin, whose two-day visit was initially eyed in 2014 but postponed due to deterioration of bilateral ties following the Ukraine crisis, will be the first Russian president to travel to Japan for a summit in 11 years. The meeting will also be the 16th one between Abe and Putin.

The two leaders will first meet on Thursday at a traditional Japanese hotel in the hot spa resort of Nagato in Abe's home prefecture of Yamaguchi to address the territorial dispute before another round of talks focusing on economic cooperation in Tokyo on Friday, according to the Japanese government.

Russia and Japan have not signed a peace treaty since the end of World War II mainly due to a territory row over four small islands in the Pacific which are called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia.

Japan maintains the four Pacific islands are its inherent territory illegally occupied by Russia after Japan's surrender in World War II, while Russia, for its part, says the seizure was legitimate and urges Japan to recognize the outcome of the war.

Japan has hoped in recent years to bring progress to the territorial talks through deepening economic cooperation with Russia and helping Russia develop its Far East.

Analysts, however, have pointed out that though Russia might be interested in economic cooperation with Japan, it is unlikely to make concessions on the territorial issue.

Abe expressed on Monday his determination to resolve the dispute, saying that he will "approach the bilateral summit with determination to bring an end to the territorial issue during my generation."

"I will make an all-out effort to make progress on the territorial issue, even if it is just a step closer toward a solution," he said.

Putin, however, said the following day in an interview with Japanese TV that there was no territorial issue between Russia and Japan over the four islands.

"We believe we have no territorial problems at all. It is only Japan that believes it has territorial problems with Russia. We are ready to talk about this," Putin said citing a joint declaration in 1956 between the two countries.

According to the Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956, Russia agreed to return two of the four islands after a bilateral peace treaty was signed, while Japan refused to sign such a treaty, insisting on the return of all four islands.

The conclusion of a peace treaty will "depend, among other things, on the flexibility" of Japan, said Putin, adding that Russia also wants full-scale normalization of relations.

It was not the first time that Putin made similar remarks on the territorial dispute, in spite of Japan's hopes otherwise.

In an interview with Bloomberg early September before meeting with Abe in Vladivostok on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), Putin said Russia did not "trade territories."

Russia has also stepped up its control over the islands by reportedly deploying in November Bastion and Bal coastal defense missile systems on two of the disputed islands.

There should be no high expectations for any immediate progress on the signing of a peace treaty between Russia and Japan due to difficulties in ironing out differences, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in early December.

Meanwhile, another issue that also obstructs Japan's intended economic cooperation with Russia as well as bilateral ties is the sanctions Japan has slapped on Russia along with its western allies following Russia's takeover of Crimea.

"Japan has joined the sanctions against the Russian Federation. How are we going to further economic relations on a new and much higher basis, at a higher level under the sanctions regime?" Putin reportedly told the Japanese media on Tuesday.

The two countries are expected to nail down some 30 economic cooperation projects during the upcoming summit between Abe and Putin, according to local media, though some Japanese enterprises are concerned over the uncertainties of Russia's investment environment over the Japanese sanctions.

There have also been concerns over the attitude of the United States, as Washington, Japan's military ally, has had a tense relationship with Russia following the Ukraine crisis, though hopes for a change have been raised following Donald Trump's win in U.S. presidential election, who was reported to have a new approach to Russia.

"Japan-Russia relationship has been closely related to the Japan-U.S. relationship since the 1950s," said Yoshiki Mine, former diplomat and representative of the Institute of Peaceful Diplomacy.

"It is important for Japan to remake its negotiation strategy with Russia in line with the Japan-U.S. relationship under the new U.S. administration to be led by Donald Trump, including the sanctions against Russia," he said.
This combination of two file photos shows views before and after sunset of Guanabara Bay and Botafogo neighborhood with Sugar Loaf mountain in the background in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Feb. 10, 2015. (Xinhua/Xu Zijian)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The "cultural landscape" of Brazil's second largest city Rio de Janeiro was officially awarded World Heritage on Tuesday by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Rio thus won "the title of the first urban cultural landscape declared a World Heritage," UNESCO said on its website.

At a ceremony at the city's Tijuca National Park, UNESCO's coordinator of culture in Brazil, Patricia Reis, presented Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes the certificate.

The cultural landscape in Rio consists of the Tijuca National Park, Corcovado Mountain, Copacabana Bay and so on. Among those sites, the most photographed one is the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer that overlooks the city from the top of Corcovado Mountain.

Standing atop the mountain, the statue is heavily exposed to rain, wind and sun. Some 1.5 million U.S. dollars are required annually for its upkeep. Recently, Rio de Janeiro started a campaign to raise money to restore the famous statue.
By Xinhua Writer Wang Xiaopeng

BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Victims of the Nanjing Massacre should be commemorated by all compassionate people the world over, if we are ever to make a lasting peace.

Only if more and more people learn the bitter lessons of war, can more and more people come to cherish peace.

On Tuesday, China's third national memorial day, the nation remembered the victims of atrocities committed by the invading Japanese army almost eight decades ago.

Japanese troops captured Nanjing, then China's capital, on Dec. 13 of 1937 and started 40-odd days of slaughter. About 300,000 civilians and Chinese soldiers who had laid down their arms were murdered. Over 20,000 women were raped.

Coming amid recurring denials and rationalization of war crimes by right-wing groups, the memorial ceremony has proven important in raising global awareness of the massacre. Following the first national memorial day in 2014, documents on the massacre were listed by UNESCO in the Memory of the World Register the next year.

The annual ceremony is not there to prolong hatred, but to encourage a firm stance of peace. This increased attention will not only help people understand what happened in China during World War II, but will bring a greater sense of history to the international community.

The Chinese people will never forget the Nanjing victims and the great sacrifices made during the war against Japanese aggression, just as the American people will not forget Pearl Harbor.

With Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to visit to Pearl Harbor later this month to mourn the victims, there is surprisingly little pressure in Japan for him to visit the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, nor to visit the Museum of September 18 Incident which began 14 years of bloody conflict.

If Abe does not want to come to China, there is no shortage of other places in the region with reminders of Japan's crimes against humanity which he could visit.

Speculation on the true motives for the Pearl Harbor visit is rife. One hopes it may be the beginning of a kind of "world tour" with Abe seeking atonement from all countries which fell victim to his compatriots savagery.

Against the backdrop of his government's unrelenting efforts to erase the past and re-arm for the future, one wonders whether Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor will be a really historic step, and if so, in which direction?
BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Commerce urged Argentina on Wednesday to abide by World Trade Organization rules over anti-dumping investigations on five Chinese products.

China is concerned by measures taken by Argentina against Chinese products, according to Wang Hejun, head with the trade remedy investigation department with the MOC.

Argentina launched anti-dumping investigations on Dec. 7 local time on Chinese PMMA plate, multifunctional food processing machines, metal protective screening, household dishwashers and steel pipes.

Argentina initiated 11 anti-dumping investigations against Chinese products this year, the highest number in Latin America, according to Wang.

China has been advocating a prudent, restrained and regulated approach in trade remedy measures which should be strictly in line with WTO rules and implemented in a fair and transparent manner, Wang said.

China hopes Argentina will abide by WTO rules and will protect Chinese companies' rights to appeal against such measures, Wang added.
Photo shows the first ever Philippine Mouse Deer born in Britain. (Photo courtesy of Chester Zoo)

LONDON, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The first ever Philippine mouse deer to be bred in Britain was born at Chester Zoo in northern England, it was reported Wednesday.

Described as the size of a Christmas tree bauble, the mouse deer is one of the smallest hoofed animals in the world.

The zoo said the animal is the latest addition to a special European-wide endangered species breeding program, designed in response to the deforestation of its Asian habitat.

The animals are also poached for their meat which is considered a delicacy in parts of the Philippines.

The new arrival, a female, was born to mum Rita and dad Ramos. She was born on Nov. 16, but her arrival has only just been announced.

Curator of mammals at Chester Zoo, Tim Rowlands, said that it's the very first time the animal has been bred in the UK and to break new ground like this with a mammal species is really quite rare.

"It is great news that our newcomer will add valuable new bloodlines to the conservation breeding program in zoos. It is vitally important that we work to ensure these wonderful animals do not disappear for good," he added.
Refugees and migrants, escorted by the European border control agency Frontex personnel, board a vessel at Mytilene port in Greece, on April 8, 2016. A total of 124 refugees and migrants were returned to Turkey from Greek islands on Friday, the second of such mission in a week under the EU-Turkey deal to cope with the refugee crisis. (Xinhua Photo/Anthi Pazianou)

BRUSSELS, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Border control and migration policy were among the six policy areas, in which proposals should be fast-tracked in legislative process for 2017, according to a statement released by the European Union (EU) on Tuesday.

The legislative priorities were set out in a joint declaration, the first of its kind, which were signed by chiefs of the EU's three main institutions.

It was signed by President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, Slovak Prime Minister and holder of the rotating Council Presidency Robert Fico, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

"Today's Joint Declaration is a new milestone in the way the EU can deliver better and faster on our common challenges," said Juncker.

"It is the first time in EU history that the three European Institutions have agreed on a limited number of initiatives of major political importance that should be fast-tracked in the legislative process," he added.

By setting up priority areas, the EU aims to better protect the bloc's citizens through measures like the entry-exit system, smart borders and the European travel information authorization system (ETIAS) and the control of firearms.

In light of the migration crisis starting from the autumn of 2015, the EU intends to reform its migration policy.

The EU also plans to address the root causes of migration by enhancing investment and job creation in partner countries.

Moreover, the EU expects to create more jobs, establish a connected digital single market, and deliver on its ambitious climate change policy.
A construction building of the NYU Langone Medical Center is seen on fire in Manhattan, New York, Dec. 14, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

NEW YORK, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Heavy fire broke out at New York University Langone Medical Center in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, sending thick smoke up in the air visible several kilometers away.

The two-Alarm fire began on the fifth floor of the NYU Medical Center on First Avenue around noon, according to local fire department. The structure was previously going through renovations.

The NYU Langone Medical Center is seen on fire in Manhattan, New York, Dec. 14, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

Firefighters were sent to the scene after a 911 call was made at 12:03 p.m., said the New York Fire Department.

The fire was currently brought under control. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Syrian pro-government forces advance in the Jisr al-Haj neighbourhood during the ongoing military operation to retake remaining rebel-held areas in the northern embattled city of Aleppo on December 14, 2016. (AFP/Xinhua)

MOSCOW, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Wednesday that government forces would continue with offensive against terrorists across the country after the city of Aleppo was liberated from militants.

In an interview with Russian 24 TV channel broadcast earlier in the day, al-Assad vowed to retake central Syria's historic city of Palmyra as the Syria army has made major breakthrough in its recent campaign to clear Aleppo of militants.

Earlier on Wednesday, according to the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation, Syrian army liberated one of the last blocks in the contested city remaining under control of terrorists, further reducing the area controlled by militants to just 2.5 square kilometers.

Al-Assad said he considered U.S. President-elect Donald Trump a "natural ally" to Damascus if the latter would keep his campaign promise of combating terrorism and not interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.

Talking about plans to rebuild the war-ravaged country after years of conflicts, al-Assad said he expected refugees who have left Syria to return home, and that he would give the priority of involvement in post-war restoration to Russia, China, Iran and others.

Related:

Warring sides resume fighting in Aleppo as truce falters

DAMASCUS, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- A truce for evacuating rebels and their families from rebel-held areas in Aleppo city in northern Syria has failed, and both warring sides resumed fighting, sources in Aleppo told Xinhua on Wednesday. Full story

Spotlight: Rebels still mired in Aleppo as Syrian army chanting victory
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (C, front) is seen during a meeting held by the United Nations Security Council to pay tribute to him at the UN headquarters in New York, Dec. 14, 2016. The UN Security Council on Wednesday paid tribute to outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, acknowledging his contribution to international peace, security and development. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Wednesday paid tribute to outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, acknowledging his contribution to international peace, security and development.

In a resolution adopted here, the 15-nation council expressed its deep appreciation to Ban "for his dedication to the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter and to the development of friendly relations among nations."

Ban said it is a privilege to work with all Security Council members over the past 10 years, and urged the council to continue its work to advance early and preventive action for addressing conflicts.

Earlier on Wednesday, a portrait of Ban was unveiled at the UN headquarters by Ban himself and his wife, Yoo Soon-taek. The portrait is hanging on a wall at a lobby of the UN Secretariat building, next to the one of Kofi Anna, Ban's predecessor.

Ban is going to step down at the end of this month, concluding his ten-year service for the world body. His successor Antonio Guterres, former prime minister of Portugal and UN secretary-general-designate, will start his five-year term on Jan. 1, 2017.
DAMASCUS, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The negotiations for the evacuation of the rebels from the eastern part of the northern city of Aleppo is getting more complicated, the media arm of the Syrian army said Wednesday evening.

The report denied talks about an imminent truce or rebel evacuation as baseless.

The evacuation of the rebels was expected to take place at dawn Wednesday, but for unknown reasons, the evacuation has not taken place yet, with the total absence of any official comment.

A day earlier, Vitaly Churkin, Russia's representative to the UN, said during a UN Security Council session that "a deal has been reached for the evacuation of only the rebels from Aleppo in the next hours," stressing that "no one will harm the civilians."

However, the deal, struck by Russia and Turkey, was not implemented, amid talks of ongoing negotiations.

This comes as the Syrian army is now in control of 99 percent of the rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo city.

Tens of thousands of people have fled eastern Aleppo over the past couple of weeks, with local media reports placing the number of evacuees at 85,000.

The Syrian army said recently that the battles will continue until fully liberating Aleppo from the rebel groups.
STRASBOURG, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The long debate among the Members of European Parliament (MEPs), who were meeting for a plenary session in Strasbourg on Wednesday, exacerbated internal divisions and their disagreements with representatives of the European Commission and the European Council on issues of migration, security, Brexit, Syria, Turkey, the economy.

The opinion divisions remained even as European Union (EU) leaders are set to meet Thursday in Brussels for a new summit, which many are counting on to give a fresh wind to a union sliding into internal crisis at the risk of paralysis.

The European Council summit in Bratislava, last September, held after the political earthquake provoked by Brexit, should have been the one for renewal.

But three months later, the EU appears to be worse off.

The debate at the European Parliament, Wednesday morning, only confirmed the observation widely shared and illustrated the weakness of the EU to confront the critical stakes linked to the rise of growing instability at its heart and on its frontiers.

The surprise election of Donald Trump in the United States, the fall of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi after the referendum of Dec. 4, the uncertainties regarding the negotiation strategies between Brussels and London, the incapacity of the EU to play an effective diplomatic role in the Syrian conflict, an endemic economic crisis, the rise of populisms, all these factors have plunged the European Parliament into a state of tension and European citizens into disarray.

The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, has invited European leaders to a shorter meeting than usual in Brussels on Thursday.

The traditional European Council meeting at the end of the year will only last a day, while it is normally held over 48 hours. It will close with a dinner at which the British Prime Minister Theresa May has not been invited, due to the Brexit vote.

This meeting must, in particular, definite the manner in which the EU of 27 member states will manage the Brexit process following the notification by the United Kingdom that it is triggering article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, before March 31, 2017, a question that which remains surrounded by ambiguity and anxiety.

Theresa May will remain a full member of the European Council after the triggering of article 50, until the end of negotiations over the "divorce" between London and Brussels.

EU heads of state and government can nevertheless officially meet as 27 from the official activation of article 50, though uniquely in order to discuss questions linked to Brexit.

Implementation of the EU-Turkey declaration on the migratory problem, reform of the shared European asylum policy, cooperation within the EU regarding external security and defense, the economy and youth, and external relations (notably with Russia) all figure equally on the summit menu for EU leaders.

They are themes, however, on which MEPs have not shown more consensus in the Strasbourg hemicycle, during a pre-summit debate.

In light of internal divisions at the European Parliament and schisms which separate parliamentarians and the European executive, this meeting will manifestly not open under an auspicious sign.

Certainly, the European border guard has begun to deploy itself and the border check system on the external borders of the Union for all persons, European or not, is being installed.

More powers have been given to Europol as part of the fight against terrorism, but the issue of security and the defense of the EU, debated Tuesday afternoon in the Strasbourg hemicycle, remains the object of certain controversies.

On the economic situation, the Juncker plan to restart investment should be doubled, passing from 315 to 630 billion euros in 2022. The European Council should also put in motion the creation of a European solidarity corps, a civic engagement platform for youth.

The summit will begin at 11:30 a.m. Thursday and will finish with a press conference from the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the Prime Minister of Slovakia, the country who currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, at 6:30 p.m.
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni is seen ahead of a confidence vote at the upper house in Rome, capital of Italy, on Dec. 14, 2016. The new cabinet of Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni won the second of two confidence votes on Wednesday, paving the way for formally taking over the power. (Xinhua/Jin Yu)

by Stefania Fumo

ROME, Dec.14 (Xinhua) -- The Italian government of newly-appointed Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni cleared a Senate confidence vote on Wednesday with 169 in favor.

Gentiloni thus won his second and final test after winning the confidence of the lower house on Tuesday for his "government of responsibility".

Another 99 members of the 315-seat Senate voted against, with the opposition calling for snap elections and protesting that the new government is a "carbon copy" of Matteo Renzi, who quit as prime minister after losing a December 4 referendum on constitutional reform.

The new government was put together in record time to enable Gentiloni to attend an EU summit on Thursday, where Italy's 2017 budget is likely to be on the agenda. The new prime minister is also expected to carry on the battle waged by his predecessor Renzi for more flexibility, given that the country is engaged in massive relief and reconstruction efforts in the wake of two devastating earthquakes that caused billions in damage in central Italy in August and October.

Italy is also jockeying for budget flexibility.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told the European Parliament on Wednesday that Italy's spending on the refugee crisis "cannot come under the EU Growth and Stability Pact."

"What Italy does -- and it does a lot -- must not lead to negative consequences in budget terms," Juncker told MEPs. "There are serious problems in the Mediterranean, and we cannot leave Italy on its own".

In a speech to the Senate prior to the vote, Gentiloni reiterated that his new government's first task will be to complete Renzi's reforms.

"Above all, (this government) must complete the exceptional work of reform, innovation and modernization carried out in the last few years," he said.

Framing a new electoral law is urgent, independently of when the next election is held, and the parliament's decisions on this score will reshape the country, Gentiloni said.

The new prime minister said there is an urgent need for "harmonized" election rules for both houses of parliament, and that the new rules are "not a valve to be opened or closed according to the urgency or not of the electoral date."

"Undoubtedly the evolution of the system as we have known it in recent years is at stake," he told MPs. "When you debate the new election rules... (you) will affect the way we conceive of the functioning of our democracy."

Gentiloni added that his government will contribute to the debate but will not be center stage.

"Our job will be to facilitate the search for a solution and also to solicit (a response from) political forces," he explained.

The prime minister also reiterated that his administration's No.1 priority is employment. "Making (job) protections universal must be our goal," the center-left prime minister said. "Unfortunately this can't be resolved with easy slogans."

He also urged opposition parties boycotting the vote to "respect parliament and to take part in its meetings in a civilized way."

Gentiloni further denied his government is indifferent to the results of the December 4 referendum, as opposition lawmakers claim.

"I believe it has been made very clear to the Italian people that this is not so," he told the Senate.
A YouTube video shows a woman being dragged off a Delta flight on her back. (Xinhua/Web pick)

CHICAGO, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- A woman has been dragged on her back off a Delta flight at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after failing to abide by proper boarding procedures.

A video posted on YouTube on Monday shows that police officers held onto the woman's wrists and dragged her down the aisle of the plane.

Delta Airlines confirmed that a woman was forcibly removed from a flight at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

Local media quoted passenger witnesses as saying that the woman failed to check in "with gate agent and walked right on."

Others witnesses said the woman was "mouthy and had a huge attitude," local media reported.

Delta Airlines contacted Detroit Metropolitan Airport police department requesting assistance.

A spokeswoman for the airport said "the passenger was removed by local law enforcement and the flight was able to continue without further incident." The woman has been ticketed but has yet to be charged for the incident, the spokeswoman told local media.

Some 1,750 people followed Fox News coverage of the incident, and the majority of them supported the act of the airlines and the airport. Reader named Katlincross said: "good for Delta. They protected the other people on board," adding "I am tired of people who think laws and rules are for everyone else, but not for them."

Reader Ksir127 commented, "if you don't conform to the law this is what you get...No big deal."

Few readers said the police should have handled her gently.

Delta flight 2083 was headed to San Diego on Monday morning.
T&Z Home Improvement celebrates 30 years

Trevor and Zalisha celebrated 30 years in business with a Christ mas dinner and award ceremony on Monday evening at the Cara Suites Hotel & Conference Centre at Claxton Bay among friends, family and politicians. Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon congratulated the couple on the success of their business. Quite courageous was he in his adult life to become an entrepreneurmy father did the same thing. Not only do I want to commend you on your courage to become an entrepreneur, but on your tenacity. Your leadership is evident, so I want to congratulate you on 30 years in business.

Before starting his own company alongside his wife, Trevor left a fairly comfortable job as a successful divisional manager in a major conglomerate. I had everything you could have - a company car, profit sharing, prestige. Trevor supported his wife and three children at the time on his own salary after Zalisha left her job at the Family Planning Association to care for their children. However, after his company did not follow through on promises made to him, he left the security of a well-paying job in the middle of the 1980s recession to start his own home improvement company.

People said I was crazy, said Trevor. By all accounts, he said but people of faith have been known to do crazy things before. Based on the Bible, there are five principles that tell you whether a man is blessed. Number one is having a wonderful wife who is a woman of faith.

Zalisha stood beside her husband as a director in the company to build their familys business doing everything over the last 30 years from cashing to mopping floors to being the Human Resource Manager.

Balancing family life and a profitable and expanding business for 30 years has not been without its challenges. Zalisha said, In a family business, emotions would get in the way and tensions will sometimes rise, but God has been the glue that has kept the family and the business together. I see him as the head of the home, I trust him to lead the family not blindly, but because he has proved himself by making good decisions. My personality is one that wants to dot all the Is and cross all the Ts, but sometimes businessmen do not do that. But we make decisions together and he respects my input.

Challenges to the success of the business also came in physical form as the companys warehouse in Chaguanas was destroyed by fire in 2012. Trevor said that his employees stuck with him through the financial loss, his suppliers stood by him by not sending their business elsewhere and banks and friends supported him with loans. The ramifications of the fire are still being felt today, but he said the company is now in a fairly comfortable position after four years.

The family business has crossed Trinidad borders, as one of their sons runs a similar business by the name of Island Style Interiors with three stores in St Lucia one in Grenada, and one in St Vincent. The second sign of a blessed man is that his children do well, said Trevor. He leaves a legacy.
WASA employee shot dead

His co-worker, 34-yearold Luke Rampersad, is said to be receiving treatment at the Port of Spain General Hospital.

Newsday understands his wounds are not life threatening Ja Ja was among three people who were conducting repairs on a trench in Powder Magazine, Cocorite.

At about 11 am, while one of the workers was retrieving a tool from another job site, an unknown assailant approached the work site, drew a firearm and opened fire on the other two men. Both were shot several times.

They were rushed to hospital but Ja Ja was pronounced dead on arrival.

WASA extended condolences to the murdered mans family and wishes for a speedy and full recovery to Rampersad. The Authority has offered counselling to the families of both men and announced it will be handling the medical and funeral expenses for Rampersad and Ja Ja, respectively. Western Division police are continuing investigations as the murder toll rose yesterday to 443.
Cops kill man in shootout in Couva

Dead is Jason Hernandez, 32, of Pleasantville located on the outskirts of San Fernando.

Police investigators said that at about 3 am yesterday, officers responded to a report of robbery at La Croix Street in Couva. On arrival they saw a gunman, later identified as Hernandez, along the street.

Police reports stated that Hernandez opened fire at the officers and began running off in the opposite direction.

A chase ensued and while running, he continued to open fire in the direction of the officers.

Police returned fire, shooting Hernandez dead along Railway Road in Couva, located a short distance away from La Croix Street.

An autopsy is expected to be performed at the Forensic Sciences Centre in St James today.

Investigations are continuing
10 years jail for manslaughter

He was not a simpleton.

He is not a fool, the judge said of Jawahir, as he told him that his acts on Easter Sunday April 12, 2009, at Manzanilla Main Road, near the 11-1/4 mile mark, would attract a severe sentence. Jawahir was sentenced to 18 years hard labour but the seven years spent in prison awaiting trial were deducted, leaving ten years and four months which he began serving from yesterday. Although the trial judge was critical of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for having the court embark on a Maximum Sentence Indication exercise prior to the trial, he understood why the State did not accept a guilty plea from Jawahir since the evidence at the trial painted an entirely different picture as to what took place on the day of the incident.

According to the prosecutions case, Jawahir chopped Thomas four times with a cutlass, almost severing one of his arms, just after 7 pm on the day in question.

Jawahir was intoxicated at the time. Jawahir who was defended by attorneys Michelle Solomon and Trevor Clarke, never disputed that he chopped Thomas, telling police at the time that he did so to help out his cousin who was being beaten by Thomas.

He had also admitted to having threatened to planass Thomas with a cutlass. According to Jawahirs defence, he saw his cousin being beaten by Thomas with a piece of wood. One of Thomas friends was also involved in the beating incident. It was at this point Jawahir intervened and chopped Thomas. But the judge pointed out that Jawahir would not have known what was taking place with his cousin and his friends but that he had, gone looking for trouble and found it. The events started off with one of Jawahirs friends interfering with a crab that was thrown into the tray of the pickup in which Thomas and another man were hitching a ride. Justice St Clair-Douglas said although the court accepted a manslaughter verdict brought back by the jury, the court could not turn away from the nature of the injuries Thomas sustained, which were described by the pathologist as defensive wounds. The prosecution represented by attorney Stacy Lalloo Chong.
Cop robbed of $40,000

However, due to a large number of customers, the policemen opted to visit another branch to make the deposit.

Deonanan is posted at the Debe Police Post and was off duty at the time. The report added that at about 11 am, Deonanan arrived at the car-park of Republic Bank located along Michael Rahael Boulevard, Tarouba, (near South Park). As Deonanan was about to exit his vehicle, the driver of a silver Toyota Corolla Axio pulled up alongside the officers car. The driver, armed with a firearm, exited the vehicle and accosted the officer whom he robbed of 40,000 in cash. He fled the scene in the Axio. A report was made to the Mon Repos Police and investigations are continuing.
Robbery attempt at new Courts

But the robbery was foiled as one of the security guards on duty ran straight to the Freeport Police Station and reported the matter. Eight gunmen left empty handed in their truck.

A police report stated that at about 1 am, eight gunmen went to the compound located at Calcutta Settlement Road #1 in Freeport off the Solomon Hochoy Highway.

They arrived in a truck. At the time, four male security officers aged 48, 38, 30 and 23, were guarding the compound. The gunmen tied up three of the guards while the fourth, who was on a foot patrol of the compound, on seeing what was taking place, ran to the Freeport Police Station and lodged a report.

Police said the guard, aged 30, was breathless on arrival and officers responded immediately and went to the scene. On arrival however neither the bandits nor their truck were in sight. Police had to untie the guards and a check revealed that no items were missing.

WPC Park is continuing enquiries.

Last Friday, this Courts store was officially opened.
Pensioner dead in hammock

Police identified the man as Raffick Mohammed, 74, of Thomas Ross Road. Mohammed is said to be a relative of private for hire (PH) driver Norris Mendoza, whose body was found on Wednesday last in some bushes with multiple stab wounds in Moruga. Police were unable to determine if both killings are connected.

Police report state that shortly after midday yesterday a relative went to visit Mohammed at Tableland where he live in a wooden and galvanised shed.

The relative called out to Mohammed several times and later found the body of the elderly man inside the hammock with his hands and feet tied.

His vehicle was also reported missing. An autopsy is expected to be performed today at the Forensic Sciences Centre in St James.
State closes case in kidnapping PI

The two sisters ages nine and 14, were discovered in a van in Barrackpore and were rescued by police officers.

Surajbally, of Lothians Road, Princes Town, was charged in May under the Childrens Act, with kidnapping, indecent assault and giving alcohol to minors.

The preliminary inquiry into the charges began before Senior Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan in the Princes Town Magistrates Court in which State Attorney Sarah De Silva is prosecuting and had called the two children to give evidence.

They were cross-examined by Surajballys attorney Pamela Elder SC, instructed by attorney Owen Hinds Jr.

De Silva also called the childrens mother as a witness, as well as medical doctor Clem Ragoobar. Three police officers, including the complainant, PC Alcala, also testified for the prosecution. On Monday, De Silva recalled Alcala for re-examination then informed Rambachan that the prosecution had closed its case.

The inquiry was conducted via paper committal in a hybrid form in which some witness statements were sworn and filed and given to the defence attorneys to determine whether they wanted the witnesses to be called for cross-examination.

Surajbally is on $300,000 bail and had secured bail in the High Court before a judge in Chambers.

The State and the defence attorneys would make legal submissions to Rambachan on January 3 following which he is expected to give a ruling on whether the State has made out a prima facie case to either commit Surajbally to stand trial before a judge and jury, or discharge him.
Foundation set up in her honour

This was announced during Banfields funeral service by Pastor Leslie Moses, as he contributed to the service.

Shannons death will not be in vain, Moses proclaimed. Her impact in death is more than many of us will have in our whole lifetime.

Her death should ignite in us today and continuing, a hatred for crime and violence. I urge us as a people to stand up and fight against criminality and violence that is perpetrated against all people. Moses said that while Shannons death has sparked a phenomenon which has raised awareness to violence against women, there are several persons in the nation that are falling victim to many types of violence. It was this knowledge that prompted the Barrow family, with the assistance of the San Juan Seventh-day Adventist Church to launch the foundation.

The foundation will focus on promoting personal safety techniques heighten the awareness of violence against people and will develop an educational fund to grant scholarships among women who are survivors of physical violence. During his contribution Moses said he had already received a donation of $10,000 from the South Caribbean Conference, another Seventh-day Adventist body, and was informed by the Caribbean Union Conference that they intend to match the donation dollar for dollar. The congregation was told that the same devotions will be made from Seventh Day Adventist bodies nationwide, and the San Juan Seventh Day Adventist Church expressed its intention to approach Republic Bank, the bank where she worked, to assist with funding of the foundation. Moses was among several other speakers at Banfields funeral who urged the nation to take a stand against violence and crime.
Church against death penalty

Making the point yesterday, Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Harris said that two months ago, the Antilles Episcopal Conference issued a statement opposing the use of capital punishment, and asked the Governments of TT and Barbados to change their laws on the issue.

Harris quoted Pope Francis as saying, More and more it is seen as an offence against the inviolability of life and the dignity of the human person, which contradicts Gods plan for man and society, and His merciful justice, and impedes the penalty from fulfilling any just objective. It does not render justice to the victims, but rather fosters vengeance. The archbishops comments were in response to parish priest of St Charles Borromeo RC Church, Tunapuna, Fr Ian Taylor, who called for the death penalty to be restored during his homily at Saturdays Mass in response to the killing of Republic Bank employee Shannon Banfield.

Harris quoted the popes letter to the president of the International Commission Against the Death Penalty in which he expressed the churchs opposition to the death penalty and called it inadmissible, no matter how serious the crime committed. The pope, Harris said, acknowledged societys need to protect itself from aggressors, but added, When the death penalty is applied, it is not for a current act of aggression, but rather for an act committed in the past. It is also applied to persons whose current ability to cause harm is not current, as it has been neutralised.

They are already deprived of their liberty. On questions of methods of execution, Harris quoted the pope as saying there were discussions in some quarters about the method of killing, but there is no humane way of killing another person. He also quoted Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI in calling for an end to the death penalty as a legal sanction. Both popes noted that significant progress was made in conforming penal law both to the human dignity of prisoners and the effective maintenance of public order. The bishops of many countries have spoken to the same effect, the archbishop said.

He added that the Catechism of the Catholic Church says the traditional teaching of the church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty when it is the only practicable way to defend the lives of human beings effectively against the aggressor. It adds, however, that today such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent. The doctrine on capital punishment has developed and has moved from accepting the right of the State to impose capital punishment.

Fr Taylor in a release said that churchs centuries- old teaching on death penalty has been, and still is, that the State has the right to exercise the death penalty, but it has not demanded that the right be exercised, and leaves it to the discretion of the State.

He quoted from the Holy Bible to support his call for putting to use the death penalty, but, like Harris, noted the churchs recent position on withholding the death penalty citing the sacredness of life and the dignity of the human person.
Miracle on highway

Reports are that at about 2 pm, three members of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment were occupants of the truck which contained the container. They were proceeding along the north-bound lane of the highway when on reaching the overpass, the top of the container came into contact with the underside of the overpass. On impact, the container slammed into a panel van driven by Lincoln Kissoon, of L. Kissoon Marketing and Distribution Limited based at Rambert Village in La Romaine. Eyewitnesses said that the truck dragged the van several feet before bursting the steel railings and coming to a halt in the median of the highway. The van however crashed into other steel railings.

Kissoon said he was left traumatised following the accident but was grateful to be alive. Kissoon recalled that he was on his way to deliver pharmaceutical products to businesses when the truck slammed into and dragged the van along the highway. No one else was in the vehicle. Police yesterday confirmed that there were no serious injuries and that the army officers were taken to the San Fernando General Hospital for medical check-ups.

Police explained that the container on the truck was too high and as such came into contact with underside of the overpass. The accident caused a massive traffic pile up and officers of the Highway Patrol Unit based at Debe and Couva Police Station who visited the scene had to divert vehicular traffic.
Chamber wants zero tolerance on crime

In a statement, the chamber called on the Government through the national security agencies - to use every available human and technical resource to effectively and efficiently stem the already high incidence of homicide and serious crime altogether. It said it categorically denounced the cowardly acts of injustice against members of the business community and, by extension, everyone who has had their right to safety and security trampled upon by perpetrators bent on disrupting the lives of ordinary citizens. The chamber said that immediate action is clearly warranted to maintain law and order in our beloved country in the face of a creeping sense of hopelessness. In addition, the business body pledged its support and said that as a national stakeholder in all key issues directed at the sustainability of our economy and the security and well-being of our people it stood ready to assist.

The statement said that over the past week the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago have had to endure the painful and sobering reminder that crime continues unabated in the country.

It said that while this is nothing new, from time to time a particularly heinous act of criminality forces those of us who live and work here to collectively and vociferously voice our outrage. It said citizens came together to do just that this weekend at Mandela Park in St. James. It added that in a release dated September 2, the chamber fully supported the commendable efforts of the Government and the Opposition as they pledged to employ a collaborative approach to fighting crime. However, it said that since then it appeared that there has been little or no meaningful change except for a sharp escalation in the number of disturbing incidents which was compounded by the continued low detection rates of les than 25 percent.
Shot Independent candidate out of hospital

Right now I cant move my arm at all, said Roberts, but the doctors said I would regain 50 percent of its use. Roberts was shot in the chest on November 26 while campaigning through the Palo Seco area on the tray of a pick-up truck.

According to him, the bullet entered near his shoulder, deflected downward to break a rib which punctured one of his lungs, and exited his back near his spine. He visited the Port-of-Spain General Hospital yesterday for a further assessment.

Asked whether he had any idea on who shot him, Roberts said, I believe I know where it came from, but I am leaving the police to do their investigations. Investigations are being led by Sgt Haynes of the Santa Flora Criminal Investigation Department.

Roberts earned 602 votes for himself, beating the United National Congress Abigail Alexis who got 537. They are saying it is the highest number of votes for an independent candidate in the history of the elections, said Roberts. The Peoples National Movements Christine Neptune, however, won the seat with a landslide 1845 votes.

Roberts credits his 602 votes to the work he has done in the community.

How is it that after 100 years of oil and gas, our community is still in such a deplorable state? It means we have not had proper representation. Roberts intends to continue working in the community through the group People for Progress of which he is chairman. Among other things, his focus will be on reinstating the defunct Palo Seco Trade School, the Carpenter Shop and Apprenticeship Programme.

To fix crime in this country, focus needs to be on three things: education, employment and equity.
PM: Funding for new corporation buildings

The Prime Minister made the disclosure at the swearing-in ceremony for aldermen of the Diego Martin corporation at Pier One in Chaguaramas.

Rowley told his audience that Finance Minister Colm Imbert has identified funding for the construction of headquarters for both corporations and tenders will be issued shortly.

He recalled being invited to a sod-turning ceremony in 2006 or 2007 by former local government minister Ken Valley (now deceased) for the construction of a new headquarters for the Diego Martin corporation but that building was never built.

Saying the corporation had done well to run its business from two old houses and the people of Diego Martin had been very patient, Rowley was hopeful the corporation would get a new headquarters before the end of its new term of office.

Reinforcing an earlier comment made during the ceremony by Rural Development and Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein that local government reform will become a reality under his administration, the Prime Minister said he envisioned Diego Martin and Siparia being elevated to borough status.

After informing the councillors and aldermen that tax collection within the Diego Martin area will be one of the corporations responsibilities as part of local government reform, Rowley said that in the current economic circumstances facing the country, it was not about how much money one has but how one uses the money that is available. He told them he did not want to hear the word clique and that they are a team charged with the responsibility to deliver goods and services to all the people they represent.

The Prime Minister was also pleased that this corporation was the only one of the 14 local government corporations which is run by women. New chairman Susan Hong said she was ready, willing and able to serve both the Diego Martin region and the country by extension.

Observing there are tough times ahead, Hong urged her fellow councillors and aldermen to stay focused on the job at hand.
Pipeline spills thousands of gallons of crude oil into creek, just 150 miles from DAPL

A North Dakota pipeline spill has released many tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into a nearby creek, just two and a half hours away from Cannon Ball, ND, where activists have been protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline for months.

Members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, their allies and environmentalists from around the country, have been speaking out against the pipeline. They have rallied together to fight against it on the grounds that it crosses under a lake that provides drinking water to Native Americans. Activists maintain that routing the pipeline under Lake Oahe puts the water source in jeopardy and could destroy sacred land. This latest incident is surely not going to inspire any confidence among the pipelines detractors.

Officials from the state of North Dakota say that an estimated 176,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from the Belle Fourche pipeline and into Ash Coulee Creek. Bill Suess, a state environmental scientist, says the spill was discovered near the city of Belfield on December 5 by a landowner. Belfield is approximately 150 miles from the core of the Dakota Access Pipeline protest camps.

Wendy Owen, a spokeswoman for Casper, Wyoming-based True Companies, which operates the Belle Fourche pipeline, told CNBC that they had the spill contained within just a matter of hours. Owen also told the Associated Press that it was not yet clear why the electronic monitoring equipment failed to detect the spill.

Owen says that the pipeline was shut down as soon as the spill was discovered, and suggested that their current number-one theory is that the hillside sloughed and inevitably caused the pipeline to rupture. She notes that there are several other plausible theories and that the investigation is still ongoing.

The spill has contaminated 5.4 miles of land surrounding Ash Coulee Creek, but Suess says that it does not appear that the spill reached the Little Missouri River. Of the approximately 4,200 barrels of oil spilled, only about 983 barrels (or 41,286 gallons) had been recovered as of Monday. In other words, theyve still got a lot of cleaning up to do.

Following the death of two cows, crews have been assisting in moving cattle away from the contaminated creek and have been trucking in clean water. Wendy Owens noted that both privately owned land and land owned by the US National Forest Service was affected by the spill.

Sixty clean-up workers were on-site cleaning up the disaster on Monday. According to Suess, they are cleaning up about 100 yards of land per day. While the creek was free-flowing when the spill was discovered, it has since frozen over. Oil remains trapped in the frozen creek.

When the spill started, and how long it went on for before being discovered, are not yet known. Kevin Connors, pipelines program supervisor for the North Dakota Oil and Gas Division, maintains that the pipeline, which was built sometime in the 1980s, was outfitted with pressure gauges and meters to monitor for leaks. It appears that there was some kind of failure in the monitoring system, as the leak went unnoticed until being discovered by the landowner. According to Connors, the company does aerial inspections twice a month.

True Companies reportedly operates at least three pipeline companies in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming. The company has a history of spills. Just last year, in January 2015, one of their pipelines broke and spilled 30,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River. The spill temporarily shut down the water supply for the downstream community of Glendive, Montana, after oil was detected in the towns water treatment system.

In just 10 years, the subsidiaries of True Companies have reported a staggering 36 oil spills that add up to 320,000 gallons of product released. Most of it was never recovered. If we were to average this, that means the company spills between 8,000 and 10,667 gallons of oil every three to four months.

Sources:

CNBC.com

TwinCities.com

Submit a correction >>
Indo-Russian Bilateral Naval Exercise (Indra Navy) 9th edition begins

Delhi, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 NI Wire

The Indian Navy and the Russian Navy bilateral maritime exercise, which will be the 9th edition of INDRA NAVY, has just began to develop more security operations and understanding about it between these two countries. The scope of the exercise includes wide-ranging professional interactions in harbor phase and a diverse canvas of operational activities across a spectrum of maritime operations at sea.

The 9th edition of exercise INDRA NAVY, an annual bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Russian Navy will be conducted in the Bay of Bengal from 14 to 21 December 2016. The primary aim of exercise INDRA NAVY-16 is to increase inter-operability amongst the two navies and develop common understanding and procedures for maritime security operations.

INDRA NAVY is a bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian and Russian navies and epitomizes the strategic relationship between the two countries. Initiated in 2003, the exercise has matured over the years with increase in scope, complexity of operations and level of participation.

During exercise INDRA NAVY-16, INS Ranvir, a guided missile destroyer, INS Satpura an indigenous frigate and INS Kamorta an indigenous Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) corvette will represent the Indian Navy. In addition, an IN submarine, P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Dornier Short Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer and other integral rotary wing helicopters are scheduled to participate in the bilateral exercise.

Rear Admiral Eduard Mikhalov, Deputi Chief of Flotilla, Pacific Fleet and ships from the Pacific Fleet, based at Vladivostok will represent the Russian Federation Navy (RuFN). RuFN ships Admiral Tributus (cruiser) and Boris Butoma (fleet tanker) are expected to arrive at Visakhapatnam on 14 December 2016 to participate in exercise INDRA NAVY-16.

The exercise will be progressed in two phases viz. the Harbour Phase (14 to 18 December 2016) at Visakhapatnam and the Sea Phase (19 to 21 December 2016) off Visakhapatnam.

The first phase, the Harbour Phase would encompass table-top exercises, planning conferences, and professional interactions prior progressing to sea. The thrust of exercises at sea this year would be on ASW, Air Defence Drills, Surface Firings, visit Board Search ans Seizure (VBSS) and Tactical procedures.

The joint bilateral maritime exercise INDRA NAVY-16 will help to further strengthen mutual confidence and inter-operability, and also enable sharing of best practices between both navies.

The exercise will be another milestone in strengthening maritime security cooperation between the two navies and will also serve to reinforce the long-standing bond of friendship between the two countries.

--source PIB
Trump celebrates Wisconsin recount, makes peace with Paul Ryan

United States,Politics, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Washington, Dec 14 (IANS) US President-elect has celebrated the result of the recount in Wisconsin state, which widened his lead over his Democrat presidential rival Hillary Clinton, and made peace with House of Representatives Chairman Paul Ryan with whom he had clashed during the presidential campaign.

Paul Ryan "is like a fine wine. Every day goes by, I get to appreciate his genius more and more now", EFE news quoted Trump as saying during a Thank You rally in Wisconsin on Tuesday.

However, relations between Trump and Ryan softened only after the New York business tycoon won the White House election on November 8, as both had exchanged multiple reproaches and criticism during the campaign.

Ryan was one of the main opponents of Trump and tried to prevent his election during the primaries and although both sealed a delicate truce, the Congressman broke it after repeated scandals implicating Trump were exposed during the polls.

Besides making peace with one of his most vocal enemies, Trump also took advantage of his visit to Wisconsin to celebrate the results of the recount in that state.

The Electoral Commission said Trump won 1,405,284 votes (844 more than the initial count) while Clinton won 1,382,536 (713 more than the first count), taking the difference between the two to 22,748 votes in favour of the Republican with 131 additional votes.

"After all of this money was spent -- by the Democrats, believe me, they were behind it -- OK? And the Green Party. Wonderful party (...) All that money. All that time. All that effort, we got 131 votes than we had before," said Trump in a taunt to the Opposition.

Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania were three of the states in which Trump won against all odds and the Green Party pushed for recounts due to reports that voting machines in some counties may have suffered a computer attack.

"I will never forget you, and I will never ever stop fighting for you," Trump told the audience.

Trump on Tuesday also spoke about his decision to appoint Exxon Mobil head Rex Tillerson as the next Secretary of State.

The nomination of Tillerson, 64, head of the largest oil company in the country, first needs to be ratified by the Senate, a process that is expected to be complicated owing to Tillerson's international ties especially with Russia.

Several Republican senators have expressed reservations about Tillerson's years of work in Russia and the Middle East on behalf of the multinational, although some softened their stance once the announcement was made official.

All this comes amid growing pressure from legislators and members of the Electoral College to explain Russian interference in the elections, denounced by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Like others in the new Trump team, the ExxonMobil CEO lacks experience in government jobs, but is expected to apply his experience in the business world (having worked extensively around the world to extend the interests of the oil company) to the field of diplomacy.

Trump will continue with his thank you tour in Pennsylvania on Thursday with stops in Florida and Alabama on Friday and Saturday.

--IANS

py/vm
Bangladesh pays tribute to intellectuals martyred in 1971

Bangladesh,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics,Human Interest/Society, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Dhaka, Dec 14 (IANS) President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid tribute on Wednesday to the intellectuals killed on December 14, 1971, two days before the War Liberation ended in the creation of Bangladesh as an independent nation.

Hasina and Hamid placed wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals' Mausoleum here and stood in silence for two minutes to mark Martyred Intellectuals Day.

Both leaders spoke to freedom fighters and family members of the martyred intellectuals gathered here.

A contingent of Bangladesh Armed Forces presented a state salute, while a bugler played the Last Post, the Daily Star reported.

Members of the cabinet, mayors of city corporations, chiefs of the three Armed Services, as well as civil and military officials were present.

Flanked by leaders of her Bangladesh Awami League party, Hasina laid another wreath as the party chief.

She later went to Dhanmondi here and placed a wreath at the portrait of her father who is also the Father of the Nation, 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.

On the night of December 14 in 1971, over 200 intellectuals including professors, journalists, doctors, artistes, engineers, and writers were abducted by the Pakistani occupation forces.

They were taken to torture cells in different parts of the city and executed en masse at various killing fields, most notably Rayerbazar and Mirpur.

Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistani occupation on December 16, 1971.

--IANS

sm/in/vm
Modi 'personally' involved in corruption: Rahul

Delhi,National,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was himself involved in graft. He said he wanted to reveal it in Parliament but was prevented by the ruling majority from speaking there.

"I have personal information regarding corruption involving the Prime Minister. If I will speak, his balloon will burst. He is scared. Modi is personally terrified with the information I have," Gandhi said.

"It is personal corruption of the Prime Minister. Thus, they (the government) are not allowing me to speak in Parliament," Gandhi added.

The Congress leader was speaking to reporters after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day. Leaders of other opposition parties were also at the media conference.

--IANS

spk-sar/in
PM involved in corruption, I have personal information: Rahul

Delhi, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 NI Wire

After the announcement of demonetisation by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the opposition members were continuously hitting over him and accused him to be involved in corruption. The Opposition strongly protested against the governments decision of demonetisation and called it the biggest scam of the year. Rahul Gandhi alleged today that Modi also personally involved in corruption.

The Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was himself involved in graft. He also said that he wanted to reveal it in Parliament but was prevented by the ruling majority from speaking there.

Congress leader said, "I have personal information regarding corruption involving the Prime Minister. If I will speak, his balloon will burst. He is scared. Modi is personally terrified with the information I have." He then added, "It is personal corruption of the Prime Minister. Thus, they (the government) are not allowing me to speak in Parliament,"

After the adjournment of the Lok Sabha, while interacting with media the Congress leader accused Modi. The senior leaders of other opposition parties were also present after the house was adjourned/

The opposition members created ruckus over the demonetisation issue and raised Rijijus controversy in the house due to which the Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the house.

Earlier, the former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram also termed demonetisation as the biggest scam of the year. Chidambaram also demanded for probe. He blamed Modis government that cashless economy issue is just taken to justify the demonetisation move.

--with agency inputs
Modi 'personally' involved in corruption: Rahul

Delhi,National,Politics, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was himself involved in graft. He said he wanted to reveal it in Parliament but was prevented by the ruling majority from speaking there.

"I have personal information regarding corruption involving the Prime Minister. If I will speak, his balloon will burst. He is scared. Modi is personally terrified with the information I have," Gandhi said.

"It is personal corruption of the Prime Minister. Thus, they (the government) are not allowing me to speak in Parliament," Gandhi added.

The Congress leader was speaking to reporters after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day. Leaders of other opposition parties were also at the media conference.

Gandhi said he wanted to reveal the "information" in the Lok Sabha as he was the chosen representative of the people.

"Let us speak in Lok Sabha, we will reveal everything," Gandhi said.

He blamed the government for not allowing discussion in Parliament as they were scared of the "information" Gandhi carried.

"Treasury benches (the government) is not allowing discussion. Generally, opposition does that. For the first time, we are seeing that opposition is sitting and the government is not allowing the discussion.

The government and the Prime Minister did not want the opposition to present their views in Parliament, Gandhi said.

"Prime Minister should stop making excuses and come to the house. He should allow all of us to speak. Let the country decide if the opposition is speaking truth or the Prime Minister," he added.

Gandhi said that the country deserved an explanation from the Prime Minister since the demonetisation affected the people.

"He (PM) has taken a decision against poor people of the country. He has destroyed millions of lives. It is his personal decision. He is answerable.

"He cannot keep running away from the house. He cannot run away to pop concerts, to public meetings. It is democracy, so he owes us an explanation. He should speak in the house," Gandhi said.

He has also requested the Speaker to allow the opposition to speak in the house.

"We have asked the Speaker that you can dispense all rules just to allow opposition to speak. It is our right. Later, let Prime Minister take whatever time he wants to talk.

"Why is he not coming to the house? Why are we not being allowed to speak?" Gandhi said.

--IANS

spk-sar/in/bg
Lok Sabha disrupted, adjourned for the day

Delhi,National,Politics, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) The Lok Sabha witnessed a shouting match between the ruling and opposition parties on Wednesday, with Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge getting angry at Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

Members from the treasury benches began shouting as Kharge tried to speak in the house, while opposition members drowned Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar's comments in the noise.

The house witnessed a disruption soon after it met. Within minutes of assembling at 11 a.m., the Lok Sabha was adjourned till noon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the house at 11 a.m.

When the Lok Sabha met at noon, opposition members were already on their feet protesting.

Amid the din, Mahajan allowed the introduction of a bill, and then Biju Janata Dal leader Bhartruhari Mahtab spoke on the arrest of former Air Force Chief S.P. Tyagi.

Soon after, Kharge stood to speak but the Speaker said the Congress members near the podium should go to their seats first.

Meanwhile, members in the treasury benches stood on their seats and shouted "no" as Kharge tried to speak.

An angry Kharge appeared to be shouting at the Speaker saying "how did you allow the BJD to talk."

Mahajan then said that none of the BJD members were standing near the Speaker's podium when Mahtab was allowed to speak.

Ananth Kumar called it an "unfortunate day" but the Opposition also shouted at him.

"This is a very sad day, leader of the Opposition is challenging the Speaker. This is very unfortunate," the minister said.

He said the government was ready for a debate, and further accused the Congress of acting as a "commission agent". It led to a huge uproar from opposition members.

As opposition members shouted slogans against the government, the Speaker adjourned the house for the day.

--IANS

ao/py/bg
Quake-detecting mobile app captures nearly 400 temblors

United States,Science/Tech,Technology,Environment/Wildlife, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

New York, Dec 14 (IANS) An earthquake detecting mobile application released by the University of California at Berkeley earlier this year has so far captured 400 temblors worldwide, researchers said.

The Android app, named MyShake, harnesses a smartphone's motion detectors to measure earthquake ground motion, then sends that data back to the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory for analysis.

The eventual goal is to send early-warning alerts to users a bit farther from Ground Zero, giving them seconds to a minute of warning that the ground will start shaking -- enough time to take cover or switch off equipment that might be damaged in a quake.

MyShake users around the world have detected 395 earthquakes with confirmed waveforms between February 12, 2016 -- the release date of the app -- and December 1, 2016, the researcher said in a university statement on Wednesday.

To date, nearly 220,000 people have downloaded the app, and at any one time, between 8,000 and 10,000 phones are active -- turned on, lying on a horizontal surface and connected to a wi-fi network -- and thus primed to respond, they added.

Ten months of operation clearly show that the sensitivity of the smartphone accelerometers and the density of phones in many places are sufficient to provide data quickly enough for early warning.

The phones readily detect the first seismic waves to arrive -- the less destructive P waves -- and send the information to Berkeley in time to issue an alert that the stronger S wave will soon arrive.

"We already have the algorithm to detect the earthquakes running on our server, but we have to make sure it is accurate and stable before we can start issuing warnings, which we hope to do in the near future," said Qingkai Kong from the University of California, Berkeley.

The app can detect quakes as small as magnitude 2.5, with the best sensitivity in areas with a greater density of phones.

The largest quake detected so far occurred on April 16 in Ecuador -- a 7.8 magnitude quake that triggered two phones, 170 and 200 kilometres from the epicentre.

The findings are scheduled to be presented on Wednesday, during an annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.

--IANS

gb/dg
Aleppo battle ends, but rebel evacuation delayed

Syrian Arab Republic,Defence/Security,Terrorism,Diplomacy, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Aleppo, Dec 14 (IANS) The evacuation of rebel fighters from eastern Aleppo -- as part of a ceasefire deal between rebels and the Syrian government which marked the end of the nearly five-year battle for the city -- has been delayed, media reports said on Wednesday.

Government buses that were standing by for the evacuation, slated to begin at 5 a.m. local time, were still awaiting the rebels, reportedly because the Syrian government has demanded simultaneous evacuation of its own injured fighters from nearby towns encircled by opposition forces, BBC reported.

The ceasefire was declared in Aleppo on Tuesday.

However, activists and civilians told the BBC that parts of eastern Aleppo were shelled again on Wednesday morning, with Syrian ally Russia says the Syrian army resumed firing after the rebels broke the truce.

Eastern Aleppo has been under rebel-control since 2012, but they have been cornered in a small area of the city in recent months by a major government offensive, backed by Russian air power, the report said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he expected "that the rebels will stop their resistance in the next two to three days".

Under the evacuation deal, brokered by Turkey and Russia, civilians and rebels from eastern Aleppo were to be evacuated to rebel-held areas in northern Syria.

The battle for Aleppo, the worst of a civil war that has drawn in global and regional powers like US, Russia, Turkey and Iran, has ended with victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his military coalition and Shia militias.

Meanwhile, horrific images surfacing on social media show the city's once-grand Umayyad Mosque, also known as the "Great Grand Mosque", in ruins. Several of the walls surrounding the Unesco-listed building have been razed to ground.

For rebels, their expected departure for opposition-held regions, west of the city, was a big blow to their hopes of ousting Assad after revolting against him during the 2011 Arab uprisings.

The war, however, is far from over, with insurgents retaining their rural strongholds of Idlib province to the southwest of Aleppo, and the Islamic State holding swathes of the east and recapturing Palmyra this week, media reports said.

On Tuesday, Syrian forces were accused of "massacring 82 civilians in their homes" during "the century's worst humanitarian tragedy". It came as harrowing photos emerged of dead children amid claims of a new chemical attack in a village in Syria's Uqayribat district, according to the Daily Mail.

Aleppo citizens have posted harrowing "death bulletins" on various social media platforms pleading for help from the outside world as Syrian government forces swept through the city.

Terrified residents filmed themselves, describing their plight in the besieged city with one doctor calling the situation "apocalyptic" and another saying: "This may be my last video."

The turnaround in the government's fortunes came after decisive support from its allies Iran and Russia, which has waged a bombing campaign in support of Assad since September last year.

--IANS

ahm/soni/sac/dg
Retail, manufacturing enterprises fast adopting Microsoft 'Dynamics 365'

Delhi,Business/Economy,Technology, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) New-age enterprises in the retail, e-commerce, Banking, Financial services and Insurance (BFSI) and manufacturing sectors in India are adopting "Dynamics 365" platform to transform their enterprises with intelligent applications, Microsoft said on Wednesday.

"Dynamics 365", unveiled globally in October this year, is a Cloud-based suite of applications that integrates customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) capabilities to provide advanced data analytics, machine learning and intelligence to companies.

It is now being delivered as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform from local data centres to the Indian elterprises.

"With 'Dynamics 365', we now bring the combined power of CRM and ERP on a secure and flexible local cloud platform. Our retail, BFSI and manufacturing customers now don't need to invest in expensive and time consuming deployments to start their digital transformation," said Peter Gartenberg, General Manager, Enterprise Business, Microsoft India, in a statement.

Organisations from across the industry sectors are using Dynamics CRM like Max Healthcare, Yes Bank, Reliance Life Insurance Company, SOTC, VLCC, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Annik, Mastek and others.

"In the retail sector, 'Microsoft Dynamics' is used by 55 Retail and DMS customers serving 74 retail brands, empowering 14,000 outlets, enabling 25,000 users in India," Microsoft said.

--IANS

vc/na/dg
Karnataka Excise Minister resigns over sleaze tape

Karnataka,National,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

null

Bengaluru, Dec 14 (IANS) In an embarrassment to the ruling Congress, Karnataka's 70-year-old Excise Minister H.Y. Meti resigned here on Wednesday after a sleaze tape showing him having sex with a woman surfaced and news channels began airing it, said an official.

"Meti called on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his official residence here and submitted his resignation letter. It will be sent to the Governor soon for acceptance," an official from the Chief Minister's Office told IANS.

Siddaramaiah later in a tweet said that he had recommended to the Governor (Vajubhai Vala) to accept the minister's resignation at the earliest. "I have also ordered a probe into the incident."

Walking out of the Chief Minister's residence, a defiant Meti however denied indulging in any obscene activity.

He alleged that there was a conspiracy to tarnish his image through a fake sleaze tape from a CD (compact disc).

"I have resigned but I am innocent. An official investigation will prove my innocence," Meti told the media here.

Meti is seen in a compromising position with a young woman in the tape, of which around four minutes of footage has been aired so far.

"As the location, when the CD was shot and by whom is not known, the inquiry will bring out the facts," the official said.

Meti is a lawmaker of the ruling party from Bagalkot district, about 410 km from here, and belongs to the Kurba (shephard) community. Siddaramaiah also belongs to the same community.

According to party sources, T. Rajashekar, a Right to Information activist from Ballari district, about 330 km from here, claimed having evidence of Meti seeking sexual favours from a woman who approached him for a government job.

--IANS

fb/py/bg

null
Russia influenced Brexit vote, claims British MP

United Kingdom,Politics, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

London, Dec 14 (IANS) A British Labour MP has claimed it is "highly probable" that Vladimir Putin's Russia interfered in the June 23 Brexit vote, media reported on Wednesday.

Ben Bradshaw said Moscow's likely interference in the vote would fit a pattern of meddling in other nations' affairs, following the CIA's accusation that Russian hackers tried to influence the recent US elections.

"I don't think we have even begun to wake up to what Russia is doing when it comes to cyber warfare," the Independent quoted Bradshaw as saying on Tuesday.

Bradshaw also pointed to French elections where Marine Le Pen's National Front party asked Russia for a loan to help it fight presidential and parliamentary campaigns in 2017.

"When will we realise that Russia's strategy is to weaken and divide the free world... When will we admit that what Putin can not achieve militarily, he is already achieving using cyber and propaganda warfare," he said.

However, a Downing Street spokesman said he had not seen any evidence of Russian interference in the EU referendum.

--IANS

soni/ahm/dg
Modi 'personally' involved in corruption: Rahul

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of personal involvement in graft and said he wanted to reveal it in Parliament but was prevented by the treasury benches from speaking.

"I have personal information regarding corruption involving the Prime Minister. If I speak, his balloon will burst. He is scared. Modi is personally terrified with the information I have," Gandhi told the media after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day.

Leaders of other opposition parties were also present at the media conference with him.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, however, dismissed the Congress' allegations and said the party had run out of issues.

Rijiju said: "The Congress has been exposed; they have no issues left. The government wants a debate on demonetisation. If the debate takes place, the Congress' reality will be out."

Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said: "Why is the Congress and Rahul (Gandhi) ji not allowing the house to function and have a proper debate on demonetisation issue for the last 15 days?"

Gandhi said: "It is personal corruption of the Prime Minister. The government is scared of the information I have. Thus, they (the government) are not allowing me to speak in Parliament."

The Congress leader said he wanted to reveal the information in the Lok Sabha as he was the chosen representative of the people.

"Let us speak in the Lok Sabha; we will reveal everything," Gandhi said.

"Treasury benches (the government) are not allowing discussion. Generally, the opposition does that. For the first time, we are seeing that the opposition is sitting and the government is not allowing the discussion."

"The government and the Prime Minister do not want the opposition to present their views in Parliament," Gandhi said.

"The Prime Minister should stop making excuses and come to the house. He should allow all of us to speak. Let the country decide if the opposition is speaking the truth or the Prime Minister," he added.

Gandhi said the country deserved an explanation from Modi since the November 8 demonetisation had adversely affected the people across India.

"He (Modi) has taken a decision against the poor of the country. He has destroyed millions of lives. It is his personal decision. He is answerable."

"He cannot keep running away from the house. He cannot run away to pop concerts, to public meetings. It is a democracy -- so he owes us an explanation. He should speak in the house," Gandhi said.

The Congress Vice-President also urged Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to allow the opposition to speak in the lower house of Parliament.

"We have asked the Speaker to dispense with all rules just to allow the opposition to speak. It is our right. Later, let the Prime Minister take whatever time he wants to talk."

"Why is he not coming to the house? Why are we not being allowed to speak?" Gandhi said.

Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who accompanied Gandhi, said the entire Parliamentary system is facing a "threat" as the government is not allowing the house to function smoothly and allow the opposition to speak.

"We cannot understand why there is so much arrogance on the government's part. The opposition's voice is going to be gagged. The parliamentary democratic system is now under threat only to ensure that Rahul Gandhi is not allowed to speak," he said.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader P. Karunakaran said 16 opposition parties were together on demonetisation and wanted a discussion on the issue which, he claimed, is being scuttled by the government.

"The government is not willing to answer questions. The Prime Minister is accountable to Parliament, but has not come to the Lok Sabha. It is very clear they are not ready to answer the questions raised (by the opposition). The Prime Minister is running away from Parliament, which means he is running away from people," the CPI-M leader said.

Nationalist Congress Party leader Tariq Anwer said this is the first time that such an atmosphere has been created where the opposition is not allowed to speak.

"It is a conspiracy by the government. The entire opposition is united. What is the government fearing? We are all united. Allow us to speak," he said.

--IANS

ao/tsb/vt
Rajya Sabha adjourned for day amidst pandemonium

Delhi,National,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Wednesday as the treasury benches and opposition members clashed over alleged corruption charges against Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju during the post-lunch sitting.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley challenged the opposition to debate the issue as he said the allegations were false.

Soon after the house passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, Deputy Leader of Opposition Anand Sharma under Rule 267 of the house raised the issue of alleged corruption in a hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh.

At this, the treasury benches started making noise and some of the members stood up.

The opposition members also stood up and started raising slogans against the government.

However, Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien disallowed Sharma's notice, saying that allegations against a member of the house cannot be raised without prior notice to the Chairman as per Rule 238.

"You cannot suo motu raise it," Kurien told Sharma as he disallowed his notice.

Sharma said he was not making an allegation but "referring to the Chief Vigilance Officer's report which is already in the public domain".

Jaitley then stood up and challenged the Opposition to debate on the same.

"Let him raise it and listen to my reply. The allegations by the Congress party are totally baseless. I dare you to debate on this," Jaitley said.

The opposition members created a hullaballoo, and some of the ruling party members also joined the chorus. Amidst the pandemonium, the Chair adjourned the house for the day.

--IANS

mak/py/vt
LeT commander Abu Bakar gun down by security forces in Sopore

Srinagar, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 NI Wire

The Sopore gunfight between security forces and militants was erupted after a security forces got a tip-off of militants hiding in a building. The security forces after that cordoned off the area and carried out search operations.

The security forces gunned down a top commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Pakistani national Abu Bakar in north Kashmirs Baramulla district. The security forces followed the tip-off about the presence of militants and after that they carried out the operations. No casualties were recorded in this operation.

According to police, security forces launched a massive operation by following specific operation about the presence of LeT north Kashmir Chief Abu Bakar in a house in Bomai area of Sopore.

A senior police officer said, When the security forces closed in on the house where the LeT commander was hiding, they came under heavy gunfire, which was returned and the encounter started. Abu Bakar was killed in this encounter.

He further said, the security forces did not suffer any casualty in this operation. The house being used as a bunker by the hiding militant commander was damaged following heavy firing.

The security forces described the killing of the LeT commander as their major success in the fight against militancy in the Valley. Authorities have suspended mobile phone services in Sopore and some other parts of Baramulla district as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of rumours.

After the surgical strike done by Indian security forces, militants are attacking and holing up in the valley. The security forces continuously searching the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir by carrying out search operations.

--with agency inputs
Indian worker found dead in Nepal

Nepal,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Diaspora, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Kathmandu, Dec 14 (IANS) An Indian nationals body was found by Nepal Police in Dumre village on Wednesday, local media reported.

The deceased was identified as Kshetra Pal, 60, of Aligarh, in Uttar Pradesh, said a police official adding that he had come to Dumre village in Udayapur District of south-eastern Nepal to set up a swing in an ongoing cultural and commercial festival, Dumre Mahotsav.

The body was discovered in front of Dumre Cultural Youth Family building, reported the Himalayan Times.

The body has been sent for autopsy and investigation is on, the police official said.

Dumre is 148 km from Nepal's capital Kathmandu.

--IANS

soni/ahm/dg
Afghan military kills 29 militants

Israel,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Kabul, Dec 14 (IANS) The Afghan National Security Forces have killed 29 militants in 13 of the country's 34 provinces, the Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday.

"In the past 24 hours, the Afghan forces conducted several anti-terrorism operations to clear some of the areas from terrorists and enemies of peace and stability of Afghanistan, killing 29 armed insurgents and injuring four others," the Ministry said in a statement.

Many of the killed were members of Taliban outfit and among the dead were eight fighters of the Islamic State terrorist group, Xinhua news agency reported.

The security forces also confiscated light and heavy ammunition besides defusing one car bomb and eight Improvised Explosive Devices.

--IANS

soni/ahm/dg
Sri Lanka takes urgent measures to avert dengue epidemic

Sri Lanka,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Health/Medicine, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Colombo, Dec 14 (IANS) Sri Lanka is likely to face a dengue epidemic if the number of infected patients continues to rise, health ministry officials here said on Wednesday.

A total of 48,000 people have been infected with dengue so far this year, with 76 deaths reported, compared to the 30,000 infected last year with 54 deaths.

The health ministry said that urgent preventive measures have already been put in place in order to avoid an epidemic.

"The numbers are much higher this year. This is mainly due to the floods in June. We are trying our best to control the situation," Health Ministry officials told Xinhua.

The western province has been the worst hit with 49.48 percent affected. Kalmunai city in the northern province also has been severely affected due to continuous showers.

The Health Ministry is also mulling hiking the penalty imposed on dengue breeding places in order to keep the environment healthy and free from dengue.

--IANS

soni/ahm/dg
Prachi Desai turns down offer for Pakistani ad

Maharashtra,Cinema/Showbiz,Bollywood, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Mumbai, Dec 14 (IANS) Actress Prachi Desai says she turned down an offer to feature in an ad for a Pakistani beauty brand, considering the strained ties between India and Pakistan.

"As of now, I am not taking up any endorsement deals in Pakistan and yes I have turned down the offer since I feel it is not the right time," Prachi said in a statement.

According to a source close to the actress, Prachi was approached by a "Pakistani beauty brand to endorse one of its products".

"But the actor politely turned it down. She has done this keeping in mind the relations India has with our neighbours at this time. She thought it would be inappropriate for her to be signing up for such a thing right now," the source said.

Prachi was last seen onscreen in "Rock On 2"

--IANS

sas/rb/bg
When Rahul speaks, he exposes own party: Javadekar

Delhi,National,Politics, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) Taking a dig at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday said whenever he speaks, his own party gets "exposed" and it "benefits" the BJP.

"Rahulji, we want you to speak in the Lok Sabha, because when you speak, the Congress gets exposed and we are benefited from that," Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.

Javadekar's remarks came soon after the Congress Vice President accused the government of not allowing him and other opposition leaders to speak in the Lok Sabha.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is himself involved in graft. He said he wanted to reveal this in Parliament, but was prevented by the ruling majority from speaking there.

Slamming Gandhi, Javadekar said: "He accuses Modiji of avoiding the house and the debate. But Rahulji, it is you who had remained traceless for 50 days, and not the Prime Minister."

The BJP leader also slammed the opposition parties for protesting the government's November 8 decision to demonetise the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes and said that even after losing power, they are still indulging in corruption.

"When they were in power, they were involved in corruption. All the corruption cases, whether its 2G scam, Commonwealth scam or coal scam -- all happened during their time."

"All these Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were involved (in those scams)," Javdekar alleged.

"And even now, when they are not in power, they are still involved in corruption -- they are now involved in converting black money into white," Javdekar said.

The BJP leader's remarks came a day after a TV channel in a series of stings revealed that many politicians in Delhi-NCR are allegedly laundering cash and converting black money into white at a hefty commission.

Local leaders of various parties, including the Congress, NCP, Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party, and the Janata Dal-United, were caught on camera at their party offices negotiating terms of black money conversion in the sting operations aired by India Today TV channel on Tuesday night.

"They (opposition leaders) are completely exposed now. The stings show they are demanding huge commission to convert black money into white," Javadekar said.

Taking a dig at the opposition parties, he said: "While we are busy in changing the face of the country, they are busy in changing notes."

"Now the people of the country have seen how black money was brought to their parties through the back doors of banks," he added.

Making light of the protest of opposition leaders against the demonetisation decision, Javadekar said: "Their protests (in the name of people's woes) are fake. They are protesting because it has hurt their businesses."

"They must apologise to the nation," he demanded.

The HRD Minister also lashed out at the opposition party leaders for stalling Parliament and accused them of escaping from the debate.

"Today Mallikarjun Kharge was asked to speak in the house, but he remained silent," the BJP leader said. "He remained silent because the Congress is not prepared for debate in the house."

--IANS

aks/bns/nir/vt
From new fiscal, ration supply in Kerala to go hi-tech

Kerala,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 14 (IANS) From the next fiscal (2017-18), the statutory ration supplies in Kerala would turn hi-tech, said a state government official on Wednesday.

Addressing reporters here, Food and Supplies Secretary Minnie Antony said that automation is going forward in a big way and by April 1 next year, ration supplies will be hi-tech.

"Right from the arrival of stocks to the godowns, till the ration reaches the hand of the customer, it can be tracked. Even officials sitting in Delhi can at the click of a mouse find out the stock positions," he said.

The Kerala government is supported by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for the Rs 250 crore project, which began during the previous Oommen Chandy government, to make the 14,000 ration shops in the state turn paperless.

However this modernisation comes at a time, when the statutory ration supplies have been badly hit for the past one month on account of a labour strike and also when the state government was slow to toe the central guidelines that has to be put in place according to the Food Securites Act.

While former Chief Minister Chandy on Wednesday flayed the Pinarayi Vijayan government in not rising to the occasion as this is the first time in the history of the state that statutory rations came to a standstill, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has taken United Democratic Front legislators to Delhi to meet Union Food and Public Distribution Minister, Ram Vilas Paswan.

But the state government hit back.

"The Act was brought out by Chandy's party colleague K.V.Thomas when he was the Union Minister and then he (Chandy) nor the state government under him did anything, now he points fingers at us. We have lifted the stocks and the supplies in a few districts were hit and now things are getting back to normal. The issue with the head load workers have also been sorted out," State Minister for Food and Civil Supplies E. Thilothaman told reporters here.

Under the ration supply, 1.54 crore people get, four kg rice and one kg wheat free of cost, 1.24 crore people get two kg of rice at Rs 2 per kg and 65 lakh people gets a kg of rice at Rs 8.90 and wheat at Rs 6.70.

--IANS

sg/vd
Sri Lanka moves to eliminate child labour

Sri Lanka,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics,Immigration/Law/Rights, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Colombo, Dec 14 (IANS) Sri Lanka's Cabinet on Wednesday approved a national policy to eliminate child labour in the country.

A proposal made by Minister of Labour and Trade Union Relations W. D. J. Seneviratne to adopt and implement the national policy on child labour was approved by the cabinet, Xinhua news agency reported.

The government has said there has been a decrease of 50 percent in use of child labour from 2008-2009 to 2015-2016. It also said the national policy is essential to regain the GSP plus trade concession from the European Union.

Sri Lanka agreed to eliminate child labour at the Global Child Labour Conference in 2010 held at The Hague in the Netherlands.

The National Survey on Child Labour conducted in 1999 estimated just over 900,000 children to be economically active in Sri Lanka.

--IANS

soni/ahm/vt
'Construction equipment revenues to cross Rs 1.5 lakh cr'

Haryana,National,Business/Economy, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Gurugram, Dec 14 (IANS) Builders Association of India President Avinash M. Patil on Wednesday said the Indian construction equipment revenues are expected to cross the $23 billion -- approximately Rs 1.5 lakh crore -- mark.

He said the increase in revenue would be fuelled by demand for construction equipment with the infrastructure investment set to go up.

Patil was speaking at the four-day BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA -- an international trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines and construction vehicle industry-- a organised here from December 12-15.

Besides Indian companies, around three dozen countries including China, Italy, Spain, the US and Germany are participating in the trade fair.

"The trade fair is also supported by associations like the Builders' Association of India (BAI), the Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers' Association (ICEMA), the Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC) and Invest India," he said.

--IANS

pradeep/pgh/dg
Haryana colleges to have free Wi-Fi

Punjab,National,Politics,Technology,Education, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Chandigarh, Dec 14 (IANS) All government colleges in Haryana will be made free Wi-Fi campuses, a Minister said on Wednesday.

Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma said the Department of Higher Education has decided to set up free Reliance Jio Wi-Fi campuses in all the government colleges of the state.

"Reliance Jio would deploy overall infrastructure for deployment of Wi-Fi or small cells in all the government colleges free of cost," the Minister said.

"As part of the introductory offer for all government colleges, Reliance Jio would give 20 MB free usage per day per user for all students and staff for one year. Reliance Jio would also block all objectionable websites as per Government of India directions," Sharma said.

He said that all the principals of government colleges have been directed to provide suitable space and security for Wi-Fi or small cell and other relevant network equipment. They would also provide power supply for the equipment.

Reliance Jio would pay the electricity bills so generated, Sharma added.

--IANS

js/vgu/dg
RBI should give details of notes supply to banks dail basis: Bank staff unions

West Bengal,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Kolkata, Dec 14 (IANS) Ahead of Reserve Bank of India's board meet on Thursday, All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) and Bengal Provincial Bank Employees' Association (BPBEA) on Wednesday demanded that the apex bank should announce the details of notes supplied to respective banks publicly on a daily basis.

They staged a protest demonstration against demonetisation in front of RBI's regional office in the city and submitted a memorandum to Regional Director here.

RBI governor Urjit Patel will attend the central board meet.

"RBI should 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," said AIBOA's West Bengal State Committee General Secretary Samir Banerjee.

"If RBI is not able to supply adequate cash to banks, then decision should be taken to suspend cash transactions in the bank branches till sufficient cash is supplied to banks," he said.

He said it is observed that more than 70 percent of the ATMs in the country are not working or do not have cash to dispense.

"All ATMs should be enabled to function immediately and RBI should take steps to supply adequate cash to all banks," said BPBEA General Secretary Rajen Nagar.

The banks' staff unions also asked that if the RBI has supplied enough cash to banks, then why the present ceiling of Rs 24,000 withdrawal per account per week continuing.

Further, the unions said banks are yet to get adequate quantity of Rs 500 currency notes and customers are reluctant and refusing to accept Rs 2,000 notes since they are not able to exchange the same in the market.

"Rs 100 notes that are being supplied by RBI are soiled, withdrawn notes and customers are not accepting the same," Banerjee added.

--IANS

bdc/vd
HMD Global Makes Debut in the Market with New Nokia 150

New Delhi, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 NI Wire

The new Nokia feature phones were unveiled in the market by the Finnish company HMD Global today. The basic models with no internet-access capability are named Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual-SIM.

The launch has marked the comeback of the Nokia phones and is expected to get a positive response, given the promise of quality, innovation and experience given by the new makers. The phones launched by the start-up, headquartered in Finland, are priced at $26 which comes to INR 1760 roughly.

HMD Global Oy, entering the market as the new home of Nokia phones, aspires to provide a refreshing change to the portfolio of the brand, which was once a dominant player in the mobile phone market. It should be noted that Nokia was a leader among the mobile phone brands, which gave up its dominance during the shift to Smartphones phenomenon and sold its rights to Microsoft in 2014. It retained the rights of telecom network equipment though. Again, in May 2006, HMD bought a part of Microsoft feature phone business as Microsoft found it difficult to compete against the Smartphones of brands like Samsung and Apple. HMD has also signed a licensing agreement with Nokia for using the brand to launch handsets and tablets for the next ten years.

Talking about the specifications of the Nokia 150 handsets, both of them have a 2.4-inch display and with easy to use keypads. The user interface will give a familiar feeling to the users and a 32 GB microSD card support would give ample storage option to them. Moreover, the body of the phones sport a scratch-resistant colour and are built with polycarbonate shells for lending toughness.

Both the devices come with LED Flash supported VGA camera and Bluetooth feature. Added to that, there is a LED torchlight function in the phone to aid in the darkness. The classic Snake Xenzia and trial version of Gamelofts Nitro Racing has also been capacitated in the models.

The most attractive feature of Nokia 150 handsets is their extraordinary battery life. As per HMD, the standby time is up to 32 days in Nokia 150 and up to 25 days in Nokia 150 Dual-SIM and talk time mode lasts for about 22 hours. With such an outstanding battery life, the consumers would get rid of the hassle of charging phones very frequently.

The company already has its hold in the market of basic phones and it has significant presence in Europe, America, Asia, Middle-East and Africa. The new phones by HMD will accordingly be sold IMEA, APAC and European countries initially, at least till the first quarter of 2017.

In a press release, earlier this month, Florian Seiche, the President of HMD Global had stated "We believe that the time is right for renewal in the mobile industry. He added, The market is fatigued and flooded with undifferentiated products. Consumers are looking for technology with clear purpose that is useful, exciting and with a brand they can trust, so our approach will focus on true, core user experiences and a dedication to quality."

The CEO of HMD Global Arto Numella said, "Today marks a happy and important day for HMD. Nokia has been one of the most iconic and recognisable phone brands globally for decades. 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." The CEO further inserted, "Driven by the extremely positive reception we have received since HMD was announced earlier this year, we are excited about building the next chapter for Nokia phones. 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 talented and passionate team is uniquely placed in this modern setup to deliver our promise of reliable, beautifully crafted and fun Nokia phones for consumers across the globe."
Haryana to monitor funding to schools through web-based technology

Punjab,National,Business/Economy,Education, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Chandigarh, Dec 14 (IANS) Funds released to schools and other institutions in Haryana for various projects will now be monitored through a web-based technology, state Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma said on Wednesday.

"The Haryana government has developed School Building Work Management System (SBWMS), a web based solution for monitoring of funds released to schools and institutions. The system is designed to track the financial progress of all the construction activities in the schools and institutions starting from sanction of the funds till completion of building and submission of utilisation certificate," he said.

Observing several grants were being issued to the different schools and institutions by Director Secondary Education, Director Elementary Education, the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan as well as by other agencies like MPLAD scheme, District Plan Scheme, Women and Child Development Department and other agencies, he said it was difficult to keep an eye over all the grants from the headquarters.

The SBWMS will provide an automated and transparent interface for civil work-related financial activities and reduce the time span in sanction allocations and seeking utilisation of funds released for civil works.

"The system has been developed to maintain transparency in the expenditure on the civil work, doing away the needs to visit the office of the directorate, sanctioning of amount or utilisation certificates for different civil works, and fair and transparent decision making process of civil works related activities," said Sharma.

--IANS

js/vd
'India, Afghanistan priority for new Pakistan Army chief'

Pakistan,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Defence/Security,Diplomacy, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Islamabad, Dec 14 (IANS) Tackling India and Afghanistan and their new-found bonhomie will be a priority for Pakistan Army's new chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, according to an influential daily here.

The News International in its editorial on Wednesday said Gen Bajwa has stamped his authority on the world's sixth largest army by carrying out a major reshuffle. The most significant change was the replacement of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief.

The spy agency heads usually serve for three years. But Lt. Gen. Rizwan Akhtar was replaced only two years into his tenure.

The appointment of Lt. Gen. Naveed Mukhtar, who previously headed the counter-terrorism wing of the spy agency, as new ISI chief signals that "India and Afghanistan will be a priority of the new army chief", the daily said.

The newspaper cited a research paper written by Lt. Gen. Mukhtar when he was studying at the US Army War College five years ago. The officer had written on Pakistan's policy in Afghanistan and recommended reconciliation with "moderate" Taliban.

The newspaper said Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US were committed to peace talks with the Taliban. However, it blamed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani for trying to find a "scapegoat" in Pakistan whenever there was a militant attack.

Mukhtar's warning that Pakistan would need to "guard against India using Afghanistan as a proxy also seems to be coming to pass", it said.

Most recently, at the Heart of Asia Conference in Amritsar, India, it was clear that Afghanistan has "joined India in trying to blame Pakistan for all its problems and to isolate it internationally", the daily said.

--IANS

ahm/sar/vt
Meeting with Bengal CM delightful and terrific: US envoy

West Bengal,National,Diplomacy,Business/Economy, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Kolkata, Dec 14 (IANS) Describing his meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as "terrific" and "delightful", US Ambassador to India Richard Verma on Wednesday said his country was looking at linkages in several sectors like polytechnics which were growing in this part of India.

"I had a delightful, terrific meeting with the Chief Minister. I updated her on issues of bilateral relations between the two contries as also on the ongoing Indo-Asia Connectivity for Shared Prosperity conference," Verma told media persons.

"Obviously, we are looking at developing linkages. We would want US investments. We had detailed discussions on all kinds of issues," he said.

Sources in the Chief Minister's Office said Banerjee invited Verma to the Bengal Global Business Summit slated to be held on January 20-21 next year.

--IANS

ssp/vd
Stop making false promises on statehood: Bodos tell Centre

Delhi,National,Immigration/Law/Rights,Politics, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) The Bodo community members of Assam on Wednesday urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments at the Centre and in the state to stop making false promises on the separate statehood demand.

Over 5,000 Bodo community members here on Wednesday ended their three-day-long agitation demanding separate statehood.

"The political demand would remain unresolved even if the armed struggle is resolved from the point of law and order situation and recurrence of armed struggle will resume one day or other. Therefore, the attitude of the central government in regards to objective of the genesis of the armed struggle should change," said All Assam Student's Union (ABSU) President Pramod Bodo.

The agitation was organised under the banner of ABSU, National Democratic Front of Bodo (Progressive) and People Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement (PJACBM).

The three organisations -- which are the main force behind the Bodoland demand -- also said they would intensify their agitation through indefinite rail and road blockades in several parts of Assam and mass hunger strikes.

"The armed struggle germinated and flared up on the political issue. It is the political problem and should be resolved politically," Pramod Bodo said.

"There will be no permanent solution if the central government makes an attempt to resolve it as mere a law and order problem," he added.

On Tuesday, the protestors, who held a rally from Ramlila Maidan to Parliament Street in the national capital, also submitted a memorandum of demands to the Prime Minister's Office.

"The government created Telangana but now it has started rejecting all those reasons for creating new states just to deny many aspirants for new state," said a memorandum submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Office.

"The present NDA government is seen to be trying to befool the people by offering economic development as an option to solve political problem," the memorandum said.

The Bodo community also demanded the Prime Minister should ensure political rights of the Bodos living outside the proposed Bodoland area.

The Bodos -- Assam's largest tribal community -- currently have Bodo Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) comprising of Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Chirang in Assam.

Currently, two factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland -- NDFB(P) led by Gobinda Basumatary, and NDFB led by Ranjan Daimary -- are holding peace talks with the central government, while NDFB(S) led by Songibijit I.K. is opposed to holding talks with the government under the constitutional framework.

The Songibijit faction was responsible for the recent killing of 14 civilians in an attack in Assam's Kokrajhar in August this year, which also left 20 people injured.

--IANS

rup/pgh/dg
'Read my lips': Rahul says PM Modi is corrupt (Roundup)

Delhi,National,Politics, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) After threatening an earth-shattering disclosure on demonetisation earlier, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he wanted to expose Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal complicity in corruption but "a terrified government" didn't let him speak in Parliament.

Though the Prime Minister and his office didn't react to the remarks, the government dismissed the "baseless allegations" as a "sign of desperation" by the Congress.

Gandhi didn't make the proof public. He insisted he wanted to explode the bombshell in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing winter session that has been almost completely washed away in opposition protests against the government's November 8 move to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to combat corruption and black money.

"Read my lips. The Prime Minister is personally terrified with the information that I have. I have information on the personal corruption of the Prime Minister," Gandhi told reporters after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day without conducting any business -- the way it has been since the session began on November 16. The session ends on this Friday.

"If I speak, his (Modi's) balloon will burst. He is scared. The government is scared of the information I have. Thus, they (the government) are not allowing me to speak in Parliament. Let us speak in the Lok Sabha. We will reveal everything."

The Gandhi scion also dubbed demonetisation as Modi's "personal decision ... taken against the poor of the country (that) has destroyed millions of lives".

The Congress leader was joined by other opposition leaders, including Trinamool Congress's Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Marxist P. Karunakaran and Nationalist Congress Party's Tariq Anwar, in cornering the government.

Gandhi last week said an "earthquake will come" if he was allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha "about the biggest scam committed by Narendra Modi single handedly".

The BJP fielded an array of its leaders to counter the allegations.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader H.N. Ananth Kumar alleged that some Congress leaders were acting as "commission agent" to exchange old currency notes for new at the party headquarters.

Kumar was referring to a sting operation by a news channel showing some politicians, including those from the Congress, being involved in money laundering.

"Gandhi is making baseless allegations. He should instead apologise to the nation," said Kumar, accusing the opposition of "sabotaging" the entire winter session of Parliament.

He said that if the Congress had information to share with Parliament, Gandhi "could have done it" when the House was in session.

Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said: "Rahulji, we want you to speak. When you do, you expose the Congress, so we want you to speak.

"They have been unmasked, so they are making these allegations."

BJP spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao said "Rahul Gandhi is making a joke of himself" every time he speaks.

Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu questioned why the Congress was "not allowing the House to function and have a proper debate on the demonetisation issue". He said the government was ready to debate demonetisation in the House provided the opposition allows it to run.

Amid the allegations and counter-allegations, Parliament again faced disruptions on Wednesday as the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha convened after an extended weekend.

--IANS

mak/sar/dg
Italian new PM wins confidence vote at Lower House

Italy,Politics, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Rome, Dec 14 (IANS) The new government of Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni cleared a Lower House confidence vote on Tuesday with 368 in favour and 105 against.

In an address to lawmakers before the vote, Xinhua news agency quoted Gentiloni as saying that creating jobs, helping the struggling middle class, and electoral law reform are his government's priorities.

"The priority of priorities will be jobs, jobs, jobs," he said. "We must intervene on the rules to take the country to the vote."

Like the previous administration led by fellow Democratic Party (PD) member Matteo Renzi, the new government will push for changes to the EU Dublin Regulation on asylum seekers at the European Union summit on Thursday.

The regulation says people seeking asylum must be processed in their country of first arrival, which means Italy bears most of the burden because its southernmost islands are the first landfall for refugees from Africa and the Middle East.

"It must be made very clear that the Italian position is not lacking in respect for anyone," Gentiloni said.

"But we can't take on migrant flows for the whole of the EU either," he said.

Gentiloni's government will face a confidence vote in the Senate on Wednesday.

--IANS

lok/
US Electoral College seeks detailed info about Russian hacking

United States,Politics, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Washington, Dec 14 (IANS) Forty members of the US Electoral College are asking the CIA to publicly explain its report concluding that Russia launched or sponsored cyberattacks seeking to help Donald Trump win the November 8 presidential election.

Thirty Democratic electors on Tuesday signed an open letter to the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, drafted on Tuesday by 10 other electors and supported by the team of former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, EFE news reported.

The Electoral College members want information about the document the CIA prepared for the administration -- and which was revealed on the weekend by The Washington Post -- saying that the agency and other US intelligence organisations had concluded that Russia's cyberattacks were not designed simply to destabilise the US electoral process but also to help the Republican candidate.

The electors are demanding to receive this information "immediately" so that they have time to evaluate it before they are scheduled to cast their votes in the Electoral College to determine the country's next President.

Trump won the election with 306 electoral votes to Clinton's 232, but technically his triumph will not be official until the electors meet in their state capitals to vote on December 19.

The United States has an indirect electoral system whereby 538 electors -- corresponding to the number of federal congressmen and senators from each state -- hold the final cards in determining who wins the presidency.

Some electors are "bound" to vote for the person who wins the popular vote in their states, but others are not, and there is no federal law obligating them to vote in accord with the popular vote in their states.

Thus, it is not necessary to win the nationwide popular vote to garner the most electoral votes, a situation that has arisen this year, given that Clinton beat Trump by almost three million votes in the popular vote, EFE news added.

Of the 40 electors who signed the letter asking the CIA for a detailed explanation of Russian hacking, just one is a Republican -- Christopher Suprun -- the only person from his party, so far, who has announced that he will not vote for the New York billionaire, contending that the brash and controversial mogul is "unqualified" for the presidency.

The initiative is being dominated by California electors, a firmly Democratic state, where Christine Pelosi, the daughter of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, is leading the drive.

In their open letter, the electors argue that they need to hear from the intelligence community whether there are any investigations under way --and what their scope may be -- regarding the links Trump, his campaign and associates have to Russia and Moscow's interference in the elections and what those investigations have uncovered so far.

The missive now has been signed by electors from 12 states and the District of Columbia.

--IANS

lok/
Senior citizen standing in MP bank queue dies

Madhya Pradesh,National,Business/Economy, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Bhopal, Dec 14 (IANS) An elderly man, standing in a queue at a bank in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district to withdraw money for his medical treatment, collapsed and died on Wednesday, police said.

Kamla Vanshkar, 65, a farmer and resident of Gudar village, came with his son Mahendra to withdraw Rs 4,000 from the bank. Suddenly he felt dizzy and collapsed. He died later.

Kamla's son Mahendra told reporters that his father has been ill and they came to the bank to withdraw cash for his treatment.

--IANS

hindi-vgu/vd
Microsoft CEO Nadella to meet Trump

United States,Politics,Business/Economy,Diaspora,Diplomacy, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

New York, Dec 14 (IANS) Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is to meet President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday as part of a team of tech titans for discussion on the role of their sector, which could have an impact beyond their shores.

Job creation in the US, visas for highly skilled technology professionals and investors, investing the large hoard of cash - a lot of it overseas -- that the tech companies have been sitting on because of tax concerns are expected to figure in the meeting at Trump Towers here.

During the campaign, both Trump and the tech sector had a frosty relationship.

Trump criticised them for exporting jobs and manufacturing overseas, and zoomed in Apple for making its products in China. "We're going to get Apple to build their damn computers and things in this country instead of in other countries," he said.

He also threatened to tighten visa requirements for professional immigrants, the artery of skills for the tech sector, although he softened his stand later saying he would welcome innovators and skilled people coming in legally.

Last week, Trump said that he would not allow foreign workers on temporary H-1B visas for technology professionals to displace American workers, a move that could affect Indian tech companies.

While people in the technology sector criticised Trump during the campaign mostly because of their perception of his social and immigration policies, Nadella was publicly silent.

After the election, Nadella congratulated Trump in a post on LinkedIn. But in an implied criticsm of the Trump campaign's perceived rhetoric, he also wrote: "Our commitment to our mission and values are steadfast, and in particular fostering a diverse and inclusive culture."

After Trump's election Apple reportedly asked some of its suppliers to look at manufacturing in the US.

Foxconn, the main manufacturer of iPhones announced that it was looking at expanding its manufacturing operations in the US.

Japanese company Softbank pledged to invest $50 billion in the US after its CEO Masayoshi Son met Trump earlier this month. Media reports said that Apple may invest $1 billion in the Softbank's $50 billion fund for US investments.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

--IANS

al/vd
Cabinet approves agreement to improve rural development programmes

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved agreement between Ministry of Rural Development and and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to improve the effectiveness of rural development programmes and to facilitate knowledge sharing.

"An inter-governmental MoU on Joint Technical and South-South Cooperation to provide a framework for collaboration will be signed between Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and FAO," said a cabinet communique.

The agreement will facilitate South-South cooperation mechanisms around Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)'s experience through exchange visits and dialogues, and establishment of a good-practice Learning Centre.

"It will strengthen the vertical upscaling of the livelihoods of rural populations that are supported by DAY-NRLM, help to develop inclusive and sustainable value chains for key crops and agro-industrial products, employment diversification and skills development," it added.

--IANS

sid/vd
5 held in Delhi with Rs 3.25 crore in scrapped currencies

Delhi,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) In a joint raid by the Delhi Police Crime Branch and the Income Tax Department, five persons have been arrested with Rs 3.25 crore in old currency notes, the city police said on Wednesday.

On a tip-off, the raid was conducted at room numbers 106, 202 and 2016 at Hotel Taksh Inn of Karol Bagh on Tuesday late night.

Those arrested were identified as Fazal Khan, Ansari Affan, Ladu Ram, Mahaveer Singh and Ansari Abuzar, the kingpin of the gang.

According to the police, the team was informed that some people from Mumbai, Kolkata and Rajasthan carrying piles of scrapped currency notes cash, were frequenting the hotel for converting black money into white with the help of some money changers of Karol Bagh.

Their interrogation revealed that the money recovered belonged to Mumbai hawala operators, who had hired special packaging agents to pass through airport security with the cash.

"The I-T Department officers seized Rs 3.25 crore. The amount recovered was in old notes and kept in four suitcases and cardboard boxes," Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP) of Crime Branch Ravindra Yadav said.

"Ansari told police that he hired four packaging specialists, who pack these notes in such a manner that it goes undetected by the scanning machines at airports and railway station."

"They use some tapes and spiral telephones and internet connecting wires for packaging," the JCP said.

The I-T Department is analysing the mobile details, which reportedly contain details of other hawala operators involved in the trade.

Ansari revealed that scrapped currencies belonged to Mumbai-based hawala operators Lalit Bhai and Bholu Bhai and he worked for them.

"Lalit and Bholu are running hawala gang in Mumbai and collecting demonetised currencies from across Maharashtra and returning white money to their clients after charging commission," Yadav said.

"Ansari hired the four packaging specialists as daily wages employees and paid them Rs 2,000 per day each for collecting scrapped currencies, their packaging and sending money through appropriate channels in the Delhi-NCR region," he added.

Ansari had come to Delhi three-four times and successfully exchanged the demonetised currency notes with valid currencies from banks on commission. They had been active since the announcement of demonatisation on November 8, 2016, the police officer said.

"Ansari dealt with Delhi hawala handlers -- Vinod, Paras and Rahul -- local agents of actual hawala traders of Delhi, and with the help of Lalit and Bholu, they would convert black money into white," Yadav said.

The Crime Branch has also given all information to the Enforcement Directorate, the JCP said.

--IANS

sp/nir/vt
Congress MLA to join BJP in Goa

Goa,National,Politics, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Panaji, Dec 14 (IANS) In what could be a shot in the arm for the BJP, a Congress legislator is set to join the saffron party, which has sacked two ministers from an allied political party amid drama.

Speaking to IANS on Tuesday, Congress MLA from Dabolim constituency, Mauvin Godinho, said he would join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on December 16, after resigning from the Congress on the same day.

"On December 16 I will formally join the BJP. The Congress is destined for doom because of the manner in which the party treats senior leaders," Godinho said.

Although elected on a Congress ticket in 2012, Godinho has been backing the BJP and slamming the Congress for the last three years.

Incidentally, during Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's first stint as Goa Chief Minister and Home Minister, he had booked Godinho in connection with a multi-crore power scam which even resulted in his arrest.

Two years back, the Congress state leadership had resolved to distance itself from Godinho, accusing him of working against the party and refusing to heed to its diktats.

The Dabolim seat which Godinho represents, was one of the key points of disagreement between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, with both the parties claiming the seat for the upcoming state assembly elections.

Parsekar on Monday sacked two ministers from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) from his cabinet, accusing them of unfairly challenging his authority.

The dismissal of the ministers, Sudin Dhavalikar and his brother Deepak, followed constant criticism by the duo of Parsekar, calling him a weak and ineffective Chief Minister who had taken Goa 10 years behind the time in the terms of development.

However, according to Parrikar, the sacking of the ministers does not necessarily mean the alliance has ended.

He said on Tuesday that the BJP was willing to look into the proposals conveyed by the MGP leaders "through proper channels".

--IANS

maya/py/
Google Doodle hails 105th year of South Pole conquest

India,National,Technology,Human Interest/Society, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Mumbai, Dec 14 (IANS) Google on Wednesday saluted the 105th anniversary of the great Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen's Antarctica expedition and conquest of the South Pole with a special Doodle dedicated to his epic journey on December 14, 1911.

Amundsen's expedition comprised just 19 people and nearly 100 Greenland sled dogs, who along with the use of skis to cross treacherous terrain, were key to the team's success.

Known as the 'last of the Vikings', the 39-year old Amundsen had raced another British explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott and left his party behind by five weeks to reach the icy-cold 'bottom' of the world that day.

Amundsen, along with Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel and Oscar Wisting erected a tent at Polheim and hoisted the flag of Norway, and at the bottom of the tent marked it 'Fram', the polar exploration ship on which the expedition was carried out.

The Doodle depicts the crew with a tent at the finishing line, skis, sleds, dogs, and the flag fluttering furiously, fighting a snow storm in a stark grey-white background, indicating the harsh conditions down there.

Later, Amundsen - a lifelong adventurer with a gift for organisation and planning said: "Victory awaits him who has everything in order" and his South Pole conquest was a perfect illustration of that principle.

Like the dogs, the explorers were aware that playfulness could help them endure the extreme conditions of the icy frontiers south under.

While prepping from Framheim, their base camp in the Bay of Whales, the team maintained a sense of fun -- playing games, holding 'guess-the-temperature' contests, celebrating birthdays and telling stories.

When a sub-crew made the final trek to the South Pole in December 1911, it was their camaraderie and meticulous preparations that helped them win the race to "the bottom of the world".

"In honour of that achievement, today's Doodle depicts the crew at the finish line, taking a moment to bask in the glory while the Antarctic wind whips outside their tent," the Doodle tribute said.

Amundsen, who also conquered the North Pole years later, disappeared along with four others while on an air rescue mission to the Arctic on June 18, 1928.

It was after five decades in 1960 that Indian Navy's Lt Ram Charan became the first Indian to set foot on the Antartica as part of an Australian Polar Expedition.

Indian marine biologist, S.Z. Qasim led the first Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1981-1982, paving the way for India's entry to the icy continent for research and setting up a permanent base there.

Later, Qasim guided seven other expeditions to the 'bottom of the world'. He died aged 89 in 2015.

--IANS

qn/in
Maduro under fire for constitutional breakdown, crisis

Venezuela,Politics,Business/Economy, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Caracas, Dec 14 (IANS) The Venezuelan National Assembly has blamed President Nicolas Maduro for the constitutional breakdown and crisis in the country following his decision to demonetise, reports said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday the assembly with a majority opposition voted in the absence of government-supporting lawmakers and passed a resolution blaming Maduro for the ensuing political, social and economic crisis besetting Venezuela.

"It is agreed to declare the political responsibility of the president ... for the serious rupture of the constitutional and democratic order, the violation of human rights and the devastation of the nation's economic and social bases he has brought about," read the agreement approved by opposition lawmakers, Efe news reported.

Thousands of Venezuelans on Tuesday had rushed to public and private banks around the country to turn in their 100-bolivar bills, the highest denomination in the local currency, which would lose their value and be removed from circulation on Thursday by Maduro's order, Efe news reported.

The document also approved ordering the Public Ministry to examine the evidence and issue a ruling on a request for a "pretrial finding against the president."

Moreover, the lawmakers approved the decision by the opposition to turn to the appropriate international forums "to denounce the violations of human rights ... in which the president ... has had a leading role."

The document claimed that Maduro "has governed since Jan. 14, 2016, thanks to a state of exception declared and prolonged unconstitutionally without the approval of (Congress)."

It also accuses Maduro of "systematically" resorting to the Supreme Constitutional Court to "impede by political means the entry into force of laws approved by (Congress) that would have contributed to resolving the country's problems."

In Venezuela, the National Assembly cannot impeach or remove the president, and - thus - the opposition's move has no apparent legal ramifications.

--IANS

in/vm
Indian American-led foundation to fund fellowship for Indian journalists

United States,Media,Diaspora, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Washington, Dec 14 (IANS) A foundation started by prominent Indian-American IT entrepreneur Frank Islam and his wife Debbie Driesman will fund a fellowship in the US for a mid-career journalist from India for six months in 2017.

The Frank Islam & Debbie Driesman Foundation, whose mission is to promote education, art and culture and peace and conflict-resolution, is joining hands with Alfred Friendly Press Partners, a leader in transforming journalists from information hungry societies, for the fellowship .

The Frank Islam & Debbie Driesman Fellow will work in a major newsroom in Washington, DC, for five months after undergoing a five-week training programme at the Missouri School of. Journalism in Columbia, Missouri.

During the roughly six-month programme, the FIDD Fellow will:

* gain experience in reporting, writing, editing, and editorial decision-making that will enhance professional performance;

* secure a practical understanding of the function and significance of the free press in American society;

* acquire first-hand knowledge of the industry's technological advances; and

* develop the skills to transfer knowledge to colleagues at home in India.

Frank Islam, President of the Frank Islam & Debbie Driesman Foundation, stated: "Our foundation is proud to join hands with AFPP to support this fellowship. Debbie and I consider the fellowship a strategic investment in the free press."

"Over the past three decades, AFPP has trained 15 world class journalists from India who have gone on to become leaders in the field. It is our earnest belief that the FIDD Fellow will continue that tradition."

Randall D. Smith, President of the Alfred Friendly Press Partners, stated:

"We are especially delighted to welcome Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman to our fold."

"Support such as theirs is the reason that we've been able to train more than 300 journalists from 90 different countries for over 30 years."

"Debbie and Frank are ambassadors for democracy and they understand the critical importance of a free press. Their investment will impact countless lives in ways that can't yet be imagined. That's the potential of quality journalism," Smith added.

The AFPP will administer the fellowship. A candidate who has three years of professional experience as a journalist and is currently employed as a journalist by an independent news media organization in India can apply for the fellowship by contacting the AFPP, the Foundation said.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)

--IANS

ak/tb
It's been quite a year. And I make no predictions about the one to come. I do know that it will -- at least where we are -- start ou...
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The gas pipeline agreement that will link Nigerias gas wells to Morocco is conducive to reaching energy independence in the whole West African region, Moroccos Royal Office said in a statement.

The statement was issued following a meeting held in Casablanca on Tuesday under the chairmanship of King Mohammed VI. The meeting that was attended by senior Nigerian officials examined the implementation of the project, which will bring gas from Nigeria to Morocco stretching through several west African countries.

The project was first raised between King Mohammed VI and Nigerias president Muhammadu Buhari at the UN Climate Summit COP22 in Marrakech last November.

The agreement to implement the project was signed later on in Abuja during the Kings visit to Nigeria.

The project will help several West African countries promote electrification and will foster economic and industrial integration in the region.

Besides the gas pipeline, Morocco and Nigeria stressed, in a joint statement after the end of King Mohammed VIs visit, the need for forging ahead with the Tangier-Lagos highway to boost economic integration and cooperation in Africa.

The statement echoes the commitment of the two countries to turn a new page in their bilateral ties underpinned by tangible south-south cooperation. In this respect, a key agreement to build a fertilizers factory by Moroccos state-owned phosphates company, OCP, was signed. The project will help Nigeria forge ahead with its agricultural development plan.

The watershed visit by King Mohammed VI to Abuja reflects both countries strong willingness to act as drivers of regional economic integration through genuine south-south partnerships.
The Islamic State group (IS) Tuesday said it was behind the suicide bombing of a Coptic church in capital Cairo, perpetrated on Sunday.

The group also announced it was determined to continue attacks against polytheism, in reference to Christians.

IS fighting Egyptian forces mainly in restive Sinai peninsula has exported its insurgency in capital Cairo and other cities of the North African country.

The group nicknamed the suicide bomber as Abu Abdullah al-Masry.

President al-Sisi had said on Monday, during state funerals of those killed in the attack, that the suicide bomber was a 22-year old named Mahmoud Shafik Mohammed Mostafa.

The Egyptian president also indicated that four people among whom a woman, have been arrested while two others were still chased down.

The attack caused the death of 24 people according to Egyptian official statement.

Egyptian interior ministry accused outlawed Muslim Brotherhood movement of financing the attack, saying that exiled leaders of the movement provided financial and logistical support for the church bombing.

According to the ministry, Mostafa was arrested in 2014 at a protest organized by the movement. The young man reportedly radicalized after spending two months in prison.

His lawyer indicated that he became more radicalized after he was tortured in prison.
Trump had never heard of Rex Tillerson, then he chose him to be secretary of State. Photo: Eric Piermont/AFP/Getty Images

It played out just like a reality show. Donald Trump invited the contestants to be the next secretary of State to meet with him one by one. Some had embarrassing parts of their personal lives exposed, while others were forced to choke down slimy animal appendages. And in the end, a dark horse rose from the shadows to claim the final rose.

But even with all the made-for-TV drama that led to Rex Tillersons selection to head the State Department, there was plenty of behind the scenes action that has gone unreported. Until now. In the past 24 hours both the Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal pulled back the curtain on how Trump settled on Tillerson to be his top diplomat. Heres what we learned.

Trump decided Giuliani was a diva who lacked physical stamina. Trumps first instinct was to tap a loyalist for secretary of State and Rudy Giuliani was atop his list. But the president-elect quickly soured on the former New York City mayor, whose overseas business ties gave Trump pause. Giulianis ego also became a problem as he refused to consider posts at the Homeland Security or Justice departments. But ultimately it appears to have been Giulianis stamina that worried Trump most. He didnt think the 72-year-old, who is rumored to have fallen asleep in a meeting, was physically up to the job.



Bob Gates and Condi Rice pushed Tillerson, a client of theirs.

Rex Tillersons name didnt come up until Trump took a meeting with former Defense Secretary Bob Gates. After offering his thoughts on the leading contenders, Gates suggested the ExxonMobil CEO. The day before, Condoleezza Rice had recommended Tillerson to Vice-President-elect Mike Pence. Coincidence? Not at all. Rice and Gates run RiceHadleyGates, a global consulting firm that represents ExxonMobil, and had jointly decided that Tillerson would be a fresh alternative, according to the Post.

The initial Romney meeting was supposed to be a photo op.

Trump only took a meeting with Mitt Romney because adviser Steve Bannon wanted to show party unity before the media cameras, WSJ reports. But the meeting went unexpectedly well and Trump moved Romney up his shortlist, much to Bannons dismay.

Trump wanted an apology, but Romney wouldnt do it.

The obsequious remarks Romney delivered after his poorly lit dinner with Trump on November 29, were the closest he would get to an apology for calling Trump a fraud and a phony back in March. And though Trump is reported to have eaten up Romneys praise, an ally of Romneys told the Post that Trump wanted a more straightforward mea culpa. Romney refused.

Opposition to Tillersons Russia ties made Trump like him more.

Worries about Tillersons connection to Russia only made Trump want to pick him more. Or, as a transition official told WSJ, Trump became even more determined to buck the establishment when Republicans and Democrats raised concerns about the CEOs connection with Vladimir Putin.
Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Donald Trump Jr., who will likely be charged with running the Trump Organization during his fathers presidency, reportedly helped the elder Trump choose Montana congressman Ryan Zinke as secretary of Interior, the latest reason to doubt Trumps sincerity about fully separating his business from his incoming administration.

Politico reports that Trump Jr. sat in on interviews, and made calls to candidates, as the transition team sought to fill a position that he once joked hed be interested in.

Last Friday, CNN reported that Trump Jr. was pushing for someone from a Western state. His hunting passion and conservationist ways reportedly pushed him West in an effort to find a like-minded outdoorsman. As of last week, CNN said that had him looking to Washington representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, but then Trump Jr. met with Zinke. The Washington Post says they hit it off, and the rest is history.
Sign at a Women and Allies protest in New York on December 12. Photo: Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

On Monday, December 19, America has one last chance to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president  or so the most hopeful Trump opponents claim. Technically, theyre right. The Founding Fathers adopted the Electoral College to ensure that the presidency would not go to an unqualified candidate who won over the masses with his talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity, as Alexander Hamilton put it.



Many say the election of a reality-TV star with extensive foreign ties is exactly the kind of scenario the Electoral College was created for  especially because Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than 2.8 million votes. But the political reality is that Trump will be sworn in on January 20. If he fails to receive the 270 majority required to secure the presidency, the election will be decided by the House of Representatives, where Republicans have a solid majority. Even if faithless electors give another candidate more than 270 votes, an obscure rule will allow Congress to challenge the outcome of the Electoral College vote. Republicans in Congress may have reservations about Trump, but theyre not about to humiliate their party, risk their chance to implement a conservative agenda, and potentially plunge the country into chaos by overturning the election results.



Nevertheless, Never Trumpers see the Electoral College as their last chance to stop the president-elect, and theres a nationwide movement under way to encourage electors to go rogue. Trump won 306 Electoral College votes to Clintons 232, and if 37 of his electors vote for someone else, no candidate will secure a majority. The effort is being spearheaded by a group thats dubbed themselves the Hamilton Electors. At last count, eight Democratic electors from Colorado and Washington and one Republican had pledged to vote for a GOP moderate as a compromise candidate. (Their top choice, Ohio governor John Kasich, has asked electors not to vote for him.)



In addition to launching a social-media campaign to win over other electors, two Hamilton Electors from Colorado filed a lawsuit challenging a state law that requires them to vote for the candidate who received the most votes in Colorado. Similar legal efforts are under way in California and Florida.



An attorney for Trump argued on Monday that the lawsuit threatens to undermine the many laws in other states that sensibly bind their electors votes to represent the will of the citizens, undermining the Electoral College in the process  which is the electors goal. In 28 states, faithless electors can be fined, jailed, or replaced, but the plaintiffs argue that the Constitution says electors, not voters, select the president. The Colorado electors were dealt two setbacks this week when a judge rejected their request for an injunction to prevent the enforcement of the states law against faithless electors, and ruled that they could face criminal charges.



Larry Lessig, a Harvard law professor whos part of a group offering free legal advice to GOP electors, claimed on Tuesday that despite these developments there are 20 Republican electors considering voting against Trump. Obviously, whether an elector ultimately votes his or her conscience will depend in part upon whether there are enough doing the same, Lessig said. We now believe there are more than half the number needed to change the result seriously considering making that vote.



However, two Republican National Committee sources told Politico that the party has been in touch with the 306 Republicans in the Electoral College multiple times, and they are confident that theres only one whos planning to flip.



In addition to the RNC and the Hamilton Electors campaign, the 538 delegates to the Electoral College are facing tremendous pressure from the public. More than 4.8 million people have signed a change.org petition calling on Conscientious Electors to vote Clinton into office. Several websites have compiled electors email addresses, and more than 186,000 people have used the site asktheelectors.org to reach out to delegates. Two Democrats in Congress, Representatives Jim Himes and David Cicilline, have suggested that electors should revolt against Trump.



We're 5 wks from Inauguration & the President Elect is completely unhinged. The electoral college must do what it was designed for. https://t.co/6dLJ5K7B5K  Jim Himes (@jahimes) December 12, 2016

Electors say theyve been inundated with hundreds of calls, emails, and letters, and while voting in their respective statehouses on Monday, theyll get to see some of the people begging to them to change their vote. Demonstrators gathered in more than two dozen cities on December 12, but the protests were relatively small and didnt get much attention. However, several groups  including Americans Take Action, the Electoral College Petition, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and Democracy Spring  are organizing protests in all 50 state capitals for December 19, and they expect thousands to turn out.



Certainly a large number of people rallying to overturn the Electoral College vote believe that 2016 could hold one more surprise, despite evidence to the contrary. But denying Trump the presidency isnt the movements only goal. Politico reports that a survey of the Progressive Change Campaign Committees 23,000 members found that roughly half were confident that Trump would be president, but about 91 percent were still in favor of lobbying electors. These are the main reasons people are pushing for an Electoral College upset, even if they dont think it will succeed.



To Stand Against Trump

Denying Trump his 306 electoral votes could be important symbolically, as it would undercut Trumps claim that he secured a mandate and serve as a show of strength from his opponents. As Brian Beutler explained this week in The New Republic:



Trump opponents will ultimately need a clear resistance strategy, but in a leaderless environment, they have been floundering in the dark for more than a month now, grasping for short-term anti-Trump resistance tactics.



None of them has been particularly effective, but we have learned through these efforts that Trump is highly sensitive about the fact that he lost the popular vote by a margin of millions, and his Electoral College margin is historically low. He and his supporters want to claim a mandate, and feel threatened by the awareness that he will preside over a term of minority rule.



Thinning that electoral majority even further, through GOP protest votes, would be a small but useful public testament to both his unfitness for office and the lack of public confidence in his ascent to power. For the time being, this is what official resistance to Trump will look like: numerous battlefronts, some invisible, each inconsequential, but that have a real impact when taken together.

Undermining Trump, not preventing him from taking office, is the essential goal of the Progressive Change Campaign Committees protest efforts, according to a letter sent to the groups supporters this week.

First, by generating media attention to the idea that Electors who support the popular vote winner, we can make it a source of mockery when Trump claims a mandate for an authoritarian, anti-worker, right-wing agenda. And when establishment Republicans in Congress claim a mandate to ram millions of dollars of corporate giveaways through Congress, wrote Adam Green, the groups co-founder. Second, these events will force the media to report that Trumps razor thin victories in battleground states were made possible in part by massive voter suppression.

To Highlight Election Irregularities

As Green mentioned, another goal is to draw attention to issues with the voting process in 2016, including voter suppression measures that followed the Supreme Courts gutting of the Voting Rights Act and alleged Russian meddling in the election.



Reports that the CIA concluded Russian hacks of top Democrats emails were meant to aid Trump, rather than just destabilize the U.S. election in general, sparked calls for electors to be briefed on the issue prior to Mondays vote. Initially ten electors demanded security clearance to learn more about Russias alleged interference, and now 28 Democratic electors and one Republican are requesting an intelligence briefing.



Separate from Mr. Trumps own denials of Russian involvement in the election, the confirmed communication between Trumps aides and those associated with the Russian election interference activity raise serious concerns that must be addressed before we cast our votes, they said in a letter to James Clapper, the director of national intelligence.

Christine Pelosi, daughter of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, spearheaded the effort, which is backed by speaker of the New York City Council Melissa Mark-Viverito and Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner. John Podesta, Hillary Clintons former campaign chairman, said this week that the campaign is supporting the effort as well.



The bipartisan electors letter raises very grave issues involving our national security, Podesta said. Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed.

To Challenge the Electoral College System

Trumps election marks the second time in recent years that a popular-vote winner was denied the presidency, and Clintons lead of nearly 3 million votes is much larger than Al Gores 540,000 vote lead over George W. Bush. Though theres debate even among liberals about whether abolishing the Electoral College is a good idea, efforts are under way to get rid of the system.



The simplest way to end the Electoral College would be to pass an amendment to the Constitution that says presidents shall be elected via popular vote. Last month, retiring Democratic senator Barbara Boxer introduced a bill to create such an amendment. The Electoral College is an outdated, undemocratic system that does not reflect our modern society, and it needs to change immediately, Boxer said. Every American should be guaranteed that their vote counts.

But the Electoral College system is advantageous for battleground states, and less populous states, so that amendment would not be ratified by three fourths of the states, even if it could be passed by Congress.



Theres also creative effort under way to get around the Electoral College without abolishing it completely. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement among states to award all of their electoral votes to the national popular-vote winner, regardless of who wins the state. However, the same political considerations apply. The compact will only go into effect if its adopted by enough states to give the winner of the popular vote 270 electoral votes, and so far only ten Democratic states, totaling 165 electoral votes, have signed on.



As it stands, the Electoral College system wont be abolished or even just reformed because its been beneficial for Republicans, and that party is in control  but denying Trump electoral votes may change that.

Writing in the Washington Post, Josep Colomer, a professor of political science at Georgetown University, explains that the Electoral College is a medieval relic. Electors were once used throughout Europe and the Americas, but now such a system only exists in the U.S. Colomer argues were unlikely to get rid of it because:



 virtually every time a Latin American country replaced the electoral college with the popular vote, the change came in response to a major political crisis. For instance, in Brazil, direct presidential elections were held for the first time after its monarchy was replaced by a republic in 1894. In Colombia, the change came after a military dictatorship was overthrown and replaced with a new constitution in 1910. In Mexico, direct presidential elections followed a revolution in 1917. In Venezuela, a free and fair election was held for the first time in a brief interlude between dictatorships in 1947. And Argentina undertook a major constitutional reform a few years after getting rid of a military dictatorship and establishing democracy in 1994.

Denying Trump 270 electoral votes only to have the House elect him anyway wouldnt be on the same scale as those political crises, but it would be jarring. At the very least it would spark a more serious and sustained effort to clarify whether the Electoral College exists to rubber-stamp the election outcome or give Americans one last chance to keep an unfit candidate from assuming the presidency.


Civilians, activists and journalists tweeted what they thought might be their last words as the Syrian Army moved to retake the eastern part of Aleppo. Rebels announced a ceasefire to evacuate fighters and civilians on December 13.
They love to watch him strut. Photo: Alexey Druzhinin/AFP/Getty Images

When Americans were asked their opinion of Vladimir Putin in July of 2014, Republicans hated the guy more than Democrats did. The Russian presidents net favorability (the percentage who view him favorably minus the percentage who view him unfavorably) was -66 among Republicans three summers ago. Now that number is -10.

Um, wow...



Net favorability of Putin:



Democrats

July 2014: -54

Dec 2016: -62



Republicans

July 2014: -66

Dec 2016: -10



(YouGov/Economist)  Will Jordan (@williamjordann) December 14, 2016

Here is Republicans and Democrats on Vladimir Putin since July 2014. pic.twitter.com/s4I6FY5cbt  Will Jordan (@williamjordann) December 14, 2016

As you can see, the opinion of Putin among Democrats has gone in the opposite direction, and the same goes for perceptions of Russia by members of Americas dominant political parties.

It's not just Putin.



Here are perceptions about whether Russia is a friend to the US or not, since 2011. pic.twitter.com/CrtVEB4Vws  Will Jordan (@williamjordann) December 14, 2016

As Vox points out, with a -10 net favorability among GOP members, the Russian president is far better liked by them than either Hillary Clinton (-77) or Barack Obama (-64).
Citizen Ailes. Photo: Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic

Roger Ailes has given up the last piece of his media empire. The disgraced former Fox News chief and his wife Elizabeth have sold the Putnam County News and Recorder, the local newspaper Ailes bought in 2008 in Cold Spring, New York, not far from his 9,000-square-foot weekend compound. The buyer for the paper is the editor Doug Cunningham.

According to a well-placed source, Elizabeth Ailes began trying to sell the money-losing paper not long after her husband was forced out of Fox this summer following Gretchen Carlsons sexual-harassment lawsuit. In recent months, the source said, Ailes offered to sell the paper to employees for $100,000, but initially there were no takers. Ailes then struck a deal with Cunningham for an undisclosed sum. Cunningham is also taking possession of the Putnam County Courier, another local paper owned by the Ailes. They just want out, the source said. An announcement of the sale was posted on the PCNR website shortly after New York called for comment on this story.

I cant go into it right now, Cunningham said. Ailes could not be reached.

The sale represents a stinging defeat for Ailes. Upon buying the sleepy community paper at the start of the Obama era, he used it to inject his right-wing politics into local debates. The PCNR newsroom came to resemble a miniature version of Fox News, complete with closed-circuit cameras and employee surveillance. A rival publisher in Cold Spring even launched a liberal weekly newspaper to counter the News and Recorder, a kind of local MSNBC.

According to the PNCR announcement, the Ailes are also selling the Cold Spring building where the papers are located: The newspapers will continue to be headquartered in the building for now, but the building is not included in the newspaper transaction, the statement reads.

Ailes once talked about retiring in Putnam County, but his recent shedding of assets in the area suggests that the plan may have changed. In addition to selling the paper, hes put several of his houses on the market. This fall, he bought a $36 million mansion in Palm Beach.

Meanwhile, the sexual-harassment lawsuits against him continue to pile up. Today, local Fox 5 reporter Lidia Curanaj filed a 28-page complaint alleging that, when she tried to get a job at Fox News, Ailes had asked to see [her] from behind during a one-on-one interview. The suit also alleges that Ailes had asked a New York politician who dated Curanaj whether she put out.
A fresh face in Trumps White House. Photo: Johnny Louis/WireImage

Donald Trump has tapped Stephen Miller, an adviser to his campaign, to be his senior policy adviser when he assumes the presidency in January. Miller had also been an adviser to Trump ally and Alabama senator Jeff Sessions, whon Trump selected for attorney general.

In a statement after Trump announced Millers new job, Sessions described his old employee as the best person President-elect Donald Trump could have chosen.

Miller became a well-known presence on the campaign trail, where he would warm up crowds before Trump took the stage at rallies all over the country. Millers brash mix of populism and wide-ranging conspiracy theories  he also boasts close ties to Breitbart News  came to define the tone of Trumps candidacy.

And while Miller might have been little-known outside the Beltway, in Washington he is an established, powerful behind-the-scenes player; he is widely credited with destroying the last real hope of immigration reform in 2014.

On news of his new appointment Miller said, I am deeply honored for the opportunity to serve the President-elect, and to focus efforts to develop critical policies that serve the national interest. He promised that the Trump administration will focus unremittingly on the safety, security and economic well-being of working Americans.

Miller is already feared and despised by many  and he is only 30 years old!  but for another set of political players he is something of an answered prayer. He worked with Michele Bachmann and is beloved by Ann Coulter.

The best in-depth profile of Miller so far was produced by Julia Ioffe for Politico in June, and it is veritably overflowing with unsettling quotes from the young adviser (such as his declaration at a rally in June that Everything that is wrong with this country today, the people who are opposed to Donald Trump are responsible for!). But this paragraph seems to capture something essential about the man:

He grins at the podium, he savors the crowds reactions, even if they periodically boo him for not turning the stage over to Trump fast enough. All the anger right underneath the surface just waiting to come through, about what I dont know, says a former staffer with the Republican leadership on the Hill. Ive seen the videos of him getting the crowd fired up. People that knew him when he was on the Hill, I dont know how to describe the reactions people had to the videos of him. Maybe creeped out a little bit? Like, whats going to happen when this guy gets the power? He pauses as a thought dawns on him. Oh my God, he says. Hes going to find out that I spoke with you and Im going to end up in a camp somewhere.
Evacuated wounded civilians arrive at a checkpoint in a rural area west of Aleppo, Syria, on December 15, 2016. Photo: Ibrahim Erikan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

A cease-fire in eastern Aleppo now appears to be holding. About 3,000 people have been evacuated Thursday from what was the last foothold of rebel-held territory in the major Syrian city. Buses and ambulances will continue to cart civilians away, either to government-held areas, or to the Syrian rebels territory outside the city in the province of Idlib, where rebel fighters are also supposed to take refuge, reports the New York Times. The United Nations estimates about 30,000 civilians must be evacuated in the coming days.

Evacuated Syrians arrive in the opposition-controlled Khan al-Aassal region, west of the city, on December 15, 2016, the first stop on their trip, where humanitarian groups will transport the civilians to temporary camps on the outskirts of Idlib and the wounded to field hospitals. Photo: BARAA AL-HALABI/AFP/Getty Images

This was the second attempt to evacuate civilians after a first cease-fire deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey on Tuesday, derailed after fighting began anew in eastern Aleppo. Civilians had remained trapped in that shred of rebel territory  less than two square miles  as buses idled and then departed without passengers as bombs rained down once more. The Iranians  allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad  were reportedly the primary culprits behind the first deals unraveling, whose militias physically blocked civilians and rebel fighters from evacuating on the buses Wednesday. The Iranians were allegedly insulted that Russia and Turkey didnt consult them in hashing out the agreement.

A line of buses during an evacuation operation of rebel fighters and their families. Photo: Karam Al-Masri/AFP/Getty Images

But the second deal appeared to be a go because concessions were made to the Iranians. Per the Guardian, the revised agreement included the evacuation of wounded people in two Shia villages and in the Idlib province, which are surrounded by rebels.

Syrian pro-government forces stand on a tank near the ancient Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo on December 13, 2016, after they captured the area. Photo: Youssef Karwashan/AFP/Getty Images

Still, reports of intermittent fighting trickled out during Thursdays evacuation, including one that suggested pro-government forces fired on a rescue convoy helping injured civilians, and at least one person was killed.

Syrians leave a rebel-held area of Aleppo and move toward the government-held side on December 13, 2016, during an operation by Syrian government forces to retake the embattled city. Photo: Karam Al-Masri/AFP/Getty Images

The operation, overall, marks a huge victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and he extolled the evacuation agreement. The city has been at odds and divided since the civil war broke out more than five years ago, but now Assad  with a lot of help from Russia and Iran-backed militias  has claimed that the city is back under his full control after an intense, weeks-long bombardment of eastern Aleppo. Assad celebrated in a video message, appearing to equate the retaking of Aleppo with birth of Jesus and the fall of the USSR, reports the Guardian. What is happening today, he said, is the writing of history.

Syrian pro-government forces in the ancient Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo. Photo: George Ourfalian/AFP/Getty Images

This is also a tremendous blow to the Syrian opposition. While the rebels retain some territory outside Aleppo, including in Idlib, holding on to control in part of the key city was of symbolic and strategic importance. And now that Assad feels like hes achieved his goals in Aleppo, its likely hell start moving in on the rebels in Idlib, where thousands are evacuating. (Though Assad, Russia, and company still have their hands full with ISIS, which recently recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra.) This cease-fire, after all, is narrow  it covers evacuations in eastern Aleppo  and while it may alter the course of the war, it does nothing to put a definitive end to it.

Syrian pro-regime fighters gesture as they drive past residents fleeing violence in the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood, in Aleppos Fardos region, on December 13, 2016. Photo: Stringer/AFP/Getty Images

And the humanitarian crisis in eastern Aleppo is not yet over. Thousands of sick and wounded must still be evacuated. Concern also persists about egregious human-rights violations at the hands of pro-government forces. In the hours and days before the first cease-fire was announced, humanitarian agencies had sounded the alarm over the bloodshed of innocents in the last slice of rebel-held territory. Syrian pro-government forces reportedly went door to door, murdering people in cold blood. According to the United Nations, at least 82 civilians have been executed on the spot in their homes; others were gunned down as they ran away. Women and children are among the dead. Its hell, says Jens Laerke, a spokesman with the United Nations.

Smoke billows from the former rebel-held district of Bustan al-Qasr in Aleppo, on December 12, 2016, during an operation by Syrian government forces to retake the embattled city. Photo: Karam Al-Masri /AFP/Getty Images

A United Nations human-rights spokesman said there were reports of bodies littering the streets, which were under a constant barrage of gunfire and shelling. Thousands of civilians had remained trapped in those areas, with reports of at least 100 children huddled in a building under heavy fire, per CNN. They are killing everyone, said 39-year-old Abdulla Saleem, a doctor in Aleppo, told USA Today via WhatsApp. My friends are doctors, who were providing the only possible medical care to the injured. Now they are butchered. Everyone is dying. I will soon die, too.

This post has been updated throughout.
 

  - ?

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Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, of Salisbury, N.C., surrenders to police Sunday, December 4, 2016, in Washington, D.C. Welch, who said he was investigating a conspiracy theory about Hillary Clinton running a child sex ring out of a pizza place, fired an assault rifle inside the restaurant on Sunday injuring no one, police and news reports said. Photo: Sathi Soma/AP Photo

How could anyone possibly believe a conspiracy theory as crazy as Pizzagate? Its a question many people have asked since the meme first popped up about a month ago. Pizzagate, if you havent heard, is a bizarre and far-flung conspiracy stitched together from very flimsy evidence  heres a written explainer and heres one from the internet-culture podcast Reply All  but the short version is that adherents believe Hillary Clinton, John Podesta, and other big names in the Democratic Party have been running a child-sex-trafficking ring, and that one of the epicenters of that ring is the basement of Comet Ping Pong, a pizza place and all-ages music venue in a wealthy and leafy part of northwest Washington, D.C., as well as various other businesses (it doesnt even have a basement).

The rumor began right before the election, and has been helped along greatly by 4chan, Reddit, and a boatload of alt-right outlets and personalities serving up tendentious evidence to a ravenous group of trolls and paranoid, suggestible internet sleuths. Since the rumor went viral, the businesses implicated have faced a wave of online and phone threats and creepy in-person protests from Pizzagate believers. Things came to a disturbing head December 4, when 28-year-old Edgar Maddison Welch of North Carolina walked into Comet with an assault rifle and a .38 in an attempt to investigate Pizzagate, eventually firing the rifle inside the establishment. No one was hurt and he eventually surrendered to police, but it was a terrifying reminder of the power of fake news and conspiracy theories.

How does someone like Welch fall into a fake-news vortex, eventually coming to believe things that most people would reject as too crazy to be true? Theres been a lot of talk lately about the widespread decline in trust in institutions like political parties and the media, and surely thats part of it. But in terms of the social and psychological dynamics underpinning this type of depressing personal tailspin, its also useful to look into some research about how people join cults and become violent religious extremists. Thats not to say coming to believe in a theory like Pizzagate is the same as uprooting ones life to join a fringe movement, of course, but there are surprising similarities  particularly when it comes to how people find meaning in strange beliefs and are gradually socialized into believing them.

So lets run down some of what we know about cults and terror groups, and then cycle back to Pizzagate to explain the connections. Marion Goldman, a sociologist at the University of Oregon who studies new religious movements (researchers try to stay away from the word cult, since the boundary line between cult and religion is fuzzier than most people think), told Science of Us that one of the truisms of her field is that anybody can believe anything at any time. That is, theres a tendency to think that only crazy people can believe far-fetched things, but belief is actually a lot more complicated than that: Otherwise normal people, who have no clinical indicators of any sort of mental distress or cognitive impairment, can be induced, fairly easily under the right circumstances, to embrace truly bizarre and sometimes dangerous beliefs.

Usually, Goldman explained, people who end up joining cults are dealing with some sort of struggle or sense that they are missing a full-flung identity or purpose. Sometimes, this is because of the stuff we traditionally associate with lostness and aimlessness  addiction or family strife, and so on. But a lot of the time, it can be vaguer and less well-defined, just a niggling sense that youre missing out on something bigger. Oftentimes, for the people most susceptible to the appeals of cults, theres a real disconnect between the life they wanted to and possibly expected to lead compared to their current lives. What cults offer is the idea that youve come to a turning point in your life, she said, and have a chance to make things better for yourself. Key to that concept of better is a social identity. I think belonging to a group is very important, she said.

Lorne Dawson, a sociologist at the University of Waterloo who studies how people are radicalized into joining jihadist groups like ISIS, emphasized the risk factor posed by identity struggles, by people seeking a firmer, more meaningful sense of self. As the literature shows, but as our interviews [with former extremists] are showing too, there is some kind of preceding really significant identity struggle, and it almost always involves a person feeling out of control in their environment and not feeling comfortable with the options available, he said. And I think the guys who end up becoming foreign fighters are able to articulate all this and find a more sophisticated, though bizarre, way out of it.

Its almost always young people who get radicalized, Dawson explained. All the individuals we deal with, they all point somewhat to an adolescent struggle, they all point to their early turn to religion and how they made sense of their lives and how that put them on the right track.

When young people who feel uncertain about their identities encounter radical material online, Dawson said, they also encounter the community propagating that message  a community that can offer them a sense of belonging. The young person in question might not believe the radical material they are seeing at first, but it doesnt matter: They have found a place online to hang out, to vent their frustrations, to spend time with people who seem to understand or identify with what theyre going through.

Gradually, theyll spend more and more time in these online communities, Dawson explained, and as they do, their access to outside information will get more and more cut off. They may not really believe Israel secretly controls the world when they begin frequenting the jihadist forum, but over time the social dynamics of their environment will make it harder and harder for them to not believe such conspiracy theories. Youre being fed all this stuff now because you enter into certain social networks and those networks become your primary source of self-worth and identity, said Dawson, and then of course youre self-censoring like crazy. That is, you dont want to question what youre hearing because it could threaten your important burgeoning new social identity as a member of the online group in question. So any info that comes in thats contrary, you have lots of reasons to rationalize it away  and then you have a supportive network thats immediately dismissing any contrary info as well.

Theres also an important slippery-slope aspect, said Dawson. Here he turned to the example of gruesome ISIS beheading videos. If they were the first things a potential recruit were shown, he explained, that recruit would likely be horrified and want nothing to do with ISIS. But that isnt what usually happens. Instead, You start with videos that are about the terrible things that U.S. forces did to Iraqi citizens, he said. They dont start by watching beheading videos  they get drawn into the worldview that Muslims are being victimized, are being systematically persecuted, that its a plot to undermine all Muslims situations, that its Satanic. Then and only then, after theyve been exposed to a great deal of such programming, might the recruit be sufficiently morally reoriented (or disoriented, perhaps) to accept ISISs more gruesome practices. If you truly believe Muslims everywhere are being slaughtered indiscriminately by infidels, beheading the informers and spies supposedly assisting those evildoers suddenly doesnt seem like such a stretch.

More broadly, said Dawson, its usually the case that the lure of group membership comes first, and full embrace of the belief comes second. You find a group that seems to accept and understand you, and then, after hanging out with them a bunch and getting more and more cut off from alternate information sources, you realize that their ideology explains your own struggles, your own inability to fit in or find meaning. Theres usually Something from their background that tips it one way or another in terms of which kind of ideology appeals to them, Dawson explained. A frustrated young Muslim is more likely to find his way to ISIS, while a young white man in the American South is more likely to find his way to a white-supremacist organization. But overall, it really is that sense of group identity that sparks and solidifies the belief. Again, social belonging matters a huge amount to human beings.

Thats a key point: The same dynamics are at play regardless of the specific ideology in question. Both politics and religion seem to have similar effects, said Nathaniel Wade, a psychologist at Iowa State who studies religion and spirituality. They induce strong passions. They are often framed as us against them (which, by the way, such thinking patterns have a series of psychological correlates that are mostly not healthy). They attempt to solve basic problems in living. They occur in groups that often reinforce those beliefs and shelter against alternate views.

So how much of this applies to Welch and other true believers in Pizzagate and other conspiracy theories? There certainly appear to be similarities. In many ways what makes fake news possible are the same things that make people believe (and act) in ways that many people think is downright ridiculous, said Wade.

All this becomes clearer when you understand that Pizzagate sits in a wider ecosystem of beliefs and conspiracies propagated by the alt-right. Key to all these beliefs and conspiracies is mistrust in the Establishment. The media are lying to you, politicians are lying you, and it takes brave truth-sayers  Alex Jones or Mike Cernovich or whoever  to tell it to you how it is. The media and political elites are just so corrupt you cant believe anything they say.

Imagine what it must be like to be a confused or frustrated or identity-lacking young person who stumbles upon the alt-right and its ideas about how the world works. Those ideas offer a lot of clarity. They offer, through social media, at least something of a sense of social identity, and no shortage of culprits  elites and feminists and minorities and globalists and (in some corners of the alt-right) Jews  to explain why you have been held down and prevented from leading a meaningful or successful life. And the alt-right, by dint of its operating theory about the corruptness of the Establishment, has a built-in mechanism to slowly cut you off from traditional news sources. Whats going to happen if you post a Washington Post article debunking the latest conspiracy theory? Its the Post  theyre lying.

But its the alt-right concept of so-called red-pilling where this subculture appears more similar to traditional cults and extremist groups. Adapted from The Matrix, taking the red pill or getting red-pilled simply means seeing the world as it really is. In the online subcultures that gave rise to the alt-right, its most famous meaning is in reference to feminism: After you take the red pill, the scales fall from your eyes and you can see that feminism is really just an attempt to emasculate and bully men, to allow social-justice warriors to run rampant over masculine (and traditional) values and ideals in favor of a shrill and judgmental far-left radicalism. Recently, the definition has expanded a bit  these days, in an alt-right context getting red-pilled probably means something more like understanding that progressivism is a lie and part of a large-scale effort to hurt you and people like you. But the basic point is the same: This is the moment at which you start to see things as they really are.

This is exactly the sort of transformative experience offered by cults and extremist movements: After this, things wont ever be the same for you. After this, you will have a role to play in an important battle that will determine the fate of the world. Your life will take on an enhanced meaning. Whether or not Welch explicitly thought he had been red-pilled, Goldman says that whats really interesting is he fits [extant ideas about radicalization] perfectly, because what he felt was this is a turning point in my life and I have to do something. Reading the text messages Welch sent to a friend that were released as part of the criminal complaint against him, as reported by the Daily Beast, its hard to disagree with Goldmans assessment. Welch wrote that he was planning on Raiding a pedo ring, possibly sacraficing [sic] the lives of a few for the lives of many. Standing up against a corrupt system that kidnaps, tortures and rapes babies and children in our own backyard  defending the next generation of kids, our kids, from ever having to experience this kind of evil themselves[.] It was clear he saw himself in somewhat heroic terms: Im sorry bro, but Im tired of turning the channel and hoping someone does something and being thankful its not my family. One day it will be our families. The world is too afraid to act and Im too stubborn not to[.]

Its important to note that only a tiny fraction of believers in conspiracy theories go on to commit bad acts. But there is a point, said Wade, at which certain beliefs take on a dangerous momentum. Of course, the seriousness of the action varies, he explained. If religion or politics makes people scream, wail, and faint, well, that is odd behavior to some people, but nobody is really getting hurt. But when it means shooting off a gun in a family pizza shop, or blowing up abortion clinics, or firebombing a black church, or any number of political/religiously motivated violence, then it gets very serious and there needs to be some sort of check on the processes that are encouraging such behavior. Thats all the more reason to better understand how people come to believe these ridiculous, sometimes dangerous conspiracy theories.
A model of H. floresiensis. Photo: Karen Neoh/Flickr

Somewhere between 50 and 100 millennia ago, a humanlike species thrived on the Indonesian island of Flores. Like modern humans, members of this species  named Homo floresiensis, after their home  built stone tools, hunted prey, and may even have used fire. Unlike modern humans, they had small brains, large teeth, receding foreheads, and relatively large feet.

They also stood at approximately three feet six inches tall.

Why did Homo floresiensis  also known as hobbits  have such an unusually short stature? Some scientists believe it may be the result of a controversial theory known as island dwarfing, in which living on an island causes certain animals to shrink in size.

Hominins arent the only animals thought to experience island dwarfing. Isolated on the tropical Flores, Homo floresiensis likely hunted animals such as small pygmy elephants for food. If you had roamed the Mediterranean island of Cyprus around 10,000 B.C., you may also have come across Hippopotamus minor, a species of dwarfed hippopotamuses that stood about two and a half feet tall and measured around four feet long. Or, if you had visited the island of Crete, you might have seen Mammuthus creticus, the Cretan dwarf mammoth, a species that stood a little over three feet tall.

Classic observations indicate that large animals tend to decrease in size when evolving in insularity, whereas small animals tend to increase, said Aida Gomez-Robles, an anthropologist at George Washington University. Because island ecosystems typically have fewer predators than mainland ecosystems, she explained, larger animals may start to shrink, making it so they require fewer resources to survive. (Homo floresiensis smaller stature may have been advantageous for this reason.) By contrast, smaller animals get larger, making them more metabolically efficient, or better able to use fat as an energy source.

Many famous examples of the island rule come from the very same island where H. floresiensis once flourished: Along with the small hominins and elephants, Flores was home to oversize rats measuring 16 to 17 inches long, as well as the Komodo dragon, a species of lizard that can grow up to ten feet and weigh more than 300 pounds.

Despite these examples, though, the island rule is hotly disputed. A 2007 paper from the Proceedings of the Royal Society, for instance, claimed that there is no evidence for the existence of the island rule, and that the patterns observed by past scientists were more nuanced than any universal rule would allow for. Instead, the authors argued, the size of island-dwelling species is determined by the particular components of each islands ecosystem and the characteristics of the species in question.

The researchers traced the origins of the island rule back to a 1964 paper by J. Bristol Foster, who first quantified the differences in body size of island and mainland mammals of a closely related species. Foster showed that rodents often grow larger on islands, while carnivores and certain larger mammals often grow smaller. After publication, though, other scientists took his results to be evidence for a larger pattern, arguing that his work illustrated that the pattern held more generally across all island mammals. (The term the island rule was coined in 1973 by evolutionary biologist Leigh Van Valen, who used it in his paper Pattern and the Balance of Nature.)

The overall evidence is not as strong as it might appear when you first package it in a neat narrative, said Matt Tocheri, a researcher at the Smithsonian Institutions Human Origins Program. The same evolutionary processes that power the island rule, he continued, can also happen on the mainland whenever certain ecosystems become isolated from others.

Even the origin of Homo floresiensis, one of the island rules most compelling pieces of evidence, is still not certain. Robles noted that while many scientists favor the hypothesis that Homo floresiensis evolved from the larger Homo erectus, shrinking once the species was isolated on an island, other theories propose that Homo floresiensis evolved from other hominins that were already small, such as Homo habilis, or from even more small and primitive Australopithecus-like hominins. After all, our human ancestors and relatives were much smaller than modern humans. Its possible their short stature was typical of the time, rather than a product of their ecosystem.

Tocheri agreed, noting the lack of fossil evidence that supports the island dwarfing of Homo floresiensis. To confirm that this particular species shrunk on islands, we would need not only specimens of Homo floresiensis, but specimens of the hominins they descended from. That would require both a rich discovery of fossils and a careful analysis of how such fossils relate to one another in the geological time scale. And as Tocheri emphasized, we still dont have a strong understanding of what early hominins in southeast Asia looked like  it may be that even those on the mainland evolved to be much smaller than some scientists have assumed.

In other words, while theres plenty of evidence that suggests some species change size on islands, its not yet enough to constitute a rule. This is especially true when it comes to the question of how island life affected our species distant relatives. Knowing is generations away, Tocheri said, adding that theres still too much scientists dont know about H. floresiensis to understand how they fit into the island-rule hypothesis. We all want to have that narrative, but we also have to be honest that we may never have that narrative in our own lifetimes.
Photo: Courtesy of Lenny Pozner

Today marks the anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a tragedy that comes with a number of horrifying superlatives: the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, the third-deadliest shooting of any kind, and the first major American tragedy subjected to the full force of the internets conspiratorial machinery in real time.

Four years on, the genuinely crackpot notion that the attack was a staged hoax  that no one died  has persisted, and the harassment of victims and their families in the name of investigating the idea shows little sign of abating. In the past month, a 57-year-old Florida woman named Lucy Richards was indicted on charges of sending death threats to Lenny Pozner, whose son Noah was killed at Sandy Hook, and a hoaxer who lives in New York City was arrested on similar charges. Pozner, whom I wrote about this past summer, has devoted the last several years of his life to fighting Sandy Hook hoaxers like Richards and Wolfgang Halbig, a Florida man who has relentlessly pestered the town and its families for further proof that their children actually died. Last week, Halbig told me that he had decided to move to Newtown for six months, in order to further his investigation, and later sent an email to me and many others with his travel itinerary. On Facebook, he said he planned to be there for todays moment of silence honoring the 26 murdered children and adults. Several Newtown residents told me that if Halbig does show up, they have plans for him, too.

Conspiracy theories, in the age of Trump, have moved from the fringes of our culture to the center of it. The president-elect is not a hardened conspiracy theorist, but appears to be something even more insidious: someone who wields conspiracies to his benefit, discarding them when they no longer serve his purpose but never seeing any need to make a principled stand against misinformation that doesnt work to his benefit. During the Republican primary, a locally prominent Florida preacher named Carl Gallups, who had repeatedly called Sandy Hook a fabrication, introduced Trump at a rally in Pensacola. The campaign published a press release proudly announcing the endorsement, but when Media Matters and the Trace reported Gallupss views on Sandy Hook, the campaign, which was leading Florida polls by a wide margin, deemed Gallupss support expendable and quickly retracted its praise. The campaign was not aware of this individuals personal views, which we do not share or support, Trump spokesperson Hope Hicks said in a statement. And yet Trump has embraced Alex Jones, the conspiracy-mongering founder of InfoWars, of whom Trump declared during an appearance on Joness radio show, Your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down. Gallups wasnt worth the trouble, but Jones and his millions of viewers apparently were, and still are. Jones says that Trump called to thank him after the election.

We have traditionally been able to depend on our leaders to refute and reject conspiratorial thinking, but the president-elect has shown little sign of tempering his embrace of conspiracies when they prove beneficial. Traditional journalism can bring sympathy for the victims among the already sympathetic, but doesnt seem capable of doing much to counter the fringes of conspiratorial thinking: As soon as my piece was published, it immediately became part of the conspiracy itself, as hoaxers took to the comments section and my email inbox insisting that I was covering up the truth just like the rest of the media. Lenny Pozner began his campaign with patient person-to-person outreach, reasoning with commenters on message boards, answering questions, and converting a number of people who werent hardened hoaxers, but that strategy has its obvious limitations.

Pozner and others have since taken to inflicting real-world consequences on the most egregious hoaxers, mostly online. Pozner has removed hundreds of YouTube videos, blog posts, and even entire websites by patiently filing a variety of complaints, most often copyright requests against sites who use a family photo of his son without his permission. Pozner said that since Trumps election it seems that the hoaxer movement has been emboldened. While Alex Jones largely dropped Sandy Hook after Pozner removed a Sandy Hookrelated video from his site last year  among hardened Sandy Hook hoaxers, Jones actually is viewed as a traitor who abandoned the cause  since Trumps election, Jones has begun talking about it again. Meanwhile, the internets gatekeepers continue to respond to the problem haltingly, seemingly uncertain of what exactly they should be doing. My hatred for Google and YouTube and Facebook has increased 1,000 percent since you and I spoke last, Pozner told me last week. They are the ones who cause me all the stress when I try to take the ugliness down.

In the face of most criticisms, the tech world has up to now fallen back on an ethos of unrestrained freedom  that people have a right to say and do most anything they please, and that the purpose of technology is here to allow them to do things that theyve always wanted but havent had the means. That seemingly noble goal has allowed Silicon Valley to avoid seriously considering the negative impacts of the otherwise liberating systems they create. There were Columbine conspiracy theorists, too, but in the early days of the internet, there was nowhere for them to gather. Now, there are services cropping up specifically to aid the spread of conspiracy theories: A number of white-supremacist figures have moved from Twitter, which had begun kicking some of them off, to Gab, a service that claims it wont ban much of anything shy of posting child pornography or threatening terrorism, so users can feel free to promote the Sandy Hook hoax, along with other conspiracies, with impunity and without evidence. Last month, when Pozner finally convinced a hosting service to drop a particular virulent conspiracy-theory site  after filing 20 separate complaints  the site received an offer of help from an outfit called Tin Foil Web Design, which identifies as a collective of web designers and marketing strategists who long ago took the red pill. (Its owners declined to comment, saying they do not give interviews to pressistutes.)

While Pozner is relieved that the issue is getting more attention, he doesnt see it getting better in the near term, and believes wholesale changes, perhaps even legal ones, may be necessary. There are no rules, Pozner said, of life on the internet. At some point were all gonna have to lose some rights so the internet can be more manageable, or its just gonna be a crazy place. Doing so is complicated  how to distinguish between fake news, conspiracy theories that become defamatory or threatening, and honest Woodwardian and Bernsteinian investigation?  and may not be possible to parse with an algorithm. It turns out that some of humanitys worst impulses might just need humans to solve them.

A first step might be to recognize that while the vast majority of people are not delusional enough to show up at a pizzeria with a gun, or visit grieving families on the anniversary of their childrens murder, the problem of truthless speculation has become much wider spread than wed care to acknowledge. Kim Snyder, who directed the recent documentary Newtown, told me recently that despite generally glowing reviews, two-thirds of the citizen ratings on her films IMDb page are one-star reviews, almost all of them accompanied by hoaxer rants. Those people are the extreme, willing to devote actual time and energy to smearing anything and anyone related to Sandy Hook. But Snyder had also met a young graphic designer with a nose ring at a screening in Beaver Creek, Colorado, who sat through 85 minutes of Newtown residents pouring out their grief only to walk up to Snyder afterward and ask if there was any truth to rumors she had heard about the hoax. Snyder had a similar experience at another screening in Marthas Vineyard.

Since my story on Pozner came out, Ive heard this story dozens of times from people who have had an otherwise well-educated and thoughtful friend or family member who has shocked them by admitting that they werent sure Sandy Hook happened. Ive been saying it from the beginning, Pozner said. The hoax thing is like a brush fire. It hasnt been contained, and we cant just leave it alone because it will keep burning, and it will eventually show up and it will burn through your town. When I joined Wolfgang Halbig on one of his investigatory trips to Newtown this summer, I watched as a woman recognized Halbig from across the street, then started walking toward him. I expected an angry confrontation  several Newtown residents had relayed dark fantasies about what they would do if they found themselves in Halbigs presence  but instead the woman shook Halbigs hand and thanked him. Later, she told me that she had moved to Newtown after the shooting, with her husband and kids. The woman, who begged me not to disclose her name, now lives less than a minute from the school, and knew people who had lost children, but still wasnt sure about the whole thing. I think something happened that is being covered up, she said. Rather than believe the lived experience of her neighbors grief, she was more convinced by stuff she had read on the internet.
MRA is merging with the alt-right. Photo: Sam Armstrong/Getty Images

Back in May, while addressing a crowd of supporters in Spokane, Washington, Donald Trump took time to lament the current state of gender relations. All of the men, were petrified to speak to women anymore, he said. We may raise our voice  you know what, the women get it better than we do, folks, they get it better than we do.

Add it to the growing pile of Trumps many rants against the political correctness of the left. But that specific part of his speech  along with his insistence weeks earlier that Hillary Clinton would not even be a viable person to run for City Council positions if she werent a woman  eerily echoed some of the dangerous beliefs of the mens-rights movement.

The movement reached its peak around 2014, when it began to receive mainstream-press attention. Its leaders, who were mostly bloggers and YouTubers whod gained followings on Reddit and in other corners of the so-called manosphere, believe the world has been overrun by feminism and that the only way to fight back is to embrace a super-dominant, traditionally masculine gender role. They also believe men face routine, sex-based discrimination  an MRA group called the National Coalition for Men successfully sued nightclubs for hosting ladies nights, a theater for selling half-price tickets to women, and a womens business venture for hosting a women-only networking event, for example. MRA differs subtly from other movements with similar principles, such as the pickup artist (or PUA) movement, which instructs men in the art of what is essentially date rape. But in the misogynistic corners of the internet, the two are often conflated.

Altogether, the mens-rights movement represents a streak of misogyny that Trumps candidacy helped bring to the forefront. But instead of falling in line behind Trump, mens-rights activists have largely steered clear of the election. Indeed, their movement seems to be losing momentum, says David Futrelle, a writer whos painstakingly tracked the movement and its key players for almost a decade. Instead, MRA ideology is leaking into the teachings of the group whose figurehead is one of the president-elects closest advisers: the alt-right.

The primary difference between the mens-rights movement and the alt-right is that the former is largely anti-political. They tend to dismiss Republicans and Democrats alike as gynocentric parties, or parties that are at their root dominated by womens needs, Futrelle said. If, like me, you had to force down laughter at the idea of Republicans being dominated by womens needs, Futrelle explains: Their argument is that because women are the majority of the electorate, all politicians  male and female  have to pander to them in order to win. No MRA would vote for Hillary Clinton, he said, and although some consider themselves Libertarians, there was little talk on online forums of Gary Johnson. If they voted, they voted for Trump.

But this same aversion to politics is why the mens-rights movement is losing momentum while its racist cousin  the alt-right  gains it. Many of the movements actors largely sidelined themselves during Gamergate because Gamergates leaders didnt align with their idea of what men should be  They looked at guys playing video games as a bunch of pussies, so they didnt really get pulled into that, Futrelle said. Then, when Trump began to gain steam, most were slow to jump on the bandwagon.

The exception, it seems, is the PUA community. Long before the alt-right went mainstream, RooshV and another PUA who goes by Heartiste* were touting its ideologies. At some point they started talking about actual pickup-artist stuff a lot less and started throwing in right-wing, racist politics, Futrelle said. At this point, Futrelle said he would describe them as alt-right fellow travelers.

RooshVs first foray into the alt-right appears to have been his review of Kevin MacDonalds The Culture of Critiques titled, The Damaging Effects Of Jewish Intellectualism And Activism On Western Culture. Thanks to the review, he was invited to attend a conference hosted by the National Policy Institute (a white-nationalist think tank whose president recently gave a speech at Texas A&M University). Certain extremely racist factions of the alt-right were displeased by his presence because, well, hes not white. So RooshV concluded that the alt-right is worse than feminism in attempting to control male sexual behavior and formally split with the movement, despite the fact that he continued to espouse its ideologies.

When Trump won, RooshV saw it as a victory for the PUA movement. Im in a state of exuberance that we now have a President who rates women on a 1-10 scale in the same way that we do and evaluates women by their appearance and feminine attitude, he wrote. We may have to institute a new feature called Would Trump bang? to signify the importance of feminine beauty ideals that cultivate effort and class above sloth and vulgarity.

In the same way that RooshV began to adopt alt-right ideology, the alt-right began to publish stories grounded in the principles of pickup artists and the mens-rights movement. Futrelle said hes noticed sites like the Daily Stormer publishing explicitly anti-feminist articles  something they hadnt explicitly focused on in the past. For example, a recent post defends Trumps comments on Access Hollywood in 2005 using MRA logic to reposition him (and all wealthy men) as the victim: Why do they keep leaving out the first part of his grab em by the pussy quote? He clearly said: When youre a star, they let you do it. He is talking in the context of women throwing themselves at rich men.

Futrelle rattles off other like-minded men whove risen to the surface in Trumps wake: Mike Cernovich, who got his start during Gamergate; Scott Adams, the Dilbert cartoonist; Milo Yiannopoulos, whos written countless anti-feminist articles for Breitbart; Stefan Molyneux, a YouTube philosopher. Some have their roots in the mens-rights movement, and others are hangers-on in their own right. A lot of people who are anti-feminist saw the alt-right as being the thing that was growing and getting attention, Futrelle said. So they joined in.

In the weird mishmash world of online misogyny, Futrelle said one thing is clear: Trumps election has served as a galvanizing force. Since I started [writing about MRA], Ive always wondered to what degree these kinds of attitudes are out there in the culture in a big way, he said. I knew it was more than a small group of weirdos on the internet, but I thought it was relatively contained. And then, Trump comes along.

*An earlier version of this post incorrectly referred to Heartiste as Artiste.
A New Jersey state trooper was targeting female drivers. Photo: Jupiterimages/Getty Images

If theres one thing a woman loves, its the romantic gesture of being tricked into thinking shes getting a traffic ticket, when in reality shes just getting hit on in one of the creepiest ways imaginable. At least, that appears to have been the thought process behind a New Jersey state troopers alleged decision to pull over multiple female drivers to ask them out on dates.

The 37-year-old trooper, Marquice Prather, was arrested last Friday for falsifying and tampering with public records to cover up his actions, the Associated Press reports. Police began investigating the three-year veterans behavior after receiving complaints from several women. They found that Prather allegedly had a pattern of pulling over women between the ages of 20 and 35  and then asking them for their phone numbers.

Police discovered that Prather would turn off his wireless microphone during the traffic stops, only to later falsely report that it had malfunctioned. The trooper is also accused of manipulating data to hide the fact that he was only targeting female drivers. Prathers lawyer told the AP that he will plead not guilty.
President Obama. Photo: Milos Bicanski/Getty Images

Today, the Obama administration finalized a rule that would ban states from withholding Title X federal family-planning money from health clinics including Planned Parenthood that provide abortions. The measure will take effect on January 18, two days before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who said in February that hed defund Planned Parenthood despite the fact that it helps millions of women.



The Title X program ensures that people with low incomes or without health insurance can access birth control, Pap smears, breast exams, STD tests, and basic infertility services. The program serves more than 4 million people annually and about 1.5 million of those patients get their care at Planned Parenthood. When anti-choice legislators talk about defunding Planned Parenthood, theyre referring in part to Title X grants (the other part is Medicaid, but people with Medicaid have the right to choose their own provider). It bears repeating that thanks to the Hyde Amendment, federal funds cant be used to provide abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or to save a womans life.

Grants go directly to states and nongovernmental organizations, which then divvy up the money. The Obama administration proposed this rule in September and it says that legislators cannot exclude a provider as a potential recipient for reasons other than its ability to provide Title X services. Karen Scott, M.D., chief medical officer at the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement that the rule received overwhelming support during the 30-day comment period.

Still, the rule will likely face opposition in the next administration, which includes anti-choice lawmakers like Mike Pence and Tom Price. Lawyers from the HHS told the New York Times that undoing this rule would require either a new rule-making process*, or a joint resolution of disapproval by the House and Senate, approved by the president. Or conservatives could try to defund Planned Parenthood specifically through the budget-reconciliation process, as they did in 2015 before President Obama vetoed the bill. Either way, reproductive-rights advocates are likely to challenge such efforts in court.



*This post has been updated to include an additional way that a future administration could change the new rule.


Anastasia Lin. Photo: PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images

Anastasia Lin must, understandably, be frustrated with the current position shes in. Lin is the reigning Miss World Canada and has been nominated twice by the country to represent it in the World Pageant. But Lin isnt your average beauty queen whos content with the glitz and glamour such events typically bring. Shes also an actress and an outspoken critic of human-rights abuses in China, where she was born, before immigrating to Canada in her teens. The trouble is, it now appears that her vocal stance on China isnt sitting well with pageant officials who, by all appearances, are doing everything they can to silence Lin.

According to reports in the Boston Globe and the New York Times, Lins interviews with members of the press have been cut off while other pageant contestants are free to speak with the media. One columnist for the Globe had his interview with Lin cut short after pageant officials saw them speaking in a hotel lobby and accused her of breaching the rules and causing trouble. Prior to the interviews abrupt ending, Lin told the Globe that she was trying to play by the book, and only wishes to raise awareness about abuses of Chinese prisoners of conscience. I dont care about all this  the hair, the dresses, she said. I just want to get to that stage and be the voice for people who are silenced.



At the heart of the issue seems to be pageant organizers efforts to not upset the Chinese government and investors who make up a large portion of the organizations financial backers. Since 2003, the pageant has been held six times in China and, as the Globe points out, the sponsors this year are all affiliates of a Chinese company. Lins criticism of China was also what led to her being barred from attending the competition last year, when it took place in Sanya, on Chinas Hainan island. The Chinese government refused to grant her a visa even after she flew to Hong Kong in the hopes of participating. This time around, shes also been prohibited from attending the premiere of an indie movie she stars in called The Bleeding Edge. The film depicts the grisly crime of harvesting organs of Chinese prisoners of conscience, which human-rights activists say is backed by the Chinese government.



The finale of the Miss World competition is set for Sunday, December 18.


She's vile

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for this tho?

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She and her boyfriend just dressed up as a pilgrim and a Native American on Halloween.



She's trash.

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That's not done in my family, tbh

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jfc people are so twisted. i mean, i don't kiss my parents on the lips, in fact i don't give them any kisses but every family is different and tons of families kiss on the lips. it's not like she is using tongue

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lmao that killed me. you can have sex w your husband but only maaaaybe is kissing allowed



MAYBE

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lmao I came in to make this same comment. Is it appropriate to kiss your husband on the lips?? Who among us can be sure?? Certainly not cassiemarie!

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IKR. The need to sexualize everything is so weird.

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We don't do it either but I can totally understand how it develops. I think an anthropological theory is even that kissing is a product of a parent feeding their child. If that's true, it's kissing people who aren't your kid on the lips that is weird. Ha

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When I was small I always kissed my parents on the lips. I even remember that my father told me that I will stop doing that when I get older and I didn't understand it. Why should I stop that and only kiss them on the cheek. Didn't take me long to understand.

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in the 4th grade, this one girl would come last to school every day and her older brother (like 15+ years older) would drop her off to the front door of class with a kiss on the lips. everyone freaked the fuck out and our teacher had to tell everyone to relax.



we don't do that in my family tbh even a hug is uncommon

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are you sure that was really her brother





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yeah, now that's creepy. this is different.

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nah siblings is weird lol

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but what if your brother Ryan has just come home from West Africa

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It's not a big deal, my older sister would kiss me on the lips too til I think I was 12-13. She raised me and thought of me as her baby too. Maybe that was the case here too.

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I'm picturing a room full of children freaking out all at once, like that Harry Potter/BB Ron gif

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Nagl

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that sounds weird...

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i don't even hug my family lol

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same...we barely even touch tbh.

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me too. we never ever hug unless something major happens. we're just not affectionate with each other

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Lol me too. We recoil at the touch. My mom tries to make us a loving family so she touches me sometimes like Voldemort in the Goblet of Fire like, "I can touch you now!"

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My mom was big on hugs. My dad wasn't, neither is my brother.

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same. idk if it's ~normal or not but i'm not too keen on physical contact tbh. always hated kissing ppl on the cheek (literally lost count of how many times i've used the 'i'm a little sick, don't wanna contaminate ya!' excuse) & one of the worst things anyone can do to me is fucking touch my face.

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Same. I don't know why but I really hate hugging my family or even saying I love you to them, but I'll hug my friends whenever I see them...

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As sad as this sounds, it's the same in my family too.

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Same, and I don't even remember us ever telling I love you's to each other either lol



Edited at 2016-12-14 11:23 pm (UTC)

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holy shit this thread

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After that debacle with the Thanksgiving pics I lost any shred of interest I had left for her, but seriously, people are doing the most here.

My mom still pecks me on the mouth, do I need to report her too?

RME.



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my mom does with me too, and my grandpa did, before he passed.

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I do still *kiss* my mum on the lips as greeting. No, it's not perverted. No, I have never been touched in weird places. No, we don't use tongues.



If you report your mum, I'll have to do the same, damn :/

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MILLIONS if not BILLIONS of things more deserving of attention IMO

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and we just need one good one tbh

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my first thought was really just #WhiteCulture (inb4 'i'm white and I don't')

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i thought the stereotype was that WASPy people were more cold and rigid with hugs/kisses/overt physical affection.

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Yeah. I find white Americans to be the ones who are less physically affectionate with someone who isn't a partner.

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def

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yeah that's what I thought too





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I have no idea what WASP means but im gonna guess its White American Suburban Parents

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IA I think the "white culture" aspect of this is ppl complaining about it

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I feel like the not kissing and finding embracing in any way is more of an American thing. I definitely don't think of family kissing as affection or greeting as a white culture thing.

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not really tho

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Now if we were talking about her letting her dog lick her in the mouth I'd agree.

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what a dumb comment

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Not white and we do it.



Yts can't have everything!



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This comment didn't work out the way you wanted it to, did it.



lmao

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i lol'd...this is def a thing

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Racist

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i think you're mixing up your stereotypes

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I lol'd but sis it's not just white people tho. Happens to us all so

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I better tell my non-white friends to stop kissing their mamas lol

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Nah. We're frigid with our families. They're lucky if they get a hug at Christmas. We save the mouth-kissing for our dogs.

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lmao

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lmao ia. Never seen black folks do this.

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didn't Will Smith kiss Jaden on the lips not too long ago? There's seriously nothing wrong with it, people are idiots.

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Yeah, I remember black twitter discussing it.  A lot of fragile masculinity in those tweets.

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I think Will just did this to annoy Jaden, yet people freaked out. I thought that was hilarious.

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ikr

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I used to love that band in high school

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TOO MANY LEGS UNDER THE TABLE

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Lmao wtf

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 at these responses tho. Y'all def not Latino. Lol

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Where it's expected to kiss your family at least on the cheek upon arrival and then when you leave otherwise you're going to hell?



Yeah.

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ahaha yeah.

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its not solely a latino thing

many parts of europe do it too, its a cultural custom

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I'm latino but my family doesn't.

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He's fucking four, not fourteen, ffs. Now, I don't kiss my mom, no, not even on the cheek or nothing. We're just not those people, we barely hug. But just because my family has issues with touch doesn't mean I think everyone should do as I do.

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I feel like millennial parents are just way more affectionate than our parents' generation. Hell, we're even more affectionate with our pets.

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Do you kiss your pet on the lips?

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Nah, but he gives me kisses on my lips. I always laugh though.

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can't wait for the think pieces in a few years about how millennials are fucking up their kids by giving them affection

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honestly, i'm in awe of a lot of millennial parents that I've been around. the mothers seem just much more patient and calm, and the dads seem kinder and more involved than my parents generation. during pinatas, i remember the men would all go sit in one section and basically party while the mom's gossiped and took care of the kids. it was rare to see a dad play with their child or help the mom out.

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Part of me thinks its great that kids nowadays, like my little cousins and nephews and nieces get to express themselves and say "no, I'm tired" and parents will listen, and then part of me is mad about it, like "NO, IF I HAD TO GET DRAGGED AROUD EVERYWHERE AS A CHILD, THEN YOU WILL TOO."



Edited at 2016-12-14 11:53 am (UTC)

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Where do you live? It's the exact opposite here lmao

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escandalo

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Those people need to find a hobby. And if a toddler kissing their parent on the lips makes you uncomfortable, the issue lies more in yourself rather than the parents and the kid.

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mte. when i was a little kid my grandma and mom used to give me pecks on the lips. i ain't traumatized. it didn't awaken any part of my brain related to sexual pleasure.

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lol at first i was like wut at rita as the host but she makes perfect sense with what they claim to be looking for this year like they keep saying "boss, brand, business" and i could not tell you what rita ora does but she manages to get magazine covers and press so it's working? and they keep saying they are looking for models that can do both traditional stuff and have a following on social media like they are really looking for the next "it" girl (the 2016 version anyway) rather than an actual model.

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damn the cody girl is gorgeous.

im all for full eyebrows and i've suffered because of mine so i wont say anything lol

oh also!!! judging from this photo cherish looks so much like hannah john-kamen



Edited at 2016-12-14 05:08 pm (UTC)

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girl i love her but she does!!!

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OP your comments are soooo on point. I haven't watched the episode yet but you pretty much said everything I was thinking based on that extended teaser and these pictures.

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thanks bb <3

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oh geez, i haven't heard the name Binta in a lifetime. HEAR FOR HER NIGERIAN SELF SNATCHING THE TITLE.

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She's actually from Gambia/Seattle.

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Justine reminds me of the bitchy asian model Joceyln on The Face





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Your icon! <3 I saw them on Saturday and I always somehow end up in front of Mike and he's so great.

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I didn't watch this but ummm who tf filled in Courtney's brows? like they already look naturally thick and needed minimal fill-in... whoever boxed and 'defined' them needs to gtfo

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"I'd say something about those brows but another contestant did and she cried so I will leave well enough alone. "



she's giving me the vibes of that male YT covergirl



that ad pisses me off so much his voice is SO ANNOYING

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truuuue



Edited at 2016-12-14 06:16 pm (UTC) truuuue

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He's not cute, his voice is the worst too.

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no thank you

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I am super bothered by the fact I can see the texture of his foundation in this photo.

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Rly? They have a team of pros and this is what they came up with

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Paige looks like Aubrey O'Day.



I like Binta, the twins, Justine, and Marissa.

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I think the first cycle on UPN premiered when I was in 8th or 9th grade. I remember coming into my anatomy class the day after an episode and it would be all anyone was talking about in my circle lol. It was a big deal. I had forgotten how long it's really been on until the contestants talked about how young they were.

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Awww thanks! More posts about this trash fire of a show the better tbh

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That "entry to the club" scene was mean as hell, but I still loled at how over the top some contestants were when they didn't get in.



I'm glad that mean bitch didn't get in. If Tyra was still on the show you know she would have been added for drama.

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I hate cherish

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lmao the dangling fot

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Why is she wearing shoes

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she looks so uncomfortable

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She got that bathing suit at Ross

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Damn, I was planning on watching this...I didn't know it was premiering soon



Ugh, maybe it's on demand or something boooo

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You can watch it on VH1's website right now.

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https://openload.co/f/I9JAef9gUKk/Americas.Next.Top.Model.S23E01.Business.Brand.Boss.HDTV.x264-RBB.mp4

In case the vh1 site isn't working for you. I know it's finicky for me sometimes. from primewire:In case the vh1 site isn't working for you. I know it's finicky for me sometimes.

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Thank you so much for posting the link, I was also wondering where to watch this!



Edited at 2016-12-14 11:09 pm (UTC)

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Wtf is wrong with Courtney's eyebrows?!

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did she say why she didn't just pluck them?

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they're obviously filled in tho lol

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They look like two caterpillars

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They look really awful in that photo, but I actually kind of liked them on her face in motion.

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yaas here for kyle. I wonder if that's her(?) birth name or what

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yeah, fuck him. he apparently doesn't see the need to visit the child. this fucking transparent ploy to squeeze more money out of her.

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why he look 14 in that pic

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his face matches his level of maturity

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Wat pic I don't seee anything lol

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what hard living 14 year old are you hanging with?

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if she has primary custody of her kids and he can't even be bothered to visit them, why the hell is he collecting child support? wouldn't it be alimony or something?

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mte

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mte

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seriously? how do you get child support without the child part?

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Yeah I'm confused by this as well. She should just hire a hit man.

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hahaha omg. It will sure be cheaper!

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hahahaha cackling out loud at this comment, how very cersei of you~

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In my state child support doesn't quite work that way. I was told that the parent who makes more money pays to offset the lack of money from the other parent. I have primary custody tho, and while I was working FT hours, my ex still apparently made more than I did.



But I couldn't tell you why I haven't seen a dime in four years.



TL;DR child support is the stupidest fucking system and doesn't work.

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wow, more than 1 million per episode. she better pray she stays alive until the next season.

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She is the QUEEN B sis

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"he's only been living by child support from Lena which is $10,000 per month. he hasn't visited his kid even once in the UK with this money."



what a gentlemen

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lmao, what an asshole

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what a fucking piece of shit

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i don't think it's wrong to make an ex-spouse with a lot of money pay for the attorneys of the ex-spouse without their own money. but this just sounds like shit. like, child support should be for child-related expenses...like i'll even give traveling to be with the child. this guy just seems to be a jerkass, fuck him.

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That sounds like Mary J. Blige's divorce.

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This dude is getting 10k a month and can't even be bothered to use some of that to get his ass on a plane? So 10k a month to...not see his kid, basically?

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yeah this genuinely drives me nuts hearing this about Lena tbh. why the fuck would she have to fund his life when he doesn't even have an engaged presence in their child's life to begin? why the fuck would it have to be 10k a month anyways? not to be all "think of the rich people!!1!" but I really don't get why rich celebs have to fund their broke ass ex's lives 10x the amount any average person would get with ridicules amounts of alimony and/or child support? why are they penalized so hard? shouldn't it just go by the basic needs of a child (IF the person who is requesting child support has primary custody to begin with which this loser doesn't?). and IMO 10k a month seems a bit excessive no matter what Lena is making herself. why should what she makes matter? they're divorced! it's not like HE has to uphold a celebrity lifestyle after breaking up with her? and why should she have to fund that to begin with anyways? does any ex of a celebrity essentially hit the jackpot for the rest of their lives because they married someone rich and got divorced? it comes off as punishing them for being successful.



sorry for the rant lmao

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The next time I hear women being accused of being "golddiggers" I'm going to pull this article out.



White male priviledge strikes again.



I hope the judge in this case drags the boy's sorry ass.





Edited at 2016-12-15 01:58 pm (UTC)

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How the fuck is he receiving child support if she has custody of the child? Jesus Christ, I have parents who can't get child support from the other parents come in my office everyday and this little asshole gets $10K a month and doesn't even HAVE THE KID? Lena, girl. Get a better attorney.

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When I was a kid my mom only got child support for my sister when the state of Michigan instituted a law that took back-owed child support from the delinquent parent's tax refund.



JFC I know all the parenting books say don't say bad things about the other parent in front of the child but I hope Lena drags this POS hard.



Edited at 2016-12-15 02:04 pm (UTC)

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that is her ex?







good 2 know he's an anus inside & out is her ex?good 2 know he's an anus inside & out

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I thought this was a Team America: World Police gif.

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lmao I love this movie

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Omg, now I have to watch the Faculty.

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this whole situation is a mess but this is pretty customary. it's so the rich parent cant crush the poor parent

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I would understand if SHE started the custody battle but if he did, as the article says, (and still has not even visited the child), she shouldn't have to pay his attorney fees.

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thats not how it works

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wow he is garbage

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The news that Rex Tillerson, Exxons CEO, is Donald Trumps official pick for the Secretary of State chair has sparked an outrage among Democratic and Republican legislators alike, both sides worried that his appointment would further warm relations between the U.S. and Russia.

To an outsider with a limited understanding of geopolitical dynamics, this outrage would sound absurd. After all, what is wrong with good bilateral relations, especially those between two of the worlds nuclear powers? But to an insider of American  and Russian  politics, the outrage is an understandable knee-jerk reaction, brought about by years of anti-Russian sentiment across the West, after Moscow annexed the Crimea and sent troops to eastern Ukraine in support of pro-Russian insurgents, deepening the political chaos in Ukraine.

On top of that, the Kremlin is now facing accusations of organizing the email hacks that, according to the Clinton campaign, cost their candidate the election. Various media are quoting some unnamed CIA officials as believing the hack attack was aimed to tip the scales in favor of Trump, who is little more than a Kremlin mole in Washington. There is still no proof of any of these hacks (which is different than leaking emails), or the intent behind the hacks.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has not yet embraced the CIA assessment of the email hack, according to three other anonymous sources from the intelligence community. The reason: lack of conclusive evidence. Related: Are Airlines The Real Losers Of The OPEC Deal?

Smack in the middle of this scandal, Trump presents Rex Tillerson as his favorite for whats probably the second most important position in the U.S. government. Tillerson, who was awarded by Russias President Putin the Order of Friendship, who has already lost a billion dollars from Western sanctions against Russia, and who has been against these sanctions from the beginning.

Lets stop here. Its not Tillerson personally who stands to lose billions from Russian sanctionsits the company he runs. Tillerson, in this respect, is just like any other big business leader who has operations in a country that is subjected to sanctions. CEOs are responsible for the general well-being of the company, and any measures that seek to strip the company of profits are bound to be protested vehemently. From this perspective, there is nothing sinister in Tillersons opposition to the anti-Russian sanctions. But can he wear another hat entirely?

As for his relationship with Putin, Tillerson is considered one of few friends of Russia in the United States. This relationship is being treated as a suspicious thinga relationship that could compromise his loyalty to his country. But Tillersons loyalty lied with Exxon, not with RussiaRussia was but one of many foreign relationships that Tillerson forged with Exxons well-being in mind. This is precisely what has prompted most to label Tillerson as an astute businessman and company executivesomeone who was able to keep Exxon in the black through the crisis while many competitors suffered, all the while maintaining dividend payouts.

This exemplary company record has been cited by many as a guarantee for his success as Secretary of State.

Yes, wearing the Exxon CEO hat, Tillerson negotiated lucrative deals for the company in Russia. In his capacity of a corporate CEO, Rex Tillerson negotiated deals that would bring in profits for Exxon. Unavoidably, these deals were also positive for Russia, as is the nature of such deals. Related: Legit OPEC Cuts To End Global Oil Glut In H1 2017

It is this mutual benefit that seems to be the basis of the anti-Tillerson opposition. Media are quoting Tillerson as agreeing with Putin that, nothing strengthens relationships between countries better than business enterprise. A mere universal truth, that is bringing short-sighted condemnation, especially when the statement is part of the protocol-required niceties for this kind of meeting.

Democrats seem convinced that Tillerson is a Putin spy. Republicans, who were against Obamas first-term reset approach to bilateral relations with Russia, are still against it, and worry that Tillerson will make this reset happen.

Tillerson has a tough road ahead now that he has been named, but he has at least a couple of arguments in his favor. First, he can always state the obvious: that he was working in Russia on behalf of Exxon, and that he worked well, as the companys bottom line shows. Second, he can argue from a solid base that the difference between running the largest energy company in the world and running the foreign policy of the worlds most powerful nation is basically a matter of scalebut with different objectives.

One further thing that could knock some sense into his most vehement opponents is the scrutiny he would be subjected to if his confirmation goes through. Should he be appointed Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson will have people watch his every single step. Thats certainly loyalty-enhancing, whatever his opponents say.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Oil prices fell on Tuesday after the American Petroleum Institutes (API) weekly report showed a large build of 4.68 million barrels in the United States crude inventory levels, instead of the expected 1.5 million-barrel draw.

The build comes after last weeks report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) that showed a 2.4 million barrel drop in commercial inventories the week prior.

Gasoline inventories have seen builds over the past five weeks, just as winter takes over and demand for the product declines. This time around, gasoline saw the biggest jump  3.905 barrels - since January.

Crude levels at the Cushing, Oklahoma storage facility increased by 632,000 barrels  far lower than the 3.2 million barrel jump experts anticipated, according to Zero Hedge. Still, crude levels at the site have been on the up-and-up since October, and this weeks report continues the trend, with a monumental build of 4.01 million barrels as of last weeks reportthe biggest weekly build since 2008, according to the agency.

This edition of API projections will either be confirmed or denied in tomorrows official EIA data. Since the last report, suspicions regarding the effectiveness of the OPEC deal have been dampened as Saudi Arabia, Iran and other partners affirmed their adherence to the quotas outlined in the agreement.

Theres obvious optimism from the bulls on OPECs ability to come to an agreement with non-OPEC, Paul Crovo, Philadelphia-based oil, equities analyst at PNC Capital, told ZH over the phone. At the same time, theres a reasonable level of trepidation regarding supply response from U.S. shale

The price of WTI was down 0.83% to $52.39 a half hour after data release, while Brent traded down 0.88% at $55.20. Gasoline prices were down 0.85% to $1.5299.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Shell has begun commercial production at the Malikai deepwater field off the Malaysian coast, aiming for a peak output of 60,000 bpd. This is Shells second deepwater project in Malaysia, after Gumusut-Kakap, which started operation back in 2014.

At the moment, according to Platts, Shells deepwater projects globally yield some 600,000 barrels of oil equivalent daily. The company has plans to raise this to 900,000 bpd by the early 2020s, and it is also working on two new deepwater projects in the Gulf of Mexico, which should boost deepwater output further.

According to a Reuters report, Shell has made 16 discoveries off the Malaysian coast in the last 28 months, using cutting-edge technology combining sonar, satellite imaging, and supercomputers. As a result, it has uncovered reserves estimated at a billion barrels of oil equivalent. It holds nine development licenses in Malaysia, all but one of them in deep waters.

This combination of modern tech and decades of large-project development could prove invaluable for Shell as it adjusts to an environment where it is getting harder and harder to find large deposits of oil and gas.

In the last ten years, according to a Wood Mackenzie report, the rate of successful discoveries in upstream exploration has dropped substantially. This has been part of the reason, along with low prices, that Big Oil has started turning to smaller, faster-return projects.

Related: Rex Tillerson: Russian Spy Or Diplomatic Genius?

Still, large projects have not completely dropped out of favor, which is why technological advancements are coming in very handy, according to Shells Ceri Powell, head of exploration, in pinpointing the exact locations of the deposits and reducing the risks associated with discoveries that are away from land and shallow waters.

The uptick in oil prices should provide further motivation for investing in such projects, especially since Shell has not yet pacified its shareholders completely after the quitting of its Arctic project, where it poured US$7 billion. The impairment hit its balance sheet hard as it happened amid the oil price crisis that, many believe, brought about a new normal for oil prices.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More top Reads From Oilprice.com:
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George Bush's Criminal Wars of Aggression:

A Detailed History

Part One of Four

by

Richard W. Behan

The illegal warmaking of the Bush Administration has returned to public view once more, thanks to the activist women of CODEPINK. They recently convened "The People's Tribunal on the Iraq War" in Washington D.C. Over two days more than 100 people testified to the deliberate lies that led the nation into war and to the horrendous consequent costs: millions of lives lost and shattered, trillions of dollars squandered, environmental catastrophes. 40,000 people watched the Tribunal live online; the testimonials remain available for viewing at IraqTribunal.org .

The detailed history below is adapted from a powerpoint presentation, The Fraudulent War , submitted to the Tribunal for the record. (The presentation can be viewed here .)

CODEPINK will now seek the appointment of a formal "Commission on Truth and Accountability," to mirror the Chilcot Inquiry in the U.K.

Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
From Consortium News

As Democrats, the Obama administration and some neocon Republicans slide deeper into conspiracy theories about how Russia somehow handed the presidency to Donald Trump, they are behaving as they accused Trump of planning to behave if he had lost, questioning the legitimacy of the electoral process and sowing doubts about American democracy.

The thinking then was that if Trump had lost, he would have cited suspicions of voter fraud -- possibly claiming that illegal Mexican immigrants had snuck into the polls to tip the election to Hillary Clinton -- and Trump was widely condemned for even discussing the possibility of challenging the election's outcome.

His refusal to commit to accepting the results was front-page news for days with leading editorialists declaring that his failure to announce that he would abide by the outcome disqualified him from the presidency.

But now the defeated Democrats and some anti-Trump neoconservatives in the Republican Party are jumping up and down about how Russia supposedly tainted the election by revealing information about the Democrats and the Clinton campaign.

Though there appears to be no hard evidence that the Russians did any such thing, the Obama administration's CIA has thrown its weight behind the suspicions, basing its conclusions on "circumstantial evidence," according to a report in The New York Times.

The Times reported: "The C.I.A.'s conclusion does not appear to be the product of specific new intelligence obtained since the election, several American officials, including some who had read the agency's briefing, said on Sunday. Rather, it was an analysis of what many believe is overwhelming circumstantial evidence -- evidence that others feel does not support firm judgments -- that the Russians put a thumb on the scale for Mr. Trump, and got their desired outcome."

In other words, the CIA apparently lacks direct reporting from a source inside the Kremlin or an electronic intercept in which Russian President Vladimir Putin or another senior official orders Russian operatives to tilt the U.S. election in favor of Trump.

More "Group Thinking"?

The absence of such hard evidence opens the door to what is called "confirmation bias" or analytical "group think" in which the CIA's institutional animosity toward Russia and Trump could influence how analysts read otherwise innocent developments.

For instance, Russian news agencies RT or Sputnik reported critically at times about Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, a complaint that has been raised repeatedly in U.S. press accounts arguing that Russia interfered in the U.S. election. But that charge assumes two things: that Clinton did not deserve critical coverage and that Americans -- in any significant numbers -- watch Russian networks.

Similarly, the yet-unproven charge that Russia organized the hacking of Democratic National Committee emails and the private email account of Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta assumes that the Russian government was responsible and that it then selectively leaked the material to WikiLeaks while withholding damaging information from hacked Republican accounts.

Here the suspicions also seem to extend far beyond what the CIA actually knows. First, the Republican National Committee denies that its email accounts were hacked, and even if they were hacked, there's no evidence that they contained any information that was particularly newsworthy. Nor is there any evidence that -- if the GOP accounts were hacked -- they were hacked by the same group that hacked the Democratic Party emails, i.e., that the two hacks were part of the same operation.

That suspicion assumes a tightly controlled operation at the highest levels of the Russian government, but the CIA -- with its intensive electronic surveillance of the Russian government and human sources inside the Kremlin -- appears to lack any evidence of such a top-down operation.

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).
From Reader Supported News

I've made a living the past several years criticizing the CIA. The Agency is easy to criticize. Its analysts have missed most of the major trends and events throughout post World War II history, as documented in Tim Weiner's excellent book Legacy of Ashes. Its operatives have committed crimes against humanity, including torture and extraordinary rendition. And its leaders lie every time they open their mouths. "We don't torture prisoners." A lie. "We don't send prisoners to third countries to be tortured." A lie. You get the idea.

But now the CIA -- indeed, the whole "intelligence community" -- is telling us that the Russian government somehow hacked into "the election" or "the electoral process," apparently with the help of Wikileaks or other hackers, for the express purpose of aiding the Donald Trump campaign. The FBI apparently has come to a variation of the same conclusion, although the Washington Post says that the FBI is more circumspect about the accusation. Still, President Obama has ordered a governmental review of the allegations. And a bipartisan group in Congress, including senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), and John McCain (R-Ariz.), has announced hearings on the matter.

Let's get some history out of the way first. The CIA's first covert action program after its creation in 1947 was to work to swing the 1948 Italian elections to the (pro-American) conservatives. Testimony before the Church Committee, created in 1975 to investigate CIA crimes, showed that the CIA had given $1 million to Italian "centrist parties," and published forged letters to discredit the Italian Communist Party. And just ask anybody from Iran, the Dominican Republic, Chile, El Salvador, Greece, and a dozen other countries about what the CIA has done in their elections over the years. Meddling in elections is wrong. It's anti-democratic. The CIA shouldn't do it and, if this new CIA report is accurate, the Russians shouldn't be doing it either.

For the sake of argument, let's say that the Russians did indeed conduct a covert action operation to influence the election in Trump's favor. Where does that leave us? First, it means the election is (or ought to be) illegitimate. Russian intervention, coupled with the fact that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes, makes Trump look like a usurper. The Washington swells' admonitions that we should all "pull together" for the sake of the country make them look like quislings and are just as anti-democratic as Trump's election.

With that said, the Constitution doesn't include any mechanism whereby a newly-elected president can be removed because of interference in the election. We're likely stuck with Trump for the next four years or until he's impeached and removed from office for any number of reasons that already seem to be bubbling to the surface. In the meantime, though, we can resort to the courts to help get to the bottom of this mess. We can demand that the entire election be declared illegitimate. (It likely won't be, but it could force changes in the system that might guard against future election-related security breaches.) We can push our members of Congress to investigate the allegations, with witnesses being subpoenaed and forced to testify under oath and under penalty of perjury.

Whatever the American people decide to do in response to Russian interference, if there was Russian interference, one thing is clear -- we have to be a monkey on Trump's back every day for the remainder of his presidency. We must not let up.

Oh, and by the way -- the release of the CIA report, or information from the CIA report, is an act of espionage as defined by the Obama Justice Department: "Providing national security information to any person not entitled to receive it." I wonder who's going to be charged with that leak. Yeah, right.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
Another old adage I like is "Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see." Recently we have heard much news about Trump supporters leaving fascist graffiti around, and I never believed this was done by Trump supporters. I am satisfied with my gut feeling by new evidence such graffiti was perpetrated by a black racist. William Tucker of southern New Jersey was arrested by Philadelphia police for vandalizing multiple vehicles and homes on Nov. 9, where he wrote messages like "Trump Rules" and "Black B*tch" on an African-American woman's car. therussophile.org/hate-hoax-blac k-man-arrested-for-racist-and-nazi-trump-graffiti.html "

A critical person will do their own research as much as possible, or think things out. For example, when someone says the Mexicans are coming to U.S. to take jobs Americans won't do, just think and realize, a Mexican, once here, will be just as ambitious (or discriminating) as any American. The solution is to pay decent wages.

A person incapable of doing research or thinking things out must choose a mentor, and sometimes a "gut feeling" is all you have.

In my humble opinion, a good mentor would be Bernie Sanders with no unreasonable conflicts of interest, not Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump with many too many conflicts.

The critical thinker would have little trouble identifying red flags, and discerning when we might be tricked into voting tax-paid subsidies to profiteers. For example, how do you promote a consensus around Republicans' current agenda to privatize education? One way is to get a gullible, uneducated group of people to condone censorship in public schools by protesting against Literary Classics - and stir up racial tension at the same time. Such anti-intellectualism in public schools might make some voters support privatization? I remember so well the quality of education I received from dedicated Catholic nuns. I also know my sons got a better education in private, pre-prep school. Am I ready to agree on privatization? No, because it should be cheaper to improve public education, rather than taking our public schools away from us and adding the profit factor to the costs. Whether the red flag works or not, at the very least societal conflict is created, which keeps our eyes off the major issue, like how elite profiteers jerk us around.

And what of environmental regulations on behalf of the handicapped, which was covered in a 60 Minutes broadcast on CNN Sunday, December 4, 2016? Perhaps another red herring. This report indicated that people who had no damage to themselves were able to sit in an armchair and sue hundreds of small businesses successfully for failing to meet environmental protection specifications. While it does indicate that there may be too much micro-management by EPA, there is much to that report that seems not quite objective. Anyone with a little knowledge of Tort Law would be skeptical.

There is a huge lobby on behalf of veterans' issues. Of course we should take pride in our veterans, especially in those who take actions in support of what they believed they fought for, on issues of equal rights, happiness, and justice for all. We have support of veterans like Timothy We also had over 11,000 Veterans protesting at Standing Rock recently.

On the other hand there are veteran "Me-Firsts" who could care less about any issues except seeing to it they get the largest share of our socio/economic help programs. Many only went into service bribed with huge bonuses and promises of education at a time when otherwise "All You Could Be" was a Pizza deliveryman. And it was advertised that way, the Pizza guy and the soldier and the music "Be All You Can Be." Many veterans are not as gallant as we would like to think they are. Most advocates for veterans, like John McCain, want them to be first in line for heath care, but they would never even consider endorsing health care of equal quality for all. Some veterans end up spending the rest of their lives in saloons, either bragging about their war exploits, or trying to forget. And now that America needs real revolutionaries, where are they?

Other organizations are also "Me-Firsts" unconcerned about any people but themselves. An outright subversive one is Black Lives Matter. The black people I love are those who have joined white masses of people seeking remedy from oppression for all people, not just one race. They rallied and voted with Bernie Sanders, even though Hillary seemed to be offering them some "Me-First" programs for minorities. I love people who appreciate the work and struggle white people made to help get Civil Rights laws passed, who marched with Martin Luther King, sat in at lunch counters, even died defending blacks from racism. Many of these older white people are now hated by members of the "Me-First" Black Lives Matter organization, which encourages white hatred. I would discriminate against the black ones who tried to take away Bernie Sanders' platform on behalf of Black Lives Matter. I shall discriminate against black people who forget how many white votes it took to elect a black President and many other members of Congress and political offices all over the U.S. I agree with Bernie that we have come a long way in the "structural" defeat of racism. Personally, I realize that, although we must have laws and use the justice system to be sure everyone has equal rights, there is no way we can force love among people who refuse to use The Golden Rule as a life style.

I awoke this morning thinking about our youth and the struggles they face. I remember in the 50s and 60s how most young people usually made a successful transition between high school and the adult socio/economic system within 5 years. The YMCA gave shelter to homeless people making transition. Some kids went to college and got jobs after graduation. Most went to occupational training institutions and became employed even faster. As for others, (like myself), employment was easy to find at the early age of 13 at a clothing store or Dime Store on Canal Street. And armed with a good Catholic school education and having learned to type at home, I got a good job as a clerk typist at age 16. Another salvation for some Catholic influenced young people was learning to think with our heads instead of rushing into pregnancy and marriage. It's not the same today. Young people today need to become more aware of consequences. A law limiting child births as was passed in China is not a cruel choice when we consider a dozen good reasons for it. I will not digress to that subject here.

If teachers learned to be as dedicated to their professions as were my Catholic nuns, we would not have kids leaving eighth grade not knowing how to write a decent essay, add up a grocery list, make a budget, and keep a checking account. The biggest problem is that too many young people, if not on drugs or alcohol, are emotionally damaged anyway. Many have the idea you shouldn't have to work for a living anyway. (I'm not sure they aren't right about that, but the day hasn't yet come when we are all allowed to retire on our common wealth. See Robert Reich: Universal Basic Income In The US 'Almost Inevitable' ) Even people with the means for a basic living need some interest or hobby in life. Some of the cures for emotional disability can be found in other paragraphs of this article.

The United States, through foreign policy, discriminates all the time. Foreign policy "friends" can torture, bomb, and otherwise mistreat it's citizens with impunity, and even be rewarded with huge weapons deals. (U.S. Imperialism No justice if you're Palestinian: A window into the cruel practices of the Israeli armed forces.) Foreign policy "enemies" - not so much! Greedy capitalist oligarchs like Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton cannot give us a foreign policy based in any measure of truth, justice, equality. The ongoing dispute between these two is simply a matter of which group of corporate elites are going to rule the world.

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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is considering going for early congress to elect new national executives that will steer the affairs of the party for the next four years.



The proposed early congress is to enable the new leadership of the umbrella family have ample time to settle down and come up with strategies that will help them recapture power from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).



The NDC performed fairly woefully in the just ended presidential and parliamentary polls with their party faithful accusing their leadership of letting them down.



In the Presidential poll, incumbent President John Dramani who represented the NDC, polled 4,713,277, representing 44.43% to surrender power to the New Patriotic Partys (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who polled 5,716,026, representing 53.85% of the total valid votes cast.



Ever since the Electoral Commissioner, Charlotte Osei pronounced Nana Akufo-Addo, the President-elect of the Republic of Ghana, some party stalwarts have taken to the airwaves to launch verbal attacks on people they suspect were behind the partys defeat.



Inside sources say the party alarmed by the frustrations being expressed by their aggrieved members in public, may be forced to go for an early congress where a new leadership of the party formed.



The party is expected to hold its National Congress in 2018, a year after the swearing in of the incoming President.



But highly placed sources say the stalwarts are considering an early congress in 2017 since 2018 will be too long a time considering their quest to recapture power from the NPP.



Article 21 of the Constitution of the NDC states that



There shall be a Congress of the Party to be held once every four years as the National Congress which shall be the highest decision making body of the Party.



The National Congress shall be convened by the General Secretary acting on the direction of the National Executive Committee stating the date and venue.



This website is reliably informed that the thought of an early congress is gaining some momentum with a lot of party stalwarts buying into the idea.

Source: kasapafmonline.com









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This undated photo provided by Raffaello Pellizzon in December 2016 shows fossilized footprints of a human ancestor, believed to be Australopithecus afarensis, at the Laetoli site in northern Tanzania. Findings were described in a report released Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, by the journal eLife. (Raffaello Pellizzon via AP)

He stood a majestic 5-foot-5, weighed around 100 pounds and maybe had a harem. That's what scientists figure from the footprints he left behind some 3.7 million year ago.

He's evidently the tallest known member of the prehuman species best known for the fossil skeleton nicknamed "Lucy," reaching a stature no other member of our family tree matched for another 1.5 million years, the researchers say.

The 13 footprints are impressions left in volcanic ash that later hardened into rock, excavated last year in northern Tanzania in Africa. Their comparatively large size, averaging a bit over 10 inches long (26 centimeters), suggest they were made by a male member of the species known as Australopithecus afarensis.

The prints were found at a site called Laetoli, which is famous for another set of smaller footprints left by other A. afarensis individuals. Those made headlines in the 1970s as the earliest clear evidence of upright walking by our ancestors. The newly discovered prints are only about 160 yards (150 meters) away.

Researchers named the new creature S1, for the first discovery made at the "S'' site. From the footprints, they calculated that he stood about 5-foot-5 (roughly 165 centimeters) and weighed around 100 pounds (about 45 kilograms).

This undated photo provided by Sofia Menconero in December 2016 shows preliminary digging and cleaning operations at the Laetoli site in northern Tanzania, where 14 footprints from a human ancestor, believed to be Australopithecus afarensis, were found. Findings were described in a report released Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, by the journal eLife. (Sofia Menconero via AP)

They figured that he loomed at least 8 inches (more than 20 centimeters) above the individuals who made the other tracks, and stood maybe 3 inches (7 centimeters) taller than a large A. afarensis specimen previously found in Ethiopia. "Lucy", also from Ethiopia, was much shorter at about 3  feet (107 centimeters).

The findings are described in a report released Wednesday by the journal eLife. Authors include Giorgio Manzi of Sapienza University in Rome, Marco Cherin of the University of Perugia in Italy, and others.

Nobody knows the ages or sexes of any of the track-makers, although the size of the latest footprints suggest they were made by a male. It's quite possible that the new discovery means A. afarensis males were a lot bigger than females, with more of a difference than what is seen in modern humans, the researchers say. That's not a new idea, but it's still under debate.

The large male-female disparity suggests A. afarensis may have had a gorilla-like social arrangement of one dominant male with a group of females and their offspring, the researchers said.

But not everybody agrees with their analysis of S1's height.

This illustration provided by Dawid A. Iurino in December 2016 shows a reconstruction of the northern Tanzanian Laetoli site 3.66 million years ago, where 14 footprints from a human ancestor, believed to be Australopithecus afarensis, were found. Findings were described in a report released Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, by the journal eLife. (Dawid A. Iurino via AP)

Their estimate is suspect, says anthropologist William Jungers, a research associate at the Association Vahatra in Madagascar who wrote a commentary on the study. That's because scientists haven't recovered enough of an A. afarensis foot to reliably calculate height from footprints, he said in an email.

Philip Reno, an assistant anthropology professor at Penn State who didn't participate in the new work, said he believed the height estimate was in the right ballpark. But he's not convinced that S1 was really taller than the large Ethiopian A. afarensis.

So rather than setting a record, "I think it confirms about the size we thought the big specimens were," Reno said.

Manzi and Cherin said they can't be sure S1 was taller than the Ethiopian specimen. "We only suggest," they wrote in an email.

More information: Fidelis T Masao et al. New footprints from Laetoli (Tanzania) provide evidence for marked body size variation in early hominins, eLife (2016). dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19568 Journal information: eLife

 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Apple products such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod may have revolutionised the technological world but Steve Jobs faced a backlash when his name was put forward to be honoured in the hub

Steve Jobs may have been a technological revolutionary, but his legacy will not be remembered in a Paris street name.

Jobs's name was one of several famous figures from the technology industry proposed to adorn new roads in the French capital's soon to be launched tech startup campus in the southeastern 13th district.

The socialist local district mayor Jerome Coumet had proposed naming one of the new roads "Rue Steve Jobs" but the former American entrepreneur, who died in 2011, didn't even make it to the voting booths after objections from communists and ecologists.

Instead, the likes of British World War II hero mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing, whose work helped the Allies defeat the Nazis, and American computer scientist and former Navy Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hooper, who pioneered computer coding, have both been chosen.

Apple products such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod may have revolutionised the technological world but Jobs faced a backlash when his name was put forward to be honoured in the hub.

The suggestion of Jobs had not received "unanimous" backing, according to socialist Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo's first deputy Bruno Julliard, who explained the American's name was dropped from the Paris Council vote in the spirit of "a tradition of compromise".

When news that Jobs was up for consideration came to light, communist opponents hit out at his "legacy" of "insufficient wages", "forced overtime" for Apple subcontractors and "use of illegal tax arrangements".

Instead, roads will be named after Ada Lovelace, widely regarded as the first computer programmer, computer scientist Karen Sparck Jones, computer programmer Betty Holberton and Eugene Freyssinet, the structural and civil engineer whose name adorned the Halle Freyssinet events centre where the hub has been built.

It is due to open in March next year.

 2016 AFP
An unmanned rigid-hull inflatable boat operates autonomously during an Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored demonstration of swarmboat technology held at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story. During the demonstration four boats, using an ONR-sponsored system called CARACaS (Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command Sensing), operated autonomously during various scenarios designed to identify, trail or track a target of interest. Credit: U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams

Autonomous unmanned swarming boats were put through their paces in a recent demonstration in the lower Chesapeake Baywith results that show dramatic new possibilities for autonomy in future naval missions.

Using a unique combination of software, radar and other sensors, officials from the Office of Naval Research (ONR)together with partners from industry, academia and other government organizationswere able to get a "swarm" of rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) and other small boats to collectively perform patrol missions autonomously, with only remote human supervision, rather than direct human operation, as they performed their missions.

"This demonstration showed some remarkable advances in autonomous capabilities," said Cmdr. Luis Molina, military deputy for ONR's Sea Warfare and Weapons Dept. "While previous work had focused on autonomous protection of high-value ships, this time we were focused on harbor approach defense."

The autonomy technology being developed by ONR is called Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing, or CARACaS. The components that make up CARACaS (some are commercial off-the-shelf) are inexpensive compared to the costs of maintaining manned vessels for some of the dull, dirty or dangerous tasksall of which can be found in the work of harbor approach defense, experts say.

"The U.S. Navy knows our most important asset, without question, is our highly trained military personnel," said Dr. Robert Brizzolara, the program officer at ONR who oversees the effort. "The autonomy technology we are developing for our Sailors and Marines is versatile enough that it will assist them in performing many different missions, and it will help keep them safer."

In 2014, ONR completed the first major demonstration of CARACaS technology on the James River in Virginia. At that time, the transportable kit containing the autonomy package was installed on multiple RHIBs, allowing them to operate in sync with other unmanned vessels, swarming to intercept potential enemy ships and escorting naval assets.

The demonstration held this year in October built upon the lessons learned from that successful demo. Brizzolara says that substantial additional capability has been added to CARACaS since the 2014 demo, including the ability for multiple unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to collaborate on task allocation; the development of additional USV behaviors and tactics; and advances in automated vessel classification from imagery.

During the demo, unmanned boats were given a large area of open water to patrol. As an unknown vessel entered the area, the group of swarmboats collaboratively determined which patrol boat would quickly approach the unknown vessel, classify it as harmless or suspicious, and communicate with other swarmboats to assist in tracking and trailing the unknown vessel while others continued to patrol the area. During this time, the group of swarmboats provided status updates to a human supervisor.

"This technology allows unmanned Navy ships to overwhelm an adversary," added Molina. "Its sensors and software enable swarming capability, giving naval warfighters a decisive edge."

Naval leadership in recent years has emphasized a blended future force, leveraging the synergy of using manned and unmanned systems to complement each other while accomplishing missions. In the near future, unmanned boats can take on some dangerous missions, thereby protecting the warfighter, and they can do that in great numbers at a fraction of the cost of a single manned warship. Furthermore, these small boats are already in the Navy's inventory (as manned craft) and can quickly and inexpensively be converted to an autonomous boat via the installation of a CARACaS kit.

Watch a video of the recent autonomous unmanned swarming boat demonstration:
Climate change is causing glaciers to shrink, temperatures to rise, and shifts in human migration in parts of the world, according to research supported by Penn States Population Research Institute. Credit: Penn State Penn State

Climate change is causing glaciers to shrink, temperatures to rise, and shifts in human migration in parts of the world, according to a Penn State researcher.

Brian Thiede, assistant professor of rural sociology, along with researchers from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the International Food Policy Research Institute, examined the effects of climate change on human migration in South America, and found that abnormally high and low temperatures increased migration, with especially strong effects on moves to urban areas. The findings were published recently in the journal Global Environmental Change.

The researchers analyzed over 21 million census records of working-age adults from eight South American countries over almost four decades. ""There have recently been a number of high-quality studies of climate impacts on migration, but they tend to be narrow in geographic scope," said Thiede. "This is one of the first studies to examine the link between climate change and migration using harmonized data from multiple countries over a long period of time."

The researchers linked census data with historical rainfall and temperature data so they could draw conclusion on the effects of climate change on migration. "We found that changes in temperature had greater effects on migration than changes in rainfall, and that exposure to both extremely high and extremely low temperatures increased the likelihood of migration," Thiede explained. "The effect of extreme temperatures was most consistent on movement to urban, rather than rural places. Each month of higher than normal temperatures led to an over three percent increase in migration to urban areas, whereas each month of lower than normal temperatures led to an almost ten percent increase in urban areas."

Thiede and his team also discovered how factors such as age, gender, and educational attainment affect migration trends. They found that migration rates among certain groups, such as women and adults with low education levels, were more sensitive to gradual changes in climate than others. "One speculative explanation is that these groups tend to work in more flexible and vulnerable occupations that tie them to particular places less than other groups," said Thiede.

The findings are important because changes in human migration patterns are expected to be one of the major social impacts of climate change. "The study highlights overarching trends in the movement of South Americans in the face of a changing climateand those movements are often across provinces to urban centers," Theide explained. "This process raises a set of challenges, particularly for the migrants coming from rural areas who need to adapt to urban life, as well as for the communities they settle in."

The work also gives policy makers a clearer picture of migration trends. In the future, Theide plans to continue to combine demographic and climate data to examine how climate change affects migration in other areas, as well as other outcomes, such as nutrition and food security.
Eastern forests, after many decades of fire suppression, when faced with prolonged drought, are more vulnerable to hotter-burning, terribly destructive wildfires, according to a researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. Credit: U.S. Forest Service

The intense wildfires that swept through the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee late last month were a tragic melding of the past and the future, according to a researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

And the fast-moving, wind-whipped blazes that burned more than 150,000 acres, killed 14 people and damaged 2,400 structures in Gatlinburg and Sevier County may be a portent of things to come, he warned.

"Many people have been lulled into believing that it is just the West that is prone to devastating wildfires, but that's not true," said Marc Abrams, professor of forest ecology and physiology, who for three decades has studied the historic role of fire in Eastern forests.

"Fire has played an important role historically in the forest ecosystem in the eastern United States, but the balance created by frequentbut not catastrophicforest fires was upset by the Smokey Bear fire suppression regimen beginning in the late 1940s. Now, Eastern forests, when faced with prolonged drought, are more vulnerable to hotter-burning, terribly destructive wildfires."

Abrams has published a series of research papers that focused on how Native Americans used fire to manage Eastern forests and made the forests more productive in yielding foods for themselves and the wildlife on which they depended. He believes the absence of fire has set the stage for catastrophic infernos such as those that recently raged through Tennessee.

Worse, Abrams sees a unique confluence between the past, when frequent forest fires were interrupted by a period of almost none, and the future, when a changing climate may well result in more severe and more prolonged droughtsresulting in fires more destructive than ever before.

"The fires we saw a few weeks ago in Tennessee were the worst in Eastern forests in my lifetime. The size of the area burned exceeded the number of acres that would burn in a normal year in the East," he said. "It's a reminder that the Eastern forests have always burned and are still pyrogenic, and because they are not managed with fire, they are now prone to have more catastrophic fires. The buildup of fuels is certainly a factor."

The southeastern United States is in a decades-long drought, Abrams pointed out, and he noted that some climate change models suggest extremely dry weather trends will continue. If so, more devastating fires like the recent Tennessee blazes are likely to occur. Although most climate change models suggest the East will, overall, receive slightly more precipitation, they also predict that more prolonged and more severe droughts will develop in places.

"We are seeing this in the Southeast and also in the Great Lakes states. Even though average precipitation has slightly increased, there are also areas in the East where drought has increased. It sounds counterintuitive, but it is occurring," he said.

"We have very pyrogenic forest vegetation in the eastern United States. Most of it is not as flammable as we think about in the West, where there are catastrophic crown fires in conifer forests every year, but most of the eastern U.S. is dominated by oak, hickory and pine, and these are fire-adapted species that have burned over thousands of years as part of their normal ecology."

The melding of past and future for Eastern forests threatens to reverse a phenomenon that Abrams' research identified. In a paper published in January this year, he debunked claims that climate change has been the most important factor changing the composition of Eastern forests, presenting a convincing argument that human activities such as land use and fire suppression have been more influential.

Everything that changed after the Europeans arrived in North America may be changing again as extreme droughts become more prevalent, Abrams contended.

A changing climate creating conditions conducive to devastating forest fires may become a primary driver of forest composition change. "Droughts have always occurred, but more severe, more persistent droughts have the potential to change forest composition most in the long run," he said.

"The long-term absence of fires in the East has caused a decrease in fire-adapted trees and an increase in species sensitive to fire and drought. This increased sensitivity will likely result in increased tree mortality associated with future fires and drought."
Coronal mass ejections from the sun heat Earth's upper atmosphere, then cool it dramatically, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study. Credit: NASA

A team led by the University of Colorado Boulder has found the mechanism behind the sudden onset of a "natural thermostat" in Earth's upper atmosphere that dramatically cools the air after it has been heated by violent solar activity.

Scientists have known that solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs)which release electrically charged plasma from the suncan damage satellites, cause power outages on Earth and disrupt GPS service. CMEs are powerful enough to send billions of tons of solar particles screaming toward Earth at more than 1 million miles per hour, said CU Boulder Professor Delores Knipp of the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences.

Now, Knipp and her team have determined that when such powerful CMEs come off the sun and speed toward Earth, they create shock waves much like supersonic aircraft create sonic booms. While the shock waves from CMEs pour energy into Earth's upper atmosphere, puffing it up and heating it, they also cause the formation of the trace chemical nitric oxide, which then rapidly cools and shrinks it, she said.

"What's new is that we have determined the circumstances under which the upper atmosphere goes into this almost overcooling mode following significant heating," said Knipp, also a member of CU Boulder's Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research. "It's a bit like having a stuck thermostatit's really a case of nature reining itself in."

Knipp gave a presentation at the 2016 fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union being held in San Francisco Dec. 12 through Dec. 16. The presentation was tied to an upcoming paper that is slated to be published in the journal Space Weather.

Solar storms can cause dramatic change in the temperatures of the upper atmosphere, including the ionosphere, which ranges from about 30 miles in altitude to about 600 miles highthe edge of space. While CME material slamming into Earth's atmosphere can cause temperature spikes of up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit, the nitric oxide created by the energy infusion can subsequently cool it by about 930 F, said Knipp.

The key to solving the mystery came when Knipp was reviewing satellite data from a severe solar storm that pounded Earth in 1967. "I found a graphic buried deep in a long forgotten manuscript," she said. "It finally suggested to me what was really happening."

Because the upper atmosphere expands during CMEs, satellites in low-Earth orbit are forced to move through additional gaseous particles, causing them to experience more drag. Satellite draga huge concern of government and aerospace companiescauses decays in the orbits of spacecraft, which subsequently burn up in the atmosphere.

As part of the new study, Knipp and her colleagues compared two 15-year-long satellite datasets. One was from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument riding on NASA's TIMED satellite. The other was from data collected by U.S. Department of Defense satellites.

"We found that the fastest material streaming off the sun was triggering these shockwaves, causing the atmosphere to heave up and heat up," she said. "But it became very clear that these shock waves were at the root of creating the nitric oxide, which caused the atmosphere to shed energy and cool."

SABER has been collecting data on nitric oxide in the atmosphere since its launch in 2001, following on the heels of another nitric oxide-measuring satellite known as the Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE). Launched in 1998, SNOE involved more than 100 CU Boulder students, primarily undergraduates, in its design and construction. Once in orbit, SNOE was controlled by students on campus 24 hours a day for nearly six years.

Geomagnetic storms have had severe impacts on Earth. A 1989 storm caused by a CME resulted in the collapse of the Hydro-Quebec's electricity transmission system, causing six million Canadians to lose power. In 1859 a solar storm called the Carrington Event produced auroras from the North Pole to Central America and disrupted telegraph communications, even sparking fires at telegraph offices that caused several deaths.
Many of the police officers who responded to Tuesday night's fatal snowbank collapse are veterans of 20, 30 and even almost 40 years of police work. They have seen things many of us can't imagine.

The trauma of finding two young boys trapped in a snow bank, one of them dead and the other severely hypothermic, was too much for even the most hardened of them.

Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell said many were in tears as they sorted out what happened Tuesday night in a remote parking lot on Rock Street, minutes after tearing into an icy snowbank, some with their bare hands, to free the boys. Those who spoke at a press conference Wednesday, including the village public works superintendent, seemed near tears.

One longtime state trooper, the father of a young man himself, said the emotions of the case made him question why he is still on the job.

These are the behind-the-scenes kind of things that the public rarely sees, from men and women who see death, severe injury and sorrow far more than anyone should, and somehow continue to show up for work the next day.

-- Don Lehman
QUEENSBURY  The lawyer for the Lake George man who has been charged with manslaughter in the summer boat crash that killed a young girl has been granted more time to prepare her pretrial motions.

Cheryl Coleman, who represents Alexander M. West, was supposed to have filed motions by Dec. 9. But after a conference earlier this month with the Warren County District Attorneys Office and Warren County Judge John Hall, the judge agreed to give the defense additional time to prepare its paperwork.

The District Attorneys Office will have until Jan. 15 to respond to Colemans motions.

West has pleaded not guilty to felony manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene of an accident, as well as lesser counts, for the July 25 boat collision that killed 8-year-old Charlotte McCue of Carlsbad, California, and seriously injured her mother. They were passengers on a boat that was slowly cruising to shore and was being driven by Charlottes grandfather.

West is accused of driving his parents 21-foot powerboat into the side of an antique wooden speedboat that contained the McCues, then fleeing the scene. He is accused of operating the boat recklessly and under the influence of alcohol and drugs after spending hours drinking and using illegal drugs at an all-day party on Lake George known as Log Bay Day.

Four friends of his who police said were passengers in his boat have also been charged with misdemeanors for allegedly lying to police and/or obstructing the investigation. Their cases are still pending in Lake George and Queensbury town courts.

Pretrial motions generally include a request to dismiss the charges, review grand jury minutes and suppress evidence as well as judicial review of whatever other issues come up in the case.

Hall will rule on motions and then set pretrial hearing dates and a trial date, if no disposition of the charges is reached. Trial is likely during the late spring or early summer, based on the current trial calendar.

There have been no substantive plea talks in the case.

Coleman did not return a phone call for comment Tuesday. Warren County District Attorney Kate Hogan acknowledged the pretrial motion schedule had changed but had no additional comment on the case.

West, 24, has been free on $200,000 bail bond since Nov. 14, more than two weeks after he was jailed, following arraignment on a 12-count criminal indictment.

He is required to wear an ankle bracelet, abide by a 9 p.m. curfew at his family home on Lockhart Mountain Road and report frequently to the county Probation Department. He also has to take random drug tests.
CAMBRIDGE  A Cambridge man was charged with a felony in recent days for allegedly threatening to "shoot" Child Protective Services caseworkers, authorities said.

Claude J. Boisvert, 45, was charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony, after alleged verbal threats to caseworkers with Washington County Child Protective Services and Northeast Parent & Child Society. He also reportedly told caseworkers he had "notched" trees near his driveway so they would fall across the driveway and prevent them from leaving, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

"They have an open case with him, and he didn't want them coming to his house so he told them he would shoot them if they did," sheriff's Senior Investigator Tony LeClaire said.

Boisvert was arraigned in Fort Edward Town Court and sent to Washington County Jail for lack of bail. He has a prior criminal record that included a 2010 misdemeanor assault arrest, and a felony grand larceny conviction in 1999, records show.
FORT ANN  With emotions running high, people with plots in Browns Cemetery in West Fort Ann turned out in force for Mondays Town Board meeting and demanded to know why the town had not responded to their concerns.

The criticisms were leveled even after Supervisor Richard Moore announced Moose Hillock Campground owner Ed Paradis had moved a fence that was blocking the back road of the cemetery and also said the Town Board will consider taking over the cemetery proper at its meeting next month.

Who let this happen? asked a tearful Bonnie Graves, whose family owns plots in the cemetery and was among more than 50 people at the meeting. There is no way my parents can be buried. If it were your parents, youd understand. I want answers. Its very upsetting.

Joan Degner said her family had a funeral at the cemetery late last month, and the changes caused major issues.

We had elderly people who had to walk in from the road, and to turn around, the vault truck had to back over my sisters grave, she said.

William Nikas, an attorney from Hudson Falls, is representing for free anyone with family in the cemetery and said he will file a lawsuit if necessary.

Paradis attorney, Mark Rehm, also spoke at the meeting.

Mr. Paradis wants to co-exist together. He is a man of his word, and he will work with you, Rehm said. I think we can bring it together and come up with a resolution that will satisfy both sides.

Meeting planned

Moore asked Nikas and Rehm to meet with him, Paradis and Jeffrey Meyer, the towns attorney.

Moore said it would be better to have a meeting before any lawsuits were filed. All sides agreed to a meeting.

On Tuesday, Nikas said that following Mondays meeting, he met with more than 25 people who have plots or family in the cemetery. He also noted that an online and written petition had more than 1,000 signatures.

My representation will cover anyone who chooses to support the cause, but of course anyone is free to retain their own attorney, Nikas said. Due to my commitment and belief in my Fort Ann neighbors, I have agreed to offer my legal services on a pro bono basis until a final resolution can be reached.

While the fence and a berm in front of it were put up this fall as part of a house construction project on land Paradis owned, the landowner has said he has been negotiating to give land back to the town or whatever entity owned the cemetery but has not been able to.

Christine Milligan, commander of the Whitehall American Legion, said her group would take part in any lawsuit and added she feels it is time the issue was settled.

This has been going on and on for four years now, she said. We have been fighting this for a long time. The town has failed us on this. We have tried, and the town is not listening to us.

Milligan said there are about 1,500 graves in the cemetery and about 200 of them belong to veterans.

Paradis has said he has been trying to deed over the parts of the cemetery he owns  the access road and a turnaround  for four years.

Virginia Parrott, the longtime town historian, said she thinks residents would be willing to support the cemetery maintenance.

I do not see how anyone in this country could desecrate a cemetery, she said. I do not think anyone would have a problem paying a couple dollars more a year to take care of it.

For the second meeting in a row, Leroy Harrison told board members they should take, by eminent domain, the entrance road and a 50-foot buffer from the edge of Paradis property.

Getting information

Moore said the town has much more information on the cemetery than it did a month ago.

We finally found the wills for Clara West and her son, Gerald, Moore said of the family that owned the property as a farm prior to the campground being developed. There is nothing about the cemetery in there.

Moore said the town also has more information on the Browns family tree and is continuing to research it.

He also asked Meyer to have information ready for the Jan. 9 board meeting on the town taking ownership of the cemetery.

While we are in the interim of determining whether this is actually an abandoned public cemetery, I think in the near future, we need to consider taking over the cemetery, Moore said. It has been a long time since anyone has been named as being a caretaker.

Moore noted that members of various families have been taking care of parts of the cemetery.

We know that Clara West sold plots and Gerald West sold plots, but there is no record or journal, he added.

Board member Dennis Fletcher, who is employed by the town to mow its other cemeteries during the summer, said the town would face higher costs if it took over the cemetery.

Thats a big cemetery. Its going to take a lot of work, he said. We would need more hours.
President-elect Donald Trumps choice of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a climate change skeptic, to head the Environmental Protection Agency could reverse the trend of lakes and ponds in the Adirondacks recovering from acid rain, said leaders of regional environmental groups.

Were terrified about backsliding on 40 years of progress on acid rain in the Adirondack Park, said John Sheehan, a spokesman for the Adirondack Council.

Pruitt, as attorney general, spearheaded a pending lawsuit attempting to overturn President Barack Obamas Clean Power Plan, which establishes goals for reducing carbon emissions through a national trading system.

Emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which cause acid rain, also would be reduced indirectly if the plan is implemented.

Because of the efficiencies necessary to reduce those goals, we would see a decrease of sulfur and nitrogen pollution in the Adirondacks that could bring acid rain to a halt in the park, Sheehan said.

It appears that Mr. Pruitt does not share the concerns of this region for acid rain. Thats a major concern, said Peter Bauer, executive director of Protect the Adirondacks.

Rain that contains sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, known as acid rain, makes lakes and ponds too acidic to support the plants and fish that once existed there.

Coal burning electricity-generating plants in the Midwest have been the main source of pollutants, which are carried by prevailing winds to the Adirondacks.

Heavy concentrations of the pollutants in snow that melts all at once creates an effect environmentalists call acid shock.

In 1998, more than 500 lakes and ponds out of 2,800 in the Adirondack Park were too acidic to support plants and fish that once existed there, according to an Adirondack Council report at the time.

Significant progress in reducing acid rain has been made since then, and environmental leaders had hoped the Clean Power Plan would totally eliminate acid rain from the Adirondacks, said Bauer of Protect the Adirondacks.

He (Pruitt) has led the fight, in many ways, against President Obamas Clean Power Plan, Bauer said.

The Sierra Club, a national environmental group, has urged its member to contact U.S. senators in their respective states and request that they block confirmation of Pruitt as EPA administrator, the cabinet official that oversees the drafting, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of federal environmental regulations.

New Yorks senators both have concerns about Pruitts nomination.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Pruitt has a troubling history on the environment and public health.

Attorney General Pruitts reluctance to accept the facts or science on climate change couldnt make him any more out of touch with the American people, and with reality, Schumer said in a prepared statement.

Schumer said he expects senators will ask many tough questions of Pruitt during the confirmation process.

Sen. (Kirsten) Gillibrand has concerns about Scott Pruitts record, particularly on climate change, and she will be asking him to address those concerns during the upcoming confirmation hearings, said Marc Brummer, a spokesman for Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

Pruitts nomination signals it will be essential for environmental and business groups to collaborate to emphasize the connection between the environment and the economy, as Lake George groups have done regarding invasive species and use of road salt, said Eric Siy, executive director of The Fund for Lake George.

What can I say? This is not a step in the direction we need to be headed, he said, referring to Pruitts nomination.

There are always going to be ebbs and flows, fits and starts, and we have to keep our eyes on the prize. And the prize is protection of the environment and providing for the economy, he said. So thats the prescription for protection, regardless of politics.

Advocacy of U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, on environmental issues in the region will be essential, said Bauer, of Protect the Adirondacks.

Rep. Stefanik is probably going to be the best emissary from this region to his office, Bauer said. She has recently started to take climate change and acid rain seriously. We would certainly encourage Rep. Stefanik to educate the Oklahoma attorney general on these matters.

Stefanik would not comment specifically, at this point, on Pruitts suitability to serve as EPA administrator.

The Senate will have the opportunity to advise and consent on President-elect Trumps nominations, said Tom Flanagin, the congresswomans spokesman. Congresswoman Stefanik believes its important for President-elect Trumps nominees to go through the confirmation process so that we can hear their views and ideas on critical issues.
GREENWICH  An afternoon of sledding by two 12-year-old boys turned tragic on Tuesday, after they became buried into a snowbank, killing one of them.

Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell said authorities were contacted at about 5 p.m. when one of the boys did not return home and had not been heard from, which was unusual.

The boy had gone sledding with a friend on Rock Street. Police investigated and found that the friend was missing as well.

Local police contacted New York State Police and forest rangers to assist with the search on the street, which is near the Batten Kill.

A helicopter and canine units assisted in the search and found tracks made by the boys, but no sign of them.

There is a parking lot on Rock Street where the Greenwich Public Works Department has been dumping snow, according to Bell. Police investigated that site.

One of the state police investigators found a little piece of a sled poking out from the snow bank, according to Bell.

He said emergency personnel and police grabbed shovels and started digging with their bare hands  moving a massive amount of snow in 10 minutes.

They found one of the boys, administered CPR to him and transported him to Saratoga Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Bell said.

Then, police heard screaming coming from the other boy trapped inside the snowbank.

The kid actually tried to force himself out, Bell said.

He also was transported to Saratoga Hospital with hypothermia.

Bell said the second boy told police that they were playing behind the snowbank and heard a truck coming in the distance.

The next thing he remembers, it went dark, he said.

The investigation is still underway, but Bell said it appears to be an accident. The driver of the truck did not know the boys were there.

Its kids playing. Its a real tragedy for the family. Our hearts go out to the family, he said.

The names of the boys have not been released. Counseling will be made available at Greenwich Central School, according to Bell.

It was an emotional night.

I watched grown men cry when they unearthed these kids tonight, he said.
GREENWICH  The boy who survived being buried in a snowbank on Tuesday was recovering early Wednesday at his home as police try to figure out what happened to him and to a friend who did not survive.

A news conference was held Wednesday morning and officials identified the boy who died as 13-year-old Joshua J. Demarest, a seventh grader at Greenwich Junior-Senior High School.

The boy who was rescued Tyler Day, 12, was suffering from hypothermia and was released from Saratoga Hospital on Wednesday morning, officials said.

Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell said the boys had been sledding and dug a snow fort into an 8- to 10-foot high embankment on Rock Street Tuesday afternoon.

The snowbank accumulated as Greenwich Village Department of Public Works Crews dumped snow there from roadsides and sidewalks in recent days, including during the day Tuesday.

Police believe the two boys were on the back side of the bank, in a snow fort, when a payloader or dump truck put more snow on the bank or pushed it, collapsing the fort. Bell said they could not have been seen from the front side, adjacent to the open part of the parking lot, by the DPW staff.

Tyler told police that he was trapped in an area where he had a pocket of air, but the other boy did not have enough air, Bell said. Tyler was conscious when he was found.

"When he was found he was in a little bit of a tunnel where he was able to breathe. It was a miracle," the chief said. "The boy who survived said they heard the noise of equipment and everything went black."

Joshua was buried face down, and an autopsy was to be conducted Wednesday or Thursday to determine how he died.

Police believe they had been trapped in snow for 3 to 3.5 hours when they were found around 7:15 p.m. First responders administered CPR on the unresponsive boy and doctors tried to revive him at Saratoga Hospital, but he was pronounced dead around 10:15 p.m.

Grief counselors were called in for students at Greenwich Central School and the DPW staff, who were devastated by what occurred, the chief said. The boys were schoolmates with 12-year-old Connor McLaughlin, who died when hit by a falling rock while hiking in March.

At a press conference Wednesday morning, Greenwich School Superintendent Mark Fish said counselors will be on hand to help students and staff as long as needed. Both boys were seventh graders, so the elementary and high school were both affected.

"The whole campus is mourning and grieving together," he said. "We are going to support each other and get through this together."

Joshua was a well-liked boy who enjoyed sports and the outdoors, Fish said. He played soccer and was in French Club.

"He was a good student, well-rounded and well-liked by his peers," the superintendent said.

Demarest's mother was not in Greenwich at the time because her mother had died earlier in the day in New Jersey, according to Bell.

The two boys' families live three houses apart. Friends and loved ones came and went from the Demarest home Wednesday, the family declining to comment to media. At one point, a man who identified himself as Joshua's father came to look at the snowbank Wednesday morning as Bell photographed it for evidentiary purposes.

"Is this where he was?" he asked Bell, seemingly fighting back tears.

The chief replied that it was, and offered the man condolences before he and two other family members walked back to the home.

Feared he was going to die

Bell spoke with Tyler later Wednesday, and the boy told him he tried to dig his way out of the snow when the bank collapsed, but "gave up" as he couldn't find a way out. He had taken his gloves off to dig, but put them back on and just waited.

The boy, recuperating at a relative's home in Greenwich, told police he believed he fell asleep a couple of times as he waited and hoped for a rescue, and feared he was going to die. He could not see or hear his friend during the time he was trapped, as Demarest's snow cave was further toward the back of the bank.

"He said he saw a dumptruck in the parking lot but didn't think much about it because there were always trucks coming and going there," the chief said.

He did not seem to have any injuries other than hypothermia. The hole he was in was not much larger than his body, but trapped enough oxygen to keep him alive.

Tyler's family did not consent to media interviews later Wednesday.

Reported missing

Police were called by one of the boy's sisters at 4:59 p.m., reporting her brother missing. Both families live on Rock Street, a short dead-end street that runs along the Batten Kill on the east side of the village.

A search ensued with Cambridge-Greenwich officers, State Police, Washington County sheriff's officers and state forest rangers, Greenwich firefighters, police dogs and at least one helicopter.

Footprints from one of the boy's homes led police to the lot on Rock Street, and a police dog alerted on the snow pile. Bell said State Police Investigator Joseph Bearor spotted part of a sled sticking from the bank, which prompted officers to begin digging with shovels, rakes and their hands. Part of the bank was hard-packed chunks of ice in addition to the week's fresh snow.

"A dozen and a half guys just went into panic mode and started frantically digging," Bell said. "They must have moved 7 tons of snow in a minute."

Joshua was found first, unconscious and not breathing. Officers feared the worst for Tyler as well, and were initially saddened to learn he had been found as well, until they heard yelling, "He's alive!" said State Police Senior Investigator Robert Stampfli, who was among those digging.

He called Tyler's survival and discovery "a miracle." The snowbank extends 50 or so yards long, and searchers had no idea how far they were going to have to look through the hard, icy bank.

"In 10 minutes time, they had that huge pile down to earth," Stampfli said.

Tyler was found about 6 feet inside the snowbank.

Sheriff Jeff Murphy said Deputy Scott McFarren performed CPR on Joshua as he went to the hospital, and his staff was seeking critical incident stress debriefing as well.

The DPW staff, all volunteer firefighters, assisted with the efforts to take apart the snowbank.

Flynn said the six-person DPW was "devastated." But Bell said the situation was a tragic accident that DPW staff could not foresee in light of the children digging into the bank from the opposite side of where the dumping was taking place.

The snow pile is on private property, across Rock Street from a park on the Batten Kill, but the owner has long let the DPW dump snow there. Greenwich Public Works Superintendent Leo Flynn said his staff had used the lot "for years" but had not seen children playing there before.

Playing in snow is a rite of childhood, and Bell said it is tough to convince children of the dangers that snowbanks  and leaf piles on streets that can be hit by cars  can present when kids play in them.

"Snowbanks are intriguing to kids. I don't know how you could ever really stop this," he said.

An online fund had been set up to assist Joshua's family with funeral expenses. It can be found at www.gofundme.com/funeral-expenses-and-supporting-fam.

Nearly $12,000 had been raised as of Wednesday afternoon.
The death of a Greenwich boy in a snowbank Tuesday wasnt the first time Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell has had to respond to a case in which a local child died when buried in snow.

Bell, a police officer in the region for 39 years, said he was among Washington County sheriffs officers who investigated the death of a child in Fort Ann who was buried in snow 30 or so winters ago. Further details about that death were not available Wednesday, but Bell said he has long feared having another case like it.

This is the second time in my career I have had to go to one of these, he said Wednesday. Ever since then, Ive always worried about this sort of thing.

Joshua Demarest, 13, of Greenwich, died Tuesday while his 12-year-old friend, Tyler Day, survived when a snowbank collapsed on them in Greenwich as they tunneled in it.

The internet is full of news articles about similar snowbank collapses in which children were hurt or killed around North America and Europe.

One of the more recent cases of children becoming buried happened about two hours south in Orange County two winters ago. Two boys in Newburgh survived an estimated 7 hours under snow in November 2014 after a plow buried them in a commercial parking lot as they built a snow fort.

The boys, ages 11 and 9, later spoke to media about their near-death experience, with one saying he thought he and his cousin were going to die.

In recent years, a 9-year-old in a suburb of Toronto died when a snow pile collapsed on him near his home, in February 2014. A boy near Montreal survived a 2011 incident in which a snow tunnel collapsed on him, trapping him for hours.

Bell said he had received media calls from around the world after Tuesdays tragedy, and one was from a reporter who indicated that similar deaths were a significant issue to the north, where more snow falls and it lingers longer.

A parenting group in Canada issued a warning to parents in 2014 after a spate of incidents in Ontario in which children were trapped in snowbanks.

But snowbanks are attractive to children as places for sledding and building snow forts, and Bell said it is almost impossible to keep kids away from them.

Snowbanks are intriguing to kids. I dont know how you could ever really stop this, he said.

Children should avoid tunneling in large snowbanks, where high volumes of snow could come down on them, or in snow piles where plows or dump trucks are actively working.
QUEENSBURY

It was a group of Queensbury residents looking for what I think we are all looking for  peace and quiet.

Thats why we live here, right?

The tweet of the birds on a summer morning.

The crickets at night.

The rustling of the leaves after a soft breeze.

Tranquility.

Solitude.

Writer Norton Juster categorized the silences and said, but most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and youre alone in the whole house.

But that quiet can be elusive.

Fort Edward dealt with the clatter of dredging for half a decade.

Fort Ann folks are screaming that a motorcycle track will spoil their summer slumber.

And its hard to find a resident who hasnt wanted to throttle a gaggle of Harleys as it roared down the road to Americade.

But no one has had it as bad as the neighbors of the Queensbury Central Firehouse.

Standing in the Aviation Road firehouse parking lot at noon yesterday, I was treated to an ear-splitting wail that made me wish Americade was roaring through town.

Its what firehouse neighbors are living with now that the whistle has been repaired after a seven-year absence.

Town Board members Doug Irish and Bill VanNess bravely agreed to bring both sides together in a public meeting Monday to hammer out the peace and quiet.

But that proved elusive, too.

The fire company has already agreed to shorten the hours they will use the whistle by three  9 a.m. to 9 p.m  and proposed pursuing negotiations with the town and county to eliminate second and third alerts.

But turning the whistle off permanently  the easy solution  was not on the table because of contract language between the town and fire company.

The town of Queensbury contracts with each of the five volunteer fire departments in the town. The contract language stipulates that the fire companies must adhere to the codes and policies of the National Fire Protection Association.

Code 1221 of the NFPA provides procedural and physical criteria for the installation, performance, operation, and maintenance of public emergency services communications systems and facilities, including the need to test a fire whistle daily at noon.

I would have liked to learn more about 1221, but the nonprofit wanted to charge me $50.50 for the latest version of the codes and procedures handbook. Perhaps, the NFPA could be urged to review their codes and procedures as well.

Queensbury Central fire officials did explain they needed at least two ways to communicate to members responding to a fire  radios with a tone and the fire whistle. Apparently, cell phones are not acceptable because of the possibility of dead zones.

But most importantly, if the fire companies were not in compliance with the NFPA guidelines, that could lead to increases in the fire insurance rates for all town residents.

That had residents wondering how the fire company went without the whistle for seven years without raising insurance rates.

Dont tell anyone, but apparently nobody noticed.

The good news is progress was made.

The bad news is the blistering assault of the fire whistle will go off again today at noon and each time there is a fire call.

Irish and VanNess also plan to look into how much a new and quieter siren might cost ($8,000 to $9,000 was the estimate) and also whether the siren could be moved to a less populated area in the Glens Falls watershed  if they could work out a deal with the city.

At one point during the meeting, Irish mentioned the fire company had been able to reduce the length of the fire whistle to five seconds.

Residents argued it was much longer than that, and one turned on the recording she had made with her phone.

That halted the meeting for a good 45 seconds because nobody could hear themselves think.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
While Nigeria, which is the major market on the continent, is running short of supply to airlines, neighbouring Ghana that has lately become the aviation fuel hub for most airlines, is facing a similar challenge.

The Guardian yesterday learnt that the development was already a major source of concern to operations, as some airlines with Nigerian passengers have begun to make a detour in Libreville, Gabon, for fuel. Aviation sources say airlines may begin to ration flights to Nigeria during the festive season, especially when there is no guarantee of getting fuel in neighbouring countries for top-up  and this could frustrate business tourism by jacking up cost of domestic and international travels.

Aviation fuel, otherwise called Jet-A1, is a specialised type of petroleum-based product used to power aircraft and normally accounts for over 30 per cent of operation cost of an airline.

READ ALSO: Plane Crashes

In Nigeria, Jet-A1 is 100 per cent imported and subject to the vagaries of the foreign exchange market. In the last 12 months, aviation fuel has steadily climbed from N104 to N240 per litre in Lagos and as high as N270 in northern part of the country.

A foreign airlines head of operations, who would not want to be named, told The Guardian that the hope of picking fuel from Kotoka International Airport in Ghanas capital city of Accra, despite the extra cost, was dashed last week when the Ghanaian marketer could not supply the needed quantity.

He hinted that out of the 30,000 litres requested to top up for the long-haul flight, the marketer provided only 15,000 litres.

We are becoming apprehensive because that is not a good sign at all,"he said. Without fuel, there are no flight services. In the last 12 months, there has been no fuel in Nigeria. The priority is not on aviation fuel but on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). That is the truth. Despite efforts to plan ahead with your marketers, fuel shortage can just hit you in the face. No one wants to be in that dire situation.

Regional Manager, North, West and Central Africa for South African Airways (SAA), Ohis Ehimiaghe, confirmed that development. But he gave the assurance that South African Airways is here to stay in Nigeria.

SAA is among airlines picking passengers in Nigeria but fueling in Ghana. He said that shortage could be expected since all of us are queuing up in Ghana for fuel.

Ghanas government in July slashed the price of aviation fuel by 20 per cent as part of its plan to make Accra the West African hub for air travel. The price cut was attractive as most airlines began to fuel in Ghana.

The SAA official said that for long, airlines had been battling scarcity of Jet A1, noting that non-availability of the product for several months has done incalculable damage to their operations.

He added: In the last two weeks, there has been total dryness of aviation fuel supply. We have to go to neighbouring countries, especially Ghana to lift fuel. Ghana is running dry of the commodity too. There are times when we have fuel in abundance but many times we dont have at all.

He said that finding an alternative airport to lift fuel does not only inconvenience an airline but also means additional operations cost.

We are fortunate that South Africa Airways has huge operations in Ghana; so, it is easier to get our ground handling company and staff to service our operations quickly. Our Abuja flights have been flying by Libreville to lift fuel. This is an additional cost to our operations, Ehimiaghe said.

Executive Secretary of Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Obafemi Olawole, said that the shortage could be blamed on difficulty in sourcing foreign exchange, often not available to importers at the interbank market rate.

Olawole said that its members were doing their best to make the product available in Nigeria, but did not have inadequate support from key government agencies.

Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, had recently assured that scarcity of JET-A1 would soon end when government finalises work on Kaduna and Port-Harcourt refineries that would be dedicated solely to the refining of that fuel type.

Sirika said that the refining of the product in Nigeria would help to bring down the rising cost of aviation fuel.

Meanwhile, apex regulatory body, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has suspended at least five cabin crew trainees for allegedly testing positive for Tetra Hydro Cannabinol (THC), a major active ingredient contained in marijuana.

NCAA, on account of the alleged drug-related offences, suspended medical certificates of the unnamed culprits for 180 days.

Spokesperson of the authority, Sam Adurogboye, said the five tested positive for marijuana during a Multi-drug Screening Test (MDST) conducted on participants of the Cabin Crew Training Basic Course  30 (CCTB30) at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria, Kaduna State on June 2, 2016.

Adurogboye said upon receipt of the test result from NCAT Zaria where they went for training before they got involved, NCAA issued a letter of investigation (LOI) to the affected crewmembers and they responded.

NCAA has also ordered them to undergo rehabilitation for psychoactive substance abuse under the strict supervision of a consultant psychiatrist at designated medical centres forthwith.

At the end of the rehabilitation, a report is expected to be forwarded in strict confidence by the medical centre to the NCAA for consideration of reissuance of their medical certificate in accordance with the provisions of Part 2.2.9.2 (a) of the Nig. NCARs 2015.

He assured the travelling public that NCAA was very detailed in its oversight activities over the industry in the interest of safer skies in Nigeria and violations are viewed seriously.
The state of the economy became a major campaign issue for voters ahead of the elections and the NPP won the elections on the back of promises to turn the economy around.

This makes the person who would replace Seth Emmanuel Terkper as Finance Minister, perhaps the most important in this new administration. A couple of names have been circulating in media circles about who that could be.

Here are the top five people in the offing to become the next Minister of Finance.

1. Ken Ofori-Atta

He has been mentioned as the leading candidate to get the job of managing the countrys purse especially after he was appointed the member responsible for finance on the transitional team by the president-elect. Although he has no experience in public office, the 57 years old is the co-founder of Databank, one of Ghanas biggest asset managers. He had his university education at two Ivy League schools after completing Achimota School. He has a Bachelors degree in Economics from Columbia University and a Masters degree from Yale University. He is estimated to be worth 260 million dollars.

2. Anthony Akoto Osei

Well known as the minority spokesperson for Economic Affairs in Parliament, Akoto Osei has also been mentioned for the top job. With his wealth of experience in public office (as a Member of Parliament for ), deputy minister of finance, and a doctorate degree in economics from Howard University, this is perhaps Oseis the most qualified among the potential names.

3. Yaw Osafo Marfo

Osafo Marfo is a former Finance Minister himself under the John Kufuor administration and has been appointed by the president-elect as the leader of the transition team. He is an engineer and retired banker and has previously consulted for the World Bank and the African Development Bank. He is 74 years old and recently received a barrage of criticism after an audio recording of him making what has been described by many as ethnocentric comments surfaced.

4. Kwaku Agyeman Kwarteng

Kwarteng is the Member of Parliament for the Obuasi West Constituency and was a major voice for the minority on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Finance. He is 47 years old and has a masters degree in Economic Management Policy from the University of Ghana. If Kwarteng misses out on the top job, he is very likely to become the deputy minister.

5. Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah
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The leadership of the Trade Union Congress, members of the Cuba Medical Brigade and hundreds of Ghanaians, have held an hour long march through the principal streets of Accra, in solidarity with the government and people of Cuba in memory of the iconic leader who passed on November 25, 2016 at the age of 90.

Read more:Rawlings pays tribute to Castro

Carrying flags of Cuba and Ghana, with images of Fidel, the march organised under the banner Ghana loves Fidel started from the forecourt of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), and along the road in front of the Flagstaff House, the seat of Government to the 37 Military Hospital, ending at the residence of the Cuban ambassador.

In an address, His Excellency Pedro Luis Gonzalez, the Cuba Ambassador to Ghana, who took part in the march, expressed satisfaction at the bond of friendship between the people and governments of Ghana and Cuba and the explicit show of solidarity with Cuba, following the death of its former leader, Fidel Castro.

Fidel Castro loved Africa very much and so does all of Cuba; Ghana has made a very bold statement today that Ghana-Cuba relations will grow in strength to the benefit of our peoples and for all of humanity. Fidel has taught us that poverty, disease and illiteracy are not natural and can be eradicated.

Read also: Cuban Americans celebrate death of Fidel Castro

Brother Alexander Nyarko Opoku, First Vice Chairperson of the TUC, recalled that the triumph of the Cuban revolution in 1959 served as a source of motivation to all people across the world, who sought to bring about meaningful development in their societies.

He said Fidel Castro placed much relevance on the essence of workers unions and the creation of a critical mass of revolutionary professionals, imbibed with love for country and humanity, and with the willingness to render the utmost sacrifice.

He added that Fidel had proven in deed that poverty and disease and oppression were not given and that it was possible to change all that militated against the suffering people of the world.

A message of solidarity read by Nana Yaa Gyanfuah of the All African Peoples Revolutionary Party read:

Revolutionary Cuba and Comrade Fidel, in addition to liberating the small island nation of Cuba from the web of imperialist domination and building a self-reliant democratic state, has also developed and institutionalized a culture of international solidarity with the struggling masses throughout the world.

Cuba has opened its arms to African youth both born in Africa and the diaspora, training thousands of African doctors free of charge so that they could return to their communities and serve the health needs of their people. Cuba has deployed even more doctors and health workers throughout Africa and the world, embedded themselves not just in the large cities but in the villages and provided day-to-day health care services in addition to addressing tragic events such as the earthquake in Haiti and the Ebola crisis in West Africa.

Cuba has built and maintains factories in Africa developing products pushing for the eradication of malaria. The people of Africa have come to know the greatness of Revolutionary Cuba and Comrade Fidel through the principled development of human relationships based on mutual respect. No amount of reactionary propaganda against the Cuban Revolution will mute this reality.

Nii Aryertey Aryeh, Co-ordinator of the Ghana Loves Fidel march in a press release before the march said that Fidel Castro is a colossal testament to social achievement and human endeavour to change the lives of the poor.

He said the Cuban revolution led by Commander Fidel fought for human lives in poor countries and in areas of the world submerged by natural disasters and fought with courage and dignity with respect and kindness.

According to the release, Ghana-Cuba friendship began in January 1959 when Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah became the first head of state to recognise the Cuban revolution and further revealed that Nkrumah in a secret pact, allowed Che Guevarra and other Cuban internationalists to use Accra as a transit to Congo, to launch a revolutionary intervention in support of forces loyal to Patrice Lumumba.

Nii Ayertey added that: in July and August 1983, seven hundred (700) Ghanaian students accompanied by seven (7) Ghanaian teachers left Accra for Escbec 22 on the Isle of Youth in Cuba for their secondary education up to the university to specialize in various professions in Medicine, Agriculture, Engineering etc.
The two-week programme which was organised under the distinguished direction of Awulea Attibrukusu III, Paramount Chief of Lower Axim Traditional Area and immediate past Vice President of the National House Chiefs was aimed at assisting the women to learn new skills as an alternative to their existing fish-mongering business which has drastically dwindled over the years.

The participants were taken through soap and detergent, batik, catering and beeds making which were meant to keep them in business after the bumper fishing season is over by supporting and sustaining their families.

In a grand durbar of Chiefs, Diplomats, Politicians, clergy held to end the programme last Friday, the Community Relations and Project Director of the Office of the Lower Axim Nkosuohene Mr. Emmanuel Ndah Kwofie in his speech congratulated the women for their commitment and desire to learn and acquire new skills throughout the training.

He expressed worry that the youth especially young girls over the years have become vulnerable as a result of nonexistence of sustainable job avenues hence the organisation of training programme to cushion them in their respective endeavours.

Mr. Nda Kwofie called on all especially NGOs, Corporate organisations and individuals to come on board to support the good initiative of the Lower Axim Nkosuohene and urged the participants to make good use of the new skills that they have acquired.

On his part, Nana Osei Nkwantabisa,the Nkosuohene of Lower Axim Traditional Area expressed joy over the successful organisation of the training programme aimed at equipping women and young girls within his jurisdiction.

He assured that his office will continue to put in place measures that will go the long way to train and empower more women and the youth. This he added will enable them to sustain their lives and respective families by putting into use what they will be acquiring.

"My office is committed to building the capacities of all especially the young and women by always initiating avenues that will positively impact their lives and the society at large". Nana Nkwantabisa added.

He hinted of plans to partner corporate entities and NGOs to organise a training programme that will seek to train the youth in outboard motor and canoe repairing.

Nana Nkwantabisa thanked the Office of Ellembelle Member of Parliament, Nhyira Dua Company Limited, based in Kumasi, Networking for Community Development Africa a Community development based NGO and Dr. Sipa Yankey, CEO of Ghana National Gas Company Limited for supporting his initiative aimed at building the capacity and empowering women especially at the fishing and farming communities.

The Chairman for the occasion, Nana Awiafum who doubles as the Gyantuahene of Lower Axim traditional area lauded the initiative of the Nkosuohene and urged him to continue with his good works aimed at impacting the lives of people.

He called on all to support the Nkosuohene in his endeavours focused on developing both infrastructural and the human capacity of the people both within and outside Axim area.
Nana Akufo-Addo had gone there with some party executives to thank the chiefs and the queen mothers for their support during the 2016 electioneering campaign.

Many of the chiefs were present at the event but the Gbese Mantse, who is popularly known as Tommy Okai, had apparently hidden himself amongst the gathering.

He told a public function largely attended by members of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) that President Mahama and the NDC government have done enough for the country and hence deserved to win the elections.

But the tables turned on December 7 when Nana Addo polled 5, 716,026 million votes representing 53.85 % to beat the incumbent president John Dramani Mahama who had 4, 713,277 million votes representing 44.40 %.

Many have since begun calling for the head of the Gbese chief, asking him to stand by his words.

He has subsequently gone silent over the incident but was surprisingly found on Tuesday seated in the hall where Nana Addos meeting with the Ga Traditional Council took place.

Tommy Okai who was fully dressed in a chiefs regalia had gone to sit far behind the crowd where he could not be easily notified.

But the cameras managed to capture him, where reports say his body language showed one who was very apprehensive.

Many had expected him to be apologetic enough by drawing nearer to the president-elect after the event to exchange pleasantries.
The 2016 Parliamentary candidate for the party, Salifu Iddrisu made the call in a petition submitted to the Electoral Commission on Tuesday.

READ ALSO: NPP heads to court to challenge 5 constituency results

According to him, the Tamale central constituency Parliamentary election on December 7 was characterized with serious violations, irregularities and infractions of C.I 94.

He claims that there were over-voting in some areas, as well as, the destruction of some ballot boxes which marred the process.

Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has threatened to go to court over the same matter after submitting a petition to the EC.

Below is the full petition from the PNC:

The Returning Officer

Tamale Central Constituency

2016 Presidential and Parliamentary Election

PETITION ON THE TAMALE CENTRAL CONSTITUENCY PARLIAMENTARY RESULTS

It has become clear to me as a stakeholder in the stated constituency to petition you as the Returning Officer and the commission for the just ended polls in Tamale Central Constituency. The following are my specific particulars of claims;

Over voting of more than twelve (12) polling stations. Example Manhalia polling station.

Two (2) unknown polling stations called Mallam Fari Mosque. Destruction of some ballot boxes to conceal evidence

Furnish me with all polling station and summary pink sheets as I withdrew imposters purported as my agents.

On the basis of the above, it is evidence that serious violations, irregularities and infractions of C.I 94 occurred during the elections process. This has marred the credibility of polls in the constituency.

I therefore call for a fresh re-run of the entire constituency for the parliamentary to enable electorates chose who they want to represent them in parliament.

SIGNED

SALIFU IDDRISU
Nana Addo polled 5, 716,026 million votes representing 53.85 % to beat the incumbent president John Dramani Mahama who had 4, 713,277 million votes representing 44.40 %.

Currently, Ghana's population can be described as one with more young people. Most political parties targeted the millennials (born between 1982 and 2004) in the country.

This means a greater portion of millennials were part of the electoral process. It could also mean a greater number of millennials voted for the NPPs Nana Akufo-Addo.

READ ALSO: How Joe Anokye quickly calculated election results for NPP

One will wonder what their expectations are for a Nana Addo-led government.

Samuel Ansah is a twenty-eight-year-old Ghanaian. He expects the NPP government do a number of things but priority should be placed on solving the power challenges in the country.

No dumsor, reduce some taxes, and utilities, make water and electricity available to the rural areas.

Most millennials expect Nana Addo to continue the uncompleted projects of the NDC government. In times past, successive governments stop the projects of their predecessors and begin with their own. However, milleanials would want Nana Addo to move from the norm and also prevent judgement debts from being paid.

He should try as much as possible to complete the uncompleted project of NDC. This will not incur judgement debts. Samuel Ansah said.

Emmanuel Obese reiterates this and said he should continue Mahama's unfinished projects.

In the NPPs 2016 manifesto, they mentioned that they will reduce corporate taxes from 25% to 20% and also remove 17.5% VAT on financial services, local flights, and return to a flat 3% flat tax for small businesses.

For Raymond who is a 27-year old, he expects a Nana Addo-led government to reduce taxes as it promised in its manifesto.

Kwaku Duodo a teacher in one of Ghanas Senior High Schools expects Nana Addo to ensure that all our salary arrears are paid. He also expects the NPP to restore the teacher training allowance as promised during the campaign.

Duodo said it was because of these two promises I voted for him. If he does not do anything about it in his first term then he should be ready to be a one-term president.

For Naadu Laryea, she hopes the NPP will create more jobs. Most young people are unemployed or are being paid little. I only want the NPP to ensure there are enough jobs for all. They should not only employ their party members.

Raymond corroborates it by saying that Nana Addo needs to do as stated in his 2016 manifesto. He needs to provide jobs for the youth or better still ensure the business world is favourable for the private sector to create enough jobs for the citizens.

One of the key campaign slogans was one this, one that. Nana Addo promised to build one factory in every district in the country.

Joel Atta only wants him to fulfil his promises of one this one that.

He was voted for because he promised some stuff. We want him to deliver all. One village one dam, one district one factory, one million dollars for every constituency. Restore teacher's allowance, and reduce Utility.

Anita Sey expects Nana Addo to fight corruption and also appoint young people to serve in his government so they can also learn from the older generation.
Nana Addo, said this when he paid a visit to the Manhyia Palace in the Ashanti region on Wednesday December 14, 2016 to thank the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for his support and wise counsel.

He reaffirmed his commitment to fulfill his promises.

"Before campaigning in the Ashanti Region, I came here to seek the blessing of the Asantehene. Exactly a week ago, Ghanaians voted, after which the NPP emerged victorious," Nana Addo said.

"I have, therefore, come here this afternoon after the NPPs victory to once again seek your blessing as I lead the country. I have also come to assure you that I will fulfil all the promises I made to Ghanaians prior to the elections."

He pointed out that, "The task ahead is huge and so I have come here to seek the blessing of the Asantehene to help me govern this country to the benefit of the entire nation."
Gates made the trip on Tuesday, December 13, 2016, to discuss issues relating to innovation in energy, health and education, and American leadership in foreign aid, TMZ reports.

His appearance follows the recent visits of the likes of Jim Brown, Ray Lewis and rapper, Kanye West.

West's patronage of Donald Trump has raised brows due to the president-elect's divisive comments against migrant communities, especially the black people.

The pair were spotted in a picture prior to the rapper's departure from Trump Tower.

Both were said to have been in a meeting for fifteen minutes.
West met with the billionaire cum politician on Tuesday, December 13, 2016, at Trump Tower.

He revealed via his Twitter that they both had discussions concerning multicultural issues.

He considered this vital in the course to instituting change in the United States of America.

"I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues.

"These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago.

"I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change," he wrote.

West is not the only one concerned about national interest.

Microsoft billionaire, Bill Gates also paid a visit to Trump on Tuesday.
1. Di'ja

This one caught us all by surprise! Aphrodija and husband Rotimi welcomed a baby boy back in June.

Confirming the news, the Mavin artiste shared a cute video story on Instagram on Friday July 1, 2016.

2. Osas Ighodaro and Gbenro Ajibade

Gbenro Ajibade and Osas Ighodaro welcomed a baby girl earlier than expected. Their new bundle of joy arrived mother earth on the 21st day in June 2016.

The celebrity couple made the iconic announcement via popular magazine, Genevieve.

3. Ivie Okujaye

The actress and her hubby, Ezie Egboh welcomed their little bundle of joy on June 1, 2016.

"Our Baby Girl decided to enter the world The Day Before Her Daddy's Birthday !!!! Thank You, Jesus!!!! The feeling is even more amazing than I would have ever guessed!!! #July1stBaby #July2ndDaddy!!! #Miracles #Gratitude #Family #Love.. God's plans are always the best!!!! Thank you, Lord!!!!!!" she shared alongside a photo on Instagram.

4. Chimamanda Adichie

Adichie who debuted her baby bump at a writing event in Lagos in an interview with Financial Times back in July announced she is now a proud new mum.

According to her, she hid the fact that she was pregnant and had delivered her baby because she wanted it to be personal.

5. Jodie and David Nnaji

Jodie and her husband David Nnaji welcomed their first baby on Monday, April 11, 2016.

Nnaji reacted to the birth of his first child. He shared a photo of his wife on his Instagram page and wrote "My baby, my baby, thank you! #totustuus #wifey #happyfamily #homesweethome."

6. Tonto Dikeh

Tonto and her husband Churchill Olakunle Oladunni welcomed their son on February 18, 2016. The actress surprised fans with news of her birth and has refused to show off her baby boy.

7. Akpororo

The comedian welcomed his little girl with sweetheart, Josephine Ijeoma Onuabughuchi in August this year.

The two have since been melting hearts on social media ever since her arrival.

8. Lilian Esoro and Ubi Franklin

Ubi Franklin and Lilian Esoro welcomed a baby boy back in July this year. The celebrity couple welcomed little Jason in a hospital in America.

9. Amanda Ebeye

Nollywood actress Amanda Ebeye welcomed a baby boy in Canada this year.

Although the day and time weren't revealed, the good news was shared by Temilola Sobola on Instagram on Monday, November 21, 2016.

10. Eku Edewor

Eku Edewor welcomed her first child with boyfriend, Chini Odogwu back in November.

The '53 Extra' host welcomed a baby girl in a London hospital.

11. Bovi

Comedian Bovi Ugboma and wife, Kris Asimonye announced the birth of their third child, a baby boy in October this year.

Bovi made the announcement on Snapchat when he said both mother and baby are doing well.

12. Kenneth Okonkwo

Nollywood actor Kennneth Okonkwo welcomed a baby boy, Kenechukwu, with his wife, Iheoma, after nine years of marriage.

The duo were delivered of a baby on May 7, 2016.

13. Seyi Law

Seyi Law and wife Stacey Aletile, welcomed their first child on Saturday, October 1, 2016, after five years of being married. The couple welcomed their bundle of joy in Maryland, USA.

14. Bez

Bez welcomed his first child with wife, Bolatito, after two years of marriage this year.

Bez shared the news of his wife's delivery on Sunday, July 17, 2016, on Instagram. He wrote, "God blessed @titoidakulaand I with a King! #grateful #greatness#blessed".

15. Bimbo Thomas
This year was super eventful. We had Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz saga and then Toke Makinwa's eye opening book.

As a reminder, these results are calculated by reader interaction via pageviews, social media hits and more statistics.

1. Wizkid

This year was undeniably the year of Wizkid!

The pop star has literally flown to every corner of the earth, performing to the most diverse of crowds, and also recorded with artistes drawn from different music soundscapes.

2016 has seen him have the most streamed song, worked on the bestselling album of 2016 and also earning himself a Grammy.

2. Davido

Davido was also on a roll this year! From his signing with Sony Music to his epic baby battle with the Momodus, he was literally on everyones lips.

He was also on a roll this year with hits back to back.

3. Tiwa Savage

In 2016, there was no story that was bigger than Tiwa Savage. First came her highly publicised breakup with estranged husband, Tee Billz.

Tee Billz blasted his wife Tiwa Savage on his Instagram page and also accused her of having sexual relations with her label mates Dr Sid, Don Jazzy and Nigerian pop legend 2face Idibia.

Tiwa Savage in an interview exclusively gotten by Pulse spoke explicitly about her damaged marriage with Tee Billz.

Note: The video would go down in Nigerian history as one of the fastest watched videos on YouTube.

In the video, she spoke about Tee Billz's infidelity, his alleged stealing of her money, alleged cocaine use amongst other things.

4. Yemi Alade

Yemi Alade lived up to her name, Mama Africa, this year! From Tanzania to Cameroon and South Africa, she was everywhere.

The singer has had an amazing year 2016, which has earned her awards - winning Best Female Act at MAMA 2016, edging out Tiwa Savage and others.

She is also up for nomination at this year's Headies, being nominated for Artiste of the Year, alongside Tiwa Savage, Olamide, Wizkid and Falz.

5. Toyin Aimakhu

It's undeniable Toyin Aimakhu was part of our biggest celebrities of the year.

First it started with her marriage scandal with estranged husband, Adeniyi Johnson then her highly publicised breakup with Seun Egbegbe.

Let's not forget the late Mayowa Ahmed fund raising saga.

Moved by late ovarian cancer patient, Ahmed Mayowa Shukurat's story, actress Toyin Aimakhu visited Mayowa and helped solicit funds on her behalf.

When reports emerged suggesting that the campaign was orchestrated by Ahmed Mayowa Shukurat's family to deceive Nigerians, Toyin Aimakhu stormed LUTH with police officers and that lead to another lengthy social media onslaught.

6. Toke Makinwa

Thanks to her marital issues being made public and the occasional rambling on YouTube, Toke Makinwa was a hit thi

This year alone saw the TV host and Vlogger trend for several reasons.

First, it started with her misconstrued advice to single young ladies, then her releasing a tell-all book, On Becoming, where she talks about getting a sexually transmitted disease from her husband, her husbands mistress and her failed marriage.

7. Freeze

Surprisingly this year was the year of Freeze! The media personality has been in the news for different controversies this year alone.

He was rumoured to have been sacked by the management of Cool FM following his public feud with Basketmouth which he tagged malicious.

The media personality has since been hogging the headlines with his unfiltered comments on politics, religion, love and marriage.
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!
With several training, development and leadership programmes designed to encourage GE staff to progress, the multi-national also supports the advancement of students particularly in developing economies.

Students from African countries including Mozambique, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Angola have enrolled in a leadership programme at the African Leadership Academy (ALA) based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Through GEs partnership with the ALA, the programme aims to create and nurture the next generation of African leaders through a unique entrepreneurial leadership programme. Up until now, 85% of the students come from disadvantaged backgrounds and are on full scholarships.

The human capital of the region is immense and we partner with the best education institutions to support the growth of young talent. Its part of our regional strategy and demonstrates GEs commitment to the development of the local community, says Bianca Tulumello, senior executive human resources manager for GE Africa.

GE is focusing on investing throughout Africa

There is a shortage of technical skills in the workforce, says Jay Ireland, President & CEO of GE Africa. Only 11% of African university students are studying subjects with potentially high employability while 70% are enrolled in areas that have huge numbers of unemployed graduates. According to statistics, there is a rapidly growing number of youth who are unemployed who lack key skills which are in demand.

Operating across a number of business sectors in Africa, the following focus areas demonstrate GEs commitment to supporting education:

One: In Nigeria, GE officially commissioned the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Biomedical Training Centre, which it refurbished and equipped to build a sustainable pipeline of qualified medical engineers. This project builds on successes from Biomedical Equipment Technician Training (BMET) projects in Rwanda, Honduras, Ghana and Cambodia.

Two: In Ghana, GE provided $100,000 in grants to students of the University of Ghana studying BSc Applied Sciences to have their tuition fully paid until they complete their studies.

Three: In Angola, GE has collaborated with the Angolan government and other players in the private sector to help the country achieve its Vision 2020, with several programmes designed to support local entrepreneurs by building skills and capacity.

Four: In East Africa, GE has built a $13-million healthcare skills and training institute in Nairobi which will train about 10,000 healthcare professionals from the region in the next five years. This commitment to healthcare capacity building will help to reduce the countrys skills gap, improve job prospects and build a solid national healthcare system

Five: In Ethiopia, the GE Foundation invested $1.7-million to establish the Biomedical Equipment Training and Safe Surgery programmes. As the first of its kind in Ethiopia, the programme builds on the success of similar programs in Ghana, Nigeria, and Rwanda to support the development and training of biomedical technicians on repairing existing equipment.

Six: In Mozambique, GE invested $250 000.00 into scholarships to the University of Eduardo Mondlane students, and $250 000.00 in a science lab and capacity building at Unilurio University.
He was arraigned on Tuesday, December 13, 2016, on a two-count bordering on stealing, according to Punch News.

Kola Olaiya, the police prosecutor revealed that the accused committed the crime on Friday, November 25, 2016 at the Grandex Stores, Palm Mall, located at Ring road, Ibadan.

He said, The Supervisor, Mrs Adetoun Adigun, said she used to remit everydays sales money to the bank as a routine, but on November 25, she sent Ajibola instead.

Adigun said she sent Ajibola to remit the sum of N227,945 to the stores account at the bank on her behalf, being sales money of the previous day, November 24.

Following some inconsistency, Florence Ajimobi, the director of Grandex Stores requested the supervisor to bring in all the bank tellers used in remitting money into the company's account.

This was when it was discovered that the accused had refused to render payment into it.

On December 2, Grandex director, Mrs Ajimobi asked Adigun to bring all the tellers with her after discovering that November 25 teller was missing.

Adigun called Ajibola on his cell phone to bring the money and it dawned on Mrs Adigun that Ajibola did not pay any money to the shops account," Olaiya added.

Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Ajibola maintained his innocence in the matter.

Munirat Giwa-Babalola, the Senior Magistrate at the court granted him bail in the sum of N100,000 and a surety in like sum.
At the official unveiling of the Samsung Experience Zone, Vice President, Marketing, Etisalat Nigeria, Adebisi Idowu, said the initiative is borne out of the need to enrich the experience of customers on the network.

As an innovative company driven by the need to provide our customers unequalled telecommunications experience, we are always on the lookout for opportunities to enrich their experience in the most interesting ways possible. The Samsung Experience Zone is an amazing experience within Etisalats superior experiential offering, and we are happy with the kind of support we have got from Samsung over the years. We have been enjoying their partnership since inception, he said.

The Managing Director, Samsung West Africa, Paul Lee, described the Experience Zone as a breakthrough platform that empowers customers to use innovation and technology to improve their standard of living.

His words, We are delighted at this new long term relationship because we both share the importance of understanding how technology can inspire upliftment for the people in the country. The priority for us is how to continue to bring new technology and innovation to the brands. 

Top management team members from both companies at the event include Etisalat Nigerias Directors for Consumer Segment, Adeola Dairo; Enterprise Segment, Eric Uwaoma; Channel Sales, Victor Nwaobia and Retails, Sales, Lou Odunuga; and Directors, Information Technology and Mobility, Samsung West Africa, Emmanuoli Revmatas and Olumide Ojo.
This was confirmed by the state police commissioner, Fatai Owoseni, while speaking on Tuesday, December 13, 2016, at the 10th Town Hall Meeting on Security.

The meeting was organised by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund who came up with the theme, "Optimising Security Funding in a Recession".

Owoseni's disclosure detailed all the command's activity from December 2015 to the current year.

ALSO READ: Man arraigned in court for forced sexual intercourse

Speaking at the event, the police commissioner said, Conspiracy of silence is a major challenge and religious leaders carry out most of these cases of domestic violence.

We need our people to speak out and join in the fight against domestic and sexual violence to curb the menace.
These could either be some habits they had been living with and want to change or a resolve on what they would want to see a change in their lives.

The same thing goes for Nigerians who have been expressing what they do not want to see in the country in the year 2017.

After sampling the opinions of a cross-section of Nigerians, five things stood out among the things they do not want to continue living with in the year 2017.

1. Election Violence

Elections in the country over the years have always been marked by violence, loss of lives, ballot box snatching, deaths and imposition of candidates by the so-called political god-fathers.

2016 saw elections conducted in three states, Edo State, Ondo State and the re-run elections in Rivers State but the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), did not particularly cover itself in glory as they also followed the normal pattern.

In fact, the politicians and political parties saw these elections as do or die affairs and as such, unleashed their thugs and hirelings and even with the massive deployment of security personnel, the political thugs still managed to carry out the biddings of their bosses and in the end, untold violence was unleashed on the electorates.

So, in 2017, Nigerians say they would live happily if electoral violence can be nipped in the bud.

2. Improved Infrastructure

The decay of infrastructure in the country over the years has been amazing where nothing seems to work for the good of the masses.

Supporters of the present government will argue that the infrastructure decay did not start with the current regime but before they got into power, they had promised Nigeria that they would soon change things for the betterment of the people, so for Nigerians to ask them to fulfill their promises is not asking for too much.

The state of the roads in the country can bring tears to the eyes; the airspace is nothing to write home about; national monuments like the National Stadiums both in Lagos and Abuja are appalling; health care has broken down; the educational sector is in shambles; the National Theatre in Lagos has become a den of robbers while other facilities have become national embarrassment.

Nigerians do not want to continue to live with these decays in 2017.

3. Corruption

Corruption has become the second nature of Nigerians in every facet of life, be it in political office or everyday lifestyle of Nigerians.

The way politicians have looted the country is alarming and has plunged Nigeria into its darkest hours and nothing seems to be done to stem the tide.

According to Transparency International, Nigeria is the 113 most corrupt country presently and from the look of things, this index is not about to change anytime soon with the rate at which the countrys political class is going where anyone elected into any position sees that as a ticket to loot the country blind.

Members of the National Assembly are not helping matters at all as all they do is to fight and scramble for what they can get without caring for the masses who voted them into power in the first place.

They are only concerned about what goes to them and any attempt by the executive to stop them is met with stiff resistance.

As a result of this impunity, Nigerians do not want to see corruption in 2017.

4. Recession

A direct repercussion of corruption is the recession that Nigeria slipped into which has caused untold hardship in the land.

With the cost of living rising daily and prices of good shooting to the high heavens, many Nigerian have lost their jobs and they are finding life very difficult by the day.

Businesses have folded up with companies running out of the country because of the harsh economic situation while the Naira has been on a free fall and there seems to be no hope in sight as the government seems at a loss on what to do.

Nigerians are united in demanding an end to the recession in the year 2017 and spare them the current suffering they are being made to go through.

5. Power Outages

In 2017, Nigerians want to see a country where power would be a thing of the past so that the economy will pick up once again.

The constant power outages have done so much damage to the country with companies and investors turning their backs on the nation, taking their businesses to other countries.
The beneficiaries of the relief materials were recently relocated to Magumeri Local Government of Borno State following relative peace.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Magumeri was one of the councils sacked by Boko Haram at the peak of the insurgency making residents of the town to flee for safety in Maiduguri.

Aisha, represented by Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo, the Secretary of the Committee on Relief Items, said the gesture was to cushion the hardship of victims.

The First Lady had earlier taken the same gesture to some local governments in the state, which include Gwoza, Askira Uba, Mafa and Dikwa.

She encouraged other Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who were still living in resettlement camps, to go back to their various communities.

The items are nutritional food donated by the Get Involved Initiative under Mrs. Buharis Future Assured Programme, where individuals, agencies, parastatals, her friends, associates and organisations put hands together through the office of the First Lady to assist victims of violence in the country.

The items include 1,200 bags of semovita, 500 cartons of fortified action meal and non-fortified meal, ninety bags of 25kg rice, two bundles of blankets, cartons of milk and detergents, among others.

She stressed that the committee was continuing with distribution of relief items to IDPs who had returned to their homes.

We are doing this so as to cushion the hardship of our traumatised victims of Boko Haram and other related violence that had affected some parts of this country, particularly the North-East.

Now that peace has been restored by our gallant troops and our IDPs back home, we deem it fit with my friends, associates and well wishers to assist our people with nutritional food.
Lawal made this known while speaking to newsmen shortly after the 2017 Budget Proposal presentation by President Muhammadu Buhari before the joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that efforts to get more response from the SGF failed as he did not respond to further questions.

The Senate had at plenary earlier called for the resignation and prosecution of the SGF following alleged complicity in the diversion of the North East humanitarian funds.

This followed the presentation of interim report of the Adhoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East by the Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Shehu Sani.

The call for Lawals resignation followed alleged contravention of the provisions of Public Procurement Act and the Federal Government Financial Rules and Regulations pertaining to award of contracts.

Presenting the report, Sani said that some of the contracts were awarded to companies belonging to top government officials cronies and family members.

He explained that the committee found out that Rholavision Engineering Limited, a company, with Lawal as Director, for instance, was awarded consultancy contract.

The companys major role, according to him, is the removal of invasive plant species in Yobe on March 8.

Although, Lawal resigned the directorship of the said company in September 2016, it is on record that he is a signatory to the accounts of the company, he said.

ALSO READ:Senate tells Babachir Lawal to resign immediately over misuse of IDP funds
According to a report by ThisDay Newspaper, the EFCC withdrew the charges it filed against former Minister in a suit marked CR/43/2016 before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Gudu.

It was further reported that when the case came up Bala's arraignment before Justice Abubakar Talba, the prosecution counsel, Larry Peters, applied to withdraw the charges.

Peters also informed the court that the reason is to enable the commission put its house in order.

The application to withdraw the charges was unopposed by the counsel to Bala, Chief Chris Uche (SAN).

ALSO READ: Bala Mohammed denies decamping from PDP

Following this, the charges were struck out by Justice Talba and Bala, who had earlier filed for a motion for bail after weeks in custody went home in company of many relations, well-wishers and sympathisers.
The army warns that the insurgents now disguise as menial workers, infiltrating villages in the North East.

A statement by the acting defence spokesman, Gen. Rabe Abubakar on Tuesday in Abuja, said the escaping terrorists did that to attack communities and towns in the region.

Available information indicates that some fleeing Boko Haram terrorists are now disguising as menial workers to melt into communities and towns with a view to organising terrorists attack against our innocent citizens.

The unfortunate recent incidents in Madagali and Maiduguri are instructive.

The Defence Headquarters therefore advises citizens to be on the alert and be wary of these tricks of the defeated terrorists who are hell-bent on remaining relevant inspite of their lost battle, the statement said.
According to a report by Daily Trust, the proposed budget of N7.28 trillion for 2017 will include over N565billion stolen funds that have been recovered by the government.

It was further reported that the revelation was made in a revised Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) submitted to the National Assembly last week.

As the FG remains hopeful of recovering the fund before the implementation of the 2017 budget, President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to present the proposed budget to lawmakers at a joint session of the National Assembly.

The 2017 proposed budget visibly has an increase of about 19.95 per cent over 2016 budget of N6.07 trillion.
Dogara gave the advice while delivering a vote of thanks after President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2017 Appropriation Bill of N7. 3 trillion to the joint session of the National Assembly.

He said that low implementation of budgets in the past had led to high rate of project abandonment across the country.

According to the Speaker, it is certainly frustrating that we go through the annual budget cycle without unlocking the full potential of our citizens.

This is because implementation and execution of the agreed budget is always a major challenge year in year out.

Sometimes, implementation rate is as low as 30 per cent; most times, it is never higher than 50 per cent at the best of times.

This has led to unacceptably high rate of abandonment of projects and distortions in Nigerias economic planning, Dogara said.

The Speaker said that Appropriation Act must be allowed to run for an uninterrupted 12 months, for the Executive to have enough time to execute it.

This means that both Mr President and the National Assembly must find a way to continue the execution of the 2016 Budget, especially the capital component till May 6, 2017.

It is crystal clear that the capital component of 2016 budget cannot realistically be implemented for only six months.

This is so considering the time required for procurement processes and raising of the revenue; including loans by government.

Except something is done, this will result in yet another failed budget.

We must therefore put on our thinking caps and ensure that the change promised Nigerians is reflected in our budget process.

We cannot really make appreciable progress as a nation without significant implementation of the capital component of the Budget, Dogara said.

ALSO READ: Buhari says dependence on imported products declining
The court sitting in Ado-Ekiti and presided over by Justice Taiwo Taiwo had earlier in the day ordered Zenith Bank to immediately unfreeze Fayoses two bank accounts.

The judge said the EFCC did not adhere to laid down regulations in ordering the bank to freeze the accounts.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the accounts were frozen on June 21 over suspicion that they were receptacles of crime proceeds.

EFCC spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said the commission had taken steps to appeal against the order.

Uwujaren said, The EFCCs has been drawn to the order by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti, state asking it to defreeze the accounts of Governor Ayo Fayose in Zenith Bank.

While the commission awaits the certified copy of the ruling, it is important to point out that this order contradicts another order by Justice M. B Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos.

The first order gave the commission the nod to freeze the accounts pending the conclusion of investigation.

This order from a court of coordinate jurisdiction was not set aside by Justice Taiwo.
The Chairman of the fund, retired Gen. T.Y. Danjuma, disclosed this in Bama at the official flagging-off of the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation of 10 Public Structures in the area.

Represented by Amb. John Gana, he said the VSF was committed to addressing the plight of victims of insurgency and other related violence in the country.

Danjuma said: Out the N370 million donated for the project, over N70 million will be given directly to the Ministry of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Resettlement (RRR) for the cost of Labour and Transportation.

About N295 million have been expended for procurement of the building materials such as cement, woods, doors, windows and electronic equipment, among others, to have already been handed over to the State Government.

According to him, the VSF expended N250 million for reconstruction of 40 projects in Dikwa Local Government Area of the state in January 2016.

In his remark, the Shehu of Bama, Alhaji Kyari Ibn-Umar, called on the Borno Government, Danjuma and other philanthropic organisations to speed up work on the reconstruction of Bama local government area.

The first class traditional ruler said the reconstruction would encourage Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) return to their homes.
Brig.-Gen. Usman Yusuf, the Garisson Commander, 2 Division, told newsmen in Ibadan on Tuesday that the security mount was ordered by Brig.-Gen Chukwunedum Abraham, the General Officer Commanding (GOC).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the corpse of the deceased was found in front of his apartment in the school premises on Monday morning.

Okeyim, a colonel, has just been promoted to Brigadier-General and was awaiting to be decorated with his new rank.

Yusuf allayed the fear of parents and students of the school, saying the circumstances surrounding the death of Okeyim were under investigation.

It was unfortunate that we woke up on Monday morning to find the corpse of the late Okeyim in front of his apartment in the school premises.

The military police were there and we have invited the police too to help in the area of forensic. The GOC has also done an on sight assessment of the situation, he said.

He debunked speculations that the deceased was slit in the neck to death, saying the corpse was intact without a cut or bullet wound.

Yusuf said that the only discovery was that he bled through the nostril and there was impact on his upper jaw.

He also debunked insinuations of possible power tussle, saying the Second-in-Command to the deceased was a Major and far from his position.

Yusuf added that the Vice Principals of the school were civilians, who had nothing to do with the military hierarchy.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the EFCC Ibadan Zonal office invited the vice chancellor and the and bursar of OAU to appear at its office in Ibadan on Tuesday.

Mr Ayo Oyewole, the Head of Public Affairs, EFCC Ibadan Zonal office told newsmen that the duo were invited for interrogation over alleged illegal and corruptly diverting N1.4billion.

He said that the EFCC had acted on a petition it received that the duo allegedly diverted the said amount illegally without approval.

According to him, in the petition they were alleged to have diverted the amount without approval from the Federal Ministry of Education and the institutions governing council.

The said amount was used to settle some allowances, out of which the VC paid himself N7million as furniture allowance.

He was also said to have paid others varied allowances from the said amount, he said.

However, there was drama at the EFCC office over the interrogation of the duo as various associations from the institution besieged the office in solidarity with the VC and the bursar.

Among the associations are the Students Union Government (SUG) members, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), all of OAU chapter.

Others are Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and hosts of others.

Dr Niyi Sunmonu, the Caretaker Chairman, ASUU, OAU said that the VC and others could defend themselves, saying the VC had done much in the interest of peace for the institution.

He said that the VC had in the last five months of his assumption had turned around the institution positively.

Mr Ademola Oketunde, the SSANU Chairman, OAU said that it was better that Nigerians started addressing issues objectively.

He said that the VC had run a transparent administration to the extent that everyone in the institution took him for his words.

Oketunde said that the VC had set up task forces to investigate the activities of the institution, out of which some had submitted their reports.

I hope these are not a ploy by some, who might have the fear of being caught to frame up the man.

We are not here to prevent investigation and we believe he will come out clean. No one will allow his head to be cut off, he said.

Mr Olusola Fadele, the SUG Electoral Chairman, OAU said that they were in Ibadan because they believed there was no fire without smoke.

We were surprised to hear the VC was being probed. We are not against people being probed but not someone who has achieved so much in five months.

People like Prof. Bamitale Omole, who was alleged of gross mismanagement was not probed by the EFCC, he said.

Similarly, Mr Olusoji Adeyosoye, the Vice Chairman, NAAT said that they had come to solidarise with the duo as lovers of peace and positive advancement of the institution.

Adeyosoye said that the VC since he came to office had been very superb in terms of achievements for the institution.

The institution is having a good time under his administration and such is what we all craved for.

He is transparent and we are sure he will come out clean, he said.
The Director General, Research and Development, Kogi State, Mr Moses Okafor, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja on Wednesday.

Moses, who is also the Official Speech-Writer of the Governor told NAN that the screening exercise which hitherto had been causing delay in the timely payment of salaries was completed last month.

Though the screening exercise was painful for a while but it has finally been completed. I can assure you that Gov. Yahaya Bello is committed to making good his promises to pay all genuine workers and pensioners in the state on or before Dec. 20.

Any genuine civil servant and pensioner who has not been paid would be paid including all the outstanding allowances and remuneration of political appointees who are already thanking the governor for the gesture.

The ghost workers have been weeded out and the governor is committed to his word that no genuine civil servant would be adversely affected, that is why adequate time was given to workers to come and defend themselves, Okafor said.

He noted that some genuine workers had started receiving payment alert for their salary arrears, adding that all the Local government Administrators have been directed by the governor to do the same.
Nnamdi Kanu heads the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) group which spearheads the Igbo people of southeast Nigeria's claim for a separate "Biafra state". He is in the dock alongside three other men and they face various allegations including terrorism charges.

Federal High Court Justice Binta Nyako ruled that the names of security operatives serving as prosecution witnesses should be "classified".

Speaking in the capital Abuja, the judge said the court would separate protected witnesses from the main court using screens as well as providing special entrances for their use.

The prosecution argued that they would be at risk if their identities became known.

"I won't take that. I want my trial in the public," Kanu shouted from the dock.

There were cries of "no to secret trial" from the public gallery following the judge's secrecy order.

Kanu's lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor said they would appeal the ruling.

"He was accused in the open. The trial must be conducted in the open," he said.

The trial was adjourned to January 10.

Prosecutors allege that Kanu, who also ran the London-based Radio Biafra, was head of an armed insurgent group.

In December last year, President Muhammadu Buhari alleged that Kanu committed "atrocities" against Nigeria.
THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

Nigeria loses N305b to fraud in gas flare data

Nigeria loses an estimated $1billion (about N305 billion) in revenue every year due to the falsification of gas flare data, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has revealed.

How Nigerias N53 trillion budget of 18 years failed

The controversy over performance of the 2016 budget is just the latest in a series of governments failed efforts at infrastructure building in the last 18 years despite ambitious budgets totaling N53 trillion within the period.

Panic, humour as MMM crashes

Fast-growing money scheme, Mavrodi Mundial Moneybox (MMM), yesterday jolted millions of Nigerians and spelt a bleak Yuletide for participants when it placed a one-month ban on all withdrawals starting from December 13, sparking fears that the popular Ponzi scheme, which has since been declared illegal by the Federal Government, has crashed.

VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

Gas flaring: FG accuses oil firms of fraud

THE Federal Government, yesterday, accused International Oil Companies, IOCs, operating in Nigeria of falsifying gas flare data to cut down on payment of penalties, as a result of which the country is losing between $500 million and $1 billion in revenues that would have accrued from the penalties.

FG to fund 2017 budget with recovered loot, renewed oil licences

THE Federal Government, yesterday, said it will fund the 2017 budget with recovered loot and renewed oil licences, even as it targets N10 trillion revenue generation in the coming year.

Judicial corruption: Justice Ademola, wife docked, secure N100m bail

The Federal Government, on Tuesday, docked Justice Ademola Adeniyi and his wife, Olabowale, before an Abuja High Court at Maitama on an 11-count criminal charge.

THE NATION NEWSPAPER

Patience Jonathan faces fresh hurdles over $15.5m

Detectives have stepped up the probe of former First Lady Mrs. Patience Jonathan by retrieving her service records from the Government of Bayelsa State.

Jammeh receptive to quit advice, says Buhari

Gambian leader Yahaya Jammeh is receptive to the advice by West African leaders that he should respect the election result and hand over power, President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday.

Panic as MMM stops payment

Many Nigerians were shocked yesterday to learn that the popular money making scheme, Mavrodi Mundial Moneybox (MMM), had placed a one- month freeze on withdrawals.

THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Buhari presents 2017 budget to NAssembly today

President Muhammadu Buhari will today (Wednesday) present the 2017 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly.

Court grants Justice Ademola, wife N100m bail

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday granted bail in self-recognisance to a judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Adeniyi Ademola and his wife, Olabowale, who is the Head of Service of Lagos State.

N1tn Abuja land scam: EFCC seizes 12 properties from ex-minister, Mohammed, son
The president made this known while presenting the 2017 Appropriation Bill before the joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said the executive would take a look at the resolutions of the National Assembly suggesting solutions to the imminent economic problems in the country.

According to him, the resolutions will be factored into the recovery and growth plans, which the executive has already embarked upon.

Permit me to briefly outline a few important features of the plan.

The underlying philosophy of our Economic Recovery and Growth Plan is optimising the use of local content and empowering local businesses.

The role of government must be to facilitate, enable and support the economic activities of the Nigerian businesses as I earlier mentioned.

Fiscal, monetary and trade policies will be fully aligned and underpinned by the use of policy instruments to promote import substitution.

Government will, however, at all times ensure the protection of public interest.

We will now use oil revenues to revive our agriculture and industries.

 Though we cannot control the price of crude oil, we are determined to get our production back to at least 2.2 million barrels per day, he said.

The president said that in line with suggestions from the National Assembly, the executive would continue its engagement with the communities in the Niger Delta to ensure that there was minimum disruption to oil production.

He assured that his government would continue its ongoing reforms to enhance the efficiency of the management of our oil and gas resources.

To this effect, the President noted that from January 2017, the Federal Government would no longer make provision for Joint Venture cash-calls.

He said going forward, all Joint Venture operations would be subjected to a new funding mechanism, which would allow for Cost Recovery.

The president stressed that the new funding arrangement would help to boost exploration and production activities.

The funding arrangement according to him will have resultant net positive impact on government revenues which can be allocated to infrastructure, agriculture, solid minerals and manufacturing sectors.

The president, however, decried the culture of non-implementation of projects, adding that the phenomenon had led to innumerable bureaucratic hurdles in doing business.

He said to this end, he would issue Executive Orders to ensure the facilitation and speeding up of government procurements and approvals.

Buhari stated that the Executive Orders would widen the scope of compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act by Federal Government owned entities, while promoting support for local content in Ministries, Department and Agencies.

The Executive will soon place before the National Assembly proposals for legislation to reduce statutorily mandated minimum times for administrative processes in order to speed up business transactions.

In addition, I have established the Presidential Enabling Business Council, chaired by the Vice President with a mandate to make doing business in Nigeria easier and more attractive.

Getting approvals for business and procurements will be simplified and made faster.

 In 2017, we will focus on the rapid development of infrastructure, especially rail, roads and power.

Efforts to fast-track the modernisation of our railway system is a priority in the 2017 Budget. In 2016, we made a lot of progress getting the necessary studies updated and financing arrangements completed.

We also addressed some of the legacy contractor liabilities inherited to enable us to move forward on a clean slate.

Many of these tasks are not visible, but are very necessary for sustainability of projects. Nigerians will soon begin to see the tangible benefits in 2017, he said.

On the state of power supply in the country, he said from assessment conducted, there was the need for more funding of the sector.

According to him, though the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other Development Finance Institutions have intervened, it is clear that more capital is needed.

He also said that the problems of liquidity in the sector must be resolved.

He said Government has made provisions in its 2017 Budget to clear its outstanding electricity bills.

This we hope will provide the much needed liquidity injection to support the investors.

 In the delivery of critical infrastructure, we have developed specific models to partner with private capital, which recognise the constraints of limited public finances and incorporate lendings from the past.

These tailor-made public private partnerships are being customised, in collaboration with some global players to suit various sectors, and we trust that the benefits of this new approach will come to fruition in 2017.

He promised that although a lot of problems experienced by his administration were not created by it, it was determined to deal with them.

The president stressed that one of such issues that the Federal Government was committed to dealing with was the issue of its indebtedness to contractors and other third parties.

He said government was at an advanced stage of collating and verifying the obligations, some of which dated back ten years, with the estimate of about N2 trillion.
Saraki said this when the President presented the 2017 budget before a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, December 14, 2016.

The Senate President also told Buhari that there is hunger in the land, adding that Nigerians are suffering.

According to Vanguard, Saraki also said Mr. President, the feedback we get from our visits to our constituencies is that there is hardship in the land. We can see it. We can feel it. This recession therefore commands all of us as government to greater essence of urgency.

We cannot work magic, we must continue to work the talk clock. Our people must see that the singular preoccupation of government is to search for solution for the current economic hardship and the commitment to ease their burden. They dont want to know what political party you belong or the language you speak or the God you worship.

They have trusted their fate in our hands and they need us now more than ever before to justify that trust they have imposed on us. The people of Nigeria will pardon us if we do something wrong but they will not forgive us if we do nothing.

And that is why Mr. President with the two chambers have taken their position, whatever may be our differences, our opinion on the issues of the economy, we will work with one common purpose for this reason.

I wish to reassure the President that the National Assembly will continue to seek opportunities to deepen this relationship because we are convinced that it is only by working together closely that our country can make the progress that we desire.

It is in times like this, when we are challenged from all sides, that we need to develop new friendship, new relationships and cultivates more friends. No one can clap with one and expect to be heard. This is the time when compromise, engagement is too necessary for successful collaboration and corporation.

This is why I am encouraged that Mr. President continues with his engagement plan across all sectors of stakeholders in the country particularly with our brothers in the Niger Delta and other parts of the country where stability is a part in our collective economic and security aspiration.

Mr President you could remember in 2015, I made a clarion call while receiving your Excellency budget for that the 2016 budget needed to be bold and pragmatic to drive local production and promote made in Nigeria goods.

Today permit me, your Excellency to reiterate this call, the only way we can cut down on our foreign exchange needs is to create jobs, and stimulate entrepreneurship in this country is to promote local manufacturing investment.

And this is why the National Assembly injected the made-in-Nigeria amendment into the Public procurement Act and we are expecting that with your leadership, we will achieve even much more in this area.

It is the hope of the National Assembly that the 2017 budget will continue to proactively pursue this policy objective.
The FCT Command of the police force gave the warning via a statement released by spokesman, Manzah Anjuguri on Wednesday, December 14.

The statement reads:

The attention of the FCT Police Command has been drawn to the plan by members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria to carry out mass protest at the Three Arms Zone, Abuja on Wednesday, 14th, December, 2016.

The Command wants to state unequivocally that the action of the group is illegal as they have neither written to notify the Command of their planned action nor have they secured any approval from the Commissioner of Police go on with the planned protest.

It is sequel to the above that FCT Police Command is warning members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria to immediately stay action on their planned protest or be prepared to be dealt with in accordance with the appropriate sections of the law.

ALSO READ:Kaduna Governor declares Shiite sect illegal
The premiere which held at Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos on Tuesday, December 13, 2016, was attended by celebrities including Rita Dominic, Theresa Edem, Mary Njoku, Adesua Etomi, Stephanie Linus, Kiki Omeili among others.

"Ayamma" is a never-before-seen musical, reminiscent of a Disney movie but laced with the distinct, authentic African flavour.

Set in a fictitious village somewhere in Ibibio land in beautiful Akwa Ibom state, Ayamma is the story of Ihuoma, (Adesua Etomi) the poor but beautiful village maiden with the voice of an angel. Her voice coming out of the forest, so haunts Prince Daraima (Wale Ojo) the handsome heir to the throne that he does all he can to reach her so as to claim her hand in marriage.

His efforts are however, constantly thwarted by the envious Princess Ama (Theresa Edem) a princess from a neighbouring village, betrothed to Prince Daraima and who will stop at nothing to secure her rightful place as his bride. All this is played out under the watchful gaze of his younger brother Ekong (Majid Michel) who harbours his own dark secret. "Ayamma" is a sweeping epic that transports us into a magical world of music, dance and drama.

The movie stars Wale Ojo, Majid Michel, Adesua Etomi, Theresa Edem, Ime Bishop Umoh, Moses Armstrong, Ekere Ekanga and many more. Produced by the award winning producer, Emem Isong, who constantly continues to set trends and push the barriers in areas of creativity in film making, Ayamma promises to be a creative feast for all to watch and enjoy.

The movie was directed by ace director, Chris Eneaji, assistant Director was Ansa Kpokpogiri, associate Producer was Misodi Akama, story/screenplay was by Vivian Chiji, director of Photography was Dawid Pietkiewicz, lighting was by Christian Epps and music is by George Nathaniel and Evaezi.
Fayose made the comment while criticizing Buhari for travelling to The Gambia to convince President Yahya Jammeh to leave office.

The governor made the comment via a statement released by his media aide, Lere Olayinka.

The statement reads:

A man like Buhari under whose free, fair and credible elections no longer exist lacks moral rights to preach obedience to democratic principles to anyone.

With what happened in Rivers State last weekend, it is certain that votes of Nigerians will no longer be allowed to count as the APC cabal in the Presidential villa has now assumed the roles of INEC, allocating votes to their party and using security agents to force their will on the people.

Did President Buhari face Jammeh and advised him to accept defeat the way he (Buhari) conceded defeat in 2003, 2007 and 2011 when violence was instigated and several people, including Youth Corp members were killed? Or did Buhari lecture Jammeh to take to democracy at gunpoint, which is now the norm in Nigeria?

How can Buhari, who has destroyed the legacy of free, fair and credible elections that was handed over to him, be the one to prevail on someone else to adhere to democratic principles?

Nigerians are worried about the possibility of Buhari behaving like Jammeh in 2019 after he must have been defeated and that the international community may need a high-powered delegation to pilot his rampaging bull out of Nigerians china shop.

Buhari visited Jammeh with a delegation of African leaders after the latter annulled the countrys elections which he lost.
Akeredolu said this when he led some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state on a courtesy visit to Mimiko in his office in Akure.

He commended the Mimiko for devoting his time to the service of the people of the state, adding that his wealth of experience and advice would be needed for sustainable development.

He said We are here as indigenes of Ondo who are concerned about the progress and development of the state.

We all owe you debts of gratitude for your service to this state and to Nigeria.

Whether we like it or not, you have a track record that Im not too sure many people can surpass because the early part of your life you have devoted to this state.

It is not something that is common and I hope Ill have the opportunity of repeating it.

He further urged political leaders to emulate the kind of transition ongoing in Ondo State.

Responding, Mimiko promised to continue to offer meaningful advice to the incoming governor at all times.

He noted that ensuring peace was one of the greatest legacies of his administration and urged the governor-elect to sustain the prevailing peace for the socio-economic development of the state.
Ngige made the comment on Monday, December 12, while speaking to journalists in Awka.

I have a job Im doing for the Federal Government. Im in charge of labour and employment; I have too much on my hands to start talking about governorship in Anambra State, he said according to The Sun.

Right now, I have a powerful ministry that is challenging, my brain is working for now, the governorship does not concern me, but you will see me when APC picks its candidate for the 2017 election.

The next election is about 11 months away which is a long period in politics and also short. APC will contest that election fully, effectively with all the resources at our disposal. And I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that Anambra will be an APC state.

APC is working quietly. We first want to get our acts together. We will start registering new members next week by going to our wards. The good thing is that many people are showing enthusiasm to become members of APC, he added.
He, however, stressed that the Makarfi-faction must be willing to make peace for that to happen.

Sheriff stated this when he received some members of the PDP Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who paid him solidarity visit on Wednesday in Abuja.

Sheriff said that he had on several occasions tried to resolve the party crisis with the Makarfi faction.

He said that this he did by suggesting that both the Caretaker Committee and his National Working Committee be dissolved, to give way for a new independent leadership.

I have made several peace moves but the caretaker committee has refused to agree.

We have therefore resigned our fate to the decision of their Lordships of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Courts.

However, we are ready to return to the negotiation table today, if Sen. Makarfi sees reason to do so, he said.

Sheriff said that he was committed to returning the party to the grassroots in spite several blackmail he had been receiving.

He said Our task is to return the party to the grassroots.

To this end, we shall continue to review all the states chapters that are affected before the Convention.

We are discussing with key stakeholders willing to return to the party and we are making steady progress.

Sheriff added that if the talks among the stakeholders would yield positive result, the party would hold its national convention in the first quarter of 2017 to elect new leaders.

He said Hopefully, we shall conduct a free and fair convention in the first quarter of 2017.

In the cause of the last six months, we have worked assiduously to reposition our great party, the PDP, through harnessing of the enormous potential of the party at the grassroots."

On Rivers re-run legislative elections, Sheriff said he was waiting for the report of the delegation he sent to the state before he could take any position on the election.

He said I have set up an 11-Man Committee which I sponsored to Rivers to observe the election and report back to me.

The committee is yet to give me its report.

I will make public my position as soon as I receive the detailed report on the election, because it is better for me to speak based on fact.

ALSO READ: PDP crisis resumes as Sheriff threatens Makarfi with legal action

NAN reports that the Sheriff faction of used the occasion to observe a minute silence for the victims of the recent Adamawa bomb blast and the Akwa-Ibom church building collapse.
The party gave the commendation in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye.

Adeyeye said that at 49, Wike had positively affected the lives of so many Nigerians both at the state and the national levels.

Your contributions as Minister of Education in the last administration and now Governor of Rivers State cannot be overemphasised.

The results of your unflinching loyalty to our great party, the PDP, and the overwhelming developmental projects since you assumed office as Governor of Rivers State will remain evergreen.

Adeyeye saluted Wike braveness and victory in the just-concluded Rivers State re-run elections.

Congratulations once again for defending and protecting the rights of your people and democracy in general.
I thank you all for the wishes for my upcoming birthday, thanks a lot.

But let me tell you something that will make you laugh: In my country early birthday wishes bring bad luck, the pontiff said during his weekly audience.

Meeting the faithful in the Vaticans Paul VIs hall, Francis was presented with a cake from a woman.
For students of federal or state universities, it is never really a case of if their institutions will go on strike, but when and, more dreadfully, for how long.

In a typical federal/state university in Nigeria, a 4-year course isnt really a 4-year course, its a 4-year course with add-ons that could range from one additional year to a few more of your valuable years.

This distressing rhetoric has pretty much been a constant feature in the Nigerian education sector, and 2016 was no different as the following institutions were on strike at one point or the other in what has been a truly crazy year.

1. Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)

OAU is one of the most notorious institutions in Nigeria when it comes to strike actions, and they didnt disappoint this year as the institution was engulfed in an administrative crisis that halted academic activities for two months.

Trouble started when workers protested the process involved in appointing a new Vice Chancellor and the institution was eventually shut down when the members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) halted activities.

After the Federal governments intervention in appointing Professor Anthony Elujoba as the Acting Vice Chancellor, calm was restored and students were asked to resume in August.

2. University of Lagos (UNILAG)

The most common reason for shut down of institutions in Nigeria has to be strike actions instituted by members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), but sometimes it could also be as a direct result of students' actions.

Or, more appropriately, the authorities disdain for students' actions that they dont agree with (which is pretty much any).

In April, close to the semesters examination period, the UNILAG management shut down the school indefinitely after students had protested over their abysmal living conditions, with erratic power and poor water supply in the institutions halls of residence.

The strike lasted for a month as students were recalled in May to write their exam after they must have signed an undertaking and indemnity form.

3. Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH)

The issue of LAUTECH is a very interesting one.

The students of this institution have not only been failed by one government, they have been held hostage by two  the Oyo state and Osun state governments.

Both state governments are jointly responsible for the financing of the institution, and this is a responsibility they have failed at after staff of the university (ASUU, NASU and SSANU) refused to work due to the failure of the authorities to pay their salaries.

This was over six months ago now, and LAUTECH students still dont know when theyre supposed to go back into the classrooms and get on with their lives.

4. Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB)

Reportedly fed up with the constant cases of robbery attacks that were being carried out on students of the institution, students of FUNAAB organized a protest in August, and it didnt quite end well as a student and two policemen were wounded during the protests, with seven vehicles burnt.

The institution was shut down by the authorities as students were asked to vacate the school premises.

Students were recalled to resume academic activities in October on the condition that each of them paid a N5,000 reparation fee.

5. Kogi State University (KSU)

In April of this year, students of Kogi State University had their academic activities put on hold due to the all-too-familiar issue of unpaid salaries and allowances to ASUU as staff members embarked on a 'No pay, No work' action that lasted for three months.

The disgruntled union didnt resume work until they were paid some of the backlog of salaries, and trouble arose again in November as they started grumbling for the rest of their pay, threatening to embark on another strike action.

6. Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA)

AAUA earns its place on this list with the unfortunate death of a student of the institution whose life was cut short by a reckless motorcyclist on April 8.

Students started to protest the tragedy as the culprit was not caught and the protest soon spiraled out of control and led to the destruction of university properties worth millions of naira.

Students were only recalled in June to resume academic activities, on the condition of paying a reparation fee ofN15,000each and anaffidavitfrom a court.

However, this was not the end of the schools flirtation with strike action this year, as the staff of its ASUU chapter embarked on an industrial strike action from July 4 to October 17, 2016, over non-payment of their salaries (as usual) by the state government.

Other grievances of the union included what they said were unnecessary deductions made in arrears, as well as the governments irresponsibility with developing the dilapidated and abandoned infrastructures in the institution.

7. University of Ibadan (UI)

After students of the University of Ibadan staged protests earlier this year in April over what was determined to be the school managements victimization of a certain student, as well as the state of the power and water supply in the school, the authorities indefinitely shut down the school and sent the students packing.

They were later recalled to resume six weeks later in June.

The institutions Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the Non-Academic Staff Unions (NASU) also went on a two weeks strike in August over unpaid fees, an action that momentarily delayed the semesters examination exercise.

8. Imo State University (IMSU)

When the Imo state government carried out a 30 per cent salary cut on its workers in March, lecturers of the Imo State University were not happy and commenced a strike action to show their displeasure to Governor Rochas Okorocha.

After two months of the strike, students of the institution embarked on a protest and marched to the Government House to demand an audience with the governor. They had to be dispersed by a Police Mobile Force that deployed tear gas on the crowd.

The strike was called off late in June, after three months, and students were asked to resume.

9. Ebonyi State University (EBSU)

Ebonyi state governor David Umahi declared war on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapter of the institution after the union failed to heed the governors call to suspend an ongoing strike.

In October, the governor ordered the state Commissioner of Education to not pay any lecturer who refused to work.

ASUU had embarked on the strike in protest against salary deductions and a host of other issues including removing the institutions Vice Chancellor Prof Francis Idike.

The strike was shortlived as it only lasted for four days after both parties agreed to dialogue.

10. Ambrose Alli University (AAU)

On October 28, 2016, aggrieved students of Ambrose Alli University organized themselves to protest against an incredible hike in tuiton fees that the management had just instituted.

In trying to make their feelings known, the students barricaded a busy Benin-Auchi road as well as block the institutions main gate.

Unfortunately, the protest soon turned violent amid reports of looting of a rice truck that was later set ablaze, as well as the alleged shooting of two students.

The school management announced the indefinite closure of the school on November 14, 2016.

Students are still waiting on a resumption date.

It is clear that the strike action culture in Nigerian institutions is only borne out of two things; a power move, or a punishment.
The first former head of government at the UN helm, Guterres takes over from Ban Ki-moon on January 1 amid ongoing bloodshed in Syria and questions over how the US role in the world chould shift under President-elect Donald Trump.

"This organization is the cornerstone of multilateralism, and has contributed to decades of relative peace, but the challenges are now surpassing our ability to respond," Guterres said in an address.

"The UN must be ready to change."

The 67-year-old socialist politician said the United Nations must "recognize its shortcomings and reform the way it works," singling out the failure to prevent crisis as a serious weakness.

The UN's refugee chief for a decade, Guterres was sworn in as Syrian forces were on the verge of retaking the entire city of Aleppo -- a potential turning point in the nearly six-year war.

"This is a war in which everybody is losing. This became a threat for everybody around the world," Guterres later told journalists. "It is high time to put an end to this nonsense."

Guterres vowed to "engage personally" in conflict resolution, signalling a more pro-active approach to the role of secretary-general than under the 72-year-old Ban, the South Korean who led the world body for two five-year terms.

The election of Guterres has energized UN diplomats who see him as a skilled politician, able to overcome divisions that have crippled the United Nations, notably over Syria.

But Trump's shock election has raised questions over Washington's future role in the world and its relationship with the United Nations -- as the world body's biggest financial backer.

Fear driving decisions

The new UN chief will begin work just weeks before Trump takes office on January 20.

"Fear is driving the decisions of many people around the world," Guterres said, in a reference to the surge of populism that propelled Trump to the White House.

Citizens worldwide are losing confidence in their governments and in global institutions, he said, adding that it was "time to reconstruct relations between people and leaders."

He pledged to show the new US administration a "clear will to cooperate in relation to the enormous challenges we will be facing together."

Guterres laid out three priorities for change during his five-year term: work for peace, support sustainable development and improve internal UN management.

The 71-year-old United Nations has been criticized for its clunky bureaucracy, which has at times slowed down the response to global emergencies.

Guterres vowed to press ahead with gender parity at the United Nations, saying it was a priority to appoint more women to senior posts.

jpegMpeg4-1280x720Among the appointments expected soon, Nigeria's Environment Minister Amina Mohammed is tipped to become UN deputy secretary-general, diplomats say.

An engineer by training and a practicing Catholic, Guterres fought for migrants' rights as UN High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015.

He served as prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, anchoring his country to the European Union and working to raise living standards.
Joseph Hamski told jurors that the self-described white supremacist began making the two-hour trips from his home in Columbia, South Carolina, after downloading a book about the Ku Klux Klan with photographs of a cross-lighting ceremony.

Roof would linger in the area, local media quoted Hamski as saying, staying for up to five hours at a time during which he also visited former plantations and other historic sites linked to the US South during times of slavery.

Phone records showed a call was placed from the home of Roof's mother, where he lived, in February 2015 to the church. A day later, Roof drove past Mother Emanuel, GPS data showed.

Roof documented the trips with photographs in which he struck various poses in front of the spots, sometimes wearing a jacket with the flags of apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia.

In one photograph, he stepped on the American flag.

Many of the images were posted in a hate-filled online manifesto that included racist language directed at African Americans and other minorities.

The now-defunct website, lastrhodesian.com, mirrored diatribes that filled Roof's leather-bound journal uncovered by the authorities.

In it, he directed some of his anger at gays and Jews, and penned a logo featuring several white supremacist symbols, including the numbers 14 and 88, the Celtic cross and a rune used by Nazis to represent Aryan heritage.

Roof, who has been described as a loner, also expressed regrets about having never fallen in love.

At least 50 FBI agents collected more than 500 pieces of evidence and conducted more than 200 interviews about the massacre at "Mother Emanuel," the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the US South.

In Roof's room, investigators found a pillowcase that he had shaped into a KKK hood, along with various drawings of KKK and Nazi symbols, and his camera containing thousands of photographs such as those with racist references.

A Walmart official said Roof had purchased ammunition on four separate occasions in the weeks leading up to the June 17, 2015 attack.

Survivor to testify

In a videotaped confession shown in court last week, Roof calmly told FBI agents interrogating him that he carried out the massacre in retaliation for alleged crimes committed by black people against white victims.

The prosecution plans to rest its case Thursday, and US District Judge Richard Gergel said he may also give his instructions to the jury that day.

Jurors are bracing for gripping testimony expected Wednesday from Polly Sheppard, one of the three survivors of the attack, and from the medical examiner, who collected 54 bullets or fragments from the bodies.

The first person to testify in the trial was another survivor, Felicia Sanders, who gave a heartrending account last week of how she lay in a pool of her son and her aunt's blood while cradling her granddaughter as the massacre unfolded.

She called Roof "evil" and said "there's no place on Earth for him except the pit of hell."

The defense team suffered another setback at the start of Tuesday's hearing when Gergel denied a motion to present evidence about Roof's mental state during the current phase of trial where jurors are weighing his guilt, not his sentence.

Assistant US Attorney Jay Richardson objected to what he called "self-serving hearsay" that would be used to justify Roof's crime.

Roof, 22, plans to represent himself during the sentencing phase, and his lawyers are seeking to spare him the death penalty.

Prosecutors refused to accept his offer to plead guilty to the 33 federal charges against him, including hate crimes and religious obstruction, in exchange for a life sentence. So Roof then entered a not guilty plea.
A day of talks with Jammeh and Barrow yielded constructive conversations but no resolution.

"We come to help Gambians find their way through a transition. That's not something that can happen in one day. It's something that one has to work on," said Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, acting as the head of a delegation of four West African heads of state visiting the country.

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, Sierra Leone's Ernest Bai Koroma and Ghana's outgoing President John Mahama all flew in with Sirleaf in an attempt to find common ground between the two sides.

The Liberian leader said Jammeh had "expressed some concerns" on the same day his party filed the petition with the country's Supreme Court.

"The ECOWAS mission was here to meet with him to understand the status quo a bit better," Sirleaf added, referring to a West African regional bloc.

The ECOWAS community would now consider the results of the visit on Saturday, she said.

Nigeria's Buhari had said earlier the longtime ruler had been "receptive" to their pleas, but president-elect Barrow said the talks were in gridlock.

"There has not been an agreement so far," said Barrow, who also met the delegation.

The leader of the opposition described a "standoff" with the government. Referring to the court challenge filed by the ruling party, he said Jammeh "doesn't have the authority" to annul the result.

The lack of a deal will come as a blow to the opposition, who had hoped Jammeh would leave power within a month under international pressure.

That transition will be all the more complicated given the legal petition, seen by AFP, claimed the country's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) had violated the law, that Barrow was not the elected president and the result was void.

The ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) said it was not present when the IEC issued a recount on December 5, claimed there were irregularities in the process and alleged voter intimidation.

Sanctions threat?

A top ECOWAS official had said that if Jammeh and the delegation do not reach an agreement, West African states would "contemplate more draconian decisions", but the quartet would not elaborate on this Tuesday.

Jammeh had surprised observers by initially conceding defeat in the poll but then reversed his stand last Friday, triggering an avalanche of international condemnation and a multitude of calls for him to cede power peacefully.

His decision was triggered in part by a readjustment of the votes counted in the election was made by the IEC on Monday last week, reducing the number of ballots for all three candidates but ultimately confirming Barrow's victory.

Earlier on Tuesday, police locked down the offices of the electoral commission, raising fresh fears Jammeh might not leave office without a fight.

The electoral commission chairman, Alieu Momar Njie, told AFP that when he went to work riot police prevented him from entering the premises.

Later Tuesday Njie maintained the results still stood, and questioned Jammeh's ability to bring a legal challenge.

Jammeh in mid-2015 dismissed a string of Supreme Court judges after criticising the court's move to commute several death sentences.

"The only recourse when you have any problems with the results of the elections, one has to appeal to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court has been dormant since May 2015," Njie said.

A group of the country's most influential lawyers has said there is "no legitimate legal mechanism available in The Gambia to hear and determine the election petition", as Jammeh would have to stuff the court with his own appointees.

Army loyalty

Earlier in the day, opposition coalition members had been more confident of a breakthrough.

"Remember President Buhari is from the military. Jammeh is from the military. I think that will make a difference," said Hamat Bah, a senior coalition official.

Up until now the president of the tiny country of fewer than two million people may have exasperated his regional peers but has never threatened peace in the area.

The situation has dramatically shifted, however, since Jammeh's move to void the election.

Gambian army chief Ousman Badjie also seemed to reverse a previous declaration of support for Barrow and arrived at delegation preparation talks wearing a badge that featured Jammeh's face on his uniform.
The tiny west African state has been in the grip of a power struggle since August 2015, when President Jose Mario Vaz sacked then premier Domingos Simoes Pereira, leader of the ruling African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC).

Vaz then named Baciro Dja as the new premier, but the ruling PAIGC remained split over his nomination, with some lawmakers even refusing to work with him, effectively paralysing the country.

Embalo's new 37-member cabinet, including four women, is mostly made up of members of the Dja government, including Defence Minister Eduardo Costa Sanha and Foreign Minister Jorge Malu.

Guinea-Bissau has been plagued by military coups and instability since its independence from Portugal in 1974, and in recent years has become a cocaine trafficking hub.
Dragged into war

- April-May, 2011: Thousands of students demonstrate in Aleppo, a northern city that had been spared the violent protests that erupted elsewhere in the country. The protests are swiftly crushed by security forces and rival students who back the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

- July 20, 2012: Fierce fighting breaks out between the army and rebels of the Free Syrian Army, a group of armed civilians and army deserters, in several city districts.

- In August the same year, troops backed by heavy artillery and warplanes secure central Christian neighbourhoods after a two-week offensive.

After that, the city is divided between loyalist districts in the west, where around 1.2 million people live, and rebel-controlled areas in the east with a population of more than 250,000.

Barrel bombs

- December 15, 2013: Regime air strikes drops "barrel bombs" on rebel districts, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The crude and imprecise bombs are made of TNT packed into oil drums that are dropped from the air.

Rebel tactics include firing rockets on government-held areas of the city.

Russian intervention

- September 2015: Russia comes to the aid of Assad's government, launching air strikes on Syria.

- February 1, 2016: The regime launches an offensive against rebels in Aleppo province, backed by Hezbollah fighters and Russian aircraft.

- July-August: Government forces cut the rebel's last supply route into Aleppo, effectively placing east Aleppo under regime siege, with inhabitants hit by food and petrol shortages. Rebels make several attempts to break the siege, but aid does not get through.

- September 22: After the end of a one-week ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States, the Syrian army announces a major offensive to retake all rebel-held areas.

- October 5: The United Nations declares Aleppo's eastern districts "besieged".

Blistering offensive

- November 15: After almost a month of relative respite, regime forces, initially with Russian air support, launch a new assault to recapture the entire city. Rebel areas come under the heaviest bombardment for two years, with barrel bombs, shells and rockets.

- November 26: The government announces that the district of Masaken Hanano -- the largest rebel zone -- has been recaptured.

- December 6: Eight more districts in eastern Aleppo, including the strategic Shaar neighbourhood, fall into regime hands.

- December 7: Rebels make a highly symbolic retreat from the Old City.

- December 12: The army captures the Sheikh Saeed district in the southeast, giving it control of 90 percent of the onetime rebel sector.

- December 13: The guns fall silent after regime-backer Russia and rebel-supporter Turkey broker an agreement for a ceasefire and the evacuation of thousands of civilians and fighters from the last remaining rebel districts.
The Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere was arrested in late November during a violent police crackdown on his palace -- from where he is accused of commanding a militia -- which left at least 87 dead.

"The king was charged today (Wednesday) together with 151 people with treason," Evans Ochieng a lawyer representing the group told AFP. The charge carries a possible death sentence.

"The state claims my clients overtly or covertly uttered statements with political intentions to overthrow the government or promote their own political agenda."

There were no further details of the charge, however the government has accused Mumbere of organising a militia from his palace with the aim of creating an independent state straddling Uganda and the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

The traditional kingdom in western Uganda has a history of separatist leanings dating back to independence. The region where it is based is an opposition stronghold that has long complained of marginalisation from Kampala.

International rights groups condemned the crackdown by security forces on the palace, with Amnesty expressing alarm at what "appears to be shocking examples of unlawful killings and a complete disregard for human rights during the arrests".

Mumbere is also facing charges of terrorism, aggravated robbery, attempted murder and murder.

Ochieng said some of his clients were unable to appear in court "because they have serious bullet wounds and yet they have been kept in police cells without medical attention".
Speaking to the Lords' EU Justice Sub-Committee, Bermann said the French community has "a lot of questions" about the consequences of Britain's June referendum to leave the European Union.

"It is worried because of the great uncertainty about its future in the UK; its members have invested a lot in this country, both personally and professionally.

"It is also worried, because in the aftermath of the referendum some French nationals were subjected to negative or aggressive language," Bermann said in comments published in the House of Lords report.

The French ambassador said she and her colleagues had received testimonies of such abuse following the Brexit vote, coming after decades of Britain being seen as "a success story in terms of dynamism and respect for others".

Bermann estimated 300,000 French people were living in Britain and said some were ready to change their plans after the referendum.

"Some of them told me that before 23 June they felt like Londoners and now they feel like foreigners, which is different.

"Many express a sense of sadness and are waiting for answers," she said.

The envoy's comments echoed those made by her Polish counterpart, Arkady Rzegocki, and Romanian ambassador Dan Mihalache, who also spoke to the committee for its report on the impact of Brexit on rights.

Rzegocki said there were around 984,000 Poles in Britain, while Mihalache said there were 272,000 Romanians living there.

Anxiety for Britons in EU

In its assessment the House of Lords committee said the government had a moral duty to provide clarity to EU citizens in Britain.

"The government is under a moral obligation to provide certainty and legal clarity to all EU nationals working, living and studying in the UK, who contribute so significantly to the economic and cultural life of the UK. It should do so urgently," the report said.

It further called on the government to explain its actions to combat xenophobia, while also warning that EU workers filled gaps in the labour market that cannot be filled by British workers.

"The longer their future is uncertain, the less attractive a place to live and work the UK will be, and the greater labour market gaps will be," the committee said.

Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly said she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living in Britain, although she has stopped short of guaranteeing their rights.

The premier has promised to start the two-year negotiating period to leave the EU -- by triggering Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty -- by the end of March 2017.

The House of Lords report additionally gathered testimony from Britons living in other EU countries, numbering around 1.2 million in total.

"The anxiety of EU nationals in the UK is matched by that of UK nationals in other EU states -- the evidence we received of their distress is compelling," the report said, calling again on the government to urgently provide certainty and legal clarity.
Deputies in the National Assembly made a declaration ruling that the socialist president bore "political responsibility" for the crisis and urged state attorneys to investigate him with a view to prosecution.

Maduro has consistently blocked efforts by the legislature to challenge his power since the opposition took over the assembly in January.

He retains the support of the military and key state institutions including the Supreme Court, which has frequently overruled the legislative assembly.

Maduro's allies in the assembly boycotted Tuesday's session, branding the motion a "coup d'etat."

Tuesday's move "is a blow from the legislature, but it does not mean the president will be deposed," legal expert Pedro Afonso Del Pino told AFP earlier, anticipating the lawmakers' declaration.

An economic crisis fueled by falling prices for Venezuela's crucial oil exports has led to food shortages and riots over recent months.

The socialist president says the crisis is a US-backed conspiracy. The opposition blames his economic management.

"This is going to heat up the political process in Venezuela," said political scientist Carlos Romero of Tuesday's move.
Finding Peace of Mind: Discover These Five Places in Europe to Unwind
A new building proposed across from the Pahrump landfill was the top choice for the sole medical marijuana dispensary license in Nye County, commissioners decided Wednesday, as business owners lined up to speak in a green rush for medical marijuana special use permits.

A new building proposed across from the Pahrump landfill was the top choice for the sole medical marijuana dispensary license in Nye County, commissioners decided Wednesday, as business owners lined up to speak in a green rush for medical marijuana special use permits.

County commissioners debated sending letters to the state for the top three dispensary choices, but didnt make a final decision. Commissioner Donna Cox suggested sending letters for all five, but Chairman Dan Schinhofen said that would negate all the deliberating done in the day-long session. Commissioners used a matrix to evaluate each applicant.

Commissioners heard talk about THC, the active ingredient in marijuana that makes users high and the chemical CBD that doesnt. They heard applicants suggest armored car deliveries, with facilities surrounded by fences and patrolled by 24-hour security. Many prominent business owners in town emerged to get in on the lucrative business at the ground level.

MM Development LLC was the top choice of commissioners on property owned by Creekside Investments LLC, which includes John Shea, owner of C &S Waste Solutions, which operates Pahrump Valley Disposal and his partner, Dave Carroll of Carmel, Calif. They also earned the top ranking on applicants for a production and cultivation facility.

Bob Groesbeck, president of MM Development and governmental affairs manager for C &S Waste Solutions, said their team had 153 years of combined leadership in Nevada-owned businesses that paid a combined $122 million in taxes and financial contributions in the past five years. Groesbeck said they had cash on hand of a little more than $3 million and will build a 2,800 square-foot dispensary and a growing facility just shy of 19,000 square feet at the corner of Mesquite Avenue and Kitty Hawk.

Almost every applicant had a member who was actively involved in the medical marijuana business. Groesbeck said their master grower, Chris Wren, earned a trophy at the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam, the Super Bowl of cannabis.

After giving their application top ranking, Groesbeck said MM Development offered to pay for a traffic signal at Highway 160 and Mesquite Avenue.

Kim Clendennen, who lives in the area, objected to the project.

Im waiting on you guys to approve a slaughterhouse and a nuke plant up on the fan, she said.

The Grove Wellness Center, a team consisting of the Focus Property Group developers, was the countys second choice. They propose opening up just a dispensary in part of an unoccupied strip mall almost across the street from the Ian Deutch Government Center at 1541 E. Basin Ave., where the sheriffs office and the courts are located. Attorney Mark Fiorentino said without participating members Dan Harris and Focus Property Group founder John Ritter, the Desert View Hospital wouldnt have opened.

Our goal is to provide the highest quality, most diverse product we can to patients at the lowest possible price. We are going to give priority to Nye County producers, Fiorentino said.

He said his company is not anticipating any debt and has pre-funded roughly $2.5 million to the project, three times the first year operating cost.

Its right across the street from the sheriffs office and station so virtually every sheriffs deputy going in and out will have to pass this facility and its very visible from Basin (Avenue), Fiorentino said. He said it exceeds separation requirements from churches, schools and community facilities.

The Grove anticipates hiring 14 employees. Fiorentino said they also applied for a dispensary, cultivation and production facility in Clark County.

A group that included 19-year Pahrump physician Dr. Pejman Bady, NuVeda LLC, was the third choice for a dispensary where Pahrump Valley Roasters was formerly located at 301 S. Oxbow Ave., and the second choice for a production and cultivation facility at 2801 E. Thousandaire Blvd. Bady introduced a high-powered team that included Chief Operating Officer Shane Terry, who was a combat veteran in charge of $5 billion in assets and personnel in Iraq; Chief Medical Officer Dr. Puya Mohajer; attorney Jennifer Goldstein; Ryan Winmill, president of The Winmill Group, who served three years for the secretary of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C., and master botanist Steven Duarte.

Terry said they will take a pharmaceutical approach to cultivation. He said the group will create 75 jobs.

We hope to inspire leadership and social responsibility, Terry said. Our mission is to think globally and act locally for our community.

He said the cannabis industry is plagued by inefficiency and environmentally-damaging techniques, pledging LEED construction using a hybrid glass roof that would leverage the desert sun and require 50 to 75 percent less energy, resulting in lower costs to patients.

We hope to re-establish industry standards and reinvent the cannabis industry in Nye County, Terry said.

Advisor Kris Krane, co-founder of 4Front-Advisors.com, said they spent millions developing operational and training protocols. He said their team includes the executive director of one of the best medical marijuana dispensaries in San Francisco.

We have created comprehensive operating protocols for all facets of a dispensary that includes a robust chain of custody protocols that ensures every gram is accounted for, Terry said.

Winmill said they want sheriffs deputes to know exactly how theyre moving their product. County Manager Pam Webster later suggested a requirement that all establishments notify the sheriffs department when they plan shipments and file a plan with the sheriffs office.

Team member James Davis said it would cost $2.9 million to build the first 30,000-square-foot building, but they have $11 million on hand.

Tom Saitta and Don Trudeau, co-owners of Saitta-Trudeau Chrysler Jeep Dodge, joined with former State Sen. Sandra Tiffany to apply for a dispensary and cultivation facility at 260 N. Emery St. They were ranked fourth for the dispensary and third for the cultivation facility, in the old Kawasaki dealership. Tiffany said Saitta and Trudeau recently bought the building.

Since we own the building we have some relatively deep pockets that are going to help us with the construction side on the interior of the building, Tiffany said. Weve got the dispensary and the cultivation together but we have done what I call right sizing.

The dispensary is 1,400 square feet and the cultivation facility only 3,800 square feet, which Tiffany said is small, but their plan calls to expand as the demand dictates to a 2,000-square-foot dispensary and 5,200-square-foot cultivation facility. They plan to eventually produce more pounds of marijuana than their dispensary needs and sell it statewide.

With us you get proven local business people who have been doing business in Pahrump for more than 12 years. In that time we employed more than 45 to 50 people with well-paid benefits, Saitta said.Were one of the top sales tax contributors in the county and millions of sales tax dollars have stayed in the county to help with roads and schools.

He said some of the other applicants are from outside the area, while their group will reinvest profits back into the community.

Team member Greg Goldston, with the Options Medical Center, said he has five years experience growing and selling medical marijuana with two stores in Boulder and Wheatridge, Colo. He started in 2010 with 60,000 flowering pots that employed six people and now employs 45 full-time employees with more than 60,000 square feet of grow space and more than 800,000 flowering pots that collectively serve 12,000 people plus.

Im one of the few operators in the state that offers a cancer program to buy patients their cannabis that are in active chemo. I do that on behalf of my brother-in-laws name who died of brain cancer at the age of 39, Goldston said.

Jan Jensen, owner of the Maverick Saloon and Dance Hall, ranked fifth and last in the group of dispensaries submited to the state, third among production facilities and fourth for cultivation facilities for her Nye County Wellness Center. She picked up a number of endorsements from residents under public comment.

Kathy Welsh said Jensen has supported the community for the past 15 years.

I dont care who the individual person is, its any person in the community who has any kind of need whatsoever. They can go to her and she will bust her butt to hold a fundraiser, she said.

Jensen said she researched dispensaries, cultivation and use facilities in places like Colorado and California. The large building lends itself to a cultivation facility. Jensen also proposes partitioning the dispensary in a section of the building and production facility. Jensen said she would hire 80 people and include home delivery. Jensen said if she doesnt get the dispensary license shell still run the cultivation and production.

Among cultivation applicants, Debbie Brooks was part of a team called ACC Industries that was tied for a fourth place ranking among growhouses. They want to grow marijuana in the old Skate Zone building at 1261 E. Calvada Blvd. ACC Chairman Howard Misle, who said he had 15 years in the cannabis industry, said they would create 60 jobs and they would donate money to drug intervention programs.

Misle said having a cultivation facility and their national headquarters here would create a legacy for Pahrump as one of the most progressive cities in the world.

Harborside Nevada Inc., was ranked fifth for production facilities and cultivation. They want to open in a 5,000-square-foot building at 800 S. Margaret St. behind the county auction building. Partner Ted Rebholz said they plan to invest $1.9 million, including a security fence. Rebholz said he worked in medical marijuana in California, serving 147,000 patients. It would hire 15 employees.

Green Life Productions LLC, which includes construction company owner Mike Floyd, ranked seventh in its application to open just a cultivation facility. They want to locate in an 8,700-square-foot building that was formerly part of Floyds Ace Hardware at 1201 S. Loop Rd., already enclosed by a six-foot fence. He cited 50 years of business experience in Pahrump with companies that paid $47 million in payroll. Floyd said they have an advantage in owning their own construction business.

Commissioner Frank Carbone questioned the experience of master grower Steve Cantwell and said people complained they would be next door to the Goodwill store. Floyd estimated hiring 10 to 15 employees during production.

C.W. Nevada LLC placed eighth among cultivation applicants and sixth for production facilities. Carbone said they need to spruce up the building for their project, in a greenhouse at 3171 E. Tillman St. Schinhofen said that street may need to be chip sealed. Their attorney, Nevada Senate Majority Leader William Horne, D-Las Vegas, said they could construct a metal structure. The team included Matt Cook, who said he was an architect of Colorados medical cannabis rules who was featured on 60 Minutes and Joel Stanley, who said he developed Charlottes Web, a strain made popular by CNN correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Stanley said they have a waiting list of 9,000 patients.

Attorney Mike McNerny, representing Wellness Orchards of Nevada LLC, said they will spend $400,000 to $500,000 to construct a manufactured building for a cultivation facility behind Pahrump Valley Auto Plaza at 801 S. Panorama Rd. creating 88 to 100 temporary construction jobs. Their application was only for cultivation, it ranked ninth. Managing member Paul Wells founded the Tropical RV dealership in Pahrump. Carbone said their budget projections dont include hooking up to Utilities Inc. of Central Nevada.

The rest of the Pahrump cultivation applicants in order, included No. 10, Nevada Natural Medicines LLC, 9680 S. Oakridge Ave., which includes basil grower Champ Roach and Green Cross of America, in the old Nevada Bottling Company at 5101 S. Oakridge Ave. represented by Pete Gnecco and Phil Restifo.

Three Amargosa Valley growers included Acres Cultivation LLC , 950 E. Anvil Rd. in Amargosa Valley, ranked fifth among producers and sixth for cultivation; Symbiosis Ltd. of Amargosa Valley, which ranked 12th among cultivators and Nye Farm Tech Ltd., which suggested a site at 2811 W. Amargosa Farm Rd., that is owned by horticulturalist Dokmai Sullivan, ranked 13th among growers.

DISPENSARY

1. MM Development Company LLC

1530 E. Mesquite Ave. (new building across from landfill)

Bob Groesbeck, John Shea from C&S Waste Solutions

2. The Grove Wellness Center

1541 E. Basin Ave. (strip mall across from jail)

Focus Property Group  John Ritter, attorney Mark Fiorentino

3. Nu Veda LLC

301 S. Oxbow Ave.

Dr. Pejman Bady

4.OMC, LLC

260 N. Emery St. (old Kawasaki dealership)

Tom Saitta, Don Trudeau, Sandra Tiffany5. Jan Jensen

340 E. Mesquite Ave. (Maverick Saloon and Dance Hall)

PRODUCTION

1. MM Development Company LLC

2. NuVeda LLC

3. Jan Jensen

4. Acres Cultivation LLC

950 S. Anvil Rd., Amargosa Valley

Paris Balaurus, John Mueller

5. Harborside Nevada Inc.

800 S. Margaret St. (behind Nye County auction building)

Ted Rebholz, Kristen Nevezal

6. C.W. Nevada LLC

3171 E. Tillman St. (existing greenhouse)

Assemblyman William Horne, Matt Cook, Joel Stanley

CULTIVATION

1. MM Development Company LLC

2. The Grove Wellness Center

3. GWGA LLC

260 N.Emery St.

Tom Saitta, Don Trudeau , Sandra Tiffany

4. Jan Jensen

(tie) ACC Industries

1261 E. Calvada Blvd. (old Skate Zone building)

Howard Misle, Sam Boyer, Peter Seltzer, Debbie Brooks

6. Harborside Nevada Inc.

7. Acres Cultivation LLC

8. Green Life Productions LLC

9. C.W. Nevada LLC

10. Wellness Orchards of Nevada LLC

801 S. Panorama Rd. (new building behind Pahrump Valley Auto Plaza)

Attorney Mike McNerny, Paul Wells

11. Nevada Natural Medicines LLC

9680 S. Oakridge Ave. (existing greenhouse)

Champ Roach, Chris Shelton, Jake Salazar

12. Green Cross of America

5101 S. Oakridge Ave. (Old Nevada Bottling Co.)

Pete Gnecco, Phil Restifo

13. Symbiosis LLC

Weiss Blvd., Poplar Ave., Hope Lane, Amargosa Valley

Attorney Stephen Pingree

14. Nye Farm Tech Ltd.

2811 W. Amargosa Farm Rd., Amargosa Valley

Dokmai Sullivan, Joe Hahn engineer
With a new energy policy now Illinois law, Exelon announced Wednesday that it is fast-tracking multiple capital projects at the Quad-Cities and Clinton nuclear plants that previously had been put on hold.

The announcement came one week after Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the Future Energy Jobs Bill into law, ensuring the continued operations of the two plants for at least 10 years. Exelon said the capital projects will enhance long-term equipment reliability, improve safety and ensure regulatory compliance.

"Now that its been enacted into law, the Future Energy Jobs Bill is already starting to create jobs and economic growth for Illinois families and businesses," Bryan Hanson, Exelon Generations chief nuclear officer, said in a news release. He added that the $1.2 billion the plants generate in economic impact each year "will only increase once we get these large capital projects underway."

Exelon also said it will hire more than 400 permanent employees across the two plants to assist with the capital projects and to replace workers for open positions and retirements.

Prior to the Future Energy Jobs Bill's passage, Exelon had said that without a new energy policy it would close Clinton in 2017 and Quad-Cities in 2018.

With that threat of closure, Exelon's employment numbers had dropped at both plants as employees transferred elsewhere in the company, left for other jobs or retired, said Bill Stoermer, spokesman for the Quad-Cities Station in Cordova.

"We hadn't been filling those positions, so we were running pretty slim the last seven or eight months," he said.

In addition, he said Exelon now anticipates even more retirements among workers who already were eligible but were waiting to see if the plants had only one or two years left in operation.

"Now that cloud of uncertainty is gone, so some are deciding to retire and let others have their job," he said.

Stoermer estimated the Cordova station will hire about 150 to 175 of the 400 new employees. About 80 of those will be long-term Exelon positions, while the remainder will be local union tradespeople who will spend one or two years working on the capital projects.

"Clinton was anticipating it was in its last six months of operation (and preparing to close), so they will have a more aggressive hiring process," Stoermer said.

Work at the Cordova station will include installation of a hardened venting system, plant computer upgrades and enhancements to the control room simulator, which is used to train reactor operators. Clinton will make upgrades to the plants main generator, replace an auxiliary transformer and upgrade a pump motor that controls water flow outside the reactor.

"These were capital projects that did not necessarily need to be done for safe operation of reactors, but they were modifications that needed to be done if the plants were going to run 10 or more years," Stoermer said.

He estimated the Quad-Cities Station will invest more than $15 million in the capital projects.

The new staff is in addition to the 3,000 electricians, pipefitters, welders, laborers and contractors that Quad-Cities and Clinton bring in annually to perform work during refueling outages.

In addition to preserving Exelon's two plants, the Future Energy Jobs Bill secured competitive electric rates in Illinois, protects and creates good-paying jobs and spurs billions of dollars in investment in clean energy and energy efficiency across the state. The legislation provides $180 million in funding per year, growing to $220 million per year, for renewable resources, including wind and solar.

The bill received broad support from more than 200 business, labor, environmental, faith-based and other groups, including the Clean Jobs Coalition.

In the company's release, Rory Washburn, executive director of the Tri-City Building Trades Council, criticized the opponents who called the bill "a bailout."

"This legislation is already creating good paying jobs for Illinois families and leveling the playing field so our safe and well-run nuclear facilities can compete fairly with other subsidized sources of clean energy," he said.
Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce officials outlined a range of legislative priorities for 2017 on Wednesday, urging investments in infrastructure at the state and federal levels, a stable Illinois budget picture and action in Des Moines to change the school funding formula.

The chamber's priorities cover a large amount of ground, but the potential for infrastructure spending cut across federal and state lines. President-elect Donald Trump has proposed a $1 trillion infrastructure program. This has been a priority of congressional Democrats, and although there are differences in how they would pay for their plans, it's an area that is seen as a potential for common ground.

Chamber officials see opportunities, too.

"We joke about it: Trains, planes, automobiles and rivers. We've got a lot of things going on here that certainly need to be addressed, and we're hoping to get support from all the levels of government," said Pryce Boeye, the president and chief executive of Hungry Hobo who chairs the chamber's business advocacy council.

The Interstate 74 corridor and passenger rail projects have been in the development stage for years. But the chamber also has pointed to other areas for future investment, including an expanded Interstate 80 between the Quad-Cities and Iowa City, extended passenger rail service into Iowa and improvements to the I-80 bridge.

Area officials also are hopeful that an updated lock-and-dam system could receive funding.

"We haven't seen investment in that in a long time," said Kate Hotle of Mediacom Communications, who also is on the chamber panel.

At the state level, chamber officials also laid out a series of goals. In Illinois, a stable budget situation is a top priority. The state has been without a full budget for nearly two years.

"The budget would certainly be front and center, and we'd hope the capital bill would be shortly behind," Boeye said.

In Des Moines, officials say they hope lawmakers pass a change in the school funding formula to resolve an inequity that prevents some school districts, including Davenport, from spending as much per pupil as others.

A state board on Tuesday denied the district's request to spend more than the state law authorizes.

In addition, chamber officials said they hope the state continues to invest in tax incentives for expanding businesses, as well as changes that would allow for micro-distilleries, such as the Mississippi River Distilling Co. in LeClaire, to expand by-the-glass sales.

With Republican majorities in the Iowa House and Senate, officials also said they see momentum for changes to the state's tax code, which could include lower rates and the elimination of federal deductibility.

Other priorities in Illinois: an expansion of historic tax credits, which have fueled a host of building projects in Iowa, along with changes in the state's workers' compensation laws, pension and school funding reform and tuition aid for higher education.

In Iowa, the chamber urged continuing to backfill local governments for money they lost in the 2013 property tax reform law, creating programs to lure behavioral health professionals to the area and continuing to fund coordinated health care entities.

At the federal level, priorities included supporting the Rock Island Arsenal, getting better access to rail funding, expanding trade, including passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and establishing a formal process to deal with appeals to federal flood maps.
A Davenport man was sentenced this week to eight years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon.

Brandon Marquis Kelly, 31, must serve three years of supervised release once he completes his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Kelly pleaded guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm on July 22 in U.S. District Court, Davenport. There was no plea agreement in the case.

According to court documents, Kelly had a loaded Hi-Point .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol at an apartment complex in Davenport on Dec. 18, 2015.

Kelly discharged the firearm, causing a bullet to enter the apartment directly below the one Kelly lived in, damaging both the upstairs and downstairs units, according to court documents.

Kelly has one prior felony conviction for delivery of a controlled substance (cocaine) in 2010 in Rock Island County. He also has prior convictions for battery, domestic abuse assault without intent causing injury, domestic abuse assault, and domestic abuse assault  second offense.
As Davenport enters into a new contract with Redflex Traffic Systems for its automated traffic enforcement cameras, its decision may be short-lived.

State Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, intends to push legislation aggressively to ban traffic cameras during the next legislative session and submitted a prefiled bill last week.

"I'm honored that I have been asked to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee, which means that I set the agenda in Judiciary Committee," Zaun said. "There will be a bill that will ban all traffic enforcement cameras."

A proposed bill banning traffic enforcement cameras is not new.

In years past, bills have come out of the Iowa House of Representatives and sent to the Senate only to be stopped by Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs. Gronstal, however, was defeated in the Nov. 8 election by Republican Dan Dawson, one of several Democratic losses that also means Republicans will have the majority in the Senate.

"We've had the votes before; the only reason it didn't go through was because the Senate majority leader wouldn't let it come up for a vote," Zaun said.

With a clearer path, Zaun foresees the bill finding its way onto the governor's desk after clearing the Senate and House next month.

Zaun said Gov. Terry Branstad likely will still be in office by the time a bill comes around because of the lengthy confirmation process for Branstad's appointment to become the ambassador to China.

Ben Hammes, communications director for Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, confirmed that should a bill come before Branstad is confirmed as ambassador, he would sign it.

Revenue versus safety

Zaun doesn't see the camera ban as a partisan issue, but rather a generational one.

"Older Iowans favor them versus the younger generations, but 95 percent of the emails I get are, 'Shut these cameras down,'" Zaun said.

His problem with traffic cameras, however, revolves around the companies that cities are getting into bed with and their intent.

When told of Davenport's involvement with Redflex, Zaun laughed and said, "Yeah, I know that name well."

Redflex's name has been in the news across the country for years, but for the wrong reasons.

Its former CEO, Karen Finley, was sentenced last month to 30 months in federal prison for bribing government officials for contracts in Columbus, Ohio, Cincinnati and Chicago.

The traffic enforcement camera giant is being sued by the city of Chicago for more than $300 million.

The company's former executive vice president, Aaron Rosenberg, also has claimed the company's bribery practices occurred in 13 other states.

Earlier this year, Redflex and Creditwatch settled a $3.5 million class-action lawsuit in New Mexico for using robocalls to collect on unpaid parking tickets.

"There have been so many abuses," Zaun said. "It's become more about generating revenue versus public safety."

Zaun said many cameras often show inaccurate data because they have not been calibrated properly or checked and accident data can be misleading.

Instead, cities and counties have become reliant on the revenue the cameras bring in.

Cedar Rapids, for example, brings in $3 million to $3.5 million annually. Davenport has brought in more than $1 million on average since 2011.

That number could have been expected to rise as the city's new contract reduces Redflex's take of a $65 ticket from $24 to $21.

The city saw a spike in 2016 with more than $2 million in revenue, but Finance Director Brandon Wright said that could be attributed to a few factors, including the success of collecting past due fines through the Iowa Income Offset Program.

The Iowa Income Offset Program allows the collection of debt through means such as garnishing tax refunds and lottery winnings.

Last week, Wright said $6.5 million in automated camera ticket fines is outstanding.

Davenport safety

Although Zaun questions the efficacy of cameras in improving public safety, data from Davenport's automated traffic enforcement evaluation report suggests otherwise.

Red light crashes at intersections with cameras have decreased 66 percent compared to the years prior to their installation.

In the annual report, traffic engineer Gary Statz also cited the 34 percent decrease in vehicle trauma injuries as reported by Genesis Health System.

"The large reduction in red light crashes has shown the effectiveness of our program," Statz wrote. "We also believe this program has raised awareness of the dangers of speeding and red light running."

Judging by the median and 85th percentile speeds where cameras are located, drivers also have slowed down.

Before cameras were put in on River Drive, the median and 85th percentile speeds were 39 and 43.6 mph, respectively.

Immediately after the installation, those speeds dropped to 37.6 and 40.3 mph.

The most recent speed studies show faster driving but still below numbers found prior to installation.

As to the questions about accuracy, Statz reported to the Iowa Department of Transportation that cameras are checked on a monthly basis.

Red light for revenue

After years of pushing for the camera ban, Zaun is confident this is the year it finally climbs the last hurdle.

"They are going to be leaving the state of Iowa or at least that's my prediction," Zaun said.

While a traffic camera ban would not have the same impact as in Cedar Rapids, which collects more revenue from camera tickets, Wright said the loss of revenue would be a blow to the city's budget in the future.

Through November, the city has collected just less than half a million dollars in this fiscal year and is on pace to meet or exceed the $975,000 in revenue budgeted for the year.

"The ATE (automated traffic enforcement) revenue is collected in the general fund to help fund public safety," Wright said. "Obviously, losing more than $1 million annually for that purpose would have a negative impact on the city."
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The Diversity Service Center of Iowa (DSCI) in Muscatine will hold an open house at its new location from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, at 1514 Isett Ave., Stop 2.

The office was previously located in downtown Muscatine, but Juan Carlos Mendoza, receptionist and front office manager, said the new location will provide the organization with much-needed space.

"Really we found the space was a big thing to really service our needs," Mendoza said.

He said the open house is an opportunity to familiarize the community with the new location and the programs the DSCI offers.

"Our last open house was in 2014, but since then the programs really have expanded a bit more, especially the minority senior program," he said. "So we just wanted to not only show our new location but also reintroduce our services as well as showing the services we now provide that we didn't before."

The DSCI has two main programs, Mendoza said. One is an educational outreach program, which deals with immigration issues. Two staff members, who are accredited with the Board of Immigration Appeals, help people fill out forms.

In the minority seniors program, staff assist many Latino senior citizens for whom language can be a barrier fill out paperwork for programs like Medicaid.

"Making sure they're really getting full use of programs they qualify for," Mendoza said.

For more information about the open house, or the programs offered by the DSCI, call 563-264-8883 or visit the website https://sites.google.com/site/diversityservicecenterofiowa/home.
WAPELLO, Iowa - A decision by the Louisa County Board of Health (BOH) on Dec. 7 to uphold an earlier vote that granted increased wages to several staff members of the Louisa County Public Health Service (LCPHS) will not be immediately addressed by the Louisa County Board of Supervisors.

The supervisors discussed the BOHs decision during their meeting Tuesday, but did not take any action. Despite any formal action, the supervisors did have plenty to say about the higher raises, which they have repeatedly criticized since being approved by the BOH last June.

Those increases ranged from around 5.5 percent to around 29 percent for six of the LCPHS staff members.

Supervisor Chris Ball is the Board of Supervisors representative on the BOH board and voted against maintaining the higher wages during the BOH meeting. He told supervisor chair Paula Buckman, supervisor Randy Griffin, and supervisor-elect Brad Quigley that he had reviewed wage information provided at the Dec. 7 meeting and felt that he had a better picture of some of the salaries.

(The salaries) are high, he told the others.

Griffin, who was part of a committee that had reviewed the salaries with an idea of possibly recommending a compromise, wondered what had gone wrong.

I thought we had agreed the top wages needed to go, he said, adding he was shocked when the BOH voted to uphold all the salaries and only decided to reject a performance evaluation that could have led to higher wages.

Since the BOH has the power to set salaries for the LCPHS staff, Griffin suggested the only option for the board at this point might come at budget time.

We may be forced to accept (the increases) to ensure services to people are not cut. But theres no disputing that we approve the (BOH) budget and we (may) tell (the BOH) next year that we wont have any increase for that budget, he said.

Buckman, whose term will end on Dec. 31 after she failed to win re-election, suggested the supervisors hold back any decision on withholding budget funds or amending the current budget until January.

Ball agreed and pointed out the supervisors still needed to find replacements for BOH chair Jeri Bailey and medical director Dr. Thomas Boyd. Both announced earlier that they were not seeking re-appointment to the BOH.

Although they were not present when the LCPHS wages were discussed, LCPHS Interim Administrator Roxanne Smith and assistant administrator Heidi Pallister met later with the board to discuss the November activities completed in the LCPHS office.

Smith reported that her staff had been busy with nursing and home care visits and also said around 30 doses of flu vaccine remained. Pallister said plans had been made to hold a Jan. 19 meeting with contractors in the area who might work on septic and other utility projects.

In other action, the board met with Tom and Doris Woodruff, Davenport, to discuss maintenance work at the Littleton Memorial, Toolesboro. An endowment has been created that should provide around $500 in future revenue to help fund maintenance.

That should increase as more money flows into the fund, but Buckman suggested that until the fund is able to generate enough revenue, the supervisors pick up the slack.

Louisa County Conservation Board Executive Director Katie Hammond said her department would continue to maintain the site, but she estimated it would cost around $2,000.
SAN DIEGO  On Nov. 4, 2016, Newton Nathaniel Sacks, formerly of Rock Island, passed away in San Diego. He was born March 27, 1918, in Sioux City, Iowa.

A graduate of Central High School in Sioux City, Newt attended the University of Iowa from 1936-1941 earning undergraduate degrees in both liberal arts and electrical engineering. He returned from 1961-1969 to obtain his masters degree in industrial engineering. He also attended M.I.T, Cornell and the Brookings Institute for advanced education.

He began working at Deere & Co. in 1941 as an engineer-designer, but joined the Navy in 1944. In World War II he served as Lt. (JG) (Engineering) USNR- 1944-46 on the USS Dane in the Pacific Theater. After his Navy stint, he returned to Deere to become Manager of Production Engineering and later Manager of Materials Engineering. His career at Deere lasted until 1982 when he retired as Director of Corporate Safety and Environment.

In 1982, after a long and varied career at Deere, he became Director and Associate Professor of The Ambrose Institute of Industrial Engineering at St. Ambrose College in Davenport, where he taught until the late 1980s.

Newt had a long list of educational and civic accomplishments. He was an elected life fellow of the American Society for Metals, an elected life member of the American Foundrymens Society, and was a Tau Beta Pi Eminent Engineer. He was vice chairman of the University of Iowa College of Engineering Advisory Board and served on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Rehabilitation Engineering Center of the Universitys Colleges of Engineering and Medicine.

He served on the City of Rock Island planning and zoning commission and the Rock Island Chamber of Commerce board of directors.

Newt was predeceased in 1985 by his wife of 44 years, Marjorie Ann Emanuel. Following her death, he married Barbara Bobbi Bruder, who survives him and they were married for 27 years.

For the last 25 years, he was a resident of Red Lodge, Montana, where he enjoyed the outdoor life and lots of fishing.

In addition to his wife, Bobbi, he leaves three children, Edward Sacks (Chicago), Shari Sacks Cassidy (San Francisco) and Susan Schiffer (San Diego), two grandsons and one great-granddaughter.

He was interred in Home of Peace Cemetery, San Diego, California.
A rubber stamp won't do.

Rick Perry. Scott Pruitt. Rex Tillerson. Meet Donald Trump's cabinet-in-waiting that detest energy markets in Iowa and Illinois.

The likes of Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst must drop the kid gloves and stand for Iowa's interests.

The Republican president-elect isn't simply hoping to send small-government administrators to the top of various departments. He's picking saboteurs, rife with serious conflicts of interest, to do reject the very agencies they're slated to run, particularly those that regulate financial markets and the environment.

In Trumpland, Goldman Sachs executives would be charged with overseeing Wall Street, which, just nine years ago, sent the U.S. economy into a greed-fueled spiral.

The foxes are in the chicken coop.

Iowa and Illinois are both major energy producers. Just this month, Illinois went all-in with its nuclear portfolio, agreeing to subsidize Exelon's two plants, one right here in Quad-Cities. Wind turbines are a substantial part of both states' economies. Perhaps few federal programs are more sacred in Iowa than the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which incentivizes growers to maximize corn production and supports more than 40,000 jobs, according to federal reports.

The RFS enjoys the support of about 90 percent of Iowans, Republicans and Democrats, alike, polls say. Gov. Terry Branstad blasted Sen. Ted Cruz for daring to question the value of the RFS in the lead up to this year's caucus.

Perry, former Texas governor and Trump's nominee to head the Energy Department, hasn't hidden his distaste for the RFS. Why should he? He hails from oil-rich Texas. Big Oil despises the RFS. Perry would also be charged with overseeing the country's nuclear fuel stockpile and research.

Trump is stocking his cabinet with department heads whose stated interests are counter to those that best serve Iowa and Illinois. Would-be Secretary of State Tillerson is an ExxonMobil executive. As Oklahoma's attorney general, Pruitt denied climate change -- the very foundation for Iowa's renewable economy -- and is also beholden to massive oil companies.

And yet, Iowa Republicans in particular are treating Trump and his cabinet of conflicts with the softest touch. At least Sen. Joni Ernst has made something of a peep. She said last week that she'll question Pruitt about his commitment to the RFS before deciding on her support for him. Now Ernst must follow through on her pledge. For months now, her GOP stable-mates, would rather sit on Trump's lap than actually criticize his obvious shortcomings. And now, he's putting forth unqualified cabinet picks who don't hide their disdain for anything that doesn't burn black. At some point, the constituents have to matter here.

Never mind that Perry would replace an MIT-educated physicist. Never mind that Perry failed organic chemistry in college. It's par for the course in Trumpland, where the only qualification is a few billion in the bank and a visceral disdain for government. Ties to the Kremlin and experience on reality TV seem to help, too.

The true test of Sens. Ernst and Grassley will come when they are forced to vet this collection of swamp dwellers.

It's shaping up to be a mutually exclusive statement of support. State or party, senators?
Considering the "post-truth" political climate, I believe it is time to get rid of partisan columnist published in on this Opinion page. Namely, I refer to the John Kass column on President Obama pardoning Hillary Clinton. This piece infers that Hillary Clinton has committed something illegal.

According to factcheck.org and politifact.com, she has not. My conclusion is that indictment will never happen. Perhaps you need to get rid of John Kass altogether.

Although I have read some thoughtful pieces by Froma Harrop, the one in Mondays newspaper was not one of them. I wouldn't abandon her, but if I were on the editorial board, I would be more selective publishing her.

It is my opinion the Quad-City Times needs to choose columns that are based in fact. Opinions written by Michael Gerson, David Ignatius, Esther Cepeda, and Dana Milbank consistently meet that criterion. You might also choose other opinion writers, equally competent, such as David Brooks, who are published in other newspapers and magazines.

Your readers do not need to know what the "other side" is thinking. When opinion is not based on fact, it only reinforces false information held by those who most need fact-based opinion.

Ida Weibel

Long Grove
SPRINGFIELD  Gov. Bruce Rauner did little to advance the conversation on Illinois budget standoff during a live Facebook video chat Tuesday afternoon, even as the Dec. 31 expiration date on the states stopgap spending plan looms ever closer.

As he has several times in recent months, the first-term Republican governor took to social media to answer prescreened questions in front of what appeared to be a largely supportive virtual audience.

Rauner used the half-hour question-and-answer session to lay the blame for the impasse at the feet of the Democratic leaders of the General Assembly, whom he once again accused of stalling negotiations to create a crisis, (a) meltdown of our human services and our important social service agencies, and then try to force a stopgap plan or a tax hike with no reforms.

That would be a tragic failure and a mistake, Rauner said. They should be here negotiating a balanced budget with reforms.

Beginning Jan. 1, the state will no longer have spending authority for higher education, social services or most day-to-day government operations.

Since Rauner took office nearly two years ago, the crux of his disagreement with the Democratic leaders, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, has been whether passage of the state budget should be tied to portions of his pro-business, union-weakening turnaround agenda.

While his list of priorities has been pared down over time and various issues have been given precedence at different points, Rauner continues to insist that the Democratic-controlled Legislature approve some of his policy proposals.

Most recently, hes said hell only sign another short-term spending plan if lawmakers approve a permanent freeze for local property taxes and a referendum on amending the Illinois Constitution to create term limits for elected officials.

Rauner and the legislative leaders had been meeting somewhat regularly last month and early this month, but the governor pulled the plug last week after House Democrats declined to present a budget proposal he had requested.

Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said Rauner shouldnt expect such a proposal anytime soon. He noted that its the executive branch that actually spends the states money.

The logic would dictate that the people who are going to spend the money should tell everyone how theyre going to spend it and how much, Brown said.

Cullerton spokesman John Patterson said the Senate president continues to be disappointed that the meetings were called off.

Were hopeful that the governor will come back to the table and we can resume negotiations, Patterson said.

While the leaders arent currently meeting, groups of rank-and-file lawmakers have resumed discussions on areas of the governors policy agenda, including workers compensation, an issue Rauner addressed on Facebook. Although Republican leaders publicly criticized restarting the so-called working groups, members of both parties and both chambers are participating.

During his Facebook session, Rauner argued, as he has repeatedly, that there should be stricter requirements for workers who apply for benefits to prove that they were injured on the job. Democrats have said insurance companies should pass on to customers savings that have been achieved through previous reforms.

State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, is among the group of lawmakers discussing workers compensation. The group, which also includes representatives from the governors office, met Friday and is scheduled to meet again this week.

While the two sides remain far apart on the issue, Brady said, lawmakers are attempting to find common ground that can provide some savings for businesses while also protecting injured workers.

Whenever youre talking, I think its productive because youre communicating, he said. Did a lot get solved? No.  Its a very big, complex issue.

But Brady noted that it was negotiation among rank-and-file lawmakers in the spring that led to the current stopgap spending deal.

The rank and file has always been ready for compromise and has tried to present ideas, he said.
DES MOINES  Turtles in Iowa would be subject to commercial and recreational seasons and daily catch limits designed to protect them during their nesting season under preliminary rules the state Department of Natural Resources presented to a legislative panel Tuesday.

DNR deputy director Bruce Trautman said the proposed rules  based on legislation passed last session  would permit commercial and recreational hunting of spiny softshell, smooth softshell, and painted turtles from July 16 to May 14.

The state rules would permit commercial hunting of common snapping turtles from July 16 to May 14 and recreational hunting year-round, and would set daily catch limits of four common snapping turtles, one spiny softshell or smooth softshell turtle, and one painted turtle. Also, the rules set commercial possession limits of 20 common snapping turtles, five spiny softshell or smooth softshell turtles, and five painted turtles.

Trautman said the proposal was designed to find a balance between the 60 or so Iowans who are licensed to harvest turtles commercially and conservationists who advocate for a complete shutdown of commercial turtle trapping similar to Iowas surrounding states. Currently, Iowa is one of a few states that allow commercial trappers to catch an unlimited number of certain turtles.

Right now we feel like weve landed in the right place. Weve used the data thats available, Trautman said. We feel weve got a reasonable rule out there.

State officials determined that commercial and recreational harvest can continue so long as egg-laying females are protected during most of their nesting season and with restrictive daily catch and possession limits.

In 2015, Trautman said there were 101 commercial harvesters in Iowa who caught 10,210 turtles with a wholesale value of $53,845. Industry representatives argued the proposed restrictions would force them out of business, however, committee member Dawn Pettengill, R-Mount Auburn, told Trautman it looks like you did exactly what we told you to do in House File 2357.

If the proposal proceeds through the rule-making process, Trautman said he anticipated they would take effect for the next harvest season.

Also Tuesday, the legislative panel did not object to changes to the rules on animal feeding operations adopted by the state Environmental Protection Commission. The revised rules would allow solids from open feedlot operations to be regulated by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship as bulk dry animal nutrient products.

The EPC-adopted rules also included a revised definition of a public use area which require confinement setbacks, as well as an updated listing of Iowa lakes, a clarification regarding which structures are to be used for measuring separation distances, and additional language regarding permit requirements to be consistent with federal regulations.

Critics opposed a rule that enabled livestock producers with older facilities to seek emergency application of manure to frozen or saturated ground because they've run out of storage and a separate loophole to allow producers to build small pig facilities near each other to avoid oversight, but no one attended Tuesdays legislative meeting to speak against the rules.
A new business is now likely to go into the I-90 Heartland Business Park after the Rapid City Public Works Committee overturned a previous decision and approved a right-turn lane onto Elk Vale Road on Tuesday.

A semitrailer repair business represented by the business park developer, Pat Tlustos of By-Pass Development LLC, asked for the right-turn lane out of the park, which is on the west side of Elk Vale Road. If the request had not been granted, owners of the business said they would have considered moving it across Elk Vale Road, which is within the Box Elder city limits.

However, if it had done so, any trucks turning south onto Elk Vale Road from the Box Elder side would have impeded northbound traffic and potentially caused more accidents.

It was mostly the safety concerns and the desire to have the business on the tax rolls for Rapid City that swayed the Public Works Committee to vote in favor of the access road, overturning the staff's decision.

Public Works Director Dale Tech said his office initially denied the request because Elk Vale Road is considered a principal artery in the city's major street plan and the staff was trying to limit the turning rate to reduce the number of crashes on a high-volume road.

Alderwoman Darla Drew expressed concerns over continuing a reputation Rapid City has for being unwelcoming to business. She also added that keeping the business in Rapid City would allow the committee to address any future safety concerns.

"If they can just go across the street, will our safety issues be any better?" Drew asked. "If we keep it in the charge of the city, we can make sure it's safe, and if problems arise, we can intervene."

Alderwoman Charity Doyle said she drives the corridor quite often and trucks turning to the south from the east side of the street is "not a pleasant experience."

She added that she has seen several near-accidents there.

"Something for my colleagues to consider is, this is what looks like to me as a much safer situation than we currently have out there," Doyle said.

In a separate decision, the committee approved a traffic signal installation at the intersection of Elk Vale Road and East Minnesota Street.

The South Dakota Department of Transportation recently updated the traffic signal warrant analysis for the intersection and found that warrants have been met to install the traffic signal, according to city documents.

The estimated cost of design and installation of the signal is $399,915, which will come from the Streets Capital Improvement Projects fund, documents show.
BISMARCK, N.D. | North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple and Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault have met to discuss reducing tensions between law officers and Dakota Access oil pipeline opponents, as the main protest camp begins to clear out after the federal government stalled the $3.8 billion project.

Developer Energy Transfer Partners and the Army are battling in court over permission for the pipeline to cross under the Missouri River in southern North Dakota, the last large chunk of construction for the project to move North Dakota oil 1,200 miles to a shipping point in Illinois. Thousands of opponents who have protested for months have been leaving their main camp in southern North Dakota in recent days due to the work stoppage and severe winter weather.

Archambault said Tuesday that the tribe estimates only about 300 people remain in the main camp. Dalrymple said in a statement that the camp might be vacated by Jan. 1, but Archambault said that's not the case. Some in the camp have said they need until the end of the year to complete their exit, while others plan to stay the winter, he said.

An unknown number of others remain in another camp nearby that's run by LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, a protest organizer. Allard didn't immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday, but she said in a social media post Monday that "we are not going anywhere."

Some pipeline opponents fear a federal judge will give ETP permission to finish the project or that the administration of pro-energy President-elect Donald Trump will overturn an Army decision this month not to grant permission for the river crossing. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that according to people with knowledge of the decision former Texas Governor Rick Perry is Trump's choice to lead the Energy Department. Perry is on the board of ETP, although Archambault said that doesn't discourage him.

"We're not opposed to energy development  we're just asking that you don't do it off our backs," the chairman said.

The tribe and its supporters believe the pipeline threatens American Indian cultural sites and the tribe's drinking water, which is drawn from the Missouri. ETP disputes that.

Dalrymple and Archambault both said that efforts to normalize relations between the state and tribe rest heavily on reopening a state Highway 1806 bridge right outside the camp. The Backwater Bridge has been closed since being damaged by fire set by protesters in late October.

The state Transportation Department says the bridge won't be inspected until the safety of workers is ensured. Pipeline opponents think the state is deliberately leaving the bridge closed to block protesters in from the north.

"The bridge is the main issue," Archambault said. "How can we get (the blockade) removed as soon as possible so that it opens up emergency service routes, opens up commerce again for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe."

Dalrymple said the plan is to enlist the help of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to maintain safety while workers inspect the bridge. Archambault said a timeline wasn't developed during the Monday meeting, which also was attended by other Tribal Council members and s state officials.

"The meeting was constructive, an important step toward rebuilding long-term relationships," Dalrymple said.

Also, prosecutor Ladd Erickson said he wants people who have been arrested for protesting against the pipeline to reimburse the state for their court-appointed attorneys. The protests have resulted in 570 arrests since August, creating an unprecedented burden for the state's court system. The Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents plans to seek $670,000 from the Legislature to help cover the costs of protest-related cases.
BISMARCK, N.D. | The federal government won't send 100 federal officers to help police protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota as requested, drawing a sharp rebuke Wednesday by the county sheriff who wanted the help as well as the head of the National Sheriffs' Association.

Sending border patrol and members of the U.S. Marshals Service Special Operations Group might escalate, not ease, tensions between law enforcement and protesters who've camped on federal land for months, Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle told The Associated Press.

A dozen North Dakota law enforcement officials implored President Barack Obama in a letter released Monday to send in-person help plus financial assistance, citing costs, fatigue and a growing fear of vigilante justice. The officers, led by Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, said they fear for the safety of themselves, area residents and protesters.

In explaining that DOJ won't fill the request, the agency noted it offered training and technical assistance to local law officers and has worked to facilitate dialogue among law enforcement and opponents of the four-state, $3.8 billion pipeline.

"As Attorney General Lynch has said, the department is committed to supporting local law enforcement, defending protestors' constitutional right to free speech and fostering thoughtful dialogue on the matter," Horbuckle said. "The safety of everyone in the area  law enforcement officers, residents and protesters alike  continues to be our foremost concern."

But Kirchmeier, who has long been critical of what he perceives to be a lack of federal aid, told the AP that the Justice Department's efforts have not defused tensions and that local officers who have policed the protests for 127 days and made 571 arrests are stretched beyond capacity.

"Only in Washington, D.C., would facilitating meetings be considered 'action' in response to the kind of aggression our law enforcement officers and North Dakota citizens have had to face over these past months," Kirchmeier said in a statement.

The federal government has not been inactive: U.S. Customs and Border Protection at one point last month provided 11 Border Patrol agents to help with policing.

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and other opponents of the pipeline, which will carry North Dakota oil to a shipping point in Illinois, say the project threatens cultural sites and the tribe's drinking water, which is drawn from the Missouri River. Pipeline work is stalled while Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners and the Army battle in court over permission for the pipeline to cross under the river  the last big chunk of construction.

The protest encampment has thinned out in recent days from several thousand people to a few hundred due to the work stoppage and harsh winter weather, but there have been a handful of arrests over the past week.

National Sheriffs' Association Executive Director Jonathan F. Thompson said the group is grateful for the efforts of the DOJ's Community Oriented Policing Services, which sent teams to Bismarck in September and October for training and technical assistance. However, Thompson said it's not enough.

"The critical value sheriffs need, and have asked (for) dozens of times, is for federal law enforcement officers to be on the ground," he said, adding that "we have asked, pleaded and nearly begged."

The DOJ also has told North Dakota officials that it will consider allowing the state to repurpose more than $1 million in Justice Assistance Grant money, which is for efforts to prevent and control crime and improve the criminal justice system.

Considering the state has dedicated up to $17 million in emergency spending for protest-related costs, Thompson said the monetary offer is "a Band-Aid on a hemorrhage."
Belle Fourche police have filed a petition with the South Dakota Department of Labor to have the Teamsters union represent them in discussions with city government, Mayor Gloria Landphere said Monday.

James Heeren, business agent for the Teamsters in South Dakota, based in Sioux Falls, said Monday that he had filed the petition for recognition of the union on behalf of "100 percent of the currently employed officers."

He would not say how many officers that was, but the department has had 10 officers, including the chief. At a recent city council police committee meeting, the council members were told that only seven officers were on the patrol rotation schedule.

Heeren said the city could immediately recognize the union and begin negotiations on everything from work rules to pay rates, or request a union election date, or question the union's request on technical grounds.

"Basically it's in the city's hands," Heeren said.

The Teamsters union has been a frequent representative for police departments in South Dakota and other states.

Heeren said he became a member of the union while working at the North Sioux City Police Department.

In other business, the city council approved hiring a Spearfish law firm last week "as a special counsel for the mayor regarding an employment grievance."

The action followed a closed-door executive session.

Personnel issues are not usually discussed in governing boards' open session, and are not normally considered public record unless there is litigation involved.

The council's action was to hire the Nies and Karras firm in Spearfish. It lists civil litigation among its services.

Although the mayor and council did not mention particular employment grievance, it came at a time when the police chief resigned and apparently there are two officers who are not on the department's patrol rotation.

Butte County Sheriff Fred Lamphere was at the council meeting and apparently was in the executive session.

His office is contracted to supervise the Belle Fourche Police Department until a police chief is hired.

Monday's Legal Finance Committee meeting included an executive session with the mayor, but no action was taken.

The committee's agenda did include a new city policy for employees on "insubordination."

The new policy includes a definition "as a willful or intentional refusal by an employee to obey a lawful and reasonable request given by a supervisor. It may also be an action which constitutes lack of respect or harassment directed toward a supervisor."

Insubordination under the policy would be a cause for disciplinary action up to, and including, termination.

Meanwhile, the council's police committee members are working on applications for police chief.

Mayor Landphere said the applications are in a pool of seven people who are tentatively set for interviews Dec. 28 or 29.

She said the committee also has been looking at policies in the police department policy handbook.

The police committee has a scheduled meeting at noon Monday at City Hall.
SPEARFISH | Two Belle Fourche men were arrested Tuesday, Dec. 6, and face felony charges in connection with two October armed robberies of local convenience stores, the Spearfish Police Department reported Wednesday.

A warrant for the arrest of a third man tied to one of the robberies was expected to be issued last week, police said.

Kirk James Jolley and Jacob Tanner Daniel, both 20, are being held at the Lawrence County Jail, charged with two counts of first-degree armed robbery in the theft of an undisclosed sums of money from the Oct. 8 incident at the Fresh Start Corner convenience store at Evans Lane and U.S. highway 14, and the Oct. 23 robbery of the Phillips 66 gas station at Interstate 90s Exit 8, Spearfish Police Sgt. Darin Pedneau said Wednesday afternoon.

We had an anonymous tip that helped us identify them, Pedneau said. People called in, which was pretty nice.

A third suspect in the Phillips 66 robbery, also from Belle Fourche, was expected to be arrested this week, the sergeant said.

Pedneau credited anonymous tips, a $1,000 reward offered by owners of the Phillips 66, as well as the assistance of a half-dozen Spearfish businesses, with information Spearfish police and Lawrence County Sheriffs investigators used to track down the suspects.

Surveillance video supplied by Spearfish businesses played a very important role in identifying the alleged armed robbers, he said.

A handgun that police believe was used in commission of the robberies has not been recovered, Pedneau said.

Anyone with information regarding these robberies is asked to contact Pedneau at 642-1300. Spearfish police and the Lawrence County Sheriffs Office were assisted in the investigation by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigations and the Belle Fourche Police Department, according to a release.
A deal that would have stopped the auction of hundreds of wild horses in north-central South Dakota has been accepted by all parties except the leader of the troubled sanctuary where the horses reside, according to an attorney who is participating in the talks.

Dewey County States Attorney Steve Aberle said a consortium of concerned organizations has offered to reimburse Dewey and Ziebach counties for the costs of caring for the horses since October, and to assume the care and feeding of the horses while trying to find new homes for them through adoptions.

Aberle, who said the consortium members wish to remain confidential, said county officials and the state Animal Industry Board have agreed to the deal, but the owner of the horses, the nonprofit International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros, has not.

Aberle said a meeting was scheduled Thursday with ISPMB President Karen Sussman, but she did not show up and has not responded to the proposal.

Unless Sussman accepts the deal soon, Aberle said, the estimated 550 to 650 horses that are impounded at the ISPMB ranch on the Dewey-Ziebach county line near Lantry could be put up for sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Faith Livestock. Wild-horse advocates fear that buyers for foreign slaughter plants will be among the bidders.

Aberle told the Journal in a phone interview Monday that "it would be very unfortunate" if the auction took place. But it would be one person and one person alone who would prevent that from happening, and that is Karen Sussman, president of the ISPMB, he added.

Phone messages left Tuesday morning for Sussman and the ISPMBs professional fundraiser, Howard Paley  who has spoken recently on the organizations behalf  were not immediately returned.

Sussman lives at the ISPMB ranch. After becoming the society president in the 1990s, she moved the organization from Arizona to South Dakota and changed its focus from advocacy and lobbying to the rescue and ownership of threatened wild horses.

When authorities stepped in to impound the ISPMBs multiple herds at the ranch and take over the care and feeding of the animals in October, they counted 810 horses on the ranchs scant and overgrazed 665 acres. The court-ordered impounding, which came with Sussmans reluctant agreement, followed a finding of neglect by a state-employed veterinarian and allegations from a former ISPMB employee that some horses had died of starvation-related causes.

Since the beginning of the impounding, Sussman has parted with about 200 horses through adoptions or private sales, Aberle said. Authorities limited private adoptions and sales to 270 head because the counties wanted to retain some horses as collateral against the costs of the impounding.

The ISPMB was allowed more than a month to reimburse the counties for those costs, but so far the organization has paid only $52,000 toward a growing total of about $100,000, mostly for hay purchases. (Some of the costs have been offset by $24,000 in donations and grants to the counties.)

The ISPMB was also given the opportunity to get some horses back by producing evidence of enough funding or feed for 18 months of operations. The continuing lack of such evidence led authorities to schedule the auction. The proceeds would go first to the counties to cover their costs, and then to the ISPMB.

The October impounding order put the horses under the care of county officials but left legal ownership and responsibility for adoption efforts with the ISPMB. Some critics have assailed county and state authorities for not seizing ownership of the horses and taking control of the adoptions, but Aberle has avoided such an action because he is concerned that it could be considered an illegal seizure of property.

There are provisions in state laws and administrative rules, though, that allow for a transfer of ownership in cases involving impounded animals. The relevant administrative rule of the state Animal Industry Board says the board may seek a court order to transfer ownership of the impounded animals to a suitable caretaker or facility.

Aberle said options to avert the auction will continue to be considered, but the auction remained scheduled as of Tuesday evening.

One of the groups that have been publicly active in seeking better homes for the horses is The Humane Society of the United States.

Earlier this month, the South Dakota office of the HSUS issued a long written statement explaining that the organization previously provided assistance to the ISPMB but ended that assistance when ISPMB leaders failed to follow our recommendations and take action necessary to manage population growth.

Since the impounding, the HSUS statement said, the organization has been trying to help facilitate adoptions of ISPMB horses in cooperation with Fleet of Angels, a nonprofit network of trailer owners who provide transportation and assistance for at-risk horses in the United States and Canada.

Like Aberle, the HSUS pinned the blame for the impending auction on Sussman.

The HSUS is strongly opposed to the slaughter of horses for human consumption, the organizations statement said, and we are deeply saddened that Ms. Sussmans choices have put the horses at risk of being purchased at auction by kill buyers.
Differences between the owner of a popular pizzeria and its first independent franchisee have resulted in the closure of Lintz Bros. Pizza in Rapid City, at least for now.

Brian Lintz, a co-founder of Lintz Bros. Pizza in Hermosa, confirmed Tuesday that the independently operated Lintz Bros. location at 811 Disk Drive has closed.

Unlike peas and carrots, not all relationships go perfectly together. Lintz Bros. Pizza's Rapid City location has closed due to irreconcilable issues, a post on the Lintz Bros. Hermosa Facebook page said Tuesday.

The Rapid City Lintz Bros. restaurant, located in a shopping center between Kohls and PetSmart, had its windows covered with black plastic Tuesday.

Signs posted in the windows said R.C. Barbecue Co. would open there after the first of the year.

Lintz said its former franchisee, and not Lintz Bros., is pursuing the barbecue restaurant there.

We wish all the best to our former franchisee, Lintz said on Facebook.

Contacted by telephone Tuesday, Lintz declined to elaborate on issues with the former franchisee. He did say the Hermosa location will honor valid coupons and outstanding gift cards and continue catering services.

The Hermosa store is unaffected by this. Were open and running, Lintz said.

Lintz Bros. Pizza originated in Hermosa in 2005 and quickly gained favor with local and visiting pizza lovers with classic pies and specialty pizzas, including the Flaming German Samoan (Canadian bacon, sausage, pineapple, sauerkraut and jalapenos), or the Oriental Texas Tornado (homemade red sauce, chicken, onion, green peppers, pineapple and optional cashews.

The Hermosa store originally shared a building with Mount Rushmore Telephone Co. but was heavily damaged in a fire about a year ago.

The Rapid City franchise, opened in July 2015, provided pizzas to firefighters battling the blaze, the Journal reported on Dec. 7, 2015.

The Hermosa Lintz Bros. reopened in a new building in June of this year.

Lintz Bros. Pizza corporate still plans to pursue a Rapid City area store at some point in the future, Lintz said.

Calls to the Rapid City franchise location could not be completed Tuesday.
Belle Fourche Police have filed a petition with the South Dakota Department of Labor to have the Teamsters Union represent them with city government.

Mayor Gloria Landphere said Monday, "We have been notified that the Teamsters have filed a petition with the S.D. Department of Labor to represent the police officers.

James Heeren, business agent for the Teamsters in South Dakota based in Sioux Falls, said Monday that he had filed the petition for recognition of the union on behalf of all of "100 percent of currently employed officers."

He would not say how many officers that would include.

The department has had 10 officers, including the chief. At a recent city council police committee meeting, the council members were told that only seven officers were on the patrol rotation schedule.

Heeren said the city could immediately recognize the union and begin negotiations on everything from work rules to pay rates, or request a union election date, or question the union's request on technical grounds.

"Basically it's in the city's hands," Heeren said.

The Teamsters Union has been a frequent representative for police departments in South Dakota and other states.

Heeren said he became a member of the union while working at the North Sioux City Police Department.

The city council last week approved hiring a Spearfish law firm "as a special counsel for the mayor regarding an employment grievance."

The action followed a closed-door executive session.

Personnel issues are not usually discussed in governing boards' open session, and normally are not considered public record unless there is litigation involved.

The council's action was to hire the Nies and Karras firm headquartered in Spearfish. It lists civil litigation among its services.

Although the mayor and council did not mention any potential topic of an employment grievance, it came at a time when the police chief resigned and apparently there are two officers that are not on the department's patrol rotation.

Butte County Sheriff Fred Lamphere was at the council meeting and apparently was in the executive session.

His office is contracted to supervise the Belle Fourche Police Department until a police chief is hired.

Monday's Legal Finance Committee meeting included an executive session with the mayor, but no action was taken.

The committee's agenda did include a new city policy for employees on "insubordination."

The new policy includes a definition "as a willful or intentional refusal by an employee to obey a lawful and reasonable request given by a supervisor. It may also be an action which constitutes lack of respect or harassment directed toward a supervisor."

Insubordination under the policy would be a cause for disciplinary action up to, and including termination.

Meanwhile, the council's Police Committee members are working on applications for police chief.

Mayor Landphere said the applications currently are in a pool of seven people who are tentatively set for interviews Dec. 28 or 29.

She said the committee also has been looking at policies in the police department policy handbook.

The police committee has a scheduled meeting at noon, Monday, Dec. 19, at the city hall.
Dutch court rules to hand over Crimean gold treasures to Ukraine

MOSCOW, December 14 (RAPSI)  A collection of gold artifacts from Crimea that was exhibited in a Dutch museum must be returned to Ukraine, The Amsterdam District Court ruled on Wednesday.

The court ruled that return of collection to Ukraine is partly justified since it is a part of the cultural heritage of the country, while arguments of Crimean museums that artefacts are a part of Crimean cultural heritage were dismissed on the grounds of neither Crimea, nor the Autonomous Republic of Crimea being sovereign states. In addition, the court noted that Crimea was part of Ukraine when collection was lent to Allard Pierson Museum.

The Amsterdam District Court recused itself from judging whether Scythian gold collection belongs to Ukraine or Crimea and ruled that this dispute is to be resolved by Ukrainian court. Both sides have three months to appeal the ruling and in those three months collection is to stay at the museum.

Ukraine was ordered to pay 111,000 to refund the costs for the temporary storage of the artefacts. Crimean museums are to pay 2,800 in legal costs to Ukraine and Allard Pierson Museum.

Russias Culture Ministry issued a statement condemning the courts ruling. According to the ministry, such ruling serves as an example of cultural organization rights violation and destruction of collections unity. The ministry believes that it is also a violation of principles for exchange of exhibits between museums.

The exhibition The Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea opened in Germany in mid-2013 and then moved to the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam in early February 2014. The artifacts from five Crimean museums include a ceremonial gold helmet and jewels.

In March of 2014, Kiev demanded the gold be returned to Ukraine, not Crimea, since the latter had voted for independence and later joined Russia. Crimea, however, dismissed the demands as groundless.

The Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam decided to keep the disputed collection of Scythian Gold items until the ownership dispute is resolved either amicably or in court.

The exhibition closed in late August 2014, but the collection has not been sent back to the Crimean museums because of disputes between Ukraine and Crimea.

In November 2014, four Crimean museums filed a lawsuit with a court in Amsterdam seeking to return the Scythian gold that was exhibited in the Netherlands to Crimea.
President-elect Donald Trump has asked Montanas lone congressman, Ryan Zinke, to be secretary of Interior, according to sources close to Zinke.

Zinke met with Trump in New York City on Monday. He was reportedly in the mix for one of a handful of Cabinet positions that include the departments of the Interior and Veterans Affairs.

Zinke, a Republican, was flying back to Whitefish on Tuesday afternoon and could not be reached for comment.

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., was meeting with The Gazette when the news broke.

"The Interior is all about public lands. It's about wildlife and national parks. This is very, very important," Daines said. "I'm very pleased to see that it's a westerner and even more pleased to see that it's a Montanan. I gave strong opinion to the Trump administration, the transition team, that this needs to be a westerner. And by westerner that doesn't mean Midwest. I'm talking about the West, someone who understands our way of life, understands the importance of our public lands."

Daines made his preferences known to Donald Trump Jr. during a Montana hunting trip a few weeks ago.

With 25 million acres in Montana, the federal government is the biggest landowner in the state. Montana includes Glacier National Park, part of Yellowstone National Park and seven Indian reservations.

Federal land plays a key role in the state's biggest industries: mining, ranching and tourism. As a federal land manager, the Department of Interior plays a key role in each of those federal interests.

On Monday, the Trump transition team communications director, Jason Miller, described Zinke as an early Trump supporter and mentioned the congressman's 22 years as a Navy SEAL and experience as a former state legislator.

"Congressman Zinke is a strong advocate for American energy independence. And he supports an all-encompassing energy policy that includes renewables, fossil fuels and alternative energy," Miller said. "Additionally, Congressman Zinke believes we need to find a way to cut through bureaucracy to ensure our nation's parks, forests, and other public areas are properly maintained and used effectively."

Zinke is a member of the House Natural Resources Committee who was just reelected to his second term. Govtrack, a federal legislative watchdog, reports that 28 percent of Zinke's bills concern natural resources or public lands, second only to bills concerning the U.S. Armed Forces or national security. Energy and Native American leglislation were third and fourth.

Zinke's leglislation has focused extensively on Department of Interior issues, namely the development of coal, oil and gas on public land. He has championed the sovereignty tribal governments, particularly concerning natural resource development.

"He would be good, not only on behalf of Montanans, but also Indian Country," said Darrin Old Coyote, immediate past chairman of the Crow Tribe. "He comes from a state that has an abundance of natural resources, whether it's fish or coal and who knows. Maybe it will be easy to pitch for Montana."

In November, Zinke carried the Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act through the House of Representatives. The bill helps establish water rights on the Blackfeet Reservation and surrounding territory.

The congressman recently said he was considering challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in 2018. By accepting President-elect Trump's offer, Zinke would put the Montana GOP in search mode for a 2018 Senate candidate.

Zinke won a second term in the U.S. House of Representatives in November, defeating Democratic challenger Denise Juneau, the Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction, who was term-limited.

If Zinke becomes Interior secretary, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock would appoint an interim-replacement congress member from a list of three nominees selected by the Republican Party.

A special election open to candidates from all parties would follow within 85 to 100 days of Zinke's departure.

Montanans were quick to respond to the news. Becky Edwards of Montana Mountain Mamas said her outdoor group of 4,000 Montana women has worked well with Zinke, even when they didn't agree.

"Montana Mountain Mamas have worked with Congressman Ryan Zinke and have found him an open ear and helpful hand on issues such as protecting access with the Land and Water Conservation Fund and keeping public lands in public hands for future generations of Montanans," Edwards said. "Should he take the job as Interior secretary, he has room for improvement promoting clean energy to protect the water and air that belongs to all of us."

Hearing the news Monday of Zinke's consideration for Interior secretary, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation CEO David Allen posted an endorsement of the representative on Facebook.

"We'd really like to see him at Interior, given his understanding of and support for sportsmen, public lands and natural resource issues," Allen posted.

Here are some other responses to the possible appointment:

Montana Wilderness Association  "Should he be appointed secretary of Interior, we expect Rep. Ryan Zinke to carry Montana's values into that role," said Ted Brewer, MWA spokesman. "That means protecting access to public lands, ensuring our forests and prairies are indeed managed for multiple use and not just resource extraction, and respecting that wild places and public lands are core American values that he'll need to protect for all citizens.

"Rep. Zinke has a checkered record when it comes to public lands, including a vote for developing wilderness areas, but has taken a few good votes against lands transfer and for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Rep. Zinke has called himself a Roosevelt conservationist, and we will hold him to everything that definition entails."

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers CEO Land Tawney  Congressman Zinke understands the importance of public lands and balancing management of these important resources with energy development and other uses. As Montanas lone representative in the House of Representatives, Mr. Zinke has showed himself to be receptive to the interests of a wide range of constituents and a potential ally of sportsmen and other outdoor recreationists.

Charged with administering significant federal lands and natural resources, the Interior secretary is possibly the most powerful individual in the country when it comes to the future of our cherished public lands and waters, fish and wildlife and outdoor traditions.

Were gratified that the Trump administration is listening to our concerns and showing a willingness to act in the best interests of the American people and our irreplaceable public lands legacy."

Montana Environmental Information Center Deputy Director, Anne Hedges  "Our public lands deserve to be managed for the benefit of present and future generations. With Congresman Zinke, the only ones who will benefit are fossil fuel, climate-denying industries. Taxpayers and the American public will lose."

National Audubon Society  As head of Interior, Ryan Zinke will have a national platform to influence how America takes care of its birds, other wildlife and the places they need, said David Yarnold (@david_yarnold), president and CEO of Audubon. We encourage him to draw from the American Wests proud legacy of bipartisan conservation to help protect Americas public lands and keep our natural heritage safe for our kids and grandkids."
Tony Tomsu wasnt sure he heard the boy right.

It was a few years back and the neighbors son had just wandered over to his place to ask the nationally known fly tyer for a pattern that had been working very well on the West Fork of the Bitterroot.

The Salmonfly hatch was in full swing and Tomsu had been supplying them with his realistic version of both the Salmonfly and Golden Stone patterns.

The well-spoken boy asked for something that sounded to Tomsu like Slamon flies.

Tomsu guessed that he was mispronouncing the word salmon, as sometimes young boys do.

Ben, Tomsu said with a smile, do you mean the Salmonflies?

The boys response was immediate.

No, I mean those Slammin Flies because the fish really kill those things, he said.

Turns out the boy had been fishing with his dad and uncle the week before and the trio had renamed Tomsus pattern because trout that spotted them floating on the surface slammed right into them.

That wasnt a surprise to Tomsu.

Over the last 20 years, hes become a nationally recognized leader in the development of realistic-looking flies made from foam through his firm River Road Creations, Inc., which is based on the banks of the Bitterroot River just north of Stevensville.

Later this month, Tomsu will share some of the secrets hes perfected over the course of years with the release of a new book titled, Creations From The River Road: Practical Realism for Tying and Fishing Foam Trout Flies.

The 212-page, color book published by Stevensville-based Stoneydale Press offers step-by-step photographs on how to tie 20 of Tomsus favorite trout patterns.

Tony Tomsu has been known in fishing circles worldwide for many years as a leader in the development of the use of foam materials for fishing both trout and warm water flies, said Stoneydale publisher Dale Burk. Its only natural that he would share his expertise in creating and fishing these flies through the medium of a new book.

A longtime fly fisherman and fly tyer himself, Burk said Tomsu holds nothing back.

Tony reveals every trick, tip, tool and technique he has developed over his 20-year history in the trade, including recently developed techniques that will allow his readers to easily add unprecedented levels of realism to their flies, Burk said.

Tomsu owns and operates a business out of his riverside home that creates Montana-made wing and foam body cutters for fly tyers, which have developed a legion of international followers.

Up until now, information about the businesss products has been spread mostly by word of mouth.

Fly tyers are kind of gadget heads, Tomsu said. Once someone gets something new that no one else has, they cant wait to show it to everyone else.

The secret to becoming a successful fly tyer is being consistent. Tying flies with foam thats consistently cut in the same pattern over and over again is a good way to start developing consistency.

Foam has other benefits too.

Its bombproof, Tomsu said. Its extremely durable. And it will float all day. You dont have to keep putting a floatant on it all day long.

But beyond all that, the foam allows tyers to create patterns that are very realistic.

Its radically different than traditional tying, Tomsu said. When you drop one of my hoppers in front a fish, they dont have to think about what theyre seeing. They know what it is.

Tying with foam isnt something thats brand new. People have been using the material for years.

But this is the first time that Im sharing all my techniques with the public, Tomsu said.

The book offers instructions on how to tie beetles, ants, caddisflies, hoppers, damselflies, dragonflies, cicadas, mayflies and several types of stoneflies, including the Slammin version.

Famed fly-fishing author Doug Swisher, whose 1971 book Selective Trout was considered a landmark in the fly tying world, spends time every year fishing with Tomsu and his wife, Kathi.

Swisher, in the books foreword, said: One thing about Tony, he doesnt keep secrets to himself. Instead, he shows such things as his unique coloring system and awesome technique for bending legs. Hes light years ahead of his time. This book will get your creative juices going.

The book is scheduled to arrive just after the first of the year.

The hardcover costs $40. It will be available at local fly shops, books stores or direct from either River Road Creations at www.riverroadcreations.com or Stoneydale Press at 777-2729 or www.stoneydale.com.
FLORENCE - John P. Dutch Dillon passed away Friday, Dec. 9, 2016 at his home in Florence. He was born and raised in New York City, New York, the son of the late Michael J and Nora Dillon.

A veteran of three wars, Dutch enlisted in the Navy during World War II and received Asiatic Pacific, European, African, and Middle Eastern Area Medals. After the war he attended the University of Missouri and then re-enlisted in the Navy, was later commissioned as an officer and retired as a Lieutenant Commander after 28 years of service. He was stationed in many areas including Puerto Rico, Germany, Washington DC and at Great Lakes where he taught electronics. He also served seven years of submarine duty. His final tour was as Executive Officer in DaNang, Vietnam. A very special event in his life was to be part of the May 2013 Honor Flight to Washington D.C.

In 1970 he married Nancy in Honolulu, Hawaii. They moved to Missoula and then to Florence in 1972 with her sons Tom and Chuck. He attended the University of Montana, graduating with a teaching degree and taught math and science for several years at Florence Carlton school in the late 70s. He was very involved with the Florence Boy Scout troop. They went on river floats and monthly camping trips year round. The troop worked raising funds to purchase their own bus, fully equipped with camping gear.

John loved to hunt and fish. He spent many summer nights after dinner standing in the Bitterroot River out back of his house fly fishing until he caught something or it got too dark. A favorite thing was to go on hunting trips to eastern Montana with friends.

John was a member of Lone Rock Bible Church and also attended Faith Baptist Church of Missoula. He was an excellent Bible teacher and loved discussing the Bible. Many picnics and baptisms have been held at the Dillon home over the years.

John was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters, a brother, and his in-laws Loren and Norma Johnson of Florence. He is survived by his wife Nancy, children Jodi Dillon, Michael Dillon, Robert Dillon, Tom and Glenda Higgins, Charles and Lynette Higgins with their children Zachariah and Ashley.

A graveside service with military honors was held at the Florence Carlton Cemetery, next to Florence Carlton Community Church, at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13 and a memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15 at Florence Carlton Community Church, 20075 Old Highway 93, Florence, followed by a reception.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Life Net of Missoula or to Rocky Mountain Bible Missions Camp Utmost. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.whitesittfuneralhome.com.
MISSOULA  Dave Keehner addressed his wifes killer directly in court on Monday morning, his voice wavering between anger and sadness.

He looked directly at Scott Austin Price, who was about to be sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for murdering 56-year-old Lonette Keehner last Dec. 21 in a Missoula motel room.

In just nine days it will be one year since Lonette took her final breath in life,'' Dave Keehner said. Lonette had all the Christmas decorations out and our home had the holiday look. It was her favorite time of year. But before the day is over, she is dead, lying in a pool of blood.

Keehner said he has been trying to control his anger over what happened to his wife.

The manner in which she lost her life, what must have been her final thoughts when you stabbed her over and over and over, those last few seconds of life, what a horrible way to die, Keehner said.

"Never again will the family get to enjoy the holidays with Lonette. You had the car keys and could have left. But no. You had to murder her just in a very violent way just like you did to the elderly man in Miles City the week before.

"Hopefully you will get life in prison, but this will never end the pain and suffering our family is going through. But hopefully tomorrow will be a little easier than today. And this year for Christmas we will think of all the lovely memories that Lonette has left us with. 

In handing down a life sentence without parole a few moments later, Missoula County District Court Judge Robert Dusty Deschamps told Price, 38, that he was a "bad, evil man'' who appeared to show no remorse during the emotional testimony of Lonette Keehners family members.

Youre sitting there as cold and cool as anybody Ive ever seen, Deschamps said. I heard what people were saying to you, and Im not sure you really do regret this. Im not convinced that youre not proud of yourself for your accomplishments and that youll do just fine in prison. Youve spent most of your life there and you have 10 felonies under your belt.''

Price and his accomplice, Sarah Rae McKnight, both pleaded guilty to five felonies earlier this year, including deliberate homicide. They admitted to police that they were high on meth when they found Keehner in the Super 8 motel where she worked. Price attacked Keehner, forcing her into a bathtub and stabbing her even after she handed over her car keys.

They were arrested in Idaho shortly after. In early December, Price was given another life sentence for murdering his 78-year-old landlord, Ed Martin, in Miles City the week before Keehners death.

On Monday, Deschamps also handed down a pair of consecutive life sentences to McKnight, but left open the possibility of parole, meaning she could be eligible to be released in 60 years. Her lawyer argued that she suffered from severe mental health problems and drug addiction.

Price and McKnight pleaded guilty to all of their charges earlier this year without any agreement from prosecutors, leaving Deschamps authority to sentence them however he chose. Since May, McKnight has been at the Montana State Womens Prison, where she is serving a sentence for a 2014 burglary from Powell County.

Before the sentencing, Missoula police detective Jamie Merifield testified that McKnight told her that she believed Price had killed Keehner because she was an Indian. Price has white supremacist ties, including swastika tattoos.

Merifield also said she found notes in the couples Idaho motel room written by McKnight referring to herself as an Aryan Queen and referring to them both as a modern day Bonnie and Clyde.

Merifield testified that the couple had spent all their money on gambling and drugs, and they had slept in a car in Missoula for the two nights before Keehner was killed. She also said that they both had been using massive amounts of meth. The couple had duct tape and zip ties, and had planned on kidnapping someone and forcing them to withdraw money at a cash machine.

They did not like the car they had purchased, because it kept getting stuck in the snow, Merifield said.

Price showed little emotion when he was allowed to address the court.

I would do anything to make it right, he said. It wasnt a hate crime. It had nothing to do with her being Native. It was just a meth-fueled, bad deal. I apologize and I also agree that I should probably have a life sentence with no possibility of parole. Im not disputing any of that.

McKnight also apologized, saying that her life had come crashing down around her in the weeks before Price picked her up in Great Falls.

Lonelle Lytle, Keehners twin sister, broke down in tears as she addressed Price and McKnight.

You had no reason to kill my twin sister Lonette, she said. It was a senseless and selfish act.

"I struggle with Lonette being gone every day,'' Lytle said.. Ive gone through the various stages of grief. She did not deserve to be taken away in such a brutal and heartless manner. Lonette was loved and respected by her family, friends and coworkers.'' She was taken away a devoted wife and loving mother and grandmother.

Lytle said one day she will forgive her sister's killers because she refuses to hold on to the anger and hate they caused.

Your intentions were to kidnap, harm and kill and get what you wanted, she said. Was it really worth it? I hope you never go a day without forgetting why you dont have your freedom. The people that you have harmed never did anything to you.

Nash Sangsland, one of Keehners daughters, first addressed McKnight.

You deserve to lie in the bed you have made for the hearts you have broken, she said. You are a mouse in the shadow of such despicable acts and know you deserve the loneliness and sadness you feel.

She then turned to Price.

You are so despicable, she said. I can hardly stand to be in your presence. You have utter disregard for human life. You stole a woman from this planet with your selfish intentions. Lonette was a wonderful woman with a heart and a soul that I had the privilege of calling my mother and the grandmother to my son. She taught me strength and love like I have never experienced. She taught me that darkness also existed, and always tried to draw me into safety and happiness. I know that darkness exists inside of you.

Sangsland went on to say that both Price and McKnight will think about the damage they caused for the rest of their lives.

I pity the reality that you face everyday: The mirror you looked in while you were a nobody, and now the mirror you look in as a killer, she told Price. Its the empty spaces like you that never consider the empty spaces you leave behind.

Jayden Sangsland, Keehners 10-year-old grandson, addressed his grandmothers killer directly.

Sometimes, I feel like you are a broken soul inside of your heart, he said. You brought sadness to others and affected a lot of people. You have hurt my grandmother and you made my Grandpa really sad and my great aunt really sad. You deserve to be in jail for life.

Nicole Walksalong, Keehners daughter, said explaining what happened to her four children was the hardest thing shes ever done.

I had to explain that there are evil people in this world, she said. The day of the funeral, my six-year-old daughter laid her head on my mothers arm, and rubbed her arm. As parents, thats a great feeling. But that was the last interaction my daughter had with her grandmother. You are empty people. You are evil.

Walksalong said despite them being responsible for her mothers murder, she has found a way to forgive Price and McKnight.

I forgive you guys, she said. I have to forgive you for my children, my husband and myself. I cannot live with anger in my heart like you live with anger in your heart.

Susan Ledger, the Missoula woman who was stabbed by Price in a botched attempt to steal her car in a grocery store parking lot before he killed Keehner, also testified.

I am the lucky one, Ledger said. I survived your attempts to kill me. My family did not have to plan a funeral or figure out how to live without me or have their lives forever changed.

Before McKnight was sentenced, a clinical/forensic psychologist testified that she exhibited bipolar disorder symptoms and extensive drug addiction.

A pre-sentence report prepared by a probation officer recommended two consecutive life sentences for McKnight. Deputy County Attorney Jason Marks asked for the judge to impose that, but wanted the sentences to also be without the possibility of parole.

I certainly do not think a lesser sentence would be appropriate, he said, adding that despite the drug use, she had been responsible for her actions. Ms. McKnight could say no when she wanted to. This isnt a helpless woman under the thrall of an evil man.

McKnights lawyer, Lisa Kauffman, asked for an exception to mandatory minimum sentencing laws for McKnight due to her impaired mental state and drug use, and requested a 40 year sentence with 30 years suspended in the Department of Corrections. That sentence, Kauffman said, would allow McKnight to receive drug and mental health treatment she wouldnt have access to at the prison, and serve the interest of justice and fairness.

Kauffman pushed back against the idea of a life sentence, saying the country shouldnt be in the practice of warehousing people in cages like animals and that a criminal sentence shouldnt be given out of revenge.

Your client maybe picked a bad country to commit her crime in, Deschamps answered, suggesting that McKnight should move to Canada where maximum sentences are more lenient.

In answer to a question from Kauffman, Deschamps said he wasnt taking connections between McKnight and the white supremacy movement into account in his sentence.

Your role in this was definitely not minor, Deschamps told McKnight.

Both McKnight and Price were also given 356 days of credit for time already served in custody, and must repay $4,214 in restitution to the victims.
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Trump, the CIA, and the Hacking Controversy: Some Points of Orientation

Updated January 6, 2017 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

Update 1/6/17: As the date of Donald Trumps scheduled inauguration approaches, the political storm continues to rage over alleged CIA findings that Russia hacked computers of the Democratic and Republican parties and worked to favor the election of Donald Trump. What does that signify? What does it mean to people who find the prospect of a Trump regime terrible or intolerable? The following article, originally posted December 12, contains important analysis on what is going on with the hacking controversy and what interests are at work. We re-post it now as it continues to be very relevant.

A major political storm has erupted over alleged CIA findings that Russia not only hacked computers of the Democratic and Republican parties national committees, but actually worked to favor the election of Donald Trump through selective leaks mainly targeting Hillary Clinton and her campaign. Trump tweeted and his spokespeople ridiculed the allegations as groundless. They pointed to CIA fabrications before the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq that the Iraqis had weapons of mass destruction (no such weapons were ever found). They said the charges were a ruse designed to delegitimize Trumps election. At the same time, some prominent Republican senators and former high intelligence officials in Republican ranks publicly broke with Trump, calling for further investigation and hearings. Others, including senior Democrats aligned with Clintons campaign, are supporting a call for the CIA findings to be made available to electors that comprise the Electoral College so they can assess the scope of this alleged Russian interference and its connections with the Trump campaign, and determine if Trump is fit to serve as President, posing questions of legitimacy of the electoral outcome.

What is going on? And what interests lie behind this?

On one level, we cant definitively determine the truth of these specific charges. It is true that damaging e-mails from Hillary Clintons campaign were leaked; it is true that imperialist powers wage fierce cyber-warfare (invasion of each others computer networks for intelligence) against each other; but beyond that no real proof has been produced and some of the key playersmost notably, Julian Assange of Wikileaks, who released many of the e-mails from the Democratic National Committeehave disputed these allegations.

On the other hand, there are a few things that CAN be said.

First, U.S. presidents usually spend a big part of their time on coming to office learning about perceived threats to imperialist interests from the CIA; it is unprecedented for an incoming president to launch an attack ON the CIA. On the other hand, intelligence agencies usually fit themselves to serve the way the incoming president views U.S. strategic (that is, imperialist) interests. So Trumps attacks on the CIA are highly unusual, to put it mildly. Further: the political parties of incoming presidents usually close ranks around that president; yet today high-ranking Republicans like Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham are coming into conflict with Trump over whether to hold hearings on these allegations, or simply put them to rest.

These open arguments point to even sharper conflicts underneath. Up to now, both Democrats and Republicans have mainly taken a hard line against Russian attempts to assert its imperialist interests in different spheres such as in Syria and Ukraine, even while working with them at times. McCain and others in advocating for the hearings has repeatedly called out Putin, the Russian leader, as a butcher and a thug. As of posting, Trump seems to be tending in a different direction, including choosing as advisors people with ties to the Putin regime, for example Trump's nomination of Rex Tillerson, the head of ExxonMobil, as Secretary of State. Tillerson is reportedly against sanctions imposed by the U.S. against Russia following its annexation of the Crimea from Ukraine. Michael Flynn, Trumps national security adviser in waiting, has also had ties with Russia.

Some of these differences are linked to different approaches and responses to a host of difficult and intractable contradictions faced by the U.S. ruling classboth internationally and within the U.S. itself. Much of the conflict right now within the capitalist-imperialist class centers on how to approach and deal with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, including reactionary movements rooted in this ideology, like ISIS, mainly centered in Iraq and Syria, or the Taliban in Afghanistan. Trump seems to favor a different and closer alignment with Russia in dealing with these movements, even while they are engaged in intense rivalry for domination in these regions.

Bob Avakian has made the following point on this phenomenon:

What we see in contention here with Jihad on the one hand and McWorld/McCrusade [increasingly globalized western imperialism] on the other hand, are historically outmoded strata among colonized and oppressed humanity up against historically outmoded ruling strata of the imperialist system. These two reactionary poles reinforce each other, even while opposing each other. If you side with either of these "outmodeds," you end up strengthening both. While this is a very important formulation and is crucial to understanding much of the dynamics driving things in the world in this period, at the same time we do have to be clear about which of these "historically outmodeds" has done the greater damage and poses the greater threat to humanity: It is the historically outmoded ruling strata of the imperialist system, and in particular the U.S. imperialists. Bob Avakian, BAsics 1:28

This clash between the two outmodedswith the U.S. playing the most aggressive and murderous role by farhas been a disaster for the people of the world, with the dynamic further intensifying in the aftermath of the Arab Spring1. The war the U.S. launched in 2003 against Iraq not only caused unspeakable carnage, it developed into a significant setback for U.S. imperial interests. Neither Bush nor Obama fundamentally succeeded in solidifying U.S. domination over the Middle East. In some respects their grip was actually shaken and certain strategic weaknesses of the U.S. military were revealed and even exacerbated. This was a major point of attack by Trump against both Obama and, it should be noted, George W. Bush as well.

To be clear: both sides of this dispute are fighting FOR U.S. domination of the region (as part of dominating the globe) and both are willing to shed however much blood of the people of this region that proves necessary for that domination. But within that reactionary unity, there is a great deal of struggle and there are possible splits within the imperialist camp, precisely because they have run into difficulties in pursuing those interests. This is manifest sharply in approaches to the civil war in Syria and the situation in Iraq, and Obamas nuclear deal with Iran.

Second, it is very significant that this finds itself touching on questions of the legitimacy of this election. But this is knotty. For masses of people, Trumps illegitimacy focuses on his extremely reactionary stance toward the people here and all over the world and, most of all, the fascist program he aims to impose and is already putting into place, even before reaching office. This program will be nothing short of catastrophic for the people and because of that Trump must be prevented, by massive political struggle involving millions, from consolidating his rule. It is also illegitimate because Trumps ascendancy to President-elect, despite losing the popular vote, is based on the Electoral College, which is a product and legacy of slavery and white supremacy and its continued manifestations. (See, "The Electoral CollegeA Legacy of Slavery and Living Expression of OppressionCannot Be Used to Legitimize This Team of Fascists.")

Find out more about the revolution

Find out about BA, the leader of the revolution

At the same time, for sections of the imperialists who oppose Trump, their concerns focus on both significant differences over what strategy will best advance the interests of the U.S. Empire and whether Trump is fit to be commander-in-chiefthat is, does he have the right experience and temperament to cold-bloodedly carry out what is required of whoever assumes the top imperialist office? This has mainly flared in the international arena. At the same time many ruling class figures, concentrated in the Democratic Party do have differences with Trump around how he will rule at home as well; these differences are not insignificant but they do not override the unity between ruling class politicians as to the need to carry out that rule OVER the people. This is why, in the main, top Democrats like Obama have been arguing to give Trump a chance and work with him, while hoping to influence him. The conflict over the CIA assessment is part of that struggle to influence Trump by other ruling class factions.

Third, faced with this situation, it will be very important that people NOT get caught up in pinning their hopes on one or another representative or section of the imperialists. If the imperialists are allowed to set the terms of the struggle and determine its parameters, and masses of people allow their activity to be confined to being marshaled by one or another camp of imperialists to fight around what THEY deem to be significant, that struggle will only and can only end up in continued imperialist domination.

Here well draw on The Truth About Right-Wing Conspiracy And Why Clinton and the Democrats Are No Answer; though written nearly 20 years ago, the principle below applies very much to the situation we face now. Bill Clinton, then the president, faced an attack by Christian fascist Republican politicians who formed the spearpoint of an entire offensive of what was called at the time the politics of poverty, punishment and patriarchy, an attack most fundamentally directed against masses of people, but which also involved conflicts among different sections of the imperialists and which took the form of a move to impeach Clinton. Even as things have changed, some of the same questions, and some of the same forces, are in the field today.

Heres what BA wrote:

It is extremely important to step back from the immediate situation and the terms in which things are presented to us, and ask: How did we get to the situation where the choices, the framework and limits we are supposed to accept are marked at one end by outright fascists and at the other end by someone [this refers to Bill Clinton] who, as even a mainstream columnist describes him, is the most conservative Democratic President since Truman, who heads a Democratic administration that has served as an aggressive and effective instrument in a many-sided reactionary offensive against the basic masses and broader sections of people? Where will we be, before long, and what will the future look like, if people, especially those who see the need to oppose this reactionary offensive, nevertheless are convinced to confine their political objectives and activity within the logic and dynamic that has led us to the present situation? And, most importantly, how do we get out of this situation? The answer is that it must and can only be done by mobilizing broad ranks of people, uniting people from many different strata and walks of life, to build determined resistance to this whole reactionary program and to transform the whole terms of political contention and struggle, the whole "political terrain"resistance that is not limited to and does not rely on the very political structures, institutions and processes that are the means through which this reactionary offensive is being carried out and given "legitimacy."

With that kind of determined resistance to the whole reactionary program from below, struggles between different ruling class forces can assume heightened significance. The proposal now being circulated for a month of massive resistance to prevent the consolidation of fascism urgently presents a picture of such resistance, and argues for it and its possible effects:

Imagine if people, in the tens of millions, filled the streets, powerfully declaring that this regime is illegitimate and demanding that it not be allowed to rule! The whole political landscape would be dramatically transformed, every faction within the established power structure would be forced to respondand all this could well lead to a situation in which this fascist regime is actually prevented from ruling . This is not some idle dream but something which could be made a reality if all those who hate what is represented by this fascist regime translate their outrage into firm determination and massive mobilization to create the conditions which make this possible.

This could be donesuch a thing is necessary and possible precisely because Trump is NOT normal; he represents the imposition of a fascist form of capitalist dictatorship, and millions are rightly revolted by thisby what he has declared as his intentions and what he has already done even before assuming office. But not by lining up behind a program and leadership that locates any possible illegitimacy of Trump in his failure to stand up consistently enough for imperialist interests against other imperialist powers.

The final point is this: revolutionaries need, in waging this struggle, to compellingly put forward the way out of this madness altogether. Through www.revcom.us and spoken agitation people need to learn about the blueprint for an entirely different society in which the politics of society are not dominated by imperialist forces struggling over how best to dominate the masses, but in which the masses of people are led to wage struggle to transform the world to do away with exploitation and oppression, and, yes, led to carry out vigorous struggle over how to do that; that blueprint exists in the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, written by Bob Avakian and adopted by the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Communist Party. More, revolutionaries, in waging this struggle to stop the Trump/Pence regime, should bring forward the strategy that could actually defeat these imperialists and the leadership we have to do that: BAan entirely different kind of leader with an orientation toward liberating and unleashing masses, and a method and approach that can enable them to ever more consciously transform the world and themselvesand the vanguard he leads.

______________

For full coverage and the current issue of REVOLUTION click here
Guwahati : Assam Police asked banks in the state to keep strict track on transactions, after intelligence received information about several militant groups had tried to convert their old notes into new currency denominations following demonetisation.

Assam police urged banks during the high level meeting recently held in Guwahati attending top officials of 14 banks including Reserve Bank of India (RBI), State Bank of India (SBI).

Assam police Special DG (Law and Order) Kuladhar Saikia who chaired the meeting said that, there are so many possibilities of several outfit groups of North East India including ULFA(I), NSCN(K), NDFB(S) are trying to convert their banned notes into new notes.

"We has alerted all banks to keep strict track on any suspicious transactions," Saikia said.

The top police official said that, the outfit groups had used their old notes to pay fees of few school, college students.

The state police asked the banks to contact local police immediately if any such case of suspicious transactions have been tracked.

Recently, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) alerted the state police of all NE states that, several outfit groups of the region had used some tribal people's bank account and Jan Dhan accounts to convert the banned notes to new legal tenders.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
LAHAN: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Wednesday claimed that the government would soon announce dates for the local elections.

Speaking with journalists in Lahan of Siraha today, Dahal said, The three major parties are holding serious discussions over it and the dates would be announced in consensus very soon.

Meanwhile, Dahal said the government was working hard to implement the Constitution and strengthen the national unity.

The governments focus is on implementing the Constitution and creating an election-conducive environment by increasing acceptance of the Constitution in plains, hills and mountains and taking the Madhesi parties into confidence.

Meanwhile, speaking in another context, Dahal said the government would withdraw the Constitution amendment bill it registered at the Parliament.

Dahal was hopeful that opposition parties including the CPN-UML, who had been obstructing the Parliament meetings protesting the amendment bill, would ultimately support the proposal as it was the only way out for the nation.RSS
KATHMANDU: An alliance of girl students under the Joint Students Union today marched across the Shantibatika of Ratnapark, demanding action against those involved in the suspected killings of Laxmi Pariyar of Kavre and Kanchan Bhujel of Nuwakot.

Girl students associated with the 13 students unions including the Nepal Students Union (NSU) and the All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU) gathered at the Bagabazar-based Padma Kanya Campus to protest the murders before taking out a rally.

On the occasion, the ANNFSU Chairperson Nabina Lama said the gender-based discrimination against women prompted violence against them.

She demanded stern action against the killers of Pariyar and Bhujel.

The alliance plans to submit a memorandum to Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi, drawing his attention towards probing the incidents and bringing those found guilty to book.RSS
POKHARA, Dec 14: Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development, Hitraj Pandey, has said that the government has been carrying out activities in order to hold election of three levels within second week of February 2018 for the implementation of the new constitution and for the prosperity of the country.

Inaugurating a suspension bridge constructed over Phusre rivulet here on Wednesday, Minister Pandey said that the government was waiting the report of Local Bodies' Restructuring Commission for the election.

Saying all political parties should stand together for the protection of national sovereignty, he expressed the belief that the constitution amendment bill registered in the Parliament would be passed with revision.

The Local Development Minister said, "Support, coordination and devotion of all sides are necessary for development construction."

Similarly, Chairman of the Development Committee under the Legislature-Parliament, Rabindra Adhikari said that although the suspension bridge have fulfilled the need for the time being, process for the construction of a motorable bridge over the rivulet has been forwarded for long-term facility.

On the occasion, Hem Kumar Shrestha, Bednath Acharya, Purnakala Acharya, among others were honored for providing land to construct the suspension bridge.

The construction task of the bridge was completed five months before the deadline and it was constructed at a cost of 12.25 million. RSS
Lucara Diamond said its Karowe mine in Botswana has to date yielded 1.8 million carats generating revenue of $1.02 billion at an average price of $566 per carat.

Production at the mine commenced in June 2012.

"Achieving sales of $1 billion is a significant milestone for the company and is a recognition of our strong client base and the quality of diamonds recovered from the Karowe mine, said company chief executive William Lamb.

Meanwhile, the companys revenue from a regular tender held last month was $66.1 million at an average of $743 per carat.

We are pleased that our final sale of the year has shown strong demand for our larger higher quality diamonds and also a sustainable demand for the smaller size diamonds, he said.

Lucara also said total revenue for the year end, inclusive of the Constellation Diamond sale, was estimated to be $295 million at an average of $823 per carat.

We look forward to continued success in 2017 with the advancement of our exploration and deep drilling programs and the completion of our capital programs to enhance diamond recovery from the high value south lobe," said Lamb.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




The News - December 14, 2016

Union leaders lament stripping labour adviser of his powers

Karachi

Say Saeed Ghani was working hard to curb corruption in labour department, especially in SESSI

Leaders of trade unions and labour associations lamented on Tuesday that provincial labour adviser Saeed Ghani, on court orders, had been restrained by the government from exercising any executive authority in the affairs of the Sindh Employeesa Social Security Institution (SESSI).

Addressing a joint press conference at Karachi Press Club, they demanded that the Sindh government should form a judicial commission to probe into the corruption, mismanagement and malpractices in the provincial labour department and its affiliated bodies, especially in the SESSI.

The labour leaders included Karamat Ali, the secretary of National Labour Council, Shafiq Ghauri, the president of the Sindh Labour Federation, Habibuddin Junadi, the convener of the Sindh Labour Solidarity Committee, Shaukat Ali of the All Pakistan Trade Union Congress, Nasir Mansoor of the National Trade Union Federation, Latif Mughal of the Peopleas Labour Bureau, Mohsin Raza of the KWSB Workers Union, Jalil Shah of the KPT Workers Union, Jafar Khan of the Muttahida Labour Federation, Zehra Khan of the Home-based Workers Network, Manzoor Razi of the Railway Workers Unions, Qamrul Hassan of the IUF and Zafar Abbase of the SESSI Employees Union.

They said labour institutions including the SESSI and the Sindh Workers Welfare Board are plagued with corruption and a group of bureaucracy had created a cartel to swindle the funds allocated for the welfare of workers.

aWe support the measures taken by Saeed Ghani for the improvement of the functioning of provincial labour organisations and demand that government should immediately form a judicial commission to fix responsibilities so that severe action can be taken against the corrupt officers,a said Karamat Ali.

He added that after Ghani appointment as the labour adviser, there was visible improvement in the performance of SESSI-run hospitals and other institutions.

aBut a powerful group of bureaucrats in the department tried hard to stop him.a

Counting the achievements since Ghani took charge, Ali said the Sindh labour department was able to vacate 1,000 flats at Labour Square in Gulshan-e-Maymar and there were visible savings in the medical expenses at the SESSI health facilities in SITE and Landhi.

Besides, the Sindh government has approved a home-based workers policy, the only one in the country.

Ali also pointed out that a tri-partite labour conference was going to be held in Sindh in January 2017. Holding tri-partite labour conference is a requirement under the International Labour Organisation Convention signed by Pakistan. Sindh is the first province which is holding a tri-partite labour conference after several years.

aAll that was possible because of Senator Saeed Ghanias personal interest in curbing corruption in the labour department,a Ali maintained.

Shafiq Ghauri pointed out that there were serious cases of embezzlement in the provincial labour department including SESSI and SWWB.

aThere was an incident where the anti-corruption department had unearthed a corruption worth Rs289.3 million in SESSI and it was decided to register an FIR against the officers concerned. But so far no action has been taken in that case,a he added.

Ghauri said he had written a letter on July 18, 2016 to the director general of the Commercial Audit Sindh and pointed out that for the last 20 years, no audit had been held in SESSI by a reputable audit firm and there was no standard operation procedure for the purchase of medicines.

Ghauri said an internal audit report had pointed out grave financial irregularities in the purchase of medicines worth Rs 215 million in Kalsoom Valika Social Security Hospital in SITE. He said some fake labour leaders were going to courts against Ghani to stop the investigation into corruption.

Habibuddin Junadi said there was a need for bringing transparency in all departments of the provincial government.

o o o

Daily Times

Judicial commission should probe corruption in SESSI, SWWB

By: Staff Report

14-Dec-16

KARACHI: Central leaders of trade unions, federations and the labor supporting organizations demanded the Sindh government on Tuesday to constitute a high-powered judicial commission to probe into corruption, mismanagement and malpractices in the provincial labor department and its affiliated bodies and also take action against the responsible concerned officers.

Addressing a joint press conference at Karachi Press Club, the labor leaders decried that the labor institutions like Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) and Sindh Workers Welfare Board (SWWB) are infected with wide-spread corruption and a group of bureaucrats have created a cartel to swindle the funds available for the welfare of workers. Whenever the government starts taking action against them, they start creating hurdles.

"We support the measures taken by Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister for Labor Senator Saeed Ghani for improvement of the functioning of provincial labor organizations and demand the government to immediately form a judicial commission to fix responsibilities so that severe action can be taken against the corrupt officers," said Karamat Ali, Secretary of NLC.

Since Senator Saeed Ghani has been appointed as Labor Advisor, there were visible signs of improvement in the performance of SESSI-run hospitals and other institutions, but the powerful group of bureaucrats in the department has tried hard to stop Saeed Ghani from his actions for betterment.

The Sindh Labor department has got vacated 1,000 flats in Labour Square in Gulshan-e-Maymar and there was visible savings in medical expenses in the SESSI health facilities at SITE and Landhi. That has become possible due to personal interest taken by Senator Saeed Ghani in controlling corruption in Labor department.

o o o

DAWN

Call for probe into activities of SESSI, SWWB

Saher Baloch a Published Dec 14, 2016 06:48am

Piler executive director Karamat Ali and other trade union leaders at the press conference.a Photo by writer

KARACHI: Labour organisations have demanded the establishment of a judicial commission to probe activities of labour institutions such as the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) and the Sindh Works Welfare Board (SWWB).

Executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) Karamat Ali presented this demand at a press conference held at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday, where a bevy of trade union leaders and a few journalists were present.

The main focus of the press conference remained the recent induction of Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Saeed Ghani as an adviser to the chief minister of Sindh on labour issues and the recent aeffortsa he made to introduce a culture of accountability within the departments.

Speaking about the senatoras recent efforts, Karamat Ali said: aWe want to bring to the attention of the senator the continuing corruption within the two labour institutions (SESSI and SWWB). It has come to our notice that these institutions are using every tactic possible to keep a few people in power.a

He said that keeping a particular group of people in power helped them in alleged amisappropriating of fundsa .

President of the Sindh Labour Federation Shafiq Ghauri spoke on the point of misappropriation of funds by reminding everyone of a raid by authorities at the Kulsumbai Valika Social Security Hospital, SITE, in March this year.

aThe raid was conducted following reports earlier in 2015 of corruption within the hospital mostly in cases related to buying and selling of fake medicines. According to figures, the hospital is involved in the misappropriation of huge among of funds,a he added.

Sharing another instance, he said that in July this year, in a letter to the director general of the commercial audit Sindh, he informed him that vouchers of monetary records of hospitals that come under SESSI were missing. And, that the authorities concerned had not held an audit at the SESSI.

At the same time, Mr Ghauri added that the labour organisations had facts and figures to substantiate their arguments and allegations which they would provide if needed by the authorities. aThe allegations that we are making, are also part of the internal audit report of the KV SITE Social Security Hospital, carried by an independent officer. The officer also made a similar observation that vouchers for 21 crores, 45 lakh, 34 thousand and 34 rupees is not available,a he added.

Trade union leader Habib ud Din Junaidi said: aThe PPP would get their votes from labourers and working class. So, it is only appropriate to remind them of the corruption, which is prevalent in departments which represent them.a

Farhat Parveen, representing NOW communities, said that soon, legislation would be done to get domestic workers under the social security net. aBut for that to happen, weall have to get the labour department in order,a she added.
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Spend Saturday night on arrival (Saturday night always seems to have openings and people who travel weekend fly on Friday). Cheap flights during unpopular flying hours such as Monday afternoon or Sunday morning. Be willing to fly too early help you find an affordable ticket. Before and after bridges, and Easter holidays usually hidden gems for the independent traveler. Be flexible with the dates for cheap flights. Origin and destination of Intent and find links to secondary airports instead of major.



These airports tend to have cheap and quick links to nearby towns. Ticket with restrictions = Cheaper tickets with restrictions are always the cheapest. What is a ticket with restrictions? one can not refund or change of date. The company puts cheaper because there's always someone who does not use them, so they can resell them after the last 48 hours. Search and compare ours is in for a route may exist two or more.



Examine in depth the prices of these companies cheap flights for the dates chosen. Low Cost Direct Flights + Vs Regular Imagine that we want to fly from Barcelona to Santiago de Chile. Usually it would put these two cities as departure and arrival in the search for tickets knowing that we will have to stop in Madrid because there are no direct flights between the two cities. You can save considerable money by buying low-cost flights from Barcelona to Madrid and then the regular Madrid - Santiago de Chile. This also applies to flights to the U.S. calling at European cities like London or Paris. Combined low cost We spend a long weekend in London, to which several low cost airlines fly. Sometimes you can save money by buying the outbound flight with a company and return with another. Fees and taxes Check to see if ticket prices include taxes and fees. It is also important to look at the charge for luggage.



Seize the opening of new routes when airlines open new routes generally do offer tickets at cost, until the route is sufficiently known. Tourist Business price Some companies assign a number of seats in Business in accordance with demand. And the curtain of Business moved a few rows back or forward depending on whether have managed to sell all the seats get Business.Para - Tourist prices - the area of a seat in Business you must try to choose (for example, by moving your boarding pass online) the seat closest to the cab that you can .
We might call Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals divisive, except I'm unsure who exactly it has successfully divided; one half of film Twitter from the other, I suppose. The film is intentionally noxious, centered as it is around a vulgar potboiler about West Texan revenge. It's also a story about a man taking a more indirect, "artistic" revenge on an ex-partner for her having dared to have an abortion. In structure, tone, and outcome, Nocturnal Animals is very much a case of men waving their dicks in women's faces, just because they can.

This places the film in an unofficial sub-genre: the "intentionally or not" films. I like these. (Die Hard 4 is, "unintentionally or not," a hell of a movie about how emasculated America felt in the years following 9/11.) In the case of Nocturnal Animals, it's "intentionally or not, this movie is a working model for how movies, and the movie industry, view men and women differently." Nocturnal Animals is nauseatingly true to a world where men are artists, and women are fodder.

The film is composed of several interlocking "realities:"

The real world - introduced at the start of the film, we meet art gallery owner Susan Morrow (Amy Adams). She is (unhappily) married to Armie Hammer, who is cheating on her. Her previous husband, Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal), is a writer who has sent her a draft of his novel. The novel is called Nocturnal Animals.

The novel world - Susan reads, and envisions, the events of the novel. We might note that she is pulling details from the real world (to which we continually return) to flesh out certain faces in the novel world. In the novel world, Jake Gyllenhaal is cast as Tony, a man who, along with his family, is attacked on the highway one night. We might interpret this to mean that Susan is filling the real-world Edward into her mental picture of the lead role in his novel. She does not, however, cast herself as Edward's wife in the novel world; Amy Adams somewhat-lookalike Isla Fisher takes this role instead.

The past (real) world - While reading the novel, Susan also recalls moments from her defunct relationship with Edward. Here we learn that they met in college, fell in love, and were both (at some point) interested in becoming artists - though Edward bluntly pushed forward with his writing, while Susan deferred to art curation rather than art creation.

On one level, Nocturnal Animals is a diagram of how creators might use their creative work to address, articulate, and exorcise their experiences in the real world. We learn that Susan aborted a child before ending her marriage to Edward, and that Edward only found about this after the fact.

Susan (and the audience) reads the content of Edward's novel as parallel. In the novel, Edward's wife and daughter are kidnapped right in front of him during the roadside incident. They are later found raped and murdered. Sure, this could be the processing of trauma. This is also where I begin to have serious concerns about how Nocturnal Animals, the film, is doing its business.

The implication is obviously that Edward is developing his own emotional catharsis for the dissolution of his marriage and the "loss" of an unborn child with Susan. And because Nocturnal Animals is a film made and controlled by men, naturally, Edward is doing this by leaning on the oldest and most miserable trope in male-dominated cinema (and fiction in general): violence against women.

Within the framework of Edward's novel, he is positioning himself as a "beta male" who did not take appropriately aggressive action to prevent the taking of "his" women. Within the real world framework beyond, we as an audience get to watch Susan react to her ex-husband's positioning of her as a surrogate receptor of a gang rape, witness to her own daughter's similar assault, and ultimately, a murder victim.

The unspoken, but very loud, subtext from Edward: this is what I think about when I think about you.

Rather than being repelled, Susan is drawn further into the story. She assesses her own feelings of guilt about the way she treated Edward, with little (if any) indication that she might have been, say, within her rights not to keep a child in a loveless marriage just because it would have made her husband happy.

Instead, Susan enters into a subtly abusive non-relationship with Edward in the present day, continuing to devour his creative work while admitting to others that she may have made a mistake (her second, equally unhappy marriage is perhaps a factor here). She dials Edward up for dinner and drinks while he is in Los Angeles, playing perfectly into what we must presume was the silly endgame of his entire silly scheme: he stands her up, using his novel as the ultimate mic drop on the women who "did him wrong" some years prior.

As such, Nocturnal Animals classifies its own menagerie thusly:

Men - are fathers, cops, rapists, murderers, but most importantly artists, gifted with the ability to interpolate their own suffering into something compelling, even if it abuses others in the process. Within the novel framework, even Michael Shannon's character - a cop who learns he has terminal cancer - is able to use that trauma as a means to an end (in his case, bringing gunslinger justice to the murderers, without worrying about long-term consequences).

Women, on the other hand - are mothers, victims, (unborn baby) murderers, and certainly not artists, having sold out before the story even begins, preferring instead to support the artistic works of others. When their usefulness expires, they are (in the novel) brutalized so that yet another white man can learn yet another white lesson about his masculinity, or (out here in the real world) left behind nursing their third scotch - past their prime and their usefulness.

Nocturnal Animals is clever enough with its structure that it nearly manages to conceal just how ugly its basic concept is. This is a crude story about awful men being awful, driven by values so conservative that they might have come from the 1940s. And I can't help thinking it lays out rather perfectly where the men in charge of making movies would love women to remain: neutered consumers, consuming stories of their own violation.



Destroy All Monsters is a weekly column on Hollywood and pop culture. Matt Brown is in Toronto and on Letterboxd.


Warner Bros. has released the first official trailer for Christopher Nolan's hotly anticipated World War II epic, Dunkirk.

The film depicts one of the largest battles of the war following the British military evacuation of the French city of Dunkirk in 1940.

On record as being pro-celluloid, Nolan shot Dunkirk on 65mm large-format film and Imax, a format he used to great effect in his Dark Knight trilogy)

Dunkirk's strong cast includes Tom Hardy, Oscar-winner Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh and One Direction pop star Harry Styles.

Synopsis: Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire, Canada and France are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.

Dunkirk will be released on July 21, 2017.
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Foggy this morning, then partly cloudy this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 84F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
 "Why All Americans Should Go To Prison: Out of sight, out of mind isnt good enough." | Main | SCOTUS adds a few more criminal cases to its current merits docket 

The publication Inside Philanthropy has this interesting new article headlined "Capital Against Capital Punishment: Who's Fighting the Death Penalty?". Here are excerpts:

This years election results dont bode too well for opponents of the death penalty. A year after they abolished it, Nebraska voters decided to reinstate capital punishment. Oklahoma voters approved any method of execution not prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. And California, the nations most populous state, struck down a repeal measure, instead approving a measure to make executions easier.

But will this capital punishment comeback last? A cadre of dedicated funders, including Atlantic Philanthropies, Open Society Foundations, the Proteus Fund and others wants to make sure it doesnt. These death penalty opponents are playing a long game and some have been at it for years. Angry populist elections come and go, but progress against the death penalty has been ongoing. Death sentences handed out in the U.S. have dropped almost tenfold since 1996, and actual executions per year have declined by about 75 percent. A full 42 percent of the American public opposes the death penalty, a 44-year high.

While capital punishment enjoys its day in the sun (and in approving comments from President-elect Donald Trump), several big funders are working behind the scenes to chip away at the penaltys long-standing popular support. One major player (if not the major player) is Atlantic Philanthropies, which recently granted $3.25 million to Cornell Law School to establish the Cornell Center on Death Penalty Worldwide.

The first center of its kind in the U.S., the Cornell Center will work on the policy, research and advocacy side to advance international human rights norms that favor abolition. Indeed, most executions occur in a small number of countries: the United States, and top human rights violators like China, Pakistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.

Those fighting the death penalty have three main strategic goals. The first involves changing public perception of executions from a necessary measure to a cruel and unusual punishment. Second, advocates focus on the states, supporting grassroots efforts to repeal. Finally, the end goal for many advocates is a nationwide ban handed down from the Supreme Court. Often, this work involves direct political appeals and lobbying, backed through 501(c)(4) organizations. While appeals to human rights are effective to a point, philanthropic efforts against the death penalty are also now quite focused on the practical problems of this punishment: why executions arent just wrong, but ineffective and costly to boot.

Leading the charge are groups like the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and Equal Justice USA, both recipients of large Atlantic grants in the years since 2006. While fighting the death penalty isnt one of its major funding priorities, the Ford Foundation has also contributed at least $500,000 to the National Coalition.

All told, Atlantic Philanthropies has invested $60 million over the past decade to end the American death penalty. And although the foundation plans to discontinue its grantmaking this year (no doubt a worrisome fact for the abolition movement), it has already fertilized a whole bunch of anti-execution organizations that will continue raising funds. Among Atlantics biggest beneficiaries on this issue, besides the two mentioned above, are the Proteus Action League, the Advocacy Fund, Texas Defender Service, and the Southern Center for Human Rights.

In addition to its regular grantmaking, Atlantic Philanthropies backs direct lobbying, ballot initiatives and voter mobilization efforts against the penalty through its 501(c)(4), the Atlantic Advocacy Fund. But Atlantics greatest contribution to the fight (at least in terms of dollar support) has been its support for the Proteus Fund, via the 501(c)(4) Proteus Action League.

A longtime supporter of progressive policy efforts, the Proteus Fund channels money from donors to organizations where it can make the most impact. Proteuss Themis Fund is dedicated solely to combating the death penalty. Aside from Atlantic Philanthropies, additional supporters include the Open Society Foundations, Tides Foundation, Butler Family Fund, Fund for Nonviolence, and the Wallace Global Fund....

The Proteus Fund isnt the only funding intermediary taking on capital punishment. Through its Death Penalty Mobilization Fund, the Tides Foundation has awarded over $6 million in grants since 2000. Besides Atlantic Philanthropies, George Soross Open Society Foundations is another regular source of money for those fighting the penalty. Since the early 2000s, Open Society has granted regular sums ranging from five to six figures to prominent anti-penalty organizations. Those grantees include the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, the Tides Foundation, the Death Penalty Information Center, Death penalty Focus, and People of Faith Against the Death Penalty.

The Fund for Nonviolence, true to its name, is another anti-penalty stalwart. Through its Justice With Dignity grants program, it has disbursed modest but regular funding to many of the organizations weve already named. As elsewhere, many of this funders grants are region-specific, supporting local efforts to push back against the penalty. The Wallace Global Fund is another progressive funder with a hand in anti-death penalty work. Its funds several big-name advocacy organizations like the National Coalition, Themis at the Proteus Fund, and the Equal Justice Initiative. The numbers here are modest as well, in the high five figures. Rounding out our list, we have the Oak Foundation, whose contributions to the fight have been substantial. While Oak has offices in the U.S., it is an international funder and its death penalty work is also international, through a commonwealth nations initiative called the Death Penalty Project.
This well-established Blog is worth visiting on a regular basis for a wealth of information of interest to Armenian nationals and to the Armenian Diaspora world-wide. Although it has a particular role in promoting international recognition of the Genocide, the Blog encompasses much more and includes many articles of general appeal to all those concerned with Armenian affairs. Much of the content is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere and the long list of links provided gives easy access to a plethora of material on social, political, religious, educational and cultural matters, and many news items from around the world.




Just weeks ago, advocates for a tuition-free City College felt their victory was assured. Now, not so much. The first problem: A major budget deficit which the Chronicle ties to the city's underperforming pension fund and other "mundane" problems like sales tax revenue and transfer tax revenue from the sales of property that are lagging. That, as we learned last week, meant that the Mayor would be using funds that appeared to be bound for City College's coffers for other purposes like homeless services.

Though Prop W was passed by voters with the explicit goal of increasing the real estate transfer tax that applied to residential and commercial properties worth over $5 million and taking that extra money to make City College free, as it was until the early 1980s, the resolution passed by the Board of Supervisors in July to funnel Prop W funds to City College was nom-binding. Essentially, Prop W funds are just going to the General Fund, and won't be restricted for any particular use.

The Mayor's decision to use the funds for homeless services is one that puts him at odds with the Board of Supervisors, the Examiner writes, and he plans to spend just $500,000 on City College this fiscal year and $4.25 million annually thereafter. By contrast, $13 million is needed annually for tuition-free City College, according to estimates. The mayor supports the City College supplemental but spending it over a longer period so we have a sustainable program that addresses the needs of those students that can not afford City College, Mayor Lee's spokesperson Deirdre Hussey told the Examiner.

But that was just half of the bad news: City College needs to return almost $39 million in state funds, an external report made public last week concluded. The school can't prove it taught 16,000 students, the Chronicle explains. It's not an issue of fraud, just mismanagement  for online courses, instructors didn't meet specific requirements like documenting the time they spent interacting with students.

"They knew they should have been keeping records of communications between students and instructors to prove the course was happening  and they didnt, the vice chancellor for fiscal policy at the California Community College Chancellors Office told the Chronicle. No one can prove that they did, or they would get to keep the money. The state will give the college a decade to repay the money, meaning that CCSF is out $3.9 million a year.

The problems occurred as online courses were new and as City College itself was in a state of some disarray. This is from City Colleges old dark days, Board of Trustees President Rafael Mandelman told the Examiner, referring to the institutions accreditation crisis but clarifying that the problem stemmed from City College itself and not the accreditation committee. Currently the school's accreditation is being reviewed and a decision on the matter is expected in February. Could this old problem haunt that review process? Probably not. The very fact that we discovered this practice at the time and reported it shows the very fact that we are making a commitment to doing the right thing and putting the controls in place, Susan Lamb, the colleges interim chancellor, argued to the Examiner.

Yet amid the chaos of the college's finances, advocates for the institution  including noted alumnus Danny Glover  mustered enough cheer to sing political "carols" at City Hall. Similar to a carol protest at Mayor Lee's house last year, the group altered the lyrics to popular christmas songs to make them about making City College free. Videos are below, but I somehow doubt that these carolers are on the mayor's "nice" list this year.

Previously: Promise Of Free City College Likely To Go Unmet Following Mayoral Budget Decision
A pair of similar muggings moments and a block apart have raised fears that a duo of serial robbers is on the loose in San Francisco.

According to the San Francisco Police Department, the two carbon copy crimes occurred at 11 and 11:05 p.m. Tuesday night, the first at Washington and Drumm Streets, the second a block away at Drumm and Clay.

Police say that in both cases, two males in their early twenties violently robbed victims they approached on the street.

At 11 p.m., police say, the pair forced a 26-year-old woman onto the ground, and punched her as she handed over her backpack and "personal property." The duo fled on foot west on Washington, according to the SFPD.

At 11:05, two men with a similar description approached a couple who were walking at Drumm and Clay Streets. They tried to snatch the purse of the 35-year-old female victim, "but she refused to let go," police say. The men then punched her "until she let go," according to the SFPD, relinquishing her bag, wallet, cell phone, ID, and house keys. The victim and her companion, a 35-year-old male, saw the men hop into a vehicle and speed west down Washington Street.

The victim of the first mugging was injured seriously enough that she was transported to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment of her injuries, which police say were not life-threatening. The second victim was also left with non-life-threatening injuries in the attack.

The suspects remain at large, police say, confirming that no arrests have been made in either case. As always, anyone with any information on either case (or any other crimes) is urged to call SFPD's Anonymous Tip Line at 415-575-4444 or to text a tip to Tip411 with SFPD at the beginning of the message.

Related: Man Creepily Wanders Into Couple's Home As They Sleep
One advantage to having a highly placed Wisconsin congressman abandoning his alleged principles to embrace President-elect Donald Trump is that we get advance warnings about what sort of scams Republicans think they can slip past us.

Unbelievably, many in the Washington media continue to portray House Speaker Paul Ryan as a reasonable, thoughtful conservative even when hes proposing to utterly destroy health care for 20 to 30 million Americans. But Ryan surely is underestimating the intelligence of the American people when he suggests Congress might rush to repeal the Affordable Care Act and then wait around for three years before coming up with any way to replace it.

Why three years? Its a political trick. That would mean tens of millions of Americans insured under Obamacare wouldnt be thrown out of their insurance coverage until after the 2018 midterm elections. Not even Trump voters are poorly educated enough to fall for that one.

Ever since so-called Obamacare passed, the House has been in an endless Groundhog Day time loop, voting to repeal it more than 60 times. But after six years, not a single Republican has the foggiest idea of how to cover the tens of millions of Americans who previously had no insurance as a result of exorbitant costs, pre-existing conditions or insurance companies that cruelly cancelled their coverage because they got sick.

The incoming Republican president doesnt have a clue. He simply makes sweeping, untrue statements (Obamacare is a disaster!) and promises to replace it with a magical, beautiful, terrific, totally fictitious system that will cover a lot more people at a fraction of the cost. Despite what Republicans say in the media, the Affordable Care Act is anything but a disaster. Its been remarkably successful in its two primary goalscovering the uninsured and reining in out-of-control growth in the cost of health care. The fraction of non-elderly Americans without health insurancewhich had hovered around 16% since the 90sdeclined last year to 10.5%, the lowest level in decades, while health care cost increases have plunged.

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As The New York Times noted, since passage of the Affordable Care Act, private insurance costs have risen less than half as fast as they did in the previous decade. Medicare costs have risen less than 20% as fast.

Paul Ryan Doesnt Care

One reason why Republicans cant come up with any better replacement, of course, is that the Affordable Care Act was a Republican plan to start with. It was modeled after Republican Gov. Mitt Romneys Massachusetts plan that fed millions of dollars in profits to private insurance companies as middlemen. Conservative Democrats blocked their party from passing more traditional Democratic single-payer government insurancesimilar to Medicarewhich would have provided better coverage at lower cost by eliminating profits for private insurance companies.

Republicans have another, even bigger problem replacing Obamacare. Theyve declared publicly they want to keep what voters like about Obamacarecoverage for pre-existing conditionsbut eliminate what many dont likethe individual mandate forcing Americans to buy insurance.

Republicans hate government programs that force Americans to do anything unless theyre poor. Then, Republicans would happily pass laws forcing poor people to dance, like gunslingers did in the Old West, if the poor want to receive food stamps or unemployment benefits.

Ryan is actually smart enough to know insurance cant cover pre-existing conditions without requiring people to buy insurance; otherwise people will wait until they need an operation, buy insurance, have the operation and then cancel the insurance.

Heres where the reckless, extreme right-wing radicalism of Paul Ryan kicks in. Hes not the intelligent, thoughtful conservative his media propagandists claim. Ryans way out there on the far right where the buses dont run. The only government action Ryan believes in is cutting every government program in existence to massively reduce taxes for wealthy Americans such as himself.

Ryan literally does not care what happens to 20 to 30 million Americans losing coverage with the destruction of Obamacare. Hes even got an equally destructive plan to phase out Medicare at the same time by turning it into a voucher program paying only a portion of the cost of private insurance. But for now, Ryan just says, hey, trust us, well kill Obamacare immediately and then get right to work figuring out how to replace it after the next election so nobody gets hurt.

Not even Trump is that dumb. Trump said Ryans threats to popular programs like Medicare and Social Security were what doomed the Romney-Ryan ticket in 2012. Ryan has it exactly backwards. Republicans need to pass a workable replacement for the Affordable Care Act before they destroy one of the most significant public health reforms in U.S. history thats expanding health care for tens of millions of Americans and slashing cost increases.
President-elect Donald Trumps pick for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, should be a familiar name to those in Wisconsin.

The DeVos familys fortune has underwritten Wisconsins voucher movement for years.

Among voucher supporters, Michigan resident DeVos and her husband Richard are the top donors to Wisconsin legislators, according to data from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign (WDC).

WDC Executive Director Matthew Rothschild told the Shepherd Betsy DeVos has contributed $89,140 to Wisconsin candidates between 2002 and 2015, while the DeVos family has donated $480,430 during the same period.

In addition to her personal contributions, DeVos chairs the Washington, D.C.-based American Federation for Children, which poured $5.4 million into Wisconsin races between 2010 and 2015, the WDC calculated. That sum made it the seventh biggest group source of campaign cash in Wisconsin, slightly less than the Koch brothers Americans for Prosperitys donations ($5.6 million) and more than the National Rifle Associations cash ($3.6 million).

No wonder why Gov. Scott Walker tweeted after DeVos nomination, Congrats to my friend Betsy DeVos on being the next Secretary of Education.

What did DeVos get for her millions?

Theres just a handful of people who have financed the Walker revolution here, and Betsy DeVos is one of them, Rothschild said. Certainly John Menard and Diane Hendricks, and maybe Richard Uihleinliterally just a handful of multi-, multi-millionaires and billionaires have been the ones who financed the Walker wrecking crew and are largely responsible for the sorry state that Wisconsin is in right now.

He predicted that American Federation for Children would become even more influential if DeVos is confirmed as education secretary.

Itll give American Federation for Children even more clout when theyre operating in Wisconsin or other states and proposing things because the people they are talking to, the legislators, know that the founder of the organization is running the whole education system in Washington, Rothschild said. I think this is doubly bad news that way.

Ground Zero for Vouchers

Milwaukee has the oldest voucher school program in the country, and the Michigan-sourced DeVos money has been funding the education privatization movement in Wisconsin since its earliest days.

DeVos is heiress to a multi-billion dollar car parts fortune (shes also the sister of notorious Blackwater founder Erik Prince), and her husband, Richard, is the son of an Amway co-founder. DeVos, a former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, has generously supported Republicans around the country and is part of the Koch network.

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DeVos-backed right-wing pro-school privatization groups All Children Matter and American Federation for Childrenalong with allies Hispanics for School Choice and School Choice Wisconsinhave supported primarily Republicans but some conservative Democrats as well, including former South Side Sen. Jeff Plale, who lost his seat in a Democratic primary to Chris Larson in 2010. In 2012, American Federation for Children dumped more than $100,000 into Milwaukee Democratic primariesin support of Elizabeth Coggs, Millie Coby, Jason Fields, Tracey Dent and Jarett Fieldsall of whom lost their races to more progressive Democrats.

American Federation for Children is also a big source of issue ads, thinly disguised campaign ads that dont explicitly say vote for or vote against. These ads often have nothing to do with school vouchers. For example, pro-Plale ads in 2010 praised him for saving 300 jobs at Bucyrus, yet there is no evidence he had anything to do with the matter.

In 2008, the DeVos-backed All Children Matters Virginia state political action committee (PAC) disseminated a mailer targeting then Democratic Rep. John Lehman of Racine, which likely crossed the line into overt campaign advocacy. The group, which never explained why its Virginia PAC was paying for Wisconsin campaign ads, fessed up to the potential violation. In 2009, the Wisconsin chapter of All Children Matter paid a $500 fine for the wrongdoing. That vastly pales in comparison to the $5.2 million fine the Ohio Election Commission levied against All Children Matter for violations in that state in 2008.

Speaking of dirty campaigning, American Federation for Children has also employed disgraced former Republican Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, going as far back as 2004, two years after he was charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor related to the caucus scandal. In 2005, he was convicted on all counts and sentenced to five years in prison. But in 2010, Jensen won an appeal and in the Republican-friendly venue of Waukesha County was able to settle by pleading guilty to just one misdemeanor. Throughout his legal troubles, Jensen was employed as a top advisor by DeVos and also represented the organization at the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) meetings.

Jensen didnt respond to the Shepherds request to comment on his work. The groups Wisconsin lobbyist Justin Moralez told the Shepherd, Scott Jensen, who is the chief strategist for American Federation for Children, was actively involved in the actual launch [of the voucher program]. So he is directly connected with the program.

Center for Media and Democracy Executive Director Lisa Graves said she questioned DeVos judgment in employing Jensen while he was facing felony charges and after his conviction.

To me, a big concern is why you would trust someone to lead a federal agency who has so little regard for how our taxpayer dollars are spent that she would hire someone as her point person who was accused and then convicted of misusing taxpayer money to advance his personal political objectives, Graves told the Shepherd.

Graves has also dug up an interview with Richard and Betsy DeVos discussing why they decided to look for public moneys to pay for private school tuition via vouchers.

As Graves reported, when asked if it would be simpler to fund Christian schools directly, rather than go the taxpayer-funded voucher route, Betsy DeVos said, There are not enough philanthropic dollars in American to fund what is currently the need in education versus what is spent every year on education in this country.

Trumps $20 Billion Voucher Expansion

DeVos zeal for privatizing education with public tax dollars seems to fit nicely with Trumps plan for education. He intends to come up with $20 billion in federal fundshe doesnt identify a sourceto provide vouchers for low-income K-12 students. Trump apparently wants to use those billions for block grants for 11 million students in poverty; states would decide how to distribute the money.

The New York Times Keven Carey wrote that $20 billion isnt enough to cover the cost of providing vouchers to 11 million students, which is why Mr. Trumps proposal assumes that states will kick in another $110 billion.

Carey cast doubt on whether Trump and DeVos could implement the federal voucher expansion as envisioned. States dont have that kind of money lying around, Carey wrote. The only plausible source is existing school funding. But even if Ms. DeVos were to find a willing governor and state legislature, its not that easy. Roughly half of all nonfederal education funding comes from local property taxes raised by over 13,000 local school districts. They and their elected representatives will have a say, too.

Still, public education supporters are rightfully worried about Trumps and DeVos support for vouchers.

The federal government doesnt have the same direct effect on education as state governments do, said Kim Schroeder, president of the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA). But I believe they will try it and I believe there is going to be a nationwide fight against the privatization scheme.

The Trump plans critique isnt only coming from the left. Tea partiers also seem to be concerned about the widening reach of the federal government. After all, Trumps $130 billion voucher program would equal roughly a quarter of the $600 billion that all government agencies combined provide for K-12 education.

Constitutional educator KrisAnne Hall warned on her radio show about the strings attached to this new $130 billion federal program. She told her listeners that the vouchers wouldnt go to their familiesshe assumed that none of her listeners earned a low incomeand that schools that accept these federally paid vouchers would have to adhere to federal rules and regulations, as well as standardized curriculum.

If your Christian schools take these federal vouchers, these vouchers will dictate that your schools will not be able to  pray in the name of Jesus, said the Florida-based Hall, who the Southern Poverty Law Center lists among the 998 anti-government patriot groups active in the U.S. You will not be able to teach from the Bible alone. You will have to teach all religious denominations, all religious ideologies and you cannot discriminate in hiring practices based on your religious beliefs. So if you think federal vouchers are going to be funding your Christian schools, youve got another thing coming.
SIOUX CITY | An Omaha man was found in possession of a stolen U-Haul moving truck after being arrested Monday on charges of shoplifting from Sioux City's Menards store.

According to court documents, Dustin Stevens, 40, was arrested on charges of second-degree theft and third-degree theft for leaving Menards, 5900 Gordon Drive, with $738 worth of merchandise without paying for it at about 10 a.m. When he was arrested, police found he was operating a 2013 GMC U-Haul moving van that had been reported stolen on Nov. 28 in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
CHEROKEE, Iowa | The annual Needy Children's Auction at The Brightside Lounge in Cherokee featured a first in its 47 years on Saturday.

At least, I'm betting so.

Rich Hinkhouse, who owns and operates The Brightside with his wife, Peggy Hinkhouse, donated three 1-pound packages of alligator meat to be sold. Those packages attracted bids of $30 apiece, a portion of the $7,200 raised in an event started by Stan Sitzmann, Cherokee's "Citizen of the Year" in 2015.

Alligator meat being auctioned at a bar for a children's charity in Cherokee? OK, I'll bite...

Rich and Peggy Hinkhouse got to know some Louisiana residents during Iowa's bird flu crisis in 2015. Billy Duplechein, of St. Martinville, Louisiana, led a team that specializes in environmental reclamation as it built an incinerator in Cherokee County to help dispose of chicken and turkey carcasses. He resided in an apartment near The Brightside Lounge while he worked around Cherokee that year. He and his crew often shared hunting stories with the Hinkhouses at their bar.

"Whenever they talked about hunting alligators, you could see how interested Rich was," Peggy said. "So, I thought I'd surprise him."

Peggy began dropping hints of a hunt she planned for her husband. He stitched the mystery together last Christmas when he found a puzzle piece that featured an alligator. They booked a flight for the first week of September.

The couple arrived at St. Martin Parish southeast of Lafayette, Louisiana, in the first week of September, the only month state officials allow alligator hunting. Duplechein met the couple at the airport and presented two items to Rich Hinkhouse: A Cuban cigar and a roll of electrical tape.

"He figured I'd need both after I got my gator," Rich said. "The cigar was for the celebration. The electrical tape I'd need to keep the gator's jaw shut once we got him in the boat."

Widespread flooding at the time limited Hinkhouse's hunting expedition to one day. On the day before the hunt, Hinkhouse fished with Duplechein and co-worker Kelly Camille in a canal that's part of the Atchafalaya Basin. They scouted a 1,000-acre site Duplechein leases.

"They hunt gators, they fish, and they hunt ducks," Rich Hinkhouse said of his friends. "They have a 2-story treehouse built amid seven cypress trees in the swamp. The treehouse has a kitchen, a bathroom and a generator."

On the day of the hunt, the three men used an 18-foot flat-bottom boat. Peggy recorded some of the action from another boat, but stayed out on the water only during morning hours. The 103-degree heat and humidity forced her back to a house boat that had air conditioning.

Rich pressed on with his pals, who were determined to help him bag a gator that could one day welcome patrons to The Brightside back in Cherokee.

"At about 2:30 that afternoon, Billy spotted one with my binoculars," Rich said. "Billy could tell by the space between the gator's eyes and his nose that he was big, so he hit the motor and we peeled down the channel."

The trio followed the gator's air bubbles and snagged the animal's back end with a hook. The gator thrashed and actually used his might to drag the boat until they stuck a second hook in his thick skin. After getting the second hook in the gator, Duplechein and Camille struggled to bring him to the surface, allowing Hinkhouse to get a shot with the .22-calibre rifle they carried.

"There's a quarter-size spot that's the kill zone on a gator," Hinkhouse said. "And that spot, if you were to think of a human, is at the base of the skull, just above the neck."

Hinkhouse missed that spot with his first shot and the bullet ricocheted. He made good on his second and third shots, however, and recorded his kill.

"We hooted and hollered and began to get this thing in the boat," he said.

Hinkhouse wrapped the electrical tape around the giant jaw of the beast, which was estimated to be around 40 years old. He measured 10 feet from head to tail and tipped the scales at 450 pounds.

"After I got it, my license and tag had to follow the meat (to a processor), the head to a taxidermist and the skin to get tanned. They keep a good tab on their gator population," he said.

Hinkhouse brought home 50 pounds of meat. The rest he gave to his friends who led his memorable hunt. He's in the process of having alligator boots custom-made. The head, he said, is with a taxidermist and will one day grace space on the wall at The Brightside Lounge.

"One of our local customers at The Brightside wanted me to a get a full mount, as people from all over would come to look at it," Hinkhouse said. "The problem with that is that it costs $550 per feet. I didn't want to spend $5,000 to $6,000 on a mount."

The meat, which Peggy said tastes like fish, but has the texture of chicken, was prepared and served by Rich Hinkhouse at a family Thanksgiving feast, a feast that in past years has featured elk, rabbit, pheasant and deer, all game harvested by this avid hunter.
SIOUX CITY | A day after his first trial ended in a mistrial, a new date was set to retry Elias Wanatee for the death of Vernon Mace.

District Judge Duane Hoffmeyer on Wednesday scheduled the trial for Feb. 28 in Woodbury County District Court.

Wanatee, 47, of Sioux City, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder for the Feb. 17 stabbing death of Mace, 50, of Sioux City.

During three days of testimony, prosecutors presented evidence they had hoped would prove Wanatee stabbed Mace in the street in the 1900 block of West First Street near Turner Street. Mace was stabbed nine times. The fatal wound punctured his diaphragm and severed a blood vein in his liver causing massive internal bleeding.

Jurors deliberated for 11 hours before notifying Hoffmeyer late Tuesday afternoon that they could not reach a unanimous decision. Hoffmeyer then declared a mistrial.
STORM LAKE, Iowa | Storm Lake Police Lt. Chris Cole stopped a man for speeding on Thursday. The man, as you might imagine, wasn't overjoyed.

Cole presented the driver a ticket, albeit a warning. Cole then asked the driver if he had done his Christmas shopping.

"He didn't have it done," Cole said. "The man had five kids and hadn't shopped yet."

Cole gave the man a $100 bill, explaining that the police department had been given an anonymous gift and directed to somehow spread holiday cheer. The department had settled on this method, a somewhat random awarding of $100 bills.

There were 19 other exchanges like this, bringing the total to 20 who received a $100 bill, the result of an anonymous $2,000 Christmas gift.

"I've seen some stories where other agencies have given toys at Christmas or turkeys at Thanksgiving," said Storm Lake Public Safety Director Mark Prosser. "This wasn't on our radar until about two months ago when an anonymous giver gave us $2,000 and requested that we 'pay it forward' by giving it people who weren't expecting it, just as a way to make their holidays brighter."

The giver stipulated the gift exchanges be recorded in some fashion to help spread the word while shining a light on the Storm Lake Police Department.

Between Dec. 7 and Dec. 11, all 20 bills were given to folks officers encountered on routine patrols or traffic stops.

"I'm still not sure who enjoyed it more, those who received the gift, or the officers who gave it," Prosser said.

One man, for example, was collecting aluminum cans as a way to make ends meet. An officer presented him a $100 bill, saying it was an anonymous gift left for the police to dole out.

"The man took the money and went to Upper Des Moines Opportunity (Inc.) and was just ecstatic he could get some supplies," Prosser said. "We also had two folks who had extreme financial burdens and sick family members. We were in the hospital with one young guy (who received a gift)."

One woman was alarmed when a pair of police officers showed up at her residence. She gasped and cheered, hardly believing her eyes when officers gave her $100 to help her family make it through the Christmas season.

In a year where officers across the U.S. have dealt with tragedy on a seemingly daily basis, this gift gave people a reason to smile, to hug one another and to celebrate how police officers remain keenly interested in the well-being of those in their community.

"Many times when police come to your house, it's because they are delivering bad news of some type," Cole said. "It's not often when the police knock on your door and hand out money. We got to deliver good news, which is fun."
DENISON, Iowa | A Minnesota man has been sentenced to five years in prison for shooting at sheriff's deputies during a March standoff.

James Champion, 46, of Mankato, Minnesota, pleaded guilty in November in Crawford County District Court to an amended charge of assault on a peace officer with intent to inflict serious injury. He had initially been charged with two counts of assault on a peace officer using or displaying a dangerous weapon. The second count was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

On Dec. 5, District Judge Edward Jacobson sentenced Champion to prison and fined him $750.

On March 9, authorities were called to an apartment in Schleswig, Iowa, to check on the welfare of Champion, who threatened to shoot them when they opened the door. A five-hour standoff ensued. It ended when Champion opened the door and fired a shot at two Crawford County Sheriff's deputies. Deputy Lt. Corey Utech then shot Champion twice in the torso. Utech was later cleared of wrongdoing.

Champion was hospitalized for his wounds and later released.
SIOUX CITY | People curious about the spot for a proposed new Interstate 29 exit south of Sioux City can go see three possible placements in a Thursday meeting.

The Iowa Department of Transportation routinely holds public information meetings as plans for highway projects are being developed. A meeting for the possible I-29 exit over a four-mile span will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Sergeant Bluff Community Center, 903 Topaz Drive, in Sergeant Bluff.

The proposed interchange, which could cost up to $20 million to build, would be between mile markers 136 and 140 along the interstate. That's between the existing Port Neal industrial area and Sioux Gateway Airport/Sergeant Bluff interchanges. A new interchange would give direct access to Sioux City's Southbridge Business Park.

There will be no formal presentation, but people can ask questions about the status of the interchange justification report being prepared for IDOT consideration and hear about environmental studies that are underway. Woodbury County Engineer Mark Nahra said there are no big plans to share at this point, but maps with the three possible exit spots will be available.

"We just don't know yet," Nahra said on the quest to pinpoint a precise exit spot.

Woodbury County, the city of Sioux City, the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce and the towns of Sergeant Bluff and Salix since 2012 have cooperated to push IDOT to add a new exit, in order to boost economic prospects near the Southbridge Business Park.

They have combined to pay for a $600,000 Interstate Justification Report, which will be completed by December 2017 and given to the Iowa Department of Transportation.

No money to build an exit will be set aside until a final governmental decision on whether to create one comes down. The final decision will come from the Federal Highway Commission.

Nahra in October mailed out a letter to 13 landowners in an 860-acre tract near the Port Neal Industrial Area, advising that crews were on the way. They are performing tasks such as archaeological studies to see if there are any artifacts or other items that need to be taken into account in the quest of determining the best place for a new exit.

People wanting information about the meeting and the proposed interchange should contact Nahra by mail at 759 E. Frontage Road, Moville, Iowa, 51039, telephone 712-873-3215 or by email mnahra@woodburycountyiowa.gov.
SIOUX CITY | As a cold snap continues throughout Siouxland this week, a handful of northwestern Iowa counties will fall under a wind chill advisory this evening and tomorrow morning.

Snow and even colder weather is expected to move in later this week, with 2-4 inches of snow predicted Friday afternoon into Saturday, and wind chills expected to dip near -40 degrees across the region Saturday night.

According to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, Sioux City's high is expected to reach 16 degrees today, with a northwest wind gusting as high as 30 mph. Tonight, temperatures will dip to about 2 degrees.

Osceola, Dickinson, O'Brien and Clay counties in Iowa will be under a wind chill advisory from 7 p.m. today to 8 a.m. Thursday. Wind chills could range from -15 to -25 degrees, the weather service reports.

Thursday will be 16 degrees in Sioux City, with a low of about 13.

Brad Adams, observing program leader with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, said current NWS models show a system of snow will likely move in Friday afternoon, with most of the accumulation occurring by later Friday night into Saturday morning.

Sioux City is expected to receive about 2.5 inches of snow from the system, with totals closer to 4 inches near Le Mars and Cherokee, Iowa. Friday's high will be 24 degrees, with a low around 6. Saturday's high will be about 8 degrees.

Adams said Saturday night will then bring "life-threatening" wind chills, with temperatures dipping to around -18 degrees with wind chills between -35 and -40 degrees. Adams said areas near Rock Rapids and Sibley, Iowa, could see wind chills around -45.

"The biggest threat is Saturday evening to Sunday morning," Adams said. "That's certainly nothing to play around with."

Sunday's high is expected to be 5 degrees.

Adams said winds will calm and temperatures will improve at the beginning of next week, with a high of 22 on Monday and 30 on Tuesday.
STORM LAKE, Iowa | A Storm Lake man was arrested Monday on domestic abuse assault and other charges after a dispute in which police said he destroyed kitchen utensils and caused damage to a home.

Police were dispatched to the home in the 600 block of West Eighth Street after receiving a 911 call from a woman who said a man was coming to get her.

According to a police press release, when officers arrived, the woman told them that she and Nee Htoo, 28, had argued over his supervision of their infant child while intoxicated. Htoo became upset and destroyed the utensils, causing damage to the home. He also threw a pot of food, splattering it on the child, who was not injured, police said. The woman fled the home and called 911.
SIOUX CITY | A judge will issue his verdict in a Sioux City murder case a week later than previously expected.

District Judge Steven Andreasen moved the hearing at which he'll announce his findings in the Isack Abdinur case to Dec. 28, a week later than a previously scheduled date.

Abdinur, 36, is charged with first-degree murder for the June 23, 2015, stabbing death of Cornelia Stead at her apartment at 521 W. 16th St.

Abdinur waived his right to a jury trial, and Andreasen presided over the three-day trial in November in Woodbury County District Court.

Evidence at trial showed that Stead, 43, was stabbed 23 times, including a fatal wound that sliced her aorta and caused massive internal bleeding. A witness testified that Abdinur punched Stead in the face several times before getting a knife and stabbing her multiple times.

If found guilty of first-degree murder, Abdinur, who was living in Sioux City and is a native of Somalia, would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.
When word leaked that Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, a holder of the Order of Friendship award in Putin's Russia, was Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state, John McCain had this thoughtful response:

"Vladimir Putin is a thug, a bully, and a murderer and anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying."

Yet, Putin is something else, the leader of the largest nation on earth, a great power with enough nuclear weapons to wipe the United States off the face of the earth. And we have to deal with him.

McCain was echoed by the senior Democrat on foreign relations, Bob Menendez, who said naming Tillerson secretary of state would be "alarming and absurd ... guaranteeing Russia has a willing accomplice in the (Trump) Cabinet guiding our nation's foreign policy."

Sen Marco Rubio chimed in: "Being a 'friend of Vladimir' is not an attribute I am hoping for from a Secretary of State."

If just three GOP senators vote no on Tillerson, and Democrats vote as a bloc against him, his nomination would go down. President Trump would sustain a major and humiliating defeat.

Who is Tillerson? A corporate titan, he has traveled the world, represented Exxon in 60 countries, is on a first-name basis with countless leaders, and is endorsed by Condi Rice and Robert Gates.

Dr. Samuel Johnson's observation -- "A man is seldom more innocently occupied than when he is engaged in making money" -- may be a bit of a stretch when it comes to OPEC and the global oil market.

Yet there is truth to it. Most businessmen are interested in doing deals, making money, and, if the terms are not met, walking away, not starting a war.

And here is the heart of the objection to Tillerson. He wants to end sanctions and partner with Putin's Russia, as does Trump. But among many in the mainstream media, think tanks, websites, and on the Hill, this is craven appeasement. For such as these, the Cold War is never over.

The attacks on Tillerson coincide with new attacks on Russia, based on CIA sources, alleging that not only did Moscow hack into the Democratic Party and Clinton campaign, and leak what it found to hurt Hillary Clinton, but Russia was trying to help elect Trump, and succeeded.

Why would Moscow do this?

Monday's editorial in The New York Times explains: "In Mr. Trump, the Russians had reason to see a malleable political novice, one who had surrounded himself with Kremlin lackeys."

Backed by Democratic leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, McCain has announced an investigation. The goal, said the Times, is to determine "whether anyone within Trump's inner circle coordinated with the Kremlin and whether Moscow spread fake news to hurt Mrs. Clinton."

What is going on here? More than meets the eye.

The people who most indignantly condemned Trump's questioning of Obama's birth certificate as a scurrilous scheme to delegitimize his presidency, now seek to delegitimize Trump's presidency.

The Times editorial spoke of a "darkening cloud" already over the Trump presidency, and warned that a failure to investigate and discover the full truth of Russia's hacking could only "feed suspicion among millions of Americans that ... (t)he election was indeed rigged."

Behind the effort to smear Tillerson and delegitimize Trump lies a larger motive. Trump has antagonists in both parties who are alarmed at his triumph because it imperils the foreign policy agenda that is their raison d'etre, their reason for being.

These people do not want to lift sanctions on Moscow. They do not want an end to the confrontation with Russia. As is seen by their bringing in tiny Montenegro, they want to enlarge NATO to encompass Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.

They have in mind the permanent U.S. encirclement of Russia.

They want to provide offensive weapons to Kiev to reignite the civil war in the Donbass and enable Ukraine to move on Crimea. This would mean a war with Russia that Ukraine would lose and we and our NATO allies would be called upon to intervene in and fight.

Their goal is to bring down Putin and bring about "regime change" in Moscow.

In the campaign, Trump said he wanted to get along with Russia, to support all the forces inside Syria and Iraq fighting to wipe out ISIS and al-Qaida, and to stay out of any new Middle East wars -- like the disaster in Iraq -- that have cost us "six trillion dollars."

This is what America voted for when it voted for Trump -- to put America First and "make America great again." But War Party agitators are already beating the drums for confrontation with Iran.

Early in his presidency, if not before, Trump is going to have to impose his foreign policy upon his own party and, indeed, upon his own government. Or his presidency will be broken, as was Lyndon Johnson's.

A good place to begin is by accepting the McCain-Marco challenge and nominating Rex Tillerson for secretary of state.
No greater responsibility rests with America's president than keeping the nation safe.

To meet this obligation, the president - and in the transition between presidents, the president-elect - must be informed firsthand, in full, on potential threats to the homeland.

In our view, this means participation in the daily briefing provided by the intelligence community.

Every day.

Trump's attitude about the "President's Daily Brief," or PDB - as shared during an interview on Sunday with Fox News - is deeply troubling.

"I don't have to be told -- you know, I'm, like, a smart person," Trump said. "I don't have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years. Could be eight years -- but eight years. I don't need that. But I do say, 'If something should change, let us know.'"

Besides, Trump said, Vice President-elect Mike Pence and "my generals" receive the PDB.

"The Presidents Daily Brief is a summary of high-level intelligence and analysis about global hot spots and national security threats written by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence," according to The New York Times. "While the intelligence community produces many reports and assessments, the PDB is written specifically for the president and his top advisers."

As president-elect, Trump is entitled to the same PDB President Obama receives every morning. To this point, however, he has gotten only "a handful" of such briefings since his election victory, Politico reported.

Not only should he want and does he need this information every day now in order to form an educated view of the world's dangers before he becomes America's next commander-in-chief, but daily participation in the PDB builds an important working relationship between the president-elect and the intelligence agencies who will advise him when he takes office.

In a variety of ways, Trump is taking an unorthodox approach to the presidency. Fine, he earned the right.

In our minds, however, strict adherence by him to orthodoxy as it applies to the countrys safety is more than prudent, it's crucial.

By electing him president, Americans put Trump in the position of making ultimate decisions on national security. Beginning today and continuing through at least the next four years, that requires more from him than an occasional visit to the PDB.
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.
Francis Melvin Spriggs, 46, of Accokeek, is accused of stabbing a woman at a local hotel after arranging a meet-up on a social media site.

LA PLATA, Md.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at so.md/expungeme.

(Dec. 14, 2016)The Charles County Sheriff's Office released the following incident and arrest reports.MAN CHARGED WITH STABBING WOMAN: On Dec. 10 at 10:58 p.m., officers responded to the Waldorf Motel located in the 2100 block of Crain Highway, Waldorf, for the report of an assault. Investigation showed the suspect, Francis Melvin Spriggs, 46, of Accokeek, contacted the victim on a social media site and arranged to meet her at the hotel. At some point, the woman tried to leave the room but the suspect pulled a knife and stabbed her in the neck. She escaped and contacted police. Spriggs stayed in the room , and officers arrested him on the scene. He was charged with first-degree assault. Officer M. Nauman made the arrest. Det. E. Clark is investigating.CCSO INVESTIGATING FATAL CRASH INVOLVING PEDESTRIAN: On December 4 at approximately 8 p.m., officers responded to the area of northbound Crain Highway near Shining Willow Way in La Plata for the report of a car crash involving a pedestrian. A preliminary investigation showed the pedestrian, Lawrence William Velozo, 37, of Newburg, was either sitting or lying in the left travel lane of northbound Crain Highway when he was struck by an SUV. Velozo was transported to the University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased. It is unclear why Velozo was in the roadway; the Traffic Operations Unit is continuing the investigation. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Cpl. K. Syvertsen at (301) 932-3056.CRIME SOLVERS OFFERING CASH REWARD IN ARMED ROBBERY CASE: Charles County Crime Solvers is offering a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of a man wanted in connection with an armed robbery. On Dec. 12 at 10:07 p.m., officers responded to the Family Dollar store located in the 100 block of Smallwood Village Center, Waldorf, for the report of a robbery. Investigation showed a suspect entered the store, displayed a handgun, and demanded money and cigarettes. The clerk complied and the suspect fled. Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Det. E. Webster at (301) 609-6558. Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, texting CHARLES + the tip to CRIMES (274637) or submitting tips online at tipsubmit.com. A cash reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for the tip that leads to an arrest or indictment of the suspect.TRESPASS/DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE: On December 6 at 12:17 a.m., officers responded to a business located in the 2700 block of Old Washington Road in Waldorf for the report of an individual, who had previously been barred from the property, trespassing. The suspect, Pedro Leodegario Perez-Sales, 25 of Waldorf, fled prior to the officers' arrival. The officers searched the area and put out a lookout for his vehicle.At approximately 1:30 a.m., an officer observed a vehicle at the intersection of Leonardtown Road and Crain Highway that appeared to have struck the median. The officer made contact with the driver, later identified as Perez-Sales, who was disorderly and displayed signs of intoxication. Perez-Sales was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and trespassing. Pfc. S. Chandler and Pfc. R. Brooks investigated.CRIME SOLVERS OFFERING CASH REWARD IN ROBBERY CASE: Charles County investigators are trying to identify two people who were involved in a robbery on Sunday, December 4, between 12:20 p.m. and 12:38 p.m., at the CVS located at Crain Highway and Billingsley Road. According to witnesses, a male dressed in black clothing jumped over the pharmacy counter, stole prescription medication, and then fled the scene. He interacted with a man wearing a red coat who fled with him. Anyone who may have witnessed this crime, or anyone who may be able to identify the suspects or getaway vehicle, is asked to call Officer Jason Wilson at (240) 587-7970. Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, texting CHARLES + the tip to CRIMES (274637) or submitting tips online at tipsubmit.com BURGLARY/DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY/THEFT: On November 30 at 10:12 p.m., an unknown suspect broke the drive-through window of the Dunkin Donuts located in the 2900 block of Crain Highway in Waldorf and entered the business. Once inside, the suspect rummaged through multiple registers and stole cash. The suspect exited the rear door and fled towards Denny's restaurant. The suspect was wearing a black jacket with a yellow or orange hood, blue jeans with rips in them, and black shoes, and he was carrying a duffle bag and a yellow crowbar. Officers canvassed the area and were unable to locate the suspect. Detective C. Gilroy is investigating.
The Board of Education at its Dec. 13 meeting approved the Charles County Public Schools 2017-18 school calendar. The calendar meets the requirements included in the Governor's executive order and includes a start date for students of Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017. Other changes for the calendar for next school year include: Schools and offices are closed Nov. 22-24 for the Thanksgiving holiday Winter break for students and teachers is Dec. 25, 2017, through Jan. 1, 2018 Spring break is March 30 through April 3. Schools reopen for students and teachers on Tuesday, April 4. The last day of school for students is Friday, June 15, 2018 (with five inclement weather days built into the school calendar) The last day of school for teachers is Monday, June 18, 2018 (with five inclement weather days)Any inclement weather days not used during the school year will be deleted from the end of the school year in the following order: June 15, June 14, June 13, June 12 and June 11.Earlier this school year, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced an executive order requiring all public schools to open no earlier than the day after Labor Day and end for students by June 15. The Board examined two options developed by staff and surveyed the community on the options to gather feedback.A copy of the approved calendar is posted on the school system website at www.ccboe.com/aboutus/calendar/BoardApprovedCalendar201718.pdf The Charles County Public Schools 2016 Elementary School Naming Advisory Committee made recommendations to the Board of Education at its Dec. 13 monthly meeting.The eight-member committee is composed of individuals selected by Board members, including a student representative. Naming committee members are Mary Pat Berry, Kimberly Clements, Marvin Harris, Colleen Longhi, Austun Reid, Lourdes Sagun, Cecelia Spinks and Tina Wilson. The group elected Longhi to serve as its chairman.The committee accepted naming nominations from the community as well as solicited ideas. The group considered 26 names for the new elementary school, which will be built off Billingsley Road in White Plains. Construction will begin early next year and the school will open at the start of the 2018-19 school year.Board policy requires that schools be named for either deceased persons or places of significance to Charles County. The committee will offer three recommendations. The recommendations, in alphabetical order, are: Charles E. Carrington Elementary School Ronald G. Cunningham Elementary School Margaret Jamieson Thornton Elementary SchoolThe committee's full report, including background information on each name recommendation, is posted on BoardDocs. A link to BoardDocs, which includes all Board of Education agendas, report items, policies and minutes, is posted on the school system website at www.ccboe.com The Board of Education will vote on a name at its Jan. 10, 2017, meeting.Southern Maryland legislators expressed their support for education at the Board of Education's annual legislative breakfast while learning about the school system's economic impact and special education challenges."You are doing everything about right, right now," said Senate President Thomas "Mike" Miller, who represents District 27 which includes part of Charles County. Miller said legislators are interested in raising the level of quality of teachers, and using the best teachers to focus on the kids with the highest needs. "That's the future," he told the Board and Superintendent.The annual breakfast is a time for the Board of Education and Charles County's legislative delegation to share information, concerns and educational issues before the Maryland General Assembly convenes in January.Superintendent Kimberly Hill introduced a presentation showing the economic value of Charles County Public Schools (CCPS). "People always hear how education is a drain on taxpayers' money, but what does that investment lead to?" Hill said. The study, conducted by Beacon, an independent research group from Salisbury University, shows CCPS is a major contributor to Charles County's economy. Every $1 dollar from the CCPS operating budget that is spent and retained in the local economy results in total county spending of $1.81. CCPS makes an impact as the largest employer in Charles County, with nearly 2,375 of its 3,542 employees living in the county. Every CCPS job supports an additional .49 jobs in the local economy, according to the report.The study also explores the economic value of academic degrees awarded and the impact CCPS has on reducing public costs while increasing economic development opportunities. A complete copy of the Beacon report can be found at www.ccboe.com/aboutus/fastfacts.php Hill directed the discussion to the increase in the number of special education students enrolling in CCPS. Hill said CCPS provides a pathway for students to careers and college, as well as offers a safety net for kids. Special education, she said, is one of those safety nets.Amy Hollstein, deputy superintendent, explained the costs associated with providing services to both special education and non-English speaking students. "Last year, Charles County was No. 1 in the state for English Language Learners (ELL) coming into the school system." Hollstein told the stories of three special education students, showing how different levels of services can cost between $14,699 per student for most special education students to $42,296 per special education student needing the highest level of care. The average operating cost per pupil for fiscal year 2017 is $13,490.During the past five years, CCPS has enrolled 600 additional special education students with an increase of 200 more students this year than last year. Hollstein said the school system has managed the increased special education costs for the past several years, but the expenses are becoming greater than CCPS can handle in its existing operating budget.Board Chairman Virginia McGraw reminded legislators that the Board and staff are available for consult on any education issue that might surface in the coming legislative session.Members of the Charles County legislative delegation, including Miller, Sen. Thomas "Mac" Middleton, Del. Edith Patterson, Del. Susie Proctor and Del. C.T. Wilson, along with Charles County Commissioners' President Peter Murphy and Commissioner Ken Robinson, attended the meeting with the Board of Education and staff.Charles County Public Schools held the annual fall chess tournament on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Thomas Stone High School. A total of 94 students participated in the event, which is open to any student in grades kindergarten through 12.The tournament follows a Swiss-style format in which each student plays four games. Students competed in five grade-level divisions and trophies were awarded to first- and second-place winners. Other students that place among their division receive medals, and all participants received a certificate for their performance. Felix Cummings served as the tournament director.The following students were winners in their division:Grades kindergarten through second : Noah Sabol, first place, kindergarten, Dr. James Craik Elementary School; Finnis Dean, second place, first grade, William A. Diggs Elementary School; William Burke, third place, second grade, J.P. Ryon Elementary School; Melissa Magno, fourth place, second grade, Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School; and Paul Blachek, fifth place, kindergarten, T.C. Martin Elementary School.Grades three and four : Timothy Martinez, first place, fourth grade, William B. Wade Elementary School; Simon Dean, second place, third grade, Diggs; Chance Rodwell, third place, fourth grade, J.C. Parks Elementary School; Jacob Golder, tie for fourth place, third grade, Mary H. Matula Elementary School; Jake Minnich, tie for fourth place, fourth grade, Higdon; Alfred Cruz, fifth place, fourth grade, Wade; Gavin Bullock, sixth place, third grade, Diggs; and Manav Soni, seventh place, fourth grade, Matula.Grades five and six : Benjamin Moore, first place, sixth grade, Milton M. Somers Middle School; Jonathan Rand-Crawford, second place, sixth grade, St. Mary's Bryantown School; Michael Hudson, third place, fifth grade, Malcolm Elementary School; Jonathan Polz, fourth place, fifth grade, Parks; and Isaiah Robinson, fifth place, sixth grade, Mattawoman Middle School.Grades seven and eight : Arya Forohar, first place, seventh grade, Somers; Nathan Mickens, second place, seventh grade, Mattawoman; Jacob Stern, third place, eighth grade, John Hanson Middle School; Joseph Papagno, fourth place, eighth grade, Somers; and Leann Asher, fifth place, eighth grade, Piccowaxen Middle School.Grades nine through twelve : Kyle Noah Batchelor, first place, junior, North Point High School; Alexander Booth, second place, junior, North Point; James Tabourne, third place, sophomore, North Point; and Joseph Perriello, fourth place, senior, North Point.Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is accepting nominations for its 2017 Principal of the Year Award. The annual award honors exemplary principals and recognizes those who go beyond the day-to-day demands of their position to create an exceptional educational environment. The selected principal will also serve as Charles County's finalist in The Washington Post Principal of the Year awards program.The Post's Principal of the Year program is formerly known as the Distinguished Educational Leadership Award program. One finalist in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area will be selected as The Washington Post Principal of the Year.Teachers, students, former students, parents, administrators or community members may submit nominations. Nominees must have a minimum of five year's experience as a principal and three of those years must have been with Charles County Public Schools. Principals may not nominate themselves.Nomination materials must include a minimum of four statements of support, one of which must be submitted by a professional educator; a career summary (list of positions held, date and location of each, and degrees and certificates earned); a 200-word biography written to highlight the specific award for which the awardee was nominated; and a description of contributions in each of the nomination criteria categories.The nomination criteria categories are: manage effectively; demonstrate and encourage creativity and innovation; foster cooperation between the school and the community; maintain a continuing dialogue with students and parents as well as faculty and staff; keep abreast of developments in the field of education; encourage team spirit; demonstrate leadership and exemplify commitment; continue to play an active role in the classroom; and maintain their position as principal throughout the 2017-18 school year.Nomination materials must be included in a presentation binder that does not exceed 100 single pages. Included in the binder should be one laser print of a color vertical headshot photograph of the nominee as well as a disc including the electronic photo as a 3-by-5-inch jpeg file with minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi).Nominations are due by Wednesday, Jan. 4. Binders should be sent to Ramona DiBenedetto, Office of Human Resources, Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Md., 20646. Binders must include a completed cover page. The cover page, as well as additional nomination materials, is posted on the school system website at www.ccboe.com/jobs/emprec.php Charles County's 2017 Principal of the Year will be one of 19 finalists for The Post's Principal of the Year Award. The winner will be selected by a screening committee and kept confidential until The Washington Post runs its advertisement to announce the recipient. Contact DiBenedetto at 301-934-7242 or rdibenedetto@ccboe.com with questions.Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is accepting nominations for The Washington Post's 2017 Teacher of the Year Award. The annual award honors exemplary teachers who demonstrate excellence in teaching and outstanding leadership, encourage creative and quality instruction, and contribute in a substantive way to the improvement of education.One finalist in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area will be selected as The Washington Post Teacher of the Year. Charles County Public Schools' finalist will represent Charles County and be in the running for The Post's overall award. Nominees must be full-time teachers in grades prekindergarten through 12 and have a minimum of five years teaching experience; three of those years must have been with Charles County Public Schools.Teachers, students, former students, administrators or community members may submit nominations. Teachers may not nominate themselves. Nominees must also maintain their teaching position throughout the 2017-18 school year.Nomination materials include a minimum of four statements of support, one of which must be from a professional educator; a career summary (list of positions held, date and location of each, and degrees and certifications earned); a description of contributions in each of the nomination criteria categories; and a 200-word biography written to highlight the specific award for which the awardee was nominated.The nomination criteria categories are: instill in students a desire to learn and achieve; understand the individual needs of students, encourage their talents and foster their self-esteem; demonstrate a thorough knowledge of subject matter and the ability to share it effectively with students; foster cooperative relationships with their colleagues and the community; demonstrate outstanding leadership; and maintain their teaching position throughout the 2017-18 school year.Charles County's finalist for The Post's Teacher of the Year awards program will be recognized by The Post with other finalists from school districts in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.Nomination materials must be included in a presentation binder that does not exceed 100 single pages. Included in the binder should be one color laser print of a vertical headshot photograph of the nominee. The photo should also be downloaded to a disc as 3-by-5-inch jpeg file with a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi).Nominations are due by Wednesday, Jan. 4. Binders should be sent to Ramona DiBenedetto, Office of Human Resources, Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Md., 20646. Binders must include a completed cover page. The cover page, as well as other supporting materials, is posted on the school system website at www.ccboe.com/jobs/emprec.php The winner will be selected by a screening committee and kept confidential until The Washington Post runs its advertisement to announce the recipient. Contact DiBenedetto at 301-934-7242 or rdibenedetto@ccboe.com with questions.The Washington Post established the Teacher of the Year Award to recognize excellence in teaching, encourage creativity and quality instruction and to contribute in a substantive way to the improvement of education in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
At the Republican National Convention in July 2016, billionaire Peter Thiel spoke about the economy in a controversial speech urging votes for Donald Trump.

Good evening. Im Peter Thiel.

I build companies and I support people who are building new things, from social networks to rocket ships.

Im not a politician.

But neither is Donald Trump.

He is a builder, and its time to rebuild America.

Where I work in Silicon Valley, its hard to see where America has gone wrong.

My industry has made a lot of progress in computers and in software, and, of course, its made a lot of money.

But Silicon Valley is a small place.

Drive out to Sacramento, or even just across the bridge to Oakland, and you wont see the same prosperity. Thats just how small it is.

Across the country, wages are flat.

Americans get paid less today than ten years ago. But healthcare and college tuition cost more every year. Meanwhile Wall Street bankers inflate bubbles in everything from government bonds to Hillary Clintons speaking fees.

Our economy is broken. If youre watching me right now, you understand this better than any politician in Washington. And you know this isnt the dream we looked forward to. Back when my parents came to America looking for that dream, they found itright here in Cleveland.

They brought me here as a one-year-old, and this is where I became an American.

Opportunity was everywhere.

My Dad studied engineering at Case Western Reserve University, just down the road from where we are now. Because in 1968, the worlds high tech capital wasnt just one city: all of America was high tech.

Its hard to remember this, but our government was once high tech, too. When I moved to Cleveland, defense research was laying the foundations for the Internet. The Apollo program was just about to put a man on the moonand it was Neil Armstrong, from right here in Ohio.

The future felt limitless.

But today our government is broken. Our nuclear bases still use floppy disks. Our newest fighter jets cant even fly in the rain. And it would be kind to say the governments software works poorly, because much of the time it doesnt even work at all.

That is a staggering decline for the country that completed the Manhattan Project. We dont accept such incompetence in Silicon Valley, and we must not accept it from our government.

Instead of going to Mars, we have invaded the Middle East. We dont need to see Hillary Clintons deleted emails: her incompetence is in plain sight. She pushed for a war in Libya, and today its a training ground for ISIS. On this most important issue, Donald Trump is right. Its time to end the era of stupid wars and rebuild our country.

When I was a kid, the great debate was about how to defeat the Soviet Union. And we won. Now we are told that the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom.

This is a distraction from our real problems. Who cares?

Of course, every American has a unique identity.

I am proud to be gay.

I am proud to be a Republican.

But most of all I am proud to be an American.

I dont pretend to agree with every plank in our partys platform. But fake culture wars only distract us from our economic decline.

And nobody in this race is being honest about it except Donald Trump.

While it is fitting to talk about who we are, today its even more important to remember where we came from. For me that is Cleveland, and the bright future it promised.

When Donald Trump asks us to Make America Great Again, hes not suggesting a return to the past. Hes running to lead us back to that bright future.

Tonight I urge all of my fellow Americans to stand up and vote for Donald Trump.
(CNN) The Senate should take a hard look at ExxonMobil's record on gay rights when it considers the nomination of Rex Tillerson for secretary of state, a leading advocacy organization says.

The Human Rights Campaign, which ranks corporations on how they treat LGBTQ employees, has consistently given Exxon poor grades. Tillerson is the CEO and has worked at the company for most of his adult life.

"Rex Tillerson's nomination raises critical questions as to how a Trump administration plans to protect LGBTQ employees and contractors affiliated with the State Department, and ultimately whether it will continue American efforts to advance equality through U.S. foreign policy," HRC president Chad Griffin said in a statement.

On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump said he would nominate Tillerson to be the nation's top diplomat. The Senate debate over his confirmation is expected to focus on Tillerson's ties to Russia. Some Republicans have already voiced reservations.

But Exxon's history on gay rights also may come up.

When Exxon merged with Mobil in 1999, it eliminated Mobil's domestic partner benefits for gay and lesbian employees and removed a policy preventing discrimination on the basis on sexual orientation, according to HRC.

At the time, Tillerson was a senior executive responsible for the company's operations in Russia.

When the Human Rights Campaign launched its Corporate Equality Index in 2002, Exxon received a score of 14%. The survey rates companies on policies, benefits and practices for LGBTQ employees and their families.

Tillerson, now 64, became chief executive in 2006. That year, the index changed its criteria, and Exxon's score went down to 0%.

Since Tillerson took over, ExxonMobil has slowly made improvements -- though that may have more to do with federal policy changes than moral leadership.

In 2013, Exxon reintroduced health coverage for the same-sex spouses of its employees. The change came after the Treasury Department ruled that legally married same-sex couples should be considered married for federal tax purposes.

"The decision is consistent with the direction of most U.S. government agencies," ExxonMobil said in a statement at the time. "We have made no change in the definition of eligibility for our U.S. benefit plans. Spousal eligibility in our U.S. benefit plans has been and continues to be governed by the federal definition of marriage and spouse."

The company adjusted its anti-discrimination policy in 2015 to include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, according to the Human Rights Campaign. That revision followed President Obama's 2014 executive order requiring federal contractors to protect LGBTQ workers against discrimination. Exxon regularly contracts with the U.S. government.

Some shareholders had been pushing since 1999 for Exxon to expand the anti-discrimination policy. New York's retirement fund for state employees filed a request every year starting in 2001.

The company consistently opposed those proposals, calling them unnecessary. Shareholders voted them down until Exxon changed its policy to conform to the executive order in 2015.

Exxon says it has always barred discrimination against LGBTQ individuals.

"ExxonMobil does not discriminate, will not discriminate, and has not discriminated against members of the LGBT community. Period," former vice president for public affairs Ken Cohen wrote in a 2014 company blog post.

The company did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

The Human Rights Campaign now gives ExxonMobil an 85% rating on its Corporate Equality Index. It's an improvement, but the company still falls behind Walmart, Chevron, Apple and the 514 other businesses that earned a 100% score in the 2017 report.

Exxon's score was docked because its guidelines on philanthropy permit donations to non-religious organizations that discriminate against LGBTQ people, and because its anti-discrimination policy only covers LGBTQ employees in the U.S.
For many American families, there is no more beloved tradition than an annual Christmas season performance of The Nutcracker. At the Broward Center last weekend, this assertion proved true, with the Au Rene Theatre packed with children of all ages and their parentsboth straight and gay.

The ballet audiences have come to know is based on an 1816 fairy tale by E.T.A. Hoffman, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, a surprisingly scary story that would appeal to fans of the Brothers Grimm. Years later, Alexander Dumas, best known for The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, adapted the story with a happier disposition.

During a Christmas party at the home of Dr. and Frau Stahlbaum (Chase Swatosh and Callie Manning), young Marie (Renata Adarvez) is presented with a nutcracker by the mysterious Herr Drosselmeier (Didier Bramaz).

As night falls and Marie drifts to sleep, the nutcracker (Matthew Zide) comes to life and fights off an army of mischievous mice, led by the Mouse King (Swatosh). In the final scene, the nutcracker is transformed into a dashing prince who sweeps Marie off through the snow to a magical land with colorful inhabitants.

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was commissioned by Marius Petipa, chief ballet master of the Russian Imperial Ballet, to compose the music for a ballet that premiered in St. Petersburg in 1892. While that ballet was not successful, the music lived on in a suite of eight movements that would become one of Tchaikovskys most famous works.

The Nutcracker ballet gained widespread fame in the United States a half century later. George Balanchine, who grew up in Russia and danced the role of the nutcracker prince in 1919 at the age of 15, created his own version for the New York City Ballet in 1954. Other companies subsequently adopted Balanchines ballet or created their own versions, leading to the holiday tradition we know today. (For some companies, annual productions can generate 40 percent or more of their annual budgets.)

Unlike some other versions, Balanchines makes extensive use of children, especially in the second act. In this performance, students from the Miami City Ballet School took on the characters of toy soldiers, mice, hot chocolate and candy canes led by soloists and principals from the company.

Among the standout performances were Callie Manning, Coffee, performed to Tchaikovskys exotic Arabian Dance; the acrobatic Shimon Ito, Tea, danced to the Chinese Dance; and the dazzling Renan Cerdeiro, Candy Canes, who literally jumped through hoops in the Russian Dance, Trepak.

The roles of the princess and her prince are also cast with children, the capable and charming Adarvez and Zide. The future of ballet is assured, as demonstrated by their confidence throughout the performance.

If there were any opening night jitters, they were not apparent to the audience, which was filled with many much more nervous parents. Even the youngest dancers, appropriately costumed as tiny angels, swept across the stage in the geometric patterns that are so prominent in Balanchines larger dances.

The ballet comes to a brilliant climax in the Dance of the Flowers, with the dancers dressed in billowing technicolor orange and pink dresses designed by Haydee Morales, and the famed pas de deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier, Tricia Albertson and Reyneris Reyes.

The children in the audience were entranced throughout the entire productionespecially with the snow flurries that blanketed the stage during the snowflake dancebut most actually scooted to the edges of their seats as Albertson and Reyes flawlessly spun and leapt across the stage in glistening white satin and gold sequined costumes, the personification of Christmas magic and a memory that will be long cherished.

Miami City Ballet presents George Balanchines The Nutcracker at the Arsht Center in Miami, Dec. 17  24, and the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Dec. 28  30. Note that evening performances begin at 7 p.m. Tickets and more information are available at MiamiCityBallet.org.
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




Hosted by Nashvilles Steadfast Coffee in November, Commonwealth: A Coffee Cocktail Competition presented 13 pairs of one barista and one bartender, who each had five minutes to present a delicious cocktail using coffee as an ingredient to a panel of Music City judges. Proceeds for the event went to CORE, a nonprofit that benefits children of restaurant employees who are navigating life-altering conditions. After a battle that featured cocktail shakers, espresso shots, and some nice hats, the top three teams were crowned. Lets dive into the drinks that reigned supreme.

Third Place: Julia Jackson (Barista Parlor) and Mitchell Taylor (Urban Cowboy)

Bad Saint

Star anise rinse

1.25 ounces Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac

0.75 ounces pepper-bacon fat-wash cold brew with Barista Parlor Ethiopia Gera Estate (washed process)

1 teaspoon Mexican cola reduction

3 dashes Peychauds Bitters

1 dash Bitter Truth Celery Bitters

Stir ingredients with ice. Serve up. Express with lemon, garnish with fennel and star anise. Spritz with St. George Absinthe before serving.

Second Place: Evan Holder (Barista Parlor) and Andrew Hannigan (Rolf and Daughters)

Night Spirit

1.5 ounces Stolen Smoked Rum

0.75 ounces Barista Parlor Colombia El Cascabel cold brew

0.25 ounces lemon demerara syrup

0.5 ounces Bodegas Yuste Aurora Oloroso sherry

0.25 ounces Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Rinse glass with Stolen Jamaican Overproof Rum. Mix ingredients in tumbler. Light rinse in glass and douse with cocktail. Garnish with cocktail-infused blueberry covered in Trinidad chocolate.

First Place: Robbie Melton and Adam Milikin (Steadfast Coffee)

The Bitter End

25 milliliters Junipero Gin

15 milliliters Pamplemousse Rose

15 milliliters Jack Rudy Tonic

Double shot of Steadfast Kenya Othaya AA

Combine ingredients and stir with ice. Serve up and express with grapefruit.

Evan C. Jones is a Sprudge.com contributor based in St. Louis. Read more Evan C. Jones on Sprudge.
The first thing youll notice about the new Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters location in downtown Calgary will not be the expertly prepared coffee, or the six taps featuring everything from house-made kombucha to cold brew, or even the vegan doughnuts. The first thing youll notice is the stunning custom-built modular shelf system that takes up an entire wall of the cafe opposite the entrance. Lit up on the sleek warm wood and iron shelves are a variety of retail products and plenty of plants. One might expect these shelves to be taken up with bags of coffee and brewing equipmentthis is a cafe, after allbut instead they feature the work of local artisans and artists: beautiful handmade pottery, cutting boards made out of recycled skateboards, tiny plant terrariums, soy candles, and illustrated greeting cards curated by a favorite local arts market Market Collective.

Its a statement piece about what this cafe is, and what it hopes to be for the Calgary community. Designed by Toker + Associates, collaborators Angel Guerra and Angela Dione of Market Collective choose the artists featured on this incredibly display wall, and all sales proceeds go directly to the artists. For Sebastian Sztabzyb, the benefit is not in the business of selling the artists work. The benefit for us is that it looks beautiful and its a good local partnership. Co-owners Sztabzyb and Phil Robertson were inspired at The Mill in San Francisco about a year ago and saw The Mills own wall of beautiful retail. Instead of creating and carrying their own retail products, however, Sztabzyb and Robertson thought they would look to local partnerships to fill their space. The result is a beautiful feature wall in their newest cafe within a historic building in downtown Calgary.

Located in the 125 year-old Hudson Building, Phil & Sebastians new location sits at the corner of Centre Street and Stephen Avenue, almost perfectly centered within downtown Calgary. Downtown streets are generally quiet after work hours but Stephen Avenue is a destination in the core, which Sztabzyb acknowledges is just how he likes it. This kind of fits everything we do, he tells me. We have never been about 100-percent convenience. Weve always been a destination, no matter where we are. Its never been lets go in the most convenient spot where people can bump into the cafe and get this coffee. So this kind of fits. Within downtown, were kind of a destination.

Large windows face out to Stephen Avenue along one side of the cafe, with natural wood features and a forests worth of plants spread throughout, provided by local terrarium shop aptly called Plant. The lighting is all reclaimed from former factories and they have commissioned two large paintings from local artist Sarah Nordean to hang on the two sides of the entrance. On the coffee side, the new location is stripped down, catering to a whole new crowd of corporate workers downtown. There is no pour-over; instead they are featuring two batch brew coffees to keep things simple. For espresso, they are running a three-group Black Eagle Victoria Arduino espresso machine paired with Nuova Simonelli Mythos One Clima-Pro grinders. One interesting addition to the counter here is Phil & Sebastians new Juggler milk portioning system, which theyve modified with glycol lines to keep the milk at precisely one-degree Celsius at all times.

There are also the aforementioned six taps, featuring kombucha made with Vancouvers O5 Tea or their signature coffee and tonic drink, the Black and Tonic. The overall effect is one of ease and efficiency, with gear from the espresso machine on down designed to serve the cafes busy downtown customer base. But its the local partnerships that really steal the spotlight. This could have easily just been a commuter cafe; it is instead a cafe that serves also as a gallery space, offering a precious direct touch point between artists and consumers, with those locally designed works given pride of place.

The art here has been created by a roster of local artists who deeply, passionately care about what they do, expressing themselves through they joys and challenges of their craft. Its a spirit echoed by the coffee youre sipping at this charming new space on one of the coolest streets in downtown Calgary.

Elyse Bouvier is a Sprudge.com contributor based in Toronto. Read more Elyse Bouvier on Sprudge.
Thirty Gs, who recorded sub-1:55 miles in 10 consecutive years in a racing career that spanned 1992-2002, passed away on Thursday, December 8 at the Lebanon, Kentucky farm of his owner-trainer, Jack Gray Jr. He was 26.

A son of Nihilator out of the Shadow Wave mare Savilla Almahurst, Thirty Gs made 215 starts over his career, posting 58 wins, 34 seconds and 20 thirds, with earnings of $346,369. Fourteen of his wins came at the Red Mile, including his career-best effort of 1:51.3, which was recorded in 1997 while capturing a late-closer with Walter Haynes Jr. driving.

Gray said Thirty Gs' most memorable victory came in a late-closer at the Red Mile in 2001 when he closed from 11th at the three-quarters to win in 1:53.2 with Jim Robinson driving. The $6,000 winner's cheque equalled his biggest cheque ever.

"He was around and lasted a long time, but the race that sticks out in my mind was when I put him in a late-closer at Lexington when he was 11 years old and he beat the younger horses," remembered Gray.

At three in 1993, Thirty Gs won a race at the Red Mile in 1:53.3, and over the next nine years he also posted an annual mark of 1:55 or better. At the time of his retirement in 2002, Thirty Gs was the only horse to ever post sub-1:55 miles for 10 consecutive years.

Savilla Almahurst was sold while in foal by breeder Almahurst Bloodstock to Storm Haven Farm. The resulting foal, a colt named Hi Ho Savilla, was purchased as a yearling for $27,000 by Lynn Jones, Bill Brewer and Tim Tevis. The new owners then re-named the colt Thirty Gs.

Chip Noble trained Thirty Gs as a two-year-old, after which he was consigned to the fall Tattersalls Mixed Sale, where he was purchased by Gray's father-in-law, Everett Worley, for $42,000.

"The bidding started at $15,000 and Mr. Worley was in it all the way," Gray noted in a 2002 story in Hoof Beats magazine. "I even asked him to quit at one stage, but he stayed inIt was so exciting, because I hadn't expected to get this colt."

Gray later bought into Thirty Gs and has been the sole owner since 1996. Gray also drove Thirty Gs several times, including in a Kentucky Sires Stakes victory in 2003 at Riverside Downs. Thirty Gs also set several track marks along the way, including a 1:51.4f effort in 1995 at Scioto Downs that set a new standard for older pacers.

Upon his retirement from racing, Thirty Gs bred a limited number of mares over the years through 2008. His best performer is Letcher p,3,1:52.4s ($320,868).

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Thirty Gs.

(Harnessracing.com)
The essential component of totalitarian propaganda is artifice (het toepassen van kunstgrepen. svh) . The ruling elites, like celebritie...
Harriet Beecher Stowe is reputed  in Stowe family legend at least  to have been greeted by President Lincoln with, Is this the little woman who made this great war?

Uncle Toms Cabin, Stowes novel that dramatized government-sanctioned human bondage, is credited, somewhat fancifully, with moving American public opinion about slavery and helping start the US Civil War.

This documentary film aims to explain why United States media, in contrast to most of the worlds, omit the Palestinian story, and thus why US public opinion favors Israel so markedly.

The film organizes the evidence in plain sight of the unnatural situation that has been maintained in US news reporting  the tropes that reinforce Zionist ideology, and recognize only Jewish Israeli life as imperiled.

Roger Waters narrates that during the July 2014 Israeli assault on Gaza, lasting 51 days  using 20 thousand tons of explosives  The sheer scale of the attack provoked outrage and condemnation around the world.

But in the United States the story was different. Polls showed the American people holding firm in their support for Israel.

Aerial surveys of Gaza now show vast wastelands and ruins of that urban area, holding more than 1.8 million people, the majority exiles from present-day Israel.

The films title, The Occupation of the American Mind communicates the hope that once the mechanisms are seen, they cant be unseen.

During operation Protective Shield (summer 2014), as during Operation Cast Lead (2008-09), the plea that Israel has the right to defend itself dominated American reporting.

With deft editing, the film shows a risible sequence of Israeli spokesmen, American politicians (up to President Obama) and US newscasters all repeating the same lines of Israeli vulnerability and Arab menace.

We can presume that by understanding the highly calculated effort of American public relations experts and Israeli officials to explain the asymmetry of power and suffering between Jewish nationalist forces and Arab civilians, inexorably losing homes and homeland  a passion for justice in Americans will be excited.

The United States is one gentile culture where the Zionist narrative dominates. Key is control of language, controlling thought. US Pollster Frank Luntz was commissioned to maintain this, producing a  dictionary  of language to use  a playbook for shading domination as defense.

When a narrative is so dominant, without any visible dissent or complication, its extremely difficult to make clear to people that it is basically a propaganda story. How do you make that clear when the spectacle is so unrelenting and total? NYU scholar Mark Crispin Miller, one of the films media studies experts, asks.

What would break the spell? The New York Times made a baby step with its concession in an editorial January 2016 that the Two-state solution is fading.

In a masterwork of understatement, an American official is quoted by the Times, saying of the settlements that began in late 1967 and continue in 2016, It is starting to look like a de facto annexation.

(Israel has moved 3/4 million Jews into the captured territories, including a surprisingly large proportion whove moved from the United States).

The argument that the occupied Palestinian territories are held by Israel for security reasons serves to screen territorial expansion, the film argues.

If you buy that (security) argument, then its a license to occupy indefinitely, media and militarism critic Norman Solomon explains in the film. (Disclosure: Norman Solomon is my brother.)

The film reports the overwhelming financial contributions to American politicians advocating the Jewish nationalist narrative in Palestine, and shows clips from the many public devotionals that congressmen, cabinet members and presidents attend, to pledge what can fairly be described as Zionist allegiance.

Historian Rashid Khalidi of Columbia University says that American media provides no sense of how this started, where the animus comes from. Its completely inexplicable in the way its generally presented  these people (Palestinians) kill because they hate, and they hate because theyre irrational Muslim fanatics, or whatever.

In American politics on this issue, we can notice things that dont happen, as Sherlock Holmes noted the dog that didnt bark.

When American Jewish legislators speak of their devotion to Israel, no fuss follows, and brilliant non-Jewish politicians like Joe Biden have made careers steeped in American Zionism and mirroring that loyalty.

A January 6 article by Hillary Clinton for the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles is an example of the predominant way of relating to Israel/Palestine by centrist US politicians.

Her alignment with Israel is slavish, with a promise to raise the US-Israel relationship to the next level. Clinton proclaims her deep emotional connection with Israel.

The procession of American presidential candidates at last weeks American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington (except for Senator Bernie Sanders) gave a graphic demonstration of the place of Israel as something like an honorary US state.

I hypothesize one contributing reason for the American atmosphere: for some American Jews, Jewish statehood is integral to their Jewish identity. Most Americans have not known Palestinians or Arabs, so making sense of the situation requires relating to what they do know  fellow Americans who are Jews.

From that perspective, Americans can imagine Israel as just like the American Jews who are their neighbors, friends, and associates, with no idea of the complexities.

American demographic changes require that Arab-Americans remain a dangerous Other, for the phenomenon of Israeli-American twinning to continue. Otherwise, countervailing sympathy and empathy with Arabs will operate. For Israels purposes, Syrias chaos and evisceration is a godsend, associating Arabs with danger.

With more exposure, the Ku Klux Klan-like behavior of settlers in the occupied Judea and Samaria and the Klan-like blending of religious identity and bigotry in Jewish supremacism may repulse Americans.

However, for Americans to understand the Israeli violence systematically unleashed on captive Palestinians would be to sense a hint of the violence that the United States unleashed methodically in achievement of its North American empire

That, and much of Americas direct and proxy military adventurism abroad since, has been invisible to the public, much as Israels infliction of death and suffering is invisible as precursor to unprovoked Arab attacks.

Will Americans become conversant with Israeli, Zionist and Palestinian history, if their own is hidden from them?

One difference from the North American settler-colonialism is the Jewish claim of indigeneity, with accusations that Arabs are settlers in Palestine who should by rights move or be expelled from the state of the Jewish people.

A film of this sort can only review so much Zionist and Palestine history to set the scene. The producers did a nice job fitting in a lot of content, selectively, in the time.

(The US organization Jewish Voice for Peace made an animated short,  Israeli/Palestinian Conflict 101 ,that shows the challenge of compressing facts and sequences of events of Zionism and Palestine. Their summary is 6.5 minutes.)

Intended as an educational film to join the Media Education Foundations strong list, The Occupation of the American Mind, the work of writer/producers Loretta Alper and Jeremy Earp, is invaluable as a contrast to Israels fantasy world in media.

(The film is not about an allied subject, the Zionist Occupation of the American Jewish Mind, where another fantasy world operates, where Jews heroically rebuild Jewish sovereignty.)

The film concentrates on American media dating from the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and the formalization of Israels Western-media Hasbara/PR institutions in reaction to horror at consequences of Israels Lebanon occupation. (Bombardment and siege of Beirut, and massacre at Sabra and Shatilla)

The films coda surveys pro-Palestinian campus activism and alliance-building with African American and other groups locked out of the American narrative, younger Americans awakening to the Palestinian perception of events.

A series of Pew polls show that among American young people, Democrats, and independents, sympathy for Palestinian Arabs is growing, and the Republican party is becoming the repository of unconditional Israel advocacy.

Among developed nations, the United States has an unusually high proportion of religious believers, and more Christian Zionists than US Jews figure in the Republican Partys embrace of militant Zionism.

In the film, executive producer Sut Jhally makes that point: In fact, its not accurate to call it the Jewish lobby. It is the Israel lobby, not consistent with the views of most American Jews.

It is difficult to imagine that Americans will become conversant with subtleties of Zionist and Jewish history. One might expect revulsion as the system of political contributions and targeted propaganda to ensure and manipulate American support is illustrated.

Film clips of Israeli violence at checkpoints and demonstrations are followed by Media Education Foundation founder Jhally commenting:

The more Americans are able to see realities of the occupation with their own eyes, to see routine daily violence, to see repression and humiliation that never make it into mainstream news, the more they will question the image of Israel as this tiny little David up against this bullying Arab goliath, and start to wonder if its the outgunned Palestinians who are the Davids here. When that starts to become the dominant perception here in the US, all bets are off. It all comes down to American popular perception.

Noam Chomsky ends the film saying, The US government will support it as long as the US population tolerates it.

If the image of Israel becomes that of a cruel oppressor, may the shift be as consequential as when Harriet Beecher Stowes novel was part of a march to Civil War?




Western politicians, experts and journalists are going to have to reboot their stories over the next few days now that Bashar al-Assads army has retaken control of eastern Aleppo . Were going to find out if the 250,000 civilians trapped in the city were indeed that numerous. Were going to hear far more about why they were not able to leave when the Syrian government and Russian air force staged their ferocious bombardment of the eastern part of the city.

And were going to learn a lot more about the rebels whom we in the West  the US, Britain and our head-chopping mates in the Gulf  have been supporting.

They did, after all, include al-Qaeda (alias Jabhat al-Nusra , alias Jabhat Fateh al-Sham ), the folk  as George W Bush called them  who committed the crimes against humanity in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on 11 September 2001. Remember the War on Terror? Remember the pure evil of al-Qaeda. Remember all the warnings from our beloved security services in the UK about how al-Qaeda can still strike terror in London?

Not when the rebels, including al-Qaeda, were bravely defending east Aleppo, we didnt  because a powerful tale of heroism, democracy and suffering was being woven for us, a narrative of good guys versus bad guys as explosive and dishonest as weapons of mass destruction.

Back in the days of Saddam Hussein  when a few of us argued that the illegal invasion of Iraq would lead to catastrophe and untold suffering, and that Tony Blair and George Bush were taking us down the path to perdition  it was incumbent upon us, always, to profess our repugnance of Saddam and his regime. We had to remind readers, constantly, that Saddam was one of the Triple Pillars of the Axis of Evil.

So here goes the usual mantra again, which we must repeat ad nauseam to avoid the usual hate mail and abuse that will today be cast at anyone veering away from the approved and deeply flawed version of the Syrian tragedy.

Yes, Bashar al-Assad has brutally destroyed vast tracts of his cities in his battle against those who wish to overthrow his regime. Yes, that regime has a multitude of sins to its name: torture, executions, secret prisons, the killing of civilians, and  if we include the Syrian militia thugs under nominal control of the regime  a frightening version of ethnic cleansing.

Yes, we should fear for the lives of the courageous doctors of eastern Aleppo and the people for whom they have been caring. Anyone who saw the footage of the young man taken out of the line of refugees fleeing Aleppo last week by the regimes intelligence men should fear for all those who have not been permitted to cross the government lines. And lets remember how the UN grimly reported it had been told of 82 civilians massacred in their homes in the last 24 hours.

But its time to tell the other truth: that many of the rebels whom we in the West have been supporting  and which our preposterous Prime Minister Theresa May indirectly blessed when she grovelled to the Gulf head-choppers last week  are among the cruellest and most ruthless of fighters in the Middle East. And while we have been tut-tutting at the frightfulness of Isis during the siege of Mosul (an event all too similar to Aleppo, although you wouldnt think so from reading our narrative of the story), we have been willfully ignoring the behaviour of the rebels of Aleppo.

Only a few weeks ago, I interviewed one of the very first Muslim families to flee eastern Aleppo during a ceasefire. The father had just been told that his brother was to be executed by the rebels because he crossed the frontline with his wife and son. He condemned the rebels for closing the schools and putting weapons close to hospitals. And he was no pro-regime stooge; he even admired Isis for their good behaviour in the early days of the siege.

Around the same time, Syrian soldiers were privately expressing their belief to me that the Americans would allow Isis to leave Mosul to again attack the regime in Syria. An American general had actually expressed his fear that Iraqi Shiite militiamen might prevent Isis from fleeing across the Iraqi border to Syria.

Well, so it came to pass. In three vast columns of suicide trucks and thousands of armed supporters, Isis has just swarmed across the desert from Mosul in Iraq, and from Raqqa and Deir ez-Zour in eastern Syria to seize the beautiful city of Palmyra all over again.

It is highly instructive to look at our reporting of these two parallel events. Almost every headline today speaks of the fall of Aleppo to the Syrian army  when in any other circumstances, we would have surely said that the army had recaptured it from the rebels  while Isis was reported to have recaptured Palmyra when (given their own murderous behaviour) we should surely have announced that the Roman city had fallen once more under their grotesque rule.

0:00 / 1:02 Opposition activists accuse Syrian regime of chlorine attack in Aleppo

Words matter. These are the men  our chaps, I suppose, if we keep to the current jihadi narrative  who after their first occupation of the city last year beheaded the 82-year-old scholar who tried to protect the Roman treasures and then placed his spectacles back on his decapitated head.

By their own admission, the Russians flew 64 bombing sorties against the Isis attackers outside Palmyra. But given the huge columns of dust thrown up by the Isis convoys, why didnt the American air force join in

Words matter. These are the men  our chaps, I suppose, if we keep to the current jihadi narrative  who after their first occupation of the city last year beheaded the 82-year-old scholar who tried to protect the Roman treasures and then placed his spectacles back on his decapitated head.

By their own admission, the Russians flew 64 bombing sorties against the Isis attackers outside Palmyra. But given the huge columns of dust thrown up by the Isis convoys, why didnt the American air force join in the bombardment of their greatest enemy? But no: for some reason, the US satellites and drones and intelligence just didnt spot them  any more than they did when Isis drove identical convoys of suicide trucks to seize Palmyra when they first took the city in May 2015.

Theres no doubting what a setback Palmyra represents for both the Syrian army and the Russians  however symbolic rather than military. Syrian officers told me in Palmyra earlier this year that Isis would never be allowed to return. There was a Russian military base in the city. Russian aircraft flew overhead. A Russian orchestra had just played in the Roman ruins to celebrate Palmyras liberation.

So what happened? Most likely is that the Syrian military simply didnt have the manpower to defend Palmyra while closing in on eastern Aleppo.

They will have to take Palmyra back  quickly. But for Bashar al-Assad, the end of the Aleppo siege means that Isis, al-Nusra, al-Qaeda and all the other Salafist groups and their allies can no longer claim a base, or create a capital, in the long line of great cities that form the spine of Syria: Damascus, Homs, Hama and Aleppo.

Back to Aleppo. The familiar and now tired political-journalistic narrative is in need of refreshing. The evidence has been clear for some days. After months of condemning the iniquities of the Syrian regime while obscuring the identity and brutality of its opponents in Aleppo, the human rights organisations  sniffing defeat for the rebels  began only a few days ago to spread their criticism to include the defenders of eastern Aleppo.

Take the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. After last week running through its usual  and perfectly understandable  fears for the civilian population of eastern Aleppo and their medical workers, and for civilians subject to government reprisals and for hundreds of men who may have gone missing after crossing the frontlines, the UN suddenly expressed other concerns.

During the last two weeks, Fatah al-Sham Front [in other words, al-Qaeda] and the Abu Amara Battalion are alleged to have abducted and killed an unknown number of civilians who requested the armed groups to leave their neighbourhoods, to spare the lives of civilians..., it stated.

We have also received reports that between 30 November and 1 December, armed opposition groups fired on civilians attempting to leave. Furthermore, indiscriminate attacks had been conducted on heavily civilian areas of government-held western as well as rebel eastern Aleppo.

I suspect we shall be hearing more of this in the coming days. Next month, we shall also be reading a frightening new book, Merchants of Men, by Italian journalist Loretta Napoleoni, on the funding of the war in Syria. She catalogues kidnapping-for-cash by both government and rebel forces in Syria, but also has harsh words for our own profession of journalism.

Reporters who were kidnapped by armed guard in eastern Syria, she writes, fell victim to a sort of Hemingway syndrome: war correspondents supporting the insurgency trust the rebels and place their lives in their hands because they are in league with them. But, the insurgency is just a variation of criminal jihadism, a modern phenomenon that has only one loyalty: money.

Is this too harsh on my profession? Are we really in league with the rebels?

Certainly our political masters are  and for the same reason as the rebels kidnap their victims: money. Hence the disgrace of Brexit May and her buffoonerie of ministers who last week prostrated themselves to the Sunni autocrats who fund the jihadis of Syria in the hope of winning billions of pounds in post-Brexit arms sales to the Gulf.

In a few hours, the British parliament is to debate the plight of the doctors, nurses, wounded children and civilians of Aleppo and other areas of Syria. The grotesque behaviour of the UK Government has ensured that neither the Syrians nor the Russians will pay the slightest attention to our pitiful wails. That, too, must become part of the story.




There once was a wolf. He lived neither rich nor poor, but he thought that he was quite enough. The fact that his main profession (namely, that all the wolves in his dynasty were able to do well, and with indescribable inspiration) were robbery and fraud. And the more he gravitated to the fraud, rather than to the robbery. At that were logical reasons - he was physically weak, but was well read and possessed a lively analytical mind. Why not be said about his father - it was a fierce stupid bruiser the size of a one-story house that all the issues solved by brute force. That he was a robber to the marrow - Rogue with a capital letter.



Feared him all the forest in the surrounding villages and towns, in neighboring duchies and even Paris, the royal court ever discussed the new more fantastic and more terrible rumors about a certain monster. Therefore, his name was Monster. And our wolf simply called Wolf. Wolf was clever and tried to work in the background and Keep it safe. He shook his childhood years on the condition misses his father, he studied on his experience. Even in adolescence, Wolf realized that fame and popularity here - not the best of companions. In his wolf brain rebelled well that day, when his fame father and the fear that he instilled in every citizen of France, to destroy him. Until now, the wolf is sometimes remove these red flags, these torches, the growing roar of the crowd, armed with pitchforks and axes, distraught with fear and bourbon from royal granaries.
Editors note: What happened too ... ? is a 10-part series updating significant stories. It will appear daily through Dec. 21.

Eight months after Nimble Trailers announced it would open a new factory that would employ hundreds of workers in in Longview, financing has fizzled out.

The Colorado-based company planned to build a manufacturing plant on 6.7 acres of property owned by the Sari family near the junction of California Way and Industrial Way. The company estimated it would create 500 new jobs within four years  roughly the same number of employees at the liquid packaging board plant formerly owned by Weyerhaeuser Co.

Originally, Nimble Trailers director of manufacturing, Todd Wessels, said in April that the company hoped to break ground in June. Although Nimble had signed a contract with the Saris, the company never put down any earnest money or financing on the project.

Two investors in the project dropped out because Nimble Trailers didnt have a prototype of its trailers ready in time, said Pat Sari, owner of the property and principal dealer of Columbia Ford.

Sari said he hasnt talked Nimble representatives for quite some time.

Joe Phillips, economic development coordinator for the city, said Wessels apparently has been dealing with some personal problems, too, that have hindered the deal.

The companys website and Wessels email address have been suspended. Calls placed to Wessels and the company went unanswered.

While Sari isnt sure what will happen Nimble Trailers, he is optimistic about the property and the town in general. At least once a week he receives a call from a prospective buyer for the property, he said.

Im a conservative optimist. Longview has a lot of good things going for it, Sari said.
hidden

BP's refining operations are exposed to high safety risks that can lead to deadly accidents and pollution as a result of slack data management and a lack of investment, according to a leaked internal report from 2015.

The report, co-authored by BP, IBM and industry consultancy WorleyParsons, states that the British company's refining and petrochemical business, known as downstream, is trailing rivals such as Royal Dutch Shell by up to seven years in managing information to reduce safety risks and financial losses.

"Inadequate management and use of engineering information has been a root cause or contributing factor" in 15 percent of 500 high-risk incidents reviewed in the report, which was provided by Greenpeace.

BP has improved its safety record since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico where 11 people were killed and which led to the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. BP had no fatalities among its employees in 2014 and 2015 compared with four in 2013 and one in each of the previous two years, according to company data. Among BP contractors, there were three fatalities in 2014 and one in 2015.

In comments on the leaked report, BP said it was "committed to safe, reliable and compliant operations. With that in mind, BP regularly conducts internal assessments in an effort to make improvements to its operations". "This particular report focused on potential enhancements to how BP manages engineering data. It is not an analysis of any operational incidents, and any suggestion that this report indicates BP is wavering from its safety commitment is wrong," a company spokesman said.

The most significant incident recorded by the authors occurred in January 2014 at the 413,500 barrels per day (bpd) Whiting, Indiana refinery which cost BP $258 million in lost production. The incident at the gasoil hydrotreater unit, which removes sulphur from oil, was due to "multiple deficiencies in engineering information management".

At the Hull petrochemical plant in northern England equipment that was not operated correctly led to losses of $35 million to $45 million. BP's safety record came in to focus in 2005 when a blast at its Texas City refinery killed 15 workers and injured 180 others. BP was fined $84.6 million by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration between 2005 and 2012 for safety rules violations found at the refinery in investigations following the blast.

The report said highly material safety risk and financial performance issues remained due to "the lack of refining and petrochemicals-wide direction, governance, coordination and investment". The upstream segment, which produces oil and gas, has further work to do but is significantly ahead of downstream, the report said, reflecting the big focus BP has placed on safety after the Deepwater Horizon explosion.

Greenpeace UK's senior climate adviser Charlie Kronick said in a statement that "BP's sloppy approach to a crucial aspect of safety hasn't changed". "The same happy-go-lucky attitude that played a role in major accidents in the past is seemingly still reflected in the management of safety information across the oil giants operations from rig to refinery."

Reuters
tech2 News Staff

Cyclone Vardah has not only wreaked havoc on Chennai and the surrounding countryside; its also temporarily brought the nations internet to its knees. How could a single cyclone affect an entire nation as vast as India?

It isnt entirely wrong to say that the internet is our lifeline. It determines how effectively were able to transact, interact and satiate our appetite for information. And considering that we're currently undergoing a transition towards becoming a digital economy, internet connectivity is all the more important.

Unfortunately, we only realise the significance of this lifeline when we witness a downtime. Thats one of the impacts of the recent Cyclone Vardah in Chennai. But why would a cyclone geographically far away from western or northern India manage to impact users in Mumbai or even Delhi? What probably seemed like an isolated cyclone passing through the southern peninsula of India, did have an impact on many of us living far in the hinterland.

How we're wired as a nation

In case you're wondering, the internet is essentially a network of networks that handle data. When you interact with the internet, the requisite information is passed around interconnected networks that make up the internet via a complicated matrix of routers and servers until each piece of the information reaches its intended destination. This happens each time you're enjoying a video on YouTube or engaging in that pointless conversation on WhatsApp. As long as you're dependent on a data network, you're connected to a network of networks.

These networks work in a hierarchy. Any internet Service Provider (ISP) such as MTNL, You Broadband or Airtel, owns and operates a network. Let's consider the region of Mumbai to begin with. All the networks in Mumbai will connect to larger, city-wide networks which connect to statewide networks which then connect to nationwide networks and then to a global network to form the internet. With the kind of bandwidths we're talking about, it's impossible to interconnect without optical fiber cables.

In India, access to the global network happens via four gateways located one each in Chennai, Mumbai, Cochin and Tuticorin. These gateways connect India directly with Europe, Singapore, Africa, the Middle East and other countries, usually via submarine cables (India has 8 such cables).

Simply put, if you're able to access websites faster, it's because these gateways are effectively and optimally balancing load to the network of networks. These gateways or nodes are points of interconnect  between India and the world wide web.

These gateways transfer data to and from India at speeds measuring in terabytes per second. If even one goes down, Indias entire internet traffic is directly affected. Because the load isnt evenly distributed on these gateways, any downtime can have a disproportionate effect on Indias internet speeds.

The Chennai gateway is one of the largest gateways in India. We spoke to Dr. Govind, former CEO of NIXI to understand the significance of Chennai in the internet landscape of India. He said, "The internet is very critical for the country. We're going through a monetary policy change and hope to become a digital economy. We're growing as a country of internet citizens from 400 million internet users to approximately 750 million users, with a vast majority of them coming from the hinterland. Chennai is an important hub."

He adds that damage control measures would be carried out and internet traffic would be routed either to redundancy points in Mumbai or towards Singapore. Despite receiving notifications around possibly slow internet browsing that was attributed to Cyclone Vardah, the overall re-routing of traffic seemed to have avoided a shutdown of the internet in India.

What is the potential loss?

We tried reaching out to industrial bodies and analysts to get an idea of direct loss or impact of the cyclone. We haven't received responses to our queries yet, with some declining to comment stating the lack official tracking of potential loss arising out of a natural calamity on the technology sector in India. In addition being an internet gateway, Chennai is also critical to the banking fraternity since it is a major IT hub for banks to house critical servers.

In effect, a sizeable percentage of failed transactions or sluggish internet payment gateways could be attributed to a drop in internet connection speeds due to Cyclone Vardah. The importance of the Chennai gateway is enhanced by the fact that Google operates data centres and a peering hub in Chennai (and another in Mumbai). By some estimates, Googles Chennai hub handles half of Indias internet traffic.

And it's worth nothing that India's vast network of approximately 2 lakh ATMs are dependent on ISPs for internet connectivity. If ATMs are unable to authenticate transactions, they will inevitably fail.

Peering refers to a direct connection between two ISPs (or servers) and a data centre is a store of data. Google uses data centres to store (or cache) frequently accessed data. Say youre watching a video on YouTube, its a very bandwidth intensive action as youre consuming a lot of data. Google dumps all of this YouTube data into a data centre in India to reduce the cost of transferring that data to and from servers thousands of kilometres away.

ISPs can peer with Google and access those data centres directly, effectively giving you cheaper and faster access to YouTube and other Google services. The problem is that the majority of ISPs have done just this, but without sufficient redundancies in place.

When Cyclone Vardah hit Chennai, it damaged network infrastructure and possibly damaged the submarine cable connecting Chennai to Singapore. It also damaged or temporarily disabled access to Googles Chennai data centre and peering hub. As a result, Google had to scramble to reroute its data and internet traffic to Mumbai, Delhi and elsewhere.

In some cases, connections to Singapore were even routed through Europe, which makes for a rather long and complicated route. If youre interested, a riveting but extremely technical explanation of the situation can be found on Varun Priolkars blog here.

So the next time you're hit by a cyclone, don't be surprised if the resulting domino effect ends up affecting your ISP, and in effect, your internet experience.
tech2 News Staff

Cyclone Vardah has been wreaking havoc in Tamil Nadu, and internet service providers are now sending out alerts to their customers about disruptions in service. The connectivity problems are apparently caused because of the Cyclone affecting two major internet gateways in India. Apart from the gateway located at Chennai itself, the other major gateway affected seems to be the one in Agartala, which opened earlier this year, to boost the capacity and improve speeds.

You Broadband, a leading supplier of internet services in South India has sent out a message to customers alerting them of a problem of slow speeds. The alert acknowledges a slow down in services, and attributes the slow speeds to internet gateways affected by the cyclone. In replies to queries by customers on slow speeds, Vodafone has replied that services are disrupted because of the cyclone. Many customers who reached out to Vodafone over Twitter are getting similar responses.

https://twitter.com/VodafoneIN/status/808598672086798336

https://twitter.com/VodafoneIN/status/808598673710055424

https://twitter.com/VodafoneIN/status/808598675253579777

Users have taken to Twitter to point out the slow speeds. Connectivity for both wired and wireless broadband services seem to be affected.

https://twitter.com/itsdamslife/status/808594130804752384

https://twitter.com/roshanpolekar/status/808371163315531777

Other service providers, including Airtel and Hathway have alerted their subscribers to potential issues with internet speeds. It's also been reported that banking sites were unable to process transactions for many hours and that Air India struggled with MasterCard transactions.

A disruption in internet services can slow down the recovery process. If you are experiencing slow internet connections, particularly in South India, then Cyclone Vardah is the reason.
tech2 News Staff

Google is celebrating the 105th Anniversary of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen's successful expedition to the South Pole. Amundsen initially wanted to be the first to reach the North Pole, but secretly changed the plans to head south after reports of expeditions by Frederick Cook and Robert Peary that both reached the North Pole. Amundsen kept his plans secret from his crew members and financiers.

Funding for the expedition dried out after the reports of other expeditions reaching the North Pole. Amundsen mortgaged his house to fund the expedition and risked utter financial ruin if the expedition to the South Pole were to fail.

Amundsen procured one hundred of the strongest sled dogs for use in the expedition. The ship, Fram, was equipped with a library of three thousand books, musical instruments and a gramophone to keep the morale of the crew high. The secrecy of the expedition and evasive answers from superiors meant that the crew had low morale for a part of the voyage, but everyone wholeheartedly agreed to the change of plans once Amundsen revealed it to the crew.

A base was established in the Bay of Whales and there was a disastrous false start where the expedition tried to reach the South Pole when it was too cold. Some sled dogs were lost and the explorers rushed back to base after realising that their start had been premature. After waiting for spring to break, the expedition started again and marched successfully to the South Pole. The expedition planted the flag of Norway over the South Pole and left unmistakable evidence of their presence to make sure that there was no contradictory claims in the future.

Amundsen surveyed the South Pole thoroughly to make sure that no previous expedition had reached there. British Explorer Robert Falcon Scott also reached the South Pole five weeks after Amundsen's team. Scott had provided support and equipment to the Amundsen expedition and Amundsen had kept his plans secret from Scott. All members of Scott's Terra Nova expedition died on the way back from the South Pole, but their diaries were recovered in a rescue mission.

Amundsen navigated Fram to Tasmania and informed news organisations of his successful expedition. Eleven dogs of the hundred survived the expedition and some were used as food on the march to the South Pole. Some have criticised Amundsen's tactics because of the sneaky manner in which he got to the South Pole.

Although the British Press generally lauded his efforts, the ex-Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, insultingly raised a toast for Amundsen by saying "Three Cheers to the Dogs" when Amundsen addressed the Royal Geographical Society. British explorers had an aversion to using sled dogs on polar expeditions.
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Alphabets Google is racing to hire more conservatives for its lobbying and policy arm, trying to get a foothold in President-elect Donald Trumps Washington after enjoying a uniquely close relationship with the administration of President Barack Obama. In the weeks since the Nov. 8 election, Google has ramped up efforts to hire Republican lobbying firms and in-house lobbyists to change the composition of its Washington office, according to three lobbyists with knowledge of the matter.

The company also posted an advertisement for a manager for conservative outreach and public policy partnership, seeking a "liaison to conservative, libertarian and free market groups." While the position is not new, it gives Google a chance to make a hire that reflects the new political climate. Conservatives already are represented in the office. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment on the record for this article.

Chief Executive Officer Larry Page of Alphabet, Google's parent company, is expected to be in the room on Wednesday when Trump convenes a gathering of leaders of some of the largest technology companies in his New York headquarters. The session, organized by Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, adviser Reince Priebus and Trump supporter and tech financier Peter Thiel, is billed as an introductory meeting that would not result in any job or investment announcements, two sources briefed on the talks said.

Others attending are Apple Inc Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, Facebook Inc Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos, Tesla Motors Inc CEO Elon Musk, Microsoft Corp CEO Satya Nadella and Oracle CEO Safra Catz, according to sources familiar with the session plans. The Information Technology Industry Council, a trade group whose members include Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, had a conference call last Friday to discuss policy objectives it could agree on to present to Trump, according to a person familiar with the call.

Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the election campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption. His surprise victory alarmed many companies, which fear he might follow through on his pledges. Trump has also opposed the Obama administration's "net neutrality" rules, ordered in 2015 by the communications regulator to reclassify broadband internet services to treat them more like public utilities. The rule is now said to be headed for a reversal.

Google bet heavily on Clinton

Liberal-leaning Silicon Valley bet heavily on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton winning the White House, and many technology companies have found themselves scrambling in the wake of Trump's election. But Google, which forged deep ties to the Obama White House and was the largest corporate contributor to Clinton's campaign, appears to have been caught especially off guard, Washington insiders said.

Only 33 employees of Google and its parent company Alphabet donated $201 or more to Trump, for a total of $23,300. Clinton received donations from 1,359 Google or Alphabet employees for a total of $1.6 million. Google NetPAC, the company's political action committee, made 56 percent of its contributions to Republicans in the 2016 election cycle, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.

During Obama's presidency, more than 250 people moved between jobs at Google or related firms and the federal government, national political campaigns and Congress, according to a report this year by the Campaign for Accountability, a watchdog group. The company notched several wins during the administration, including favorable policies on net neutrality. Google seemed poised to enjoy similar treatment under a Clinton administration. Schmidt was seen wearing a staff badge at Clinton's election night party, a sign of their close relationship. But those ties are now something of a liability as the company tries to re-position its presence, lobbyists said.

The hiring push will adjust the political makeup of Google's Washington office, where the team of lobbyists for Congress and the agencies contains more Democrats than Republicans, according to people familiar with the operation. Such a skew is not unusual given that Democrats controlled the White House the past eight years. To be sure, conservatives are well-represented in the company's Washington office: Susan Molinari, a former Republican congresswoman from New York, has been the top lobbyist since 2012, and Seth Webb, who worked for a former Republican speaker of the house, helps lead Congressional lobbying.

But the company has tended toward moderate Republicans in past hiring. Its previous director of conservative outreach was alumnus of Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, and a number of former staffers for Sen. John McCain have passed through the office as well. But the company still has to reconcile the lobbyists it hires with its liberal-leaning existing staff. Said one lobbyist for a rival tech company, "I think they are going to have a tough time really finding the cultural fit."

Reuters
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An Indian-origin computer science student has been arrested after a multinational operation to crackdown on young hackers has been charged with carrying out cyber attacks on a chat site, according to officials. Sean Krishanmakoto Sharma was produced before federal Magistrate Judge Alka Sagar in Los Angeles on Monday and was released on a $100,000 bail bond, said Brian Stretch, the federal prosecutor for Northern California.

Sharma had used a "distributed denial of service" (DDoS) tool to disrupt the computers of a San Francisco company that provides chat services to other companies between November 2014 and January 2015, Stretch said in a statement. A court document identified the company as Chatango. DDoS is a form of cyberattack that floods computers with bogus requests that overwhelm and paralyse it. DDoS uses viruses and programmes known as botnets because they robotically transmit disruptive requests to servers, and trojans, which are secretly implanted in other people's computers to carry out attacks from there.

A court document said that Sharma used a botnet called Xtreme Fire to carry out the attacks. Sagar, before whom Sharma appeared, became in 2013 the first Indian American woman to be appointed a federal judge. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which arrested Sharma on Friday in La Canada in California state, identified him as a 26-year-old graduate student at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

The FBI said that his arrest was part of a joint anti-cybercrime operation by the US, Australia and 11 European countries that was coordinated by the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at The Hague, in the Netherlands. A total of 34 people were arrested during the five-day operation conducted from December 5, the FBI said without identifying the others or the countries they were arrested in. Many of them were under the age of 20, the FBI said.

Steven Wilson, the head of EC3, noted that many computer enthusiasts are getting involved in "low-level fringe cybercrime" without being aware of the consequences. "One of the key priorities of law enforcement should be to engage with these young people to prevent them from pursuing a criminal path, helping them understand how they can use their skills for a more constructive purpose," he said.

IANS
Kunal Khullar

Lenovo has a wide range of laptops in the market ranging from the Thinkpad to the Yoga. The company has been pushing strongly in the PC market and has gained a good position globally. Their latest addition to the Yoga family was the Yoga Book which was unveiled back at IFA 2016 which came in Windows and Android flavours.

The 2-in-1 has finally made its way to India, although only the Windows 10 version has been announced here. I got to use the machine for a bit at the launch event and here is what I think about it.

Design and build

The Yoga Book has a small footprint and it's very easy to carry around thanks to its 10.1-inch form factor. It's quite thin too, having 9.6mm of thickness when closed. It actually feels like carrying around a thin, paper notebook.

More than a laptop it feels like a tablet. Probably because there is no physical keyboard. Instead, there's a flat, touch-sensitive panel with a matte finish which is backlit. A keyboard layout and a trackpad show up when you open it. The device also doubles as a Wacom digitizer, so you can write and draw using the Real Pen bundled with the machine.

The build quality is solid and Lenovo says that it has used a magnesium alloy shell which has a matte finish. It somehow felt like plastic to me. Holding the two flat slabs is Lenovo's signature watchband hinge which can bend all the way. This truly makes the Yoga Book a convertible as you can fold it all the way, prop it up in a tent mode or use it like a traditional laptop with the keyboard.

As for the ports and buttons, on the right side you will find a power button, a speaker grill, volume rocker, and headphone jack. On the other side there is a microUSB charging port, microHDMI port, and a microSD card slot. Unlike a traditional laptop, the Yoga Book doesn't offer any full sized USB ports neither the new USB Type-C port which was quite dissapointing.

Lenovo also offers a stylus accessory called the 'Real Pen'. The name is aptly put as it definitely feels like a real pen. You can use it draw or take notes by scribbling on the area where the keyboard lights up. You also get the Book Pad, which is just a simple notepad on which you can write with the Real Pen. As you write on the Book Pad, the same text and strokes directly get recorded on the Yoga Book itself.

Display

The laptop features a 10.1-inch display with a 1920x1200 resolution. It is an IPS touchscreen which is said to offer a brightness of up to 400 nits. It looks pretty good in terms of sharpness and colour reproduction. Even the touch response seemed pretty good although I was a bit put off with the glossy finish as I could see a lot of reflections. Also the bezels seem quite thick which could've seen some trimming.

Hardware

Lenovo's Yoga Book is powered by a 1.44GHz Intel Atom x5-Z8550 processor with Intel HD 400 graphics, 4GB of RAM and 64GB onboard storage. The storage is expandable using a microSD card of up to 128GB. This hardware is just sufficient for a bare-bones Windows 10 experience, but I would have been happier to see an Intel Core M chip rather than an Atom. That said, the Atom is compatible with Android, which is probably why this device ships with that platform.

Verdict

I have mixed reactions about the product. The 2-in-1 seems very interesting. The Halo Keyboard makes it look like a futuristic product. Even the bundled Real Pen along with the Book Pad makes it quite an attractive offering. But once you start using the Yoga Book, it feels difficult to maneuver.

I am sure after a couple of weeks of usage one can get used to the flat keyboard, but a price tag of Rs 49,990 seems to be too much. I cannot say how powerful or how capable it will be but considering it has an Atom processor, I believe it will be good for light tasks like typing, basic internet browsing and so on. Whether unique design and lightweight can make up for limited processing power remains to be seen.

Keep an eye on this space for more information and a full review as soon as we can get our hands on the device.
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Scientists must confront climate change deniers and speak up if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump tries to sideline climate research, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is due to say on Wednesday. "If you see science being ignored or compromised, speak up," Jewell will tell a meeting of earth and space scientists in San Francisco, according to a draft of the speech seen by Reuters.

Trump has called climate change a hoax and sought to fill his cabinet with oil industry allies like Texas Governor Rick Perry, the Energy Department nominee. Last week, the Trump team asked the U.S. Department of Energy to supply names of officials who took part in international climate talks - a request that the agency has rejected. The scientific fact of climate change cannot be ignored no matter who is in the White House, Jewell will say. And she will urge climate experts to publicly defend their work.

"Think about where to raise your voice and then do it," Jewell will tell a meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) - a global association of researchers. "The American people must be able to trust science." As President Barack Obama's top steward for public lands, Jewell has helped manage terrain that holds vast reserves of oil, gas and coal. But over nearly four years in office, Jewell has also warned that burning fossil fuels will irreparably harm the planet.

Jewell will say that national historic sites that she now manages - like the 17th century colonial outpost, Jamestown - could eventually be swallowed by rising seas. Policymakers must confront climate change realities, Jewell said. Christine McEntee, head of the AGU, said her members were concerned that the Trump administration might not value scientific discovery and rigor. Developments at the Energy Department were particularly alarming, she said, but climate researchers were prepared to defend their methods and discoveries.

"We listen to what science is telling us," she said. "And we'll fight to work without fear of intimidation or retribution."

Reuters
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The Philippines bank through which $81 million stolen from Bangladesh's central bank was channelled in February said on Tuesday that the central bank was responsible for the heist, and so any liability should not be passed on.

Manila-based Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) was responding to comments by a Bangladeshi investigator that some Bangladesh Bank officials deliberately exposed its computer systems and enabled hackers to steal the money from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Bangladesh Bank had been demanding that RCBC compensate it for the loss, blaming it for ignoring red flags.

RCBC said it did nothing wrong. "The statement of the Bangladesh investigator indicating acts of criminal negligence on the part of certain Bangladesh Bank officials validates what RCBC had been saying all along, and that is that Bangladesh Bank's own acts are the cause of its own loss," RCBC's lawyer Thea Daep told Reuters.

"They cannot pass on liability to RCBC that had nothing to do with the theft of the funds." Daep said RCBC would study legal options to see if Bangladesh Bank can be sued in court for making the accusations. Bangladesh Bank spokesman Subhankar Saha could not be reached for comment on a public holiday.

Senior Bangladesh police officer Mohammad Shah Alam, who is leading Bangladesh's investigation into one of the world's biggest cyber heists, told Reuters on Monday some central bank officials had knowingly created vulnerabilities in the bank's connection to the SWIFT global messaging and payments system. They had worked with some foreigners, Alam said, without giving details.

Alam said investigators were trying to find out how the mid-ranking officials were connected to the hackers and whether they benefited financially from the heist. He said arrests were likely soon. In early February, the unidentified hackers used the SWIFT network to send fake orders requesting the transfer of nearly $1 billion from Bangladesh Bank's account at the New York Fed.

Reuters
The recent United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decision to deny Jews any connection to the Temple Mount was no coincidence. The ill-considered decision came about under the full and continuous support, and at the initiation of, the king of Jordan.



This is no longer a secret. The UNESCO move came barely three weeks after the king spoke at the UN promising doom to Israel because he alleges Israel is unfair to the Palestinians.



This well-calculated and very sophisticated harassment from Jordans king, however, was not a mere reaction to anything Israel has done  in fact, as an academic and close observer of Arab affairs, I have seen it as Jordans policy for years.



For example, with regard to the current and vicious wave of knife attacks that was launched from the Temple Mount, an official Israel statement was published by Arutz Sheva that confirmed Jordans government was an instigator by both actions and verbal incitement, and lets not forget that the Temple Mount is run fully by the Jordanian kings own office.



Further, recently Israel expelled Jordans state news agencys reporter, Modar S. al-Momani, for Jerusalem for being a security risk. It turns out the man was not only a reporter but also a senior Jordanian Wakf official  he even bragged about it after he was expelled. Official documents proving this have been posted on Facebook.

I found this Jerusalem Post op-ed from October 31 , which makes a very valid case that Jordan is just as guilty as any other Muslim regime/Islamophile of undermining Israel:And this is what many PC advocates have been putting their heads in the sand about for years now. Members of previous governments owe an apology to the public for ever agreeing to any kind of relation with a country that's firmly retaining its Islamic-influenced antisemitism, to say nothing of tolerance for jihadism. Even Americans shouldn't invest in such an awful place.

Labels: anti-semitism, dhimmitude, islam, Israel, jihad, jordan, UN corruption
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Trump's Secretary of State pick Tillerson forged ties with Putin over decades

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) with Trump\'s Secretary od state pick Rex W Tillerson.

The Washington Post :

When ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson showed up in June at the annual St. Petersburg international economic forum that is dubbed Russia's Davos, he was asked about the impact international sanctions on Russia were having on his company, which had abandoned ambitious drilling plans there.

"It's a question for the government - if you find anyone from the U.S. government who's willing to answer this question," he replied to laughter from the audience of Western executives, who had been lavishing praise on their Russian hosts.

It was the first time in three years that Tillerson or most other chief executives had attended the confab, for the moment laying aside friction over Russia's abrupt annexation of Crimea and its backing of violent separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. Back in Washington, the State Department was not amused. State Department spokesman John Kirby commented that "most American companies understand" that taking part in the forum "sends the wrong message about the acceptability of Russia's actions."

Six months later, Tillerson's relationships with autocrats remain a source of friction after his surprise appointment by President-elect Donald Trump to be secretary of state. The ExxonMobil chief's ties to Russia have alarmed hawks in Congress, who vow to scrutinize Tillerson's good working relationship with President Putin and the latter's longtime confidante Igor Sechin, the chairman of the Russian petroleum giant Rosneft.

With his nomination, the 64-year-old Tillerson has been thrust into the long-standing U.S. foreign-policy divide separating those who value pragmatism and dealmaking, and those who attach greater importance to principles, human rights and democracy. This is a divide that cuts across both parties.

Should he be confirmed, Tillerson will no longer answer to the more than 93,000 shareholders of ExxonMobil but primarily to a single shareholder named Trump. And he will draw on views refined in industry, not diplomacy.

To fans of Tillerson, his relationship with Putin is a sign of his pragmatism, seeking advantage for his company with a blunt, straightforward style that has won respect abroad. Speaking to students from the Texas Tech business school last year, Tillerson said the reason "why I've been able to gain Vladimir Putin's trust" is "because throughout my career I've wanted people to view me as an honest person."

To his critics, however, Tillerson and ExxonMobil come across as arrogant and indifferent to Russia's record in Ukraine or Putin's harsh suppression of domestic opposition. The oil giant's vast enterprise spanning six continents and more than 50 nations has embraced a varied cast of national leaders, including the Saudi oil ministers, Equatorial Guinea's corrupt Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the autocratic government of Kazakhstan and the emir of Qatar.

These contrary views are in some ways connected. Edward Verona, who worked for ExxonMobil for two years and spent several more working in Moscow, said one reason Tillerson was respected in Moscow was because of the way the company dealt with Venezuela's then-president, the voluble Hugo Chavez.


Iran starts nuclear programme after US 'violation' of deal

Iran to work on nuclear-powered vessels after US \'violation\' of deal.

Reuters, Beirut :

Iran ordered its scientists on Tuesday to start developing systems for nuclear-powered marine vessels in response to what it calls a U.S. violation of its landmark 2015 atomic deal with world powers.

Nuclear experts said that President Hassan Rouhani's move, if carried out, would probably require Iran to enrich uranium to a fissile purity above the maximum level set in the nuclear deal to allay fears of Tehran building an atomic bomb.

Rouhani's announcement marked Tehran's first concrete reaction to a decision by the U.S. Congress last month to extend some sanctions on Tehran that would also make it easier to reimpose others lifted under the nuclear pact.

The White House said it was aware of Iran's order and noted that Rouhani had said any such work on the vessels would be done within the framework of Iran's commitments.

"The announcement from the Iranians today does not run counter to the international agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a news briefing.

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States was confident the International Atomic Energy Agency, which inspects Iran's nuclear sites, would be able to analyze Iran's compliance with the deal.

"There's a lot we don't know about it, what it means," Kirby said, referring to Rouhani's announcement, at a news briefing on Tuesday. A marine nuclear propulsion program is a "massive undertaking for any nation" and would likely take decades to realize, he added.

Rouhani described the technology as a "nuclear propeller to be used in marine transportation," but did not say whether that meant just ships or possibly also submarines. Iran said in 2012 that it was working on its first nuclear-powered sub. (http://reut.rs/2gVr80g)

Rouhani's words could stoke tensions with Washington, already heightened by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's vow to scrap the deal, under which Iran curbed its nuclear fuel production activities in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

Rouhani also ordered planning for production of fuel for nuclear-powered marine vessels "in line with the development of a peaceful nuclear program of Iran."

But under the nuclear settlement Iran reached with the United States, France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China, it is not allowed to enrich uranium above a 3.67 percent purity for 15 years, a level unlikely to be enough to run such vessels.
GAZIPUR: Prof Dr MA Mannan, VC, Bangladesh Open University addressing a press conference yesterday on the upcoming 5th Convocation of the University on December 19.
No business in city without license : Mayor

Chittagong Bureau :

Chittagong City Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin said city corporation won't believe repressions on poors by imposing taxes but the affluent section should come under tax net to assist the development activities of the govt.

He said no business in the port city will be allowed sans trade licence. He disclosed it while addressing the coordination meeting of the license inspectors and tax collectors of CCC on Sunday afternoon at Theatre Institute Hall in city.

City Mayor said administrative expenses and development works of the corporation depends on collection of trade license fees, holding taxes etc.

He said cent percent civic services depends on taxes of the city dwellers.

He called upon the license inspectors to discharge their responsibilities for issue of TL in a proper way and asked the revenue officials to complete the holding assessment in due time.

Acting chief Executive Officer Md, Abul Hossain presided over the meeting duly addressed by chief revenue office Dr. Md. Mostafizur Rahman, personal secretary to Mayor Manzurul Islam.
Ctg WASA board meeting held

The 39th meeting of Chittagong WASA held at its office on Sunday.

Chittagong Bureau :

The 39th board meeting of Chittagong WASA was held on Saturday last at its Board Room with Chairman Dr. Engr.SM Nazrul Islam in the chair.

The meeting discussed the six agendas of themeeting and reviewed the minutes of the 38th Board meeting.

Sources said the meeting reviewed the income, expenditures statement , statements of chief revenue officer and CWASA magistrate and the progressof the ongoing WASA projects. The meeting decided to realize the huge amount of outstanding water bills in three phases through issuing reminder letters to the consumers.

The meeting also decided to snap the water connections if failed to pay the arrear bills by the consumers despite three reminder letters in phases. The board also asked the CWASA management to place the list of the large amount defaulters before the next board meeting. Among others, Additional Secretary of Finance Ministry RM Nazmus Sakib, addl. Secretary of Local Govt Ministry Mrs. Nasrin Akhter, Md. Solaiman seth, Showkat HossainFCA, Managing Director of CWASA Engr. Fazlullah, DeputyManaging Director of WASA, Commercial Manager, Chief Engineer were present in the meeting, a CWASA release said.


Mohammad Ibrahim Bahar, President, Hajj Agencies of Bangladesh (HAAB) addressing a press conference on 10th Hajj and Umrah Fair at a city hotel yesterday. The fair began at BICC yesterday.
Martyred Intellectuals` children demand execution of fugitive war criminals



Children of the martyred intellectuals demanded execution of the fugitive war criminals to implement fully the verdicts of the International Crime Tribunal (ICT).

The children also said the capital punishment of many of the war criminals brought solace to them, but the ultimate objective of the War of Independence would not be achieved if the war criminals can escape punishment.

They suggested the government to expedite further the diplomatic efforts to bring back home Chowdhury Mainuddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan - the two major war criminals who were directly involved in the brutal killing of intellectuals only two days before the country was liberated on December 16,1971.

"I could not enjoy the ecstasy of the victory until the execution of

Chowdhury Mainuddin and Ashrafuz Zaman Khan who were directly involved with killing of my father," said Asif Munir Tonmoy, son of martyred intellectual Prof Munir Chowdhury.

Tonmoy said he is a bit skeptical about the implementation of the verdict of the ICT as the progress in the process of bringing back the war criminals from abroad is not that much visible. He, however, hoped that the government should continue its initiatives so none of the war criminals escape punishment.

Tonmoy said a law should also be enacted so the verdicts of the ICT on the cases of war criminals could not be changed in the future. He also sought legal protection for the witnesses of the war criminal cases.

"The trial and execution of the verdict are also a part of the war of

independence," Tonmoy said, adding that the trial of 195 war criminals who were sent back to Pakistan should also be put on trial.

"An effective step should be taken to begin the trial of the 195 war criminals, with getting necessary advice from globally renowned legal experts," Tonmoy said.

Meghna Guhathakurta, the only child of Jyotirmoy Guhathakurta, also wanted that Chowdhury Mainuddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan should be brought back home for implementing the verdict of the ICT.

"I urge the authorities concerned at the national and international levels to take necessary steps to execute the two fugitive war criminals by bringing them back to Bangladesh," she said.

Dr. Nuzhat Chowdhury, daughter of martyred intellectual Dr. Abdul Alim

Chaudhury, said the trial of the war criminals was a great achievement for the nation, but this achievement could not be meaningful without banning Jamaat for its rule during the war of independence.

"Trial of war criminals was a major legal step against individuals.

Accordingly, legal step should also be taken against Jamaat as it organised and committed similar crime in 1971," she said.

Nuzhat demand posthumous trial of war criminal with referring to journalist who was involved in the kicking of her father. She also said that the fugitive war criminals should also be executed by bringing them back home.

Citing some examples of different countries, she said a law should be framed to bar the children to get government jobs and some other important assignment.

Tanvir Haider Chowdhury, son of martyred intellectual Mufazzal Haider

Chowdhury, said that he was happy because the government successfully carried out its duty to put the war criminals behind the bar. But, he said the two fugitive war criminals should the executed to complete the verdict of the ICT.

Tanvir also said that the dream of the people who sacrificed their lives for the independence of Bangladesh would remain unfulfilled if the communal forces could not be root out from the soil of this country.

"We need to take various initiatives so the young generation cannot be the instrument for carrying out militant activities," Tanvir said.




Trial of war criminals must continue: PM

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stood in solemn silence for some time as mark of respect after placing wreath at Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Mirpur on Wednesday.

UNB, Dhaka :

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the trial of war criminals involved in genocide, killing of intellectuals and opposing the independence of the country must continue.

"No one will be able to save them [war criminals]. Whatever the tactics and conspiracy they devise, the trial will go on," she said. The Prime Minister said this while addressing a discussion at Krishibid Institution, Bangladesh. Awami League organised the discussion on the occasion of the Martyred Intellectuals Day.

She said, putting under trial the war criminals, who had guided the Pakistani occupational forces to the grassroots level of the country and kidnapped the intellectuals just on the eve of the victory, is the only path to justice. "Truth and just always win, and will be the same in the future."

Sheikh Hasina said, it was very much unfortunate that the people of the country have to see that the war criminals were allowed to enjoy state power and fly the national flag in their vehicles. "The flag that we earned in exchange of millions of lives were hoisted in the vehicles of war criminals disgracing the national flag."

The Prime Minister said those who have done such heinous acts will have to face the trial like the war criminals. "I think the time has come, the people will have to be vocal. Those who nourished the war criminals, gave them the political rights in the country gave them flag, are the same criminals.

They didn't want the country's independence and they also do not like development of the country." she said.

Hasina went on saying, "I always have the courage to face any sort of adverse situation, and my courage and power is the people of this country and the activists of AL and its associate organisations. The soldiers of Mujib ideal are the main strength of mine."

The Prime Minister mentioned that the trial of the war criminals of the World War II is still going on.

Terming the day of the assassination of the Father of the Nation as black day for the nation, Hasina said the darkness cloud have spread over the nation after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's assassination. "Now that darkness has gone away, and we hope such dark cloud will never cast the sky of this nation again."

Taking a fresh vow to establish Bangladesh as a developed and prosperous country, the Prime Minister said her government wants to further brighten its image.

She said, Bangladesh is advancing fast and earning appreciation from all as her government is working as per a plan. "Bangladesh earned honour and reputation after the victory in the Liberation War. But that honor and recognition were tarnished after the assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975. But after Awami League came to power, Bangladesh is regaining that lost glory. We'll have to uphold that pride."

Seeking cooperation of all in building a hunger- and poverty-free Bangladesh, the Prime Minister said, "We'll move forward by keeping our heads high. We have learnt from those who made sacrifices that we would march forward making sacrificeswe'll never bow down and surrender."

Eminent journalist, columnist and poet Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, son of Sirajuddin Hossain Shaheen Reza Noor and daughter of Dr Alim Chowdhury Nuzhat Chowdhury also spoke on the occasion.

At the beginning of the discussion, a one-minute silence was observed as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the martyred intellectuals as well as Bangabandhu, four national leaders and the martyred freedom fighters.
Indo-Asia connectivity for shared prosperity

Dr Atiur Rahman :

We are living in an uncertain global political economy scenario wherein benefits of trade and liberalisation are being increasingly questioned by some people. Others, of course, value the positive impact of the integration of trade and investment.

Also, persons of different ethnicities and culture are viewed with suspicion. Fortunately, countries in the Bay of Bengal region share a common history and culture, and thus, do not face much of those challenges.

However, we are faced with our unique set of issues. Certainly we have been making progress in our macro-economic transformation. Yet, we still have persistent challenges like poverty, income inequality, under-employment. Also, there are significant infrastructure constraints and regulatory bottlenecks. While the challenges vary in different parts of the region, we should not leave anyone behind. This is what I mean shared prosperity.

Therefore, it is time for countries in this region to invoke their glorious past and design strategies to collectively deal with these challenges. This is the only way to go forward, and none of us can afford to race ahead leaving others behind. It must be a positive-sum game of sharing prosperity in future.This again cannot be a fast hundred metres sprint. It has to be a steady long journey like a caravan.

In this context, let me say that we have begun to realise the challenges and opportunities in this region and initiatives for regional cooperation, like the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) initiative and the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), which are already in place.

These initiatives are focused on regional cooperation in areas like water resources management, power, transport, infrastructure, investment, technology, tourism, human resource development, among others. There are signs that BIMSTEC and ASEAN are coming closer in respect to trade and economic cooperation, with expected positive spill-over effects on other areas of cooperation leading to greater peace, security (including maritime security) and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. However, much more needs to be done.

This brings me to the themes of this Kolkata Summit. Over the course of two days, we will discuss strategies and mechanisms to deepen cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region in particular and the Indo-Pacific region in general, which will come out with concrete policy and practice recommendations to push to intra- and inter-regional trade, investment, knowledge-sharing and people-to-people connectivity.

As you know, over the next two days we will discuss trade and investment opportunities in the Bay of Bengal with particular focus on maritime and energy connectivity. Let me quickly touch upon each of these.

Talking about energy connectivity, we have to make note of the fact that the electricity demand in the BBIN region is growing at an exponential rate as the region is experiencing one of the fastest economic growth trajectory. We are also aware that the benefits of enhanced and well-coordinated regional electricity trade in BBIN are much larger than the efforts needed.

For instance,if the hydropower capacity in Bhutan and Nepal be developed effectively, then the same can be easily exported to the other countries in the BBIN region. With a total of 1,425.9 million population in India and Bangladesh taken together, important market is available for the electricity imported from Nepal and Bhutan. I believe there is a potential to create regional energy exchange following the Nord Pool market example. I will speak more on this theme during the Track 2 discussions later in the day today.

In case of maritime connectivity and inland waterways, today, seaborne and riverine trade and investment connectivity between South and Southeast Asia is lagging well behind world standards. Overcoming current constraints would add up to significant opportunities. Streamlining port procedures, rationalizing cross-border river traffic, and harmonizing regulations can create jobs, boost incomes, reduce migration, and help foster stability.

Therefore, there is tremendous potential for increasing trade between South and Southeast Asia, which would provide substantial economic benefits for both regions. Although total FDI flows into the BIMSTEC countries have increased from $8 billion in 2000 to $46 billion in 2013, after reaching a peak of $58 billion in 2008, intra-BIMSTEC investment remains low. Lack of connectivity, which may be a central factor in this outcome, also discourages investment by investors from outside the region.

Let me also point out that while these subjects are key to move towards greater integration in the Bay of Bengal region, there is an underlying theme which cuts across all these areas. That is financial connectivity, without which trade and investment connectivity cannot flourish and be effective for generating prosperity. Money certainly matters.

As you are aware, financial connectivity comprises access to finance and investment opportunities by all sections of the society. For example, it includes designing models to facilitate investment in green energy generation as well as transfer of subsidies to poor for make such energy affordable.

It is thus essential to ensure growth and prosperity within and across generations, thus facilitating truly inclusive and sustainable growth. Here in comes the pro-active role of the government and the regulators. I am aware of the potential role of a regulator - that is the central bank and its developmental and facilitating role must be fully harnessed.

In short, financial connectivity is both the enabler as well as the result of other forms of connectivity. Greater the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and people, greater will be exchange of capital ensuring its access and affordability. It is also a great equalizer, as access to affordable finance has several positive spin-offs. It enables access to quality education, health, etc., thus providing equal opportunity for human development and growth.

Like in other themes of connectivity, we are witnessing lot of innovation in this region in the area of financial connectivity. For instance, India has built an impressive digital payments infrastructure. Bhutan has built expertise on sustainable financing of infrastructure projects and public interest partnership. Bangladesh has pioneered a model to enable financial access to last mile and created social safety nets. Also, the Central Bank of Bangladesh has rolled out a medium to long-term green transformation fund to help textile and leather sectors to become environment-friendly. Relevant entrepreneurs have welcomed this pro-active role of conservative regulator called the central bank. Other countries can take lessons from such a facilitating role of central banking.

Therefore, in order to efficiently and effectively exploit the opportunities available in the Bay of Bengal region, there is a need to the build a common strategy to work towards sustainable economic growth for the benefit of poor and future generations. This is not just a concept. It must be a reality. I believe it is for this we must stay together and build a common platform for engagement.

To ensure sustainable and inclusive growth we must think beyond the box. We should develop common infrastructure in terms of energy, transportation and communication. Some countries in the Bay of Bengal region have already witnessed the benefits that project-based cooperation can bring to their economies and their people. They are also part of the Greater Mekong Sub-region, which is one of the most successful examples of regional cooperation.

Thus, initiatives like this Kolkata Summit are crucial to exchange evidence, ideas and thoughts on regional cooperation and get on all stakeholders on board to develop a common strategy. I am happy to see the presence of diverse stakeholders in this meeting - both policy as well as business community.

My recommendation will be to adopt a gradual yet time bound approach to enhance regional connectivity with the implementation of specific projects where it is not necessary that all member countries of the BBIN or the BIMSTEC region need to be always on board. Let there be bilateral, trilateral as well as plurilateral cooperation initiatives.

We could start by exchanging ideas on small projects, develop and execute them with stakeholder support, gain experience and then expand and deepen on complicated areas of regional cooperation. Let us experiment, learn and replicate.

There is also a need to customise the regional cooperation strategy in the Bay of Bengal region according to a country's context and priorities and work within those boundaries. Development of a stakeholder alliance to document and share different country practices and building a common platform over time are necessary to design and execute this strategy, which is essential to achieve the goal of shared prosperity.

Here comes the role of the BIMSTEC Secretariat and its members who should put more political capital and other resources to make it an effective institution for regional cooperation.



(Dr Atiur Rahman is Professor, Dhaka University, Bangladesh; Founder Chairman, Unnayan Shamannay, Dhaka and Former Governor, Central Bank of Bangladesh.)
Don`t allocate scale as polls symbol

Staff Reporter :

The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday sent a letter to the Election Commission (EC) asking it not to allocate "Daripalla" (Pair of Scales) as election symbol to any political party, as it is the apex court's monogram. In the letter, the SC also asked the Election Commission to cancel the allocation of "Daripalla" if it had already been allocated to any political party.

The letter signed by Abu Diljar Hussain, Registrar of the High Court (HC) Division of the Supreme Court, has been sent a day after the decision was taken by the SC.

The Supreme Court after a full court meeting on December 12 decided to request the Election Commission not to allocate the Pair of Scales to any political party as the election symbol. It is because the Supreme Court is using it as a 'symbol of justice' since its establishment.

It is unacceptable and unwanted if "Daripalla" is used as a symbol of any individual or any organisation or any political party, the letter read. Confusion might be created among the minds of people if "Daripalla" is used as the symbol of any institution or any political party, it added.

An officer of the High Court division conveyed the letter to the Election Commission office at 4 PM yesterday, sources said.

The Pair of Scales was earlier allocated to Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. The party also obtained the EC registration with the 'Pair of Scales' as its election symbol on Nov 4, 2008.

Later, the party lost the right to contest Parliamentary elections after the High Court declared its registration with the EC as illegal. But the EC website is still showing Jamaat on the list of registered political parties, with the 'Pair of Scales' as its symbol.


Suspended leaders picked up

Rayhanul Islam :

Several leaders, who were suspended from the organisation in the past for immoral activities, have been accommodated in the Bangladesh Chhatra League's new committees formed in the 18 residential halls of Dhaka University (DU).

The BCL on Tuesday announced its committees in all 18 residential halls of DU as the tenure of the previous committees expired more than three and a half years ago.

The tenure of the university unit also expired five months ago.

A number of Chhatra League leaders alleged that they had not been picked up for the committees, as the syndicate led by former BCL President Liakat Sikdar did not bless them.

Brushing aside the allegation against him, Liakat Sikder told The New Nation on Wednesday that he did not influence any BCL leader nor he knew any one, for getting accommodation in the new hall committees.

`As a former president, I am maintaining communication with the BCL senior leaders, but the allegation against me to influence the committees is totally false', he said.

A number of `deprived' leaders seeking anonymity said people with criminal background got posts in the new bodies, but several dedicated workers have been ignored.

Russel Ahmed Tahsan, the new President of SM Hall committee, was allegedly involved with drug business. Moreover, he was handed over to police earlier on March 4 in 2015 on the charge of stalking girls and beating the fellow workers.

The General Secretary of SM Hall Mahedi Hasan Taposh was suspended for torturing journalists on April 14 in 2013.

Meanwhile, Ziaur Rahman Hall new President Yusuf Uddin Khan allegedly clubbed a journalist, while Sir AF Rahman Hall President Hafizur Rahman was allegedly connected with room business.

Brushing aside the allegations, BCL, DU unit, President Abid Al Hasan said, 'Chhatra League was formed with the ideals of the Bangabandhu. There is no room for controversial leaders in this party'.

'After properly reviewing, past activities of the candidates, we selected them as Presidents and Secretaries. If they have any link with illegal activities, we will take organizational step'.


HC orders probe into `police involvement`

Staff Reporter :

The High Court (HC) on Wednesday directed the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Gaibandha to investigate if police were involved in setting fire to the houses of Santal community during a clash that took place in the cane farm of Rangpur Sugar Mills in Gobindaganj Upazila of Gaibandha district over harvesting sugarcane.

The HC bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice Krishna Debnath passed the order asking the Chief Judicial Magistrate to submit the report within 15 days.

Earlier in the morning, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) filed a supplementary petition attaching some national and international media reports and images, where police were seen to set fire to a house, seeking the court order to carry out an investigation to identify the arson attackers.

The court also directed the police to conduct the investigation into the two cases, filed on November 17 and 26 against 600 and 33 identified and unidentified people respectively over the same issue, same status.

It instructed the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Rangpur Range to convey the charge of the investigation to a senior officer of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) under the supervision of a police official not below than the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP). On November 26, Santals of Gaibandha filed a case against 33 men, including a local Awami League MP Principal Abul Kalam Azad and the UNO of Gobindaganj Abdul Hannan on charge of provoking an attack on the community on November 6.

On November 17, Swapan Murmu, a member of the community, filed another case against 600 people on charge of attacking the community. The clash on November 6 took place in cane farm of Rangpur Sugar Mills located in Gobindaganj Upazila of Gaibandha over harvesting sugarcane. The clash left three Santals dead and 25 people, including nine cops, injured.
Nation confused over 'arrest drama'

Md Joynal Abedin Khan :

The members of the different law enforcing agencies still continue pick up people from their residences, offices and other places without showing necessary documents of arrest warrants or case papers in the recent months.

They picked up the citizens forcibly by violating the legal process and court order, dilly-dally to produce them in the concerned courts in time, sources said.

Even some of the victims' families failed to trace them in the police stations or in the places mentioned by the 'law enforcers' during the picking up, they said.

The law enforcers also sometimes denied the picking up of the people and refused to register general dairies or cases lodged by the victims' families, according to right activists. At least 150 dead bodies of 'picked up' victims were found in the city and different districts this year and most of them were killed in 'gunfights' with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Police. Even several dozens of missing victims were shown arrested by the members of the law enforcing agencies in last few months, they claimed.

On May 24, the Supreme Court (SC) gave some specific directives on the detention of a person after observing the incidents of arresting people by the law enforcers in plainclothes in a horrible situation. The High Court earlier made it mandatory for cops to produce a person before the magistrate within 24 hours of arrest. It also said a person arrested under Section 54 cannot be placed on police remand without any court decision.

In the latest context, the RAB claimed taht they arrested five members of Harkat-ul-Jihad' from Chittagong and recovered arms and ammunition from them on December 8. The detainees are Tajul Islam, Nazim Uddin, Abujar Giffari, Nur-e-Alam and Iftisham Ahmed.

As the news broke and the detainees were shown on television, family members of the three recognized them as their sons and claimed they were picked up by law enforcer impersonators a few months ago.

Noor Nahar Begum, a resident of Nilphamari district town, saw the arrested youths on different television channels and claimed that Nur-e-Alam, 22, was her son.

She said that a group of people claiming themselves to be 'members of the administration' picked her son up from their residence in early hours of April 11 this year.

She said, "They picked him up from bed around 1:30am to 2:00am. They were in jeans and T-shirts. When I asked for their IDs, they bullied me and said 'we are people from the administration. We are taking him and will return him in 20 minutes'." She said that she has filed a general diary and a case in this connection. She also organised a press conference about the incident.

When contacted, Nilphamari sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Md Babul Aktar said, "Nur-e-Alam's family filed a case after he went "missing".

A group of people identifying themselves as members of the police's Detective Branch detained Nazim Uddin, 42, from Dhaka on 25 May and since then he remained missing, said Nazim Uddin' daughters Fouzia Yesmin Tuba and Yesmin Taiyeba.

When approached, Jessore Additional Police Super Shahid Md Abu Sarowar said, "Nazim, who was arrested by Chittagong RAB, is the Nazim whom we were searching. He went missing a few months ago."

A day after the arrest, a Rangpur businessman, Sheikh Iftekher Ahmed, said Iftisham Ahmed Sami, 23, is his son. He claimed Iftisham Ahmed Sami, a third-year student of English department at Rajshahi University, was picked up by law enforcer impersonators over seven months back from his mess in Rajshahi city.

He said, a group of plainclothes people who claimed themselves to be law enforcers picked up Iftisham from his Nilava mess in Rajshahi city on 29 April this year. Next morning he rushed to Rajshahi and filed a general dairy with Boalia Model police station in this connection. Boalia police station officer-in-charge Shahadat Hossain confirmed that a GD was filed with his police station.

Besides, Tazul Islam was picked up by plainclothes mane from a madrasa in Manikganj district on November 4 last year while Abujar Giffari was picked by the detectives from Kushtia on July 28 this year.

On December 5, bodies of three youths - with bullet wounds in the foreheads - found in Dinajpur's Ghoraghat and were identified as Natore Jubo League men who went missing two days ago. They are Redwan Sabbir, 25, Abu Abdullah, 30, and Sohel Rana, 20, from Natore Sadar. They went missing on December 3. Rokhsana Begum, mother of Sabbir, filed a missing diary with Natore police station.

On November 20, a youth was shot dead by law enforcers in Jessore Sadar upazila. The deceased was Jahangir Alam, 35. Jahangir and his younger brother Abid Hasan, 27, were picked up by the police from their home and the law enforcement shot Jahangir dead while Abid Hasan remained missing, claimed Jahangir's paternal uncle Abdur Rahman.

Golam Faizullah Fahim, 18, was killed in a "shootout" with cops at Madaripur Sadar upazila on June 18 on remand.

In Chuadanga, accused Mahfuz Alam Sajib was killed in a crossfire with RAB in Damurhuda upzila in September, He was allegedly picked up by detectives on July 29 in the same upazila.

Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh President Manzill Murshid said, the organisation in a memorandum to the home ministry and the inspector general of police had demanded ban on the sale of cops uniforms and handcuff, in the market to check abduction in the name of law-enforcement agencies.

Right activist and lawyer Sara Hossain said that suspension of police operation without uniform had proved that the criminals were taking advantage of abuse of law by the police.

IGP AKM Shahidul Hoq told the reporters that all the members of the law enforcing agencies have been asked to abide by the court order to pick up any person.




Love costs girl`s life

Staff Reporter :

Khadiza Khatun, 18, was allegedly beaten and strangled to death by the relatives of her lover Mohammad Yousuf Ali while observing hunger strike for marriage at a village Dhorjamotail in Shahjadpur upazila of Sirajganj district on Tuesday night.

Khadiza Khatun, daughter of Ansar Ali of village Jhaupara, had love affairs with Mohammad Yousuf Ali, a local shopkeeper for the last three years.

As the ill-fated girl continued to propose Yousuf to marry her, he (Yousuf) always avoided her. At one stage on Tuesday night, Khadiza went to Yousuf's brother-in-law house and started observing hunger strike, the relatives of Yousuf beat her up and strangled her to death, local said.

Police arrested Ibrahim Hossain, 62, Rafiqul Islam, 30, Ramzan Ali, 25, Bhola Miah, 30 and Ismail Hossain, 60 in this connection.
Miladunnabi observed

The holy Eid-e-Miladunnabi, marking the birth and demise of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), was observed in the country and elsewhere on Tuesday with due reverence and religious fervour.

On this day in 570, the 12th of Rabiul Awal of the Hijri calendar, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was born in Makkah of Saudi Arabia with divine blessings and messages of peace for mankind. He also passed away on the same day.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave separate messages greeting the countrymen and Muslims across the globe coinciding with the occasion and seeking eternal blessing for the people's welfare alongside peace and harmony in the country and elsewhere in the world. Besides, leader of the opposition in parliament Begum Raushan Ershad and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in separate messages also greeted the countrymen on the occasion. The day was a public holiday. Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television and satellite television channels aired special programmes on the occasion. Like previous years, different social, cultural, religious, spiritual and political organisations and different state-run organisations, including Islamic Foundation (IF), chalked out elaborate programmes including rally, milad mahfil, discussion and Qurankhwani marking the day.

Witnesses said thousands of devotees under the banner of different religious and socio-cultural organizations, carrying banners inscribed with 'Kalema Taiyeba', brought out processions and paraded thoroughfares in the city streets including Gulisthan, Paltan and Jatiya Press Club (JPC).

President Abdul Hamid hosted a milad mahfil at the Bangabhaban where government leaders, religious scholars and distinguished citizens attended in the afternoon.

Earlier, Religious Affairs Minister Principal Matiur Rahman on Tuesday inaugurated a 15-day programme coinciding with the Eid-e-Miladunnabi at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque under the auspices of Islamic Foundation.

The fortnight programmes include delivery of religious sermons, seminars, exhibition of Islamic calligraphy and posters based on life of the Prophet, book fair, Islamic cultural competition and recitation of poetries on him.

Awami League central committee organized a milad and doa mahfil at Dhanmondi political office of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina after Asr prayer.

On the occasion, Jatiya Press Club yesterday organized a doa mahfil and discussion after Asr prayers.

Meanwhile, some other orgnaisations including Ashekan Maizvandari Association, Torikate Mawla Group, Bangladesh and Nazrul Academy in the city Like other organizations, BNP and Jatiyabadi Ulema Dal also organized a milad mahfil at BNP office in capital's Naya Paltan area after Asr prayer on Tuesday.

The law enforcing agencies have taken an intensified nationwide security measures to avert any untoward incident on the eve of Eid-e-Miladunnabi.

According to reports of our Bureau offices and district correspondents, the Miladunnabi were celebrated all divisions, district and upazila levels including Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Rangpur and Barisal.

Apart from this, many educational institutions throughout the country marked the day amid holding milad mahfil, Quran recitation competition, hamd, nath and discussion on the life of the Holy Hazrat Muhammad Prophet(SM).


Pictures of female migrats not rosy

Govt must ensure their protection, rights: Experts

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

Migration experts on Wednesday expressed concern over the rising reports of sexual harassment, abuse and torture on female workers in the Middle Eastern (ME) countries.

They also called upon the government not to send female workers in the ME countries without protecting their rights, ensuring safety and security and fixing proper salaries.

"Maids from Bangladesh are being reportedly treated like slaves by their employers. This has led to high incident of physical and sexual abuses making Bangladeshi workers vulnerable in their workplaces," Tasneem Siddiqui, a migration expert, told The New Nation on Wednesday.

According to her, the rising incident of abuses has forced Philippines and Indonesia to impose ban on sending their female workers to the ME countries and Sri Lanka, India, Nepal are also mulling for similar action.

"These countries have already strongly protested such abuses and increased protection to their domestic workers. But Bangladesh has failed to protect rights of its workers and continue to allow female migration further making their lives vulnerable," she added.

About 1.03 lakh female workers went overseas for jobs in 2015. Of them, 40,000 left for Saudi Arabia, 12,000 for Jordan and 8,000 for Oman, according to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

Tasneem Siddiqui, who is a Professor of Political Science at the Dhaka University, said an increasing number of female workers from Bangladesh were leaving for Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries after Philippines and Indonesia stopped sending their female workers to these countries.

"We are receiving many complaints of sexual harassment from families of housemaids who got jobs in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Many of them endured abuses from beginning of their employment. In some cases, female migrant workers did not receive salary for months forcing them to return home without money or help from the recruiting agencies," she added.

Tasneem Siddiqui stated that all these are disconcerting features of female migration and the government must take proper steps to stop their sufferings in abroad. "The government should open shelter homes at Bangladesh Missions to provide protection to the distressed female workers. They should also provide legal assistance at the shelter homes," she added.

Tasneem Siddiqui also urged the government not to send female workers prior ensuring their protection and rights.

"The government agencies are working on the issue, but this is not enough." she said, adding that ensuring safe migration is not only the job of the sending countries. The receiving countries have also the similar responsibility in this regard.

"Our female workers are subjected to face physical and sexual abuse at their workplaces in ME countries. Sometimes, these abuses concluded with permanent injuries, depression and even death. Those cases have already exposed by local and international media," Hassan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron, another migration expert, told The New Nation on Wednesday.

He said they were receiving complaints from many female workers of the country that over work, sexual abuse, physical torture, unfamiliar foods and low or no wage in Middle Eastern countries.

"The picture is not rosy for female migration, the government should give a second thought on the issue," said Kiron who is also the Chairman of Debate for Democracy.

When asked, he said, ensuring safe female migration is largely depend on the government, the recruiting agencies can do a little in this regard.

Kiron also urged the government to strengthen labour attaches abroad to protect female migrants from the sufferings.
3 top Biman men suspended

Emergency landing of PM's plane: Probe reports by Sunday

Sagar Biswas :

An investigation committee formed by Bangladesh Biman has blamed 'man-made-fault' was the reason for an emergency landing of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's plane in Turkmenistan, officials said on Tuesday.

Based on the findings of the probe body's final report, Biman's three departmental heads, who are also the chief engineers of their own sections, have been suspended.

They are: Chief Engineer Debesh Chowdhury [Productions], Chief Engineer SA Siddique [Quality Assurance] and Principal Engineer Billal Hossain [Maintenance and System Control].

With them, a total of nine officials have so far been suspended in connection with the malfunction of an engine in the VVIP flight Boeing -777 'Ranga Pravat' that was carrying Sheikh Hasina to Hungary, but made an emergency landing in Ashgabat, capital of central Asian country Turkmenistan, on November 27.

"The three departmental heads were suspended on Monday night following the decision of sub-committee after getting the final investigation report," Biman Managing Director Captain [retd] Mosaddeq Ahmed said.

Officials said that the three engineers were suspended soon after the Biman four-member investigation committee led by Chief of Technical Captain Fazle Mahmud Chowdhury submitted the final report to Biman Managing Director Captain [retd] Mosaddeq Ahmed on December 12 night.

Other members of the committee are: Chief of Flight Safety Captain Shoaib Chowdhury, Deputy Chief of Engineering Mohammad Hanif and Manager [Quality Assurance] Niranjan Roy. Getting the report, the Biman Managing Board subcommittee sat in an emergency meeting and took decision for the suspension. Later, the final report was sent to the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry on Wednesday.

When contacted, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister [MoCAT] told The New Nation on Wednesday evening: "We've heard that Biman inquiry committee has finalized their report. But I've not yet got the report. My ministry will take decision after receiving it."

Replying to a question, Menon said: "Three investigating committees are working on the PM's plane. Of them, the committee constituted by MoCAT is likely to submit their report on Thursday. Besides, the committee formed by the Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh [CAAB] may submit its report within one or two days-by Sunday."

Earlier, five engineers and one technician were suspended for their alleged negligence, which caused the emergency landing of the VVIP plane. They are: Engineer SM Rakunuzzaman, Samiul Haque, Milon Chandra Biswas, Lutfar Rahman, Zakir Hossain and Technician Siddiqur Rahman.

The Biman authority took action against them when the Biman investigation committee submitted preliminary report to concerned ministry accusing the officials of negligence in duty.

The plane carrying PM had faced difficulty when a nut of a bolt in the oil passing pipe in engine no-01 was slacked almost in half with dropping the lubricant at zero level. It was noticed after the plane crossed Karachi flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet. The plane changed its route. After repairing, the plane reached Budapest in four hours delay.

On December 9, the PM told the Parliament: "A nut bolt of the engine came loose. We have received information from Boeing Company. They informed us that such an incident never happened in their 6,000 planes flying across the globe.It was created by humans, not a technical fault. No doubt, someone did this somehow."

The Civil Aviation Minister while addressing the National Parliament also categorically blamed "human involvement" for the technical fault in the VVIP plane. He also said that the investigation committees will find out whether it was negligence, or sabotage.


Homage to Martyred Intellectuals`

President, PM pay respects: Fugitive war criminals to be brought back home, says Quader

A child paying homage by placing wreath where Martyred Intellectualsa Memorial in Mirpur bedecked with flowers on Wednesday.

Staff Reporter :

The Martyred Intellectuals' Day was observed in city and elsewhere across the country with a call for completing the trial of rest of the war criminals to make the nation free from stigma.



Different political parties, socio-cultural, educational institutions and professional organisations arranged discussion meetings, cultural functions and Doa Mahfils to mark the day and paid rich tributes to the country's golden sons of the soil who were killed at the fag-end of the War of Liberation in 1971. Since early Wednesday morning, hundreds of people from all walks of life converged in the areas surrounding Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard and the Rayer Bazar Martyred Memorial (killing ground) to pay their homage to the worthy sons of the soil who were massacred by the Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators at the dawn of the country's independence on December 14.



They demanded immediate trial of the rest of the war criminals.



On the night of December 14 in 1971, over 200 Bangalee intellectuals including professors, journalists, doctors, artistes, engineers, and writers were picked up in Dhaka by the Pakistani occupation forces, aided by their local collaborators.



The intellectuals were taken blindfolded to the torture cells in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Nakhalpara, Rajarbagh and other locations in different parts of the city and later executed en masse at different killing grounds, most notably Rayerbazar and Mirpur.



The programmes of the day included raising of black flags and hoisting of the national flag at half mast, placing of wreaths at the martyred intellectuals memorials and graveyards, discussions, lighting of candles in memory of the martyrs, mourning marches, painting, general knowledge hand writing competitions and doa mahfils seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of the martyrs.



On the occasion of the day, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina placed wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial of Mirpur yesterday morning.



The President placed the wreaths around 7:05 am yesterday to pay homage to the great heroes, who sacrificed their lives for the cause of the country and the nation. He stood in solemn silence there for some time as the bugle played the last post.



Members of the cabinet, the mayors of Dhaka North and South City Corporations, the chiefs of the three services as well as high civil and military officials were present.



Later, the prime minister talked to the war-wounded freedom fighters and the family members of the martyred intellectuals and enquired about their wellbeing.



The Premier later went to Dhanmondi in the capital and placed a wreath at the portrait of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day.



After placing the wreath, she stood there for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of Bangabandhu, the architect of independence.



After the Prime Minister's departure from Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Memorial area, people from all walks of life, central leaders of the 14-party alliance, other social-cultural-professional bodies and war wounded freedom fighters and members of the martyred families placed wreaths at the memorial in a large queue.



Later, BNP led by its Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, Jatiya Party led by its Chairman HM Ershad, Workers Party led by its President Rashed Khan Menon, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal led by its President Hasanul Haque Inu, and other political parties placed wreaths in observance of the day.



Besides, leaders and workers of Awami League, its associate bodies and student wing, Mukitijoddha Sangsad, Dhaka University, Amra Muktijoddhar Santan, Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote, Shishu Academy, Bangabandhu Parishad, Bangabandhu Gabeshana Parishad, National Museum, Shilpakala Academy, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal, Biplobi Workers Party, National Awami Party, Chhatra Union, Dhaka Reporters Unity and other universities, educational institutions and socio-cultural-professional bodies placed wreaths paying homage to the martyred intellectuals.



Islamic Foundation organised Quran Khwani, milad and doa mahfil at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque where special prayers (munajat) and doa were offered for eternal peace of the departed souls of the martyrs.

Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Wednesday said, all out initiative are now underway to execute the verdict of the convicted fugitive killers of the intellectuals after bringing back home.



Meanwhile, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haq said that the government will prepare a complete list of the martyred intellectuals by July next.



"Work on preparing the list is now going on," he said.
President`s high and impartial position must not be abused

The eight-member Court of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court presided over by the Chief Justice Mr. SK Sinha repeated their earlier order of issuing gazette notification on the revised rules of conduct for the lower court judges blaming the concerned authority for explaining the matter wrongly for the understanding of the President.



Luckily for us, President Abdul Hamid was a practicing lawyer himself and we find it unbelievable that he would take a decision on simple matter like observing procedural formality. Some 'wise' persons somewhere have been working and still working to obstruct smooth running of the government by maintaining mutually complementary and respectable relations between the government and the judiciary.



In whatever form the present Constitution exists, the judiciary is sovereign in its own designated sphere. According to the principles of separation of powers the government also has its own sphere of dominance. The judiciary is very much part of the good governance.



During the hearing of historical Brexit case in the Supreme Court of UK both the Judges and the lawyers made one thing crystal clear at the very outset that they are not trespassing into the domain of government's decision to exit European Union, they are only examining the relevant laws and the obligation, if any, created under such laws.



In our present context, quite unnecessarily an embarrassing situation has been created for the President as well as for the Chief Justice by a circular issued by the Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs stating that the President decided that there was no need for publishing in the gazette the revised rules of conduct for the judicial officers and judicial service as made by the Supreme Court.



The Supreme Court earlier directed the Law Ministry officials to make these revised rules part of a gazette notification for the purpose of investing legal enforceability.



It is unfortunate and most reprehensible that there is a tendency being widely practised by some government officials for their arrogance of power not to take the responsibility of advising the government rightly.



There is a disturbing sense of unaccountability in almost all spheres of public affairs. The result is that in running the government everybody feels he has absolute power unfettered by law or higher authority. Some say that low level officials are more to be feared for their power to abuse. Departmental discipline is weak everywhere.



To mention one area in particular, discipline among the police is under serious threat. Many among that enforcers have become used to flouting fundamental rights of personal freedom and torture free life. Young ones are worst victims of the government's fight against terrorism.



The people have to fear the police, RAB and Anti-Corruption officials. They all feel that the general public have nowhere to go for redress. Arresting people and involving them in as many cases as they choose has become too easy. There is no pride for the government of a free country to make people live in fear and uncertainty.



Emanates from this sense of unaccountability, is a kind of arrogance that the laws are not to be taken seriously by the decision makers in the government. They are also often wrongly advised without caring to understand that power must have a basis in law and the people have rights to be respected.



If we care to have a responsible government then we have to accept that the judiciary is an integral part of the government. Without the judiciary, the government will be a lawless government to ensure anarchy in the country. Then everybody's word will be law. As it is the country is heading towards that serious lawlessness. And many such abuses of power incidents are not reported out of fear of police power.



The President has not disagreed with revised rules made for consistency with the separation of the judiciary from the executive. The gazette notification is a legal necessity and in this regard the decision of their Lordships of the Supreme Court should have been readily accepted.



The government needs to be careful about their overzealous advisers. Those who advise arbitrary power want lawlessness within the government. Who are they and whom they represent must be found out.



The President's high and impartial position must not be compromised.


One man in Italy begs for asylum, another decides his fate

Traffic noise floated through an open window as a Bangladeshi migrant named Nanue Matabor took a seat inside a tiny immigration office in central Rome. Only 19, Mr. Matabor had waited months for this hearing. He was asking for the right to remain in Europe. His life was in the balance. He stared at the floor, terrified.

First came the formalities. Mr. Matabor speaks only Bengali, so an interpreter explained the asylum system to him - and the possibility that his application could be denied. Then basic questions: Was his name spelled correctly? Was his birth date correct? Did he belong to a certain Bangladeshi ethnic group?

"I'm an orphan," Mr. Matabor replied. "I don't know my ethnic group."

For the next 46 minutes, Mr. Matabor sat inside one of Rome's Territorial Commissions for the Recognition of International Protection and pleaded for asylum to an audience of one - a smartly dressed Italian civil servant named Giorgio De Francesco. One man asking for protection; another man charged with deciding his fate.

Across the world, more than 65 million people migrated to escape conflict, hardship or persecution last year, either inside their own countries or across borders, the most since World War II. More than one million refugees arrived in Europe on smuggler boats, a fourfold increase from the previous year, as record numbers also applied for asylum - an exodus that has continued this year.

But having made it to Europe, many migrants face the challenge of proving they qualify to stay. Public attitudes have hardened against them. Most European economies remain weak and unable to absorb new workers.

Asylum systems in countries like Italy are overwhelmed, and some nations are tightening their requirements. Simply being from a poor or war-torn place is generally not enough. This fall, for example, the European Union reached an agreement with Afghanistan to send back home tens of thousands of Afghan migrants who had reached Europe.

For the moment, a hierarchy of human misery prevails: People fleeing well-defined conflicts, like the civil war in Syria, or oppressive states, like Eritrea, have a far higher chance of success, while the fate of many others can hinge on their individual stories.

Mr. De Francesco's job amounts to parsing the misery, picking winners and losers from a pool of applicants who had lost so much already.

In early May, Mr. De Francesco was busy as I sat in his hearing room and listened to Mr. Matabor tell his life story. Usually, asylum hearings are confidential, but Italy's Interior Ministry allowed me to attend nearly a dozen hearings this spring so long as I had the permission of the applicants. I then kept up with those applicants as they waited for answers.

One Nigerian man, Franck Iyanu, described how thugs had killed his brother as his stepfather tried to steal his land. He feared the police as much as his stepfather.

One afternoon, three Syrian families appeared - part of a group of Syrians whom Pope Francis had brought to Rome from a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. I was one of the reporters traveling with Francis on that trip in April, and the Syrians had clambered onto the papal plane, dazed by their good fortune. Now, I unexpectedly met them again in the hearing room.

During his hearing, Mr. Matabor described growing up illiterate in a Bangladeshi orphanage until a family informally adopted him. But the parents died, and he lived with his adoptive brother, a figure in opposition politics. Men came looking for the brother and instead found Mr. Matabor, beating him unconscious and threatening to kill him.

Mr. Matabor borrowed money, fled to Libya and worked in a hotel. The hotel was destroyed in Libya's civil war. He escaped on a smuggler boat and arrived in Italy last year. In his absence, his young wife in Bangladesh had given birth to his son. He has never met the baby.

"They will kill me," Mr. Matabor said, explaining what would happen if he went back to Bangladesh. "They want to find my brother, but they will kill me for revenge."

Mr. De Francesco listened quietly, typing notes on his computer until the hearing ended and he hit a button. The printer whirred to life, spitting out three pages.

Those pieces of paper represented Mr. Matabor's old life, and would be added to his official application for a new one. He signed his name, and later that day Mr. De Francesco presented the case for a vote to the five-member asylum commission he oversees.

The odds were not good: Nearly two-thirds of asylum applicants in Italy are refused asylum or lower levels of protection. Mr. Matabor's answer would not come until October.

During one of his worst days, Mr. De Francesco walked to Piazza della Minerva. There, surrounded by the decaying grandeur of the ancient city, he said, he nearly broke down after hearing the case of a Nigerian woman.

"The refugee problem is a real emergency," he said.
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The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
MURPHYSBORO  Jody Craine talks a lot about his business, the one his family started at the end of the 19th century, but he frequently interrupts himself to drive home one point.

Craine Heating and Air Conditioning, bought out this summer by a larger business in Okawville, is not leaving Murphysboro.

Not today, Not tomorrow. No time soon, Craine reiterates.

"I've worried about this business," Jody Craine said. "I didnt want to wake up one day and be 70, (saying) what do you do with it now?

"It gives me an exit strategy, of some sorts, to where I can feel very comfortable that they're going to be kept in great hands," Craine said, "and the Craine name will go on, again, in very good hands."

Craine, the fourth-generation Craine to run the business, sold the business this past July to the owners of the Weeke Sales and Service, headquartered in Okawville.

Jody Craine founded Craine Heating and Air Conditioning in 1984, following in the footsteps of his father, Frank S. Craine III, who had owned and operated Craine Furniture and Appliances in Murphysboro for more than 34 years.

Jody's father was following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Frank II and Frank I, both of whom also operated furniture stores in Murphysboro, dating back to 1895.

Murphysboro Mayor Will Stephens said he was not aware that the business had been sold, but said he applauded the move.

"I am very thankful for all the effort that the Craine family has put into creating and sustaining a successful business in Murphysboro," Stephens wrote in an email. "Handing the business off to new ownership shows that others see value in (what) they have done, and I look forward to working with the new ownership when that time comes."

Who are the Weekes?

The Weeke business has been a family-owned enterprise since Earl and his wife founded it in 1972. The name is pronounced "WEE-key."

Earl Weeke, visiting the Murphysboro business this past Friday, said he and his wife, Ruth, started the business in 1972, buying it from one of Earl's former employers.

Craine said he had thought for some time about what would happen when he or if he left the business: He has no children to leave the business to, and he said his sister has her own life and was never interested in the business.

Father, son and grandson, visiting in Murphysboro this past Friday, said they have no plans to leave their home in Okawville and relocate to this area. Craine plans to run the Murphysboro operation, indefinitely.

How the deal went down

Their relationship started 20 years ago when Craine said he met Earl Weeke at an event for the Trane brand of appliances. During the event, Craine said he and Weeke "hit it off."

It was when he was thinking of a business exit strategy, a way to eventually sell, retire from or leave his business and leave his employees and the company intact, he said. He was talking to one of his employees, who mentioned that he was going to meet with the Weekes  which reminded Craine of his business plans.

This past spring, he said he contacted them and shared what he was thinking. He said they had similar values for the customer and product and business.

"We just speak the same language," Craine said.

Craine said he liked that it was a family-owned and family-run operation, with relatives young enough to take it into the future  something Craine said he was envious of. Earl Weeke, 75, runs this business with his son, Steve, 48, and grandson, Jeremy, who is 22. He also has a daughter and another son, Mike.

He also likes that the company can offer services he didn't, such as geothermal work and home generators and commercial electrical and commercial refrigeration, enabling the new larger company to compete in more business-oriented markets in Southern Illinois.

"We wanted to give ourselves time to be able to offer these services, instead of just saying were going to do them," Craine said.

Craine said he also liked that his nine employees would join a business that was larger, about 30 employees. They also refused to disclose the size of the Weeke business market, only saying that it was five times bigger than Craine's.

Neither Craine nor the Weekes will say how much was paid for the business. The companies officially merged July 1 of this year, the men said.

The Weekes also thought it was good timing.

"We were excited when we heard (about him wanting to merge companies)," Earl Weeke said. "We were looking to expand in a bigger area."

The new company's reach is now from Springfield to Paducah, and throughout Southern Illinois. Here, that reach will extend into Mount Vernon, all the way down to Marion and back over to Murphysboro and surrounding areas, according to a news release.

Once a Craine 

The venture will mean more revenue for the city and the chance for a Murphysboro institution to continue to live, even without a Craine descendant in the lead, Jody Craine said.

The business building and vehicles will still wear the Craine name, he said.

"We feel that it's important to keep our own identity, right now," Craine said, to "let (Murphysboro public and customers know) that we're not going anywhere."

The company still plans to conduct the business it has, installing heating and air-conditioning systems and repairing them. It will still continue to sell some appliances, like the stoves and ranges, refrigerators and washing and drying machines: It is now even selling those in a new slate silver-gray color, like the ones showcased in the appliances showrooms on North Seventh Street.

They will also continue to use their own warehouse room at that site to build their own duct work to install in homes and businesses.

Craine said it was most important to give the business continued life, even if he wasn't leading it.

"Who wants to be the last one?" Craine asked. "I don't want to take the name off the door."
CARBONDALE  Millions of dollars in infrastructure funds are coming to Southern Illinois, thanks to collaborations between a regional development agency and local and state governments.

On Tuesday, the Delta Regional Authority announced that it was investing $4 million into local communities. The DRA is a partnership between the federal and state governments, created by Congress in 2000, to help create jobs, build communities and improve the lives of people through strategic investments in economic development in 252 counties and parishes across eight states.

"These strategic investments help us accomplish our core mission  create jobs, build communities and improve the lives of families across Illinois," Christopher Masingill, chairman of the Delta Regional Authority, said in a statement. "Investing in critical infrastructure may not be glamorous to some, but they are essential in our region's effort to attract and keep global companies, skilled workers, and leading entrepreneurs. I'm proud to work with all of our partners to invest in the future of the Mississippi Delta region."

Local communities receiving the money are Carbondale, Dowell, Du Quoin, Harrisburg, Sesser and Hardin County:

 Carbondale: DRA investment of $159,312, of total investment of $199,249. Investing in the Southern Illinois Research Park; the DRA says this will help grow and strengthen the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

 Dowell: DRA and total investment of $10,000. The City of Dowell will complete floodplain remapping.

 Du Quoin: DRA investment of $214,861 of total $3,238,040. Du Quoin will replace and restore major components of the Grant Way Lift Station and be able to support the continued development of the entire area. The Du Quoin State Fairgrounds is a regional tourist attraction that generates $8 million annually.

 Harrisburg: DRA investment of $47,303 of total investment of $167,303. Southeastern Illinois College will purchase two diesel training engines with after-treatment to train diesel technology students and other workers on complex diesel systems. This effort will impact all five counties within the college district.

 Sesser: DRA investment of $67,263, of total investment of $74,763. The multiphase water-main project covers the repair and extension of six water lines for remediation of immediate and present threats to the public's safety. The project also covers additional fire hydrants and increases the ability to provide fire protection services. Phases IV and V will directly benefit 10 households and about 30 people.

 Hardin County: DRA investment of $100,123, for total investment of $110,718. Hardin County General Hospital will upgrade the hospital's access road and construct an expanded parking area and drive lane to increase capacity for the hospital and clinic. Through four participation agreements, 147 full-time jobs will be retained.
To the Editor:

Imagine standing in the growing darkness of a humid August night biting your lip so hard you taste the quicksilver of blood but you dont want the tears to fall as you tell your son, be safe, the family gathering for one last hug beside the little oak tree as your son leaves for a secret base in Afghanistan for nine months. You cant cry because you are supporting his dream of becoming a Conservation Police Officer and a voluntarily deployment is a critical step in achieving that goal.

A hot July two years later, you are free to let the tears fall in pride and joy as you watch your son give the valedictorian speech to his fellow officers and the families who sit in the audience, so happy for their loved ones graduating, standing tall, proud and ready to serve the people of Illinois.

Now imagine our heartbreak as these 12 men, all but three of whom are veterans, are told less than a month after graduation that the state wants to terminate their employment despite their sacrifices to their country and their ongoing willingness to lay their lives on the line to protect the people and resources of our state. These are the bitterest tears of all, shed at the betrayal of a state that said it supports its police and veterans. That layoff was postponed but so was field training and now these young men have sacrificed another year of their life hoping Illinois will get its act together.

Right now these police officers are the pawns in a game of chicken with the governors office trying to negotiate a contract with the police union. Unfortunately these 12 men stand to lose everything they have done in the past two years as all of their training becomes invalid Dec. 31, the date of the layoff. Folks thats $2.6 million flushed away in training. These officers who have served honorably for two years saving lives, property and resources of our state will be forced to redo police academy to go get another job. This is beyond shameful that our state would treat our police officers and veterans this way. We need these officers to fill unserved counties in our state. Upcoming retirements will leave the IDNR even more critically shorthanded. The job these officers do cannot be handled by local and county departments who are themselves critically shorthanded and do not have the training to understand the reams of wildlife /forestry/trapping codes that every CPO has been trained extensively to implement. Conservation Police also literally have the back of their fellow officers, if you doubt that ask the state trooper who was saved by a CPO who shot the man pinning the trooper with his car. These officers are critical to the day to day safety in our state in performing rescues, searching for fleeing fugitives, and backing their brothers in blue in countless ways every single day. We say we back the blue but lets back up our words with actions for these officers.

I realize the governor and legislators job is not an easy one and hard choices are sometimes a consequence of that job, but take a minute to think. Could you look one of these police officers in the eye and honestly tell them there was no other way? I am asking for your help, and I only ask for one thing. Look out for these officers and veterans like they are willing to do for you. Please take two minutes to call Gov. Rauners office at 312-814-2121 to say you support our Conservation Police.

Tara R. Knop

Steeleville
A fourth Eutawville man has been charged with shooting five people in Holly Hill last year. Four of the shooting victims died.

Joseph Luther Smith, 35, of 244 Gaillard Street, has been charged with four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of burglary in the July 15, 2015 incident at 7050 Old State Road.

On that steamy July morning, investigators believe the suspects shot and killed Tamara Alexis Perry, 14; Shamekia Sanders, 17; Krystal Hutto, 28, and Jerome Butler, 50.

Dreamzz Nelson, 8, was also shot in his head. He survived.

Smith appeared before Orangeburg County Chief Magistrate Derrick Dash on Tuesday afternoon for an arraignment hearing that lasted less than five minutes.

Members of the victims families filled nearly three pews in the courtroom at Smiths hearing.

Victims advocate Chandra McPherson told the court that the victims family members will be part of judicial process for each of the suspects.

Smith will remain at the Orangeburg County Detention Center until a later date when a circuit judge may consider setting bond on him.

In late September, three people were arrested on the same charges as Smith: Robert Lee Pockets Bailey, 37, of 11269 Old Number Six Highway; Derrick Warren Coleman, 27, of 1234 St. Julien Drive and Antly Jermaine Jackie Man Scott, 35, of 253 Barkley Street. They remain at the detention center.

The three suspects are facing the additional charge of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Smith has not been charged with that.

Smiths arrest may not be the last in the case, Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said during a Tuesday press conference.

The investigation is ongoing.

Today marks 516 days since this tragedy; 516 days since families had to live without their loved ones from the senseless acts of these criminals, Ravenell said.

Those 516 days included birthdays, missing graduations, holidays and other precious moments, Ravenell said.

It is also within those 516 days that thousands of manhours were invested to making sure that everyone involved was brought to justice, Ravenell said.

He later noted, If it takes 516 more days, thats where well be.

Were getting very little help from these perpetrators, Ravenell said.

As for the duration of the investigation, Ravenell said, Ive been in law enforcement 30 years and I havent seen anything like this.

Smiths South Carolina Law Enforcement Division rap sheet isnt lengthy, but includes convictions in Anderson County and a pending charge in Orangeburg County.

The Orangeburg Department of Public Safety charged Smith in September with first-offense possession of less than one gram of crack cocaine. The charge has not made it through the court system yet.

In 2004, Smith was convicted in Anderson County of open container of beer or wine, driving under the influence and reckless driving.

Hes also been convicted of hunting and fishing violations in the past.

Three others are facing obstruction of justice charges in connection with the Holly Hill case. Theyve not been charged with the shootings.

Investigators arrested Shyheim B. Lippman, 20, of 327 Boatswain Court, Eutawville. Lippman appeared in bond court on the obstruction charge in early October.

His warrant claims that he told investigators that he hadnt been at the Holly Hill home the day before the murders. Two independent witnesses told investigators he was there.

Two other people were charged with obstruction of justice in early October last year.

Dominique Marquell Washington, 27, of 9919 Highway 78, Lot 46, Ladson, and another, unnamed person are accused of withholding from or falsifying information to investigating agencies in the quadruple homicide case.

Washington was released on a $10,000 cash or surety bond on April 25.

The unnamed person remains at the detention center.

Another person who remains jailed is Christopher Dean Wright, 37, who lived at the home where the deaths occurred. Wright is the father of the two slain teens and Nelson. He was also Huttos fiance.

He faces three unlawful conduct toward a child charges, two drug trafficking charges, one obstruction of justice charge and one trafficking crack cocaine charge.

He was not present during the shootings.

Ravenell said on Tuesday that Wright is not helpful in this investigation, so I tend not to waste a lot of time on him.
The idea that the Russians interfered with the U.S. election is a serious matter, no matter for what purpose.

Donald Trump and Republicans are lashing out at weekend reports from anonymous U.S. intelligence sources that Russia hacked Democratic email accounts in an attempt to help Trump get elected. The president-elect called the reports "ridiculous."

Based on positions espoused during the campaign by Trump regarding potential cooperation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and the hard-line position of Democrat Hillary Clinton toward the Russians, it should come as no surprise that any such effort to influence the outcome would be seen as boosting Trump.

But that does not mean Trump sanctioned any such interference nor that he favors such.

The president-elect is firing back that the intelligence reports as revealed by The New York Times and The Washington Post are not reliable and amount to efforts to discredit his electoral victory.

And his accusation that politics -- American partisan politics -- is at the root of the debate about Russian interference is given credence by his foes.

Outgoing Senate Democratic leader Harry Reed and others are practically saying Trump and Republicans are in league with the Russians.

In an interview with CNN on Monday, Reed blasted FBI Director James Comey, calling him a "partisan." Reid asserted that Comey "ignored" intelligence that pointed toward Russia's involvement in the hacking of emails from members of the Democratic National Committee and Clinton's campaign from WikiLeaks.

It is clear that leaked emails were an effort "all directed to hurt Clinton," Reid said. "They certainly didn't leak any information" regarding Republican organizations and campaigns.

"It was obvious," Reid said. "There is information out there, he had it ... and he ignored it."

Whether a plot by the Russians to discredit Clinton and influence the election is "obvious" remains to be seen. But making that determination is important.

On Monday, top Republicans in Congress endorsed investigations. "The Russians are not our friends," declared Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The Senate's intelligence panel, led by Richard Burr, R-N.C., will conduct a bipartisan inquiry, according to McConnell, who also expressed support for a related probe by the Armed Services Committee, chaired by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., announced that the House Intelligence Committee will be expanding its probe of cyber threats to encompass a look at Russian interference in the election.

Their support of investigations comes as the campaign chairman for Clinton urged the Obama administration to reveal what it knows about any Russian efforts to help Trump win. John Podesta, whose emails were stolen and posted online, said the administration "owes it to the American people" to release details of the intrusions.

Wrong. Immediate release of the information is not needed. That would be -- or at least would be viewed as -- a further exercise in partisan politics aimed at discrediting Trump.

There has been enough leaping to conclusions. A thorough investigation is needed -- and Trump should support it out of concern for national security.
Manchester, NH  The Currier Museum of Art has been awarded a $15,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the upcoming exhibition, Soo Sunny Park: BioLath. The exhibition will be on view at the Museum from February 25 through August 6, 2017. The Art Works category focuses on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts and the strengthening of communities through the arts.

The arts are for all of us, and by supporting organizations such as the Currier Museum of Art, the National Endowment for the Arts is providing more opportunities for the public to engage with the arts, said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. Whether in a theater, a town square, a museum or a hospital, the arts are everywhere and make our lives richer.

We are delighted to receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for this exhibition, said Alan Chong, director of the Currier Museum of Art. Soo Sunny Parks installation will fill an entire gallery and capture natural light in shifting patterns from moment to moment.

In BioLath, New Hampshire artist Soo Sunny Park will create a new, site-specific work that will transform the Museums Putnam Gallery into an immersive sculptural environment that explores the effect of light on visual perception. Luminous sculptural forms will fill the spacesuspended from the ceiling and placed on the floor. The sculpture will be animated by shifts in daylight caused by the time of day, weather conditions and changing seasons, as well as the perspective of visitors as they move through the installation.

This exhibition is the latest project in the Contemporary Connections series, a platform for exhibiting new work by New England artists made in dialogue with the Curriers collection or the local environment. Soo Sunny Park will give a public talk and lead an installation with school-aged children from the community. Tours, hands-on activities for families and a small, free exhibition catalogue will complement the exhibition.

NEA Chairman Chu has approved more than $30 million in grants as part of the NEAs first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2017. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

General information

The Currier Museum of Art, located at 150 Ash Street in Manchester, N.H., is open every day except Tuesday. It is home to an internationally respected collection of European and American paintings, decorative arts, photographs, and sculpture, including works by Monet, Picasso, Matisse, and O'Keeffe. Visitors of all ages will enjoy engaging exhibitions, dynamic programs ranging from art-making and lectures to music, a Museum Shop and an airy, light-filled cafe. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the building. The Currier welcomes visitors with disabilities and special needs; we are wheelchair accessible and offer FM headsets for sound amplification for most public programs. For more information, visit www.currier.org.

The Museum also owns the Zimmerman House, a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, which preserves its original furnishings and art. The Currier Art Center offers studio classes, art camps, master classes, and intensive workshops for all ages.

###
Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.
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By Trend





As part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Azerbaijan, Israeli PM and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made press statements.



President Ilham Aliyev once again welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Azerbaijan.



"I am very glad to host you in our country. You visited Azerbaijan almost 20 years ago and now it is a second visit of yours. Though it is a short visit, it is very productive. Definitely, the visit will strengthen bilateral ties between our countries," said Ilham Aliyev.



President Aliyev said that Azerbaijan and Israel cooperate in many areas.



"The documents signed today clearly show that we have very big potential for cooperation. All the documents are very important. Among them I would like to underline the importance of the document, which will allow us to create a joint economic commission, which is a very efficient mechanism of bilateral cooperation. Im sure it will help to increase trade turnover and to diversify it. Though, trade turnover is at the good level, but mainly because of the oil supplies from Azerbaijan to Israel. We need to work in order to diversify and increase it," he said.



Ilham Aliyev went on to add that he discussed with PM Netanyahu a very broad range of issues concerning the two countries' bilateral relations, regional development.



"The discussions were very open, friendly and will help us to strengthen our bilateral ties," said President Aliyev.



"We have very good prospects for cooperation in agriculture. We discussed it with Mr. Prime Minister. Israel has modern technologies. Some of them we are using, and some of them probably will come to Azerbaijan later. There are good prospects for cooperation in that area," said Ilham Aliyev.



He further said that tourism is one of the areas of potential development between Azerbaijan and Israel.



"I am sure that the direct flight between Israel and Azerbaijan will help us to see the growing number of tourists in both directions. Cooperation in the area of education has very great potential," he said.



"Also we actively cooperate in the area of defense industries and this cooperation lasts already for many years. Ill just bring you one figure to illustrate how broad this cooperation is. So far the contracts between Azerbaijani and Israeli companies with respect to purchasing defense equipment has been close to five billion dollars. More precisely, 4,850,000,000 dollars. The biggest part of these contracts has already been executed and still we continue to work on that. And we are very satisfied with the level of this cooperation," noted the president.



Ilham Aliyev further said that the sides discussed the people-to-people contacts.



"This is an important part of our bilateral cooperation because Jews in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani diaspora in Israel, which consists mainly of Jews from Azerbaijan, is an important factor of our bilateral relations. For centuries, Jews and Azerbaijanis have lived in peace, friendship and continue to live here in Azerbaijan. And the Jewish community in Azerbaijan is a very active part of our society, they contribute a lot to the development of modern Azerbaijan and these close relations between our people is a very important factor in our bilateral relations," the president said.



The president went on to inform that there are seven synagogues, five of them in Baku, Jewish schools in Azerbaijan. One of them, Chabad Ohr Avner educational center, according to the president, was inaugurated in 2010.



"I remember that day because I was there at the inauguration ceremony, and the late President Shimon Peres made a video address to us. I am glad that Mr. Prime Minister has time in his tight schedule to visit that educational center and also to meet representatives of the Jewish community," President Aliyev recalled.



He went on to say that the relations between Jews and Azerbaijanis have always been very good, during all the times.



"Jews have lived in Azerbaijan for centuries. Its their home, they feel themselves at home, and they do a lot in order to strengthen our country. This was during the times of the Tsarist Russia when Azerbaijan was part of Russian Empire, this was during Soviet Union times and now for 25 years of independence relations between the people, all the people who live in Azerbaijan is a good example of multiculturalism, mutual respect, and respect for each others traditions, religion. I always say that respect for your own religion and tradition starts with respect for traditions and religions of your neighbor," Ilham Aliyev said.



He reminded that 2016 was declared the year of multiculturalism in Azerbaijan.



"Azerbaijan is recognized in the world as one of the international centers of multiculturalism. I am glad that our citizens, our former citizens  Jews who live now in Israel  keep close ties with Azerbaijan. They help us, they promote us. We have diaspora organizations in many countries, but only in Israel our diaspora consists of people of Jewish origin. This also shows unity between Jews and Azerbaijanis," said the president.



He said that the relations between Azerbaijan and Israel are very broad, diversified, and cover many areas.



"I mentioned some of them. And I am sure that the visit of Mr. Prime Minister will allow us to discover new areas of cooperation. We have established very close, friendly relations and the visit of the Prime Minister is a good indicator of that," Ilham Aliyev said.



He expressed hope that PM Netanyahu's next visit to Azerbaijan will come earlier than in 20 years.
By Trend





President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has hailed his country`s cooperation with Israel in the area of defense industry. We actively cooperate in the area of defense industry and this cooperation lasts already for many years, he told a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Baku.

So far the contracts between Azerbaijani and Israeli companies with respect to purchasing defense equipment has been close to five billion dollars... The biggest part of these contracts has already been executed and still we continue to work on that. And we are very satisfied with the level of this cooperation.

President Ilham Aliyev also hailed people-to-people contacts between Azerbaijan and Israel. This is an important part of our bilateral cooperation because Jews in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani diaspora in Israel, which consists mainly of Jews from Azerbaijan, is an important factor of our bilateral relations. For centuries, Jews and Azerbaijanis have lived in peace, friendship and continue to live here in Azerbaijan. And the Jewish community in Azerbaijan is a very active part of our society, they contribute a lot to the development of modern Azerbaijan and these close relations between our people is a very important factor in our bilateral relations, the Azerbaijani President added.
By Azernews





By Amina Nazarli

Qatars national holiday was celebrated in Baku with an official reception organized by the country`s Embassy on December 13.

Qatar National Day, also known as Founder's Day, is celebrated on December 18 marking the date in 1878 when Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani rallied the tribes of the peninsula into a unified people..

Ambassador Yusif bin Hasan Yusif al-Sai, opening the event, spoke about the development path of his country, hailed the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Qatar in political, economic and cultural fields.

The diplomat said the development of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Qatar was strongly promoted after the visit of the Emir of Qatar to Azerbaijan that contributed to enhancing bilateral relationship even further.

The ambassador expressed confidence that the Azerbaijan-Qatar ties would continue to develop in the fields of economy, culture and education in the years ahead.

Azerbaijani Minister of Emergencies Kamaladdin Heydarov congratulated the people of Qatar on behalf of the Azerbaijani people.

Heydarov said the reciprocal visits of state officials of both countries gave impetus to expansion of the friendly ties between the two countries and both states support each other also on the international arena.

The event was attended by Azerbaijani state and government officials, MPs, ambassadors, as well as public figures.

Azerbaijan and Qatar, the two energy-rich countries located in the South Caucasus and the Middle East regions, respectively, have good friendly relations.

Azerbaijan and Qatar, which established diplomatic relations in September 1994, enjoy significant prospects for cooperating in the tourism, education, agriculture, investment making, ICT and cargo transportation sectors.

Azerbaijan, which eyes the tourism sector as one of the promising fields in terms of increasing the budget revenues, focuses on attracting tourists from world countries. Given the fact that Azerbaijan and Qatar has a simplified visa regime, Baku is interested in more close relations with Qatar in the tourism sector.
By Azernews





By Rashid Shirinov

War is war and it has own rules.

Azerbaijan, being the largest country in the South Caucasus, is in war with its neighbor Armenia for over decades.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war in 1980s laying down territorial claims and could occupy vast territory of Azerbaijan in an unneighbourly way. Despite a fragile ceasefire signed over 20 years ago, the conflict is still highly dangerous, as can flare up at any moment. Armenian army breaches armistice every day, if not to mention flying drones on the contact line of troops which not seldom appear over the sky of Azerbaijan.

For instance, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces destroyed two UAVs belonging to the Armenian Armed Forces over the line of contact between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in Azerbaijans Talish village and Fizuli region on December 12.

To hide illegal actions and violation of international agreements Armenia, unfortunately, denies belonging of the downed UAVs to its army.

Armenia, which lost two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, attempts anew to disprove facts, through absurd pretexts, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry told Trend on December 13.

This photo was taken by one of the downed UAVs belonging to Armenia, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry said commenting on the incident. The photo features a soldier with an UAV remote controller in his hands before the drone is launched and other soldiers gathered around him and watching the process.

Last month, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces destroyed two drones of Armenia  one in Fizuli region, and the second on the line of contact in the direction of Azerbaijans Tartar region. The UAVs were doing reconnaissance flights over the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

Previously, Armenia had also made such statements denying owning UAVs destroyed by Azerbaijani Armed Forces over the line of contact. However, Azerbaijan demonstrated undeniable evidences to disprove the statements.

This proves once again that the military and political leadership of Armenia is trying to deceive the world, said the Defense Ministry.

A representative of the Armenian Defense Ministry called the downed Armenian UAVs the toys of Azerbaijani children, being embarassed of the equipment its troops with home-made UAVs. In other words, Armenia is afraid to admit the truth.

Armenian armed forces control 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. Yerevan avoids implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, keeping tension high in the region.
Please note that the poems and essays on this site are copyright and may not be reproduced without the author's permission.






American Express Middle East and Dubai Duty Free (DDF) are celebrating their 15 years of partnership with a host of offers for the members of The Dubai Duty Free American Express Card.



As a part of the celebrations, Dubai Duty Free American Express card members will be granted a 15 per cent discount on all purchases made at DDF between December 15 and 17, instead of the usual 10 per cent, said a statement from American Express Middle East.



Moreover, the bank is offering new applicants the opportunity to apply for the card with the first year fee-free.



Until the end of December, existing card members will also have the opportunity to get their annual fee back when they use their card to make 15 or more purchases with a minimum value of Dh1,500 ($408.3) at the DDF shop floor in the UAE, it said.



Mazin Khoury, chief executive officer, American Express Middle East, said: Its a pleasure for us to celebrate this great milestone with DDF and reinforce our strong and ongoing strategic relations.



Our anniversary celebrations are also a way for us to highlight our promise to make it easier, safer and more rewarding for our card members to purchase the things they need, he added.



Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman and CEO, said: The Dubai Duty Free American Express Card has been a popular card over the past fifteen years and the shopping experience at DDF has always been central to its benefits.



We are delighted to extend a special offer to the card members to mark this milestone, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Ericsson and Zain Group entered into an agreement on 5G research and development during the Zain Technology Conference held this week in Amman, Jordan.



The collaboration aims to develop w 5G use cases, requirements and deployment scenarios, as well as evaluate performance and applicability of potential 5G key technology components. The partnership ensures both parties can pave the way for 5G deployment in the Middle East supporting Zains transformation towards digitization.



Hisham Allam, chief technology officer, Zain Group said, As a leading 4G operator, we are always working to ensure that we are first to market with new innovations for our customers. Working with Ericsson will enable us to gain additional insights into our customer market and potential growth areas supporting our vision of being a digital lifestyle operator.



Tarek Saadi, head of GCC and Pakistan at Ericsson, said, 5G will lay the foundation to the industrial internet. 5G will make it possible to deploy IoT devices with a battery life lasting 10 times longer than today. Working together with Zain will enable us to explore new opportunities for use cases that we havent yet dreamed of, new markets, and radically new business models.  TradeArabia News Service
Dekra, the third largest inspection company in the world, said its testing laboratory in the Middle East has been awarded an ISO 17025 certification by the Dubai Accreditation Center (DAC).



The company opened its first independent testing laboratory in the Jebel Ali Free Zone Area (Jafza) in Dubai, UAE, in February. The facility is designed to perform tests for products like switchgear assemblies, cables, busbar trunking systems, and packaged substations in line with national and international standards and/or client-specific requirements.



Dekra said it was the first independent testing laboratory to receive accreditation for the scope of low voltage power distribution equipment (IEC 61439 series).



A laboratory accreditation, such as ISO 17025, uses criteria and procedures to determine technical competence. This assures customers that the test, calibration, or measurement data supplied by the laboratory are accurate and reliable, said a statement from the company.



The data from accredited laboratories are more readily accepted in overseas markets, helping manufacturers and exporters reduce costs, it added.



Bert Zoetbrood, globally responsible for the product testing and certification division, Dekra, said: With the opening of our testing laboratory in Dubai we help our customers in the Middle East faster and act more locally in a global environment.



Our accredited laboratory enables us to offer globally recognised and comparable testing. We are continuously expanding our activities. By broadening our solutions offering in dynamic, growing markets we are helping customers to meet the demand for safe products, he said.



To strengthen our laboratorys local footprint in the Middle East, the choice to cooperate with a local accreditation body was made quickly, he added.



The accreditation process with the DAC was transparent and went swiftly. We enjoyed cooperating closely with them and look forward to continuing our working relationship in the near future, Zoetbrood concluded.  TradeArabia News Service


Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (Dafza) has signed multilateral Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with several major government entities aiming to enhance customer experiences towards making Dubai the most business-friendly city.



MoUs were signed with the Dubai Police, the Dubai Health Authority, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Dubai Economic Department, Dubai Customs, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, and Dubai Civil Aviation. The move is also in strategic collaboration with Dubai Smart Office.



This is in line with the inauguration of the Development of Governmental Services Innovation Ecosystem initiative which aims to create innovative solutions and enhance customer experiences in support of national efforts towards making Dubai the most business-friendly city and a preferred investment destination in the world in line with Dubai Plan 2021.



The official inauguration ceremony of the Development of Governmental Services Innovation Ecosystem saw the launching of Dafzas The Big Conversation, a first-of-its-kind event aimed at overcoming obstacles and fostering process, service and product innovation across the government and freezone ecosystems to further enhance the experiences of foreign investors operating within the free zones in cooperation with government entities.



The event is in line with Dafzas efforts to promote government integration in providing innovative services and products that help increase the flow of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) to Dubai and enhance the gross domestic product (GDP). The new initiative is of great importance as it provides a strong impetus for national efforts to make the UAE one of the most innovative countries in the world by 2021.



Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dafza pointed out that the significance of the Big Conversation lies in its role in laying strong foundations for making innovation the main driver behind Dubai and the UAEs global economic leadership.



The new Memorandums of Understanding will establish a clear framework for promoting government integration which is a main pillar for putting the UAE at the forefront of innovation in sustainable investments, Sheikh Ahmed said.



We are confident that this multilateral cooperation will play a pivotal role in supporting national economic diversification policies in line with the UAE's post-oil strategy which paves the way to a safer future based on sustainability.



The new strategic partnerships will enhance the experiences of foreign investors in Dubai, which is moving steadily to position itself as a preferred investment destination and a pivotal hub in the global economy thanks to the successive achievements of the free zones in the emirate, especially Dafza which has been instrumental in attracting foreign direct investments and businesses that choose Dubai as the regional centre for its operations between East and West, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Czech Republic-based Lasvit, a leading manufacturer of bespoke glass installations and collections, said it was recently honoured at the third edition of the 2016 Harpers Bazaar Interiors Awards.



The awards are in recognition of the excellence in design, and is a celebration of outstanding design across the region.



Lasvit won the award in the Best Lighting/ Brand category. Its bespoke installations are renowned for enhancing extraordinary interiors worldwide, including private residences, public spaces, unique hotels and high-end boutiques.



The companys success has evolved from bridging craft, design and technology - a magical combination that brought Lasvit numerous international projects and collaborations with world-renowned designers, said a statement from the company.



Lasvits coveted works are found in the worlds most exclusive hotels, from Paris to New York and from Hong Kong to Seoul.



The company is firmly established in the UAE and its installations adorn the interiors of exclusive hotels such as Dubai Opera, Rosewood and St. Regis hotels as well as several discerning private residences.



Although a young and progressive company, it has assembled an outstanding team of glassmakers, leveraging the thousand year legacy of traditional Bohemian craft.



Leon Jakimic, president, Lasvit, said: I have a great respect and admiration for precise and inspired craftsmanship of the past masters and their Bohemian approach.



We made Bohemian Perfection our credo. Bohemian refers both to the region and its proverbial creative and free-spirited approach, he said.



We continue to strive for perfection and precision, much like our predecessors. This philosophy translates into everything we do, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday officially selected Rex Tillerson, the chief executive of Exxon Mobil, to be his secretary of state.



In a statement, Trump praised Tillerson, 64, as among the "most accomplished business leaders and international dealmakers" in the world.



With this, the president-elect is dismissing bipartisan concerns that the globe-trotting leader of an energy giant has a too-cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, said the New York Times.



Exxon Mobil has billions of dollars in oil contracts that can go forward only if the US lifts sanctions against Russia, and Tillersons stake in Russias energy industry could create a very blurry line between his interests as an oilman and his role as Americas leading diplomat, according to the report.



The nominations needs Senate approval.
The Higher Corporation for Specialized Economic Zones (ZonesCorp), a leading developer and operator of purpose-built industrial zones in the UAE, has joined the Abu Dhabi Food Security Alliance at the recent SIAL ME food expo in Dubai.



ZonesCorp is planning to support the Alliance by encouraging local agriculture and livestock farming with a series of initiatives that will be announced in 2017. This comes alongside the announcement that ZonesCorp has created an enlarged and specialised Food Zone designed to cater to the needs of a wide range of food producers.



Saeed Eisa Mohammed Al Khyeli, director general of ZonesCorp said: We believe that food security is an important issue, with a growing population and dependence on imports, we need to ensure that we do everything we can to enhance the security of the emirate and our nation. As a result we will be taking positive steps to support the Abu Dhabi Food Security Alliance with a number of initiatives designed to advance local food production and agriculture. 



Khalifa Ahmed Al Ali, managing director, Food Security Center-Abu Dhabi commented: As the largest operator of specialised economic zones in Abu Dhabi, ZonesCorp will be a valuable partner in helping us to achieve more sustainable food production across the emirate of Abu Dhabi which will in turn help to bolster food security. This agreement is an important step in implementing our food security strategy and we look forward to working closely with ZonesCorp to achieve our aims.  TradeArabia News Service
As we approach the year-end attention of course turns to what we can expect to see in 2017 and what we are security professionals need to be prepared for.



In many ways, 2016 was very much the Year of the Ransomware Threat, and it is very hard to see that changing much next year. After all most cybercrime is driven by hard cash and the fact remains that most ransomware and extortion attacks are successful.



Estimates from the FBI suggest ransomware could be worth $1 billion this year but the agency pointed to a jump in cases where victims reported bigger losses, and also hinted that the actual ransom payment totals may be even larger since many choose not to report the crime.



So ransomware and extortion is not going away in 2017, but what else can we expect next year?



First, in 2016 there were some very high profile Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) and we can expect to see even more in 2017 with criminals making more use of techniques like Mirai to leverage IoT and networked devices to amplify their attacks. These sorts of DDoS attacks powered by cheap, insecure IoT devices could become more common, but they are also likely to become less lethal suppliers harden their defences and device manufacturers adopt identity-based security to close vulnerabilities.



Second, I expect there will be a change in approach by the criminals using DDoS extortion attacks. Not only will they continue to go after larger demands for payment, but also they will utilize malware like Mirai to target network enabled devices like routers and remote cameras to amplify the attacks and make them more prolonged and adaptive. We are becoming more used to the Internet of Things, but what if criminals turn this against us to demand money via extortion attempts? We have already seen IoT linked attacks in 2016 and this can only increase in 2017.



Third, in all the excitement of IoT and DDoS attacks we cannot afford to lose sight of the continuing threat caused by data breaches. Whether deliberate or accidental, data breaches cost businesses millions of dollars each year in loss of business; brand damage and reputation. A recent IBM study found that the average cost of a data breach has hit $4 millionup from $3.8 million in 2015.



But while these three are likely to be the most common threats faced in 2017, it is important to mention how some threats are more relevant to some organisations than others. The most targeted sectors include healthcare, financial services, retail, and communications and media.



But in no way can any business or individual afford to be complacent. It is critical that you understand your individual threat model and plan in case the worst does happen. You also need to monitor inside and outside of your network and look at the threats revealed through the eyes of an attacker. Only then can you begin to ensure you have enough intelligence and awareness to manage the risks effectively for when the inevitable attack happens.



All in all its critical that you make sure 2017 is the year you take control of your security intelligence and awareness.

Alastair Pate is the CEO and co-founder of Digital Shadows, which provides cyber situational awareness.
A majority of UAE passengers (94 per cent) indicated that an airlines reputation is either important or very important while booking tickets and usually make assumptions by checking the airlines safety record, a new survey has unveiled.



Turkish Airlines unveiled key findings from a Future of Air Travel survey carried out by Forsa Study on a cross-section of travellers flying different airlines from the UAE. The survey sheds light on some valuable travel insights, in which respondents were surveyed on various topics, including cleanliness of cabin and washrooms, friendly and attentive staff, wider seat space, catering on board, increased sense of security and variety of welcome drinks.



In terms of seat comfort, 65 per cent of surveyed passengers from the UAE said they would prefer more comfortable seats, while 94 per cent of residents reported that they would be satisfied if wider seats were provided to them in economy class flights.



Emre Ismailoglu, general manager, Dubai and Northern Emirates, Turkish Airlines, said: UAE travellers have revealed their varied expectations from airlines for the future which is a good indicator of where the bar needs to be raised within the aviation sector. Safety continues to be the biggest concern for passengers closely followed by their comfort in the air.



As an airline we take great pride in offering the largest global network. Providing our passengers with the best services possible is one of Turkish Airlines key goals. We will continue to work hard on our expansion plans by adding new destinations to our network while constantly innovating to provide the best in class on-board amenities and services. he added.

Catering is another major concern for most UAE travellers, preferring a wider variety of menu options. Over 84 percent said they would like to choose from several options rather than have a standard fare handed out.



Ismailoglu said: One of Turkish Airlines unique services that has been recognised as being among the best in the world is our in-flight chef who is available on all international flights. Passengers get to choose from a wide variety of dishes and drinks and this takes on-board service to an altogether new level.



Hasan Demir, general manager - Abu Dhabi, Turkish Airlines, added: Our guests from the UAE capital are extremely discerning when it comes to comfort and in-flight conveniences. The passenger survey has proved that we as an airline are already catering to quite a few of those conveniences even as we continue to evolve our offerings to the highest standards possible within the UAE aviation sector.



A similar survey that was conducted in six other countries (Germany, UK, US, Japan, South Africa and Nigeria) also included Sense of security among travellers in comparison with a year ago as another category. Exactly half the surveyed participants (50 per cent) reported that they have a better overall sense of security when going on a plane in comparison with last year, highlighting the focus given to security at airports.



The study also took a general look at the travel behaviour of UAE residents in which 31 per cent said that they have flown atleast once or twice in their lives, compared to 29 per cent who reported that they have travelled by air 3-4 times. Other statistics include 24 per cent of residents who say they have not travelled by plane at all in the past two years, and 17 per cent stating they are frequent fliers.



The report also provided some insights on flight preferences of UAE passengers, where 55 per cent said they took long-haul flights compared to 44 per cent who booked medium-haul flights and around 20 per cent who booked short haul flights. - TradeArabia News Service


Omantel, the sultanates leading telecom provider, and Oman Air have signed a partnership agreement that will result in the enhancement of the value of the services provided by both the companies.



It will also enable them to jointly maximise their promotional services and products; resulting in a significant improvement in the overall experience of their respective customers. In addition, as part of the agreement, the functionality and features of each of their respective customer loyalty programs, Makasib for Omantel and Sindbad for Oman Air, will mutually benefit from the other going forward.



This agreement allows both Omantel and Oman Air customers to benefit from a broader range of alternative outlets through which they can gain access to the various services and promotions provided by both companies. The agreement also aims to maximise the value of prizes provided by the Makasib and Sindbad loyalty programmes. This agreement also enables Oman Air to provide self-service features for its customers at any Omantel outlet, where customers may inquire about flights, book tickets and avail of other such services provided by the national carrier. On the other hand, Omantel can place e-paying machines at any Oman Air office across the country. As a result, this agreement allows both companies to mutually expand their marketing and customer service activities across the country.



Commenting on the agreement, Omantels vice president of Consumer Unit, Haitham Abdullah Al Kharusi said: We at Omantel are proud to have such a prominent position within the eye of both, public and private sector organisations in Oman. We consider it our responsibility to reciprocate this trust by offering our customers in both sectors, be it individuals or companies, with the very best in products and services possible.



He also stated that through this agreement both companies have found the perfect alternative avenue through which they can expand the reach of their services to the benefit of both, Omantel and Oman Air customers. In fact, customers from either company may even utilise Omantel outlets and call centers as an additional means through which to avail of Oman Airs products and services and vice versa.



Dr Abdulrazaq Juma Al-Raisi, executive vice president-corporate services and business development at Oman Air noted after signing the agreement, At Oman Air we aim to provide the best possible services to our clients, readily adopting innovative new procedures that will enhance our commercial position and expand the reach of our services to our clients wherever they may be. This agreement melds perfectly into our strategy, enabling us to easily implement it in the best possible way.



Omantel has numerous sales outlets in all governorates of Oman, in addition to several call centers. We signed this partnership in order to enhance the experiences of our valued customers and to indirectly widen the scale and reach of the services and products we provide. It also enables us to maximise the value of the rewards and exclusive promotions provided through the Oman Air passenger loyalty programme Sindbad and the Omantel customer loyalty program Makasib, he added. - TradeArabia News Service


AccorHotels, one of the worlds leading hotel operators, has signed a management agreement with AlBaker Investments to develop a new Sofitel hotel in West Bay, Doha, Qatar.



The 420-room luxury hotel is expected to open in 2019.



Olivier Granet, managing director and chief operating officer of AccorHotels Middle East, said: We are excited to partner with AlBaker Investments to bring the Sofitel brand, one of our most successful international brands, to Qatar. Sofitel has become a key player in the luxury and upscale segment of the hospitality industry and the new Sofitel Doha West Bay will broaden the scope of our offering in one of the regions key markets.



A representative of AlBaker Investments, said: AlBaker Investments is delighted to have signed an agreement with AccorHotels to introduce the luxury Sofitel brand to Doha. We intend on creating a hotel that will produce unique and extraordinary experiences to set a new standard for luxury destinations in Doha. We look forward to a long and fruitful association with AccorHotels. We believe that with our experience in the development of properties in Qatar, combined with AccorHotels expertise in the hospitality industry, the Sofitel Doha West Bay will stand out as an iconic luxury property within the country.



The Sofitel Doha West Bay will be strategically located in front of City Center Doha Mall, offering easy access to the capitals main commercial and shopping districts. The hotel will be uniquely designed to reflect a modern and contemporary aesthetic.



Sofitel Hotels & Resorts offers luxury hotels with a difference, that combine its French origin - a unique combination of elegance, savoir-faire and the art of hospitality with the best of local culture in each country. With this in mind, guests staying at the Sofitel Doha West Bay will be able to enjoy a wide range of restaurants with unique and unconventional restaurant and lounge concepts in addition to a rooftop bar and a lounge with panoramic views over the city. The property will also offer tailor-made meeting facilities, swimming pools, a SO Fit and a SO Spa.



Granet added: The Doha West Bay shoreline has grown into one of the most prominent business sites in the capital. AccorHotels footprint in this central area is expanding in tandem with the local demand for quality and more refined properties.



AccorHotels has two existing properties in Qatar, in addition to six others under development. In the Middle East, AccorHotels currently operates 87 hotels encompassing over 26,000 rooms across the luxury to economy segments. The Groups regional network also includes 80 hotels under development, bringing close to 24,000 additional rooms to the Middle East. - TradeArabia News Service
Oman Air has been named 'Worlds Leading Airline  Economy Class' at the World Travel Awards for the third year running.



The 2016 award joins the accolades that were presented to the national carrier of Oman, in 2014 and 2015.



Oman Air beat competition from 17 other carriers including some of the best-known names in aviation field.



This is the latest in a long line of awards won by Oman Air and the carrier has now won three World Travel Awards in 2016 alone, with the Middle Easts Leading Airline, Business Class and Middle Easts Leading Airline, Economy Class already being awarded in October at the World Travel Awards Middle East 2016.



The World Travel Awards were presented at a gala dinner held at Olhuveli Beach & Spa Resort, South Male Atoll, Republic of Maldives. CEO of Oman Air Paul Gregorowitsch said: This is an incredible result for Oman Air to finish 2016 with three World Travel Awards. These awards set the standards for the travel industry and we have consistently been voted the best. Oman Air is a successful, sustainable company of the highest quality and it is immensely gratifying to be rewarded for our unique product and on board experience, in all classes. - TradeArabia News Service
Gulf Hotels Group in Bahrain recently bid farewell to Aqeel Raees, who has retired from his position as the group's chief official officer, after over 42 years of continuous service with the company.



The farewell reception was held on November 29 at Al Dana Ballroom in Gulf Convention Center and was attended by a number of senior officials and businessmen.



Raees began his career in Bahrain Petroleum Company Bapco, where he worked for about 10 years as a clerk in the Accounting Department. He then moved to the hospitality and tourism sector when he joined the Gulf Hotel in 1974, holding many positions in his 42-long tenure with the group, including becoming the CEO of Gulf Hotels Group in 2002.



Aqeels hard work and experience led to his promotion to the position of CEO in 2002 and the company saw rapid changes under his leadership. The Gulf Hotel became the Gulf Hotel Group, registering a jump of 145 per cent in its turnover. Our net profits increased by 260 per cent (18.6 per cent annually) and Gulf Hotel Group took over Bahrain Tourism Company. Moreover, our plans for the Dubai operation is also on track, said Mohamed Hussain Yateem, director and chairman of the Board Executive Committee of the Gulf Hotels Group.



He further stated: Aqeel had a major role in achieving all these milestones. As a result, the Gulf Hotel Group today manages five properties with the sixth on the way. Internationally Aqeel was recognized for his leadership qualities when he was awarded World Hotels leadership award 2013.



Raees is one of the pioneers of the hospitality and tourism industry in Bahrain. His outstanding and inspirational leadership within the group has greatly contributed to the growth of the company to become what it is today, the group said in a statement. - TradeArabia News Service


Autograph Collection Hotels, Marriott's exclusive portfolio of unique properties, has welcomed a new boutique property to its collection, with the opening of La Ville Hotel & Suites City Walk in Dubai, UAE.



La Ville Hotel & Suites will be Autograph Collections second hotel to open in the UAE emirate, joining Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa.



Style and elegance meet at La Ville Hotel & Suites, a distinctive low rise property offering a bright and airy atmosphere amongst the metropolis of the city. Throughout the hotel, chic iconic architecture celebrates elegant open spaces, providing a sociable setting for guests to meet and relax or simply a refreshing place to breathe.



Markus Roeder, general manager La Ville Hotel & Suites, said: It gives me great pleasure to see La Ville open after an exciting journey to get to this point and I am very much looking forward to finally welcoming guests to experience the hotel. I am privileged to be surrounded by an exceptional team of leaders and craftsman who are experts in their respective fields. Their infectious passion and enthusiasm is what brings the property to life and drives a collective desire to ensure each guest has a memorable experience. As part of Autograph Collection Hotels, we are honoured to be part of a unique array of properties that is nothing less than completely unique, nothing short of collectively exceptional."



Comprising 77 rooms, 11 suites and 68 apartments, guest rooms are spacious and celebrate relaxed urban luxury through decor led by sophisticated neutral furnishings, combined with contemporary artistic twists. Bathrooms are complete with luxurious marble counter tops, a free-standing bath tub and a walk-in shower, providing the ultimate space for unwinding or grooming in style. A jewel in the crown is the bright and airy Penthouse Suite complete with 180-sq-m of living space, a private dining area ideal for entertaining and a terrace that boasts spectacular views of Dubai's magical skyline.



Dining is a key highlight at La Ville Hotel & Suites with three restaurants, a lobby cafe and rooftop bar which include cosmopolitan and social experiences, tailored to individual preferences and moods. Each outlet apart from LookUp has their own entrance and access to the courtyard which provides a lush oasis and outdoor area ideal for al fresco dining in Dubai. The hotels restaurants are headed by Chef Pedro Joaquin Arceyut Araya who has carefully crafted each menu to reflect the individuality of each outlet while South African native, Juan Jacques van Huyssteen oversees La Villes bar concepts as Director of Beverages.



At Chival, menus focus on healthy and thoughtfully sourced produce available all throughout the day. The decor is light and airy with an outdoor seating area in the courtyard.



Nearby, Graze exudes subtle sophistication. A gastro grill where prime cuts and seafood are cooked to your liking in a Josper oven and the restaurant evokes a passionate dining experience, sharing good food and grape with great company. With extensive outdoor seating, guests have the option of dining outside amongst the ornate terrace fireplaces.



Across the courtyard is Grapeskin, a standalone trendy grape bar and kitchen with its own dedicated entrance where a bright open space is decked with industrial furnishings. Guests are invited to select all grapes by the glass and pair with food sharing platters and eclectic beverages to suit their mood. Grapeskin is the ultimate destination to sample a large variety of grape, allowing the knowledgeable team to take you on a journey through the vineyards without ever having to leave Dubai.



Up on the rooftop, LookUp boasts spectacular views of the Burj Khalifa where guests can sip carefully crafted beverages overlooking Dubais magical skyline and the infinity pool.



Open 24-hours a day, the Lobby Cafe is a relaxing open space where one can sit back and take some time out to breath with a coffee and healthy snack at any time, night or day.



For the sophisticated experience seeker, frequent traveler or stylish socialite looking for a chic urban setting, New Horizons will appear at La Ville. - TradeAravua Bews Service


BuSineSS Office ManageR Job Summary: The Business Office Manager is accountable and responsible for implementing, monitoring and maintaining the business office operations of the Surgery Center. The scope of responsibility includes but is not limited to: supervision of coding, insurance and patient billings, collections, cash management, Accounts Payable management, Accounts Receivable management, Payroll, Patient Registration, maintenance of medical records and management of the business office staff. The Business Office Manager may be required to participate in special projects and committees at the direction of the Administrator and/or the Chief Executive Officer. The Business Office Manager reports directly to the Administrator and works closely with the Operating Room Supervisor and staff. This is a working supervisor position. Qualifications:  Two years of completed college level Business Management or Accounting course work and high school diploma required. Bachelors degree in Business Management with a concentration in Accounting or Finance preferred.  Minimum of three years business experience in a medical officer or ambulatory healthcare setting required.  Working knowledge of medical records systems.  Must have extensive experience using industry standard word processing and spreadsheet software.  Experience in medical office or ambulatory surgery billing and collection procedures required. Requires extensive knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid, Workers Compensation and local payer coding and collection guidelines as they pertain to a medical office or ambulatory surgery center environment.  Experience in Accounts Payable and Payroll required.  Experience in Accreditation with Federal programs and a third party organization is preferred. Responsibilities:  Supervises business office personnel and delegates duties to ensure the efficient operation of the business office.  Monitors cases scheduled so as to ensure compliance with the approved procedure list for all carriers.  Establishes links of communication to the Director of Nursing regarding procedural, clinical staffing, equipment and ancillary service issues.  Enforces systems which facilitate the timely and accurate registration of patients to the facility, and which ensure efficient patient flow from the waiting area to the pre-operative area.  Monitors the coding of procedures performed in the surgery center and ensures that the coding practices of the surgery center are in compliance with HCFA/Medicare and other third party payor regulations. Conducts quarterly chart audits to ensure correct coding and billing practices.  Oversees the proper and accurate posting of payments and adjustments to patient accounts. Conducts monthly EOB audits to ensure proper and accurate postings.  Management of the medical records such as ensuring proper storage, retrieval and release of medical records, ensuring that the Centers procedures regarding the management of the medical records are in compliance with HCFA, AAHC/JCAHO guidelines, as well as State and Federal regulations. Conducts quarterly chart audits to ensure completeness of the medical records.  Timely and accurate processing of Accounts Payable items according to the policies and procedures.  Processes payments for Accounts Payable items as directed by the Administrator in an accurate and timely manner. Ensures the entry process of Accounts Payable data into the accounting software.  Oversees the verification/preauthorization of medical benefits for all patients scheduled at the surgery center. Ensures the timely and accurate verification of patients medical benefits to ensure quality patient care.  Oversees the collection of patient payments at the time of service determined at the time of verification of benefits and is responsible for ensuring maximum realization of revenue at the time of service.  Manages the Accounts Receivable by overseeing the timely payment of claims and patient due balances.  Ensures the proper methods of receiving, recording and deposit of patient and other receipts and enforces the internal controls required for cash management.  Ensures that the proper methods for management of bad debt accounts are followed.  Transmits payroll information to the payroll company and ensures the security of all employee payroll information. Works with the CEO to process the payroll.  Maintains the petty cash is the custodian of the petty cash; and, is responsible for its proper use.  Processes and reconciles the month-end reports, ensures the completeness of billings, payments, clinical logs and patient cost sheets.  Ensure security of the computer and medical software system and is responsible for ensuring the daily data backup and auditing the backup log. Assigns User IDs and passwords at the network and medical software systems level.  Performs annual evaluation of business office staff.  Oversees the efficient operations of outsourced billing operations.  Responsible for Quality Indicator studies as assigned by the CEO and Medical Director.  Participates in the Medical Advisory Committee.  The Business Office Manager is responsible for the other functions as assigned by the CEO.  Fosters an environment which promotes staff growth and development.  Maintains services in accordance with written policies and in compliance with various regulatory and accrediting agencies.  Maintains current BLS.  Maintains all licensures and certifications as required for job description.  Ensure that the center is in compliance with all privacy, confidentiality and HIPPA regulations. Send Resume To: Wyoming Surgical center Attn: Human Resources Manager 4140 Centennial Hills Blvd Suite C, Casper WY 82609
So when they butt-stroked me to the head from an AK-47 and I was bleeding down the side of my face and they threw me back in the cell I could
A Shoshoni teen was sentenced Tuesday to a maximum of six years in prison for having sex with a 12-year-old Natrona County girl, who became pregnant.

However, Gage Markgraf could see his two- to six-year sentence reduced if the teen completes a boot camp program.

Markgraf, now 19, pleaded guilty to a single charge of third-degree sexual abuse of a minor in September. Prosecutors originally charged him with first-degree sexual abuse of a minor but changed it as part of a plea deal.

Markgraf apologized for the crime at his sentencing Tuesday in Natrona County District Court.

When I was 17 I made a bad decision, like a lot of 17-year-olds do, he said.

The Natrona County Sheriffs Office began investigating Markgraf in June 2015 after the Wyoming Department of Family Services reported that a young girl was pregnant and she said Markgraf was the father, according to court documents.

The girl was 12 when she became pregnant. Markgraf was 17.

The girl told investigators that Markgraf was a family friend who had previously lived with her family, the documents say.

In January 2015, Markgraf and the girl were in the same house and had a conversation via Facebook about having sex. The two then went into a closet and had unprotected sex, according to the documents.

The girl said Markgraf knew how old she was because he was present for her first day of sixth grade.

The girl gave birth to a boy in September 2015. A paternity test later confirmed that Markgraf was the childs father, the documents say.

Assistant district attorney Brett Johnson recommended at the sentencing Tuesday that the judge sentence Markgraf to seven to 10 years.

Markgrafs attorney said the teen should receive probation, in part because he is the sole provider for his mother and sister.
A Natrona County District Court judge denied a request for acquittal and a new trial Wednesday from a Casper man convicted of murdering his roommate.

Don Johns was convicted of first-degree murder in November for stabbing his roommate to death in August 2015 after an argument.

Johns defense attorneys argued in a motion filed earlier this month that Johns should be acquitted or given a new trial because prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt his attack was premeditated.

According to Wyoming law, a person commits first-degree murder only if they kill with premeditated malice, which means the defendant thought about the act of killing before committing the crime.

We just dont believe there was enough evidence to support the conviction of first-degree murder, Tracy Hucke, one of Johns attorneys, said at the hearing Wednesday.

It just doesnt show it was premeditated, she said.

Assistant district attorney Kevin Taheri argued that Johns had clearly thought about the attack because he stabbed the victim 29 times with two weapons. Johns had to pause to switch weapons before continuing the attack, the prosecutor said.

There were also two separate weapons used, which shows a level of planning activity, Taheri wrote in response to the defenses motion for acquittal or a new trial.

After the two attorneys presented their arguments, Natrona County District Court Judge Catherine Wilking denied Johns requests. The hearing took less than 20 minutes.

Johns appeared in court Wednesday in red jail scrubs and his hair buzzed short. He did not speak during the proceedings.

Johns will be sentenced later and could face life imprisonment. Prosecutors previously said they will not seek the death penalty.
Wyomings unique tax structure means most government services have long been paid for by energy companies.

But since taxes on extractive industries go directly to the state government, local governments are heavily reliant on the Legislature to give them a piece of the pie.

Now cities and towns are looking to the Wyoming Legislature for more autonomy and taxation authority as they anticipate state money to dry up as severance taxes and mineral royalties flatline.

In the short term, the Wyoming Association of Municipalities is focused on securing the remaining $78 million already pledged by the state to local governments through next year during the upcoming legislative session in January.

But WAM deputy director Laurie Heath told Casper City Council on Tuesday that these pledged funds were likely to decrease significantly  if not completely disappear  during the 2018-2019 budget cycle.

Its like, give us the ability to (have) more options, Heath said.

Those options refer to several requests released in an October WAM report and include new taxing authority, such as:

Increasing the state sales tax to 5 percent and eliminating some current exemptions

Raising the current limit on property taxes

Eliminating the 1 percent administration fee the state currently deducts from local sales tax collection

A real estate transfer fee

WAM has also asked the Legislature to give local governments more control over the number of liquor licenses they are allowed to use by tweaking or eliminating the population-based cap on licenses.

Heath said some of these recommendations were more serious than others.

Some of our recommendations are just not going to be feasible, she acknowledged. Like the property tax (increase) sounds good but... it just doesnt bring back the direct distribution.

The current state money pledged to local governments in the form of direct distributions twice a year, called above the cap funding, traditionally comes out of mineral taxes. But this year the Legislature needs to withdraw it from savings accounts.

Heath said she remains confident that the money will come through this year.

Council member Charlie Powell, who also sits on WAMs board, said some in the Legislature consider the above the cap funding to be gravy, the fat, the extra money.

But since the distribution was introduced in 1999, cities have become increasingly reliant on it.

The world has changed, Powell said. He noted that cities have since had mandates imposed on them by the Legislature and are forced to expand their budgets, leaving less room for the side projects that above the cap funding was initially intended for.

The idea behind WAMs requests for new taxation authority and flexibility on liquor licenses is that if the Legislature is going to eliminate above the cap funding in the future the least they can do is allow cities and towns to raise their own funds.

Under the current tax code, municipalities are restricted to sales and property tax  both of which are capped at levels that are low by national standards.

Above-the-cap funding currently provides $3.4 million over two years to Casper, but the direct distributions are even more important for small towns that cant generate significant revenue from sales or property taxes.

The small towns are dependent on that, Heath said. It costs money to run a city.

Council member Ray Pacheco said it was important that Casper and other cities prepare for a future without direct distributions from the state.

I dont want to be like Chicken Little, he said. But I think municipalities have to look at all angles.
Former Wyoming Attorney General Patrick Crank was airlifted to a Denver area hospital for treatment after being involved in a two-vehicle crash Friday evening about 17 miles south of Torrington.

According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Crank was heading north on U.S. Highway 85 in a 2011 Toyota Corolla when he crashed into the rear of a 1994 Ford F-250 pickup truck around 5:47 p.m. Friday near mile marker 74.

Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. David Wagener said the pickup, driven by an unidentified 17-year-old, was stopped in the northbound lane, waiting for southbound traffic to clear before making a left turn. Crank was taken by ground ambulance to Torrington Community Hospital after the crash and later flown by helicopter to Denver, where he was hospitalized for his injures.

Wagener said hes not sure of the exact extent of Cranks injuries, but that they appear to be non-life-threatening. The driver of the pickup was not injured in the crash, and both drivers were wearing seatbelts.

The Highway Patrol is investigating whether the rear lights on the pickup were working properly as a contributing factor in the nighttime crash. Wagener said Tuesday that hes unaware of any charges being filed in connection with the incident at this time.

Crank served as the Wyoming attorney general from 2002 to 2007 under former Gov. Dave Freudenthal. He currently is a shareholder in Crank Legal Group, P.C., a Cheyenne law firm. Crank is also a member of the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission.
The state could be on the hook for anywhere between $87 million and $125 million to fix the Wyoming State Penitentiary, which was built on an old lake bed and is experiencing major structural issues, lawmakers heard Wednesday morning.

The Joint Appropriations Committee, the group of lawmakers who draft the first version of the budget bill, heard about buckling floors, cracked walls and water draining into building foundations from other lawmakers who spent the last six months examining the 15-year-old prison that incarcerates about 700 people.

The JAC is reviewing agency budgets ahead of the 2017 legislative session, which begins Jan. 10.

An engineering firm that studied the four prison buildings estimated it would cost $87.2 million to fix them by drilling supports 50 feet into the ground.

The task force reviewed a number of options for the prison, including repairs and building a new prison on a different site. The majority of the task force wanted repairs.

Meantime, the Wyoming Attorney Generals Office is determining whether the general contractor that built the prison is liable for the problems.

The JAC gave no indication of whether it would follow the task forces recommendation. Next month, the committee will unveil a budget bill with a decision on how to proceed with the prison, although the full Legislature could reject it.

Sen. Stephan Pappas, who works as an archi tect outside the Legislature and served on the task force, said there will be additional costs to the $87 million repair, such as permitting fees and moving inmates as sections of the prison are repaired.

You can probably add 20 to 30 percent by the time you add all that, said Pappas, a Republican from Cheyenne.

Youre suggesting that the price of this to do the remediation is going to be between $115 to $125 million, all told? asked Rep. Bob Nicholas, R-Cheyenne, who will lead the Appropriations Committee next year.  You throw out a number and people want that number to stick against the wall. If youre talking a number, youre talking at least $120 million.

Rep. Lloyd Larsen, a Lander Republican who is sitting in on the Appropriations Committee hearings this week because he will be a member of the committee next year, said that final costs are typically identified during the planning phase before construction.

The prison opened in 2001 and was supposed to last for 50 years. The facility will last the remaining 35 years if its repaired, Pappas said.

Theres no reason to believe it couldnt exceed the 50 years with proper maintenance, once you put a structural system in thats performing well, he said. Theres nothing that will degrade if things are maintained.

The buildings are made with reinforced concrete and steel beams and roofs. Mechanical and electrical systems can be replaced when needed, he said.

Its not like its a wood structure that is going to weather away, Pappas said.

A consideration with rebuilding the prison, Pappas said, is expansion of the prison in size and function.

Ive experienced it with lots of my clients, he said. When we decide to build a new building, well look at new thoughts on correctional programming.

Some lawmakers on the committee wished that options besides rebuild and repair would be more thoroughly considered.

Rep. Cathy Connolly, who will lead the Democratic minority in the House next year, said part of the task forces job over the six months was to consider alternatives to brick-and-mortar criminal rehabilitation, such as intensive supervised probation.

Brown, the House speaker, said the group didnt have extensive time and they had to review geotechnical and construction reports.

Appropriations committee member Rep. Mike Greear of Worland said he wished the group would have looked at ways to remedy the situation using the prison in Torrington, which has empty space waiting for an eventual expansion.

Pappas said that the space in Torrington can only accommodate another 144 new beds. Thats not nearly enough to house the Rawlins prisoners.

The Wyoming Constitution requires the state have a prison in Rawlins. Greear, a Republican, said he supports that but wonders if theres a way to shift some of the population to Torrington.

Bob Lampert, director of the Wyoming Department of Corrections, estimated the prison will last one to two years before it needs to be vacated or repaired.

We are supportive of repairing the facility at Rawlins, frankly because we need the beds, he said.
The Wyoming Health Department director told lawmakers Tuesday afternoon that he might need five times more money than recently provided to his agency for involuntarily committing people in mental health crises.

For the past four years, the Legislature provided the Wyoming Department of Health about $2.2 million a year. That is $4.4 million for the past two, two-year budget cycles for the program, called Title 25, said Tom Forslund, the agencys director.

But in the last budget cycle alone, costs for involuntary commitments ran the department $18 million.

So the department had to come up with just shy of $14 million internally in order to pay for those costs, Forslund said.

Quandaries, such as how to pay for Title 25, are being presented to members of the Joint Appropriations Committee this week as it holds budget hearings with agency officials ahead of the 2017 session, which begins Jan. 10. The JAC is the committee that drafts the budget bill for the full Legislature.

Revenue from oil, gas and coal is down. After a series of cuts by the Legislature and Gov. Matt Mead on the two-year, $3 billion budget, the state still faces a $157 million shortfall. Wyomings Health Department is the states largest agency, using about $1.9 billion in federal, state and other funds.

Gov. Matt Mead crafted a budget plan that covers the shortfall without any additional cuts or tax increases. To cover looming Title 25 costs, he proposes the Legislature use up to $21 million from the $2.6 billion rainy day fund.

Its a prudent proposal, and all the money may not ultimately be needed, Forslund told lawmakers.

But ultimately the Legislature has final say over Wyomings budget. And members of the JAC, which leans fiscally conservative, had plenty of questions for Forslund.

Rep. Tim Stubson, a Republican from Casper, asked Forslund to provide an estimate of how much the department will need from the rainy day fund if the Legislature chooses to follow Meads recommendation.

I cant give you a safe prediction of how much its going to be because its too early, Forslund said.

Stubson pushed Forslund further.

The agency chief said the state was saving money in the first five months of the year by working closely with Natrona, Sweetwater and Fremont counties, which accounted for most of the hospitalizations.

Forslund replied if the savings trend continues, the final cost will come in at $6.3 million.

But if you say, Thats all you get, Im going to have to tell the courts, Theres no room at the inn and theres no money to pay the designated hospitals, he said.

The Health Department is supposed to care for people who are a threat to themselves or others at the Wyoming State Hospital in Evanston. But the hospital doesnt have enough beds for all Title 25 patients, which means the Health Department has to foot the bill for their treatment at private facilities throughout the state.

Republican Rep. Glenn Moniz of Laramie wanted to know why expenses have skyrocketed. In 2010, the program cost the state $4.1 million.

Forslund said the number of people who have been committed increased from 261 in 2010 to 357 in the budget year that ended June 30.

Law enforcement can take people in crisis to the hospital, which treats them temporarily. Then county attorneys present a case to the courts, which can commit them. After people are stabilized, they are released.

If the person is homeless and lacks a job and health insurance, the problems can continue. They wont be able to stay on their medications, Forslund said.

They have no place to go, and they get back into the system, in many cases quickly, he said. And then (critics) say, Why werent they treated better? Well, its a lot more complex with the mental health treatment. Its the social supports.
Location, location, location the old saying goes.

But the owners of Fed by Threads know parking, parking, parking is just as important.

The downtown shop at 345 E. Congress St. is shutting its doors Saturday, Dec. 17, after a bad combination of sluggish sales, busy personal lives and a really tricky parking situation, said partner Manish Shah.

For right now, we just have to take a pause for the cause, said Shah, who added that merchandise is discounted 40-70 percent in the stores final days. A lot of people are very upset.

Indeed. On the stores Facebook page, customers reacted to the news with sad-face emojis and some comments that the store  which focuses on American-made, sweatshop-free, sustainable fashion  was the only place they shopped.

Shah said for now the trio of partners  which includes Alok Appadurai and Skya Nelson  will focus on the custom printing side of the business, which has always been Fed by Threads big emphasis.

Everybodys getting paid off, Shah said. Were walking away with our heads just above water.

Fed by Threads began inside a dance studio on East Ninth Street four years ago with the goal of donating part of its profits to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and a national hunger relief organization. The business grew quickly and moved to Congress Street into an inviting space flooded with natural light inside the mixed-use Plaza Centro, which boasts a garage. The problem was theres only one way into the parking structure, and customers routinely overshot the entrance and then couldnt figure out how to get to the shop.

We had to resort to telling customers to park in the Maynards lot during the day, then wed be going ourselves, getting them and bringing them to the store, Shah said. We were doing that every day, two and three and four times a day.  Customers just love it here, but weve made it a total pain in the butt to get here.

This summer, Fed by Threads was one of three apparel businesses to win the People & Planet Award from Green America, a nonprofit that promotes ethical consumerism. In September, a story in the Star shared Fed by Threads plans to expand into other markets. Shah said while other cities have expressed interest in their style of boutique, thats on hold.

The store will be open noon to 7 p.m. in its final days to clear out inventory. The partners will then reassess, and  a glimmer of hope for Fed by Thread fans  maybe even open again somewhere in town.
Abstractly speaking, the citys battle with the state is over our ability to rule ourselves, not about guns.

Tucson is fighting against a law, SB 1487, that imposes Draconian penalties on cities whose ordinances might violate state law or the Constitution. You could say that its just coincidence that the first city action to be challenged is a Tucson ordinance related to the destruction of seized guns.

But really, this battle has been about guns all along.

Thats been true from the states decades-old pre-emption debates to this new complaint against the city of Tucson.

Some of you may remember Tucsons 1996 prohibition on guns in city parks. Local resident Ken Rineer deliberately got himself arrested carrying a holstered handgun in Himmel Park and challenged the ordinance. After court hearings, vetoed bills and legislative compromises, that eventually led, in 2001, to the Legislature passing a sweeping law prohibiting cities from regulating firearms.

But it wasnt quite sweeping enough. Despite that 2001 law, Tucson passed the new ordinance in 2005, spelling out that the police department should destroy most guns that it seizes, which led to a 2013 state law prohibiting cities from destroying guns.

Beginning with the guns-in-parks debate, Tucsonan and NRA board member Todd Rathner told me, Every year since then, weve had to run a new version of pre-emption.

The state would try to stop cities from making laws about guns, the cities would find a loophole, and the state, urged on by the NRA, would try to eliminate those loopholes.

All this time, the people who actually handled the guns and managed their destruction were noticing. It happens that two of them were a married couple who were both officers in the Tucson Police Department. Bob and Sharon Callan are gun hobbyists who had roles at different times in disposing of seized guns.

For years leading up to 2005, Bob Callan was the armorer for the SWAT team and organized auctions of seized guns.

When guns came up for destruction, he told me Tuesday, the ones that had value, I sent out notices to dealers that there were guns available for auction.

Some of the seized guns were illegal  serial numbers removed, sawed-off barrels that were illegally short  and would be destroyed. The department also would not sell handguns. But the long guns with value were sold to licensed dealers, he said.

Id do that about three times a year  up until they passed the ordinance, Bob Callan said.

He estimated that each sale generated $75,000 or more, which added up to at least $200,000 per year. The money went into a special TPD account and was used for equipment, he said.

Once they passed that ordinance, he said, everything stopped.

Years later, Sharon Callan was a lieutenant commanding the special-investigations unit. She was assigned to carry out one destruction operation, and it was a detailed operation.

First, officers matched each gun to one on a list of those to be destroyed, then the SWAT team took them to a metal yard. The metal-yard operators had to clear out whatever they were working on to exclusively smash the guns into little bits, and officers had to verify that they were destroyed. It worried some people who worked on the destruction operations, Sharon Callan said.

Evidence technicians are concerned because, per the statute, theyre violating the law as well, she said.

The Callans knew Rathner, a gun-rights lobbyist, and asked him, Isnt this supposed to be illegal?

But they didnt want to raise a fuss  they were still employed at TPD and angling for an optimal retirement.

Rathner knew state law prohibited the destruction, and he wanted someone to sue over it, but the problem was  who?

The whole issue, all along, has been standing  how do we get standing in the court to sue on pre-emption? he asked.

To City Council member Steve Kozachik, the fact that the NRA couldnt find an injured person with standing to sue over the citys gun destruction underlines an important point: No one is injured by the policy.

We have had this in place for a decade, he said. We have had no reason to even think about this ordinance. This thing was operating swimmingly.

But the NRA opposes any city efforts to regulate firearms, and pushed a bill in this years legislative session to give it a tool to sue. SB 1266 allowed pretty much anyone to sue a city attempting to do so. It imposes fines of up to $50,000 on the city, allows for firing of employees carrying out the policy, and says any successful plaintiff is due both attorneys fees and damages up to $100,000.

That bill was the one the NRA planned to use to fight Tucson, but then the nuclear option came into effect. SB 1487 takes away state-shared revenue from any city that violates any state law or the constitution  about $115 million in Tucsons case. And it forces the Attorney Generals Office to handle any complaints made by a single state legislator, taking the legal burden off of individuals and interest groups.

After the Callans retired from TPD in December, they talked again with Rathner, who is a Tucson resident. He looked around for legislators willing to handle the complaint but knew that no legislators from Tucson would be interested. So he turned to Rep. Mark Finchem, a gun-rights hardliner and legislator from Oro Valley.

After Finchem was able to turn up evidence of TPD destroying firearms, he filed a formal complaint against the city.

But interestingly, that was not the first effort at using SB 1487 to force a city to comply. The first complaint, by Rep. Paul Boyer, was against the town of Snowflake over its handling of a marijuana greenhouse proposal. The town amended its agreement in order to address the concerns and the complaint was resolved.

In August, Sen. Gail Griffin, of Hereford, raised the issue of Bisbees plastic-bag ordinance, which requires that stores using disposable bags charge a 5-cent tax, of which two cents goes to the store and three cents goes to conservation efforts. The ordinance seems to violate an absurdly specific state law, which bans plastic-bag ordinances. But Griffin never filed a formal complaint.

So, not surprisingly, the complaint that will finally test the constitutionality of SB 1487 is about the issue that pre-emption has always really been about  city ordinances on guns.
A Tucson man was found guilty of first-degree murder Monday, in the 2015 Marana shooting death of an acquaintance, officials said.

Cody Clark, 25, was arrested on March 23, 2015, after police discovered 22-year-old Austin Gann's body in inside his car in a desert area near I-10 and West Cortaro Road, according to Arizona Daily Star archives.

The pair were linked to an argument the previous night at an apartment complex near West Linda Vista Boulevard and North Camino de Oeste that was under investigation by the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

Gann was found dead with a single gunshot wound, and investigators believe that he was shot to death there. A handgun was recovered, but details weren't provided at the time.

Shortly Gann's vehicle was discovered, Marana police responded to the 8000 block of North Mountain Stone Pine Way to a report by a homeowner of a man damaging the landscaping in their yard, at which time Clark was arrested for criminal damage. He was in custody when officers found out about Gann.
State authorities confirmed the jaguar photographed Dec. 1 in the Huachuca Mountains is a newcomer to Arizona.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department analyzed photos taken by trail cameras and confirmed the jaguar had not been seen previously in the state, the department said in a news release Wednesday.

Five scientists from the department independently examined the photos from the new sighting with those from previous jaguars in Arizona to compare spot patterns and concluded that this animal has not been sighted in previously in the state, Jim deVos, assistant director for Wildlife Management at AZGFD, said in the news release.

The recently-seen jaguar is a solitary male whose closest breeding population is about 130 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border, deVos said. He cautioned that without female jaguars or more regular sightings of jaguars, the photographs from early December are not indicators that the the jaguar population is returning to Arizona.

The most recent sighting of a jaguar in southern Arizona prior to the one in the Huachuca Mountains was in the Santa Rita Mountains, the department said. That jaguar was photographed hundreds of times, but it hasn't been documented in the state since September 2015.
Tucson is a little tidier today thanks to a new pilot program aimed at helping the homeless.

A small group of homeless residents spent part of Tuesday cleaning up city streets, medians and traffic circles in one of the citys oldest neighborhoods. Leaves were raked and garbage was collected in the Dunbar/Spring Neighborhood.

And when the job was done, the six workers were paid for their labor as part of the new Tucson Homeless Work Program.

Some of those working Tuesday returned to the Primavera Mens Shelter, where they had access to showers, clean clothing, a haircut and a hot meal.

On Thursdays, participants in the program will be picked up at the Salvation Army Hospitality House on North Main Avenue.

The new day-labor program, which began last week, runs twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and hires homeless men and women.

Using a donated van, a program coordinator takes participants to a work site where they do landscaping and light clean-up work and at the end of a five- or six-hour shift they are paid in cash, $10 an hour  above the states minimum wage of $8.05 per hour.

The van transporting workers also has a trailer with a portable bathroom and tool storage. The work crew is supplied with tools and safety equipment to do the assigned job.

As part of the program, nonprofit agencies help participants enroll in the states Medicaid system, schedule appointments with behavioral-health providers and check to see if they qualify for other types of services.

A person may participate in the labor program for up to 12 days.

Those in the program also have access to the countys Sullivan Jackson Employment Center, where they are enrolled in a program designed to help the homeless seeking full-time stable employment.

The program is the brainchild of the Tucson Change Movement, a merchant-driven initiative to raise funds for homeless programs and services and is based on similar models in Albuquerque, Denver and Los Angeles. Tucson City Councilman Richard Fimbres helped organize the new effort.

Humberto Lopez with HSL Properties matched funding from Pima County and the city of Tucson, presenting a $50,000 check to the program.

Mark Kerr, Fimbres chief of staff, confirmed that with the check from Lopez the program is fully funded for a year.

After the one-year pilot is over, Fimbres hopes funding to maintain and expand the program will come from business and public donations to the Tucson Change Movement.

Other community groups helping with the work program are Catholic Community Services, the Primavera Foundation, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Cenpatico, El Rio Community Health Center, Caridad Community Kitchen, Assurance Health and Wellness Center and Pima County One-Stop.
PHOENIX  Hoping Arizonans will have had their fill of Republican policies by 2018, Tucson Democrat Steve Farley is weighing a bid to make incumbent Doug Ducey a one-term governor.

Farley told Capitol Media Services on Tuesday that the tax cuts enacted during Duceys administration have left the states K-12 and higher-education systems without adequate funding.

Instead, he said, the governors policies seem to rely on the idea that tax breaks will grow the economy through new corporations moving here. In fact, Ducey has not only promised to propose tax cuts every year he is governor but said he will drive the state income tax rate to as close to zero as possible.

Farley said that recipe makes no sense.

The large corporations wont come here anymore if we dont have a workforce thats trained to be able to work for them, he said.

An aide to the governor declined to comment. And while Ducey has made no formal announcement of his 2018 plans, he already has formed a campaign committee.

Farley, first elected to the House in 2007 and a state senator since 2013, could face a demographics problem.

There are more than 1.2 million Republicans registered to vote in the state. Democrats, with nearly 1.1 million registered voters, actually trail independents by nearly 128,000.

But Farley said it works to his advantage that the states gubernatorial race is not the same year as the presidential contest.

Traditionally, when you look at the first off-year presidential election for this state, folks go heavily against the party in power in D.C., he said. And Farley is counting on disenchantment with both the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congess.

He also pointed out that the last time Arizona voters choose a Democrat for governor was in 2002  and again in 2006  electing Janet Napolitano. And both years there was a Republican in the White House.

Farley is focused on the states tax policies and how he believes they can be improved.

He conceded that by the time of the 2018 election many of the tax cuts previously approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature will already have kicked in. That includes a 30 percent reduction in the corporate income tax rate and a change in the law that allows some manufacturers who do not sell their products in Arizona to entirely escape state corporate income taxes.

Yeah, but it could get much worse if he gets reelected and carries through on his promise to eliminate the state income tax, Farley said.

But the Tucson Democrat is looking to do more than simply keeping tax rates from going any lower. He is targeting the exemptions on what is subject to the state sales tax.

Calculations by Capitol Media Services show that if every transaction were subject to the states 5.6 percent sales tax, the state would collect at least $12.2 billion more a year. That compares with $4.3 billion the state actually took in last budget year.

Farley calls those exemptions loopholes.

He conceded, however, there are reasons behind some of those exemptions, including political.

For example, Arizona does not tax the sale of food from grocery stores intended for home consumption. The Department of Revenue estimates that eliminating that exemption would bring in about $414 million a year.

Then there are policy decisions like taxing only the final purchase. That compares with a European system of value-added taxes, where every transaction is taxed each time a product or service changes hands.

That exemption adds up to $4.1 billion.

And services also are generally exempt, including nearly $2 billion that would be collected from medical and hospital services and an additional $1 billion in professional, scientific and technical services.

But Farley said theres probably $2 billion to $3 billion in low-hanging fruit. One particular target is the $1.5 billion exemption for the sale of pipes and valves 4 inches in diameter  not larger or smaller  to transport oil, natural gas or coal slurry.

We could actually reduce the overall sales-tax rate and cut out a bunch of these loopholes that arent doing anything for the economy ... and gain revenue while reducing the rate, he said.

Political-party registration aside, Farley faces another hurdle. The last time Arizona voters elected someone from Southern Arizona for governor was in 1974 when they tapped Democrat Raul Castro.
America is now a nation where acts of political violence are so predictable that for months before an assailant broke into the San Francisco home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacked her husband, Paul Pelosi, last week, experts have warned such an incident was likely.
Las Posadas is a nearly 400-year-old Mexican Christmas tradition in which a child dressed as an angel leads a procession including a couple dressed as Joseph and Mary (pregnant with Baby Jesus) seeking shelter each night for eight days. The procession may include a Nacimiento (nativity), as well as caroling, food and often a pinata for children afterward. Tucson's Carrillo School has hosted the procession since 1937.
PHOENIX  The Arizona Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to let former Attorney General Tom Horne try to void a $1.2 million fine imposed against him for violating campaign-finance laws in his 2010 election.

Horne contends that there was not enough evidence for Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk to conclude that there was illegal collusion between him and what was set up as a separate  and independent  committee to promote his election.

Horne said Polk, in concluding he was guilty, ignored findings to the contrary by a state hearing officer.

But the main thrust of his argument is that it was improper, if not illegal, for Polk to effectively have served as investigator, prosecutor and judge in the matter.

His attorney, Dennis Wilenchik, says that violated Hornes due process rights.

What the high court decides will have implications far beyond Horne.

Polk, sitting in for the attorney general in this case, followed the common practice of state agency directors to both pursue complaints against those who violate regulations and then to become the person who makes the final decision on whether there was a violation. Agency directors even are allowed to overturn the findings of their own hearing officers.

Solicitor General John Lopez IV, in a friend of the court brief written before he was named a Supreme Court justice earlier this month, said state agencies and their directors need guidance on whether they can continue in both roles.

Polk said Tuesday she had no comment on the matter.

At issue is $513,340 spent by Business Leaders for Arizona on a last-minute commercial attacking Democrat Felecia Rotellini, Hornes 2010 challenger.

The group was formed by Kathleen Winn, a staffer in Hornes office, and registered as an independent campaign committee. That status prohibits it from legally coordinating its expenses with the candidate.

The FBI, looking into other matters after the 2010 election, came across what it said was evidence that there was communication.

The case went to then-Secretary of State Ken Bennett who, by law, had to pass it on to the Attorney Generals Office.

But with Horne now running that agency, an aide farmed the case out to Polk.

She found evidence of violations, citing a series of phone calls between Horne and Winn.

When they appealed, the case was sent to an administrative law judge  essentially a hearing officer  with one of Polks deputies presenting the evidence against the pair.

Polk acknowledged later that she was involved with the prosecution of the case, by assisting with the preparation and strategy.

That judge eventually accepted their testimony that they were not talking about the campaign but instead discussing a pending real estate deal.

Polk, however, rejecting the findings, saying there was evidence that Horne directed Winn to not just raise money for her campaign for his election but also how to spend it.

Changed her story

Polk said Winn repeatedly changed her story and that her pattern of contradicting sworn affidavits to conform to newly revealed facts calls into question her credibility.

The result was a finding that Winns expenses really were contributions to Hornes campaign, contributions that exceeded the limit by $400,000 of what he could take from any one source. So Polk imposed a penalty equal to three times that.

Both a trial judge and the state Court of Appeals rebuffed the bid by Horne and Winn to overturn those findings.

That, however, still leaves the question of whether Polk, having conducted the investigation and participated in making the case against the pair, acted improperly in overturning the finding she had not sought and decided to impose the $1.2 million penalty.

Lopez, in his legal brief, said there is court precedent for the same agency enforcing a law and then deciding who has violated it.

But that guidance comes from a patchwork of decisions of the Court of Appeals, he wrote.

No date has been set for a hearing.

The issues in this case are separate from other investigations surrounding whether Horne illegally used office staff and equipment in his unsuccessful 2014 reelection campaign.

Horne paid a $10,000 penalty imposed by the Citizens Clean Elections Commission.
SBS foodie Adam Liaw is returning in January with Destination Flavour Singapore.

In the 9 part series, Malaysian-born Liaw will go on a journey of a food and family, travelling across Singapore and discovering long-held secrets about his family ancestry.

Last week Destination Flavour won an AACTA Award as Best Lifestyle show.

In this series, Adam will visit specialty hawker stalls that have been handed down from generation to generation. He will leave no stone unturned in his quest to find the very best flavours Singapore has to offer  dropping by some of the finest 5-star restaurants in the world featuring the likes of Michelin-starred chef Guy Martin and Australias own Chef Tetsuya Wakuda.

Adam also takes on one of the biggest pressure-cooker challenges of his career  in the final episode, the Australian High Commissioner and the cream of Singapores food scene will gather at one of the citys finest waterside hotels to sample his 5-course fine dining menu; where he must interpret the essence of the Singapore that hes experienced.

8.00pm Thursday, 12 January on SBS and SBS Food Network.
Help India!

By Arun Kumar

Washington : A foundation started by prominent Indian-American IT entrepreneur Frank Islam and his wife Debbie Driesman will fund a fellowship in the US for a mid-career journalist from India for six months in 2017.

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The Frank Islam & Debbie Driesman Foundation, whose mission is to promote education, art and culture and peace and conflict-resolution, is joining hands with Alfred Friendly Press Partners, a leader in transforming journalists from information hungry societies, for the fellowship .

The Frank Islam & Debbie Driesman Fellow will work in a major newsroom in Washington, DC, for five months after undergoing a five-week training programme at the Missouri School of. Journalism in Columbia, Missouri.

During the roughly six-month programme, the FIDD Fellow will:

* gain experience in reporting, writing, editing, and editorial decision-making that will enhance professional performance;

* secure a practical understanding of the function and significance of the free press in American society;

* acquire first-hand knowledge of the industrys technological advances; and

* develop the skills to transfer knowledge to colleagues at home in India.

Frank Islam, President of the Frank Islam & Debbie Driesman Foundation, stated: Our foundation is proud to join hands with AFPP to support this fellowship. Debbie and I consider the fellowship a strategic investment in the free press.

Over the past three decades, AFPP has trained 15 world class journalists from India who have gone on to become leaders in the field. It is our earnest belief that the FIDD Fellow will continue that tradition.

Randall D. Smith, President of the Alfred Friendly Press Partners, stated:

We are especially delighted to welcome Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman to our fold.

Support such as theirs is the reason that weve been able to train more than 300 journalists from 90 different countries for over 30 years.

Debbie and Frank are ambassadors for democracy and they understand the critical importance of a free press. Their investment will impact countless lives in ways that cant yet be imagined. Thats the potential of quality journalism, Smith added.

The AFPP will administer the fellowship. A candidate who has three years of professional experience as a journalist and is currently employed as a journalist by an independent news media organization in India can apply for the fellowship by contacting the AFPP, the Foundation said.


Help India!

By Mansoor Durrani

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The period between 12th and 16th Century is considered the peak of Muslim rule in the world. In line with their vision and wisdom Muslim rulers in India built a large number of monumental structures. For instance, a red sandstone tower called Qutb Minar . It is 72.5 m high, tapering from 2.75 m in diameter at its peak to 14.32 m at its base. Its construction started in early 1200 and after several pauses, the tower construction was completed in 1386 . That was precisely the period during which  in the other part of the world  the foundations of worlds two top-tier Universities namely Oxford and Cambridge were being laid in the UK!

Similarly, at the peak of Muslim empire in India, an immense mausoleum of white marble was completed in Agra in 1648 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife. The Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the worlds heritage. But it is no co-incidence that Harvard University , a top-tier Ivy League research University was built in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1636 , whose history, influence, and wealth have made it one of the worlds most prestigious universities.

Dolmabahce Palace overlooking beautiful Bosphorus strait was built in Turkey between 1843 and 1856 , at a time when life for the average person in Istanbul or the rest of the Ottoman Empire was not easy or comforting. On the other hand, Stanford University was founded in 1885 by Leland and Jane Stanford, dedicated to Leland Stanford Jr, their only child. The institution opened in 1891 on Stanfords 650 acre Palo Alto farm in California, US. It is a top technical research university with an acceptance rate of less than 5% i.e. for every 100 applicants, only 5 get selected! And almost all those applicants are best-in-class.

The above three were not the only blunders made. These are just a handful examples.

Because the purpose of this piece is not to catalog all the wasteful past and present projects.

The objective is just to compare and contrast some of the major causes and their effects on our present lives. God gave Muslims a large part of His world to test what they will do with their power and resources. Having failed that test, the geography under their control began shrinking!

Instantly punishing nations for their mistakes is against the nature of Divine Law. What happened in Aleppo last night; or Falluja last year; or Gaza the year before is simply the harvest of what we have sowed centuries back. American, Israeli and Russian Air Forces and laser-guided missiles  riding on the back of unmatched technological advantage  completely demolished the will and infrastructure of these small towns who stood up against tyranny and foreign occupation. And these supremely tragic destructions do not seem to be one-off, isolated episodes. There are enough indications that the payback time for our past mistakes and misguided priorities has come. But we are still seduced by Petronas Towers and Burj Khalifas (more new towers on the drawing boards) in addition to our own mini Taj Mahals i.e. extravagant houses that all resourceful folks build. This is why we are likely to witness more Aleppos, Gazas and Fallujas in different parts of the world in months and years to come.

An interesting cat that is completely out of the bag in Syrian crisis and the siege of Aleppo is the collusion between the US and Russia. When it came to Muslim issues, including Palestine, they have always been together. But now it is blatantly clear despite diplomatic dramas shown on the media. One positive trait of fascist ideologies and leaders is that they play their games openly. For instance, RSS in India is openly antiMuslim. Keeping with this fascist tradition, Trump does not hide his love for Russia. On appointing Chevron Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, Trump praised him in these words He does massive deals in Russia. What an interesting qualification for an American Foreign Secretary to be deeply connected in Russia! A recent CIA report also confirmed that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Trump win the presidency! Going forward, they will be glued together. Openly. Imagine what is

coming for those who are weak and already brutalized!

Crying, cribbing and complaining never helps. Only constructive actions do. But we seem to have learnt no lesson over the past 300-400 years. As mentioned in my previous articles, the rebuilding of nations cannot start from the 50th floor or 70th floor. In the 2015 list of top 200 Universities, not a single University appears from 50+ Muslim countries. Similarly, in the PISA test (meant to assess the mathematical, scientific and English proficiency of school going students), not a single Muslim country figured in the top 45 countries. For developing top-class human capital who are self-reliant for their survival and growth, the starting point is a strong foundation i.e. top-class, researchoriented schools. Once a strong foundation (not weak foundation based on run-of-themill schooling programs) is built, the overall socioeconomic structure of the society on top of that foundation will automatically become formidable. It will then be able to withstand the mounting pressures of rapidly spreading fascism all around us.

Sadly, millions of Muslims around the world still take pride in their rulers bizarre decisions to build Taj Mahals, Qutub Minars and Dolmabache Palaces (and continue to praise Petronas, Burj Khalifas etc). Surprisingly, these cheerleaders include top intellectuals and community leaders. These folks fail to acknowledge that our predecessors who spent precious resources on building palaces and towers are now consigned to the trashbin of history. While nations who invested their resources wisely and prioritized areas that needed priority (e.g. research-oriented education) are able to display their power and prestige all over the world.

If an Oxford was built in New Delhi instead of Qutub Minar; a Harvard was built in Agra instead of Taj Mahal and a Stanford was built in Istanbul in place of Dolmabache Palace, subsequent generations for centuries to come would immensely benefit, and also be proud of and grateful to their leaders  apart from being safe and happy today!
Help India!

By Afroz Alam Sahil, TwoCircles.net

New Delhi : The Narendra Modi-led NDA government had last year announced a cess of 0.5 % to be collected for the purpose of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan in an attempt to boost the clean India initiative. This cess became effective from November 15, 2015 on all services liable for service tax.

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According to an RTI filed by TwoCircles.net, a sum of Rs 9,851.41 Crore has been collected till the Oct 26, 2016.

TwoCircles.net filed an RTI to the Dept. of Economic Affairs (Ministry of Finance) to provide as to how much cess has been collected under scheme of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan till date. The Dept. of Economic Affairs forwarded this RTI to Department of Revenue, and Department of Revenue forwarded this RTI to Directorate General of Systems & Data Management, Central Board of Excise & Customs (Ministry of Finance).

The Directorate General of Systems and Data Management, which sent the written reply to TwoCircles.net, had interestingly said in a previous RTI query that the Swacch Bharat Cess data is not maintained/available with them.

This RTI was filed on 19th March 2016 from Ahmadabad to know about the exact amount collected from the Swachh Bharat Cess in the period 16th December to till that date, and also to know about the utilization of this fund for Swachh Bharat Initiatives. On 21st March 2016, RTI was transferred to Public Authority Department of Revenue. On the next day, it was again transferred to Public Authority Central Board of Excise and Customs. After doing the rounds of 3 departments, this RTI got a negative reply which stated that, Swacch Bharat Cess data is not maintained/available in this Directorate.

In budget 2015-16, the government had put the service tax collection target at over Rs 2.09 lakh crore. It is expected that the Swachh Bharat cess would yield Rs 400 crore over and above the service tax collections.

The last budget also increased service tax from 14.5% to 15% on select services by levying 0.5% Krishi Kalyan (farmers benefit) Cess, which the government has promised to spend on agriculture.


Help India!

Dr. Lubna Sarwath for Twocircles.net

Jyoti Punwanis Nov 27, 2016 interview with a woman activist who had recently resigned from the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) () appears to be an attempt to whitewash the retrogressive medievalism of a couple of jamaats even while painting the AIMPLB as obscurantist. In one of her responses Punwanis interviewee states that jamaats such as the Jamaat-e-Islami and Ahle Hadees are very active, and both are very progressive on womens issues. The groups that are being referred to here are Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) and Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees Hind. Both are headquartered in New Delhi.

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Jamaat-e-Islami Hind

By no stretch of imagination can these two organisations be described as progressive on womens issues. The JIH, for instance, issued a press release on Oct 11, 2016 in which its chief, Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari, said:

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind completely stands by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board which is the authentic representative body of Indian Muslims. All major Muslim organizations and a vast majority of the Muslim community stand solidly behind the Board and will not accept any interference in their personal law. Those try to sow the seeds of dissension among Muslims will never succeed. The problem of triple talaq and polygamy has been blown out of proportion with the sole motive of portraying Muslims as being patriarchal and misogynistic.

The JIH has always held that three talaqs pronounced in one sitting (talaq-e-bida) is valid and breaks the marriage, although it is a sin. This is based on the views of the founder of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Maulana Maududi. In Towards Understanding the Quran, the English version of his Urdu commentary Tafhim al-Quran he states:

The pronouncing of triple divorce in one session is a highly sinful act according to the Law, and the Prophet has strongly denounced itAlthough this procedure of divorce is considered sinful, the founders of the four legal schools consider it to have legal effect, with the result that such divorce, in their view, becomes absolutely irrevocable. (Note no: 250, Vol.1, p.178)

JIH completely stands by the AIMPLB, a body which thinks that if instant triple talaq is abolished Muslim husbands may kill their wives! Punwanis interviewee must tell us how this is a progressive position. Indeed, one just has to read the constitution of JIH, especially Articles 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9 () to understand its regressive and anti-democratic ideology according to which it is incumbent on every member of the JIH that he or she should relinquish any key-post which he/she holds under and ungodly governmental system, or the membership of its legislature or a judicial office under its judicial system. Further, this progressive jamaat does not have a single woman as part of its Central Leadership, Markazi Majlis-e-Shura, Department Secretaries, or State Presidents, as evident from their website. Unbelievable!

Not to mention, the fact that the president and General Secretary of these progressive Jamaats, viz., JIH & Ahle-Hadees, also happen to be one of the Vice-Presidents and Members of the Executive Committee of AIMPLB.

Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees Hind

The Jamiat Ahle Hadees considers itself outside the fold of the four major schools of Sunni legal thought namely, Hanafi, Shafaii, Maliki and Hanbali. It believes that adhering to any school amounts to blindly following (taqleed) its founder which is wrong because Muslims are obliged to follow only the Quran and teachings of Prophet Muhammad. This Jamiat is so puritanical that it describes itself as Salafis who interpret Quranic Verses with an anthropomorphic reference literally, and counts among its adherents, believe it or not, Muhammad Bin Tughluq of the Tughlaq dynasty that ruled India between 1320 and 1413 AD.

Surprisingly, despite their extreme conservatism, the Ahle Hadees clerics do assert that uttering three talaqs in one session should be treated as one talaq only. This view, when compared to AIMPLBs obscurantist position on instant talaq, may appear to be progressive.

The problem, however, is the sanctimoniousness with which the Ahle Hadees group exploits rejection of instant talaq to promote itself as modern and progressive when in reality it is as regressive as any medieval-minded Muslim religious outfit.

The extent of its patriarchy can be gauged from the Urdu translations and commentaries of the Quran authored by well-known Ahle Hadees clerics such as Maulana Sanaullah Amritsari, Maulana Muhammad Junagadi and Maulana Salahuddin Yusuf.

In his exegesis Tafseer Sanai, commenting on verse 2:282 of the Quran, Maulana Amritsari explains that Qurans requirement of a male and two females (when two males are unavailable) to witness a financial transaction is because of the fact that forgetfulness is dominant and memory subdued in women (is liye ke auraton mein umooman nisyaan ghalib aur haafiza maghloob hota hai).

On the same verse, similar humiliating views have been expressed by Maulana Salahuddin Yusuf in his commentary Tafseer Ahsan-ul Bayaan  now printed and distributed free of cost by Saudi Arabia under the title Quran Kareem ma Urdu Tarjuma wa Tafseer. His view is that, aurat aql aur yaadaasht mein mard se kamzor hai (jaisa ke Sahih Muslim ki hadees mein bhi aurat ko naaqisul aql kaha gaya hai). Is mein aurat ke istakhfaaf aur fardtari ka izhaar nahi haibalke ek fitri kamzori ka bayan hai jo Allah ki hikmat par mabni haihaqaayaq-o-waaqiyaat ke eitbar se naa qaabil-e-tardeed hai.

This translates as:

In terms of intellect and memory a woman is weaker than man (just as a tradition in Sahih Muslim states that a woman is intellectually deficient). This [statement] does not demean or de-personalise a womanbut talks about the natural weakness [of women] which is in accordance with Allahs wisdom[a truth] irrefutable on the basis of facts and experience.

Both these Ahle Hadees clerics fail to understand that the Quranic requirement of a male and two female witnesses in the absence of two male witnesses is not because of the weak memory or intellectual deficiency of women. The Quran does not give this reason at all.

A careful reading of verse 2:282 will make it clear that the second female witness is there only for the sake of convenience because of the poor education levels of women and the anti-feminist conditions that prevailed in seventh century Arabia. The Quran states that the second female witness is only there to remind the first if she makes any mistake.

It is obvious here that if the first female witness does not make any mistake, the second will not come in the picture at all thus making it possible for the case to proceed with one female and one male witness.

Far from being gender-biased the injunctions in verse 2:282 should be considered very progressive for trying to bring women into the mainstream by treating them as legal persons at a time when they were stripped of almost all human rights. Therefore, it is a shame that clerics who claim to be scholars of Islam should use this verse to further their patriarchal agenda in the name of the very Book which brought women on a par with men in all respects.

Not just that, Maulanas Sanaullah Amritsari and Salahuddin Yusuf also approve of Muslim husbands beating their wives (as per verse 4:34) if they are disobedient.

Maulana Amritsaris words in his commentary are mooh bachakar khafeef sa unko maaro (avoiding the face, beat them lightly) which are no different from Maulana Yusufs halki si maar ki ijazat hai, lekin yeh maar wehshiyaana aur zaalimaana naa ho (only light beating is permitted, but this beating should not be bestial or vicious).

It may be pointed out here that such a misogynist interpretation of the gender-just Quran is the result of misunderstanding the Arabic term wazribuhunna in verse 4:34 which, in the context of the verse, means explain them not beat them.

Without a doubt, the Ahle Hadees clerics quoted above have portrayed a shockingly regressive patriarchal mindset in their commentaries. Unless the Jamiat Ahl-e- Hadees Hind rejects such interpretations they cannot be considered progressive on womens issues as claimed by Punwanis interviewee.

In fact, the interviewees own progressive credentials are suspect as she feels that instant talaq should not be completely done away with because in exceptional circumstances, such as when the wife is suffering long-term abuse but does not have the guts to break away, instant talaq can be a boon.

This reasoning is totally wrong and baseless because neither the Quran nor any authentic hadees mentions or justifies it. Moreover, the belief that instant talaq can be a boon in exceptional circumstances is also the view of the AIMPLB as articulated in paragraph 65 of its affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court. In other words, the interviewees resignation  for differences with the Board on triple talaq  doesnt make sense.

Yet, Jyoti Punwani thought it fit to project the interviewees resignation as a progressive development when there is nothing progressive about the statements of the lady who resigned or the Ahl-e- Hadees school she follows. When it comes to religious issues of Muslims, women reporters like Punwani, who are not well-versed in Islamic theology or the ideology of religious movements, should be careful in choosing the persons or groups they gush about or romanticise.

The author teaches at Trisakti University, Jakarta, Indonesia and is the Editorial Assistant-cum-Referee for Humanomics, Emerald Publications, UK
It has been an tumultuous few weeks for multi-platinum rapper kanye west. West has been isolated away from media scrutiny in the past couple of weeks following his mercurial behaviour at a number of performances and the cancellation of his Saint Pablo tour that culminated in his hospitalisation.

This morning, West returned to the public eye. Engulfed by paparazzi, Kanye West entered the Trump Tower to meet with president-elect Donald Trump. West met with Trump prior to the president-elect's announcement that former Texan Governor Rick Perry would be running the Department of Energy.

Trump told journalists and photographers that the two are long standing friends who "discussed life". West offered a different perspective on Twitter.

I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues.  KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) 13 December 2016

Recently, Kanye West ignited controversy for publicly stating his support of Donald Trump during a recent concert. West, who has established himself as a man partial to an on-stage rant, said that he would have voted for Donald Trump at a performance in San Jose on November 17th, if he had voted. His statement came attached with the caveat that Trump's campaign had "inspired racists to reveal themselves".

Trouble Ahead for Trump

During his election campaign, Trump declared he was an admirer of Kanye west.

During Barack Obama's two terms as president, many pop stars appeared at similar conferences: Beyonce and Aretha Franklin performed at Obama's inauguration. During his eight years in the White House, Obama hosted Rhianna, James Taylor and Kendrick Lamar.

However, Trump faces the prospect of pop stars unwilling to associate with him.

John Legend recently said he wasn't surprised at Trump's failure to secure performers for his inauguration, stating: "Creative people tend to reject bigotry and hate. When we see somebody that's preaching hate, it's unlikely he'll get a lot of creative people to associate with him".

Kanye West is the first hip pop artist to buck the trend and associate directly with Trump. Perhaps this is a precursor to an appearance at Trump's inauguration.
Johnny Lodden Among Leaders After Day 1a of EPT Prague Main Event

December 14 2016 Mo Nuwwarah

Plenty of European legends have added their names to the lists of PokerStars European Poker Tour winners, but one man who hasn't is old-time online crusher Johnny Lodden. The Norwegian PokerStars Team Pro has come close a couple of times with top-four finishes at EPT Grand Final in 2013 and 2015 and he's building toward another possible run after bagging a big stack on Day 1a of EPT Prague Main Event.

After eight long levels of play on Day 1a, Lodden bagged 132,700 to place among the top stacks at day's end. Lodden had two starting stacks before the first break even arrived and scarcely looked back en route to his strong finish.

Though Lodden has heaps heading to Thursday's Day 2, he isn't quite at the top of the board. The man to catch is Dane Henrik Hecklen, who finished with 221,800. Hecklen has made his bacon in recent years in some of the bigger field, lower buy in events that accompany PokerStars EPT events. He won an Estrellas 2,200 High Roller in 2014 for 293,000 and has over $1 million in total cashes.

Others to bag big included Thomas Muehloecker (151,000), Tony Dunst (129,500) and Pascal Lefrancois (114,900). Anthony Zinno, Daniel Dvoress, Sergio Aido, Juha Helppi, and 50,000 Super High Roller runner-up Charlie Carrel were also among the 117 survivors. Overall, 246 players entered the first flight of the final EPT Main Event and plenty more will assuredly join them for Wednesday's Day 1b.

Some of the players who busted out on Day 1a and are therefore out of the running to take the final EPT crown includeJustin Bonomo, Rainer Kempe, Sam Greenwood, Davidi Kitai, Isaac Haxton, Steve O'Dwyer, Kenny Hallaert, Vojtech Ruzicka and PokerStars Team Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier.

O'Dwyer couldn't get much going and busted just before bagging time when he jammed eights for his last 25 big blinds over a Romain Lewis open and couldn't improve against Lewis' jacks. ElkY also busted with eights, putting his last 15 big blinds in and having an opponent pick up nines behind him. The famed Frenchman has had a tough couple of days as he bubbled the 50,000 Super High Roller on Monday night.

Day 1b gets underway at noon Wednesday and should see a big crowd fill the Hilton Hotel Prague. Come back to PokerNews for more live coverage.

Sharelines European legend Johnny Lodden looks to add his name to the EPT winners list at the EPT Prague Main Event.
GreenfieldTech Exec Readies VoIP Security Talk

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By Paula Bernier

Executive Editor, TMC By Paula BernierExecutive Editor, TMC

Open source is one of the most important trends in networking today. So are DevOps, mobile, VoIP, and WebRTC. Greenfield Technologies, which got its start as an open source consulting company but today develops enterprise- and carrier-grade network and software solutions for voice, video, messaging, and mobile, is involved in all of the above.





Given that 2016 is coming to a close and that ITEXPO is just around the corner, we thought now would be a good time to touch base with Eric Klein, senior consultant and vice president of customer experience at GreenfieldTech, to get his thoughts about important trends in tech.

What elements of unified communications are most useful for your company?

Actually, unified communications still has a long way to go. I recently looked at my phone and found that in addition to traditional mobile calls and text (SMS), I had seven different communications apps  each for a different customer or to fit a specific need. These included five messaging and four conferencing apps.

Are you using messaging technologies to communicate with your customers?

Yes. We are using many different tools as requested by the customers. Some want WhatsApp groups, others are tied to Slack teams, a few are still using Skype (News - Alert) groups for messages. It makes for very connected and convoluted communications.

How can artificial intelligence best be used in business applications?

Right now AI can be used to handle two areas very well and is growing from there.

1. Automated responses to common problems / sales activities  bots or natural language searches.

2. Pattern recognition and abnormal activity detection  if there is enough data to determine patterns then finding the abnormality is a good task for AI.

How will augmented/virtual reality by used in business environments?

Augmented reality will be useful for visualization of data and easy manipulation. This is still a new process, even though it has been around since the 90s. Only now are the tools starting to match the hype. This is also true of the B2C opportunities for businesses to provide additional information via augmented reality that was hinted at via Google (News - Alert) Glasses and Pokemon Go either via geo coding or QR codes.

How have the growing number of high-visibility security breaches impacted your outlook on security?

All of them are of concern, but [its] hard to decide which trend is scarier: the ones for medical systems (21st Century Oncology, Premier Healthcare, and MedStar Health Inc.) or the cloud systems that everyone uses (Snapchat, Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, Dropbox (News - Alert), and LinkedIn). When your cloud providers are not secure, then nothing you do will let you be safe.

Is the cloud/MSP model a realistic one for reliable IT security?

Yes, the managed service provider business model is working nicely for IT security and should grow over the next few years as better tools are deployed. This covers everything from the telecom system through data storage/backup, and services. In many cases it is better to outsource this than to try and have staff that can keep up with all of the constantly changing challenges that a company will need to face for IT.

Have you increased your investment in security technology in the past year?

[Weve done] some increase in security spending, more on security education for the community. Visit my [ITEXPO] talk this year for VoIP Security 101 - What You Need to Know. This session offers an introductory primer to securing your VoIP PBX (News - Alert). With the number of attacks on your telephone services and mobile devices, your chance of being attacked and financial liability is at an all-time high. This talk will include explanations about common attacks, how they can find you, and common techniques you can use to defend your company.

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Edited by Maurice Nagle
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To define China Certification & Inspection Group (CCIC) most succinctly, it is a giant inspecting, testing and certification service. In fact, it's the largest company of its type in China and one of the largest in the world.

Its main mission is to ensure that standards set by the Chinese government for various products and materials are met and the safety, health, and quality issues are addressed. For more than three decades, CCIC has played a significant role in the trade and economic development in China, as well as elsewhere in the world.

Armed with accreditation by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ), and other Chinese government agencies, CCIC has built a workforce of 16,000 people, strategically located in nearly 150 branches/sub-branches and laboratories throughout the country and at 30 operations abroad.

With China entering the World Trade Organization and going through an extended period of rapid economic development, CCIC's role and business have been growing at a fast rate as well.

CCIC strives to provide one-stop services to clients in the fields of quality, safety, health and environmental protection. Inspection includes quality, quantity, weight, packaging/labeling, pre-shipment certification of imported recyclable materials, testing of petroleum and chemical products, minerals, and agricultural byproducts, to name a few. It also provides management system certification, including ISO9001 Quality Management Systems and ISO14001 Environment Management Systems.

CCIC was the quality services provider for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the 2010 Shanghai Expo. Its clients include BP, Philips, Dell, BMW, Samsung, Siemens, Canon, Motorola, Shell, Hisense, Haier and 100,000 others around the globe.

CCIC set up three operations in the US. The first was in Los Angeles in 1990, followed by a subsidiary in New York. In 2002, to diversify risk and better service clients in the Midwest, an independent entity was established in Chicago. The three operations collaborate to cover the entire U.S.

"Our major business here is conducting pre-shipment inspection on materials and products to China," said Guo Tinglin, vice-president of CCIC USA in Chicago.

To reduce raw material cost and the impact on the environment, China has been importing large quantities of recyclable materials to meet the tremendous demands for raw materials.

More than 80 percent of the pre-shipment inspection that CCIC Chicago conducts is on waste materials, primarily paper and paperboard scraps, metal and plastic scraps.

The Chinese government, in an attempt to minimize hazardous risk to the environment and prevent recyclable wastes from getting into China, implemented mandatory inspection before shipments for all waste materials from 39 countries in 2007, including the US.

"The inspection is quite strict," said Guo. "If a syringe or any bullet is found upon arrival, the entire shipment would be returned."

Guo said CCIC inspectors are well trained and have the advantage of in-depth understanding of the Chinese regulations.

When there are regulations required by Chinese government for a special situation, such as the elimination of mosquitos from containers when Zika broke out, they can take quick actions to implement the policy to measure.

In 2015, CCIC's inspection success rate was more than 99 percent for shipments to China.
Editor's note: This is the second of a series of special reports China Daily is publishing on efforts to eradicate poverty and raise living standards in rural areas, especially among the nation's ethnic groups.

Sonam Tenzin has a clear understanding of what modern material wealth would mean to him: treatment and medication for his elderly, disabled mother, and his aunt and uncle; money to pay his mortgage; and a decent education for his two sons.

However, Sonam lives in Nyingchi, a prefecture-level city in the poverty-stricken area around the Yarlung Zangbo River basin, where making a living has never been easy.

Most residents of this impoverished area in the southeast of the Tibet autonomous region live on the meager crops they grow on the sparse farmland and earnings from selling matsutake mushrooms they pick in nearby forests.

The 27-year-old Tibetan is separated from his wife, so he single-handedly supports his sons and his three aging relatives.

"We are just getting by. After all, I have to manage all the financial ins and outs myself," he said.

Last year, the family's situation went from bad to worse when their house was severely damaged by fire. Despite help from a support fund established by the regional government, Sonam had to take out a bank loan of 60,000 yuan ($8,690) to repair the building.

Authorities estimate that 590,000 people - about 20 percent of Tibet's population - still live below the government's designated annual poverty threshold of 2,300 yuan in disposable income.

Like Sonam Tenzin, most of those badly affected by poverty live in the region's margins, challenged by the harsh natural environment and an underdeveloped transportation infrastructure that makes traveling difficult.

Nyima, deputy head of the Nyingchi office for poverty alleviation, said isolation is one of the main problems for the region's poorest inhabitants.

"Some people live on high mountains and others in deep valleys that are too harsh to provide a decent life. Many have long been troubled by illness or disability," he said, adding that much of the remaining poverty in Nyingchi, which has a population of about 250,000, centers on households that lack able-bodied workers.

However, there are many cases in which villagers don't try hard enough to change their lives, according to Nyima, who like many Tibetans uses just one name.

"We have been trying to set a good example and introduce them to good programs, but those with the initiative to improve their own lives have probably already done so," he said.

Development goals

The regional government has set the goal of eradicating poverty by 2020. During the next five years, it plans to invest 18 billion yuan ($2.5 billion) in 1,216 development programs, most of which are designed to provide employment opportunities for the less well-off or help them to establish cooperatives.

Meanwhile, the authorities will move about 236,000 impoverished people into resettlement projects, and a loan of more than 38 billion yuan has been obtained to finance the process.

The new dwellings have been well-received by many villagers. In Lhasa's Quxu county, the local authorities have relocated 172 households to Sanyou village, where they live in newly built two-story houses that were fully furnished long before the occupants arrived.

Dashon, a 52-year-old resident, said that in the past she and her family had to shelter in a neighbor's house whenever it rained.

"Our house could have collapsed at any minute, and we often feared for our safety," she said.

Sonam Dekyi, a government official in Sanyou, said villagers vote to determine which families will be allowed to move into the new settlement.

"We constantly remind them that moving here is the start of their new lives. They should not be satisfied with the status quo," she said.

In the coming five years, the regional authorities will also provide part-time jobs, such as forest ranger posts, for 500,000 people.

Lu Huadong, deputy head of the Tibet poverty alleviation office, said the government has now entered the personal details of 590,000 officially designated poverty-stricken people in its archives.

"We have identified 11 different factors that help to explain why these people live in poverty, and different measures will be adopted for different people and different households to help lift them out of poverty," he said.

Penpa, a 48-year-old resident of Bayi township in Nyingchi, described himself as being "weak as a hen" after a long-term stomach ailment. He spends about 10,000 yuan on medical bills every year, and has a 70,000 yuan mortgage after building a new house in 2014 to replace the wood cabin he shared with his wife.

However, because he chose private clinics over public hospitals he has waived his right to claim medical insurance.

With the help of the authorities, Penpa and eight other villagers set up a cooperative to raise Tibetan chickens.

"We're desperately poor, but I definitely don't want to stay this way," he said.

Meanwhile, in Sonam Tenzin's village, the local authorities have helped 11 poverty-stricken households to establish a cooperative to raise pigs.

He said he could have made a much larger income if he had migrated to an urban area in search of employment opportunities. "But I have people to take care of. What if they got sick while I was absent?" he said.

Instead, he has been offered a job as a forest ranger, which will guarantee an annual income of about 3,000 yuan. He also has an occasional part-time job as a taxi driver for tourists bound for the Yarlung Zangbo River.

However, Sonam Tenzin said he still fears the worse-case scenario: That a relative will be hit by a serious illness and the medical bills will be beyond his means.

"I don't think anyone would lend me any money. It would be natural for them to doubt my ability to repay them," he said.

Challenges and concerns

The real challenge for the authorities in their poverty-alleviation efforts lies in working out how poor households can be helped to make a living without government assistance.

Nyima, the official, voiced concerns about the potential side effects of providing poverty-stricken families with free resettlement.

"The government definitely has good intentions. Despite that, people who have managed to break out of poverty through their own efforts might think that some others did nothing but still managed to move into spacious new homes and will simply accept another subsidy at the end of the year," he said.

"Some people just do nothing and think the government will take care of them, anyway," he added. "Stopping the resettlement projects from turning into slums is at the top of our agenda."

In one resettlement project in an urban area of Nyingchi, the authorities have set an entry condition that requires poor households to have at least one person working in the area before they are allowed to move in. Migrants are also allowed to keep the farmland they have left behind.

Despite his excellent academic performance, the need to support his family forced Sonam Tenzin to drop out before he finished high school. Now, his dearest wish is that his children will receive an education good enough to help them live up to their potential.

"Every time I am invited to a gathering of my junior high school classmates, I always refuse. We were very close, but now we live very different lives," he said.

"I just hope my children will not be in the same position as me in the future."

Contact the writers through xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn

Farmers plow before sowing their crops near a wild peach wood in Nyingchi, a prefecture-level city in the Tibet autonomous region, in April. Every spring, thousands of tourists descend on the city to view the blossoms, providing job opportunities for local residents.Zhang Rufeng / Xinhua
A Danish prince haunted by his father's ghost. A delusional Spanish knight jousting with windmills. A Chinese beauty falling into an enchanted dream next to a Peony Pavilion.

It's tough to imagine three characters with less in common. But thanks to a curious confluence of history - and China's flair for making the fantastic come to life - they may soon be under the same roof, or at least neighbors in the same village.

Four hundred years ago, in 1616, three giants of world literature - William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and the great Ming Dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu - all turned in their pens for their heavenly rewards.

Recently, the city of Fuzhou, with a population of 4 million, in Fujian province announced plans to capitalize on the coincidence and create a new tourist town called Sanweng (Chinese for "Three Masters") in their suburbs.

The architectural and landscaping plans, unveiled at a ceremony hosted by Fuzhou to commemorate the trio of titans, are ambitious to say the least. The goal is to bring to life 17th century China, England and Spain.

First, a delegation from Fuzhou traveled to Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born and died, in England to do some field research.

Similar to Shakespeare's hometown, Sanweng will be centered in an area laced with canals and manmade waterways. The plans for "Little Stratford" call for replicas of the older 16th century house Shakespeare was born in and the newer 17th century house he retired (and died) in after gaining fame and fortune. There will also be a remake of the Holy Trinity Church and a section of the Avon River.

"A memorandum of friendly co-operation was signed when the Chinese delegation visited England, which will encourage schools and cultural groups in both countries to work together," a report from inews said.

Cervantes' "Little Alcala" Spanish quarter portion of the project to the west of "Little Stratford" will feature replicas of Cervantes' house, Alcala de Henares Cathedral and a Cervantes Square.

The lion's share of Three Masters village will be devoted to Tang Xianzu, who was born in the same Linchuan district. An ancient theater stage and recreations of authentic Chinese streets are planned.

A delegation from Stratford-upon-Avon led by council leader Christopher Saint recently traveled to the site at the invitation of the Fujian provincial government.

Saint told the MailOnline, "I was quite impressed by the plan of a small area of the new town which will be dedicated to Shakespeare's influences."

Saint added: "They are certainly keen to embrace Shakespeare and Shakespeare's influence on the works of their own playwright."

A statement that suggests an interesting question: Was Tang Xianzu really "influenced" by Shakespeare? And that leads one to wonder even further: Did Shakespeare ever read Don Quixote or Tang's dramas?

Sure, Tang's masterwork The Peony Pavilion has been dubbed classical Chinese literature's answer to Romeo and Juliet.

But are we suggesting here that Tang Xianzu actually read the play, in Elizabethan English? Or that the tale of Verona's star-crossed lovers was ever translated into Mandarin? Really?

From a scholarly point of view, lumping these three masters together might seem a bit uneasy. It's probably questionable if any of them had even ever heard of each other before they all died in the same year, which, aside from being possessed of genius, may be all they have in common.

In September, the Fuzhou city authority did unveil a new Tang Xianzu Museum. Occupying 1.5 acres, it cost about $10 million and features sections devoted to Shakespeare and Cervantes.

So what if the dice roll of history puts them all in the same boat? When it comes to promoting tourism and the arts, you can have it, to coin a phrase, as you like it. Because, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts."

Contact the writer at chrisdavis@chinadailyusa.com.
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Egyptian Christians react during the funeral of victims killed in the bombing at Cairo's Coptic cathedral, at the Mokattam Cemetery in Cairo, Egypt December 12, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

CAIRO - The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for a recent deadly church blast in Cairo that killed at least 25, the militant group said in a statement circulated Tuesday on social media websites.

The blast took place on Sunday morning at Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church, known as al-Boutrosiya Church, which is adjacent to Saint Mark's Cathedrtal in Cairo's Abassiya neighborhood.

The IS statement said that a suicide bomber referred to as Abu Abdullah al-Masry carried out the attack with an explosive belt, killing and injuring 80.

During an official funeral on Monday, President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi revealed that the attack was done by a 22-year-old suicide bomber named Mahmoud Shafiq.

The attack came a day after an Egyptian top court confirmed a death sentence against Adel Habbara, a militant Islamist extremist, over a 2013 anti-military attack that killed at least 25 soldiers in restive North Siani province.

Most of anti-government terror attacks that took place over the past three years were claimed by a Sinai-based group affiliated with the IS.

On Monday, a blast killed two military conscripts and injured three others in Sheikh Zuweid city of North Sinai, while on Friday, a bomb attack killed six policemen in Giza province near the capital Cairo.

Terror attacks have been growing in Egypt since the military removed former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his now-oulawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Later security crackdown on Morsi's supporters left about 1,000 of them killed and thousands more arrested, while terrorist attacks killed several hundreds of police and military personnel.

A security campaign in Sinai killed over 1,200 militants and arrested a similar number of suspects over the past couple of years as part of the country's anti-terror war declared by former military chief and current President Sisi following Morsi's ouster.
BRUSSELS - The European Parliament, the co-legislative body of the European Union (EU), must be fully involved in the negotiations on Britain's secession from the bloc, a senior member of the parliament (MEP) demanded on Wednesday.

Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Group, lashed out at representatives from the Council of the EU at a plenary session, and warned that the parliament would start separate talks with the British authorities if its role was not respected by the governments of member states.

"What they are proposing is simply to say we go forward with the Brexit negotiations without the parliament," he said.

Verhofstadt was displeased with the council's arrangements for an EU summit that will kick off on Thursday.

Heads of state and government from the EU member states, except British Prime Minister Theresa May, are scheduled to discuss Brexit over an informal dinner on Thursday, but the European Parliament has not been invited.

"I have the impression that you've never read the Maastricht Treaty and the Lisbon Treaty, and the powers of the European Union and the European Parliament," Verhofstadt rounded on an official representing Slovakia, which currently holds the rotating council presidency.

In an immediate response, European Parliament President Martin Schulz promised the issue would be raised at the leaders' meeting.

Verhofstadt also took to social media to voice his anger.

"If the government leaders do not take the European Parliament's role seriously, we'll negotiate directly with the British. If that's what they want, they'll get it," he wrote on his Facebook account.

Verhofstadt, former Belgian prime minister, was appointed the European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator in September to work with all relevant parties on a possible agreement for Britain's departure from the EU.

The agreement will eventually be put to a vote at the European Parliament, and must be approved by the lawmakers.
Global risks are accelerated: everyone is in a historic transition that few will be able to recover from, says The Wall Street Journal

The crisis ahead will be worse than 2000 and 2008 states the new Wall Street Journal survey that summarized the views of financial leaders who were interviewed over the last year.

The underlying reason is simple: a monetary policy that is fundamentally flawed  the Federal Reserve System is still printing cheap money.

The Feds should stop micromanaging the economy, which includes debt buybacks and investing in private companies, urged David Stockman, director of the Office of Management and Budget of the U.S. between 1981 and 1985.

Meanwhile, William Hunt Gross, founder of PIMCO, one of the largest global asset managers of the fixed income investment world, warned of supernova credits. He explained that his company has two billion dollars at risk if cheap money from the Federal Reserve explodes.

Investment banking a decade ago only promoted the development of small business, but it is now being dominated by leveraged speculation, Gross said.

The world is caught in a mega-bubble that has no name and analysts warned the Federal Reserve that the bubble is about to explode, as did the Asian financial crisis years ago.

The paper, which focuses on data, research, and tips from financial advisors, warned that millions of investors have no idea what will happen. Sooner or later there will be another ugly battle related to debt and the markets will be crippled.

Gary Shilling, columnist for Forbes, warned of an expanding bubble. He calculated a very slow real GDP growth for the next eight years of only 2%, and promised an even more serious global slowdown over the next generation.

I am 100% sure that the crises that we are moving towards will be much worse than 2008, he said.
Seven million people died in 2012 as a result of exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a release on Thursday.

The hardest hit region by air pollution-related deaths in 2012 were low- and middle-income countries in southeast Asia and Western Pacific Regions, where 3.3 million deaths were linked to indoor air pollution and 2.6 million to outdoor air pollution.

This seven-million-death figure, which the WHO reported, represents one in 8 of the total global deaths, more than doubles previous estimates and it confirms air pollution as the globes largest single environmental health risk. Deaths from exposure to polluted air are linked to cardiovascular diseases such as strokes and ischemic heart disease, and there is also a connection between air pollution and cancer, according to the new data released by the WHO. Air pollution is also implicated in the development of respiratory diseases such as acute respiratory infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.

The WHO notes that about three billion people in low- and middle-income countries still use inefficient fuels and technologies to cook and heat their homes. Charcoal, coal, wood, crop waste, and dung are some of the solid fuel sources still being used, which contributes to indoor air pollution and ill-health, particularly through the production of soot particles, which are inhaled and penetrate deep down in the lungs.

About 4.3 million people prematurely die annually from health conditions linked to indoor air pollution. These deaths include:

 12 percent due to pneumomia

 34 percent from stroke

 26 percent from ischemic heart disease

 22 percent from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

 6 percent from lung cancer.

Cleaning up the air we breathe prevents noncommunicable diseases as well as reduces disease risks among women and vulnerable groups, including children and the elderly, says Dr Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director-General Family, Women, and Childrens Health. Poor women and children pay a heavy price from indoor air pollution since they spend more time at home breathing in smoke and soot from leaky coal and wood cook stoves.

Outdoor air pollution was linked to 3.7 million premature deaths worldwide in 2012. Sources of ambient or outdoor air pollution include emissions and small particulate matters from large industries and from the transport sector.

Sources

https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs292/en/

https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/

https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/air-pollution/en/

https://news.yahoo.com/polluted-air-linked-7-million-deaths-2012-000619933finance.html
IMAGE: A Mobikwik outreach programme in Kanpur to enable street vendors to go cashless. Photograph: Courtesy, Bipin Preet Singh/Twitter.

Even as demonetisation is throwing up opportunities for e-wallets and the competition in the sector is stiffening, Mobikwik founder and Chief Executive Officer Bipin Preet Singh on Tuesday said Paytm, the largest player in the sector, has been dumping capital to gain customers.

We must be sensitive to companies, especially those that have massive foreign investments, said Singh. They can come into the country, dump capital and gain access to data.

His barbs were aimed at sector leader Paytm in which global e-commerce major Alibaba has a stake -- about 40 per cent according to some sources.

Singh also criticised Paytm for providing large discounts to users to gain market share.

You do not need back-to-back print advertisements during demonetisation to gain customers. They give 50 per cent cashback on flight tickets and movies -- where is the innovation in that? I think thats where they have under-performed, he said.

Singh said there should be stricter regulations governing business practices in the sector, such as the amount of cash back that a company can offer. Asked if he was planning to take the matter to an agency, he replied in the negative.

Right now, I am putting all my time and energy into expanding my business, said Singh.

The company, at present, has around 40 million users and 500,000 merchants. Paytm, on the other hand, has around 164 million users and around 1.5 million merchants. On several occasions, its founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma has said Paytm is a fully India-owned company.

Unable to take on the big money of global firms such as Uber and Amazon, more and more domestic players such as Ola, Meru and Flipkart are lobbying for more stringent laws.

Indian start-ups had in 2015 found investment of $9 billion but have just managed to raise around $5.5 billion this year.

For many of these start-ups lobbying with the government to tilt the policies in their favour is the only play left. Next year, we would be looking at a major consolidation and start-ups fearing this are approaching NITI Aayog or other government departments, said a senior analyst at an international consultancy firm.

On Monday, Paytm and FreeCharge announced up to 100 per cent cashback offers. While Paytm announced 12/12 Cashfree Festival where consumers can pay via the digital wallet for offline shopping and get cashbacks among other offers, FreeCharge announced a two-day cashback offer where consumers can avail flat 100 per cent cashback for two transactions per day.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf recounts his mission to withdraw Rs 500 notes from the bank.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

Mission: To withdraw Rs 500 notes.

Accessories: Water bottle and chocolate to tackle low blood pressure.

Book to keep me going: The Book of Embraces by Eduardo Galeano.

This was the fourth time I was standing in a bank queue after demonetisation.

I desperately needed change for Rs 2,000. I had a few Rs 2,000 notes, but I was yet to see the new Rs 500 note.

All essential work was being stalled because of my non-digital lifestyle.

Except occasionally using a credit card, I have never engaged in cashless transactions, whether through Internet banking, mobile banking or even via a debit card.

Since November 8, I have been feeling like a dinosaur in a modern day Jurassic Park.

My wife asked me to get Rs 500 notes from the bank because all those Rs 2,000 notes I had were of no use. No one was willing to part with change.

So once again, I did what I have been doing for the last three weeks: Stand in a queue at the bank to withdraw money -- but this time, Rs 500 and Rs 100 notes only.

Three weeks after the note ban, I realised there is no fatigue factor while standing in a queue at the bank.

The nation demands it, so everybody obeys it, and that includes me.

After all, nation first, as BJP leaders will tell you.

After standing for more than an hour in the queue, I realised the story of every Indian is like that of the passengers in the film, Bombay to Goa.

We stand in a queue for three hours, scream, shout, laugh, drink and sometimes eat to kill time.

I was the only person busy reading a book in the queue, just like the villain in Bombay to Goa who was shown reading a newspaper while hiding a gun behind it.

The villain gets bashed up in the bus by Amitabh Bachchan -- and any person in the queue who vents his anger against the Modi government will surely meet the same fate.

Know, why? 'Nation First,' silly.

So it's best to keep quiet and read a book.

The man behind me asked, "What book are you reading?"

"Book of Embraces by Eduardo Galeano," I replied.

He asked what the book was about. "The politics of Latin America," I said.

"Where is this country?" the man asked.

I was surprised he had no idea where Latin America was, that it was not a country but a continent.

I asked him, "Have you heard of a banana republic?"

"No," he said. "What is it?"

I made him read a page from the book:

Functionaries don't function.

Politicians speak, but say nothing.

Voters vote but don't elect.

The information media disinform.

Schools teach ignorance.

Judges punish the victims.

The military makes war against its compatriots.

The police don't fight crime because they are too busy committing it.

And, most importantly, a statement which seemed like a prophecy about Indian conditions:

Bankruptcies are socialised while profits are privatised.

The man appeared not to understand a word of it, smiled at me and kept quiet.

Galeano also mentions the paradoxes of nationalism.

Napoleon Bonaparte, the most French of Frenchmen, was not French. Josef Stalin, the most Russian of Russians, was not Russian, and the most German of Germans, Adolf Hitler, was born in Austria.

(Napoleon was born in Corsica, the island located 1,000 km from France; Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia, while Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, a town in present day Austria.)

Taking a break from my book, I spoke to a gentleman ahead of me who seemed to be a supporter of demonetisation.

Modi, he felt, had taken a big political gamble.

I nodded silently, the preferred option these days, especially outside banks.

As the queue approached the bank's doors, pushing and shoving around began. One man shouted at another, "Why are you making me a sandwich in the queue?"

But, of course, the sandwich! Whose invention is credited to the fourth earl of Sandwich who in the early 18th century is said to have created the convenience food so that he would not have to leave the table when he was gambling.

I understood the correlation -- Modi was taking a political gamble and we Indians have become the sandwich.

A bank staffer asked me to come inside.

I went in eagerly, hoping to get the Rs 500 notes, but the staffers said they had not got any Rs 500 notes.

"Take the Rs 2,000 notes or leave," was the curt answer when I tried reasoning with them.

My gamble to stand in the queue and get Rs 500 notes had failed. And only the months ahead will tell us if Modi's gamble will succeed or not.
'If there are any incidents of cyberattacks, they should immediately inform CERT.'

Karan Choudhury/Business Standard reports from New Delhi.

After a series of hacks on Twitter accounts including embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, the official account of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and a few senior journalists, the ministry of electronics and information technology has asked the social media portal to 'strengthen security.'

"We have told Twitter so. If there are any incidents of cyberattacks, they should immediately inform CERT," said Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The Computer Emergency Response Team-India (CERT-In) is the nodal agency under the ministry that handles and counters cyberattacks. Twitter was unavailable for comment.

Sources said the police and CERT sleuths were looking into the matter and asked for details of hacked accounts.

According to sources, Rahul Gandhi's office is yet to give details of his account.

With digitisation being the key word after demonetisation, the ministry says it is putting a cyber security apparatus at each level to prevent hacks.

It plans to undertake a comprehensive review of the Information Technology Act.

"The Act came into being in 2000. It has, by and large, served us well. Now, as we move towards a digital economy, we are reviewing if there is a need to relook at its architecture, to make it more deterrent for cyber criminals," Prasad said.

The ministry has already set up a small group of officials under IT Secretary Aruna Sundararajan.

Minister for Communications Manoj Sinha recemtly told Parliament the IT Act had a legal framework for privacy and security of data in digital format.

Besides providing compensation to a victim in an unauthorised access and leakage of sensitive personal information.

The government has formed two teams in CERT-In, one to respond to cyber-attacks and the other to monitor digital payments, which has, in the past one month, seen a 1,000 per cent surge.

The ministry has till date issued 8 advisories on usage of different types of digital payments.

"All digital payments agencies have been asked to report to CERT-In any unusual activity on their platforms," the minister said.

"We are taking several measures to ensure a resilient system. We will audit the IT infra of NPCI (the National Payments Corporation of India) and have formed crack teams at CERT-In for immediate response," the minister added.

"CITOs (chief IT officers) have been appointed in every ministry and government department. We are undertaking a massive programme to create awareness among the administrative machinery," the minister said.

To strengthen cyber security, the ministry has approved 26 new posts in CERT-In and 5 state CERTs.
A Pakistani national was on Wednesday arrested and fake currency notes of scrapped Rs 500 with a face value of Rs 50,000 were seized from him at Surat Railway station, police said.

According to police, the accused, identified as Burhanuddin Sajjad, 45, had entered India on a valid tourist visa and had obtained the fake notes from Pakistan.

Police seized 100 fake notes of old Rs 500 denomination from Burhanuddin, who first claimed to be a Mumbai resident, when he was apprehended at Surat Railway station in the morning by Railway Protection Force. He was later handed over to Government Railway Police for further investigation.

Later, during his primary questioning and frisking, police recovered his Pakistani passport, which confirmed his nationality, Western Railway Superintendent of Police, Vadodara division, Sharad Singhal, said.

Burhanuddins passport confirmed that he is a Pakistani national and not a resident of Mumbai. Stamps on his passport suggested that he entered India via Attari border in Punjab on December 12 and then headed to Mumbai by a train. We recovered 100 fake notes of old Rs 500 currency. We also found three notes of $100 (Rs 6,800) with him," Singhal said.

Burhanuddin came to India on a valid tourist visa, which has not expired. He told us that he had acquired these fake notes from Pakistan. We will seek his remand from court to investigate his intentions to visit India with such fake notes, said Singhal.

RPF jawans spotted Burhanuddin loitering suspiciously on platform number one of Surat railway station while traveling to Mumbai, Surat GRP Sub Inspector M R Malek said.

When RPF jawans searched his luggage, they found 100 bills of now defunct Rs 500 currency notes. When checked by the ticket counter staff, these notes turned out to be fake, he said.

Meanwhile, Kutch district police nabbed two persons with 119 fake currency of new Rs 500 notes, which they had allegedly printed at their office in Madhapar village on the outskirts of Bhuj town and intended to circulate in the market.

Based on a tip off, Local Crime Branch raided the office of 'Rutvi Group of Companies' at Madhapar late on Tuesday night and busted a racket of printing fake currency of new Rs 500 notes, a release by Kutch-West LCB said.

While searching the office, police found 119 fake notes of Rs 500 having total face value of Rs 59,500. The arrested accused were identified as Chirag Chauhan and Bachubha Jadeja, both residents of Bhuj.

Investigation revealed that the duo had printed these notes using a colour printer at their office and wanted to circulate these notes, the release said.

*****

Rs 67 lakh cash seized from car in Pune

City police seized Rs 67 lakh cash, of which Rs 62 lakh were in new Rs 2,000 denomination notes, from five people travelling in a car in Wakad locality near here in the wee hours on Wednesday.

A senior police officer attached to Wakad police station said 3,110 notes of Rs 2,000 denomination worth Rs 62.20 lakh and 4,800 notes of Rs 100 worth Rs 4.80 lakh were seized.

During patrolling, our police personnel spotted a car in Wakad area in the wee hours. As the five occupants of the car were suspicious-looking, the police team searched the vehicle and found the cash inside, the officer said.

When the policemen questioned them, all the five people started giving evasive answers, he said.

We recovered the cash and the Income Tax department has been alerted, the officer added.

*****

Rs 9.5 lakh in new notes seized, three detained in Gurugram

Three persons were detained on Wednesday after Rs 9.5 lakh in denomination of Rs 2,000 notes was recovered from their car near Jamalpur intersection in Gurugram, police said.

After a tip-off, a team intercepted their car at the intersection when they were going from Delhi to Gurugram. Rs 9.5 lakh in Rs 2,000 notes was found in the vehicle, a senior police officer said.

The police has detained Monu Yadav, a resident of Rajokari; Jaiprakash, a resident of Kasoli; and their friend, Naveen, a resident of Boharakala in Haryana.

The Income Tax department has been informed about the matter and they are probing the case, police said.

*****

Delhi police recovers over Rs 64 lakh

Police on Wednesday raided a real estate agents house in southwest Delhis Chhawla area and recovered Rs 64,84,000 in old and new currency and jewellery worth over Rs 1 crore.

On the basis of a tip-off, a joint action team of Income tax and Inter State Crime Cell of Crime Branch carried out a raid at the house of Sukhbir Shokeen, police said.

Unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 64,84,000 was found. Out of it, Rs 11,34,000 was in the form of Rs 2000 notes. Besides, jewellery valued at Rs 1,06,57,235 has been found. Further enquiries are in progress by the IT department, said a senior police officer.

Survey proceedings are also being carried out at the office premises of his company's office at Rangpuri, he added.

IMAGE: Crime branch police displays seized currency of Rs 1.04 crore in new notes. Three persons were also detained in this connection. Photograph: PTI Photo
Mostly what I did during my first Williams College Jewish Association board meeting a few weeks ago was listen. I asked a couple of questions, but my purpose there was to begin learning: about who the students are, and what matters to them, and what they're working on.

At the end of the hour, as they gathered their coats to leave, Evan -- the co-president of WCJA -- said to me, "Wait a second, I have something for you." What he handed me was a piece of my own history: an original copy of the haggadah from the Williams College Feminist Seder from 1996.

1996 was my senior year at Williams, and I was an active participant in creating that haggadah and that seder. (The cover is my own handwriting -- I remember sitting at my desk, pencilling and then inking that intertwined woman symbol and Star of David.) It was wild to stand in the very room where our feminist seders took place, holding that staple-bound booklet.

I have some Williams feminist haggadot in my archives. Ten years ago, WCJA invited me to come and speak at the Jewish Religious Center about my experiences with the Williams College feminist seder, which inspired me to find those old haggadot and reread them. (I wrote about that at the time: Six years of Williams College feminist haggadot.)

But there's something extra-special to me now about this one, because someone saved it. Someone saved it, and passed it down, and handed it on, until it came into the hands of the current leadership of the Jewish Association, twenty years after it was assembled and printed and used.

Leafing through it now, I'm moved by several things. One is how I can see glimmers of this haggadah in my Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah for Pesach, the haggadah that I have for years shared online as a free download. Another is the poetry we chose -- and the fact that many of the poets there who were simply revered names to me twenty years ago are now colleagues and friends. (That feels to me like a sign that I am doing something right with my life.)

I'm moved, also, by the awareness that this haggadah represents a particular moment in the evolution of Jewish feminism. Today's students express their Jewishness in an intersectional framework for which we didn't have the language twenty years ago -- or at least I didn't. I know that there haven't been feminist seders at Williams in many years. I wonder whether the spiritual yearnings that used to be expressed through the vehicle of that experience are now bubbling up in some other way.

This physical object teleports me temporarily through time. I'm grateful to have this tangible reminder of what was important to me in college, and I'm gratified at the reminder that the work I'm doing now has its roots in who I was then.
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HA NOI  Viet Nams textile and garment exports this year are estimated to reach US$28.5 billion, meeting roughly 92 per cent of the set plan due to market difficulties, the Viet Nam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas) reports.

According to the association, the industrys largest export market in 2016 remains China, which accounts for more than half of the industrys export value.

Exports to the US this year are also estimated at $11.4 billion, up 4 per cent against last year.

The EU, Japan, India, Brazil, Russia and Canada were also large importers of Viet Nams textile and garments in 2016, the association reported.

The association attributed the low export turnover to a lack of export orders in 2016 due to fierce competition from foreign textile and garment producers, while global demands declined.

Hoang Ve Dung, chairman of the uc Giang Garment and Textile Corporation, said obtaining orders had become more complicated, demanding higher quality and moving forward delivery deadlines.

Nguyen Xuan Duong, chairman of the Hung Yen Garment Joint Stock Corporation, said that importers asked his company to lower selling prices by 18-20 per cent, and even 30 per cent. However, several still found partners who were less expensive in other countries.

Increasing production costs, limited orders and pressure by exporters to reduce selling prices have placed a burden on the corporation, Duong said.

Experts said that the textile and garment sector would continue facing challenges in 2017 due to fierce competition by other major exporters  including China, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan while global demand is forecast to slow down.

Le Tien Truong, General Director of the National Garment and Textile Group (Vinatex), said textile and garment exports to the US and the EU will also see negative impacts, as consequences of Brexit and US President-elect Donald Trump, who opposes the TPP trade pact.

Therefore, the sector anticipates an export growth rate of just 5-7 per cent next year, if no appropriate policies are enacted, Truong said.

Vitas chairman Vu uc Giang said that it made several proposals to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to support local industry, including strengthening management of both domestic and foreign investment projects in the industry, reviewing policies on minimum wage increases and working hours.

The association also asked for adjustments to the sectors development and assistance in human resources training.

In addition, Vitas proposed that the MoIT review and revise legal documents causing difficulties for garment and textile businesses. - VNS
Farmers harvest tea in nothern province. Tea exports in the past 11 months reached 118,000 tonnes, earning US$197 million, increasing 7.1 per cent in volume and 4.3 per cent in value compared to the same period last year.  Photo doanhnghiepvathuongmai.vn

HA NOI  Tea exports in the past eleven months reached 118,000 tonnes, earning US$197 million, increasing 7.1 per cent in volume and 4.3 per cent in value compared to the same period last year.

Of these, the export volume of Vietnamese tea in November is estimated at 12,000 tonnes with a turnover of $21 million, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

However, the tea price for exports in the first ten months decreased nearly 14 per cent compared to the same period last year, to US$1,656 per tonne on average.

According to the Viet Nam Tea Association (Vitas), export value for the whole year is expected at $235 million, with 46 per cent from green tea and 53 per cent from black tea.

Top tea importers of Viet Nam include Afghanistan, Indonesia, Russia, Pakistan, Taiwan, the US, mainland China, the UK and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Pakistan was the top consumption market of Vietnamese tea in the first ten months of the year, accounting for 34 per cent of market share. Export volume to the market increased 1.8 per cent but declined 8.7 per cent in value compared to the same period last year.

Markets whose tea imports increased include China, Indonesia and Malaysia.

The association also predicted that tea export volume would increase by 10 per cent next year. However, according to Vitas, to meet the expectation, co-operation between central and local relevant agencies is required, such as planning tea plantation land and processing units with suitable capacity.

The association also suggested tight control for safe tea production, as well as supporting policies for enterprises and farmers in production, investment and material purchase.

The Hai Quan (Customs) newspaper quoted Nguyen Thi Anh Hong, Vitas vice president, as saying that ASEAN was becoming a more important market for the Vietnamese tea sector.

In the last five years, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have always been in the top 10 importers of Vietnamese tea. However, Indonesia imports lower grade tea compared to the two other countries, but with a larger volume.

Besides the three countries, Thailand is emerging as an important importer of Vietnamese tea, she said.

Among tea importers, Pakistan remains a stable import market. Meanwhile, export to Taiwans market faced a lot of difficulties due to the exceptionally strict conditions on residues in plant protection products. However, the problem was solved after the MARDs National Agro-Forestry Fisheries Quality Assurance worked with the Taiwan side. Taiwan raised the permitted residue levels, therefore, tea exports, especially, jasmine tea, to the market have improved, she added.  VNS
HA NOI  Policies related to credit guarantees need to be revised to improve the credit access of enterprises, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro firms, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue said yesterday.

He emphasised the important role of credit guarantee mechanisms given that the State budget is limited and the business community has not received significantly efficient support.

In 2011, the then-Prime Minister issued a decision on credit guarantee mechanisms for SMEs to access loans from commercial banks. In 2013, another decision on establishment of credit guarantee funds in provinces and cities was promulgated.

Deputy minister of finance Tran Van Hieu said that the legal framework is expected to create favourable conditions for SMEs to access capital from credit institutions in order to maintain operation and expand production.

Currently, there are 27 credit guarantee funds nationwide but most of the funds have weak financial capacity because the capital comes mainly from local State budgets, Hieu said.

Credit guarantee funds have three sources: local State budgets, contributions from enterprises, and finances from domestic and foreign organisations. The overseas source is almost insignificant while contributions from enterprises are not regular as they have to struggle themselves.

The total charter capital of the 27 funds is approximately VN1.4 trillion (US$65 million) while the amount of guaranteed loans reaches VN361 billion.

Nguyen Chi Trang, deputy general director of the Viet Nam Development Bank (VDB) which is also assigned by the Government as a guarantor for SMEs, said the banks guarantee activities are hindered by the inconsistencies in the project appraisal procedures by VDB and commercial banks, not to mention the shortage of money.

Due to the inconsistencies, it takes SMEs up to three months to get loans, deputy governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam Nguyen ong Tien said.

The Viet Nam Association of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Chairman Cao Sy Kiem told the Vietnam News Agency that the majority of enterprises hesitated to use credit underwriting to borrow bank loans.

He attributed the hesitation to complicated procedures in accessing the guarantee service. When firms deal with both guarantee funds and commercial banks, they face the same assessment process but have to pay fees twice, he added.

The lack of close co-operation and mutual confidence between guarantors and commercial banks is also an obstacle for SMEs to receive supports, Kiem said.

Given the situation, Deputy PM Hue asked relevant ministries and agencies to work out clear criteria to define which enterprises really need supports.

He assigned the Ministry of Finance to revise the credit guarantee mechanism, study the possibility of providing guarantee service without requiring collaterals, and set reasonable guarantee fee levels.  VNS
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked ministries and agencies when developing inspection and audit plans to ensure that enterprises are inspected and audited no more than once a year.  Photo sggp.org.vn

HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked ministries and agencies when developing inspection and audit plans to ensure that enterprises are inspected and audited no more than once a year.

This is aimed at creating favourable conditions for firms, as part of the effort towards improving the business climate.

Phuc requested that inspection and audit plans must not be overlapped and businesses must be informed in advance (except in cases where firms were found to violate laws).

Accordingly, a firm would be inspected and audited a maximum of once a year.

At a recent conference, au Anh Tuan, head of the Legal Department under the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said firms were dealing with dozens of inspections within a year, adding that there was a shortage of transparency in developing inspection and audit plans.

At the National Assembly (NA)s meeting last month, Tran Thi Hien, deputy of the Ha Nam NA Delegation, said inspection and audit were necessary but must not create a nuisance or burden firms.

She said the frequency of inspection and audit should be included in the law on supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Hasten administrative reforms

Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has signed Decision 4846 on the ministrys plan to simplify administrative procedures in 2017.

Accordingly, 15 procedures will be abolished while 108 others will be simplified, out of 443 procedures under the ministrys management.

The Government was hastening efforts for improving business and investment climate towards building a Government which focused on development for the sake of citizens and businesses, in which administrative reform was one of its priorities.

The ministry said administrative reform must go hand in hand with transparency and modernisation, adding that it welcomed comments and contributions for improvements.  VNS
President Tran ai Quang (R) receives Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem of the United Arab Emirates, Chairman of the DP World business group in Ha Noi yesterday.  VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sang

HA NOI  Viet Nam pursues a consistent policy of treating all investors, both domestic and foreign, equally, President Tran ai Quang told Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem of the United Arab Emirates, Chairman of the DP World business group.

At a meeting in the Presidential Palace in Ha Noi, he renewed Viet Nams pledge to create the best possible conditions for foreign enterprises to do business in the country.

He praised efforts by DP World, which specialises in marine terminals and services and infrastructure investment, to promote its projects in Viet Nam, including major ones in transport and real estate like the Saigon Premier Container Terminal (SPCT) in HCM City and Halong Star Hotel in Quang Ninh Province.

Viet Nams consistent viewpoint is considering foreign investors success as its own, he reiterated, noting that local agencies are actively seeking solutions to problems facing the SPCT project.

The country will continue overhauling its legal framework and relevant mechanisms to provide the most favourable environment for investors to contribute to its development, he added.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem noted that the UAE Government values the friendship with Viet Nam and encourages UAE businesses to invest in the Southeast Asian nation.

After eight years of operating in Viet Nam, DP World has realised the countrys sustainable development potential, and thats why it is expanding investment here, he said. He elaborated that aside from seaport projects, the firm is considering investment in transport, industrial park and free trade area projects.

He also raised proposals pertaining to DP Worlds activities in Viet Nam, such as designating shipping lanes and port service fees.VNS
HA NOI  Mixed media sculptures of various materials and dimensions are on display by emerging artists based in Ha Noi and HCM City.

Entitled "Ha NoiSai Gon", the exhibition brings together 28 sculptors and 56 of their works, the biggest such display since the project was launched in 2010.

The sculpture series Ha NoiSai Gon (or Sai Gon-Ha Noi, based on the exhibition venue) takes place every two years, alternating between the two cities.

Besides introducing the newest or never-displayed artworks, the exhibition enables sculptors to share opportunities and career directions, promote their creations and discover new faces on the countrys growing sculpture scene.

The initiative was meant to build up and develop a new community spirit in sculpture as well as to bring the medium closer to the public.

Therefore, in addition to the exhibitions in the two cities, the group also displays works in spaces more accessible to young people, especially those studying or working in the field of culture and arts.

The sculptors at this years exhibition span several generations: some were born in the 1940s, like Ca Le Thang and in the 1950s like ao Chau Hai, while others were born in the 1970s, like Khong o Tuyen and Le Lang Luong, and even at the end of 1980s, like Thai Nhat Minh.

This, together with the difference characteristics of the artists and their works provides the public with richness and diversity in creative trends and attitudes, remarked Vu Huy Thong of the Viet Nam University of Fine Arts Research Institute

It is the first time the exhibition welcomes a young Vietnamese artist studying and living in the US, Le Hoai Nam, 30. He had his first ever solo exhibition in Ha Noi in 2011.

The diversity in dimension and materials, such as wood, welded iron, stainless steel, bronze and mixed media will help the public see the qualifications, professional courage and aesthetic experiences of each sculptor and of contemporary Vietnamese sculpture.

The artists presented in this exhibition are representatives of Vietnamese sculpture in recent years, said Thong.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, a talk on "Sculpture with Space and Architecture" was held yesterday, moderated by art researcher Thong.

ao Thi Hai, a third-year student at Ha Noi Architectural University, finds the exhibition and the talk useful for her studies.

Through the exhibition, I have a chance to contemplate many artworks created with different materials and styles, she said. Many of them are in a medium and small size suitable for interior decoration.

Hai said the work em (The Night) by Nguyen Duy Manh is the most impressive.

Though I dont think I really understand the artists philosophy, I still like this artwork. I feel the loneliness of a person who tries to solve his/her own problem but actually spreads a net surrounding him/herself.

The exhibition will run until December 22 at Ha Noi Architecture University, Nguyen Trai Street, Ha Noi.  VNS
HUE  More than 60 precious artifacts of the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945) handed over to the interim government after the abdication of King Bao ai in August 1945 are on display at the Hue Royal Antiques Museum.

The artifacts, made of gold, silver, gemstones and tortoise shells, are part of a collection of 2,500 items preserved by the Viet Nam National History Museum.

The most valuable and important items include royal seals made of pure gold, jade seals, swords, the kings headwear and mandarin badges.

The exhibition also displays objects used in royal worship and rituals, like candle holders, fruit trays, and aloe wood burner.

Other items used in royal office, including brushes, inkstone, paperweights and pen holders also are on display.

Visitors to the exhibition can also get glimpses of daily life in the court through other items like diner and tea sets, and betel nut sets.

Phan Thanh Hai, director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, said the exhibition is being held under a co-operation programme between the centre and the National Museum of History.

The programme, which began last year, has organised two other exhibitions  Antique Jewelry of Viet Nam and The Royal Seals and Books of the Nguyen Dynasty.

However, this ongoing exhibition displays the biggest number of items, including some seals that were rarely seen even by royal mandarins. These seals are the ones that were handed down from emperor to emperor, representing the supreme power and orthodoxy of the dynasty, Hai said.

After King Bao ai abdicated on August 25, 1945, the Nguyen dynasty handed over to the then temporary Government of Viet Nam some 2,500 items which were brought to Ha Noi for preservation as the nation waged its resistance war against the return of the French colonialists.

In 2007, the State Bank of Viet Nam handed over all the items, including 85 golden and jade seals, to the Viet Nam National Museum of History.

The exhibition will be open to public until January 5, 2017, at 3 Le Truc Street.

Alongside the exhibition, the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre has also released a photo-book Bao Vat Hoang Cung (Royal Treasure), and The Museum of Hue Royal Antiques  Volume 8: Wooden Objects.  VNS
LAO CAI  The National Television Festival 2016 from December 21 to 24 in Lao Cai Province will feature the best television works of the year, photo exhibitions, talk shows and conferences.

The festival is an annual event of Viet Nam Television to honour the best television programmes of the year and is a platform for producers and broadcast professionals to meet and exchange knowledge and skills.

This annual event is a rendezvous to present television works from diverse categories, providing valuable information for the audience.

It is being held in a northern border province for the first time. This years festival will, therefore, be an opportunity to promote the cultural beauty of Lao Cai Province, Pham Viet Tien, deputy general director of Viet Nam Television, said.

The 36th festival has attracted some 1,000 delegates from different television networks, journalism agencies, associations and television companies.

More than 500 entries under nine categories will compete for the best television work of the year award. The nine categories are programmes for kids, documentary, reporting, science and education programmes, as well as talk shows, television programmes in ethnic language, music shows, television movies and cinema programmes. Among them, the reporting category has attracted the most entries with nearly 150 works.

The festival also features three conferences  Communication work on environment and climate change, Graphics in producing television programmes and Promoting the ethnic culture on television.  VNS
Vu Quoc Hung

Former Chairman of the Party Central Committees Commission for Inspection Vu Quoc Hung tells the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper that a culture of self-respect and taking responsibility for ones actions needs to be promoted.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to formulate regulations that create conditions for officials and leaders to resign from their positions. Is this an urgent task? Why?

The so-called culture of stepping down was a hot topic at recent National Assembly and Government meetings. It has also been covered by many newspapers. I think these discussions show that it is something that should happen now.

We need to tap public opinion and raise social awareness of this step. Some people should have to resign immediately for their wrongdoings, violations, or lack of capacity. However, it should also be recognised that there are some people who act out of self-respect, honesty and repentance when they step down from their positions.

So it is necessary to raise awareness and understanding that there are situations when people have to be forced to quit, and where the act of resigning is honourable. If this realisation is deep, the act of stepping down will even be welcomed and encouraged by friends and relatives. This would develop a culture of taking responsibility for ones actions.

There have been many instances of people resigning from their posts in the history of our country. But weve not had this happen in recent years, and now, we are talking about regulations to make it happen. Why?

There are still cases of people resigning from their positions in the current time. For example, former Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Su of Hoi An City in Quang Nam Province resigned last year. And in the latest case, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Le Thi Cong, has resigned.

There are different contexts to the act of resigning. There are those who quit very soon after taking up a position. There are voluntary resignations and those that are forced.

Officials who are entrusted by people to hold certain positions should show their strong will power and judge for themselves if they are fit for a position or not. And when the public or your organisation requires you to resign, you should do it. However, this happens rarely. It is not the norm.

I feel we should focus on the humanitarian aspect of stepping down. If someone resigns in national interest, depending on their job and positions, people will remember him or her with respect. A resignation can also help ones comrades. If people, either out of fear or regard for someone, fail to denounce someones wrongdoings, the violations will continue.

In formulating regulations for people to step down, it is essential to maintain clarity of purpose. It should be based on a sense of responsibility to the nation. And as I said earlier, a distinction should be drawn between resignation as an act of honour, and one that is forced. Those who resign in order to abdicate responsibility should be condemned. Furthermore, resigning cannot mean that you are absolved of your wrongdoing.

Considering some recent, key cases of violations of the Resolution on Party Building adopted at the fourth plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee, what can be done in the coming time?

Both Party members and the general public found that the Resolution comprehensively reviews and defines orientations, and sets out solutions for implementation. For instance, handling all issues relating to the case of Trinh Xuan Thanh, a member of the Hau Giang provincial Party Committee, is a concrete expression of the Resolution. Thanh, Chairman of PetroVietnam Construction Corporation (PVC) from 2007-2013, had been negligent and lax in managing the corporation, resulting in many violations of the law on business management and a loss of more than VN3.2 trillion (US$142 million) to the State exchequer. Thanh, who was also Vice Chairman of the Peoples Committee of the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang from 2011-2016, was found abusing his privilege by using an official plate on his luxury Lexus car.

It is necessary to continue considering the responsibility of the Party Central Committees Organisation Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs, and draw conclusions. The Government Inspectorate is yet to come up with an idea on processing this issue. The Government urged the Government Inspectorate to step in and investigating agencies were also involved, but no result was announced. We need to deal with the right person and the exact wrongdoing. During this process, it is good if someone proactively admits his wrongdoing and asks to resign. This does not mean that he will not have to take responsibility, but it should be taken as a mitigating factor.

The Resolution clearly points out all kinds of wrongdoings, and we need to review and deal with all of them. The Resolution is a microscope, now we need eyes. We have good microscope but without good eyes, we cannot see what it reveals.  VNS
Nguyen Phu Trong delivers speech at the major political-military conference in Ha Noi yesterday.  VNA/VNS Photo Tri Dung

HA NOI  The Central Military Commission and the Defence Ministry held a major political-military conference in Ha Noi yesterday to review the armed forces performance in 2016 and to set tasks for 2017.

Addressing the event, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Nguyen Phu Trong, lauded the Central Military Commission and Defence Ministrys for completing all its assigned tasks in the past year.

He said 2017 would be the second year for implementation of the 12th Party Congress resolutions and those of the 10th Military Party Organisation Congress, urging the whole army to focus on five key areas, including better forecasting and strategic consultations to avoid unforeseen threats.

He stressed the need to continue strengthening the people-based defence, the purity of the armed forces and the combination of defence-security and economic development in socio-economic plans, strategies and policies.

He also asked for stronger connections between defence-security and external relations expansion in line with the Party and State orientations.

The Party leader also underlined the importance of building a strong and corruption-free Party organisation.

Lt Gen Deputy Minister of Defence Phan Van Giang delivered a report on the 2016 military and defence performance and its tasks for next year.

He said along with effective advice to the Party, Government and localities on defence matters, the military has been the major force in safeguarding the countrys sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, repairing the damage of natural disasters, and conducting search and rescue operations and mine clearance.

Giang underscored that in 2017, the army should continue improving training quality and strengthening order and discipline.

"It is crucial to conduct comprehensive reform and basic changes in the quality and effectiveness of education, training and science research in military schools, and pay more attention to implementation of political tasks and party building," he said. VNS
NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan at a meeting on Monday with Amal Al Qubaisi, President of the UAE Federal National Council.  VNA/VNS Photo Trong uc

ABU DHABI  NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan has suggested closer coordination between the legislative bodies of Viet Nam and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in implementing co-operation agreements between the two nations.

This would contribute to strengthening bilateral ties, she said at a meeting on Monday with Amal Al Qubaisi, President of the UAE Federal National Council.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 11th Global Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament.

Ngan affirmed that Viet Nam treasures friendship and cooperation with the UAE, and expressed her pleasure in the development of Viet Nam-UAE relations.

She lauded preparations made for the summit, saying it would contribute to enhancing the role and position of the UAE in the region and the world.

Highlighting the potential for the two sides to enhance economic links, especially in trade, investment, petroleum and labour sectors, Ngan said the UAE was likely to become one of Viet Nams leading economic partners.

For her part, Al Qubaisi shared the positive impressions of Viet Nam gathered during her trip to the country in 2015.

Appreciating the proposals made by the Vietnamese leader at the summit, she said Viet Nams experience offered good lessons and contributed to the events success.

On the basis of effective co-operation in many fields, the two countries should further expand connections in economy, trade and labour, she said.

Al Qubaisi said that the UAE foreign policy envisaged an important role in Asia for Viet Nam. The Vietnamese delegations attendance at the Summit would play an important role in bolstering bilateral relations, she said.

The UAE is one of Viet Nams leading partners in trade, investment and labour in the Middle East and the seventh largest importer of Vietnamese products.

Two-way trade in 2015 and the first nine months of this year hit US$6.3 billion and $4.3 billion, respectively. The UAE is also a big investor from the Persian Gulf in Viet Nam, with a total registered capital of $4 billion. At present, about 5,000 Vietnamese labourers work in the UAE.  VNS
a Nang  The central city of Da Nang has fined a slaughter centre owned by the Procimex Joint Stock Company VN154 million (US$6.8 million) for discharging toxic fumes into the environment.

This is the centres third violation of environmental regulations since 2014 and the city has warned that the companys business license would be revoked unless it upgrades its waste and fume treatment system within six months.

The citys environmental inspection agency has in the past asked the centre to build a standard waste water and fume treatment system.

Untreated waste water. a Nang city has fined a slaughter centre of the Procimex Joint Stock Co VN154 million ($6.8 million) for discharging poorly treated water.  Photo a Nang Portal

Last year, the city also fined the centre VN270 million ($12,000) for discharging poorly treated waste water into the environment.

In 2014, the companys slaughter house was penalised VN300 million ($14,200) for the same violation. According to the citys environmental police, the companys slaughter house was found discharging 80 cubic metres of waste a day that were not up to the standard for sewage treatment.

The city said the centre in Hoa Khanh Nam ward in Lien Chieu district has also not filed any environmental assessment report for years.  VNS
HA NOI  Only 3 per cent of doctors in local health facilities correctly diagnose the five most common diseases in Viet Nam, a recent study reveals.

The findings stem from interviews and observation of 1,000 doctors working at 78 district-level hospitals and 246 communal health stations. The Health Strategy and Policy Institute (HSPI) under the Ministry of Health, which led the 2015 research, randomly surveyed the doctors across six cities and provinces representative of different regions of the country.

The one-year study, the first of its kind in Viet Nam striving to evaluate the quality of healthcare staff in local facilities, showed that only three per cent of doctors managed to diagnose childrens diarrhea and pneumonia, tuberculosis, diabetes type 2 and hypertension.

The rate, however, rocketed to 36 and 48 per cent, respectively, for doctors who corectly diagnosed three and four of the five diseases. There were still 11 per cent who could only diagnose two diseases and two per cent for one disease.

The researchers did not explain the low rate of diagnosis but their findings nonetheless indicate some of the problems involved.

They found that on average, doctors in local health facilities fail to ask about half the questions necessary to diagnose an illness. For example, they only asked patients three out of eight questions needed to diagnose hypertension and diabetes, five of 13 for tuberculosis, five of 11 for diarrhea and one-third of the questions to correctly identify pneumonia.

Doctors also only performed about half the necessary examinations.

A patient with pneumonia is only asked whether he coughs, but is often not asked about phlegm or breathing troubles, said HSPI head Khuong Anh Tuan.

Tuan also warned about inappropriate prescriptions resulting from this diagnosis failure.

Nearly 48 per cent of doctors prescribed incorrectly for children with pneumonia, he said.

Some doctors also prescribed harmful medicine, according to the research, which showed that some 70 per cent of doctors decided to give corticosteroidal medicine for pneumonia to children and approximately 34 and 47 per cent to treat patients with hypertension and diabetes.

Former head of the Bach Mai Hospital Pediatrics Department, Dr Nguyen Tien Dung, said corticosteroids are effective but have many side effects and "should be restricted.

Corticosteroidal medicine gradually breaks down the childrens immune system while frequently causing osteoporosis or rickets in the children, Dung said.

Deputy Minister of Health, Pham Le Tuan, acknowledged that the research clearly reflects the quality of local health facilities.

It was easy to see that the healthcare services of local facilities are limited, resulting in a mass influx of patients to central-level hospitals in big cities due to doubts over their local health providers, he said.

This, in turn, overloads big hospitals and the Ministry of Health is still struggling to resolve the problem, which many believe means improving the quality of local healthcare.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approved a master plan for developing a strong local-level healthcare system toward 2025, which will monitor the health of all residents where they live.

But the ambitious plan will take time to yield results. In the meantime, people will often have to travel dozens of kilometres to get proper treatment.  VNS
HA NOI  The Prime Minister has approved a plan to develop a new local-level medical network by 2025 to improve the capability and service quality of health care for Vietnamese.

The proposal is aimed at ensuring that all communal medical centres are qualified to provide medical examination and treatment of patients with health insurance, and able to provide at least 90 per cent of total communal health services. All communal medical centres will also have to meet the national criteria for communal healthcare.

In order to achieve the objectives, the proposal calls for restructuring the existing network, improving the effectiveness of medical centres and providing professional training for medical personnel.

A unified model for medical centres in districts and cities will be developed. Based on this model, the centres should be able to perform all the functions of preventive medicine, medical examination, medical treatment and rehabilitation.  VNS
HA NOI  Only half of the total commune-level health stations across the country can meet national medical standards, health minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said on Tuesday.

At least 2,650 communal health stations are set up in makeshift houses, and another 3,000 need urgent repairs and upgradation, Tien said while speaking at the inauguration of a health station in Chieng Yen Commune in the mountainous Son La Provinces Van Ho District.

Because of the countrys poor economic situation and the lack of dedicated funds from state budget and government bonds, funding for such grassroots-level health stations had mainly come from the ODA (Official Development Assistance) projects, the provincial budget, the 135 Programme (established in 1998 to implement government policies targeting vulnerable communes) and enterprise donations, the minister said.

The Chieng Yen Commune health station, built at a cost of VN3.4 billion (US$150,000), has been funded by the European Unions medical assistance project and other sources, and fulfils national medical standards, which is a first for the area.

There is no general hospital in Van Ho District, and its district-level health station has no treatment centre.

The two-storey Chieng Yen health station, which occupies 150sqm, aims to provide medical services, check-ups and treatment to locals from ethnic minorities.

As per the health ministrys reports, 70 per cent of medical check-ups and treatments are done at district- and commune-level health stations. This rate is even higher in mountainous, vulnerable areas that have a majority of poor people and those from ethnic minorities.

The need of the hour is a good grassroots-level health system, which will ensure that people get good medical care near their homes, which is especially useful in the mountainous regions where accessibility and commute are still difficult. VNS
The countrys leading researchers gathered yesterday in Thua Thien Hue Province to present old documents issued by the Europeans, which were proof of Viet Nams sovereignty over the Paracel (Hoang Sa) archipelago.  Photo tuoitre.vn

THUA THIEN- HUE  The countrys leading researchers gathered yesterday in Thua Thien Hue Province to present old documents issued by the Europeans, which were proof of Viet Nams sovereignty over the Paracel (Hoang Sa) archipelago.

According to Dr Tran uc Anh Son, a well-known researcher in the field, French Navy sailor Jean Baptiste Chaigneau wrote in his memoir Le mesmoire sur la Cochinchine that Hoang Sa was an uninhabited island until Emperor Gia Long, first king of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) declared sovereignty in 1816.

The Journal of an Embassy from the Governor - General of India to the Courts of Siam and Cochinchina by late diplomat John Crawfurd, published in 1830 in London, also includes lines saying that the emperor in 1816 took over Paracel, which was then under no dispute over its sovereignty.

The book Die Erdkunde von Asien by Calt Ritter, published in Berlin in 1834, said the same, adding that neighbouring countries, including China, did not dispute the sovereignty declaration over Paracel by the emperor.

The Nguyen Dynastys ai Nam Thuc Luc (Great South Real Record) in 1816 recorded that the emperor sent a royal marine troop to monitor and undertake measuring work on Hoang Sa. ai Nam is the former name of Viet Nam.

Son said Viet Nams sovereignty over the archipelago has been clear since over 200 years ago.

Prof Nguyen Quang Ngoc, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Scientific History Association, said royal documents issued by the Nguyen Dynasty presented details of the work and contributions of localities, including Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Ngai and Binh Thuan, for protecting the archipelago, and these also served as evidence of Viet Nams sovereignty.

The researchers gathered for a seminar on the issue where they pledged to research more old documents from Japan, South Korea and China related to the archipelago in an attempt to present an accurate picture of the East Sea dispute to citizens around the world.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and The International Center, a non-governmental organisation, held a conference in Ha Noi today to enhance international co-operation in aiding bomb and mine victims.

Data shows that there are about 800,000 tonnes of unexploded ordnance (UXO) left from war in Viet Nam, contaminating nearly 20 per cent of the countrys area and killing and injuring more than 100,000 people since the American war ended in 1975.

In past years, the Vietnamese Government has made efforts to settle UXO consequences as evidenced by the national action programme on settling post-war bomb and landmine impacts for 2010-25. Assisting UXO victims is among important activities of this programme.

However, addressing UXO consequences and supporting victims requires considerable human and material resources.

At the conference, participants shared information about support for UXO victims, the settlement of post-war UXO consequences, and plans for future activities. They discussed solutions to assist victims and help them with social reintergration.

They also gave opinions on a draft plan on assisting UXO victims reintegration which will be combined with a support programme targeting people with disabilities between 2017 and 2020.

The plan focuses on medical services for victims, developing functional rehabilitation systems, supporting means of living, and making mechanisms and policies for social services development.  VNS
HA NOI  The Dutch, Danish and Swedish embassies today introduced the first ever DiploHack in Viet Nam, themed Trust in the Food Chain, one of the major issues in Viet Nam.

DiploHacks are a new way of bringing together civil society, industries, students, information technology experts and diplomats to brainstorm and come up with new ideas on how to tackle important issues in society.

The event organised this morning raised peoples concerns about the quality of food - whether what they buy and eat is safe, healthy and nutritious. Experts said that to know the quality of food, people must have information on where and how the food is produced, how it has been handled and how it should be used, as things can go wrong during any stage of production, processing, packaging, storing, cooking, and even serving. Improved transparency and flow of information will help people take informed decisions on what they eat.

In Viet Nam, it is difficult to access food-related information, and the DiploHack discussed issues such as who should be responsible for providing the information, in what format and by what means as well as what it takes for people to trust the information they receive.

Arie Veldhuizen, agricultural counsellor at the Netherlands embassy, said a value chain that guarantees that the food is safe from farm to fork must be put in place. All the stakeholders should be connected, and all the stages should be traceable and strictly supervised, he said.

Camilla Bjelkas, cultural officer at the Swedish embassy, said that in Sweden, government agencies constantly monitor and track food products. Apart from this, they also make sure that producers mark their products with different certificates. Because of transparency, consumers in Sweden can report to the National Food Agency or talk to the media if they have suspicions about any food they buy.

Nguyen Van Thuan, an official from Viet Nams agriculture ministry, said Vietnamese consumers are very concerned about the safety and source of food, now that they are more wealthy and health-conscious. This change in attitude has prompted many parties and authorities to fulfil their responsibilities, particularly in following food control regulations.  VNS
CAIRO  The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a bomb attack on a Cairo church that killed 25 people, the first claim for one of the worst attacks on the Coptic Christian community in recent memory.

IS identified the suicide bomber who carried out Sundays attack by the pseudonym Abu Abdallah al-Masri in a statement circulated on social media on Tuesday.

The bomber "got in between the crowd" and detonated his explosive belt, the jihadist group said in the statement.

The group said it would continue attacks against "every infidel and apostate in Egypt, and everywhere". President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi named the suicide bomber as Mahmoud Shafik Mohamed Mostafa, 22, during a funeral for the victims on Monday.

Egyptian authorities are battling an Islamist insurgency led by an Egyptian affiliate of IS.

While most of the insurgents attacks have mainly targeted police and military in northern Sinai province, the jihadists have also targeted security forces and government officials in Cairo.

The attacks have worsened since the July 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. The ouster was led by Sisi, who was defence minister at the time.

Following the deadly dispersal by security forces of two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo in August 2013, mobs attacked more than 40 churches nationwide, as well as dozens of schools, houses and businesses belonging to Copts.

They pointed to the appearance of Coptic Pope Tawadros II next to Sisi in July 2013, when the then army chief  also surrounded by Muslim and opposition figures  announced Morsis removal on television.

Sisi said Mostafa, the suspected suicide bomber, had detonated his explosive belt at the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church, which is adjacent to Saint Marks Cathedral, the seat of the Coptic pope.

The interior ministry said late on Monday that Mostafa had been identified by DNA tests from body parts which matched that of his family.

It also said Mostafa was working with a group that received logistical and financial support from Muslim Brotherhood members residing in Qatar.

The Muslim Brotherhood has denied any involvement with the incident.

Worst attack against Copts

The authorities have arrested four alleged members of this group, the interior ministry said.

They are still searching for others, including the suspected ringleader Mohab Mostafa el-Sayed Qassem, also known as "The Doctor", the ministry said.

Qassem travelled to Qatar in 2015 where he met some Brotherhood leaders who had fled Egypt, it claimed.

There, they offered him financial and logistical support to carry out attacks in Egypt and upon his return, he travelled to North Sinai, where Islamist insurgents trained him in using weapons and making explosive devices.

When Qassem returned to his home in Cairo, the Brotherhood members residing in Qatar instructed him to start preparing and planning for attacks targeting Copts.

The attacks were "aiming to foment a large-scale sectarian crisis" without linking the group with these attacks, the interior ministry said.

The ministry statement claims a group named The Egyptian Revolutionary Council, an alleged arm of the Brotherhood, has issued a statement on December 5 "vowing to target the heads of the Orthodox Church because of its support for the state".

Some analysts had warned that Islamists affiliated with the Brotherhood, though not necessarily under their control, could turn to serious violence after the 2013 post-coup crackdown.

Copts have faced persecution and discrimination dating back to the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled by a popular uprising in 2011.

Sundays bombing was the worst attack against the Copts since a 2011 suicide bombing killed more than 20 worshippers outside a church in the coastal city of Alexandria.  AFP
UNITED NATIONS, United States  The Syrian military has stopped its operations in Aleppo in order to allow opposition fighters to leave and the government to establish full control over the city, Russias UN envoy said on Tuesday.

An agreement was reached earlier on Tuesday with Syria President Bashar al-Assads government on the evacuation of the fighters along with their families and some of the injured, Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters.

"In the process of that, the military operations stopped. There is no need for military operations because they are leaving," he said.

"The bottom line is  if everything is okay  that means that the fighting around eastern Aleppo is over," Churkin said following a Security Council meeting on the crisis in Syrias second city.

The Russian ambassador told the council that the fighters "are currently going through agreed corridors, going in directions they have chosen themselves voluntarily including towards Idlib," the rebel-controlled province.

"According to the latest information that we received in the last hour, military actions in eastern Aleppo are over, so there is no issue of some cessation of hostilities or some special humanitarian operation," he said.

"The Syrian government has re-established control over eastern Aleppo." But several AFP journalists in the government-held quarter of Aleppo that was supposed to be evacuated said there was no sign of movement as of 2000 GMT.

Numerous empty buses that were to be used for the evacuation were still parked near the Salaheddin section of the city.

US wants observers in Aleppo

The council held an emergency meeting at the request of France and Britain following UN reports that Syrian forces had executed dozens of civilians during house-to-house searches.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Syria and its allies Russia and Iran to "urgently allow the remaining civilians to escape the area" and provide aid to those still in the city.

Syria has refused to allow UN officials in Aleppo to verify the situation but Ban said thousands of civilians were at risk.

US Ambassador Samantha Power called for international observers to be sent to Aleppo to "oversee the safe evacuation of the people who wish to leave but who, justifiably fear that if they try, they will be shot in the street or carted off to one of Assads gulags."

The United Nations has raised alarm over reports that at least 82 people, including 11 women and 13 children, were killed in four neighbourhoods of Aleppo as the battle for the city neared its end.

Churkin rejected reports of atrocities, saying Russian officers had investigated the allegations on the ground.

"Not a single fact of ill-treatment, of violations of international humanitarian law against civilians of east Aleppo was discovered," he said.

The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since Syrias conflict began in 2011, and leave the government in control of the countrys five major cities.

More than 300,000 people have been killed since the conflict began in March 2011, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees.  AFP
Brge Brende*

Over the past generation, the global economic centre of gravity has been moving towards Asia. This economic shift is now accompanied by deepening co-operation in the region. Norway supports this development, and over the past few years we have actively sought to strengthen relations with Asia. Here I would like to outline the main reasons for this, and describe the areas where we see the greatest potential for future co-operation.

Norway has made an effort to join some of the most important arenas for political and economic co-operation in Asia. In 2012, we were accepted as a member of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the principal meeting place for political dialogue between Asia and Europe. ASEM is a valuable and effective arena for political discussions with our Asian and European partners. Then in 2015, Norway gained sectoral dialogue partner status with ASEAN, the first medium sized economy outside the region to do so.

One of our main reasons for approaching Asia has been to increase trade and investments. Asia currently accounts for 30 per cent of the global gross domestic product, and the Asian Development Bank estimates that by 2050 this will have increased to over 50 per cent. In countries like India and China, growth has been accompanied by the lifting of hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. Vietnam graduated from being one of the poorest countries in the world, to a middle income country in 2010. Moreover, at a time when free trade is under pressure, many countries in Asia are taking laudable steps towards removing trade barriers between them. Norway is a strong supporter of free trade, and we recently gathered over 20 countries in Oslo to move the free trade agenda of the WTO forward, in preparation of the WTO ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires in 2017.

Norways trade with Asia is both deepening and widening. ASEAN is today our fourth largest trading partner. With Vietnam alone, our trade has increased by more than 30 per cent this past year. And we want to increase our trade with Asia even further. As a member of the European Free Trade Association, Norway has given priority to negotiating free trade agreements with a number of Asian countries, including Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam. Negotiations are also underway with India, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Norways economic links with Asia date back several centuries. In the 1850s, when China and India accounted for around 50 per cent of global GDP, and Tokyo was a capital with several million inhabitants, the Norwegian merchant navy was the largest in the world. Norwegian ships, together with thousands of Norwegian seamen, played an important part in the economic growth of Asian countries 150 years ago.

Still today, Norwegian companies in the maritime sector continue to play a vital role in many Asian countries. At the same time, there are also important investments in fisheries, hydropower, and oil and gas. In total, around 500 Norwegian companies have been established in Asia, increasing foreign direct investment in the region. The Norwegian public sector is also investing in Asia. The Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global, one of the worlds largest sovereign wealth funds with almost US$900 billion invested abroad, has placed over 20 per cent of its equity investments in Asia. As a sign of our commitment to further regional integration in Asia, Norway became a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) earlier this year, providing $550 million in capital. It is no coincidence that the two most recent Norwegian diplomatic missions to be opened are in Asia, in Mumbai and Yangon.

Another key area in our co-operation with Asia is the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. We are united by a common interest in solving global challenges such as education, health and climate change. Norway is engaged in extensive co-operation with Indonesia on reducing deforestation through REDD+, and we have pledged $1 billion for these efforts. Norway is also supporting Vietnams efforts to transform its forest sector and collaborate with neighbouring countries in the Mekong region to reduce deforestation. Other areas where we can make a difference are the maritime sector and fisheries. World-leading Norwegian companies in these sectors have already invested in Asia. Drawing on the extensive experience of the Norwegian Government, we hope to stimulate green shipping and sustainable fisheries and fish farming in the region. Ensuring that the oceans are healthy and productive for future generations is a key priority for Norways foreign policy, and we are currently working on a new government strategy to move this agenda forward, including in Asia.

A third broad area of interest in our co-operation with Asia is the promotion of peace and stability, international law and human rights. Norway has acted as facilitator in peace processes in a number of Asian countries, with particular focus at present on the Philippines, where formal negotiations are now taking place. We are a strong defender of human rights, and earlier this year Norway hosted the sixth World Congress Against the Death Penalty, which was attended by representatives from over 80 countries.

Global change is profoundly affecting Asia  in terms of economic development, in the tectonic shifts of global politics, and in the increasingly serious impacts of climate change. We are part of the same international community, and are all affected by these developments. We therefore stand ready to work with Asian nations both directly and through regional arenas for cooperation to seek sustainable solutions and stable development in Asia.

*Brge Brende is the Foreign Minister of Norway
WEST UNION  A man who died in the Fayette County Jail in October while awaiting trial on murder charges died of heart issues, according to the Iowa Medical Examiners Office.

Associate State Medical Examiner Jonathan Thompson ruled 39-year-old Matthew Thomas Braun, of rural Fayette, died of sudden cardiac arrhythmia. He ruled Brauns death was due to natural causes.

Braun was found unconscious in the jails shower area on the night of Oct. 31, and he was later pronounced dead.

Authorities originally arrested Braun in September 2012 for first-degree murder in the beating death of 57-year-old Kris Simpson. At the time, both Braun and Simpson had been residents at the Prairie View Residential Care Facility in Fayette.

The case had been delayed because of concerns over Brauns competency to stand trial.

Four injured in I-380 accident

CENTER POINT  Four area residents are recovering from injuries in a single-vehicle rollover crash Saturday on Interstate 380 between Cedar Rapids and Center Point.

According to the Linn County Sheriffs Office, a car driven by Michael Brustkern, 21, of Evansdale, was northbound on I-380 at the 32-mile marker at 2:09 p.m. Saturday when he lost control and the car rolled into the east ditch.

Brustkern and his three passengers  Jasmine Gerstenkorn, 22, of Evansdale, and Brandon Tyler, 22, and Rachele Kindschi, 23, both of Waterloo  were taken to St. Lukes Hospital in Cedar Rapids for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. All four occupants were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, according to the sheriffs office.

The crash remains under investigation.

Gunfire damages home on Sunday

WATERLOO  Waterloo police are investigating a weekend shooting that damaged a home.

Officers were called to gunfire in the area of East Fourth and Anita streets around 5:40 a.m. Sunday but were unable to find any evidence, according to the police report. Later that day, a resident at 2535 E. Fourth St. discovered damage to her home and called police.

The home had damage to a bedroom window and three walls, and investigators recovered a bullet from the house. The resident wasnt at home at the time of the shooting, police said.

Bail scam under investigation

WATERLOO  Authorities said a con man took $1,000 from a Waterloo woman after he pretended to be a family member in trouble.

The suspect called the 85-year-old woman Friday and told her he was her grandson and needed money to bond out of jail, said Capt. David Mohlis with the Waterloo Police Department.

He told the woman to buy 10 $100 iTunes gift cards and then read the card numbers to him over the phone, Mohlis said. He said the real grandson wasnt in trouble.

No arrests have been made in the case.

Blaze destroys Ossian building

OSSIAN  The cause of a fire that destroyed a 116-year-old building housing a business and residence in downtown Ossian will probably never be known, according to Ossian Fire Chief Dennis Holien.

Everything is knocked down. Theres nothing left of it really. We had to do that to save everything (else on the block), said Holien.

A passerby reported flames coming from the windows of the antique store Clover Station, 108 N. Lydia St., about 5 p.m.

The Ossian Fire Department responded, with assistance from Castalia, Calmar, Fort Atkinson, Postville and Frankville departments and the Decorah Fire Departments aerial ladder truck.

No one was in the building at the time the fire broke out, Holien said. Cynthia Jacobson, who operated the store and also lived in the building, left about a half hour before the blaze started, Holien said. Jacobson has made arrangements for another place to stay, he said.

Cold temperatures made the firefighters job a challenge.

Youve got to keep everything from freezing up  theres ice all over  everything gets harder, Holien said.

State and county crews helped with plowing and treating the roads as they filled with water being used to fight the fire.

The Clover Station was located only a couple of feet from the old city hall building, where the city stores some equipment. When hot spots developed, Holien said he was afraid the city hall building might ignite.

If that had started, we would have had quite a mess, Holien said.

An excavator from Reilly Construction of Ossian was brought in to tear down the burnt structure to prevent hot spots from spreading.

Firefighters were at the scene throughout the night and, after taking turns to get a few hours of sleep, were monitoring the situation Tuesday morning. Excavating resumed Tuesday to put out a small fire that hadnt been extinguished.
CEDAR FALLS -- Some of the many talents of the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area came together Dec. 10, as the wcfsymphony, led by Music Director Jason Weinberger, presented the annual year-end Christmas extravaganza in the Great Hall of the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center in Cedar Falls. Pre-concert festivities included food and drink, plus the reappearance of the instrument petting zoo, to give young folk a chance to make assorted sounds on instruments of various families.

After an opening piece by Vince Guaraldi, audiences were treated to three numbers by the impressive Concert Choir of Waterloos West High School, ably directed by UNI graduate James Healy. The large full choir began with a masterful arrangement of the well-known French Christmas anthem O Holy Night (Cantique de Noel) by Adolphe Adam, arranged by American composer and teacher Rene Clausen (Concordia College). The choir then was reduced to a mixed octet, to render a moving version of a newer Christmas piece (1984), Mary Did You Know, by Lowry and Greene, arranged by Healy and Takes. This engaging work asks of Mary, the young mother, whether she knows about the power of the young child she holds in her hands. Solo voices were confident and on pitch. The full choir then returned, to close with an arrangement of Joy To The World, Americas most-published Christmas hymn, by Isaac Watts and Lowell Madson, and creatively arranged by the English master, John Rutter. It featured complex and intriguing contrapuntal lines and tonal shifts in an essentially neo-Baroque context (the piece was composed in 1717), and a superb stratospheric solo by Randy Grabowski on piccolo trumpet.

The Waterloo West Choir was beautifully prepared for performance by James Healy and came as close as high school choirs can get in terms of getting male voices matching female voices in maturity and sonority. West High School continues its long tradition of musical excellence.

Saturdays performance was subtitled A New Nutcracker -- Gary Kelley Imagines Duke Ellington, and we thus came to the featured presentation. Around 1960, jazz band leader Duke Ellington recorded for his iconic 15-member big band his own 9-movement jazz version of Tchaikowskys immortal Nutcracker Suite (1892), the ballet fixture that is the Christmas financial savior of every dance company in the land. Trumpeter/conductor Jeff Tyzik did a superb arrangement of the suite for symphony orchestra (though it oddly uses no piano Ellingtons instrument). The orchestra did five of the movements.

Kelley is familiar to many in the community as the internationally renowned artist/illustrator who has chosen to remain and work in Cedar Falls, and who benefits our community generously with his talents. I wont repeat here a list of publications in which his work has appeared  perhaps the most visible evidence of his talent locally is in the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Waterloo, where his ideas gave birth to the murals of famous authors that grace the walls above Starbucks.

Kelley did a series of illustrations of the Ellington Nutcrackerhich tells a story, as does Tchaikowskys, of a little girl who receives a nutcracker for Christmas. Kelleys little girl lives in Harlem and the evolving series of illustrations have a distinctly African-American take. To my eye, Kellys artwork formed a masterful combination with Ellingtons. His identifiable style was there comforting pastel shades, indistinct borders and his quirky takes on geometry and perspective  a style that is seemingly adaptable to any circumstance. These images werent static  they moved across the screen, were of differing sizes, and included a completed in front of your eyes line drawing. Movements featured were the Overture, Toot Toot Tootie Toot (orig. Dance of the Reed Pipes), Danse of the Floreadores (Waltz of the Flowers), Sugar Rum Cherry (Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy), and Peanut Brittle Brigade (March). The orchestra handled the difficult and unfamiliar score adeptly.

I should single out the saxophone section of Ryan Smith and Ann Bradford (she of UNI and he a doctoral student in Iowa City); Ryan giving us superb improvised cadenzas), wailing high note passages by clarinetist Eric Wachmann, and an excellent rhythm section of Rich Wagor, bass and Dennis Johnson, drums.

The audience was greatly enthusiastic with this new mixed-media creation, and Weinberger hinted that it may not be the last time that Cedar Valley audiences get to experience the piece. Id be all for a repeat. This work, with Kelleys unmistakable artistry, has every chance of becoming a Christmas fixture across the country. Called up on stage for bows were Kelley and James Meade, the technical wizard that put Kelleys creations successfully and artistically on screen.

The show continued with the perennial audience favorite, Leroy Andersons Sleigh Ride. Although I gather that a sleigh ride has to be explained these days to most children by their parents, Im hoping that this musical tradition, at least, is one that will be maintained for a long time.

The concert ended with a sing-along of standard carols. The current format works well, with the lyrics illustrated on the screen above, and with Weinberger turning to conduct the audience.

Thanks are due to concert sponsors Humble Travel, the Humble Travel and Gary Kelleys Travelers, Lincoln Savings Bank, KWay and 93.5 The Mix radio stations, the Iowa Arts Council, and the McElroy Trust.

The Symphonys next offering is on Feb. 25, with two identical concerts that complete the symphonys performances of Vivaldis The Four Seasons, in the Brown Derby Ballroom in Waterloo.

Thomas Tritle holds emeritus status at the School of Music of UNI, and is the former principal horn and program note writer for the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra.
WEST UNION  A man who died in the Fayette County Jail in October while awaiting trial on murder charges died of heart issues, according to the Iowa Medical Examiners Office.

Associate State Medical Examiner Jonathan Thompson ruled that 39-year-old Matthew Thomas Braun, of rural Fayette, died of sudden cardiac arrhythmia. He ruled Brauns death was due to natural causes.

Braun was found unconscious in the jails shower area on the night of Oct. 31, and he was later pronounced dead.

Authorities originally arrested Braun in September 2012 for first-degree murder in the beating death of 57-year-old Kris Simpson. At the time, both Braun and Simpson had been residents at the Prairie View Residential Care Facility in Fayette.

The case had been delayed because of concerns over Brauns competency to stand trial.
Presidential election

WALLACE HETTLE

CEDAR FALLS -- I voted for Hillary Clinton, but I was disappointed by her campaign. The Democrats failed to provide a message that would appeal to the needs of working people. Sadly, some Democrats have blamed the outcome on petty issues such as fake news circulated on social media, the director of the FBI's irresponsible outbursts, Bernie Sanders supporters, Russian hacking, electoral fraud, Jill Stein and the Electoral College.

Some of these issues may have affected the results of a close contest. However, it should not have been close given Donald Trump's incompetence and appeals to hatred. If Democrats are to move forward they must push for sensible policies that include raising the minimum wage, addressing the concerns raised by Black Lives Matter and restricting environmental disasters like the Keystone pipeline. The Democrats must endorse a program of positive change for working people if they wish to provide an alternative to the Republicans.

Medicaid services

RONALD WHEELER

CEDAR FALLS -- With more than 560,000 Iowans depending on Medicaid services and annual costs approaching $5 billion, administrative changes were introduced last April replacing state officials with three independent Managed Care Organizations.

While the shift to managed care represents a significant change for the Iowa Medicaid program, the move is not uncommon. Thirty-nine other states already use MCOs for Medicaid program administration and have experienced great success.

First quarter reports released by the Department of Human Services reveal similar triumphs in Iowa. Medicaid modernization is good for all Iowans. Patients are receiving better treatment, more value added services and broadened access to preventative care. Taxpayers gain as the move to managed care has generated fewer improper payments, improved protection from fraud, waste and program abuse. Medicaid modernization seems right for Iowa.

I applaud Governor Branstad and lawmakers for having the courage to break free from an old system that was being stressed to meet the needs of todays patients and taxpayers.

Light cameras

SHAWN FREDERIKSEN

CEDAR FALLS -- Cedar Falls needs red light cameras. If you are arguing about this proposal stripping your rights, I challenge you to put down your cell phone and pull over. You will have to stop at the red light with your phone down to make these observations. (This also could be called responsible or proper driving.)

Just look out the window of your vehicle. That activity will seem strange at first. Or walk to any lighted intersection in Cedar Falls, watch the intersection cycle through one or two changes. That is all it will take for you to see poor light obedience.

I see parents on their phones with kids in the car every day. That behavior is just as dangerous as intoxicated driving and yet it is not a primary fine. Soon no one will be looking up. Do we need additional deaths for civic outcry?
PHILADELPHIA  Pagan and Polytheist traditions have a tendency to be influenced by local culture, and thats particularly evident in Urglaawe, a form of Heathenry practiced in Pennsylvania. The term Pennsylvania Dutch comes originally from Deutsch or Deitsch, and provides an Americanized lens through which to explore Heathenry.

Robert Schreiwer, a leader of Urglaawe, explained how the dark times leading up to and through the winter solstice are honored in this unique tradition. Its a practice that includes concepts common to Heathenry such as the Wild Hunt, as well as the visual spectacle of a flaming, spinning Yuletide sun wheel and a visit from Krampus.

Yuul, as the winter solstice is called, is a time of introspection, the buildup to which began at the end of October. Schreiwer explained, At Allelieweziel (Oct. 30 nightfallNov. 11) we observe Holles departure onto the Hunt through Nov. 11, when we honor her consort Holler, who is also called Ewicher Yeeger (Eternal Hunter) and who is associated with death.

We see him as killing plants (and other forms of life) so as to release their spirits rather than allowing them to be killed by King Frost and having their souls removed from the Lewesraad (life cycle: life, death, rebirth).

Holle leads the Wild Hunt, but other deities are involved as well, with their own goals. Holle and her entourage hunt through all the realms, seeking departed souls to put back into the Lewesraad, thereby allowing them to evolve.

Here on the physical realm, Schreiwer further explained, Wudan (our equivalent of Odin) is engaged in his own search for wisdom among the people, and Berchta (whose feast day falls on Dec. 31) is collecting the souls of those who have passed on in this realm since Allelieweziel.

Schreiwer then went into the significance of that period in more depth. He said, The time between Allelieweziel and Yuul is a time to face ones fears, to deal with the shadow side of each of us, to learn from mistakes, to recognize the darker aspects of ourselves and to learn how to manage them.

That is how Krampus fits into to their folk perspective. Whether that is the true root of Krampus I cannot say, but the dark, raw, animal side of each of us is something that we need to confront, and existence can certainly be scary. Krampus has lessons to teach us.

The hunt continues through the dark time of the year, but the solstice marks a turning point, with Yuul representing the time between lives. In Pennsylvania Dutch fashion, that season is kicked off by the Parade of Spirits on Dec. 17, which is the newer name for an event called Krampuslauf Philadelphia, which reflects that Krampus is not alone and the greater host of the Wild Hunt is in attendance.

Schreiwer often leads the mid-December procession as Gedreier Eckhart, who is Holles servant and harbinger. He bears a Boomba, which he described as a Pennsylvania Dutch percussion instrument that bounces on a stick.

With its name change, the annual parade has also been moved later into the month, in order to be closer to the solstice, and Schreiwer thinks that a downside of this move may be that fewer Heathen kindred will be able to participate. Last year the event drew about 500, an impressive sight given that its not a spectator sport.

People who live along the route certainly watch, but that number is about how many people actually dress up and join in. Their costumes represent many of the Wild Hunt beings, including Krampus, and signal a change of tone in the hunt itself to more of a mummers parade as the promise of new life is born in the coming year.

People are welcomed to make themselves up and to join the parade, Schreiwer said. Costuming can be as elaborate as Krampus or Belsnickel or as simple as ghoulish makeup to represent a spirit in the entourage.

The full Urglaawe festival of Yuulzeit (twelve nights) begins with Muddernacht on Dec. 20, when the flaming sun wheel comes into play. Our flaming sun wheel has its origins in a desire to see the strength of the sun to increase and in adding our energies to the enlightenment of the self, of the community, and of existence, Schreiwer said.

Yuulzeit concludes with a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch meal of pork and sauerkraut dedicated to Frey and Luul, and another meal called the Berchtaslaaf, or Progression of Berchta. Urglaawer typically make the fare to consist of herring and oatmeal or dumpling and herring meal, explained Schreiwer.

Some folks, particularly our Frankish brethren in Canada, also make Zemmede (also known as Zemmete, Semmede, and a few other variations) as part of Berchtas meal.

Schreiwer added, The most intact tale we have related to Berchta is the closing of the Wonnenacht myth, which describes her as Holles sister, describes Berchtas role in the Wild Hunt as being within this realm, and her taking souls from Holles mill to her own home in the Unnergegend.

With Krampus nipping at ones heels, a flaming sun wheel to give hope for the future, and the Wild Hunt all around, celebrating the solstice with the Urglaawer is something that is likely difficult to forget. Here are a few additional images from 2015 Parade of Spirits.
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Amano notes nuclear's role in sustainable development

13 December 2016

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In an address to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday in New York, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, highlighted the role of nuclear science and technology in sustainable development.

Amano addresses the UN General Assembly (Image: IAEA)

Amano noted there are currently 450 nuclear power reactors in operation in 30 countries, with a further 60 under construction.

"Nuclear power can make a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy security, while delivering energy in the large and growing quantities needed for development," he said. "Around 30 developing countries are considering introducing nuclear power. If countries opt for nuclear power, we support them actively at every step of their journey so they can use it safely, securely and sustainably."

Amano said, "There is widespread recognition that the world can never be complacent about nuclear safety and that a robust safety culture must be maintained everywhere." He described the IAEA as "the global platform for strengthening nuclear security".

The IAEA has been celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Amano noted, "From the 26 countries which had ratified the IAEA Statute when it entered into force in July 1957, we have grown to an organization with 168 member states that spans the globe."

The IAEA implements safeguards in 181 states, 174 of which have Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements in force. "The number of countries with additional protocols in force has risen to 129 today from 93 in 2009," Amano noted.

"Our mission is Atoms for Peace and Development and our membership continues to grow," he told the UN General Assembly. "The agency has helped to improve the health and prosperity of millions of people by making nuclear science and technology available in health care, energy, food and agriculture, industry and other areas."

He said the past 60 years have demonstrated that nuclear science and technology play a significant role in supporting sustainable development. "Today, the agency is active in helping countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, including those concerning poverty and hunger, human health, energy, climate change and the protection of the oceans," Amano said.

On 1 January, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit - officially came into force. Over the next 15 years, with these new goals that universally apply to all, countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.

"Improving access to effective cancer treatment in developing countries remains a high priority for the IAEA," Amano said. "Through activities such as our Program of Action for Cancer Therapy, we help countries to devise comprehensive cancer control programs. Real progress has been made in the availability of cancer treatment in recent years in Africa, in particular. New specialist cancer centres have been established. Radiation oncologists and medical physicists are returning home after receiving intensive training abroad with the support of the agency. But the needs remain great and the agency will maintain its focus on cancer control."

Amano highlighted the IAEA's rapid response to recent crises such as the Ebola and Zika viruses. This, he said, demonstrates the agency's ability to successfully manage large-scale projects.

"Since 1958, more than 48,000 scientists and engineers have held fellowships and scientific visitor positions through the IAEA technical cooperation program, both at the agency's laboratories, and in the facilities of our partners around the world", Amano noted. "Many of these scientists and engineers went on to play a key role in building capacity in nuclear science in their countries."

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
Interactive food tables, smart shelves and real time data visualisations are all taking part in the newly-completed Supermarket Coop Italia, Italys largest supermarket chain. Designed by Carlo Ratti Associati, the new Supermarket was first presented in a prototypical version at Milans World Expo 2015, in the framework of Coop Italias Future Food District pavilion.

The futuristic Supermarket now opens to the public this week in Milan, Italy to experience interactive ways of food consumption. Carlo Ratti's Supermarket provide shoppers with facts about the origins and characteristics of particular foodstuffs.





The Supermarket of the Future, a large grocery store featuring pioneering digital solutions developed by Carlo Ratti Associati, opens this week in Milan, Italy. The new store was built by Coop Italia, Italy's largest supermarket chain. It incorporates facilities such as interactive food tables, smart shelves and real time data visualizations, which will inform shoppers about the origins and characteristics of particular foodstuffs, promoting more informed consumption habits.

The flagship store extends over a surface of 1,000 square meters (10,800 square feet) and employs new technologies, changing your daily habits in the shopping and food consumption-more rational, directive and cognitive analytic data are reflected onto screens to inform other sub-parameters of the product.

At the Supermarket of the Future, more than 6,000 products are displayed on large interactive tables. As a shopper puts her hand close to a product, extra information about the food appears on a suspended digital mirror above as in seamless augmented reality, without any extra cumbersome device or interface.

Through these 'augmented labels', each product can communicate its nutritional properties, its origin, the presence of allergens, waste disposal instructions, correlated products and promotions and other data. This experience is made possible by Microsoft Kinect sensors that use body detection to interpret the customers gestures.

''Every product has a precise story to tell,'' says Carlo Ratti, founding partner of Carlo Ratti Associati and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

''Today, this information reaches the consumer in a fragmented way. But in the near future, we will be able to discover everything there is to know about the apple we are looking at: the tree it grew on, the CO2 it produced, the chemical treatments it received, and its journey to the supermarket shelf.''

The Supermarket of the Future represents a further step in Carlo Ratti Associatis exploration of how data can promote more informed  and hopefully more sustainable  consumption patterns. Shoppers interacting with a fully transparent supply chain can come to a better awareness of natural resources' limits and availability.

This, in turn, can potentially encourage a stronger use of fresh, local products, and even new social links among people. In the future, we may think about leveraging the sharing economy and peer-to-peer dynamics to create a free exchange area where everyone can be both a producer and a consumer  almost an Airbnb of home-made products.

''We were inspired by a scene from Italo Calvino's Palomar novel. In that scene, the protagonist Mr. Palomar enters a fromagerie in Paris - and suddenly thinks hes in a museum'', adds Ratti.

''Behind every cheese there is a pasture of a different green under a different sky. Mr. Palomar feels as he does in the Louvre, seeing behind every object the presence of the civilization that has given it form. We believe that tomorrows markets will make us feel a bit like Mr. Palomar. Every product will have a story to tell.''

Inside the Supermarket of the Future, the storytelling element is further reinforced by a 20-meter long live data visualization wall, composed of 54 monitors, where customers can view information about store merchandise, including special offerings, cooking suggestions, social media posts, and daily top selling products.

''Testing interactive storytelling at the World Expo 2015 was a great success and helped us rethink the supermarket as a new gathering place, where shoppers can discover more sustainable consumption habits, adds Andrea Galanti, project manager at Carlo Ratti Associati: ''The new Supermarket of the Future in Milan brings the same experience to any shopper. It also illustrates how Expos represent a unique chance to develop bold and innovative ideas  which can then migrate into the real world.''

''Since Expo 2015, weve been working with Carlo Ratti Associati on new ways of utilizing transparency and innovation to attract customers'', says Marco Pedroni, President of Coop Italia: ''The next step comes with the opening of this new supermarket in Milan, where we hope to turn an exceptional installation into an essential part of an everyday trip to the supermarket.''

''This is the 56th store opened by Coop Lombardia in the Lombardy region, and at the same time it is a fresh challenge we are taking after the success achieved at Expo 2015'', says Daniele Ferre, President of Coop Lombardia.

''We are bringing a prototype conceived in an exceptional context into a supermarket which will need to satisfy daily needs. Also, the Milanese neighborhood of Bicocca, which hosts functions both for work and leisure, represents the best location in which to showcase the evolution of the shopping experience. We proudly claim the uniqueness of this new store.''

The Supermarket of the Future uses technologies developed and patented by Carlo Ratti Associati. It has been built by Coops Inres with the collaboration of Accenture for IT and of Studio FM Milano for visual identity. The new store will be open to the public in Milan, within the larger Bicocca Village retail complex.

All images courtesy of Carlo Ratti Associati

> via Carlo Ratti Associati
CAMARILLO, CA, December 14, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- As Ventura County enters its sixth year of drought, the 20th annual meeting of the Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County (EDC-VC) will explore the theme "Drowning in Drought: Sustainable Water Solutions." Featured will be keynote speakers Susan Mulligan, general manager, Calleguas Municipal Water District, and Mauricio E. Guardado, Jr., general manager, United Water Conservation District.



"All communities are feeling the impact of declining water supplies. We've brought in the experts who will explore innovative ways to address the long-term need," said Bruce Stenslie, EDC-VC president and CEO.



In addition to the speakers, attendees will enjoy a celebration to mark EDC-VC's 20th anniversary and a video noting its accomplishments and positive economic impact on the region. The event is Jan. 19 from 3-7 p.m. at Spanish Hills Country Club, 999 Crestview Ave., Camarillo.



"Susan and Mauricio both have extensive hands-on experience and insight regarding the region's water woes and opportunities. We're excited to hear their knowledge and perspective on some of the newest proposals for managing the region's water demands, such as the creation of water markets and the proposed 30-mile twin tunnels project," said Stenslie.



The speakers will address innovative uses for recycled wastewater, desalination of groundwater and seawater, stormwater capture and conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water to improve supply reliability.



A native of Southern California, Mulligan earned her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and her master's degree in business administration from UCLA. Mulligan joined Calleguas Municipal Water District in 1993 as manager of engineering, with responsibility for design and construction of capital projects. In 2010 she took on the position of general manager with the goal of providing water reliability in an economically responsible manner. She is a registered civil engineer and a certified Grade 5 water treatment plant operator in the State of California.



Guardado joined United Water Conservation District as general manager in August 2015. Prior to joining United, Guardado served nine years as retail manager/CEO for the Santa Clarita Water Division of Castaic Lake Water Agency, seven years as director of engineering for Cucamonga Valley Water District, and four years as project engineer with San Gabriel Valley Water Company. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from California State University, Northridge and a master's degree from University of Southern California's Executive Master of Leadership Program. He is a registered civil engineer in the State of California.



EDC-VC's annual meeting has a long history of bringing together business leaders from throughout the region who attend to learn about vitally important topics to our region's economy. Cost is $75, dinner is included. For reservations or information, call 805-384-1800, ext. 21 or visit http://www.edc-vc.com.



EDC-VC is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as a business-to-government liaison to assist businesses in Ventura County by offering programs that enhance the economic vitality of the region. For more information about the services available to small businesses through EDC-VC, contact Stenslie at 805-384-1800, ext. 21 or [email protected] Or visit http://www.edc-vc.com.



# # #
In contrast, the no-nonsense approach Ventana Research has adopted, one of making business insights easily accessible, has helped buyers get the information they need

BEND, OR, December 14, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ventana Research, the most authoritative and respected benchmark business technology research and advisory services firm, today announced the introduction of its redesigned digital community: www.ventanaresearch.com. This cutting-edge online resource provides otherwise unavailable educational content and industry insights for business users as well as premium content for enrolled members of the Ventana research community. The design of this new community provides radically simplified ease-of-use, making even more readily accessible the firm's expertise and research-based insights.



Ventana research undertook this re-engineering of its online presence to improve knowledge availability in an industry that continues to be plagued by digital ineffectiveness and a chronic lack of focus on the needs of the business technology buyer. The company has drawn on more than a decade of knowledge, hands-on assessment and benchmark research on the digital technologies to enable it to leapfrog other industry analyst firms.



In its 14 years of providing research and advisory services, Ventana Research has helped business executives and managers by providing education on best practices and the benefits of making informed choices about technologies. Now, the improved access provided at its expertise and topic-driven digital education site moves Ventana Research to a unique position that sharply distinguishes it from other industry analyst firms that focus narrowly on business IT issues. Offering insights drawn from its benchmark research and expertise, the company has become an unparalleled source for advice and guidance, helping buyers to determine the technology vendors that are the best fit for an organization.



"Businesses today need digital effectiveness to successfully engage with their customers," said Mark Smith, CEO and chief research officer of Ventana Research. "Most industry analyst firm websites fail to provide a modern experience for those accessing information. In other words, they fail to apply their own recommendations on the importance of digital transformation and technologies. In contrast, the no-nonsense approach Ventana Research has adopted, one of making business insights easily accessible, has helped buyers get the information they need, eliminating the unnecessary categorization that other analyst firms have imposed on business processes resulting in far more confusion than enlightenments."



Ventana Research also has relocated its corporate headquarters to Bend, a growing city in Central Oregon. Bend is known for outdoor adventure and the opportunity it provides to combine a healthy, engaging lifestyle with involvement in the rapidly growing business and technology community. Ventana Research is located at BendTech, which has become the focal point for technology and entrepreneurial activity, connecting business technology professionals in Central Oregon.



Bend is ranked as the seventh-fastest growing city in Oregon according to the US Census Bureau and has seen a rapid migration of technology executives from Silicon Valley. The opening of Oregon State University Cascades also furthers the process of building the youth of the community into potential business opportunities. Bend and its local Roberts Field airport is connected with direct flights to western United States destinations including San Francisco and Silicon Valley.



Bend has also rapidly become one of the most sought-after outdoor adventure locations with access to the fifth largest ski area in the United States. It also has 22 breweries which gives it the highest micro-brewery-per capita ratio in the nation. Bend provides a great work-life balance opportunity for the working-community.



Smith added, "We are excited to now be an Oregon Corporation with headquarters in Bend where we can continue our tradition of bringing the most trusted and reliable technology insights to the industry. Our recent investment in Bend brought new jobs to the community in 2016 and established our foundation for growth while expanding its reach through our new digital community to help organizations across the world effectively assess and select technology vendors and products."



Now in its 15th year of operation, Ventana Research has established its reputation as an independent authority on technology for business and IT. To learn more about Ventana Research, please visit: www.ventanaresearch.com.



About Ventana Research

Ventana Research is the most authoritative and respected benchmark business technology research and advisory services firm. We provide insight and expert guidance on mainstream and disruptive technologies through a unique set of research-based offerings including benchmark research and technology evaluation assessments, education workshops and our research and advisory services, Ventana On-Demand. Our unparalleled understanding of the role of technology in optimizing business processes and performance and our best practices guidance are rooted in our rigorous research-based benchmarking of people, processes, information and technology across business and IT functions in every industry. This benchmark research plus our market coverage and in-depth knowledge of hundreds of technology providers means we can deliver education and expertise to our clients to increase the value they derive from technology investments while reducing time, cost and risk.



Ventana Research provides the most comprehensive analyst and research coverage in the industry; business and IT professionals worldwide are members of our community and benefit from Ventana Research's insights, as do highly regarded media and association partners around the globe. Our views and analyses are distributed daily through blogs and social media channels including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. To learn how Ventana Research advances the maturity of organizations' use of information and technology through benchmark research, education and advisory services, visit www.ventanaresearch.com.



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Dec 14, 2016 | By Benedict

GE, the multinational digital industrial company, has executed on its agreement to acquire a 75% stake in German 3D printing company Concept Laser, and will take full ownership over the next few years. GE has also purchased 76.15% of Swedish additive manufacturing company Arcam AB.

Back in September, industrial giant General Electric (GE) generated shockwaves in the additive manufacturing world when it announced plans to acquire 3D printing companies Arcam AB and SLM. The deal for SLM, a German Selective Laser Melting (SLM) specialist, fell through after activist investor Elliot Management intervened, but GE pushed ahead with the Arcam deal while simultaneously orchestrating a $599 million takeover of Concept Laser, another German additive manufacturing company.

GE announced on Monday that it has now executed on its agreement to acquire a 75% stake in Concept Laser, allowing it to take full ownership of the German additive manufacturing specialist over the next several years. GE has also concluded its tender offer for the shares of Arcam, purchasing 76.15% of the Swedish 3D printing company. Now, with controlling shares of two important producers of additive manufacturing systems under its belt, GE has pledged to invest significant funds into the advancement of 3D printing technology, improving the portfolios of both companies.

GE has made significant long-term commitments to both Arcam and Concept Laser to enhance their complementary technologies, said Mohammad Ehteshami, vice president for Additive Integration at GE Additive. Both companies are important players in the growing additive manufacturing movement, and are foundational to GEs journey into this revolutionary manufacturing space.

Concept Laser, headquartered in Lichtenfels, Germany, operates in the US, China, and elsewhere, and has a global network of more than 35 distributors and agents promoting its powder bed laser AM systems. The company, which has over 200 employees, is seen as a pioneer in the metal additive manufacturing sphere, having made strides in the area of additive manufacturing smart factoriesseen by many as one the most important future applications of 3D printing technology. The company has customers in the aerospace, automotive, jewelry, medical, and dental industries.

Arcam AB, based in Molndal, Sweden, invented the electron beam melting machine for metal additive manufacturing, and also produces advanced metal powders (including Titanium, Titanium alloys, and Cobalt-Chrome) for 3D printing. Arcam has around 285 employees, and operates metal powders operation AP&C in Canada, as well as DiSanto Technology, a medical additive manufacturing firm based in Connecticut. Arcam also has sales and application sites worldwide, serving customers in the aerospace and healthcare industries.

The twin takeovers of Arcam and Concept Laser demonstrate that GE means business in the 3D printing world. The multinational company has invested approximately $1.5 billion in manufacturing and additive technologies at GEs Global Research Center (GRC), and has developed additive applications across six GE businesses. It has also created new services applications across the company, and earned 346 patents in additive manufacturing powder metals.

Posted in 3D Printer Company

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Dec 14, 2016 | By Julia

Australian fashion brand Alquema has collaborated with Sydney-based design studio Loopcollective to manufacture and install a custom-made steel clothing rack in their new flagship store. Created using 3D modelling software and 3D printers, the breathtaking radial steel rack constitutes the main design feature of the Aussie brands new 75 sqm space in the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney.

Upon moving into their new location, Alquema turned to design studio Loopcollective for a unique retail environment that would reflect Founding Director Virginia Rouses love of minimal, elegant gallery-style spaces and Japanese design. Following his design studios philosophy of seeking out new materials and technologies, Loopcollective director Rod Faucheux conceptualized a sculptural steel rack which, initially, seemed like a structural impossibility.

We had no fewer than five builders tell us that what we had designed could not be built, Faucheux said. [This] only encouraged us to push forward and find someone that could help us realise our unusual new design.

Local company 3D Printing Studios proved to be up to the challenge. Beginning with the Autodesk 3DS Max program, Loopcollective created a design model and high quality 3D renders. Once approved by Alquema, the Loopcollective team sent the model to additive manufacturers 3D Printing Studios, who then printed out a nylon 3D model. According to Faucheux, this model was key in allowing the builder and client to understand his teams vision.

Once provided with the 3DS Max model, Loopcreative was able to break the unique shape into 15 smaller elements, which could then be optimized for the subcontractors pipe bending machine. SG Shopfitting created a full size prototype on the factory floor, at which point production could begin, following minor adjustments.

the 3DS Max render

the prototype being assembled on the factory floor

After production was finally complete, the frame was delivered to the Queen Victoria Building in 4 pieces, where it was welded in-situ and secured to the floor using concealed base plates.

Both Alquema and Loopcreative are proud of the results. According to Faucheux, the end product is exactly how we had envisioned it in those early design stages. The Loopcreative director even had the builders construct a miniature, polished steel version as a memento.

the stainless steel desktop version in the Loopcreative studio

Though the Australian design studio has worked with 3D visualization frequently in the past, the astonishing clothing rack represents one of Loopcollectives most daring ventures in the world of retail. For the fashion industry, the piece could be considered yet another step towards uniting functionality and design through 3D printing.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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I.AM.Magic wrote at 12/15/2016 8:04:23 AM:Is it me or the title is miss leading? 3D printing was used to make a plastic model because the builders couldn't understand the client's needs... final structure not 3D printed.




Dec 14, 2016 | By Tess

Akron, Ohio, one of the U.S.s main manufacturing centers, is due to receive its first large-scale 3D printer later this month. Additive Engineering Solutions, an Akron-based company has announced it will be installing one of Cincinnati, Inc.s Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) large-scale 3D printers and will have it operational by early 2017.

BAAM, one of the largest additive manufacturing system in the world, is best known for having 3D printed a functioning, fully drivable car at a trade show a few years ago. With a massive build volume of 12 x 5.5 x 6 feet, the BAAM 3D printer is also one of the fastest industrial printers with a deposit speed of 100 lbs of material per hour.

Additive Engineering Solutions large-scale industrial 3D printer will mark the 11th BAAM 3D printer sold by Cincinatti, Inc. The other 3D printer models are operating primarily within universities, labs, or large companies. AES will be the first service bureau to use the BAAM 3D printer. This means that not only will AES use the 3D printer for its own solutions, but will offer its large-scale 3D printing services on a contract basis, especially to companies in Ohios Northeast.

Interestingly, the Akron-based solutions company, which was founded in August 2016 by Austin Schmidt and Andrew Bader, never intended to purchase a 3D printer and was only convinced to do so because of remarkable advantages offered by the BAAM system. Schmidt and Bader were shown the technology on a company visit to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where BAAM was developed.

The BAAM 3D printer, along with other startup costs and supporting equipment, is reportedly costing the company about $1.5 million. With their relatively exclusive manufacturing equipment, however, the company is confident it will be able to offer its clients superior manufacturing solutions and a broader range of services, especially for tooling and molding. According to Andrew Bader, co-founder of Additive Engineering Solutions, the company already has prospective clients, though he declined to specify who they were.

According to the company, it expects to use its new BAAM 3D printing system primarily for manufacturing large-scale molds and tooling parts. Though not limited by any one industry, AES does believe its 3D printing services will primarily be tapped by companies within the aerospace, auto, and marine industries, to name a few. As mentioned, the company is set to receive its BAAM 3D printer by the end of December, and plans to have it up and running by early 2017.

Posted in 3D Printing Service

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Adnan wrote at 1/5/2018 11:57:44 PM:What if some one have no more money and he loves your printer can buy on monthly installment??? dani143adnan@gmail.com I love it it's so awesome and amazing




Lawrence M. Kraus in The New Yorker:

Last week, the Space, Science, and Technology subcommittee of the House of Representatives tweeted a misleading story from Breitbart News: Global Temperatures Plunge. Icy Silence from Climate Alarmists. (There is always some drop in temperature when El Nino transitions into La Ninabut there has been no anomalous plunge.) Under normal circumstances, this tweet wouldnt be so surprising: Lamar Smith, the chair of the committee since 2013, is a well-known climate-change denier. But these are not normal times. The tweet is best interpreted as something new: a warning shot. Its a sign of things to comea declaration of the Trump Administrations intent to sideline science.

In a 1946 essay, George Orwell wrote that to see what is in front of ones nose needs a constant struggle. Its not just that were easily misled. Its that, by impudently twisting the facts, we can convince ourselves of things which we know to be untrue. A whole society, he wrote, can deceive itself for an indefinite time, and the only check on that mass delusion is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality. Science is one source of that solid reality. The Trump Administration seems determined to keep it at bay, and the consequences for society and the environment will be profound.

The first sign of Trumps intention to spread lies about empirical reality, 1984-style, was, of course, the appointment of Steve Bannon, the former executive chairman of the Breitbart News Network, as Trumps senior counselor and strategist. This year, Breitbart hosted stories with titles such as 1001 Reasons Why Global Warming Is So Totally Over in 2016, despite the fact that 2016 is now overwhelmingly on track to be the hottest year on record, beating 2015, which beat 2014, which beat 2013. Such stories do more than spread disinformation. Their purpose is the creation of an alternative realityone in which scientific evidence is a shamso that hyperbole and fearmongering can divide and conquer the public.

More here.
Ta-Nehisi Coates in The Atlantic:

In the waning days of President Barack Obamas administration, he and his wife, Michelle, hosted a farewell party, the full import of which no one could then grasp. It was late October, Friday the 21st, and the president had spent many of the previous weeks, as he would spend the two subsequent weeks, campaigning for the Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton. Things were looking up. Polls in the crucial states of Virginia and Pennsylvania showed Clinton with solid advantages. The formidable GOP strongholds of Georgia and Texas were said to be under threat. The moment seemed to buoy Obama. He had been light on his feet in these last few weeks, cracking jokes at the expense of Republican opponents and laughing off hecklers. At a rally in Orlando on October 28, he greeted a student who would be introducing him by dancing toward her and then noting that the song playing over the loudspeakersthe Gap Bands Outstandingwas older than she was. This is classic! he said. Then he flashed the smile that had launched Americas first black presidency, and started dancing again. Three months still remained before Inauguration Day, but staffers had already begun to count down the days. They did this with a mix of pride and longinglike college seniors in early May. They had no sense of the world they were graduating into. None of us did.

More here.
Gideon Lewis-Kraus in the NYT Magazine:

Late one Friday night in early November, Jun Rekimoto, a distinguished professor of human-computer interaction at the University of Tokyo, was online preparing for a lecture when he began to notice some peculiar posts rolling in on social media. Apparently Google Translate, the companys popular machine-translation service, had suddenly and almost immeasurably improved. Rekimoto visited Translate himself and began to experiment with it. He was astonished. He had to go to sleep, but Translate refused to relax its grip on his imagination.

Rekimoto wrote up his initial findings in a blog post. First, he compared a few sentences from two published versions of The Great Gatsby, Takashi Nozakis 1957 translation and Haruki Murakamis more recent iteration, with what this new Google Translate was able to produce. Murakamis translation is written in very polished Japanese, Rekimoto explained to me later via email, but the prose is distinctively Murakami-style. By contrast, Googles translation  despite some small unnaturalness  reads to him as more transparent.

The second half of Rekimotos post examined the service in the other direction, from Japanese to English. He dashed off his own Japanese interpretation of the opening to Hemingways The Snows of Kilimanjaro, then ran that passage back through Google into English. He published this version alongside Hemingways original, and proceeded to invite his readers to guess which was the work of a machine.

NO. 1:

Kilimanjaro is a snow-covered mountain 19,710 feet high, and is said to be the highest mountain in Africa. Its western summit is called the Masai Ngaje Ngai, the House of God. Close to the western summit there is the dried and frozen carcass of a leopard. No one has explained what the leopard was seeking at that altitude.

NO. 2:

Kilimanjaro is a mountain of 19,710 feet covered with snow and is said to be the highest mountain in Africa. The summit of the west is called Ngaje Ngai in Masai, the house of God. Near the top of the west there is a dry and frozen dead body of leopard. No one has ever explained what leopard wanted at that altitude.

Even to a native English speaker, the missing article on the leopard is the only real giveaway that No. 2 was the output of an automaton.

More here.
On Wednesday, December 14th, all eyes will be on Trump Tower in New York as Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Larry Page, Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg, Oracle's co-CEO Safra Zatz, Tesla's Elon Musk, and other Silicon Valley execs meet with President-elect Donald Trump.





According to the New York Times, the United States' biggest tech companies will meet with Trump to discuss American jobs. Among all the companies invited, only a couple refused to participate; Twitter was noticeably excluded from the meeting.





Many of those companies in attendance openly criticized Trump during the presidential race, but not all of Silicon Valley has come out against Trump. After the election, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty wrote a letter to the President-Elect offering the services of her company and suggesting a potential business partnership with the White Housea bold offer that many worry threatens digital privacy and security. Just consider Trump's campaign promise to force Muslim-Americans to register on a database, and how much easier that might be with help from the biggest tech companies in the world.





In an effort to stop Google, Facebook and other companies from becoming allies to the new government, SumOfUs, an international watchdog corporation with more than 6 million members worldwide, is demanding that Silicon Valley tech companies pledge noncompliance with the Trump administration. The petition hopes to fight against Trump's plan to create a Muslim registry in the United States, and deport nearly 3 million undocumented people.





"Trump is not a normal president-elect and this this is not a business as usual moment," said Nicole Carty, campaign manager for SumOfUs, in a press release. "Trump's agenda is a threat to our communities and our democracy, which is why Silicon Valley needs to pick a side. In just a few weeks, President-elect Trump will have near-total control over the White House and Congress and begin to enact his community-destroying, public-healthcare-slashing, hyper-surveillance, corporation-deregulating agenda. Big data demands bigger responsibility and Silicon Valley has an ethical duty to protect vulnerable users from surveillance and discrimination. Tech leaders must speak out against Trump's plan and pledge to not help execute this dangerous agenda in any way."





SumOfUs has already proven their influence over large tech companies. A previous campaign garnered 150,000 signatures against Facebook's compliance with police censorship. Facebook responded and is already changing its policies. Now they are ready for a new battle and are asking the tech community to sign a new petition that demands Silicon Valley corporations refuse to collaborate with the Trump White House. As of Wednesday morning, the petition is only 144 signatures away from its goal of 20,000but we'll just have to wait and see what news comes out of Trump tower this afternoon.
Your guide to the tastiest foodie happenings going down this week.





Tony's Slice House Opens in Haight

Pizza demigod Tony Gemignani is expanding his pizza empire with the opening of Slice House Haight Ashbury. In addition to his usual range of slices, the 12-time world pizza champion pays tribute to the neighborhood with specials such as The Doors-inspired Love Me Two Times with pesto, mozzarella, double garlic, and sun dried tomato and The Purple Haze with purple potatoes, pancetta, rosemary and other herbs. // Open daily, 1535 Haight St. (Upper Haight), slicehousehaight.com









Una Pizza Napoletana Now Open for Lunch

In other pizza news, Anthony Mangieri's authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas are now available at lunch time. Since the restaurant's opening in 2010, Una Pizza has only been open four nights a week and for dinner only. So if you've yet to experience Mangieri's craftsmanship, now is the time. He makes all the dough himself and fires each and every single pizza by himself. It's a thing to behold! // Open for lunch Wednesday-Friday, 11:30am-2:30pm, 210 11th St (SoMa), unapizza.com





Rintaro Starts Lunch Service



In other notable lunch news, Japanese izakaya Rintaro is also open for the midday meal. Guests order teishoku-stylea pre-set meal thaty includes a main dish, miso soup, a bowl of rice and other seasonal bites. Dishes include Japanese curry with hand rolled udon and Santa Barbara spot prawn tempura, a side of Napa cabbage, and dashi simmered kabocha squash; or opt for the millefeuille miso katsu pork with rice, miso soup, and komatsuna (a Japanese leafy green). // Open for lunch Thursday-Saturday, 11:30am-1:30pm, 82 14th St (Mission), izakayarintaro.com









Junju Pop-up at Nightbird

Chef Robin Song (Central Kitchen, Hog & Rocks) is doing a pop-up at the recently opened Nightbird in Hayes Valley to promote his upcoming restaurant Junju. Expect an impressive menu, merging Korean flavors with local ingredients, for the two night pop-up. The nine-course menu contains caviar, dumplings, crab with fermented Korean chili, Wagyu Shortib with sesame oil and herbs, and more tasty bites. There'll also be an optional natural wine pairing. // $95, December 18 +19, 330 Gough St (Hayes Valley), Get tickets here.









Frances & Octavia's Holiday Market

Chef Melissa Perello of Octavia and Frances is holding her first ever holiday market. There'll be snacks and beverages from both Perello and pastry chef Sarah Bonar while you peruse through pottery from Sarah Kersten, floral arrangements from The Petaler, pieces from local artists and more. A portion of the proceeds from the market will be donated to the San Francisco Food Bank, so you can shop in good conscience. // December 19, 1pm-5pm, 3870 17th St (Castro), facebook.com/events









El Techo Fundraiser for La Cocina



Join El Techo on the shortest day of the year for a winter solstice party on their covered and heated(!) roof. Bar manager Alvaro Rojas will be serving a special $5 cocktail menu, including a hot black tea-infused mescal drink with all-spice, lemon, and molasses. All proceeds from the cocktails will be donated to nearby Mission neighbors La Cocina. // December 21, 4pm-10:30pm, 2516 Mission St. (Mission), eltechosf.com





Gather Celebrates Seven

Gather in Berkeley is celebrating its seven year anniversary with a seven-day bash of food and drink specials. Glasses of bubbly and the entire cocktail menu will be only $7 each including concoctions such as the Northern Exposure with scotch, Earl Grey-maple syrup, lemon, egg white and bitters. Plus, look for special dishes highlighting the restaurant's favorite purveyors such as sea urchin risotto with Matsutake mushrooms, sea palm and Buddha's hand ($17) and Yuba Pappardelle with okara mushroom bolognese and whipped tofu ($24). Yum! // Open daily, 2200 Oxford St (Berkeley), gathersf.com
So after graduating from college, she became a waitress while writing in her free time. "All I ever wanted to do was write," she says. The schedule also worked well while she raised her son. "It enabled me to spend all day with him when he was little and then work at night."

But more than 20 years of waiting tables took a toll on the San Diego resident. "Carrying heavy trays, remembering complicated orders  you're basically running the whole time if it's busy," she says. "I probably have lifelong back issues from carrying trays." She published a memoir called Waiting in 2000. The success of that book  which sold copies in the six figures  led to deals for six more books. Along with earnings from related editing and writing gigs, that allowed her to quit waitressing  for about a dozen years.

But last year, her editing and writing work ebbed. So she returned to a restaurant job. "But it tired me out more than I remembered," she says. "Everything hurt." She was also turned off by the "toxic" restaurant culture. "The staff was awful. I was horrified," she says.

So Ginsberg has returned to writing and editing, with a focus on helping budding writers develop their manuscripts. Still, being self-employed is hard, she says, since you're constantly on the hunt for new clients. "I have periods of both feast and famine."

Key lesson: Pursuing a big dream, like writing for a living, can seem impossible, but hard work can eventually pay off. "Part of it is luck, part of it is persistence," Ginsberg says. To keep herself motivated, before bed she tries to focus on something she's looking forward to the next day.

Take New Expertise to The Bank

Alex Ruangeawat-Loring used to spend his days lifting and mixing 80-pound cans of paint in a Seattle hardware store. As he got older, he started feeling the physical strain of the work. He also grew increasingly frustrated that he wasn't using his accounting background.

"I used to work with paperwork in customer service," he says, but he fell into the job at the hardware store after a friend recommended him when he needed work. He finally decided he had enough of mixing paint. After asking around for leads, he attended a job fair, where he discovered BankWork$, a free training program that started in Los Angeles 10 years ago. It teaches people how to be bank tellers and customer-service reps, and helps participants polish their resumes and find jobs.
How to watch, what to know about South Dakota State at Northern Iowa

SDSU


Successful Completion of $15m Capital Raise

Brisbane, Dec 14, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Stanmore Coal Limited ( ASX:SMR ) is pleased to announce that it has completed a $15 million equity raising to replenish the Company's working capital available for pre-strip and inventory stockpile build. This will improve the efficiency of operations and also provide an important buffer to finished inventory ensuring product availability for sales.



HIGHLIGHTS



- Placement of 27.3m shares to raise $15 million



- Funds will be used to accelerate pre-strip and build inventory stockpiles

Equity raising details



The Offer Price of $0.55 per share represents a discount of approximately:



- 12% to the last closing price of Stanmore shares on the ASX on 12 December 2016 of $0.625; and



- 15% to the 5 day volume weighted average price.



Petra Capital Pty Ltd acted as bookrunner and Lead Manager, with Morgans Financial Limited acting as broker to the offer. The Placement was well supported with a number of leading institutional funds joining the share register.



Mr Neville Sneddon, Chairman of Stanmore commented that "This capital raising is an important step for the Company to invest in pre-stripping activities and coal stockpiles in order to de-risk the business. With the working capital available from this raising together with the undrawn US$6M Taurus working capital facility, the Company, in the event of wet weather, will have sufficient funding available to cater for production outages of several weeks duration. The Company has been in discussion with its contractor in relation to a revised mine plan that alters the short term plan whilst materially maintaining the contract term production objectives. The Company maintains FY17 production guidance of 1.25 Mt.



As a result of the capital raising the Company welcomes several new institutional investors to the share register. We look forward to continuing to drive growth for all shareholders of the Company through both internal and external opportunities."



To view the Capital Raise Presentation, please visit:

http://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/395L2DWS



About Stanmore Coal Limited





Stanmore Coal (ASX:SMR) is an operating coal mining company with a number of additional prospective coal projects and mining assets within Queensland's Bowen and Surat Basins. Stanmore Coal owns 100% of the Isaac Plains Coal Mine and the adjoining Isaac Plains East Project and is focused on the creation of shareholder value via the efficient operation of Isaac Plains and identification of further local development opportunities. Stanmore continues to progress its prospective high quality thermal coal assets in the Northern Surat Basin which will prove to be valuable as the demand for high quality, low impurity thermal coal grows at a global level. Stanmores focus is on the prime coal bearing regions of the east coast of Australia.
Organizations seeking funding have much to think about, and the long-term accounting considerations related to the debt and equity instruments they issue are not likely at the top of that list.

However, as many common terms and provisions give rise to unknown or unexpected accounting consequences, a basic understanding of these provisions can set the stage for the practical requirements going forward.

Complicating matters, an additional set of rules must be followed by SEC registrants in public filings. Accordingly, companies that are anticipating an IPO may be wise to apply these rules at the onset to prevent the need for retrospective application to historical periods during the already hectic IPO preparation process.

What follows is an overview of some of the most common features found in debt and equity instruments. The considerations here apply to companies following both U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards, although each set of rules has its own particulars.

Convertible Debt

Convertible debt provides the investor with the ability to convert the debt into common stock or other equity securities of the company, either immediately or upon the occurrence of a certain event (such as the next round of financing, an IPO or a change of control). Convertible debt is an example of a hybrid instrument, a term used to describe a host instrument, in this case debt, that includes an embedded feature, such as the right to convert to equity.

Embedded features are analyzed to determine whether they must be bifurcated from the host instrument and accounted for separately, beginning on the issuance date of the debt. Whether a conversion option must be bifurcated depends on a number of factors, including how the conversion is calculated and whether the shares underlying the conversion feature are publicly traded. Bifurcated features generally are recorded at fair value both at the issuance date and at each reporting date, with changes in fair value recorded in earnings.

Redeemable Debt

Debt instruments often provide the investor with the ability to demand repayment of the debt prior to maturity. These provisions are typically triggered by the occurrence of an event, such as a default, a merger or acquisition of the company, or the closing of an equity financing. This right to demand repayment is a put option that is embedded in the debt instrument. Like convertible debt, this feature must be analyzed to determine whether separate accounting is required at the date the debt is issued.

Of particular importance here is the mechanics of the redemption provision. Terms that provide the investor with a premium on settlement are problematic and often require bifurcation and separate accounting. For example, upon the occurrence of a certain event, the company may be obligated to repay the principal on the debt and a 15 percent penalty fee.

Provided other conditions are met, the company would record this obligation separately from the debt at fair value. On a go forward basis, the company would be required to update the fair value of this obligation, taking the change in value to earnings in each period. Further, the initial value of this feature would be recorded as a discount to the debt and amortized as interest expense during the term of the debt.

Preferred Stock: Balance Sheet Classification

Preferred stock is legal form equity that combines rights and privileges typically found in debt and equity instruments. Unlike common stock that is nearly always recorded in the stockholders equity section of the balance sheet, preferred stock may be recorded as a liability or, for public companies, presented in between liabilities and equity as temporary equity. The balance sheet classification is critical, as it drives the subsequent accounting for the shares, such as if and when dividends and accretion must be recorded, whether fair value based adjustments are required, and how the shares are captured in the earnings-per-share calculation.

An additional set of rules must be followed by SEC registrants in public filings, including Form S-1, the SEC filing used by companies planning on going public to register their securities. Companies that anticipate going public often apply the SEC requirements early to prevent the need to retrospectively apply the rules to historical periods during the already hectic IPO preparation process.

Preferred Stock: Conversion, Redemption and Other Rights

The terms of preferred stock are closely negotiated to provide investors with rights and protections. Any terms that may affect the amount or timing of cash flows or the value exchanged is an embedded derivative that may require bifurcation and separate accounting from the preferred shares. Similar to convertible and redeemable debt, preferred stock often provides the investor with the ability to convert the shares to common stock and/or the ability to redeem the shares for a cash payment.

These features must be analyzed to determine whether separate accounting is required. A critical step in this process is assessing whether the preferred stock is more debt-like or equity-like. This is a subjective assessment, based on a weighting of the debt-like terms (cumulative fixed-rate dividends, fixed-rate redemption option, covenants similar to debt agreements) and equity-like terms (participating dividends and voting rights). If the preferred stock is deemed to be equity-like, then equity-like embedded derivatives, such as most conversion options, would not require separate accounting. However, the same conversion feature in preferred shares that are more debt-like would likely be separated and recorded at fair value.

Other common issues related to preferred stock include an obligation to issues shares in multiple tranches, right of first refusal provisions, and beneficial conversion features.

The rules governing the accounting for these debt and equity instruments are highly complex, with interpretive guidance filling many hundreds of pages. While arcane, the accounting literature aims to look through the form of an instrument and account for the economic substance of the rights provided to investors. Controllers and CFOs may not require an expertise in the technical accounting for these instruments, but a general understanding of the topic will assure that the appropriate team, comprising legal counsel, valuation specialists, external auditors and technical accounting advisors, is assembled at the right time.

Joshua Verni is a New York CPA and a managing director with CFGI, assisting clients with the accounting for complex debt and equity instruments and other technical accounting matters.


The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board is disciplining Deloitte Accountants NV, imposing a civil monetary penalty of $300,000 on the Netherlands member of the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited network.

The PCAOB said it was imposing the sanctions on the basis of findings that the Rotterdam-based firm violated rules and standards related to its system of quality control and independence. The independence violations occurred during audits of the 2011 and 2012 financial statements of the financial services company RBS Holdings and publisher Reed Elsevier because of financial interests that the spouse of the firms then CEO and managing partner, Piet Hein Meeter, held through a Dutch family foundation trust. Meeter is now Deloittes global leader of legal services.

The PCAOB found that from 2009 through the first quarter of 2012, the firm lacked adequate policies and procedures to provide reasonable assurance that individuals who became "covered persons" by being appointed to leadership positions in the "chain of command" were free of financial interests that might violate the Securities and Exchange Commission's independence requirements.

Deloitte Netherlands has since taken steps to correct the problem. The PCAOB findings relate to facts dating from 2012 and before, said Deloitte spokesperson Wilma Bontes in an email Wednesday. The issue involves investments held by the spouse of a tax partner who became CEO. The partner stepped down as CEO immediately when these issues became known. Since that time, Deloitte Netherlands has made substantial improvements to its quality control system in order to provide assurance that the firm is meeting all required independence standards.

Earlier this month, the PCAOB also disciplined Deloittes firms in Brazil and Mexico, with the Brazilian firm agreeing to pay an $8 million settlement and the Mexican firm paying $750,000 to resolve auditing violations.

SEC approves board's budget

Separately, the SEC voted Wednesday to approve the PCAOBs $268.5 million budget for 2017, which will be funded by an accounting support totaling $268 million imposed collectively on the auditing regulated by the board.

Reliable audits are a cornerstone of promoting investor trust and facilitating investment that grows capital markets and a healthy economy, said PCAOB Chairman James Doty in his statement at Wednesdays SEC hearing. Experience tells us the PCAOBs role is essential, and our standards and oversight programs are making a real difference on behalf of investors and companies. But as weve seen from both the PCAOBs and the Commissions enforcement programs, it is critically important that the PCAOB remain vigilant and independent, because persistent economic pressures can threaten the integrity of audits.

James Doty, chairman of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, poses in his office in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011. Photographer: Rich Clement/Bloomberg *** Local Caption James Doty *** Rich Clement/Bloomberg

He noted that on the international front, in July, the PCAOB secured renewal of the European Commissions adequacy determination, which allows the board to continue to conduct joint inspections with European regulators, The renewal runs for another six years, double the period of previous such determinations, allows the PCAOB to continue to deepen its relationships with local European regulators.

The PCAOBs mission to promote informative, accurate, and independent audit reports and to oversee auditors of public companies and SEC registered broker-dealers is critical to investor protection and our markets, said SEC Chair Mary Jo White in a statement. The 2017 budget provides the PCAOB with the funding necessary to continue to conduct inspections of auditors of U.S. public companies and broker-dealers, advance its research and standard-setting agendas, perform necessary economic and risk analysis, and conduct outreach. In furtherance of carrying out its mission in a cost-effective way, the PCAOB will undertake a study of operational efficiency and budgetary needs and submit a report to the Commission by mid-March next year.


J Walter Thompson India has announced senior management changes. With Sanjeev Bhargava, Head of JWT, leaving for a career outside advertising, the opportunities opened up.

Joy Chauhan takes over as Head of JWT Delhi operations. Chauhan is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in advertising and communications. Over the years he has helped build some of the most prestigious brands in the country. He is focussed on finding innovative ways to build our clients brands and business. He is currently the Head of JWT Bengaluru operations. The office has had an incredible run under his leadership and is JWTs fastest growing office. Chauhan has worked in JWT for over a decade of which eight years were in Delhi, so it is a home coming for him.

Kishore Tadepalli takes over from Joy Chauhan as Head of JWT Bengaluru. Like Chauhan, Tadepalli has over two decades of experience in advertising and communications. Almost, all of it in J Walter Thompson. He is, thus, a long term Thompsonite. He is currently Senior Vice President and Global Brand Director on Radiant (Rin in India). He is also the JWT India, Business Head for Hindustan Unilever. Over the years, Tadepalli has led large teams and helped build some of the most iconic brands of the country.

Babita Baruah gets independent charge of JWTs business unit  Power of One (PO1)  that handles a large number of PepsiCos flagship brands. Another Thompsonite with over two decades in the business, Baruah has worked in JWTs Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi offices. Across these offices, she has worked on some of the most powerful brands in the country. She has done a remarkable job as Head of PO1. Beyond work, Baruah is actively engaged in mentoring students and women at work, speaking in industry forums, and is part of JWTs Worldwide Diversity Council. She was invited to Harvard Business School earlier this year as a speaker on marketing trends, for the India Conference. Baruah will now report in to, Tarun Rai, CEO, JWT South Asia.

The changes come into effect from January 1, 2017.

Commenting on Sanjeev Bhargava, Tarun Rai said, Sanjeev has done an excellent job in growing JWT Delhi. He is a fantastic professional and has had a stellar career in advertising. He now leaves to start a new career in media and I am sure he will do a great job. I thank him for all that he has done for us and wish him the very best for the future.

On the new roles, Rai said, Joy, Babita and Kishore have been performing exceptionally well. They are at a stage in their careers where they have a great balance of experience and youth. I am really happy that, as an organisation, we are able to provide opportunities, at the right time, for people to grow. This is also a reflection on the bench strength of JWT. And a signal to all our employees that whenever there is any opportunity in our company we will first look at internal candidates. I am confident that the three of them will continue to perform at the highest level.
M Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Information & Broadcasting, has said that the Ministry of I&B would be formulating a National Information & Communication Policy to address the communication needs of the people, challenges and the paradigm shift taking place across media space. The proposed policy would be prepared in consultation with States in the spirit of cooperative federalism and the principle of Team India, which Prime Minister firmly believed in. The Minister mentioned this while delivering his address at the 28th State Information Ministers Conference in New Delhi recently. Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore, Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, State Information Ministers, Senior officials from Ministry and State Government were present on the occasion.

Elaborating on the proposed contours of the policy, Naidu said that the broad objectives should be to enhance access to information and communication infrastructures and new technologies, especially in rural areas; to promote national dialogue on development issues by all citizens and facilitate informed participation of people in setting development agenda and its execution; to rationalise multi-sectoral investments in information and communication hardware and software through their consolidation and appropriate integration in development plans and planning structures; to ensure timely, orderly and effective growth of information and communication institutions and professions through standards setting, capacity building and human resource development; broadly define the roles of different governments at various levels and other stakeholders; preserve national cultural identity and enhance the development of cultural and artistic capabilities and institutions, while enabling productive regional and international exchanges and support national and local development initiatives, and to improve the quality of life of the people, by facilitating systematic and effective use and coordination of communication and information strategies and outcomes.

The Minister further stated that the initiation of such a policy would integrate development communication, development agendas linking planners, beneficiaries and implementers of development actions. It was the endeavour of the proposed policy to make people informed participants in decision making and development planning process. Such a communication approach also enabled policy makers to look at people as part of a solution. The challenge before such a policy was to analyse the ingredients of the communication environment including competencies and resources that are critical.

Highlighting the role of communication in behaviour change, Naidu referred to Swachh Bharat Mission and the recent Remonetisation initiative. Both were socio economic transformational in nature with long term gain for the country. The Minister also urged the States to do more effective campaigns under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Meanwhile, in order to encourage the ease of film shootings, the Minister announced that a cash component of Rs 1 crore would be given to the Most Film Friendly State. Currently the award carries a Medal (Rajat Kamal) and a Certificate only. The Minister suggested that the prize money may be used by the winning State towards film facilitation in the States.

Naidu further said that the focus was on enhancing the Ease of Doing Business to promote India as Filming Destination, pushing digitisation of TV sets, effective use of social media, taking full advantage of All India Radio, Doordarshan and Publications Division.
NO Talkies Nautanki Returns, the flagship event organized by the premium Hindi movies and special events channel, Sony MAX, came to a grand close after receiving exceptionally overwhelming response from media agencies. Staying true to its positioning of Deewana Bana De, Sony MAX reached out to movie enthusiasts across renowned media agencies of Bengaluru on 22nd November, followed by Mumbai on 25th November and Delhi on 2ndDecember, with the grand finale held in Mumbai on 9th December.

MAX whipped up enthusiasm amongst the media agencies by bringing back the first-of-its-kind initiative for the third year through the engaging game of Dumb Charades. The property drew massive response from media agencies across Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi with more than 175 teams registering to compete against each other.

The registered teams were slotted into different groups and had to compete against each other over exciting rounds. The teams that qualified for the finale round included Platinum from Bengaluru; Initiative and Annalect from Delhi; and Madison India and MEC Redfuse from Mumbai with the grand finale being hosted by the stunning RJ Malishka on 9th December wherein the shortlisted teams battled it out to win the grand prize, online shopping vouchers worth 35,000/- each. The winners of NO Talkies Nautanki Returns were Priyanka Kamath, Madhavi Kalra and Firdause Wadia from MEC Redfuse.

Comments:

Vaishali Sharma, Senior VP, Marketing and Communications, SONY MAX Hindi Movie Cluster:

This is the third year of our innovative initiative, NO Talkies Nautanki Returns and we were extremely overwhelmed with the massive response received by the event from media agencies across Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi. NO Talkies is not only a wonderful way to bring media agencies together to experience the magic of movies like never before but also to help us build a stronger connect with our media partners by enabling them to live and experience the brand first hand. Through this event we hope to engage more and more movie fanatics year on year across media agencies.
Version 1.0 of open source database reinvents SQL for the machine data era with unique combination of scalability, query versatility and ease-of-use for real-time analytics of structured and unstructured data

Crate.io today announced general availability of CrateDB 1.0, an open source SQL database that enables real-time analytics for machine data applications. CrateDB makes machine data applications that were previously only possible using NoSQL solutions available to mainstream SQL developers. The company also announced today that it has opened a new world headquarters in San Francisco, adding to its existing presence in Berlin, Germany and Dornbirn, Austria.

The growth of machine data and the opportunities that businesses have to capitalize on it are outstripping the ability of their data management infrastructure to act on it, said Jason Stamper, Analyst, Data Platforms and Analytics at 451 Research. CrateDBs power lies in its ability to enable users to collect and analyze vast amounts of data in real-time, using SQL commands they already know.

Downloaded more than one million times since its introduction in 2014, CrateDB combines the familiarity of SQL with the versatility of search and the ease of scalability of containers. It provides an alternative to existing analytic datastores including Splunk.

Key Differentiators

CrateDBs unique capabilities are enabled by the following innovations:

Distributed SQL query engine for faster JOINs, aggregations, and ad-hoc queries

Columnar field caches and a fully distributed query planner enable CrateDB to perform complex queries in real time and overcome many of the performance and flexibility limitations of first-generation distributed SQL databases.

Columnar field caches and a fully distributed query planner enable CrateDB to perform complex queries in real time and overcome many of the performance and flexibility limitations of first-generation distributed SQL databases. SQL with integrated search for data and query versatility

CrateDB is a unique combination of SQL and search technology, which enables a wide range of analytics, including machine learning and predictive analytics, on time series, full text, JSON, geospatial, and other structured and unstructured data without having to use different database engines to do so.

CrateDB is a unique combination of SQL and search technology, which enables a wide range of analytics, including machine learning and predictive analytics, on time series, full text, JSON, geospatial, and other structured and unstructured data without having to use different database engines to do so. Container architecture and automatic data sharding for simple scaling

Database scalability is vital for handling variations in machine data volume, but this is normally difficult to do. CrateDB can run as a cluster of containers, which enables it to be scaled easily with Docker, Kubernetes, or Mesos container platforms. In addition, CrateDB automatically shards and redistributes data across the cluster as it changes size to optimize performance and high availability.

When we founded Crate.io, we set out to reinvent SQL for the machine data era. Today, 75 percent of our customers use CrateDB to manage machine and IoT data because of its superior ease of use, performance, and versatility, said Christian Lutz, CEO of Crate.io. The general availability of the product and our expansion to San Francisco mark a new phase in our growth, and we look forward to driving further innovation of the platform both internally and by extension through the open source community.

Customer Testimonials for CrateDB

The mission-criticality of our industrial sensor and data acquisition devices cannot be overstated. Our well known key customers in the automotive, energy, aerospace and civil engineering segment rely on our ability to take synchronized and decentral measurements from hundreds of thousands of sensors, feed them into a database and extract that data for instant visibility of power, temperature, pressure, speed and torque. Based on the real-time aggregated meta-data they make their decisions. CrateDB is the only database that gives us the speed, scalability and ease of use that our teams, customers and applications require.

Juergen Sutterlueti, Head of Energy Segment, Gantner Instruments

More than 40 percent of the Fortune 500 customers depend on Skyhigh to help address their cloud security needs. CrateDB is an important part of our data stack giving us the performance and horizontal scalability to meet our rapidly growing business needs.

Sekhar Sarukkai, co-founder, chief scientist and VP of engineering, Skyhigh Networks

At Space-Time Insight we create Industrial Internet of Things solutions to help our customers extend asset life, predict maintenance needs, and optimize logistics and operations. We make extensive use of machine learning and streaming analytics, and CrateDB is particularly well-suited for the geospatial and temporal data we work with, including support for distributed joins. It allows us to write and query sensor data at more than 200,000 rows per second, and query terabytes of data.

Paul Hofmann, CTO, Space-Time Insight

New in CrateDB 1.0

The newest release of CrateDB includes improvements in performance, ease of use, and SQL completeness:

Support for outer JOINs and sub-queries

Conditional and trigonometric functions

Schema and metadata discovery interfaces

Faster INSERT performance

Read-only nodes

Support for the PostgreSQL wire protocol for easier integration

CrateDB is available immediately from Crate.io and is open source under the Apache 2.0 license. For more information, visit: https://crate.io/overview/.

About Crate.io

Crate.io is the developer of CrateDB, an open source distributed database offering the scalability and performance of NoSQL with the power and ease of standard SQL. Designed specifically to support IoT and machine data applications, Crate is optimized for containerized environments. Crate.io is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Berlin, Germany and Dornbirn, Austria.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005442/en/

Mindshare PR

Wilson Craig, +1 408 516 6182

wilson@mindsharepr.com
QUINTANA ROO, Mexico, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- For a triple dose of exhilaration, fun and excitement, Mexico's top three theme parks are unmatched in adrenaline and awe-inspiring wonder. El Cid Riviera Maya guests and visitors can get a look at what adventure is all about, Mexico style, by checking out one, two or all three of the nation's best theme parks: Xcaret, Xel-Ha, and Xplor.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161129/443523

Natural richness, culture and ancient traditions are on full display at the Xcaret ecological/archeological park. El Cid Riviera Maya is convenient to all three parks, which include not only Xcaret, but one of the world's most opulent natural aquariums at Xel-Ha. Finally, to see what it feels like to "fly" through the jungle, El Cid Riviera Maya guests head to the Xplor park and slide among the treetops on zip lines.

In Xcaret, there are cultural tours as well as exhibitions, water activities in the incredible underground rivers, full dressing rooms with showers, buffet lunches, a bar and much more. Xcaret is a national favorite for residents of Mexico and for citizens from all over the world who want to see the best of eco-archeological events.

El Cid Riviera Maya is central to all three parks. In Xel-Ha, breakfast and lunch are available to visitors, there's an open bar, no-charge snorkeling equipment, dozens of water activities in the inlet and the rivers, plus fully equipped dressing rooms. There's never a dull moment for guests of El Cid Riviera Maya who want to check out the theme parks.

Xel-Ha is called a natural aquarium because of its ecological purity, safe habitat, and ancient water source from deep in the ground.

El Cid Riviera Maya is a world-class beachfront resort that overlooks the Caribbean and is a short walk from the marina. Those who want to visit Xplor are in for a unique treat. It is one of the only places in the world where guests can attach themselves to zip lines and fly among the treetops.

There are also rafts, all-terrain vehicles, and a hammock splash. El Cid Riviera Maya guests note that Xplor park is like no other. Cave enthusiasts have plenty of spelunking opportunities inside the hundreds of natural underground passages at Xplor. Meals and soft drinks are on hand for visitors who have worked up an appetite or thirst after a day of solid excitement.

El Cid Rivera Maya is the place to be for anyone who wants to taste the adventuresome side of Mexico.

About ECVC 

El Cid Vacations Club is a global leader in the vacation ownership and resort industry, delivering a wide variety of memorable vacation experiences for members. El Cid Vacations Club continually strives to enhance its member services and guest experiences. Members are invited to take advantage of downloading the complimentary El Cid Vacations Club Member mobile app available on both the App Store and Google Play (keyword "ecvc"). This application allows members to stay up to date on the most recent news, make reservations, and always stay in contact with El Cid Vacations Club. This is the perfect opportunity for El Cid Vacations Club members to plan their next dream vacation at one of the many stunning El Cid properties. For more information, visit http://www.elcidvacationsclub.com.

Media Contact: El Cid Vacations Club, El Cid Vacations Club, 1 866 552 7320, ownersrelations@elcid.com.mx

News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com

SOURCE El Cid Vacations Club
LONDON, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2015, the global market size of automotive braking system exceeded USD50 billion, and that of China's automotive braking system came to over RMB60 billion. With the saturation of automobile market, the global and Chinese automotive braking system markets have leveled off. It is expected during 2016-2020 that the global and Chinese automotive braking system markets will grow at an average annual rate of 4.4% and 7.3%, respectively. And electronic control system may become the main driving force behind the industry development.



In China's braking system market, manufacturers mainly develop towards ABS, braking force distribution (EBD/CBC, etc.), brake assist (EBA/BAS/BA), Vehicle Stability Control (ESC/ESP, DSC, etc.), AUTO HOLD, and so forth. Among them, ABS and EBD/CBC have the highest assembly rate of close to 90%; vehicle stability control develops very fast, with the assembly rate approaching 50%; brake assist and AUTO HOLD, benefiting from the development of autonomous driving technology, are seeing rapid growth in assembly rate.



At present, the Chinese braking system manufacturers are working to make layout in electronic control, particularly in ABS, Vehicle Stability Control (ESC/ESP/DSC), and Electric Park Brake (EPB). The advanced enterprises, such as Zhejiang Asia-Pacific Mechanical & Electronic and Zhejiang Vie Science & Technology, have entered the fields of intelligent drive and telematics.



Zhejiang Asia-Pacific Mechanical & Electronic, one of the leading Chinese braking system manufacturers, mainly operates an array of products including disc brakes, drum brakes, brake pumps, vacuum boosters, and ABS, etc. It now has an annual capacity of 1 million sets of automotive electronic control system. At present, the company is actively developing automotive electronics, and, based on ABS, gradually makes technological breakthroughs in EPB, ESC, and EABS. Currently, the company is entitled to supply ABS and EPB to auto makers like Chery, SAIC, and FAW, and is expected to achieve small-lot supply in 2016. Additionally, it has obtained eligibility for supplying ESC and EABS to Dongfeng Motor and Nissan.



Zhejiang Vie Science & Technology is also an important braking system manufacturer in China. In 2015, the company realizedmassive supply of its independently developed and industrialized ABS, and completed the EBS development and vehicle matching test. Meanwhile, it was developing ESC and EPB, etc. In February 2016, the company planned to invest RMB267 million in automotive EBS project. When the design capacity is achieved, the company will have a capacity of 200,000 sets/a ABS and 50,000 sets/a EBS, with the revenue and net income estimated to add annually RMB426 million and RMB66.82 million, respectively.



The report highlights the following:

Market size and competitive landscape of global automotive braking system;

Market size, import and export, competitive landscape, development trend of automotive braking system in China;

Development of China's brake market segments, including disc brakes, drum brakes, pneumatic brakes, and hydraulic brakes;

Assembly rate, market size, and development of China's electronic control market (ABS, EBD/CBC, EBA/BAS/BA/AEB, ESC/ESP/DSC, and AUTO HOLD);

Development of global and China braking system suppliers, including product type, financial indicators, capacity, output and sales volume, production bases, industrial layout, and development trend, etc.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3884076/



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: query@reportbuyer.com

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/global-and-china-automobile-brake-system-disc-brake-drum-brake-abs-ebdcbc-ebabasbaaeb-escespdsc-auto-hold-industry-report-2016-2020-300378657.html

SOURCE ReportBuyer
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has named Joan Wallach Scott as the recipient of the 2016 Talcott Parsons Prize for her distinguished contributions to the social sciences. This award will be presented to Professor Scott, a member of the Academy, on April 6, 2017, at the House of the Academy in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

First awarded in 1974, the Talcott Parsons Prize was established to honor the noted sociologist and former president of the Academy and is rotated among the various social science disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, demography, history, law, linguistics, political science, psychology, and sociology.

"We are pleased to present the Talcott Parsons Prize to Professor Scott for her distinguished achievements in the social sciences," said Jonathan F. Fanton, President of the American Academy. "We are honored that she is a member of the Academy and to have the opportunity to celebrate her contributions to the field," he said.

Previous recipients of the Talcott Parsons Prize include: Clifford Geertz (anthropology), C. Vann Woodward (history), Albert Hirschman (economics), and Daniel Kahneman (psychology).

As one of her nominators for this prize wrote, "Joan Scott is, correctly, the most influential theorist and practitioner of feminist and gender theory working in the historical sciences. Her article, 'Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis,' launched the discussion in the profession at large of how gender changes the way historians understand, research, write, and teach history. She is adept at the philosophy of history and social science, so she brings to feminist and gender theory a critical view that has continuously pushed the boundaries, not just of conventional history, but also of the professional criticism of historiography. No one that I can think of has had more progressive or sustained impact on historical scholarship during my lifetime or has contributed as much to further women scholars."

Joan Wallach Scott is Professor Emerita in the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, where she taught from 1985 to 2014. She has also taught at the University of Illinois, Chicago; Northwestern University; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and Brown University, where she was the founding director of the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women. She is currently an adjunct professor of history at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Scott's groundbreaking work has challenged the foundations of conventional historical practice, including the nature of historical evidence and historical experience and the role of narrative in the writing of history. Broadly, the object of her work is the question of difference in history: its uses, enunciations, implementations, justifications, and transformations in the construction of social and political life.

Her recent books have focused on the vexed relationship of the particularity of gender to the universalizing force of democratic politics and include Gender and the Politics of History (1988), Only Paradoxes to Offer: French Feminists and the Rights of Man (1996), Parite: Sexual Equality and the Crisis of French Universalism (2005), The Politics of the Veil (2007), and The Fantasy of Feminist History (2011). Written in 1986, her now classic article, "Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis," continues to inspire innovative research on women and gender. In her landmark article "The Evidence of Experience" (1991), Scott criticized the tendency of feminism to accept uncritically (and "de-historicize") the reporting of personal experience as an authentic expression of women's reality. She has been recognized with honorary degrees from a number of academic institutions, including Brown, Harvard, the University of Bergen (Norway), the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Princeton University.

Several of Scott's books have won prizes from the American Historical Association, which also awarded her the Nancy Lyman Roelker Prize for graduate mentoring in 1995. At its meeting in January 2009, the AHA presented her with an award for Scholarly Distinction, the culmination of more than 40 years of research and writing in her chosen fields of French history, women's and gender history, and feminist theory. She was chair of the Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure at the American Association of University Professors (19992005), where she took a strong stand against the U.S. Patriot Act of 2001, and she continues to serve as a member of that committee.

Scott is a founding editor of History of the Present: a Journal of Critical History. She received the B.A. degree (1962) magna cum laude from Brandeis University, and the M.S. (1964) and Ph.D. (1969) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, all in history. Scott was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008.

About the American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is among the nation's oldest learned societies and independent policy research centers, convening leaders from the academic, business, and government sectors to respond to the challenges facing the nation and the world. In its work, the Academy focuses on higher education, the humanities, and the arts; science and technology policy; global security and international affairs; and American institutions and the public good. Academy research has resulted in reports such as The Heart of the Matter, Restoring the Foundation: The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the American Dream, Public Research UniversitiesRecommitting to Lincoln's Vision: An Educational Compact for the 21st Century, and A Primer on the College Student Journey. The Academy's work is advanced by its more than 5,000 elected members, who are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs from around the world.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/joan-wallach-scott-receives-the-2016-talcott-parsons-prize-from-the-american-academy-of-arts-and-sciences-300377501.html

SOURCE American Academy of Arts & Sciences
LONDON, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

PharmaBoardroom today releases its new 51 page Slovakia Healthcare & Life Sciences Review 2016.

This report offers companies, investors, policymakers, and stakeholders crucial insight into Slovakia; a country with both political and economic stability; a Eurozone member that stands out in its region for being a member of the single currency; and, for the second half of 2016, has held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. Within this stable, integrated framework, Slovakia is making a name for itself in pharmaceuticals to complement its other major industries of automotives and IT.

The report features in-depth exclusive interviews with leading figures from public institutions and private companies, comprehensive articles, and up-to-date facts and figures on the Slovak healthcare and pharma sectors.

Features

Featured topics include:

Ministerial Mindset: An exclusive interview with pioneering Minister of Health Tomas Drucker begins our report. He explains his plans to reform Slovakia's healthcare system and combat the challenges of parallel trade of medicines.

begins our report. He explains his plans to reform healthcare system and combat the challenges of parallel trade of medicines. Regional Strategy: Despite its comparatively small size, several MNCs are targeting Slovakia for growth due to its favourable innovation environment and ease of market access. Others are partnering with their Czech counterparts for a more regional approach.

for growth due to its favourable innovation environment and ease of market access. Others are partnering with their Czech counterparts for a more regional approach. Inward Investment: Why investment in Slovak healthcare and life sciences is a smart choice

Interviews

The report features in-depth interviews with:

Tomas Drucker, Minister of Health

Branislav Budke, Pfizer

Dr. Natasa Klicko, Roche

Marianthi Psaha, Novartis

Lucia Frzonova, Worwag

Roberto Simoncic, SARIO

Dr. Leonard Sojka, Merck

Corina Croitoru, Gedeon Richter

Quotes

"Our priority in the health sector is also continuously enhancing efficiency and innovations. The basis for this priority is the transparent management of public resources."

Tomas Drucker, Minister of Health

"As an industry, we are on our way to establishing partner relationships with the new government which actually seems to be more open to discussion than the previous one."

Branislav Budke, Pfizer

"I am not saying that both [Slovakia and the Czech Republic] are the same, yet they are similar enough that most challenges can be solved with the same solution."

Juan Carlos Conde, Teva

"Roche is committed to innovation - and Slovakia is the perfect country for innovation."

Dr. Natasa Klicko, Roche

"Slovakia represents an ideal investment destination owing to our well forged reputation for political and economic stability."

Roberto Simoncic, SARIO

"In the macroeconomic perspective, Slovakia today displays all the characteristics of a modern, successful, liberal market economy."

Vladimir Masar, Deloitte

Click here to register and download the report.
SPARTANBURG, S.C., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- A new Stanton Optical store is coming to Spartanburg, SC. This new eyeglass retail store will be located at 2500 Winchester Place on the corner of Winchester Place and W.O. Ezzell Blvd, in Essex Square. The grand opening is scheduled for January 2017.

This will be Stanton Optical's third store in South Carolina and they have plans for additional expansion throughout 2017. The Spartanburg, SC location will be equipped with a high-tech onsite lab allowing the company to best serve their Spartanburg customers. With their onsite lab, they offer NOW Service, which provides prescription eyeglasses in as little as 15 minutes, while customers wait.

Visit Spartanburg's new Stanton Optical for 2 pairs of eyeglasses for $69, plus a FREE eye exam! To schedule a FREE exam simply call 864.300.4498 or visit the Spartanburg webpage.

About Stanton Optical:

Since its inception in 2006, Stanton Optical has become a national leader in the eye health industry by developing an accessible alternative to overpriced eye care services. To circumvent costly markups traditionally associated with national brick-and-mortar stores, Stanton Optical works directly with designer eyewear manufacturers and equips a majority of its stores with optical labs that produce quality prescription eyeglasses in as little as 15 minutes. That's why Stanton Optical retail stores feature over 3,000 designer frames for men, women, and children, popular brands of contact lenses like Acuvue, Air Optix, Biomedics, PureVision, SofLens and Proclear, and same-day services.

Media Contact: Daniel Stanton, Stanton Optical, 561-459-3263, rchiaverini@stantonoptical.com

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SOURCE Stanton Optical
TEL AVIV, Israel, December 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Votiro, a global provider of exploit neutralization solutions for protecting organizations against ongoing cyber threats, announced today that it has signed a distribution agreement with leading security solutions provider Netpoleon Solutions to provide its cybersecurity solutions to the Singaporean market.

Under the agreement, Netpoleon Solutions will distribute Votiro's products in Singapore, provide customer installation and support and represent the product in marketing activities and at relevant industry events.

"As Singapore pushes forward towards becoming a Smart Nation, cybersecurity has to become a top priority," said Itay Glick, CEO of Votiro. "We see great potential in Singapore for Votiro's solutions to help counter cyberattacks, specifically advanced persistent threats that use undisclosed and Zero-Day exploits."

Over the next two to five years, the data security market in Singapore is expected to be worth billions of Singapore dollars, due to increasing adoption of mobile, cloud, social and information technology. As Singapore aspires to become a "Smart Nation," the country has put forth a holistic national cybersecurity strategy, calling for advanced cybersecurity solutions.

"Votiro offers a unique proposition in neutralizing zero-day exploits with it's patented Advanced Content Disarm and Reconstruction technology. Attackers today are deploying sophisticated evasion techniques posing massive security challenges for all organizations, big or small alike." said Francis Goh, Managing Director of Netpoleon Solutions Singapore. "We are excited to partner with Votiro, which greatly complements our security offerings to help our customers address such an increasingly complex threat landscape."

About Netpoleon Solutions Netpoleon Solutions is an industry leader for distributing a holistic bundle of network and security solutions to leading organizations. Headquartered in Singapore, the company is expanding its network and security expertise across the ASEAN region, spearheading emerging technologies and delivering future-proofed solutions built for consolidation, virtualization, big data analytics, security operations center and cloud computing. For more information, visit http://www.netpoleons.com.

About Votiro Votiro provides organizations with essential protection against undisclosed and zero-day exploit utilized in cyber-attacks. The company's Secure Email Gateway provides a robust process and patent Advanced Content Disarm and Reconstruction technology for cleansing files from potential cyber-threats. Founded in 2010, Votiro is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, with its sales office in the United States.

For more information, visit http://www.votiro.com

Follow Votiro on Twitter - @votiro.

Media Contact:

Idan Yatziv

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A Special Investigation Team (SIT) informed the Bombay High Court that suspected LeT terrorist Shaikh Abdul Naeem Karim, an accused in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case, has not been murdered but has absconded in connivance with West Bengal Police.

The high court had in September directed setting up of the SIT under the Joint Director of CBI Chhattisgarh, Director General of Police Chhattisgarh and West Bengal and Maharashtra ATS chief to probe the allegations of murder.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Naeems mother Qamar Nasreen Karim, who refuted claims of Chhattisgarh Police that her son had absconded and alleged he was killed in custody.

Advocate Hiten Venegaonkar, appearing for the SIT, today submitted a probe report to the court.

According to the probe by SIT, the accused is alive and had absconded in connivance with the West Bengal Police. An offence has been registered against the police officers concerned. Further probe is on, he said.

According to Chhattisgarh Police, Naeem had in 2014 escaped from their custody when he was being brought to Mumbai to be produced before a special MCOCA court in connection with the 2006 Aurangabad Arms haul case, in which he is an accused.

The court, after perusing the report, sought to know what would be done if the accused had fled to Bangladesh. To this, Venegaonkar said extradition proceedings would be initiated if this is established.

The court posted the petition for further hearing on January 16 and said the SIT shall continue its probe.

Naeem, a resident of Aurangabad, had been in the custody of West Bengal Police. On August 25, 2014, he was being brought to Mumbai from Dum Dum prison in West Bengal by Howrah-Mumbai Express when he allegedly escaped from the running train near Raigarh railway station in Chhattisgarh.
Noting that Maharashtra government has failed to appoint an Advocate General, the Bombay High Court today set a deadline of December 23 for the state to inform when it would fill up the coveted post.

Tell us on December 23 when would you appoint the Advocate General, a division bench of Justice Abhay Oka said, while hearing a petition filed by Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt.

Government pleader today informed it that the state would appoint the AG very soon.

However, the high court said it wanted to know when such appointment would be made. The bench further said it was not satisfied with the governments reply on appointment of AG.

Neeraj Dhote, legal adviser and joint secretary, law and judiciary department, filed an affidavit on December 8 assuring the court that the state would appoint AG in accordance with the provisions contained in Article 165 of the Constitution of India, by the end of December 2016.

The bench had then remarked it is high time that the government appointed a new Advocate General to represent the state. Many constitutional and statutory functions (of the government) are suffering due to the non-appointment of AG and it affects the cause of justice as well as the public.

Dutt sought a direction to the Maharashtra government to appoint a regular Advocate General in place of the current acting Advocate General.

His petition said the court should declare that the post of acting Advocate General was unconstitutional, and that the appointment of Advocate General should be made only as per the provisions of Article 165 of the Constitution.

Dutt clarified that he was not questioning the integrity and professional capability of acting Advocate General Rohit Deo, but said he wanted a direction to the government to follow the Constitutional provisions.

Deo was functioning as an acting AG for the last seven months, while under the Constitution no post of acting AG exists, he said.

Dutt had also raised the issue in the state Legislature earlier, the petition said.
A day after Yasin Bhatkal and four others were convicted for their role in twin blasts in Hyderabads Dilsukhnagar locality in 2013, it has now emerged that terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM) co-founder Riyaz Bhatkal is holed up in Karachi under the patronage of Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The report cited an NIA official who claimed that Riyazs financial affluence is a result of him working with the ISI, which eventually led to the split of the Indian Mujahideen.

His decision of sailing with the ISI was contrary to that of former IM members who wanted to further the cause of either al-Qaida or the Islamic State.

As Riyaz reportedly has a passport issued by Pakistan, NIA officials are finding it difficult to track his movements and apprehend him.

When Riyaz fled India in 2007, he headed to Sharjah. He stayed there for a few years. However when his address was tracked, it was the ISI which lifted him out and transferred him to Pakistan. After being moved into Pakistan the ISI housed him at the Defence Housing Colony, residential area Phase VI in Karachi. He was moved into this address in November 2012. Riyaz and his brother Iqbal was asked to oversee the operations of the IM from Pakistan.

Riyaz however shuttled between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia where he would raise funds and also meet with other operatives of the IM. He would coordinate with the likes of Fayyaz Kagzi and Abu Jundal.
Four months into the Karnataka cabinet, excise minister and senior Congress MLA HY Meti on Wednesday resigned after a sex tape allegedly involving him was released in public.

He is definitely not the first politician from Karnataka to have been embroiled in a sex controversy. There have been instances when MLAs have been caught on camera watching pornography while within the Assembly.

Meti, who had consistently denied existence of any CD of his alleged sexapade with a woman who approached him with a request for a favour, submitted his resignation to CM Siddaramaiah on Wednesday. The resignation came immediately after local TV channels started airing the footage of the alleged sex CD.

On Wednesday, Meti said, I am resigning so that the Government doesnt face any problem. I have done nothing wrong, let the inquiry commence.

The incident had caused a huge furore leading CM Siddaramaiah to discuss the issue with the police on Monday. Reports suggest that the chief minister asked state intelligence to thoroughly investigate the case and report to him if such a CD really existed.

The issue came to the logical conclusion only after Ballari based RTI activist Rajashekhar, who is said to have played key role in exposing the alleged scandal, left for Delhi to meet AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi to expose Meti and seek action against him. However, there were contradictory reports on who the woman was.

The Congress had taken a stand that appropriate action would be taken only if charges are proved against Mr. Meti and concrete evidence is available in the form of a CD. The Opposition BJP was accusing the government of shielding Mr. Meti and attempting to hush up the issue.

The matter had come as a major embarrassment for the Congress party and the Karnataka government. This incident had come into the light within a month after Tanvir Sait, Minister of Primary and Higher Education Minister was allegedly caught watching objectionable pictures of women on his mobile phone during the celebration of Tipu Jayanti.

Earlier in 2012, two BJP MLAs had been caught watching porn on their cell phones in the parliament, which makes this the second such scandal to surface in the state of Karnataka.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he personally killed suspected criminals when he was mayor of a southern city to set an example for police.

Duterte made the comments in a speech late on Monday night to businessmen as he discussed his campaign to eradicate illegal drugs, which has seen police and unknown assailants kill thousands of people since he became president on June 30.

After speaking about police killing suspects during the current crime war, Duterte said he led similar efforts when he was mayor of Davao, the major southern city that he ruled for most of the previous 20 years.

In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys (police) that if I can do it why cant you, Duterte said in his speech at the presidential palace.

And Id go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also. I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill.

Duterte, 71, also responded to criticism from human rights groups and US President Barack Obama about his anti-crime tactics, vowing he would not be intimidated by their criticism into stopping.

Sorry, I am not about to do that, he said.

In a speech to expatriate Filipinos during a state visit to Cambodia on Tuesday, Duterte joked that as mayor of Davao he would go on missions with police and shoot blindly at criminal suspects.

I (would) sometimes go along with them. If you say I shot someone, maybe I did. I was closing my eyes because I am scared of firing a gun, said Duterte, a lawyer and former state prosecutor.

Rights groups have previously accused Duterte of running vigilante death squads in Davao that killed more than 1,000 suspected criminals, including children accused of petty crimes.

Duterte has variously denied and acknowledged involvement in the death squads.

But he easily won presidential elections in May after promising to roll-out his Davao law-and-order policies across the nation.

He pledged that 100,000 people would die in the crackdown and that so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that fish there would grow fat from feeding on them.

 Bloody crackdown 

Since taking office in late June, police have reported killing 2,086 people in anti-drug operations. More than 3,000 others have been killed in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures.

Often masked assailants break into shanty homes and kill people who have been tagged as drug traffickers or drug users. Rights groups have warned of a breakdown in the rule of law with police and hired assassins operating with complete impunity.
Till now being in relation or having pregnancy for single woman was considered as taboo and it was treated as social stigma. Unsafe abortions have reached such epic proportions in the country that it was imperative to promote safe abortion services as a right of every woman, married or unmarried. Thousands of lives of women can be saved every year by ensuring the availability of abortion services as well as allocation of resources by the Government. In India, being a single woman has many challenges in itself. Recently, however government has made great amendments in abortion laws by rendering support and dignity to single a woman. In the absence of law on their side, in case of unwanted pregnancies single women look towards unsafe methods of abortion such as taking pills or visiting quacks. Illegal abortion centres have mushroomed everywhere and it has become a big business for some doctors. The situation is much worse in rural India where unmarried women have to adopt unsafe ways to terminate a foetus. A non-sterile abortion done by a quack often puts them at risk of infertility and worse still death. This, in turn, intensifies the number of deaths through illegal abortions.

The conjoint causes of death from unsafe abortion are haemorrhage, infection, sepsis, genital trauma, and necrotic bowel. As per estimated figures it account for 12 per cent of all maternal deaths, and 20% of cases of illness and depression due to illegal abortion. India allows legal abortion centres to perform abortion till 20 weeks of pregnancy but their illegal counterparts have no such rules to follow because everything is done here secretly and with mutual consent. Many lives get compromised in the long run. Apart from taking into account the unmarried women, the proposal also includes extending the gestation period for abortion from 20 weeks to 24 weeks of pregnancy. Since, over 7 million abortions are conducted a year in India alone, this law ensures that women opt for safer methods of abortion. Abortion is purely a personal choice and there is no need to be judgmental about it.

Single unmarried women can now breathe a sigh of relief as the Indian government now plans to stand up for their rights in cases of unplanned pregnancies. Stating that the law of abortion is now legal for all women regardless of their marital status, cases of failure of contraceptives and unplanned pregnancies will now be taken into account. The Union Health Ministry has proposed to allow single women to opt for abortion in cases of unplanned pregnancies, a move aimed to increase their access to safe abortion and allow them to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights. The proposal is likely to be taken up by the Union Cabinet after the current Parliament session ends. Experts say the move is progressive and will give women safe and legal abortion options. At present, such abortions are allowed only after the intervention of the court. Various researches reveal that in India, 8 per cent of the total maternal deaths are caused by unsafe abortions. These deaths can be averted with simple community intervention and minimal resource utilisation.

So far the present law states that the abortion is only considered to be legal in cases of married women. But as per the new recommendations, the law will now stand in support of not just victims of rape and incest, but also take into account the single women. Considering that women are more sexually active in todays world, this move surely comes across as a progressive one. There are many reasons, where single mother conceives apart from rape or forced sex. Birth control (contraceptive) failure, over half of all women who have an abortion used a contraceptive method in the month they actually become pregnant. To end such unwanted pregnancy and to prevent the birth of a child with birth defects several methods were used to terminate the foetus. The number of unsafe abortions in India was unavailable in the Central Health Management and Information System of the National Rural Health Mission. According to government data for 2008-09, however, a total of 11.06 million abortions were recorded that year. Abortion was made legal in India by the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, which was passed by Parliament in 1971 and came into effect in 1972. The Act permits abortion if the doctor believes in good faith that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or of grave injury to her physical or mental health; or there is a substantial risk that if the child were born, it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.

Then, in 2004, the government endorsed guidelines on the appropriate use of Mifepristone and Misoprostol for self-induced abortion. However, the government has not yet introduced drugs for abortion in public clinics and hospitals. According to a study by IIPS, 76 per cent of the women who come for first-time abortions are unmarried. Statistics collected by Mumbais International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), a public health organisation, show that about 21 per cent of males and four per cent of females in rural areas admitted to pre-marital sex against an urban figure of 11 per cent of males and two per cent of females. The IIPS survey sample of 55,000 males and females comes from about 1.7 lakh households in Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Molestation, rape abuse to woman is already a dishonour to woman and when she becomes pregnant in unwanted circumstances, appearing in court and seeking justice remains a challenge. I hope this decision of government may honour the dignity of a single mother.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has announced on state television that he ordered the countrys scientists to begin working on the design and production of nuclear-powered marine vessels, presenting the move as something of a retaliation for the US passing the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA).

Iran has claimed the ISA to be a violation of the P5+1 nuclear deal, and while it perhaps violates the spirit of the deal, it doesnt actually impose any new sanctions itself, and subsequently doesnt violate the deal, but simply enabled future presidents to do so if they want to.

The retaliation from Iran isnt a violation either, with the White House noting that the Iranian development of nuclear vessels is not a violation of the P5+1 deal either, which prohibits Irans creation of atomic weapons, not of using nuclear energy for propulsion of military vehicles.

Nuclear-powered ships have been the norm in the fleets of major countries for generations, with early nuclear submarines hitting the water in the 1950s. Its unclear if Iran will follow through on this plan, however, as their navy is geared toward small, coastal defense ships, and not the long-range submarines and hulking leviathans that tend to benefit from nuclear reactors.

Irans news agency IRNA said Rouhani assigned chief of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran to manufacture atomic propeller for ships.

He cited delays in implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action by the US and breach of the deal by extension of Iran Sanctions Act, as a reason to do so.

The White House agreed with the experts assessment that the timing of the announcement to coincide with US President Barack Obama signing of the Iran Sanctions Act is not likely a coincidence.

We have been clear, even through much of the congressional debate in Congress about the Iran Sanctions Act, that the President would not sign it into law a piece of legislation that undermined the international agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, he said, adding that the extension of the Iran Sanctions Act does not undermine the international agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Thanks to JB Handley for allowing us to excerpt this important post. If you have friends whose kids are nearing age 11, make sure they read up on Gardasil and Cevarix vaccines.

By JB Handley



PORTLAND, Oregon  I have no financial reason to write this article. Im just a dad. My son was injured by a vaccine, so Ive spent more than ten years becoming an expert on a topic I never planned to know much about. My only audience for this article is other parents.

The HPV vaccine (of which Gardasil is one brand name) is being aggressively pushed on teenage girls and boys here in the U.S. In fact, there are many state legislators who are trying to make HPV Vaccines mandatory for children to attend school, a push that was recently successful in Rhode Island:



RI requires all 7th grade students to be vaccinated for HPV



Despite a challenge from opponents earlier this year, its mandatory in the state of Rhode Island for all incoming seventh grade students to receive the HPV vaccine.



Meanwhile, most Americans are in the dark that a brushfire is burning in countries all over the world, including Japan (where HPV vaccine uptake rates are down to 1%), Denmark (near 10%), Colombia (near 5%), Ireland, Sweden, Spain, New Zealand, France, Canada, and India where the startling rate of vaccine injury and questionable risk-benefit is fueling repeated national controversies.



Why does Gardasil matter so much in the U.S.? Heres an article from Bloomberg Business from 2 months ago that might give you a clue:



Merck Beats Estimates as Sales of Gardasil Vaccine Surge



Merck & Co.s third-quarter profit topped analysts estimates, helped by better-than-expected sales of the vaccine Gardasil



Read JB's full post here.
Mercury Press

NOTE: Pay attention to the baby's health issues in addition to seizure - "stomach problems and allergies." Sound familiar? Many of us have battled the horror of seizures in our children - many still do - and it's a hell like no other. From the UK Daily Mail:



A furious couple claim their son began suffering up to 14 violent fits a day after having a new meningitis jab  and have shared shocking footage of his seizures.



Luke Maguire, 26, and Louise McKever, 22, say they have made more than 55 hospital visits since their 10-month-old son Bobby's immunisations this summer.



The Bexsero Meningitis B vaccination has been given to all babies in the UK since September 2015, but seizures are known to be an uncommon side effect.



But the first-time parents, from Ashington, Northumberland, say it has also left their son suffering from stomach problems, night terrors and allergies.



Since releasing a clip of their son suffering from a fit to social media, it has notched up more than 1.8 million views and 27,500 shares.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2016  USDA has finalized a long-awaited rule that it says will protect a host of pork and poultry producers, but industry groups are crying foul.

As expected, USDAs Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration released its Fair Farmer Practices regulations Wednesday afternoon. The rollout included one interim final rule and two proposed rules, all intended to level the playing field for contract growers and the companies with which they work.

Among other things, the interim final rule sets standards for proof of harm for a violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act. USDA said the previous interpretation of the law was overly broad and required proof of harm across the entire market. Now, the rule is clarified to tell the court system that something can be in violation of the PSA without a legal finding of harm to competition.

Opponents of the rule say that by weakening the standards already in place, it will lead to a flurry of lawsuits because of lighter proof requirements for competitive injury.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the common sense rules are about consistency and now put the grower and the meatpacker on the same level.

You shouldnt have to show if youve been treated unfairly or in a discriminatory way, that somehow whats happened to you harms competition to the entire industry, Vilsack told reporters as the rules were released. Thats just an unreasonably high burden for anyone to have to meet.

Industry groups are, for the most part, not pleased. The National Pork Producers Council say the rules could potentially have the opposite of their intended effect and lead to more vertical integration in the sector as packers will be forced to produce more of their own hogs. NPPC CEO Neil Dierks said the rule will be a boon to trial lawyers and a weapon (for) activist groups.

I cant imagine a more devastating regulation on an industry, Dierks said in a statement. The rule, which creates legal uncertainty, will destroy opportunities for many in the U.S. pork industry, with no positive effect on competition, the regulations supposed goal.

NPPC said the illegitimate midnight rule was an apparent attack on rural America for its role in helping elect Donald Trump as president. Vilsack called the allegations absolutely absurd.

This has got nothing to do with the election of 2016, Vilsack said, this has everything to do with whats fair to producers, and as long as Im secretary, this department and this secretary is going to be on the side of producers.

National Chicken Council President Mike Brown also came out against the rules. In a statement, he said the rules could lead to rigid, one-size-fits-all requirements on chicken growing contracts that would stifle innovation, lead to higher costs for consumers, and cost jobs by forcing the best farmers out of the chicken business. He added that the vast majority of U.S. chicken farmers are happy and prosper raising chickens and that the new interim final rule would open the floodgates to frivolous lawsuits.

The National Cattlemens Beef Association also was unsurprisingly upset. Tracy Brunner, NCBAs president, said the new rules would limit how beef producers can market their livestock. The group also took issue with the timing of the rollout, saying the Obama administration and Vilsack shouldnt be issuing these regulations as they were about to leave office.

If USDA was interested in real solutions rather than increased government regulations, they wouldnt have rushed these rules out the door at the very close of the administrations term, bypassing any input from industry, Brunner said. Cattlemen and women dont appreciate Secretary Vilsack throwing a grenade in the building as he abandons it.

The rules were required by the 2008 farm bill, but hadnt been implemented because of congressional appropriations riders that blocked their funding. In 2015, HBO comedian John Oliver spoke critically, to say the least, about the contract farming system on his Last Week Tonight program and called on Congress to stop including the so-called GIPSA rider in appropriations bills that fund USDA. That outcry and additional public sentiment led to that provision being omitted in the appropriations bill for FY 2016, allowing USDA to work on implementation of the rules.

In addition to the interim final rule on competitive injury, two proposed rules deal with the poultry grower ranking system  sometimes dubbed the tournament system  and unfair practices and undue preferences violations. The former would give GIPSA set criteria for determining whether a dealer who provides contract growers with young birds is compensating the growers fairly, while the latter clarifies what would be considered a violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act.

Opposition also flowed in from Capitol Hill. Senate Ag Committee Chair Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said the rules will limit the economic freedom of Americas farmers and ranchers and pledged to take a hard look at the rule, but I have concerns based on the previous direction taken by USDA. Rep. Mike Conaway, the chair of the House Ag Committee, struck a similar tone, saying he was disappointed to see the regulations published despite assurances that they would be tabled for more thorough and appropriate consideration by the incoming administration.

As strongly as groups like NPPC and NCC stand in opposition to the regulations, many groups are also in favor, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the nations largest producer group.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall, a Georgia poultry producer, said the rules take an important step toward leveling the playing field in the poultry industry by ensuring companies follow the law and treat farmers fairly, without disrupting beef and pork markets.

Allan Sents, chair of the U.S. Cattlemens Association Marketing Committee, called the rules an important step to advance competition and true price discovery in the cattle market.

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Policy Specialist Paul Wolfe called the rules basic and sensible.

The idea that contract farmers should have to prove injury to the whole sector in order to receive compensation for having been the victim of an anti-competitive practice is an impossible standard, Wolfe said in a statement.

Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF USA, said the interim final rule will empower cattle producers to monitor the meatpackers' conduct and enforce the rules when meatpackers act inappropriately. Importantly, producers would no longer have to wait for the federal government to act before anticompetitive conduct is corrected.

The release of the regulations late in the tenure of the Obama administration means the Trump administration will also have an opportunity to weigh in on the final regulations. But supporters of the rules are hopeful that Trumps portrayal of himself as a populist will be helpful for smaller producers in their fight against large companies.

Read about other USDA news such as this. Sign up for a four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription for the latest ag and rural policy news.





Industry, big business, has its voice, said National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson. I think a lot of what (Trump) ran on as a candidate was saying Im for the little guy and Im going to be your voice against the big multinationals. So well see.

Mike Weaver is the president of the Organization for Competitive Markets and a poultry producer from West Virginia. He said there is concern that Trumps blanket approach to regulatory relief could catch these rules in the crossfire. Hes says theres no doubt some regulations are deserving of the administrative ax, but hes hopeful the GIPSA rules will be spared.

These regulations are designed to protect American family farmers, Weaver said. American family farmers came out of the woodwork to support Trump, and we helped put him in office, and we need some consideration.

The interim final rule and the two proposed rules will be subject to a 60-day comment period, which begins when they are published in the Federal Register.

#30
WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2016  The Obama administration has invested nearly two years into forging new ties with Cuba, and a White House official made the case to reporters Tuesday why the Trump administration should not try to roll back changes.

Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, spoke at length about the new regulations and initiatives, including a foundation for improving agricultural ties, that he stressed were popular both in Cuba and the U.S. Undoing them, Rhodes said, would be possible for the Trump administration, but he stressed it would not be easy.

What we believe would be very damaging is any effort to turn off the opening thats been made, Rhodes said in an hour-long call. What were trying to do is to create as much momentum for the policy so as to make it irreversible  to enlist as many stakeholders as we could in the policy so as to make it irreversible.

All of that may not be enough to sway Trump, who has disparaged Obamas efforts to improve U.S.-Cuba relations. Incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told Fox News recently that Trump was very willing to undo the efforts to normalize relations with Cuba unless the U.S. got a better deal for opening up to the communist country.

Rhodes said he hoped that the opportunities for increased commerce and trade with Cuba would play a factor in convincing Trump not to void the new policy.

We would welcome greater U.S. business involvement in Cuba, and the new administration has a number of appointees who have significant business experience, the White House official said. Frankly, the U.S. business community has supported our approach. The Chamber of Commerce has supported our approach.

The agricultural sector also supports improving ties to Cuba. U.S. farmers are selling soybeans, poultry, corn and other commodities to Cuba now, but farm groups believe they couls sell much more if the credit restrictions are removed and the U.S. embargo is fully lifted.

As it is now, Cuba can only buy U.S. agricultural commodities if it pays cash up front and that has restricted trade. U.S. rice exports to Cuba  once a major importer  have fallen to zero.

Learn about the benefits of subscribing to Agri-Pulse. Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription.





The U.S. International Trade Commission said in a report earlier this year that Cuba bought an average of $313 million worth of U.S. farm commodities from 2010 to 2103, but also predicted that removing the credit restriction could more than double those sales. The Senate and the House are both considering legislation to remove the credit restrictions.

I think when you look at it from a business sense, particularly within agriculture, its a no-brainer because we have so many goods and services to sell to Cuba and we know we can get 80 to 90 percent of the market share, Doug Keesling, state support committee chairman of the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba, told Agri-Pulse in an interview.

#30

For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com
When something good comes from something bad
"The ministers of defence and the economy have signed a request of proposal for the delivery of multipurpose jet fighters," the defence ministry announced in an official statement. The four countries will have until March 2017 to submit their proposals.





The defense ministry previously said that it was looking into buying second-hand US-made F-16 fighters from Portugal, new JAS-39 Gipens from Sweden or used Italian Eurofighter Typhoon jets.

A second phase, which would be launched in 2022-2023, will include the purchase of eight more fighters.

In November 2015, Bulgaria signed a contract with a local company to supply the Air Force with four new and six repaired Russian RD-33 engines for its fleet of nine MiG-29 fighter jets.
Budget Law 2017 and OPEC Production Cut Impact- Preliminary Remarks

Ahmad Mousa Jiyad

Iraq/ Development Consultancy and Research, Norway

Dear friends and colleagues,





On 7 December, the Iraqi Parliament passed Budget Law 2017 by a majority voting with 186 attendances, before the House went into a month recess. The passing of the Law was immediately condemned severely by Barzani bloc though it was supported by other Kurdish groups; indicating to a new phase of political reality in the Kurdish region and doubtful compliance of KRG to budget provisions. Some skeptics (among parliamentarians) considered budget debate nothing but early-election rhetoric; others think the draft does not deserve even the "ink it was written by and others question the "integrity and accuracy of some provisions of the law itself. In the meantime, the apparent failure of Iraq during recent OPEC meeting could increase the economic burden of passivism and mentality of secrecy that dominate the Ministry of Oil one side and by making revenue side of 2017 budget highly susceptive to multiple sources of uncertainty; as international oil prices has to be at least $54.73/ b for Iraq to attain a breakeven price of $46.6/b on its oil export revenues to accommodate the impact of oil production cut. Hence, both Iraq (by conceding) and IMF (by imposing) took a gamble by adopting $42/b. Time will tell!



This intervention is based on unofficial text of the Budget Law waiting for the approval of the Law by the President of the Republic and the publication of formal text of the Law on the Official Gazette- Alwaqaee aliraqiya. It covers four items: Revenues, Expenditures and fiscal planned deficit; KRG Budget Share with conditions attached; The Petrodollars Issue; Entitlements for Oil Companies and the Compliance with OPEC Obligations.



I- Revenues, Expenditures and Fiscal Planned Deficit



The Revenue side comprises oil export revenues and non-oil revenues. Non-oil revenues constitute almost 14% of total revenues while oil exports provide the rest.



Oil export revenues were estimated at roughly $57.5 billion based on 3.75 million barrels per day (mbd) on full 365 days and at a price of $42/b (a barrel) using an exchange rate of ID1182 per US dollar (though market rate is consistently higher).



The breakdown of total exports is as follows:



250 thousand barrel per day (kbd) from oil produced by KRG; 300kbd from oil produced by North Oil Company (in Kirkuk) and transported via KRG pipeline to Turkey, (both these are subject to stringent conditions as discussed below), and the remaining 3.2mbd comes from the rest of Iraq; meaning all the inveseged increase of 150kbd in oil exports over those in budget law of 2016 would come from rest of Iraq only despite the claimed increase in oil produced by KRG during 2016.



While Iraq, technically and theoretically, is capable to export much more than budget threshold of 3.75 mbd (as official data for November tells), the realization of that threshold depends, as recent history also tells, depends largely on the KRG behavior and the political relationship between Erbil and Baghdad. If history repeats itself and KRG refuses to deliver, then the rest of Iraq could produce 3.4mbd and the Budget will be relieved from paying KRG the 17% (adjusted for sovereign obligations). But Iraq could breach latest OPEC obligations if KRG continues producing and exporting independently and at will.



The uncertainty on the price side is also significant, and thus both IMF (by imposing) and Iraq (by conceding) took a gamble by adopting $42/b for Iraqi oil export, as discussed in the last part of this paper.



Budget expenditure was estimated at $85.2 billion(which is 5% less than budgeted expenditures in Budget Law 2016 in ID); as expected current expenditures take the bulk of 74.7% while "project expenditures (investment allocation) take the remaining 25.3%, though current expenditures in 2017 is lower by 6.3% their levels in 2016 budget. Projects or investment allocation in 2017 is only 1% lower than what it was in 2016.



The reduction of current expenditures in 2017 indicates to the austerity measures that are highly linked to the decline in oil export revenues and the concluded arrangement with the IMF.



Payment of domestic and external debts began to show its significance and impact when reaching more than $4.7 billion and since they are included under "current expenditures, they constitutes some 7.5% of budget current expenditures.



Planned deficit is $18.3 billion; constituting 21.5 % of budget expenditures. The deficit is to be financed by domestic and external borrowings; indicating further slip into debt-trap unless oil revenues improve and fiscal management enhances. External financing comes from multilateral sources (such as IMF, World Bank; Islamic Bank and the European Union), many sovereign (bi-lateral) sources and few commercial financing (bonds and bills).



II- KRG Budget Share with conditions attached



Though the 17% KRG share of actual expenditures (adjusted by deducting the sovereign obligations) remains as before, the Law has stricter and specific terms compared with previous budgets:



1- KRG commits exporting at least 250Kbd produced from KR oilfields to be marketed exclusively by SOMO; export revenues will be delivered to the Federal Public Treasury;



2- KRG commits transporting at least 300kbd from Kirkuk Province fields to be marketed exclusively by SOMO; export revenues will be delivered the Federal Public Treasury;



3- KRG commits to pay the salaries of its employees before paying any other item in its operating expenditures,



4- Unless KRG fulfil commitments 1, 2 & 3 above the Federal Government will not be abide by stated payments obligations to KRG.



The passing of such conditions with the support of Kurdish parliamentarians (excluding Barzani bloc) reflects a new and impacting political reality in Kurdistan-Iraq and manifestation of growing discontent with the political order dominating the Region.



Moreover, other provisions in the Budget Law impose further restricting conditions; new and old. A new provision gives the federal Supreme Auditing Board-SAB the final say regarding revenues and consolidating accounts in case Kurdistan Auditing Board "do not cooperate on these matters. An old provision compels KRG to deliver to the Federal Public Treasury any revenues generated from oil exports that exceed 550kbd.



Hence, by virtue of this budget Law all revenues from KRG oil exports should be delivered to the federal Ministry of Finance as a condition (or pre-condition) for having its adjusted 17% of actual expenditures. The above provisions affirm SOMOs exclusivity for marketing Iraqi oil including. Time will only tell if KRG comply with such provisions!



III- The Petrodollars Issue



Draft budget law presented by the government proposed (5%) of oil price instead of $5/ barrel as a base for calculating petrodollar allocation for the producing provinces. That was strongly opposed by oil producing provinces spearheaded by Basra, and many heated statements were delivered during the last days until the time of voting. Some of the counter arguments suggest that petrodollars have been paid since many years back but without noticeable infrastructure or service improvement, and thus all such outcry is a form of early-election rhetoric.



Some parliamentarians from the southern oil producing provinces (Basra, Missan, Nassiriya and Wassit) boycotted the voting though after securing some gains; The old $5/barrel remains and the provinces gets treasury bills covering their petrodollar entitlements payable "when fiscal conditions improve conditional also on using these bill for investment purposes exclusively.



IV- Entitlements for Oil Companies and the Compliance with OPEC Obligations



There is a new but strange provision in Budget 2017, different from similar text in the previous budget 2016. The new provision authorizes the Minister of Oil requesting the issue of Treasury bills or bonds of no more than $12bilion to cover the entitlements of national or international oil working in Iraq.



Two specific issues with this provision:



1- Why and what are the dues to Iraqi (national) oil companies that are payable in US Dollars and how come they will be due in 2017 and for the first time in the history of the Ministry of Oil?



2- Since Iraq will adhere to OPEC reduction; its production (including KRG) will be fixed at 4.351mbd (which is much lower than what would be production capacity at year end) for at least during the first half of 2017. Under such condition it is expected that the half yearly work programs and related budgets for all IOCs working will be reduced to bar-minimum just to maintain the production capacity at end year 2016. In that case why budget law maintained the same upper threshold of $12billion?



Furthermore, budget law (the government or the Ministry of Oil) did not address the possible fiscal impacts (positive or negative) of OPEC decision, apart from very general (mostly optimistic) opinion expressed by a couple of government official.



Most business and industry analysts and commentators on post- 30 November outcome would agree that OPEC decision could increase oil price but that depends on many factors.



Leaving geopolitical considerations and the new possible conducts of the new American Precedent aside, among these factors are:



1- the degree of compliance within OPEC itself (which is historically rather poor or discouraging to say the least);



2- how much increase in oil production by the two exempted OPEC members (Libya and Nigeria);



3- the impact of oil production of the "suspended member, Indonesia;



4- how reliable is Russia to cut 300kbd when and how;



5- how committed are other 11 Non-OPEC oil producers in cutting the 300kbd;



6- what would be the reaction of the Shale-oil producers in the US, who "have learned to become resilient to the low-price area by cutting costs and making their operations more efficient, to any price improvement;



7- the prospect of global demand for energy and for oil.



These are serous sources of concerns and could have their impacts on future oil prices. Hence, so far many price ranges start emerging pending more information and indication on the conducts of all involved actors in the coming few weeks.



Goldman Sachs asserts full compliance with quotas by OPEC and non-OPEC could send oil prices above $60/b; Morgan Stanley said crude may trade from $50 to $60 if the group sticks to its commitments, while Wood Mackenzie sees a price of $55 to $60 as long as OPEC is "very careful to meet the terms of the agreement. SOMOs DG does not think oil price in 2017 "will jump past $60 or $65 and US EIA in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook December issue forecasts Brent crude oil prices to average $52/b in 2017and the Iranian Oil Minister thinks oil price will range between $50 and $55 a barrel. It is worth recalling that Russian budget 2017 adopts a $40/barrel, but so far that remains unchanged since Russian Central Bank believes that price threshold remains so on average for next few years.



Sundays 10 December OPEC & Non-OPEC meeting has strengthened the likelihood for price improvement. Non-OPEC production cut will be 558kbd (less than what was declared earlier by 42kbd) and it will not occur fully by 1 January 2017, but gradually towards and during second quarter.



The above indicates to a range of international oil prices between $50 and $60 (or $65 if one considers SOMOs DG; a $15/b or 30% over the lower band); but what matters most for Iraq is the price of its oil exports to its main market destination: East Asia, Europe; and Americas.



Historically, Iraqs oil prices are usually lower than Brent; the average monthly price differential (in favor of Brent) during the first 9 month of 2016 was $8.13/b. If this pattern persists for 2017 Iraq will not reach its budget-price threshold if international oil price is less than $50.13/barrel (excluding production cut impacts as discussed below). Moreover, the situation could be even worse if KRG fail to deliver as envisaged under budget law (which is highly likely as experience tells)!.



Its worth remembering that OPEC decision is about oil production not export and its does not cover the condensates.



Production reduction from 4.776mbd (as officially presented by the Ministry of Oil as per October 2016) to 4.351 (as decided within OPEC) leads to 425kbd. If one assumes that oil production at 31 December 2016 remains at 4.776mbd (though technically and contractually it could be higher) such a reduction will have the following consequences:



1- According to MoO concluded service contracts with IOCs, production curtailment clause could cost the country "curtailment net remuneration fee cost-CNRFC at least $250401 a day in net remuneration fee payment (based on Net Remuneration Fee; natural decline effect on Base Line Production for the six oilfield under bid round one; field-based contribution at end 2016 is, proportionally the same as it was at end 2015; and pari-passu treatment of all producing oilfields, including National Efforts and KRG). Contractually, Iraq could chose "prolongation option instead of cash payment; but this requires careful calculation by the Ministry of Oil. Also Iraq could confines the reduction to oilfield operated by National Efforts, but this option needs even further and serious consideration.



There will be no CNRFC for oilfield operated by National Efforts.



As for KRG the Production Curtailment Cost-PCC (in comparison to CNRFC) could be much higher and substantive since the "penalty of capex recovery postponement of "cost oil and the monetization of IOCs-take in "profit oil under PSC are both complex and could increase proportionally with oil price increases; and thus curtailment cost to KRG could be much crippling (this matter is not included in my calculation due to time constraint).



2- Iraqs lost income caused by such reduction at $40/b (average November price according to SOMOs DG) is $17million per day.



3- The cost of maintaining the "idle capacity of 425kbd, which is not included in the calculation due to time constraint.



4- Therefore, the minimum cost to Iraq, including lost income and CRFC only, during the first half of 2017 is calculated at $3.1billion (mostly in lost income); and to compensate such a burden, Iraqi actual oil export prices has to be $46.6/barrel (i.e., $4.6/b over the price adopted by the budget law and imposed by IMF). And if we consider the above mentioned Brent price differential of $8.13/b, then international oil prices has to be at least $54.73/ b for Iraq to attain a breakeven on its oil export revenues and accommodating the impact of oil production.



I must emphasis that the above calculations are preliminary and based on some assumptions since the Ministry of Oil did not disclose any scenarios or related data and had, in fact, terminated releasing data that used to be posted monthly since at least 2007.



Please share this article among your contacts as widely as possible.



Best regards,



Ahmed Mousa Jiyad,

Iraq/ Development Consultancy & Research,

Norway.

Mou-jiya@online.no

14 Dec 2016
December 12, 2016

BAGHDAD  Iraq's parliament is divided over a proposal designed to unite the country.

Iraq's passage of a law establishing the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) as an official security force threw a wrench into efforts to adopt a national settlement proposal  basically a grand plan to abolish sectarian and ethnic quotas in parliament and "put an end to the monopoly of power by the Shiite parties, as opposed to the marginalization of the Sunni sect." The proposal says it will involve "all segments of Iraqi society and ethnic and religious communities, including women, youth and civil society organizations."

The parliament's Sunni blocs don't think empowering the PMU, an umbrella organization of dozens of predominately Shiite groups, is a good example for ending that monopoly. Since the PMU was formed in 2014, it has been seen by many as a band of outlaw militias accused of human rights violations against Sunni civilians in the areas where it has been fighting the Islamic State (IS).

When the PMU law passed Nov. 26, the Sunni blocs walked out of the parliamentary session as a show of opposition. Now the Sunni blocs have walked away from the national settlement proposal. Saleh al-Mutlaq, the head of the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, called the PMU law the final destruction of the settlement.

Sheikh Khamis al-Khanjar, an influential Sunni leader, also rejected the national settlement proposal after meeting Dec. 6 with Jan Kubis, the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq. Kubis had tried to convince him to participate in the settlement.

The Sunni blocs now have three options. According to Ahmad al-Sulmani, a member of the Sunni Union of Nationalist Forces, the first option is to challenge the PMU law in federal court; the second option is to negotiate amendments. Muqtada al-Sadr, the head of the Shiite national Sadrist movement, has presented proposed amendments to the PMU law to Iraqi President Fuad Masum and parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri.

If both of those options fail, the Sunni blocs would have to resort to completely boycotting the national settlement project, which has been embraced by the largely Shiite Iraqi National Alliance, headed by Ammar al-Hakim.

Sulmani told Al-Monitor, The Sunni blocs in the Iraqi parliament were hoping to find a solution to the PMU and integrate it within the army and police force. However, after the National Alliance insisted on turning the PMU into an institution, we agreed so long as it would be accepted by all parties and passed by consensus.

The most important amendments that the Union of Nationalist Forces wants to make to the PMU law include preventing individuals accused of violating the rights of civilians from being integrated within the PMU institution, leaving the task of controlling areas liberated from IS to the army, not the PMU, and raising the percentage of Sunni fighters in PMU ranks to 40%. PMU spokesman Ahmed al-Asadi said in November that there were some 9,000 Sunni fighters  only 8% of the PMU total force of about 110,000.

Sunni parties refused to receive the draft  from the National Alliance and agreed among themselves not to be part of this settlement as long as [the Shiite parties] do not show good intentions, particularly in amending the PMU law, Sulmani added.

The National Alliance said it aims to involve all parties in the Iraqi national settlement project, to resolve outstanding issues and disagreements and eliminate all political issues for the post-IS phase.

However, not only did passing the PMU law by majority  without the consent of all political parties in parliament  make Sunni parties doubt the seriousness of the settlement, it also raised the ire of Sadrists, who object to the law in its current form.

On Nov. 28, Sadr addressed the three presidencies (the republic, government and parliament), calling for the introduction of reforms in the PMU law.

He noted in a statement that he has urged the three presidencies to integrate the PMU within the official security forces. He added, To avoid all sectarian, political and security issues, I believe it would be best to take into consideration all proposals, especially after the parliament agreed on this integration.

In addition, Sadr stressed in his recommendation the need to keep all those who wish to stir sectarian strife at an arms length, along with those who sold out two-thirds of Iraq. He was referring to former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, under whose management two-thirds of the country was lost to IS.

This Sadrist-Sunni rapprochement will keep the debate over the PMU institution going for quite a while if changes aren't drafted by the president or the federal court. That would mean that Saraya al-Salam (Peace Brigades), the Sadrist movements military wing under the PMU umbrella, would not remain with the PMU. A Sunni division would emerge between parties that do wish to join the PMU and political parties objecting to the PMUs current form. This tense situation also threatens the settlement project.

For his part, Salim Shawki, a member of the Al-Mouwaten bloc, headed by Hakim, told Al-Monitor, The real problem facing the national settlement project does not lie in the PMU law at all; it is rather represented by the large number of parties wishing to be part of this project.

He added, Many parties claim to be representing Sunnis, which is turning into the biggest obstacle for the settlement.  Most parties agreed on the PMU law, and those that objected only want to amend a few of its provisions.

Despite the long discussions conducted before the PMU law was passed, critics said its provisions were too general and lacked details. For instance, the law does not specify the number of fighters who would officially join the PMU, although Asadi had noted there will be 142,000 fighters, including 30,000-40,000 Sunnis.

It would be a first for an Iraqi security institution to be divided according to sects. This is why the law avoided mentioning ratios. However, all concerned parties noted that Sunnis and Shiites will control the liberated areas according to certain percentages, under the command of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

In this context, Abadi noted in a statement approving the PMU law: Under the law, the PMU has come under the direct leadership of the general commander of the armed forces. This law will represent all Iraqi people and defend Iraqis wherever they are. This will not please those seeking chaos who tried to impede the law for a long time.

For the first time ever, Shiite factions will officially be under government administration, and perhaps the state will be able to adjust their activities and follow up on their actions, allowing it to pursue and hold accountable the factions and armed groups that are not affiliated with the PMU.

However, one cannot tell how the prime minister will deal with Saraya al-Salam if they decide not to join the PMU under the law, as well as other Sunni factions such as the National Mobilization, headed by Atheel al-Nujaifi, the former governor of Ninevah province. It remains uncertain how the law would be able to integrate all PMU factions and isolate them from their previous leaderships.

Most importantly, many observers wonder what position the government would take if the PMU decides  either officially or unofficially  to participate in the battles in Syria, especially since Maliki had announced that the PMU would be heading to Syria after liberating Mosul.
December 12, 2016

QAMISHLI, Syria  Ilham Ehmed chose a path quite different from that taken by most Kurdish women in northern Syria. Instead of getting married and staying at home in line with societal norms, Ehmed chose political action  defying the tribal and social restrictions imposed on Kurdish women in the Afrin district of Aleppo governorate  and became a member of the executive committee of the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM).

Since the Syria revolution and civil war, Ehmed has become a prominent figure on the political scene in Rojava, as Kurds call Syrian Kurdistan, seeking to defend Kurdish areas from attacks by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra) and the Islamic State (IS). At the end of 2015, she was elected co-president of the Syrian Democratic Council, which formed after the Syrian National Coalition rejected participation by Kurdish and certain other components.

Al-Monitor met with Ehmed in Qamishli Dec. 1 to discuss the impetus behind the establishment of the Syrian Democratic Council and its objectives.

The text of the interview follows:

Al-Monitor: What was the objective of the Syrian Democratic Council, which was established by TEV-DEM along with some Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian figures, and why was it announced on Dec. 9, 2015, at the same time the Riyadh conference was held by the Syrian opposition in Saudi Arabia, Dec. 18-19, 2015?

Ehmed: After the political process on the Syrian crisis began in early 2013 through negotiations between the international powers and the two most important Syrian parties  the Syrian regime and the Syrian opposition, represented by the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces  many democratic forces, such as Kurds, Arabs and Christians, were excluded. These forces are considered the main internal opposition with a true democratic project, and they carry the solutions for the Syrian crisis. We believed that this process was shortsighted. It is wrong to assume that the coalition represents all Syrian people and their interests.

The coalition includes some secular figures, but the vision [within the coalition] was and still reflects that of the Islamic movement affiliated with the Saudi-Qatari-Turkish axis. Other components are not fairly represented in the coalition, especially since some of these components in the Syrian north have launched a democratic project in their regions and begun to establish self-governance with strong defensive forces. The coalition did not want to include these components in the political structure, and they were mostly rejected during the Riyadh conference after Turkey used its veto authority against a Kurdish presence and the Kurds project to establish a temporary government, given that the negotiating committee in the conference represented Turkey and Saudi Arabias strategic goals. This is why the Syrian Democratic Council was formed as a democratic front representing all Syrian components to pursue a comprehensive solution in Syria.

The inauguration of the Syrian Democratic Council was held simultaneously with the Riyadh conference by coincidence. The Riyadh conference was scheduled to be held earlier, but was postponed, and they happened to be held on the same day.

Al-Monitor: Why did Haytham Manna withdraw from his position as joint president of the Syrian Democratic Council on March 19, 2016?

Ehmed: He resigned from the council for personal reasons. Some said, however, that he resigned in response to the announcement of the federal system in northern Syria on March 19, 2016, although we debated the project before announcing it in Rojava, and he did not object to the federal regime. On the contrary, he supported decentralization and federalism in Syria and the need to change the Bashar al-Assad regimes structure. In return, we respected his position and the decision he made.

Al-Monitor: You have met with a large number of officials in the world but without advertising it. Who did you meet with when you were in the United States? What topics did you discuss? Why are you secretive on this subject?

Ehmed: I have visited Washington many times to develop relations with the US government, and I have met with several political figures, such as advisers to President Barack Obama, special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL [the Islamic State] Brett McGurk, some members of Congress and many others. The main topics we discussed were the developments [in Syria] and how the Syrian Democratic Council can improve its relations with the US government and to what extent we can guarantee the peoples rights as well as develop the democratic project in Syria.

We also discussed the federal regime, and most meetings were in favor of decentralization in Syria. The Syrians are the masters of their own projects, which they will transform into reality themselves, all [the US entities] have to do is support the Syrian peoples demands.

Al-Monitor: Is there an international agreement on the Kurdish situation in Rojava, or Syrian Kurdistan?

Ehmed: The truth is, alliances between the international forces and Kurds on the one hand and the international forces among themselves on the other change from time to time, and the main strategy is generally known to the international parties, whether they are Russian, American or European. Each country has a clear strategy but agreements and balances vary from one period and another.

Some parties have changed their positions. Let us take Turkey as an example. It sometimes enters an alliance with Russia, but chooses to go with NATO at others, according to its interests and developments on the ground in Syria. Some new agreements are made while others dissolve when found pointless.

Meanwhile, the Kurdish parties are relatively in agreement over some parts of Rojava. For example, everyone seems to understand that establishing federalism in Shahba will lead to division, and there is a misconception in this regard. It should be noted that the project we seek to establish is not a divisive one. On the contrary, we want to eliminate division from Syria and unite its people through the federal regime. Our project focuses on decentralization and unites the existing land. The misconceptions and the false advertisement, by the Turkish state in particular, however, has painted the federal regime as a divisive project, because [Turkey] does not want the northern areas to be linked to one another.

Turkey is directly intervening [in Syria] and is currently using its special forces, soldiers, aircrafts and all available gear in northern Syria. It wants to build a base for itself, and its goal is quite obvious. It wants to impose itself as an occupying force and move its internal conflict into Syria. Turkey wants to expand its geographic borders and destroy the forces that fought terrorism, such as the Syrian Democratic Forces. It wants to open a pathway toward Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor to finally reach Mosul. This is how Turkey wishes to expand its borders in order to remain able to support IS.

Al-Monitor: With the Syrian Democratic Council, you have been leading the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) toward the Syrian cities of Jarablus, Manbij and recently toward Raqqa, the capital of IS, since Nov. 4. Why was the SDF formed? Why not enter those areas as a Kurdish force under a different name, such as the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG)?

Ehmed: The name of our forces is not as important as the cause, which is to fight IS. The forces that have proved their worth in fighting IS are the YPG, which have launched the campaign in Raqqa and represent the main forces fighting IS under the SDF umbrella. We do not care much whether or not the campaign is launched under the name of Kurdish or Arab forces, so long as the main focus is the brotherly relationship and the solidarity between the armed groups on the ground.

All groups and factions have a single goal: fighting IS. The majority of these forces were formed by residents of Raqqa, while the YPG and SDF have recently completed training a new group of residents and are currently participating in the battles. It is very important for the residents to liberate their own hometown themselves.

The YPG has previously liberated Manbij and helped its military council take control. Today, all these forces remain in contact and continue to show solidarity whenever an area requires help and support.

Al-Monitor: You liberated Manbij in August 2016 but waited around due to the Turkish intervention in the region. Do you think that Turkey would intervene in the liberation of Raqqa as well?

Ehmed: Turkey would be present to help IS survive. When the groups supported by Turkey enter a certain area, they destabilize its security. For instance, during Turkeys Operation Euphrates Shield in Shahba, civilians were assaulted, massacres were committed and property was confiscated. The Turkey-affiliated groups even fought one another to secure gains.

The Turkish groups do not seek to create peace and security in the areas they control. Jarablus is considered a Turkish-controlled area given [Turkeys] symbols, flags and banners in the streets, and its educational system imposed on Syrians there, in addition to using Turkish currency. If the US and the US-led coalition forces allow Turkish groups to enter Raqqa, they would be making a huge mistake. IS is considered part of the groups that participated in the Operation Euphrates Shield; even if they change their appearance, they share the same ideology and doctrine. An example of these groups is Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki, which slaughtered children for allegedly dealing with the Syrian regime. This is why such groups have no place in Raqqa.

Al-Monitor: After the liberation of Raqqa, how will the SDF be deployed? Will they remain in Raqqa or move to another city?

Ehmed: The city will be protected by its people. The Kurdish and Arab groups living in the city will protect it themselves. However, the option to move to another city is not currently on the table.

Al-Monitor: Does the Syrian Democratic Council have political power, albeit symbolic, in liberated Arab cities, such as Manbij and Raqqas northern countryside, among others?

Ehmed: Some figures were elected members of the Syrian Democratic Council [during the Dec. 9, 2015, conference], but as members of the political committee, not as parties. Some are in Manbij, Arfin, Hama, Shahba, Jalba and other areas.
December 14, 2016

Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the Syrian regime and what he called various groups  an oblique reference to Shiite militias  today of seeking to derail a cease-fire in Aleppo Turkey brokered between Russia and opposition rebels. The country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to take up the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Cavusoglu said he had already discussed the hitches with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov yesterday and that he would be contacting Irans foreign minister as well.

He didnt elaborate.

Cavusoglus comments followed reports that regime forces were blocking the evacuation agreed under the arrangement of tens of thousands of civilians from Aleppo.

Pro-government daily Yeni Safak chronicled today how Turkeys national spy agency, MIT, played a lead role in securing the truce during three weeks of intense bargaining with Russia and Iran. Among other things, the deal calls for 80,000 civilians and 4,000 rebels to be evacuated from areas previously held by the rebels to opposition-controlled Idlib province.

It remains unclear whether the evacuees are to remain in Idlib or be transferred via Turkey to another rebel stronghold, Azaz, which lies across the Turkish border. These and other details were still being worked out between Ankara and Moscow, Yeni Safak reported.

In a related development, Turkeys Economy Minister Mehmet Simsek announced that Turkey was setting up a camp for the Aleppo refugees. The worlds largest refugee-hosting country is to set up a tent city to accommodate up to 80,000 refugees fleeing Aleppo, Simsek tweeted.

He did not specify where the camp would be located, though it is unlikely to be inside Turkey, which is already home to nearly 3 million Syrian refugees.

Azaz serves as a logistical hub for the rebels and now for Turkish special forces taking part in Operation Euphrates Shield. Turkey launched the campaign in August simultaneously against the Islamic State and the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG). It would not be surprising if the Aleppo rebels were moved to Azaz to join in Euphrates Shield operations.

Turkeys deployment of opposition rebels in its own battles against the YPG may have accelerated their defeat by Russian-backed regime forces in Aleppo. French war reporter Regis le Sommier suggested as much in a recent interview with France 24: Turkeys military intervention [known as Operation Euphrates Shield], which was carried out with the approval of Moscow, saw Turkish military officials requesting the support of Syrian rebels. The [real] purpose of Ankara's intervention was to prevent the Kurds from joining their two enclaves, Afrin and Kobani, into a contiguous zone.

Le Sommier added, "But Turkeys mobilizing of Syrian rebels who originally fought in Aleppo  moderates and Islamists such as the Noureddine al-Zinki Brigade  helped weaken the rebellion in Aleppo and thus facilitated the advance of the Syrian army.

Turkeys Islamist government has managed so far to keep the lid on public sentiment over what critics label as selling out the Syrian opposition by spinning its role in the cease-fire as a big success. It also allowed thousands of pro-rebel demonstrators to let off steam in front of the Russian and Iranian consulates in Istanbul yesterday.

Also yesterday, in what was widely seen as a further effort to placate them, veteran Syrian reporter Husni Mahalli was detained, adding to Turkeys ballooning population of journalists behind bars.

Mahalli, who wrote a column for the pro-secular daily Yurt, was openly sympathetic to the Assad regime and aired his pleasure over its impending victory over the rebels in Aleppo in a series of tweets. The messages prompted a flurry of vitriol from pro-government outlets, with the pro-government A Haber news channel leading the charge.

Low-life, traitor! This man is insulting us, respond to this! prime time news anchor Erkan Tan screeched after reading out some of Mahallis tweets to viewers. Mahalli was hauled off to jail soon after.
December 13, 2016

Turkeys policy aimed at preventing Syrian Kurds from gaining a swath of territory along the Turkish-Syrian border has totally trumped its desire to see the end of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Developments show that Turkey at this point is even enabling Assads drive to regain control of Syria.

The Turkish drive to capture the Islamic State (IS) stronghold of al-Bab, only 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Turkish border, also aims at curbing Kurdish aspirations. Gaining control of this town has become a matter of prestige for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been arguing for weeks that it is on the verge of being taken.

The problem for Turkey, however, is that it is not just Kurds attached to the People's Protection Units (YPG)  which Ankara views as a terrorist group linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)  who are racing to take al-Bab.

The Syrian regime also wants the town to consolidate its imminent victory in Aleppo. Al-Bab is a gateway to Aleppo, which also leaves Moscow concerned that it could provide a supply line for anti-regime fighters.

Reports have appeared in the Turkish media claiming that the Syrian army and the YPG are collaborating to enter the town before the Turkish-supported Free Syrian Army (FSA).

But following assurances by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim regarding Turkeys intentions in Syria, given during his visit to Moscow last week, there are indications that Ankara has obtained a conditional green light from Russia to move on al-Bab.

There are also signs indicating that the town may be close to falling to the Turkish-supported FSA. The Russian Sputnik agency claimed Dec. 9 that some FSA elements had already entered the town and were engaged in street fighting.

Fielding questions from the Turkish press while in Moscow, Yildirim acknowledged that there were Russian concerns regarding the aims of Operation Euphrates Shield, Turkeys code name for its military operation in northern Syria.

There is a perception that our activities with regard to al-Bab also cover Aleppo. Our president has said that is not the case, but [the Russian side] brought this subject up again, Yildirim said.

Yildirim said Turkey was only concerned with the humanitarian situation in Aleppo, and he went on to indicate Turkish officials wanted Russia to use its influence over the regime for aid to reach the city. He carefully avoided any mention, however, of the fact that Russia is supporting the regimes operation in Aleppo.

Yildirim said Ankaras only aim in Syria was to prevent IS and the YPG from endangering Turkeys security. Our drive southward is limited to al-Bab. They [the Russians] want to know that we have no plans beyond that. We do not have any such plans, Yildirim said.

He said Moscow would also try to ensure that the Syrian regime will not interfere with Turkeys plans. Tellingly, Turkish-supported FSA operations against al-Bab gathered steam since a potential crisis between Ankara and Moscow due to a remark by Erdogan was averted.

Erdogan caused discomfort in Moscow after he suggested recently that the aim of Operation Euphrates Shield was to topple Assad. He corrected himself later after Moscow demanded an explanation and following a spate of phone conversations he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Retracting his remark, Erdogan announced publicly that Turkey was not in Syria to target any person or country but merely to fight terrorism.

Prior to Erdogans controversial remark, Turkeys onslaught against al-Bab had already come to a near standstill following an air attack against its forces near the town Nov. 24 that killed four Turkish soldiers. Russia denied involvement of its forces or regime forces.

The attack, which came on the first anniversary to the day of the downing of a Russian fighter jet by Turkey, was nevertheless taken by many as a barely concealed message to Ankara to stop its drive on al-Bab until it clarified its intentions.

Getting the Assad regime to regain control over Aleppo is clearly a strategic target for Russia, which does not want intervention of any sort by Turkey that might endanger this.

Leonid Ivashov, the president of the Moscow-based Academy for Geopolitical Issues, was quoted recently saying that the taking of this city was a matter of geopolitics, indicating that Russia and Syria are radically altering the global balance of power.

A new multipolar, fairer and safer world is coming into being there, according to Ivashov.

Erdogans various statements show that Ankara would also welcome a world in which Russia plays a major role that counterbalances the West, with which Turkey increasingly has tense relations.

Meanwhile, Turkeys promise to Russia not to move beyond al-Bab also eases Assads hand as he moves to consolidate his hold over Aleppo. Pro-government analysts in Ankara agree with this, albeit in a circuitous manner.

Burhanettin Duran, who heads the Ankara-based Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETAV), a think tank funded by the government, argues that Euphrates Shield has reached the limit beyond which it will face resistance from Russia and the United States.

The Assad regime is continuing to get stronger in the field. It plans to cross a threshold with the fall of Aleppo. It will grab the opportunity to regain all of the major cities in the country, Duran argued. Duran also predicts that the Syrian opposition will sit at the peace table now from a much weaker position.

Can Acun, who is another SETAV analyst, says opposition forces in other parts of Syria will also be gradually eliminated after the fall of Aleppo. He said he believes there is no possibility of rolling back the tide in Aleppo and argues that the focus now will shift to the political arena. He said Turkeys efforts should concentrate henceforth on alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo and other parts of the country.

All of this is a far cry from what Ankara set out to achieve at the beginning of the Syrian crisis, when it openly declared its desire to see Assad toppled and replaced by a Sunni-led administration friendly to Turkey. Instead, it landed in a mess fraught with contradictions and threats it never factored in at the start.

Returning to the theme of preventing Kurdish aspirations, retired Maj. Gen. Armagan Kuloglu believes it is vital at this stage for Turkey to cooperate with Russia and Iran to ensure Syrias territorial integrity. He believes this is the only way Kurdish aspirations in Syria can be prevented and the road to Greater Kurdistan blocked.

It is not clear, however, if the ultimate settlement arrived at for Syria, which will also aim to secure Syrias territorial integrity, will be agreeable to Turkey, given Russian support for the idea that the Kurds must also have a voice in that country.

Turkey and its proxies may be poised to capture al-Bab with Russian permission, but Ankaras troubles in Syria appear set to continue long after that and include the question of how to deal with Assad after he reconsolidates his power.
December 14, 2016

The Istanbul bombing that took 44 lives, 36 of them policemen, and wounded more than 155 triggered unprecedented outrage in the country. The bloodshed of innocent, defenseless people, among them a 19-year-old medical school freshman, touched the hearts of ordinary Turks.

A day later, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) claimed responsibility for the attack. TAK is believed to be an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and the growing public outrage turned against the Kurds. Taking full advantage, the Turkish regime increased its grip on the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP). Hundreds of party members and others were arrested in a nationwide crackdown on Kurdish and pro-Kurdish activists.

At the time of this writing, some 600 people had been detained and more arrests are expected. Two more lawmakers were added to the 10 HDP lawmakers already behind bars. The partys co-chairs are in prison, as well. Last week, during a conference in Brussels, I met prominent HDP parliamentarian Osman Baydemir, who is also the former mayor of Diyarbakir. He told me that they expect another wave of arrests in the second half of December, and that he probably will be among those arrested. He voiced his gloomy prediction at the rostrum of the European Parliament, but he also added that his party will never give in. His defiance won a standing ovation in the hall of the European Parliament.

However, the crackdown came a bit earlier than he predicted. He could not foresee a deadly terrorist attack in Istanbul perpetrated by Kurdish suicide bombers. The HDP, especially Selahattin Demirtas from his prison cell, took the lead in condemning the attack in strongest terms. But it was not enough to dispel the outrage fueled by the government.

Given the speed and breadth of the clampdown on Kurdish and pro-Kurdish activists, it looks like the PKK  and the wider Kurdish issue  are back in the government's focus for the first time since the July 15 coup attempt.

Surprisingly, since the moment of the blast that shook not only Istanbul but the conscience of many Turks, there has been nearly no official reference to Fethullah Gulen or the Gulenists. Right after the attack, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus emphasized that Turkey is fighting a list of different terrorist groups, naming them as the PKK, the Gulenists and the Islamic State (IS). President Recep Tayyip Erdogan never forgets to add the Democratic Union Party and the People's Protection Units, the Syrian Kurdish allies of the Western-supported anti-IS coalition in Syria.

With the anti-Kurdish frenzy dominating Turkey in the wake of the bombing, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu was quick to promise vengeance. In todays Turkey, it is not unusual for people occupying ministerial posts to speak with such ferocity. During a joint press conference with his Czech counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the European Parliament of tolerance toward the PKK. He even accused parliamentarians of sympathizing with the PKK.

There are parliamentarians and some groups at the European Parliament that sympathize with the PKK, support the PKK. Why? You are defending the same ideology. Damn your ideology, he said.

Meanwhile, one of Erdogan's chief advisers, well-known former journalist Ilnur Cevik, said the PKK smuggles the weapons provided to Syrian Kurds by the United States into Turkey. Cevik suggested Turkey should attack the PKK bases in Kobani and Afrin in northern Syria.

For the Turkish street, there is no difference between the TAK, PKK, HDP and the Kurds. Thus, outrage over the Istanbul bombing quickly became a nationalist, anti-Kurdish frenzy, and from there it has taken an anti-Western, particularly anti-EU turn. The pro-government dailies are filled with analyses along those lines. Ibrahim Karagul, the editor-in-chief of pro-government daily Yeni Safak, was blunt in the headline of his daily column: US and Europe, take your hands off terror!

One other pro-government columnist evaluated the Istanbul bombing as a card of Western diplomacy toward Turkey.

As Marc Pierini, a former EU ambassador to Ankara, rightly observed, Turkeys leaders are heading toward a clear-cut divorce from the European Union, due to current domestic political trends in the country, citing "the unstable domestic environment in Turkey and Ankaras proclivity to denounce so-called enemies everywhere to ramp up nationalist feelings."

Not only the leaders but the Turkish public in general appear to be on track to lose all rationality. The Istanbul bombing accelerated this dangerous trend further. Yet there is another danger of which few are aware: With the post-coup purges at an unprecedented level, Turkey's apparent security and intelligence shortcomings make it almost impossible to emerge victorious from its multi-front war against the alleged Gulenist networks within the state and society, against IS outside Turkeys borders, against Turkey's Kurdish population and various Kurdish organizations in the broader region, and against the institutions of the European Union and above all the European Parliament.

This will prove to be an unwinnable war. With the apparent downhill trend that began to manifest itself in a once healthy and robust economy, Turkeys population is getting more nervous. With an already-weakened security and intelligence apparatus, how can Turkey confront terrorist attacks and how can it win against enemies everywhere?

How can Turkey become a secure, stable and prospering country once again? This is the big question increasingly demoralized Turks are asking themselves.
December 14, 2016

On the night of Dec. 10, Istanbul was hit hard by a double suicide attack. First, a car bomb rammed into a bus carrying riot police who had just finished work at the Besiktas stadium, in the heart of the city. Then, a minute later, a suicide bomber marched toward the scene, apparently to kill the people who would come to help the victims of the first attack. Police spotted the second attacker, and he detonated his explosives prematurely. Still, 44 people lost their lives. Many of them were police officers, others were just bystanders.

The government soon said the attackers were members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the separatist group fighting Turkey for Kurdish autonomy since 1984. A little later, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) claimed the attack, but this did not make much of a difference. In Turkey, the TAK is known as the offshoot of the PKK, created to claim responsibility for radical acts of violence with which the PKK does not want to be associated.

Naturally, the attack led to a wave of anger against the PKK across Turkey. The PKK, however, was not the only target of the fury. The United States and the European Union (EU) also received blame. When crowds gathered at the crime scene to commemorate the martyrs, they also protested against the EU. When a delegation of consuls general in Istanbul, headed by American and European diplomats, visited ground zero to lay flowers in honor of the victims, some in the crowd gathered yelled, The murderers are here.

The pro-government media was more fierce. Yeni Safak ran the headline, Heinous Attack in Besiktas Is Claimed by PKK, the Subcontractor of Europe and America. Aksam, another mouthpiece of the same political ilk, went with the headline, Whose Dogs Are You? a rhetorical question aimed at the PKK and pointing to Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament. Some Twitter trolls even pointed fingers at Western journalists in Turkey, accusing them of having advance knowledge of the attack, without any logic other than mindless hate. The controversial mayor of Ankara, Melih Gokcek, even claimed that the BBC had been prepared for the attack.

Why are so many Turks, especially government supporters, expressing such anger not just at the PKK, but the Western world as well?

The first reason is Turkeys penchant for conspiracy theories, which in recent years has become a key component of official ideology. Accordingly, the PKK and other terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State, target Turkey not because they have ideologically driven ambitions of their own, but because they are subcontractors of a conspiratorial Western cabal. This evil force wants to halt the rise of President Tayyip Erdogans glorious New Turkey at all costs. That is why the nation has so many troubles.

Viewing the PKK as part of a Western plot to create a puppet Kurdish state in the Middle East is nothing new. Previous Turkish governments and ruling elites have believed the same, which is easier than asking how Turkey might have wronged its Kurdish citizens. The resurgence of conspiracy theories under Erdogan during the past three years, however, is unprecedented in scale and ferocity. The theories may be laughable to Western observers and cosmopolitan Turks, but millions of other Turks actually believe them and thus have developed grudges against the alleged conspirators.

The second reason for the anger at the West does not involve political paranoia, but rather mistakes made by the West. It stems from the sympathy the PKK and its affiliates have lately found in the West, a sentiment many Turks see as confirming the basis of their distrust.

This sympathy is mainly a product of the Syrian civil war, and the rise of the Islamic State, on which Western attention has focused in the past three years. Western politicians and media are heard to repeatedly praise the Kurds as the most heroic fighters against the Islamic State, without always differentiating which Kurds they mean. In Iraq, they are represented by the Kurdistan Regional Government, led by President Massoud Barzani, with which Turkey has no problem and, in fact, has good relations. In Syria, however, the Kurds means the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which shares the same narrative and ideology developed by PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Thus, when Turks read in the newspaper that the United States is arming the military wing of the PYD, the People's Protection Units, or see an exhibit at the European Parliament in Brussels seeming to glorify PYD fighters, they get angry. They may be mistaken in taking Western support for the PYD as also being support for the PKK, but it is an easy mistake to make. Moreover, the weapons that the United States provides the PYD seem to end up in the hands of the PKK, making Turkeys fury understandable.

Adding to the problem, the PKK sometimes receives praise in Western media for being a progressive movement that brought gender equality to Kurdish society. Well, the Marxist PKKs progressivism on that front resembles that of Stalin and Mao: Women are indeed liberated from tradition and empowered against the traditional yoke of men, but only to become apparatchiks of a totalitarian movement, not free individuals. These women include PKK, or TAK, suicide bombers, such as 24-year-old Seher Cagla Demir, who blew herself up in March, killing 37 people in downtown Ankara.

In short, while the conspiracy theories spun in Turkey are preposterous, Western leniency toward the PKK for being feminist or anti-jihadist makes these theories seem more credible. To break this vicious cycle, and also to be true to their own principles of opposing terrorism, Western political and opinion leaders should take a clearer stance against the PKK.
AJIN.PNG

Ajin USA's plant in Chambers County.

(Ajin USA)

The U.S. Department of Labor is issuing fines totaling more than $2.5 million against a Chambers County auto parts supplier and two staffing agencies after an east Alabama woman was crushed to death earlier this year two weeks before her wedding.

According to a Department of Labor news release, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a total of 27 citations against Ajin USA of Cusseta, and two staffing agencies - Alliance Total Solutions and Joynus Staffing Corp. - for safety violations.

Regina Elsea

The fines come in response to the June 18 death of Regina Allen Elsea, 20, a Five Points woman who the agency says was crushed to death in a robotic machine.

According to investigators, Elsea, along with three coworkers, entered a robotic station to clear a sensor after the assembly line stopped. The robot then unexpectedly restarted, crushing her to death inside the machine.

Elsea was transported to East Alabama Medical Center. She was later flown to UAB Hospital where she died of her injuries.

Ajin USA makes parts for Hyundai and Kia. There are about 700 workers employed there. Alliance and Joynus, with offices in Opelika, provide about 250 temporary workers to Ajin USA, the department stated.

In a statement, Ajin USA said the company will "continue to cooperate and work with OSHA throughout the investigation." Ajin said it cooperated with OSHA's investigation, provided full access to the plant and all employees for interviews, and copies of all documents, drawings and photos requested. The company also conducted an internal investigation.

"We at Ajin remain deeply saddened over the tragic accident that took the life of one of our valued teammates," the statement said. "Our deepest sympathy and prayers are with her family and loved ones during this most difficult time. Team members are members of our own Ajin family and team safety has always been our guiding principle."

Attempts to contact Alliance Total Solutions and Joynus for comment were not immediately successful.

Elsea was hired through Alliance Total Solutions.

David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, said the "senseless tragedy" could have been prevented by following safety precautions.

Among the citations to Ajin USA were:

"Failing to utilize energy control procedures to prevent machinery from starting up during maintenance and servicing."

"Exposing workers to caught-in, struck-by and crushing hazards by allowing them to enter a robotic cell without shutting down and securing hazardous stored energy according to safety procedures."

"Failing to provide safety locks to isolation hazardous energy."

"Exposing employees to crushing and amputation hazards due to improper machine guarding."

The companies have 15 business days to contest the findings.

Elsea, at the time of her death, was remembered as a quiet woman who opened up to friends, loved spaghetti and her dog "Cow." In her obituary, her family called attention to her impending wedding.

"After years of searching, she had finally met the love of her life, and future husband, Joshua Daniel," it stated. "Regina's life though cut much too short had made a great impression on everyone. Her love and devotions to family and friends, her beautiful angelic face with her glowing smile will forever be implanted in the hearts of all who knew her."
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Crews were out at first light Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, to search for the missing victim in the crash of an SUV at Leesburg Landing in Cherokee County.

(William Thornton / wthornton@al.com)

Cherokee County authorities have released the names of four people killed Tuesday night when an SUV plunged into Weiss Lake in Leesburg, while crews continued the search for one victim still missing.

Cherokee County Coroner Jeremy Deaton said the victims were:

Robert Hardin, Christy Hardin, Dale Steven Keener and Cheryl Hobson, who died of drowning following the accident that happened before 7 p.m. Deaton said the ages of the victims ranged from 40s to 20s.

Workers have not yet recovered Bobby Shore, a man in his 40s.

Cheryl Hobson, who lived in Cherokee County, was apparently the mother of Christy Hardin. Robert Hardin was the driver of the vehicle.

Deaton said the other victims were apparently residents of Jefferson County, with some from Mount Olive. Authorities are still gathering information but believe the group was in the area to visit Hobson at the time of the incident.

Two women survived the incident, both being carried to a Gadsden hospital. One was treated and released last night, Deaton said.

Investigators are still working to determine just why the incident happened.

Authorities received a 911 call at 6:53 p.m. from Leesburg Landing, a boat ramp at the end of a road extending from U.S. 411 adjacent to a campground. A camper heard a woman screaming, who was one of the occupants of the vehicle.

The cause of the incident is still under investigation, Deaton said, but the vehicle, a 2009 Saturn Outlook, hit the water as the nearby Weiss Lake Power House had one generating turbine running. The resulting churning of the water may have carried the vehicle out further into the water. The powerhouse was shut down shortly after.

Crews located the vehicle in approximately 18 feet of water and pulled it out around 11 p.m. The search was suspended around 1 a.m. today and resumed at first light.

The search Tuesday was hampered by current, light rain and some fog, as well as cold temperatures. Crews commenced a grid search of the water in hopes of locating the missing man.

"This is extremely difficult, since these were people with families with young children," Deaton said. "Thankfully no children were involved in this accident."
Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore has appealed his suspension from office to a special Supreme Court appointed to hear that appeal.

Liberty Counsel filed an appeal brief on Moore's behalf on Tuesday night.

Today was the deadline to file it.

In September, the Alabama Court of the Judiciary suspended Moore without pay for the remainder of his term, finding that he violated judicial ethics.

The main issue was an administrative order Moore wrote to probate judges in January telling them they still had a duty to enforce Alabama's ban on same-sex marriages.

The administrative order came about six months after the U.S. Supreme Court had legalized gay marriage nationwide in June 2015.

Moore has said his order was to advise judges on the status of an Alabama Supreme Court ruling from March 2015 upholding the state's ban on same-sex marriage and to clear up confusion.

But the Court of the Judiciary said it did not find that argument credible, finding that Moore sought to have probate judges defy the U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

In the appeal filed Tuesday night, Moore requested oral arguments before the special court of seven retired judges.

The special court was appointed because the Alabama Supreme Court voted to recuse.

Moore's appeal says that the Court of the Judiciary exceeded its authority in suspending Moore for the remainder of his term, effectively removing him from office even though it did not have the unanimous vote of its nine members required to formally remove him from office. Moore's term ends in January 2019.

If Moore's suspension stands, it would expand the power of the Court of the Judiciary to punish judges, the appeal says.

"The enormity of the COJ's gross excess of authority has profound implications for the judicial independence of every appellate, circuit, district and probate judge in the state," the appeal says.

Southern Poverty Law Center President Richard Cohen said the facts in the case "are crystal clear."

The SPLC filed a complaint with the Judicial Inquiry Commission that led to Moore's conviction by the Court of the Judiciary.

"As Alabama chief justice, Roy Moore made a decision to advocate for his personal religious beliefs rather than fulfill his oath to uphold the United States Constitution," Cohen said in a statement released by the SPLC. "He told the state's 68 probate judges to violate a federal court order. In our opinion, the Court of the Judiciary got it right and was well within its authority to suspend Moore from the bench."

Moore's appeal recounts the history of litigation on same-sex marriage that led to his suspension.

In January 2015, U.S. District Judge Callie Granade ruled Alabama's laws banning same-sex marriage were unconstitutional. Probate judges in some Alabama counties began issuing licenses to gay couples.

In March 2015, the Alabama Supreme Court, in response to a request from the Alabama Policy Institute and the Alabama Citizens' Action Program, ordered a halt to the issuance of same-sex marriage licenses.

Moore abstained from voting on that order, saying he did not want an appearance of impropriety because he had been an outspoken opponent of gay marriage.

In May 2015, Granade ruled that her order striking down Alabama's gay marriage ban applied to all 68 probate judges. Granade put her order on hold until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the issue of gay marriage.

That happened June 26, 2015, when the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Obergefell v. Hodges that states had to allow gay marriage and recognize gay marriages entered in other states.

Three days later, the Alabama Supreme Court ordered the parties in the Alabama Policy Institute case to submit briefs on the effect of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling by July 6.

Moore's Jan. 6 administrative order to the probate judges came six months after that July 6 deadline.

Moore advised the probate judges that the Alabama Supreme Court was still deliberating the effects of the Obergefell ruling on the Alabama Policy Institute case.

Moore wrote that he was "not at liberty to provide any guidance" on the effect of the Obergefell case on the Alabama Supreme Court's orders.

But he concluded the administrative order by stating that the Alabama Supreme Court's orders upholding the gay marriage ban "remain in full force and effect."

The Court of the Judiciary removed Moore from office in 2003 after he refused to follow a federal judge's order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state judicial building.

Moore was elected chief justice again in 2012.

Updated at 7:33 a.m. on Dec. 15 to add statement from SPLC President Richard Cohen.

Roy Moore Appeal of His Suspension by Mike Cason on Scribd
Brian Copes Picture 2 copy.jpg

Brian Copes along with his students from Thompson High School in Alabaster are pictured here with Honduran residents trying out their new all-terrain vehicle.

Brian Copes

Alabaster City Schools engineering teacher Brian Copes, named one of People magazine's teachers of the year in 2012, is on the shortlist for a prestigious global prize.

Copes, who teaches at Thompson High School, is one of five teachers from the United States in the Top 50 shortlist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2017. The winner receives $1 million.

According to the Varkey Foundation, the award, now in its third year, was set up to recognize one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession.

"I am kind of in disbelief," Copes said, of making the shortlist. "I am not sure how to act."

He said being honored with teacher of the year was "pretty wild." He said he can't imagine the possibility of being honored on a world stage.

"I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around it," Copes said.

If he wins the prize, which will be announced in March, Copes said he plans to use the money to continue developing sister schools in rural Honduras. This includes building schools, donating computers and other technology and setting up Skype communications between schools in Alabama and Honduras.

"I think we are going to see a tremendous impact in the economies in the communities where we have sister schools," he said. "In turn, our students are learning how to work in a 21st century (global) workforce."

Copes said started teaching engineering to help inspire students who needed encouragement. He utilizes project-based learning, by teaching important science, technology, engineering and math skills by working on projects that could help others in less developed countries.

Last summer, Copes took a group of students to set up the first of three sister schools in Jutiapa, Honduras. His students refurbished old computers discarded by Alabaster City Schools and brought them to students in rural Honduras.

Nearly 10 years ago, Copes said he began having his engineering students, first at Chelsea Middle School, and then later at Calera High School build all-terrain vehicles using ordinary hand tools that could be used by people in Central America. The students designed vehicles that utilized industrial-strength metal water pipes as the frame.

Copes' students also began constructing less-expensive prosthetic limbs including legs and hands using automobile and bicycle parts.

About four years ago, Copes and his students began delivering these vehicles and prosthetics to people in Honduras.

Copes' students have also worked in the University of Alabama Engineering Department, where they helped build cryogenic freezers used on the International Space Station.

Copes received the 2015 Presidential Volunteer Service Award, and was named 2014 Environmental Teacher of the Year, along with many other awards over the years.

The other U.S. teachers on the shortlist are: Alhassan Susso, from the International Community High School in the Bronx; Corey Mitchell from Northwest School of the Arts, Charlotte, N.C.; Erin Gruwell from Long Beach, a teacher at the Freedom Writers Foundation and Bay Path University; and Estella Owoimaha-Church from Hawthorne High School, Los Angeles.

The Varkey Foundation received more than 20,000 nominations and applications from 179 counties for the prize. The Top 50 shortlist has representatives from 37 countries.

Copes said he was nominated by the Southern Regional Education Board.

The final 10 candidates will be announced in February and will be invited to Dubai for the award ceremony at the Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) in March where the winner will be announced live. For more information, click here.
Ensley Building

A 10-story building 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)

Proposed public safety municipal complex in Ensley. (City of Birmingham)

A Jefferson County judge will let the city of Birmingham go forward with a proposed plan to renovate the historic Ramsay McCormack building in Ensley as part of a $40 million public safety complex.

Judge Michael Graffeo's new order, filed on Dec. 8, allows the city to proceed with Birmingham Mayor William Bell's proposed plan to renovate the 10-story, 87-year-old Ramsay McCormack building for municipal court.

The mayor's plan also calls for a new Birmingham Police Department and Birmingham Fire & Rescue Service headquarters to be constructed adjacent to the art deco tower in downtown Ensley. A parking garage, green space and mixed-use residential and commercial development are also proposed.

"We are excited to continue moving this project forward," April Odom, spokesperson for the mayor's office, said in response to the judge's order.

According to the judge's new order, the city must commence with the renovation by Feb. 10, 2017. This means by that date the city must have, at least, announced a request for bids on the project.

Graffeo, on Dec. 1, ordered the city to start the demolition of the Ramsay McCormack building by Feb. 10, 2017.

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.

After hearing of the mayor's plan for the Ramsay McCormack building, the plaintiffs, however, changed their mind. Their attorney, Antonio Spurling, as well as the city of Birmingham, on Dec. 2 filed a joint motion asking the judge to reconsider the demolition order.

A hearing to discuss the matter was initially set for Dec. 14, but was moved up to a Dec. 8 teleconference after the parties involved requested an expedited hearing.

Despite the judge's order, the mayor's plan is far from a done deal. The Birmingham City Council must approve the plan as well as the funding.

At the time of Bell's public announcement on Nov. 30, City Council President Johnathan Austin said the council hadn't been notified of the public safety complex plan.

Austin nor City Council President Pro Tem immediately returned messages from AL.com seeking comment for this article.

The Ramsay McCormack building was completed in 1929 and served as a business center for doctors, dentists and other professionals in the once-thriving district.

The city of Birmingham purchased the building for $1 in 1983, following the end of major industrial and commercial bustle in the area. It has stood empty since 1986.
Hearings for adoptive parents of a 14-year-old boy hospitalized after he was found to have been kept "isolated" in the basement of his Helena home for much of two years were postponed today until January.

The delay came after the couple claimed that their $1 million bond is "excessive and illegal," and are asking the amount to be reduced.

Attorneys for Richard and Cynthia Kelly, charged with aggravated child abuse have remained behind bars since their Nov. 14 arrests, filed an emergency motion for expedited hearing to reduce bond, according to court records. Shelby County District Judge Daniel Crowson granted the motion, and was to hold a hearing Wednesday morning.

However, at the request of the attorneys who had filed for the hearing, the hearing was postponed. Though prosecutors said they were ready to proceed, the defense attorneys said in court that since testimony was going to be required for their bond reduction request, they would rather delay those hearings to be combined with the couple's preliminary hearings.

Crowson had hundreds of cases on today's docket, so the case against the Kellys will be held some time in January.

A shackled Cynthia Kelly sat quietly by herself in the courtroom, separated from the other inmates for the nearly two hours she was in the room. Her husband, also handcuffed at the hands and feet, was kept outside of the courtroom for all but about 15 minutes. Neither responded to questions from reporters once they left the courtroom and the building.

Barry Alvis, who is defending Cynthia Kelly, said in court filings his client is charged with a Class B felony, which carries a recommended bond range of $5,000 to $30,000. He notes that Cynthia Kelly does not have any prior felony or misdemeanor arrests, or any type of criminal history. "This is not a capital crime; therefore, the defendant has the right to bail,'' Alvis wrote. He quoted the Eighth Amendment, writing, "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

Richard Kelly's attorney, Jarred Welborn, also asked for an expedited bond reduction hearing. Both suspects were scheduled to have preliminary hearings this week: Cynthia Kelly, 47, on Wednesday, and Richard Kelly, 56, on Thursday. Richard Kelly's preliminary hearing, however, has now been scheduled for Jan. 4. Previous efforts to reach both attorneys have been unsuccessful.

The plight of the young teen came to light the weekend of Nov. 12 when the boy was taken to Children's of Alabama. Helena Police Chief Pete Folmar said the boy, weighing only 55 pounds, was kept in "forced isolation" and was described by doctors as severely and chronically malnourished, dehydrated, suffering from acute respiratory distress, shock, hypothermia, hypothyroid and close to death.

His adoptive parents two days later were charged with aggravated child abuse and have remained behind bars in Shelby County since their arrests. According to the arrest warrants for the parents, the couple is accused of denying food, nourishment and medical care to the boy, who was "subjected to forced isolation for extended period of time." Authorities have said that "isolation" was disciplinary in nature. There were no signs, however, the boy was handcuffed, chained or restrained.

Neither Richard nor Cynthia Kelly, who have lived in Helena for about 20 years, show any previous criminal record in Alabama. Richard Kelly worked in the computer technology field but had been unemployed for several weeks at the time of his arrest. Cynthia Kelly was a stay-at-home mother who home-schooled her adopted children.

The teen's biological brother, 18-year-old Eddie Carter, spoke extensively with AL.com. Now living in Arizona, Carter says he suffered the same neglect, abuse and despair at the hands of Richard and Cynthia Kelly. He said he was kept in the basement for weeks and months at a time.

"You're down there and nobody knows you're down there except the people in the house,'' said Carter in extensive interviews with AL.com. "It's up to those people to make sure everything's going to be all right and it's not all right and you're kinda lost. You sit in the corner and weigh out what means the most. It was horrible. Horrific.

"It gets to that point where you're like an animal,'' Carter said. "You feel like an animal."

Carter recently returned to Birmingham to try to visit his brother, who remains hospitalized but is recovering. His brother wasn't ready to see him or any other family, but Carter vows to be there for him if and when he's ready.

"We'll be all right, and I don't have to worry about anybody ever hurting my brother again,'' Carter said. "I just want to make sure everything I'm doing in Arizona and that I have lined up is beneficial not only for me but for him too. If I could talk to him, I'd let him know my place is always open to him. I'm his family."
Editor's note: Updated information released Wednesday morning can be found here.

A man was shot in the head during a home invasion in Morgan County on Tuesday, Priceville police said.

Chief Billy Peebles said the shooting occurred at a home off Bethel Road in Priceville near Highway 67. The male victim has been taken to Huntsville Hospital.

Morgan County 911 Director Ryan Welty said the call came in at around 3:08 p.m.

"A woman said a man broke in her backdoor and her boyfriend shot him," Welty said.

Priceville police and volunteer fire responded to the scene along with Somerville police and the Morgan County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Ana Franklin said Jefferey Terry, 38, was arrested for first-degree assault. He was booked into Morgan County Jail on a $60,000 bond.
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Ian Calhoun died in 2014. His mother, Chelsea Fike, and her boyfriend, Evan Berryman, have been charged in the killing.

(Courtesy of Amanda Smith)

An Alabama mother is charged with murder and abuse in the 2014 death of her son and alleged abuse of her young daughter.

Chelsea Fike, 26, of Moulton, is charged with two counts of murder and three counts of aggravated child abuse, according to the Lawrence County District Attorney's Office. Fike was indicted on the charges last week by a grand jury and turned herself into authorities on Tuesday, DA Errek Jett said.

Fike is charged in connection with the death of 2-year-old Ian Calhoun. Fike's former boyfriend, 29-year-old Evan Berryman, of Town Creek, was arrested in March and charged with capital murder in the killing.

Berryman wasn't charged until nearly two years after the child's August 2014 death. Shortly after Berryman was arrested, Fike was charged with hindering the prosecution of the capital murder case.

The case was probed by the State Bureau of Investigations.

Although only one death occurred, Fike is charged with two counts of murder because they are alternate counts, meaning a jury could return a guilty verdict on one count, even if the other count is not proven, Jett said.

One count is known as reckless murder, and the other is referred to as felony murder.

To get a conviction on the first count, the state would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Fike showed "extreme indifference to human life" by "recklessly" engaging in conduct that created a grave risk of death of another person, according to Alabama law.

To prove the second count, prosecutors would have to show Fike committed another felony that's "clearly dangerous to human life," and that it resulted in Calhoun's death, Jett said. That felony is the child abuse, Jett said.

The cause of death was blunt force trauma of the head, torso and lower and upper extremities, according to an autopsy report completed by the Alabama Department of Forensics and obtained by The Decatur Daily.

The report, which lists the manner of death as homicide, names several injuries the child received, including cuts on his face, scalp, left ear, chest, abdomen, back and genitals, The Daily reported.

Two of Fike's child abuse charges are related to Calhoun's injuries, Jett said.

The other count is for abuse suffered by Fike's 5-year-old daughter.

The daughter, whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy, lives with her father, Todd Smith, and stepmother, Amanda Smith, in Hatton. They've had full custody since December. Todd Smith is not Calhoun's father.

"It's bittersweet because there are no winners," Amanda Smith said of getting justice for Ian's death. "It's just a sad, sad situation. Ian is gone and he won't come back. But our little girl is safe, and that's the only thing we can do from here."

As a condition of Fike's bond on the hindering prosecution charge, she was allowed only supervised visits with the little girl. But, on the new charges, she's prohibited from having any contact with her daughter.

"We are thankful for that," Smith said.

Court dates haven't been set in the cases against defendants.

Berryman, who faces life without parole or the death penalty if convicted, is held without bail in the Lawrence County Jail.

Fike, who faces up to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole, has been released on $190,000 bail.

Further details in the case weren't immediately available. Court documents associated with the new charges have not yet been made public, though they are expected to be released later this week.

AL.com reporter Jonece Starr Dunigan also contributed to this story.
rolling hills elementary

Rolling Hills Elementary (Courtesy of Huntsville City Schools)

Multiple Rolling Hills Elementary School teachers have come forward claiming they have been attacked by students.

"More than a handful" of teachers approached the Alabama Education Association, said AEA's Huntsville Uniserv director Adam Keller, after they felt school administration did not adequately or appropriately handle the situations. In some cases, he said, the attacks on teachers resulted in injuries requiring medical treatment.

After receiving no response from school and district administration to requests for meetings, Keller sent a five-page letter last week to Huntsville City Schools, detailing specific concerns and suggestions for resolving problems with discipline and violence at the school.

The letter stated that some faculty and staff at Rolling Hills fear retaliation from administration if they file too many discipline referrals or voice their concerns about how discipline is handled. Teachers reported large class sizes and insufficient resources and staffing, and that student violence and disruptions have led to a deterioration in the learning environment.

The incidents at Rolling Hills are not indicative of a district-wide problem with student violence, Keller said, noting instead that he's never seen "anything quite like this."

"You get occasional legitimate grievances everywhere, but teachers being sent to the hospital? Questions about how seriously (administrators) are taking it? That seems to be fairly unique," he said.

Back in October, Keller said he began hearing of multiple instances of student violence directed at teachers at Rolling Hills, both last school year and this year.

On Oct. 21, he asked Rolling Hills Principal Denine Matthews for a meeting, but did not hear back. Three days later, during a previously-scheduled meeting with Interim Superintendent Tom Drake, Keller said he told Drake about the teachers' concerns and that he hadn't heard from the principal. He also filed an open records request with the school district for all incident reports of student assaults and on-the-job injury reports.

On Nov. 8, he hand-delivered a letter to Drake's office, giving more detail about the teachers' reports of violence from students. After again receiving no response, Keller filed the five-page letter with Huntsville City Schools.

Keller met today with the Rolling Hills principal and the district's director of elementary instruction, Dr. Cathy Vasile, to address concerns about student-on-teacher violence. He called the meeting "productive" and said he left feeling hopeful.

"They assured me they are taking these concerns seriously and they're taking measures to address them, which includes some of the solutions we (AEA) had proposed," said Keller.

He said they didn't give specifics on the kind of discipline the schools use to address students who attack teachers, but they told him they follow the guidelines in the district's Behavioral Learning Guides, which outline disciplinary consequences for infractions.

AL.com has contacted Huntsville City Schools for comment.

"We were all in agreement there needs to be an open dialogue and frank meetings to work on solutions and move on from there," said Keller. "I hope to see the district working on their communication with stakeholders. Frankly, had the superintendent's office responded in any way, it's possible we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."
Hundreds of Walgreens stores could be sold to Kroger and Fred's Pharmacy as part of a deal to shed properties and clear the way for the drug store chain's acquisition of Rite-Aid.

The deal involves as many as 1,000 Walgreens and Rite Aid stores that operator Walgreens Boots Alliance must divest in order to win regulatory approval for its planned $9.4 billion acquisition of the smaller drug store chain.

Operating more than 8,137 U.S. stores, Walgreens is the nation's largest drug store chain. Rite aid has about 4,500 locations and rival CVS has around 9,600 stores.

The Cincinnati Business Journal reported Kroger is in line to purchase some stores, with discount pharmacy chain Fred's acquiring a "substantial" number of locations. Two private-equity firms are likely to buy some stores as well.

The deal could move Kroger, which operates 2,795 locations in 36 states, into the northeastern part of the country while increasing the number of smaller stores it operates. Kroger also operates 2,200 in-store pharmacies.

Talks of Fred's purchase of the stores emerged when management said they were discussing a "pending transaction" in the coming quarter. Officials with Fred's did not elaborate on any transactions but CEO Mike Bloom said "acquisition and partnership activity will play an integral role to accelerate our growth strategy," in the coming year.

Fred's operates 650 stores, mostly in the southeast.

The Walgreens/Rite Aid deal is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
The owner of dating and extramarital affair site Ashley Madison has agreed to a $1.6 million settlement over a 2015 hack that exposed personal information on millions of users.

The Federal Trade Commission announced the settlement with Toronto-based AshleyMadison.com Wednesday. It settles charges that the website - known for its slogan "Life is short. Have an affair" - deceived consumers and failed to protect profile information for 36 million user accounts.

AshleyMadison.com was hacked by a group calling itself Impact Team in July 2015 and users' names, addresses, credit card information and more was soon posted online. While the company was quick to say there was no proof the leaked was accurate - and there were several cases where users obviously employed fake names - the fallout was massive.

"The global settlement requires AshleyMadison.com to implement a range of more robust data security practices that will better-protect its users' personal information from criminal hackers going forward," FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez said.

Ramirez said the data breach was among the largest ever investigated by the regulator.

Tens of thousands of of government and military email addresses showed up on the list of Ashley Madison users, as did the name of the mayor in the Alabama town of Hartselle. Mayor Don Hall later resigned over over the incident.

Site used bogus female profiles, didn't protect data

In the suit, the FTC, along with 13 states and the District of Columbia, alleged the site lured customers with fake profile of women designed to convert them into paid members who could chat and send virtual gifts within the site. It also alleged the site's operators retained information on users even if they had paid $19 for what was advertised as a "full delete" of all their personal data.

Users were guaranteed their personal information was private and securely protected, however, the FTC said the security of Ashley Madison was lax. Operators had no written information security policy, no reasonable access control and did not adequately train its personnel, the FTC said. As a result, Ashley Madison didn't detect the hack for more than a year.

Ruby Corp., the new name of Ashley Madison operator Avid Life, neither admitted nor denied the allegations.

"Today is a pivotal day for our members and for Ashley Madison," said Rob Segal, newly appointed CEO of ruby. "Today's settlement closes an important chapter on the company's past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity and to building a new future for our members, our team and our company."

The website currently claims more than 50 million members.

Ashley Madison also agreed to institute a comprehensive security program and pay fines to the FTC and 13 states - Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Vermont - and District of Columbia.
Michael Sentance 121016.jpg

Alabama state superintendent speaks at the Alabama Association of School Boards conference on December 9, 2016.

Federal officials are looking into Alabama's high school graduation rates, that we know for sure.

But there's a lot that we don't yet know.

What is the purpose of the investigation?

The U.S. Department of Education is checking to see if the state properly monitors local school districts' reporting of graduation rates.

According to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General's FY2017 work plan, they are here to determine whether the Alabama State Department of Education has "implemented systems of internal control over calculating and reporting graduation rates that are sufficient to ensure that reported graduation rates accurate and reliable."

Further, the state department is supposed to have systems in place to make sure those district-reported rates are accurate and reliable.

What is at stake? Why is this important?

If OIG finds wrongdoing by the state department of education, Alabama state superintendent Michael Sentance said federal funds, up to $8 million, could be at risk.

Any sanction would involve money used to fund state department activities, not funding for local school districts.

Alabama spent $932 million in federal education funding in FY2015 (from October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2015). That amount includes all types of K-12 funding, including special education and the school lunch program and funding for state department activities.

More than funding, Sentance said it is important for the Alabama diploma to have integrity and "to know that when [the department makes] a report to people, that it is real, serious, and grounded in reality."

When did the investigation start?

Sentance said the department was notified in March of this year that the OIG would be "auditing Alabama's graduation rates." He was not aware of the investigation when he took the position of state superintendent in August. He was told of the investigation on his second day on the job and met with OIG officials the following Monday for an initial look at what they found.

Why was Alabama chosen for the OIG investigation?

No one has said why. However, Alabama's high school graduation rate rose 17 percentage points from 72 percent in 2011 to 89 percent in 2015, a larger increase than any other state.

Alabama's 2015 rate of 89 percent is the third highest in the nation.

What did the OIG do when they got to Alabama?

Sentance said OIG officials did an audit of the state department and visited "several" school districts. Sentance confirmed Birmingham City Schools were one of the districts, and AL.com independently confirmed Mobile County Schools were also visited. AL.com also confirmed a total of three districts were visited, but the name of the third district has not been released.

Why did the OIG focus on Birmingham and Mobile and a third unnamed district in their review?

Though neither OIG nor state department officials have said why those were chosen, an AL.com review of prior OIG audits that involved a state department's capacity to properly oversee local school districts found the OIG made selections based on both the reason for the review and on the size of the district.

In other words, there may have been something that caught OIG's attention about graduation rates in Birmingham and Mobile, and then the size of the districts 24,000 and 55,000 students respectively, might be what drew OIG to those districts.

Again, we don't know exactly why three districts were chosen, but the OIG has used that sampling methodology in other audits.

When will we know for sure what OIG found?

Sentance told board members he didn't know. Federal officials told Sentance the report could be issued state by state (OIG is looking at California and one other state) or they might wait and issue one report as a group. Sentance said it could be tomorrow or it could be as late as a year from now.

What will OIG do with the audit results?

Sentance said OIG will give the report to the Secretary of Education. If evidence of criminal wrongdoing is found, which Sentance didn't believe has happened, the Department of Justice would be contacted.

Additionally, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education will receive the report and could sanction the department if needed. That's when federal funds could be withheld.

What did state education officials say was found in the review?

Sentance said two problems were found:

(1) Students on the Alabama occupational diploma track (designed for students with significant disabilities) should not have been counted as graduates. Sentance said state education officials were informed in 2012 that those students should have been counted as completers.

(2) The state department was not properly overseeing the awarding of credits in local school districts to ensure graduation rates were accurate.

Sentance later said officials in Birmingham City schools were "deficient" in their record-keeping, but "no significant concerns" were found in Mobile County schools.

How many students received diplomas that shouldn't have?

We don't know.

As far as the occupational diploma goes, Sentance said that is a "very very slight issue." Students on the occupational diploma track began to be counted as regular graduates in 2013. Alabama's graduation rate rose five percentage points, from 75 percent to 80 percent from 2012 to 2013.

The bigger issue, Sentance said, is the state department ensuring districts were handing out diplomas to students who may not have earned them.

Sentance told board members it is "hard to estimate how broad an issue it is. I would like to think that it is not a broad issue," but, "there are school districts in this state that have not followed this and there's no doubt about that. The OIG found it and subsequent reviews by our staff have found it."

At the work session, Sentance told board members:

"[The OIG] found, as they went through this, because they also went to several school districts, that students were being awarded diplomas without actually having earned the credits for that diploma. And further, that we were not, that our reviews, were not at least getting down to the level of granularity that we were either discovering this or we were glossing over it. I'm not sure which the case is at the moment. In any event, we weren't doing our work that we should be doing to try to make sure that the diplomas were, in fact, earned diplomas."

What is the real Alabama graduation rate?

We don't know.

Sentance said, "The only number I am certain of is that 70% of our graduates have earned one of the six college and career readiness indicators. I think that's a number you can rely on. We have verifiable proof they have earned what they have."

Here are those six indicators:

Benchmark score on any section of the ACT college entrance test Qualifying score on an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam Approved transcripted college or postsecondary credit while in high school. Benchmark level on the ACT WorkKeys test Accepted for enlistment into the military Approved career tech industry credential

Will Alabama's graduation rate be re-calculated after the audit is completed?

No. Sentance said he did not expect the rate to be re-calculated.

Is the review of graduation rates over?

The OIG has completed their part of the investigation. However, Sentance said the state department is continuing its own investigation into the accurate reporting of graduation rates. Department staff are doing desk audits, looking through school districts' reported data, to make sure a student's credit is verified. If it isn't, that will trigger a field review.

What will be done in schools where rates were misreported?

Sentance said he can't say if all of the schools will be known. If the department finds a school that has misreported its data, they will either fix it themselves or tell the school to fix it.

If schools continue to misreport data, Sentance said he will take action, adding, "It is a professional responsibility to file an honest and true report to the department and there will be professional consequences for that."

What effect did dropping the graduation exam have on graduation rates?

The state board of education voted to drop the high school graduation exam requirement in 2013, effective for the class of 2014. Alabama's graduation rate jumped 6 percentage points from 80 percent in 2013 to 86 percent in 2014.

What years were under OIG review?

The graduation rate for the class of 2014 was the one reviewed by the OIG.

Is it possible that school officials purposefully manipulated graduation rates?

No one has presented any evidence anyone purposefully manipulated graduation rates. Sentance said only that students were given diplomas without properly earning credit. He told board members, "The OIG found it and our staff found it in subsequent reviews."

State board of education members appeared to blame former superintendents Tommy Bice and Joe Morton for this. Why?

Bice was state superintendent when three changes were made: counting students on the occupational diploma track as graduates, collapsing all diploma options into one diploma with multiple pathways to earn the diploma, and removing the high school exit exam as a requirement for graduation.

Two state board members, Betty Peters and Stephanie Bell, asked questions about what role "credit recovery" may have played in improper awarding of credit. That topic was not explored at the board meeting, though Montgomery County schools were found to have problems properly administering credit recovery programs in 2012.

Credit recovery allows students who failed a course, but earned at least a 40 in a course (on a scale of 100) to re-take only those portions of the course they struggled with and show proficiency on those courses. Here's the state department's guidance (in a PowerPoint presentation) on credit recovery. The state board of education voted to allow local districts to use credit recovery in May 2008.

Credit recovery, in its current form, was implemented under Morton's leadership. Board member Stephanie Bell said the department is currently auditing aspects of credit recovery.

Have any changes been made at the state department as a result of the OIG audit?

Sentance said internal protocols have been reviewed and personnel are being re-trained in appropriate monitoring procedures. When asked if anyone at the department had been fired as a result of the review, Sentance said the review is still ongoing.

In addition to the review, Sentance said he is creating an office of internal audit/quality control within the department.

He said he and his new chief of staff, former Madison Superintendent Dee Fowler spoke with Jim Williams, the former director of the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, "to clarify the lines of authority and the lines of responsibility in the department so that people will know that they are in fact accountable for certain things." Here is the current organizational chart for the state department.

Asked if any personnel have been fired, Sentance said the review is ongoing.

So is the state department really the one under investigation?

In a word, yes.

That was the purpose of the OIG audit, to ensure the state department could do its job monitoring the local school districts' reporting of graduation rates.

Sentance told board members, "The responsibility for this lies within this department. We need to take ownership of that, we need to fix it and move forward and get things done in a way that people can have confidence in."

If you have something you want to share with OIG about the investigation, here's how.

AL.com has received a number of emails and messages from people who have information to share about the investigation. The OIG offers the opportunity to anonymously share information.

Here's the notice from the OIG fraud prevention web site:

To report fraud, waste, abuse, misuse or mismanagement of U.S. Department of Education (ED) program funds (this could include complaints concerning employees, fund recipients, educational institutions, contractors, collection agencies, or lending institutions), please use the online Hotline Complaint Form.

If you prefer, you may contact the Inspector General's Hotline by:

Inspector General's Hotline

Office of Inspector General

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue,S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20202-1500

Fax: (202) 245-7047

Your report may be made anonymously or in confidence. No classified information should be submitted to the Hotline. If your complaint involves classified information, please submit your contact information to the Hotline (via phone or complaint form) and request that you be contacted to make separate arrangements so we can receive your complaint.

For more information, visit the OIG's Fraud Hotline web site.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich vetoed a bill that would have banned abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected but signed a separate measure outlawing the procedure in the state after 20 weeks.

In a statement from his office, Kasich said he vetoed the amendment - commonly known as the "Heartbeat Bill" - due to similar measures being struck down in other states.

"Legislation enacted in two other states has twice been declared unconstitutional by federal judges, and the Supreme Court declined to review those decisions. Because the federal courts are bound to follow the Supreme Court's rulings on abortion, (the fetal heartbeat amendment) will be struck down," he said.

The fetal heartbeat requirement would be challenged in court, the governor added, and Ohio would lose the lawsuit.

"As the losing party, the state of Ohio will be forced to pay hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to cover the legal fees for the pro-choice activists' lawyers. Furthermore, such a defeat invites additional challenges to Ohio's strong legal protections for unborn life. Therefore, this veto is in the public interest," said Kasich, a Republican.

The vetoed provision would have prohibited most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, something that can occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The prohibition would apply to all pregnancies, even those resulting from incest or rape. The Republican-majority legislature passed the measure last week.

Courts have previously rejected similar measures in North Dakota and Arkansas.

Ohio becomes the 19th state to ban abortions after 20 weeks, joining Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Laws banning abortions after 20 weeks have been blocked by courts in three states: Arizona, Georgia and Idaho.
There are many factors that make a city a good place to live, things like a healthy job market, good schools, excellent quality of life.

Some cities have managed to combine all those things and one of them is in Alabama.

24/7 Wall Street reviewed data on 550 U.S. cities with populations of 65,000 or more to determine the most livable places in America. The ranking was based on a range of variables, including crime rates, employment growth, access to restaurants and attractions, education attainment and housing affordability.

Only one Alabama city - Hoover - made the list, coming in at number 43. Hoover earned its spot thanks to its low jobless rate; high average household income ($72,728); and strong average home value ($262,000). The cost of living in Alabama is lower than in most states, meaning the high incomes in Hoover goes further, 24/7 Wall Street pointed out.

The title of most livable place in America went to Meridian, Idaho. Located just outside the capital city of Boise, Meridian is safe, has low unemployment and a healthy economy, all resulting in a population growth of 28 percent over the last four years, a rate four times the nationwide population growth of 6.5 percent.

Welcome to Wednesday's Wake Up Call. Let's see what's going on:

Judge orders small newspaper to stop reporting story

A judge has ordered a small newspaper in New Jersey to stop publishing articles about a child custody case.

Superior Court Judge Craig Corson issued a temporary injunction order against the 30,000-circulation newspaper over its reporting of a case involving a 5-year-old who allegedly brought drugs to school multiple times. The reporter in the case said he received documents with information about the case from the parents of the boy in question. Prosecutors claim the reported stole the documents and the reporting could jeopardize sensitive information related to the case.

The newspaper is vowing to fight the order.

Preacher is Grinch to kids waiting to see Santa

An Alaskan street preacher is probably on the naughty list after his antics at a Texas mall.

David Grisham told children waiting in line at the Westgate Mall that there was no Santa. The 56-year-old went on to preach loudly at the parents and children waiting to see St. Nick and told the adults they should quit lying to the children.

Grisham's outburst didn't sit well with parents, some of whom surrounded him as he continued to address the children. The preacher opted to walk away though mall security said if he was apprehended his behavior could have qualified as disorderly conduct.

19-year-old with knife, fireworks arrested at Trump Tower

A 19-year old man was arrested at Trump Tower Monday night after Secret Service found in possession of a knife, handcuffs, a firecracker and a water pistol.

Alexander Wang, a student at Baruch College, also has a garrote when he was arrested. He did not get past security at Trump Tower, where the president-elect lives and often works. Wang faces two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and several other charges.

IBM hiring 25,000

IBM said the company plans to hire 25,000 new employees, an announcement that comes just a day before a scheduled meeting with President-elect Donald Trump.

CEO Ginni Rometty announced the new jobs will come over the span of four years, starting with 6,000 hired in 2017. The company is also planning on spending $1 billion on training and developing IBM employees in the U.S.

Rometty is among several tech executives who will be meeting with the Trump on Wednesday.

Until tomorrow.
Concerns that not all of the unions will agree to ratify their labor agreements have caused rail shippers and other transportation industry stakeholders to push President Joe Biden to act.
When state Rep. Oliver Robinson abruptly resigned from the Alabama Legislature last month, something about his departure seemed ... odd. Public officials don't typically go through all the trouble of raising money, glad-handing with voters, and all the other hurdles between private life and public office -- just to give it up.

Odd, it was.

Robinson said in a press release then that he wanted to clear the way for his daughter to take a job in Gov. Robert Bentley's administration as a liaison to the Alabama House.

"With the responsibilities to ascertain all votes on the House floor, we can easily see in this highly-ethical and conflict-of-interest environment where I could cause her problems in her job," Robinson wrote. "This is why I am retiring now to give my child every opportunity to succeed."

An 18-year career in politics was over -- poof -- like that.

Maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe he was just that considerate of his child's opportunities. But if Robinson's explanation didn't satisfy political observers and Goat Hill gossips, here's one more thing to set them a twittering again.

About a week before Robinson announced his resignation from the Alabama House, he amended three years of disclosures to the Alabama Ethics Commission, records on file there show.

As I've written about before, public official's disclosures to the Ethics Commission -- called "statements of economic interest" -- are woefully sparse in details, especially when it comes to consulting contracts those officials might have with special interest groups. Public officials must disclose the names of their primary employers, but when it comes to contracts, they must indicate only how many contracts they have among a list of categories and a range of how much those contracts are worth.

Previously, Robinson's filings disclosed five consulting contracts, including one with a gas company, one governmental agency, one life insurance company, one bank and one "miscellaneous." Of those, the bank contract was the largest, worth somewhere between $100,000 and $150,000.

As you can see, if you're trying to ascertain Robinson's potential conflicts of interest, the form leaves a lot to be desired. Until he resigned, Robinson served on the Alabama House Financial Services Committee which handles legislation that affects banks and other lenders. A proud, and sometimes blatant, advocate for the payday and title lending industries, Robinson accepted thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from those interests.

But that's legal.

Accepting contracts from a principal -- a company or individual who employs a lobbyist -- is prohibited by Alabama ethics laws. Earlier this year, a jury in Lee County convicted Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard on ethics charges, including accepting a thing of value (in his case, consulting contracts) from companies and individuals who were also principals.

Robinson isn't alone among lawmakers with conspicuous consulting contracts. State Sen. Jabo Waggoner reported 11 such contracts, paying him somewhere between $175,000 and $300,000 a year. When asked, Waggoner did not say who was paying him.

Ultimately, though, without knowing who is on the other end of the contracts, it's impossible to know whether a lawmaker has conflicts of interest or illegal contracts with principals.

What's worse, there aren't serious consequences for filing incomplete disclosures with the Ethics Commission. When the Commission becomes aware that a disclosure is incomplete or inaccurate, it notifies the public official, who then has 10 days to amend the report. If the official doesn't amend the report, the Commission can impose a fine of $10 per day, up to a maximum of $1,000.

Not exactly a thorny stick.

So it was all the more strange that Robinson amended his on the way out the door. The updated disclosure shows a second "miscellaneous" consulting contract worth $25,000 to $50,000.

If there's a plausible explanation, Robinson isn't saying. Both this week and immediately after his resignation last month, he did not respond to voicemails left on his cell phone.
A quick take on some of the key questions about what next for Syrias war.

Aleppo is now under full control of the Syrian army and its allied forces. Syrians will live and fight the conflict in different ways for many generations to come. However, the battle over Aleppo will certainly be considered a major turning point in the trajectory of the crisis that began almost six years ago.

Although the only certainty in this moment is uncertainty, Samer Abboud, an associate professor of international studies at the University of Arcadia and author of Syria, gives a quick take on what recent events and the re-establishment of Syrian government control over Aleppo will mean for Syrians moving forward.

Is this the end of the war?

Many regime apologists have taken to declaring the recapture of Aleppo as the end of the Syrian war. Others have suggested that this may not be the end, but that it is indeed the beginning of the end.

We should avoid such absolutisms today, which are driven more by political will than they are by any serious consideration of what destruction and suffering the conflict has engendered.

Assuming this is the end of the war suggests not only that fighting will stop, but that the regime has the ability to control all of Syria, assert itself throughout its cities and countryside, control all of the aligned militias, and engage in a process of reconstruction.

This is simply not the case. Fighting continues to persist throughout the country and even in areas ostensibly under regime control, violence and insecurity remain parts of the daily lives of Syrians.

What are the prospects for a political solution?

The regime and its allies, principally Russia and Iran, have shown no interest whatsoever in a multilateral peace process to end the conflict. This was certainly the case when there was a more consolidated military stalemate and it will certainly be the case moving forward, as the regime claims control over formerly rebel-held territories.

Multilateralism and international involvement in Syrias future is extremely unlikely, now more so than ever.

Instead, the regime and its allies have relied on local truces and agreements as mechanisms of reconciliation and dialogue, even though they are anything but and serve merely as a facade.

These agreements focus more on the movement of fighters and civilians outside besieged areas and carry with them no consideration of politics or reconciliation. We are in a situation in which the politics of peace will be imposed and not negotiated.

The events in Aleppo have emboldened the regime and its allies and proven the utility of the military solution adopted so many years ago.

This is a short-sighted and destructive view, no doubt, and is one in which a serious commitment to a political solution cannot possibly emerge.

Will violence decrease?

The large-scale violence inflicted on Aleppo is unlikely to subside in the immediate future and will, instead, simply shift to other areas.

First, pockets of armed rebels still exist in the citys environs and they are unlikely to cease attacks against civilian and military targets, despite their depleted capacities.

This is certainly the case in Hama and Homs, where violence persists in the countryside. Second, larger pockets of rebel-held territory in Idlib, Raqqa, Eastern Ghouta, and the Hama countryside, still exist and are likely to be targeted soon by regime-aligned military forces.

With the success of Aleppo and the intoxication of victory among the regime and its allies still fresh, it is unlikely that any scenario other than sustained violence awaits these areas and their civilian populations.

Third, the recapture of Palmyra by ISIL forces during the attacks in Aleppo ensures that the international community will maintain its indifference and tacit support  declarations of humanitarianism notwithstanding  of the Russian-led intervention.

The persistence of armed groups and sustained aerial bombardment simply means that the violence will be repackaged in Syria and continue in different forms.

Syrians will neither be spared the large-scale horrors of Aleppo or the sieges of their villages and towns.

Who has power in Syria?

The regime has not only had to rely on Russian aerial support but the on-the-ground support of thousands of militias drawn from all walks of Syrian life and from throughout the region.

These militias are not cohesive or under any central command, let alone decidedly loyal to what is left of the regime. Popular representations of the regime-aligned militias suggest that their fight is ideological and political, but this betrays the other motivations, such as economic ones, that drive their violence.

They are far outside any central control and have often operated independently of any command.

As the regime-aligned forces exert their control over larger swaths of territory and these militias are responsible for this control, warlords will continue to emerge and inter-militia fighting is likely to increase.

Meanwhile, the Syrian regime and its supporters will be emboldened by the events in Aleppo and try to use this as a moment to assert their political and military will throughout Syria.

The presence of so many militias and varied regional interests may be the breeding grounds for conflict, rather than cooperation.

Did Assad win the war?

Despite its significance in the trajectory of the conflict, the control of Aleppo by regime-aligned forces will neither bring about an end to the violence.

Not only does the celebration of the recapture as a victory signal moral and political ineptitude and bankruptcy, but it also ignores that the conditions for continued violence and insecurity  which are multiple  will persist throughout the country.

There is thus no serious way in which we can declare victory for one side or another after Aleppo unless we define victory as wins and losses on the battlefield.

Surely, nobody can claim victory in a context of such intense human suffering and proliferation of horrific violence that has undermined and exposed the rottenness of the Syrian regime as well as the rebels they were fighting against.

Yet, those celebrating the outcome of Aleppo as such are mired in a binary understanding of the conflict as one between regime supporters and oppositionists.

The reality is much more complex than that.

While the military situation suggests that the regime-aligned forces have the upper hand, this has come at tremendous cost not only to human life and physical infrastructure, but to even the possibility and feasibility of a viable political entity that has members of this regime at the top.

We are thus faced with the proverbial victory of the battle at the expense of the larger war. The Syrian regime may indeed rid large parts of the country of rebels, as they did in Aleppo, but at what expense?

This was achieved through excessive reliance on regional supporters, the destruction of the country, the tearing of its social fabric, and a long-term generational crisis of unparalleled trauma. Nobody can claim victory after all of this.
The signing of a bilateral agreement between the European Union and Cuba is seen as the first step toward normalizing political and economic relations with the Caribbean island nation.



The European Union has signed a first-ever bilateral trade agreement with Cuba, according to a statement from the EU delegation to Cuba.

The EU-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PCDA) is seen as a historic step in normalizing diplomatic and economic relations with the Caribbean island nation. The signing made official a preliminary agreement between the two in March, negotiations for which began back in April 2014.

The PDCA, which still requires ratification by the European Parliament, includes three main chapters on political dialogue, cooperation and sector policy dialogue, focusing on modernizing the Cuban economy, promoting trade, fostering sustainable development, democracy and human rights, and finding common solutions to global challenges.

The aim of the PDCA is to create a more predictable and transparent atmosphere for economic operators and increase their economic capacity to produce, trade and create jobs, but it does not establish a free trade area between the parties or cover investment protection, according to the EU.

We are truly at a turning point in the relations between the EU and Cuba, Federica Mogherini, the high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, said of the agreement. Together, we are moving towards a closer and more constructive partnership, one that reflects strong historic, economic and cultural ties that unite Europe and Cuba.

The EU is Cubas second-largest trading partner after Venezuela and accounts for about one-third of its tourists, according to the EU, but relations have long been strained due to Cubas record of human rights abuses.

The European Union and Cuba established diplomatic relations in 1988, followed by the opening of an EU representation office in Havana in 2003, which then became the official EU delegation to Cuba in 2008.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Mogherini on Monday noted recent protectionist sentiments espoused by President-elect Donald Trump, but said the new administrations choices wouldnt impact the EUs relationship with Cuba.

President Barack Obama in early 2015 began the process of reopening ties with the Communist country after more than 60 years of Cold War-era economic sanctions and trade embargoes, which have also made it more difficult for EU companies to do business there.

The U.S. government in March announced several regulatory changes to make it easier for Americans to travel to and engage in trade with Cuba following an agreement to establish embassies in their respective capitals in July 2015. Those changes came on the heels of an agreement to reestablish scheduled air service between the two nations with up to 110 non-stop flights on a daily basis.

The developments in Washington that will come as of the end of January onwards will not affect in any way the relations between the European Union and Cuba, she said. We are friends, we are partners. We want to work together and we will work together. The impact of this on others, its not for me to judge.
In the Philippines, the war on drugs by President Rodrigo Duterte has led to nearly 6,000 deaths, including an estimated 2,051 killed during police operations.

Along with these, the number of inmates in prisons, in police detention cells or being held in rehabilitation centres is also on the rise.

The space inside prisons is not adequate to receive such an influx of people and has led to severe overcrowding. Individual cells now hold up to twice or even three times their capacity, forcing prisoners to sleep virtually piled up on one another.

At police stations, those suspected of drug-related crimes are crammed into a few square metres for long periods, awaiting trial.

There are 40 public and private rehabilitation centres in the Philippines. Since the early days of Dutertes crackdown on drugs, the centres have also been mired in congestion. Some people, fearing they will fall victim to police raids or vigilante groups, have decided to go into rehab.

The Bicutan rehabilitation centre in Manila is now accommodating up to 30 new patients a day  double its capacity.

Despite higher costs, the flow of patients has also increased in private clinics.

In another clinic, the Bulacan Drug Rehabilitation Foundation, the number of patients has almost doubled in only a few months.

On Tuesday, December 13, Duterte announced the release of $20m for the medication of those who are undergoing drug rehabilitation.

I hope one billion (pesos or $20m) will go a long way to treat you this Christmas, Duterte announced.

Now, if you have really gone crazy and there is no more chance to get fixed, I will just send you a rope. You can just hang yourself.
With two key positions under his belt, Lesothos Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, who is also the defence minister, seems like a powerful man. But that has done little to help him exert full control over the tiny southern African kingdom surrounded by South Africa.

On August 30, Thabane fled his country in panic as the army seized police headquarters, jammed radio stations and surrounded his official residence. The developments bore the hallmarks of a coup in the making in a country that is no stranger to violent and unconstitutional change of government.

Luckily for the people of Lesotho, a constitutional monarchy with a king whose powers are largely ceremonial, the coup has not materialised. And, crucially, there has not been violence of the kind we have witnessed in South Sudan, where a failed coup attempt last December triggered a devastating civil war.

Lesothos political leaders have tried but failed to conceal the fact that the army had attempted to seize power. There has since been obfuscation and  some would even say  barefaced lies by politicians who seem to be embarrassed that a country with a semblance of democracy seems to be heading back to the 1980s, when coups on the African continent vastly outnumbered elections.

Conflicting claims

Thabane fled to South Africa largely because a coup was in the making, but he insisted he did not run away. I havent run away. I havent asked for refugee status  The idea that I have run away is not true. I have run away before [but] this time, no, he told Al Jazeera from South Africa.

But in an interview with the BBC, Thabane did change his narrative, saying his life was in danger.

I came into South Africa this morning [August 30], and I will return as soon as my life is not in danger. I will not go back to Lesotho to get killed, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Mothetjoa Metsing, who enjoys the backing of the army and is said to be at loggerheads with Thabane, also dismissed reports of an attempted coup. He said he would not still be deputy if the army had taken over.

I will not go back to Lesotho to get killed. by - Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane

It has since emerged that Thabanes government had decided not to renew the contract of army commander Lieutenant-General Tlali Kamoli, but it is not clear whether this is what prompted the armys move.

South Africa, the most powerful and influential country in the 15-nation Southern Africa Development Community, a regional bloc to which Lesotho belongs, is trying to resolve the crisis, as it has done before. It has invited Metsing to join Thabane in South Africa for talks intended to find a negotiated settlement.

That seems the only sensible way forward. Seizing power by men in uniform is increasingly becoming backward and unfashionable, although it still happens (albeit infrequently) even on other continents.

Many African countries continue to embrace Western-style democracy and only change governments through elections, although sometimes these elections are nothing more than a charade, with those in power resorting to despicable means to prevent the opposition from winning.

But coups have not stopped happening in Africa. And everywhere they have been staged or where there have been attempts, little or nothing has changed for the better. Those who seize power become less and less accountable to the people they claim to lead. Ordinary people continue to wallow in poverty, bereft of any hope of ever getting social services that governments, which are accountable to people, usually provide. Worse, coups or attempted coups often lead to an intractable cycle of violence.

Cycle of violence

Mauritania and Niger, which experienced coups in 2008 and 2010, respectively, may be relatively peaceful, but in places such as the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Mali, there has been unspeakable violence.

Mali, which returned to democratic rule after elections last year, is still grappling with insurgency in the north. Foreign troops from former colonial power France  which intervened to prevent armed groups allied with al-Qaeda from seizing large swathes of territory  are still on its soil, as are UN troops.

Army Captain Amadou Sanogos seizure of power only helped create chaos in the West African country that armed groups capitalised on to expand their control and influence.

In the Central African Republic, Michel Djotodia  the countrys first Muslim leader who seized power in March 2013 and forced President Francois Bozize to flee  plunged the country into a wave of violence. The turmoil in CAR has since sucked in troops from the UN, the Africa Union and France, the former colonial power.

Hundreds of thousands of Central Africans are now refugees in neighbouring Cameroon, having fled fighting between Christian and Muslim militias. Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza, who took over in January after Djotodia realised he could not run the country and quit, has done little to restore order.

South Sudan, the worlds newest nation which seceded from Sudan only in 2011, is falling apart. President Salvar Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar, whom he accused of trying to stage a coup last December, have made little progress in resolving the issues that have brought them to war and wrecked any chance of dealing with their countrys most urgent problems.

The hope for those countries where coups are still happening is that they will one day become functioning democracies, and that their armies will learn to respect and owe allegiance to civilian governments. It took West African nations such as Ghana and Nigeria a fair bit of time to achieve this, but it eventually happened.

Water week

From Lesotho, we have turned our attention to Ethiopias water problems as part of our World Water Week coverage. Ethiopian leaders have been hailed for turning around the country  building infrastructure and keeping the economy vibrant  but the government has not made good progress on social-service delivery as our piece makes clear. People still drink contaminated water.

As always, we would love to hear your thoughts on the stories we publish. Tweet, use Facebook or Instagram to send messages to us with #AJAfrica. We look forward to hearing from you and selected feedback will be featured here daily.
The bombing of St Peters Church in Cairo provoked anger against the Egyptian regime for failing to protect Christians.

It is a haunting image. A grieving Egyptian woman in a headscarf wipes tears from her eyes. But this woman is not a Muslim. She is a nun and she is standing amid the debris of the pews that were blown up during Sundays grotesque bombing of St Peters Church (el-Boutrosiya, in Arabic), which adjoins St Marks Cathedral, the seat of Egypts Coptic church.

The only thing that distinguishes this woman from her Muslim sisters is the cross on her breast and the fact that she kneels to pray in a slightly different way. But this seems reason enough to kill 25 people and injure scores more whose crime was to be in a church performing mass.

What makes this slaughter even more obscene is that it occurred on the day millions of Muslims were celebrating the birth of their prophet, Muhammad, a time when families give out special Halawet el-Moulid to their neighbours, regardless of their religion. Instead of offering them festive sweets, ordinary Muslims found themselves consoling their Christian neighbours.

Revolutionary chants

Outside the site of the blast, angry Copts were joined by Muslim sympathisers, and together they vented their collective outrage at the possible security lapse that led to this atrocity. Some of the slogans were telling of the vulnerability Copts feel in Egypt, with chants asking whether Coptic lives were cheap.

Others made clear their sentiments that Abdel Fattah el-Sisi should not be invited to Christmas celebrations, which the Egyptian president has made a habit of attending since he took office.





The people demand the fall of the regime, some shouted, reflecting just how far the Coptic community has drifted from the initial euphoria many expressed when Sisi removed the Muslim Brotherhoods Mohamed Morsi.

Whether this fury will galvanise mass protests seems unlikely at present. People are angry about Sisi but they cant see an alternative, says Wael Eskandar, an independent, pro-revolutionary journalist based in Cairo. But Egypt is a place where one must never say never.

The chants outside the church echoed a revolutionary slogan used during the January 25, 2011, uprising. In the build-up to the revolution, a church in Alexandria was also bombed, in the early hours of New Years Day, as worshippers were leaving midnight mass, causing a similar death toll to Sundays attack.

Then as now, the worst of Egypt also brought out its best. An act whose goal was to kill Christians and drive a wedge between mainstream society and a vulnerable minority actually brought many closer together.

Outraged at the atrocity committed against their Christian brethren, Muslims of conscience stood in solidarity with Copts, at rallies, protests and clashes with security forces. On the eve of Coptic Christmas in 2011, Christians attending mass were joined by Muslims, many of whom formed human shields around churches.

We either live together or we die together, was the slogan thought up for the vigils by Egyptian artist Mohamed El-Sawy.

READ MORE: Egypts anti-protest law  Legalising authoritarianism

At a memorial service for the fallen, President Sisi revealed the identity of the suicide bomber he alleged perpetrated the massacre.

A few days later the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL,also known as ISIS) claimed responsibility.

Anti-Christian sentiments

While many in Egypt have condemned the bombing, its also not surprising that it happened in the first place.

For years ultra-conservative preachers and conspiracy theorists  from members of the Azharite religious establishment, through TV personalities sympathising with the Muslim Brotherhood to Salafis  have stoked the flames of sectarianism in Egypt freely. Many of them do not see Christians as marginalised. On the contrary, some are convinced that Copts are master puppeteers pulling the states strings. There have been even those who have gone as far as alleging that there is a secret project to Christianise Egypt.

The military coup that followed mass protests against the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 further encouraged sectarianism. In its immediate aftermath, dozens of churches were attacked, as some Brotherhood sympathisers saw Christians as complicit in the military takeover of the government.

Such outlandish conspiracy theories about Christians have gained credibility, as rigid religious ultra-conservatism entered the mainstream, and encouraged portrayals of Christians as agents of the West and even foreigners.

The government, too, has played both a passive and active role in worsening the plight of Christians. Passive in its long-time insistence that, in the name of national unity, sectarianism did not exist in Egypt, the land of the crescent and the cross. Passive in its failure to protect Copts and to investigate crimes committed against them.





Active in its pandering to the basest extremist prejudices, while claiming to defend Christians. I accuse a government that seems to think that by outbidding the Islamists it will also outflank them, wrote the prominent Egyptian journalist Hani Shukrallah, echoing Emile Zola, following the new years attack in 2011.

Active in the states institutionalised discrimination against Christians. Active in its incidents of direct persecution of Christians, such as the Maspero massacre in October 2011.

Sadly, the precarious situation of Egyptian Christians may well worsen as the economy tanks further, the state pushes on with its crackdown on all forms of dissent, Islamophobia continues its ascent in the West and violent extremism ravages the region.

But I hope that the spirit of the crescent alongside the cross prevails  for the sake of Christians, for the sake of Egypt and for the sake of humanity.

Khaled Diab is an award-winning Egyptian Belgian journalist, writer and blogger. He is the author of Intimate Enemies: Living with Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land. He blogs at www.chronikler.com.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
The failed integration of Roma is not the reason why Europeans fear refugees, racism is.

Andrzej Mirga is a Roma from Poland. He is an anthropologist and the Chair of the Roma Education Fund.

When the Bulgarian Ministry of Education announced the launch of a scholarship programme for 700 Romani high school students (individual awards totalling $32, monthly) in October, ethnic Bulgarian parents protested across the country.

National television programmes reported the scholarships as an unjust measure that discriminates against non-Roma, and a Bulgarian MP from a progressive centrist party questioned whether this ethnic-based privilege should be considered unconstitutional.





Considering that only nine percent of Roma complete secondary education and that one-third of the Bulgarian Romani population live in absolute poverty (PDF), it is hard to see how Roma in Bulgaria could be labelled as privileged, in any context. Yet, the argument persuaded many people to protest against the proposed scholarship programme.

Sadly, this case illustrates the situation of Roma throughout Eastern Europe and does not bode well for efforts to integrate the countless refugees now bottlenecked in Greece and Turkey, many of whom are Muslims, a religious minority in Europe.

Integration policies are doomed to fail, if generalised and unchallenged racism from majority populations continues unchecked.

A recent article by Leonid Bershidsky in Bloomberg presents the issue differently. Eastern European national governments  have no idea how to integrate the Roma, he writes, going on to quote the Bulgarian political scientist Ivan Krastev, who says this failure contributes to Eastern Europes compassion deficit towards Muslims and refugees.

In many east European countries the Roma are not simply unemployed but unemployable because they drop out of school very early and fail to acquire the skills needed for the twenty-first-century job market, claims Krastev.

Blaming the Roma

This argument is dangerous, as it makes Roma the scapegoats for the failures of their governments and fellow citizens.

Bershidsky and Krastev present the plight of Roma as an issue impossible to solve. They seem to ignore that the first reason for the failure of Roma inclusion policies is the lack of political will by national governments to implement successful integration programmes, despite the substantial European Union funds allocated to European countries for the integration of marginalised communities.

OPINION: From Roma to refugees  Swedens impossible choices

When Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic continue to place Romani children in segregated schools, one can have doubts about the sincerity of Eastern European countries willingness to provide better opportunities for their Romani citizens.

We Roma have been present in Europe for more than 600 years and we have been scapegoated, humiliated, and persecuted for just as long. It is unfair that we should now be pointed to as the reason for Eastern Europes intolerance towards Muslims, or for the lack of empathy Eastern Europeans show for refugees fleeing war-torn zones.

Muslims and Roma share the condition of being the most hated minorities in the region. A recent study by the Pew Research Center showed that 64 percent of Hungarians hold unfavourable views of Roma, and 72 percent of them have a negative opinion of Muslims.

In Poland, my home country, these figures are 47 percent and 66 percent respectively, even though both groups together total just 40,000 in a country of close to 40 million, mostly white Catholics.

According to a report by the Polish National Prosecutors Office, hate crimes increased by 13 percent in the first half of 2016 in Poland, affecting primarily Muslims, but also Roma, Jews, and blacks.





Intolerance by majority societies is the only objective parallel we can draw between Roma and Muslims in Eastern Europe. As long as countries are not willing to open their public schools to Roma children, to prosecute hate crimes against Roma, or to offer them an equal chance to participate in public life and in the employment market, no integration of any minority group will be possible.

Racism is like cancer; if it is not stopped radically, it spreads through the entirety of the social body. Attacks on minorities are a clear symptom of failed inclusive democracies.

Eastern Europeans do not reject refugees because of the failure of Roma integration; they do so because they are intolerant, and they are generally allowed to codify that intolerance, or at least act on it.

The prejudice Roma have suffered for centuries is a mirror held up to European societies; if we want the reflection to look any different, we will have to change ourselves.

Andrzej Mirga is a Roma from Poland. He is an anthropologist and the Chair of the Roma Education Fund.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
NATO and the US insist military presence is not aimed against anyone, but Russia has threatened measures in response.

The United States has accelerated the deployment of troops to Poland, the Baltic states and Romania as part of raising security in the region, officials said.

Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz made the announcement on Wednesday following talks with the commander of US land troops in Europe, Lieutenant-General Ben Hodges.





American troops will be deployed in early January  instead of late in the month  to Poland, the Baltic states, and Romania, Hodges said.

I am very happy that a decision has been taken by the US side for an earlier deployment, Macierewicz said.

An armoured brigade combat team from Fort Carson, Colorado will be based in Zagan, western Poland, while another US force, a battalion, will be deployed on April 1 to Orzysz, in the northeast.

Im confident in the very powerful signal, the message it will send [that] the United States, along with the rest of NATO, is committed to deterrence, Hodges said.

Im excited about what my country is doing and Im excited about continuing to work with our ally, Poland.

A deterrent

Poland and the Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have been uneasy about increased Russian military operations in the region, especially after its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, and have requested US and NATO troops presence on their territory as a deterrent.

The alliance and the US insist the troop presence is not aimed against anyone, but Russia has threatened measures in response.

We must clearly grasp what is happening around our borders, why NATO is building up arms and infrastructure. It deploys four additional battalions to alliance member states in Eastern Europe. Why are they doing it? asked Nikolay Bordyuzha, secretary-general of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO)  a Russian-led military bloc that includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

We cannot remain silent and do nothing, looking at how countries around us are being crammed with weapons, and troops being moved, he told the Russian newspaper Izvestia on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Russia moves nuclear-capable missiles to NATO doorstep

He also said the leaders of the CSTO member states would gather on December 26 in St Petersburg, to discuss possible responses to NATOs latest moves.

In November, Russia said it was installing S-400 surface-to-air missiles and nuclear-capable Iskander systems in the exclave of Kaliningrad that borders Poland and Lithuania in retaliation for the NATO deployment of its so-called defence shield in Eastern Europe.

The Kremlin says the shields aim is to neutralise Moscows nuclear arsenal long enough for the United States to strike Russia in the event of war. Washington and NATO deny that.








Survey by Save the Children indicates Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan are also vulnerable to forced labour.

Children of Afghan families returning from Pakistan, who do not go to school and have no access to education, are increasingly at risk of early marriage and child labour, according to a new survey.

The survey released by Save the Children on Wednesday reveals an alarming crisis in Afghanistans eastern Nangarhar province, where the polling took place among returnees from Pakistan.

It warns the situation could deteriorate further as more than 3,500 Afghans return from Pakistan on a daily basis, after Islamabad tightened regulations on those living illegally in the country.

So far this year, more than 650,000 Afghans  a mix of registered and unregistered refugees  have returned from Pakistan, with the majority planning to stay in Nangarhar, at least until the end of winter.

Hundreds of thousands more Afghans are expected to be repatriated in the coming months.

Many of the returnees have no money and lack any sort of documents or ID papers. These returnees are not eligible for aid from UN agencies.

Parents facing poverty often feel the only stable choice they can make is to arrange a marriage for their child, or to bring the children into the workforce, the survey found.

Girls especially vulnerable

We are really concerned about the risks that are threatening the children and the future of the children, if the situation continues, said Bahirullah Wyaar, an adviser at Save the Children in Kabul.

If the children, especially the girls, do not have access to education, it puts them at the risk of early marriages.

In June, Pakistans government extended a deadline for Afghan refugees, who are deemed to be staying in Pakistan illegally, to return home by the end of the year or face deportation.

Although Kabul welcomed the extension, Afghanistans refugees and repatriation minister, Sayed Hossain Alemi Balki, said he wanted the deadline extended until December 2017.

READ MORE: A hard winter  Afghan refugees return from Pakistan

He also said Pakistani police were harassing refugees, and said Islamabad should not forcibly repatriate Afghan refugees when the new deadline expires.

Millions of Afghans fled their country to neighbouring Pakistan and Iran during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the civil war of 1992-1996  between US-backed groups that had fought the Soviets  and again, after the Taliban came to power in 1996  creating one of the worlds largest refugee populations.

Both Pakistan and Iran have been pressing for them to leave.

Ana Locsin, the Save the Childrens director in Afghanistan, said that many Afghans are living out in the open, or in tents, so they have no real semblance of shelter, let alone security. They often feel they have little choice but to send their child to find work, or to marry off their daughters.
Friendship between Putin and Rex Tillerson dates back to 1990s when the Texas oilman established a US energy presence.

Moscow, Russia  The appointment of Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobils chief executive, as the new US secretary of state was a shock to many  mostly because of his lifelong employment at one of the worlds largest oil companies and friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The friendship between the former KGB spy and the Texan oilman  theyre both 64 now  dates back to the late 1990s when Tillerson established the biggest presence of a US oil company in Russia, and Putin was a fledgling politician who had just been appointed prime minister in ailing president Boris Yeltsins government.

In 2013, Putin handed Tillerson a pentacle-shaped Friendship Medal, one of Russias highest award for foreigners, for special merits in development of bilateral ties with Russia.

Donald Trump names Rex Tillerson as secretary of state

A year earlier, Tillerson presided over a multibillion dollar deal that was designed to help Moscow tap into the immense oil Bonanza in the Arctic  but fell through because of Western sanctions imposed after Crimeas 2014 annexation. Tillerson lambasted the sanctions that cost his company billions of dollars in lost profit.

And now, when Tillerson is a fledgling diplomat and Putin is a seasoned, iron-fisted politician, Kremlin critics wonder whether these amicable ties will mark a U-turn in Washingtons dealings with Moscow.





This appointment is very beneficial for Putin, Vladimir Milov, Russias former deputy energy minister now in opposition to the Kremlin, told Al Jazeera.

Tillerson will create an environment that is much more comfortable for Putin that the previous architecture of transatlantic cooperation, a certain unified West with its own certain values, he said.

Russias annexation of Crimea, support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, and the pro-Damascus operation in Syria has brought ties with the West back to Cold-War lows.

But the jingoistic, neo-conservative, and pragmatic course chosen by president-elect Donald Trump starkly contradicts years of Washingtons policies towards containing Russia  and strangely fits the Kremlins own political agenda.

No more lectures on democracy?

For most of his rule, Putin wanted the West to treat Moscow as an equal and detested reprimands for his crackdown on opposition figures, corruption, and concentration of key industries around state-run corporations.

Analysts insist Trumps approach will be much more businesslike.

Russias leadership proclaimed pragmatism as the basis of its foreign policy a long time ago. If the US will share the same foreign policy principle, I dont think there will be any problems, Alexey Mukhin, head of the Moscow-based Centre for Political Information think-tank, told Al Jazeera.

Pro-Kremlin pundits are already ecstatic about the appointment.

This is a positive development so unexpected that we still dont believe its happening, Kremlin adviser and political analyst Sergei Markov told Al Jazeera.

Profiting on Russia

In 1998-1999, Tillerson served as vice president of Exxon (before the companys merger with Mobil) in charge of operations in the Caspian Sea and on Sakhalin, Russias largest Pacific island north of Japan.

Dealings with Russian authorities werent always easy. In April 2015, the company sued Russia at the Stockholm arbitrage court claiming it overpaid profit tax on the Sakhalin project.

But Tillerson soon found himself among Moscows most trusted Big Oil executives.

In September 2005, Putin met Tillerson  ExxonMobils president at the time  as well as with the companys then-chief executive Lee Raymond, and top managers of Conoco-Phillips and Shevron-Texaco.

Months earlier, oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovskywas sentenced to nine years in jail for alleged fraud in what was widely seen as the Kremlins revenge for his financial support of the opposition. International investors were worried about the imprisonment, and the meeting was an attempt to reassure them that Moscow was still a reliable partner.





Most of Khodorkovskys oil company, Yukos, soon became the bulk of state-run Rosneft, ExxonMobils main Russian partner and its nations largest oil company. Igor Sechin, a former Portuguese translator and Putins key ally often described as the second-most powerful man in Russia, heads Rosneft now.

He is also a good friend of Tillerson, according to Russian and western media reports.

Arctic oil dream

In 2011, ExxonMobil outmaneuvered oil giant BP to help Russia develop the worlds largest treasure chest of untapped hydrocarbons.

The Arctic Circle holds some 90 billion barrels of yet undiscovered but technically recoverable oil, about one-seventh of the worlds undiscovered oil reserves  as well as billions of cubic metres of natural gas, according to a 2008 assessment by the US Geological Survey.

Russias share of the reserves is at least 41 percent of oil and 70 percent of gas, according to Norwegian officials. But Moscow lacked the deep-drilling technologies and equipment  and thats where ExxonMobil stepped in.

In 2011, Putin oversaw the signing of a strategic deal between Rosneft and ExxonMobil to develop three oil-and-gas fields in Russias Arctic  in exchange for shares in six ExxonMobil projects in the United States.

Id like to emphasise the exclusiveness of these decisions for Russian companies  that until today were not able to develop existing deposits in the US, Sechin told the Interfax news agency.

Russia: Alexei Ulyukayev arrested over $2m bribe

Tillerson attended the ceremony and said in a statement that the deal takes our relationship to a new level and will create substantial value for both companies. ExxonMobil said it would spend $3.2bn to explore the fields that would give it access to tens of billions of barrels of oil.

The drilling began in 2014 but the deal  along with another joint development in western Siberia  was frozen because of sanctions over Crimea, and ExxonMobil reportedly lost $1bn.

Sechin and Rosneft were blacklisted as part of the sanctions.

Tillerson told ExxonMobils shareholders we always encourage the people who are making those decisions to consider the very broad collateral damage of who are they really harming with sanctions.

The sanctions did not stop him from visiting Russia at least twice to meet the energy minister and attend an economic forum in St Petersburg, Putins hometown.

Bright future?

So, the big question now is whether Tillerson will be instrumental in the lifting of sanctions, which will undoubtedly benefit ExxonMobils current and future operations in Russia.

He and Donald Trump will initiate the lifting of sanctions with a probability of 70-80 percent, analyst Mukhin predicted.

Trump doubts President Barack Obamas claims that Russia meddled in the November presidential vote through hackers and propaganda, and spoke in favour of lifting the sanctions and respecting Russias interests.

With him, a certain reset is possible, Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Moscow Centre, a think-tank, told Al Jazeera.

His boss at Carnegie, Dmitri Trenin, said in a tweet that Tillersons tenure as the fourth-most powerful man in the US would signify the greatest discontinuity in US foreign policy since the end of the Cold War.
Authors of letter to president challenging crimes of totalitarian system say website shut down after their petition.

One of Chinas most popular online communities for Muslims has been shut down after posting a petition asking Chinese President Xi Jinping to stop his brutal suppression of activists.

The students who wrote the petition told AFP news agency on Wednesday they demanded in the open letter the immediate release of the activists still held by the state.

Will China lift its ban on Facebook?

You are not responsible for all of the crimes of the totalitarian system, but as the totalitarian systems head and its commander-in-chief of repression, you must take responsibility for the blood and tears which now flow, the letter said to the president, who came to power in 2012.





In the next spring of Chinas new Jasmine Revolution, who will drive your tanks to crush us, the new generation of students after 1989?

Yi Sulaiman Gu, a Muslim student studying in the United States at the University of Georgia, said the Zhongmu Wang website  or 2muslim.com  shut the day after he posted the letter to a forum that had previously hosted sensitive discussions on issues such as Chinas persecution of Muslim dissidents.

We believed it would be safe for Zhongmu to post it there, Gu said.

Phone calls to the websites owner went unanswered.

But the letter gained attention when screenshots of it were reposted to Chinas Twitter-like Weibo website by Xi Wuyi, a professor of Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who said it proved the site supported separatists in Chinas restive Xinjiang province.

Violence in Xinjiang  the homeland of Chinas 10-million strong ethnic Uighur minority  has killed hundreds, with Beijing attributing it to Islamic extremism and foreign influence.

The Chinese government is very unfriendly to the Muslims inside China, especially the Muslims in Xinjiang, said Anthony Chang, a co-author of the letter completing who his bachelors degree at the University of Queensland in Australia.

READ MORE  China: Xinjiang residents told to turn in passports

Since 2003, 2muslim.com functioned as an online network of Muslims sharing Islam, according to archived descriptions.

But as of Wednesday the site was inaccessible, showing only a message stating it was under maintenance.

Two of its affiliated social media accounts were also unavailable, displaying messages that declared one account abnormal and the other in violation of required guidelines.

China officially has more than 23 million Muslims, though some independent estimates say there may be as many as 50 million  which would put China among the worlds top 10 Muslim nations.

While Chinas constitution enshrines freedom of religious belief, authorities keep strict limits on it, recognising only five belief systems and seeking to control their messages.
UNs regional envoy said Yahya Jammeh would be strongly sanctioned if he tries to stay in power despite election loss.

The UNs West Africa envoy says Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh must step down when his mandate ends in January and would be strongly sanctioned if he sought to remain in power.

Long-ruling Jammeh lost the election to little-known businessman Adama Barrow on December 1 and conceded defeat in a widely celebrated moment of democratic hope for the continent.

But he has since changed his mind and his party is now challenging the outcome at Gambias Supreme Court.



Gambian president-elect urges Jammeh to accept defeat

For Mr Jammeh, the end is here and under no circumstances can he continue to be president, the UNs special representative Mohammed Ibn Chambas told Reuters news agency by telephone on Wednesday.

Chambas also told AFP news agency that by January 19, he [Jammeh] should be ready to hand over power.

On Monday, Barrow had called for the president to step down now as his coalition became increasingly frustrated by Jammehs refusal to admit defeat.

Jammeh has alleged that the election was rigged and called for a recount and fresh polls.

There are worries within the opposition camp that Jammeh could try to cling on to power pending the outcome of the legal case lodged on Wednesday by the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reconciliation and Construction (APRC).

Outrageous act of disrespect

Chambas spokesman had earlier told AFP that the security forces ongoing occupation of Gambias Independent Electoral Commission  the object of the APRCs legal complaint  was an unacceptable act.

It is a violation of the independent nature, guaranteed by the constitution, of the electoral commission, as some soldiers have taken away commission materials relating to the presidential election, the spokesman added.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the government takeover of electoral offices, calling it an outrageous act of disrespect of the will of the Gambian people and defiance towards the international community.

The electoral commissions chairman, Alieu Momar Njie, dismissed Jammehs legal challenge of the election result as unworkable due to a lack of judges on the Supreme Court.

READ MORE: The Gambia president-elect Adama Barrow talks to Al Jazeera

The only way they can pursue the commission is through the court, and there is no court, Njie said.

To meet the January 18 deadline, he would need to appoint as many as six judges to the Supreme Court, which has laid dormant since May 2015. Lawyers continued a planned boycott of the court system on Wednesday in protest at Jammehs legal fight.

The countrys most influential lawyers group, the Bar Association, said any appointment of judges by Jammeh to decide on a case involving himself would be fundamentally unjust.

Liberias President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said on Tuesday that a heavyweight delegation of four African leaders including herself had failed to reach a consensus with Jammeh and Barrow on a transition of power.

We come to help Gambians find their way through a transition. Thats not something that can happen in one day, said Sirleaf.

Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque, reporting from Senegal, which borders Gambia, said that the visiting West African heads of state have left Gambia empty-handed, without agreements or deals, despite serious efforts to persuade Jammeh to provide a smooth transition of power.
Arms monitoring group says ISIL has an extensive and organised war production machine, much like a regular army.

ISIL has produced weapons on a scale and sophistication that matches national armies, standardising production across its self-styled caliphate, according to an arms monitoring group.

The UK-based Conflict Armament Research (CAR) said the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) had a robust supply chain of raw materials from Turkey, and the technical precision of its work meant it could not be described as improvised weapons production.

Although production facilities employ a range of non-standard materials and chemical explosive precursors, the degree of organisation, quality control, and inventory management indicates a complex, centrally controlled industrial production system, it said in a report on Wednesday, after visits last month to six facilities once operated by ISIL in eastern Mosul.

Its consistent and organised, a technical adviser to the CAR team that visited Mosul told Al Jazeera. Its kind of unprecedented as far as the scope of what they are creating goes, and the ability to store it and move it, and produce this variety in different sizes.

Major acquisition network

Iraqs military launched a sweeping operation on October 17 to retake the northern city, the armed groups last major stronghold in the country, more than two years after government forces dropped their weapons and fled in the face of a lightning-fast ISIL advance.

Elite troops have retaken a quarter of the city in a gruelling US-backed campaign, but their advance has been slow. Soldiers are constrained by street-by-street fighting and a built-up urban environment.

CAR, which identifies and tracks weapons and ammunitions in conflicts, said the facilities it visited were part of a system that produced weapons according to precise guidelines issued by a central authority.

Production included a monitoring system with regular, detailed reports on production rates and quality that helped to ensure standardisation, usually to the tenth of a millimetre, across the groups once sprawling territory in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

CAR investigators estimated that ISIL, also known as ISIS, had produced tens of thousands of rockets and mortar rounds in the months leading to the Mosul offensive.

Standardisation required consistency in the supply of source materials, the report said, achieved through a major acquisition network in neighbouring Turkey and a supply chain extending from that country, through Syria, to Mosul.

In addition to the technical advantages of standardisation, CAR said ISIL sought to mirror the functions of a national military in an effort to legitimise the groups capacity and coherence in the eyes of its fighters.

The monitor also said documents it had seen in Mosul suggested ISIL had provided its fighters with sophisticated instructions on making and planting improvised explosive devices as well as the operation of complex weapons systems such as anti-tank guided missiles.

READ MORE: Mosul residents wont leave despite dire conditions

Improvised weapons and explosives are not something new, theyve been used in many conflicts around the world,  said Al Jazeeras Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from Bashiqua near Mosul.

The difference here is the scale of the production. In every village, town, and in the Mosul neighbourhoods that have been recaptured, you find stockpiles left behind and often also factories.

Dan Popudik, a technical adviser to the CAR team in Iraq, told Al Jazeera they had found a large quantity of mortar rounds and rockets that had been manufactured in ISIL factories.

At first glance from a few metres away, a lot of this stuff looks like it came out of a factory in another country that we know of, but in reality, its homemade, he said.
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.
Employees protest at dress code rules in Knesset building after colleagues blocked because dresses deemed too short.

Skirt-wearing Israeli parliament staff protested at dress code rules in the buildings entrance after several colleagues were denied entry because their dresses were deemed too short.

Staff members say that security officers at the Knesset, or parliament, had in recent days started to strictly enforce rules on the length of skirts, without giving a reason.

At one point on Wednesday morning, about 50 staff members and some parliamentarians gathered at the Knesset entrance in support of those refused entry.

Many wore skirts above the knee with stockings underneath on a cold and rainy day in Jerusalem.

One older parliamentarian, Manuel Trajtenberg, stripped down to his undershirt in protest and at one point yelled, Youll all have to wear burqas! Israeli media reported.

    '        @ManuelTraj pic.twitter.com/SSLbS5ugRb  Merav Michaeli   (@MeravMichaeli) December 14, 2016

The Jerusalem Post quoted Trajtenberg as saying he supports a respectable dress code, but called the restrictions discrimination against women.

We need to respect and not humiliate these amazing women who work with all their hearts, he said.

About 10 to 15 women were denied entry for dress code reasons on Wednesday, but some were later allowed in, staff said.

Ive worn this same dress many times, said Kesem Rozenblat, 30, an adviser to parliament member Ilan Gilon of the left-wing Meretz party who was refused entry.

Maybe theyre scared of womens legs, I dont know, she told AFP news agency as she stood in the security hall to enter parliament along with supporters.

   . pic.twitter.com/Y3mHuwGvtw  Merav Michaeli   (@MeravMichaeli) December 14, 2016

Rozenblat said security officers did not measure her skirt, but a woman guard simply looked me up and down and said it wasnt appropriate.

The issue emerged on Sunday when an aide to MP Merav Michaeli of the opposition Zionist Union was denied entry because of her skirt length.

Photos showed the aide, Shaked Hasson, wearing a blue dress that stopped above her knees, with stockings underneath.

Iran is here, in the Knesset

Speaking to Israeli radio, Michaeli called the sudden strict enforcement an attempt to impose fundamentalist standards, referring to dress rules followed by ultra-Orthodox Jewish women requiring them to cover their arms and legs as well as their heads with a scarf.

We dont know whats the reason for it but we wont accept it  because we just want to work, Michaelis spokeswoman Naama Shahar said.

On Twitter Michaeli posted a picture showing a number of female counsellors left at the entrance of the parliament building after being denied entry. Iran is here, in the Knesset, she wrote.

     .   ,  pic.twitter.com/HoXXUQu0uh  Merav Michaeli   (@MeravMichaeli) December 14, 2016

Knesset officials denounced the protest in a statement as an organised provocation and said security staff were just doing their work to enforce a dress code that has been in place for years.

Israeli media reported that te code prohibits T-shirts, shorts, sandals and short dresses or skirts.

However, women protesting outside on Wednesday said they were not told how short is too short.

They just said we cannot go in like this today, said Shira Amiel, a 27-year-old aide to Karin Elharar, a member of the opposition Yesh Atid party.

One person tweeted a photo of US First Lady Michelle Obama and Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing dresses above the knee and said they would also not be allowed inside the Israeli parliament.

This is not Iran, said parliament member Gilon, who was outside in support of his aide who had been denied entrance.

Its crazy. I have a lot of very important things to do, but I spend my time with idiocy and stupidity.
Parade, fireworks and all celebrations scheduled for December 18 cancelled in solidarity with beleaguered citizens.

Qatar has ordered the cancellation of its national day celebrations to show solidarity with the people of Aleppo during the ongoing shelling by Syrian government forces.

Qatar marks its national day on December 18 with a parade along Dohas corniche in the morning, various cultural events throughout the day, and fireworks in the evening.

Its emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, announced the decision to cancel Qatar National Day activities in a statement, the official Qatar News Agency reported.

In solidarity with our people in the city of Aleppo, those who are subjected to the worst kind of repression and torture, displacement and genocide, his Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, has ordered cancellation of all celebrations and events of the national day, it said.

The cancellation comes after Syrian government forces renewed shelling on the last pockets of resistance in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, raising fears a deal to evacuate the devastated city of civilians and fighters might not be honoured.

Qatars Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in an interview with Al Jazeera, accused the Syrian government of committing crimes against humanity, adding that even if it takes over Aleppo the rebels will continue to fight.

The humanitarian situation there is catastrophic, there are no hospitals operating now, people are wounded and there are dead bodies that cannot be evacuated because it is besieged, the foreign minister said.

Syrias conflict started as a largely unarmed uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011. It quickly morphed into a full-scale civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and left more than half the countrys prewar population displaced.

In 2014, Eid ul-Fitr celebrations in Qatar were cancelled out of solidarity with the people of Gaza.

Israeli air raids and intense bombing left 2,251 Palestinians dead and thousands more wounded. More than 12,000 homes were destroyed in the war and 100,000 damaged.
Ceasefire reportedly holding in Syrias Aleppo, but evacuation of civilians and rebels delayed for unknown reasons.

An agreed evacuation of rebels and civilians from the devastated Syrian city of Aleppo has been delayed, according to activists in besieged parts of the city and a monitor.

Busloads of people were due to begin leaving on Wednesday morning as part of a deal with the government, whose forces have effectively taken control of the entire city after weeks of heavy fighting.

No rebel or civilian had left eastern Aleppo as of 5am (03:00 GMT), according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group that relies on a network of sources in the country to monitor the war.

"Save Aleppo. Save humanity." Residents of East Aleppo are giving their final messages to the world. pic.twitter.com/Hzd4VWp0wC  Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 13, 2016

The group did not give a reason for the delay of the evacuation. One Syrian rebel official told the Reuters news agency that pro-government Shia militias were obstructing the departure of people from opposition-held districts in a claim that could not be independently verified.

Zouhir Al Shimale, a journalist in east Aleppo, confirmed the delay, adding that the streets were mostly empty in the morning.

People here are shocked [by the delay], he told Al Jazeera. We didnt sleep last night waiting to leave.

Explaining that civilians are fearful that the evacuation could be yet delayed further, Shimale said: No one knows what the regime will do.

Outside the scope of the evacuation agreement, the Russian government said at least 6,000 civilians were evacuated from eastern Aleppo and 366 rebels laid down their weapons and surrendured within the last 24 hours.

READ MORE: Message from Aleppo  Tomorrow will be too late for us

Russias UN ambassador announced late on Tuesday that all military action in east Aleppo had come to a halt and that the Syrian government was in control of the area.





Over the last hour we have received information that the military activities in east Aleppo have stopped, it has stopped, Vitaly Churkin told a heated emergency UN Security Council meeting.

The Syrian government has established control over east Aleppo.

Fears have been growing for thousands of trapped civilians as the opposition fighters make a desperate last stand in their remaining pocket of territory in their former stronghold.

An agreement has been reached for the evacuation of the residents of Aleppo, civilians and fighters with their light weapons, from the besieged districts of east Aleppo, Yasser al-Youssef, from the political office of the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group, told AFP news agency.

He said the deal was sponsored by Russia and Turkey and would be implemented within hours.

Huseyin Muftuoglu, a Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson, told Al Jazeera that civilians would first be evacuated from Aleppo, followed by rebels.

They would move towards Idlib, according to the plan, he said. There is no plan to take them into Turkey.

Later on Tuesday, Turkeys Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek announced his government was planning to set up a new tent city to host 80,000 people fleeing eastern Aleppo. He did not specify whether the tent city would be in Turkey or Syria.

#Turkey, the world's largest refugee hosting country, is to set up a tent city to accommodate up to 80,000 Syrian refugees fleeing #Aleppo.  Mehmet Simsek (@memetsimsek) December 13, 2016

News of the deal broke just minutes before the Security Council meeting on Aleppo began at UN headquarters in New York.

When asked by reporters shortly after the meeting if the fall of Aleppo was the end of the peace process, Staffan de Mistura, UN Syria envoy, said it should be just the opposite.





We should be looking at this as a tragic opportunity to restart the political process.

The UN earlier said that they received reports about pro-government forces executing scores of civilians in Aleppo, including women and children.

Eighty-two people were reportedly killed when Syrian forces took over rebel-held areas, it said.

Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have in some cases entered homes and killed those inside, and in others caught and killed on the spot fleeing civilians, Rupert Colville, the UN rights office spokesman, said on Tuesday.

The reports that civilians  including children  are being massacred in cold blood in their homes by Syrian government forces are deeply shocking but not unexpected given their conduct to date. Such extrajudicial executions would amount to war crimes, Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for Research at Amnesty Internationals Beirut regional office, said.

A surrender, not a ceasefire

Haid Haid, a Syrian researcher and associate fellow at Chatham House, said the evacuation deal was more of a surrender, not a ceasefire.

This situation will be similar to previous situations: rebels and civilians  would be allowed out, most likely to rural Aleppo or Idlib, and the Syrian regime will take over the rest of Aleppo, he told Al Jazeera.

READ MORE: Civilians killed on the spot as battle for Aleppo nears end

But with the Syrian government and its allies making steady progress on the battlefield, many were unsure that any deal would take place, Haid said.

Negotiations have been ongoing for days now, and now the regime is sure that [it] is winning. So unless there is serious pressure from the international community on Russia on the regime, I think this deal might not even happen because they think theyre winning  why allow [the rebels] out if we can kill the rest of them there and now.
Bilal Abdul Kareem, the last remaining foreign journalist in east Aleppo, describes situation as regime forces close in.

As forces loyal to Syrias President Bashar al-Assad closed in on the last pocket of rebel-held territory in east Aleppo, Al Jazeera spoke to Bilal Abdul Kareem, the last remaining foreign journalist in the area.

Kareem told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that nobody was safe in the enclave and that there was no safe passage out for women, children, the sick and the wounded.

Its not indiscriminate shelling because theyre deliberately firing upon peoples homes, he said. Theyre targeting everyone here.

They went on a systemic campaign to destroy all of the medical facilities in east Aleppo, you dont get more of a civilian type infrastructure than a hospital. They targeted water stations, they targeted courthouses, they targeted anything that provides a service to the people.





Fears have been growing for thousands of trapped civilians as rebel fighters make a desperate last stand in their remaining pocket of territory in their former opposition stronghold.

Some of the rebel fighters Ive spoken to have said, Were going to take as many of Assads forces with us as we can, Kareem added.

When asked about why he and other civilians had not left the city, Kareem said: People havent fled because of the fear of what government forces might do to them.

Theyve killed more than half a million people, so thats got be a major deterrent right there.

Secondly, the territories that the government has taken over, there have been summary executions for everyone with a certain last name because theyve been known to be fighters.

This has been widely reported from people in the Bustan al-Qasr area. How can you trust a regime that used its resources to kill half a million of your countrymen?

Shortly after his interview, news broke that a deal to evacuate rebel fighters and civilians from the city had been brokered with the Syrian government.

The transfers are set to begin early on Wednesday morning.
King Salman says his kingdom will not tolerate any external interference in war-torn neighbouring Yemen.

King Salman of Saudi Arabia has warned against external interference in the internal affairs of neighbouring war-torn Yemen.

The monarch also said on Wednesday his country would never accept that Yemen becomes a base or a point of passage for whatever state or party to menace the security or the stability of the kingdom and of the region.





Salman did not explicitly refer to the kingdoms regional rival Iran, but Saudi officials have accused Tehran and the Lebanese Shia armed group Hezbollah of aiding Houthi rebels in Yemen.

International investigators last month said they had found a suspected weapon pipeline from Iran through Somalia to Yemen.

British-based Conflict Armament Research, which is primarily funded by the European Union, analysed photographs of weapons including assault rifles and rocket launchers to draw its conclusions.

Iran has repeatedly denied sending arms to Yemeni rebels.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has itself led an Arab coalition conducting air strikes against the Shia rebels and providing other assistance to local forces in support of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

READ MORE: US limits support to Arab coalitions Yemen campaign

The rebels have killed at least 110 civilians and soldiers in rocket fire and skirmishes along the Saudi frontier. They have also fired longer-range ballistic missiles over the border at Saudi Arabia.

The Arab coalition, for its part, has faced repeated allegations of killing civilians. On Tuesday the United States blocked the transfer of precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia.

Salmans son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 31, has had overall responsibility for the Yemen campaign as he holds the post of defence minister.

The Yemen intervention has cost Saudi Arabia billions of dollars despite austerity at home to cope with fallen oil revenues.
US think-tank highlights satellite imagery it says shows anti-aircraft guns and systems against cruise missile strikes.

China appears to have installed weapons  including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems  on all seven of the artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea.

Citing new satellite imagery, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), a US think-tank, said on Wednesday that its findings come despite statements by the Chinese leadership that Beijing has no intention of militarising the islands in the strategic trade route, where territory is claimed by several countries.

AMTI said it had been tracking construction of hexagonal structures on Fiery Cross, Mischief, and Subi reefs in the Spratly Islands since June and July. China has already built military-length airstrips on these islands.

US destroyer sails through the South China Sea

Satellite images showed what appeared to be anti-aircraft guns and what were likely to be close-in weapons systems (CIWS) to protect against cruise missile strikes, it said.

These gun and probable CIWS emplacements show that Beijing is serious about defence of its artificial islands in case of an armed contingency in the South China Sea, AMTI said.





Among other things, they would be the last line of defence against cruise missiles launched by the United States or others against these soon-to-be-operational air bases.

AMTI director Greg Poling said his group spent months trying to figure out what the purpose of the structures was.

This is the first time that were confident in saying they are anti-aircraft and CIWS emplacements. We did not know that they had systems this big and this advanced there, he told Reuters news agency.

This is militarisation. The Chinese can argue that its only for defensive purposes, but if you are building giant anti-aircraft gun and CIWS emplacements, it means that you are prepping for a future conflict.

They keep saying they are not militarising, but they could deploy fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles tomorrow if they wanted to, he said. Now they have all the infrastructure in place for these interlocking rings of defence and power projection.

Al Jazeeras Adrian Brown, reporting from Beijing, said the development was significant because China repeatedly insisted that its activities in the South China Sea was not for military purposes.

China insists these islands are there to assist fishermen in distress and also for scientists to monitor the maritime and ecological life in the region, he said.

These islands lie on the most important trading routes in the world, making them very strategic.

Beijing and Moscow launch South China Sea naval drills

The US has criticised what it called Chinas militarisation of its maritime outposts, and stressed the need for freedom of navigation by conducting periodic air and naval patrols near them that have angered Beijing.

US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, has also criticised Chinese behaviour in the South China Sea, while signalling that he may adopt a tougher approach in the region than President Barack Obama.
Civilians stay up all night awaiting evacuation but buses fail to leave as shelling of rebel-held territory resumes.

Syrian government forces renewed shelling on the last holdouts of rebel-held eastern Aleppo, raising fears that a deal to evacuate civilians and fighters from the devastated city may not be honoured.

There is artillery [being fired] now  as I speak, Zouhir Al Shimale, a journalist in east Aleppo, told Al Jazeera in a WhatsApp message on Wednesday.

There arent any clashes, he said, explaining rebel groups were not fighting at the moment. There are injuries, but we dont know how many. We cant go outside because the shelling is indiscriminate.





The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said shelling could be heard, but its origin was not clear. Speaking to Reuters news agency, rebel commanders said government forces had renewed shelling and violated a ceasefire reached a day earlier.

Medical sources told Al Jazeera cluster munitions were used in al-Zubdiyeh neighbourhood and elsewhere in the remaining rebel-held areas.

The Russian defence ministry confirmed government forces resumed attacks, claiming rebel groups broke the ceasefire in early Wednesday, according to Russias Interfax news agency.

Aleppo, once Syrias bustling commercial hub, had been largely divided between a government-held west and a rebel-controlled east since 2012. But government forces are now in control of almost the entire city after weeks of intense fighting and relentless air raids.

Pounding the east of #Aleppo with dozens of artillery bombs since one hour until now we have counted more than 100 bombs.#Stand4Aleppo pic.twitter.com/1EG68WdpQV  Zouhir Al-Shimale (@ZouhirAlShimale) December 14, 2016

On Tuesday night, it was announced a ceasefire between the Syrian government and rebel groups would allow for the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents from the last pockets of rebel-held eastern Aleppo to the Idlib area or to Turkey.

The deal was brokered by Turkey and Russia.

READ MORE: Battle for Aleppo  The sound of bullets doesnt stop

The arrangement was delayed on Wednesday morning, though, with rebel groups claiming a government-aligned Shia militia had turned back evacuees and demanded rebel-imposed sieges of the Shia majority towns of Kafraya and Fua were first lifted.

Iran rejected the deal and hasnt allowed the city to be evacuated. It has also laid down some conditions of its own, Abdul-Mumin Zeineddin, a coordinator for the armed opposition in Aleppo, told Anadolu news agency.

We will fight on until victory or death, he added.

Massacred in cold blood

Explaining that civilians were scared the evacuation could be delayed further, Shimale said: No one knows what the regime will do.

People here are shocked [by the delay], Shimale said. We didnt sleep last night waiting to leave.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he expected the last of the rebel resistance to end within two to three days.

In what appeared to be a separate development from the planned evacuation, the Russian defence ministry said 6,000 civilians and 366 fighters had left rebel-held districts of Aleppo over the past 24 hours.

Fears have been growing for thousands of trapped civilians as rebels make a desperate last stand in their remaining pocket of territory.

Late on Tuesday, Turkeys Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek announced his government was planning to set up a new tent city to host 80,000 people fleeing eastern Aleppo. He did not specify whether the facility would be in Turkey or Syria.

The UN said on Tuesday it received reports about pro-government forces executing scores of civilians in Aleppo, including women and children.

Eighty-two people were reportedly killed when Syrian forces took over rebel-held areas, it said.

Marwan Kabalan, a Syria analyst and associate political analyst at the Doha Institute, said the ceasefire breach may signal growing differences between Russia and Iran.

The Russians seem to be bowing to international pressure in order to make the truce hold, he told Al Jazeera.

READ MORE: After Aleppos fall  Nobody can claim victory

Its clear the Iranians have a different opinion here  I think they believe that they are winning and must finish off the opposition, rather than allow them to leave the city alive. The Syrian regime seems to be closer to the Iranian position, he said, describing eastern Aleppos fall as a major blow to opposition forces.

A military media unit run by the Syrian governments ally Hezbollah said on Wednesday talks were still taking place over a deal to evacuate fighters from Aleppo, and if government demands were not met, the deal would be off.

Syrias conflict started as a largely unarmed uprising against President Assad in March 2011. It has since morphed into a full-scale civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and left more than half the countrys prewar population displaced.

Efforts to negotiate a lasting resolution between the Syrian government and rebel groups have collapsed several times.

With reporting by Patrick Strickland
Staff of Google and Twitter among signatories of letter pledging not to aid president-elects data collection plan.

More than 200 employees of technology companies including Alphabet Incs Google, Twitter Inc and Salesforce have pledged not to help US President-elect Donald Trumps administration to build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.

Drawing comparisons to the Holocaust and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the employees signed an open letter at neveragain.tech rebuking ideas floated by Trump during the campaign trail.

The protest, which began with about 60 signatures but had more than tripled within hours of publication, comes a day before several technology company executives are due to meet with the president-elect in New York.

We are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administrations proposed data collection policies, reads the letter, signed by a mix of engineers, designers and business executives.

It continues: We refuse to build a database of people based on their constitutionally protected religious beliefs. We refuse to facilitate mass deportations of people the government believes to be undesirable.

READ MORE: Jewish activist vows solidarity with Muslims in the US

The letter vows not to participate in creating databases of identifying information for the US government on the basis of race, religion or national origin, to minimise the collection or retention of data that could facilitate such targeting and to oppose any misuse of data at their respective organisations considered illegal or unethical.

Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption, and his victory last month alarmed many companies who feared he might follow through on his pledges.

Those concerns have not been assuaged in recent weeks, as Trump has said he intends to nominate individuals to senior posts in his administration who favour expanding surveillance programmes.

Alphabet chief executive Larry Page, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Oracle Corp CEO Safra Catz are among those expected to attend the summit with Trumps transition team, according to two technology industry sources.

The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment regarding the open letter.
Masked fighters and children among tens of thousands taking to the streets to mark armed groups 29th year.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds of gunmen and children waving mock weapons, rallied in Gaza celebrating the 29th anniversary of the founding of the Islamic group Hamas that rules the territory.

Loudspeakers blasted Hamas slogans through the streets on Wednesday as rockets mounted on pick-up trucks rolled by. Hundreds of masked men marched and dozens of children wielding imitation assault rifles attended with their families.

Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas official, delivered a fiery speech at the rally full of rhetoric against Israel. He also called for reconciliation with the Fatah party, led by Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, but only under Hamas terms.

The Palestinian leadership that doesnt represent us

Hamas took over Gaza in 2007 after routing troops loyal to Abbas in bloody street battles. Palestinians have since been divided between Gaza under Hamas and Abbas governing parts of the West Bank. Several rounds of reconciliation talks have been held between the two groups, but these failed to achieve any breakthroughs.

Adnan Abu Amer, a professor of political science at Ummah University, in Kenya, said he believes that reconciliation with Fatah is the primary challenge facing Hamas. He told Anadolu Agency the situation was a running wound that contributed to Hamas isolation.

Reconciliation [with Fatah] will give Hamas a historical and political role while improving the groups external prospects as well, said Abu Amer.

Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza after it was taken over by Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel since then, including a 50-day clash in 2014 that left more than 2,000 Palestinians  mostly civilians  dead.

Israel says the blockade was necessary to prevent Hamas from obtaining weapons. Critics argue it amounts to collective punishment. The group is struggling to pay salaries to its members because of the blockade.

Hamas has also succeeded in capturing a number of Israeli soldiers, including army sergeant Gilad Shalit in 2006, who was later traded for 1,050 Palestinian prisoners in a 2011 swap deal.

OPINION: Hamas is firmly in power, but it has yet to deliver

In Gaza, Hamas runs an expansive network of civil society and humanitarian organisations. This, say observers, is one of the reasons for the groups continued popularity.

The current head of Hamas is Khaled Meshaal, who remains based in Qatars capital of Doha. His deputy is Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

In 2006, Hamas won a majority in Palestinian legislative elections. The results of the elections, however, were not recognised by either Israel or the US.

Some Palestinian factions, including Fatah, refused to participate in the subsequent Hamas-led government, accusing it of failing to table a viable political programme.
Al-Qaeda-linked group in northern Mali attacks tombs of Sufi saints just days after sites put on UNESCO endangered list.

A hardline religious group occupying northern Mali has destroyed 15th-century mausoleums of Sufi Muslim saints in Timbuktu and have threatened to demolish the remaining 13 UNESCO world heritage sites in the fabled city, witnesses have said.

The attack by Ansar Dine group on Friday came just four days after UNESCO placed Timbuktu on its list of heritage sites in danger after the seizure of its northern two-thirds in April by rebels.

They have already completely destroyed the mausoleum of Sidi Mahmoud (Ben Amar) and two others. They said they would continue all day and destroy all 16, Yeya Tandina, a local Malian journalist, said by telephone.

They are armed and have surrounded the sites with pick-up trucks. The population is just looking on helplessly, he said, adding that the Islamists were currently taking pick-axes to the mausoleum of Sidi El Mokhtar, another cherished local saint.

It looks as if it is a direct reaction to the UNESCO decision, Timbuktu deputy Sandy Haidara said by telephone, confirming the attacks.

The Islamist Ansar Dine group backs strict sharia, Islamic law, and considers the shrines of the local Sufi version of Islam idolatrous.

Ansar Dine will today destroy every mausoleum in the city. All of them, without exception, Sanda Ould Boumama, the groups spokesman, told AFP news agency through an interpreter from the city.

God is unique. All of this is haram (or forbidden in Islam). We are all Muslims. UNESCO is what? he said, declaring that Ansar Dine was acting in the name of God.

UNESCO condemnation





The UN cultural agency UNESCO on Saturday deplored the tragic destruction called for the rampage to stop.

This is tragic news for us all, UNESCO executive committee chair Alissandra Cummins said in a statement issued to the AFP news agency.

I appeal to all those engaged in the conflict in Timbuktu to exercise their responsibility.

Since government forces were routed in April, Ansar Dine and other Islamist groups with links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have gained the upper hand over less well-armed Tuaregs whose goal is a secular, independent northern state.

The saints 15th-century tomb was also desecrated by extremists in May after armed fighters seized control of the vast desert north following a March coup in Bamako.

Beyond its historic mosques, the World Heritage site of Timbuktu, once a cradle of Islamic learning, has 16 cemeteries and mausolea, according to the UNESCO website.

Sometimes called the city of 333 saints, Timbuktu is also home to nearly 100,000 ancient manuscripts, some dating back to the 12th century, preserved in family homes and private libraries under the care of religious scholars.

At its height in the 1500s, the city, a Niger River port at the edge of the Sahara 1,000km north of Bamako, was the key intersection for salt traders travelling from the north and gold traders from the south.
I was born in 1956 in Madison, Tennessee, while my parents were attending Madison College. I grew up along the Front Range in Colorado, attending schools in Longmont, Brighton, Boulder and Loveland, Colorado. Two years after graduating from Campion Academy, I married my sweetheart, Regina. We lived in Loveland, Colorado for six years before moving to Mena in western Arkansas.





I love the people of Mena and the friendly easy going way of life here. I have owned and operated my own business since moving to Mena. I enjoy the natural beauty of western Arkansas and being out of doors.




US president arrives in Dakar on first leg of three country tour expected to focus on economy and democracy.

US President Barack Obama has arrived in Senegal to begin a long awaited first major tour of Africa.

Obamas arrival in Dakar marks the first leg of a three country tour, that also includes South Africa and Tanzania, on a trip where he is expected to focus on deepening economic cooperation with the continent.

Obamas itinerary is subject to change as concerns rise over the ailing health of South Africas former president and icon Nelson Mandela.

On Thursday, Obama is expected to tour Goree Island, a former slave trading hub off the coast of the capital Dakar, as well as meet the Senegalese President Macky Sall.

Al Jazeeras correspondent Malcolm Webb said Senegals culture of democratic values in a region fraught with instability meant that it was a safe option for Obamas administration.

Senegalese political analyst Fernand Tona told the German press agency DPA that Obamas visit represented a gold medal for Senegal as a functioning democracy.

But we shouldnt just presume that Senegals economy will be boosted as a result of closer ties between Senegal and the United States, he said.

Senegal would need to pass a lot of reforms in order to attract more American investors. There are still some serious problems in this country.

Maximum surveillance

Security was heightened in Dakar, with the closure of key arteries and many people confined to their neighbourhoods.





Ever since it was announced that Obama would visit Senegal, the country has been under maximum surveillance, said Lamine Bayo, a 43-year-old taxi driver.

Our freedom is somewhat limited, especially regarding the excessive road closures. If someone needs to urgently get to hospital, they might have problems.

Senegal is only the second African country that the US president of Kenyan ancestry has visited during his time in the White House. Ghana was the sole focus of his first visit to Africa in 2009.

This has been a major source of disappointment for people on the continent, after Obamas 2008 election caused euphoria and an expectation that the son of a Kenyan would put Africa policy at the top of his agenda.

US officials are aware that emerging economic opportunities and energy resources in Africa have attracted a clutch of interest from rising rivals.

Obama is due to move on to South Africa on Friday for a weekend of talks and events, including a news conference with President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria.

The US president will then head to Cape Town where his events include a visit to Mandelas jail cell on Robben Island and a roundtable with business leaders that will include senior members of the presidents economic team.

The final leg of Obamas journey will take him to Tanzania, where his programme includes talks and a news conference with President Jakaya Kikwete and a visit to the Ubungo power plant.
Music produced to help voice Angolans grievances against the government has now become a main tool for activism.

By Ana de Sousa

The film Angola: Birth of a Movement, which follows three activists in Luanda, is set to the sounds of what is often referred to as conscientious or revolutionary hip hop.

Luaty Beirao, one of the best known faces of the young activist movement and a prolific rapper says: We didnt start doing it to educate the masses, it was just a way of getting stuff off our chests.

But what started as one of the only mediums for Angolans to voice their grievances against the government and president, has become an important tool for a growing activist movement with more political importance than the rappers had ever imagined.

Strolling through the heaving, dusty Congolenses taxi stop in Luanda and clutching a handful of homemade CDs, rapper Dioniso Casimiro explains: This is one of the few ways left for us to distribute our music, especially when its critical of social and political issues.

Weaving between the blue and white passenger vans known as candongueiros, he offers the drivers his latest work, MixFakes.

The album cover is ablaze with red, black and yellow (the colours of the Angolan flag and that of the ruling party, the MPLA)  stamped with a pair of entwined AK47s, and in thick, gold bar letters bears the word Carbono, which is his artistic name, and the one he is best known by.

Informal music production in Luanda operates in a fascinating alternative market; from kuduro to hip hop, young artists have found a way around costly, high-end commercial music production, and instead produce tracks in makeshift studios, record them onto blank CDs, print them themselves, and distribute the material through the citys candongueiro network and market places.

Thousands of Luandans use the candongueiro taxis every day to travel around the city, listening to whatever might be playing. Many artists circulate their music on USB memory sticks as MP3s, and upload them for others to download and distribute. Few make any money out of the business but they enjoy a wide distribution all over the city.

However, recent events in Angola mean there are ever fewer spaces for subversive rappers like Carbono to be heard. Since the outbreak of youth-led protests in 2011, clearly influenced by hip hop, the ruling elite has withdrawn subsidies and sponsorship to make it harder for informal artists to hold live performances, and controversial songs are never played on mainstream media.

But despite the authorities attempts to limit the influence of revolutionary rap, its message has been spreading widely on the internet and through this informal market. Today underground artists meet to perform in the University of Hip Hop, a small space on the outskirts of the city, run by artist Harvey Keitel Madiba, and the videos are widely distributed on blogs and Youtube.

A similar scene also thrives in the city of Benguela, where artists such as Puppa Kanda and the Movimento de Rua group have been using music to deal with violence and incidences of injustice in Lobito province.

As musicians that is how weve contributed  passing our message by hand, with recordings that are distributed among friends, family and taxi drivers, because neither TV or radio get this message out, says the rap artist Miranda Panda who works with the NGO Omunga to bring music and the youth movement together.

For Mbanza Hamza, a student and activist who soon hopes to record his own rap songs, music has been used by the youth to awaken peoples consciousness  just as it was used by the generation before them.

The Angolan revolution against the Portuguese was motivated through song. It wasnt by phones or internet, it was through music  today we take samples from those songs and weve been reproducing them in a more modern way, but the foundation, the chorus, is theirs  because they are as relevant today to our need for change as they were then.

Pedro Coquenao, born in Angola but based in Lisbon, is the curator of Batida, an autobiographical musical project which draws heavily on songs from Angolas 60s and 70s soul heyday and collaborates with a variety of other artists including Luaty.

He says: These melodies are fixed in the memories of my generation. Our parents listened to them  some with their minds, others with their hips. They are memories from our childhoods. We have to reinvent them, to reclaim them.

Luaty recalls vividly the point at which he realised how important music had become: On 7th March 2011 when they arrested me and took me to the station, a policeman sat next to me and recited the lyrics of one of my songs to me. This tiny thing has become so much bigger  without us even noticing it. Art has that power, its not just about political ideas  its something magical, and those youth, who have been out there on the streets until today, I guarantee you that most of them listen to conscientious hip hop.

Interested in hearing the music that has inspired the young activists in Angola: Birth of a Movement  we have prepared a playlist here of some of the rappers from Luanda to Lobito, whose brand of conscientious hip hop has been credited with awakening the youth and bringing them to the streets over the past year:
This part of The Crusades: An Arab Perspective explores the birth of the Muslim revival in the face of the Crusades.

The Crusades: An Arab Perspective is a four-part documentary series telling the dramatic story of the crusades seen through Arab eyes, from the seizing of Jerusalem under Pope Urban II in 1099, to its recapture by Salah ad-Din (also known as Saladin), Richard the Lionhearts efforts to regain the city, and the end of the holy wars in 1291. Part one looked at the First Crusade and the conquest of Jerusalem. In part two, we explore the birth of the Muslim revival in the face of the crusades.

By the early 12th century, the crusades had successfully captured not only the holy city of Jerusalem but huge swaths of the Muslim Levant. Islams third holiest site, the al-Aqsa Mosque, was in the hands of the crusaders.

Their by Antoine

was horrifying. They started with an infamous massacre. They killed people in the streets, in their houses and in alleyways. Arab sources talk about a hundred thousand people slaughtered.]

The Muslim world, a mighty power for the previous four centuries, was shocked by the Christian annexation of large parts of their empire.

With Jerusalem under their control, the crusaders began to build a new system of rule in the lands they had captured.

They expelled many of its original inhabitants, including Muslims, Jews, and eastern Christians, and began to fill Jerusalem with settlers arriving from Western Europe.

Those people were slaves and vassals and had no rights at all in Europe. When they came to us, their whole life changed when they became landowners. Their social status changed and so did the demographic and social class structure, explains Afaf Sabra, professor of history, Al-Azhar University.

Furthermore, the commanders of the First Crusade, lesser knights from Europe, began to style themselves monarchs in the lands they conquered.

In July 1100, Baldwin of Boulogne, one of the leaders of the First Crusade, was crowned Baldwin I, King of Jerusalem.

With the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the county of Edessa and the Principality of Antioch, expansion into the Arab lands became easier. The new colonial leaders began expanding their realm very easily, says Qassem Abdu Qassem, head of the history department, Zaqaziq University.

Aleppo and the economics of war

Within a decade, most of the Levantine coast was in the crusaders hands. And the Christian enclaves in the east now numbered four, with the addition of a new county in Tripoli.

The coastal area was for the crusaders a very, very tactically significant area, both to supply provisions and to bring pilgrims through the harbours. So securing the coastal areas was a crucial part of crusaders tactics, notes Jan Vandeburie, of the School of History, at the University of Kent.

The economics of the war soon began to dominate the crusades and the Regent of Antioch, Tancred, marched his army towards Aleppo, then the trade capital of the Levant.

Aleppos ruler, Radwan, who has been described as spineless and servile, had a friendly relationship with the crusaders. The story goes that he even put a cross on the mosque of Aleppo, which provoked a strong reaction from the locals as they revolted against their duplicitous ruler.





The uprising was irresistible and the Muslim people forced the caliphate in Baghdad, weak though it was, to take action. Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustazhir asked for help from his protector, the Seljuk Sultan.

The governor of Mosul, Mawdoud, was ordered to gather his army and put an end to the crusader siege of Aleppo. Mawdoud was successful in forcing the crusaders to lift the siege of Aleppo because other crusader entities would not come to support them. But Aleppos ruler Radwan prevented Mawdouds army from entering the city.

At the same time, Toghtekin [the governor of Damascus] was being attacked by the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Mawdouds forces came to help him resist the attack. Mawdoud met King Baldwin in a battle near Tiberias known as the battle of As-Sannabra during which the Muslims defeated the crusaders, says Sabra.

Toghtekin welcomed Mawdoud gratefully after his victory at As-Sannabra, but later had him assassinated.

Imad Ed-Din Zengi and the Muslim revival

The new governor of Mosul, Imad Ed-Din Zengi, seized control of Aleppo in 1128. Bringing Mosul and Aleppo together meant taking control of a major gateway to the internal regions of the Levant and towards Mesopotamia, says Ahmad Hetait, former dean at the Faculty of Arts at Islamic University.

The Muslims' initial response had been inadequate but now it was time for a revival. The revival arose from the people, not the rulers. by Afaf Sabra, professor of history, Al-Azhar University

In effect, cutting off trade and communication routes between Antioch and Edessa, along with that of the county of Tripoli and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, posed a major obstacle to the crusaders as they confronted the Islamic world.

The crusaders had relied on dividing the Muslim fiefdoms to deal with them separately, thanks to their insular rulers. Now a unified front was born, says Muhammad Moenes Awad, professor of history at Sharjah University.

With Damascus protected by a truce with the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Imad Ed-Din Zengi began to prepare for what would be his greatest military achievement: On December 25, 1144, his army attacked and captured the County of Edessa in a matter of hours. It had been the first crusader state in the region but was now the first city to be retrieved by Muslims.

This is seen as a breakthrough, the real start, the revival of the jihad in the Muslim Near East. Its the first big defeat for the crusaders and it shows that they can actually be defeated and that the Muslim revival can begin to gather some pace, says Jonathan Phillips, professor of history at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Imad Ed-Din Zengis victory in Edessa was a turning point; it lifted the Muslims morale and enthusiasm for the fight. Two years later, however, Imad Ed-Din Zengi was killed by his own slave. He was succeeded by his son, Nour Ed-Din.

The Second Crusade

The loss of Edessa was not taken lightly in Europe. In 1147, Pope Eugene held a religious council calling for the Second Crusade, to be led by two European kings, Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany.

In the summer of 1147, the armies set off towards the Holy Land and after almost a year, the German and French forces finally arrived in Jerusalem.

Soon after, they decided to launch an attack on Damascus, which ended in disaster.

They retreated, there wasnt a great battle. They werent defeated in some epic struggle, they just slunk away. And thats a real blow to the morale of the crusaders in the west, says Phillips.

The tragic failure of the Second Crusade was by no means the last disaster to befall the Christians. Six years later, Nour Ed-Din finally managed to annex Damascus, the very city they had failed to capture.

Qassem Abu Qassem describes Nour Ed-Din Zengi as a leader who had devoted his whole life to the principle of jihad, and says that by uniting Muslims under one banner, he enabled them to recover occupied land and Jerusalem.

It was here that an Islamic revival was born. It had begun before but at this time it became more organised, less random, concludes Afaf Sabra.
In November 2015, Amazon Web Services announced that it would launch a new AWS infrastructure region in the United Kingdom. Today, I'm happy to announce that the AWS Europe (London) Region, our 16th technology infrastructure region globally, is now generally available for use by customers worldwide.

UK companies are using AWS to innovate across diverse industries, such as energy, manufacturing, medicaments, retail, media, and financial services and the UK is home to some of the world's most forward-thinking businesses. These include startups like Fanduel, JustEat, and Monzo to enterprises such as British Gas, Trainline, Travis Perkins, News UK, the Financial Times.

The British Government is also helping to drive innovation and has embraced a cloud-first policy for technology adoption. Take Peterborough City Council as an example. The council has deployed IoT Weather Stations in Schools across the City and is using the sensor information collated in a Data Lake to gain insights on whether the weather or pollution plays a part in learning outcomes.

London has also established itself as a critical center for the financial services sector and a significant hub for venture capital activity across all Europe. The City's thriving venture capital and start-up accelerator communities are fueling growth and innovation, making it one of the most important locations in the world to do business. AWS is working with incubators and accelerators such as SeedCamp and Techstars, in London; Ignite100 in Newcastle; and DotForge in Sheffield and Manchester to help startups make the most of the cloud.

We believe in our customers and are investing for the long term. With the AWS Europe (London) Region, we look to better serve end users in the UK. With the launch of the AWS Europe (London) Region, AWS can enable many more UK enterprise, public sector and startup customers to reduce IT costs, address data locality needs, and embark on rapid transformations in critical new areas, such as big data analysis and Internet of Things.

All around us we see that the AWS capabilities foster a culture of experimentation with businesses of all sizes. AWS is not only affordable but it is secure and scales reliably to drive efficiencies into business transformations. I have been humbled by just how much our UK customers have been able to achieve using AWS technology so far. In just this past month we've had HSBC, ARM, Missguided, and most recently at re:Invent 2016, Trainline, talking with us about how they are using AWS to transform and scale their businesses.

Following are just a few of the reasons that customers have given us for building their business on the AWS Cloud:

Blend seamlessly into the digital world: With the rising importance of technology-driven business transformation, an emphasis on certain enterprise and consumer-based opportunities emerges. To take advantage of the game-changing opportunities, businesses are looking to blend into the digital world. Take GoSquared, a UK startup that runs all its development and production processes on AWS, as an example. GoSquared provides various analytics services that web and mobile companies can use to understand their customers' behaviors. With AWS, GoSquared can process tens of billions of data points every day from four continents to provide customers with a single view.

Use catalysts for real-time business models: The Internet of Things (IoT) is undoubtedly driving a philosophy of interconnecting people, process, and machines to create massive volumes of data that has potential for disruptive change. The BMW Group is using AWS for its new connected-car application that collects sensor data from BMW 7 Series cars to give drivers dynamically updated map information. BMW built its new car-as-a-sensor (CARASSO) service in only six months leveraging several AWS services. By running on AWS, CARASSO can adapt to rapidly changing load requirements that can scale up and down by two orders of magnitude within 24 hours. By 2018, CARASSO is expected to process data collected by a fleet of 100,000 vehicles traveling more than eight billion kilometers.

Mobilize business operations by computing everywhere: Computing and data processing within the confines of a data center or office is easy. There is much interesting and potentially valuable data out in the field, if only it could be collected, processed, and turned into actionable intelligence. This data could be located miles below the surface of the Earth in a mine or an oil well, in a sensitive and safety-critical location like a hospital or a factory, or even on another planet. At re:Invent 2016, AWS announced Greengrass (in limited preview), a new service designed to extend the AWS programming model to small, simple, field-based devices.

Parse real time information to generate visibility : Big data tools have enabled organizations to manage resources, anticipate activity relevant to their business, and make informed decisions faster. Real-time monitoring and evaluation of events have led to a positive impact on performance or operations. Channel 4 (in the UK) chose AWS to help monetize volumes of platform data. By running on AWS and using Amazon EMR, the broadcast company can collect and analyze vast amounts of data in real time to deliver highly targeted ads to viewers during a 60-minute program.

Extract valuable insights with machine learning: The world is witnessing the emergence of a broad and powerful range of new systemscomputer programs that can teach themselves to grow and change when exposed to new data. Fraud.net is a good example of this. Fraud.net use AWS to support highly scalable, big data applications that run machine learning processes for real-time analytics. Fraud.net uses AWS to build and train machine learning models in detecting online payment fraud. Fraud.net uses Amazon Machine Learning to provide more than 20 machine learning models and relies on Amazon DynamoDB and AWS Lambda to run code without provisioning or managing servers.

Develop the next-generation software application that is capable of action: Chances are that you may already be using artificial intelligence as you interact with applications that not only sense and comprehend but are capable of action, especially when one views solutions through the lens of automation. The Airbnb application, for instance, uses Aerosolve to deliver its dynamic pricing feature. Unbabel uses a combination of artificial intelligence and human translation to deliver fast, cost-effective, high-quality translation services globally. VizSense is yet another paragon that develops advanced visual search and image recognition solutions to serve companies in e-commerce, mobile commerce, and online advertising.

These short sketches illustrate the power of the cloud for customers, but it is still early days. With the launch of the AWS Europe (London) Region, I look forward to seeing many more innovative use cases enabled by AWS.

Our AWS Europe (London) Region is open for business now and we are excited to offer a complete portfolio of servicesfrom our foundational service stack for compute, storage, and networking to our more advanced solutions and applications. We look forward to broadening this portfolio to include more services over the next several quarters.

For more information about the services we offer in our London region, see the Europe/Middle East/Africa tab of our Region Table.

For more information about how customers are innovating using AWS, see All AWS Customer Stories.

You can learn more about how we help connect the world to the cloud at AWS Global Infrastructure.










English News Trump should go for P-to-P contact through IPP than G-to-G contact

Alwihda Info | Par Hem Raj Jain - 14 Decembre 2016



Bengaluru, India

Dear Editor



---- It is natural that before Donald Trump goes in White House on January 20, 2017 as US President of economically and militarily most power country of the World he will get suggestions from all over the World regarding what he should do during 4 or may be 8 years of his Presidency. In this hour of din of suggestions and expectations from all the sides, Trump will do well if he falls back on Americanism because it will be best not only for Americans but will be good for rest of the World too.



Trump should understand that USA is getting respect and attention due to achievements and Americanism of its founding and forefathers hence If USA stops being leader of free world it will go in the dustbin of history. In modern World it is not merely economic power (which oil rich countries of NAME region also had one time) but human values which bring sustained power to any country. Because in present World of Science & Technology (which resulted in democracy too) every human being has become important hence without promoting human values no country can sustain its progress and power.



Hence Trump will blunder if considers support of Americans (especially of white Americans) for isolationism and protectionism. Trump should realize that in every country it is the burden of a particular group of people to ensure that the country keeps on progressing and its values and power remain intact. It is so in India too where every Indian contributes in national life but every progressive national movement emanates from and is carried out mainly by Hindus of North India (using Devnagari script and its variants). Similarly African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans etc also contribute in the national life of USA but Americanism has been and will continue to be protected & promoted mainly by White Americans who made America what it is today namely the super economic and military power of the World.



Hence Trump will serve USA well if he instead of keeping Americanism in libraries, implement it globally. Getting jobs for Americans and protecting Rule-of-Law by tackling illegal immigrants should be left to his team by Trump. USA should understand that globalization driven by advance in Science & Technology is going to stay and strengthen. USA lost on job front because USA thus far has been pursuing wrong policy of sending only capital in other countries and not labor with it. Globalization will provide more jobs to Americans if American capital (instead of giving capital to the companies of host countries) establishes American companies in host countries and goes abroad with American labor. Therefore instead of adopting suicidal policy of isolationism and protectionism USA should go all-out for globalization (while sending American labor with American Capital).



Trump will succeed in promoting globalization if practices fundamental global Christian values of humanity (and not formal religion, Christianity). Trump should concentrate with a missionary zeal only on protecting and promoting human rights of the people all over the world. For this mission to succeed (i)- Mandatory Protocol MP-1 instead of Optional Protocol OP-1 of ICCPR of UN, in the interest of enforcing human rights all over the World even militarily if needed (ii)- Participatory Philanthropic Institutions (PPI) for education & health-care (to start with first for health-care with contribution from employees and employers and their representatives in management in addition to government representatives) and (iii)- International Political Parties (IPP ) registered at UN- will be minimum needed.



In this mission, the People-to-People (P-to-P) contact through IPP than Government-to-Government (G-to-G) contact will be crucial as is evidence from the example of India. During on-going illegal and inhuman demonetization US government is dealing with and caring about Government of India (GOI) whereas not bothering about people of India who are suffering immensely (even ~ 100 people killed) during this draconian demonetization. US Government does not understand that pampering and protecting GOI at the cost of ~ 1.3 Billion people of India is not in the long term interest of USA.



Rather USA should have insisted for bringing constitutional and other authorities (namely President, Prime Minister and his cabinet, Supreme Court Judges, RBI officials) to justice [in the interest of protecting right to life and property under Article 21, 32, 300 A, 78, 56 (1) (b), 124 (4) of The Constitution and section 26 (2) of RBI Act and for killing people by GOI & RBI by negligence under section 304 A, 34 and 120 (B) of IPC] so that nobody can dare to kill and harass the Indians in this and similar manner in future. Had USA done this then innocent 99 % of ~ 1.3 Billion beleaguered people of India would have been grateful for ever to such friendly USA.



But USA did not do it because presently there is only G-to-G contact and there is no P-to-P contact between USA & India. The P-to-P contact is possible and can be made easy through IPPs. If some political parties function in USA and in India too then obviously such IPPs will not only have influence on the Governments of USA & India and will be best guarantee for P-to-P contacts between USA & India but it will also spread Americanism in India and similarly in other countries (where such US sponsored IPPs will function including in Muslim NAME and AF-PAK-Kashmir regions which are bleeding and weeping profusely). Though Trump was not an active functionary of his Republican Party before Presidential election but now Trump should devote his maximum time on converting Republican Party into an IPP.



There is one more compelling reason for launching US sponsored IPPs. In most of the countries ~ 80 % of the socially & economically humble people are suppressed, oppressed and exploited by ~ powerful 20 % of the people. This is evident from the case of India too. Most of Indians could not protect themselves against criminal demonetization. All the constitutional and other authorities failed to protect Indians from massive harassment (where even ~ 100 people were killed) by this draconian demonetization. This clearly proves that Indians if left to them are unfit for democracy. The situation is even worst in most of the Muslim countries where even democracy is not there. Therefore the American value namely democracy can be spread all over the World only when US sponsored IPPs function all over the World (because most of the people, while practicing Americanism, need protection from the established vested interested which gets threatened with the advance of Americanism).



It is hoped that Trump will realize that - as life is evaluated after death his Presidency will also be evaluated through his legacy only. And there can be no better legacy for Trump than to harness the energy of Americans for extending peace and prosperity to entire World which will benefit Americans the most. Moreover Trump can always count on divine assistance in this noble mission.



Regards



Hem Raj Jain



(Author of Betrayal of Americanism)



Bengaluru, India





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English News World should remember Nanjing Massacre for historical justice and morality

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 14 Decembre 2016



Americans will not forget the Pearl Harbor attack and the Pacific War, Southeast Asian nations will remember the ruin caused by Japanese invaders, and Chinese people will engrave the suffering brought about by Japanese militarists in their minds as well.

By Zhong Sheng from Peoples Daily December 13 marks the 3rd national commemoration of the Nanjing Massacre. Through the commemoration, also known as Nanjing Ji, Chinese people hope to, together with the rest of the world, remember the estimated 300,000 Chinese massacred during a six-week period 79 years ago by the imperial Japanese Army.



The annual event aims to engrave the dark days in the memory of Asia and the rest of the world for sustained peace.



The world has had a deeper recognition of the Nanjing Massacre over the past few years, thanks to a series of events. Besides the National Memorial Day, the historical documents of the Nanjing Massacre have been listed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, and a series of exhibitions were also held around the world.



All those measures helped more people learn the truth about the Nanjing Massacre, one of the biggest massacres during World War II.



"World War II, indeed, started in China. The Chinese people, like all peoples in the war, including the Japanese people, suffered terribly from this inhumanity," Stephane Grimaldi, general director of the Caen Memorial, said at an exhibition on the Nanjing Massacre about a month ago.



The growing number of voices like Grimaldis shows that after people learn more about the Nanjing Massacre and the Chinese battleground, the world sees World War II with a new perspective.



The Nanjing Massacre was a horrendous crime against humanity and a very dark page in the history of mankind. Though 79 years have passed, history should not be altered with the passing of time, and facts not erased by crafty denials.



Todays people commemorate the Nanjing Massacre for the purpose of upholding international justice.



Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reportedly announced days earlier that he will visit Pearl Harbor to mourn the victims of the Japanese surprise attack 75 years ago. Japanese media then suggested he also visit the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall in Nanjing, China.



Medias response can be better understood after taking Japan's acts over historic issues into consideration. In recent years, Japan's right-wing politicians, represented by the Abe government, have been attempting to revise history and turn back the clock.



They, for instance, paid multiple visits to the notorious war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, and even distorted history books, triggering doubts from its neighbors and the international community.



A few months ago, Japans education ministry revised some junior high school history textbook passages on Japan's war atrocities, in which it whitewashed its war crimes by deleting its maleficence in the 1937 Nanjing Massacre.



It is difficult to comprehend Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor as a true "historical trip." Some said the Japanese government is using this friendly measure to relieve its historical burden from its alliance with the US, and serve its own strategic agenda.



Whether the strategic move succeeds or not, Abe's opportunistic attitude to history is indeed risky. Historical facts cannot be distorted or forgotten since history is always there, even though some nations do not dare to touch it.



Americans will not forget the Pearl Harbor attack and the Pacific War, Southeast Asian nations will remember the ruin caused by Japanese invaders, and Chinese people will engrave the suffering brought about by Japanese militarists in their minds as well.



Japan has to be honest about its wartime aggression, which is a complete period of history, not a few sections for it to choose from. Recognizing history can neither be Japan's strategic card nor diplomatic move.



History sheds light on the future. Remembering the Nanjing Massacre is about morality and historical justice. Will Japan shoulder its historic responsibility as war instigator and criminal? The world will be the judge.

(Peoples Daily)



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F.N.B. Corp. in Pittsburgh has hired an executive to lead its new Charlotte, N.C., office after it completes its deal for Yadkin Financial.

The $22 billion-asset parent of First National Bank named Greg Heaton president of its Charlotte region, according to a Wednesday news release. Heaton was previously executive vice president of commercial banking in Charlotte at CommunityOne Bank, according to his LinkedIn profile. CommunityOne, in Asheboro, N.C., was acquired by the $8 billion-asset Capital Bank Financial in October.

F.N.B. also on Wednesday appointed a total of 10 Yadkin executives to leadership roles in commercial banking in North Carolina.

F.N.B. in July agreed to buy Yadkin for $1.4 billion, allowing the company to enter North Carolina. The deal is expected to close early next year.
Middleburg Financial's biggest shareholder played a central role in the Virginia company's recent agreement to sell itself.

David Sokol, a former protege of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, held meetings with representatives of both Middleburg and the buyer, Access National in Reston, Va., in the months leading up to the companies' merger agreement, according to a regulatory filing tied to the $233 million deal.

The $1.4 billion-asset Access National also agreed to reimburse Sokol up to $500,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, the filing said.

The story behind the deal highlights just how much influence an investor can have when he or she amasses a large stake in a bank. Sokol controls about 29% of the $1.3 billion-asset Middleburg's stock and, as a result, will own about 14% of Access National's shares when the sale is completed.

In fact, Sokol's decision to sell a block of his Middleburg shares in February started the bank down the path to selling, the filing said. Middleburg's board asked Sander O'Neill, the bank's eventual merger adviser, to help with the stock transaction. In the process discussions occurred between Sokol and management over Middleburg's future, after which the investor submitted a March 31 regulatory filing calling on the company to sell itself.

To be sure, other factors played into Middleburg's decision to find a buyer. Notably, management was concerned about the company's low loan-to-deposit ratio, which stood at 77% at Sept. 30, the filing said. Access National's ratio at the end of the third quarter was 87%, and the combined company would have an 81% ratio.

Still, Sokol's filing got the attention of Access National, which had never agreed to buy a bank before but was looking at potential targets. It contacted Middleburg in April, within weeks of Sokol's March filing.

As discussions progressed, Access National's board began focusing more attention on Sokol, deciding in late June to "refrain from comprehensive due diligence involving the time and expense of third parties" until a representative could "meet, interview and forge a favorable opinion concerning the potential relationship" with the investor.

A gathering finally took place on Sept. 19, when Sokol, representatives for each bank and their respective advisers met to discuss a possible deal and Sokol's "outlook for his continued investment in the combined company." Sokol then met privately with Access National CEO Michael Clarke and Chairman Michael Anzilotti, and "all parties  agreed there was [a] compelling case to proceed," the filing said.

While the companies were ironing out the final details, Sokol agreed to support the merger and hold onto his 2.1 million shares of Middleburg stock. Access National agreed to reimburse Sokol for certain expenses tied to the talks.

To put Sokol's 29% stake into context, Middleburg's directors and top executives collectively own just 5.25% of its stock, according to the recent filing. The company's other large shareholder, Wellington Management Group, has a nearly 7% stake.

The parties announced the deal on Oct. 24, characterizing it as a merger of equals. While such deals rarely exist  Access National's shareholders will control about 53.5% of the stock  it was clear that efforts were made to balance power. Though Access National will have seven of the 13 board seats, John Lee IV from Middleburg will became chairman. Middleburg CEO Gary Shook will run the investment group and Jeffrey Culver, the seller's chief operating officer, will have the same post at Access National.

Need any further evidence of Sokol's pivotal role? Just read the registration statement for the deal. His name is literally all over it, appearing 59 times in the document.
Any entity in this world has its strong points, and its weaknesses. And there is a certain weakness, known as the Achilles Heel, which leads to a disastrous outcome.

The regime in Iran, after nearly 38 years in power, has based its entire existence and survival on two pillars of domestic crackdown and exporting a conglomerate of terrorism, extremism, and Islamic fundamentalism, under the mantra of Islamic Revolution.

During these four decades the international community, and especially the West, has adopted a devastating appeasement policy vis-a-vis Tehrans mullahs. This has left the entire Middle East in ruins and rendered the birth of Daesh (ISIS/ISIL).

As Obamas rapprochement proved to be a miserable failure, the victory of Donald Trump as President of the United States provides a major turning point and opportunity for America and the world, to start writing not a new chapter, but an entirely different book on the Middle East.

Knowing your Friends

President-elect Trump will be setting his eye on destroying Daesh as his number one international mission. To conquer this formidable challenge, Trump will need to remedy the ties President Barack Obama ruined with the Sunni Arab World to guarantee the Iran nuclear deal as his foreign policy crown jewel and legacy. This effort is crucial to prevent Irans expanding influence across the region, as emphasized recently by 11 Arab states to the United Nations.

The mullahs went on to take full advantage by strengthening their foothold in Lebanon, plunging Yemen into a civil war, launching a Sunni killing spree in the name of battling Daesh in Iraq, and engulfing all of Syria -- especially Aleppo -- into full-blown carnage.

If Trumps seeks success in this battle he must distance America from Iran, Russia, and Assad. The key to defeating Daesh in this flashpoint corner of the world is to establish close relations with Sunnis in the entire region.

There wont be any need for U.S. boots on the ground, as the Sunni Arabs can provide the ground troops -- as proven in Yemen -- and America can deliver its superior air support and unmatched intelligence feeds.

Iran nourishes from fueling sectarian turmoil and chaos across the region. Standing shoulder to shoulder with the Sunni Arabs to tackle the crises plaguing the Middle East will be an arrow to one of Irans Achilles Heels.

For the People

Obama missed a golden opportunity during the 2009 uprisings in Iran, and yet during his tenure he provided a golden era for Irans mullahs to thrive on.

As a result, Iran used Obamas first term to advance its controversial nuclear ambitions as far as possible, slowly fill the void after Obamas premature troop withdrawal from Iraq, and further its domestic crackdown against the Iranian people.

Seeking to exploit Obamas reelection, Iranian regime leader Ali Khamenei pulled Hassan Rouhani out of his election hat to seal a nuclear deal with the Obama White House and preserve his nuclear drive to the utmost extent.

Obamas desperate drive, on the other hand, for a nuclear deal gave Iran a green light to execute nearly 3,000 people during the tenure of moderate Rouhani.

Again Trump has the opportunity to right this horrendous wrong. America needs only to stand alongside the Iranian people and the organized resistance, and allow them to take it from there. Unlike many countries that experienced Arab Spring revolutions, Iran enjoys a democratic alternative with decades of experience.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran, an umbrella group of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and others, with its president-elect Maryam Rajavi, present a 10-point plan for the future of Iran, which enjoys unprecedented support from both sides of the aisle in Washington.

Backing the Iranian people and their opposition movement terrifies the mullahs regime, and acts as the second, and more dangerous arrow.

The Path Forward

All nations of the Middle East have suffered from the mullahs treacherous measures. Obama chose to include Iran as part of the solution, allowing the mullahs to nosedive the entire region into mayhem.

We now bear witness the disastrous results as Aleppo burns in flames, with Russian bombs raining from the sky and Iran-backed militias seeking to repeat Iraq-style massacres of Sunni communities against the residents of this once thriving economic hub. All in the name of battling Daesh.

By allying with the Sunni Arabs and standing alongside the Iranian people, Trump will place Irans Achilles Heel(s) in the crosshairs. The mullahs in Tehran are already bracing for the worst impact of all.
On November 29, while speaking about flag-burning on MSNBC's Hardball, former U.S. representative Barney Frank said the late Justice Antonin Scalia was "the leading advocate of fag-burning." The interviewer, Chris Matthews, reacted to the hideous expression with amusement.

Mr. Frank's image of Scalia as fag-burner dramatically illustrates what psychologists call a relational frame. His absurd and abusive statement is evidence that he is cognitively fused to a relational frame that is contextually functional for him.

For years, left-wing ideologues like Frank have sounded mentally ill, in part because of their outlandish vilification of people they disagree with. The left wing no longer bothers to speak of rulings, writings, or positions. Rather, leftists relate people they disagree with to racism, sexism, and other phobias. Clinically, this can be understood, through Relational Frame Theory (RFT), as mental fusions with hateful relational frames.

No American has witnessed a person being burned alive due to sexual orientation, or even seen images of such an outrage. Even in Islamic areas where homosexual people are publicly put to death, those punishments are not inflicted through burning. The idea that a venerated Supreme Court justice would advocate death by burning is insane. Yet Chris Matthews understood the meaning of Frank's words and reacted with laughter. This is due to the infinite capacity of the language-based human mind to create and communicate relational frames.

RFT is important in current psychological research because it is the theoretical basis of what are known as "third wave" mindfulness cognitive behavioral therapies. Mindfulness psychotherapies arise from the theory that cognitive rigidity and fusion  the inability to question or detach from negative relational frames about oneself, about others, or about one's life  is a principal source of human suffering. In this model, left-wing post-election suffering is understood as the result of fusion with irrational, even hateful, relational frames against Trump, his supporters, and his nascent administration.

Relational frames are the language structures of what we believe, how we feel, and ultimately how we behave. RFT posits that the basic process of the human mind is the infinite ability to create language-based relationships between objects. Animals learn through association with stimuli; humans learn through the creation of verbally mediated relationships among stimuli. (As an illustration of this distinction, take a moment to create a relationship between an elephant and a tweezer.) Barney Frank displayed that capacity when he verbalized a preposterous relationship between a venerated justice and a heinous crime.

We have just witnessed an astounding validation of the political process, as directed by the Constitution, in the election of Donald Trump. But when we listen to the voices of the stunned left, all we hear is a senseless tantrum on the theme "Trump is racist." Jennifer Palmieri, Hillary Clinton's aide, said, "I don't know whether the Trump campaign needed to give a platform to white supremacists to win. But the campaign clearly did, and it had the effect of empowering the white nationalist movement." The president-elect's chief adviser is characterized using an antiquated apartheid term, "white nationalist."

Tens of millions of ordinary Americans who voted for Trump are "white supremacists." The political explanation for this is that the left cannot criticize Mr. Trump's aims. The psychological explanation is that their vilifications are contextually functional. They are relational frames of moral superiority, in support of the indefensible dogma of the post-Judeo-Christian worldview, discussed below. They cannot say we want a weak military or ailing veterans to be poorly served. They cannot admit they want to eliminate the nation's borders or decimate the prospects of the middle class. All they can splutter are variations on the imprecation "Trump is racist."

Functional contextualism is a post-Judeo-Christian, mid-20th-century pragmatist philosophy of science generally credited to philosopher Stephen C. Pepper's 1942 book World Hypotheses: A Study in Evidence. Contextualism holds that belief systems are organized around worldviews that have their own distinctive underlying "root metaphors." Root metaphors develop within a worldview to promote the common knowledge and understanding of a particular worldview. The aggregate effect of root metaphors is to establish the "truth criteria" of the worldview. Consciously and unconsciously, root metaphors inform the language of relational frames, which in turn function to strengthen the belief system of the worldview. Psychologically, this is a closed, positive reinforcement loop  which is why trying to rationally converse with a left-winger usually doesn't work.

The defeated Democrat cozeners of the media are focusing on the fact that we are now two Americas, and to a great extent they are right. For the purpose of understanding the irreconcilably different truth criteria of those two nations, we will divide American history into two epochs: the classical Judeo-Christian period (Founding until 1973) and the post-Judeo-Christian period (1973 onward).

The transition away from the Judeo-Christian worldview has been gradual and continual. In fact, contextual functionalism is a movement within philosophical pragmatism and cultural relativism generally traced to William James, John Dewey, and other 19th-century harbingers of post-Judeo-Christian America. The date 1973, when the Supreme Court enshrined the absolute fallacy called Roe v. Wade, marks a chronological borderline between the two worldviews. Even the terms Judeo-Christian and post-Judeo-Christian can be understood due to currency of the relevant relational frames.

There are many differences in the two worldviews regarding virtue, values, and guidance for life. In the Judeo-Christian worldview, "truth criteria" are based on universal, unchanging values and principles based in God and His revealed word. Fundamentally, the post-Judeo-Christian worldview has been a rebellion against that moral code. Post-Judeo-Christians have abandoned God-given, fixed moral ideals in favor of a humanistic impulse for each mind to project its own personal truth, the discovery and pursuit of which is life's primary directive. The post-Judeo-Christian worldview is a philosophical hodgepodge that enables the left wing to honor themselves as Christians or "spiritual," while fiercely rejecting the most fundamental Judeo-Christian tenets, such as the sanctity of life. The psychodynamic of that moral rejectionism is a grandiose, compensatory sense of superiority.

"No more fag-burning!" "Trump and his racist friends are deplorable!" And so on. The relational frame that enmifies the deplorables functions to protect the self from honest introspection. In summary, left-wing accusations of racism against Trump and his supporters are the fusion of contextually functional relational frames arising out of anti-moral post Judeo-Christian thought.

There is hope. This author has plans to conduct a mindfulness psychotherapy recovery program (in the form of an American Thinker essay) for the left-wing lost ones.
Weeks away from stepping into the White House, Donald Trump appeared to fool the skeptics, who fully expected him to trip over his necktie and fall on his face. Just the opposite, he seemed presidential and gracious to the losers, initially to his competitors during the nominating process and later to loser Hillary, dropping his promise to jail her. His cabinet choices have been five-star picks  more than five if you count all the stars on the shoulders of the former generals he has nominated.

And then...whoops.

Arguably for the most important cabinet position, that of the secretary of state, third in line of succession for the presidency, Mr. Trump chose someone who may well have been Hillary's pick: Rex Tillerson, supporter of Planned Parenthood, wrecker of the Boy Scouts of America, and a medal recipient from the KBG thug Vladimir Putin.

The nominee has no military or diplomatic experience. His deal-making credentials bring back memories of George W., who looked into Putin's soul and thought he could do business with him. We know how that turned out. Hillary also learned stuff about reset with the Russians.

Mr. Tillerson has only scratched the depth of the kleptocracy and naked ambition that is Putin's Russia. An advanced course to Mr. Tillerson in the former evil empire, as he sits at State, is a bad idea.

What to make of this nomination? Mr. Trump appears to have picked someone in his own image: a tycoon and a deal-maker, a social liberal who succeeded in business. Unlike the former military nominees for Defense and Homeland Security, whom Trump picked to establish his own and his administration's toughness, Mr. Tillerson is just another globalist, an empty suit by comparison.

If Mr. Trump picked him to poke the RINOs in the Senate, he will get his wish. And that is too bad, because a skirmish in the Senate this early in his administration will not bode well for the legislation that Trump needs to keep his other campaign promises on immigration, border security, and jobs.
Evidently the mandarins at the top of the Department of Energy believe that taxpayers work for them, not vice versa. How else to explain the astonishing arrogance of bureaucrats at a federal agency refusing to answer Trump Transition Team questions about their work? Their hysteria over answering questions has turned to insubordination.

Arlette Saenz and Maryalice Parks of ABC News quote the arrogant response of the DOEs spokeshuman:

"The Department of Energy received significant feedback from our workforce throughout the department, including the National Labs, following the release of the transition teams questions. Some of the questions asked left many in our workforce unsettled," Eben Burnham-Snyder, director of public affairs at the Energy Department said. "Our career workforce, including our contractors and employees at our labs, comprise the backbone of DOE and the important work our department does to benefit the American people. We are going to respect the professional and scientific integrity and independence of our employees at our labs and across our department."

Being unsettled is not a legitimate reason to refuse to answer work-related questions from your next boss. Maybe the law regarding presidential transitions does not invest authority on the incoming team to force compliance. If so, I eagerly await the confirmation of Rick Perry as head of the DoE and his formal order to answer the questions. That should clear up any questions about the independence of employees who cash a federal paycheck.

Nobody is asking people to change scientific data. Not like the warmists who adjust temperature readings to obtain the results they want.

Department of Energy, D.C. HQ is too cold and ugly to be recycled into the next Trump hotel.

Eric Worrall at Watts Up With That clearly explains what is wrong with this refusal:

Refusing to provide information to the new administration about what staff do with their work time, to me suggests the US Department of Energy believes they are a law unto themselves  they think they are above politicians and political cycles, and intend to continue wasting money on climate programmes, regardless of what the new Trump administration wants. I say defund the lot of them. The few important roles they perform, such as overseeing the handling of nuclear material and nuclear waste, can be transferred to other departments.

Well, Rick Perry was trying to name the Department of Energy as one of the three federal agencies he would close when post-surgery drugs clouded his memory. I hope that when he is confirmed and takes the leadership there, he will follow through.

A fascinating analysis of the questionnaire by Willis Eschenbach at Watts Up With That demonstrates that the Trump team is highly sophisticated, and indeed aiming to change policy at the DoE. That is what politics is for  setting policy. Employees who collect pay and lavish benefits from the taxpayers do not set policy; they implement it. If they feel unsettled about the new policy, they should leave their jobs.

Here are two examples from Eschenbach if the legitimate  and threatening  questions being asked.

1. Can you provide a list of all boards, councils, commissions, working groups, and FACAs [Federal Advisory Committees] currently active at the Department? For each, can you please provide members, meeting schedules, and authority (statutory or otherwise) under which they were created? If I were at DOE, this first question would indeed set MY hair on fire. The easiest way to get rid of something is to show that it was not properly established  boom, its gone. As a businessman myself, this question shows me that the incoming people know their business, and that the first order of business is to jettison the useless lumber.

And:

17 Can you provide a list of all Schedule C appointees, all non-career SES employees, and all Presidential appointees requiring Senate confirmation? Can you include their current position and how long they have served at the Department? Heres the deal. Its basically impossible to fire a government worker unless they held up a bank and were caught in the act, and even then youd have to have full-color video to make it stick. Public employee unions are among the worlds stupidest and most destructive idea  the government unions use their plentiful funds to affect the election of the people who set their pay scale. Yeah, that should go well  BUT  if you can get rid of their position, then youre not firing them, you just dont have further work for them. They are trying to figure out who they can cut. Hair is catching fire on all sides with this one.

Fortunately for the soon to be former bureaucrats at the DoE, employment in the private sector is likely to boom under the next president. I suggest they get their resumes ready.
Last week, writing for this blog about a faithless elector, I cited the passage from Federalist No. 68 (attributed to Alexander Hamilton) noting that the members of the Electoral College are bound by the Constitution to meet in their individual states. I had no idea that that very limitation would be relevant to the curious call by some electors for an intelligence briefing, a call endorsed by John Podesta, Clinton campaign chairman  as I learned from the lead editorial in the Wall Street Journal, December 13.

For present purpose, I would call to the attention of Mr. Podesta and all anti- and NeverTrumps, wherever they might be, the opening line of the Twelfth Amendment of the United States Constitution: "The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President[.]" Federalist No. 68 makes it clear that the aim of the Founders was to keep the lid on "tumult and disorder" at a convocation of the Electoral College. But a section of Federalist No. 68 that I did not think required quoting, previously, also makes it clear that the aim of the Founders, in keeping the members of the Electoral College confined to their separate states, was to reduce as much as humanly possible "cabal, intrigue, and corruption," described in No. 68 as "[t]hese most deadly adversaries of republican government[.]"

How, then, would the proponents of intelligence briefings for the electors propose that such briefings take place? Clearly, the spirit of the Twelfth Amendment would prevent an Electoral College briefing for all electors meeting in one place. Should there, then, be briefings in the separate states, plus the District of Columbia? Who would conduct the briefings? Would intelligence briefings under the auspices of the national government be consistent with the state basis of the Electoral College? And wouldn't all electors need to have security clearances for intelligence briefings? Surely, the briefings could not be held under the lax rules approach of the HIllary Clinton emails. Or would the briefings consist solely of readings from vague and unsubstantiated articles published in the Trump-resisting New York Times?

The moral I infer from all the commotion about the alleged (fake news?) shadow cast by Russia over the recent presidential campaign is simply this: never underestimate the left's penchant for what Federalist No. 68 called "cabal, intrigue, and corruption" for purpose of undoing "republican [lowercase 'r'] government."

There is also an observation in Federalist No. 41 (attributed to James Madison) that seems worth noting in the present context: "A bad cause seldom fails to betray itself."
Danney Williams, a man claiming to be the son of Bill Clinton, has filed a lawsuit requesting Bill Clinton's DNA sample. However, seven genetic factors of Bill Clinton's were already published in 1999 in the Starr Report, including his D1S80 marker.

A global analysis of D1S80 variability studied the marker in 84 world populations and revealed clear-cut distinctions among "European, Asian, Afro-American, American Indian, and Indian" ethnic groups (p. 66). Bill Clinton's D1S80 marker is "24, 24." (The marker is represented by two numbers.)

The 24 marker  that is, if at least one of your markers has a 24  has a frequency of 26-45% in Europeans, 6-29% in sub-Saharan Africans, and 17-24% in Asians. The 24 marker is predominant in the European populations of Eastern Slavs (Russians, Belarusians, and Ukrainians) (p. 67). The specific 24, 24 marker, according to another study, occurs in 14.7% percent of Dutch Caucasians, the second most common type.

The fact that Bill Clinton has a marker of 24, which means that both his parents had at least one 24 in their D1S80, means that his son must have a 24 as well, because children inherit at least one of the dual numbers from each parent (Table 1).

The fact that a European can have as high as a 45% chance of having a 24, and an African as low as 6%, means that if Danney has a 24, he most likely had a European father. Of course, a different European man could be Danney's father. Yet there are six additional markers taken from Bill Clinton, including the DQA1 variable. Bill Clinton's marker is 1.1, 1.2, which one study says occurs in only 5.6% of the Caucasian population in Brazil and 3.6% of the mulatto population. Another study, this one from a United States sample group, contradicts this data and says this marker occurs in 3.6% of Caucasians and 7.6% of African-Americans (Table 3).

What about the other five factors?

The other five factors comprise PM (polymorphic) data. According to a study that looked at both African Americans and Caucasian-Americans, Bill's LDLR of B was found in 76% of African-Americans and only 55% of Caucasian-Americans, while his GYPA of B was both at nearly equal rates in both groups, at 47%. The B in his HBGG of AB is found to be uncommon with Africa-Americans, at only 22.8%, while the same variable is found at 45% among Caucasian-Americans. The B in his D7S8 of AB is found inside only 34% of African-Americans and 39% of Caucasian-Americans.

Clinton's rarest variable in the PM data is the Gc, as the C in his AC is in only 19% of African-Americans and 54% of Caucasian-Americans.

So if Danney Williams has a C in his Gc, as Bill Clinton does, and whatever letter his mother has as the other letter, then he has a letter that only 19% of African-Americans have. If his D1S80 has a 24, then he has a letter that only 6-29% of African-Americans have. Finally, Bill Clinton's DQA1 marker is exceedingly rare and found in only 3.6 of Caucasians and 7.6% in African-Americans.

It is clear that if Danney's seven DNA variables match Bill Clinton's and his mother's, this would be a huge coincidence  with a very high probability of being more than a coincidence.

Steve Cunningham has written for the American Thinker and contributed to The Federalist. He can be reached at stevecunningham@juno.com.
The New York Times reports that Thomas (Tom) Perez, President Obamas secretary of labor:

 has told three senior Democrats that he intends to run for chairman of the Democratic National Committee, challenging the front-running candidate, Representative Keith Ellison[.]

Perez is Obamas choice. He is much smarter than Ellison, has a lot of political experience, and is a very tough and skilled fighter.

Perez is less controversial than Ellison, though he is just as far to the left. Plus, as a Hispanic (with two Dominican parents), he has appeal to more of a swing group than African-Americans or Muslims.

As a Republican, I hope Ellison wins. Perez was on the very short list for V.P. for Clinton, though she chose to go for a safe pick with Tim Kaine.

Thomas Lifson adds:

It is fascinating that President Obama is sabotaging Keith Ellisons run. This is pure practical politics, for Ellison would have been an utter disaster for the Democrats. But Ellison does not go quietly into that dark night. There could be some interesting consequences ahead for Obama and the Dems.
The departing government has announced a "peaceful transition," but it looks as if members of Obama's administration is digging holes in "common ground," shrouded by smoke from the American flag burnt by their not so "patriots first" camp.

Democrats were big on diagnosing soldiers and veterans with PTSD and yanking weapons from the most deserving hands. It's only fair to say that right now, the left seems to suffer from some kind of Post Obama Stress Disorder. Should we consider that, according to their own prescription, "persistent disorientation and anger" make them "potentially dangerous" candidates for deweaponization?

The first symptom of Post Obama Stress Disorder could be called "Grandiosis," and it clearly manifests itself in Dianne Feinstein's "warning on Trump judicial nominees."

Evidently, Senator Feinstein believes she is some kind of royal figure who might grant an audience to President Trump, on condition that his ideas correspond with her agenda:

When President-elect Trump is willing to support responsible policies and nominees, I'll hear him out, but this committee has a vital role to protect the Constitution and scrutinize policies, senior officials and judges very carefully, and that's what we intend to do.

Senator Feinstein issued yet another warning: "We simply won't stand aside and watch the tremendous successes achieved over the past eight years be swept away or allow our nation's most vulnerable populations to be targeted."

Incoming message to Big Giant Head: The "tremendous success" was a flop, and American citizens rejected leftist "me, myself, and my pets" politics.

Some left-wingers suffering from power withdrawal symptoms are throwing spectacular tantrums and proclaiming a state of war amid the "peaceful transition." Democrat congressman Ted Lieu for example proudly announced on Twitter: "I just became a monthly donor to ACLU.Because the RESISTANCE to any unconstitutional crazy shit from President Trump begins now."

Both above-mentioned California Democrats seem to additionally suffer from left-sided myopia and selective amnesia  they had no problems with unconstitutional antics of their administration and veteran homelessness in their state. At present, they seem to cope pretty well with ongoing harassment of veteran whistleblowers.

Well, we must give it to them: they were probably too busy. Senator Feinstein was trying to free America from the right to bear arms, and Ted Lieu, who is representing California's 33rd Congressional District, worked hard to earn CAIR's "Excellence in Leadership" award.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, who considers that "[t]he election of Donald Trump has emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry in America," and Barbara Boxer, who deplores "the system where the winner can lose," clearly did not get the message from the "deplorables."

It would be logical if a departing administration notorious for an unprecedented spending spree had some pre-new prez jitters. Critical evaluation of vote-costing actions would be a natural behavioral spin-off. But the only "natural" and uniquely logical explanation for the soon to be ex-reigning elite is limitless arrogance and a preposterous sense of entitlement. The remorseless "untouchables" hubristically believe they are entitled to lack of accountability and have the right to bark orders to the new president and his subordinates.

Some members of the leftist gentry are overtly and furiously waving the hammer and sickle. Others seem ready to bury the hatchetin America's back.

Media-wise, the left still relies heavily on good ol' gaslighting and crazy-making . The only nonviolent passage they opt for is harmonious landing on golden parachutes. Meanwhile, their joke about "peaceful transition" is going down like a lead balloon.
The final flight and retirement ceremony for the venerable F-4 Phantom will be December 21 at Holloman AFB, New Mexico. The Phantom is still in active service at Holloman with Detachment 1 of the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron.

The F-4 first flew in 1958 and set 15 world records for in-flight performance, including an absolute speed record and an absolute altitude record. It first entered active service with the Navy in 1960 and eventually became the frontline fighter not only with the Navy, but also with the Air Force and the Marines.

The Phantom was the fighter plane of the Vietnam generation and was the last U.S. fighter plane flown to achieve Ace status. To my knowledge, it was also the only aircraft to achieve a supersonic gun kill, also while in action over Vietnam. The Phantom was the mainstay of the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy during the Cold War throughout the '70s and early eighties until replaced by F-15s, F-16s in the USAF, and F-14 Tomcats, and F/A 18 Hornets in the Navy. Phantoms also saw action in the Persian Gulf War as reconnaissance aircraft and as the "Wild Weasel," conducting anti-enemy air defense missions. The F-4 was finally removed from its combat role in 1996.

Over its production run, a total of 5,195 were built, making it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft. Phantoms were also used by eleven other nations, including Israel, where the planes had extensive combat operations in the many Arab-Israeli conflicts. And it was the only aircraft to be used by both the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels flight demonstration teams.

The last flight and ceremony are open to the public, but attendees must RSVP to the base. Contact details for access to the base and the agenda are given in the linked article. Let's hope the Phantom gets a first-class sendoff.

John Smith is the pen name of a former U.S. intelligence officer.
The Trump International Hotel in D.C. will be a lightning rod for leftist agitation December 14, as radical and mainstream liberal Jewish groups protest a joint Hanukkah party co-sponsored by the Embassy of Azerbaijan and the conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. Jews Choose Trump is calling on Trump supporters to join them in a counter-demonstration.

Trumps millions of Jewish supporters look forward happily to the unfolding policies of President-Elect Trump and his impressive list of proposed cabinet heads and his national security advisers, who will create a new era of security for America, Israel, and our other allies. For the first time since 9/11, many Americans are taking heart, feeling we will have a team capable of meeting and willing to meet the challenge of the Islamic jihadi war against the West.

Strengthening our border by enforcing our immigration laws and strengthening our economy through pro-growth economic policies, especially the energy sector, are just as important for national security as diplomacy and military action. Trump, working with his outstanding Cabinet picks, has begun the road to excellence in all these areas, undoing eight years of Obamas willful damage to Americas safety and well-being. Trump has pledged to reverse Obamas dangerous enabling of Irans terror and nuclear capabilities.

Anti-Jewish hate groups that support the vilification and isolation of Israel have become unhinged with Trumps victory. They are appalled we will again have a president who embraces Israel as Americas strategic ally and a bastion of shared cultural values in the hellhole of the Middle East. These radical groups have tried to camouflage their protests against the Jewish State and Trump as somehow being "Jewish."

These anti-Trump liberal Reform leaders are eager to disrespect our president-elect and all his voters, and the rare Muslim country friendly to Israel, but they are fine joining with the anti-Jewish hate group If Not Now. During his administration, President Obama worked to divide the post-World War II unity of the Jewish community by pushing the anti-Israel Soros group J Street.

J Street has failed to make an impact on support for Israel in the Jewish community. That failure has led the anti-Israel hate group to take another tack by using its campus arm, J Street U, currently run by an anti-Israel Muslim student, to manufacture the perception that the "youth" are anti-Israel. (snip) If Not Now  evolved out of anti-Israel protests during Hamas' attacks on Israel, and Simone Zimmerman retweets violently anti-Israel bigots, including Max Blumenthal, who has called for the ethnic cleansing of Jews from Israel and helped inspire the Kansas City Jewish Community Center shooter

Trumps Jewish supporters are tired of the bogus narrative tying President-Elect Trump and Steve Bannon to white supremacists, and the media silence regarding the entrenched anti-Semitism and anti-Israel activism of Democrats. The infinitesimally small number of David Duke supporters, which number no more than a few thousand in a U.S. population of over 330 million, have no influence in this country. The alt right has no media or political influence in this country. The groups we fear are the alt left, who are taking over the Democratic Party (considering Nation of Islam supporter Keith Ellison for DNC chair). These Democrats sponsor hateful demonstrations against Jews, Zionists, and Israel endlessly everywhere on our college campuses. They have a real following in the elites and academia and are becoming more mainstream.

We look forward to Trump implementing the 17 points the chairmen of his Israel advisory team published. Our top five are:

1. Immediately change the diplomatic atmosphere from hostility to Israel to warm friendship again, as evidenced by the invitation to Netanyahu. We expect the attacks on Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria as "illegitimate" to end as well, referring to Israel as an "occupier."

2. Expect the U.S. to veto any U.N. resolutions that unfairly target Israel or attempt to impose a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as opposing labeling requirements at the U.N. or by the EU, which are attempts to harm Israeli commerce and to delegitimize the state and to prejudge the outcome of direct negotiations between the parties.

3. Take steps through the Department of Education and through legislation to fight BDS as anti-Semitic.

4. Recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and move the U.S. embassy there.

5. Most importantly, we expect the Trump administration to tear up the Iran deal and to treat Iran as the existential threat to the U.S. that it is.

We are heartened by the choice of Gen. Mattis as secretary of defense, since he says that when he wakes up in the morning, the three threats to U.S. security that he worries about are Iran, Iran, Iran.

Unlike most liberal Jews, Trump has Jewish grandchildren. Trump suffers no confusion as to who is a friend and who is a foe.
Oh, boy! We have a leading indicator that infighting, mutual recriminations, and media leaks finally are breaking out among members of Team Hillary, as responsibility for losing the election is being dodged. All the help from John Brennan and the media claiming hacking (by implication of voting machines, but really meaning John Podesta clicked on a link in a phishing email) isnt enough to blame Russia and have it stick. It is already leading to widespread (and effective) mockery:

When you get together a group of highly competitive people, make them into a team, and then have them depend on the whim of a narcissistic, power-mad congenital liar, and they fail, you can depend on a circular firing squad forming. The risk of going down with the ship outweighs the personal disadvantages of making enemies on the former team.

Vanity Fair (of course!) is the first to bring us news of the backbiting and chooses Huma Abedin, the fashionably slender and sympathetically cyber-cheated on, as the focus. William D. Cohan writes:

Maybe Im just pissed off, but I really dont give a shit about what happens to Huma to be honest with you, one close adviser to Hillary Clinton told me recently.

Well, thats hostile!

What sin did Huma commit?

He was irked, in particular, at Abedins seemingly superfluous breach of decorum during a post-election event. On the day after Hillary Clintons stunning loss to Donald Trump, this person said, Abedin appeared within the rope line while Clinton greeted her morose and woebegone supporters. Youre staff, O.K.? this adviser continued. Staff is staff. Youre not a principal.

Jealousy, the green-eyed monster. Who else got to pal around with the president to be in matching outfits?

The close Clinton adviser elaborated that Abedin and the other tight-knit circle of people may have suffocated Clinton, preventing the campaign from taking in outside counsel. The real anger is toward Hillarys inner circle, the Clinton insider told me. They reinforced all the bad habits. For instance, the suggestion had been made that Clinton should show her gregarious side, by, for instance, appearing more often on The View. (She appeared once, but Bernie Sanders, her rival for the nomination, appeared a handful of times.)

This is encouraging. Who else in the inner circle is at fault? The article gives no clue. But presumably, everyone who worked for Hillary in an important role reads V.F. So they are on notice that it is metaphorically "kill or be killed." By an unnamed foe who was a little farther from the sun queen at court and who spoke to the bible of the mindless.

This is going to get ugly, and I can hardly wait.
The nomination of ExxonMobil CEO Rex W. Tillerson tells me that the president-elect may have in mind a radically different job for his secretary of state, and by implication the department itself  possibly on the order of a paradigm shift.

First, a brief historical background. On January 10, 1780, the Confederation Congress created the Department of Foreign Affairs and, on August 10, 1781, selected Robert R. Livingston of New York as that department's secretary. On July 27, 1789, George Washington signed a law reinstating the office of secretary of foreign affairs and the Department of Foreign Affairs. However, on September 15, 1789, Washington signed another law changing the name of the office to the Department of State and the title of its most senior official to secretary of state. When Thomas Jefferson returned from France, he became our first secretary of state.

Now, what are the current duties of the secretary of state? The State Department's official site lists the following key duties, which I have numbered for ease of reference (without implying a priority order):

Serves as the president's principal adviser on U.S. foreign policy. Conducts negotiations relating to U.S. foreign affairs. Grants and issues passports to American citizens and exequaturs to foreign consuls in the United States. Advises the president on the appointment of U.S. ambassadors, ministers, consuls, and other diplomatic representatives. Advises the president regarding the acceptance, recall, and dismissal of the representatives of foreign governments. Personally participates in or directs U.S. representatives to international conferences, organizations, and agencies. Negotiates, interprets, and terminates treaties and agreements. Ensures the protection of the U.S. government to American citizens, property, and interests in foreign countries. Supervises the administration of U.S. immigration laws abroad. Provides information to American citizens regarding the political, economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian conditions in foreign countries. Informs the Congress and American citizens on the conduct of U.S. foreign relations. Promotes beneficial economic intercourse between the United States and other countries. Administers the Department of State. Supervises the Foreign Service of the United States.

During Senate confirmation hearings, Democrats will almost certainly criticize Mr. Tillerson for his apparent lack of qualifications to carry out the duties of secretary of state as listed above. They may well be joined by Republicans who did not support Donald Trump during the campaign and will use the opportunity to throw a tantrum. They should know better but probably won't.

Tillerson can respond by noting that many of the duties listed may safely be left to an experienced deputy secretary of state  who I hope will be former U.N. ambassador John Bolton. Duties 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 13, and 14 fall into this category. Bolton is superbly qualified to help out with other duties as well, assisted by staff.

Tillerson can then go on to point out that he is eminently qualified to carry out duty 12 as well as more traditional duties such as 1, 2, and 11, suitably redefined to include economic considerations  which they would be, in effect placing economic policy at the heart of foreign policy in a Trump administration. Trump wants to return America to its proper status as an economic superpower, undermined by eight years of mismanagement under Obama.

A secretary of state who primarily looks after the foreign economic interests of the United States is a radically new idea and indeed qualifies as a paradigm shift. The choice of Tillerson is on the money if this is what Trump has in mind  why else?  and I hope that in the days ahead, the president-elect will explain his choice more fully.

It is helpful to quote President Coolidge, placing this famous quote in the proper context:
Seattle, Washington-based online retailer Amazon announced earlier today that it has started its much talked-about drone delivery trial in Cambridgeshire, England, as part of its ambitious Prime Air service. The company says that it is currently working with just two customers in the region, but plans to eventually expand this operation to hundreds of customers who live near its first-ever Prime Air fulfillment center in the UK. The initial delivery was carried out on December 7th as part of a new private trial and the very first products to be delivered were a bag of popcorn and a Fire TV Stick. Annotations that accompany the promo video released by the company suggest that the entire process from order to delivery took just about 13 minutes in all, which is certainly something to look forward to if that is indeed a glimpse into the future of online retail.

Amazon, of course, has gone to town often enough about how bullish the company is with its delivery drones. The companys founder and CEO, Mr. Jeff Bezos, has often spoken highly about his personal vision for the future of home delivery. While the video depicts pretty much the first tentative steps Amazon has taken towards making its founders dream a reality, it will very likely take a lot more research before the company can even think of rolling out its high-tech solution on a commercial level. Either way, even when the trial gets out of beta, the company says that customers will only be offered its drone delivery services during daytime and in good weather. The drones use GPS to navigate, and reportedly fly at a height of up to 400 feet from the ground.

Amazon, of course, has been trying to get its drone delivery mechanism off the ground (so to speak) for some time now, with Mr. Bezos announcing the plans back in 2013. The company finally got the requisite approvals from the relevant regulatory authorities last July, following which, the Civil Aviation Authority of the UK also gave the tech giant a special permission to conduct test flights in the region. There are, of course, a number of creases that Amazon will still need to iron out before this can develop into a full-fledged commercial service, but the company will be hoping that the new technology will eventually bring a seismic shift in the way we receive deliveries and packages in our mailboxes.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNySOrI2Ny8
As most gadget enthusiasts are aware of, the Nokia brand will continue to live on under the HMD Global umbrella, and next year the company will release new Android-powered Nokia smartphones, some of which will be presented next February at Mobile World Congress 2017. But interestingly enough, we now get a glimpse of Android 7.1 Nougat running on an old Nokia Lumia 520 (unofficially), before Nokia and Android will officially come together next year to promote a new generation of Nokia handsets. More precisely, a third party developer somehow got Android 7.1 Nougat running on a Nokia Lumia 520, and shared a video on YouTube showcasing the devices capabilities under the new operating system.

Before we take a look at the video below its important to note that the Android 7.1 Nougat build for the Nokia Lumia 520 is not stable and should not be used as a daily driver. Its more of a custom ROM in development, and more of a demonstration of how the old Lumia 520 can handle Googles latest mobile OS. And surprisingly enough, the Lumia 520 seems to handle Android 7.1 Nougat better than expected, especially given the smartphones hardware specifications. As a reminder, the Nokia Lumia 520 was released in mid-2013 as a Microsoft Windows Phone 8 smartphone equipped with a 4.0-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 480800. It features a Qualcomm MSM8227 Snapdragon S4 System-on-Chip (SoC) housing two CPU cores clocked at up to 1.0GHz each, an Adreno 305 graphics chip, and only 512MB of RAM along with 8GB of internal memory expandable by up to an additional 64GB via micro SD. Needless to say, these hardware characteristics are outdated by todays standards, which makes the fact that Android 7.1 Nougat runs on the device as smoothly as it does that much more surprising. Especially considering that the handset can apparently handle the new multi-window feature in Android 7.1 Nougat without much difficulty.

Once again, it should be reminded that the custom ROM is not polished enough to be used daily, but nonetheless, running Android 7.1 Nougat on the Nokia Lumia 520 is a feat in itself, and the footage below could be considered an unofficial small preview of things to come in Nokias mobile world next year.
If youve been getting into the home automation, or the smart home world, then youve probably heard of Belkins Internet of Things brand, WeMo. Its a fairly popular brand and has created some rather interesting products. They have some WiFi-enabled switches that can be controlled from your smartphone. These are pretty interesting because anything you plug into these switches can then be controlled from your smartphone, even dumb appliances like your microwave or TV. WeMo also has a slew of light switches which you can install in your home and control from your smartphone too. Its a pretty tight ecosystem WeMo has created already.

Amazons Echo and other Alexa-powered products, already support controlling Belkins WeMo ecosystem via voice. This is what has put the Echo ahead of its competition, and now it appears that Google Home will be adding support for WeMo in the near future as well. Although a specific time has not been given. This means youll soon be able to tell the Google Assistant to turn your lights off, or turn on your TV, providing you have a supported WeMo outlet or switch. Which is really what these smart speakers are going to be, and thats a hub for your Internet of Things devices like WeMo and Hue, which are the two most popular ecosystems right now.

The Google Home was announced by Google back during the summer at their developer conference in Mountain View. It was reannounced at their hardware event in October and then hit store shelves in November. So it is still fairly new, but like the Amazon Echo, it is continuing to learn and get better. Right now the Google Assistants functionality is still rather limited but that should be changing over the next few months. And adding in support for Belkins WeMo line of products is definitely going to help with user adoption. The Google Home is on sale now for $129, which is about $50 less than the Amazon Echo which is priced at $179. However, Amazon does have the slight advantage in the fact that Alexa is built into a few cheaper offerings like the Amazon Echo Dot and Amazon Tap, at $49 and $129 respectively.
2016 is drawing to a close and soon enough, 2017 will be here. Along with the new year, some will be looking towards 2017 and considering what the next year will have in store for them. By the same token, there will be those who are looking to start their New Years resolutions and for some, that could mean getting into shape, either by frequenting the gym a little more often than usual or finding and joining a new fitness class. Speaking of which, to try and make that resolution a little easier to get started and maintain, Google has today announced the launch of its Reserve with Google feature.

In short, the new service from Google looks to offer a quick and easy way to not only find fitness classes near your location, but to also book a place at those fitness classes. The feature seems to be fairly straightforward and Google has already launched a website where you can check out the new feature and book your first class. Once on the page, you will see all the classes near your location, as well as nearby spas, studios, and gyms. If you are unsure of what you want, then it seems Google will provide recommendations for fun new classes as well. When you find the class you are interested in taking part in, you will be able to register and/or pay for the class all without leaving the page you are on.

There is a caveat though and that is the new feature is only available in select areas. Which does mean that you will currently have to live in Los Angeles, New York City or the San Francisco Bay Area to take part. For everyone else, heading over to the new website will provide some information about what the new service offers, but will stipulate the feature has yet to become available in that area. Although, the website does detail that the service is expanding quickly and that does seem to be the case  as in the same blog announcement, Google also confirmed that the new feature will be available directly via Google Search and Google Maps in the coming days. In the meantime you can check out the new feature in more detail by heading through the source link below. Alternatively, if you are one of those who live in Los Angeles, New York City or the San Francisco Bay Area, you can head through the Reserve with Google link below to start booking your next (or first) fitness class.
The result of this years US presidential election surprised a lot of people, including those in Silicon Valley. While were still waiting to hear how Trumps first tech summit went, the President-elect and his incoming administration are already influencing the way tech giants in the country are doing their business. Namely, Fortune reports that Google recently started hiring more conservatives as a direct response to the outcome of the latest presidential election. The Mountain View-based company is apparently looking to fill some new positions in its lobbying and policy divisions. Google allegedly reached out to Republican lobbying agencies back in November, shortly after it became apparent that Trump was going to be the 45th president of the United States. Three lobbyists with an intimate knowledge of the matter told Fortune that the Alphabet-owned company will radically change the composition of its Washington division in charge of dealing with the White House.

Furthermore, Google recently posted an ad for a conservative outreach and public policy manager. More specifically, the Mountain View-based tech giant is looking for someone with enough background and influence in conservative circles. However, this position was already advertised before the latest US presidential election took place, so it cannot be clearly labeled as a reactionary move by Google. With that said, its no secret that for the last eight years, Google was rather close to the Democratic National Committee, as well as President Obamas administration. In fact, its quite possible that the Alphabet-owned company will be facing a lot of issues soon after Trump takes office. With that in mind, the fact that Google is looking for a way to get a foothold in the new White House certainly doesnt come off as a surprise.

Googles representatives declined requests for comments on this latest report. Of course, a radical change in policy and lobbying efforts will likely only be announced by one of the companys top executives like Sundar Pichai or perhaps even Larry Page whos expected to meet with Trump at Trump Tower in New York City later today. A person close to the industry told Fortune that all tech giants attending Trumps first roundtable already held a conference call on Friday during which theyve discussed what kind of propositions they could present to the President-elect together. Seeing how most of Silicon Valley openly supported Trumps political opponent Hillary Clinton during the US presidential election, the said meeting is bound to be a tense one.
While we already knew that the Xiaomi Mi 5 is a rather sturdy smartphone, a recent report from China suggests that this 5.15-inch flagship is even more durable than suspected. According to Kevin Wang, a well-known industry analyst who often comments on developments in the phone industry, his brothers life was recently saved by the Xiaomi Mi 5.

Wangs brother is a police officer who allegedly used the said phone to block an incoming knife attack. While the Chinese industry analyst didnt share any other details of this incident, he did post some pictures of the device in question on Weibo, a popular Chinese microblogging platform. As you can see in the gallery below, these images suggest that the knife was stuck in the back of the device which got bent in the process. However, no other damages can be seen in the pictures and the screen of the phone isnt even cracked. Interestingly enough, the said Xiaomi Mi 5 is still perfectly functional, at least according to Wangs post on Weibo. Unfortunately, theres currently no way to verify this story, so definitely take it with a grain of salt. However, given the fact that Wang is a well-known individual in the industry, his word certainly holds more weight than a post from a random user on Chinese social media would.

While original equipment manufacturers certainly dont advertise their Android smartphones as makeshift alternatives to body armor, this news is still bound to bring some good publicity to Xiaomi and its flagship which debuted earlier this year. In the meantime, the Beijing-based phone maker also debuted the Mi 5S and the Mi 5S Plus, revised versions of the said phone. Furthermore, if latest reports are to be believed, Xiaomi is also close to launching the Mi 5C, a somewhat cheaper revision of the Mi 5.

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Interestingly enough, this isnt the first time weve heard of a phone saving its owners life. In fact, just a few months ago, another report from South Africa claimed that the Huawei P8 Lite actually stopped a bullet when his owner got shot by a pair of robbers. Not that long ago, similar reports about the Samsung Galaxy Mega and the Nokia Lumia 520 also emerged online.
Sprint has unveiled a new networking technology called HPUE (High Performance User Equipment) designed to extend the physical range and quality of its 2.5GHz network, bringing it close to the companys existing 1.9GHz spectrum. Sprint has considerable spectrum at the 2.5GHz point of the frequency scale where it benefits from relatively high speeds but the higher the frequency, the lower the effective range as the signal penetrates buildings and solid objects less readily compared with lower frequencies. According to Sprints analysis, the new technology will extend 2.5GHz coverage indoors as well as outdoors and follows two years of effort biased towards increasing the uplink coverage of its Band 41 devices.

Sprint worked closely with the Global TDD-LTE Initiative (GTI) and other cellular networks including China Mobile and parent carrier SoftBank, plus hardware companies including Broadcom, MediaTek, Alcatel, Motorola, LG, Qorvo, Qualcomm, Samsung, and ZTE. The new technology has been approved through the standards process and 3GPP certification was granted in early December 2016 and according to Sprints material, will bring with it important advantages both for current generation networking and next-generation, or 5G, technologies. Sprint already has considerable experience operating its 2.5GHz network where it operates 250 LTE Plus markets, that is, where the company is utilizing at least 40MHz of 2.5GHz spectrum for two channel carrier aggregation. The company offers three-channel carrier aggregation, using 60MHz of spectrum, in certain markets including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco and the company explains it has 160MHz of 2.5GHz spectrum available in the top one hundred US markets.

Springs press release reports that their 2.5GHz network is ready for the initial deployment of HPUE technologies, but also notes that devices supporting the new Band 41 HPUE will be launched next year. As such, customers may need to update their device in order to benefit from the enhanced 2.5GHz network. Meanwhile, Sprint also discusses its surgical network improvement policy of bolstering the network where needed. Over the last year the company has spent considerably less on upgrading its network compared with the other three network operators but according to the independent measurement and analytics firm, RootMetrics, during a comparison before and after Sprints small cell network densification project between August and November 2016, the network showed significant increases in our median download and upload speeds. You can find out more about HPUE in the YouTube link below.
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Interesting Oprah Winfrey Quotes To Keep You Motivated Oprah Winfrey is one of the worlds most powerful women in the media and business sectors. Her life is the typical success story that motivates and lifts ones morale. One amazing thing about this media mogul is her sincerity about past hurts, mistakes, healing, and success. The renowned talk show host and media personality is the first ...

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Steve Harvey  His Wife, Kids & Height Steve Harvey is an American comedian, actor, radio and TV show host, producer and an author of different relationship advice books. Steve Harveys Early Life Born in Welch, West Virginia, on January 17, 1957, as Broderick Stephen Harvey, Steve was the last of five children. His family relocated to Cleveland when he was young and there, he attended Glenville High School from ...

Intriguing Things You Should Know About Danny Kokers Rise to Fame and Who His Wife Is Danny Koker is popular as the star of the History Channel reality TV series, Counting Cars. Prior to him appearing on the show, the TV personality was a musician who had embarked on a number of national tours with his rock group, Counts 77. He and his group have released quite a number of songs ...

Fun Facts You Didnt Know About Andy Cohens Rise to Prominence and His Partner Andy Cohen is one of Americas top media personalities who gained prominence after helping to bring the Bravo network back to life. He also hosted a couple of shows on the network, including the popular nightly series Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. After rising to the position of head of production and development at ...

Tracing Isha Sesays Career Until CNN, Her Worth And Why She Divorce Her Husband As far as journalists of African origin go, Isha Sesay is one of the most famous on the continent  and by extension, the world. The Sierra Leonean and British journalist has had a successful career since she joined the industry in 1998. In that time, she has worked for a host of major media ...

Open Secrets of How Joanna Gaines Balances Her Career With Being a Wife and Mother Joanna Gaines is the co-founder of Magnolia Homes, a business she runs with one goal: converting houses to homes. She doubles as the lead designer of the company which she co-owns with her husband, Chip Gaines. Lady Gaines gained massive popularity when she became a co-star with her husband on the HGTVs show, Fixer Upper. ...

Juicy Details of Ayesha Currys Love Story With Stephen, Her Family Members and Recent Pursuits When your husband is one of the greatest basketballers that the NBA has ever seen, then it bestows on you the status of a celebrity wife  and may not even demand that you do anything extra to maintain that status. However, Ayesha Curry, the wife of multiple NBA champion, Steph Curry, is not one ...

What Is Tarek el Moussas Ethnicity, Why Did He Divorce His Wife and Who Is He Dating? Tarek El Moussa has made himself one of the most recognizable men on reality television, especially to fans of HGTV. Thanks to his expertise in the world of real estate, Tarek has become a national star. But even to his hardcore followers, there are questions about Tarek El Moussa that remain unanswered, such as his ...

Fun Facts About Natalie Beckers Lonely Childhood and Eventual Career Success Natalie Becker is an actress of South African descent who became famous for her appearance in films like The World Unseen and The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior. A multitalented individual, Natalie is also a television/radio presenter. She is also a co-founder of the Thought Leader Global Media which she runs together with ...

Top 3 Female CNN News Anchors You Didnt Know Were Africans CNN is one of the leading news agencies in the world. The satellite and cable news network was founded in 1980 by Ted Turner and has been one of the best sources of news for a number of years. It also boasts of the best journalists and presenters all around in media broadcasting. The company is a ...

Channels That Aided Katie Pavlichs Growth as a Journalist and All About Her Marriage To Friedson If you have ever come across any Fast and Furious featuring Barack Obama, it is the handiwork of Katie Pavlich. The book which claims to have exposed Obamas bloodiest scandal and the shameless cover-up thereof, has been earning Pavlich much praise and fame ever since it was published in 2012. Nonetheless, Pavlich is more famed ...

Is Oprah Winfrey Married? Husband, Children, Biography, House, Facts Oprah Winfrey is a billionaire philanthropist, talk show icon, producer, actress, and writer. The media icon famously dubbed The Queen Of All Media owns and hosts the highest-rated television program in the media circle. Read more about the powerful television star below. Oprah Winfrey Biography Oprah was born as Orpah Gail Winfrey on January 29, 1954, to a ...

Who Is Arsenio Hall, What Happened To His Talk Show and Why Do Fans Think He Is Gay? He is one of the funniest beings to have graced the comedy constituent of the American entertainment industry. Arsenio Hall has a reputation for the rib-cracking disposition always portrayed in his comedy roles. He is not just a comedian; he is also an actor and a former talk show host for his popular show, The ...

What Is Woah Vicky Famous For and Who Are Her Family Members? Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Woah Vicky is one of those stars that have utilized the internet as a powerful tool to propel themselves to instant fame. The social media space, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc., offers lots of people the right opportunities and potentials to become superstars overnight. Not everyone achieves ...

Where Is Michael Strahan Since His Retirement From The NFL and Who Is His Partner? Michael Strahan is a retired American football player turned media personality. He played the defensive lineman position and holds the record for most sacks in a single NFL season. He also only played for the New York Giants throughout the entire 15-year professional career that saw him win a Super Bowl ring. In February 2014, ...

How Wendy Williams Went From Being a College DJ to Having Her Own Talk Show and More About Her Divorce Wendy Williams is a former radio personality, now talk show host, who is known for her outspokenness and brash no-nonsense attitude. She gained fame and notoriety for her on-air clashes with celebrities before moving on to host her own talk show. Since 2008, Williams has hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. ...

Who is Sunny Hostin? Her Husband, Family & Net Worth Sunny Hostin is no ordinary Latina  American lawyer but also a successful columnist, multi-platform journalist, and social commentator. A happily married woman and mother of two, Hostin is the Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst for ABC News and co-host of ABCs popular morning talk show, The View. She is a legal expert popularly known as a former ...

Who Is Robert Costa and Is He Married, Who Is His Wife? Robert Costa is a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC who is regarded as being part of Americas next generation of journalists. The University of Notre Dame graduate, who is of Italian/Portuguese descent, has been lauded for his fresh political perspectives in an industry full of old heads. In addition to his work listed above, Costa ...

Team Valor Pokemon Go  7 Key Facts You Need To Know Team Valor Pokemon Go  The craze of the new game Pokemon Go is one that took the gaming world by storm sending teenagers and adults alike into a frenzy and one of its teams Team Valor, has proven to be instrumental in making it so. Before the game was created, Pokemon was a cartoon ...

Sheryl Underwood  Husband, Family & Net Worth She is known for her trademark smile which can be described as the brightest and broadest smile ever seen on planet earth. She is none other than Sheryl Underwood the comedian, actress, and TV host whose funny wits has left America in great awe. Although Sheryl has risen to become an important personality in the industry, ...

Team Mystic Pokemon Go: 7 Facts You Need To Know And Signs You Are One Team Mystic of the break out game Pokemon Go is a team that is full of sass and chivalry. With an enchanting monicker, Team Mystic stands out from the rest of its counterparts and deserves to take the crown as champion in the Pokemon gaming-verse. To be a member of this exceptional team of Pokemon battle ...

Exploring Guy Beahms Dr Disrespect Persona, Wife and Why He was Banned Permanently From Twitch Guy Beahm who is popularly known by his online alias  Dr DisRespect, is an award-winning Twitch.tv streamer. He has leveraged on the Twitch platform to become an internet personality that is quite widely known. His online success is just more proof that anyone who is good at what they do can attain celebrity status ...

Critical Facts About Lee Ann McAdoo  The Infowars Anchor Lee Ann Mcadoo is a conservative journalist and television host whose interests in conspiracies and astrology has established her as a famous American reporter. Often referred to as Wonder Woman, McAdoo is a reporter who works for InfoWars.com, a controversial right-wing website run by radio show host, Alex Jones. Who Is Lee Ann McAdoo? Lee Ann McAdoo was born on 7 ...

Millie Weaver  Age, Husband & Infowars Career Millie Weaver is an American model, journalist, political activist, and social commentator. The young and beautiful journalist rose to fame working as a reporter for a controversial right-wing website InfoWars.com. Also known as Millennial Millie, Weaver is a social media influencer with over 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel and over 35,000 followers on Twitter. Who Is Millie Weaver and What Is ...

Is Jessica Tarlov Married? What Are Her Height & Weight? Jessica Tarlov is an American political consultant, strategist, and analyst whose influential and regular TV presence has made a popular figure. A good example of beauty with brains, Tarlov has appeared on various TV networks, mostly the FOX News Network where she is known for her liberal views on political analysis and insights. She is also the senior director ...

Who Is Kelly Rebecca Nichols  Alex Jones Ex-Wife? Kelly Rebecca Nichols is the ex-wife of controversial American radio show host, Alex Jones. She got nationwide attention following her divorce and subsequent custody battle with her estranged husband. Nichols, who worked with PETAs public relations department, was herself no stranger to controversies as she was involved in several publicity stunts of the non-profit animal rights ...

Who Is Bree Morgan  Cole Sprouse Ex-Girlfriend And What Is She Up To Now? Although Bree Morgan became famous through the Instagram, she also sapped some dose of popularity from Disneys sweetheart, Cole Sprouse of the Sprouse brothers. She is not only an Instagram star but also a YouTube vlogger whose popularity has long exceeded the ordinary level. Bree is conspicuously prominent on the internet and has her digital savviness ...

Does Vanna White Have Husband or Children, What Is Her Net Worth / Salary? For over three decades, Vanna White has been a household name, famous as the co-host and letter turner of the iconic NBC game show Wheel of Fortune. The talented and beautiful television personality is also an actress with several TV series and films to her credit. Since making her Wheel of Fortune debut in 1982, she has become one ...

Liz Wheeler  Biography, Husband & Net Worth Liz Wheeler is the kind of girl who sets the room on fire whenever she comes around. In this situation, however, she sets our screens on fire each time she appears as the host of One America News Tipping Point. She is, therefore, a presenter, publisher, consultant and a member of the Board of Zoning ...

Betty White  Net Worth, Children & Husband The entertainment industry will remain indebted to personalities like Betty White who brought something extra to the table and kept the world entertained for donkey years. The comedienne, actress, and writer graced the big screens in the early 50s as a show host and has been a delight since then. She is the queen of ...

Is Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Dead or Alive, What Are His Net Worth & Education? Everyone will always remember Bill Nye as the Science Guy. Besides his TV show Bill Nye the Science Guy, he is well-known for his Netflix show Bill Nye Saves the World which started airing in 2017 as well as his appearances in many famous media projects as a science educator. The star studied mechanical engineering ...

Is Cesar Millan Dead, Who Is The Wife & What Is His Net Worth? Cesar Millan is the famous dog whisperer who often stirs up mixed emotions. The Mexican-American is precisely speaking, a dog behaviorist; he has been in the game for over 25 years. His Emmy-nominated television series, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan further pushed his method and tactics into the limelight. The series was produced from 2004 ...

Is Thomas Sanders Gay and Does He Have A Boyfriend? By the time Vine was shut down in January 2017, Thomas Sanders was already popular within and beyond the internet community for his heavy involvements on the online video hosting platform. After the tragic shutdown of Vine impacted on the growing career of the multi-talented personality, he immediately switched over to YouTube where he continued to upload ...

Is Shepard Smith Gay, Who Is The Boyfriend & What Is His Net Worth? There are only a few media personalities who are as bold and confident as Shepard Smith. Apart from his impressive stint at Fox News Channel which includes but not limited to his classic news delivery, upfront stance on virtually every issue and much more; he loves his job as much as he loves his personality. Smith ...

Is Milo Yiannopoulos Gay? His Husband and Net Worth Milo Yiannopoulos is a popular writer, journalist, polemicist, public speaker, and political commentator who is also known as the founder of The Kernel, an online blog. He has been said to be among the list of 100 weird and influential people in the United Kingdom. He appeared on this list as a result of personal beliefs and ...

Does Ryan Seacrest Have A Wife Or Girlfriend, What Is His Net Worth? From radio to television, Ryan Seacrest is a household name and a force to be reckoned with in showbiz. The radio personality, television host, and producer is best recognized as the host of the popular TV talent search contest American Idol. Heres how the media personality who always knew what his lifes ambition was and diligently pursued ...

Is Anderson Cooper Gay, Who is The Boyfriend or Husband? For many, the thought of becoming a millionaire by writing and talking about other people appears unachievable but this is the reality of the prominent American journalist Anderson Cooper who gathered millions of dollars for conducting accurate political analysis and other vital reports on TV. He is the main anchor of the CNN news show Anderson ...

Is David Muir Gay or Does He Have A Wife, What Is His Salary? David Muir is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who works for the ABC broadcast-television network and anchors the ABC World News Tonight with David Muir program while also co-anchoring the magazine program 20/20. The Ithaca College graduate, whose show has become the most-watched newscast in America, has covered stories from all across America and the world; reporting ...

Joel Osteen  Divorce Rumors, Net Worth & Family Members Joel Osteen is an American Televangelist, Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church based in Houston, Texas, a husband and a father of two. He is an author of many books, seven of which are New York Times Best Sellers and his televised sermons capture more than 7 million viewers per week and 20 million every month ...

Who Is Todd Chrisley? What To Know About His Children, Gay Rumors & Net Worth Premiered on the USA network in 2014, Chrisley Knows Best is one of the most watched family reality TV shows in the U.S. The series which is currently in its sixth season is centered around U.S real estate mogul Todd Chrisley and his family. The show reveals Todd the patriarch of the Chrisley family as a strict dad who rules ...

Who Is Shannon Bream Of Fox News? Her Husband, Children & Net Worth Shannon Bream who hosts the iconic primetime program started her journalism career in the late 1990s debuting as the evening and late-night news reporter for the CBS affiliate, WBTV. The beauty from America currently works for the Fox News Channel and she is best known for anchoring the primetime program. She also hosts Americas News ...

Is Troye Sivan Gay, Who Is His Boyfriend and What Is His Net Worth? Troye Sivan is an Australian singer and songwriter best known for songs like Happy Little Pill, Youth, Heaven (with Betty Who) and The Boyfriend Tag (with Tyler Oakley) which have all garnered him different awards and ranked on the Billboard Charts. Sivan, who was born in South Africa but now resides in the United States, is ...

Did iDubbbz Have Cancer, Is He Gay and Who Is His Girlfriend Now? iDubbbz is one YouTuber who has made a career out of courting controversy. Renowned for his absurdist channels and comedy video series, the Los Angeles based personality is the owner of two channels, iDubbzTV, and iDubbzTV2, as well as the brains behind comedy video series such as Content Cop, Kickstarter Crap, Gaming News Crap, and ...

Inside Greg Gutfelds Love Story With Wife Elena Moussa and Why Fans Thought He Was Gay Greg Gutfeld is a seasoned American television producer whose career in the media industry has spanned over a decade. He is a man of many talents who makes extra income through comedy, journalism, and editorial works. Gutfeld regularly appears on Fox News Channel as a panellist and co-host of the political talk show The Five ...

Works That Made Bo Burnham A Household Name and How Much He Is Worth Now One of YouTubes first viral stars and the worlds most exciting young comedian, Bo Burnham, has always amazed critics and comedy aficionados alike. Often regarded as the Justin Bieber of comedy, thanks to his fresh looks, floppy blond hair and hoodies, he has a multi-faceted career bigger than many comedians twice his age. It wouldnt ...

Is Louie Anderson Gay And What Is His Net Worth? Louie Anderson has one of the most abstract faces in the industry and equally knows how to use it to his advantage. He is not only a stand-up comedian but also an actor and television host who is known for his distinctive comic wits. Some of his notable projects include Family Feud, where he was ...

Is Don Lemon of CNN Gay, Who is His Partner and What Is His Salary? Don Lemon has risen to become one of the most recognizable faces on CNN over the past few years. The fiery journalist, who anchors CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, is liked and somewhat disliked for his strong and candid opinions on a variety of matters that do not just include politics but also race, significantly, matters that ...

Is Rachel Maddow Gay, Who is the Wife and How Much Does She Earn in Salary? Rachel Maddow is an award-winning American journalist, political commentator, and television news anchor. She is best known for hosting the popular nightly TV show The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Prior to this, she hosted a talk radio program on Air America Radio from 2005 to 2010. As of now, the TV sensation co-anchors MSNBCs ...

Demystifying Pokimane  Her Real Name, Ethnicity & Boyfriend Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Pokimane Thicc is one of those stars who took advantage of the internet to make a name for herself. Given the unlimited potentials which the social media space offers, many people have been instantly propelled to fame just by posting creative online contents. Not only has ...

A Breakdown of Kris Jenners Net Worth, Sources Of Income and Relationships Over The Years Standing outside and looking in, Kris Jenner looks like the oil that greases the wheels of the entire Kardashian/Jenner machine. She has been dubbed a momager and rightfully so because she seems to have had a part to play in the trajectory of each and every one of her daughters individually and the Kardashian brand ...

Pursuits That Brought Liza Koshys Fame To its Zenith and Her Love Life Since David Dobrik Liza Koshy is an American actress who has leveraged YouTube as a platform to promote her comedy while also serving as a television host on occasions. She is talented and funny and has gathered a lot of fans from around the world. Koshy started on Vine in high school and was able to get millions of ...

Alex Aiono Biography  Inside The Life Of The American Singer Not everyone who started from the streets has attained the heights where Alex Aiono is currently. His story could be referred to as the perfect definition of rising from Grass to Grace. He came into the limelight after he started out as a YouTuber, singer, and producer. One fascinating thing about the young YouTuber is ...

Virginia Vallejo Biography And Her Love Story With Pablo Escobar Virginia Vallejo can be referred to as one of the oldest whistleblowers in history after her involvement with Pablo Escobar which made her famous. Over the years, many questions have been raised about her relationship with the drug lord and why she endangered her life to be with him despite his notorious acts. The death ...

Princess Love Bio  Ethnicity, Real Name & Parents For many people, Princess Love is simply Ray Js wife but there is so much more to this feisty lady than meets the eye. She is a star in her own right and has many feathers on her cap. Princess Love is a reality TV star, a model, video vixen, and fashion designer. She and her ...

Who is Papa Franku Also Known As Filthy Frank or Joji, Where is He Now? The social media as we all know today has given people the opportunity to be creative and innovative and at the same time, make something of themselves. YouTube is one of the known social platforms we have today that makes it possible for people to express their God-given talents and post videos they created to ...

Who Is Molly Qerim, How Did She Become a Famous Sports Anchor and Who Is Her Husband? Molly Qerim is an American sports anchor popularly known for moderating First Take, a highly rated sports talk show, on ESPN. Prior to joining ESPN, Qerim hosted Fantasy Live and NFL AM on NFL Network. It is quite obvious that the widely acclaimed television personality is in a class of her own when it comes ...

Safiya Nygaard  Height, Parents & Net Worth Safiya Nygaard is an American YouTuber, writer, content producer, and director who is popular for posting makeup, beauty and fashion videos on YouTube. Her videos regularly top at least one million views, thanks to her lively character as well as her willingness to experiment with outrageous outfits and different beauty products. Here are the things to ...

The Rigors of Sunlen Serfatys Career Journey Until CNN and Fun Facts About Her Personal Life CNN correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty is an Emmy Award-winning journalist known for covering a broad range of breaking news stories, national news, and Washington politics. She has been able to garner widespread recognition for herself which even goes beyond the sphere of her work. Her profile also increased with the extensive work she did in covering ...

Demystifying Jazz Jennings Real Name, Boyfriend & Family Of One The Youngest Transgenders Jazz Jennings is an unusual personality who became famous as a transgender activist and was recorded as the youngest documented public figure to be seen as transgender. She is also a YouTube personality and spokesmodel for brands, her fans, and other transgenders. She fought for acceptance in her high school with her super supportive family for over ...

Inside Fred Armisens Life  Ethnicity, Romantic Relationships and Gay Rumors Fred Armisen is an award-winning American comedian, he is also a writer, an actor as well as a musician. He was a cast member of the legendary comedy show, Saturday Night Live for 13 years and also one of the brains behind the successful satirical show Portlandia. Find out more about this incredibly talented guy ...

Ed and Lorraine Warren Biography: Cases, Kids, and Family Life Have you ever woken up with fear you could not explain, or felt a strange presence that made the hair at your nape rise or even experienced strange occurrences around you? Well, these were some of the promptings that made the well-known paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren delve into trying to explain the ideas ...

Truth About Tony Romos Wife, Kids and Life Since His NFL Retirement Tony Romo grew from the field as a quarterback to the screens as an American Football Analyst. He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the richest football league in the world (NFL) before retiring. As a junior, he was honored as an All-Ohio Conference Member, an Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and ...

Who is Brittany Venti, The Controversial Game Streamer and YouTuber? In recent times, many people live stream themselves playing video games. This has become a popular pastime on the internet and many highly skilled gamers have become internet celebrities through this means. However, some of them rather than becoming renowned for their gaming skills and great commentary, have become controversial and infamous. A good example ...

Rob Dyrdeks Family: His Kids And Relationship With Wife Bryiana Noelle Flores A multi-talented star and an elite pro skateboarder, Rob Dyrdeks success story began at a remarkably young age. Yet another proof that schooling doesnt always correlate with success, Rob has established himself not just as a phenomenal sportsman but also as a successful entrepreneur. Besides perfecting his skill as a natural talent on the board, ...

xChocobars  Biography and Everything You Should Know About Her Having distinguished herself and recorded massive successes in an industry notably dominated by men, it is very safe to say that Xchocobars deserves all the attention and cash she makes from her career. A household name on Twitch (a smart live streaming video platform), the online-gamer is popularly known for streaming classic games such as Stardew ...

Everything To Know About Mary Padian, Her Boyfriend and Net Worth Mary Padian is a famous American television reality personality best known for her involvements on the Reality show Storage Wars. She also has her own shop called Mary finds where she displays her antique collections. Since her childhood, Padian has been a creative learner. At the time, she used to create new items out of reusable ones and ...

Betsy Woodruffs Family Life: Is She Married or Related To Bob Woodruff? An old name in the world of journalism, Betsy Woodruff has warmed her way into the hearts of many with her impressive talents. Through hard work, Woodruff has carved a niche for herself in a very competitive field. Betsy has strong family and work values and is also an advocate for equal opportunities for everyone ...

Matpat (Matthew Patrick)  Wife, Height & Net Worth As far as internet business is concerned, Matpat remains one of the most dynamic and seasoned figures. He boasts a wealth of experience that has helped him in growing his business from one level of greatness to another. Like most successful people, MatPat started out small but today, he makes millions of dollars from his ...

Facts About Ricegum  His Girlfriend, Real Name & Net Worth Ricegum is an online gamer and YouTube sensation who ditched college; took advantage of the digital era, and made a name for himself on the internet. Though he began as a gaming YouTuber, Ricegum soon gained recognition as a controversial internet star following his many diss tracks. Here is everything you need to know about the youngster ...

Joy Taylor Once Married MLBs Richard Giannotti  Inside Look At Her Love Life and Family The erosion of the sexist idea that women have no business in sports broadcasting created a host of women celebrities who attained fame outside of modeling and acting. One of them, Joy Taylor, a radio personality and TV host for Fox Sports 1, has been in the industry since 2009, becoming one of the most ...

What To Know About Conan OBriens Wife, Kids & Family Today The name Conan OBrien is one that jumps right at you almost immediately you start talking about the most popular television hosts in the USA and this is no surprise because the man behind that name has risen to become one of the most admired men in the business. Known for hosting the late-night talk ...

David Letterman  Net Worth, Wife & Son In all of American, one man whose face has been seen frequently by late night TV talk show lovers is none but David Letterman. The comedian and TV show veteran has been hosting late night talk shows for more than three decades. His Late Night with David Letterman show began on February 1st, 1982 aired ...

Demystifying Sssniperwolfs Family Background And The Boyfriends Shes Had Since she launched her eponymously named channel in 2013, Sssniperwolf has been on the rise when it comes to video game influencers. She is one of the biggest names in the online gaming subgenre of YouTube videos. Real name Lia Shelesh, she started with Call of Duty: Black Ops II but has diversified with other ...

Lester Holt  Wife, Family & Net Worth Lester Holt is a multiple award-winning journalist, newscaster, reporter, and actor who has worked for notable media houses like WCBS TV, CBS, MSNBC and among others. His remarkable feat in journalism has endeared him to the hearts of many and earned him some awards and recognitions. Read on to get acquainted with his biography, ethnicity, ...

What Is Louis C.K. Doing Now, Where Are His Family And How Much Is His Net Worth? It is not easy to make it in comedy. It takes more than a funny bone and the ability to elicit a few giggles from a listening audience. For all the complexities that go into making a successful career in comedy, Louis C.K, the Washington D.C-born comedian, did it. For years, he was at the ...

The Progression of Hoda Kotbs Career, Her Ancestry and Family Life Hoda Kotb gained fame as a television host and news anchor for NBC. She anchors the shows signature show Today, and it has been an excellent vehicle for her skills in front of a camera. Kotb has won several awards, including Daytime Emmys and Peabody Awards. Simply put, she is one of the most successful ...

Jerry Seinfelds Family: All About The Amazing Comedians Wife and Kids Apparently one of the highly important entertainers in America, Jerry Seinfeld is a man of many talents. A very funny man, he is considered to be one of the most successful comedians in the USA who has been in the business as a professional rib-cracker for more than 40 years. As an actor, he has ...

The Rigors Of Sarah Silvermans Rise To Prominence And Rundown Of The Men She Has Dated A comedian, writer, and actress, Sarah Silvermans art and craft is as unique as you would ever find. Her poignant use of comedy to discuss social issues such as race, sexism, politics, and religion has gained her an impressive following. As unorthodox as her style is, so is her life experiences. She previously suffered from epiglottitis ...

Who Is Hannibal Buress, Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend & Why Was He Arrested? Making people laugh when they are tense or not in the mood is a tough order and to ply the trade, it must indeed take some guts and expertise, this is what the humor maker, Hannibal Buress has been able to achieve and sustain after his inital teething process. The African-American is a screen writer, stand-up ...

The Success of John Mulaneys Career Efforts Since His Work On Saturday Night Live and Facts About His Wife John Mulaney had been working as a professional comedian for years before Saturday Night Live changed his status for life and like many who are now his fans, you probably did not know of him then. However, that changed when he joined the sketch comedy show in 2008. Since then, he has been one of ...

Jeff Dunham  Wife, Children and Net Worth Ventriloquism is a very subtle method of making an inanimate object (like a puppet, doll or dummy) appear to be saying words which are actually coming from the person (holding the inanimate object). In effect, the individual throws his/her voice to the puppet and can even appear to be having a conversation with it. Not ...

Ellen DeGeneres  Net Worth, Wife  Portia de Rossi & Parents Ellen DeGeneres is an American female standup comedian who has proven that whatever a man can do, a woman can also do. Since her journey as a standup comedian started in 1981, she has held swirl as one of the finest comedians America and the world at large has seen. She is often referred to ...

Revisiting Joan Rivers Death  The Daughter, Husband & Net Worth She Left Behind Joan Rivers was a renowned American comedian, TV host, writer, and actress. Her brand of comedy consisted of scathing one-liners and no individual or topic is spared. She hosted her own talk shows in the 80s and 90s and was a pioneer for women in stand up comedy. She was the first woman to host a late night ...

The Struggles of Margaret Chos Childhood, How It Influenced Her Career Growth and Love Life Margaret Cho is best described as a comic star who knows how to maneuver everything related to life into a rib-cracking joke. She is also known to criticize every social and political problem, especially those involving race and sexuality. Apart from her talents as a comic actress, she does amazingly well as a singer and ...

Where Is Eric Bolling Today? Who Is His Son & What Is His Net Worth? Eric Bolling who was once a notable figure on Fox News, is an American TV personality, an author, and versatile Journalist. As a political and financial analyst/commentator, he anchored discussions bothering on finance for Fox Business Channel. Here is everything there is to know about his career, family, and allegations that led to his exit ...

Who Is Chelsea Handler and Does She Have A Husband or Boyfriend? Chelsea Handler is one of Americas top female comedians. She is also an actress, writer, television host, producer, and activist. She is known to be very outspoken even with things that are very personal. In separate interviews with The New York Times, Handler revealed that she had an abortion twice when she was 16. She has authored five books ...

How Did Laura Lee Achieve Fame, How Much is She Worth and Who is Her Husband? Laura Lee is a popular American YouTuber, make-up artist and beauty blogger. From posting videos of her makeup routines on Instagram, Lee has transformed into a beauty influencer and a YouTube sensation. Today, her YouTube Channel has over 630 million views and 4.5 million subscribers. Asides having millions of followers across all social media platforms, ...

Madison Gesiotto Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Measurements Madison Gesiotto is no ordinary woman; although she excelled in quite a number of pageants and competitions while she was in school, it is her views on politics and issues in America that has made her name known to most people. She possesses beauty and intelligence in a seemingly equal measure and has been able ...

Who Is Lil Tay? Parents, Brother, Sister, Age, Net Worth, Ethnicity Child stardom is nothing new in the entertainment world. With the advent of social media, we have seen more stars made from the internet than ever before, and Lil Tay is one of them. Her uploaded rap videos trademark is cursing, swearing, cash-throwing, and use of obscene languages. Her fame went wild after she dropped ...

What To Know About Tig Notaros Wife, Kids and Family Today Tig Notaro is an American stand-up comic star, writer, actress, and radio analyst. Since she started her career in 2001, she has become one of Americas best comedians, particularly when it comes to observational comedy. One prominent aspect of her routine involves her family, which includes a wife and two children. Interestingly, Tig Notaro is part ...

Who Is Chantel Jeffries? What To Know About Her Age, Ethnicity & Net Worth Chantel Jeffries is a lady of many talents. Beyond being celebrated as a DJ, she has fared well as a model, an actress, musician, and as an artist. She first rose to fame on Instagram where she has a large following. However, in recent times, she has hit the spotlight for her rumored relationships with some ...

Is Ellen DeGeneres Married, Who Is The Brother  Vance DeGeneres and Family Members? Ellen DeGeneres is one of a kind celebrity in todays world as she has used her wealth for the greater good for many people. She has served a host of famous awards shows like the Grammy, Primetime Emmy and Academy Awards. Moreso, she is probably one of the most decorated entertainment personalities around the world and ...

Carli Bybel Bio  Height, Boyfriend & Net Worth Video blogging is now on the rise and YouTube is the place where most of it happens. If you are a lady who cares about her looks or a guy who likes to help his woman out with her looks, then one person whose name rings a bell when it comes to giving beauty tips ...

Who Is Lexy Panterra? What To Know About Her Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth Lexy Panterra is one of the YouTube personalities whose breakout came through the Twerk dance videos she posted on her social media handles and YouTube which has so far generated over 13 million views for her. From there on, she created her LexTwerkOut workout program in 2014. She is sure very talented as she as moved ...

Who Is AnneMunition? What Is Her Ethnicity & Does She Have A Girlfriend or Boyfriend? AnneMunition is a professional gamer and content creator of American origin. She is one of the most sought-after streamers on Twitch  a popular online platform for watching and streaming videos, especially video games. AnneMunition has almost half a million followers on Twitch and her channel has accumulated at least 13 million views. Her favorite games ...

Norm MacDonald  Former Wife, Son & Net Worth Recently, 59-year-old former Saturday Night Live stand-up comic Norm MacDonald caused a not-so-funny stir when he expressed his personal opinion about the #MeToo movement speaking in defense of Louis CK and Roseanne Barr. Following the backlash of his actions, he is diligently doing damage control for his questionable opinion by posting a public apology on ...

Inside Iliza Shlesingers Life With Husband and How Much She is Worth Now Witty, spontaneous, and truly humorous, Iliza Shlesinger is an American comedian who is clearly proving that the stereotypical claim that women are not really funny is not only incredibly wrong but completely outrageous. Having been in the game for more than 10 years, Shlesinger has grown bigger with each step, stunning fans with her incredible ...

Who Is Nessa Diab? Details of her Parents, Ethnicity & Relationship With Colin Kaepernick Nessa Diab has gained more fame as the girlfriend of different footballers than in her career. She is currently with the popular National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, and has stood by his side during his most trying times. Also known for her mononym, Nessa, she recently engaged in a tweet battle with the ...

Samantha Bee  Inside the Life of Full Frontal Comedian and Presenter We have over the decades seen various brands of humor and personalities who have walked the ropes. One of the formidable forces in the world of comedy is no other than the iconic Samantha Bee of the Daily Show who now runs her own television show on TBS channel. She is a Canadian-American political commentator, ...

What Happened To Jessica Williamss Boyfriend And Which Are Her Best Works? Jessica Williams is a woman who has a lot of feathers in her cap  and keeps acquiring more. The former senior political correspondent of the comic Daily Show, who is also a comedian and actress whose recent movie appearance include starring as a playwright just recovering from a recent split with her boyfriend, Damon, and ...

Who is Nicole Byer? Here are 5 Facts You Need To Know About The Comedian Nicole Byer, an American comedian, actress, and writer, made a name for herself after she played supporting roles on MTVs prank show Ladylike and the reality show Girl Code. The latter was a series that featured comedians who analyzed in minute details, all the issues that young women deal with daily, from period to dating, to weird friendship dynamics and questions about sex. Currently, ...

A Closer Look At Bart Kwans Ethnicity, Height & Personal Life Bart Kwan is one of few Asians who is known for being successful in the comic industry at an international level. His fame broke out after the YouTube channel which he created with his close pal Joe Jo garnered up massive followings. The talented duo has been running the channel since 2007 and their success ...

Heres How VanossGaming Achieved Fame Online, His Worth and Other Facts About The Gamer For many years, the decision to drop out of college to pursue an online career was considered to be foolish and self-destructive by conventional wisdom. It was no different when Evan Fong, popularly known as VanossGaming, dropped out of college to pursue a YouTube career. However, that radical move paid off, and he stands shoulder to ...

Desi Perkins  Ethnicity, Net Worth & Husband YouTube is littered with videos of makeup tutorials by different people but if you are interested in learning how to do your makeup like a pro, there is just one person on that platform who you must follow. She is none other than Desi Perkins! She is a popular make-up artist, Instagram star, and vlogger. Desi, ...

The Phases of Casey Neistats Pursuits and His Love Story With Candice Pool YouTuber, vlogger, filmmaker, and creator extraordinaire; these are just a few hats that Casey Neistat wears and the story of how he got here is incredible. A native of Connecticut, Neistat started out by making refreshingly-authentic short films and videos that featured content that was based on everyday life and called attention to serious issues. He ...

Connor Franta  Inside The Life of American YouTuber YouTube has produced a lot of young celebrities in modern times and Connor Franta happens to be one of them. Apart from being a YouTuber, the young American is also an entrepreneur, entertainer, and writer. His journey to fame began almost a decade ago when he started a self-named YouTube channel where he uploads content ranging ...

Rhett and Link  Bio, Who are Their Wives, Net Worth and Family Facts Rhett and Link refer to an American comedy duo who are very popular on YouTube. They are known for their comic songs, viral commercials, skits and the daily show, Good Mythical Morning. Good Mythical Morning is the most watched daily show online, averaging 100 million views in a month. The show has featured guests such ...

A Walk Through The Maze of Ryan Higas Career Pursuits And Relationship With Arden Cho Ryan Higa is not only celebrated as a YouTube star, but he is also famed for appearing on television screens as an actor and comedian. Nigahiga, his Youtube channel, has gathered over 20 million subscribers and billions of views with his different comic acts, short films, and music videos uploads. With the rise in his career, ...

What to Know About The Shows That Made Craig Ferguson a Star and His Family Ties Rising to the top of your profession can sometimes be a hard and difficult process. It requires days and nights of working consistently hard to be better than what you were yesterday. It requires not giving up when all of your experiences seem to be pushing you to quit. It is because of these challenges ...

David Dobrik Married Liza Koshy for One Month  Inside His Family and Relationships David Dobrik is a YouTube sensation who has garnered fame not just for his vlogs but his love life too. Given his career as a YouTuber, his channel is one place where he shares his romantic escapades. With a cute boyish look like his, this Slovakian young man is definitely a good catch, and not ...

Merrell Twins Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Boyfriend One of the beautiful things about modern life is social media. As rudimentary as it might seem, it could turn out to be the greatest thing that would be invented in the next 50 years because of its impact on human life. Very few tools have revolutionized human behavior and culture as much as social ...

Who Is Bunny Meyer, Is She Married & What Is Her Net Worth? Bunny Meyer is a YouTube celebrity who has amassed over 8.8 million subscribers with 1.5 million viewers on her channel. She is popularly known as Grav3yardgirl and is one of the highest-paid YouTubers in the world. She initially started out as a fashion designer and later chose the path of a YouTuber. Grav3yardgirl has used her knowledge on fashion, makeup, ...

Ninja  Inside The Life of The American YouTuber and Internet Personality Ninja is a talented video game player known for his mastery of Fortnite and other seemingly difficult games he plays with ease. The video gamer made a career out of what is ordinarily the hobby of many people and has since then amassed a huge online following. Find out about him here, including the controversies that ...

What Is Eva Gutowskis True Sexuality and How Did She Rise So Fast As an Influencer? Ever since Eva Gutowski joined YouTube in 2011, it has been an interesting journey for her, moving from one milestone to the other. Backed by an army of young women and teenage girl fans known as Evanators, she has risen to become one of the most-talked-about personalities in the digital stratosphere. She has also leveraged ...

Emma Chamberlain Biography  Age, Height & Net Worth Before now, people in the entertainment industry could only achieve popularity after many years of dedication and hard work but since social media came into the scene, massive success and overnight popularity became possible. That is the story of Emma Chamberlain who encountered fame as a fifteen-year-old. Emma is one of the many young people who became ...

Anna Akana  Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth There is a new crop of YouTubers known by their different contents with a very strong uniqueness that stands every one of them out, some upload video games, some fashion while some others have comedy video contents to showcase on their channels. Anna Akana has used her platform to showcase her comedy contents to the ...

Revealing Truths About Lilly Singhs Ethnic Background, Family and Her Relationship With Yousef Erakat Lilly Singh is an Indian-Canadian YouTube personality, actress, and comedian also known as Superwoman. She kicked off her YouTube career in 2010 with the launch of her channel IISuperwomanII and followed it up with a vlog channel in 2011. This paved the way for her fame and success which led to a world tour. The ...

Who Is Andrea Constand, Is She Married and What Is Her Connection With Bill Cosby? Many people got sexually molested but could not voice out due to the stigma victims suffer and what will become of them thereafter. Very few of the victims danm every consequence to seek justice and bring the perpetrator to the book, like Andrea Constand. She never got any media buzz, not until her friend cum molester; ...

Who Is Lazarbeam (Lannan Eacott)? Here Are Facts You Need To Know Lannan Eacott became a person of interest after his YouTube channel, LazarBeam pulled him to the limelight. Initially, he started with uploads of Madden Challenge videos before deciding to build his own channel in January 2015. Within the space of three years, his YouTube channel had gathered over 7 million loyal subscribers. Today, he has not ...

Puzzling Facts About Wengies YouTube Success and More About Her Fiance Among the many YouTubers who have succeeded in winning the hearts of millions of people is Wengie. She is a Chinese-Australian YouTube personality, vlogger, singer, and voice actress. Wengie is famous for a lot of things, from her simple life hacks, DIYs, craft ideas to fun experiments, tricks and pranks. Her content portfolio also includes hair tutorials, diet & fitness tips, lookbooks, ...

Is Jeffree Star A Billionaire and How Much Does He Make On YouTube? If looks can be deceptive then theres no other person who proves this maxim better than Jeffree Star. A quick look at Stars pictures would likely leave you wondering whether or not to tag him a male or female. But who says being controversial has to be a curse? For Star, his looks have caught ...

The Place of Rosanna Pansinos Career Hats In Her Rise To Fame and Facts About Her Personal Life There are a few phrases that could summarize Rosanna Pansinos rise to fame. None of them can do it better than the famous axiom, no knowledge is lost. Her popularity YouTube comes out of her foray into other professions, specifically acting. Although acting now occupies one of the major professional hats in Rosannas resume, it was ...

Muselk (Elliott Watkins) Biography  Age, Girlfriend and Net Worth The new and best in-thing in terms of career is video gaming and we have over time seen young men and women make massive income from an activity that was purportedly designed to serve as a hobby or a relaxation activity. One of such individuals is the Australian-born YouTube Celebrity and Twitch streamer, Muselk, whose ...

PopularMMOs Biography: 5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know We have over the years seen social media millionaires, especially on the YouTube social platform. These celebrities cum millionaires have made names for themselves after carving out niches on the internet, and a typical example of one of such exciting media personality on the YouTube is American Minecraft gamer and YouTube star, PopularMMOs whose channel ...

Jason Nash Once Married Marney Hochman  What To Know About His Ex-Wife and Kids The now-defunct video-sharing app Vine was the path that led Jason Nash to fame. With it, he built an audience of over two million followers, which he parlayed into a significant YouTube career. That move has seen him become one of the most popular personalities on the internet, with the cash income to go with ...

Where Does Dantdm Live? What Do We Know About His Net Worth, Wife and Brother? Most parents buy video games for their kids to occupy their time leisure, while other parents frown at their kids when they play video games. Despite the disparity, every parent would be proud of their child if he/she eventually turns a celebrity or millionaire through playing video games like Dantdm. Biography of Dantdm Dantdm was born Daniel ...

LaurDIY  Biography: 5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTuber LaurDIY is the YouTube channel of Lauren Riihimaki which she created on December 1, 2011, when she was still a college undergrad with the sole aim of giving Do It Yourself (DIY) as well as practical fashion and beauty tips to her followers. She has used the channel to establish herself as a YouTube personality ...

Lachlan Ross Power  Bio And Family Life Of Australian The YouTube Star It is amazing the varied sources of income that the internet has made possible in this day and age. Internet fame can get its holder a whole lot of monetary and social benefits, but it must be noted that it does not come easy or cheap. For those who desire fame, content is the sacrifice ...

Alfie Deyes  Bio and Net Worth: Everything You Need To Know Alfie Deyes is one internet personality you definitely would like to know about. He boasts of over 10 million subscribers on three of his YouTube channels and has three bestseller books to his name. He is probably the most renowned young personality on YouTube today and his vlogging empire continues to grow by the day. ...

Colleen Ballingers Love Story With Husband Erik Stocklin and How Much She Is Worth Now Colleen Ballinger is an American comedian and YouTuber who is a very funny, adventurous, and highly talented woman. She is also an actress, singer, and writer. Collen is widely known for her work on YouTube where she posts content on her channel, Miranda Sings. The comedian has gained many subscribers over the years and has ...

Who Are The Dude Perfect Members and How Much Are They Worth? Entertainment in the 21st century can be digested in many forms and with platforms like YouTube, the creators and purveyors of entertainment have been democratized. Today, one of the most popular platforms to exhibit ones creative talents is YouTube, even though there are other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, who suffer in comparison to YouTube because ...

Who Is Rudy Mancuso, What Is His Earning Power and What Do We Know About His Girlfriend? Rudy Mancuso started his internet journey on Vine. He would later transition to YouTube where he solidified his place among the internets most beloved comedic creators. He is now regarded as one of the renowned internet personalities in the world, with a presence in mainstream TV and film projects like Comedy Centrals Drunk History and ...

Vsauce (Michael Stevens) Biography and Net Worth: All You Need To Know The advent of YouTube and the internet as a whole revolutionized how human beings consume information. With each passing year, the percentage of learning that is done in a traditional classroom decrease as a seismic shift to internet-based learning happens in our education industry. From open courses online to YouTube classes and videos, there are ...

How did Jake Paul Make His YouTube Big Break and Who is His Wife? One of the most interesting Social Media personalities of the 21st century is the young and popular Jake Paul whose elder brother is the famed Vine star, Logan Paul. Jake has utilized the power of the internet to bring himself to the limelight with a channel named JakePaulProductions that has amassed up to six billion ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About Reaction Time (Tal Fishman)  The American YouTuber Before 2015, the leading meaning of reaction time was the amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus, until Tal Fishman started his channel, Reaction Time on YouTube and the dominant meaning changed. Today, a google search of Reaction Time would deliver Tal Fishmans videos and YouTube channel link with a few physics ...

Grace Helbig  Net Worth, Boyfriend and Family Life of The YouTuber Grace Helbig is an American internet personality, comedian, actress, and writer. She became popular due to her daily vlog series, DailyGrace, which ran on My Damn Channel from 2008 to 2013. Helbig is also popular for her own indie series on YouTube, ItsGrace, which she launched in 2014. Her vlogs which feature random stuff such as ...

Mark Wiens Bio  Ethnicity, Wife and Parents Food is a great way to connect with people. We all love to eat, if not for the pleasure of food, the satisfaction of quenching hunger, and the very process of providing and sharing that food is part of the strongest bonds that bind humanity together. Maybe it is our historical connection to food, where ...

Is Filthy Frank Dead, What Happened To Him and How Much Is He Worth? As George Kusunoki Miller, he was a nobody. However, as Filthy Frank, George was one of the most famous internet personalities on the planet. The Filthy Frank Show, a sketch series on his YouTube channel, TVFilthyFrank, was one of the platforms most influential creations. He is the reason a crazy dance song, Harlem Shake, made it ...

CaptainSparklez Bio  Net Worth, House and Cars of The Famous YouTuber Sometimes, what society wants from its citizens is quite different from what the citizens want for themselves. This is evident in the life and career of video blogger and American YouTube personality, Jordan Maron famous for his YouTube channel CaptainSparklez. He dropped out of school after discovering his talent in playing an online game called Minecraft. ...

Who is Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg)? Here are Facts You Must Know Canadian Youtube personality, Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg) originally started out polishing and designing nails even before it became a trendy culture in the social media. Simply Nailogica started out her showbiz career in her early days as a child actress, acting in commercials for game and toy companies. Aside from acting, she is blogger, vlogger, specializing ...

5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Huda Beauty In the world of entrepreneurship, it is interesting when an individual has a mentor who he/she looks up to, this yield more productivity on the part of the individual. The iconic and rich American beautician and makeup artist Huda Kattan nicknamed Heida is the founder of the Huda Beauty blog which is number one Instagram beauty blog ...

Is Dino MasterChef Gay? Details About His Ethnicity, Girlfriend, Where He Is Now Food, for the better part of the early years of human life, was nothing more than what we needed for survival. There was no artistry or curation to the method of cooking. The scarcity of food left no room for artistic expression until we figured out agriculture and we could make as much as we ...

Who Is Gabbie Hanna And How Did She Become Famous? As the world shifts to digital media and depends more and more on streaming services for its news and entertainment content, YouTubers have become one of the leading creators in the new media world. Their understanding of the online audience: how to create, maintain, and increase followers, are all handy skills that have primed them ...

Jacksepticeye  Height, Girlfriend & Net Worth Jacksepticeye is a YouTuber and actor who gained popularity with a series of gaming videos he uploads on his channel to the delight of millions of his subscribers. He is Known primarily for his comic video game series titled Lets Play and his vlogs. His channel was formerly ranked 46th in the list of most subscribed ...

Chris Heria Personal Details: About His Wife, Height & Ethnicity Background In this generation, keeping fit has become one of the major criteria for being hale and hearty. In fact, most occupations these days are majorly concerned with ones body mass, weight and looks. Unlike the past where most people have to register in a gym to keep fit, social media has made it quite easy ...

Everything You Need To Know About Game Grumps Gaming is becoming incredibly popular on YouTube these days with game vloggers make millions of dollars out of them yearly. One of the most popular up-coming gaming YouTube channels is Game Grumps. The Lets Play series was created in 2012 and celebrated its fifth anniversary on July 18th, 2017. In six years of its existence, the ...

Daithi De Nogla Biography, Girlfriend and Net Worth YouTube has created an avenue for many to make wealth and become famous from the comfort of their homes while having fun. Many have built a career out of the platform, uploading numerous videos that have earned them the admiration of viewers across the globe. For Daithi De Nogla, he is loved for his humorous commentary on ...

Does Phoebe Robinson Have A Boyfriend or Husband and What Do We Know About Her Family? Phoebe Robinson is a New York-based comedian, writer, and actress. She is best known as the co-creator and co-host of the WNYC Studios podcast 2 Dope Queens. Just like some other female comedians, she never had any original plans of becoming a stand-up comedian even though, according to her, she took a class on a whim at Carolines on Broadway. After ...

Who Are Lex and Alana from Listed Sisters? What Is Their Ethnicity & Is the Show Cancelled? America is a country built on diversity. Everywhere you look all over the country, a countless number of immigrants or children of immigrants have become an integral part of the fabric of the country. From entertainment to business, immigrants are creating a niche for themselves and climbing to the summit of their respective professions. One ...

Riveting Facts About Danielle Lombard And What She Is Best Known For The American entertainment industry is one that provides many avenues for aspiring hopefuls to express their talents and become famous. From films to television shows and game shows, there is no shortage of ways for men and women who desire fame to pursue and earn it in the United States of America. Another tested medium ...

Unearthing New Details About The YouTube Success And Personal Life of Alex Burriss of Wassabi Productions Wildly hilarious and truly audacious, Alex Wassabi is an American YouTuber who has become a very popular face on the video-sharing platform after having garnered millions of subscribers over the years by keeping people glued to his channel with his witty parody video releases. If you have always loved parody videos, there is every chance ...

Everything You Need To Know About H2O Delirious H2O Delirious whose full birth name is reported to be Jonathan Gormon Dennis has successfully kept himself mystified by hiding his face behind the masks leaving his loyal fans speculating who he really is for many years. The American YouTube star is easily identified by the Jason Mask Style with make-up which he wears on his ...

Who Is HolaSoyGerman and What Happened To Him? German Garmendia has certainly seen it all when it comes to internet success. His channels, HolaSoyGerman and JuegaGerman are in the top twenty most subscribed channel on YouTube. The Chilean YouTuber found a way to tap into one of the worlds greatest inventions and make a living from it. He has been able to build ...

Who Are Glenn Becks Family, What Is His Net Worth And What Happened To Him? The American political commentary space is filled with different personalities. A few of them, through their rhetoric, charisma, and resources have been able to build a large following of men and women who listen to them for insight and direction for various political and social issues in the United States. For Conservatives, the story is ...

Following Charissa Thompsons Rise Through The Ranks Of Sports Casting and All About Her Boyfriend Superstar TV host and sportscaster, Charissa Thompson, has been hailed as one of the highest-profile women journalists in America, and the reason is there for all to see. She has worked for popular establishments such as Versus, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, GSN, and Big Ten Network. She currently hosts the popular pre-game show, Fox NFL Kickoff, ...

Is Chris Kattan Gay or Does He Have A Wife? What Is His Net Worth? Chris Kattan is a popular American comedian and actor. He has appeared in several comic movies and TV series such as The Middle, A Night at the Roxbury and Bunnicula. Kattan is, however, most popular for his six-year stint as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. During his time on the legendary show, he ...

Everything You Should Know About the Rise of Insta Star Claire Abbott and Why She Gave It All Up A lot of young Americans have shot into the limelight for uploading different kinds of videos on YouTube. Some of these young stars include Connor Franta, Desi Perkins, Emma Chamberlain, the Dolan Twins (Ethan and Grayson), and Claire Abbott. The latter became a social media celebrity for uploading sexy bikini pictures of herself on social media. Apart from ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTube Channel  h3h3Productions H3h3Productions is a YouTube channel that specializes on Comic responses or reactions of other contents or trendy stories. The celebrity couple that created the channel has over time racked up sizable views for their commentaries and contents. Even though they had their own fair share of copyright cases, thankfully they scored an unprecedented victory in all ...

Lilypichu Bio  Height, Brother and Love Story With Albert SleightlyMusical Chang Like most popular internet celebrities, Lilypichu is one of those Twitch streamers who spend their lives on camera. From daydreaming about the possibility of becoming a full-time professional streamer, she grew to live out her dreams on the popular live streaming platform where people play games, make crafts, and showcase their day-to-day activities. Given the rise of ...

KSI  What To Know About His Girlfriend, Brother  Deji Olatunji & Net Worth Assuredly, when Internet inventors Vint Cerf and Bob Khan created the technological masterpiece, they probably did not know how massive the creation will be harnessed by many for different purposes including as a platform for earning money through content creation. One of such person who smiles to the bank regularly today for spending time creating ...

The Interesting Progression and Highlights of Carrie Keagans Career as a Host and Actress Carrie Keagan has garnered huge fame through her various stints on television. She is not just your regular TV host but one with a difference. Keagan has hosted several high profile events and TV shows, including VH1s Big Morning Buzz Live and Fox News Channels Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. However, not many know she ...

The Gist On Elise Jordans Marriages And Her Rise To Prominence Political commentaries tend to be boring when it is handled by someone who does not have a knack for it. However, when you see the likes of Elise Jordan run the same commentary, you will have a lot of reasons to look forward to watching her again as the journalist is well-versed in the field ...

What Is Timmy Thick Best Known For and How Successful Is The Star? Thanks to the internet, many people whose talents would have ordinarily gone unnoticed have become famous. A very good example of this modern-day internet celebrity is Timmy Thick, an American social media star. He became popular on Instagram due to his penchant for posting raunchy pictures of himself. He also often posted videos of himself ...

What Does Heather Storm Do For a Living and Who Is She Dating? Reality Television is a great way to make a name for oneself as well as amass a fortune. Heather Storm can attest to this as she is one of those who have made a name and earned a lot from reality TV. She made her name appearing on shows like Car Fanatics, Awesome Autos, and, ...

Matt Carriker Biography  Net Worth, Wife & Height Unlike your regular veterinary doctor next door, Matt Carriker chose to spice up his noble profession with the unusual. Though he is known to many as a medical practitioner, Carriker is better renowned as a YouTube star and an animal lover. Having recorded huge successes on his various YouTube channels, the vet doctors name and ...

Jillian Mele of Fox News Career Achievements, Husband & Measurements There are quite a good number of presenters on radio and television who listeners and viewers may never wish to miss any of their shows because of their sensational golden voice, beauty or the special way or artistry they anchor their shows. Jillian Mele is one of such. She has been at the top of ...

Who is Gillian Turner of Fox News? Her Fiance or Husband and Net Worth Gillian Turner is well-known as a news correspondent for Fox News Channel but before she became a TV personality, she built an intimidating resume working for different institutions, including the American government. She served in different capacities at the White House National Security Council during the administration of former US Presidents  George W. Bush and Barack Obama. ...

Gloria Govan Bio  Age, Ethnicity & Height Even as Gloria Govan is famous as an American actress, author, a TV host, and reality television star, shes more popular as the wife of the former NBA player, Matt Barnes. She became known after appearing on the Florida version of the reality television series, Basketball Wives and later, Basketball Wives: LA  after Matt was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sadly, ...

Michael Fishmans Interesting Start as an Actor and Why He Divorced His Wife of Many Years When one door closes, another one opens. As silly as that axiom may seem, it is the story of the resurgence of Michael Fishman, who plays D.J Conner on the popular show, Roseanne. Having played the character for several years as a child actor into his teenage years; when the show originally ended, Michael did ...

Who Is October Gonzalez  Tony Gonzalezs Wife? All You Need To Know October Gonzalez is a popular American TV host and media personality. Additionally, she is also a model. Gonzalez has hosted several TV shows such as Beat Shazam, Entertainment Tonight, and Rachel Ray. She has also featured in several reality TV shows. Gonzalezs fame is not just due to her profession but also because of her ...

Who Is Tony Berlin  Harris Faulkners Husband: His Children and Family Facts Tony Berlin is a popular American media guru. He has variously worked as a reporter, anchor, and producer for some of the biggest TV networks in America. They include CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC (where he hosted the popular Good Morning America). Berlin has now diversified into public relations and owns his own PR firm. ...

The Progression of Gianna Tobonis Journalism Career and Details About Her Marriage to Kyle Buckley Gianna Toboni may not be your ideal newscaster but her unusual reporting is what made her a household name. The American journalist is renowned for her hard-hitting and authentic reportage. A motivator and activist for total press freedom, Gianna loves to explore pervasive cultural issues. Not only does this unique and ambitious journalist call for all ...

Dog The Bounty Hunters Family Including Details of His Late Wife and Kids Popularly known as Dog, a name which he got from the television series, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, an American bounty hunter, and one-time bail bondsman, went from being convicted for a felony to being a reality TV star. He was brought to the limelight following the capture of the convicted criminal, Andrew Luster in 2003 and this eventually made ...

Vicky Karayiannis, Chris Cornells Wifes Bio, Children and Family The world of showbiz is made up of different people who serve different roles, and function in a variety of capacities, and one of the most important people are those in the background. Publicists are undoubtedly one of these background people yet they are vital to the life and fame of most of our favorite ...

Joe Rogan Has A Step-Daughter and 2 Other Kids With Wife Jessica Ditzel  Meet His Family Joe Rogan is a popular American stand-up comedian and TV host. His journey to stardom began in the late 80s and has seen him host several shows, the most popular is the game show titled Fear Factor. The exciting show dares contestants to face some of their greatest fears and embark on challenging stunts. The ...

Josh Gates and Wife Hallie Gnatovich Have 2 Kids But Who Has the Higher Net Worth? Best known for his explorations and adventures, Josh Gates, is a television presenter with a voracious appetite for seeing the world and the beauties in it. Some of that beauty, however, is in his home, in the form of two children he shares with his wife, Hallie Gnatovich. Not excluded is their marriage which has lasted ...

Holly Sonders Wiki, Plastic Surgery & Why She Divorced Her Husband  Erik Kuselias After trying everything within her capacity to have a low key wedding, Holly Sonders was drawn to the public because of her husbands controversy at his workplace. Well, the two are rumored to be divorced but the article below will give more light on how true these rumors are. Meanwhile, Holly Sonders is yet to ...

Nadeska Alexis Bio  Age, Boyfriend & Net Worth Journalism is one diverse profession that allows the practitioners to choose their area of specialty, build a career on it by reporting the truth and facts which in the long run will distinguish them as deserving commendation and recognition among their peers. Some choose to specialize in political journalism, while to others it is sports ...

Media Platforms Charlamagne Tha God Has Explored and All The Controversies He Has Courted Charlamagne Tha God is an American on-air personality, radio presenter, and more recently, author. He is popularly known as a co-host on New York radios nationally syndicated show, The Breakfast Club, a program he has been hosting alongside DJ Envy and Angela Yee since 2010. However, his early years had no connection to his current career ...

A Look At Jimmy Fallons Net Worth and Family Including His Wife & Kids Sometimes, a childs passion for something is a pointer to what he/she would become in the future. As a child, Jimmy Fallon was literally obsessed with watching the late-night comedy program, Saturday Night Live (SNL). Then, his parents would tape the clean parts for him to watch and later, he and his sister would re-enact sketches from the ...

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Insights into Seth Meyers Wife, Family and What His Net Worth Is Celebrities are mostly remembered and known for the work they do. For Seth Meyers, his career as a comedian, writer, actor, TV host, and producer is his biggest identifier. He was on Saturday Night Live SNL show as a head writer and cast member for more than ten years during which he built a reputation ...

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Is Jordan Schlansky Just A Character or a Real Life Person and What Does He Do? The world of late-night television is an interesting one. Shows during that time are geared towards giving viewers comedic relief from a long day at work through interviews and comedy sketches. The often charismatic host of this show requires the balancing talent of a producer whose primary job is to deliver great episodes. It is ...

Heres How Wealthy Jimmy Kimmel Is From All The Phases of His Career, Marriages and Sons Health Jimmy Kimmel is a renowned late-night talk show host known for his charm, wit, and the A-list guests he features on his show. As the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! On ABC, Jimmy has been serving comedy to television viewers for years which played a pivotal role in launching him into mainstream fame and enabled ...

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5 Interesting Things You Need To Know About Kelly Nash Ever heard of the lady who gained national prominence for taking a selfie with a dangerous ball just a few inches away from hitting her? Its no other person than Kelly Nash, an American sports broadcaster currently working as host of The Rundown show which airs on MLB Network every weekday at 2 pm ET. ...

Understanding The Height of Fame John Oliver Achieved With The Daily Show and How He Met His Wife Without knowledge of who he is and his exemplary career, John Oliver cuts an unassuming figure of a regular man but he is one of the most influential personalities in America, especially on television. Since he began his career in 1998, he has been a loud and unapologetic agent of change, using his wit and ...

Why Did Big Chief Leave Street Outlaws, Where Is He Now And Why Did He Divorce His Wife? Justin Shearer, otherwise known by his professional name Big Chief is a famous street racer and television personality. He is famously known for being one of the main characters on the racing reality television series, Street Outlaws. Justin, who had been a significant part of the show since its premiere in 2013, appeared in a ...

Who is Josina Anderson of ESPN? 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, ...

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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! The couple, who began dating in 2013 and have a son named York Banks Asla, has decided to end what everybody taught was the perfect relationship. Neither person has come out to give a reason for the breakup, but what is obvious right now is that ...

What to Note About Dr Terry Dubrows Qualifications, TV Works and Marriage to Heather Kent In the realm of people that we expect to see regularly on our screens, medical doctors are closer to the bottom of the list. Aside from the fact that their work has little correlation with TV, they are presumably too busy to pursue life as TV personalities. Yet, a few of them have usurped this ...

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YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. The National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia has been equipped with modern technology labs.

Sargis Tovmasyan, dean of the Architecture faculty, told ARMENPRESS the previous conditions were unfavorable. We really wanted our university to have such spaces were students would be able to work and feel themselves as home. Now, our architecture drafting studio is even equipped with a kitchen. Students are able to work as much as they want, they even spend the nights here sometimes, he said, adding they will soon receive a 3D plotter device.

According to Tovmasyan, due to the modern equipment the university is able to take orders and involve students. We also carry out extremely important diagnostic works for preservation of monuments, the dean said, adding that the university has laboratories practically in every direction of specialization.

Within the framework of the Universitys 95th anniversary, new laboratories were ceremonially opened in the presence of foreign delegations. By the assistance of the university and its partners, three architecture studios equipped with modern technologies were opened, as well as various specialized laboratories.

In 2015, significant renovation and modernization works were carried out in the university.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs organized parliamentary hearings on the theme Military Reserve Combat Readiness System Improvement , where the MPs, members of the government, representatives of the NGOs and those responsible for the sphere took part, Armenpress was informed from the press service of the parliament of Armenia.

Welcoming the participants of the hearings the Committee Chair Koryun Nahapetyan has noted that the military reserve of high readiness is one of the key components of the modern combative armed forces, it has an important role in the military security system and the reforms being expected in the system should be directed to the quick and adequate response of the national security challenges and the further strengthening of the defense capabilities. In this context the Committee Chair highlighted the re-assessment of the military reserves needs and resources, the rise of the military reserve readiness level and the creation of the effective new mechanisms for that purpose.

Mr. Nahapetyan classified the problems of the military reserve into three main groups: legislative, constructive-institutional and financial. To his conviction, at the legislative and law enforcement level additional mechanisms are necessary for defining and applying new requirements of military reserve readiness, for making more efficient the organization of trainings and training meetings and military exercises. Mr. Nahapetyan opined that the April war revealed a number of problems, which were connected with the full integration of the defender-voluntaries of the Motherland to the army, the management and the combat readiness. To his assessment, the solution of those problems also requires distinct legal regulations.

The Committee Chair has noted that there is necessity for working out and adopting new model of military reserve readiness. In his word, we should more effectively organize the implementation of the further training of the citizens released from the compulsory military service, their integration in the military reserve system and the provision of their continuous relation with the army. In this context Mr. Nahapetyan emphasized the effective cooperation of the local self-government bodies-military commissariats. It has been noted that we shall have a military reserve system, which is able to provide the military security of the country by quick integration. The Committee Chair considered necessary the improvement of the contractual military reserve system improvement.

I am sure that the state has sufficient preconditions for having professional military reserve, hence by taking into account the international best experience we can shape flexible and viable military reserve system consonant with our realities, Mr. Nahapetyan underlined.

The Head of the Mobilisation Department of the RA Armed Forces Headquarters Kamo Kochunts presented the factors of the RA Armed Forces mobilisation success, the military reserve combat readiness process, the order of being involved and accounted in the military reserve, the organization of the military exercises, the improvement and training military ability process of the military reserve officers, sergeants and private soldiers.

In their speeches and interpellations the NA deputies highlighted the holding of the parliamentary hearings and touched upon a number of issues, which were relating to the frequency of the military reserve assembly organization, the cooperation formats between the law enforcement structures, the upgrading of the military reserve system and steps taken. In the implementation of the effective activities of the system the complex approach was highlighted.

In his speech the Expert of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) Vladimir Kopchak presented the international experience in the sphere of the military reserve, particularly the succeeded experience of Ukraine and the implemented reforms in the sphere.

At the end of the discussions the Committee Chair Koryun Nahapetyan has noted that the upgrading of the system in the sphere of defense will be a key direction of our countrys policy during the coming years, and that policy also requires certain revisions, including also at the legislative level. The deputy opined that in the coming years new legislation of the defense sphere will be completely formed, new and distinct legal regulations will be given in the regulation of certain components of the military reserve system. Mr. Nahapetyan assured that such meetings will be continuous, and platforms will be created with the Ministry of Defense to debate the steps taken for the upgrading of the sphere.

Let us note that the second part of the sitting was held in closed-door procedure.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Russias State Duma plans to discuss the ratification of the agreement on creating a regional air defense system in the collective security Caucasian region between Russia and Armenia. The document was presented to the Russian Parliaments lower house for discussion by President Vladimir Putin, TASS reports.

The agreement was signed on December 23, 2015 in Moscow. Under the document, it is planned to create a unified air defense system: as a component of the unified air defense system of CIS member states.

Armenia has always been our partner and ally in the Caucasian region. The ratification of the document is in line with Russias state interests, Leonid Kalashnikov, chairman of the Dumas committee of CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Compatriots Affairs said.
Jew hating is ok if the voters want it (and the politicians need it)

The Mail brings news of a new drive to wipe-out anti-Semitism. That the story is illustrated by a picture of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gives readers a clue that the focus of this drive to wipe out hatred of Jews are not aristocrats, dinner-party guests or jihadis, rather the MP for Islington North with friends in murky places. That anti-Semitism is being used to score points is apparent when the Mirror reports on the same story with a picture of Labour MP Luciana Berger, who was subjected to horrendous anti-Semitic abuse. The Mail makes no mention of Berger, whose abuser has been jailed, but does spot the more than 50 Labour memberssuspended for anti-Semitic comments. The Mirror leaves that bit out.

The drive is piloted by Teresa May, who says there will be one definition of anti-Semitism  in essence language or behaviour that displays hatred towards Jews because they are Jews. Its odd that a definition is required, and that May should feel a need to spell it out. Anti-Semitism is racism. Simple. In defining what every Jew and sensitive soul can spot a mile away, May is politicising Jew hating and pandering to the kind of balls whereby people can say the most racist things and then plead for dispensation through ignorance.

When accused of anti-Semitism, Naz Shah, a Labour MP, and thus one would hope an intelligent and empathetic human being, explained it away by saying, The truth is that some of the stuff I have since looked at and understood, I didnt know at the time. I didnt get anti-Semitism as racism. Ms Shah, who following exposure embarked on a self-styled journey, added: I had never come across it. I think what I had was an ignorance.

After talking to a few people, perhaps about what universal human rights really means, Naz reached a shocking conclusion. She tweeted: I understand that referring to Israel and Hitler as I did is deeply offensive to Jewish people. Who knew?

For her accidental racism, Shah, MP for Bradford West, was suspended from the Labour Party and let back in when her journey into what does and what does not constitute racism ended  a trip that lasted a full 11 weeks.

It is intensely troubling that someone able to give free reign to anti-Semitic views should be an elected member of her community. Did Shah acquiesce to anti-Semitism on the hustings as she tried to win the seat from George Galloways Respect Party, despite having voted for him in 2012? That was Galloway who said, We have declared Bradford an Israel-free zone.

Julie Burchill wondered:

Of course, its possible to criticise Israel without being anti-Semitic  Israelis do it all the time, in perfect freedom, uniquely among Middle Eastern countries. But it is anti-Semitic to say that the Jews, uniquely, do not deserve their own country  especially when Muslims have so many. And the enemies of Israel wish there to be yet another Muslim state  Palestine, in which gay men are already exiled and women have been arrested for laughing in public. There are 230,000 Jews in this country and two million Muslims. If the Labour party was currently committing self-immolation for purely ideological reasons, it would be tragic enough. But the fact that they are doing it cynically, as well  to win the biggest group of voters  compounds their catastrophe.

The Guardian reported:

Guido Fawkes reports that Shah had employed a Labour councillor, Mohammed Shabbir, who is also alleged to have made antisemitic remarks, claiming Russian Orthodox Jews were involved in the sex trafficking trade  demand is particularly high among Charedim, the conservative Orthodox Jews, many of whom are regular clients of brothels. The Jewish Chronicle also runs a piece on Shabbirs comments about the decision to fly the Palestinian flag  but not Israels flag  at Bradford town hall. It reports that when some councillors questioned why the Israeli flag could not be flown, Shabbir wrote: Many here in Bradford would be nauseated at seeing the Nazi flag or some other fascist with their Nazi salutes and chants.

Writing in the Indy, Ben Judah noted that Nazs journey could have started closer to home:

Across town, in the constituency of Bradford East, the Liberal Democrat MP David Ward was using Twitter to question how long the apartheid state of Israel could last, and tweeting that he too would probably fire a rocket if he lived in Gaza. Later, he declared himself #JeSuis #Palestinian in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks on a kosher supermarket, after the Charlie Hebdo massacre

Having been suspended for his comments and reinstated, Ward was selected to represent the LibDems at the 2015 election. He lost. In 2016, Ward was voted onto Bradford Council as a councillor for Bolton and Undercliffe. LibDem leader Tim Farron told the Commons Home Affairs Committees anti-Semitism inquiry:

Once his (Mr Wards) time of suspension had completed then he retained all rights as a party member, including being able to put himself forward for reselection and approval and so on. And likewise, in the time since he ceased to be a member of Parliament, to have an involvement at local government level. If youre saying should we look at processes to ensure that our selection is done appropriately and that the disciplinary processes inform that, then that would be something that would come under (Lord) Ken Macdonalds review. I think that when you look at an individuals actions, you then have to make sure that justice is done. And if a disciplinary process has been gone through, either the person has not been convicted of an offence, for want of a better phrase, or indeed that they have but they have served their time, then its appropriate that that person would continue in any other free organisation as they would do otherwise. But it doesnt mean I associate myself in any way with some of the comments he has made, some of which I would deem to be anti-Semitic.

Back in the Indy, Judah adds:

The former Lord Mayor of Bradford Khadim Hussain commented on Facebook that Israel was no doubt arming Isis, and shared another Facebook post that complained that the deaths of millions of Africans are not taught in schools but your school education system only tells you about Anne Frank and the six million Zionists that were killed by Hitler And when I visited Bradford, a group of passionate Galloway supporters pinned me to a wall, throttled me and punched me in the head, shouting Get out you f***ing Jew.

If you still find it deeply confusing to spot what is is and what is not anti-Semitism, the now educated Naz Shah is here to help. She told the Commons: Anti-Semitism is racism, full stop.

There you go, Theresa May. No need for clarification.

The oldest prejudice is back with vigour. Bertolt Brechts words ring true: Do not rejoice in his defeat, you men. For though the world has stood up and stopped the bastard, the bitch that bore him is in heat again. Yeah, hes been readmitted to the Party.

Paul Sorene

Posted: 14th, December 2016 | In: Key Posts, Politicians, Reviews Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Galust Sahakyan, Speaker of Armenias Parliament, issued a condolence letter over the untimely death of renowned statesman, Minister of emergency situations Police Major-General Armen Yerityan, the Parliaments press service told ARMENPRESS.

Armen Yeritsyan was a statesman with high sense of civic duty, and a citizen with deep understanding of statehood. He served our country and our people with dignity, unconditionally putting his professionalism, rich knowledge and experience to service to the Fatherland.

I express my deepest condolences to the family, relatives and friends of Armen Yeritsyan and I share their grief, reads the letter.
Christmas Is Cancelled: every time the media said Xmas was dead

Every season the media tells readers Christmas is cancelled. Heres a list of Christmases cancelled this season of cheer.

Nottingham Post, Novembers 18: Christmas has effectively been cancelled for dozens of young children after thieves ransacked a nursery in Stapleford. Thieves broke in and stole computers.

Stoke Sentinel, November 21: Christmas is cancelled in Tunstall. Why? Because there arent enough volunteers to help with a council-run do.

Daily Express, November 23: We are a Muslim business Woolworths store cancels Christmas over Islamic customers. A Woollies in Dortmund has stopped selling Christmas decorations and seasonal tat because its Muslim? No. Branch manager Seda Capakcur, 25, confirmed Christmas products had been withdrawn from sale. She said: The Christmas articles are hardly in demand here. Already last year, everything remained unsold.'

Spokeswoman Diana Preisert said: Woolworth is, of course, not a Muslim company. Christmas merchandise is available from September onwards and should be sold out by the end of December. In this branch, however, demand was too low. Therefore the goods were distributed to other branches.

December 2, Morning News USA: Christmas Cancelled? Santa Banned In This Part Of Oregon. Bah! An Oregon school district on Tuesday decided to ban Santa and other religious-themed decorations within the classroom. Santa is religious?

December 4, USA Today: Christmas is cancelled: Santa breaks leg. (Psst! Hes not the real Santa.)

Daily Mail, December 4: Cowell tells his harem that Christmas is cancelled as he plays happily families in the Caribbean with his girlfriend and son. Simon Cowell has cancelled Christmas for old flames Sinitta, model Jackie St Clair and make-up artist Mezhgan Hussainy, who will not be joining him on his family hols in the sun.

Hull Daily Mail, December 8: Christmas is cancelled for Hull thief Stewart Firth. Crook told to spend Christmas thinking about his crimes.

Derby Telegraph, December 8: Parents fear Christmas could be cancelled in Derby schools because of strike action. Teaching assistants are thinking of going on strike. Elves union watching events closely.

Irish Independent, December 12: Everyone is seriously p***** off  Jose Mourinho reported to have cancelled Christmas. Instead of training on Christmas Day morning, Manchester United will be training on Christmas Day afternoon.

News.au, December 13: Christmas is cancelled: Shortage of all your favourite festive treats. Yep, the Hatchimal toy is selling out fast!

Daily Star, December 14: Christmas is cancelled. Its been cancelled by striking Southern Railways staff and looming strikes by workers of Argos and the Post Office.

More to follow

Paul Sorene

Posted: 14th, December 2016 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) - Strasbourg, December 14 - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told the European Parliament Wednesday that Italian spending on the migrant crisis "cannot come under the Stability Pact". He said that "what Italy does, and it does a lot, must not lead to negative consequences in budget terms". Juncker said "there are serious problems in the Mediterranean and we cannot leave Italy on its own in "facing the migratory crisis". The Italian government has said it will take advantage of EU budget flexibility on migrant spending and post-earthquake relief and reconstruction.

In terms of defence, Juncker said that NATO and the EU "are not rivals but complementary" and that Europe must build a "Union of defence" in that light.

He said the leaders gathering for the European Council meeting on Thursday must "give proof of ambition". Juncker said more than 80% of defence-sector investments take place at the national level, in a fragmentation that costs from 20 to 100 million euros a year.

"Due to a lack of interoperability and to duplication, our defence system today has only 12-15% the efficiency of the American system," Juncker said.


Bulgaria: government allocates funds after train accident In order to help homeless people

(ANSA) - SOFIA - The outgoing government in Sofia has decided to allocate 10mn lev (about 5mn euros) in order to help families who lost their homes due to last saturday train accident in Hitrino, Northeast Bulgaria. When a freight train, carrying tanks filled with LPG and propylene, entered the village station, some cars derailed causing powerful explosions and fires. Seven people died, 20 were injured and were hospitalized, some of them in serious conditions, and over 20 among public buildings and private homes were destroyed. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who has already resigned, said that Brussels has approved the allocation of some parts of EU funds assigned to Bulgaria in order to rebuild infrastructure within the area where the accident occurred. In the meantime, the works to pour out the content of the derailed tankers are continuing. The black boxes of the two locomotives that pulled the freight train made up of twenty-six tank cars have not been examined yet but the most probable cause of the accident seems to be the high speed of the train. (ANSA).





 Copyright ANSA - Tutti i diritti riservati
STRASBOURG - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told the European Parliament Wednesday that Italian spending on the migrant crisis "cannot come under the Stability Pact".

He said that "what Italy does, and it does a lot, must not lead to negative consequences in budget terms".

Juncker said "there are serious problems in the Mediterranean and we cannot leave Italy on its own in "facing the migratory crisis".

The Italian government has said it will take advantage of EU budget flexibility on migrant spending and post-earthquake relief and reconstruction.

Juncker highlighted the importance of the EU-Turkey migrant accord and said "we feel bound to apply it because it works".

During Thursday's European Council meeting, leaders will be called to take stock of efforts already in place to address the causes of migration, in particular five partnerships with African countries, as well as the possibility for improved collaboration between origin and transit countries.

In this light, Juncker recalled that the ad hoc fund created for this purpose could bring together 88 billion euros' worth of resources, if all of the countries respect their obligations.

"If everything works, we could quickly proceed to restore the full functioning of Dublin and Schengen," he said, referring to the regulation that determines EU member state responsibility for asylum requests and the agreement that enables border-free travel within the EU.
MADRID - The Spanish Constitutional Court has provisionally suspended resolutions adopted in October by the regional parliament in Barcelona regarding a referendum on Catalonia's independence to be scheduled in 2017.



The online edition of El Pais reported on Wednesday that the court in Madrid has warned Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and the president of the parliament Carme Forcadell of the possible consequences, including criminal ones, if the suspension will not be respected.



The court has given the Catalan government and parliament a 20-day period to deliver their motives ahead of the final ruling expected at the beginning of 2017.



The court, at the Spanish government's request, has so far always ruled against Catalonia's separatist stances.



The Catalan parliament - in which separatists have the absolute majority - in October voted to hold a referendum on independence in the second half of 2017.



Puigdemont, elected at the end of last year president of Catalonia, has confirmed the objective of reaching independence by the end of 2017, in spite of harsh opposition from the Spanish government that deems it unconstitutional.



Over the past few weeks, the new cabinet of Premier Mariano Rajoy attempted to resume dialogue with Catalan institutions through deputy prime minister, Soraya de Santamaria.
BEIRUT - Opposition sources on Wednesday said contrasts among allies Russia, Syria and Iran are allegedly preventing to implement a truce in Aleppo to enable the evacuation of armed rebels and civilians.



Activists said Wednesday that bombings have resumed on areas of eastern Aleppo still held by insurgents, in spite of a ceasefire announced last night while buses that were supposed to evacuate civilians and fighters are reportedly going back to deposits, according to Lebanese media.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for his part announced talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the state of the truce in Aleppo. ''Regime forces have started attacking again - he said - breaking a ceasefire''.



According to Syrian state television, rockets were fired by rebels on an area that had just been retaken, killing at least six people.



Activists were quoted by pan Arab television Al Jazeera as saying that Tehran's request to obtain the release of some Iranian prisoners held by insurgents blocked the truce.



The monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in Syria stated that government forces and allied Shiite militias that oppose the deal reached yesterday by Russia with Turkey - without discussing it with the Syrian government - blocked the truce.



In Syria ''the regime and some groups are trying to halt a ceasefire in Aleppo'', said for his part Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. ''Due to these obstacles, the evacuation could not be carried out entirely, but we are ready'' to resume it, added Ankara's diplomacy chief, quoted by state-run news agency Anadolu.



''I hope everyone will observe'' the truce ''and that brutality and persecutions will stop'', added Cavusoglu, talking about ongoing contacts with Russian and Iranian foreign ministers.



The Turkish Red Crescent is meanwhile working to widen its capacity to host refugees in camps in northern Syria as it expects up to 50,000 evacuees from Aleppo in the next few hours, in the event of a successful truce.
CAIRO - ISIS has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of the St. Peter and Paul (Boutroseya in Egyptian) Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo on Sunday that left 23 dead and 49 wounded, in a message posted on Twitter titled "80 crusaders killed and wounded in a martyrdom operation in the centre of Cairo".



"Thank God brother kamikaze Abu Abdullah El Masri headed for a temple of Christians in the cathedral complex of the Abbassyah neighbourhood of Cairo," said the message, which was stamped with a small red diamond shape with the words "Islamic State".



"He placed himself in the centre of a gathering of crusaders and blew up his explosive belt, causing 80 killed and wounded".



"All of the apostates in Egypt and everywhere in the world must know that our war against the apostasy will continue and that the state of the caliphate will be sworn in and will continue to burn their bodies and to spill their blood to avoid sedition and that all religions will be for only one god...



thank God ... God of the whole world...".



During a brief state funeral service for the victims, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said the December 11 attack in the chapel annexed to the St. Mark's Coptic cathedral was carried out by Mahmoud Shafik Mohamed Moustafa, 22, the man ISIS had presumably referred to with a battle name, who entered the chapel at 10 in the morning during Mass and blew himself up.



The majority of the victims were women and children, and of the 49 wounded, six are in very serious condition.



Security forces identified the attacker through church video surveillance footage as well as with parts of his body they recovered in the temple.



Police stopped three men and a woman in connection with the attack, and are searching for two additional people.



The attack has brought anguish to Egypt's minority Coptic community, which makes up about 10% of the country's more than 90 million residents, the remainder of whom practice Islam.



Coptic Christians staged protests against Interior Minister Abdel Ghaffar, who is accused of not having applied adequate security measures to protect churches and the Coptic population.
PARIS - A new migrant tent camp has been set up in Saint-Denis outside Paris, a few hundred meters away from the 'Centre Humanitaire Paris-Nord', a reception center for refugees and asylum seekers opened last month by Mayor Anne Hidalgo.



Given the large number of migrants seeking shelter, the housing center that has 400 temporary places is not able to accommodate all those arriving in the city. Many have camped out close by, in particular on the Avenue du President Wilson in Saint Denis.



Meanwhile the city of Paris is about to provide 150 additional beds for migrants. A municipal spokesman said they should be available ''in a few weeks''.
Syria: Aleppo, evacuation postponed and new fighting Erdogan, Damascus forces break truce. TV, 'militant rockets'

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, DECEMBER 14 - Opposition sources on Wednesday said contrasts among allies Russia, Syria and Iran are allegedly preventing to implement a truce in Aleppo to enable the evacuation of armed rebels and civilians.



Activists said Wednesday that bombings have resumed on areas of eastern Aleppo still held by insurgents, in spite of a ceasefire announced last night while buses that were supposed to evacuate civilians and fighters are reportedly going back to deposits, according to Lebanese media.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for his part announced talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the state of the truce in Aleppo. ''Regime forces have started attacking again - he said - breaking a ceasefire''.



According to Syrian state television, rockets were fired by rebels on an area that had just been retaken, killing at least six people.



Activists were quoted by pan Arab television Al Jazeera as saying that Tehran's request to obtain the release of some Iranian prisoners held by insurgents blocked the truce.



The monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in Syria stated that government forces and allied Shiite militias that oppose the deal reached yesterday by Russia with Turkey - without discussing it with the Syrian government - blocked the truce.



In Syria ''the regime and some groups are trying to halt a ceasefire in Aleppo'', said for his part Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. ''Due to these obstacles, the evacuation could not be carried out entirely, but we are ready'' to resume it, added Ankara's diplomacy chief, quoted by state-run news agency Anadolu.



''I hope everyone will observe'' the truce ''and that brutality and persecutions will stop'', added Cavusoglu, talking about ongoing contacts with Russian and Iranian foreign ministers.



The Turkish Red Crescent is meanwhile working to widen its capacity to host refugees in camps in northern Syria as it expects up to 50,000 evacuees from Aleppo in the next few hours, in the event of a successful truce. (ANSAmed)
ANSAmed - Today's events in the Mediterranean

(ANSAmed) - ROMA, 14 DECEMBER - The following are some of the main events scheduled for today in the Euro-Mediterranean area: ROME - seminar entitled 'Youth and Intercultural Dialogue: Italian and GCC Voices', organized by the Italian think tank IAI and the secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council.



STRASBOURG - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker meets with Francois Fillon, former prime minister and conservative candidate for presidential elections in France. (ANSAmed).




YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Residents of five multi-apartment residential buildings of Vayk town, Vayots Dzor Province soon will pay less for heating their apartments. The construction activities on energy efficiency measures have already been launched in the aforementioned buildings within EU-funded Access to Renewable and Efficient Energy in Municipalities Vayk and Spitak (AREEM) Project implemented by Habitat for Humanity Armenia foundation. It is envisaged to implement the following activities: renovation and insulation of roofs, installation of windows in the staircases, renovation of entrance doors and installation of an energy-efficient door in the first floor, Habitat for Humanity Armenia foundation told Armenpress.

The timeframe defined for the construction activities is 4 months, therefore, according to Sergey Arzumanyan, AREEM Project Manager the works may be completed by the spring of 2017 due to unfavorable weather conditions. He notes that as a result of these activities it is projected to provide energy saving up to 10-20%.

AREEM Project staff has organized Knowledge sharing forum for residents of the targeted five buildings in Vayk. The forum participants were informed about the envisaged energy efficiency measures, expected results, the safety rules during the construction activities, as well as actions required from the residents. Issues concerning further maintenance of the buildings were also discussed.

Multi-apartment residential buildings of Vayk were mainly built in 1960-70ss and now are in poor condition. Taro Avetyan, Mayor of Vayk town considers the deplorable condition of roofs as a priority issue. He mentions that the energy saving norms had not been taken into account during construction of the buildings. Thus this Project implemented in the scope of collaboration with Habitat Armenia will significantly foster the upgrading process of the buildings, as well as will ease the burden of residents to pay the utilities for energy consumption, the Mayor states. According to him the Project also creates a great opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions which is the commitment of Vayk Municipality as Covenant of Mayors signatory.

Vardan Hakobyan, who lives on the 5th floor, was excited about the Project from the beginning. Now he utilizes firewood for heating the apartment. I hope we would have warmer winters and cooler summers after renovation and insulation of the roof, Vardan Hakobyan mentions adding that in that case may be he will think about proving his apartment with gas and using gas boiler.
PARIS - The French National Assembly voted on Tuesday night to extend the country's state of emergency until July 15, to cover the entire period of presidential and legislative elections.



The vote passed 228-32, with the votes against the measure cast by the radical left and environmental dissidents.



The extension will become effective following the Senate's vote on Thursday, giving France its longest state of emergency ever (20 months) since the law was created during the Algerian War.



Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux on Wednesday told RTL radio that "the threat is strong" and recalled that "in 2013 one attack was thwarted, in 2016 a full 17".



Le Roux replaced Bernard Cazeneuve, who was appointed prime minister last week following the resignation of Manuel Valls. He said an extra military unit would be mobilised to ensure protection during the holidays.



"When people gather at Christmas, you must absolutely guarantee their safety," Le Roux said.
(by Stefania Fumo).

ROME - The new government of Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni obtained a vote of confidence in the Lower House on Tuesday, with 368 in favor and 105 against. Creating jobs and electoral law reform are the priorities for his new government, Gentiloni told lawmakers earlier.

"We all know we must intervene on the rules to take the country to the vote," he said. "The priority of priorities will be jobs, jobs, jobs". Gentiloni said his government's economic policy will focus on the plight of the struggling middle class, admitting the response has been insufficient so far. He said that "at a time when the economy is showing some signs of recovery, we certainly all know that they are initial signs but must be encouraged".

Gentiloni said that beginning at a European Union summit on Thursday, his government like its predecessor led by Matteo Renzi would continue to push to change the EU's Dublin Regulation that migrants and asylum seekers must be processed in their country of arrival. He said migrants would be a central issue at the summit and stressed "it must be very clear that the Italian position does not lack respect for anyone. We aren't party poopers, but we can't take on migrant flows for the whole of the EU either". He said he would "interpret the common sentiment of parliament when we discuss the reform of the Dublin rules regarding reception".

The brand-new premier went on to say that the time to analyze the past is over, and lawmakers must tone down their verbal violence. "Inevitably a significant part of the debate was focused on analyzing what happened in the past 10 days, more than the government's programs and objectives," Gentiloni said. "From my point of view this is one of the last times I'd like to linger on it. The premier's duty is to concentrate on what needs to be done". He then urged MPs to stop "the apparently unstoppable escalation of verbal violence". "Parliament is not a social network," said the former foreign minister, who was named premier on Sunday. He then blasted the populist 5-Star Movement (M5S), which boycotted the session and the confidence vote. "Here we have the champions of the central role of parliament, who are absent at the most important moment of parliamentary life," said the new government chief.



Gentiloni faces a confidence vote in the Senate today.


Pope thanks Italian mayors for refugee work Interior ministry, ANCI reach migrant distribution deal

(ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 14 - Pope Francis on Wednesday thanked the association of Italian municipalities, ANCI, for the work it does in welcoming refugees.



Francis wrote to Catania Mayor and ANCI President Enzo Bianco voicing "my admiration and gratitude for your intelligent and courageous work on behalf of our refugee brothers and sisters". He said "my door will always be open for you and this new network (of mayors)", after a two-day summit of the world's mayors in the Vatican on December 9 and 10. Francis was referring to the final summit document, unanimously approved, in which the mayors said that "refugees are our brothers and sisters".



Italy's new Interior Minister Marco Minniti and the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI) on Wednesday reached a deal for the distribution of asylum seekers across the country. The plan calls for equal distribution with about 2.5 migrants per 1,000 inhabitants, said ANCI President Antonio Decaro. (ANSAmed).




Syria: Assad, constitutional referendum only after war Russia, China and Iran for reconstruction. Trump can be an ally

(ANSAmed) - MOSCOW, DECEMBER 14 - The political future of Syria, including the Constitution, must be discussed at the end of the war, Syrian President Bashar al Assad told Russian State television Rossia-24, stressing that ''any proposal to introduce amendments to the Constitution cannot be implemented during the war because other conditions are required for a referendum''.



In Syria's post-war reconstruction process ''the priority must be given'' to allies like Russia, China, Iran and others, he said. ''The Syrian people will not allow access to companies of those countries that had an anti-Syrian position, that sided against territorial integrity and supported terrorism''.



Assad then stated that, after conquering Aleppo, Damascus authorities, coordinating with Moscow and Tehran, will discuss a plan to chase militants from other Syrian territories, including Idlib.



The US after Trump takes office could become ''a natural ally'' of Damascus in the ''fight against terrorism'' if it will overcome the pressure of lobbies, he said. (ANSAmed)
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. The Parliament of Armenia adopted at second reading the Compensation of servicemen for health/life damages sustained during defense of Armenia  (or the 1000AMD bill) and the attached bill package.

98 lawmakers voted in favor of adopting the bill, 2 voted against and 1 refrained. After the voting, ANC faction Secretary Aram Manukyan announced, that they : Aram Manukyan, Levon Zurabyan, Stepan Demirchyan have voted against, but the electronic voting system acknowledged the vote as in favor. Manukyan asked the Secretariat to change his vote to against.

Prior to initiating the voting, deputy speaker Eduard Sharmazanov launched voting at first reading for several bills, which were added to the legislative package at the second reading stage. 95 MPs voted in favor, 7 against, 1 refrained.

Under the compensation bill, it is planned to create an assistance fund for families of fallen servicemen or disabled servicemen who were wounded during military operations. Each employed citizen must transfer 1000AMD monthly from their salaries to the fund. Exceptions for the mandatory payment include citizens who have a family member serving in the army, parents of fallen or handicapped servicemen. Employers will cover the payment for employees working minimum wages.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Russias State Duma adopted the bill on December 14 on ratifying the agreement of creating a regional air defense system in the Caucasian region of the collective security between Russia and Armenia.

The document had been presented to the Russian Parliaments lower house to discussion by President Vladimir Putin.

The agreement was signed on December 23, 2015 in Moscow. Under the document, it is planned to create a unified air defense system: as a component of the unified air defense system of CIS member states.

Armenia has always been our partner and ally in the Caucasian region. The ratification of the document is in line with Russias state interests, Leonid Kalashnikov, chairman of the Dumas committee of CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Compatriots Affairs said.
Antoine Francois, Cliffton Leon, Damien Azemia, Erol Agricole, Herve Toulon, Mario DeSylva and Marlon Nourrice embarked on the specialist four-year course in September 2012, where they learnt about both the theoretical and practical components of aircraft maintenance engineering.



The engineers were congratulated on their accomplishment at a special ceremony attended by Christoph Schippel, General Manager Operations of Air Seychelles; Jeff Wilkinson, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways Engineering; Faisal Al Mulla, Senior Manager Graduate Engineering Programme at Etihad Airways; and Kevin Pereira, Head of Engineering Training at Etihad Airways.



Roy Kinnear, Air Seychelles chief executive officer, said: Were delighted to welcome home our talented engineers and congratulate them for successfully finishing one of the top aircraft maintenance engineering programmes in the world.



The four-year programme enabled our engineers to gain a wealth of experience with modern Airbus aircraft that form the backbone of our international fleet, made possible by our partnership with Etihad Airways.



Their graduation once again demonstrates our commitment to the professional development of Seychellois youth, as well as the emphasis we place on human resources which is vital for securing the future of Air Seychelles.



Jeff Wilkinson said: We offer our congratulations to the seven engineers who today celebrate their graduation from the Etihad Airways Graduate Engineering Training programme. This graduation ceremony marks a significant moment in their careers as they look forward to a great future with Air Seychelles.



Over the past four years these men have gained knowledge and valuable hands-on experience on technologically advanced aircraft as they immersed themselves in an organisation of engineering excellence. We are confident they will be an asset to their national carrier as they use the skills and knowledge they acquired at Etihad Airways Engineerings world-class facility in Abu Dhabi.
The 700,000 square metre terminal building is one of the key strategic infrastructure projects to be undertaken in the UAE capital, and will initially handle 27 million passengers per year and will be 70 per cent complete by the end of this year.

The new terminal is a part of Abu Dhabis broader plans to increase tourist traffic as part of the Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the economy.

Sharjah International Airport plans to handle 25 million passengers per annum by the year 2025, in line with the expansion of the aviation sector.

Ajman is undertaking a AED2.1 billion ($571 million) new Ajman International Airport project, expected to handle around one million passengers a year when it is eventually completed

King Abdulaziz International Airport (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) started its three-stage development with a budget of over US$1.5 billion, with the goal of catering to over 30 million passengers. The first phase, includes a 400,000 sqm terminal complex tower, control tower, access roads and utilities, is scheduled for delivery in 2017. Phase 2 and 3 will take the airport through to 2035 when it will cater to 85 million people.

The airport expansion will help the Kingdom increase its passengers from 28 million to 45 million by 2020, a goal that has been set by the GACA's operational plan.

Kuwait awarded a contract worth $4.8 billion to a local company for the expansion of the country's only international airport. The involves a new terminal and a runway in addition to around 30 gates to boost the facility's capacity from the current seven million passengers to 13 million in 2016. The airport's capacity is slated to increase to 25 million passengers by 2025.

Bahrain has undertaken a $1 billion expansion project to boost capacity of the Bahrain International Airport to 13.5 million passengers a year.

Daniyal Qureshi, director of Airport Show, said: Airport expansion and modernisation is an ongoing process in almost every part of the world, especially the Middle East, which is expected to welcome almost double the number of passengers in two decades as compared to today. Authorities in the region appreciate the need for constant investment in their airports and we are pleased to provide a platform where they can see the best and latest the global industry has to offer.




As part of the agreement AJW Aviation will consign the complete airframe, APU and engines, beginning the teardown December 2016. The aircraft teardown is being performed by Tarmac Aerosave in Spain, Europes largest aircraft storage company, with full traceability on all components involved.



AJWs consignment business has completed over 50 individual projects to date, including airframes and engines. It specialises in extracting components and major assets from the aircraft and monetising them to achieve a higher return for the consignee through resale of the parts into the market.



AJW, which has an office in Dubai, was selected because of its technical expertise, global stock locations, sales teams and knowledge of the marketplace  making it a reliable partner to ensure the assets provide a good rate of return.



Conrad Vandersluis, vice president strategic of material and asset management at AJW, said: This is an exciting opportunity for AJW, as our consignment team has a wealth of experience in this area and the part-out will help bolster our A340/A330 stock, benefiting our existing Airbus customers by increasing our service capability.



When aircraft leasing companies consign an aircraft with AJW, the entire process is managed on their behalf, from customer requests to the sale, exchange and loan of components. This includes the tracking of parts, monthly sales reports and no additional administration fees  all of which is extremely popular with lessors and operators looking for a reliable partner.






A first of its kind in the UAE, the kiosk will allow tourists to book all the best excursions, safaris and attractions that Dubai has to offer in one location. A friendly team of experts on Dubai speaking a variety of languages will also be on hand to assist with bookings and advise customers on how to get the best Dubai experience based on their interests. The kiosk will be open to use from 10am to 10pm daily.



What sets City Expert apart is the fact that it offers the best excursions and attractions available, coupled with advice from a team of experts to suit your preferences, said Steve Barrass. Dubai has grown into a destination that offers tourists a wide variety of attractions and excursions to experience, and this kiosk will quickly and conveniently provide them with all their information and booking needs. We believe our customers will appreciate the hands-on service and in-depth knowledge that City Expert provides.
The value of the contract was not-to-exceed $10,224,545.

The contracting authority for this foreign military sales (FMS) deal was named as the 645th Aeronautical Systems Group, based at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Also known as Big Safari, this is the United States Air Force programme office responsible for the management, direction, and acquisition, modification, and logistics support for special purpose weapons systems derived from existing aircraft and systems  especially for intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance and signals intelligence.

This gives a clue as to the likely nature of the modifications to the Jordanian Skytruck.

The announcement did not reveal any details of the proposed modification but said that the work was expected to be completed at Centennial, Colorado and Amman, Jordan by the end of July 2018.

Under the terms of the contract, Sierra Nevada was to modify one aircraft, look after spares, and offer field service representative support for 12 months after aircraft delivery, as well as being responsible for ferry flying.

Whether the second Jordanian Skytruck will receive similar modifications remains unclear.

A Royal Jordanian Air Force M28 Skytruck 355 arrived at Cambridge on August 12 2016, amid reports that it was en route from Jordan to the US for upgrade/modification.

Jordan originally ordered two M28 aircraft in 2013, although manufacturer PLZ Mielec (owned by Sikorsky since 2007, and thus now part of Lockheed Martin) did not announce the contract. The company does now acknowledge that Jordan is an operator of an unspecified number of M28s.

The first aircraft departed Mielec on December 18 2014 and was seen in transit at Sharm-el-Sheik on December 20. The next aircraft was delivered almost exactly one year later.

The two aircraft were assigned to No3 Squadron at Amman-Marka, alongside two C295s and 10 C-130s. They have been used for border patrol and special forces support.


In 1963, the company launched its operations as the national carrier of Jordan and has since been an ambassador of goodwill and friendship to other cultures, and a bridge that facilitates tourism and trade with the world.



RJ has been receiving the Hashemite support since its establishment. His Majesty King Hussein's constant backing played a key role in the progress witnessed by the airline and helped it boost its competitiveness at regional and international levels.

RJ President/CEO Captain Suleiman Obeidat expressed the airlines appreciation for the care the Jordanian government gives it and its keenness to maintain RJ as Jordan's carrier for its contribution to the national economy and for its support for tourism, culture and the society at large for 53 years now.

He stressed the airlines determination to take a number of measures that aim at improving its overall performance and increase its efficiency and productivity, eventually leading to profitability, which will help the company develop and overcome all challenges.



Obeidat said that RJ introduced five 787s into the fleet at the end of 2014 and another one last November; it will also introduce a seventh aircraft at the beginning of 2017, as a part of the strategic plan to modernize the long-haul fleet.

The airline fleet also has modern Airbus and Embraer aircraft. Todays RJ fleet age has an average of five years, which puts the airline on par with international carriers.



Obeidat also pointed out that the airlines network is flexible and continuously reviewed, in order to meet the international travel requirements and to ensure its economic feasibility, which will help its goal of being the airline of choice that connects Jordan to the world.



There are 15 codeshare agreements between RJ and regional and international airlines: American Airlines, Air Berlin, British Airways, Iberia, Siberia airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Oman Air, Middle East Airlines, Tarom, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, Syrian Air and Meridiana Fly Airlines. These agreements contribute to supplying RJ with more passengers.



Captain Obeidat said the human factor is the main productive element and RJ invests in its staff through training courses, which develop their skills and, by extension, improve the airline performance.



In 1963, the company had 250 employees, operated two aircraft, a Handley Page Dart Herald and a DC7, and was flying to three destinations: Beirut, Kuwait and Cairo. Now its fleet counts 25 modern aircraft that flies to 55 cities spread over four continents.

The number of passengers RJ carries increased from 87,000 in 1964 to almost 3 million by the end of this year; the number of yearly flights grew from 4,000 to more than 35,000 over the period.
Ahmet Olmustur, chief marketing officer at Turkish Airlines, said: Turkish Airlines is proud to transport people around the globe to experience new cultures, share ideas and create memories that will stay with them for a lifetime. We are delighted to launch the new route to Zanzibar, a truly remarkable destination. We continually seek out opportunities to expand our network and look forward to welcoming our passengers on their way to Zanzibar, in the near future.



Starting today, Zanzibar flights will operate three times per week, departing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, in either both direction.

In addition, Miles&Smiles members will be able to earn 25% extra status miles when flying to Zanzibar, until the 12th June, 2017.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Cultural figures highly appreciated their visit to the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and the meetings with Presidents of Armenia and the NKR, reports Armenpress.

Rector of State Academy of Fine Arts Aram Isabekyan told reporters on December 14 he firstly would like to address his words of praise to Culture Minister Armen Amiryan for organizing this initiative. Isabekyan was mostly impressed by the meeting with soldiers.

I really saw a shine in their eyes. Such kind of contacts are very important for the soldiers. The meetings with NKR President Bako Sahakyan were very important. A very interesting and in-detail meeting was held. We have made our proposals, and listened to theirs, Isabekyan said and expressed hope such kind of meetings between the cultural figures of Armenia and the NKR will be more frequent.

President of the Writers Union of Armenia Edward Militonyan stated the meetings were important since a number of issues were discussed, including also issues related to Armenia-Diaspora-Karabakh cultural ties.

The problem is that we are living in three different situations in Armenia, Diaspora and the NKR and we are not holding a serious discussion over this issue. In Nagorno Karabakh especially after the four-day war, the level of tension is high. People are living by feeling that the war is not very far away from them. We have a one way to unite Armenia, the NKR and Diaspora, which is culture which must be spread through all means, Militonyan said.

He also proposed to declare the 2017 as a year of literature, for which the project has already been submitted to the Culture Ministry which will include the cultural fields of the NKR and Diaspora.

Director of Pan-national Theater Vardan Mkrtchyan is also happy for this initiative. He said this is a good chance to hold meetings not only with the NKR, but also Armenias partners. He said during the meeting with the NKR President they were informed about one important thing that recently the NKRs population has been slightly increased.

The NKR Culture Chamber is holding at least 300 ceremonies within a year. This means that there is no lack of cultural events. The problem is what mechanisms to find in order for the professional to develop and spread their product abroad. Today the NKR people face a concrete problem: they are unable to spread their culture, Vardan Mkrtchyan said, adding that they held a long discussion on this topic with the NKR President.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. One of the best methods to prevent new Aprils is the possible activeness of Armenias actions in the diplomatic field, political scientist Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan told reporters on December 14, reports Armenpress.

He said Armenia must toughen the work carried out with the Minsk Group Co-Chairs. There will be no significant changes in the negotiation process in the upcoming year, taking into account the fact that two MG Co-Chairs will be changed, and therefore, the new Co-Chairs will need time to enter the pace of the negotiation process and make new proposals, the political scientist said.

I am sure the first half of 2017 will be peaceful from political point of view, he said.

He stated that the beginning of 2016, as well as the April events were the logical continuation of all developments that occurred in the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact in summer 2014.

As a result of the negative dynamics of the last two years and, in fact, the termination and suspension of negotiation process, the Azerbaijani leadership tried to solve the issue with military means in their favor, by taking a very serious preparation works, including also in the diplomatic field, the political scientist said, adding that there is no political process between Azerbaijan and the Armenian sides.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan sent a congratulatory telegram to Paolo Gentiloni on the occasion of his appointment to the post of Prime Minister of Italy, wishing him only success and multiple achievements in his responsible mission for the sake of the welfare and ascent of friendly Italy and the Italian people.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Armenian Presidents Office, the Presidents message runs as follows,

Our states are bound with ancient ties, based on friendship and mutual respect. I recall our recent sincere discussion in Yerevan with cordiality, aimed at further strengthening of those relations. Italy is among Armenias key partners in Europe, the assistant of which is very important for advancing Armenia-EU developing cooperation.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. President of Nagorno Karabakh Bako Sahakyan sent a condolence letter on December 14 in over the death of Armenia's minister of Emergency Situations Armen Yeritsyan, the NKR President's Office told ARMENPRESS.

The letter reads:

"I have learnt with deep sorrow about the untimely death of minister of Emergency situations of the Republic of Armenia, great patriot and citizen Armen Yeritsyan.

As a devoted son of his Motherland he had always been beside his native people and participated in the implementation of various programs in Nagorno Karabakh.

Armen Yeritsyan's contribution to the development of the NKR State Service of Emergency Situations and establishing the Crisis Management Center is inestimable.

In the hour of irretrievable loss,on behalf of the people of Nagorno Karabakh, authorities and personally myself I extend my condolences and support to the relatives and friends of Armen Yeritsyan wishing courage and tenacity".
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. On December 14 President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan sent a congratulatory letter to Dean of the Oriental Studies Department of the Yerevan State University, Professor Gurgen Melikyan on the occasion of his 80th birthday, press service of the NKR Presidential administration told Armenpress.

The letter reads:

"Respected Mr. Melikyan,

I cordially congratulate you on the memorable jubilee - your 80th birthday anniversary.

Your long activity is among the best samples of selfless service to the native country and people. Being a renowned scientist you have had a great input in the development of Oriental studies in the Republic of Armenia, upbringing of patriotic and educated generations.

You are also known as an active participant of the Artsakh National-Liberation Movement and a volunteer, a person, who has been showing consistent support to the NKR, contributing to the implementation of various programs in our country and strengthening the Armenia-Karabakh-Diaspora trinity.

I once again congratulate you and wish peace, success and all the best to you, your relatives and friends".
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. As of December 13, 2016, 463 thousand 838 people have a right to receive pension in Armenia, Deputy Head of State Social Security Service Smbat Saiyan told a press conference in Armenpress.

308 billion 800 million AMD was paid to the public through the Service in 2016.

Under the 2017 budget, no increase is expected, amount of 310 billion AMD will be allocated. There will be no increase since no rise of pensions, benefits are expected for 2017, Smbat Saiyan said.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. More than 350 militants laid down the weapons in the eastern part of Aleppo within a day, the Russian Center for the reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria told Interfax on December 14.

A total of 366 militants have laid down arms moving to the western part of the city. In accordance with the Syrian presidents decision, 329 gunmen have been granted amnesty," the center said as quoted by TASS.

It is reported that 5992 civilians, including 2210 children were evacuated from Aleppos districts controlled by militants though the assistance of the Russian Center for the reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Justice Minister Arpine Hovhannisyan condemns any act of violence against a reporter or any person with another profession, reports Armenpress.

Commenting on the incident that occurred between MP Rubik Hakobyan and reporter Vahe Makaryan on December 7, the Justice Minister said everything is very clear: violence towards a reporter or another person is unacceptable, condemnable and improper behavior.

I am not aware in detail about the circumstances of the incident. There are various interpretations, the reporter can present his viewpoint, and the MP his. However, the phenomenon is definitely condemnable, the Minister said, adding that it is hard to find anyone who will have another opinion on this issue.

An altercation occurred between the reporter and the MP during a briefing in Parliament, and the lawmaker invited the reporter to have a private talk.

The MP requested the reporters  who were following them  to stay back, stressing he wants to talk privately with Makaryan. Afterwards, the reporter said MP Hakobyan had punched him in the eye during their private talk.

Reporters tried to talk to the lawmaker, but Hakobyan refused to speak, saying he is busy.

After that MP Rubik Hakobyan issued an announcement, apologized to the Parliament for the criticisms addressed to the parliament in the media for his improper behavior. However, he didnt apologize to the reporter for his behavior.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. US business magazine Forbes has named Russias Putin the most influential person on the globe for the fourth time in a row, Armenpress was informed from Sputnik news.

The magazine also included US President-elect Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the list of The World's Most Powerful People, granting them the second and the third places, respectively.

"For the fourth consecutive year, Forbes ranked Russian President Vladimir Putin as the world's most powerful person. From the motherland to Syria to the U.S. presidential elections, Russias leader continues to get what he wants," the magazine writes.

Despite the magazine states that both Putin and Trump have dismissed the allegations of any external interference in the US elections, it writes, Russia's president has exerted his country's influence in nearly every corner of the globe; from the motherland to Syria to the U.S. presidential elections, Putin continues to get what he wants.



Global state leaders, capitalists, philanthropists and entrepreneurs find place in the rankings. The magazine ranks based on the extent and use of the persons political power, influence and financial resources.






Mexico's Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing medical marijuana on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

December 14, 2016, 10:13 Mexicos Senate approves marijuana legalization

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 14, ARTSAKHPRESS: Now this question is to be considered by Chamber of Deputies.

The initiative approved by senators involves the introduction of amendments to the law on health care and Code of Criminal Procedure of Latin America.

The debate on this subject lasted over a year since the moment when Supreme Court allowed four citizens asking to use marijuana for recreational purposes. Later, Mexican government spokesman Eduardo Sanchez explained that this decision concerned only those using it for recreational purposes and did not mean the legalization of marijuana in general.
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As many of us can attest, old age aint for sissies!

One of the most common nuisances of old age (and hard living) can be sore joints  whether its from arthritis, sports, other physical activities, or just plain genetics, many of us have learned to grit our teeth and just live with it. But sadly, its a problem that can attack younger patients, too, who may have a harder time living with chronic pain and physical limitations.

Artesia has always had good physicians and physical therapists to help with this problem, and now we have a brand-new facility to help them help us!

Artesia General Hospital officially dedicated its new Bone and Joint Destination Center rehab facility with an open house celebration last week, and this new-and-improved facility allows AGH to continue to grow and meet the needs of the region.

Planning for the Bone and Joint Destination Center started nearly two years ago. The Center features a spacious waiting area with original art and a nice, big room for physical therapy, and it is  most importantly  a facility that allows the AGH team of professionals to provide a complete spectrum of joint care services under one roof, from initial diagnosis to treatment options to followup care.

Physicians are now able to directly monitor their patients progress in physical therapy. X-rays are done in-house, and the Center also has the only robotic orthopedic equipment in New Mexico.

Artesia General Hospitals team approach to healthcare brings in patients from all over the southwest. Inpatient and outpatient services are available, as well as informational seminars. AGHs goal is to keep patients and their families as informed as possible on all aspects of treatment from diagnosis, treatment, surgery and recovery, and to do this with compassion, respect and support.

For more information on services, informational seminars, or anything else, check out AGHs website at www.artesiageneral.com or call 575-736-8174.
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Lucass titanic achievement is even more stunning when you consider his modest roots: he is from, ironically, Modesto, a small city in northern California where his dad owned a stationery store that he expected his son to take over. The taciturn young Lucas had other ideas, heading to film school at the University of Southern California (USC) where he fell in with a new generation of cineastes  among them, Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola  who would be his co-conspirators in the takedown of the old Hollywood order.
Or maybe I was hearing the wrong tune when I went to listen to what the horses mouth had to say at the Council on Foreign Depredations. At the time, last January, I wrote to my pleasant surprise, he was eminently sane.

At one point, speaking of Putin, he said that unlike Bush, who claimed he looked into Putins eyes and saw his soul, I looked into his eyes and saw a stone-cold killer.

Now the horses mouth has not only strongly endorsed Putins longtime business associate Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State, hes responsible for recommending Putins Russian Order of Friendship recipient to Twitter Fingers in the first place. According to the Washington Post, by happenstance Trump welcomed into his office a man who has served presidents of both parties, Robert M. Gates [aka the Horses Mouth].

Trump asked his guest, a former CIA director and former defense secretary, what he thought of the four candidates. After Gates ran through his thoughts, it seemed that Trump was looking for a way out, a person familiar with the session said. Trump asked whether there was someone else to consider. I recommend Rex, Gates told Trump, referring to Rex Tillerson, the chief executive of ExxonMobil. Gates said in an interview that he had not gone to the meeting intending to recommend Tillerson, and he did not recommend anyone else.

Actually, it doesnt seem like happenstance at all. Separately, the article continues, on the previous day, former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice had proposed Tillerson to Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Rice and Gates  run a consulting firm that counts ExxonMobil as a client 

Which, as New York magazines Daily Intelligencer says, is surely coincidental.

Its also surely coincidental that, like all those great Republicans, Gates has changed his tune entirely. Having once declared Twitter Fingers to be unqualified and unfit to be commander-in-chief and on national security beyond repair, he now says  what the hell  he hopes he was wrong.

Theres a broader pattern at work. As reported by The Guardian, neoliberalism is at the root of our problems, and it has turned our world into a business.
Ruth Wilson as Hedda

My colleagues among the London critics are divided by Ivo van Hoves new National Theatre production of Hedda Gabler, in an un-gimmicky, plain new version by Patrick Marber  except that they all agree in their high praise of Ruth Wilsons performance in the title role. In fact, the cast is uniformly excellent, but this is Heddas show.

When I first read Hedda Gabler at school, Im sure I didnt get it at all, and thought Ibsens 1891 heroine was meant to be a philosophical egoist like Howard Roark in Ayn Rands The Fountainhead (my own late-adolescent obsession). Now that Im senior enough to have seen a good many productions, I think that my juvenile musings might have had a tiny grain of sense in them. At least, that reading shields the character from the accusation of being evil (as claims her academic husband, Tesler, played with a full-on American accent by Kyle Soller); perverse (as the blackmailing Judge Brack, a tall, lascivious Rafe Spall thinks); an unbearable tease (as her ex-, Lovborg, played with a gorgeous Byronic profile by Chukwudi Iwuji, implies); or as a control freak who has lost all power (as Ruth Wilsons Hedda says explicitly).

To this catalogue of flaws too gross to be tragic, we have to add that of the title of Olivia Laings NT programme essay, Nasty Women, of whom Hedda is one of literatures prime examples. Laing rates her as repulsive, petty, a drawing-room nihilist, a post-punk princess, too ravenous and angular for the world in which she finds herself. But I wonder if Ivo van Hove is not, as well, thinking of Coleridges view of Iago as an unmotivated evil character  more like Melvilles Claggart than like Flauberts Emma Bovary? What explains Hedda leading  forcing  Lovborg to suicide with her fathers second pistol? She says her concern is that Lovborgs suicide should be beautiful. How is it possible to urge someone else to destroy himself as an aesthetic act? Whats more, Hedda bullies Lovborg into killing himself. To say Hedda is amoral is a lunatic understatement.

This effective modern-dress productions too-expensive-for-the-Tesler-budget loft-like flat is designed and lit by Jan Versweyveld. I stared at Hedda, costumed permanently in her negligee, and thought: if only there was any indication that shed ever read anything at all, Id say shed been reading too much Sartre, Gide and Camus. Advanced as Existentialism was for 1891, now, more than a century later, Hedda yearns for herself  and others  to commit actes gratuits, to demonstrate that they are free beings by performing completely unmotivated actions. Drama queens that they were, the French Existentialist writers usually conceived these un-caused, freely chosen actions as being either murder or suicide, seldom anything so simple as theft or incurring a parking fine.

Ruth Wilsons Hedda is definitely the spoiled child of privilege, and this wilfulness complements her upbringing perfectly. Is her privileging of the aesthetic over the ethical a reflection of her fathers aristocratic position? Perhaps.

The puzzle is that Hedda seems to be engaged with momentous philosophical issues without having been educated. In fact, theres little evidence in the play that she is capable of thinking much at all, let alone deeply. She feels, rather than thinks. Most of what she feels is suffering. But why should we care? Apart from her physical beauty, what can we find attractive or sympathetic about this (literally) vicious character?

Okay, we know Ibsen generally thought men bore a lot of blame for women turning out this way; but despite what at least one silly critic has said about this production, its not misogynistic. Its not a comment on all women, or on gender. Its a portrait of one individual, particular woman, which is exactly why Ruth Wilson is so good: she presents us with a full, if warped human being; not a very intelligible person (were still stumped, as were meant to be, by her intentions); and very much not a nice or agreeable member of our species. This Hedda is a horror: the modern dress and the songs  Joni Mitchells Blue and Jeff Buckley covering Leonard Cohens Hallelujah  make it a bit easier for our contemporary sensibilities not to think all the abnormal pathology we are witnessing is either a case study, or confined entirely to Hedda. Judge Brack is a snake; and poor Lovborg a recovering addict, whom it is all too easy to goad into drinking again. Is the Marber/van Hove production definitive, then?

I looked up my last review of a production of Hedda, the Old Vics 2012 version by Brian Friel. It gave the male roles unusual prominence, which was interesting, but I now think wrong. Hedda Gabler is a Gorgon, a Medusa, a Lamia. Not a victim, but a perpetrator.
STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 14, ARTSAKHPRESS: The Ministrys announcement reads:

Overnight December 13-14 the Azerbaijani side continued violating the ceasefire regime over 90 times from various caliber small arms at the southern (Hadrut), eastern (Martuni-Akna) and north-eastern (Martakert) directions of the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact. During that period the Azerbaijani forces fired over 1900 shots at the Armenian positions, from which 56 shots were fired from SVD and Istiglal sniper rifles. In addition, the Azerbaijani forces fired also 60 mm mortar (3 shells) at the military position of Martakert.

The Defense Army forces mainly refrained from responding to the Azerbaijani provocative actions and took counter actions only in case of strict necessity.

The NKR forces continue confidently fulfilling their military tasks along the entire length of the frontline."
STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 14, ARTSAKHPRESS: On the first day of the visit Ashot Ghoulyan had a meeting with French MP, Vice-Chairman of France-Karabakh friendship circle Guy Tessier. The cooperation projects between the friendship circles of the NKR and France were discussed and the upcoming actions were outlined at the meeting.

Thereafter, Ashot Ghoulyan visited the Armenian Embassy in France and met Ambassador Vigen Chitechyan. The NKR Parliament Speaker highly appreciated the current level of mutual cooperation of the Embassy and the NKR Permanent Representation in France. They also discussed the role of parliamentary diplomacy in the context of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement and solution of regional issues.

A group of the Armenian community representatives of France were awarded with Medals of Gratitude for their contribution to the restoration and development of the NKRs economy, science, culture, social sector and the NKRs international recognition.

Ashot Ghoulyan congratulated them and highly appreciated the role of Diaspora, in particular, that of the French-Armenians on assisting the NKRs development.

NKR Permanent Representative in France Hovhannes Gevorgyan accompanied Ashot Ghoulyan in all meetings and discussions held in Paris.
Banks using the Swift network, which include both central banks and commercial banks, have been hit with a meaningful number of attacks.

London/Boston: Cyber attacks targeting the global bank transfer system have succeeded in stealing funds since Februarys heist of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank as hackers have become more sophisticated in their tactics, according to a Swift official and a previously undisclosed letter the organization sent to banks worldwide.

The messaging network in a Nov. 2 letter seen by Reuters warned banks of the escalating threat to their systems, according to the Swift letter.

The attacks and new hacking tactics underscore the continuing vulnerability of the Swift messaging network, which handles trillions of dollars in fund transfers daily.

The threat is very persistent, adaptive and sophisticated  and it is here to stay, Swift said in the November letter to client banks, seen by Reuters.

The disclosures provide fresh evidence that Swift remains at risk of attacks nearly a year after funds were stolen from a Bangladesh Bank account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The unprecedented cyber theft prompted regulators around the globe to tighten bank security requirements, amidst a global investigation by the FBI, Bangladesh authorities and Interpol.

Banks using the Swift network, which include both central banks and commercial banks, have been hit with a meaningful number of attacks  about a fifth of them resulting in stolen funds, since the Bangladesh heist, Stephen Gilderdale, head of Swifts Customer Security Programme, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

Swift had previously disclosed hacks of three Swift users since February but said those did not lead to the loss of funds.

Swifts letter to customers warned that hackers have refined their methods for compromising local bank systems.

One new tactic, the letter said, involved using software that allows technicians to access computers to provide technical support.
She took to Twitter to share a picture where she looks beautiful as a princess as she shares an intimate moment.

Disha Patani is on a high this year. The actress made her debut on the big screen, first in a single with rumoured boyfriend Tiger Shroff and then with the successful M. S. Dhoni: The Untold Story and is also on the verge of bagging all the awards for best debut for her role.

Disha will also make her international debut opposite Hollywood superstar Jackie Chan in the action adventure comedy Kung Fu Yoga, which would be a trilingual in Hindi, Mandarin and English.

Posters of the film with Disha, Jackie and Amyra Dastur seemingly doing some Kung Fu move in it were shared recently.

Previously, Disha had also shared a picture where she is dressed in Chinese attire hunting for a treasure and another where she along with Jackie and Amyra are shooting for a traditional Indian song, choreographed by Farah Khan.

Disha plays a princess named Ashmita in the film and she took to Twitter to share another picture where she looks beautiful in her princess as she shares an intimate moment with Jackie.

Fans of the actress would be definitely keen to watch Disha in the film.

Kung Fu Yoga is gearing up for release on January 28, 2017 and also stars Sonu Sood among others.
Security sources said that group of Ulfa (I) rebels was moving towards some undisclosed location near Indo-Myanmar border.

The Assam Rifles troopers on Wednesday shot dead at least two hard-core ULFA (I) rebels. (Photo: AFP/Representational)

Guwahati: The Assam Rifles troopers on Wednesday shot dead at least two hard-core ULFA (I) rebels and apprehended six others including a lady cadre in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

The defence PRO Lt. Col. Sumeet Newton told The Asian Age that Assam Rifle troopers have also recovered an AK-47 rifle and a pistol from the slain Ulfa (I) militants who were cornered near place called Dharampur. He said that slain militants are yet to be identified.

Informing that combing operation was still on, security sources said that group of Ulfa (I) rebels was moving towards some undisclosed location near Indo-Myanmar border. The Assam Rifle has also recovered cache of arms and ammunition from their possession.

The encounter took place close to the area where three Assam Rifle soldiers were killed and four others injured in a confrontation with a combined force of suspected Ulfa (I) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) militants last month.

Pointing out that counter-insurgency operations has been intensified in the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh, security sources said that decision to launch a combing operation in the trouble-torn districts of Arunachal Pradesh was taken in a strategic group meeting at Itanagar which was chaired by Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu.

The GOC 4 Corps and 3 Corps were also present in the strategic group meeting which discussed as to how free movement of ultras in Arunachal Pradesh was affecting the law and order scenario of Assam.
'The Congress Party and Rahul Gandhi have been exposed in front of the world,' Ananth Kumar said.

New Delhi: In response to Rahul Gandhi's sharp remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar on Wednesday said that the Congress Vice-President is rambling out of "frustration" and "disappointment" as the grand old party was done.

"The Congress Party and Rahul Gandhi have been exposed in front of the world. Due to frustration and disappointment, he is speaking anything.

"Yesterday, a channel conducted a sting operation which showed how Congress, Bahujan Samaaj Party and Samajwadi Party are trying to change the concept of demonetisation from currency change to "note jugaad," said Ananth Kumar."

In response to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's allegation of not being allowed to speak in Lok Sabha, Kumar said due to "frustration" and "disappointment" the Congress vice-president is speaking anything.

Denying the allegation put by Rahul Gandhi of having personal corruption-related information of the Prime Minister, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said, "Had he got some information, he would have revealed it 20 days before."

Terming the charges leveled against Prime Minister Modi by Rahul Gandhi baseless, Ananth Kumar said that it is under desperation that he is making such baseless charges.

Kumar emphasised that since the beginning of parliament session on November 16, the Centre has been asking the opposition to have a discussion on demonetisation.

Rahul Gandhi earlier today said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is terrified of him as he would reveal all of his wrong doings.

"I have already said before the Prime Minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside the Lok Sabha, because I have information on the PM that is going to explode his balloon," he said.
The Bill stipulates two-year jail term and a maximum fine of Rs 5 lakh for discriminating against differently-abled persons

New Delhi: A bill stipulating up to two-year jail term and a maximum fine of Rs 5 lakh for discriminating against differently-abled persons was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, which aims at securing and enhancing the rights and entitlements of disabled persons, was passed by a voice vote after rare unanimity was witnessed among the Opposition and Treasury benches in the House, which has seen acrimony and disruptions since the Winter Session began on November 16.

The bill, which was moved in Upper House earlier this month by Social Justice Minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot, also gives effect to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and related matters.

It provides for imprisonment of at least six months up to two years, along with a fine ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 5 lakh for discriminating against differently-abled persons.

When the House met in the morning and took up the Zero Hour, members from the Opposition benches including Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, BSP chief Mayawati, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury and SP leader Naresh Agarwal, pitching for immediate passage of the "crucial" legislation.

Responding to them, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the measure could be taken up immediately.

With rare unanimity on display, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien agreed to take up a short debate on the legislation before its passage, though he first said the matter was listed in the agenda in the afternoon and could be taken up then.

When the Bill, which had 120 amendments, was being passed in the afternoon, Anand Sharma (Cong) raised the issue regarding the numbering of the clauses, to which Gehlot assured that the issue will be looked into. Yechury (CPI-M) raised the issue of who will be the authority to interpret the definition of disability, whether physical or mental.

"There is disability such as speech and language and intellectual capability as mentioned in the bill. Who is the authority to define it," he asked. S C Mishra (BSP) too raised the same query. In his response, Minister Gehlot said a Medical Board will be formed which will define disability.

Viplove Thakur (Cong) raised the issue of disability pension not being provided to persons below 18 years of age, to which the Minister said this was not provided in the laws. Rapolu Ananda Bhaskar (Cong) said that a comprehensive bill needs to be worked out due to the large number of amendments.

Madhusudan Mistry (also Cong) enquired whether the definition of 'Mental Illness' is same in the Disabilities Bill as in the Mental Health Bill, which was passed recently. Gehlot said the definition is based on the United Nations Convention. After the Bill was passed, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien congratulated the members for their cooperation. "I congratulate every member. Why can't this cooperation be there always? Let us proceed like this," he noted, apparently indicating the turmoil that has been prevailing in the House over the demonetisation issue.

The Union Cabinet had earlier approved these amendments to the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (RPWD) Bill, 2014, that had replaced the 1995 Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act. In the bill, disability has been defined based on an evolving and dynamic concept and the types of disabilities have been increased from existing seven to 21. The Centre will have the power to add more types of disabilities to it.

The types of disabilities now include mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions. It also strengthens the office of chief commissioner and state commissioners for Persons with Disabilities which will act as regulatory bodies.

The bill was examined by the parliamentary standing committee last year. Then, a Group of Ministers, headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, examined its provisions and sent their recommendations to the Prime Minister's Office. Earlier in the day during Zero Hour, members cutting across party line demanded that the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill 2014 be passed without discussion.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said priority should be given to the passage of the Bill. "This should be passed without any discussion." He said if the Bill is not passed today, it cannot be taken up by the Lok Sabha for passage in the current session ending Friday. "You can take it up right now (and) pass it straight away without any discussion," he said. Similar views were expressed by Mayawati (BSP) and Naresh Agarwal (SP).

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the bill could be taken up immediately. Initially, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said though he is happy that there is consensus in the House for passage of an important legislation, procedurally it is listed for 1400 hours and should be taken up only then. But he relented and allowed it to be advanced considering the unanimity in the House.

Gehlot, who had moved the legislation last week, said it was first introduced in February 2014 and thereafter sent to the Standing Committee. Of the 82 suggestions the panel made, 59 have been incorporated in the bill, he said, adding that a number of categories of disabled has been increased from 7 to 21.

Karan Singh (Cong) said five per cent of people in the country suffered from some form of disability. The government, he said, should ensure that 4 per cent reservation provided to them is filled up also. A public education campaign should also be launched to sensitise people about the rights and courtesies to be extended to the disabled, he said.

Naresh Agrawal (SP) said the definition of disabled should be relaxed and the procedure for obtaining disability certificate be eased. He also demanded raising reservation quote for them. Md Nadimul Haque (TMC) said the government should ensure that none of the vacancies against the quota of disabilities remain vacant.

C P Narayanan (CPI-M) said the amendments curtailed the rights of the disabled and unless these were corrected, the benefits will not accrue to them. During the consideration of the bill, some members pointed out that the reservation for the disabled should be against the cadre strength and not vacancies. In response to some amendments moved by K K Ragesh and Yechury (both CPI-M), Gehlot said while framing rules efforts would be made to ensure that four per cent reservation is granted against cadre strength.

Yechury also pointed out that the original bill had a provision of 5 per cent reservation for the disabled, but the amendment was for 4 per cent only. To this, Gehlot said the bill has raised the quota from the prevailing 3 per cent to 4 per cent. The process of passing the measure could not be completed during the Zero Hour and was taken up at 1400 hours.

When the clock struck noon, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Hamid Ansari wanted to take up the Question Hour. Some members expressed the opinion that the process of consideration and passage of the Bill be continued. Ansari however insisted that Question Hour should be taken up.

Meanwhile, Congress members were seen on their feet, including its Deputy Leader Anand Sharma, with some of them being heard raising slogans over allegations against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju. Ansari pressed for taking up the Question Hour and was heard saying there cannot be a 'Jekyll and Hyde' character. However as the protests continued, he adjourned the House till 1400 hours.
The CBI has registered four cases in Karnataka, four in Hyderabad, one in Rajasthan and one in Kolkata.

New Delhi: The CBI on Tuesday registered a case against a senior Bank of Baroda, Kolkata, official on the charges of allegedly converting old currency notes by violating RBI guidelines, taking the total number of such cases to 10, with 16 arrests and Rs 19 crore currency in question. The agency has also arrested RBI official K. Michael, posted in Bengaluru, while he was allegedly trying to convert Rs 1.51 crore of old notes.

Another Central probe agency, Enforcement Directorate, on Tuesday also registered a case against S.C. Jayachandra, who was serving as chief project officer of State Highway Development Project (Karnataka), and has so far arrested more than 10 persons as part of its ongoing countrywide operation to check financial crimes post demonetisation.

As far as CBIs case against Bank of Baroda cashier Ranjit Kumar Bhattacharya is concerned, sources said, He has been booked by the CBI for allegedly converting currency worth Rs 50 lakh using fraudulent means. So far, the CBI has registered four cases in Karnataka, four in Hyderabad, one in Rajasthan and one in Kolkata. Sources said, so far, currency conversion of Rs 19 crore is being probed by it and it might increase as the probe progresses and more FIRs are registered by it.

The CBI, sources said, country-wide 16 arrests have been made by it, which include public servants, middlemen and private persons. In Karnataka, it has arrested a state-level politician, who is also a casino operator, and an RBI official in separate cases.
On 14 December Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan sent a condolence letter in connection with the death of Republic of Armenia's minister of Emergency Situations Armen Yeritsyan, Central Information Department of the Office of the Artsakh Republic President stated.

December 14, 2016, 12:22 Bako Sahakyan sent condolence letter over death of RA minister of Emergency Situations Armen Yeritsyan

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 14, ARTSAKHPRESS: The letter runs as follows:

"I have learnt with deep sorrow about the untimely death of minister of Emergency situations of the Republic of Armenia, great patriot and citizen Armen Yeritsyan.

As a devoted son of his Motherland he had always been beside his native people and participated in the implementation of various programs in Artsakh.

Armen Yeritsyan's contribution to the development of the NKR State Service of Emergency Situations and establishing the Crisis Management Center is inestimable.

In the hour of irretrievable loss on behalf of Artsakh people, authorities and personally myself I extend my condolences and support to the relatives and friends of the deceased wishing courage and tenacity."
Security sources said that Ulfa(I) also used the family members of its cadres and some associates in Nagaland in converting the old notes.

Indicating that demonetisation has hit them hard in Myanmar, security sources said that Ulfa(I) also used the family members of its cadres and some associates in Nagaland in converting the old notes. (Photo: Representational Image)

Guwahati: The security agencies have alerted the banks in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh that anti-talk faction of Ulfa and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) rebels are trying to exchange old currency in several crores.

Pointing out that a security agency had specific inputs about the consignment of `9 crore old currency being brought from Taga camp of Ulfa in Myanmar towards Nagaland, security sources said that Ulfa(I) and NDFB(S) rebels are suspected to have succeeded in exchanging some currencies but nearly 40 per cent of it was lost in exchange through conduits.

Indicating that demonetisation has hit them hard in Myanmar, security sources said that Ulfa(I) also used the family members of its cadres and some associates in Nagaland in converting the old notes.

Security sources said that the NSCN(K) also had a huge consignment of old notes but they have succeeded in depositing them into accounts of their local sympathisers in Nagaland.

Asserting that security agencies had alerted the banks and chief secretaries of these states about the movement of currencies from Myanmar, sources added that the income-tax department had very limited window in tracking down such illegitimate transactions through the accounts of local tribal people.

The tribal residents of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh are not required to pay any income tax, security sources said, adding that they cant be forced to reply tax related quarries as well.

Informing that militants have been using this route to transfer fund to the family members of the cadres, security sources said that legally, it would be very challenging for the IT sleuths to grill the local tribal residents on transactions in their accounts.

Security agencies told this newspaper that forces are guarding international border with Myanmar to stop them from exchanging the currency.
Foreign Policy magazine puts her in Global Thinkers of 2016 list.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on being named in the Global Thinkers of 2016 list compiled by the Foreign Policy magazine.

According to news agency reports, Ms Swaraj was named in the decision-makers category along with the Democrat nominee for US presidential election Hillary Clinton, UN secretary-general Ban Ki Moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US attorney general Loretta Lynch among others.

Very proud to see our hardworking EAM @SushmaSwaraj part of the @ForeignPolicy Global Thinkers list 2016! Congrats, PM Modi tweeted.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup also tweeted, MEA proud to be led by EAM @SushmaSwaraj, who receives yet another recognition for her unique brand of diplomacy.

The magazine complimented Swaraj for fashioning a novel brand of Twitter diplomacy. From evacuating Indians from Yemen to helping replace lost passports, Swaraj has earned the nickname the common tweeples leader for her aggressive use of Twitter, the magazine was quoted as stating.
Eighteen people were killed and more than 130 were injured in the twin blasts that rocked Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad on February 21, 2013.

Hyderabad: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday convicted Indian Mujahideen operative Yasin Bhatkal and four others for their involvement in the Dilsukhnagar twin blasts.

Eighteen people were killed and more than 130 were injured in the twin blasts that rocked Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad on February 21, 2013.

This is the first conviction of banned Indian Mujahideen cadres in a terror case.

The five were convicted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act, and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for murder, waging war against the country, conspiracy, attempt to murder and other criminal charges.

The judge will announce the sentences for all the accused on December 19, when the court will hear the argument of the defence counsel for the last time.

Public prosecutor V. Surender Rao said the NIA would seek capital punishment for all the convicts. The minimum sentence is life imprisonment and the maximum punishment is death sentence. Considering the heinous nature of the crime, we will be seeking capital punishment for the culprits, Mr Rao said.

Yasin Bhatkal alias Mohammed Ahmed Siddibappa from Karnataka, Asadullah Akhtar from Uttar Pradesh, Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas from Pakistan, Tahseen Akhthar from Bihar and Aizaz Shaik from Maharashtra are those convicted. All of them are in judicial remand in Cherlapally Jail, where the special court was set up for the trial. The key conspirator in the case, Riyaz Bhatkal, is still absconding.

The public prosecutor said that all the charges slapped against the five men have been proven in court and the court has found them guilty.

After finding them guilty, the court has given them a chance to argue on Monday regarding the punishment. After the argument by both sides (defence and prosecution), the court will decide on the quantum of punishment on Monday, Mr Rao said. NIA director-general Sharad Kumar called the agencys investigation wonderful.

It was a wonderful investigation carried out by the team in which every evidence was examined minutely. This is the first-ever conviction of Indian Mujahideen cadres and we will be appealing for maximum punishment for the culprits, he said.

During the investigation, a total of 440 witnesses were examined and 251 documents and 300 material objects seized. Extensive cyber forensic evidence was gathered and placed on record as evidence.
Burhans brother was killed in Army op; government decision stirs political row.

Srinarad: The Jammu and Kashmir governments decision to give ex-gratia relief to the family of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani for slaying of one of his brothers during an Army operation about 20 months ago has triggered a new political controversy in the state and beyond.

Though the decision of clearing of the relief case is subject to filing of objections within a weeks time and no formal orders as such have been issued, the PDP-BJP government has come under attack from its opponents in the mainstream politics and some right-wing Hindu groups including Shiv Sena which have threatened agitation if the family is given any relief.

The district magistrate of southern Pulwama district earlier this week released a list of 106 victims of violence whose cases for relief have been cleared or rejected by the government. Burhans elder brother Khalid Muzaffar Wani figures at number nine in the list of civilians and police personnel who were killed or injured or whose properties were damaged in militancy related incidents over a period of time.

Khalid was killed by the Army in the woods of Tral in Pulwama district on April 14, 2015 and later claimed that he was shot down in an encounter while trying to meet his younger brother Burhan. The Army had also said that Khalid had been operating as an over-ground worker for the Hizb.

The family had questioned the Army claim and said that 25-year-old Khalids corpse bore no bullet but torture marks, including his teeth having been broken. Khalid was a post-graduate student of political sciences at the Indira Gandhi National Open University and had on the fateful day told his mother that he was along with his friends going out on picnic.

Twenty months later, the state government has circuitously nullified the Armys claim by clearing the name of Khalid for the ex-gratia relief of Rs 400,000 or a job to his family. Official sources said that his name for financial support to the family or compassionate employment to one of its members as permissible under relevant law was cleared after a thorough investigation into the merit of the case by the police. However, the public notice from the DC Pulwama which appeared in a local newspaper on Monday categorically states that names of the victims of violence including Khalid have only been cleared for the cash or job compensation and no formal orders as such have been issued. Before formal orders are issued, the notice invites objections which have to be submitted to the DC within a weeks time.

The relief is given under SRO-43 of 1994 (militancy related) which provides for immediate financial support to the family/Next Of Kin of the deceased individually, killed in militancy related incidents, in the form of government jobs or cash compensation in lieu thereof.
The governments November 8 move led to a massive cash crunch, resulting in a string of deaths with people scrambling for cash.

New Delhi: Former finance minister P. Chidambaram called PM Narendra Modis demonetisation drive an absurd and thoughtless move and the biggest scam of the year, which needed to be investigated. The Congress leader also termed the PMs idea of a cashless economy an outlandish expectation, prompting Union finance minister Arun Jaitley to return fire and target the Opposition party.

Mr Jaitley said the main Opposition partys scandalous record is making it extremely uncomfortable with the Modi governments anti-corruption campaign of which the demonetisation of high-value banknotes is a cornerstone.

This was after Mr Chidambaram questioned the effectiveness of the action in the wake of recent cash seizures across the country and much of the scrapped currency coming back to the banking system with no major black money windfall expected for the government.

Before banning high-value notes, Mr Chidambaram said, Mr Modi should at least have consulted his own man Yashwant Sinha, a former Union finance minister, so that the monumental mismanagement could have been avoided. The governments November 8 move led to a massive cash crunch, resulting in a string of deaths with people scrambling for cash, and hitting Indias largely cash-based economy.

Mocking the MPs idea of a cashless economy, Mr Chidambaram said that to assume that India will go from 3 per cent to 100 per cent cashless in a few months, is an outlandish expectation.

Mr Jaitely, however, said demonetisation would help the worlds fastest growing major economy move towards being a less cash economy and digital payments, helping shore up tax revenues and check evasions.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also stepped up attack on the PM, saying his vision of a cashless economy has rendered the poor cashless, robbing them of their hard-earned money The PM has brought honest people on the streets while the rich and the corrupt are taking money through the backdoor of banks, said Mr Gandhi.

Thirty-five days after the demonetisation announcement , long queues continue to form outside banks and ATMs mainly because banknotes worth R15.4 trillion were banned, but notes only worth R4.61 trillion have been issued till date.

Reacting to Congress statements, Mr Jaitley said that the party during its rule during 2004-14 did not take even a single step against either corruption or black money. As far as corruption scandals were concerned, they peaked during that period, he said.

Mr Jaitley said the present NDA government has started overhauling the system. We are ready to debate this issue in Parliament. Rise above slogans and look at the positive advantages that these changes in the system in the long run are going to bring to the economy as a whole, added Mr Jaitley.

Meanwhile, senior Union minister Venkaiah Naidu accused Mr Chidambaram and former PM Manmohan Singh of not having done anything to curb the menace of black money. He said they allowed loot and plunder through various scams. Mr Naidu said that demonetisation is a strong pill for a long-time ill caused by Mr Singh, Mr Chidambaram and his party.
Highlighting achievements of her government, the CM sought peoples support for development of the state.

Jaipur: Following the footsteps of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje too has begun direct interaction with people of the state. The CM spoke with people for nearly an hour listening to their problems and taking questions. Although, it was not clear if this would be a regular affair or was just one off.

What made her programme unique and interesting from Prime Ministers Mann Ki Baat is that it wasnt a monologue but interactive. While, the PM just delivers speech to convey his thoughts to the people without taking any questions from the public, Ms Raje improvised her own Mann Ki Baat by making it two-way interaction, not only listening to peoples problems and giving assurance to quickly resolve them, she also invited suggestions and feedback and even answered questions.

On her part, the CM said that if the people of the state give her 15 years like they have given to the BJP governments in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, she too will be able to give better results. Highlighting achievements of her government, the CM sought peoples support for development of the state.

Later, during an interaction, the CM assured a person that his complaint regarding Rajasthan Sambal, an online system of registering and resolving problems, has been noted and there would be action soon.

The person had complained that a complaint made two years ago regarding water problem was closed with wrong answers.

One Subhash from Bikaner said that there was no bijli, sadak and pani in his village to which the CM said that if his village is a gram panchayat it should not be the case. She told him to give details to the local MLA. To Jairam Saini from Sikar, she promised sooner implementation of reservation in promotion.

When Tej from Jodhpur asked her why oil refinery has been stuck and there has been no work in Jodhpur ever since she came to power, the CM replied that the government was working on amendment in the agreement so that state doesnt get a raw deal. As far as work is concerned, there has been progress in every division of the state.

There were many more questions from MNREGA to complaint against Bhamashah health scheme, from query regarding appointment of lecturers to question about basis of government employees transfers.

The CM concluded the interaction with a couplet:

Kah do mushkilo se thoda aur kathin ho jaye (Tell Problems to become a bit difficult)

Kah do chunotiyo se thods aur jatil ho jaye (Ask challenges to become more complicated)

Napna chahte ho hamare paro ki Himmat ko (If you want to see strength of my wings)

Kah do aasman se thoda aur mushkil ho jaye. (Tell the sky to become a little more difficult).
The appointment of Rakesh Asthana as interim chief of the CBI has already been challenged in the Supreme Court.

New Delhi: The Centre is preparing to convene a meeting of the collegium, headed by the Prime Minister, on December 26 to finalise the name for the full-time CBI director. Currently Rakesh Asthana, a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer of 1984-batch, is holding additional charge of the CBI director.

Sources said, Meeting of the collegium is expected to take place on December 26. The government has already prepared a list of senior IPS officials (all from 1979 batch to 1982) for the coveted post, they added. Among the prominent names, which could make the cut as the director CBI, are Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) director-general Archana Ramasundram (1980-batch IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre), Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) director-general M.C. Borwankar, Delhi police commissioner Alok Verma (1979-batch IPS officer of the Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories cadre), ITBP director-general Krishna Chaudhary, special secretary in the home ministry R.K. Dutta (1981 batch Karnataka cadre) and director-general of police (Maharashtra) Satish Mathur (1981 batch IPS).

The appointment of Rakesh Asthana as interim chief of the CBI has already been challenged in the Supreme Court. After the enactment of the Lok Pal 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. As per the existing norm, the Central government has to appoint the CBI director on the recommendation of the collegium only, sources said.

According to the Supreme Court guidelines, officials having experience in anti-corruption or CBI from the senior most four batches of IPS cadre will be empanelled, following which a screening of three officers would be sent to the collegium, sources said.
The chief minister has reportedly refused to comment on distribution of tickets to tainted candidates.

Lucknow: UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav will not campaign in constituencies where the Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded candidates with criminal credentials.

According to sources close to the chief minister, the latter will not question distribution of tickets but will not campaign for tainted candidates, thereby giving a clear message that he does not favour people with a criminal record.

The chief minister has reportedly refused to comment on distribution of tickets to tainted candidates.

Mr Akhilesh Yadav, who is now set to launch the third leg of his Vikas se Vijay Tak Rath Yatra from Bundelkhand, has already skipped two major party rallies addressed by SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav in Ghazipur and Bareilly in the past one month. Both these rallies were organised by state president Shivpal Yadav, with whom the chief minister had strained relations.

The chief minister will not waste time on infighting but will focus on the development work done by his government. His Rath Yatra will reinforce Brand Akhilesh. He is unlikely to share the dais with other leaders in the party, said an aide of the CM.

Mr Akhilesh Yadav had launched his Rath Yatra on November 3 and has completed two short legs so far  from Lucknow to Unnao and then from Moradabad to Rampur.

It is apparent that the chief minister will run his own campaign and may not be a part of the party campaign.

The SP is planning two more mega rallies in Deoria and Gorakhpur later this month and the chief minister is unlikely to participate in either of them.

Senior SP spokesman Ambica Chaudhary said on Wednesday that Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav will address six to eight rallies in the coming days and there was no point in all leaders coming together for one event.

If leaders are campaigning separately, we will be able to cover more constituencies. It is wrong to say that there is any infighting in the party, he said.

State SP president Shivpal Singh Yadav refused to comment on the chief ministers absence from the rallies being addressed by Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav but said, The party president is supreme and his presence is also supreme. The chief minister is busy with government work and will also campaign for the party. The priority of all leaders is to get a bigger majority and return to power and we are all working towards this.
The manuscript is one of six copies that Rowling made as gifts to those who helped bring her magical world of wizards and witches to life.

JK Rowling's illustrated manuscript of "The Tales of Beedle and Bard" famously features in the seventh part of the Harry Potter series

A rare book hand-written and -illustrated by "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling sold for $467,000 at auction in London on Tuesday, at the lower end of its estimated price range.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" is one of six copies that Rowling made as presents to those who helped bring her magical world of wizards and witches to life.

The copy sold on Tuesday, bound in brown Morocco leather and adorned with silver, was presented to editor Barry Cunningham, who published Rowling's spellbinding debut, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", and carries a personal dedication from her.

The volume of five wizarding fairy tales - left to Hermione Granger by Albus Dumbledore in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" - had a price estimate of 300,000-500,000 pounds ($380,000-634,000). Sotheby's auction house said in a statement that it had been sold for 368,750 pounds ($467,400) to an anonymous telephone bidder.

A seventh copy, made for an auction in 2007 to raise money for the author's charity, Lumos, raised 1.95 million pounds.
I truly experienced old world charm, fully functional to this day and age, says Lourd Vijay.

Having danced Salsa for the last 20 years, I had always nurtured the idea of visiting Cuba. Over time, my fascination with Cuba got me acquainted to its old world charm stuck in the 1950s, known for its world famous music, rums, cigars, Che Guevara, revolutions, Ernest Hemingway, period architecture, classic cars like Oldsmobile, Pontiacs, Studebakers, and some great once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

The statue of Cristo De La Havana

At last, 24 years since then, Byond Travel specially curated the trip for us  a group of friends and my students from my dance school  Lourd Vijays Dance Studio. We landed in Havana on October 15 and checked into Hotel Copacabana. On the first day, we hit Casa de la Musica in central Havana with a band playing some Salsa, Reggaeton and Cuban pop music. I had my first Cuba Libre which truly was out of this world.

Lourd with his friends and students

On day two, we tasted the worlds best Pina Colada at the Almandares parquet and visited the Revolution Square to understand why Cuba is the land of revolutions. Enroute to old Havana, we learnt about the best cigars  Cohiba, Romeo Y Julieta and Trinidad. We had lunch at Cafe Taberna with a Salsa band playing. We later experienced the marvel of the Buena Vista Social Club with 30 of Havanas most popular musicians performing live.

On the streets of Old Havana

Our bus drove us to Vinales for the most delicious lunch at an organic farm and a mandatory stop at a Tobacco Farm revealed the secrets of the worlds most prized Cuban cigars on Day 3. On Day 4, we did a classic car tour of Havana. My friends and I had a beautiful Marine blue Ford Mercury 65 to drive across town, hitting the Malecon strip and getting dropped off at the fully restored home and boat of Nobel Laureate  Ernest Hemingway. At a time, when Cuba as a country lost out to the world, people in Cuba gained something wonderful  self-reliance, making the best of the worst and more importantly, how to be happy in times of complete adversity and apathy or at least fake it convincingly. I truly experienced old world charm, fully functional to this day and age. Cubans have evolved into being great engineers, a simple example is the genuine ways to make crude automobile spares to keep 60-70 year-old cars in fully running and pristine condition.

On Day 5, we headed to Trinidad, where we were treated to a local cocktail Canchanchara made out of sugarcane juice. We checked in to the beach side resort  Costa Sur and the next day, woke up to a stunning view of the Caribbean Sea. We drove and trekked to Topes de Collantes. At night, we danced salsa under the stars at Casa de la Musica where the lineup of bands never ended, after which we hit a club set in a natural cave called Disco Ayala. On Day 7, we drove back to Havana via Santa Clara visiting the Che memorial and headed out to have dinner and some Daiquiris at Floridita, where Hemingway frequented.

It was time to bid adieu to a piece of history that will soon be lost to commercialisation as soon as the embargo is officially lifted.

The writer is an award-winning dancer, founder LVDS and Guiness World Record Holder for Most number of swing flips in a minute
STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 14, ARTSAKHPRESS: The letter reads:

"Respected Mr. Melikyan,

I cordially congratulate you on the memorable jubilee - your 80th birthday anniversary.

Your long activity is among the best samples of selfless service to the native country and people. Being a renowned scientist you have had a great input in the development of Oriental studies in the Republic of Armenia, upbringing of patriotic and educated generations.

You are also known as an active participant of the Artsakh National-Liberation Movement and a volunteer, a person, who has been showing consistent support to the NKR, contributing to the implementation of various programs in our country and strengthening the Armenia-Karabakh-Diaspora trinity.

I once again congratulate you and wish peace, success and all the best to you, your relatives and friends.
Delhi HC also pulls up state for no victim compensation fund.

New Delhi: In a landmark order, the Delhi high court has said that a child born out of rape is entitled to compensation irrespective to any grant or relief given to the mother. The high courts verdict highlights the vacuum in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, which is silent on any provision to the child. Another issue that court took a stern view of was keeping the identity of the victim confidential. Making crucial observations pertaining to the Pocso Act, the court pointed out that the state had not set aside any compensation fund for victims, despite orders from the court on the same.

The court gave its verdict in a case, in which a man has been sent to jail for his entire natural life for raping his minor step-daughter. The high court bench comprising Justices Gita Mittal and R.K. Gauba observed that the child is clearly a victim of the offence: A child born out of rape, either of a minor or a woman who is an adult, is clearly a victim of the act of the offender and entitled to compensation independent of the amount of compensation paid to his/her mother. However, there is no clarity yet on how much compensation the child will be entitled to.

This vacuum in the law came to the courts attention when it was hearing the appeal of a man convicted and awarded life term for raping his minor step-daughter, who, as a result of the crime, gave birth at the tender age of 14 years.

Noting the sordid scenario in the current case, where the trust and confidence reposed in the man by his wife and step-daughter, was abused by him to bring about, out of sheer lust, untold miseries on the body, mind and psyche of the prosecutrix child leaving scars which would not ever heal, the court upheld his conviction and sentence.

It also clarified that the man shall remain behind bars for the remainder of his natural life, saying we see no scope for any ruth (pity) in the matter of punishment.

Earlier, the high court, had laid down a law in this regard, reduced the amount of compensation to the rape victim from Rs 15 lakh awarded by the trial court to Rs 7.5 lakh, saying the higher amount went against the 2011 compensation scheme formulated by the Delhi government.

The court also pulled up the trial court for being lax in protecting the identity of the minor victim and its callousness over guidelines under POCSO. The high court also reiterated its earlier direction to all trial courts not to disclose the identity of minor victims in POCSO cases.

Apart from the lack of provisions under the POCSO Rules and the Delhi Victims Compensation Scheme 2011 for children born out of rape, the court noted the absence of any provision in the scheme for child victims of sexual offences. It also observed that no victim compensation fund has been set up under the 2011 scheme despite directions in this regard by the high court in a PIL. The high court noted this while examining how the trial court awarded a compensation of Rs 15 lakh to the victim. The bench said under the existing scheme, the maximum compensation that can be paid was Rs 3 lakh and under the proposed new scheme of 2015, it would be enhanced to Rs 7.5 lakh. Setting aside the compensation awarded by the trial court, the bench awarded a total amount of Rs 7.5 lakh to the victim, saying given the nature of loss, pain and suffering which she undoubtedly would have undergone, we find this to be a fit case where the state must pay compensation for the minimum sum of Rs 7.5 lakh (which would be the compensation awardable under the proposed scheme of 2015, as and when brought in force).
The joint meeting of the IAS and Danics officers passed a resolution condemning the behaviour of the Delhi government.

New Delhi: The ongoing war between the bureaucracy and the AAP government on Tuesday intensified with the IAS and Delhi Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service Association (Danics) accusing Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwals Cabinet of humiliating them and issuing gag orders.

The joint meeting of the IAS and Danics officers passed a resolution condemning the behaviour of the Delhi governments political executives. The resolution accused the political executives (read ministers and chairpersons of various boards) of using derogatory, insulting and humiliating remarks against some senior officers in meetings and also in both print and electronic media.

The resolution stated that in a particular case, a senior IAS officer had demanded an apology from a political executive for derogatory remarks. It may be recalled that recently, city minister Satyandar Jain had accused his health secretary of being most incompetent, useless and insensitive. The minister went to the extent of saying that the bureaucrat was an appointee of L-G Najeeb Jung. The association in its resolution maintained that this particular trend of humiliation of officers has been causing irreparable agony and anguish to the officers and their hard-earned reputation was being put to trial.

Claiming that the Delhi government was virtually trying to gag these officers, the resolution stated; The officers are prohibited from accessing to print, electronic and social media to defend themselves even when they are spoken against in an unreasonable manner. The resolution maintained that repeated tarnishing of the reputation without any basis will lower the morale of the bureaucracy.

Hitting out at the AAP government, the resolution stated that this will cast a shadow on the functioning of the government and in the long-run prove detrimental to the governance.

The resolution wanted that the officers should be treated with due respect they deserve and minimum standards of courtesy be extended to them.

The association resolved to appeal to the political executive in Delhi government to maintain decorum in their comments against officers and adopt a fair, just and reasonable attitude towards officers working with them.
Transport department to provide cashless services.

Registration of new vehicles at regional transport offices have significantly dropped after demonetisation.

New Delhi: Delhis transport department may soon start accepting bank drafts and pay orders for its various services like vehicle registration and issuance of driving licence.

Transport minister Satyendar Jain has written to the department, asking it to provide cashless services to people. Keeping in view the scarcity of cash due to demonetisation, please start accepting fees and payments in the form of bank drafts/pay orders also immediately for all transport related matters, Mr Jain said in a communication to the secretary-cum-commissioner of the transport department on December 9.

The transport department already has a provision for online appointment system for those wanting to avoid queues. With the online facility, one can pay their fees online and book appointment with the zonal office in advance and bypass the long queues.

In Delhi, registration of new vehicles at regional transport offices have significantly dropped since the government demonetised the large currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations, sources said. With its plan to facilitate cashless payments, the transport department hopes to make life little easier for those planning to buy new cars.

However, the department is yet to direct RTOs (regional transport office) to accept payment of fees through bank drafts and pay orders.

In a move to ease the burden of Centres demonetisation scheme, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has rolled out a host of measures, including langars (free food) at 10 night shelters across the city.

Earlier, the Centre had asked Delhi government and BJP-ruled civic agencies to switch to digital modes of payment. Apart from the government departments, the civic agencies are also attempting to go cashless by the coming financial year.
The CISF has handed over the recovered jewellery to the police for further action.

New Delhi: A selfie taken by the complainant helped the CISF bust a gang of pickpockets on Tuesday. The pickpockets had snatched a jewellery bag of a California-based NRI, who was travelling by Metro on Friday. The bag had jewellery worth Rs 22 lakh. Just before the theft the victim had taken a selfie and the face of the accused appeared fairly clearly in it helping the CISF later nab the accused.

The complaint Nilam Kumari, in her complaint said that she was travelling with her husband from New Delhi Metro station to Chattarpur Metro station when the accused stole her jewellery bag. They realised that their bag had been stolen when they reached Chhatarpur station and approached the CISF. The Crime & Intelligence Wing (CIW) of the CISF examined CCTV footage, but the clinching evidence came from the womans selfie. They then started rounding up pickpockets around Metro stations and on Tuesday evening, a group identified as Kamla was nabbed from Chawri Bazar station.

Funnily, the group of pickpockets never got around to selling the jewellery as they thought it was fake. They recovered the lost jewellery from them, which included a diamond necklace, a gold bangle, a gold necklace with precious stones, diamond earrings, a diamond ring and another gold ring. The CISF has handed over the recovered jewellery to the police for further action. One of the six accused confessed to having committed the crime. The complainant, in the meanwhile, has left for the US.
She also expressed her concern and apprehension with retrenchment process going on in big industries.

Kolkata: Continuing her attack against the demonetisation decision of the Narendra Modi government chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday described this as a visionless policy which has come as a major setback for the employees in various sectors.

Ms Banerjee stated that it has affected about 5 crores workers in the country and termed it as a major setback for the employees since independence.

Crores of people have become victims of visionless policy.Its a major catastrophe.The draconian decision of demonetization by the Central Government has drastically affected about 5 Crore workers in the country.It is indeed a major setback for the employees since independence. Ms Banerjee posted on her twitter page through a link on her Facebook page.

The chief minister further posted that according to reports, around 1.25 Crore workers in the country in unorganized sector, e-commerce, leather, jute, textiles, glass, beedi, gems and jewellery sectors and daily wage earners under government schemes like MNREGA have either lost jobs or have been seriously affected due to cash crunch. She also expressed her concern and apprehension with retrenchment process going on in big industries. which will render huge number of workers jobless.In big industries, retrenchment process is going on which has made or will make huge number of workers jobless, she posted.

Ms Banerjee, who has been vocal against Prime Minister Narendra Modi since his announcement of demonetisation saying that the common people have been the worst sufferers, wrote on social networking website, I can feel with deep sorrow the extensive sufferings and ordeal that these people are going through now.
Bhujbal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case in March, is in judicial custody.

Mumbai: Former deputy minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who refused to go in for an angiography test in the state-run JJ Hospital, will be back in Arthur Road prison on Wednesday morning at 11 am, according to prison authorities.

Bhujbal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case in March, is in judicial custody and was shifted to Bombay Hospital from the state-run JJ Hospital on November 2 due to a heart ailment. He was shifted back to JJ Hospital on Wednesday evening on the directions of the Arthur Road prison authorities. Bhujbal was supposed to undergo a coronary angiography test in JJ Hospital.



While talking to The Asian Age, Arthur Road jail superintendent Harshad Aherao said, We have informed the court and it has directed us to take back undertrial Bhujbal at 11 am on Wednesday.

After Bhujbals refusal to get a coronary angiography conducted, JJ Hospitals dean T. P. Lahane conveyed the same to prison authorities, saying that since Bhujabal had refused to get the angiography done, they could force him for the same. While talking to The Asian Age, Dr. Lahane said, After getting Bhujbal from Bombay Hospital, we asked him to go for in angiography, but he refused. We tried insisting.

Dr Lahane said, Since he came to me as a patient, it was my duty to give him the necessary treatment. But he is not ready for angiography and so we informed the jail authorities to take a call on him.

Since jail authorities have not shifted him back to Arthur Road jail yet, Dr Lahane said, We have informed the jail authorities that they can take Bhujbal back, but they havent replied.

Time in hospital
Police suspect that amount in new notes were acquired from banks in an irregular manner after exchanging them with unaccounted old notes.

Sources from the Thane police said that the police informed income tax officials and now they are interrogating the accused.

Mumbai: The Thane police on Tuesday arrested three businessmen, seizing Rs 1.04 crore black money in the new Rs 2,000 notes from them.

The police laid a trap and arrested the accused. In two other separate cases, five persons were detained after Rs 33 lakh in new Rs 2,000 notes were seized from them in Navi Mumbai and Ulhasnagar, Thane.

The police are ascertaining the method employed by the accused persons in the three separate cases to acquire the new notes. The police suspect that the new notes were acquired from banks in an irregular manner after exchanging them with unaccounted old notes.

After the Centre demonetised notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 on November 8, the Reserve Bank of India had allowed each citizen to exchange only Rs 4,500 in old notes in legal tender at banks.

The exchange limit was later reduced to Rs 2,000 on November 18, while it was discontinued at banks from November 24, on suspicions that certain unscrupulous elements were using the option related to exchange of old notes to legalise unaccounted cash by using the gullible.

In Navi Mumbai, two persons were held after seizure of the new notes worth Rs 23.70 lakh, while three persons were held in Ulhasnagar after Rs 9.76 lakh in Rs 2,000 denomination was recovered last evening, they said.

In Thane the businessmen were allegedly came to give the notes to some another businessman. They had decided to make a profit of 30 per cent over the original amount Rs 1.04 crore.

Sources from the Thane police said that the police informed income tax officials and now they are interrogating the accused.
Eric Schmitt-Matzen, whose 136-kg frame and real white beard and curled mustache make him a popular Santa in Knoxville city.

Chicago: Christmas may be weeks away but a terminally ill 5-year-old boy in the US state of Tennessee had his last wish fulfilled, dying in the arms of Santa Claus after he was afraid that he would miss Christmas.

Eric Schmitt-Matzen, whose 136-kg frame and real white beard and curled mustache make him a popular Santa in Knoxville city.

When I got there, it was my job to make sure he got Christmas, Schmitt-Matzen told NBC affiliate WBIR channel through tears.

Schmitt-Matzen said he had just returned home from work about a month and a half ago a when a nurse at a local hospital called him and said she had a very sick child who wanted to see Santa.

He was more concerned about missing Christmas, than dying, Schmitt-Matzen said.

After he arrived at the hospital room within 15 minutes, Schmitt-Matzen asked the boy, Whats this I hear youre going to be missing Christmas this year?

Thats when the boy told him he heard he was going to die.

Well, youre not going to miss Christmas, the elves already had your present, we knew you wanted this for a long time, he said he told the boy.

Really? the boy asked, according to Schmitt-Matzen. He then gave the boy the gift his mother had given and that put a grin on his face, he said.

Schmitt-Matzen choked up as he said that he told the boy, When you get up those pearly gates, you just tell them youre Santas number one elf.

I am? the boy asked, perking up, according to Schmitt- Matzen. You sure are, Im sure theyll let you right in, he said.

The boy then gave him a big hug, he said, and he just looked at me and said, Santa, can you help me? And thats when he passed, Schmitt-Matzen said. Schmitt-Matzen first told the sad story to Knoxville News Sentinel and it has since gained national attention.

He said that after the boy died in his arms, he left the hospital as fast as he could.

I spent four years in the Army with the 75th Rangers, and Ive seen my share of (stuff). But I ran by the nurses station bawling my head off, he told the paper.
Mr Trump has been pressing American business not to move abroad to take advantage of cheaper labour.

Donald Trump shook the world by winning the US presidential election, yet again demonstrating that poll forecasting is an imperfect process. And now he is shaking both his country and the wider world by choosing his future Cabinet that is full of surprises, some of them outlandish, and seemingly turning long-held US policy positions on their head.

As the chancelleries in world capitals sit down to analyse the string of Cabinet-level appointments he has made, they strive to find a common thread. The only pattern they can discern is that he favours successful businessmen like himself and has an appetite for articulate generals for jobs that had previously been left to civilians.

Mr Trumps announcement that he would scrap the Trans-Pacific Partnership, President Barack Obamas legacy work in his pivot to Asia, the day he enters office was no surprise because of his shrill pitch for maintaining and creating American jobs in consonance with his Make America Great Again slogan and his main constituency. Free trade agreements, in his view, rob American jobs. But the biggest surprise of all, apart from reopening the One China chapter, was his choice of secretary of state.

By springing Rex Tillerson, chief of ExxonMobil, as his choice for secretary of state on an unsuspecting public after considering his old Republican rival Mitt Romney and his loyalist Rudy Giuliani for the job, he has chosen a businessman and a dealmaker, a man in the good books of President Vladimir Putin and once awarded the Order of Friendship by Moscow. He is sceptical of Western sanctions against Moscow. If there is a parallel, it is in his appointment of Terry Branstad, Iowa governor, as the countrys ambassador to Beijing. He has a decade-long relationship with President Xi Jinping, calls him an old friend, a compliment returned by the official spokesman of the Chinese foreign office, who described him as an old friend of the Chinese people.

In contrast to this gesture, Mr Trump had the Chinese grinding their teeth when, for the first time since the 1970s, a sitting US President or President-elect has spoken over the telephone with Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen. In his election campaign, he had been railing against China on its currency tactics, military buildup in the South China Sea and its attitude to North Korea without storming into the One China policy. Far from retreating, Mr Trump declared on television: I dont see why we have to be bound to the One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things. In other words, the One China proclamation is a bargaining chip for him. Last year the US imported $483 billion worth of goods from China, exporting to that country $811 billion worth.

The President-elect is now suggesting that the One China policy, which was the basis of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Communist China and the US, is an open question. Washington closed its embassy in Taiwan while maintaining an interests section and is supplying arms to Taipei to protect itself. The Chinese have reacted to this new barb with a firm but measured tone because the relationship with the US is simply too important for them.

As Mr Trump has amply proved, he is no respecter of norms and conventions. But many Americans have been scandalised that after meeting Al Gore, the prominent environmentalist, he nominated Scott Pruitt as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. He is a friend of the oil and gas industry and opposes Obamacare, the assisted healthcare landmark of Obama legislation. Mr Trump himself had expressed scepticism over industrial activity and global warming, although he has moderated his views after the election.

Mr Trump had other surprises up his sleeve. He nominated Nikki Haley of Indian origin and South Carolina governor as US ambassador to the United Nations. She has little experience of international diplomacy although she made a name for herself as a resolute governor. The tough-talking Gen. James Mattis was nominated defence secretary and Steven Mnuchin, who worked for 17 years with Goldman Sachs, is the new treasury secretary. Homeland security goes to Marine Gen. John Kelly while Gary Cohn, president of Goldman Sachs, is director of the National Executive Council.

No one can be surprised by the fact that Mr Trumps choices are right-wing, with little care for what the US prides itself on: keeping the civilian establishment firmly in charge of the military. The President-elect has no time for this separation nor is he overawed by conventions. Indeed, he won the presidential election by being unconventional and unabashedly populist.

In a sense, America is passing through a new phase for a variety of reasons that have been amply cited. But the question is how permanent this tilt to the right will be in a new world of privation for the working man at the bottom of the ladder? Mr Trump has been pressing American business not to move abroad to take advantage of cheaper labour. While two corporations have heeded his advice to save American jobs, US businesses are looking forward to promised lower taxes and a more business-friendly environment at home. The President-elect is fond of communicating through tweets, which have now become must-read for the business community. Imagine making Andrew Puzder, CEO of a restaurant chain, his new labour secretary. He is against government intervention in the labour market and says higher wages are bad for workers because they lead to unemployment.

One objective Mr Trump has achieved by the nature of his appointments is unpredictability. The results can only be a matter of speculation at this early stage. If he believes that he has his country and the world befuddled, he is right. Counting the costs of the exercise is another matter. The US is yet to discover the wages of Mr Trumps ascent to the political world as the leader of what is still the most powerful nation on the planet.
The panel led by Congress MP M. Veerappa Moily will be discussing the burning issue for the first time.

New Delhi: Concerned over the havoc created by demonetisation in the banking system and the inconvenience being caused to the common man, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has summoned Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Urjit Patel on December 22.

Sources privy to developments said that the parliamentary panel is likely to grill Mr Patel about the extent of RBIs role in planning the entire demonetisation exercise and whether it had prepared any back-up plan to combat its negative fallout.

The panel led by Congress MP M. Veerappa Moily will be discussing the burning issue for the first time since Prime Minister Naredra Modi announced last month that the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes will no longer remain legal tender from November 8 midnight onwards.

Sources said that the panel is quite worried over the fallout of the entire exercise, which has been causing great deal of pain to the common man, and it mainly wants to know from the RBI governor as to how much say did it have in the entire process.

They further added that Mr Patel is also likely to be asked about the kind of planning done by the government over the issue.

Also whether the government and the RBI were aware of the quantum of impact the demonetisation exercise would have on the common man is another aspect which the parliamentary panel is likely to discuss with the RBI governor.
STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 14, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: Rector of State Academy of Fine Arts Aram Isabekyan told reporters on December 14 he firstly would like to address his words of praise to Culture Minister Armen Amiryan for organizing this initiative. Isabekyan was mostly impressed by the meeting with soldiers.

I really saw a shine in their eyes. Such kind of contacts are very important for the soldiers. The meetings with NKR President Bako Sahakyan were very important. A very interesting and in-detail meeting was held. We have made our proposals, and listened to theirs, Isabekyan said and expressed hope such kind of meetings between the cultural figures of Armenia and the NKR will be more frequent.

President of the Writers Union of Armenia Edward Militonyan stated the meetings were important since a number of issues were discussed, including also issues related to Armenia-Diaspora-Karabakh cultural ties.

The problem is that we are living in three different situations in Armenia, Diaspora and the NKR and we are not holding a serious discussion over this issue. In Nagorno Karabakh especially after the four-day war, the level of tension is high. People are living by feeling that the war is not very far away from them. We have a one way to unite Armenia, the NKR and Diaspora, which is culture which must be spread through all means, Militonyan said.

He also proposed to declare the 2017 as a year of literature, for which the project has already been submitted to the Culture Ministry which will include the cultural fields of the NKR and Diaspora.

Director of Pan-national Theater Vardan Mkrtchyan is also happy for this initiative. He said this is a good chance to hold meetings not only with the NKR, but also Armenias partners. He said during the meeting with the NKR President they were informed about one important thing that recently the NKRs population has been slightly increased.

The NKR Culture Chamber is holding at least 300 ceremonies within a year. This means that there is no lack of cultural events. The problem is what mechanisms to find in order for the professional to develop and spread their product abroad. Today the NKR people face a concrete problem: they are unable to spread their culture, Vardan Mkrtchyan said, adding that they held a long discussion on this topic with the NKR President.
Sharma, used a distributed denial of service tool to compromise the computers of a San Francisco-based company.

Sean Krishanmakoto Sharma has been indicted for transmitting a programme, information, code, or command causing damage to a protected computer, US officials said. (Photo: Representational Image)

Washington: A 26-year-old Indian-origin computer science student has been charged with initiating a number of cyber attacks on a chat site in the US.

Sean Krishanmakoto Sharma has been indicted for transmitting a programme, information, code, or command causing damage to a protected computer, United States Attorney Brian J Stretch and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge John F Bennett said.

The indictment accuses the graduate student of initiating a number of attacks on a local provider of online chat services.

According to the indictment, between November 6, 2014 and January 20, 2015, Sharma, used a "distributed denial of service (DDoS) tool to compromise the computers of a San Francisco-based company that provides online chat services to third party web sites.

Sharma was arrested December 9. He was released on a USD 100,000 bond, US Attorney's Office, Northern District of California said in a statement.

If convicted, Sharma faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, and/or a fine.
Mr Putins two-day trip, including a forum in Tokyo, has been long in the pipeline and follows two visits by Mr Abe to Russia this year.

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to Japan on Thursday to meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the latest bid to reach a deal on a territorial dispute that has prevented their nations signing a formal treaty to end World War II.

Mr Abe will host Putin at the hot springs in his ancestral city of Nagato in the hope of breaking the ice on an agreement over the Kuril Islands, seized by Soviet troops in 1945 and demanded back by Tokyo ever since.

But despite months of preparatory negotiations, hope is scant that the leaders can hammer out the differences over the four islands  known as Southern Kurils in Russia and Northern Territories in Japan  during mR Putins first visit.

The absence of a peace treaty between Russia and Japan is an anachronism inherited from the past and this anachronism should be eliminated, Mr Putin said in an interview with Japans Nippon TV and Yomiuri newspaper published on the Kremlins website on Tuesday. But how to do this is a difficult question. He added that Russia would strive to reach a treaty because it wants full normalisation of ties with Japan.

Mr Putins two-day trip, including a forum in Tokyo, has been long in the pipeline and follows two visits by Mr Abe to Russia this year. Mr Abe has looked to eke out concessions on the Kurils by dangling the prospect of major Japanese investment in front of Moscow, still mired in economic crisis.

This new approach is very bold, said James Brown, assistant professor in political science at Temple University, Japan. He is determined to try to make a breakthrough.

But few believe Mr Putin is likely to cave in to Japanese demands to hand back at least some control over the islands, especially after the election of Donald Trump in the US gave him an unexpected fillip.

Its not simple to bring the two sides positions closer, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said after meeting his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida this month.
Fighting erupts anew while Syria, rebels blame each other for mess.

A Syrian leaves a rebel-held area of Aleppo towards the government-held side on Tuesday during an operation by Syrian forces to retake the embattled city. (Photo: AFP)

Aleppo: Shelling and air strikes sent terrified residents running through the streets of Aleppo on Wednesday as a deal to evacuate rebel districts of the city was in danger of falling apart.

The agreement reached Tuesday was meant to pave the way for thousands of civilians and rebel fighters to evacuate Syrias second city, scene of some of the worst fighting in more than five years of war.

But cold and hungry civilians who had gathered before dawn to evacuate were instead plunged back into a familiar nightmare.

Bombing is ongoing, no one can move. Everyone is hiding and terrified, activist Mohammad al-Khatib told AFP from inside the city. The wounded and dead are lying in the street. No one dares to try and retrieve the bodies.

The evacuation, agreed under a deal brokered by Russia and Turkey, had been due to begin at 5 am but was delayed, with buses parked outside rebel-held areas left waiting.

Following several hours of quiet, fighting then erupted anew in the ravaged city, with Syrias regime, the rebels and their foreign allies trading accusations of blame.

As booms of air strikes and artillery fire rang out, an AFP correspondent in rebel areas saw panicked civilians running in the streets to find shelter, some hiding in the doorframes of damaged buildings.

The correspondent saw several wounded civilians, as well as a regime tank turning its cannon towards opposition-held districts and opening fire.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported very intense clashes on every front line and said at least two people had been killed in rebel areas.

State television said rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas had also resumed, killing at least seven people.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow expected rebel resistance in the city to end in the next two to three days.

Rebels and a source close to the regime told AFP that the evacuation had been suspended after objections from the Syrian government. The source said Damascus objected to the number of people leaving, claiming rebels had sought to raise it from 2,000 to 10,000.
by Wang Zhicheng

The family reports that without their permission, the brain and heart of the deceased pro-democracy activist were taken. Relatives abroad accuse "the high wall of despotism" of the Chinese government.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - Chinese authorities are thought to have harvested the organs from the body of a prisoner who died in his cell, against the wishes of his family.



The family of Christian pro-democracy activist Peng Ming have accused the prison authorities of having removed his brain and heart and not allowing an independent autopsy.



Peng Ming died last November 29 in the prison of Xianning (Hubei), sentenced to life in prison for corruption and for having organized terrorist groups. According to the official account, he fell ill while watching television.



The autopsy carried out by the prison authorities states no cause of death. The world of dissidence and the same Peng family have expressed doubts about his abrupt end: Pengs older brother had gone to visit him on November 24 and found him in good health.



On 10 December the Peng family (especially his sister Peng Xing, an exile in the US), issued a statement declaring "the relevant departments of the government have dissected the body of Peng Ming against the wishes of his family and have removed his brain and heart.

Using other sources, ChinaAid, an organization based in the US that is interested in the persecution of Christians in China, gave an account of the affair. According to China Aid, before the official autopsy, the leaders questioned Pengs brother for six hours, trying to force him to sign a document that would allow them to remove some abdominal tissues to conduct 'scientific experiments'. The brother refused, but the authorities violated this will and removed some vital organs including the brain and heart.

Following this Pengs brother was taken to see the body, but could only his head, since the rest of the body was covered. He was then informed that Pengs brain, heart and other organs had been removed.

Many of Peng Ming family members are exiles in the United States, in Canada. In protest, none of the family members of Peng abroad - who succeeded in being allowed to be present at the funeral - took part in the funeral, denouncing "the high wall of despotism" put in place by the Chinese government.
A suicide bomber, identified by the pseudonym Abu Abdallah al-Masri, got in between the crowd" and detonated his explosive belt. IS vows more attacks against "every infidel and apostate in Egypt, and everywhere.

Cairo (AsiaNews/Agencies)  The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack on 11 December against a Cairo church, located next to the Cathedral of St Mark, see of the Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II, which killed 25 people and wounded another 59.

IS (also known as Daesh by its Arabic acronym) issued an official statement to that effect circulated by social media.

Yesterday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who attended the victims funeral, pointed the finger at the Muslim Brotherhood for the moral and material responsibility of the massacre.

According to the president, a 22-year-old man, Mahmoud Shafik Mostapha, carried out the attack. He was identified from DNA traces found at the scene. Four other people were arrested and two are wanted in connection with the incident.

From their exile in Qatar, Muslim Brotherhood leaders denied any involvement and rejected the accusations.

Now, with its statement, IS adds a twist to an already confused picture, by claiming responsibility for the attack, something it has done in the past with other events in Egypt and elsewhere in the world.

In its announcement, IS identified the suicide bomber by the pseudonym Abu Abdallah al-Masri who "got in between the crowd" and detonated his explosive belt.

The church attack is the deadliest against civilians by the terrorist group in Egypt since a plane exploded in flight in October 2015.

The aircraft had just taken off from Sharm el Sheikh with 224 people on board, mostly Russian tourists returning from a holiday in the famous seaside resort.

IS claimed responsibility for the carnage, but Egyptian authorities dismissed it as "propaganda.

Now, in its latest claim, the group said it would continue attacks against "every infidel and apostate in Egypt, and everywhere." Meanwhile, survivors, priests and worshippers, are telling their stories.

Cynthia Michel, 14, is one of the few people who saw the attackers face. She is currently in hospital recovering after undergoing surgery for the injuries she sustained in the blast.

"I was very surprised to see a man with something on his head and a big belly, she said, walking into the church in the women's section. Then he opened his jacket, and after that I did not see or hear anything.

Fr Antonios Mounir, who was leading the service, spoke for the first time since the attack. "The door next to the main entrance was the easiest for the bomber, the priest said. No one saw him, neither the deacons, nor the volunteers who work for the church."

A worshipper recognised the author of the attack when he saw his picture in the media, the clergyman added, and he went to the offices of the Prosecutor General to make his statement."

The previous day he had "met" the suicide bomber, said Fr Mounir, who had scouted the area on the pretext of "buying books. Since there were no books in that room, he asked to go and pray in the church but his request was denied."

(Loula Lahham contributed to this article)
by Purushottam Nayak

Ordained on Monday, Fr Munib Pradhan celebrated his first Mass yesterday. In 2004 he saw the desecration of his parish; in 2008, he experienced the persecution of Christians in Kandhamal.

Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar (AsiaNews)  The Catholic Church in Odisha has a new priest, Fr Munib Pradhan, who yesterday celebrated his first Mass in front of 1,500 worshipers.

The new clergyman comes from Raikia Parish, in the village of Bakingia (Kandhamal district), where a group of Hindu extremists devastated the parish church and sowed terror among Christians in 2004. Later, in 2008, the district was overwhelmed by a wave of sectarian violence unleashed by extremists.

"Despite the persistent persecution, said Juano Pradhan, the father of the new priest, his vocation was stronger."

Fr Pradhan, the fifth of six siblings, remembers when his parish "was vandalised. There was great fear among Catholics. People wept bitter tears. Then I witnessed even more atrocious anti-Christian violence, but I was firm in my faith to follow Jesus and do the Lord's work. "

The priest was ordained on Monday (12 December) by Mgr Aplinar Senapati, bishop of Rayagada, in a ceremony held in the Church of Our Lady of Charity in Raikia in the presence of 3,000 faithful, 35 concelebrating priests, and 20 nuns.

The church itself was attacked by a group of 300 Hindu fundamentalists on 24 August 2004. Armed with sticks, they broke down the door, invaded the church and destroyed the statue of the Virgin, the crucifix and other sacred images. They opened the tabernacle and threw the Sacrament to the ground. Then they vandalised musical instruments and vestments, and set fire to the Bible and other liturgical texts.

In addition to the place of worship, the aggressors destroyed the homes of several Catholics.

All Church leaders condemned the criminal acts. Later, in the 2008pogrom, the village saw more persecution. The victims included 32-year-old Rajesh Digal, who was buried alive, and Samuel Digal and his mother who were burnt alive by extremists.

"The people who live in this region are [materially] poor but rich in faith, unity and integrity, said Fr Pradosh Chandra Nayak, Raikia parish priest. Eight years ago, our communities in Kandhamal had to go through the burning furnace of communal violence, a horrific holocaust, with dignity and nobility, with stoicism and serenity and sacrificed their lives and liberties.

At present, We must draw our strength from Jesus Christ, Our Lord, and have faith in the words of Tertullian, a Second Century Father of the Church who said: The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.
"In a newborn baby, in need of everything, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, is enclosed all the power of the God who saves. We must open our hearts, Christmas is a day to open your heart, to such smallness and so much wonder. "

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The approach of Christmas, the day in which God fulfills his promise, is among men, " abandons His greatness to make himself close to each one of us" was at the center of the Pope's catechesis at the general audience today. "Evil will not triumph forever" because "God is stronger" is the message that comes from Christmas, recalled by Francis to six thousand people present in the Paul VI.

The Pope said, the prophet Isaiah helps us once again to open ourselves to hope, receiving the Good News of the coming of salvation. Chapter 52 of Isaiah begins with the invitation addressed to Jerusalem to awake, to shake herself from the dust and loose the bonds, and to put on her beautiful garments, because the Lord has come to liberate His people (vv. 1-3). And he adds: My people shall know my name, that it is I who speak; here am I (v. 6). To this here am I said by God, which summarizing His whole will of salvation and of closeness to us, the song of joy of Jerusalem responds, in keeping with the prophets invitation ".

"God - he continued - God has not abandoned His people and did not let Himself be defeated by evil, because He is faithful, and his grace is greater than sin. We must learn this, because we are obstinate and do not learn it. But I will ask a question: what is greater, God or sin? God! And who wins at the end, God or sin? God. He is able to overcome the greatest sin, the most shameful, the most terrible, the worst of sins. With what weapon does God overcome sin? With love! This means that God reigns; these are the words of faith in a Lord whose power bends over humanity, abases Himself, to offer mercy and liberate man from what disfigures in him the beautiful image of God, because when we are in sin, Gods image is disfigured. And the fulfilment of so much love will be in fact the Kingdom established by Jesus, that Kingdom of forgiveness and peace that we celebrate at Christmas and that is realized definitively at Easter. And the most beautiful joy of Christmas is this interior joy of peace: the Lord has cancelled my sins, the Lord has forgiven me, the Lord has had mercy on me, He came to save me. This is the joy of Christmas!. "

" These are, brothers and sisters, the reasons for our hope. When everything seems ended, when, in face of so many negative realities, faith becomes difficult and the temptation comes to say that nothing has meaning anymore, see instead the Good News brought by those swift feet: God is coming to realize something new, to establish a kingdom of peace. God has bared His arm and is coming to bring freedom and consolation. Evil will not triumph for ever, there is an end to pain. Despair is defeated because God is among us. And we are also asked to awake somewhat, like Jerusalem, in keeping with the invitation addressed to her by the prophet. We are called to become men and women of hope, collaborating with the coming of this Kingdom made of light and destined to all, men and women of hope. How awful it is when we meet a Christian that has lost hope! But I dont hope for anything, everything has ended for me: so says a Christian who is unable to look at horizons of hope and, before his eyes there is only a wall. But God destroys these walls with forgiveness! And we must pray for this, that God may give us hope every day, and that He may give it to all; that hope that is born when we see God in the crib in Bethlehem. The message of the Good News that has been entrusted to us is urgent. We must also run like the messenger on the mountains, because the world cannot wait; humanity has hunger and thirst for justice, for truth and for peace".

"And seeing the little Babe of Bethlehem, the little ones of the world will know that the promise has been fulfilled, the message has been realized. Enclosed in a newly born child, needy of everything, wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger, is the whole power of the God that saves. Christmas is a day to open the heart: it is necessary to open ones heart to so much littleness, which is there in that Baby, and to so much wonder. It is the wonder of Christmas, for which we are preparing, with hope, in this Season of Advent. It is the surprise of a Child God, of a poor God, of a weak God, of a God who abandons His greatness to make himself close to each one of us".

During the audience, various groups addressed best wishes to the Pope for his 80th birthday Saturday. In thanking them Francis jokingly said that "in my country, its bad luck to wish someone a happy birthday before the day.
Iranian President Rouhani wants to develop a nuclear-powered vessel. A response to the decision of the US Congress to extend punitive measures against Tehran. For experts it is not a very credible threat: too expensive without any real strategic benefits.

Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ordered experts and officials to develop nuclear-powered ships, accusing the United States of violating the international nuclear agreement reached last year with Tehran. In the past, the Islamic Republic had threatened the construction of nuclear ships. However, experts say it would be a very costly endeavor, and without any real strategic benefits.

Last year, world powers signed an agreement aimed at the removal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic in the face of a check on the nuclear program.

However, recently the US Congress voted for the extension of the restrictive and punitive measures against Iran, provoking the indignation of the highest political and religious authorities in Tehran.

President Barack Obama is ready to sign the document, one of the last acts of the outgoing administration ahead of January 20, Donald Trump at the White House. US government sources also point out that the law will have no effect on the agreement and the international sanctions which will remain, to be reintroduced only in the event of material breach.

In an official statement, the Iranian president Rouhani criticized the decision of the Congress and asked its government officials to launch a program "for the design and production of nuclear fuel and reactors for maritime transport". He also announced that Tehran will present a formal protest to the watchdog



After years of embargo, Iran won a partial easing of Western economic sanctions in exchange for an agreement on its controversial nuclear programme. By and large, the international community welcomed the deal with few exceptions, most notably Israel and the Republican-controlled US Congress. The first moves of the new president Trump remain to be seen. During the election campaign he had threatened to scrap the deal, but at the moment there are no certainties about the future moves of the next president.
by Mathias Hariyadi

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Three knife attacks took place yesterday in very similar ways in different parts of Indonesia. The first happened in the island of Sabu Raijua, in the province of East Nusa Tanggara Timur (NTT): n assailant attacked a group of primary school children with a knife, wounding seven, one critically. Later, the assailant was lynched by the crowd. The police said that the culprit might have had mental problems.



The island of Sabu Raijua is a peripheral place and many Indonesians do not even know where it is. To reach it you have to make an overnight ferry crossing from Kupang (west of Timor). All seven children were stabbed in the neck. Many police officers were deployed on the island to prevent further incidents of violence by local inhabitants. The assailant was from Dapok (West Java) and is described as "non-Christian."



The second incident occurred in Bandung (West Java), where the 19 year old Muhammad Aziz Ghozali lashed out at the crowd armed with three knives. The young man killed one person and wounded eight others. The police said that Ghozali is originally from Bandung and is currently unemployed.



The third incident took place in Yogyakarta (Central Java), where a fight between two groups of young people caused one death.



Police spokesman Martin Sitompul, said that officers were investigating a series of knife attacks that occurred on the same day. Public opinion questions whether this is a coincidence or if there is some terrorist cell behind these episodes. The second hypothesis is strengthened by the method of killing chosen by the attackers, reminiscent of the attack on the priest from Medan last August, and the killing of Fr. Jacques Hamel in Rouen (France).
And it is a process that attracts much scrutiny from political parties and candidates both of the Electoral Commission and the government.

This is an important election prerequisite as it goes to the honesty and fairness with which the election will be conducted.

Everyone 18 years of age and over is being registered so as to be eligible to cast a vote in this government-run program.

THE common roll updates are well underway for next years Papua New Guinea general election.

Alleged abuses or slackness by the Electoral Commission are met with harsh criticism and sometimes the matter ends up in court.

When the update is finished it should provide the entire eligible voting population of each electorate. This should ensure that every eligible voter gets to vote. A crucial component of a democratic election.

Unfortunately in PNG, history records many instances of abuse during common roll updates.

Intending candidates and sitting MPs have been using the updates to corruptly inflate their voter bases with ghost names  sometimes numbering in the hundreds at a single polling station.

Others are more subtle, adding just 10-20 names to the common rolls across several polling stations.

Much to the dismay of good people, this is now a common and widespread practice.

Now, with the election just six months away, reports of electoral roll abuse are emerging.

For instance, it has been alleged that some intending candidates have bought the extra common roll forms that are sent to individual electorates.

These extra forms are despatch to each electorate by the Electoral Commission as insurance to cover spoilage, loss or estimation errors in the number of electors to be enrolled.

Using a formula, the Electoral Commission calculates how many extras each electorate receives.

In at least some electorates, however, it seems that the proper distribution of the extras won't happen.

During polling these extras will return to the electorates as ballot papers. This time to the offenders polling stations of choice.

Where then is PNG's respite? That elusive kol win PNG needs to breath?

Still reeling from bad and selfish political leadership, Papua New Guinea may have started its preparations for the 2017 elections in precisely the wrong place.

Yet, it is still early days. Perhaps PNGs deep and strong conviction for change might win this time around.

God bless Papua New Guinea.
Government forces control almost the entire city, except for a rebel pocket that still resists. With the collapse of evacuation plans brokered by Turkey and Russia, bombing starts up again. Rebels hoarded food and aid destined for civilians. East European weapons provided to rebels via Gulf States.

Aleppo (AsiaNews)  Aleppo is again under bombardment. Government forces fired rockets and shelled the part of the city that is still left in rebel hands.

Local witnesses confirmed the resumption of fighting and that the evacuation plan previously agreed had collapsed. Had it been carried out, civilians and the remaining rebels, still numbering in the thousands, would have been able leave the city. Empty government buses are still lined up outside the combat zone waiting for what happens next.

A Syrian-Iranian demand to move out the wounded and civilians from two towns under rebel siege brought the evacuation to a halt and trigger renewed fighting.

The United Nations were not involved in the deal and did not participate in evacuation operations. However, the world body said that it was ready to act in case of need. Yesterday UN sources had warned of "atrocities" and of civilians executed by pro-government militias.

Sources told AsiaNews that rockets launched from rebel-held areas have landed in the western sector causing eight deaths and more than 40 wounded."

"The truce is still far away, the source said, not least because it is still unclear where armed Syrian Kurds stand, and what pro-government militias will do. The latter are very corrupt, and must somehow be dealt with by the regular army.

In recent days, intensive negotiations between Moscow and Ankara have led to a deal on letting rebels leave the five km redoubt to which they pulled back following the onslaught of Syrian forces, backed by Russia and Hezbollah.

The agreement provided for the evacuation of civilians, followed by some 5,000 rebel fighters, who would fall back to Aleppos outskirts, and to the east, towards Idlib, and the Turkish border.

The deal highlights Turkeys influence on Syrian rebels and Jihadis, which are effectively swayed by what Turkish authorities want, and on whom they have been depended for years.

The Syrians are celebrating their military victory, but the city of Aleppo is emerging in all of its tragic devastation: a doomsday scenario of ashes, rubble and misery.

Whilst the whole world (especially the West) protested against the fate of hungry and destitute civilians in east Aleppo, unable to receive humanitarian aid, Pan-Arab television Al Mayadeen provided the start of an answer.

In a report from the eastern sector, the satellite TV station showed who was really starving the population. After the liberation of the Bustan Al Qasr neighbourhood, journalists found a depot once held by Jihadis in the al Yarmuk school full of food, clothes and medicines, whilst civilians endured hunger and hardships.

The remaining residents  women, seniors and children  tried to take the tonnes of food and basic necessities, carrying boxes and bags on their shoulders, a sure sign of their malnutrition.

The fact that Jihadis hoarded both food and humanitarian aid, depriving civilians, explains why people in the eastern sector went hungry and seemed emaciated and worn out, whilst rebels appeared healthy and well fed in videos and social media.

Aleppos liberation also unearthed another mystery, namely the market for East European weapons bought by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), whose militaries are equipped with American hardware.

In eastern Europe, the local military industries were kept alive by the buying spree of Gulf States. Since 2103, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE bought eastern European weapons and shipped them to Jihadis in Syria and Yemen, a flow that only ended recently.

Bulgarian-made machine guns, anti-tanks rockets, and other weapons, as well as Bulgarian versions of Russian rockets were found in Aleppos old city, in hideouts held by the al-Nusra Front (formerly a branch of al Qaeda) and pro-Turkish Nur al-Din al-Zenki.

In late 2014, Saudi planes landed in Bulgarian airports, drawing attention since this was their first time there since 1991. Some amateur photographers took pictures of Saudi Boeing 747 cargo planes and UAE Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 in the airports of Burgas and Sofia.

The mystery was solved when the Bulgarian Defence Ministry released its annual report, noting that Bulgaria had agreed to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia to the tune of US$ 90 million.

The following year, the report indicated sales to Saudi Arabia worth some US$ 31 million. Also in 2015, the UAE also bought Russian weapons from Bulgaria.

Previously, Wikileaks made public the content of a telegram sent by the US Embassy in Sofia, indicating that the UAE had extended a loan for the purchase of Bulgarian arms to be sent to the Government of Yemen in 2010.

The deal involved dozens of machine guns, mines, missiles and rockets, which revived Bulgarias declining military industry.

In 2014, thanks to Jihadi war in Syria and Yemen, official Bulgarian arms sales reached US$ 430 million.

From October 2014 to May 2015, planes flew nine times from Bulgaria to the airports of Jeddah and Tabuk, the latter being near the Jordanian-Saudi border, carrying 60 to 80 tonnes of Soviet-made weapons. Last June and August, more UAE planes flew from Burgas and Sofia to Abu Dhabi. A

According to a UN report on arms trafficking released in early 2015, 830 machine guns and 120 SPG-9s were sent to Saudi Arabia.

In early 2015, the Syrian Defence Ministry announced that Bulgarian weapons had been found in tunnels Jihadis used for evacuation. They included mines, anti-tanks rockets, Kalashnikov machine guns and RPG rockets, all made in Bulgaria.

More were found in Hama, Homs and several Aleppo districts, after coming through the borders of Jordan and Turkey.

After arming and providing logistical support to Jihadi groups like the al Nusra Front and Nur al-Din al-Zenki in Syria, Turkey is now trying to get them out of Aleppo.

This begs the question: At what price? What has Russia given in return? Once again, as before with the United States, Syrian Kurds appear to be the sacrificial victims. (PB)
The decision stems from concerns about the conflict in Yemen and how it has been waged." Washington will not deliver more precision-guided weapons, but will honour contracts signed on 8 December. Saudi Arabia has remained silent in the matter.

Washington (AsiaNews/Agencies)  The US plans to limit arms sales to Saudi Arabia because of the high number of civilian casualties linked to Saudi air strikes in Yemen.

Precision-guided weapons will no longer be delivered, a Pentagon official said.

The Obama administration said it was concerned over "flaws" in the way Saudi air strikes are targeted in Yemen.

This comes just days after the signing of several contracts for the sale of weapons and military hardware (including aircraft, helicopters and missiles) to four Arab countries.

The most important of these is the sale to Saudi Arabia of 48 CH-47F Chinook transport helicopters for US$ 3.51 billion built by Boeing and Honeywell Aerospace. This deal will not be affected by todays limitations.

White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price warned Saudi Arabia that US security co-operation was "not a blank cheque".

We continue to have concerns about the conflict in Yemen and how it has been waged, most especially the air campaign, another official said.

Nevertheless, whilst some sales are being scaled back, the US said it will continue to provide Saudi Arabia with intelligence focused on border security.

It will also train pilots involved in the Saudi-led air campaign in order to avoid civilian casualties wherever possible, Price explained.

Since January 2015, the Gulf nation has been the scene of a bloody internal conflict opposing Sunni leaders, backed by Saudi Arabia, and Shia Houthi rebels, close to Iran.

In March 2015, a Saudi-led Arab coalition launched air strikes against the rebels in an attempt to free the capital Sana'a and return the country to President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi who returned to the country after going into exile.

According to World Health Organisation sources, at least 6,400 people have been killed in the war with an additional three million internally displaced.

On 8 October, an air strike (probably Saudi) hit a group of mourners in Sanaa, killing more than 140 people.

Saudi Arabia has denied responsibility in the deadly incident, and has insisted that it is making every effort to minimise fatalities.

Saudi General Ahmad Assiri did not comment the US decision to limit weapons sale.
One of my favourite eats is churros  something about the crispy, cinnamon-sugar treats brings me back to some happy childhood memories. I was trying to figure out what precise memory triggers this response  perhaps the many weekends I spent in the US? Or maybe the many trips to Disney? In any case, having churros brings me to my happy place.

When I heard that Hugos Churros has expanded at the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet Vancouver Airport, I was excited!

They have a variety of ways to enjoy churros  on its own, in an ice cream sandwich, with ice cream and with the colder weather  Spanish style drinking chocolate. Id love to see them offer a spicy hot chocolate to pair with their churros!

Hugos Churros have since expanded to absorb maybe half the old Hawkers Market that was located at McArthurGlen  which means I get to enjoy a slice of childhood the next time Im shopping at the outlets.

Hugos Churros

McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver Airport

Gastrofork is a Vancouver based food and travel blog. Gastrofork has been featured in Eat In Eat Out Magazine, is one of the top blogs onurbanspoon and named Top 100 Blogs to Follow in 2013.
Man Tries To Dissolve Lover In Acid, 'Breaking Bad' Style

Trending News: Guy Goes Full 'Breaking Bad,' Tries To Dissolve Lover In Acid

Long Story Short

A man in London, UK was convicted of murdering a sex partner and trying to dissolve him in acid.

Long Story

Its the scene that, for many viewers, changed Breaking Bad from a pretty good drama about a man coping with his terminal lung cancer diagnosis into essential viewing: co-protagonist Jesse Pinkman dissolves the body of a former associate in a bathtub full of acid and, because the acid eats through everything except the acid-proof plastic container recommended by his partner Walter White, the remains of the bathtub, the ceiling below it and the lump of human remains come crashing, splashing down in the hallway below. Its a horrible, shocking scene, and leaves a lasting impression.

It certainly did on Stefano Brizzi. The 50-year-old London man is an avowed fan of the show, so much so that he was inspired by it to dispose of the corpse of a man hed just murdered.

On Monday, a British court sentenced the Italian-born former Morgan Stanley web developer to 24 years in prison for the murder of Gordon Semple, a 59-year-old police constable whom hed met on the gay dating app Grindr. After making contact, Semple visited Brizzi at his home on April 1 for a hot, dirty, sleazy session, according to media reports.

What exactly happened next is unclear. Brizzi said Semple died accidentally while being strangled by a dog leash, but that explanation didnt satisfy police, who maintained that Semples death would have taken longer than what Semple posited. Adding to their suspicion was the appearance of a third man who was supposed to have joined the pair. He showed up later but was turned away by Brizzi at his front door, suggesting to police that Semple had already been murdered.

Days after being reported missing, Brizzis neighbors reported a putrid smell emanating from his apartment. When cops visited, they discovered the horrifying remains of PC Semple. They found bits of flesh in the bathtub and more in plastic buckets Brizzi had purchased after the murder. Evidence also shows Brizzi buying items like scissors, knives, cleaning products and perforated sheet metal.

Investigators also found pools of human fat in the oven and a gnawed human rib in a trashcan. They also discovered bags containing bones and a piece of Semples head. A human foot was found in a nearby park, though Brizzi admitted hed disposed of other parts of the body in the river Thames.

Brizzi is said to have been obsessed with Breaking Bad, and was himself a crystal meth addict. He admitted to being high on the drug while trying to get rid of Semples body. Brizzi claims to have no recollection of it and was utterly horrified by his actions.

Friends and family described Semple, a 30-year Metropolitan police veteran, as a caring and gentle man, respected and beloved in his community.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Who still thinks trying crystal meth is a good idea?

Drop This Fact

Mythbusters has proven that you cant really dissolve a body in a bathtub using hydrofluoric acid, as Walter and Jesse did in Breaking Bad.
General Motors is making a multi-million dollar commitment to three plants in upstate New York.

The automotive company announced Wednesday that it will invest $334 million for new equipment at two Buffalo-area plants and the company's facility in Rochester.

A large chunk of the funding  nearly $296 million  will support future engine production at the GM engine plant in Tonawanda. An additional $31.86 million will support production of future cooling components at the company's Lockport plant.

GM will invest $5.9 million to manufacture future powertrain components at its Rochester factory.

"Today's announcement reinforces our commitment to the communities of Tonawanda, Lockport and Rochester," said Kathleen Dilworth, GM's manufacturing manager.

The projects, which are expected to be completed by the end of 2018, will create 67 new jobs at GM's Tonawanda plant and retain 1,194 positions at the three western New York facilities.

To support GM's investments, Empire State Development will provide up to $7 million in grants and tax credits. The tax credits will be linked to job creation and investment goals.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who attended an announcement event at the Tonawanda plant Wednesday, said GM could've invested millions and moved its plants out of western New York. Instead, they're staying in the Buffalo area.

"They are betting on western New York and they are making that investment there because they believe in Buffalo's future," Cuomo said. "They believe in Buffalo's future, they believe in the partnership with the state of New York."
Australian food regulators announce new initiatives



Food Standards Australia New Zealand

By Joe Lederman, FoodLegal Managing Principal

On 25 November 2016, the Australia New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation (the Ministerial Forum) held its final meeting for 2016.

The Ministerial Forum is responsible for the direction of food policies in Australia and New Zealand, and typically meets four times year.

The Ministerial Forum consists of government food ministers from New Zealand and all Australian jurisdictions.

Decisions made by the Ministerial Forum

The following food regulatory issues were considered by the Ministerial Forum at the November 2016 meeting:

The labelling of added sugars and vegetable oils . The 2011 Labelling Logic: Review of Food Labelling Law and Policy report had recommended that additional sugars and vegetable oils in food be labelled individually. However the recommendation had not yet been implemented. The Ministers noted that further work would be required to consider the potential impacts. Impact studies would have to be considered before considering the mandating of these recommendations.

. The 2011 Labelling Logic: Review of Food Labelling Law and Policy report had recommended that additional sugars and vegetable oils in food be labelled individually. However the recommendation had not yet been implemented. The Ministers noted that further work would be required to consider the potential impacts. Impact studies would have to be considered before considering the mandating of these recommendations. Low-THC hemp as a food . The Ministerial Forum is waiting to consider a proposal to allow the sale of food derived from low-THC hemp seeds. The proposal will be considered once a study of the impacts on roadside drug tests is completed in early 2017.

. The Ministerial Forum is waiting to consider a proposal to allow the sale of food derived from low-THC hemp seeds. The proposal will be considered once a study of the impacts on roadside drug tests is completed in early 2017. Vitamin D fortification of breakfast cereals . The Forum noted its approval to allow vitamin D to be added to breakfast cereals, where the breakfast meets the Nutrition Profile Scoring Criterion.

. The Forum noted its approval to allow vitamin D to be added to breakfast cereals, where the breakfast meets the Nutrition Profile Scoring Criterion. Synthetic foods . The Forum asked Food Standards Australia New Zealand ( FSAANZ ) to prepare a report on the potential safety, labelling and nutritional issues that could arise as a response to increased consumption of novel synthetic foods (the Ministerial Forum was quite vague on what might be classified as a synthetic food).

. The Forum asked Food Standards Australia New Zealand ( ) to prepare a report on the potential safety, labelling and nutritional issues that could arise as a response to increased consumption of novel synthetic foods (the Ministerial Forum was quite vague on what might be classified as a synthetic food). Health Star Rating system . The Forum indicated a potential change to the Category 1D requirements for dairy substitute beverages. Currently, such beverages fall into this category if they have a calcium content of at least 80 grams per 100 millilitres. The Forum indicated that this could be changed to a content requirement of at least 100 grams per 100 millilitres. However, any change would not occur until after the completion of a five-year HSR progress review (AFN editors note: the HSR system was introduced in Australia in June 2014 so the review would not occur before June 2019).

. The Forum indicated a potential change to the Category 1D requirements for dairy substitute beverages. Currently, such beverages fall into this category if they have a calcium content of at least 80 grams per 100 millilitres. The Forum indicated that this could be changed to a content requirement of at least 100 grams per 100 millilitres. However, any change would not occur until after the completion of a five-year HSR progress review (AFN editors note: the HSR system was introduced in Australia in June 2014 so the review would not occur before June 2019). Allergen labelling . The Forum requested FSANZ to prepare a report to prepare a report on the uptake of additional voluntary allergen labelling initiatives to be presented to the Forum by late November 2017.

. The Forum requested FSANZ to prepare a report to prepare a report on the uptake of additional voluntary allergen labelling initiatives to be presented to the Forum by late November 2017. Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). FSANZ is currently preparing advice on guidance values for contaminated sites, and the Australian Federal Department of Health is receiving advice on the management of PFAS. The Forum is not taking action on the matter of PFAS until this work is complete.

Other food regulatory news

FSANZ, the federal regulator of the Food Standards Code, also announced on 13 December 2016 that it was seeking submissions from the food industry on the following applications to change the Food Standards Code.

An application by Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Australia to seek approval for the exclusive use for 15 months of an increased concentration of plant sterols to be added to breakfast cereals under the novel food provisions. Submissions are due by 24 January 2017 .

under the novel food provisions. Submissions are due by . An application by Essence Group Pty Ltd to permit isomalto-oligosaccharide (IMO) as a novel food for use as an alternative (lower calorie) sweetener and bulk filler in a range of general purpose and special purpose foods. Submissions are due by 3 February 2017.

*FoodLegal is available to consult in relation to any of the above issues. Contact FoodLegal by clicking here.
Chief Legal Offices and General Counsel are very concerned about ethics and compliance, a new study has found.According to the Association of Corporate Counsels (ACC) 2016 Law Department Management Report, 71% of all respondents chose ethics and compliance as the issue keeping them up at night, a 5-percentage-point increase from last years survey.Meanwhile, 70% of respondents chose regulatory issues or challenges. Next was data protection or protection of corporate data at 59%, up significantly from 42% in the preceding survey.The survey had 299 Chief Legal Officers, General Counsel and legal operations professionals world from 37 countries as respondents. These legal professionals hail from 37 industries.Also of increased concern is privacy law and regulation, scoring 51%, up from the 34% it registered in the 2014-15 survey. Hot on its heels is information governance, introduced as a response category this year, at 50%.Meanwhile, of lesser concern was the category mergers and acquisitions which was chosen by 44% of the respondents and down from 49% in the past year. Litigation was chosen by 37% of respondents to the 2015-16 study, also less than the 41% it tallied in the 2014-15 survey.Next were intellectual property disputes at 27% (up from 24%), internal investigations at 26% and prosecutions and government enforcement at 25% (up from 23%).
The European arm of the King & Wood Mallesons verein is facing administration on 16January 2017 unless a last minute deal can be reached.European media reports that staff at the firm have been emailed advising them to expect the measure but there is still some hope that a buyer, such as Reed Smith, may reach a deal for the firm.A report from Legal Business says that partners have been told not to take on new clients unless they have an offer to join a new firm and that staff have been told they do not need to give notice to leave.Meanwhile, the Law Society Gazette says that KWM Europe is looking at the possibility of transferring training contracts to other firms.A new taskforce will be established by the International Bar Association and the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation to help lawyers with the global fight against corruption.The two bodies will work to develop professional standards for lawyers involved in establishing and advising on international commercial structures and recommended actions for governments.The move follows the release of the Panama Papers which highlighted the potential for lawyers to unwittingly assist clients in concealing assets and money laundering.It is undeniable that lawyers must play a central role in complex offshore financial transactions, said International Bar Association president David W, Rivkin. To ensure that they do not unwittingly facilitate economic crime, it is imperative that lawyers ask the right questions of their clients, vet them sufficiently, understand who are to be the ultimate beneficiaries of their clients actions, and have an understanding of sovereign laws. In practice, inevitably complications arise.Andrew Payne has joined DLA Piper in Hong Kong from Clearwater Capital Partners where he was legal counsel.He joins the partnership in the restructuring group with a decade of experience in private equity and restructurings gained in London and Hong Kong.He has conducted matters in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Australia, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and India.
Some Linklaters lawyers are now learning to code as part of the Magic Circle outfits newest technology initiative.The pilot program involves teaching lawyers the basics of coding and blockchain, according to a report from Legal Business. The program is part of the firms launch of a global innovation team tasked to manage technology use at the firm.The innovation team was launched by the firms managing partner Gideon Moore at its Berlin partners meeting in April, the publication notes.It is led by partners Paul Lewis in London, Sophie Mathur in Singapore and Christian Storck in Frankfurt. Ideas coming from partners all the way to trainees are being considered by the group, the report notes.Training lawyers about the basics of blockchain and coding was an idea forwarded by a trainee. Blockchain is a distributed online ledger technology and forms the backbone that enables the use of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin.Cryptocurrencies have seen increased interest from law firms as of late as financial institutions increasingly study its use in some transactions. Recently, US biglaw Steptoe & Johnson even launched a full-fledged multidisciplinary blockchain practice headed by former US government officials.A Trans-Tasman expert task force has also been recently established to come up with a framework to regulate blockchain in New Zealand and Australia.Meanwhile, Linklaters sees coding knowledge as essential especially for lawyers involved with technology.We see coding as very useful for lawyers who are involved in technologies such as blockchain, smart contracts and AI. But, at an even more basic level, its also just useful for lawyers to have a grounding in computational logic  it complements all sorts of traditional legal skills, Lewis told Legal Business.
By David Green, Professor of Information Technology, Monash University

Shutterstock

Ants are simple creatures. They live by simple rules: if you see a scrap of food, pick it up; if you see a pile of food, drop the food you are carrying. Out of such simple behaviour, an ant colony emerges.

We humans are like the ants. For all our sophistication, we react to the world in simple ways. Our world is complex, but our ability to cope with it is limited. We seek simple solutions that hide or ignore the complexity.

The result is that our actions often have unintended side-effects. These produce unwelcome trends, accidents and disasters.

Our senses are constantly bombarded with far more data than our brains can process. Our sensory systems filter it, extracting features, such as movement, that we need to make sense of our surroundings.

The limits of short-term memory further increase the need to simplify. The psychologist George Miller found that short-term memory can process only a few chunks of information at a time (the so-called seven-plus-or-minus two rule).

Given a string of random letters, you might recall just seven at a time, but if the letters form identifiable chunks, such as words or phrases, then you can remember longer strings of text.

Making life simple

Our brains cope with complexity by identifying important features and filtering out unnecessary detail. On seeing that the space you enter has four walls, a floor and a ceiling, you know you have entered a room and can usually ignore the details. This is an example of what the French psychologist Jean Piaget termed a schema, a mental recipe we learn for responding to common situations.

As individuals, we deal with complexity in our lives by removing or hiding it. Our mental schemas are one way of doing that. Habits are another.

We also simplify complex decision-making by using received wisdom. This includes following simple rules of thumb (a stitch in time), following the advice of people we respect or trust, and conforming to the beliefs and attitudes of whatever group we belong to.

Society has many ways of managing complexity. Commonly seen is the divide and rule approach to management, which leads to hierarchical division of large organisations.

Another is to use constraints, such as laws, road rules and commercial standards, all of which limit the potential for harmful interactions to occur. The design of a home simplifies living space by dividing it into separate rooms for sleeping, eating and other activities.

Why simple doesnt always work

Simplicity is a virtue, so long as the world around us behaves in the way we expect. However, our world is complex, even more so than any way we represent it, either in our mental models, or even in scientific models.

Influences omitted from consideration can cause a model to fail, especially when conditions change. A simple example is failing to put personal items  say, your keys  in their usual place.

Your model of where the keys should be fails and you face a long hunt to find them. Changed conditions also underlie most accidents. The history of aviation shows that despite its increasing safety, unexpected conditions continue to surface and lead to disaster.

New technologies are usually introduced to simplify our lives, but inevitably they have unexpected side effects on society. For instance, the introduction of labour-saving devices into the home set off cascades of social changes, such as the decline of the nuclear family.

It makes life simpler to rely on others to provide solutions to complex problems. We assume that mentors, experts or political leaders have answers to societys problems.

However, their models are just as susceptible as anyones. A study by Philip Tetlock showed that experts who base predictions on sweeping, general ideas, such as political ideologies, are usually the best known, most influential and most widely trusted; they are also the ones who are most often wrong.

Our inability to fathom complexity leads to a belief that any worthwhile solution to a situation must be simple. This attitude perhaps explains the widespread mistrust of science today: it has become too complex and technical for the public to understand. So people often ignore or reject its messages, especially when its findings are unpalatable.

Any change introduces complexity into peoples lives. Rather than face issues that are complex, some people retreat into denial, preferring to believe in a simpler future in which there is no change and their lives can go on as they always have.

The world today is undergoing rapid change. Economic growth, environmental threats and the explosion of new technologies are enormously complex and threaten social upheaval. Brexit, the US election result, and climate change denial all appear to have roots in the desire for simplicity.

In an era of post-truth and pseudoscience, what can you do? More than ever, avoid following simple slogans uncritically. Avoid dismissing uncomfortable facts out of hand (confirmation bias).

Above all, remember that complexity arises from the richness of interconnections between things. To ignore the wider context, to fail to consider the side effects of actions and ideas, is to do so at our peril.

David Green receives funding from the Australian Research Council and from Monash University.

Originally published in The Conversation.
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Hello everyone,



I am an Australian PR. I got married recently and my wife lives outside of Australia. I need a few suggestions from you before we decide on applying for an onshore or offshore partner visa. My wife already has a visitor visa (class FA, subclass 600, Business visitor stream) which is valid from 1st of August, 2016 to 1st of August, 2017 and each time the visa lets her stay in Australia for three months. The conditions on her visa are 8115 (Business visitor activity) and 8201 ( maximum 3 months study), which does not let her work in Australia. We are planning that she will come to Australia on her business visitor visa on 1st of February, 2017 and apply for onshore partner migration visa subclass 820. Now my queries are:



1. Can she apply for subclass 820 while having a subclass 600 visa which does not have a no further stay condition?

2. Is it better to do an onshore or an offshore application? Is there any risk involved with an onshore application?

3. If she can apply onshore, when will her bridging visa BVA will kick in? is it 3 months from 1st of February (her arrival date in Sydney) or 1st of August (end of her visa validity)?

4. Will she be able to work during her bridging visa? As I am covered by a PhD scholarship for a single person and occupied with my research work, it is very crucial that she is permitted to work to support herself.



Your kind response will be much appreciated.
We were a bit surprised to see the piece of footage at the bottom of the page coming up with such an early answer to this question. The video, which comes from The Hooniverse, brings us a first drive.In our book, the conclusions delivered here seem a little vague, as we would've loved to see more accurate impressions instead of sweet-sounding figures of speech.Then again, when a drive arrives so early, you can't have too many complaints - Jeff Glucker, Hooniverse Executive Editor, did manage to get his hands on the open-top rear-wheel-drive V10 animal way ahead of his former colleagues over at Autoblog and, given the manner in which they parted ways, we have a hunch that at least somebody in this story keeps track of how the other side is doing nowadays.Returning to the Sant'Agata Bolognese beast we have here, the RWD Spyder does so much more for the Huracan line-up than simply enriching the bouquet. With the introduction of this model, Lamborghini marked a new nomenclature and given the emotional aura of the Italian carmaker, dropping the numerical part of its nameplates, which only made sense to some of us, seems like the right thing to do.As we did when talking about the official release of the Huracan RWD Spyder, we'll mention the Huracan drift car built for this year's edition of the SEMA show. Drifted all over the place, Lamborghini dealership included, by Mr. and Ms. Hubinette, the RWD Coupe, which has been fitted with a hydraulic handbrake, easily demonstrates the tail-out possibilities of the platform.
Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, a member of the Electoral College and supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, has signed a letter requesting an intelligence briefing before electors meet next week.

The letter has been signed by 29 Electoral College members, nearly all of whom are Democrats. The effort was spearheaded by Christine Pelosi, a political operative and the daughter of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Miner is one of four New York electors who signed the letter addressed to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. The other New Yorkers include Melissa Mark-Viverito, the speaker of the New York City Council.

According to Politico, which first reported the letter, the electors are requesting the proper security clearance so they can receive a briefing on alleged Russian interference in the presidential election.

The Central Intelligence Agency recently announced it believes that Russia interfered in the election to help Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee who won the race.

Trump has called the CIA's conclusion "ridiculous."

"Separate from Mr. Trump's own denials of Russian involvement in the election, the confirmed communication between Trump's aides and those associated with the Russian election interference activity raise serious concerns that must be addressed before we cast our votes," the electors wrote.

The push likely won't have any impact on the outcome of the race.

Trump won the presidential election with 306 electoral votes. His total was aided by wins in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin  states that Democrats have dominated in recent presidential races.

Electoral College members will meet Dec. 19 in their respective states to cast votes for president.
Photo courtesy of The Hertz Corp.

Hertz plans to sell its used vehicles through its partnership with Shift, an online used car website that offers customers test drives, according to a report by USA Today.

For Hertz, selling cars directly to consumers means a greater profit per car compared to selling cars wholesale at auction, says the report.

Shift provides customers with an app for looking at its vehicle inventory and scheduling test drives. For test drives, Shift employees will bring the car to the consumer.

Shift CEO George Arison told USA Today that working with Hertz is a good fit for us, because we dont own the cars we sell. We want to be a place for fleets to sell to consumers, and we could also expand to manufacturers who have so many low-mileage cars coming off lease.

For Shift, Hertzs inventory will provide more vehicles and more access to other regions due to Hertzs national presence, according to the report. The Shift-Hertz partnership started in May in the San Francisco and Los Angeles metro areas and will now be expanding to Shifts other location in the Washington, D.C. area.

Jeff Adams, vice president of vehicle remarketing at Hertz, told USA Today that Hertz is eager to partner with innovative companies like Shift to leverage their technology and bring a seamless, hassle-free purchase experience to our car buyers.

Click here for the full USA Today report.
image: Ryukyu Shimpo

The U.S. Marines have grounded their V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft based in Japan after one was destroyed in Okinawa on Tuesday, at about 10 p.m. local time. The Osprey was engaged in an aerial refueling exercise when a hose connected to the aircraft broke. The crew attempted an emergency landing in shallow water about 300 feet from shore, but the aircraft broke up on the rocks. The five crew members were rescued by helicopter and taken to a nearby naval hospital, where they were treated for injuries, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Local news reports say only two of the crew members were hurt.

The accident has fueled resentment among Okinawans who have protested about what they say is excessive U.S. military presence on their island and complained that the Osprey operations in particular are unsafe. Okinawas governor, Takeshi Onaga, told reporters the accident was really outrageous. The last fatal crash involving an Osprey was in Hawaii in May 2015, when two Marines died. The Osprey fleet, which began operations in 2007, has experienced four crashes resulting in six fatalities, and several minor incidents.
The FAA has said it will conduct a study to see if a ban on jets landing at a Florida airport is justified, the Palm Beach Post reported this week. The Palm Beach County Park/Lantana Airport is the only one in the state with such a ban, according to the Post. The uncontrolled field has been in operation since the 1940s, and the ban on jets was put in place in 1973, after local residents complained about noise. Errol Forman, a retired Eastern Air Lines pilot, landed his newly acquired 1983 Cessna Citation I/SP jet there in May, prompting a call to authorities by a neighbor. Forman challenged the restriction and filed a formal complaint with the FAA, saying the county was violating conditions of its federal grants.

Forman told the Post jets are quieter now than they were in the 1970s, and the restriction no longer makes sense. The helicopters that use the airport are louder than his jet, he says, and loud for a longer period of time because they hover. He said even some smaller planes are louder than his jet as they swoop over the rooftops of nearby neighborhoods. I dont see it as a dispute. I see it as misinformation on their part, Forman said. Theyre wrong now. They werent in 1973. An airport neighbor told the Post the community wont stand for a change to the ban. We fear for our lives over here, William Coakley said. It was already saturated before the helicopters got here. Now they want jet traffic? Its not going to happen. There will be a storm of protest.
One of Armenias leading corporate taxpayers reportedly complained about increased competition in the hitherto lucrative business of fuel imports to the country at a meeting with Prime Minister Karen Karapetian on Wednesday.

Karapetian met with the top executives of ten large Armenian companies to discuss his governments declared efforts to improve the domestic investment climate, including through a reform of tax administration. A government statement said he inquired about obstacles encountered by them in their dealings with tax authorities and other state bodies.

The business executives spoke about ways of simplifying taxation and customs procedures and, in that regard, complained of excessive advance payments collected from them by the State Revenue Committee. Some of them also brought up the issue of business competition, according to the statement.

In response to a remark that the largest fuel-importing companies are making zero profits as a result of tighter competition in the diesel fuel market, Prime Minister Karapetian pointed that the competitive environment will regulate itself, added the statement.

It did not specify who lamented the increased number of players in the business. Photographs released by Karapetians press service showed that there was at least one fuel tycoon among the participants of the meeting: Barsegh Beglarian.

Beglarians company called Flash is one of a handful of firms that have long dominated diesel and petrol imports. They are owned by government-linked individuals.

Karapetian vowed to improve the business environment and embark on other economic reforms shortly after he was appointed prime minister in September. He said last month that a new company has started importing fuel to Armenia. He claimed that every citizen of Armenia can import any product without a hurdle.
14 December 2016 12:34 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

War is war and it has own rules.

Azerbaijan, being the largest country in the South Caucasus, is in war with its neighbor Armenia for over decades.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war in 1980s laying down territorial claims and could occupy vast territory of Azerbaijan in an unneighbourly way. Despite a fragile ceasefire signed over 20 years ago, the conflict is still highly dangerous, as can flare up at any moment. Armenian army breaches armistice every day, if not to mention flying drones on the contact line of troops which not seldom appear over the sky of Azerbaijan.

For instance, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces destroyed two UAVs belonging to the Armenian Armed Forces over the line of contact between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in Azerbaijans Talish village and Fizuli region on December 12.

To hide illegal actions and violation of international agreements Armenia, unfortunately, denies belonging of the downed UAVs to its army.

Armenia, which lost two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, attempts anew to disprove facts, through absurd pretexts, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry told Trend on December 13.

This photo was taken by one of the downed UAVs belonging to Armenia, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry said commenting on the incident. The photo features a soldier with an UAV remote controller in his hands before the drone is launched and other soldiers gathered around him and watching the process.

Last month, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces destroyed two drones of Armenia  one in Fizuli region, and the second on the line of contact in the direction of Azerbaijans Tartar region. The UAVs were doing reconnaissance flights over the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

Previously, Armenia had also made such statements denying owning UAVs destroyed by Azerbaijani Armed Forces over the line of contact. However, Azerbaijan demonstrated undeniable evidences to disprove the statements.

This proves once again that the military and political leadership of Armenia is trying to deceive the world, said the Defense Ministry.

A representative of the Armenian Defense Ministry called the downed Armenian UAVs the toys of Azerbaijani children, being embarassed of the equipment its troops with home-made UAVs. In other words, Armenia is afraid to admit the truth.

Armenian armed forces control 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. Yerevan avoids implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, keeping tension high in the region.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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14 December 2016 16:54 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Families of Azerbaijani soldiers, who died during the April clashes dubbed as Four Day War between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Armed Forces, have filed a suit at the European Court of Human Rights.

In their complaint, five applicants noted that the aggressor Armenia violated the Articles 3, 8, 13 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, azvision.az reported with reference to lawyer Fariz Namazli.

They complained that the Armenian side returned the corpses of Azerbaijani soldiers late, and parts of the bodies were missing, according to the lawyer.

The families asked the Court to recognize these violations and punish Armenia.

Thirty-one Azerbaijani soldiers were killed as a result of April clash instigated by Armenia on the contact line troops on the night of April 2, 2016. Then, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from the Armenian side, which used large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers. Azerbaijani counter-attack led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements. The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population also.

Military operations on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies were stopped on April 5.

Soon after that, it was revealed that the dead bodies of Azerbaijani soldiers  victims of April battles  were mutilated before they were handed over.

Armenians desecrated the dead bodies of Azerbaijani servicemen killed during the April events on the frontline, senior assistant to Azerbaijan's military prosecutor, Colonel Safar Ahmadov said during the hearings at the Parliament in May

A criminal case has been initiated upon the fact in Terter District Prosecutor's Office.

Moreover, as many as 32 criminal cases in connection with the premeditated murder of Azerbaijani civilians by Armenia and destruction of property were initiated in the prosecutor's offices of Azerbaijan's Tartar, Aghdam, Fuzuli and Agjabadi regions in April 2016.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 December 2016 10:40 (UTC+04:00)

President of CJSC Azerbaijan Airlines, Jahangir Askerov received the delegation headed by Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Qatar, Abdullah bin Nasser Turki Al-Subaey in Baku on December 13.

Askerov, addressing the meeting, noted that historically warm relations have been established between Azerbaijan and Qatar, as well as between AZAL and Qatar Airways.

He said there are no obstacles to the expansion of cooperation in passenger and cargo transportation by air.

In turn, Abdullah bin Nasser Turki Al-Subaey said that it is his first visit to Baku and Azerbaijan's capital made a great impression on him.

He stressed that the purpose of his visit is to discuss further cooperation between Azerbaijan and Qatar in civil aviation.

The sides expressed confidence that cooperation in civil aviation will serve to intensification and comprehensive development of relations between Azerbaijan and Qatar.

Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), the national flag carrier, has one of the newest airplane fleets. Azerbaijan Airlines is a major air carrier and one of the leaders of the aviation community of the CIS countries.

Azerbaijan Airlines is a member of IATA since 1993. In June 2015 Skytrax consultancy, which is considered as the most influential ranking company in the world in air transportation sphere, awarded AZAL the prestigious rating - The World's 4-STAR Airline.

Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, is one of the fastest growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world. Now in its 19th year of operations, Qatar Airways has a modern fleet of 190 aircraft flying to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations across six continents.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 December 2016 11:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

A delegation of Azerbaijani officials and businessmen led by Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev will embark on a visit to Belarus on December 15.

They will meet with Belarussian counterparts to discuss the expansion of economic relations, and also hold meetings with local businessmen, Azertac reported.

Azerbaijan and Belarus established diplomatic relations in 1993. There is a vast potential for the development of investment cooperation between the two counties and for Azerbaijan's involvement in the projects implemented in Belarus.

Belarus is interested in increasing the capacity of Belarusian assembly plants operating in Azerbaijan, as well as implementation of new projects in construction, education, health, science and culture sectors.

The trade turnover between the countries totaled $28.81 million manats ($ 16.99) in January-May 2016, with some 20.83 million manats ($ 12.28) accounting for the import of Belarusian goods.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
AUBURN  Ten years ago, Kimberly Leubner had an idea.

An Auburn native, Leubner said she always knew she wanted to pursue a career in music. After graduating from Auburn High School in 1999, she spent most of her adult life shuffling around central New York, studying performance and percussion in Tompkins and Onondaga counties and teaching music at a school in Rochester. But then life brought her to the West Coast  first to California, where she studied vocal performance and music therapy, then to Oregon, where she settled into a teaching position at Marylhurst University.

Still, Leubner found herself wanting more.

"My biggest focus in life is that we are creating a better society ... a more inclusive society," she said. "We are integrative people and sometimes we work a job and we're identified as one thing. I think the idea is we need safe spaces to say we're a little bit of everything, and that's really OK."

For the past decade, Leubner toyed with the idea of using her experience with music to establish that safe space. Initially, she thought she'd set something up in Oregon, she said. But her career soon took her on a different path  one that led Leubner back to her hometown.

"When I came back to Auburn, there were some folks from my generation that were moving back that I knew were professional musicians or local artists, and I decided I wanted to start music therapy services," she said. "So my husband and I took a big breath and said, 'Let's do it here.'"

After some searching, Leubner found the perfect place: an old doctor's office at Genesee Center. Despite being empty for over a decade and needing "a little leg work," she said, the downtown location had plenty of rooms and sinks, making it a great fit for what she'd always wanted: an integrative arts institute.

In early December, after months of renovations and planning, The Arts Branch was born.

While not an accredited school, Leubner said the institute has seven departments  performing arts, community arts, therapeutic arts, collaborative arts, expressive arts, fine/visual arts and alternative arts  and offers five semesters a year. In addition to semester courses, which run 10 weeks, there are also single sessions available for people to try.

"Our tagline is 'art for all,'" Leubner said, noting that the branch is already working toward accreditation and has several university affiliations and internship opportunities in the works. "We want people to feel that they can get an education. ... It's a safe space where we can provide regular, cutting-edge performing, where those of us who have gone to school and have connections with universities can help assist this generation and folks that are needing adaptive teaching and instruction."

So far, Leubner has hired more than a dozen local musicians, artists and therapists to teach at the institute, including music lessons, art classes, speech therapy and massage therapy. And as a board-certified music therapist, Reiki practitioner and metaphysician, Leubner will be teaching, as well.

"I've worked in subtle energy healing for a long time. ... And I've worked with a lot of people in hospitals and care settings, people in hospice care and end of life," she said. "My medium just happens to be music, but (The Arts Branch) is more than that. ... It's how can we help you with art."

The first winter session is offering more than 30 courses, which run Jan. 9 through March 27. Anyone interested in attending the institute can register in person from 4 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays at The Arts Branch, or online at theartsbranch.org.

"It's kind of my artist's love letter for Auburn," Leubner said. "Growing up here, you want to provide something better ... something more. And when we came back and saw there's some movement and changes happening, we thought now is the time.

"It's a business from the heart. ... This is a safe space for everybody in our community as far as I'm concerned."
14 December 2016 11:37 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF) has so far paid compensations worth over 717.823 million manats ($411.832 million) 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/ million USD) Volume of the insured deposits (million manats/ million USD) Bank Standard 430.37 ($ 246.91 ) 460($263.9) Zaminbank 52.38 ($30.05) 60($ 34.42) Dekabank 3.02 ($1.73) 5.59($3.20) Kredobank 27.76 ($ 15.92) 30.21($ 17.33) Caucasus Development Bank 1.94 ($ 1.11) 2($1.14) Atrabank 14.26 ($ 8.18) 14.55($ 8.34) Bank of Azerbaijan 24.15 ($ 13.85) 24.2($13.88) Gandjabank 0.98 ($ 0.56) 1($0.57) Texnikabank 120.05 ($ 68.87) 122.6($ 70.33) Parabank 42.91 ($ 24.61) 43.79($25.12)

Acceptance of applications from insured depositors of DekaBank, KredoBank, Zaminbank and Parabank began on August 1, 2016 and the payment of compensations has been carried out since that day.

Compensations to the depositors of Caucasus Development Bank and AtraBank are being paid starting from August 23.Payments are being carried out at the branches the banks.

Depositors of Caucasus Development Bank receive compensations at the banks main office.Payment of compensations to insured depositors of Bank of Azerbaijan has been carried out since January 29, 2016 at branches of Muganbank and Rabitabank, and since September 8 at ADIFs office.

Clients of Ganjabank receive compensations since February 4 at the branches of Rabitabank, Unibank and Kapital Bank.

ADIF launched payment of compensations to depositors of Texnikabank on February 12.

Payment of compensations to the insured depositors of Bank Standard started October 11, 2016 at the banks main office and its branches in the regions of Azerbaijan and will continue for one year.

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.

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14 December 2016 14:47 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Russia may render its assistance to the Islamic Republic of Iran in the financing of Rasht-Astara (Iran) railway, which is part of the North-South International Transport Corridor.

Moscow will work out and submit proposals to the Iranian side to finance the railway section under the protocol, which was signed during the 13th joint commission on trade and economic cooperation between Iran and Russia in Tehran on December 13.

Russia and Iran have also agreed to present in the three months period their companies, which have the potential and opportunities for the construction of a joint plant for the production of rails in Iran. The project also involves the transfer of technology between the countries.

The sides also expressed interest in developing cooperation in the field of organizing railway transportation, designing and construction of facilities of the railway infrastructure, repair and maintenance of the rolling stock.

Rasht-Astara (Iran) line will be built with the participation of Russia and Iran, while the Astara (Iran)-Astara (Azerbaijan) line is expected to be built with the participation of Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan.

Russian Railways has repeatedly expressed interest to participate in the implementation of the project both in terms of supply of materials for track structure and other possible aspects.

First Vice-President of Russian Railways Alexander Misharin earlier said that the Russian Railways already received a business plan, studied it and prepared proposals, which will be introduced to the Azerbaijani and Iranian sides in the near future. He didnt specify the amount of the funds that the Russian Railways is ready to provide to co-finance the project.

Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia have recently signed a joint declaration to affirm their intent to develop deep and comprehensive cooperation in various areas, including the implementation of the North-South Transport Corridor transnational project, which bears strategic importance and possesses high economic viability.

At the initial stage, the North-South corridor will transport 5 million tons of cargo per year with further expansion in the volumes of transportation up to 10 million tons.

---

Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 December 2016 16:19 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan is an important partner for France, said Michel Sapin.



The French Finance Minister made the remark as he met with his Azerbaijani counterpart Samir Sharifov on the sidelines of the 8th Azerbaijan-France Intergovernmental Economic Commission.

Describing Azerbaijan as an important partner for France, Michel Sapin underlined the significance of continuing bilateral cooperation. He expressed his country's constant support for Azerbaijan.

Samir Sharifov hailed France`s supporting Azerbaijan.

They exchanged views on the development of cooperation in a variety of fields of economy, as well as Azerbaijan's economic policy priorities and the challenges ahead.

They also focused on the scope of structural reforms to be implemented by the Azerbaijani government and their targets, and ways of supporting the Azerbaijani government in this regard.

Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and France amounted to $557.1 million in January-October 2016, $430.3 million of which accounts for exports to France, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.

French imports from Azerbaijan consist exclusively of energy products, French exports to Azerbaijan are more diverse than its imports (with transport equipment posting the highest growth). In terms of investment and big contracts, French firms have a strong position in the oil and oil-related sector, as well as in the banking, telecommunication and transport sectors.

The French-Azerbaijani relations in the areas of culture and cooperation are excellent. The French Lyceum in Baku was opened in 2014 by President Fransua Holland and provides more than a hundred students with education from kindergarten and bachelor degree on the basis of the French Ministry of Education. Also, French-Azerbaijan University opened in the fall of 2016.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 December 2016 13:45 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The hostilities on the line of contact between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in April 2016 resulted in many casualties and demonstrated that there can be no military solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

James Warlick, US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group made the remark while talking to Trend on December 14.

Warlick said that since then, the ceasefire has generally been respected by the sides and there are proposals on the table that can lead to a settlement.

In 2016, we have seen a renewed effort to make progress in negotiations, particularly at the summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg, and we hope the sides will engage constructively to find a way forward, Warlick said.

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal, but they have not been enforced to this day.

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.

I wish I could see into the crystal ball, the diplomat said regarding further developments on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement during the presidency of Donald Trump.

I have no doubt, however, that the U.S. government will remain committed to a peaceful settlement through the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, he said.

Warlick further mentioned that given his decision to step down on December 31, an interim Co-Chair will be announced in the near future.

Ambassador James Warlick assumed the office in September 2013. In December 2012, Robert Bradtke completed his term as the U.S. Minsk Group co-chair. Then, Ian Kelly was named as the U.S. co-chair on an interim basis.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 December 2016 09:57 (UTC+04:00)

A new print edition of the AZERNEWS online newspaper was released on December 14.

The new edition includes articles about: Israel, Azerbaijan discuss cooperation; First meeting of Azerbaijan-Qatar Joint Commission held; Athletes from 50 countries to join Islamic Games in Baku; Government goes at black currency market, etc.

AZERNEWS is an associate member of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

The online newspaper is available at www.azernews.az.
14 December 2016 10:48 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Paris hosted the 8th meeting of the Azerbaijan-France Intergovernmental Commission on economic issues on December 13.

The Azerbaijani side was headed by countrys Finance Minister Samir Sharifov. The French side was led by Matthias Fekl, the Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Promotion of Tourism, and French Nationals Abroad.

The meetings agenda included issues of economic and financial cooperation, energy, transportation, space and ICT, agriculture, environmental protection, culture, education, youth and sports.

As part of the visit to France, Sharifov will hold several bilateral meetings, including the meeting with French Finance Minister Michel Sapin.

Earlier, Frances Ambassador to Azerbaijan Aurelia Bouchez said that her country is interested in attracting investments from Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani French bilateral relations are excellent and marked by a significant number of visits on both sides.

France is one of the main trade and economic partners of Azerbaijan. So far, France has invested more than $ 2.4 billion in Azerbaijan's economy. The country has 40 companies with French capital that operate in the areas of agriculture, construction, transport, tourism, ICT, environment and others.

Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and France amounted to $557.1 million in January-October 2016, $430.3 million of which accounts for exports to France, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.

French imports from Azerbaijan consist exclusively of energy products, French exports to Azerbaijan are more diverse than its imports (with transport equipment posting the highest growth). In terms of investment and big contracts, French firms have a strong position in the oil and oil-related sector, as well as in the banking, telecommunication and transport sectors.

The French-Azerbaijani relations in the areas of culture and cooperation are excellent. The French Lyceum in Baku was opened in 2014 by President Fransua Holland and provides more than a hundred students with education from kindergarten and bachelor degree on the basis of the French Ministry of Education. Also, French-Azerbaijan University opened in the fall of 2016.

Also, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation is conducting many cultural actions in France.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 December 2016 12:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Qatars national holiday was celebrated in Baku with an official reception organized by the country`s Embassy on December 13.

Qatar National Day, also known as Founder's Day, is celebrated on December 18 marking the date in 1878 when Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani rallied the tribes of the peninsula into a unified people..

Ambassador Yusif bin Hasan Yusif al-Sai, opening the event, spoke about the development path of his country, hailed the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Qatar in political, economic and cultural fields.

The diplomat said the development of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Qatar was strongly promoted after the visit of the Emir of Qatar to Azerbaijan that contributed to enhancing bilateral relationship even further.

The ambassador expressed confidence that the Azerbaijan-Qatar ties would continue to develop in the fields of economy, culture and education in the years ahead.

Azerbaijani Minister of Emergencies Kamaladdin Heydarov congratulated the people of Qatar on behalf of the Azerbaijani people.

Heydarov said the reciprocal visits of state officials of both countries gave impetus to expansion of the friendly ties between the two countries and both states support each other also on the international arena.

The event was attended by Azerbaijani state and government officials, MPs, ambassadors, as well as public figures.

Azerbaijan and Qatar, the two energy-rich countries located in the South Caucasus and the Middle East regions, respectively, have good friendly relations.

Azerbaijan and Qatar, which established diplomatic relations in September 1994, enjoy significant prospects for cooperating in the tourism, education, agriculture, investment making, ICT and cargo transportation sectors.

Azerbaijan, which eyes the tourism sector as one of the promising fields in terms of increasing the budget revenues, focuses on attracting tourists from world countries. Given the fact that Azerbaijan and Qatar has a simplified visa regime, Baku is interested in more close relations with Qatar in the tourism sector.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 December 2016 13:09 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The ninth meeting of the Azerbaijan-Turkey military high-level dialogue is being held in Ankara, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told Trend on December 14.

The joint actions for 2017 will be coordinated during the meeting, the ministry said.

A wide range of issues on the current state and prospects of developing military cooperation, security issues in the region, strengthening of friendly relations between the armed forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey will be also discussed during the meeting, the ministry said.

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14 December 2016 14:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

While actions of oil producers and their compliance to reduction pledges are in focus of the energy market, the resource-rich Azerbaijan takes real steps demonstrating its commitment to contributing to the stabilization of the situation.

The country revised its forecast for oil output, following the struck of the first since 2001 deal between OPEC and non-OPEC states to curtail oil output jointly.

Energy Ministry of the country told Trend that the average daily oil production in 2017 will amount to 800,000-807,000 barrels, while the production level for 2016 stands at 842,000 barrels. The forecasted oil output in the country for 2017 stands at about 39.797 million tons, while the figure is 3.7 percent less than in 2016.

Earlier Energy Minister Natig Aliyev said that Azerbaijan will cut its oil output by 35,000 barrels per day, mentioning that OPEC member countries and states outside the cartel agreed to meet regularly to ensure the continued oil market price stability.

The world oil prices stood firm on December 13, supported by the first signs that producers are acting on their plans to cut output and the reduction pledges have chances for materialization.

Brent oil was up 26 cents at $55.95, while WTI was up 12 cents at $52.95. The price of a barrel of Azeri Light crude oil increased $1.94 to stand at $56.83.

The action taken by a producer from the United Arab Emirates became one of the visible indicators for long-awaited cut in the supply next year. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has told customers that it will cut crude supplies of its three export grades by 3-5 percent. Kuwait's Petroleum Corporation (KPC) acted similarly, notifying its customers about a cut in their contractual crude oil supplies for January.

Oil prices recorded a significant hike to hit mid-2015 highs after 13-member OPEC and other exporters, including Russia, reached a deal to cut output by almost 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) to oust the reigning oil glut. The consensus reached by the producers became surprising for market watchdogs as several OPEC members were previously reluctant to participate in the deal.

The group agreed to slash output by 1.2 million barrels per day starting from January 1, with the contribution of the top exporter and OPECs de facto leader Saudi Arabia standing at 486,000 bpd. The Kingdom is expected to shoulder the bulk of supply reductions.

Producers outside the cartel agreed to reduce output by 558,000 bpd, short of the initial target of 600,000 bpd but still the largest contribution by non-OPEC ever. Russia is also expected to perform real output reductions, curtailing output in line with its pledge of 300,000 bpd. Apart from Russia, the talks on December 10 were attended by or had comments or commitments sent from non-OPEC members including Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Sudan and South Sudan.

The compliance of the energy market players to production quotas is currently the key thing to watch for analysts, while the following 3-6 months are expected to provide an answer to whether the consent is strong enough. Experts say prices would easily turn negative very quickly should the market feels compliance won't happen, while the fact that there is no legal binding to deter producers inside or outside the cartel from moving aside of their pledges is among factors that raises doubts and concerns.

--

Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 December 2016 11:41 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Ivory Cost, West Africa's largest economy, has given the green light to the construction of a gas terminal, where Azerbaijans energy major SOCAR has a share.

SOCAR earlier took a weighty step to expand its presence in the energy market of West African countries by obtaining a share in Ivory Coast LNG consortium led by Frances Total Company.

The consortium was earlier awarded the rights to build and operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) re-gasification terminal in Ivory Coast with a capacity of 3 million tons per year. The decision announced by the government of the Ivory Coast on October 4, was followed by the signature of the shareholders agreement in Abidjan.

Under the agreement, which was first announced on November 24, Total will operate the project with a 34-percent share, while SOCAR will control 26 percent. Ivorian state oil company Petroci will be the owner of 11 percent share, Royal Dutch Shell will hold a 13 percent stake, while Houston-based Endeavor Energy and Golar LNG will have minority stakes.

The re-gasification terminal project is expected to become operational by mid-2018. Total is expected to make a final investment decision on the project in the first quarter of 2017

The project involves the construction of a terminal with a floating storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU) in Vridi, Abidjan area, and a pipeline connecting the FSRU to existing and planned power plants in Abidjan, as well as to regional markets connected to the Ivorian network.

This will enable Ivory Coast to become the first regional LNG import hub in West Africa and to meet both regional and domestic demand, which is rising steadily (about 10 percent) each year. The country is considered to have the region's most reliable power production sector, a lack of new domestic gas discoveries, however, has put the gas supply for power generation at risk. The establishment of LNG in Ivory Coast is expected to open a new era in the production of electricity.

Being established in September 1992 and headquartered in Baku, SOCAR is involved in extraction, exploring oil and gas fields, producing, processing, and transporting oil, gas, and gas condensate, as well as oil and chemical products in domestic and international markets, and supplying natural gas to the industry and the public in Azerbaijan.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Diving into the Auburn School Districts budget

January officially marks the start of budget planning season for the Auburn Enlarged City School District, which is one of the reasons why the board of education has been spending so much time discussing budgets lately. Another reason is to find creative ways to work with a $4.9 million shortfall in foundation aid from New York state without cutting staff or programming.

While approximately 41 percent of the districts budget comes from property taxes and around 6 percent comes from miscellaneous funds, we heavily depend on state aid for the majority of our budget (53 percent). There are three different categories of state aid. Building aid partially reimburses schools for capital construction projects that are approved by district voters. Categorical aid partially reimburses schools for expenses the district incurs on things like textbooks, transportation, special education costs and other specific educational necessities. Foundation aid is general aid awarded to our district based on a per pupil formula. Unfortunately, these aid categories are not interchangeable. For example, we are not able to use aid from a capital construction project to buy textbooks or technology equipment.

Foundation aid was first enacted in 2007-2008 with an anticipated four-year phase-in to full funding. New York state only provided approximately 50 percent of the phase-in to school districts before the economic downturn started in 2008. Since then, New York state has substituted federal stimulus dollars for state funds, frozen state aid and then cut aid to school districts. This occurred despite state lawmakers acknowledging in 2007 that increased funds were critical to meeting the constitutional mandate of providing the opportunity for a sound basic education to all students.

Foundation aid was frozen in the 2008-2009 school year, so the Auburn Enlarged City School District is receiving approximately the same amount of foundation aid for the 2016-17 school year as it received eight years prior. Under the states foundation aid formula, Auburn should receive almost $4.9 million more funding per year. If foundation aid was fully funded, we could be using those funds to reduce the local tax burden, increase programming for students, reduce class sizes, offer higher level electives, improve technology and so much more.

In addition to the hardships caused by the frozen foundation aid, the aid formula itself is seriously flawed. The formula calculates a foundation amount per student, weighted for students with extraordinary needs and regional cost differences, minus the amount that a district is expected to raise in local taxes, to determine how much state aid should be provided to school districts. Unfortunately, it does not take into account both the poverty and fiscal capacity of schools' districts, so needier districts such as ours do not receive equitable distribution of state aid to ensure that all of our children have high quality and equitable educational opportunities.

As you can see, the Auburn Enlarged City School District is faced with the extremely difficult task of doing more with less. We have already taken measures to close our budget gap, including closing and selling West Middle School and reducing staff. As these decisions are being made, maintaining educational excellence for our students and providing an affordable tax levy for our taxpayers is always at the forefront of our minds.
14 December 2016 12:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

With its vital role in the overall objective of diversifying energy supplies to Europe, Turkey spares no effort to realize the Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline (TANAP), backbone pipe forming the ambitious Southern Gas Corridor project.

Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Erkan Ozoral said that the country will try to finish the implementation of TANAP ahead of schedule. Speaking at the meeting with Azerbaijans Energy Minister Natig Aliyev in Baku on December 13 the envoy said that Turkey plans to intensify energy cooperation with Azerbaijan.

We are proud that Azerbaijan is the largest foreign investor in Turkey. In turn, Turkey is interested in the enhancement of its participation in the new stage of Azerbaijans economic development, he said.

Minister Aliyev said that cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan is based on the friendly and fraternal relations and is at a high level in all directions, adding that such joint projects as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline and the TANAP show that ensuring the regions energy security is impossible without the participation of Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Progress on the implementation of TANAP project is currently on track. Saltuk Duzyol, head of TANAP consortium earlier said that the construction process is completed by almost 55 percent, mentioning that some 19 underground passages have so far been built as part of the project.

TANAP project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field to the western borders of Turkey. The project also receives strong support from a number of international financial organizations.

The project is expected to get financing from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the World Bank (WB), European Investment Bank (EIB), and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Moreover, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $1 billion in private and public sector assistance to expand Azerbaijans Shah Deniz II. The assistance comprises a $500 million private sector loan to the Southern Gas Corridor closed joint stock company.

The length of TANAP is 1,800 kilometers with the initial capacity of 16 billion cubic meters. The first gas via TANAP is expected to be delivered to Turkeys BOTAS company in June 2018 and to the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) on the border with Greece in June 2019. TANAP shareholders are Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR (58 percent), BOTAS (30 percent) and BP (12 percent).

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 December 2016 17:21 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

A new phase of construction of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), the core pipe forming the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), has been launched in Turkeys west.

Ihlas news agency reported that the new phase envisages construction of the pipelines 68 km section and the work is planned to be completed within six months.



The steel pipes produced in Turkey have been delivered from the countrys Osmaniye province to Bandirma Port via railway and have been transported to the logistics center in Gonen district of Balikesir province.

Turkey intends to contribute to its energy security and that of Europe through realization of TANAP.

Saltuk Duzyol, head of TANAP consortium earlier said that the construction process is completed by almost 55 percent, mentioning that some 19 underground passages have so far been built as part of the project.

TANAP project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field to the western borders of Turkey. The length of TANAP is 1,800 kilometers with the initial capacity of 16 billion cubic meters.

TANAP shareholders are Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR (58 percent), BOTAS (30 percent) and BP (12 percent).

---

Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 December 2016 10:34 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Iran and Russia have finalized their cooperation over a remote sensing satellite project, ICT Minister Mahmoud Vaezi told Trend.

He said Iran and Russia are improving their cooperation in the field of ICT as well as in other areas.

"Last week 17 Russian companies came here and worked over their cooperation with Iranian companies," he said.

Elsewhere, Vaezi said President Hassan Rouhani has accepted an invitation by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to visit Moscow.

"On his last visit to Tehran, Mr. Putin invited Rouhani to Moscow. Dr. Rouhani has accepted the invitation. The two countries foreign ministries are to decide a date for the trip," Vaezi stated.

Following several round of meetings between Iranian and Russian delegations, the two sides on Dec. 13 inked 10 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in various areas, including energy, banking, insurance and industry.

Iran and Russia plan to increase their annual volume of trade turnover to $10 billion in future.

According to customs statistics, Iran-Russia annual trade plunged from $4 billion in 2011 to $1 billion in 2013 due to the sanctions on Iran, but rose to $1.7 billion in 2014. The figure increased by 30 percent in 2015, and during 9 months of 2016, the trade turnover between Iran and Russia increased by 70 percent year-on-year.

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14 December 2016 10:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

A total of 568 people have been arrested across Turkey on terrorism charges since Monday, the Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday, Anadolu reported.

Anti-terror operations, which began Monday, were carried out in 28 provinces to detain the suspects that included members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), who had allegedly participated in activities organized by the PKK terrorist organization and spread propaganda on its behalf, the ministry said in a statement.

The suspects included HDP officials from Adana, Balikkesir, Sanliurfa, Mersin, MAnisa, Eskisehir and Gaziantep.

The government has repeatedly accused the HDP of having links to the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU.

Separately, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Tuesday security forces have hit PKKs major drug trade, which is the PKK's biggest source of income.

"Participation in terrorist organizations has fallen to its lowest level of history," Soylu said during his visit to Hakkari province.

The arrests came after Saturday evening's deadly blasts in Istanbul left 44 dead and dozens of others wounded. A total of 13 suspects linked to the bombings have so far been arrested.

Nine more suspects were also detained for social media posts over Saturday night's terror attack in Istanbul, anti-terror police said. Those suspects allegedly shared pro-terror posts which served terrorist organizations' propaganda.

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14 December 2016 12:11 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Kazakhstans National Atomic Company Kazatomprom, Ulba Metallurgical Plant and Chinas CGNPC Uranium Resources Co. Ltd. signed an agreement on the principles of implementation of a fuel project, Ulba Metallurgical Plant said on December 13.

The agreement is aimed at realization of a deal previously signed by Kazatomprom, CGNPC Co. Ltd., CGNPC-URC Co. Ltd. and CGN Mining Co. Ltd. on the design and construction of a fuel assemblies plant and joint development of uranium deposits in Kazakhstan.

Kazatomprom and China General Nuclear Power Corporation signed a commercial terms agreement for design and construction of a fuel assemblies plant in Kazakhstan in December 2015.

The agreement establishes fuel assemblies production for Chinese nuclear power plants in the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in Kazakhstan with an output capacity of 200 tons per year.

Technologies from French company AREVA, which is a world leader in fuel assemblies production, will be used in the Kazakh plant.

The project worth 48 billion tenges is expected to be launched in 2020.

Kazakhstan is the biggest uranium producer in the world. In 2015, the country produced 23,800 tons of uranium.

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14 December 2016 14:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Iran and Indonesia signed four documents to boost mutual cooperation, IRINN TV reported on December 14.

The deals were signed on the sidelines of a meeting between Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Tehran on December 14.

The signed documents include four MoUs for cooperation in electricity and renewable energy and investment encourage as well as judicial cooperation. The sides are scheduled to sign eight more cooperation documents.

Hassan Rouhani said that the Tehran-Jakarta mutual ties in the field of energy are strategic.

Addressing a joint press conference with his Indonesian counterpart, he said Iran will meet the needs of Indonesia in terms of crude oil, liquefied gas and petrochemical products.

Indonesia will import liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from Iran in the near feature, President Joko Widodo said during a joint press conference.

Widodo said the two parties agreed on purchase of over 500,000 tons of LPG from Iran.

Indonesian President heading a high ranking politico-economic delegation arrived in Tehran on December 13 to confer with Iranian senior officials.

The trip aims at boosting cooperation in oil and gas management and investment in Iran's refineries.

Indonesian president is to meet with Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani as well.

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14 December 2016 15:09 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Kazakhstan and Israel signed several documents on cooperation during the official visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Astana, the Kazakh presidential press service reported on December 14.

The governments of the two countries signed an agreement on cooperation in agriculture.

Moreover, the sides signed a joint declaration of intent for waiver of visa requirements for holders of national biometric passports.

The aeronautical authorities of the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding.

Kazakh National Agency for Technological Development and Israeli Industry Center for Research & Development MATIMOP signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation.

Kazakh Agency for Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption and Israeli Civil Service Commission also signed a memorandum of cooperation.

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14 December 2016 16:57 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

European Union diplomats say EU leaders are more likely to extend economic sanctions against Russia until July 31, 2017.

The last joint European Council summit of the year set to be held on December 15, when the bloc's leaders meet in Brussels will put an end to this issue.

The EU linked the economic sanctions targeting specific sectors of Russia in July 2014 in response to Russia's seizure of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula and support for the separatists.

The sanctions include restrictions on access to international financing, and curbs on defence and energy cooperation with Russia. Some of the Russian officials were also barred from entering EU countries and the U.S., while their assets were frozen.

In July, the EU prolonged sanctions until January 31, 2017.

French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have been urging EU countries to extend sanctions again, TASS agency reported.

I believe that EU countries will receive recommendations from Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande that economic sanctions imposed over Russias aggression against Ukraine should be extended, the source said noting that the extension of anti-Russian sanctions was on the EU summit agenda.

Meanwhile, in response to a question on sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Syria EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that no member state of the EU asked for sanctions against Russia over the situation in Syria at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on December 12.

"No, we didn't discuss at all sanctions, and there was no member state asking for additional work on sanctions," she said.

In turn, at a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister on December 12 Sergei Lavrov in Belgrade, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that Serbia will not join NATO or anti-Russian sanctions despite its drive to become a member of the EU, Sputnik reported.

"We will not join sanctions or some other measures against Russia. And, as you know, we have no plans to join NATOas we conduct the policy of military neutrality."

The Serbian minister stressed that the country's drive to join the EU "has nothing to do with relations with Russia," and cannot be judged as an anti-Russian stance.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 December 2016 17:37 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Iran has increased oil output by 5,700 barrels per day (b/d) to 3.703 million b/d in November month-to-month, OPEC estimated in its monthly report released on December 14.

The Cartels total output increased by 150,800 b/d to 33.87 million b/d in November, while the demand for OPEC crude in 2016 is estimated to stand at 31.9 mb/d, with an increase of 1.9 mb/d over 2015.

In 2017, demand for OPEC crude is forecast at 32.6 mb/d, a gain of 0.7 mb/d compared to 2016.

The report reads that Irans heavy oil price plunged from $51.39 in January-November 2015 to $38.52 in the same period in 2016.

Increasing the OPECs oil output to 33.87 mb/d came, while the Cartel reached an agreement to decrease the output by 1.2 mb/d to 32.5 mb/d in January 2017, compared to October 2016.

Now, OPEC should decrease 1.37 mb/d to meet the January target.

On the other hand, according to the report, released by the International Energy Agency on December 13, OPECs output was far above its own estimated figure, at 34.2 mb/d, means the Cartel should decrease the output by 1.7 mb/d at least from November level to meet the January target.

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14 December 2016 17:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Russia may soon remove a ban earlier imposed on import of certain Turkish food products.

Russias Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) plans drop restrictions on such products as aubergine, vegetable marrow and lettuce.

Head of Russian agriculture watchdog Sergey Dankvert talking to reporters said that the removal of bans may be implemented next week.

Restrictions were earlier dropped for apricots, peaches and various citrus fruits, which make up much of Turkey's fruit exports to Russia. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that the ban on deliveries from Turkey will be removed in stages, after thorough safety checks.

Embargo on supplies of fruit and vegetables, as well as meat products and flowers from Turkey was imposed on January 1, 2016 within the special economic measures against Turkey, following downing by Turkish forces of a Russian combat jet.

Moscow lifted some of the trade sanctions after Ankara expressed its regret over the incident.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
14 December 2016 11:55 (UTC+04:00)

A national low-cost carrier BUTA AIRWAYS will be established in Azerbaijan. The relevant decision was made at a meeting of the Board of CJSC Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL).

The new low-cost carrier will be part of AZAL and will be a 100-percent owned subsidiary company of AZAL.

The airline will be based at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

BUTA AIRWAYS will have its own fleet on the basis of Embraer aircrafts in its own livery, its own staff and independent tariff policy.

BUTA AIRWAYS will begin flights in autumn 2017.Given that the civil aviation business is very complicated and specific, any major changes take time. There are so many nuances in functioning of the budget airline. Currently, active work is underway on all aspects.

Large-scale work to reduce air tickets prices is carried out on the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev. Flights to 13 popular destinations are operated under AZALJET brand since March 2016. Sales and flight scheme on these flights is close to low-cost airlines, that is, passengers have a choice of several services in the form of paid options.

At the moment, base rate for all AZALJET flights, including all taxes and fees, starts from 49 euros. This is one of the most competitive prices among all airlines flying to Azerbaijan.

AZAL hopes that the services of the national low-cost carrier will appeal not only to Azerbaijani citizens, but also increase the inflow of tourists to Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), the national flag carrier, has one of the newest airplane fleets. Azerbaijan Airlines is a major air carrier and one of the leaders of the aviation community of the CIS countries.

Azerbaijan Airlines is a member of IATA since 1993. In June 2015 Skytrax consultancy, which is considered as the most influential ranking company in the world in air transportation sphere, awarded AZAL the prestigious rating - The World's 4-STAR Airline.

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Bakersfield Police Chief Lyle Martin has asked the FBI to review evidence in the shooting earlier this week of an unarmed 73-year-old man by a
A 28-year-old man charged with two counts of murder in the slayings of his girlfriend and the baby with which she was 39 weeks pregnant was fo
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Business Insider UK has teamed up with the online food delivery company Deliveroo to find out Bath's most-ordered dish.

The online business news website looked to discover the most-ordered dishes in the 20 most active cities in the UK.

Topping the poll in Bath was the Chicken Tinga Burrito, from Mission Burrito.

Costing 5.95, the tasty burrito contains Tinga chicken which is shredded and simmered in a rich chipotle sauce.

Deliveroo, who bill themselves as the 'ultimate food delivery experience', started operating in Bath last September and delivers food from over 28 restaurants across the city, including Wagamama, Yammo!, Grillstock and Mission Burrito.

The New Street outlet of Mission Burrito opened in 2011.

The firm was launched by husband and wife Jan and Sharon Rasmussen in 2008 with a 20-seat restaurant in Oxford and now has outlets Bristol, Reading, Cardiff, Birmingham and Leicester.
Authorities in Hillsborough County are investigating the slaying of a local nurse.

Police found the body of 53-year-old William Leslie McGoff inside of his Tampa home when they showed up for a welfare check. Investigators believe the murderer was no stranger.

William McGoff, 53, found dead inside home on Monday

Police are searching for his killer



Victim's missing car: 2013 black Hyundai, with a Florida tag 113VFT

Whoever is responsible for McGoff's death may even be driving his missing 2013 black Hyundai Sonata with Florida tag 113VFT.

Those who knew McGoff said he was loved by all.

Hes lived his life helping people as employment and he does the same on his personal and private time," neighbor Shawna Smith said. I was very, very scared. Very scared. You dont think this is going to happen to you or in your neighborhood."

Neighbors said it was McGoffs co-workers who called police after he didnt show up to work Monday.

According to police, McGoff was last seen on Sunday, the day before the welfare check.

Smith said shes just hoping for justice for this family and for the man known for his big smile, and even bigger heart.

Major loss," she added. "I hope that his family and his close friends find some comfort knowing that he will be missed and he touched a lot of, a lot of lives."

McGoffs family released this statement:



Thank you for recognizing Leslie's accomplishments and his good work in the community. He has touched many lives in his 30 years of nursing. He will be greatly missed."

If you have any information, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477).
GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here.
Areas of sea fog will still be around into early Thursday morning before the front arrives.

Fog will linger until morning

Partly cloudy skies, chance of showers overnight

Morning lows will be in the 60s, upper 50s in northern counties



Otherwise expect partly cloudy skies and a chance for a couple small passing showers overnight.

Morning lows will be in the 60s, except for some upper 50s in Citrus and Hernando counties.

The cold front will quickly sweep through the area Thursday morning, so any fog, clouds, or lingering showers will quickly be pushed out.

Even if the day starts out dreary, it will end up very nice, with sunshine returning and less humid air moving in.

High temperatures will be slightly cooler in the mid 70s and it will be less humid.

Thursday night will be clear and cooler with lows in the 50s, but some upper 40s in northern counties.







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Despite a number of setbacks, the CYGNSS was successfully launched on Thursday morning.

SEE BELOW: Read what was chatted about the CYGNSS launch

NASA scrubbed Monday's launch due to issues with hydraulic pump

Wednesday's launch canceled due to software problems

RELATED: NASA to launch tiny satellites for hurricane tracking

At around 8:35 a.m., the hurricane-forecasting spacecraft was successfully set off to make its way into space. And this comes as good news, because the mission faced several failed attempts this week.

There were two aborted launch attempts on Monday because of problems with a hydraulic release mechanism and NASA and Orbital ATK delayed another try to release the hurricane-tracking satellites on Wednesday because of incorrect flight parameter data programed into the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System spacecraft, or better known as CYGNSS.

NASA spent Wednesday fixing the issue, which was resolved.

But Thursday's launch was a happy moment for not just NASA, but for meteorologists as well. The satellites are designed to study hurricanes and peer into the middle of the storms to predict how strong they will be and when they might make landfall. That information will then be sent back down to meteorologists here on Earth.



NASA contracted the Orbital ATK to use its L-1011 carrier aircraft, also known as Stargazer. The Pegasus XL launch vehicle, which was carrying CYGNSS, was attached to the bottom of Stargazer.

Now that Stargazer has released the Pegasus rocket at 39,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean, the rocket is on its way to orbit. The rocket will carry eight small satellites into orbit.

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Live Blog Stargazer to launch CYGNSS
Oregon Coast, Portland, Inland May See Some of Meteor Shower Peak

Published 12/13/2016 at 5:23 PM PDT - Published 12/13/2016 at 5:53 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Oregon Coast)  The Oregon coast and the inland part of the state are in for a celestial treat tomorrow and the next night. The peak of the Geminid meteor showers happens tonight and Wednesday, plus there's a special full moon tonight. (Above: moonlight and stars above Manzanita. With a full moon, the skies and stars will look more like this).

Jim Todd, astronomy expert with Portland's OMSI, explained the happenings over the next few nights. But it all depends on what the weather does.

Tonight's full moon is called the Full Frost Moon, and it will reach its highest point due south this evening. Todd said the full moon closest to the winter solstice  which happens December 21  is the highest full moon of the year, and it will be extra white.

At about 27 minutes past midnight tonight (Wednesday morning), the moon will be 62 degrees above the southern horizon, its highest altitude for the year.

The moon reached perigee or closest distance to earth on December 12th at 3:28 p.m. PST at a distance of 222, 738 miles, followed by the full moon on December 13th at 4:05 p.m. PST, Todd said.

The moon moves in many ways that are similar to the sun, rising towards the east and setting towards the west, Todd said. And like the sun, it reaches its highest point in and around midnight (whereas the sun does so around noon). If the skies are clear enough, on the Oregon coast you could see it setting beyond the horizon, like the sun had done earlier that day.

The other interesting aspect of a full moon is how it is opposite the sun at that point. Todd said to imagine it like a celestial see-saw.



On the day when the Sun is highest in the middle of the day (in Summer), the Moon is at its lowest high point at midnight; and on the day when the Sun is at its lowest high point in the middle of the day (in Winter), the Moon is at its highest high point at midnight, Todd said.

Tonight and tomorrow night are the peak of the 2016 Geminid meteor showers, happening in the overnight hours. Sadly, however, this is not a good year for them, Todd said. It all happens during the full moon which will cause faint meteor streaks.

Forecasters expect the shower to peak with as many as 120 meteors per hour, Todd said. Wherever you live, the best time to look is during the hours between midnight and dawn on Tuesday and Wednesday. This is one of the major meteor showers of the year.

Todd said the Geminids will generally be coming from all directions in the sky, but many will have a path traceable to the constellation Gemini near the star Castor. If you can, look just after things get really dark as they hit the atmosphere at a shallow angle and then burn slowly across the sky.

The Geminids are debris from an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon, which has some unusual characteristics in its orbit. It behaves a little more like a comet, but since it does actually move in an orbit it's been nicknamed the rock comet.

NASA's STEREO spacecraft has done some studies on it, examining its dust trails in 2010 and noting that it actually ejects dust. Scientists think this is because the Sun's heat causes fractures in the rocky mass, much like cracks that develop in dried mud.

This time around, Earth is moving deeper into the Phaethon's debris field than it usually does.

How observable will all this be? For the Oregon coast, the skies look to be mostly clear tonight and then again Thursday night. Wednesday appears to be mostly if not completely cloudy. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this event - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours













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Two suspects were arrested Tuesday afternoon in connection to a China home burglary after receiving a tip from a neighbor, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.

Spokesperson Marcus McLellan said deputies began to search the property at the 3000 block of North China Road at 12:20 p.m., after dispatch received a call form a neighbor who noticed suspicious activity.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs issued a final rule that grants three types of advanced practice registered nurses full practice authority.

Here are five things to know:

1. The rule applies to certified nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and certified nurse-midwives. However, the VA did not include certified registered nurse anesthetists in this list.

2. The VA passed the final rule to include three classes of APNs to increase VA healthcare access to medically-underserved areas and reduce the wait time for veterans when making appointments.

3. The VA decided not include CRNAs in the final rule because it reported the VA does not have access problems in anesthesiology. The VA noted its decision "does not stem from CRNAs' inability to practice to the full extent of their professional competence."

4. The American Medical Association commended the VA for addressing the need for physicians and nurse anesthetists' collaboration to ensure patient safety. The organization is "disappointed" with the final rule allowing APNs to practice without a physician's clinical oversight.

In a statement the AMA said, "This part of the VA's final rule will rewind the clock to an outdated model of care delivery that is not consistent with the current direction of the healthcare system. Providing coordinated, physician-led, patient-centered, team-based patient care is the best approach to improving quality care for our country's veterans, especially given the highly-complex medical care that veterans often require."

5. There is a comment period to assess whether there are access issues or other circumstances not previously considered that may lead to the VA include CRNAs in future legislation. The VA will publish the rule, which is effective 30 days after publication, in the Federal Register on Dec. 14, 2016.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services received three certificate-of-need applications from New Hanover County and two applications from Brunswick County for ASCs, according to WECT 6 News.

In New Hanover County, the following three surgery centers submitted CONs:

Wilmington (N.C.) Surgery Center submitted plans to add three operating rooms and one procedure current to existing ASC. Wilmington Surgery Center expects to complete the $5.6 million additions by January 2020.

Cape Fear Surgical Center (Fayetteville, N.C.) proposed building a new ASC. The surgery center would build three operating rooms, relocate three operating rooms from New Hanover (N.C.) Medical Center and relocate three existing endoscopy room from Wilmington Health. In total, the $28.9 million surgery center is expected to be completed by July 2018.

Surgery Center of Wilmington submitted plans to develop a new ASC with three operating rooms and one procedure room. Surgery Center Wilmington anticipates completing the $9.6 million project by January 2019.

The Brunswick County CON proposals include:

Brunswick Surgery Center (Leland, N.C.) submitted a CON proposing building a new ASC equipped with one operating room and two procedure rooms. The project, estimated to cost $4.2 million, would be completed in January 2019.

Novant Health Brunswick Outpatient Surgery (Leland) proposes relocating an operating room from Bolivia, N.C.-based Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center and adding one new procedure room to a new ASC in Leland. The $14.1 million project is expected to be completed in January 2019.

For the New Hanover County proposals, there will be a public hearing on Jan. 23, 2017, and a public hearing on Jan. 20, 2017, for the Brunswick County proposals.
Medscape spoke to several physicians about their favorite vacation spots and compiled their recommendations into a report. Here are 15 more places your peers think you should go, if you're looking to get away.

1. Kayak the Hudson River, New York

For Robert Morrow, MD, the Hudson River offers an escape from the busy city lifestyle.

2. Machu Picchu, Peru

Michael Bogdan, MD, said hiking the Inca Trail in Machu Picchu was one of the most enjoyable vacations he took recently.

3. Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

The highest mountain in Africa is a tough climb which requires training but for Jeffrey Segal, MD, it was the trip of a lifetime.

4. Fiji

Bert Mandelbaum, MD, visited Fiji while volunteering on a medical mission trip. He stayed at a private island resort which offered some of the best diving in the world.

5. Guatemala

While volunteering in Guatemala Shuchi Patel, MD, said her trip was a mix of great volunteer work and cultural experiences.

6. Alaska

Dr. Patel also recommends an Alaskan cruise for a chance to see some of the world's arctic wonders.

7. Danube River

Mark E. Williams, MD, said a cruise down the scenic Danube River offers a chance to see more than 10 European countries.

10. British Virgin Islands

Dr. Mandelbaum recommends chartering a small boat and voyaging around the 25 British Virgin Islands to enjoy the beaches, sun and water.

11. Chicago

A trip to the windy city is a must for the food, culture and nightlife, Matthew Mintz, MD, recommends.

12. San Francisco

Bursting with a wealth of Victorian homes and cable cars, Tony Francis, MD, called San Francisco one of the world's greatest vacation destinations.

13. Blowing Rock, N.C.

Charles Davant III, MD, recommends his home town of Blowing Rock, N.C., because of its "something for everything" atmosphere.

14. Reykjavik, Iceland

For a contemporary arctic getaway Nicholas Genes, MD, recommends Reykjavik for its wealth of natural wonders coupled with the modernity of its city.

15. Islamorada, Fla.

Andrew Kaunitz, MD, recommends a trip to sunny Islamorada to soak in the fishing and dining scene.
As patients assume more responsibility for their healthcare costs, and patient satisfaction continues to influence the financial health of hospitals, revenue cycle management has become more important to providers' livelihoods than ever.

Amid these and other changes, many revenue cycle professionals have offered thought-provoking insights this past year.

Here are 10 RCM tips from industry experts, provided to Becker's Hospital Review this year.

1. "The recent unfortunate news of the ACA insurance plan premium hikes will have negative consequences for patients, hospitals and physicians. As the price of 'better' insured plans become more expensive, consumers will choose what they can afford  plans with fewer benefits  once again shifting financial burden to the patient. Hospitals and physicians groups will ultimately get stuck holding the bag for self-pay collections. Having a full functioning self-pay strategy will continue to be top of mind for CFOs and revenue cycle leaders across the United States. Without patient-forward technology and processes and staff trained to implement and manage them, hospital's risk losing revenue by simply not being prepared to engage the patient in the easiest and most friendly manner." - Brad Baldwin, vice president of extended business office services at financial consultant MediRevv

2. "Having a strategic understanding and a broader understanding of the areas outside of billing and collections is important. Getting the bill out and collecting it are critical, but so are having the analytics in place to ensure you are collecting what you're supposed to collect, making sure contracts are paid at the level they're supposed to be paid, and ensuring that coding is accurate so it won't be denied later. It's a big-picture role." - David Boggs, head of WK Advisors, a division of executive search firm Witt/Kieffer

3. "If we, as a healthcare industry, want to reduce the per capita cost of care, which is a primary goal of the triple aim initiative, healthcare organizations must start harnessing the power of analytics to facilitate data-driven, evidence-based revenue cycle decisions. What is often forgotten in this process, however, is that these technologies also require the buy-in from company leadership, who help to foster a culture that embraces information as an indispensable ingredient of the decision-making process. Only then can analytics tools reach their full potential with RCM initiatives." - George Dealy, vice president of healthcare applications at software company Dimensional Insight

4. "This current transition period [in healthcare] could become a hodgepodge of increasing bad debt levels, declining cash flow and dissatisfied patients. The logical course of action would be to utilize remote billing solutions from a trusted billing and collections partner to ensure that all insurance claims and deductibles will be billed as well as any outstanding accounts receivables. This would enable provider practices to operate smoothly and also ensure the continuation of a positive patient experience. It's also valuable to note that during this transition stage; protecting your bottom line is just as critical as ensuring a positive patient experience." - David Hamilton, CEO at financial technology and business process outsourcing company Mnet Health Services

5. "By promoting and affecting positive change in overall physician documentation patterns as part of a clinical documentation improvement program  especially helping physicians recognize and understand the medical record serves as a communication tool for all healthcare stakeholders (including the patient and payer)  healthcare organizations can prevent denials and also reduce the time and effort required to rework recoverable denials." - Glenn Krauss, director of enterprise solutions at health IT company ZirMed

6. "For our hospital, about 70 percent of the funding is activity based, so it's based on the patients we serve and the clinical diagnosis and the case mix index. So it's really important for us to capture the right documentation right upfront on admission  the postal code, zip code, where the patient is from  because that's how funding comes back to us, and it floats through a system of clinical documentation, physician documentation, medical record." - John Kurvink, vice president of corporate services and CFO of Georgian Bay General Hospital in Ontario, Canada

7. "As health systems prepare their people, processes and technology for the shift from volume to value, they often overlook their chargemaster. Given the phased approach to value-based care, we expect systems must be able to handle both charges under fee-for-service as well as fee-for-value billing. If you are unsure whether your chargemaster can handle both reimbursement models, you may want to consult with your software vendors. Ask them how they plan to manage two separate chargemasters and what solutions they propose to bridge the gap.

In the months ahead, denials management and denials prevention should also receive stronger focus as organizations expand participation in value-based reimbursement and other quality payment programs. Finally, consider increased investments in staff training and education to ensure all revenue cycle stakeholders understand what's to come under value-based billing.

Fee-for-service and value-based reimbursement are fundamentally different. Organizations will likely be managing dual financial systems for a number of years, if not longer." - Jon Melling, partner at Pivot Point Consulting

8. "When healthcare professionals think of value-based care, they think of reducing variability, participating in shared savings and really leveraging evidence-based care and best practices. All of this is going to increasingly involve the clinical staff and that needs to continue and accelerate.

To effectively accomplish this, organizations must educate and support clinical staff. For example, give clinicians access to a complete view of patient population data. This view must incorporate total utilization and cost, integrated with relevant content to help identify gaps in care, patients at risk for hospitalization, as well as other opportunities for cost savings or care interventions." - Dan Mowery, executive director of industry relations and market intelligence at McKesson Technology Solutions

9. "My advice would be to focus on the patient experience, and make it the driving force behind projects you take on. Price transparency is our biggest one lately. The healthcare industry needs to move this topic to the front of conversations with patients. Let them know what to expect in a way that's meaningful to them. We recently started giving patients out-of-pocket cost estimates. I also would recommend keeping an eye on self-service technology  apps that let patients self-schedule and do other things. It's the way things are going in the future." - Jon Neikirk. assistant vice president of revenue cycle for Milwaukee-based Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin

10. "Ultimately, the end goal in RCM is working smarter, not harder. Hospital staffs are routinely stretched thin. Intelligently designed analytical tools are geared towards highlighting opportunities and outliers, and focusing staff attention to the most impactful workflow and resolution strategies." -Tom Schaal, director of product management at healthcare analytics company MedeAnalytics

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston saw a significant loss in operating income in October.

MD Anderson recorded an operating loss of $60.9 million for the month, compared to an operating surplus of $11.5 million in the same period the year prior. For the first two months of fiscal year 2017,which began Sept. 1, MD Anderson's operating losses total $102.4 million.

MD Anderson's operating expenses in October were $368.8 million, a 7.7 percent increase from October 2015, according to the hospital's financial report. Total operating revenues in October were $307.9 million, down from $378.1 million in October 2015.

Additionally, total operating revenues for the first two months of FY 2017 were $630.8 million $109.7 million below budget. That's a 9.1 percent decrease from the same period of FY 2016.

In August, MD Anderson officials attributed the institution's sagging financials to various factors, including a costly Epic EHR implementation as well as a shrinking pool of potential patients due to restricted insurance coverage.

MD Anderson President Ronald DePinho accepted responsibility for the cancer center's financial losses.

"Who is accountable for the financial performance? I take full responsibility for the challenges," Mr. DePinho said Nov. 15, addressing a faculty forum convened to discuss the institution's finances, according to The Cancer Letter.

In light of MD Anderson's financial picture, executives are urging faculty members to add clinical days and try to convince out-of-town patients to remain at the cancer center for the duration of their treatments, the report states. Other frugality measures, including eliminating overtime, instituting a hiring freeze, curbing catering, and turning holiday parties into potluck events, have also been discussed.

Still, MD Anderson officials remain optimistic, contending that the cancer center's long-term financial outlook is strong.

"MD Anderson has reserves and non-operating revenues that give us the opportunity to adjust our operating revenue and expense structure without making overly drastic changes," Dan Fontaine, MD Anderson executive vice president for administration told The Cancer Letter. "We are implementing action plans now to ensure we can address short-term losses and maintain our focus on our mission."

"MD Anderson is a magnificent institution with outstanding leadership," says Scott Becker, publisher of Becker's Healthcare. "In the long run, it will thrive."

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Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center in Windsor, Vt., appointed Joseph Perras, MD, CEO, effective Jan. 11, 2017.

Here are five things to know:

1. Dr. Perras currently serves as the facility's CMO. He will continue as CMO, in addition to serving as CEO.

2. Prior to joining Mt. Ascutney Hospital in 2013, he worked at Lebanon, N.H.-based Dartmouth-Hitchcock for 12 years, where he served in a number of roles, including interim section chief of hospital medicine and medical director of care management.

3. He serves on committees within OneCare Vermont, an ACO.

4. He is also currently Mt. Ascutney Hospital's primary clinical representative to DartmouthHitchcock, the hospital's partner.

5. Dr. Perras replaces Gay Landstrom, PhD, RN, who served as interim CEO since June 2016. Dr. Landstrom is leaving to take on the CNO role at Warren, Mich.-based St. John Providence health system.
A group of citizens in Estes Park, Colo., decided Monday to create a formal recall committee to oust Park Hospital District Board President Diana Van Der Ploeg, PhD, over concerns about potential violations of state law, hospital policies and general unsound management, the Estes Park Trail-Gazette reports.

The group has called for Dr. Van Der Ploeg and Estes Park Medical Center Interim CEO Mark Gregson to step down immediately. Mr. Gregson will step down in January regardless of what happens with the committee when the hospital's new CEO, Larry Leaming, is installed, according to the report. The recall election is aimed at Dr. Van Der Ploeg.

The group of citizens, which included hospital employees, convened at the Estes Valley Public Library. A local certified public accountant advised the group to form a recall committee, register with the Colorado Secretary of State and begin to raise funds for the effort, which is estimated to cost as much as $12,000, according to the report.

The citizens have voiced concerns about the way the hospital district board is doing business. Among concerns listed by the Estes Park Trail-Gazette: a "culture of bullying" hospital employees, a third term of service for Dr. Van Der Ploeg that violates hospital policy and Mr. Gregson's hiring of a management consulting firm without board approval.

Estes Park Medical Center provided a response in the Estes Park Trail-Gazette. The hospital said Dr. Van Der Ploeg is working with the hospital's legal counsel to review the concerns that have been raised by the citizens and have not yet found wrongdoing.

The statement said Dr. Van Der Ploeg is serving a third term under an exemption unanimously approved by board members, and as interim CEO Mr. Gregson had the authority to hire a consulting firm without board approval.

The response also addresses concerns about how the board handles electronic files of meetings, a process that has specific requirements under state law. "At least one meeting" was recorded on a cell phone, according to the statement. This recording was turned over to the hospital legal counsel. The board has used new equipment since September to ensure the confidential recordings are secure, according to the statement.

Read the full response here.

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The New Year brings a range of opportunities for healthcare leaders, whether that is revamping current efforts to meet a goal or implementing a new strategy moving forward.

The following hospital and health system leaders spanning the United States share their New Year's resolutions for 2017.

Peter Adamo, CEO of Roxborough Memorial Hospital and Suburban Community Hospital (Philadelphia): "One of our resolutions for 2017 is to establish a reliable transportation process for non-emergent runs for our patients. One such option that is showing tremendous promise is an Uber-like service that was recently introduced to us by RoundTrip."

Phil Cormier, CEO of Beverly (Mass.) Hospital and Addison Gilbert Hospital (Gloucester, Mass.): "The national addiction epidemic, including opioids, has been particularly devastating in our communities north of Boston, and while we've seen some success through our teaming with local police departments and area first responders, there's still so much more work to be done. My resolution is to ensure our hospitals take a leadership role to help stem the tide; we will offer even more opioid education to the public and expand the resources and support for not only patients and their families, but also our caregivers. Our hospitals have always been pillars of the communities we serve, and we are committed to helping end this public health crisis."

Joanne Conroy, MD, CEO of Lahey Hospital and Medical Center (Burlington, Mass.): "As federal health policy evolves in 2017, it's critical that we remain focused on innovations in patient care both locally and regionally, committed to delivering outstanding care in our communities and ensure both access and affordability. My New Year's resolution is to create an atmosphere across the Lahey Hospital & Medical Center staff in which we ask 'why not?' rather than saying 'why?' when faced with new challenges. Adjusting to this way of thinking will not only spur new ideas and creative solutions, but also improve outcomes for all our patients."

Kimberly Chavalas Cripe, President and CEO of Children's Hospital of Orange County (Orange, Calif.): "Despite the fact that one out of five children suffers from a mental health condition, there is a national shortage of psychiatric inpatient beds. For too long, the need for pediatric mental health services has been great, but the resources limited. My New Year's resolution is to advocate for more pediatric hospitals to address this need by partnering with their local communities to develop a comprehensive plan that ensures children with mental illnesses and their families get the help and support they need."

Billy Hayes, CEO of Northside Hospital  Cherokee (Ga.): "2017 is a very exciting year for Northside Hospital-Cherokee as we will be moving into our new replacement hospital sometime in the middle of the year. My focus will be to ensure that patients, staff and local residents are informed to provide a smooth transition to the new hospital. I will also be looking to expand service lines to better meet the needs of our community."

Ira Kirschenbaum, MD, Chairman of the Orthopedic Surgery Department and Director of Surgical Operations at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center (New York City), and Chrissy Manning, Practice Administrator of the Orthopedic Surgery Department at the hospital: "2017 will be the year of execution and operational effectiveness. Our goals are to spend less time in meetings discussing things we're going to do, and more time doing things that we learned in meetings in 2016. We want to be better managers and utilize our resources more efficiently. Above all, we want to attack the issues that patients really care about this year and continue to be patient-focused."

Lee Ann Liska, CEO of Augusta (Ga.) University Medical Center: "To round on patients and employees everyday!"

Marcia Manker, CEO of Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center (Fountain Valley, Calif.) and Saddleback Memorial Medical Center (Laguna Hills, Calif.): "In a time of uncertainty of what the future holds, we often forget why we pursued this career. For myself and countless others it will continue to be the passion to make a difference in the health, wellness and lives of the communities we serve; team with our magnificent physicians, nurses, other clinicians, support staff, volunteers, businesses, policy makers and community groups to use our combined talents, skills and innovation to pursue excellence in all we do; and use phenomenal life-changing technologies and digital space to save and improve lives while providing the right care at the right time at the right place."

Brian McIndoe, President and CEO of the William F. Ryan Community Health Network (New York City): "In 2017, the 18-site William F. Ryan Community Health Network will continue its commitment to providing healthcare with integrity and respect to all patients, regardless of their circumstances or ability to pay. We will work closely with our primary care associations and elected leaders to advocate for medically underserved individuals, to retain the expansion of Medicaid and access to health insurance in New York State, and to achieve health equity across our great nation."

Wendy Rebmann, VP of Communications for Easter Seals Bay Area (San Francisco): "In the year ahead, Easter Seals Bay Area plans to renew its focus on changing the way the world defines and views disability. Through taking on disability together with industry innovators, like Salesforce, we are dedicated to continually enhancing our operations and care, education and advocacy for those living with autism and other disabilities. Across the healthcare industry we continue to see siloed departments struggling to piece together patient data  we'd like to challenge the status quo by consolidating data from the many sources for a more holistic patient profile. Our goal is ambitious, but it will deliver better understanding for the patient, deeper patient-provider relationships and an ability for healthcare and behavioral health providers to have all of the critical data at their fingertips."

Jon Utech, Senior Director for Cleveland Clinic's Office for a Healthy Environment: "In 2017, Cleveland Clinic will put patients first by achieving our energy conservation goals. By installing the largest LED lighting retrofit in healthcare, using energy more efficiently, installing Energy Star appliances and engaging all our caregivers, we can reduce our spending. This makes the environment cleaner, our patients healthier and our care more affordable."
Though President-elect Donald Trump has yet to indicate who he will appoint to serve as director of the National Institutes of Health, the current Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, has indicated he would like the job.

Here are four things to know about Dr. Collins and the likelihood of him retaining his post as director of NIH.

1. Dr. Collins told multiple news outlets he would stay on if the opportunity is offered to him. "If I were to be asked, I will tell you, I love this place, and I love the mission of this place. And I'm also somebody who really believes in public service," Dr. Collins told Bloomberg BNA last week. "So if I were asked to stay, I would consider it a privilege. But there may be lots of other attractive candidates out there that they will choose instead to offer that opportunity to. It's not my call." If Dr. Collins is not offered the position, he plans to continue his lab work within the agency, according to an interview with STAT. "I love NIH," Dr. Collins told STAT. "My assumption always had been that I'd go back into the lab, working with postdocs."

2. Dr. Collins has garnered support from Republicans in Congress. Earlier this month, four Republican members of Congress wrote a letter to Mr. Trump urging him to retain Dr. Collins in the position. "Dr. Collins is the right person, at the right time, to continue to lead the world's premier biomedical research agency," the congressmen wrote. Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Reps. Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Tom Cole, R-Okla., signed the letter.

Sen. Alexander, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Rep. Upton, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, helped lead the 21st Century Cures legislation. Sen. Blunt and Rep. Cole serve as chairmen of the House and Senate appropriations committees that determine the NIH budget.

3. However, Dr. Collins is not necessarily a shoo-in. He does have some competition and a few naysayers. His top contender is Rep. Andy Harris, MD, R-Md., who is also campaigning for the job. Rep. Harris is an anesthesiologist and has experience conducting clinical and basic science research, in addition to his political background, he told Science magazine. Rep. Harris told Science he would build on the 21st Century Cures legislation and shift more funding to diseases like Alzheimer's, which drive up healthcare costs.

Current NIH Director Dr. Collins also faces criticisms from those who would like Mr. Trump to "drain the swamp." One such critic, Michael Eisen, PhD, a biologist at University of California, Berkeley and investigator at Chevy Chase, Md.-based Howard Hughes Medical Institute, wrote in a blog he feels, "[C]urrent NIH Director Francis Collins has systematically undermined the effectiveness of the institution and overseen a decline of American science."

4. Dr. Collins was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009. The appointment was approved unanimously by the Senate, according to Bloomberg. Dr. Collins is known for his work on the international Human Genome Project, which identified and mapped the sequence of human DNA. He was director of the NIH's National Human Genome Research Institute from 1993 to 2008. Prior to NIH, Dr. Collins was an investigator with Howard Hughes Medical Institute at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. During Dr. Collin's tenure at NIH, the agency has established the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative, the Accelerating Medicines Partnership and the Precision Medicine Initiative.

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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will now allow three types of advanced practice registered nurses to practice to the top of their licenses without the clinical supervision of physicians, in a move intended to improve access to primary care providers within the agency's healthcare system.

This allows APRNs to take on role consistent with that of the non-VA healthcare sector, according to the federal agency. Cindy Cooke, DNP, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, applauded the VA's decision.

"This final rule is a critical step for America's veterans to be able to obtain timely, high-quality care in the Veterans Health System," Dr. Cooke said in a statement. "We are pleased the VA will move forward with allowing veterans throughout the country to have direct access to nurse practitioner provided healthcare."

The three types of APRNs included in the final rule are certified nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and certified nurse-midwives. Notably absent from the rule are certified registered nurse anesthetists.

The inclusion of CRNAs was controversial in the proposed rule, which was published in May. The American Society of Anesthesiologists in particular opposed the inclusion of CRNAs, claiming it would block veteran access to physician anesthesiologists. ASA said the VA's chiefs of anesthesiology felt the policy "would directly compromise patient safety and limit our ability to provide quality care to veterans."

The VA said it decided not to include CRNAs in the final rule because the healthcare system does not have a shortage of anesthesiology providers. It said this decision was not intended to reflect a position on CRNAs' ability to provide safe, high-quality care.

The ASA praised the final rule Tuesday. "This was the right decision for our nation's veterans and for safe patient care," ASA President Jeffrey Plagenhoef, MD, said in a statement. "We're thrilled with the VA's decision to remove anesthesia from the new advanced practice registered nurses rule. We commend VA's leadership for their recognition that the operating room is a unique care setting and that surgery and anesthesia are inherently dangerous requiring physician leadership. This is true for anyone, but especially for our nation's veterans, given many of them have multiple medical conditions that put them at greater risk for complications during and after surgery and anesthesia."

While the American Medical Association supported the exclusion of CRNAs from the final rule, President Andrew Gurman, MD, issued a statement of opposition. "[W]e are disappointed by the VA's decision today to allow most advanced practice nurses within the VA to practice independently of a physician's clinical oversight, regardless of individual state law," Dr. Gurman said. "This part of the VA's final rule will rewind the clock to an outdated model of care delivery that is not consistent with the current direction of the healthcare system."

The rule, which is effective 30 days after publication, will be published in the Federal Register Dec. 14. The final rule is open for comment. Comments may be submitted online at regulations.gov, by mail or by hand. Find more information on how to submit a comment here.

Editor's note: This article was updated Dec. 14, at 9:00 a.m. CT to include a statement from Cindy Cooke, DNP.

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Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems has signed a definitive agreement to sell Yakima (Wash.) Regional Medical Center & Cardiac Center and Toppenish (Wash.) Community Hospital to Sunnyside (Wash.) Community Hospital & Clinics for approximately $45 million.

Yakima Regional and Toppenish Community Hospital are two of the 71 hospitals CHS acquired from Naples, Fla.-based Health Management Associates in 2014.

The deal to sell the two hospitals is one of seven divestiture transactions CHS has in the works. During a third-quarter earnings call in November, CHS Chairman and CEO Wayne T. Smith said the company is working on selling 17 hospitals, as well as home care and nonhospital real estate, to further reduce its debt.

Commenting on the agreement to sell the Washington hospitals, Mr. Smith said on Tuesday, "We are making progress with our strategic objective to divest a number of properties to focus on a more sustainable portfolio of hospitals and networks for the future."

The transaction, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the second quarter of 2017.

CHS is divesting other Washington hospitals as well. In November, CHS signed a definitive agreement to sell Spokane, Wash.-based Rockwood Health System to Tacoma, Wash.-based MultiCare for $425 million. That transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of next year.

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KentuckyOne to end management of University of Louisville Hospital

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Louisville-based KentuckyOne Health will begin loosening ties with University of Louisville Hospital under a new agreement that takes effect this week. Come July 1, 2017, University Medical Center in Louisville will resume management of the academic medical center and its affiliated cancer center.

KentuckyOne has operated ULH since 2012. While the two organizations will continue their academic affiliation, a new agreement  which "resolves all disputes previously raised"  contains the following changes:

University Medical Center is expected to take over management of ULH and its James Graham Brown Cancer Center July 1, 2017.

Until then, KentuckyOne, University Medical Center and University of Louisville will continue implementing projects that involve up to $44.8 million in capital investments.

The university will release its rights to three seats on KentuckyOne's board.

Several instances of conflict between the two organizations were reported in the past several months. In October, U of L's Executive Vice President of Health Affairs Greg Postel, MD, notified KentuckyOne leadership that the system had fallen behind on its financial obligations to support the university's teaching hospital. The shortage of $46 million in payments hindered operations at the cancer center, Dr. Postel claimed.

KentuckyOne replied by noting a lack of information on how the $524 million the system paid to U of L since March 2013 was allocated. "Like many prominent organizations in Kentucky, we have questions regarding the university's use of financial investment and seek further insight before continuing our planned financial obligations," a KentuckyOne spokesperson said in October.

There was also an executive shakeup at the hospital in June when Ken Marshall resigned from his role as president.

Shortly after that, a prominent surgeon at ULH emailed school officials about "unsafe working conditions" and serious patient safety concerns at the hospital since KentuckyOne assumed management. A state review of the hospital in July found overloaded nurses and intensive care deficiencies endangered three patients. KentuckyOne submitted an action plan for improvement following the investigation.

With news of the pending KentuckyOne-ULH split, a shared statement from the two parties as well as University Medical Center reads: "This decision was agreed upon by all parties as the most effective way to collaborate in care for the community, moving direct operations of the academic medical center to UMC and ensuring continuation of innovative and high-quality patient care and clinical training via KentuckyOne Health facilities."

Dr. Postel also included a statement that the organizations today are "presented with a very different environment than when we signed the joint operating agreement and revised the academic affiliation agreement in 2012."
Under a newly signed agreement, Pittsburgh-based UPMC International will provide a wide range of advisory services to Macare Women's Hospital in Quanzhou, China, including physician and nurse training and assessment of clinical service lines.

The partnership with the newly built 52-bed women's hospital is UPMC's fourth in China.

The initial agreement includes training in Pittsburgh for Macare physicians, nurses and administrators, followed by an in-depth, onsite assessment of the hospital's operations by UPMC's clinical and operational experts.

The experts will review the physical hospital structure and layout, clinical service lines and program development, talent acquisition, infection prevention and control, information systems, and laboratory operations. Upon completion of the assessment by the end of 2018, the parties expect to begin negotiations for a long-term collaborative relationship focused on implementing recommendations.
These 15 contract resolutions and dissolutions occurred between payers and providers in the past month, beginning with the most recent.

1. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center joins Anthem BCBS network

Columbus-based The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center will provide in-network care to all Indianapolis-based Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage members in Ohio.

2. Tenet, Centene reach 3-year agreement

Tenet Healthcare in Dallas and Centene reached a three-year agreement to continue providing Centene policyholders access to Tenet facilities at reduced, in-network rates.

3. BCBS, Texas Health Resources reach impasse in contract negotiations

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas will drop Arlington-based Texas Health Resources from its network Jan. 1, unless the two organizations reach a new contract by the end of the year.

4. UnitedHealthcare, Tenet reach in-network access agreement

Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare and UnitedHealthcare have reached a four-year agreement, which provides UnitedHealthcare members with in-network access to Tenet's facilities throughout the country.

5. Anthem, Owensboro Health to add 50 physicians to network

Indianapolis-based Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and Owensboro (Ky.) Health are in negotiations to expand in-network care in western Kentucky and southern Indiana.

6. Humana, JSA Medical Group link up for Florida Medicare Advantage practice

Louisville, Ky.-based Humana and St. Petersburg, Fla.-based JSA Medical Group partnered for one primary care practice in Humana's Florida Medicare Advantage network.

7. Sutter Health negotiates contract renewals with Blue Shield, other insurers

Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health is in talks with Blue Shield, Cigna and Health Net regarding contract renewals for 2017.

8. CHI Memorial, UnitedHealthcare reach agreement

CHI Memorial in Chattanooga, Tenn., and UnitedHealthcare repaired business ties Nov. 22, meaning about 5,000 UnitedHealthcare customers in the area can once again receive discounted care at CHI Memorial facilities.

9. St. Peter's Health System, CDPHP reach verbal agreement

Albany, N.Y.-based St. Peter's Health Partners and Albany-based Capital District Physicians' Health Plan verbally resolved disputes threatening to end their contract.

10. NMHS prepares to drop United as negotiations stall

North Mississippi Health Services President and CEO Shane Spees said the health system is preparing to leave UnitedHealthcare's provider network Dec. 29 after failing to reach an acceptable contract resolution.

11. Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, BCBS end ACA plan contract

Blue Cross of Idaho dropped Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center from its ACA health plan network for 2017.

12. BCBS, Baylor Scott & White Health ink 4-year agreement

Richardson-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health extended their relationship through a four-year contract.

13. BCBS of Georgia, St. Mary's Health Care System ink agreement

Athens, Ga.-based St. Mary's Health Care System and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia reached an agreement to continue in-network collaboration.

14. Everett Clinic, Regence BlueShield reach contract resolution

The Everett (Wash.) Clinic will network with Seattle-based Regence BlueShield for 2017 health plans, overriding contract disputes that could have disrupted care for 69,000 patients.

15. Blue Cross, Fairview network spat could affect 170k patients

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota's and Fairview Health Services' current network contract expires Dec. 31, after which nearly 170,000 patients could lose access to Fairview services at discounted prices.

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U.S. Department of Justice lawyers questioned Aetna executives Monday about the payer's decision to exit the majority of ACA exchanges it operated in during an antitrust trial challenging Aetna's proposed $37 billion takeover of Humana, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In a July 5 letter, Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna warned the DOJ it would reduce its 2017 ACA exchange footprint if the DOJ sued to enjoin its acquisition of Louisville, Ky.-based Humana. On July 21, the DOJ sued the payers over concerns their deal would hamper competition in Medicare Advantage and ACA exchange markets. Then on Aug. 15, the insurer said next year it would exit 11 of the 15 state ACA exchanges it operated in.

Here are five things to know about the executives' testimonies.

1. The DOJ argued Aetna exited the exchanges to avoid antitrust claims that the Aetna-Humana deal would impede ACA exchange competition in 17 counties spanning Florida, Georgia and Missouri. However, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini said Aetna's decision was based on business, citing financial losses on the exchange that could amount to $350 million for 2016.

2. Aetna's head of exchange business Jonathan Mayhew testified if the decision had been up to him, Aetna would no longer participate in any exchanges. He said the business "has continued to deteriorate as the year has progressed," reports The Wall Street Journal.

3. The DOJ presented internal Aetna emails discussing the insurer's actions in the 17 counties identified by the department. At least one email discussion involved questions about whether leaving the Florida market was a good business move. On the witness stand, Mr. Mayhew also said he had been told to keep decisions about Aetna's operations in the 17 counties verbal so written documentation could not be shared with the DOJ, according to the report.

4. The DOJ also argued an Aetna-Humana deal would impede competition in the Medicare Advantage market. Mr. Bertolini testified Aetna and Humana's divesture plan  selling $117 million worth of Medicare Advantage assets to Long Beach, Calif.-based Molina Healthcare  would address the DOJ's antitrust concerns. U.S. District Judge John Bates may allow the transaction to progress if he agrees with Aetna and Humana's argument that their Medicare Advantage assets compete with traditional Medicare run by the government, Reuters reports.

5. Mr. Bertolini also testified he had "high expectations" that an Aetna-Humana deal would save $3 billion in costs and efficiencies if approved.
Two Bay Pines (Fla.) VA Healthcare System staff members were fired for their role in leaving a veteran's body in a shower for more than nine hours in February, hospital officials told the Tampa Bay Times.

On Friday, the Tampa Bay Times reported the findings of a 24-page investigative report produced by the hospital in April. The newspaper obtained a heavily redacted copy under the federal Freedom of Information Act.

According to the report, which was based on interviews with 30 witnesses, hospice staff asked a patient transporter to move the patient's body to the morgue. The transporter asked hospice staff to follow protocol and contact hospital dispatch, which never happened. This meant no one came for the patient's body and it was instead moved to a hallway and later a shower room, where it was left unattended.

The report also revealed staff falsely documented the incident and misrepresented why it happened.

Although Bay Pines initially did not disclose what disciplinary actions had been taken as a result of the internal investigation, the hospital provided more details this week.

Bay Pines spokesman Jason Dangel told the Tampa Bay Times all staff involved in the incident were removed from patient care. Following the internal investigation, two staff members were fired and others were suspended or received warnings for their involvement, he said.

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United States Senator Bob Casey, D-Pa, is calling for a federal inquiry into the CDC's handling of the 2012 Legionnaires' outbreak at Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The call to action comes after the Post-Gazette released a two-part series, published Sunday and Monday, examining email correspondence between CDC officials. The emails were obtained by the publication more than three years after they were requested under the Freedom of Information Act.

During the investigation into the 2012 outbreak, Victor Yu, MD, and Janet Stout, PhD, suggested the Legionella bacteria at play in the outbreak may have developed a resistance to the copper-silver ionization system that was used at the health system for decades. However, the CDC emails obtained by the Post-Gazette reportedly reveal a bias against the two researchers and the notion of resistance.

Reportage from the Post-Gazette suggests CDC officials may have deliberately steered the investigation against the copper-silver system  a technology experts hold varying opinions on. For the agency's 2013 report on the outbreak, CDC investigators found the staff members in charg of maintaining the copper-silver system were not at fault. The CDC then reportedly convinced the VA to switch to a chlorine disinfection system, which the agency favored.

A separate 2013 report conducted by the VA's Office of the Inspector General found the VA's employees to be at fault for not properly maintaining the copper-silver disinfectant system.

"It is of great concern to me and should be to anyone interested in this that there could be bias in the CDC's results in this investigation," said Mr. Casey on Monday, according to the Post-Gazette. "I am going to ask the Inspector General at the CDC how [the CDC] managed this investigation and whether they accurately reported the results in this investigation."

From 2011 to 2012, 22 veterans across the Pittsburgh VA Health System were infected with Legionnaires'. The outbreak resulted in six deaths.

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Nearly every corner of the U.S. has been affected by various bacterial and viral infectious disease outbreaks. Five such outbreaks from the last three months are detailed below.



1. Mumps

As of Dec. 3, seven states have reported more than 100 mumps cases to the CDC this year. In fact, 46 states and the District of Columbia reported a total of 4,258 of mumps infections this year  every state but Delaware, Louisiana, Vermont and Wyoming. For perspective, in 2012, just 229 mumps cases were reported.

Arkansas is dealing with a particularly large mumps outbreak. The Arkansas Department of Health said there were 1,872 mumps cases as of Dec. 6.

2. Norovirus

Montana is dealing with a rash of norovirus outbreaks, with 12 outbreaks confirmed since late September that affected more than 250 people. Two outbreaks of the highly contagious virus in Billings occurred in long-term care facilities.

3. Salmonella

Barnyard animals like chickens and cows have been spreading Salmonella to Americans this year, according to the CDC.

For instance, backyard flocks of poultry like chickens, ducks and geese were responsible for giving 895 people from every state but Hawaii and New Mexico Salmonella infections. Of those, 209 had to be hospitalized, the CDC reported in October.

Dairy bull calves have also spread Salmonella to Americans this year  the young male cows are to blame for sickening 21 people in eight states in an outbreak of a multidrug-resistant strain of Salmonella Heidelberg.

The CDC recommends thoroughly washing hands after touching animals to prevent Salmonella infections.

4. Streptococcus

Alaska is battling a new strain of group A Streptococcus bacteria that had hospitalized at least 28 people this year, as of Nov. 29. Three of the infected have died.

The outbreak started in early 2016 in Fairbanks when 10 people were hospitalized. It then showed up in Anchorage in July.

Strep bacteria can cause numerous types of infections, ranging from less-severe strep throat to infections like toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis, a fast-spreading skin infection that kills the body's soft tissue.

The elderly, very young and immunocompromised people tend to be more susceptible to group A strep infections, and experts have found that Native Americans are also at higher risk for such infections.

5. Hepatitis A

Roughly 134 people have been affected by a hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen strawberries. As of November, nine states reported infections  Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Wisconsin, Arkansas and California.

Nearly all of those infected reported eating a smoothie from Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations.

See a similar outbreaks roundup from September.
Worcester, Mass.-based St. Vincent Hospital met the Dec. 12 deadline to submit its correction plan to the state and CMS, meaning the Tenet Healthcare-owned hospital is no longer at risk of losing Medicare and Medicaid funding.

St. Vincent Hospital's government contracts were put in jeopardy after CMS and the state Department of Public Health investigated a wrong-patient surgery. A patient identification error led a surgeon to remove a healthy kidney from a patient.

The hospital's correction plan was accepted ahead of schedule on Nov. 29, according to Erica Noonan, a hospital spokeswoman.

"St. Vincent leaders worked closely with state and federal officials to ensure all aspects of the plan were completed well in advance of the deadline," she said in an emailed statement.

According to the Telegram, regulators required the hospital to develop and implement a hospitalwide data-driven quality assessment and performance improvement program.
Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly unveiled Tuesday a new discount program for its insulin products. Under the program, which begins in January, patients who pay full price for insulin will be able to access a 40 percent discount, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Uninsured individuals or those with high-deductible health plans may order the discounted drug through a startup called Blink Health, which offers savings on prescription drugs through a free app and website.

Eli Lilly produces several insulin products, including Humalog, which has jumped in cost from $21 a vial in 1996 to $255 in 2016.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the program represents part of a growing effort among drug companies to combat public scrutiny of high drug prices.

"The healthcare system is incredibly complex, and we hope this program is a first step that will drive more thinking and innovative solutions for people with diabetes," Enrique Conterno, president of Lilly Diabetes, said in a news release. "A more extensive solution will require leadership and cooperation across many stakeholders, including manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers, insurers and patients."

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Any transition arrangements following Britain's withdrawal from the European Union must be time-limited to prevent them becoming permanent, the European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator has said.

Guy Verhofstadt's comments come a day after Chancellor Philip Hammond told MPs that a transitional deal could be necessary to avoid instability across the continent.

But former Ukip leader Nigel Farage sounded an alarm that increasing talk of a transitional period following the completion of two-year withdrawal negotiations amounted to "backsliding" on the June 23 referendum vote for Brexit.

Mr Verhofstadt told BBC Radio 4's World at One: "Transitional arrangements are certainly possible, but it has to be, in my opinion, transitional arrangements with a time limit. It could be two or three years, I don't know - we are going to see what will be on the table.

"But a time limit is necessary because I have seen many times in politics that a so-called transitional agreement becomes an eternal or definitive agreement. That has to be avoided, so if there's a necessity for measures phasing in or phasing out, they have to be time-limited."

The former Belgian prime minister also said he expected "hundreds of thousands, maybe millions" of British nationals to be interested in taking up associate EU citizenship, under a plan which he is due to table for consideration as part of the Brexit deal.

Under the scheme, nationals of former member states would be able to pay to maintain their rights to live and work around the EU.

Theresa May has promised to trigger Article 50 of the EU treaties by the end of March, starting the formal countdown to Brexit by April 2019.

But businesses - particularly in the City - have expressed concerns about the possibility of a sudden "cliff edge" change in arrangements once the UK leaves the EU, particularly if it also quits the single market. And Mr Hammond's comments have raised the prospect of the UK not finally extricating itself from the EU until years after the Article 50 negotiations are concluded.

Mr Hammond told the Commons Treasury Committee on Monday that "thoughtful politicians" and officials on both sides of the English Channel could see the benefits in a transitional approach to " manage the adjustment between where we are now as full members of the European Union and where we get to in the future".

His comments come after suggestions in a leaked memo following a meeting with financiers that Brexit Secretary David Davis was "not really interested" in a transitional deal.

And Mr Farage said he was worried at the prospect of "Guy Verhofstadt teaming up with Philip Hammond".

"I think we are seeing backsliding," the Ukip MEP told World at One. "I think we are seeing time delays and I see transitional arrangements very much as part of that."

But the leader of Conservative MEPs, Ashley Fox, told the programme that he could envisage a transitional deal which involved the UK continuing to make payments into EU budgets for some time after Brexit.

"When we reach an agreement with the EU, there are likely to be transitional provisions within it so different sectors will be treated slightly differently, so there isn't going to be a cliff edge," he said.

"If we leave in the first half of 2019, there will be some provisions that carry on for a little while and I think that is very sensible... I don't see us paying on an ongoing basis but as part of a transitional agreement, that's something we might consider."

Mr Verhofstadt said that any deal under Article 50 needed to be concluded by the end of 2018 to allow time for it to be approved by national parliaments and the European Parliament before the next round of MEP elections in May 2019, which he did not expect Britain to take part in.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer suggested that a transitional arrangement would be needed because it might be "impossible" to secure a trade deal within the two-year Article 50 deadline.

Speaking at an event in London, he said: "Most sensible observers think that it is impossible to complete both sets of negotiations within the time frame available, particularly bearing in mind that - as was pointed out last week - the time frame is probably nearer 18 months than two years.

"So I think it is helpful that the Chancellor has acknowledged that there will have to be transitional arrangements, he is right about that. It's difficult to say how long they will go on, but it is right that the Government is at least acknowledging that there will be transitional arrangements."

But Brexit-backing Tory MP Peter Lilley warned against any arrangement that would involve Britain paying into the EU budget.

The former cabinet minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "You've talked about the Chancellor having said we'd continue to pay.

"I didn't hear that in his statement and I'm sure he wouldn't."

Meanwhile, a study from a Lords Brexit committee due out later in the week will warn tens of thousands of banking jobs could be lost to the Continent from next year if there is no agreement on a transitional deal , The Guardian reports.

Peers have considered a range of potential job losses to financial services because of Brexit, including one putting the figure as high at 200,000, the newspaper said.
A canny bet against the pound ahead of the Brexit vote helped Britain's biggest charity and medical research institute the Wellcome Trust boost the value of its funds to nearly 21 billion.

The group - the main source of non-Governmental biomedical research in the UK - said it cut its exposure to the pound to an all-time low ahead of the EU referendum, scrapping a rule to hold at least a quarter of its assets in sterling.

This helped deliver an 18.8% surge in the trust's assets under management to 20.9 billion in the year to September 30, putting it on track to invest at least 5 billion into medical research over the next five years.

Its returns came as other investment firms have been battered by the pound's sharp plunge in value, with Britain's decision to quit the EU sending it tumbling to 31-year lows against the US dollar.

The fund said the global spread of its investments helped it weather the Brexit blow, as it did in the financial crisis.

Danny Truell, managing partner of Wellcome Trust's investment team, said: "The decision to reduce home country bias and to diversify assets and geographical exposure has borne fruit.

"Although future investment returns are unlikely to match recent experience, we remain confident that the portfolio should generate sufficient cash flows to insulate the trust from potentially more difficult conditions."

The trust said it saw double-digit returns from all its investment sectors, except property.

Its investment budget has doubled in the past 10 years and hit more than 1 billion for the first time in the year to September 30.

Eliza Manningham-Buller, chair of Wellcome, said: "Our charitable expenditure is now over 50% more a year than it was five years ago in 2011 and more than double that of a decade ago."

The trust holds direct investments in a number of technology giants, with stakes in Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba.

Royal Dutch Shell is its biggest direct UK investment.

The organisation was set up in 1936.

It was launched after the death of pharmaceutical entrepreneur Sir Henry Wellcome, who left the entire share capital of his company to trustees charged with spending income to further human and animal health.
The Wolfsburg-based manufacturer also announced an intention to help more women occupy senior roles

German car maker Volkswagen has said its staff will speak more English as it makes reforms following the diesel emissions scandal.

The firm's head of human resources, Karlheinz Blessing, announced that "in the future, English is to be the group language".

It will replace German at conferences involving company bosses by 2021, but not during informal discussions or among workers on the assembly line.

The Wolfsburg-based manufacturer also announced an intention to help more women occupy senior roles.

On September 18 last year US regulators told Volkswagen to recall 482,000 diesel cars after discovering they contained illegal defeat devices.

The Environmental Protection Agency said the software allowed cars to release fewer smog-causing pollutants during tests than in real-world driving conditions.

It then emerged that about 11 million cars worldwide were fitted with the software, including 1.2 million in the UK.
A scheme to help local firms innovate and create new products has been launched.

The Invest NI Collaborative Growth Programme, which is worth 5.7m, will award funding of up to 25,000 to businesses over the next five years.

Economy Minister Simon Hamilton said: "Innovation is absolutely essential to wider economic growth, and the Collaborative Growth Programme will support SMEs to combine expertise, funding and contacts to develop new products and services and open up new business opportunities worldwide.

"The practice of open innovation is recognised as a significant driver of regional competitiveness, so it's important we leverage our unique selling points to maximise our strengths on the international stage."

Speaking at the launch event at Titanic Belfast yesterday, economist Christian Ketels, from Harvard Business School, added: "Value creation and innovation ultimately always occurs in companies. But we increasingly see that their success is not only a function of their internal strengths, but (also) depends upon the partners that they are connected with and on the business environment in which they operate.

"Invest NI's Collaborative Growth Programme is a promising piece in the puzzle to enhance the odds for Northern Ireland companies to succeed in competition, generating benefits both for them and for the Northern Ireland economy."

Applications for the new scheme are now open, with a focus on groups or businesses involved in areas such as agrifood, engineering, digital IT and life sciences.

The Department for the Economy said previous similar schemes had benefited companies including Kilkeel-based Sea Source, which in the past 18 months has secured approximately 8m of new business.

Speaking yesterday, Davey Hill, from Sea Source, said: "It is crucial that we build on the work already done to ensure we deliver a sustainable future through diversification and maximisation of our assets and skills, and continue to support our community.''

At the same time, a planned 36m expansion of Kileel harbour could see approximately 1,000 jobs created in the area.

A group of fishermen, engineering firms and fish processors are planning to build a new breakwater and an onshore development that would allow bigger boats into the harbour.

While fishermen are currently catching prawns, the expansion could see the Co Down harbour landing mackerel and herring.
For every 1 spent on newspaper cover prices, 28p goes to retailers and wholesalers

Britain's news industry pumped 5.3 billion into the UK economy last year, supporting thousands of jobs and businesses across the country, research shows.

While revenues have nearly halved since 2003 amid a slowdown in print circulation and the transition to digital news, sector expenditure supported around 87,500 UK jobs in 2015, according to a report commissioned by the News Media Association and carried out by Deloitte.

The industry spent a total of 4.3 billion last year. Around 1.5 billion went towards staff wages, with UK news organisations directly employing 28,600 people.

The rest was spent on suppliers, UK taxes and other costs, Deloitte said.

That helped support around 30,700 jobs across the news supply chain, including ink and newsprint suppliers, while wholesale and retail newspaper distributors employed around 9,100 people.

Deloitte found that for every 1 that consumers pay on the newspaper cover price, an average of 28p goes straight to retailers and wholesalers, representing around 640 million in annual revenues.

A further 19,100 roles are supported through the wages spent by sector employees on goods and services such as restaurants.

Ed Shedd, partner and head of technology, media and telecommunications at Deloitte, said: "It is clear that the news media industry makes an extremely valuable economic contribution to the UK. This is a vibrant sector that distributes value across the supply chain."

The report adds that national and regional media outlets also served as an "important channel" for small and medium-sized business to connect with customers, as those business typically face higher barriers to advertising.

In addition to the sector's economic contribution, Deloitte said the news industry improves community cohesion and literacy, which can lead to "enhanced productivity, employment and health outcomes", especially when news outlets run articles on lifestyle choices and early disease detection.

Investigative journalism also plays an important function, holding "powerful figures and institutions to account", Deloitte said, pointing to work such as the The Guardian's Panama Paper revelations and the Sunday Times' investigation into Fifa.

However, as the industry continues to struggle under shrinking revenues, original journalism is coming under threat.

"Although digital revenues of news media organisations are growing, they are failing to offset the fall in print revenue," Deloitte said.

Annual average revenue per print consumer is around 124, while the digital equivalent is around 15.

But the sector invested more than 97 million in digital services last year, helping to future-proof the industry, the report said.

Deloitte said: "With the ongoing shift to digital readership among all audiences and the greater use of digital media by younger audiences, the sector's ongoing role as an engine of original news content relies on it being able to monetise digital audiences effectively so it can continue investing in quality journalism."
Emily Blunt, Hugh Grant and Dev Patel are among a host of British stars who have been nominated for Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.

Blunt is nominated for best performance by an actress for her starring role as a struggling alcoholic in psychological thriller The Girl On The Train.

Grant has been recognised in the supporting actor category for his performance in comedy Florence Foster Jenkins. He will compete for the award with Patel, who was nominated for the drama Lion.

In the television categories, 12-year-old British actress Millie Bobby Brown is nominated for best performance by an actress in a drama series for Netflix drama Stranger Things.

She will compete with fellow Britons Claire Foy, who received a nod for her performance as the Queen in The Crown, and Thandie Newton for Westworld.

British actress Naomie Harris is nominated for best performance by a supporting actress in a motion picture after playing a crack addict in coming-of-age drama Moonlight.

Fellow Briton Riz Ahmed is up for best actor in a television movie or limited series for his performance in crime drama The Night Of.

In the past, SAG nominations have served as helpful predictors of who will land nominations in the four Oscar acting categories.

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone both received nods for their performances in musical La La Land, which is being tipped as a favourite for Academy Award success.

Gosling will compete for the best actor gong with Andrew Garfield, who has been recognised for his portrayal of Second World War hero Desmond Doss in Mel Gibson's drama Hacksaw Ridge.

Casey Affleck (Manchester By The Sea), Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic) and Denzel Washington (Fences) are also nominated in the category.

Blunt and Stone will battle for the best actress award with Amy Adams for her portrayal as a linguistics expert in sci-fi drama Arrival, Natalie Portman for her performance as former US first lady Jackie Kennedy in Jackie and Meryl Streep for Florence Foster Jenkins.

In the supporting actress category, Harris will go head-to-head with Nicole Kidman (Lion) Viola Davis (Fences), Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures) and Michelle Williams (Manchester By The Sea).

Grant and Patel face competition for the supporting actor prize from Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Jeff Bridges (Hell Or High Water) and Lucas Hedges (Manchester By The Sea).

John Lithgow is nominated for best actor in a drama series for his performance as Sir Winston Churchill in The Crown, the Netflix drama about the early days of the Queen's reign.

He will compete with Kevin Spacey who is recognised for his performance as President Frank Underwood in House Of Cards and Peter Dinklage from Game Of Thrones.

Stranger Things actress Brown, who plays a girl with psychokinetic abilities on the Netflix show, will battle for her best actress in a drama series award with her co-star Winona Ryder.

The casts of Downton Abbey, The Crown, Game Of Thrones, Stranger Things and Westworld will compete for best ensemble in a drama series.

The People Versus OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, the drama about the murder trial of former American footballer OJ Simpson, scored three nominations.

Sarah Paulson, who played prosecutor Marcia Clarke, is up for best actress in a TV movie or limited series, while Courtney B Vance - who portrayed Simpson's lawyer Johnnie Cochran - and Sterling K Brown's performance as prosecutor Christopher Darden have been recognised in the best actor category.

Actress Lily Tomlin will receive the SAG Life Achievement Award at the ceremony ,which take place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 29.
Orchestra Northern Arizona will present its sixth annual Candy Cane Matinee Concert in Flagstaff High Schools Hurley Theater on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 2 p.m. The concert will feature crowd-pleasers and holiday favorites for the whole family, with music by Tchaikovsky, Offenbach, Saint-Saens and more.

Fun is the watchword for this concert, said ONA Artistic Director David Cripps. There will be a candy cane giveaway, a raffle to conduct the orchestra, a Christmas carol sing-along and, of course, great music played by your own community orchestra."

With more than 70 amateur and professional musicians, Orchestra Northern Arizona is a community-based performing group dedicated to the rehearsal and performance of symphonic music.

Cripps will present and conduct Saturday's concert, along with ONAs new assistant conductor, Desmond Siu.

ONA concerts are free to public, or pay-what-you-can, with a suggested donation of $5 per adult.

For more information about this concert or about ONA, visit www.orchestrana.org or email admin@orchestrana.org. Flagstaff High School is located at 400 W. Elm, Ave., and is ADA compliant.

Veterans cemetery to host wreath ceremony Saturday

On Saturday, Dec. 17 at 10 a.m., the public is invited to attend the Wreaths Across America Ceremony at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Camp Navajo. The national program honors veterans by placing wreaths on their headstones. Simultaneously, wreaths will be placed at Arlington National Cemetery and all other military cemeteries nationwide.

Several regional veteran service organizations from northern Arizona have been instrumental in the planning and will participate. These include the Ashfork and Williams American Legion and Ladies Auxiliaries, the Daughters of the American Revolution of Flagstaff and Sedona, and the VFW Post 1709 from Flagstaff. Other organizations scheduled to attend are the Marine Corps League of Flagstaff and the Scottish American Military Society of Flagstaff.

The Wreaths across Americas mission is to, Remember, Honor and Teach: Remember the fallen, honor those who serve including their families who sacrifice and teach our children the cost of the freedoms we enjoy each day."

For more information, contact the Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Camp Navajo at 214-3475.
Think corsets are confined to period dramas? Well not any more. The waist-sculpting garment has had a modern makeover and now a Belfast grandmother, her daughter and granddaughter can't wait to get into their festive party frocks.

If you are wishing you had made more of an effort to lose a few pounds to fit into your Christmas party frock don't despair, as one local family has discovered a secret weapon which allows you to drop a dress size instantly. Looking incredibly glamorous in their sparkly festive dresses for this exclusive photo shoot, three generations of the same family demonstrate how an age -old garment which has recently enjoyed a revival - the corset - can instantly shrink your figure.

Belfast grandmother Pat Seawright (76), her daughter Alison Taylor (53) and granddaughter Stephanie McVeigh (26) shaved inches from their waists and tummies to look and feel sensational in their figure-hugging party dresses.

The women were amazed by the transformation before and after donning their new Cinch Corsets. Cinch Corsets was launched by Holywood women Angela Hunter and Nicola McIlhagger who saw a gap in the market for comfortable shape wear and designed and launched their own product in June 2015, which has since taken the fashion market by storm.

Not only do they make an instant impact by creating curves and a flat tummy but the corsets are designed as a slimming aid with a unique latex material which, over time, helps to attack unwanted body fat and impurities within the body.

Pat, her daughter and granddaughter are thrilled to have found a simple solution to feeling fantastic in time for the festive season.

Pat, who is married to Ronnie (76) and also has a son David (51), says she has been a lifelong fan of the girdle and can't believe the difference the corset has made since she treated herself to one just a couple of months ago.

Pat says she was thrilled to fit into daughter Alison's little black party dress for our photo shoot.

She had her eye on the dress for some time but wouldn't have had the confidence to wear until she got her corset.

"My mother always told me to wear a girdle to make sure I look well in my clothes, and I do to this day," she says.

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"Alison bought a Cinch Corset about a year ago and I was amazed at the difference it made to her and I thought I would treat myself to one this year, too.

"It really works," she says. "I started to wear it round the house thinking I would need to get used to it because I thought it would be restrictive - but it isn't, it is very comfortable.

"I always loved Alison's black dress and I didn't think I would get into it, but I felt great in it for the photo shoot."

Pat describes her own style as smart-casual, but likes to dress up for special occasions. She's now looking forward to wearing a party dress at a number of Christmas events she has coming up this year.

Like most women she has had confidence issues with her body over the years and, while she isn't a follower of fashion anymore, she still likes to look her best.

Pat says: "I was never into designer fashion and also when you get older you tend not to buy as many clothes and just wear what is in your wardrobe. But this year because of the corset I think I will treat myself to something new for Christmas.

"My big issue is my arms," she points out. "When a woman is asked what part of their body they least like for me it has always been my arms. I have always felt that I have big arms and usually buy tops and dresses with sleeves in them.

"When you are younger it is exciting getting dressed up to go out but as you get older you take it more in your stride. This year I have a few events to go to at Christmas and because I feel so good in the corset I'm looking forward to getting dressed up in something new."

Daughter Alison says she wouldn't be without her corset since she bought it over a year ago.

Alison works at home, carrying out the marketing for her husband Harry's shop Ink & Laptop. The mum-of-two - she also has a son Jonathan (25) as well as Stephanie - recently treated herself to the newest style of corset designed to sculpt the upper back and chest.

She says: "I have always been conscious of back fat but this new corset goes on like a waistcoat and I love it. It gives you a fantastic shape."

Alison also prefers casual attire during the day but loves to put on the style for a night out. And her body confidence has soared since she got a corset a year ago: "I have a bit of a tummy and I couldn't believe the difference when I put the corset on.

"It was just brilliant as it pulls you in. At first I thought it wasn't going to be very comfortable but I wear it every day - even sitting at my computer at home. I forget that I have it on.

"I have bought shaping underwear previously which comes up under your bra. But I always needed someone to go to the toilet with me, when I was out, to pull them up again at the back.

"The corset is just amazing. I feel more confident with it on and, as well as flattening my stomach, I think it lifts your bust as well and helps your posture too. Overall you have a better body shape."

Alison has seen her weight yo-yo over the years and she did try running a few years ago to keep trim but, for health reasons, had to give it up. Now a size 16 on top and 14 on bottom she says she would have been too self-conscious to wear a figure-hugging dress - until she started wearing a corset.

She says: "I have a party to go to on Christmas Day and I am looking forward to wearing my nice clingy dress. The corset really has made such a difference to how I feel in clothes."

And Alison's daughter Stephanie is a convert to the corset, too.

Stephanie (26), who is a pre-school manager and lives in Comber, is married to Karl (29), an engineer.

She bought her corset a month ago and now wears it every day.

Even though she is a slim size 10/12 she believes the corset has dramatically changed her body shape. She is now such a fan that she has persuaded her girlfriends that it is a wardrobe essential.

Stephanie says: "I would have been a bit sceptical and even though mum had got her corset a year ago and I could see how good it made her look I still wasn't convinced.

"I'm not skinny but I'm quite fit and I couldn't see how it would make much difference to me.

"I was in my local hair salon recently and all the girls there who are very slim were talking about it and I just thought I had to try it. I bought one and, honestly, can't believe how good I felt the instant I put it on."

She admires her grandmother's style and loves the fact that her mother now asks her advice when choosing something to wear for a special occasion.

The pre-school manager says the two women have been fashion role models for her and, while she loves the latest styles, admitted she lacked the confidence to wear her most fitted clothes.

"My nanny is always very smartly turned out and wouldn't be seen dead walking down the street in a tracksuit," she explains. "And mum loves her jeans, but also loves to dress up too if she's going out.

"I like to get glammed up too but three of my favourite dresses are very figure-hugging and I wouldn't wear them because I would have been too self-conscious. I was worried they would show off any lumps and bumps.

"Now I can't wait to wear them at Christmas and I honestly didn't think I would wear them again.

"Even though I am a size 10 I would have been quite conscious of my waist, hips and tummy, especially if I was feeling a bit bloated.

"I've been wearing my corset every day and I'm running after 21 children - you don't even know you are wearing it.

"It just makes me feel so good," she adds. "I've had a jumper for two years which I've never worn because I felt it was too tight around my hips but I'm wearing it now with the corset and it feels good.

"I go running a couple of times a week but I like to socialise at weekends with friends and have a glass of wine or two and I do like my food.

"I'm thrilled to have discovered the corset and I'm telling all my friends about it - and two of them have recently bought one as well."
Press Eye Ltd Northern Ireland - 25th January 2012 Mandatory Credit - Photo-Jonathan Porter/Presseye. Ballymurphy massacre relatives call for a meeting with the Prime Minister, David Cameron. 10 people were shot dead by soldiers in west Belfast in August 1971. The victims, which included a priest and a mother-of-eight, were killed over the course of three days in August 1971 by members of the Parachute Regiment during Operation Demetrius, when people suspected of paramilitary activity were interned. Relatives Rita Bonner, John Teggart and Briege Voyle pictured at the top of the Whiterock Road in west Belfast beside a mural depicting the shootings.

Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Danny Teggart who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast

Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Danny Teggart who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast

Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Danny Teggart who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast

Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Joseph Corr who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast

Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Fr Hugh Mullan who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast

Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 John McKerr who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast

Joseph Murphy was one of 10 people shot dead by British soldiers in West Belfast in 1971

Father Hugh Mullan. Shot at Moyard Park. 9/8/1971 THE FUNERAL HEARSE CARRYING THE BODY OF FATHER HUGH MULLAN TRAVELS ALONG THE ROAD IN BALLYMURPHY ESTATE. 12/8/1971

Mourners file past the coffin of Father Hugh Mullan, one of the 10 people killed (PA Archive)

Ballymurphy: troops stand by at the junction of Springfield and Whiterock Roads (20/09/1970)

Riots : Belfast. August 1970. The common sight in the Roman Catholic estate at Ballymurphy, Belfast, as young rioters attack the army with missiles during the troubles. (04/08/70)

Riots: Belfast. August 1970. Soldiers shelter behind their riot shields during rioting at Ballymurphy. (04/08/70)

Riots : Belfast. January 1971. Soldiers frisking passengers and driver of a car on the Springfield Road, near Ballymurphy. (14/01/1971)

The families of ten people shot dead by soldiers in west Belfast 45 years ago have won High Court permission to challenge the withholding of funding for inquests into the deaths.

Lawyers for the Ballymurphy families were granted leave to seek a judicial review against the Stormont Executive and the British Government.

They claim the continued refusal to release resources is thwarting a five-year plan devised by Northern Ireland's most senior judge to deal with a backlog of tribunals into Troubles-related killings.

Barrister Fiona Doherty QC argued: "These legacy inquests have been sucked into the pernicious politics of this jurisdiction.

"Its time for the court to exercise it's constitutional role and uphold the rule of law."

Legal proceedings were issued on behalf a daughter of one of the civilians shot dead in Ballymurphy over a three-day period during the introduction of internment in August 1971.

A separate action is being taken on behalf of the families of eight IRA men ambushed and killed by the SAS at Loughgall, Co Armagh in May 1987.

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Both challenges are aimed at securing an order for the release of money required to hear all outstanding legacy inquests.

Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan has called for urgent action to fund his blueprint for having all cases dealt with within five years.

With the cost of the plan estimated at around 10m, the government has said resources will not be released until a political agreement is reaching on dealing with the past.

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In court today counsel for the Stormont Department of Justice and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland said he was not opposing leave to seek a judicial review in the Ballymurphy proceedings.

Tony McGleenan QC accepted that an arguable case worthy of further consideration had been raised.

He also confirmed no instructions had been provided by the third respondent in the case - the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister.

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Ms Doherty emphasised how the Lord Chief Justice's plan represents "extraordinary progress" from his previous warning that legacy inquests could be continuing in 2040.

She contended that it was now time for the government to intervene.

"This is a particular situation where the refusal of the devolved administration to do what they are duty bound to do is at such a stage now... that it's time for the Secretary of State to step in," she added.

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Following submissions Mr Justice Maguire ruled that he was granting leave to apply for a judicial review in the Ballymurphy case.

He adjourned the Loughgall challenge for lawyers to refine the points being made in the papers.

With issues over managing a wider range of inquest-related court actions, the judge has yet to decide which will be the lead case to deal with the issues raised.

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He explained: "I'm looking for a vehicle that can be heard swiftly and will not be caught up in a long period of gestation."
The cost of Northern Ireland's most beleaguered roads project has jumped by another 3 million in eight months.

The A5 has been beset by problems since it was given the go-ahead by the Executive in 2007.

Despite major setbacks stalling the scheme, millions of pounds in public money is being spent on consultation fees and the ongoing public inquiry.

Daniel McCrossan, an SDLP MLA for West Tyrone, tabled a question to the Assembly querying the amount spent on the project this financial year.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard said: "As at the end of November 2016, the expenditure on the A5 WTC (western transport corridor) in the current financial year amounted to 2.818m.

"These costs are mainly associated with the project consultant's ongoing design work as well as their preparation for and participation in the public inquiry, which is scheduled to finish in mid-December 2016."

The public inquiry, now in its third month, is being led by the Planning Appeals Commission.

Mr McCrossan said: "The budget for the A5 for this year is just over 13m yet not a sod has been turned in constructing the new road.

"I am concerned that the remaining 10m will go back to the department or into the monitoring round process, rather than being spent on the A5.

"For me, and for the general public, the benefits of the A5 development are crystal clear and it's now time that the department got on with the job.

"It will open up economic opportunity for one of the most deprived areas, it will increase transport connectivity, and it will reduce deaths on our roads.

"This week I've attended two funerals of yet more young people who've lost their lives on this road. Five more have been killed since August, and 32 lives have been lost over the past 10 years - 27 of those have happened after the A5 scheme was initially announced."

It comes weeks after the Alternative Alliance A5 (AA5A) - which is against the project - lost a legal challenge.

A High Court judge rejected claims that the justification for the scheme will not be properly considered at the public inquiry.

Ciaran McClean from the AA5A said: "These are gigantic amounts of money which add hundreds of millions to the insurmountable bill of the proposed A5 project."

Mr McClean, who is also a member of the Green Party, said the allotted 400m for the project should be used to upgrade the existing road.

He added: "The Green Party's consistent position on the A5 is that the 800m proposed scheme is unattainable within the Executive's budget.

"Every penny spent on the A5WTC project is a potential waste - even if the minister is granted permission to progress the scheme, the Executive does not have the funds to see the project through.

"This does nothing for road safety or economic development."
David Davis told MPs he did not see such a move as the solution

The imposition of border controls between Britain and the island of Ireland has not been ruled out by Brexit Secretary David Davis.

Mr Davis told MPs he did not see such a move as the solution to concerns over a possible post-Brexit "hard border" between Northern Ireland and the Republic, but stopped short of killing off the idea.

Giving evidence to the Commons Exiting the EU Committee, the Minister was asked to specifically rule out Irish Sea border controls by the DUP's Sammy Wilson.

Mr Davis replied: "I don't know, Mr Wilson, at the moment. My view here is, I don't see that would be the solution, to be honest.

"The primary concern for me, the reason I'm hesitating, is the primary concern for me is to make sure that we don't have that hard border. And there are various technical ways of resolving that.

"We haven't finished that process, we are doing it in consultation with the Irish government, or we are making progress with the Irish government. We may not have a solution to it in the next few months.

"I can see the issue, absolutely see the issue, and I can see why that's a very second best solution. I think we can find a better one, but I won't make a promise today."

Earlier in the exchanges, Mr Davis said he was "optimistic" about maintaining an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

But he said he did not envisage a special arrangement which might keep Northern Ireland inside the EU's Customs Union, as part of the Brexit deal.

Mr Davis told MPs the Government was "determined" to keep an open border, with no fences and no checkpoints, dismissing suggestions that this would create a route into the UK for people trying to evade post-Brexit immigration controls.

He said the European Commission's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and the Dublin government shared this goal, making an agreement likely.

One possible model for the future border was the very lightly-controlled border between Norway - which is outside the EU and the European Customs Union but part of the Single Market - and EU member Sweden, he told the cross-party committee.

Mr Davis said the open border allowing easy passage of people and goods between the Republic and the North was "a very important part" of the peace agreement to end the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

He added: "We are determined to maintain that as an open border.

"I am optimistic that the EU will be helpful to us on this. Michel Barnier is also very seized of this. When I saw him, we didn't talk about the negotiation but he did raise out of nowhere his involvement in it and his commitment to it. It gave me a degree of comfort that we should be able to do this in some way."

He added: "When I went to Dublin, they were equally keen to maintain this. We may have discussions with them about their own incoming security, so we have got at least some watch-list there, but that's for them to decide, not me."

The UK and Irish Common Travel Area was already recognised in the EU's Amsterdam Treaty, he pointed out.

The prospect of people using the Irish route to get in the UK was "not a big issue", he said, adding: "People say 'Won't Ireland be a route into Britain?' There are 50 million people landing at British airports every year. It's a very long-winded way to get into the UK to come via Dublin.

"If you want to get in, you come as a tourist and stay. That's what happens. I don't see a circumstance where we are going to stop tourists at all. We are going to have loads of people coming in and out of Britain."
Director of Public Prosecutions Barra McGrory worked as a lawyer for Gerry Adams and high-profile clients across both communities

Northern Ireland's chief prosecutor has dismissed as unfounded claims that he engaged in political decision-making over whether to take cases against former soldiers.

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) reminded public representatives of their responsibilities to maintain public confidence in the criminal justice system.

Sir Henry Bellingham, Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, told Westminster that Director of Public Prosecutions Barra McGrory was prepared to shift from decision-making based on credible evidence to that influenced by politics. But in a relatively small number of cases Mr McGrory has excused himself from the process over potential concerns of a conflict of interest.

A PPS spokesman said: "It is disappointing to note the unfounded nature of some of the comments made in this debate and we would wish to remind those in public office of the responsibilities they hold to maintain public confidence in the criminal justice system."

Mr McGrory worked as a lawyer on behalf of Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams and other high-profile clients across both communities.

He has excused himself from decisions on whether to prosecute Mr Adams, suspects in the Robert Hamill sectarian murder case and Bloody Sunday following past involvement with them as a lawyer.

Sir Henry addressed a debate on Northern Ireland in Westminster using parliamentary privilege.

He said there had been an outbreak of "revisionism" after Corporal Major Dennis Hutchings was charged with an attempted murder in Co Tyrone in 1974.

Sir Henry said: "What has changed is that the DPP in Northern Ireland is now Barra McGrory QC - the same person who represented Martin McGuinness in the Saville inquiry.

"This is the person who is prepared to move away from credible evidence to political decision-making, which I find very worrying. It has to be stopped. There are potentially 278 more cases involving the security forces.

"I do not want any more veterans to be dragged out of their retirement homes any more than I want Sinn Fein councillors to be dragged out of council chambers."

Sir Henry is a former Foreign Office minister and has also argued for the disbandment of the Iraq Historic Allegations Team.

Mr McGrory worked on a series of high-profile cases including the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.

In 2013, following a critical report from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said all military cases would be re-examined for any opportunities to gather evidence in line with national standards.

The PPS statement said: " The Westminster debate reflects the political interest in historic criminal cases potentially involving military personnel.

"A number of such cases have been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions by the Attorney General of Northern Ireland and have been the subject of investigation by PSNI Legacy Branch.

"When these investigation files are submitted to the PPS, the Test for Prosecution is applied without fear, favour or prejudice, in strict accordance with the Code for Prosecutors.

"While political representatives may have an interest in such cases, the public can be assured of the rigour of the processes put in place by the Director of Public Prosecutions to ensure that this will never be allowed to influence the proper taking of prosecutorial decisions."
Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan in Belfast for discussions on the implementation of the Fresh Start & Stormont House Agreements. (Jonathan Porter/Press Eye)

Four Commissioners have been appointed to monitor progress on tackling paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland, it has been announced.

The new Commissioners will serve on the Independent Reporting Commission (IRC). The new international body was created by the UK and Irish Governments under the 2015 Fresh Start Agreement.

The Commissioners are:

Former politician Professor Monica McWilliams

Solicitor John McBurney

Former Irish diplomat Tim OConnor

Former U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland Mitchell Reiss

The UK Government and the Irish Government nominated one member each, while the Northern Ireland Executive nominated two members.

The announcement came after First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness held talks with Secretary of State James Brokenshire and Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan on Wednesday.

The meeting to assess progress in implementing the Stormont House and Fresh Start agreements was held at Stormont House.

Minister Flanagan said: All four Commissioners have a wealth of expertise and are well equipped to deal with the diverse issues relevant to the Commissions work.

"Todays announcement is an important step forward in establishing the Commission which will have a crucial role in our collective work to deal with the legacy of paramilitarism in society.

Mr Flanagan added: Todays Review Meeting was an important opportunity for the two Governments and the Northern Ireland Executive to come together and work on our shared objective to achieve full implementation of the Stormont House and Fresh Start Agreements, which provide a vital framework for Northern Ireland in the period ahead.

The IRC will meet for the first time next month. It will report annually on paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland.
A man charged with having a mobile phone police believe was used by dissident republicans when they tried to remotely detonate a bomb left outside a Lurgan primary school has been allowed by a judge to spend his wedding anniversary in Spain.

James Seamus McGuigan is facing trial next month on a charge of possessing articles for use in terrorism in October 2013, but yesterday had his bail conditions changed to allow him to go to Spain for a week beforehand.

The 46-year-old, from North Street in Lurgan, denies possessing a mobile phone and SIM card "in circumstances which gave rise to a reasonable suspicion their possession was for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism" between October 8 and 18, 2013.

Although no details of the alleged offence were given during yesterday's application at Belfast Crown Court, a previous hearing was told that police believe the phone was used by dissidents trying to remotely detonate a bomb outside a primary school in the Co Armagh town.

A barrister acting on behalf of McGuigan revealed the variation on his client's terms of bail was to allow him to go to Spain for a week with his wife.

The barrister told Judge Geoffrey Miller QC that McGuigan and his wife had been together for 25 years, and to mark this anniversary the couple's two grown-up children wanted to buy them a week's holiday in January as a Christmas present.

The barrister pointed out that after being granted bail in February of this year, McGuigan "has adhered to all the conditions of bail".

He also said that McGuigan has already had the terms varied to allow him to go to Donegal for a week earlier this year, which "went without an incident".

A prosecuting barrister informed Judge Miller that the Crown was opposed to the bail variation, but said if the court was minded to grant the application police would be seeking a number of stringent conditions.

These included reporting to local police twice during his week-long stay, remaining in Spain, providing his wife's mobile number and not attending, participating or speaking at any political meetings.

The Crown also asked that the two people who offered cash sureties - one for 2,000 and another for 2,500 - be ordered to re-sign the relevant papers "to acknowledge they will stand over" their sureties while McGuigan is in Spain.

When asked why the bail variation was being opposed, the Crown barrister expressed concerns that McGuigan "may take the opportunity not to return, and disrupt the trial", which is listed to start on January 25, 2017.

The prosecutor also told the court: "There is a fear he may, once outside the jurisdiction, have contact with other people involved in this offending."

Judge Miller spoke of the proximity of the holiday to the start of the trial, and said that while "the concerns raised by the Crown are not just genuine, but reasonable", he was prepared to vary the bail conditions.

Setting out the conditions suggested by the Crown, the judge addressed McGuigan's barrister and said: "If your client is content with these terms, the application will be granted. If he isn't, it will be refused."

When the barrister confirmed his client's consent, the variation was granted.
When Bailey Anderson started school at Northern Arizona University and heard about the Gold Axe Award, she was determined to receive one her senior year.

I said to myself when I walked into NAU and heard about the Gold Axe, I was going to walk out with one, she said.

Anderson, who graduates Friday, did herself one better. Not only did she receive the Gold Axe, but was chosen as one of two recipients of the Presidents Prize, the highest honor a student at NAU can receive.

Its super exciting, she said. I officially achieved my goal.

Anderson, an elementary education major, said she always knew teaching was her calling.

I knew since I was a kid that I was going to be a teacher, she said. I always knew teaching was where I am supposed to be.

Anderson worked as a classroom aide and recently finished her student teaching in Gilbert, where she taught at the elementary school she attended.

Its really fun to go back and see it from a new perspective, she said. There are still teachers there that taught me when I was a kid, and it was a blast getting to talk to my old teachers and getting to know them on a different level.

Anderson said she joined a new student organization each year, and said she wanted to be involved in a variety of groups during her time at NAU. She worked as a peer mentor, joined the residence Hall Association, the Future Teachers Club and was the founder of a club called First Jacks, which is geared toward first-generation college students.

That is my baby, she said. Thats what I am most proud of during my time at NAU. We only had a small group last year, we barely got it off the ground, but I got to serve as president.

Anderson said being a first-generation college student, and having struggled academically in high school made some people, including family members, doubt her ability to finish college and earn a degree.

There were times in college where I still struggled academically, she said. But that keeps me in line with my own teaching philosophy. I know when Im in the classroom that every student of mine has potential, and how I access that potential is on me, and how I get them to love learning, thats on me.

Anderson said her own experience serves as a reminder that not every one of her students will be successful on a test, and said she knows from her experience there have to be other ways for teachers to assess learning.

Not every student is going to be successful on a test, I sure wasnt, she said. I need to make sure my classroom is a safe and comfortable environment for everyone, and to make sure Im doing everything I can for them to assess them and their learning.

Anderson said she has not decided what her next step after college will be, but said she is interested in Teach for America. She said she would like to work in impoverished or under served communities, and said she looks forward to working in settings that will challenge her.

She said shes looking forward to proving those who doubted her wrong and finally receiving her diploma.

Im really excited to walk across that stage, I think it will be totally different than when I walked for high school, she said. Im counting down the days, Im excited to breathe and know that I did it and I have a degree.
Stormont's under pressure First Minister is to address a special sitting of the Northern Ireland Assembly as calls for her to resign over her handling of a botched green energy scheme intensify.

Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster will make a "full statement" to MLAs on Monday as the devolved institutions are recalled to address the growing political crisis around the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

Errors in the now closed scheme, which was developed under Mrs Foster's watch when she was Stormont's economy minister, have left the powersharing administration in Belfast facing an estimated 400 million overspend.

An initiative that was supposed to help businesses mitigate the costs of running eco-friendly boilers actually ended up paying out more than the cost of the fuel - so the more people burned, the more public money they earned. There are claims some applicants to the scheme are in line to pocket 1 million over 20 years for heating empty sheds.

Mrs Foster and party colleagues have insisted that steps will be taken in the New Year that will reduce the impact on the public purse. But critics have questioned what action can be taken, given Stormont has entered into legally binding long term contracts with users of the RHI.

Mrs Foster has so far faced down calls to step down, insisting that she acted correctly and mistakes were made by officials. On Wednesday, the DUP was forced to deny media claims that advisers within the party and Mrs Foster's office tried to delay the scheme's closure.

Later, ministers in the DUP and Sinn Fein led executive met at Stormont Castle to discuss the furore.

Afterwards, they announced plans for the special sitting. Assembly speaker Robin Newton subsequently rubber stamped the request.

In a statement, Mrs Foster and Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness outlined the purpose of the sitting.

"This will facilitate a full statement to be made by the First Minister to members on the matters of public concern relating to RHI," they said.

"RHI was discussed by the Executive today and ministers around the table underlined the seriousness of the issues involved and the importance of restoring public confidence.

"It was also emphasised that detailed plans are being finalised to significantly reduce the projected losses in the years ahead."

Emerging from the executive meeting, Sinn Fein Finance Minister Mairtin O Muilleoir said he was confident the costs could be reined in.

"One thing is for sure - we need to take action," he said.

"The public is saying, and I agree with them, that the scheme was introduced in a wrong way, it was mess.

"There is no arguing that it was badly handled and I think it's not good enough to say to the public that we can't do anything."

The First Minister has been accused of not doing enough to pursue whistleblower allegations that sought to expose flaws in the system.

Her acknowledgement that one of her former special advisers - Stephen Brimstone - was an RHI applicant, and confirmation from the DUP that the brother of Andrew Crawford, another of her former special advisers, was also on the scheme have led political rivals to assert that Mrs Foster must have had an intimate knowledge of its workings.

There is no suggestion Mr Brimstone or Mr Crawford's brother were anything other than legitimate claimants.

The RHI aimed to cut the cost of green energy to encourage people to move off fossil fuels but ended up landing ministers with a massive overspend.

It incentivised the installation of costly eco-friendly heating systems by paying a tariff per kilowatt of heat burned over a 20-year period.

However, unlike in the rest of the UK, in Northern Ireland no cap or payment tier system was placed on the money that could be claimed in proportion to the size of boiler and the hours it was operated.

That resulted in the RHI tariff paid out being higher than the cost of fuel needed to run the boilers.

Thousands signed up to the RHI - a deluge that ultimately forced its closure, but not before Stormont had been left with a huge future bill.

Overall, more than 1 billion of public money will be paid by 2036 to Northern Ireland-based businesses which signed up to the scheme. Around 400 million of that will be paid out by the Stormont Executive.

The DUP later released the copy of an email which it claimed "nailed the myth" that Mrs Foster had not done enough to pursue whistleblower claims.

The party said the correspondence was sent by a whistleblower but that it made no mention of RHI concerns. It said those concerns were only aired with officials when Mrs Foster referred the email to them.

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds called on opposition parties and sections of the media to "retract allegations" against the First Minister.

"There has been a quite scurrilous attempt to blame Arlene Foster for the RHI saga," he said.

"The endlessly repeated claim has been that she failed to follow up on the whistleblower concerns.

"Now we know that no such concerns were raised with her. This is no criticism of the lady in question. She has behaved with great integrity throughout and even told the media that her initial email to the minister did not go into detail.

"The Department has admitted it should have responded differently when the RHI (concerns) were subsequently aired.

"The Department's permanent secretary has made clear throughout that Arlene Foster acted entirely appropriately.

"Sadly Opposition parties and some section of the media didn't want to know that. They have been engaged in a disgraceful and baseless blame game for which they should now apologise."

Mr Dodds added: "No one is denying for a second that RHI is a totally unacceptable state of affairs. But the attempts to blame Arlene Foster have descended to hysterical levels."

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said he would table a motion of no confidence to exclude Mrs Foster from office while the RHI is being investigated.

The move is unlikely to succeed in the face of DUP opposition.

"In light of the First Minister's continued failure to answer the most serious questions about the biggest public finance scandal in the history of devolution, it's clear that the matter has to be forced," said Mr Eastwood.

"The SDLP will table a motion of no confidence to exclude Arlene Foster as First Minister while she continues to face these critical questions and until she has accounted for her conduct in relation to the Renewable Heat Incentive fiasco."

He added: "She has lost all credibility and anything less will further erode faith in our institutions. If the First Minister will not stand aside, then the Assembly must act to remove her from office and fully scrutinise this scandal."

After the executive meeting and in a subsequent radio interview, Mr O Muilleoir repeatedly declined to state whether he retained confidence in Mrs Foster.

The UK Government has insisted the RHI fall-out is a matter solely for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Ulster Unionist MP Danny Kinahan warned the Government it should not ignore a controversy he described as a "national scandal".

He said: "While there is an ongoing Northern Ireland Assembly Public Accounts Committee inquiry into this matter, I hope the UK Government will also keep a close eye on proceedings given that following the GB model would not have seen us in this position.

"This is a national scandal and Westminster should understand its full extent."
Jeremy Corbyn has hired a former Sinn Fein staffer to his leadership team.

The Labour leader has employed Jayne Fisher, who headed up Sinn Fein's London office and once represented its leader Gerry Adams at a 2014 rally for Gaza in London, a party source confirmed.

Ms Fisher will work as a "stakeholder engagement manager" for Labour in an appointment which may prove controversial.

In 1984 - a decade before the first IRA ceasefire - Mr Corbyn met with Mr Adams in London, and a year later he opposed the Anglo-Irish Agreement saying it strengthened rather than weakened the border.

He also appointed John McDonnell as shadow chancellor, who has apologised for saying in 2003 that IRA members should be honoured for bringing the British to the negotiating table.

Ms Fisher first joined Labour at the age of 18, a source said, and is an active member of the party's Islington South branch.

She took part in arrangements for the Labour women's conference in the 1980s and 1990s and was involved with the Labour Party Irish Society from when it was established in 1998.

She also took part in a cross-party initiative called Friends of the Good Friday Agreement, which Labour former shadow Northern Ireland secretary Kevin McNamara was involved in launching.

Ms Fisher then worked for the Sinn Fein Parliamentary Group, which the source said was set up to help the Northern Irish party do political outreach work in Westminster during the peace process.

A Labour Party spokesman said: "We don't comment on staffing matters."

One Labour MP told the Press Association the move was "unsurprising" as Mr Corbyn and Ms Fisher are friends, but "completely ill-judged".
Retired senator Gary Hart, the US special envoy to Northern Ireland, has said he will urge President-elect Donald Trump to appoint his successor as soon as possible.

Mr Hart has been holding final meetings with the First Minister and other local politicians

"It's not just important symbolically," the retired Colorado Senator told the BBC.

"I think the right person is a person who is familiar with the complexity and the history of this island. There aren't an awful lot of people like that walking around, but I think it's very important for President Trump to appoint an envoy."

During his last formal visit Mr Hart, the personal representative of US Secretary of State John Kerry, will meet the Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan.

In October last year Mr Hart returned to Stormont after a political crisis was sparked by an IRA-linked murder. Speaking at the time, he said he hoped "to foster an enduring peace in Northern Ireland".
Northern Ireland racing legend Joey Dunlop has been honoured in the Isle of Man with a new commemorative coin collection.

The late motorbike world champion from Ballymoney triumphed in the Isle of Man TT an incredible 26 times.

The Isle of Man Post Office has now honoured his legacy with the new coin pack, 'Remembering Joey'.

Costing 17.50, part of the proceeds will go towards the Joey Dunlop foundation, which provides accommodation for those with disabilities to visit the Isle of Man.

In 2008, the foundation purchased Braddan Bridge House on the TT course, which has proved popular with visitors ever since.

The coin set contains a cupronickel crown with the image of Joey as well as pictures of him taken by Northern Ireland photographer Stephen Davison.

Maxine Cannon, general manager of Isle of Man Stamps and Coins, said: "Joey Dunlop remains one of the most popular road racers of all time and we are delighted to be able to support the foundation created in his memory with this very special coin pack."

Bruce Baker from the Dunlop Foundation added: "We are thrilled to have worked with Isle of Man Post Office on this project, which is not only a wonderful way to celebrate what the foundation has achieved in Joey's memory already but will also raise money to further enhance facilities at Braddan Bridge House for visitors."

Joey Dunlop died while racing in Estonia in 2000 having secured the TT Formula One world title five consecutive times as well as 13 North West 200 victories.

This year it was announced that the Belfast actor Martin McCann will play the racing icon in an upcoming film on his life.

Remembering Joey can be ordered from www.iomstamps.com
A new wave of Beatlemania is breaking out in the unlikely surroundings of Portrush with a piano reputed to have links to John Lennon causing a stir among locals.

The Beatles revolutionised pop in the 1960s, and now fans are flocking to the old Playhouse Cinema in the seaside town to see the instrument.

New Zealander Kris Charteris (37), owner of Kiwi's Brew Bar, which sits on the ground floor below the Playhouse, said he was confident that the piano was authentic because it has a plaque stating that it was presented to Lennon by Capitol Records in 1969.

He added that fans loved nothing more than to have photos taken with it.

"The piano is a beautiful bit of gear - it is made out of walnut and it has got the wee plaque on it saying it was presented to John Lennon," explained Kris, who has lived here for 16 years.

While the piano, which was made by Collard & Collard, is unfortunately beginning to show its age, the bar owner believes that all it needs is love.

"I have been in the bar for two-and-a-half years and I inherited the piano here with this building, so I always bring the Americans, in particular, to have a look at it and get their photograph taken with it," Kris said.

"The original owner of the building seemed to think that the piano was authentic.

"Everybody is just blown away by the John Lennon link, especially the Americans. They just love it and they really can't get enough of it.

"We actually had people turn up this year specially to see it.

"Their friends had been here the previous year and they made a special trip to Portrush to see this piano."

The Playhouse in which the piano sits is only open to the public once a month when the Portrush Film Theatre group shows movies, but impromptu visits can be arranged.

While Kris is not really a Lennon or Beatles fan, he would love to see the instrument returned to its former glory.

However, he remains clueless as to the value of the piano or how it came to be in Portrush.

"We might look at trying to get it restored," Kris said. "I have contacted a couple of people, but it is expensive.

"I am unsure how it came to be here or where it came from. It needs a lot of work - there are about 20 keys on it which don't work. There was a massive Beatles fan here and he was able to get a tune out of it - he was the only person who was able to do it.

"But we are happy to have the piano - it is quite a claim to fame to have it."

Kris, who has had a number of inquiries about taking the instrument on tour around the UK for Beatles-based festivals, would like to find out more about the instrument's origins.
Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster will be hoping for progress at the Stormont talks on Wednesday

A former Northern Ireland peace process US envoy has been appointed to a watchdog overseeing efforts to tackle paramilitarism.

Mitchell Reiss will be the UK commissioner to the Independent Reporting Commission. Ireland has nominated Tim O'Connor, who worked on Northern Ireland at Dublin's Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Northern Ireland Executive's nominees are former Human Rights Commission chief commissioner Monica McWilliams and solicitor John McBurney.

Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire said: "I am delighted Mitchell Reiss has agreed to accept the position of UK Commissioner to the Independent Reporting Commission.

"His international standing and expertise as a former senior diplomat and special envoy to Northern Ireland will provide strong skills to the body which has been established as one of the Fresh Start commitments to eliminate paramilitarism and tackle organised crime."

The chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) last year said the IRA still existed and some of its members were involved in shooting dead an ex-member.

That sparked crisis in the political institutions in Belfast leading to last year's Fresh Start deal, which included plans for the Commission. It was established by an international treaty between the UK Government and the Government of Ireland.

The body will report on progress towards ending continuing paramilitary activity and on the Stormont Executive's strategy to disband loyalist and republican groups.

The UK Government is providing up to 3 million to establish and fund the Commission over four years. It will begin work in the New Year and will report at least once a year until 2021.

The appointment was announced following a meeting at Stormont involving the Irish Government and the First Minister and deputy First Ministers.

While progress has been made in a number of areas a row continues to stymie the establishment of new mechanisms to deal with Northern Ireland's toxic past.

Proposed measures to address the needs of victims and an accompanying multimillion-pound Government funding package are delayed amid a wrangle over the disclosure or non-disclosure of UK state papers on national security grounds.

The package agreed by Stormont leaders and the UK and Irish governments, which includes a new investigations unit, a truth recovery mechanism, an oral history archive and enhanced funding for Troubles-related inquests, will not become reality until the logjam is cleared.

The national security dispute is primarily between the UK government and Sinn Fein. However, the Democratic Unionists are refusing to sign off on the funding boost for legacy inquests until all the other issues are sorted.

Irish foreign affairs minister Charlie Flanagan, who attended the meeting at Stormont House, said he hoped progress on legacy issues would be achieved "shortly".

He added: "It behoves both governments and the Executive here in Belfast to ensure we stretch ourselves to finding an accommodation on the issues.

"We owe it to victims, we owe it to families, we owe it to communities, and I don't underestimate the challenge but I do believe we cannot continue to stall this matter for the foreseeable future."
Arlene Foster batted away allegations that she did not act appropriately when concerns were raised about the controversial Renewable Heat Incentive

The Executive will now discuss the Renewable Heating Incentive (RHI) at Wednesday's meeting.

The UUP accused officials of a "head in the sand" approach after it emerged the controversy over the RHI was not on the formal agenda on Tuesday night, sparking fears it would be January before the matter would be discussed.

However, The Executive Office now says the matter will be discussed at its final meeting before Christmas.

It is likely the matter will be raised under 'any other business'.

Read More

RHI scandal: Mike Nesbitt claims to have uncovered 'smoking gun' of Arlene Fosters' culpability in botched heating scheme

Arlene Foster could face grilling next week over botch RHI scheme

Public money could heat Northern Ireland Ferrari showroom for next 20 years

The RHI was meant to cut the cost of environmentally friendly energy to encourage people to move away from fossil fuels. Instead, it ended up landing ministers with an enormous overspend.

The scheme incentivised the installation of costly eco-friendly heating systems by paying a tariff per kilowatt of heat burned over a 20-year period. But unlike in the rest of the UK, no cap or tiered payment system was placed on the money that could be claimed.

The result was the RHI tariff paid out more than the cost of fuel needed to run boilers, meaning that the more fuel businesses burned, they more they earned in return.

Thousand of applicants signed up to the RHI in a deluge that ultimately forced its closure, but not before Stormont had been left with a huge future bill.

Overall, more than 1bn of public money will be paid by 2036 to Northern Ireland-based businesses that signed up to the scheme.
A Co Down museum will be showing its own Toy Story this Christmas. The wide-ranging exhibition features toys from decades ago and includes board games, action figures and cuddly toys - as well as everything from Star Wars figures to Cabbage Patch Dolls.

Already boasting high visitor numbers, North Down Museum's Toy Stories offers a festive reminder of how much joy toys have brought to children at Christmas over the years, often long after the gift was given.

The 130 showpieces are not collectors' items - all the toys have played a role in the lives and happy memories of their owners.

Among the treasures are two special exhibits belonging to 67-year-old Newtownards resident Sheila Seymour who donated her teddy bears for this event.

Goldie is the "well-worn, gold" Merrythought Bear from London store Harrods, which Sheila's relatives had clubbed together to buy her. His friend Bruno is made of surplus army blankets, parachute silk and stuffed with straw.

Sheila, who was born in west London but has been living in Co Down with her mother Nellie Timberlake (99) for nine years, said the bears were waiting for her when she came home from hospital.

"I wouldn't part with either of them," said the retired tutor, whose father passed away in Bangor in 1994, aged 79.

"We were a very ordinary family at a time when the average wage was 4 a week but my relatives clubbed together and bought me Goldie from Harrods because it was the only place they thought they'd be able to get one.

"Then my parents bought me Bruno; he's a post-war austerity bear and I wanted people to be able to appreciate him.

"The three of us have been through a lot together over the years; we've had measles, mumps, chicken pox... I couldn't have sent one of the bears to the exhibition without the other."

Museum co-cordinator Donna Wilson (49), from Bangor, has entrusted the exhibition with a 1965 James Bond Annual, a Rubik's Cube and a bear called Ted.

She said all the memorabilia is going down well with children whose grandparents have been bringing them in to see the collection dating back over half a century.

"The annual was bought nine years ago on eBay as a present for my son Ross (now aged 18) because 1965 is the year his dad, Martin, was born," she said.

"My husband has a man cave at home; that's where I found the Rubik's cube and decided to donate that.

"The teddy bear is mine; it's the same age as me. My aunt and uncle bought it for me for my first Christmas. He's a traditional brown and beige teddy wih pads on his paws and he has a felt tongue."

Donna added: "Ted was always there for me growing up and he still sits on my bed."

Bangor grandmother-of-two Barbara Walker (69) has lent her oldest daughter Jennifer's Cabbage Patch Doll to the exhibition.

"We bought Belinda in a shop in Holywood when Jennifer was six years old," Barbara recalled.

"Belinda was very special to Jennifer. She treated her like a baby. That's why she's in such good condition today.

"I remember how she used to dress her and put newborn nappies on her."

North Down Museum manager Heather McGuicken said it was fun putting the exhibition together.

"There is an amazing range of toys that span the decades," she said.

"We hope everyone will enjoy as much as we do, and our thanks to those who have loaned us their precious toys."

Children are invited to play with traditional toys, dress up and to write a letter to Santa which they can post from the museum post box.
Parkwood/Columbia RecordsIn 2016, people wanted to know all about Beyonce, Celine Dion, "Cake by the Ocean" and "Formation." That's according to Google's list of the most-searched-for artists and songs of the past year.

Since she's topped all the other year-end music lists, it's no surprise that Beyonce is #1 on Google's list of most-searched-for music artists of the year, while her song "Formation" was the song most people were searching for.

The rest of the top-10 most-searched-for artists include Celine Dion, whose husband and brother both died early this year; Kesha, who sued her producer for abusing her; Coldplay, who performed on the Super Bowl and had a huge tour, and Grace Vanderwaal, the preteen who won America's Got Talent.

The top 10 also includes Kanye West, who made headlines for his and his wife Kim Kardashian's feud with Taylor Swift and his erratic behavior, and Guns 'n Roses, who reunited for a successful tour.

As for the most-searched-for song, after "Formation," it was "Purple Rain," as people looked for Prince's songs in the wake of his shocking death in April. Next was "Black Beatles," the song that soundtracked a million Mannequin Challenge videos, and Desiigner's "Panda," which hit #1 earlier this year.

The rest of the top 10 includes Drake's smash hit "One Dance," which topped the chart for 10 weeks; DNCE's breakout hit "Cake by the Ocean," Adele's mega-hit "Hello," Ruth B's debut single "Lost Boy," metal band Disturbed cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" and Mike Posner's hit remix "I Took a Pill in Ibiza."

The top three on Google's list of the top dead celebrity searches of 2016 are all musicians as well: Prince, David Bowie and Christina Grimmie.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The lawsuit filed last week by the Havasupai Tribe seeking to halt groundwater withdrawals near the Grand Canyons South Rim is the first time the tribe has asserted its water rights, according to the tribes lawyer.

Nobody has ever filed a lawsuit like this before, Santa Fe-based attorney Richard Hughes said.

It was future plans for development, especially in the area around Tusayan, that spurred the tribe to take legal action, Tribal Chairman Don Watahomigie said.

All we're saying is that you can go ahead with development if you can find other sources of water you're okay, Watahomigie said in an interview last week. We don't want any more drilling of water up on top on the plateau area where its going to deplete some of the springs and seeps we have down here.

The Havasupais lawsuit asserts that a number of wells drawing from the Redwall-Muav aquifer, which runs deep beneath the Coconino Plateau, are threatening the springs and seeps that are the tribes sole water source deep in Grand Canyon. Several of the springs feed Havasu Creek, which runs through the village of Supai and creates the turquoise waterfalls that bring thousands of tourists to the Havasupai reservation each year, sustaining the tribes economy.

The lawsuit states that those canyon water sources are part of the tribes aboriginal and federally reserved water rights and that aquifer withdrawals by the 19 well owners named as defendants constitutes a trespassory and unlawful interference with the Tribes water rights that threatens irreparable harm to the Tribes livelihood and cultural interests.

If the court granted the relief the tribe seeks, it would mean that future appropriations of groundwater from the Redwall-Muav aquifer would not be allowed unless the tribe agreed to them, Hughes said.

While significant for the tribe, the lawsuit is also important in the broader scope of state water law because it marks yet another instance where it will be up to the courts to test and define Arizonas conflicting groundwater and surface water laws, said Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State Universitys Morrison Institute. Long-running adjudication processes in the Little Colorado and Gila river basins are trying to settle similar conflicts, Porter said.

Resolving cases like these can clarify the limits on withdrawals and potentially stop years of unchecked drawdowns on a water system, Porter said.

Defining water threats

Hughes said he employed experts who refined U.S. Geological Survey water models to determine the threat of groundwater pumping on the Havasupais water resources.

The model shows that eventually there will be a reduction in the flow, so the tribes position was it didn't want to wait until that was happening demonstrably, Hughes said. It needed to proceed now to get a declaration of its rights to the stream before its too late.

Don Bills is one of the U.S. Geological Survey hydrologists who has been involved in measuring Havasu Creeks flows for the past decade or more. Those measurements dont yet suggest there has been any long-term impact from groundwater pumping, Bills said. At this point, the combined groundwater withdrawals from the Redwall-Muav aquifer within the watershed that includes Havasu Creek are just a fraction of the creeks current flows -- less than 300 gallons per minute compared to the creeks flows of 25,000 to 30,000 gallons per minute, Bills said. The biggest contributor to the minor long-term declines seen in the creeks baseflow are more related to climate than groundwater withdrawals, he said.

But that doesnt mean a reduction in flows due to groundwater pumping can't happen tomorrow, a year from now or a decade from now, Bills said. It all depends on development at elevations above the springs and seeps and how long it takes for a withdrawal of groundwater to migrate through the system, he said.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood is to table a motion of no confidence to exclude Arlene Foster as first minister while she continues to face questions about her role in the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme.

Mr Eastwood said Mrs Foster has lost the confidence of the public and of the Assembly and must now stand aside or face exclusion from office while she faces questions about her conduct.

He called on Sinn Fein members to sign the motion, which requires 30 signatures.

Mr Eastwood said: "The SDLP will table a motion of no confidence to exclude Arlene Foster as first minister while she continues to face these critical questions and until she has accounted for her conduct in relation to the Renewable Heat Incentive fiasco.

"Ms Foster should follow the precedent set by her predecessor and resign to restore confidence in the office of First Minister while these questions hang over her. She has lost all credibility and anything less will further erode faith in our institutions. If the First Minister will not stand aside, then the Assembly must act to remove her from office and fully scrutinise this scandal."

The RHI aimed to cut the cost of green energy to encourage people to move off fossil fuels but ended up landing ministers with a massive overspend.

It incentivised the installation of costly eco-friendly heating systems by paying a tariff per kilowatt of heat burned over a 20-year period.

However, unlike in the rest of the UK, in Northern Ireland no cap or payment tier system was placed on the money that could be claimed in proportion to the size of boiler and the hours it was operated.

Read more

Read More

That resulted in the RHI tariff paid out being higher than the cost of fuel needed to run the boilers - meaning the more businesses burnt, the more they earned.

Expand Close The DUP said delays in getting the scheme closed was down to obtaining the necessary financial and legal approvals. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The DUP said delays in getting the scheme closed was down to obtaining the necessary financial and legal approvals.

Thousands signed up to the RHI - a deluge that ultimately forced its closure, but not before Stormont had been left with a huge future bill.

Overall, more than 1 billion of public money will be paid by 2036 to Northern Ireland-based businesses which signed up to the scheme. Around 400 million of that will be paid out by the Stormont Executive.

Meanwhile Ulster Unionist MP, Danny Kinahan, has said that the British government should not ignore the hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers money set to be wasted through the scheme.

Mr Kinahan raised the issue during Cabinet Office questions earlier today.

The South Antrim MP said: "Its important that the scale of the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal is understood in Parliament.

"I took the opportunity today during Cabinet Office questions to raise the point that 400million will be wasted from the Northern Ireland block grant. This is taxpayers money literally going up in smoke.

"I was disappointed to receive the usual response from the Cabinet Office Minister that it was inappropriate to comment on devolved matters.

"While there is an ongoing Northern Ireland Assembly Public Accounts Committee inquiry into this matter, I hope the UK Government will also keep a close eye on proceedings given that following the GB model would not have seen us in this position.

"This is a national scandal and Westminster should understand its full extent."

One reason @PA decided to dig deeper into RHI - closure of "very successful" scheme announced @ 6.02pm on a Friday night #badnewsburialfail pic.twitter.com/5XAZqcW5MI  David Young (@DavidYoungPA) December 13, 2016

Stormont's Assembly is to hold a special sitting early next week to discuss the overspending scheme, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister said.

Assembly members will be recalled from the Christmas recess to discuss issues which have left the taxpayer facing what critics claim could be a 400 million bill.

A statement from the ministers said: "We have today asked the Speaker to convene a special sitting of the Assembly early next week to address issues surrounding the RHI.

"This will facilitate a full statement to be made by the First Minister to members on the matters of public concern relating to RHI.

"RHI was discussed by the Executive today and ministers around the table underlined the seriousness of the issues involved and the importance of restoring public confidence.

"It was also emphasised that detailed plans are being finalised to significantly reduce the projected losses in the years ahead."

Arlene Foster has faced intense public scrutiny over her role in the RHI when she was economy minister.

The DUP leader and First Minister rejected calls for her resignation over her handling of the error-ridden scheme that has left Stormont facing an overspend in the next 20 years.

The Assembly's Public Accounts Committee is investigating the RHI furore.

The First Minister, who has been accused of not doing enough to pursue whistleblower allegations that sought to expose flaws in the system, has already indicated a willingness to answer questions on the matter.

Mrs Foster's acknowledgement that one of her former special advisers - Stephen Brimstone - was an RHI applicant, and confirmation from the DUP that the brother of Andrew Crawford, another of her former special advisers, was also on the scheme have led political rivals to assert that the First Minister must have had an intimate knowledge of its workings.

There is no suggestion Mr Brimstone or Mr Crawford's brother were anything other than legitimate claimants.

European Commission said it has no reason to believe RHI breached state aid rules "at this stage, based on available information."
Sir Stuart Peach said he was "worried" about the global reach of IS militants

Islamic State (IS) terrorists are "moving in migrant flows" and "hiding in plain sight" all over the world in tactics that should lead Britain to think about how it "manages identity", the chief of the defence staff has said.

In comments that could reignite the debate around identity cards, Sir Stuart Peach said he was "worried" about the global reach of IS militants, who deliberately destroy their identity documents to travel illegally into other countries where they could carry out attacks.

The most senior officer in the armed forces said IS, also known as Daesh, represents the closest danger and a "call to action" going beyond UK and coalition air strikes in Syria and Iraq.

In his first annual lecture to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Sir Stuart said: "I worry about the global reach of Daesh as an idea - copycat, using the internet - more than the internet - using social media, popping up all over the world.

"The Chinese state has accepted they have a problem.

"This is not now a localised phenomenon, it is now a wider phenomenon.

"And of course we face, as my friend Andrew Parker has said, the director general of MI5, a potential network of combat-experienced terrorists.

"On the other hand they are losing territory rapidly, foreign fighters are being killed and displaced.

"But they are moving in migrant flows, hiding in plain sight.

"One of the obvious deductions, and I think it does bear more scrutiny from the younger and the analytical community, is how we manage identity in a world where people are deliberately trying to destroy their identity documents and/or they move in migrant flows."

Sir Stuart also warned that Britain should be "really worried" that the international consensus-based approach to peace and security, developed after the Second World War, was now challenged by states such as Russia.

A "full-spectrum" response is required - integrating diplomacy, the military, economic influence, technology and the media, and "closer attention" to counter-espionage and counter intelligence.

Britain is now in a "strategic state-on-state era of competition" which requires us to "wonder and worry" about the response to propaganda, hybrid warfare and cyber attacks, he said.

His comments follow the Russian incursion in Ukraine and worries that Moscow influenced the United States presidential election won by Donald Trump by allegedly hacking email accounts linked to his rival Hillary Clinton.

"Russian communications through Russia Today and many other media forms are very before us in many parts of the world," he said.

"Many people have alleged political subversion, propaganda rather than information.

"And there's no doubt, it's not a secret, that Russia is using cyber as a part of this power.

"This is in direct competition with our approach to sustain the rules-based order."

He added: "The idea that we can defend on the South coast of Britain in a re-run of 1940 doesn't work in the world that we're in."

Sir Stuart also expressed concerns about alleged deliberate attacks on hospitals and other previously previously safe havens in war zones, citing the example of Aleppo in Syria.

"I worry as a military man about the lack of respect for international symbols of peace," he said.

"The Red Cross and the Red Crescent were not attacked in World War One or World War Two.

"They are routinely attacked now.

"It is striking in the tactical phase of the battle for Aleppo how much emphasis of targeting has gone on to medical facilities by design and not by accident, thereby denying both the belligerents and the subject population who may be trapped access to medical care."
More than 800 serious road accidents in Northern Ireland were not attended by police last year - a hike of 40% since 2011, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.

That is more than two incidents every day, or one in every five reported, according to figures obtained from the PSNI.

Last year there were 4,379 accidents where a fatality or serious injury occurred, yet police responded to only 3,538 of them, meaning 841 serious crashes went unattended.

And already this year police have not been present at 585 serious incidents out of a total of 2,653 so far.

The shocking statistics - which show there have been on average almost 5,900 injury collisions annually since 2011 - have been revealed following a Freedom of Information request by this newspaper.

Five years ago there were 3,530 crashes - nearly 10 a day - resulting in fatal or serious injury, but 594 of them (17%) happened without a subsequent police presence.

The data shows that figure rose to 4,379 such collisions - or 12 a day - in 2015, with police not attending 841 fatal or serious incidents (19%).

UUP Policing Board member Ross Hussey said it was "wrong" and "totally unacceptable" for police officers not to attend all serious road accidents and called for an urgent review.

"It is alarming to note that there are a substantial number of serious road accidents where the police have admitted that they didn't attend," he said.

"Police should attend serious incidents and if there is a written policy that they do not then that must be reviewed as a matter of urgency because this cannot be justified."

PSNI Inspector Rosie Leech said officers may not attend a serious crash if it has not been reported to police.

"All fatal road traffic collisions are attended and extensively investigated by police," she said.

"Similarly, all reported serious injury collisions are attended.

"However, there are instances when collisions occur, for example in some single vehicle crashes, where police are not called or advised at the time of the collision, but are subsequently informed.

"In those situations we conduct follow-up investigations, if appropriate."

Ms Leech said that many slight injury collisions were only reported to police afterwards for information purposes.

She added: "Where we are aware of the collision we will attend the scene to ensure all parties are insured and licensed and to investigate any offences that may be disclosed." The data reveals that, on average, there have been more than 4,150 fatal or serious injury collisions every year between 2011 and 2015 - or 11 incidents every day.

SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan said it was "extremely concerning" that the PSNI had failed to attend so many road traffic accidents where injury was involved.

"These are not cases of simple collisions where parties exchange details and get on with it; they involved personal injury of which the PSNI must investigate any wrongdoing," he said.

"How many of these people could have been driving dangerously or driving under the influence?

"It's disturbing that so many may be getting away with these crimes while injuring other people due to their negligence.

"The rise in the number of accidents not attended correlates with increasing budget cuts by this Executive, which is creating massive pressures in policing. This will be further compounded by an estimated budget cut of 40m next year."

He added: "The public deserve a better service than this."

DUP MLA Nelson McCausland said most people expected police officers to attend all serious accidents.

"If that is not happening then we have a right to know why," he said.

"With the growth in some areas of crime such as cyber-crime there are new demands on police resources, but issues such as this must not be downgraded."

There have been 23,416 fatal, serious or minor accidents between 2011 and September 30, 2016, as well as 10,512 non-injury collisions, bringing the total reported to police to 33,928.
A demonstrator holds a sign reading 'Afghanistan is not safe' during a protest against the deportation of 50 Afghan asylum seekers at Frankfurt airport (AP/Michael Probst)

About 50 Afghans who had their asylum bids in Germany rejected are being deported, a pro-refugee group said, as the government works to reduce the number of migrants remaining in the country.

A plane with the deportees on board was leaving Frankfurt as hundreds of protesters chanted slogans at the airport's departure terminal asking to have deportations to Afghanistan halted, refugee group Pro Asyl said.

The German government said earlier that it would only confirm deportations after they have taken place.

After allowing in 890,000 migrants last year, Germany has sought to manage the influx by speeding up the asylum process for the applicants most likely to receive it, such as Syrians fleeing civil war.

Authorities in turn have accelerated the expulsion of unlikely candidates for asylum, such as people seeking to escape poverty in the Balkans.

Afghans have fallen somewhere in the middle, with some areas of the country considered safe and some not. But few have been deported because Germany lacked a proper agreement with Afghanistan.

But the German and Afghan governments signed a memorandum of understanding on deportations a few weeks ago, paving the way for the several dozen who were to be sent home on Wednesday night.

Petra Haubner, a lawyer from the Bavarian city of Passau, said a 20-year-old Afghan client was on his way to Frankfurt to be deported after being detained by police at a Bavaria shelter.

The client, who Ms Haubner did not name, arrived in Germany as a minor in 2011. His asylum request was first rejected in 2012 because authorities did not see enough proof of his individual persecution by the Taliban.

After several failed court appeals, he had been living in Germany on short-term "tolerated status".

On Wednesday night, Germany's federal constitutional court temporarily suspended the deportation of another Afghan in a last-minute decision. The court said the 29-year-old man could remain to await the outcome of an appeal of his rejected asylum plea.

Germany has tried to convince rejected Afghan asylum seekers to leave voluntarily by offering financial incentives upon their return home. Some 3,000 asylum seekers returned to Afghanistan this year as part of the repatriation programme, Interior Ministry spokesman Johannes Dimroth said.

Critics say sending people back to Afghanistan puts them in danger because of the Taliban's control of some parts of the country and frequent suicide bombings. The German government claims that migrants will only will be sent back to safe regions.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has said in recent weeks that Germany needs to toughen its stance and ensure that migrants who are refused permission to stay do leave the country.

"We need a national effort to return those who are rejected - that is undisputed and we are working on that at present with great vigour," she told a conference of her conservative bloc's youth wing in October.

The majority of the 890,000 migrants who arrived in Germany in 2015 were from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. The country has been grappling with the integration of the many newcomers and hostility toward migrants has been on the rise.

This year, the number of asylum seekers has declined sharply, with some 230,000 people having arrived in the country by the end of September.

AP
Elon Musk has joined Donald Trumps advisory council despite having dismissed Mr Trump as not the right man for the job during the election.

The President-elects transition team announced the appointment of the Telsa executive alongside Travis Kalanick, the chief executive of Uber, on Wednesday.

Musks appointment comes weeks after he warned the election is not the finest moment in our democracy in general.

He was unconcerned about how the billionaire business magnates ascension to the White House would affect Telsa, but told CNBC he believed Hillary Clintons economic and environmental policies were the right ones. Mr Trump was elected four days later.

I feel a bit stronger that he is not the right guy, he said later. He doesn't seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States.

Musk and a number of Silicon Valley elites will meet with Mr Trump today to discuss how his administration will affect technology companies.

Kalanick, who joked about moving to China if Mr Trump did win the election, will not be in attendance because he is travelling. The session was co-organised by Mr Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Leading figures such as Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg are expected to attend the meeting at Trump Towers in New York. Ms Clinton enjoyed widespread support from Silicon Valley during her campaign, as did President Obama before her, and members have rallied against Mr Trump's anti-immigration comments.

More than 580 employees from technology companies including Twitter and Google have signed an open letter pledging not to help build the Muslim registry posited by Mr Trump during his campaign.

Their letter reads: We are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administrations proposed data collection policies.

"We refuse to build a database of people based on their Constitutionally-protected religious beliefs. We refuse to facilitate mass deportations of people the government believes to be undesirable.
Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni gives his first speech as premier at the lower house (AP)

Premier Paolo Gentiloni has won a vote of confidence from the Italian Parliament's lower chamber for his new government, overcoming opposition outrage that his cabinet and agenda essentially mirror those of his humiliated predecessor.

The chamber voted 368-105 on Tuesday night to back Mr Gentiloni and his cabinet.

Opposition politicians from the anti-European Union Northern League and the populist 5-Star Movement had vowed to abstain from the vote to protest Mr Gentiloni's "photocopied" cabinet.

They said that by retaining so many ministers from ex-premier Matteo Renzi's cabinet, Mr Gentiloni ignored the results of the December 4 referendum in which Italians overwhelmingly rejected Mr Renzi and his reforms.

The Senate is expected to vote on a confidence motion on Wednesday.

Approval from both houses is required for the government already sworn in by President Sergio Mattarella to carry on its mandate.

The aim is to have a government in place before Mr Gentiloni heads to Brussels on Thursday for a European Council summit.

The opposition is particularly irked that Mr Renzi's reforms minister, who had promised to leave politics if the referendum failed, was named an under-secretary in Mr Gentiloni's office.

"Italians said 'no,' but it doesn't seem to matter!" Giorgia Meloni, of the opposition Italy Brothers party, told Mr Gentiloni during the parliamentary debate. "Italians expressed themselves in an unequivocal way, but they don't care and they stay attached to their thrones."

Mr Gentiloni defended Mr Renzi's term and insisted that his Democratic Party was doing the responsible thing by forming a government that could lead Italy until elections. He said he was taking a "political risk" by doing so, but that the Constitution requires the party with a parliamentary majority to try to form a government.

He acknowledged the difficulties ahead, saying his talks with politicians showed the "impossibility of a general convergence". But he said he hoped that on individual items, opposition forces could find common ground with the majority.

Addressing Italy's banking crisis, Mr Gentiloni said the government was ready to intervene to "guarantee" banks and Italians' savings. And he said the government would help politicians draft a new electoral law that harmonises the rules between both houses of Parliament.

Opposition parties have clamoured for an early election following Mr Renzi's drubbing at the polls, but the current law has one set of rules for the Senate and another for the lower Chamber of Deputies.

The European Council summit on Thursday is just one of several international appointments on Italy's agenda in 2017 that Mr Gentiloni, the former foreign minister, cited to reinforce the need to have a stable government in place.

Italy on January 1 takes up a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council and in May hosts the Group of Seven. In March, it plans to host a summit to mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, one of the founding treaties of the European Union.

Many of Mr Renzi's ministers kept their jobs in the Cabinet that was sworn in Monday: Finance Minister Carlo Padoan, Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti as well as the ministers of justice, health, infrastructure and culture. Angelino Alfano shifted from being interior minister to foreign minister - a key job given Italy's 2017 international commitments.

AP
Syrian soldiers walking among damaged buildings on a street filled with debris near the ancient Umayyad Mosque, in the Old City of Aleppo (AP)

The Syrian government's capture of eastern Aleppo, held for more than four years by rebels, marks a horrific new chapter for the country's largest city.

Here is a look at key events in Aleppo since the start of Syria's uprising nearly six years ago.

:: March 2011: Protests erupt in the southern city of Daraa over the detention of a group of boys accused of painting anti-government graffiti on the walls of their school.

On March 18, security forces open fire on a protest in Daraa, killing four people in what activists regard as the first deaths of the uprising. Demonstrations spread, as does the crackdown by President Bashar Assad's forces, eventually igniting a full-scale civil war.

:: July 2012: Rebel fighters seize eastern Aleppo, dividing the city. The intense fighting that follows, including almost daily barrel bombs dropped on the poorer and more densely-populated rebel-held east, causes an estimated one million civilians to flee. Another half million are displaced inside the eastern part of the city in the first year of the conflict.

:: October 2012: The UN negotiates a short-lived truce for the whole city during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday. Fighting destroys cultural and historic sites, including the Grand Umayyad mosque, which both sides fought to control.

:: December 2012: Rebels launch an offensive that expands their presence in Aleppo province and secures supply lines to the Turkish border. They seize a number of military and air bases, increasingly isolating government forces. All flights from Aleppo airport are suspended after al-Qaida-linked fighters threaten to shoot down civilian planes.

:: January 2013: Bodies begin washing up on the banks of Aleppo's Queiq River, in the rebel-held Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood. Human Rights Watch says at least 147 bodies were retrieved from the river between January and March. It says the victims were most likely killed in government-controlled areas.

:: April 2013: Aleppo's ancient Citadel, used by government forces as a base, comes under rebel fire. The government targets the Umayyad mosque minaret, suspecting rebels were using it as a base. Amid the fighting, passageways between the two sides of the divided city emerge, allowing an informal link for residents, but also turning deadly at times, as sniper fire kills many.

:: August 2013: Insurgents gain control of the Aleppo-Damascus highway, tightening the siege on the government part of the city. Residents of eastern Aleppo take food and vegetables through illicit passageways to their relatives in western Aleppo.

:: October 2013: Poor co-ordination and infighting weaken the rebels' ranks. That winter, Islamic State militants clash with the rebels, establishing a presence in the eastern part of the city.

:: December 2013: The government begins an unprecedented campaign of dropping barrel bombs on Aleppo city and surrounding areas, driving more people out of eastern Aleppo. IS expands its presence in the eastern part of city.

:: January 2014: Rebels unite against IS, driving the extremists out of Aleppo city. Government forces exploit the fighting to push the rebels back.

:: May 2014: Using a new tactic, rebels tunnel beneath a hotel used as a government command and control centre and blow it up. The government's barrel bomb campaign on eastern Aleppo intensifies.

:: March 2015: Insurgents blow up the Air Force Intelligence building in Aleppo after digging a tunnel, a symbolic victory. The newly formed Army of Conquest, which brings together rebels and al-Qaida-linked fighters, seizes Idlib city to the north west.

:: October 2015: Russia begins launching air strikes to bolster Assad's forces. Syrian troops launch an offensive around Aleppo. Iraqi, Lebanese and Iranian militias also throw their weight behind the government, setting the stage for a wider offensive against Aleppo that would continue until the following year.

:: February 2016: Russia and the US broker a ceasefire that excludes extremists. Signs of normal life return to Aleppo.

:: April 2016: The ceasefire collapses, bombing resumes, and the Castello road, the only road out of eastern Aleppo, becomes a death trap.

:: July 2016: The government and allied forces impose a full siege on eastern Aleppo, home to an estimated 250,000 people. Rebel fighters break the siege for a couple of weeks from the southern front, but it is re-imposed by August.

:: September 2016: A ceasefire negotiated by Russia and the United States holds for a few days, but talks to bring in aid go nowhere, and an air strike hits a humanitarian aid convoy north of the city.

:: October 2016: Russia announces it is suspending its air strikes on eastern Aleppo and designates humanitarian corridors, urging the rebels and residents to leave the eastern enclave. The rebels reject the offer, no-one uses the corridors and the UN says it cannot carry out medical evacuations due to security concerns. The government continues its air raids on eastern Aleppo.

:: November 2016: The government launches a renewed and intensified aerial campaign. In late November, Syrian troops and allied forces launch a major ground offensive, rebel defences crumble and thousands flee.

:: December 14, 2016: A ceasefire, brokered by Turkey and Russia, is announced to allow the evacuation of rebels and civilians and effectively surrendering the city to the government. But it never truly takes hold on the ground and government shelling on the tiny remaining rebel-held sliver of eastern Aleppo continues.

AP
Saudi Arabia is governed by Wahhabism, a strict kind of fundamentalist Salafism. Former CIA director James Woolsey once described Wahhabism as "the soil in which Al-Qaeda and its sister terrorist organizations are flourishing"

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar are supporting extremist Islamic groups in Germany, according to a leaked intelligence report.

A brief seen by the Suddeutsche Zeitung and broadcasters NDR and WDR raised concern over a reported increase in support for fundamentalist Salafism in Germany, warning that the ideology already has 10,000 followers and is growing.

The report, by Germanys BfV domestic intelligence agency and Federal Intelligence Service (BND) reportedly accused Gulf groups of funding mosques, religious schools, hardline preachers and conversion or dawah groups to spread the ideology.

Missionary movements were part of a long-running strategy to exert influence by the three states, it found, naming the Saudi Muslim World League, Sheikh Eid Bin Mohammad al-Thani Charitable Association and Kuwaiti Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS), which has been banned by the US and Russia for allegedly supporting al-Qaeda.

The report said all three organisations were closely connected with government offices in their home countries.

The BND and BfV have not confirmed the accuracy of leaked excerpts but sources told Deutsche Welle that some members of the security community believe it was internally leaked to pressure the German government into stopping controversial arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

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The countrys ambassador to Germany, Awwas Alawwad, rejected accusations of supporting Salafism, saying his government does not build mosques or export imams and has no connection with German Salafism.

He added that the Muslim World League was not a Saudi government organisation and discontinued activities in Germany in 2013.

The Sheikh Eid association and RIHS have also denied connections to jihadi terrorism in the past.

Expand Close Prime Minister Theresa May meets King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia (left) in Manama, Bahrain, where she is on a three day visit to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council summit. PA PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Prime Minister Theresa May meets King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia (left) in Manama, Bahrain, where she is on a three day visit to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council summit. PA

The report comes weeks after the German government banned an Islamist missionary group linked to more than 140 Isis fighters following raids on mosques, offices and homes across the country.

Die Wahre Religion (DWR), meaning The True Religion, started in 2005 and claimed to spread Islam in Germany in a modern form and with the help of new media.

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The Salafist group gained prominence with a Quran distribution campaign called Lies!, meaning Read!, which has since spread to countries including the UK, France, Bahrain and Brazil.

But officials said the initiative was bringing jihadi Islamists together across the nation under the pretext of preaching Islam while spreading hate and conspiracy theories.

Thomas de Maiziere, the German interior minister, said that the prohibition of DWR aimed to stop the abuse of a religion by people, who under the pretext of spreading Islam are propagating extremist ideologies and supporting terrorist organisations.

By banning this organisation, a major source of radicalisation has been eradicated nationwide, he added.

A terror network radicalising young Muslims and sending them to fight for Isis in Syria was also dismantled by authorities last month.

Germany has been on high alert since it was hit by two terror attacks carried out by Isis supporters in July, with other plots subsequently uncovered amid warnings that attempts to attack Europe will continue.

Jaber al-Bakr, a suspected Isis supporter detained on suspicion of planning to attack a Berlin airport with homemade explosives, killed himself in prison days after being arrested in October.

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According to figures released in May by intelligence services, 820 jihadis have left Germany for Syria and Iraq, with a third known to have returned, 140 killed and 420 remaining abroad.

Tensions have risen following the arrival of almost 900,000 refugees in the country last year, driving support for right-wing groups and a national debate on Islam and integration.

The issue sparked Angela Merkel's call for a burqa ban earlier this month, as she seeks a fourth term in office.
WASHINGTON  Neighbors of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport filed 24,247 complaints about noise at the facility in 2015, one of the highest rates among airports studied in a recent George Mason University report.

The report by the universitys Mercatus Center looked at airports like Sky Harbor, where the FAAs implementation of its NextGen navigational system led to spikes in noise complaints as a result of flight-path changes.

Sky Harbor trailed only San Francisco International Airport, which logged an astronomical 890,376 complaints. But Sky Harbor was well ahead of the next airports in line, Los Angeles International with 8,862 and Washington-Reagan National Airport with 8,760.

Residents near Sky Harbor were not surprised by the numbers  and do not think things have improved in the past year.

My experience (with noise in 2016) has been about the same from more than two years ago when the flight paths changed, said Steve Dreiseszun, a resident in Phoenixs historic district. There has been no improvement.

The Mercatus Center report said the Sky Harbor complaints were submitted by 1,338 households in 2015, with just 13 of them accounting for 3,814 of the complaints.

Phoenix residents and city officials alike charged that federal officials are not doing enough to respond to their complaints.

Phoenix homeowner Beth Malapanes said the only reprieve she got from the airport noise was on Thanksgiving Day  but she paid for it during the rest of the busy travel weekend, when planes flew over her home every 10 minutes for three days.

Were still experiencing the same issue, Malapanes said. Every time the wind comes from the west, planes have to take off over our home. Storms and clouds amplify the sound  thats really all you hear.

Residents and airport officials alike blame the increased number of noise complaints on the FAAs 2014 decision to implement NextGen, which altered flight paths in an effort to streamline arrivals and departures at the airport. They said the change was made with little public notice or input.

The Sept. 18, 2014, change was supposed to enhance departures and arrivals using communication between satellites and on-board airplane equipment to navigate with greater precision and accuracy.

After months of discussions and stalled negotiations regarding the noise complaints, the city of Phoenix sued the FAA in June 2015. But Sky Harbor was not the only airport to see noise complaints rise after the start of NextGen: Similar lawsuits have been filed in Boston, New York and throughout California.

Sky Harbor spokeswoman Heather Lissner said the citys aviation department has been actively involved in working to address flight path concerns voiced by the community. That includes continuing to press the citys lawsuit against the FAA, she said.

Dreiseszun, who runs the Lets Make Some Noise Facebook page for airport noise complaints, said the problem does not lie with airport or city officials. He blames Congress and the federal courts, who have the power to impose a new set of flight path standards that would address these concerns.

It does not appear that the FAA is willing or interested in making substantive changes that are appropriate, Dreiseszun said. And that is the main source of our challenge right now.

Arizona Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake added language this spring to the FAA authorization bill that would create an advisory committee to review the way the agency handles consultation, or a lack of consultation, with neighbors and local officials when implementing new rules at an airport. The committee would have to report back to Congress within a year with recommendations for improving the procedures.

In an emailed statement, an FAA spokesman said the agency is committed to transparency, inclusivity and responsiveness, but it also wants Sky Harbor to set up its own process for receiving complaints in person from nearby residents.

We have encouraged the Phoenix airport to establish a noise roundtable to ensure that community representatives, the FAA, the airport and the airline industry are all part of the discussion about addressing noise concerns, the statement read.

Dreiseszun said he and other residents in his neighborhood hope the new Congress will come to the table and do this the right way after convening in January.

We will continue to struggle and we will continue to make our voices heard, Dreiseszun said. This is not an isolated incident, this is a national problem.
Last year there were 841 serious road accidents - not simple prangs with minimal damage - where police did not turn up at the scene

Most of us can remember a time when every road accident resulted in the police attending the scene, but those days seem a distant memory, as the shocking statistics in this paper today reveal.

Last year there were 841 serious road accidents - not simple prangs with minimal damage - where police did not turn up at the scene.

That is around 20% of every accident where death or serious injury occurs. Obviously, police go to the scene of every fatality, so it is an even higher proportion of accidents where serious injury occurs.

According to police, they attend every serious accident reported to them, so the inference is that these 841 accidents were not reported immediately, even though people were injured.

What could be the possible reason for that?

Some may be single-vehicle accidents where the occupant or occupants did not want police coming to the scene in case investigations turned up an unacceptable cause for the collision, such as drink-driving or dangerous or careless driving, or if the vehicle was not insured or taxed.

It is difficult to think of any other reasons why people would not want to have an official police report on an accident.

And why would police not be summoned if more than one vehicle was involved? One of the two parties, inevitably, would feel they were wronged and would want redress against the other. But how could they prove that either in a court or to an insurance company without an official, independent police report?

Another worrying inference from these figures is that a sizeable number of people are getting away with driving offences because there is no independent witness to the probable cause of a large number of accidents each year.

It appears that not only are the number of serious and fatal accidents increasing, but that an increasing proportion do not result in police attending the scene.

Surely that is the wrong message to be going out, especially at this time of the year. It could encourage people who feel responsible for serious accidents to fail to report the crash. Follow-up investigations make it more difficult for police to ascertain the cause of the accident, or whether anyone was at fault.

With our poor road safety record, we need to encourage better driver behaviour, not let wrongdoers think they can escape justice.
The debate on Fidel Castro continues to rage between those who see him as a political hero and those who see him as a vicious dictator. On the Left in Ireland, as in Britain, some have virtually canonised him as a political saint. Jeremy Corbyn eulogised him as a hero and Irish President Michael D Higgins, with inappropriate hyperbole, called him "a giant among global leaders".

Generally speaking, it is hard for people in the West, in particular in the USA and Britain, to understand the genuine and deep-rooted popularity of Castro in the Third World, especially in Latin America. There is no doubt that Castro was a towering and defining figure in the politics of Latin America. The reason for this was his successful defiance of the mighty United States of America, who very arrogantly treated Latin America with either indifference or contempt.

The USA for decades failed to assist its southern cousins either economically or politically. With its vast economic might, it exploited the economic weakness of South America and asserted an unhealthy military and political dominance over the sub continent. Incredibly, the US actively helped to sustain the many rotten dictatorships in Latin America, instead of advancing the cause of democracy. This was particularly true in Central America, which the US contemptuously treated as its own back yard.

Cuba had been for a long time the playground of the American rich and was left to its own decadent devices so long as it didn't affect US strategic interests. When Castro overthrew the corrupt dictator Batista he was applauded and was thought to be establishing a new democratic Cuba. It was a popular revolution, which for a time boded well for the Cuban people.

Sadly, despite expectations, Castro did not deliver a free and democratic Cuba. Nonetheless, he did restore the dignity and national independence of Cuba, as a self-respecting, independent country.

Castro was, above all, a great nationalist leader, and that is what distinguished him in Latin America. This was not simply a popular revolution against a tin pot dictator, but a great nationalist revolution. He gave back to the people of Cuba and Latin America their pride and self-respect. The US economic blockade of Cuba was a vengeful response that was counterproductive and, ironically, served to bolster Castro and gave justification to his regime.

He stood up to the USA and skilfully outwitted it using the Soviets. Castro was seen as victorious over the imperialist 'gringos' of North America, who had shamefully mistreated their southern neighbours. It was this that inspired the people of Latin America.

But, as the record shows, he became a tyrant, a somewhat daring and charismatic one, but still a 'Caudillo' in the ugly tradition of Latin America.

People weren't too concerned with his strange Communist ideology, but rather fascinated by his capacity to stand up to and diminish the American behemoth. He was seen as David outfoxing the American Goliath.

However, the generality of his popular appeal in Latin America should not be used to disguise the highly structured totalitarian regime that he built. It was a classic Stalinist system based on the dictatorship of the Communist Party with Castro permanently at its head. Free elections were not allowed, although they had been promised. No free Press was permitted. Free trade unions were banned. Religion was suppressed and gays were persecuted.

Many executions took place and thousands were imprisoned for political reasons.

While the initial bloody excesses in the heat of the post-revolutionary period in 1959 may be excused, the continued imprisonment of political opponents and executions over five decades cannot be excused.

Even if one were to forget the first four decades of Castro's communist dictatorship, the abuses of human rights continued steadily until the 2000s.

Amnesty International's Colum O'Gorman has bluntly stated that: "some people seemed to want to ignore Castro's horrific and monstrous abuse of civilian and political rights for some 50 years. Any suggestion that Castro's delivery on social rights balances out his appalling violations of civilian and political rights is also nonsense."

Even as late as 2003 there took place what is known as the 'Black Spring'. This was the brutal suppression of a dissident political movement of human rights activists and intellectuals. Seventy-five dissidents were arrested and put on trial for various political activities. They were all convicted after brief trials and sentenced to lengthy prison sentences. Many were adopted by Amnesty as prisoners of conscience.

Sadly, Castro's crackdown was ultimately successful and since then little change has taken place. The regime still remains totalitarian and we need to honestly and truthfully acknowledge that fact, dismissing all the silly romantic notions about Castro and his revolution.
Northern Ireland woman Barbara Morrow uses a service called Internet Eyes to help curb crime in Brazil [File photo/picture posed]

Co Down woman Barbara Morrow is fighting crime 5,000 miles away from her home in Ballyhalbert.

Business Insider explains that the 80-year-old retired shopkeeper uses a service called Internet Eyes, an online system that helps companies in Brazil reduce crime by having its users watch online security cameras.

If users spot anything suspicious they hit an alert button and file a report.

A report might say: "Lady in red coat put chocolate in her pocket."

The report is then sent to the shop owner who can take appropriate action. The user then gets paid for their work.

Ms Morrow said: "I just like catching shoplifters I think I should have been a vigilante or something."

Internet Eyes and Ms Morrow were recently featured on the podcast Codebreaker which explored the use of surveillance cameras in society.

Codebreaker host Ben Johnson said: "Barbara is way up there on the watcher leaderboard...usually in the top three."

You can listen to the podcast in full below.
Shimon Peres has passed away at age 93. Peres was the Israeli elder statesman who shared a Nobel Prize for forging a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians. He served as a constant force for generations in Israeli politics.

Peres died after suffering a massive stroke two weeks ago. He had been making progress but doctors said he took a turn for the worse on Tuesday.

Peres held many top leaderships roles including Prime Minster and President. The Labor Party veteran was the face of the Jewish state and was well-respected in Israel and across the globe. Peres retired from public office in 2014 after the end of his seven-year term as President. He was in Israeli politics for more than half a century.

Theres no corner of this country that he hasnt touched, Zionist Union Chairman Isaac Herzog once said. Everywhere he goes around the world, people listen to him.

Shimon Peres battled Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin for Labor Party leadership in the 1980s and 1990s but eventually became Rabins foreign minister.

In that role, Peres concluded the Oslo Peace Accords, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 with Rabin and Yasser Arafat.

I am very grateful to him for a lifetime of thinking big thoughts and dreaming big dreams and figuring out practical ways to achieve them, President Bill Clinton once said of Shimon Peres.

After Rabin was assassinated in 1995, Peres became Prime Minister, a position he held three times. Peres called early elections so that the government would have a mandate to pursue a two-state solution.

Peres faced a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings and other attacks that tarnished his peace process during this time as Prime Minster. The violence ultimately cost Peres the ensuing elections; however, he never stopped believing in peace. He continued to carry on the work of Rabin.

Peace is costly, Peres said in 2015. Only thing is, war costs more.

Shimon Peres was no stranger to making history. He became Israels ninth President. In 2007, he addressed the Turkish Parliament becoming the first Israeli President to speak to a Muslim countrys legislature. He called for peace talks in 2011 with the Palestinians, and warned the United Nations against recognizing Palestine as an independent state outside a peace plan. He received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 from Barack Obama.

After leaving office in 2014 he remained in the public eye, continuing his work for peace in the Middle East.

When asked how he wanted to be remembered, Peres mentioned his dedication to peace.

I feel like a person that has served this country rightly and properly, he said. And that is, in my judgment, the highest degree a person can feel.

On this day, there are few Israelis who would disagree.
PHOENIX  Hoping Arizonans will have had their fill of Republican policies by 2018, Tucson Democrat Steve Farley is weighing a bid to make incumbent Doug Ducey a one-term governor.

Farley told Capitol Media Services Tuesday that the tax cuts enacted during Ducey's administration have left the state's K-12 and higher education system without the funds it needs.

Instead, he said, the governor's policies seem to rely on the idea that tax breaks will grow the economy through new corporations moving here. In fact, Ducey has not only promised to propose tax cuts every year he is governor but said he will drive the state income tax rate to "as close to zero as possible.''

Farley said that recipe makes no sense.

"The large corporations won't come here anymore if we don't have a workforce that's trained to be able to work for them,'' he said.

An aide to the governor declined to comment. And while Ducey has made no formal announcement of his 2018 plans he already has formed a campaign committee.

Farley, first elected to the House in 2007 and a state senator since 2013, could face a demograpics problem.

There are more than 1.2 million Republicans registered to vote in the state. Democrats, with nearly 1.1 million registered voters, actually trail independents by nearly 128,000.

But Farley said it works to his advantage that the state's gubernatorial race is not the same year as the presidential contest.

"Traditionally, when you look at the first off-year presidential election for this state, folks go heavily against the party in power in D.C.,'' he said. And Farley is counting on disenchantment with both the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled U.S. House and Senate.

He also pointed out that the last time Arizona voters choose a Democrat for governor was in 2002  and again in 2006  electing Janet Napolitano. And both years there was a Republican in the White House.

Farley is focused on the state's tax policies and how he believes they can be improved.

He conceded that by the time of the 2018 election many of the tax cuts previously approved by the Republican-controlled legislature will already have kicked in. That includes a 30 percent reduction in the corporate income tax rate and a change in the law that allows some manufacturers who do not sell their products in Arizona to entirely escape state corporate income taxes.

"Yeah, but it could get much worse if he gets reelected and carries through on his promise to eliminate the state income tax,'' Farley said.

But the Tucson Democrat is looking at doing more than simply keeping tax rates from going any lower. He is targeting the exemptions on what is subject to the state sales tax.

Calculations by Capitol Media Services show that if every transaction were subject to the state's 5.6 percent sales tax, the state would collect at least $12.2 billion more a year. That compares with $4.3 billion the state actually took in last budget year.

Farley calls those exemptions "loopholes.''

He conceded, however, there are reasons behind some of those exemptions, including political.

For example, Arizona does not tax the sale of food from grocery stores intended for home consumption. The Department of Revenue estimates that eliminating that exemption would bring in about $414 million a year.

Then there are policy decisions like taxing only the final purchase. That compares with a European system of "value-added'' taxes, where every transaction is taxed each time a product or service changes hands.

That exemption adds up to $4.1 billion.

And services also are generally exempt, including nearly $2 billion that would be collected from medical and hospital services and another $1 billion in professional, scientific and technical service.s

But Farley said there's probably $2 billion to $3 billion in "low-hanging fruit.'' One particular target is the $1.5 billion exemption for the sale of pipes and valves 4 inches in diameter  not larger or smaller  to transport oil, natural gas or coal slurry.

"We could actually reduce the overall sales tax rate and cut out a bunch of these loopholes that aren't doing anything for the economy ... and gain revenue while reducing the rate,'' he said.

Political party registration aside, Farley faces another hurdle. The last time Arizona voters elected someone from Southern Arizona for governor was in 1974 when they tapped Democrat Raul Castro.
Police remove evidence seized during a raid on the home of a suspected terrorist in Sukohardjo, Central Java, Dec. 11, 2016.

In unprecedented TV interviews, a man and a woman allegedly on the brink of becoming Indonesias first female suicide bomber gave a chilling account of their marriage, carried out to facilitate an attack they said was being planned and directed from Syria.

In separate interviews conducted late Tuesday at an unspecified location after their arrest, Dian Yulia Novi and Nur Solihin told private television network TVOne how they had received instructions over Telegram from someone whom they believed was Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian member of the extremist group Islamic State (IS).

The two are among seven suspects arrested over the weekend for a suicide attack planned for Dec. 11 during a changing-of-the-guard outside the presidential palace in Jakarta, according to police.

Nur Solihin said he took the bomb  a rice cooker packed with high-powered explosives  to the rented room where his wife, Dian Yulia Novi, was staying.

All of it, from the target, the hour, the time, the person who arranged it was Bahrun Naim. I myself didnt know the details at first  but when the time drew near, he informed me, Nur Solihin said during a 23-minute interview uploaded to YouTube by TVOne.

Police seized the device in Bekasi, a city adjacent to Jakarta, and later detonated it, officials said during a press conference on Monday.

Someone stood in for me

Dian, reportedly 27 years old, told an interviewer that she was from Cirebon, West Java, and had worked abroad as a domestic servant in Singapore for a year and a half and in Taiwan for three years.

Clad in a black niqab, she said she was an avid consumer of jihadist articles and podcasts on Facebook.

On Facebook, for the last year, I opened the status of jihadists who inspired me, she said, speaking without emotion and seldom looking at her interviewer.

In October 2016, she married a man she had been introduced to and conversed with on Telegram that same month. She was aware he was already married and had children. She had never seen him and did not attend the wedding, which was arranged by her soon-to-be husband, she said.

I dont really know how it was done, everything was handled by [Nur Solihin], and someone stood in for me, she said.

They met after the marriage for the first time, and again in November, when he helped her make an oath to the Islamic State.

She said she had been certain about being a suicide bomber for at least three months, not out of desperation to end her life but as a way to please God.

She did not know the details of the planned attack, but was eventually informed by Bahrun Naim via Telegram chat that the target would be presidential guards outside the Presidential Palace.

He instructed her to mingle with the spectators who typically gather to watch the changing of the guard, then run toward the guards and detonate herself, she said.

The bomber should be a woman

Interviewed separately, Nur Solihin said the motivation for the marriage was to prepare Dian to be a suicide bomber, which had long been her ambition, he claimed.

He said he grew to love his new wife very much but was still willing to facilitate her death because it was her goal, he said.

It was Bahrun Naim who said the bomber should be a woman, he said.

Nur Solihin said he had known about Bahrun Naim for a long time and had sent his resume to write for his media but did not meet him before he left for Syria.

Since all their communications were over Telegram text, how could he be sure it was Bahrun Naim? An interviewer asked.

I believe it was Bahrun Naim, but its not important, he replied.

[T]hese terror cells had direct contacts with Bahrun. They operated in several cities. They belonged to a terror cell in Surakarta [Solo], Central Java. They had planned a terror attack, in which Bekasi was just a transit area before they moved to their main target area, Jakarta, police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar told a news conference on Monday, the Jakarta Post reported.
De facto Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim lost a final courtroom battle for securing his release from prison when Malaysias highest court on Wednesday rejected an application to review his 2014 sodomy conviction.

Following the ruling by the Malaysian Federal Court, the 69-year-old founder of the Peoples Justice Party (PKR) has exhausted all legal avenues to have his conviction and five-year prison sentence overturned, a prosecutor said.

His only other way out of prison would be to seek clemency from a pardons board, but Malaysias king, who chaired a meeting of the board last year, rejected such a bid made then by Anwar.

Ill make an announcement in the next two days [about] my next step. I knew this was going to be a long road to achieve freedom, Anwar told reporters as prison officials led him out of the court after a five-judge panel issued its decision.

The ruling also effectively ended prospects for Anwar to challenge his arch political foe, Prime Minister Najib Razak, in the 14th general election scheduled for mid-2018. Anwar is expected to serve another 16 months in jail and could be released early from Sungai Buloh Prison in April 2018, but Malaysian law disqualifies a person who has been convicted from running for political office, according to Reuters.

The justices, led by High Court of Malaya Chief Judge Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, ruled unanimously that Anwars application for a review of his conviction and sentence had no merit.

This is not a fit and proper case for the court to use its inherent jurisdiction, Zulkefli said in handing down the courts decision.

The panel heard Anwars application on Oct. 12 to review his conviction and sentence stemming from a sodomy charge dating to 2008, when the politician allegedly committed sexual misconduct against a former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called Wednesdays ruling a real tragedy of justice in a politically motivated case.

More than anything, this outcome shows that the Malaysian courts were no match for Prime Minister Najib Razaks political vendetta against Anwar, Phil Robertson, HRWs deputy Asia director, said in a statement.

With this final decision running roughshod over Anwars rights and sending him back to prison, Najib and the ruling UMNO party have just fired the starting gun on the expected 2018 election by permanently sidelining the political oppositions most capable leader.

Twice convicted

Anwar is serving his second jail term. In 1998, he was sentenced to six years on sodomy and corruption charges, which Anwar, a former deputy to then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, called politically motivated.

At the time Anwar was second in line for the leadership of the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party, but fell out with its chief, Mahathir. Mahathir has since left the party after becoming Prime Minister Najibs fiercest critic.

Anwar and Mahathir recently reconciled and both vowed to unseat Najib by forming a solid opposition bloc.

Anwar initially was acquitted of the latest sodomy charge by Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohamad Zabidin on Jan. 9, 2012. The judge found said the court was not convinced that a DNA sample taken from Saiful had not been tainted.

But on March 7, 2014, the Court of Appeal reversed the decision to acquit Anwar and sentenced him to five years in jail.

On Feb. 10, 2015, a five-judge panel in Federal Court, chaired by Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria, rejected Anwars appeal and maintained the conviction.

Anwar cant accept this decision

Anwars wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is president of the PKR, appeared dejected when the court issued its decision Wednesday. She later declined to answer questions from reporters in the lobby of the courthouse in Putrajaya, but she did address supporters of her husband.

I see continued support to this struggle until this very day and this has helped me to strengthen my spirit to keep on fighting, Wan Azizah said.

Anwars attorney. N. Surendran, said the legal team would examine the written judgment of the court before announcing any further action.

Anwar cant accept this decision and [neither can] his family members, Surendran said.

Meanwhile, one of the prosecutors told local news portal MalaysiaKini report on Wednesday that Anwar had run out of legal options.

He has exhausted all legal channels. As far as the court knows, Anwar had run out of option, unless he is given a royal pardon, Tengku Amir, a member of the prosecution team said in the MalaysiaKini report.

Surendran said his client does have one option left in his efforts to get of out jail, but that does not involve going through the courts: seeking a royal pardon from Malaysias new king, Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan, who was sworn in as monarch on Tuesday.

Opposition leader Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (with microphone) addresses supporters outside the federal courthouse in Putrajaya, Dec. 14, 2016. [Hata Wahari/BenarNews].
Throughout our nations history, vigorous debates and court battles have raged over the meaning and extent of the protections provided by different parts of the Bill of Rights. Many of these arguments have centered on the First, Second, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments. But there have been virtually no fights at all over the Third Amendment.

Some might claim this is a sign that the amendment was unneeded or unimportant. Actually, its a sign of its unambiguity and its lasting success.

The Third Amendment provides that:

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner prescribed by law.

The Third Amendment was prompted by actions of the English Crown that outraged ordinary Americans. Colonists had been forced to house British soldiers in their homes without their consent. This practice came to the fore in 1774 with Parliaments passage of the Intolerable or Coercive Acts, designed specifically to punish Bostonians for the Boston Tea Party.

This was the party thrown by Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty in December 1773 in which they threw 342 chests of tea overboard in Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act of 1773. Part of the punishment was a new Quartering Act that forced Boston homeowners and innkeepers to provide housing for British Redcoats for a pittance and not the actual cost of boarding them.

A curious fact of history: Bostonians were singled out for punishment despite the fact that there was a similar Delaware Tea Party shortly after the Boston party that sank even more chests of tea  more than 700. But as A Patriots History of the United States points out, Sam Adams wasnt there to publicize the Delaware Tea Party, so no one remembers it.

What is important about this amendment is that it supported the Founders view  also expressed elsewhere in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights  that American civilians needed to be structurally protected against the dangers of a standing army. They had seen the British army used as an internal police force to intimidate, harass, arrest and otherwise coerce the colonists. Banning such quartering was a step that could be taken to prevent such actions being personally visited on civilians in their homes.

We see this same protection in the Second Amendment, whose purpose is not just to protect the right of Americans to hunt and to defend themselves from ordinary criminals, but ultimately to protect themselves from a tyrannical government and its enforcers  a professional army. As Ninth Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski said in Silveira v. Lockyer in 2002: The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances where all other rights have failed  . However improbable these contingencies may seem today, facing them unprepared is a mistake a free people get to make only once.

This fundamental concept that our military cannot be used in domestic policing and law enforcement or to enforce domestic policy is also enshrined in the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act. It is so ingrained in American culture, society, and our basic values, that the average American does not realize how unusual this is in the history of civilization and the practices of many other nations. The Third Amendment is part and parcel of this structural protection.

There have been almost no cases in the courts over the Third Amendment. The federal government has never tried to violate the amendment. Since our very beginning as a nation, our military forces have been housed on bases acquired and paid for by the federal government.

One of the few times it has been mentioned was in the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the Second Amendment in McDonald v. City of Chicago. There the court simply noted that the Third Amendment was one of the few amendments that had not been incorporated by the 14th Amendment into applying to the states. Thus, the prohibition applies only to the federal government.

There are no current challenges to the Third Amendment. Nor are there likely to be any in the near future  unless we end up facing the type of doomsday situation that Judge Kozinski described.

That is when it will be another tool in the arsenal the American people can use to take back their constitutional republic.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Hans A. von Spakovsky is a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He is the co-author of Whos Counting? How Fraudsters and Bureaucrats Put Your Vote at Risk and Obamas Enforcer: Eric Holders Justice Department. He wrote this for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
A bid from Pulte Homes to rezone and add 465 residences and possibly a school near Sandy Run Creek on Jedburg Road wasn't met with open arms at a Oct. 26 community meeting on the part of local homeowners seeking to preserve the area's rural characteristics. Read moreJedburg Road residents tell Pulte Homes: 'Keep it rural'
The pace of executive orders by the Obama administration in the waning days of his presidency has quickened, especially with a different party moving into the White House in January.

What would be one of his biggest and most far-reaching would be a monument declaration for a 1.7 million-acre buffer zone on federal lands around Grand Canyon National Park, primarily to ban new uranium mining permanently.

We have called in the past for advance collaboration  or at least consultation  among various parties before a final monument plan is acted on. To date, that has yet to occur formally, although we are encouraged by a compromise proposed by several hunting and fishing groups.

The six groups, including the Arizona Wildlife Federation, the Arizona Council of Trout Unlimited and the Arizona Antelope Association, have rallied around a plan that would remove the North Kaibab Ranger District on Forest Service land north of the Grand Canyon from the proposed monument's boundaries. In exchange, they will support monument status for the remaining acreage.

They contend such a plan represents a compromise because the North Kaibab is already under a permanent mining withdrawal, accomplishing a main goal of monument proponents, and is the area hunters and anglers are most concerned will be somehow restricted under a national monument designation.

The North Kaibab has been off-limits to mining ever since 1906, when President Theodore Roosevelt declared it a game preserve.

Unlike others that oppose a monument, the six groups proposing the North Kaibab compromise support permanent withdrawal of uranium mining from the Grand Canyon Watershed.

They say achieving that goal is more important than whatever limits on travel, camping, game retrieval, livestock grazing and the hunting of certain species would come with a monument designation. The North Kaibab already has implemented some of those restrictions, yet it remains one of the prime hunting territories in the state.

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission wants no part of a monument designation, citing new restrictions on off-road travel, camping and game management that have arisen on other Arizona monuments.

But as we reported last week, managers for those monuments say little has changed beyond what the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service had already planned before the monument designations.

Backers of a full monument oppose leaving out the North Kaibab, even though it has a uranium mining ban. They contend the Forest Service does not adequately protect old-growth forests when awarding forest restoration contracts. The latter would continue within a new monument, but with more restrictions on cutting the largest trees and motorized game retrieval.

Our hope is that the example set by the Arizona Wildlife Federation, Supervisor Art Babbott and others in proposing a compromise will be followed by others. Scientific surveys show strong public support in this region and the state for the permanent protections against uranium mining that a monument would bring. Surely there is a middle ground on other management issues that would get a new monument off on a better foot than the current standoff between conservationists and business groups, along with Game and Fish. There is more than a month until Inauguration Day, plenty of time to come up with a brokered designation rather than a unilateral one.
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Interview with Germanys Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen |

Von: By Nikolaus Blome and Hanno Kautz

President Putin and Syrians dictator Assad are utterly destroying Aleppo by rockets and bombs. The international community cant think of anything else to do, but to issue appeals.

Ursula von der Leyen (CDU), Germanys Defence Minister, shared her views on why the West is powerless in Syria and how Europe has to arm itself in order to better manage hotspots that are in immediate vicinity, in an interview with BILD newspaper.

BILD: In light of the attacks in Istanbul, do we have to reconsider our Turkey policy and increase support to our NATO partner?

Von der Leyen: These brutal and shameful attacks are unjustifiable. We extend our deep sympathy to Turkey, especially to the victims and relatives. Our ally knows that we stand united against terrorism.

At the CDU party convention, Angela Merkel said, The world is in disarray. Is the Chancellor the only one who can save the world?

Von der Leyen: The Chancellor is highly regarded internationally. However, we need reliable partners around the world to find effective responses to crisis, terror and wars. The Chancellor cant do it alone.

Lesen Sie auch

How important is Europes role?

Von der Leyen: It is more important than ever. Since the election of the new US President, it has become clear to Europeans that we have to take matters, which have a direct impact on us, into our own hands. Particularly, if they are in our immediate vicinity like Eastern Europe, Syria or Africa.

Auch interessant

Why then does Europe stand idly by, watching Putin and Assad utterly destroying Aleppo by rockets and bombs?

Von der Leyen: The killing of Aleppos people is a shameful act. And so is Russias and Chinas veto of a United Nations Security Council resolution that includes ending a blockade that would allow a ceasefire in Aleppo.

But?

Von der Leyen: There is no military solution for Syria, only a political one. Because the risk of a military escalation between the superpowers is too high.

That means, no German soldier should die for Aleppo?

Von der Leyen: If there were a realistic chance to stop Assad by military means without risking large-scale war, the international community would intervene in Syria. Assad is receiving massive air and ground support from Russian and Iranian troops. The entire place is like a powder keg waiting to blow if you take one wrong step - it will set the world ablaze. Although the images are utterly devastating, we continue to rely on a diplomatic solution and, first and foremost, humanitarian aid for Aleppos people. Not a single dictator, who brutally oppresses his own people, can hold on to power.

President-elect Trump is demanding greater engagement from Eruopean NATO partners. Should Germany, therefore, invest more into its defence?

Von der Leyen: That would hold true without President Trumps opinion, due to the overall security situation. For far too long, we have followed a course of austerity cuts on the armed forces. We have to dissolve military gridlock and modernize the army.

Is this your campaign promise?

Von der Leyen: We are veering toward NATOs two percent spending goal in reasonable steps. Since we dont know how strong Germanys economy will be in ten years from now, nobody can predict how quickly we can achieve our goal. A slow, but steady increase of our defence budget would be ideal, because steps toward modernization take time. Its only honest to present this goal in our election program.

Lesen Sie auch

Two weeks ago, German troops were hit by a bomb attack in the town of Gao, north of Mali. How dangerous is the deployment?

Von der Leyen: The Mali deployment is one of the most dangerous mandates for Germanys army. Terrorists are conducting attacks to destabilize the country and to stop the peace process. We are there to perform reconnaissance work and we are well protected. Hence, the attack in Gao failed to succeed.

Is Mali turning into a second Afghanistan for the German army?

Von der Leyen: Both deployments are very dangerous. Nonetheless, its impossible to compare them. But it is equally true, that both, the EU and Germany have to increase their commitment in Mali.

How?

Von der Leyen: I expect from the EU, that they not only train but also arm Mali soldiers. It doesnt help to lead Mali soldiers into battle by teaching them how to fight and not supplying them with full dress uniforms, guns and protected vehicles. That is currently being debated with the EU.

What else could Germany do?

Von der Leyen: In a joint agreement with the United Nations, the German army will take over the chain of rescue in the north of Mali from Holland, as of spring 2017. It means, that we will provide rescue helicopters to fly out injured soldiers in an emergency situation. Hence, the Mali mandate will have to be expanded from 650 to 1000 soldiers. The Bundestag will make a decision in January.

Why should the German army be in Africa at all?

Von der Leyen: It is in Europes interest to offer African people a perspective, each one of them in their own country. The military can only make a small contribution. Civilian support is much more important, so that people can obtain education and jobs in their own country. It will cost a lot of money, but it is always a better solution than supporting African people here or deporting them after their perilous escape. It is also of vital importance that we act now. Otherwise, last years refugee movement was just a small taste of what the future holds in store. *translated into English by Claudia Haj Ali

PS: Sind Sie bei Facebook? Werden Sie Fan von BILD.de-Politik!




First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain.





Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that.





And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details.





If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb.

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For Immediate Release, December 14, 2016 Contact: Elise Bennett, (727) 755-6950, ebennett@biologicaldiversity.org

Dr. Russell Burke, (516) 463-7272, Russell.L.Burke@hofstra.edu More Than 60 Scientists Support New York's Proposal to End Terrapin Harvest Coastal Turtles Threatened by Habitat Loss, Entanglement in Fishing Gear, Harvest Pressure ALBANY, N.Y. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation today received a letter signed by more than 60 scientists supporting the states proposal to end the harvest of diamondback terrapins. Recognizing declines in terrapin populations and increasing pressures from commercial harvest for specialized markets, the Department has suggested permanently closing the terrapin hunting season and solicited comments. New York terrapins face many threats, and the legal harvest is an unnecessary addition to that list, said Dr. Russell Burke, Donald E. Axinn distinguished professor in ecology and conservation at Hofstra University. Terrapins are keystone species in their brackish water marsh habitats, a charismatic part of the natural heritage of all New Yorkers. Its time to stop catching and selling this species and take this step toward restoring their populations. Diamondback terrapins are the only North American turtles that live exclusively along the coast where fresh water meets the sea, ranging along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Terrapins play a key role in coastal ecosystems because they eat salt marsh periwinkle snails, which can become overpopulated and devour marsh grasses that protect shorelines and sustain wildlife. But the animals are struggling against threats from habitat loss, entanglement in fishing gear, vehicle strikes, pollution and overcollection. New York currently allows trappers with diamondback terrapin licenses to take unlimited numbers of terrapins during a nine-month open season from August through April. Almost every state in the terrapins range has put a stop to terrapin trapping, including, most recently, New Jersey. The experts agree  trapping is bad news for terrapins, said Elise Bennett, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity dedicated to protecting rare reptiles and amphibians. Im hopeful that New York will finally join the rest of its coastal neighbors that have already put a stop to this unwise practice. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is seeking informal feedback on its idea to close the diamondback terrapin hunting season. Comments may be submitted by email to wildlife@dec.ny.gov; written letter to NYSDEC, Bureau of Wildlife, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754; or through this Center action alert. Comments are due by Dec. 23, 2016.
For Immediate Release, December 14, 2016 Contact: Dune Lankard, (907) 952-5265, dlankard@biologicaldiversity.org 1.4 Million Acres of Alaska Public Lands Auctioned for Fossil Fuels Oil, Gas Operations Will Worsen Climate Change, Endanger Wildlife ANCHORAGE The Bureau of Land Management today auctioned off oil and gas leases across 1.4 million acres of public lands in northern Alaska in a step that will deepen the climate crisis and further endanger polar bears, ice seals and other wildlife. Dozens of activists protested ahead of the sale  the final sale of the Obama presidency  highlighting the disconnect between President Obamas climate rhetoric and what his administration has called its all of the above energy policy, which has made the United States the third biggest oil-producing nation in the world.



Protesters at this and other recent BLM fossil fuel auctions around the country hoped Obama would cancel the sale, which lasts for decades, in light of President-elect Trumps promise to accelerate the extraction and burning of fossil fuels and abandon the countrys commitments to address climate change. Speakers and demonstrators from the Keep It in the Ground movement gathered outside the Anchorage federal building before the new leases were announced. They noted the irony of the final lease-sale being offered in Alaska, a region warming at twice the global rate, where polar bears, ice seals and other endangered species face extinction because of rapidly melting sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, right next to where todays leases were offered. Alaskans are on the front lines of climate change. Were worried about the damage Trump is promising to inflict and disappointed that Obama and the BLM allowed this sale to proceed, said Dune Lankard, a Native Alaskan and the Center for Biological Diversitys senior Alaska representative. Nows the time for everyone to pull together and resist any rollbacks in our countrys commitment to address climate change and the extinction crisis. Although the leases were offered in an area dubbed the National Petroleum Reserve back in 1923, this vast unspoiled wilderness is teeming with wildlife. Abundant grizzly bears, wolverines and wolves are supported by herds of a half-million caribou and indigenous tribes still practice their traditional subsistence hunting, fishing and gathering. This 37,000 square-mile region includes Teshekpuk Lake, the headlands of the Colville River, and endless wetlands that support millions of migratory birds. While disappointed that todays lease sale went through, conservation groups remain hopeful that President Obama will use his executive authority to permanently remove federal waters in the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans from the federal fossil fuel leasing program before he leave offices. 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 13, 2016 Contact: Patrick Sullivan, (415) 517-9364, psullivan@biologicaldiversity.org New EPA Report Highlights Fracking Pollution Threat to California's Water Golden State Has All Six Factors That Increase Water-contamination Risk SACRAMENTO, Calif. A major new report released today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency highlights hydraulic fracturings threat to California's water supplies. All six factors identified in the EPA report as increasing the risk of fracking-related water pollution apply in California. This report shows that Californians are right to be deeply concerned about fracking pollutions threats to our water, said Hollin Kretzmann of the Center for Biological Diversity. The EPA identified six risk factors that increase the risk of water contamination, and every single one applies in our state. The best way to protect our water from fracking chemicals is to ban this toxic technique. Oil companies in California frack at shallow depths, very close to groundwater. They also employ fracking fluid with unusually high concentrations of chemicals. The oil industry in the state has been allowed to dispose of vast quantities of oil wastewater into unlined pits that threaten groundwater. Percolation pits, in particular, were commonly reported to have been used to manage produced water from stimulated wells in Kern County, California, between 2011 and 2014, the EPA report states. The document also highlights the risks of spills of oil industry wastewater, noting that over a recent five-year period 18% of the spills impacted waterways. The EPA found scientific evidence that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact drinking water resources under some circumstances. The report identifies certain conditions under which impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities can be more frequent or severe. EPAs six identified factors for increased risk of water pollution, listed below, all occur in California, making fracking in the state particularly dangerous: Risk factor 1: Water withdrawals for hydraulic fracturing in times or areas of low water availability, particularly in areas with limited or declining groundwater resources. California is experiencing a historic drought. A 2014 report by Ceres noted that 98 percent of fracking occurs in areas of the state experiencing high or extreme water stress. Risk factor 2: Spills during the handling of hydraulic fracturing fluids and chemicals or produced water that result in large volumes or high concentrations of chemicals reaching groundwater resources. Oil companies in California use well-stimulation fluid with a higher concentration of chemicals, according to 2015 report from the California Council on Science and Technology. Risk factor 3: Injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids into wells with inadequate mechanical integrity, allowing gases or liquids to move to groundwater resources. Californias long history of oil production makes it more prone to fluid migration through older wells. The state also has many wells in close proximity to one another (high density) and unmapped wells, which increase this risk even further. Risk factor 4: Injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids directly into groundwater resources. Groundwater tables and injection zones in California are close together, according to the California Council on Science and Technology, increasing the likelihood that fracking fluid may directly reach a source of groundwater. Risk factor 5: Discharge of inadequately treated hydraulic fracturing wastewater to surface water. The Cawelo Water District in California's Kern County has been processing water from oil fields in which fracking has occurred and using it for irrigation. Records show that statewide, millions of gallons of wastewater are later discharged to irrigation canals for agricultural use. Wastewater is also sometimes discharged into surface water. Risk factor 6: Disposal or storage of hydraulic fracturing wastewater in unlined pits resulting in contamination of groundwater resources. California continues to allow the oil industry to use unlined pits for oil wastewater storage and disposal. A survey by the State Water Resources Control Board and regional water boards found hundreds of active unlined pits in the state. While oil officials recently implemented a regulation against discharging flowback fluid from fracked wells into such pits, the state does a poor job of tracking wastewater and existing pits likely have vast quantities of fracking flowback fluid. 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 13, 2016 Contact: Kieran Suckling, (520) 275-5960 Center for Biological Diversity Statement on Ryan Zinke as Trump's Choice for Interior Secretary TUCSON, Ariz. Freshman congressman Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) has reportedly been picked by Donald Trump to serve as secretary of the Interior to oversee endangered species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, hundreds of millions of acres of public land including the national parks, Bureau of Land Management lands and national wildlife refuges and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Zinke was a staunch, early and controversial supporter of Trump throughout the presidential campaign. Trump has picked his wife Lola Zinke to oversee the transition of the Veteran's Administration. Statement of Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity: Ryan Zinke has a dismal 3 percent lifetime environmental voting record. His brief political career has been substantially devoted to attacking endangered species and the Endangered Species Act. He led efforts to strip federal protections for endangered wolves, lynx and sage grouse, voted to exempt massive agribusiness and water developers from Endangered Species Act limitations, and opposed efforts to crack down on the international black market ivory trade." Zinke consistently votes for the interests of oil and gas companies, which is not surprising since Oasis Petroleum is his largest campaign contributor and the oil and gas industry is his third-largest sector contributor. He has also voted against and attacked the establishment of protective national monuments on public lands." On the bright side, Zinke has spoken and voted against the outright transfer of federal public lands to states and corporations. This is in keeping with positions taken by Donald Trump and his son Donald, Jr. Unfortunately Zinke has championed the same result  greatly increased logging, mining and oil drilling, greatly reduced environmental protections, elimination of federal control, and weakening of environmental standards  by turning over public land management to industry-dominated panels appointed by state governors. In Zinkes scheme, industry and state interests get all the environmental destruction and profit they want, with the federal government being made to pay for it through nominal retention of land title." Zinkes cynically named Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015 was one of several schemes he led to turn control of public land to industry-dominated panels. It was widely opposed by conservationists, sportsmen, businesses and even some timber companies for dispensing with environmental laws and public involvement in order to ramp up unsustainable logging levels." "Disturbingly, in 2012 Zinke contradicted his recent stance when he signed the extremist Montana Constitutional Governance Pledge promising to 'legally and administratively oppose the multitude of bureaucracies that have sprung up to enforce the unlawful seizure of our native land and its resources including, but not limited to: the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Park Service, the various bureaus of Wildlife and Fisheries, etc., and restore the rightful powers over the land to the State and private ownership.' During confirmation hearings, the Senate needs to grill Zinke on this contradiction and ensure he truly supports keeping public lands in public hands." 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.
CASABLANCA, Morocco - Aware of the unprecedented impetus of African economies and of the potential offered by the various national and sub-regional markets, Moroccan and French companies are demonstrating new ambitions in Africa, which are expressed in their development strategies on the continent.

Image by 123RF

According to the third edition of BearingPoints International Development Barometer of international firms, Developing in Africa: comparisons of Moroccan and French companies, which is produced in conjunction with the Moroccan Exporters' Association (Asmex), the five main countries where the 250 Moroccan and French companies surveyed are most established, are Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal.

Senegal, Ivory Coast and Gabon are in the lead for the Moroccan companies questioned, which are mainly present in West Africa. Ivory Coast, Morocco and Cameroon hold the first three places for the French groups questioned, which are also based in some English-speaking countries (Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya).

Regarding the type of operations conducted by the companies in the group, over 60% of Moroccan responders export and distribute their production in sub-Saharan Africa, often through a network of partners, which represents the first step before considering setting up in the region. A step ahead, the French companies have more local sites, especially in the conversion and industrial sectors.

"We nevertheless see that Moroccan companies - which are in fact quite new on the continent compared with their French counterparts, some of which have been present for more than a hundred and fifty years - are starting to catch up. Afro-optimism is now a feeling which is widely shared by Moroccan and French company directors, and reflected in the growth strategies and the investments committed," explains Jean-Michel Huet, associate at BearingPoint.

Five years ago, 86% of Moroccan companies questioned said that Africa represented less than 5% of their turnover. In 2016, the continent accounts for more than 5% of revenues for almost half of the respondents, and 20% of them believe that Africa will represent more than 50% of their global turnover in the next five years.

"For some years now, we have witnessed a very strong drive from the Moroccan private sector towards the sub-Saharan region. Support from the authorities in the country and the successes achieved, in particular by finance departments and real estate, have accelerated this movement," explains Hassan Sentissi, president of the Moroccan Exporters' Association (Asmex).

This optimism is also observed in France. Five years ago, 49% of the companies questioned said that Africa represented less than 5% of turnover. In 10 years, Africas share of the total turnover of respondents will have increased by 75%.

"These Moroccan and French figures confirm a major trend: the 'African risk' relating to the political situations and the business environment no longer represents an insurmountable obstacle. The potential and opportunities on the continent - which will have 2 billion inhabitants in 2050, with over 900 million of these belonging to the middle class - are much more powerful parameters for companies when defining their international development strategies," explains Huet.

The potential of African markets (purchasing power and number of customers) is the first criterion accounting for the presence of French companies in Africa, and the second criterion for their Moroccan counterparts.
The potential of 3D printing technology to benefit people with disabilities is particularly relevant across Africa because of the low costs and short turnaround time involved.

Case study

Six-year-old Meagan van der Merwe was born with symbrachydactyly, which resulted in her left hand not developing fully. She has movement in her wrist, but her fingers are tiny nubbins. While Meagan has managed to live a full and active life despite her challenges, her parents were eager to find a workable solution.

Through their research they discovered that a moulded, immoveable prosthetic hand would cost in excess of R200,000, and would need to be replaced every 18 months as Meagan grows. A more functional model would cost even more.

Thats when the family heard about 3D printing.

We saw interviews on Carte Blanche and Kyknets Kwela about 3D printing, and we thought it would be great if we could give Meagan the opportunity to make things easier for her, says her mother, Michelle van der Merwe. We started doing some research, contacting people and finding options to consider.

After approaching a company in the Free State to help them find a way to print a hand for Meagan, and encountering a few challenges, they eventually made contact with a Johannesburg-based company.

A new challenge for 3D printing

Jared de Waal, business development manager at Solid Edge Technology, explains the process. The first step for us was to find the right links to the files we would need to print a suitable hand for Meagan  fortunately, the 3D printing ecosystem makes many of its designs public.

Once we downloaded the design files, we were able to convert these to a native format that we could use. Then, to ensure the hand we printed would be the right size for Meagan, we took a measurement across a section of her hand, which we applied to a calculation in order to scale the original file.

The company printed a prototype and invited Meagan and her family in to have it fitted and to test its functionality and comfort. Once they were satisfied, Meagan was able to choose her colours  she opted for pink and purple  and de Waal and his team printed and assembled the hand, made up of 12 unique parts and 31 individual 3D printed components, using a MakerBot 3D printer.

The process, including printing and assembly, took roughly 24 hours, with a total cost of less than R1,000.

Growing, adapting and learning

De Waal predicts that they will need to print a new hand every 18 months to accommodate for Meagans growth, as is the case with a standard prosthetic. We have decided to take Meagan on as a lifetime case study, whereby we will replace the hand or its parts and customise as needed, while also using this as an opportunity to gain knowledge and experience around a very new and exciting element of 3D printing.

Part of the learning curve will be to observe how Meagan manages to use the existing design and then look at how to improve its functionality in the future.

Van der Merwe explains, Weve adjusted the strings of the hand so that it grips better and weve replaced the Velcro strip with a bigger one to keep the hand more secure on Meagans arm. We also got her a leather sleeve to protect her arm from bruising.
Beer colossus Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) has not had a good first year on the JSE. The company's share price is down 27% since it listed, amid much excitement, in early January. It briefly touched R2,000 in February and again in May before trending down to end the year at about R1,400.

Tuesdays news that the group had managed to sell off the remainder of SABMillers European assets to Japans Asahi Group for $7.8bn was welcome in the face of an otherwise tough outlook for AB InBev.

The price tag was $2bn above the more optimistic of analysts expectations.

The assets acquired by Asahi include Czech brand Pilsner Urquell, which was taken over by SABMiller in the early days of its European expansion.

In addition, several powerful brands in Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary were in the collection sold to the Japanese group.

The latest transaction means that Asahi has acquired all of SABMillers European operations. Earlier in 2016, it paid $2.7bn for Peroni, Grolsch and craft brewer Meantime. The Tokyo-based brewer said the deal was designed to position its overseas business as a growth engine for a global player.

AB InBev was keen to sell the European assets to ward off potential competition concerns, but also because it was not bullish about growth prospects in the region.

The speed at which it put the assets up for sale confirmed the view that it had paid top dollar to get SABMillers emerging market assets and had little interest in its other brands stretched across the globe.

The decision to sell off all the European assets sparked debate among analysts, with some saying it was unnecessary from a regulatory perspective and it deprived AB InBev of some of the benefits of the expected recovery in the European beer market. Unlike AB InBev, Asahi is looking to Europe for growth to counter the weak conditions and outlook in its home market.

The stronger than expected price is good news for AB InBev shareholders but it is unlikely to have much of an effect on the weaker trend in the share price.

While some of the 27% fall in the share price since its listing in January can be attributed to the relatively stronger rand  AB InBev was listed in the depths of the post-Nenegate currency depression  in dollar terms the share price is down about 15% on the year.

After a volatile to weak stretch between January and the end of September, the share price weakened considerably in October ahead of its quarterly financial results, which came in worse than expected.

Disappointing figures from its big Brazilian market, where volumes were down 4.1%, and a continued flat performance in the US combined to produce the groups weakest quarterly figures in years.

The results underpinned the belief that AB InBev needed SABMillers emerging market operations to generate some growth in volumes.

In the short to medium term, analysts are looking to the beer behemoth to produce earnings growth from cost savings in the merged entity.

In the longer term, there are growing concerns that even a revival of the global economy might not be sufficient to return the industry to the sort of growth rates enjoyed years ago. The industry reached a production peak in 2013 and has been in decline since.

For AB InBev, acquisitions and cost-cutting may provide some cushioning in the short term. However, a more determined commitment to investing in market growth may be needed to support long-term earnings growth.
On Friday, 9 December 2016, Standard Bank and Topco Media brought close to 100 businesswomen together at the forefront of South African retail to unpack opportunities for success in the retail industry sector.

Many industry experts agree that there will be more changes in the retail market in the next five years than there were in the last 50 years combined. This accelerated rate of change means the CEOs have to substantially evolve their operating models to thrive in this challenging environment. A cautious, incremental approach to widespread, rapid market disruption can be deadly.

Some of the topics covered included "The commercial advantage of more women in the retail boardroom" and "Trade & Forex - China's Impact". The speaker line-up included some of SA's sharpest and most entrepreneurial minds: Ethel Nyembe: Head of Card Issuing (SA) at Standard Bank; Jessica Knight: CEO of UCS Solutions; Chantell Ilbury: scenario strategist and co-author of Mind of a Fox; Monalisa Sam: founder of Tungwa Retail Holdings, and Nobesuthu Ndlovu: co-founder of Burgundy Fly.

Discussing the "buy local movement" and its impact on South Africa's economy, seasoned retail entrepreneur Ndlovu said, "Local businesses are what make South Africa great. They give this country character and bring together people's unique experiences. We encourage people to support local businesses, as they create more jobs and empower families. It is also important that local brands understand the needs of their customers and resonate more with them." Nyembe emphasised at the event that "Standard Bank is always available and ready to assist business owners in retail with access to new markets all over the continent - as well as in other areas, like New York."

Assembling the gender-balanced board

Monalisa Sam, meanwhile, outlined the need for the status quo at the top level of retail to change. Like many industries, retail remains traditionally male-dominated. "Women leaders need to challenge their thinking in order to create more opportunities that will place them in a stronger position. Inclusion is key - decision-making roles within retail is our biggest challenge and is the only thing holding businesswomen back. Women are the key drivers of consumer purchasing - yet only 10% are in executive positions. Clearly, this needs to change."

Jessica Knight agreed with Sam, saying, "The retail industry is dynamic; always changing and evolving. This is why it is as intense as it is, and we have seen real growth in the number of women who have disrupted the industry through their innovative thinking."

This inspiring power breakfast echoed the spirit of the annual Standard Bank Top Women Awards, which are dedicated to showcasing the leaders and organisations committed to advancing women's roles across the economy. For those interested in being a nominee for the 2017 Awards or to find out more about previous finalists, sponsors and Awards categories, visit topwomenawards.co.za.




RE/MAX of Southern Africa is sponsoring adventurers Braam Malherbe and Clyde Barendse as they row the Cape2Rio yacht race.

Braam Malherbe and Peter van Kets (who sadly had to withdraw from the Cape to Rio row).

Starting on 1 January 2017, the two men will cover the 6,700km distance completely unassisted in a specially designed two-man rowing vessel  an effort that will require around 2.4-million pulls on the oars. Known as one of the toughest races in the world, the pair aims to complete the journey from Cape Town to Rio in just 90 days, rowing around the clock with one man rowing for two hours while the other rests.

Do One Thing (or DOT)

The professional adventurers are using the race as a platform to launch a global movement called Do1Thing. The movement aims to galvanise people all over the world to make a commitment to Do One Thing (or DOT) to save the planet.

Regardless of our creed, colour, ethnicity or where we live on this planet, we all share this third rock from the sun that we call home. For us, as a brand, it made sense to get behind an initiative that is focusing on raising awareness around conserving the planet we live on. Buying a property or land is essentially purchasing a piece of the Earth  our most precious asset. If we, a human race, dont do our part to preserve the planet, there will be nothing left to pass on to the future generations, says Adrian Goslett, regional director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa.

The Do1Thing Challenge is based on the premise that, over time, little things can make a big difference; and as individuals, we each have the power to make small changes on a daily basis, that collectively can make our planet healthy, green and sustainable.

The DOT movement encourages and challenges you to make simple, achievable planet-saving changes (known as DOTs), which can be implemented immediately, most likely won't cost you anything and, in fact, will probably save you money, all while helping to protect and preserve the environment, Goslett explains. For instance if you managed to save one litre of water every day by turning off the tap when brushing your teeth, and you got your family and friends to do the same, and they, in turn, got all of their family and friends to do the same, in a short time, you would have collectively saved thousands of litres of water. It is the collective effort of each person that will make one small thing a big thing with global impact.

The #DOT App

As part of the initiative, the #DOT app will also be launching on 1 January. It will encompass four vital categories, namely Water, Waste, Conservation and Energy. Using the app, you can decide whether you want to action one DOT or many. The lifestyle changes, or DOTs, can be shared across social platforms and you can challenge friends and family to complete the same DOTs. Once you have completed one DOT per category, it will unlock the ability to submit a DOT, since you might already be doing something that positively impacts the longevity of our planet. This gives everyone else in the world an opportunity to action your DOT. Points are allocated each time somebody acts on one of your DOTs, enabling you to climb the Global Earth Champion Leader Board. See how you compare to your friends, family and neighbours, and even how your suburb, town, city or country compares globally.

For more informaton, go to www.dotchallenge.org.
In January, Cape Town will host the International Thoroughbred Breeders' Federation (ITBF) Congress. Formed in 1950, the ITBF is the industry's global representative body.

It was established as a platform to bring key representatives from the international breeding community together to share knowledge, discuss issues and find opportunities to collaborate towards global improvements within their field.

Showcasing SA's racehorses

The federation meets every 18 months and the 2017 congress will see guests from the ITBFs 36 member countries arriving on South African shores. Occurring during the Cape Summer of Champions season, the congress is an opportunity to showcase South Africas racehorses on an international stage and is likely to provide a welcome boost to the industry.

Comments Susan Rowlett, Thoroughbred Breeders Association chairwoman: One of the TBAs main objectives is the advancement of the common interests of South African Thoroughbred breeders. Hosting this congress is an opportunity for us to promote our exceptional industry to the rest of the world. It also allows us to share knowledge and further improve the Thoroughbred breed, another TBA priority.

Progressive changes

In recent years, the ITBF has been responsible for a number of progressive changes in its field. This includes the establishment of the International Collating Centre in Newmarket, UK which collates and disseminates equine disease information. It also recently made a successful appeal to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to revise the conditions of air transport for pregnant mares.

The ITBF 2017 Congress agenda includes open forums during which a number of key industry matters will be discussed. For further information, go to www.itbf2017.co.za.
Generally, South Africa is known for its highly diversified agricultural sector which includes the production and value added activities of all the major grains (except rice), oilseeds, deciduous and subtropical fruits, sugar, citrus, wine, most vegetables, cattle, dairy, pigs, sheep, broilers, ostriches and eggs. The sector consists of about 35,000 commercial farmers, more than 300,000 smallholder farmers and millions of rural subsistence farming households.

Hamlet Hlomendlini

While South Africa is still battling one of the worst droughts ever recorded, it is ranked 30th largest agricultural producer in the world and is not only a net exporter, but also Africas most productive food country and biggest supplier of agricultural products. What this tells us is that while our farmers might not be the worlds food producers or a superpower in the worlds food market like those of USA, they are certainly a superpower in Africas food market and remain South Africas economic backbone.

Regarded as least important

However, it is rather unfortunate that agriculture in South Africa is often regarded as least important relative to other sectors of the economy. Perhaps, there is justification for this i.e. if one looks at its contribution to the countrys GDP which is currently lower (standing at less 3%) compared to the contribution by other sectors. Whether this justification is fair to the agricultural sector is debatable. The irony of this, however, is that agriculture exhibits a strong multiplier effect with other economic sectors - in fact it under-guards their success. Whether engaged in manufacturing, mining, transport, construction or any other non-agricultural sector, you must sit every day at the dinner table and enjoy food that is produced by the dedicated hands of a farmer.

Food is an important and fundamental economic product, but it requires a collective effort of those who live and engage in agriculture every day  our farmers, whether big, medium, or small. It's these farmers with the firm grip and the unshakable resolve that look challenges straight in the eye and shake off the disappointments and put energy instead to the potential of what next season can bring. Agriculture is an industry driven by farmers with the purpose and the commitment to produce food that is safe, nutritious and affordable to the local and international markets.

Providing for millions

Beyond the farm gate there is a sophisticated, complex and connected chain of industries that supports farmers in delivering to the needs of their fellow countrymen and of those beyond the borders of South Africa. Our farmers are driven by purpose, willingness and the commitment to excellence in the farms and through every link in the food chain. Agriculture is an industry made possible by our farmers whose hands bring food to the table for millions of people.

As our farmers continue being the best at producing safe and high-quality products, it is therefore crucial that they are allowed an environment that helps them increase and better their productivity continuously. It is imperative that agricultural policies support farmers in their efforts to produce food reasonably  these policies must serve the interests of farmers. Equally important is to reduce regulations and unnecessary legislation that impose compliance burdens on farmers so that they continue being champions at the dinner table of every household in South Africa.

This article was inspired by the song Heres to the Farmer by Luke Bryan.
Leeu Collection has announced that the La Colombe Restuarant team will open a new restaurant, yet to be named, at Le Quartier Francais, Franschhoek in August 2017.

This new venture will replace The Tasting Room, as executive chef Margot Janse, who has been at the helm of The Tasting Room for the past 12 years, announced her resignation recently. This new venture will complement La Colombe and be driven by chef Scot Kirton and head chef James Gaag.

Scot Kirton, Analjit Singh & James Gaag

La Colombes accolades

A striving for culinary perfection combined with industry leading service has garnered La Colombe the 2016 Eat Out Nespresso Service Excellence Award with Scot Kirton, chef proprietor named as the 2015 Eat Out San Pellegrino Chef of the Year. La Colombe was also recently ranked 76 in the top 100 restaurants in the world, and features amongst the top three restaurants in South Africa.

We immediately saw the synergy between Constantia and Franschhoek, says Scot Kirton. Both the Franschhoek and Constantia Valleys are tourism destinations of world-renown; offering only the best wine and gourmet experiences South Africa has to offer. We look forward to the journey and working with the team at Le Quartier Francais to jointly develop a world class culinary experience.

For further information, please contact Nicolette Waterford on +27 82 807 4447 or email moc.noitcellocueel@drofretaw.ettelocin

For any queries pertaining to La Colombe, contact Jeremy Nel - Luxury Brands, on +27 82 3311 656 or e-mail az.oc.sdnarbyruxul@ymerej
While the share prices of some listed technology firms have risen sharply in 2016, outperforming the JSE all share index, one analyst has warned their overall performance is likely to slow down in 2017.

This prediction is due to rising global government bond yields that put downward pressure on price:earnings ratios, says Mergence Investments' Peter Takaendesa.

The technology index has shrunk materially over the past few years following the delisting of companies such as Business Connexion and Gijima. Datatec and EOH are the biggest groups in the JSE's IT sector, and their performances have a significant effect on the movement of the index.

The star performer in 2016 in the listed technology index is Pinnacle, which has gained 44% since January. The all share has gained less than 0.5% in 2016.

The group has recovered from the disruptions caused by corruption allegations against one of the executives two years ago and a recent mention in a corruption case against a senior official of the South African National Defence Force.

"Pinnacle is a recovery story for all intents and purposes ... The company was sold off quite aggressively and 2016 was a year of recovery and consolidation after its pursuit of further interest in Datacentrix," said Farai Mapfinya, chief investment officer and portfolio manager at Falcon Crest Asset Managers.

Pinnacle is buying the rest of Datacentrix and plans to delist the company. Datacentrix is up more than 30% year-to-date driven by steady earnings growth as well as the pending acquisition by Pinnacle.

EOH's share price continued its growth trajectory on a strong operational performance despite the tough trading conditions. The share price has gained 23% since the beginning of the year. The company has built a good reputation in the market and has been an outstanding performer over the past five years.

But Mapfinya said EOH's valuation appeared "stretched and the company will need to continue delivering similar performance to justify the rating".

Pinnacle and AdaptIT's valuation were palatable and the momentum was expected to continue, he said.

AdaptIT has gained 23% so far in 2016 to trade at R15.81. AdaptIT had been diversifying its offering across products and regions and had done so through a measured mix of organic and acquisitive strategy, said Mapfinya.

Datatec and technology hardware distributor Mustek had underperformed because of earnings pressure that was due to weaker volumes in weaker economies and margin pressure due to a stronger US dollar.

Takaendesa said he expected that earnings growth for IT hardware distributors will recover as economies grow at better rates than in 2016. IT services companies were likely to continue delivering decent earnings growth driven by organic expansion in SA and into the rest of Africa as well as acquisitions, he said.

"Most IT companies in SA have strong balance sheets to continue to fund growth," Takaendesa said.

Source: Business Day
NEW YORK: General Motors began deliveries on Tuesday of the first all-electric car model aimed at the middle market, getting a head start on Tesla Motors and other competitors.

GM delivered the Chevrolet Bolt EV to three customers in California, including one in Fremont, where Tesla has a big factory.

The Bolt can travel up to 238 miles on a full charge. It lists for $37,495, but consumers are eligible for clean fuel tax credits of up to $7,500, GM said. GM plans to accelerate deliveries of the Bolt next year as part of its campaign to reposition itself as a mobility company of the 21st century.

Tesla also is working on an all-electric Model 3 aimed at the middle market, but it is not expected to hit the market until the end of 2017. Tesla's higher-end Model S already is available but the price starts at $68,000.

Other manufacturers also are working on comparable all-electric models, including Ford, whose sedan is called the "Model E" and Fisker, led by Henrik Fisker, who previously designed cars for BMW and Aston Martin.

Source: AFP
Launched recently, RSC Avelo is a black-woman-youth-owned and managed reinforcing steel (REBAR) manufacturer. The company is a qualifying small enterprise (QSE) and is set to produce at least 12,000 tons of steel per year. The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) has welcomed the launch of RSC Avelo as a big step towards industry transformation.

It is encouraging to see young black women such as Ms. Mayleen Kyster, MD of RCS Avelo, doing such great work in the industry, especially given the challenges in the manufacturing, engineering and metals industry.

It is refreshing to see new players with a more transformative agenda entering the industry, said Kaizer Nyatsumba, CEO SEIFSA, speaking at the official launch event held at Avelos manufacturing facility in Roodeport.

Kyster together with partners Dorothy Mokgadi and Nkholo Komapes entrepreneurial spirit has seen them leaving comfortable jobs in the sector to take on the risk of raising capital to venture into the brave world of business ownership, doing so in an industry that is not known for transformation and less renowned for its friendliness or ability to accommodate women, and for this we are pleased, said Nyatsumba.

Most Transformed Company Award

He highlighted that, within a relatively short space of time, Kyster has made her presence felt in the industry by winning the Most Transformed Company Award in the 2015 SEIFSA Awards for Excellence and by being invited to be one of the speakers at the inaugural Southern African Metals and Engineering Indaba in 2015.

Avelo currently employs 25 full-time employees, and contracts up to 50 employees on site through four SMMEs which form part of their enterprise development initiatives. Avelo is set to introduce night shifts sometime in the new year in line with anticipated demand, said Komape RSC Avelo operations director.

33-year-old Kyster said, It has been a tough journey, and it is pleasing to see the progress made by the company. In just a year, we have moved swiftly from an EME (exempted micro enterprise) to a QSE.

Multinational company

RSC is a multinational with 15 businesses across the African continent as well as business in Mauritius. They are shareholders in Avelo with a minority stake in the organisation. The rest of the shares are held by black men, women and youth, with an impressive 58% shareholding held by women. RSC involvement is to provide working capital to the extent that it is needed and this contributes positively to the groups enterprise development initiatives.

The steel manufacturing space is a very competitive industry, and our first year has been very challenging and rewarding at the same time. We are finding our feet, and trying to navigate our way in the industry. We are thrilled that we made it in the first year, and look forward to growing the business, Mokgadi, director for sales explained.

Transforming the manufacturing landscape

RSC Avelo was nominated as one of four black industrialists at the fourth Annual SA Premier Business Awards 2016, an awards function which is a collaboration between Proudly SA, Brand South Africa and the Department of Trade and Industry. We appreciate the nomination and acknowledgement as contributors to transforming the manufacturing landscape. We look forward to creating new relationships and further building current relationships to sustain production and create much needed employment, especially given the current depressing economic landscape, Kyster said.
TEHRAN: Airbus delegates have arrived in Tehran for talks aimed at finalising a deal to sell around 100 planes, an Iranian official said on Monday.

The representatives of the European aerospace giant arrived on Sunday just hours after national carrier Iran Air concluded a $16.6 billion deal with US firm Boeing to buy 80 planes.

"An Airbus delegation has arrived in Tehran," said Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan, deputy minister for transport.

"We have started negotiations and if there are no problems, we will sign the agreement within a week for the purchase of around 100 planes," he said.

Meanwhile, some conservatives in Iran reacted angrily to news of the deal with Boeing, which comes at a time when lawmakers in Washington have recently voted for renewed sanctions on the country.

Iran says the renewal of sanctions, which President Barack Obama is expected to approve in the coming days, is a breach of the nuclear deal it signed with world powers last year.

"60 trillion tomans: Iran's gift to the US for violating the JCPOA (nuclear deal)," read Monday's headline on the hardline Javan newspaper.

But Iran has been desperate to access new planes and parts after decades of economic isolation has left it with one of the world's worst aviation safety records.

Both Boeing and Airbus, which manufactures some of its parts in the United States, were granted special permission from the US Treasury in September to go ahead with deals in Iran.

Source: AFP
The Port of Ngqura is poised to play a vital role in ensuring the security of South Africa's fuel supply, while creating a new petroleum trading hub for Southern Africa in anticipation of the relocation of existing liquid bulk facilities from Port Elizabeth.

Port of Ngqura terminal. Source: Transnet

This follows the conclusion of an agreement between Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) and Oiltanking Grindrod Calulo (OTGC) to plan, fund, construct, own, maintain and operate a new liquid bulk handling facility at the Port of Ngqura. The project is one of the Section 56 initiatives that TNPA has identified to encourage private sector participation as a key element of the companys market demand strategy (MDS). It will provide storage and marine infrastructure to support the overall petroleum demand projections for South Africa.

Bulk liquids such as petroleum, diesel, jet fuel, illuminated paraffin and liquid petroleum gas, will be transported to the Port of Ngqura via ship and piped to the tank farm prior to local supply and/or local and global re-export. The facility will create a new tank farm for the Eastern Cape when the existing lease for petroleum storage facilities at the Port Elizabeth harbour expires.

OTGC was appointed as preferred bidder following an open and transparent tender process.

We are extremely excited that the agreement with OTGC has been concluded and that we can welcome a world-class independent storage operator to the Port of Ngqura, said Richard Vallihu, chief executive of TNPA. He added: This development will now also allow us to focus on expansion at the Port of Port Elizabeth. When the Ngqura facility becomes operational, the Port Elizabeth tank farm will be decommissioned and the site will be rehabilitated, which will free up port land for future expansion plans at Port Elizabeth.

OTGC, a majority South African-owned Level 2 BBBEE company, is an independent bulk liquid storage provider in South Africa which combines Oiltanking GmbHs expertise in handling bulk liquids with the local expertise and the full Black Economic Empowerment credentials of Grindrod South Africa (Pty) Ltd and Calulo Terminals (Pty) Ltd.

Oiltanking is an independent storage partner for oils, chemicals, gases and dry bulk, and owns and operates 81 terminals in 23 countries with a total storage capacity of 21 million cubic meters.

Petroleum demand

Current petroleum demand projections for South Africa strongly support the need for significant investments in tank storage infrastructure to cater for the countrys liquid fuel supply, said Gideon Loudon, chief executive officer of OTGC. He added: OTGCs main objective in the Port of Ngqura is to develop a world-class, highly efficient and responsibly operated liquid bulk terminal facility in South Africa. OTGC shall build the terminal facility in strict accordance with the Oiltanking global technical, operating and HSSEQ standards.

Construction of the facility is estimated to commence in September 2017 and continue until June 2019. It will be commissioned during June-July 2019 and the planned operational date is August 2019.

The liquid bulk facility at the port includes the loading and offloading facilities at berth B100, the services and equipment to perform operations at the berth, pipeline connectivity to the liquid bulk facility, the buildings, tanks, structures, paving and surfacing on the 20 hectare site designated as the liquid bulk facility.

Port of Ngqura

The Port of Ngqura became an operational port in October 2009 and is the youngest port owned and managed by TNPA. Port infrastructure for the liquid bulk facility is in place at the port and bulk services and road access to the liquid bulk facility have already been completed.

Ngqura is strategically placed to service Southern African, Asian and South American trade routes and - with access to excellent deep water - has the potential to establish itself as a global transhipment hub focused on these major trade routes.

Phase 1 of the liquid bulk facility will provide for 158,000 cubic metres of storage capacity for refined products (i.e. petroleum, diesel, jet fuel, illuminated paraffin and liquid petroleum gas). Products will be received via vessel and distributed by road and the annual throughput is expected to be in the region of 1,250,000 cubic metres. Future phases will provide for an additional 550,000 cubic metres of storage capacity available for third party storage.

Socio-economic benefits

The companies claim that the liquid bulk facility will create socio-economic benefits and will boost the economies of the Eastern Cape and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality including:

 Creating local jobs during the construction phase of the project for a period of 28 months;

 The total number of jobs created during the construction phase is anticipated to be 500, with a peak of 300 at mid of construction;

 Skills development in the local construction industry;

 The total number of permanent staff required for the terminal would be in the region of 50;

 Empowering local BBBEE businesses;

 Increased revenue for local businesses; and

 Additional tax revenue.
Using crowd integrated data analytics, BrandsEye recently investigated the social media chatter surrounding Pizza Hut. The fast food giant first opened its doors in 1958 and now operates over 15,000 outlets in more than 90 countries.

In the analysis, Pizza Huts UK and South African operations were compared. Though much of the success of the basic fast food operating model depends on the efficiencies afforded by standardisation, as BrandsEye found out, when operations span multiple markets, there is not one standard recipe for success.

Certain estimates suggest the fast food industry will be worth over $600bn globally by 2019. From McDonalds ubiquitous golden arches to KFCs red signage, fast food companies logos are one of the few relatively unchanging aspects of an industry constantly growing in both competitiveness and complexity.

In the race for market share, companies are rolling out larger menus, seasonal products, optional extras, new combos, flavours, toys and more. Faced with more choice than ever, consumers are also scrutinising the offerings more closely. When a similar (and likely similarly-priced) meal is available from five different spots nearby, careful brand comparisons  in terms of taste, value for money, service, speed and everything in between  are inevitable.

Taste versus turnaround

Great tasting, attractive, quick-to-prepare (and quickly delivered) meals are a foundation taken for granted in the fast food business. Yet, these aspects remain crucial, particularly when competition is fierce. Extras, brand-loyalty incentives and key differentiators  a funny message written on a pizza box (as Pizza Hut offers), for example, or another type of personalisation  are assuming ever-greater prominence, too.

For Pizza Hut customers in the UK, a very foundational factor  taste  was the primary driver of positive online comments, with 28% of all happy customers taking to social media to express appreciation for a great tasting meal. Positive brand comparisons and comments around delivery value-adds came in at second and third place respectively among happy clients  an indication that while taste may be king, UK consumers do keep a close watch on competitors to ensure theyre getting value for money.

Sources of positive feedback from the UK market

A significant proportion of customers also singled out Pizza Huts special offers, pricing and the fun, personalised messages written on pizza boxes as pluses for the brand.

What did UK customers not like? Analysis of the less-than-favourable online chatter revealed that turnaround time (37%), incorrect orders (28%) and delivery time (20%) were the top factors driving frustration.

Most common social media complaints in the UK

Customer service versus cost

Interestingly, in South Africa  a market to which Pizza Hut returned in 2014  an entirely different set of factors spurred both positive and negative comments online.

While customers in South Africa highlighted their appreciation of great service by helpful, friendly staff, many felt that they were being let down in terms of taste and price, paying too much for too small a portion.

Service and staff were winners in South Africa

Competition among South African pizza franchises is fierce. Analysis of the overall landscape revealed that the top three brands all rank neck-and-neck  able to edge out only razor-thin margins of 0.1%. For a newcomer such as Pizza Hut, comparisons with such long-time favourites were inevitable.

Major pizza brands in SA based on social sentiment  a close-run race

Blending standardisation with specificity

Standardisation remains a fundamental part of the fast food operating model. It allows not only a streamlined ordering process, stable margins and rapid turnaround time, but also creates an eating experience with which customers become familiar with and to which they may become brand loyal.

What became clear through the analysis, however, is the fact that fast food companies need to blend the drive for brand-wide uniformity with sensitivity to each local market, taking into account specific feedback and demand.

Social and scalable

For large multinational and often transcontinental companies, accessing accurate insights into what local operations are doing both right and wrong are crucial, but can also be a challenge to deploy at the individual market level.

Scalable as it is, social media analytics can be a useful tool in penetrating consumer mindsets and unlocking insights rapidly. By providing a real-time window on what both delights and displeases, decision makers can learn how markets differ as well as how to tailor operations such that the customer always walks away happy.

By combining proprietary algorithms with the insights of real people  the crowd  BrandsEye is able to uncover detailed, accurate information about specific local operating contexts, equipping brands with the insight needed to please consumers in every market.
ALGIERS - A British-Algerian journalist died Sunday after having staged a hunger strike to protest a two-year jail term for offending Algeria's president in a poem posted online, his lawyer said.

Image by 123RF

"I can confirm the death of the journalist Mohamed Tamalt in Bab el-Oued hospital after a hunger strike of more than three months and a three-month coma" that followed, Amine Sidhoum said on Facebook.

The prison service, in a statement said Tamalt had died of a lung infection for which he was receiving treatment since it was detected on December 4. Tamalt, a dual national, launched the hunger strike in protest after his arrest near his parents' house in the capital Algiers on June 27.

The 42-year-old blogger and freelance journalist who ran a website from London where he lived was charged with "offending" President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and "defaming a public authority" in the poem which he shared on Facebook.

A court in Algiers sentenced him two years in prison on July 11 and fined him 200,000 dinars ($1,800), and an appeals court upheld the ruling a month later.

Human Rights Watch had urged Algerian authorities to release him in August when he was reportedly in critical condition. "The Algerian authorities should quash the case against Tamalt and send the message that free speech will be respected in Algeria," it said at the time.

Source: AFP.
The South African Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, has emphasised the importance of export diversification and industrialisation in Africa.

Image by 123RF

He was speaking in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia recently, where he was moderating the Africa Trade Week Panel Discussion on Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA).

The session considered AGOA implementation over the remaining period of the legislation granting the trade preference up to 2025. It also reflected on the future of Africa-US trade relations beyond AGOA based on the type of trade arrangements that would support Africas regional integration agenda. Minister Davies said African countries need to increase their utilisation of the trade preferences granted by the United States (US) under AGOA to attract Foreign Direct Investments into priority sectors that are eligible under AGOA and that can favour industrialisation.

African countries should also ensure that there is alignment between AGOA and their development integration agenda, focus on their industrialisation and preserve policy space aimed at enhancing efforts to diversify their exports base and integrate supply chains so as to take advantage of market access opportunities under AGOA, added Minister Davies.

African countries should also ensure that there is alignment between AGOA and their development integration agenda

The panel also highlighted the low levels of utilisation of AGOA trade preferences by eligible countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. These are largely attributed to supply-side constraints, productive capacity constraints, onerous rules of origin requirements, lack of capacity to meet stringent sanitary and phytosanitary measures, labelling requirements in the US, as well as the fact that some products of export interest to the African countries are not covered under AGOA.

In terms of future US-Africa trade relations, the panel stated that the US is expected to advance a trading relationship based on reciprocity. Minister Davies noted that the US proposed a number of options for post AGOA trade relations. He indicated that these options need to be carefully considered by African countries to ensure that their developmental priorities are not compromised.

Panel members agreed that the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) that is currently under negotiation can be a driver of structural transformation for sustained economic growth and enhanced intra-Africa trade and investment in the continent.

Earlier in the Africa Trade Week programme, former South African Ambassador to WTO, Dr Faizel Ismail spoke on a coherent approach to achieving the African Unions Agenda 2063 through the CFTA. Ismail indicated that the success of the CFTA and the implementation of continents integration agenda would be dependent on the adoption of an inclusive approach.

He indicated that there is a need for academics and civil society to be greater involved in trade policy formulation.

So they need to identify these challenges and opportunities for Africa. But they also need to become participants in the process of negotiating the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) so that the CFTA becomes a living process that includes the dynamics of both the different stakeholders on the ground and also that it is customised to the actual conditions and objectives of the people on the ground, he added.
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iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- The United States has decided not to move forward with the sale of some munitions that would support Saudi Arabia's campaign in Yemen over concerns about civilians casualties, a senior Obama administration official confirmed to ABC News.

"We continue to have concerns about the conflict in Yemen and how it has been waged, most especially the air campaign," the official said. "Consequently, we have decided to not move forward with final approval on some sales of munitions. This reflects our continued, strong concerns with the flaws in the Coalition's targeting practices and overall prosecution of the air campaign in Yemen. We are also exploring how to refocus training for the Saudi Air Force to address these kinds of issues."

Saudi Arabia led a coalition of Middle Eastern countries, which intervened in Yemen's civil war in March of 2015, to help government forces defeat militant Houthi rebels aligned with Iran. Since then, the Saudi military has conducted thousand of air strikes. Human rights organizations say they are responsible for scores of civilians deaths.

On October 8th, the Saudi military launched an airstrike on a crowded funeral ceremony in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, killing 100 and injuring more than 500, according to the civilian advocacy group Human Rights Watch. That organization also called the attack an "apparent war crime."

The Saudis later said it was a mistake.

The State Department, which is responsible for conducting military sales to foreign entities, has repeatedly expressed concerns about the Saudi military campaign and the need to address "flaws in its targeting cycle." On Tuesday, however, State Department spokesman John Kirby would not confirm that sales had been halted, citing an ongoing review of foreign military sales initiated after the October attack.

Nevertheless the United States and other European nations continue to provide military assistance to the Saudis. Great Britain still provides the Saudis with cluster munitions -- an air dropped bomb that releases smaller bombs that have devastating consequences on civilians populations -- while the Americans provide the military with training and other weapons sales including Chinook helicopters and related equipment.

The Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington D.C. did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Bakery chain Paul UK has expanded its partnership with The Felix Project charity.

The business is donating 50p for each loaf of bread it sells between 12 December and 15 January 2017 to help feed those who struggle to get by.

The Felix Project distributes Londons excess food to feed the homeless, those living in poverty and families that are struggling. Paul UK currently donates unsold products to the charity on a daily basis.

Jean-Michel Orieux, CEO of Paul UK, said he was delighted to expand this partnership by inviting customers to support the Sharing our Daily Bread initiative.

Our ongoing partnership with The Felix Project ensures fresh food left at the end of each day is put to good use by feeding those who will enjoy it and really need it, he said.

With this new initiative, we will also donate 50p from every 400g or larger loaf of bread purchased in our shops and online at paul-uk.com until 15 January in the hope of helping even more people benefit from being warm and fed this winter.

The bakery chain also announced this week that it has opened its doors at its newest and 36th national site, opposite Earls Court underground tube station.

The chain confirmed in October that it was set to open a new outlet, which began trading this week (Monday 12 December). The cafe is 1,405sq ft and has a total of 48 covers.

The firm is hoping to attract morning commuters with its lunch and breakfast menus.
Newport-based business Avana Bakeries is set to close at the end of January, with the potential loss of 150 jobs.

Owner Food Utopia has begun consulting with staff about a proposal to cease production at the site in South Wales, which could result in its closure.

We have been unable to make sufficient progress in an increasingly competitive market and, as a result, the site is loss-making and financially unsustainable, a Food Utopia spokesperson said.

We will continue to explore all options available and seek as much external support as possible as we begin discussions about the future of the operation.

John James, regional secretary officer for The Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union confirmed a 45-day consultation period from today (15 December) to British Baker, and said meetings have been positive so far.

"Weve had our first meeting today, which was positive and weve asked a lot of questions and will be given a formal response next week on Tuesday at the next meeting."

The site had been threatened with closure two years ago when 2 Sisters, which owned the business at that time, launched a strategic review following the loss of a major contract with Marks & Spencer.

The business, which has also previously been owned by Premier Foods, was acquired by Food Utopia from 2 Sisters.

Newport councillor Chris Evans told British Baker (14 December) that the proposal to cease production was devastating news for the workers at Avana Bakeries.

These workers have been through this before and there are questions that the company needs to answer, he said.

At this stage, I would suggest that the workers call upon our Assembly Members and the local council to offer as much help as they possibly can.
While Bluestem was off feeding the chickens and looking into Trump's agricultural advisory committee declaration of war against those Americans who've never grown anything more than a backyard tomato, a couple of items about what's known in some parts as "Zombie Ziprail" surfaced in the media.

At the Star Tribune's "Who Knew?" division, Janet Moore reported in Private plan for Twin Cities-Rochester high-speed rail draws pushback:

The prospect of a high-speed rail line slicing through the rural stretch of land between the Twin Cities and Rochester, and financed by Chinese and other private investors, is to some an exquisite dream. To others, its folly. . . .[A] privately held Bloomington firm called the North American High Speed Rail Group (NAHSR) is keeping the idea of a high-speed rail line alive. Recently the group said that it was reorganizing and is now known as the Minnesota Corridor Project. None of NAHSRs officers has experience developing such a project. The groups reorganization will continue to meet opposition from a determined grass-roots group called Citizens Concerned About Rail Line (CCARL) and several southern Minnesota lawmakers. Do we want Chinese foreign nationals owning the major transportation corridor cutting through the southern portion of Minnesota? said Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa. I dont think so. He plans on reintroducing legislation next year that would cripple efforts to build high-speed rail. Some residents along the route fear that their farms and homes could be taken for public use through eminent domain, a prospect they find even more distasteful because it would be a private company engaged in the taking. They also worry about the projects impact on the areas environment, safety and quality of life. And they question whether theres sufficient ridership to sustain the service. Theres nowhere near the capacity to support this, said CCARL co-founder Heather Arndt, whose farm in Hader is a few miles away from the proposed rail corridor. Theres no economic benefit for us or local businesses. By taking our farmland, theyre decreasing our income and devaluing our land. . . .

While none of this is a news flash for Bluestem readers, we're happy the Strib is looking beyond the rail group's press releases. Good work.

Closer to the path of the rolling dead, Doug Jones writes the Kenyon Leader in Stay dead Zombie Zip Rail:

A year ago Olmsted County took a $2 million loss when MnDOT officially killed zip rail, so why won't it stay dead? . . . Among the many funny elements of this pipe dream are that it would run entirely down the median of Highway 52, elevated to fly over all crossroads. And the biggest laffer is that the investment would be covered by passenger fares and "high valued" freight like "medical samples." As Chairman Steve Drazkowski has said, legislation will be presented to the next session of the Legislature to close the door on any MnDOT participation in this scheme. So signs saying "NO ZOMBIE ZIP RAIL" keep springing up because no one in Goodhue County supports it, and even letter-to-the-editor writers in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune sound dubious.

There's that.

Photo: These yard signs sprang up in warmer weather. Maybe they'll hepl folks understand that common people don't much like the idea that a private firm can use eminent domain to take property for private gain, and such concepts make the peasants resentful. It's not rocket science.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 33166 770th Ave, Ortonville, MN 56278) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen at gmail.com as recipient.
Karen State Government officials including the Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Aung Lwin and the Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation Minister Saw Myint Oo met with the KNU delegation led by Joint Secretary (2) Padoh Mahn Mahn Mahn and the KNU Forestry Department head Padoh Mahn Ba Tun.

Padoh Mahn Mahn Mahn said to KIC News: There are two main reasons for the meeting: how to cooperate in solving land issues and how to coordinate the [Burmese] governments land policy and our land policy.

He said that both sides had agreed on practical methods to achieve those aims, such as holding workshops to coordinate land issues in January.

This meeting was the first informal talks on land issues between the KNU and the Karen State Government since the KNU signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA). As well as land issues implementation of the peace process was also discussed at the meeting.

The Karen State Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation Minister Saw Myint Oo said: The peace process evolves as a result of meetings like this. There are land issues in the [Karen] state, they are very broad and no decisions have yet been made. We have talked about meeting up again to discuss the details.

According to the rules laid down for implementing the NCA land and the natural environment are one of the five main topics that have to be discussed as part of the political dialogue.

Currently, there are ongoing land disputes and land confiscations in Karen State and in KNU-controlled areas. The KNU enacted a land policy in December last year that has been providing land registration and land measurement in Karen areas under its control.

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
This Man Stabbed His Wife To Death! Pulse oi-Syeda Farah

Anger can make a person do anything and murdering a person in a fit of rage is not something new!

Here, in this article, we are about to share the case of a dentist man named Umesh Bobale who stabbed his 36-year-old wife in front of his son.

Also Read: After Seeing This, Never Complain About Your Job!

This man did the most ghastly thing that one can think of!

Check out the reason on why he stabbed his wife to death and what he did after he murdered her!

Also Read: Technology Predictions That Have Gone Wrong!

The Culprit! Umesh Bobale is a 40-year-old dentist who murdered his wife in front of his 4-year-old child. What Happened To Them? The couple was having differences from the past few months and were staying separately. The Wife Had Filed A Case Against Him! The wife had registered a case against Umesh for domestic violence and since then, they stayed separately. Family And Friends Insisted They Reconcile! This is something that they would definitely regret, as it was a grave try they had done. The family members arranged for them to sort out their differences and try to patch up. The Worst Thing Happened! The woman had an argument with her husband regarding the divorce settlement and the man lost his cool and in no time the crime happened! He Stabbed Her While Their Child Witnessed It All! The man repeatedly stabbed her legs, chest and stomach while their child witnessed this! Apparently, the man sat next to the body for 3 long hours! He Called The Police To Surrender Himself! After sitting next to his dead wife for over 3 hours, he finally called the police and surrendered himself! We're glad he did that instead of running away! If you have any comments on this, then do share them with us in the comment section below!
China has launched a legal challenge against the EU and US over their reluctance to treat it as a market economy under World Trade Organisation rules.

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Beijing is unhappy with a provision that allows trading partners to use a special formula and prices in third countries to calculate punitive tariffs for non-market economies in anti-dumping cases. It is pushing for the provision to expire with Sundays 15th anniversary of its WTO membership.

But the EU, US, Japan and other WTO members have resisted the move, prompting China on Monday to take the first step in launching a case with the global trade regulator.

In a statement, Chinas commerce ministry said it had requested consultations with both the EU and US and would seek to have a WTO panel rule.

China has communicated through many channels for the third-country comparison to expire. Whats very regrettable is that EU and US have not acted to allow it to expire. It has had a severe impact on Chinese exports, it said. China is protecting its lawful rights and acting appropriately to maintain the WTO rules.

The EU and US have resisted Chinas bid for market economy status amid a flood of cheap Chinese steel on to world markets, which has sparked a wave of politically sensitive anti-dumping cases. In the EU, fears of an onslaught of cheap Chinese goods prompted the European Commission to recommend a fundamental shift in how it conducts anti-dumping cases. Under EU rules, Brussels imposed a 21 per cent tariff on the same steel products that were hit with a 266 per cent US tariff in 2015.

China is responsible for almost half of Americas trade deficit [and] they havent played by the rules

But the EU had hoped it could defuse the fight with Beijing by making other changes to its legislation.

We regret that China is launching this dispute now despite the fact that the commission has already made a proposal to amend the legislation in question, a spokesman for the commission said.

In a sign of the commercial stakes, the US on Friday imposed punitive anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese-made washing machines, imports of which into the US were worth more than $1.1bn last year. It also announced the launch of an anti-dumping investigation into plywood imports from China, which were also worth more than $1bn last year.

Those US cases and the fight over Beijings market economy status point to the trade battles already being fought with China even as Donald Trump, the incoming president, promises to get tough with Beijing over trade and other issues.

One of the most important relations we must improve . . . is our relationship with China, Mr Trump said last week. China is responsible for almost half of America's trade deficit [and] they haven't played by the rules.

The US and others argue that China has failed to live up to many of its WTO obligations since joining in 2001 and remains far from a market economy.

They have acted like a non-market economy in so many respects with their state-owned companies, with subsidies, with dumping . . . there are more dumping cases brought against China than against all the other countries combined, said Sandy Levin, the top Democrat on the House ways and means committee.

Chad Bown, a former White House economist now at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said countries such as Brazil and India had also become much more aggressive in bringing anti-dumping cases against China.

Related article How should we compensate the losers from globalisation? Politics is moving fast, and economics needs to catch up

This is an issue for China and everybody in the world, not just the US and Europe, Mr Bown said.

China could take even more action outside the WTO, which can take years to rule in cases, he said. It could also respond with a wave of retaliatory anti-dumping tariffs of its own that would hurt exporters in other countries.

A US official said it would continue to fight any attempt to grant China market economy status at the WTO, pointing to serious imbalances in Chinas state-directed economy.

China has not made the reforms necessary to operate on market principles, the official said. The United States is prepared to defend its right at the WTO to protect American workers and firms from the damaging effects of persistent distortions in the Chinese economy.

The debate, however, also comes amid bigger systemic concerns surrounding the WTO and trade.

Mr Trump won his election on a protectionist platform and he is unlikely to usher in any change in approach on Chinas market economy bid. But both his vow to pull the US out of big Pacific Rim trade negotiations and the scepticism he has expressed about the WTO mean many already see China filling a more important leadership role in global trade talks.

Some question how constructive that Chinese role is likely to be. Beijings focus on the market economy debate and other pet issues has also alienated other WTO members, who blamed China for this months failure to reach an agreement on the trade in environmental goods. If thats Chinese leadership then we are not going to be doing much in the next five years, said one senior trade official in Geneva.

The Chinese side, for its part, is frustrated with developed countries apparent double-standards on the market economy access and other issues important for Chinese exporters.
The Dec. 12 Beatrice Public Schools Board of Education meeting marked the last for board member Andy Maschmann.

Since being sworn in, Andy has focused on what is best for students, said BPS Superintendent Pat Nauroth. He has been both thoughtful and passionate about issues that have come before the Beatrice Board of Education. I appreciate his insight into some of the difficult issues facing public education in our state.

Nauroth thanked Andy for his service and commitment to the students and families of the district and wished him well.

I would just like to say too on behalf of the board, I appreciate also your insightful comments over the course of the last three years, said board president Lisa Pieper.

Maschmann thanked the board and public for the opportunity to serve and said he learned a lot about the district during the last three years. Maschmann took over the term of Randy Coleman who exited the board a year into his term. Maschmann wished well to the board and Steve Winter, who will take Maschmanns spot and was a previous board member of many years. Winter was elected in November.

Board vice president Jon Zimmerman said hes enjoyed working with Maschmann and has learned a lot from him.

Beatrice Middle School science teacher Derek Niss was also recognized at the meeting as the December Employee of the Month of the district. BPS Director of Curriculum Jackie Nielsen read the letter of nomination by an anonymous staff member.

Derek Niss embodies everything a teacher should be: kind, caring, effective, compassionate and empathetic, Nielsen read. Ive had the pleasure of observing Mr. Niss in his classroom and one-on-one with students. Derek cultivates a safe, effective classroom where all voices can feel heard. His classroom feels more like a family. Everyone is welcome.

All students are engaged and on task and should a student need redirecting, it is done in such a kind and caring manner that the correction still feels good.

The writer said Niss builds positive relationships with students and, in turn, students are motivated to do well. Niss is an innovative instructor, the nominator wrote, and is active in incorporating STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) concepts into curriculum.

Additionally at the meeting, the board unanimously approved the Beatrice Educational Foundation to apply for a second grant to help fund after-school programming that leaders are hopeful will start in fall of 2017 for Beatrice elementary students.

The Expanded Learning Opportunity grant would provide funding for 30 months. The Nebraska Legislature approved the Expanded Learning Opportunities Grant Program in 2015.

The purpose of this second grant is more curriculum-based, said BPS Director of Business Affairs John Brazell. It pairs well with the 21st Century grant that we (are) applying for.  It will provide funds for curriculum for the after-school program.

Brazell said Beatrice would be a pilot program of the after-school programming. He said Beatrice would be the official submitter and fiscal agent of the grant, but four other school districts  Auburn, Boone Central, Centura and Grand Island -- would also benefit from the funding that would also be used for their after-school programming.

Theres three community agencies involved, Brazell said. UNLs Center for Research on Children, Beyond School Bells and Nebraska Community Foundation as well the Nebraska Extension agency.

Brazell said the grant is $893,000 and about $920,000 are funds matched by the community agencies to total roughly $1.8 million.

It is hoped that the product that will come out of this grant will be best practices for curriculum development for after-school programming, so were excited about that, said Andy Carothers, a board member of the Beatrice Educational Foundation.

BPS Board of Education president Lisa Pieper also serves on the Beatrice Educational Foundation board. Pieper said she and Carothers have spearheaded the efforts to introduce after-school programming for elementary students in Beatrice.
We all know a family afflicted by Alzheimers cold embrace. Everyone understands the heartbreak cancer causes. And for the past several years, whether on the nightly news or in our communities, we have seen the horrifying toll of heroin and opioid addiction.

Such tragedies are difficult to take. Yet the holiday season is always a time for hope. The reasons are many, but this year, we can add one more: a piece of legislation called the 21st Century Cures Act.

The Senate passed this bipartisan bill last week to boost medical innovation, hunt down cures for diseases like Alzheimers and cancer, and fight the addiction epidemic that has affected so many of our neighbors, friends, and family. I was proud to join 93 of my Senate colleagues in supporting this bill. I am pleased to report it is ready for the presidents signature.

The 21st Century Cures Act takes powerful steps to fight cancer by providing additional funding for new research, such as immunotherapy, vaccine development, and genomic analysis of tumor cells.

It adds firepower to scientists efforts to unlock the mysteries of the human brain to make headway on treatments for Alzheimers and Parkinsons. The bill provides grants to states to help them battle the opioid epidemic. It also streamlines the ways federal agencies and departments deliver services for Americans suffering from mental illnesses.

This bill also brings badly needed updates to government agencies. For too long, red tape at the Food and Drug Administration has stunted competition in the drug marketplace. It drove up prices of medicines that families desperately needed. The 21st Century Cures Act cuts that red tape. It brings the agency into the 21st century.

This bill has broad support from Nebraskas top health care leaders. The Alzheimers Association Nebraska Chapter has called it a tremendous step forward. The president of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Hank Bounds, praised it as a vital investment in biomedical research that will help maintain the United States global competitiveness and advance the life-saving work done by our scientists.

The Chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Dr. Jeffrey Gold, confirms it will allow for the expansion of cancer research in Nebraska.

I was proud to work with each of these organizations, and with many others, both in Nebraska and in our nations capital, to pass this bill. I am hopeful for the effects it will have. They cannot come soon enough. While we must never look to government to provide all of the answers, we can be grateful for this significant start.

That said, no legislation, no matter how effective, can replace the love that comes from a human heart. For someone suffering from illness or addiction, a phone call or a visit from a friend or loved one can make all the difference.

It can remind them of their lifes great dignity and value, despite the burden they carry. This holiday season, lets remember our responsibility to restore hope for those suffering.
In the Trump movie now playing in the American theater, connecting all the dots requires the artistry of a mapmaker and the insight of a psychic.

Or, perhaps, the critical eye of a movie reviewer.

The leading man, President-elect Donald Trump, is gradually revealing himself to be a hybrid of Daniel Plainview ("There Will Be Blood"), Keyser Soze ("The Usual Suspects") or Gordon Gekko ("Wall Street") -- each a Machiavellian, sociopathic narcissist bent on reshaping the world in his own image.

Not to put too fine a point on it.

Whomever people thought they were voting for, sayonara to all that. The Trump of Fifth Avenue has returned to his palace. He's the star of his own movie, and everyone else, especially the Republican base he so skillfully seduced, is mere crowd scenery. Sorry.

It is probably time to concede that, notwithstanding his apparent lack of complex articulation skills, Trump is smarter than he pretended. From the beginning, everything he has done has been calculated toward a reordering of the universe. A better actor than orator, he performed as circumstances required -- the everyman, the comedian, the boaster, the flirter, the winker and, finally, the world champ -- and plundered the imaginations of the wanting.

It must have been a supreme test of will to keep his true intentions to himself and his gaze steady upon the prize until, by some miracle (or however you say that in Russian), he won.

As the transition unfolds, new stars cascading into a constellation of superpower, the moviegoer willingly suspends disbelief in passive acceptance of whatever's to come. Trump instinctively understands that he must feed the suspense, both to hold his audience's attention and to keep them distracted while he's busy masterminding his biggest deal ever -- to Russia with love.

Whether it was his false courtship of Mitt Romney or Tuesday's bizarre meeting with Kanye West, everything seems designed to distract and entertain the masses. His Romneyvous in a public dining display apparently was a setup for his ultimate rejection of one of his fiercest critics.

His selection of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to run the Energy Department was a masterful prank, with lots of laughs to come. Energy, of course, was the very department Perry couldn't recall when, unforgettably, his brain froze during a 2011 Republican debate. Secretary Oops?

All the while, Trump was focused on his future with Russia and Vladimir Putin, whose leadership the president-elect has publicly admired. In July, during the last news conference Trump has held, he openly requested Russia's help in defeating Hillary Clinton.

"Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," referring to messages deleted from Clinton's personal server.

Trump later dismissed the comment as a joke, but you know what they say about truths cloaked in jest. Recently, the CIA affirmed that Russia did interfere with the election by hacking the Democratic National Committee's computers and releasing damaging information via WikiLeaks.

True to character, Trump called the report "ridiculous" and said the whole thing was a fabrication by Democrats. Then one of the three generals he has proposed for top positions in his administration, Michael Flynn, said he doesn't believe the report, basically accusing the CIA of lying, though he apparently did believe a fake news story his son retweeted about a child sex ring in a pizza parlor here, supposedly run by Clinton. Flynn didn't retweet the story himself, but he did refer in a post about Clinton's emails to allegations of "sex crimes [with] children."

Oh, well, even a potential national security adviser can screw up now and then, right? No.

Meanwhile, Trump's pal Roger Stone, a Republican operative, claims to have had "back-channel" communication with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. How are those dots coming along?

Trump has always said that building a relationship with Russia is essential to defeating the Islamic State. But Russia has been assisting Syrian President Bashar Assad in bombing the city of Aleppo, which is occupied by insurgents not terrorists.

Into this fracas enters Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, Trump's choice for secretary of state, whose business relationships with Russia have raised concerns. In a fresh twist, Tillerson is a globalist who supports open trade and has praised the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Trump campaigned against. Might the president-elect be open to negotiating another of his promises?

To the critic's eye, a Trump-Putin-Exxon alliance -- the autocrat and plutocrats assisted by generals -- does not suggest a triumph of altruism. But, relax, it's just a movie. And centralized casting is watching you.
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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/12/2016 (2150 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

During a season of rampant illegal hunting in southwestern Manitoba, the province announced the arrests of seven people yesterday.

Mass patrol efforts, involving conservation officers from numerous detachments, were deployed after the remains of two illegally killed elk were discovered south of Shilo on Friday. Conservation officers arrested three men that evening and four more suspects on Monday morning.

The public bulletin comes as concerns over illegal hunting reached a fever pitch, even while the province laid nearly quadruple (50 and counting) the average number of illegal hunting charges (14) in a year.

Submitted A fleeing truck driver slammed into the ditch after being caught using a spotlight consistent with night hunting. The province arrested seven people in recent days as part of investigations into illegal hunting.

Its not attributed to the fact that were out there more. We always get out there in the fall as much as we can, said Jack Harrigan, chief conservation officer with Manitoba Sustainable Development. Were not sure why were running into it more.

At approximately 11:15 p.m. on Friday, ground patrol observed a spotlight shining from a vehicle in a manner consistent with night hunting.

Three men were apprehended without incident. A 2002 Ford F-150, three rifles, a spotlight and other hunting gear in their possession were seized.

On Sunday, conservation officers organized a night patrol, with the collaboration of spotters in an aircraft, a municipal police officer and the conservation departments K-9 unit.

In the early morning hours the next day, officers in the aircraft spotted a vehicle northwest of Glenboro using a spotlight.

The suspect vehicle fled when they were spotted. While attempting to elude the aircraft and seven ground units, the suspect vehicle lost control and slammed into a snow-packed ditch.

Four men were arrested. A 1995 GMC truck, two rifles, a spotlight, the carcass of a freshly killed deer, hunting gear and a set of illegal brass knuckles were seized.

In both cases, charges will likely be laid at a later date.

Simply based on the number of charges laid this year  well over 50, according to the provinces head of conservation enforcement  Harrigan believes there is an increase in illegal hunting.

It would align with anecdotal reports from landowners, who have relayed accounts of nighttime gunfire, widespread trespassing and declining wildlife populations, particularly moose, this year.

Some of the hunters, likely spooked of getting caught, are leaving the carcasses to rot after removing the desirable meat.

Harrigan explained that conservation officers have always been alert, but a more determined organizational effort has been employed in the region.

They are using aircraft surveillance more often, but Harrigan wouldnt say how often the tool is used. At a certain point, I dont want to tip our hand.

Ten or 11 conservation members are employed in southwestern Manitoba, he said, based in offices in Brandon, Virden, Boissevain, Shoal Lake and Neepawa. There is one vacancy.

Collaborative efforts involving the regions conservation officers, and occasionally a dog, aircraft and local police, are common, Harrigan said.

Well focus on one area in the region and bring everybody in to assist. Its really the only way it can be done.

He believes hiring more employees, though it would help, wont solve everything.

Even adding more officers would not necessarily be the answer because we can never be a full-time security service across southern Manitoba, he said, explaining they must work smarter and more efficiently. He adds a lack of qualified applicants complicates matters.

Hiring more conservation officers was one of the demands presented by municipal officials from southwestern Manitoba during a meeting last month with Sustainable Development Minister Cathy Cox.

They also want an end to night hunting, the implementation of a five-year moratorium on moose harvesting in the region and increased education.

Eliminating night hunting, which uses powerful artificial light to stop wildlife in their tracks, is at odds with some First Nations leadership, since the practice is legal for indigenous hunters on Crown lands or private lands where permission is received.

Municipality of Pipestone Reeve Archie McPherson was pleased to hear of recent arrests, but believes more enforcement is needed.

In the suburbs around the city, if this type of night hunting was going on, you could only imagine the outcry.

Unease has reached such a point where legal hunters who received permission for decades to hunt on private property are facing resistance, said McPherson, a hunter himself.

People are getting so fed up theyre not going to let anybody hunt. Its unfortunate that a few bad apples have to spoil it for everybody.

 ifroese@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ianfroese
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/12/2016 (2150 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Above normal rainfall combined with high levels of soil moisture have provincial experts predicting a chance of moderate to major flooding in some parts of Manitoba next spring.

The 2016 Fall Conditions Report, released Tuesday, states that the Assiniboine watershed has received above normal precipitation between May and November. A record amount of rain occurred in October across much of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The soil moisture in western Manitoba is high at this time of the year, compared to normal, said Doug McMahon, assistant deputy minister with Manitoba Infrastructures water management and structures division. Thats one of the conditions that pops out of the report  however, soil moisture conditions and base flows of the rivers are only two out of six factors that you have to consider in developing a reliable spring flood forecast.

Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Open water on the Assiniboine River is visible from a bridge crossing the river on the Trans-Canada Highway near Grand Valley Road on Tuesday. The province released its first flood forecast for spring 2017 on Tuesday and is predicting a chance of moderate to severe flooding.

Other factors yet to be determined are winter and spring precipitation, melt rate, frost index, and river and lake levels prior to spring runoff.

It is very early in the flood-forecasting timeline, and we will monitor numerous other variables over the winter, said Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen. As spring approaches, the province will further assess the flood potential and work with our municipalities to prepare as required.

The Assiniboine River will be monitored closely throughout the winter, as will the Saskatchewan, QuAppelle, Red and Souris rivers due to high soil moisture and high base flow conditions.

The Assiniboine River is at record high flows at most locations downstream of Shellmouth, the Carrot River and the Waterhen River  exceeding the previous record set in the fall of 2010.

The Assiniboine River is forecasted to remain at record high flows until the spring runoff. This is mainly due to the sustained release of high flows from the Shellmouth reservoir in order to reduce the level in the reservoir in preparation for spring runoff, states the report.

Environment Canadas latest long-term precipitation forecast indicates near normal in southern Manitoba, but the U.S. National Weather Service forecasts above normal precipitation.

If above normal precipitation within these basins occurs, it will lead to a high risk of major spring flooding. Even with normal precipitation, the basins with high soil moisture could see above normal spring runoff, states the report.

The provinces Hydrologic Forecast Centre works with Environment Canada, the National Weather Service and flood forecasters in neighbouring jurisdictions to regularly monitor the winter precipitation patterns.

While it is still early to be forecasting the spring flooding situation, Pedersen said they do not want to overestimate or underestimate the flood potential.

The province continues to assess current conditions in relation to the spring flood risk, and as other indicators provide a clearer picture, stakeholders including potentially impacted municipalities will be contacted, Pedersen said, adding communities across Manitoba are much better prepared for flood events than they have been in years past.

The first flood outlook of 2017 is expected in February.

 jaustin@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @jillianaustin
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/12/2016 (2150 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada will announce today that it has purchased more than 100 acres of land bordering Plum Lake, which the land conservation organization describes as a globally significant habitat.

The propertys wet meadows and freshwater coastal marsh is recognized as a major migratory stop for waterfowl and shorebirds.

Keeping places like this natural ensures stopover points during migration, said Josh Dillabough, natural area co-ordinator for NCC in Manitoba.

Submitted A view of the Jiggens Bluff II property, which the Nature Conservancy of Canada purchased this summer. The site once hosted a duck hunting venture.

Dillabough explained these wetlands are increasingly rare, and NCC believes its vital to preserve these ecosystems.

The section is approximately 47 hectares (116 acres) of land south of Oak Lake and northwest of the community of Deleau.

It is adjacent to the Jiggens Bluff property, which NCC acquired in 1979.

NCC has counted 224 bird species in the newly acquired conservation area they have named Jiggens Bluff II, including tundra swan, loggerhead shrike and golden eagles.

Colonies of Franklins gull have been spotted, as well as the Bobolink, an endangered bird species.

The site has a remarkable history of human involvement, dating back to the early 1900s.

Previously home to The Oak Lake Farming and Ranching Association, 12 members ran a duck hunting operation and would stay at a lodge on the property.

It was there that the first known pair of Hungarian Partridge was imported to the lodge in 1914. The province now designates a hunting season for the bird.

The lodge also hosted some interesting guests, including William Jennings Bryan, who was the prosecutor arguing against the Darwinian theory of evolution being taught in school in the famous 1925 Scopes trial.

Despite the rich history, George Matheson, one of the five parties who owned a stake, said the land wasnt hard to give up. Four of the five owners live outside the province, including him in Drayton Valley, Alta., and the land is now largely overrun with water.

It was Matheson who approached NCC about purchasing the section, he said.

Thats what we wanted as members; we wanted it to go to the public, so the public could use it.

Matheson and NCC declined to reveal how much the property cost, which was paid for by the federal and provincial governments and other donors.

The property was obtained this June and NCC will officially publicize its purchase today.

As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Migratory Birds Convention, I am proud that our government is acting to support local efforts to protect migratory bird habitat here in Manitoba, federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said in a statement.

 ifroese@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ianfroese
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/12/2016 (2150 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WASHINGTON  Hillary Clintons decision to join Green party candidate Jill Steins recount efforts in key states may have been welcome news to Democrats, but it is unlikely to change the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. Nor will complaining about the unfairness of the Electoral College or begging Republican electors to vote for Clinton.

The best chance for Democrats to prevent Donald Trump from assuming the presidency is instead to do the unthinkable: throw their support behind another Republican such as Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 GOP presidential nominee.

To become president, a candidate must get a bare majority of 270 votes when the Electoral College meets on Monday.

As one of Americas founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, wrote, the Electoral College provides a backstop in the event voters select a dangerously unfit candidate.

The process of election, Hamilton wrote, 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. Electors would use their judgment to prevent the tumult and disorder that would result from this mischief of presidential candidates exploiting talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity. One might call it the cooler-heads college.

Election day produced 306 electors pledged to Trump and 232 pledged to Clinton. A petition at Change.org asks Republican electors to vote for Clinton.

A group calling itself Hamilton Electors seeks to persuade at least 37 GOP electors to vote for a Republican other than Trump, leaving him with only 269 votes.

If no candidate secures 270 votes, the House of Representatives selects the next president from the top three vote-getters in the Electoral College.

Either strategy is a fools errand. Whatever reservations Republican electors may have about Trump, empty entreaties from Democrats are unlikely to sway them.

Even if 37 Republican electors voted for another Republican, the GOP-controlled House would likely select Trump anyway.

The only way Democrats stand any chance of persuading Republican electors to abandon Trump is with a dramatic gesture of true bipartisanship.

If all 232 Democratic electors pledge to reach across the aisle and vote for a Republican alternative to Trump, it would take just 38 GOP electors to make that person the next president of the U.S.

If Clinton announced she is releasing her electors and asked them to vote for a credible Republican alternative, she could plausibly deliver all 232 Democratic electors. She might even secure similar pledges from House Democrats in the event the election went to the House.

Finding 38 Republican electors might then be easier than Democrats think. In 2012, Romney won a larger share of the popular vote (47.2 per cent) than Mr. Trump did this year (46.2 per cent). There are 35 Republican electors from states where Romney got more votes than Trump (Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Utah, Wisconsin) and at least 120 others from states where Romney won a larger share of the vote. Thats more than half of Republican electors. Texas has 38 electors all by itself.

Naturally, most rank-and-file Democrats would consider the idea of backing a Republican for president abhorrent. Even so, the Electoral College presents a most interesting test for Clinton and her party.

If Democrats believe Trump poses a unique threat to the republic and signal this is not OK by reaching across the aisle to marginalize and stop him, then win or lose, Democrats could legitimately claim they put partisanship aside for the good of the country.

If Democrats believe Trump poses a unique threat yet dont support another Republican in the Electoral College, it will indicate Democrats see Trump as no different from any other Republican. And if Democrats treat Trump as normal, they will be complicit in normalizing his behaviours.

The only people who will be responsible for a Trump presidency are those who voted for him  plus Clinton and her campaign, who helped to raise Trumps profile during the primaries. But if Democrats truly believe what they say about Trump, they should prefer another Republican who does not threaten to normalize what a Trump presidency would.

 Michael F. Cannon is a resident scholar at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank based in Washington, D.C. His column was also recently reprinted by the Winnipeg Free Press.

 Washington Post
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/12/2016 (2150 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Learn about cannabis, Pallister

In response to the article in the Dec. 6 Brandon Sun about Mr. Pallister urging the feds to delay legalizing cannabis. He has no idea what he is talking about. Manitobans and Canadians are being arrested and getting criminal records for consuming a substance that is far less detrimental to our society than alcohol. There is no evidence anyone has died as a result of consuming cannabis but many deaths can be attributed to alcohol and prescription medication. Does he not see that his opinion is just wrong? Also referring to cannabis as marijuana is just evoking a programmed negative response to cannabis. Pallister needs to educate himself before he does these kinds of things.

Next time, pack a snack

Just read some truckers complaining about their treatment when stranded in Virden when the Trans-Canada Highway closed due to the blizzard at the beginning of last week. Im sorry, but what do you really expect? You were safe off the treacherous highways. It is winter, pack some snacks in your emergency kit. Im sure you have one since you are a professional driver, right? Instead of complaining, how about a huge thank you to the person who made the call to shut down the highway to keep you alive!

Are you new at this?

Recent CBC news story about truckers storm-bound on the highway near Virden complaining that they didnt carry any winter clothes in their rigs and the RCMP didnt bring them any food while they were stranded. What has happened to truckers these days? Weve always thought of them as a hardy breed who knew that driving on a highway in winter was risky. And now some of them believe there should be a food delivery service when they get stranded.

Support Canadian manufacturers

Does anyone care? A few days ago, I went shopping in three local stores and bought approximately $400 worth of Christmas presents. Once home, I looked at the labels of the presents I bought and found that all of them were made in Asia. Thus, most of the money I spent has gone to a few store owners and a lot of Asian manufacturers, hence my spending has had a minimal effect on supporting the Canadian economy. Our adopted philosophy of produce all goods off shore to minimize cost and maximize profit has to change or our manufacturing job market will continue to shrink. Since this action ripples through other sectors of the economy, including government revenues, there will be even fewer jobs in the future for all Canadians. Will Christmas be merry then?

Holiday Train schedule tentative

Regarding the recent Sound Off, Shame on you CPR. I do not work for Canadian Pacific, however I do believe that the railway runs the Holiday Train as an extra (non-scheduled). When they publicize a tentative schedule in fall for the train, it is just that. It says that on their website and newspaper postings. A hot intermodal from Vancouver to Montreal or vice versa is always going to trump the Holiday Train.

Judge on the right track

Hats off to Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta for refusing bail to the person allegedly responsible for terrorizing an innocent family in a home invasion and then shooting at houses. Seeing a judge who isnt afraid to lay down the heavy hand on these criminals is much appreciated!

Keep domesticated animals inside

To those who own dogs and cats. Please take them inside your home. They are domesticated animals. If you have dogs, keep them in the home, also your cats. They can protect your home better then being outside. Be kind.

Thanks for positive letter

Just want to send a thank you to Lynne Rempel for the letter to the editor on Dec. 7 about the Ninette Sanatorium. I have heard many, many great comments over the years from people who actually were there and worked there. So, Lynne, thank you for setting the record straight.
EU online shoppers, including Irish people, still face unjustified discrimination due to nationality and place of residence.

A report from the European Consumer Centre Network shows that some traders practice internet geo-blocking to prevent certain EU consumers' access to services.

An Irish shopper was recently charged 155 by a UK online trader for a dress after using an Irish credit card even though the same product was sold for 95 to British customers.

Martina Nee of the European Consumer Centre Network in Dublin said: "The ECC-Net is calling on greater clarity under the service directive for what is discrimination, what business practices can traders use, because in certain circumstances there are situations where traders may not be able to apply services.

"So there needs to be better clarity on that and there needs to be stronger enforcement when in breach of the curve."
Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan has rejected claims from the North's police chief that weaker immigration checks in the Republic of Ireland are providing a route for international criminals to enter the UK.

Mr Flanagan said George Hamilton's comments were not well founded.

On Tuesday, Mr Hamilton told a Westminster committee that controls in the Republic of Ireland did not have the same "resource or focus" as those operating in the North.

The PSNI Chief Constable was being questioned by British MPs as part of an inquiry into the future of the Irish border post-Brexit.

When asked how international criminals were entering the UK and Ireland, he told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee: "Access into the Republic of Ireland may not have the resource assigned to it or the immigration checks we would have in Northern Ireland or indeed more broadly into the United Kingdom."

Mr Hamilton highlighted that 775 people had been detained at Northern Ireland ports in the last year.

He added: "I think it would be fair to say that immigration controls into the Republic of Ireland may not have the same resource or focus that we would be seeing in Northern Ireland."

Asked about the PSNI commander's comments on a visit to Belfast on Wednesday, Mr Flanagan said: "The remarks of the Chief Constable have got to be placed in the broader context of relations between the PSNI and An Garda Siochana being at the most positive and closest ever in terms of sharing of information and working together.

"Issues in terms of immigration are Dublin/London issues. I don't believe his remarks are well founded."

Mr Flanagan highlighted that the Government had committed additional resources to Gardai to bolster co-operation on tackling cross-border crime.

In regard to the situation post-Brexit, the minister added: "A priority on the part of Irish government will be to ensure the maintenance of the current invisible border across a range of issues not only in respect of security and immigration but also in terms of business and commerce.

"This will be a priority of the Irish government in the context of the negotiations."
Gardai have arrested two men during raids on 11 premises in connection with an organised crime investigation in Limerick.

The officers from the Criminal Assets Bureau, and local Gardai, carried out the searches today as part of CAB's Operation Oakleaf, which is investigating an organised crime gang in Rathkeale, Co Limerick.
We will find out later how the HSE will use 14bn to run the health service next year.

Its Director General, Tony O'Brien will join the Health Minister Simon Harris in announcing details of the 2017 service plan.
A young father who stabbed a drug dealer to death in Dublin over a 100 debt has been found guilty of his manslaughter.

William Gilsenan went on trial for the murder of Edward Fitzgerald in October 2014, but the jury convicted him of the lesser charge this afternoon.

On October 17 2014, 24-year-old William Gilsenan was living at an apartment complex on Larch Hill in Santry, Dublin 9.

That afternoon, Edward Fitzgerald, a known drug dealer, drove to his home to collect an outstanding debt.

A row broke out in the car park when Mr. Gilsenan arrived at the scene.

He went into his apartment and returned a short time later with a kitchen knife which he used to stab his victim with.

A witness told Gardai he then saw him wipe it clean and throw it away. Mr. Fitzgerald was pronounced dead in Beaumont hospital a short time later.

This afternoon, the jury found Mr. Gilsenan not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter after two and a half hours of deliberations.

He blew a kiss to some family members as he was being led away. The judge refused his application for bail despite his barristers plea to allow him spent Christmas with his young child.

His sentence hearing will take place next month.
Prosecutors are trying Bill Cosby for an alleged 2004 sexual assault only so that a "bandwagon" of women can pursue old, unsubstantiated claims that the 79-year-old comedian drugged and assaulted them, a defence lawyer has told a court.

Lawyer Brian McMonagle asked a judge to prevent prosecutors from calling 13 of Cosby's other accusers as witnesses at next year's trial, saying uncertainty about where and when some of the sexual encounters took place made them impossible to defend against.

The women went public at the urging of "clever, cunning lawyers who had the agenda of bringing down an American icon", he told Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill, who must determine whether some or all of the accusers will be permitted on the witness stand.

Prosecutors in Pennsylvania are trying to show that Cosby already had a long history of drugging and molesting women by the time of his 2004 encounter with Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home, the subject of the sexual assault case against him.

Mr McMonagle said prosecutors charged Cosby with attacking Ms Constand just as the statute of limitations was about to expire as a way of digging deep into his past and dredging up ancient allegations.

"This case has nothing to do with Andrea Constand," Mr McMonagle argued. "This case was a way to try to vindicate what is a bandaged bandwagon of claims that have been put together in Pandora's box."

The case began a decade ago when Ms Constand, a Temple University employee, filed a police complaint against Cosby, her friend and mentor. A prosecutor at the time declined to file charges.

Authorities reopened the investigation last year after scores of women raised similar accusations and after Cosby's damaging deposition testimony from Ms Constand's lawsuit became public.

Mr O'Neill ruled last week that the deposition may be used at Cosby's criminal trial, arming prosecutors with Cosby's testimony about his affairs with young women, his use of quaaludes as a seduction tool and his version of the sexual encounter with Ms Constand.

Cosby's lawyer said on Wednesday that Ms Constand has offered shifting accounts of the encounter, making comparisons with the other accusers impossible. Prosecutors must demonstrate substantial similarities in the accusers' accounts to be able to call them to the witness stand.

Prosecutors have argued that sexual assault victims often recall more details in subsequent interviews, and they say the discrepancies in Ms Constand's accounts are not material to the case.

But District Attorney Kevin Steele argued earlier on Wednesday that the other women should be allowed to testify, because their stories are so similar they show the "handiwork of the same perpetrator".

Cosby befriended women who saw him as a mentor, knocked them out with pills and drinks and molested them, he said.

"This is a lifetime of sexual assault on young women," he told the judge.

The judge must walk a fine line in weighing the accusers' testimony, given a 2015 state Supreme Court ruling that threw out a Roman Catholic Church official's child-endangerment conviction because the Philadelphia trial judge let too many priest abuse victims testify about the alleged church cover-up.

The defence has questioned the women's motivation, noting many are clients of celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred, who has suggested Cosby should put up a 100 million US dollars settlement fund for potential sexual assault and defamation claims.

Ms Allred argues that her clients have a duty to testify if the court wants to hear from them. She called the defence's dismissal of their accounts "out of context or just plain wrong".

AP
A heavily-pregnant woman had a noxious substance sprayed into her eyes by car thieves in England who pinned her to the ground.

Detectives are searching for two men after the attack on the 22-year-old victim, whose phone was smashed during the offence in Yardley, Birmingham, last Sunday.

The woman - who is eight months pregnant - had parked up on Yew Tree car park at around 7.50pm when two men of Asian appearance, believed to have been lying in wait, approached her.

Officers say the woman tried to run away but was dragged to the ground before her car keys were taken from her.

The thieves then drove off in the woman's grey Volkswagen Golf, which has since been recovered and retained for forensic examination.

Sergeant Philip Poole, who is leading the investigation, said: "The pregnant victim was taken to hospital where she and unborn baby were monitored and treated for minor injuries a both are doing well.

"Nevertheless, it was a shocking attack against a heavily-pregnant woman and the outcome could have been far worse. We need to identify the offenders before they are able to attack again."

Detectives have released a CCTV clip of the suspects, and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Sgt Poole added: "We've secured CCTV and recovered the car, but we're still appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time and saw anything suspicious, or has any other information which they believe will assist the investigation to come forward."
President-elect Donald Trump has announced his selection of former campaign rival Rick Perry to be the country's next secretary of energy.

In a statement on his decision, Mr Trump said that Mr Perry, a former governor of Texas, had led his state through "a sustained period of economic growth and prosperity" by developing its energy resources and infrastructure.
Petr Hlavacek

Potton & Burton - Hardcover

New Zealand: Untouched Landscapes is a fresh and strikingly beautiful collection of landscape photographs that have been captured throughout the county by professional photographer, Petr Hlavacek. From our most iconic locations to harder-to-access and protected areas, New Zealand: Untouched Landscapes presents the pristine and diverse landscapes of this country, often from a new perspective.

Petrs photography is motivated by the opportunity to promote greater public awareness of our fragile landscapes, a landscape he is passionate about protecting. Petr Hlavacek is an important new talent among New Zealand landscape photographers.
A ceasefire "surrender deal" allowing civilians and opposition fighters to be evacuated from eastern Aleppo has begun as Russia declared all military action had stopped and the Syrian government assumed control of the former rebel enclave.

A fleet of buses has arrived in Aleppo for the evacuation of Syrian rebels and civilians after the ceasefire was agreed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says none have left the city as of yet.

The dramatic developments, which appeared to restore the remainder of what was once Syrias largest city to President Bashar Assads forces after months of heavy fighting and a crippling siege, followed reports of mass killings by government forces closing in on the final few streets still held by the rebels.

Damascus confirmed the evacuation deal and the United Nations envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who was at the Security Council where an emergency meeting for Aleppo was under way, called for immediate access to confirm the end of military operations and oversee the safe departure of tens of thousands of civilians and opposition fighters.

Russias UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin took to the floor near the end of the session to announce fighting had ended.

"According to the latest information that we received ... military actions in eastern Aleppo are over," he said. "The Syrian government has re-established control over eastern Aleppo."

Minutes earlier, he said "all militants" and members of their families, as well as those wounded in the fighting, were being evacuated through "agreed corridors in directions that they have chosen voluntarily", including the rebel stronghold of Idlib province.

As word spread of the deal, celebrations broke out in the government-controlled western sector of Aleppo, with convoys of cars driving around honking their cars and waving Syrian flags from the windows.

Retaking Aleppo, which has been split between rebel and government control since 2012, would be Assads biggest victory yet in the civil war.

Aleppo, the countrys former commercial powerhouse, has long been regarded as a major gateway between Turkey and Syria and the biggest prize in the conflict.

The agreement came after world leaders and aid agencies issued dramatic appeals on behalf of trapped residents and the UN human rights office said pro-government forces reportedly killed 82 civilians as they closed in on the last remaining rebel areas.

That and other reports of mass killings, which could not be independently confirmed, reinforced fears of atrocities in the final hours of the battle for the city.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon told the emergency meeting he had received "credible reports" of civilians killed by intense bombing and summary executions by pro-government forces.

"To the Assad regime, Russia and Iran - three member states behind the conquest of and carnage in Aleppo - you bear responsibility for these atrocities," said US ambassador Samantha Power.

In Turkey, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul, chanting against Russias involvement in the push to retake rebel-held areas of Aleppo.

People march toward the Russian consulate in Istanbul yesterday to protest against Russias involvement in the Syrian governments push to retake rebel-held areas of the city of Aleppo.

Several residents and opposition activists in Syria said government forces carried out summary killings of rebels in neighbourhoods captured on Monday, but the Syrian military denied the claim, saying such allegations were "a desperate attempt" to gain international sympathy.

None of the residents witnessed the alleged killings and the reports came amid deepening chaos in the remaining rebel-held areas. Mohammed Abu Rajab, the administrator of the last remaining clinic in rebel-held parts of the city, said the dead and wounded were being left in the streets.

Bashar al-Jaafari, Syrias ambassador to the UN, denied any mass executions or revenge attacks, but added it was Syrias "constitutional right" to go after "terrorists", a reference to all opposition fighters.

"Aleppo has been liberated from terrorists and those who toyed with terrorism," he said. "Aleppo has returned to the nation."

Meanwhile the UN childrens agency said it had received a report of more than 100 unaccompanied children trapped in a building under fire in eastern Aleppo.

Unicef was concerned over reports of "extrajudicial killings of civilians, including children", said the agencys regional director Geert Cappalaere.

The UN human rights office said it had received reports of pro-government forces killing at least 82 civilians in four neighbourhoods of the rapidly-shrinking rebel enclave, including 11 women and 13 children.

Spokesman Rupert Colville said the reports described pro-government forces entering homes and killing civilians "on the spot".

Rami Abdurrahman of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said hundreds of bodies were still under the rubble.

There were conflicting reports about the timing and route of the rebel withdrawal.

Syrias military media said the gunmen would be evacuated through the Ramouseh crossing and from there to rebel-controlled areas of northern Idlib province.

"Aleppo will be declared a secure and liberated city within the coming hours," it said on its Telegram channel.

Osama Abu Zayd, a Turkey-based legal adviser for an umbrella group of rebel factions known as the Free Syrian Army, said the ceasefire went into effect Tuesday evening and that the first groups of rebel fighters would begin evacuating later that day.

Yasser al-Youssef, a rebel spokesman, confirmed the deal, and another spokesman, Ahmed Karali, said those leaving the city would head to rural areas in western Aleppo province, then head north.

AP
Nearly half a million children will face starvation in north-eastern Nigeria next year and 80,000 will die unless they receive treatment, amid the humanitarian crisis created by Boko Haram's Islamic uprising, the United Nations' children's agency has warned.

"What is already a crisis can become a catastrophe," Unicef executive director Anthony Lake said.

His statement said the 400,000 children at risk of starvation represented just a fraction of the suffering among some 2.6 million refugees in the seven-year uprising that has killed more than 20,000 people.

"If they do not receive the treatment they need, one in five of these children will die," Mr Lake said.

"Large areas of Borno state are completely inaccessible to any kind of humanitarian assistance. We are extremely concerned about the children trapped in these areas."

Boko Haram attacked a military-escorted humanitarian convoy in July about 45 miles from Maiduguri, the birthplace of the insurgency, wounding a Unicef worker, two other aid workers and two soldiers.

A rocket-propelled grenade slammed into the windscreen of a bullet-proof vehicle, one that Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari has accused the agency of buying instead of spending money on people in need. Unicef said the vehicle was a donation.

Mr Lake spoke just days after Mr Buhari accused the UN and private international aid agencies of exaggerating the crisis to seek donations. Mr Buhari declared that Boko Haram was "technically defeated" a year ago and appeared to be fixed on maintaining that fiction.

While soldiers from a multinational force of Nigeria and neighbouring countries have pushed the extremists out of towns and many villages they occupied, attacks on military outposts and suicide bombings of soft targets continue.

The Associated Press news agency has reported since September that children already are dying of starvation in Maiduguri, the biggest city in Nigeria's north east that is easily accessible.

Doctors Without Borders said in November that thousands of children already have died, including 10 to 25% of children admitted to its 110-bed Maiduguri emergency treatment centre.

Nigeria's senate is investigating allegations that government agencies are diverting food aid that could help prevent those deaths.

Mr Buhari was elected in March 2015 on a platform that pledged to finish off Boko Haram and halt endemic corruption.

AP
BCN Contributor Alex J. Ortolano sent in these wise words, and got me thinking:

Current Liberal Democrat Muse and Russian Strong Man, Vlad Putin; the Face of Mother Russia: Above.

I made this immediate commentary on Facebook, December 13, 2016, once I became aware of the concerted Liberal's /Socialist's talking points on the alleged Russian Election Meddling

And now to expand on this latest Liberal /Socialist Group Think

It appears that this knowledge is rarefied wisdom, with no evidence, that can only be fathomed by the severe Liberals /Socialists that still can't understand that their presidential candidate /candidates, at many levels of government, got drubbed in a free and fair election.If any of these crybaby Liberals can produce evidence how Trump and the Russians stole /rigged the election, it would wonderful if they would bring it into full reveal.Still, watching intellectually distant /dishonest adults play crybaby is an incredibly fun thing to observe.By the way, and this in face of lead Crybabies Jill Stein and L. Hillary Clinton, their ridiculous recount in Michigan has proven voter fraud in Detroit precincts, and even more substantial victory for Candidate Trump in that state.The public and constant indignation by incredulous Liberals, and their owned Democrat Media, over the possible meddling of Russia in the 2016 Presidential Election is becoming a bit shopworn from an intellectual standpoint. The pattern indignation from the Democrat Media, who willingly abdicated their Free Press, 1st Amendment, responsibilities to exclusively work on the L. Hillary Clinton campaign has increasingly become a wonderment to principled Americans.Obviously, this political hackery, literally, writ large in the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Huffington Post is a continuing example, fa mere fragment of the shameless Democrat Media that has one current directive, which is to work to the benefit of chosen Democrats, and to inform, as per their 1st Amendment co-dependent right, on their predetermined, filtered-down "Need to Know" basis of correspondence.A point fact is that Liberals /Socialists and their associative Democrat Media rationalized that if anyone controlled the news flow, it would be the unprincipled Democrat Media as the associative "5th column" of the Liberal /Socialist party - the Democrat party. The "Billy Bush hot-mic-locker-room-talk" moment for Donald Trump, held in abeyance for years by the NBC News Dept, and then released as NBC New's October surprise contribution to the Democrat Cause was supposed to be that one visceral ugly moment that would bring down the man who had never lived a buttoned down life - Donald J. trump. It almost worked as many Republican politicians scurried hither and thither to avoid the bombastic New York developer, and to avert their own down ballot demise. In this outrageous political season, that avoidance motif proved to be a far less wise path for these GOP politicians.Considering that some resourceful entity (it is alleged that the CIA believes it to be Russia; it is also alleged that the NSA and the FBI are unsure) either hacked into the DNC's (Democrat national Committee), or any of L. Hillary's many illegal servers, or someone with access leaked this data of the many faces of L. Hillary and her minions, the Democrats and their media arm are apoplectic that they could not control the news flow, the dirt. Remarkably, with these crybabies in full tantrum mode, many leaders within the Democrat /Socialist Group Think construct are seriously accusing the President-elect of being a 'Russian agent, in league with his good friend Vlad Putin', and they think that they are making intellectual headway.If there are those that would parrot these Group Think 'talking points', there are also those that will quietly consider this ridiculous commentary as a litmus test of one's intellectual depth. Remember, those that are originating these Socialist /Liberal talking points are the same partisan hacks that ignored all Obama scandals too numerous to mention, but chief among them: the IRS political targeting cover-up; the Benghazi cover-up.The run-up to the presidential election brought out the truth to what extent the partisan Democrat media would sink. The Crybaby character of the women running for president, and those of low principles who would follow them to the 'Gates of Hell' suggests that there is much work left for Democrat party if they wish the best of all Americans to ever take them seriously again.
KARACHI: The Art of Giving (AOG) organised its first-ever open house at the Port Grand to provide an opportunity for...
BISMARCK, N.D.  North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple and Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault have met to discuss reducing tensions between law officers and Dakota Access oil pipeline opponents, as the main protest camp begins to clear out after the federal government stalled the $3.8 billion project.

Developer Energy Transfer Partners and the Army are battling in court over permission for the pipeline to cross under the Missouri River in southern North Dakota, the last large chunk of construction for the project to move North Dakota oil 1,200 miles to a shipping point in Illinois. Thousands of opponents who have protested for months have been leaving their main camp in southern North Dakota in recent days due to the work stoppage and severe winter weather.

Archambault said Tuesday that the tribe estimates only about 300 people remain in the main camp. Dalrymple said in a statement that the camp might be vacated by Jan. 1, but Archambault said that's not the case. Some in the camp have said they need until the end of the year to complete their exit, while others plan to stay the winter, he said.

An unknown number of others remain in another camp nearby that's run by LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, a protest organizer. Allard didn't immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday, but she said in a social media post Monday that "we are not going anywhere."

Some pipeline opponents fear a federal judge will give ETP permission to finish the project or that the administration of pro-energy President-elect Donald Trump will overturn an Army decision this month not to grant permission for the river crossing. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that according to people with knowledge of the decision, former Texas Governor Rick Perry is Trump's choice to lead the Energy Department. Perry is on the board of ETP, although Archambault said that doesn't discourage him.

"We're not opposed to energy development  we're just asking that you don't do it off our backs," the chairman said.

The tribe and its supporters believe the pipeline threatens American Indian cultural sites and the tribe's drinking water, which is drawn from the Missouri. ETP disputes that.

Dalrymple and Archambault both said that efforts to normalize relations between the state and tribe rest heavily on reopening a state Highway 1806 bridge right outside the camp. The Backwater Bridge has been closed since being damaged by a fire set by protesters in late October.

The state Transportation Department says the bridge won't be inspected until the safety of workers is ensured. Pipeline opponents think the state is deliberately leaving the bridge closed to block protesters in from the north.

"The bridge is the main issue," Archambault said. "How can we get (the blockade) removed as soon as possible so that it opens up emergency service routes, opens up commerce again for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe."

Dalrymple said the plan is to enlist the help of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to maintain safety while workers inspect the bridge. Archambault said a timeline wasn't developed during the Monday meeting, which also was attended by other Tribal Council members and state officials.

"The meeting was constructive, an important step toward rebuilding long-term relationships," Dalrymple said.

Also, prosecutor Ladd Erickson said he wants people who have been arrested for protesting against the pipeline to reimburse the state for their court-appointed attorneys. The protests have resulted in 570 arrests since August, creating an unprecedented burden for the state's court system. The Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents plans to seek $670,000 from the Legislature to help cover the costs of protest-related cases.
PARIS: People with monkeypox can spread the virus up to four days before symptoms appear, with more than half of...
Kenya will expand trade ties with the United Arab Emirates, the State House Kenya tweeted early on Saturday.
The newspaper's first story was republished by USA Today and picked up by multiple news outlets on Tuesday, including CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and The Washington Post, none of which raised doubts about it. Schmitt-Matzen said he also received inquiries from news outlets around the world.

Venable learned of Schmitt-Matzen's story through "friends of friends," Schmitt-Matzen said in an interview with The Washington Post. He said repeatedly that he would not disclose details of the incident, including the hospital at which he said it occurred and the name of the nurse who summoned him.

He remained emotional about the encounter that he said took place last month, saying in the Post interview that he most vividly remember the child's "pleading eyes. . . . You know, the little guys, they have a hard time fathoming death. But they know Christmas. They know it's a lot of fun. He was more upset about missing Christmas than he was about dying. . . . The whole concept of dying just doesn't sink in, you know. And maybe that's a good thing. All I could do was make him smile, [make him] happy, as best as I could. All he knew was that he was hurting."

Hospitals near Schmitt-Matzen's home and workplace in Jacksboro, in suburban Knoxville, said they had no record of the events described in the News Sentinel's column and accompanying videos.

"We know for certain that it did not happen at our hospital," said Erica Estep, public-relations manager at East Tennessee Children's Hospital. She said the hospital checked its mortality data for the entirety of 2016 and had no records of a five-year-old child dying under any circumstances.
Embattled infant formula and baby food company Bellamy's Australia is facing a class action lawsuit from legal giant Maurice Blackburn, with two other firms also considering taking action on behalf of angry shareholders, in the wake of a $500 million rout of its share price.

Maurice Blackburn released a statement on Wednesday confirming it was "seriously investigating a potential class action claim" against Bellamy's. According to the firm's class action principal Ben Slade, the investigation is focussed on "alleged breaches of its continuous disclosure obligations and for possibly engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct regarding its infant formula trade with China".

Maurice Blackburn has opened an online registration page on its website seeking "shareholders that have been hit by the recent shock price drop".
Shipping giant Toll has been convicted and fined a massive $1 million for safety failures after a father-of-three was crushed and killed on Melbourne's wharves.

Toll employee Anthony Attard, 42, was helping load cargo onto a ship at Webb Dock in May 2014 when he was run over by a trailer and crushed to death under its wheels.

Anthony Attard, who was killed at work in 2014.

Colleagues used a forklift to pull the trailer off the Mr Attard, but he could not be revived.

"It was a catastrophic failure that led to a worker dying in the most horrible of circumstances ... traumatising all the people who tried so hard to save him," WorkSafe health and safety director Marnie Williams said.
Attitudes in Australia aren't quite so skewed, but we're still way out. Our average guess is that Muslim's make up 12 per cent of the population when the true figure is about 2.4 per cent. People in most countries also wildly over-estimate the future growth of their Muslim populations. In Australia the average guess is that the Muslim population share will surge to 21 per cent by 2020 (up from the average guess for the current population of 12 per cent) while projections by professional demographers put that figure at around 3 per cent. Ipsos analyst, David Elliott, said the organisation's research shows perceptions are often most incorrect on topics that are widely discussed in the media and on issues that are of significant concern to us. "The huge overestimation of current and future proportions of our population that are Muslims is a classic example of this," he said. 2. We over-estimate how miserable people are

People are very wrong about how cheerful their fellow citizens are. An average of 45 per cent guessed people in their country were very or rather happy across all the nations surveyed - way short of the average 85 per cent who actually said they are very or rather happy when asked. The British were especially prone over-estimate the level of misery. There the average guess was that only 47 per cent are happy  a mammoth 45 percentage points less than the 92 per cent who actually told a recent national survey they were happy. That gap was smaller in Australia but still considerable  29 percentage points. 3. We over-estimate opposition to homosexuality People in most countries assume their fellow citizens hold more conservative views on some controversial social issues than they actually do.

When Ipsos asked respondents what proportion of their country believe homosexuality is "morally unacceptable" three quarters of the nations surveyed supposed a higher proportion than the reality. The difference in Australia was relatively large - the average guess was that 36 per cent of the population find homosexuality morally unacceptable when only 19 per cent actually say they hold that view. The US stood out among the major Western democracies because of the small difference between perception and reality on attitudes to homosexuality. There the average guess was that 42 per cent consider homosexuality to be morally unacceptable versus 37 per cent that actually hold that view. At the other end of the spectrum, Indonesians underestimated the near-unanimous opposition to homosexuality. The average guess there was that 79 per cent find homosexuality morally unacceptable when 93 per cent actually say they do.

4. We over-estimate opposition to abortion People in many countries assume far more people are opposed to abortion than is actually the case. Australia is one of them  here the average guess was that 40 per cent of the population consider abortion morally unacceptable, when only 24 per cent actually say they hold that view. The perception gap was even higher in several European nations. It was the opposite in several Asian and South American nations, where a large share of survey respondents assumed their country was more accepting of abortion than it actually is. In the Philippines, for example, the average guess was that 74 per cent of the population think abortion is morally unacceptable, when 93 actually hold that view. As with homosexuality, the US's gap between perception and reality was small. There the average guess was that 48 per cent of the population consider abortion morally unacceptable just 1 percentage point less than the proportion that actually say they hold that view.

5. We under-estimated Donald Trump People across the globe assumed Hilary Clinton would be the next American President  and by a considerably margin. The Ipsos poll, taken in the month before the US election, found just three countries had more people picking Donald Trump's shock victory: Russia, Serbia and China. Russia stood out - there 50 per cent predicted Trump and only 29 per cent tipped a Clinton win. In Australia just 17 per cent saw the Trump victory coming. His win was least expected in South Korea (5 per cent) and Mexico (6 per cent). The "Index of Ignorance" Ipsos created an "Index of Ignorance" based on the survey results from 40 countries to identify which nations were the best and worst at identifying social realities. Australia was far from the worst, despite the big difference between public perception and reality on many issues.
MORTON COUNTY, N.D.  Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II has indicated he is discouraged by the swirl of accusations and rumors following his request Dec. 5 for the thousands of people occupying the Oceti Sakowin protest camp to disband and go home.

He made the request in the teeth of a severe blizzard with deadly wind chills and following a decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that it will deny an easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross the Missouri River at Lake Oahe, pending an environmental review and look at possible reroutes.

At that time, 5,000 to 7,000 people were living in fortified tents, yurts, teepees and wood structures. Archambault said the protest should play out in federal court, not in unsafe winter conditions.

Since then, Archambault said hes been accused of selling out the protest and taking money from such unlikely people as pipeline owner Kelcy Warren and using it to buy homes in Florida and Bismarck.

Its unfortunate that people would say that, but they dont know me, Archambault said.

The tribe also has been criticized for storing 80,000 packages intended for the protest encampments in a warehouse belonging to one of the tribes enterprises in Fort Yates.

Archambault said the situation occurred when the most recent blizzard hit and UPS and FedEx delivery semis loaded with donations were unable to make drop-offs at the main protest camp or the smaller Sacred Stones spirit camp, both near the Cannonball River on the north side of the reservation.

We said we could house those packages at one of our enterprises. We didnt realize there were so many packages, Archambault said. Our staff sorted through so it could go to whatever organization it was intended for and then called the camps.

They came and took pictures and were being accused of hoarding. People are asking why the chairman struck a deal and is hoarding the packages. Its not true; this is a burden to the tribe. We dont want any part of this.

He said at least 300 people are still occupying the main protest camp and that he has no intention of forcing anyone to leave. At least that many are in the original Sacred Stones camp on the south side of the Cannonball River.
In the nearly six-year long Syrian civil conflict, foreign power and interests have been prominent in the background  supplying weapons for profit, pursuing old ambitions and trying to finagle amoral strategic outcomes. It was fitting, therefore, that the end of the Aleppo offensive on Monday was announced not by president Bashar al-Assad but by Russia's United Nations envoy, Vitaly Churkin.

Ambassador Churkin said that as well as taking control of east Aleppo, the Syrian government had agreed to a ceasefire allowing civilians and rebel fighters to be evacuated. His placatory attitude may have been a response to widespread international condemnation of atrocities committed during the siege. It might also be read as sign of Mr Assad's growing confidence that victory is within his reach.

The extent of the rebel forces now arranged against those of the Assad regime supports this view. Only in the provincial capital of Idlib and parts of northern and southern Syria, do the rebels hold sway, though they have lately re-taken Palmyra. Large areas of eastern and central Syria are controlled by Kurdish militias and Islamic State (the so-called caliphate), but these groups are intent on preserving their spheres of influence rather than toppling the Assad regime.

Incoming US president Donald Trump opposes further US support for the rebels, preferring America's efforts be directed at fighting IS. With the rebels' other allies  Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar  now restricted in their ability to send weapons, President Assad's survival looks more assured than it has since 2011, when pro-democracy protests erupted across the country, followed by armed violence erupted between rebels and government forces.
If you are looking for a charity gift that really makes a difference, just give cash. While it's nice to imagine tents, water tanks and food parcels being rushed to a far-flung village beset by misfortune this Christmas, it could wind up being of dubious value.

When we see aid in terms of what we think other people need, and how good it makes us feel to give, the results aren't always ideal.

Aid needs to be delivered more effectively, with affected communities having a direct say in the kind of aid they receive. Credit:Phil Hearne

Over decades, well-meaning governments, aid organisations and donors have wasted billions of dollars on thoughtless aid. That's the kind of giving that sends inappropriate Western women's clothes to a conservative Muslim area of Pakistan, following an earthquake. Or a program that sends expensive tents half way across the world to the Philippines, in the wake of a typhoon, when a local builder could reconstruct a house for a fraction of the cost. Or the new schools and medical clinics that will never be used because there's no staff in the local area to run them.

Now more than ever we need people to give. Today, 65 million people are displaced around the world, mostly as a result of conflict, more than at any time since the end of World War II. Over the past two decades an average of 218 million people have been affected by natural disasters every year, at an annual economic cost of some $300 billion. Aid budgets are stretched to breaking point. As climate change triggers more severe and more frequent extreme weather events, the demands on relief funds will only intensify. Aid saves and transforms millions of lives every year, but the challenge is to get it right so we can make every dollar count.
Pauline Hanson personally loaned her One Nation party almost $200,000 to fund its federal election campaign.

The $191,000 loan is revealed in the Pauline Hanson One Nation party's disclosure return to the Electoral Commission of Queensland, lodged by her brother-in-law and party treasurer Greg Smith.

Made in eight payments over four months, it represented 83 per cent of all of the funding received by the party between January and June this year.

Senator Hanson's party, which picked up four Senate seats at the July poll, banked $1.6 million in public funding due to its strong primary vote.
But this isn't an issue about quality time spent with children. It's an issue about the inequity of who does the caring. It's about the invisibility of said caring work and the impact that has on women's careers, aspirations and wellbeing.

I lie awake at night trying to work out how I'll be able sneak in a couple of hours here and there to keep my career bubbling away until my daughter goes back to school in February. Other mothers are stressed out and spending hours of unpaid time trying to work out solutions. And they do this four times every year.

Meanwhile, many fathers couldn't even tell you when the school holidays start and finish and haven't given a single thought to who will be looking after their kids all holidays. Many don't even know the phone number of the person who babysits their kids on date night so what are the chances they're going to be researching, scheduling and booking school holiday programs? Or taking on the burden of childcare themselves.

That's a problem for their kids' mother to sort out. And, for some women, pay for. In some families I know, childcare is seen as a mother's responsibility and therefore the cost is deducted from her income. And we're not talking pin money. Some school holiday programs are over $100 a day, and many of those don't attract the childcare rebate.

And while the issue of access to affordable, high quality childcare has made it onto governments' radars, school holiday childcare barely even gets a mention. It's another example of free labour that is almost exclusively only expected of women. And it's another barrier to gender equality that remains invisible to many.
A Jewish school that strives to "make achievement cool" has leapfrogged its competitors to become the top VCE performer.

Bialik College in Hawthorn East jumped from third to first place this year after achieving a median study score of 39, with 44.2 per cent of its study scores 40 or above.

It scored a median ATAR of 94.93, placing about half of Bialik's students in top 5 per cent of the state.
Sydney and NSW residents will be able to buy takeaway alcohol from bottle shops until 11pm from Friday, the NSW government has said, as it tries to implement part of its response to the review into lockout laws in time for the festive season.

Justice Minister Troy Grant also announced the patron limit for small bars would be increased from 60 to 100 from Friday.

"We have brought forward these reforms so communities and businesses across NSW can take advantage of later trading times during the busy summer holiday period," Mr Grant said.

Bottle shop sales had been restricted until 10pm. Mr Grant also said that home delivery alcohol sales would also be allowed until 11pm from Friday.
"One day when the records of this state are written, I'll be a part of it," Eddie Obeid proudly boasted to The Sydney Morning Herald upon his elevation to ministry of Bob Carr's Labor government in 1999.

"And, of course, I want to be recognised. I've got a good family, I've done well in business. I've got ability and I want to be recognised [for] much more than just building a good home for myself and having a few rental properties."

The former cab driver and property developer could not have known that the name Edward Moses Obeid will be remembered for so much more than building a good home and having a few rental properties.

As he faces the prospect of imprisonment, posterity will record him as possibly the most corrupt politician the nation has ever known. The tentacles of his crooked empire, largely hidden from view by complicated trust structures, encompassed coal leases, cafes at Circular Quay, swathes of developments from Port Macquarie to Top Ryde and offshore pole sales. Even the state's water infrastructure was a potential cash cow for his family's multimillion-dollar domain.
A Sydney man whose home was compulsorily acquired by the state government for the WestConnex motorway project is facing Christmas in jail after he was refused bail for allegedly breaking into his former house.

Van Ngo, 68, was charged with damaging property and entering a premises without a lawful excuse after he allegedly broke into his former home at 84 Campbell Street, in St Peters in Sydney's inner west, hours after being evicted.

Until his eviction and arrest on Friday, Mr Ngo was the last remaining home owner along a strip of houses in Campbell Street that have been acquired by the state government for the $16.8 billion WestConnex motorway project.

On Tuesday, Mr Ngo's bail application was refused in Central Local Court, leaving him facing up to a month in Silverwater prison while his lawyers prepare another bail application in the Supreme Court.
Another tourist has died on the Great Barrier Reef, the fourth to die while snorkelling or diving on the reef in the past month.

A police spokeswoman said a Japanese woman, 75, was pulled from the water about 2pm on Tuesday near Moore Reef, about 45 kilometres off Cairns.

The woman had been snorkelling with a tour group.

The police spokeswoman said CPR was performed once the woman was retrieved from the water, but it was to no avail.
Two young carpentry apprentices in Brisbane are taking their Mt Gravatt employer to the Federal Court claiming they were underpaid $32,000 in wages, overtime and allowances between 2013 and 2015.

However, their employer will defend the claims and raise grievances about general safety on high-rise construction sites.

The pair contacted the Fair Work Ombudsman, telling an inspector they believed they were not being paid in full, they were not being correctly paid for overtime, for their public holidays, or their $17-a-week travel allowances. Credit:Erin Jonasson

The apprentices were teenagers when they were first employed by GQ Industries Pty Ltd and worked on a number of building sites around Brisbane.

The pair contacted the Fair Work Ombudsman, telling an inspector they believed they were not being paid in full, they were not being correctly paid for overtime, for their public holidays, or their $17-a-week travel allowances.
Rock singer Kyle

Craft playing Jan. 22

Sunday, Jan. 22, 8 p.m., Pub Station. Tickets for the all-ages show are $10

Kyle Craft grew up in a tiny Louisiana town on the banks of the Mississippi, where he spent most of his time catching alligators and rattlesnakes instead of playing football or picking up the guitar. He's not the born product of a musical family, and bands never came through town -- it was only a chance trip to K-Mart that gave him his first album, a David Bowie hits compilation that helped inspire him eventually to channel his innate feral energy into songwriting and rock and roll.

That self-made talent drives every note of 'Dolls of Highland,' Craft's exhilarating, fearless solo debut. "This album is the dark corner of a bar," he says. "It's that feeling at the end of the night when you're confronted with 'now what?'"

And then there's Craft's unforgettable voice -- "I'm fully aware that I have a very abrasive, very loud voice, but Bob Dylan is the one that taught me to embrace that," says Craft.

Aaron Carter returns

to Pub Station Jan. 24

Tuesday, Jan. 24, 8 p.m., Pub Station. Tickets for the all-ages show are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

Aaron Carter packed the Pub Station the last time he visited. He became an international pop sensation at the age of 10 and went on to release several hit singles and multiplatinum albums as well as appear in film, television and on Broadway. Carter recently finished a successful North American tour performing songs he made famous during the past 15 years. He is currently recording a new album and preparing for his next tour.

Carter, now 26, began his career at the age of 7 singing lead for the band Dead End. Two years later in 1997 he made his first solo appearance when he opened for brother Nick Carters band the Backstreet Boys in Berlin, Germany. Within months Carter was signed to a record label and released his first hit single, Crush On You, followed by his first album, Aaron Carter which achieved gold status in several countries around the world.

Carter has won multiple awards, including the Teen Choice Award, Kids Choice Award and Radio Disney Music Award and is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest singer to have four consecutive top ten singles in the U.K.

Max and Iggor Cavalera

replaying Roots

Max and Iggor Cavalera with Immolation and Full of Hell, Monday, Feb. 27, 6:45 p.m., Pub Station Ballroom. Tickets to the all-ages show are $24 in advance and $28 at the door.

For the Return to Roots tour, brothers Max and Igor Cavalera will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Sepulturas classic Roots by playing the album in its entirety.

Warner Music also plans a special vinyl edition of Roots, in addition to a CD/vinyl box set of classic Sepultura records, with more surprises in store.

Bass ace Datsik playing

Ballroom with Crizzly

Tuesday, March 14, Pub Station Ballroom, 8 p.m. Tickets to the all-ages show are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Tickets go on sale Dec. 19 at 10 a.m.

Since launching the Datsik brand, Troy Beetles continues to evolve as a solo artist all the while pushing his beloved bass music to new lengths, both on a personal artistry level and as a genre as a whole. From video game-loving fanboy to chart-topping producer, internationally touring artist, and owner and founder of the enterprising Firepower Records, Datsik is poised to make bass music the sound of the future with his recent Down 4 My Ninjas EP and Smoke Bomb, featuring Snoop Dogg.

Beetles launched Datsik in 2007, when the burgeoning producer began dabbling with original hip-hop and dubstep productions in his Canadian hometown of Kelowna, British Columbia. In 2008, he met and began to work with Canadian dubstep legend Excision, who later released their collaborations on his Rottun Recordings. In the years to come, the duoboth as a cohesive unit and individual artistsare credited for taking the Canadian bass music scene from its local roots to worldwide acclaim and for pioneering and shaping the bass-heavy North American dubstep sound.
In life, Pasquale Barbaro was surrounded by gangsters, bikies, bodyguards and all the flash trappings that come with a life spent in organised crime.

But fewer than 30 mourners attended the funeral of the notorious underworld figure in Melbourne's north on Wednesday, almost a month after he was gunned down in a Sydney street.

Unlike the traditional Melbourne gangland funeral, there was no gilded casket, muscle-bound pallbearers or extravagant displays of affection from men more notorious for their propensity for violence.

Two women believed to be Barbaro's mother and former wife were consoled by friends outside the Coburg funeral home as the small gathering quickly dispersed.
Fire investigators are hoping to gain access to the Little Saigon market on Wednesday to confirm the cause of the fire that destroyed the Footscray institution.

Fresh photos from the scene on Wednesday morning show the gutted remains of the Nicholson Street premises.

But the extent of the damage, or the confirmation of the cause, won't be determined for some time. Early indications estimated the damage bill would exceed $12 million.

The market was engulfed in flames from 6am on Tuesday with firefighters battling the blaze from outside, unable to get inside to extinguish the blaze due to fears the building would collapse.
Perth Zoo has hit back at allegations of animal abuse, after activists accused them of using bullhooks to force their Asian elephant population to 'exhibit unnatural behaviour'.

A Change.org petition was started by Global March for Elephants and Rhinos member Jodi Benfield, and asked the zoo to no longer sell its popular elephant paintings, known as 'ele-art'.

"By offering 'ele art', produced by the Asian elephants at Perth Zoo, you are making this behaviour appear normal to the public, encouraging them to pay for similar works of 'art' abroad, where the standard of welfare may not be as high," the petition stated.

"We ask that you reassess the environmental, and behavioural, enrichment opportunities given to your Asian elephants.
Two teenage males have been charged with breaking into a Perth home and stealing presents from under a Christmas tree.

The duo, 16 and 18, broke into a Cloverdale home on Tuesday night while its occupants were asleep.

Two teens broke into a Cloverdale house and stole Christmas presents.

The residents woke up and disturbed the thieves, who fled with the presents.

However police found them nearby shortly after they attended the scene.
The heads of Uber and Tesla are taking on strategic advisory roles with President-elect Donald Trump.

Travis Kalanick, the chief executive of Uber, and Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, will "meet with the president frequently" and offer their expertise to Mr Trump as part of his Strategic and Policy Forum, Trump officials said.

Elon Musk is among tech industry leaders who criticised Trump during the campaign. Credit:AP

The announcement came hours ahead of a major meeting between Mr Trump and tech executives Wednesday. Mr Musk is expected to attend, along with top execs from Apple, Facebook, Google and a handful of other companies. Wednesday's meeting marks the first time Mr Trump will have met with senior leaders of an entire industry. Mr Kalanick was invited but reportedly will not be attending, because of travel.

Mr Musk's role is particularly notable in light of his criticism of Mr Trump during the presidential campaign. Mr Musk had said Mr Trump was "not the right guy" for the Oval Office.
Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit:AP The DNC's fumbling encounter with the FBI meant the best chance to halt the Russian intrusion was lost. The failure to grasp the scope of the attacks undercut efforts to minimise their impact. And the White House's reluctance to respond forcefully meant the Russians have not paid a heavy price for their actions, a decision that could prove critical in deterring future cyberattacks. The low-key approach of the FBI meant that Russian hackers could roam freely through the committee's network for nearly seven months before top DNC officials were alerted to the attack and hired cyberexperts to protect their systems. In the meantime, the hackers moved on to targets outside the DNC, including Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, whose private email account was hacked months later. A decade of emails that John Podesta maintained in his Gmail account - a total of about 60,000 - were unlocked for the Russian hackers. Credit:AP Even Podesta, a savvy Washington insider who had written a 2014 report on cyberprivacy for President Barack Obama, did not truly understand the gravity of the hacking.

By last summer, Democrats watched in helpless fury as their private emails and confidential documents appeared online day after day - procured by Russian intelligence agents, posted on WikiLeaks and other websites, then eagerly reported on by the American media, including The New York Times. Trump gleefully cited many of the purloined emails on the campaign trail. The fallout included the resignations of Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, the chairwoman of the DNC, and most of her top party aides. Leading Democrats were sidelined at the height of the campaign, silenced by revelations of embarrassing emails or consumed by the scramble to deal with the hacking. Though little-noticed by the public, confidential documents taken by the Russian hackers from the DNC's sister organization, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, turned up in congressional races in a dozen states, tainting some of them with accusations of scandal. In recent days, a sceptical president-elect, the nation's intelligence agencies and the two major parties have become embroiled in an extraordinary public dispute over what evidence exists that President Vladimir Putin of Russia moved beyond mere espionage to deliberately try to subvert American democracy and pick the winner of the presidential election. Many of Clinton's closest aides believe that the Russian assault had a profound impact on the election, while conceding that other factors - Clinton's weaknesses as a candidate; her private email server; the public statements of FBI Director James Comey about her handling of classified information - were also important. While there's no way to be certain of the ultimate impact of the hack, this much is clear: A low-cost, high-impact weapon that Russia had test-fired in elections from Ukraine to Europe was trained on the United States, with devastating effectiveness. For Russia, with an enfeebled economy and a nuclear arsenal it cannot use short of all-out war, cyberpower proved the perfect weapon: cheap, hard to see coming, hard to trace.

"There shouldn't be any doubt in anybody's mind," Michael Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency and commander of US Cyber Command, said at a postelection conference. "This was not something that was done casually, this was not something that was done by chance, this was not a target that was selected purely arbitrarily," he said. "This was a conscious effort by a nation-state to attempt to achieve a specific effect." For the people whose emails were stolen, this new form of political sabotage has left a trail of shock and professional damage. Neera Tanden, president of the Centre for American Progress and a key Clinton supporter, recalls walking into the busy Clinton transition offices, humiliated to see her face on television screens as pundits discussed a leaked email in which she had called Clinton's instincts "suboptimal." "It was just a sucker punch to the gut every day," Tanden said. "It was the worst professional experience of my life." The United States, too, has carried out cyberattacks, and in decades past the CIA tried to subvert foreign elections. But the Russian attack is increasingly understood across the political spectrum as an ominous historic landmark - with one notable exception: Trump has rejected the findings of the intelligence agencies he will soon oversee as "ridiculous," insisting that the hacker may be American, or Chinese, but that "they have no idea." Trump cited the reported disagreements between the agencies about whether Putin intended to help elect him. On Tuesday, a Russian government spokesman echoed Trump's scorn.

"This tale of 'hacks' resembles a banal brawl between American security officials over spheres of influence," Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, wrote on Facebook. Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder and editor, has resisted the conclusion that his site became a pass-through for Russian hackers working for Putin's government or that he was deliberately trying to undermine Clinton's candidacy. But the evidence on both counts appears compelling. Over the weekend, four prominent senators, two Republicans and two Democrats, joined forces to pledge an investigation while pointedly ignoring Trump's sceptical claims. "Democrats and Republicans must work together, and across the jurisdictional lines of the Congress, to examine these recent incidents thoroughly and devise comprehensive solutions to deter and defend against further cyberattacks," said John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer and Jack Reed. "This cannot become a partisan issue," they said. "The stakes are too high for our country."

As the year draws to a close, it now seems possible that there will be multiple investigations of the Russian hacking - the intelligence review Obama has ordered completed by January 20, the day he leaves office, and one or more congressional inquiries. They will wrestle with, among other things, Putin's motive. Did he seek to mar the brand of American democracy, to forestall anti-Russian activism for both Russians and their neighbours? Or to weaken the next American president, since presumably Putin had no reason to doubt US forecasts that Clinton would win easily? Or was it, as the CIA concluded last month, a deliberate attempt to elect Trump? In fact, the Russian hack-and-dox scheme accomplished all three goals. What seems clear is that Russian hacking, given its success, is not going to stop. Two weeks ago, the German intelligence chief, Bruno Kahl, warned that Russia might target elections in Germany next year. "The perpetrators have an interest to delegitimise the democratic process as such," Kahl said. Now, he added, "Europe is in the focus of these attempts of disturbance, and Germany to a particularly great extent." But Russia has by no means forgotten its American target. On the day after the presidential election, the cybersecurity company Volexity reported five new waves of phishing emails, evidently from Cozy Bear - the nickname for one of the two Russian hacking groups the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike found at work inside the DNC network - aimed at think tanks and nonprofits in the United States.
In a year of surreal political developments, a curious flipping of the script is playing out in Washington: Democrats furious about reports of alleged Russian interference in the American electoral process are the main ones banging the drum about Kremlin perfidy; conservatives, once at the vanguard of the Cold War, are now more circumspect in their criticism of Moscow and, in some instances, rushing to its defence.

Even if the CIA's allegations of deliberate Russian meddling in the American election in Trump's favour prove to be flimsy, a profound new reality is reshaping Western politics.

Soon, governments in Washington and Moscow will be both led by figures who embrace a similar brand of right-wing nationalism, one that harps on the primacy of national sovereignty, invokes myths of a greater past, trumpets Christian values and rejects multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism. Their ideological brethren have also found firm footing in parts of Europe and threaten to rewind decades of liberal integration on the continent.

Russia under its autocratic president, Vladimir Putin, is not pulling all the strings in this vast, rightward turn. But his government has actively pushed for such a realignment. A November report published by the Atlantic Council outlined how, through a network of media affiliates and political alliances in various European countries, Russia "seeks to infiltrate politics, influence policy, and inculcate an alternative, pro-Russian view of the international order."
A man with convictions for sexual assault and sexual abuse of children dating to 1999 was charged Tuesday with raping and assaulting a 15-year-old girl over a two-month period.

Robert Leeroy Fortman Jr., 46, was charged with sexual intercourse without consent, sexual assault and failure to register as a sex offender, all felonies.

Fortman appeared in Yellowstone County Justice Court where he was ordered held on a $200,000 bond. Should he post bond, he will be required to wear a GPS monitor.

A 15-year-old girl reported to Yellowstone County Sheriff's deputies that Fortman had raped her multiple times from September to November, according to charging documents.

Fortman was a roommate of the girl's mother, who later confronted Fortman after her daughter said he had raped her. Fortman admitted to raping the girl at least once, according to the charging documents.

After being confronted, Fortman left the state, according to charging documents.

Fortman's conviction record includes sexual assault in 1999 and immoral or indecent acts with a child in 2000, both convictions in Wyoming. He also has convictions in Wyoming for stalking and violating a protection order.
Latest News MKM Capital becomes MA Money Rebrand designed to align with non-bank's parent company

How to find a good private lender 10 questions brokers should ask to select the right one

International financial services business, Bluestone Group, has announced the appointment of Peter McGuinness to Group CEO with immediate effect.Alistair Jeffery, founder and executive chairman of Bluestone, will continue to be engaged in the business on a part-time basis. His responsibilities will be split between Bluestones head office in the UK and its regional head office in Sydney.Jeffery praised McGuinness as the ideal candidate for the role due to his high level accounting and structured finance skills as well as his operational experience in specialist lending.After working for Japanese investment bank in the 1990s, McGuinness moved to Bluestone in 2003. He established the equity release business before taking up the role of CFO. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, he stepped into the role of CEO - APAC.McGuinness then joined Jeffery in the UK in 2012 and has helped lead the firms expansion in car and equipment finance in Ireland as well as mortgage lending in the UK.Under Alistairs leadership, Bluestone has developed a clear vision for the next five years growth, and I am looking forward to drawing on my 13 years experience with Bluestone and taking on the challenge of executing that plan, McGuinness said.Bluestone has grown significantly and is now larger than its pre-GFC peak. It has a global workforce of more than 260 employees in four countries, net assets of $68 million and normalised earnings of over $13 million per year.Since 2000, it has lent more than $6 billion to those who are self-employed, recent migrants, contractors, part-time workers as well as those who may have had prior credit problems.Between 2000 and 2008, we really had a very strong run as a specialist lender with total originations in excess of $5 billion. We were a very regular participant in the capital markets, Jeffery told Australian Broker.After a brief hibernation period from 2009 to 2012, Bluestone Mortgages resumed lending and has been growing at a rate similar to those early stages, he said, with the lender doubling its loan originations year-on-year.Theyre really strong growth rates and were finding conditions quite attractive for further expansion at the moment.Released from his operational responsibilities, Jeffery is now able to now focus more on the Australia and the surrounding region and is currently looking into a number of expansionary strategies.Im expecting to spend significantly more time in the Australian region in the next year or two, Jeffery said.I think well remain core to financial services or a fintech-style strategy. Because the funding markets are opening really nicely at the moment, I think thatll support an expansion potentially into other product types including commercial, construction lending, auto finance and reverse mortgages.These are areas that Bluestone has been involved in previously, Jeffery said, and are worth focusing on more over the next year or two.Meanwhile, Campbell Smyth will hold onto his position of CEO for APAC, running regional operations while reporting to McGuinness.Campbell and I have worked together previously, and I am confident that he will continue to deliver the strong growth trajectory for Bluestone in Australasia, McGuinness said.
Latest News MKM Capital becomes MA Money Rebrand designed to align with non-bank's parent company

How to find a good private lender 10 questions brokers should ask to select the right one

ME today announced variations to its fixed and variable home loan rates.The Bank will decrease its 1-year fixed owner occupier and investor loans by 10bps to 3.89% p.a. and 3.99% p.a. respectively, while increasing its 2-year owner occupier loans by 10bps to 3.94% p.a. and its 3-year fixed owner occupier and investor loans by 15bps to 3.99% p.a. and 4.09% p.a. respectively. All changes are effective 15 December 2016.ME is also increasing its variable home loan reference rate by 10bps effective 4 January 2017, affecting new and existing investor and owner occupier loans.MEs standard variable rate will be 5.03% p.a., which is 22bps lower than the average of the major banks and 42bps lower than the average of the regional banks*.Home loan rates below 4% p.a. are still available from ME including 3.94% p.a. on MEs flexible home loan with member package for owner occupiers borrowing between $400,000 and $700,000.ME CEO, Jamie McPhee, said the changes were due to increases in funding costs and the need to remain within APRAs limit on investor lending growth.The rate banks pay to hedge the cost of three-year fixed mortgages has increased 40 basis points since August, while variable home loan funding costs have been increasing as banks work toward the regulatory need to hold longer-term stable sources of funding.ME is moving to a new regulatory regime on 1 January 2017 (the Liquidity Coverage Ratio), requiring it to compete for more deposit funding.McPhee also said Australias smaller banks were still subject to higher funding costs relative to the majors.The major banks get a credit rating upgrade due to their too big to fail status in turn giving them access to cheaper funding, while mortgage risk-weights remain distorted with standardised banks having an average mortgage risk-weight of 39% while advanced banks enjoy a mortgage risk-weight of 25%.Despite the disadvantages, MEs standard variable home loan for owner occupier borrowers remains lower than the major banks as it has since we became a bank in 2001. In addition ME continues to offer some of the highest deposit rates in the market including eight of the top 12 term deposit rates between one and 12 months.We believe these rate changes strike a fair balance between rising costs and the needs of depositors, borrowers and our industry super fund shareholders and their members.
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84th Precinct

Brooklyn HeightsDUMBOBoerum HillDowntown

Bad buy

A baddie stabbed a guy and stole his new cellphone as he was leaving a Bond Street store on Dec. 7.

The victim told cops he was walking to his car from the mobile phone store on Livingston Street at 5:30 pm when two filchers tried to grab the bag from his hand.

The victim pushed one thief away but his accomplice pulled out a knife, stabbed the man in his arm, picked up the bag, and ran off, according to a report.

Three-stripe swipe

A thief stole Adidas clothing from a Fulton Street store on Dec. 1.

The purloiner lifted the duds from the display case in the shop by Red Hook Lane at 5:25 pm, stuffed it inside his bookbag, and left the store without paying, police said.

Pickpocketed

A sneak stole a transit workers New York City Transportation Authority employee subway pass from his pocket inside the Jay Street station on Dec. 7.

The worker had his pass when he entered the station on Willoughby Street at 5:25 pm, but then a woman in a heavy coat bumped into him. Once he got home, he realized his pass was gone, authorities said.

Grab and go

Some pilferer snatched a womans wallet from her bag inside a Fulton Street shop on Dec. 9.

The victim was browsing intimates in the store near Willoughby Street at 4:45 pm with her purse over her shoulder. The pickpocket moved in and grabbed the wallet from her bag and fled, cops said.

Snooze and lose

A thief stole a wallet from a woman who was napping on a Coney Island-bound N train on Dec. 6.

The tired victim was riding the locomotive at around 6:40 pm when she fell asleep. When she awoke near the Pacific and Fourth avenues station, she discovered that wom3 weasel had lifted her wallet containing $1,500.

 Lauren Gill
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Theyre calling it a streetcar named displacement.

Sunset Parkers railed against Mayor Deblasios streetcar proposal when officials held a meeting to take community input on the Sunset Park-to-Queens trolley on Dec. 12, claiming the only thing the trolley would be good for is jacking up their rents. Deblasio, the developers who first floated the plan, and the citys Economic Development Corporation all claim the $2.5-billion people-mover will connect locals to jobs elsewhere along the waterfront, but even the people who would use it for just that believe the money would be better spent on improved buses and maintain the plan is a gift to developers that will make Sunset Park too expensive for the people who live there, one said.

Why spend so much money on inventing this whole new system when you could improve the buses and trains we all already use, said Gloria Vargas, who lives along the proposed route in Sunset Park and works in Red Hook. As someone who lives here, I dont want or need this. Yeah I could hop on it and head to work in Red Hook, but why do that when I already have the bus? And thats because its not for us  its meant to bring others.

The city revealed potential routes for the so-called Brooklyn-Queens Connector earlier this month and officials are in the midst of visiting community boards for feedback. But Sunset Parkers spent more than two hours waving protest signs and heckling city honchos when they came to make their pitch at Community Board 7 on Monday night.

Proponents expect the trolley to spur development on the waterfront and plan to finance the project with additional tax revenue reaped as a result of new construction. The plan will necessarily cause gentrification that will lead to higher rents and the displacement of locals, one critic said.

Its the financing of the project  the fact that it relies on rising property values. Its a self-fulfilling prophecy because without the gentrification there is no [streetcar], said Ana Orozco an organizer with local social-justice group Uprose. This is for new residents that will be living in luxury developments near the waterfront.

Councilman Carlos Menchaca (DSunset Park) has previously said he could not support the plan if it led to increased rents.

What was $800 for a one-bedroom is now almost $2,000, which is absolutely insane, he told Gothamist over the summer. If this is going to accelerate that, Im not for it.

But the councilman refused to take a stance when locals publicly asked him on Monday.

Officials did not respond to concerns about displacement, but they did say the new rail would make locals more mobile.

This is not a silver bullet solution to all of New York Citys transportation problems, but this will really move the needle for greater transportation connectivity between the existing resources which are city-wide ferry stops, different bus routes, subway lines, and Citi Bike stations, said Emma Pfohman.

But some locals maintained the cash would be better off in the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys hands.

It just doesnt make sense to pour so much into something new when there arent enough buses and its like being in a can of sardines, said Sunset Parker Edward Avila. The money could be better spent elsewhere.

Even Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen has acknowledge the streetcars hulking cost compared to city buses.

There will still be folks who argue (not crazily) that no matter where the money comes from, it is still more expensive than (bus rapid transit), Glen wrote in an e-mail the Daily News acquired via a public information request. And that is true.
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An opponent of the mayors proposed streetcar system who publicly criticized the plan says that the city used his critique out of context in a promotional video  making it look like he supported the very plan he is fighting against.

Over the summer, the Economic Development Corporation asked residents to help plan the trolleys Sunset Park-to-Queens route, and it later produced a publicity film using footage from the meetings. The video quotes longtime Sunset Park community leader Bob Bernard as saying the project made potential open up for this community, but Bernard says an unscrupulous editor cut him off just before he could finish his thought  that the potential for bad outweighs the potential for good.

If you look at this thing, its clear Im being misquoted from my body language and tone, said Bernard who looks unnerved in the clip and is clearly cut off mid-sentence. Im against what theyre proposing. And you would have heard that if they used the full quote, because I said there is potential for good, but I also said that there is more potential for bad than good with this project.

The five-second sound bite was snipped from a roughly 20-second critique where Bernard explained that the streetcar  dubbed the BQX  would lead to jacked-up rents and locals displacement.

The film was published online on Nov. 3, but Bernard wasnt even aware he was featured in it until recently. Members of Sunset Park social-justice group Uprose who were at the June meeting later saw the video and alerted Bernard, a former director of the Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District, that he was taken out of context. One activist called out the Economic Development Corporation at a contentious Dec. 12 meeting, alleging the agency cherry-picked quotes to suit its needs.

He is adamantly against the BQX, and he was making a long point about why this is a problem, said Uprose organizer Ana Orozco. However the EDC used it to promote the BQX, so what is the point of these visioning sessions? What is the point of these feasibility studies if theyre supposed to be neutral and the city comes away from them saying, Yay the community loved it  next meeting. 

Officials could not explain the error but agreed that it should be corrected.

Youre right, it should be accurate, but Im sorry I cant speak to the specifics of that situation, said Adam Giambrone, who was hired by the city to head the streetcar systems design.

It is apparently not the first suspect promotional video for the contentious project.

The cadre of waterfront developers pushing the plan paid hipster media company Vice to produce a trolley-boosting video that featured Brooklyn-born hip-hop artist Talib Kweli in the spring. But a spokeswoman for the artist later told blog Patch that Kweli was not aware of the proposals finer points and was not sure whether he supported the plan as proposed or simply the broad notion of improving Brooklyn transit.

Heres the full video  Bernards comments are at 1:10


World Series no-hitter! Astros combine for Fall Classic's first no-no since 1956

Cristian Javier and three relievers combined to no-hit the Phillies in a 5-0 win, evening the World Series at 2-2.
WASHINGTON  Senate Republicans had hoped that Donald Trumps Cabinet selections could give them a leg up in the 2018 midterm races.

So far, things arent going to plan.

The president-elect on Tuesday offered Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., the post of interior secretary, according to a source familiar with the offer. The former Navy SEAL and trained geologist first won election to the states at-large House seat just two years ago.

The problem? Zinke was a likely opponent of Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who faces re-election in 2018 and is considered one of the GOPs top targets. In interviews, Zinke was already openly discussing a run against the incumbent Democrat.

Taking the job at the Department of the Interior wouldnt necessarily prevent the GOP lawmaker from running against Tester, and the states relatively late primary  held on June 5, 2018  gives him a little more time to leave the Trump administration and prepare for a run.

But it certainly would make a campaign much less likely and leave Republicans without a candidate some of the partys strategists had already penciled in as the GOP nominee.

Senate Republicans werent supposed to be the ones who were hurt by Trumps Cabinet selections. The GOP had hoped that the president-elect would nominate some Senate Democrats to join his administration, removing them from vulnerable seats and clearing the way for Republicans to expand their 52-seat majority.

That hasnt happened yet: On Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he would remain a senator after Trump picked former Texas Gov. Rick Perry over Manchin to be his energy secretary.

Manchin is one of the few Democrats left who could plausibly win statewide in West Virginia, which went heavily for Trump last month. Many Republicans were eager for him to leave, confident that a replacement would have a harder time holding the seat. (Some Republicans do believe that Manchins tenure in Washington since first winning election in 2010 makes him an easier target in 2018.)

Trump can still pick one Senate Democrat from a vulnerable state: Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, who is reportedly a favorite to become secretary of agriculture. If the popular incumbent left the Senate, Democrats would have a hard time finding a candidate who could win in the deep red state.

But if Trump passes on Heitkamp, Democrats will still have a fighting chance to retain her seat.
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

Mechanic takes career detour to medical school

By MICHAEL ANDREI

I had never worked in health care, but as strange as it may sound, I saw some parallels to auto service. 

Russ Pizzos decision to apply to medical school at UB was a life-changer.

When I look back at it, there is something that has happened nearly every day since then that I can hold on to, says the second-year student at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. A non-traditional student, the 36-year-old Rochester native arrived at UBs medical school in a singular fashion.

I dont think there is anyone as surprised as I am, Pizzo says. I mean, I barely graduated high school so I was not the worlds best student. I just didnt want to do anything.

He was, however, a skilled mechanic.

My senior year of high school I worked at the Kodak garage, on everything from chain saws to giant cranes  and anything in between that you can think of, he recalls. I would go to school for a half-day, then work at Kodak for a half-day.

Pizzo graduated high school in 1998, and went on to earn a two-year associates degree in auto service from Alfred State College.

I got a job at a Porsche/Audi dealership in Rochester and worked mostly on the Audi line, he says. That was from 2000 to 2008.

I liked fixing European cars and German cars. They have their quirks and they are challenging, but they held my interest. I was master-certified by Audi and ASE  the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.

A promotion followed, as a service shop supervisor at a Honda dealer with the same dealership group. Pizzo remained in the new job from 2008 to 2009.

During that whole year and for the previous few years, I was not happy with what I was doing, he says. It was not something that just happened one day. Things just did not feel right.

But I didnt have an answer. Turns out, the moment took some time to actually present itself.

Pizzo figured out where his future would be during the summer of 2009, prior to his going back to school.

It was nothing I had planned, he says.

That summer, he and his roommate had neighbors who were nurses. They all would sit out on the porch and have a few beers together and the nurses would tell stories about their day.

Hearing them talk about what they were doing was what planted the seed of going into health care for me. I had never worked in health care, but as strange as it may sound, I saw some parallels to auto service.

Pizzo was thinking about helping people with what he saw as technical issues. He saw a similarity between both fields: diagnosing a customer complaint, providing assistance and delivering it in laymans language to the customer  or patient  helping them to understand.

Listening to our neighbors, it felt like a very similar thing as they talked about nursing and what they did as professionals day to day in assisting their patients, Pizzo says.

But health care is more important in my mind. As a service it is more vital to peoples well-being.

I was never really a car guy, to be honest. On a level of importance, I didnt equate finding the source of a rattle in a $40,000 or $100,000 automobile with treating someone for a serious illness. Both are valid of course, but I realized that one was not a good fit for me, while the other definitely was.

Pizzo started at Monroe Community College that fall. Then about midway through his second semester, he went from nursing to considering a career as a physician.

One big reason was that a friend of mine, Theresa Rose, who is a physicians assistant and also a mentor, introduced me to someone who has turned out to be another one of my mentors.

The connection Pizzo made with Lawrence Chessin, an internist and infectious disease physician in Rochester, was instant and pivotal.

He is the first physician that I had ever worked with, Pizzo says. I remember the very first time I shadowed him, I had a eureka! moment. It was just an overwhelming feeling of this is the guy I want to be, this is what I want to do, this is where I want to go.

Pizzo enrolled in the University of Rochester in the fall of 2011, graduating four years later with a BS in microbiology and immunology and a minor in history. During his time at the university, he worked as a research assistant and laboratory technician, publishing portions of his work in leukemia research. He entered medical school at UB in the fall of 2015.

The whole thing for me is working with patients  thats what I really love about this, Pizzo says.

So, when times get a bit challenging, when we wonder what weve gotten ourselves into, it is the moments we get to see patients that remind us why we are doing this, he adds. Which is one of the nice things about UB. Some med schools have no patient interactions within the first two years  that period is all academic.

It is mostly academic for us, but we also have clinical experiences during that time, he says. We are seeing patients immediately, which is fantastic.

Obviously, our skill set is limited, but we are still learning and its a different way to learn.

Solving medical puzzles is another aspect of becoming an MD that attracts Pizzo.

Its detective work, the way investigators follow leads, he says. Putting clues together to figure out what happened and why. It is an intricate process of assembling the pieces.

Pizzo also describes his path to medical school as a process of pieces gradually fitting together.

My background didnt immediately lend itself to becoming a medical student, he says. I cant point to any single moment or part of my past as the reason why I am here at UB.

He says that when he told his parents he was quitting his job  which had evolved into a comfortably paying mechanics position  I remember the look of terror on their faces. None of us knew what to expect.

But when I started doing well, I think it calmed their nerves and my nerves. I couldnt do it without them or my family, he says.

As far as his move from auto mechanics to medicine, Pizzo is somewhat philosophical: If somebody told me while I was servicing those huge cranes at Kodak that I would someday be at UB going to medical school, I would have keeled over.

But having made this decision, I still feel like Im just kind of doing my job.
Like most retail outlets in Billings, Global Village counts on vigorous Christmas shopping to help it get through the rest of the year.

But unlike some outlets, the nonprofit, Fair Trade organization pays the men and women whose merchandise is sold at the store, at 2720 Third Ave. North, above-market rates for their goods.

And what beautiful goods they are.

Candace Forrette, Global Villages executive director for almost 25 years, described to the Zonta Club of Billings Tuesday a two-week trip she made to Guatemala four years ago, traveling with a Global Village vendor called Maya Works.

The trip involved meeting dozens weavers, who told Forrette about their painful lives theyve led and the joy they've found weaving the very clothing they wore when they greeted the visitors  skirts, tops and accessories that Global Village sells as a way to help the weavers and other artisans and farmers expand their economic capacity.

Time after time, the visitors would hear similar stories from the weavers: Their husbands had been killed or disappeared during the countrys 30-year civil war. The women made clothing and accessories to, among other things, help send their daughters to school.

They knew we had come to purchase things, and we were instructed not to bargain, Forrette said. In a normal marketplace they are offended if you dont bargain, but goods were sold so cheaply in the market that it broke your heart, so we bought directly from the women.

Each group, she said, set aside part of its income for a project that would benefit the entire community  digging a well, or constructing a clinic or a modest school.

"It's a real community-building program," she said, "all democratically run."

In general, the Guatemalan women favor backstrap looms, portable devices they can use to weave during brief breaks from other chores, like tending the animals theyre raising.

Guatemalan men weave too, she said, but generally by using a floor loom, where they dont have to multitask, she said.

At each weavers modest house the group visited, dirt floors were swept to within an inch of their lives, she said. As it was the Christian season of Lent, Guatemalans covered their streets and the floors of their homes with soft pine needles. It smelled beautiful, and the needles were so soft you wanted to take your shoes off, she said.

The weavers have done well figuring out their target market, Forrette said. Probably the top clothing item they sell in the U.S. is the yarmulke, the skullcap Orthodox Jewish men wear.

Largely staffed by volunteers, Global Village is open from 10 a.m. through 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Saturday. Reach Global Village at 406-259-3024 or visit www.globalvillagebillings.org.
Bank employee admits role in scheme that targeted South Jersey cash

Feds say call-center workers took customers' ID and account information, then used that to take their cash.


It is exactly 35 years this week since Burnham-On-Sea suffered severe flooding and millions of pounds of damage during a major winter storm that led to major changes to the towns seafront.

The events of December 13th, 1981 are still clear in the memory of many residents  and Burnham-On-Sea.com today takes a special look back at some of the photos and stories from that week.

Widespread damage was caused to the seafront, as pictured here, while homes and streets in several parts of the town were flooded by an inundation of sea water caused by a huge high tide, a storm surge and flood water from melting snow coming down the Bristol Channel.

While luckily no-one was killed, the conditions caused damage valued at over 6million along Somersets coastline.

The damage spurred on the Environment Agency to build Burnhams current sea defences at a cost of 7.5m, which were finally opened in 1988.

Mel Gosling was one of the Burnham-On-Sea Coastguards on duty that evening. He recounts how the storm unfolded: It was a rainy, bitterly cold night. We were called out at 6pm when the forecasters confirmed the severe weather would be coming to Burnham.

People were nervous about what was going to happen. We spent much of the evening moving sand bags into position and helping residents move out of basement flats along the seafront.

Then, in the early hours when the storm hit, the waves rolled right over the sea wall and into the town. Id never seen anything like it. The gratings along The Esplanade were thrown upwards by the force of the water under the sea wall  and parts of the wall itself were badly damaged.

Alan Higgs recalls: At Cadwells Lane in West Huntspill, I remember opening the door of our home at around 9pm to collect my bike and looking over my shoulder to see a wall of water headed towards me. I was completely awestruck by it and remember running quickly back inside. Within a few minutes, we had 4-5ft of water inside the house.

I looked out of the windows in the morning to see water completely surrounding our house  it felt like we were in the middle of an ocean. The water had come inland so far here that it was almost up to The Orchard. We had to live upstairs for a whole fortnight afterwards, while the rooms downstairs dried out.

Jenny Golding added: The Burnham District Nurses coped with people in flooded areas, while the Highbridge nurses covered out to Pawlett. I remember driving in my wellington boots down the central white line of the A38 at West Huntspill,with water on each side, in order to get to patients. The local council loaned out many heaters to help dry carpets.

Mayor Michael Clarke said this week: The 1981 storm was an important moment for Burnham-On-Sea that led to a lot of change 35 years ago. The building of the new sea wall and improved flood defences created a much safer environment for the town ever since. We certainly hope we never see the likes of a storm like the 1981 one ever again.

Your memories of the 1981 storm in Burnham-On-Sea

This car was swept along the seafront on the South Esplanade by the 1981 storm

One of several seafront shelters that was left damaged by the 1981 storm

One car, parked outside a seafront property, was hurled into the front of the building, damaging a wall and windows.

Flooding hit homes in low-lying areas of Burnham-On-Sea and Brean, and the water travelled inland as far as Pawlett.

Council workers joined forces with local residents to fill up sand banks and shore up the gaps in Burnhams sea wall.

The emergency repair operation in Burnham on December 14th was one of the most extensive ever carried out by West Country local authorities.

A long line of lorries was used to quickly bring in stone from local quarries, along with sand, in order to try and shore up the seafront and prevent further damage.

While many people in Burnham suffered financial damage, they were drawn together by a strong community spirit by helping others at a time of need  here seen preparing sand bags.

Hundreds of sand bags were filled by volunteers along Burnham-On-Sea seafront in a successful attempt to prevent further flooding.

Wessex Water Authority estimated the total damage to the Somerset coastline had been 6 million  all of it caused by a sea surge like nothing seen before.

Caravans along the coast near Burnham were severely damaged by the wind and water.

The old shelter on the North Esplanade was surrounded by holes and sand bags

Residents in Maple Drive and Sycamore Close worked together in the flooded roads

This dome shelter on Burnham seafront was surrounded by debris

Cars and other debris were pushed along the streets by water and debris

The storm prompted new sea defences to be built in Burnham at a cost of 7.5m

The foundations of the new sea wall being put in place during the 1980s in Burnham-On-Sea

RELATED LINKS:

Contact us with your memories and photos of the storm

Photos of the 1981 storm in Burnham-On-Sea

Your memories of Burnham-On-Seas 1981 storm
An overwhelming majority of shareholders of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Tuesday voted to oust Cyrus Mistry as director from the companys board at the companys extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held in Mumbai. According to a late Tuesday evening announcement, the company said 93.11 per cent of the votes were in favour of the resolution to remove Mistry, while 6.89 per cent voted against. The company said holders of 86.71 per cent companys equity shareholders voted in the EGM.

Tata Sons holds 73 per cent stake in the company and the results were on expected lines. Life Insurance Corporation of India abstained from voting. Calling the results, a big moral victory for Cyrus and governance, the Mistry office said almost 20 per cent of shareholders of TCS  that accounts for more than 70 per cent of non-promoter shareholders  supported Cyrus by voting against the resolution or abstained, expressing disapproval of the promoter actions.
Technology major is looking for a major expansion in the region as it opens its first data centre in India next year, with plans to hire thrice the number of people, as well as reach out to start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Well-known industrialist Nusli Wadia shot off a 13-page letter to the shareholders of Tata Motors rubbishing allegations against him while highlighting his disapproval on loss-making projects such as the Nano.
The spat between Tata Group and Mistry camp appeared to be escalating with industrialist shooting off a letter to Tata Motors shareholders, rubbishing all allegations levelled against him by the board.





Ahead of Nusli Wadia's removal in the December 22 "extraordinary" general meeting, the independent director of Tata Motors Ltd (TML) said that the Nano small car has proved to be "a serious drain on the financial resources" of the company.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam today announced Rs 500 crore to carry out rehabilitation works in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts that were affected due to .

He said that of the total amount, Rs 350 crore will be given to Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, Rs 75 crore to Chennai Corporation, Rs 10 crore for fishermen relief fund, Rs 25 crore to development of roads.
The Tamil Nadu government has asked the Centre to release Rs 1,000 crore from the Disaster Response Fund to provide immediate assistance to the state for carrying out rehabilitation work following that killed 10 people.
Montanans place a high value on their right to know what their government is doing. The Montana Board of Oil and Gas has the opportunity at its meeting today in Billings to ensure that owners of occupied structures receive written notice before the board permits drilling within a quarter mile of the structure.

For those of us who own homes or businesses, the proposed notification rule is a no-brainer. Who wouldnt want to know that drilling is proposed 1,340 feet or less from their home or workplace? Who wouldnt want the opportunity to ask the board for a hearing before the drilling permit is issued?

To be clear, the proposed rule wouldnt prevent drilling. It doesnt require a certain distance between occupied structures and wells. The proposal simply says the property owner of record would have to be notified and would have two weeks to file a request for a hearing before the board. The proposal also provides that the property owner could waive the two-week period and allow the permit to proceed immediately.

This rule is the result of more than two years of lobbying by Montana landowners who are members of the Northern Plains Resource Council. In the 2015 Legislature, the group backed several bills calling for setback requirements and other steps intended to protect surface landowners from potential problems of being close to oil development operations. None of those bills passed.

So advocates for surface owners went to the board and urged it to start a rule-making process, which has included public hearings.

The Montana Petroleum Association has opposed the notification rule and argued that the board doesnt have authority to make this rule. At the request of the petroleum association, Sen. Tom Richmond, R-Billings, plans to introduce a bill that would change state law to require notice to owners of occupied structures within one-eighth of a mile (660 feet) before a drilling permit was issued.

Asked about the difference between the distance in his bill and the boards proposed rule, Richmond, who retired two years ago as the oil and gas boards executive director, said he had initially thought about using 500 feet. The distance of 660 feet is used in other legal requirements, he said. The greater the distance, the more potential notifications.

Richmond said he is hopeful that his bill will pass the 2017 Legislature with the support of the MPA and landowners who want notification.

Considering the lack of legislative success two years ago, the boards rule is surest path to guaranteeing notice for folks living or working near proposed drill sites. We urge the board members to adopt today the notification rule they have formulated and revised over the past year.

The boards proposal sets out its rationale:

The proposed new rule would require reasonable notice of proposed drilling operations to owners of record of occupied structures. The proposed new rule also would provide a process for those owners to demand a board hearing on the application for a permit to provide a process for those owners to demand a board hearing on the application for a permit to drill. Both the notice requirement and the opportunity for a hearing are proposed in response to public inquiries about the board establishing setback requirements for wells. After consideration of public comment during several board meetings, the board proposes this notification rule, not a specific setback rule. This proposed rule would allow the board to consider establishing conditions for issuance of a drilling permit near an occupied structure.
Delhi BJP workers will visit city homes from Wednesday offering a 'laddoo' as a part of its the 'thanksgiving' campaign launched by city president of the party Manoj Tiwari, and take public feedback on .

There are many who want to "fail" the move even though people are "patiently" cooperating with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fight against black money, Tiwari said.

"(Delhi Chief Minister Arvind) Kejriwalji had tried his level best to instigate people for revolt (against demonetisation) but Delhi people supported . As a mark of our respect to the people who are patiently bearing the problems and supporting demonetisation, we will offer laddoo to each household in Delhi during the campaign starting tomorrow and will continue till January 10," Tiwari said.

The "thanksgiving and feedback" programme will also gauze public mood by asking them about the problems they face.

"We know people are facing problems yet they are enthusiastically supporting demonetisation. The workers will not only offer Laddo, they will also collect feedback and report to us," he said.

During the campaign, party workers will visit each house in their polling booths and offer a 'laddoo' and seek feedback from each household.

People of Delhi are bearing pain due to demonetisation as a " responsibility" and we are grateful to them, he said.

"I have asked the workers and leaders in mandals and booths to take initiative and visit houses with the Laddoos. We expect to cover whole of Delhi this way in next 10-15 days," he said.

Enthused by Tiwari's move, Delhi BJP vice president Jai Prakash distributed laddoos among the traders at Kamla Market while participating in a an awareness campaign about cashless transactions today.

"We have been doing this by offering water and biscuits to people standing in queues at ATMs and banks. Today we also bought 2 Kgs of laddoos and offered to the traders while educating them on various modes of e-payments," JP said.

The entire Delhi BJP unit is carrying out an awareness campaign on cashless transactions by holding contact programmes with traders and local residents in different parts of the city.

The BJP councilors in the three MCDs today attended a meeting and learnt tips of e-payments and banking mobile apps. They also sent token money using the apps.




At a time when the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led NDA government is busy cornering the Congress Party for its alleged involvement in Chopper scam, reports of the Rajasthan government wanting only an chopper for Vasundhra Raje may end up throwing the government off gear.
While the remainder of the winter session of Parliament is set for a washout, Opposition parties believe they have two weeks to build a nationwide narrative against Narendra Modi governments note ban decision.



The Opposition, comprising 17 political parties with the Congress in the lead, will have a meeting at the end of the winter session to strategise a common theme for their protests across the country until December 31. The protests and awareness campaigns against note ban will focus on three issues  job losses in the informal sector, how note ban is a grand scam to benefit select industrialists and allegations that BJP state units had advance information, which helped them convert their unaccounted money into white money
Against the backdrop of his demonetisation decision, Prime Minister on Wednesday said getting rid of black money and corruption is "very high" on his agenda amid a push towards employment generation and self-employment opportunities.

"India is currently witnessing an economic transformation... We are now moving towards a digital and cashless economy," he said while addressing via video conferencing the 'Economic Times Asian Business Leaders Conclave 2016' in Kuala Lumpur along with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak.

"Presently, cleaning the system from black money and corruption is very high on my agenda," Modi said, against the backdrop of his November 8 decision to scrap notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination.

He said the economic process in India is being geared towards activities which are vital for generating employment or self-employment opportunities.

The Prime Minister told the gathering that a number of steps have been taken to attract greater FDI and listed the various steps taken in this direction.

He also mentioned that amendment to the Constitution to pave the way for Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will overhaul the indirect tax system in India, has been cleared by Parliament and "this is expected to be implemented in 2017".

"We welcome those who are not in India so far... India is not only a good destination. It's always a good decision to be in India," Modi said.

"We have opened up new sectors for FDI and enhanced caps for existing sectors," he said, adding the government's concerted efforts on major FDI policy reforms continue and conditions for investments have been simplified.

Total FDI inflows in the last two and a half years have touched $130 billion, Modi said.

"The positive change in policy, regulatory and investment environment in India is recognised by both domestic and foreign investors," he said.



Referring to 'Make in India' which celebrated 2nd anniversary this year, the Prime Minister said the initiative is aimed at making the country a global hub of manufacturing, design and innovation.

"India is currently buzzing with entrepreneurial activity like never before... We have now become the 6th largest manufacturing country in the world," he said.

"Our efforts to ensure ease of doing business in India have been comprehensive and wide ranging, including legislative and structural," Modi said.

He said the government has also "rationalised greatly" the licensing regime and launched "single window interfaces" for registering a business, export-import clearances and labour compliance.

"The outcomes of our efforts are visible from India's global rankings on various indicators," he said.

"We have adopted a comprehensive Intellectual Property Rights policy to lay the future roadmap for intellectual property," he said about an issue which has been a major concern among the foreign investors.

Modi said start-ups are the next big economic force in India and are "no less than a revolution".

"Building futuristic infrastructure is the biggest task at our hand. We are developing a pentagon of industrial corridors across India," the Prime Minister said.

He said there is immense focus on removing the logistics constraints and roads, railways, ports are being upgraded across the country.

"This is a time for integration...At the level of economy also, we are among the most open and integrated economies," he said.
The Congress, which led the Oppositions demonetisation protests inside the parliament, is ready to expand that role across the country with the winter session coming to a draw on December 16.
The Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday imposed an interim nationwide ban on the use of glass-coated 'manja' for flying kites as the sharp string poses a danger to humans, animals and birds.

A bench headed by Chairperson Swatanter Kumar passed the order after noting that 'manja', string coated with glass and metal powder and used for flying kites, poses a threat to the environment.

The green panel said that the ban order would apply on nylon, Chinese and cotton manja coated with glass and directed Manja Association of India to submit a report to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on harmful effects of kite strings.

The direction came after senior advocate Sanjay Hegde and Shadan Farasat, appearing for animal rights body People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), sought the ban, saying that Makar Sankranti festival was approaching and manja would be used for flying kites.

They also referred to various orders, including the November 2015 order of the Allahabad High Court which banned the use of Chinese manja in entire Uttar Pradesh and sought a ban on "manufacture, import, sale and use" of these strings.

The matter was listed for next hearing on February 1, 2017.

The tribunal had earlier issued notices to all the state governments and sought their response on the plea of PETA on the matter.

In its petition, PETA has contended that 'manja' posed a grave threat to humans and animals as every year a number of deaths are caused by it.

To increase the chances of being able to cut as many kites as possible, kite strings are made deliberately sharp with churned glass, metals and other materials in order to make them razor sharp to cut through other persons' kite strings.

The petition had said that 'manja' posed a huge threat when it came into contact with live overhead electric wires, leading to grid failure.

"Due to 'manja' being coated with glass, metals and other sharp materials, these strings act as good conductors of electricity, increasing the probability of detached 'manja' strings stuck in power lines, electrocuting kite flyers and passers-by coming into contact with these strings," it said.

PETA had averred that minor children were engaged by the cottage industry for the manufacture of 'manja' which caused respiratory problems as they inhaled harmful substances which were extremely detrimental to their health.
The government is expected to notify regulations for the sector by the end of this month, without changing much from the earlier draft. The final notification will follow years of lobbying by manufacturers  both international and domestic players  who have been asking for separate regulations for the sector.
The Cabinet approved a Major Port Trust Authorities to replace the Major Port Trusts Act of 1963. This is aimed at more autonomy in decision making to the 12 major ports.
government has decided to shift the site of its proposed ultra mega steel plant (UMSP), which was supposed to come up in Bastar's Dilmili village. The plant was a result of joint venture agreement inlvolving the state government, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC).
Many Montanans have been writing legislators about the Electoral College. They want the Legislature to change Montana law to require our three Electoral College electors to vote in accordance with the national popular vote.

It does seem undemocratic that Hillary Clinton won the national popular vote by approximately 2.5 million votes this year, but the Electoral College will probably elect Donald Trump on December 19. Al Gore won in 2000, yet the Electoral College overturned our decision in that election as well. The power of the Electoral College means Montanans votes never really matter. Presidential winners are declared long before Montana poll results are tallied.

At the 1787 Philadelphia constitutional convention, James Madison argued, The people at large are the fittest source of presidential electionas likely as any that could be devised to produce an Executive Magistrate of distinguished character.

However, in 1787, although most men were eligible to vote in Northern states, many were not eligible in the South. Southern states argued that unfairly limited their influence in the choice of president. The Electoral College was created to give the South power without penalizing it for keeping slaves and for denying poor white men the right to vote.

So, Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution was written: Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress 

Montana law addressing the Electoral College was amended in 2011. Electors nominated by political parties or independent candidates are now required to sign the following pledge: If selected for the position of elector, I agree to serve and to mark my ballots for president and vice president for the nominees of the political party that nominated me.

In 1787 discussions of the Electoral College, Constitution delegates contended that well-respected representatives elected from each district of a state could override a bad decision by voters. The Electoral College was to practice independent judgment regardless of the popular vote to avoid election of an unqualified president.

Today, most of us believe all Americans of legal age should practice their responsibility as citizens to vote. Montana voting rights laws are strong compared to states like North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania where voters have been blocked from voting through discriminatory laws and redistricting plans that are slowly being overridden by courts. In the meantime, Americans have been deprived of the right to vote.

The Montana Legislature could amend our electoral law to read, I agree to serve and to mark my ballots in accordance with the national popular vote. If we truly want the Electoral College to be merely ceremonial, as Montana Republican Party Chair Jeff Essmann has said, lets make it purely ceremonial to confirm the national popular vote.

Thereafter, my vote and the votes of all Montanans will count. Only 55 percent of eligible Americans voted in the 2016 presidential election. Less than half of that 55 percent voted for the man who is on track to become our next president. Its time to put slavery and disenfranchisement behind us. Its time to encourage all Americans to vote and to let every vote count. Electoral College electors should uphold the national popular vote. Then, well confirm our pledge that we are one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Killing four empty hours at Guangzhou airport waiting for a China Southern connection to Sydney may not be everyones idea of fun. For Gina Capella, it was a no-brainer. The 43-year-old Boston resident and her friend saved hundreds of dollars last year choosing China Southern Airlines Co over a direct flight from Seoul with Korean Air Lines Co or Asiana Airlines Inc. We didnt mind the layover because it was so much cheaper, she said. Like, almost half the price. Chinese airlines are flooding the world with some of the lowest long-haul fares ever ...
After a series of hacks on accounts including embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, the official account of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and a few senior journalists, the ministry of electronics and information technology has asked the social media portal to strengthen security.
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Anglo American's latest De Beers diamond sale showed that demand had slowed after India's withdrawal of high-value banknotes, though it was higher than during the commodities slump of a year ago, the company said on Tuesday.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday hinted that tax rates might be brought down as is likely to bring in higher tax revenues from unaccounted wealth. In a statement released to the media, Jaitley said that a substantial quantum of future transactions would be digital as India moves towards a less-cash society.

Once they are substantially digital, they get caught in tax net. Therefore, the future taxation level would be much higher than what is currently being collected. This would also enable the government at some stage to make taxes more reasonable, which will apply to both direct and indirect taxes, he said.
In a bid to tackle cybercrime, the central government is planning to review the Information Technology Act. Technology infrastructure audit of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), for possible holes that could be exploited by cyber criminals, is also on the governments action plan.
In a flip-flop, the Home Ministry Wednesday cancelled renewal of FCRA licences of Greenpeace India and two NGOs run by activist Teesta Setalvad, three months after "inadvertently" renewing those for five years.

It also ordered a probe to ascertain if the computer systems had been hacked due to which the licences were renewed "automatically".

Renewal of licences of Greenpeace India, Teesta's NGOs Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) stands cancelled with immediate effect, a Home Ministry official said.

The Ministry also ordered a review of recent renewal of FCRA registration of 13,000 NGOs to look into the possible violation of rules.

The Home Ministry also ordered a probe by the Computer Emergency Response Team-India to ascertain whether there was hacking of government software systems as there have been several instances where licences of NGOs under scrutiny were renewed automatically.

Government ordered that applications of all "red-flagged NGOs will have to be vetted by Joint Secretary handling Home Ministry's Foreigners Division.

Orders, generated online, renewing FCRA licences of Greenpeace India, Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace stand "null and void" and they cannot receive foreign funds, the official said.

Registration of these three NGOs was renewed for five years in September.

While the licences of Greenpeace India and Sabrang Trust had been cancelled by the government in the past, Citizens for Justice and Peace was put in prior permission category, thus preventing it from receiving foreign funds without government permission.

The Home Ministry had seen embarrassing moments two months ago when similar lapses were witnessed in "automatic renewal" of licence of Zakir Naik-run NGO -- Islamic Research Foundation -- leading to suspension of four officials including a Joint Secretary.

The FCRA licence of IRF was later cancelled by the government permanently after declaring it as a terror outfit.

The three NGOs were accused of "prejudicially affecting public interest" of the country and violation of various provisions of FCRA.
As the deadline for making payments through old Rs 500 notes for select purposes draws to a close on Thursday midnight, the Centre is planning to come out with a fresh set of incentives and discounts to promote digital transactions.
In a relief to British Indians and NRIs, the Bank of England has said that it does not foresee any regulatory obstacles to people wanting to deposit or exchange banned Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes at the UK branches of Indian banks.

The banking authority's chief stressed that the issue was a matter for the Indian government, who must give consent for such action to ease the "potential ramifications for British Indians and Non-Resident Indians in the UK".

"Whether it is possible to deposit or exchange high-value Indian rupee banknotes at Indian banks in the UK is a matter for the Indian government," Bank of England governor Mark Carney said.

"The PRA (Prudential Regulation Authority) can confirm that it does not envisage any UK prudential regulatory obstacles if the Indian authorities decided to allow Indian Rupee notes to be deposited with Indian banks in the UK," he clarified.

The PRA, responsible for the supervision of banks in the UK, has also cleared the matter with the Financial Conduct Authority, which acts as the financial crime regulator in the UK.

"The FCA indicated that it has no objection should any Indian banks wish to exchange these notes or accept them as deposits, providing they have the necessary prior consent from the relevant Indian authorities," Carney said in a letter dated December 9.

The letter was in response to a plea by Britain's longest-serving Indian-origin MP, Keith Vaz, to look into making an exception so that NRIs with the demonetised notes can deposit them at UK branches of Indian banks.

Vaz said that Carney's response removes "any obstacles which may prevent" the Indian government from addressing concerns among Indian diaspora affected by the of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes announced last month.

He said: "Mark Carney has gone the extra mile to ensure members of the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom may be able to exchange their Indian currency in the UK, following the bold decision to demonetise certain rupee denominations.

"He has presented a pathway for this issue to be resolved which will hugely benefit members of the Indian diaspora in the UK. The Indian government is now free to enable currency to be exchanged in the UK, and avoid the deep concern currently being faced by many members of the British Indian community, who may not be able to travel to India by the deadline."

Vaz said that he is writing to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with a copy of Carney's letter to seek a resolution on the issue which affects thousands of NRIs and PIOs.
Stepping up his attack on the Narendra Modi-led government over demonetisation, Congress Vice-President on Wednesday claimed to be in possession of information on the personal corruption of the Prime Minister. He alleged the Prime Minister was not allowing him to speak about it in the Lok Sabha.
Back in 1969, by a whopping vote of 339-70, Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. House united to pass legislation to do away with the electoral college .

A companion bill, co-sponsored by Montana Sen. Mike Mansfield and supported by President Richard Nixon carried the Senate by a strong vote of 5334. That, though, was short of the two-thirds majority necessary to pass the proposal on to the states for ratification as is required for amendments to the Constitution.

What drew the two parties together was the 1968 election in which independent candidate George Wallace carried enough states to nearly keep either Democrat Hubert Humphrey or Republican Richard Nixon from receiving a majority of the electoral votes.

Southern senators whose states had been won by Wallace significantly made up the minority killing the bill.

Hillary Clinton just won more popular votes than any presidential candidate in history, but her opponent Donald Trump, will be the next president. It is the fifth time that the Electoral College has overruled the vote of the people.

Our Constitution is acclaimed for its brevity and clarity, but perhaps its most arcane and troublesome contrivance is the Electoral College. When our nations founders came to an impasse over how our Congress should be structured, a compromise was reached which resulted in the House of Representatives to represent the people, and the Senate in which the states are represented equally.

The electoral college resulted from that congressional compromise being used in electing the president. Each state is allotted as many electors as it has members of the House and Senate combined. It is consistent in theory with the compromise that created our Congress.

Influenced by tradition, and also by the argument that the electoral college benefits small-population states like Montana by not being based solely on population, Ive supported it.

Im beginning to have serious doubts. Within our Constitutional framework, elections are how people give their consent to government. A government established without the consent of the governed inherently lacks the mandate of the people to govern. Through no fault of Trump or Clinton, but because of the Electoral College, that is where we find ourselves now.

Various ideas have surfaced for how we can reform our electoral system to make it more representative of the people. Most would do away with the winner-take-all approach in which the candidate who wins the popular vote of a state, even by a narrow margin, wins all the states electoral votes. This can be accomplished by awarding delegates on the basis of congressional districts, as Maine and Nebraska do now, or by the percentage of the vote won by candidates within each state. Neither of these reforms would require a Constitutional amendment, but they would require broad cooperation among the states.

By these approaches the electoral vote of the states would probably more accurately reflect the popular vote of the country. The small state advantage of including senators as well as representatives in determining states electors would be preserved. Presidential candidates would have an incentive to appeal to the people everywhere and not just in the big battleground states.

Maybe, though, the Electoral College is simply a complicated and irrelevant relic of the horse and buggy days as Montana's Mansfield referred to it back in the 60s. Maybe we should simply get rid of it as he believed, and let the people decide by their equal votes who our presidents should be.
RBI has asked banks to preserve CCTV recordings of operations at bank branches and currency chests to help law enforcement agencies in identifying people engaged in hoarding of new notes post .


Over Rs 70 crore in cash, in both old and new notes, and more than 170 kg gold have been seized from passengers at various airports of the country after demonetisation, Director General of CISF O P Singh said on Wednesday.


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ALSO READ Malaysia cops nab 9 suspected IS militants



PMs remarks at joint inauguration with Malaysian Prime Minister, of The Economic Times Asian Business Leaders Conclave 2016 in Kuala Lumpur (via video conferencing)

His Excellency Dato Sri Mohammad Najib, Honble Prime Minister of Malaysia,

Members of the Management of Economic Times,

Business Leaders,

Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is a great pleasure to jointly inaugurate The Economic Times Asian Business Leaders Conclave 2016 with His Excellency the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

The fact that the Economic Times has chosen Kuala Lumpur as the venue for this Conclave proves the importance of Malaysia as a commercial and business destination.

My best wishes for the Conclave!

Friends.

Under the leadership of His Excellency the Prime Minister, Malaysia is moving towards its goal of achieving developed country status by 2020.

It has also shown resilience in coping with the global economic situation.

The timeless ties between India and Malaysia are reinforced by the presence of a large Indian community.

A recent symbol of our historic links is the Torana Gate in the heart of Kuala Lumpur which connects two great nations and two great cultures.

In recent times, we have forged a Strategic Partnership.

My visit to Malaysia in November last year served to reinforce this strategic engagement across a range of areas.

Close relations with Malaysia are integral to the success of our Act East Policy.

Indias initiatives including a Project Development Fund and Line of Credit have given a huge fillip to India-ASEAN cooperation.

Friends.

The leaders of ASEAN countries have led efforts for better integration among the countries of the region.

This initiative to bring the business leaders of Asia together is therefore very timely.

I have said on many occasions that the twenty first century is the century of Asia.

Asia where there are Hands to work, Homes to Consume and Heads have the Humility to learn.

Despite unfavourable and uncertain global economic environment, the growth prospects of the Asian region have been a ray of hope.

Friends.

India is currently witnessing an economic transformation.

It is not only one of the fastest growing large economies in the world. It is also marked by initiatives centered around:

- ease of doing business

-making governance transparent and efficient

-reducing regulatory overburden

Presently, cleaning the system from black money and corruption is very high on my agenda.

This comes closely after digitisation and introduction of GST.

The outcomes of our efforts are visible from Indias global rankings on various indicators.

Indias rank has gone up in World Banks Doing Business Report.

We are fast closing the gap between business practices in India and the best in the world.

We are ranked third in the list of top prospective host economies for 2016-18 in the World Investment Report 2016 released by UNCTAD.

Our rank improved by 32 positions in World Economic Forums Global Competitiveness Report 2015-16 and 2016-17;

We improved 16 places in Global Innovation Index 2016 and 19 positions in the World Banks Logistics Performance Index of 2016.

We have opened up new sectors for FDI and enhanced caps for existing sectors.

Our concerted efforts on major FDI policy reforms continue, and conditions for investment have been simplified.

The results are there for all to see.

Total FDI inflows in the last two and a half years have touched US Dollars 130 billion.

Highest ever FDI inflows were received during the last year.

The increase in FDI equity inflows in the last two financial years was 52 per cent as compared to previous two financial years.

Sources and sectors in which FDI is coming have also greatly diversified.

Our Make in India initiative which celebrated its second anniversary this year, is aimed at making India a global hub of manufacturing, design and innovation.

I would like to highlight some of our achievements:

We have now become the sixth largest manufacturing country in the world.

Our Gross Value Added in manufacturing has recorded a growth of 9.3 per cent in 2015-16.

51 cold chain projects have been completed in the last two years and six Mega Food Parks have been opened since 2014;

19 new textile parks have been sanctioned and 200 new production units have come up in existing textile parks in the last 2 fiscal years.

This year saw 90 per cent jump in number of mobile phone units manufactured in India;

Leading global players in the auto sector have setup various new assembly lines and Greenfield units.

Friends.

Our efforts to ensure Ease of Doing Business in India have been comprehensive and wide ranging, including legislative and structural.

I am happy to share that:

The constitutional amendment for Goods and Services Tax has been passed.

This is expected to be implemented in 2017.

We are moving towards a digital and cashless economy.

Our licensing regime has been greatly rationalised.

We have launched Single Window Interfaces for registering a business, EXIM clearances and Labour compliance.

Procedures involved in getting utilities like water and electricity are being simplified.

An investor facilitation cell has been created to guide and assist the investors.

Our partnership with the State Governments has also enhanced considerably since the launch of Make in India.

In association with the World Bank, the States were ranked on the basis of their business policies and procedures on agreed parameters in 2015.

This was further expanded in 2016.

We have adopted for the first time ever, a comprehensive National Intellectual Property Rights policy to lay a future roadmap for intellectual property.

We have also taken major steps to kick-start the process of creative destruction.

We are making it easier for companies to restructure and exit.

The enactment and implementation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code is a crucial step towards ease of exit in India.

New Commercial Courts are being set up to fast track resolution of commercial disputes.

Arbitration laws have also been amended to fast track the proceedings.

Friends.

India is currently buzzing with entrepreneurial activity like never before.

Start-ups are the next big economic force in India and are no less than a revolution.

Our Start-up India program aims to unleash our potential in this area.

Our economic process is being geared towards activities which are vital for generating employment or self-employment opportunities.

This is the only way to reap the demographic dividend.

Through the Skill India initative and its various components, we are trying to synergise the skills to the market requirements.

Building futuristic infrastructure is the biggest task at hand.

We are developing a pentagon of industrial corridors across the country.

There is immense focus on removing the logistic constraints across the country.

Roads, railways, ports are being upgraded across the country.

To finance such infrastructure, we have set up the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund in collaboration with foreign funds.

Friends.

This is a time for integration.

Integration cannot happen without openness.

India has always been open at the heart.

Now, at the level of economy also, we are among the most open and integrated economies.

We welcome those who are not there in India so far.

I personally assure you that I shall be there when you need me.

India is not only a good destination;

It is always a good decision to be in India.

Thank You!

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Temporary Work Visa for IT Professionals

Government of India has taken up the visa as well as social security issues with the United States (US) both bilaterally and in other forums from time to time to address the concerns arising out of the impact of such measures on the domestic industry particularly the Indian Information Technology (IT) industry.

Visa related issues of IT industry have been raised with the US Government at the Ministerial dialogues during the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue in August 2016 and the Trade Policy Forum in October 2016. Also, the matter on US visa fee hike has been raised by India at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Geneva. India had consultations with the United States on 11-12 May 2016 at the WTO, Geneva under WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism. India had raised claims on US measures relating to:

i. Fees for L-1 and H-1B visas;

ii.

Numerical commitment for H-1B visas.

India is also pursuing for bilateral Totalization Agreement with the US. In the Trade Policy Forum held in October,2016, both the countries acknowledged the ongoing discussions on totalisation and resolved to continue their engagement on the elements required in both countries in order to pursue a bilateral Totalisation Agreement.

During the Trade Policy Forum held in October, 2106, India and the US decided to continue their engagement on visa issues and reiterated their resolve to facilitate the movement of professionals. India would continue the efforts with the new Government of the US under the leadership of their new President Mr. Donald Trump also.

This information was given by the Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
China offered its sternest rebuke yet to Donald Trump, saying anyone who challenges Beijing's interests in Taiwan will "lift a rock only to crush his own toes".

"If he tries to sabotage the One China policy or harm China's core interests, ultimately he will lift a rocow confident enough to arm-wrestle with Trump," it said.

Trump shocked the diplomatic establishment and angered Beijing by speaking directly with Taiwan's leader Tsai Ing-wen after his election victory.

After fierce criticism of the move, he upped the ante, taking to Twitter to ask why he should not be allowed to speak to Tsai, then attacking Chinese foreign and economic policy.

On Sunday, he went a step further, saying he did not see why Washington must "be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade."



The remarks were a step too far for Beijing, which had initially seemed resigned to taking a wait-and-see approach to the president-elect.

Trump's comments also earned a rare rebuke from the White House, with spokesman Josh Earnest warning the president-elect that Taiwan is not a "bargaining chip".
Bill Gates today called on to inspire Americans to embrace innovation as John F. Kennedy once did by urging them to fly to the moon.

"In the same way President Kennedy talked about the space mission and got the country behind that," the Microsoft founder-turned-philanthropist told MSNBC, "I think whether it's education or stopping epidemics... There can be a very upbeat message that (Trump's) administration (is) going to organize things, get rid of regulatory barriers, and have American leadership through innovation."



The billionaire tech pioneer -- the world's richest person, according to Forbes magazine -- launched a new fund yesterday to invest in clean technology together with other wealthy donors.

He said he recently spoke to Trump by phone for the first time, saying they had "a lot of common friends."



Gates met his fellow billionaire face-to-face today in Trump Tower, where the president-elect has been working to fill out his future administration.

"It was a good time," Gates told reporters afterward. "We had a good conversation about innovation, how it can help in health, education, the impact of foreign aid and energy, and a wide-ranging conversation about power of innovation."



Trump is scheduled to meet leaders of several major technology groups on Wednesday, including Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Apple's Tim Cook, Satya Nadella of Alphabet (Google) and Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, The New York Times reported.

The real estate mogul is expected to push them to create jobs after saying last week that he would like Apple -- whose coveted iPhones are made in China -- to open a large factory in the United States.

But he will be stepping into hostile territory. The tech sector overwhelmingly supported the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during this year's election campaign and has expressed fear about the effect Trump's policies on the industry.

The sole notable exception is the controversial PayPal co-founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel, currently a member of Trump's transition team.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif might like to attend US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration with his government voicing optimism the new administration in Washington will provide it with "a fresh opportunity to burnish its credentials" with the US, a media report said.

The Pakistani government had sent a special emissary Tariq Fatemi to Washington last week "where he hinted broadly that Sharif might like to attend Trump's inauguration", said The Washington Post.

Fatemi said he believed the incoming Trump administration would provide Pakistan with "a fresh opportunity to burnish its credentials" with the United States, the report said.

It added that senior Pakistani officials said they take the long view of their country's relationship with the US, which has been dominated by military and intelligence ties.

"Our relationship with the United States is almost as old as Pakistan itself. There have been ups and downs, but overall we have remained very close," Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan's top foreign policy chief, said in an interview. "Through both Republican and Democratic administrations, there has been a broad continuity in policy, and we fully expect our relations will continue on an uphill trajectory."



Following Trump's conversation with Sharif, in which the US president-elect had said Pakistan is a "fantastic" country and hinted casually that he would be willing to help Pakistan solve its historic differences with India, Pakistani officials are now "scrambling to prepare for an unpredictable new phase" in its wary but enduring partnership with Washington.

Vice president-elect Mike Pence too had said several days ago that the new US administration planned to be "fully engaged in both nations" and was prepared to play a "pivotal role" in resolving the key dispute over Kashmir.

"The key issue for the US is that escalation could spark a conflict between two nuclear powers," Awais Leghari, who is chairman of the foreign affairs committee in Pakistan's Parliament, said in the report. "We cannot resolve these issues without superpower help, and it needs someone who is out of the box, someone radical enough to put an international hand into a sincere effort."



Pakistani officials said they also want to reassure the incoming administration that their relations with other countries are not a "zero sum game" and are independent of their policies toward the US. They insisted that their deepening economic trade and plans for a major transportation corridor to China do not represent a "pivot" away from their longtime economic and military links with Washington.

Aziz added that Pakistan, like the US, wants to see Afghanistan become peaceful and stable. He said Pakistan has been "frustrated" that its efforts to arrange peace talks with the Taliban have failed, and that rising attacks in Afghanistan have been partly the result of Pakistan's military raids to drive the insurgents out of the tribal border areas.

"To blame everything on Pakistani sanctuaries is simplistic," he said.
Army today successfully test-fired an enhanced version of an indigenously-designed cruise missile that can hit targets at 700 kms with all kinds of warheads, bringing many Indian cities within its range.

Called 'Babur' after Mughal invader and founder of the dynasty of same name, the missile is part of Babur Weapon System version- 2 because it is enhanced version of earlier missile.

Army said in a statement that it incorporates advanced aerodynamics and avionics that can strike targets both at land and sea with high accuracy.

"It is a low flying, terrain hugging missile, which carries certain stealth features and is capable of carrying various types of warheads," it said.

The missile is equipped with state-of-the-art navigational technologies of Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) and all time Digital Scene Matching & Area Co-relation (DSMAC), which enables it to engage various type of targets with pinpoint accuracy even in the absence of GPS navigation.

"Babur Weapon System is an important force multiplier for Pakistan's strategic defence," it said.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, senior officers from Strategic Plans Division, Strategic Forces, scientists and engineers of strategic organisations were present at the launch.

The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee congratulated the scientists and engineers on achieving yet another milestone of great value and significance. He appreciated the technical prowess, dedication and commitment of scientists who contributed to the success of this launch.

Expressing his full confidence over the Strategic Command and Control System and the Strategic Forces' operational preparedness, General Zubair said that this test further strengthens Pakistan's Deterrence Capability.

The President and the Prime Minister of have congratulated the scientists and engineers on successful conduct of the missile test.
The US must not abandon the (TPP) and should supplement it by negotiating bilateral investment treaties with China and India to respond to the growing Chinese activism in Asia, a former US diplomat said.

Evan A Feingenbaum, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, in the latest issue of the Foreign Affairs magazine, said, "What the United States of America should be encouraging is a liberal, open, market-based economic order in the region and the TPP, by itself, would not have been enough in any case."

Feingenbaum, who also played a key role in negotiations over the India-US civilian nuclear deal, also said that instead of repealing TPP, the incoming Trump Administration should supplement it with a direct trade deal with both India and China.

"Rather than abandoning the deal, Washington should be supplementing it, by negotiating bilateral investment treaties with China and India to open up their economies to US firms and support economic reforms in both countries; pursuing public-private partnerships to get US businesses involved in infrastructure development across Asia; striking specific agreements to open up markets in the service and technology sectors, where the United States excels; and seeking new pacts in areas such as fishing and environmental standards for China's Belt and Road project," Feingenbaum said.

"Doing so would mean that Washington was helping set the agenda, not merely reacting to Chinese proposals," he argued.

"It is also worth noting that China often succeeds at its efforts to reform global institutions and build pan-Asian groups because its demands mesh with those of India, an increasingly close US partner," he argued.

For example, India helped found the AIIB and now ranks as its second-largest shareholder, he said.

"Despite their suspicion of Chinese power, officials in New Delhi tend to agree that new forums act as a needed counterweight to unrepresentative global institutions. Like China, India is not content to live in perpetuity in architecture largely built by the West," the former Bush-era official said.

He also warned that the United States should not force its allies into a binary choice between Beijing and Washington on issues that are not vital to US national security or to the national security of its allies.

"In the South China Sea, where China is challenging maritime law and customary practice, such pressure is necessary. But China's financing of a commercial railway or power line is not a comparable threat," he said.

It is in Asia, not in global institutions, that the United States faces its toughest choices about how to respond to China's growing activism, he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is prepared to meet President-elect at any time.

When asked by journalists about the possibility of arranging a meeting with Trump, Put said "we are ready at any moment. There are no problems from our side," according to an interview transcript released by the Kremlin today.

Putin said that "it's widely known that the elected president of the United States has publicly called for the normalisation of the Russian-American relationship. We cannot but support this."



He added that "we understand it will not be a simple task considering the extent of degradation of the Russian-American relationship. But we are prepared to do our bit."



Putin said, however, that a meeting between the two leaders was more likely after Trump's January inauguration.
Billings contractor Kevin McGovern and his company, CMG Construction, were back in federal court in Great Falls on Tuesday facing new criminal charges stemming from a large corruption probe involving the Chippewa Cree Tribe.

McGovern and CMG denied allegations that they conspired to file false claims with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which had given the tribe $11.6 million to help with recovery from a 2010 flood that destroyed the Rocky Boys Health Clinic. The clinic served tribal members on the Rocky Boys Reservation in north-central Montana.

McGovern and CMG pleaded not guilty to an indictment that charges them with a false claims conspiracy and with false claims against a federally funded project.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Weldon said in the indictment that McGovern and CMG Construction conspired from August 2011 to March 2013 with the Chippewa Cree Construction Corporation, K & N Consulting, Tony Belcourt and others to defraud the federal government through false or fictitious claims.

The prosecutor alleged McGovern and his company submitted to CCCC and Belcourt invoices that ultimately were submitted to FEMA, knowing they were not entitled to additional money for demolishing the clinic.

Belcourt, a former state legislator, was the chief executive officer and contracting officer for the CCCC, which is the tribes construction company. In addition, he was the tribe's emergency incident commander and authorized tribal representative for FEMA.

Belcourt is serving a prison sentence for conviction in separate corruption and bribery cases. He also was ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution.

The false claims case is the fourth indictment to be filed against McGovern or one of his companies.

If convicted, McGovern faces a maximum 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the conspiracy count.

U.S. Magistrate Judge John Johnston continued McGoverns release pending trial. The case will be heard by U.S. District Judge Brian Morris.

McGoverns attorney, Mark Parker of Billings, said Tuesday, It looks like the same case we just tried and called it a complete mystery as to what was behind the charges. I guess well find out, he said.

Previous cases

Last month, a federal jury in Great Falls convicted McGovern and GMG Construction of conspiring to defraud the tribe and of bribing a tribal official in a contract kickback scheme. McGovern did not testify.

In that case, prosecutors said McGovern and CMG conspired with Belcourt to get preferential treatment on FEMA contracts for projects related to the flooding and the destruction of the health clinic.

In 2011, Belcourt awarded McGovern and CMG sole-source, non-competitive and unadvertised contracts for projects, prosecutors said. In return, McGovern and his company paid kickbacks to Belcourt and another tribal member.

McGovern is facing a maximum 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while CMG Construction is facing a maximum $500,000 fine on each count. Sentencing is set for Feb. 16.

In another pending case, McGovern and his company, MC Equipment Holdings LLC, are scheduled for trial in Great Falls on Feb. 13 in a case that accuses them of conspiring to sell the tribe an asphalt plant at a premium price with the promise of McGovern paying Belcourt a finders fee.

In a fourth case, MT Waterworks LLC, a Billings water pipe supply company founded by Belcourt, McGovern and Kent Boos, the company president, paid a $350,000 fine in September for conviction in a corruption case. Federal prosecutors said the company falsely claimed an Indian preference to get federal and tribal contracts from the Chippewa Cree Tribe on a federally funded water project.

CMG Construction specializes in site preparation and construction. The company was a subcontractor on the new $80 million James F. Battin Federal Courthouse in Billings and was hired earlier this year by Rocky Mountain College as the general contractor for its $10.5 million initial phase capital project to build a science building and enhance Herb Klindt Field.

The indictments are part of a massive corruption investigation by the Department of Interior's Office of the Inspector General that has resulted in the convictions of numerous tribal and non-tribal members.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) on Wednesday said it expected some non-cartel producers to ramp up production next year, encouraged by oil prices which has fought to drive higher with a recent output cut deal. Brazil and Canada  which did not sign the reduction agreement  and Kazakhstan are expected to be the main contributors to the non- supply growth, said in its December market report.
While Pakistan recently lifted the ban on cotton imports from India, Indian exporters are unable to capitalise on the move. Last year, of the initial three million bales (one bale is 170 kg) of export orders during the October-December period, 1.5 million bales were to Pakistan. With daily arrivals still under pressure, exporters are unable to take orders.
Shares of companies, led by Kohinoor Foods, surged on Wednesday, after estimates of a sharp increase in basmati export this year from the opening of Chinese markets.
was up 4% at Rs 719 on the BSE after the company on Tuesday after market hours said the UK health regulator has confirmed that its Daman-based manufacturing facility complies with good manufacturing practices (GMP).
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday dismissed petition filed by Maharashtra minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal challenging his arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Earlier in November, the High Court had rejected Bhujbal's plea to withdraw petition against provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after opposition by the Enforcement Directorate in the matter.

Chhagan Bhujbal was arrested on March 14 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the ED after establishing links between illicit funds filling Bhujbal's empire and deals which led to this.

According to ED, large amount of cash was pumped into shell companies, floated by minister's nephew Sameer Bhujbal.

Bhujbal was not only being investigated for alleged corruption in contracts given for the construction of Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi, but also various other projects during his tenure as public works department (PWD) minister of Maharashtra came under scanner.

"Petition filed by Chhagan Bhujbal, a Habeas Corpus, that too after eight months of arrest and after four judicial custodies, was absolutely a crazy petition. The honourable high court has upheld that it needs to be shown the bin. I am simply delighted by this," said social activist Anjali Damania.

It was Anjali Damania who first launched the fight against the NCP leader. Damania, in her complaint attached with detailed proof, alleged that the minister awarded contracts to builders and then received kickbacks during his tenure as the PWD minister.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Upping the ante on the Mehbooba Mufti government for announcing an ex-gratia payment to Burhan Wani's brother Khalid Wani, social activist Ashoke Pandit on Wednesday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention into the matter.

"I as a citizen of this country make an appeal to our Prime Minister that he should intervene in this matter and see to it that this mistake is rectified, because the signal which we are giving to the neighbouring country is to 'send your terrorist and we will take care of them'," he told ANI here adding that the decision is dangerous step.

The Mehbooba Mufti government had earlier on Tuesday sanctioned ex-gratia compensation to slain terrorist Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani's father in the case of killing of his other son, Khalid Wani.

"Compensation to a family of a terrorist, who has killed people and raped women and who has been busy with anti- activities, nothing can be sad and dark than this. I am amazed and shocked that what the family of a security forces must be feeling. Probably we have made a mistake by not picking up the guns. If terrorist is being given compensation then I think things are going on very wrong track," he told ANI.

Questioning the motive behind state government's decision, he further said, "We should not be shocked the way things are going. Tomorrow the next compensation will be given to Hafiz Saeed, Yakub Memon family. This hypocrisy and entire mindset of state government is abosuletly questionable."

According to a notification issued on Monday by the deputy commissioner of Pulwama, ex-gratia relief under rules were cleared by the district-level screening-cum-consultative committee (DLSCC) in favour of next of kin of those persons who died in militancy-related incidents.

As per report, the ex-gratia relief entitles a victim's family to a payment of Rs. four lakh or employment for a member of the family.

Burhan had left home at the age of 15 in October 2010 to join the Hizb-ul- Mujahideen, while his brother Khalid lived in Tral in Pulwama with his family.

Twenty five-year-old Khalid was pursuing a Masters in political science from IGNOU, reportedly told his mother on the afternoon of April 13, 2015 that he was going for a picnic. However, his body was found in the nearby jungle hours later.

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The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday has given its ex-post facto approval to the nation's approach to Climate Change Negotiations at the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), which was held in Marrakesh, Morocco during November 7 to November18.

This approval is intended to safeguard the interest of poor and vulnerable groups by emphasising on adaptation, loss and damage, and protecting the development space.

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The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gave its approval for signing of the revised Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Nigeria.

The earlier agreement was signed on in January, 1978. The updation of the agreement is as per latest International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) template keeping in view of latest developments in civil aviation sector and with an objective to improve the air connectivity between the two countries.

The revised agreement signifies an important landmark in the civil aviation relations between India and Nigeria and has the potential to spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

The features of the new Air Services Agreement include both countries shall be entitled to designate one or more airlines; the designated airlines of either country shall have the right to establish offices in the territory of the other country for the promotion and sale of air services; both sides agreed to operate any number of all Cargo services between each other's territory with any type of aircraft with full 3rd, 4th and 5th freedom traffic rights; the designated airline will be free to decide tariffs in respect of the agreed services at reasonable levels based on the commercial considerations.

The agreement also mentions that the designated airline of each party can enter into cooperative marketing arrangements with the designated carriers of same party and other party; as per new provision, each side shall be entitled to operate a maximum of 7 frequencies per week in each direction on the routes specified in the Route Schedule; apart from the above, the new ASA also has the provisions relating to Revocation or Suspension of Operating Authorization, Principles governing operations of agreed services, Routing Flexibility, Commercial Opportunities, Aviation safety, Aviation security related clause etc. in the line of Indian model ASA.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gave its approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the Indian Ministry of Tourism and Kyrgystan Ministry of Cultural, Information & Tourism for strengthening cooperation in the field of tourism.

Considering the mutual benefits, signing of a MoU would enable both parties to enter into a constructive dialogue for development and promotion of tourism in each other's country for the economic development of two nations.

It will also be instrumental in increasing arrival from this important source market.

The main objectives of the Memorandum of Understanding include: to expand bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector; to exchange information and data related to tourism; to encourage cooperation between tourism stakeholders including Hotels and Tour operators; to establish exchange programme for cooperation in Human Resource Development; to invest in the Tourism and Hospitality sectors; to exchange visits of Tour Operators / Media /Opinion Makers for promotion of two way tourism; to exchange experiences in the areas of promotion, marketing, destination development and management; to participate in travel fairs /exhibitions in each other's country and to promote safe and honourable and sustainable tourism.

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Following a tip off, a joint action of the Income Tax and the Delhi Crime Branch was conducted in a hotel in in the capital, upon which the massive amount of Rs 3.25 crore was recovered in old notes.

Upon interrogation it was found that the money belongs to some Bombay based hawala operators, who have hired packaging specialists who pack these notes in such a manner that it was even undetectable by airport scanning machines.

These experts in packaging use a particular type of tape and wires which passes through X-ray also without being detected.

Meanwhile, the I-T Department has seized the cash and is analysing the mobile details which allegedly contain details of lot of other hawala operators.

The Hotel Taksh Inn was raided on upon the search of Room No 202 and 206, five persons were caught.

Ansari Abuzar, Fazal khan, Ansari Affan from Mumbai, Ladu Ram from Rajasthan and Mahaveer Singh from Jodhpur were held.

The recovered amount was kept in different suitcases and a card board box and upon counting the amount, the total amount came up to Rs 3.25 crore in demonetised currency notes.

This recent raid comes in the wake of yet another raid carried out in the capital, where in a joint raid conducted by the Income Tax Department and the Delhi Police, Rs 13.5 crore was recovered from a law firm in Greater Kailash area.

Acting on a tip-off, the police recovered Rs 2.5 crore in new currency notes and the balance in old currency notes from the T&T law firm owned by Rohit Tondon late on Saturday night.

"We received information which we shared with the Income Tax department and jointly raided this place. Till now, we have seized around Rs 13.5 crore rupees out of which Rs 2.5 crore are new currencies and the remaining in old currency," Assistant Commissioner of Police, Inter-State Cell Sanjay Sehrawat told media.

The police said the currencies were kept in various bags and stored in a cupboard in a separate room.

Following the massive raids on the premises of three Chennai-based businessmen, the Income Tax Department on last Saturday confirmed seizing Rs 24 crore in new currency notes in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.

The latest haul is the highest number in cash recovery that has been retrieved so far in the form of new currency.

During an investigation, the I-T department found out that some cash was hidden in a car in Vellore, upon which it was discovered that all currency was in the form of Rs 2,000 notes in 12 boxes of Rs 2 crore each.

Upon interrogation of those detained in Chennai, a breakthrough was made in the recovery of this cash wherein the I-T sleuths laid a trap for the person transporting Rs 24 crore in Vellore and subsequently seized the currency. Interrogation is currently underway of those who were detained in Chennai which could lead to further recoveries.

Following demonetisation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had carried out massive raids in 50 branches of 10 banks across the nation in an attempt to keep a tab on those account holders, who deposited huge amounts at one time.

According to sources, the ED also received a strong tip off that several account holders post demonetisation deposited money and changed their black money into white through banks nationwide.

The officials also turned their attention on those accounts that have suspicious transaction post demonetisation and shining bright on their radar are those banks and branches, where maximum amount of cash in old currency has been deposited.
Stillwater County authorities will continue searching the Yellowstone River for a missing person Thursday morning after several search dogs identified an ice-covered section of the river as a point of interest.

Crews have been searching since Tuesday for a person who might have fallen into the river at Itch-Kep-Pe Park in Columbus.

Multiple search dogs had shown strong interest in the same area under the ice about 10-20 feet from where the person is believed to have entered the water, said Tammie Mullikin, a spokeswoman with the Stillwater County Sheriff's Office.

Divers did not feel conditions were safe to go into the water Wednesday, Mullikin said.

"Searchers are continuing to drill and use underwater cameras until it gets too dark," Mullikin said. "The search will continue in the morning."

Authorities received a call on Tuesday that a bicycle had been found near the river.

"It looks like possibly somebody had gone in the river," Mullikin said.

Authorities found footprints going down to the river but none leading back, which led them to believe somebody might have fallen in. Mullikin said they have an idea of who the person might be but did not provide more details, other than that the person is a male, because it hadn't been confirmed as of Wednesday afternoon.

Another person later reported hearing a scream from the river on Monday night, Mullikin said.

Efforts have been hampered by chilly weather, with temperatures in the teens and single digits. The threat of snow storms beginning Wednesday evening followed by frigid cold later in the week could also present a problem, she said.

The Columbus Police Department, the sheriff's office, the Columbus Fire Department, Columbus ambulance crews, Stillwater County Search and Rescue, Western Montana Search Dogs and Absaroka Search Dogs are participating in the search.
Presenting a report card on the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday said the Government of India lost no time in implementing the GST so far and agenda items pertaining to 'GST related draft laws' and 'Provisions for cross empowerment to ensure single interface under GST' are under consideration of the GST Council at present.

Ninety-nine Sections the Model GST Law have already been considered by the Council and remaining Sections will be discussed in the next meeting of the Council scheduled for 22-23 December, 2016, said a statement issued by the Union Finance Ministry here.

As compared to the time taken in arriving at a consensus on the Constitutional Amendment Bill for GST, the subsequent events after the passing of the Bill indicate that the Government and the states have done remarkably well in taking all necessary steps for implementation of GST.

It further said as soon as President Pranab Mukherjee's assent was received on the Constitutional Amendment Act for GST on September 8, the GST Council was created by the Cabinet within a period of one week, along with the Secretariat. Under Article 279A of the Constitution, the GST Council has been entrusted with the power to make recommendations to the Union and the States on various GST-related issues, including those relating to goods and services that may be subject of, or exempted from the goods and services tax; the threshold limit of turnover below which goods and services may be exempted from GST and the rates including floor rates with bands of GST.

The ministry said since notification of the GST Council on September 12, six meetings of the Council have been held on 22-23 September; 30 September; 18-19 October; 3-4 November; 2-3 December and 11 December. During these meetings, a number of important decisions have been taken paving way for the rolling out of GST with effect from April 1.

Some of the important decisions taken in the last six meetings included the threshold limit for exemption from levy of GST would be Rs.20 lakhs for normal States (Rs.10 lakhs for the Special Category States enumerated in Article 279A of the Constitution).

The threshold for availing the composition scheme would be Rs.50 lakhs, while service providers would be kept out of the composition scheme.

To compensate states for five years for the loss of revenue due to implementation of GST, the base year for the revenue of the state would be 2015-16 and a fixed growth rate of 14 percent will be applied to it.

Approval of the Draft GST rules on registration, payment, return, refund and invoice, debit and credit notes with the understanding that minor changes may be permitted with the approval of the Chairperson, if required, due to suggestions from the stakeholders or from the Law Department.

All entities exempted from payment of indirect tax under any existing tax incentive scheme would pay tax in the GST regime and the decision to continue with any incentive scheme shall be with the concerned state or the Central Government.

In case any state government or the Central Government decides to continue any existing exemption/incentive scheme, it will be administered by way of a reimbursement mechanism.

Bands of rates of goods under GST shall be 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent and in addition there would be a category of exempt goods. Further, a cess would be levied on certain goods such as luxury cars, aerated drinks, pan masala and tobacco products, over and above the rate of 28 percent for payment of compensation to the States.

The Council in its first meeting decided that GST would be rolled-out by April 1, 2017. Accordingly, various timelines had been decided for various aspects of implementation of GST such as recommendation of the Model GST Laws by the GST Council and its passage by the Union Parliament and State Legislatures; the development of front-end Information Technology (IT) modules on the common GST portal and the back-end IT systems; testing and integration of GST front-end and back-end IT systems of all stakeholders; training of both Central and State tax officials; sensitization of the trade, industry and consumers, said the statement.

All efforts are being made to meet the necessary deadlines to ensure that GST is rolled out by 1 April 2017.

The discussions in GST Council have been very cordial and all decisions till now have been taken by consensus, it said, adding that members of the Council are participating in the meetings with a very positive attitude and are working towards the roll-out of GST as per the deadline.

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The inaugural HKTDC Lifestyle Expo in New Delhi opens 19 December and continues through 20 December at The Lalit New Delhi.

Jointly organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and The Trade Development Bureau (TDB) of the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, the expo will showcase a range of lifestyle products from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland to buyers in India.

"Hong Kong is Asia's lifestyle trendsetter and a showcase for the latest and

hottest products and services on the market," said Assistant Executive Director of the HKTDC, Stephen Liang.

"Reflecting this role, our Lifestyle Expo will spotlight a variety of stylish products of high quality and modern design from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland that will appeal to India's growing number of discerning middle-class consumers," added Liang.

The expo will feature exhibitors from about 120 Hong Kong and mainland companies operating in a variety of sectors including consumer electronics and ICT products, gifts and premium products, household products and electrical appliances, fashion and accessories and watches and clocks.

Hong Kong and Chinese mainland companies are increasingly setting their

sights on the Indian market, with the world's second-largest population of close to 1.3 billion people distinguished by a fast expanding middle-class and young consumers.

India's retail market, currently estimated at about USD 600 billion, is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 12 percent to reach USD one trillion by 2020, according to the India Brand Equity Foundation.

Hong Kong is India's third-largest export market, with the Chinese mainland in fourth place. The mainland is also India's largest source of imports.

Seize sourcing opportunities at the expo

To facilitate sourcing, the exhibition has specific themes, Digital World, Modern Home and Trendy Boutiques. These themes also highlight Hong Kong's position as a lifestyle trendsetter in Asia.

Buyers can also take advantage of the brand new "Live Chat" service at the expo. Staff at the Thematic Showcase Display will connect buyers via WhatsApp to these exhibitors for real-time discussion of potential deals.

Big on small orders

Importers, distributors, mass retailers, mail-order houses, department stores and specialized stores from New Delhi and neighbouring cities are expected to take part in the two-day Lifestyle Expo.

The expo features the popular hktdc.com Small Orders showcase, which spotlights 150 products available for orders in quantities of between five and 1,000 units. This allows buyers to place small orders to test the market while minimizing their risks. It also leverages the growing trend of e-tailing that is changing the face of international trade.

Global success

The Lifestyle Expo is one of the HKTDC's signature international promotion

events and has a successful track record in fostering trade between companies from Hong Kong and emerging markets worldwide including Russia, Poland, Turkey, Dubai, India and Indonesia. The Lifestyle Expo in Mumbai was successfully held in 2010.

In New Delhi, the HKTDC will arrange one-to-one matching meetings and networking events during the expo to further connect Hong Kong and Chinese suppliers with buyer from New Delhi and nearby cities, creating new partnership opportunities.

Hong Kong: India's gateway to China and East Asia

The HKTDC is committed to exploring opportunities in India for Hong Kong's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) while helping those from the country to expand their in East Asia, especially the Chinese mainland, through the Hong Kong platform.

Reinforcing Hong Kong-India trade links

Hong Kong and India enjoy close and strong bilateral ties formed over more than 150 years of business and cultural links. India was Hong Kong's third-largest export market in the first nine months of 2016, with the city's exports to the country rising 14.4 percent year-on-year to US$11 billion. On the other hand, India was Hong Kong's seventh-largest source of imports in the first three quarters of 2016 when the city's imports from India expanded 9.3 percent to USD nine billion compared with the year-ago period. India is Hong Kong's seventh-largest trading partner globally with bilateral trade of more than USD 20.2 billion in the first nine months of 2016, up 12.1 percent compared to the same period last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar on Wednesday, in response to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's sharp remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that the Congress leader is rambling out of "frustration" and "disappointment" as the grand old party was done.

"The Congress party and have been exposed in front of the world. Due to frustration and disappointment, he is speaking anything.

"Yesterday, a channel conducted a sting operation which showed how Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) are trying to change the concept of demonetisation from currency change to "note jugaad," said Kumar.

In response to Rahul Gandhi's allegation of not being allowed to speak in Lok Sabha, Kumar said due to "frustration" and "disappointment", the Congress vice-president is speaking anything.

Denying the allegation put by of having personal corruption-related information of the prime minister, the parliamentary affairs minister said, "Had he got some information, he would have revealed it 20 days before."

Terming the charges levelled against Prime Minister Modi by as baseless, Ananth Kumar said that it is under desperation that he is making such baseless charges.

Kumar emphasised that since the beginning of Parliament session on November 16, the Centre has been asking the Opposition to have a discussion on demonetisation.

Rahul Gandhi earlier on Wednesday said that the prime minister is terrified of him as he would reveal all of his wrong doings.

"I have already said that the prime minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside the Lok Sabha.

The information that I have of the prime minister will explode his balloon," he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday dared Rahul Gandhi to "expose" Modi if he had documents at his disposal, saying both the parties indulge in such "friendly match" but do not make any disclosure.

"If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modiji's personal involvement in corruption, then why doesn't he expose it outside Parliament?

"Friendly match - BJP says they have AgustaWestland against Congress. Congress says they have Sahara/Birla against BJP. Both don't disclose," Kejriwal said in a series of tweets.

The Delhi chief minister was reacting to Rahul's remarks that he wants to present in the Lok Sabha detailed information about "personal corruption" by Modi but is not being allowed to do so by the prime minister.

On demonetisation, Kejriwal claimed that traders were miffed with the BJP.

"The traders of the country are saying BJP will take money from us, vote from us and call us thieves? The real thief dines with the PM," he tweeted.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Ashish Khetan tweeted, "If Rahul Gandhi is not allowed to speak inside the House, then he should speak outside and disclose the information he has about Modiji."

Kejriwal's prodding assumes importance as he has been targeting the prime minister over certain allegations pertaining to the latter's tenure as Gujarat chief minister.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande have called for an extension of European Union (EU) sanctions against Russia.

As the implementation of the Minsk Agreement in the Ukraine conflict is "very slow", it will be "necessary" to extend the sanctions against Russia once again, Merkel said on Tuesday during a meeting with Hollande at the chancellery in Berlin, reports Xinhua.

Hollande also said that "there are always the same blockades" in the conflict, adding that the Minsk Agreement should continue to be applied and added that he will be in favor of extending the sanctions "like the Chancellor."

Merkel said: "We would like to see that we would continue to implement this process."

Meanwhile, the two leaders also called for a clear signal from the upcoming EU summit in Brussels to support the suffering people in Syrian Aleppo.

Merkel said it is necessary to ensure that the civilians are protected at all levels and that humanitarian aid becomes accessible.

Hollande demanded that everything must be done to bring the civilian population out of the east of Aleppo and create humanitarian corridors.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Not paying heed to the warning and appeal from the Ministry Home Affairs, the United Naga Council's indefinite economic blockade has worsened, with militants opening fire on several people and leaving two of them injured.

One of the injured was identified as Mohammad Saluhar Rahman, working as a handyman in a truck.

The truck heading towards Imphal from Jiribam was transporting goods and came under fire around 11 p.m. at Tupul Village on Tuesday.

The second person injured was identified as Ibomcha, a truck driver hailing from the adjoining village of Khaidem Awang Leikai Village.

The incident took place around 10.30 p.m., between Awang Khul Village and Noney.

Angered by the brutal gun attack, a large number of residents from Khaidem Awang Leikai at Khumbong Bazar intensified their counter agitations against the UNC.

Immediately, state forces led by Additional Superintendent of Police, S. Ibomcha Singh, were rushed to the spot to control the situation.

It can be recalled that the incident took place just few hours after MHA's appealed to the United Naga Council (UNC) to lift its "illegal" blockade'.

In a statement issued to the media yesterday, the Socialist Council of (IM) said they represent the Naga people and their political aspirations and, therefore, take full responsibility for their wellbeing and protection.

Taking serious note of the 'incessant assault on the political and historical rights of the Nagas by the Government of Manipur, backed by the Central Government,' the NSCN (IM) declared that this 'treacherous policy will lead to endless confrontation and will jeopardise the ongoing peace process.'

Stating that the Nagas have come to the negotiating table with the honest intention to sincerely resolve the decades-old conflict, the NSCN (IM) said that its recent actions were in line with the framework agreement signed on August 3, 2015.

The declaration of the hills of Manipur being declared disturbed areas and the sending of central forces to Naga areas took the Nagas by surprise, said the NSCN (IM).

"Is this a sign of sincerity or seeking peaceful political solution? We are compelled to ask this question to the Government of India," it added.

"We conclude that the Central Government and the Government of Manipur are deliberately joining hands to divide and suppress the Naga people. This treacherous policy will lead to endless confrontation and will surely jeopardise the ongoing peace process," they said.

Taking pot shots at Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, the NSCN (IM) said the former is aiming to communalise the Naga vote bank on the one side and create differences between the Meiteis and Kukis on the other.

"It is a deliberate conspiracy to gain political mileage because of the impending 2017 election in Manipur," NSCN (IM) said.

Fully endorsing the protest of the Naga people under the aegis of the United Naga Council, the NSCN (IM) said that this sinister attempt of Ibobi Singh to divide the Nagas in Manipur by dislocating and weakening them in different districts shall not be accepted by the Naga people.

The Nagas have been defending their lands, population and politics over the centuries and this would remain as the tallest call to the very last soul of Nagas, declared the NSCN (IM).

Slamming the arrest of UNC president Gaidon Kamei and secretary S K Stephen, NSCN (IM) said that the Government of India must initiate positive steps for the unconditional release of the UNC leaders and withdraw all Central forces and initiate political dialogue with the UNC and the Naga people.

"The Nagas will not accept any form of imposition or division of land in the name of administrative convenience or development or any other hidden agenda, said the statement and added that "this kind of policy by the Government of India is too treacherous. Nagas will not accept nor will they bow down come what may.
The growing number of two-wheelers in India opens new job opportunities for the youth in mechanical field.

In Chennai, the Japanese motorcycle maker, Yamaha, is supporting the education curriculum for motorcycle mechanics at the vocational training centre.

This curriculum provides education and job opportunities to school drop-outs. The centre is certified and rewarded from the government for promoting the 'Skill India' policy.

The content of the program includes manners and customer service skills. Furthermore, yoga being part of the curriculum, the goal is to foster sensible human beings.

A. Danasekaran, a teacher at the Yamaha Training School, said, "I'm Danasekaran, a previous student of this institute. Yamaha taught me ABC - attitude, behavior and communication. So, I feel proud to be here sharing my knowledge with the students of this Yamaha training school."

I. V. Raghul, a student of the Yamaha Training School, said, "Before coming to Yamaha Training School, I didn't know anything about a bike. After coming here, I became to know the technology of bikes, how to repair it, how to maintain a workshop and now I feel that I'm confident to open a workshop by myself in the future."

The pass-outs from this institute have 100 per cent employment record. The graduates have received outstanding records at the World Mechanic Gran Prix, which is organized by Yamaha.

B. Ismail, a graduate of the Yamaha Training School, said, "I've finished my one-year course at YTS, have worked here for about five months, I'm very happy to work because that I can get good salary and be able to take care of my family."

Navukkarasu.S.S of Bikerz said, "Yamaha is taking the initiative of training these students, in all aspects of life, which means they are highly disciplined, highly and technically qualified. They are extremely good. And I wish more and more YTS will open, and more and more dealerships can get young people like them."

Initiated in 2013, Yamaha has organized 30 such classes all across India and has trained a large number of students.

Father Ashok Amaladoss, Director, Don Bosco Tech Campus, said, "They get a nice living in society, and they come up in life, and with that, the society grows, their family grows, and the entire nation grows. That's what we want do for the young generation in and around this area."

Ravinder Singh, Vice President, Strategy Planning, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt Ltd., said, "This is a kind of win-win model which we've created. With this, our dealers are going to be happy, customers are going to be happy with the good quality service, and as a company we are also going to be happy, and in the a whole, as a society we are going to contribute, so this is kind of unique program which we carry in India."

By implementing 'Make In India' policy, India is achieving a rapid growth.

Meanwhile, an underdeveloped logistics infrastructure system has been creating issues such as prolonging shipping lead time, delays and difficulties checking progress with goods in transit, etc.

As the very first commercial project of the Delhi Mumbai industrial Corridor, which is being promoted jointly by the Indian and Japanese government, Japan's NEC has established a joint venture with local company to build the structure that enhance the efficiency of logistics, making effort to solve the issue.

NEC, which is working on "Solution for Society", utilizes Logistics Visualization Systems that are compatible with global standards from its experience of providing services in Japan.

The new company will affix RFID tags to containers being loaded and unloaded at ports in Mumbai.

It will also install RFID reader/writers at locations such as port entrances and exits, toll plazas on the expressway between Delhi and Mumbai, inland container depots.

Positional information will then be gathered in real time via the cloud-based logistics visualization system.

Satoko Suzuki, Senior Manager, Transportation and Logistics Solutions Division, NEC Corporation, said, "NEC's mission is to solve the issues facing society. By maximizing the benefit on cutting edge ICT, NEC has realized the logistic solution from simple logical data into horizontal valuable information of supply chain management."

There are plans to link up with rail transit management systems, port management systems and other existing systems to gather information such as freight train running times and container management status at the port.

By searching using the container numbers, shippers and transport operators can get real-time searches based on accurate positional information. This will make significant contributions to shortening shipping lead times, reducing inventory levels and improving the accuracy of production plans.

Girish Kumar Surpur, Associate General Manager, NEC Technologies India Private Limited, "NEC has a lot of experience in logistics, and with the state of art solutions what NEC has, it can actually bring much required efficiency into this sector. And currently India's transaction cost in on the higher side. With the kind of solutions NEC proposals, and best practices can be completed, so it actually help the government in reducing the transaction cost."

Logistics and transportation are important issues worldwide.

It's essential to utilize the power of Information and Communications Technology and improve the logistics infrastructure.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced that Himmat Singh Shergill would take on Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, who has been "mired under various controversies pertaining to drug and narcotics" spread in Punjab.

Shergill said ever since he has joined the party, he was ready to accept any duty given by the party to save Punjab and its people from "the Mafia's rule of the Badals and Majithia".

Kejriwal said it is extremely important to root out Captain Amarinder, Badals and Majithia from Punjab, if people here wanted to give Punjab a chance of hope, progress and development.

"With the massive number of people, who have gathered in Majitha from all across the state, I can see that we have all gathered here to uproot Majithia from his own constituency to establish the rule of law. The kind of massive gathering I see around this place gives me a sense that Majithia would even forfeit his deposit in 2017 assembly polls from this constituency," Kejriwal said.

Delhi Chief Minister said the whole Punjab knew that Captain Amarinder, Badals and Majithia are fighting 2017 assembly polls together as part of grand alliance against AAP.

"Otherwise, why Majithia has never challenged his uncle Captain Amarinder to contest against him from Majithia. Similarly, why uncle Amarinder has never challenged Majithia or the Badals to contest against him from Patiala," Kejriwal said, adding that at the same time even Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal have never challenged Amarinder to contest from their constituencies of Lambi and Jalalabad, respectively.

"But all of them will always challenge me to contest against them. This shows the Badals and Captain Amarinder are having secret political understanding to protect each others' interests and both the Akalis and the Congress are jointly contesting against AAP," Kejriwal said.

The AAP convener also assured the people of Punjab that once AAP came into power, it would punish the perpetrators, who indulged in desecration of Guru Granth Sahib at Bergadi by handing out exemplary punishment so that no one dare to do this again in Punjab.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ever wondered, why unlike most mammals, men have no bones in their penis? A new study explains the mystery of lost baculum (penis bone) in the human lineage tends to be monogamous-- where you are married to, or in a sexual relationship with, one person at a time.

The research, published in the Royal Society journal Proceedings B, shows that the ancestral mammal, like humans, did not have a baculum - but both ancestral primates and carnivores did.

The baculum has been described as "the most diverse of all bones", varying dramatically in length, width and shape in the male mammals where it is present.

A new University College London study examined how the baculum evolved in mammals and explores its possible function in primates and carnivores - groups where many species have a baculum, but some do not.

The study may also provide clues as to why humans do not have a baculum.

"Our findings suggest that the baculum plays an important role in supporting male reproductive strategies in species where males face high levels of post-copulatory sexual competition," said first study author Matilda Brindle.

"Interestingly, humans have neither prolonged intromission durations, nor high levels of post-copulatory sexual competition. Given the results of our study, this may help to unravel the mystery of why the baculum was lost in the human lineage," Brindle explained.

In species where mating occurs between multiple males and females (known as polygamy), there is acute competition between males to fertilise a female, however, human mating systems are not like this.

Instead humans tend to be monogamous or, more rarely, polygynous (where one male mates with multiple females). In these circumstances, only one male has access to a female and post-copulatory competition between males is absent or very low level.

The work uncovers that the baculum first evolved in mammals between 145 and 95 million years ago.

"After the human lineage split from chimpanzees and bonobos and our mating system shifted towards monogamy," said co-author, Dr Kit Opie.

"This may have been the final nail in the coffin for the already diminished baculum, which was then lost in ancestral humans," Opie added.

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The Supreme Court will on Wednesday hear appeals filed by the December 16 gangrape convicts, challenging a Delhi High Court order that ordered four of them to the gallows considering "the case rarest of rare".

The apex court is hearing the appeals filed by the four convicts - Mukesh, Pawan, Akshay and Vijay - on Monday's and Friday's every week.

Last Monday, the Supreme Court declined the request by two amicus curiae - senior counsel Raju Ramachandran and Sanjay R Hegde - to withdraw from assisting the court in the hearing of the appeals by the convicts in the 16 December .

Asking both to continue assisting the court in the hearing of the appeals by the four accused convicted and sentenced to death, the three judge apex court bench comprising of Justices Dipak Misra, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan said, "We can appreciate the anguish expressed by the learned amici curiae."

Six people brutally gangraped a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern in a moving bus and beat her and her male friend. After violently raping and attacking her, they threw the girl outside the vehicle, along with her male friend. The girl succumbed to her injuries in a Singapore hospital on December 29, 2012. The incident led to large scale protests across the country, forcing the government of the day to make strict and punitive laws related to harassment of women.

One of the accused Ram Singh, 33, hanged himself in prison, while another man, who was a juvenile at the time of the crime, was convicted in August and will serve the maximum sentence of three years in a reform home.

Meanwhile, on December 3, amicus curiae Sanjay Hegde questioned the evidence produced by the prosecution in the Nirbhaya gangrape case.

In a special hearing, Hegde came out with certain points putting a question on the merit of evidence.

Hegde said that one of the convicts, Mukesh, was not with the prime culprit Ram Singh when the offence was committed. He further added that mobile locations of Mukesh and Ram Singh were found to be different on the night the offence took place.

However, Delhi Police lawyer Siddhartha Luthra said they have evidence of a dying declaration, forensic evidence with regard to DNA blood samples and finger prints. He said that the evidence establishes the fact of the alleged persons' involvement.

Luthra further said there was no element of tutoring in the case, as was the point made by one of the defence lawyers.
Reports have emerged regarding the possible return of a notorious commander of Hezb-e-Islami, Faryadi Sarwar Zardad. He is returning to Kabul from London today.

The news has gone viral on social media and scores of people have gathered at the airport to welcome him.

Dozens of photographs purportedly showing the supporters of the notorious commander have been shared on social media.

There are mixed reactions regarding his with majority recalling the grave human rights violations Zardad committed while he was fighting during the devastating Kabul war.

Reports regarding the return of Zardad come as the Afghan government is busy requesting the UN Security Council to lift sanctions against leaders of the Hezb-e-Islami.

NSC spokesman Tawab Ghorzang said the formal letter by the Afghan government was sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affair regarding the same.

The Afghan government and Hezb-e-Islami led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar signed a peace agreement around two months ago.

The party had earlier requested the government to assist in removal of sanctions imposed against the party leaders.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
HELENA  An attorney representing four patients at Montana State Hospital who in a lawsuit claim they are subjected to isolation nearly 24 hours a day made a final argument in court Tuesday for why the patients should be removed from seclusion rooms while they await a 2018 trial.

Helena District Court Judge Kathy Seeley did not make a ruling on the request for an injunction, but said she would issue one soon.

The lawsuit has been brought on behalf of the patients by Disability Rights Montana.

Two of the patients represented in the suit, Faith Swanson and Tyler Sapp, said they are held in locked seclusion rooms most of the day. Swanson and Sapp are civilly committed to the state hospital. The other patients are Ryan Bragg and Charles White, who are criminally committed.

Patricia Klanke, an attorney with Drake Law Firm, who is representing the hospital, the Department of Public Health and Human Services and several employees being sued, said testimony during the hearing didnt show that the patients should be moved from where they live at the hospital. Seeley heard two days of testimony in September, including from Dr. Liviu Goia and Dr. Virginia Hill, psychiatrists at the hospital who are named in the suit, in addition to yesterday's hearing.

State law requires patients be held in the least-restrictive conditions in which they can be safely monitored and treated, and thats where Swanson and Sapp are now, Klanke said. She added that Goia and Hill said Swanson and Sapp are two of the most severe, difficult patients they've encountered in long careers.

Things get dangerous and this, in fact, is the least-restrictive conditions, she said.

White, who wanted to be moved back to the hospital from the Forensic Mental Health Facility at Galen, was relocated after the suit was filed.

Bridgitt Erickson, an attorney for Disability Rights Montana, said while White was moved after the complaint and its no longer an issue, she is concerned about Bragg, Swanson and Sapp.

Part of the injunction sought to keep registered nurse Eleanor Combs away from Bragg. Erickson says Combs put Bragg into physical restraints as punishment after he broke a fire suppression sprinkler. Seeley removed Combs from the injunction, however, saying the allegations were based on past action, not future concerns, and that her court was not the place to determine Combs' professional competency.

Though Combs now works in a different part of the hospital, Erickson asked Seeley to reconsider.

In court today she said she would do it again, Erickson said.

Erickson said holding Swanson and Sapp in seclusion is not therapeutic and that alone ought to be the basis for allowing these people out of seclusion and into a regular room.

She also said Combs testified Tuesday that hospital employees have little mental health training before working with people in severe mental distress.

Employees go through a two-week orientation when hired and must complete 12 hours of training each year after. Training includes everything from fire safety procedures to first aid and is not solely focused on mental health, Combs testified.

Staff are trained how to put a patient in restraints, but not how to not restrain. Thats the very point of care, Erickson said.

In court Tuesday, Erickson sought to introduce summaries of nearly 57,000 pages of documents she said show Swanson and Sapp spend most of the time locked in their rooms and not receiving treatment. Michael Kauffman, who works for Drake Law Firm, succeeded in stopping the summaries from being filed as exhibits, however, after pointing out several errors in the compiled data.

His staff found errors on nine days in a sample month for one patient. The summary only counted eight treatment sessions for Sapp, but Kauffman said his staff found 10 sessions that were not reported.

We didnt find any that were overstatements of treatment, Kauffman said. They were all omission errors or under-reporting treatment.

Erickson said the summaries showed Swanson and Sapp spent less than 1 percent of their time in treatment, and even if the numbers were doubled it would still be a small amount. She added that summarizing the data is still a work in progress and it would be accurate by trial.

A video documenting Combs placing Bragg in restraints was not shown in court Tuesday, but it and a transcript were provided to the judge.
Aleppo should represent the end of the quest for military victory, not the start of a broader military campaign in a country already ravaged beyond all recognition by five years of war, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday, calling on the 15-member body to "do all we can to stop the carnage" and ensure that all the parties in the "wretched" conflict seek an inclusive political resolution.

Amid mounting international concern about the tragic situation in Aleppo, Ban said that during the last 48 hours, the has witnessed an almost complete collapse of armed opposition front-lines, leaving them with only five percent their original territory in the city.

Outlining the lack of unified action to stop the carnage, despite numerous warnings of the consequences of such inaction, including those by his Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan De Mistura, the Secretary-General said, "I have said before that we have collectively failed the people of Syria. The Security Council has not exercised its preeminent responsibility with regard to the maintenance of international peace and security."

"History will not easily absolve us, but this failure compels us to do even more to offer the people of Aleppo our solidarity at this moment," he added.

Ban also drew attention of the Council members to the General Assembly's overwhelming call, urging preventative by the Security Council on Aleppo but said that when presented with opportunity to act over the last three months, "this Council has failed."

"Since September, the Security Council has failed to adopt three resolutions that could have enabled a humanitarian truce, evacuation of civilians and the entry of lifesaving aid," he added.

Against this backdrop, the UN has continued to receive reports that civilian deaths and injuries continue at a brutal pace, said the Secretary-General, citing specific reports that scores of civilians have been killed either by intense bombardment or summary executions by pro-Government forces.

"We have seen shocking videos of a body burning in the street, ostensibly after aerial bombardment, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has received reports of civilians, including women and children, in four neighbourhoods being rounded up and executed," said Ban, echoing statements from UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.

Earlier, the High Commissioner pleaded with the international community "to heed the cries" of the women, men and children being terrorized and slaughtered in Aleppo and to take urgent steps to ensure that the tens of thousands of people who have fled, surrendered or been captured are treated in line with international law.

"The crushing of Aleppo, the immeasurably terrifying toll on its people, the bloodshed, the wanton slaughter of men, women and children, the destruction - and we are nowhere near the end of this cruel conflict," said High Commissioner Zeid in a news release issued the UN human rights arm (OHCHR).

"What can happen next, if the international community continues to collectively wring its hands, can be much more dangerous," he warned.

According to the release, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) has received credible reports of scores of civilians being killed - either by intense bombardment or summary execution by pro-Government forces.

"Dozens of bodies reportedly litter the streets of a number of east Aleppo neighbourhoods, with residents unable to retrieve them due to the intense bombardment and fear of being shot," the release said, adding: "Government forces and their allies are also reportedly entering civilian homes and killing people."

The release also stated that according to reports from multiple sources, pro-Government forces killed at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, in the Bustan al-Qasr, al-Ferdous, al-Kallaseh, and al-Saleheen neighbourhoods yesterday.

OHCHR further cautioned that thousands of people who remain in areas under the control of armed groups are at risk of grave violations, including detentions, torture and killings.

Emphasizing the Syrian Government's obligation to protect the right to life of all civilians as well as that of fighters who have surrendered, or laid down their weapons, are sick or wounded or otherwise hors de combat (no longer participating in hostilities), Mr. Zeid said that it must provide medical assistance to all sick and wounded, civilians and fighters alike, "without any discrimination."

However, according to OHCHR, "reports suggest that of those fighters who have fled, some were reportedly caught and killed on the spot while others were arrested."

High Commissioner Zeid further underlined that in the absence of independent monitors on the ground and "given the terrible record of arbitrary detention and torture in Syria even prior to the start of this conflict," urgent measures must be taken to ensure the protection of the people who have fled Aleppo.

"The is watching Aleppo - and we are documenting the violations being committed against its people, with the firm conviction that one day those who are responsible will be held to account. We must ensure that this happens. The hellish suffering to which the people of Syria are being subjected must stop," he concluded.

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President Pranab Mukherjee will be on a one day tour of Madhya Pradesh today, where he will attend different functions in Chindwara.

Governor O P Kohli will receive the President at Chindwara airstrip, where he will attend the annual day function of Confederation of Indian Industries-CII.

The President will also visit the Apparel Training and Design Centre, Driver Training and Research Institute and I.L. and F. A. Skill Centre.

Then he will leave for Delhi via Nagpur.

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Defending Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju regarding his alleged involvement in a Hydro electric project in Arunachal Pradesh, Union Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday said the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) will expose the Congress party.

"Rijiju is clean and the scam happened during the tenure of Congress," he said adding that the BJP will expose the Congress.

Rijiju, his distant cousin, a contractor in Arunachal Pradesh, Goboi Rijiju, and several other officials of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) have been accused of corruption in the construction of two dams for the 600 megawatt Kameng hydro-electric projects, one of the biggest power generating project in Arunachal Pradesh.

However, Rijiju has refuted all allegations of corruption against him, saying that the ones planting such news would be thrashed with shoes, should they come to Arunachal Pradesh.

Echoing similar sentiments, Union Minister of State for Power Piyush Goyal said Rijiju was innocent and thepayment was released on the orders of Congress party and its government

"Payment was released on the orders of Congress official and now the concern party has to answer. Mr. Rijiju was not involved in it." Goyal added.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma has given notice under Rule 267 in the Rajya Sabha, for a discussion over the alleged involvement Rijiju in the project.

Rijiju is being pilloried by the Congress party in the wake of a 129-page report prepared by Satish Verma, the Chief Vigilance Officer of the North Eastern Electricity Power Corporation (NEEPCO), suggesting that he and his cousin Goboi were involved in a Rs 450 crore plus power project scam.

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South African pace spearhead Dale Steyn will not be playing next year's Indian Premier League (IPL).

Steyn has ruled himself out of the lucrative T20 league in order to return to the Proteas side for their England tour - and possibly the ICC Champions Trophy.

"June is realistic for South Africa," Steyn, who is currently recovering from an elbow injury was quoted as saying by Sport24. "I haven't had a long break like this in a good few years and every season I go into it with something wrong, whether it be a little hammie or whatever."

He would also miss the tour to New Zealand which begins on February 17 with a T20 clash and ends with the March 25-29 third Test.

Steyn, who plays for Gujarat Lions franchise in the IPL, will not participate in the event which runs from April 5 to May 21.

"It will be nice to go into a season, starting in June, and confidently know that I am really strong and in a good place," he added.

South Africa would be playing three ODIs in England and then they would participate in the Champions Trophy, which runs from June 1-18.

The 33-year-old had got his right shoulder fractured during Australia's first innings of the opening Test against South Africa, which the Proteas went on to win by massive 177 runs at the WACA Ground in Perth.

The 33-year-old has also not been included in the 13-men squad for the three-match Test series in Sri Lanka.

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With the government urging the opposition to hold a debate in both houses of parliament, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday sought to know why the government has been wasting the last 16 days.

"We are witnessing for the first time a government acting as a roadblock in the functioning of parliament. I would like to ask this question to this government that please remove your mask. We have been demanding a debate since day one, and if they are ready now, then why did they waste the last 16 days of parliament," Scindia told ANI.

"As far as debate is concerned, he said, "we had asked the government on Thursday to commence a debate at 11 a.m. by removing any rule, but they did neither start a debate on Thursday nor on Friday. We are witnessing for the first time that a government is acting as a roadblock in the functioning of parliament; and we are witnessing a government that got both houses adjourned, then why the government's lieutenants are now asking for a debate?"

"They should come before the public clean. We are saying it for the last 18 days that there should be a debate, but they are shying away from voting, debating, and saying it outside parliament that they are not getting an opportunity to debate inside the House," said Scindia.

Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself was not available in the House during the session, the Congress leader said, "He (PM) came only on Wednesday for the Question Hour and left the house after five minutes. Until the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister hear parliamentarians in the house and answer to their questions, can we say that a debate?"

Parliament will meet today after a four-day break. However, there is no sign of resolution of the impasse between government and the opposition on the issue of demonetisation.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday reiterated that the government is ready for a debate on the issue, asking the Congress to rise above slogans and see advantage of the decision.

Meanwhile, the BJP and the Congress have cracked whips on their MPs in both the Houses asking them to be present in Parliament for the next three days.

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Television actress Rucha Gulati recently got hitched with long time beau Vishal in an intimate traditional ceremony.

Earlier the 30-year-old actress celebrated a lavish bachelorette, thrown by her pals from the telly world.

Nausheen Ali Sardar, Khyaati Keswani and Raymon Kakar were spotted preparing for the actress's big day.

However, the marriage was a close-knit celebration following mehendi and sangeet ceremony. Only family members and close friends of the couple attended the do.

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At least two United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) cadres have been neutralised by the Assam Rifles in an encounter in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Six cadres, including a woman were also apprehended at around 1.30 p.m. One AK-47 rifle and pistol have been recovered from the encounter site.

The NSCN(K), ULFA(I), UNLF and NDFB(S), are touted to have their hideouts across the border in Myanmar, trapping the Longding and Tirap districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

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U.S. Ambassador to India Richard R. Verma has said his country strongly supports Indian efforts to bring the South Asian region together.

He was speaking at the Indo-Asia Connectivity for Shared Prosperity conference.

Ambassador Verma said that with more than USD130 billion in annual trades with South Asia, the U.S. has a vital interest in a region which is prosperous and interconnected.

He said the U.S. is helping create new energy linkages, open up trade and transport corridors, and streamline customs procedures at border crossings through the Indo-Pacific Economic Corridor (IPEC).

"USAID's work with SARI, the South Asia Regional Initiative, includes an energy integration project aimed at bolstering cross-border electricity trade and the development of a regional energy market," Verma said.

He said Washington has also supported the initial feasibility study for the 500 MW energy link between India and Bangladesh, which is now operational and being expanded to 1000 MW.

Verma said that the USAID is funding exchanges between Indian and Burmese female entrepreneurs with the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA), a prominent Indian NGO.

Verma said USAID also recently concluded a trade facilitation workshop in Sri Lanka which brought together regional leaders to discuss streamlining customs and border procedures.

"The premise behind these efforts is straightforward: the economic benefits of increased connectivity can generate the prosperity and people-to-people linkages necessary for strong partnerships based on shared values. This is an objective the United States strongly supports," he said

The ambassador said that there's also a strategic element as outlined in the January 2015 Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region, expanding U.S. engagement with India in the Asia Pacific is an important element of our bilateral partnership and is a natural complement to India's "Act East" policy.

"The United States believes that regional partnerships centered on strong economic ties, people-to-people linkages, and a shared commitment to democracy and human rights are a force for good, not only in this region, but around the world" he noted.

Verma said he wanted to mention two areas of connectivity that probably don't get enough attention.

"The first is virtual connectivity, by which I mean enhancing digital connections across the region. And second is strengthening the connectivity of shared values and ideas - can you have real connectivity without a common view of what is urgent, important or even objectionable?" he said.

Verma said digital transformation is expected to generate as much as USD 19 trillion in economic value over the next decade.

He said the "internet of things" will be the infrastructure of the information society and bridging the digital divide is instrumental to ensuring our citizens can take advantage of the new digital economy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At meeting held on 13 December 2016

MFL India announced that the Board of Directors of the company at its meeting held on 13 December 2016 transacted the following -

Accepted resignation of Sanjay Baldev Paul as Director of the Company.

Appointment of Saurabh Maheshwari as Company Secretary of the Company is not approved and on hold till next board meeting.

Resignation of Swati Jain as Company Secretary is not approved and on hold till next board meeting.

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Coal India's consolidated net profit fell 77.37% to Rs 600.44 crore on 6.77% decline in total income to Rs 17625.09 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 13 December 2016.

Reliance Industries (RIL) announced that Global Business Innovators launched $1 billion investment fund for the next generation energy technologies. The members of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition (BEC) have committed to invest more than $1 billion in Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), an investor-led fund that will finance emerging energy breakthroughs to deliver affordable and reliable energy with the goal of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions to near-zero. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 13 December 2016.

NTPC announced that it has decided to raise Rs 3925 crore through private placement of secured non-convertible debentures at a coupon of 7.37% per annum with a door to door maturity of 15 years on 14 December 2016. The proceeds will be utilized to finance capital expenditure/refinancing the debt requirement in on-going projects and other general corporate requirements. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 13 December 2016.

Power Grid Corporation of India announced that POWERGRID Warora Transmission Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, secured though tariff based competitive bidding (TBCB), has successfully completed the element - LILO of existing Seoni-Bina 765kV S/C line at Gadarwara STPP and declared the same for commercial operation on 30 November 2016. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 13 December 2016.

Wockhardt announced that UK MHRA has confirmed that the company's manufacturing unit at Kadaiya, Daman complies with the principles and guidelines of Good Manufacturing Practices. In view of this, the approval status of the unit continues. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 13 December 2016.

Amtek Auto posted net loss of Rs 755.18 crore in Q2 September 2016 compared with net loss of Rs 158.62 crore in Q2 September 2015. Total income fell 40.16% to Rs 498.92 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 13 December 2016.

Alok Industries posted net loss of Rs 527.71 crore in Q2 September 2016 compared with net loss of Rs 262.60 crore in Q2 September 2015. Total income fell 38.95% to Rs 2020.19 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 13 December 2016.

Thomas Cook (India) announced that the board of directors of the company at a meeting held on 13 December 2016 considered and approved to offer, invite, subscribe, secured or unsecured, redeemable, non convertible debenture upto Rs 300 crore, on private placement basis subject to the approval of the members through postal ballot. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 13 December 2016.

Jindal Steel & Power announced that Jindal Power, a subsidiary of Jindal Steel & Power has successfully obtained commercial date of operation (COD) in respect of 4th and last unit of 2400 megawatts power plant at Tamnar from 12 December 2016. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 13 December 2016.

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A Wyoming woman suspected of sexually abusing a minor in Birney denied federal charges in U.S. District Court in Billings on Monday.

Kimberly Joy Washington, 37, of St. Stephens, Wyo., pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging her with sexual abuse of a minor.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sullivan said in court records that Washington engaged in a sexual act with a minor who was between the ages of 12 and 16 in Birney on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. The abuse occurred from about March 2015 to September 2015, he said.

If convicted, Washington faces a maximum 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Cavan ordered Washington to remain in custody. The case will be heard by U.S. District Judge Susan Watters.
Under Scheme of Amalgamation

Rishiroop announced that the Securities Issue Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company has in the meeting held on 14 December 2016 approved allotment of 1080 equity shares of Rs. 10/- each of the Company to holders of Optionally Convertible Preference Shares (OCPS) who exercised their option to convert their OCPS holding to equity shares as per the terms of the Scheme of Amalgamation ('Scheme') sanctioned by the Hon'ble High Court of Judicature at Bombay vide its order dated 08 May 2015, and Hon'ble High Court of Gujarat at Ahmedabad vide its order dated 23 June 2015.

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Repays term loan of Rs 41.10 crore

Supreme Holdings & Hospitality announced that the Company has fully repaid the Term Loan of Rs. 41,10,51,621 (Forty One Crore Ten Lakh Fifty One Thousand Six Hundred and Twenty One) availed from Oriental Bank of Commerce, Cuff Parade, Mumbai for its residential project at Pune.

The Company is in the process of releasing the charge created by the Oriental Bank of Commerce on Pune Land as a security for repayment of the Term Loan, since the entire amount of Term Loan availed is fully satisfied.

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The Delhi Police Crime Branch and Income Tax Department has held five persons here with Rs 3.25 crore in old currency notes, police said on Wednesday.

The police said the joint raid was conducted at Hotel Taksh Inn of Karol Bagh on Tuesday late night, following a tip off.

Interrogation has revealed that the money recovered belonged to Mumbai hawala operators, who had hired 'special' packaging agents to pass through airport security with the cash.

"The Income Tax Department officers seized Rs 3.25 crore. The amount recovered was kept in various suitcases and car board boxes which had all demonetised notes," Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP) of Crime Branch Ravindra Yadav said.

"They had hired packaging specialists who pack these notes in such a manner that it is undetectable by airport scanning machines. The experts in packaging use some tapes and wires which passes through X-ray," Ravindra Yadav said.

The IT department was analyzing the mobile details which allegedly contain details of other hawala operators.

The arrested were identified as Ansari Abuzar, Fazal Khan, and Ansari Affan from Mumbai; and Ladu Ram and Mahaveer Singh from Rajasthan.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The evacuation of rebel fighters from eastern Aleppo -- as part of a ceasefire deal between rebels and the Syrian government which marked the end of the nearly five-year battle for the city -- has been delayed, media reports said on Wednesday.

Government buses that were standing by for the evacuation, slated to begin at 5 a.m. local time, were still awaiting the rebels, reportedly because the Syrian government has demanded simultaneous evacuation of its own injured fighters from nearby towns encircled by opposition forces, BBC reported.

The ceasefire was declared in Aleppo on Tuesday.

However, activists and civilians told the BBC that parts of eastern Aleppo were shelled again on Wednesday morning, with Syrian ally Russia says the Syrian army resumed firing after the rebels broke the truce.

Eastern Aleppo has been under rebel-control since 2012, but they have been cornered in a small area of the city in recent months by a major government offensive, backed by Russian air power, the report said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he expected "that the rebels will stop their resistance in the next two to three days".

Under the evacuation deal, brokered by Turkey and Russia, civilians and rebels from eastern Aleppo were to be evacuated to rebel-held areas in northern Syria.

The battle for Aleppo, the worst of a civil war that has drawn in global and regional powers like US, Russia, Turkey and Iran, has ended with victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his military coalition and Shia militias.

Meanwhile, horrific images surfacing on social media show the city's once-grand Umayyad Mosque, also known as the "Great Grand Mosque", in ruins. Several of the walls surrounding the Unesco-listed building have been razed to ground.

For rebels, their expected departure for opposition-held regions, west of the city, was a big blow to their hopes of ousting Assad after revolting against him during the 2011 Arab uprisings.

The war, however, is far from over, with insurgents retaining their rural strongholds of Idlib province to the southwest of Aleppo, and the Islamic State holding swathes of the east and recapturing Palmyra this week, media reports said.

On Tuesday, Syrian forces were accused of "massacring 82 civilians in their homes" during "the century's worst humanitarian tragedy". It came as harrowing photos emerged of dead children amid claims of a new chemical attack in a village in Syria's Uqayribat district, according to the Daily Mail.

Aleppo citizens have posted harrowing "death bulletins" on various social media platforms pleading for help from the outside world as Syrian government forces swept through the city.

Terrified residents filmed themselves, describing their plight in the besieged city with one doctor calling the situation "apocalyptic" and another saying: "This may be my last video."

The turnaround in the government's fortunes came after decisive support from its allies Iran and Russia, which has waged a bombing campaign in support of Assad since September last year.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Britain must not emerge from negotiations on post-Brexit relations with the EU as the victor, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced at a session of the parliamentary European affairs committee on Wednesday.

"The United Kingdom must not win this struggle. That would be a huge mistake on our part. Freedom of movement is non-negotiable...How would the EU exist if Britain successfully negotiated benefits on one hand, but blocked EU citizens from seeking jobs or studies on the other," Xinhua news agency quoted Fico as saying.

Fico said he was convinced that the other 27 EU countries needed to arrange for more advantageous conditions in the deal.

"The agreement between the EU and Great Britain must be more advantageous to the EU, so that we won't spend energy on countries with anti-European sentiments," stated Fico.

The Prime Minister said he considered the situation in Italy to be a worse problem after Matteo Renzi tended his resignation as Prime Minister due to an unsuccessful referendum on constitutional reform and with snap elections seemingly around the corner.

"The probability of victory for parties not favourably inclined towards Europe is high. What if a referendum on the euro came next? Then we'd have a serious problem on our hands," concluded Fico.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved agreement between Ministry of Rural Development and and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to improve the effectiveness of rural development programmes and to facilitate knowledge sharing.

"An inter-governmental MoU on Joint Technical and South-South Cooperation to provide a framework for collaboration will be signed between Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and FAO," said a cabinet communique.

The agreement will facilitate South-South cooperation mechanisms around Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)'s experience through exchange visits and dialogues, and establishment of a good-practice Learning Centre.

"It will strengthen the vertical upscaling of the livelihoods of rural populations that are supported by DAY-NRLM, help to develop inclusive and sustainable value chains for key crops and agro-industrial products, employment diversification and skills development," it added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the renewal of the Mo) signed between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and College of Banking and Financial Studies (CBFS), Oman, to work together for strengthening the audit knowledge base.

"The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval of the MoUs signed in 2008 and 2011 and the renewal of MoU between ICAI and CBFS, Oman. The MoU will facilitate working together for strengthening the accounting, financial and audit knowledge base within Oman," a cabinet communique said here.

"ICAI has a strong membership base of over 6,000 members in the Middle East region and the MoU aims at providing assistance to CBFS by admitting Omani nationals to the membership of ICAI. The aim is to work together to develop a mutually beneficial relationship in the best interests of members, students and the institutes," it said.

The MoU is also expected to provide an opportunity to the ICAI members to expand their professional horizons and, simultaneously, ICAI is expected to become an entity which aids and strengthens professional capabilities of Omani nationals, it added.

Since Oman does not have a local professional accountancy institute, it is the ICAI which has been collaborating with CBFS, Oman in matters relating to the profession.

"The MoU is expected to make a positive impact for the Indian Chartered Accountants currently working in Oman and other markets and for those Indian professionals who intend to move to Oman for pursuing their profession there. As such, enhanced employment opportunities are expected to be created for Indian professionals in Oman," it said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A court here on Wednesday extended for three more days, till December 17, the CBI custody of former Indian Air Force (IAF) chief S.P. Tyagi, arrested in the AgustaWestland chopper deal case.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the probe agency to quiz Tyagi, his cousin Sanjiv Tyagi and Gautam Khaitan, a Delhi-based lawyer, till December 17.

Earlier in the day, the CBI had sought a seven-day extension in Tyagi's custody, who was arrested last Friday with the other two accused and on Saturday remanded in the agency's custody till December 14.

The former Indian Air Force chief -- the first chief of any wing of the armed forces to be arrested in the country -- and the others were allegedly involved in irregularities in the procurement of 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters from Britain-based AgustaWestland.

The CBI has sought extension of custody of Tyagi and others for another seven days, saying that custodial interrogation is necessary in the interest of justice as it has yet to unearth the entire conspiracy.

The probe agency said the accused is required to be confronted with incriminating evidence that has emerged during investigation.

In February 2005, senior officials of the Italy-based Finmeccanica and Britain-based AgustaWestland, which is a subsidiary of the former, met Tyagi and discussed issue related to the service ceiling of the VVIP helicopters, CBI said.

Countering the CBI's submission, Tyagi's defence counsel opposed the plea and said the meeting was not illegal as they met at an event in February 2005.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday asked Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi to expose Prime Minister Narendra Modi outside Parliament if he had proof of Modi's involvement in corruption.

"If Gandhi actually has papers on Modi ji's personal involvement in corruption then why doesn't he expose it outside the Parliament?" Kejriwal tweeted.

Kejriwal's remarks followed Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashish Khetan's tweet which said if Gandhi was not allowed to speak inside the house, then he should speak outside and disclose the information he has about Modi.

The Chief Minister also alleged collusion between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"Friendly match. BJP says they have Augusta Westland against Congress. Congress says they have Sahara and Birla against BJP. Both don't disclose," the AAP leader said.

Kejriwal had earlier accused Modi of taking several crores of rupees in bribe from "Sahara and Birla" when he was Gujarat Chief Minister.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kerala Blasters defeated Delhi Dynamos via penalty shoot-out in the semi-final second leg to enter the final of the Indian Super League (ISL) here on Wednesday.

Delhi were leading 2-1 at the end of the regulation 90 minutes. But with Kerala having won the first leg 1-0, the teams were locked 2-2 on aggregate.

With both teams unable to score over 30 minutes of extra-time, Kerala upstaged the hosts 3-0 in the penalty shoot-out and earned the right to meet Atletico de Kolkata in Sunday's final.

Marcelinho Leite Pereira (21st minute) and Ruben Gonzalez Rocha (45th+) scored for Delhi while Duckens Nazon got the only goal for Kerala.

In the penalty shoot-out, Josue Currais Prieto, Kervens Belfort and Mohammed Rafique got their attempts on target while done of the Delhi players could hold their nerve.

Delhi were reduced to 10 men when Milan Singh was sent off for a rough challenge on Mehtab Hussain. But the hosts did well to give a tough fight despite the one-man deficit and in fact created more scoring chances than their opponents.

Kolkata and Kerala had met in the final of the inaugural edition in 2014 as well with the former emerging as the champions.

The boys from the south will be raring to win on Sunday and erase the memories of that painful defeat.

Both teams started off on an aggressive note with Kerala catching the rather off-colour Delhi defence on the wrong foot time and again.

At the other end of the pitch, Kerala goalkeeper Sandip Nandy was not in the best of form, committing a host of errors.

The former East Bengal goalkeeper was guilty of some poor coordination as a poor clearance from defender Kadio saw Marcelinho in posession inside the Kerala penalty box and the Brazilian cashed in by handing Delhi the lead.

The Dynamos had the last laugh in the opening 45 minutes after Ruben gave his team the lead again in added time.

A freekick from Marcos Tebar saw Ruben rise high and sneak the goal home even as goalkeeper Sandip Nandy missed the flight and Kadio couldn't head it away.

Delhi were leading in this game but the teams were tied on aggregate which meant both teams needed another goal. That goal did not happen all through the 90 minutes but it were Delhi who clearly enjoyed the upperhand.

Delhi infact can count themselves unlucky as defender Sandesh Jhingan proved to be Kerala's saviour with a timely goal-line clearance.

Kerala, on the other hand, had their chances with Antonio German firing a long ranger wide from a good position and C.K. Vineeth's diving header missing the target.

In the first half of extra time alone, Delhi came close several times to scoring the goal that would have mattered.

Florent Malouda was the man in form and he forced goalkeeper Nandy to make two good saves.

Once, Nandy's save saw the rebound fall for Marcelinho but his attempt sailed just wide of the target.

Another Marcelinho header from close range fell into the waiting hands of the goalkeeper.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Now, federal regulators are saying that contamination of groundwater can result from each step of the fracking process, from the injection of fracking fluids into wells to the disposal of produced water. But they also said they lacked historical evidence to determine the severity of the contamination.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is to meet President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday as part of a team of tech titans for discussion on the role of their sector, which could have an impact beyond their shores.

Job creation in the US, visas for highly skilled technology professionals and investors, investing the large hoard of cash - a lot of it overseas -- that the tech companies have been sitting on because of tax concerns are expected to figure in the meeting at Trump Towers here.

During the campaign, both Trump and the tech sector had a frosty relationship.

Trump criticised them for exporting jobs and manufacturing overseas, and zoomed in Apple for making its products in China. "We're going to get Apple to build their damn computers and things in this country instead of in other countries," he said.

He also threatened to tighten visa requirements for professional immigrants, the artery of skills for the tech sector, although he softened his stand later saying he would welcome innovators and skilled people coming in legally.

Last week, Trump said that he would not allow foreign workers on temporary H-1B visas for technology professionals to displace American workers, a move that could affect Indian tech companies.

While people in the technology sector criticised Trump during the campaign mostly because of their perception of his social and immigration policies, Nadella was publicly silent.

After the election, Nadella congratulated Trump in a post on LinkedIn. But in an implied criticsm of the Trump campaign's perceived rhetoric, he also wrote: "Our commitment to our mission and values are steadfast, and in particular fostering a diverse and inclusive culture."

After Trump's election Apple reportedly asked some of its suppliers to look at manufacturing in the US.

Foxconn, the main manufacturer of iPhones announced that it was looking at expanding its manufacturing operations in the US.

Japanese company Softbank pledged to invest $50 billion in the US after its CEO Masayoshi Son met Trump earlier this month. Media reports said that Apple may invest $1 billion in the Softbank's $50 billion fund for US investments.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday imposed a nationwide interim ban on the procurement, sale and use of glass powder-coated 'manja' and other dangerous kite strings.

An NGT bench headed by Chairman Justice Swatanter Kumar passed the order for an interim ban on nylon thread -- also called 'Chinese manja' -- as well as synthetic/cotton thread coated with glass powder or other hazardous compounds until the next hearing on February 1, 2017.

The bench said the glass-coated kite string not only posed a threat to birds, animals and humans but also caused harm to the environment.

The order came in response to a petition by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - India, which called for a nationwide ban on all kinds of sharp kite strings.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Moscow, June 14 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The Belarusian authorities have found a new "target" in a campaign against free-living citizens, by persecuting naturists at an unofficial nudist beach outside the capital Minsk, a media report said.

Riot police demanded that nude beach-goers at Minskoye More reservoir must cover up, claiming going naked equates to "hooliganism", the Belarusian edition of Komsomolskaya Pravda said.

Police also fined several people, including at least one woman who was made to pay 300,000 Belarusian rubles ($35) for sunbathing in the raw, the daily said.

Police picked out offenders by filming the beach and then studying the footage.

Naturists have gathered at the beach at Minskoye More for more than a decade, but the site has never been formally authorised for it by the authorities.

Police have taken action against nudists in previous years, but usually just gave verbal warnings until recently.

"Are you a Belarusian citizen? Obey the law, put some trunks on," officers at the beach shouted through a megaphone last year, Komsomolskaya Pravda said.

Some nudists protested at the time by going into the water and staying there until police lost interest and went away, the report said.

Belarus, governed by President Alexander Lukashenko, is known for state micromanagement of public life and intolerance of any sign of disorder, dissent or free-thinking by its citizens.

Lukashenko prohibited some 13,000 timber industry workers from retiring last December, and in 2011 banned all unsanctioned public gatherings.

The latter move was aimed against opposition flashmobs that saw people gather in public just to stand in silence or clap hands - activities that now require an official permit in Belarus if they involve more than three people.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

pm/
Actress Prachi Desai says she turned down an offer to feature in an ad for a Pakistani beauty brand, considering the strained ties between India and Pakistan.

"As of now, I am not taking up any endorsement deals in Pakistan and yes I have turned down the offer since I feel it is not the right time," Prachi said in a statement.

According to a source close to the actress, Prachi was approached by a "Pakistani beauty brand to endorse one of its products".

"But the actor politely turned it down. She has done this keeping in mind the relations India has with our neighbours at this time. She thought it would be inappropriate for her to be signing up for such a thing right now," the source said.

Prachi was last seen onscreen in "Rock On 2"

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Launched with much fanfare just two days back, the Rs 11 crore ambitious amphibious bus project of the Punjab government at the Harike wetland near Amritsar has been halted due to low water levels, a senior officer said on Wednesday.

The 'Harike Cruise', had been launched by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal at Harike wetland on Monday.

"The activity will have to halt for 15-20 days as the water level in the reservoir is very low for running the operation of bus," Punjab Tourism Director Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa said here.

"At present, the water level in the reservoir has receded and is only 3.5 feet deep. The reason for the low water level is that the main gates of Rajasthan Feeder Canal and Ferozpur Feeder Canal have been raised for repairs, whereby the water from the reservoir is flowing down stream.

"The minimum water level required for the operations of the Amphibious Bus is 6 feet. As per the officials of Irrigation Department, the repairs of these gates would be completed in the next 15-20 days," he said.

Nearly two years after it was announced, the Punjab government had launched the amphibious bus, which travels on land and in water.

The bus is being run by the Punjab Tourism department and tourists coming to the wetland, about 200 km from here, will be able to enjoy its 4-km ride in water and on land.

The bus project was criticised by opposition leaders.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After threatening an earth-shattering disclosure on demonetisation earlier, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he wanted to expose Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal complicity in corruption but "a terrified government" didn't let him speak in Parliament.

Though the Prime Minister and his office didn't react to the remarks, the government dismissed the "baseless allegations" as a "sign of desperation" by the Congress.

Gandhi didn't make the proof public. He insisted he wanted to explode the bombshell in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing winter session that has been almost completely washed away in opposition protests against the government's November 8 move to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to combat corruption and black money.

"Read my lips. The Prime Minister is personally terrified with the information that I have. I have information on the personal corruption of the Prime Minister," Gandhi told reporters after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day without conducting any business -- the way it has been since the session began on November 16. The session ends on this Friday.

"If I speak, his (Modi's) balloon will burst. He is scared. The government is scared of the information I have. Thus, they (the government) are not allowing me to speak in Parliament. Let us speak in the Lok Sabha. We will reveal everything."

The Gandhi scion also dubbed demonetisation as Modi's "personal decision ... taken against the poor of the country (that) has destroyed millions of lives".

The Congress leader was joined by other opposition leaders, including Trinamool Congress's Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Marxist P. Karunakaran and Nationalist Congress Party's Tariq Anwar, in cornering the government.

Gandhi last week said an "earthquake will come" if he was allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha "about the biggest scam committed by Narendra Modi single handedly".

The BJP fielded an array of its leaders to counter the allegations.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader H.N. Ananth Kumar alleged that some Congress leaders were acting as "commission agent" to exchange old currency notes for new at the party headquarters.

Kumar was referring to a sting operation by a news channel showing some politicians, including those from the Congress, being involved in money laundering.

"Gandhi is making baseless allegations. He should instead apologise to the nation," said Kumar, accusing the opposition of "sabotaging" the entire winter session of Parliament.

He said that if the Congress had information to share with Parliament, Gandhi "could have done it" when the House was in session.

Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said: "Rahulji, we want you to speak. When you do, you expose the Congress, so we want you to speak.

"They have been unmasked, so they are making these allegations."

BJP spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao said "Rahul Gandhi is making a joke of himself" every time he speaks.

Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu questioned why the Congress was "not allowing the House to function and have a proper debate on the demonetisation issue". He said the government was ready to debate demonetisation in the House provided the opposition allows it to run.

Amid the allegations and counter-allegations, Parliament again faced disruptions on Wednesday as the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha convened after an extended weekend.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday urged the United States to mount pressure on the Syrian opposition to cease fire and withdraw from the embattled city of Aleppo.

In a phone conversation with US State Secretary John Kerry, Lavrov told his US counterpart that the Syrian authorities have been ready to provide free exit for surrounded militants in eastern Aleppo, but they refuse to stop hostilities under the influence of the leaders of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group, Xinhua news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying in a statement.

Kerry reassured Lavrov that the US is working with the opposition groups that have sabotaged the demand of the United Nations Security Council for an urgent start of intra-Syrian negotiations without preconditions, the Ministry added.

Earlier on Wednesday, a truce for evacuating rebels and their families from rebel-held areas in Aleppo failed, and both warring sides resumed fighting.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An elderly man, standing in a queue at a bank in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district to withdraw money for his medical treatment, collapsed and died on Wednesday, police said.

Kamla Vanshkar, 65, a farmer and resident of Gudar village, came with his son Mahendra to withdraw Rs 4,000 from the bank. Suddenly he felt dizzy and collapsed. He died later.

Kamla's son Mahendra told reporters that his father has been ill and they came to the bank to withdraw cash for his treatment.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bodo community members of Assam on Wednesday urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments at the Centre and in the state to stop making false promises on the separate statehood demand.

Over 5,000 Bodo community members here on Wednesday ended their three-day-long agitation demanding separate statehood.

"The political demand would remain unresolved even if the armed struggle is resolved from the point of law and order situation and recurrence of armed struggle will resume one day or other. Therefore, the attitude of the central government in regards to objective of the genesis of the armed struggle should change," said All Assam Student's Union (ABSU) President Pramod Bodo.

The agitation was organised under the banner of ABSU, National Democratic Front of Bodo (Progressive) and People Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement (PJACBM).

The three organisations -- which are the main force behind the Bodoland demand -- also said they would intensify their agitation through indefinite rail and road blockades in several parts of Assam and mass hunger strikes.

"The armed struggle germinated and flared up on the political issue. It is the political problem and should be resolved politically," Pramod Bodo said.

"There will be no permanent solution if the central government makes an attempt to resolve it as mere a law and order problem," he added.

On Tuesday, the protestors, who held a rally from Ramlila Maidan to Parliament Street in the national capital, also submitted a memorandum of demands to the Prime Minister's Office.

"The government created Telangana but now it has started rejecting all those reasons for creating new states just to deny many aspirants for new state," said a memorandum submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Office.

"The present NDA government is seen to be trying to befool the people by offering economic development as an option to solve political problem," the memorandum said.

The Bodo community also demanded the Prime Minister should ensure political rights of the Bodos living outside the proposed Bodoland area.

The Bodos -- Assam's largest tribal community -- currently have Bodo Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) comprising of Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Chirang in Assam.

Currently, two factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland -- NDFB(P) led by Gobinda Basumatary, and NDFB led by Ranjan Daimary -- are holding peace talks with the central government, while NDFB(S) led by Songibijit I.K. is opposed to holding talks with the government under the constitutional framework.

The Songibijit faction was responsible for the recent killing of 14 civilians in an attack in Assam's Kokrajhar in August this year, which also left 20 people injured.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that the jihadists who attacked Palmyra a few days ago came to the city with the support of the United States, or at least with its knowledge.

Al-Assad said that many of those terrorists came from al-Raqqa and Deir al-Zour either with American direct support or at least with their knowledge, and then they allowed Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to complete the mission by supporting and co-sponsoring the Islamic State, reports Efe.

"This is what is happening in Palmyra, the issue is not just related to Mosul," he added, referring to reports that the guerrillas came from Mosul after the US offensive here.

"The jihadist attack on Palmyra, with a large number of combatants who traveled with weapons that were previously not available, demonstrates the direct support," the Syrian President said.

Al-Assad accused US troops involved in operations against the IS in Mosul and al-Raqqa of allowing terrorists to leave those areas without any hindrance.

The Syrian leader also denounced that western countries for only caring about the civilian population when the offensives are of the government army, but not when people die from attacks by the terrorists.

"They do not worry when the opposite happens, when the terrorists are killing those civilians or attacking Palmyra and destroying the human heritage, not only the Syrian heritage," he said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
RAWLINS  A Wyoming man has pleaded not guilty in connection to the death of his infant child.

The Rawlins Daily Times reports that 32-year-old Pete Archuleta on Monday pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, child endangerment, and possession of a controlled substance.

The charges stem from the July 31 death of Archuleta's child. Police were called to a gas station for the report of a baby not breathing.

The infant had been in the care of its mother, Meagan Lubbers, and suffered breathing problems as a result of Lubbers' drug use during her pregnancy. Archuleta told police he found the baby face down on the ground and drove the child to the gas station to get help.

Lubbers pleaded guilty in November to involuntary manslaughter in connection to the death.
The Syrian government's capture of Aleppo reveals a once-happening Syrian city that now lies in ruins after almost five years under the control of anti-Bashar al-Assad rebels. Here's a look at the key events in the now-destroyed city since the commencement of the uprising.

In March 2011, protests erupted in Daraa city over the detention of youth accused of painting anti-government graffiti on the walls of their school. On March 18, security forces opened fire on protestors in the city, killing four people in what activists regard as the first deaths of the uprising.

Demonstrations spread, as did the crackdown by President Assad's forces, eventually igniting a full-scale civil war.

A year later, rebel fighters seized Aleppo. The intense fighting caused an estimated one million civilians to flee. Another half million were displaced in the first year of the conflict.

In October 2012, the UN negotiated a truce. The bitter fighting destroyed cultural and historic sites, including the Grand Umayyad mosque, which both sides fought to control.

In January 2013, bodies began washing up on the banks of Aleppo's Queiq River, in Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood. Human Rights Watch said the victims were most likely killed in government-controlled areas.

In April 2013, Aleppo's ancient Citadel, used by government forces as a base, came under rebel fire. The government targeted the Umayyad Mosque, suspecting rebels were using it as a base.

Rebels united against the Islamic State in January 2014, driving the extremists out of Aleppo. The regime forces exploited the fighting to push the rebels back.

Rebels tunnelled beneath a hotel used as a government command and control centre in May 2014. The government's barrel bomb campaign on eastern Aleppo intensified.

In March 2015, rebels blew up the Air Force building after digging a tunnel. The Army of Conquest, Jaish al-Fatah, which brought together rebels and Al Qaeda-linked fighters, seized Idlib city.

Russia launched airstrikes in October 2015, to bolster Assad's forces. Syrian troops also launched an offensive.

Iraqi, Lebanese and Iranian militias also threw their weight behind Assad, setting the stage for a wider offensive.

In July 2016, the government and allied forces imposed a full siege of the city, home to an estimated 250,000 people.

Rebels broke the siege for couple of weeks from the southern front, but it was re-imposed by August.

A cease-fire was negotiated by Russia and the US in September 2016, that held for few days. Later, an airstrike hit a humanitarian convoy.

Russia announced it suspended airstrikes on Aleppo in October 2016, and designated humanitarian corridors, urging the rebels and residents to leave. The rebels rejected the offer and the pro-Assad forces continued airstrikes, intensifying the air raids in November 2016.

Syrian troops and allied forces launched a major ground offensive. Rebel defences crumble and thousands flee.

Now, in December 2016, when a ceasefire deal has effectively ended the brutal battle for the city the Great Grand Umayyad Mosque, that once stood proudly in Aleppo -- and was enlisted as a Unesco Heritage Building, has been reduced to rubble.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A top commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Pakistani national Abu Bakar was killed by the security forces in north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Wednesday.

Police said following specific information about the presence of LeT north Kashmir chief Abu Bakar in a house in Bomai area of Sopore, security forces launched a massive operation.

"When the security forces closed in on the house where the LeT commander was hiding, they came under heavy gunfire, which was returned and the encounter started.

"Abu Bakar was killed in this encounter," a senior police officer said here.

"The security forces did not suffer any casualty in this operation. The house being used as a bunker by the hiding militant commander was damaged following heavy firing," he said.

Security forces described the killing of the LeT commander as a major success in the fight against militancy in the Valley.

Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of rumours, authorities have suspended mobile phone services in Sopore and some other parts of Baramulla district.

--IANS

sq/nir/bg

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The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the CIA disagree on the purpose of the alleged Russian involvement in the November 8 presidential election that resulted in Donald Trump winning the White House.

The CIA has concluded that Russia intervened to help Trump win the election, since Moscow launched cyberattacks on both the Republican and Democratic parties but only disclosed damaging information about the Democrats, EFE news reported.

The ODNI agrees with the CIA that the Kremlin was responsible for the hacking, but it concluded that the goal was not to help Trump, Fox News reported, citing government sources.

The FBI also concluded in late October that the main goal of the Russian hacking was "to distort" the US presidential campaign and not to assist Trump.

The CIA conclusions have created a controversy in Washington, with members of Congress, including some Republicans, preparing to investigate the matter.

Trump has said he does not believe Russia interfered in the electoral process to help him, adding that the CIA's theory has been "promoted" by Democrats "embarrassed" over their loss in the elections and unwilling to accept defeat.

The claim of Russian meddling arose following the publication by WikiLeaks of e-mails from the Democratic National Committee and from John Podesta, the chair of Democrat Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

The DNC communications showed that supposedly neutral body was anxious to ensure that Clinton defeated Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primaries.

The government and the Democrats said the e-mails were obtained through hacking carried out by groups aligned with Moscow, EFE news added.

President Barack Obama's administration announced last week that the intelligence agencies were in the process of putting together a report on the hacking to be submitted to Congress.

Ten members of the Electoral College sent an open letter to National Intelligence Director James Clapper asking for a briefing on the probe of alleged Russian interference.

Meanwhile, a close associate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said of the CIA assertions that "they are absolutely making it up".

Craig Murray, a former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan, told Britain's Guardian newspaper that WikiLeaks obtained the DNC e-mails via a leak, not a hack.

"I know who leaked them. I've met the person who leaked them, and they are certainly not Russian and it's an insider. It's a leak, not a hack. The two are different things," Murray said.

The Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), meanwhile, said in a memorandum that the allegations of Russian interference in the election were "sadly, evidence-free".

"This is no surprise, because harder evidence of a technical nature points to an inside leak, not hacking -- by Russians or anyone else," the group of former intelligence officials said.

VIPS said its goal was "to cut through (the) uninformed, largely partisan fog", surrounding the allegations of Russian involvement in the election.

"We have gone through the various claims about hacking. For us, it is child's play to dismiss them. The e-mail disclosures in question are the result of a leak, not a hack," VIPS said.

The group, whose members include former CIA, NSA and State Department intelligence officers, said the information was likely removed physically, using some kind of data storage hardware.

"All signs point to leaking, not hacking. If hacking were involved, the National Security Agency would know it -- and know both sender and recipient," VIPS said.

--IANS

lok/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Taking a dig at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday said whenever he speaks, his own party gets "exposed" and it "benefits" the BJP.

"Rahulji, we want you to speak in the Lok Sabha, because when you speak, the Congress gets exposed and we are benefited from that," Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.

Javadekar's remarks came soon after the Congress Vice President accused the government of not allowing him and other opposition leaders to speak in the Lok Sabha.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is himself involved in graft. He said he wanted to reveal this in Parliament, but was prevented by the ruling majority from speaking there.

Slamming Gandhi, Javadekar said: "He accuses Modiji of avoiding the house and the debate. But Rahulji, it is you who had remained traceless for 50 days, and not the Prime Minister."

The BJP leader also slammed the opposition parties for protesting the government's November 8 decision to demonetise the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes and said that even after losing power, they are still indulging in corruption.

"When they were in power, they were involved in corruption. All the corruption cases, whether its 2G scam, Commonwealth scam or coal scam -- all happened during their time."

"All these Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were involved (in those scams)," Javdekar alleged.

"And even now, when they are not in power, they are still involved in corruption -- they are now involved in converting black money into white," Javdekar said.

The BJP leader's remarks came a day after a TV channel in a series of stings revealed that many politicians in Delhi-NCR are allegedly laundering cash and converting black money into white at a hefty commission.

Local leaders of various parties, including the Congress, NCP, Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party, and the Janata Dal-United, were caught on camera at their party offices negotiating terms of black money conversion in the sting operations aired by India Today TV channel on Tuesday night.

"They (opposition leaders) are completely exposed now. The stings show they are demanding huge commission to convert black money into white," Javadekar said.

Taking a dig at the opposition parties, he said: "While we are busy in changing the face of the country, they are busy in changing notes."

"Now the people of the country have seen how black money was brought to their parties through the back doors of banks," he added.

Making light of the protest of opposition leaders against the demonetisation decision, Javadekar said: "Their protests (in the name of people's woes) are fake. They are protesting because it has hurt their businesses."

"They must apologise to the nation," he demanded.

The HRD Minister also lashed out at the opposition party leaders for stalling Parliament and accused them of escaping from the debate.

"Today Mallikarjun Kharge was asked to speak in the house, but he remained silent," the BJP leader said. "He remained silent because the Congress is not prepared for debate in the house."

--IANS

aks/bns/nir/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The fact that food eaten off newspaper packaging may be poisonous is known. But street vendors continue to use paper because they have little choice. Forcing them to switch to plastic is not a better option. Plastic is not only a greater health hazard but also causes problems in its disposal and is a peril to bovines foraging for food.


A West Bengal BJP worker has lodged a complaint against state Chief Minister for her statements against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian Army.

Police said that BJP worker Manav Sharma wanted to lodge the complaint at Jorasanko police station in central Kolkata but later emailed it to the city police commissioner following the advice of police officials.

His complaint said, "On December 1, Chief Minister had attacked Indian Army in an unprecedented manner. She maligned the image of Indian Army, wilfully with nefarious political motives, through uncorroborated allegations and baseless insinuations. She alleged that Indian Army was 'colluding and conspiring' against her government. It is a serious attempt to misinform public."

Angered by the deployment of army personnel at toll plazas on National Highways in the state, Banerjee on December 1 had accused the Modi government of imposing an undeclared Emergency.

The complaint further said, "On various occasions, Ms Banerjee denounced the post of Prime Minister of India with baseless insinuations and even threatened him with dire consequences. We, therefore, ask you to treat this complaint as FIR against her and take strictest legal actions."
Karnataka excise minister H.Y. Meti, who was under cloud over seeking sexual favours for transfer of a government official, resigned on Wednesday after chief minister ordered a probe over the scandal.

Meti, 71, who belongs to the Kuruba (Shepherd) community that of Siddaramaiah, was under pressure to quit after a lady government official accused him of seeking sexual favour for a job transfer.
As the Punjab assembly elections draw closer, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leadership are grappling with a host of political skirmishes -- both within and outside.

The party, which is the newest entrant on the Punjab political scene -- dominated largely by the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Congress over decades -- is facing as much a challenge from its own leaders and activists as it is facing from the two better-established parties.

Breakaway factions, leaders and even volunteers are making things difficult for the even though its leadership, mainly convener Arvind Kejriwal and senior leaders Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak, are still hopeful that the party will comfortably sail to power in Punjab.

The started the year 2016 on an upswing, especially in the first quarter. The poll surveys and the party's own political calculations gave it anything from 75 to over 100 seats in the 117-member assembly.

The ruling Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance, which has been in power in Punjab since 2007, and the Congress, were even feeling concerned at that time about the forward march of the .

But in the second half of this year, the Punjab AAP virtually started imploding.

The party, which has refused to project a chief ministerial face for the assembly polls even now -- giving credence to grapevine that Kejriwal himself wanted the job so that he could handle the central government and from a better pedestal than Delhi -- came to a situation that its Punjab convener and most visible face, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, was unceremoniously suspended from his post in August, which later led to his exit from the party.

Chhotepur, who nurtured the party right from the day of its conception in Punjab, was shown the door after the emergence of a video clip in which an AAP worker was shown giving money to him. Even before this, Chhotepur was being sidelined in Punjab affairs with Delhi leaders like Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak calling the shots.

As the episode unfolded, AAP leaders at the constituency and district level rebelled. Chhotepur, who accused the AAP central leadership of corruption in allotting tickets for various assembly seats, finally quit the party and formed a new political outfit -- the Apna Punjab Party (APP). Chhotepur, who was once an Akali leader, and his party have vowed to "expose" the AAP and its leadership.

The AAP appointed actor-comedian Gurpreet Ghuggi, with no political experience, as its state convener, in the place of Chhotepur.

With each passing day, the AAP is facing rebellions. The Ludhiana district unit leaders left the party after the AAP announced an alliance recently with former Awaaz-e-Punjab front founders, Balwinder Singh Bains and Simarjeet Singh Bains.

Two AAP MPs from Punjab, Dharamvira Gandhi and Harinder Khalsa, were suspended last August for questioning the AAP's leadership style. Gandhi, a cardiologist and known social worker, is the MP from Punjab's Patiala constituency, while Khalsa, a former diplomat, represents Fatehgarh Sahib in the Lok Sabha. Gandhi was also unceremoniously removed as the AAP leader in the Lok Sabha.

The AAP, which was rejected elsewhere in the country in the April-May 2014 general election, won four Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, the others being Sangrur and Faridkot.

Punjab is the first full-fledged state where the AAP is testing its political fortunes.

The Akali Dal-BJP alliance and the Congress too are now making it tough for the AAP. Kejriwal and other AAP leaders are accusing the Akalis and the Congress of helping each other to keep the AAP at bay.
A Chennai-based NGO, Telugu Yuva Sakshi on Wednesday filed a Public interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister and recovery of all medical documents.

The petitioner has alleged that suspicious poisoning was cause for her death, adding that all her wealth transactions should be stopped till the conclusion of the case.

The petition was mentioned by the NGO, in the division bench of the apex xourt headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur.

Earlier, expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa said the people want to know whether Jayalalithaa was alive or not when she was undergoing treatment in Chennai's Apollo Hospital.

Alleging foul play, Pushpa said, "I suspect there might be some foul play... Nobody has visited her for the last two months. So what is going on there? There seems to be some secret there."

Meanwhile, Jayalalithaa's relatives re-performed her last rites at Paschima Vahini on the banks of Cauvery River in the holy town of Srirangapatna on Tuesday.

They expressed apprehension that her soul would not attain 'moksha' (emancipation from the cycle of death and birth) because she was buried instead of being cremated as per strict Hindu customs.
A total of 146 terrorists have been killed in 97 incidents of encounter between militants and the Indian security force in Jammu and Kashmir this year.

Sixty security force personnel were killed in such encounters, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Hansraj G Ahir said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

In 97 incidents of encounters in Jammu and Kashmir this year (till December 2), 146 terrorists were killed, 76 terrorists or suspects arrested, while 60 security force personnel were killed and 104 others injured, he said.

In 2015, 102 terrorists were killed and 67 arrested while 39 security personnel were killed and 58 injured in such encounters. In 2014, a total of 107 terrorists were killed and 70 arrested while 26 jawans were killed and 20 injured, the minister said.

In reply to another question, Ahir said a total of 13 fidayeen attacks have taken place on security forces between May 2014 and December 2016, in which 58 security personnel were killed.

Giving more details, Ahir said, seven fidayeen attacks have taken place till December 13 this year, in which 39 security personnel have been killed.

While in 2015, four such attacks took place, in which five jawans were killed, and in 2014, there were two such attacks and 14 security personnel sacrificed their lives in them.

The MoS said there had been six incidents of attack on military establishment in Jammu and Kashmir between November 2014 and 2016, in which 22 terrorists were killed.

"Four terrorists were killed in an attack on Kathar Army camp and six in Mahora in Uri in 2014, while in two separate attacks on Army camps in 2015, two militants were killed in Samba and three in Tangdhar. Four militants were killed in an attack on Uri army camp while three in Nagrota camp," he said.

Ahir said there has been a spurt in infiltration bids by the militants from the Pakistan side in Jammu and Kashmir.

"This year, till October, there had been 276 bids in which 109 militants successfully managed to enter India. Out of them, 29 militants were killed, 138 returned to Pakistan and two were arrested," he said.

In 2015, 33 militants entered the Indian side in 121 infiltration attempts, 46 were killed, 41 returned and one arrested or surrendered. In 2014, 222 attempts were made in which 65 militants managed to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir, out of them 46 were killed and 105 returned to the other side of the border, the minister added.
The police control room in the national capital gets on an average 18 distress calls in one minute and the rate of such calls not being attended to or abandoned by the caller is barely one per cent.

This was stated by Minister of State for Home Hansraj G Ahir in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

"Delhi Police helpline number receives on an average 24,539 distress calls per day (24 hours). Apart from this, due to call rush, there are 321 abandoned (unanswered) calls per day on an average which gets dropped in the switch and cannot be answered by the call-taker," Ahir said.

There is a surge of distress calls at the Delhi Police Helpline no. 100 during the peak hours -- between 7 PM and 11 PM -- due to which some calls get placed in queue and some of them are also abandoned by the callers, he said, adding that Delhi Police has established a dedicated help desk in the Central Police Control Room to call back to those whose calls were abandoned.

Apart from this, regular briefing and close supervision of call-takers or operators are undertaken by the Delhi Police to ensure that minimum time is consumed in attending to the distress calls so as to reduce the number of calls in queue, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Drug firm Aurobindo Pharma today said two people died and one was seriously injured in a fire incident on Monday at its Srikakulam facility in Andhra Pradesh.

A flash fire incident occurred on December 12, 2016 in the



company's active pharmaceutical ingredients unit, located at Pydibhimavaram, Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh in which two people died and one critically injured, Aurobindo Pharma said in a filing to BSE.

"There is no material impact on the operations of the company," it added.

Aurobindo Pharma stock closed 2.04 per cent down at Rs 703.55 on BSE.

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A 18-year-old Pakistani student has succumbed to his wounds received in the deadly 2014 militant attack on the Army Public School here, three days before the country marks the second anniversary of the massacre that claimed over 150 lives.

Irshad Hussain was being treated at a hospital in Rawalpindi for the bullet wounds he received in the attack. He had been shot in neck and back, leading to critical injuries, The Nation reported.

Hussain was suffering from mental trauma caused by the horrific attack, according to family.

On Decemebr 16, 2014, over 150 people, nearly all of them school children, were massacred when heavily armed Taliban suicide bombers stormed a Pakistan army-run school here, firing indiscriminately, leaving another 130 injured.

The deadly attack shocked the entire nation, prompting the government to launch a national action plan (NAP) to root out the scourge of terrorism and extremism once and for all.

The country also decided to put an end to capital punishment, sending scores of convicts to gallows.

The government and opposition parties agreed to set up military courts for trial of hardcore terrorists to expedite campaign against foreign and local militants.

Six months before the APS attack, Pakistan had launched 'Operation Zarb-e-Azb' in North Waziristan, killing hundreds of militants in aerial strikes and a major ground offensive.

The North Waziristan operation was launched after militants targeted Karachi's Jinnah International Airport in a speculator attack that saw over two dozen people killed in June 2014.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a major flip flop, the Home Ministry today cancelled renewal of FCRA licence of Greenpeace India and two NGOs run by activist Teesta Setalvad, three months after "inadvertently" allowing their registration for five more years.

Renewal of FCRA licence of Greenpeace India, Teesta's NGOs Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace stands cancelled with immediate effect, a Home Ministry official said.

The Ministry also ordered review of recent renewal of FCRA registration of 13,000 NGOs to look into the possible goof ups of existing rules.

The Home Ministry also ordered a probe by the Computer Emergency Response Team-India to ascertain whether there was hacking of government software systems as there have been several instances where licences of NGOs under scrutiny were renewed automatically.

Government ordered that applications of all "red-flagged NGOs will have to be vetted by Joint Secretary handling Home Ministry's Foreigners Division.

Orders, generated online, renewing FCRA licence of Greenpeace India, Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace stand "null and void" and the licence to these NGOs stands cancelled and they cannot receive foreign funds, the official said.

Registration of these three NGOs was renewed for five years in September.

While licence of Greenpeace India, Sabrang Trust were cancelled by the government in the past, Citizens for Justice and Peace was put in prior permission category, thus preventing it to receive foreign funds without government permission.

The Home Ministry had seen embarrassing moments two months ago when similar lapses were witnessed in "automatic renewal" of licence of Zakir Naik-run NGO -- Islamic Research Foundation -- leading to suspension of four officials including a Joint Secretary.

Licence of IRF was later cancelled by the government permanently after declaring it as a terror outfit.

The three NGOs were accused of "prejudicial affecting public interest" of the country and alleged violation of various provisions of FCRA.

(Reopens DEL 73)



The registration of Citizen for Justice and Peace (CJP), run by Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand, under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, was renewed despite it being under the prior permission category.

Those NGOs, which are under prior permission category, have to take permission from the government before receiving foreign donations.

CJP was under the scanner of Home Ministry for alleged misuse of grants to survivors of 2002 Gujarat riots following which it was put under the prior permission category by Home Ministry in July last year.

Teesta is secretary of CJP and her two other NGOs - Sabrang Trust and Sabrang Communications and Publishing Pvt Ltd - are already under investigations by the CBI and Gujarat Police.

While Sabrang Trust's FCRA licence was cancelled by the Home Ministry in June, Sabrang Communication is facing a CBI probe for receiving and allegedly misutilising funds from Ford Foundation.

Setalvad had denied all allegations while the Home Ministry has been maintaining it had inspected the accounts of CJP following a request from the Gujarat government last year.
Five persons, including three college students, were killed in separate road mishaps in Punjab and Haryana due to poor visibility as dense fog shrouded parts of the two states affecting normal life.

Four students of a private university near Jalandhar were travelling in a car to catch a train from Phagwara railway station when it was hit by a heavy vehicle on the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway, police said.

Three students were killed, while another was seriously injured in the accident. They all hailed from Hyderabad and Telangana and were in the 20-21 age group.

The injured student was admitted to a government hospital, a Punjab Police official said.

Two employees of a private company were killed and three injured in a jeep-truck collision today near Dhoki village in Haryana's Rewari district, Superintendent of Police, Rewari, Sangeeta Kalia said.

"The accident took place early today when the visibility was low due to fog," she said.

The weatherman said fog reduced visibility at many places including Chandigarh, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Karnal, Panipat, Gurugram and Faridabad and affected rail, road and air traffic in the region.

Several trains were reported running late due to poor visibility.

Chandigarh recorded a low of 9.9 degrees Celsius, Ambala 11.6 degrees, Karnal 10.2 degrees and Hisar 10.3 degrees Celsius, the MeT department said.

Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala in Punjab registered respective minimum temperatures of 6.8, 10.4 and 11.4 degrees Celsius.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
All the 41 pilgrims aboard a boat that got stuck in the shallow waters near Aliya Bet in Bharuch district about 100 kms from Vadodara last evening were rescued after a nine hour long operation in the wee hours of today, a senior district official said.

"Boat carrying pilgrims from MP, Maharashtra and Gujarat stuck at a place where Narmada river meets the Arabian Sea near Hansot in Bharuch district at around 6 PM yesterday. It was going from Vamleswar to Jageswar (religious places on the way of Narmada Parikrama)," Bharuch District Collector S Sagaale told PTI.

The official added that all the pilgrims were rescued by 3 AM today. "The boat stuck in shallow waters after the rotator of the boat got damaged. The administration pressed 9 boats into service to rescue the pilgrims. However, these boats were unable to reach near the stuck boat due to shallow waters," said Sagaale.

The local population too helped in this rescue operation, he said, adding, fire fighters from Vadodara and one team of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) too were summoned for the rescue operations.

"The teams were able to pull out the pilgrims only during the high tide at around 3 AM," said the Collector.

These rescued pilgrims were later taken to an Ashram (place for stay of pilgrims) at Lovara near Aliya bet.

The pilgrims will begin the parikrama later today, said Sagaale.

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Six persons were injured in a scuffle between Sai baba devotees and security staff at the Shirdi temple in Ahmednagar district today, police said.

The scuffle ensued after security personnel objected to some devotees, part of a Sai palkhi procession, sitting atop barricades, police said.

No police complaint has been lodged, Shirdi police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Seven persons were killed and as many injured in a road accident when the vehicle in which they were travelling hit a tree near Harsan Mod, 18 km from Palamau district headquarters, police said today.

The incident took place last night when the driver lost control over the vehicle and rammed it into a tree, SP Indrajeet Mahatha said.

The victims were going to Lesligunj from Manjholi village in Rohtas district of Bihar to attend a wedding.

Four persons were killed on the spot while 10 others suffered injuries. Out of those, three were critically injured, Mahatha said, adding the injured were taken to Sadar Hospital in Medininagar.

One of the critically injured and two others died this morning, he said.

The rest two critically injured were rushed to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, the SP said.

All the victims were residents of Manjholi village of Rohtas district and were coming to Lesligunj to take part in a marriage ceremony.

The vehicle was badly damaged and a gas cutter was used to to get the victims out of the vehicle.

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A 29-year-old Bismarck man accused of a serious stabbing near the King Koin Laundromat in east Bismarck was sentenced Tuesday to serve eight years in the state penitentiary.

Nigel Wakefield, charged with attempted murder, admitted in court to stabbing a 21-year-old man in the neck on Feb. 1. But he maintains he acted in self-defense and did not intend to kill the man.

South Central District Judge James Hill rejected the self-defense claim. He took up the recommendation of the prosecutor in sentencing him to 20 years with all but eight years suspended for a period of five years on supervised probation. Attempted murder is subject to 85 percent rules, meaning he will serve nearly seven years before he sees a parole board. He's also required to undergo any mental health evaluations and treatment.

In court Tuesday, Burleigh County Assistant State's Attorney said the incident began after Mike Walsh, owner of the laundromat, threw Wakefield out of the business for acting "scary." Wakefield walked out with another man, whom he stabbed in the neck shortly thereafter.

The victim underwent surgery for the injury and was "lucky to be alive," Spahr said.

Wakefield's attorney, Kyle Melia, argued that the defendant acted in self-defense after the victim threatened him. He suggested Wakefield should only have to serve four years.

"I had no intention to harm," Wakefield said. "He approached me."

However, Spahr said there was no evidence to back up the self-defense claim beyond Wakefield's statements.

Spahr also noted Wakefield's criminal history, which includes aggravated assault and burglary charges from North Dakota and Michigan. He is serving time at the state penitentiary for assaulting a correctional officer while in jail pending the attempted murder charge.

Walsh, who witnessed the stabbing and later helped stop the victim's bleeding, said in a phone interview Tuesday evening that he believes Wakefield intended to kill.

"It was within a half a millimeter, that's how close to death that the person was," Walsh said. "I have no way of knowing whether he learned his lesson."
After Rajasthan, Airtel Payments Bank today announced the roll out of its pilot services in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

"We are pleased to roll out our pilot services in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and look forward to serving customers and contributing the financial inclusion vision of the two states," Airtel Payments Bank MD and CEO Shashi Arora said here.

He said they have received an extremely positive response from customers in Rajasthan and would like to replicate the same in AP and Telangana before launching their services nationally.

In the pilot roll out in Rajasthan, over 100,000 customers opened savings accounts in less than two weeks of commencement of services, the Airtel Payments Bank said in a release.

"Airtel Payments Bank offers basic banking services to customers by leveraging Airtel's vast retail network and taking basic banking services to the doorstep of customers via neighbourhood Airtel retailers.

"Airtel Payments Bank is rolling out pilot services across 8,000 Airtel retail outlets in Andhra Pradesh and 7,000 outlets in Telangana, which also acts as banking points. 70 per cent of these banking points are in rural areas, thereby driving financial inclusion and reaching unbanked or under-banked areas," it said.

Customers would now be able to open bank accounts at any of the designated Airtel retail outlets "and enjoy a host of convenient banking services."



Airtel Payments Bank is a fully digital and paperless bank, where customers can access services over their mobile phones, including all feature or basic mobile phones, it said.

Airtel Payments Bank plans to develop a nationwide merchant ecosystem of over three million partners that include small kirana stores, small shops and restaurants. These merchant partners would accept digital payments for goods and services from Airtel Payments Bank customers over mobile phones, the release said.

Airtel Payments Bank would not charge any processing fee from merchants and the facility would be totally free for the customers as well as the merchants.

"This is a step towards making India a cashless economy with more and more digital transactions at merchant locations," the release said.

On April 11, 2016, Airtel Payments Bank became the first entity in country to receive a payments bank license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

It intends to bring banking services to the doorstep of every citizen of the country. It plans to leverage Bharti Airtel's extensive national distribution network of over 1.5 million retail outlets, with deep penetration in rural areas. Airtel Payments Bank's product portfolio includes payment banking services and semi-closed mobile wallet services (Airtel Money), the release added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After Rajasthan, Airtel Payments Bank has now rolled out pilot services in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

"In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Airtel Payments Bank is rolling out pilot services across 8,000 Airtel retail outlets in Andhra Pradesh and 7,000 outlets in Telangana, which also acts as banking points," it said in a statement.

This follows the pilot rollout in Rajasthan, where over 1 lakh customers opened savings accounts in less than two weeks of commencement of services, it added.

Airtel Payments Bank is the first payments bank in India to go live.

Customers opening a savings account with Airtel Payments Bank will get one minute of Airtel mobile talk time for every rupee deposited.

For example, if a customer opens an account with a deposit of Rs 500, then he/she will get 500 minutes of free talk time for calls to anywhere in India on his/her Airtel mobile number.

"We are pleased to rollout our pilot services in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and look forward to serving customers and contributing the financial inclusion vision of the two states," Airtel Payments Bank MD and CEO Shashi Arora said.

Airtel Payments Bank plans to develop a nationwide merchant ecosystem of over three million partners that will include small kirana stores, small shops and restaurants.

These merchant partners will accept digital payments for goods and services from Airtel Payments Bank customers over mobile phones.

Airtel Payments Bank said it will not charge any processing fee from merchants and this facility would be free for customers as well as merchants.

With the objective of deepening financial inclusion, RBI kicked off an era of differentiated banking with SFB (small finance bank) and PB (payments bank), and 21 entities, including 11 for payments bank, were given in-principle nod last year.

Later, three entities -- Tech Mahindra, Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company and a consortium of Dilip Shanghvi, IDFC Bank and Telenor Financial Services -- backed out of the payments bank licensing.

Payments banks can accept deposits from individuals and small businesses up to a maximum of Rs 1 lakh per account.

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Rejecting as "baseless" the allegations levelled by Rahul Gandhi against the Prime Minister, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar today said they were made out of "desperation" and asked the Congress Vice President to apologise.

He also said that opposition parties were not ready for a debate in Parliament and dismissed their charge that the government was not allowing the House to function.

On Rahul's accusation against the Prime Minister, Kumar said, "Had he any information, he would have said it by now. It is a baseless allegation. He is saying this out of frustration. Today they are saying they are not being allowed to speak. It is wrong because everyday Congress members are coming to the well of the House. Now they are making trying to spread rumour and baseless allegations."



The Congress Vice President has alleged that he has detailed information about "personal corruption" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which he wants to present in Lok Sabha but is not being allowed to do so by the PM.

Kumar said, "Rahul Gandhi and his party MPs and other Opposition parties are holding up Parliament for the last 20 days. BJP-led NDA has very clearly said that it ready for debate on the crusade against the black money initiated by Prime Minister Modi."



On opposition's charge that the government was not allowing the House to function, he said, "I want to ask Rahul Gandhi where he was hiding all these days. Parliament has started since November 16. Everyday we used to ask Congress, TMC, Left to debate. But they were taking up rules and regulations, technicalities and were not ready to debate."



Referring to a sting operation shown in a channel purportedly showing currency note exchanges allegedly in AICC headquarters, Kumar said, "We are ready for debate. Yesterday, a channel had shown what happened in AICC headquarters. Congress has been exposed as it has happened in the party headquarters.That is why he is saying this out of frustration. After the expose, he should apologise to the nation."



Taking on Congress, he further said, "Those who had blocked the functioning of the House are making allegations. It is really shameful that Congress is behaving like this."



Asked comment on Rahul's allegation, Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said, "Who has stopped them in all these days. First let the allegations come what is the point talking meaningless like that.

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Actor Amit Sadh has learnt how to operate a rifle from noted Indian shooter Gagan Narang, for his role in Tigmanshu Dhulia's film.

To make the rifle shooting scene appear realistic in Dhulia's next film, Amit sought help from his friend Gagan Narang, who won the bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics' air rifle event.

"Gagan Narang is one of my closest friends and he is my mentor. I'm glad he agreed to be my mentor and help me out with shooting. I was good at shooting," Amit said in a statement here.

"I did the combined annual training camp for NCC and it was an interesting experience. In the context of my character, I am a pistol-shooter," he said.

The "Kai Po Che" actor also plans to attend shooting tournaments to practice at the actual shooting ranges.

"I am attending a tournament in Pune from December 12 and spending time at the shooting range," he added.

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Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand had to settle for a draw with British number one Michael Adams in the fourth round of the London Chess Classic here.

The tide could have turned differently but it was a difficult chance that Anand missed in his calculation. However, the second draw in four games has kept the Indian ace in contention.

American Hikaru Nakamura continued to be in top gear after a first round debacle and grinded down Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria in what was again the only decisive game of the day. During the only decisive game of the third round, Nakamura had beaten Anand.

The peaceful results on other boards helped tour and tournament leader Wesley So of United States cement his place at the top of the table with three points out of a possible four. Fabiano Caruana of United States, Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, Levon Aronian of Armenia and Nakamura now share the second spot with 2.5 points apiece while Anand slipped to joint sixth spot with two points along side Anish Giri of Holland.

It would have been a perfect game but for one moment when Anand could not spot what most of the humans would have missed. The computer suggested an ingenious resource for white in a cramped position that Anand overruled in his on-board analysis and that was the end of speculation for the chess pundits.

For the records Anand enjoyed a minimal advantage out of the opening with his white pieces and eventually settled for a pawn plus endgame.

However, Adams had his counter play in place and the end result was just a level position.

Nakamura seems to be picking up right after the first round when he lost to Wesley. The American was in all-in mode as he went after Topalov's queen and won it at the cost of two pieces. Topalov had his chances for survival but was a tad slow in picking up the best moves that suited Nakamura perfectly.

With his second win, Nakamura is the one who is likely to go after Wesley.

Like Anand, Kramnik also missed out on an opportunity to go in lead as he failed to convert his extra pawn in an endgame against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France.

It was a tense affair after an irregular opening that gave Kramnik some chances and the Russian could have done better than the end result.

In other games of the day, Wesley So played out a draw with Anish Giri while Fabiano Caruana signed peace with Aronian.

Results, Round 4: V Anand (Ind, 2) drew with Michael Adams (Eng, 1); Anish Giri (Ned, 2) drew with Wesley So (Usa, 3); Veselin Topalov (Bul, 0.5) lost to Hikaru Nakamura; Vladimir Kramnik (Rus, 2.5) drew with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 1.5); Fabiano Caruana (Usa, 2.5) drew with Levon Aronian (Arm, 2.5).

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The Antarctic Ice Sheet plays a major role in regional and global climate variability, a discovery that may help explain why sea ice in the southern hemisphere has been increasing despite the warming of the rest of the Earth, scientists say.

Global climate models that look at the last several thousand years have failed to account for the amount of climate variability captured in the paleoclimate record, said researchers from Oregon State University (OSU) in the US.

Their hypothesis was that climate modelers were overlooking one crucial element in the overall climate system - an aspect of the ocean, atmosphere, biosphere or ice sheets - that might affect all parts of the system.

"One thing we determined right off the bat was that virtually all of the climate models had the Antarctic Ice Sheet as a constant entity," said Pepijn Bakker, former post-doctoral researcher at OSU.

"What we discovered, however, is that the ice sheet has undergone numerous pulses of variability that have had a cascading effect on the entire climate system," said Bakker, who is now at the University of Bremen in Germany.

The Antarctic Ice Sheet has demonstrated dynamic behaviour over the past 8,000 years, according to Andreas Schmittner, a climate scientist in OSU.

"There is a natural variability in the deeper part of the ocean adjacent to the Antarctic Ice Sheet - similar to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or El Nino/La Nina but on a time scale of centuries - that causes small but significant changes in temperatures," Schmittner said.

"When the ocean temperatures warm, it causes more direct melting of the ice sheet below the surface, and it increases the number of icebergs that calve off the ice sheet," he said.

Those two factors combine to provide an influx of fresh water into the Southern Ocean during these warm regimes, according to Peter Clark, from OSU.

"The introduction of that cold, fresh water lessens the salinity and cools the surface temperatures, at the same time, stratifying the layers of water," Clark said.

"The cold, fresh water freezes more easily, creating additional sea ice despite warmer temperatures that are down hundreds of meters below the surface," he said.

The discovery may help explain why sea ice has expanded in the Southern Ocean despite global warming.

The same phenomenon does not occur in the Northern Hemisphere with the Greenland Ice Sheet because it is more landlocked and not subject to the same current shifts that affect the Antarctic Ice Sheet.

"One message that comes out of this study is that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is very sensitive to small changes in ocean temperatures, and humans are making the Earth a lot warmer than it has been," Bakker said.

The researchers analysed sediments from the last 8,000 years, which showed evidence that many more icebergs calved off the ice sheet in some centuries than in others.

The study appears in the journal Nature.

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A female would-be suicide bomber arrested last week one day before her planned attack in Indonesia's capital said she took orders from Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian with the Islamic State group in Syria accused of orchestrating several attacks in the past year.

Dian Yulia Novi and her husband Nur Solihin were among four suspected militants arrested Saturday after police detected their plot to bomb a guard-changing ceremony at the presidential palace.

A neighborhood on the outskirts of Jakarta was evacuated after a bomb was found.

Police suspect the four were part of a militant network responsible for a bomb-making lab in West Java province that was operating under the direction of Naim.

Novi, a former migrant worker in Singapore and Taiwan, said in a TVOne interview broadcast Wednesday that she learned about jihad on social media such as Facebook.

She said she was influenced by articles from an Islamic website on upholding monotheism and defending the caliphate and Aman Abdurrahman, a radical cleric serving a nine-year prison sentence in Indonesia.

The active involvement of a woman in the plot is a new development for violent radicalism in socially conservative Indonesia, where women married to or associated with militants have typically stayed in the background.

The 3-kilogram bomb that Novi was to detonate would have exploded as crowds of people gathered to watch the presidential guard changing ceremony, a popular family attraction in Jakarta. In the interview, she revealed a chilling disregard for her fellow Indonesians.

"The target is not ordinary people, not hawkers, not babies. The target is the enforcers of man-made laws," Novi said.

Naim "himself has explained that there are spectators," she said. "I would mingle with them ... Then I would run toward the presidential guard and explode myself. That will be far from the spectators so they would not be hit directly."



Naim has been linked by police to several attacks in Indonesia this year including a January attack in Jakarta that killed eight people including the attackers.

Muslim-majority Indonesia has carried out a sustained crackdown on militants since the 2002 bombings on the tourist island of Bali by al-Qaida-affiliated radicals that killed 202 people.

But a new threat has emerged in the past several years from IS sympathisers. Several hundred Indonesians have travelled to Syria to join IS.

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The Patna police today arrested the killer of a security guard inside an ATM during an abortive bid to loot cash from Mauryalok shopping complex near Dakbungalow roundabout, in the heart of the state capital late on Friday night.

Following a lead provided by the damaged CCTV near the crime site, the police arrested the killer Subhamam Kumar, a resident of Shiv mandir Golghar under Buddha colony police station, a statement from Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manu Maharaj's office, said.

The police also recovered the sword used in the killing of the ATM guard.

The guard deputed at the ATM located in Mauryalok shopping complex was identified as Kundan Kumar.

The miscreant, however, was not successful in his attempt to loot cash from the ATM, the SSP said adding, in the process the guard was killed by a sharp weapon when he tried to resist the loot bid.

The accused confessed to the police that he tried to loot the ATM for want of cash, the statement added.

In the wake of incident, the SSP had relieved Avinash Kumar from the post of Kotwali police station SHO.

Ramshanker Singh would replace Avinash Kumar as the new SHO of Kotwali police station.

The statement said the police would make efforts for early prosecution of the accused through a speedy trial, the statement added.

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Pakistan's newly appointed army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa is quickly moving to tighten his grip over the country's powerful institution by appointing his close aides to key positions, a media report said.

General Bajwa, 57, is "quickly moving to stamp his own identity on the Pakistan Army by carrying out a major reshuffle days after taking over from Gen Raheel Sharif," The International said.

"The most significant change was the replacement of ISI chief Lt-Gen Rizwan Akhtar by Lt-Gen Naveed Mukhtar," it said, adding among other key transfers is that of Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa, who has been moved from ISPR and will now be the Arms IG.

The paper pointed out that there are also new corps commanders in Bahawalpur and Peshawar and the DG Rangers, Lt-Gen Bilal Akbar, has been appointed chief of general staff.

The ISI DG and the chief of general staff - the two most important positions in the army after the army chief - have been filled by men who were serving in Karachi.

Both the officers worked together in Karachi and so should find it easier to cooperate with each other in Rawalpindi, the paper said.

"All these transfers show that Gen Qamar Bajwa is keen to mould the army in his own image," it said.

"The army chief himself is considered to be easygoing and quick with a one-liner but the speed with which he has moved shows that he will be a man of action," it added.

Noting that Mukhtar was previously heading the counter- terrorism wing of ISI, the paper said his appointment as the spy agency chief "signals that India and Afghanistan will be a priority of the new army chief."



While studying at the US Army War College five years ago, Mukhtar wrote a paper on Pakistan's policy in Afghanistan and recommended reconciliation with "moderate" Taliban, it added.

"Mukhtar's warning in his paper that Pakistan would need to guard against India using Afghanistan as a proxy also seems to be coming to pass," it added.

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Bangladesh today paid homage to the intellectuals martyred in the 1971 liberation war as President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led thousands in paying their respects in the capital.

Army bugles played the 'Last Post' as Hamid and Hasina stood in solemn silence in a state ceremony at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial here.

Pakistani troops and their Bengali-speaking Razakar collaborators and other auxiliary forces massacred several members of the pro-independence intelligentsia including physicians, professors, writers and teachers, throughout the nine-month war that is said to have killed over a million people.

Just two days ahead of the final victory over invading Pakistani forces on December 14, 1971, the infamous Gestapo-like Al-Badr and Al-Shams militias carried out a systematic campaign to murder well-regarded academics and professionals.

The then Bangladesh government and victorious freedom fighters, however, came to know about the brutal massacre only after the December 16, 1971 surrender by Pakistani troops when their top accomplices of the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing went into hiding and resurfaced years later.

The nation observed the day this year even as most of the top perpetrators have been hanged in the past three years on charges of crimes against humanity during the war.

A memorial erected in memory of the martyred intellectuals at Mirpur area in the capital was readied as President Hamid and Prime Minister Hasina offered tributes by placing wreaths there.

A report of the then American Press Corps narrated the gruesome killings of Bengali intellectuals that had taken place at the fag end of the war.

"At least 125 persons, believed to be physicians, professors, writers and teachers, were found murdered today in a field outside Dacca," the report said.

The report, sent from Dhaka to Washington on December 18, 1971, was carried by the New York Times the next day.

According to the report, all the victims' hands were tied behind their backs and they had been bayoneted, garroted or shot.

The report said the victims were among an estimated 300 Bengali intellectuals, who had been seized by Pakistani soldiers and their locally recruited supporters.

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A company holding a permit for a wind energy project in McHenry County that hasn't yet been constructed will need to meet early next year with state regulators to get a renewal.

Wilmington, Del.-based Meadowlark Wind I LLC was given North Dakota Public Service Commission approval in 2012 for the construction of up to 63 wind turbines to generate about 102 megawatts of power in southwestern McHenry County.

Members of the public wanting a formal hearing can request one through the PSC by Jan. 31. Commissioner Brian Kalk said, if no formal hearing is requested, an informal hearing can be scheduled sometime in February or later.

"They should re-state their case," said Kalk, adding that much has changed in the time since the permit was issued. "(There's) a lot more public awareness of wind than there was four years ago."

Commission members said, whichever type of hearing is held, they expect updates to the project due to the lapse in time as well as changes in industry practices, such as size and placement of turbines.
Following a lower court order and rejection of bail plea by the Bombay High Court, former Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal was sent back to Arthur Road jail here from a government hospital.

Bhujbal was sent to the Arthur Road Jail late tonight, said Dr T P Lahane, Dean of the J J Hospital.

The Bombay High Court today dismissed the NCP leader's plea seeking bail and challenging arrest under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). While the special PMLA court directed that he be shifted from hospital to Arthur Road jail.

The jail authorities had told the PMLA court that Bhujbal, 69, had refused to undergo angiography thrice, and his continued stay in the hospital would serve no purpose.

High Court, which rejected Bhujbal's bail plea, observed that he had failed to show that his arrest is wholly illegal, null and void.

Bhujbal had sought bail on medical grounds. He also said that his arrest by Enforcement Directorate (ED) was not as per the procedures established by law.

Bhujbal, whose stay at the private-run Bombay Hospital here since November 2 prompted criticism that he was receiving preferential treatment, was discharged from there on December 8 and sent back to the government-run J J Hospital.

An intervention application filed by activist Anjali Damania had said it was "sheer negligence of duty" by J J Hospital and Arthur Road jail that Bhujbal was in Bombay Hospital since November 2.

On October 27, special judge P R Bhavake had allowed Bhujbal to be taken to a private hospital after he was told that a Thallium scan, one of the three tests recommended for Bhujbal, was not available at the government hospital.

On October 28, prison authorities took Bhujbal to government-run J J Hospital for the other two tests. He was then transferred to Bombay Hospital.

Bhujbal was arrested on March 14 by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Maharashtra Sadan scam and Kalina land case in which he and his relatives were alleged to have received kickbacks. He was PWD Minister in the Congress-NCP government.

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A bill seeking to transfer certain communities from the list of Scheduled Castes (SC) to Scheduled Tribes (ST) and include new communities in the ST list was introduced in the Lok Sabha today.

The Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2016 seeks to transfer 'Bhogta' community of Jharkhand from the list of SCs to the STs list.

The Bill, introduced by Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram amid din over the note ban issue, also seeks to include certain more communities in the list of STs relating to Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Tripura.

The government keeps amending the lists originally notified in 1950 based on requests made by various state governments.

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Renowned British theatre director Daniele Bye, whose play "Going Viral" got a standing ovation in Delhi and Kolkata, describes himself as a writer-performer, or to be more precise a practitioner of story telling cum acting, a genre which is not very familiar in India.

"Here it is relatively less known and less recognized. But in the UK there is a whole lot of people who are called writer-performers," Daniele told PTI prior to his performance organised by the British Council here last Sunday.

Daniele says he is aware of India having a rich tradition of story-telling, but here, he points out, the influence of folk story is predominant.

"In India, solo art performances are very different, largely drawing on folk tales over the years and which needs to be tapped by visiting story-tellers from other lands like me. I believe in direct and permanent connection between the performer and the audience.

"The English audience is more reserved and it tends to be smaller in size too. In Kolkata, people are seen reacting more to certain situations of my new work 'Going Viral' than in my homeland," Danielle, whose presentation got rave reviews in the prestigious Edinburgh festival, says.

His next solo production Safe House was again a social satire to be first staged in next August.

In "Going Viral", which won the Scotsman Fringe First Award in 2015, the artiste is explaining how "our connected world makes us all the more vulnerable and all the more human."



The play has earlier been staged in Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Pune, Mumbai and Bengaluru as part of 30-city tour.

He regrets that he could not take his work to the semi-urban, rural audience for whom story-telling art solely means narration of traditional folk tales.

"I believe with the merger between the modern story-telling craft in England, which is being practised by him and others like Chris God, and typical Indian traditional story-telling which thrives among villagers - we can reach out to more people in India," he signed off.

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The Cabinet was today apprised of a pact signed between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) for cooperation in the exchange and use of US Land Remote Sensing Satellite Data.

The Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed on July 9, 2016 at Bengaluru will enable ISRO to receive USGS's Landsat-7 and 8 in India and USGS to receive the Indian space agency's Resourcesat-2 (AWiFS and LISS III) data of American region.

ISRO is actively pursuing civilian space cooperation with many US organisations, including National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and USGS.

Data from Landsat series of satellites operated by USGS was used by Indian scientists during the inception of the indigenous remote sensing programme.

ISRO received Landsat data during 1984 to 2001 through its ground station at Shadnagar. USGS has launched Landsat -8 satellite in February 2013.

ISRO expressed interest in direct reception of the Landsat-8 data in India, while USGS expressed interest in obtaining data from ISRO's Resourcesat-2 satellite.

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The Cabinet today approved the protocol amending the agreement between India and Tajikistan for avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.

The protocol, after it enters into force, will enable sharing of information exchanged under Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with other law enforcement agencies for non tax purposes.

The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official statement said.

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The Union Cabinet today approved signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Kyrgyzstan for strengthening cooperation in the field of tourism.

The move would enable both nations to enter into a constructive dialogue for development and promotion of tourism in each other's country for the economic development of two nations, an official release said.

The step will be instrumental in increasing arrival from this important source market, it added.

The main objectives of the Memorandum of Understanding include expanding bilateral cooperation in tourism sector, exchanging information and data, establishing exchange programme and participating in travel fairs/exhibitions in each other's country, among others.

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Even after the passage of a month since demonetisation, cash crunch continues to trouble Jaipur residents with the situation showing no signs of revival at least for the next 50 days, according to an official.

People can be seen queuing up in all prominent bank branches, state general secretary of Rajastham State Bank Employees Union, Mahesh Mishra told PTI.

He added that normalcy is unlikely to return even in the next 50 days going by the current situation of cash flow.

Reserve Bank of India has disbursed Rs 12,000 crore new currency notes to the banks in Jaipur, but the cash crunch is evident in all major banks.

Cash is available only during the mornings but that too till a certain limit. ATMs are only dispensing new denomination notes of Rs 2000, adding to the woes of the residents.

However, Monika Choudhary, an employee at a leading private bank said that the rush in banks and ATMs has begun to reduce. However, she added that normal cash flow may take some more time. "We have cash in ATMs, but the notes are in denominations of Rs 2000," she said.

One can withdraw Rs 2,500 including one Rs 2,000 note and five Rs 100 notes, said Choudhary.

Bank officials believe that the use of indelible ink to prevent multiple cash withdrawals has helped reduce crowding at exchange counters.

Despite difficulties in withdrawing cash at banks, those using cashless means like internet banking, e-wallets are hardly facing any problem.

Dr Kalpit Sharma, a city resident said, "Withdrawing cash may be a problem for people in rural areas who do not have bank accounts but for me demonitisation did not create any major problem.

It took hardly 10 minutes to withdraw money from bank. I am also using e-banking facilities so transaction is easy for me.

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The Odisha Assembly today witnessed unruly scenes and was adjourned for at least five times with the opposition Congress and BJP creating ruckus over alleged illegal detention of farmers across the state before their rally in the state capital.

While Congress members repeatedly demonstrated in Well of the House, BJP MLAs criticised the government for action against a peaceful agitation by the farmers.

The BJP members also staged a walkout and sat on a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Assembly premises for being denied permission to speak on the issue.

The farmers were allegedly detained by the police and prevented from attending a rally convened by the Nabanirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS) in front of the Assembly today.

"This (BJD) government has admitted that it is a liar. Now by detaining farmers on their way to the rally, the government has proved to be a coward. This is undemocratic, unconstitutional and unacceptable," Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said adding, the farmers were not Maoists.

Stating that the farmers were arrested under the provision of the Criminal Procedure Code, Mishra said the government has no right to take anyone into custody for making a genuine demand.

"I think the farmers' demands are genuine and justified. They have been demanding proper price for their produce, prestige and pension for elder farmers. They were coming to the state capital to draw attention of the government," Mishra said.

The Leader of Opposition demanded an apology from the Chief Minister for the police "torture" on farmers.

"The Chief Minister must tender apology for the police action, discuss with the agitating farmers and resolve the issue," Mishra said dubbing the state government "anti-farmer."



Rejecting the Congress allegation, government Chief Whip Ananta Das said the government has taken a number of measures for the farming community.

"The Chief Minister had direct interaction with farmers at Sohole in Bargharh district and announced bonus on paddy. Odisha is the second state after Karnataka to have a separate agriculture budget," Das said.

Describing Patnaik as the real "friend" of farmers, Das said Odisha has been getting Krushi Karman Award for increasing volume of crops in the state.

He alleged that activists of other parties were trying to create disturbance in the state capital in the guise of farmers.

The police have taken action to maintain law and order, he said.

Seeking a ruling from the Chair, Congress Chief Whip Taraprasad Bahinipati attempted to climb on the Speaker's podium after pulling down his mike.

Unable to run the House, Deputy Speaker Sadan Marandi adjourned the House five times.

The opposition Congress members also shouted anti-government slogans in the Well. An all party-meeting to resolve the matter also failed to yield any result as the Opposition members continued to demand apology from the Chief Minister.

Congress MLAs also rushed to Raj Bhavan and apprised Governor S C Jamir on the illegal detention of farmers, requesting him to intervene in the matter and demanded immediate release of the farmers from police custody.

Agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy said outside the House that he was always prepared to discuss on the farmers' issue.

"The Leader of Opposition raised the matter in the House. But, I have nothing to do with that as the Deputy Speaker denied him," Maharathy said.

Maharathy clarified he has not received any memorandum from the NKS in regard to the demands of the farmers.

"I am not aware about their problems. I am always ready to discuss farmers' issues," he said.

On the detention of farmers at different parts of the state, Maharathy said "Ask the Chief Minister in this regard."



Congress leaders claimed the police detained over 400 farmers who were on their way to a rally under the banner of Nabanirman Krushak Sangathan.

The Assembly, however, passed the demand of different departments of the supplementary budget through guillotine when the Opposition members were shouting in the Well of the House.
An aviation project worth about USD 768 million will be built in northwest China's Shaanxi province, official media here reported.

The project invested by Shaanxi Aviation Industry Development Group Co.Ltd. (SAIDC) will be located in the Xi'an National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base, state-run Xinhua agency reported yesterday.

Under the agreement signed by SAIDC and the Base, the project worth about USD 768 million (5.3 billion yuan) will involve construction of an assembly line of Bell 407GXP helicopters, centres for helicopter training, emergency response and rescue, as well as the research and development related to drones, the report said.

Wang Yongan, chairman of SAIDC, said that SAIDC would work with the US aircraft producer Bell Helicopter in developing the assembly line, it said.

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China will seek the extradition of more than 200 of its citizens arrested in Spain in a crackdown on gangs that ran call centers that swindled 16 million euros from compatriots at home, a Chinese official said today.

Spanish National Police said the gangs made contact with people in China, pretending at first they were friends or family and warning them of fraud scams.

In later calls, they pretended to be police investigating the scams and convinced many of the victims to put money in bank accounts run by the gangs.

Police said they have dismantled 13 call centers run out of houses in towns around Madrid and the eastern cities of Barcelona and Alicante.

The operation yesterday was carried out in conjunction with Chinese authorities, who launched the investigation.

Zhu Jian, a consular official at the Chinese embassy in Madrid, told The Associated Press that China would seek the extradition of those arrested for trial in China. The suspects include some Taiwan citizens.

China considers the self-governing island Chinese territory. Spain does not have diplomatic ties with Taiwan and signed an extradition treaty with China in 2006.

Police Commissioner Eugenio Pereiro said the network was run out of Taiwan and operated on five continents. He said it has a strong presence in Greece and Armenia.

He said thousands of Chinese, including many poor people, fell for the scam, and some committed suicide as a result.

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Patricia A. Pat Larson, 69, Mandan, died unexpectedly on Dec. 8, 2016, while visiting family in Roseville, Minn. Services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at First Lutheran Church, Mandan, with the Revs. Lee Herberg and Christina Martin officiating. Burial will be at North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Buehler-Larson Funeral Home, Mandan, with a prayer service at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday.

Pat was born Aug. 18, 1947, in St. Paul, Minn., the oldest of five children, to Robert and Edna Eddie (Koski) Tonkin. Raised and educated in St. Paul, she graduated from Moundsview High School in 1965 and went on to attend Augsburg College in Minneapolis for one year.

On Jan. 4, 1971, Pat married Gary Larson in Minneapolis. They later moved to Neenah, Wis., where Pat received her sociology degree from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. They then moved to Chicago, where Gary finished mortuary school while Pat worked as an insurance adjustor for GAB and State Farm Insurance.

In 1979, Gary and Pat moved to Mandan, where Gary worked for Buehler Funeral Home. Pat continued her insurance career for Dakota Fire and TriState Insurance. Pat and Carol Metzger later operated Metzger-Larson Insurance. In 1989, Gary and Pat purchased the funeral home from Warren Buehler and Pat worked as the office manager and alongside Gary for many years. A generous and caring heart made Pat a wonderful fit for her position in the funeral home. She greeted grieving families and helped them through the heartache after losing a loved one. Her genuine care for the families they served led Pat to many long friendships with families. Pat retired in 2010 due to her health. Her retirement did not diminish her fondness for shopping on QVC.

Until recently, Pat and Gary were season ticketholders to the Minnesota Vikings. Tickets that Pats family bought when they first became available many years ago. Pats greatest passion however, was the Minnesota Twins. She watched every game and loved her team, win or lose.

Pat had several great memories in 2016, events that she treasured. Her 50-year class reunion, attending the wedding of a special niece and spending a week at the lake home she and Gary owned on Lake Sakakawea brought Pat great happiness.

From a young age, Pat had a love for animals, especially dogs. She had many four legged friends over the years, loving and treasuring each one as a member of her family. Never to turn down a pup in need, Pat was known to adopt a dog unexpectedly if its owners could no longer care for it. Her most recent dogs, fondly known as The Girls, kept her occupied and entertained each day.

A love for reading, Pat was always in the middle of a book. She received a Kindle from Gary several Christmases ago and that opened up an endless library that she thoroughly enjoyed.

Blessed to have shared her life is her husband of 45 years, Gary Larson, Mandan; her mother, Edna Tonkin, Roseville, Minn.; her brothers, Ross (Sue) Tonkin, Phoenix, Ariz., Jeff Tonkin, Roseville, Minn., and Jon (Debbie) Tonkin, Bloomington, Minn.; one sister, Penny (Andrew) Hoffman, Roseville, Minn.; nine nieces and nephews; and five great-nieces and great-nephews; as well as Garys family, which includes sister-in-law, Viv (Rob) King, Bismarck, and brother-in-law, Bernie Pellenwessell, Minot; and her beloved dogs, Tillie, Trooper and Lacie.

Pat was preceded in death by her father, Robert Tonkin; her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Sam and Grace Larson; her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Rich (Mardie) Larson; and her sister-in-law, Jeanette Pellenwessell. Pat was greeted in Heaven by numerous dogs who shed cared for until their last day.

Memorials are preferred to the Central Dakota Humane Society or the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery.

Please go to www.BuehlerLarson.com to share memories of Pat.
A Chinese engineer working on the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor today escaped an attempt on his life when his vehicle was targeted by a bomb planted on a motorbike in Pakistan's Sindh province, police said.

The low-intensity explosive, rigged to a motorbike and exploded with the help of a remote control device, injured a truck driver in Rohri area of Sukkur district of Sindh province.

"Unknown accused attacked a Chinese engineer's vehicle near Rohri but he was unhurt," police official Masood Mahar said.

He said the truck driver received minor injuries in the blast.

He said the Chinese engineer was being escorted by paramilitary Rangers when the explosion occurred.

Rescue teams and police have arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack but Taliban militants in the past had been targeting foreigners, especially Chinese nationals working in Pakistan.

Several Chinese workers and engineers are working in Pakistan in various schemes being implemented under the China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC) project.

The ambitious CPEC project was launched in early 2015 to link China's remote Xinjiang region with the Arabian Sea through Pakistan by building a network of roads, railways, energy parks and industrial zones.

The attack on the Chinese engineer came on a day when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated a 448-kilometre-long Sorab-Hoshab road, an important segment of western route of the CPEC in the restive Balochistan province.

He said that billions of rupees were being spent on development of Balochistan and the government was in particular focusing on its development to mitigate the sense of deprivation of Baloch people.

The road network in Balochistan would connect Gwadar port up to Khunjerab border with China and would ensure economic activity, reduce poverty and unemployment in the province, Sharif was quoted as saying by the media.

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One of China's most popular online communities for Muslims has been shuttered after posting a petition asking Chinese President Xi Jinping to stop his "brutal suppression" of activists, the letter's authors said today.

Since 2003, the "Zhongmu Wang" website, or 2muslim.Com, functioned as an "online network of Muslims sharing Islam", according to archived descriptions.

But today the site was inaccessible, showing only a message stating it was "under maintenance".

Two of its affiliated social media accounts were also unavailable, displaying messages that declared one account "abnormal" and the other "in violation of required guidelines".

China officially has more than 23 million Muslims, though some independent estimates say there may be as many as 50 million -- which would put China among the world's top 10 Muslim nations.

While China's constitution enshrines freedom of religious belief, authorities keep strict limits on it, recognising only five belief systems and seeking to control their messages.

The closure came after the posting of an open letter to Xi calling for a halt to the "brutal suppression" of activists and the immediate release of those still detained by the state, according to students who wrote the petition.

The letter criticised Xi for overseeing a crackdown on dissent since coming to power in 2012, with hundreds of lawyers, activists and academics detained and dozens jailed.

"You are not responsible for all of the crimes of the totalitarian system, but as the totalitarian system's head and its commander-in-chief of repression, you must take responsibility for the blood and tears which now flow," it said.

"In the next spring of China's new Jasmine Revolution, who will drive your tanks to crush us, the new generation of students after 1989?"



Yi Sulaiman Gu, a Muslim student studying in the US at the University of Georgia, told AFP the website shut the day after he posted the letter to a forum that had previously hosted sensitive discussions on issues such as China's persecution of Muslim dissidents.

"We believed it would be safe for Zhongmu to post it there," Gu said.

Phone calls to the website's owner went unanswered.

But the letter gained attention when screenshots of it were reposted to China's Twitter-like Weibo by opinion leader Xi Wuyi, a professor of Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who said it proved the site supported Xinjiang separatists.

Violence in Xinjiang, the homeland of China's 10-million strong Uighur ethnic minority, has killed hundreds, with Beijing attributing it to Islamic extremism and foreign influence.

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An UPSC civil services aspirant has been arrested from southwest Delhi's Bindapur area for posing as an IPS officer and allegedly duping more than 10 youths of over Rs 19 lakh on the pretext of getting them job in the CRPF, police said today.

Ravi Kant (21), a native of Alwar in Rajasthan, was arrested last night after some of his victims saw him in a car and alerted police. His father is a retired naval personnel, a senior police officer said.

Police had received several complaints against Ravi Kant who used to dress up as an IPS officer and dupe them. Among them was Ashok, who had filed a complaint but during probe, it emerged that he used to bring the youths to Ravi, who duped them, police said.

They had cheated more than 10 people to the tune of Rs 19 lakh. Ravi Kant kept around Rs 14 lakh and had given Ashok Rs 5 lakh, following which the latter approached police, they said.

A science graduate, Ravi Kant went to Chandigarh in 2014 to prepare for UPSC civil services examination. During this period, he allegedly began duping police officials there and a cheating case was registered against him, a police officer said.

He came to Delhi and started duping youths in Najafgarh, Bindapur and adjoining areas, police said, adding hunt for Ashok is on.

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Twenty winners of the 10th edition of Young Astronomer Talent Search programme, organised by Tata Steel in collaboration with Pathani Samanta Planetarium, Bhubaneswar were felicitated today by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

They were felicitated in the grand finale function organised yesterday on the occasion of the Birth Anniversary of legendary astronomer of Odisha, Pathani Samanta in Bhubaneswar. Tata Steel will take these 20 winners for an exposure visit to one of the facilities of ISRO in 2017.

"I am very happy that Pathani Samanta Planetarium along with Tata Steel is working sincerely to promote scientific legacy of Pathani Samanta in Odisha. This event has been successful in encouraging budding talents in the field of space science. It is an opportunity for students of rural and remote areas to exhibit their talents in astronomy," Patnaik said.

Addressing the gathering, T V Narendran, MD, Tata Steel, India & South East Asia said, "Tata Steel takes pride in conducting Young Astronomer Talent Search programme. We have covered many numbers of students across 27 districts of Odisha. Our relationship with Odisha is very long and we are very much grateful to Odisha government and the chief minister for their continuous support."



After a four-month exercise to find 20 best young talents in the state, the 10th edition witnessed participation of nearly 34,000 students from over 300 schools, spread over 27 districts of Odisha in the essay and quiz competitions, a Tata Steel release said.

YATS is organised to acknowledge the exemplary contribution of Pathani Samanta, and encourage youngsters to display their talents in scientific innovation and concepts on various themes of space science and astronomy.

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With the Rajasthan High Court striking down the 5 per cent quota for Gurjars and other castes, the Akhil Bhartiya Gurjar Arakshan Sangharh Samiti today held Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje responsible for the setback and announced that it would stage a dharna in Delhi on January 15.

Samiti president Ramveer Singh Bidhuri said it was because of "negligence" of the chief minister that the reservation act was not included in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution which led to the decision of the high court.

"BJP in its manifesto for the 2013 assembly election had promised statutory action to get the reservation included in the 9th Schedule but no concrete action was taken by the government in the last three years which is a betrayal with the community," Bidhuri told reporters here.

"Thousands of Gujjar community people from all over the country will participate in the dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on January 15 and a memorandum will be given to the chief minister demanding that the state government fulfil its promise to include the reservation in the 9th Schedule," he said.

The Rajasthan High Court had on December 9 struck down Special Backward Classes reservation given to Gujjars and five other communities of the state as the special reservation exceeded the permissible limit of 50 per cent.

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The Congress and the CPI(M) today staged a walkout from the Assembly after an adjournment motion on the state government's inability to pay dearness allowance to its employees was rejected by the Chair.

The Congress first walked out after the motion, moved by it, was turned down by the Speaker and the CPI(M) followed suit, expressing moral support.

"The state government has money to spend on festivals and carnivals, but it does not have money to give DA to the state government employees. This only shows its true colours," Congress leader Abdul Mannan told reporters.

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The Odisha Assembly today witnessed unruly scenes and was then adjourned till lunch as opposition Congress members made a noisy demand to release the farmers who were detained at different parts of the state.

The farmers were allegedly detained by the police and prevented from attending a rally convened by Nabanirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS) in front of the Assembly today.

The issue was raised by Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra as soon as the House made obituary reference to ex-member Bhanu Charan Naik who passed away on December 12.

Mishra demanded suspension of the Question Hour and discussion on the farmers' issue.

As Deputy Speaker Sadan Marandi initiated the Question Hour, Congress members rushed to the Well of the House and shouted anti-government slogans.

Marandi soon adjourned the House till 3 PM.

Unable to hold discussions, Congress MLAs rushed to Raj Bhavan and apprised Governor S C Jamir on the illegal detention of farmers.

They also requested the Governor to intervene in the matter and demanded immediate release of the farmers from police custody.

Terming the police action as "undemocratic", Mishra said "This is a clear violation of the farmers' rights."



"We demand immediate and unconditional release of the farmers who have been kept forcefully at railway stations and bus stops. Police thrashed the peasants at various places and some of them sustained injuries. We met the Governor seeking his intervention and he assured us of an investigation," said Congress MLA and Opposition Chief Whip Taraprasad Bahinipati.

Agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy said outside the House that he was always prepared to discuss on the farmers' issue.

"The Leader of Opposition raised the matter in the House. But, I have nothing to do with that as the Deputy Speaker denied him," Maharathy said.

Maharathy clarified he has not received any memorandum from the NKS in regard to the demands of the farmers.

"I am not aware about their problems. I am always ready to discuss farmers' issues," he said.

On the detention of farmers at different parts of the state, Maharathy said "Ask the Chief Minister in this regard."



Congress leaders claimed the police detained over 400 farmers who were on their way to a rally under the banner of Navnirman Krushak Sangathan.

Many of them were detained at various railway stations including Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Raghunathpur in Jagatsinghpur, Keonjhar and Jajpur.

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Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) today questioned the BJP-PDP government's decision to compensate the family of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in connection with the killing of his brother in an "encounter" with the Army.

"we question the BJP-PDP government's decision to compensate the family of Burhan Wani in connection with the killing of his brother in an Army action," Chief Spokesperson JKPCC Ravinder Sharma told reporters here today.

JKPCC criticised the BJP for its "dual face over such issues."



Sharma said the BJP stands exposed for its "rhetoric, which proved hallow now for the sake of power."



"It is unfortunate that those who advocated tough posture against terrorism are now speechless in the government," he added.

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Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice today following protests over the controversy involving Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju.

Opposition members shouted slogans and indulged in heated exchanges with BJP members over the alleged misuse of office by Rijiju with regard to a power project in Arunachal Pradesh, besides also raising anti-government slogans on the demonetisation issue.

During the Question Hour at noon, some members were heard raising slogans over allegations against the Minister.

Chairman Hamid Ansari pressed for taking up the Question Hour and was heard saying that there cannot be "Jekyll and Hyde character."



However as the protests continued, Ansari adjourned the House till 1400 hours.

When the House reassembled, rare unanimity was witnessed as the members passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014. The House had discussed the Bill for a short while soon after it had met at 1100 hours, with some of them even suggesting that it should be adopted without debate.

After the Bill was passed, Anand Sharma (Cong) raised the issue of allegations against Rijiju, which led protests from the members from the Treasury benches.

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien told Sharma: "There is rule, there is a procedure. Go by that. You cannot suo motu raise an allegation."



Members of the Congress and the BJP indulged in shouting slogans and counter-slogans in the House.

Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the allegations are "totally false and fabricated. ... I dare you for a debate on this."



"Your party is misleading you," he particularly told Congress members.

Kurien told Sharma that to raise an allegation, a member has to give prior intimation to the Chairman.

Sharma said he was merely referring to the media reports, which was not accepted by the Deputy Chairman.

Amidst constant din, Kurien adjourned the House for the day.

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A couple has been arrested from Hyderabad for allegedly abandoning their baby girl on platform of a railway station in Thane district in November, ostensibly due to poverty.

Subhadra Yadav (21) and her husband Gorakh Yadav (26) were arrested and booked under section 317 (exposure and abandonment of child under twelve years, by parent or person having care of it) of IPC for allegedly abandoning the then two-and-a-half-months old girl on a platform of Khadavli railway station, GRP DCP Rupali Ambure told reporters here today.

Police had handed over the baby to 'Janani Ashish Charitable Trust in Dombivli, which named her as Ruchita.

During their investigation, police examined CCTV footage and acquired contact number of one of Gorakh's friends in Kalyan.

The DCP said prima facie they abandoned the girl due to poverty.

While Goarakh is working as a painter, Subhadra in a factory in Telangana.

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GRAND FORKS  Dressed in an orange jumpsuit Thursday morning, Nicholas Obregon sat before a Grand Forks District Court judge via video chat. It was the second time hed made such an appearance in less than a month.

Obregon answered yes when Judge Jon Thelen asked if he was certain he wanted to waive a formal reading of the charges before him.

Grand Forks Police officers wrote in an affidavit they were called in the early morning hours of Dec. 6 to the Loaf N Jug on Gateway Drive on a report of a male subject who locked himself in the bathroom and refused to leave.

Officers said they arrived on the scene to find Obregon in the bathroom. They say he admitted a bag with a crystal-like substance was methamphetamine  and that it was his. He also admitted to having some marijuana, police said.

Thelen reminded Obregon the charge of methamphetamine possession he faced was a Class C felony, with a mandatory court fee of $500. The marijuana charge was a misdemeanor with a $225 court fee.

Obregon knows this. Hes been here before.

At the time, he was on bond after he was arrested and charged with possession of prescription drugs. In May, he pleaded guilty to methamphetamine possession after officers found him in a Perkins bathroom with drugs. He was sentenced to 360 days in jail, with 320 suspended. Since 2004, hes pleaded guilty to several drug charges related to methamphetamine and opioids.

The court system in Grand Forks and across the state sees many individuals like Obregon  drug users who dont commit violent crime and who have not been accused of trafficking substances. In the states eye, criminals not worth committing to prison. For much of society, not worth dealing with.

In the northeast central judicial district, 41 percent of the 564 felony prosecutions in 2016 were drug-related, according to the States Attorneys Office; some of the cases also included charges not related to drugs.

Grand Forks County States Attorney David Jones said prosecutors try to avoid coming down too hard on such people.

There are people out there who simply need to be out of society, Jones said. A lot of these drug people simply dont belong there (in jail).

David Ogren, chief public defender for the northeast central district, said drugs or alcohol are components in the majority of cases his office takes. When he first arrived in Grand Forks in 2007, the office was seeing a lot of methamphetamine cases, and still is, but with fewer local labs and more possessions. Now heroin and other opioids are part of the problem.

The drug cases tend to be the ones that are on the rise, Ogren said.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys agree the state prison system already is overcrowded, which makes it difficult to know how to punish people properly.

The biggest problem we run into is when its not their first time in the system; its the third, fourth, fifth time, and treatment options have been tried, and theyre still coming back, Ogren said.

Theres a misconception out there that we want every drug case to end up in the state pen, and thats not true, Jones said.

Jones said prosecutors try to evaluate the risk each person poses to the collective society. Often a person convicted of a felony drug possession will be required to attend chemical dependency evaluations or some form of rehab. Addiction treatment has become more commonplace with work-release programs. Jones said when sentences are suspended, people often end up on supervised probation, where they are drug-tested for a year or two. If they get through that, Jones said, its a win.

We deal with it and use the tools that we have, Jones said.

One of those tools in Grand Forks  drug court  has been put on pause for 2017 due to a sweeping $7.37 million budget cut to the judicial system passed by the North Dakota Legislature in response to oil boom money evaporating.

Were running out of options, said Ogren, who said funding also is being cut to Human Services programs that provide drug treatment.

Ogren said his office regularly would fight for its clients to go through drug court if they fit certain criteria, such as being young, first- or second-time offenders. Although the failure rate is high, Ogren said its still a good tool for the courts. Sixty people successfully completed the adult drug court program in Grand Forks since 2008, and 70 more were discharged, according to the North Dakota Department of Corrections.

Ogren said Grand Forks never used to see such heavy intravenous drug use; people didnt get caught shooting up heroin. But the drugs have changed, and lawyers on both sides of the bench know it.

If someone is being prosecuted for selling heroin or methamphetamine, the state will treat them as a serious threat to society, Jones said.

Our numbers havent changed over the years, Jones said. But the severity of drugs has increased.
Khalistani Liberation Force (KLF) chief Harminder Singh Mintoo's judicial custody was today extended till December 26 by a Delhi Court after police said his presence outside may hamper the ongoing probe.

Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh extended the judicial custody of the accused after he was produced before the court on completion of his two days' judicial custody in Tihar central jail.

The court had on November 28 sent Mintoo to Delhi Police custody for seven days which was later extended till December 12.

The Delhi Police had earlier submitted that they needed his custody to know about the role of "insiders and outsiders" who assisted him and five others in fleeing from Nabha jail in Patiala.

It had said that the role of Inter-Services Intelligence and some terror organisations was required to be probed in the case as he had also visited Pakistan.

According to Delhi Police, one loaded pistol and six live cartridges were recovered from his possession. He was earlier a member of Babbar Khalsa International and later floated his own group, they said.

Mintoo was nabbed from a Delhi railway station, a day after he escaped with five other inmates from the prison.

UP Police had on November 27 arrested the alleged "mastermind" of the daring daylight jailbreak, Parminder Singh, from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district when the getaway vehicle was stopped at a police picket.

Mintoo, who was wanted in 10 terror cases, was arrested by Punjab Police after he was deported from Thailand in November 2014.

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A special CBI court today rejected the application of former media baron Peter Mukerjea, one of the accused in the sensational Sheena Bora murder case, seeking permission for travel to Bengaluru for his niece's wedding but allowed him to attend it through video conference.

Special judge H S Mahajan rejected the application after the CBI told the court that he can even attend the marriage ceremony through a video link.

"However, if Peter intends, in that circumstances, at the state's cost, by the way of video conferencing and in the presence of jail officials, he be permitted to convey his blessing to his family members on the day and time (of wedding)," the judge said in the order.

Meanwhile, the court also disposed of his another application seeking a laptop without internet connection, saying the jail authorities may make arrangements as per the jail manual.

Peter had sought permission to use a laptop in jail as he wanted to write his autobiography.

The court is likely to hear arguments on framing of charges in the Sheena Bora murder case on December 19.

Peter's wife Indrani, her former driver Shyamvar Rai (who has turned approver in the case) and her former husband Sanjeev Khanna are accused of killing her daughter Sheena inside a car in April 2012. Peter is accused of being party to the conspiracy.

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Travel company Cox & Kings-owned MEININGER Hotels today said it has signed a management contract with VIY Management for a hotel in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The hotel, with 158 rooms and 548 beds, is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2018, a release said here.

The hotel will be spread over two floors.

"With our first hotel in Russia, MEININGER once again enters a new market. Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and one of its most important tourist centres. The metropolis is continuously evolving and is the country's second-largest economic and financial center," MEININGER Hotels CEO Hannes Spanring said.

MEININGER is a subsidiary of Holidaybreak, a travel group specialising in educational and activity holidays and a subsidiary of Prometheon Holdings (UK) that is a part of Cox & Kings.

Currently, MEININGER operates 16 hotels in Europe, with a total of 7,025 beds in 10 cities - Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, London, Munich, Salzburg and Vienna.

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A Dutch court ruled today that priceless Crimean art treasures loaned to an Amsterdam museum shortly before Russia annexed the peninsula in 2014 should go back to Ukraine.

Four Crimean museums launched a joint legal bid in November 2014 to force the Allard Pierson Museum to return the historic collection of archaeological artefacts, displayed in an exhibition titled: "The Crimea: Gold and Secrets from the Black Sea."



Kiev also demanded their return, and the Dutch judges ruled "that the objects must go to Ukraine, the artefacts' country of origin and cultural heritage," Dutch agency ANP said.

The judges however "made no ruling as to the rightful owner of the collection," saying it was a question for Ukrainian courts, ANP reported.

Crimea was at the crossroads of ancient trade routes and the rich collection of items spanning the second century BC to the late medieval era was loaned to the Amsterdam museum less than a month before Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014.

Kiev says Russia illegally annexed the Black Sea territory, a month after Ukraine's Moscow-backed president was ousted in a pro-EU revolt.

It also accuses Moscow of backing the pro-Russian insurgency in Ukraine's industrial east in a conflict that has claimed nearly 10,000 lives since April 2014.

Earlier this week both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande said they favoured extending EU sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict.

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Crude oil futures fell Rs 57 to Rs 3,533 per barrel today as speculators offloaded bets amid a weak trend overseas.

Marketmen said trading sentiment dampened in futures trade here after oil prices retreated in global market on industry data showing US stockpiles rise.

At the Multi Commodity Exchange, crude oil for delivery in current month was trading down by Rs 57, or 1.59 per cent at Rs 3,533 per barrel in 1,863 lots.

The oil for January delivery fell Rs 55, or 1.50 per cent, to Rs 3,606 per barrel in a volume of 145 lots.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil eased 68 cents, or 1.28 per cent to USD 52.30 a barrel, while global benchmark Brent crude was down 67 cents, or 1.20 per cent to USD 55.05 per barrel.

Meanwhile, the US inventories rose by 4.68 million barrels last week, said the industry-funded American Petroleum Institute in a report.

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The three-week long deadlock over demonetisation issue deepened today with the government accusing the Opposition in Lok Sabha of making attempts to fail the "pro-poor" decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inviting a furious response.

Congress members were also angry over Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's decision to allow Bhratruhari Mahtab (BJD) to raise the issue of AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal scam, ignoring their leader Mallikarjun Kharge's plea to have his say. Sonia Gandhi too was seen protesting against Mahajan's decision.

Kharge was heard shouting as to why the BJD member was allowed to speak as he repeatedly banged the bench.

With members of Congress, TMC and others raising slogans in the Well, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar fired a fresh salvo at the Opposition, citing a sting operation aired on a channel to allege that Congress, SP and BSP leaders had joined hands to "finish off" the government's efforts to bolster the white economy.

Kumar insisted that the ruling side was ready for a discussion on demonetisation but the Opposition was running away and disrupting proceedings.

"It is a very sad day. The leader (Kharge) of the Opposition is challenging the Speaker. He cannot do that. It is very unfortunate. We are always ready for a discussion," Kumar said and then cited the sting to attack the Opposition.

"They have become 'note-jugaad' (managing currency) parties. It is a conspiracy to finish off what Modi has brought for the poor," he said.

Jagdambika Pal (BJP) claimed that the Opposition would be exposed. "It is a matter of shame that the Congress which participated in freedom struggle has become a commission agents," he said amid vociferous slogan-shouting by Opposition.

Opposition members were also heard raising slogans against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju over an alleged case of corruption in an Arunachal pradesh hydal project.

With ruckus continuing, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.

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Deadly clashes erupted in Syria's Aleppo today as a deal for the evacuation of rebel areas was put on hold, leaving thousands of cold and hungry civilians uncertain of their future.

Entire families had gathered in the streets before dawn hoping to leave the ravaged city after an agreement announced the night before to evacuate civilians and rebels.

The first departures had been expected around 5:00 am local time but there was no movement, and a few hours later, fierce fighting shook the city.

The landmark evacuation deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey, came after the army seized more than 90 per cent of east Aleppo from the rebels.

It would have marked the end of opposition resistance in Syria's second city after years of fighting and dealt the opposition their worst blow since the conflict began in March 2011.

But it appeared increasingly fragile by Wednesday afternoon as the government and the rebels, as well as their foreign allies, traded accusations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would speak with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later in bid to rescue the deal.

"The situation on the ground is very fragile and complicated," he said.

After hours of quiet, government air strikes and heavy tank fire resumed in the last pocket of rebel-held territory in east Aleppo, an AFP correspondent reported.

Terrified residents ran through the streets in a fruitless bid to find adequate shelter, he said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported "very intense clashes on every front line" and said two people had been killed in rebel-held areas.

State television said rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas had also resumed, killing at least seven people.

Moscow, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad, said Damascus resumed its assault on Aleppo after rebels violated the ceasefire.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow expected rebel resistance in the city to end in the next "two to three days".

Rebels and a source close to the regime told AFP that the evacuation had been suspended after objections from the Syrian government.

The source said Damascus had objected to the number of people leaving, claiming rebels had sought to raise it from 2,000 to 10,000.

But Yasser al-Youssef, a political official from the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group, said the regime and its ally Iran were trying to add "new conditions" to the agreement.

"They want to link this deal to other issues, including the areas of Fuaa and Kafraya," he added, referring to two government-held Shiite-majority villages in northwestern Syria that are under rebel siege.

Turkey too accused Assad's regime and its supporters of blocking the deal.

Before the fighting resumed, AFP's correspondent saw crowds of civilians gathered in the streets of rebel areas from the early hours, some clutching bags of belongings, to await evacuation.

Some had slept in the open, despite the cold and a fierce storm that brought heavy rain and high winds.

Many were hungry, after weeks without regular meals because of dwindling food supplies caused by the army's siege.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The death toll in yesterday's accident in which a mini bus collided with an auto-rickshaw near the district headquarters here has risen to 15, as three more persons succumbed to injuries, police said today.

12 persons, including five students, were killed last evening when the speeding mini bus collided head-on with the auto-rickshaw on National Highway-12, about 7 kms from Rajgarh.

"Fifteen persons have died so far. Two more girls and a boy died in hospital during treatment in Bhopal," Superintendent of Police, Rajgarh, Himani Khanna told PTI.

The students were returning from Rajgarh after appearing in an open school exam when the mishap took place.

State Minister for Home and Transport Bhupendra Singh suspended the Regional Transport Officer of Rajgarh district and directed that an FIR be filed against the operator of mini bus, which was allegedly being run illegally.

"I have told Additional Transport Commissioner Vijay Raghuvanshi to inquire into the circumstances that led to the accident and submit the report within 24 hours," Singh said.

The accident occurred near Kishangarh culvert on NH-12. The auto-rickshaw was going from Rajgarh to Hirankhedi village while the bus was on its way from Kalipeeth to Rajgarh when the two vehicles collided.

The overloaded auto-rickshaw was carrying 16 passengers, including some students.

Police said nearly 24 passengers of the bus were also injured as the vehicle overturned after crushing the auto-rickshaw.

All the deceased belong to Hirankhedi village.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had yesterday expressed grief over the mishap and announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 10,000 to each of the injured.

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Accusing a section of bureaucrats of adopting delaying tactics in clearing important files, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today warned them of punitive action even as he slammed IAS Officers' Association for allegedly indulging in "politics".

Training his guns on Lt Governor Najeeb Jung also, Sisodia said the government will not hesitate to "expose" him if he "spares" those officers who have been "deliberately stalling" work of the government.

The Deputy Chief Minister's strong comments at a press conference came a day after the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa- Mizoram and Union Territory)-cadre IAS Officers Association and DANICS Officers Association jointly passed a resolution against "misbehaviour" by political executives in Delhi government.

Giving examples, Sisodia a number of key projects including increasing number beds in government hospitals from 10,000 to 20,000, setting up Mohalla Clinics and Aam Aadmi Canteen, laying of several important roads and development works in unauthorised colonies could not be started as files relating to them have not been cleared by officers for months.

He also said the file pertaining to promotion of father of Olympic medal winner wrestler Sakshi Malik was also pending for three months.

"Why the IAS Association summon the officers and issue resolution against them for sitting on the files for months. These officers are stalling government work. We will not hesitate to take punitive action against the erring officers. The IAS Association has just passed a political resolution and the organisation is politicising the issue," Sisodia said.

He said the officers who do not want to work can get themselves transferred from Delhi.

"The file pertaining to promotion of father of wrestler Sakshi Malik who brought honour and pride to the country, is also pending for three months. Why the IAS association talk about the officer who is sitting on the file," he said.

Malik's father works as a conductor and Delhi government had promised him an out of turn promotion.

Sisodia said although there is no complaint of graft at the levels of ministers and secretaries, people apprised him about junior level officers in departments such as transport and revenue indulging in wrongdoings.

"Representatives of IAS officers' association met me. I told them If the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) was with us, half of your officers would have been in jail," he said.

Sisodia also raised the issue of Health Secretary



Chandrakar Bharti allegedly refusing to visit LNJP hospital with Health Minister Satyandar Jain two days ago after a patient died due to lack of ventilator.

He said the officer refused to go with minister, saying he doesn't have car.

"Such excuses will not be tolerated. People have given this government a mandate to work. Officers are bound to work for people as per their service rules and they get salary from peoples' money.

"We will not sit silent if officers refuse people's work. We will take action. If LG spares these erring officers, we will then expose LG," the Deputy CM said.

He further said, "We are not asking officers to do personal works of ours and MLAs. We have directed all officers if any MLA and minister ask them to do their personal work, the Chief Minister and I will stand as a shield in front of them. We are just asking officers to do people's work," Sisodia said.

In January, all DANICS officers' association had gone on a one-day mass leave after the city administration had suspended two officers.

The resolution by the IAS and DANICS Associations was passed in the backdrop of the chairman and managing director of the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) K R Meena sending a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal last month, seeking an apology for his behaviour during a meeting.

The issue of Health Secretary Chandrakar Bharti was also raised in yesterday's meeting. In the past, the Delhi government has publicly criticised Bharti on several occasions for not attending meetings on important issues relating to health and environment.
Hours after launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused him of hitting the farmers hard by the move and questioning their honesty.

He also urged the "suit-boot" Modi government to hear out farmers' grievances, think about their problems and waive off their loans.

Gandhi was speaking to reporters at the AICC headquarters after accepting 'maang patras' (demand representations) from over two crore farmers from Uttar Pradesh and another 34 lakh farmers from Punjab.

"The decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hit farmers hard and has questioned their honesty. Indian farmers are honest. They do not possess black money and have hard earned income.

"We want that Narendra Modiji hears out the problems of farmers, waive off their loans, reduce their power bills to half and help them get remunerative price for their produce," he said.

The Congress leader said the Modi government recently removed the import duty on wheat and this has doubled the problems of farmers.

"We want that the 'suit boot' Modi government should think about farmers and waive off the loans of farmers," Gandhi said, adding that farmers not just from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab but across the country have made this demand.

He also said that due to demonetisation, farmers who need money for seeds and fertiliser do not have any money. He said the three main demands of farmers includes waiving of their loans, reducing to half their power bills and remunerative prices for their produce.

This is the second attack on Modi during the day, after he alleged that he has detailed information about the "personal corruption" involving the Prime Minister, while upping the ante further over cash ban.

While the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee handed over 2 crore 'Kisan Maang Patras' to the Congress Vice President, the Punjab unit handed over 34 lakh such representations.

Gandhi said Congress workers had collected these 'maang patras' after going house to house to each farmers and the same will be handed over to the government soon.

Asked who would hand these over to the Prime Minister, the Congress leader said the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad is working that out.

Many senior party leaders from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab were present on the occasion, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni, Asha Kumari, Randeep Surjewala, Raj Babbar, Pramod Tiwari and Sanjay Singh.
Demonetisation will give rise to organised workforce, which will eventually help them to become part of the ecosystem, according to human resource (HR) solutions and HR technology company PeopleStrong.

"Demonetisation will give rise to organised workforce. Small time entrepreneurs who operate by giving cash salary to workers will now start moving towards opening accounts for their employees," PeopleStrong co-founder and CEO Pankaj Bansal told PTI here.

India's total workforce is 600 million, of which 9 per cent belong to the organised sector and the remaining 91 per cent fall under unorganised category, he said.

The unorganised sector has been affected largely as most of the transactions, some of them as daily wages, happen through cash. "Now this will be reduced eventually as they occupy a strong base of the economy," he added.

Bansal said unorganised sector comprises mostly of unbanked people who will move to banking in coming days including Jan dhan, post offices and mobile banking, which will give boost to the government's efforts of financial inclusion for everybody towards the organised workforce.

He said these small businessmen will now declare the number of employees working for them and open their bank accounts helping them become part of the organised ecosystem.

"This is a good for organised workforce that will significantly increase from 9 to 15 per cent in next one-two years. Formal jobs will also go up as the number of people who will be paid through banks and cheques are going to increase. Moreover, the cost of informality has gone up as there is a limitation to cash," according to Bansal.

Improved Central laws are also likely to support the unorganised sector into becoming organised, he said.

"Labour laws are improving thereby labour change will come with social security (Provident Fund) and Employee State Insurance (ESI). Labourers will now become a part of a recognised sector and a part of the mainstream economy. Most of the labour laws are under discussion and are being relooked by the government. Apprentice Act has also been relaxed," he said.

This trend is just the beginning, he said, adding that in next one-two years the momentum will gather up.

"The entire process will take at least two years to settle down. At the end of December, the whole ecosystem will go up and will not remain stagnant as it was last year. Cash economy will also continue as it can't go away completely," he added.

While Mr Pawan Agarwal and Mr Girish Shankar highlighted



the government's initiatives to regulate and monitor the welfare of employees in their respective sectors, they also provided perspective on the current scenario in the industry.

Speaking at the roundtable, Mr Girish Shankar, Secretary - Ministry of Heavy Industries (Govt. Of India) said, "The legal framework has been provided to ensure the hygiene and safety for the workforce but implementation is the biggest question and in this, the industry has to come forward. If we think from the business point of view, it makes business sense to ensure safety and hygiene to the workers and all its stakeholders as it reduces healthcare costs substantially.

We have some figures from our industry which has not been doing well. Workers covered by safety policy or safety committee or covered by the on-site emergency plan are very low, 9.63% factories reported injuries comprising few workers and 4.63% of total reported injuries were fatal. So this is a real eye opener that the industry has to gear up and improve substantially."



Shedding light on the subject specifically in the food industry, Mr Pawan Agarwal, CEO - FSSAI said, "In India, a lot is required to be done to improve hygiene standards. Very few places have high standards of hygiene so we have to go a long way and this is something that is not discussed as widely as it should be. This is the first time that an event has been organised which specifically focuses on hygiene and safety.

FSSAI is launching a series of initiatives to touch the lives of all citizens at all times. We are calling them initiatives around life and nutrition food. The first initiative is around safe and nutritious food at home, second is safe and nutritious food at school and third which is relevant here is safe and nutritious food at the workplace and finally, safe and nutritious food when we eat out.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today said even as a message is getting sent that "nothing is happening" in Parliament, the MPs do bring forth social concerns and also give policy suggestions to the government.

Speaking at the launch of a book by BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab on issues related to the elderly, she said there was a special reason that she became a part of the event and some self-interest.

"The book sends a message that Members of Parliament are not just for political matters or don't just think about political fights, but they are actually the representatives of lakhs of people. They think about feelings of lakhs of people, socially and not just politically," Mahajan said.

"Today a perception is getting formed that what is the Speaker doing, nothing is happening and all create hungama. Is this Parliament? Neither is there any control, nor can anyone say anything and there is no discussion. Is it why they have been sent by us?" she said.

"I came because, my members (of Parliament) don't think like this and they also put forth issues of the society and also give suggestion to the government about policy," she said lauding Mahtab's efforts to create awareness for healthcare of the elderly.

The Lok Sabha Speaker's comments come in the backdrop of the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament which has been a near washout over the Opposition's protests on issues like demonetisation and others.

At the event, Health minister J P Nadda said the area related to healthcare of the elderly remained an "ignored" one and expressed his commitment to work in this direction.

Mahtab said the number of elderly is fast rising in the country and mentioned that he had moved a private members' Bill in this regard.

Mahajan also said earlier there were joint families and many of the problems faced today may not have appeared as much.

Problem of loneliness is one often faced by elders, as their children ofter can not stay with them, she added.

Nadda also mentioned that his ministry had launched a Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) project which is the largest survey of its kind.

It will survey more than 60,000 elderly over 25 years plan, he added.

Nadda also mentioned two Centres of Excellence carrying research for the elderly, one in Chennai and another in Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Efforts are on to make Hindi one of the official languages of the United Nations and popularise the language the world over, the government said today.

"The government continues its efforts in popularising Hindi worldwide and for the acceptance of Hindi as one of the UN official languages.

"In this regard, one significant achievement has been the United Nations broadcasting its programmes on the UN Radio website in Hindi language also," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

Swaraj was not present in the House as she is undergoing medical treatment and has been away from action for the past few weeks.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan took up the question during Question Hour, amid noisy protests by Opposition members, including several who were in the Well. This was the first question in the list today and Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh was present in the House, though nothing could be heard in the din.

In the written reply, Swaraj said on several occasions, Indian leaders have delivered statements at the UN in Hindi and added that to promote it as an international language, a World Hindi Secretariat was also set up in Mauritius in 2008.

Among others, the eighth World Hindi Conference was organised in New York in July 2007 and its inaugural session was held at the UN headquarters, she said in the written reply.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said his government will set up a high-profile panel to look into the issues raised by the Maratha community that took out a silent march here.

Fadnavis, who is camping in Nagpur, Maharashtra's "second capital" where the Winter Session of the state legislature is in progress, said the proposed panel will have experts and intellectuals to study the issues raised by the community.

Addressing a delegation that called on him, he said the services of retired higher and lower court judges from the community, professors and other intellectuals will be availed for preparing a detailed report.

A suggestion in this regard was made by Education Minister Vinod Tawde.

This is for the first time that Marathas, who have taken out big rallies across the state in the last two months demanding reservation in education and jobs and amendments to the Atrocities Act, presented a memorandum directly to the CM, departing from the practice of handing it over to district collectors.

Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil said the panel may include 10 or more members and will meet in Mumbai soon.

Fadnavis said the issue of reservation for Marathas is pending before court and the government has roped in top lawyer Harish Salve to fight the case.

The government recently filed a 2500-page affidavit before the Bombay High Court, supporting the demand for 16 per cent reservation for the community in jobs and education.

Referring to the affidavit, the chief minister said he himself gave the final touch to it and it may come up for hearing on December 30.

"The affidavit is based on various documents and historical evidence," he said.

The chief minister said noted lawyer Ujjwal Nikam is representing the government in the Kopardi rape and murder case.

"He (Nikam) has carefully drafted papers and the charge-sheet has been filed in a fast track court. The court is likely to start the trial on a day-to-day basis from December 20," he said.

Fadnavis said Dalit leaders have been apprised of the alleged misuse of the Prevention of Atrocities Act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In two separate incidents, police have arrested three persons in Surat and Kutch with 219 fake currency notes having a total face value of Rs 1,09,500.

In Surat, police nabbed a person with fake currency notes of scrapped Rs 500 tender, having face value of Rs 50,000 during routine check at Surat Railway station today morning.

Railway police have found 100 fake notes of Rs 500 denomination from one Burhanuddin Sajjad(45), a resident of Mumbai.

Sajjad came under suspicion of Railway Protection Force (RPF) jawans when he was loitering on platform No-1 of Surat railway station after arriving there from Mumbai, said Police Sub Inspector with Government Railway Police(GRP), Surat, M R Malek.

"After his arrival at Surat railway station, Sajjad's movements raised suspicion among RPF. When RPF jawans checked, these notes turned out to be the copies of old Rs 500 note. We have arrested Sajjad after he was handed over to us," said Malek. Further investigations are on to find out the source of the notes.

Meanwhile, Kutch police nabbed two persons with 119 fake currency notes of the new Rs 500 bill, which they had allegedly printed at their office in Madhapar village on the outskirts of Bhuj town and intended to circulate in the market.

Based on a tip off, Local Crime Branch (LCB) raided the office of a Company at Madhapar late last night and unravelled a racket of printing fake currency notes of new legal tender of Rs 500, said a release by Kutch-West LCB.

While searching the office, police found 119 fake notes of Rs 500 having total face value of Rs 59,500.

Investigation by the police revealed that the duo had printed these notes using a colour printer at their office and wanted to circulate these notes, the release said.

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Opposition National Conference president Farooq Abdullah today said there was no alternative to unconditional dialogue with all stakeholders in Kashmir as well as comprehensive talks with Pakistan to find a lasting solution to the Kashmir issue.

"New Delhi should acknowledge the growing costs of its refusal to acknowledge that a political problem exists in Kashmir and that the central government should waste no further time in initiating dialogue and reconciliation," he told the civil society delegation led by BJP leader Yashwant Sinha.

Farooq appreciated the delegation's efforts in reaching out to various stakeholders in the state.

The three-member civil society delegation led by Sinha arrived on a second visit to Kashmir on December 10.

The NC president said New Delhi should talk to all stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir irrespective of their political ideologies or their proposed methods of resolving the issue.

"Holding unconditional dialogue is the only way out and talking to those who might disagree with your views remains to be the unquestionable benchmark of successful conflict resolution," he said.

The NC leader said an offer of dialogue should be extended to all stakeholders willing to engage in an effort to bring the state out of the morass.

The biggest challenge for the delegation would be to tide over the enormous trust deficit and restore the eroded credibility of the institution of dialogue, the former chief minister said.

"Past initiatives have either been abandoned midway or treated with contempt by successive governments in New Delhi. This has created a sense of helplessness and hopelessness in the state, especially among the younger generation. To convince this younger generation about the sincerity of any future initiative remains the primary challenge," he said.

Farooq said the Centre by withdrawing political



initiatives and outreach in times of peace had unfortunately given an impression that it would turn its attention towards the state only in times of turmoil.

This tendency to ignore Kashmir during lack of visible political turmoil and unrest has amounted to widespread alienation and resentment, he said, adding while pacifying a tumultuous unrest is vital in order to save precious human lives, resolving the basic political issue should remain the most important goal for New Delhi.

In the absence of any such credible and meaningful initiatives to resolve the political issue, there will always be provocations to trigger various manifestations of unrest in the state, the NC president said.

"To treat the symptoms while ignoring the underlying cause remains the tragedy of New Delhi's repeated mishandling of this vexed political issue," he said.

The NC leader impressed upon the visiting delegation to convince New Delhi to take serious steps to take the state out of this intractable political quagmire.

The people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered enormously due to the prolonged political conflict that remains unresolved. We are the primary victims of animosity between India and Pakistan and would also be the primary beneficiaries of peace between the two neighbours, he said.

"When we advocate dialogue with Pakistan, we are doing that with an earnest desire to see an end to bloodshed and suffering not only in J&K but the entire region in general," he added.
Fierce fighting shook Syria's Aleppo today, killing at least seven people, as sources said a deal for the evacuation of civilians and fighters from remaining rebel-held areas was on hold.

State media said rebel fire on government-held parts of the city had killed seven people, and a monitor said air strikes on remaining rebel-held territory had resumed.

An AFP correspondent in a rebel-held area of east Aleppo saw several wounded civilians nearby as the area came under heavy tank fire.

Terrified residents were running through the streets in a fruitless bid to find adequate shelter, he said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported shelling by both sides and "very intense clashes on every front line".

"Regime forces have fired dozens of shells since this morning on areas held by the opposition factions, which have also fired at least eight shells so far into regime-controlled areas," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Six people were killed and others wounded in rebel fire on the government-held Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, state television said.

A seventh person was killed and more wounded in other government-held parts of the city, the television reported.

Government warplanes carried out strikes in several parts of the small pocket of territory still held by rebels in east Aleppo, the Observatory said.

The fighting erupted after several hours of calm following the announcement on Tuesday of a deal brokered by Russia and Turkey for the evacuation of civilians and rebel fighters.

The deal was to put an end to the army's month-long offensive on east Aleppo during which it has retaken more than 90 percent of the onetime rebel stronghold.

But rebels and a source close to the regime said the deal was on hold after objections from the Syrian government.

A source close to the government said Damascus objected to the number of people seeking to leave and wanted the names of evacuees.

"The government has suspended the evacuation deal because originally it was for the departure of 2,000 fighters and now there will be more than 10,000 people," he told AFP.

"The government also wants a list of the people who are leaving because they could include hostages or prisoners," he said.

Yasser al-Youssef, a political official from the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group, accused the government and its ally Iran of "blocking civilians from leaving after adding new conditions" to the deal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bombay High Court today directed CBI to consider if prima facie evidence points out offences of unnatural sex against the 10 police officials booked in the 2014 custodial death case of a 25-year-old youth.

A division bench of justices R V More and Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi was hearing a petition filed by the victim Agnelo Valdaris's father Leonard. Following the petition, filed in 2014, the case was handed over to CBI for probe.

CBI in its FIR booked 10 police officials from Wadala Railway police on charges of murder, unnatural sex, kidnapping and falsifying evidence and so on.

However, in its charge sheet filed in January, CBI charged the accused only for criminal conspiracy, voluntarily causing hurt and other lesser charges. The charges under which the policemen have been booked will attract maximum punishment of three years, in contrast to life sentence had they been charged with murder.

Advocate Yug Chaudhary, appearing for the petitioner, today argued that CBI has failed to consider material evidence which clearly points out to offence under section 377 (unnatural sex) of IPC.

CBI counsel Hiten Venegaonkar, however, told the court that the accused have been booked under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) which is similar to section 377 of IPC.

Chaudhary, however, said while the POCSO Act is for offences against minors, section 377 deals with offence against major and hence that should be included.

The bench after perusing certain witnesses' statements that are part of the CBI charge sheet observed, "Booking the accused only on charge of causing voluntary hurt is not enough. Prima facie material seems to be there pointing at other offences. Go through this evidence and take instructions from the investigating officers."



The court posted the matter for further hearing on December 19.

Agnelo and three others, including a minor, were picked up by Wadala Railway Police on charges of robbery on April 15, 2014.

For the next three days they were allegedly stripped, tortured and even forced to have unnatural sex with each other. On April 18, Valdaris died in custody while the others were released on bail on April 22. After his death, Wadala police claimed that Agnelo died while trying to escape from their custody and was run over by a train.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) is revising food labelling norms and examining global models, its CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said.

"Our labelling provisions are currently under revision. We are looking at Codex norms. We are going beyond that to see our labelling norms are robust," Agarwal said.

He was speaking at the launch of 'India Spotlight Index 2016' published by the Netherlands-based NGO The Access to Nutrition Foundation (ATNF).

FSSAI will also look at best global practices as far as regulations are concerns, he added.

Highlighting the steps taken to tackle malnutrition in India, Agarwal said the regulator has come out with fortification standards and many firms have shown interest.

"The government is committed to address issues related to malnutrition head on. Fortification is one amongst the initiatives being taken to address malnutrition," he said.

While fortification has been made mandatory in some areas, in many areas, particularly in packaged food, it is not feasible, he noted.

Talking about the index, the FSSAI chief said, "Those areas where it cannot be made mandatory and where you cannot directly intervene to ensure more nutritious food, this kind of index can be critical."



The findings of the index, which has assessed 14 companies, is "fairly known and do not throw out any major surprises. But this at least focused attention on desirable expectation from food businesses," he said.

"We will use this report to nudge the rest of the food businesses. In the area of nutrition, the role of the government is primarily to nudge citizens to adopt good nutrition practices. At the same time, the food businesses should manufacture and supply nutrition-rich food in the market. Otherwise, citizens will not have choices," he added.

The key finding of the index, ATNF Executive Director Inge Kauer said, is that the "largest food and beverages manufacturers in India are falling far short of what they need to do in help fight the enduring and mounting double burden of malnutrition."



The 10 companies assessed in the index are Amul, Britannia Industries, Coca-Cola India, Mondelez India, Mother Dairy, Nestle India, Parle Products, PepsiCo India, Ruchi Soya and Hindustan Unilever. Four more firms -- Adani, Cargill, ITC Ltd and Nandini -- were also interviewed.

The index has assessed the nutritional quality of their products and their nutrition related policies.

On product profiling, the FSSAI chief said that "a company may have good corporate profile but if its product file is not having high nutritional values, it is not really helpful."



Most food and beverage products across the globe do not have high nutrition value and this kind of index will help nudge such companies, he said, and asked ATNF to assess more companies in the next 2018 report to get a better picture.

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All government colleges in Haryana are being made 'free Wi-Fi campuses' which would also promote cashless transactions, state's Education Minister, Ram Bilas Sharma said today.

He said that the Department of Higher Education has decided to set up free Reliance Jio Wi-Fi campuses in all the government colleges of the state.

"The Reliance Jio will deploy overall infrastructure for deployment of Wi-Fi or Small Cell in all the government colleges free of cost. As part of the introductory offer for all government colleges, it will give 20 MB free usage per day per user for all students and staff for one year. Reliance Jio will also block all objectionable websites as per Government of India directions," he said, according to an official release here.

The minister said all the Principals of Government Colleges have been directed to provide suitable space and security for Wi-Fi and other relevant network equipment.

"They will also provide power supply for the equipment. However, Reliance Jio will pay the electricity bills so generated," he said.

(REOPENS NRG10)



Meanwhile, the state government announced that it has developed a web-based solution -- the School Building Work Management System (SBWMS)-- to monitor funds being released to schools and institutions for construction work.

The system is designed to track financial progress, from sanctioning of funds to completion of building and submission of utilisation certificate, of all construction activities at schools and institutions, Sharma said.

"It was observed that several grants were being issued to different schools and institutions. This included funds from directorates of secondary and elementary education, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan as well as from MPLADs, district plan schemes and other agencies. It had become difficult for the headquarter to monitor them," he said.

The objective of SBWMS is to provide an automated and transparent interface for financial activities related to civil work, and reduce the time span of sanctioning funds and seeking utilisation (certificates) of the funds, the Minister said.
TWIN BUTTES  Edwin Benson is making his journey to the spirit world and, if his prayers are answered, he will finally be in the company of others who can speak to him in a language nearly lost on Earth.

Benson, of Twin Buttes on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, died Friday at the age of 85. He was the last living soul who could fluently speak Mandan and his death brings the possible extinction of a language that expressed the unique experiences and perceptions of a once-thriving tribe of Plains Indians.

A wake was held at Twin Buttes Monday, a night of frigid cold outside, where the tradition of honoring the deceased with beautiful star quilts and woolen blankets was warm in remembrance.

The solitary coffin at the front of the hall  bedecked with elaborate headdresses and flower arrangements  held so much more than the mortal remains of a man. It contained all the diversity that a language adds to the world and for that, most especially, Three Affiliated Tribes Councilman Cory Spotted Bear came to express his regrets at Bensons passing.

The world we live in becomes less. The language is the way the Mandan see the world, Spotted Bear said.

Spotted Bear has been behind efforts to preserve Nueta, the proper word for Mandan, not only through his earlier work with Benson and personal graduate work in linguistics, but through a two-year, $1 million project funded by the tribe to document and collate all known records of the language.

Many of those were made by Benson himself, who for decades has worked with various linguists and others to document what everyone knew was a dying language. One by one, those few Mandan  maybe 150, according to historians  who survived 1830s smallpox epidemics eventually died and their even fewer Mandan-speaking children died, too.

He never asked to be the teacher of the language; he was more called to be. He was a simple rancher at heart, Spotted Bear said.

Even with the money invested in documenting the language, its possible there may never be another fluent speaker, according to Spotted Bear. I believe that race is social. For our kids and for the sake of future generations, weve worked hard to revitalize the language and here in Twin Buttes, we have the most extensive collection of the Mandan language and old-time recordings in the world.

Bensons daughter, Heidi Hernandez, said, in the end, her dads final effort to give so much of himself and his knowledge was becoming too much.

He said hed done enough now and he was tired, she said. This language which made Dad so well-known across the world, Im afraid its extinct.

Bensons friend and tribal historian Marilyn Hudson recalls him telling her that the distinction was its own burden.

He said it was lonely to be the only one, Hudson said.

None of Bensons daughters learned Mandan, or Nueta, growing up with a mother who spoke Lakota and a father who could speak Mandan and Hidatsa.

They didnt want to confuse us, so they just spoke English, Hernandez said.

Art Smith, a tribal elder and senior pallbearer, said Benson was an important man who helped many in his community.

I honor him. He was a language teacher and a doctor, he said, referring to the honorary doctorate conferred to Benson in 2009 by the University of North Dakota.

Beyond the fact that Mandan speakers were the most decimated by smallpox among the three affiliated tribes of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara, Smith said the early, white-influenced education of Native American children was brutal.

I saw some kids get beat so hard they couldnt get up because they talked their language in school, Smith said.

Indrek Park, a linguistics researcher with Indiana Universitys American Indian Studies Research Institute, is part of a university team that had worked for more than two years with Benson to preserve the language up until a month before he died.

Park said beyond being the last Native speaker, Benson was a living anachronism, a 19th century man living in the 21st century.

His mother died when he was 1 years old and he was brought up mostly by his grandfather, Ben Benson, who was among those who were born in an earth lodge and hunted the buffalo. Had his mother lived, his language would have been Hidatsa, Park said. Usually, behind every last speaker of a language is a personal tragedy. He was always lonesome. He lived with sadness.

Park said he had previously compiled a 2,000-page dictionary of Hidatsa words and grammar and hell continue to pull together 100 years worth of various writings and recordings of Nueta, including Bensons many contributions.

The work is not nearly over, but now, theres no one to consult with, he said. There are a few left who still understand a recording and could translate, but they could not form their own sentences. He was the last.
Civil Aviation Ministry has ordered a detailed probe into the "serious incident" of IndiGo and KLM aircraft getting involved in a near miss situation last month.

After concluding that the incident was "serious", Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has launched a probe.

A two-member inquiry committee, headed by AAIB Assistant Director Jitendra Loura, is looking into the matter. AAIB Air Safety Officer K Ramachandran is also part of the panel.

Depending on the requirement, the committee can take the assistance of other experts or agencies.

In a recent notification, the Ministry said "IndiGo aircraft A320 (Reg-VT-IFO) and KLM Airways Boeing B789 (Reg PHBHG) were involved in a serious incident in the Delhi airspace on November 2.

"... It appears to the central government that it is expedient to investigate and determine the causes and contributory factors leading to the said serious incident and make recommendations to avoid recurrence of such serious incidents in future," the notification said.

Citing preliminary data from the Indian authories, French aviation regulator BEA, last month, said IndiGo aircraft came in close proximity with KLM plane as the required standard lateral and vertical (radar) separation was reduced. The vertical separation was reduced to 200 feet, it had said.

Near miss incidents are generally described as airprox (aircraft proximity). It refers to a situation where in the opinion of a pilot or Air Traffic Services personnel, the distance between the planes as well as their relative positions and speed have been such that the safety of the aircraft involved may have been compromised.

Separately, another two-member panel is investigating the incident involving A R Airways Ltd. Cessna Citation CE 550 SII aircraft VT-KMB at Banswara airport, Rajasthan on October 27.

Specific details about the incident could not be immediately ascertained.

The incident would be probed by the committee comprising AAIB Assistant Director Jasbir Singh Larhga and Ramachandran.

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Haryana has become the first state to adopt the Centre's Mahila Police Volunteer scheme in two of its districts and has inducted 1,000 women as part of the programme.

Karnal and Mahindergarh are the two districts which have adopted this initiative, which aims to have a gender responsive police service with increased presence of female personnel within the police force and in community outreach.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Secretary, Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, Leena Nair were present at the induction ceremony of these women volunteers in Karnal.

Director General of Police, Haryana, KP Singh said with this initiative, the state has improved the presence of women personnel in its police force by two per cent.

"It has now increased from six per cent to eight per cent," he said.

In a series of tweets, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said, "Mahila Police Volunteer is an important initiative to link the police and community to assist women in distress."



A Mahila Police Volunteer will serve as a public-police interface in order to fight crime against women. She will be tasked with reporting incidences of violence against women such as domestic violence, child marriage, dowry harassment and violence faced by women in public spaces.

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Delhi Police raided a hotel in central Delhi's Karol Bagh area and recovered Rs 3.25 crore in demonetised notes from five men who were allegedly involved in collecting black money from various hawala operators in the national capital and delivering it in Mumbai for conversion to white.

The Crime Branch had got a tip-off yesterday evening about some Mumbai and Rajasthan-based people making regular visits to Delhi for conversion of black money into white with the help of money exchangers in Karol Bagh, said Ravindra Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).

He said the five men -- Ansari Abuzar, Fazal Khan, Ansari Affan, Ladu Ram and Mahaveer Singh -- had hoarded pile of cash illegally through hawala and were planning to carry it to Mumbai.

It has also been found that they had made three trips between Delhi and Mumbai during November and December, said another officer.

They would take the collected cash from Delhi in check-in baggage and wrap it in a specialised manner to evade detection by scanning machines.

"After collecting the cash, they used to make bundles of the notes by wrapping them in newspapers by using double side tapes and adhesives.

"They used to cover these bundles with black clothes and place spiral telephone and internet connecting cables near each bundle to deceive baggage scanning machines installed at the railway stations or airports," said Yadav.

In case the accused were asked about the contents of the baggage, they would say they are carrying a landline phone.

"They used to carry a manual pocket balance to weigh the bags so that they did not exceed the permissible limits for carrying bag and baggage during flight journey," the officer said, adding, "After collecting the cash, they would depart hurriedly for Mumbai."



These men were staying at Karol Bagh's Hotel Taksh Inn, whose owner is also a money exchanger and runs his business in the name of Guru Forex in a shop, said Yadav.

Even though his direct involvement has not emerged in this matter the Income Tax Department is probing that angle, sources said.

A team was constituted under the supervision of DCP Rajesh Deo and the information was shared with the IT Department and a team of IT officials led by deputy director Abhishek Anand was roped in for the operations, said the officer.

A search warrant was procured by the Income Tax department and the premises was raided around 8.30 PM yesterday.

"Five people staying in room numbers 106, 202 and 206 were detained and four suitcases and one cardboard carton box containing demonetised currency notes were recovered and seized by Income Tax officials. On counting, they were found to be having a value of Rs 3.25 crore," said Yadav.

No case has so far been filed against them by Delhi Police as the seizure does not amount to an offence under its purview, and they have been handed over to the IT department who would further interrogate them, said the officer.

Yadav said the five men are carriers. Affan is the boss of



the other four persons who hires local trusted youths, preferably from his neighbourhood community to operate in a clandestine manner. He has close acquaintances with the money exchangers and agents active in Delhi, he added.

Affan, Khan and Abuzar are residents of Mumbai, while Ram and Singh belong to Rajasthan. Affan was paid money on the basis of the number of trips he made, while the other four were paid Rs 2,000 per day.

"It has been revealed that the gang is operated by Mumbai-based hawala operators Lalit Bhai and Bholu Bhai who collect black money from various people of Maharashtra and from other states of the country and later after deducting their commission, they return the money in white.

"In Delhi, they collect cash from various hawala operators including Paras, Rahul and Vinod and get it converted to white," the officer said, adding the Income Tax Department and Enforcement Directorate have been informed.

"It is not known to whom does the seized cash belong. It has also to be ascertained whether these persons had been detected by the airport authorities and how did they manage to convince them," said sources.
The Bombay High Court today rejected the bail plea of Maharashtra's former PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and dismissed his petition challenging the legality of his arrest under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Also, the special court for PMLA cases directed that 69-year-old Bhujbal be shifted back to Arthur Road jail from the J J Hospital here.

The prison authorities had said Bhujbal refused to undergo angiography thrice after complaining of heart issues and his continued stay in the hospital would serve no purpose.

The High Court, which rejected Bhujbal's bail plea, said he failed to show that his arrest was illegal. "He has further failed to show that the Special Court passed the remand order mechanically without application of mind," said the division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Shalini Phansalkar.

Bhujbal had sought bail from the High Court on medical grounds. He also contended that his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was not as per the procedure established by law. The NCP leader had filed a 'Habeas Corpus' petition, saying that his arrest was illegal.

Opposing the petition, the ED lawyer contended that Bhujbal, who was arrested on March 14 this year, had not filed such a plea earlier.

Bhujbal was arrested in the alleged Maharashtra Sadan scam and Kalina land case, where he and his relatives were alleged to have received kickbacks from private contractor.

He had challenged the constitutional validity of sections 19 and 45 of PMLA. Section 19 empowers the ED to arrest a person based on evidence gathered by it, while section 45 deals with bail.

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The Madras High Court has directed the state government to close down the dog breeding unit run by the state Animal Husbandry Department here within two months of issue of the order.

The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sathyanarayanan, said dogs in the unit at Saidapet would be rehabilitated with the assistance of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).

The court's order came while disposing of two PILs of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, Mumbai, and E Seshan on December 7.

It had earlier made it clear that the unit would be shutdown if it does not comply with the recommendations of the AWBI.

The petitioners had alleged that the unit was run in contravention of the Prevention of the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1980 and the rules framed thereunder. It was set up in 1980-81 with a view to preserving the native dog breeds of the state-- Rajapalayam, Chippiparai, Kombai, while at present it was even breeding foreign dogs, the petitioners said.

The AWBI carried out an inspection and found that the functioning of the unit was not in accordance "with the manner in which it has to be run. In fact, the unit is not even registered with the Animal Welfare Board of India, violating the rules."



"The recommendation in fact is for shutting down the unit on account of cruelty and illegality and funding used by the breeding unit is recommended to be directed towards the State Animal Birth Control Programmes that encourage the adoption of dogs from animal shelters or in streets."



The petitions sought a direction to Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Department to shut down the unit.

The petitioners further sought a direction to hand over the dogs to the petitioners "for sufficient treatment and care they desperately need before being adopted into loving 'forever' homes.

When the matter came up last week, the bench perused the inspection report of AWBI and its recommendations and directed that the unit be shutdown within two months of issue of the order.

The petition filed by Seshan had sought a direction to the unit to provide proper expert medical care, food, exercise and maintenance to the dogs without they being subjected to any cruelty as defined under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

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Concerned over continued disappearance of a JNU student for nearly two months, Delhi High Court today directed the police to "scan" the entire campus, including hostels, classrooms and rooftops, of the varsity by using sniffer dogs.

A bench of justices G S Sistani and Vinod Goel also asked Delhi Police to take all necessary steps without further loss of time to trace out the student - Najeeb Ahmed, saying there has been delay in recording statements of some students suspected of thrashing him a day before his disappearance.

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and its student union, JNUSU, were asked by the bench to file affidavits in two days stating they have no objection to the "thorough search" and that all assistance would be provided to the police.

The court also said the police was free to search Jamia Millia University also, if required. In case of any resistance or objection to it from the varsity or its students, the agency could approach the court for permission.

The bench said it was not concerned about which students union did what and it was not on a fact-finding mission regarding what JNU did wrong or right. "We are only concerned with where he has vanished," it said.

The directions came on the habeus corpus plea by Najeeb's mother, Fatima Nafees, who has moved court to trace out her son who has been missing since the intervening night of October 14-15. The matter was listed for further hearing on December 22.

The lawyer for Najeeb's mother contended that the police was "bypassing" the abduction angle and it appeared that the agency was moving on the theory that something was mentally wrong with the student as he just walked out of the campus.

Delhi Police, represented by senior standing counsel for Delhi government Rahul Mehra, refuted the allegations and told the court that it was exploring all angles, including abduction, and was not hiding any details of the probe from the student's mother.

Mehra also said four students, who are suspected of beating up Najeeb, would be put to lie-detector tests to get leads or clues about his disappearance and whereabouts. The police expected to get results in the next 10 days, he said.

The mother's lawyer, during arguments, said the manner in



which emphasis of police has shifted from Najeeb being beaten up to him slapping another student and then leaving the campus, indicates that "he may even be dead".

He said that even JNU's stand appears to focus on Najeeb slapping a student rather than him being beaten up. While he was expelled from the hostel, the others were only transferred to another hostel as punishment, he said.

The lawyer also questioned the police version that an auto driver had dropped off Najeeb at Jamia university, saying no record of autorickshaw registration numbers was maintained at the gates of JNU.

This allegation was refuted by the police which said it had records of autorickshaw numbers of nearly a year and the petitioner could examine it.

However, the court asked how such things could help find the missing student as the "bottom line" was to trace him. It was of the view that these accusations would only lead the court to deviate from the main issue of tracing Najeeb.

The court was of the view that Najeeb, who was pursuing MSc in Biotechnology from JNU, could not have just vanished and that he cannot have gone far.

It was also of the opinion that the four students who were members of ABVP and accused of thrashing Najeeb, "may be aggressors", but they might not be the abductors.

It said these students, whose statements were recorded recently by Delhi Police, "do not appear to be experts" who can hide a person for nearly two months.

Meanwhile, JNU told the court that a search operation of the campus was carried out by its security guards along with the police, but the cops said they only searched the open areas and were restricted from entering other parts of the varsity.

On December 9, the court had slammed the police for remaining clueless about the whereabouts of Najeeb.

On November 28, the High Court had sternly asked the city police to "cut across all political barriers" and find Najeeb.
The Delhi High Court today came down on the AAP government over its "failure" to frame rules regarding rehabilitation of manual scavengers in the national capital despite a law prohibiting the practice.

A bench of justices B D Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar said under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, it is mandatory that the state government frames rules, failing which it ought to be penalised.

"It is mandatory under the Act and you do not do it. It means that the government is dismissed on this ground alone," the bench said.

"The Act commenced in September 2013 and now we are into end of 2016. Three months were given to frame the rules after the commencement of the Act, but that has passed long back. Even the order passed by this court three months back has not been complied with," it said.

"You say the previous government has not done anything, But what have you done. Is your government doing anything?" the bench asked the counsel for the AAP government.

The court also sought to know from the government as to whether any committee was set up by it to look into the implementation of the Act.

It said the Principal Secretary of Delhi government's Social Welfare Department will have to file an affidavit before February 1 next year, explaining why section 36 of the Act has not been implemented.

Section 36 states the appropriate government shall, by notification, make rules for carrying out the provisions of this Act, within a period not exceeding three months from the date of commencement of the Act.

The court was hearing of a PIL filed in 2007 for rehabilitation of manual scavengers.

It had earlier termed as "disgraceful" the existence of manual scavenging in the city despite a law prohibiting such a practice and said, "We are a country of poor people but not for poor people."



It is "ridiculous and shocking", the court had observed when informed by Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA's) Member Secretary, Dharmesh Sharma, that one of the manual scavengers was a "graduate".

DSLSA, in an interim report, had said that there were manual scavengers in the national capital.

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The Allahabad High Court today set aside the acquisition of land in a Ghaziabad village eight years ago and rapped the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) for overlooking "government orders as well as legal provisions only to provide benefit" to a private realty firm.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Arun Tandon and Justice Sangeeta Chandra passed the order allowing the petitions of Devaki and several other residents of Duda Heda village in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh whose land was acquired by GDA in 2008.

The court, which had impleaded Ansal Properties and Infrastructure in the petition, held that the land was acquired "only to provide benefit to the private company".

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Noting that Maharashtra government has failed to appoint an Advocate General, the Bombay High Court today set a deadline of December 23 for the state to inform when it would fill up the coveted post.

"Tell us on December 23 when would you appoint the Advocate General," a division bench of Justice Abhay Oka said, while hearing a petition filed by Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt.

Government pleader today informed it that the state would appoint the AG very soon.

However, the high court said it wanted to know when such appointment would be made. The bench further said it was not satisfied with the government's reply on appointment of AG.

Neeraj Dhote, legal adviser and joint secretary, law and judiciary department, filed an affidavit on December 8 assuring the court that "the state would appoint AG in accordance with the provisions contained in Article 165 of the Constitution of India, by the end of December 2016."



The bench had then remarked "it is high time that the government appointed a new Advocate General to represent the state. Many constitutional and statutory functions (of the government) are suffering due to the non-appointment of AG and it affects the cause of justice as well as the public."



Dutt sought a direction to the Maharashtra government to appoint a regular Advocate General in place of the current acting Advocate General.

His petition said the court should declare that the post of 'acting Advocate General' was unconstitutional, and that the appointment of Advocate General should be made only as per the provisions of Article 165 of the Constitution.

Dutt clarified that he was not questioning the integrity and professional capability of acting Advocate General Rohit Deo, but said he wanted a direction to the government to follow the Constitutional provisions.

Deo was functioning as an acting AG for the last seven months, while under the Constitution no post of 'acting AG' exists, he said.

Dutt had also raised the issue in the state Legislature earlier, the petition said.

Deo was appointed as acting AG after previous Advocate General Srihari Aney was forced to resign.

Aney's open support for separate Vidarbha had incurred him the wrath of political parties, including the ruling ally Shiv Sena, which are opposed to the idea of statehood for the region.

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Three 12-year-old boys in Serbia set a homeless man on fire, and he died from his burns several hours later.

The attack occurred in the northern Serbian town of Novi Sad, some 70 kilometres (40 miles) from the capital Belgrade.

The boys set fire to cardboard placed under a mattress on which the 52-year old man -- identified only by the initials D.T. -- had been sleeping, Tanjug agency reported today.

The fire quickly spread to his clothes and body, leaving critical injuries. He was rushed to hospital but later succumbed to his wounds, it added.

Police questioned the suspects in the presence of their parents, but it is unlikely that the boys will be charged.

Under Serbia's criminal code, children under 14 cannot be prosecuted, Tanjug said.

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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.
The Police today seized a huge amount liquor which was hidden in a truck at a brick kiln in the Chandi village of Bihar's Vaishali district.

Vaishali Superintendent of Police Rakesh Kumar said acting on a tip-off, a team from the Sadar police station raided the place and seized 205 cartons of Indian Made Foreign Liquor(IMFL) worth over Rs one crore.

The liquor was hidden beneath soil and grass in a loaded truck, the SP said.

The brick kiln belongs to a former municipal councillor, he said adding, one person has been arrested.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on several occasions had expressed surprise over illegal transport of liquor from far-off places after liquor was banned in Bihar and had ordered a crackdown on the network.

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India has emerged as the most preferred destination for innovation in Asia and third biggest globally, with 'Silicon Valley' of East Bengaluru leading the charge, says a research by global consulting major Capgemini.

"India has been ranked as the No. 1 innovation destination in Asia and No. 2 in the world for new innovation centres," the report said.

Bengaluru, which saw the opening of three new centres between March and October this year and an announcement by Apple to establish a startup accelerator, leads the Indian challenge on innovation and is ranked as the fifth hub at the global level.

Nine new innovation centres were opened in the country during the period, taking the total number of innovation centres to 25. The US leads the list with 146 centres, followed by Britain with 29 and India is at the third place with 24 centres.

The report said there has been noticeable activity in tier-II cities when it comes to innovation, and added that apart from Pune, which already existed on the global map, Jaipur has also entered the list with two new centres.

The research, done by Capgemini Consulting's Digital Transformation Institute in collaboration with Fahrenheit 212 and in partnership with Brian Solis of Altimeter said efforts taken by the government are the prime moving factor for the emergence of the country in the list.

"This is due in part to the government and other public sector initiatives that seek to establish India as a digitally empowered society and nurture innovation," it said.

Jaipur, Pune and Hyderabad each welcomed two new centres involving partnerships with the government during the March-October period, it said.

The number of active incubators in the country increased from 40 per cent to 140, with a bulk 66 per cent of them in tier-II and tier-III centres.

Global names, including Cisco, Qualcomm Technologies, general Electric 3M and London-based Internet of things consortium Hypercat have a presence in the country today, the report said.

The footprint in smaller cities was attributed to the IoT policy for 2016-2020 and the government's startup India initiative launched early in 2016.

With a presence in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Pune, the country accounts for 27 per cent of Asia's new innovation centres and is home to a tenth of new global innovation centres.
A non-profit organisation in the US founded by an Indian-American IT entrepreneur and his wife will partner with a prominent media organisation to fund a fellowship for a mid-career journalist from India in 2017 for six months.

The Frank Islam & Debbie Driesman Foundation started by Indian-Ameican Frank Islam and his wife, Debbie Driesman, will partner with Alfred Friendly Press Partners (AFPP) to fund the fellowship.

The fellowship will be administered by AFPP, which has so far trained 300 journalists from the developing world. The Frank Islam & Debbie Driesman Fellow will work in a major newsroom in Washington, DC, for five months after undergoing a five-week training at Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.

"The Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman Foundation is proud to join hands with Alfred Friendly Press Partners to fund a fellowship for a mid-career journalist from India," said Frank F Islam, President of the Frank Islam & Debbie Driesman Foundation, in a statement.

"Debbie and I consider the fellowship as a strategic investment in free press. Over the past three decades, AFPP has trained 15 world class journalists from India who have gone on to become leaders in the field. It is our earnest belief that the FIDD Fellow will continue that tradition," he said.

"We are especially delighted to welcome Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman to our fold. Family is the reason that we've been able to train more than 300 journalists in 90 different countries for over 30 years," said Randall D Smith, President of the Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships.

A candidate who has three years of professional experience as a journalist and employed as a journalist by an independent media organisation in India can apply for the fellowship, the foundation said.

During the roughly six-month programme, the FIDD Fellow will gain experience in reporting, writing, editing, and editorial decision-making that will enhance professional performance, a practical understanding of the function and significance of the free press in American society,



It also includes, a first hand knowledge of the industry's technological advances, and transfer knowledge to colleagues at home in India.

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A woman Indian physics teacher in the UK, recognised for her experiential method of teaching physics, is among the top 50 contenders from around the world for a global prize of USD one million.

Kavita Sanghvi has been recognised for her experiential method of teaching physics as principal of MET Rishikul Vidyalaya in Mumbai by The Global Teacher Prize 2017.

She helped her students grasp the application of textbook concepts in real life situations.

"For the past few days on receiving the mail and finding my name in the top 50, I have been walking in the clouds, smiling and feeling an immense sense of gratitude towards all for shaping me professionally to develop my strengths and potentials," Sanghvi said.

"This recognition makes me feel truly special and inspires me to enhance my abilities and capabilities further. The Prize will be a constant reminder to me that I am responsible and accountable to the community towards academic, environment and social development of my students and teachers," she added.

The Global Teacher Prize, now in its third year, was set up by Indian-origin entrepreneur Sunny Varkey to recognise one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession as well as to shine a spotlight on the important role teachers play in society.

This year's top 50 was whittled down from over 20,000 nominations and applications from across 179 countries.

Ten candidates will be chosen from the top 50 by February 2017 and the winner will then be picked from the final 10 by a Global Teacher Prize Academy.

All 10 finalists will be invited to Dubai for the award ceremony at the annual Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF), to be held on March 19 next year, where the winner will be announced live.

"We were overwhelmedby the huge support the Global Teacher Prize received this year. We intend to keep this momentum going as our journey continuesto return teachers to their rightful position as one of themost respected professions in society," said Varkey, founder of the UK-based Varkey Foundation.

"The tens of thousands of nominations and applications we received from every corner of the planet is testimony to the achievements of teachers and the enormous impact they have on all of our lives," he said.

Sanghvi, the only Indian on the list this year, studied



physics in Toronto before returning to India. She was selected by the British Council to be part of their Global Teachers Accreditation Programme, and used the opportunity to conduct research on experiential learning in physics.

She has already received many awards - not just for physics but also for her environmental projects within the school. She was the global winner of the School Enterprise challenge and was recognised by the World Education Summit 2016 for Becoming Enthusiastic About Maths and Science (BEAMS) project.

"I count my teachers as among the most influential people in my life. Teachers are entrusted with nurturing the potential of the young and helping them blossom as productive and responsible members of society. It is hard to underestimate their value," said Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations and one of the supporters of the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize.

The Global Teacher Prize Academy includes prominent names such as actress Freida Pinto; Wendy Kopp, co-founder and CEO of Teach for All; Brett Wigdortz, founder and CEO of Teach First; NickBooth,CEO,The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry; James E Ryan, Dean and Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Jeffrey D Sachs,world-renowned professor of economics and special advisor to the UN; and Lewis Pugh, theonly person to have completed a long distance swim in every ocean of the world.
Indian diplomatic missions have filed 182 mercy petitions in 12 countries, including the UAE and Oman, on behalf of Indians in foreign jails in the last three years, Lok Sabha was informed today.

Maximum number of petitions have been filed in the UAE (74), followed by Oman (57), Bahrain (14), Myanmar (12) and the US (5), Minister of State for Foreign Affairs V K Singh said in written reply to a question.

To another question, he said that since inception of the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) scheme in December 2005, 23,60,626 Persons of Indian Origin have been issued OCI cards till December 6, 2016.

Replying to yet another question, Singh said the External Affairs Ministry is implementing a Productivity Linked Incentive Scheme (PLIS) to enhance the efficiency in the functioning of the Passport office in the country.

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Country's second largest software services firm Infosys today said it has invested in ideaForge, an Indian startup focused on unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV solutions (drones).

Infosys, which has been aggressively investing in startups over the last few quarters, will fund the latest investment through its Innovation Fund.

The investment is subject to receipt of regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, Infosys said in a statement.

It, however, did not disclose the details of the investment.

IdeaForge's drones have fully autonomous operation, failsafe technology, high endurance and can offer image intelligence with live feed as well as support complex payloads like thermal and high-resolution imagery.

The devices have been widely deployed by the Indian Armed Forces for surveillance, crowd monitoring and rescue operations.

"ideaForge's high performance UAVs, which have been designed and built in India, have significant potential in industrial use cases. We are looking forward to working with ideaForge and bringing their technology, expertise, and solutions to our clients to unlock new business insights from operational data that has previously been difficult to obtain," Infosys Executive Vice President and Global Head of Corporate Development and Ventures Ritika Suri said.

Infosys had set up the Innovation Fund in 2013. It beefed up the fund five-fold to USD 500 million in 2015 to provide financing to startups and new technologies like artificial intelligence.

The Bengaluru-based firm has spoken many times of its strategy to focus on renewing core business while building new capabilities like design thinking and artificial intelligence at the same time.

In the last few weeks, Infosys has invested in firms like US-based TidalScale, Danish artificial intelligence startup UNSILO and Stellaris Venture Partners (an early-stage venture fund).

"We are very excited to have Infosys as an investor and a partner for exploring UAV services and solutions for global customers. This partnership will play an important role in our industrial expansion to address a wide variety of data acquisition and analysis needs," ideaForge co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Ankit Mehta said.

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A few dozen Israeli lawmakers and their assistants have protested outside the parliament building after female staffers were denied entry for wearing skirts that were deemed too short.

Asaf Goldfarb of the Israeli legislative assistants' union says at least 15 female staffers couldn't go into the Knesset today because of their dress. The protesters denounced similar entry refusals in recent weeks.

Goldfarb says a Knesset representative told protesters that dresses must be no more than 5 centimeters above the knee.

Knesset spokesman Yotam Yakir said the parliament dress code forbids sandals, shorts, and "too short skirts." Yakir called the protest a "provocation."



He says only one legislative assistant was denied entry today over her dress, and the Knesset enforces the dress code equally with men and women.

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A 53-year-old Israeli trekker, who was part of the country's trekking team in Uttarakhand, was badly injured today after his motorcycle slipped and fell about 20 metres down the road.

The accident occurred when a team of trekkers from Israel were on their way from Rishikesh to Jakholi, SSP Tehri NS Napalchyal said.

The bike slipped and fell 20 metres down the road leaving Irez Farber injured, he said.

He sustained serious injuries on his feet and hands, the SSP said.

Rest of his team members are returning to Baurari hospital where their colleague is currently admitted.

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The Jharkhand government today gave administrative approval of Rs 167.03 crore to construct a Rabindra Mandap in Ranchi.

The Mandap would have an auditorium with a capacity between 1,200 and 1,500 people, a multi-purpose hall with a capacity of 1,500 people, four conference halls each having a capacity of 50 persons, 20 roomed guest house, food court, shops, gymnasium, library and musical hall, an official release said here.

The building has also proposal for underground parking and plantation.

A state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Raghubar Das gave its nod to Rs 6,570.16 lakh for construction of a Haj House in Ranchi, the release said.

The House would have a prayer room for Haj pilgrims, Imamkhana, Visa desk, Air ticket counter, registration and other facilities.

The cabinet also approved Rs 78.87 crore for development of WiFi facilities in educational institutions in the first phase, the release added.

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Police today arrested a diamond and gold trader who allegedly cheated merchants and fled to foreign countries.

Police claimed to have recovered four kgs of gold from his possession.

The trader left for foreign countries in October after allegedly cheating the merchants, police said in a release.

He came back to India recently and was nabbed here. The accused allegedly did not make payments after taking gold from the merchants, who later lodged a complaint against him.

Police would seek 10-day custody of the trader when he is produced in a court here, the release added.

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The Jawaharlal Nehru Students Union (JNUSU) today promised "full cooperation" to police search on the campus to trace MSc student Najeeb Ahmed who went missing two months back after a scuffle allegedly with ABVP affiliated students.

"JNUSU will extend its full cooperation in finding Najeeb. Delhi High Court's direction to the Delhi police to search the university campus accommodation, ad-block, and the green areas using sniffer dogs, has long been a demand of JNUSU," president of the students union Mohit Pandey said in a statement.

The Delhi High Court today directed the police to "scan" the entire campus, including hostels, classrooms and rooftops, of the varsity by using sniffer dogs.

The court also asked Delhi Police to take all necessary steps without further loss of time to trace Najeeb, saying there has been delay in recording statements of some students suspected of thrashing him a day before his disappearance.

Pandey said that, the Delhi police should have done this right in the beginning when they could not find Najeeb.

"JNUSU has been pointing out this lapse on the part of Delhi police even in its submission to the petition in the Court. We appeal to everyone to please cooperate with the High Court directions and in our struggle to find Najeeb" he said.

Najeeb disappeared after scuffle with alleged ABVP students at his hostel.

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Union Minister Kalraj Mishra today chaired a meeting of the high-powered monitoring committee of the national SC/ST Hub and took stock of its activities including setting up of an MSME databank.

The Hub was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October to provide support to entrepreneurs from the community. Its main focus is to monitor the procurement from SC/ST MSMEs which at present is less than 0.3 per cent against the required 4 per cent target.

The Hub would primarily aid in strengthening market access/linkages, mentoring, capacity building, leveraging financial support schemes and sharing industry best practices.

It will have a data bank of MSMEs, vendor development programmes, mentoring, capacity building, finance facilitation, marketing assistance and consortiums of SC/ST suppliers and a management information system.

The data bank will also eventually enable the SC/ST entrepreneurs to indicate the names of Ministries or CPSE/Central Ministries to which the enterprise would be interested in supplying its products or services.

In order to enrich the MSME data bank with SC/ST enterprises, the field offices of National Small Industries Corporation have been advised to identify and enter SC/ST units in the databank.

The action plan of National SC/ST Hub aims to utilise various existing schemes of different Government departments and effectively leverage the opportunities and benefits entitled for the SC/ST entrepreneurs.

According to the Public Procurement Policy, 20 per cent of total procurement of goods and services by Central Ministries and CPSEs shall be made from the MSEs, whereas 4 per cent out of the 20 per cent shall be made from MSEs owned by SC & ST entrepreneurs.

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AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal today announces that Himmat Singh Shergill will contest in the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls against state Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, who has been mired with various controversies pertaining to drugs.

Challenging Majithia at his home turf, Kejriwal proposed the name of Shergill, the party's state legal cell head, at a gathering and asked people if the latter would be the right choice to take on the revenue minister.

On getting the gathering's nod, he asked Shergill, who was present at the event, if he was ready to take the challenge. Shergill said he is "more than eager" to accept the challenge and take the state "out of the clutches of the Badals and Majtihia".

The AAP national convener said it is "extremely important" to "root out" Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh, the Badal family and Majithia from the state, to give people hope, progress and development.

"I can see that we have all gathered here to uproot Majithia from his own constituency to establish the rule of law. The kind of massive gathering I see around this place gives me a sense that Majithia would even forfeit his deposit in the assembly polls next year from this constituency," Kejriwal said.

The Delhi Chief Minister alleged that Amarinder, the Badals and Majithia are fighting the assembly polls together against AAP.

"Why has Amarinder never challenged Majithia or the Badals to contest against him from Patiala," Kejriwal asked, adding Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal too have never challenged Amarinder to contest from Lambi and Jalalabad constituencies.

"But all of them will always challenge me to contest against them. This show the Badals and Amarinder are having secret political understanding to protect each other's, interests. Both SAD and Congress are jointly contesting against AAP," he alleged.

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Kerala government on Wednesday decided to hand over 70 acres of land at zero cost in Palakkad district for setting up the permanent campus of Indian Institute of Technology.

A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram decided to assign 70.02 acres at Pithiest west village in the district, an official release said.

The land would be given free of cost for the IIT, which is now functioning in a temporary campus.

The cabinet also decided to stop all the revenue recovery proceedings on loans taken by farmers from various financial institutions till May 31, 2017.

The moratorium was announced in the wake of a severe financial crisis faced by farmers in the state.

The cabinet also issued notification for the formation of the Kerala Devaswom Recruitment Board, a common recruitment board for appointments in Devaswom Boards, which manage a majority of Hindu shrines and aided institutions.

M Rajagopalan Nair would be the chairperson and GS Shylamani and PC Raveendranath the members of the Board, the release added.
Kerala Governor Justice P Sathasivam has forwarded a petition to Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar seeking compensation to those whose landed properties had been acquired for setting up the Central university campus in Malathuparamba in Kasaragod.

The petition, submitted by Marxist veteran and Chairman of Administrative Reforms commission V S Achuthanandan wanted the Centre to compensate the families by providing job to one person per family, a release from the Raj Bhavan said.

K Kunhiraman, Uduma MLA, had also accompanied Achuthanandan.

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Kerala government will take steps to strengthen Keltron and to make it one of the efficient PSUs in the country, Industries Minister A C Moideen today said.

The Minister said this after a visit to Keltron's Karakulam Unit, to evaluate the manufacturing of UPS system developed by Keltron for Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL).

Keltron should improve its manufacturing base with future vision and be able to tackle the opportunities in national and international markets, he added.

The minister also held detailed discussions with Public sector Restructuring and Internal Audit Board (RIAB) Chairman M P Sukumaran Nair, Keltron Chairman, K G Vijayakumaran Nair and Managing Director T R Hemalatha among others.

Power Electronics Group of Keltron is executing orders worth Rs 10.5 Cr from M/s BGR Energy Systems Limited, Chennai for design, manufacture, testing, inspection, supply and commissioning of 3phase 2x500KVA UPS System (8 sets) - along with mandatory spares for NPCIL 4 X 700 Mw Mega Power Projects at Kakrapar, Gujarat and Rawatbhata, Rajasthan.

The system is designed with state of art technology employing Digital Signal Processor and Field Programmable Gate Array.

Each of the UPS is designed to continuously supply power to Nuclear Power Projects.

The system has been qualified after successfully subjected to the independent verification and validation by NPCIL, a KELTRON press release said.

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Hundreds of Kuwaitis protested outside the Russian embassy today to condemn Moscow's support for the Syrian regime besieging rebel-held Aleppo.

Carrying banners saying "Stop crimes" and "Save Aleppo," around 2,000 demonstrators marched on the diplomatic compound housing the embassy in Kuwait City.

Speakers called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "criminal" and urged the government to expel Russia's ambassador.

"Today, the Syrian people are at war with Russia... Dead bodies are in the streets of Aleppo," Islamist lawmaker Jamaan al-Harbash told the crowd.

"We call on Turkey and the Gulf states to expel Russian envoys and sever diplomatic ties with Moscow," he said.

Speakers also condemned Iran and Shiite militias, accusing them of indiscriminate killings of civilians in Aleppo.

MP Thamer al-Suwait called the war in Syria a "genocide".

Former lawmaker Ahmad al-Shuhumi condemned what he labelled "a dirty sectarian war led by Iran against the Sunni Muslims".

Protesters then marched towards the fence of the compound, shouting: "The people want the expulsion of the ambassador".

Police watched the demonstration closely but it ended peacefully.

Kuwait's parliament is set to hold a special debate on Aleppo on December 28, speaker Marzouk al-Ghanem said today.

Kuwait has also called on the Arab League to hold an emergency meeting Monday to discuss Aleppo.

Opposition MPs urged Gulf Cooperation Council nations yesterday to expel Russian ambassadors over what they called Moscow's role in "genocide" in Aleppo.

Kuwaiti charities and the Kuwait Red Crescent Society have launched fund-raising campaigns for victims of the fighting in Aleppo.

During a weeks-long regime assault to retake rebel-held parts of Aleppo, the city has seen some of the worst fighting in Syria's five-year war.

More than 310,000 people have been killed since the Syrian conflict began, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees.

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Sri Lanka will lease out the loss-ridden southern port of Hambantota to a Chinese firm next month raising USD 1.12 billion to help pay off mounting debts, the government said today.

"We hope to finalise the deal by early January to raise about 1.12 billion dollars," Ports Minister Arjuna Ranatunga said.

Sri Lanka owes China around USD 8 billion for supporting mega infrastructure development projects under former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's government.

The seaport in Hambantota and its airport have been making huge losses. The government of President Maithripala Sirisena has been renegotiating with China to service the debts it owes the Chinese government.

Accordingly the government has decided to give China on long lease an 80 per cent stake of the Hambantota port.

Talks with China Merchants Port Holdings have been successful, the government said.

Ranatunga said the Chinese firm had wanted the port on a 199-year lease which has been brought down to a 99-year lease in the agreement to be signed in January.

The port is currently embroiled in an employee dispute with temporary workers demanding they be made permanent before the port could be handed over to the Chinese firm.

Over 480 workers have been on a work stoppage for the last 8 days. The navy was deployed to free a vessel held by the port workers.

The residents of Hambantota today staged another protest against the government to give China 15,000 acres to build an industrial centre.

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Workers union of Tata Motors' Pune plant has said it has lost faith in Chairman Cyrus Mistry's leadership, accusing him of "deliberately misleading" and making "objectionable statements" about it.

Mistry, in a letter to shareholders of Tata Motors last week, had alleged that Ratan Tata "undermined a key reform" for introduction of an "incentive linked to productivity" at Tata Motors by asking for public support from the auto major's labour unions.

Denying the allegations, Tata Motors Employees Union, Pune said: "The meeting with Mr Ratan Tata was planned well in advance. On November 10, 2016, Mr Tata appealed to the union not to worry about the top-level disturbance but appealed to them to work hard for the benefit of the company."



Commenting on the wage settlement negotiations with the management, the union said over 15 months have passed despite verbal assurance given by senior management that "an amicable solution would be arrived at within a fortnight".

"...With no concrete action taken, the union has now lost faith in Mr Mistry's leadership, which is often deliberately misleading. It is shocking for the union to note that a person of the stature of Mr Mistry, occupying such an important stature in Indian industry would resort to such immature actions," the union said in a statement.

Praising Tata's stewardship, it said: "In reality under the leadership of Mr Ratan Tata during the year 2003, 2006 and 2009 settlements, we have accepted quality, productivity, safety and profit linked wage agreement for the prosperity and future of the organisation."



After the 2003 settlement, the union accepted various initiatives and the company benefited and has shown continuous improvements till 2012, it added.

Mistry, who is currently the Chairman of Tata Motors will face a voting by shareholders on December 22 after Tata Sons moved a resolution to oust him as director from the company's board.

Yesterday Tata Sons had purchased a total of 5 crore shares of Tata Motors amounting to 1.73 per cent stake in the company. As of September, Tata Sons held 26.98 per cent stake in Tata Motors with promoter and promoter group standing at 33 per cent.

Already shareholders of Tata Industries, Tata Consultancy Services and Tata Teleservices have voted in favour of Tata Sons' move to remove him as director from the respective boards.

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At least one person was injured as a low-intensity blast targeted a Chinese engineer's vehicle convoy near Rohri in Sindh province, police said.

The Chinese engineer working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) escaped unhurt in the explosion, police said.

"Unknown accused attacked a Chinese engineer's vehicle near Rohri. Rescue teams moved [to the location]," said a police statement.

Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Rohri Masood Mahar said, "Today at 15:45 hours, in the jurisdiction of Patni police station, when a Chinese engineer's vehicles convoy along with a Ranger's escort were passing by near Qasim Ali petrol pump, a remote control bomb planted in a bicycle exploded."



The DSP said that a truck driver was injured by the broken glass as the windscreen of the truck was shattered.

Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Sukkur Amjad Shaikh said the low-intensity blast occurred along a roadside leading to three campsites set up for Chinese staffers working on the CPEC.

The USD 46 billion CPEC project was launched in early 2015 to link China's remote Xinjiang region with the Arabian Sea through Pakistan by building a network of roads, railways, energy parks and industrial zones.

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Maharashtra Government will set up a committee of experts and intellectuals to study and resolve various issues concerning Marathas, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said after the community members organised a massive rally in support of quota in the second capital of state here.

Addressing a delegation of Marathas, the CM said the services of retired higher and lower court judges of the community, professors and other intellectuals will be availed for studying various issues and preparing a detailed report.

A suggestion in this regard was made by Education Minister Vinod Tawde.

This is for the first time that Marathas, who have been taking out massive rallies across the state for reservation and amendments in the Atrocities Act, submitted their memorandum to the CM in deviation from the practice to hand it over to respective district collectors.

The delegation was led by six teenage girls.

Speaking on the occasion, Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil said the proposed panel may comprise ten or more members, and a meeting will be soon convened in Mumbai.

On providing reservation to Marathas, the CM said the ball is in the court of law.

State government had recently filed a 2500-page affidavit before the Bombay High Court, supporting the demand for 16 per cent reservation for Marathas in jobs and education.

Fadnavis said the government has roped in top legal luminary, Harish Salve to fight the case for the Maratha reservation. "Salve will be appearing in the court without taking any fee," he added.

Referring to the affidavit, the CM said he himself gave the final touches to it and that it may come up for hearing from December 30.

"The affidavit is based on various documents and historical evidences," he said.

On the rape and murder of a Maratha girl in Kopardi early this year, Fadnavis said noted lawyer Ujjwal Nikam is representing the government.

"He (Nikam) has carefully drafted the papers and chargesheet has been filed in a fast track court. The court is likely to start the trial on a day to day basis from December 20," the CM said.

On the alleged misuse of the Prevention of Atrocities Act, Fadnavis said dalit leaders have been apprised about the issue.

On implementation of M S Swaminathan Committee report,



Fadnavis said, "the report was not very favourable for the farming community in Maharashtra. Since the cost of production of crops in the state is higher, the recommendations of the committee would not be feasible here. The only solution was to increase the crop produce."



He assured the delegation that hostels will be constructed for Maratha youths in urban areas and also agreed to a suggestion to take possession of vacant land from the community members.

The government would provide financial assistance to the tune of Rs 30,000 to youths seeking accommodation in cities till hostel facilities are made available.

The delegation said Maratha MLAs could be convinced to part with Rs 10 lakh from their constituency funds for the purpose.
The UK wants to make London as India's "destination of choice" for raising offshore finance, an Indian-origin British minister has said.

"Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi wants to 'Make in India'. We say: 'Make in India, finance in the UK'," Alok Sharma, minster in charge of Asia, said in an address to the UK India Business Council on the 'Future of the UK-India Relationship' in London.

"As well as seeking to expand its role as a manufacturer and innovator, India is also rightly addressing its future infrastructure and energy needs. Many of you know the staggering amounts of capital this will require - 2.8 trillion dollars needed by 2040 to invest in energy, according to the International Energy Agency and over 1 trillion dollars in other infrastructure," he said.

The parliamentary under-secretary in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on Monday said the Theresa May led government wantsthe City of London to become India's "destination of choice" for raising international funds.

"We want Indian companies and public sector entities to see the City of London as the natural home for raising offshore finance - for quasi-sovereigns as well as corporates."



The minister also sought to clear up what he described as "mis-perceptions and misconceptions" around the issue of visas.

"First of all, there is no cap on the number of international students studying at recognised institutions in the UK. Secondly, we continue to welcome students from India - in the year to March 2016, we approved 89 per cent of Indian student visa applications," he said.

"Moreover, Indian citizens enjoy greater access to application centres than anyone else and India is the only country where applicants can obtain a same-day visa.

"We naturally want our visa regime to be as simple and efficient as possible. But we must also ensure that people return to their country of origin once their visa has expired."



To ensure that the visa regime does not hinder the commercial relationship, he said the British government wants India to be the first country to be offered the "Registered Traveller Scheme, giving business travellers expedited clearance at the UK border."



He highlighted that May's visit to India last month was "no coincidence" that it was her first overseas bilateral visit outside the European Union as PM.

"It signalled the immense value we place on our existing partnership with India and the potential we see to enhance this unique relationship in the future," he said.

The Conservative Party MP pointed to the UK as India's largest major investor, responsible for employing one in every 20 Indians and India as the UK's third-largest investor and second largest international employment generator - responsible for over 110,000 jobs in the UK.

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Several organisations including some Hindu outfits today staged protest here against the state government's decision to give ex-gratia to the family of Khalid Muzaffar Wani, brother of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, who was killed by the armed forces on July 8.

Raising anti-government slogans, Bajrang Dal activists led by its convenor Rakesh Kumar today burnt the effigy of government and threatened to launch agitation if government grants compensation to the family.

Shiv Shakti Sena also staged a demonstration, opposing the move, against Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for showing soft corner to the militants, in Janipur here. An effigy of Mehbooba was also burnt.

Criticising the chief minister, Shiv Shakti Sena President Rakesh Gupta said, "On one side, Indian Army is fighting bravely with the militants to avoid loss of life and property in the Kashmir Valley whereas on the other hand, Mehbooba Mufti is granting compensation for Khalid Wani."



"She is playing dual policy to play with the sentiments of the nationalist persons," he said.

Claiming that Mehbooba government is soft towards terrorists, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party staged protests in Jammu and Udhampur districts.

"The government has set a new precedence in J-K by granting compensation to kins of top militant Burhan Wani. This is shameful," JKNPP Chief Harsh Dev Singh said.

Jammu West Assembly Movement led by Sunil Dimple too held protest at New plot road in Jammu against the government's decision.

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The State Minorities Commission today said it has sought information from the RBI and different banks following a complaint that the old city area of Hyderabad is being discriminated in allotment of cash following demonetisation.

"We have framed about four questions. One, whether the same amount is being allotted to the branches in old city and the new city area; whether the ATMs are being filled up at the same intervals and the same amount of cash; how many ATMs are working and how many are not working and the calibration has been done or not? and all other RBI norms are being followed or not," Commission Chairman Abid Rasool Khan told PTI.

Six banks have replied till date, saying no such discrimination is being done and that ATMs are being filled up at the same intervals, he said.

The banks also said they deputed officers to facilitate payments to the old city residents, he said.

The commission has asked banks to take special care of residents in old city irrespective of religion as many of them are daily wage earners, and also to send mobile banks.

It has also urged the banks to hold camps in localities inhabited by poor as they do not know about digitalisation, he said.

"These are the efforts we are putting from the commission, irrespective of religion, to facilitate weaker sections (to see that they get cash)... We will analyse the replies from banks... Our intention is to see that these people get the money. We are trying to do it as a social cause not as a religious cause, (we are) concerned that they (many residents of old city) are poor," Khan said.

The State Minorities Commission serves both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh as of now.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi had recently claimed that adequate bank network was missing from Muslim areas.

"In many Muslim areas, banks are not present in the manner they should be. The proportion of loan distribution is also less (compared to other areas)," Owaisi, the MP from Hyderabad, had said after a meeting at Udgir in Latur district of Marathwada region in Maharashtra on Monday.

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Fatima Nafees, the mother of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, today sought people's support to find her son, who disappeared about two months ago, as she led a protest march here attended by activists, political leaders and people from her hometown Badaun.

The protest march, called by JNU Students Union (JNUSU, started from Mandi House and was joined by activists and MPs of Samajwadi Party (SP), All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Janata Dal (United).

"I thank everyone for being with me in my struggle to find Najeeb and I want you all till he is found," Nafees said while addressing the protesters.

Breaking down repeatedly during the protest, she said everyone, irrespective of their religion, was fighting against the "atrocity" and was with her to find Najeeb.

SP's Dharmendra Yadav, who represents Badaun in Lok Sabha, said he tried to raise the issue several times in the House but could not because of the continuous deadlock in Parliament over demonetisation.

"We tried several times to raise the issue and gave notices but the Lok Sabha is disrupted due to demonetisation. But, I will continue my support to Najeeb's family, which is our own family," he said.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said the government must find Najeeb and punish the guilty.

"A mother is in pain. The government needs to listen to her cries and find her son and punish those responsible for his disappearance," he said.

The protesters interrupted the speakers at protest venue with cries of "Najeeb" and raised slogans against the Narendra Modi government and Delhi Police.

JD(U) MP Ali Anwar Ansari said Najeeb's disappearance was a "big issue" concerned with democracy in the country.

"It is not just a matter of disappearance of a student but it also indicates the state of democracy under the present regime in the country," he said.

Najeeb's sister Sadaf, JNUSU president Mohit Pandey, joint secretary Tabrez Hussain, AISA leader Shehla Rashid and the father of JNU student Umar Khalid, also addressed the protest.

Najeeb, MSc Biotechnology student at JNU, went missing a day after a fight allegedly ABVP affiliated students. Delhi Police has announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh on information about him while Crime Branch is trying to trace him without any success even after 60 days of his disappearance.

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Congress MLA Z Kikhonbou Newmai who was elected from Tamei Assembly constituency of Manipur's Tamenglong district today submitted his resignation letter from both the membership of the legislature and Congress, a party spokesperson said.

T N Haokip, President of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee told PTI that resigntion of Newmai from Congress will not affect the state government led by O Ibobi Singh as the total strenght of Congess in Manipur Assembly stood at 47 which is more than the required strenght of majority in the house.

Newmai is likely to join BJP before the announcement of the ensuing Manipur Assembly elections which will be held in March 2017.

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Malaysia's Premier Najib Razak today praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being a "good reformist", saying he has attempted something that "lesser mortals would not."



During a brief exchange between the two leaders through video conferencing at the 'Economic Times Asian Business Leaders Conclave 2016' here, Razak praised Modi for the demonetisation move aimed at curbing black money.

"I must congratulate you for being a good reformist. You have done what lesser mortals would not have attempted," Razak said, addressing Modi.

"If you are courageous enough to implement reforms, you will reap the rewards," he added.

Razak is expected to visit India next year as both countries continue to strengthen bilateral ties, following Modi's visit to Malaysia last year.

In the conference, Modi also praised Razak, saying under his leadership Malaysia is moving towards its goal of achieving developed country status by 2020.

He said close ties between India and Malaysia are "integral to the success of our Act East Policy".

He said the "timeless ties" between India and Malaysia are reinforced by the presence of a large Indian community in that country.

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Stung by Rahul Gandhi's sensational charge of having information about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "personal corruption", top ministers in the government today dismissed the allegation as "false and baseless", insisting there cannot be a bigger "lie" than it.

Senior Ministers including Manohar Parrikar, Ananth Kumar, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar went ballistic at the Congress Vice President, calling the charge a result of his "desperation and frustration" and demanding an apology.

"Rahul Gandhi tells lies. He speaks baseless. Come to Parliament, discuss and also listen to our reply. He is the same person who kept quiet during the 10 years when the country, under Manmohan Singh government, was being looted," Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Earlier, addressing a press conference after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day, Gandhi alleged that he had information about "personal corruption" involving the Prime Minister and that he was not being allowed to speak in the House because of it.

Prasad said Gandhi has become "restless" because of the steps taken by the government against black money and corruption, adding "because of restlessness he is speaking such things."



Ridiculing Gandhi for making unsubstantiated charges, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kumar said the Congress Vice President has been "exposed", adding the charges were made out of "desperation" and "frustration".

"Had he (Gandhi) got any information, he would have said it by now. It is a baseless allegation. He is saying this out of frustration. Today they are saying they are not being allowed to speak. It is wrong because every day Congress members are coming to the well of the House. Now they are trying to spread rumour and baseless allegations," Kumar said.

Rejecting Gandhi's claim that he is not being allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Parrikar said the question as to who has stalled Parliament should be put to him.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Javadekar said only Congress and not the government will be exposed when Gandhi speeks even as he dismissed the charge that the government was not letting the Congress leader speak in Parliament.

There cannot be a bigger "lie" than this, the Union Environment Minister said.

Javadekar also used a channel sting, which



purportedly showed some leaders from rival parties offering to change old currency notes for a commission, to attack the Congress, SP and BSP, and taunted Gandhi, saying he should rename All India Congress Committee as "All India Currency Conduit".

"The more Rahul Gandhi speaks the more Congress will be exposed... These parties are protesting outside. They stand by Mahatma Gandhi's statue to protest. They have been unmasked now. They are opposing (demonetisation) because their wounds are deep. They have now opened money exchange centre," he said.

Mocking the Congress vice president over his "personal corruption" jibe at Modi, Javadekar said Congress has become a "commission agent" while the world has come to appreciate the Prime Minister's "spotless" character in the two-and-a-half- years of his rule.

Another Union minister Kiren Rijiju called Gandhi's charge the "biggest joke" of the year.

"Everybody feels that it is the biggest joke of the year that Rahul Gandhi says Narendra Modi is scared of his oratory skill. If he speaks there will be an earthquake or the balloon will burst.

"I don't think anyone takes the comments he makes seriously. Congress itself is very scared when Rahul Gandhi speaks as the party has to defend his words. That's the level of threat he poses to his own party," Rijiju said.

Union Minister Vijay Goel too attacked Gandhi, saying the Congress leader is "under scanner" of people for not letting Parliament function and that he made the statement "out of trepidation".

"Rahul Gandhi and Congress did not allow both the Houses to function even after they were told that the Prime Minister will intervene. They are under public scanner. They did not allow business to take place in Parliament even as crores of rupees of public money has been wasted. Hence, such statements," he said.

Goel also claimed that people are supporting Modi in his fight against black money and were "ready to spend additional 30 minutes in queues" outside banks and ATMs.
Madhya Pradesh Government has submitted a proposal to Union Health Ministry to upgrade the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC), set up to treat the victims of 1984 gas tragedy, with a medical post-graduate teaching facility.

BMHRC, a 350-bed multi-speciality tertiary care centre, is managed by Union Health Ministry.

"The state government has submitted a proposal to develop a medical PG teaching institute in the BMHRC as well. Various other decisions for the revival of BMHRC have also been taken at a meeting yesterday," Vishwas Sarang, MoS for Bhopal Gas Relief and Rehabilitation, told reporters today.

Sarang yesterday held a high-level meeting with Manoj Pant, Joint Secretary, Department of Health and Research, Union Health Ministry.

"It was also decided at the meeting that a steering committee would be constituted for the coordination between the state government and the Centre in regard to BMHRC," Sarang said.

He said 17 departments were instituted initially at the health centre but most of them are non-operational in absence of doctors and experts.

"Health Ministry officials have assured to fill vacant posts of contractual doctors immediately and other regular posts during next six months," the minister added.

Sarang, also an MoS for Cooperatives, said a panel of private and government hospitals would be constituted for the treatment of gas victims.

"If any treatment is unavailable at BMHRC, the doctors here would refer the patients to other hospitals included in this proposed panel and be paid in accordance with Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) rates," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A motorcycle-borne Sub-Inspector was attacked by four drunken men on two bikes for overtaking them, police said today.

In a swift action, police arrested all the four attackers hours after the incident which took place at around 1 last night in suburban Chembur, they said.

Sub-Inspector Swapnil Patil, attached with Vakola Police Station, was going on his motorcycle when four persons riding two bikes stopped him at a traffic signal in Kurla.

They got into an argument with Patil for overtaking their two-wheelers and subsequently assaulted him and fled from the spot, police said.

During the attack, they tried to snatch his gold ring but failed. Patil was later admitted in Bhabha Hospital.

Acting on his complaint, police registered an offence against the four persons and moved swiftly to nab them from suburban Mulund early this morning.

During investigation, it was revealed all the accused were in an inebriated state and riding the bikes without licence, police said.

In the recent past, there have been a spate of attacks on police personnel by unruly motorists in the metropolis.

In August, a traffic Constable was fatally attacked with a wooden plank by a juvenile after he asked the latter to show vehicle documents and driving licence at a petrol pump in suburban Bandra.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Companies in Taiwan province are seeking opportunities to team up with their counterparts in the Chinese mainland in 4G-plus technologies, especially voice over long term evolution (LTE), or VoLTE, to find a profitable business model.

The VoLTE technology allows traditional voice services to be transmitted along with other internet data. Supporting simultaneous voice and data use, it allows users to have better voice calls and high-definition video calls under 4G LTE network coverage.

Cliff Lai, general manager at Taiwan Star Telecom Corp, a mobile network operator, said in a recent interview with China Daily that most telecom carriers in the province have launched VoLTE.

But, they still lack the financial muscle to back its further development. The current 4G data pricing is low, so potential opportunities like the interoperability of VoLTE between wireless carriers are yet to be harnessed.

"I really look forward to the cooperation between (companies in) Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. Working together, we could ensure that VoLTE calls made on different carriers can interconnect with one another," Lai said.

"I also hope the two sides can implement a unified VoLTE roaming standard, which will form a huge market for the two sides. For Taiwan, we may then find a better business model to profit from VoLTE."

According to the China National Tourism Administration, for the first time, over 4 million trips were made in a single year from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan in 2015. Mainland visitors accounted for 40 percent of Taiwan's total inbound tourists in 2015, topping this group.

Yang Zemin, vice-president and secretary-general of the China Communications Standards Association, is optimistic that cooperation between companies in the mainland and Taiwan in telecom technologies and industrial standards will increase.

"People in Taiwan need to communicate with their relatives, friends and business partners living in the Chinese mainland. If the technological barriers are not removed quickly, operators cannot serve their users better," Yang said.

"Aiming to serve the whole global market, mainland and Taiwan companies have an open mind on deepening cooperation in the future."

To increase the number of their subscribers, the three major telecom operators in the mainlandChina Mobile Ltd, China Telecom Corp Ltd and China United Network Communications Group Coare quickly building 4G-plus networks, especially to launch VoLTE services.

Li Yue, president of China Mobile, the world's largest telecom carrier by subscribers, recently said the company reached over 500 million 4G subscribers and would build 1.4 million 4G base stations by the end of this year.

Li further said China Mobile will have 30 million VoLTE subscribers in more than 300 cities by the end of this year.
A lot has happened since my last blog post more than seven months ago. In the fall I made several trips - in October to Wyoming for the annual meeting of ...

3 years ago
NASA's solar-powered Juno spacecraft has captured the seventh of Jupiter's eight features forming a 'string of pearls' - massive counter-clockwise rotating storms that appear as white ovals in the gas giant planet's southern hemisphere.

The image was taken by the spacecraft's JunoCam imager onboard. Since 1986, these white ovals have varied in number from six to nine. There are currently eight white ovals visible.

The image was taken on December 11 as the Juno spacecraft performed its third close flyby of Jupiter.

At the time the image was taken, the spacecraft was about 24,600 kilometres from the planet, said.

JunoCam is a colour, visible-light camera designed to capture remarkable pictures of Jupiter's poles and cloud tops.

As Juno's eyes, it will provide a wide view, helping to provide context for the spacecraft's other instruments.

JunoCam was included on the spacecraft specifically for purposes of public engagement; although its images will be helpful to the science team, it is not considered one of the mission's science instruments, said.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to ensure proper crop loan disbursal and payment on paddy sale to peasants.

"Keeping in view the difficulties of farmers' families and to facilitate them for crop loan and procurement payments, I seek your intervention," Patnaik wrote to Modi, a day after being informed by the district collectors on the plight of farmers due to demonetisation.

Patnaik said adequate currency should be made available to the District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) by the currency chest branches of commercial banks and this should be monitored by the Reserve Bank of India.

"The DCCBs should provide crop loans to farmer members and also to pay their paddy procurement proceeds as well as insurance claims," Patnaik pointed out in the letter.

He said the restriction imposed on APCS (Agriculture Primary Cooperative Societies) to draw Rs 24,000 per week may be lifted so that the organisations can cater to the credit requirement of their farmer members.

"The procurement dues of the farmers being transferred from a government account, irrespective of the amount, may be allowed to be credited to the farmer's account without insisting on the time consuming process of KYC verification," Patnaik said.

He said that demonetisation of high value notes and restrictions on the DCCBs were leading to a severe liquidity crunch.

Besides, the currency chest branches of commercial banks were not providing cash to the DCCBs to cope with the demands of the farmers at the PACS level for their Rabi crop operation, the Chief Minister said.

The DCCBs are unable to cater to the demand for crop loans, procurement proceeds and insurance claims pertaining to Kharif-2015, Patnaik said.

"We are finding it difficult to transfer the procurement price of paddy from the Apex State Co-operative bank accounts to the farmers' accounts in different nationalised banks, cooperative banks and RRBs, if it is a Jan Dhan account. Such transfer were rejected in many cases causing enormous hardship to the farmers," Patnaik said in the letter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepal's three main political parties have agreed to hold local elections by April-May and keep the Constitution amendment bill inactive to break the political deadlock over the contentious new statute.

In a meeting held at Premier's residence yesterday, Prime Minister Prachanda, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML Chairman K P Oli agreed on holding the polls.

They have also agreed to keep the constitution amendment bill inactive in order to create an environment for polls.

The Constitution implementation requires the local, provincial and federal polls to be held by January 2018.

According to the PM's secretariat, the leaders also agreed to forge consensus on four other key agendas- Constitution amendment, delimitation of electoral constituencies, passing of election related bills, and deciding on the impeachment motion against Chief Commissioner of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority.

With the agitating Madhes-based parties, at whose insistence the amendment bill was introduced, refusing to take ownership and main opposition outright rejecting the amendment proposal and resorting to House obstructions, the government is hard-pressed to resolve the crisis.

Now, amid indications from the Madhes-based parties that they could participate in the polls, major parties have decided to take the country to elections rather than focusing on constitution amendment.

The UML has repeatedly said that it will not let the House function unless the government withdraws the bill.

Now, a senior leader from a party in the government said that the UML has expressed readiness to lift House obstruction if the proposal floated during yesterday's meeting is turned into an agreement.

During the meeting, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba called for holding local polls in the present set-up, saying that elections under the new set-up after demarcating local units could bring further problems.

During the meeting, Prachanda had requested Oli not to continue street protests.

Madhesis, mostly Indian-origin, launched a six-month-long agitation from September last year to February this year in which more than 50 people were killed.

The agitation had also crippled the landlocked country's economy as supplies from India were blocked.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh today admitted that there were issues over giving party tickets to family members, and claimed that there was no dispute within the party.

The party's Central Screening Committee has held several discussions yesterday and today has discussed all the seats thread-bare, but a final call will be made by the Central Election Committee headed by party chief Sonia Gandhi.

"The party tickets will be declared soon after the CEC meets. The list of party candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Punjab will be declared in two parts probably," he said addressing a press conference.

Amarinder denied any disputes or differences on tickets, saying there was "total consensus" on the names and reiterated that party candidates would be preferred over those joining from other parties, with the latter to be considered only on seats where the Congress had no winning candidates of its own.

There are more than one member of a family who wants to contest the Assembly polls. But the Congress party has said only one member from a family will be allowed to contest the upcoming Assembly polls, he said.

The Congress in Punjab also got a boost with some Akali Dal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders joining it and were welcomed by the party chief Amarinder Singh at his residence here.

Amrik Singh Aliwal of SAD, as well as Mahesh Gupta and Gurbans Singh Punia of AAP, said they were completely disillusioned with their respective parties, which were not interested in the welfare of Punjab but were merely befooling people of the state with their false promises and tall claims.

Aliwal, Akali Dal's vice president and former Ludhiana MP, expressed his angst at the "anti-democratic" functioning of the Badals-led party and said the Badals had only personal agenda and he was feeling suffocated under their leadership.

Having spent 35 years in the Akali Dal, he said the turn-coats and new entrants in Akali Dal were given preference over old timers who had toiled hard during the tough days in the past.

The Punjab Agro Industries Corporation chairman said the Badals were "undemocratically" running the party like their personal fiefdom with no concern for the people of the state, who were struggling to make both ends meet.

Amarinder said Amrik, who is also a former Youth Akali Dal



president, was clearly disillusioned with the SAD and his decision to quit the party and join the Congress indicated the deep rot in the Akali Dal under the Badal leadership.

Mahesh Gupta, an AAP ticket aspirant from Jalandhar North and head of the Agrasen Society of Jalandhar, also joined the Punjab Congress in Amarinder Singh's presence, blaming the high levels of corruption and greed of the AAP leadership, including Arvind Kejriwal, for his decision.

Mahesh was pivotal in organising three AAP Agrasen Sabhas in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Fategarh Sahib.

Welcoming the AAP leaders into the party fold, Amarinder said both Mahesh and Gurbans would be valuable assets to the Congress.

He also vowed to reopen investigations in all major cases of sacrilege in the state, as well as the recent Nabha jailbreak incident, alleging involvement of the Badals and other Akali leaders in these incidents and promising stringent punishment against those found guilty.

Amarinder said not a single incident of sacrilege, including the one in Bargadi (Faridkot), had been properly investigated and no culprit brought to book in the various cases reported from different parts of the state.

He accused the Badals of instigating such incidents to incite communal polarisation with an eye on the coming Assembly elections.

On Navjot Singh Sidhu's joining, he said he would surely come to Congress as his wife was already in the party. He also indicated Yamini Gomar, who quit AAP making serious charges against Kejriwal, could join the Congress. He said she had met him a few days ago and showed interest in joining.
As the Winter Session of Parliament comes to a close, Congress today announced its decision to take the fight over demonetisation to the people with its Vice President Rahul Gandhi scheduled to address two public meetings in Uttar Pradesh later this month.

Rahul's proposed public meeting in poll-bound UP will be held days after the Congress leader claimed there will be an "earthquake" if he is allowed to speak on demonetisation in Lok Sabha.

"Congress will take the fight among the people in a big way against demonetisation and in this connection Rahul Gandhi will address public meetings in Jaunpur on December 19 and in Bahraich on December 22," media incharge of the party Satyadev Tripathi said here.

This will be Rahul's second visit to the poll-bound state in the span of a week after the Congress leader addressed a gathering at a wholesale market in Dadri in Gautam Buddha Nagar district, sharpening his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on note ban decision.

Rahul has alleged that the NDA government has "blocked" the money of the poor through currency ban to favour a "handful of industrialists".

"The Prime Minister has brought honest people on the streets while the rich and the corrupt are taking money through the back door of banks. It was done to ensure that the poor deposit their money in the banks, which will be used to repay the debt of around Rs 8 lakh crore owed by these industrialists to the banks," he had said.

Apprehending that the measure will "injure" the country, Rahul today upped the ante further over cash ban, sensationally alleging that he had information about "personal corruption" involving Modi.

He claimed he has detailed information about alleged "personal corruption" by the prime minister and that the latter is personally terrified of him being allowed to speak inside Lok Sabha.

Rahul had earlier said there will be an "earthquake" if he is allowed to speak on demonetisation in Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, an important meeting of the youth wing of the party was held at the party headquarters here today to make preparations for these public meetings of the Congress vice president successful.

Addressing workers, General Secretary incharge of All India Youth Congress Sriniwas BV said that all including youths have been forced to bear immense hardships because of demonetisation.

He said Rahul has initiated a country wide campaign against this scheme and exhorted Congressmen to make the meetings a success.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's decision to ban old Rs 500/1000 banknotes from circulation is likely to have a negative impact on Nepal's economy, with the country being heavily reliant on India for remittances and trade, said a report.

"With the landlocked nation struggling to rebuild following the devastating earthquake and aftershocks in 2015, the disruption in funds from India is likely to weigh on ongoing reconstruction efforts," the report by BMI Research said.

The Fitch group company also downgraded its growth forecast for Nepal for 2016-17 (July 16 2016-July 15 2017) to 2.2 per cent from 2.5 per cent previously.

The report further said that India's sudden decision to remove its Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes will continue to have a negative impact on ordinary Nepalese with Nepal being heavily reliant on India for trade, jobs, and foreign aid.

"With many Nepalese having part of their savings in rupees and the Nepalese rupee being pegged to the INR, the removal of 86 per cent of the total bills in circulation in India will likely continue to have spillover effects on its smaller neighbour," it said.

The demonetisation move by India has led to considerable uncertainty in Nepal as only those in India are eligible to exchange their old banknotes for new ones, it said.

This will undermine economic growth in the nation that is dependent on external funding as it seeks to rebuild homes and buildings destroyed in the massive 2015 earthquake and aftershocks, the report added.

"We believe that the inability of Nepalese citizens to exchange or deposit their notes by the December 30 deadline set by New Delhi could have a negative impact on the savings of the Nepalese people.

"The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry estimates that INR 10 billion (USD146mn) in defunct notes is held by the informal sector and private individuals. Considering that nominal GDP per capita in Nepal is USD 837, this represents a significant loss of private savings," it said.

In addition, New Delhi's actions will likely lead to a decline in remittances, weighing on Nepal's economic growth. Nepal is heavily dependent on remittances from workers in India, having received USD640mn in remittances from India in 2016 (approximately 2.6 per cent of GDP).

"Most of these remittances are sent home using the now defunct banknotes and are used to fund reconstruction efforts in Nepal," the report said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aamir Khan says he has received many offers from Hollywood but nothing exciting has come so far.

The 51-year-old actor says be it Bollywood or world cinema, the most important thing for him is his character and script, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"I received many offers from Hollywood but I didn't find any of them exciting in terms of script and character.

"For me, to do any film, the material has to excite me and which part of the world it comes from, is not relevant. When I do find something that I like (from outside India), I will be happy to do it," says Aamir.

The actor is currently enjoying his run in Bollywood as he shares an emotional connect with the Indian audience.

"At the moment, I am more excited doing Indian films because I have an emotional connect with my audience which has been built over the last 25-30 years."



Aamir, however, is happy with the work Indian actors including Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone are doing in Hollywood and he welcomes the trend.

"Indian talent has the potential to entertain the world."



The actor will next be seen in biopic "Dangal" based on teh life of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and his daughter Geeta and Babita.

While Aamir plays Mahavir in the film, newcomers Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Sheikh star as Babita and Geeta.

The movie is slated to release on December 23.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Apprehending a major law and order situation in the state capital, the Odisha government today foiled the proposed rally of farmers here by withdrawing permission for the gathering and arresting a large number of peasant activists.

Navnirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS), a non-political farmers' organisation, had planned a massive gathering to protest before the state Assembly to put forth their demand of price, respect and pension for farmers.

However, the police detained the farmer activists at different places of the state to ensure that they could not enter the state capital.

The state government's action of detaining farmers and banning the convention was condemned by Opposition leaders in the Assembly today.

Though the Commissionerate of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, had earlier given permission to NKS for holding the rally at lower PMG Square here, it later denied the permission and declared the gathering illegal.

In fact, police started the arrests from yesterday night.

Earlier, NKY state Convenor Akshya Kumar and his deputy Sesadev Nanda were arrested and sent to jail for three days in a bid to foil the farmers' rally.

NKY advisor S R Patnaik then vowed that the farmers across the state have taken the government's action as a challange.

Patnaik, edior of a local daily, was also arrested by the police today and later released.

Police detained farmers from Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and other railway stations where they had gathered to travel for the convention in Bhubaneswar.

While over 400 farmers were detained on yesterday night in the state capital, the police today stopped vehicles from entering Bhubaneswar on all entry points to the city.

Vehicles carrying farmers were stopped and the farmers were arrested.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Opposition Congress, Left and DMK on day sought immediate sanction a financial package to provide relief to cyclone ravaged Tamil Nadu, a demand which Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said will be considered by the government.

Jaitley said the government shares the concerns over the devastation caused by in Chennai and surrounding districts. "It is serious crisis."

While some advance preparation was done by moving the NDRF teams and deploying army columns, the Centre will do whatever is needed to provide relief, he said.

"I have heard the members. I will take into consideration" their suggestions and the government will decide on relief after consultations with the concerned authorities, he said.

Earlier, former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said the Centre should immediately respond to Tamil Nadu government's request for financial aid.

State government usually ask for more and Central government gives less, he said adding the Centre must announce the package today itself.

Chidambaram said it should be ensured that ATMs and bank branches are replenished so people can draw their own money.

D Raja (CPI) said the cyclone has devastated many districts of Tamil Nadu including Chennai, leaving a number of people dead, uprooting thousands of trees, snapping telecommunication lines and plunging several cities into darkness.

The tragedy has been compounded by demonetisation, leaving no cash with the people to buy necessities, he said asking the government to reconsider its decision to junk old 1000 and 500 rupee notes.

Raja said the Centre should not delay in agreeing to provide Rs 1000 crore sought from the Disaster Fund.

Tiruchi Siva (DMK) said 24 persons have so far been reported killed in the cyclone. Because of demonetisation, there is no cash with the people, he said, adding "a litre of milk is being sold at Rs 200".

He put commercial loses at Rs 8,000 crore and demanded that a central team be sent to assess the damage.

TK Rangarajan (CPI-M) and Subramanian Swamy (BJP) demanded that crisis management teams be sent to Tamil Nadu to access the damage.
A Pakistani court has upheld the death penalty of seven militants of banned Tahreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) handed out by military courts in different target killing cases.

The Lahore High Court yesterday dismissed writ petitions of seven death row prisoners against their conviction by the military courts.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Abdul Sami Khan dismissed the petitions after going through the record of the military court's proceedings/convictions presented by the federal government in-camera.

The military courts had awarded death penalty to Sabir Shah, Abdul Rauf, Awais Gujjar, Suleman Pathan, Rafiullah and Sheikh Farhan for their alleged involvement in the killings of a lawyer, a banker and driver of journalist Raza Rumi. Rumi had survived the attack and has been settled in the US.

Families of the convicts had challenged the sentences handed down by military courts' before the high court for being unlawful.

Advocate Ali Zia Bajwa, a counsel for convicts, said the applicants' trial was shifted to military authorities from the anti-terrorism court which held its proceedings at the Kot Lakhpat jail Lahore and was to close to conclude the case.

He said neither the convicts were allowed to meet their families nor given a chance to engage counsel to defend them before the military courts.

Zia said the families of the convicts learned about the military courts' verdict through a press release issued by Inter Services Public Relations, media wing of the army.

The counsel argued that no record of the military courts' proceedings was provided to the petitioners in violation of several judgements of the Supreme Court. He said a suspect could not make his/her defence unless provided complete record of the case charges.

He said the requisites of justice were not met by the military courts while awarding the impugned punishments. He asked the court to set aside the conviction by the military courts and acquit the convicts.

However, the bench dismissed the petitions and upheld the conviction.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Alaska Opportunity for Young Birders

This time of year Alaska is cold and dark, and hospitable only to the hardiest birds and the most intense birders willing to go chase them. But in the spring, Alaska welcomes returning birds with an incredible abundance of natural riches. The state welcomes birders too, particularly to the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival, held the first week of May in Homer, Alaska, on the breath-takingly beautiful (and marvelously birdy) Kenai Peninsula.

If you are a college age birder, the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival is offering you a wonderful opportunity to travel to Alaska and take part in the festival thanks to the Schantz Brothers Foundation.

Tim and Tom Schantz were birders and naturalists with a passion for Alaska. Both died of a congenital heart issue and the family set up this memorial foundation to offer the opportunity for young birders from across North America to experience Alaska. Airfare, lodging, and registration for the festival are included, and recipients may be asked to give a small presentation at the festival. Registration can be found here.

If you are a college aged birder, or you know one who would be excited to visit Alaska, please pass on this information.

For more information on the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival, see this blog post by Lynn Barber.
A Pakistani national was today arrested and fake currency notes of scrapped Rs 500 with a face value of Rs 50,000 were seized from him at Surat Railway station, police said.

According to police, the accused, identified as Burhanuddin Sajjad (45), had entered India on a valid tourist visa and had obtained the fake notes from Pakistan.

Police seized 100 fake notes of old Rs 500 denomination from Burhanuddin, who first claimed to be a Mumbai resident, when he was apprehended at Surat Railway station in the morning by Railway Protection Force (RPF). He was later handed over to Government Railway Police (GRP) for further investigation.

"Later, during his primary questioning and frisking, police recovered his Pakistani passport, which confirmed his nationality," Western Railway Superintendent of Police (SP), Vadodara division, Sharad Singhal, said.

"Burhanuddin's passport confirmed that he is a Pakistani national and not a resident of Mumbai. Stamps on his passport suggested that he entered India via Attari border in Punjab on December 12 and then headed to Mumbai by a train. We recovered 100 fake notes of old Rs 500 currency. We also found three notes of USD 100 with him," Singhal said.

"Burhanuddin came to India on a valid tourist visa, which has not expired. He told us that he had acquired these fake notes from Pakistan. We will seek his remand from court to investigate his intentions to visit India with such fake notes," said Singhal.

"RPF jawans spotted Burhanuddin loitering suspiciously on platform number one of Surat railway station while traveling to Mumbai," Surat GRP Sub Inspector M R Malek said.

"When RPF jawans searched his luggage, they found 100 bills of now defunct Rs 500 currency notes. When checked by the ticket counter staff, these notes turned out to be fake," he said.

Meanwhile, Kutch district police nabbed two persons with 119 fake currency of new Rs 500 notes, which they had allegedly printed at their office in Madhapar village on the outskirts of Bhuj town and intended to circulate in the market.

Based on a tip off, Local Crime Branch (LCB) raided the office of 'Rutvi Group of Companies' at Madhapar late last night and busted a racket of printing fake currency of new Rs 500 notes, a release by Kutch-West LCB said.

While searching the office, police found 119 fake notes of Rs 500 having total face value of Rs 59,500. The arrested accused were identified as Chirag Chauhan and Bachubha Jadeja, both residents of Bhuj.

Investigation revealed that the duo had printed these notes using a colour printer at their office and wanted to circulate these notes, the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan today said it has held first-ever consultations with Russia over important global and regional issues amid warming ties between the former Cold War rivals.

"The first Pakistan-Russia Consultations on Regional Issues were held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Islamabad) on December 13," the Foreign Office here said in a statement on yesterday's discussions.

During the consultations, the whole range of regional issues as well as key areas of mutual interest including economic cooperation and connectivity were discussed.

"The two sides also exchanged views on important global and regional developments," said the statement.

It was decided that the next round of consultations will be convened in Moscow in 2017.

The Russian side was led by Alexander V Sternik, Head of the Third CIS Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia while the Pakistani side was led by Ahmad Hussain Dayo, Director General (West Asia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The consultations were held amid growing ties between Pakistan and Russia after decades of mistrust and animosity during the Cold War.

In September, Russia held its first-ever military exercises with Pakistan and has also started selling weapons to Islamabad.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan will approach India by the end of this month to address its concerns on the Ratle and Kishanganga projects, a day after the World Bank paused the separate processes initiated by the two sides under the Indus Water Treaty to allow them to resolve their disagreements, according to a media report today.

"Pakistan's Indus Water Commissioner would establish a telephonic contact with his Indian counterpart till the end of this month and ask him to address Islamabad's concerns on the design of Ratle and Kishanganga projects," The Nation said.

Citing official sources, the paper said Pakistan will again approach World Bank in February "if India refuses to accept our demands for change in design of the projects or tries to use delaying tactics."



In September, the World Bank, which had mediated the Indus Water Treaty, had said it was approached by India and Pakistan and it is "responding in its limited, procedural role as set out in the treaty".

The bank said the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960, is seen as one of the most successful international treaties and has withstood frequent tensions between India and Pakistan, including conflict.

India had taken strong exception last month to the World Bank's decision to set up a Court of Arbitration and appoint a Neutral Expert to go into Pakistan's complaint against it over Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir.

"We are announcing this pause to protect the Indus Waters Treaty and to help India and Pakistan consider alternative approaches to resolving conflicting interests under the Treaty and its application to two hydroelectric power plants," World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said yesterday.

The World Bank president said Pakistan and India should consider resolving the conflict mutually and within the bounds of the Indus Water Treaty.

"We have decided in principle to re-approach India, but will not compromise our position. We also fear India will not change the design of projects according to the treaty," an official told the paper, seeking anonymity.

Pakistan's former law minister and Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Ahmer Bilal Soofi said the historic Indus Water Treaty was perpetual and cannot be terminated unilaterally.

Speaking at a seminar on 'Pakistan-India: Avoiding a Water War' organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), Soofi said time had come that Pakistani engineers and lawyers need to sit together to interpret the Indus Water Treaty in a holistic manner.

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A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli policeman with a screwdriver in annexed east Jerusalem's Old City before being shot and seriously wounded today, police said.

"(The attacker) produced a screwdriver and stabbed a policeman in the head, lightly injuring him," police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement.

"Security forces neutralised the terrorist."



The incident happened in the heart of the Old City, a major draw for foreign tourists and pilgrims but the site of several attacks over the past year.

A later statement said the attacker had been taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.

Samri said he was 21 years old and from the Hebron area in the south of the occupied West Bank.

A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks erupted last year, but the violence has greatly subsided in recent months.

Since October 2015, 242 Palestinians, 36 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed, according to an AFP count.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.

Others were shot dead during protests or clashes, while some died in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Palm oil imports fell by 8.27 per cent to 8,01,311 tonnes in November this year, on expected bumper oilseeds crop and better domestic edible oils supply, industry body Solvent Extractors Association (SEA) said today.

India, the world's leading vegetable oil buyer, had imported 8,73,592 tonnes palm oil in November 2015.

Country's total vegetable oil imports fell by 12 per cent to 11.75 lakh tonnes in November this year, from 13.37 lakh tonnes in the year-earlier period.

"Import has reduced due to expected bumper kharif oilseeds crop and better domestic availability of edible oils. Also, currency crunch due to demonetisation has slow down the purchases by end consumers also affected the demand and import to some extent," SEA said in a statement.

Palm oil makes up over 65 per cent of the country's total vegetable oil imports. However, there has been a sharp increase in the import of refined palm oil due to less price difference with crude palm oil (CPO).

SEA further said that importers continue to make larger purchases of sunflower oil, taking advantage of the still large price discount versus soyabean oil.

Among palm oil products, import of RBD palmolein rose to 2,40,948 tonnes in November 2016, from 2,31,672 tonnes in the year-ago period.

The shipments of CPO, however, fell to 5,57,364 tonnes in November, from 6,27,404 tonnes in the year-ago period, and the import of crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) too dropped to 2,999 tonnes, from 14,516 tonnes in the said period.

Among soft oils, import of soyabean oil declined to 1,64,286 tonnes in November from 2,56,836 tonnes in the year-ago period, while sunflower oil and rapeseed oil shipments stood at 1,58,071 tonnes and 32,195 tonnes, respectively, in the said period.

Presently, 18.25 lakh tonnes of vegetable oils stocks are lying at ports and in the pipeline, which can meet 33 days of requirements. India's monthly requirement is about 16.5 lakh tonnes, SEA said.

India imports palm oil, mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia, and a small quantity of crude soft oils, including soyabean oil from Latin America. Sunflower oil is imported from Ukraine and Russia.

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An Army veteran who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the US into World War II has died at age 99.

Herb Weatherwax greeted visitors several times a week at a memorial in Hawaii for the USS Arizona, a battleship that sank in the Japanese attack.

He cruised around in a motorised scooter and wore a cap embroidered with "Pearl Harbor Survivor."



National Park Service spokeswoman Rebecca Schwab says Weatherwax died Monday.

Three other Pearl Harbor survivors greet people at the memorial's visitors center.

Weatherwax was a 24-year-old Army private living in Honolulu when he heard loud explosions the morning of December 7, 1941.

He saw the USS Arizona enveloped in flames and the USS Oklahoma turned on its side as he headed to his post.

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Rick Perry, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Energy secretary, has close ties to the Texas oil industry and has corporate roles in two petroleum companies pushing to get government approval for the proposed 1,200-mile crude oil pipeline that has stoked mass protests in North Dakota.

Perry's current roles as board director at Energy Transfer Partners LP and also at Sunoco Logistics Partners LP, which jointly developed the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline project, is a strong indicator of the pro-oil industry sentiment that will likely take root at the Energy Department under his oversight.

Perry is close to Texas energy industry executives, and his political campaigns, including two aborted presidential campaigns, benefited substantially from their donations.

The former Texas governor would not have authority to intervene directly after the US Army Corps of Engineers' decision last month to delay the pipeline to allow talks with the Standing Rock Sioux and other project opponents.

The Army will decide whether to grant an easement near the Sioux reservation in North Dakota, and the departments of Energy, Interior and Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency have had lesser supporting roles.

Perry's close relations with energy executives and his long-time dependence on them for political contributions signal an abrupt change of course at the Energy Department.

Perry is expected to welcome the four-state pipeline and similar projects, set an open-door policy for oil industry interests and possibly tear down the department altogether.

During his unsuccessful 2012 run for the presidency, Perry proposed eliminating the Energy Department. As secretary, he would be involved in policy decisions on increasing the nation's domestic supply of oil and investments in oil exploration research and technology.

The department plays a major regulatory role in overseeing nuclear power and natural gas. It also manages 17 national labs charged with developing science and technology to further the nation's energy sector and conduct research to spur innovation. It also maintains and secures U.S. Nuclear weapons.

Soon after stepping down as Texas governor, Perry joined Energy Transfer Partners in February 2015, and its general partner, Sunoco Logistics, one month later. Energy Transfer Partners is owned by Kelcy Warren, a Dallas billionaire who has been a loyal Perry donor during his gubernatorial and presidential runs.

During the 2016 campaign, Warren donated USD 500,000 to the Opportunity and Freedom super political action committee backing Perry's run for the White House.

Warren also gave nearly USD 250,000 to Republican candidates and committees. The oil and gas industry was the dominant sector behind Perry's 2016 presidential effort, donating more than USD 1.6 million.

Energy Transfer's 2016 annual report showed that Perry owned USD 154,000 worth of partnership units. At Sunoco Logistics, Perry was awarded units worth about USD 101,000, according to the firm's 2015 annual report.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Wednesday reviewed his decision to demonetise Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes with his Cabinet colleagues and discussed ways to fast track digitisation to enable larger cashless transactions.

The Prime Minister initiated the discussion on the move, which was announced last month, with the ministers after the meeting of the Union Cabinet ended here this evening.

As it was not on the agenda, the issue was taken up after the Cabinet meeting was over.

The meeting assumes importance with the Centre's deadline of December 30, wherein people can deposit the old notes, nears, as the government pushes for improving digitisation to enable a larger number of cashless transactions through various means.

The focus of the meeting remained digitisation, sources said, adding that issues like digital wallet services also came up for discussion.

The government wants to expand the scope of this digital payment mode so that they can be accepted at more places like metro stations and petrol pumps.

A three-member committee of secretaries is already in place to study ways of transitioning India into a cashless economy.

The banks have temporarily waived off the merchant discount rate to encourage card payments through swipe machines at business establishments.
On a day Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made the sensational claim about having information regarding "personal corruption" by Narendra Modi, opposition leaders charged the Prime Minister with running away from debate in Parliament on note ban and said the Parliamentary system was under "threat".

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said if the Congress vice president actually has documents, he should expose the Prime Minister even outside Parliament.

"If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modi ji's personal involvement in corruption, then why doesn't he expose it outside Parl?" Kejriwal tweeted.

BSP supremo Mayawati claimed the Modi government was not ready for demonetisation and the decision taken was hasty.

She also attacked the Prime Minister on the issue, saying he was speaking everywhere except for Parliament as he lacked strength to address the House.

TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who had accompanied Rahul at the press conference, said the entire Parliamentary system was facing a "threat" as government was not allowing the House to function smoothly and the opposition to speak.

"We cannot understand why so much arrogance on the part of the government. The voice of the opposition is being gagged," he said.

He said the government was spreading the rumour that after Rahul Gandhi has spoken, the opposition will not allow the House to function. "It is totally incorrect."



P Karunakaran (CPI-M) said all 16 parties came together on the issue of demonetisation and wanted a discussion on the issue, but the government was now allowing that to happen.

"Government is not willing to answer questions. The Prime Minister is accountable to Parliament but has not come to the Lok Sabha. It is very clear that they are not ready to answer the questions raised. The Prime Minister is running away from Parliament which means he is running away from people," he said.

NCP leader Tariq Anwar said it was for the first time that an atmosphere had been created where the opposition was not allowed to speak.

"It is a conspiracy by the government. The entire opposition is united. What is the government fearing from. We are all united. Let us be allowed to speak," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Today is the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone document in the history of human rights. In honor of the observance, here are five facts you should know about international human rights:

1. Prior to the 1940s there were a number of documents, such as the the British Magna Carta and the U.S. Bill of Rights, that advanced the recognition of human rights. But few documents were recognized internationally as applying to all people at all times in all nations. During World War II the push for universal recognition of inalienable human rights was aided by the Atlantic Charter and by President Franklin D. Roosevelts Four Freedoms speech before the United States Congress in 1941. These ideals were also transmitted in a pamphlet called, The United Nations fight for the Four Freedoms: The Rights of All Men  Everywhere.

2. The atrocities of the Nazis caused the international community to recognize a need for human rights to be established as an international legal status. More than 1,300 American non-governmental organizations joined together in placing newspaper ads calling for human rights to be an integral part of any future international organization, and called for the United Nations Charter to include a clear and substantive commitment to human rights. On April 25, 1945, representatives from forty-six nations gathered in San Francisco to form the United Nations. They responded to the demand by mentioning human rights five times in the UN Charter. The charter also established a commission for the promotion of human rights. This newly created Commission on Human Rights spent three years drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).



3. The Commission on Human Rights was made up of 18 members from various political, cultural and religious backgrounds. Eleanor Roosevelt, the widow of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, served as the chairperson of the UDHR drafting committee. As the UN notes, Their work involved thousands of hours of intensive study, heated debate, and delicate negotiation that centered on innumerable recommendations from many sources, public and private. The men and women of the Commission on Human Rights strove to forge a declaration that might successfully encompass the hopes, beliefs and aspirations of people throughout the world. After the committee completed its work, the document was submitted to the General Assemblys Third Committee, which held a total of 81 meetings and considered 168 formal resolution on the declaration. Forty-eight nations voted for the Declaration, eight countries abstained (the Soviet bloc countries, South Africa and Saudi Arabia) and two countries were absent.

4. According to the UN, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has inspired more than 80 international human rights treaties and declarations, numerous regional human rights conventions, domestic human rights bills, and constitutional provisions, which together constitute a comprehensive legally binding system for the promotion and protection of human rights.

5. Based on the text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all humans have the following rights:

To life.

To liberty.

To security of person.

To be free from slavery.

To be free from involuntary servitude.

To be free from torture.

To be free from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

To recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

To equal protection of the law.

To an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

To not be subject to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile.

To a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal.

To be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which one has had all the guarantees necessary for ones defense.

To be free from arbitrary interference with ones privacy, family, home, or correspondence.

To be free from attacks upon ones honor and reputation.

To the protection of the law against such interference or attacks upons ones privacy, honor, or reputation.

To freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.

To leave any country, including ones own.

To return to ones country.

To seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

To a nationality.

To change ones nationality.

To marry.

To found a family.

To free and full consent in choosing ones spouse.

To own property alone as well as in association with others.

To be free from being arbitrarily deprived of ones property.

To freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.

To change ones religion or belief.

To manifest, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, ones religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.

To freedom of opinion and expression.

To seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media.

To freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

To be free of compulsion to belong to an association.

To take part in the government of ones country.

To equal access of public services in ones country.

To a secure society.

To work.

To free choice of employment.

To just and favorable conditions of work.

To protection against unemployment.

To equal pay for equal work.

To just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and ones family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

To form and to join trade unions for the protection of ones interests.

To rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

To a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of ones family, including food, clothing, housing, medical care, and necessary social services.

To security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond ones control.

To free elementary education.

To equal access of higher education based on merit.

To choose the kind of education that shall be given to ones children.

To participate in the cultural life of the community.

To enjoy the arts.

To share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

To the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary, or artistic production of which he is the author.

To a social and international order in which human rights and freedoms can be fully realized.
Police has arrested an Afghan national for allegedly stabbing another Afghan national and a friend who had helped him escape from police in May.

On the intervening night of March 31 and April 1, Sayed Azmarai was admitted to hospital with multiple stab wounds but he later succumbed to injuries and a murder case was registered at Malviya Nagar police station, said DCP(South) Ishwar Singh.

During investigation, two accused were identified and one of them Mumtaz, an Afghan national was located and arrested.

However, the main accused identified as Hafizulla, also an Afghan national, was untraceable, he said. During interrogation, Mumtaz revealed that Hafizulla had overstayed his Indian visa and had approached the deceased to help him in preparation of his exit documents, said the officer.

The deceased used to work as an interpreter for Afghan nationals and was known to be helpful with emigration issues and was well-versed with the procedures at the office of the FRRO, said Singh.

However, since the deceased expressed his inability to do so, Hafizulla got enraged and along with Mumtaz, brutally stabbed Azmarai to death, said the DCP.

Police then received a tip-off about Hafizulla hiding in Pune. A team was dispatched to Pune and Hafizulla along with another man was arrested from there, police said.

The accused was not alone and was putting up along with another Afghan national Abdulla, said Singh. The lodge records showed that Abdulla had submitted a forged voter I-Card bearing a fictitious name of one Ali Mohd as the proof of identity in taking up this lodge accommodation, said the officer.

Both the accused were produced before a local court and on May 16, they were brought to Delhi. While coming in the train, one of them expressed his need to use the washroom. While the escort party was taking one accused to the toilet, the other one created a ruckus to divert the attention of policemen and both the accused managed to jump out of the train.

A special team was constituted and efforts were launched to track the absconders. Police also declared a reward of Rs 20,000 on their arrests.

Finally on December 9, Police received a tip off about Abdulla being spotted in a house in Jangpura, he said. Police reached there only to find that the accused had escaped.

However, another person, Obebudulla, an Afghan national, was found residing at this address and he was brought for interrogation. Obedullah revealed that Abdulla had come to him through common acquaintances about 20 days ago and also had met a friend in Shakarpur. Abdulla was arrested on the intervening night of December 9 and 10, said the officer.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A smartphone app developed by scientists has successfully detected nearly 400 earthquakes since its launch earlier this year, paving the way for a warning system that can alert users before a disaster strikes.

The MyShake app, developed at University of California, Berkeley, harnesses a smartphone's motion detectors to measure earthquake ground motion, then sends that data back to the seismological laboratory for analysis.

The eventual goal is to send early-warning alerts to users a bit farther from ground zero, giving them seconds to a minute of warning that the ground will start shaking.

That is enough time to take cover or switch off equipment that might be damaged in a quake, researchers said.

To date, nearly 220,000 people have downloaded the app, and at any one time, between 8,000 and 10,000 phones are active - turned on, lying on a horizontal surface and connected to a wi-fi network - and thus primed to respond.

An updated version of the MyShake app is available, providing an option for push notifications of recent quakes within a distance determined by the user, and the option of turning the app off until the phone is plugged in, which could extend the life of a single charge in older phones.

"The notifications will not be fast initially - not fast enough for early warning - but it puts into place the technology to deliver the alerts and we can then work toward making them faster and faster as we improve our real-time detection system within MyShake," said project leader Richard Allen, a UC Berkeley professor.

Ten months of operation clearly shows that the sensitivity of the smartphone accelerometers and the density of phones in many places are sufficient to provide data quickly enough for early warning, researchers said.

The phones readily detect the first seismic waves to arrive - the less destructive P waves - and send the information to Berkeley in time to issue an alert that the stronger S wave will soon arrive.

"We already have the algorithm to detect the earthquakes running on our server, but we have to make sure it is accurate and stable before we can start issuing warnings, which we hope to do in the near future," Kong said.

The app can detect quakes as small as magnitude 2.5, with the best sensitivity in areas with a greater density of phones.

The largest quake detected occurred on April 16 in Ecuador: a 7.8 magnitude quake that triggered two phones, 170 and 200 kilometers from the epicenter.

Researchers believe the app's performance shows it can complement traditional seismic networks, such as that operated nationally by the US Geological Survey, but can also serve as a stand-alone system in places with few seismic stations, helping to reduce injuries and damage from earthquakes.

The research was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

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Upping the ante further over cash ban, on Wednesday sensationally alleged he had information about "personal corruption" involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi, days after claiming there will be an "earthquake" if he is allowed to speak on demonetisation in the LokKejriwal dares, BJP slams Rahul Gandhi's corruption allegation against PM Modi Sabha.

The allegation by the Congress Vice President was dismissed by the BJP as "false and baseless" and "very unfortunate" while Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal dared Gandhi to "expose" the prime minister if he has documents at his disposal.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Ananth Kumar while rejecting as "baseless" the allegation levelled against the prime minister said they were made out of "desperation" and "frustration" and asked Gandhi to apologise.

The allegation was levelled by a combative Gandhi at a joint news conference in Parliament premises with leaders from 15 other opposition parties after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day failing to break the continuing deadlock over demonetisation.

Gandhi claimed he has detailed information about alleged "personal corruption" by the prime minister and that the latter is personally terrified of him being allowed to speak inside Lok Sabha.

"The Prime Minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside Lok Sabha because I have information about the Prime Minister that is going to explode his balloon. And I am not being allowed to speak in the House," he said.

Asked what kind of information he has, the Congress Vice President said, "That information is personal information about Narendra Modiji which I want to state in Lok Sabha. It is personal corruption of the Prime Minister that I have, we have detailed information about. We want to present it, which the Prime Minister is not allowing us to speak."



Gandhi said the entire opposition wants a debate in Parliament and have discussed with the Speaker to allow it while dispensing all rules.

"Pretty much unconditionally we are ready to have a discussion, but the government is not interested in having a discussion. I have already said it before, the Prime Minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside the Lok Sabha," he said.

"The Prime Minister should stop taking alibis and he should come to the House and give all of us an opportunity to speak. Then the country should take a decision on whether the opposition or the Prime Minister is speaking the truth."



Kumar led the BJP's charge against Gandhi.

"Had he(Gandhi) any information, he would have said it by now. It is a baseless allegation. He is saying this out of frustration. Today they are saying they are not being allowed to speak. It is wrong because everyday Congress members are coming to the well of the House. Now they are making trying to spread rumour and baseless allegations," Kumar said.

Kumar's ministerial colleague Prakash Javadekar said only Congress and not government will be exposed when speeks as it rejected his charge that the government was not letting him speak in Parliament, saying there cannot be a bigger "lie" than this. Another Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said Gandhi's allegation was the "biggest joke" of the year.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also waded into the fresh political spat, daring Gandhi to "expose" the prime minister if he has documents at his disposal, saying Congress and BJP indulge in such "friendly match" but do not make any disclosure.

"If actually has papers on Modiji's personal involvement in corruption, then why doesn't he expose it outside Parliament?



"Friendly match - BJP says they have AgustaWestland against Congress. Cong says they have Sahara/Birla against BJP. Both don't disclose," the AAP chief said in a series of tweets.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will address a public meeting at Fatorda village in South Goa on December 16.

"Rahul Gandhi will address a public meeting on December 16 in Fatorda constituency," Goa Congress unit president Luizinho Faleiro told reporters today.

He said Rahul's meeting will sum up the 15-day long 'padayatra' (foot march), launched by the Congress in the last week of November, which has travelled across the length and breadth of the coastal state, going to polls next year.

Congress has so far maintained silence over the possibility of aligning with any like-minded parties, saying it is ready to contest all 40 seats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A bill stipulating up to two- year jail term and a maximum fine of Rs 5 lakh for discriminating against differently-abled persons was passed by the Rajya Sabha today.

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, which aims at securing and enhancing the rights and entitlements of disabled persons, was passed by a voice vote after rare unanimity was witnessed among the Opposition and Treasury benches in the House, which has seen acrimony and disruptions since the Winter Session began on November 16.

The bill, which was moved in Upper House earlier this month by Social Justice Minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot, also gives effect to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and related matters.

It provides for imprisonment of at least six months up to two years, along with a fine ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 5 lakh for discriminating against differently-abled persons.

When the House met in the morning and took up the Zero Hour, members from the Opposition benches including Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, BSP chief Mayawati, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury and SP leader Naresh Agarwal, pitching for immediate passage of the "crucial" legislation.

Responding to them, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the measure could be taken up immediately.

With rare unanimity on display, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien agreed to take up a short debate on the legislation before its passage, though he first said the matter was listed in the agenda in the afternoon and could be taken up then.

When the Bill, which had 120 amendments, was being



passed in the afternoon, Anand Sharma (Cong) raised the issue regarding the numbering of the clauses, to which Gehlot assured that the issue will be looked into.

Yechury (CPI-M) raised the issue of who will be the authority to interpret the definition of disability, whether physical or mental.

"There is disability such as speech and language and intellectual capability as mentioned in the bill. Who is the authority to define it," he asked.

S C Mishra (BSP) too raised the same query.

In his response, Minister Gehlot said a Medical Board will be formed which will define disability.

Viplove Thakur (Cong) raised the issue of disability pension not being provided to persons below 18 years of age, to which the Minister said this was not provided in the laws.

Rapolu Ananda Bhaskar (Cong) said that a comprehensive bill needs to be worked out due to the large number of amendments.

Madhusudan Mistry (also Cong) enquired whether the definition of 'Mental Illness' is same in the Disabilities Bill as in the Mental Health Bill, which was passed recently.

Gehlot said the definition is based on the United Nations Convention.

After the Bill was passed, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien congratulated the members for their cooperation. "I congratulate every member. Why can't this cooperation be there always? Let us proceed like this," he noted, apparently indicating the turmoil that has been prevailing in the House over the demonetisation issue.

The Union Cabinet had earlier approved these amendments to the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (RPWD) Bill, 2014, that had replaced the 1995 Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act.

In the bill, disability has been defined based on an evolving and dynamic concept and the types of disabilities have been increased from existing seven to 21. The Centre will have the power to add more types of disabilities to it.

The types of disabilities now include mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions.

It also strengthens the office of chief commissioner and state commissioners for Persons with Disabilities which will act as regulatory bodies.

The bill was examined by the parliamentary standing committee last year. Then, a Group of Ministers, headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, examined its provisions and sent their recommendations to the Prime Minister's Office.

Earlier in the day during Zero Hour, members cutting



across party line demanded that the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill 2014 be passed without discussion.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said priority should be given to the passage of the Bill. "This should be passed without any discussion."



He said if the Bill is not passed today, it cannot be taken up by the Lok Sabha for passage in the current session ending Friday. "You can take it up right now (and) pass it straight away without any discussion," he said. Similar views were expressed by Mayawati (BSP) and Naresh Agarwal (SP).

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the bill could be taken up immediately.

Initially, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said though he is happy that there is consensus in the House for passage of an important legislation, procedurally it is listed for 1400 hours and should be taken up only then.

But he relented and allowed it to be advanced considering the unanimity in the House.

Gehlot, who had moved the legislation last week, said it was first introduced in February 2014 and thereafter sent to the Standing Committee.

Of the 82 suggestions the panel made, 59 have been incorporated in the bill, he said, adding that a number of categories of disabled has been increased from 7 to 21.

Karan Singh (Cong) said five per cent of people in the country suffered from some form of disability. The government, he said, should ensure that 4 per cent reservation provided to them is filled up also.

A public education campaign should also be launched to sensitise people about the rights and courtesies to be extended to the disabled, he said.

Naresh Agrawal (SP) said the definition of disabled should be relaxed and the procedure for obtaining disability certificate be eased. He also demanded raising reservation quote for them.

Md Nadimul Haque (TMC) said the government should ensure that none of the vacancies against the quota of disabilities remain vacant.

C P Narayanan (CPI-M) said the amendments curtailed the rights of the disabled and unless these were corrected, the benefits will not accrue to them.

During the consideration of the bill, some members



pointed out that the reservation for the disabled should be against the cadre strength and not vacancies.

In response to some amendments moved by K K Ragesh and Yechury (both CPI-M), Gehlot said while framing rules efforts would be made to ensure that four per cent reservation is granted against cadre strength.

Yechury also pointed out that the original bill had a provision of 5 per cent reservation for the disabled, but the amendment was for 4 per cent only.

To this, Gehlot said the bill has raised the quota from the prevailing 3 per cent to 4 per cent.

The process of passing the measure could not be completed during the Zero Hour and was taken up at 1400 hours.

When the clock struck noon, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Hamid Ansari wanted to take up the Question Hour. Some members expressed the opinion that the process of consideration and passage of the Bill be continued.

Ansari however insisted that Question Hour should be taken up.

Meanwhile, Congress members were seen on their feet, including its Deputy Leader Anand Sharma, with some of them being heard raising slogans over allegations against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju.

Ansari pressed for taking up the Question Hour and was heard saying there cannot be a 'Jekyll and Hyde' character. However as the protests continued, he adjourned the House till 1400 hours.
Reliance Brands Ltd, a part of Reliance Industries Group, today formed a joint venture with the Swiss luxury brand Bally.

Under the terms of the agreement, the joint venture will have exclusive distribution and marketing rights for Bally in the country, the company said in a statement.

Bally and Reliance have plans to open a store in the Capital in 2017 and are looking at further expansion in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai in the future, it added.

The new store will be part of the brands global expansion which has seen the opening of two new concept flagships in Tokyo's Ginza and Los Angeles Rodeo Drive this year.

Next year will see opening of two new flagship stores on New Yorks Madison Avenue and Beijing's China World Mall, the statement added.

Commenting on the JV, Bally CEO Frederic de Narp said, "We are very excited about this joint venture. In collaboration with Reliance, we have identified a roadmap to develop the brand in proven retail locations in four key cities - New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata."



Indian consumers are very discerning and have an appreciation for quality and craftsmanship, the demands for which Bally is perfectly suited to meet, Narp added.

Bally offers designs across various categories, including accessories, ready-to-wear and eye wear.

Reliance Brands President and CEO Darshan Mehta said, Bally triangulates rich heritage, Swiss quality and a contemporary design ethos. "...It's with pride that we announce a partnership for India with the worlds second oldest luxury brand.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Disability rights activists today welcomed the passing of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 in the Rajya Sabha and termed today's discussion in the Upper House "almost a miracle".

For the first time since the Winter Session began on November 16, Rajya Sabha today saw a legislative action as it passed the Bill in a cordial atmosphere.

"After six years of advocating and waiting, the Rajya Sabha unanimously passed the Bill. While it seemed like the House would not see any legislative business taking place during the ongoing Winter Session, today's discussion was almost a miracle.

"The Bill will now be sent to the Lok Sabha and we are positive that it will be passed in the Lower House too during the Winter Session itself," Javed Abidi, Convener of Disabled Rights Group said.

Speaking to reporters after the Rajya Sabha cleared the Bill, which stipulates up to two-year jail term and a maximum fine of Rs 5 lakh for discriminating against differently-abled persons, Union minister Thawar Chand Gehlot said the government will try to present it in the Lower House tomorrow.

Disabled Rights Group (DRG) had been campaigning hard for the last one week for the passage of the Bill. A rally was held in New Delhi yesterday appealing the Parliamentarians to set aside their differences and pass the Bill.

"We convey our heartfelt thanks to all members of the Rajya Sabha for the smooth passage of the Bill after a discussion lasting nearly two hours," Muralidharan, Secretary, National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled said.

"We welcome the fact that the some of the major concerns we had raised regarding certain provisions in the Bill have been addressed through amendments," S K Rungta, Convener AIDA (an Alliance of organisations for disability rights) and General Secretary of National Federation of the Blind, said.

"One of the major amendment concerns was bringing private entities under the definition of 'establishment'. Another glaring inadequacy in the Bill was absence of definition of "discrimination", which has now been introduced.

"Another amendment provides for sign language interpretation and captioning in TV programmes. Reservation in promotions for employees with disabilities has also been provided for in the Bill," Rungta said.

On November 30, the Union Cabinet approved the proposed amendments to the Bill, that seeks to replace the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.

The amended Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, proposes to increase reservation for those with benchmark disabilities in government jobs from current three per cent to four per cent, and in higher educational institutes from the existing three per cent to five per cent.

It also proposes strengthening the office of chief commissioner and state commissioners for Persons with Disabilities which will act as regulatory bodies.

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A Kuwaiti rights group today called on the Gulf state to abolish its "kafala" system for foreign workers which has long been criticised as a form of bonded labour or even slavery.

In its 2016 annual report, the Kuwait Association for the Fundamentals of Human Rights called for "abolishing the current kafala system and replacing it with rules according to international standards".

Qatar on Tuesday became the first of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to end kafala, which prevents workers from moving to a new job before their contracts end without their boss's consent, resulting in a wide range of abuses.

Around 25 million foreigners live and work in the energy-rich GCC states, making up half of the population.

The rights group also expressed concern over the so-called administrative deportation of thousands of foreign workers every year by the interior ministry.

"The Association demands that no foreigner is deported out of Kuwait without a final court order," it said.

The report criticised the segregation of Kuwaitis and expatriates at public health centres, saying it was discrimination on the basis of nationality.

The Association warned of the growing "language of hatred" against foreigners and expressed concern over racial discrimination in Kuwait.

It criticised the government's crackdown on freedom of expression through arresting bloggers.

The rights group called for introducing a "humanitarian and legal solution" for around 120,000 stateless people -- locally known as bidoons -- who are deprived of many basic rights.

Bidoons were born and raised in Kuwait and claim the right to Kuwaiti citizenship, but the government says only around a third qualify for consideration and that the rest hold other nationalities.

But the Association welcomed "favourable" government measures including Kuwait issuing a special law for domestic helpers and legislation to set up a national human rights body.

In July, Kuwait became the first Gulf state to set a minimum wage for its hundreds of thousands of mostly Asian domestic workers.

In its 2016 "Trafficking in Persons" report, the US State Department upgraded Kuwait from tier three, the worst level, to tier two while keeping it on watch list, citing an improvement in its treatment of migrant workers, including maids.

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Actor Taron Egerton says his upcoming film "Robin Hood: Origins" will be dark and gritty.

The 27-year-old actor, who will start shooting the movie at the start of 2017, said his incarnation of Robin Hood will be markedly different from previous versions, reported Female First.

It's a real reimagining; it's not really very recognisable as Robin Hood. Robin Hood has a reputation for being quite clean and wholesome, aside from Alan Rickman's amazing performance in the Kevin Costner version, but it's tights and thigh-slapping and merry men.

"This is really kind of dark and gritty and very funny too, but it's a real revisionist version of the story. There's no singing and riding through the glen in this; it's a real war movie," Egerton said.

The movie is set to shoot in Hungary and ahead of production.

Quite an anti-establishment war movie, I would say... It's dark. And Robin's not perfect in it, either, which is what I like about it. He's not a classic hero, he makes mistakes.

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The Reserve Bank today informed the Bombay High Court that it has transferred a sum of Rs 1.58 crore to Solapur District Cooperative Bank for disbursal of salaries to aided school teachers.

"We have sent Rs 1.58 crore to the Solapur district bank for disbursal of salaries to the teachers. The money can be transferred to the teachers' accounts or cheque payment can be made. If the bank or any district cooperative bank needs money for payment of teachers' salaries, they can contact the SBI branch concerned and the request will be considered," RBI's counsel Venkatesh Dhond said.

The statement was made after a division bench of Justices A S Oka and Anuja Prabhudessai had last week asked the RBI to consider the issue of payment of salaries to aided school teachers, as it is disbursed through district cooperative banks which have been prohibited from exchanging or depositing new currency notes following demonetisation.

The Mumbai, Solapur, Nashik and Pune District Central Co-operative Banks had earlier approached the high court challenging RBI circular of November 14, restricting them 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.

The bench was today informed by Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh that the Supreme Court will tomorrow hear a transfer petition filed by the Union government seeking for all petitions pertaining to the demonetisation move to be heard by SC itself or any one high court.

The high court today posted the cooperative banks' petition for further hearing on December 19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the coming weeks, a film speculated by many to be Martin Scorseses most personal and poignant project to date will release throughout the United States.

While Silence depicts a Japan deeply resistant to Christian influence, says Ken Marotte in this weeks Acton Commentary, the story actually begins approximately 100 years earlier, when Christianity was not only tolerated, but encouraged.

The Christian faith reached Japans shores in 1549, when Francis Xavier, co-founder of the Jesuit order and one of the churchs most prolific missionaries, made landfall. As superior of the mission in Goa, India, Francis had heard a great deal about Japan. He concluded that the Japanese were an educated, industrious, and reasonable people, and so particularly ripe for the Gospel message.

The full text of the essay can be found here. Subscribe to the free, weekly Acton News & Commentary and other publications here.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma today sought establishment of an alternate transit route connecting Meghalaya and West Bengal via Bangladesh reducing the travelling distance between the two states.

At present the entire North Eastern states are connected through a 8 km-wide stretch of land in West Bengal's Siliguri, popularly known as the Chicken's Neck.

"The distance between Bangladesh and the hilly and western border of Meghalaya is just 100 km and with a transit through Bangladesh we can reach both sides of India," Sangma said after meeting Madhukar Gupta, chairman of the committee and members constituted by National Security Council Sectt (NSCS).

"This can be for creating alternative connectivity both for rail and road," he said adding, the transit route can bring down the overall distance between the rest of the country and the North East.

The Committee discussed ways and means on how to strengthen border protection and address the issues of gaps and vulnerabilities in border fencing along the Indo-Bangladesh border.

On improving bilateral ties with Bangladesh, Mukul proposed of supplying power to Bangladesh to promote business partnerships.

According to the Chief Minister, setting up of border haats is important from both the economic viewpoint and also from the security perspective to avoid anti-national elements from taking advantage of the economic stress at the border.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid unease and fatigue displayed increasingly by people over shutdown, Kashmiri separatists today hinted at calling off the six-month long strike call from the beginning of next year, saying they would instead focus on long-term plan of programmes and initiatives.

In a joint statement, hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani, chief of moderate faction of Hurriyat Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLJ chief Mohammad Yasin Malik said they are working on a plan for transition from weekly protest calendars to a long term-plan of programmes and initiatives.

They said the announcement of the "transition plan" may take some more time as "most of the leadership has been caged and all kinds of hurdles put in place to thwart and sabotage our every move by force".

They stated this while issuing a fresh protest calendar for the next two weeks, during which the number of strike days has been scaled down.

While people have been asked to observe complete shutdown on Fridays and Saturdays, there will be no strike on rest of the five days of the week till December 31, as per their call.

The change of strategy comes amid unease and fatigue displayed over the prolonged shutdown by the people who are increasingly defying the call and going about their work for livelihood and other aspects of normal life.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court today asked Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore to sit together with the representatives of Parsvnath Developers and settle the dispute with regard to the possession of a flat in the Exotica project in Gurgaon.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and A M Khanwilkar asked the the realty firm to remove the deficiences in the flat as pointed out by Rathore and the panel of lawyers which had visited the site and hand it over to the Minister.

The counsel appearing for Rathore said that the court should direct the builder to given some other flat in the project which had access to common facilities that were promised to him at the time of booking.

Counsel appearing for the firm said that the prayer cannot be accepted as all the flats in the project have been sold out.

"You (Rathore) have to be reasonable in your demands. We cannot compel the petitioner (Parsvnath builders) to allot another flat to you," the bench said.

The court directed that both the parties should sit together and try to sort out the issues with regard to the flat.

Earlier, the apex court-appointed lawyers' panel had said in its report that their was no access to common facilities from the flat of Minister of state for Information and Broadcasting but the parking problem pointed out by him can be rectified by the builder.

The court had asked the builder to file a response to the finding of committee in ten days after Rathore claimed the flat was "uninhabitable".

He had said that the tower in which his flat was located had a 'kachcha' access road which opened into a slum cluster, there was no parking facility and the tower did not have even the occupancy certificate.

Rathore had booked the flat in Parsvnath's Exotica project in Gurgaon in 2006 and paid around Rs 70 lakh for it. The firm was to deliver the flat in 2008-09.

In January this year, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission had directed the builder to refund the principal amount with interest and compensation to Rathore.

The apex court had on October 21 directed Parsvnath Developers to hand over possession of the flat to Rathore in two days, saying he should not pay any more amount to the builder.

The court had said the issue of compensation to be paid by the realty firm to Rathore for the delayed possession would be dealt with at a later stage.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South Sudan has over the past week ordered two senior employees of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) to leave the country, without explanation, the aid organisation said today.

The expulsions follow the deportation of an American journalist from the war-torn country and come as alarm rises over spreading violence, with UN human rights experts warning "ethnic cleansing" was underway.

The NRC's country director was asked to leave last Friday after being held by security services for more than a day, and its area manager for the northern Warrap state was told to leave on Tuesday.

"NRC has not received any formal explanation of the charges against these two individuals," the organisation said in a statement.

"The order for a second senior staff member to leave is unacceptable," said Jan Egeland, NRC's Secretary General.

"Without assurances from the authorities that we will be able to operate without interference, NRC may have to reassess our ability to deliver assistance at scale in South Sudan," added Egeland.

The aid organisation has been present in South Sudan since 2004, and the first eight months of this year alone provided assistance to over 658,000 people across the country.

South Sudan on Thursday marks three years since civil war broke out, dashing hopes for the world's youngest nation just two years after a hard-won independence from Sudan.

Internal rivalries erupted as President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup, leading to violence that has left tens of thousands dead and more than 2.5 million people displaced.

An August 2015 peace deal was left in tatters when fighting broke out in Juba in July, with violence spreading throughout the country and no prospects for peace in sight.

UN human rights experts warned two weeks ago of a nation on the brink of catastrophe, saying "ethnic cleansing" was underway in several areas of the country as well as "mindboggling" levels of sexual violence.

The NRC estimates that over six million people - more than half the population - need humanitarian assistance.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
While cement prices have been affected in the southern and western markets, volume growth has been adversely impacted in all regions in November following demonetisation, rating agency Icra said today.

"In the southern market, the prices have shown a decline of Rs 30/bag in October and November together, with the current prices hovering around Rs 300/bag. On an average, in the southern market, the cement prices during 8M FY2017 stood at around Rs 305/bag, lower by Rs 20/bag when compared to 8M FY2016," Icra said in a statement.

A similar decline in prices post demonetisation was witnessed in the western markets wherein the price, after having recovered by Rs 15/bag in October to Rs 265/bag, slipped to Rs 240/bag in November 2016.

"On a Y-o-Y basis, the average cement price during 8M FY2017 around Rs 260/bag is down by Rs 10/bag, compared to 8M FY2016. The November prices for the East and the North remained stable at Rs 325/bag and Rs 335/bag, respectively," it said.

While cement prices have been affected for the South and West, volume growth has been adversely impacted for all regions in November 2016, following demonetisation.

"Given that a significant portion of the cement demand is driven by real estate, it is likely to get impacted in the near term.

"The demand slowdown from the realty sector is expected to be offset to some extent by infrastructure demand, specifically backed by Central government funding," Icra Ratings Senior Vice President Sabyasachi Majumdar said.

"Nonetheless, overall, the demand for the cement sector is expected to be adversely impacted by this development in the next two to three quarters," Majumdar said.

"During 7M FY2017, cement production stood at 168.15



million tonnes, a moderate growth of 4.8 per cent over 7M FY2016. However, this is an improvement when compared to 2.9 per cent of production growth reported in 7M FY2016, over 7M FY2015," the statement said.

Weak demand growth is also expected to result in a decline in prices and profits given the limited ability of the industry to pass on the cost increases (particularly power and fuel costs) given the oversupply situation that is persisting in most regions of the country, Majumdar said.

Operating profitability of the cement companies is under pressure on the back of the rising pet coke, coal and diesel prices in the recent months.

Pet coke prices have been increasing since February 2016 and reached at around Rs 6400/MT in November 2016, an increase of 36 per cent over the last six months due to the higher domestic demand, coupled with the supply constraints.

Given the large usage of pet coke across companies and its rising prices, going forward, cost savings are likely to get diluted.

While coal price witnessed some recovery during May-September 2016 with the price being higher by 9.5 per cent as against the price recorded during the corresponding period of the previous year, the month of October 2016 saw a sharp spike with the prices crossing USD 100/MT for the first time since 2012.

The recovery in prices can be primarily attributed to supply side cuts and the sudden surge in demand from China.

"Also, during H1 FY2017, there has been a nearly 8 per cent increase in diesel prices when compared to H1 FY2016. The trend has continued in October, during the third quarter, wherein the diesel prices have increased by 17 per cent. This is likely to put pressure on the freight costs of cement companies during Q3 FY2017," the statement added.
Sushant Singh Rajput has got his first tattoo and the actor has dedicated the art to his mother.

Sushant, 30, took to Instagram to share his new body art which displays five fundamental elements of the universe, including mother and a child.

"First tatoo #Five elements #Mother and me," he captioned the picture of his back with the tattoo.

"Inked for life. 5 Elements and my mother and me. @sameer_patange_art #kraayonztattoostudios As Long as you were I was In your memories I come alive Like a shadow But just a flicker Time doesn't move here It's beautiful It's forever...," he wrote along side a closer look of the ink.

Sushant, who is flying high after the success of biopic "M S Dhoni: The Untold Story," is looking forward to the release of "Raabta" co-starring Kriti Sanon.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on being named in the Global Thinkers of 2016 list compiled by the Foreign Policy magazine.

Swaraj was named in the 'decision makers' category along with the Democratic Party nominee for US presidential election Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch among others.

"Very proud to see our hardworking EAM @SushmaSwaraj part of the @ForeignPolicy Global Thinkers list 2016! Congrats," Modi tweeted.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup also tweeted, "MEA proud to be led by EAM @SushmaSwaraj, who receives yet another recognition for her unique brand of diplomacy."



The magazine complimented Swaraj "for fashioning a novel brand of Twitter diplomacy".

"From evacuating Indians from Yemen to helping replace lost passports, Swaraj has earned the nickname 'the common tweeple's leader' for her aggressive use of Twitter," the magazine noted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, who ison a state visit to India from December 14-18,arrived here this evening.

The President and a delegation accompanying him will leave for New Delhi on December 16 after spending two days here.

Officials said no official engagements have been scheduled during his Kerala visit.

Ernakulam District CollectorMohammed Y Safirulla and top officials of the state government received the President and the delegation accompanying him at Kochi International Airport on their arrival from Colombo, a Kerala government spokesman said.

The Tajikistan President will leave for New Delhi on December 16 after visiting Kerala, he said.

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The Calcutta High Court today allowed anticipatory bail prayer of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung, his wife Asha and 20 others in connection with the murder of All India Gorkha League leader Madan Tamang.

A division bench comprising justices Ashim Kumar Roy and M M Banerjee directed the petitioners to surrender before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate here by December 21.

The bench directed that charge should be framed in the murder case by February 1, 2017 before the designated CMM court here.

The bench also directed that all accused should be present in Kolkata a day before the framing of charge against them and none of them would be able to leave the jurisdiction of Kolkata Metropolitan Court without the court's leave till disposal of the trial.

The court directed that if any of the 22 petitioners have been arrested during pendancy of the anticipatory bail petition before it, he/she would be granted bail in connection with the case within three weeks by furnishing a bail bond of Rs 10,000 each.

Tamang was hacked to death in Darjeeling town on May 21, 2010 when he was overseeing preparations for a public meeting.

The CBI had on May 29, 2015 filed a charge sheet against the GJM leaders under IPC sections for murder and criminal conspiracy in the Tamang case.

The investigating agency had filed the final supplementary charge sheet before the court against Gurung, who is also the chief of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in Darjeeling, his wife Asha, former GJM leader Harkabahadur Chettri, GJM Assistant General Secretary Binoy Tamang, Pradeep Pradhan, Deputy Chief Executive of GTA Col Ramesh Allay and 17 others for criminal conspiracy, murder and other charges.

Prime accused in the case Nickol Tamang had, however, disappeared mysteriously from the Pintail village near Siliguri, in August 2010 where he was being held by the state CID for interrogation following his arrest.

Pema Tamang, wife of Nickol, had moved a habeas corpus petition before the Calcutta High Court praying that her husband be traced.

The high court had then directed the CBI to take up the Madan Tamang murder case and the Nickol Tamang disappearance case.

Tamang's widow Bharati had later moved the Supreme Court seeking early completion of investigation and arrest of the accused persons.

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With Cyclone Vardah disrupting telecommunication services, operators today said they are working on a war footing to restore full connectivity in the storm-hit districts of Tamil Nadu.

A host of services, including electricity supply, mobile, telephone and mobile-Internet connectivity were disrupted as the cyclonic storm made landfall on Monday.

Telecom companies said they are working to restore services in the affected districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur.

"Cyclone Vardah, which paralysed Chennai and nearby areas, caused disruptions to some of our services. Our ground teams are working on a war footing to restore services in the shortest possible time," Vodafone India's Tamil Nadu Business Head S Murali said.

Informing that services were back to normal in some areas, he claimed, "Voice and data services in some areas are being progressively restored and should be soon back to normal."



"We are rapidly getting the network back in place," Murali said, adding the company's 21 outlets in Chennai are operating and offering support to the customers.

Telecom major Bharti Airtel in a communication said the cyclone impacted the company's undersea network cables, affecting the speed of the Internet.

"We deeply regret the inconvenience. Our engineers are working to resolve the issue and services will be normalised shortly," the company said.

Telecom operator Aircel tweeted, "The company's network services were down due to the damage caused by Cyclone Vardah. Our team is working to restore the network. It will be restored soon."



Yesterday, the state government had asked telecom companies to restore their "full network" at the earliest.

"All telecom companies are told to restore their full network as quickly as possible and it is being monitored," State Disaster Management Agency had said in a tweet.

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Your writer hates to be the one to do this, but sometimes its necessary to bring a necessary understanding of religion to those who deliberately misunderstand and mischaracterize it. In this specific instance, its the Interfaith Alliance, a group more intent on spreading progressive ideology than religious faith. How else to explain a consortium that declares education vouchers anathema and clutches its respective pearls at the nomination of Betsy De Vos for U.S. Education Secretary?

Heres IA on vouchers, for example:

Religious schools provide an important service to many students and families, [sic] However, Interfaith Alliance firmly believes that public funds should not go to private religious schools or to any educational institutions that may discriminate against students and teachers based on religion. Interfaith Alliance has a long history of fighting in in [sic] the halls of Congress and in our communities to ensure that voucher programs for sectarian schools are eliminated, not expanded.

Got it? So intent is the nominally faith-based IA to separate church and state it would deprive families of viable educational options and opportunities they otherwise may not be able to afford.

Among the champions of school vouchers is Ms. DeVos, which has put her on IAs naughty list. Heres the official IA statement from Rabbi Jack Moline, under the title DeVos Appointment Is Bad News for Public Schools and Church-State Separation:

Billionaire activist Betsy DeVos has dedicated years of her life and vast sums of money to undermining our nations public education system in favor of private, largely religious and politically conservative, institutions. She and her family have pursued these goals on parallel tracks: they directly fund conservative, private religious schools while promoting voucher schemes that would transfer vast sums of public funds into the coffers of these very institutions. That redistribution of public wealth would undermine the public school system on which the overwhelming majority of American children rely. The school voucher programs promoted by DeVos would also raise church-state concerns. Americans are always free to send their children to private schools and religious schools, but raiding the public treasury to subsidize private businesses and religious organizations runs against the public trust and the Constitution. President-elect Trumps selection of DeVos is deeply disappointing. It suggests that he has little regard for our nations public schools or the constitutional principle of separation of church and state.

Never mind the constitutional principle of separation of church and state fallacy. What is it about private schools with religious curricula that so saddens the members of I  remember the I stands for interfaith  A? Well, it might have something to do with this:

Interfaith Alliance is making a difference in America by promoting the positive and healing role of religion in public life; encouraging civic participation; facilitating community activism; and challenging religious political extremism. However, religions powerful healing force can be severely compromised when Americas shared values are replaced by values that advance only particular sectarian interests.

Ahhhh! Political extremism  a phrase indicating any religious group with which IA disagrees politically is ipso facto beyond the pale. So much for diversity!

The IA screed veers off the rails at the assertion that religions powerful healing force can be severely compromised when Americas shared values are replaced by values that advance only particular sectarian interests. Lets unpack this  religion exists only as a powerful healing force? Thats news to me, and sounds subversively close to Karl Marxs adage about religion being the opiate of the people. What better way to subvert religious objections to your political agenda than to claim any watered-down version of religious means for your own progressively political ends?

Not to mention particular sectarian interests sets up a nice tu quoque argument, right? Something akin to the assertion that IAs secular, progressive agenda is superior because it derives from a faith-based group compared to a religious agenda that derives from a faith-based group? Or something?

Lets return to Rabbi Molines objections to Ms. DeVos and education vouchers: Americans are always free to send their children to private schools and religious schools, which is true enough for those families who can afford the tuition. [B]ut raiding the public treasury to subsidize private businesses and religious organizations runs against the public trust and the Constitution  who on Earth does the good Rabbi believe funds the public treasury? And again with the Constitutional fallacy that separates church and state?

Additionally, our countrys founders never addressed education or its funding. A monolithic government apparatus for education and funding it has evolved over the past century or so with ever-diminishing results. Where does it say in the U.S. Constitution that taxpayers should be coerced into both paying for and sending their kids to a public school when theyd much rather those funds were portable to schools of their own choosing? For all their talk about religious freedom, youd expect the members of IA to understand that.
A day after he sought Rs 1,000 crore from the Centre for rehabilitation efforts, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam today allocated Rs 500 crore for relief and infrastructure works in regions ravaged by Cyclone Vardah.

Of the Rs 500 crore, Rs 350 crore would be allocated to Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), Rs 75 crore to Chennai Corporation, Rs 25 crore to Highways department while Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur district administration would each get Rs 10 crore to take up relief works, Panneerselvam said in an official release here.

As cyclone Vardah made its landfall on Monday, Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts were the worst hit as several trees were uprooted and electricity supply disrupted, he said.

Various government departments have taken up restoration works on war footing, Panneerselvam said.

Earler, he chaired a review meeting at the Secretariat in which senior Ministers, Chief Secretary, Advisor to Government, DGP and Department Secretaries, participated.

"Based on discussions at the meeting, I have issued orders to allocate Rs 500 crore to provide relief assistance to people and to take up infrastructure works in the affected areas," he said.

Among others, he said Rs 10 crore would be given as financial assistance to fishermen community, Rs seven crore to public work department, Rs three crore to health department, Rs 50 lakh to repair dairy farms that were affected and Rs five crore to police department to restore traffic signals.

The government allocated Rs two crore to the transport department to renovate damaged buses and bus terminuses.

As several trees at the famous Anna Zoological Park also were uprooted, the government allocated Rs 2.50 crore to the Forest department to take up restoration works at Zoo and those parks that were affected.

"I have issued orders to all departments to work cohesively and complete the task soon," he said.

Yesterday, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Panneerselvam sought Rs 1,000 crore as immediate assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund to take up relief and rehabilitation works. He also requested Modi to depute a team to study the damage caused by Vardah.

Earlier, Panneerselvam inspected several affected areas including Aringnar Anna Zoological park at Vandalur in Kancheepuram district. He also disbursed Rs 13.94 lakh as financial assistance to 43 people at Mammallapuram Town Panchayat, a release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jammu traders' body today alleged that the government wants to change the demographic nature of this city by allowing Rohingya Muslim refugees to "settle" here in violation of Article 370.

It accused the government of adopting "double standards" when it came to having a Sainik Colony and separate Kashmiri Pandit township in the Valley.

"While the construction of Sanik Colony for the retired and serving security personnel from the state and a colony for Kashmiri Pandit migrants have not seen the light of the day because of the threats from anti nationals, the government is allowing the settlement of non-state subjects and foreign nationals (Rohingya refugees) in Jammu," Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jammu (CCIJ) Chief Rakesh Gupta told reporters here today.

He said Chamber feels the people of Jammu should get ready for the "final fight" to force the government to take the matters of the security of the common people and the sacrifices of the security forces seriously and also protect the rights and share of traders and industrialists.

Gupta said CCIJ is "shocked" with "permanent" settlement of hundreds of non-state subjects in Jammu.

"Chamber also questions the law enforcing agencies for their silence and inaction in this matter that too in a state where national and state security should be of prime concern," he said.

CCIJ attacked the government for denying the rights to refugees from West Pakistan while being "mute spectator to the unlawful settlement of foreign nationals."



"The Chamber feels that it's a deliberate attempt by unseen forces to change the demographic nature of the city," the CCJI chief said.

"The Chamber wants to convey to the state government to either implement in toto or abolish Article 370 of the constitution," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Around 3.48 lakh traders of the city, registered with the Delhi government's Trade and Taxes department, can register themselves under the upcoming Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime from December 16.

The exercise for the registration of city's traders under the new tax law will continue till December 31.

The department today organised a workshop on front-end business on GST portal for the city traders at Delhi Secretariat in order make the process smooth.

"A self-training module is available on the gst.Gov.In that could be used for understanding the process. All verifications of documents will be done online. If all documents are provided, the process will be completed in three days," an official said.

According to the Trade and Taxes department, it would also train some traders at different market hubs who could further help members of their fraternity.

Official said that the second round of training for traders will be done on December 16. Besides, government is also associating different market and trade associations in the exercise.

On the occasion, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the Finance portfolio, said that the GST is the biggest tax reform of the country but he was apprehensive about its implementation.

The Deputy CM said that being Finance minister, he has been involved in the process at different stages, adding that however, he is worried about its implementation.

Sisodia urged all traders to come up with their suggestions.

"Our officers will be training one trader in each market, who could further help others in registering themselves under the new regime," said an official.

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Turkey's president today said he would speak with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in an effort to rescue a ceasefire deal which would allow civilians and rebel fighters to be evacuated from Syria's Aleppo.

"I will speak with Mr Putin again later in the evening," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a televised speech in Ankara. "The situation on the ground is very fragile and complicated."



Turkey, Russia and rebel groups yesterday confirmed an agreement had been reached for civilians and opposition fighters to leave Aleppo, Syria's second city.

If implemented, the deal would mark the end of opposition resistance in Syria's second city after years of fighting and a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad.

Deadly clashes erupted in Syria's Aleppo today putting the deal for the evacuation of rebel areas on hold.

Moscow, a key Assad ally that launched an air war in support of his forces last year, said the Syrian army resumed its operations in Aleppo after "an attack by the terrorists was warded off".

But Erdogan accused Assad's forces of breaking the deal and attacking civilians.

"We were hoping that a process of evacuation had begun for civilians and opposition from east Aleppo as a result of negotiations that I personally followed, unfortunately missiles have begun to be launched again," the Turkish president said.

"Therefore, we remain cautious," he said, adding that the implementation of the ceasefire was the "last hope" for the people in Aleppo.

Erdogan also hit back at the United Nations for its failure to create a safe zone inside Syria to shelter Syrian refugees and said Turkey would host those fleeing from Aleppo if necessary.

"Hey the United Nations, where are you?" he said.

Erdogan said Turkey finalised preparations for civilians to be evacuated from Aleppo to to the western Syrian city of Idlib near the Turkish border.

"We are also ready to embrace those who will come to Turkey," Erdogan said.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said on Tuesday that Ankara would "set up a tent city to accommodate up to 80,000 Syrian refugees fleeing Aleppo".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The UN Security Council today dropped advancing gay rights from a tribute to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after Russia raised objections, diplomats said.

A draft statement that mentioned Ban's support for the LGBT community was changed to note instead that "the most vulnerable or marginalised have been increasingly heard and assisted" under his leadership.

Ban, the 72-year-old former South Korean foreign minister, steps down on December 31 after serving two terms as secretary-general of the United Nations.

He will be succeeded by Antonio Guterres, the former prime minister of Portugal who served as UN refugee chief for a decade.

Ban has won praise from LGBT activists for his appeals to countries to decriminalize homosexuality.

The outgoing UN chief came under fire from many UN member-states including Russia when he decided in 2015 to extend benefits to the same-sex partners of UN employees.

In September, he hosted the first high-level meeting at the United Nations on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to push for an end to discrimination.

More than 70 countries still have laws on their books making homosexuality a crime.

The statement read by Spanish Ambassador Roman Oyarzun, who holds the council presidency this month, listed the Paris climate deal and the UN's new sustainable development goals as Ban's major achievements.

Addressing the council, Ban said his "deepest regret on leaving office is the continuing nightmare in Syria."



He again appealed to the council to unite and take action to protect Syrian civilians as the city of Aleppo came under renewed shelling and air strikes in one of the fiercest battles of the five-year war.

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UN officials reacted furiously today after a spokesman for Israel's prime minister implied a new United Nations-financed school in the Gaza Strip was being used to "glorify terrorism."



Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, last week tweeted three photos of children carrying what appeared to be fake guns as part of an exercise in an apparent school playground.

He also tweeted another photo of a sign launching the new UN-financed Jamal Abdel Nasser School in Gaza.

"This school was built by @UNDP and @UNICEF. The message is clear: the kids glorify terrorism," he tweeted.

The UN says there was no connection between the photos with the apparent fake guns and the new school.

One UN official, Roberto Valent, said the photos were taken in 2013 at a school not funded by the United Nations.

Robert Piper, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, tweeted on Wednesday: "Appalled at these fabrications against the UN.

"Such misinformation from a Government about @UNICEF & @UNDP cannot stand."



Construction on the new school in question in Gaza has just begun, Piper added.

Contacted by AFP, Gendelman had no immediate comment. He responded to Valent on Twitter by saying: "problem is that schools all over the Gaza Strip have weapons training programs for kids & celebrate terrorism."



Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008. The Palestinian enclave is run by Islamist movement Hamas and has been under an Israeli blockade for a decade.

Gaza's border with Egypt has also remained largely closed in recent years.

UN officials have called for the blockade to be lifted, citing deteriorating conditions in the enclave of some two million people.

Israeli authorities say it is necessary to prevent Hamas or other groups from obtaining weapons or the materials to make them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United Nations Human Rights Council is meeting to discuss the situation in South Sudan, with the world body's top human rights official saying there's still time for action to avoid a "worst-case scenario" in the five-year-old country.

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights, urged the council today to call on South Sudan's leaders to refrain from incitement to violence and ethnic hatred.

The United States requested the meeting.

Tens of thousands have been killed in fighting in South Sudan, and more than a million people have fled the country. Zeid said that when local leaders intervened recently to halt hate speech, threats of violence decreased, so "there may still be some space for consequential action to pull the country back from a worst-case scenario.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union ministers are visiting Uttarakhand to "vilify" the state government and shying away from mentioning their "failure" in fulfilling its demands, Chief Minister Harish Rawat's media advisor and spokesperson Surendra Kumar alleged today.

"We welcome the Central ministers visiting Uttarakhand. But, coming to the state only to vilify the state government and avoiding to mention Uttarakhand's specific demands pending before their own ministries amounts to disrespecting the country's federal set-up," he said here.

Targeting around half a dozen Union Ministers who have visited the state as part of BJP's 'Parivartan Yatra', Kumar alleged the Union ministers had confined their speeches to attacking the Chief Minister and deliberately refrained from talking about their own failures to do things from which the state could have benefited in a big way.

Wondering why Union minister J P Nadda had not disclosed details of his ministry's allocation for Uttarakhand, he claimed the Union Health Ministry had released only Rs 21 crore for a medical college in Almora which is to be built at a cost of Rs 327 crore.

"The state government had to spend Rs 122 crore on construction of the college so far out of its own meagre resources," Kumar said.

He accused Railway minister Suresh Prabhu of "disappointing" the people of the state by laying the foundation stones of only projects of a "superficial nature" in Gairsain.

"He (Prabhu) could not even open a railway ticket counter in Gairsain. That too when the Chief Minister has been consistently urging him to expedite laying new rail links between Ramnagar-Chaikhutiya, Tanakpur-Bageshwar, Kiccha- Khatima, Saharanpur-Vikasnagar-Dehradun, Deoband-Roorkee, and Rishikesh-Doiwala," Kumar claimed.

He slammed Union MoS for Petroleum Dharmendra Pradhan, who is also in-charge of BJP's affairs in Uttarakhand, for not being able to get Rs 50 crore sanctioned by ONGC for an international stadium in the state as assured by the firm.

"Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh saw neither excess rains nor drought in the state and went back after only cursing the Chief Minister.

"Similarly, instead of talking about what he is going to do to strengthen connectivity in the remote hilly areas of the state, Union Communications and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad went back after spewing venom against the state government," Kumar claimed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court today reserved its verdict on pleas of CBI and the victims' body seeking review of the 2015 verdict in the Uphaar fire tragedy case asking real estate barons Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal to serve a two-year jail term if they fail to pay Rs 30 crore each as fine.

The probe agency and the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) have sought review of the apex court verdict, delivered on August 19, 2015, sending Ansal brothers to two years rigorous jail term if they fail to pay Rs 30 crore each within three months. The convicts have already paid the fine.

A three-judge bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Kurian Joseph and Adarsh Kumar Goel reserved the judgement on the review pleas after hearing two-hour-long arguments, advanced by counsel for CBI, AVUT and Ansal brothers.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for CBI, said the fines are imposed additionally and they cannot substitute "substantive" jail term awarded to convicts in a case.

"Fine in lieu of conviction is alien in criminal jurisprudence," he said, noting that while hearing the appeals against the high court verdict, the apex court had ordered "substantive conviction" by saying that the fine imposed can be "only be additional".

"Enhancement of sentence, subject to fine, is erroneous in law," Salve said.

Taking note of the submission, the bench said, "If you (Salve) are right in the first point we will not have to go any further."



Senior advocate Salman Khurshid, appearing for Ansal brothers, said the core issue was the sentence which comprised both jail term and fine.

"This long saga must come to an end. Four more months of jail term will not make much difference," he said.

Senior advocate K T S Tulsi, appearing for AVUT, said that the waiver of remaining jail term on payment of fines was not justified.

59 people had died of asphyxia when a fire broke out during the screening of Bollywood movie 'Border' in Uphaar theatre in Green Park area of South Delhi on June 13, 1997. Over 100 were also injured in the subsequent stampede.

(Reoopens LGD36)



The apex court had on December 5 asked the Ansal brothers not to leave India till it disposes of the review pleas after AVUT cited a media report about their possibility of leaving the country in the absence of a restraint order from it.

AVUT, through its President Neelam Krishnamoorthy, who had lost her two teenaged children in the blaze, had cited a media report that the onvicts were "on the verge of fleeing the country".

The victims' body had also mentioned the review plea for urgent hearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur who said a new bench would be constituted to hear the review petitions filed by CBI and the association.

Prior to that, a bench headed by Justice A R Dave, now retired, had decided to hear in open court the petitions filed by CBI and AVUT seeking review of the 2015 verdict.

Following the judgement, Sushil and Gopal Ansal had deposited Rs 30 crore each to avoid the jail term.

In its review plea, AVUT had said the apex court judgement "bestows an unwarranted leniency on convicts whose conviction in the most heinous of offences has been upheld by all courts including this court and sentences imposed on them have been substituted with fine without assigning any reason".

"The sentences of the convicts have been reduced to the period undergone without taking into account the gravity of their offence," it had said.

CBI, in its review plea, had said the apex court did not give it time to put its views forth which resulted in "miscarriage of justice".

The agency has said, "Due to the paucity of time on the day on which this case was heard, the prosecution could not adequately put across the reasons why this court should not substitute jail sentence with a monetary fine.

"This petition also seeks to raise issue of an apparent error of law in the judgement and order of this court which has occasioned a grave miscarriage of justice," it said.

CBI had also claimed that "callousness" of the Ansal brothers led to 59 people being trapped and suffocated to death in the theatre.

The apex court had on August 19, 2015 sent the Ansal brothers to two years rigorous jail term if they failed to pay Rs 30 crore each within three months.

In a judgement on September 23, 2015, the bench had said the "magnitude" of the case "calls for a higher sentence" but the court has to limit itself to the choice available under the law.
Iran's decision to develop a nuclear-powered marine vessel does not run counter to the international agreement to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon, the White House has said.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest's remarks came after report from Tehran said that the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has asked his scientists to develop nuclear-propulsion system for ships.

"The announcement from the Iranians today does not run counter to the international agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. We continue to be able to watch closely Iran's nuclear programme; starting in the uranium mills and throughout the nuclear supply chain," Earnest told reporters at his daily conference.

Iran's agency IRNA yesterday said Rouhani assigned chief of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran to manufacture atomic propeller for ships.

He cited delays in implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action by the US and breach of the deal by extension of Iran Sanctions Act, as a reason to do so.

The White House agreed with the experts assessment that the timing of the announcement to coincide with US President Barack Obama signing of the Iran Sanctions Act is not likely a coincidence.

"We have been clear, even through much of the congressional debate in Congress about the Iran Sanctions Act, that the President would not sign it into law a piece of legislation that undermined the international agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," he said, adding that the extension of the Iran Sanctions Act does not undermine the international agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Earnest said the Iranian announcement "is an unprecedented insight" into any country's nuclear programme and "allows us to verify their ongoing compliance" with that programme.

"Our expectation is that as they undertake these kinds of research and development efforts, they'll do so consistent with their international obligations," he said.

There are a range of Iranian activities that are a source of concern to the international community and to Obama outside the scope of the international agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

"The reason that we pursued that international agreement is because Iran's ability to get access to and potentially use a nuclear weapon was the number one concern of the United States and the international community with regard to Iran,"he said.

At the same time, Earnest said there are a number of areas of concerns for the international community when it comes to Iran.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BIRMINGHAM -- Alabama Humanities Foundation awarded $80,831 in major and mini-grants across the state in its latest rounds of giving. From public discussions to exhibits to film projects and reading programs, dozens of grants were awarded.

AHF's grants are awarded three times per year to museums, historical societies, libraries, civic clubs, religious groups, social service organizations, schools, colleges and universities, television and radio producers, state and local government agencies.

The latest grant recipients and their projects are:

Major Grants

Birmingham Industrial Heritage Project - Birmingham Industrial Heritage Project, $10,000

Through an interpretive signage system and an intuitive, robust mobile app loaded with video, music, oral histories, and historic photos, the Birmingham Industrial Heritage Trail project will unite core Birmingham landmarks - including Sloss, Vulcan, Tannehill, Railroad Park and Ruffner into a broad narrative with appeal to individuals, families, and student groups and to both residents and out-of-town visitors alike.

Troy University - 2017 Alabama Book Festival - Public Discussion, $5,000

The Alabama Book Festival celebrates the pleasures of reading and the cultural importance of books with a free, day-long festival that annually draws 4,000-5,000 attendees from throughout the state to Montgomery, Alabama's Old Alabama Town. Featuring a mixture of panels by published authors across all genres, writing workshops and crafts and activities, the event is a family-oriented affair that appeals to readers of all ages and tastes.

University of Alabama at Birmingham - 2017 Red Mountain Writing Series - Public Discussion, $7,500

Red Mountain Writing Series is an afterschool program that seeks to provide students with the opportunity to develop their passion for writing and to develop their skills as writers, not only for pleasure but also across the curriculum through writing communities or groups.

Alabama Southern Community College - 20th Annual Alabama Writers Symposium - Public Discussion, $5,000

The Writers Symposium is an annual gathering of Alabama writers, scholars, and admirers in Monroeville, the Literary Capital of Alabama, for two days of workshops, readings, and discussions. Highlights include the presentations of the Harper Lee Award for Alabama's Distinguished Writer and the Eugene Current-Garcia Award for Alabama's Distinguished Literary Scholar.

Vulcan Park and Museum - Alabama's Auto Racing Legacy - Exhibition, $2,500

The Alabama Auto-Racing Legacy exhibit will advance knowledge and understanding of Birmingham's history and culture by displaying pieces of Birmingham's auto-racing history and culture as seen in the Birmingham area.

Alabama Shakespeare Festival - Shakespeare in Schools- Student/Teacher Program, $3,750

ASF will tour its production of Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona to schools throughout the state. Each performance will be followed by a question-and-answer session and an interactive workshop. The educational activities are designed to foster students' critical thinking and analytical skills.

Troy University Dothan Campus - 2017 Wiregrass Blues Festival - Public Discussion, $4,248

The 2017 Wiregrass Blues Fest will feature blues music history in public discussions which include mini documentary film screenings on blues musicians. Through these events, the Wiregrass Blues Fest hopes to inform participants and promote a deeper understanding of the unique and unsung blues tradition of the Alabama Wiregrass region as well as the entire state.

Shelby County Arts Council - Writing Our Stories - Public Discussion, $7,500

Writing Our Stories is a proven anti-bullying creative writing program taught in the 7th grade English classroom. The program was developed by The Alabama Writer's forum and is administered to the schools through The Shelby County Arts Council at no cost to the student or school. A published poet and teaching writer guides the students through a 10 week session at the end of which they receive bound anthologies of their own poems. These students leave the program as published authors.

University of North Alabama College of Arts & Sciences - Limestone Prison Program -Discussion, $2,244

UNA will establish humanities-based educational programming at Limestone Correctional Facility. The topic of this interdisciplinary pilot course is Crime and Punishment in American Culture.

Historic Blakeley State Park - The Eastern Shore: Place and People - Exhibit, $4,379

A special year-long, multi-faceted, multi-venue, collaborative program, this exhibit is designed to encourage the greater Eastern Shore and Mobile Area community to discover and explore the rich natural and cultural heritage of the region. The program will focus on history and cultural heritage resources associated with the area's prehistoric settlement, its colonial and early American experience, its Civil War years, and postwar, its growth.

Friends of the Alabama Archives - 2017 Food For Thought - Public Discussion, $3,265

Food for Thought is a monthly Alabama history lecture series held on the third Thursday of every month at noon at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Food for Thought presentations feature humanities scholars discussing a wide variety of topics relating to the State of Alabama.

Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities, Auburn University - WWI Speaker Series - Public Discussion, $3,750

The center will sponsor a statewide speaker series on World War I from April 2017 to November 2018. This series will commemorate the centennial anniversary of the state's involvement in the war and enliven an important period of history which often goes overlooked.

University of South Alabama Department of Communications - An Alabama Family Remembers the Civil War, $9,952

Memory of war has become the subject of intense study among humanities scholars in recent decades. Its fascination has captured scholars from the disciplines of History, English, and Journalism. University of South Alabama humanities scholars, under the auspices of the university's Center for the Study of War and Memory, is producing a documentary project with the goal of engaging the Alabama public in a dialogue about how the Civil War has been remembered in Alabama.

Mini Grants

Landmarks Foundation - The Alabama Territory in Becoming Alabama - $1,500

In 1817, Congress divided the Mississippi Territory, creating the State of Mississippi as the western portion and the Alabama Territory as the eastern portion of the vast landmass. The Alabama Territory is the topic of this project with humanities scholars discussing some of the "characters who were active and influential during this period, contributing to the later establishment of the State of Alabama in 1819.

Mobile Opera, Inc. - Orpheus' Son: The Life of Sidney Lanier, $961

Mobile Opera will host a lecture and narrative program of Sidney Lanier's poetry and the story of his life. On Friday, January 13, 2017, at 10 a.m., Jeffrey Goodman, PhD, and Gran Wilson, MM, will speak at the Mobile County Public Library on the literary works of Sidney Lanier and at 7 p.m. at the Larkins Music Center in downtown Mobile. Mobile Opera will continue the study of Sidney Lanier with "Orpheus' Son: The Life of Sidney Lanier," an original work written by Mr. Wilson.

Mobile Symphony - Take Note! Pre-Concert Discussions, $1,500

Mobile Symphony Orchestra will offer free, 40-minute pre-concert lectures before each of its classical concerts that explore the historic contexts around the music and composers featured on that day's concert. Lectures include information about other art forms created in the same period, such as visual arts, dance and literature, and biographical details about the composers' lives.

University of North Alabama Writers Project- University of North Alabama Writers Series: Reading by Peter Balakian, $1,500

Peter Balakian, author of Ozone Journal, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for 2015, will be reading from his work at the 2015 University of North Alabama's Writer's Series on March 16, 2017. Dr.Balakian, who is chair of the English Department at Colgate University, is also the author of the memoir, Black Dog of Fate. The University of North Alabama's Writer's Series was established in 1983.

Monroeville Main Street Program - Celebrating the Party of the Century: Capote's Childhood Hometown Pays Tribute, $1,465

Monroeville celebrates the 50th anniversary of In Cold Blood and Capote's Black and White Ball on Nov. 18, 2016, at the Old Courthouse Museum with Melanie Benjamin, author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue, Marlin Barton, winner of the Truman Capote Prize for Short Fiction, and archival films and photographs of Capote and his fans and friends. Speakers will explore the explosive launch of the nonfiction novel and Capote's trajectory from Monroeville to Manhattan.

ArtsRevive - With Music and Justice for All: An Evening with Frye Gillard and Ann DeChant, $1,075

Southern author Frye Gaillard and award-winning Nashville recording artist Anne E. DeChant team up for an evening of stories and song titled, "With Music and Justice for All." Gaillard maintains that great songwriters explore the depths of the human condition with all the subtlety and feeling of our finest novelists and poets. In these unique programs, Gaillard presents brief readings from his works, setting the context for an acoustic performance of original songs by DeChant.

Marengo County History & Archives Museum - Celebrating the Opening of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, $775

The museum will celebrate the opening of the National Museum of African American History & Culture during Black History Month 2017 through public discussion programming.

University of West Alabama - Belles' Lettres 2 Tour, $1,500

Belles' Letters 2: An Anthology of Alabama Women Writers is the second anthology of fiction to be published by Livingston Press (April 2017). The book consists of 36 short stories by veteran and new women writers. The press will tour 10 of the authors throughout the state to celebrate and inspire Alabama women writers.

Northeast Alabama Community College - Bringing It Home: Great Depression & the New Deal, $1,467

Northeast Alabama Community College Learning Resources Center will offer a teacher workshop titled "The Great Depression and the New Deal in Northeast Alabama," the third in a successful series entitled "Bringing It Home: Utilizing Local History in the K-12 Classroom." Four dynamic scholar-presenters will be in provide local K-12 teachers with materials and pedagogical ideas related to the Great Depression and New Deal that they can use in their classrooms.

To learn more about AHF's grant program, go to: http://www.alabamahumanities.org/grants/

###

About the Alabama Humanities Foundation

Alabama Humanities Foundation mission is to foster learning, understanding and appreciation of our people, communities and cultures. As the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the AHF supports and offers programs that will enhance the minds and enrich the lives of Alabamians.
The today signed an agreement to provide more than 8.5 billion rupees to Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) for the construction of the Kaitu Weir project in restive North Waziristan Agency.

The Agency for Development (USAID) and WAPDA signed the agreement at a ceremony held in Islamabad.

"America and Pakistan have a long history of cooperation in the energy sector," American Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale said while speaking at the ceremony.

"The agreement signed today builds on decades of shared effort to meet Pakistan's energy needs and help improve the lives of millions of Pakistanis," Hale said.

The Kaitu Weir is Stage 1 of the larger Kurram Tangi Dam Project (KTDP). By completing the construction of KTDP-Stage 1, more than 16,000 acres of agricultural land will be irrigated and an additional 18 megawatts of electricity will be produced, enough to benefit 100,000 Pakistanis.

Since 2009, the has invested more than 53.1 billion rupees to develop Pakistan's power sector, benefiting more than 28 million Pakistanis and adding more than 2,400 megawatts of electricity to the national grid.

This includes 1,013 megawatts from new or rehabilitated dams and thermal power plants, and 1,447 megawatts from improvements in the transmission and distribution system.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) of USD 22.47 million flowed in from China in the areas of computer software, electronics and telecommunications between April 2000 to September 2016, Parliament was informed today.

"As per the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the total FDI inflows from April 2000 to September 2016 in computer software, electronics and telecommunications sectors from China is of the order of USD 22.47 million," Minister of State for Electronics and IT P P Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

He added that FDI into computer software and hardware stood at USD 12.92 million, while that in electronics and telecommunications was at USD 8.37 million and USD 1.18 million, respectively.

In response to another query, Chaudhary said India's total import of electronics and telecom equipment has grown from USD 33.23 billion in 2013-14 to USD 40.93 billion in 2015-16.

"It stood at USD 19.61 billion in the first six months of fiscal 2016-17," he added.

China's share has grown from 51 per cent in 2013-14 to 53 per cent in 2015-16 and stood at 58 per cent between April-September 2016, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Vietnam court has convicted four men of people-smuggling after they tried to sail to Australia with a boatload of migrants but were turned back under Canberra's hardline immigration policy.

Australia does not accept so-called boat people from any nation and the country has come under fire for holding migrants in isolated outposts in Papua New Guinea and the island of Nauru.

The four Vietnamese sentenced in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province on Tuesday were deported from Australia in June after their boat carrying 21 people was spotted in Australian waters.

Two were given three and three and a half years in prison, while another pair were handed 18-month suspended sentences, a court clerk told AFP today.

The Vietnamese migrants, who were reportedly seeking higher paying jobs abroad, were also deported but did not face charges.

The ringleader of the group, 27-year-old Nguyen Giao Thong, had previously fled to Australia in 2013 before he was arrested and returned to Vietnam, according to state-run Thanh Nien newspaper.

Seeking to return, Thong organised the trip with three others and set sail on May 18, reaching Australian waters 20 days later.

The four men were sentenced just days after Canberra and Hanoi signed an agreement on the return of Vietnamese nationals deemed to be in Australia illegally.

Rights groups have slammed Australia for blocking asylum-seekers arriving by boat from settling in the country, including those found to be genuine refugees.

Canberra says the tough stance is crucial to deter people-smugglers and prevent deaths at sea. Many of those held in detention centres are from war-torn Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and the Middle East.

Since 2015, Australia has returned 113 Vietnamese national from three vessels intercepted at sea.

There are more than 230,000 Vietnamese people living in Australia, according to official figures, many of whom fled after the Vietnam War.

Millions escaped after the northern communist regime unified the country, with many going to the United States, Canada, France and Australia.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Scientists have shown that water-filled balloons behave very similarly to tiny water droplets, by bouncing them on a bed of nails.

The research by students at Roskilde University in Denmark was inspired by studies on water droplets bouncing on hydrophobic surfaces patterned with lattices of submillimetre-scale posts.

"We wanted to know if the so-called 'pancake bounce' effect - where the droplet lifts off the surface at its maximal extension - which was observed in the microscopic experiments could be replicated on a macroscopic scale," said Tina Hecksher, from Roskilde University.

"Scaling up the experiment allowed us to measure the impact forces in the pancake bounce, which gave a deeper insight into its dynamics," Hecksher said.

"It also provides a really useful teaching tool to demonstrate to students in a cost-effective, straightforward and eye-catching way how these forces work," she said.

The study compared the impact of the balloons - taking the place of water droplets - landing on a flat surface and on a bed of nails - modelling the submillimetre posts.

Using large store-bought party balloons, a digital reflex camera running at 300 frames per second to record the impact in slow motion, and a piezoelectric sensor under the board to log the impact force, the team measured impacts at different velocities and the balloons' resulting behaviour.

They found the courses of the two impacts were initially similar.

However, on the bed of nails, the balloon actually made a pancake bounce: it lifted off the bed of nails at its maximum deformation and began to retract in the air rather than on the surface.

This is because some of the material penetrates into the nail pattern, recoils and - if the impact velocity is high enough - lifts the balloon off the bed of nails before it has time to retract.

"The behaviour of the balloons is surprisingly similar to that of millimetric bouncing drops. In particular, the pancake bouncing effect was reproduced showing the same reduction in contact time as in the microscopic experiment, but with absolute timescales longer by a factor more than 10," Hecksher said.

"The transition from normal bouncing to pancake bouncing happens at comparable impact parameters," she said.

"In the future, it would be interesting to look at the similarity between water droplets and water filled balloons in more detail, by considering a greater range of balloon dimensions or higher Weber numbers, when drops break up upon bouncing but balloons cannot," she added.

The study was published in the European Journal of Physics.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Assembly today passed the West Bengal School Service Commission (Amendment) Bill which removes regional disparities in selection of teachers and non-teaching staff.

State education minister Partha Chatterjee said following the regional level selection test as per existing provision of the West Bengal School Service Commission Act 1997, it was not possible to fill up all vacancies.

The amendment removes regional restriction for filling up of vacancies for the post of teachers and non-teaching staff of different regions by way of introduction of a State Level Selection Test.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A woman died allegedly after transfusion of wrong group of blood at a Government run hospital at Keonjhar in Odisha, triggering tension in the area and dismissal of two employees today.

Angry over the incident that took place last night, family members and relatives of the woman and local residents staged a road blockade near the district headquarters hospital here for sometime and staged demonstration demanding action against the guilty and adequate compensation.

Sukanti Nayak (45) of Hadabandhasahi locality in old town area was admitted to the medicine ward of the district headquarters hospital here yesterdy afternoon and doctors advised her one unit of blood, hospital sources said.

As per the advice of the doctor, the patient's husband Birendra Nayak went to fetch aa unit of 'O' group blood from the blood bank in the hospital premises, they said.

However, the laboratory technician at the blood bank allegedly handed over a packet of 'A' group blood which was administered to the woman by a staff nurse, they said adding the patient died after a short while last night.

Subsequently it was found that wrong group of blood had been transfused without proper verification, they said.

The hospital authorities also admitted that a major mistake had certainly been committed. Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO), Kabindra Prasad Sahu said as per instruction of the district Collector, laboratory technician Bharati Mahanta and staff nurse Hemangini Mahanta have been dismissed for gross negligence.

Besides, recommendation has been made to for action against a doctor for dereliction of duty.

Stating that a miscommunication at the blood bank had led to the unfortunate incident, sahu said two requisitions in the same name had been received at the blood bank - one from Gynaecology and another from Medicine ward.

The blood meant for the patient in gynaecology ward was by mistake handed over to the relatives of of Sukanti Nayak admitted in the medicine ward, hospital sources said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Practising Kundalini yoga - which involves meditation, breathing exercises, chanting mantras and adapting certain postures - may help improve the health and psychological wellbeing of children in care homes, a new study has claimed.

Researchers from the University of Nottingham in the UK found that children in care homes have a higher degree of physical and mental health needs than their not-in-care counterparts, and in comparison to children who are in other forms of care, such as foster care.

The study was carried out under the belief of 'creative practice as mutual recovery', and looked at the idea that shared creativity, collective experience and mutual benefit can promote resilience in mental health and well-being among communities that have been traditionally divided - for example children's home staff and children.

Researchers tested a 20-week Kundalini yoga programme in three children's homes situated in the East Midlands.

The programme was evaluated according to recruitment and retention rates, self-reporting questionnaires from the participants and semi-structured interviews.

The study shows that yoga practice in children's homes, especially when participation is high, has the potential to encourage togetherness and mutuality and improve health and psychological outcomes for children in care, as well as within the workforce.

All the participants reported that the study was personally meaningful and experienced both individual - like feeling more relaxed - and social benefits - for example feeling more open and positive.

Individuals reported that the yoga sessions helped to show them beneficial exercises that they could use in various contexts, such as before going to bed, or during emotionally challenging times at work as well as at home.

The social benefits were also far-reaching with some participants reporting that they felt more positive, open to others and, as a consequence, had seen an improvement in their social lives and out of work.

Some staff and residents noticed that other people also interacted more positively with them.

"The findings are very exciting as they suggest that the practice of Kundalini yoga, involving both staff and children in care, is a plausible intervention that can lead to individual and social benefits," said Elvira Perez from University of Nottingham.

"This could have potentially huge, wide-reaching benefits for children in care as well as for all the staff working in residential settings," said Perez.

"The study has generated a number of valuable guiding principles and recommendations that might underpin the development of any future intervention for children in care and the staff working in these homes," Perez added.

The study was published in The Journal of Children's Services.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 21-year-old woman was shot dead today under mysterious circumstances in northeast Delhi's Seelampur area, police said.

The deceased, identified as Sonam, was allegedly shot dead by two unidentified youths, her family told police.

Sonam was rushed to hospital by her family members where she was declared brought dead.

Police has began probing the matter from different angles including the possibility of personal enmity, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Jamie Freed

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A group including private equity firm KKR and Macquarie Group Ltd on Wednesday offered up to A$7.3 billion ($5.47 billion) to buy Australian lottery operator Tatts Group, threatening a takeover deal with Tabcorp Holdings Ltd.

Tatts said in a statement that its board had not yet formed a view on how the proposal compared with the Tabcorp offer currently valued at about A$6.03 billion, but two Tatts shareholders said they believed it was a superior deal and could spark a bidding war with the entry of additional players.

The consortium, also including Morgan Stanley Infrastructure and First State Superannuation Scheme, has the advantage of not needing approval from the competition regulator, which is closely examining the offer from Tabcorp, Australia's biggest bookmaker.

Tabcorp in October agreed to acquire Brisbane-based Tatts to form a gambling powerhouse and fend off a growing challenge from overseas online rivals. But that deal is now in doubt as the new offer already has the backing of at least some shareholders.

"The value of the lotteries business is starting to be recognised," said Charlie Green, a director at Hunter Green Institutional Broking, which owns Tatts shares. "It is now undeniably game-on in terms of an auction."

The latest offer, while an improvement on Tabcorp's, was unlikely to be the last, said Gabriel Radzyminski, managing director of activist investor Sandon Capital, which also owns Tatts shares.

Tatts' stock soared as much as 13 percent to a nine-year high of A$4.74 after it announced the new proposal, suggesting the market prefers the consortium's bid.

The proposal from the Pacific Consortium comprises A$3.40 per share cash for the lotteries business and shares in a spinoff wagering company the consortium values at A$1 to A$1.60 a share, Tatts said.

The wagering company would be listed in Australia under the proposal, unless it was sold to a strategic buyer, such as Tabcorp, first.

Tabcorp has outlined A$1.4 billion of synergies associated with the Tatts merger, all of which relate to wagering rather than lotteries.

"The consortium bid, in a way, is an exploration if Tabcorp values lotteries or not," Radzyminski said, calling the structure of the new offer an invitation to Tabcorp to drop its takeover proposal and acquire the wagering component from the consortium.

TWO HORSE RACE?

Tabcorp's offer of 0.80 Tabcorp shares plus A$0.425 cash for each Tatts share held equated to A$4.11 per share based on Tabcorp's trading price on Wednesday.

Tabcorp's shares were down 1 percent, further lowering the value of its offer.

A Tabcorp spokesman said the company remained committed to completing the Tatts deal.

Each member of the Pacific Consortium holds a 30 percent stake except for Macquarie, which holds 10 percent, said a source familiar with the situation who was not authorised to speak publicly.

It was not immediately clear which member of the group would call the shots if the bid succeeded, the source said.

Pacific Consortium Chairwoman Kerry Schott said in a statement the group had a record of long-term investment in assets that "deliver annuity-style returns similar to infrastructure assets".

Tatts shareholder Green said lotteries were attractive to infrastructure investors because they offered large, reliable cashflows. Wagering, he said, was more volatile.

Radzyminski said he believed Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP), the owner of UK lottery operator Camelot Group, might also consider bidding for Tatts.

A spokesman for OTPP could not be reached for comment.

($1 = 1.3351 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Jamie Freed; Editing by Stephen Coates)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MCINTOSH, AL, December 14, 2016 - BASF's site in McIntosh, Alabama, donated more than $40,000 to United Way of Southwest Alabama (UWSWA). The funds will benefit more than 50 United Way partner agencies across Choctaw, Clarke, Mobile and Washington counties.

"Our partnership with United Way reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the communities in which we live and work," said Jason Slinkard, Site Director of the BASF site in McIntosh. "This contribution will support the great work United Way does to serve the critical needs of our neighbors in the area."

In addition to the donation, BASF employee volunteers participated in United Way's annual Day of Caring. Employees dedicated a full day of work to seven projects at the Educational Center for Independence (ECI), an organization that addresses some of the most critical needs for persons with intellectual disabilities.

BASF's employee-led United Way campaign kicked off in the fall with a tailgate celebration, door-prize giveaway, agency tours and employee pledge drive.

Recently, employees also participated in a Day of Service at the Ronald McDonald House, an agency that provides a home environment to families being treated at local hospitals.

"We are thrilled to continue our partnership with BASF and its employees," said Clifford Grimes, President and CEO of UWSWA. "They have been long-time supporters of United Way and every year answer the call to give from their hearts. They make our vision of a better community real. For that, we thank BASF from the bottom of our hearts."

For press photos, please click on the following links:

https://www.basf.com/press-photos/us/en/photos/2016/12/12-14-16_UW.jpg

Suggested caption: Employees from the BASF site in McIntosh, Alabama, presented a check to United Way of Southwest Alabama for more than $43,000. Pictured from left to right: Cara Hemmer, BASF; LaShaunda Holly, BASF; Amy Hannaman, United Way; Cathy Boyett, BASF, Jason Slinkard, BASF; Rebecca Rieland, BASF; Vicki Dew, BASF; and Banning Lax, BASF.



For more information contact:



LaShaunda Garrett Holly

BASF Corporation

Tel: (251) 436-2261

E-mail: lashaunda.g.holly@basf.com

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has nearly 17,500 employees in North America, and had sales of $17.4 billion in 2015. For more information about BASF's North American operations, visit www.basf.us.



At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 112,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of more than EU70 billion in 2015. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.
MILAN (Reuters) - Troubled Italian lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena confirmed on Tuesday that the European Central Bank had rejected its request for more time to raise capital, a move that piles pressure on the Italian government to inject money into the bank.

Italy's third-largest bank had asked the ECB for a three-week extension to Jan. 20 to raise 5 billion euros, citing political turmoil following the resignation of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in the wake of his heavy defeat in a referendum on constitutional reform on Dec. 4.

However, the ECB told the Monte dei Paschi such a delay could cause a further deterioration in its liquidity position and a worsening of its capital base, Monte dei Paschi said in a statement.

This could, in turn, threaten the lender's survival, the ECB said in its draft decision, according to the statement from the bank.

Monte dei Paschi's board meets on Wednesday to assess whether the conditions are in place for it to launch a last-ditch privately-funded attempt as early as Thursday to raise the cash it needs to stay in business.

The board meeting's outcome is uncertain, two sources close to the matter said, as the bank has yet to receive the go-ahead from market watchdog Consob to reopen a debt swap offer to subordinated bondholders.

The debt swap should help it raise more cash, while the bank is hoping Qatar's sovereign wealth fund will stump up 1 billion euros. Under the plan, a banking consortium will also sell shares in the lender on the market, but without underwriting the stock issue.

With the clock ticking, the chances of the bank pulling off the fundraising appear increasingly slim, and bankers and analysts say state intervention appears to be the most likely option.

Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, sworn in on Monday to succeed Renzi, will likely hold his first Cabinet meeting on Friday or at the weekend and commentators say the new leader's first step might be to sign off on a decree to prop up the bank.

Government sources have said the state is ready to intervene if the private sector rescue fails, but this would come with unpopular losses imposed on the bank's junior debt holders, in line with European rules for dealing with bank crises.

Monte dei Paschi's statement confirmed a report on Friday, which said the ECB had rejected the bank's request for more time to wrap up its private rescue plan, citing a source close to the matter.

(Reporting by Francesca Landini, writing by Silvia Aloisi; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Jonathan Oatis)

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Another hike in rail fares is on the cards, with the railways planning to reduce passenger subsidy and a sizable cut in myriad concessions given to various categories of passengers.

In the wake of merger of railway budget with the general budget, the rail ministry had urged the finance ministry to bear its operational losses but the request was turned down by the latter. Citing its inability to bear the loss of Rs 33,000 crore, the railways has told the finance ministry that it is left with no option but to cut down the concessions.

A senior official of the rail ministry's finance department said it could consider cutting down expenses on concessions and subsidy that will ultimately result in fare hike. At present, railways spends nearly Rs77,000 crore on passenger operations while it receives only Rs 44,000 crore from passenger fares.

Thus it incurs a loss of Rs 33,000 crore annually. However, the finance ministry is not keen on providing any financial assistance and instead wants the railways to bridge the gap through its internal resources. A railway board official said the ministry was also considering generating money through commercial exploitation of itsvacant land and station buildings, but that would require huge investment.

"The railway ministry has no option but to cut down its expenses on concessions and subsidy. This may result in hike in fares and monthly season tickets," the official said. In the last budget, the railway minister had speared a fare hike but increased the freight charges by up to 10 per cent to mop up additional Rs4,000 crore.

The move assumes significance in wake of the railways' huge expenditure on subsidy and concessions. Railways provides concession in rail fares to 53 categories. The account book of the rail ministry shows that the railways offers 43 per cent subsidy on a single train journey to its passengers. This means, if the railways spends Rs 100 on a train journey, it only charges Rs 57 from passengers and the remaining Rs 43 goes as subsidy.

Comprehensive data shows that the railways incurred the expenditure of Rs 34,000 crore on 'social service obligation' for the year 2015-2016. Out of this, Rs 1,600 crore was spent on a myriad concessions on train travels. A major chunk of it - Rs 1,200 crore - was spent on concession to senior citizens.

As per the rules, male senior citizens above 60 years of age are given 40 per cent concession of rail fare while women above the age of 58 years can avail 50 per cent concession in all classes. Some categories like physically challenged, deaf and dumb, and heart patients can avail concession up to 75 per cent on rail fares.
I read a scathing critique on Ananya Birla's performance, and was curious. I had to accompany my children to the Coldplay concert, and I remember reading her name, as I perused the various acts. I reached late, and missed her performance - which I was told by the social media coverage "was lip-synced". I did watch the YouTube video later today and was very puzzled.

Let me explain. I am not impressed by blogs, and social media speaking profusely about various aspects of this debutante's performance, or by the launch party or the guests, or by the 4.6 million (and growing) views on YouTube, or the world-class people and fantastic efforts gone into making the single, and the video. Not even the Santa Catalina Island in California as the picturesque location impresses that much.

But what I am puzzled by is why she chose to do this.

Let us add a little perspective here. Ananya Birla is the next generation scion from one of India's most well-known families. The family has been media shy and is perceived to be traditional and conservative, but she has probably grown up with all the comforts which one would imagine. She has the option to lead a comfortable life, away in anonymity or in her own cocoon where she can escape reality completely, and live in her own self-created world. But she chose not to.

Let us consider the typical high-net-worth family. There is data to show that sometimes the next generation children in families of wealth are not able to reconcile themselves with the wealth, and can suffer from various insecurities and self-esteem. This also arises from their inability to relate to the real world, since they have always been in a protected world, walled in by exclusivity and various gatekeepers who have shaped their perceptions of reality. Therefore, when faced with facts that run contrary to their perceptions, the next-gen usually is unable to handle the truth, and seeks alternative means of coping.

Bernard Shaw had spoken of "where wealth accumulates and men decay", and this seems ominous. In fact, this is also the reason behind the well-quoted statistic of family businesses usually not lasting beyond three generations. (The reality and relevance of this statistic is the subject of another article.)

On the other hand, in words of Lansberg, next-generation children find that they have to face tests, which their immediate groups, family, and society impose on them, to evaluate their worth. These tests can be qualifying, self-imposed, political or circumstantial. The success of these children depends on how they perform on these tests. Most of them do not even attempt them, let alone try to succeed.

Qualifying tests arise out of academic and professional capabilities, shown by education, outside work experience in a non-family concern (hence the trend of for next-gen to apprentice in financial or consulting firms before joining). Self-imposed are targets that one sets for himself to achieve, and political are the ways the successor deals with the family and business politics. Circumstantial are those which are unforeseen events, which test the mettle of the successor, whether the successor fights and succeeds or avoids dealing with these. These tests usually serve to demonstrate the capabilities of the successor, almost like proving grounds.

Most successors fail, because they do not take on the challenges that they have been deprived of in their life of comfort. This is a shield used to protect the children from hardships, by concerned parents, who would not like to subject their children to the same adversity that they may have faced. This is a fair point. But the love and caring, if done in excess, does not allow the child to try and learn, or taste failure, in a situation where the family wealth or name may not help. Or where success is only by one's competencies and capabilities.

Our love for our children deprives them of the perseverance and hard work, which they would need, if they are to face the future challenges in their lives. And for this, their upbringing may become a handicap. They must learn to do things by themselves, rely on themselves, and to know what their true ability and worth is. A quote that I often use is, "they should have the opportunity to know for themselves what their true worth is. Are they being paid too less or too much? Do they deserve half or double of what they get?" This is important to build self-esteem for every next-generation child.

Children in these families are constantly being judged, evaluated, and every action may be subject to intense media glare. Their slightest actions can be critiqued by reams of newsprint and social media. Under those circumstances, where the entire world is more than happy to jump on you and let you know what your faults are, and how you have the reputation of the family on your shoulders, the pressure is tremendous. Most normal people would crumble. Or would follow the safe path to avoid any negative comments.

So it was with this background that I wondered 'why on earth did Ananya Birla go on stage at the Coldplay concert?'

It takes a brave soul to venture out and follow one's dreams. To follow one's passion, to move away from the well-paved and maybe gilt-edged path, and to choose to carve out a path for oneself in a jungle, faced with uncertainty and definite criticism. The family wealth may give you a head start, but you would need ability to stay the course and succeed. Why still, would one still choose to go in front of a live crowd, who has come to see Coldplay, and one wrong statement brings disapproval. (The same crowd booed some very well-known people later during the event).

My guess is that there is something more than what meets the eye.

Ananya Birla was scheduled to be in Paris at the Le Bal des debutantes fashion event, one of the highlights of the year. She could have easily chosen to lead a simple uneventful life in her own environment. Yet she chose to start a micro-finance company and an e-commerce portal. I am not sure of the success of these ventures, but she did try.

She chose to go on stage in a Coldplay concert, and subject herself to public judgement, for her debut single. I don't know how many of us would actually do that. I am not the best judge to predict her success in her singing career.

But I definitely know that what she did takes courage. Raw courage. Or maybe even foolhardiness. But whatever it may be, you have to admit, that she has shown the willingness to take on challenges. She chose to take on a tough challenge, performing before an 80,000-plus crowd, on a stage where her background may not have mattered or could have saved her from public opinion. And for that she deserves applause and respect. A good sign for any family business.

Ananya Birla, as far as I am concerned, I will stick my neck out to say, in my books, you have passed this test with flying colours. I give you an A+. On your own. Congratulations.

The writer is Associate Professor of Family Business at SPJIMR.
While the government is pushing for digital payments throughmobile phones, chipset maker Qualcomm said that wallets and mobile bankingapplications in India are not using hardware level security which can makeonline transactions more secure.

"You will be surprised because most of the banking orwallet apps around the world don't use hardware security. They actually runcompletely in Android mode and users password can be stolen. Users usefingerprint which might be captured ... in India that is the case for most ofall digital wallets and mobile banking apps," Qualcomm senior director,product management Sy Choudhury told reporters here.

He said that even most famous digital payment application inIndia is not using hardware level security.

"Reason we are saying that none of them is using itbecause we work with OEMs (original equipment makers)," Choudhury said.

As per market research firm Strategy Analytics, Qualcommleads mobile chipset market globally with 37 per cent share.

"Everyone is getting connected, everyone is gettingauthenticated by device. How do you know that your device is getting ready fordemonetisation? When you download a mobile banking app you don't know if it isusing hardware security or not," Choudhury said.

He said that Qualcomm is now approaching digital paymentscompanies for using secure environment for processing payments on mobile phone.

"We are providing secure execution environment in thechipsets. This layer separates transactions on mobile phone from operating system.This checks any malware from effecting transactions," Choudhury said.

He said that Qualcomm is also coming up with new feature inits mobile chipsets from 2017 that verify user with payment gateway usingunique features like device id, phone manufacturer signature, Android versionin the phone, root kit of operating system, location and time, which will benearly impossible to duplicate.

"Device attestation feature will start shipping in2017. For end users it should be available by end of 2017," Choudhurysaid.

The company has partnered with software security companyAvast to generate alerts for users in case their mobile phones are infectedwith virus or malware.

Choudhury lauded India's Aadhaar authentication system.

"Aadhaar initiated by Indian government, the path thatit is moving now with digital version of Aadhaar is far ahead then mostgovernment in the entire world," Choudhury said.
The President of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), Joe Healy, has warned that Ireland's access to the UK must remain as free as possible with the minimisation of any barriers to trade.

The potential economic damage for the agri-food sector that would arise from a hard Brexit is too serious to ignore, he added.



Addressing the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture yesterday afternoon on the impact of Brexit, IFA President Joe Healy called for the support of the Committee on the proposals IFA has put forward at national and EU level for farmers and the agri-food sector.

He said if this proves unworkable, IFA is clear that the agreement of a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between the EU and the UK with favourable access for agricultural products and mutual recognition of standards must be a priority at EU level.

At EU level, IFA has looked for direct support through CAP Market Support measures to be provided to affected producers. The decline of sterling, arising from the UK vote, is a market disturbance which has occurred swiftly and unexpectedly and has resulted in significant price falls he claimed.



"We believe that the EU Commission must look seriously at providing exceptional support for sectors for whom an external political event has had an immediate and negative economic impact. We are again calling on the Government to pursue this at EU level. We are also asking for the support of this Committee on these issues," he said.

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
New figures releaased by Vision-net.ie today show that there were 20,059 Irish company start-ups set up this year.

This level of new company formations has not been seen since 1998 and represents the second highest figure recorded in the past 36 years.

On average, 401 new companies have been formed per week in 2016 - that figure is more or less in line with the same period in 1998 (408 approx. company start-ups per week). Professional services remains the most popular sector for start-ups with almost 1 in 5 (3,899) choosing to operate there.

Furthermore, this year has shown a noticeable increase in companies in the finance sector with over 2,800 incorporated. The top 5 most popular industries are then made up of wholesale & retail, social & personal services and construction who, between them, account for 5,898 start-ups this year.



The data shows that 46% of start-ups this year have a registered address in Dublin while a further 12% are based in Cork. After this there is somewhat of a drop to Galway, Kildare, Limerick and Meath who account for a combined total of 14% of new companies formed.



Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
The National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) has redeemed a further 1 billion of Senior Notes today. This brings to 27.6 billion the amount of senior debt redeemed to date, representing 91% of the 30.2 billion of senior debt originally issued in 2010 and 2011 to acquire bank loans.

This is NAMAs fourth redemption of Senior Debt in 2016, bringing the total redeemed in 2016 alone to 5.5 billion. Todays redemption means NAMAs senior debt now stands at 2.6 billion, less than 9% of its original level.



Speaking today, NAMA Chief Executive, Brendan McDonagh said, "In 2014, NAMA set a target of redeeming 80% of its senior debt by the end of 2016 - 24 billion. That has now been exceeded by 3.6 billion. NAMAs strong cash generation has reduced the States contingent liability from 30.2 billion at its peak to 2.6 billion."

He added, "We are now close to eliminating this contingent liability completely and we remain on course to deliver a surplus for Irish taxpayers which is currently estimated to be of the order of 2.3 billion."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
Two of the UK and Irelands biggest brands have announced a partnership to create a one-stop solution that will give customers access to all the support and services they need to manage their homes, from boilers to laptops, dishwashers to wifi.



Energy provider SSE and retailer Dixons Carphone have joined forces to develop a unique solution that leverages their existing expertise. This includes SSEs highly skilled engineers, Dixons Carphones leading after-care service from Knowhow and honeyBee, the digital platform from Connected World Services. This combination aims to bring connected home benefits to everyone, not just the tech savvy.



Together, SSE and Dixons Carphone will be building and trialling new connected product and service propositions through 2017, paving the way for a consumer launch thereafter. The combined customer base will be the first to benefit from a range of exclusive deals.



The partnership will be able to support all vital service requirements customers may have in the home. It will bring nationwide support to both the UK and Ireland through the two brands combined customer base of around 10 million households, supported by a 4,000-strong workforce of highly skilled engineers and technical advisers and 1,200 stores, including almost 140 stores in Ireland and Northern Ireland.



Customers will be able to control connected devices in the home, purchase a wide-range of recommended products, arrange installation of smart thermostats or security systems, get peace of mind cover and help to troubleshoot technical and maintenance issues.



Commenting on the new partnership, SSE MD Retail, Will Morris said, "Together, we are developing a solution that isnt just focused on launching the latest technology but on meeting customers desire for a simple, flexible way to control, manage and maintain their homes. To do this, we are taking a customer first approach, leveraging SSEs expertise and proven track record in providing essential services in the home."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
It was announced today that on behalf of Deloitte, JLL has advised on the successful sale of the Trinity Lodge, located close to Trinity College on South Fredrick Street in Dublin 2.



The property has been sold to Unlisted Collection for over 7.0M, an international hotel group boasting seven boutique hotels and twenty restaurants across major cities including Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney and London.

Sold with the benefit of full vacant possession, the 26 bedroom property boasts an unrivalled trading position, an established trading history and attractive period accommodation with exciting upside potential.



Speaking today, Senior Vice President at JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group, Dan OConnor said, "The Trinity Lodge sale attracted numerous bids from both domestic and international hoteliers. In particular, the sale highlights a growing trend of Asian hotel investor interest in the Dublin hotel market and we are delighted to have been able to conclude this transaction with such a high profile group as Unlisted Collection."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
Research released this week by An Post has revealed that 62% of Irelands workforce would prefer to receive a personalised Christmas card in the post from companies they do business with.

This figure far outreaches the desire to receive an eCard via email which came in second at 16%, followed by a text message or an advertisement.

Interestingly, 60% of 18-25 year olds said that they would prefer to receive a personalised Christmas card clearly showing that the sentiment to receive physical cards in the post is very strong regardless of age.



The research also revealed that 75% of people in business who took part in the survey, say its important to be thanked at Christmas by companies they do business with.



An Posts Make it Personal campaign is making it easier for Irish businesses to reach out directly to their customers this Christmas with a personalised festive greeting card. An Post has teamed up with Peter McVerry Trust this Christmas where 20% of every sale goes directly to the charity. Seventy four per cent of those surveyed revealed that when thinking about charitable causes this Christmas, the homeless crisis is one which needs to be prioritised by Irish businesses.



Speaking about the initiative, Head of Post Media at An Post, Fiona Heffernan said, "Our research figures show that the desire to be thanked with physical cards this Christmas is absolutely undeniable. People want to receive physical Christmas cards through the post and from a business perspective it makes absolute sense to use an AdMailer campaign to reach out and thank their customers this Christmas."

She added, "By teaming up with Peter McVerry trust weve given businesses even more reason to send cards this Christmas, and in doing so, contribute to work being done with the homeless."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
Planning permission has been granted for a new Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) campus at Coonagh in Limerick it was announced today.



The new campus is planned to be the location for education and research in engineering from inception, becoming a centre of excellence with state-of-the-art engineering facilities. There will be particular emphasis on precision engineering with activity in Coonagh expected to further underpin direct investment and sectoral jobs growth across the region.



LIT will now work to deliver the project with the objective of having the first cohort of students in Coonagh during the 2017/2018 academic year. The first phase of development is planned in stages over three years. Construction is expected to create 134 new jobs, with the campus employing a further 100 when fully operational.



Chairman of LITs Governing Body, Niall Greene said, "The Coonagh campus enables LIT to continue to expand our range of programmes to meet the regions growing skills needs, particularly in manufacturing. It is a key part of our Campus 2030 Capital Development Plan, which is in line with our objective of making a significant contribution to the economic, social and cultural development of the region."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
Minister of State for Financial Services, Eoghan Murphy yesterday officiated at a closing event which celebrated the completion of a three month development and mentoring programme by 10 new Irish Fintech companies at Dogpatch Labs in the chq building, IFSC, Dublin.

The ten companies were each awarded 50,000 in equity support earlier this year through Enterprise Irelands Competitive Start Fund, as part of the IFS2020 strategy. Applications were open to early stage companies providing technology driven solutions within the financial services sector.

The ten successful applicants received membership to Dogpatch Labs, in partnership with Ulster Bank and access to the Ulster Bank Innovation Solutions team.

As part of the programme, the ten companies also participated in a series of masterclasses provided by industry experts from the Fintech and Payments Association of Ireland (FPAI) and led by Ulster Bank and Citi on topics which included compliance, sales, partnering and fund raising.



Speaking at yesterdays event, Minister Murphy said, "I congratulate the companies here today on completing the development programme. Strengthening our indigenous Fintech sector as a source of high-value job creation is a key objective of the Governments IFS 2020 Strategy. This programmes mentoring and sponsorship model demonstrates how we can effectively harness industry scale and expertise while nurturing mutually beneficial links with our innovative start-up community."

The successful companies who completed the three month development programme included:

id-Pal

WeSavvy

CyberRiskAware

AssureHedge

MartelloLowCarbonSolutions

Ciaran McGuckian

UCompare

Tucr

Inship

Source: www.businessworld.ie
More than 200 employees of technology companies including Alphabet Inc's Google, Twitter Inc and Salesforce pledged on Tuesday to not help U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's administration build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.

Drawing comparisons to the Holocaust and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the employees signed an open letter at neveragain.tech rebuking ideas floated by Trump during the campaign trail. The protest, which began with about 60 signatures but had more than tripled within hours of publication, comes a day before several technology company executives are due to meet with the real-estate developer in New York City.

"We are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administration's proposed data collection policies," reads the letter, signed by a mix of engineers, designers and business executives.

It continues: "We refuse to build a database of people based on their Constitutionally-protected religious beliefs. We refuse to facilitate mass deportations of people the government believes to be undesirable."

The letter vows to not participate in creating databases of identifying information for the U.S. government on the basis of race, religion or national origin, to minimize the collection or retention of data that could facilitate such targeting and to oppose any misuse of data at their respective organizations considered illegal or unethical.

Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption, and his victory last month alarmed many companies who feared he might follow through on his pledges.

Those concerns have not been assuaged in recent weeks, as Trump has said he intends to nominate individuals to senior posts in his administration who favor expanding surveillance programs.

Alphabet Chief Executive Officer Larry Page, Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook, Facebook Inc Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg and Amazon.com Inc CEO Jeff Bezos and Oracle Corp CEO Safra Catz are among those expected to attend the summit with Trump's transition team, according to two technology industry sources.

The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment regarding the open letter. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
Cache Valley Arts hosted their downtown Gallery Walk Friday night. Local artists displayed their work in different stores throughout historic downtown Logan.

The walk featured many different types of art. Joe Needham showed his own jewelry designs. Russ Fjledsted, owner of The Mountain Place Gallery, had a very interesting story to tell about his gallery that used to be Hotel Logan.

Built in 1890, it currently houses 22 tenants in his apartment complex turned art gallery. Russel James displayed his photography in Oasis Books. His series of Saints and Sinners developed on tin told an intriguing story.

Many other groups participated including the Utah Watercolor Society and the Mountain Crest ceramics class.

Several of the displays were accompanied by the artists themselves to discuss their artwork with viewers. Walking down Logans own historic Main Street is pretty enough at Christmas time. Add going into all the historic shops, viewing local talent and creativity really brings an appreciation for Cache Valley to life.

The Gallery walk was a great success. Robyn Hoth, event coordinator, said, Businesses have done great. They have gone out of their way to provide cocoa or treats to make the walk extra festive. Hoth said next year they plan on having four Gallery Walks throughout the year.
European Angst : We need to be brave

Published on December 13, 2016

Story by Anne-Sophie De Macq

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During the 4th and final conversation of the European Angst conference on populism, extremism and euroscepticism, students from different countries debated together with Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek and Turkish writer Elif Shafak about how to bring up productive methods in order to face extremism.

The conference focused on analyzing the rise of populism and extremism in Europe, but also to learn how to approach it. Among the different participants were the Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic Slavoj Zizek, who was very passionate in his argumentation, and the Turkish columnist and writer Elif Shafak, who argued in a very calm way. The participating students also took the opportunity to talk about their fears about the rising populism in Europe.

One student wanted to know what angst (fear) was and how to deal with it. Soon, she found her answer: Angst is a natural feeling and the only way to come out of it is to be brave. We as Europeans need to be brave to confront angst.

That said, Zizek stressed that populism needed to be fought by its causes: the economic and political fiasco of the center liberal block, he said. According to him, the refugee crisis is only one of the symptoms of the rise of populism. He wasnt going easy on the liberal left: If the liberal left doesnt like something, they call it fascism. Its not that easy. For example, its too easy to say that Trump is a fascist. What we need is self-criticism.

Elif Shafak spoke about how she fears that Europe will lose a lot of its consciousness like Turkey did with the loss of its cosmopolitanism and multiethnicity. She stressed the importance of getting out of our comfort zone and bringing diversity into the public space. The only way forward it by reviving humanism and filling the gaps (knowledge, gender, wealth etc.) among the people.

The writer also talked about the importance of knowledge and wisdom. According to her, people have access easily to a lot of information, but they have little knowledge and even less wisdom. In order to increase our knowledge and our wisdom, it is important to read and to talk to people who disagree with our point of view.

After this animated conversation, the students read out their manifesto which they had prepared in advance and handed over to EU officials. In it, they demanded to take the economic struggles in the EU seriously and they pleaded for a Europe-wide living wage. Furthermore, the youth unemployment should also be addressed and exchange programs between different schools have to be established, so that the students from different backgrounds can mingle.

The word angst is a germanism. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it is a feeling of anxiety, apprehension or insecurity. It was first brought into the philosophical discussion in the mid-19th century by Danish philosopher Sren Kierkegaard. German Angst, however, describes the Germans tendency to over think everything as well as having a sometimes unexplained fear of the future. Although now, this tendency has reached all of Europe, not only Germanywe can now speak of European Angst.

Story by Anne-Sophie De Macq
2016: The Year of the Referendum

Published on December 14, 2016

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2016 has been labelled as many things, but one thing is for certain: referendums have become a sort of tradition. From Brexit to Italys attempts at reforming their constitution, the results of these efforts have been wildly varied. Two Italian journalists based in the UK take a look at the similarities and differences of the referendums to understand what impact they might have in 2017.

"Post-truth" and "populism" are two words that came up quite often to sum up the events that occurred in 2016. They were used to describe the Brexit referendum, Donald Trumps victory, and even the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzis defeat earlier this month.

In it to win it

The governments proposals, written by Renzis Minister for Constitutional Reforms Maria Elena Boschi, called for a comprehensive and complex change of the Italian Constitution which was designed after World War II. The reform suggested downsizing the Senate of the Republic to a compressed Senate consisting of regional mayors and councillors; a new election system for the Supreme Judges and the President; more centralised power; and abolishing provinces and the National Council for Economics and Labour (CNEL).

Brexit and the "No" vote in Italy shared some similarities. Matteo Renzi and David Cameron both triggered a referendum that would have divisive and polarising effects, with the goal of strengthening their positions whilst weakening that of their opponents, both internally and externally.

Both leaders chose to add another risky element in the midst of these two destabilising referendums: they put their own careers at risk, but in different ways. In doing so, they signed their own political death wishes. Unlike Cameron, though, it is not clear whether Renzi considers the result of the referendum as his final straw or just a mere setback.

What are we voting for?

Many media outlets claimed that the Italian vote was being framed as a vote on Europe. According to the Italian Constitution, this is practically impossible. International agreements and treaties cannot be subject to popular vote. What is true, though, is that both Cameron and Renzi tried to promote their own visions of Europe through these reforms. Whilst Cameron focused more on trade and distancing the UK from any sort of political union, Renzi promoted a social Europe  an unlikely scenario considering the candidacy of Thatcherite Francois Fillon in France and that of Angela Merkel in Germany.

It's personal

Matteo Renzi nicknamed himself the "Italian gatekeeper," and claimed to be the only man able to keep anti-establishment (the Five Star Movement, led by Beppe Grillo) and far-right forces (the Lega Nord, led by Matteo Salvini) far away from the centre of Italian policy and decision-making. The latter allowed him to gain the support of voters who normally wouldnt have supported him. But this newfound group of homogenous supporters didnt win against the accozzaglia (meaning mob in Italian) that voted no. The fact that this mob of young and unemployed voters voted against the reform is a massive blow to the party, which is considered to be the heir of the Italian Communist Party.

Even if in the UK the Labour Party, the Green Party, the Scottish National Party, and the Liberal Democrats might find common ground in some points like remaining in the single market and promoting the freedom of movement, it is unclear as to what will happen in Italy. The forces at play are so varied, from the Five Star Movement to the Lega Nord, that it is difficult to compare political agendas.

Unlike Cameron, though, Renzi made the referendum personal. In doing so, he chose to bear the full weight of its outcome, putting his governments survival on the line. His rivals quickly seized the opportunity to oust him, and immediately accused associations and trade unionists of siding with neo-fascist, grey-haired Christian Democrats and former PM Silvio Berlusconi. Renzi gave way for his opponents to try and send him home rather than discuss matters at hand. Suddenly everybody showed their discontent with his 1000 days as Prime Minister, especially the younger generation. The financial apocalypse predicted by the "yes" supporters has not yet happened; the morning after the polls came through, the Euro was almost untouched and the spread with the German Bunds was stable.

Misleading numbers

Whats more: numbers were a central aspect of the Brexit referendum, but were almost entirely absent from the debate on Italys reform. Despite their "post-truth" nature, data and budgets were widely used to support the case against the UKs place in the EU. In Italy, however, the effects that the polls would have on the economy had never been discussed.

Renzis rivals, much like the Brexiteers, didnt have a transition plan in case of their victory. But at least those who voted 'leave' were offered a range of options, even if most of them seemed unrealistic or even unfeasible. All the main players during the debate on Brexit had a vague idea on their version of Europe: David Camerons less bureaucratic one; Jeremy Corbyns social one; Nicola Sturgeons decentralized one; and Tim Farrons more integrated one. Italian supporters of the Constitutional referendum didnt manage to explain clearly what positive consequences would come of the reform, just as the no voters couldnt propose an alternative plan to modify the crooked parts of the current Constitution.

These are major differences between the Italian and UK referendum. The Brexit vote was actually focused on Europe and there was no directive given to the members of parties; there were pro-Remain Tories and pro-Leave Labour. That, along with the fact that Italy made its vote personal, sets these two referendums apart.tefs
Cameroon,PRESS STATEMENT,Southern Cameroons Peoples Organisation (SCAPO): Constructive Dialogue between Southern Cameroons and French Cameroun :: CAMEROON

* Southern Cameroons again accepts constructive dialogue with French Cameroon under ACHPR mediation * Demands that dialogue outcome be forwarded to African Union, UNO * Applies for AU Membership * Beefs up War Crimes Case file at ICC

Ladies and gentlemen of the Press,

The Southern Cameroons Peoples Organisation, SCAPO on November 29, 2016 forwarded a report to the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) based in Banjul, Gambia reiterating its acceptation constructive dialogue with French Cameroun as recommended by the commission in 2009.

The Southern Cameroons Report to Banjul titled The implementation of the 2009 Decisions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) on communication 266/2003, the Recommendation on Constructive Dialogue, emphasizes that the outcome of the said constructive dialogue be forwarded to the African Union General Assembly where La Republique du Cameroun (French Cameroun) should be asked to put before the African Union and the UN, proofs to show that indeed she has title over the Southern Cameroons and her presence in that territory is not annexation.

Consequently, SCAPO, has asked the AU to grant Southern Cameroon membership while confirming the international boundaries of Southern Cameroons as described in the League of Nations mandate and the United Nations Charter.

The report, signed by the Southern Cameroons Peoples Organisation, SCAPO, is on behalf of the complainants in Communications 266/2003, who in 2003, and on the behalf of all Southern Cameroonians, tabled a 306-paragraph case (with affidavits) against French Cameroun for colonization. traces the root cause of the escalation between Southern Cameroons and French Cameroun today.

Recall that the landmark human rights case, Communications 266/2003, ended in 2009 with the ACHPR finding French Cameroun guilty on almost all counts of the human and peoples rights as listed in the Southern Cameroons complaint. The ACHPR ruled that Southern Cameroonians are a people and hence have all the inalienable rights recognized to all peoples by both the African and United Nations Charter. In more precise terms, the ACHPR said that the people of Southern Cameroon qualify to be referred to as a people because they manifest numerous characteristics and affinities, which include a common history, linguistic tradition, territorial connection and political outlook. More importantly they identify themselves as a people with a separate and distinct identity. Identity is an innate characteristic within a people. It is up to other external people to recognise such existence, but not to deny it. (See Paragraphs 178-179 of the 2009 Banjul Ruling)

Peoples everywhere, especially peoples who live in their own territory (homeland) and aspire to their own state, have a fundamental right to reject colonization and the right to self-government or self-determination. Self-determination means that every people, so recognised, have the right to freely determine their political status, and the right to freely pursue their economic and social development according to the policy they have chosen. The right to self-determination is recognised and protected by both the AU and UNO Charters.

Furthermore, the ACHPR 2009 verdict ordered the government of French Cameroon to pay compensation to all businesses in Southern Cameroons which had suffered because of the imposition of the OHADA Law upon their practice by the government in Yaounde.

However, the ACHPR recommended constructive dialogue, under its good offices, for an amicable and long-lasting solution to all the issues bounden on domestic constitutional and international law in the now thorny Southern Cameroons Palaver.

In 2010, both SCAPO and the SCNC, representing the people of Southern Cameroons, accepted the ACHPR recommended constructive dialogue under ACHPR mediation as a credible and serious means of seeking a lasting solution to what is now the very obvious annexation, colonization and military occupation of independent Southern Cameroons by French Cameroun.

But rather than engaging in constructive dialogue, French Cameroun has escalated its colonial francophonization of Southern Cameroons by, notably, imposing its francophonity, school system. civil law traditions etc. on Southern Cameroons.

The escalation of French Cameroon colonization is the root cause of the escalation in the occupied territory of the Southern Cameroons today which escalation has led to over fifteen deaths, officially. Incidentally, the call for constructive dialogue was also made by the current Prime Minister of French Cameroun, Mr. Philemon Yang, as he addressed supporters of the ruling, Cameroun Peoples Democratic Party, CPDM, during a rally within the precincts of Ayaba Hotel, Bamenda, on Thursday, December 6, 2016. Mr. Yang said constructive dialogue was the only way to end the clear insurrection in the annexed English-speaking regions of Cameroun.

Premier Yang was speaking at the close of an exceptionally murderous day in Bamenda during which well-armed elite forces of the French Cameroun army of occupation, BIR (Brigade dintervention rapide) coordinated with the disreputably savage paratroopers from the Koutaba airbase in French Cameroun to visit murder to, at least, ten unarmed civilians in various parts of Bamenda.

Amnesty International on Friday, December 7, 2016, asked the government in Yaounde to justify all killings and disappearances in the colonized English-speaking regions. Soldiers from French Cameroun on Friday, December 9, murdered at least five persons in Kumba to the south of Southern Cameroons.

Many more persons, including students, have been disappeared in both Buea and Bamenda. There are hundreds more Southern Cameroonians illegally detained in police and gendarmerie cells all over the Southern Cameroons by the French Cameroun army of occupation.

The killing of these Southern Cameroonians, most of them by stray bullets, is a War Crime. SCAPO will be making a full and muscled representation at the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague about these deaths and disappearances, the outcome of callous use war weapons and live bullets against unarmed civilians. In a Cameroun government communique broadcast on the BBC French service (and other media), this day, December 12, 2016, the self-appointed spokesman of the colonial regime in Yaounde, Mr. Issa Tchiroma Bakary, confirmed that the government of French Cameroun is involved in disappeances and death squads in Southern Cameroons by stating the policy of his government to track and murder (mettre hors etat de nuire, his exact words) Southern Cameroonians demanding their rights. Mr. Tchiroma now figures prominently on the War Crimes list to the ICC.

SCAPO reminds the regime in Yaounde that on Monday, March 03, 2008, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court received a 181-page complaint (with affidavits) titled Genocide and Crimes against Humanity in/by French Cameroun recounting the history of genocidal practices by successive regimes in Yaounde and attributing responsibility. This case file was beefed up with the particulars of signed document from Beti Elite in Yaounde calling for attacks against foreigners (Southern Cameroonians in the main) residing in Yaounde.

See SCAPOs Genocam Supplements 1 and 2.

The Southern Cameroonians Peoples Organisation, representing all Southern Cameroonians, underscores that in handing down its decision on Communication 266/2003, Kevin Ngwang Gumne and others V. Cameroon, the African Commission made seven recommendations to the respondent state (French Cameroun) and two to complainants (215) Southern Cameroons. The ACHPR explicitly requested the parties to report on the implementation of the decisions 215 (4).

Southern Cameroonians are saying that this report to Banjul was limiting itself to the recommendation on Constructive Dialogue 215(I) (VI); 2.ii) because it is the only recommendation that was made to both parties and on which both parties responded in the affirmative.

Note that the commission had set a deadline of 180 days for this report but before the deadline was due the respondent State (French Cameroun) requested for time extension stating that they received their own copy of the commissions decision late and that they needed time to prepare for the dialogue.

Their request was granted.

Southern Cameroons draws world opinion to the fact that seven years after the African Commission took the decision in Communication 266/2003 French Cameroun has implemented none of the recommendations.

Not even one!

Consequently, as far as the specific recommendation on dialogue is concerned, Southern Cameroons reports as follows:

1. That French Cameroun, or La Republique du Cameroun, used the time extension granted at their request to carry out elaborate preparation (including the construction of monuments which they called Re-unification monuments in Buea and Bamenda for celebrating the event of re-unification. This controversial event took place in Buea on 20th February 2014 at a time when the people of Southern Cameroons were expecting the start of the dialogue proposed in communication 266/2003.

SCAPO tabled evidence (Appendices A and B) of the so-called Re-unification monument as well as Mr. Biyas speech in Buea in 2014 to mark the so-called anniversary of the alleged Re-unification.

2. That soon after the decision on communication 266/2003 was made public, a serious attempt was made by a Mr. Leke, chief Oben and Dr. Tita (all natives of the Southern Cameroons posing as complainants in Communication 266/2003) to withdraw the said communication. The three persons claimed that they wanted to take up the constructive dialogue proposed in the communication, and that before doing so; they wanted to withdraw the said Communication 266/2003.

The reply, by the Commission, was that their names did not figure on the list of complainants and they could therefore not withdraw what they did not file. They were advised that if they had their own complaint they were free to file it. The three persons then approached the real complainants in communication 266/2003 and proposed that they join them to take up the dialogue with the respondent state. They were told that they had erred by impersonating and attempting to withdraw what they had not filed and additionally they had come to Banjul as part of the State delegation.

The Southern Cameroonian underscored that the French Cameroun engineered fraud was uncovered thanks to the vigilant manner in which the Secretariat of the Commission handled this episode by Mr. Leke, Chief Oben and Dr. Tita. The Southern Cameroonians sent forth their gratitude to the ACHPR.

3. That while accepting the constructive dialogue proposal, complainants proposed as venue for the dialogue the facilities of UN in New York or the facilities of the AU in Addis Ababa or the facilities of the African Commission in Banjul. They further proposed that the dialogue be based strictly on the principles of international law, in particular the principles of the United Nations and those of the African Union. These principles are the same principles that every country on earth would cite in its defense if its territory or any of its rights whatsoever were being violated by another country.

The complainants, i.e. Southern Cameroonians, underscored that La Republique du Cameroun would invoke these same principles in any dispute with another country. Furthermore, the Southern Cameroonians said, French Cameroun, for example, claims Southern Cameroons to be 2 provinces of her state and, so far, is unable to say by what instruments of International Law the Southern Cameroons became a part of her territory. What were the boundaries of the territory which La Republique du Cameroun inherited on its day of independence on 1 January 1960, on which date its boundaries

were frozen pursuant to Article 4(b) of the African Union Constitutive Act? When and by what instruments were these boundaries subsequently expanded to include the territory of the Southern Cameroons? By what instrument of International Law were the people of the Southern Cameroons disinherited of their territory to confer the said territory to La Republique du Cameroun? It was hoped that these questions would be answered unambiguously during the proposed dialogue facilitated by the African Commission.

4. In view of the fact that while the respondent state has avoided the proposed dialogue for 7 years while human rights violations in the Southern Cameroons have intensified resulting in the present very dangerous escalation between anglophones and francophones, and considering that the Assembly of the AU may decide on what action to take after the consideration of reports and recommendations tendered to it by any of its organs and further that it is the jurisdiction of the Assembly to consider membership into the A.U, complainants in communication 266/2003 make the following requests :

A. That the recommended dialogue in communication 266/2003 be forwarded to the African Union Assembly and La Republique du Cameroun be required to put before the African Union the following proofs to show that indeed she has title over the Southern Cameroons and her presence in that territory is not annexation:

i) Under Article 102(1) of the UN Charter: A valid international treaty between the Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun filed at the UN secretariat testifying to any boundary arrangement between the two states after the independence of La Republique du Cameroun.

ii) Under paragraph 5 of Resolution 1608(XV) of 21 April 1961, a valid Treaty of Union between the State of Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun at the termination British Trusteeship in the Southern Cameroons.

iii) Under Article 4(b) of the African Union Constitutive Act: The map and boundary treaties of La Republique du Cameroun as they stood on its day of independence, 1 January 1960.

iv) Under UNGA Resolution 2625(xxv) of 24 October,1970: A valid international legal instrument, dated 1961, by which the Republic of Cameroon claims title and jurisdiction over the Southern Cameroons.

B. That La Republique du Cameroun be further required to show in what way her No vote on UNGA Resolution 1608 XV was not a vote against Southern Cameroons independence, and was not a vote against Southern Cameroon joining her.

C. That since The Southern Cameroon was still a UN Trust Territory with its own complete international boundary on January 1st 1960 (date of La Republique du Camerouns independence) La Republique du Cameroun be declared to be in violation of Article 4(b) of the AU constitutive Act and be requested to peacefully withdraw her troops and pro-consuls from the territory of the Southern Cameroons.

D. That Southern Cameroon be granted membership of the AU and her international boundaries as described in the League of Nations mandate and the United Nations Charter be confirmed by the General Assembly of the AU on the admission of the Southern Cameroon into membership of the AU.

The report, by SCAPO, on behalf of the Complainants in Communications 266/2003, and, ergo, all Southern Cameroonian, was signed the National Chairman of SCAPO, the Rt. Hon. Augustine Feh Ndangam.

The SCAPO report has since been forwarded to the Chairperson of the Assembly of the A.U, the African Union Executive Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council, etc.

The SCAPO report all but puts paid to attempts by current French Cameroun premier Philemon Yang, to divide and impera (Divide and Rule) by attempting so called dialogue with various picketing Southern Cameroon groups. For one thing, Yang does not define policy in French Cameroun and, thence, cannot make any credible, binding and lasting decision especially on the colonization of Southern Cameroons by French Cameroun, an issue concerning international law, the African Union Charter, the United Nations Organisation Charter and, especially, the now-reactivated Decolonization Committee of the UN Trusteeship Council.

The Rt. Hon. Augustine Feh Ndangam

National Chairman  SCAPO

Copy to:

* The Secretary General of the United Nations.

* The President of the UN Security Council.

* The Chairperson of the Assembly of the A.U.

* The President of the Commission of the African Union.

* The African Union Executive Council.

* The African Union Peace and Security Council

* The Chairperson of the African Commission, Banjul, The Gambia.

* The Executive Secretary, ECOWAS.

* The Ambassador, United States Embassy, Yaounde.

* The Canadian High Commission, Yaounde.

* The Ambassador, French Embassy, Yaounde.

* The British High Commission, Yaounde.

* The Ambassador, Russian Embassy, Yaounde.

* The Ambassador, Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China, Yaounde.

* The Nigerian High Commission, Yaounde.

* All Political Parties with Headquarters in Southern Cameroons.

* All Political Parties of the Republic of the Cameroons.

* All Traditional Rulers of the Southern Cameroons.

* All Deputies of Southern Cameroons Origin in the National Assembly of La Republique du Cameroun.

* All Mayors of Southern Cameroons Local Government Areas.

* The Press, National and International.
The delegate of the regional communication of the Southwest with the journalists strikers Musa Wilson

The Regional Delegate of Communication for the South West Region, Muma Rosette Bih, has banned all debates programs related to the Anglophone problem in both Radio and Television stations.

The decision to ban all talks was made known to private media men who were convened by South West Governor on Tuesday December 13, 2016 .

In the release, the regional delegate said the region was experiencing political uncertainty and that the social responsibility of the journalists warrants them not to add flames to the issue.

Earlier at the Governors office, Bernard Okalia Bilai threatened to send Buddih Adams, Kum Leonard and Tilarious Atia to jail if they do not retract from a communique made public Sunday which spelt out the modalities and wants of a new Consortium created.

Reacting to the ban on the debate programs, Kum Leonard the president of South West Chapter of Cameroon Journalists Trade Union said, We feel that media organs in the North West and South West regions are more competent to give real time information, the debate organized by these radio and TV stations can give the best of information, we cannot understand why we are not given opportunity to do this. It is a slap on face of Press Freedom. We are going to respect the decision because Cameroon is a state of law but we are going to meet with the regional delegate for Communication to discuss the way forward.

This comes after the Journalists planned to boycott all public meetings held without English versions of Press Kits.

See Full Communique of Journalists announcing boycott of events

CONSORTIUM OF JOURNALISM ASSOCIATIONS - SOUTH WEST REGION

Tel: 675138091

Mindful of the fact that a majority of journalists exercising in The South West Region are English speaking;

Taking into cognisance the fact that Cameroon is constitutionally bi-jural, bi-cultural, and bilingual;

Mindful of the fact that the South West Region is essentially Anglo-saxon with majority English speakers;

Considering the need to transmit credible information to the public, void of nuance;

Aware of the Prime Ministerial Decree for all official documents to be in both official languages;

Proud of our unity in diversity;

Committed to preserve our nationhood for posterity;

We journalists practising in the South West Region observe with dismay, the continuous slaughtering and annihilation of the English Language in almost all public gatherings and communiques.

We have observed with utter dissatisfaction the non-translation of important documents into English during seminars, workshops, meetings especially when chaired by administrative officials. This is in violation of the high instructions of the Prime Minister, Head of Government.

We note that this turn of events has frustrated many journalists who find it difficult to translate and communicate effectively to their audience.

We have also noticed that some overzealous administrators use French Language as form of intimidation against journalists.

After hoping that administrative officials will act in good fate;

After a careful analysis and following the recent developments in the two Anglophone regions where teachers and Lawyers are demanding a strict respect of our bi-cultural nature, we will not be indifferent.

Thus:

Any reporter or reporters who find themselves in such a situation with French documents without English versions in any official gathering will storm out of the meeting and the event will be given a media blackout.

That we consider the exclusive use of French by some administrators as colonial dictates;

State that any further marginalization of English speaking journalists during the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope will lead to a boycott of the event;

That we count on the good will of those concerned;

We renew our confidence and respect for state institutions in the hope that our grievances will be promptly and fairly addressed.

WE hereby call for an ALL ANGLOPHONE JOURNALISTS CONFERENCE in the days ahead./

Done and signed in Buea this 11th Day of December, 2016.

KUM LEONARD

For Cameroon Journalists Trade Union  CJTU/SNJC South West

TARHYANG ENOWBIKAH TABE

For the Cameroon Association of Media Professionals  CAMP

SIR NYAMBOT DIVINE

For Cameroon English Speaking Journalists  CAMASEJ Kumba Chapter

ATIA AZOHNWI

Rapporteur

BOUDDIH ADAMS

Adviser

Cc:

Minister of Communication  Yaounde

South West Governor  Buea

South West Regional Delegate for Communication  Buea

Media

File/Chrono/Archives
ATHENS - Greece is acting in line with the bailout agreement and international creditors should also honor their commitments, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Wednesday before departing for Brussels for a EU summit.

"Everything we do is fully in line with the agreement," he said in a statement.

The comment came after Berlin's message that lenders should assess whether a package of relief measures the Greek government announced last week for low-income pensioners and islanders was compatible with bailout obligations.

The German Finance Ministry said that only after a clear OK should short-term debt measures announced on Dec 5 by the Eurogroup be implemented.

The EU Commission has also commented that Athens' measures would be thoroughly assessed.

"Everyone must respect the Greek people and their great sacrifices of the past seven years in the name of Europe.

We are shouldering the refugee crisis and the harsh austerity policies. We invite our partners to respond to their commitments," Tsipras said.

He urged for the swift implementation of the short-term debt measures.

The Left leader's surprise proclamation last Thursday that a Christmas benefit will be paid out to pensioners and the islands of the Aegean which have been mostly affected by the refugee flows will be exempted from a VAT hike, was not welcomed by creditors.

Athens insists that the relief measures were necessary for social cohesion.

With a follow-up review of Greece's third bailout dragging on, lenders have mounted pressure on Athens for more austerity measures and reforms to unlock further aid and fulfill their commitments under the agreement.
| BY Ricki Green |

In celebration of Elton John and Bernie Taupins 50th anniversary of their songwriting partnership, Elton John, supported by YouTube, is giving undiscovered creative talent from all over the world the chance to create official music videos for three iconic songs: Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, and Bennie and the Jets. As these songs were released before the rise of the music video, this competition gives aspiring creators the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase these best-loved hits like never before.

Elton John: The Cut via London agency AKQA, will launch at YouTubes end of year show Brandcast, hosted by James Corden, on Dec. 12, 2016, with entries officially opening to the public on Jan. 9, 2017. Applicants can find contest details and advice on how to enter the competition at eltonjohn.com/thecut. Music video entries for each of the songs will feature different artistic elements  submissions for Rocket Man will feature animation, Tiny Dancer will be live-action, and Bennie and the Jets will feature choreography.

Together with a panel of YouTube creators and celebrated music and industry judges, Elton John and his writing partner Bernie Taupin will select three winners, and those winning entries will premiere on YouTube in the summer of 2017.

YouTubes support provides the applicants of the three winning submissions with the resources necessary to realize their vision, from funding production to use of the YouTube Space facilities. The production of the final music videos will be supported by Pulse Films  a world-class production studio and the talent behind Beyonces Emmy nominated Lemonade film. YouTube will also award the prize fund of ten thousand U.S. dollars to the winning creators to support future video-based creative projects.

Says Elton John: Were excited to partner with YouTube to bring together generations of artists and music lovers around a shared passion for storytelling. YouTube is a rich tapestry of creativity, and I cant wait to see how the breadth of talent from the dance, live-action and animation communities apply their vision to these cherished songs.

Says Vivien Lewit, YouTubes global head artist content and services: This is a dream project that puts iconic music from a legendary artist in the hands of new creative talent, to reinvent these classic hits. Were beyond thrilled to partner with Elton John and Universal to enable this program and bring to life a new way for the passionate fan community on YouTube to experience these songs that have inspired generations.

Three YouTube creators, each with experience in animation, choreography, and live-action, will be responsible for shortlisting a set amount of entries and presenting their choices to a panel of final judges, who will be revealed on Jan. 9, 2017.

Says Kurt Hugo Schneider, a filmmaker and musician with over 7.8M subscribers: Ive been sharing my interpretation of popular songs with the world for nearly a decade on YouTube. I am so humbled to be part of this initiative and I cant wait to see how Tiny Dancer is brought to life by filmmakers and music lovers alike.

PES, an Oscar and Emmy-nominated filmmaker whose shorts have thrilled audiences online, will be helping to select the final five entries for the animation video of Rocket Man. As an Elton John fan with a unique perspective on filmmaking, he is looking forward to getting started: With such a wealth of talented young filmmakers and artists on YouTube, I cant wait to see the ideas and help make them a reality.

Says Parris Goebel, New Zealand born director and choreographer behind Justin Biebers Sorry (PURPOSE : The Movement) dance video, with over 2B views on YouTube: I cant wait to see how dancers from all over  whether they are fans of hip-hop, ballet, pop, or any other genre  choose to visually express themselves in Bennie and the Jets.'
| BY Ricki Green |

Loud&Clear calls for an industry-wide boycott of Australia Day. The agency will be open for business on January 26 and invites other agencies to play a leading role in the #changethedate movement.

The objective of this campaign is simple  it is a boycott. The idea: that until Australia Day is held on a date for all Australians, it is not a day that should be celebrated.

Says Ben Beath, managing director at Loud&Clear: As a digital agency, we are influencers. As an independent, we can do whats right rather than what is merely profitable. And because of who we are, we are collectively less frightened about what comes next and able to challenge the status quo. This is a status quo that must be challenged. The day on which we celebrate this country is a day of discord. It was not intended to be, but it is.

Our industry is all about making change; changing ideas, changing mindset, changing behaviour. We are calling on our colleagues in the industry to join us and make a stand. If we mean Australia Day to be a celebration, we need to do much better than holding it on a date that commemorates an invasion.

This countrys relationship with our First People is a gaping wound that has festered for far too long. Changing the date wont fix this alone, but it will start a process that promotes healing and understanding.

There is no commercial benefit to Loud&Clear in this campaign. Taking the lead from Floate Design Partners, the agency will be open for business as usual on the January 26 and staff who choose to work this day will receive two days off in return.

In the words of Erik Jensen, editor of The Saturday Paper: Australia is not its white settlement. Australia is its First Peoples and their thousands of years of history and present; it is its convicts and squatters, its migrants, its refugees; it is its shared history and its contemporary harmony.

We ask other agencies around Australia to join us in this movement. Pretend nothing is happening on January 26, and stop celebrating Australia Day until it is a day for all Australians.

#changethedate
| BY Ricki Green |

In partnership with Princess Cruises, MediaComs specialist division MediaCom Beyond Advertising (MBA) has released the cruise lines first Australian-produced brand campaign, showcasing the transformative power of The Moment.

Developed locally in association with production partners Now We Collide, TVCs, print, digital, social media and an online content series will be distributed across Princess Cruises owned and paid channels.

Launching today, The Moment captures the essence of wanderlust and discovery defined powerfully and simply by the singularity of a unique experience. At a time when travel means so many different things to people, the one thing that remains constant is the potential to reconnect through a shared moment. Based around the story of a couple sharing a moment set against the historic ruins of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ayutthaya in Thailand, the campaign draws on the themes of travel and reconnection to underline Princess destination expertise.

Says Andrew Da Silva, head of The Travel Team (T3) at MediaCom: Our team is full of dedicated experts in the travel industry and this beautiful piece of work showcases the strength of our full-service offering across creative and media.

Says Shelby Craig, regional group creative director of MediaCom Beyond Advertising: We knew we had to bring the essence of the Princess brand to life in a way would appeal to first-time cruisers and discovered that Princesss incredible destinations were the single biggest draw to captivate them. We also realised that when people go on holidays and travel around the world, they come back home and talk about a memory as singular experience, and whether it is the perfect meal on the balcony as the sun dives beneath the ocean or stumbling upon the ancient ruins of the Siamese Empire, for us, it is this emotion and passion for that moment which really captivated us.

Says Nick Ferguson, marketing manager, Princess Cruises: Princess prides itself on being destination experts, immersing guests in the hundreds of locations our ships visit worldwide each year. We want our guests to return home with memories instead of souvenirs, and we think weve captured that sentiment with this campaign.

The story of The Moment was crafted so future guests could feel the positive and lasting impact that cruising with Princess offers and inspire them to embark on their own transformative journey. The best way to highlight this was through shared moments that capture Princess belief in discovery through awe-inspiring experiences.

Princess Cruises has some of the highest rates of return cruisers in the industry and at the centre of this satisfaction are the passionate crewmembers. In addition to the TVCs, print and digital, MBA will be rolling out emotive travel documentary style stories in the New Year told from the hearts of Princess Cruises Crewmembers.

The Moment launches today and will be progressively rolled out across TV, social media and digital platforms throughout 2016 and 2017.

Princess Cruises

Marketing Manager  Nick Ferguson

Brand Manager  Chloe Jones

MediaCom

Executive Creative Director  Gemma Hunter

Regional Group Creative Director  Shelby Craig

Creative Director  Simon Jarosz

Senior Creative  Taylor Thornton

Content Director  Emma Couch

Head of the Travel Team  Andrew DaSilva

Now We Collide

Director  Edward Copestick

Executive Producer/ Managing Partner  Ryan Bodger

Executive Producer  Nadine spencer
| BY Lynchy |

In 1998, the first ever Asia Pacific Advertising Festival took place, with Thailand as the permanent venue.

From the outset, AdFests modus operandi was clear: to raise the profile of Asian creativity, while celebrating the unique cultures that shape advertising across the region.

As we approach the 20th anniversary, Campaign Brief Asia asked AdFests Founding Chairman, Vinit Suraphongchai (pictured left), to reflect on the festivals evolution over the past 20 years.

Can you tell us the story of how AdFest was founded?

I was a member of the TV jury at Cannes in 1994, as was Jimmy Lam, who is President of AdFest. Over many lunches and dinners an idea of an Asia Pacific Advertising Festival was formed. AdFest has always been a not-for-profit organization, owned by the Asia Pacific Advertising Association.

What was your original vision for AdFest?

The general standard of creativity in advertising in the Asia Pacific, with the exception of Australia and New Zealand, was not high 20 years ago. The vision of AdFest was therefore to be a forum for exposure, to raise the standard and awareness of creativity in advertising, as well as to create an awareness and greater use of ones own heritage and culture.

While learning arts and crafts from overseas is desirable, indigenous creatives should be aware that the greatest source of creativity and inspiration must come from within their own culture.

What are you most proud of achieving over the past 20 years?

The fact that we have been able to achieve what we set out to do, and 20 years later to be recognized and accepted as the longest, most well-respected and popular event of the region.

What have been the biggest challenges or surprises in running a regional festival since 1998?

The challenge is really a contradiction. On the one hand, we strive to maintain the original vision of AdFest as a forum of knowledge and learning for people in the region  this is the part that will always remain the same.

On the other hand, we also have to modify the format and content each year so that the AdFest program is always of relevance and interest to the participants. So though AdFest is always the same in an overall sense, it is always different from year to year, too.

Tell us a little about your history in the Thai ad industry before AdFest?

The market was first of all very small and heavily dominated by multi-national companies, i.e. Unilever, Colgate, Kodak, Shell, Esso, Nestle, Ovaltine, etc. These were by and large the somewhat hard sell categories, many of which followed their International advertising platforms, usually using product demo or testimonial as reason why. Local brands were at one time dominated by local medicine ads, with a lot of cheap table top ads or those of low production value. Of these, Singha Beer was among the few worthy of note.

The Lotus Roots category is unique to AdFest. What was the reason for introducing this category and what do you like about it?

Advertising is a western creation. Thus many professionals in Asia started their trade by copying the west. ADFEST is very conscious that unless we in Asia recognize and make use of our own culture and heritage in our communication process, we will lose it otherwise.

Of course, some good ideas are simply universal but the execution can be such that it still reflects the local ambience. The Lotus Roots category is a visible extension of this.

Why did you choose a career in advertising?

After trying out as a marketing man and an interior designer (none of which led to anything!) I drifted into advertising more by luck than design. Happily, it turned out to be the career for me.

How has the industry changed since the days you were starting out as a designer?

Over 30 years is a long time in the advertising business. For a long time, not much had changed, with TV, newspapers and magazines dominating the creative and media scene.

But as we know the pace of change has been tremendous in the past 5 years  now there are 18 categories at the AdFest Lotus Awards.

I am glad I am out of it. Not long ago, my friend had to explain the concept of the cloud to me, something which I still do not completely comprehend.

Advertising is only one of your passions. You have also sat on the board of Bangkoks Chatuchuk market. Can you tell us more about your passions outside of advertising?

As an advertising man, I spent hours poring over research figures on target groups, age groups and profiles.

In my retirement I was asked to be the Chairman of the well-known Chatuchak Weekend Market for 4 years, which was a completely new learning experience. Suddenly I was rubbing shoulders with my target groups, jostling for the same space to stand on! It was a sobering thought to think that I got to know the real consumers after 20 years of looking at them as statistics!

Is it true you are also passionate about Thai history?

I have always been interested in history. It was only recently that I found out the Aryan (whose mother tongue was Sanskrit), who were supposed to be invaders into the north India in ancient time as traditional teaching would have it, were not invaders after all but were indigenous people living along the Indus Valley all that time. It is a long story but a satisfying one to know that at last a wrong has been righted.

With Brexit and Donald Trump the US President-elect, the year 2016 must be a new chapter of world history in the making.

Next year isnt just about celebrating the past, but also looking ahead to the future. So whats ahead for AdFest and the advertising industry in Asia?

AdFest has traditionally been a 3-day creative event. Last year, we expanded AdFest into a 4-day event with 2 days given to the Craft side, and the latter two days devoted to the Creative side of advertising. This was well received as AdFest now provides a new window into the latest advances in technology, animation, virtual reality or even sound and lighting.

For the future, it is AdFests intention to keep combining Craft and Creative and to maintain and refine this platform for the foreseeable future.

What are your 3 favourite Grand Prix winners over the past 19 AdFest festivals?

Sorry, I could not get it down to 3! Not sure if they are all Grand Prix winners either but these certainly are my favorites across the region and the years:

1 Weight Lifting (O&M) 1998, Thailand

2 Whale (Dentsu) 2002, Japan

3 Hostel (Eye Bank Association of India) 2007, India

4 Tan Hong Ming (Leo Burnett) 2008, Malaysia

5 Dumb Ways to Die (McCann) 2013, Australia.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016 at 11:54PM

Googles latest acquisition looks to improve Android Wears chances of a more sustainable futureor at least that is the hope. The tech giant bought Cronologics, the company behind CoWatchs software, which is an Android-based smartwatch operating system that also brings Amazon Alexa to smartwatches. The team will be joining Google and working on Android Wear and they plan to help grow the portfolio of watches powered by Android Wear and will be pushing the frontier of wearable technology and smartwatches with Android Wear 2.0 and beyond. Interestingly, a number of Cronologics employees are also ex-Googlers, making this a homecoming of sorts for them.

Source: TechCrunch
Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at 10:52AM

The internet is definitely the first go-to for our inquiring minds. I'm probably "Googling" at least 10 times each and every day. Today, Google Canada reveals its Year in Search, which tells us about the hottest trends and the year's most significant events based on top searches that are uniquely Canadian. Here are some interesting findings, we've noted in Canada (we've only noted the top 5 in each category but there is pleny more for your searching curiousity)... Hit jump for the lowdown.

Top Trending Canadians:

Drake Celine Dion Gord Downie Leonard Cohen Penny Oleksiak

Top News Stories:

Donald Trump US Election Zika Virus Olympics Fort McMurray Fire

Top Consumer Tech:

iPhone 7 Samsung Galaxy S7 Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Google Pixel Nintendo Switch

Top TV Shows:

Stranger Things Westworld Gilmore Girls Fuller House Luke Cage

Top "What is...?"

What is Brexit? What is Zika Virus? What is Microblading? What is Harambe? What is Electoral College?

On a global perspective, here are some interesting findings on what collectively trended in Google Searches in 2016...

Top Global Searches:

Pokemon Go iPhone 7 Donald Trump Prince Powerball

Top Global Movies:

Deadpool Suicide Squad The Revenant Captain America Civil War Batman v Superman

Top Global Consumer Tech:

iPhone 7 Freedom 251 iPhone SE iPhone 6S Google Pixel

Top Global Sporting Events:
The reshuffle sees it scrap its regional management layer in favour of appointing individual country heads who will report directly to the group executive management (GEM)

Telia Norway and Sonera in Finland will become separate units from 1 January 2017, with Abraham Foss heading up the Norway division, and Stein-Erik Vellan becoming CEO of Sonera. Vellan replaces Valdur Laid in the role, and both will become members of the GEM.

Telias units in Lithuania, Estonia and Denmark will become a cluster organisation which will be led by head of corporate development Henriette Wendt.

Corporate Holdings will be a newly created unit overseeing Telia Carrier, along with Telias holdings in Turkcell and Megafon. It will be headed up by current head of region Europe Robert Andersson, who will remain on the GEM. It will also contain Telias Lavian operations, LMT and Lattelekom, which Telia Company does not have operational control of.

Johan Dennelind, president and CEO, Telia Company, says: With an increased focus on our operations in the Nordics and Baltics, this new management structure will enhance transparency and enable us to ramp up execution across all our markets. The new structure will also ensure a continued focus and prioritization of responsible business for Telia Company.

I want to take the opportunity to thank Valdur Laid for his hard work with transformation and laying the foundation for an exciting next phase for our operations in Finland. I welcome Stein Erik Vellan to Telia Company, an appreciated and strong leader. I am also looking forward to working even closer with our Norwegian CEO Abraham Foss.
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 ...
Every year on January first, the moment I wake up I head to the window to see what my first bird of the New Year will be. My hope is us...
Eltingville teen nabs the title of USA National Miss New York Teen 2017.

Gabriella Caggiano of Eltingville was crowned USA National Miss New York Teen 2017 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Edison, N.J., Dec. 4. (Courtesy/ThePageantPros.com/Marc Skinner)

(Third-Party-Submitted)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Eltingville's Gabriella Caggiano, 16, nabbed the title of USA National Miss New York Teen 2017 on Dec. 4 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Edison, N.J.

She also was awarded the Alyssa Lego Humanitarian Award for hours of community service recognized by State Senator Andrew Lanza and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis.

Gabriella will compete for the national title of USA National Miss Teen in Boca Raton, Fla., come July 10.

Interested in advocating for children with special needs, Gabriella selected "Speak Up: Empowering Autistic Youth to Overcome Obstacles" as her service platform.

Charitable and community spirited, the new titleholder works closely with the Families Helping Families Organization, Eger Health Care & Rehabilitation Center, Autism Speaks, The Ronald McDonald House, along with a host of other organizations.

Gabriella is a nine time recipient of the Presidential Gold Volunteer Service Award and in 2015 was awarded the President's Call to Service Award for completing more than 6,500 hours of community service throughout her lifetime.

The astute young adult is a daughter of Anna Maria and George Caggiano.

Gabriella is a senior at St. Joseph Hill Academy High School, where she's a member of the Arrochar school's varsity competitive Cheer Leading Team, the Mathletes Team, and a number of school clubs, including the Spanish Club, Special Olympics Club and Autism Awareness Club.

A young woman with big dreams who's excited to represent her home State of New York throughout her reign, Gabriella aspires to attend college and obtain a dual degree in Marketing and International Business.

She hopes to one day hold a position for a high-end international fashion company.
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.
The Obama administrations teacher preparation regulations under the Higher Education Act and its accountability regulations for the Every Student Succeeds Act appear headed for the trash heap, if the Senate Republican Policy Committee gets its way .

Both sets of regulations are being targeted by the policy committee for the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to vote to strike down rules lawmakers dont like, essentially putting the kibosh on them. If a set of regulations is subject to the CRA, the administration cant issue similar regulations until theres new authorizing legislation. Congress has until May to use this option to get rid of recently enacted Obama administration regulations, according to the committees website.

The incoming Trump administration can also take immediate steps to pause the implementation of some recently finalized regulations, by essentially delaying their effective date.

Its unclear if school districts and states actually want Congress to toss the accountability regulations. State and district advocates raised some serious questions about the administrations draft regulations, which solicited more than 20,000 comments.

But the final version , released late last month, got largely positive reviews from groups including the Council of Chief State School Officers and the AASA, the School Superintendents Association. Both said the department assuaged their concerns by granting more them more time and flexibility to implement ESSA.

If the regulations are scrapped, it could make it tougher for states to finish their ESSA plans, which they can begin filing this spring. To keep the momentum going, the Trump administration would have to outline its own vision on accountability.

The teacher-preparation regulations call for states to collect new data on starting teachers they have trained, with the aim of tracking whether they work in high-needs schools, stay in the profession, and are able to improve student learning. The regulations, which were finalized in October, have come under fire from teachers unions, and some state officials say the new requirements could be a capacity challenge.

Interestingly, an arguably more-controversial set of regulations for a spending provision of ESSA known as supplement-not-supplant is not on the Republicans target list. That could be because those regulations havent been finalized yet. But theres another set of draft regulations, pertaining to Planned Parenthood, that is on the policy committees hit list. Of course, its hard to imagine Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Senate education panel, would be on board with any final rule that looks similar to what the education department proposed earlier this year. So that regulation could easily end up on this list, once its finalized.

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Parents would want to always give their children the best. They also dream that their children should gain as much from the world, be it knowledge or wealth. The first major decision making for children comes when they are to be enrolled in school and parents want to make their foundation strong enough for a bright future.

Are you confused about the best of the boards available and which one to choose? Should you choose CBSE or ICSE? Read through this article to know in detail about the two prominent boards of education in India and what each have to offer the students.

While both CBSE and ICSE have good quality education standards, they cater for two different target audiences and are tailor made for them. So, list what your ambitions are and check for yourself which board is best suited for you.

It is our choices that show who we truly are far more than our abilities. So, even though both of the boards can nurture different sets of abilities in the students, the skill sets required for your goals matters the most. So read here and choose wisely.

PARAMETER CBSE ICSE Medium of instruction English or Hindi (students can choose) English Eligibility for Exam Students studying in CBSE as well as non CBSE schools can appear. Students studying in boards outside ICSE affiliation are not eligible. Recognition The school certificate is recognised in India as well as abroad. The school certificate is not recognised in India. However, it has more value globally. Scope in entrance exams IIT JEE, AIPMT, AIEEE are based on the syllabus taught by CBSE schools. For the students who want to take up humanities or management, ICSE is good as it does not focus much on Mathematics and Science. Students from ICSE can crack TOEFL and IELTS easily. Subject Proficiency The focus is more on Maths and Science subjects. The focus is more on English subject. Syllabus Preference There are prescribed subjects for the chosen groups in class 12. Students also have flexibility of selecting specific subjects. Evaluation Scale CBSE has a far more stricter method for evaluating in the boards For ICSE internal marks matter more and the method of marking is lenient in comparison

About CBSE

The Central Board of Secondary Education (abbreviated as CBSE) is a Board of Education for public and private schools, under the Union Government of India.

What is CBSE?

According to the CBSE official website, U P Board of High School and Intermediate Education was the first Board set up in 1921. It has under its jurisdiction Rajputana, Central India and Gwalior. In response to the representation made by the Government of United Provinces, the then Government of India suggested to set up a joint Board in 1929 for all the areas which was named as the 'Board of High School and Intermediate Education, Rajputana'. This included Ajmer, Merwara, Central India and Gwalior.

The Board witnessed rapid growth and expansion at the level of Secondary education resulting in improved quality and standard of education in institutions. But with the advent of State Universities and State Boards in various parts of the country the jurisdiction of the Board was confined only to Ajmer, Bhopal and Vindhya Pradesh later.

As a result of this, in 1952, the constitution of the Board was amended wherein its jurisdiction was extended to part-C and Part-D territories and the Board was given its present name 'Central Board of Secondary Education'. It was in the year 1962 finally that the Board was reconstituted. The main objectives were to serve the educational institutions more effectively, to be responsive to the educational needs of those students whose parents were employed in the Central Government and had frequently transferable jobs.

About ICSE

The Council for Indian School Certificate Exams has been so constituted as to secure suitable representation of: Government of India, State Governments/Union Territories in which there are Schools affiliated to the Council, the Inter-State Board for Anglo-Indian Education, the Association of Indian Universities, the Association of Heads of Anglo-Indian Schools, the Indian Public Schools' Conference, the Association of Schools for the ISC Examination and members co-opted by the Executive Committee of the Council.

What is ICSE?

According to CISCE official notification, in 1952, an All India Certificate Examinations Conference was held under the Chairmanship of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Minister for Education. The main purpose of the Conference was to consider the replacement of the overseas Cambridge School Certificate Examination by an All India Examination. This set the agenda for the establishment of the Council.

In October 1956, at the meeting of the Inter-State Board for Anglo-Indian Education, a proposal was adopted for the setting up of an Indian Council to administer the University of Cambridge, Local Examinations Syndicate's Examination in India and, to advise the Syndicate on the best way to adapt its examination to the needs of the country. The inaugural meeting of the Council was held on 3rd November, 1958.

In December 1967, the Council was registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. In 1973, the Council was listed in the Delhi School Education Act 1973, as a body conducting "public" examinations.

Re-introduce Detention From Class V : CISCE
Trailing towards digital payment modes for fees collection, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi are collaborating with MobiKwik, a mobile wallet provider, for digital payments at the campus. The association will also help college students pay for daily meals and basic amenities at the campus and let them grapple the impact of the government's decision on demonetization.

Mrinal Sinha, Chief Operating Officer - MobiKwik said, "We are proud to support India's leading universities, where students from across the world come to study. Our association will facilitate digital payments for students, making their life hassle-free. MobiKwik having become synonymous with seamless payments, it is our constant endeavour to widen the MobiKwik payments network and help a larger section of people access digital payments."

In JNU there are around 7,304 students studying at the university. Similarly, IIT Delhi is an autonomous and public institution of higher education on technology, catering to around 7,784 students.

With more than 40 million users, MobiKwik has many firsts to its credit, including the service through which users can locate outlets where MobiKwik e-wallet is accepted in the app. Cash loading for mobile wallet through both cash pick-up and cash deposit is also available.

About MobiKwik

MobiKwik is an Indian wallet major with a network of more than 250,000 direct merchants and 40 million-plus users. Founded in 2009 by Bipin Preet Singh and Upasana Taku, the company has raised three rounds of funding from Sequoia Capital, American Express, Tree Line Asia, MediaTek, GMO Payment Gateway, Cisco Investments and Net1. MobiKwik aspires to be the largest source of digital transactions in India.

One of the digital payments platforms for online and offline merchants, MobiKwik is powering payments for IRCTC, Uber, Meru Cabs, Big Bazaar, OYO Rooms, Zomato, PVR, Archies, WHSmith India, BookMyShow, Grofers, Big Basket, Dominos, Burger King, Pizza Hut, eBay, ShopClues, Myntra, Jabong, Pepperfry, Barista, Food Panda, Nearbuy, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Louis Phillips, GoDaddy, MakeMyTrip.

On its Way to Digitisation, CBSE Schools Instructed to Make Payments Digital
The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has released the exam schedule for Karnataka CET 2017. According to the notification on the official website of KEA, the KCET 2017 exam will be held on May 2, 2017 and May 3, 2017. For Horanadu and Gadinadu Kannadiga candidates the examination is scheduled for May 4, 2017.

KCET is held every for admissions to the first year or first semester to Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani, Naturopathy & Yoga, Engineering, Technology, Farm Science Courses i.e., B.Sc (Agriculture, Sericulture, Horticulture, Forestry, Agri Bio Tech), B.H.Sc (Home Science), B.Tech (Agri.Engg, Food Technology, Dairy Tech, Fisheries, Food Science & Tech), B.Sc(Agri. Marketing & Co-op), B.Pharm and Pharm-D courses for the academic year 2017-18.

For admissions to medical and dental course, candidates have to appear for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2017 conducted by CBSE.

Also, candidates aspiring for admissions into architecture courses have to appear for NATA (National Aptitude Test in Architecture) conducted by the Council of Architecture.

KCET 2017 Time-Table Date

Day Timings Subject Marks May 2, 2017

Tuesday 10:30 AM - 11:50 AM

Biology 60 02:30 PM - 03.50 PM

Mathematics 60 May 3, 2017

Wednesday 10:30 AM - 11:50 AM Physics 60 02:30 PM - 03.50 PM Chemistry 60 Kannada Language Test (only in Bengaluru) May 4, 2017 Thursday 11.30 AM - 12.30 PM For Horanadu and Gadinadu Kannadiga Candidates 50

Click here for more details on KCET 2017 Registration Procedure, Eligibility Criteria, KCET Syllabus, Question Papers.
Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trumps pick for U.S Secretary of Education , may just be starting to think about who she might want on her staff at the U.S. Department of Education next year. After all, she and Trump have about 150 political appointee gigs to fill at the agency.

In filling posts, DeVos could decide to tap people she already knows and has worked well with. Education secretaries often bring close associates from their previous jobs into the department with them. (Think Peter Cunningham, who headed up communications at the department for former Obama administration Secretary Arne Duncan and had worked with Duncan previously in Chicago.)

DeVos could decide to draw from a deep pool of folks she has worked with in education advocacy and political offices, including at the American Federation for Children, a political and advocacy organization she chaired until recently. Many of them have ties to her home state of Michigan, including Josh Venable, a one-time aide to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is said to be helping with the transition. Like DeVos, theyve been active in Republican politics, especially, and school choice. Also like DeVos, most havent served in state education agencies or school districts, at least not in recent years.

So who has worked with DeVos in the past and could therefore wind up serving in the department, or at least holding sway with the Trump administration on K-12?

Heres a quick list, in alphabetical order:

Greg Brock, executive director, American Federation for Children:

Brock has worked with the DeVoses in a number of different education and political organizations, including his current gig at AFC. Over the past five years AFC has advanced school choice in a number of states, including Indiana, Nevada and Wisconsin, according to a speech DeVos gave at the organizations annual policy forum near Washington earlier this year. The organization writes model legislation to help state lawmakers push vouchers, education savings accounts, and tax credits for school choice. (Read more about AFC here. )

In the 2000s, Brock ran All Children Matter, a political action committee financed by DeVos and her husband, Richard Dick DeVos. The committee sought to elect lawmakers who were friendly to school choice, and target those who werent, including anti-voucher Republicans . And it sometimes linked candidates to issues beyond education, such as illegal immigration or same-sex marriage. Brock told Education Week back in 2006 that teachers unions and other opponents of school choice use similar tactics. UPDATE: All Children Matter has had an outstanding $5.2 million fine from the state of Ohio since 2008, which Democratic senators have said the group must pay ahead of DeVos confirmation hearing .

Brock was also the executive director of the Great Lakes Education Project, an education advocacy organization founded and funded by the DeVoses. And before that, he served as the campaign director for Kids First! Yes!, a campaign financed by the DeVoses to promote a voucher amendment to the Michigan state constitution . (The effort was ultimately unsuccessful.) Hes also the one-time executive director of the Michigan Republican Party, which Betsy DeVos chaired.

Matt Frendewey, communications director, American Federation for Children:

Frendewey has worked in communications for AFC, but also for the Michigan Republican Party and Michigan Attorney General Michael Cox. He also worked on Coxs campaign in the 2002 election cycle. Earlier this year, Frendewey described the organizations work to my colleague Lisa Stark, saying, We believe that, ultimately, parents have the right to know where people stand on core issues whether its, say, support school choice, oppose school choice. Well continue to support those candidates who believe in a parents right to choose.

Greg McNeilly, chief operating officer of the Windquest Group, a company lead by Dick and Betsy DeVos:

McNeilly has a long record both in GOP politics and with the DeVos family. He served as the campaign manager for Dick DeVos ultimately unsuccessful bid for governor of Michigan in 2006. And he was an architect of Michigans Right to Work law, according to this Mother Jones profile of the DeVos family . On the education front, he was the communications director of Kids First! Yes! And from 1998 to 2000, he served as a political director for the Michigan Republican Party. Hes also currently on the board of GLEP. In the Wolverine State, hes known as an unofficial gatekeeper to Betsy and Dick DeVos.

John Schilling, chief operating officer, American Federation for Children:

Schilling has been at AFC for nine years. Before that, he was the chief of staff for the Education Leaders Counsel, a group of conservative state education chiefs and other leaders. Schilling left the organization in 2003, according to a resume posted on LinkedIn. After his departure, the ELC faced leadership and management challenges . It eventually shuttered. Before his stint at the ELC, Schilling served as an associate superintendent in charge of policy and planning for the Arizona Department of Education. And before that, he had a variety of other gigs in GOP politics, including as director of opposition research for the Republican National Committee.

Josh Venable, former national director of advocacy and legislation at the Foundation for Excellence in Education:

Venable is also part of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bushs inner circle . He was the national director of advocacy and legislation for Bushs Foundation for Excellence in Education, a research and advocacy organization. Until recently, DeVos sat on the board of that organization, which has some parents opposed to the Common Core State Standards worried she wont be tough enough on the standards. (Federal law would prohibit her as education secretary from getting rid of them anyway.) Beyond that, Venable is yet another Michigan Republican Party alum. Venable served in a bunch of different roles there, from 2005 to 2011, including deputy finance director and chief of staff.

Venable is helping with the transition, multiple sources say. Hes been at DeVos side as she gets to know folks in Washington.

Other names to know:

Rob Goad, a Trump campaign aide on loan from the office of Rep. Luke Messer, R-Ind., who has now officially joined the transition. Messer was on nearly everyones list as a potential Trump education secretary, and he may still end up playing a roleperhaps informallyin helping the administration put together its education agenda. Goad isnt a longtime DeVos confidante associate like many of the other folks on this list, but its easy to imagine him ending up at the department in some capacity. Towsend McNitt, a former GOP Hill staffer and Education Department official, is also helping with the transition, introducing DeVos to key folks in Congress . (Hat tip: Politico.)

Campbell Brown, a former CNN anchor and the founder of the 74 Million, a journalism and advocacy website, which received some start-up money from the DeVos foundation. Brown has said she will recuse herself from coverage of DeVos tenure as education secretary, and Brown has said the organization will stop receiving money from DeVos foundation. Dont look for Brown to join the Education Department. She told Politico shes not interested in a gig there . She did, however, write a warm blog post in support of DeVos nomination .

Gary Naeyaert, executive director of the Great Lakes Education Project School choice is a big focus for GLEP. Back in 2011, the organization fought to raise the cap on charters, and earlier this year it helped defeat a measure to create a Detroit Education Commission that would have had oversight over some charter and public schools in the Motor City. More background on how charters in Michigan are doing here .

Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trumps nominee for Education Secretary, sits in the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., before the start of their meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Dec. 1. --Susan Walsh/AP

Betsy DeVos is shown during a news conference on June 15, 2006, in Lansing, Mich. Republican women from the state House and Senate as well as business organizations held a Women for DeVos Coalition news conference to announce their support for her husband, GOP gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos. --Al Goldis/AP-File

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
By Lisa Stark

The NAACPthe nations oldest civil rights organizationis raising alarms about the growth of charter schools. The group wants a moratorium on new charters until a host of issues can be addressed.

Among its chief criticisms of charterswhich currently educate about 5 percent of the nations public schoolchildrenthe NAACP says the schools often cherry pick the best students, disproportionately discipline children of color, and siphon off critical tax dollars from traditional public schools. It wants greater transparency and accountability for charter schools. Similar concerns have been raised by the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of civil rights activists that includes Black Lives Matter.

But African-American charter advocates are pushing back, calling the NAACP misguided and out of touch. They argue charters offer an important option to parents faced with failing traditional public schools. The debate over charters is only likely to intensify during the Trump administration. The president-elects nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Education, Betsy DeVos, is a strong supporter of school choice, including charters. Education Week sat down recently with NAACP President Cornell William Brooks to discuss charters, education inequality and the challenges ahead. Heres some of what he had to say.

Related stories:
Claim professionals gain invaluable insight from education and networking opportunities, according to industry experts who spoke with Claims Journal, Carrier Managements sister publication, in exclusive interviews during the International Association of Claim Professionals (IACP) 47th annual conference in Sonoma, Calif., in September. The conference covered a wide range of topics, including a panel discussion on the Canterbury Earthquake by New Zealand-based experts, Ubers effect on transportation and the Ferguson effect in defending police civil liability claims.

The association boasts more than 500 members from around the globe representing commercial and specialty insurers as well as reinsurers, according to Catherine Kalaydjian, executive director of corporate development.

The association, which is geared to commercial, specialty and reinsurer claim leaders, aids in preparing claim executives for the executive table, said Steve Robson, former head of claims for Brit and former IACP president.

We have lot of lectures on risk management, strategy, mergers and acquisitions. We have a lot of CEO speakers who value speaking at this event because they value claims executives as part of their roundtable, Robson said.

Education and networking are key to working together, developing new ideas and understanding new risks, he said.

According to Edward Quinn Jr., president and CEO of New York-based Rockville Risk Management Associates, being a member and current president allows him to interact with a variety of company heads.

Its a tremendous education, said Quinn, speaking about the different types of insurance organizations and different lines of business that he has been exposed to since joining the association.

Education is invaluable to claims, especially as departments feel the sting of skilled employees retiring.

Tom Joyce, senior vice president and chief claims officer for Scottsdale-based Nautilus Insurance Co. and current IACP treasurer, said claims departments are feeling the pressure with the expectation that a significant number of employees will be retiring soon.

Joyce said convincing millennials that claims is the profession to be in means investing in education. As a result, professional designations and associations like the IACP will cultivate the growth necessary for claims skills development.

Personally, I see the professional designations as foundational for that kind of growth, that kind of development, explained Joyce.

The crisis-management and problem-solving aptitude developed during a claims career can help one pivot from working in claims to expand beyond that role, said Mark Cloutier, CEO of Brit Group.

Cloutier started out as an independent loss adjuster in Western Canada and said the experience helps prepare individuals to step outside the department into other areas within the insurance industry.

A claims background, if you think about what we do in claims, gives us a great sort of facility for solving problems and working through significant issues, Cloutier said.
Next Insurance has partnered with Munich Re on an online product tailored to commercial photographers. QBE has launched a program with Patriot National to offer workers compensation and employers liability policies for select industries. Marsh and Endurance have collaborated to launch a habitational casualty program. Guy Carpenter has formed a Global Strategic Advisory organization to provide clients with enhanced solutions.

***

Online startup Next Insurance has partnered with Munich Re to launch a product targeting commercial photographers, allowing them to buy, renew and maintain their policies online.

Photographers will be able to pay for insurance on a monthly subscription basis in all 50 states. The available packages are tailored based on a deep understanding of the industry as well as discussions with photographers so that usual exceptions like liability and off-premise use of cameras are covered.

***

QBE North America has joined with technology and outsourcing solution provider Patriot National to launch a program to write workers compensation and employers liability insurance policies for hospitality, healthcare, property management and manufacturing accounts.

Patriot National will serve as program administrator with defined underwriting, claims administration and loss control authority on behalf of QBE.

As of Dec. 12, the coverage is available in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Vermont.

***

Marsh has launched a proprietary casualty insurance program designed to offer accessible coverage for multifamily property owners and managers experiencing challenging habitational insurance market conditions.

Marshs PRIME Habitational Casualty Insurance Program was developed in collaboration with Endurance Global Risk Solutions. The product offers a number of policy enhancements including first-dollar coverage, separate aggregate limits per location and enhanced environmental/pollution coverage.

Marsh said the coverage complements the PRIME Habitational Property Insurance Facility that launched in January 2014 and the PRIME Environmental program that launched in November 2015.

***

Guy Carpenter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Cos., has created a Global Strategic Advisory organization comprised of its advisory, analytics, structured risk, M&A advisory, Lloyds capital and business intelligence capabilities.

Rob Bentley, who most recently ran the U.S. and Canada division of Marsh, has been appointed president of the unit. Vicky Carter, who most recently served as vice chair of Guy Carpenters international operations, has been appointed vice chairman of the unit. Both will report to Peter Hearn, president and CEO of Guy Carpenter.

Source: Next Insurance, QBE, Marsh, Guy Carpenter
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia have some sort of law related to civics education, and every state requires students to take courses in social studies or civics in order to graduate high school.

But fewer states37  require students to take or demonstrate proficiency on assessments in these subjects, and just 17 states include social studies or civics test results in their accountability systems.

Thats according to a new review of the state of civics education from the Education Commission of the States National Center for Learning and Civic Engagement. It comes as states are reconsidering their accountability systems as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Exploring and understanding how states across the country approach civic learning and citizenship education through policy and curriculum opens the door for opportunities for improving policies and increasing student engagement in civic issues, said Jan Brennan, the centers leader, in a press release.

The review finds that states address civics education differently in law and in state policy: Some simply require that students take social studies courses, while others specify that students take civics in particular. (Illinois , for one, newly requires students to take civics classes.) Some states, including Iowa and Indiana, specify that even nonpublic schools must teach American history and government.

Alaska, Missouri, and North Dakota are the only states that dont specifically address civics, citizenship education, or social studies in law.

U.S. Secretary of Education John King recently highlighted the civic role of public schools . In the wake of a presidential election that largely played out on social media, schools have been newly focused on teaching media literacy , which a recent study from Stanford University contends is a cornerstone of civic literacy.

The Education Commission of the States also recently highlighted the growth of the Civics Education Initiative , an effort on the part of the Arizona-based Joe Foss Institute to require that students in every state take the U.S. Citizenship Civics Test in order to graduate high school. The initiative launched in 2015, and by September of 2016, 12 states had passed laws adding that requirement. An additional 18 states had failed to pass the initiative.

Related stories:


Chevrolet has delivered its first three Bolt EVs to customers in the San Francisco Bay area, filling through with its promise to ship models before the end of 2016, if only just.



In its press release, Chevrolet is particularly proud that two of the first three Bolt EV owners are replacing competitors vehicles with Chevrolets own affordable EV. One customer, named Bobby Edwards, sold his BMW i8 to make way for the Bolt while another, Steve Henry, will replace his Toyota Prius with the electric hatchback.

Prices for the 2017 Bolt EV start at $37,495 and if customers can receive the federal tax credit of up to $7,500, it makes the car the first sub-$30,000 EV with a respectable range.

According to the EPA, that range sits at 238 miles (383 km) on a full charge, potentially giving the Bolt EV a range greater than the 215-mile expected range of the Tesla Model 3.

Chevrolet says that a number of Bolt EVs are currently in transit to California and Oregan and will arrive later this month. The model will then be rolled out nationally in 2017 where a number of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States including New York, Massachusetts and Virginia will be among the first to receive it in winter 207.

PHOTO GALLERY
Infiniti is going to reveal a new crossover model at the Detroit Auto Show this January and is considering an all-electric vehicle too, according to the companys boss.



Roland Krueger, who spoke to AutoNews, declined to say whether the new crossover would be a concept or a production model.

He did say though that the car they are bringing to Detroit is going to play off the QX Sport Inspiration concept, shown back in September at the Paris Motor Show.

Weve given some hints in Paris, but we will be a little more specific in Detroit, showing that we focus on the growth markets and the growth segments, Krueger said. The main topic is definitely the growth in SUVs.

Infiniti wants to boost its presence in the light-truck sector of the market, an area that accounted for 61.2 percent of its US sales through November. The QX Sport Inspiration concept was seen as a preview of the model thats going to replace the aging QX50.

Krueger also said that the company is looking into some very concrete concepts for an all-electric vehicle, as the electrification technology is increasingly moving mainstream. Its going to be both HEV, and also we are looking into concepts for EVs, Krueger said. These are very concrete concepts that were looking at.

Note: Infiniti QX Sport Inspiration concept pictured

PHOTO GALLERY
The series, spun off from a one-off holiday tv special called Missing Christmas that Mukpuddy produced in 2012, takes place on Ngaro, a quiet island which holds many secrets unlocked by a group of kids who call themselves The Barefoot Bandits. Mukpuddys pitch to broadcasters was a Kiwi Goonies. It aired on prime time on TVNZ, a rarity in New Zealand for a childrens series.

We came in under the childrens funding round, which is normally not for prime time, but once we starting delivering scripts, they realized that it was suited to a family audience rather than only young children, which was secretly our hope all along, said Cooper.

Mukpuddy was able to make the show with backing from the government broadcasting funding agency NZ on Air, but Mukpuddy retains the rights to sell it overseas. NZ on Air require a percentage of profits up until the original budget is matched, but place no restrictions on where the show is shown outside of New Zealand.

Mukpuddy began in 2002 with just a handful of employees working on short-form animated projects before scaling up in 2015 for The Barefoot Bandits. The hardest part of expanding to a bigger studio for the TV series was trying to retain what made Mukpuddy special to us, said Cooper.

There was a very ad-libby nature to our work that came from ridiculous time constraints. At one stage we were producing a five-minute cartoon a week with two of us animating and the other designing characters and backgrounds. But so far, its been smooth sailing, and I think its because weve put a lot of trust in to the people weve hired.

From the original three Mukpuddy ownersCooper, Tim Evans, and Alex Leightonthe studio ramped up to 14 artists to make ten 22-minute episodes for the first season. Bandits was animated in Flash and composited in After Effects. It allowed us to get a nice level of depth to certain scenes and do focus pulls, and add lighting where needed, explained Cooper.

Work on the second season of The Barefoot Bandits continues. Mukpuddy made a successful pitch to continue the series when they were halfway through production on the first season in July of 2015. They received the green-light before the first episode even went to air.

We also plead the case of our crew who we didnt want to have to let go while we spent a year prepping for a second series, said Cooper. Having been a struggling studio for so many years, were very aware of the stress animators, and artists in general, can be under when they have a dreaded short term contract floating over their heads.

Mukpuddy is pursuing a third season as well as a movie based on the show, possibly featuring a space hero the kids from the series watch on television. It has also recently sold the first season to Channel 10 in Australia and Cooper notes they are working on other sales internationally.

Were hugely inspired by the beautiful work coming out of Irelands Cartoon Saloon, said Cooper, and hope we can make something intimate and special to us, that will be able to entertain audiences around the world.

Find out more on the official Barefoot Bandits web site.
Photo: Facebook

The BC Coroners Service has identified Christopher Marcel Emile Potvin, 32, as the man who was killed in a workplace accident in Vernon last Friday.

Potvin, of Vernon, was working on a pickup truck in an automotive shop on Dec. 9 at about 11:45 a.m. when something went wrong and he became trapped between the truck and the hoist ramps in the shop.

He died at the scene.

The BC Coroners Service, RCMP and WorkSafeBC continue to investigate the incident.
Florida Suspect Ordered to Tell Police His iPhone Passcode in Voyeurism Case

In a controversial case out of Florida, an appellate court judge ordered a criminal defendant to tell police his iPhone passcode. This ruling is significant as it has been routinely held that a court order could not compel a defendant to give up his passcode (although a court could order a person to touch their fingerprint to a fingerprint sensor). Fortunately, this ruling may only affect Floridians.

The appeals judge is being criticized for missing the mark in this ruling, particularly when it comes to analogizing cases. The main issue that legal scholars take with this ruling is that it diminishes the Fifth Amendment and the protection against self-incrimination.

Key to the Strongbox or Combination Safe

The appeals court justice cited the Seminole 1988 US Supreme Court Case Doe vs. US, wherein it was explained that a defendant may have to give up possession of a key to a strongbox, but cannot be compelled to provide the combination to a safe. This is perhaps one of the most important distinctions made in the Fifth Amendment jurisprudence.

In this case, at first blush, it may seem that an iPhone or device passcode is more akin to the combination of a safe. However, unlike a traditional combination-locked box, most electronic devices utilize encryption so that without the passcode (a.k.a. the encryption key), the data is unusable. Regardless of the combination or key distinction, one of the most significant facts is that a defendant is being compelled to speak, which could very well be a violation of the Fifth Amendment right to be free from self-incrimination. One source, quoting the court, explained:

Thus, "compelling a suspect to make a nonfactual statement that facilitates the production of evidence" for which the state has otherwise obtained a warrant based upon evidence independent of the accused's statements linking the accused to the crime does not offend the privilege.

This Case May Hinge on the Phone Evidence

Much of the evidence points to culpability in this case of voyeurism: the victim saw defendant's phone flash from below her skirt, the defendant was holding phone when it flashed, store surveillance footage shows that much, and the defendant ran off afterwards. However, the defendant will likely face much stiffer penalties if it can be certainly determined that a photo was taken.

Related Resources:
Photo: Contributed

The Ministry of Environment has issued a draft air discharge permit to Tolko Industries for its Lavington sawmill.

A Tolko spokesperson assured the ministry in a June, 2015 letter that changes  including a fugitive dust mitigation plan  represented a significant reduction in the total emissions from the facility.

The draft permit has been posted to the company's website until end of day, Dec. 20.

Interested parties can ask questions or comment on the draft permit until that time.

"The draft permit was prepared to reflect updates to the authorized air discharges and emission limits, and additional operating, monitoring and reporting requirements," said Safwan Soufan, environmental protection officer with the Ministry of Environment. "It has been assessed that the application would represent a reduction in particulate matter emissions over the current permit amount and that the additional requirements provide a better protection of public health and the environment.



"The ministry has reviewed responses during the (July 30-day) consultation period and will consider responses during the additional period. The director will proceed with making a decision following the end of the noted additional period."

In July, B.C.'s Ministry of Justice mediated a settlement in a dispute over the nearby Pinnacle pellet plant's air discharge permit in Lavington.

Three local families had appealed against the permit in a dispute that lasted 18 months due to a number of deferrals.

But a spokesperson for the families said there would be no appeal this time as the process was "too long and arduous."
Photo: The Canadian Press

Mexican police and soldiers have discovered two clandestine tunnels in the border city of Tijuana that officials believe were built to smuggle drugs into California.

The tunnels were found in an area of warehouses across from Otay Mesa, about 400 yards (meters) away from each other. The area immediately north of the border is also a warehouse district.

Prosecutors said Monday that one of the tunnels reached to San Diego, and the other was unfinished.

The Mexican Attorney General's Office said the tunnels were apparently used by the Sinaloa cartel to move drugs into the United States.

It said it found the tunnels after the U.S. consulate in Tijuana determined the tunnels were being reactivated after apparently falling into disuse.
Photo: CTV

Aleppo's fall to Syrian government forces is shaping up as the first major test of President-elect Donald Trump's desire to co-operate with Russia, whose military support has proven pivotal in Syria's civil war. The death and destruction in the city is only renewing Democratic and Republican concern with Trump's possible new path.

Though Trump has been vague about his plans to address this next phase in the nearly six-year-old conflict, he's suggested closer alignment between U.S. and Russian goals could be in order. His selection Tuesday of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who has extensive business dealings with Russia and ties to President Vladimir Putin, fueled further speculation that Trump will pursue a rapprochement with Moscow.

Indeed, Trump was already trying to portray Tillerson's connections with Russia as a plus. In talking points circulated on Capitol Hill and obtained by The Associated Press, Trump's transition team said Tillerson would "work closely" with Russia on "defeating radical Islam" but would "easily challenge Russia and other countries when necessary."

"President Putin knows Mr. Tillerson means what he says," the talking points say.

A warmer relationship could alter U.S. policy on nuclear weapons, sanctions, Ukraine and innumerable other issues  but none so clearly or quickly as Syria, where President Bashar Assad's defeat of U.S.-backed rebels in Aleppo is poised to be a turning point. Assad and Russia are expected seize the moment to try to persuade the U.S. to abandon its flailing strategy of trying to prop up the rebels in their battle to oust Assad.

That decision will fall to Trump.

The president-elect has not commented or tweeted about the crisis in Aleppo and widespread fears of humanitarian disaster. Yet his previous comments on the broader conflict suggest he's more than open to a policy shift.

During the campaign, Trump asserted that defeating the Islamic State group in Syria, not Assad, must be the top priority, a position that mirrors Russia's.

"I believe we have to get ISIS. We have to worry about ISIS before we can get too much more involved," Trump said in October, using an acronym for the extremist group.

Prioritizing the fight against IS could put the U.S. in closer alignment with Russia's public position, in a Middle Eastern take on the adage that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." It's a point Trump appeared to make during the second presidential debate when he noted that he didn't like Assad, but added, "Assad is killing ISIS. Russia is killing ISIS."

And in his first days as the president-elect Trump suggested he might withdraw U.S. support for the various rebel groups that make up Assad's opposition, telling a newspaper that "we have no idea who these people are."

Trump's posture doesn't just buck President Barack Obama's policy, it conflicts with his party's stance, as well.

Trump's running mate, Vice-President-elect Mike Pence, argued during the campaign that the U.S. should strike Assad's forces if needed to prevent devastation in Aleppo. Trump took the remarkable step of contradicting him. "I disagree," Trump said, and Pence quickly backed off the threat of military action.

Both Democratic and Republican critics say Trump's brushstroke analysis of Syria's internal conflicts paints a far rosier picture of Russia's aims than reality  and even endorses some of the propaganda Assad has used to delegitimize his opponents.

"Putin is a thug, a bully and a murderer, and anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said after word emerged that Trump was picking Tillerson as his chief diplomat.

While Moscow has attacked IS at times, the U.S. and its allies say most Russian airstrikes have targeted rebel-dominated areas where IS isn't active. American officials accuse Assad of a soft approach toward IS, and even of colluding with the group in hopes of marginalizing U.S.-backed rebels.
Photo: Contributed

Authorities say a Coppin State University police officer shot and killed a man who fired at a car driving near that Baltimore campus.

Baltimore Police spokesman T.J. Smith said the uniformed Coppin State officer was on patrol in an unmarked car Tuesday night when he saw a man leave the passenger side of a car in front of him and begin shooting at a car driving toward him.

Smith told a news conference at the site in northwest Baltimore that the university officer then shot the man before the two cars involved sped off. Smith says the man was pronounced dead at the scene, and a gun was recovered. The officer wasn't hurt.

Smith didn't disclose the races of the suspect or the officer, adding the shooting is under investigation.
Photo: Contributed

Sydney residents sweltered through the city's second hottest night on record and its hottest December night in 148 years, with many cooling off at beaches long after dark.

A minimum of 27.1 degrees Celsius was recorded in Australia's largest city early Wednesday, Australian Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jordan Notara said.

The only hotter overnight minimum temperature recorded in this city of 5 million people was 27.6 degrees Celsius on Feb. 6, 2011.

The hottest December minimum nighttime temperature on record had been Christmas Day in 1868, when the temperature dipped to 26.3 degrees Celsius (79.3 degrees Fahrenheit).

Records have been kept at Sydney's Observatory Hill weather station since 1859.

"It was mainly due to the hot day yesterday when we didn't have the sea breeze cool things down as significantly as it could have," Notara said of Wednesday's minimum.

Sydney was forecast to reach 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) during the daytime on Wednesday, after hitting 37.8 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday. Sydney's December average is a maximum of 25.2 degrees Celsius (77.4 degrees Fahrenheit) and a minimum of 17.5 degrees Celsius (63.5 degrees Fahrenheit).

Beaches, rivers and swimming pools have been crowded with people cooling off.

Electricity supplier Endeavour Energy was able to cope with the increased demand from Sydney air conditioners on Tuesday and was prepared for Wednesday's heat, company spokesman Peter Payne said.

A cool change was forecast late Wednesday afternoon with southerly winds expected to substantially cool the city, Notara said.

Daytime temperatures peaked above 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southeast capitals of Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Melbourne for the first time since 1965.

Like Sydney, the other three cities were expecting cool changes late Wednesday.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Kanye West returned to social media for the first time since his hospitalization to talk about his meeting with Donald Trump.

West wrote on Twitter that he met with Trump Tuesday to "discuss multicultural issues" that included "bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago."

"I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change," West wrote. He followed with a post that read "#2024," an apparent reference to a revised plan to run for president in 2024, instead of 2020, when Trump could seek a second term.

Trump said after the Tuesday meeting that he and West were "just friends" and called the musician a "good man." He said they discussed "life." The two did not answer questions about whether West would perform at the Inauguration.

West stood silently next to the president-elect for photos in the lobby of Trump Tower after their meeting. Asked why he wasn't speaking, West said, "I just want to take a picture right now."

He spoke out on Twitter after the meeting.

West entered the building shortly after 9 a.m. with a large entourage. He was not accompanied by wife Kim Kardashian West.

The 39-year-old recently spent over a week in Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles for stress and exhaustion. Days before his hospitalization, he abruptly cancelled his U.S. concert tour.

Last month during a concert in San Jose, California, West said he didn't vote for president, but if he had, he would have cast a ballot for Trump. He also praised the president-elect's "method of communication" as "very futuristic" and spoke about his plans to run for that office, saying that he will become "a different kind of president."

Trump also was shown in a video for West's single "Famous," released last year. It also featured Rihanna, former President George W. Bush, Anna Wintour and Bill Cosby.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Is hydraulic fracturing  better known as fracking  safe, as the oil and gas industry claims? Or does the controversial drilling technique that has spurred a domestic energy boom contaminate drinking water, as environmental groups and other critics charge?

After six years and more than $29 million, the Environmental Protection Agency says it doesn't know.

A new report issued Tuesday said fracking poses a risk to drinking water in some circumstances, but a lack of information precludes a definitive statement on how severe the risk is.

"Because of the significant data gaps and uncertainties in the available data, it was not possible to fully characterize the severity of impacts, nor was it possible to calculate or estimate the national frequency of impacts on drinking water resources" from fracking activities, the EPA said in a report that raises more questions than answers.

The report removes a finding from a draft issued last year indicating that fracking has not caused "widespread, systemic" harm to drinking water in the United States. Industry groups had hailed the draft EPA study as proof that fracking is safe, while environmentalists seized on the report's identification of cases where fracking-related activities polluted drinking water.

Fracking involves pumping huge volumes of water, sand and chemicals underground to split open rock formations so oil and gas will flow. The practice has spurred an ongoing energy boom but has raised widespread concerns that it might lead to groundwater contamination, increased air pollution and even earthquakes.

The reactions were reversed on Tuesday. Environmentalists cheered the new report as proof that fracking threatens drinking water, while industry groups complained the Obama administration had yielded to political pressure on its way out the door.

"We are glad EPA resisted oil and gas industry spin, followed the science and delivered the facts," said John Noel, oil and gas campaigns co-ordinator for Clean Water Action, an advocacy group.

An oil industry spokesman called the report an "absurd" reversal that changes a science-based conclusion to one "based in political ambiguity" just weeks before President Barack Obama leaves office.

"The agency has walked away from nearly a thousand sources of information from ... technical reports and peer-reviewed scientific reports demonstrating that ... hydraulic fracturing does not lead to widespread, systemic impacts to drinking water resources," said Erik Milito of the American Petroleum Institute, an industry lobbying group.

The fracking study makes a mockery of frequent pledges by Obama and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to follow science as they make decisions, Milito said. "We look forward to working with the new administration to instil fact-based science back into the public policy process," he said of President-elect Donald Trump.

Tom Burke, EPA's science adviser and a deputy assistant administrator, said in an interview that the removal of the phrase about "widespread, systemic" impacts came at the urging of the EPA's Science Advisory Board.

"Data gaps did not allow us to quantify how widespread the impacts are," Burke said.

Environmental groups have claimed that the finding of no widespread harm was inserted into the draft report at the insistence of the White House. Obama supports fracking as part of a wide-ranging energy strategy.

An EPA spokeswoman denied any political pressure.

The final report found specific instances where poorly constructed drilling wells, improper wastewater management or other problems affected drinking water. Impacts generally occurred near drilling sites and ranged from temporary changes in water quality to rendering private drinking wells unusable, the report said.

The number of contamination cases was small compared to the tens of thousands of wells that are fracked nationwide, the EPA said.

Congress ordered the report in 2010, as a surge in fracking fueled a nationwide boom in production of oil and natural gas.
Photo: Contributed

The police chief of Bakersfield, Cali., said Tuesday that an unarmed 73-year-old man refused to take his hand out of his pocket when he was shot by an officer who thought he had a gun because of a 911 call reporting him.

An officer on the force for about 16 months, Reagan Selman, fired seven shots at Francisco Serna in the driveway in Serna's neighbourhood where he was killed, Chief Lyle Martin said at a news conference Tuesday night. Six other officers had arrived, but no others fired, Martin said.

Serna's family said he suffers from dementia and he often took walks in the evening.

The woman who reported him spotted Serna in her driveway, and she told her boyfriend that she thought he had what looked like a gun, Martin said. It was the boyfriend who called 911, and he simply said the man had a handgun, the chief said.

When officers arrived, the woman pointed to Serna as the man they had called about, the chief said. About 20 or 30 seconds later, as Serna refused to take his hand out of his jacket pocket and stopped moving, Selman shot and killed him. About 10 minutes passed from the 911 call to the shooting.

Martin said it was an extremely difficult set of circumstances for an officer fearing a man with a gun and a terrible situation for all involved. "This is a tragic incident for their family, the community as a whole, and the police department," he said.

Serna was declared dead at the scene, and no gun was found. Martin says an object was recovered that may have been what the woman mistook for a gun, but he said it was difficult to describe and didn't offer further details.

Selman and his partner, who were the first two officers at the scene, were placed on routine administrative leave. The other five officers who witnessed the shooting were not directly involved enough to be put on leave.

A group was gathered outside the family home late Tuesday, with one person holding a sign that read "Justice for Francisco Serna." A candlelight vigil was held in his honour.

Serna's son Rogelio Serna posted a video on Facebook about the shooting Tuesday. "Right across the street is where the police shot my father ... and my dad was not armed," Rogelio said in the video.

He wrote in another post that his father was in the early stages of dementia and would go on small walks when he had trouble sleeping. "Last night he took his last walk," Serna wrote.
Photo: Contributed

The North Okanagan Shuswap school district's official trustee has made it clear that two schools will not be closing after all.

With money tight, district officials and the former school board discussed closing Armstrong Elementary and Silver Creek Elementary in Salmon Arm earlier this year, but increased enrolment and additional funding since then will allow the schools to stay open.

Trustee Mike McKay put a hold on all decisions until he had time to review the situation when he was appointed to the district after the board was removed last June.

Additional funding that has been provided to the district through the return of administrative savings, new transportation funding and the district now being out of funding protection has eased pressure on the budget.

McKay said closures are a legitimate, but serious strategy which can be used to deal with dire circumstances.

"This decision is not saying no closures ever. It is saying because of circumstances, it is off the table now, said McKay.

A number of other initiatives were passed by McKay including:
A cease-fire deal between rebels and the Syrian government in the city of Aleppo effectively collapsed on Wednesday, with fighter jets resuming deadly air raids over the opposition's densely crowded enclave in the east of the city.

The attacks threatened to scuttle plans to evacuate rebels and tens thousands of civilians out of harm's way, in what would seal the opposition's surrender of the city.

The evacuation was supposed to begin at dawn but shelling resumed in the morning hours and buses meant to be used in the pullout of rebels and civilians returned to their depots. Activists and fighters trapped in the opposition's last sliver of territory in Aleppo said pro-government forces had struck their district with dozens of rockets since mid-morning.

They said aircraft resumed bombing shortly after noon.

"They began to strike as if there's no such thing as a 'cease-fire' or 'civilian evacuation,'" said media activist Mahmoud Raslan. "They've announced they are going to kill us all."

It was not clear whether the planes were Syrian or Russian. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported at least six people had been killed.

A legal adviser to the rebels accused Iran of foiling the Russia- and Turkey-brokered deal by imposing new conditions on the rebels. Along with Russia, Iran backs President Bashar Assad's government and has committed advisers and elite Revolutionary Guard forces to the government's war. Turkey backs the rebels fighting to topple Assad.

Osama Abo Zaid, the adviser, said Iran was imposing new conditions for the truce, demanding the remains of Iranians killed in Aleppo be returned and that Iranian hostages held in rebel-controlled Idlib province be released. He said the conditions were "exclusively sectarian and crippling."

The Syrian government, meanwhile, withdrew its green-colored buses from the evacuation point at the edge of the city of Aleppo's opposition enclave. The Lebanese al-Manar TV, the media arm of the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah fighting alongside Assad's forces, broadcast footage of the buses leaving the evacuation point empty and said government forces had resumed fighting with rebels in the city.

Mohammed Abu Jaafar, head of forensics in eastern Aleppo, said eastern Aleppo residents felt "duped."

"People have left their shelters .... to be ready for the evacuation. I can't describe it," Abu Jaafar said. "Since the morning, they started to target the areas where people have gathered ... these people were walking to the crossings designated for exit."

Activists in eastern Aleppo blamed the violence on pro-government forces, saying they shot first. Raslan said he was reporting for a Turkish agency when a rocket crashed nearby at around 10:15 a.m. He shared an audio recording of the explosion with the Associated Press. He was unharmed.

The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that the rebels "resumed the hostilities" at dawn, trying to break through Syrian government positions to the north-west.
20 young East African entrepreneurs to benefit from $200,000 grant funding

The U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) in partnership with CITI Foundation has announced awards of $200,000 in grant funding to 20 young, East African social entrepreneurs developing businesses for social and community change, in with Uganda getting nine slots, Kenya five, Rwanda three, DR Congo two and Central Africa Republic one.

As part of the Citi Foundation's Pathways to Progress global approach to prepare urban youth to thrive in today's economy, each Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) winner will receive $10,00 in seed capital grants to strengthen systems to support the growth of their companies  ranging from agribusiness, clean water and sanitation, financial education and lending services, and education.

The goal of the USADF & CITI Foundation YALI partnership is to increase business know-how and access to seed capital by Africas next generation of business leaders and social entrepreneurs. By investing in small grant funds and intensive technical assistance, Young African Leaders will in turn create jobs, train other youth, impact their communities and create or expand markets by providing goods and services.

As graduates of the East African YALI Regional Leadership Center (RLC), these young people have all demonstrated leadership in business, the ability to work cooperatively in diverse groups, and are strong communicators actively engaged in their communities. They are the future leaders committed to catalyzing change in their countries and Africa as a whole.

We are proud to partner with UASDF and invest in youth through this program to help enable economic resilience and long-term competitiveness in East Africa, said Karim Seifeddine, Head of Public Affairs, Citi. We continue to support programs that catalyse economic growth and provide solid economic opportunities to African youth.

Each USADF & CITI Foundation social entrepreneur gains operational knowledge in funds accountability and reporting, over the 6 month to one year grant period during which funds are disbursed, and have access to 1-on-1 business advice and mentoring, all tangible skills to help them grow their ventures. For example, two YALI RLC winners, Yvette Ishimwe of IRIBA Clean Water Delivery Ltd in Rwanda and Francis Xaiver Asiimwe of Kaaro Health Finance Limited illustrate how young people are setting the standard for businesses catalyzing for good.

Through IRIBA, Yvette is ensuring the sustainability, ease and affordability of clean water for drinking and household use to people in the most remote communities of Rwanda, who have little to no access to water, particularly clean water. They envision an Africa where every person has easy access to reliable and safe water for drinking and household activities. T

oday, IRIBA is serving 100 families who were not able to get access to affordable clean and drinkable water, employing 20 young people, and reversing a trend of young children in the neighborhood who would spend mornings collecting water from long distances - no longer being late or miss classes due to the time they used to spend in water collection centers. Yvette said, "Investing in young African entrepreneurs like myself is transformative because it enables us to create real solutions that are more relevant to our community problems. And it equips Africa with more empowered people who are ready to tackle its challenges, use effectively its available resources and opportunities; and hence a brighter future for our continent."

And Francis Xaiver Asiimwe of Kaaro Health Finance Limited is working for quality health care for all. Francis believes rural healthcare entrepreneurship is possible, profitable and low-risk, and Kaaro Health Finance Limited (KHF) has successfully financed the establishment of 4 new health facilities, expanded an additional 7 free-standing facilities and lease high-quality secondary care equipment to the most vulnerable. KHF's product are designed to eliminate energy and finance access issues by providing tailor-made, flexible lease-to-own medical and renewable energy equipment financing to private healthcare entrepreneurs who are already operating or intending to expand into these underserved areas.

With todays award, KHF will finance an existing acute need for pregnancy-related diagnostic imaging equipment in 4 newly established private for profit and 2 existing private nonprofit clinics in Panyangara sub-county, Kotido district. 3 of these health facilities will also each be financed to acquire a 2.2 kW solar power kit. In total, they expect these 6 facilities will treat 1,800 pregnant women in the first year alone.

The USADF & CITI Foundations goal is to catalyze young Africans ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit to launch and expand their social enterprises so every African may be a part of Africas growth story. Since 2014, USADF has awarded over $3 million to young leaders in 26 countries and 10 sectors. In collaboration with the CITI Foundation, USADF will award up to 28 business plan competition winners in 2016 with $450,000 in seed capital, mentoring and business support.

www.usadf.gov

www.citigroup.com
Police said the eight militants, suspected to belong to the Myanmar-based outfit Arakan Liberation Army (ALA) were brought to Saiha on Friday and have been booked under the Indian Passport Act and Arms Act.

Language is a problem and as such, we couldnt find out the reason of their infiltration. But what we understood was that they are all members of the ALA, the sources said.

The 8 suspected militants are Khai Min Zaw Thun, Khai Moe Naing, Khai Moe Thu, Khai Min, Khai Moe Lwin and Khai Ti Ha Zaw.

The seized weapons included one Lathode grenade launcher, one 7.62mm assault rifle, one 5.56mm M-16 rifle, one M-11 assault rifle, one G-3 rifle, ten Lathode grenades, two Chinese-made hand grenades, 237 rounds of 5.56mm M-16 ammunition, 176 rounds of AK-56 ammunition, 92 rounds of G-3 ammunition, five M-16 magazines, two AK-56 magazines, two M-11 magazines, a binocular and two hand-held radio sets.

Police said the militants hideout is located at five km from Saiha town, near the Kolodyne river along the Indo-Myanmar border.

Myanmar has 21 insurgent groups. Over a dozen of them are in peace mode following their signing of ceasefire agreements.
Photo: The Canadian Press

He stood a majestic 5-foot-5, weighed around 100 pounds and maybe had a harem. That's what scientists figure from the footprints he left behind some 3.7 million year ago.

He's evidently the tallest known member of the prehuman species best known for the fossil skeleton nicknamed "Lucy," reaching a stature no other member of our family tree matched for another 1.5 million years, the researchers say.

The 13 footprints are impressions left in volcanic ash that later hardened into rock, excavated last year in northern Tanzania in Africa. Their comparatively large size, averaging a bit over 10 inches long, suggest they were made by a male member of the species known as Australopithecus afarensis.

The prints were found at a site called Laetoli, which is famous for another set of smaller footprints left by other A. afarensis individuals. Those made headlines in the 1970s as the earliest clear evidence of upright walking by our ancestors. The newly discovered prints are only about 150 metres away.

Researchers named the new creature S1, for the first discovery made at the "S'' site. From the footprints, they calculated that he stood about 5-foot-5 and weighed around 100 pounds.

They figured that he loomed at least eight inches above the individuals who made the other tracks, and stood maybe three inches taller than a large A. afarensis specimen previously found in Ethiopia. "Lucy", also from Ethiopia, was much shorter at about 3 1/2 feet.

The findings are described in a report released Wednesday by the journal eLife. Authors include Giorgio Manzi of Sapienza University in Rome, Marco Cherin of the University of Perugia in Italy, and others.
Photo: The Canadian Press Kanye West and President-elect Donald Trump arrive to the lobby of Trump Tower in New York

Kanye West returned to social media for the first time since his hospitalization to talk about his meeting with Donald Trump.

West wrote on Twitter that he met with Trump Tuesday to "discuss multicultural issues" that included "bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago."

"I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change," West wrote. He followed with a post that read "#2024," an apparent reference to a revised plan to run for president in 2024, instead of 2020, when Trump could seek a second term.

Trump said after the Tuesday meeting that he and West were "just friends" and called the musician a "good man." He said they discussed "life." The two did not answer questions about whether West would perform at the Inauguration.

West stood silently next to the president-elect for photos in the lobby of Trump Tower after their meeting. Asked why he wasn't speaking, West said, "I just want to take a picture right now."

He spoke out on Twitter after the meeting.

West entered the building shortly after 9 a.m. with a large entourage. He was not accompanied by wife Kim Kardashian West.

The 39-year-old recently spent over a week in Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles for stress and exhaustion. Days before his hospitalization, he abruptly cancelled his U.S. concert tour.

Last month during a concert in San Jose, California, West said he didn't vote for president, but if he had, he would have cast a ballot for Trump. He also praised the president-elect's "method of communication" as "very futuristic" and spoke about his plans to run for that office, saying that he will become "a different kind of president."

Trump also was shown in a video for West's single "Famous," released last year. It also featured Rihanna, former President George W. Bush, Anna Wintour and Bill Cosby.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Prosecutors are finishing their case against Dylann Roof in his death penalty trial in the killing of nine black worshippers at a Charleston church.

Testimony opened Thursday with a presentation from Dr. Erin Presnell, the medical examiner who said she did autopsies on all nine victims over four days. Prosecutors are expected to wrap up their case with testimony from a survivor who they say Roof intentionally left behind so that she could tell people about his racially motivated attack.

The medical examiner had a slide show with generic drawings of the victims with their gunshot wounds marked by letters. She also had X-rays of each person killed at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, with black spots the size of a penny showing the bullets that remained inside of them and pictures of the bullets she removed.

Every victim was shot at least five times, Presnell said. Many of them had several wounds to their arms. Several times, Presnell stepped down from the stand to show how someone with their arms pulled up tight against them could end up having a bullet enter and exit their bodies several times.

Other victims had shots closely clustered together. Earlier testimony from Roof's confession to the FBI and survivor Felicia Sanders said many of the victims hid under tables when the shooting started.

Prosecutors asked Presnell what killed each victim. Her answer for almost every one: "multiple gunshot wounds to vital organs."

Sheppard and other family members of victims stayed out of the courtroom for Presnell's testimony.

After Presnell finishes testifying, assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson said he plans to call to the stand Polly Sheppard, who Sanders and Roof both said he left alive to tell people that the 22-year-old white man killed the nine black people as revenge because of crimes blacks had committed against whites and other racist beliefs.

Attorney David Bruck has said he plans to call several witnesses in Roof's defence, and the case is expected to go to the jury on Thursday.

If the jury finds Roof guilty of hate crimes and obstruction of religion, they will return next month to decide if he is sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty.
Photo: Contributed

Christmas has come early, said Jamie Schrauwen of Armstrong Elementary's parents' advisory committee.

The group is elated with the decision by School District 83's special trustee Mike McKay to rescind motions that would eventually have seen the closure of the brick school in Armstrong as well as Silver Creek Elementary in Salmon Arm.

"This decision is not saying no closures ever. It is saying because of circumstances, it is off the table now, McKay said at a North Okanagan Shuswap School District board meeting Tuesday night.

A report from staff cited increased enrollment and additional funding as reasons why the closures were no longer necessary.

I'll admit I got choked up last night. We have been fighting for 11 months, Schrauwen said. I haven't come down off of the clouds.

Schrauwen called it a rough year for parents as they fought to save both schools.

There were countless meetings and, in the midst of it all, a dispute with the former school board over the funding of new district offices in Salmon Arm that eventually led to the dismissal of the trustees by the education minister who then appointed McKay.

It gave us a wake up call. We need to be more involved, go to meetings, know what's going on. We need to be a voice at the table to express parental concerns but also as a PAC.

Armstrong Elementary was built in 1921 and was the first school in the province to be constructed as a central school, consolidating 13 small country or one-room schools.
UPDATED: 3:25 p.m.

Michael Ellis stared straight ahead, stone-faced, as Justice Josephson told him he would be spending an indeterminate amount of time in jail for his actions four years ago.

Ellis was found guilty in February 2015 of 17 charges, including several robbery charges, multiple discharging of prohibited firearm charges and one count of failing to stop for a police officer, after a 2012 shootout and police chase on Westside Road.

On July 31, 2012, Ellis was driving a van in West Kelowna, along with Shawn Wysynski and Ashley Collins, armed with several prohibited weapons, on their way to collect a drug debt.

An RCMP officer, Cpl. Harris, noticed the vehicle and attempted to pull them over, thinking it was suspicious.

The van sped north up Westside Road, and a person began firing a gun at Harris's vehicle from the back of the van.

Understandably, Cpl. Harris feared he was going to die, reads Justice Josephson's decision. With glass in his mouth, he ducked down behind the dashboard. One bullet struck the plastic molding pillar near Cpl. Harris's head. Other bullets struck the bumper, grill, and hood of Cpl. Harris's vehicle.

Ellis continued north, eventually stealing a black truck at gunpoint, using a black, laser-guided rifle.

Spike belts eventually brought Ellis and the stolen vehicle to a stop, and he, along with the two passengers, were arrested near the Swan Lake exit just north of Vernon, with the help of a police dog.

While Ellis's defence argued Wysynski had forced Ellis to be the driver, Justice Josephson firmly rejected this notion.

Mr. Ellis was a full, willing and active participant in these offences, his judgement reads.

Ellis's extensive criminal record and Dr. Will Reimer's testimony that Ellis has a grandiose sense of his own value and is a high risk to reoffend violently led to Justice Josephson's decision to label him a dangerous offender.

Mr. Ellis constitutes a threat to the safety and physical well-being of other persons, the judgement reads.

Ellis will be eligible for parole in seven years.

ORIGINAL: 11:08 a.m.

One of three people convicted in the infamous 2012 shootout and police chase on Westside Road has been labelled a dangerous offender and was given an indeterminate jail sentence.

Michael Ellis was found guilty in February 2015 of 17 of the 22 charges he faced for his part in the dramatic 2012 incident, including robbery, using a restricted firearm and flight from a police officer.

Crown prosecutor Murray Kaay called the indeterminate sentence an extraordinary sentencing tool and said it's not a common option.

The Crown has been seeking the dangerous offender status for Ellis since June.

Throughout the hearing, the Crown argued that Ellis has shown a pattern of criminal behaviour that has frequently put others in danger.

Ellis, 42, has spent much of his life behind bars, with 52 prior convictions.

In June, forensic psychologist Dr. Will Reimer testified Ellis is a high risk to reoffend.

Ellis will be eligible for parole after seven years.

Shawn Wysynski, who testified he forced Ellis to flee from police at gunpoint during the Westside Road shootout, is serving a nine-year sentence for his part in the incident, while Ashley Collins received an 18-month suspended sentence for knowingly being in a vehicle with illegal firearms.

Ellis was the last person involved in the incident to be sentenced.
Photo: Contributed

Vernon's Salvation Army is looking to the community for donations as Christmas approaches.

Yesterday, we hit the $214,000 mark for our campaign total, reported Stefan Reid, House of Hope spokesperson. We are still in need of donations, both monetary and children's gifts.

Donations to the Kettle and letter campaigns are both down, acknowledged Reid.

The local branch has been hoping to collect $500,000 in donations over the holiday period to fund its food bank and programs for the needy over the next 12 months.

Our Christmas Angel Tree program is in need of gifts and our distribution days are fast approaching.

Reid said gifts for those who can't afford them will be handed out on Dec. 19-21.
Photo: Okanagan Science Centre

They're large, scary and loved by kids.

A Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibition opens Mar. 4 at the Okanagan Science Centre in Vernon.

The exhibition questions what people think they know about dinosaurs and shows those favorite prehistoric creatures in a new way.

It will show a Tyrannosaurus rex juvenile sporting a coat of heat-regulating feathers, a Sinosauropteryx  the first feathered theropod ever discovered  and give the inside scoop on the ancestors of Triceratops.

We are thrilled to be bringing the excitement of dinosaurs to Vernon, said Jim Swingle, the science centre's executive director. This exhibition brings key new discoveries to the forefront, and shows guests how fossil discoveries translate into conclusions about dinosaur appearance and behavior. New discoveries are happening every day, so its a fascinating time to introduce kids to paleontology.

Dinosaurs Unearthed offers a new look at the appearance of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs.

The idea that a T.rex juvenile spent its teenage years covered in fibrous, downy feathers may challenge longheld beliefs that the iconic dinosaur was covered in scales.

The display will also have fossils from China and North America, including skulls, eggs, claws, teeth and a giant forelimb and scapula, plus a full-scale Gasosaurus skeleton.

More information about the Okanagan Science Centre and the exhibition can be found online. Dinosaurs Unearthed takes place at the centre Mar. 4-Aug. 31.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Newtown held a moment of silence Wednesday and flags were flying at half-staff across Connecticut to mark the fourth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

It was Dec. 14, 2012, when 20 children and six educators were killed by a troubled 20-year-old gunman who shot his way into the Connecticut schoolhouse. Adam Lanza fatally shot his mother before driving to the school, and then killed himself after the rampage.

President Barack Obama said in a Facebook post that the anniversary was a day to remember staff and teachers who guided children to safety, the first responders and the victims.

"And we remember the children who held each other in the face of unconscionable evil; who, even as they've grown up in the shadow of this tragedy, will grow up loved and cared for more fiercely than ever," Obama wrote.

Newtown typically does not hold an official memorial event on the anniversary, but prayer services were offered Wednesday and a counsellingcentre was open for extended hours. The governor ordered flags to fly at half-staff in remembrance of the victims.

First Selectman Pat Llodra asked town employees to refrain from doing any work, including answering phones, between 9:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. to mark the time when the shootings took place. In Newtown's schools, it was a regular day of classes, although School Superintendent Joseph Erardi said there would be quiet reflections and age-appropriate messages for students.
Photo: RCMP A Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for Mark Richard Davis.

Police have issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for a 32-year-old Kamloops man.

Mark Richard Davis is wanted for a parole violation and was serving a Federal custodial sentence for possession of stolen property over $5000 and breach of a previous order at the time of his most recent parole.

He has a criminal history of robbery, drug and property crimes and other offenses involving violence. Davis was paroled to Kamloops in October of this year and had been residing at a community-based residential facility in the city.

Davis is described as a white male standing 6 feet tall and weighing 180 lbs, with short brown hair and blue eyes.

He has a tribal art tattoo on his left arm, a Pisces tribal art tattoo on his right forearm and Sun and tribal skulls tattoo on his right upper arm. He also has the tattoo FLIPP on his abdomen.

Anyone seeing Davis or who has information regarding his location is asked to contact the local police or Crimestoppers.
The Centre had agreed to the Mizoram governments request to build four new bridges across the Indo-Myanmar border, he said, expressing the hope that the ongoing World Bank-funded project to widen Champhai-Zokhawthar road would eventually make inroads into Falam and Tiddim (Myanmar).

We lost land in the west on the Indo-Bangladesh border. But we will never support fencing of the Indo-Myanmar border due to our close ties with our brothers living in the neighbouring country, he said.

Elaborating on how the government of Mizoram always provided shelter to Zo ethnic groups whenever there were ethnic flare-ups, CM Hawla called on the Zo tribe to coexist and strengthen their bonds of friendship and brotherhood.

The festival, organized by the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), a students body, was aimed at bringing the different extended Zo brethren or Zo hnahthlak spread across India, Bangladesh and Myanmar closer and was directed towards strengthening the unity and friendship of the various tribes.

The Telegraph highlighted that CM Hawla said the Zo people were one of the worst sufferers of the British policy of divide and rule and the extended Zo brethren had been divided across three countries and even within the country across Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Assam. But despite this sad fact, we are blood brothers and this division cannot change our relationships, he said.

Over 1,000 delegates congregated at Zokhawthar from Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, Tripura, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The festival also showcased a costume parade of 19 ethnic Zo tribes such as Lusei, Mara, Lai, Pang, Bawm, Thadou-Kuki, Chin, Malsawm, Ranglong, Hrangkhawl, Vaiphei, Zomi, Hmar, Biate and others.
Let us look at the whole peace process of this some five years, four under the Thein Sein government and some nine months now under the NLD regime, headed by its de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, that has inherited it from its predecessor.

In order to do this, let us dwell on the premises of NCA, as both the Thein Sein and Suu Kyi governments have made it a cornerstone and guiding principles to achieve the desired result that would usher the country its people to a new harmonious political system that all could live with, fulfilling national reconciliation and most importantly, a durable political settlement along ethnic lines and diverse political aspirations of the major stakeholders.

Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement

The Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) text, agreed on 6 August and signed on 31 October 2015, has a preamble and seven chapters, with 33 clauses and 86 sub-clauses containing 104 specific provisions and running to twelve pages in the English version. Key provisions are: Preamble, Basic principle, Aims and Objectives, Ceasefire Related Matters, Maintaining and Strengthening Ceasefire, Guarantees for Political Dialogue and Future Tasks, and Miscellaneous.

The International Crisis Groups (ICG) report of 16 September 2015, just prior to the signing of NCA, correctly spelled out the challenges which the negotiators would face ahead, which are still valid today after one year of inking the agreement. It said: Finalization of a draft NCA text was a significant step but meant as only the first in the process, with long, difficult political dialogue needed before a comprehensive peace agreement  the Union Accord  could be reached. Many of the most challenging issues, including what form of federalism might be envisaged, how revenue sharing would be done and the future status of the armed groups and their possible integration into the military were deferred to the political dialogue. So too were some technical military issues on ceasefire monitoring and code of conduct

The report further pin-pointed the agreements weakness and difficulties in implementing it on the ground, concluding with perhaps a possible ray of false hope that it might as well succeed. The report stated: Thus the text is neither a classic ceasefire agreement  many of the military issues such as force separation, demarcation and verification are vague, or not included, or would require further agreement to come into force  nor is it a political agreement, as it references many political issues but defers detailed discussion. This hybrid status reflects the genesis of the document and the diverse set of actors and priorities around the peace table, as well as political constraints. As a ceasefire document, this means it is very weak, but as experts have pointed out, this does not mean the peace process cannot succeed, as there are many examples of comprehensive peace accords being negotiated while fighting continued.

In sum, it could be said that the NCA is not only concerned with ceasefire alone but also issues relating to the formation of future political system formation, although nothing is quite clear on how to go about with it, at the moment, given the convoluted nature of the contemporary political landscape.

How NCA is managed

Looking at the chart flow on NCA management, one would see Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting (JICM) is the highest organ that delegates the Joint Monitoring Committee  Union-level (JMC-U) regarding ceasefire implementation and Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) responsible for political dialogue and directing the whole peace process undertaking.

JICM is made up of two groups with 8 members each. One is the government, parliament and military combined and the other the signatory EAOs.

The JMC-U is made up of three groups. The two groups with 10 members each are the government, parliament and military combined and the other, the signatory EAOs. In addition, 3 civilian representatives each chosen by the military and the signatory EAOs, making 6 altogether also are included.

The UPDJC is made up of three groups, each with 16 members. The three groups are the government, parliament and military combined, the signatory EAOs, and political parties. It is the highest organ in directing the countrys political dialogue, including the convening of Union Peace Conference (UPC) or 21st Century Panglong.

The actual signing of NCA

On 15 October 8 EAOs signed the NCA in Naypyitaw, while the rest that made up 13 others refused to sign. The official count of the EAOs is 21, while the government only recognized 15 altogether.

They are Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), Chin National Front (CNF), Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), Karen Peace Council (KPC), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Karen National Union (KNU), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), and Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), which are Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) members that have signed bilateral ceasefire agreement with the government and invited to sign the NCA.

The only NCCT member that has no ceasefire agreement with the government, but invited to sign the NCA is the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).

The non-NCCT members that have bilateral ceasefire agreements with the government and invited to sign the NCA are All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), National Socialist Council of Nagaland  Khaplang (NSCN-K), Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and United Wa State Army (UWSA).

EAOs that have no bilateral ceasefire agreement with the government and not invited to sign the NCA are Arakan Army (AA), Arakan National Council (ANC), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Wa National Organization (WNO).

These 6 excluded EAOs are members of the UNFC, a 12 ethnic armies alliance, which since the signing of NCA some of its original members like the KNU has opted to suspend  not resign  its membership, while the CNF and PNLO were expelled. In addition, the MNDAA and TNLA have asked for resignation but the UNFC has not taken decision on the issue up to this days. Thus, the actual membership count of the UNFC is not clear, although to date many referred to it as a 7 member ethnic army alliance.

The NCA signatories are ABSDF, ALP, CNF, DKBA, KNLA-PC, KNU, PNLO and RCSS

The NCCT was a negotiation body of the EAOs, prior to the NCA signing, which had 16 EAOs as members.

Reasons for not signing the NCA

The reasons for the UNFC not signing the NCA has been the government rejection to accept 6 of its members, while other non-signatories that are not UNFC members like UWSA, NDAA and NSCN-K have their own doubtfulness and reasons, one way or the other.

The UWSA aspires to achieve the status of a statehood within the union and is not yet satisfied with the recent status of Self-Administrative Division. The NDAA or Mong La, on the other hand, dreams of achieving an Akha Self-Administrative Zone.

The Wa, who already has the highest degree of self-administration in practical sense, where even the governments troops cannot even enter without permission, simply doesnt see more profit to be gained from signing the NCA. Mong La being the UWSA ally, also sees the situation more or less the same.

As for the NSCN-K, its goal is to carve out a political entity from Burma and India and doesnt see any meaningful approach through signing the NCA.

As for the UNFC not going along with the inking of the agreement hinged on the exclusion of its members and explained by the KNU Vice-President Naw Zipporah Sein  oddly enough, whose organization is a leading proponent that signed the NCA  in a written text titled A brief NCA history, the NCAs flaws and failings, dated 14 January 2016, as: The government refused to allow three of the 16 EAOs, represented by the NCCT and the Senior Delegation (SD), to sign the NCA. These three are the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF)  also known as TNLA, the Arakan Army (AA), and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). There was also a second group of three organizations that the government also refused to allow on grounds that they did not have a significant number of troops. They are the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), the Wa National Organization (WNO) and the Arakan National Congress (ANC). At the time, the three EAOs in the first group were facing governments massive military offensives.

She further wrote: It is clearly stated in the last chapter of NCA that the NCA shall be signed by representatives from the government and representatives from the EAOs, as well as the international representatives and domestic personages, as witnesses. Nonetheless, the government continued to refuse the signing of the NCA by the 6 groups mentioned above. Out of the 7 countries proposed, the government also refused three international would-be witnesses, representing the US, UK and Norway to sign the NCA.

As a result, on the 15th of October 2015, 8 EAOs repudiated the EAOs Summit Meeting decisions and agreed to sign the NCA with the government. The other 7 EAOs refused to sign, and a total of 6 were not allowed to sign.

The majority of the EAOs were irked and felt betrayed by the 8 signatories of the NCA, as the Laiza and Law Khee Lar conferences of the EAOs were to undertake the signing of agreement together.

The following statement from a paragraph of the Conference of Ethnic Armed Resistance Organizations Law Khee Lar, Kawthoolei  from January 20  25, 2014 stated:

This Law Khee Lar Conference, held under the aegis of KNU as the host, in addition to consolidating unity of all the ethnic nationalities, serves as an arena for preparing them, for different stages of political dialogues and negotiations that will come after achievement of nationwide ceasefire. The ethnic armed resistance organizations are to participate in the political dialogues and negotiations, with unity and coordination, and they will have to struggle on until their political goal of establishment of a Genuine Federal Union is achieved.

Ongoing wars on non-signatory EAOs and signatory EAOs

With the EAOs divided between the signatory and non-signatory groups, tension arose politically and militarily.

However, the hardened political stance dissipated as signatory and non-signatory EAOs began to cooperate to position or act as a bloc or group, after the Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) Plenary Meeting in Mai Ja Yang, Kachin Independence Organizations (KIO) controlled town near Chinese border, took place from 26 to 30 July.

Militarily, shortly after the signing of NCA in October last year, the signatory RCSS reinforced its units in northern Shan State, leading to protracted armed confrontation between itself and the TNLA. The TNLA accused the RCSS of intruding into its territories and that it was in league with the Burma Army, but the latter denied that it was the case.

To complicate the matter, the Burma Army attacked the RCSS several times during the year in Kyaukme and Hsipaw Townships and the latest one being this year in October, in Mong Kung Township where the RCSS accused the Burma Army of breaching the NCA.

The on and off military engagements between the EAOs and the Burma Army occurred all through out the year, in Shan and Kachin States, from 2011 until today.

But serious bouts of conflict happened during 2015 and 2016. Outstanding among them were the well publicized conflict in Shan State between the MNDAA and government troops in Kokang area, in February 2015, which was particularly intense from February to June that year and again in October 2015; and the recent 20 November, Northern Alliance-Burma (NA-B) offensives along the Burma-China border against the government positions. By 5 December, the ethnic alliance was said to have withdrawn from its siege of Mong Ko, where the government troops had put up a stiff resistance, using air strikes and artillery bombardment hitting many civilian targets. But elsewhere the fighting goes on in northern Shan State, which might still go on for quite a while.

The NA-B, made up of KIA, MNDAA, TNLA and AA were said to have launched the offensives, to employ the strategy of offensive is the best defensive, as the Burma Army has been conducting heavy attacks on the the KIA and NA-B members in Kachin and Shan States, since three months ago. Other than that they also wanted to send the message that excluding them from the peace process wont achieve the desired political outcome and that they are a force to be reckoned with.

There have also been clashes between government forces and the SSA-North, of particular intensity from October to November 2015 and in August 2016.

In Karen State, clashes in July 2015 and again from August to September 2016 between a renegade faction of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and government troops together with Border Guard Force soldiers were reported.

In summary, the Burma Army has been in an offensive mode and war-footing against all the non-signatory EAOs in the Kachin and Shan States, but remarkably, also attacking the RCSS an NCA signatory and intruding into the KNU territories, while going after the DKBA splinter group. KNU is also an NCA signatory.

Analysis

Given such circumstances, the whole peace process spanning some five years should be viewed and assessed from the point of NCA implementation organs performance, players or stakeholders political outlook and initiatives, the actual challenges the country is facing and possible remedies to break the deadlock.

The performance of the NCA implementation organs, which are JMC-U and UPDJC could be said as unsatisfactory, even though some might argue otherwise.

The first ever investigation carried out by the JMC regarding the armed clashes between the RCSS and Burma Army, which occurred in Mong Kung Township, said that the troops from both sides have no in-depth understanding of NCA, no contact with each other and no clear understanding on each others operational area.

The JMC investigation team is said to be formed with two civilian, two Tatmadaw and two RCSS representatives. Reportedly, it has suggested that aside from generally promoting better understanding between the RCSS and the Tatmadaw, drugs related crimes should be tackled cooperatively in coordination and the need to draw up demarcation lines for both troops to observe.

Thus it could be said even though JMC State-level could be formed in Shan and Karen states, implementing and understanding NCA for the troops is still rudimentary and on top of that demarcation lines for troops movement and stationing have not even started yet, after one year of NCA signing. In short the JMC still needs a long way to go to be really effective.

The ongoing talks between the UNFC and the governments Peace commission also includes the strengthening of the JMC, where international experts participation in ceasefire monitoring and also enforcement mechanism should be incorporated, which so far has been given a cold shoulder by the military on the proposal.

While JMC covers only the NCA signatory EAOs, the armed engagement with the non-signatories EAOs is solely the domain of Burma Army or defense ministry, which are exacerbating with its offensive wars in northern Shan and Kachin states.

As for the UPDJC performance being unable to conduct the peace process without having an all-inclusiveness is the biggest obstacle, as it would be only able to preside over limited state-level political dialogue, which is supposed to give crucial inputs to the union-level political dialogue or Union Peace Conference  21st Century Panglong, as it is now officially dubbed by the NLD regime.

As areas that have not been covered by the NCA wont be able to conduct political dialogue, the inputs could not be all-encompassing, which in effect would mean the peace conference would only partially represent the population and that is not the intention of the Union Peace Conference.

Aung San Suu Kyi, as chairperson of the UPDJC and as well the National Reconciliation Peace Center (NRPC), is committed to a rigid time-frame and is determined to carry on the peace process with only the 8 EAOs, plus other stakeholders that are already part of the process. Her logic seems to be that in time the remaining EAOs would join in and eventually the idea of excluding the three EAOs would be accepted. But this has already been proven wrong, as could be seen by the recent NA-B offensives on the Burma Army positions.

As for the Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, the military posture of a state within a state, combined with upholding the military-drafted constitution would continue to be the norm and continued military supremacy in political arena would be maintained. People should not be confused with the military making use of Aung San Suu Kyi to gain international acceptance and legitimacy.

The NCA signatory EAOs are torn between having to go along with the powers that be, for whatever purpose the individual members might have in store, and moral conviction to be in solidarity with the non-signatories of the NCA.

The NCA non-signatory EAOs, especially the UNFC, continues to bargain with the government on its 8 point proposal, which centers around, bilateral nationwide ceasefire, tripartite dialogue composition and commitment to the building of the genuine federal union, including all-inclusiveness of all EAOs in the peace process, even though not explicitly mentioned in the proposal.

The recent NA-B offensives on Burma Army positions could now have a negative impact for the UNFC negotiation with the government, as KIA, which is also UNFC leading member, is part of the NA-B.

The actual challenges facing the country are:

Firstly, the ongoing armed engagements and tensions between the EAOs and the Burma Army, including communal violence and the uprising of Rohingya, dubbed as Bengali by the government, in Arakan State;

Secondly, the government of NLD and the military power relation or problematic two-tier administrative structure;

Thirdly, the power and resources sharing within the ethnic states;

Fourthly, due to the ongoing wars and violence some 120,000 refugees fleeing across the borders and more than 662,400 inside the border as IDPs;

Fifthly, from 1962 to 2010, successive military governments confiscation of hundreds and thousands of acres of land from farmers all over the country; and

Finally, the superpower and regional power relationship, among others.

In order to overcome and tackle all the said woes and problems, the best place to start is countering the prevailing depleted trust atmosphere by initiating a trust-building initiative. And to do this the following mindset alteration, specifically from the part of the government and military might be necessary.

The genuine wish and commitment to be equal with all negotiation partners and not a patron-client relationship;

Practicing and believing in a real joint-ownership of the peace process and not just lip-service;

Bridging the differing concept, by accepting a common denominator that the country is a newly formed political entity voluntarily formed between ethnic states as the Union of Burma, after the British left in 1948 and they gained a joint-independence; and

A real political will and belief in peaceful co-existence and durable political settlement.

If the above suggested measures could be accepted, we all will be in a position to stop the ongoing armed ethnic conflict, create a peaceful atmosphere conducive to the peace process and eventually overcome all the woes that the country is now facing. Otherwise, we will be stuck up in a make-believe illusion and false believe of doing a noble deed by holding another 21st Century Panglong Conference, which is neither all-encompassing nor all-inclusive.
Photo: Donald Trump speaks as PayPal co-founder and Facebook board member Peter Thiel (C) and Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook look on during a meeting with technology leaders at Trump Tower in New York U.S., December 14, 2016. REUTERS

With his children and Peter Thiel at his side, Predator-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday told Silicon Valley elites his regime will do "anything we can do" to help the same tech industry he mocked during his campaign.

Attendees included Apple CEO Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos of Amazon and The Washington Post, Larry Page and Eric Schmidt of Alphabet and Google, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, Oracle CEO Safra A. Catz, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, and IBM CEO Ginni Rometty.

Trump told them his regime is "going to be here for you. You'll call my people, you'll call me. We have no formal chain of command around here."

Remember now, the invited elites had to literally ascend a golden elevator to arrive at this Trump Tower meeting with America's favorite populist man of the people.

"This is truly an amazing group of people," Trump told them. "I want to add that I'm here to help you folks do well."

"And you're doing well right now and I'm very honored by the bounce," Trump continued.

"They're all talking about the bounce. So right now everybody in this room has to like me  at least a little bit  but we're going to try and have that bounce continue."

"There's nobody like you in the world. There's nobody like the people in this room."

"We're going to make it a lot easier for you to trade across borders," said Trump.

It's not clear what he meant. Maybe the "bounce" referred to the chief narcissist's perception of his popularity as unscientifically gauged on the internet.

NYT:

Shortly after that, the press was ushered out of the room. It wasn't immediately clear what unfolded after that.

Trump was joined by sons Donald Jr. and Eric, daughter Ivanka, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, as he is at many of the official meetings he has held as Predator-Elect. It's almost like the Trump *family* is running America, which is so weird, because we didn't elect them but here they are, present at every meeting.

Trump was flanked by Mike Pence on his right, and Peter Thiel on his left.

From Recode:

President-elect Donald Trump; to his left is Peter Thiel, board member of Facebook, and Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. To Trump's right is incoming Vice President Mike Pence. To Pence's right is Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook. To her right is Larry Page, co-founder of Google. Next to Page is Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is seated in the left foreground of the picture. Donald Trump's children Eric, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. are seated to the right of Jeff Bezos.

Not present: Jack Dorsey of Twitter.

Safra Catz, Oracle CEO arrives at Trump Tower pic.twitter.com/HAxD3JY9uM  Joe Bernstein (@Bernstein) December 14, 2016

tfw u realize ur the 1st in the room who'll be headed to the camps https://t.co/SgeJuHtltS pic.twitter.com/OzJKhDaJhw  Xeni Jardin (@xeni) December 14, 2016

JUST IN: Amazon CEO & Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos arrives at Trump Tower for tech summit with the President-elect. pic.twitter.com/t7Ef31RTYT  CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) December 14, 2016

RNC spokesman Sean Spicer: "I'm sure we'll have followup meetings and Jack Dorsey can join us." pic.twitter.com/5qRcIfM868  Seth Fiegerman (@sfiegerman) December 14, 2016

Larry Page's face here says it all. pic.twitter.com/j8nlCmhWms  Seth Fiegerman (@sfiegerman) December 14, 2016
Looking at the world through the eyes of the Web
Cameroon top banana producer in Africa-Caribbean-Pacific region

Cameroon has overtaken Cote dIvoire to become the largest producer of bananas in Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) zone, with a record production of 278,450 tonnes in 2015, the Head of the European Union delegation in Cameroon, Francoise Collet has said.

Cameroon that was already the main African supplier of banana to the European Union, becomes the 5th producer of this fruit globally, behind Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

Cameroon owes this performance, as highlighted by Francoise Collet, in part to initiatives funded by the European Union, to improve the banana production in Cameroon, in terms of quality and quantity, and to ensure exports in the best conditions.

Indeed, for some years now and to this end, the EU has been implementing in Cameroon two programmes funded with approximately $62 million. These are the Programme to Support the Customs Modernization Plan (PAPMOD) and the Banana Support Measures Programme (MAB).

Banana is the third export product in Cameroon, after crude oil and wood logs or sawn wood followed by cocoa and cotton.

www.minader.cm
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EXCEPT WHERE OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL IMAGES AND CONTENT ARE  2022 JENNIFER BUXTON. MODEL HORSE PERFORMANCE SHOWERS ARE WELCOME TO USE PHOTOS FOR LIVE SHOW REFERENCE PURPOSES. ALL OTHER USES REQUIRE WRITTEN PERMISSION.
The UK public has donated 5m to the Yemen Crisis Appeal in less than 24 hours, the Disasters Emergency Committee has announced.



The 5m is made up of 3m given by the UK public by text, phone and online, DEC said, and 2m from the UK government through AidMatch.



Yemen has reached crisis point after two years of war, DEC said, with more than 7 million people unsure where their next meal will come from and children dying from malnutrition.



DEC member charities are reaching millions of people across the country with aid including food, treatment for malnutrition, and cash.



The committee brings together 13 leading UK aid charities in times of crisis: ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Plan International UK, Save the Children, Tearfund, and World Vision.



DEC chief executive Saleh Saeed said people in the UK have once again shown their generosity, and the DEC charities are grateful for their response.



The strong personal TV appeals made by Clare Balding and Tom Hardy last night highlighting the desperate situations of families and children have really struck a chord with the public, he said. This vital fundraising must continue to help save lives and reduce the suffering of people in Yemen.

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Living Gospel Equality Now: Loving in the Heart of God: Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
Please post & distribute.

MNN. Dec. 14, 2016. We see the enemy and evil straight in their faces. The morally insane rulers want to see us praying with our hands clasped, standing in front of the hole. Boom! We die and fall into the grave. They think they can then put the pipeline or shopping mall or a Trump casino/hotel resort over our dead bodies.

The veterans arrived and saw the reservations are POW camps run by the military. The corpo chairmen are the wardens. Lakota Inc. is fraudulently owned by the corporation and the banks. Archie angrily ordered everybody to leave.

















President Lincoln was a thug. On December 26, 1862, he ordered the public hanging of 38 Sioux for demanding food for their starving people in a concentration camp.

 Saint Paul, Dec. 27, 1862.  I have the honor to inform you [President Lincoln] that 38 Indians  ordered by you for execution were hung yesterday at Mankato [Minnesota] at 10 a.m. Everything went off quietly The other prisoners are well secured. Respectfully, H. H. SIBLEY, Brigadier-General.

Today Lakota Inc. chairman, Archie Archambault, and the military safeguarded the donated rations for the water protectors. They stockpiled the supplies, mail and packages in the Rock Industries Corporation warehouse, a US Defense contractor that the Lakota Tribe Inc. partners with. They supply military equipment to the National Guard and Army Reserve. The tribe supplies propane and maintains an elaborate telecommunication tower on Lakota territory. [Standing Rock Development Corporation Inc.]. Archie and the Lakota Tribe Inc. are refusing to accept all mail and packages for the water protectors.

Such deceit and mob tactics will not break our tie to our mother, each other and all life. Creation gave us the natural will to fight the corporation that is raping our mother and trying to turn her into a sewer. Courage and the truth will not let these evil people rot our planet.

All tribal and band corpo chairmen throughout great turtle island have alienated themselves from the people. They have forfeited their voice, birthright, land, clan, onkwehon:weh names and all claims to our inherent community. Their job to sign away our existence, land and resources to their corporate bosses is genocide. They work to weaken our traditions which ties us together to remind us our inherent rights. Only the people can decide the traitors fate.

The teiohateh, Two Row, is the basis of our natural relationship with creation and all life.

Maybe soon the corpo tribal and band Custers wont be riding well anymore, like Johnny Cash sings about the General: With victories he was swimmin he killed children dogs and women. But the General he dont ride well anymore. Crazy Horse sent out the call to Sitting Bull and Gall. And the General he dont ride well anymore.And the rest is history.

.

Mohawk Nation News kahentinetha2@yahoo.com for more news, to donate and sign up for MNN newsletters, go to mohawknationnews.com More stories at MNN Archives. thahoketoteh@ntk.com Address: Box 991, Kahnawake [Quebec, Canada] J0L 1B0 or original Mohawk music visit https://soundcloud.com/thahoketoteh

LETS TELL THEM WHERE WE STAND : Politicians, Corporatists, Band & Tribal Councils and sell-outs that are cooperating with pipeline companies;

ENERGY TRANSFER STRATEGIST: Michael (Cliff) Waters, Lead Analyst 77002 (713), 989-2404 Michael.Waters@energytransfer.com

NORTH DAKOTA: Office of the Governor Jack Darymple: 701-328-2200; Morton County Sheriffs Department: 701-328-8118 & 701-667-3330; Allen Koppy Morton County Attorney 701.667.3350; N.D. National Guard: 701-333-2000; Army Corps of Engineers (202) 761-5903

U.S. Embassy Worldwide & Ottawa, 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8: (General): 613-688-5335, (Emergency): 613-238-5335, (Media): 613-688-5315 Fax: 613-688-3082, US Embassy of the United States, London UK, Switchboard: [44] (0)20 7499-9000, White House Washington 202-456-1111 or (202) 456-1414

ENERGY TRANSFER, 214.981.0700: Lee Hanse, Executive Vice President, 800 E Sonterra Blvd #400, San Antonio, Texas 78258 (210) 403-6455 Lee.Hanse@energytransfer.com Glenn Emery, Vice President (210) 403-6762 Glenn.Emery@energytransfer.com

Call Bernie Sanders202-224-5142; Call Hillary Clinton 646-854-1432

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I am a political essayist, cultural critic, educator, and host of the podcast known as "The Chauncey DeVega Show"





I have been a guest on the BBC, National Public Radio, Ring of Fire Radio, Ed Schultz, Sirius XM's Make it Plain, Joshua Holland's Alternet Radio Hour, the Thom Hartmann radio show, the Burt Cohen show, and Our Common Ground.





I have also been interviewed on the RT Network and Free Speech TV.





I am a contributing writer for Salon and Alternet.





My writing has also been featured by Newsweek, The New York Daily News, Raw Story, The Huffington Post, and the Daily Kos.





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Benjamin Thomas Wolf, seen Nov. 15, 2016, in his Bucktown neighborhood home, is president of Keep Chicago Livable and a plaintiff in the case against new city home-sharing restrictions. He told the Tribune in November that he quit renting out his condo because of the rules. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

Some of the more controversial provisions in a new set of regulations Chicago is imposing on Airbnb and other home-sharing platforms are being tweaked as a lawsuit challenging the rules makes its way through the courts.

Keep Chicago Livable, a nonprofit made up of homeowners who oppose Chicago's regulations, filed the suit Nov. 4 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, saying "this new law is designed as a particularly cruel trap for the unwary."

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The new rules call for an extra tax on home-sharing hosts, a limit on the number of units in buildings that can be rented out on the platforms and a requirement that hosts maintain records on guests, among other rules.

A measure the city proposed Wednesday would remove a requirement that a host sign an attestation that he or she "understands" the ordinance. Wednesday's measure also would require the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection to first issue a subpoena for guest records kept by a vacation rental or shared housing host, an additional step that would provide a chance for the business to object to the production of the records.

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The regulation as it was originally proposed would have required Airbnb hosts to keep registration records, including the names, addresses, signatures and dates of accommodation of all guests, on file for three years and make them available for inspection if the city requested them.

This week the city agreed to hold off on implementing some of the new rules, including the one pertaining to guest records and another that limits the number of units in buildings that can be rented out.

The new rules were scheduled to go fully into effect Saturday, but both the city and the homeowners who filed the suit agreed to an order filed Monday that pushes back the implementation of some of the requirements until Feb. 28.

"I would characterize this as a timeout to allow the judge and the parties to examine and analyze whether this law should be suspended pending a final judgment," said Shorge Sato, attorney for Keep Chicago Livable.

Bill McCaffrey, a spokesman for the city's Law Department, said in a statement that the city agreed to postpone implementation of certain parts of the ordinance "so that the issues raised in the complaint could be briefed and decided in a reasoned and measured manner, rather than on an emergency basis."

The city has until Dec. 30 to respond to the homeowners' original court filing. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 1.

Benjamin Thomas Wolf, president of Keep Chicago Livable and a plaintiff in the case, told the Tribune in November that he quit renting out his Bucktown neighborhood condo in light of the regulations.

"We now look forward to working alongside our council members and the mayor so that we may collectively create a new and more reasonable law," Wolf said in a statement Tuesday evening about the court order. "Most importantly, this outcome allows for the continued protection of our communities and the citizens of Chicago."

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Airbnb is not a party to the lawsuit. Spokesman Ben Breit said in a statement that the company had been working with the city and was set to begin delivering host registration data this month.

"We respect the city's decision and remain ready to move forward with our obligations under the ordinance when the stay is lifted," Breit said in a statement.

Keep Chicago Livable was not the only group of homeowners to take issue with the regulations. Another group filed a lawsuit with in Cook County Circuit Court on Nov. 15, alleging that the "draconian and unintelligible restrictions" are unconstitutional.

There are 6,400 Airbnb hosts in Chicago, the San Francisco-based company said in November. About 371,000 guests stayed in the city between Nov. 1, 2015, and Nov. 1, 2016.

Airbnb has become a thorn in the hotel industry's side, the city responded with these restrictions and now officials are trying to uncomplicate the rules, said Evan McKenzie, a professor and head of the political science department at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

"This way they've responded to pressure from the hotel industry and at the same time they haven't hurt anybody," he said. "They can kind of blame it on the judge."

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amarotti@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @AllyMarotti
The first phase of the Justice Department's lawsuit to halt Anthem's planned takeover of rival insurer Cigna is in the hands of a federal judge after the government wrapped up its arguments Tuesday that the deal would harm competition in the national insurance market.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington will issue her decision on whether the combination of the companies risks higher costs for large employers nationwide and should be blocked. She didn't say when she would rule.

During Tuesday's session, Jackson questioned lawyers for Anthem and the Justice Department on their arguments about the competitive effects of the $48 billion deal. She said Anthem's calculations related to market-share data for competitors were "distressing."

"You ended up undercutting the force of your argument," the judge said about the company's final filing with the court, which wasn't publicly available, adding that it was "a little insulting."

In what are expected to be the final major antitrust cases of the Obama administration, the Justice Department sued Humana and Aetna in July, the same day it filed a complaint seeking to halt Anthem's acquisition of Cigna. The antitrust lawsuits are aimed at preventing concentration among the biggest U.S. health insurers and protect competition in an industry that President Barack Obama reshaped with the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The first phase of the trial focused on the national market where Anthem and Cigna compete. The government said the deal would leave just three insurers in the U.S. that can offer a nationwide commercial insurance network to the country's biggest employers.

Anthem and Cigna compete aggressively to win these accounts and their combination would eliminate Cigna as a competitive force, according to the government.

Jackson questioned Justice Department lawyer Jon Jacobs about Cigna's clout, considering its market share is smaller than Anthem's in the 14 states where Anthem operates. Jacobs countered by pointing to evidence that Cigna's presence has kept prices down for employers.

"They're losing the benefit of competition" if the merger goes through, Jacobs said.

Central to the dispute is how the deal would affect doctors and hospitals. Anthem, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, argues that the acquisition of Cigna, based in Bloomfield, Connecticut, would give it the ability to lower reimbursement rates to health providers and that those savings would be passed on to employers. The government counters that's just another exercise of market power that violates antitrust law.

"If you're driving prices down in a consumer-orientated way, that's favored," Anthem lawyer Christopher Curran told the judge.

Curran said that other insurance carriers would keep prices in check after the merger. He cited evidence showing that any attempt by the combined company to raise prices would backfire because it would lose customers, making the price increase unprofitable.

The second phase of the trial, scheduled to begin Wednesday, will focus on the sale of insurance to smaller employers in local markets. A decision by Jackson in favor of the government on the first phase would block the merger and make the second phase moot.

"We're going on to phase two. No one should draw any conclusions from that one way or another," the judge said.

The tensions between Anthem and Cigna, which have accused one another of breaching their merger agreement, erupted again Tuesday.

At the end of the question-and-answer session, Cigna lawyer Rick Rule said the insurer didn't sign on to Anthem's summary filing on the first phase of the trial because parts of it were "inconsistent" with statements by its witnesses. Rule also said the dispute between the companies went beyond their chief executive officers.
An arch stands over the entrance to the site of the former A. Finkl & Sons steel plant on Kingsbury Street on Dec. 13, 2016. The area is within Chicago's North Branch industrial corridor. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

The city of Chicago is proposing urban plazas, open spaces and upgrades to pedestrian paths and bike bridges as part of guidelines for potential redevelopment of the North Branch industrial corridor.

The land-use guidelines, which also include a 7-mile jogging loop that could connect to The 606 trail, are preliminary. They would be used to frame the redevelopment of a large swath of land that includes the Finkl steel plant site, which is now under new ownership.

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The Department of Planning and Development presented the ideas Tuesday evening at a community meeting at UI Labs on Goose Island, in the heart of the North Branch corridor.

"Here it is, the North Branch canal," Kathy Dickhut, deputy commissioner in the Department of Planning and Development, told the crowd of about 100, showing a photo of the river now, undeveloped and void of wildlife.

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The site of the former Finkl steel plant is seen Dec. 13, 2016, looking northwest from the intersection of Cortland Street, at left, and Kingsbury Street, at right. A. Finkl & Sons vacated more than 20 acres when it moved to the Far South Side in 2014, and the land has been acquired by developer Sterling Bay. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

She unveiled a rendering of a developed stretch of river, with a kid fishing off the bank and a kayaker moving among a flock of sea gulls. "But it could look like this."

Once completed, the land-use guidelines will be part of a framework plan that will usher development along the corridor. Another meeting is set for January.

The city plans to finish a draft of the guidelines by March, Dickhut said, and introduce it to the Chicago Plan Commission for adoption by April. The Plan Commission approves all zoning changes.

The guidelines would not change zoning along the North Branch corridor, much of which is zoned as a planned manufacturing district, but act as a filter for the commission to use when developers present proposals.

"There's a concern that whatever is being done here is being done for whatever companies are coming in rather than for the community," Allan Mellis, a community activist from the neighborhood, said at the meeting.

Other community members in attendance voiced concerns over a lack of parks with room enough for ball fields.

Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, said the city will be pushing developers to build recreational amenities as they move into the corridor.

The site of the former Finkl Steel plant is seen Dec. 13, 2016, from Kingsbury Street in Chicago. The more than 20-acre steel plant site is within the city's North Branch industrial corridor and any new corridor guidelines would apply to the property. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Micheline Pergande, secretary of the Ranch Triangle Community Conservation Association and mother of a 2-year-old who she said would benefit from a nearby park, was skeptical.

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"It puts a lot in the hands of developers," she said after the meeting.

Chicago developer Sterling Bay recently acquired the Finkl steel plant site along Cortland Street and the Chicago River on the city's North Side. A. Finkl & Sons moved to a larger facility on the Far South Side in 2014, vacating more than 20 acres.

No proposals for the site have been submitted to the city. If the city adopts these land-use guidelines, they would be applied to any proposal submitted on the Finkl site.

amarotti@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @AllyMarotti
Lego CEO Joergen Vig Knudstorp has guided the toymaker's turnaround since 2004, when the family-controlled company was losing $1 million a day. Now the world's most profitable toymaker, Lego has announced that Knudstorp would become chairman of the board and lead a new entity, the Lego Brand Group, which will oversee the family's stake and focus on new brand opportunities. (Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg News)

"President Business" he's not. Lego's chief executive, Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, bears little resemblance to the uptight "Lego Movie" CEO character whose alter ego is a tyrant. He was once a kindergarten teacher. He talks about the importance of executives bringing their "heart" into making tough decisions. Employees made him a Lego mini figure in his likeness, stamped with this email address and phone number on the back, that he hands out as an amusing alternative to business cards.

But Knudstorp has been, in Lego-speak, a master builder of the company's turnaround since 2004, when as a 35-year-old he became the family-controlled company's first outside CEO. At the time, Lego was losing $1 million a day, had overextended itself into categories such as branded children's clothing, loaded up on debt and rolled out pre-assembled toys that distanced children from the building experience.

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Knudstorp set about righting Lego's cash flows, selling noncore assets, making painful job cuts and repairing the company's relationship with retailers. Most of all, he refocused the company on its core product  physical plastic bricks  using ethnographic research to add products such as the popular Lego Friends line, focused on girls. Although the company recently has seen flat sales in the U.S. that trimmed profits, revenue growth between 2005 and 2015 exploded fivefold. It is now the world's most profitable toy company.

As Knudstorp prepares to step down  Lego announced Tuesday it would nominate him to be chairman of the board and lead a new entity, the Lego Brand Group, which will oversee the Kristiansen family's stake  The Washington Post spoke with him about his leadership lessons from 12 years at the top of a toy turnaround.

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On how he recognized that the company needed to focus on its core:

Soon after taking over, Knudstorp went on a "discovery journey" to understand what made Lego unique, visiting retailers to ask about what was missing, stopping at MIT for a reminder about how children learn, and spending three days at a Lego conference for adult fans in Washington, D.C. "They really inspired me to go back to the creative expression of the core product," he says. So did spending lots of time with groups of children as they played with Lego bricks, he says: "We had a huge number of people writing to us saying how much the brand meant to them. That convinced me we could survive, and the brand would survive. We were just poor managers of the brand. How do we double down on what's so special to us? That was the creative building experience."

On making tough decisions:

Knudstorp made painful cuts to staffing at Lego but says he tried to connect with employees by giving them lengthy advance warning about job cuts, offering retraining and trying to be personally present throughout. "We run five shifts on the factories, and once a year I would run through all the shifts, spending 40 hours meeting individually with those employees many times," he says. "They were asking: What does the future look like? Of course I couldn't guarantee it. But I could show I care for them. Being honest and transparent is important for morale."

On executive bonuses at Lego:

At Lego, financial metrics make up less than a third of the weighting used in determining bonuses for executives, Knudstorp says. The remainder is based on factors such as how retail customers perform and how employees rate top managers. "Do they feel engaged? Do they feel passionate? It creates a very different culture."

On one of his biggest leadership lessons:

One of the things Knudstorp says he finds most important is to say "thank you for doing all the things I never told you to do. You shouldn't run a company based on what you tell (employees) to do. You should run it based on intention. The way I put it is that 'context-setting is more important than controlling.' So many companies are based on controlling. You get punished based on what you don't do."

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On customer service:

Raves about Lego's customer service went viral this year after an employee creatively responded to a 7-year-old's request for a replacement mini figure. Knudstorp, who says he personally answers all the emails he receives, tells another story of a sick child who had been saving to buy a Lego set that was out of production. The consumer services department "literally went around to all the offices in the building asking, 'Would you happen to have this set we no longer manufacture?' " to find an unopened set. "I say, 'Don't just do what you were told to do, do what you think is the right thing to do, because you have that mandate,' " he says. "And when it happens, you celebrate those stories."
State Farm's recent 5.9 percent increase in Illinois auto insurance rates was driven in part by smart car technology, the company said Wednesday.

A dinged front bumper becomes a more expensive repair when it also includes fixing a collision avoidance sensor.

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"Cars are just getting more expensive to repair, due to the technology," said Missy Dundov, a spokeswoman for Bloomington-based State Farm, the nation's largest auto insurer.

The rate increase went into effect on Oct. 31, affecting 1 in 3 drivers in Illinois. It was largest such increase since 2003, when State Farm raised rates for some Illinois policyholders by an average of 14.1 percent, Dundov said.

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Beyond technology, lower gas prices have encouraged more people to hit the road, resulting in more collisions, Dundov said. Trends such as distracted driving also have contributed to higher claim costs, according to State Farm.

"We've just seen a huge increase in what it costs to pay out our claims," Dundov said.

State Farm already raised Illinois auto insurance rates by 2.7 percent in February. The increases are a projection of what the insurance company will need to pay to cover repairs going forward, Dundov said.

The company is not alone in bumping up auto insurance rates for Illinois drivers. Geico plans to raise its car insurance rates for Illinois policyholders next year by an average of 3.5 percent, according to state records. The change is effective Feb. 6.

Like State Farm, Geico also saw increases in the number of collisions and the costs of repairs last year, according to company filings.

Northbrook-based Allstate increased Illinois auto insurance rates by an average of 6.9 percent in June, also due in part to the rising costs associated with repairing smart car technology, the company said Wednesday.

"Now we're not just replacing a bumper for a fender-bender, we're replacing the cameras or the sensors in that bumper," said Meghan Sporleder, an Allstate spokeswoman. "We're seeing newer, more sophisticated models costing much more to repair, especially with some of the more advanced safety features."

Allstate will continue to monitor claim costs to determine if an additional rate increase is necessary in the coming months, Sporleder said.

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While insurance rates are rising, both State Farm and Allstate said the value of new safety technology is worth it.

"We absolutely support technology that saves lives and minimizes injuries," Sporleder said. "But that comes at an increased cost."

rchannick@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @RobertChannick
Ever since the Supreme Court broke up John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil in 1911, the energy industry has been at loggerheads with the federal government. Now it is the government -- or may be if ExxonMobil Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson is confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of state.

All across the oil patch, they're figuratively uncorking the champagne bottles as Tillerson and other well-placed leaders and friends are proposed for top jobs. Rick Perry, former governor of oil-rich Texas, has been picked to run the Energy Department, which he once famously threatened to do away with and whose name he forgot in a 2012 Republican presidential primary debate. Scott Pruitt, a friend to Oklahoma's homegrown shale industry and confirmed climate-change skeptic, would take over the Environmental Protection Agency. And Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, and former CEO of an oil and gas consulting firm, is poised to become head of the Interior Department.

"Oil and gas is really the future engine of the economy," said Hess Corp. CEO John Hess. He lauded Trump's picks and added that he has "made it very clear that energy is critical."

It's a breathtaking turn of events for an industry that has battled the federal government for decades on tax issues, antitrust challenges, environmental regulations and ethics oversight under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Now, after eight years of especially antagonistic face-offs with the Obama administration, Big Oil is going from Washington outsider to running the show.

"It's clearly a U-turn from the current administration, which is very hostile to fossil fuels," said Craig Pirrong, director of the University of Houston's Gutierrez Energy Management Institute. With "a representative of the world's largest energy company in the State Department, it's inevitable that they'll have a powerful and forceful and informed advocate."

The industry is poised to wield previously unimaginable influence on a global scale in a Trump administration. Tillerson has legitimately honed his leadership skills as head of the largest publicly traded oil company in the world. He is equal parts diplomat and executive, having spent much of his career negotiating complex and controversial business transactions in countries with which the U.S. government has strained relations. In 2011, he famously went into business with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, signing a joint-venture agreement to partner with state oil company Rosneft on Arctic oil exploration.

"There is a very thin line between oil, geopolitics and diplomacy," OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo said in Washington on Tuesday. Tillerson's experience on that front makes him "more than qualified to occupy this very important office."

But Tillerson's oil-industry positions also could pose problems for implementing U.S. foreign policy. Tillerson has said he opposes international sanctions; as secretary of state he could push for easing sanctions against Russia, which would have obvious benefits for ExxonMobil's partnership with Rosneft.

"Donald Trump doesn't want to drain the swamp, he wants to drill in it," said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts. "These nominees' ties to fossil fuel interests are as deep as an oil well."

Tillerson, though, breaks with Trump's climate-change denials. The oil executive has characterized global warming as "a serious risk" and supports a carbon tax as the best way to curb industry emissions, something Trump has said he opposes. Perry, meanwhile, oversaw a massive wind-power boom during his terms as Texas governor.

Like Tillerson's, Perry's business interests also could get a boost from his appointment. He sits on the board of Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the beleaguered Dakota Access pipeline project stalled this year by President Barack Obama's Army Corp of Engineers. Perry is broadly supportive of building out pipeline infrastructure. During his own short-lived presidential campaign, he promised to green-light TransCanada Corp.'s Keystone XL pipeline, which is also a priority for both Trump and Tillerson. As secretary of state, Tillerson would have direct authority over approving the project.

At the Interior Department, an agency that oversees drilling on public lands and in federal waters, the selection of Montana Republican Zinke bodes well for oil companies that have criticized federal barriers to energy development. The Interior Secretary will have an opportunity to open up new coastal areas for drilling, including Arctic and Atlantic waters that were blocked from exploration by the Obama administration. In Congress, Zinke has co-sponsored legislation to expand drilling and mining on public lands.

Pruitt, attorney general of Oklahoma, spent the last few years suing to block EPA rules energy companies oppose. As head of that agency, he'll almost certainly begin working to dismantle them. In his home state, he created a "federalism unit" tasked with fighting "unwarranted regulation and overreach by the federal government" and has billed himself as the EPA's chief antagonist.

The agency is one of two that could significantly affect the U.S. energy industry, according to Ed Morse, head of commodity research at Citigroup Inc. and a former deputy assistant secretary of state for international energy policy. The other is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which approves natural-gas pipelines and LNG terminals.

These agencies "set how policy is implemented, so a lot can happen without changing law," Morse said. Their actions could have "tangible results on both U.S. and global prices."

With assistance from Mark Shenk and Jennifer A. Dlouhy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his dog Yume, an Akita, in the Kremlin on Dec. 7, 2016. (Sputnik news agency)

    

Sorry, I've been practicing my Russian. I'll start again.

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Less than a week before members of the Electoral College vote to certify the new president of the Untied States, 40 of those members  39 Democrats and one Republican  have requested an intelligence briefing on reports of Russian meddling in the presidential election.

In case you're unaware, an "intelligence briefing" is something President-elect Donald Trump has been regularly turning away because, as he said recently: "I'm, like, really smart."

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Apparently these Electoral College voters aren't smart enough to ignore information from America's highly trained intelligence agents and are stubbornly insistent on having all available information on why a country led by a former KGB agent might have favored Trump.

You'd almost think it's the job of the Electoral College to ensure that voters aren't putting a wholly unqualified person with intentionally murky financial conflicts of interest and questionable ties to a foreign power into office. Where would anybody get that idea?

Some suggest it came from Alexander Hamilton's explanation of the Electoral College's purpose in The Federalist Papers: "Nothing was more to be desired than that every practicable obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue, and corruption. These most deadly adversaries of republican government might naturally have been expected to make their approaches from more than one quarter, but chiefly from the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils. How could they better gratify this, than by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union?"

Anyhoo, who's got time to read all those words? Besides, if the Founding Fathers were so smart, why are they all dead? Open your eyes, people.

Another reason this unprecedented interference in our electoral system by a hostile foreign government is much ado about nothing is because Trump said it might not be true. And, as previously mentioned, he's really smart.

After the president-elect suggested it's not true, fake news website Breitbart swiftly listed 10 reasons why the whole Russian interference thing is a bunch of fake news cooked up by the damn liberals.

That fake news from a fake news website was then transformed into real news when Sean Hannity, who has fake integrity, repeated it on his radio show, calling the CIA's assessment a "liberal media fake news story."

From Trump's mouth to Breitbart's home page to Hannity's mouth to your ears. Who can argue with such an infallible stream of truth?

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The so-called "real news" source that first reported this Russian news was the Washington Post:

"The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency, rather than just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, according to officials briefed on the matter."

The Post's reporting sounds dodgy to me. Especially when the only things Trump has done that suggest he might be Russia-curious are:

 Failed to condemn the Russian hacks of the Democratic National Committee.

 Mocked American intelligence operations rather than express outrage at the possibility of Russian meddling.

 Spoken fawningly of Russian President Vladimir Putin who, by all reasonable measures, is a very bad person.

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 Appointed retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a noted Putin fanboy with close ties to Russia, as his national security adviser.

 Appointed Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state, even though Tillerson is so tight with Russia that Putin awarded him the "Order of Friendship," one of the highest honors Russia can give a foreign citizen.

 Generated headlines like "Russia Is Reportedly Delighted at Donald Trump's Cabinet Picks" and garnered praise from people like Putin aide Sergei Markov, who told Bloomberg: "These are people Russia can do business with."

You know the old saying: "Where there's smoke, there is almost definitely not fire, now move along and stop staring."

And why should we worry about Russia anyway?

I mean, who's worried about those guys, aside from a bipartisan group of senators who have called for a probe, writing that "recent reports of Russian interference in our election should alarm every American."

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Every American except the current president-elect, who doesn't appear to give a whip about U.S intelligence on Russian cyber-warfare and stealth propaganda and, in fact, seems almost as if he owes Putin something.

I could suggest that Trump has financial interests in Russia or that he owes money to Russian banks, but that can't be proven because Trump still hasn't released his tax returns.

If only there was some kind of body, put in place by the wise people who founded our democracy, that might feel compelled to more carefully screen the person picked to lead our country.

If such a body existed, one might expect it to do due diligence in examining all aspects of Trump's personal and financial ties to Russia to make sure our enemies aren't "raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union."

If such a body existed, I would tell its members this: Please do your job.

Or, to put it in a language Trump and his friends-of-Russia Cabinet might understand: ,   .

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Listen to Rex Huppke and WGN radio host Amy Guth discuss presidential politics each week on the "Guth and Huppke on Politics" podcast at www.chicagotribune.com/guthhuppkepodcast.

rhuppke@chicagotribune.com
Reporting from Kalah Sur, Iraq  In a significant break with past policy, U.S.-led forces in Iraq have started arming and training hundreds of fighters belonging to Shiite militias historically known for having ties to Iran.

The sectarian militias are being trained for the operation to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul. While Mosul's future remains uncertain, the cooperative effort is expected to strengthen the Shiite forces both militarily and politically.

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The U.S.-led coalition has provided hundreds of guns and training to the fighters in recent weeks, indicating a new level of cooperation, although U.S. military officials quickly moved to downplay it, saying the fighters being trained have no ties to the Iranian-backed groups that targeted Americans in the past.

In response to The Times' reporting, Col. John Dorrian, the U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, insisted that "U.S. policy on this matter has not changed."

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"We only train forces we can vet," Dorrian said. "You assess to make sure they don't have association with terrorist groups, or groups associated with the government of Iran. They must be with groups that promote respect for human rights and rule of law."

Dorrian acknowledged that some militias are still classified as terrorists by the U.S., but insisted those being trained had no ties to groups that have "American blood on their hands."

But U.S. officials acknowledged the difficulty in fully vetting all members of the militias. And the senior leadership of the Shiite forces includes individuals who have been deemed terrorists by the United States.

After successfully fighting Islamic State elsewhere in Iraq, the militias received the government's blessing to take part in offensives, including the one to reclaim Mosul, which was launched Oct. 17.

Experts estimated there are at least 40 of the militias with a combined 80,000 to 100,000 active members.

U.S. and coalition special forces started training new recruits for Hashd al Shaabi militias this month at a facility about 55 miles south of Mosul. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times )

Mosul is Iraq's second-largest city, with a diverse populace of more than a million people, and has been the biggest prize captured by Islamic State in its drive to create a "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria.

Its population is mostly Sunni Muslim, the sect that Islamic State claims to represent, and some human rights groups feared that allowing Shiite fighters to join the offensive would spark sectarian conflict.

But the Shiite militias  which have brought some Sunnis and other sects into their ranks  have promised to follow orders from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi. Last month, the Iraqi parliament passed a law that made the militias a legal military corps. Their leaders resent being called militias, noting they have government backing.

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Coalition forces are screening Shiite militia commanders using U.S. and allies' law enforcement and intelligence databases to weed out those with ties to terrorist groups or to Shiite militias backed by Iran, according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to speak publicly about the training.

"We're going to go through and vet all the leaders," one official said.

But the U.S. will not be able to screen all of the militias' foot soldiers, the officials said. And others noted that there still are leaders associated with the militias who fall outside U.S. guidelines for acceptable allies.

Among the most powerful is Hadi Ameri, the head of the Badr Organization, the military wing of a Shiite political party. Ameri recently defended his long-standing ties to Iran while visiting militia fighters on the front lines. His group's role in the offensive is expected to help his party in next year's elections.

"It's a mistake," said Michael Pregent, a former Army paratrooper who served in Iraq and is now an Iraq expert at the Washington-based Hudson Institute. The Shiite militias, he said, were "directly involved in killing Americans. They're sectarian."

Haitham Mayahi, senior political advisor to Ameri, said the militia leaders agreed to have up to 900 new fighters trained to help expand their ranks and hold cities once they are cleared of Islamic State militants.

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The Shiite militias have been accused by the U.S.-led military coalition of committing sectarian-driven crimes against Sunni populations in the areas under their control.

The U.S. refused to provide air support to the militias during an offensive last year in Tikrit, after photos appeared online of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's elite Quds special forces and an ally of the militias' leaders, drinking tea outside the city. His role in the battle unsettled U.S. officials, who declared Soleimani (nicknamed "the Shadow Commander") a terrorist and accused him of directing deadly attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq a decade ago.

The militias tried to recapture Tikrit from Islamic State, but were ordered to withdraw when their monthlong offensive stalled. Only after the Iraqi army took over did U.S. warplanes support the operation, which eventually ousted the militants.

The Popular Mobilization Forces, known in Arabic as Hashd al Shaabi, were later accused of destroying hundreds of homes and businesses during the offensive, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

In October, Amnesty International documented allegations the militias had abused and killed Sunnis during the spring offensive to recapture the city of Fallujah.

Last month, during the Mosul offensive, Human Rights Watch reported that some Popular Mobilization Forces detained and beat shepherds from a village near Mosul whom they suspected of being Islamic State militants.

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After the Iraqi parliament passed the law legalizing the militias, U.S. and coalition special forces began training 500 of the new recruits, many of them Sunni, at multiple sites outside Mosul on Dec. 4, Dorrian said.

He said the recruits come from areas outside Mosul held by Islamic State. Once towns surrounding Mosul are recaptured, the new fighters will help secure them. They were provided with Kalashnikov rifles, 10 days of training and the promise of monthly salaries of $500 to $600, commanders said.

Brett McGurk, the State Department's special envoy in the fight against Islamic State, said many of the Shiite militias operate outside the command and control of the Iraqi government, "which is a significant problem."

But under their umbrella, he said, are local forces invaluable for holding ground in areas familiar to them. "We cannot do that only with the Iraqi security forces," he said. "We needed the tribes to be mobilized."

Pentagon officials stressed that the militia's commanders will be screened and recruits must abide by the federal Leahy Law, named for Vermont Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, which bars the Pentagon from providing military assistance to foreign fighters who violate human rights.

U.S. and coalition trainers stood beside militia recruits on a firing range at a former Iraqi army facility south of Mosul on Sunday, offering tips on how to reload their rifles. The trainers said they have also been teaching the citizen soldiers how to stop battlefield bleeding and how to avoid and defuse bombs.

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A U.S. special forces trainer in unmarked camouflage fatigues, who asked not to be identified because of security concerns, said he felt he was helping to save the lives of the fighters, many of them untrained civilians: taxi drivers, carpenters and waiters.

He said some had never handled a gun, but that they were enthusiastic students, more so than local forces he had trained in Afghanistan and Yemen.

Many of the recruits were Sunnis Arabs, but there were also Christians, Kurds, Turkmen, Yazidis and Shiites, commanders said. While many were untrained, some were former police and soldiers, including a few who had fought U.S. forces as part of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's army.

U.S. and coalition special forces train Shiite militia recruits this month at a facility about 55 miles south of Mosul. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times )

"We were enemies. Now we are friends," said Usmat Mohamed, 47, a former soldier from a Sunni tribe.

Gahzi Abar, a commander with the militia who is a Sunni Turkmen, said "the reason that we became Hashd al Shaabi is that it is now an organized and legalized force."

"Our affiliation is to our country and not to any neighboring countries," he said.

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Some experts said it was wise for the U.S. to make inroads with Shiite militias now, before Mosul is recaptured and a sectarian struggle for control begins in earnest.

"The more they get involved with them, the better understanding and avoidance of misconception and misapprehension between the two," said Mowaffak Rubaie, Iraq's former national security advisor, now a member of parliament who supported legalizing the militias.

"One thing that's been realized by U.S. officials is that in Iraq, if you pull out, you leave a lot for Iran to influence," said Renad Mansour, a fellow specializing in Iraq at the London-based think tank Chatham House.

Others warned that the training could backfire on the U.S.

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) urged Abadi this year to rein in the militias. Royce said this week that it was still risky for the U.S. to become involved with the groups.

"Shia paramilitary forces  many of them funded, armed and even directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps  have been responsible for horrific human rights abuses," he said. "The Obama administration is playing with fire."

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Hennessy-Fiske reported from Kalah Sur and Hennigan from Washington.
Caol Ila Islay Single Malt Scotch is made with air-dried barley, not grain dried by burning peat. The resulting spirit gives scotch lovers the chance to clear away the smoke and understand the inner workings of the spirit. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

Scotch whisky is a complex, multifaceted experience, telling stories in the nose, taste and finish. Within that world, heavily peated scotch, created on the island of Islay, has been both a holy grail and, for some, divisive.

The signature smoky, phenolic Islay flavor comes from peat moss, a high-temperature fossil fuel, native to Scotland, that is used to dry the malted barley that is then distilled, aged in wood casks and, ultimately, bottled as Scotch whisky.

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The standard Caol Ila 12-year-old is subtle for an Islay whisky, with citrus and vanilla notes peeking through a light fog of smoke. It is less bombastic than the medicinal peat of Laphroaig or Ardbeg, but, by the end of the dram, the peat still eclipses most of the flavor profile.

But there is a way to go deeper into Caol Ila and Islay, to dig underneath the overwhelming peat.

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Coal Ila 15-year-old "unpeated" single-malt whisky, the 11th in a limited-release series, uses air-dried barley  no peat at all.

"We started distilling the unpeated, or 'highland style' Caol Ila at a time when the demand for peated whisky wasn't as great as it is now," says Nick Morgan, head of whisky outreach for Diageo (the parent company that owns Caol Ila). "It was a way of keeping production levels going at the distillery."

While the unpeated variant has been used in blended scotch, Diageo's annual special release series gives scotch lovers the chance to clear away the smoke and understand the inner workings of the base spirit.

"These are, for the most part, aimed at the more 'expert' malt whisky enthusiast  the ones who like to explore unusual tastes and styles," Morgan said.

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

One of the more interesting aspects of the unpeated Caol Ila is how much it differs from the 12-year-old, how it isn't just a no-peat version of a standard Caol Ila.

The unpeated expression carries a mixed nose of treacle, dulce de leche and apple cider. Adding generous water opens up gaminess and a hint of smoke, a reminder that Islay, with its brine-infused air, is still present.

The body is heavier than the 12-year-old, with oily elements carrying bits of apricot, biscuits and curry into a very long and satisfying finish.

This complex spirit is meant for extended sipping, developing later elements of menthol, pickled citrus and even an odd hint of Dijon mustard  components that aren't apparent within the standard 12-year Caol Ila.

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With a slight mineral profile, this whisky will appeal to fans of Highland Park, another low-peat and atypical scotch, as well as anyone who is curious about the layers beneath the smoke  the deep dive.

At a cask-strength of 61.5 percent alcohol (123 proof), the limited edition Caol Ila 15-year-old "unpeated" is widely available at $140.

Jim Brucker is a freelance writer.






A lobster roll is a coveted thing, but if you can't get your hands on lobster, or you're put off by the price, turn to another crustacean. Shrimp rolls are not lobster rolls, no. But they're rich and satisfying in their own right. With the seafood and the spicy sour cream sauce, you'll want a refreshing pour. Here are three white wines that rise to the occasion.

MAKE THIS

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Shrimp rolls

Combine 1/2 cup sour cream, juice of 1/2 lime, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 drops hot sauce. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cloves garlic, minced, and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; cook until garlic is soft, about 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high; add 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until just pink, 3 minutes. Spread 4 toasted sandwich rolls with sour cream mixture; layer with chopped cabbage, shrimp and avocado slices. Makes: 4 servings

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Recipe by Donna Pierce

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DRINK THIS

Pairings by sommelier Parag Lalit of Sixteen, as told to Michael Austin:

2002 Weingut Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Spatlese, Nahe, Germany: This old vine riesling offers sweet calamansi lime, stone fruit and delicate off-dryness. The vines have captured the saline, mineral expression of the vineyard's slate-dominant soil, and this unique combination of delicate sweetness and sharp acidity will not only contrast the boldness of savory flavors (cilantro and hot sauce), but also cleanse the palate of the dish's richness.

2014 Arnot-Roberts Watson Ranch Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California: Fitting the description of "iron fist in a velvet glove," this wine showcases power and finesse simultaneously. Lactic tones reminiscent of creme fraiche, coupled with tart citrus and orchard fruit, are a result of the mineral expression of the vineyard. The overall texture and richness of the wine will stand up to the fats (cream, avocado, oil) but also respect the shrimp's leanness.

2014 Bodegas Los Bermejo Malvasia Seco, Lanzarote, Spain: This white wine comes from the Canary Islands, where century-old vines (a common sight on the island of Lanzarote) render minuscule yields but impart incredible concentration and personality to the malvasia grape variety. In this wine, that results in a bouquet of prickly pear, kaffir lime, custard apple and summer honey, plus tropical nuances and fresh citrus to counter the fats in the dish.

food@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @pour_man
Chicago's Chance the Rapper reached new heights in his career this year, but he didn't pick the best ladder to decorate the large Rockefeller Center Christmas tree with "Manchester by the Sea" star Casey Affleck.

"I don't think we thought this through," Affleck said in a promo released Wednesday for this week's episode of "Saturday Night Live." Affleck is hosting and Chance is the musical guest.

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"Uh, you just got to believe (in) uh, Christmas," the rapper told Affleck.

"It's like a footstool," Affleck said.

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"I'm not going to listen to any more slander about this ladder. You know what this ladder means to me," Chance said.

Chance is "SNL"'s final musical guest of the year. The show airs on NBC at 10:30 p.m.

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The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago hosted its 27th annual Spirit of St. Nicholas Ball on Dec. 2 at the Hilton Chicago with over 1,200 guests. The black-tie event raised over $1.4 million to support child-development centers, after-school programs, counseling services and teen-parenting centers provided by Catholic Charities.

Newly elevated Cardinal Blase Cupich greeted guests in a receiving line beside Monsignor Michael Boland, Bishop Alberto Rojas, the Very Rev. Ron Hicks, vicar general, Bishop Joseph Perry, and Mary Beth and Richard Murphy, event co-chairs. During the cocktail reception in the Grand Ballroom guests enjoyed Christmas carols performed by The Caroling Party.

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Tables in the International Ballroom were festively decorated in red and green holiday decor. Beside each place setting was a gift, a Santa ornament, for each guest, donated by the co-chairs. The Ken Arlen Evolution Orchestra provided a musical backdrop before and after dinner.

The co-chairs welcomed the crowd and offered opening remarks. "Next year, Catholic Charities will be celebrating its 100th anniversary. For over a century, they have been providing unbiased assistance to over 1 million people annually throughout Cook and Lake counties without regard to religious, ethnic or economic backgrounds, " shared Mary Beth Murphy. "By providing food, clothing, shelter and counseling, and other services to those in need, they bring hope to the hopeless."

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Cardinal Blase Cupich addresses the crowd at Catholic Charities' Spirit of St. Nicholas Ball at Hilton Chicago. (Chicago Tribune)

Richard Murphy spoke about "faith," the theme of the event, and shared a passage from the Bible. "The mustard seed of faith is mentioned in Scripture on a number of occasions, and the concept is so powerful. Jesus taught us that even a mustard seed can grow strong enough to move mountains. ... We all know about the difficulties organizations like Catholic Charities have to face, due to the funding crisis in Illinois. These challenges can be overwhelming, but think about the power of the mustard seed, and know that our collective faith will make a difference in the lives of so many."

Monsignor Boland, president of Catholic Charities and honorary co-chair, introduced Cardinal Cupich as "a great voice for the poor and the suffering and for those who live on the fringes of society." Cupich spoke about the patron saint of the event, St. Nicholas, who was orphaned as a young man, acquired wealth and gave away his entire inheritance to assist the poor, the sick and the suffering.

The cardinal also acknowledged the passing of Don Kent, who had served as the executive director of Catholic Charities for the last 34 years. "We lost a man who embodied the spirit of St. Nicholas. Besides the many ways he supported and contributed to Catholic Charities, he also liked to don a red suit on occasion to play Santa Claus, and now you know why I'm dressed like this tonight. ... My hope this evening is that St. Nicholas will inspire you, as we've all been inspired by Don Kent."

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, founded in 1917, is one of the largest private, not-for-profit social service agencies in the Midwest, with 164 locations throughout Lake and Cook counties.

Freelance writer Candace Jordan is involved with many local organizations, including some whose events she covers.

More coverage

Find more photos and events at www.chicagotribune.com/candidcandace. Visit Candid Candace's website at www.candidcandace.com.

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Leigh Kminek and her daughters. She has been in remission for one year. (Rob Hart / Chicago Tribune)

Bree Benz remembers the exact moment when makeup changed her life.

It was 4:30 p.m. July 1, 2015, in New York. Benz has chills just thinking about it.

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She was sitting in Monica Prata's makeup chair, and she glanced in the mirror.

Gone were any traces of masculinity from Benz's face. And a five o'clock shadow? Totally erased.

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As of 4:30 p.m., Benz was 100 percent woman, she said.

"I've always been a woman, but it's about how do I make it come to life?" asked Benz, who had been born a boy and started a hormone therapy treatment two years before the New York makeover. When she had her makeup done, she hadn't done her facial feminization surgery yet.

"But on that one appointment, she did my makeup, we found a wig and I realized that I could do this," Benz said. "And then (Prata) became crucial, at least for me, in developing the confidence needed to conform and style, and I started living full time as a woman in October. That initial appointment in July was this magic moment where I could see myself."

Cosmetics have long been used to help people look like better versions of themselves, but for a smaller group of the population, it showcases, contorts or hides deeper aspects of their lives.

This came to the forefront recently, when a state-owned Moroccan TV channel did a segment showing a makeup artist explaining how to cover domestic-violence bruises on the face of a model.

Leigh Kminek lost her eyebrows and lashes during chemotherapy and used makeup to return to her former self. (Rob Hart / Chicago Tribune)

The occasion: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

"It's a topic we lack the courage to discuss," said the smiling makeup artist as she painted makeup over the bruises of the battered woman.

An instant later, the woman went from abused and battered to smiling and fine, at least superficially.

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In a 2011 study by the High Commission for Planning, Morocco, more than 60 percent of women ages 18 to 64 were victims of violence that year alone, and 55 percent of them said their husbands beat them. Only 3 percent of these women reported the abuse.

Makeup helped, and was widely accepted and demanded to cover up the beatings, said Rothna Begum, Middle East women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"One Lebanese nurse told me how she repeatedly went to work with injuries and bruises as a result of beatings by her husband," Begum said. "Rather than her employer trying to find out how to support her, he told her she had to stop coming in with such bruises. Otherwise, she would lose her job."

Leigh Kminek with her daughters, Maisie, 5, left, and Liliana, 8, earlier this month in their home in Oak Park. (Rob Hart / Chicago Tribune)

The Middle East isn't the only place where women are using makeup to cover up their abuse, however.

There are victims in the United States and throughout other parts of the world who are covering up their beatings out of shame or because their partner forces them to use the makeup, said Ruth Glenn, executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

"You may have a victim in a workplace, where it's not acceptable, or she has a family member she hasn't disclosed it to, or she's going to church when she has a black eye, and it's not OK," Glenn said.

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But while makeup is a necessary evil in these cases for these women, it's more regularly used to enrich one's lives in a more positive manner.

Jaime Abraham, owner and makeup artist at Bride Eyes Salon in Oak Park, said she can expect at least one bridesmaid per party to ask her to use makeup to cover up a scar or bruise, though these bruises are from drunken falls or something similar, she said.

"There's always one person who has something," Abraham said.

Beyond scars, she said, she's used makeup to help clients with alopecia, with an obsessive compulsive issue that compelled her to pull out her lashes and eyebrows, and for someone with cancer.

"They all just want to feel like a typical person," Abraham said. "Or the best version of themselves."

For most of these, Abraham draws on a thicker brow, adds fake eyelashes and corrects their skin tone. (Many patients going through chemotherapy find that their skin tone gets gaunt and has a pale yellow hue, Abraham said.)

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"They always say, 'Oh my God, I feel like myself again,'" Abraham said.

That's what happened to Leigh Kminek, who saw Abraham in the midst of her treatment for breast cancer in June 2015. (She's currently in remission.)

Kminek lost her eyebrows and lashes during chemotherapy, and it was the low point during her treatment.

"It's amazing how you take for granted what eyelashes and eyebrows can do for a look," she said. "When I lost my eyelashes and brows, that's when I felt like I really looked sick."

So Abraham applied false eyelashes and brows, and did light makeup for Kminek. When she got home, her daughter's friend, who was 6 or 7 at the time, turned to her daughter to tell her how pretty her mother looked.

Kminek's instant confidence is the reason Lipstick Angels was formed.

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The nonprofit sends makeup volunteers to patients while they're getting chemotherapy infusions at hospitals (they're in four hospitals in Los Angeles and in New York, but are working to expand), and they do organic beauty treatments, including makeup.

"Sometimes, putting their makeup on and feeling dignified is the last thing on their list," said Renata Helfman, founder and executive director of Lipstick Angels.

Lipstick Angels helps them look healthy: not so dry, red and scaly, with eyebrows and eyelashes. It's a reminder of their former selves, and it gives them a burst of confidence.

Many of the women going through cancer treatments give up on makeup because they're worried about the chemicals, said Helfman, who is a professional makeup artist who formed the organization because she was feeling empty and wanted to give back. She searched for a long time to find chemical-free makeup that wouldn't disturb the skin of cancer patients. Many of them will continue using the chemical-free makeup throughout their treatment.

"It can be a strength, and they leave there feeling so much better," Helfman said. "We feel like we're part of the healing."

Danielle Braff is a freelancer.

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Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, shown Dec. 8, 2016, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, wants the Senate to investigate FBI Director James Comey. (Evan Vucci / AP)

The Clinton Democratic left has created a vast mind palace, an artificial world where they may craft a safe space, protected from post-traumatic Trump (election) disorder.

In this pleasant mind palace of theirs, where they don't have to address Democratic failings, Hillary Clinton's numerous faults and stupendous strategic blunders, two things stand out:

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The CIA is now the left's champion of truth and beauty.

And Russia, once the friend of the useful American left, is now its enemy.

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Much of this has been kick-started again by a story in The Washington Post saying that the CIA  according to anonymous sources  has concluded that Russia hacked into Democratic emails to help elect Republican Donald Trump.

The FBI, reportedly, disagrees with some findings. And the Reuters news service reports that the Office of National Intelligence, the group that oversees the U.S. spy community, will not embrace the CIA assessment for a lack of evidence.

It's also emboldened outgoing Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, the clean-faced prince of sincerity from Nevada, to all but accuse FBI Director James Comey of being a Russian agent for not publicly investigating the allegations about Russian hacking as Reid would like.

"I think (Comey) should be investigated by the Senate, he should be investigated by other agencies of the government, including the security agencies," Reid said in an interview with MSNBC. "I am so disappointed in Comey. He has let the country down for partisan purposes."

Have you no decency, senator?

And I'd like to add, "Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"

But that's been said before. And Sen. Reid knows it.

Only a short time ago, many on the left hated the CIA and thought the American intelligence service to be evil, a vast secret bureaucracy bent on destabilizing other governments and engineering foreign elections.

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And many of these who now use the CIA as their champion have long insisted that Russia was not the enemy, that the Russians were misunderstood by war-mongering conservative troglodytes bent on bankrupting the country by selling weapons to the military industrial complex.

Anyone who thought Russia was the problem was to be mocked by the media and other political wits.

"The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back," President Barack Obama famously quipped at 2012 challenger Republican Mitt Romney, who dared suggest Russia was a problem, "because ... the cold war's been over for 20 years."

Obama smirked, like some Hollywood actor playing a duelist after that final lunge of victory. And his line about Russia was repeated again and again, and fashioned by his favorite pundits into a pin.

Romney was ridiculed, left to wriggle on the pin like that spider on the board.

So the drumbeat continues for a congressional investigation. Given the seriousness of the charge, it sounds prudent to have an investigation, and Republicans and Democrats are calling for it.

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If it were up to me, I'd ask for a bipartisan commission, like the 9/11 Commission. They might even go back in time, to the Clinton-Gore Chinagate scandals of the 1990s, and lump China and Russia together, so that Americans may be primed into accepting more and more spending on defense contracts.

When China was thought to have tried to influence our politics through questionable donations to the Clinton-Gore campaign, the Democrats cried foul. During the hearings, the late Democratic Sen. John Glenn ran interference for the Clinton White House, and the old astronaut was rewarded with another trip to outer space.

Naturally, Trump angrily dismisses the CIA Russian hack story as "ridiculous."

Trump's flip response is defensive and somewhat childish, and so typically Trump.

What he should have done is welcome an inquiry and continue to go about his business building a Cabinet.

But Trump's defensiveness is also understandable, since the Democrats aren't using the Russia hack story to protect the republic. This is about Democrats  and Republicans  stripping legitimacy from the incoming president.

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None of the "hacked" and leaked emails of Clinton campaign manager John Podesta and the Democratic National Committee were said to be untrue.

Not the rigging of the Democratic primaries for Clinton, nor the cozy relationship between the Clinton campaign and the media, not the release of her secret Wall Street speeches, including one in which she dreamed of open U.S. borders.

Podesta is pleading with Democratic presidential electors to consider the CIA story before casting their final votes for president.

Vladimir Putin must be a devious fellow indeed. He's so crafty that his hacks gave the popular vote to Clinton and the Electoral College to Trump. The Electoral College  a vote of the states  is how we do things here.

It might be also useful to remember the uproar of the campaign, when during the last Clinton-Trump debate, the Republican wouldn't immediately say he'd concede if he lost the election.

That was the time when most (not all) analysts had Clinton running away with it, and they repeated again and again there was no path to victory for Trump.

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"We are a country based on laws," a horrified Clinton said. "And we've had hot, contested elections going back to the very beginning, but one of our hallmarks has always been that we accept the outcomes of our elections."

Unless, of course, reality doesn't turn out as expected, and a mind palace must be created, a place so lovely that some never leave and lock the gates from the inside.

Listen to "The Chicago Way" podcast, with guests Dan Proft and Kristen McQueary, here: http://wgnplus.com/category/thechicagoway.

jskass@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @John_Kass
A report from CPS Inspector General Nicholas Schuler's office offers the latest examples of how administrators at some schools have tried to boost graduation and attendance rates by concealing dropouts. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

Administrators at a Chicago high school for years falsely recorded hundreds of students who were truant, missing or had dropped out as transfers to home-school programs in an effort to put a better light on attendance and graduation rates, according to the annual report from the Chicago Public Schools' inspector general.

The report from Nicholas Schuler's office offers the latest examples of how administrators at some schools have tried to boost graduation and attendance rates by concealing dropouts. The report comes a year after the city tightened its criteria for counting transfers and lowered four years of citywide graduation rates.

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The changes CPS made to figuring graduation rates did not account for students listed as transfers from CPS to home-school programs, Schuler's office said. Instead, the district said it would no longer allow schools to count as "transfers" those students who leave school for GED programs, alternative schools outside the system or job training programs. Those students now are categorized as dropouts.

Schuler's office said it has urged the district again to consider re-examining its graduation rate statistics since "there is clearly a possibility that other administrators might intentionally misclassify chronically truant or dropped-out students as 'home-school transfers' as part of improper attempts to artificially inflate graduation rates."

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A CPS spokeswoman in a statement said miscoding students as home-schooled is not a widespread problem.

High school graduation rates released by the district in September showed continued improvement and a gain of more than 16 percentage points from five years ago.

The principal and two assistant principals in the high school case cited in Schuler's report have retired, according to Schuler's office. Discipline for an assistant principal and guidance counselor who participated in the "attendance-reclassification scheme" is pending, the report said.

In addition to problems with student records, Schuler's report documents a wide array of wrongdoing including theft, payroll fraud and inventory mismanagement. In two separate cases, the inspector general's office concluded that some district purchasing and hiring practices were in violation of federal and state rules and laws.

One inquiry concluded high-level CPS human resources officials allowed "a large number of newly hired employees from multiple CPS departments" to begin work before proving they were eligible to work in the country and clearing a criminal background check.

Once those employees completed that process, human resources officials would "backdate" employee start dates to show they had finished their background checks before the workers started their jobs. District officials also hired employees who didn't have academic qualifications listed as "required" on job postings.

The officials who directed those efforts no longer work for CPS, and the district has not responded to suggestions that it update its policies, the report said.

An investigation begun in 2013 found the district's Career and Technical Education office had no way to track an estimated $8.8 million worth of equipment it purchased with grant funding. The probe began when the inspector general's office saw a Craigslist advertisement for auto repair gear that allegedly was stolen from a high school.

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But the Career and Technical Education office had no inventory records for any of the equipment it purchases annually, which kept investigators from confirming whether anything was stolen and sold, the report said.

Federal and state grants that fund the technical education department require it to inventory equipment purchased with the money, Schuler's office said. The lack of records could expose the district to penalties that could include revoking the funds, according to the inspector general's report.

Schools officials told Schuler's office that the Career and Technical Education office would work with district finance, information technology and audit teams to fix the problem.

The inspector general's office received 1,356 complaints during the 2016 fiscal year covered by Wednesday's report. Investigators just opened 223 cases, which Schuler attributed to limited resources and a "continuing focus on significant and often complex issues."

There were 181 complaints in the year over residency issues. In a report released earlier this year, Schuler concluded that families that lie to get their children into elite selective-enrollment schools seldom face serious consequences.

He recommended students with false admission records be kicked out of school, a rule the school board adopted. Schuler concluded no students found to be involved in admissions fraud during the 2016 fiscal year were able to re-enroll in selective-enrollment CPS programs.

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"While the OIG is hopeful that the permanent ban instituted by the (CPS) will help to stem these types of fraud, the problem nevertheless persists and its full extent remains unknown," the report said.

There were still a number of cases where suburban families used fake addresses to get their children into Chicago's most highly regarded public schools. City families also provided false addresses to give their kids a leg up in an admissions process that takes into consideration a student's socioeconomic background, Schuler's office found.

The inspector general's report also reviews assorted cases of ethical and criminal wrongdoing, without identifying alleged offenders or schools:

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

 The head of a local vending company gave $500 in cash to a CPS charter network's facilities manager in an apparent attempt to convince the charter school to start vending contracts. The company owner said the payment was a "token" for how a charter employee resolved a "vending matter"  which the inspector general's office found to be plugging a vending machine back into an electrical socket.

The charter operator notified the Cook County State's Attorney's office about the matter, Schuler's report said, while launching its own investigation and ending its contract with the vending company.

 A former school security officer who also owns an apparel company sold $285,471 worth of uniforms and other apparel to several schools between 2010 and 2015 while he was employed at the district. That violation of district ethics policies was magnified, Schuler's office said, because the guard sold more apparel to the school he worked in than any other building and sold the school more uniforms than it needed.

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In a statement, a CPS spokeswoman said the district will look at Schuler's recommendations and take "appropriate action."

In its statement, CPS said it "has taken action and will continue to increase controls and improve accountability throughout the district, both in conjunction with these recommendations and proactively in numerous areas."

jjperez@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @PerezJr
A memorial for firefighter Daniel Capuano is placed at 9213 S. Baltimore Ave. on Dec. 14, 2016, as crews prepare for demolition of the building where he died in 2015. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

A year to the day after Chicago firefighter Daniel Capuano died, the warehouse where he suffered a fatal fall during a smoky fire is being demolished.

The razing of the property at 9213 S. Baltimore Ave. began Wednesday with the deconstruction of the building's roof, Chicago Department of Buildings spokeswoman Mimi Simon said. The move comes following a year of hearings regarding the Southeast Side property, including several held in the weeks after Capuano's death.

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The city moved to have the warehouse knocked down because of an array of code and building violations, including an open elevator shaft where Capuano, 43, fell during the Dec. 14, 2015, fire. The blaze was small but smoky, making it difficult for firefighters to see inside the building, investigators said.

Demolition of the brick warehouse was delayed, Simon said, because of "design and structural challenges" related to the building's location near railroad tracks and because it shares a wall with another building. Railroad tracks used by Metra Electric trains are located immediately to the east. The 93rd Street station is next door.

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"This was a concerted effort on behalf of the city and contractors to start demolition as soon as possible," Simon said.

The Chicago Fire Department held a memorial bell-ringing ceremony Wednesday morning at Capuano's firehouse, Engine Co. 72 on South Chicago Avenue, deputy district Chief Jeff Lyle said. Capuano was a part of Tower Ladder 34. The memorial was held during morning roll call. Bernard Farmer, a battalion chief who died Dec. 14, 1954, in a building collapse at 224 W. Illinois St. also was honored.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

After the firehouse ceremony, several firefighters visited the warehouse site where Capuano died, Lyle said.

A demolition permit for the property was issued Monday. A demolition permit for the adjacent warehouse at 9227 S. Baltimore Ave., also deemed a hazard, was issued Dec. 7.

Construction work at the site where Capuano died was unauthorized and outside the scope of building permits, according to the city's building department, which found the warehouse unsafe.

Capuano's wife filed a wrongful death suit against the company that owned the building, Anilroshi, claiming the company was negligent for having construction work done in violation of city regulations.

The family's attorney said the next hearing in the civil case is scheduled for January.

poconnell@chicagotribune.com

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Convicted in the 1960 Starved Rock slayings, Chester Weger makes his plea for parole. He is one of llinois' longest-serving inmates. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Nearly 57 years after three Riverside housewives were fatally bludgeoned, their partially nude bodies discovered in a cave at Starved Rock State Park, the man convicted of what was once considered Illinois' crime of the century is again seeking parole.

Chester Otto Weger was a 21-year-old married father with an infant son and 3-year-old daughter when he was arrested for the infamous LaSalle County slayings. As his 78th birthday nears, he's now a balding grandfather with gray hair, dentures and a list of ailments that include rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and emphysema.

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Weger is the third longest imprisoned inmate in Illinois, state corrections officials said. Once an avid outdoorsman, he adapted to his constricted life in captivity long ago. Authorities describe him in parole proceedings as a well-behaved inmate in fairly good health and of sound mind who if freed has family and friends to support him. But, given the brutal nature of the crime, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board has denied him freedom in the many times he has requested parole, dating to 1972.

In a lengthy interview in downstate Pinckneyville this month, Weger told the Chicago Tribune he is innocent, as he has maintained since his 1961 trial that ended in a life sentence. He said his detailed confessions the night of his arrest were coerced and his re-enactment that next morning at the state park  in front of a gaggle of reporters and photographers  was choreographed by the now-deceased police detectives who he said framed him.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 34 Frances Murphy, 47, from left, Mildred Lindquist, 50, Lillian Oetting, 50, left their Riverside homes in suburban Chicago for a mini vacation to Starved Rock State Park near Utica, Ill., on March 14, 1960. The women were never seen alive again. (Family photos)

Besides Weger, only a few people who played key roles in the trial are still alive.

Then a rookie assistant state's attorney, Anthony Raccuglia graduated law school about two years before he helped prosecute the case of a lifetime. Aware of the local folklore, conspiracy theories and morbid fascination that still surround the case, Raccuglia has no doubt that authorities got the right man. Besides the confession and re-enactment, he noted, Weger has offered various alibis at the time the women were attacked, from writing a letter in a lodge recreation room to getting a haircut in a nearby town.

The former prosecutor and relatives of the slain women have steadfastly opposed Weger's release.

"I want him to die in prison where he belongs," said Raccuglia, 83, a longtime private civil attorney. "If you could have seen what these ladies looked like. We couldn't even identify them. ... The only reason he's living today is because jurors believed life imprisonment meant life imprisonment."

But, the only juror known to be still alive told the Tribune she regrets her decision to convict Weger. In what she called her first interview since the trial, 92-year-old Nancy Porter said she found the confession implausible and the idea that an unarmed Weger  who stood a thin 5-foot-8  could overpower three women unlikely.

Still, after a six-week trial and hours of deliberations, Porter said she gave in to the will of the other 11 panelists.

"I was the holdout (juror)," said Porter, of LaSalle, a recently retired hospital billing clerk. "Everyone else wanted to go home and I finally said, 'Oh, OK.' I didn't change my mind, but I was getting pretty dirty looks so I gave in. I've been sorry ever since."

Porter also said a sheriff deputy in charge of sequestered female jurors broke the rules in sharing incriminating information about Weger's past and other details not allowed into evidence at trial. The jury convicted Weger but voted against the death penalty.

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The prisoner review board is expected to vote on Weger's latest parole request Thursday in the state Capitol in Springfield. For years, he failed to glean a single vote in his favor. Then, in 2012 and 2013, several board members inexplicably supported his release. Weger nearly won his freedom that latter year, when the board was locked at 7-7. With expiring terms and vacancies, members change periodically. In the past two votes, Weger has received less backing. Nine members voted in favor to deny parole last year, with only four dissenting in his favor.

If a confession or expression of remorse will win him his freedom, he'd rather die in prison, Weger told the Tribune.

"Why should I say I committed a crime that I never committed?" he said of his parole hearing. "I'll stay in prison the rest of my life to prove my innocence before I'll make any deal with any of you crooked people."

There have been many twists and turns in the case. His request for DNA tests on hair found in the victims' fists and blood on Weger's fringed leather coat was stymied in state court in 2004 after it was learned the items had not been properly preserved. In 2007, then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich denied Weger's request to either pardon him or commute his sentence to time served.

Weger told the Tribune during the Dec. 6 interview that if he ever is a free man again, he'd like to spend what time he has left with his family. That includes a daughter in LaSalle County who said she believes her father is an innocent man who has managed to stay sane while "hoping, praying that maybe one day he can go fishing again and spend time with his family."

A grisly discovery

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To escape the winter doldrums, Lillian Oetting, 50; Mildred Lindquist, 50; and Frances Murphy, 47, made the trip from their homes in suburban Riverside to the state park near Utica on March 14, 1960.

They were wives of corporate executives, mothers and active in local schools and civic groups and joined in faith through Riverside Presbyterian Church.

After the women checked into their rooms, they ate lunch in the lodge restaurant and headed out for an afternoon hike through St. Louis Canyon, a popular attraction framed by a scenic waterfall and 100-foot rock walls.

They were never seen alive again. A search for the women was organized, and a local youth camp supervisor and four teenagers discovered the badly beaten bodies that March 16 in a small cave within the canyon. The victims' hands were bound with twine. Authorities believed the killer or killers caused catastrophic head injuries by swinging a frozen tree limb found nearby and stained with blood.

Also found near the crime scene was a battered camera that belonged to one of the victims. Detectives eagerly had the film developed, hoping the women might have snapped a photo of their assailant. Instead, photos captured casual moments on the hike, as they smiled while posing together on the trail, unaware of the sad fate that awaited.

The grisly discovery touched off a media frenzy. News of the slayings traveled far, with reporters nationwide converging on LaSalle County to cover the unfathomable crime.

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In 1960, three women from Riverside were killed while visiting Starved Rock State Park in Utica, Ill. Chester Weger, who was convicted of the crime, is due to have his case heard before the Illinois Prisoner Review Board on Dec. 15, 2016. (Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

In the initial days of the investigation, police scoured the park and interviewed employees, including Weger, a young dishwasher who had worked off and on at the lodge for two years and was on duty the day of the slayings. As police worked on the case, Weger was among the employees who regularly served them food and coffee. He became a suspect early on, after co-workers reported seeing scratches and a bruise on his face.

Weger, though, was cooperative and passed lie-detector tests. Of the scratches, Weger explained he accidentally cut himself grooming his sideburns. When asked about apparent blood stains on his fringed leather jacket, the hunting enthusiast said the origin was raccoon blood and he allowed authorities to have the material analyzed.

"I was 18 when this happened," a younger sister, Mary Pruett, of Smithville, Mo., told the Tribune of her brother. "We'd be sitting there having Sunday dinner. He'd be at the table and they'd take him for questioning. He'd say, 'Don't worry about me. I didn't do it.' Whenever they wanted him to go, he went."

There were other clues that made Weger a target. The twine used to bind the victims was similar to that used in the lodge kitchen where he worked. His past also was a source of suspicion. At 21, Weger didn't have an adult criminal record but his juvenile history showed at age 12 he was accused of sexually assaulting a young girl. It's unclear from public records if Weger was convicted of the crime, in which he adamantly denies any wrongdoing.

Months before the Starved Rock killings, in a nearby park, a teenage girl reported being bound with twine and raped. Authorities investigating the deaths said Weger matched the description of the teen's assailant. Their suspicions grew, and they began nonstop surveillance on Weger in late September after they said he for the first time failed one of the lie-detector tests. Detectives interviewed him more, including an all-night interrogation. Weger finally confessed early Nov. 17, 1960, some eight months after the slayings.

Besides the murders, he also was charged with the 1959 rape at the nearby park. He denies any involvement in that crime as well.

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In his confession, which was documented that morning by a court reporter, Weger said it began with an attempted robbery when he mistook one woman's binocular straps for a purse. Weger said he initially left the women physically unharmed after they agreed to be tied up so he could make his get-away but, after one freed herself and came after him, he fatally bludgeoned all three out of fear they'd identify him. Weger also said he staged the scene by removing some of the slain women's clothing to make it appear sexually motivated.

At trial, Weger testified  and an assistant state's attorney confirmed  that a sheriff detective had told the young suspect if he did not confess he would "ride a thunderbolt," a reference to the electric chair. Weger said details in the confession came from news accounts, rumors at the lodge and police.

On his 22nd birthday, Chester Weger, is convicted of the murder of Lillian Oetting in a LaSalle County courtroom on March 3, 1961. You never know what Chester is thinking, said his attorney, John A. McNamara. Its hard to get through to him. (Jack Mulcahy / Chicago Tribune)

The two lead sheriff detectives also testified, and both denied threatening or supplying Weger with details. Prosecutors introduced as evidence the twine used to bind the victims' hands, and Weger's jacket, which a prosecution expert testified had some human blood spatter, though it could not at the time be tested further to determine if it matched the defendant or victims. The hair recovered from the women's hands was not used at trial, but an appellate attorney for Weger later said in court documents that the hair could not be linked to either Weger or the victims.

Prosecutors noted the specificity of Weger's confession, such as that he saw a red-and-white single-engine airplane fly overhead at the time of the crime  a detail police later corroborated by flight logs at nearby Ottawa Airport.

Weger was accused of all three homicides, but his 1961 trial focused only on the murder charge concerning Lillian Oetting. After the guilty verdict and life prison sentence, prosecutors opted against trying Weger for the other two women's deaths and the 1959 rape. Oetting's granddaughter, Diane, plans to attend Thursday's parole board hearing in honor of the grandmother she never knew and urge the board to keep Weger locked up.

Born in 1963, Oetting never got a chance to meet her grandmother but she's told the two share the same raspy voice, a love for hiking and all things outdoors. The granddaughter has seen the crime-scene photos but insists "that was just a body. That was not my grandmother."

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"My grandmother was an amazingly kind woman who was for civil rights before it was cool to be. She had so many friends and was involved in her community and church," said Oetting, 53, of Montgomery, Ala.

"It is definitely our wish that he serve the entire sentence that this incredible jury gave him," she said. "He was given a term of life in prison and he is still alive."

Continued speculation

At the Pinckneyville Correctional Center, seated at a table in a tight meeting room as a prison guard kept watch from the other side of a closed door, Weger maintained his innocence as he shared his life story and spoke about whether he would ever be paroled.

The third of six siblings, and only son, he moved with his family from Iowa to Illinois when he was a toddler. His father was a farmer who later worked as a painter, and though the family didn't have much money, Weger described his childhood as a happy one. He recalled hanging out in a local roller rink as a teen, as well as a restaurant called the Dairy Bar.

He dropped out of high school his sophomore year, and went AWOL from the Marines after an 18-month stint to return home, he said, to marry his pregnant girlfriend. After he went to prison, she eventually remarried, and Weger said the two never saw each other in person again. He rarely saw his children in those early years of incarceration and instead watched them grow up through photographs.

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Weger's blue eyes welled with tears when he described a vision of his father's spirit after his death that he said appeared in his prison cell.

"He just told me, 'Son, I'm in heaven and I know you're innocent.' " Weger said, fighting back emotion.

In more than five decades of incarceration, Weger estimates he's been housed in about 10 prisons "all over the state," and despite serving time in maximum-security facilities, he's never been physically harmed. He spoke about the old days, when inmates were allowed to smoke cigarettes and facilities were much more violent.

He got his GED years ago and has worked several prison jobs, he said and parole board records confirmed.

Men carry a body through a snowy path from a cave in St. Louis Canyon where three bodies were found on March 16, 1960, at Starved Rock State Park in Illinois. (Jim Mescall / Chicago Tribune)

These days, the pollen in the air bothers Weger's asthma, he said, so he mostly stays inside. He does push-ups for exercise. To keep his mind occupied, Weger said he studies the Bible, plays cards with other inmates or watches a little television. He enjoys reading about science and history.

Over the years Weger said he has had about 1,000 pen pals. It's the emotional support he receives from his family that helps keep him going, he said. And his daughter, Becky Real, of LaSalle County, puts $100 a month in his prison account to help make her dad's life a little more enjoyable.

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"My father is an innocent man who has survived all these years hoping that maybe he would be free," Real said. "The only thing he really ever talks about is the past and this crime. He's religious, but he's not going to sit in front of the parole board and have remorse for something he didn't do."

If Chester Weger is guilty, as the jury found, his words suggest he has convinced himself otherwise. He described himself as a sort of religious martyr whose life has been sacrificed for a greater good. To prove his point, Weger said he had cancer years ago and, without treatment, healed himself. He thinks he'll live well into his 90s.

"As a person who believes in Jesus Christ, I'm doing time to prove that the law is crooked," he said. "I'm doing time for Jesus, to prove he was innocent and I also am innocent. For Jesus, I would do another 50 years."

Although some of his explanations contradict earlier statements attributed to him, as documented in court records, including his alibi, there are unanswered questions that surround the 1960 Starved Rock triple murder.

Chester Weger is photographed by prison guard W.E. Woodward as Weger enters the Joliet Prison on April 4, 1961. (Steve Marino / Chicago Tribune)

For example, fueling interest in the case is the alleged deathbed confession given to a Chicago police sergeant at Rush-St. Luke's-Presbyterian Hospital. An affidavit from Sgt. Mark Gibson was submitted to the court in support of the 2004 motion for DNA tests filed by Weger's appellate defender. In the affidavit, Gibson recounts that he was called to the hospital in 1982 or 1983 because a terminally ill patient wanted to "clear her conscience."

"I went over toward her, and she grabbed ahold of my hand," the affidavit states. "She indicated that when she was younger, she had been with her friends at a state park" in Utica when "something happened." She told him things "got out of hand," multiple people were killed and "they dragged the bodies."

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Gibson could not be reached for comment but, according to the signed affidavit, the woman's daughters cut the interview short, shouting that their mother was "out of her mind" and kicked police out of her hospital room. The woman's name was not provided, and nothing further ever came of it.

Weger's request for DNA testing led to another dead-end for the defense, according to court records. After his conviction and appeals were exhausted, LaSalle County prosecutors over the years allowed school groups, civic clubs and student journalists to handle and examine the evidence. In addition, Weger's fringed leather jacket was stored in a bag with the victims' clothing, meaning their DNA likely had been transferred to the coat.

Also adding to local speculation was the 2005 suicide of an elderly LaSalle County man with family ties to the lodge. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound weeks after Weger's appellate attorney named him as a suspect in a court document. Authorities who investigated the man's death said he had just received bad news about a terminal medical condition. It was unclear if he was ever aware of the legal filing.

Porter, the surviving juror, said it certainly raised more doubt in her mind. Weger accused the man and another lodge employee of the killings, but both were interviewed by police as part of the investigation and cleared as suspects.

Raccuglia, who after eight years as a prosecutor left the office in the late 1960s, and Diane Oetting said they supported efforts for DNA testing and believe the old evidence aided by modern-day science would have proved Weger's guilt to those who remain unconvinced.

"There was always all kinds of speculation," Raccuglia said. "This was 1961. We dealt with what we had to deal with. We had everything tested that we could have tested. I'm not perfect by any means but as a reasonable person I would say no reasonable person could ever say that this kid (Weger) is not guilty. With the evidence we had inside the courtroom and outside the courtroom, it just fit."

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He was not surprised to hear Weger still maintains his innocence, adding, "He'll rot in prison rather than admit it and get out."

When Weger was asked why he would confess if innocent, Weger said he was deprived of sleep and mentally and emotionally worn down. He saw no other way out, he said.

"I wasn't afraid of no evidence to ever prove I was guilty," he told the Tribune. "I just got tired of the police harassing me day after day. They questioned me every day and they were following me everywhere I went, taking me out of my job, taking pictures of me."

Diane Oetting said she does not doubt Weger's guilt, but she will be at peace with whatever decision comes from the parole board. "We are not a vengeful family. ... If he gets out, it is our hope he has been given the tools to succeed outside of prison and lives out the rest of his life in peace."

She expressed compassion for Weger's family as well. She also has a dream: to meet her grandmother.

"Hopefully, if there's a heaven, I will someday."

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Ald. Willie B. Cochran, 20th, who has been indicted on federal charges, attends the last City Council meeting of the year Dec. 14, 2016, at City Hall in Chicago. Cochran was charged with 11 counts of wire fraud, two counts of extortion and two counts of bribery, the most serious of which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted. He left the meeting early. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

Willie Cochran was running for 20th Ward alderman as a political unknown a decade ago when he vowed to steer clear of the graft and corruption that had ensnared so many Chicago politicians over the years.

"Most people in the ward are tired of our public officials being embroiled in one controversy after another," Cochran, a former Chicago police officer, told the Tribune on the day incumbent Ald. Arenda Troutman was indicted on charges of taking kickbacks from contractors.

But instead of cleaning up the sleaze, Cochran was charged by federal authorities with being yet another corrupt Chicago alderman.

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The 15-count indictment announced Wednesday alleged the South Side alderman stole tens of thousands of dollars in charitable contributions meant for poor children and seniors in the largely impoverished ward, funds he later used to gamble and pay for a portion of his daughter's college tuition.

Using the broad powers that aldermen enjoy over business deals in their wards, Cochran also shook down a liquor store manager in exchange for his support on an ordinance change and took a bribe in connection with a federal program to clean up vacant eyesores, the charges alleged.

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Cochran, 64, was charged with 11 counts of wire fraud, two counts of extortion and two counts of bribery, the most serious of which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted. He is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 23 at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.

In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon said the investigation arose from information provided by former Chicago Legislative Inspector General Faisal Khan, who 13 months ago turned over his files to the FBI after aldermen eliminated his post, complaining of his judgment and overreach.

Khan told the Tribune on Wednesday that Cochran's indictment "vindicated our work." He expressed hope that more federal charges could result from his work, saying, "We referred a number of investigations to the FBI."

The charges come two months after the Tribune first revealed that a federal grand jury was investigating Cochran for possible misuse of funds.

The Tribune broke the news of the indictment Wednesday morning as Cochran attended the final City Council meeting of the year. Minutes later, Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, walked over to Cochran, showed him his iPad and spoke quietly to him for a couple of minutes while the council was busy honoring the Chicago Cubs with the World Series trophy at the front of chambers.

In a text message to a Tribune reporter later Wednesday, Cochran vowed to continue to stay on as alderman while under indictment. He said he and his attorney, Thomas Anthony Durkin, would work with the U.S. attorney's office "to provide the clarity that is needed to get this matter resolved."

"I can say my colleagues and the people of the 20th Ward are strong supporters for my family, and I am confident this will be resolved," he wrote.

Durkin later said the alderman intends to fight the charges vigorously.

The indictment again exposed the risk of aldermen leveraging their extensive powers  in this case over real estate development and liquor licenses  for bribery.

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According to the charges, Cochran was the sole signatory on the 20th Ward activities fund, a charity set up to host ward events and parties for constituents such as a summer back-to-school picnic, a Valentine's Day party for senior citizens and events during the holiday season.

Cochran was charged with using "a significant portion" of the donations made over more than four years for his own personal use, including paying $5,000 toward his daughter's college tuition. He also withdrew about $25,000 from ATMs in or near casinos where he gambled, according to the indictment.

In October, a real estate developer told the Tribune that the FBI had questioned him about a donation to Cochran for the ward fund.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told them," said the developer, who asked for anonymity. "I gave him a check, I think it was for a couple hundred dollars. ... What he did with it, I have no clue."

On Wednesday, another businessman who said he testified before the grand jury investigating Cochran told the Tribune he had written several checks to the alderman over recent years  some for as much as $300 or $500.

"I wrote a check to him for a fundraiser for kids going back to school," said the businessman, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because federal authorities had not authorized him to talk.

"I was shocked really," he said of the charges against Cochran. "He's always been a straight-up guy."

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According to the indictment, Cochran also solicited a $1,500 check from an attorney  identified only as Individual A  who represented real estate developers with properties in Cochran's ward in connection with a federal program to get boarded-up or foreclosed properties occupied as soon as possible.

Prosecutors charged that in 2010 and 2011 Cochran provided letters of support to the attorney about a particular real estate project. The unidentified project was completed in 2014.

In 2015, Cochran took a $3,000 cash bribe from a liquor store owner  identified as Individual B  in exchange for his support of an ordinance amending the municipal code to allow liquor sales in a two-block stretch of South Cottage Grove Avenue in the 20th Ward, the charges alleged. The owner wanted to sell the business, but the area had since gone "dry," and the amendment was needed for the buyer to continue to sell liquor there.

The amendment was passed by the City Council in April 2015.

But in a twist earlier this year while Cochran was being investigated, the alderman proposed a new ordinance to again prohibit the sale of packaged liquor on that same stretch of Cottage Grove. The council approved that change in October.

Individual B, identified by the Tribune through property records as the seller of the Cottage Grove liquor store in August 2015, declined to comment when a reporter knocked on his west suburban home Wednesday evening.

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Cochran had taken similar action with his campaign fund. State records show that since January 2015 the alderman has filed an unusually large number of revisions to his campaign finance paperwork  around 80, including 10 since early last month. Over the previous eight years, Cochran had filed only six amendments to his campaign records.

In some of the amended campaign finance reports, Cochran revealed he had paid himself out of his campaign fund. In several instances, Cochran did not report those payments until well after he filed his campaign reports with state elections officials  in some cases more than a year or two later.

But the indictment against Cochran makes no allegations that he misused his campaign fund.

The City Council has a long, notorious history of corruption as 29 aldermen have been convicted of crimes related to their official duties since 1972. The most recent, Isaac "Ike" Carothers, pleaded guilty in 2010 to bribery and tax charges for accepting $40,000 in home improvements for backing a developer's controversial project in his 29th Ward. His father, William, a former alderman, was convicted 27 years earlier.

Cochran was elected in 2007 after Troutman was charged with bribery for soliciting donations from developers seeking to do business in the ward. Cochran was quick to capitalize on the news, publicly calling for Troutman to resign on the day she was arrested by the FBI.

Troutman pleaded guilty in 2008 and was sentenced to four years in prison.

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Federal authorities have hinted at other investigations connected to City Hall . In August, Franshuan Myles, the head of a nonprofit group that allegedly made a $5,000 payment to a West Side alderman, pleaded not guilty to charges alleging she used state grant funds to cover personal expenses instead of providing summer jobs for youth. Charges alleged that Myles, president and executive director of Divine Praise Inc., wrote a check for $4,932 to "Individual A," previously identified by the Tribune as 28th Ward Ald. Jason Ervin , after her group received a $60,000 grant for youth employment. Ervin has not been charged with wrongdoing.

Cochran, who is considered an ally of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, does not hold any position of power  such as a committee or caucus chairmanship  in the council hierarchy.

He won a third term in office last year, surviving a tough runoff election. After that victory, Cochran told reporters he and his wife were going to celebrate by flying to Las Vegas and renting a convertible for a West Coast road trip.

According to the biography posted on his ward's website, Cochran is the youngest of 10 children. He has a master's degree in public administration from the Illinois Institute of Technology and also has a bachelor's degree in sociology. Cochran retired from the Chicago Police Department with the rank of sergeant in 2003 after 26 years on the force.

Court records hint at recent financial troubles for Cochran. He has been the target of three foreclosure lawsuits over his personal home and laundry businesses he held a financial stake in.

Cochran, who is paid $116,208 a year as alderman and also collects $60,280 annually from his police pension, suggested in late 2014 that aldermen should be paid more, saying he often works 60 hours a week or more.

Days later, he was hit with a foreclosure lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court claiming he had defaulted on the $420,000 mortgage on his Woodlawn home, according to court records. He still owed more than $384,000 on the mortgage as of November 2014, records showed.

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The foreclosure was dismissed in July 2015 "due to the fact that the loan was reinstated," court records state.

Records show it was the second time Cochran and his wife had faced foreclosure stemming from the same 2006 loan. A similar lawsuit was filed in 2012 and then dismissed months later after the loan was renegotiated, according to court records.

In 2013, Cochran, who for years owned the Rainbow Brite laundromat on East 63rd Street, was named in a foreclosure lawsuit involving a string of laundromats he had a financial stake in, according to court records. That lawsuit alleged that the business owner, Alexander Fletcher, had defaulted on a $1.5 million loan involving several laundromats. It was dismissed in 2014.

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Chicago Tribune's John Byrne contributed.

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Thirty Chicago aldermen have pleaded guilty or been convicted of crimes related to official duties since 1972. Several other former aldermen, including Edward "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak and Democratic stalwart William Beavers, were convicted of crimes after leaving the City Council.

Charges related to aldermanic duties

Pleaded guilty 2019 Willie Cochran 20th ward Cochran was sentenced to one year in prison by U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso on June 24, 2019, for using his ward charity fund like his personal piggy bank, including to pay for gambling trips, fancy meals and accessories for his Mercedes. Federal prosecutors dropped 14 of the 15 counts against Cochran, including the most serious charges alleging the alderman shook down businessmen in exchange for his supports on deals in his 20th Ward, after he pleaded guilty in March 2019. A former Chicago police officer elected to the City Council in 2007, Cochran was indicted in December 2016 on an array of charges, including extortion and bribery.

Pleaded not guilty 2019 Edward Burke 14th ward After his office was raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Nov. 29, 2018, federal prosecutors charged Burke in January 2019 with attempted extortion. A 14-count indictment on May 30, 2019, expanded the corruption allegations against the 75-year-old, accusing him of abusing his City Hall clout to extort private legal work from companies and individuals doing business with the city. In his 50 years in politics, the 75-year-old Southwest Side alderman had been under federal scrutiny several times before, but never previously convicted or indicted.

Pleaded guilty 2010 Isaac "Ike" Carothers 29th ward To bribery and tax charges in a zoning case. His alderman father, William, was convicted 27 years earlier.

Pleaded guilty 2008 Arenda Troutman 20th ward To fraud after admitting she solicited donations from developers seeking to do business.

Convicted 1999 Percy Giles 37th ward Pocketing $10,000 in bribes from a government mole and extorting an additional $81,200.

Convicted 1998 Virgil Jones 15th ward Pocketing two payoffs totaling $7,000.

Pleaded guilty 1998 Lawrence Bloom 5th ward To filing a false income tax return and admitted pocketing $14,000 from an FBI mole.

Convicted 1998 John Madrzyk 13th ward Paying $33,764 to his daughter-in-law, who didn't work for Madrzyk's committee.

Sentenced 1997 Jesse Evans 21st ward Accepting $7,300 in bribes, extorting $10,000 and a new basement floor.

Convicted 1997 Joseph Martinez 31st ward Accepting pay for three no-work, ghost-payroll jobs at City Hall.

Pleaded guilty 1996 Allan Streeter 17th ward To taking $37,020 in bribes from a government mole and an undercover FBI agent.

Pleaded guilty 1996 Ambrosio Medrano 25th ward To taking $31,000 from a mole and placing two associates in no-work jobs on a city committee. Medrano was found guilty in 2013 in a separate corruption scheme.

Convicted 1993 Fred Roti 1st ward Taking $10,000 to influence a court case and $7,500 to support a ward zoning change.

Pleaded guilty 1989 Marian Humes 8th ward To taking $6,000 from Hutchinson to help contractors and $5,000 from an FBI mole.

Convicted 1988 Perry Hutchinson 9th ward In an insurance-fraud scheme. Then, in 1989, he pleaded guilty to taking $42,200 from an FBI mole.

Pleaded guilty 1987 Chester Kuta 31st ward To income tax evasion, fraud and civil rights violation.

Convicted 1987 Wallace Davis Jr. 27th ward Accepting a $5,000 bribe, forcing his niece to pay $11,000 in kickbacks and extorting $3,000.

Pleaded guilty 1987 Clifford Kelley 20th ward To charges that he accepted $36,500 for lucrative city work.

Convicted 1983 Louis Farina 36th ward Conspiring to extort $7,000 from contractors to help them obtain city building permits.

Convicted 1983 Tyrone Kenner 3rd ward Accepting $15,500 to help more than a dozen people become sheriff's deputies or electricians.

Convicted 1983 William Carothers 28th ward Extorting as much as $32,500 from Bethany Hospital builders to remodel his ward office.

Pleaded guilty 1980 Stanley Zydlo 26th ward Paying $1,000 to alter two relatives' test results for a Fire Department physical entrance exam.

Pleaded guilty 1975 Edward Scholl 41st ward Taking $6,850 in bribes from a contractor to permit zoning changes in his ward.

Pleaded guilty 1975 Donald Swinarski 12th ward Accepting $7,800 in three bribes to approve zoning changes in his ward.

Convicted 1974 Paul Wigoda 49th ward Taking a $50,000 bribe in exchange for his support for a zoning change in a nearby ward.

Convicted 1974 Thomas Keane 31st ward Fraud and conspiracy for aiding a scheme to buy and sell tax-delinquent property at inflated prices.

Convicted 1974 Frank Kuta 23rd ward Accepting a $1,500 bribe on a zoning case (Preceded Potempa).

Pleaded guilty 1973 Joseph Potempa 23rd ward Accepting $3,000 for zoning changes and failing to report $9,000 on income tax returns.

Convicted 1973 Casimir Staszcuk 13th ward Accepting three bribes totaling $9,000 to back zoning changes.

Convicted 1973 Joseph Jambrone 28th ward Accepting payoffs of $4,000 and $1,000 to support zoning changes.

Pleaded guilty 1972 Fred Hubbard 2nd ward Embezzling nearly $100,000 from a federally funded jobs program.

Charges not related to aldermanic duties

Pleaded guilty 2013 Sandi Jackson 7th ward Prosecutors say she was involved in most of her husband's, Jesse Jackson Jr.'s, illicit spending and did not declare about $600,000 in taxable income. She pleaded guilty to one felony count of filing false U.S. income tax returns.

Convicted 2013 William Beavers 7th ward Failing to pay taxes on hundreds of thousands of dollars he took out of his campaign fund and used for gambling and other personal expenses.

Pleaded guilty 2008 Ed Vrdolyak 10th ward Pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud but didn't agree to cooperate with federal authorities in a scheme to collect a $1.5 million fee when Rosalind Franklin University went to sell a Gold Coast property. In 2016, Vrdolyak pleaded not guilty to charges alleging he obstructed an IRS investigation into a secret deal he cut in the 1990s to pocket millions of dollars from the massive tobacco lawsuit settlement without doing any work.

Pleaded guilty 2006 James Laski 23rd ward For taking nearly $50,000 in bribes to steer city business to trucking companies run by his friends. Laski, a former City Clerk, also told federal investigators he was involved in ghost payrolling while an alderman in the early 1990s.

Sources: Tribune reporting, International City/County Management Association, news reports
Lionel White, who said he was beaten and framed on drug charges by Sgt. Ronald Watts and his team in 2006, had his conviction overturned Dec. 14, 2016. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

Cook County prosecutors moved on Wednesday to dismiss the drug conviction of Lionel White  the latest case tainted by the corruption of former Chicago police Sgt. Ronald Watts and his team.

The Tribune featured White's plight in a story Wednesday. Even though he had proclaimed from the beginning that Watts had framed him, White agreed to plead guilty to a five-year sentence in June 2006 to avoid a potential life sentence if he went to trial. He ended up spending about 2 1/2 years in prison.

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White's lawyer, Joshua Tepfer, said prosecutors agreed to toss the conviction "in the interests of justice." Judge Leroy Martin, the presiding judge at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, then entered the order.

White marks the third defendant framed by Watts to have his conviction dismissed, and more cases could emerge over the coming year. Last month, lawyers with the University of Chicago's Exoneration Project filed a petition  which prosecutors say they will not oppose  asking Martin to appoint a special master to pore through hundreds of previous convictions involving Watts and his team to determine if there was evidence of police wrongdoing.

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"We feel extremely confident that there's many, many others," Tepfer said. "This was a routine practice of framing people in South Side housing projects for over a decade."

In a court filing, Tepfer cited recently released law enforcement records showing that at the time White was arrested, Watts was the target of a wide-ranging federal investigation into allegations he was systematically shaking down drug dealers at the Ida B. Wells public housing complex on the South Side for protection money and pinning bogus cases on those who would not play ball.

Watts and another officer under his command, Kallatt Mohammed, were sent to federal prison in 2013 for stealing money from a drug courier who'd been working as an FBI informant.

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While Watts and Mohammed resigned from the department before pleading guilty, the review could be problematic for City Hall because at least five other officers who were part of Watts' team are still on the force, including one who has since been promoted to sergeant and another accused in a federal lawsuit of shooting a teen in the back without justification three years ago.

White claimed in a sworn affidavit filed in September that he'd been warned by Watts not to sell any narcotics in the Ida B. Wells building where he lived because the territory belonged to another drug dealer.

According to the affidavit, Watts entered White's apartment in early 2006 with other officers, handcuffed White and a friend together and searched the residence but found no drugs. White said in the affidavit that as Watts was leaving, he warned him that "if he ever catch me wrong, I was gonna pay."

A few weeks later, Watts returned with another officer, Alvin Jones, beat White and searched his apartment again, White said in the affidavit.

"I was really scared," White said in the sworn statement. "At some point, I ran to the window and screamed for help because I wanted someone to witness what was going on. Jones grabbed me and started beating me some more."

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sschmadeke@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @SteveSchmadeke
A Cook County judge ruled Tuesday that an eyewitness in the Hadiya Pendleton slaying can be questioned in court to clarify the strength of his proposed testimony.

The eyewitness, Ronald Evans, is on parole for a federal fraud scheme he joined in with his former wife who was the police chief in Country Club Hills.

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At issue is whether Evans identified the actual white sedan allegedly used as a getaway vehicle in Hadiya's killing  or said he simply saw a car of that make and model leaving the scene.

Hadiya's slaying  as she took shelter from the rain in Harsh Park after finishing her finals at King College Prep High School in January 2013  shocked the nation a week after she had performed at President Barack Obama's second inauguration festivities. The 15-year-old honor student became a national symbol of Chicago's gang violence.

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Evans, who lived across the street from Harsh Park, told police after the shooting that he heard gunshots and saw a black male he could not identify running away with a gun in his hand. The man got into a "dirty" white Nissan parked in an alley on 44th Place near Oakenwald Avenue, Evans said.

Authorities have alleged Micheail Ward and co-defendant Kenneth Williams belonged to a Gangster Disciples faction known as SUWU and were driving through the turf of the 4-6 Terror, a rival faction with whom they were at war, looking for rivals to shoot. Ward confessed to police he had felt pressured by Williams, a higher-ranking SUWU, to open fire into the park, a 4-6 Terror hangout. He fired six shots, striking Hadiya in the back and wounding two other students.

Chicago police Officer Frank Casale testified at a court hearing last year that police drove Evans by Ward's home days after Hadiya's slaying to see whether he could identify a white sedan as the one used by the gunman.

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Casale testified that Evans told him: "That's the car. That's the same color, same wheels, same everything."

Last summer, though, Evans told Ward's lawyer, Julie Koehler, an assistant public defender, and an investigator that he had told police only that the white sedan outside Ward's home was the same color and model. Evans was unable to say whether it was the same car used by the gunman, Koehler said.

Prosecutors on Tuesday said they would agree that this would be Evans' testimony and argued a hearing wasn't needed, but Judge Nicholas Ford ruled that Evans, now a UPS worker living in Nevada, can be questioned next month. It could have an impact on whether the judge reconsiders allowing Ward's confession to be heard at trial.

Evans pleaded guilty in August 2013 to one count of money laundering and wire fraud for his role in the fraud scheme. He and former wife Regina Evans misused $917,000 from a state job-training grant to help remodel their home, travel to Las Vegas, and distribute cash to their friends and family.

Evans completed a one-year prison sentence, while his wife is still serving a five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to fraud as well as obstruction of justice, witness tampering and conspiracy to obstruct justice in a separate case.

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sschmadeke@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @SteveSchmadeke
Former Ald. Sandi Jackson filed a request for a divorce from ex-U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in Washington, D.C., last month, and is asking for sole custody of the children and alimony because she "does not have the ability to be fully self-supporting," according to court records.

Jackson Jr. filed paperwork showing an intention to file for divorce in July, according to Cook County court records and his attorney, Barry Schatz. He filed a formal divorce petition Monday in Cook County, citing irreconcilable differences after 25 years of marriage.

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Schatz said an Illinois court will hear arguments on whether it has jurisdiction first, since he and his client filed first in July. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 4, he said.

Jackson Jr, 51, in his filing requests that the couple's children "reside with him, subject to Sandi's exercise of reasonable parenting time."

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Sandi Jackson's divorce petition was filed in Washington, D.C., Superior Court in November. Jackson, 53, also is seeking full custody of the couple's two children, ages 16 and 12, in addition to child support and alimony. Her attorney did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday evening.

The couple was married June 1, 1991, in Chicago.

nmoreno@chicagotribune.com
A 40-year-old man was critically injured in an Uptown crash early Wednesday, police said.

Police officers in the area witnessed his truck hit a tree in the 4600 block of North Broadway just after 2:05 a.m., according to a police media notification.

Fire Department officials extracted him from the truck, and he was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition.

Chicago police Major Accidents Investigation unit is investigating the crash.
Andy Thayer of the Uptown Tent City Organizers and the Gay Liberation Network speaks during a press conference outside of a North Side Housing & Supportive Services transitional housing shelter in the Preston Bradley Center Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, in Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. The shelter, which is just a few blocks from the Lawrence Avenue viaduct where many homeless people are living in tents, will be closed if it doesn't get funding from the city. (Erin Hooley, Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Wearing a black beanie, long black coat and black boots, Maria Murray, 41, stood in front of an Uptown shelter in the freezing weather with community members and activists, begging the city and its leadership to help the many homeless people facing the bitter winter ahead.

Murray has been homeless since 2013 after getting out of an abusive relationship. But despite having a college degree, she has struggled to find work and has been living under the Lawrence Avenue viaduct for the past two years. She shares a tent with her husband, who is also homeless.

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North Side Housing and Supportive Services operates the 72-bed shelter at the Preston Bradley Center, which offers transitional housing services for men and programs such as counseling and job training.

Murray's husband credits the shelter with saving his life during cold nights. However, the shelter will be closed Dec. 23, which activists labeled a result of political failure on all levels, from governor to aldermen. The shelter aims to finish transitioning clients to other programs by the end of the week.

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"We are appealing today for a one-to-one replacement for every single bed, the 72 beds that are going to be lost at this shelter," said Andy Thayer, an activist with the Uptown Tent City and Gay Liberation Network. "We demand that the homeless in Uptown not freeze to death. Because the kind of temperatures that we're going to have are just that  life-threatening temperatures."

More snow and single-digit temperatures are forecast in the next week.

Uptown Tent City is a coalition of homeless residents and activists advocating for supplies, services and support for people living under the Lake Shore Drive viaducts at Lawrence, Wilson and Montrose avenues.

Thayer said the shelter needs $100,000 to stay open in 2017, which he and other activists believe could be easily allocated.

According to the city of Chicago's 2016 Homeless Count and Survey, 5,889 homeless people lived in the city of Chicago. Of those people, 79 percent were located within shelters and 21 percent were unsheltered. The survey was done on the night of Jan. 26 by local government entities, local police and advocacy groups, service providers and more than 400 volunteers and staff, according to the report.

The count found that the homeless population in Chicago was the lowest in more than 10 years and the visibility of homelessness is increasing because homeless people are living in places where there used to be few or no homeless people.

Jean Darling, senior minister at People's Church of Chicago, criticized state government for not being able to pass a budget and called for more affordable housing.

The state has been at a budget impasse for nearly two years, creating a myriad of funding challenges and cuts for organizations from public schools to social services.

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"It's time for our elected leaders to do the right thing, to find the money," Darling said. "It's there. Find the money that will allow us to care for the most vulnerable among us."

However, Ald. James Cappleman, 46th, said in a statement that he did not know the organization was unable to raise $100,000 until the organization had already decided to close the shelter. Cappleman said he had reached out to the commissioner of the Department of Family Support Services, the mayor's office, and state and federal officials to explore funding options.

"I regularly speak with the mayor's office and my colleagues on City Council about our dire need to increase the number of Low Income Housing Trust Fund dollars and units to provide rental subsidies to people earning little to no income so people are not living under viaducts and on the street," Cappleman said in the statement. "My number one priority is helping connect our most vulnerable residents with immediate shelter and housing this winter."

In the past five years, there has been a dramatic decrease in shelters and emergency shelter beds, said Richard Ducatenzeiler, executive director of the North Side Housing and Supportive Services. Not having enough money is not a good excuse when new, expensive projects are being announced, Ducatenzeiler said.

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"At some point or another the city will have to prioritize funding on these kinds of services," Ducatenzeiler said. These are basic needs that need to be taken care of or else everything else is going to fall apart."

Other shelters operate in the Uptown area but not all of them are open 24 hours every day. The city of Chicago funds nine overnight or emergency 12-hour shelters and 42 interim shelters, which are open 24 hours, according to Jennifer Rottner, director of communications for the Department of Family and Support Services.

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Rottner wrote in an email that the closure of the shelter will not affect current clients because they are being placed in other shelters.

Murray hopes more people will be aware of the difficulties homeless people face in the wintertime and that elected officials will take action quickly.

"I think we need to take a different approach," Murray said. "If this is going to continue, some people are going to die anonymously."

gwong@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @GraceWong630
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks to the media after a meeting at Trump Tower on December 7, 2016 in New York City. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield.

Topspin

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is set Wednesday to endorse the weakening of one of his signature anti-tobacco initiatives at the final City Council meeting of 2016.

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Aldermen will vote on a plan to allow the sale of flavored tobacco products like menthol cigarettes and candy-flavored cigars within 500 feet of Chicago grade schools. The Emanuel-backed change is a reversal of the 2013 rule that prohibited those sales, which the mayor then called "a serious thing we're going to do to protect our kids" from addictive products big tobacco companies use to get them hooked at a young age.

The rollback is being pushed hard by gas station and convenience store owners and aldermen who complain stores are going out of business in their neighborhoods because of the revenue lost from the flavored tobacco sales. The mayor's office called the proposed amendment, which passed the Finance Committee Monday, "a fair compromise with aldermen on issues important to their communities, while preventing any setback on the progress we've made in protecting youth from tobacco use."

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Flavored tobacco sales will still be prohibited within 500 feet of high schools. And the new standards would prohibit any new tobacco sales licenses from being issued within 500 feet of a Chicago high school, effectively making such stores now operating within the boundaries the last ones that can sell the products  unless the regulations are changed again. That could help the mayor try to frame the amended guidelines as a continuation of his tough anti-tobacco stance.

Also on Wednesday's agenda, the council is expected to approve over $9 million in settlements for two police shooting lawsuits and another suit filed by a group of women who complained a physical strength test used for hiring at the Chicago Fire Department was discriminatory.

And aldermen are almost certain to create a $1.3 million "legal protection fund" to help undocumented immigrants fighting possible deportation, an opportunity for them and Emanuel to again bolster their bona fides as opponents of President-elect Donald Trump's immigration plans. (John Byrne)

What's on tap

*Mayor Emanuel will preside over the City Council meeting.

*Gov. Bruce Rauner is in Springfield, scheduled to talk criminal justice reform during the noon hour before appearing at an Illinois Department of Transportation event in the early afternoon and at a food bank in the early evening.

*The Cook County Board meets.

What we're writing

*Rauner's GOP launches 2018 governor's race with robocalls attacking Democrat Pritzker.

*Emanuel's police hiring plan at odds with his record; CPD shrank by 600 or so during his tenure.

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*Watchdog: Chicago police can't tell which officers access city surveillance cameras.

*Mayor Emanuel to attend chiefs of staff meeting in D.C.

*Why one alderman voted against Emanuel's immigrant legal fund.

What we're reading

*Suffering in Secret update: Judge demands group home business hand over residents, cites risk of 'injury.'

*"It was horrible," woman testifies at sex assault trial of ex-NIU cop.

*Explosion in Florida leads to "looming" holiday shortage in canned whipped cream.

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From the notebook

*The state will be watching from above: The Illinois Department of Transportation says it has new helpers to keep an eye on roads and bridges: drones.

The agency announced Tuesday it recently purchased two drones to test out ways the technology can help with everything from inspecting bridges, mapping roads and tracking the progress of construction projects. The department also is experimenting with live video so drones could provide real time footage to help determine how to respond to emergency situations.

Officials say they hope the devices will cut costs and improve employee safety by taking the place of workers in high-risk situations. The combined cost for the two drones was $8,800 said spokesman Guy Tridgell, who said potential savings could be "significant."

"It means less staff you have to have in the field, fewer vehicles you have to have in the field and fewer lane closures for the traveling public," Tridgell said. (Monique Garcia)

Follow the money

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*Ald. Ed Burke, 14th, reported $12,000 over two filings, via eight $1,500 donations.

*Democratic state Rep. Lou Lang reports $9,500 in contributions, including a $5,000 donation from MZI Group, a Chicago-based company that does electrical construction work.

*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.

Beyond Chicago

*The perfect weapon: How Russian cyberpower invaded the U.S.

*Trump's choice for secretary of state has close ties to Russia, raising concerns.

*Oklahoma court tosses abortion law on hospital privileges.

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*Syria to evacuate Aleppo in surrender deal; Russia declares military action over.
News / National

by Staff reporter

China must persuade President Robert Mugabe to step down and hand over power as part of strategies to prevent a potential civil war and protect the Asian economic giant's over $10 billion investment in Zimbabwe, a top Chinese expert has said.Beijing Normal University School of Social Development and Public Policy lecturer Wang Xinsong last week warned China to tread carefully when dealing with the fragile State, which could be thrown into chaos if President Robert Mugabe dies in office.This comes as market watchers contend that although Zanu-PF insists Mugabe will be its presidential candidate in the next elections in 2018, there's a growing belief that the 92-year-old's rule is nearing its end.As Mugabe - who has led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980 and presided over an economic meltdown that has left an estimated 95 percent of the workforce jobless and driven as many as 3,5 million people into exile - enters his twilight stage, the country is facing rising poverty and protests.A power struggle in the ruling party to succeed him pits one faction (G40) backing his wife Grace and another, Team Lacoste, coalescing around Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a former spy chief.Xinsong said letting G40 and Team Lacoste fight each other in a post-Mugabe scenario "would be too risky," hence the need for smooth power transfer."Rather, through negotiation and economic leverage, China may try to ensure a peaceful power transition while the aging president is still active enough to make such an important decision. The question is who will receive China's support. Some reports argue that Mnangagwa, who received his ideological and military training in Beijing and Nanjing in the 1960s, may be China's preference, but at this moment, the black box is still closed," Xinsong said.The Chinese expert, who specialises in Chinese politics and China's role in international development, noted that the Asian giant's existing investments and future interests in a failing Zimbabwe would all come to an end if the secession issue is not resolved."The potentially worst scenario for China is a ruler-less Zimbabwe, with neither of the Zanu-PF factions winning over each other, a destructive but weak opposition party force, uncontrollable social turmoil, and the military stepping in politics. In that case, it would take years for the country to recover a functional government to run the economy," he said.The associate professor said China has the moral standing to direct Zimbabwe's path as the Asian nation did not hesitate to grow economic and political connections with Zimbabwe despite the southern African country's uncertainties."In fact, while Zimbabwe was under European Union and United States sanctions for its refusal to allow European Union observers in the 2002 election and for its brutal handling of protesters, China invested in at least 128 projects in the country from 2000 to 2012," he said.Information gathered by this publication shows that Zimbabwe is among the top three Chinese investment destinations in Africa, attracting a total foreign direct investment of more than $600 million in 2013.Moreover, China was Zimbabwe's largest trading partner in 2015, buying 27,8 percent of the country's exports. Chinese companies have also been actively engaged in contractor services in telecommunication, construction, irrigation, and power.China's brotherly relationship with Zimbabwe dates back to the liberation war era.Zanu, the predecessor of Zanu-PF, received China's financial and military sponsorship in its fighting with the rival faction supported by the Soviet Union.After independence, China continued to offer support to the Zimbabwean government, building a national stadium, hospitals, and power stations, and providing 35 percent of Zimbabwe's imported arms from 1980-1999.In 2012, China donated $150 million worth of grain to help several Zimbabwean communities that were suffering from a famine.More recently, China pledged $46 million to build a new Parliament for Zimbabwe as a gift.During his visit to Zimbabwe in December 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping called China Zimbabwe's "all-weather" friend, and committed multi-billion-dollar energy and infrastructure projects, including a$1 billion loan to finance the expansion of Zimbabwe's largest thermal power plant.To be sure, China has been a benefactor of its political and economic ties with Zimbabwe. China's yuan or renminbi (RMB) is adopted as a legal currency in Zimbabwe, which may help pave the way for the RMB's internationalisation, or if not, at least Africanisation, as China's currency has been given more weight in several African nations' currency reserves.Xinsong said with little competition from other foreign investors except South Africa, and with the support of Mugabe-led Zanu-PF, China has been able to take advantage of the Zimbabwean agricultural industry, which has huge potential but awaits capital injection.For example, Tianze, a Chinese tobacco company established by the China Tobacco Import and Export Corporation in 2005, has given $100 million worth of interest-free loans to Zimbabwean farmers for tobacco production."Recently, more Chinese companies have invested in big tobacco farms that have been underworked by their owners, usually Mugabe's cronies who were given the farms after their being seized from the white owners in 2000," he said.Zimbabwe is the fifth-largest tobacco exporting country in the world and China has the largest number of cigarette users on earth, buying 54 percent of Zimbabwe's tobacco annually.
Anna Valencia will be the next Chicago city clerk. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel appointed Valencia, a 31-year-old director in his administration, on Dec. 14, 2016, after former Clerk Susana Mendoza was sworn in as Illinois comptroller this month. (City of Chicago )

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Wednesday that he's picked his 31-year-old liaison to the City Council to take over as city clerk.

The selection of Anna Valencia to replace new Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza honors a decade-long tradition at City Hall of the clerk being a Hispanic office. And if Emanuel chooses to run again in 2019, which is looking increasingly likely, it adds diversity to a citywide ticket also likely to include Treasurer Kurt Summers, who is African American.

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Valencia has been the mayor's director of legislative counsel and government affairs. In that role, she works to build aldermanic support for Emanuel's agenda.

As clerk, Valencia will be visible to most Chicagoans as the person who runs the city vehicle sticker program. Emanuel said she also will be in charge of a new municipal ID program meant to provide a way for undocumented immigrants and homeless people to get city services.

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Talking with Emanuel to reporters following the City Council meeting, Valencia noted it was her "very first press conference." She thanked the mayor "for this incredible opportunity to do even more to serve and improve the lives of Chicagoans."

"I also would like to thank Susana Mendoza for blazing a trail for women like myself and laying out a vision of what this office can accomplish for the people of Chicago," Valencia added. "She has worked hard and tirelessly to bring transparency and common sense reforms to this office, and I will continue to build on those."

Emanuel said Valencia "has all the qualities and the desire that are necessary to take the clerk's office into the next phase of its reform" and described his meeting with her about the job.

"You cannot rest on those reforms," the mayor said he told her. "I asked her with the new (ID) card that we're going to be issuing for undocumented, to expand the definition. I want to see this card maybe help homeless youth. I want to see this card in its roll out, to see if it can't ultimately be used for ex-offenders coming back into society, how they may be able to better access services."

Valencia began her career with the city as an assistant to Emanuel as a part of the Legislative Counsel and Government Affairs office.

Since then, she also has worked in politics outside City Hall. Valencia served as campaign manager for U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin's re-election bid, senior adviser for Emanuel's re-election campaign, deputy director of the Illinois Senate Democratic Victory Fund, a communications staffer for Illinois Senate President John Cullerton and a campaign field director for Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley of Chicago, and then-Rep. Gary Peters of Michigan, who's now a senator.

Emanuel selected Valencia after months of City Hall jockeying for the spot. Several Latino aldermen said they wanted the job, and Mendoza endorsed her deputy clerk for the post. Several other names were floated before the mayor settled on Valencia.

jebyrne@chicagotribune.com

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hdardick@chicagotribune.com
Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Wednesday that he's picked his 31-year-old liaison to the City Council to take over as city clerk.

The selection of Anna Valencia to replace new Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza honors a decade-long tradition at City Hall of the clerk being a Hispanic office. And if Emanuel chooses to run again in 2019, which is looking increasingly likely, it adds diversity to a citywide ticket also likely to include Treasurer Kurt Summers, who is African American.

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Valencia has been the mayor's director of legislative counsel and government affairs. In that role, she works to build aldermanic support for Emanuel's agenda.

As clerk, Valencia will be visible to most Chicagoans as the person who runs the city vehicle sticker program. Emanuel said she also will be in charge of a new municipal ID program meant to provide a way for undocumented immigrants and homeless people to get city services.

Advertisement

Talking with Emanuel to reporters following the City Council meeting, Valencia noted it was her "very first press conference." She thanked the mayor "for this incredible opportunity to do even more to serve and improve the lives of Chicagoans."

"I also would like to thank Susana Mendoza for blazing a trail for women like myself and laying out a vision of what this office can accomplish for the people of Chicago," Valencia added. "She has worked hard and tirelessly to bring transparency and common sense reforms to this office, and I will continue to build on those."

Emanuel said Valencia "has all the qualities and the desire that are necessary to take the clerk's office into the next phase of its reform" and described his meeting with her about the job.

"You cannot rest on those reforms," the mayor said he told her. "I asked her with the new (ID) card that we're going to be issuing for undocumented, to expand the definition. I want to see this card maybe help homeless youth. I want to see this card in its roll out, to see if it can't ultimately be used for ex-offenders coming back into society, how they may be able to better access services."

Valencia began her career with the city as an assistant to Emanuel as a part of the Legislative Counsel and Government Affairs office.

Since then, she also has worked in politics outside City Hall. Valencia served as campaign manager for U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin's re-election bid, senior adviser for Emanuel's re-election campaign, deputy director of the Illinois Senate Democratic Victory Fund, a communications staffer for Illinois Senate President John Cullerton and a campaign field director for Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley of Chicago, and then-Rep. Gary Peters of Michigan, who's now a senator.

Emanuel selected Valencia after months of City Hall jockeying for the spot. Several Latino aldermen said they wanted the job, and Mendoza endorsed her deputy clerk for the post. Several other names were floated before the mayor settled on Valencia.

jebyrne@chicagotribune.com

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hdardick@chicagotribune.com
Andy Thayer of the Uptown Tent City Organizers and the Gay Liberation Network speaks during a press conference outside of a North Side Housing & Supportive Services transitional housing shelter in the Preston Bradley Center Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, in Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. The shelter, which is just a few blocks from the Lawrence Avenue viaduct where many homeless people are living in tents, will be closed if it doesn't get funding from the city. (Erin Hooley, Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)
This file picture taken May 22, 2014, shows former warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum campaigning to be vice president, an office he won. (Shah Marai / AFP/Getty Images)

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan  A politician here said Tuesday that he was tortured and sexually abused while being held hostage by Afghanistan's vice president, the latest development in a sordid episode that has raised serious questions about the rule of law in the country.

Speaking with local media, Ahmad Ishchi leveled the accusations against Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former warlord and militia commander who holds the title of first vice president.

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The two men, who are political rivals, got into an altercation Nov. 25 on the sidelines of a game of buzkashi, a traditional Afghan sport akin to polo, in the northern province of Jowzjan. According to witnesses, Dostum stepped on Ishchi's neck with his foot and threatened to suffocate him.

"He said, 'Who would care if I killed you here right now?' " a witness, 33-year-old Mohammad Zaman, recounted.

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Dostum then reportedly held Ishchi hostage for five days at his compound in Sheberghan, the provincial capital. While there, Ishchi told reporters Tuesday, Dostum's henchmen beat him repeatedly.

"I was tortured by Gen. Dostum's 10 men and sexually assaulted," Ishchi said. "The general was ordering his men to do it."

Ishchi eventually was handed over to provincial intelligence officials, according to a local official who requested anonymity because he did not want to anger Dostum by discussing the episode.

"We treated Ishchi well for six days and got a doctor to prescribe him medication as his legs, hips and face were injured," the official said. The intelligence agency released Ishchi after mediation by dozens of tribal elders, he added.

Dostum's office issued a statement denying the allegations of abuse, calling them a plot to defame him. The statement said Ishchi was arrested by Afghan forces on charges of aiding insurgents, a claim Ishchi denied.

"If I have any links with insurgents, the government is welcome to trail me," he said.

President Ashraf Ghani's office said late Tuesday that it would investigate Ishchi's allegations, a move that the United Nations and international diplomats in Kabul welcomed. Afghanistan's allies have poured millions of dollars into improving the country's justice system, but corruption and human rights abuses often still go unpunished.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said Ishchi's allegations against Dostum raise "serious concerns."

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"A strong, independent justice system is the cornerstone of every stable society," the embassy said. "Afghans demand that human rights be respected and the rule of law be upheld."

The accusations against Dostum were a reminder of the strongman's brutal past. Once described in a State Department cable as a "quintessential warlord," he and his ethnic Uzbek militiamen have fought on nearly every side of Afghanistan's multifaceted conflicts since the 1980s.

During the 2001 U.S.-led military invasion, he helped CIA officers target Taliban fighters but outraged human rights officials, who claimed he let hundreds of Taliban prisoners suffocate inside shipping containers where he was holding them.

When Dostum joined Ghani's ticket in 2014, it was seen as a sign of political reconciliation. But his unpredictable behavior has continued. In September, his fighters faced off with rival ethnic Tajiks on a Kabul hilltop over the Tajiks' plans to move the burial site of a long-dead king.

Special correspondent Faizy reported from Kabul and staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

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NEW YORK  The performance artist who calls herself Zardulu told us where we were to meet: a quiet stretch of Prospect Park next to a pond, which she'd circled for us in red on a map. She approached in a full purple robe, wearing a turban, her face covered in a bearded mask. Zardulu looked a little bit like an old animatronic fortune teller, recently escaped from a carnival machine.

We were there to talk to Zardulu about "fake news," a topic that went from the internet's fringes to one of national concern in the days after Donald Trump was elected president. Zardulu, whose expertise in fabrication will become clearer in just a moment, wanted to tell us a different kind of story, one a lot less partisan. It was about a raccoon and an alligator.

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"You may remember the news item. Or perhaps not," Zardulu began. "A raccoon spotted riding an alligator in the Everglades."

In case you don't remember: In 2015, there was an incredible viral photograph, a "lucky" shot, that showed a raccoon perched on the back of a swimming alligator. A man named Richard Jones told the local news that he'd snapped the picture himself, and a lot of Florida news outlets ran with it. The story spread to larger publications. It went viral.

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There were plenty of doubters, of course. But also many believers, people who would prefer to live in a world where a raccoon could use a predator as if it was a ferry. And that preference is exactly what Zardulu understands so well.

"I staged the raccoon and the alligator," Zardulu said. The animals are taxidermied; she sprayed each with a commercial product used to waterproof leather to protect them from the water. Zardulu showed us photographs of the setup, and some of herself, in costume, clutching each of the animals.

"I consider it a great success by my standards."

The moment that particularly pleased Zardulu happened when two very different men talked about her work: "Bill O'Reilly and Bill Maher. On the exact same night," Zardulu said. "Two men with as opposite opinions as they have audiences, momentarily captivated by the same image."

"So that's a pretty good myth."

The story of Zardulu begins like this: The anonymous artist, who closely guards her identity, once worked in secret, staging events like the raccoon and the alligator, never revealing to the world what she had done. She refers to her creations as "myths," their purpose is to be "pearls of merriment for the world to enjoy."

The philosophy behind her work is Zarduluism. There is a manifesto.

Earlier this year, the New York-based blog Gothamist talked to one of her collaborators, who revealed that Zardulu had trained at least one rat to perform incredible feats - like taking a "selfie" on a sleeping subway commuter's cellphone, or perhaps dragging a slice of pizza down the stairs (Yes, Zardulu has said that Pizza Rat was performed by a trained rat as well).

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She was reluctant then to reveal any of the secrets of her work, asking the Gothamist reporter, "W hy wake the world from a beautiful dream when the waking world is all so drab?"

Zardulu now feels a little differently. She believes that Zarduluism "will be more effective, and will last longer, and will inspire greater participation in others, if occasionally the veil is lifted."

The Zardulu mask disguises the identity of its wearer, but it is not opaque. Her real eyes are visible from a short distance, as is and just enough of her mouth to know when she smiles. Zardulu speaks slowly, either as an affectation of mystery, or because she carefully chooses her words. To meet her, we agreed not to reveal who she was - and, for that matter, we do not know her real name, or whether Zardulu is the work of one single artist. She has said before that she was born in Manhattan in 1971. That is as lifted as the veil gets.

She has recruited others to help with some of her myths, but the most important collaborator is one who doesn't know she's there at all. The photograph of the raccoon and the alligator, she suggested to me, came from a "naive collaborator," someone who believed what he saw with his eyes and documented it. As for Pizza Rat, "I don't believe that anyone who saw pizza rat knew what they were seeing," Zardulu told me. (Matt Little, the man who filmed Pizza Rat, insists that the video was not staged.) She'd rather not say if the person who filmed Selfie Rat worked knowingly or unknowingly with her to create the myth.

"Many of my stories exist only for the people who see them," she said. "Or the people who have access to those people's iPhone camera rolls." She said there are several dozen Zardulu myths in the world, only a small portion of which have become fully realized viral stories.

Of course, Zardulu's most reliable naive collaborators have been journalists, the ones who unwittingly help the rest of the world find the stories she's told.

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When Zardulu and I began to speak, first through Twitter Direct Messaging, she asked me: "Do you like fairies?"

Arthur Conan Doyle desperately wanted to believe that the Cottingley Fairies were real. He'd heard of the five photographs taken by two young cousins, appearing to show them playing with the mystical creatures. In 1920, he wrote about the fairies for Strand magazine, convinced that they were genuine.

He wrote: "The recognition of their existence will jolt the material twentieth-century mind out of its heavy ruts in the mud, and will make it admit that there is a glamour and a mystery to life."

Some, like Doyle, believed it. Others were skeptical, but the girls maintained that the photos were genuine for quite some time.

"It was decades before anyone used the term hoax," Zardulu told me, "when eventually the girls came forward and admitted what they had done. I think that it is delightful. Absolutely delightful to have given the world such a gift. And it does indeed resonate with me particularly that the truth (did come out.)"

"Fans of the artist Banksy love his work because they don't know who created it. Fans of mine love my work because they don't know it was created," she said.

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As Zardulu began to talk more about her myths, she created a new one about herself: that Zardulu is always capable of more, of feats you haven't even yet imagined. See her once, and suddenly Zardulu is everywhere. Talking to her in Prospect Park convinced me to never look at a subway rat the same way again.

I asked someone who knew Zardulu's mythmaking better than most to help me figure out what, exactly, that means. "Any time something impossibly weird happens, we get a rash of emails and tweets," said Alex Goldman, the co-host of Reply All, a podcast that focuses on Internet abnormalities. The show did an entire episode on Zardulu. "When something feels incomprehensible, people think it could be her."

It is true that Zardulu's work is very different from the sort of "fake news" that became a post-election object of fury - the latter often seek to profit, no matter the harm it causes, while Zardulu says she only wants to brighten the world.

But there is one parallel: Once the sleight of hand becomes visible, it is easy to move from thinking a story has been fabricated to a mind-set that makes you question everything the legitimacy of everything you see. In Zardulu's case, I wondered, whether it was possible to have a truthful conversation about fabrication. So I asked her whether, or why, I should believe the story she told to me.

"I'm not in the business of telling anyone what they should or shouldn't do or what they should or shouldn't believe," Zardulu answered. "Just offering up one possibility."
BUNKER HILL, Ind.  Bunker Hill, Indiana, no longer has a police department after the town marshal and four reserve deputies resigned over complaints about mismanagement and unethical requests from the town council.



Town Marshal Michael Thomison submitted his letter of resignation, along with resignation letters from his four unpaid deputies, during the regular meeting of the town board Monday evening, the Kokomo Tribune reported. The local building commissioner also resigned, citing similar complaints.



Thomison alleged in his letter that the town board asked him to be involved in illegal, immoral and unethical actions, including requesting confidential information and asking him to conduct criminal background checks on other board members. No details were provided about who allegedly made such requests or when they were made.



"I have had to educate them on the things they were asking from me, and explained that I would not take part in any of these actions," Thomison said.



Council President Brock Speer said the council was "blindsided" by the resignations, but council members accepted the resignations with little comment. Citing personal reasons, Council Vice President Jim Panther also submitted his resignation from the board, which will take effect at the end of the year.



Miami County Sheriff Tim Miller said county deputies will ensure residents are protected until a new marshal is hired. Deputies will patrol the town and responding to calls.



Bunker Hill Building Commissioner Bill Gornto's resignation leaves the town without a building department.



"Due to the actions of the current town council, I find myself unable to continue in this job," he wrote in his resignation letter. "This means you now have to notify the state building department that you no longer have a valid department."



Associated Press
President-elect Trump has tapped GOP Rep. Ryan Zinke, who has represented Montana's at-large congressional seat for one term, to serve as secretary of the Department of the Interior, according to an individual with first-hand knowledge of the decision.

Zinke, who studied geology as an undergraduate at the University of Oregon and served as a Navy SEAL from 1986 to 2008 before entering politics, campaigned for his House seat on a platform of achieving North American energy independence. He sits on the House Natural Resources Committee as well as the Armed Services Committee.

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A lifelong hunter and fisherman, the 55-year-old Zinke has defended public access to federal lands even though he frequently votes against environmentalists. This summer, he quit his post as a member of the GOP platform-writing committee after the group included language that would have transferred federal land ownership to the states.

"What I saw was a platform that was more divisive than uniting," Zinke said at the time. "At this point, I think it's better to show leadership."

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Trump also opposes such land transfers, but the provision made it into the official Republican platform.

Zinke recently criticized an Interior Department rule aimed at curbing inadvertent releases of methane from oil and gas operations on federal land as "duplicative and unnecessary."

"Clean air and clean water are absolute top priorities when we talk about responsible energy development, however the final rule issued by the Obama administration does nothing to further protect our resources," he said in a statement. "This rule is a stark reminder that we need to invest in infrastructure projects like the Keystone pipeline, so we don't need to flare excess gas."

During his time in Congress, Zinke has established a 3 percent voting score with the League of Conservation Voters. But he has broken ranks with the panel's GOP majority on occasion, opposing a measure by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, that would have allowed each state to buy up to 2 million in U.S. Forest Service land to boost timber production.

Land Tawney, president and CEO of the Montana-based Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said in an interview Tuesday described Zinke as "a straight shooter" who has established credibility with outdoors enthusiasts in the state.

"He really prides himself on being a Theodore Roosevelt Republicans, and he lives that a little bit more than other people," Tawney said.

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership President Whit Fosburgh, whose hunters and anglers group has worked with Zinke, said in an interview that it would be "very supportive of Ryan Zinke" as a Cabinet nominee.

"He's shown courage and commitment to public lands and conservation, and someone we think would be an excellent secretary of Interior," Fosburgh said.

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While some Democrats are likely to oppose Zinke's nomination, the pick does provide the party with one bit of good news: It removes a possible challenger to Sen. Jon Tester, the Montana Democrat who likely will face a tough reelection bid in 2018.
When he was a little boy growing up on the South Side, James Liston was fascinated by radio, operating his own ham operation when he was 11 years old.

Though he would have a distinguished 30-year career as a Chicago police officer, he maintained his passion for ham radio until his death at 61 on Dec. 3 after a long illness. The day before he died, he was honored as "Hamfester of the Year" by one of the eight radio clubs of which he was a member.

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"Jimmy was a unique person," said his sister, Jayme Fraser. "A Chicago original."

Born on Oct. 24, 1955, Liston was one of the three children of Wilbert and Dolores Liston, he a manager for a chemical company and she a stay-at-home mom.

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Liston attended St. Rene Goupil grammar school and graduated from St. Laurence High School in Burbank before getting a degree in physics and computer science from DePaul University in 1977.

His love of radio manifested when he helped build DePaul's AM radio station, WDPU, serving as its first technical director and assistant station manager.

After graduating from college, while awaiting word on his application to the Chicago Police Department, he worked as a security guard for Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He was soon in the position of security manager of communications, charged with redesigning and implementing the Northwestern Hospital dispatch and communications center. Many of the processes and procedures he installed are still in use today.

In 1982 he joined the Police Department. Having finished first in his class at the police academy, he was afforded the chance to pick in which area he wanted to serve. He chose Marquette District 10 on the tough West Side and that was his home for the next three decades.

"We started as patrolmen together," said John Kenny, recently retired as a district commander. "We shared the same patrol car for a while, working different shifts, and as watch commander I was technically his boss for a while. He was always my go-to guy."

Liston was named a field training officer in 1992 and in that position trained more than 170 officers. He was twice wounded and received numerous commendations, including being named Policeman of the Year, primarily for helping to develop CPD's Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) program.

"We worked a tough beat," Kenny said. "He had opportunities to work elsewhere in the city but he stayed. He cared about the good people in this neighborhood and they came to care about him."

In 2001 he and some fellow officers traveled to New York City in the wake of the 9/11 attack, spending days doing what they could to help at ground zero.

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"That was when we really started dating after 9/11," said Kathy Cronkhite, who had met Liston at a street fair two years before. "I felt so safe with him and he had such a great sense of humor and was so smart."

The couple married in 2003 and lived in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood, where the basement of their home was "just filled with all sorts of radio equipment, big maps, monitors," she said.

Some of that equipment Liston had rescued when the CPD moved its communications operations section to new facilities in the late 1990s. On that equipment, Liston would talk with people worldwide, nationwide and in the area, and was the first person signed up to be a Chicago weather watcher for WBBM-Ch. 2 television here.

"He just loved that," his wife said. "He was a passionate and meticulous man and ever eager to help others."

Liston also participated in all manner of community events, whether toting the Chicago flag in St. Patrick's Day parades or at the annual St. Jude's Emerald Society gatherings, or as a member of the Brotherhood of the Fallen, which honors police officers killed on duty. After retiring from the CPD four years ago, he became an energetic member of the 5-11 Club, a support organization for firefighters.

In addition to his sister and wife, Liston is survived by another sister, Judy Gross, nephews Jack and David Gross and niece Lisa Eck.

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Services were held.

rkogan@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @rickkogan
To anyone weary of 15 years of inconclusive war, Donald Trump's recent foreign policy speech offered heartening words. He thinks the United States should stop pursuing regime change abroad and start fixing its own problems.

"We will stop racing to topple" foreign governments "that we know nothing about," he recently told a crowd in Fayetteville, N.C. "We're guided by the lessons of history and a desire to promote stability  stability all over  and strength in our land. This destructive cycle of intervention and chaos must finally, folks, come to an end."

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This promise is particularly relevant to Syrian ruler Bashar Assad, whom President Barack Obama once called on to leave. It also will reassure Egyptian strongman Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who restored an autocracy that Obama's pressure had helped bring down. Trump has no interest in toppling dictators. His goal is maintaining order.

So he says. But Trump's attention to the lessons of history goes only so far. In other places, he has heedlessly put stability at risk already. His blithe disdain for long-standing commitments and understandings invites a different destructive cycle that could make the previous chaos seem like ripples on a pond.

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The first danger involves China, whose government Trump offended by taking a call from the president of Taiwan and indicating he may scrap our "one China" policy. The implication was that he may be willing to recognize Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province.

It may not sound like a big deal to him, because the Republic of China, as Taiwan calls itself, has enjoyed de facto independence since 1949. But that's where respect for the lessons of history comes in.

For a long time, the three governments have operated according to a compromise: China leaves Taiwan alone to govern itself; Taiwan doesn't declare its independence; and the United States acknowledges China's claim on the island while selling arms to Taiwan. No one loves the arrangement, but it's kept the peace.

By calling it into question, Trump challenges the Chinese government on turf that it can't give up. Were he to restore diplomatic relations with Taipei, Beijing would doubtless break ties with Washington and look for new ways to subvert our interests. Any overt move by Taiwan toward independence would provoke forceful military action by China. Are Americans ready to fight for Taiwan?

Upsetting the status quo would violate a couple of basic axioms of geopolitics. One is not to push an adversary into a corner where his only option is war. Another is not to pick a fight where the enemy's stake is much greater than yours. By ignoring these rules, the president-elect runs the risk of unleashing the very turbulence he abhors.

If his policy toward China is dangerously aggressive, his policy toward Russia is dangerously accommodating. Trump is famously enamored of President Vladimir Putin, and he has complained that our European allies are not paying enough for their own defense.

Asked in July whether he would use military force in the case of a Russian invasion of Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania  all NATO members  he hedged. "I don't want to tell you what I'd do, because I don't want Putin to know what I'd do," he said, suggesting it would depend on whether the invaded country had "fulfilled their obligations to us."

Some GOP senators have said they want a probe into the extent of Russia's cyber interference of the 2016 presidential election. Dec. 11, 2016. (CBS Miami)

The implication was that the U.S. might stand by and let Russia seize one of its former states. Now, the original decision to include these countries in our defense alliance may have been a mistake. (I think it was.) But it's not a decision to be revisited when someone like Putin looms.

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To suggest we might tolerate such aggression is to invite it. To tolerate a Russian attack on a NATO ally would expose all the others to intimidation. It would badly endanger an arrangement that, whatever its flaws, has deterred major war in Europe for more than 70 years.

To respond to a Russian invasion, though, would mean going to war with a nuclear state  with potential consequences that range from "catastrophic" to "major extinction event."

The best thing Trump could do is make clear to Putin that when it comes to our NATO commitments, nothing has changed. Stability does not thrive on uncertainty.

Our policies toward China and Russia are not beyond improvement. But at the moment, the value of preserving the status quo greatly exceeds the rewards of smashing it.

Steve Chapman, a member of the Tribune Editorial Board, blogs at www.chicagotribune.com/chapman.

schapman@chicagotribune.com

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Follow him on Twitter @SteveChapman13 and Facebook.
Was Donald J. Trump a recruit in

The Russians' quest for a route in-

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To the Oval Office

By way of a novice?

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Trump pooh-poohs it: pooh-Putin.

So you hail a cab in Manhattan to go to LaGuardia and the cab driver heads for the Lincoln Tunnel and you say, "LaGuardia, LaGuardia, LaGuardia," and he says, "Yeah, yeah, yeah," and you're in New Jersey, and you yell at him to stop and he doesn't, he points north and says, "Bridge!" and now you're on I-87 passing by Poughkeepsie  this is pretty much where we are with Trump Inc. so far. The populist revolt turns into a corporate boardroom and the disaffected Democrats who voted for it are not going to catch that plane to Florida after all. They will be spending four years on cousin Sid's rollaway in Schenectady.

The big guy said a couple weeks ago that he was planning to "focus on running the country" and now we see what "focus" means in his case. He appointed a pollution defender to head the EPA and his secretary of state will be the Exxon exec, a business partner of the Russians, and now you have to wonder if our next surgeon general will be an optometrist. And why not Billy Bush to head the Endowment for the Arts? You got a problem with that?

Meanwhile, some Republican in his retinue should point out that the president does not "run" the country. He doesn't even run the government. There is a legislative branch involved, a judiciary, there is Twitter, "Saturday Night Live," the dishonest press and many, many others.

Presidents are royalty and we measure our lives by their reigns but their effect on the country in general is greatly exaggerated. Take me, for example. Mr. Lyndon Johnson's Selective Service System more or less governed my 20s and now that I'm old and shaky, his Medicare is very helpful, but for most of us, presidents are part of the scenery, like the great stone heads on Easter Island. Millions of words have been written about Richard Nixon, but his effect on my life was minuscule compared to that of my third-grade teacher Fern Moehlenbrock. Her kindness and cheerfulness grow larger and larger in memory, and Mr. Nixon recedes to the size of a dried pea.

We remember Johnson for his abdominal scar and his syrupy voice, Nixon for his incredible awkwardness and "I am not a crook," and Gerald Ford for tripping on the airplane stairs coming down. Then came the Georgia Sunday School teacher and the actor and the Ivy League Texan and the Arkansas playboy and the stupefied Dubya reading "The Pet Goat" to a class in Sarasota, Fla., when the planes hit the twin towers in Manhattan. We remember their voices, as done by comedians. Their so-called legacy is mostly as cartoons. The disasters they caused fell mainly on foreigners. The marble temples erected to worship them are a bad joke.

And now, after eight years of the most graceful and articulate chief since FDR, we get this crude showman with the marble walls and gold faucets. Most of the country dreads him as he slouches toward Washington to be inaugurated. I worry what effect he'll have on children. Everything Mrs. Moehlenbrock told us  no pushing, no insulting, no lying, no crude talk  Mr. Trump does on a daily basis. But how will he actually affect my life? Not much.

I'm an entrepreneur, a writer. I don't look to the government for a tax deduction for time spent writing work that got rejected. I'm not looking for legislative protection from foreign authors. Some people buy Dostoevsky's books who might otherwise have bought mine: tough noogies. If I threatened to move to Mexico, no big deal.

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The government that matters to me is local. I will always remember the day 14 years ago in St. Paul, Minn., when my daughter went into convulsions and I picked up the phone and in six minutes the rescue squad was in our living room, five uniforms looking after my girl and one uniform explaining to me about febrile convulsions. If you were in the midst of this crisis, Donald J. Trump would be the last person on earth you'd want to see come through the door. He would tell you all about how he won Michigan and bring in a podiatrist and give you a coupon toward one of his steaks. It's going to be a long four years, people. Get back in touch with old friends. Take up hiking. Read history. But not books about Germany in the 1930s  it'll only make you uneasy.

Washington Post

Garrison Keillor is an author and radio personality.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

There are escalating concerns as to why there is only one Zimbabwe -South Africa entry point is one when the two nations are major trading partners yet Zimbabwe border with Zambia and Botswana has more than one entry points.Beitbridge Council town secretary Loud Ramakgapola posted on facebook questioning the reason why SA -Zimbabwe border has only one border post."I am just wondering why we still have only one border post between Zimbabwe and South Africa.Mozambique-Zim border;Botswana-Zim border and Zambia-Zim border all have at least THREE border posts while with our biggest trading partner (SA) has ON," he said."This is one of the reasons why the Beit Bridge border post is always crowded and lots of corruption.Government should consider opening border posts at Shashe/no.16;Nottingham,Tshapongwe/Dite and Tshitulifhasi/Tshikwalakwala."
In the murky world of intelligence, it isn't often that anyone has crystal clear, absolutely certain, 100 percent guaranteed advance knowledge of a forthcoming operation. But in Europe now, there is one prediction that everyone is happy to make: In 2017, the Russian government will mount an open campaign to sway the German elections.

We know the Russians can do it. The CIA has confirmed that Russian cyberhackers procured material from Hillary Clinton's campaign that appeared, via WikiLeaks, at key moments in the U.S. presidential race. Hacked emails became part of a successful trolling campaign to discredit Clinton (and continue to inspire hysteria in the form of Pizzagate, the bizarre conspiracy theory that just won't die). During the campaign, Trump frequently repeated lines lifted from Russian propaganda, including threats that Obama "founded ISIS," also known and the Islamic State, and Clinton would "cause World War III."

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Similar campaigns involving hacks, violent rallies and dark conspiracy theories have worked in other countries, including Georgia, Poland and Ukraine. Risky on the face of it, the U.S. operation did no harm to Russia's interests. On the contrary, the pro-Russian candidate won. Business looks set to continue as usual.

Earlier this month, the head of the German domestic intelligence agency said that material hacked from the German Parliament, published recently by WikiLeaks, came from the same Russian group that stole material from the Democratic National Committee. He believes "increased cyber spying and cyber operations" are underway. The head of Germany's foreign intelligence service has identified a rise in cyberattacks designed not to steal defense or commercial information but rather "to elicit political uncertainty."

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Not that hacking is the only tactic. Earlier this year, Russian media and pro-Russian trolls helped create online hysteria by promoting a fake story of a Russian girl allegedy raped by a Syrian immigrant. Russia also has offered financial and moral support to Germany's far-right and far-left parties, just as it does in France, Italy and elsewhere in Europe.

There may well be a specific goal: defeat Chancellor Angela Merkel, who responded to Russia's annexation of Crimea with support for sanctions that are particularly hurtful to Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle. But there are certainly some broader goals: discredit democracy, in order to prevent Russians from agitating for it at home; undermine the European Union, in order to make the continent more amenable to corruption and authoritarianism; and demoralize NATO, which is preventing Russia from flexing its military muscles in its periphery.

We know that huge resources have been invested already. In the past decade, Russia has funneled many millions of dollars into its public propaganda arms, the television channel RT and the website Sputnik, which now exist in multiple languages, including German. Less visibly, Russia has invested an equivalent sum in friends: think tanks, businessmen, even politicians. Matthias Warnig, an ex-Stasi officer who knew Putin in his KGB days, is managing director of Nord Stream AG, the company that operates the gas pipeline that links Germany and Russia beneath the Baltic Sea. Gerhard Schroeder, the former German chancellor, is now the chairman of the shareholders' committee of that same company.

We also know  or should know  why they could succeed. Long before anyone else, the Russian government spotted deep flaws in Western democracy. It realized that Western politicians could be bribed; that offshoring worked in oligarchs' favor; that anti-corruption laws weren't well enforced; that Western media was weak; and that social media had undermined trust in traditional sources of authority. Russian leaders also understood that, thanks to the global reach of the Internet, disinformation was far easier to produce and promote than ever before.

Merkel has made serious mistakes. However well meant, her unilateral offer to house Syrian refugees in summer 2015 gave millions across the continent the impression that Europe no longer controls its borders. Terrorist attacks increased this anxiety. Germany has failed to back European solutions to crises in the Middle East, failed to take seriously the need for European defense, failed to invest in NATO. The bill for all of those failures is now coming due.

Some GOP senators have said they want a probe into the extent of Russia's cyber interference of the 2016 presidential election. Dec. 11, 2016. (CBS Miami)

In the coming months, Russian media, and Russian-backed parties in Germany, will have no compunction about openly running an anti-immigrant, anti-American, anti-E.U. electoral campaign. They may have an unexpected ally: Breitbart, the far-right website run until recently by Stephen Bannon, incoming White House chief strategist for the Trump administration, has announced it will invest in a German-language website, too.

As a state, and as a democracy, Germany has huge advantages. Economic success means Germans still trust their government more than many other Europeans. The relative strength of German media means the horrible insult, lugenpresse  lying press  once used by the Nazis to smear mainstream media and now used by the far-left and far-right for the same purpose, doesn't affect everyone.

German security officials say they already meet regularly with senior journalists, briefing them on stories they think are fake. Merkel and other German politicians have spoken openly of the threat. But is the anticipation of a disinformation campaign enough to rob it of its power? We are about to find out.

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Washington Post

Anne Applebaum writes a biweekly foreign affairs column for The Washington Post.
The events we've seen in the run-up to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump have only confirmed that he represents a threat to our democracy and governing norms in multiple unprecedented ways. But this isn't just a story about Donald Trump. It's also a story about congressional Republicans.

Trump is doing all he can to discredit the apparent CIA conclusion that Russia tried to interfere in our election, which might make a true accounting of this apparently unprecedented assault on our democracy harder. He continues to suggest he will do little to address all the potential conflicts of interests  and possibility of corruption  that are developing around his global business interests on a mind-boggling scale. He continues to claim  after an election he won  that millions voted illegally, to sow confusion and doubt about the real meaning of the outcome and the integrity of our political process.

Yet there are steps congressional Republicans could take to mitigate the damage of those things, but aren't:

1. Republicans are already signaling they may hamstring efforts to get to the bottom of Russian interference. The Post's Karoun Demirjian reports Wednesday that, while Republicans say they want a vigorous probe of what happened, some appear to be taking steps that make this less likely. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan want to run the probes through their respective bodies' intelligence committees. But as Demirjian reports, this means more GOP "control" over the course of the probes, and they are resisting calls for more bipartisan, independent forms the investigations could take. What's more, there is no indication that the findings of more limited probes would ever be made public.

Notably, even some Republicans  such as Sen. John McCain  also want more vigorous, independent investigations. Meanwhile, the position of GOP leaders such as Ryan is logically absurd on its face: They claim that Russian interference would constitute an unacceptable attack on our democratic process, even as they appear to be disinclined towards steps that would make a full accounting more likely.

Let's be clear on what's really at stake here. There is nothing wrong with Republicans expressing skepticism about the CIA's charge of Russian interference; it is currently unproven. Rather, what's at issue is whether we are going to determine whether this actually happened. What's more, there is no imaginable scenario under which an accounting of Russian interference would change the election results. Rather, an accounting would make it easier to prevent an outcome (interference in our election) that Republicans themselves say is unacceptable from happening again.

2. Congressional Republicans are not taking steps to blunt Trump's conflicts of interest. Trump has now confirmed that he will transfer his businesses to his two sons. This does nothing to eliminate the possibility of conflicts of interest and indeed corruption later. But more to the point, it reaffirms the need for more transparency into Trump's holdings. Now that we know his sons will control them, we know there are going to be conflicts  but, because we don't have a full sense of the scope and details of those holdings, we won't have a way of knowing whether these conflicts are taking place in many given situations. And we won't have a way to gauge the extent to which those interests  his family's interests  are benefiting from Trump's policy choices.

There are multiple things that congressional Republicans could do right away to, at a minimum, try to compel the sort of transparency that would improve this situation. They aren't doing them, and there are no signs this is going to change.

3. Republicans are standing by while Trump erodes confidence in our electoral system. Republicans have lied about vote fraud for years, to justify voter suppression efforts. But Trump has taken this to an unprecedented level. After claiming in advance that the election's outcome would be illegitimate (if he lost), he has since claimed that he would have won the popular vote if not for the millions who voted illegally. This was obviously designed to inflate impressions of his popular support and continue sowing doubt about the integrity of the voting, perhaps to justify a future wave of voter suppression.

Given the chance to confirm that, no, millions of people did not vote illegally, both Ryan and incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus took a pass.

It's often argued that previous presidents  including President Barack Obama  helped set the stage for the further erosion of norms we're likely to see under Trump. There's some truth to this. Obama could have taken more steps to close the legal door on many expansive tactics that George W. Bush put in place to fight the war on terror, and now we may see Trump expand them further, in horrifying ways. It's also true that the accretion of executive power and the erosion of checks on it have been part of a bipartisan trend long in the making.

But in the specific areas above, we're seeing something new and different. We're looking at the possibility of an unprecedented undermining of the integrity of our democracy; of mind-blowingly extensive corruption; and of a massive erosion of the very possibility of agreement on basic facts about our political outcomes. This goes well beyond anything we've seen in recent history, not only in the specifics, but even more so in the aggregate. And, presuming this will continue, the behavior of congressional Republicans in response to it should be seen as an integral part of that story.

Washington Post

Greg Sargent writes The Plum Line blog, a reported opinion blog with a liberal slant  what you might call opinionated reporting from the left.
Robert Gates served as defense secretary under George W. Bush, a Republican, and then Barack Obama, a Democrat, which qualifies him as an honest broker and independent thinker. How honest? He wrote in September that Donald Trump is "beyond repair" on national security, "stubbornly uninformed about the world" and "unfit to be commander-in-chief."

Makes you wonder if Gates would have any advice for Trump-the-unrepairable on how to duct tape together a worldview, and if Trump would even listen. Turns out Gates did have a suggestion, and Trump, surprisingly, listened: It was Gates who told the president-elect that Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson would make a great secretary of state.

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Gates, whose consulting firm does work for the oil company, along with others who know Tillerson describe him as a strategic thinker on a global scale who has deep experience negotiating with foreign governments and maintained his integrity while doing so. "It's a mistake to pigeonhole him as another CEO with a very narrow background," Gates told The Wall Street Journal, a remark that  intended or not  sets Tillerson apart from his prospective new boss the real estate developer.

Will Tillerson win Senate confirmation? Should he? Those are legitimate questions to be settled after hearings sure to generate pushback from Democrats and perhaps some Republicans. The biggest issue is Tillerson's work in Russia and his relationship with Vladimir Putin. As Exxon CEO, Tillerson has done mammoth deals there and expressed skepticism about the use of sanctions as a diplomatic tool to confront Russian aggression. For his efforts Tillerson picked up an Order of Friendship award from Putin, whom Tillerson has known since 1999.

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Based on his resume, then, critics can choose their pejorative: Tillerson is naive, bought off, in cahoots, blindly biased in favor of Putin and therefore incapable of defending American interests as secretary of state.

There's another way, though, to describe Tillerson's activities in places such as Russia, Yemen, Iraqi Kurdistan and Venezuela: He was doing his job.

It's been Tillerson's responsibility while running Exxon to make money for shareholders by investing in oil projects around the world, including in some countries run by despicable leaders. And that's what he did, very successfully. "It's a mistake to confuse knowing Russia with being pro-Russia," Chicago billionaire Tom Pritzker told the Journal. "He knows Russia, which means he's ahead of the learning curve."

ExxonMobil Chairman Rex Tillerson speaks at a press conference after the ExxonMobil annual shareholders meeting at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center May 28, 2008 in Dallas, Texas. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Tillerson as secretary of state. (Brian Harkin, Getty Images)

Pritzker alludes to a broader point about judging Tillerson: Many top government officials come from the business world. All are expected to pivot to doing the people's work. For example, Steven Mnuchin, a Trump Cabinet pick, would be the third treasury secretary in recent years to come from Goldman Sachs. What counts is whether each candidate has suitable experience and talent for the job, and can take orders from the president.

Tillerson, an engineer who has run Exxon since 2006, has the right background to be secretary of state. As CEO of an energy company with about 75,000 employees around the world, he manages a complex organization with about three times as many workers as the State Department has diplomats and civil servants. Some analysts say Exxon is almost a nation unto itself. Negotiations and risk management are at the core of what Tillerson does at Exxon, and are what he would do as secretary of state. At 64, he was scheduled to retire next March but now plans to step down at year's end. Part of Tillerson's pivot would be to separate himself from Exxon and his oil industry perspective, and that includes divesting his $240 million in Exxon Mobil stock and other holdings.

First, however, Tillerson must showcase his skills as a diplomat under fire when he faces Senate questioning. He'll have a chance to articulate his views on America's role in the world and speak as proxy for Trump, whose opinions about Putin seem both underinformed and troublingly carefree. So does Tillerson as diplomat support the use of sanctions to tame the Russian bear? Can he manage tricky relations with China? Not make things worse in the Middle East? Tillerson will either make a convincing argument for his candidacy or fail the job interview.

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Well, like Mitt Romney said in 2012 (which President Obama scoffed at), Russia is our enemy. The CIA and other intelligence agencies are reported to have determined that Russia did hack the Democrat's servers in an effort to affect the 2016 presidential elections.

There is really only one response to this egregious attack on our national sovereignty: Install President-elect Donald Trump in the imperial palace in St. Petersburg for four years. Cruel and inhuman? You bet, but it's the only language the enemy understands.
In response to a Chicago Tribune investigation, Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary James Dimas told Senate and House lawmakers that his department has launched measures to heighten enforcement of group homes statewide and increase public transparency involving the care of 12,000 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune) (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois group homes for adults with disabilities will face tougher licensing standards and enforcement and they will be graded for the first time on quality and safety, a top official for the Illinois Department of Human Services vowed to state legislators Tuesday.

Secretary James Dimas told Senate and House lawmakers that his department has launched more than a dozen reform measures to heighten enforcement of 3,000 group homes statewide and increase public transparency involving the care of 12,000 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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He spoke at a bipartisan Senate and House hearing convened in response to a Chicago Tribune investigation, "Suffering in Secret," which exposed how Illinois has steered thousands of the state's poorest and most vulnerable residents with disabilities into a network of state-funded group homes, then routinely obscured evidence of harm from the public.

One of the most sweeping reforms outlined by Dimas would provide limited public access to previously sealed investigative files. The department is working with the Illinois attorney general's office to provide group home addresses and full enforcement histories to families and guardians.

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"I'm committed to transparency," said Dimas, who was appointed in May 2015 by Gov. Bruce Rauner.

The Tribune reported that Human Services' enforcement arm, the Office of Inspector General, had sealed thousands of investigative files, redacted group home addresses from public records and concealed the oversight process so thoroughly that outsiders could not determine when or where investigations occurred or what action, if any, was taken.

The Tribune identified 1,311 cases linked to abuse and neglect in these group homes and their day programs since July 2011, and 42 deaths in the last seven years.

Dimas and other Human Services officials said the department hopes to quickly roll out a web-based public report card that evaluates group home businesses based on state investigations, including numbers of allegations and substantiated cases of abuse and neglect. The report cards also would incorporate results of licensing and quality surveys that gauge how care is delivered.

Although Dimas acknowledged serious problems in the group home industry and described conditions exposed by the Tribune as "horrific," he said state records show the majority of businesses are "doing the right work the right way."

But in one of the hearing's most searing moments, Rep. Mary E. Flowers (D-Chicago) lashed out at Human Services officials for allowing the state-funded group home industry to deteriorate so badly despite legislative efforts over the decades to protect citizens.

"I must say that I'm troubled, disappointed by the fact that the people of this state have entrusted us with their loved ones' lives, and we so callously violated their trust," she said. "How is it that your office has violated the people's trust?"

Most of the hearing, however, was devoted to finding common ground and exploring what legislative changes can be made.

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Zena Naiditch, the president and CEO of Equip for Equality, called the Tribune series "a stark reminder of the tragic consequences that occur when we ignore calls for reform of our state's investigatory and community-based system for decades."

The private, nonprofit organization operates the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy System for Illinois, which includes oversight of group homes.

"We need a comprehensive and cohesive state structure that ensures not only safety but also the provision of quality services and individual life supports that are required by both federal and state law," she said, "so that people with diverse disabilities can thrive in the community of their choice."

The three-hour hearing, chaired by Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston), covered a range of group home industry issues. One of the most debated issues at the hearing involved state funding levels for group homes.

Several witnesses told lawmakers that group homes are experiencing an unprecedented staffing crisis exacerbated by inadequate state funding. Illinois has not raised funding for staff care in more than eight years. Entry-level caregivers earn an average of $9.35 an hour; staff turnover in some homes is more than 40 percent.

Rauner vetoed a bill earlier this year that earmarked about $300 million in additional group home funding. Rauner said that the state could not afford the unfunded measure, though he supports raising group home rates.

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Dimas echoed Rauner's position that new spending measures must identify a source of funding but agreed to advocate for higher rates during next year's budget process.

"There is literally nothing that matters more in government than caring for the vulnerable  the task that we haven't done nearly well enough," Biss said.

Based on Tribune findings, the inspector general's office has reopened two previously closed cases: one involving the accidental death of a woman who ran away from a group home and the other involving unexplained injuries to a man who suffered severe hypothermia.

Additionally, based on Tribune findings, Human Services officials acknowledged that the department underreported the number of abuse and neglect cases in group homes, and they have retracted five years of reports.

The state also halted a longstanding practice that allowed group homes employees to investigate allegations against their own businesses.

Dimas outlined other improvements during Tuesday's hearing.

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The inspector general's office is fully staffed at 31 investigators with another hire on the way, he said. The office had just 18 investigators in 2013.

Additionally, the department has streamlined the investigative process, adopted digital records over paper and established an internal audit team to review cases for completeness and accuracy. Inspector General Michael McCotter said Tuesday that he also is randomly reviewing cases that in the past had been closed without input from his office.

"We're not perfect," Dimas said. "There is more work to be done. But Illinois' most vulnerable adults are safer now than in years past."

mberens@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @MJBerens1
Morocco set for first government backed Islamic bonds in 2017

Morocco has announced that it will issue the first government backed sukuk commonly referred to as Islamic bonds before the end of next year as the North African country seeks to widen the revenue to support government project.

These new financial instruments should contribute to the development of participative banking, allowing the mobilization of funds as needed, said Moroccan Economic and Finance Minister Mohammed Boussaid.

Moroccans living in the kingdom and abroad will be able to purchase the bonds, which will be used to support state-run development projects and other private sector entities.

For the operationalization of the first participatory programs on the capital market and the support of participatory finance, our department is looking, firstly, to develop the regulatory framework necessary for the issuance of the sukuk in Moroccan financial markets, and on the other hand, and secondly, to structure the first sovereign sukuk issue, which will serve as a benchmark for other similar initiatives, the minister said.

Originally, the government planned to issue the first sukuks by the end of 2016, according to an agreement signed with the Islamic Society of Private Sector Development.

A 2013 finance law allows for the issuance of sukuk bonds to foreign markets, but the National Sharia Board, in charge of Moroccos Islamic financial products, just recently gave the go-ahead for the bond category to begin business domestically.

www.finances.gov.ma
News / National

by Staff reporter

ECONOMIC experts say the 13 percent increase in manufacturing capacity utilisation this year should translate to increased job opportunities.Participants at a tax seminar held in Bulawayo yesterday, said the 2016 manufacturing survey report by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), which indicated that capacity utilisation had increased to 47,4 percent up from 34,3 percent, would not be credible if it does not translate into more jobs.The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators organised the seminar, which sought to interrogate the tax reforms and economic implications of the 2017 national budget.Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe (Emcoz) president Mr Joe Kahwema said Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016, which controls importation of locally available products, has not resulted in the creation of more jobs despite contributing to increased capacity utilisation."We have witnessed a jump in capacity utilisation but that has not been matched by job creation," he said.Mr Kahwema said the increased capacity utilisation should have seen companies re-engaging some of the retrenched workers."We have not re-engaged the people we retrenched during the Zuva judgment (in July 2015)."So the question now is who benefited from the increased capacity utilisation ?"Mr Kahwema said it is only companies producing products whose importation was banned by S.I 64 that benefited hence the increase in capacity utilisation was not recorded by all companies.The Supreme Court last year ruled that companies can lawfully terminate their employees' contracts after giving a three months notice.The ruling saw more than 25 000 employees lose their jobs and this prompted Government to intervene and amend the Labour Act which now compels companies to pay workers a severance package whose minimum has been packed at two weeks salary for every year served.Mr Kahwema said while S.I 64 resulted in increased capacity utilisation for some companies, what was worrying was that these companies being protected by a Government policy were increasing prices taking advantage of lack of competition from imports.He said these companies could not hide behind production costs because salaries had remained the same.An economist and senior lecturer at Solusi University Dr Bongani Ngwenya concurred saying the report on capacity utilisation was misleading hence it should be looked at from a company level as opposed to a macro-economic level."I am disputing the increased capacity utilisation because it is not all companies that are benefiting from S.I 64," said Dr Ngwenya.S.I 64 was promulgated in June as a protectionist measure for local industry, which restricts the importation of goods that Zimbabwean industries can produce.
Aurora church to hold La Posada event

La Posada, a Hispanic tradition chronicling Mary and Joseph's search for refuge to deliver the Christ child, will be staged indoors at 10 a.m. Sunday at Nueva Esperanza Lutheran Church, 551 S. Fourth St. in Aurora.

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The public is invited. Admission is free.

The Rev. Sandy Jones, New Hope pastor, said the observance will open with a bilingual English-Spanish worship service in the church chapel. Jones will give a homily and choir members will provide music.

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After the service, church members will process with statues of Mary and Joseph to the church dining room for worship and carols. Lunch will conclude the event.

For information, call 630-896-0478.

Cougars host Christmas event with Santa, mascots

The Kane County Cougars will host a Christmas holiday event from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday inside the Super Suite at the Northwestern Medicine Field.

Children and their families are invited to meet with Santa Claus as well as team mascots, Ozzie and Annie T. Cougar. Ozzie, Annie and Santa will all be available for photo opportunities. Children can also participate in activities including a Christmas stocking decorating station and holiday themed coloring station.

Admission to the event is free while there is a $5 cost per child to participate in the Christmas stocking decorating station.

Fans are encouraged to bring a gently used winter coat as a donation toward the Cougars winter coat drive. The Cougars organization will be donating the coats to area families who are in need this winter. Fans who donate a coat will receive one undated reserved seat ticket voucher, valid for a 2017 regular season game, with a limit of 10 vouchers per person.

For information, go to the Facebook event page at facebook.com/kanecountycougars. For updates on tickets and promotions for the 2017 season, follow the Cougars on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Habitat restoration in Sugar Grove

A habitat restoration work day will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 31 at Bliss Woods Forest Preserve in Sugar Grove.

Volunteers are needed to cut and stack honeysuckle. Honeysuckle is an invasive shrub that crowds out native wildflowers, event organizers said.

Interested people should dress for the weather. The work day will not be held if the temperature is below 20 degrees, according to organizers.

All people are welcome but children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Refreshments will be provided. For information, contact Mary Ochsenschlager at maryoxie@sbcglobal.net or Robb Cleave at the Kane Forest Preserve Office at 630-232-5980.

Bliss Woods is located on Bliss Road just east of Route 47 in Sugar Grove.

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Wayside Cross Ministries gets grant

Wayside Cross Ministries, a non-profit Christian organization in Aurora, received a $15,000 grant from the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley to replace the leaking and worn roof at its women's transitional shelter called Lifespring Center.

The new roof has been installed and has eliminated constant leaks, center officials said.

"A sound roof over your head is something many people take for granted, but our residents know what a precious provision it is," said Jody Cantey, director of Lifespring Center, in a press release. "Our new roof has significantly improved insulating materials that will keep Lifespring Center residents comfortable for many years and will allow us to continue ministering to our women and children in security."

Local choir members sing at museum in Chicago

Some Fox Valley residents were among Norwegian Choir members who sang at the Museum of Science and Industry Chicago Dec. 4.

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The local people singing at the museum were Ingrid Hoper of Aurora, Barbara Johnson of Yorkville and Nancy Andersen of St. Charles.

Sponsored by the Norwegian National League in front of a Norwegian-style holiday tree, the concert highlighted the museum's 75th annual Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light exhibits open to the public through Jan 8.

For a second year, local Norwegian-Americans decorated a typical Norwegian Christmas tree at the museum last month.
School board candidate filing has opened in Kane County and hopefuls for slots on the Kaneland, St. Charles, Geneva and Batavia school boards have begun submitting nominating papers.

In Kaneland School District 302, three seats are up for election in 2017 and two candidates had submitted nominating papers by Tuesday afternoon. Four candidates have filed to run for four expiring terms on the St. Charles School District 303 board. Three have filed so far to fill four expiring seats on the Geneva School District 304 board, and four candidates have filed to run for the Batavia School District 101 board, where four seats will be expiring.

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School board filing will continue through Dec. 19. School board members in Kaneland and the Tri-Cities serve four-year terms.

Maple Park resident Shana Sparber, who was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Kaneland board in October, and challenger Aaron J. Lawler of Montgomery have submitted papers to run for the Kaneland school board. Seats currently held by Veronica Bruhl and Pedro Rivas are also expiring, in addition to Sparber's seat.

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Bruhl and Rivas told the Beacon-News in September they planned to run for re-election.

In St. Charles, challengers Carolyn Waibel, Denton Morris, and Lara Kristofer so far have filed to run for seats, as has incumbent James Gaffney, whose term is expiring.

Along with Gaffney's term, the terms of Steven Spurling, Edward McNally and Corinne Pierog will be expiring in 2017. Gaffney is in his fourth term on the board, Spurling and Pierog are in their second terms, and McNally is wrapping up his first term.

Geneva incumbents Mark J. Grosso, who is the current board president, and Leslie N. Juby had filed to run by Tuesday afternoon, along with challenger Taylor R. Egan.

The terms of current board members David Lamb and Bill Wilson, in addition to those of Grosso and Juby, will be expiring in 2017. Lamb and Juby have been Geneva school board members since 2013, Wilson since 2001 and Grosso since 2009.

In Batavia, challenger William C. McGrail III filed to run, along with incumbents Susan G. Locke, Tina Bleakley and Jonathan E. Gaspar. In addition to the three incumbents who have filed, board member Jason Stoops' seat will be up for election.

sfreishtat@tribpub.com

Twitter @srfreish
While inspecting inmate mail before distribution Monday night, Kendall County deputies found marijuana inside a book sent to one of the county jail's inmates, according to sheriff's office reports.

The Kendall County Sheriff's Office is investigating the find, which occurred at about 10 p.m. Monday at the jail on the 1100 block of Cornell Lane in Yorkville, as "bringing contraband into a penal institution."

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Kendall County Sheriff's spokesman Deputy Mike Mrozek said no further information would be released because the investigation is still open.

hleone@tribpub.com

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Twitter @hannahmleone
Tariq Pinnick, 20, of unincorporated Lockport Township, was arrested in Georgia last month in connection with the murder of Dylan Somma, 22, in Lockport Township last January, police said. (Will County Sheriff's Department)

Authorities arrested a man in Georgia who was allegedly connected to the January murder of a Lockport man, police said.

Tariq Pinnick, 20, of Lockport Township, was arrested in Norcross, Ga., on Nov. 30 following a Will County Crime Stoppers tip, according to a Will County Sheriff news release Wednesday.

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Pinnick is accused of gunning down Dylan Somma, 22 on Jan. 13 following an alleged drug deal in the Fairmont neighborhood of unincorporated Lockport Township, authorities said. A Will County judge issued a warrant for Pinnick's arrest with a $1 million bond Jan. 14.

Police had responded to the 200 block of Barry Avenue and found Somma unresponsive in the front yard with a single gunshot wound to his head, police said. He was transported to Silver Cross Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

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Last month, Will County sheriff's police contacted U.S. Marshalls and Georiga's Gwinnett County Sheriff's offices, which began looking for Pinnick in the area following a Crimestopper tip. Will County Crimestoppers will issue the $5,000 reward money to the person who provided the tip that led to the capture of Pinnick, the sheriff's news release said.

"Pinnick remains in custody in Georgia on unrelated felony obstructing justice charges," the release said. "Upon completion of his court proceedings, he will be extradited back to Will County to stand trial for first degree murder."

Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
With construction of the new public safety facility underway, and the new courthouse now being designed, Will County officials will soon seek proposals to design a new health department facility, as its $275 million building campaign continues to move forward.

But first, county officials said during a capital improvements committee meeting Monday, they first need to determine what types of programs and services the health department should offer, and where it should be located.

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The county's community health center and its separate health department offices are located on county-owned land near Richards Street and Mills Road in Joliet.

It also has satellite facilities in Bolingbrook and Monee.

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Board Speaker Jim Moustis, R- Frankfort Township, said he is "not sure" if the county should continue to provide primary health care.

"I can see us doing other things that are not offered by others," such as mental health or dental services, he said, calling for a "comprehensive look at health care needs."

The county started its health center to fill a void in health care services, but with 93 percent of people covered by health insurance, it may no longer be needed, Moustis said.

When the county's population reaches one million people, it is responsible for providing a county hospital, but that could be a partnership with an existing hospital, Moustis said.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Committee members agreed that they need to assess the needs of the health department before designing a new building.

Democratic caucus chair Herbert Brooks Jr., D-Joliet, said it "makes sense" to keep the facilities on land owned by the county, but with all the growth in the northern part of the county, the Joliet site is no longer centrally located.

In addition to operating the clinic, the health department also deals with food sanitation, public water and sanitary services, environmental health and emergency preparedness.

In seeking proposals, the committee agreed to include other potential sites.

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The public safety complex is 12 percent complete, and is projected to be completed by December 2017, at which time, construction will begin on the new courthouse.

Earlier this year, county officials agreed to issue $275 million in bonds to pay for these projects.

slafferty@tribpub.com
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is planning to set up a permanent Supreme Court in Bulawayo soon after completing the ongoing decentralisation of the High Court in 2018.JSC secretary Justice Rita Makarau, in an interview yesterday, said plans were underway to have a permanent seat of the Supreme Court in Bulawayo as a way of strengthening the justice delivery system."The Supreme Court sits on circuit in Bulawayo once every six months and as JSC we are considering putting a permanent Supreme Court soon. In fact, once we are done with the decentralisation of the High Court, which we are concentrating on right now until 2018, we will certainly start planning on the Supreme Court," said Justice Makarau.The Supreme Court permanently sits in Harare and goes on circuit in Bulawayo.Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) councillor and prominent Bulawayo lawyer, Mr Godfrey Nyoni said decentralising the Supreme Court will help people from the southern region to access justice and cut litigation costs."If JSC implements the decentralisation of the Supreme Court by setting up a permanent seat in Bulawayo, as LSZ, we are saying that would be a move in the right direction in terms of access to justice, especially for people in this region," he said.Mr Nyoni said once the Supreme Court is permanently in Bulawayo, it also helps reduce cases of abuse by litigants and a scrambled calendar."It will also help cuts legal costs for litigants, for instance, you have a client in Bulawayo filing an appeal at the Supreme Court and as a law firm I will have to look for a corresponding lawyer in Harare to file on behalf of my client and that is an inhibiting factor and costly on the part of client who will have to bear the costs," he said.Justice Makarau said as part of decentralising the High Court, the present circuit centres in Gweru, Hwange and Mutare would be upgraded to the status of permanent fully fledged High Court stations.She however, acknowledged that due to budgetary constraints, they will roll out the stations in phases. Masvingo was the first to have a permanent seat of the superior court for a largely rural province.Justice Makarau said the decentralisation of the High Court was a priority considering the high number of cases that needed the court's attention.She said the purpose of decentralisation was to bring justice to the people.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner was a speaker at the Illinois Manufacturer's Association's 2016 Annual Luncheon at the J.W. Marriott on Dec. 2, 2016. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

Help me out. I watched Gov. Bruce Rauner's 30-minute Facebook Live event Tuesday on the state of the budget impasse, and I didn't get it. To me, it seemed like a waste of time.

The event was billed as an opportunity for citizens to directly ask the governor questions about the budget. Rauner read printouts of questions apparently screened from queries submitted in advance.

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I heard a lot of blaming and little substance about how the Republican governor would work with Democratic legislators to solve the state's problems.

"We need a balanced budget now, with reforms now," Rauner said in his opening remarks.

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He's correct that the state needs a budget. The current "stopgap" spending plan approved June 30 expires at the end of this month. In his chat Tuesday, Rauner did not address what will happen on Jan. 1 if he and lawmakers fail to reach an agreement.

I was hoping to hear specifics from the governor about consequences of our state leaders' inaction. But that information remains unavailable.

If no action is taken, at best guess the sun will come up Jan. 1. Social agencies that help the sick and poor will struggle to continue operations without state funding. State universities and college-grant recipients will again face uncertain futures.

Business as usual will continue pretty much for everyone else receiving state funds. A court order says state workers must be paid. Public education at the K-12 levels is funded through the school year.

There's really not much incentive to strike a deal. Heck, we recently went 13 months without a budget. It's not an ideal situation, but the world didn't end.

"How can we help?" a Facebook user asked the governor on Tuesday. Push for term limits, Rauner responded.

"The more we spread the message, the more we can create pressure for change," Rauner said.

Term limits and a property tax freeze, Rauner said, are two parts of his "turnaround agenda" reform platform that he insists upon for a budget deal. He said he's willing to set everything else aside, including workers' compensation reform, pension reform, and addressing the inequity in school funding.

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House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton are the bad guys who have refused to negotiate in good faith the past two years, the governor said. They just want to raise taxes, he said.

"My sense is they're stalling," Rauner told the camera beaming his sincere-looking expressions to a Facebook audience that topped out at 600 viewers during the live broadcast. More people might have viewed a recording of the one-way conversation later.

Anyone paying attention to the ongoing budget impasse knows the governor has been traveling the state since late November, telling local media outlets essentially the same message he spread Tuesday on Facebook.

There will be no budget deal without a property tax freeze and term limits, Rauner keeps saying to anyone who will listen. For term limits, he recommends 10 years for legislators and eight years for statewide officeholders such as the governor and attorney general. Rauner wants the General Assembly to pass a measure that would let voters decide the term-limits question on statewide ballots in 2018.

Rauner said he won't meet again with lawmakers until they present a balanced budget. There's a big problem with that stance, as the Danville Commercial-News said in an editorial Tuesday. It's Rauner's job to propose a budget. The state constitution is clear about that.

While the governor and lawmakers point fingers, the state's tally of unpaid bills stands at more than $10 billion and growing. Illinois also faces $130 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.

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We roll along, not so merrily, toward an inevitable tax increase to raise revenues. Democrats and Republicans alike seem most concerned not with balancing the budget but with making it appear the other side is chiefly responsible for the tax increase. So, voters know who to blame in 2018.

There's no denying that Rauner and Republicans are right: Illinois does need pension reform. I believe Rauner when he says the state would save money with procurement reform. I generally support other parts of his agenda.

Worker's comp reform would make the state more competitive, I believe. But that's a hard-fought benefit for workers that should be part of negotiations that might include, say, an income tax increase for millionaires.

The point is, I think there's truth in Rauner's essential message that Illinois needs reform.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

I disagree, however, with his insistence that term limits and a property tax freeze be tied to a budget. State government doesn't even levy property taxes. Local units of government, like school districts and municipalities do.

It would be irresponsible to deny local taxing bodies the ability to provide quality services such as education, police and fire protection. Tying a property tax freeze to school funding reform makes sense, but making it part of budget negotiations is wrong.

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Similarly, I think it's wrong to make term limits a condition for a budget. That's a longer-term goal, such as redistricting reform or reducing the number of units of government in the state.

What am I missing? I want the governor to do his job by proposing a budget, and lawmakers to fulfill their duties to responsibly reduce costs through negotiated reforms. In the meantime, I want both sides to agree to a budget that funds higher education, social services and other needs.

I don't understand the governor's demands that a property tax freeze and term limits are needed for a budget deal, and his Facebook chats aren't providing much insight. It seems to me that the best way to achieve a budget deal would be if the governor fulfilled his constitutional duty to present a budget proposal.

tslowik@tribpub.com

Twitter @tedslowik
An Elgin man was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault of a child, according to the Kane County state's attorney's office.

Jesus Vazquez Zamora, 25, of the 400 block of Enterprise Street, Elgin, agreed to a sentence of six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections in exchange for a guilty plea to criminal sexual assault, a class 1 felony, a state's attorney's office news release stated. Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Judge James C. Hallock accepted the plea.

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Zamora picked up the minor in his car in July 2015 and drove her to an Elgin park where he forced her to have sex with him, prosecutors said.

He must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence and was given credit for 610 days served in the county jail, the release stated. Zamora must register for life as a sexual offender upon his release from prison, it stated.
Richard Schmelzer pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. He is charged with the murder of his grandmother, Mildred "Dodie" Darrington, 85, whose body was found in her East Dundee house. (Chuck Berman, Chicago Tribune)

Another side of Richard Schmelzer's life came into focus Tuesday as prosecutors called a professional escort to testify during the seventh day of Schmelzer's murder trial.

Carmen Ward-Hagains told jurors she carried on a "client-provider" relationship with Schmelzer from late 2013 until July 2014. Mildred Darrington, Schmelzer's grandmother, was found stabbed to death in her East Dundee home on July 18, 2014. Prosecutors believe Schmelzer, facing worsening financial problems, drove to Illinois from Texas to kill Darrington as part of his plan to claim his share of her $800,000 estate.

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Ward-Hagains' testimony put a face on how Schmelzer was spending his time and family's money. Her appearance came a day after Schmelzer's ex-wife, Jennifer, told jurors how missing money, maxed-out credit cards and home foreclosure were some of the problems that surfaced with Richard handling the bills after they moved to Texas in 2006.

"I could estimate $20-25,000," Ward-Hagains said when asked by Assistant State's Attorney Kelley Flinn how much money Schmelzer paid her.

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Ward-Hagains described herself as being "high-tier," which meant she typically charged $450 per hour, although that rate dropped to $250 once she considered Schmelzer an "established" client. Ward-Hagains noted the amount did not include gifts of clothing, lingerie and sex toys he would have delivered to her apartment. Schmelzer also covered $1,300 in car repairs, bought her a cell phone and laptop, paid for a semester of Ward-Hagains' college tuition  which she said typically ran between $2,500-3,000  and made payments to an attorney handling Ward-Hagains' child custody case, she testified.

The relationship started with a threesome between Schmelzer, Ward-Hagains and a friend who encouraged Ward-Hagains to work as an escort to earn extra income, she said. Ward-Hagains described escorting, which was also referred to as "the hobby," as "quality time with clients, some times with sexual activity."

Schmelzer soon became a regular, spending time with Ward-Hagains as often as two or three times a week, she said. He had previously been "established" with Ward-Hagains' friend, but no details of his spending with the other woman was referenced.

Things began to deteriorate during late spring of 2014 when Ward-Hagains said she told Schmelzer her availability would be decreasing because of commitments to her medical science studies, she said. That also had her concerned about her money situation, which prompted Schmelzer to offer to cook her dinner and help her in other ways  all while still paying her, she said. Schmelzer also came up with a plan to make her a paper employee of his company, where she could receive money without actually doing any work, Ward-Hagains explained.

Ward-Hagains began distancing herself after she felt Schmelzer broke the rules of their relationship on two occasions. She initially agreed to spend the weekend of July 18, 2014, with Schmelzer at a hotel for which he pre-paid her $3,200, but canceled after learning he had contacted her son.

"I felt violated, I was uncomfortable," Ward-Hagains said of why she broke things off with Schmelzer, who at one point asked her to be exclusive with him.

Schmelzer's attorney, Joshua Dieden, offered a sharp attack on Ward-Hagains, frequently referring to her as a prostitute who was willing to break her client rules as long as Schmelzer continued to pay her.

"It was my choice, yes. He paid me for my time and some times we had sex," she explained in one response.

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Dieden also accused Ward-Hagains of defrauding the court overseeing her custody case by going along with Schmelzer's payroll scheme in order to have something to document income that wasn't involved in her escort business. Ward-Hagains also acknowledged she didn't return the money Schmelzer gave her for the weekend getaway she canceled.

Also Tuesday, an evidence technician returned to the witness stand to offer further description of Darrington's home, which showed no signs of forced entry or a robbery. Investigator Rusty Sullivan also noted no blood splatter or drops were found in Darrington's bedroom, and that police found what appeared to be impressions made by a glove on the door connecting the house and garage.

Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Richard Schmelzer pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. He is charged with the murder of his grandmother, Mildred "Dodie" Darrington, 85, whose body was found in her East Dundee house. (Chuck Berman, Chicago Tribune)

Five gas fill-ups, two balance inquiries and a McDonald's meal connect a pre-paid American Express card purchased by Richard Schmelzer to a path from Texas to Illinois over a 26-hour span around the time of Mildred Darrington's death, according to prosecutors.

On Wednesday, the eighth day of Schmelzer's trial on charges he murdered Darrington, his 85-year-old grandmother, Kane County prosecutors used the testimony of American Express Senior Special Agent Christine Kulagowski to map out the card's travels from the time Schmelzer bought and loaded the "Happy Birthday" themed card with $260 in Frisco, Texas, on July 17, 2014 until its final purchases on July 19, 2014 the day after Darrington was found fatally stabbed inside her East Dundee home.

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Jurors followed along on a spreadsheet displayed on a TV monitor as Kulagowski described the card first being used to buy gas in Frisco just after noon on July 17. Five hours later, another gas purchase was made in Oklahoma, followed by a stop at McDonald's in Downstate Collinsville around 11 p.m. and then just after 3 a.m. on July 18 at a Thornton's in West Dundee. Darrington failed to show up for her standing 9 a.m. hair appointment that day, which prompted her hairdresser to go to Darrington's house to check on her.

After seven hours with no activity, the card was used again for gas around 10:15 a.m. in Missouri and one last time that day just before 2:30 p.m. in Oklahoma, Kulagowski explained.

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The final two purchases took place on July 19 at a pair of Dallas-area gas stations. Earlier in the trial, Kevin Kratz told jurors Schmelzer gave him a pre-paid American Express card as partial repayment for Kratz renting a Ford Focus which, Schmelzer later told him he used to drive to Illinois to visit a friend at a park. Kratz, related to Schmelzer by marriage, said he used the card to fuel up the Focus before returning it to the rental agency. He later became concerned while looking at the card's purchase history, which he did at some point after learning of Darrington's death from Schmelzer.

Also on Wednesday, a West Dundee police detective who assisted in the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force investigation testified about finding $2,500 in cash, gold and diamond jewelry and several dozen gift cards undisturbed in an office area inside Darrington's home. Those details went along with previous statements by prosecution witnesses who said there were no signs of forced entry into the home and no indication a robbery had taken place.

Wednesday morning, a Missouri woman wrapped up her testimony about a predominantly online relationship she had with Schmelzer in late 2013 through July 2014 during which he gave her at least $20,000. Alicia Koch said she sent Schmelzer lewd photos of herself and two other women, and engaged in "sexting" with him, but that they met in person only once. That happened in June 2014 when Schmelzer went to Las Vegas, where Koch lived at the time, to collect on the money he previously gave her.

In July 2014, Schmelzer worked on a repayment agreement with Koch's husband, who pegged the total amount of money involved to be between $30-40,000. Francis Jones said Schmelzer was "aggressively" persistent about being repaid, but purchased bus tickets from Vegas to Missouri for the couple and their four children as part of their move so Jones could get a better paying job.

By the end of July that year, however, Schmelzer eased up in his demands to recoup the money, telling Jones they could pay him back whenever it worked for them.

"It was strange," Jones said, noting how Schmelzer somewhat suddenly became less adamant about the money.

Prosecutors believe Schmelzer faced a dire financial situation, in part caused by spending tens of thousands of dollars on a professional escort, and killed Darrington in an attempt to collect on his share of her estate estimated to be worth approximately $800,000.

Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Cinemark marketing manager Frank Gonzales demonstrates the size of the XD auditorium screen. (Erin Sauder / The Courier-News)

The wow factor.

That's what Cinemark officials aim to deliver when opening a new theater in the area.

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And there will be plenty of it to go around when the eight-screen facility opens Thursday as part of the $40 million redevelopment effort at Spring Hill Mall, theater officials say.

"It all goes back to the wow factor and offering people something they can get excited about," Cinemark marketing manager Frank Gonzales said Tuesday.

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Gonzales said folks will be excited about the theater's XD auditorium, which seats more than 200 people and features a wall-to-wall and ceiling-to-floor screen, Barco's top-of-the-line surround sound system and stadium seating.

"When people come into the auditorium they're amazed by the screen's size," Gonzales said.

"But when they leave, what they remember is the sound."

The Spring Hill Mall location joins only Evanston in the Chicago area to have the XD auditorium, he said.

At the theater, patrons will find self-service ticketing kiosks, reserved seating, enhanced sound systems in all the auditoriums, and a cafe featuring movie staples such as popcorn, candy and soda, as well as wine and beer, and finger foods including chicken tenders with wedge fries, pizzas and pretzel bites. The Spring Hill Mall location also serves a line of Starbucks drinks as well as Edy's ice cream.

Guests will enjoy kicking back in Cinemark's luxury loungers, which are electric-powered, plush, oversized recliners with foot rests, Gonzales said.

Recently, tickets went on sale for "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," and already the 7 p.m. show on Thursday is nearly sold out.

"Which is great," Gonzales said.

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In total, the location can hold about 1,000 people. It's also the most recent theater Cinemark has brought to the Chicago area, Gonzales said.

"So we're excited about that," he said. "And it's the first time there's been a theater on this property in a long time."

Erin Sauder is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
News / National

by Staff reporter

BULAWAYO pressure group, Ibhetshu LikaZulu, has been barred from conducting Gukurahundi commemorations at Stanley Hall in Makokoba on Unity Day, December 22, with the police saying the venue was already booked for another event.Ibhetshu's secretary-general, Mbuso Fuzwayo expressed disappointment at the police's decision, saying several political party representatives had agreed to attend."The aim is to reflect on what the day means to us. We believe that it is an important day for Zimbabweans, especially those from Matabeleland," he said.In stopping the pressure group's planned commemorations, police said Stanley Hall had already been booked for the Ibumba Arts Festival running from December 16 to 22."This office acknowledges receipt of your correspondence dated December 7, 2016, which you intend to hold 22nd December Commemoration at Stanley Hall (sic)," the police's response read."This office regrets to inform you that your intended venue has already been booked by Ibumba Arts Festival, as from December 16 until December 22."Please also see Chronicle newspaper of December 12 on page 6 of the same issue. Since your intended venue will be occupied on December 22, 2016, therefore, for security reasons the two events cannot be held at the same venue on the same day."Fuzwayo said it was puzzling that the police turned down their request in November when the group booked the venue in July."I booked the venue in July and I have the receipts," he said."How then do the police say the venue is booked when the Bulawayo City Council accepted my payment to use the venue on the day."Zimbabwe commemorates Unity Day annually on December 22 to mark the signing of the 1987 Unity Accord between PF (Zapu) and Zanu to mark their integration and an end to hostilities.At least 20 000 people from Midlands and Matabeleland were killed during the Gukurahundi era, as the government sought to clamp down on dissent.Over the years, the people of Matabeleland, particularly youths, have been reluctant to embrace Unity Day, citing unfulfilled promises and outstanding issues around the Gukurahundi atrocities.
Waukegan city government will see the offices of mayor, clerk and treasurer before the voters in 2017. (Mark Kodiak Ukena / Lake County News-Sun)

Republican candidates will be absent on the Waukegan ballot for the February 28 primary elections.

Filing last month to run for re-election is Democratic incumbent Wayne Motley, 66. Motley is on a slate that includes incumbent City Clerk Maria LaCour and incumbent Treasurer John Schwab.

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Motley will be asking residents to keep him in office four more years during a period that is starting to see a shift in the city's lakefront area.

In June, a new bridge east of Grand Avenue and Sheridan Road at the lakefront opened to the city's harbor, marinas and beaches.

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The reconstruction of what is locally known as the Mathon overpass had a cost of $7.3 million, which was split 80/20 with the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Motley said the project is one of many he's proud to have worked toward and seen come to fruition. Another is the cleanup of the vacant Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) building at 200 E. Sea Horse Drive, across from Waukegan Municipal Beach.

"I'm running because I'd like to finish what I started," Motley said. "We have many things coming down the pipe."

Incumbent Democrat Wayne Motley will seek his second term as mayor in the 2017 elections. (Mark Kodiak Ukena / Lake County News-Sun)

Adding that he's anticipating the BRP site will be under contract for purchase within the next few weeks, Motley said he also will be making "a big announcement" at Monday's City Council meeting about a new business that will mean more than 400 jobs for residents.

"The road repairs and construction projects all take time and effort," Motley said. "I think so far we've been moving forward in the right direction, and I'm very proud of that."

Motley also cited August's departmentwide implementation of the use body cameras by the city's police officers, a he called "huge in the protection of our citizens and officers."

But Ald. Sam Cunningham, Ist Ward, doesn't agree that Waukegan has been moving in the right direction. Cunningham will again be running as a Democrat against Motley in February.

Ald. Sam Cunningham, 1st, has filed to run as a Democrat for mayor of Waukegan in 2017. (Mark Kodiak Ukena / Lake County News-Sun)

In 2013, Cunningham was a Democratic candidate for mayor, finishing 156 votes behind Motley out of 4,166 votes cast in a three-candidate field that saw state Sen. Terry Link finishing third.

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In his fourth bid for mayor since 2005, Cunningham is on a slate with Janet Kilkelly, who is running for clerk.

Cunningham said the current leadership hasn't intentionally taken Waukegan in the wrong direction, adding that he feels the administration has used an outdated approach that won't work in the future.

Citing a $1 million dollar invoice for a Sheridan Road improvement project that sat on a desk for four months without anyone knowing about it and the failed Vet Fest lakefront concert proposal as matters that have tarnished the city's reputation, Cunningham said it was time to breathe fresh life into the city, with him sitting on the leading seat.

"We're going to need a new way of thinking," Cunningham said, adding that the city's comprehensive plan dates back to 1987, and the past and current administrations are still stuck there.

"As mayor, I will move us into today's environment and into the future by collaborating with our local organizations and strengthening partnerships," he said.

Cunningham, 50, who was elected to his first term as alderman in 1999, said one of his first undertakings at that time was the demolition of four abandoned homes in the 1st Ward, where drug activity and violent crimes were the reason for 50 percent of police calls to the area.

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"If I had to look back, that was the beginning of a transition of how we should be living in our community," Cunningham said.

Incumbent clerk Maria LaCour, 52, said in a city made up of a large population of Hispanic families, being bilingual is an advantage.

"My main priority is customer service and transparency, to serve the public and do whatever I can to help," LaCour said.

LaCour's experience consists of having served the city for 26 years as a clerical technician in the city's water department and for 17 years in the City Clerk's Office.

Running against LaCour is Kilkelly, a Democrat who fell short in two previous tries for city clerk  as a Democrat in 2013 and as an independent in 2001.

Kilkelly has run successful campaigns for the Waukegan Park District Board and for Waukegan Township trustee dating back to 1997.

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Attempts to reach Kilkelly for comment on the upcoming primary were not successful.

Running alongside Cunningham, Kilkelly has said she also wants to bring transparency and integrity to the clerk's office.

Incumbent treasurer John Schwab, 72, is hoping to win his third term in office.

Schwab said as a life-long resident of Waukegan who has worked as a podiatric surgeon for more than 30 years, his love for city government is what has kept him in the part-time position, working toward progress.

When Schwab began his term as treasurer in 2009, he said he found the office in disarray and three years behind in the filing of documents.

In his term, all documents went from paper to electronic filing, he said.

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"It took 16 months to get caught up. The difference is now dramatic," Schwab said. "Everything runs in order. Everything is transparent and open to the public."

The winners on Feb. 17 would move on to face any independent or third-party candidates that file to run in the April 4 consolidated election. Those who plan to run as an independent or with a third party have until Friday to file a petition at the city clerk's office. As of Wednesday morning, no such candidate had filed.

Yadira Sanchez Olson is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
Waukegan's Clearview Elementary School and Lightfoot Early Learning Center will be closed Thursday due to a water main break near the two schools, which both sit east of McAree Road north of Glen Flora Avenue.

The school district is also canceling its preschool classes throughout the district for the day due to expected subzero wind chills, according to a news release.

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A winter weather advisory from the National Weather Service was in effect for Lake County and other collar counties until 10 p.m. on Wednesday, while a wind chill advisory will run from 9 p.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. on Thursday.

The Thursday forecast predicts a high near 7 degrees with wind chill values as low as minus-25 degrees and winds averaging 10 to 20 mph with gusts reaching 30 mph.

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As of Wednesday afternoon, Waukegan School District 60 planned on operating a normal schedule at the remainder of its schools for non-preschool classes, though that may change as forecasts are updated, according to the release.

Parents uncomfortable with sending their children to school in the cold can choose to keep their children home as an excused absence, district officials said in the release.

The combination of cold air and strong wind can lead to frostbite and hypothermia if precautions are not taken, according to the weather service advisory.

The district asked parents to ensure that all students are dressed for the weather with warm coats, gloves or mittens, hats, scarves and boots whether they walk to school or take the bus.

Final decisions about whether to close the schools will be posted on the district's website at www.wps60.org and sent through the district's Blackboard Connect phone system, Priority Mail 60 email system and social media.

emcoleman@tribpub.com

Twitter @mekcoleman
The name of the victim from a weekend plane crash at the far edge of snow-covered McHenry County needed no introduction to anyone who remembers the passion plays of the 1980s and/or 1990s.

Rob Sherman was more than an individual who went public with his worldview. He was something like a brand after a certain point, a cottage industry. Not only is there absolutely no disrespect intended with that observation, but it quite possibly is something that wouldn't have drawn an argument from Sherman himself.

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Take, for example, Rob Sherman's car.

It was hard to miss his little fire-engine red Pontiac Solstice convertible. Once you noticed it, how did you know it was his? Well, for starters, there was the Illinois license plate: ATHEIST. In this part of the world, that description was almost automatically associated with "Rob Sherman."

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 6 Investigators work Dec. 10, 2016, at the scene of a plane crash at Meyer and Pleasant Grove roads in Marengo, Ill. The pilot was killed. (Joe Shuman / for the Chicago Tribune)

Just in case you didn't make that connection, there was the custom-made sticker on the Pontiac's doors: An image of Rob Sherman's face on a penny  under the words "In Rob We Trust."

If you want to check this sight out for yourself, visit www.robsherman.com/news  a self-titled website that is another example of the man becoming the legend  and click around the images.

I spotted that overt display of either hubris or marketing or self-deprecating humor  probably a mix of all three  in person outside a Lake County government facility in Libertyville a couple of years ago. Inside, a committee was mulling the possibilities of a Route 53 extension and how to pay for it. Rob Sherman was there, acting in his capacity as a public-finance watchdog, not that this was how he had earned his fame.

No, Rob Sherman will be remembered as the man who fought battles that might fairly be described as locally unpopular. It's certainly safe to say that when he stood before public officials like the late Adeline Geo-Karis in Zion and challenged the use of a religious symbol that had been displayed by the city for the better part of a century, there were people in the room restraining themselves from saying or doing something they would regret later in a court of law.

Whether you agreed with him or not in his arguments against Christian symbols and expressions being used in a country that was founded on freedom from a state religion, you can't deny that Rob Sherman had the courage of his convictions. It took guts and brashness to challenge people on something as deeply personal as religion, and those guts and that brashness were there to see on his Pontiac.

If you've hung around Chicago media long enough, you have a Rob Sherman story. I'll share one today that goes beyond spotting his trademark car in a parking lot. Back in the summer of 2009, nearly 20 years after Sherman began his battle against Zion for using the phrase "God Reigns" on its city seal, his name was once again heard in Zion City Hall.

This time, it was over a plan to move The Legendary Dungeon of Doom from the old Grayslake fairgrounds to a vacant industrial building on Zion's east side. A local minister was among those speaking out against the plan, telling the City Council that "Mr. Dowie would probably roll over in his grave" at the thought of allowing a celebration of Halloween and its evil spirits in Zion. Sure enough, the council denied a special-use permit for the haunted house.

Lake County News Sun Twice-weekly News updates from Lake County delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Sherman was asked to weigh in, and weigh in he did  in favor of the city.

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"It seems to me the City Council did exactly the right thing," Sherman told me for a story published shortly after the council vote. "After dealing with me 20 years ago, they're not stupid."

Sherman added that he told the haunted house owner "he has no case. He flushed his money down the toilet because he didn't wait for the special-use permit. There is no constitutional right to a special-use permit. (Before) you spend a dime, the first thing you have to ask yourself is, 'Is this facility zoned for this particular use?'"

That phone conversation with Sherman went far beyond the haunted house issue. He held court for a good half hour on his battles from both the past and ones he planned in the future. It was clear that Rob Sherman was a man of deep intellect, deeper convictions and an unfathomable enthusiasm for speaking his mind.

As my Sainted Irish Grandmother used to say, may God rest his soul  though both she and he probably would have passed on that expression in this particular case.

danmoran@tribpub.com

Twitter@NewsSunDanMoran
Starting in the 2017-18 school year, Daniel Wright Junior High students will start 40 minutes later, beginning their school day at 8:30 a.m. (Pioneer Press / Pioneer Press)

Middle school students at Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103 soon will start their school days later, while younger students at the district will have to wake up earlier.

The recently approved start time changes at Daniel Wright Junior High and Sprague Elementary are intended to give District 103 students entering adolescence more time to sleep, said Superintendent Scott Warren.

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Calling it a national health issue, Warren urged district board members during a meeting Tuesday to follow recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that generally suggest teenage students perform better in school when allowed to sleep longer and start classroom work later in the day.

"I know this is a big change for everybody," Warren said. "If the research was not as compelling as it is, this would not be as big an issue as it is. It's a national health issue."

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Board members unanimously approved the start time changes at Daniel Wright Junior High and Sprague Elementary, despite concerns raised earlier in the year by the district's teacher union, the Lincolnshire-Prairie View Education Association.

Starting in the 2017-18 school year, Sprague students will begin class at 8:15 a.m., 45 minutes earlier than they do now. Daniel Wright students will start 40 minutes later, beginning their school day at 8:30 a.m.

Although the length of the school day will remain unchanged, Sprague students next year will end their day at 2:45 p.m. while the school day at Daniel Wright won't end until 3:35 p.m. The class schedule at Half Day School in District 103 remains the same.

During board discussions on later start times earlier this fall, District 103 teachers with the Lincolnshire-Prairie View Education Assocation expressed concerns that a later start at Daniel Wright could lead to various logistical problems for students and their families.

Older students may no longer be able to supervise their younger siblings after school, representatives with the teacher union have said. A later release time also means some Daniel Wright students would have to walk home from the school in the dark during the winter months, district teachers warned.

Union members also cautioned that other schools with earlier class schedules may stop booking games and other extra-curricular events with District 103.

Despite the concerns, Audrey Salzman, co-president of the Lincolnshire-Prairie View Education Association, said Tuesday her group understands board members' reasoning behind their decision to change start times at Daniel Wright and Sprague.

"The board is doing what is right for the students," Salzman said.

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Even with an unanimous outcome on the decision, district board members sometimes clashed internally when debating the issue of later start times, said Board President Gary Gordon.

Board members started exploring a start-time change at District 103 in 2015.

"I've had, it's not unfair to say, yelling matches with some of them with this topic," Gordon said.

District 103 also isn't the first school district in the area to decide on later start times at school.

Officials with both Stevenson High School and Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102 in Buffalo Grove cited research from the American Academy of Pediatrics before deciding to push back certain start times, which went into effect this year.

Earlier this fall, board members at Barrington School District 220 pushed back start and end times at the district middle schools, as well as Barrington High School, after discussing the issue and gathering community feedback for 18 months.

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rwachter@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @RonnieAtPioneer
Andy's Frozen Custard in Naperville Crossings will officially open Wednesday. The custard shop is open through the winter, and currently has about 20 employees. (Erin Hegarty / Naperville Sun)

As temperatures continue to fall and snow dusts the ground, Naperville residents can take solace in the fact that there are a few new businesses that can help provide refuge and warmth from the cold.

From a frozen custard shop to a pancake restaurant with bread baked in-house, here's what's now open or will soon be:

The long-awaited Andy's Frozen Custard is scheduled to open at 11 a.m. Wednesday. The frozen custard shop is located in the Naperville Crossings shopping center near the intersection of 95th Street and Reflection Drive. Andy's will offer a card for a free treat for every $10 gift card purchased upon opening. Andy's Naperville marks the restaurant's seventh Illinois location. The shop has hired 20 employees and plans to hire about 15 more part-time employees in the spring. Andy Kuntz, the business' namesake and current president, will be at the Naperville location Wednesday for the grand opening.

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Radhika's Kitchen, a restaurant that will serve homestyle Indian food, will celebrate its opening with a ribbon-cutting Thursday. The restaurant is located at 1021 W. Ogden Ave. in the Cress Creek shopping center. (Erin Hegarty / Naperville Sun)

Starting Thursday, there will be a new place to get Indian food in town. Radhika's Kitchen, at 1021 W. Ogden Ave. in the Cress Creek shopping center, will have a ribbon-cutting celebration at 4:30 p.m. Complimentary snacks, coffee and tea will be available. Radhika's menu incorporates the cuisine of Hyderabad (India), Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and North India. U.S. Rep.-elect Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Schaumburg, and Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico are scheduled to attend the Thursday event.

Elly's Pancake House, also in Naperville Crossings, opened about three weeks ago. The restaurant is open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., serving breakfast and lunch. Elly's Manager George Grekousis says business has been "very good," and the restaurant employs between 18 and 20 people. Some popular menu items include made-to-order corned beef hash and hand-packed made-to-order burgers, Grekousis said. Elly's also stocks 100 percent pure maple syrup and bakes bread in-house.

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Andy's Frozen Custard in Naperville Crossings will officially open Wednesday. The custard shop is open through the winter, and currently has about 20 employees. (Erin Hegarty / Naperville Sun)

Construction on Raising Cane's, a chicken finger restaurant, continues near the intersection of Route 59 and Aurora Avenue. The Naperville location will be the first Illinois spot for the Baton Rouge-based restaurant. Raising Cane's specializes in chicken fingers, cole slaw, fries and Texas toast. A Raising Cane's representative said the company is not yet commenting on an opening date.

ehegarty@tribpub.com
DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin, left, and DuPage County Clerk Paul Hinds discuss the specifics of merging the county election commission with the county clerk's office during a Tuesday morning press conference. (Gary Gibula / Naperville Sun)

DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin announced a proposal Tuesday to merge the County Election Commission into the County Clerk's Office, calling the move a "new chapter" in county government.

The consolidation will require state legislation and, if signed into law by the governor, could take effect on Dec. 1, 2017, in time for the March 20, 2018, general primary election.

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County clerks run nearly all elections conducted in Illinois. DuPage and Peoria are the only counties in which balloting is overseen by an election commission.

The DuPage commission has 18 full-time employees and a $4 million annual budget funded through an appropriation approved by the County Board.

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Cronin said the proposed change would not necessarily result in a tax decrease although there could be some cost savings.

"What I promise to taxpayers is our goal of administering elections in the most cost-effective way while maintaining the highest standard of integrity," Cronin said at a news conference following Tuesday's County Board meeting. "We'll be keeping costs down, and there will be no need to ask folks for more money."

Although such a merger has been discussed previously, the issue came to the forefront this year with Cronin's pledge for more accountability, consolidation and transparency.

County Clerk Paul Hinds said he was uncertain how many employees would be needed when the two offices become one.

"Certainly with customer service, there are people coming to the clerk's office all day long so there will be some shared services in that area," he said.

Cronin added, however, that there will be no layoffs because of the switch.

"It's safe to say there will be head count reduction," Cronin said. "But it will happen over a period of time, through attrition and early retirements."

Some have been critical of county clerks running elections because each clerk is an elected official with a party affiliation. While the Election Commission is overseen by a three-person board appointed by the County Board chairman, the proposed DuPage County Board of Election Commissioners that would replace it would consist of the clerk, two representatives from the Republican Party and two representatives from the Democratic Party.

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In addition, the four party representatives to the election commission would be seated with the approval of the entire County Board.

"We're actually moving to a more robust due process," Cronin said. "We want to make this process more transparent with more input from both parties, and we want the County Board members to have a role where they have to approve. What we're proposing here today is more democratic, with a small 'd.'"

Some money could be saved because there will no longer be a need to use an outside law firm to handle the commission's legal issues, Hinds said.

"The state's attorney is the clerk's office attorney," Hinds said. "If I have a legal question, I ask him."

Hinds has been working on consolidation specifics with Election Commission Chairwoman Cathy Ficker-Terrill.

"This is an opportunity to look at a new model for good governance," Ficker-Terrill said Tuesday. "What it also will do is afford better transparency for the public, and I think that's equally important. There will be one counter where people go, whether they need to register to vote or have some other business at the clerk's office."

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The merger proposal is posted online at dupageco.org/ECProposal, where the public can leave comments. In-person testimony will be taken at a public hearing scheduled for Jan. 10 in the County Board room.

If all goes according to schedule, legislation will be introduced in Springfield in February for consideration during the spring session. If approved, the County Board would then pass an ordinance and conclude a transition period before Dec. 1, the start of the next county fiscal year.

"There's something very sacred about elections," Cronin said. "We here in DuPage County want to make sure that we have the faith, trust and confidence of the public. It's a duty and responsibility that we take very, very seriously."

Gary Gibula is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
Two Naperville residents have been reappointed to the DuPage County Ethics Commission.

Gerald Cassioppi and William Habel were given new two-year terms Tuesday by the DuPage County Board, which approved board Chairman Dan Cronin's recommendations.

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The Ethics Commission oversees the conduct of all county employees, including Cronin and County Board members. According to its web site, the panel addresses ethics complaints "to guarantee fair, efficient and honest government to ensure integrity and objectivity."

Cassioppi is an attorney and certified public accountant who has served on the commission for four years. The County Board recertified him as Ethics Commission chairman.

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"I've known Gerry Cassioppi for some time now," Cronin said Tuesday. "He is well-respected and very active in the community by donating his time to groups like the Chamber of Commerce and Choose DuPage. I think he brings honor, character and integrity to the Ethics Commission."

Cronin said that, by ordinance, no more than three of the five-member commission may be from the same political party. Cassioppi's disclosure statement indicated he is a Republican.

Habel, a Democrat, is the assistant business manager of IBEW Local 701. He previously served on the Naperville Building Review Board.

In a statement of interest to the county, Habel wrote: "As a current ethics commissioner, I wish to continue serving the citizens of DuPage County helping to provide an environment for public employees that is free from any conflicts of interest."

Following Tuesday's county board meeting, Cronin said of Habel: "He understands economic development issues and has an understanding of the big picture, the purpose of government and the need to have openness and transparency. Mr. Habel has served well, and we'd like to have him continue on the Ethics Commission."

The Ethics Commission meets quarterly, or more frequently if necessary. Commissioners receive meeting stipends of $175 and the chairman is paid $185 per hour.

In addition to Cassioppi and Habel, the County Board also approved Cronin's recommendations to reappoint Elmhurst Democrat Todd Benson and Warrenville Republican Robert LaDeur to one-year terms.

The fifth seat on the commission is temporarily vacant. Previous member Chester Szerlag has moved from the area.

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The County Board also approved the reappointment of Geneva attorney Daniel Hanlon to the position of ethics adviser of DuPage County.

Gary Gibula is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Bulawayo High Court judges have written a letter of complaint to the Judiciary Service Commission (JSC) expressing their displeasure over utterances by Deputy Chief Justice Luke Malaba, who is alleged to have castigated the Bulawayo bench for failing to understand the law.The followed the publication of an article in a local newspaper in which the Deputy Chief Justice allegedly castigated the judges in an open court while chairing proceedings in an appeal matter involving the AFM Church ownership wrangle.The judges said although Justice Malaba had openly attacked them in public, he had forgotten that he, at one point, also made the same error, but was never publicly censured."For instance, the DCJ (Malaba) himself got it wrong in the case of Forestry Commission vs Moyo 1997 (1) ZLR 254 (SC) wherein, he, among other errors, granted condonation without it having been applied for. The Supreme Court bench, which comprised (Anthony) Gubbay CJ, (Nicholas) McNally JA and (Simbarashe) Muchechetere JA, held that the DCJ erred in that case, set aside his findings and corrected the position without castigating him as not understanding the law," the judges said.In a letter dated November 30 and addressed to Judge President George Chiweshe, the judges said judicial officers the world over were not infallible, but that would not warrant public censure."We have handled numerous cases as a station, in some of which upon appeal the Supreme Court has upheld our decisions. Why then attack our general knowledge of the law and conclude that because of just one case, we then do not understand the law?" the judges asked."To say just because of one case out of 1 000 cases that we have dealt with as a station Bulawayo judges don't understand the law' is an unfair attack on our general performance."They added: "We obviously, as judges, do not claim monopoly to legal knowledge, which is why there is a Supreme Court to check on our work. Judicial precedent shows that even the Supreme Court itself has sometimes revisited its prior position on the law and gave a different legal position altogether, those are the dynamics of the judicial interpretation of the law. No single persons can claim monopoly in legal knowledge."Officials at the JSC yesterday said they had not yet received the judges' letter of complaint.
Second-graders from Meadow Glens Elementary School celebrate the new butterfly garden created as an Eagle Scout project. The Naperville school ranks No. 1 on Niche.com's 2017 Best Public Elementary Schools list. (Jane Donahue / Naperville Sun)

Eighteen of the 25 best public elementary schools in Illinois are in Naperville, according to an online data collection website.

Meadow Glens Elementary ranked No. 1 and was one of five Naperville District 203 schools to crack the top 10 in the 2017 Best Public Elementary Schools in Illinois list produced by Niche.com.

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Nationally, the school in southeast Naperville school placed 45 out of the 48,625 public elementary schools assessed by Niche.com.

Joining Meadow Glens in the top 10 in the state are District 203's Naper, Riverwoods, Steeple Run and Highlands schools, which were ranked 2, 5, 6 and 7 in the state and made the top 100 list in the United States.

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Also cracking the top 10 in Illinois were Indian Prairie District 204's White Eagle at No. 9 and Peterson at No. 10. White Eagle was No. 99 of America's top 100, the company said.

The three other schools rounding out the top 10 are in Barrington.

Earning spots in Illinois' top 25 were 11 District 204 schools and three District 203 schools, Ranchview, Mill Street and Scott.

Of the 11, two can be found in Aurora, Young and Brooks, and one in Bolingbrook, Builta.

Other District 204 schools in the top 25 are Clow, Brookdale, Fry, Patterson, Springbrook, Graham, Owen and Watts.

Ellsworth, Beebe, Kingsley, Prairie and Maplebrook schools in District 203 and District 204's Kendall, Gombert, Cowlishaw, Steck, Welch and Longwood made the top 50.

Niche.com creates rankings and profiles for every public school, college and neighborhood in the United States and releases the information periodically throughout the year.

Its elementary list is based on analysis of statistics and reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education.

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Half of Niche.com's grade comes from state assessment proficiency numbers and the other 50 percent is divided between analysis of academic and student life, teacher salary, absenteeism and state test results, racial and economic diversity, and surveys of parents and students.

For a complete list of schools, visit https://k12.niche.com/rankings/public-elementary-schools/best-overall/s/illinois/.

subaker@tribpub.com

Twitter @SBakerSun1
Former Oak Parker John Sorensen, 45, who now lives in Washington, D.C., and was back to visit family, answered a few questions Nov. 27 for the Oak Leaves at Ridgeland Common's Paul Hruby Ice Arena.

Q: Occupation?

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A: I'm a documentary producer for Grace Creek Media. I do stuff for PBS and nonprofits. I used to work for Towers Productions in Chicago.

Q: What do you enjoy about that type of work?

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A: I'm always learning something new, meeting new people and problem-solving. I just did a piece in Israel, talking about religion, faith and how it affects politics.

Q: How do you like D.C.?

A: We like that you're really close to nature; it's easy to get to the mountains. Everybody is from somewhere else, and there are lots of very interesting people.  But we love Chicago. We miss living here.

Q: Any particular stops while you're back in town?

A: We're back home for the holiday. It's just a beautiful city. We mostly went downtown and to Logan Square. We went to a place called Billy Sunday. The other night we went to Exit Strategy in Forest Park, which was great.

Q: Charity of choice?

A: We were just talking about supporting Planned Parenthood.

Q: Words you live by?

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A: Patience and practice.

Q: Travel destination of choice?

A: I used to live in Japan, and I want to go back. But if my wife were here, I'd say the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando. Apparently we have to go there before I go back to Japan, which would be lovely.

Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we get to know and introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban Chicago. Check out more online at ChicagoTribune.com/ShoutOut.

Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
A Gary man who served prison time in an attack on an ex-girlfriend was sentenced Wednesday to 13 years in the Indiana Department of Correction for aggravated battery in a knife assault on his children's mother.

In court last month, Eddie Jerrod Hogan admitted that he approached a woman on March 12, 2015, near the bus stop where she had dropped off one of their children to catch the bus at Montgomery Street and Ash Avenue in the Miller section of Gary. Hogan asked to speak with her in her car.

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While she was sitting in the driver's seat, he got into the seat behind hers and stabbed her 17 times with a steak knife, according to court documents. The woman had wounds to her head, face and neck and was in a drug-induced coma for two days as a result of the attack.

"My life will never be the same because of scars inside and out," the woman said in a letter read aloud to Lake Superior Court Judge Salvador Vasquez. Their younger child saw the woman's bloody injuries after she managed to drive herself home, her letter said.

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Defense attorney James Thiros said Hogan, "was not in his right state of mind" on the morning of the attack.

In court, Hogan, 35, apologized to the woman, who was present in court, and their children. "I know I messed up. I made a mistake, made some bad mistakes," Hogan said.

Deputy prosecutor Sean Mullins noted Hogan's numerous arrests, which resulted in a single conviction in 2012 for battery involving an ex-girlfriend whom Hogan shot in both legs. Hogan served four years in the Indiana Department of Correction and was released. Mullins argued for the maximum 16-year sentence.

Under terms of his plea agreement, charges of attempted murder, battery by means of a deadly weapon and battery resulting in serious bodily injury were dismissed.

Hogan, 35, also was charged with attempted murder in a 2004 case in which he was accused of shooting at a man who was with a former girlfriend, according to court documents. That case was dismissed in 2005.

Hogan also has pending cases in Vanderburgh County in which he is charged with robbery resulting in serious bodily injury and aggravated battery.

Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Recent Purdue Northwest nursing graduate Jennifer Martz serves as a nurse extern in the Oncology Department at Community Hospital in Munster. A nursing job awaits her once she passes her Board of Nursing certification exam. (Photo Provided by Purdue University / Post-Tribune)

For five years, Michigan City native Jennifer Martz tried to convince herself the art school she was attending would prepare her for her life's work.

But when a patient died in her arms while she worked part-time at a local hospital, and another stricken patient prompted her to summon a "stroke alert," the would-be illustrator/fashion designer came to realize it was time to follow a new career path.

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So she enrolled in the nursing program at Purdue University Northwest's Hammond Campus in January 2011. Fast forward to last weekend, when she participated in Commencement Exercises as part of PNW's first graduation class  a class of some 990 individuals. PNW hosted three ceremonies at its Hammond and Westville campuses.

The youngest of four siblings, Martz, 29, plans to follow in the footsteps of her mother, a Purdue Northwest Westville campus alumna, who recently retired from a career in nursing. Her father also bleeds Purdue black and gold, having studied engineering at PNW's Hammond Campus before graduating at the Purdue West Lafayette campus.

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Away from campus, Jennifer  Jen, as her friends know her  serves as a nurse extern in the Oncology Department at Community Hospital in Munster. A nursing job awaits her once she passes her Board of Nursing certification exam.

"Ultimately, I want to do research related to Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's or ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease)," she said. "I want to do research that helps nurses help their patients."

And the Dean's List student is off and running with her goal.

For more than a year, she has taken it upon herself to engage in systematic research of Parkinson's disease, a chronic and progressive movement disorder with which her father was diagnosed two years ago.

"I want to help improve his quality of life, so I decided to research what could be done," she said. "I learned that depression due to chemical imbalances in the brain of Parkinson's patients is the main constraint."

In conducting her research outside of class and laboratory time, Martz has received guidance from nursing faculty members Beth Vottero and Taryn Eastland.

"I was worried about asking them to be my mentors, because I knew how busy they are," she said. "But they really wanted to see me succeed, and that meant a lot to me. In fact, all the nursing faculty here have been amazing; they've all touched my life in some way."

The feeling may be mutual.

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"Jennifer is not one to search out ways to make herself stand out," Associate Professor Vottero said. "Instead, her work is what is so amazing. She is very quiet, yet at the same time eager to learn and take advantage of every learning opportunity."

Martz presented her Parkinson's research last month at the Northwest Indiana Nursing Research Consortium, an experience she found exhilarating. "Seasoned nurses who have practiced for 20 or more years asked me legit questions about my research," she said.

Calling research her "hobby," science her "love" and taking care of people her "passion," Martz is looking forward to moving on to the next chapter of her life, which will include graduate study.

"I was really nervous about being an art student who wanted to become a nursing student, but from the beginning, I loved the nursing program and everything I was able to do here," she said. "Now, I want to be an agent of change who pushes medicine and research forward to improve the quality of life of those who suffer from neurological ailments."

Wes Lukoshus is assistant vice chancellor of media relations and communications at Purdue University Northwest.

wlukosh@pnw.edu
Green Drinks in Michigan City to meet

Northwest Indiana Green Drinks in Michigan City will meet this evening at 6:30 p.m. at Shoreline Brewery, 208 Wabash St. Shannon Eason, assistant superintendent of the Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department, will present Winding Creek Cove and Other Hidden Gems. She also will discuss grants received by the park district from the Donnelly Foundation, The Alliance for the Great Lakes and the Lake Michigan Coastal Program to address storm water management, water quality and bank stabilization at Winding Creek Cove. Green Drinks in Michigan City meets the third Thursday of every month. The events are sponsored by Save the Dunes and supported by 219 GreenConnect. Suggested donation is $5, $2 for students. More information is at 219-874-4076.

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Toy drive a success

Valpo Parks along with Dunes Leathernecks Detachment Marine Corps League hosted the sixth annual Touch a Truck Toys for Tots toy drive on Dec. 10. Children of all ages enjoyed the opportunity to explore their favorite big rigs, such as fire trucks, police cars and tractors. The event collected approximately 800 toys and more than $500 for the local Toys for Tots campaign.

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Integrated health complex to open

The new Integrated Health Complex of the Valparaiso Family YMCA is set to open Jan. 2 at 1201 Cumberland Crossing Drive. The 8,500 square-foot addition is a collaboration of resources from the Valparaiso YMCA and its healthcare partner, St. Mary Medical Center. The two-level building will house two mind and body studios, a conference room, personal training studio, expanded restroom facilities and St. Mary Medical Center therapy and physical rehabilitation areas. The new addition provides areas for expanded services including physical therapy, private treatment rooms and aquatic therapy in the YMCA Leisure Pool. More information is with Carol Crowe at 219-462-4185, Ext. 241.

Officer of the Year recognized

Terri Millefoglie has been named the 2016 District 10 Conservation Officer of the Year. A 13-year veteran of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources  Law Enforcement Division, she has served in Lake County throughout her career. Millefoglie is a K-9 Handler with her partner Cinder, National Archery in the Schools Program Instructor, Passenger-for-Hire Inspector, First Responder, Boat Accident Reconstructionist and Juvenile Investigator. Nominated for the award by her peers, Millefoglie will now compete against nine other officers from across the state for the Pitzer Award, named after Indiana Conservation Officer James D. Pitzer who was shot and killed in the line of duty.

Open registration at Adult Learning Center

The Crown Point Adult Learning Center, an affiliate of the Center of Workforce Innovations, 928-B South Court St., has open registration Mondays and Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 1 to 4 p.m., and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for individuals wanting to attain their high school equivalency and to learn English as a second language. Skill training also is available in welding, certified nursing assistant, CDL, entry level manufacturing, emergency management technician, pharmacy technician, and hospitality. More information is at 219-314-9904.

 Staff report
Volunteer Lynn Morgan hands boxes of instant mashed potatoes to visitors on Saturday during a Food Bank of Northwest Indiana holiday food bank event at St Mary Hildebrandt Hall in Griffith. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

The friendship between Jack Sopko and Yasmine Porter may have been a one-day event, but their dedication to philanthropy will be something the two remember.

Jack, 7, of Munster, bounced around happily as he helped Yasmine, 15, give out loaves of bread during the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana's 5th Annual Hope for the Holidays food drive Saturday at St. Mary's Hildebrandt Hall in Griffith. Though things got busy, the curly-haired Cub Scout with Pack 936 never let his friend out of his sight for long.

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"I was helping her get that stuff in there," Jack said, running behind his dad, Tim Sopko, before speeding off again. "She's my friend and we helped each other!"

Normally held at the Radisson Star Plaza, the food drive's Lake County event was moved to the Griffith Hall this year, said Food Bank interim Executive Director Steve Beekman. As such, there were a few hundred less people coming through than they usually serve, but there were still plenty of people waiting outside the hall when the team got there to set up at 7 a.m.

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"We serve approximately 4.3 million meals each year to people who're food insecure, or those with limited ability to get good, healthy food regularly," Beekman said. "In Indiana, 1 in 6 people is food insecure, while in Northwest Indiana, that number is 1 in 5, and that's an increase over the national average."

And the food  a healthy mix of grains, proteins and veggies  won't go to waste. Any of the food that wasn't distributed Saturday would be used at Food Bank-affiliated pantries in the area, giving people who need help a shot at a good meal. Another Food Bank distribution takes place Saturday at Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso.

People who showed up for the drive, however, received a chicken, canned goods, mashed potatoes, bread and juice  the perfect amount for Katrina Stinson, of Gary, to feed her family of three a nice, healthy Christmas dinner.

"This is great for the holidays. It helps a lot," she said.

Alex Sotiroski, of Merrillville, volunteered on behalf of NIPSCO, which donated $10,000 to the effort. It was his second year as a volunteer, and he just kept moving where he was needed.

"It's a great opportunity to see what we do for people in need," he said. "We're giving people a hand."

Jack and Yasmine weren't the only ones who developed a friendship as they worked; William Ramsey, 15, of Cedar Lake; and Claire LaVoie, 13, of St. John, raced their shopping carts around while waiting for people to help.

"It's so humbling to see all the people with smiles on their faces, even if their situation is tough," Claire said. "It's amazing."

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Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

Valparaiso event Saturday

The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana will hold its Porter County leg of the drive at 9 a.m. Saturday at Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso. People are encouraged to bring their own boxes and bags.
Porter County officials will have to put partisan politics aside and decide what's best for voters as they determine how to balance convenience and efficiency.

At a Tuesday meeting of the county's election board, elected officials and party representatives talked about the possibility of vote centers, the future of voting in the county and what needs to be taken into consideration as changes are made, including geography and equipment, regardless of what those changes are.

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Officials noted that even with 62 percent turnout in last month's general election, there is room for improvement, particularly for low turnout in non-presidential years, and that it will take a committee of representatives from the election board, the County Council and the Board of Commissioners to decide on the next move.

"My opinion is that this group figure out the next plan of attack," said Mike Simpson, the county's Republican Party chair, noting a recent suggestion by Kathy Kozuszek, the Democratic representative in the Voter Registration Ballot, to move to balloting by mail. "Maybe that's the direction we should be going."

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State Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron, kicked things off with a presentation on vote centers, which are in use by 29 counties and work much the same way as early voting sites, but they are only open on Election Day. Voters can cast a ballot at any one of them during voting hours, instead of having to do so close to home.

Moving to vote centers takes a unanimous vote by the election board, and majority votes by the Board of Commissioners, who approve contracts for new equipment, and the County Council, who decide on the funding.

"Vote centers serve a really good purpose in that they allow consolidation of effort and a slight decrease in cost, though this is not about cost," Aylesworth said.

Aylesworth said the centers are the future of voting and could increase voter participation.

State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage, said he would prefer the state not mandate vote centers and instead leave it up to individual counties to decide how to proceed, as it is now.

"If you want to go forward with vote centers, you need honest, open discussion, and a local decision," he said.

Election board member J.J. Stankiewicz, the board's lone Democrat and the likely holdout on the board moving forward with vote centers, wanted to know why less than a third of Indiana counties have gone forward with vote centers.

"Change is always difficult," Aylesworth said, adding there's a familiarity in knowing what works. "It's quite daunting at first blush."

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Noting the turnout in last month's election, Stankiewicz said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," and added paper ballots leave a paper trail that can be followed later.

Some electronic voting equipment does leave a trail, Aylesworth said, which would have to be considered with any equipment switch.

With an off year for elections coming up in 2017 and the contract up for some of the county's election equipment, this was the best time to begin the discussion, said David Bengs, president of the election board.

He acknowledged that vote centers were not likely to pass muster with the election board.

"If vote centers are not the solution we have to look at other options," he said. "There need to be some upgrades made to this engine. It's running but it isn't running right."

Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
What's Quickly? It's where readers sound off on the issues of the day. Have a quote, question or quip? Call Quickly at 312-222-2426 or email quickly@post-trib.com.

Since the state of Indiana has a disposable slush fund, which it used to gift Carrier $700,000 a year, maybe the City of East Chicago can get help to fix the water crisis. Hint, hint, Gov. Pence!

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Trump did not win the popular vote, so why would you think that the Quickly comments would be 50-50? Think, use your math skills.

Like the Kurds in Iraq in the 90s, we sold out the rebels in Aleppo. Their blood is on America's hands.

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The continued assertions that facts are actually emotion-based opinions, is the most insidious attack on our free press. The subversion of truth opens the door for a state of propaganda.

Last year the Porter County snowplow sheared my steel post mailbox right off the ground. So, I put in a concrete pad a foot back and bought a new concrete base and mailbox at my expense. Then the mail lady started leaving ruts in my yard, so I poured concrete on the whole area from the mailbox to the road. Guess what? The first snow fall and my whole mailbox got destroyed by the plow and would up 10 feet away. I am sure the plow driver got a snicker out of that one.

If Trump and Kanye were in a photo before the election, Clinton would have won.

Here are seven blunders made by the CIA: the Arab Spring, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Iranian Revolution, the fall of USSR, weapons of mass destruction, and the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11. And now we have been duped by Russia, and that's why Donald Trump won the election. Once again the CIA is out there all alone, with other intelligence agencies telling a different story and not backing their play.

Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Great, now we find out Russia may have interfered in our free election process and help Donald Trump get elected. This needs to be investigated, people held accountable, and fix this so it never happens again.

Many are cheering the Rex Tillerson selection. They are mostly in Russia.

The U.S. is the only place in the world where you can get more votes then the other person and lose the election.

Don't let radical Republicans take away Social Security and Medicare. Their sights are set on them. Who voted for that? Both are necessary lifelines for seniors who paid into the programs over their lifetimes. Privatizing means these nonprofit programs will become for-profit businesses, with huge rate increases to boost corporate profits. Don't fall for the scam. Your future is at stake.

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I wonder if Trump voters, who apparently think Putin's Russia is an ally, ever heard of the "cold war", the "iron curtain", the "Berlin Wall", gulags and mental hospitals (if not murder or a dousing in acid) for dissenters?

Pence and Trump have utmost faith in Ben Carson, after all "it's not brain surgery."

Read more at www.post-trib.com/quickly.
Skokie had its first snowstorm Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. On the heels of that, single-digit air temperatures, accomapnied by sub-zero windchill factors, are forecast for the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, into the next morning, according to the National Weather Service. (Mike Isaacs / Pioneer Press)

Now that Skokie has survived its first snowstorm, the second burden of winter  dangerously cold temperatures  is following on its heels.

The National Weather Service has issued a windchill advisory for the Chicago area, including Skokie, that will be in effect from 9 p.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday, according to its website.

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Single-digit air temperatures are forecast, according to NWS. However, with windchill factored in, temperatures could feel like 15- to 20-degrees below zero.

"It's important for residents to stay warm and safe in extreme cold temperatures and to avoid exposure whether indoors or out," said Anne Tennes, Skokie's director of marketing and communications.

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Exposure to that kind of cold for even a short time can create serious harm for some people, village officials warn.

Sub-zero temperatures are especially dangerous to the elderly, infants and young children as well as those who are disabled and on medication, Tennes said.

Village officials say local warming shelters are activated when the National Weather Service issues a severe or hazardous weather alert.

The Niles Township office, Oakton Community Center, Skokie Public Library and Weber Leisure Center each become a warming shelter, open to people who need to get out of the cold, village officials indicate.

While temperatures are expected to rise into the 20s by Friday into the daytime Saturday, it's forecast that they will drop back to the single digits again by Saturday night and the remainder of the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Village officials encourage what they call a "common sense" approach to the cold weather when going outside such as layering clothing, covering the head , wearing gloves or mittens, covering ears, and having warm footwear.

"Another very important message for Skokie residents is to remember to always have an emergency supply kit in their home and their car," Tennes said.

The village provides suggestions about what should be part of the kit  including blankets, matches, a flashlight, a first-aid kit, a shovel, a mobile phone, booster cables and more  at www.skokie.org/EPEmergSupplyKit.cfm. More information can be also be found at www.ready.gov, where the federal government offers preparedness information.

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The kit should also include a battery-powered radio, Tennes said, which is especially important since 1660 AM Skokie provides important information from the village in critical situations.

"That's why we did it," she said about creating the station. "If residents have their battery-powered radio, we'll be able to communicate information to them."

Skokie Fire Department Chief Jim Walters said some of the other dangers in this kind of weather can come from how residents try to stay warm .

"When it gets this cold and they're trying to supplement their heat," he said, "there is a tendency to use space heaters."

Space heaters should never be used with an extension cord, he said.

"They (extension cords) get overheated. We've had several fires in the past where they'll have something laying on top of the extension cord like a blanket and that cord heats up and ignites whatever is around it," Walters said.

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Space heaters should be kept away from anything combustible, the fire chief said.

"If you have an old one, you might need to get a new one that will shut off when it tips over," he said. "If you don't have to use them, don't, but if you do, you need to take precautions and use them safely."

Walters said another potential danger occurs when some people use their ovens to heat their homes. That is never a good idea, he said, because it can create carbon monoxide problems.

Like at all times of the year, the Skokie Fire Department emphasizes that residents make sure they have working smoke detectors in their homes. Batteries should be changed at minimum once a year, Walters said.

"On a national level, when you read about fire deaths, it seems way too often it's at a residence that did not have smoke detectors," he said. "I wouldn't go to sleep in a place that doesn't have a working smoke detector."

misaacs@pioneerlocal.com

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Twitter: @SKReview_Mike
News / National

by Staff reporter

BULAWAYO mayor, Martin Moyo has appealed to residents and vendors to stop fighting municipal police officers, saying they are not enemies, but only trying to maintain order in the central business district.Bulawayo municipal police have engaged in running battles with vendors, some turning violent, resulting in others being hospitalised after suffering injuries.Last week, municipal police reportedly beat a handcuffed vendor, Mark Chibanda, until he became unconscious. He had to be rushed to the United Bulawayo Hospitals.Moyo, however, absolved municipal police of any wrongdoing in the matter, saying investigations had established that Chibanda was the aggressor."We did our investigations and the vendor was the aggressor. He punched a municipal police officer before he was cuffed. He then suffered a seizure. They did not beat him until he became unconscious," he said yesterday in a telephone interview."We want to manage the vendors. Municipal police do not want to fight the vendors, but the vendors always attack our police. It's even worse when they are conducting raids near illegal pick-up points, as touts tend to incite each other to beat our police."We appeal for sanity as municipal police have become targets of attack. People have been made to believe that our municipal police are against the vendors, yet it is the other way round. They are ganging up against municipal police."Two months ago, another vendor was rushed to hospital after he was struck by a car while fleeing municipal police along Robert Mugabe Way.An angry mob attacked the council cop, who had been chasing the vendor soon after the incident.In December last year, a Bulawayo man was hospitalised following an assault by Bulawayo municipal police, who mistook him for a vendor.Isaiah Jonga, the director for Bulawayo Entrepreneurs Association, yesterday said municipal police were aggressive towards vendors, and called on the local authority to rein them in to avert violent fight-backs."We are totally against such brutal attacks on fellow citizens. Where are they getting the powers to beat fellow citzens?" he commented"The municipal police are not above the law they must respect the national Constitution. Turning a blind eye on such matters will lead to chaotic situations, as vendors cannot fold their hands when municipal police are taking law into their hands."
By Dezan Shira & Associates

Editor: Mia Yiqiao Jing

Editors note: This article was originally published on May 26, 2016, and has been updated to include the latest regulatory changes.

Rising labor costs in China have been putting pressure on foreign investors in recent years, forcing corporations to either cut down staff size or relocate to other countries with cheaper labor. The annual rates of increase from 2011 to 2015, despite slowing down, have exceeded production rates by more than 200 percent and have significantly affected Chinas investment climate.

Unlike the 12th Five Year Plan, which pushed an annual 13 percent increase for minimum wages across China, the 13th Five Year Plan addresses the need for more reasonable wage levels and introduces a controlled mechanism for wage adjustment. Through a much decreased growth of minimum wage levels and stable wage adjustments, the 13th Five Year Plan aims to improve the competitiveness of enterprises in China by shortening the wage difference with other developing economies, partly in order to create stronger incentives for foreign investors to remain in or enter China. Against the backdrop of these changes, here we provide a comprehensive list of minimum wages across China for 2016 and highlight some of the major changes to the Chinese labor market.

Minimum wages in China are determined and adjusted by governments at the provincial level. Several factors should be taken into consideration for any revision: economic development, local employment conditions, the minimum cost of living and consumption price index in the area, individual costs associated with social insurance and housing funds, and enterprises average response to labor costs. Following the 13th Five Year Plan, the minimum wage will be adjusted at an average increase of 10 percent annually, and should fall between 40 and 60 percent of an areas average monthly wage. Unlike revision cycles in the past, where minimum wage levels were adjusted at least once every two years, an extended revision cycle is now expected to reduce labor costs and keep them aligned with production rates. As of February 28, 2016, the Guangdong provincial government announced that it would maintain the same minimum wage level as 2015 for both 2016 and 2017. In order to reduce pressure for enterprises, especially those with poor business performance, the Guangdong provincial government also recommended that, for businesses with relatively better performance, wages will rise by 8.5 percent but no more than 12.5 percent.

RELATED: Payroll and Human Resource Services

At the time of writing, there were nine provinces that changed their minimum wage levels in 2016, compared to 17 and 27 at the same point in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Compared to the previous years rate of 17 percent, the average wage increase rate of 2016 is 14.5 percent. This change reflects the Chinese governments effort to reduce pressure on enterprises that results from the uneven growth between labor costs and production rates. Special attention should be given to Shanghai, whose rate of increase in the minimum wage level has dropped from 12.3 percent to 8.4 percent since 2015. It is also noteworthy that other developed regions, such as Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Sichuan, have all controlled the growth of their minimum wages. Guizhou, on the other hand, stands out as the only region with a hike of 55 percent in minimum wages since last year, and carries the most significance for foreign investors in China.

Chinas divergent income levels, with much smaller increases for developed regions and more rapid growth for less developed regions, requires that foreign investors pay close attention to the locations that they channel their investment. The latest figures and government policies indicate that overall labor costs in China will not significantly increase.



About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email china@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. 

Human Resources and Payroll in China 2015

This edition of Human Resources and Payroll in China, updated for 2015, provides a firm understanding of Chinas laws and regulations related to human resources and payroll management  essential information for foreign investors looking to establish or already running a foreign-invested entity in China, local managers, and HR professionals needing to explain complex points of Chinas labor policies.



How IT is Changing Payroll Processing and HR Admin in China

In this edition of China Briefing magazine, we examine how foreign multinationals can take better advantage of IT in the gathering, storing, and analyzing of HR information in China. We look at how IT can help foreign companies navigate Chinas nuanced payroll processing regulations, explain how software platforms are becoming essential for HR, and finally answer questions on the efficacy of outsourcing payroll and HR in China.



Labor Dispute Management in China

In this issue of China Briefing, we discuss how best to manage HR disputes in China. We begin by highlighting how Chinas labor arbitration process  and its legal system in general  widely differs from the West, and then detail the labor disputes that foreign entities are likely to encounter when restructuring their China business. We conclude with a special feature from Business Advisory Manager Allan Xu, who explains the risks and procedures for terminating senior management in China.
The crime epic "The Wasted Times" had its grand premiere in Beijing on Tuesday, where the leading stars, Ge You and Zhang Ziyi, said they should have had more intimacy in the film.

Zhang Ziyi and Ge You appear on stage at the premiere of "The Wasted Times" held at China National Film Museum in Beijing, Dec. 13, 2016. [Photo/ China.org.cn]

The event was held at the China National Film Museum with director Cheng Er, producer Wang Zhonglei and star-studded cast and guests.

A "The Wasted Times" film copy was inducted in the museum archive before its premiere, indicating that the museum's committee recognized the film's quality.

Ge You and Zhang Ziyi, two big names that have been absent for two years from China's film landscape, appeared on the stage together. This is their first reunion after their collaboration on Feng Xiaogang's "The Banquet" (2006). Ge plays a mafia leader while Zhang plays a social butterfly.

But Ge said their interaction and relationship in the film is not as intoxicating as theirs was in "The Banquet."

The film was polished and in production for three years and features an all-star cast, including Zhang Ziyi, Ge You, Tadanobu Asano, Gillian Chung, Yuan Quan, Yan Ni, Han Geng, Wallace Chung, Huo Siyan and more.

A China.org.cn film critic viewed it in an advanced screening and felt that it has the strong style of Cheng Er, with multiple characters and multiple storylines that portray mafia fights, conspiracies, romance, sex and murder during the dark times of old Shanghai when the Japanese army invaded the city. The multiple times and settings of the story were oddly and not orderly put together.

"It will make you use your brain to think about the plot," Ge said.

"This is a good film, you have to see it," Zhang said.

Most of its dialogue is in Shanghai dialect, which is another strangely favorable highlight. Zhang said she, Ge, Yan Ni and other non-Shanghai natives practiced the Shanghai dialect very hard for the film.

The film will debut in Chinese theaters nationwide on Dec. 16, challenging the release of another all-star blockbuster, "The Great Wall" from Zhang Yimou.
Chinese and Israeli research institutes and companies attending an exposition on Tuesday in Guangzhou are keen to cooperate on developing medical robots.

Nine Israeli companies at the event brought with them robotics currently used in spinal surgery, 3D imaging, and medicinal dosage handling devices.

Israeli Robotics Association Chairperson Zvi Shiller said Israel has developed robots to help the disabled go to the toilet, shower and climb escalators. Israeli firms are actively looking for partners to produce and sell their robots in the Chinese market. More than 40 Chinese companies have shown interest during the expo, while others have pitched business ideas to their Israeli counterparts.

Chinese tech firm Gosuncn Technology Group is investing heavily in patrol robots. A senior company official said his team have had a hard time overcoming some technological issues two years into the project and are hoping to find Israeli partners.

Du Lan, senior vice president of iFlytek, is working to combine speech recognition with health care. The company is working with its major shareholder China Mobile on a series of voice-to-text and text-to-voice applications.

In a recent experiment with Peking University School of Stomatology, the company designed a voice recognition device for doctors. The device captures the dialogue between doctor and patient and transcribes it into a formal diagnosis report without the doctor lifting a finger.

Du said the technology helps stressed medics save time and energy by delegating tasks to robots. iFlyteck, Du said, wishes to bring Israeli counterparts onboard to explore business opportunities.

Chinese research institutes and tech companies are looking to robotics and other innovations as new drivers of the economy, in manufacturing, services, finance and health sectors.

Chen Zhiying, a senior official in Guangzhou Development Zone, said the zone is planning a robot industry park with favorable policies to draw the world's leading firms and researchers.

The development will make Guangzhou a focal point of robotics in the region, which hosts a large number of Chinese manufacturers and played a key role in the development of the export-oriented economy.
It is estimated that China's aging population will reach its peak of 400 million by 2055, with large numbers of the elderly in rural areas and a prevalence of female senior citizens, a recent report showed.

An undated photo shows an elderly woman dining at a nursing home in Hangzhou. [Sun Yidou/For China Daily]

The report, issued by Social Science Academic Press, pointed out that the Chinese aging population, defined by an age threshold of 65, is expected to climb to 280 million by 2030, accounting for 20.2 percent of the population. The number will further jump to 400 million by 2055, with an accompanying percentage of 27.2 percent.

The years before 2040 will witness the fastest growth of the elderly population, with an annual growth of 0.5 percent. The population's disproportionate female population is due to the longer average life expectancy of women compared to men, the report added.

Generally speaking, the larger a city is, the more slowly its population will age. However, compared with developed countries like Japan and South Korea, population-aging in China has its own characteristics.

"The aging population in Japan and South Korea is a natural result of transitioning economic development, while the phenomenon in China is largely due to family planning policies, which led to a decrease in births," noted Ma Li, a population expert and State Council counselor.
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At least 687 Chinese officials have been held accountable for their poor environmental protection records in ongoing environmental inspections, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said Tuesday.

The central government dispatched seven teams in a second round of inspections to seven provincial regions including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong to review local government work in late November.

These teams have looked into 1,893 cases and fines totalling 66 million yuan (about 9.6 million U.S. dollars) have been imposed in 1,479 cases.

A total of 3,287 officials in eight provincial areas were held accountable in the first round of inspections earlier this year for offences including allowing construction in nature reserves and worsening pollution. Punishments included some being removed from their posts.

The government is fighting pollution and environmental degradation after decades of growth have left the country saddled with problems such as smog and contaminated soil.

The central government produced a national plan on environmental improvements for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020) earlier this month, which set detailed tasks on polluted air, water and soil.
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Photo taken on Dec. 13, 2016 shows the United Nations Security Council holding emergency meeting on Syria at the UN headquarters in New York. A Chinese envoy on Tuesday told the UN Security Council that it was high time for the international community to seek a political settlement to the Syrian crisis since current situation there is complex and sensitive. (Xinhua/Hu Yousong)

Fighting between forces allied with the Syrian government and the opposition in eastern Aleppo "has stopped" and Damascus re-established control, Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the UN Security Council here Tuesday.

"The removal of the fighters was achieved a few hours ago," Churkin told the 15-nation UN body at an emergency council meeting on Syria.

"The fighters together with their families ... are going out in the direction they have chosen, including in the direction of Idlib," he said.

"In the last hour we have received information that the military activity in eastern Aleppo has stopped, it has stopped. So there is no question about cessation of hostilities or humanitarian operations."

"The Syrian government has established control over east Aleppo, so now the stage has come for practical humanitarian initiatives that the population that remains there should not need to leave," Churkin said.

"There should be some civilians who do wish to leave from this destroyed city, but the military actions have stopped so this very difficult chapter related to the situation in eastern Aleppo is now ended."

With the end of fighting, the Moscow envoy said "Let's hope that this indeed will be a precondition for establishing the political efforts, re-launching of negotiations" as called by Staffan de Mistura, the special Syria envoy of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who called the council session.

"There should be large-scale humanitarian support to those people of eastern Aleppo and to those people who have left the city and those who remained in the city and establish the preconditions so that those who left the city will as soon as possible be able to come back to their homes," Churkin said.
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A Chinese envoy on Tuesday told the UN Security Council that it was all the more important for the international community to seek a political settlement to the Syrian crisis since current situation there is complex and sensitive.

Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the appeal at a Security Council emergency meeting to address crisis in Syria's war-torn city of Aleppo.

Wu said a host of factors in multiple dimensions and their interplay had led to the current situation in Syria.

"The international community should ponder in-depth the underlying causes of the current situation and adopt integrated measures in search of comprehensive, fair and proper solution," said Wu.

"Given the complexity and sensitivity of current circumstances, it is all the more important for the international community to stay on the course without wavering towards our overarching goal--to seek a political settlement," he added.

Wu said the international community should work together to move the Syrian issue back to track through dialogue and consultation, and find a solution to the war and chaos as soon as possible.

"Any effort by the international community should be conducive to the work on all four tracks, namely resumption of ceasefire, political talks, joint counter-terrorism and humanitarian assistance," he said.

Wu said "China remains deeply concerned with the situation in some parts of Syria including Aleppo and expresses our profound sympathy for the Syrian people who have suffered abysmal misery brought on by the Syrian conflict."

"China is ready to work with the international community to jointly push for a political solution to the Syrian issue at an early date," he added.
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The U.S. military has agreed to suspend all its Osprey flights in Okinawa until the cause of a recent accident involving the tiltrotor aircraft is known, said the Japanese government.

A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft belonging to the Futenma base in the city of Ginowan made a water crash-landing off Okinawa on Tuesday night.

All the five crew members aboard were ejected out of the aircraft and were rescued and sent to a U.S. naval hospital. Two of them were injured.

The aircraft, on a training flight, was believed to in the course of refueling when the accident happened.

Photos from local news showed that the aircraft had broken into several pieces in waters off the coast.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was quoted by local media as saying that the Osprey accident was "very deplorable."

Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga, for his part, called the Osprey accident "outrageous."

"I would like to summon the chief of the Defense Ministry's Okinawa Defense Bureau and a Foreign Ministry official assigned to Okinawa and other officials to strongly relay how Okinawans feel," he was quoted as saying.

"It was a serious accident that should not have happened, and we ask for a thorough investigation into the cause of it," said Yoshinori Yamaguchi, governor of Saga prefecture, which has also been asked by the central government to host the Osprey aircraft.

The U.S. military has deployed dozens of Osprey aircraft in its Futenma base in Okinawa, which has caused serious concerns from locals for a long time due to the aircraft's record of fatal accidents.

Tuesday night's accident was the first one involving the American military tiltrotor aircraft in Japan, but a number of accidents have been reported over the years in the U.S. and some other places, causing multiple fatalities.

The accident has added to the fury and resentment of local people against the U.S. military presence in Okinawa as well as the Japanese central government's support for such presence, and a number of protests were held around the nation.

"It's really scary to think that the aircraft could have fallen in the populated urban area," said a local resident in Okinawa.

There are also concerns that the U.S. transport aircraft, built by Boeing Co. and Textron Inc's Bell Helicopter and designed to take off like a helicopter and fly like a plane, are "faulty" and "accident-prone."

The U.S. Futenma base is located in the densely populated urban area of Ginowan. The Japanese and U.S. governments have been seeking to move the base to the less-populated Henoko coastal area of Nago.

The people of Okinawa, however, have been demanding the Futenma base to be relocated outside the prefecture, due to crimes involving the U.S. base personnel as well as noise and safety problems.

The accident came before a ruling on the dispute between the central and local governments over the Futenma relocation plan, which is expected to be made by Japan's Supreme Court on Dec. 20.

The Japanese central government and the Okinawa government started a legal fight by suing each other over the disputed Futenma relocation plan last year, which was halted in March when a settlement deal was reached under court mediation.

The central government reopen the legal battle in July by filing a fresh lawsuit, seeking the court's confirmation that Onaga acted illegally in not complying with a state order to retract his revocation of former governor's permission for the landfill work of the Futenma air base relocation.

In a ruling issued later, a high court said the current relocation plan is the only way to address the problems at the Futenma base. The Okinawa government appealed the ruling later and a ruling is expected to be made by the supreme court later this month.

Okinawa hosts some 75 percent of U.S. bases in Japan while accounting for only 0.6 percent of the country's total land mass.
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At least seven people were killed Wednesday when rebels renewed their mortar attacks against the northern city of Aleppo, following a broken truce, according to state TV.

Six people were killed as mortar shells struck the recently-captured Bustan al-Qaser neighborhood in eastern Aleppo, said the report, adding that other mortar shells struck the neighborhoods of Mogambo, Khalidiyeh and Share al-Neil, killing one more person and wounding several others.

This comes as a truce to evacuate rebels from the few remaining rebel-held areas in Aleppo failed on Wednesday, and both warring sides resumed fighting, sources in Aleppo told Xinhua.

Both sides exchanged mortar fire, hours after an anticipated evacuation of rebels from areas they still held in southeastern Aleppo was delayed for unknown reasons, sources said, on condition of anonymity.

The renewed shelling comes after a quiet night in Aleppo, as a truce went into effect for the evacuation process to take place at dawn on Wednesday.

Sources said government busses were ready to transport the rebels through the Ramouseh road out of Aleppo toward the western countryside of the city.

Local media outlets accused the rebels of breaching the truce, saying they attempted to attack military posts, after which the army responded with firepower, thwarting their attempt.

As for the opposition, activists said Syrian forces were the ones who breached the truce by targeting rebel-held areas with tens of mortar and artillery shells.

The recent developments come after the Syrian army regained control of 99 percent of eastern Aleppo, and renewed its stance that the military campaign in Aleppo will continue until is full liberation.
News / National

by Simbarashe Sithole

Two Harare women were arrested for stealing people's groceries in bank cards in Mvurwi on Wednesday (today).Citizen arrest was infected on them after one woman from Barock farm identified them.Mvurwi residents were vying for their blood before they were taken to Mvurwi police in a town council vehicle.More to follow...
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Bangladesh Wednesday observed Martyred Intellectuals Day in commemoration of the martyrdom of the members of the intelligentsia assassinated at fag end of the country's nine-month-long war for independence in 1971.

Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday morning paid their tributes to the best sons of the soils by placing wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals' Mausoleum in capital Dhaka's Rayerbazar area.

Ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia also paid her respect at the memorial, which was covered with floral wreaths placed by thousands of people from all strata of life and hundreds of political social and cultural organizations.

More than 200 intellectuals including professors, journalists, doctors, artistes, engineers, and writers were picked up in Dhaka on the night of Dec. 14 in 1971 by Al-Badr, an auxiliary force of the then Pakistani occupation army.

Just two days after the Dec. 14 carnage, Bangladesh on Dec. 16 became independent through the surrender of Pakistani occupation forces.

Since then, the day is being observed as the Martyred Intellectuals Day in Bangladesh.

Motiur Rahman Nizami, Abdul Quader Molla, Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and Mir Quasem Ali, leaders of opposition Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party, which allegedly collaborated with the Pakistani forces in 1971 to prevent an independent Bangladesh, have already been executed for 1971 war crimes.

Apart from them, opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Salaudin Quader Chowdhury was also executed for war crimes.

After returning to power in January 2009, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Bangladesh's independence hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, established the first tribunal in March 2010 to try the war criminals.

Both BNP and Jamaat have dismissed the court as a government "show trial," saying it is a domestic set-up without the oversight or involvement of the United Nations.

The government of Hasina said about 3 million people were killed in the war.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday blasted the United States for "inefficient" cooperation over Syria, saying talks between the two countries have been "fruitless."

Moscow still maintained contacts with Washington, but every time the two sides meet for agreement, Washington backtracked, Lavrov told Russian 24 TV.

Meanwhile, the Russian diplomat gave credit to Russia's interaction with Turkey over Syria.

"This channel (with Turkey) may prove to be more efficient than our fruitless small talks with our American colleagues over many months," he said.

Moreover, Lavrov blamed the United States for contributing to the formation of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. "It was the United States, which liberated the current IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from an Iraqi prison in 2006," he said.

The United States suspended talks with Russia over Syria in early October, followed by rising tensions between the two powers with each side accusing the other of violating commitments under a cease-fire deal aimed to facilitate a peaceful solution to the Syria crisis.

Since then, no concrete agreements have been reached between the two sides.

The latest effort, which brought together experts from both sides in Geneva on Saturday, ended again without any agreement.
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French Foreign Minister Jean--Marc Ayrault Wednesday urged the United Nations to send observers in eastern Aleppo to ensure evacuation of civilians and rebel insurgents.

France called for UN observers' presence on the ground so as to guarantee the evacuation of the civilian population, Ayrault said in an interview with state-run France 2 TV.

Following a ceasefire brokered by Moscow and Ankara, rebel fighters on Dec. 13, agreed to quit Aleppo eastern area, with the evacuation due to begin earlier on Wednesday.

The situation in Aleppo has worsened rapidly after a truce accord collapsed in September, triggering an international outcry to stop hostilities in the strategically-located Syrian city which has been contested by the government forces and the rebels since 2012.
SYDNEY - Almost a year on from the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA), it is clear that the landmark deal is helping to underpin the bilateral relations amid an increasingly uncertain world.

Speaking in Parliament just before the summer recess, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the national interest is best served by developing strong relationships with major allies and partners, particularly on the economic front, such as the ChAFTA.

"China is Australia's largest trading partner and the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement will play an important role in diversifying our bilateral trade and investment, bringing substantial benefits to both countries," Bishop told Xinhua.

"Greater economic cooperation between our two countries will deepen political and other ties and create a stronger platform for future strategic and security cooperation."

The future is indeed very bright for the two economies that are natural, highly complementary economic partners, Chinese Ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye said.

As more dividends from the ChAFTA come to fruition and greater synergy is being built between China-proposed Belt and Road initiative and the Northern Australia development strategy, China-Australia investment and business cooperation will be surely taken to a new high, Cheng said.

ChAFTA's growing contributions to China-Australia ties form a bright spot in the past year that has been hit by uncertainty from events such as Brexit.

Chafta rewards rebuke anti-globalisation

After entering into force on December 20, 2015, more than 85 percent of Australia's goods exports to China (by value in 2015) now enter duty free or at preferential rates thanks to the agreement, and that percentage is expected to continue to rise in the coming years.

Australia's imports from China have also grown by 7.9 percent between the 2014/15 and the 2015/16 Australian financial years to account for 18.4 percent of all imported goods, far ahead of second placed Japan at 13.6 percent, Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) deputy director and professor of economics James Laurenceson told Xinhua.

Despite the value of Australia's exports declining due to global pressures on key commodities over the past two years, services exports have surged 20 percent in the 12 months to June 30, 2016. Currently, Australia's education sector ranks third, while tourism exports rank fifth for a combined A$35 billion ($26.14 billion) revenue boon.

As China's middle class grows, those two sectors in particular are expected to grow further. In the year to September 2016, Chinese inbound tourists accounted for 1.1 million arrivals, up 22 percent on 2015, spending a staggering A$9.1 billion ($6.80 billion).

"China is expected in the 2017/18 year to overtake NZ as our largest source of tourist arrivals and some numbers might even suggest that's already happened," Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) Asia practice leader Andrew Parker said.

"So whichever way you look at it, Chinese tourists are an extremely important component of (the Australian) economy."

Further gains

Tourism offers the best advertisement for Australian goods and services into the Chinese market. With Air China and other Chinese airlines increasing services into Australia, there's no doubt merchants are eyeing more customers.

What's better news for newcomer to the Chinese market Kooks Wine, China surpassed Britain and the United States to be Australia's largest market for wine in 2016.

Kooks, a social enterprise that contributes at least one percent of turnover to a charity or social program, is eyeing to export their Wild Reserve label - which features the face of a Giant Panda - into Chengdu in 2017.

"From a wine point of view, it's more of an entry level, starting point to meet with the Chinese demand for value pricing," Kooks director Chris Tucker told Xinhua, adding that at least one percent of sales turnover in China will go towards protecting endangered animals.

Relationship for the longer term

While there are concerns in the Asia-Pacific over uncertainty, Parker, like Bishop, argues that "the best security bet we have is a strong economic relationship with our largest trading partner."

"In fact, the economic growth that's happening in the whole southeast Asia corridor, much of it with Chinese and Japanese money now being invested into those regions, is actually a good thing for those economies but it's also a good thing for Australia," Parker said.

"And so the investment that China is making in infrastructure in the region ... at the end of the day, that infrastructure is absolutely vital to the economic development of the countries concerned, and that economic development is absolutely in Australia's interests to see that it happens."
News / National

by Staff Reporter

Zimbabwe and South Africa are set to carry out joint traffic safety awareness campaigns this festive season on both sides of the Limpopo river with calls for motorists to exercise extreme caution to avoid the loss of lives due to road accidents.The joint road safety campaigns start this week as the two countries seek a coordinated approach in reducing the road accidents this festive season.Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) Director - Operations, Procter Utete said officials will leave Harare for South Africa to kick-start the joint campaigns with their counterparts on the other side of the Limpopo river with the a similar campaign set to be conducted in Zimbabwe along Beitbridge-Harare road.Addressing journalists in Harare today, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Dr Joram Gumbo appealed to motorists to exercise extreme caution and adhere to traffic laws and warned bus operators to avoid over-working their drivers.According Minister Gumbo, all the relevant authorities including the TSCZ, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Vehicle Inspectorate Department will be on the ground to ensure that the country will have an accident free festive holiday.
Employees of China Petroleum& Chemical Corp check natural gas pipelines in Puyang, Henan province. [Photo/China Daily]

Latest moves could be prelude to private capital entering the industry

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, usually known as Sinopec, has sold half of the shares of its gas pipeline business to another two State-owned enterprises. This is seen as a move to diversify the share ownership of the oil and gas industry, that has been strictly controlled by State-owned enterprises.

According to the statement by Sinopec on Monday, China Life, the largest State-owned insurance company in China by revenue, will pay 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) for a 43.86 percent stake in the pipeline.

State Development & Investment Corp (SDIC), a State-owned investment holding company with its main investments in infrastructure-related business, will get the remaining 6.14 percent for 2.8 billion yuan.

The registered capital of the pipeline company will increase from 100 million to 200 million yuan.

Sinopec, one of China's top three energy companies, will use the funds to expand the capacity of the pipeline unit, Sinopec Sichuan-to-East China Gas Pipeline Co, build gas-storage facilities and push forward its natural gas business, according to the statement.

Liu Guangbin, an oil and gas analyst with Shandong-based bulk commodity information company Sublime China Information Group Co Ltd, said that although the share transfer is still between the State-owned enterprises, it has set an example for private capital to enter the highly monopolized industry.

"This is the first time for the gas pipeline sector of Sinopec to introduce outside capital. It can be expected that social funds will be attracted to the sector to provide solid capital for gas infrastructure construction," said Liu.

Liu added that the gas pipeline sector has relatively stable profitability and low risks, making it a good place to start for mixed ownership of the oil and gas industry. Moreover, the sector has been a good profit generator, as shown in the earnings report of the top three oil and gas companies in recent years.

"China National Petroleum Corporation has gone further in capital diversification. It has already introduced the social security fund and private capital to its gas pipeline sector," said Liu.

In 2014, the National Energy Administration issued a trial regulation on gas pipelines in response to the market's calling for private capital to enter the sector.
BEIJING - China's forex regulator on Tuesday praised an announcement made by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) that it will publish Chinese banking data.

The BIS announced on December 11 that it will now publish Chinese locational banking statistics (LBS), and that it will also publish Chinese banking data on its official website.

The BIS move showed China's statistics on balance of international payments are internationally recognized thanks to continuous improvement on transparency, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said.

The number of LBS reporting countries rose from 44 to 46 after taking in China and Russia.

A total of 12 emerging economies now report the LBS, along with 12 offshore financial centers and 22 advanced economies, according to the BIS.

"The claims and liabilities of domestic and foreign banks located in China and Russia have been included in global aggregates in the LBS since the end of December 2015," the BIS said.

At the end of June 2016, Chinese banks reported outstanding cross-border claims of $778 billion and liabilities of $918 billion, it said.
XI'AN - An aviation project worth about 5.3 billion yuan ($768 million) will be built in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, a local company confirmed Tuesday.

The project invested by Shaanxi Aviation Industry Development Group Co, Ltd (SAIDC) will be located in the Xi'an National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base.

Under the agreement signed by SAIDC and the base on Friday, the project will involve the construction of an assembly line of Bell 407GXP helicopters, centers for helicopter training, emergency response and rescue, as well as the research and development related to drones.

Wang Yongan, chairman of SAIDC, told Xinhua that SAIDC would work with the U.S. aircraft producer Bell Helicopter in developing the assembly line.
BEIJING - The head of China's insurance regulator said Tuesday that insurers should not act as securities speculators amid market concerns driven by large stake acquisitions using borrowed money.

"Insurance companies should be financial investors in good faith, instead of making hostile takeovers," Xiang Junbo, chairman of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC), said during a meeting, vowing stricter supervision over the sector.

Insurance should provide long-term capital for the real economy and defend against financial risks, he added.

The remarks came as a hard-line response to recent "barbaric" behavior of some insurers using leveraged money to buy shares of listed companies. Triggering sharp volatility in the market, the moves annoyed corporate executives and caused individual investors to suffer.

The CIRC has strengthened its supervising efforts, including suspending Evergrande Life, the insurance arm of China Evergrande Group, from investing in the stock market.

Xiang promised to improve monitoring of insurance funds, encourage insurers to reduce investment in equities, rein in speculative activities, and control universal life insurance.

Insurers should shift to their main business to serve China's manufacturing upgrades and new economic drivers, rather than focusing on portfolio investment, he said.

Xiang predicts China's combined insurance premium will surpass 3 trillion yuan ($435 billion) this year, with the sector's total assets reaching nearly 15 trillion yuan.
GUANGZHOU - The China Africa Development Fund (CAD Fund), an equity investment fund managed by China Development Bank, had invested $4 billion in Africa as of the end of November, authorities said Wednesday.

Since its establishment in 2007, the fund has invested in 88 projects in 37 African countries. The projects cover areas including infrastructure, processing and manufacturing, and energy and mineral resources, said Wang Yong, vice president of the fund, at a business partnership event attended by Chinese and African companies in Guangzhou.

In addition to investment directly from the CAD Fund, the projects have attracted a further $17 billion in the form of enterprise investment and bank loans to Africa, according to Wang.

With an initial seed fund of $1 billion, the CAD Fund was set up to diversify financial vehicles to facilitate Chinese investment in Africa.

The fund mainly focuses on long-term investment projects such as industrial development, agriculture, infrastructure, and resource development.
A consumer experiences a virtual reality game device that applies 5G technology at a high-tech fair held in Shanghai in May last year. [Photo/China Daily]

Nation evolving from follower in 3G era to active participant that seeks to outcompete foreign companies

Chinese telecom firms have scored a point in the global race to set standards for 5G, the fifth-generation mobile communication technology that will allow consumers to download an 8-gigabit movie in seconds.

China Mobile Communications Corp, the world's largest telecom carrier by subscriberswith 845 million subscribers by October, beat foreign competitors in late November to lead the 5G System Architecture project, which will determine the "structure of 5G networks".

The move came shortly after polar coding, a technology backed by Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, was approved as part of the global standard for 5G.

"The progress highlights Chinese firms' rising influence in the global telecommunication arena. It is a recognition of both their technological prowess as well as their brand influence," said Xiang Ligang, CEO of the telecom industry website cctime.com.

China is evolving from a follower in the 3G era to an active participant that seeks to outcompete foreign firms in the 5G era, he added.

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd displays its latest achievements in 5G technology at the PT/EXPO China held in Beijing in September. The exposition showed the trends in the fields of 5G technology, cloud computing, the internet of things and smart hardware. [Photo/Xinhua]

The trend dovetails with the rise of Chinese telecom firms in the international arena. Huawei emerged as the world's leading telecom equipment maker, whose products and services are exported to more than 170 countries and regions, covering one-third of the global population.

The country has also built the world's largest 4G networks within two years. As of October 2016, China Mobile alone had 497 million 4G subscribers and its 4G base stations exceeded 1.43 million units, both the world's largest.

Dwelling on these achievements, Chinese players are now seeking to grow their influence as the world is migrating to the new 5G era, where unlike previous generations, there will be only one global standard.

In late November, Sun Tao of the China Mobile Research Institute became the sole rapporteur for the 5G System Architecture project at a meeting held by 3rd Generation Partnership Project, the international mobile telecommunications standard organization in the United States.

"The rapporteur means the one who takes charge of the project. Winning the title from a crowd of competitors proves that China Mobile's thinking on 5G system architecture design has been well-received among the global community," said Fu Liang, an independent analyst who has been following the telecom industry for more than a decade.

"The architecture design of the 5G system is just like the structure of housing. It determines the functionality of the whole building," he added.

Sun said in a statement to China Daily that "China Mobile will be responsible for the whole project. We will decide its timeline, organize discussions on technical specifications and coordinate views of different parties."

According to him, the project will release two documents in next December, which will form a global standard for 5G system architecture.

"The role will give us a leg up in the 5G era, laying a sound foundation for our efforts in artificial intelligence and the internet of things," Li Zhengmao, vice-president of China Mobile, said.

Huawei is also expected to have an edge, after polar coding was approved as part of the global standard for 5G at another meeting held by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project in November.

The technology can help lower chip power consumption and improve reliability of wireless communications, Huawei said. It will better support cloud computing, high-definition movie streaming, augmented reality and other services that demand superfast internet speed.

"Though polar coding was developed by a Turkish scientist, Huawei has played a big part in promoting it as part of the 5G standard. It has already conducted a great deal of pioneering research and tests on it. Huawei will have the first-mover advantage," said Xiang, CEO of the telecom industry website cctime.com.

But that does not mean the efforts to set a global 5G standard are a zero-sum game. Hu Houkun, Huawei's rotating chief executive, said in an interview with Financial Times: "I think this is not a fight between different companies, let alone different countries. Rather, it is a process of building consensus in the mobile industry."
Right: Giant panda twins born in the United States are named Ya Lun (left) and Xi Lun at their 100-day celebration on Monday at Zoo Atlanta. Their mother Lun Lun, from top left, checks the twins on Sept 3 after their birth. By Sept 9, they have started to grow hair, and by Oct 10 they have begun to look more like their current selves.Provided By Zoo Atlanta

The only giant panda twins in the United States were named Ya Lun and Xi Lun at the cubs' 100-day naming celebration on Monday at Zoo Atlanta.

Ya means "elegant", and Xi means "happy". Lun honors Lun Lun, mother of the twins. Together, the names mean "Lun Lun's elegant and happy daughters".

The winning names are from among seven sets supplied by conservation partners in Chengdu, in Sichuan province. The names Ya Lun and Xi Lun received over 11,000 of the more than 23,400 votes cast by panda fans worldwide.

"As we wish Ya Lun and Xi Lun well today, we celebrate the future of their species together," said Raymond King, president and CEO of Zoo Atlanta.

The twins, who are learning to walk, were not present. They should make their debut in late December or January.

The 100-day celebration, used for all seven Atlanta-born giant pandas, is an ancient Chinese tradition based on having survived infancy. Born on Sept 3, the pair are the second set of twins for Lun Lun and the sixth and seventh offspring of Lun Lun and Yang Yang.

All giant pandas at the four US zoos housing them are owned by China, said Rachel Davis, director of communications at Zoo Atlanta.

"As part of our loan agreement with China, all of the offspring of our adult pair, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, do eventually travel to China when they are around 3 years old," Davis said. She said the new twin cubs also will be sent to China in a few years.

The zoo has contributed more than $10 million to the survival of wild giant pandas. Thanks to conservation efforts in China and at institutions around the world, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature downgraded the giant panda's status from endangered to vulnerable in September.

However, the species remains heavily reliant on conservation programs. Fewer than 1,900 giant pandas are estimated to remain in the wild in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.

Xie Fei, cultural consul from the Chinese Consulate General in Houston, attended the ceremony and praised Zoo Atlanta for its efforts.

"The zoo has over the years provided valuable support and expertise for the conservation of the giant panda and its habitats in China, which is highly appreciated by the Chinese government and people. The giant panda program exemplifies the China-US cooperation."

mayzhou@chinadailyusa.com
Xia Shuqin, a survivor of the Nanjing Massacre, attends the ceremony at the memorial hall to honor victims of the atrocity in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on Tuesday.Yang Bo / For China Daily

Traffic lights stopped flashing, vehicles stopped running and people stood still on streets, bowing their heads, on Tuesday morning to remember the 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre, as air raid sirens sounded across the country's former capital.

At the Memorial Hall of the Nanjing Massacre, survivors of the massacre, veterans and people from many countries, including the United States, France and Japan, paid tribute in the cold rain to the victims.

Zhao Leji, head of the Communist Party of China Central Committee's Organization Department, said at the memorial hall that the Chinese people will always remember the victims.

"People who experienced wars and had their homes ravaged by enemies know better the value of justice and how precious peace is," said Zhao. "We hold the National Memorial Day ceremony not to pass on hatred, but to awaken the longing for and adherence to peace."

Xia Shuqin, an 87-year-old witness to the massacre, said: "A lot of the survivors have passed away. They won't rest in peace if the truth is still denied."

Some residents attended memorial ceremonies at mass grave sites. Others folded paper cranes to pay tribute to the dead, and some set free white pigeons in downtown Nanjing.

According to the massacre memorial hall, only 107 survivors are still alive. The youngest are in their 80s.
A block of ice, measuring 1.6 meters by 800 cm and weighing about 700 kg, requires two ice collectors to pull it out of the water.[Photo By Zhang Qingyun / For China Daily]

Farmers brave sub-zero temperatures on frozen Songhua River for 20 days to supply winter gala with raw materials

Every winter, an avalanche of visitors from home and abroad descends on the city of Harbin in Heilongjiang province to join the country's biggest winter gala - the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival.

Up to 180,000 cubic meters of ice is expected to be used at the event, which features striking ice and snow sculptures.

As man-made ice often contains air bubbles and is not strong enough to carve, ice for the festival is sourced from the Songhua River running through the city.

More than 50 workers toil for almost three weeks each year to collect enough ice for the sculptors to work with. "The work is very strenuous and you soon get warm," said Zhao Guo, 38, one of the ice collectors.

Harbin in early December is bitterly cold, with temperatures as low as -30 C. Yet Zhao wears only a thin padded jacket while he is working with the ice. He uses an electric saw to cut the ice into blocks measuring 1.6 meters by 800 cm, before employing a chisel to separate the blocks from each other.

Each block weighs about 700 kg and it requires a team of four to lift.
A DNA has test confirmed that the remains of a man found recently in a desert in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region belonged to Li Zhonghua, a native of Sichuan province, who went missing more than 50 years ago.

Test results were published by police in Qinghai province on Monday evening.

The remains, about 1.75 meters in height, were found by a group of rock collectors near the Lop Nor basin at the juncture of Xinjiang and Qinghai early last month.

Officers from Mangyan police station in the Haixi Mongolian autonomous prefecture in Qinghai arrived to find the remains lying face up, clad in blue overalls and cotton-padded trousers.

A light-yellow canvas bag containing a newspaper, two letters, a flashlight and a pair of goggles was found by the side of the remains. A poncho was found about 10 meters from the remains, while an aluminum thermos flask was found about 100 meters away.

High temperatures and a lack of rainfall explains why the belongings in the bag were intact, said Tang Tuohua, a police officer.

The newspaper was published in 1960 and police said the content of the letters suggest the remains were that of Li, who went missing in the 1960s.

Sichuan police contacted Li's ex-wife - 88-year-old Deng Guangming, who remarried after Li went missing - in a village in Dingshan town in Bazhong, Sichuan.

Deng said she married Li, who was several months older than her, in 1949, a year before he went to fight in the Korean War. He returned, wounded, in 1951 and stayed in their home village for about five years. One day, he told his parents he would find work outside Sichuan. He left and never returned.

Police said they do not know why Li perished in the desert, adding that he might have died in about April 1961.

Li's youngest daughter, 63-year-old Li Xiulan, said her family would go to Qinghai to escort her father's remains home.
Diagram of a radio telescope that astronomers proposed to be built in Antarctica.

Astronomers hope to observe electromagnetic waves from the location known as Dome A

Chinese astronomers are applying for government funding to begin construction of a radio telescope in Antarctica that could help solve the mysteries behind stars and galaxies.

The proposed facility, to be built on a giant ice cap known as Dome A, has been designed to observe terahertz, a band of electromagnetic waves normally too weak for ground-based stations to receive.

"The high altitude and low temperatures at Dome A make it possible for astronomical observation of terahertz," said Shi Shengcai, a researcher at Purple Mountain Observatory, a facility in Nanjing affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "The thick atmospheric layers in most other places absorb too much of the signal."

Temperatures at Dome A can fall as low as -80 C. The extreme environment is perfect for scientific experiments, but few were able to make use of it before the Polar Research Institute of China and its international partners set up the Plateau Observatory, or Plato, in 2008.

Shi's academy and the State Oceanic Administration now are applying for funding from the National Development and Reform Commission to build a 5-meter terahertz telescope at Dome A. If approved, construction will start soon and last up to five years.

The cost of the project has not been released. However, once complete, the facility is expected to be the only one of its kind on Earth.

The project has been boosted by analysis of multiple terahertz frequencies observed by equipment placed at Dome A over 19 months in 2010 and 2011. A paper on the observation data was published on Tuesday by the science journal Nature Astronomy.

"The initial success is encouraging," Shi said, adding that preliminary research for the terahertz telescope has been completed.

Electromagnetic radiation travels through space in the form of light waves and is distinguished by wavelength. In order of decreasing wavelength, there are radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays.

The wavelength of terahertz, which lies between microwaves and infrared, is important in observing the features of the dominant forms of carbon and thus could answer astronomical mysteries related to the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies.

"Terahertz have been a fruitful energy band for astronomical observation, although in the past, scientists had to observe the band using space or airborne telescopes," said Zhang Qizhou of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in the United States.

The European Space Agency's Herschel, the first space observatory to spot a broadband optical spectrum that included terahertz, was retired in 2013 after providing exciting results in many areas of astronomy.

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft carrying a 2.5-meter telescope, can be used for observation for only about 10 hours during each flight.

In 2008, international partners including China, the US and Australia set up a radiometer in preparation for a High Elevation Antarctic Terahertz Telescope. However, that project was later suspended.

"Astronomers thought it (observing terahertz) couldn't be done on Earth," Zhang said. "In fact, a ground-based observatory has obvious advantages, as it can hold a larger telescope and is much more flexible because astronomers can go there - it's difficult, but it's reachable - to maintain and upgrade the telescope."

Hu Zhongwen from the National Astronomical Observatories, also affiliated with the CAS, said Chinese scientists have accumulated experience in deploying and operating sophisticated equipment in the extreme conditions at Dome A.

"The harsh weather poses severe challenges to equipment there, and it wasn't possible to send people to check and fix it repeatedly, so we developed some measures to ensure the equipment is better suited to the environment," Hu said.

"It would be risky to build large scientific facilities in the polar environment without any experience. Experiments with the spectrometer have gotten us prepared for a larger project."
China has been conducting high-level provincial inspections and exposing the misuse of special funding intended to support the fight against air pollution.

In the ongoing central inspections in seven provincial-level regions, more than 1,100 officials have been summoned to talk about their performances in environmental protection, with 687 were held accountable, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on Tuesday.

The inspection teams, headed by ministerial-level officials, have exposed and transferred 5,462 cases to the governments they inspected, and 112 people were detained, the statement said.

Total fines from polluters have grown to 66 million yuan ($10 million), of which Guangdong province has been fined the most out of the regions, which also include Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing municipalities, and the provinces of Hubei, Shaanxi and Gansu.

In addition, 256 officials were held accountable due to their poor performance in environmental protection in Shaanxi, the most out of the inspected province, it said.

Inspectors will conduct field investigations at the city level to push government officials to improve their efforts to reduce pollution, the ministry said.

In addition to the monthlong inspections targeting officials, the central government also strengthened the monitoring of their use of special funds for air pollution control.

The central government allocated 25.4 billion yuan to assist some provinces in reducing air pollution from 2013 to 2015.

The Ministry of Finance reviewed the use of these special funds in nine major provinces and municipalities including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Henan, which received 94 percent of the total funds, and found severe violations such as using the funds to renovate official buildings.

For example, more than 2.57 million yuan was used in eight counties in Anhui province for catering, building renovations and the purchase of equipment, none of which was related to air pollution control, the ministry said.

The environmental protection bureau in Tianjin used 4.25 million yuan to cover the expenses of officials' travel and telecommunications in the process of phasing out old vehicles in 2015.

"The special funds are not allowed to be used for other purposes. In general, the funds have been used to finance the governments' efforts in air pollution control," Chen Shaoqiang, a researcher at the Ministry of Finance's Research Institute for Fiscal Science, said on Tuesday.

To solve the exposed problems, the ministry should strengthen management and conduct regular inspections, Chen suggested.

The ministry will retrieve the misused funds and improve the management of special funds, the statement said.
People wear masks in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, on Tuesday, the fifth consecutive day of serious air pollution. Provided To China Daily

Air quality in China improved in the first 11 months of the year, although it deteriorated in November, the national environmental authority said on Tuesday.

In the first 11 months, 80.5 percent of the days had "good" air quality, a year-on-year increase of 2.6 percentage points, but the readings of PM2.5 and PM10 - particulate matter with diameters of 2.5 and 10 microns respectively - increased in November, said Luo Yi, head of the Ministry of Environmental Protection's department of environmental monitoring.

Air quality is considered "good" when the comprehensive Air Quality Index is 100 or below.

The AQI is based on the concentrations of six airborne pollutants - PM2.5 and PM10, ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.

Average readings of PM2.5 increased by 7 percent and those of PM10 by 20 percent last month due to heavy smog.

In November, the 13 cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region had 36.9 percent of days with good air quality, a year-on-year decrease of 16.3 percentage points, while PM10 increased by 24.3 percentage points compared with the level last year, the ministry's monthly report on air quality among 74 major domestic cities said on Tuesday.

In the trilateral region, six cities were listed in the bottom 10 for severe air pollution last month. Shijiazhuang was the worst, followed by Baoding, Xingtai, Tangshan, Handan and Hengshui, it added.

Last month, three bouts of severe smog covered the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and northeastern regions where the air pollution readings were off the charts, reaching alarmingly high levels.

Some northwestern cities, such as Lanzhou in Gansu province, were hit by sandstorms three times, which worsened the pollution, the statement said.

In the latest round of smog in northern regions from Saturday to Monday, emergency responses addressing smog were issued by 42 cities, among which Langfang in Hebei province and Linfen in Shanxi province issued the highest red alert.

The ministry has required authorities to punish polluting companies more strictly.
Yunnan provincial legislature, in Southwest China, appointed Ruan Chengfa as acting governor on Tuesday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Ruan, who hails from Hubei province, was also named deputy governor of Yunnan at a session of the Standing Committee of the Yunnan People's Congress, it said.

Ruan, 59, worked for the Hubei government for 38 years, and was named the Party chief of Wuhan, the provincial capital, in 2011, according to Yunnan Daily.

It is the first time in his career that Ruan, who graduated from Central China Normal University, has left Hubei to take a position, Yunnan Daily said.

The congress also accepted the resignation of Chen Hao, who was relieved from his post as governor of Yunnan, Xinhua said.

Chen, 62, was transferred from the All-China Federation of Trade Unions to Yunnan province in 2014 and named governor last year.

Before Chen, a native of Jiangsu province, began working for the federation in 2010, he held positions in government departments in Jiangsu and Shanghai.
Gao Bai gives a speech at the symposium and book launch event held at Center for China and Globalization (CCG), a think tank, in Beijing, Dec 13, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

China's high-speed rail best exemplifies how the country's policy can boost the development of an industry, said an expert at a symposium and book launch event held at Center for China and Globalization (CCG), a think tank, in Beijing on Tuesday.

Gao Bai, a Duke University professor and a CCG's academic board member, said that is one of the main viewpoints of his co-authored book High-speed Rail: An Analysis of the Chinese Innovation System.

"In the case of China's high-speed rail, the government both controlled market access and encouraged competition, which proved very successful. Market access limits the number of participants, helping the top two high-speed rail manufactures, China South Railway (CSR) and China CNR Corporation Limited, get advantage in negotiations with foreign companies. And fierce competition in innovation between the two rail moguls boosted the overall development," said Gao.

Gao also highlighted that China's high-speed rail technology is best example of integration of independent innovation and technology import, each aspect indispensible in the process.

His opinion was seconded by other scholars attending the symposium, including Zhao Gang, a researcher from Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development, and Lyu Tie, a researcher from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Scholars also proposed that innovation can benefit from cooperation between companies and universities. They hoped that academic circles would pay more attention to empirical studies.
Government allocates disaster relief funding

Xinhua | Updated: 2016-12-14 14:20

BEIJING - The finance and civil affairs ministries Wednesday jointly allocated 5.705 billion yuan (about 826.3 million U.S. dollars) to provide living support for residents in disaster-hit regions.



The fund will help solve difficulties caused by disasters, including food shortages, and inadequate clothing and heating, during winter and spring, according to a Ministry of Civil Affairs statement.



It urged local governments to expedite distribution of the money and goods, ensuring disaster-hit residents receive them in timely fashion.



Official figures show natural disasters, including earthquakes, low temperatures and snowstorms, affected about 465,000 people in November.



They caused 880 million yuan in direct economic losses, forced 2,000 people to relocate, and destroyed more than 700 houses, damaging a further 38,500.
The Nianni 588 is seen on fire. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Twenty-one of the 22 people onboard a Taiwan squid jigging boat were rescued by two mainland fishing vessels after the boat caught fire on the high seas off Peru on Friday local time (Saturday afternoon Beijing time), reported Zhoushan Evening News. One crew member remains missing.

The rescued sailors from the Nianni 588 said they had no time to take the life raft or to put on life vests after the boat's engine room caught fire. So they just grabbed some floating balls and jumped into the water.

When saved by the two vessels from the Chinese mainland, the sailors had been floating in the sea for more than two hours and said they felt very exhausted.

Eighteen of them, 17 from Indonesia and one from the Chinese mainland, were saved by the Mingxing, a ship belonging to a branch of CNFC Overseas Fisheries Co., Ltd. in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province. Three were pulled out of water by the Liaoyu No.1.

Shi Sihong, captain of the Mingxing, said it was about 10 pm Friday when he spotted red smoke some 5.8 nautical miles in front of his ship. Based on his 20-year experience in deep-sea fishing, Shi realized that the smoke was caused by boat fire and promptly steered the ship towards the Nianni 588.

The Nianni 588 is owned by Taiwan's Longda Fishery Co. All of the rescued mariners will be handed over to other company vessels.
China's largest search engine released a report on Wednesday identifying the most popular search terms over the year to November that related to the country' judiciary.

Baidu posted the report as the Supreme People's Court held an open day at Beijing High People's Court on Wednesday morning.

It revealed that eight search terms, including judicial reform and transparency, had been particularly popular this year.

"Many netizens in the past few months have focused on our country's judicial reform, raised by the central leadership in 2013," said Qin Jian, a big data specialist at Baidu.

"Another issue that has had great attention paid to it is the degree to which courts' work is transparent."

Other popular searches related to the establishment of circuit courts and parole, as a series of measures on judicial reform have recently come into effect, according to Qin.

Meanwhile, several high-profile cases have been discussed heatedly online, including those involving Nie Shubin and Xu Yuyu, the report said.

Nie, 21, from Hebei province, was pardoned by the Second Circuit Court in Shenyang, Liaoning province, on Dec 2, more than two decades after he was wrongly sentenced and executed for rape and murder.

In August, Xu, an 18-year-old from Linyi, Shandong province, died of a heart attack after losing 9,900 yuan ($1400) in a phone scam. The money had been saved to cover her college tuition fees.

Her case aroused public huge outrage and a number of suspects allegedly involved in the fraud have been detained.

"The report shows that netizens not only paid attention to the facts of these cases, but also how courts dealt with them and the legal knowledge behind them," Qin said.

He added that more big data will be applied to legal development, while his company will carry on collecting related statistics to help residents understand courts' work.

Jing Hanchao, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, said that Chinese courts have been asked to make full use of big data to improve work efficiency.

"We are making efforts to set up e-courts, providing more legal convenience for litigants to appeal, as well as ensuring residents can see our work, making justice visible," Jing said.
Government regulations expected to elevate competitive strength of key Chinese industry

China will publish standards to regulate its burgeoning robot industry while pushing for wider robotic applications in key industries, according to officials and experts.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will work out standards for the industry that will cover such aspects as product quality, research and development capabilities, staff qualifications, sales practices and social responsibility, said Sun Feng, deputy director of the ministry's Equipment Industry Department, at the 2016 China Robot Industry Conference on Wednesday.

The move is intended to raise the core competitive strength of China's industrial robot manufacturing, he said.

Sun said that the ministry will also launch pilot projects for service robots and accelerate the setting of additional standards for the healthy and sustainable growth of the Chinese robot industry.

Xu Quanping, an expert from the State Standardization Administration, said about 30 national standards will be worked out by 2018, and twice that number will be available by 2020.

On Wednesday, the nongovernmental China Robot Industry Alliance released three general technical standards on welding robots, robots made to fill containers, and cables used on robots.

Alliance executives said 14 additional standards will also be released soon. The group has some 300 members.

More than 64,000 industrial robots, including both Chinese and foreign brands, were produced in China in the first 11 months of 2016, compared with 32,996 for the entire year in 2015. The full year's production for 2016 is expected to surpass 70,000 units, experts said.

However, Sun said China's robot industry has been hamstrung by dependence on high-end imports, innovation that has yet to catch up, unorganized and inadequate technical development, and lack of production certifications.

Guo Xuan, deputy director of Beijing-based Yizhuang Smart Robotics Industry Research Institute, said automation thrives amid rising labor costs that are largely due to an aging society.

"But domestic robotics firms need to be wary of blind expansion. We have already noticed overcapacity in low-end robots," he said.

According to Guo, proper regulation and industrywide standards are the keys to ensuring the healthy development of robotics. "They will help excellent firms stand out from the competition and focus more on R&D in core technologies," Guo added.

Qu Daokui, president of the robot industry alliance and CEO of Shenyang-based Siasun Robot and Automation Co, said that despite the rapid growth of the sector, sales are still dominated by foreign brands.

According to the alliance, 68,000 industrial robots were sold in China in 2015, while Chinese brands saw total sales of only 22,257 units during that year.

In just the first six months of 2016, Chinese brands recorded sales of 19,257 industrial robots, the alliance said on Wednesday.

Just over 60 percent of homemade industrial robots are used for transferring, loading and unloading materials. Sales of such robots in 2016 surged by 94.3 percent over the same period last year.

Some 43 percent of industrial robots made by Chinese companies were sold in East China, one of the country's most developed areas, according to the alliance.

Contact the writers at zhulixin@chinadaily.com.cn
Oklahoma Women Can't Even Pee Without Being Confronted With Anti-Choice Messages

In another blow to reproductive rights in the US, Oklahoma has passed a law that requires businesses such as restaurants, public schools and hospitals to display anti-choice signage in their restrooms.

Its just one of the provisions of the Humanity of the Unborn Child Act that the Legislature passed in June for the purpose of achieving an abortion-free society. The Legislature has provided $0 in funding for the signage, so the costs, an estimated $2.3 million, will fall to the businesses themselves. Several complaints from businesses have been received, and the Board of Health met on Tuesday to discuss potential regulations.

ADVERTISEMENT

Under this law, the signs would read, There are many public and private agencies willing and able to help you carry your child to term and assist you and your child after your child is born, whether you choose to keep your child or to place him or her for adoption. The State of Oklahoma strongly urges you to contact them if you are pregnant.

Jim Hooper, president of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association, wasnt so much concerned about the content of the signs as the cost, telling the Associated Press that hes not concerned about the information theyre trying to get out to women about their babies and their pregnancy. Babies? I think the word youre looking for is "fetuses," Jim.

Amanda Allen, senior state legislative counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, hit back at the new requirement, stating, This is the government using its police power to shame and stigmatize women who seek abortion care, plain and simple."

The signs encourage people with unplanned pregnancies to seek out agencies that will help you carry your child to term, but as we know, many so-called pro-life agencies or crisis pregnancy centers  especially the types that send representatives to loiter outside clinics to harass people  can be incredibly damaging. They lie, frighten, and promise the world to someone faced with an unplanned pregnancy, to terrify them into not having an abortion, but immediately abandon them after the birth. The bill was pushed for by anti-choice group Oklahomans for Life, a zealous proponent of these fake clinics, and was signed into law by anti-choice Republican Gov. Mary Fallin.

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As well as being intrusive and misleading, the signs also ignore one basic, fundamental fact: adoption is an alternative to parenthood, not pregnancy. While some pregnant people may wish to continue to term, not everyone is physically, psychologically or emotionally capable of doing so. Pregnancy is a wonderful thing if its wanted, but its also exhausting, transformative, and dangerous, with maternal mortality rates in the US actually increasing in the last few years. Its not something to be taken lightly.

Oklahoman Democrats did try to include sex ed and family planning services to the bill, but that sounded too much like common sense to Republicans, who shot it down. Rather than take steps that have been proven to lower abortion rates, such as making birth control more affordable, funding maternity leave and childcare for working parents, and providing comprehensive sex ed in schools, why not, at a huge cost to local businesses, just stick a bunch of judgey, interfering messages on the backs of restroom cubicle doors? Good job, Oklahoma!

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

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Beijing, Hanoi agree to continue joint patrols and to implement fishery, gas and oil projects

China and Vietnam are speeding up their maritime cooperation despite some setbacks, and this will help enhance mutual trust for resolving disputes, experts said.

Chinese and Vietnamese government delegations, led by Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin and Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, met on Monday in Beijing for border and maritime boundary negotiations.
The cast of Medical Examiner Dr. Qin attend a celebration ceremony in Beijing on December 10.[Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

This year has witnessed the boom of the Chinese network drama, a new kind of television series only available from online platforms. From the Go Princess Go at the start of 2016 to the latest hit Medical Examiner Dr. Qin (known to fans as simply Dr. Qin), several network dramas have amassed followers nationwide.

The professional drama Dr. Qin has already been viewed more than 1.2 billion times on Sohu TV alone, according to ratings released by Sohu TV on December 10 at a celebration in Beijing.

Since its debut on October 13, Dr. Qin has gone viral, thanks to its bold plots, tense story atmosphere and good-looking performers.

The drama tells short stories based on the daily work of an investigative team including medical examiner Qin Ming, his assistant Li Dabao and police officer Lin Tao. With their thoroughness, persistence and bravery, they manage to solve seemingly impossible criminal cases.

Creative view mode

As a rule, traditional Chinese TV dramas release one or two episodes each day. and the concept of a "season" is not widely accepted by domestic viewers. However, Dr. Qin chooses to upload two episodes each Thursday with Season One only just finished, drawing on the model of western counterparts.

"The audience ratings and reactions to a certain network drama are of significance to the entire production team. We have to grip the attention of the audience for the follow-ups," Dr. Qin scriptwriter Yang Zhe said.

"The drama is adapted from the literary book The Eleventh Finger. We cannot deny the amazing content of the original works. However, reading books and watching TV dramas are totally two different things. Sometimes, we can change some plots to cater to the needs of TV audiences. And this is the amazing point of the network drama," Yang said.

For such a good drama, some viewers just cannot wait to watch the next episode. In order to satisfy those viewers, Sohu TV has set up a golden member system which allows them to watch the stories in advance.

For example, golden members could watch the new Dr. Qin season from December 1, while everyone else will have to wait until December 15 to see the grand finale.

"The member payment system will be the mainstream in the future. Decades ago, it was impossible for Chinese people to pay for TV series, but many people are willing to pay for something they like and the privileged service they obtain," Sohu CEO Zhang Chaoyang said.

Bullet screen, or "Danmu" in Chinese, allows viewers to type comments that zoom across the screen like bullets. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

With the help of bullet screen, many TV views can also communicate with others in an efficient and funny manner. Bullet screen, or "Danmu" in Chinese, allows viewers to type comments that zoom across the screen like bullets. It has gained momentum in Chinese social interactions among young people.

"I cannot image watching a TV without the bullet screen, otherwise it would be that boring. And I probably wouldn't watch it until the ending part," Xi Xiaoxin, a Dr. Qin fan, suggested.

Li Xian, who plays a policeman in Dr. Qin is also a fan of the bullet screen.

"I often interact with other viewers through the bullet screen. And I truly long to see others' reactions to the role and to myself, both positive and negative," he said.
Children try to make their own paper-cuts, Wellington, New Zealand, Dec 5, 2016. [Photo/Chinaculture.org]

A group of Chinese inheritors brought five Chinese intangible cultural heritages to two schools in Wellington, New Zealand, from Dec 5 to 8.

The members demonstrated Yiwulu Mount Manchu Ethnic Paper-cut, Liaoxi knotting, Jinzhou dough sculpture, amber carving and sugar painting for the teachers and students.

The children were fascinated by the performances and tried to paint with sugar and make their own paper-cuts.

Li Fengyan, a sugar painting inheritor, brewed six pots of syrup and made 300 sugar paintings for students during her performance on Dec 8.

Yan Weiqi is one of the inheritors of Jinzhou knotting.

"This is my first time to perform in New Zealand. To my surprise, the local Maori people told me they also use the same way that I showed to make tie knots. And I can feel the common things we share in spite of those differences," Yan said.

The students performed "haka", a traditional Maori dance, and expressed their gratitude to the Chinese transmitters.
A painting by Jing Lili. [Photo provided to China Daily]

At her ongoing exhibition titled Scrupulousness and Originality, Beijing-based painter Jing Lili shows 50 works demonstrating her prowess in flower-and-bird painting in the meticulous gongbi style.

The exhibition is ongoing at Beijing's Poly Art Museum through Dec 19.

Jing, 54, began the practice of classical Chinese ink painting when she was a student of design at college. She specialized in the gongbi painting style under the guidance of famed painter Zou Chuan'an.

She has continued improving her skills over the years. During her stay in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in the 1990s, flowers and green plants in southern China became the subjects of her works. Now living in Beijing, she focuses on presenting the dramatic changes of season of northern China, which has enriched the coloring of her paintings.
Chefs slice up the 60kg bluefin tuna on spot at Moto in Beijing on Dec 6, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Sushi has become a staple in nearly every Japanese

restaurant

in China, yet most of us don't know much about the fish behind the sushi or sashimi we put in our mouths.

During the recent two year anniversary of Moto, the Japanese restaurant along the Liangma River in Beijing, chefs sliced up a 60kg (132lb) bluefin tuna on the spot. So we took a chance to learn about the gaint fish from head to tail, and how it arrived to Chinese custo mers ' plates from the Japan sea.
US President-elect Donald Trump speaks at election night rally in Manhattan, New York, US, November 9, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

US president-elect Donald Trump is usually described as a pragmatic and successful businessmana man who knows how to cut a deal to his own advantage.

So it has been strange to hear him say that he wants to use the US' continued observance of the one-China principle regarding Taiwan as a bargaining chip in trade talks with Beijing, because that has no leverage. Taiwan is part of China no matter what he says.

However, since he has indicated with his pre-office sound bites that his real interest is trade, let's talk about trade.

Despite their occasional downs, bilateral relations have come a long way on an upward trend since China began its ongoing opening-up.

Now, as the world's two largest economies and each other's biggest trading partners, China and the United States have developed a "symbiotic relationship", achieving a trade volume of nearly $600 billion last year.

Still, Trump likes to claim that China is not playing fair in its economic competition with the US, and even cries out this is "killing" the US economy.

Soon after his "I was just being polite" phone call with Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen that had actually been long in the planning, he raised his now familiar accusation that China imposes heavy taxes on US imports which the US does not do on Chinese goods.

Like so much of what he says, this stretches the facts in a direction that is at odds with the truth.

China abides by World Trade Organization rules and adheres to its bilateral and multilateral trade and tariff agreements.

To put the two countries trade relations into some kind of perspective, General Motors saw more than one-third of its 9.96 million vehicles sold globally bought by Chinese customers last year, while 1 out of every 3 cars produced in North America uses parts and components made by Wanxiang, a Chinese-funded company that employs 12,500 people in the US.

History proves what is good for Sino-US relations is good for their economies.

Being a competitive personality, Trump seems to be seeking to gain an upper hand in what is essentially a win-win relationship with all his irrational remarks about China.

For the American economy to be great again, as Trump sold his presidential bid to voters, the US needs to cement its economic relations with China, rather than destroy them.
Police officers make a list of bank cards seized in a telecommunication fraud case in Xuchang, Henan province, in January. NIU YUAN/CHINA DAILY

A JOURNALIST IN SOUTH CHINA'S GUANGDONG PROVINCE managed to acquire a colleague's personal information, ranging from real-time locations and flight numbers to hotel check-in records, from an "online merchant" at the cost of just 700 yuan ($101) as part of an investigation into the selling of personal information. But as the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday the journalist broke the law as purchasing other people's information also constitutes a crime. Beijing News commented on Tuesday:

It is abhorrent that the leaking of personal information has reached such levels despite all the efforts to keep it in check.

Of course, people should be more aware of the latent dangers and make better efforts to protect their personal information, but that cannot be used as an excuse for the authorities not to do more supervisory and enforcement-related duties in this regard.

A cybersecurity law, approved by the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, will come into effect on June 1, 2017, and there was an amendment to the Criminal Law last year that made violating personal information a crime, in addition to the selling and providing or accessing of personal information that were declared illegal in 2009.

Yet that is not enough without efficient law enforcement.

It is time for regulators to renew their efforts to cleanse the underground information market. Apart from punishing wrongdoers, they should resort to cutting-edge technologies based on big data to trace those involved in the selling or illegal use of personal information, and find out why they managed to access the information-collecting system.
South Korean President Park Geun-Hye speaks during an address to the nation, at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, November 29, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

The impeachment of Republic of Korea President Park Geun-hye on Friday marked a turning point in the country's politics and added yet more uncertainties to the geopolitical landscape of Northeast Asia.

Having lost her presidential powers and duties after members of ROK parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of the impeachment, Park's political career is now in the hands of the Constitutional Court, which is expected to rule in about six months whether she must step down permanently.

There is no doubt that the ruling Saenuri Party (or New Frontier Party) and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea will be locked in a bitter contest, more so if the court validates Park's impeachment making it mandatory for the next presidential election to be held within 60 days.

The simmering political tensions are not only about the fight against corruption but also about the continuing bipartisan clashes that have dealt a heavy blow to the approval rating of the Park administration. The overwhelming support for the impeachment also signals deep divisions within Park's Saenuri Party.

Yet there is no sign of a suitable candidate for the ROK's highest office, which Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn is holding in the interim. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has shown interest in returning to ROK politics after his UN term ends at the end of this year, is a decent choice. But since the ongoing crisis has dealt a heavy blow to the Saenuri Party, opinion polls now favor the Democratic Party of Korea, whose political views are in stark contrast to the ruling party's.

If the opposition party wins the election, changes are likely in Seoul's foreign policy. To begin with, the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system on the ROK soil may be stalled despite the United States' determination to proceed with the strategic plan.

The Park administration's decision to deploy THAAD was met with fierce opposition from the public and opposition parties in the ROK, as well as from China. That decision has in effect caused avoidable damage to Beijing-Seoul relations, warranting a proper revisit to the necessity of installing the anti-missile system.

Washington and Seoul should realize that THAAD cannot deter the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from pursuing its nuclear plan. Neither the shutdown of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, the last-remaining symbol of inter-Korean economic cooperation, nor multiple US-ROK joint drills succeeded in wearing the DPRK down. It is still bent on developing nuclear weapons. At least this fact should prompt the new ROK administration to reflect on its DPRK policy and soften its tone.

The military cooperation between Japan and the ROK, too, faces new challenges. Just last month, the two countries signed an agreement to share military intelligence, which was vehemently opposed by ROK people and opposition parties.

The security pact in the name of "better managing the threats" from Pyongyang, along with the possibility of Tokyo, too, seeking to install THAAD on Japanese soil, poses a strategic challenge to China. The Tokyo-Seoul security deal is not likely to be cancelled even if Park is ousted, but the new government could exercise extra caution in its implementation.

The author is an associate researcher at the Center for Northeast Asian Studies in Jilin province.
A worker at a steel company in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, in Jan 2015.[Photo/China Daily]

Due to the feeble global economic recovery and dampened global demands, China's steel industry (and those in other countries) faces overcapacity. During the US presidential campaign, rival candidates said that by "dumping its steel products", China has caused the American steel sector to lose its competitive edge. During his campaign trail, Donald Trump even threatened to impose up to 45 percent punitive tariffs on Chinese imports if he was elected president.

Such rhetoric and protectionist measures, however, will not help resolve the global steel overproduction issue.

China has exported only about 10 percent of its total steel output every year over the past decade, which is far below the 40 percent of some developed steel-producing countries. However, the United States and some European Union member countries have blamed China for the global steel overcapacity and launched anti-dumping investigations into Chinese steel products.

In May, the US International Trade Commission invoked Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to formally launch an investigation against more than 40 Chinese steel manufacturers, alleging the competitive edge they enjoy is unfair.

Ironically, Chinese steel exports to the US and EU countries, in volume and value both, account for only a small percentage of their steel imports. So, imposing punitive tariffs on Chinese steel products can only be a ploy to protect their backward steel sectors.

China has never shied away from accepting its surplus steel capacity. Instead, it has taken measures to help local governments and enterprises to reduce overproduction. In February, the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued a guideline to eliminate backward steel capacity, another 100 million to 150 million tons of crude steel production will be cut in the next five years, with 45 million tons to be slashed this year alone.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the G20 Hangzhou Leaders Summit on Sept 4, President Xi Jinping reiterated that China will keep its promise of reducing its crude steel output during the next five years. Starting late November, the central government has sent several inspection teams to different regions to assess the progress made in eliminating steel and coal overcapacity. And provinces such as Shanxi, Shandong, Jiangxi, Henan and Guangdong have already completed their tasks for 2016.

Steel overproduction is not an issue for just one country; going by globalization rules, it's the concern of all countries. In fact, G20 leaders at Hangzhou agreed steel overcapacity is a global issue and called for the establishment of a global forum for members of the G20 and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to share information and work together to resolve the issue.

As the host of the Hangzhou summit, China has maintained communication with the parties to help advance the preparatory work for the establishment of the forum.

China is willing to work with the United States to resolve the global steel overcapacity issue. Trump has said he would push for $1 trillion spending on infrastructure construction in the next 10 years that would include building and repairing highways, bridges, airports, schools and hospitals. Since the US cannot produce enough steel to meet that sort of demand, it can buy some of the steel needed from China. This will not only ease the world's steel overproduction pressure, but also boost the economic recovery of the US and other countries.

Besides, the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road) is expected to strengthen connectivity and infrastructure construction among countries along the routes and thus boost global steel demands.

Hopefully, the US and other steel-producing countries will abandon their prejudices toward China and try to sincerely resolve the global steel overproduction issue. Only when more countries make coordinated decisions and strengthen their policy communications can they eliminate steel overcapacity and achieve win-win results.

The author is a researcher at the International Trade and Economic Cooperation Institute of the Ministry of Commerce.
Human rights undertakings require a sound global environment, and all countries need to launch equal-footed dialogues, cooperation and exchanges based on respect to each others independently chosen path, the Peoples Daily said in a commentary published on Saturday, the 68th International Human Rights Day.

The West has no grounds to monopolize the rights of speech in terms of human rights as their so-called superiority can rightly serve as evidence for barbarism, the article under the byline of Zhong Sheng stressed.

The following is a translation of the article:

December 10 marks the 68th International Human Rights Day, a day that reminds us to respect the course of human rights undertakings.

Mankind shares a common goal to enjoy human rights. To realize this objective, the world should boost exchanges of diversified civilizations, bolster collaboration on human rights and build a healthy and effective governance system, so that international human rights undertakings can progress in a smooth way.

Meanwhile, current international exchanges on human rights are far from ideal. Some Westerners, in particular, have turned a blind eye to the 800 million people who are still suffering from hunger around the globe, and have not paid serious attention to the issues of refugee crisis, terrorism, xenophobia and racism. But all these predicaments come down to human rights challenges.

They, though dubbing themselves as lecturers in human rights, in fact resort to it as a tool to play politics, adopt double standards and interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries by using human rights as an excuse.

The West has no grounds to monopolize the rights of speech in terms of human rights. Scholar Perry Anderson said in a recent commentary that the human rights discourse in todays world is a contemporary version of the civilization standards of the 19th century.

Back at the end of the 19th century, European jurists pigeonholed countries as civilized, barbaric and savage by comparing them with a European standard, but history has proven that such logic is absurd and unjust.

However, some Westerners, up to now, failed to realize that their so-called superiority and classification are the best evidence of their barbarism.

The Western world imagined itself as a standard of human rights, but failed to withstand the test. All kinds of deep-rooted plights they encountered in the past year have exposed their shortcomings. Racial conflicts and uncontrolled use of firearms have split the US public, while the refugee crisis is torturing the conscience of Europe.

Because of these twisted social values, widening disparity between the rich and the poor and other escalated challenges, the public are increasing their hatred toward the mainstream, establishment and politics after a host of elections have brought institutional flaws in the voting democracy of Western countries to light. The world is now alert to its emerging chaos.

What is ridiculous is that any time Western countries met with a predicament, their mainstream voice will exaggerate or make up some questions of other nations. They are now in dead ends that always blame others like Moscow and Beijing, but ignore their own flaws.

In terms of international human rights, it means that there is no one-size-fits-all" path in the world. What the world can do is to pursue a no best, but better protection of human rights.

The world has learned not a few lessons caused by copying other development models regardless of the reality. In those harrowing cases, social unrest was triggered because the borrowed system cannot acclimatize to national conditions. The involved nations, as a result, failed to secure their people with the right to survive and develop, not to mention political rights.

But there are indeed a number of successful cases. The international community recognized that by combining the universal principle with the Chinese reality, China has boosted its economic and social progress, improved its peoples livelihoods, bolstered social justice, optimized protection of law-based human rights, pursued economic, social and cultural rights as well as civic and political rights in parallel, and significantly strengthened protection of peoples rights to survive and develop, thus finding out a unique path suitable to Chinas conditions.

Human rights undertakings require a sound international environment. All countries can only seek shared progress by launching equal-footed dialogues, cooperation and exchanges based on respect to each others development path, social value, historical and cultural traditions, as well as political systems.
Google Spins Self-Driving Car Division Off As Waymo

Trending News: Google's Self-Driving Car Program Is Now Waymo

Long Story Short

There will a self-driving car in your future. But it wont be built by Google. Or, it wont be built entirely by Google, at least.

Long Story

Google is no longer building a self-driving car. Or, to be precise, Google's cars won't be produced under the Google name  they've spun their autonomous car division off into it's own company called Waymo.

Its a major pivot for the Google branded cars, which over the last few years has racked up a phenomenal two million miles with its self-driving car project. Thats the equivalent of 300 years of human driving, based on an average yearly total. 300 years of freeways, intersections and traffic  and now, it's prepped to finally hit the market.

Were a self-driving car company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get around, says Waymo CEO John Krafcik.

In May, Google partnered with Fiat Chrysler to put their autonomous tech into their Pacifica minivans, which to some signaled a move away from Google-produced vehicles. But that partnership is apparently still in play, only with the added expansion of Waymo.

Google (and/or Waymo) still has plans for an autonomous taxi service, which are apparently still very much in place. So much so that the aim is to introduce it by the end of 2017. Which sounds ambitious, particularly when it comes to catching the competition: Uber began trialling self-driving taxis in Pittsburgh this year, while nuTonomy has been conducting similar tests in Singapore and Boston. If anything, the Waymo announcement is seen as a catchup move.

Google being Google, the resources it can throw at the project are phenomenal. Either way, the company is revealing more about its self-driving car business in the coming days, so all will be revealed shortly.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

So what happens to Chauffeur, Google Xs autonomous driving division?

Drop This Fact

Studies show that when a human is fully disengaged from driving an autonomous car it takes at least 10 seconds for them to fully re-engage.
Fifteen years have passed since China officially joined the WTO on December 11, 2001. Over the years, China, as the biggest developing country in the world, has been committed to liberalization and facilitation of global trade and investment and engaging in economic globalization. China also participated in, protected and contributed to the multilateral trade system by observing WTO rules and fulfilling its promises and responsibilities.

After the outbreak of the global financial crisis, China continued its efforts on multilateral trade rules. When the Doha Round met with impasse, China, at both ministerial meetings in Bali and Nairobi, played a leading role as a responsible major trading country, in a bid to help the WTO move forward, bolster global prosperity and boost multilateral trade system.

Since WTO acts as a rule-based multilateral trading system, its rules must be observed to ensure an orderly and sustained development of international trade and investment.

Over the years, an effective observation of multilateral trade system and rules, one of the three pillars of the world economic system, has laid a foundation for global economic prosperity and played an irreplaceable part in world peace and stability. The WTO rules are now an integral part of international law.

The basic principles of international law call for each party to abide by the obligations stated in the treaties. As a constituent part of WTO agreement, the Article 15 of the Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of China to the WTO stipulates that the surrogate country approach used by member countries to calculate anti-dumping measures against Chinese exports will expire 15 years after the date of accession.

The provision means that starting from December 11, 2016, any future anti-dumping cases against China should make comparison with prices or costs in China.

Since this obligation has been written into the international treaty, each WTO member should fulfill it without doubt by abolishing the surrogate country system as scheduled. Chinas legitimate interests should be duly protected.

There is an old saying in China that promises must be kept and actions must be resolute. The spirit of contract is the foundation of market economy while commitment to fulfill promises is the basic principle of international law.

It is the shared obligation and common interest of each member state to honor the terms in the protocol and maintain the authority of the multilateral trading system.

Most of the WTO members have fulfilled their obligations stipulated under the Article 15 in the protocol ahead or on schedule by terminating the surrogate country system against China. But a few have refused to do so. They even tried to obscure the term market economy with their domestic logic, or cite overcapacity in some industries as an excuse for delay.

The WTO rules, as a matter of fact, did not provide detailed definition of market economy. The so-called standard of market economy was actually created during the Cold War, and only a few of the 164 WTO members have adopted such standards in their internal laws.

As for the overcapacity issue, it is a problem faced by, and should be solved by, all countries in the world. They cannot use such excuses to postpone the fulfillment of their obligations.

China firmly opposes such misinterpretation of WTO rules and multilateral trading system. China urges each party to keep their words, observe international law and fulfill their international obligations.

As for those who refuse to keep their promises, China will adamantly protect its legitimate interests and reserve the right to take further measures. China will join hands with most of the member states to protect the solemnness of multilateral trading system.

In light of risks and challenges confronting current world economy, Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the G20 Summit held in September, called on each side to work in the spirit of partnership to promote mutual help and win-win cooperation and concentrate mind and energy to pursue strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.

Todays world is trapped in increasing uncertainties brought by a lack of recovery momentum, gloomy trade and investment environment as well as setbacks to economic globalization, but it is at such difficult times that WTO members need to have more cooperation to defend the effectiveness of the multilateral trading system.

China is willing to hold hands with other countries in order to combat protectionism, maintain the multilateral trading system, reinstate the driving role of trade and investment in economy, thus building a more energetic, inclusive, sustainable and open world economy.

The author is Chinas Commerce Minister
Donald Trump speaks on the last day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States, July 21, 2016. New York billionaire DonaldTrump officially accepted the presidential nomination of the U.S. Republican Party Thursday night on the final day of the Republican National Convention. [Xinhua/Yin Bogu]

US President-elect Donald Trump is at odds with his own party before his term has even started, and that could foreshadow a rocky presidency, experts said.

Republican Party presidential candidate Trump pulled off a surprise victory last month against rival Hillary Clinton and clinched the White House, proving wrong the vast majority of polls and experts who had predicted that Clinton would be the next president.

But deep divisions between Trump and the Republican Party are coming to the fore, and those are not likely to be smoothed over anytime soon.

"Trump's policies are far more populist, isolationist, and softer on some authoritarian regimes than the GOP traditionally has been," Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua.

"While it is rooted in ideology, the groundswell of public support for Trump's policies among the public has concerned the establishment," he said.

"The Russia issue is just one part of a divide between Trump and the GOP establishment that has existed since the primaries," Mahaffee said.

On Monday, the top two Congressional Republicans said they would support an inquiry into accusations that Russia interfered in US elections in a bid to get the brash billionaire elected, as the Kremlin believes a Trump presidency might be favorable to Russia.

"Any foreign breach of our cyber security measures is disturbing, and I strongly condemn any such efforts. The Russians are not our friends," said Senator and GOP majority leader Mitch McConnell earlier this week.

Republican and House Speaker Paul Ryan echoed those sentiments, saying he backed a probe into whether Russia meddled in US elections.

The election season was marked by a number of releases of information by the website Wikileaks, including private emails from the Hillary Clinton campaign. Those emails brought some of Clinton's embarrassing secrets to light.

The Clinton campaign and others have accused Russia of being behind the Wikileaks, in an effort to help get Trump elected, as the New York mogul has said he would cut a deal for better relations with Russia if elected.

On Friday, a Washington Post report seemed to support those allegations, saying the US Central Intelligence Agency concluded that Russia was trying to help Trump win the election, although Trump dismissed the allegations, saying the hacks could have come from anywhere.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange also said Russia was not the source of the leaks.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that several of Trump's positions are at odds with his own party.

"He wants to mend relations with Russia, which many members of his party oppose. He opposes an investigation into whether Russia tried to influence the election. These differences will complicate the nominations of several people in his administration," he said.

Trump has put forward several people for cabinet who share his views on Russia, and that may threaten their confirmations, experts said.

Republicans hold a narrow 52 to 48 margin in the Senate, so it will not be easy to confirm individuals that do not have full GOP backing, as a Senate confirmation is required for approval of president's cabinet members, experts noted.

However, the GOP and Trump might be able to make amends, experts said.

Mahaffee said continuing to work with the GOP leadership in Washington -- and choosing cabinet appointments that know the establishment well -- will be key to bridging the gap with Republicans.

"However, as long as Trump continues to chart his own course, especially via some of the Twitter statements we see, that unpredictability will continue to raise concerns among the establishment," Mahaffee said, referring to Trump's often outlandish and unpredictable statements made on the US social media.
The First China (Sanmenxia) White Swan and Wildlife International Photography Festival lured a large crowd of spectators, presenting a myriad of photos featuring white swans and wildlife at Sanmenxia's Wenbo Exhibition Center from Dec 7 to 12.

A snap of running Tibetan antelopes is on show at the Wenbo Exhibition Center. [Photo/Sanmenxia Daily]

Visitor passions for this grand exhibition were not cooled in the least by the chilly wind. In fact, outside the exhibition hall white swans paddled and flew around the wetland park. Inside, a large crowd of visitors filled the hall to feast their eyes on those photos.

"Almost 50,000 visitors have come and visited those photos during the last four days since its opening on Dec 7," an official of the organizing committee told journalists while pointing out the bustling hall. "It is the fifth day of the proposed six-day exhibition, but the number of visitors has seen no sign of reduction. We have decided to extend the exhibition to Dec 13."

Young visitors take a closer look at the exhibited photos at the Wenbo Exhibition Center. [Photo/Sanmenxia Daily]

Wenbo exhibition center has also seen many children accompanied by their parents. "With exposed to those great works, children can be influenced by art," said Mrs Yang Yun, a fifth-grade student's mother. "Children can expand their horizons and open their minds attending this exhibition, which is also good for their writing skills."

Two girls marvel at a deer photo on show at the Wenbo Exhibition Center. [Photo/Sanmenxia Daily]

A young man carrying his professional camera equipment on site captured people's eyes. Xu Chen made a special trip from Henan province's Nanjing. "I am so impressed by this international photo exhibition. I love shooting natural scenery, and this experience can help me improve skills, such as the composition of a picture and how to focus," said Xu.

A visitor takes a photo of an exhibited work at the Wenbo Exhibition Center. [Photo/Sanmenxia Daily]

Around 3,000 animal-inspired images adorned the walls of the city's Wenbo Exhibition Center. The pictures were snapped by amateur and professional photographers from home and abroad to present the beauty of nature, ecology and harmony between humans and the natural world. The photos were divided into the categories of swans, wild animals and documentary pieces.
Migrating gulls in great numbers stay for about five months at Dianchi Lake. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Seagull swarms. Fantastic flowers. Wondrous wetlands.

Indeed, the life and scenery supported by Kunming's once ecologically devastated Dianchi Lake shows the potential of revitalizing spoiled aquatic systems.

And much of that potential hails from tourism.

DianchiYunnan province's largest water bodyripples across about 330 square kilometers as a vast ecological parable of caution and redemption.

It was pristine in the 1970s and superlatively toxic by the '80s, as industrialization thundered nationwide.

Pollution declined but persisted until 2009, when the government removed illegal houses and fishponds.

It then opened the area for travelers.

Authorities similarly resuscitated the wetlands that soak its banks, which are spectacles in themselves.

Yongchang wetland's visitors can stroll and cycle along pathways and boardwalks that crisscross the web-work of bogs and streams.

Wooden boats bob in the narrow Chuanfang River, since fishing on Dianchi Lake is allowed only 37 days a year.

Ten workers hoist four tons of seaweed from the rivera dayto prevent organic pollution. The plant matter is used in organic fertilizers.

Myriad shades of greenery along the banks are dappled with flowers of every hue. Elderly residents perform folk songs on traditional instruments.

The wetland hosts over 280 animal species, including 23 types of fish, and 290 plant varieties.
On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump swore that he would "drain the swamp" in Washington if elected. Reflecting the American public's great distaste for Washington, his words were hailed by fervently cheering crowds.

In January, Rasmussen Reports, which specializes in public opinion information, showed that 81 percent of Americans believe Washington is corrupt. A Gallup poll in September 2015 found that 75 percent of Americans saw widespread corruption in the country's government, a jump from 66 percent in 2009.

Trump announced his anti-corruption campaign on Nov 16 by setting out tough restrictions on lobbying by incoming officials. The rules require incoming officials to terminate their lobbying registration and pledge not to lobby again until five years after they leave the administration.

He also vowed a lifetime ban on White House officials lobbying on behalf of foreign governments, and a complete ban on foreign lobbyists raising money for US elections.

Although no one seems sure how the rules will be enforced, it will be a move in the right direction, if truly carried out.

The horde of passengers getting off at Farragut North station on the Red Line of the city's metro rapid transit system every morning is quite a scene on my way to work. Outside the stop is the notorious K Street, the nickname for the lobbying industry where major lobbying firms assemble.

Having covered Washington for years, the question I often ask is why the thriving lobbying industry in Washington is even legal in the first place in a country that claims to be the world's "greatest democracy". Some think tanks also have their credibility called into question when their programs are funded by corporations, such as Lockheed Martin.

In Washington, countless former government officials and ex-members of Congress engage in the lobbying industry, using their connections and influence to push special interest agendas and enrich themselves.

With the ongoing US government transition, many who are leaving the Barack Obama administration will be sought after by major lobbying firms or may be planning to start their own lobbying operations.

If people believe that guanxi (connections) is uniquely Chinese, it is because they have not lived in Washington, where some 11,000 lobbyists, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, are trying to use exactly that with the US Congress and federal government departments.

Chinese journalists covering Washington are often surprised to find a State Department official who briefed them about the US government's Asia and China policy just weeks earlier suddenly appearing as the head of a consulting company, and his business having questionable links with his previous official duties.

Such revolving-door cases are indeed a normal phenomenon in Washington.

For years, the top industries that have spent the most on lobbying include pharmaceuticals, insurance, business associations, oil and gas, education, tobacco, telecom services and defense aerospace.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that corporations are scrambling to retool their lobbying efforts as Republicans, preparing for control of the House of Representatives, Senate and White House in January, hope to break the partisan logjam that has blocked the passage of legislation for six years. Key issues for their hired guns will be immigration, healthcare, taxes, infrastructure and Wall Street regulations.

Andrew Bacevich, a historian at Boston University, wrote a week ago that if Trump were serious about overturning the Washington establishment, he'd start by ending the constant wars. In Bacevich's view, wars created the swamp in the first place. Wars empower Washington. They provide a reason for federal authorities to accumulate new powers.

It will be interesting to see if Trump will walk the talk on his "drain the swamp" pledge.

Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com.
Baby Faadumo, who was born prematurely, is kept warm using a black plastic bag. Photo Provided By UNICEF

Baby Faadumo lies quietly with her big, dark eyes wide open. Her tiny head and dainty fists rest on a nest of blankets, wrapped in a shawl. To keep her warm, the bundle has been placed in a black plastic bag.

Faadumo is 15 days old and was born prematurely at seven months. Her mother, who was only 15, died during childbirth. Ideally, Faadumo should be kept in an incubator. But here in Bosaso General Hospital in the state of Puntland, Somalia, few things are ideal and a plastic bag and blankets are the best doctors can do to keep her warm - and alive.

"We need incubators and our staff also need training on how to use them," said Doctor Mohamed Said, the pediatrician at the hospital.

Besides being premature, Faadumo is also malnourished. She weighed 1 kilogram at birth, and weighs not much more - 1.1kg - now.

Malyuum Osman, 29, rests with her one-day-old newborn, Mohamed. Photo Provided By UNICEF

When asked about the challenges his country faces, Abdirizak Hersi Hassan, Director General of the Ministry of Health in Puntland, sums them up in two words: "Too many."

Since the collapse of the central government in 1991, Somalia has been in an almost constant state of war and its health systems are mostly supported by development partners and funded by donors. UNICEF alone supports 70 percent of Somalia's health facilities. "Without such support," said Hassan, "the health systems will collapse."

At the maternity ward in the mother and child health clinic in 100 Bush Internally Displaced Persons camp, Malyuum Osman, 29, rests with her one-day-old newborn, Mohamed. Over the years she has suffered two miscarriages and seen two children die - a daughter from diarrhea and a boy in an accident.

Despite the basic conditions here, the clinic, staffed by 14 midwives and nurses, is doing wonders for the local population of 15,000 people living in the various displacement camps. It is one of the many clinics supported by UNICEF under the Joint Health and Nutrition Program, which helps women, children and families.

However, there are no firm plans for the continuation of the program in 2017 and beyond. UNICEF, along with partners, is mobilizing resources to keep the health services open and the 2,000 health workers covered under the program - out of 3,000 in the entire country - paid.

Soon Malyuum will be able to go home with the baby to her three other children. The family of five, now including baby Mohamed, survives on $2 a day she makes by cooking for the workers at construction sites. But she remains optimistic.

"I pray to Allah to grant my children health," she says. "I want a good life - a beautiful life - for us all."
Nomination of Exxon Mobil chief for State Department heralds more aggressive economic policies

US president-elect Donald Trump has chosen Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be his secretary of state, a move that observers said Trump sees as a way to secure smarter deals in economic diplomacy, particularly in trade agreements.

The choice is a crucial one  Trump has made statements provoking China  as the incoming president clearly intends to steer United States foreign policy in a more conservative direction.

The announcement was made on Tuesday in New York, and follows Trump's statements in recent days on a number of sensitive topics, including the Taiwan question and the South China Sea issue.

In a release from his transition headquarters, Trump hailed Tillerson, 64, as "among the most accomplished business leaders and international deal makers in the world". Trump said Tillerson rose through the ranks "through hard work, dedication and smart deal making", the Associated Press reported.

Tillerson's nomination is subject to approval by the US Senate.

Responding earlier on Tuesday in Beijing to news of Tillerson's likely selection, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said it is hoped that the diplomatic departments of both sides will boost communication, strengthen cooperation and play an important and constructive role for the development of their ties.

Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said the selection mirrors "Trump's ambition to make some difference in economic diplomacy" as he tweaks US strategies in bilateral and multilateral trade pact negotiations.

In past years, one of the top items on the China-US economic agenda has been negotiations on the nations' proposed bilateral investment treaty.

Ruan said it is unlikely that the Trump team will continue those talks  pushed by the Obama administration  in the short term, but Trump may later change his mind.

Yuan Zheng, a senior researcher on US foreign policy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that although he is prudently optimistic about overall China-US ties, bilateral trade cooperation may be bumpy.

"There will be tougher bargaining when China and the US work on bilateral trade talks," given Trump's stated inclination toward trade protectionism, he said.

Washington has complained that China still has a long list of activities prohibited to US companies in the Chinese market, Yuan noted. Trump could be expected to try to pare that back, among other moves, in order to fulfill his election pledges on boosting employment and bringing manufacturing businesses back to the US, Yuan said.

Given Tillerson's oil industry background and his experience in dealing with dozens of countries around the globe, Ruan said future US economic diplomacy may be lined up with the US national strategy to boost independence in the energy field. US policies on climate change also may change, Ruan said.

Zhou Shijian, a senior trade expert at Tsinghua University, said Tillerson may help ease strained US ties with Russia through his close personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But containing China can be expected to remain one of Washington's top priorities, Zhou said.
A newly published book on the documents of a late United States diplomat, who was also a scholar on Tibet, has provided conclusive evidence that the envoy in the early 20th century considered Tibet to be an inseparable part of China.

Selected Documents Relating to Tibet from William W. Rockhill Papers, compiled by Cheng Long, a former associate professor at Beijing Language and Culture University, was published recently by China Intercontinental Press.

William Rockhill (1854-1914), a US diplomat, explorer and scholar on Tibet, was the author of the United States' Open Door Policy for China and the author of several books on Tibetan studies.

"Rockhill several times pointed out to the US public that Tibet is an inseparable part of China, and he introduced his position to president Theodore Roosevelt," Cheng said.

Cheng said he began to pay attention to Rockhill while he was teaching at the University of South Carolina in 2008, after US students kept asking questions about Tibet.

"So I came up with an idea - to tell the history and culture of Tibet by using Western historical documents, which are more convincing to them," he said.

From 2008 to early this year, Cheng searched for documents at such places as Harvard and Yale universities, the Library of Congress and the US National Archives, and he collected abundant materials from Rockhill related to Tibet.

According to the US State Department website, Rockhill, who was born in Philadelphia, was appointed as the third assistant secretary of state in April 1894. He was appointed US ambassador to China in 1905 and held the position until 1909.

Rockhill was also a famous scholar of Tibet and visited the region twice. In 1908, he met several times with the 13th Dalai Lama, with whom he kept in touch through letters.

Rockhill was appointed to an unpaid post at the US legation in Beijing in 1883 on his first trip to China. He intended to perfect his spoken Tibetan and Chinese and to travel to Lhasa, according to William Woodville Rockhill:

Scholar-Diplomat of the Tibetan Highlands, a book by the late Kenneth Wimmel, who was a US foreign affairs officer.

Cheng said that Rockhill had the habit of keeping copies of important files and that these materials are well preserved.
Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin addresses the United Nations Security Council during a high level meeting on Syria at the United Nations in Manhattan, New York, US, September 25, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

UNITED NATIONS - During a dramatic emergency UN Security Council meeting on Syria, the Russian UN ambassador announced that the fighting has ended in eastern Aleppo and that the Syrian government was back in control.

"The removal of the fighters was achieved a few hours ago," Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the 15-nation UN body on Tuesday.

The council session opened with an impassioned plea from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his last weeks on the job, for a cessation of hostilities to allow humanitarian aid.

But then the Russian ambassador brought his own news.

"The Syrian government has established control over east Aleppo so now the stage has come for practical humanitarian initiatives that the population that remains there should not need to leave," Churkin said.

With the conclusion of fighting, the Moscow envoy said, "Let's hope that this indeed will be a precondition for establishing the political efforts, re-launching of negotiations" as called for by Staffan de Mistura, the special Syria envoy of Ban.

"There should be large scale humanitarian support to those people of eastern Aleppo and to those people who have left the city and those who remain in the city and establish the preconditions so that those who left the city will as soon as possible be able to come back to their homes," Churkin said.

At the opening of the meeting, the secretary-general said, "During the last 48 hours, we have seen an almost complete collapse of armed opposition front lines, leaving them with only five percent of their original territory in the city. This came about after levels of bombardment that many witnesses describe as unprecedented."

"Civilian deaths and injuries continue at a brutal pace as the United Nations received credible reports of scores of civilians being killed either by intense bombardment or summary executions by pro-Government forces," he said. "We have seen shocking videos of a body burning in the street, ostensibly after aerial bombardment."

Ban added that the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights "received reports of civilians, including women and children, in four neighborhoods being rounded up and executed."

Churkin earlier had questioned the validity of such reports when there was no access for UN humanitarian workers. He said representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross could not validate such reports.

At times, before Churkin's announcement, the council session was highly emotional among those ambassadors calling for a halt in fighting to allow humanitarian access.

"This is a dark day for the people of Aleppo, surely the darkest of the past five years," said Ambassador Matthew Rycroft of Britain.
Rex Tillerson speaks during the IHS CERAWeek 2015 energy conference in Houston, Texas April 21, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON - The White House said on Tuesday US President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state showed he wanted to pursue "warmer relations" with Russia.

"I think what I would say generally is that throughout his campaign, the president-elect indicated his intent, if elected president, to pursue warmer relations with Russia," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a daily briefing.

"So what better way to do that than to choose someone who's been awarded the Order of Friendship by (Russian President) Vladimir Putin to be your secretary of state?" said Earnest.

Calling Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson "one of the truly great business leaders of the world," Trump announced Tuesday morning his pick for US secretary of state, moving past 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, a choice favored by the party establishment.

"The thing I like best about Rex Tillerson is that he has vast experience at dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments," Trump wrote on Twitter.

Tillerson, 64, is the Texas-based oil company's CEO since 2006. Like Trump, he has no government experience and so far little is known of Tillerson's views about foreign affairs.

However, as Exxon's CEO, Tillerson oversees business operations in over 50 countries and has known Russian President Vladimir Putin since 1990s when they first met.

Tillerson was awarded Russia's Order of Friendship in 2013, a state decoration to reward foreign nationals whose work is aimed at the betterment of relations with Russia.
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ROME - The new government of Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni cleared a Lower House confidence vote on Tuesday with 368 in favor and 105 against.

The newly formed cabinet was officially sworn in Monday evening, and it would seek a second confidence vote in the senate on Wednesday, in order to fully entering into force.

Addressing lawmakers ahead of the voting, Gentiloni appealed for support in order to address the most pressing issues, including the financial troubles haunting Italy's third largest lender -- Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) -- the migration crisis, and the reform of the electoral system.

The weak economic recovery, high unemployment, and the reconstruction in quake-hit central regions were also enlisted as priorities.

"We all are aware we will have to work on the rules that would bring the country to elections,"Gentiloni said.

Two different laws currently govern the election of the Senate and the Lower House of parliament, and Italian president Sergio Mattarella stressed they need to be "harmonized" before the country could possibly face early elections, as all opposition forces were asking.

The freshly nominated prime minister then focused much of his address on unemployment.

"The priority of all our priorities will be: job, job, and still job," Gentiloni stressed.

"In a time when our economy has been showing timid signs of recovery, we certainly know we must boost such trend."

Almost half of the lower house hall was empty during Gentiloni's speech, since deputies from major opposition anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and Northern League party deserted the vote in protest against the new cabinet, to which they said they recognize no legitimacy.

Gentiloni was asked by President Mattarella to form a new cabinet following the resignation of Matteo Renzi as prime minister on Dec 7.

Renzi stepped down after a sounding defeat in a crucial referendum on a cabinet-backed constitutional reform on Dec 4.

Both Gentiloni and Renzi belong to the center-left Democratic Party (PD), which is the largest political force in parliament.

The new cabinet would count on the same majority of the previous one, since opposition forces said they were not available to take part in a national unity government.

Most key figures of Renzi's cabinet were confirmed in their office, including Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan, a respected economist whose figure was perceived as reassuring for the markets and European Union (EU) allies.
Iceland's president Gudni Johannesson attends a news conference in Reykjavik, Iceland November 2, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

OSLO - Icelandic President Gudni Johannesson has urged all parties with representatives in parliament to form a new government following the failure of three successive party leaders to do so, Icelandic media reported on Tuesday.

After Pirate Party leader Birgitta Jonsdottir returned the mandate to form a government on Monday, Johannesson sent out a statement saying he had decided not to give any party leader a new mandate, according to online magazine Iceland Review.

"Instead, I encouraged them to consult among themselves and explore ... which options still remain open in forming a government, which will enjoy majority support in Althingi (parliament), or can at least survive a vote of no confidence," Johannesson said.

The pressing tasks awaiting solution in the parliament also demanded good cooperation and unity, he added.

"I told them I anticipated news this week on that subject," Johannesson said.

Icelandic media reported on Monday that Jonsdottir had failed to form a new government as informal coalition talks between the country's five opposition parties fell through.

After a two-hour meeting on Monday noon between the leaders of the Pirate Party, the Left-Green Movement, the Vidreisn (Revival) party, the Bright Future and the Social Democratic Alliance, it became clear that an agreement on a five-party coalition would not be reached and formal talks would not be launched.

Birgitta explained that the parties had disagreed too strongly on certain issues for a compromise to be achieved, especially in terms of fisheries.

She was the third party representative after Independence Party chairman Bjarni Benediktsson and Left-Green Movement leader Katrin Jakobsdottir to receive a mandate.

All three have failed to form a majority coalition following the parliamentary election on Oct. 29.

The Independence Party, one of the two current ruling parties, won 21 out of the 63 seats in the new parliament after winning 29 percent of the ballots.

However, the centrist Progressive Party, the other ruling party, finished fourth with only eight seats, 11 fewer than what it had gained in the last parliamentary election in 2013.

The Left-Green Movement gained 10 seats with 15.9 percent of votes, while the Pirate Party, which had taken the lead in many pre-election polls over the months, also won 10 seats with 14.5 percent.

The Vidreisn party, the Bright Future and the Social Democratic Alliance also crossed the electoral threshold with seven, four and three seats respectively.
A woman carries a container of water as she walks past a burnt pick-up truck in the rebel held area of Old Aleppo, Syria November 14, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

DAMASCUS - The rebels will evacuate the northern city of Aleppo by dawn Wednesday, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.

The rebels' evacuation comes as a result of intense negotiations between local and international powers for allowing the rebels to leave form the few remaining areas under their control in the eastern part of Aleppo, toward the western countryside of the city, said the report.

An undisclosed number of rebels will be evacuated out of Aleppo through al-Ramuseh road, the current road into and out of the city, toward the Rashidien area.

The civilians will have the choice to remain in their areas.

The general-command of the Syrian army is expected to make a statement soon to declare the official Syrian stance on the current situation in Aleppo.

Vitaly Churkin, Russia's permeant representative to the UN, said during a UN Security Council session Tuesday that "a deal has been reached for the evacuation of only the rebels from Aleppo in the next hours," stressing that "no one will harm the civilians."

Earlier in the day, a military source told Xinhua that the Syrian army has cornered the rebels in a very small area in Aleppo, trapping them in the neighborhoods of Mashad, Ansari and Amiriyeh.

This comes as thousands of civilians kept flooding out of eastern Aleppo toward government-controlled areas, and temporary shelters, where their identities are being scrutinized.

Local reports placed the number of evacuated people from eastern Aleppo at more than 80,000.

State news agency SANA said thousands of civilians fled eastern Aleppo on Tuesday alone.

Over 1,000 rebels surrendered in eastern Aleppo over the past two days.

On Monday and Tuesday evening, celebrations broke out in Aleppo, as the army has almost captured the city, with people chanting in support of President Bashar al-Assad and the army.

The state TV said it was the day of celebration for Aleppo's victory.

Sources in Aleppo said that the Syrian army is expected to make the declaration of the victory on Tuesday evening, or Wednesday morning.
China called for a political solution to the crisis in the war-torn country of Syria at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.

Given the situation in Syria is complicated and sensitive, the international community should unswervingly stick to seeking a political settlement, refocus on dialogue and consultation, and find a fundamental way to end the war as soon as possible, said Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the 15-member body to "do all we can to stop the carnage" and ensure that all the parties in the conflict seek an inclusive political resolution.

Ban said that in the last 48 hours, the world has witnessed an almost complete collapse of armed opposition front lines, leaving them with only 5 percent of their original territory in the city.

Syrian opposition forces prepared to withdraw from Aleppo on Wednesday after a ceasefire agreement was reached after talks between Russia and Turkey, according to Reuters.

Wu said multiple factors led to the situation in Syria today. The international community needs to think about the deeper reason and seek a comprehensive, fair and proper settlement, he said.

"Efforts of the international community should help the four-track work of the resumption of the ceasefire, political negotiation, anti-terrorism cooperation and humanitarian aid," Wu said.

He said China is ready to work with the international community to find a political solution as soon as possible.

Contact the writer at wanglinyan@chinadaily.com.cn
China hopes Myanmar can strengthen border control, prevent stray shells or bullets landing in China and maintain border peace and security, a senior Chinese military official said.

Invited by the military in Myanmar, a delegation led by Zhao Zongqi, the Commanding Officer of the People's Liberation Army Western Theater Command, paid an official visit from Dec 11-14.

During the visit, Zhao spoke with Deputy Commander in Chief of the Tatmadaw (Myanmar armed forces) Soe Win and chief of the No 1 Special Operations Bureau of the Tatmadaw Tun Tun Naung, China's Defense Ministry said.

Both sides agreed that Sino-Myanmar military relations have benefited from long-standing ties and hoped to continue close cooperation and exchanges.

China also expressed concern about ethnic armed groups harassing Chinese border residents living near northern Myanmar.

A Myanmar military officer said the Myanmar army would properly handle border conflicts, keep the situation under control and ensure safety along the border.

Conflicts between four ethnic militant forces and the Myanmar military broke out on Nov 20 in the border towns of Muse and Kutkai in northern Myanmar's Shan state. The fighting injured one Chinese citizen, who was treated in hospital after being injured by a bullet that strayed across the border, according to China's Foreign Ministry.

China has provided temporary shelters to more than 3,000 people from Myanmar fleeing into China since the conflict began.
China is opposed to any official exchanges and military contacts between the United States and Taiwan, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Wednesday, urging the US to handle the Taiwan question cautiously and prudently.

Geng made the remarks in a daily news conference, responding to comments a US defense official made on Tuesday.

The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Abraham Denmark said in the Project 2049 Forum in Washington that Taiwan should increase defense spending to "deter" "threats" from the Chinese mainland, Reuters reported.

The US President-elect Donald Trump took a phone call from Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen in early December and said on Sunday the US doesn't have to be bound by the one-China policy.

Geng urged the US on Wednesday to observe the one-China policy and the three China-US joint communiques.
President Xi Jinping has sent his condolences to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi over Sunday's deadly terrorist attack that killed 25 people at a church in Cairo.

In the message sent on Tuesday, Xi extended his sincere condolences to the bereaved families and those wounded in the attack.

China firmly opposes terrorism of all forms and strongly condemns the grave terrorist attack, Xi said.

China stands ready to continuously and firmly back efforts made by the Egyptian government to fight terrorism and maintain national security and stability, Xi added.

A bomb went off inside the church in Cairo's Abassiya neighborhood that was full of worshippers attending Sunday mass. The attack left 25 people dead and 49 others injured.
When I was in Shenzhen last month, co-blogger Steve Dickinson and I had a long lunch with China manufacturing guru, Renaud Anjoran of Sofeast. During our lunch, we talked extensively about what we were seeing in China manufacturing these days, particularly in the electronics and Internet of Things sectors. As we always do, we shared many of the horror stories we were seeing and hearing about as it is from those that lessons get learned.

Renaud told us of an American (or was it European?) company that had chosen to pay its Chinese manufacturer in advance, believing that by doing so, it would make for a great relationship. Instead, it led the Chinese manufacturer to keep the money and never make a thing. Renaud told he knew the manufacturer and he insisted the manufacturer was not a crook, but it simply could never prioritize making products for a company that had already paid it over those companies for whom it NEEDED to make product to get paid. The lesson learned from this story is how critical payment terms can be in influencing what gets made and how.

Renaud recently did a terrific post explaining this payment-results connection, T/T Payment Terms with China Factories: Set the Right Incentives. Renaud starts this post by noting that at the end of the day, what the factory really looks at is, how much of the order did we get paid, and how much room for maneuver do we we have right now? He goes on to talk about how Chinese factories very much tend to be focused on the short term and this means you as the buyer need to think very carefully about payment terms. In other words, you need to make sure your Chinese supplier, who has over-promised to 10 customers and needs to disappoint 5 of them at some point, will think twice before deciding you will be among the unfortunate ones. I 100% agree.

The article then sets out the following various payment options and the pros and cons of each:

100% T/T pre-payment. This is a beginners mistake. Renaud remarks on never having seen this sort of payment plan work out well in his 10+ years working in China and neither Steve nor I can recall such payment terms working out well either. Neither can I. I can though recall a number of such companies calling me because they have not received their products. I also recall getting a negative answer to the one question I always ask whenever a foreign company calls me with a China manufacturing problem: Do you have a written Manufacturing Agreement in Chinese that is crystal clear about what your Chinese manufacturer must provide you? I also recall being amazed at how many times the response was something like, we dont because we didnt want to get off on the wrong foot with them and then my telling them that our China lawyers would not be interested in taking on their case.

Renaud correctly notes this sort of payment plan gives your manufacturer zero incentive to perform.

30% T/T deposit, 70% T/T payment after passed QC inspection. Renaud describes this sort of payment plan as quite common and it is the one we typically see offered by Chinese manufacturers, especially in the electronics industry. Renaud describes these payment terms as being a generally a balanced and fair deal, but still with a number of risks for the buyer and he recommends negotiating a lower initial deposit, especially if the products are very standard and could easily be sold to another customer and payment of the remainder only after the product ships. .

20% T/T deposit, 50% T/T payment after production and after passed QC inspection, 30% after delivery in buyers country. These payment terms give you some leverage until you receive the goods. If the manufacturer played games during the inspection, or salted bad products into your order just before shipment, you can still catch it.

Letter of credit (L/C) at sight. Renaud rightly notes that only some suppliers accept a payment by L/C. He then also notes that though these payment instruments favor the buyer, they are expensive. Our China attorneys are generally not big fans of letters of credit. First, it truly is the rare Chinese manufacturer that will accept them. Second, they are really expensive. Third, they have to be done right or they are essentially worthless, and they are rarely done right. Fourth, you need to use a trusted bank for one and Chinese banks do not generally fall into this category if you are a foreign company having your product manufactured in China.

100% T/T payment 2 months after shipment, with no deposit. This is sort of the gold standard for buyers, but even this payment arrangement is not without at least some risk:

However, if you have an ongoing business relationship with a supplier that you pay that way, you are still hooked to a certain extent. Above all else, you probably need continuity of supply. If you find quality issues and you act in a way the supplier sees as unfair, they might stop shipping goods to you!

Renauds article then discusses how Chinese manufacturers take advantage of foreign buyers (especially in the Internet of Things sector) by not requiring the foreign company to pay for the non-recurring engineering costs such as tooling, firmware code development, etc. This is done as part of a strategy to gain the upper hand in the business relationship in the long term and this is extremely dangerous for buyers of highly customized products. If you want to know how dangerous this can be, check out China and The Internet of Things and How to Destroy Your Own Company, from which Renaud quotes extensively:

The foreign designer and the Chinese factory will work together for months or years to develop a commercially viable product and then when the prototype is finally finished, the question then becomes who actually owns the prototype: the foreign developer that came up with the idea or the China factory. The foreign developer says it owns the product while the Chinese factory says it owns it. Who does legally own it? Way more often than not, the Chinese factory does.

How does all this come about? The standard scenario goes something like the following. A foreign product designer comes to China and works with a Chinese factory to commercialize an innovative hardware or IoT product design. In a cooperative co-development setting, the foreign party and the Chinese factory work together to create the prototype of the commercial version of the new product. All the work is done on a purchase order basis, with no written contract or other documentation.

At the end of the development cycle, the Chinese factory announces to the foreign developer that the prototypes are completed. The factory retains the prototypes in anticipation of moving to the manufacturing phase. However when the parties move to the manufacturing phase, it is normal for something to go wrong. This can happen in two ways. First, the Chinese factory surprises the foreign designer by substantially increasing the projected unit price for the product or it announces that it cannot meet the quantity or delivery date requirements for the product. Second, the factory consistently manufactures product with substantial product defect/quality control issues.

Facing these problems, the foreign party confronts the Chinese factory and announces that it is going to take the prototypes and have them manufactured by another factory. The Chinese manufacturer replies: you cannot do that. We own all the IP contained in the product. We agree that we will manufacture the product for you exclusively for as long as you are willing to order on our terms. But you cannot take that prototype anywhere else. Only our company has the right to manufacture that product. And, if you are not successful in making substantial sales, we will cut you off and market the product ourselves.

The real problem with this scenario is that in most cases the factory is absolutely correct about the legal situation concerning the intellectual property in the new product. Stated simply, absent a written contract to the contrary, it is generally true in this setting that the factory DOES own the intellectual property in the product.

Renaud then notes how Steve describes the legal consequences, but from the perspective of the buyer, it is worse:

In many cases they PHYSICALLY cant do anything. The mold is in the Chinese factory; developing and fine-tuning a new one would take time and money. Maybe some code was developed for the firmware, but again the supplier (or, often, a sub-supplier) keeps the source code. In such a case, having a contract that clearly spells out who can do what with the finished product, is extremely important. You will probably have to pay for some/all of the non-recurring engineering work for the supplier to agree to this.

Bottom Line: When outsourcing your product manufacturing to China, your payment terms matter. A lot.
... Palestinian authorities have long since renounced violence and accepted Israel's existence and have opted for peace negotiations to achieve a state.

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.

.

....CAMERA Snapshots..10 December '16..This assertion by George Mitchell (Democrat)  former U.S. diplomat (Israeli-Palestinian conflict) and Senate Majority Leader  was stated 17 minutes into an hour-long interview aired on the C-SPAN BookTV After Words program. It was in connection with admonishing Israels government to wait no longer to make a peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority (PA) led by Mahmoud Abbas.The program was recorded on Nov. 16, 2016 but not aired until Dec. 3, 2016. It was repeated on subsequent days.Interviewer Jane Harman, former Member of Congress, now president and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson Center, spoke with Mitchell about his new book, "" The conversation was generally unremarkable except notably for the assertion cited here. Except for the fact that Harman here represented C-SPAN, whose record concerning Israel is generally one of journalistic malpractice, it would have been surprising that the former ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee failed to challenge the highly dubious assertion.
(Photo : Getty Images) To observe the third official national remembrance day of the Nanjing Massacre, about 8,000 people turned up at Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall on early Tuesday morning.

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Nearly 8,000 people turned up at Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall on early Tuesday morning to observe the third official national remembrance day of the Nanjing Massacre.



The infamous massacre that was allegedly carried out by Japanese troops in 1937 led to the death of nearly 300,000 people in Nanjing City, then capital of China.



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People turned up with full spirit despite immensely heavy rains at the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, which is constructed at one of the execution grounds and mass graves.



One of the members of China's politburo, Zhao Leji, said in a nationally televised speech that the massacre could never be denied and any activities to change the history will by spurned by Chinese people.



The event was telecasted on China's national television channel in an apparent aim to spread nationalistic fervor among Chinese people. The channel showed thousands of people singing the national anthem in chorus and doves being released and flying overhead as a giant bell tolled to end the ceremony.



China had observed the first anniversary of the infamous massacre on Dec. 13, 2014.



The Nanjing Massacre took place on Dec. 13, 1937, after Japanese troops invaded Nanjing City and allegedly slaughtered millions of Chinese citizens. Historians claimed that painful memories continue to haunt Chinese people even today, with China repeatedly demanding that Japan must issue public apology for the massacre.



Tokyo, however, questioned the authenticity of China's claim. Several Japanese leaders said that the massacre never took place, while many suggested that China often exaggerates death toll numbers in a bid to defame Japan.



In October, Japan decided to stop the funding of UNESCO project after the organization decided to include documents about the Nanjing massacre in its "Memory of the World" program.



Historians claimed that the Nanjing Massacre has left an indomitable blot on the Sino-Japanese relationship.



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TagsNanjing Massacre, china, China and Japan, 1937 Massacre
(Photo : Getty Images) President Assad's government is waging a remorseless campaign to retake the city of Aleppo.

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Syrian rebels have confirmed that a ceasefire has been agreed in the country to allow civilians and remaining rebel fighters trapped in the besieged city of Aleppo to evacuate.



According to sources, five buses are expected to enter into the eastern section of the city on Wednesday around 5 a.m. to pick up the survivors. It is not clear what weapons fighters will be allowed to take with them.



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"My brothers, cease fire in all neighborhoods of besieged Aleppo city, total ceasefire but all units be prepared in case of any breach of the ceasefire," a statement from Alfarouq, the leader Ahrar al-Sham rebel group read.



Alfarouq, who negotiated on the ceasefire, added that the ceasefire is just the beginning and that it could fail. "So cease fire, but stay on high alert. God bless you."



The Syrian government is yet to confirm the ceasefire.



Meanwhile, President Bashar al-Assad's government has been waging a vicious war in a bid to recapture Aleppo, which used to be the country's biggest city but is now in ruins.



However, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations insisted that the buses are just for the fighters not civilians.



"Now it's (Aleppo) going to be under the control of the Syrian government. There is no need for the remaining civilians to leave. Humanitarian arrangements have been put in place," said envoy Vitaly Churkin.



Russia later announced that all military action in eastern Aleppo had ceased and that Syrian authorities are now in control of the city.



David Miliband of the International Rescue Committee, however, felt that the latest developments are too late, saying "Eastern Aleppo has become a bloody grave for thousands of innocent civilians."



Thousands of civilians were massacred in the final battle for Aleppo, in what was described as a "complete meltdown of humanity" by the United Nations. There were accounts of children and women getting burned alive, with some families opting for suicide instead of surrender.



According to the UN Human Rights office, pro-government forces killed at least 82 people as they tightened their control over the city.



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TagsAleppo, Syrian refugees, Syria, Russia, Bashar al-Assad
(Photo : Getty Images) Trump has been on the warpath against China.

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"Pride goes before a fall," this is the stark warning that US president-elect Donald Trump has received from a Chinese government-backed newspaper in a scorching attack after he threatened to realign his country's policies towards Beijing.



The Global Times, a state-run tabloid, issued the warning after Trump re-awakened a long-running row between the two nuclear powers by hinting that his administration could recognize Taiwan.



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China regards Taiwan as its breakaway province, and Trump's threat to recognize Taipei unless China agreed on a 'new' deal with his government did not go down well in Beijing.



In an editorial that was published on Tuesday, the newspaper said that the "calculating businessman" might feel that he had pulled off a clever move by "seizing China's fate by the throat."



"However, the truth is that this inexperienced president-elect probably has no knowledge of what he is talking about," the editorial went on to say.



The newspaper further intimated that Trump has "overestimated" the United States' capabilities to dominate the world.



"He fails to understand the limitation of US powers in the current era," the newspaper said while urging China to respond to Trump's comments with "surprise moves."



According to the Chinese government's mouthpiece, Trump's comments revealed that he despises China strategically, saying that "Even before entering the White House, he has already put his cards on the table over blackmailing China."



"What reason do we have to accept a most unfair and humiliating deal from Trump?" the newspaper wondered.



According to Jessica Chen Weiss, an expert on Chinese foreign policy and politics at the Cornell University, the tough language coming from China is meant to "educate Trump," adding that China will be looking chinks in the armor that Trump might be responsive to.



Trump's comments came less than two weeks after he ignited a row with Beijing after engaging in a phone conversation with Taiwan's first female president Tsai Ing-wen.



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Tagsdonald trump, china, China and Taiwan, Taiwan
(Photo : Getty Images) The men who would be kings of the world: Putin and Xi

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The fall of the last anti-Assad rebel enclave in the shattered city of Aleppo announced by both Russia and Syria on Dec. 13 brings to a bloody and ignominious close the failed U.S. policy of non-interventionism championed by Barack Obama and his Secretary of State, John Kerry.



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The failure of this idealistic "Obama Doctrine" of "peace above all" proves it's impossible for a superpower like the United States to withdraw from the dirty business of imposing its will on other nations, even if imposing its will meant using military force and sacrificing American lives.



Vladimir Putin took advantage of the knowledge Obama would never use military force to enforce U.S. foreign policy to quickly invade and seize Crimea in March 2014. He then proceeded to invade eastern Ukraine and was only stopped by U.S. and European sanctions and the plummeting price of oil.



China under Xi Jinping exploited Obama's weakness of trying to be a good guy in a world inhabited by ambitious and ruthless leaders to claim -- and enforce his claim -- that China owns the South China Sea.



Any form of U.S. military intervention in 2014 or 2015 will certainly have forced Xi to scale back his ambitions. Obama did nothing more threatening to Chinese hegemonism than launch a few freedom of navigation operation patrols by the U.S. Navy and overflights by its aircraft.



China continues to hold on to its militarized islands in the South China Sea convinced that Obama's penchant for peace meant he would let China have its own way. They were right.



And the fall of Aleppo after a Russian-led air campaign had committed unspeakable barbarisms, once again proved to Putin that Obama, the Peace Guy, would again do nothing more forceful than make angry but useless noises at him. Putin was right again.



Obama's decision not to use military force only convinced Putin he could use as much military force in Syria to win the Aleppo campaign, which it did. Russia was even so confident Obama would do nothing that it deployed its latest surface-to-air missile system (the S-300) to Syria to scare the Americans into not bombing Assad's army.



That ploy worked and the result was an unending massacre from the air of Aleppo's hapless civilians by Russian bombs and Assad's notorious barrel bombs.



The fall of Aleppo means idealism has no place in foreign policy.



Only the willingness to use force -- and to actually use that force -- will be respected by tyrants such as Putin and Xi that share the common aim of destroying the United States.



Both have come a long way towards achieving that aim by humiliating the effete Obama time and again.



The shared aim of Xi and Putin was detailed in a Chinatopix story last August that revealed Xi called on Putin to join China in forming a "New World Order" dominated by their countries. Xi expects to achieve this new world order in 10 years.



In a vitriolic speech delivered at the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party this July, Xi urged Putin to join China in a military alliance that will render NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) "powerless" and "put an end to the imperialist desires of the West."



"The world is on the verge of radical change," said Xi to his communist comrades. "We see how the European Union is gradually collapsing, as is the US economy -- it is all over for the new world order."



"So, it will never again be as it was before. In 10 years we will have a new world order in which the key will be the union of China and Russia," said Xi.



Donald Trump now has to prove all his macho blustering by fighting a war against Russia and China to restore the world's respect for American military strength that has guaranteed global prosperity and peace from a World War since the end of the last world war in 1945.



Obama has proven himself to be today's equivalent of Neville Chamberlain. And the United States' enemies are all the stronger for it.



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TagsAleppo, Barack Obama, Obama Doctrine, Russia, china, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping
(Photo : IRIN) IRIN Tareq (901) diesel electric submarine.

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Iran plans to begin building nuclear reactors and their systems that power ships in a move viewed as Iran's reply to a U.S. Congress decision in November to extend some sanctions on Tehran.



Iranian President Hasan Rouhani ordered Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, to start developing nuclear propulsion capability for marine transportation.



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Rouhani said the move is response to the U.S. Congress' "violation" of the "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" or the Iran nuclear deal signed July 2015 by the P5+1 group of China, France, Russia, the UK, and the U.S. plus Germany.



Under the nuclear deal, Iran agreed to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium; reduce its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98% and reduce by about two-thirds the number of its gas centrifuges for 13 years. For the next 15 years, Iran will only enrich uranium up to 3.67%.



Iran agreed to the deal in exchange for relief from crippling economic, trade, scientific and military sanctions imposed on it by the U.S. in 1979.



Washington has issued a statement saying this decision by Iran top begin working on a nuclear populsion system doesn't violate the Iran nuclear deal.



"The announcement from the Iranians today (Dec. 13) does not run counter to the international agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," said the White House.



Rouhani described the technology to be developed by Iran today as a "nuclear propeller to be used in marine transportation."



This vague phrase, however, gave no indication is this nuclear reactor is to be used for civilian or military purposes. The phrasing used by Rouhani, however, seems to indicate he also sees a military use for the "nuclear propeller" (or nuclear reactor) to be built by this effort.



Rouhani also ordered planning for production of fuel for nuclear-powered marine vessels "in line with the development of a peaceful nuclear program of Iran."



The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) began working on its first nuclear powered submarine in 2012. In that year, IRIN reported initial steps to design and build nuclear submarine propulsion systems were begun. There has been no public word on the progress of this effort since then, however.



IRIN said a nuclear-powered submarine will give it "very long-distance operations."



The U.S. Department of State said the United States was confident the International Atomic Energy Agency, which inspects Iran's nuclear sites, will be able to analyze Iran's compliance with the deal.



IRIN's most modern submarines are its three Russian-made Kilo-class diesel electric submarines (SSK), the first of which (IRIN Tareq) was commissioned in 1992.



IRIN operates some 30 submarines of various classes. None of these subs is nuclear-powered.



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TagsIran, nuclear reactor, U.S. Congress, President Hasan Rouhan, nuclear propulsion, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Islamic Republic of Iran Navy
(Photo : Getty Images) Alibaba's Lazada group will provide training to 30,000 small- and medium-sized Thai businesses.





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Alibaba and the government of Thailand have signed a deal that will speed up the e-commerce development in the country.



The agreement was signed between Thailands Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and Alibaba Groups executive chairman Jack Ma in Hangzhou, China. It covers four key areas of development.



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The Prime Minister has earlier assigned responsibilities to a taskforce made up of government agencies and private enterprises to work with Alibaba in a joint effort to lift the export capabilities of Thai businesses, starting from the grassroots and community level and extending to mid-tier businesses operating locally and SMEs hoping to engage in export trade, said Deputy Prime about the deal.



The deal will involve Thailands leading e-commerce site Lazada to provide training to 30,000 small- and medium-sized Thai businesses. In addition, Lazada Group will share their experience and expertise with the Thai government in developing Thailands own National E-Commerce Platform.



The deal also states that Alibaba will advise the countrys postal service regarding the shipping and logistics of items. Lazada Group will help in expanding the coverage of domestic delivery services to all Thailands provinces by 2017. Thailand Post will also take Alibabas inventory management systems and international e-commerce fulfillment services.



Moreover, Alibaba and Thailand will work together to develop a nationwide People and Talent Development Program, with a goal to train roughly 10,000 persons to be proficient in digital technology. They will also nurture software developers who will be given access to the China market using Alibaba Clouds marketplace for their software apps creations. In addition, Thailand Digital Government Academy will give training for senior government officials regarding big data and artificial intelligence technologies.



The deal will also allow the two parties to explore cooperation opportunities under the Eastern Economic Corridor Development project as well as to establish Thailand as a hub of digital technology and regional data centers in Southeast Asia.



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TagsAlibaba, lazada, Lazada Group, e-commerce, Thailand, SME, Jack Ma, online commerce
(Photo : CNTV) LAG II.

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China's effort to develop high-energy battlefield lasers to shoot down enemy aircraft and missiles seems well behind that of the United States.



Since making a big publicity splash in Chinese state-owned media in 2015, not much has been revealed about Low Altitude Guard II (LAG II), being evaluated by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to shoot down American aerial drones.



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State-owned media first extensively covered the development of LAG II in late 2015. The weapon made its first public appearance in Sept. 2016 at the Africa Aerospace and Defense 2016 tradeshow in South Africa. What China's revealed about this weapon hasn't changed much in the course of a year, however.



China claims LAG-II is the most powerful laser weapon known to exist, apart from secret weapons in development elsewhere. LAG II, which fires a 30 kilowatt laser beam, was built by the Chinese Academy of Physics Engineering and Jiuyuan High Tech Equipment Corporation.



A road mobile weapon, LAG II is mounted on wheeled trailer towed by a truck. The trailer carries LAG II, which is enclosed in a protective turret when on the move, and its power system. Medium-sized trucks or 6x6 armored personnel carriers can be used to tow this weapon.



LAG II uses an electro-optical sensor to acquire and track targets autonomously before destroying them on command from its human operators inside a command vehicle. Its predecessor, LAG I, was a stationary laser weapon used mostly for field trials.



The electro-optical guidance system on LAG-II can also theoretically be used to shoot down larger aircraft, but a more advanced system will be required to destroy much larger weapons such as missiles or rockets.



State-owned media said LAG II can be upgraded with datalinks to allow it to engage high-speed targets like rocket artillery. Currently, the laser can only engage slower targets like small unmanned aerial vehicles and mini-drones at a maximum range of only 4 km.



China claims LAG II is comparable to the Laser Weapons System (LaWS) installed on the U.S. Navy warship, USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15), an Austin-class amphibious transport dock. The Ponce is a testbed for the Navy's first shipborne laser with an output ranging from 15-50 kW used for shooting down aerial drones and engaging small enemy boats.



The U.S. Air Force will soon test lasers mounted aboard its aircraft while the U.S. Army has already tested powerful battlefield lasers. The army will soon test lasers with an output of 120 kW.



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Tagschina, batlefield laser, ow Altitude Guard II, LAG II, 30 kilowatt laser beam, Laser Weapons System (LaWS), USS Ponce
(Photo : Getty Images) Despite international denunciations of Duterte's ongoing drug war, Beijing would be supplying Manila with weapons that would help in the bloody campaign.

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China has committed to supplying arms to the Philippines to help President Rodrigo Duterte wage his controversial war on drugs that has killed over 5,000 suspected drug pushers and users in just a span of six months.



Chinese ambassador to Manila Zhao Jianhua on Monday told reporters that Beijing is ready to arm the Philippines with weapons that will be used by the Duterte government in its fight against illegal drugs.



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"We're exploring the possibilities of providing arms, light arms," Zhao told the media.



Rifles



Aside from the anti-illegal drug war, Zhao said that small arms will also be used in the Philippines' anti-terrorism campaign.



The ambassador said no details have yet been discussed in the initial stages of the deal such as price and terms of payment, but he said Manila would likely opt for rifles as its weapons of choice.



Duterte had earlier said Beijing has expressed its willingness to supply Manila with arms under generous terms. "It is a grant payable in 25 years so it is practically giving," Duterte said.



Human Rights Violations



The ongoing Sino-Philippine arms deal comes on the heels of Duterte's recent cancellation of an order of close to 30,000 assault rifles from the US.



Philippine officials said the cancellation was made after international media reported that the delivery of weapons could be affected by human rights concerns over Duterte's war on drugs that includes extrajudicial killings.



Beijing had earlier expressed support to Duterte's anti-crime war, which was denounced by the United Nations, human rights watchdogs, and the international community, accusing Duterte of committing human rights violations.



Beijing and the Philippines have repaired their strained diplomatic ties following Duterte's election in June despite their dispute on the issue of the South China Sea.



Zhao said relations between the two countries are "getting better" especially after Duterte's "fruitful and historic" first state visit to China this year.



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TagsChinese weapons, President Rodrigo Duterte, war on drugs, assault rifles, anti-terrorism campaign, President Xi Jinping, china
(Photo : Getty Images) Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai (L) is welcomed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) before a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on April 27, 2016 in Beijing China.

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China is favorably considering to establish a factory in Thailand to produce and repair its armaments, welcoming Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwon's proposal to Beijing.



The proposal was allegedly raised by Prawit in a meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan during his two-day visit in Beijing, according to Defense Spokesman Khongcheep Tantrawanich on Tuesday.



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Prawit purportedly suggested that the factory will make and repair armaments China supplies to Thailand and other countries as well as become a source of weapon parts and technology transfers, the Bangkok Post noted.



Prawit's Chinese counterpart welcomed the proposal and agreed to create a group to realize the project, Khonghceep said. Chang also expressed his interest on boosting both countries' military relation including joint military exercises, national defense readiness, and exchange visits.



In a related news, China and Thailand have also signed several deals to strengthen the nations' bilateral cooperation including railway collaboration and agricultural technology, the Prensa Latina reported.



The agreements followed the Fifth Meeting of the China-Thailand Joint Committee on Trade, Investment and Economic Cooperation held on Dec. 9 in Beijing where both parties agreed to expand its five-year economic and trade cooperation plan, increase pragmatic cooperation, and team up on the Strip and Route Initiative to improve regional connectivity.



They also agreed to ensure full use of existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms, share development strategies, and continue to enhance trade, investment, and greater reciprocity projects, China's Ministry of Commerce said on its website.



Meanwhile, Wang Yong, Chinese state councilor who co-chaired the meeting with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Sokid Jatusripitak, said that the idea of "China and Thailand being the members of one family" was conceived among the people and by both nations as they share a wide spectrum of cooperation prospects.



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Tagsarmament factory, china, Thailand, Fifth Meeting of the China-Thailand Joint Committee on Trade, Investment and Economic Cooperation, China Thailand relations
(Photo : Getty Images) Thai King Vajiralongkorn is expected to pardon up to 150,000 prisoners.

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Thailand's new king will pardon up to 150,000 prisoners in an unprecedented display of mercy, including inmates jailed for insulting the royal family.



King Maha Vajiralongkorn will allow thousands of prisoners to be released or have their sentences shortened, with each case being assessed individually, according to Kobkiat Kasivivat, the country's Deparment of Corrections' director general.



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Those jailed for defaming, insulting, or threatening the king, queen, heir-apparent, or regent, under the Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, which carries punishment of three up to 15 years in prison, will be considered for parole alongside prisoners convicted of drug offenses.



Those convicted of murder and rape will not be eligible for release or reduced sentences, officials said.



"This is the first opportunity since his majesty's ascension to show his mercy," the royal family said in a statement. "This will provide a chance for these individuals to behave as good citizens."



Thailand's Department for Corrections said there were 321,347 people being held in Thai prisons mid-2016 with about a third of those jailed for drugs-related offenses. Decisions on who will be pardoned will depend on several factors including age, length of sentence, and behavior.



"The inmates will be looked at on a case by case basis at each individual correction facility," permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice, Chanchao Chaiyanukit, told Reuters.



The 2014 Thai coup d'etat saw the largest number of offenders restrained for lese majeste in the nation's history. The government has not released the number of people jailed for royal insult but there have been over 80 prosecutions under the law in the last two years.



King Vajiralongkorn was proclaimed on Dec. 1 after his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej died in October. The formal transfer of power took place after he accepted an invitation from the National Assembly to become the 10th king of the 234-year-old Chakri Dynasty.



He will not be crowned until 2017 when the 12-month official mourning for his father comes to an end.



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TagsThailand, King, Royalty, Vajiralongkorn, prisoners, Bangkok, Bhumibol Adulyadej
(Photo : Getty Images) China is poised to spend up to $233 billion on its defense sector by 2020, according to a report by IHS Jane.

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A recent report by a leading British defense publishing company suggested that arms race in the Asian region is unlikely to subside in the coming years. The report cited arms race between the regional powers India and China as the main reason for unabated arms race.



The IHS Jane's report claimed that China's defence spending will touch a whopping to $233 billion by 2020 from nearly $123 billion spent in 2010.



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The continuous rising tension in South China Sea is likely to be the main catalyst in pushing Beijing to splash more cash for defense and military acquisition, the report added.



It also pointed out that arms race has got a huge boost because several countries have became indulgent in "showing off" their military strength. This has shifted the traditional focus from "territorial defense" as the main reason for acquiring military arsenals.



The demonstration of military strength, the report added, is a new trend in the region, and this trend will continue to play a key role in establishing military contacts between various countries.



Speaking on India's increasing militarization, the report said: "India needs new equipment to fulfill its modernization drive.... Over the next three years, India will re-emerge as a key growth market for defence suppliers."



The IHS Jane's comprehensive study further observed that China will spend more than four times than the Great Britain and its military budget will outpace defense spending of western European powers by 2020.



It then claimed that traditional big spenders like Saudi Arabia and Russia are likely to be more conservative on military acquisitions as both oil dependent countries will continue to suffer from slump in oil prices.



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TagsChinas Defence Expenditure, china, China Defence, China's Arms Race
New J-20s join the PLAAF.

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China will reportedly commission its first Chengdu J-20 "stealth" fighters into active service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) later this month, according to reliable sources citing new information derived from hitherto secret data.



Images said to have been taken from classified government social sites show two J-20s bearing the serial numbers 78271 and 78274 on their vertical stabilizers. These two fighters plus four other J-20s will be turned over to the PLAAF in a formal ceremony this December.



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Chinese military analysts said the numbers confirm the fighters are now part of the "176th Air Brigade" based at the Dingxin Air Force Base in north central China. This air base near the Shuangchengzi missile test range is the site of much of the PLAAF's flight testing.



Other J-20s are said to be undergoing flight tests by the 170th, 171st, 172nd and 175th Air Brigades.



The commissioning of the J-20s comes slightly over a month after they made their first public flight at the Zhuhai Air Show on Nov. 1. Two J-20s performed a tame aerobatic routine lasting less than one minute before flying away, a disappointing performance that led to suspicions the fighters were less than ready for the airshow.



Although billed by China as a stealth fighter the equivalent of the Northrop Grumman F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the J-20 is nowhere near the F-35 in all aspect stealth and capabilities. Some western experts argue the J-20 is only a "low observable" aircraft lacking in all-aspect stealth, the hallmark of a true stealth fighter.



Nevertheless, the J-20 in PLAAF frontline service will present a tremendous challenge for the Indian Air Force (IAF) whose indigenous stealth fighter program has yet to get off the ground.



India, however, wants its indigenous stealth fighter to become operational with the IAF before 2025. It plans to build as many as 127 stealth fighters.



India's Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project will be developed and produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at its facility in Nashik at an estimated cost of $25 billion.



India expects its new fifth generation stealth fighter to be superior in key aspects to Russia's PAK FA T-50 from which it's derived. The Indian jet will also have the added advantage of being able to fire the newest iteration of the fearsome BrahMos cruise missile, the BrahMos NG.



And since PAK FA is already superior to the J-20, this means the Indian stealth jet will also be superior to the J-20.



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TagsChengdu J-20, stealth fighter, People's Liberation Army Air Force, PLAAF, Zhuhai Air Show, Northrop Grumman F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, low observable, Indian Air Force, Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft, PAK FA T-50
Ohio Governor John Kasich has vetoed the so-called heartbeat bill, which would have banned most abortions after six weeks.

Although Kasich--who was a Republican candidate in the 2016 presidential race--is pro-life, he expressed concerns that the heartbeat bill would face significant opposition from federal courts. This, he argued, would end up costing the state of Ohio massive funding in a losing battle.

"The State of Ohio will be the losing party in that lawsuit and, as the losing party, the State of Ohio will be forced to pay hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to cover the legal fees for the pro-choice activists' lawyers," Kasich stated.

"Therefore, this veto is in the public interest," he continued, according to Fox News.

The bill banned most abortions after a heartbeat could be detected-generally around six weeks gestation. It only made exceptions if the mothers life was endangered.

Republican lawmakers in Ohio still have the opportunity to override Kasichs veto if they can achieve a three-fifths majority in the House and the Senate.

Although he vetoed the heartbeat bill, Kasich did sign a different anti-abortion measure into law on Tuesday.

Abortion will now be banned in Ohio after 20 weeks.

Lawmakers in a number of other states are also planning on proposing pro-life legislation. Many hope the incoming Trump administration will set the tone for stricter abortion laws, and possibly even an opportunity to overturn the seminal abortion case, Roe v. Wade.

Photo courtesy: flickr.com

Publication date: December 14, 2016
According to a recent report on npr.org, Israeli right wing lobbyists are looking toward the new Trump campaign with a sense of optimism. The post specifically takes readers to a gathering of lobbyists in Tel Aviv, who are collected in order to celebrate, raising their glasses and toasting the incoming Trump with Trump-brand vodka and sparkling wine.

As Mazel tov! and "L'chaim!" echoed throughout the room, the gatherers toasted to life, and to hopethat this newly elected President will be a shift in the right direction for the right wing supporters in Israel. "I hope [Trump] is better than his vodka," one activist joked with a lighthearted chuckle; yet the words rang true, with those encircling this round table of sorts each eyeing these next four years with an air of expectation.

Much of this hope is due to the fact that, when Trump becomes president in January, it will be the first time that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold office opposite a Republican in the White House. It is known that the conservative Netanyahu has shared a tense relationship with President Obama in the recent years, and now, Israels Right Wing partys hope is that this new Trump era will bring along with it much better relations, as well as great gains, particularly involving the pressure surrounding Israeli settlements.

Prime Minister Netanyahu also recently welcomed Trump's proposal to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. According to ChristianToday.com, Netanyahu said the move would be "great."

The gatherings guest of honor, Yossi Dagan, who is the leader of the Shomron Regional Council, an Israeli settlement council in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, weighed in on his own thoughts regarding the new Presidency and its proposed effects to come. "I think the last eight years... have been a catastrophe," he said, referring to Obama's tenure. Dagans expectations for Trumps leading is that the new President will adopt a different approach: one that does not pressure Israel regarding settlements.

Dimitri Diliani, a member of a leadership council for the governing Fatah party in the West Bank, also weighed in on what he feels about Trumps incoming agenda. "I don't think that the Palestinian leadership views Trump's victory as positive for our cause," Diliani said, while yet admitting that there are, however, still many in the Palestinian private sector who remain optimistic about Trump.

"President Trump would be more decisive when it comes to the Palestinian cause," Diliani offered. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also chimed in with his opinion in a recent speech, asserting simply that We know nothing about him, which would suggest the dignitary is at least keeping an open mind about Trump.

Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Publication date: December 14, 2016
Make a list of all the blessings the Protestant Reformation has brought, and eventuallylong after jotting down iconic phrases like salvation by grace alone through faith aloneyoull get around to the CT Book Awards.

Books, of course, had existed long before Luther posted his 95 Theses. But theres no denying that reading and the Reformation, with a vital assist from Gutenbergs printing press, soared together.

The Reformation could not have occurred as it did without print, writes historian Andrew Pettegree in his book, Brand Luther. Print propelled Martin Luther, a man who had published nothing in the first 30 years of his life, to instant celebrity. It was his genius to grasp an opportunity that had scarcely existed before he invented a new way to converse through books. In the process he changed Western religion and European society forever.

Reading helped fuel the Reformation, and in turn, the Reformation helped fuel the spread of reading.

Pettegree again: Wittenberg, a town that had no printing at all before 1500, would become a powerhouse of the new industry, trading exclusively on the fame of its celebrity professor. And Wittenberg was not an isolated case. In many medium-sized and small German towns, the Reformation galvanized an industry that had withered after the first flush of over-exuberant experimentation.

As we mark the anniversary of the 95 Theses next year (make sure to see CTs Reformation-themed January/February issue), our spiritual and theological debts to Luther are obvious. But its worth remembering, too, how Luthers prolific pen and publishing genius helped mold evangelicals into a people of the book, in more ways than one.

These awards are just one small way of keeping that legacy alive. Matt Reynolds, associate editor, books

Apologetics / Evangelism

Timothy Keller (Viking)

Making Sense of God is not a parade of logical evidence for God, but rather a profound reflection on the existential realities of being human. Keller asks, simply, Is the secular view of the world capable of making sense of the things secularists themselves properly value: freedom, individuality, justice, community, rationality, personal meaning, human rights? His answer is a convincing no. Not only does Christianity make rational sense, Keller argues, but it also does justice to the totality of human experience. His points are gracefully presented and delivered without a hint of overstatement or triumphalism. Gregory Koukl, founder and president, Stand to Reason

Award of Merit

Michael Rota (IVP Academic)

Rota, a skilled analytic philosopher, provides an engaging and compelling case for taking Pascals wager. The precision of the points is manifest on every page. But what makes the book even more profitable is its accessible prose. Inviting, charitable, and provocativethis is the sort of book that one could heartily give to a believer, agnostic, or even an ardent atheist. A home-run for Christian apologetics. Chad Meister, professor of philosophy and theology, Bethel College (Indiana)

(Michael Rota wrote about Pascals Wager in the May 2016 issue of CT.)

Biblical Studies

Richard Hays (Baylor University Press)

Hays reveals how deeply the Old Testament shaped the Gospel writers, showing how each of them uniquely expresses the stories of Israel, Jesus, and the church. The academy often views the New Testament authors use of the Old as misguided at best or manipulative at worst, but Hays effectively shows how the their readings were inspired, intelligent, and imaginative. He enables us to hear four distinct voices: the veiled Jesus of Mark, the prophesied Jesus of Matthew, the promised Jesus of Luke, and the incarnate Jesus of John. David T. Lamb, professor of Old Testament, Biblical Theological Seminary

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Award of Merit

Michelle Lee-Barnewall (Baker Academic)

Lee-Barnewell plows new ground by emphasizing the kingdom and counter-cultural values in biblical narratives about the relationship of men and women. Clearly, she doesnt resolve this debate, but that was never her intention. Her different perspective on various passages helps us see them in a fresh way, and that refocused vision is helpful. Thomas Schreiner, associate dean of the School of Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

(Read our review of Neither Complementarian nor Egalitarian.)

Christian Living / Discipleship

Leslie Leyland Fields (NavPress)

Drawing from a trip to Israel and from her familys lives as salmon fishermen on a remote island in Alaska, Fields shows what it means to be a child of God in the world today. We get a clear picture of what Jesus was doing with his disciples, his followers, his critics, and his family in and around the Sea of Galilee. Fields helpfully intersperses her own familys stories of adventure, risk, calm, and loss. Her command of language, allegory, and Scripture is impressive. Lore Ferguson Wilbert, blogger at Sayable.net

Award of Merit

Bryan Loritts (Zondervan)

Loritts teaches essential lessons about grace and the performance-free gospel, without minimizing the important work of sanctification. He urges us to abide in Christ and remember the Good News until we reach the day when we are free from sinning. Trillia Newbell, author of Fear and Faith

The Church / Pastoral Leadership

Christopher J. H. Wright (Zondervan)

Preaching from the Old Testament can intimidate the best of us. Wrights excellent book combines a robust biblical framework with practical communication steps in an easy-to-read style. Each Old Testament genre is given ample teaching examples along with hands-on checklists that help the preacher toward faithful proclamation. Even more refreshing is the emphasis on exalting Jesus in ways that are true to the text and relevant to our culture. Seasoned pastors, seminary students, and lay leaders will all benefit from this fine work. Zack Eswine, director of homiletics, Covenant Seminary

Award of Merit

Sandra Maria Van Opstal (InterVarsity Press)

In a time of great ethnic diversitybut also divisionthis book is sorely needed. Van Opstal provides a practical theology and missional framework for why we must rethink the corporate experience of worship. Her vision goes beyond building a diverse worship team or singing songs in an unfamiliar language. I pray every pastor and worship leader will read this book. Efrem Smith, president and CEO, World Impact

(Read our interview with Sandra Maria Van Opstal in the January/February 2016 issue of CT.)

Culture & The Arts

Terry Glaspey (Baker)

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The prevailing assumption is that evangelicals and art dont really get along. Glaspey deftly undermines this idea by making the case for integrating a range of masterpieces into Christian tradition. He does this in the best way possible, not by offering conceptual reasons why Christians should care about art, but by getting down to business and revealing the work itself, piece by piece. Any book that attempts a survey of sorts, especially one covering hundreds of years and multiple genres, runs the risk of superficiality. Glaspey manages to avoid this with his concise, illuminating essays that accompany each piece. S. D. Kelly, essayist

Award of Merit

Jonathan Anderson and William Dyrness (IVP Academic)

Just what should Christians think of modern art? Is it void of all religious impulses and persuasions? Or is there a deeper vision often left unexplored? Rather than writing off the last century and a half of visual art as purely secular, Anderson and Dyrness meticulously detail the patterns of piety and spirituality that both influenced and empowered artists like van Gogh, Gauguin, Kandinsky, and Warhol. Wade Bearden, writer and film critic

Fiction

Suzanne M. Wolfe (Thomas Nelson)

In this gripping, beautifully written historical novel, Wolfe brings the ancient city of Carthage to life, immersing readers in the experiences that shaped the theology of Augustine of Hippo. In her deftly told and well-researched story, the unnamed woman whom Augustine loved and lived with for 13 years rises from the footnotes of history to become a dynamic, fully-fleshed character. Their relationship shows us an achingly real love, heartrending self-sacrifice, and the way that beliefs are shaped by experiences in the beautiful and terrible world. Amy Peterson, writer and assistant director of honors programming, Taylor University

Award of Merit

Chris Fabry (Tyndale)

This is a well-crafted novel with sympathetic characters, gently woven themes, and evocative descriptions. As a reader I became thoroughly immersed in the world of Dogwood and the lives of Matt and his friends. Fabry is skilled at portraying the real-life faith struggles of real people, and he manages to avoid the gravitational pull toward a cliched ending. Sharon Garlough Brown, author of the Sensible Shoes series

History / Biography

Stephen Backhouse (Zondervan)

Kierkegaard offers an unflinching look at the general despair and anxiety that mark the human condition, and forces his readers to confront the many ultimately vacuous and unsatisfying strategies we erect to dull the pain or suppress the realities of our fate. While quality scholarship on his life and thought is plentiful, Backhouses book seems to stand in a class by itself. He has done what many believed impossible: taking the complex ideas and contributions of the great Danish philosopher and making them accessible to contemporary, non-academic audiences. He has also managed to demonstrate in clear and lucid prose how Kierkegaards otherwise shadowy life circumstances shaped his views and led him to write the major works associated with his name. Jay Green, professor of history, Covenant College

Award of Merit

Kenneth Woodward (Convergent)

Woodward provides a highly readable account of the last seven decades of American religious history. Written from his perspective as a veteran national religion reporter, the book is filled with fascinating anecdotes about major religious figures and thoughtful reflections on the evolution of American belief. Kristin Du Mez, professor of history, Calvin College

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Missions / Global Church

Evelyne Reisacher (Baker Academic)

Perhaps understandably, much of our attention to the Muslim worldon the news, and in the churchrevolves around war, terrorism, and other pervasive challenges. But Reisacher shows us the story were missing. From a lifetime of missionary service, she reflects on how Gods image is beautifully reflected in the Muslim men and women shes befriended. And she calls us to share our faith not out of fear or anger, but out of joy rooted in the hope of Christ. Christopher Horst, vice president of development, HOPE International

Award of Merit

William Dyrness (IVP Academic)

The word insider in the title is accurate but also misleading, because the joy of reading this book is learning more about how God acts and moves in peoples lives outside of where and how we might expect. Dyrness takes us through the Bible, theology, history, culture, and case studies to open our eyes to different ways Jesus is being followed today. As a result, our eyes are opened to Gods redemptive grace moving creatively in the world. And were better prepared for thoughtful missions work that participates in Gods story without imposing unnecessary cultural baggage. Kent Annan, author of Slow Kingdom Coming

Politics / Public Life

Bethany Hanke Hoang and Kristen Deede Johnson (Brazos)

The Justice Calling is a remarkable book. Part manifesto, part theology, part call to action, it should make an immediate impact on churches and communities. Neither a political jeremiad nor a surface scan of biblical texts, the book instead paints a beautiful portrait of justice and righteousness as inextricably woven into the life of a faithful Christian. It avoids the twin dangers of gospel reductionism (saving souls, not bodies) and over-realized eschatology (if we dont do something, no one will). We see clearly how Christian faith supplies the motivation, the method, and the hope for pursuing justice, both where we are and around the world. Samuel James, communications specialist, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

(Read an excerpt from The Justice Calling in the January/February 2016 issue of CT.)

Award of Merit

Stephan Bauman, Matthew Soerens, and Issam Smeir (Moody)

The authors of Seeking Refuge have managed quite an achievement in clearly explaining the complexity and importance of the global refugee crisisand showing how the church should respond. Seeking Refuge informs without being pedantic, and calls us to action without browbeating. The approach is an outstanding example of what Karl Barth supposedly said about holding the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. While there are many worthy causes Christians should support, Seeking Refuge persuasively argues that God is especially calling his church in this moment to love mercy and act justly for the sake of our refugee neighbors near and far. Micah Watson, professor of political science, Calvin College

Spiritual Formation

Adam McHugh (IVP)

At a time when we are drowning in wordsboth digital and spokenthis quiet little book throws us a life preserver. The Listening Life is gentle, thoughtful, biblical, and eminently practical. It outlines a broad theology of listening alongside specific and clear practices that teach the reader to listen in a new way. Whether you are a loud lover of words or a shy lover of solitude, this book will likely convict you. Tish Harrison Warren, author ofLiturgy of the Ordinary

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(Read our review of The Listening Life in the November 2015 issue of CT.)

Award of Merit

James K. A. Smith (Brazos)

Too many Christians pay attention only to what they think and assertwithout letting their attention probe what they actually practice and love. You Are What You Love is an invitation and a guide to that deeper look. With rich wisdom and inviting grace, we are encouraged to cultivate holy and reliable rhythms of worship rooted in the rich tradition of life-giving liturgy. Alan Fadling, president, Unhurried Life, Inc.

(Read an excerpt from You Are What You Love in the April 2016 issue of CT.)

Theology / Ethics

Kevin Vanhoozer (Brazos)

Vanhoozer takes on the charge that Protestantism unleashed a cacophony of biblical, theological, and ecclesial perspectives upon the church. Biblical Authority After Babel offers a deeper understanding of the intention and meaning of the Reformation solas. This book will reward its readers, not only because of Vanhoozers typically creative prose, but also because it offers a compelling account of biblical authority in a Protestant key. Vincent Bacote, professor of theology, Wheaton College

(Biblical Authority after Babel was one of two books reviewed by Fred Sanders in the November 2016 issue of CT.)

Award of Merit

John Swinton (Baylor University Press)

Swinton challenges the notion that time has become a commodity to be bought and sold rather than a gift to be received, cherished, and valued. On this assumption, only those who are capable of using time productively have value in society. But he demonstrates that these ideas are anything but biblical. Taken seriously, they would dictate that the unborn child with Down syndrome not only can but should be aborted. Or that people with dementia are a waste of time, justifying euthanasia. Swintons love and compassion for the disabled is contagious. He casts a Christian vision of time in which every person has a real, unique, and valuable identity. Matthew Barrett, executive editor of Credo Magazine

CT Women

Ruth Everhart (Tyndale)

This book is gripping from the outset. Everhart is talented, courageous, and engaging. She and I may disagree on some fundamental theological issuesreformed theology and complementarianismbut I benefitted immensely from reading her memoir. Its not only a story about the horrific sexual assault she endured, but also a story about how her conservative theology failed to help her grapple with why God allowed it. Readers like me can learn a lot about how to teach and live our theology well. Bethany Jenkins, writer and editor, The Gospel Coalition

Award of Merit

Christine Caine (Zondervan)

Thanks to writers like Brene Brown, the problem of shame is back in the American consciousness in a big way. Caine engages that conversation in Unashamed, offering some earnest counsel to Christian women. Reading the book feels like sitting next to the author as she gives gentle but deliberate advice about areas of your life where you might be letting shame overtake you. Jess Archer, author of Finding Home with the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Billy Graham

(Read Tish Harrison Warrens piece on three recent books titled Unashamed.)

Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.
home World Ancient Syrian city of Palmyra falls back into the hands of ISIS

The ancient Syrian city of Palmyra has fallen back into the hands of the Islamic State last Sunday, almost nine months after it was liberated by the Syrian army.

Following the recapture of the city, the militant group issued a statement saying, "soldiers of the caliphate had secured their control over all of Palmyra city... after three days of violent clashes," Los Angeles Times reported.

The retaking of Palmyra raises questions about the Syrian regime's ability to hold territories at a time when ISIS is thought to be on the retreat.

ISIS released photos of its fighters attacking what it claimed to be Jazal oil fields, northwest of Palmyra. Amaq, a news agency affiliated with the group, posted a video showing the ancient city after the jihadists arrived on its outskirts.

Nasser Abdul Aziz, head of an activist documentation group with members inside the city, said in an interview on social media that ISIS took over the city and made an announcement via loudspeakers assuring civilians that it was now safe to come out.

Aziz said that hundreds of militants, backed by heavy armor, crossed from Iraq and massed at Raqqah, which is the de-facto capital of ISIS in Syria. As the jihadists moved towards Palmyra, the group attacked the oil fields to the east before storming the ancient city.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitoring group with activists throughout the country, said that the assault claimed the lives of approximately 120 pro-government troops.

The terror group was successful in taking over the city despite a barrage of 64 airstrikes, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The attacks reportedly killed more than 300 militants and destroyed numerous vehicles.

BBC reported that the militants went door to door, looking for remaining forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Talal Barazi, the governor of Homs province, said that the government forces have regrouped outside Palmyra to prepare for a fresh assault. He insisted that "the army is using all means to prevent the terrorists from staying."

Palmyra was captured by the militant group in May 2015 until it was liberated in March this year. ISIS destroyed several monuments and beheaded the archaeological director during its 10-month reign.
home US Churches now exempt from Massachusetts anti-discrimination law

Four churches have agreed to drop their lawsuit against Massachusetts after the state updated the anti-discrimination law to remove houses of worship as places of public accommodation.

In September, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) released an updated Gender Identity Guidance that prohibited public places from discriminating against any person based on gender identity, The Stream reported.

The guidance would have forced churches to allow any person to use bathrooms that conform to their gender identity instead of their biological sex.

The original guidance stated that "even a church could be seen as a place of public accommodation if it holds a secular event, such as a spaghetti supper, that is open to the public." Those who are found be in violation of the law could be fined $2,500 or face up to a year in jail.

However, the state reconsidered the guidance after the four churches, represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), filed the lawsuit in early October.

"Your lawsuit caused us to focus on these issues and to make this revision," the Massachusetts Civil Rights Division said in a letter to ADF.

The guidance has since been revised to say that the "law does not apply to a religious organization if subjecting the organization to the law would violate the organization's First Amendment rights." The state also removed "houses of worship" from the list of places of public accommodation from the Attorney General's website.

"The comments of commonwealth officials gave these churches reason for great concern, and so we are pleased wording changes have been made to respect the constitutionally protected freedoms these congregations and pastors have," ADF Senior Counsel Steve O'Ban said in a press release.

ADF attorneys filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit on Monday. According to MassLive, the lawyers wrote in their motion that they still do not fully agree with the language in MCAD's rules, but they are satisfied enough with the changes.

They further stated that they could still challenge the law if the state officials apply it against a particular church in a way that ADF deems unconstitutional.
home World Iranian government seizes church retreat center because of its alleged ties to CIA

The Iranian government has seized a retreat center in the city of Karaj based on allegations that the church is being funded by the CIA.

The government alleged that the retreat center is owned by an organization "funded by the US through the CIA spy agency to infiltrate the Islamic world, and particularly Iran, by conducting evangelistic activities," World Watch Monitor reported.

The center has been under the ownership of the Council of Assemblies of God (AoG) churches in Iran since the early 1970s. The AoG Church was established in the country prior to the 1979 revolution, and it is not affiliated with the AoG denomination in the U.S. Its status as a registered religious institution was reinstated after the Islamic Revolution.

Article 18, a London-based NGO, expressed its concern that the confiscation is part of a "renewed phase" in the crackdown against Protestant churches.

Former church leaders told the NGO that the "ultimate goal of the campaign is to render Protestant and Evangelical churches, with more than 630 million adherents worldwide, as an outsider cult with no official recognition in Iran."

One reason for the confiscation seemed to be related to a misunderstanding about the former name of the affiliated Central AoG Church in Tehran, which used to be known as "Philadelphia." The name is common throughout the Christian world and not necessarily linked to the famous city in the U.S.

The Executive Headquarters of Iman's Directive (EIKO), a government body under the direct control of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, asserted that the AoG is a branch of Philadelphia Churches in the U.S.

"Considering that the property belongs to the Council of Assemblies of God churches, which is a branch of Philadelphia Churches in the United States, funded by the US through the CIA spy agency ... the court issues and declares the order of confiscation of the mentioned property," EIKO stated in the notice of confiscation.

Article 18, however, pointed out that "Philadelphia" alludes to the Greek word found in the New Testament which means "brotherly love."

The General Superintendent of the AoG has expressed dismay about the confiscation and called on the government to restore the property to its rightful owner.

Article 18 along with other Iranian and European human rights organizations recently called on the international community to pressure the Iranian government to account for its treatment of Christian converts.

Iran is ranked as the ninth most difficult place to live as a Christian on the Open Doors World Watch List.
home Faith Married couples who attend church together less likely to divorce, says Harvard study

Married couples who participate in church services together face lower probability to divorce, a new study carried out by a Harvard School of Public Health professor indicates.

Tyler J. VanderWeele, Ph.D., a professor of Epidemiology in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Harvard School of Public Health and a faculty affiliate of the Institute of Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University, led a research on the link between religious participation and one's health and well-being at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He shares the highlights from the study in an article posted on the official blog site of the Institute for Family Studies.

According to VanderWeele, one of their key findings is that religious participation is "associated with greater marital stabilityaor more specifically, with a lower likelihood of divorce." Couples who attend religious activities are 47 percent less likely to subsequently file for divorce than those who do not, and such is consistent with results of other similar studies, VanderWeele notes.

The research focused on middle-aged and older couples, but the professor stressed that other studies that had younger men and women as respondents yielded similar results.

The professor then explored possible explanations as to why religious attendance has a positive impact on a marriage. According to him, religious teachings usually discourage elements that often lead to divorce. For example, religion has a strong stand against adultery, which is often a prelude to separation.

Meanwhile, religious teachings espouse messages that help nurture a relationship. One such message is that marriage is something that is sacred, and such is reinforced every time a married couple attends a religious service together. Another is the emphasis on love and being responsive to others' needs, which are important elements in a marriage.

VanderWeele also highlighted that religious institutions basically provide married couples a good family support system in the form of programs for children, counseling, retreats, and workshops, as well as a venue to build relationships with other families. "Religious communities can provide important resources for a healthy marriage," he wrote.
home US Planned Parenthood reason for Democrat's defeat, says pro-life activist

The U.S. election results took many Americans and spectators by surprise, but for one prominent pro-life activist, the Democrat's electoral downfall may be attributed to its adoption of an extreme position on abortion and close association with Planned Parenthood.

In a column published by The Federalist last week, Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, stated that the Democratic Party lost a lot of votes when it embraced a hardline stance on abortion.

Hawkins pointed out that Planned Parenthood campaigned hard for Clinton, with its president Cecile Richards very vocal in throwing her and the organization's support behind the presidential nominee.

Planned Parenthood spent US$30 million in campaign support, with Clinton and the Democratic Party included in the list of top recipients reported by Open Secrets .

"The Democratic Party then passed its most extreme platform in history on abortion, calling for the end of the Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayer funding from paying directly for abortions, more funding for Planned Parenthood, and for abortion to remain legal throughout all nine months for any reason whatsoever," Hawkins stated.

She added that the party was too focused on abortion that it failed to consider aiding women with unplanned pregnancies or "fixing our broken national and international adoption system."

The activist wrote that the Democratic Party's extreme pro-choice platform was a turn off for many Millenials.

The Millenials was an important segment during this year's campaign period as they make up the single largest generation of eligible voters, and they are now greater in number than the baby boomers.

In the final weeks of the campaign season, Clinton poured in a lot of time and effort to seek the support of young voters. Hawkins pointed out, however, that Clinton and her party's staunch pro-choice stance was a major deal-breaker for many Millennials. She cited a survey conducted by the Institute for Pro-Life Advancement which indicates that only 17% of those Millennials agree that indiscriminate abortion should be made legal, while more than half deem that it should not be allowed in any or most situations.
home US Planned Parenthood sues pregnancy center over mobile unit parking

Planned Parenthood is suing a neighboring pro-life pregnancy center for allegedly misusing a common area to park its mobile medical unit.

Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit last week against Stanton Healthcare Center, a non-profit, free pregnancy and healthcare center in Boise, Idaho. The abortion chain claimed that the pregnancy center is misusing the common areas of the business complex and that the clinic invites people to protest and cause nuisances, Red State reported.

Brandi Swindell, the founder and director of Stanton, said that her lawyers are currently reviewing the rules, but they are confident that the abortion chain does not have any justifiable grounds for the lawsuit.

"They're saying that we're inviting other groups to our property and they're blaming us for any nuisances brought by groups. We have very strict policies of code of conduct. Our brand is getting bigger and bigger and women are responding," said Swindell.

She said that the only complaints they have received in the business complex were from Planned Parenthood. She claimed that Stanton was welcomed by the businesses in the area because their services have driven up the value of the property.

She revealed that she intends to build a "mega-clinic" in order to provide the women with the highest possible quality of healthcare.

Swindell expressed her belief that Planned Parenthood filed the lawsuit because it feels threatened by Stanton.

"Planned Parenthood is always fighting for access issues; they're always accusing the pro-life community of trying to block access and here they are trying to block access!" she remarked.

The mobile clinic, which includes an exam room, ultrasound equipment, baby supplies, maternity clothes, and other medical necessities, currently remains local to the center, but Swindell plans to bring Stanton's services directly to the homeless in Boise. She also aims to take the mobile clinic to high schools and underserved rural areas across Idaho.

Stanton created a crowdfunding page to raise money for its legal defense.

"We cannot allow Planned Parenthood to bully us. Planned Parenthood should be ashamed of themselves, that they would ever restrict or try to prevent a non-profit women's center from providing quality healthcare and hope to women in need," said Swindell in a statement.
home US Secret Santa pays off $46k worth of layaway items at Pennsylvania Walmart

About 200 shoppers received an early and unexpected Christmas gift last week when an anonymous person paid off over $46,000 worth of layaway items at a Walmart store.

The benefactor, who goes by the name Santa B, reportedly called a Walmart store in Everest, Pennsylvania to make arrangements to pay for all the items on the store's layaway shelves.

As reported by Bedford Country Free Press in a social media post, the donor then sent a woman to deliver a check with the amount of $46,265.59 to cover the consolidated value of the layaway items in the afternoon of Dec. 7.

Ryan Kennedy, the Walmart store manager who received the call, told CNN that he was completely surprised that something out of ordinary will take place that day. "It was complete disbelief," he said, adding, "It was definitely a great gesture. I was completely shocked."

After receiving the donation, the staff at Walmart started calling 194 shoppers with layaway items at the store to inform them about the good news. Many were obviously touched by the gesture.

As for the generous donor, little is known about Santa B. A Walmart spokesperson divulged to CNBC, though, that it's the third year in a row that "Santa B" has done an act of goodwill at a Pennsylvania store. The representative also shared that the signature on the checks is that of a man.

Layaway allows financially strapped shoppers to reserve products and pay them in full over a period of time. During the holiday season, many customers use this method to get a hold of gift items that they cannot afford right away.

In related news, a group called Pay Away the Layaway, founded in 2011, targets to pay off around $100,000 worth of layaway items this Christmas season, its founder Lee Karchawer told CNBC. The group has partnerships with Kmart, Toys "R" Us, and Burlington. They will be holding activities in 30 cities in the United States this season, but as per Karchawer, they are not disclosing in advance where their events will be held.
home World Up to 1,750 ISIS members returning to Europe with 'specific missions,' EU report warns

About 1,750 ISIS members have returned to Europe, and some of them have orders to carry out "specific missions," according to a recent EU report.

Roughly 5,000 Europeans have traveled to Iraq and Syria to join the jihadist group, with about 15 to 20 percent dying on the battlefield. Around 35 percent have returned to Europe, while 50 percent, which is about 2,000 to 2,500 members, remained in the Middle East, Daily Mail reported.

The percentages listed in the report suggests that as many as 1,750 members have returned.

It stated that there are two different types of foreign fighters returning to Europe. "Those in the majority that will drift back, and those who will be sent back on specific missions, which are of most concern," the report revealed.

It warned that some European women and children born or raised in the ISIS caliphate may have been radicalized and could pose a security risk.

The report, which will be presented to the EU interior ministers by EU counter-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove on Friday, noted that some of the returnees have been convicted and detained while others are being monitored. Some, however, remain free in their communities.

"There is also a significant foreign terrorist fighter contingent with Daesh in Libya which might attempt to use their nationality or family connections to return to Europe," the report continued, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.

It also revealed that the returnees have remained in contact with ISIS members in the Middle East through social media, and they are increasingly abandoning Twitter for the encrypted one-to-one messaging service Telegram.

On Oct. 30, the head of the German Federal Office for Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Hans-Georg Maassen, warned that the success of the operations against ISIS in Syria and Iraq could lead to attacks in Europe.

Reacting to the operation against the militant group in Mosul, Maassen said: "That is good. But this can lead to the consequence that this situation may alert its [IS] supporters in Europe, that it can lead to violent attacks."

ISIS has claimed responsibility for multiple terrorist attacks in major European cities over the past year and a half. In some cases, the perpetrators either pledged allegiance to ISIS or have been directed by the jihadist group, including through social media.
5 Common Habits That May Be Stopping You From Getting a Good Night's Sleep

Getting a good night's rest isn't as easy as closing one's eyes and keeping one's mind blank. Sometimes, sleep is so evasive no matter how tired people feel.

Writing for The Huffington Post, Sarah DiGiulio, an expert on the subject, said people need to be mindful of their daily habits because they can have a great impact on their sleeping patterns.

"When it comes to getting a good night's sleep, a few 'musts' come to mind: a quiet room, comfortable bed and plenty of time. But research actually shows that what we do during the day can have as much effect on sleep as anything we do at night," she said.

What are these daily habits? First, DiGiulio said not getting enough sun can be the culprit for lack of sleep. "Several studies have shown that exposure to light in the morning helps reset your circadian rhythm for the next 24 hours, telling you to feel awake in the morning and also to feel sleepy when it's time to hit the pillow later on," she said.

Next, those who hit the snooze button aren't doing themselves any good because they are starting a new sleep cycle that they cannot finish in 10 minutes when the alarm automatically goes off again.

Robert S. Rosenberg, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Centers of Prescott Valley and Flagstaff, Arizona, told CNN that doing so will make people feel groggier throughout the day."You're fragmenting what little extra sleep you're getting so it is of poor quality," he said.

Third, DiGiulio said soda drinkers might find themselves having more difficulty falling asleep. She shared results a new study conducted by Aric A. Prather, assistant professor of psychiatry at University of California San Francisco, which showed that those who drank sugary, caffeinated beverages have fewer hours of sleep at night compared to those who don't.

"Sleeping too little and drinking too many sugary drinks have both been linked to negative metabolic health outcomes, including obesity," Prather said.

Fourth, DiGiulio said smokers typically have more difficulty sleeping because the nicotine found in cigarettes is a stimulant just like caffeine. "Studies have shown smokers are more than four times more likely to report restless sleep than nonsmokers," she said. "Smoking actually changes your body's internal clock, increases your chances of developing obstructive sleep apnea, and causes the average person to lose 1.2 minutes of sleep for every cigarette they smoke."

Lastly, those who use their beds as a breakfast table or office risk fooling their brains into thinking that the bed is not for sleeping.

"You want to associate the bed with sleep," said Jess Shatkin, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry and pediatrics at the New York University School of Medicine. "Just like Pavlov's dogs started drooling when they heard the bell, you want your head to drool for sleep when you see your bed."
Christians Fined For Holding Prayer Meeting In Azerbaijan

Two Christian leaders in Azerbaijan have been fined fined 1,500 Azerbaijani Manats each, or $850, for holding an "illegal" prayer meeting, according to World Watch Monitor.

Police burst into the meeting last month in Aliabad in south Azerbaijan and arrested all 30 Christians present.

At first, nearly all of them were expecting to be fined.

But in the end, just Gamid Shabanov and Mehman Agamemedov, the two leaders, were fined.

They were also ordered not to hold any more meetings without first securing official registration.

Azerbaijan is officially a secular country but the majority of the population is Muslim.

A source told World Watch Monitor that police had told them: "Each of you may pray in your own house, but meetings are forbidden, otherwise you will be arrested again  with more serious consequences than a fine."

The arrests were reported on television in Azerbaijan. The two leaders were accused of "illegal religious activities" and "spreading illegal religious doctrines".

Under Azerbaijani law, only registered religious organisations can hold prayer or worship meetings.

Azerbaijan hosted the European Games last year and ranks at No 34 on Open Doors' 2016 World Watch List of countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian.

Pastors describe it as a constant challenge to endure the efforts by authorities to undermine their work.
'Global Crisis In Religious Persecution' Is The Target Of New US Law

The escalating persecution of Christians and other religious groups around the world will be addressed under a new bill sent to US president Barack Obama to be signed into law on Tuesday.

The Frank R Wolf International Religious Freedom Act will give the US government and State Department new tools, resources and training to help counter extremism and violations of religious freedom.

"From China and Vietnam to Syria and Nigeria, we are witnessing a tragic, global crisis in religious persecution, violence and terrorism, with dire consequences for religious believers and for US national security," said Congressman Chris Smith, chair of the Global Human Rights Subcommittee and author of the bill.

"Ancient Christian communities in Iraq and Syria are on the verge of extinction and other religious minorities in the Middle East face a constant assault from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

"The freedom to practise a religion without persecution is a precious right for everyone, of whatever race, sex, or location on earth. This human right is enshrined in our own founding documents, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and has been a bedrock principle of open and democratic societies for centuries."

The bill requires international religious freedom training for all US foreign service officers, and creates a 'Special Watch List' of countries of particular concern regarding religious liberty.

It also creates a comprehensive list of people who are detained, imprisoned, tortured and subject to forced remission of faith around the world.

The bill is named after Frank Wolf, who in 1998 sponsored the International Religious Freedom Act.

Smith said Wolf was "a tireless champion for the rights of the poor and the persecuted globally".

"18 years ago, he had the foresight to make advancing the right to religious freedom a high US foreign policy priority," Smith added.

"It is largely because of his efforts that religious freedom is taken seriously as a foreign policy issue. I had the distinct honour and pleasure of working with him for over thirty years. This bill is a fitting tribute to his work and service to our great nation."
Heartbreaking Moment Dog Bids Final Goodbye to Dying Owner in Hospital

Dogs are the most loyal creatures on earth, and the love and dedication they show their owners are truly incomparable.

When Ryan Jessen, 33, from Northern California checked into a Marysville hospital after experiencing a severe migraine, he and his dog did not expect that he would go into a coma and never regain consciousness. It turned out that Jessen had a severe brain haemorrhage that might have been caused by high blood pressure, according to The Dodo.

Family and friends decided to visit Jessen at the Rideout Memorial Hospital on Nov. 30 to say their last goodbyes, and they even included his beloved dog Mollie.

Jessen's sister, Michelle, even posted a video of their touching reunion on Facebook. In it, Mollie was seen sniffing her unconscious owner before settling on his legs.

"The hospital did the sweetest thing for us and allowed us to bring my brother's dog in to 'say goodbye' so she'd know why her human [owner] never came home," wrote Michelle. "If you knew my brother, he really loved his sweet dog.

"THANK YOU to everybody for the outpouring of support, but I won't be responding anymore," she said. "We are sincerely touched and humbled by others' stories, their sharing in our sadness and the kindness of so many people. Don't worry about the dog! We're keeping her!!! She's part of the family."

After Jessen's death, his organs were removed for donations. On Dec. 1, his heart was given to a 17-year-old boy.

"A 17-year old boy in California whose birthday is on Christmas will receive my brother's heart today," Michelle said of the transfer. "As sad as it is to lose Ryan, we know his heart is going to bring so much joy to the family of the recipient. I wish Ryan could know what a difference his heart will make for that young man."
ISIS Claims Deadly Cairo Church Bombing That Killed 25

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack on a church in Cairo on Sunday that killed 25 people.

In a statement by its news agency Amaq, the militant group said the suicide bomber, who it identified as Abu Abdallah al-Masri, had detonated his explosive belt inside the church.

"Every infidel and apostate in Egypt and everywhere should know that our war... continues," it said.

The attacker's lawyer, meanwhile, said he was radicalised after he was tortured by police aged 16.

Egpytian authorities identified Mahmoud Shafik Mostafa, who they say was 22, as the bomber. Mostafa's lawyer, Mahmoud Hassan, said he was arrested and abused by police after taking part in an Islamist demonstration two years ago, leaving a discrepency in his age.

Hassan said Mostafa was detained for two months in 2014 and tortured until he confessed to possessing weapons and explosives. He was then charged with membership of an "illegal organisation", in reference to the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

He said his client had been radicalised by his experience in jail.

In an interview with Reuters, Mostafa's mother said he had been sexually abused in police custody in 2014, but that she had seen no sign that he had been radicalised.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took power in 2013, deposing the Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi, and has since outlawed the Islamist movement as part of a crackdown in which hundreds of its supporters have been killed and thousands jailed.

The Interior Ministry said Mostafa had been arrested in March 2014 for carrying arms during a protest, and freed on bail after two months. It said he had joined a cell led by Mohab Mostafa Sayyed Qassem, a militant with links to Islamic State fighters in Northern Sinai and exiled Brotherhood officials in Qatar, and was wanted in two other cases.

His mother, Umm Bilal, said Mostafa had fled to Sudan shortly after being released.

"Mahmoud would not do this... he would not kill anyone," she shouted as she listened to a news report on the bombing.

She said his father had died two years ago, and that Mostafa called her regularly from abroad, most recently about a week ago.

"He said he would not return because security forces would detain him again... He was asking after me and his sisters... I didn't notice any change in his voice or anything to suggest he would blow himself up."

"He kept crying all night... He wasn't crying because he was beaten or tortured, though the scars were still visible on his face and body," she said. "I believe they broke him at the station, they violated his honor."

But she said her son had not been radicalised.

She said his two brothers had also been arrested, one of them after the bombing.

CCTV footage released after the bombing shows a figure calmly walking into the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church, a chapel adjacent to Cairo's St Mark's Cathedral, before the building explodes moments later.

The Muslim Brotherhood won Egypt's first free elections after the 2011 uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. Morsi became president, but was toppled two years later after mass protests.

Egypt's oldest Islamist organisation says it is peaceful, but has split into rival wings since the crackdown, while some supporters have formed splinter groups that have carried out attacks on police and judicial officials.

Disillusioned by its ill-fated flirtation with democracy, some younger Brotherhood supporters have gone to fight in Syria or joined the local arm of Islamic State, Sinai Province.

Since 2013, the group has killed hundreds of soldiers and police in the Sinai Peninsula, and it has started to attack Western targets within Egypt. The army has responded with air strikes and by bulldozing entire villages.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
ISIS Supporters Celebrate Egypt Church Terror Bombing That Killed 27 Christians, Calling It a 'Blessed Act'

Did the Islamic State (ISIS) commit another heinous act of terrorism on Egyptian soil, principally targeting Christians?

Although no group has yet claimed responsibility for Sunday's bomb attack inside St. Peter Cathedral in Cairo, which killed at least 27 churchgoers, mostly women and children, ISIS supporters wasted no time in celebrating the deaths of Christian victims on social media, The Christian Post reported.

"God bless the person who did this blessed act," one ISIS supporter wrote on Telegram.

On Tuesday, the London-based newspaper Al Hayat received information from Egyptian security officials saying the terrorist who carried out the Cairo church bombing was affiliated with the Sinai branch of ISIS, YNet News reported. This was the same ISIS branch that claimed responsibility for downing a Russian passenger jet in the Sinai Peninsula in October last year, killing all 224 people on board.

The ISIS has victimised Coptic Christians before. In February 2015, it released a video showing the mass beheading of 21 Christian Copts.

The jihadist group has carried out various other attacks on Copts. In July an ISIS branch in the Sinai Peninsula reportedly shot and killed 46-year-old Coptic Priest Raphael Moussa in the town of El-Arish.

Officials said Sunday's church explosion was caused by a device containing at least 26 pounds of TNT.

The bomber appeared to have particularly targeted women and children based from the statement of a church member named Mena Adel. Speaking to International Christian Concern (ICC), a persecution watchdog group, Adel said, "the church bombing was planned and carried out meticulously. The explosion took place in the pews of the women."

This was attested by church worker Attiya Mahrous who told The Associated Press, "I found bodies, many of them women, lying on the pews, it was a horrible scene."

William Stark, ICC's Regional Manager, said that the latest attack was the worst assault on Egypt's Christian community in years.

"Entire Christian communities have been assaulted by mobs of Muslim radicals on four separate occasions in 2016 because there was a rumour that a church was being constructed. Now, we have witnessed one of the worst assaults on Egypt's Christian community in years. More must be done to protect Christians and their places of worship in Egypt," he urged.
Ohio Governor Vetoes Abortion Ban At Six Weeks

A bill to ban abortion after about six weeks from conception has been vetoed in Ohio by Governor John Kasich.

The so-called "heartbeat" bill would have outlawed terminations after the first heartbeat in the foetus was detected, usually about six weeks into a pregnancy and before many women realise they are pregnant.

But Kasich did sign a 20-week abortion bill, which puts the restriction at a similar point to 15 other US states. He said this option was the "best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life".

The two bills arrived on Kasich's desk at the same time after the "heartbeat" bill was approved by the Republican-controlled state congress on Tuesday and the 20-week bill on Thursday last week.

Had Kasich not used his veto, the six-week ban would have passed. He said it would be unconstitutional and would face un-winnable legal battles.

"The State of Ohio will be forced to pay hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to cover the legal fees for the pro-choice activists' lawyers," said Kasich.

Ohio lawmakers could still override the veto if they can muster three-fifths of both the state House and Senate to support the "heartbeat" ban.

The president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio objected to the measures.

"For the second time in a week, the Ohio Legislature has inserted itself into women's private and personal health care decisions," said Iris Harvey. "These bans are a deliberate attempt to make abortion illegal in the state of Ohio."

Critics of the 20-week ban see it as opening a way for a landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling known as Roe V Wade to be overturned. That decision stated that abortion was legal until the foetus was viable, which is usually between 22 and 24 weeks.

But Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Washington-based pro-life Susan B Anthony List said the "bold" action in Ohio was a "rejection of the status quo".

She said last week: "Americans reject the status quo of abortion on-demand, especially painful late-term abortions.

"Instead, voters and lawmakers are recognising the humanity of the unborn child: its heartbeat around six weeks and the pain the child can feel at 20 weeks."

President-elect Trump called for a total ban on abortion during his presidential campaign but has since softened this stance, saying he supports it in exceptional cases such as rape or where the mother's life is in danger. He has also called for an end to federal funding of Planned Parenthood, a pregnancy clinic that supports abortions.
Priest Refuses To Set Up Nativity Scene For Fear Of Offending Muslims

A priest in Italy has refused to set up a traditional nativity scene out of fear of upsetting Muslims.

The nativity scene at the cemetery of Cremona in northern Italy will go ahead but for the first time, it will not be the parish priest who lays it out.

Father Sante Braggie initially refused to sanction the nativity scene at all, going against the tradition established by his predecessor, Father Oreste Mori.

Father Sante wanted to show "respect towards other religions" and also did not wish to get involved in politics.

Repubblica reports that the priest's primary concern was the fear of offending local Muslims and Hindus. Large numbers of both faiths live in Cremona province. The scene is traditonally set up near a section of the cemetery reserved for Muslim graves.

But the decision has prompted outrage.

Father Mori said he could not believe his successor's decision and condemned it as "renouncing our culture and traditions" and as an "unpardonable" weakness.

Now the row has been resolved by assigning local volunteers to make the crib.

Peter Burgazzi, secretary of the Lega Nord regional political party, said: "I would like to emphasise the importance of the crib as a sign of Christian witness."

Christina Cappellini, regional minister for culture, appealed to Father Sante to apologise to the community. She said Christians would be more offended by his stance than Muslims or atheists would ever be by the nativity scene.
Revealed: America's Top 10 Most Sinful Cities

Las Vegas is America's most sinful city, according to new research.

The next most sinful US cities are St Louis, Cincinnati, Orlando, Springfield, Miami, Richmond, Baton Rouge, Pittsburgh and New Orleans.

New York and Los Angeles emerged as surprisingly sinless in the analysis of the 150 biggest US cities. New York came in at 131 and LA was six places higher at 137.

The study by WalletHub, the personal finance website, was based on publicly available data around 27 key indicators of 'sinful' deeds, such as violent crime, drunknenness and adulterers.

Analyst Jill Gonzalez told the Christian Post that the company included sins that relate to personal finance, such as debt, identity theft and fraud.

"With 2017 right around the corner, we're hoping residents of these cities incorporate the findings into their New Year's resolutions," Gonzalez said.

The seven "deadly sins" used as a basis for the study were anger and hatred, jealousy, excesses and vices, avarice, lust, vanity and laziness.

Violent crimes, sex offences, bullying and suicide went under the "anger and hatred" heading.

The five cities with the most violent crimes were St Louis, Detroit, Birmingham, Memphis, and Milwaukee.

In the "lust" category, decided by the number of sex shops, Tinder users and teen birth rates, Las Vegas was top, followed by Portland, Atlanta, Tampa, and Honolulu. The extent of adultery in the cities was worked out from numbers who used an online dating service for married people.

Salt Lake City in Utah had the highest charitable donations as percentage of income but also most thefts per person. A large number of Salt Lake City residents also used plastic surgeons.
Syria's Civil War Set To Mar President Obama's Legacy

The fall of the last rebel-held areas in the Syrian city of Aleppo could seal the fate of the "Obama Doctrine," deepening the world's worst humanitarian crisis in decades and staining US President Barack Obama's legacy.

With the US-aligned rebels facing defeat by government forces backed by Russia and Iran, Obama's light-footprint approach to the Syrian conflict will suffer a serious blow weeks before he hands power to President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.

The rebel loss would underscore the failure of US efforts to stem the carnage from Syria's nearly six-year-old civil war, leading some critics to predict that Obama's record will be tarnished just as President Bill Clinton's was by his refusal to intervene to halt the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

"There is no doubt he will be hammered in historical terms," said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East adviser to Republican and Democratic administrations. "The question will be why he didn't do more."

While the war is expected to grind on, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's victory in Aleppo would provide fresh fodder for Trump, who has argued the insurgency has collapsed, and the United States should revamp its fight against Islamic State by joining up with Russia, and by extension, Assad.

Syria has been one of the main testing grounds for Obama's doctrine of relying on local proxy fighters instead of large-scale US military deployments, reflecting his reluctance to be drawn back into unpopular ground conflicts like the Iraq war.

The approach has faltered in Syria, where on Tuesday the Syrian army said it could declare full control over eastern Aleppo by Wednesday. A deal was struck to allow the remaining rebel fighters to evacuate their last enclave there, Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said.

"Leading from behind leaves a vacuum that is filled by the Bashar Assads and Vladimir Putins of the world," said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, referring to how an Obama aide described his strategy. "I think history will judge that these are unintended results that are going to cause great challenges to the United States for years to come."

Obama has been criticised for refusing to provide sufficient arms and other support to moderate rebel groups to compel Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers to negotiate an end to his authoritarian rule.

"Obama has pursued a policy of calculated dithering in Syria, just agonising over the choices until they no longer existed," said Emile Hokayem, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.

The Democratic president has defended his policy as "judicious". His spokesman, Josh Earnest, said it was Obama's "overriding responsibility" to protect the interests and safety of the American people first.

A Republican, Trump has vowed a dramatic shift from Obama's cautious strategy toward a more aggressive approach  although exactly how he will proceed remains unclear.

He will inherit an increasingly complicated conflict in Syria, and many analysts fear his lack of foreign policy experience could lead to dangerous miscalculations.

If Trump follows through after Aleppo's fall on his pledge to cooperate with Russia, Assad's military patron, there is a risk that frustrated moderate rebels could gravitate toward militant factions that pose a potential threat to Western interests.

As Assad himself turns from the wreckage of Aleppo to assert his authority over a fractured Syria, he will have to contend with the loss of swaths of his country for the time being and tough pockets of resistance still to crush.

The war has taken some 400,000 lives and made more than 11 million people homeless, driving many into neighboring countries or on a long perilous trek to Europe.

Cost of inaction

The imminent fall of rebel-held eastern Aleppo  and the sense of US powerlessness as it unfolds  suggests that Obama likely will be judged by history as much for what he did not do as for what he did.

He first called on Assad to leave power in 2011. But Obama never supplied moderate rebels with enough firepower to topple him or force him to the negotiating table. His failure to carry out threatened air strikes to enforce his 2012 "red line" over Assad's use of banned chemical weapons dealt a heavy blow to US standing, including by some of his staunchest regional allies.

Obama also rejected recommendations, as recently as October, by members of his national security team for tougher action against Assad. Instead, he gave priority to striking Islamic State with a US-led bombing campaign and local allies assisted by relatively small numbers of US special forces.

The strategy hewed to a prescription Obama laid out in a 2014 West Point speech in which he made clear he would intervene in foreign conflicts only when he believed US interests were threatened.

That led to the return of thousands of US military personnel to Iraq to support Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State.

But in Syria, despite providing billions of dollars in relief aid for refugees, Obama's approach has failed to quell what some have called the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two.

Obama recently told an interviewer that the grim situation in Syria "haunts me constantly"  although he insisted there was not much he would have done differently.

James Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Iraq and Turkey, said Obama's risk-averse approach had not only allowed Assad to attack the opposition with impunity but also opened the door to greater Russian and Iranian influence in the Middle East.

But Paul Pillar, a former top US intelligence analyst on the Middle East, said Obama was right to hold back in Syria because it was "no place to commit US prestige and resources for regime change".

Earnest said on Thursday that historians may "end up quibbling" about Obama's Syria policy, when he was asked about a Syrian opposition leader who told the Wall Street Journal that "history will never forgive Obama for what he has done to the Syrian people".

White House aides privately acknowledge that Syria  and other Arab countries in turmoil, such as Libya and Yemen  could leave a black mark on his legacy.

But they hope his record will be buoyed in other areas, including the landmark Iran nuclear deal, diplomatic openings to Cuba and Myanmar, the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the prevention of a 9/11-style attack on US soil on his watch.

Still, reflecting deep unease in Washington over the bloodshed in Aleppo, Robert Ford, who resigned in 2014 as US ambassador to Syria over policy disagreements, and is now at the Middle East Institute, said: "I'm personally sad that after we thought we had learned lessons in places like Sarajevo, Srebrenica and Rwanda, it's in fact very clear that this administration doesn't really care."
US Town Forced To Remove Cross From Its Christmas Tree

A US town has decided to remove an illuminated cross from its Christmas tree after a legal case that prompted a warning by Franklin Graham that America's "war on Christmas" is still on.

In a Facebook post, Graham referred to an action by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against a small town in Indiana. Acting on behalf of Knightstown resident Joseph Tompkins, who objected to an illuminated cross being placed on top of the town's Christmas tree, ACLU's lawsuit documents said that each day Tompkins was " forced to come into direct and unwelcome contact" with the cross on top of the Christmas tree and that it has caused him "irreparable harm."

Graham said: "I hope this town will stand strong and not let one man's objection override their celebration of the true meaning of Christmas. The ACLU wants to remove God from everythingour constitution doesn't require that. Jesus Christ came to earth to pay the penalty of sin for mankind on the cross. That's what CHRISTmas is all about!"

However, having initially erected the cross the council concluded it could not win what was expected to be a costly lawsuit. It said in a Facebook post: "It is with regret and sadness that the Knightstown Town Council has had the cross removed from the Christmas tree on the town square and is expected to approve a resolution at the next council meeting stating they will not return the cross to the tree."

According to IndyStar, Ken Falk, legal director of the ACLU of Indiana, said the decision was a win for the First Amendment. "We're obviously very happy and glad the issue could be resolved," he said, adding that Tompkins "just feels very strongly about the establishment clause, and people tend to think this is an attack on religion," Falk said. "All this is, is an effort to show the government does not have an establishment of religion."

However, local Knightstown residents reacted angrily to the council's decision. A Fox 59 news report showed them protesting the removal of the illuminated cross and handing out wooden crosses to passers-by. Wooden crosses were also place in the lower branches of the tree. According to one resident, more than 300 crosses have been made.

Conservative Christians have frequently condemned what they say are attempts to secularise the Christmas holiday by removing religious references to it in official displays and communications.
Why We Should All Feel Shame Over Aleppo

"Have you no shame? Are you truly incapable of shame?"

This is what the US ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, asked Syria, Russia and Iran during a UN Security Council meeting this week. She was talking, of course, about Aleppo. Regime forces have defeated the rebels fighting there, but the torment of civilians is far from over. Already starving, they are being lined up on the street and executed or dragged away for torture. Women are being raped. Children are being shot and blown to pieces. A ceasefire declared yesterday collapsed when the Syrians made additional demands and shelling has resumed. US secretary of state John Kerry has urged Russia and Syria to "show a little grace". There is absolutely no sign of that.

No, they have no shame.

It's far, far too soon to talk of rebuilding and learning lessons. Syria's nightmare is nothing like over. It will endure for a generation  at least.

What must happen now is that the UN and aid agencies are allowed to rescue those who can still be saved. That humanitarian effort needs to be detached from questions of right and wrong and political failure. The vulnerable need protection, the hungry need to be fed, the adults need homes and employment, the children need educating. Somehow it must be done.

But the questions about who is responsible won't go away. And while at one level Power is right to accuse those who pull the trigger, launch the rocket or apply the electric current, the honest response to her question "Have you no shame?" has to be another: "Have you?"

Because Western handwringing and demonisation of Russia and Syria is fundamentally hypocritical. It is Western failure that has led to this tragedy. Terrified of becoming embroiled in another open-ended conflict, the US encouraged rebels while failing to support them. Paralysed by the complexity of Syria's patchwork of opposition to the regime, it was hamstrung by its fear of Islamist extremism. It set the ideological bar so high for cooperating with rebel groups that in the end it achieved nothing. When Russia intervened, with a clear strategy, no scruples about casualties and massive firepower, the US had no answer.

Barack Obama's policy of "leading from behind" has been a cataclysmic failure. As Senator John McCain said: "Leading from behind leaves a vacuum that is filled by the Bashar Assads and Vladimir Putins of the world.

"I think history will judge that these are unintended results that are going to cause great challenges to the United States for years to come."

And does Britain escape censure? Absolutely not. Former chancellor George Osborne has admitted that the UK parliament's vote against military action in 2013 had enabled a "terrorist state" to emerge. The Coalition government had proposed military intervention in response to the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons. A combination of political opportunism, misguided idealism and moral cowardice saw it defeated. Taking his cue from Britain, Obama backed down too.

Aleppo is the consequence.

As Osborne said: "I think we are deceiving ourselves in this Parliament if we believe that we have no responsibility for what has happened in Syria.

"The tragedy in Aleppo did not come out of a vacuum, it was created by a vacuum, a vacuum of Western leadership, of American leadership, British leadership."

And the Christian Church has to face up to its responsibilities, too. Large sections of it have become reflexively and unthinkingly pacifist. It's easy to generate social media campaigns against miiltary intervention. It's assumed that military action is always wrong and that not acting is somehow more virtuous than acting.

Well, ask the people of Aleppo about what they think of the refusal of the West to help them when they could.

The theologian Reinhold Niebuhr  derided by disciples of modern-day pacifist prophets like Stanley Hauerwas  had it right. There's no such thing as perfect justice, he thought. No one can have entirely clean hands in a dirty world. You do the best you can, and sometimes that means fighting and killing if innocent people can be protected. You can't just stand aside and assume you aren't responsible. He wrote in Christianity and Power Politics (1948): "The New Testament does not... envisage a simple triumph of good over evil in history. It sees human history involved in the contradictions of sin to the end."

Yes, the Russians, Iranians and Syrian regime are responsible for what they're doing in Aleppo. But so is the US and so is Britain. This is the world's failure, and it's too soon to feel anything but shame.

Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
My highlight of 2016  Two masterpieces by Rembrandt

How a joint acquisition by the Louvre and the Rijksmuseum saw two exceptional portraits become the most expensive Old Master paintings in history

Christies 250th anniversary year commenced in momentous and auspicious fashion when, on 1 February, two exceptional portraits by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) were confirmed to have been jointly acquired by the Louvre and the Rijksmuseum. Facilitated through Christies Private Sales channel, the works were purchased for 160 million (80 million each), becoming the most expensive Old Master paintings in history. For Henry Pettifer, Head of Old Master Paintings, the portraits were 'the most important' works he had handled in his career. 'When they came to Christie's, they had not been seen in public since 1956,' he explains. 'It was extraordinary  almost unimaginable  to see them for the first time.' Painted in 1634, when Rembrandt was just 28 years old, the works depict Marten Soolmans and his wife Oopjen Coppit, a year after their marriage. Soolmans was the scion of a wealthy Calvinist family, and had first met Rembrandt during his stay in Leiden from 1628 to 1633. Two years his elder, his wife Oopjen was the orphan of an old and respected Amsterdam family, and brought Soolmans both prestige, and a significant dowry of 35,000 guilders.

Open a larger version of this image Rembrandt Van Rijn (1606-1669), Portrait of Marten Soolmans, 1634. Canvas size: 209.5 x 135.5 cm. Sight size: 207.5 x 132 cm Open a larger version of this image Rembrandt Van Rijn (1606-1669), Portrait of Oopjen Coppit, 1634. Canvas size: 210 x 134.5 cm. Sight size: 207.5 x 132 cm
A rare glimpse into the intimate world of the Wright brothers

A collection of candid letters belonging to a journalist who won the friendship of the aviation pioneers reveals previously unknown details about their extraordinary lives

Earl Nelson Findley (1878-1956) holds the distinction of being one the few journalists who enjoyed the trust and confidence of aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright. He became one of a small number of writers in the United States willing to publicly challenge the Smithsonian's decades-long refusal to credit the Wright brothers as the inventors of the first heavier-than-air flying machine. Findley's vocal advocacy on behalf of the Wrights, and his great discretion, earned him the enduring confidence and friendship of both brothers, as well as their sister Katharine, until the ends of their lives. While it appears that most of Findley's interactions with Wilbur were primarily verbal, his relationships with Orville and Katharine resulted in an intimate, decades-long correspondence.

Orville valued his privacy and guarded his public image closely, but felt comfortable venting his frustrations to Findley



For more than 30 years Earl Findley and Orville Wright exchanged numerous, frank letters concerning a variety of subjects, ranging from the Smithsonian controversy to international politics. Orville valued his privacy and guarded his public image closely, but felt comfortable venting his frustrations to Findley. On 14 December in New York, Christies Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts, including Americana auction will feature the first of two instalments of this remarkable correspondence, portions of which specialist Peter Klarnet showcases below. (For detailed information about each lot please click on the images). Signed gifts to the ambitious reporter



Findley made an impression on Wilbur Wright on the occasion of his flight over New York Harbor during the Hudson-Fulton Celebration of 1909, marking the 300th anniversary of the discovery of the Hudson River and the 100th birthday of Robert Fultons paddle steamer. Findley was so eager to obtain an interview that he crossed a police cordon to approach the hangar where Wright was preparing his plane. He was arrested, and escorted off Governors Island. Fortunately well-connected executives at the Tribune managed to restore his press credentials, and he returned the following day.

From that time on until his death, I never failed to reach Wilbur by phone, or in person, on his trips to New York Earl Findley

Wilbur Wright caught wind of the incident, and invited Findley to dine with him alone  a journalistic coup for the young reporter. From that time on until his death, I never failed to reach Wilbur by phone, or in person, on his trips to New York, Findley recalled. He said, If I can't see you for any reason, I will always talk to you on the phone when you call me. As a token of his confidence, Wilbur inscribed the above photograph to Findley. Although Wilbur died in 1912, Findley remained in contact with the family  a relationship that only strengthened with time. Findleys doomed biography of the Wright brothers



In 1915, Orville and Katharine Wright asked if Findley would author a biography of the Wright Brothers and the invention of the airplane. In January 1915, Katharine Wright, on behalf of Orville, wrote to Findley: I've been talking to Orville about it and he says that he would only be interested in a carefully written, accurate account of their work We are now of the opinion that you could write such a book, if you had time enough to devote to the work.

Within a few months, with the help of a co-author, Findley was busy at work. Ultimately, however, Orville did not approve of the work, and it was shelved. (A version of the biography would appear more than a decade later, in an unauthorized version by Findleys co-author.) Orvilles heartbreak at his sisters marriage

Katharine Wright toiled ceaselessly to assist her brother in his professional and personal affairs. Her letters to Findley run the gamut, ranging from discussions of the Curtiss lawsuit (see below) to her witnessing the passage of women's suffrage in the Ohio legislature. Orville remained a bachelor his entire life, and he relied on Katharine to help manage his household and business affairs. In 1926, when Katharine married her old school chum Harry Haskell, the editor of the Kansas City Star newspaper, Orville accused her of abandoning him and never spoke to her again. Writing to Findley shortly before the wedding, she hoped he would ...understand how unendurable it is for Orv and me. I count on your understanding and sympathy for us both. Please dont write to Orv now for he cant bear it. Orvilles long battle for recognition from the Smithsonian

From 1918 to 1956, Earl Findley ran U.S. Air Services, an aviation trade magazine. Although he wrote and published articles on a wide variety of aviation topics, Findley's cause celebre was Orville Wrights long battle for recognition from the Smithsonian Institution as the inventor of the first working aeroplane. The venerable Washington institution had long sponsored and championed the work of Samuel P. Langley  crediting him as the first to build a successful powered aircraft: the 1903 Aerodrome. Although Langley failed to conduct a successful test at the time, in 1914 Glenn Curtiss successfully flew the Aerodrome in a series of demonstration flights. Citing Curtisss demonstrations, the Smithsonian credited Langley's machine as the first powered craft capable of piloted flight  despite two failed test flights on 7 October and 8 December 1903. (The Wrights successfully tested their biplane at Kitty Hawk on 17 December 1903.)

People from all over the world will learn that it was not a gimcrack accident which flew to begin with, but a machine on which all modern aeroplanes are fundamentally based Griffith Brewer on the 1903 Kitty Hawk

The problem with Curtisss tests lay in the fact that he was allowed to make modifications to Langleys machine prior to the 1914 tests. The Smithsonian argued that Langleys machine simply hadn't been constructed properly in 1903, and had it been, it would have beaten the Wright brothers first successful flight. In his letter enclosing the Langley-Curtiss comparison shown above, Orville Wright observes, The most vital change was one that few would have noticed, before adding technical detail about how a fatal fault in Langleys design had been corrected. Without the change,' Wright insisted, the Langley plane of 1903 would have collapsed in every attempt to fly it. The first Englishman to fly in an aeroplane

Griffith Brewer, the London businessman who became the first Englishman to fly in an aeroplane (courtesy of Wilbur in 1908 while in Pau, France), also corresponded with Findley. In 1928 Orville decided to send the 1903 Kitty Hawk plane to London, rather than Washington, due to the ongoing dispute with the Smithsonian. Brewer took charge of the planes installation at the Science Museum in South Kensington, and regularly updated Findley on his work. I believe that this exhibition in the South Kensington Museum will have a good educational effect, because people from all over the world including America will come to the Museum and there learn that it was not a gimcrack accident which flew to begin with, but a machine on which all modern aeroplanes are fundamentally based, he wrote. The 1903 Wright Flyer would not return to the United States until 1948, after the Smithsonian had finally acknowledged the Wrights place as the inventors of the aeroplane. Suspicions over the political motives of Charles Lindbergh

Findley counted Charles Lindbergh among his correspondents as well. The collection includes several revealing letters from the aviator, including a three-page letter written in 1937, marvelling at the state of German military aviation after he completed an inspection tour on behalf of the United States government.

When I was in Bremen, wrote Lindbergh, I saw the Focke-Wulf helicopter demonstrated... It landed and took off vertically, and was able to hover without any apparent movement, either a metre or a hundred metres off the ground. It could fly either backward or forward and had reasonably good manoeuvrability in turning. I have never seen a more successful demonstration of an experimental machine.

It begins to look as though Lindbergh is more than a mere pacifist. He apparently is a pro-Nazist and Hitlerite propagandist Orville Wright
Google released its year in searches on Wednesday, highlighting the topics on all of our minds in 2016. Not surprisingly, political candidates were near the top of the list. Surprisingly, Kim Kardashian was not. But then, a lot has changed since 2015.

The top trending search nationally takes us all the way back to January -- a simpler time, before Harambe, Nasty Women and the death of Prince. According to Google, the top trending search of the year was Powerball. As they put it, "it may seem like a distant memory now, but back in January a record-breaking jackpot made Powerball a hot topic. Search interest in Powerball spiked more than 166 percent, and it's the top trending search for all of 2016."
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Some Clear Lake residents are receiving tickets for parking in their own driveways.

These citations are for "blocking or parked on sidewalk." The idea is to avoid having pedestrians walk onto the road in order to circumnavigate parked cars.

The City of Houston's Parking Management Division has, within the past two months, issued more than 1,700 tickets, KHOU reports.

They say it's intended as a safety measure, but some residents think it's just a ploy to generate revenue. (Story continues below.)

WAYMO: Google's self-driving car project gets a new name:

"We're making them lots of money by just parking in our driveways," Camino South neighborhood resident Janise Clouette told the station.

ParkHouston's Maria Ishad said the city has an obligation to consider the needs of all people who use these roads.

"If there is not sufficient passage for someone in a wheelchair, that vehicle will be issued a citation because the sidewalk is for everyone and we have to think about everyone when it's being used that way," Irshad said.

Irshad also said that ParkHouston is willing to help neighborhood residents understand whats required of them so that they won't be ticketed.
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Council members in League City voted Tuesday night to fire the city manager during a meeting that lasted more than six hours.

The 5-3 vote came shortly after an item to fire the city attorney failed.

"As I have said from the start, this was and has been about retaliation," city manager Mark Rohr said in a statement released by the city after the meeting.

"My concern was to uphold the charter and to see that council's own rules are observed to ensure the smooth operation of the city government. It was the right thing to do then and it still is the right thing to do."

The agenda item followed months of conflict between Rohr and Mayor Pat Hallisey.

Hallisey had previously maintained that Rohr was consistently non-communicative with the mayor and City Council, while Rohr countered that the mayor's actions were often in conflict with the council-manager form of government, in which the city manager runs the city's daily operations.

In September, Rohr had accused the mayor of violating the city charter and City Council governance policy by publicly discussing details of a prospective development. Hallisey said Rohr's allegations were part of ongoing friction that stems from Hallisey defeating the candidate supported by Rohr and six council members in the March 2016 election.

Hallisey also charged that Rohr continually tried to turn city staff against him.

Rohr joined League City government in March 2014 after the resignation of former city manager Mike Loftin the previous year.

Rohr assumed the position with 31 years of experience in local government, having previously served as a city manager in Joplin, Missouri; Piqua, Ohio; Punta Gorda, Florida; Washington Court House, Ohio; and Newton Falls, Ohio.
"Rushmore," Houston native Wes Anderson's second film, is among 25 films added to the National Film Registry. It becomes one of just 700 films on the Registry.

BEST OF 2016: The movies you need to see
Jayne Piana is just now getting over the shock she felt when she heard the results of the presidential election. As she moves on from her disappointment, she knows it's time for her to actually do something other than writing the occasional check to organizations she supports.

After a self-imposed hiatus from the internet for a few days, the 41-year-old in-house attorney for BP and Heights resident, received an email from a friend letting her know that the American Civil Liberties Union was going to be hosting an informational meeting at Antidote coffee shop on Studewood in the Heights on Tuesday evening.

"I thought 'Perfect,'" she said, "'I'll find out about what they do and how I can help.'"

Executive Director of the ACLU of Texas Terri Burke estimates that anywhere from 400 to 500 people showed up over the course of the three-hour gathering.

"What happened in the Heights Tuesday night ended up being quite different. It was intended as a meet and greet, to explain in a one-on-one fashion, and to gauge interest in volunteers," said Burke. "So very many people came; apparently they were serious about it. It was amazing."

Burke says that since the election, ACLU of Texas, headquartered in Houston, has been inundated with requests for volunteer opportunities.

The ACLU is a national nonprofit started nearly 100 years ago to ensure people are afforded their individual rights guaranteed in the Constitution. From the 1925 Scopes case of the Tennessee school teacher who was prosecuted for teaching evolution in the classroom and the ACLU's role in securing high-profile attorney Clarence Darrow for his defense, to their most recent Supreme Court victory in 2015 when the organization helped secure the freedom to marry for millions of gay and lesbians in the U.S., they take on First Amendment cases of all kinds.

Antidote was well-positioned to host the event that night as the week before they celebrated their ninth anniversary with a party and donated all of their profits from the evening to the ACLU.

Scott Repass, shop owner, has a friend who does legal work for ACLU, when the lawyer-friend learned of the generous act, he sent a note to the higher ups at the Texas chapter.

"The ACLU fights a very, very valuable fight," said Repass. "Our civil liberties are constantly under attack, it's gained a lot more interest now since the election, but I don't think it's a new thing."

Having such an ally at the trendy coffee spot and desiring to meet the demand they'd received in the recent weeks, the nonprofit asked if they could host a meet-up there.

The gathering took place mostly outside in the parking lot next to the food-truck Foreign Policy - which was no accident as the manager arranged for them to be there that night, he said.

Repass said at one point in the mingling, there was a county call-out, and it was revealed that people had driven from both Galveston and Fort Bend counties to attend.

"All ages, some people in their 60s ... a lot of younger people as well," said Piana.

Burke said they signed up 52 volunteer attorneys, 141 people signed up for training and 178 people signed-up to volunteer.

There were 13 ACLU staff on hand to answer questions as they mingled with the attendees. In between the chatting, Burke formally addressed the crowd.

She explained ACLU history and mission, and its intention of remaining vigilante about protecting First Amendment rights. She went over the specific trainings for lawyers who want to volunteer to speak on panels, write briefs, or actually represent clients, as well as the webinars they offer on immigrants' rights.

Piana said she learned what a "legal observer" is. In a protest, she said, there are people trained as observers who are impartial and don't participate in the actual protest, but stand by, set apart in a colored vest, to ensure everyone's rights are upheld during the protest.

Although she's not exactly sure how she'll be involved, Piana is motived.

"I'm not sure where to begin. During the campaign, he (President-elect Trump) said a lot of racist things about Mexicans, building a wall, about Muslims, incredibly offensive things about abortion ... it goes on," she said.

But, she adds that during the gathering there wasn't much talk of the newly elected president or the campaign. It was more about people wanting to learn what they can do to help.

Burke said outside of the annual board meetings and training programs, the ACLU of Texas doesn't normally hold these type of informational gatherings, at least not yet.

"Now that we've seen the success of the meet-up, we will probably be dong more," she said.
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On Saturday, while most doctors were in medical offices or taking an off-day, Cindy Anthis, medical director at Katy's Christ Clinic, exercised alongside patients in an effort to live out what she teaches.

"I think that if I'm telling my patients to exercise," Anthis said, "then I better be out there exercising, too."

Anthis is the lead physician of the clinic's monthly "Walk with a Doc," a global program where doctors walk with their patients in order to promote healthy living styles. The Christ Clinic is one of several Houston-area medical centers that participate in the program, which combines walks with healthy living messages and food.

"A lot of our patients have chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure," Anthis said. "A lot of time we are spinning our wheels with medicine if we don't encourage them to exercise. A lot of them haven't seen ways of exercise to be modeled."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that About 610,000 people die from heart disease in the United States every year.

Almost 10 percent of people in the U.S. have some level of diabetes, a disease which kills more than one million Americans per year, according to the American Diabetes Association. Being overweight can be a cause for high blood pressure and heart disease, as well as diabetes.

The clinic's Walk with a Doc group meets every second Saturday of the month at Katy's Rick Rice Park. Each event is sponsored by area churches such as Kingsland Baptist Church, Epiphany of the Lord and St. Peters United Methodist Church, which typically provide water and healthy snacks such as nuts and fruits.

Anywhere from a handful of people to more than 20 show to walk the park's trail, Anthis said. At least one of the clinic's physicians attends. Before every walk, Anthis teaches the group health and exercise tips.

The walking group typically includes a mix of people that can easily walk laps on the park's trail, as well as those who struggle to get around. But the walk serves as a motivation for everyone there to exercise regularly, Anthis said.

A Columbus, Ohio doctor named David Sabgir began the program in 2005 after becoming discouraged by not seeing enough of his patients practicing healthy exercise routines. Since then, the program has spread worldwide. To find a location, visit http://walkwithadoc.org/.

The Christ Clinic began their Walk with a Doc more than one year ago, and there are several Houston-area health centers and private doctors who have joined the program, including in other suburban areas such as Fort Bend County.

The program "improves your heart health and your physical well-being and your bone structure," said Benedict Ifedi, a physician at Physicians at Sugar Creek in Sugar Land, which participate in the program. "It helps increase comradery. People feel more encouraged when they have someone next to them pushing them."

The Sugar Creek center holds walks every Wednesday beginning at 5:45 p.m. at its location along the Southwest Fwy in Sugar Land.

In March, the Christ Center plans to co-host a 5K color run with local nonprofits that include Clothed by Faith, Hope Impacts and The Ballard House. The event will serve as a fundraiser for the clinic, and Walk with a Doc participants are encouraged to attend, Anthis said.

For more information on the clinic's Walk with a Doc, visit http://bit.ly/KatyDocWalk.
In a startling revelation in a cold case, an alleged assassin who was killed by police last week in a foiled armored-car heist was suspected in the 2015 homicide of Joseph Stewart, the owner of a Houston Cadillac dealership.

Redrick Batiste, 37, is accused of being the armed gunman who recruited and managed five other men who were arrested after the attempted holdup on Dec. 7 outside an Amegy Bank. He also is linked to two fatal money-truck heists this year that took the lives of Loomis courier Melvin Moore in May and David Guzman in August. The robbers got away with $120,000 in the later heist. No one has been charged in those murders.
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CBS News reported late Monday that President-elect Donald Trump chose former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as secretary of energy.

Perry was considered a top contender to run the Energy Department, an agency he once promised to eliminate.

As the longtime GOP governor of the nations leading oil-producing state, Perry is expected to have an easy time during a confirmation process in the Republican-controlled Senate, analysts say.

He looks to me like a fairly straightforward, conventional pick, Joe Barnes, who analyzes energy and geopolitics at Rice Universitys Baker Institute for Public Policy, recently told the Houston Chronicle. He seems like a fairly solid pick for somebody who wants to have a conservative energy policy.

However, Perry could face headwinds in Congress over his outspoken position in favor of abolishing the department, which sets the nations policies regarding energy and handling nuclear material.

Washington Bureau Reporter Kevin Diaz contributed to this report.
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It happened suddenly when the 25-year-old Pearland woman was unloading her groceries at around 8 p.m. in the parking lot outside her apartment building.

According to her account to Pearland police, the woman was taking bags from the front seat on Nov. 7 in the 2300 block of Windswept Drive when a man wearing dark-colored clothes approached with what appeared to be a gun in the waistband of his pants.

He demanded her keys. She handed them over, as well as her purse and cell phone. Two more men then appeared.

Luckily, the woman wasn't injured, and the suspects drove away in her car.

Tips to stay safe Police officials offered a list of safety tips to reduce your chances of being robbed. Avoid shopping alone after dark. Be sure to keep car doors locked both when inside or away from the vehicle. If you must shop at night, park in a well-lighted area and avoid parking next to cars with tinted windows or vans. Don't leave packages or shopping bags in your car when they could be spotted by thieves. Always lock purchases and other valuables in the trunk. When leaving a store, have your keys in hand and watch your surroundings for anything suspicious. Hold on to your packages and/or purse while unlocking your car and don't put them on the hood or top of your car. Avoid carrying large amounts of cash when shopping and don't wear expensive jewelry or clothing that might catch the attention of robbers. See More Collapse

The robbery is one of 15 reported since the beginning of October. Police don't believe any of the cases were related to each other. No one was reported injured in the incidents.

"We not sure why we're seeing an increase in the number of robberies in recent months," Pearland Police Lt. Onesimo Lopez said. "But we're asking residents to be cautious during the holiday shopping season and remain aware of their surroundings at all times."

According to police records, robberies from Oct. 7 to Nov. 7 increased approximately 33 percent when compared to the same period a year ago.

In that period in 2015, Lopez said, "There were six reports of robberies, with four of the six cases involving a gun. During that same time period this year, there were nine robbery reports, with five of those incidents involving suspects who believed to be armed."

One of the holdups occurred Oct. 26 at the Compass Bank in the 3800 block of Broadway when a man described as being between 20 and 30 years old robbed a clerk.

In the case of the woman, Pearland police were able to make two arrests within hours. Charged with felony robbery in the case were 17-year-old Tyrese Preston from Kemah and Brandon Robinson, 28, from Sugar Land. Both teens are being held at the Brazoria County Jail.

Anyone with information related to these incidents are asked to contact the Pearland Police Department at 281-997-4100. Callers can remain anonymous.

Click through the slideshow to see information on 9 of the Pearland robberies that have occurred since early October.
PRINT | EMAIL | PERMALINK Reel World Quadri-City Fiesta Next year, New Mexico Women in Film is planning a quadri-city event for its annual NMWIF Fiesta. The mission of the 2017 Fiesta is to honor current NMWIF members, regardless of gender, who are in good standing by showcasing the creativity, vision and artistry of their film work. April 20 through 23, the Fiesta will take place in Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Las Cruces and Santa Fe. In order to qualify for the NMWIF Fiesta 2017, entrants must be a current NMWIF member. If you are not a NMWIF member and would like to submit a film, you need to go to NMWIF.com to apply for a membership before submitting your film. This Thursday, Dec. 15, is the regular deadline for submission. Submissions by this date will cost $15 each. Fees go up at the late deadline (Jan. 15) and the extended deadline (Jan. 31). Film students at an institution of higher education in the state of New Mexico do not need to be an NMWIF member in order to submit a film, and entry fees are waived. Submissions are currently being accepted on filmfreeway.com. If you have questions about the Fiesta, feel free to contact NMWIF Fiesta producer Shelene Bridge at nmwiffiesta@gmail. com.

Windy City Cinema Chicagos best narrative, experimental, dance and documentary shorts are coming through Albuquerque as part of the Chicagoland Shorts, Vol. 2 collection. The program is produced by Full Spectrum Features, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization committed to increasing diversity in the media arts by producing, exhibiting and supporting the work of women, LGBTQ and minority filmmakers. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Dane Haiken, Brian Zahn and Bryan Konefsky of local arts org Basement Films on the challenges of filmmaking and the mission to increase diverse perspectives in media. The Albuquerque leg of this touring event, which will take place Friday, Dec. 16, starting at 7pm at Graft Gallery (1415 Fourth Street SW). Admission is $5. For more info go to basementfilms.org.
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More than 300 students in the Houston area were physically disciplined during the 2013-2014 school year, according to federal education data.

But if a Houston lawmaker and outgoing U.S. Department of Education Secretary John King have their way, corporal punishment will be a relic of the past.

In November, Texas Rep. Alma Allen (D-Houston) filed a bill for the 2017 legislative session to ban corporal punishment, which often involves school administrators whacking students' bottoms with wooden paddles when they misbehave.

STUDY: Spanking can lead to other problems later in life

Also last month, King sent a letter to education leaders across the country urging them to abandon the practice. He said research has found that corporal punishment often makes children more likely to engage in misbehavior; the majority of students who are physically punished are students of color or disabled; and students who are physically punished often grapple with substance abuse and mental-health issues later in life.

"While some may argue that corporal punishment is a tradition in some school communities, society has evolved and past practice alone is no justification," King wrote. "No school can be considered safe or supportive if its students are fearful of being physically punished."

Texas is one of 15 states that allow corporal punishment, and another seven do not expressly ban the practice. It's illegal in 28 states.

While the use of corporal punishment has declined sharply, more than 109,000 students were physically punished during the 2013-2014 school year, according to an analysis of federal civil-rights data by the Education Week Research Center.

Among the Houston-area school districts that used corporal punishment as recently as 2014 were Magnolia, Barbers Hill, Dayton, Liberty, Cleveland, Anahuac, Hempstead, Royal and Hitchcock ISDs. Some, including Dayton ISD, have since abandoned the practice. Magnolia ISD, which educates about 12,500 students, relies less on physical punishment than it did. In 2013, 18 students in the district were subject to corporal punishment, but in 2015-2016 only five were.

Nowhere in Texas has corporal punishment been used more than in tiny Liberty ISD, about halfway between Houston and Beaumont on U.S. 90. Though only about 2,100 students attend schools there, 140 of them were physically punished in 2013. That's nearly half of all students who were physically disciplined in the Houston area that year.

Superintendent Cody Abshier wrote in an email that corporal punishment was one of "a broad array" of tools the district uses to handle misbehavior. He said it's only used with permission of the parents and in the presence of a witness.

"While corporal punishment is a rare intervention for students in the LISD, it remains within the Trustee-approved techniques to address disciplinary incidents," Abshier wrote.

To read the full story on corporal punishment, visit houstonchronicle.com.
Police are searching for a man who reportedly broke into a home south of Rice University last Thursday and escaped after taking the victim's vehicle.

According to Houston Police Department spokeswoman Jodi Silva, the victim was at his home in the 1900 block of Swift when he heard someone enter his house.
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The Library of Congress is heading into old territory with its newest online collection.

The research library is putting thousands of maps from the late 1800s to the early 1900s on its website, thanks to a partnership with the Digital Public Library of America.

MODERN MAPS: Maps that help explain Texas in 2016

Back before Google mapped the world and made flyover views available at everyone's fingertips, maps were created by cartographers who had a keen eye.

According to the Library of Congress, the panoramic maps shown above were also known as bird's-eye views, perspective maps and aero views. The maps were usually not drawn to scale but they gave a perspective of street patterns, buildings and major landscapes.

Most of the maps added to the website are documented in "Panoramic Maps of Cities in the United States and Canada" by John R. Hebert and Patric E. Dempsy.

The duo collected 1,726 panoramic maps of U.S. and Canadian cities, which were made by Albert Ruger, Thaddeus Mortimer Fowler, Lucien R. Burleigh, Henry Wellge and Oakley H. Bailey.The five men are responsible for more than 55 percent of the panoramic maps in the Library of Congress.

EXPLAINED: Maps that explain the world's drug trade

While not necessarily great for navigating  given the amount of development nationally in the 100 years or so since their creation  the maps offer an interesting view of early America.

In a release, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden called the maps "beautiful" and "one-of-a kind."

The panoramic maps have been released with maps from the Revolutionary War and Civil War.

Click through the slideshow above to see maps of Texas cities from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.
AUSTIN  Gov. Greg Abbott suggested Tuesday that the lack of special education services in Texas could be solved, in part, with more school choice.

In a briefing with reporters, the first-term Republican responded to questions about the state's longtime special education enrollment benchmark by predicting that it would soon be eliminated and then pivoting to a pitch for school choice.

A program that gives parents of special needs kids money to seek out the school that is the best fit would allow some schools to specialize in children with certain types of challenges and alleviate the current pressure on all schools to serve all students with all disabilities, Abbott said.

EMOTIONS RUN HIGH: Angry parents speak out against special ed cap

"It's financially difficult ... for every public school in every ZIP code to provide the full array of solutions for the unique special needs of who may be living in a particular zip code," he said. "It would be far more efficient to provide that money to parents for them to choose which school is best for their child, knowing that in the City of Houston, for example, where there are hundreds of schools, there may only be 10 that have the resource and capabilities of addressing the special needs of that particular parent's child."

(Video: At a Houston forum with officials on Monday, an emotional Eva Flores explains her struggles with finding help for her special-needs son. Story continues below.)

It was not clear how such a program would work or how it would address the problems caused by the 12-year-old benchmark, which has told districts that only 8.5 percent of students should get special education services such as counseling, tutoring and therapy. In the years since the adoption of the arbitrary target, the percentage of students receiving services has plunged from near the national average of 13 percent to exactly 8.5 percent.

Federal law requires all schools to provide special education services to all eligible children with any type of disability.

Other Texas Republicans have made a more explicit case for choice as a solution, saying that creating a "more efficient" system could improve services and eliminate any cost-saving rationale for a benchmark.

DENIED: How Texas keeps thousands of kids out of special ed

School choice is seen as a controversial potential solution in the disability community, though. Many are concerned that the amount of money provided by a voucher would not come close to being able to cover the costs of a school for special needs children. Others worry those schools do not offer enough inclusion. And still others decry that lack of accountability in private schools and say that choice programs undermine public education.

Abbott has so far been reluctant to weigh in on questions surrounding special education. Tuesday's comments marked the first time he has addressed the benchmark since it was revealed by the Houston Chronicle in early September.

The comments came as the U.S. Department of Education has arrived in the state for public "listening sessions" about the lack of special education services. Federal officials, who are investigating whether the benchmark violates federal law, held sessions in Houston and Dallas on Monday and have more scheduled in Edinburg on El Paso on Tuesday and Austin on Thursday.

The Texas Education Agency, which quietly devised the benchmark, has already suspended it and said it eventually will be eliminated.

Hundreds of angry parents have already flooded the sessions, and many have complained about not only about the benchmark but also about the quality of services for those who do get in and the lack of funding generally.
AUSTIN -- Lawyers for Attorney General Ken Paxton are fighting with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over notes agency investigators took during interviews with one of Paxton's former colleagues in the Texas House of Representatives.

Paxton's lawyers, defending him agasint civil securities fraud charges, filed a motion with the Eastern District of Texas Wednesday, asking a judge to compel the SEC to hand over notes from interviews with Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana. The filing also asks for records from the commission's interview with investor Joel Hochberg.

At issue is the SEC's description of an investment group Paxton approached about an investment in a North Texas tech company. The SEC contends the organization was formal, but Paxton's lawyers argue counsel for Cook and Hochberg said the group was "an ad hoc arrangement where, from time to time, good friends might invest in the same transaction," according to the filing.

"Obviously, this is a dramatically different story than the tale the SEC has spun about a decades-old investment group with established policies and practices," read the legal records.

Both Cook and Hochberg have alleged Paxton convinced them to invest in Servergy, Inc. without disclosing that he stood to profit from the transaction. The company gave him 100,000 shares of stock after he recruited several investors.

Paxton's lawyers and the SEC declined to comment Wednesday, both referring media inquiries to the legal pleadings.

Paxton faces two counts of securities fraud and one count of failing to register with the state in federal civil court, with mirroring charges is state criminal court.

A federal judge threw out the civil charges this fall. The SEC responded by revising its filing to lean in on the relationship Paxton had with an investment group he approached about Servergy.

The SEC charges the investment group Paxton was a part of had rules for engagement, including that "no one member makes money or otherwise benefits off the investment of another member," according to the SEC.

In the filing, Paxton's lawyers say counsel for Cook and Hochberg disclosed that the group was unofficial and contend Paxton had no responsibility to disclose he was making a commission off group members' investments.

Cook's legislative office declined to comment Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant has yet to decide whether to hear another round of oral arguments on the case, or rule from the documents to determine whether the SEC has enough to pursue a case or toss the charges.
AUSTIN -- Ho-ho-hold it.

That was the word Tuesday from Attorney General Ken Paxton to Killeen school officials about their ban of a 'Charlie Brown Christmas' display.

A week ago, Patterson Middle School staff member Dedra Shannon was ordered by the principal to take down a door display picturing Linus and his famous Bible-verse speech about the true meaning of Christmas.

Killeen Independent School District officials said it violated the First Amendment and might offend some students.

In a terse letter to school officials, Paxton likened the decision to censorship and said the display could go back up. He cited a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing students and teachers to express their First Amendment rights of free speech.

"Staff members may therefore express their take on the holiday without infringing on the Constitution, even if they incorporate some religious terminology," Paxton stated.

He noted that state law "encourages school districts to take a more inclusive approach to religious and secular celebrations."

In closing, he encourages the school district to get into compliance with the Constitution and state law. And if they do so, he said he'll be glad to represent them in court for any "frivolous litigation" that might be filed.

For their part, school officials said they had not seen the letter and had no immediate comment. As for the display, no word yet on whether Shannon will put it back up.

Late Tuesday, Killeen ISD voted to uphold the Charlie Brown Christmas ban.

In response, a Paxton's spokesperson said: "We are hopeful that, upon further reflection, the Board will reconsider this unwise decision which demonstrates hostility to religion which is forbidden by both federal and state law."
AUSTIN  Attorney General Ken Paxton renewed his call that the U.S. Supreme Court tackle Texas' voter ID law in a new legal filing Tuesday in hopes the high court will reverse a decision by a lower court that found the law discriminates against minorities.

Paxton filed a reply in support of a petition for a writ of certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing the plaintiffs were given voluminous legislative records yet failed find evidence that legislators set out to discriminate against minority voters in passing the voter ID law in 2011.
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.
New Application Process for Parent and Grandparent Program Revealed CIC News Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

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PGP to move from first-come, first-served to invitation-based system for 2017 application cycle

Pour lire cet article en francais, cliquez ici.

The next application cycle for the popular Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP) for immigration to Canada will operate under a new processing system, whereby potential applicants have a window of opportunity to register their interest, but may only submit an application if invited to do so by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The PGP allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents to immigrate to Canada as Canadian permanent residents.

Individuals who wish to sponsor their parent(s) or grandparent(s) will first be required to complete an online form indicating their interest in the program. This form will be available for a 30-day period beginning at 12 p.m. EST on January 3, 2017 and ending at the same time on February 2, 2017.

After this 30-day period, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will randomly invite 10,000 individuals to submit an application. All individuals who submitted an online form will be notified whether they have been invited or not. Those who are not invited may indicate their interest in applying in 2018. Candidates who are invited to apply will have 90 days to submit a complete application, including all supporting documents. The range of supporting documentation may be extensive, including income taxation records, documents relating to civil status, and more. The 2017 application kit and guide will be available online as of January 9, 2017.

Moving away from first-come, first-served

Demand for spaces in the PGP has outpaced the supply of spaces within the quota since the program was re-introduced for 2014, and the quota is typically filled within days.

During the most recent intake period, which took place in January, 2016, more than 14,000 applications were submitted within three days, of which the first 10,000 complete applications were retained for processing. People seeking to bring parents or grandparents to Canada were reportedly paying large sums to couriers to ensure their applications were at the top of the pile for the first-come, first served program that was flooded with far more applications than available spots. Stakeholders were quoted as describing the process as a lottery, and the updated process for 2017 essentially turns what was an informal lottery with a very short intake period into a formal lottery with a 30-day window to submit a profile.

For the upcoming 2017 application cycle, based on previous demand levels it is expected that the number of potential applicants who submit an online form before February 2, 2017 will exceed the number of invitations available.

Were listening to what past applicants had to say and making the process fairer for people who want to sponsor their parents or grandparents. Were ensuring everyone can access the application process by giving them the same chance to have their name chosen, said Immigration Minister, John McCallum.

In the Immigration Levels Plan for 2017, the government of Canada established a target of 20,000 new permanent resident admissions to Canada through the PGP.

PGP eligibility criteria

It should be noted that the latest program update pertains to the application process, but does not change eligibility criteria.

Sponsors under the program must meet the following requirements:

Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;

Be 18 years of age or older;

Meet the minimum necessary income level for this program by submitting notices of assessment issued by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) in support of their sponsorship (sponsors in Quebec must satisfy particular income requirements, different from sponsors in the rest of Canada). Sponsors must also demonstrate they have met the minimum necessary income level for three consecutive years. If married or in a common-law relationship, the income of both persons can be included; and

The sponsor and the sponsored relative must sign a sponsorship agreement that commits the sponsor to provide financial support for the sponsored person for up to 20 years. This agreement also states that the person becoming a permanent resident will make every effort to support themselves. Again, sponsors in Quebec have different requirements (see below).

Income requirements

Sponsors under the PGP are required to satisfy income requirements, which have been increased slightly since the most recent application cycle. Potential applicants are encouraged to review the latest minimum income requirements to ensure that they meet the requirements.

Sponsors in Quebec

The government of Quebec requires sponsors residing in that province to satisfy particular requirements. In addition to satisfying separate income requirements, Quebec residents must sign a sponsorship agreement with the province of Quebec; this is a contract binding the sponsorship for 10 years.

Sponsors in Quebec apply first to the federal government, which determines eligibility and completeness of the application at that level, before applying to the government of Quebec.

Potential sponsors residing in Quebec are encouraged to contact a legal expert about the exact requirements and processes required for PGP applications.

Super Visa

The PGP is not the only option for bringing parents and grandparents to Canada; there is also the Super Visa, a multiple-entry visa that allows parents and grandparents to enter Canada as long-term visitors. Super Visa holders may stay in Canada for up to two years on initial entry, and the visa is valid for up to 10 years. One advantage of this visa is the shorter processing time (as compared with a PGP application). However, Super Visa holders may not work in Canada, and the visa is not a permanent resident visa.

To find out if you or your family members are eligible for the Parent and Grandparent Program based on the eligibility criteria for the most recent application cycle, please fill out a free online assessment .

 2016 CICNews All Rights Reserved
Since the election of Donald Trump to the presidency, municipal officials across the United States have vowed to resist federal encroachment on sanctuary policies that protect illegal immigrants. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio has fashioned himself into a modern-day Orval Faubus, railing against federal intrusion into local matters with the defiant enthusiasm once shown by Dixiecrat diehards.

According to de Blasio, the Constitution protects a lot of the rights and powers of localities. Thats how it was built. In fact, the Constitution says a lot about the rights and powers of states and nothing about the rights and powers of cities, but those kinds of legal quibbles are less important to New Yorks political class than the opportunity to pander to favored constituencieseven if, in this case, that constituency cannot vote. Sanctuary has become a shibboleth of municipal politics, where willful blindness to immigration status is portrayed as a sacred bond, above the law.

What, practically speaking, does sanctuary mean in Americas largest city? The signature accomplishment of de Blasios first term in office is the creation of a municipal identification card called IDNYC. This photo ID card, available to anyone who can demonstrate residence in the city, regardless of legal status, was primarily intended as a means for the undocumented to possess a government-issued credential attesting to their identity and residenceallowing them to open bank accounts, enter government buildings, and the like. Initial registrations for IDNYC surpassed all expectations, and to date, almost 900,000 people have obtained one, which suggests that estimates of New York Citys population of illegal immigrantsabout 500,000could be low.

Prescient legislators anticipated that a future president might be unsympathetic to the cause of documenting the undocumented. The original 2014 IDNYC legislation authorized the city to purge all the underlying records by the end of 2016, lest they be used to facilitate deportation roundups. As of December, Mayor de Blasio was fighting in court to preserve the citys right to destroy the old data, and he has vowed no longer to retain any records for newly issued cards. Thus, the city will now issue official photo ID to anyone who can present a gas bill and a foreign passportand then erase all records connecting the cardholder to his or her purported identity. Here, in plain view, we see a municipal administration doing its best to disguise possible identity fraud and assist in the violation of federal law. Another key feature of New Yorks sanctuary status has been an official policy of non-cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as it seeks to deport illegal immigrants who have committed serious crimes. Under Mayor de Blasio, the city has forced ICE to abandon its office on Rikers Island, the citys jail. New York City no longer honors requests to detain illegal aliens convicted of nonviolent crimes unless a judge orders it to do so.

The mayor insists that New York City is still safe under his sanctuary regime because the law delineates dozens and dozens of crimes that will lead to removal of the illegal aliens who have committed them. These dozens and dozens of other crimes are not considered serious enough to merit detention for deportation, however. For instance, felony convictions for bigamy, incest, child abandonment, or diversion of prescription drugs do not disqualify one from freely pursuing ones dream of a better life in New York City. Nor do felony convictions for insurance fraud, welfare fraud, any form of larceny, or money laundering (except in support of terrorism) merit remand to federal custody of criminal-alien fraudsters or (non-terrorist) money launderers.

Surely it is a great boon and comfort to illegal aliens residing in New York City, and many other jurisdictions around the country, that a sanctuary policy protects them from deportation. It would be helpful if someone could explain what benefit sanctuary accrues to the rest of us.

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
AO Centrul de Drept al Avocatilor anunta concurs pentru procurarea/elaborarea panourilor informative pentru Inspectoratul General al Politiei de Frontiera
On an overcast day in December, a drone flew over the outskirts of Dallas. The brief flight had been routinea test to calibrate equipmentso the amateur pilot wasnt expecting much when he returned home to review the pictures he had captured. But something in the bottom left-hand corner of one of the photos caught his eye. It looked like a river of blood flowing from the back of a factory into a creek that fed the Trinity River.

The operator picked up the phone and reported the sighting to the National Response Center, which tipped off the Texas Environmental Crimes Task Force. A search warrant was issued. A year later, following an investigation kicked off by the photos, a grand jury returned 18 indictments against the Columbia Packing Co., Inc, which had been operating as a slaughterhouse and meatpacking plant, and two of its vice presidents for pollution and evidence tampering. The slaughterhouse was shuttered.

The incident demonstrates both the potential of drones for investigative journalism and the impact of new state and federal guidelines that could limit their use. As is often the case with new technology, the evolution of drones long ago outstripped efforts to regulate them, even as they tap into our most primal fears about privacy and surveillance. The FAA in recent months has moved to streamline its rules around commercial drone usage, but state legislation remains a hodgepodge. In 2015, 45 states considered 168 bills related to drones, according the National Conference of State Legislatures. The result is a confusing patchwork of laws and regulations that vary according to where youre standing and why youre filming.

In mid 2014, for instance, the National Park Service instituted a ban on drones until it can work out a long-term management plan. The reasoning is sound enough: Selfie sticks are annoying, but can you imagine a future in which every tourist visiting the Grand Canyon has a flying camera?

Meanwhile, Tennessee has outlawed drones at ticketed events with more than 100 attendees and California has regulations in place to prevent paparazzi from using drones to film people on private property.

Unfortunately, not all drone laws are so logical. Today, under Texas legislation introduced 18 months after the blood river photo was taken, it would be illegal for news organizations to capture and publish such an image without the permission of every landowner in the frame.

Here youll find drone photographs that have captured new, unusual, and important aerial perspectives of American life. Most of them are now, or might soon be, restricted for news organizations under federal, state, or local regulations. Enjoy them while you can.

Rock ClimbingMoab, Ut Max Seigal, a professional photographer, captured this image of a rock climber scaling a cliff in Moab, Utah. Although this image was captured within the FAAs height limit of 400 feet, Seigal finds some of the new drone rules restrictive. The guy who is climbing is actually a good friend of mine. Ive done climbers, Ive done sports, Ive done hotels, real estate. I mean, the possibilities are pretty much endless. (Max Seigal)

Michael Brown Protest MarchAtlanta, Ga Elliott Augustine, a photographer and videographer, captured a November 2015 protest against the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. After I looked at the footage I was kind of shocked to see everything that was captured.Drones will

be used in news gathering, its just a matter

of time. (Courtesy Elliott Augustine of American Drone Industries)

Fireworks display West Palm Beach, Fl In May 2014, drone hobbyist Jos Stiglingh flew his drone at SunFest, which features a large fireworks display. His video of the light show went viralit currently has more than 15 million views. At least one state has since banned the flight of drones through fireworks displays. In 2015, Tennessee enacted a law that makes it illegal to use a drone above a fireworks display without permission. (Jos Stiglingh / GoPro)

Scattering of AshesMakaha Beach, Oahu, Hi Pk Salmon is a surf photographer and filmmaker who lives on Oahu. When her friend and mentor Jeff Mana Walthall, a renowned surf photographer, passed away suddenly while surfing, she captured his water memorial from the sky. The new FAA rules restrict commercial operators from flying directly over people. (Courtesy Pk Salmon)

Halemaumau CraterHawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hi The National Park Service in 2014 ordered a blanket ban on drones within all national parks until a long-term plan for drone usage is worked out. A year before the ban was imposed, drone enthusiasts Georgi and Nina Tushev captured this image with a homemade device. (Courtesy Georgi and Nina Tushev)

Sewage LagoonNorth Carolina This image, of a factory pig farm, would be hindered in some states by ag gag laws enacted to prevent whistle-blowers from using hidden cameras at agricultural facilities. The laws would also restrict journalists ability to film the farms with drones. (Courtesy Mark Devries of Factory Farm Drones)

Burning ManBlack Rock Desert, Nv Burning Man truly is a small city. They have all sorts of little faux-government agencies that do real work. They have their department of public works, they have their safety camp, they have a DMV, says Zubeyir Mentese, a drone photographer who took this picture of the event. They have a bunch of rules concerning where you can fly. Youre not supposed to fly within 25 feet horizontally of any person who is a non-participant. We put a lot of effort into flying safely. If an artist was at an art installation, wed speak to the artist and get their approval to clear everyone out. (Courtesy Zubeyir Mentese)

FloodingBaton Rouge, La In August 2016, CNN became the first media organization to be granted FAA approval to fly a small drone over people at a height of less than 21 feet. Greg Agvent, CNNs senior director of national news-gathering technology, has worked with the agency on how commercial drone use will be regulated. (Courtesy CNN)

SnowstormBirmingham, Al Kevin Henderson, an IT repair technician, captured the fallout from a snowstorm that hit the area in the winter of 2014, the kind of image that also could be restricted by new FAA drone rules that forbid flying over people. (Courtesy Kevin Henderson of SkyBama Drone)

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Shelley Hepworth , formerly a CJR Delacorte Fellow, is Technology Editor at The Conversation in Australia. Follow her on Twitter @shelleymiranda.
XL Catlin Announces Reinsurance Leadership Changes

XL Catlins reinsurance operations announced two key leadership appointments, both effective January 2017.

Jonathan (Jon) Gale, currently chief executive London Reinsurance, will take over as chief executive Bermuda Reinsurance subject to Bermuda Immigration approval, while Rob Littlemore, currently underwriting director London Reinsurance, is being promoted to chief executive London Reinsurance. Both will report to Charles Cooper, currently chief executive Bermuda Reinsurance, who will become chief executive of XL Catlins Reinsurance business group as of January 1, 2017.

In addition, Greg Hendrick, who currently heads XL Catlins global Reinsurance operations will be president, Property & Casualty overseeing the Companys entire P&C operation as of January 1, 2017,

Gale joined legacy Catlin in 2002 and held progressively senior underwriting roles before becoming chief executive London Reinsurance upon the creation of XL Catlin in May 2015. Tasked with launching and establishing the new XL Catlin reinsurance operation in the London market with its expanded scale and offering, he earned market recognition for the unit as demonstrated in the Gracechurch London (Re)Insurers Report 2016. Gale previously worked in Bermuda, between 2004 and 2008. Before joining the company, he was an underwriter with R F Bailey Underwriting Agencies Ltd and CNA Reinsurance.

Littlemore, an established figure in the London market, started his career with a brief period as a Lloyds broker, has 28 years experience underwriting US Casualty reinsurance classes. He was leading a US Casualty Treaty portfolio team for Wellington Syndicate 2020 when it was acquired by Catlin in 2006. He became Catlins head of Reinsurance in London in 2008 and became XL Catlins underwriting director of London Reinsurance in May 2015. Between May 2012 and 2015, he was appointed to the Lloyds Market Association (LMA) Board to represent Non-Marine Underwriting and in 2015 he was named in the Gracechurch report Londons Leading 100 underwriters.

Brentwood Services Administrators Inc. Promotes Saldana to Claim Representative II

Tenn.-based Brentwood Services Administrators Inc. (BSA), recently promoted Nick Saldana to the position of claim representative II in its Tennessee Claims Department, according to Jeff Pettus, president and chief executive officer of BSA.

With increased responsibility, Saldana is reviewing, processing,and handling medical workers compensation claims as assigned by Bonnie Moser, AIC, WCLS, Tennessee claims supervisor. He determines the compensability of the claim and extent of liability, and communicates directly with clients, employers, injured workers, physicians and attorneys, to manage claims in a timely and economic manner.

Initially, Saldana came to Brentwood Services Administrators in October 2013 as a claim assistant with the occupational accident team. His bilingual skills in Spanish enable him to assist with BSA clients and their employees. In May 2015, he was promoted to claim examiner II in the Tennessee Claims Department, and in October 2015 was elevated to the claim representative I position.

NAIC Taps Former Pennsylvania Commissioner, Transamerica Exec Consedine as CEO

Ten months after its last chief executive officer departed, the national organization of state insurance regulators has named former Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael F. Consedine as its new CEO. Consedine will assume the job in early 2017.

As the new CEO of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), Consedine will lead the Washington, D.C. office with primary responsibility over state and federal government affairs and international activities. He will act as an advocate and spokesperson for the association and handle outreach to federal and international policymakers, state government associations, as well as consumer and industry representatives, according to the announcement.

Consedine is currently with the Netherlands-based pensions and life insurance group Aegon that owns Transamerica in the U.S.

Consedine will succeed Andy Beal, current acting CEO, who will return to his roles as chief operating officer and chief legal officer, overseeing the Kansas City and New York offices and managing the day-to-day operations of the organization.

Beal was named acting director after the departure of CEO Ben Nelson in January when Nelsons contract expired.

Consedine served as Pennsylvania insurance commissioner from 2011 to 2015. He was appointed insurance commissioner by Republican Gov. Tom Corbett in January 2011 and confirmed by the state Senate in April 2011. He left the post in January 2015, when Democratic Gov.-elect Tom Wolf was sworn into office. In Pennsylvania, the insurance commissioner is appointed by the governor.

Prior to his time as commissioner, Consedine was partner and vice chair of law firm Saul Ewings Insurance Practice Group. While in private practice Consedine counseled insurance companies, reinsurers, producers, and commercial policyholders in complex insurance regulatory and corporate matters.

From 1995-1999, he was department counsel for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, representing the department in litigation proceedings and on transactional filings.

He joined Aegons Transamerica unit in Baltimore in March 2015 as senior vice president, deputy general counsel and executive director of government affairs for its U.S. subsidiary, Transamerica. In August of this year, he added responsibility for Aegons government policy worldwide and the title of global head of government and policy affairs.

He is familiar with the NAIC organization, having served as president-elect and in other officer positions within the NAIC, during which time he chaired a number of NAIC committees including the International Insurance Relations Committee, the Reinsurance Task Force and the Health Care Reform Alternatives Working Group.

In 2014, he was one of 21 individuals including state regulators, insurance executives, college professors and consumer advocates named to serve as members of the Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance (FACI) of the Treasury Department.

Tokio Solution Eliminates Co-CEO Lanes Role

The Board of Directors of Tokio Solution Management Ltd. (Tokio Solution), the third party capital markets facilitation arm of Tokio Millennium Re AG (TMR), announced a simplification of Tokio Solutions organizational structure.

The changes are a result of an overall strategic review of Tokio Solution in light of the evolution of TMRs third party capital (TPC) strategy. Following the formation of TMRs Capital Solutions unit in 2015 and further operational enhancements at TMR, it was concluded that Tokio Solutions management structure would be simplified in order to focus resources on account management and technical portfolio support for TPC partners, with TMRs Capital Solutions unit serving as the driver of convergence-related product development and innovation.

As a result of the restructuring, the Co-CEO role at Tokio Solution was no longer required. Susan Lane, who held this position, has now left the company.

Tsuyoshi (Harry) Harigai has become the sole chief executive officer. He joined the Tokio Marine Group in 1995 and has more than 20 years experience in the insurance and reinsurance field. He was appointed head of Operations for Tokio Millennium Re AG, Bermuda Branch and a member of the Board of Tokio Solution in July 2013. Butch Agnew, will remain vice president, ILS Portfolio Management and Dave Courcy will remain vice president, Structuring and Finance.
A Missouri woman who sued American Family Insurance for retaliation and age and sex discrimination has been awarded $20 million in punitive damages.

Deborah Miller, 60, of Blue Springs, also was awarded $450,000 in actual damages on Friday by a Jackson County jury, The Kansas City Star reported. She was removed from her manager position in a corporate restructuring but continues to be a company agent.

Ken Muth, a spokesman for American Family, based in Madison, Wisconsin, said Monday that the company strongly disagrees with the verdict and believe it is contrary to the facts and testimony that were presented at trial.

We do not illegally discriminate in any way, and there was no discrimination in this situation. We are considering our options for appeal, Muth said.

Millers attorneys said they believed the jury agreed that Miller was targeted as part of a corporate effort to replace older workers with younger hires.

Dennis Egan said he thought the jury was affected by testimony that John Bosman, a former Missouri state director of the company who supervised Miller, told Miller this will not end well when he put her on a performance improvement plan while she was on medical leave.

Testimony in the case indicated Miller was an award-winning sales manager who produced similar or better results than her peers who were younger and mostly men.

Egan said the plaintiffs attorneys asked the jury to send a message of significance that would capture the attention of the American Family headquarters.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
On the eve of a special session for disaster relief, Gov. Pat McCrory asked the North Carolina legislature to approve $200 million to help with short-term recovery and long-term rebuilding after Hurricane Matthew and mountain wildfires this fall.

In a video message Monday, the governor laid out what he wants from the General Assembly when it returns Tuesday for the session to address the destruction caused by flooding and flames. McCrory made no mention of legislation on other topics. Critics are worried other bills could be considered during the short time legislators are expected in Raleigh.

As we work to make sure North Carolina recovers stronger than before, we are committed to addressing unmet needs of our citizens still suffering, and we must do it now, especially during these Christmas holidays and as the cold weather approaches, McCrory said in the video.

Matthews destruction hurt an estimated 30,000 businesses and caused more than $400 million in crop losses in eastern North Carolina. There were 28 storm-related deaths and the economic damage could exceed $2 billion, according to the McCrory administration. Although federal money already has been coming into North Carolina for disaster relief, the state must fill gaps and provide matching funds.

McCrory said the immediate priority is housing for people who arent covered by federal assistance and who need help paying rent. He also wants grant money to build rental units in flood-affected areas and funds for local governments, business recovery and long-range planning.

Republican legislative leaders have sounded eager to work with McCrory this week on a state recovery plan, which can be paid for comfortably from nearly $1.6 billion in the states savings reserves.

Money is already coming into North Carolina to help with the hurricane recovery. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has distributed direct aid to displaced residents and approved government loans to small businesses.

President Barack Obama signed a stopgap spending measure for the federal government last weekend that also should provide $300 million toward the states hurricane recovery. And FEMA last month approved access for North Carolina infrastructure repair and cleanup funds that didnt require separate congressional approval.

McCrorys special session proclamation last week also included a catchall for other legislative business that some worry sets the stage for mischief by the GOP-led legislature. House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, said late last week some additional issues may be debated during the session.

Atop the list worrying Democrats and their allies is legislation that could add two new justices to the state Supreme Court as a way to preserve the GOPs majority after Democrats begin a 4-3 advantage on the court next month.

Republicans have said it is unlikely such court-packing legislation would be considered. Still, the election reform group Common Cause North Carolina unveiled Monday a $200,000 TV ad buy with a commercial urging viewers to call the General Assembly and oppose such legislation.

Democrats also are worried about attempts to limit the powers of Democrat Roy Cooper when he becomes governor Jan. 1. Cooper narrowly defeated McCrory in an election that the Republican incumbent conceded just last week.

The special session marks the first time legislators will convene since the regular work session ended in early July. Legislators are arriving to a construction site  copper and granite roofs atop the Legislative Building are being replaced and redone. Interior work to remove asbestos from the rotundas ceiling and fix a recurring leak near the front doors of the House gallery is complete.

Were ready for them to come back, said Paul Coble, the legislative services officer.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Buttressing its growing collection of works by African-American artists, the Cleveland Museum of Art announced it has purchased an important 1973 painting by Wadsworth Jarrell, a pioneer of the AfriCOBRA collective launched in Chicago in 1968.

The Jarrell is part of the latest round of acquisitions approved by the museum's trustees on Monday.

The new batch of objects includes 37 photographs of late 19th-century India by Raja Deen Dayal; five photographs of New York City's Harlem neighborhood in the 1960s by Louis Draper; five images by photographer Leonard Freed from his "Black in White America" project in the 1960s; a rare etching of Saint Sebastian, circa 1776, by Irish artist James Barry; and other works.

The museum paid $97,500 for the Jarrell painting in October, including the buyer's premium, after an auction at Swann Auction Galleries in New York. The price was a record for the artist, according to the auction house's website. The museum's announcement is the first time it has revealed itself as the purchaser.

The painting, "Untitled (African Rhythm, Our Heritage)," depicts a clarinetist and a saxophone player in hot, bright, jazzy colors and geometric patterns that fill the canvas from edge to edge.

"His work doesn't come up very often, and it's especially rare to have a work from the '70s coming up," at auction, said Heather Lemonedes, the museum's chief curator.

"It's an iconic early work in great condition,' she said of the painting. "To be able to represent such a vibrant moment, in a work that literally sings and trumpets and is so celebratory, I think it's fantastic."

Cleveland Museum of Art Chief Curator Heather Lemonedes with the newly acquired painting by Wadsworth Jarrell.

The museum plans to display the painting as part of an upcoming reinstallation of the contemporary galleries in its East Wing, she said.

Jarrell and his wife, Jae Jarrell, a Cleveland native and an influential fashion designer, activist and co-founder of AfriCOBRA, moved to Cleveland five years ago and have settled near the art museum, the institution said in a press release.

Jae Jarrell's apparel and designs were exhibited locally most recently in the 2015 exhibition "How to Remain Human" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland.

The website HistoryMakers, which focuses on African-American history, describes Wadsworth Jarrell as a "revolutionary social artist" born in Albany, Georgia, in 1929.

The AfriCOBRA collective took as "central tenets black pride, social responsibility and the development of a new diasporic African identity," the website says.

The movement's name is an acronym for African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists.

In addition to the newly acquired photographs and the Jarrell painting, the museum acquired an oil-on-masonite painting, circa 1945, of African fauna by Cleveland School painter Paul Travis; and a 15th-century tunic woven in cotton by the ancient Andean Ychsma people.

Claude-Emile Schuffenecker (French, 1851-1934) Study for 'Landscape with Figure and House', about 1891 Pastel on two joined sheets of laid paper Overall: 36.8 x 51.5 cm (13.2 x 19.7 inches)

Also new to the collection is an 1891 pastel study by French artist Claude-Emile Schuffeneceker, made in preparation for another pastel by the artist, "Landscape With Figure and House," which the museum acquired in 2014.

A document prepared by the museum quotes the French Symbolist author Joris-Karl Huysmans as having written of Schuffenecker that, "nowhere are the artist's skills as a painter more evident than in his pastels. Nowhere else is his technique as efficient, or as skillful. His light touch barely scratches the sheet; his elusive shades are diaphanous and fluid."
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Broadview Heights voters will decide in May whether to allow 23 homes at the Royalton Road-Avery Road intersection.

(Bob Sandrick, special to cleveland.com)

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio - Voters will decide in May whether to allow a 23-home subdivision at the northwest corner of Royalton and Avery roads, just west of Interstate 77.

City Council has placed on the May ballot a rezoning issue that would make the subdivision possible. Petros Development Corp., a Broadview Heights firm, proposed the project and asked for the rezoning in June.

Petros would build the subdivision on about 7 acres at Royalton and Avery. It would have a single street, with a cul-de-sac, off Avery.

Last summer, Sam Petros, chairman of Petros Development, said the homes would be similar to colonials in Town Centre Village, another of his Broadview Heights developments. Prices in Town Centre Village, off Town Center Drive, are in the $300,000 range.

A historic barn

Originally, Petros' proposal also included two new office buildings on Royalton at Avery, just south of the subdivision. The office buildings are no longer part of his plan.

Instead, Zinc Insurance, a Broadview Heights agency, is in the process of buying about 3 acres of Petros' original 10-acre site. That's what Seth Zaremba, founder and principal of Zinc, told council Dec. 5, according to meeting minutes.

Zinc wants to build a new headquarters on Royalton at Avery, where Petros had planned the two office buildings. Zaremba said Zinc has outgrown its existing space on Royalton about a half mile east of Avery.

Petros Development has submitted this plan for a subdivision off Avery Road at Royalton Road in Broadview Heights.

As part of its project, Zinc would renovate a historic barn, built between 1870-1890, and move the barn from the rear of the 3-acre property to the front. The barn would become part of Zinc's 6,000-square foot building.

Zaremba said the barn is "awesome" and deserves a prominent place on Royalton, near the city's border.

"It (the barn) is Broadview Heights," Zaremba told council.

In three-five years, Zinc would construct a second office building, measuring 8,000-10,000 square feet, on the site. Zinc would either occupy the second building itself or lease it to a tenant.

Before Zinc's plan can move forward, it needs the city to split 3 acres from Petros' site. The proposed lot split goes before the city's Planning Commission on Dec. 21.

Musical zoning

The Zinc proposal would not require a rezoning because the entire 10-acre Royalton-Avery site is zoned a conversion district, which allows offices. Zinc's 3 acres would remain a conversion district.

However, conversion districts do not permit homes, which is why Petros needs a rezoning for his subdivision. He would like voters to rezone his land into a special planning district B, which allows mixed uses, including offices and homes.

Voters would end up rezoning about 10 acres - the approximate size of Petros' original request - even though the Zinc land has been subtracted from the equation. That's because an Avery resident, who owns about 3 acres directly north of the Petros site, has asked the city to include his land in the rezoning.

The resident made the request because he doesn't want his property, now part of the conversion district, to be the single remaining island of conversion zoning at Royalton-Avery.

This Broadview Heights map shows special planning districts A and B to the west and the conversion district to the east.

Voters created special planning districts A and B, along with the conversion district, in May 2013. District A, centered at Royalton and Broadview Road, is a multi-use retail, office and residential zone. The city hoped the new zoning would bring more of a town-center feel to the area.

Special planning district B, which surrounds district A, is also multi-use but is geared more toward office and residential. City officials believed district B would complement the town center.

The conversion district, centered at Royalton and Avery, east of districts A and B, allows offices on land now zoned residential.
CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio - French students at Chagrin Falls Middle School are learning how to make and market soap to aid students 1,600 miles away in Haiti.

Chagrin Falls students make soaps to sell for a fundraiser to support students in Haiti.

French teacher Christine Briggs partnered with sculptor David Shankland to provide supplies to an art school he is opening near Port Au Prince, Haiti, which is recognized as the poorest country in the Americas.

Shankland teaches sculpture at Valley Art Center. Briggs met him at VAC's Art by the Falls show in June. At that time, Shankland mentioned the art school, and Briggs told him of her shared interest in Haiti. From that conversation the collaboration took root.



Rather than simply donate money, Briggs' students decided they would create and sell a hand-made product to raise money to purchase paint brushes.

A fundraising plan was devised and the students decided to manufacture organic glycerin soap bars in 3 aromas, including citrus, lavender and peppermint. They also created the business name, Savon D'Espoir, translated as "Hope Soap," and they designed a logo. The students used the school's new 3D printer to design soap molds.



Next, the class received permission to display and sell their products at the VAC gift shop. The price is $5 a bar. Profits will fund the purchase of paint brushes and other art supplies.



Shankland met with the French class three times, sharing his experiences in the impoverished country.

"I was just amazed watching the Chagrin students fly into action," he said. "One table in the art room is the art department for the venture. Another table is where the soap is made. And, yet a different group is working on marketing at the board. I am really overwhelmed at what these students are doing."



The young entrepreneurs had to develop business practices in areas such as supply, purchasing, manufacturing, marketing, display, advertising and sales, Shankland explained.

Shankland pointed out that the activity of the local students mirrors the goals of the students in Haiti. The Haitian art students plan to sell the art they create to visitors from abroad and learn the same business and creative skills their American friends are learning.

The soap makes a nice gift, according to Brian Jacobs, VAC spokesman. Each is individually wrapped with a bow and a tag explaining the story of Savon D'Espoir.

The gift shop, located at 155 Bell St. in Chagrin Falls, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. For holiday hours, contact valleyartcenter.org or call 440-247-7507.
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It's the company dish, for the best carnivore company.

(Kelly Lambert)

One of the most regal beef dishes to grace the winter table is a standing rib roast. It's pricey, but the folks at Ohio City Provisions say you can protect your investment with an easy cooking technique, and an instant-read meat thermometer.

They also offer the reduced meat juices in the form of demi-glace that makes gravy in one easy step.

Perfect Standing Rib Roast

Allow 8-12 ounces per person

1 standing rib roast (bone-in)

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 cup meat demi-glace, preferably Ohio City Provisions brand

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preliminaries: Set roast on counter until it comes to room temperature, about an hour. Pat dry. Season liberally with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Roast: Place roast in roasting pan and into the pre-heated oven. Cook 20-25 minutes until browned. Lower heat to 325 and continue cooking until a thermometer reaches 130 degrees (about 16 minutes per pound, but using a thermometer is the best way to keep roast from over-cooking). It is important that the thermometer is in the actual center of the meat as that will be the coolest part. Each end will be warmer and more done. Remove roast from the oven and let rest for 15-20 minutes.

Pan Sauce: Place demi-glace in saucepan. Add garlic, thyme and rosemary. Bring the sauce to a simmer (not a boil) and add 2-3 tablespoons of unsalted butter (preferably Cultured Guernsey butter from Paint Valley Creamery). Whisk in the butter. Serve warm sauce over the prime rib.

Source: Recipe adapted from Ohio City Provisions.
When a grocery store sells only local products from small farmers, they have a few stories to tell. Walk into the newly-opened Ohio City Provisions, and it's likely you'll hear about who grew what, how they made it and what makes it stand out. Here's a sneak preview of some of the exclusives items you'll find:

IF YOU GO

What: Ohio City Provisions, a new store featuring produce, dairy, grains, beans, cheese, bread and butcher shop, all locally sourced.

Where: 3208 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, 44113.

When: Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily.

Contact: http://www.ohiocityprovisions.com; 216-465-2762.

1. Beef Liver Bologna - Maybe somewhere in Cleveland someone is making their own bologna for retail sale. But probably not with beef they grew on their own farm. Or with such a beefy tasting result. Try the pork charcuterie, too, the sweet salami, and the herb-rich terrine - the ultimate party food. All by chef and store co-founder Adam Lambert.

INTERVIEW WITH A FOUNDER

RECIPES FROM THE STORE

2. Every Cut Available from Grass-Fed Beef, Pastured Pork, Lamb, Chicken - Since they grow the meat they sell, you can request any cut, right down to the real pork back fat for home sausage making.

3. Canal Junction Two-Year-Old Aged Gruyere - The cheese cases here are a kind of Ohio's greatest hits, those artisan, grass-fed products that have been winning awards across the country. The Gruyere stands out. The first time Clatterbuck and Lambert opened a package, the aroma was so rich and complex it made them giddy. They bought every wheel the Defiance-area dairy had. Ask for a taste.

4. Amish Country Black Walnuts - This tangy, piney version of the more familiar English walnut is the result of the Amish Lodi community trying to keep their seniors busy and cracking on the farm. Not everyone loves the flavor straight, but tuck it into a coconut cake or make ice cream out of it and you'll find some new fans.

5. Fluffy Duck Oatmeal Bread - Okay, you can go to the brand new Fluffy Duck Cafe in Midtown Cleveland and buy their bread. But Ohio City Provisions carried it first, on the West Side, and wholesale production is only starting. OCP has baguettes, sourdoughs and others. Try a loaf of the oatmeal, made completely of Ohio honey, oatmeal and Turkey Ridge Heritage Red Winter Hard Wheat. Taut crust, with a tender, dense, humbly sweet interior. Can't get much better for a turkey or tuna sandwich.

6. Peak-of-Season Frozen Local Produce - Forget to freeze some of your own sweet corn, green beans, strawberries and tomatoes? This place has one of the few flash-freezing operations in Ohio, down in Holmes County. Amish farmers come to them with extra crops to preserve.

7. Wholesome Valley Milk - The store has its own brand of milk, an A2 Guernsey product touted as more tolerable for the lactose sensitive. It comes from the Amish-owned Paint Valley Farm, along with cream. A 4-5 percent butterfat content in the whole milk makes a superb homemade ricotta cheese.

8. North African Pepper Butter - Cumin-scented local pepper sandwich spread joins a whole line of canned, exclusive Wholesome Valley products including beets, pickles, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut, peaches, and tomato sauce.

9. Tongues of Fire Beans - Just one of many Ohio Amish-grown organic beans on the shelf including cannelini and red kidney. Grains are nearby, including products from Stutzman Farms and Shagbark Seed and Mill. You otherwise have to wait for the farmers market to roll around to get these.

10. A Whole Pig - Up to six people can buy one of these pastured, GMO- and antibiotic-free animals, and then participate with a chef in the butchering, the sausage-making, a dinner (made from it), and take home the rest of the cuts, $1,000. Several steps beyond the county fair auctions.
Cleveland Metroparks Ranger Department Lt. Victor McDowell, second from right, speaks during a group discussion of the proposed new crisis intervention policies for the Cleveland police department.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland residents and mental health professionals said at two public meetings Tuesday that while they generally approve of a set of proposed policies for how police interact with people in crisis, a few changes are needed to ensure the policies cover as many serious situations as possible.

Suggestions from those at two meetings, held at the Murtis Taylor Community Center and Urban Community School on the city's east and west sides, respectively, ranged from being more culturally sensitive to having an officer wear clothing or a badge showing that he or she is specially trained to work with the mentally ill.

The proposed new policies, unveiled in late November, are designed to give officers clear guidance on how to respond to those in crisis and who to call for additional assistance.

The proposed policies are mandated in a settlement the city reached with the U.S. Justice Department, which found many problems with the way officers interact with individuals.

Like the city's proposed new use-of-force policies, the proposed crisis-intervention policies were drafted after the Justice Department said officers lacked proper training on how to deal with the mentally ill.

All officers will undergo eight hours of crisis intervention training, while a new squad of specialized officers will receive 40 hours of training.

Randolph Dupont a professor at the University of Memphis and a member of the Cleveland police monitoring team, told a crowd Tuesday that similar policies have been shown to reduce the need to use force and make arrests and have resulted in fewer injuries to officers.

He said Cleveland's proposed policies are uniquely tailored to the needs of local residents.

"This is not a city where cookie cutter approaches work well," Dupont said.

Here are a few things that residents said could be improved. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Tonsing Volosin told a crowd that the city, Justice Department and the monitor will review all of the suggestions and possibly make changes to the policies before a final draft is given to Chief U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. for approval.

Special clothing for specialized officers

During both meetings, community members said they feel crisis intervention officers should wear clothing or a visible badge or insignia that clearly notes that they are trained to deal with those in crisis.

"Seeing a regular police officer's uniform can trigger trauma if you see a regular officer come," said Kareem Hinton, a local activist, in a group discussion at the East Side meeting. He said earlier that residents who had frequent interactions with officers may react in two different ways: complete compliance or trying to flee.

Hinton wasn't alone. Discussions about wearing clothing that shows that an officer went through specialized crisis training was one of the most discussed topics at both meetings. Some suggested a vest, others suggested an armband.

Cleveland police's crisis intervention officers currently wear a pin, though there has been talk of redesigning it and making sure the public knows what to look for to spot a specially trained officer.

Officer discretion

The proposed policy, while giving clear guidance, does give officers discretion on how to handle situations.

Deputy Police Chief Joellen O'Neill told the crowd on the East Side that if somebody has committed a felony, an officer or officers will take that person to jail. First they will go to the hospital though, she said.

But for lesser crimes, some said officers could possibly choose not to file charges.

Cleveland Metroparks Ranger Department Lt. Victor McDowell, in a group discussion at the East Side meeting, said discretion is important. If a person acts out, and that could be seen as disorderly conduct, it may not necessarily warrant a charge if there is an alternative that ensures the person gets help, McDowell said.

Recognize other medical needs

Some also suggested making the policy clear that officers should look for signs of other types of illness when responding to crisis calls. This includes asking questions of the person or family to see if they can more quickly find out what's going on.

Cleveland resident Lanisha Bowen said during a discussion at the West Side meeting that her grandfather has acted out in a way that could be seen as a mental health crisis, even though he is diabetic and just had low blood sugar.

Kathleen Clegg, director of community and public psychiatry and the public academic liaison program at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and a member of the Community Police Commission, also suggested the policies incorporate language about looking for signs of an overdose or other medical condition.

These suggestions also dovetailed with conversations about cultural sensitivity and suggestions that female officers respond to calls for females in crisis, or that black officers handle the calls of black residents who need help.

If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section.
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Brandon King, who will become mayor if the recall votes for Mayor Gary Norton and Council President Thomas Wheeler, talks with Norton at a Dec. 8 press conference. (Rachel Keck, cleveland.com)

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Brandon King, vice president of East Cleveland City Council President, could be mayor by the end of the month.

Voters recalled Mayor Gary Norton Jr. and Council President Thomas Wheeler from office in a special election Dec. 6. Those results will be certified Dec. 19. If the results stand, King will become mayor, and council will need to appoint two more members of council.

In a press conference last week, King said he was sad the recalls occurred.

"We were moving into a place where (council) could work with the administration," he said. "We could work with the mayor ... So with the shakeup in this, I would hate for the city to go back to a situation where the council isn't getting along with each other and the mayor and the administration."

Cleveland.com interviewed King after the news conference, where he talked about what his priorities are going into a mayoral position and what he hopes will happen in the future. These are his answers word-for-word, edited slightly for length.

King would finish Norton's term. The mayor's seat, the two council-at-large positions which currently belong to Nathaniel Martin and King, and the Ward 3 seat, which was Wheeler's, are all up for reelection next year.

Q: What would be some of your priorities as mayor? Where do you stand on economic development?

A: Economic development is something this city desperately needs. One of the challenging aspects of economic development is when you know a little bit about (it) ... then you understand it's a lot easier said than done. People have been complaining for years about not having a supermarket but they don't understand the matrix a supermarket uses before they'll locate a supermarket in any particular area.

So, it's easy to blame your elected officials for things like economic development, when the simple fact of the matter is it's challenging to get someone to invest their money in a community when the matrix that they use it telling them they're not going to get return on investment.

Q: Right, and this is something you've worked with for some time now. You're on the finance commission.

A: Well, I was born and raised in East Cleveland. I'm a business owner. I've trained in business. I'm educated in business. I own a business. ... So you know, I understand business and what makes businesses tick, so if you look at this community and the challenges a business would basically assume that they're faced with... one is making the necessary money to keep the business moving.

Q: What can East Cleveland do to bring business owners in and attract people to buy land here?

A: There's a number of things the city can do. One is to make businesses comfortable coming in. We have to let them know we've got the safety forces whether it's police, fire. (We have to let them know) your business is going to be secure when it's closed, (that) if something happens in the business somebody's going to be there to take care of it. Another thing we could do ... they had this thing called the social compact study ... KeyBank looked at East Cleveland, Glenville and I think Collinwood and what their report was saying is that even though these communities have an average income that's X amount below the median income for the country ... they determined their buying power was two or three times that.

If you look at a city like East Cleveland, really look at it, it's easy to see why that's true.

Q: People are looking as this recall as an indicator of change. What change do you think needs to happen?



A: Council has not really functioned ideally with each other, and then with the mayor it's a whole another obstacle. If you're asking what the change would be, the change would be to continue to press council to work with each other and then to work with the mayor and the administration, whoever the mayor is. And the people in the audience, sometimes they seem a little antagonist, and then other times, you explain stuff to them and you know that they understand it, but. I don't know, it's a challenge, so we have to keep working. If we work council and the administration better, council would help get residents to understand more of what's going on.

Q: So what's going on with the merger?

A: Right now, things are kind of in limbo, pending the certification.

Q: How do you feel about the merger?

A: If the city can survive on its own, I'm for an independent East Cleveland, right? If the city can't, then in order for us to do our jobs - and our jobs are to look out for the best interests of the residents - then that conversation has (to happen). One of the things we had talked about, and we did this about two years ago, is we brought on some lawyers, Buckley King, and they were to seek grant funding to support a study [with Conway Mackenzie, a firm that worked on the restructuring of Detroit].

Our thought was let's see if we can get both of these conversations going ... The residents would feel more comfortable with an outside, independent analysis of this city.

Q: Did you ever get funding for that?

... If you sat on the board of a foundation, as little as you know about what's going on about what's going on politically in East Cleveland, what would you do? Would you give them some money to do anything? Wheeler's been recalled, this is his third recall (attempt). I would say look, you guys show me that you're capable of governing and that you're capable of moving the city forward, I'll give you some money, no problem. ... We have to put on a face that hey, all of this is behind us and now we're ready as a government, as a community to move the city forward.
Rock Hall Class of 2016 nominees announced

Chic is one of the nominees for the Class of 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

(Courtesy of the Rock Hall)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - If you go to Future Rock Legends' website, which is recommended for any fan of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, there's no more depressing page than that of Chic.

The influential disco/funk band has been nominated a whopping 11 times for the Rock Hall (That's a record), including each of the past 5 years.

Chic is one of 19 nominees on this year's ballot looking to hear their name announced as part of the Class of 2017 next week. Is this the year, or will Chic remain the Susan Lucci of the Rock Hall?

Case for Induction

Founding members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards are two of the most influential musicians when it comes to the dance music you hear all over radio today. The sounds of everyone from Lady Gaga and Rihanna to Daft Punk and Justin Timberlake are, in some part, a product Chic's influence.

Chic also has three songs that stack up against any other artist on this year's ballot. "Le Freak," "I Want Your Love" and "Good Times" are among the most important songs in music history. Leading the way is "Good Times," a song that served as the backbone of hip-hop when it was sampled by The Sugarhill Gang for "Rapper's Delight."

The icing on the cake comes from Edwards and, especially, Rodgers' impact as individual musicians and songwriters moving forward, which includes working with the likes of David Bowie, Madonna and Diana Ross. Chic was so influential, other rock legends, including Duran Duran, The Smiths and Queen, openly admit to ripping off the group's music.

Case Against Induction

Is Chic just a disco band? That's the question you have to ask yourself when considering Chic's candidacy. Disco is a very polarizing (and often hated) time frame in pop music, making it hard for some acts of that era to enter the Rock Hall.

The Bee Gees and Donna Summer beat the odds. But those acts stayed at their peak longer. Chic's impact in undeniable, but much of that happened in a three-year period before disco died.
Alicia Jordan2.jpg

Alicia Jordon is the success story poster girl for the Thea Bowman Center.

(courtesy of Alecia Jordan)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Thea Bowman Center and the Far West Center are two organizations in the Greater Cleveland area that do good work for the community by serving their clients in creative ways.

If you're looking for a poster girl to represent the good work that the Thea Bowman Center (TBC) does for the Mount Pleasant community in Cleveland, look no further than Alicia Jordan.

Jordan had her first TBC hot meal on a Saturday when she was just six years old. Today Jordan, now 26, volunteers at the organization that has seen her through and been instrumental in her graduating with honors from John F. Kennedy High School, getting a scholarship to John Carroll University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science. She's now working on her master's degree at John Carroll in non-profit administration

"The Thea Bowman Center kept me on the right path. It's the greatest thing that ever happened to my life," said Jordan, who wants to use her masters degree to give back to her community.

The Thea Bowman Center, located at E. 120th St. and Union, has roots going back to 1966 when it was called The Hunger Center operated by the Epiphany Roman Catholic Church.

In 2001, it became the Thea Bowman Center, named for an African-American nun who was a strident supporter of intercultural awareness in the Catholic Church in Cleveland.

Thea Bowman died in 1990 at age 52.

In 2009, the Cleveland Diocese closed the Epiphany Church, but allowed the TBC to continue its work in the community. In 2011 the Cleveland Diocese transferred ownership of the church building, annex and rectory to the TBC.

Ella Thomas became the executive director of the TBC in 2011. The organization's motto is: "The Thea Bowman Center is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the Mount Pleasant community of Cleveland through adult education, food support, youth programs and resource services.''

Thomas is the only full-timer at the TBC but she has eight part-time employees. The organization lives through the efforts of 600 volunteers who help provide services for an estimated 8,000 clients annually.

"The need now is greater than ever," said Thomas who oversees an impressive amount of programs providing services for the young and old, that include food and education, after school safe space for children, tutoring, summer camps, senior care and a host of other programs to help those struggling financially.

"Our focus going forward in the next year is to provide summer school for kids who struggle with math and reading. We want to concentrate on keeping kids engaged in their education during the summer months when they are not in school."

Despite the challenges, Thomas keeps a positive approach to her work.

"I'm always hopeful we can create a better place for the people of the Mount Pleasant community," she said.

TBC poster girl, Alicia Jordan, who now works as a clerk in Cleveland's Municipal Court, is Thomas' biggest supporter.

"Thanks to the Thea Bowman Center, my life was changed,'' she said. "I'd like to help change other people lives too. I want to help other people shine. Nobody gets ahead on their own. The Thea Bowman Center taught me that dependence on other's is important."

Far West Center

Helen M. (Kelly) Dylag is the CEO for the Far West Center. She's been working there for 20 years. The Far West Center, founded in 1974, has been serving Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties with outpatient mental health services with offices in Westlake and Amherst.

The team of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers counselors and case managers provide services for almost 200 individuals and families a year.

Dylag is excited about a new art therapy program the center has been using called AHH. That stands for "Art Helps and Heals."

"We knew it would be successful," said Dylag. "But we had no idea just how successful and what a big hit it would be with our clients."

The idea is that patients use the act of creating art to help them express how they are feeling mentally and emotionally.

"It's an expression of how our clients are feeling in a non-traditional way," said Dylag. "They work in pastels, chalk, acrylics and modeling clay. They use beads and recycled material. They paint masks. Some of the art is dark and some of it is bright and sparkly. It allows our clients to communicate in a new way. The art doesn't just provide for the absence of symptoms. It actually brings an improvement in the quality of life for our clients."

One Far West client who allowed the use of her first name for this story, Melodie, found making art not only therapeutic but also lucrative.

"Melodie has sold a number of her paintings and more of her work has been on display in lobby of the Clague Playhouse Theater," said Dylag. The AHH program has improved the lives of people we work with every day."

Both the Thea Bowman Center and Far Weset Center are among 20 local human services agencies benefiting from the Advance Ohio Good News Giving holiday campaign featured in The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com. The agencies, chosen from more than 100 that applied, help clients with food, health care, employment and education and other needs.

Each agency receives free advertising in The Plain Dealer, Sun News and cleveland.com. Readers can donate directly to the charities at cleveland.com/good-news.

About the agencies



Thea Bowman Center: 11901 Oakfield Ave. Cleveland, Oh 44105

Phone: 216-491-0699

Link: theabowmancenter.org

Far West Center, Westlake: 29133 Health Campus Drive, Westlake, Ohio 44145

Email: fwc@farwest center.com

Far West Center, Amherst: 510 N. Leavitt Rd. Amherst, Ohio 44001.

Phone: 440-988-4901

Email: amherst1@farwestcenter.com

Link: farwestcenter.com
RH City Hall.JPG

After a lengthy search, Richmond Heights has hired a new finance director.

(Jeff Piorkowski/special to cleveland.com)

James Teknipp has been hired as Richmond Heights' new finance director.

RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- After a six-month search that began with more than 100 applicants, Richmond Heights has decided upon its next finance director.

At its meeting Tuesday evening, City Council unanimously approved the hiring of James W. Teknipp to the position. Teknipp, who will begin his new duties Jan. 3, will take over from Tom DiLellio, who has been serving as interim finance director since Mitchell Michalec resigned late in the spring.

Michalec was hired by former mayor Miesha Headen, who was recalled in September, 2014.

"Finance director is a big position to fill," said Mayor David Roche, who became mayor in October, 2014. "We're right at the start of the budget activities. In the past year, we've had some good audit reports and we want to keep it up."

Of the 100 applicants, Roche said, 33 were given a call back and seven were eventually interviewed in person.

Teknipp, who will earn a salary of $75,000 in his new position, has had experience serving as finance director for several communities, including in Willowick, Willoughby Hills and Bedford.

Now 58, Teknipp served as a councilman in the village of Lakeline, where he still lives, at the age of 23. The village then made him finance director. He went from that position to serving Eastlake as deputy finance director for two years.

He's also worked for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Library for eight years as fiscal officer and business manager, and for two years with the non-profit Fairhill Partners.

For the past five and a half years, he has served as human resources director in Wickliffe.

"I'm a certified financial planner and when I first started out after college in the early 1980s, my office was in Richmond Heights," Teknipp said. "I loved it and always wanted to come back.

"I know Richmond Heights has had some turmoil, but I want to work with the mayor, council and the administration to make it a premier city once again. That's my goal."

Teknipp and wife, Kim, are the parents of two grown boys, ages 26 and 20.

In other council news:

-- Roche has been appointed by Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish to serve as representative of the Hillcrest Suburban Region of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency's Board of Directors. Roche will begin his term Jan. 1.

NOACA does environmental and transportation planning for the Greater Cleveland area.

-- During his report about Richmond Heights Police Department activities, Chief Gene Rowe said that in 2016 the city's safety forces have dealt with 17 non-fatal drug overdoses and two fatal drug overdoses.

Police cars are now all equipped Narcan, which blocks the effects of opioids. Fire department emergency rescue crews, also equipped with Narcan, provide treatment in most overdose cases.

-- The city accepted the donation of three parcels of land on the south side of Chardon Road, just west of Edgemont Drive. The tree-filled parcels include a ravine, making them difficult for construction.

The property was donated by Willis Road Associates, which is seeking to save money on its property tax bill. Roche said the properties abut city-owned property and will allow for access to the currently landlocked city land.

In order to set a value for the land, the city will pay Willis $57,900, then have that money reimbursed. The city has no plans for developing the land.

-- Richmond Heights will mark its 100th anniversary in 2017. In advance of the centennial year, the city's website, richmondheightsohio.org, now includes a page devoted to the anniversary.

The page now includes a history of the city, but will, as 2017 unfolds, announce and detail activities surrounding the centennial.
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Pastors Yolanda Tolliver and Tony Myles are bringing their very different congregations together under one roof to share space and fellowship and to break down societal barriers.Tolliver's House of Glory recently moved into the building owned by Myles' Connection Church on Medina Road in Medina.

(Ann Norman, special to cleveland.com )

MEDINA, Ohio - Most churches do the work of sharing God's word. But two local churches are taking sharing a bit further.

Connection Church has opened its doors to a new congregation, House of Glory, at its building at 2524 Medina Road. The two churches began sharing the space Dec. 4, when House of Glory held its first worship service there.

Yolanda Tolliver, pastor of House of Glory - an urban, African-American Apostolic Prophetic Church - began looking for a space to hold services earlier this fall.

She and her husband had been pastoring a church in Cleveland for nine years when they felt the call to form a congregation in Medina, where their children attend high school.

"God put it in my spirit to look for a place. I called on one of our members to ask around. We weren't familiar with the Medina area. But within a week, we found a home. It was like an answered prayer," Tolliver said.

That answer came in the form of the non-denominational Connection Church and its pastor, Tony Myles.

Connection Church has operated in its current location for nine years. But for four years prior, the congregation had no permanent home.

"We used to hold our services at Regal Cinemas. So we know what that's like," Myles said of looking for a home.

Connection Church has made good use of its building, renting it out to business groups, exercise classes and ping pong players during the week. That income helps the church pay for the space.

"But we started feeling like there was an even greater partnership out there," he said.

"I knew right as soon as I met Pastor Yolanda that we have the same heart for the Lord and heart for the community," Myles said.

It turns out that Myles and Tolliver are neighbors.

"We live only one street apart. I live in one cul-de-sac and she's in the one behind me," Myles said.

Connection Church had earlier explored the idea of sharing space with Medina Christian Academy, but the school decided to move in a different direction.

"That experience made us realize we were up for a roommate. We figured we had space to share, so we might as well share it," Myles said.

Connection Church, which holds services at 10 a.m. on Sundays, has a congregation of a bit over 100 right now. House of Glory is starting out with six adults and 11 children. They hold services at 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.

"Our Cleveland church, on Broadview by the zoo, sees about 40 to 60 people" at Sunday services, Tolliver said.

"Part of being a non-denominational church is that we support other outside ministries," Myles said.

Connection Church earmarks 10 percent of its tithe to other ministries, including one in Africa. Opening up its doors to House of Glory means "we actually get to see it in-house," he said.

The two pastors are planning to hold joint meals, prayer times and youth activities so that the congregations can get to know each other better.

"You have to have the mindset that it's not just about you, it's about God's kingdom," Tolliver said.

"It transcends skin color and our standing in society. If we could just see past the color and just see each other through the love of God," she said.

"We might not be able to change the whole world, but we can start right here in Medina," she said.

Mayor Dennis Hanwell, who spoke at both services on Dec. 4, said the churches' collaboration is a great example of how two distinct congregations can share a building to worship and praise God.

"I commend the pastors and members for their efforts. This provides a model of how much may be accomplished with open and willing minds. The greater community benefits as a result," Hanwell said.

Myles said he and Tolliver are looking to the example of the city, which brings diverse groups of people together through efforts such as community policing, Healthy Medina and the Diversity Project.

"I think that as a church, we can set a similar example. It starts somewhere," he said.

Tolliver acknowledges that the work of bringing two diverse cultures together won't always be easy. She admits she was skeptical about growing a black church in Medina, which is predominantly white and middle to upper class.

"We want to encourage each other and offer a hand to anyone who needs help. There are so many hurting people out there, a lot of wounded people," she said.

She said she didn't realize that there were people in Medina who were homeless and living in poverty.

"All this is right under our noses, and we have to pay attention," Myles said.

Both pastors want to break down the barriers of race and economic status.

"Our hurdle in Medina is the good life," Myles said. Many children are growing up without an interior, spiritual life, he said.

"They've been given every iThing to put in their pocket, but they are yearning for more," he said.

"We all look for like-minded people, but sometimes you get in a hole of being only with people like you," he said.

Challenging racial and economic divisions is "not just some nice ideal. We need to really see people for who they are," he said.

Tolliver said she sees hope for change in the churches and in the community.

"It seems like right now a lot of young people are being drawn to the church. We want to break the ice," she said.

"We really just want to give them love. Love destroys all of that, the racism and the hatred," she said.

"I don't know what all God has planned, but I know it's bigger than me and Pastor Tony," Tolliver said.
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An auction Tuesday attracted 22 companies to bid $1.7 million for the rights to explore tracts of the Wayne National Forest for oil and gas deposits.

(Photo courtesy of EcoWatch.com)

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Fossil fuel development companies on Tuesday bid more than $1.7 million for the rights to explore 759 acres of land in the Wayne National Forest for potentially rich deposits of oil and gas held deep underground.

The 19 parcels of about 40 acres each in Southeast Ohio attracted bids of up to $5,800 an acre from 22 separate bidders, according to officials at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The companies were from Texas, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Colorado, and Oklahoma. None were headquartered in Ohio.

The auction of mineral rights in Ohio's only national forest had sparked controversy, pitting energy industry officials against environmental groups, who fear the anticipated hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, operations will pollute the groundwater and poison the wildlife habitat of the area.

Environmental groups had filed formal protests in an attempt to block the auction, but were unsuccessful.

Shawn Bennett, executive vice president of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, said the auction provided the opportunity for property owners in the Appalachian foothills to cash in on the riches that lie beneath their land.

An additional 38,000 acres could become available at later dates, beginning at a second auction scheduled for March.

BLM spokeswoman Davida Carnahan said the auction of the leasing rights to the parcels in Monroe County are just the first step in a series of requirements that must be met before the companies can start drilling.

"It's important to know that there are still many decisions that need to be made," Carnahan said. "In every case, we follow the science, and will conduct a site-specific analysis" on the appropriateness of all oil and gas explorations and potential extraction operations, she said.

The winning bidders have up to 10 years to obtain the drilling rights and extract the fossil fuels from the parcels. Their contract with the BLM requires them to pay royalties of at least 12.5 percent of the value of the oil or gas removed from the site.

Nathan Johnson of the Ohio Environmental Council said he won't wait for the drilling applications to be filed before lodging formal protests with the BLM.

"It's clear the agency made the wrong decision and is violating environmental laws," Johnson said. "They keep ignoring key data on how large these well pads and pipelines are going to be. All of their analyses are tied to deflated impact estimates on wildlife. We want to make sure the forest remains protected, and we will pursue every avenue to make sure that happens."

The BLM agreed to open the national forest for oil and gas exploration following an Environmental Assessment study that found drilling would "have no significant impact on the environment."

Oil and gas extraction in the forest has been permitted in the past on a smaller scale, although most of the wells are no longer active.

But before underground exploration can begin, the energy companies must first submit an application to drill, Carnahan said. If the company intends to frack the shale that lies up to a mile or two below, they must inform the BLM.

At that point, the BLM will conduct a more site-specific study and decide whether to grant the drilling application, Carnahan said.

The leases often contain stipulations that regulate drilling to certain times of the year - for instance, to prevent disturbing wildlife during migration, Carnahan said.

The Wayne National Forest is a patchwork of land divided into three main sections located across 12 Ohio counties near the cities of Athens, Marietta and Ironton. Although the boundaries include nearly 834,000 acres, most of the land within those boundaries is privately owned.
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Lake Erie College has partnered with the Nature Conservancy to offer research opportunities for students and faculty.

(Lake Erie College )

PAINESVILLE, Ohio - Lake Erie College launched a major in environmental science this fall, and Kent State University will offer an environmental studies major next fall, thanks to growing interest in environmental issues on college campuses.

Lake Erie College: Lake Erie recently announced it has partnered with the Nature Conservancy to provide educational opportunities for students.

The college launched a major in environmental science this fall. Students interested in careers in environmental regulation, toxicology, wildlife management, fisheries management, agriculture, environmental research or environmental management can study at the conservancy's preserves.

Preserves included in the agreement are Morgan Swamp and the conservancy's Grand River Conservation Campus in Ashtabula County; Lucia S. Nash Preserve in Geauga County and J. Arthur Herrick Fen State Nature Preserve, Beck Fen, Crystal Lake and Flatiron Lake Bog in Portage County.

The conservancy also has a memorandum of understanding with the University of Toledo as well as contracts for surveys/research with Ohio Northern University, Heidelberg University and Ohio State University, LEC officials said.

"We plan to utilize these locations for field trips, faculty and student research, experiential learning opportunities for our K-12 partner schools and professional development opportunities for regional STEM teachers," Johnathan Tedesco, dean of LEC's school of natural sciences and mathematics, said in a release.

The environmental science major includes new courses in environmental regulation and environmental ethics, and an additional focus on soil science and aquatic ecology.

Kent State: Kent State's environmental studies major will be administered by the department of geography and offered on the Kent and Stark campuses.

Kent State presently offers discipline-specific environmental concentrations at the in biology, geology, geography and public health. The new interdisciplinary major draws upon these and other academic disciplines.

The proposed program will prepare graduates for careers in areas including environmental science, education, urban and regional planning, natural resource management, and archiving in natural history and science museums, the university said.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The North Olmsted man accused of lying to investigators in the search for a missing Lakewood woman pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday.

Ammar Sami, 21, is charged with obstruction of justice charge in the October disappearance of 24-year-old Roaa S. Al-Dhannoon.

Judge Peter J. Corrigan continued the $250,000 bond set at Sami's initial appearance in Lakewood Municipal Court, over Sami's lawyer's request for a $10,000 bond.

The case was assigned to Judge Nancy Margaret Russo's courtroom.

Al-Dhannoon was last seen Oct. 16 at her Edgewater Drive apartment.

Al-Dhannoon's ex-husband, Fahad Mohammed Saeed, is charged in Lakewood Municipal Court with violating a restraining order before her disappearance. Saeed is accused of contacting Al-Dhannoon and their son in violation of the order, investigators said.

Sami is accused of providing false information to the Lakewood Police Department and the Cleveland Division of the FBI.

Prosecutors did not elaborate on any of the allegations against Sami at his arraignment. But Sami's lawyer, Mark Stanton, indicated in court that authorities believe Sami was "in concert with" Saeed.

Reward money is available to anyone with information that could help investigators locate Al-Dhannoon. Call the Lakewood Police Department at 216-521-6773 or the FBI at 216-522-1400.

To comment on this story please visit Wednesday's crime and courts comments page.
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Roaa S. Al-Dhannoon wrote in court records filed last year that she was afraid of her then-husband, Famad Saeed. Al-Dhannon has not been seen since Oct. 16 at her apartment on Edgewater Drive in Lakewood, and Saeed is charged with violating a protection order.

(Lakewood police)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Lakewood mother who disappeared more than two months ago filed for divorce after her now ex-husband threatened to kill her if she pursued domestic violence charges against him in 2015, according to court records.

Roaa Al-Dhannoon wrote in court records last year that she didn't file a complaint against Fahad Saeed in July 2015 after he punched her in the face during an argument because he threatened her life, records say.

"I fear for my life and my son," Al-Dhannoon wrote in a November 2015 when she asked for a protection order against Saeed. "I want him to stay away from me."

Details of the investigation into Al-Dhannoon's disappearance have trickled out as investigators continue their search for her. But in a motion filed Wednesday, prosecutors said they can prove that Saeed violated the protection order and went to Al-Dhannoon's apartment the day she was last seen, and that Saeed's close friend, Ammar Sami, repeatedly lied to investigators to cover for him.

Neither man is accused of harming Al-Dhannoon.

Saeed is charged in Lakewood Municipal Court and is free on a $3,000 bond. A Cuyahoga County judge set Samir's bond at $250,000 after a grand jury charged him with felony obstruction of justice.

Al-Dhannoon and Saeed -- both Iraqi nationals -- married in 2011, according to court records.

She admitted that the relationship was full of "tough times," but said the two tried to make the relationship work. The couple had a son in 2013.

Al-Dhannoon filed for a protection order in November 2015, after Saeed became increasingly violent, she said.

Saeed was arrested in July 2015 after a neighbor saw him slap Al-Dhannoon in the face, according to a police report.

Al-Dhannoon said he punched her, and the impact split open the skin on her cheek. She was treated at Fairview Hospital. She told police, through a neighbor that acted as an interpreter, that the two argued after she said she wanted have friends over for dinner, and Saeed started to attack her, according to a police report.

Saeed spent three days in jail, but was released without charges after Al-Dhannoon refused to file a domestic violence complaint, she wrote.

The relationship boiled over in November 2015, when Al-Dhannoon discovered that Saeed planted a recording device in their home to record her phone conversations, she wrote in the complaint.

The two argued again, and this time Saeed grabbed a kitchen knife and threatened to kill her, her complaint says.

She left Saeed within a week and went to Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court to seek a protection order, records say.

Saeed was arrested in Lakewood in January 2016, after police said he slashed the tires on Al-Dhannoon's Chevrolet Equinox, according to court records. He repeatedly called and texted Al-Dhannoon and eventually went to her door, according to court records. When he couldn't talk to her, he slashed the tires on her Chevrolet Equinox, the records say.

But prosecutors were forced to drop the case because Saeed had never been served with the protection order, according to court records.

Al-Dhannoon filed for divorce in April. A magistrate finalized the divorce on Sept. 19.

She was last seen Oct. 16.

Saeed was seen "loitering" outside Al-Dhannoon's apartment building on Lakewood's Gold Coast that day, prosecutors say.

Saeed called Samir, a close friend who is also from Iraq, and went to his house in North Olmsted, prosecutors said. He spent the evening at Samir's house, prosecutors said.

Al-Dhannoon was reported missing Oct. 19 by her family members and authorities began an investigation.

Lakewood police and FBI agents approached Samir to find out what he and Saeed had done in the days after Al-Dhannoon was last seen. Samir repeatedly lied to the investigators, and tried to mislead them on purpose, according to a motion filed Wednesday.

Samir and Saeed both have pleaded not guilty.

To comment on this story, please visit Wednesday's crime and courts comments section.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday signed into law a ban on abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy and later.

"I agree with Ohio Right to Life and other leading, pro-life advocates that SB 127 is the best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life," Kasich said in a statement. The bill has no rape or incest exception.

At the same time, Kasich used his line-item veto power to strike down the so-called heartbeat bill, a controversial measure that some anti-abortion advocates had opposed as too extreme.

The legislation

The 20-week bill, dubbed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, blocks abortions when the fetus is 20 weeks or more from fertilization - or about 22 weeks from the woman's last menstrual period. It provides an exception when the pregnant woman's life is endangered, but critics say it is too narrow.

Advocates of the bill view it as a means to challenge Roe v. Wade and its progeny, which allowed regulation of abortion when the fetus has reached a stage of viability and could live outside of the womb. That standard generally is viewed as 24 weeks from the mother's last menstrual period.

The heartbeat bill would have banned abortions once a heartbeat is detected. That can happen as early as six weeks and sometimes before a woman even knows she is pregnant.

Ohio Right to Life, an anti-abortion advocate, opposed the heartbeat bill, labeling it as an unconstitutional action that would set back other anti-abortion efforts. In two other states similar bills were struck down by federal courts. The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected efforts to appeal those decisions.

The reaction

Kasich's decision drew praise from Ohio Right to Life.

"He is the most pro-life governor in our nation," said Mike Gonidakis, ORTL's president.

As the General Assembly was preparing to reconvene for the lame duck session, Ohio Right to Life had said it would make a push for the legislation. It hopes the standard can be used to reopen Roe v. Wade and establish new standards for limiting abortion.

"The time has come for this archaic line which is viability and Roe to end," Gonidakis said. "As science continues to develop and as public opinion continues to change we're going to continue to chip away at Roe."

Pro-choice groups, while glad for the heartbeat bill veto, were sharply critical of the 20-week legislation Kasich signed into law.

"Every woman has the right to make her own personal health care decisions. Yet, John Kasich and the Ohio state legislature are intent on taking that right away," said Iris Harvey, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio. "In his six years as governor, Kasich has systematically and incrementally enacted law after law to ban abortion in the state. The 20-week abortion ban is yet another example."

NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland also blasted the governor.

"The 20-week abortion ban callously disregards the unique circumstances that surround a woman's pregnancy. Once a woman has made the decision to end a pregnancy, she needs access to safe and legal abortion care in her community," Copeland said. "Kasich's actions today will fall hardest on low-income women, women of color, and young women. History will not judge Gov. Kasich's disregard for women's health kindly."

What's next?

The 20-week ban would take effect in 90 days. It could be delayed, though, if there is a court fight over the law's constitutionality.

A dozen other states have enacted legislation similar to the Ohio law that thus far has gone unchallenged. In two other states, Arizona and Idaho, 20-week bans were struck down by courts.

The General Assembly could try to override Kasich's veto of the heartbeat bill, but that seems unlikely given that the governor signed the 20-week ban.

Also, when the legislation was passed last week it did not receive enough votes in the House for an override.

Janet Porter, president of Faith2Action and the heartbeat bill's biggest proponent, urged members in an email Tuesday to start ringing statehouse telephones, include that of House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, to press for a veto override.

"Thank Speaker Cliff Rosenberger for getting the Heartbeat Bill passed! Then, ask him to override Kasich's veto of the Heartbeat Bill by bringing it to a vote in the House," Porter wrote. "We only need to switch two votes to override Kasich's veto. ... Ask them to vote to protect babies with beating hearts."
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Investigators in Visalia, California, believe Francisco Valdivia, 37, and his wife Rosalina Lopez, 39, are responsible for the death of Valdivia's other wife, Cecilia Bravo, 30.

(cleveland.com file photo)

VISALIA, California -- Police have arrested a man and his wife on suspicions the couple might be responsible for the disappearance of a woman who also currently was married to the male suspect, reports say.

Francisco Valdivia, 37, and wife Rosalina Lopez, 39, have been arrested in connection with the June 9 disappearance of Cecilia Bravo, 30, the Tulare County Sheriff's Office announced, according to the Associated Press. Valdiva already was in custody on drug charges when he was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Both suspects are being held in jail without bail.

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux says investigators believe Bravo is dead, although a body has not been found, the Sacramento Bee reports. The victim is the mother of four children and they have not heard from her, reports say.

Boudreaux said investigators have spent hundreds of hours on the case, and Bravo's burned-out car was found on June 9 near Travar, Calif.

The sheriff said Valdivia married Lopez in Mexico in 2007, then later married Bravo in order to obtain legal status in the U.S.

Boudreaux would not be specific about a motive for the murder, saying that it did involve the relationship between the three people, the Bee reports.

"I can tell you there have been threats made on her life by the suspects who are in custody," he said.

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
Police Shooting Man In Driveway

A crowd of about 150 people attend a candlelight vigil Tuesday night for Francisco Serna, 73, in Bakersfield, Calif. Serna was shot and killed by a Bakersfield police officer near his home early Monday morning.

(Felix Adamo, Bakersfield Californian via AP)

BAKERSFIELD, California -- Police shot and killed an unarmed 73-year-old man after a call to 911 said he was carrying a revolver, which later turned out to be a wooden crucifix, reports say.

A woman asked her husband to call police after reporting Francisco Serna had approached her at about 12:35 a.m. Monday and was acting unusual, reports say. She also thought she had seen the handle of a handgun in his pocket, and the husband told a dispatcher had had brandished the weapon.

According to the Associated Press, police say after they arrived, Serna ignored commands to take his hands out of his jacket pockets and stop walking toward officers after exiting his home at about 12:45 a.m.

Bakersfield Officer Reagan Selman fired seven shots at Serna, incoming Chief Lyle Martin said during a news conference Tuesday. Serna was pronounced dead at the scene, in a neighbor's driveway.

No weapon was found, but a wooden crucifix was found in Serna's pocket, reports say.

Selman has been placed on administrative leave as the shooting is investigated, as well as six other officers who were on the scene, according to CNN.

Family members tell the Los Angeles Times that Serna was in the early stages of dementia. They said he would sometimes take short walks around the neighborhood if he had trouble sleeping.

"My dad did not own a gun. He was a 73-year-old retired grandpa, just living life," Serna's son, Rogelio Serna, tells the Times. "He should have been surrounded by family at old age, not surrounded by bullets."

Francisco Serna's daughter, Laura Serna, tells KERO Channel 23 that police "murdered my father for no reason."

Martin has eight detectives investigating the shooting, CNN reports.

"I cannot tell you enough that this community is affected by Mr. Serna losing his life," Martin said. "This is a tragic incident for their family, for the community as a whole, and for the police department."

The AP reports another neighbor had an encounter with Serna at about 4 p.m. Sunday. That neighbor also thought Serna might be armed and said he had tried to force his way into her house. However, she did not immediately report the incident.

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday used his line-item veto authority to strike down the so-called "heartbeat bill" legislation that would have created the most restrictive abortion law in the nation.

At the same time, Kasich signed into law a separate piece of legislation, SB 127, that forbids abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, a move that certainly will prompt court challenges.

"I agree with Ohio Right to Life and other leading, pro-life advocates that SB 127 is the best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life," Kasich said in a statement. The bill has no rape or incest exception.

The heartbeat bill would have banned abortions once a heartbeat is detected. That can happen as early as six weeks and sometimes before a woman even knows she is pregnant.

The language of the heartbeat bill was inserted into a separate piece of legislation as lawmakers wound down the current session of the General Assembly. The bill - legislation addressing the reporting laws for child abuse cases - included an appropriation of money. That allowed the governor to veto only the heartbeat bill language while signing the rest of the bill's provisions into law.

Ohio Right to Life, an anti-abortion advocate, opposed the heartbeat bill, labeling it as an unconstitutional action that would set back other anti-abortion efforts. Similar measures to the heartbeat bill have been struck down in other states. The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected efforts to appeal those decisions.

The General Assembly could try to override Kasich's veto, but when the legislation was passed last week it did not receive enough votes in the House for an override.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State has 17 commitments in its stacked 2017 recruiting class and it's not out of this world to believe Urban Meyer could push it up to 23.

Maybe Meyer will be safe and sign 21 or 22 because of Ohio State's numbers crunch, but there are a lot of very talented prospects still out there. And Meyer has his program in the thick of those recruitments.

Recruiting season has heated up big time in the last few weeks -- it always naturally happens when there aren't games on Saturdays -- and National Signing Day is about six weeks away.

So who is Ohio State going to finish the class out with?

Here are the five I predict will end up as Buckeyes:

1. Five-star DB Jeffrey Okudah of Grand Prairie (Texas) South: Rated the No. 7 overall prospect in the country, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound prospect officially visited Ohio State on Nov. 26 for the Michigan game. Though the world has to wait for his official announcement on Jan. 7, he has been universally considered a Buckeyes lock for months. If and when he commits, Okudah would have an argument for best prospect in Ohio State's 2017 class, which is saying something.

2. Five-star CB Darnay Holmes of Calabasas, Calif.: Rated the No. 2 cornerback in the 2017 class, Holmes was seemingly off Ohio State's board a month ago. Though the Buckeyes continued to stay alive on the surface, it looked as if Holmes concentrated more on UCLA, which is up the street from where he lives.

Then Holmes officially visited Ohio State for the Michigan game and now it seems like Meyer has all the momentum in the world. A few well-connected recruiting experts changed their "Crystal Ball" predictions for Holmes to Ohio State. And since he's an early enrollee, late momentum could be the thing that could be the difference in Holmes' recruitment.

3. Four-star WR Jaylen Harris of Cleveland Heights, Ohio: Though there are two five-star receivers already committed in Ohio State's class, Harris is the type of in-state talent Meyer doesn't like letting leave the state. Harris is a 6-foot-5 game-changer, and though there's uncertainty as to whether the Buckeyes will have room, he told cleveland.com that Meyer said he'd find a way.

You can do the math on this for what it means for five-star Donovan Peoples-Jones of Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech. Though the Buckeyes have seemingly gained some ground in his recruitment in the last few weeks, it's still hard to believe he'll commit to Ohio State when he announces Thursday night.

4. Four-star OT Thayer Munford of Massillon (Ohio) Washington: Five-star offensive tackle Trey Smith Jackson (Tenn.) University School committed to Tennessee on Wednesday and four-star tackle Jake Moretti of Arvada (Colo.) Pomona flipped from the Buckeyes to Colorado a few weeks ago. So Ohio State needs another offensive tackle in the class and it's probably going to be the in-state prospect.

Munford doesn't yet have an offer, but expect him to jump on it when it comes. Rated the No. 31 offensive tackle in the 2017 class, he's currently considering Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Iowa State and Louisville.

5. Four-star DT Jay Tufele of South Jordan (Utah) Bingham: This one may be kind of a stretch because Ohio State doesn't seem to have a ton of momentum here, but Meyer wants to add another stud defensive tackle in this class. Tufele has been high on the Buckeyes for a while and it's simply easier to think the Buckeyes can get him to sign rather than banking on five-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson of Bellaire (Texas) Episcopal.
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Low temperature forecast for the rest of the week shows the arctic air blowing in from the north.

(Kelly Reardon, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The next blast of frigid air is headed for Northeast Ohio this week, bringing negative wind chill temperatures, and significant snowfall to the region through Friday.

In preparation for the polar vortex, the National Weather Service issued a lake effect snow warning for Geauga County, and a lake effect snow advisory for Lake, Cuyahoga, and Ashtabula counties in effect this evening through 10 a.m. Friday. The warning is for a possible 6 to 12 inches of accumulation, with heavier amounts possible in the eastern portion of Geauga, south of I-90. The advisory is for a possible 4 to 7 inches with locally higher amounts east of the city of Erie.

Previous coverage: Cuyahoga County added to lake effect snow watch through Thursday night

The lake effect snow machine will be in full swing because of westerly winds bringing the heavy snow producing clouds right into our area.

The most dangerous result of these conditions is the blowing snow due to wind gusts up to 35 mph, reducing driving visibility significantly during times of up to 2 inches of snowfall per hour within heavier snow bands.

Exactly how cold is it going to be?

Low temperatures will drop as the week goes on, with associated wind chills below zero.

Low temperature, associated wind chill forecast.

How much snow is expected in each area this week?

Although the lake effect snow watch is only in effect for Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula counties, they're not the only area seeing snow this week, they're just getting the worst of it.

Across Northeast Ohio the snow is going to start again this evening accumulating 1 to 3 inches. Thursday, a 50 percent chance exists the entire day bringing another 1 to 2 inches, and Friday night there's a 70 percent chance of snow lasting through the day Saturday dumping an additional 3 to 5 inches. The National Weather Service may issue a separate lake effect snow watch or warning for the snow Friday night.

A 50 percent chance of snow showers also extends through Sunday, but only another inch is expected.

Here's the chances of at least 1 and 2 inches of accumulation each day the rest of this week (greens: 10 to 40 percent, blues: 40 to 80 percent, reds: 80 to 100 percent). Friday is too far in the future for an accumulation forecast image, but an additional 3 to 5 inches by late that night is expected.

Wednesday

Chances of at least 1 or 2 inches of accumulated snow 7 a.m. Wednesday through 7 a.m. Thursday.

Thursday

Chances of at least 1 or 2 inches of accumulated snow 7 a.m. Thursday through 7 a.m. Friday.

Friday

Chances of snow valid 7 a.m. Friday through 7 a.m. Saturday.

Keep checking cleveland.com/weather for daily weather updates for Northeast Ohio, and don't forget to submit any weather questions you may have!

Kelly Reardon is cleveland.com's meteorologist. Please follow me on Facebook and Twitter @kreardon0818.
Check out which companies are making headlines after the bell on Tuesday:

Shares of Hertz Global Holdings fell more than 4 percent in extended trade after the company said John Tague will step down from his post as president and CEO of the company. Kathryn Marinello will become the new president and CEO of the company, effective Jan. 3. Carl Icahn, chairman of Icahn Enterprises, the company's largest shareholder, praised the move, commending Marinello's experience.

"I am excited about Hertz and its prospects with Kathy at the helm," he said. "Kathy has a history as a proven CEO and I believe she is the right person to lead Hertz as we move forward. Her consistent track record of successes in consumer and financial services, as well as technology businesses, is impressive."

Wells Fargo shares fell nearly 1 percent in extended trade Tuesday after U.S. regulators announced new restrictions against the bank. The embattled bank failed its "living wills" initial assessment in April, a mandatory annual report required to regulators to ensure no bank's failure can create systemic collapses elsewhere. As a result, the bank may not establish international bank entities or acquire non-bank subsidiaries, the FDIC said.

Shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals fell in choppy trade after the bell, following a sell-off of more than 3.4 million of its shares by Pershing Square Capital Management. The company said it sold the shares to generate a tax loss for its investors. The Pershing Square and Pershing Square II accounts sold 3,359,178 shares and 117,512 shares, respectively. The company's two offshore funds, PS International and PSH, did not sell any share of Valeant. The sell-off cut Pershing's stake in the company to 7.8 percent from 9 percent, the equivalent of an 11-percent reduction in its stake.

General Motors shares were up slightly after the company filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling from earlier this year that would allow consumers to sue the auto manufacturer for faulty ignition switches. The lower court ruled that GM's failure to notify consumers about the safety defect violated their legal rights. The Supreme Court is not expected to decide whether it will hear the case until next year.
To gain further insight to the group, Cramer spoke with technician Bob Lang, the founder of ExplosiveOptions.net and colleague at RealMoney.com . Lang said teen stocks like Zumiez , Tilly's , Francesca's and Five Below have been making some fantastic moves lately.

When an investor buys shares in a teen retailer, it's a bet on what teenagers like, and that is something that can change on a dime.

"Historically, I have not liked the teen apparel plays. I think teenagers are incredibly fickle customers, and even worse, it's almost a truism that adults don't understand teens, even the adults who run these teen oriented apparel companies or the adults who analyze their stocks," the " Mad Money " host said.

Hence, he was very suspicious when this group that has been down in the dumps for ages suddenly bounced back after the election of Donald Trump .

Zumiez is the skateboard and snowboard oriented apparel play that has been rallying higher for the past seven months. The stock now tests its ceiling of resistance at its 200-day moving average for the first time in a long time. And while Cramer thinks the stock is too risky, Lang said the chart is very strong and saw signs that institutional money managers are loading up on the stock.

Tilly's is another teen retailer that surged higher after reporting a better than expected quarter. In Lang's perspective, Tilly's has suddenly become very popular on Wall Street and has rallied hard in the past two weeks. He also detected incredibly strong volume, which suggested money managers are scrambling to own it. However, Cramer was wary that the stock has moved too far, too fast, and warned investors not to chase it.

The next teen retailer was Francesca's, which sells apparel, jewelry and accessories for young women. The stock spiked 28 percent recently in a single session on the back of a better-than-expected quarter. Lang thinks the chart is powerful, with very strong volume, and wouldn't be surprised to see if the stock can go toward $30 in the next several months.

The one teen retailer that caught Cramer's attention was Five Below. Five Below wasn't Lang's favorite chart in the group, but he thinks it has good potential. Lang said if the stock can break out above its ceiling of resistance at $44 it could have more upside, but if it breaks down below the floor of support at $41, that could be bad news.

"I think Five Below is an excellent regional and national growth story with a terrific business model. In my opinion, this is less about gaming what teens want and more about the fact that people love bargains," Cramer said.

While many teen retailers have skyrocketed lately, Cramer still remained cautious of the stocks. Though the charts suggested Zumiez, Tilly's and Francesca's could have more room to run and Five Below could have more potential if things go right.
China may have the final say on who becomes Hong Kong's next leader, but candidates will still have to pass a tough popularity test at home.

Following news that current Chief Executive CY Leung will not be seeking re-election in March 2017, five contenders have emerged to take on the city's top government post. But before getting Beijing's final tick of approval, they must first gain support among a public fraught by contrasting attitudes towards the mainland and issues of independence. "The central government wants this to be as close to a genuine election as possible. What is quite clear that given CY Leung's announcement, the mainland does not want him to stay, so that means Beijing wants this election to have a more, collaborative approach," Linda Li, professor of political science at the City University of Hong Kong, told CNBC on Tuesday.

Pro-democracy protesters react during a rally in Hong Kong on December 11, 2016, against a crackdown on pro-democracy lawmakers and an electoral system skewed towards Beijing ahead of elections for a new city leader. ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP / Getty Images

CY Leung remains unpopular among many Hong Kongers for his government's hardline stance, a fact that may have cost him Beijing's support. Only one candidate, retired judge Woo Kwok-hing, has made his bid official so far. But others are widely expected to announce their intentions soon, including Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, who previously had insisted she would be retiring next year, former security chief Regina Ip, outgoing Financial Secretary John Tsang and former president of the Legislature Jasper Tsang. As a special administrative region of the mainland, Hong Kong is unable to democratically elect its own leaders, with Beijing ruling out open nominations in 2014. The chief executive must first be elected through an Election Committee and then officially appointed by China's government. Hong Kongers are able to elect members to the committee but just 230,000 people, or six percent of the total electorate, are allowed to cast ballots. Voting began on Sunday, with the pro-democracy camp, called the pan-democrats, securing 325 out of the Committee's available 733 seatstheir best performance ever. Pro-establishment members are expected to make up the remainder of the Committee. A total of 600 votes are needed for a candidate to win. China will eventually make clear who its favorite candidate is but first, it will want to wait and see how the candidates test public opinion, explained Tim Summers, senior consulting fellow, Asia Program at Chatham House. Amid a tumultuous year that has seen more citizens grow increasingly resentful towards Beijing, "they want a chief executive who's as popular as possible," Summers added. "Someone who has the trust of Beijing and enough popularity among Hong Kong people, which is tough to reconcile."



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Former frontier market darling Mongolia has had a tough time in a world of low commodity prices, with its government struggling to make ends meet, but a spike in global coal prices could see the country stage a comeback.

The mineral-rich country had seen double-digit economic growth as high as 17.3 percent in 2011 at the height of the mining industry boom. Subsequent declines in global commodity prices eroded those gains, with ratings agency Moody's predicting 2016 growth to be flat and only a 1 percent uptick in 2017.

Dump trucks travel through the open pit at the Tavan Tolgoi coal deposit in Tsogtsetsii, Omnogovi Province, Mongolia. Taylor Weidman | Bloomberg | Getty Images

But following reforms in China this year to rein in overproduction, and growing demand in Asia Pacific, coal prices soared. In November, Reuters reported premium coking coal prices in Australia had jumped to $289.30 a metric ton, up from about $85 at the beginning of June. Coking coal is a key component in steel production.

The recovery in prices has spurred Mongolia's hopes for a complex restructuring of the Tavan Tolgoi coal mine in the South Gobi desert, a move that would settle outstanding debt to Chinese aluminum producer Chalco Group. An end to the Tavan Tolgoi upset would make it easier to invite new investors such as Chinese state-owned firm Shenhua Group to help ramp up production and shipments to key market China at better prices. "Nothing has changed on the Mongolian side of the border, in terms of quality of the coal, the availability (and) the low production costs," Layton Croft, an independent director at Mongolian real estate business Asia Pacific Investment Partners, told CNBC. "In some cases, the ability to add value by washing the coal and, of course, the short transpiration distances are competitive advantages for Mongolian producers."

The development of Tavan Tolgoi, which contains 7.4 billion ton of coking and thermal coal deposits and is largely untapped, hit a series of political and economic roadblocks over the past few years, but the July election of the Mongolian People's Party is expected to ease the way forward. To be sure, global coal demand is expected to remain sluggish, according to an International Energy Agency forecast released this month, noting while China aims to curb production it also is looking at to further develop other power sources.

Potential $3 billion revenue source

Mongolia's government on Friday held an initial meeting with a private consortium, led by Shenhua, which is in talks to take over development of the Tavan Tolgoi mine from the Mongolian state-owned company Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi JSC (ETT).

ETT owns six mining licenses, including one in the Tsankhi section of the Tavan Tolgoi mine that has coking coal deposits, but the company has been saddled with outstanding debt to Chalco. In 2011, the company borrowed $350 million from Chalco and agreed to repay the debt in the form of coal deliveries, according to Reuters. Because ETT is the largest miner in the country, this deal has meant much of Mongolia's coal exports have been unable to benefit from a resurgence in coal prices.

Under the agreement with Chalco, Mongolia was selling coal at $33 a metric ton, significantly lower than international average selling prices, according to Nick Cousyn, chief operating officer BDSec Joint Stock Company, a Mongolian brokerage, With ETT representing a majority of Mongolia's current coal production, private companies have to contend with these low coal prices. "They are effectively being crowded out by the government," Cousyn told CNBC by phone.

He said Mongolia was missing out $70 a metric ton, or about $2 billion, in potential revenue if it produced about 30 million tonnes of coal on the assumption coking coal sold for $100 a metric ton on average. For Mongolia's $12 billion economy, that is a significant amount.

A representative from ETT told CNBC by email the key focus of the negotiations between the Mongolian government and the Shenhua-led consortium was to come up with a holistic approach to fix current underlying issues. "For ETT, it means to fix its heavily discounted unwashed coal export and to regain commercial freedom through the economics of washing the coal and mining at both East and West Tsankhi," the spokeswoman said. She added that ETT expected to pay off its remaining $96 million debt to Chalco by the end of fiscal 2016. Commentators said the new operating model would unlock the mine's ability to increase its production level and sell at a higher price. It would also lead to infrastructure investments in Mongolia, including the development of a railway that could link into the Chinese rail network and deliver coal to destinations throughout China.

The latter benefit, Cousyn said, could ensure the Chinese still bought Mongolian coal even if prices went up, by easing the route of supply. Under the current agreement with ETT, Cousyn said only inner Mongolia - an autonomous, northern region in China - benefited from the lower coal prices because shipments arrived across the border on trucks and was unloaded there for industrial use. "What China wants is a much (bigger) access to natural resources globally at the lowest possible price," he said.

A road beset with obstacles
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte greets members of the Filipino community in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on December 13, 2016.

President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday that he might not "be around" until the end of his term, and that, after winning the presidency at 71, he had found out late in the day that "I don't need it at my age."

The previous day he had told a gathering of business leaders in the Philippines that he suffered from back pains, migraines and Buerger's disease, a cause of blockages in the blood vessels, associated with smoking during his youth.

On Tuesday, Duterte told a cheering crowd of a few thousand expatriate Filipinos in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh: "I am old ... This is my last hurrah -- after this, 77 -- I am not sure if I will still be around by the end of my term."

Duterte, who reaches 77 years old at the end of his six-year term in 2022, is the oldest person to be elected president in the Philippines since the post-war period.

He added that he had "found out very late" that he did not need the presidency at his age.

"It's not a question of having regrets, none at all, because I entered into it," he said, before adding:

"I realize now - I do not need it at this time of my life. But I tell you, I take pleasure at the end of the day, that's the only consolation, I have a job, I am doing something right."
U.S. Rep. and President-elect's Donald Trump's choice for Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke arrives at Trump Tower, December 12, 2016 in New York City. Drew Angerer | Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, for secretary of the interior, a top transition source told NBC News on Tuesday. Zinke, 55, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee who's described as an avid hunter and fisherman, was an early and consistent supporter of Trump's presidential campaign and was re-elected to a second term last month as Montana's sole representative in the House. If Trump carries through with the appointment, Zinke's nomination would have to be confirmed by the Senate. More from NBC News:

What's on the Agenda as Tech Titans Head to Trump Tower?

Nonprofit Head Who Wrote Racist Post About Michelle Obama to Return to Job

One in 6 Americans Take Antidepressants, Other Psychiatric Drugs: Study

The Interior Department oversees management of about three-quarters of federal land and natural resources, along with programs relating to American Indian and territorial affairs. Zinke is a strong supporter of coal, oil and gas exploration and development with a 3 percent rating from the League of Conservation Voters, an environmental advocacy group. But he is also described as an enthusiastic outdoorsman, and he has backed increased funding to preserve open spaces.

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Zinke met with Trump on Monday at Trump Tower in New York. Trump's communications director, Jason Miller, called Zinke "a strong advocate for American energy independence," saying he "supports an all-encompassing energy policy that includes renewables, fossil fuels and alternative energy." At a congressional campaign debate in 2014, Zinke hedged when he was asked whether he believed climate change was real. He said that it wasn't a hoax but that it also wasn't "proven science." In a statement Tuesday, the environmental group Greenpeace called Zinke a "climate change denier" whose "real constituency is the fossil industry and coal companies." But he has also bucked some general Republican policies by backing increased funding to preserve open spaces and opposing the transfer of public land to the states. Another lawmaker widely believed to have been up for the position, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington, ran into fierce opposition from environmental advocates who were angered by her introduction of legislation to sell off public lands.

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Over three decades have passed since the world set eyes on the first G-Shock watch, but a slew of culturally relevant collaborations have helped the iconic brand stay as popular as ever.

Developed by Japanese consumer giant Casio , G-Shock's philosophy is centered on durability. The first model launched in 1983, the DW-5000, was branded as indestructiblea quality that was quickly proved by tests of toughness, including dropping the watch from helicopters.

Since then, models have incorporated the latest technology, from solar power to Bluetooth, but have always retained a central focus on shock resistance and strength.

Its original users may have been outdoorsmen, but the watch's consistent blend of fashion and function appealed to urban dwellers too, as lovingly documented in the 2015 'Temple of G' magazine, a special edition of respected publication Sneaker Freaker.

"G-Shock's heavy-duty vibe was an instant hit in the 90s, with the rap and graf set [rappers and graffiti artists], who admired the indestructible nature of the watches while also appreciating their capacity for personalization," the magazine said.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras looks on during a parliamentary session before a budget vote in Athens, Greece, December 10, 2016. Alkis Konstantinidis | Reuters

ATHENS- Greece is approaching political and economic turmoil as the country's creditors and the leftist government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras dispute over the mixture of the policy measures that will ensure the medium-term fiscal solvency of the country. On Wednesday, euro zone lenders halted 45 billion euro ($47.7 billion) in short-term debt relief to help the indebted country, which is suffering from a deep recession and high unemployment. This came after the Greek government proposed to make a one-off payout to pensioners in December.

Freezing the flow of funds to Greece now threatens to trigger a renewed flare-up of the Greek debt crisis and would create a further test for the cohesion of the European Union. The debt relief was intended to help weak Greek banks shore up liquidity. Just as concerning, it precludes Greece from participating in the EU's quantitative easing program.

Market slide

In response, the Athens stock market fell by 3 percent, while the yield on Greece's 10-year government bond rose by 4 percent to its highest level in almost three weeks (7.1%). The harsh move by the EU came after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced last week that 617 million euro ($654 million) will be distributed to 1.6 million low-income pensioners as emergency support, while the scheduled VAT hike on the islands of the north Aegean Sea  which are bearing the brunt of the refugee crisis  will be suspended. More from Global Investing Hot Spots:

At a tipping point: A currency crisis roils Turkey's economy

Hot trend to watch in 2017: Rise of Islamic banks on Main St. USA

US companies positioning for Cuba's rising fortunes after Fidel Castro

Currently, 1.2 million Greek pensioners live below the poverty level. At the same time, Greek islands in the north and east Aegean are being crushed by an increasing flow of refugees as Turkey releases thousands landing on its shores. As Tsipras explained, these actions were taken because Greece exceeded its primary surplus target of .5 percent of GDP stipulated under its rescue plan for 2016. But he did not communicate with creditors or institutions that monitor the Greek rescue plan before making these decisions.



No immediate resolution

On Wednesday, Germany asked the institutions involved in Greece's aid program  the IMF, European Central Bank and the ESM  to assess whether Tsipras' actions are compatible with its EU bailout obligations. Michel Reijns, spokesman to Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem, said in a statement that "the institutions have concluded that the actions of the Greek government appear to not be in line with the agreements." He added that some member states see it this way also and thus there is no unanimity now for implementing the short-term debt measures. "We await a full report of the institutions in January," he concluded.


Switzerland's Actelion said on Tuesday that it was in talks with an undisclosed suitor about a "strategic transaction," even as another potential acquirer, U.S. healthcare company Johnson & Johnson ended talks.

The latest twist in Actelion's deal negotiations illustrate how its chief executive Jean-Paul Clozel is driving a hard bargain as bidders circle his company, which he founded in 1997 and turned into Europe's largest biotechnology drug marker.

Actelion did not name the company it was still in discussions with. It informed Johnson & Johnson that it was confident it could attract an offer significantly higher than the approximately 250 Swiss francs per share that the U.S. company had offered, according to a person familiar with the matter that requested anonymity because the negotiations were confidential. There were also disagreements about the structure of the deal, the person added.

Actelion shares ended trading at 208.50 Swiss francs in Zurich on Tuesday before Actelion gave the update on the talks, giving it a market capitalization of 22.5 billion Swiss francs ($22.2 billion).
China will soon slap a penalty on an unnamed U.S. automaker for monopolistic behavior, the official China Daily newspaper reported on Wednesday, quoting a senior state planning official. News of the penalty comes at a sensitive time for China-U.S. relations after U.S. president-elect Donald Trump called into question a long-standing U.S. policy of acknowledging that Taiwan is part of "one China".

Vehicles in Beijing, China. Getty Images

Beijing maintains that self-ruled Taiwan is a wayward province of China and has never renounced the use of force to take it back.

Investigators found the U.S. company had instructed distributors to fix prices starting in 2014, Zhang Handong, director of the National Development and Reform Commission's price supervision bureau, was quoted as saying. In an exclusive interview with the newspaper, Zhang said no one should "read anything improper" into the timing or target of the penalty. The article did not give further details and the NDRC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. China, the world's largest auto market, has become crucial to the strategies of car companies around the world, including major U.S. players General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co . "We are unaware of the issue," said Mark Truby, Ford's chief spokesman for its Asia-Pacific operations. In a statement, GM said: "GM fully respects local laws and regulations wherever we operate. We do not comment on media speculation."

Comments unsettle companies
Jim Cramer deemed Cintas Corporation the "ultimate Trump stock" on Wednesday, and he expects it to fly even higher when President-elect Donald Trump is in the White House

Cintas is the provider of uniforms for employees, as well as things like first aid, safety, fire production and cleaning products.

The core of the reason why Cramer likes Cintas was straightforward: When companies hire more people, they need more uniforms, and Cintas will make more money.

"If, like me, you believe that the triple whammy of lower corporate taxes, deregulation and the repatriation of overseas assets will provide a big boost to employment here in the United States, then it's easy to see why Cintas would be worth buying," the "Mad Money" host said.

Even after profits were taken after the Fed announcement on Wednesday, Cramer thinks the stock could have more room to run. Even before the election this company had a bullish set-up, he said, and it recently made a game changing acquisition that could have more ways to win than one.
Denis Charlet | AFP | Getty Images

Connected toys are more popular than ever this holiday season, both with children and cybercriminals. With this category of toys  including dolls, cars, drones and robotics  expected to grow faster than any other this holiday season, according to data research firm NPD, parents need to pay more attention to privacy and security when they buy and register toys with manufacturers, cybersecurity experts warned. While websites like Shodan allow strangers to spy on unprotected connected devices, a much bigger problem is more mundane: Child identity theft is already 35 times more common than adult identity theft as recently as 2011, according to Experian.



Children often do not realize they have been hacked for many years, which gives hackers time to take out loans or file fraudulent tax returns in their name, said Javvad Malik, a security expert with cybersecurity firm AlienVault. The vast majority of toy manufacturers do not invest enough in making sure a toy's hardware is secure, and collect far more data than they actually need for marketing purposes, said cybersecurity experts.

"A lot of time manufacturers don't want to spend the money [to keep information safe]," said Corynne McSherry, legal director of digital watchdog the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Last week, consumer rights groups filed complaints with U.S. and European regulators against the maker of two talking toys  My Friend Cayla and I-Que Intelligent Robot  made by Genesis Toys. Last year, the VTech hack that exposed the data including names, birthdays and addresses of 6.4 million children  the biggest-ever hack targeting kids  and a white-hat hacker revealed vulnerabilities in Mattel 's Wi-Fi connected Hello Barbie talking doll. The problems connected toys often have today include lack of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth security, inappropriate mobile app permissions and chips that expose the toy's security, Pen Test Partners security researcher Ken Munro wrote in a blog.



Parents should be aware what information a toy is transmitting  like video, audio and location  and whether that data is protected, where it is stored, who has access to it and how it is being used. "If you are trading some of your kid's privacy for a really cool toy, at the very least you should make sure you know what bargain you are making," said McSherry. When registering devices with manufacturers, do not divulge more information than absolutely necessary, and use a separate email address to register, said Malik. Parents should be aware of what components are built into a toy, including microphones or cameras, and might also want to turn off certain services such as location, and not keep the toy in a child's bedroom, he said.



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Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker told CNBC on Wednesday that President-elect Donald Trump's choice of secretary of State is no doubt qualified, but lawmakers want to hear where Rex Tillerson stands on Russia and the Mideast.

Corker, who had also been considered by Trump for the top U.S. diplomat job, will lead Tillerson's confirmation hearing next month.



The Tennessee Republican acknowledged on "Squawk Box" that Tillerson's confirmation process will be different than "pro forma" picks of the past, because he comes from the corporate world and does not have a public record on global issues.



Tillerson, Exxon Mobil 's chairman and CEO, is a "savvy guy," Corker said. The senator called Tillerson's tenure leading one of America's biggest companies on the world stage "very impressive."

Since this week's announcement, there have been rumblings on Capitol Hill about Tillerson's perceived ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin because he negotiated business deals on behalf of Exxon with Moscow.
Whoa, that's a lot of dough walking around in Trump Tower.

President-elect Donald Trump's mega technology summit in New York on Wednesday hosted leaders of companies that have a combined market value of more than $3 trillion.

That's more than the GDP of many countries, including, the United Kingdom, France and India, according to data from the World Bank Group. Trump's tech guests would rank as the fifth-largest country in the world based on GDP.

Apple , of course, came at the top of the list with a market value of $616 billion. Alphabet and Microsoft followed with values of $555 billion and $489 billion, respectively.

Here's the full list:

Apple  $616 billion

Alphabet  $555 billion

Microsoft  $489 billion

Amazon  $366 billion

Facebook  $347 billion

Intel  $173 billion

Oracle  $167 billion

IBM  $160 billion

Cisco  $154 billion

Tesla  $32 billion

SpaceX  $15 billion

Total  $3.074 trillion

Trump met with most of America's biggest tech companies in an effort to look for common ground after an exceptionally heated and contentious election. The group was expected to discuss U.S. job creation, and how tech firms can work with the government to improve efficiency.

Additional reporting by CNBC's Nick Dunn
The United States will redirect its focus from technology to construction-related business with the incoming presidency of Donald Trump, commodities investor Dennis Gartman told CNBC on Wednesday.

President-elect Trump has previously promised an investment of $1 trillion in infrastructure  a policy that commodity and construction firms worldwide expect to benefit from.

"The incoming president has made it abundantly clear he will focus attention on several areas, infrastructure being primary, defense being secondary and I think  I want to own the things that if I drop them on my foot will hurt: Steel, ball bearings, railroads that sort of thing," the publisher and editor of the Gartman Letter told CNBC.
The role was established by President Bill Clinton and given to Goldman's co-chairman at the time, Robert E. Rubin. Mr. Rubin's co-chairman, Stephen Friedman, later held the position under President George W. Bush .

The position that Mr. Cohn is expected to take up is one that has long been identified with Goldman and its influence in the capital.

Coming fast on the heels of the nomination of Steven Mnuchin , a former Goldman partner, as Treasury secretary, it will mean that economic policy under the president-elect, Donald J. Trump , will be shaped chiefly by veterans of the Wall Street firm.

The longtime second-in-command at Goldman Sachs, Gary D. Cohn, is expected to be named director of the National Economic Council, which oversees economic policy in the White House.

This time, however, the selection of a Goldman insider is at odds with statements made by Mr. Trump during the presidential campaign. He repeatedly attacked the financial elite  and Goldman Sachs in particular.

In a commercial that ran in the closing days of the campaign, Mr. Trump warned about "a global power structure 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." The face of Goldman's chief executive, Lloyd C. Blankfein  Mr. Cohn's longtime friend and collaborator  was among the images that flashed ominously on the screen.



And Mr. Trump criticized both Hillary Clinton and a primary opponent, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, over their ties to the investment bank. "I know the guys at Goldman Sachs," Mr. Trump said at one primary debate. "They have total, total control" over Mr. Cruz, he said. "Just like they have total control over Hillary Clinton."



Since his election, however, Mr. Trump has stocked his future cabinet with a number of Goldman alumni, including Mr. Mnuchin, a hedge fund manager and a former Goldman trader, and Stephen K. Bannon, a former Goldman banker who is now Mr. Trump's chief strategist.



Unlike those two, Mr. Cohn is a longtime top Goldman executive who was helping to guide the firm before and during the financial crisis.

In Mr. Cohn, Mr. Trump is not only turning to yet another Goldman hand  and a registered Democrat  but he is also choosing a financier whose thinking about the economy has stood in contrast to the president-elect's more nationalistic views.

At a conference in Florida soon after the election, Mr. Cohn said the big problem facing the country and the world was a "global growth issue."



"We're trying to solve it with domestic policy," he said. "It's not going to work."



While Mr. Trump has criticized companies that have moved their work force overseas, Mr. Cohn has been candid about Goldman's international outlook: "We have a globalized work force, so when I need to go out and hire the incremental worker, I go out and look around the world and see where that incremental worker is available."



Mr. Cohn, though, has agreed with Mr. Trump about the need to lighten the regulations that have been imposed on banks like Goldman since the financial crisis.



In another interview at the conference, with CNBC, Mr. Cohn said he was "cautiously optimistic" about a Trump administration.



"We're all giving President-elect Trump and his transition team the benefit of the doubt," Mr. Cohn said. "We're all waiting to see what happens."



Mr. Cohn, 56, rose through the ranks of Goldman as a trader and is known for his gruff, no-nonsense demeanor, which could help explain his rapport with the plain-spoken Mr. Trump.

In recent years, Mr. Cohn has been in line to take over the firm from Mr. Blankfein, and his departure will open the door to a new crop of candidates looking to lead the firm.



While he has been registered as a Democrat, Mr. Cohn has donated to both political parties. He has given tens of thousands of dollars to Democrats and Democratic campaign committees.



Yet more important, he has become friends with Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump's son-in-law and close adviser.

The decision follows an extended courtship in which the Goldman executive visited with Mr. Trump three times, most recently on Thursday.



Leaving Wall Street to take a top government post could provide a huge financial gain for Mr. Cohn.



He would probably have to sell his Goldman holdings to avoid conflicts of interest with his new role, which would normally generate a big tax bill immediately. But tax regulations allow executive branch appointees to roll the proceeds of such a sale into Treasury securities and defer capital gains taxes.



Mr. Cohn owned 872,712 shares in Goldman as of Nov. 14, according to Standard & Poor's Global Market Intelligence. As of Friday afternoon's stock price, that stake was worth about $209 million.



Goldman Sachs has already been a beneficiary of the coming Trump administration. Mr. Trump has promised to push back on financial regulations passed since the financial crisis, which have come down particularly hard on Goldman. Since the election, shares of banks and other financial institutions have risen sharply; Goldman's is up 34 percent.



On Friday, Goldman's shares edged up slightly.



Mr. Cohn grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, the son of a real estate developer and electrical contractor. He later attended Gilmour Academy, a private school in the area, and then American University, though he has often spoken of his struggles with dyslexia.

After a brief stint at U.S. Steel in his home state  to appease his father, Mr. Cohn said in a speech  he turned to the New York Mercantile Exchange in 1983, where he eventually turned to trading silver. He was recruited to Goldman seven years later and became a fast-rising star at the investment bank, following the ascent of his friend Mr. Blankfein.



In 1994, Mr. Cohn joined the vaunted partnership at Goldman, in a class that included a number of financial luminaries: Eric M. Mindich, now a hedge fund mogul; J. Michael Evans, formerly a top Goldman executive in China who is now at the Alibaba Group; and Mr. Mnuchin himself.



By 2006, Mr. Cohn had become co-president and co-chief operating officer of the firm when Mr. Blankfein took the helm as chief executive. He took sole ownership of the No. 2 spot in 2009 and solidified his role as the heir apparent.



Over his career, the 6-foot-3 Mr. Cohn has been known for a brusque and intimidating presence, reportedly looming over traders at their desks. But he has softened that approach over the years as he became more of a financial diplomat, flying to Washington, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and other centers of power.


Ask Luis Von Ahn why he decided to become an entrepreneur and he will tell you that the career actually chose him. When he was a professor at Carnegie Mellon in 2005, he developed a program that websites could use to distinguish humans from robots. CAPTCHA became so popular that school officials urged Von Ahn to turn the program into something more.

"At some point the university was kicking the project out because it had too many users and they just said, 'You can't be in the university, you have to do something about it,'" he says. "I had to turn it into a company."

In 2006, he received a prestigious six-figure MacArthur Fellowship, otherwise known as the "Genius Grant," which also recognized his work with CAPTCHA. In 2011, when, the entrepreneur estimates, his CAPTCHA system was digitizing two-and-a-half million books a year, he launched his new initiative, the free tool for language learners, Duolingo.

Though he never planned for entrepreneurship to be his career path, Von Ahn does appreciate the fortuity. He came from a family of business people. In Guatemala, his parents owned one of the largest candy producers in the country, Tropical Candy.

Today, there are 1.2 billion people around the world learning a new language. 150 million of them, aged seven to 95, are now using Von Ahn's website Duolingo to do that learning for free.

But reaching this milestone has been no easy feat. Here are some of the challenges Von Ahn has needed to overcome.
Scientists must confront climate change deniers and speak up if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump tries to sideline climate research, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is due to say on Wednesday.

"If you see science being ignored or compromised, speak up," Jewell will tell a meeting of earth and space scientists in San Francisco, according to a draft of the speech seen by Reuters.



Trump has called climate change a hoax and sought to fill his cabinet with oil industry allies like Texas Governor Rick Perry, the Energy Department nominee.



Last week, the Trump team asked the U.S. Department of Energy to supply names of officials who took part in international climate talks  a request that the agency has rejected.



The scientific fact of climate change cannot be ignored no matter who is in the White House, Jewell will say. And she will urge climate experts to publicly defend their work.



"Think about where to raise your voice and then do it," Jewell will tell a meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU)  a global association of researchers. "The American people must be able to trust science."

As President Barack Obama's top steward for public lands, Jewell has helped manage terrain that holds vast reserves of oil, gas and coal.



But over nearly four years in office, Jewell has also warned that burning fossil fuels will irreparably harm the planet.



Jewell will say that national historic sites that she now manages - like the 17th century colonial outpost, Jamestown - could eventually be swallowed by rising seas.



Policymakers must confront climate change realities, Jewell said.



Christine McEntee, head of the AGU, said her members were concerned that the Trump administration might not value scientific discovery and rigor. Developments at the Energy Department were particularly alarming, she said, but climate researchers were prepared to defend their methods and discoveries.

"We listen to what science is telling us," she said. "And we'll fight to work without fear of intimidation or retribution."


Nevertheless, Neil is both amazed and slightly concerned. To clarify, he says, "You made a car  with a jet engine."

It all starts rather innocently, as Leno offers Neil deGrasse Tyson a ride in his EcoJet. It seems fairly safe. They're on the runway of Edwards Air Force Base in California.

On a recent episode of CNBC's "Jay Leno's Garage," we find out.

A comedian and an astrophysicist climb into a jet car  what could possibly go wrong?

In cooperation with General Motors, Leno's EcoJet was actually built right inside his garage. It has 650 horsepower and utilizes a Honeywell LTS101 turbine engine, which is usually used for attack helicopters.

Upon walking up to the EcoJet, Tyson asks, "Why is it called Eco? This doesn't look very 'eco' to me."

Leno explains that it runs on renewable energy, biofuels. The major mechanics are located in the rear of the car, and exhaust comes out from the top.

"It would've been way cooler if flames came out the back," Tyson says as he looks over the car. "I'm just saying."

Leno is quick to shoot down the idea, saying, "I'm not trying to scare children. We're trying to make a transportation vehicle here."

With their helmets on, they climb inside the EcoJet for a drive.

Tyson shouts, "Show me what you got!"

Leno does. Soon, they're blasting down the runway. Everything seems to be going smoothly as they top 100 miles per hour. The engine is running well. The tires are sturdy. Tyson is squealing with delight.
The first result of this deal is the Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual SIM  two feature phones announced by HMD on Tuesday which will cost $26. They are so-called "dumb phones"  without internet connectivity.

Under the agreement, Nokia will receive royalty payments from HMD for sales of every Nokia branded mobile phone or tablet.

Earlier this year, a company called HMD Global , which is formed of ex-Nokia executives, acquired the rights and intellectual property licenses from the Finnish firm. This gives HMD exclusive global brand licensing rights for the next 10 years.

Nokia -branded handsets are returning to the market with the first announced device being a $26 dumb phone complete with the classic "Snake" mobile game.

HMD Global's Nokia-branded device is expected to go on sale in the first quarter of 2017.

Here are some of the features of the devices:

FM radio and MP3 player

2.4 inch screen

Physical keypad

Battery life  22 hours of talk time and 31 days on standby

In a nod back to the classic durability of Nokia phones, HMD said the devices are "built to last". The company has also pre-loaded "Snake Xenzia" onto the phones, which should excite Nokia fans.

Both handsets will come in black or white, cost $26, and will be rolling out in Asia-Pacific, India, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe in the first quarter of 2017.

HMD recently announced that it would be releasing two Android phones early next year.

There are still many emerging markets where the Nokia 150 might find appeal, helped by the $26 price tag as well as the strong Nokia brand.

Nokia exited the phone business when it completed the sale of the division to Microsoft in 2014. The U.S. technology giant failed to make the acquisition work and has since wrote off its entire purchase of Nokia and announced 7,800 layoffs, mostly in the phone division.

Since that sale, Nokia has been focusing on its crucial Networks division and new areas of technology such as 5G internet, virtual reality and health care. For Nokia, this will help them earn revenue without having to manufacture phones.
Donald Trump liked to say this fall that Hillary Clinton had only "bad experience" in government. Soon, Americans will start learning how that compares to virtually none. By tapping Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson for secretary of State, the president-elect has moved to fill the six top jobs in his administration. The team he assembled has less government experience than any in recent presidential history  by far.

For the White House, Trump has picked Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus as chief of staff and Ret. Gen. Michael Flynn as national security adviser. To stock his Cabinet, he picked finance executive Steven Mnuchin for the Treasury Department, Ret. Gen. James Mattis for the Pentagon and Tillerson for State.

Donald Trump appears at a campaign rally in Miami, Florida. Mike Segar | Reuters

Like Trump, all lack any experience in civilian government service. The only top choices who do are Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump's pick for attorney general, and Rick Perry, the former Texas governor who was selected for Energy secretary on Wednesday.

That's far different from the initial teams selected by any of the last five presidents.

Every one of the top six appointees by Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush boasted previous government service. In Bill Clinton's White House, only his first chief of staff, Mack McLarty, an Arkansas energy executive, had not worked in government before; in Ronald Reagan's, only Treasury Secretary Donald Regan, who had run Merrill Lynch, had never worked in government.

Moreover, Reagan, Clinton and the younger Bush had all spent years as governors of their states. The elder Bush had served in Congress, run the CIA and been U.S. envoy to China.

In some ways, the absence of government experience by Trump and much of his team fits the public mood. On Election Day, two-thirds of voters told exit pollsters they feel either dissatisfied or angry at the federal government. More than experience or judgment, they identified ability to "bring change" as the most important quality in the next president.

During the campaign, Trump bluntly attacked the competence of recent presidents and their staffs. The billionaire real estate tycoon promised to improve on government's performance after three decades of stagnated middle-class incomes and persistent national security woes.

Now Trump's task is making the gears of a complex federal apparatus turn in ways that convert his rhetoric  on issues from cutting government waste to overhauling the tax system to implementing a new strategy against ISIS  into the changes voters want.




watch now

Hackers have fashionable tastes, at least when it comes to using your plastic to pay for luxury goods. That's what Forter, a San Francisco-based provider of e-commerce fraud prevention and detection services, found in an analysis of more than 3 million transactions between September and November of this year. Scammers are in the market for diamond necklaces, Fitbits and Apple products, but they aren't necessarily interested in toting the trendiest accessories.

AndreyPopov | Getty Images

Rather, fraudsters are reselling these products on the web in the "gray market"  where goods are sold through iffy distribution channels  and gleaning even more credit card data from unsuspecting online shoppers, according to Michael Reitblat, CEO of Forter. "Thieves don't want 100 Michael Kors bags; they want the money," he said.

A thieving evolution

Here's how scammers have evolved their practices. The thief will obtain either your credit card data or your sign-in credentials at a merchant's website via the so-called dark web. He or she will then use your information to buy goods to sell on the secondary market. Afterward, the scammer will promote and resell the products at a discount on his own website. When a buyer purchases an item, he unwittingly gives his credit card details to the thief. While the buyer often gets the purloined goods, Forter said  the scammer now has his information, and the cycle begins again. Thieves have also stepped up their marketing game. For instance, they've created websites that mirror those of legitimate merchants, and they use social media to funnel traffic to their pages, where they resell the items they bought with stolen data, Reitblat said. Scammers have also wised up about the items they're reselling, touting affordable luxury goods with believable markdowns, rather than the most expensive products available.



If you see a Gucci bag at a 70 percent discount, youdconsider it fake, Reitblat said. But if its a Michael Kors bag at a 30percent discount, youd probably buy it. To put this into perspective, consider that a Gucci Dionysusbag directly from the manufacturer retails for $5,800, but a Michael Kors Saffianotote from the companys site sells for $268.

Most scammable items

When it comes to luxury items purchased with your stolen data, thieves' top three favorite goods are Tissot watches, Michael Kors bags and Ralph Lauren "Ricky" purses, according to Forter. Scammers also love reselling electronics. The top three items in that department are refurbished MacBooks, Android phones, and memory cards.

Thieves dont want 100 Michael Kors bags; they want the money. Michael Reitblat CEO of Forter

Today's thief also reinvests his ill-gotten gains toward building an online presence and boosting the site in search engine results. "If I get a hold of someone's Google [My Business account] or I set up a new account with a credit card, I can start buying ads for whatever I'm trying to sell you," Reitblat said. The top three areas where scammers spend are search engine optimization, phony likes on YouTube and phishing links to ensnare other victims.

Avoid the scam
Donald Trump (C) delivers remarks with his children (L-R) Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump during the grand opening ceremony of the new Trump International Hotel October 26, 2016 in Washington, DC.

Donald Trump would not remove conflicts of interest by transferring his businesses to his children, and the president-elect should follow tradition by divesting or establishing a true blind trust, the Office of Government Ethics said this week.

In a letter sent Monday to Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del, agency director Walter Shaub Jr. said transferring operational control to children "would not constitute the establishment of a qualified blind trust, nor would it eliminate conflicts of interest" under the primary federal statute.

While he called on Trump to divest "conflicting assets" or make a qualified blind trust, Shaub said his agency, which operates within the executive branch and makes ethics guidelines, "has no power to require adherence to this tradition."

Trump's business connections around the globe leave unprecedented chances for conflicts in his White House. Trump has rightfully noted that the criminal conflict of interest statute does not apply to the president, though Shaub said the executive branch has always held that the president should act as if he is bound by it.

Trump canceled an announcement about his business plans initially set for Thursday, saying he plans to hold a press conference "in the near future." Instead, he tweeted that sons Donald Jr. and Eric, along with executives, will manage the businesses. He vaguely added that "no new deals" will be done while he is in office.

Trump tweet: Even though I am not mandated by law to do so, I will be leaving my busineses before January 20th so that I can focus full time on the......

Trump tweet: Presidency. Two of my children, Don and Eric, plus executives, will manage them. No new deals will be done during my term(s) in office.

The president-elect's three eldest children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric, hold spots on his transition team while serving as executives at the Trump Organization. Ivanka has sat in on at least one meeting with a key world leader, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

President-elect Trump has also acknowledged that he "might have" discussed business-related topics with a foreign official.

Separately Wednesday, House Democrats announced that the General Services Administration informed them that Trump would violate the lease for his Washington hotel "the moment he takes office" unless he fully divests himself of financial interests in it. A provision of the lease for the hotel in the Old Post Office building says that "No ... elected official of the Government of the United States ... shall be admitted to any share or part of this Lease, or to any benefit that may arise therefrom."

The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
There's a lot to parse when it comes to Russia's role in the US election  both the overwhelming evidence that it interfered in the vote and the recently disclosed CIA conclusion that it did so in order to help get Donald Trump elected. But there's an even more fundamental question that needs to be answered:

What the hell are the Russians thinking?

Interfering in a US election is a dangerous game. Imagine if Hillary Clinton had won  as virtually every pundit and statistical model was predicting at the time that Russia started leaking hacked emails of Clinton allies. The Russians would have infuriated the most powerful person in the world.

That didn't happen, and the US instead elected the most Kremlin-friendly presidential candidate in recent American history. But it's not clear that Russia will get off scot-free, with lawmakers from both parties calling for as-yet-unspecified punitive measures designed to retaliate for Moscow's interference in the 2016 elections and to deter Russia from trying to meddle in elections to come.

Read more from Vox:

Rising inequality has crushed the dream of upward mobility

Democrats fear the DNC race will become a rehash of the Bernie vs. Hillary fight

Why it's hard for the CIA to make its case on Russian hacking



So why take the risk? Part of the answer has to do solely with Trump's jarringly positive views of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his willingness to embrace policies  like potentially pulling the US out of NATO  that have long been among the Russian strongman's top strategic objectives. Compare this with Clinton's long record of hawkishness on Russia, and Trump was (from the Kremlin's perspective) a far better choice.

But there's a deeper answer, according to several Russia experts: The Putin government is much weaker than it appears, and the hack comes from a position of weakness, not confidence.

Their argument is that Moscow is outclassed militarily by the US and its NATO allies and buckling economically under the weight of international sanctions and low oil prices. It's a country that's very far from reaching the heights of power that Putin wants for it.

The hack, on this analysis, is the clearest evidence yet of how far Putin is willing to go to weaken his rivals and thus raise Russia's relative strength. He's not trying to repair his own government; he's trying to damage those of other countries. With a democracy like the US, the best way to do that is to use a large and sophisticated propaganda campaign to shake confidence in the election and elect a threat to the established Western order like Trump.

"The military balance is grim; the economic balance is grim. And so how do you deal with that?" asks Dan Nexon, a professor at Georgetown University who studies great power politics. "[Information warfare] is pretty much what the Russians have going for them."

Trump's instincts are a lot friendlier to Putin than Clinton's

Nobody really knows what Donald Trump will do as president. But if his policy ideas voiced during the campaign were a good guide, the Kremlin will have reason to celebrate.

Trump has praised the Russian bombing campaign in Syria, supported moves like Brexit that destabilized Russia's European rivals, and personally praised Putin. Most importantly, he has mused about weakening American commitment to NATO. Nothing Putin could do on his own would help Russia's standing on the world stage and regional influence more than the collapse of the Cold Warera military alliance.
Traditional Russian matryoshka dolls depicting Vladimir Putin, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are seen on sale at a gift shop in central Moscow on November 8, 2016.

Donald Trump "would do well" to investigate Russia's involvement in last month's U.S. presidential election, a former director of the CIA told CNBC.

"I think the president would do well so say: We ought to find out what Russia's role was, we ought to investigate it and we ought to make sure that it never happens again," advised Leon Panetta, speaking at the Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai.

"When it comes to Russia and (the country's) interference in our last campaign, 17 intelligence agencies agreed that (it) was involved in that effort," Panetta asserted, underlining what he perceived as the severity of the situation.

Panetta also said that he was concerned by Trump's view on intelligence, following . "It's extremely important for the President of the United States to protect our country and (to do so he)  needs to understand the threats" and the intelligence behind them, Panetta argued.

Panetta added that he agreed with Trump on both "the importance of defeating the Islamic State" and a tough stance towards Iran, "particularly when it comes to the effort by (the country) to support terrorism." Panetta added that he believed that Trump would continue to be "strong" on sanctions directed at curbing the former pariah state's nuclear program.

Panetta served as incumbent President Barack Obama's Secretary of Defense from 2011-2013.

When questioned on Trump's nomination of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson to Secretary of State, Panetta explained that Tillerson "has to make clear that as secretary of state he will represent the concerns and the interests of the American people, not the oil industry."

With Trump's tempestuous public persona often causing controversy, Panetta reasoned that, "in the world of reality TV, words don't necessarily count. But when it comes to being President of the United States, words count." Panetta warned that if Trump is to be a "strong" president, "he has to be careful about the words he uses and how he relates to the rest of the world."

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.


House Democrats said Wednesday that the General Services Administration told them Donald Trump would breach his Washington hotel lease "the moment he takes office" unless he fully divests his interests in it, but the federal agency later disputed that characterization, saying it has not taken a position yet.



Trump's luxury hotel in the Old Post Office Building officially opened earlier this year. A provision in the lease with the GSA states that "No ... elected official of the Government of the United States ... shall be admitted to any share or part of this Lease, or to any benefit that may arise therefrom."



Democratic Reps. Elijah Cummings, Peter DeFazio, Gerald Connolly and Andre Carson said in a statement that their offices received a briefing from the GSA's deputy commissioner after requesting more information from the agency on Trump's hotel.

"The deputy commissioner made clear that Mr. Trump must divest himself not only of managerial control, but of all ownership interest, as well," they said, adding that the GSA told them that the Trump Organization has not been in contact about the hotel.


A Minuteman III missile engine is loaded into a truck for transport to another building for X-raying before being torn down and rebuilt, Thursday, June 22, 2000, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

Several high-profile weapon systems will be decided by the next Pentagon chief but one to modernize Cold War-era firepower may already be in trouble.



Retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to become Defense secretary, expressed concern last year about the Air Force's ground-based Minuteman III, one leg of the nation's nuclear triad. Several of the major defense contractors are contenders to replace the aging Minuteman III with a next-generation missile technology.

"Is it time to reduce the triad to a diad, removing the landbased missiles," the retired four-star general told the Senate Armed Services Committee last year. "This would reduce the false alarm danger."



In July, the Air Force requested proposals to replace the silo-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. The new ICBM program is formally known as the ground-based strategic deterrent and expected to cost up to $60 billion over 30 years.



Observers suggest Mattis could force the Pentagon to rethink the nuclear triad and other land-based missile systems. The three-leg nuclear deterrent has been a centerpiece of the nation's strategic defense since the 1960s.



"The wildcard here is that General Mattis has come in and said we could easily save a lot of money by getting rid of that ground-based element," said John Kenkel, a defense industry expert at PA Consulting Group. "So there could be some debate over the next five years on whether or not we want to move forward with that."



John Venable, an Air Force veteran and senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said the nuclear triad to deliver nuclear weapons from land, sea and air remains critical to national security. "The people who came up with it wanted to make sure that we could survive a nuclear assault and still be able to bring a responding fire into the country that launched its attack."



The nation's biggest defense contractors, Boeing , Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman , are all competing for the ground-based missile program. The Air Force is expected to award up to two contracts for the program but the earlier comments by Mattis may add uncertainty.



Meantime, other Air Force programs that may find more support in the Trump administration include a replacement for the attack radar aircraft system known as JSTARS and the T-X trainer program, which is designed to provide advanced training to pilots.



JSTARS, which stands for joint surveillance target attack radar system, is a flying surveillance aircraft. The current JSTARS, a Northrop E-8C platform, was used in the 1991 Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and Kuwait.



Northrop, Boeing and Lockheed are in the running for the JSTARS replacement aircraft contract, and the Air Force is looking to procure 17 planes. Northrop's team includes Canada's Bombardier and Raytheon . There have been problems reported with some of the older planes, including loose bolts and other safety issues.



The final request for proposals on the replacement JSTARS are expected by early 2017.



At least four teams are competing for the roughly $10 billion contract for the T-X trainer jet program. Two bidding groups have international partners.

Trump has emphasized the importance of keeping jobs the U.S. but the T-X acquisition winner could end up doing some work overseas.



Under U.S. law, more than 50 percent of the cost of all the components in the military aircraft would need to be sourced from manufacturers in the U.S. to avoid going afoul of the Buy American Act. A person familiar with the T-X acquisition process said it is compliant with the Act.



Boeing and Sweden's Saab are paired together in the T-X competition, and Lockheed and Korean Aerospace Industries form another team. Raytheon and Italy's Alenia Aermacchi are also vying for the deal, while Northrop is linked with BAE Systems and L-3 .



The trainer jet would replace the older T-38 that came online in the 1960s.



The Defense Department has an annual budget of around $600 billion. The Heritage Foundation think tank estimates the Pentagon would need $50 billion more to begin rebuilding. One major roadblock is that the Budget Control Act remains in place.



"The military needs to be able to unshackle itself and Congress is going to have to pass a law that kills the Budget Control Act," said Venable.



Given the tensions in the Republican caucus between defense hawks and fiscal hawks, there may not be much appetite in Congress to make bigger increases in defense spending.



"There may not be as much of an open wallet for every defense program as I think some people had anticipated," said Katherine Blakeley, a research fellow at the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.



Lockheed's F-35 fifth-generation fighter and Boeing's KC-46 Pegasus aerial tanker are also priorities as is Northrop's B-21 stealth bomber.



"The Air Force has the largest ramp-up in acquisition spending of the services in the 2020s," said Blakeley. "That's partly a function of all these programs happening at the same time."



The F-35 program alone is expected to cost up to $1.5 trillion by the end of the 55-year life of the program. The controversial program has gone through delays and tough development times, although industry experts believe it is safe, even with recent criticism from the president-elect about the program having "out of control" costs.



"We've got to apply the lessons learned from the F-35 acquisition program into the next program," said Venable. "It was a tough system to acquire because of the way Congress and the DoD levied the restrictions on how the services had to buy that jet."
U.S. crude oil production surged by about 100,000 barrels a day last week, providing further evidence that American drillers are responding quickly to the higher prices that OPEC created by agreeing to curtail their own production.



The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries reached an agreement to cut production by 1.2 million barrels a day last month and got commitments from some nonmembers to 558,000 barrels a day in reductions this past weekend. Hopes for output limits had boosted prices ahead of the agreements.

American drillers were not among the nonmembers who agreed to cut. In the lower 48 states, they drove production to nearly 8.8 million barrels a day in the week through Dec. 9, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That is up from about 8.7 million barrels a day the week prior.

To be sure, the weekly production figures are preliminary, and big jumps are not too rare. But a steadily rising four-week average for U.S. oil output points to an overall recovery. At 8.72 million barrels a day, the average was at its highest level since June.
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli (Eric Reinhardt / BJNN file photo)

ALBANY, N.Y.  New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is proposing changes to the states procurement process for state contracts.

His effort follows criminal charges and allegations of corruption in the awarding of contracts for state economic-development projects, DiNapolis office said in a news release issued Tuesday.

The alleged contracting and kickback schemes uncovered by federal and state prosecutors show lax oversight over economic-development spending, DiNapoli said in the release. The state funneled taxpayer money to quasi-government organizations, avoiding scrutiny and sidestepping usual procurement practices. This created an environment ripe for self-dealing and abuse. New York state must take credible steps to reestablish the publics faith in government and address the broader problems.

Nine people, including two executives at Fayettevillebased COR Development Company, LLC, were charged in a case involving federal corruption and fraud offenses.

The charges arise from two separate but overlapping schemes involving bribery, corruption, and fraud in the award of hundreds of millions of dollars in New York State contracts and other official state actions, Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a Sept. 22 news release.

DiNapoli in early November took administrative actions related to the bid-rigging and fraud scandal, his office said.

He put the Empire State Development Corp. (ESD) on notice that any SUNY Polytechnic Institute contracts transferred or assigned to ESD must be submitted to his office for review.

He made a series of recommendations to improve the payment process for economic-development projects to help prevent against fraud and address the long delays that have occurred with payments made by ESD for projects.

He lowered the threshold requirements for review of contracts from $250,000 to $50,000 for SUNY Polys contracts and put public authorities on notice of his plan to watch them closely.

Oversight

By state law, the state comptrollers office is responsible for reviewing and approving state-agency contracts above $50,000 and certain contracts over $1 million for state public authorities.

In 2015, the comptrollers office reviewed 21,381 contract transactions totaling $169.2 billion.

In recent years, executive and legislative actions have eroded the comptrollers contract oversight.

In 2011, the state eliminated the oversight for construction and construction-related services contracts, among other purchases, issued by the State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY).

In 2012, the state removed the comptrollers oversight of Office of General Services (OGS) centralized contracts.

In 2015, state agencies issued more than $6.8 billion in contracts without comptroller review.

DiNapoli said he wants changes that would increase independent oversight of contracts, prohibit the state from using state-affiliated nonprofits to do state business, make procurement requirements uniform, and toughen ethics and transparency rules.

Specific proposals

DiNapoli wants the state to restore the comptrollers independent oversight for SUNY, CUNY and OGS centralized contracts. He contends recent allegations show widespread weaknesses in SUNYs procurement process and lax oversight of its affiliated nonprofits. Restoring systemic checks and balances that had been taken away can help prevent future abuses and ensure that everyone is following the same rules, his office added.

The state comptroller also seeks to prohibit the use of nonprofits to bypass procurement laws and transparency. DiNapoli contends all contracts for state spending should either be held directly by a state agency or public authority and be subject to independent oversight. SUNYs affiliated nonprofits had lax oversight and poor processes in place that appear to have been manipulated in multiple ways, allowing a non-competitive contracting process to occur and preferred contractors to secure business, per the news release. These entities should not be used for state business or to bypass the routine and well-tested rules and regulations that state agencies follow.

DiNapoli also wants to require state public authorities to follow the same procurement requirements as state agencies. The procurement rules and approval process are not the same for every entity entrusted with taxpayer funds. Public authorities can adopt their own internal guidelines and do not have to follow state agency requirements clearly set out in law. DiNapoli contends that having everyone follow uniform requirements helps give assurance of competition, fairness and best value for taxpayers.

In addition, DiNapoli also wants to review contracts over $1 million for the Research Foundation of SUNY. The Research Foundation is currently not required to have any independent review of its contracts, something that DiNapoli would change. He proposes that his office review contracts over $1 million funded with state dollars.

The state comptroller also seeks to create tougher ethics requirements and penalties for those who abuse the procurement process. DiNapoli would strengthen disclosure of conflicts for employees of state agencies or public authorities, as well as board members and others, engaged in the process. He wants to prohibit vendors who have violated procurement law from getting state business and create a code of ethics for vendors doing business with the state.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
VESTAL, N.Y.  Binghamton University will use $2.8 million in NYSUNY 2020 funding to support the development of a renewable-energy research and development (R&D) facility.

Once completed, the school will use the new venue to promote energy efficiency by testing current research efforts that focus on battery-life maximization, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release issued Monday.

The facility will foster collaboration among multiple SUNY campuses; provide student-research opportunities; and promote workforce training in energy conservation throughout the state to further advance energy-conservation efforts, Cuomos office said.

Launched in 2011, NYSUNY 2020 is a challenge grant program that provides incentive for capital development on SUNY campuses and within surrounding communities, while also establishing Maintenance of Effort provisions and a rational tuition program that allows schools, parents and students to anticipate expenses, according to the SUNY website.

The R&D facility will complement Binghamton Universitys new dry room, a battery dry room located in the Universitys Center of Excellence building at the Innovative Technologies Complex.

Since the chemicals in batteries do not react well to moisture, the dry room features a very low-humidity index, enabling professor M. Stanley Whittingham and his NorthEast Center for Chemical Energy Storage colleagues to test their research efforts to maximize battery life and efficiency.

The battery dry room was made possible through a $600,000 regional economic-development council (REDC) award made in round five of the initiative last year, Cuomos office said.

Energy conservation is essential to combating the threats posed by climate change, and we must ensure that New York is at the forefront of cutting-edge solutions, Cuomo contended in the news release. This funding will equip SUNY Binghamton with a state-of-the-art facility that will advance critical research and bolster our administrations commitment to renewable energy

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul presented the award during a visit to the school on Monday.

The university is on the cutting edge of technology that impacts all of our lives, Harvey Stenger, president of Binghamton University, said in Cuomos news release.

The ability to extend the life of batteries in all types of electronic devices is something from which every one of us will benefit. This particular investment is also going to allow us to educate and train smart-energy scientists and the advanced manufacturing experts of the future, said Stenger, who also co-chairs the Southern Tier REDC.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
This 179.50-ounce Justh & Hunter bar still exhibits heavy encrustation from the rusted SS Central America's hull.

This large bar has the Justh & Hunter hallmark stamped twice horizontally on its face.

At 35.49 ounces, this is the smallest of the Justh & Hunter gold bars in the Heritage Platinum Night session.

The lowest number of gold bars salvaged from the SS Central America were issued by assayer Henry Hentsch, with just 33 Hentsch bars from the total of 532 bars from five identified issuers.

Of the 532 gold bars recovered from the SS Central America, the assaying firm of Kellogg & Humbert issued the majority.

Heritage Auctions' Jan. 5 Platinum Night auction session in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will feature six gold assay bars recovered from the 1857 shipwreck of the SS Central America.

Six gold bars ranging in weight from 34.94 ounces to 327.97 ounces that were salvaged from the 1857 shipwreck SS Central America will cross the auction block during Heritage Auctions' Jan. 5 Platinum Night session in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The auction is being held in conjunction with the Florida United Numismatists convention at the Greater Fort Lauderdale-Broward County Convention Center.

The six gold bars were issued by three California assaying firms  Kellogg & Humbert, Justh & Hunter, and Henry Hentsch. Each of the bars bears stamps identifying its serial number, fineness, weight and value, and the name of its issuer.

A buyers fee of 17.5 percent will be added to the closing hammer price of each lot won.

Justh & Hunter

The Platinum Night session offers three gold bars stamped JUSTH & HUNTER  one weighing 85.49 ounces, one weighing 179.50 ounces and one weighing 327.97 ounces.

The Hungarian-born Emil Justh, a lithographer by trade, arrived in San Francisco in 1851 and opened a lithographic printing office. The business closed, after which Justh eventually became an assistant assayer in 1854 at the newly opened San Francisco Mint. In 1855, after leaving the Mint, Justh formed an assaying partnership with former Baltimore merchant Solomon Hunter.

The 85.49-ounce bar has the inscription details oriented horizontally. At the tip is NO. 4200, following by the Justh & Hunter hallmark, reflected as JUSTH&HUNTER in an arc. In the same line below is 85.49 OZS and 886 FINE, with the bottom line reflecting the 1857 value at $1565.76.

A 179.50-ounce ingot, measuring 124 millimeters by 51 millimeters by 47 millimeters is, according to the auction lot description, the only ingot cast from this mold size.

The face is stamped No 4250 / JUSTH&HUNTER / 179.50 ozs 886 FINE / $3287.50. The numeral 50, the last two digits in the serial number, also appear on the back.

The 327.97-ounce bar, the equivalent of 20.49 pounds, is the largest in the sale in weight and dimensions. It is the second largest bar identified as from Justh & Hunter's Marysville, Calif., office.

The bar measures 62 millimeters by 180 millimeters by 49 millimeters. The face side is laid out with the incuse stamps scattered horizontally on the long side. NO. 9496 is positioned on a top line at center. In a next line, at left, is the JUSTH&HUNTER arc with 327.97 OZS. below. To the far right is JUSTH&HUNTER with 909 FINE. below. Centered at the bottom is the value, $6162.78.

Kellogg & Humbert

Two Kellogg & Humbert bars are offered in the Jan. 5 auction session  one weighing 152.96 ounces and the second, 34.94 ounces.

Salvors recovered 532 gold bars from the SS Central America wreck site off the coast of the Carolinas. Of the total, roughly 65 percent were stamped with the Kellogg & Humbert hallmark.

John Grover Kellogg and Augustus Humbert were recognized as two of the most reputable assayers in San Francisco in the 1850s. Humbert became United States Assayer in 1851. Kellogg previously worked with Moffat & Co. and eventually formed a partnership with G.F. Richter in 1854.

Kellogg and Humbert joined forces in 1854 to privately strike large numbers of gold $20 coins because the recently opened San Francisco Mint could not keep up with public demand.

The larger of the two Kellogg and Humbert ingots measures 64 millimeters by 150 millimeters by 28 millimeters.

The face of the larger bar is stamped in five lines, No 482 / K&H hallmark / 152.96 Oz. / 886 FINE / $2801.49.

The hallmark within a box reads KELLOGG / & / HUMBERT / ASSAYERS. The numerals 482 are also stamped on the back of the bar.

The smaller bar measures 43 millimeters by 53 millimeters by 28 millimeters. The face is stamped No 715 / 34.94 OZ/ 855 FINE / $617.54. The hallmark is stamped on the right edge.

Henry Hentsch

While more than 500 gold bars were retrieved from the SS Central America wreckage, just 33 bear the hallmark of assayer Henry Hentsch. That is the fewest among the bars recovered and assigned to an identified assayer.

The Hentsch bar offered, at 45 ounces, is classified by experts as a medium to large size ingot.

The bar measures 48 millimeters wide by 74 millimeters long by 21 millimeters thick.

The face of the bar is stamped in five lines No 3212 / 914 FINE / HY HENTSCH / OZ 45.00 / $850.23
Treasure hunters in the Washington, D.C. Metro area have the opportunity to participate in Bonanza Coins' holiday treasure hunt by following clues leading to the location of a circulated 1916 William McKinley Memorial gold dollar.

The following news release was issued by Bonanza Coins in Silver Spring, Md. Professional numismatist Julian Leidman says the coin that is the subject of the hunt is circulated, with a jewelry mount on the edge, and is valued at approximately $300.:

Want to win a 1916 McKinley commemorative gold dollar coin? Bonanza Coins' Holiday Treasure Hunt is for you!

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the minting of the scarce 1916 McKinley commemorative gold dollar coin, the Bonanza Coins Treasure Hunt offers you a chance to win a McKinley gold dollar now hidden somewhere in the DC Metro area.

Julian Leidman, owner of Bonanza Coins reports: "McKinley appears on 3 different issues of U.S. commemorative gold coins. Quite fascinating."

Beginning Monday, December 12, 2016, through December 22, 2016, clues will be available at Bonanza Coins and posted on https://www.facebook.com/Bonanza-Coins-290279734341382/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel, along with clues tweeted by @fancaster.

The winner will be announced on New Years Day.

About the McKinley commemorative gold dollar

This issue of the McKinley gold dollars of 1916 and 1917 were coined at the request the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Association nearly fifteen years after McKinleys death at the hands of an assassin. Proceeds from the sale of the coins were to be used to construct a memorial in his home town of Niles, Ohio. While the original request from the association was for commemorative silver dollars, McKinleys pro-gold stance in office led Congress to change the bill to call for gold dollar coins instead. A bill passed on February 23, 1916, authorized the mintage of up to 100,000 coins.



Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber was selected to design the obverse, and his assistant George T. Morgan was charged with designing the reverse. Barber was nearing the end of his life, and his obverse was not well received. The portrait of McKinley didnt particularly look like the former president, which is obviously an issue. Around the top of the periphery are UNITED ? STATES ? OF ? AMERICA, and MCKINLEY ? DOLLAR is seen below.



Morgans reverse was even less well-received. It features a facing view of the McKinley Birthplace Memorial structure. Not only is it architecturally inaccurate, but its also crudely rendered. Around the periphery of the coin is MCKINLEY BIRTHPLACE MEMORIAL. NILES OHIO is above the memorial, divided by a flag pole, and the date, either 1916 or 1917, is below. When combined with the fact that these coins are often seen weakly struck, the whole makes for an aesthetically poor creation.



There were 20,000 McKinley gold dollars struck in 1916 and a further 10,000 dated 1917 struck in February of the following year. Some uncertainty exists respecting the number of each date that was actually sold as well as the number melted. However, according to B. Max Mehl, a famous dealer of the time who handled many thousands of the coins, 5,000 of both issues were melted, leaving a net mintage of 15,000 for the 1916 issue and only 5,000 for the 1917.

For more information and rules, contact: Julian@JulianCoin.com or by phone, 301-585-1480.
MU takes 'breather' on demo project

Crowder Hall, which houses the University of Missouri's Military Science Department and ROTC programs, is getting a reprieve from demolition.
Our Bodies, Our Voices: Columbus Women Reflect on Abortion Rights

The fall of Roe v. Wade has created a fury that is personal. These 10 essays and stories reflect how Central Ohio residents are feeling.
Colorado Springs is known for a conservative bent, but, for every action, there's an equally strong reaction. This phenomenon is on full display in the Downtown Colorado Springs Creative District.

A quick creative visualization: You're driving with a stranger from Denver to Colorado Springs on a clear, bright day. This stranger, a visitor to Colorado, has never been to the city of 440,000, about 60 miles south of Denver.

What's it like?

It's kinda like that,

Fairly or unfairly, many Denverites associate Colorado Springs with its conservative hallmarks. The Springs has a churches-to-people ratio that's roughly double that of Denver and is home to some of the largest megachurches in the region. The military is a major presence here: Fort Carson Army base and the Air Force Academy employ tens of thousands of locals. If you live in Colorado Springs, defense contractors from Boeing and Raytheon and engineers from NORAD are simply the people in your neighborhood.





But that's hardly the whole story of the Springs. Drive the visiting stranger through downtown, today, and you'll see murals and stencil art blazing from alleyways and the sides of historic brick buildings, urban counterparts to 90 more traditional public art pieces commissioned by the Art on the Streets program over the past two decades. On Bijou and Tejon streets, classic mom-and-pop restaurants sit next to sleek new eateries and breweries. At lunchtime, they fill up with with architects, graphic designers and software developers who work nearby.

In 2014, downtown Colorado Springs was certified as an official Colorado Creative District by the State of Colorado's Colorado Creative Industries . The designation validated the regional strength of the city's art centers, especially the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center , one of the most celebrated of its kind in the county. It is also reflected the growing role of the arts in the economic life of downtown Colorado Springs. In addition to drawing a big chunk of the five million tourists who visit the area annually, the creative industries are a tool to attract and keep new talent and spur investment and entrepreneurship.

Since 2013, more than 40 creative businesses have hung a shingle in downtown Colorado Springs.

Michelle Marx sees it as a place where creative business owners people can flourish, especially if they're willing to take risks. Early next year, she'll move her business, Coquette's Bistro and Bakery , to a refurbished Mid-Century building she recently bought, with support from the Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs , in the burgeoning New South End neighborhood downtown. The building, which formerly housed an optometrists office, is close to a new 187-unit apartment complex and other mixed-use developments and will include 4,000 square feet of retail space.

"Nobody else seemed to see the possibilities in this building, but we saw the potential, not just for ourselves but for others," says Marx, who runs Coquette's with her daughter, Turu. "We're so excited to be part of what this neighborhood is shaping up to be. We'll be here from the beginning of its transformation and help bring a good vibe."







A driver of the positive

Of the 36 action steps outlined in Colorado Springs' newly adopted master plan for downtown, nearly a third relate to the arts and creative industries -- everything from branding to programming in local parks and public areas. To Claire Swinford, urban engagement manager for the Downtown Partnership, that's proof that, even in a fiscally conservative city, policymakers and the business sector recognize that the benefits of investment in the arts go well beyond the aesthetic and decorative.

Claire Swinford manages the Downtown Colorado Springs Creative District. "Our goal is to use public art as a larger tool of strategic development, a driver for other positive things we want to see in the Creative District," she says. "It's new businesses, a block being revitalized; it helps to coalesce and identity. And on a practical level, if we notice a neighborhood is having some trouble, we can put some programming, some public art there to create an incentive, so that people walk there and interact, rather than remaining in their personal bubble."

Swinford says the Downtown Partnership and the city have invited artists to help shape the plan through a series of public input meetings. Not surprisingly, housing and affordability were common concerns: Like many places in the state, growth in Colorado Springs has led to a spike in home prices and rents at places to live, work and create.

"We heard a lot of excitement, but people also latched onto the questions of what that rate of increased growth means for their ability to live and work downtown," she says. "They asked, 'Is my rent going to rise so much that I can't afford to be here anymore? As infrastructure starts to develop, how do I make sure I get galvanized instead of squished?'"

"A lot of very smart people are trying to find ways to address the space issues," she says. "Fortunately, we're not at the same point as Denver. We have some lag time to really come up with solutions, and we've got a lot of minds on it."

Herself a working visual artist, Swinford adds, "One of the advantages of this town is that our cultural artists and organizations are scrappy and resourceful. They're willing to work together in a way to inspire one another. Recently, some folks from the Art District on Santa Fe came down and toured our district. They came away with the sense that the Springs has a ton of vibrancy. It's a place where people are excited about working together as creative entities to create positive change for our communities."

Colorado Springs is still politically conservative, but its demographics are changing. There's a growing sense that the creative community is coalescing and collaborating in ways that provide a dynamic alternative to the city's dominant culture. If there exists a tension between the traditional image of Colorado Springs and its more progressive, expressive leanings, it is fertile ground for art.

Last month, for example, The Tim Gill Center for Public Media , an event venue and education space opened by the Denver-based Gill Foundation in 2012, invited the community to submit works to a "Healing Wall" exhibition in response to the recent presidential election. The submissions, which include mournful sticky notes, collective poems and works by established local artists, will be on display at the Center into 2017.

Colorado College -- named one of the country's most innovative liberal-arts colleges by

Richard Ross, "Juvenile In Justice," archival pigment print.

A purity of work

A variety of artistic and intellectual viewpoints are on display every month on First Friday , when more than 30 downtown galleries, as well as more off-grid and underground spaces, open to visitors and dialogue.





"I would put our artists and musicians up against any in the world and I think I know it well," says Don Goede, an artist and executive director of the Smokebrush Foundation , which funds creative programs across the city, including spoken word and storytelling for youth. "Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs are an incredible place to work in the arts because it almost feels like the mainstream media hasn't figured out how amazing we are, therefore it has helped keep out the possibility of any extra pretentiousness and too much ego in all of our artistic manifestations."

Goede, a Colorado Springs native, has lived and worked across the country, including a long stint in Brooklyn, where he helped start the indie imprint Soft Skull Press . When he returned to the area in the early 2000s, he was pleasantly surprised by what he found.





"Working in the arts my whole life, I have had to deal with way too many artists that were just full of themselves," says Goede. "Even though our region has some of the richest art history in the country -- the Broadmoor Academy alone was a mecca for painters around the world -- it's almost like we have forgotten that history as well. There is a purity of work here that I just love even if it sometimes borders on naivete. I collect more art here than I ever did in Los Angeles, New York or Philly."

Graphic design by Matt Megyesi

This story is part of a series about Colorado's Certified Creative Districts. Support for this series is provided by

she asks as you zoom south on I-25, through the outlet stores of Castle Rock. The stunning precipice of Pikes Peak comes clearer into view. So does the sign for the Focus on the Family Welcome Center, the public face of the Christian advocacy group, located just east of the interstate. Fighter jets zoom overhead, flying practice circles over the United States Air Force Academy campus. You scan the radio; lots of Christian talk and pop.you say.U.S. News & World Report -- regularly hosts authors, artists, journalists and thinkers, with an emphasis on women and people of color. This fall, Colorado College's I.D.E.A. Space hosted "Incarceration Nation," a high-profile exhibition that explored the experiences of men and women who are imprisoned across the U.S.Photos by Kara Pearson Gwinn
Timothy Stafford is a Research Fellow with Pacific Forum-CSIS, and a former Parliamentary Researcher to Sir Malcolm Rifkind.

To say that Rex Tillerson does not fit the standard profile of a Secretary of State nominee is to put it mildly. Between them, the last ten secretaries have at one stage or another filled the following positions prior to taking up the position: Senator, National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, UN Ambassador, Treasury Secretary, White House Chief of Staff, Deputy Secretary of State, and Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Tillerson, by contrast, is a career oil man with no experience of government work, let alone the diplomatic service.

What then, explains his selection?

Writing in the Los Angeles Times eight years ago, former Secretary of State James Baker outlined the primary quality any Secretary of State needs in order to be effective: You cannot be successful unless youhave a clear understanding with the president that you are his principal foreign policy spokesman, formulator and implementer. There cannot be discordant voices on foreign policy. If there are, you will send mixed signals to other countries that will result in your administration being ineffectual. In public, a Secretary of State should be as close to a clone of the president as possible.

For Donald Trump, finding someone who met that criterion was an uphill battle. All the names floated during the transition process  former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former CIA Director David Petraeus and Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker  were household names in political circles. Yet none could ever have hoped to be seen as a true Trump confidante internationally. Had any one of those four been nominated, foreign governments would have held out hopes of turn the incoming Secretary into their envoy to Trump, rather than Trumps envoy to them.

In the CEO of ExxonMobil, Trump appears to have found a chief diplomat with whom he sees eye-to-eye. Much like himself, Tillerson hails directly from corporate America. He is well placed to lead a re-prioritization of US foreign policy, away from human rights, democracy-promotion, and maintenance of a liberal world order, in favour of a narrow focus on advancing Americas economic wellbeing. Crucially, Tillersons commercial experience in Russia suggests that he will be comfortable pioneering Trumps efforts to mend relations with Moscow, something that is anathema to almost every major player in the Republican foreign policy establishment. As far as unity within the administration is concerned, so far so good.

The immediate problem for the nascent Trump administration, is that the nomination will aggravate burgeoning tensions with Congress. Tillerson, like the President he hopes to serve, lacks any major constituency in Washington. The businessmans willingness to establish comfortable relations with autocratic regimes, part of the rough and tumble of energy politics, will not play well with the Republican foreign policy hawks in the Senate.

Lindsey Graham, John McCain, and Marco Rubio in particular, are likely to make the his personally warm relationship with Vladimir Putin a central feature of his confirmation hearings. Moreover, Senator Rand Paul has already pledged do his utmost to block the appointment of John Bolton as Deputy Secretary  a move calculated to ease Republican concerns about Tillersons lack of diplomatic experience and mercantilist instincts.

The problems are likely to be even worse amongst Democrats. For them, the pick will  in the words of author Steve Coll  confirm the assumption of many people around the world that American power is best understood as a raw, neocolonial exercise in securing resources. As a result, the nomination for Secretary of State goes to Capitol Hill with a significantly higher chance of being rejected than any other in living memory.

Much may depend on former Bush-era grandees to carry the day. Former Secretaries of State and Defense Condoleezza Rice and Robert Gates have already praised the selection, and James Baker himself has emerged as a key supporter of his fellow Texan. It is possible that their gravitas will succeed in allaying Republican fears of a pro-Russian turn in foreign policy, encompassing the lifting of Ukraine-related economic sanctions, reduced support for NATO allies, and de facto support for Russian military policy in the Middle East. Tillerson, clearly a man of significant talent, may also exceed expectations when placed under scrutiny. Yet the margin for error is slender. Republicans hold 52 seats in the Senate. Trump will need the support of almost all of them if hes to get his way.
Jayne Fisher, Jeremy Corbyns latest hire, has a dubious taste in political heroes. She has spent some years running Sinn Feins office in London  here she is reading out a demand by Gerry Adams that Ireland expel the Israeli ambassador, for example.

Her own views on Israel and other issues arent entirely clear  not least because she has mysteriously deleted almost all of her old tweets, though some replies from others remain and contain some intriguing hints as to her favourite topics.

Fortunately, thanks to Diane Abbott we know quite how keen she is on Hugo Chavez, who led Venezuela to ruin and misery.

Last year  well after Venezuelas disastrous state had become clear  Abbott helpfully tweeted a lovely picture of Fisher literally cuddling up to Chavez:

Elsewhere, an external site has archived Fishers feelings about Chavez from when he died. Corbyns new staffer thought Venezuelas leader was an exemplary human being:
The alt-right is rather difficult to describe. It is an insurgency which thrives on annoying mainstream conservatives by saying things which are too obscene or crude or racist for mainstream publications to print.

Without the internet, the alt-right (an abbreviation of alternative right) would not exist, or not in a form which anyone can join. There is an incoherence about their solipsistic outpourings which makes one long for the services of a good editor.

But Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have begun to impose a degree of order on the phenomenon. Trump has done so by taking Steve Bannon, who helped run his campaign and was executive chairman of Breitbart News, into the White House as his strategist.

Bannon described Breitbart as the platform for the alt-right. When asked if he is a white nationalist, he replied: Im not a white nationalist. Im a nationalist. Im an economic nationalist.

The question was a fair enough one to put to Bannon, for some alt-right figures certainly are white nationalists, or what used to be called white supremacists.

On 25 August 2016, Hillary Clinton gave a speech in Reno in which she sought to implicate Trump in the worst excesses of the alt-right:

He is taking hate groups mainstream, and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican PartyTrump is reinforcing harmful stereotypes and offering a dog-whistle to his most hateful supporterswho traffic in dark conspiracy theories drawn from the pages of supermarket tabloids and the far dark reaches of the internet Trump took the fringe bigot, with a few dozen followers, and spread his message to eleven million people [by retweeting it]This is not conservatism as we have known it These are racist ideas, race-baiting ideas, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-women: all key tenets making up the emerging racist ideology known as the alt-right Now of course there has always been a paranoid fringe in our politics, a lot of it arising from racial resentment, but its never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it, and giving it a national megaphone until now.

The kind of views Clinton here denounces can indeed be found in the voluminous and often vile writings of the alt-right. As Christopher Caldwell remarked at the start of this month in an astute piece for The New York Times, The internet liberates us to be our worst selves.

Caldwell went on to give some examples of the trolling engaged in by members of the alt-right during the election campaign:

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

But as Caldwell concluded:

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 block.

By concentrating on the despicable aspects of the alt-right, Clinton managed to obscure the adroit way in which it turned the weapons of liberalism on the liberals themselves.

If multiculturalism is to be the prevailing doctrine, with the establishment celebrating diversity at every turn, there is every reason for the poor whites, with their deep economic concerns and disregarded culture, to turn themselves into a minority whose prejudices are at least as valuable as anyone elses.

As Mark Lilla has observed, in a much noticed piece for The New York Times, the liberals

obsession with diversity has encouraged white, rural, religious Americans to think of themselves as a disadvantaged group whose identity is being threatened or ignored. Such people are not actually reacting against the reality of our diverse America (they tend, after all, to live in homogeneous areas of the country). But they are reacting against the omnipresent rhetoric of identity, which is what they mean by political correctness. Liberals should bear in mind that the first identity movement in American politics was the Ku Klux Klan, which still exists. Those who play the identity game should be prepared to lose it.

This poor white constituency (and indeed many poor non-white immigrants who have lived in America for some time) did not conclude from denunciations such as Clintons in Reno that Trump was a monster. She made him sound like their champion.

She had paid the alt-right an enormous compliment by going out her way to attack it. Here was testimony that their provocations were taking effect at the highest level.

In February of this year, Allum Bokhari and Milo Yiannopoulos wrote a piece for Breitbart called An Establishment Conservatives Guide to the Alt-Right, in which they declare, with the marvellous confidence of youth:

Although the alt-right consists mostly of college-educated men, it sympathises with the white working classes and, based on our interviews, feels a sense of noblesse oblige.

It cannot be long before these heretics rise into the Establishment themselves. For although many writers for the alt-right show as little reverence for the past and its achievements as the rebels of the 1960s once did, these two declare:

For natural conservatives, culture, not economic efficiency, is the paramount value. More specifically, they value the greatest cultural expressions of their tribe. Their perfect society does not necessarily produce a soaring GDP, but it does produce symphonies, basilicas and Old Masters. The natural conservative tendency within the alt-right points to these apotheoses of western European culture and declares them valuable and worth preserving and protecting.

Yiannopoulos, a gay Jew brought up in Britain, sometimes denies being a member of the alt-right but has actually become one of its stars in America, for he delights in annoying people, and is rather good at it.

The Department of Educations counter-extremism unit recently banned him from giving a talk at his old school, Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys at Canterbury, in Kent. He can here be seen trying to annoy Cathy Newman of Channel 4 News.

The second liberal weapon the alt-right uses against the liberals is freedom of speech. Andrew Marantz of The New Yorker has described how Mike Cernovich, alt-right author of such works as Gorilla Mindset: Timeless Strategies to Unleash the Animal Within You,

became a prominent vessel of pro-Trump populism by saying unconscionable things on Twitter. This election was a contest between P.C. culture and free-speech culture, he told me the day after Trumps victory. Most people know what its like for some smug, elite asshole to tell them, You cant say that, its racist, its bad. Well, a vote for Trump meant, Fuck you, you dont get to tell me what to say. Cernovich, who grew up working-class in rural Illinois, visited his home town in February. He said, My parents voted for Obama, but they told me, If its Trump versus Hillary, well go with him. He gets us. He talks like us. Since then, I never doubted that hed be President.'

When Trump visited The New York Times after winning the election, he was asked if he had wanted to energise the small number of people who to celebrate his victory gave a Nazi salute at a convention held in Washington by Richard S. Spencer, an agitator who helped popularise the term alternative right and has called for a white America achieved by peaceful ethnic cleansing.

Trump replied by disavowing this group, and added: What we do want to do is we want to bring the country together, because the country is very, very divided.

For Trump, the miscellaneous and disorganised nature of the alt-right has considerable advantages. He can disavow whichever bits of it are too horrible to be defensible.

But like Trump himself, the alt-right has also helped to disorientate and dismay the liberal establishment, by saying things it had imagined to be unsayable.

The two are allies, who enjoy defying convention. Quite how this will work out now they have seized the White House is anyones guess, but the alt-right could end up divided into those who love feeling important, and those who prefer to feel betrayed.

Barack Obama had a gift for seeing the absurd side of Trump and cracking jokes at his expense. Clinton could not see the joke, which is one reason why she lost the election.
Alex Morton was a member of David Camerons Downing Street Policy Unit.

The Left is as responsible as the Right  if not more

The Brexit vote and the victory of Donald Trump are being portrayed as the creation of  and a win for  a brand new type of politics. This post-truth politics is about whipping up emotion and ignoring fact. Those who lost were the cerebral, intellectual types who relied on fact and reason to guide them. Those who won were the uneducated and stupid, who at best did not realise what they were doing, and at worst were bigots. Needless to say, this narrative is pushed strongest by the centre-left, who feel that their electoral coalition is crumbling and are seeking ways to make themselves feel better.

There is only one problem. The post-truth narrative is itself post-truth. The Left has long relied on emotional bullying and sheer nastiness to get its way, shut down debate, and generally win victories. Consider the sheer hatred of Margaret Thatcher, which is where the Left first really got going on post-truth politics. It didnt matter if the economy was doing well due to her reforms, or that the Conservatives could afford to spend more on healthcare than ever before. Wasnt Thatcher evil? How could anyone decent vote for her? It was no coincidence that the viciousness grew with her electoral success. The more the Right succeeded, the more vitriolic the hatred. In large part, the current championing of a post-truth narrative from the Left is down to the electoral weakness of the Left, and the feeling this may not be just temporary.

The Lefts relationship with evidence is as bad  if not worse  than the populist Right

This is not to deny the slipperiness of some of the claims during the referendum campaign on the Leave as well as the Remain side. Nor is it to ignore the rather bombastic and evasive nature of Trumps election campaign. But the Left has no morally superior relationship with evidence. In some areas, there is a deliberate erasure of ambiguity. While almost all scientists agree that the greenhouse effect is real and that we are contributing, the levels of change that man is responsible for, and opportunity cost of reducing emissions, are both legitimate points for debate  but raising this bring forth claims and smears about climate change deniers as if raising these topics were on a par with holocaust denial.

But it goes further. Not just with Fidel Castro, the left often simply lies, or ignores inconvenient evidence. Consider Islamophobia. Given the fact that the Islamic world is fighting a civil war between fanatics and moderates, you might think we should discuss some data. For example, Pew finds that in Pakistan 84 per cent of respondents want Sharia law and 74 per cent in Egypt. Of those overwhelming majorities, 76 per cent in Pakistan and 86 per cent in Egypt want the death penalty for people who leave Islam and high majorities back horrific penalties (e.g. stoning for adultery).

Of course, most UK Muslims do not want such an approach, and majorities in many Muslim majority nations do not favour Sharia or if they do, support modern versions. But why cant we be honest  some versions of Islam are not acceptable here. Halting mass migration from such countries is not racist, but legitimately avoiding importing a raging civil war between fanatics and modernists. Shutting down this debate just gives fuel to genuine bigots who pretend all Muslims are the same and all a threat.

Further, the Left ignores different facts create very different realities. The Economist, bastion now of progressive rather than liberal thinking, stopped publishing average wage growth in the back-page roundup of economic indicators a while ago, as it was in its view not important enough. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of voters did not quite see it that way: it didnt matter that GDP was rising when their wages were not. Lhe left chooses to ignore data that shows that the NHS, far from being the envy of the world, is inferior to social insurance schemes  with the BBC and others ignoring the data on most European or Far Eastern (superior) health systems.

The Remain campaign argues that the Leave campaign lied. But its entire campaign was based on a lie  that the decision was about a trade relationship, not about an ever closer union. We were told simultaneously that unravelling EU law was too difficult , yet also that EU interference was negligible. Now, rather than focus on positive objective data we are subject to a constant blast of subjective speculation that any minute now UK plc will collapse.

Post-truth doesnt get much better than that in terms of ignoring data in favour of opinion and gut feeling.

The Left, for all its faults, used to care about the communities that it represented. Now, Jeremy Corbyns bullying clicktivists and their Twitter wars, prepared to attack viciously online but not get stuck into their local communities, are the final gasps of the post-truth left eating itself. Who needs to sort out community issues when you can, from the comfort of your armchair, virtue signal to your friends on Facebook?

The Right still needs to focus on the evidence

This is not an excuse for the Right to stop looking at and gathering data, nor an excuse for some of the post-truth statements in recent years from the Right. But we should fight back against opponents who have indulged in post-truth emotional manipulation for several decades. On the one genuine point that the Left has in this area  that it has expert opinion on its side  should be a wake-up call.

The Right has allowed the Left to seize control of a new parallel quango state, well-funded pro-state charities and academics in order to force its worldview through. But the evidence is no more supportive of left-wing views than the past. What has happened is that those who are in charge of interpreting and advising on this evidence have shifted to the Left  pushed by government funding and post-truth bullying. We urgently need to fight back on this seizure of power. But we should not believe our opponents smears. The facts of life are still conservative, and if any one side has created the current state of nasty, post-truth politics, it is the Left.
Revenue & Customs seeks sequestration of SNP rising star

The Daily Record reports that Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, a high-profile Nationalist MP, faces legal action which may force her to resign her seat.

HM Revenue & Customs have apparently filed a case with Glasgow Sheriff Court in pursuit of sequestration, the Scots Law-equivalent of bankruptcy, in relation to the liquidation of the law firm Hamilton Burns, which she left after becoming an MP.

If an MP is declared bankrupt they cant take their seats in the Commons, and if the issue is not resolved within six months the seat is vacated and a by-election is called.

The Record refers to this as the fourth financial blow to SNP MPs in two years. Chris Law faces a police probe into spending during the independence referendum, and Natalie McGarry resigned the whip before being charged with fraud offences (again connected to thereferendum).

Finally Michelle Thompson, formerly the partys business spokesman, resigned the whip whilst being investigated over mortgage fraud allegations (although colleagues are now pressing for her reinstatement).

Brokenshire wants greater focus on victims of republicans during Troubles

The Northern Irish Secretary has pledged to do more to investigate attacks by republicans during the Troubles, according to the Irish News.

James Brokenshire, formerly security minister at the Home Office and ally to Theresa May, said in response to Parliamentary questions that there was too great a focus on the small minority of killings connected to the British state.

He is putting forward balanced, proportionate measures which will re-orient some of the so-called legacy bodies towards the victims of the IRA and other nationalist and loyalist paramilitary groups.

The Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, a Democratic Unionist MP, has also demanded that the Republic not evade scrutiny, pointing out that Dublin is as accountable to the proposed Historical Investigations Unit outlined in the Stormont House Agreement, the News Letter reports.

Elsewhere the Belfast Telegraph reports Brokenshire saying that there is no point publishing proposals on dealing with legacy issues before getting the DUP and Sinn Fein signed up, as the Executive parties can form a road block.

Welsh Conservatives attack Jones record after seven years in charge

Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Welsh Tories, led a scathing attack on Carwyn Jones and his administrations record this week.

According to Wales Online the First Minister stands accused of seven kinds of failure, one for each year of his term to date.

Top of the list are poor records on healthcare and education, areas where the Conservatives have previously been on the offensive, with Michael Gove upsetting Welsh Labour by drawing cross-border comparisons when Education Secretary and David Cameron branding Offas Dyke the line between life and death.

Other areas were: failing to introduce a Cancer Drugs Fund, neglecting rural Wales, low take-home pay, presiding over a housing crisis, and wasting taxpayers money.

However, Welsh Labour hit back by claiming that Davies hasnt yet named any new policies the Tories would introduce to tackle these problems.

as Scottish Tories accuse the SNP of wasting 940m of public money

The Conservatives claim that almost a billion pounds worth of taxpayers money has been lost to waste and projects going over-budget in Scotlands public sector since the Nationalists took power in 2007, according to the Scotsman.

Over-budget projects and departmental waste apparently account for 431.5 million, with other public sector cost overruns taking the total to 947.7 million since 2007.

Murdo Fraser, the Shadow Finance Secretary, says that the SNP could replicate a tax cut being introduced south of the border if they stemmed the steady flow of losses to mismanagement.

Elsewhere, the Herald reports that Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, was criticised for hosting an immoral arms trade event for MSPs at Holyrood.

Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, also hinted that she might be prepared to reverse her previous opposition to the SNP standing candidates in England.

Foster rejects calls to resign over botched green energy scheme

The First Minister of Northern Ireland has rejected demands that she step down for allegedly mishandling the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), according to the Belfast Telegraph.

Taxpayers apparently faces a bill of over 400 million  which could rise yet further  because no cap was built into RHI, which pays a tariff for each kilowatt of heat burned using eco-friendly systems.

Unlike on the mainland featured no payment tiers or other system to factor in the size of a boiler or its hours of operation, apparently allowing businesses to earn money burning unnecessary heat.

Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, says she has nothing to hide and promised inspections to make sure claimants are operating within the spirit of the programme.

However Mike Nesbitt, leader of the opposition Ulster Unionists, claims to have discovered a smoking gun which proves the First Ministers culpability in the scandal.
Boris Johnson is saved! Despite making a joke earlier this week about the Prime Ministers Lederhosen (which were today not in evidence), she referred to him as an FFS, which according to her means a Fine Foreign Secretary.

The question of Johnsons future was raised by Peter Dowd (Lab, Bootle), who joins the lengthening list of people who would make a better Leader of the Opposition than Jeremy Corbyn.

Dowd suggested to Theresa May that when she wrote the letters FO next to Johnsons name, they should have been an instruction, not a job offer.

The Prime Minister replied that Johnson is doing an absolutely excellent job, and provided her own jokey abbreviation.

Corbyn and the Labour Whips had presumably decided the question of Johnsons future was better dealt with by a backbencher than by the leader himself.

In 1801 the brilliant young George Canning exclaimed in the Commons:

Away with the cant of Measures not men!  the idle supposition that it is the harness and not the horses that draw the chariot along. If the comparison must be made, if the distinction must be taken, men are everything, measures comparatively nothing.

But Corbyn is far from brilliant. He is a third-rate ideologue, in whose unreceptive brain is lodged the belief that measures are everything.

And he has a prissy, Pooterish objection to making personal remarks. So he did not go for Johnson, even though the divergence in style and substance between the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister is one of the Governments most glaring weaknesses.

Corbyn steers clear of Brexit, which is the great question of the day, but on which his own views are far from clear, though they can be presumed not have changed since he imbibed the pure milk of socialist Euroscepticism from Tony Benn.

The Leader of the Opposition instead asked about social care, a subject on which, by his own modest standards, he managed to sound trenchant. He ended with the plea, Get a grip and fund it properly, please.

How the word please let him down, and made him sound like a weedy little supplicant.

It fell to Caroline Lucas, the leader of the Greens, to call for a ministers head. Sack him! she said of Chris Grayling, the Transport Secretary. For Lucas complained that the Prime Minister has no idea of the level of pain inflicted on her constituents in Brighton for the last 18 months by the wretched train service which ought to enable them to get to London.

The Prime Minister omitted to describe Grayling as a Fine Transport Secretary, but said Lucas ought instead to condemn the strike called by ASLEF.

Lucas remains this columns choice to take over from Corbyn as Leader of the Opposition. She may be a vegetarian, but unlike him, she has the killer instinct. A coalition between Labour and the Greens is now the only way forward.
George Osborne understands the centrality of power to politics as well as any practitioner alive, and his grasp of it was on display yesterday during his Commons speech on Aleppo. He recognises that the decision of the West in general, and Parliament in particular, to confront Assad in 2013 had two important consequences. The first was a rise in the prestige of Russia in the Middle East and a consequent fall of that of the United States. The second was the loss of standing of the Government of which he was a central player. The refusal of the Commons to back its proposal for missile strikes wounded David Camerons reputation abroad and shrunk his foreign policy.

The former Chancellor was a committed interventionist before the Prime Minister he served, backing the Iraq War with in 2003 and defending it a year later. He neither repeated nor repudiated that view yesterday, but instead suggested that the pendulum has swung too far  from a presumption in favour of military action abroad to a rejection of it in almost any circumstances. I believethat we have come to a point where it is impossible to intervene anywhere  we lack the political will, as the West, to intervene. Given the election of Donald Trump and his ambiguity about NATO, this looks prescient.

None the less, it is one thing to argue that action abroad is sometimes necessary, and quite another to claim that it would have been in Syria three years ago. Admittedly, Cameron and Osborne may have been correct. Missile strikes against Assad in response to its use of chemical weapons might have made a big humanitarian difference. He might have backed off; he might then have fought within the rules of war, along with his Iranian and Russian backers. It could be that an earlier American plan to equip and back the Free Syrian Army would have worked, in the sense of delivering a negotiated peace.

But it is very doubtful that all this would have come to pass. Assad might have responded to strikes by escalating attacks that cause mass casualties. What would Obama and Cameron have done then? Would they have retaliated with more strikes, thus risking an open conflict with Russia? Or would they have backed off  in which case the Government would have ended up where it did in any event? What if Russia upped the ante in Ukraine, or probed the Baltic States? Thirty Conservative backbenchers concluded that these questions had no clear answer, including the present Chairmen of the Foreign Affairs and Defence select committees, and voted against the Government.

As Osborne has since admitted, many other Tory MPs voted with the Government out of loyalty, not conviction  just as Ed Miliband voted against it not out of conviction, but calculation: Labour was too scarred by Iraq to back action in Syria, and its leader was forced off his original intention of not opposing Cameron. But the long and short of it is that each individual MP had to make a decision: was Syria of such supreme strategic to the West that these risks were worth taking? The Commons concluded that it was not. ConservativeHome believed at the time that its take was correct, and has seen nothing since to change its mind.

Osborne argued yesterday that the tragedy of Aleppo and the emergence of ISIS were created by a vaccum of western leadership. This presumes that the Free Syrian army could, if backed earlier, have dragged Assad to the negotiating table, and that a more democratic Syria, or at least a more peaceful one, would have been created. But the so-called Arab Spring suggested that support for liberal democracy in the Middle East is less rooted than an enthusiasm for political Islam. Earlier this year, David Cameron had to back off a claim that there were 70,000 moderate Syrian fighters capable of taking the war to Assad.

This is no more likely to have been true three years ago than now. Indeed, the most likely alternative to the present regime, when the civil war was in the balance, was a hardline Islamist government backed by Saudi Arabia  amidst the final collapse of Syria in its present form. It is not obvious that this would represent a strategic or humanitarian improvement. Nor is it convincing to claim that the West has caused the tragedy of Aleppo, rather than a legacy of political, economic and cultural failure within Syria itself and across much of the Middle East. Our best response is to help shore up neighbouring states, take a share of refugees and, elsewhere, bolster NATO.
CORNWALL, Ontario  Winter weather is here and the Agape Centre wants to get residents to start thinking now of the less fortunate stuck our in the cold.

In its fourth year here in Cornwall, the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser helps fund programs at the Agape Centre and also raises awareness about life on the street in the winter.

Every year the Agape Centre invites residents to form teams, raise funds and walk with them through Cornwall to get a feel of the cold.

This year, the Coldest Night of the Year will be held on Saturday, Feb. 25.

There will be two, five and 10 kilometer walks around town.

No matter the length, each walk will start and end at the Knights of Columbus hall at 205 Amelia St.

On the five and 10 kilometer walks, the Agape Centre will serve as a midway pit stop.

Last year nearly 150 people participated, this year the Agape Centre is hoping for 25 teams and 200 participants.

Their goal this year is to raise $25, 000 to raise awareness and help those who cannot get out of the cold, whether that be because they are homeless or because they cannot afford to heat their house.

It is possible to sign-up online on the Agape Centre website or at the Agape Centre.

More than 110 other cities will be walking on the Coldest Night of the Year on Feb. 25 this year.

Some of the reasons its done is for us to experience the cold, said event chair Jim Healey. We get to experience it for a short time and can come back to the warmth and it is important to draw attention to that contrast that we can get away from the cold.

This year, the Coldest Night of the Years route will pass through Lamoureux Park so that particiapants can see and enjoy the wonderful transformation that the park has undergone for the celebration of Canadas 150th birthday.
CORNWALL, Ontario  As of 1 a.m. Dec. 15, tonight, parking on any roadway between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. is prohibited regardless of weather conditions.

That prohibition will continue until March 31.
Close

Not only is Christmas Day coming to Cuba but also faster internet speed where Google services are available and make it 10 times faster.

Cuba will remain one of the countries with slowest internet speed, at least, in the short term. Eric Schmidt, chairman of Alphabet Inc., Google's sister company, has finally signed a deal in Havana with Mayra Arevich Marin, president of State Enterprise of Telecommunications of Cuba (ETECSA), to provide faster access to the internet and Google content, including Gmail and Youtube, by installing servers in the communist country.

In the past, Cuban government restricted the people to own cellphones and home computers, and it was only in 2008 when it was lifted, with home computers still remaining illegal to most citizens up until now and after the deal is signed. Only the minority of the Cuban people has slow internet speed in the state nation, while others don't have access at all. Although big cities and malls have become wi-fi hot spots, still only a few use the internet due to its being expensive but slow, being not what users deserve. It costs about $2 per hour and is higher compared to $25 salary a month.

But this deal will change it. Google's vice president for access strategy and emerging markets, Marian Croak, and Brett Perlmutter who heads the strategy and operations for Google Cuba and the lead negotiator of the deal, said that Cubans who already have access to the internet and want to use their services can expect to see an improvement in terms of quality of service and reduced latency for cached content, Aljazeera reported.

Other companies that host contents in the island nation will not be affected.

Cuba had no diplomatic relations with the United States until in 2015 when Barrack Obama revived them. USAToday reported that, according to Alana Tummino, head of the Cuba working group at Americas Society/Council of the Americas, the Cuban government has become suspicious that the US will exploit the internet access and threaten their national security. But she says it is the step to the right direction.

The deal was set before Obama leaves his office.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
Stand with the land

For more than two years, Yawuru man Micklo Corpus has monitored the comings and goings of work crews at a remote gas exploration site called Yulleroo on the outskirts of Roebuck Plains in Western Australias Kimberley region.

From a campsite beside the front gate, hes made a stand for the land  as Corpus puts it  and its creatures, the water and for future generations.

Last week, his commitment and leadership were formally recognised by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), with Corpus being named alongside Adnymathanha anti-nuclear campaigner Regina McKenzie as the joint recipient of the 2016 Rawlinson Award at that organisations annual meeting in Melbourne.

Corpus vigil began in August 2014 after Buru Energy, the Perth-based company behind multiple gas exploration sites at Yulleroo, started seismic mapping after receiving approvals to frack (a controversial mining practice that blasts toxic chemicals into rock seams) within the environmentally-sensitive Canning Basin.

They do sonar readings so they can get a reading of what the formation looks like under the ground, 3 km deep, Corpus says. When they do these activities our goannas are under the ground. And our goannas will come up when its thunder and lightning and they feel the vibration, thats when they come out.

But because (the sonar) is making the similar kind of vibrations its disturbing their life. When we go hunting its skinny now. We gotta throw it away. For us thats wasting. Theyve also bulldozed these seismic lines in the area where we got bilbies. We had a healthy population in that area.

When the bulldozer comes its in the day and this little creature is three metres under the ground. So when he comes up at night, his hole is blocked. He cant get out. The company say these little creatures are good diggers. But they only dig one way: down.

Preparing the exploratory sites at Yulleroo to extract the gas also threatens underground water reserves, says Corpus. Like the one nearby Broome relies on for its drinking water, as well as surface waterways like the Fitzroy River and Roebuck Bay, a wetland identified by the Ramsar Convention as being of international importance.

Its our water, says Corpus. We should be zero tolerance. Nobody should be able to tamper with that water.

Energy resource development in the Canning Basin is set to be a major environmental issue in the lead-up to the 2017 WA election, with polls suggesting the results could go either way.

When company vehicles arrive, Corpus stops them and asks if the Yawuru Native Title Holders Aboriginal Corporation has been notified theyre on the site. Buru Energy volunteered to consult closely with the prescribed body corporate when the company first set up on Yulleroo, says Corpus. That undertaking followed strong opposition to the venture, with 96 percent of Yawuru traditional owners unhappy with the arrangement, but without any native title provisions to veto the exploration permit.

The company said that they would talk to the people. Theyve been at the gate 33 times since Ive been there. The Yawuru people were only made aware of them on three occasions, he said. Corpus records the time of entry, the number of people in each work crew, the type of work intended and the time they plan to leave.

They hate me, he laughs. Sometimes theyre argy-bargy with me, but everybodys armed with cameras.

If Corpus refuses access to the site, the police are notified and everybody waits a couple of hours for the time it takes to drive to Yulleroo from Broome. The police will then issue Corpus a 24-hour move-on notice, which he says he lawfully complies with, before returning to his camp once the order has lapsed.

The Broome Shire Council has also sought to move him on, firstly claiming Corpus was camping on a stock route and more recently issuing an order to remove a shelter constructed without council approval. Estimated cost for the professional removal of the structure was quoted at $26,000.

I thought the approach that theyd have was to come and see me. Im from the town and I vote there, says Corpus.

But they waited until I went into town, then they stuck a building order on it.

The building order also prevented Corpus from personally taking down the shelter, meaning he would have to foot the $26,000 bill. That order is currently being appealed at the State Administrative Tribunal.

I think theres a move for me to be off the gate there and it comes from people upstairs there. I really feel that, says Corpus.

There is also mounting pressure on Buru Energys $30 million Canning Basin fracking scheme to produce a gas flow in the kinds of quantities that will reassure investors, as the companys share price continues to fall from a 2012 high of $3.59 to about 20c at present.

Koori Mail
Editorial

The fight to come

The Australian Building and Construction Commission and Registered Organisations Acts are only the first steps in the Coalition governments union-busting agenda. Employment Minister Michaelia Cash told employers at a recent conference of mining executives that the government was committed to implementing the recommendations of the Heydon Royal Commission and Productivity Commissions (PC) review of the industrial relations system.

The government also plans to extend a number provisions of the ABCC Act to cover all trade unions and workers, in particular the restrictions on the right to take protected action.

The outlawing of pickets will apply to all industries, not just building and construction.

Section 51(2)9a of the Competition and Consumer Act (CCA) broadly exempts industrial relations matters from prohibitions on anti-competitive practices. However some sections of the Act  sections 45D, 45DA, 45DB, 45E, 45EA and 48  do apply. These sections prohibit secondary boycotts; anti-competitive contracts, arrangements or understandings in the supply or purchase of goods and services; and resale price maintenance.

Secondary boycotts affect third parties that are not directly involved in a dispute, such suppliers not being able to deliver goods due to a picket or disadvantaging a third party in favour of another. For example, an enterprise agreement restricting which contractors can be used.

The Heydon Royal Commission recommended that the government should grant Fair Work Building and Construction (now the ABCC) shared jurisdiction with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate and enforce the secondary boycott prohibitions of the Competition and Consumer Act in the building and construction industry.

At present the maximum penalty is $750,000 for unions under the secondary boycott provisions.

Heydon also recommended that the maximum penalty be raised to $10 million, in line with breaches of other parts of Section 45 that affect corporations. This was something that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission had previously recommended and the government has publicly agreed to.

The employer bodies are clambering for the penalties to be raised to $10 million, their mouths watering at the prospect of unions being clobbered with a $10 million fine for a picket or other form of secondary boycott. That is in addition to the millions more they go for after suing the unions for damages.

The Productivity Commissions recommendations include:

restricting enterprise agreements to a limited number of permitted matters

matters relating to relations between employers and trade unions not permitted  eg the requirement that an employer consult the union about rosters or change, trade union training in occupational health and safety, holding of union meetings, etc

replacing the Better Off Overall Test (BOOT) compared with the award with a No Disadvantage Test (NDT) compared with the award for enterprise agreements

a new type of enterprise contract (EC) that would allow businesses the flexibility to vary an award or awards for a class of employees (as nominated by the employer) to suit their business operations. This could be offered to new employees as a condition of employment and so be used to undermine an existing EBA. They would sign on individually. Employers would not be required to seek approval for their EC from the Fair Work Commission, but lodge a template with the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The PC recommended that cuts to penalty rates be left to the independent umpire  the Fair Work Commission. The FWC is currently carrying out a review of penalty rates in the retail and hospitality sectors.

It also paid attention to the individual flexibility arrangements (IFAs) within enterprise agreements, which it said were under-utilised. To create more opportunities for using IFAs that meet the genuine needs of employees and employers, the matters covered by the model flexibility term should be included in all EAs as the minimum matters over which flexibility is permitted, the Productivity Commission said.

This is spin for individual contracts along similar lines to the Howard governments Australian Workplace Agreements.

One thing that the unions can be sure of is that nothing fair will be coming out of the Malcolm Turnbull/Michaelia Cash agenda to screw trade unions on behalf of big business increasing profits.
Dumping coal first step

An open letter to Malcolm Turnbull

Dear Prime Minister,

Australia has a major role to play in meeting the challenge of climate change, which is threatening life on earth. As you are aware, the generation of electrical energy in Australia and around the world still depends largely on combustion of coal or natural gas, which results in the emission of carbon dioxide and other carbon gases that are prime contributors to climate change.

Our consumption of energy is disproportionately large compared to our population size. Australia is one of the worlds biggest producers of coal and natural gas, and we emit more carbon into the atmosphere per capita than any other nation.

The Australian government should have a policy of taking control of power generation, moving as quickly as possible from the use of fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, and phasing out the mining of coal and other fossil fuels.

But instead, successive coalition governments have backed new coal mining ventures and introduced a rag-bag series of climate change direct action initiatives. Most of them fail to tackle the real problems, and any one of them will be dropped like a hot cake if it meets opposition from the coal or gas mining industries, or from the coalitions ultra-conservative faction, which supports those industries at any cost.

High carbon-emitting industries should be penalised and the revenue used to fund the development of renewable power generation.

To achieve this, the governments chief scientist, the Energy Market Commission and the Climate Change Authority have all recommended implementation of a carbon intensity scheme, under which corporations with high emissions would be penalised, and would have to buy credits from low-emission firms in the same industry in Australia in order to stay in business.

Under such schemes the high-emitters often make no attempt to reduce their emissions; they evade the penalties or they just shrug their corporate shoulders, pay the price and keep on polluting.

But that wasnt the reason for your decision. You rejected the emissions intensity scheme because the dominant faction in your party wont accept any initiative that has the slightest chance of reducing the profits of firms that produce or use fossil fuels.

Because of your subservience to this faction your governments policy is actually contributing to the impact of climate change, by delaying the introduction of effective measures to mitigate its effects.

The black-clad white elephant

One of the worst decisions of your government relates to the proposed Adani coal mining project in Queenslands Carmichael Basin.

The developing climate change crisis requires Australia to immediately begin phasing out coal mining. However, your government has not only endorsed the Adani mine, the worlds biggest coal-mining operation, but it also intends to give the company $1 billion of taxpayers money to build a railway line to carry the coal across Queensland to the companys Abbot Point coal loading facility.

Your governments decision supports an industry which is not only harmful to the environment but is also becoming uneconomical. Coal will soon be outdated as an energy source and will be replaced by renewable sources which dont damage the environment and which produce power more economically because mining is not required.

The global demand for coal is falling, because other governments, unlike your own, are properly funding and encouraging the transition of their countries to renewable energy generation.

China, one of Australias biggest customers for coal, has now placed a three-year ban on construction of new coal-fired power stations, and the ban will probably be extended indefinitely.

The proposed Adani rail link only supports one industry with a short-term lifespan. If the mine is built, by the time it reaches full production (and probably before), it will almost certainly have become uneconomic.

Adani is a company with a troubled industrial and economic past, and a reputation for unethical behaviour. Its also one of 670 major corporations that paid no tax at all in Australia in the 2014-2015 financial year.

Your claim that the economy needs jobs and growth to ensure Australias future prosperity is valid. But when the Carmichael mine closes prematurely, as it certainly will, the public will be left with a $1 billion industrial white elephant. Its workers will be unemployed and Adani will have undoubtedly contributed no tax, because of its capital outlay on the mine.

Moreover, government funding for the Adani project, or for any other new fossil fuel enterprise for that matter, will divert funding from the crucial development of renewable energy power generation, which has the greatest potential for economic growth and employment of any industry this century.

The Adani mine also threatens the future of the Great Barrier Reef, some areas of which are already struggling to survive. Much of the northern half of the Reef is now a bleached biological wreck because of the global rise in ocean temperatures resulting from climate change.

Where the buck stops

Its no use trotting out the excuse that you must respect the views of your party members regarding climate change. The governments policies are being driven by a small clique of ultra-conservative MPs with a fanatical loyalty to the fossil fuel industries.

Previous statements indicate you and other coalition MPs dont agree with the ultra-conservatives approach. Youre undoubtedly bowing to their demands in the hope of preserving party unity, but thats a fallacy.

Many businesses are calling for the government to produce a clear plan for the transition to renewable energy generation. Moreover, the recent very angry resignation of Liberal Party faithful Kristina Photios is a clear indication of smouldering impatience within the Party. Sooner or later coalition MPs who dont agree with the diktat of the ultra-conservatives will rise in revolt.

But they need leadership. Will you go down in history as the prime minister who stared down the fossil fuel bully-boys in his own party and helped save the world from the worst effects of climate change?

Or will you be remembered as a moral coward who caved in and helped to maintain the power and boost the profit levels of the worlds most dangerous corporate polluters?

Only you can answer those questions.

Rachel Attenborough and David Carson
Taking Issue  Rob Gowland

Inherent danger

When the leaders of the Democratic Party in the USA first considered their options for a candidate to succeed Barack Obama as President, they initially thought the matter was a no brainer: Hillary Clinton would be a shoo-in. After all, she was the existing Secretary Of State, and in that capacity had not baulked at kicking heads (or fomenting wars and assassinations) when foreign governments failed to see the wisdom of doing as the US told them.

Her husband was a very popular ex-President; she was a prominent woman and if elected would be the countrys first female President, a historic first that would reflect well on the Democratic Party and would be bound to capture the female vote. And she had an excellent relationship with big business.

Her opponent from the Republican Party would be either extreme Right-wing or not quite so extreme Right-wing. He (for it would certainly be a man) would rail against the reputed evils of big government and propose reducing government income by cutting taxes (especially company taxes).

The competition between the two parties candidates would be determined less on issues than on personality and the amount they were prepared to spend on the campaign. Hillary had plenty of corporate backing and was thought a very safe bet. Then an elderly Senator from Vermont named Bernie Sanders upset the applecart.

Sanders challenged Hillary for the Democratic Party nomination. The monopoly media jeered: his candidacy was a joke. Especially considering that his campaign platform was to oppose big business, demand a better deal for workers and actually to talk favourably about that dreaded concept, Socialism.

To the alarm of Hillarys handlers, Sanders message of a living wage for everyone, free education, free health care, reversing privatisation, opposing monopolies, putting an end to the US waging wars of aggression abroad and stopping the cops waging war against the poor at home resonated with millions of Americans, especially the young. Sanders rallies attracted huge audiences of predominantly young people buoyed up by a candidate who spoke about issues, who treated his audience as though they had the ability to reason, who did not resort to hoopla and razzamatazz padded out with cliched slogans.

In the end, the Democratic Party hierarchy only secured the nomination for Hillary Clinton by the use of the votes of unelected Super Delegates who are conveniently nominated by the Party leadership, not the bulk of the membership. With the disconcertingly popular Sanders successfully sidelined, it was left to right-wing, war monger Hillary Clinton to defeat the Republican nominee, billionaire property developer and narcissist Donald Trump.

Unlike Clinton, Donald Trump pitched his campaign at distressed workers and members of the middle class whose incomes and prospects have gone south as the US economy tanks, jobs disappear, crime escalates and so does social unrest. Told all their lives that America is the greatest country on Earth, they have up until now shut their eyes to the evidence that this is not in fact true.

However, as homelessness spreads, even amongst people who have jobs, and foreclosures and evictions surpass the level reached during the Great Depression, it has become increasingly difficult to maintain the fiction that all is well in the land of the free. Black and Hispanic communities are seething with discontent while the criminalising of recreational drugs has had the same social consequences as the criminalising of alcohol in the 1920s: vast profits for crime, and an exponential surge in corruption. And in the prison population.

Among white Americans, armed anti-government militias have proliferated, along with people building bunkers equipped with food and weapons in preparation for an Armageddon they expect imminently.

The increasingly militarised police forces in the US are subsidised by the federal government to equip themselves with heavy weapons and all the accoutrements of an army of occupation, which is the role they fill in coloured or poor white communities. As I have already said, one of Bernie Sanders election pledges was to end the cops war on the poor.

Far from playing down the problems confronting Americans, Trump emphasised them, but as well as blaming them on the Republicans usual bete noir, big government, he blamed another scapegoat: immigrants from South of the border, specifically Mexicans.

Simplistically he proposes to deport millions of them and to build a massive wall to prevent their return. With the surplus immigrants gone, there will be plenty of jobs for Americans is Trumps simple message.

In Germanys elections in 1933, Hitler had a very similar message, although he blamed Jews rather than Mexicans. Of course, the circumstances were very different: Germany had a very strong Communist Party and the German bourgeoisie was fearful that at any moment the country might succumb to Red revolution.

Clearly, the USA is not in a comparable situation. Nevertheless, the countrys economic and social crisis has provided opportunities for right-wing demagogues to promote fascist concepts and policies, appealing to racism, misogyny, fear of foreigners and just plain ignorance. Plenty of ruling class types like that message too.

When Bernie Sanders was blocked from gaining the Democratic Party nomination, the American people were once again faced with a choice between two extremely reactionary candidates, Clinton and Trump. No wonder so few actually vote in US elections! The election, as we know, resulted in a right-wing, repressive government led by President-elect Donald Trump and a Republican-dominated Congress.

Trump, as convinced a climate-change denier as Tony Abbott, has already indicated that he will support an expansion of coal mining. We can also expect drilling in the Arctic and the Gulf of Mexico, and repression of Native Americans trying to prevent construction of oil pipelines across their tribal lands.

The US was reluctant to commit to the Paris accords on climate change under Obama. It will be aggressively hostile to them under Trump. The oil and gas industry is no doubt rubbing its hands in glee!

The US already has more people in prison (in absolute numbers and as a proportion of the population) than any other country on Earth. Trump, who has no answer to the countrys problems other than the expulsion of Mexicans and other Latino immigrants, can only exacerbate those problems.

Progressive Americans were understandably appalled at the election of Trump to the Oval Office, although for the rest of the world a Clinton victory would have been only marginally less serious. Demonstrators carrying Dump Trump! and Not my President! placards paraded in front of the White House the day after the election, a precursor to some of the disruption likely to come as Trumps presidency gets into its stride.

Bernie Sanders has also been campaigning vigorously since Trumps victory, but as a social democrat he is futilely pinning his hopes on telling the Democratic Party it needs to make a greater effort to reach working-class people. There is no chance that the USAs ruling class would allow the Democratic Party to move significantly to the Left or to embrace even the wishy-washy socialism of Bernie Sanders, but while Sanders campaigns and huge crowds of mainly young people debate the merits of his social program, progressive politics is reaching a far larger audience than it has in the US for many years.

Sanders has served notice on Trumps Republicans that US progressives will not go silently into the night and has called on his supporters to resist Trumps repressive, right-wing plans. Many of Sanders supporters abandoned him when he endorsed Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Party candidate for President, but now, faced with the reality of a Trump White House, crowds of young people are once again gathering to hear him speak.

The Baltimore Sun reported that students at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, waited in line for as long as six hours to hear the Vermont senator speak. An estimated 2,000 people filled the auditorium and overflow rooms, the Sun reported:

Joshan Bajaj, a Johns Hopkins student told the paper: He is definitely looking out for the common man. I like his message of social equality. Its not socialism, but I like his more socialist ideas, like how he wants free college and how he wants a $15 minimum wage.

Hes right, its not Socialism, but it is progressive. Unfortunately, many progressives in America do not seem to recognise the potential danger that the Trump victory poses. They think that all they have to do is search for ways to mount a resistance and regain ground in future elections.

But in this last election, the ruling class provided a choice between two far right candidates. As Bob Carr wrote in The Age on October 17, Trump is likely to be followed by someone even more reactionary, from the far-right of the Republican Party, such as likely contender Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas, who maintains that the US suffers not from too many in jail but too few! No wonder capitalism prefers bourgeois democracy. With candidates like that, who needs fascism.
The Cuban Revolution

Landmark in history of humanity

Today, November 25, 2016 Fidel Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution has passed. His legacy will live forever. The Cuban Revolution constitutes a fundamental landmark in the history of humanity, which challenges the legitimacy of global capitalism.

In all major regions of the world, the Cuban revolution has been a source of inspiration in the relentless struggle against colonial domination and US imperialism.

Fidel Castro was the embodiment of these struggles against global capitalism, committed to a world of peace, a world of truth, where people join hands; a world of understanding, a world of tolerance and respect.

Fidel Castro was a man of tremendous integrity, with an acute mind and sense of humour, committed in the minute detail of his speech to social progress and the advancement of humankind, conscious of the dangers of the US led war and the worldwide crisis, with exceptional skills of analysis and understanding of his fellow human beings, with a true spirit of internationalism and a tremendous knowledge of history, economics and geopolitics.

Fidels passing occurs at a time of crisis and upheaval of the world capitalist system. The world is at a critical crossroads. At this juncture of our history, most progressive movements towards socialism have been destroyed and defeated through US led wars, military interventions, destabilisation campaigns, coups detats.

The socialist project in Cuba prevails despite the US economic blockade, CIA intelligence ops and dirty politics. Let us be under no illusions. Washingtons intent is not only to destroy and undermine the Cuban Revolution but also to erase the history of socialism.

Fidel Lives

The battle against war and neo-liberalism nonetheless prevails.

For the concurrent demise of neo-liberalism and militarisation which destroy peoples lives,

For the outright criminalisation of Americas imperial wars,

For a World of Social Justice with a true responsibility to protect our fellow human beings.

Below is the introduction of my conversations with Fidel Castro on World War III and the Dangers of Nuclear War followed by the transcript of Fidels statement on the Dangers of Nuclear War.

In October 2010, I had the opportunity of spending several days at Fidel Castros home in the suburbs of Havana. Our conversation and exchange which was subsequently published, focussed on the dangers of nuclear war.

I had read Fidel Castro and Che Guevara during my high school days in Geneva, Switzerland and later at university in Britain and the US. When meeting him in person, I discovered a man of tremendous integrity, with an acute mind and sense of humour, committed in the minute detail of his speech to social progress and the advancement of humankind, conscious of the dangers of the US-led war and the worldwide crisis, with exceptional skills of analysis and understanding of his fellow human beings, with a true spirit of internationalism and a tremendous knowledge of history, economics and geopolitics.

On a daily basis, Fidel spends several hours reading a large number of detailed international press reports (As he mentioned to me with a smile, I frequently consult articles from the Global Research website...).

We focussed in large part on the dangers of nuclear war. Fidel Castro has the knack of addressing political details while relating them to key concepts. We also covered numerous complex international issues, focussing on the role of prominent political personalities, heads of state, authors and intellectuals. On the first day, when I met Fidel at his home, he was reading Bob Woodwards best-seller The Obama Wars which had just been released. In this broad exchange of ideas, Fidel was invariably assertive in his views but at the same time respectful of those whom he condemned or criticised, particularly when discussing US presidential politics.

Fidel is acutely aware of the mechanisms of media disinformation and war propaganda and how they are used to undermine civil rights and social progress, not to mention the smear campaign directed against the Cuban revolution.

A central concept put forth by Fidel Castro in our discussions was the Battle of Ideas. The leader of the Cuban Revolution believes that only a far-reaching Battle of Ideas can change the course of world history.

In addressing and understanding this worldwide crisis, commitment to the truth and analysis of the lies and fabrications which sustain the corporate and financial elites is of utmost importance.

The overriding powers of the truth can, under appropriate conditions, be used as a revolutionary instrument, as a catalyst to unseat the war criminals in high office, whose role and position is sustained by propaganda and media disinformation.

In relation to 9/11, Fidel had expressed his solidarity, on behalf of the Cuban people, with the victims of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, while underscoring the lies and fabrications behind the official 9/11 narrative and how 9/11 has been used as a pretext to wage war.

The corporate media is involved in acts of camouflage. The devastating impacts of a nuclear war are either trivialised or not mentioned. Against this backdrop, Fidels message to the world must be heard; people across the land, nationally and internationally, should understand the gravity of the present situation and act forcefully at all levels of society to reverse the tide of war.

The Battle of Ideas is part of a revolutionary process. Against a barrage of media disinformation, Fidel Castros resolve is to spread the word far and wide, to inform world public opinion, to make the impossible possible, to thwart a military adventure which in the real sense of the word threatens the future of humanity.

When a US sponsored nuclear war becomes an instrument of peace, a responsibility to protect condoned and accepted by the worlds institutions and the highest authority including the United Nations, there is no turning back: human society has indelibly been precipitated headlong onto the path of self-destruction.

Fidels Battle of Ideas must be translated into a worldwide movement. People must mobilise against this diabolical military agenda.

This war can be prevented if people pressure their governments and elected representatives, organise at the local level in towns, villages and municipalities, spread the word, inform their fellow citizens regarding the implications of a thermonuclear war, initiate debate and discussion within the armed forces.

What is required is a mass movement of people which forcefully challenges the legitimacy of war, a global peoples movement which criminalises war.

In his October 15, 2010 speech, Fidel Castro warned the world on the dangers of nuclear war:

There would be collateral damage, as the American political and military leaders always affirm, to justify the deaths of innocent people. In a nuclear war the collateral damage would be the life of all humanity.

Let us have the courage to proclaim that all nuclear or conventional weapons, everything that is used to make war, must disappear!

The Battle of Ideas consists in confronting the war criminals in high office, in breaking the US-led consensus in favour of a global war, in changing the mindset of hundreds of millions of people, in abolishing nuclear weapons. In essence, the Battle of Ideas consists in restoring the truth and establishing the foundations of world peace.

The Battle of Ideas must be developed as a mass movement, nationally and internationally, waged by people across the land.

Fidel Castro Ruz has indelibly marked the history of both the 20th and 21st Century.

Below is the transcript and video of Fidels historic October 15, 2010 speech focussing on the dangers of a nuclear war, recorded by Global Research and Cuba Debate in his home in Havana in October 2010. The American and European media in October 2010 decided in chorus not to acknowledge or even comment on Fidel Castros October 15, 2010 speech on the Dangers of Nuclear War. The evolving media consensus is that neither nuclear war nor nuclear energy constitute a threat to the surrounding civilian population.

Fidel Castros message on the dangers of nuclear war

The use of nuclear weapons in a new war would mean the end of humanity. This was candidly foreseen by scientist Albert Einstein who was able to measure their destructive capability to generate millions of degrees of heat, which would vaporise everything within a wide radius of action. This brilliant researcher had promoted the development of this weapon so that it would not become available to the genocidal Nazi regime.

Each and every government in the world has the obligation to respect the right to life of each and every nation and of the totality of all the peoples on the planet.

Today there is an imminent risk of war with the use of that kind of weapon and I dont harbour the least doubt that an attack by the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran would inevitably evolve towards a global nuclear conflict.

The worlds peoples have an obligation to demand of their political leaders their Right to Live. When the life of humankind, of your people and your most beloved human beings run such a risk, nobody can afford to be indifferent; not one minute can be lost in demanding respect for that right; tomorrow will be too late.

Albert Einstein himself stated unmistakably: I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. We fully comprehend what he wanted to convey, and he was absolutely right, yet in the wake of a global nuclear war, there wouldnt be anybody around to make use of those sticks and stones.

There would be collateral damage, as the American political and military leaders always affirm, to justify the deaths of innocent people.

In a nuclear war the collateral damage would be the life of all humanity.

Let us have the courage to proclaim that all nuclear or conventional weapons, everything that is used to make war, must disappear!

Fidel Castro Ruz

October 15, 2010

globalresearch.ca
Culture & Life

Book review

Living fantasies

Literary Wonderlands, subtitled a journey through the greatest fictional worlds ever created, is edited by Laura Miller and published by Hardie Grant Books. Its 300-plus pages encompass a concise survey of fantasy literature from all over the world. A book about fantasy may seem an unusual  even frivolous  choice for a Communist newspaper to review. And yet fantasy has been the chosen medium for many social commentators over the years.

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.

From the earliest times, people told and retold the didactic myths of Aesop, rejoiced in the anti-establishment exploits of Robin Hood and his merry men or sought to emulate the idealised behaviour of King Arthur and his knights. Eventually, this led to works by authors who imagined entirely new forms of society, or who predicted disastrous consequences if perceived social problems were not resolved.

Fantasy as a medium for exploring ideas of how human beings could or should behave when faced with difficult problems is as old as literature itself. The earliest fantasy work dealt with in Literary Wonderlands is The Epic of Gilgamesh which dates to circa 1750 BCE; the most recent is Salman Rushdies Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights which came out in 2015.

Of necessity, the almost 100 works of fantasy covered in Literary Wonderlands receive only two to four pages each. Some of the entries concentrate on plot, but others, such as the entry for Cervantes 17th century classic Don Quixote provide informative  if succinct  background information. [Quixotes] predicament not only satirises the impracticality of lofty or extravagant ideals, but his delusions (most famously charging at windmills, mistaking them for giants) can also be interpreted as reactions to the very real and traumatic technological transformations that were being implemented in the Castilian landscape by the ruling Hapsburgs.

The windmills were not at that time a traditional feature of the Castilian landscape. On the contrary, they were monstrous new machines deployed in the windy Manchegan hills in order to drive the economy of the Hapsburgs global war.

Graced by numerous often thoughtfully derived illustrations, the book is arranged in sections, in roughly chronological order, beginning with Ancient Myth and Legend, which covers fantasy written before 1700. Science and Romanticism covers the next 200 years while The Golden Age of Fantasy covers the shorter period 1901-1945. The post-war explosion of fantasy world-wide is dealt with in an even shorter section four (1946-1980) while The Computer Age brings the coverage up to date, with well-known authors like Terry Pratchett, George RR Martin and JK Rowling but also lesser known ones such as Haruki Murakami, Ngugi Wa Thiongo, Wu Ming-yi and Nnedi Okorafor.

As this indicates, the books selection of authors is refreshingly not Euro-centric. The first section for example includes an examination of the 16th century Chinese classic Journey To The West which became the popular television series Monkey in the 1980s.

This section also includes two pages devoted to Thomas Mores Utopia, written in 1516, a work whose title means nowhere and which More wrote  as the introduction to the chapter points out  as a work of criticism of the failings and corruption he observed in society. Ironically, it gave its name to any form of society that was beyond criticism, and therefore unattainable.

The second section, Science and Romanticism, ranges from 1726 with Swifts caustic satire on English society, Gullivers Travels  which the text makes clear is not a childrens story  through mainly nineteenth century books such as Lewis Carrolls delightful mix of satire and whimsy, Alices Adventures in Wonderland, Jules Vernes mix of science and adventure Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and HG Wells The Time Machine.

The text notes that one of the themes of Wells novel was class conflict (he was a socialist after all, though not a Marxist-Leninist): Was society in the 1890s polarising rather than coming together? asks this chapter. Would the working class, like [Wells] Morlocks  the exploited many as Shelley called them  revenge themselves at some point in the future on the privileged few? How should a socialist deal with that? Was there a solution?

The chapter notes that one solution of which Wells himself approved was the formation of the Independent Labour Party a couple years before his book was published. The weakness inherent in social democracy does not fall within the books brief, however. This section also includes three pages on your extreme right-wingers favourite opera, Wagners The Ring of the Nibelung (Whatever Wagners intention with The Ring of the Nibelung, its vast world has influenced all later attempts to portray apocalyptic themes in music, literature, art and cinema.)

One thing the book does show very well is the tremendous and enduring popularity of fantasy. American author Edward Bellamys utopian socialist work Looking Backward which appeared in 1888 was not only phenomenally successful but it inspired a network of political cubs and ultimately a political party! More recently, the equally phenomenal success of JK Rowlings Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and its sequels led to the bizarre claim by fundamentalist Christians that by putting witches and wizards in such an obviously fictional a work would blunt childrens perception that these agents of the Devil are real!

Fundamentalist Christians were even more outraged by another publishing phenomenon, Philip Pullmans trilogy His Dark Materials, a full-frontal attack on organised religion, encased in a marvellously imaginative work spanning several parallel universes. Pullman declared uncompromisingly My books are about killing God which is almost certainly the real reason the film version of the trilogy never progressed beyond the first film.

So, Literary Wonderlands is at once detailed, lavishly illustrated and very wide-ranging. Inevitably it cannot contain every significant book in such a popular genre: Susan Coopers series The Dark Is Rising is not there, for example, nor is Australian author Isobelle Carmodys series The Obernewtyn Chronicles.

Nevertheless, as a valuable reference work on a major genre of world literature  or if you just want to sound knowledgeable about popular culture at dinner parties  I can recommend Literary Wonderlands.
3 It Can Mess You Up In The Head

inarik/iStock

"I felt incredibly guilty, and still do, about what she was doing," Felicia says, which at first sounds a bit repressed. But it's understandable when you realize why her mom was doing the work in the first place. "I was bullied badly at my primary school, to the point where going to the local high school was not an option for me if I wanted to stay mentally well," Felicia says. That meant private school, and since Felicia's mother also had a mental illness, which doesn't always go well with high-paying professional careers, "she ended up working as a sex worker."

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Try living with that over your head. "I severely overworked myself and put a lot of pressure on myself to get good grades, despite how busy I was," Felicia says. "I felt that I had to make the most of the opportunity to go to such a good school, and so involved myself in a large number of extracurricular activities. In my final year of high school, I was involved in five clubs, I took six subjects when the regular was five, and I also had extra half-hour lessons in drum, piano, voice, and drama during my lunch hours throughout the week. I was also a prefect, school librarian, and involved in the school production and stage challenge ... The earliest I would ever get home would be 6 p.m. (although often when I had rehearsals for productions, I would not get back till either 11 or 12, and then I was up at 6 a.m. the next day to get to school). This was before I had begun working on homework or assignments for at least two hours a night ... I felt that if I didn't do these things, then I would be wasting the opportunity and the sacrifices that my mother was making."
Applications & OS News

SAP Taps Delaware Consulting To Resell, Service S/4HANA Cloud

Rick Whiting

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SAP has tapped Delaware Consulting, an Alpharetta, Ga.-based Gold partner, to be one of the first six global resellers of the cloud edition of the SAP Business Suite 4 SAP HANA (S/4HANA) application set.

Delaware Consulting is also implementing the S/4HANA Professional Services Cloud applications for its own use, a move that will add to the IT solution provider's expertise for implementing the SAP cloud services for midsize and large organizations.

"We have to know what we are talking about," said Marc van der Zon, business development vice president at Delaware Consulting, in an interview with CRN. "So we made a decision to move there ourselves," he said, referring to the company's first steps to adopt cloud computing several years ago

[Related: SAP Targets Digital Transformation Projects With Its Next Generation Of The HANA Platform]

S/4HANA is SAP's next-generation ERP suite and SAP launched the cloud version of the applications in May of last year, offering it in four editions: enterprise management, professional services, finance and manufacturing.

This year SAP has been building up a channel program for partners who sell, service or otherwise work with the vendor's cloud offerings.

In October SAP reported that cloud subscription and support revenue surged 28 percent in its third quarter and sales of the S/4HANA application set were growing and attracting new customers.

Delaware Consulting itself now uses a range of cloud software including Microsoft's Office 365 and SAP's SuccessFactors. It's now rolling out S/4HANA Professional Services Cloud globally and expects to have the entire company running on the system by April of next year. The solution provider is also engaged in a three-year co-development program with SAP to enhance the professional services edition.

As an SAP Gold partner, Delaware Consulting provides the vendor's entire product portfolio to both SMB and enterprise customers. The solution provider is also a Gold certified Microsoft partner, offering that company's business productivity software and business applications, and works with OpenText's enterprise information management software.

As one of the first designated resellers for S/4HANA Cloud, Delaware Consulting is selling subscriptions to the cloud application suite and providing a range of services around the applications, including helping customers determine their system needs and adopting best-practice business processes that fit the software.

Delaware Consulting is having early success selling SAP solutions to businesses that have a mix of legacy applications, often the result of mergers and acquisitions, across multiple geographies, van der Zon said. "The beauty of the public cloud is that it doesn't require the data to be at any specific location," he said.

Other potential customers are businesses that may not have previously considered SAP ERP applications because of the perceived cost and complexity. "That's what makes it so attractive to smaller customers to start new, to move to the cloud," van der Zorn said. "The game-changer is the rapid deployment."

And while some enterprise customers might stick with on-premise applications for their core IT, some are turning to cloud applications to supplement the capabilities of the on-premise applications, the executive said.


Cloud News

IBM CEO Rometty Pledges 25,000 Hires In Four Years On The Eve Of Trump Meeting

Joseph Tsidulko

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IBM CEO Ginni Rometty penned a piece in USA Today on Tuesday pledging Big Blue would create 25,000 jobs over the next four years in the United States.

The hiring declaration, which included announcing a $1 billion investment in employee training and development, came as the lead-in to a Wednesday meeting between tech leaders, including Rometty, and the incoming Trump administration.

Of the new hires, 6,000 are planned for 2017, Rometty said.

[Related: IBM Source: Layoffs Fewer Than Feared, Just In Excess Of 10,000 Globally]

But Rometty's pledge didn't address whether the new hires would represent a net expansion of IBM's U.S. or global workforce or just more restructuring.

IBM has been sayingand Rometty repeated in the articlethat it has thousands of open positions on the books for applicants with valued skill sets. At the same time, IBM has been consistently paring its workforce.

An IBM representative didn't comment on the matter of net job gains to CRN.

"We are hiring because the nature of work is evolving  and that is also why so many of these jobs remain hard to fill," Rometty wrote. "As industries from manufacturing to agriculture are reshaped by data science and cloud computing, jobs are being created that demand new skills  which in turn requires new approaches to education, training and recruiting."

IBM has been restructuring its workforce in recent years as the century-old tech company shifts its focus to delivering its products through a cloud-based model and expanding into emerging technology sectors like cognitive computing.

In March, a source in the company told CRN that IBM was planning to layoff some 10,000 employees around the world  a low-single-digit percentage change in the company's 370,000 strong work force at the time.

The Watching IBM Facebook page later reported rounds of job cuts in the thousands  what the company calls "resource actions"  took place in March and May.
Internet of things News

Salesforce Security CTO: 'We Need To Change The Way We Build Everything' To Ensure IoT Security

Lindsey O'Donnell

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The Internet of Things is not only creating more security vulnerabilities for various vertical markets  it's changing the way the industry needs to approach security, said Salesforce CTO Taher Elgamal.

Elgamal, speaking Tuesday at IEEE World Forum of IoT, which takes place this week in Reston, Virginia, said that the concept of threat modeling is changing for the industry because security experts are still trying to understand the full spectrum of attacks on connected devices.

"We need to change the way we build everything," he said. "When you cross to the physical world, the value of these devices is not obvious anymore. We need to re-evaluate the threat modeling."

[Related: Google Shows Its IoT Smarts With Launch Of Android Things Operating System]

Many security experts come from an enterprise background and can evaluate the risk analysis of these types of systems  but IoT will expand the technology environment to include anything from a pacemaker to connected cars or factories, making it harder for security specialists to assign a value to the losses incurred by attacks.

"If someone hacks a car and drives it into a river, what does that mean? It's a very different threat  we didn't think of these things when we built enterprise security systems," said Elgamal. "Once we spread the connectivity across ecosystems, the threat happens when users connect the entire internet to the car."

It's hard for security vendors and partners to identify future security threats that come along with IoT, because of the rapid innovation in the market, Elgamal said. A new detection model for threats is needed to address these issues, with different functions to detect various vulnerabilities in an IoT system.

One solution is to equip each node in an IoT solution with intelligence to detect abnormal behavior and ensure endpoint devices have firewalls. "We want a fabric that can detect and protect against unusual behavior  a system that gets better over time as it learns patterns," he said. "We are still very early in this phase of civilization  much learning is needed and new threats will continue to emerge."

Going forward, Elgamal said a stronger emphasis needs to be placed on security by manufacturers, particularly in the manufacturing vertical, where security vulnerabilities lead to a life-or-death situation.

"Crossing into the physical world of IoT is taken very lightly  but it shouldn't be," he said. "As a society we need to build systems that are better and that aren't open so that hackers can access them."

Robby Hill, founder and CEO of HillSouth, a Florence, S.C.-based solution provider, said he is seeing the opportunities for IoT solutions in the healthcare space  but also recognizing the risks that come along with so many connected devices.

"I don't think the IT community is ready for the onslaught of Internet of Things devices coming online," he said. "IoT devices have been exempted from the policies that we already have with our mobile devices. The point is well made that we need to re-think securing non-computer devices because they're proving every day to be more and more vulnerable to security attacks like DDoS."
Security News

Trace3 Launches Security Practice, Aims To Make It The Company's Biggest Business Unit by End of 2017

Michael Novinson

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Trace3 intends to make its newly-launched security practice the company's largest practice area by the end of next year through a focus on consultative, high-level strategic conversations.

The $500 million company's newest business unit will focus on identity and access management, data security, security operations and security strategy, with industry leaders recently hired to run each practice area, said Tony Olzak, Trace3's vice president of security. All four practice area leaders will report into Olzak, who started at Trace3 in August.

"Security needs to be baked in as a foundational aspect for everything you consider, from the beginning," Olzak told CRN. "If the business isn't aligned from a strategic perspective from day one, you're just buying tools that sit on a shelf."

[RELATED: CRN Exclusive: Trace3 Hires SIGMAnet Vet For Newly-Created VP Role As It Doubles Down on Security]

Trace3 already has several people in place with the ability to execute on each of these pillars, Olzak said, and will be aggressively hiring thought leaders and customer-facing sales reps over the next several months. For instance, Olzak said Trace3 is looking to hire 20 to 30 people focused solely on managed security services. Trace3 employed roughly 300 people at the beginning of 2016.

Too many companies today are focused on selling security point products such as firewalls or endpoint software, Olzak said, without any broader strategic vision. As a result, many end users own 50 to 70 different tools, but they often aren't fully operationalized or aren't being routinely checked or monitored.

"People aren't realizing the value of the tools they're buying because they haven't developed a strategy," Olzak said. "There's a whole lot of shelfware sitting out there."

Trace3 rarely runs into other VARs with strong security acumen, Olzak said, and more typically finds itself competing against pure-play security solution providers such as Denver-based Optiv, No. 25 on the CRN SP 500.

"Customers are giving a lot of security business to someone by default today, not because someone is necessarily helping them so much that they're winning the business," Olzak said. "We're having a totally different conversation than a security-focused company that's typically brought in after the fact."

Trace3 wants its more prominent security hires to come from a great consulting background and have demonstrated thought leadership in the industry through published writing or being out on the speaking circuit. Olzak said he's found the best security professionals are the ones highly experienced in architecture or engineering around some other area of IT.

"The customers basically demanded that Trace3 build this kind of capability," Olzak said. "We want to come in and really innovate this space in IT."

The new identity and access management program will provide cloud identity services and governance, single sign-on for SaaS solutions and user behavior analytics, while the data security practice will cover data leakage prevention, data rights management, encryption services, database security and application security.

Trace3's security strategy practice will continually review the latest security products and services on the market to design long-term threat prevention strategies for customers. Specifically, Olzak said the practice is focused on helping new Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) curate the right strategy for their company in their first 12 to 18 months on the job.

The security operations practice, meanwhile, will take a longer view on the industry, focusing on helping end users navigate the skilled worker shortage by automating many parts of the investigation process. Olzak said this means clients won't need as much high-level security personnel since more junior-level staff can handle integrating the security data that's automatically being generated.

As Trace3 hires more customer-facing security personnel, Olzak said the company would begin targeting new customers with messaging around the four practice areas, as well as light security-focused workshops that are relevant to their business.

"Security is one of the premier ways to open the door to other business," Olzak said. "There's so much need, and so much mystery, about how people can move forward."
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The Croydon Advertiser is proud to announce that we have raised more than 2,400 for the appeal which is raising money for the families of the seven people who died in the Croydon tram crash and survivors of the disaster.

The Advertiser announced last month that 30p from every copy sold of the November 18 issue of the paper would be donated to the fund, which is being supported by ourselves, Croydon Council and the Mayor of London.

In total, 2,450.40 was raised from 8,168 copies of the newspaper being sold that week across Croydon.

It will now be paid to the charity appointed by the council to distribute the official funds to those who need them most.

The London Community Foundation will work closely with British Transport Police officers to ensure the money raised is distributed "in the most efficient and impactful way possible to support the families and extended community in need at this difficult time".

On the Just Giving page, a total of 31,665 has been raised by nearly 1,000 supporters, from businesses to residents.

Fundraisers have been held across the borough to help raise money for the fund.

It is expected that some of the money is going to go towards counselling over the months ahead for any families and survivors who need it.

Croydon Advertiser editor Andy Worden said: "It has come as no surprise that Croydon residents have responded in the way they have to this awful tragedy.

"The town's community spirit has always been one of its absolute strengths and in recent times it has never been more evident than it has been after this terrible disaster.

"We were very keen to do whatever we could to help the appeal and would like to thank every one of our readers who bought a copy of the paper so we could raise the sum we have."
What started as essentially a bus tour company with the intent of filling hotels in Australia 30 years ago will enter the ocean cruise business in 2018 when the Scenic Eclipse launches from Uljanik Group shipyard in Croatia.

Scenic Tours marked the official start of production of the Scenic Eclipse, with a steel cutting ceremony at the Uljanik Shipyard JSC in Pula, Croatia in November.

Its an extremely exciting day for us. About six years ago, what you see behind us, was just a dream. Four years ago we started the planning in earnest seriously; and 12 months ago we signed a contract, said Glen Moroney, chairman. There has been a huge amount of work put in not only by our own team but the yard.

The so-called expedition build will be delivered in August of 2018, with capacity for 228 passengers at 16,500 tons. The Australian company has an option for a second ship.
Norwegian Cruise Line today announced its summer 2018 and fall/winter 2018/2019 itineraries.

Among the big news, and already known, is the Bliss, which will homeport in Seattle for Alaska cruises in summer 2018. In addition, the Norwegian Pearl will sail seven-day Glacier Bay Alaska cruises from Seattle departing on Sundays. Rounding out the Alaska fleet, the Norwegian Sun will return to Vancouver and Seward.

Bigger news comes in North America and Europe, where the Breakaway will leave New York in favor of a Northern Europe season for summer 2018.

Following her arrival in Europe, Norwegian Breakaway will undergo a drydock and then move to Copenhagen, where she will sail nine-day Scandinavia and Russia cruises through the summer season.

The Norwegian Jade will return to Europe in summer 2018 and sail a series of Norway, Iceland, and North Cape cruises from London (Southampton) and Hamburg.

The Norwegian Spirit will return as well, sailing longer 10-day Western Mediterranean and 11-day Eastern Mediterranean and Adriatic cruises from Civitavecchia.

The Norwegian Star will reposition from the West Coast to Venice, sailing a series of seven-day Greek Isles and Adriatic and Greece cruises for summer 2018.

The Norwegian Epic will sail seven-day Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona and Civitavecchia.

In winter 2018/2019, Norwegian Spirit will set sail from Barcelona to the Canary Islands and Morocco, on a series of 10- and 11-day cruises.

Norwegian will continue to sail to Bermuda from New York and Boston between April and September 2018. The Norwegian Escape will reposition for the first time since she was christened in 2015, and will sail from New York City to Bermuda on seven-day cruises to every Sunday in summer 2018 before a fall season sailing to Canada/New England from New York.

The Norwegian Gem will also sail north from Manhattan in June 2018 on two seven-day cruises, in addition to two 10-day cruises later in the year.

The Norwegian Dawn will sail a series of northbound and southbound seven-day cruises between Boston and Quebec.

The Norwegian Dawn will sail seven-day cruises from Boston to Bermuda, departing every Friday.

In summer 2018, the Norwegian Gem will set sail for the Bahamas and Florida each Saturday from New York.

The Norwegian Sky will continue to sail three- and four-day Bahamas cruises from Miami year-round, although adjustments for Cuba are expected.

In winter 2018/2019, the Norwegian Escape will remain in New York, sailing to the Bahamas and Florida alongside the Breakaway, which will move back to New York for the winter 2018/2019 season.

The Norwegian Gem will reposition to New Orleans, sailing to the Western Caribbean on seven-, 10- and 11-day cruises.

The Getaway will be in Miami for winter 2018/2019, sailing week-long alternating itineraries, while the Spirit will continue homeporting in Tampa and the Dawn will homeport in Puerto Rico.

There are also sailings to the Southern Caribbean from Miami on Norwegian Jade.

The Norwegian Epic will return to Port Canaveral in fall 2018, sailing alternating seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises, along with select longer 10- and 11-day Western Caribbean cruises from November 2018  January 2019.

The Pride of America will continue to sail her seven-day Hawaii itinerary departing from Honolulu every Saturday through May 2019.

Norwegian will offer one-way and roundtrip Panama Canal cruises on three ships in 2018/2019. The Norwegian Jade and Norwegian Pearl will sail 11-day and 14-day roundtrip canal cruises from Tampa and Miami in 2018/2019. The Star, meanwhile, will sail an extended transit between Miami and LA in early 2019.

The Norwegian Pearl will also sail a one-way 15-day Panama Canal cruise from LA to Tampa in October 2018.

The Norwegian Sun will once again return to South America, sailing a series of alternating westbound and eastbound 14-day itineraries between Valparaiso, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina in Winter.
Intels plan to spin out its security business under the McAfee name could run into rough weather with security expert John McAfee asking a court in New York to order an injunction on the deal until a dispute over the use of his personal name for another company is resolved.

In a court filing on Tuesday, John McAfee and MGT Capital Investments claimed that there is a high likelihood that Intel intends to sell the rights to the use of his full name to the new venture. Should the sale go forward any judgment awarded to Plaintiffs will be ineffectual, it added.

John McAfee and MGT informed the court that they will be seeking a preliminary injunction that would prevent Intel from selling, trading, assigning, leasing or otherwise transferring any alleged rights, in whole or in part, relating to any marks, names, trade names, or entities containing the word McAfee until the resolution of the dispute.

By allowing Intel to go ahead with the transaction before judicial resolution of the issues surrounding the use of John McAfees personal name, the litigious issues and costs associated with the underlying claim will be compounded, according to the filing.

[ ALSO ON CSO: Intel asserts its trademark rights against John McAfee ]

The chip company said in September that it had signed an agreement with TPG to spin out its Intel Security business as a separate cybersecurity company, called McAfee. Intel shareholders would hold 49 percent of the equity with the balance held by the investment firm, while Intel would also receive US$3.1 billion in cash.

An injunction would prevent the company from completing the deal and spinning out the new venture under the McAfee name.

MGT had announced in May it was teaming with John McAfee to set up a security company that would be named John McAfee Global Technologies, Inc, and would have him as the CEO and executive chairman.

In June, Intel sent a letter to MGT warning it of legal action if it changed its name to one that includes the MCAFEE trademark or otherwise use the MCAFEE name as a trademark. John McAfee does not have the right to use the McAfee name for security related goods and services, Intel added.

Intels move prompted John McAfee and MGT to file a suit in the New York court to seek a judgment that their use of or reference to the personal name of John McAfee and/or McAfee in their business, including in the renaming of MGT, does not infringe on Intels trademark rights or breach any agreement between the parties.

Intel acquired McAfee Inc. in 2011 and uses and promotes the McAfee mark for security products, services, and publications for consumers and businesses. John McAfee has said he had entered in 1991 into an agreement with McAfee Associates, a predecessor to McAfee Inc., to transfer certain assets to it in exchange for stock and a promissory note.

In the filing Tuesday by John McAfee and MGT, it is pointed out that the maverick entrepreneur had at no point in the agreement assigned the rights to his personal name through an assignment of trademark or otherwise, or agreed to restrict his right to do business using his own name. The agreement did not also have any non-compete provisions. John McAfee also claims that at the time of the agreement he had not filed for or registered any trademark for his full name, surname or any other iteration of it.

In a filing in October, Intel has said it does not object to John D. McAfees use of his personal name or personal reputation in connection with his business ventures. The company goes on to say elsewhere in the filing that John McAfee did not forfeit the right to use his name as a personal name, which Intel has never challenged. But the chip company objects to the use by the entrepreneur of the McAfee trade name and trademark in a way that could confuse or deceive consumers or dilute the brand.

Intel could not be immediately reached for comment on the latest filing.
The company behind Ashley Madison, the adultery enabling website, has agreed to pay a US$1.6 million settlement related to a major data breach last year that exposed account details of 36 million users.

Ashley Madison's operator, Toronto-based Ruby, is making the settlement for failing to protect the account information and for creating fake user profiles to lure in prospective customers, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday.

In July 2015, a hacking group called Impact Team managed to steal the account details and then post them online a month later -- potentially damaging the reputation of the customers using the adultery website.

The FTC alleges the Ashley Madison site suffered from lax security, allowing hackers to break in several times between Nov. 2014 and June 2015. The service also retained personal information of users who had paid $19 to delete their data from the site, the FTC said.

The agency also found that Ashley Madison had managed to attract customers, including 19 million from the U.S., partly through fake profiles of women designed to entice them into becoming paying members.

U.S. investigators initially wanted Ruby to pay $17.5 million in the settlement, but the remaining amount was suspended based on the companys inability to pay, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement.

As part of Wednesdays settlement, Ruby is required to institute a comprehensive data security program to protect customers' information. It must also undergo third-party audits to check for compliance.

Half of the $1.6 million will go the FTC, with the remainder paid to state authorities involved in the investigation.

"Todays settlement closes an important chapter on the companys past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity," Ruby said in a statement.

However, as part of the settlement, Ruby "neither admits nor denies" the allegations made by the FTC in its investigation.

Earlier this year, privacy officials in Canada and Australia also found that the Ashley Madison website was using deceptive practices to attract customers. This includes marketing itself with a phony security award.

Ruby, formerly known as Avid Life Media, has apologized for the data breach and is attempting to revamp its operations with better security measures. The Ashley Madison site continues to operate and claims to have 50 million members.
Timothy A. Clary | Getty Images

Little is known about what went down at this morning's meeting between President-Elect Donald Trump and Mr. Kim Kardashian Kanye West at Trump Tower in New York.

At first glance, the sweat-shirted West looked like he might be dropping by to hit the Trump Tower gym:
Southwest starts regular commercial flights to Havana

Southwest Airlines made its first regular commercial flight to Havana bringing 156 passengers thus joining JetBlue, Silver Airways, Delta and American Airlines, which were the first to reopen the US-Cuba connection closed over the past fifty years.

Southwest will announced three flights a day, two from Tampa and one from Fort Lauderdale, two cities in the US state of Florida at a cost of 59 dollars a ticket.

Company president Gary Kelly told reporters at the Havana airport that he was enthusiastic about this new link with Havana, since Southwest has already been flying to Varadero, Matanzas province, while a next destination will be the central city of Santa Clara, on December 15.

The executive said he was satisfied about airport conditions here and expressed interest in further expanding air services to Cuba as he noted that they will dedicate to flying to Cuba for many decades to come.

Meanwhile Hector Sardinas, director of the Jose Marti International Airport, which received the first Southwest flight, told reporters that the exchange in his sector show the business opportunities despite the limitations still being posed by the US blockade of the island.

The blockade prevents US nationals from traveling here on tourist visas, they must apply for 12 general licenses approved by the Obama administration, he noted.
German airline Eurowings starts flying to Cuba

German airline Eurowings will start operating from tomorrow in Havana, which ratifies the bet of that European country for Cuba destination, stated the Cuban Tourism Ministry (MINTUR by its Spanish acronym).

According to a press release, the flight will have a week frequency, on Thursdays, following the route Koln-Bonn-Havana and it will be in an Airbus A330, with capacity for 298 passengers.

This new path joins the three others already implemented to Varadero, which will be a positive contribution for the development of German market in Cuba, MINTUR said.

The flight will take off from Konrad Adenauer international airport at 23:05 (German time) and will land in the Cuban capital at 16:50 (Havana time).

By the end of the first semester of this year, Germany appeared 4th in the list of leading tourists sources to the Caribbean island with 125 438 travelers, with a growth of 44.8 percent when compared with the same period of 2015, according to the National Office of Statistics (ONEI by its Spanish acronym).

That European nation also ranked second last year when Cuba set a record in arrival of international tourists with 3 524 779 vacationers.
CultNews101.com: news, links, resources. Cults101.org: resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics. CultMediation.com: offers resources designed to help thoughtful families and friends understand and respond to the complexity of a loved ones cult involvement. Intervention101.com: to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement. CultRecovery101.com: assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
Ald. Willie Cochran Faces Charges Of Using Charity Fund To Pay Gambling Expenses, Daughter's Tuition

By aaroncynic in News on Dec 14, 2016 6:14PM



Willie Cochran, handout photo.

Alderman Willie Cochran was indicted on federal criminal charges Wednesday morning, the Chicago Tribune reports.

According to a press release from the Northern District of Illinois States Attorney, Cochran faces eleven counts of wire fraud, two counts of extortion and two counts of bribery. The indictment alleges the alderman used money from his 20th Ward Activities fund to finance gambling expenses purchase items for his home and pay for his daughters college tuition. Cochran is also charged with extorting money from a liquor store owner and a lawyer for aldermanic support.

When an elected official uses public power for personal gain, the average citizen pays and our democratic system suffers, said U.S. Attorney Fardon. We will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute any elected official who attempts to use their office to enrich themselves.

Cochran was allegedly the sole signatory on the Activities fund, which was supposedly a charitable fund, but the indictment alleges he instead used it for himself. The total penalties in the 15 count indictment add up to 280 years in prison.

The indictment comes two months after a Tribune report revealed the FBI launched a probe investigating the alderman for potential misuse of campaign funds. Amended campaign finance reports showed that Cochran paid himself more than $115,000 over three years, however didnt disclose that information immediately, instead making multiple revisions.



News of the indictment broke as the South Side alderman was attending the last Chicago City Council meeting of the year. WLSs Bill Cameron even tweeted a photo of alderman Ed Burke walking an iPad over to Cochran, suggesting that he mightve found out while as the council was in session.

In the City Council is Ald Burke showing Ald Willie Cochran on his iPad that he's just been indicted? @wlsam890 pic.twitter.com/VS7zNYuSZA  Bill Cameron (@billjcameron) December 14, 2016

Just prior to the report of the FBI probe, Mark Brown at the Sun-Times reported Cochrans original balance for the second quarter of 2015 showed a balance of $174,600, only to later be amended to -$4,075. In total, Cochran made 70 revisions to his books from January 2015 through July 2016.

Cochran was elected in 2007, replacing Ald. Arenda Troutman, who was arrested by the FBI on bribery charges.

Update, 3:50 p.m.:

Despite the indictment, Cochran said he does not intend to leave his seat at the City Council, according to the Sun-Times. Yes, I will remain," he reportedly told the paper via text message. "You resign when you are guilty. Indictments are not guilty pleas. Im confident these allegations will be resolved."

As to why he was in attendance at the Council meeting on the day his indictment was announced, Cochran reportedly said, "I was elected to be there and represent the ward as I have been. I didnt hesitate to go to Council. Im surprised [anyone] would think I shouldnt be there."
Civil War Gala to be held Saturday in Somerset

The 14th annual Col. Robert Cummins Civil War Gala will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Somerset Church of the Brethren, 606 Berlin Plank Road in Somerset.
Legal Scholar Explains Hamilton Electors' Hail-Mary Effort To Stop Trump

By Stephen Gossett in News on Dec 14, 2016 4:25PM



Donald Trump / Getty Images / Photo: Sara D. Davis

The presidential election has been over for more than a month; and the Electoral College is just a few days away from casting its own its i-dotting-t-crossing formalization ballot. But should they? The so-called Hamilton Electors argue that Donald Trump is exactly the kind of figure that the Framers had in mind when, in Federalist No. 68, Alexander Hamilton argued that electors should prevent a uniquely unqualified or susceptible-to-foreign-governments candidate from assuming office.

The movement calls for Republican electors to cast their votes instead for a moderate GOP alternative in hopes of throwing the decision back to the House of Representatives, which would potentially take the same tack. It seems like an extreme long shot. (Thirty-seven Republican electors would need to disavow Trump to tip the scales; only one has publicly); and its not without legal obstacles. But advocates, like Carolyn Shapiro, an associate professor at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law and former Illinois Solicitor General, argue that the legal groundworkand, just maybe, the logistical willexists for such a possibility.

Chicagoist: Does Federalist 68 qualify in this situation?

Carolyn Shapiro: Federalist 68, in this current context, isnt about electors saying, Eh we dont like who people voted for. It lays out specific concerns, and it has become increasingly clear theyre the concerns we face: a lack of qualification, which we see in Trumps refusal to take seriously intelligence briefings; the demagoguery, the division that hes done nothing to address; and most concerning of all, the possibility of his being under the influence of a foreign power. We see that in his relationship with Russia, which at a minimum raises concerns. [The Russian interference] aided him. Hes consistently said very positive things about Vladimir Putin. And we had the Newsweek article which lays out the many ways in which Trump business interests leave him susceptible to pressure from foreign leadersand not just Russia.



Carolyn Shapiro / Chicago-Kent College of Law C: A Colorado judge called two electors' attempt to vote freely regardless of the state's popular vote a "political stunt. How would you respond to someone who frames the Hamilton Elector movement in those terms?

CS: I dont know what that means. Its extraordinary, unprecedented, and unusual. Its not what anybody would have expected when they signed up to be electors. Its all of those thingsno question. But its not being done for any glory. The people engaged in this effortthe electors whove come forward and to the extent that more are considering coming forwardare doing something not likely to endear themselves to their own party. So I dont know why the judge would call it that.

C: Is it logistically possible? Can they get the needed 37 electors?

CS: I think its really impossible to know that right now. 37 is slightly more than 10 percent of the total number of Republican electors. When you think about it that way, its not a particularly large proportion. The majority of Republican electors, I assume, are not interested in pursuing this, but theres been so much thats happened since November 8information the electors have that the people didnt have. If I were a Republican elector I would be very nervous about going public, so the fact that we only have one person whos come out and said hes definitely not voting for Donald Trump doesnt tell us much about what will ultimately happen. I just dont think we can know right now.

C: What kind of legal repercussions do Hamilton Electors face?

CS: 21 states have no restrictions. Some states impose fines and civil penalties. A small number of states criminalize itmostly misdemeanors, but at least one categorizes it as a felony. Then there are several states that not voting for who theyre supposed to will be deemed a resignation. Those statues, in my opinion, are unconstitutional. They inject states into a process that the Constitution gives them no role in. I dont know yet if there will be more [legal] challenges. If there were to be 37 electors, I dont know whether it would be necessary to make more challenges. In states with civil and criminal penalties, those can be challenged after the fact. Electors can do what they believe is correct and fight the fight later. Its a risk, but its an option.

C: If by some long shot, the election were thrown into the House, how do you see that playing out?

CS: At that point it becomes even more unpredictable. In my view, the most likely outcome would be the election of a Republican other than Trump. The second most likely outcome would be Trump. But if there were that kind of vote of no confidence from Republican electors, at genuine risk to their own safety, I think that would carry some hefty. Plus already were seeing real tension between Trump and GOP congressional members. If there were a candidate around which Hamilton Electors coalesced, then theres a pretty good shot that person would be chosen by the House.

C: Is there a consensus candidate?

CS: I'm not aware of any consensus since Im not privy to any internal discussions that electors may or may not be having. I know what names have been thrown around: John Kasich, Mitt Romney, Colin Powell, John McCain. But I couldnt tell you what specific conversation electors are having.

C: If this failsafe itself fails, is the Electoral College outmoded? Do you envision any way the presidential election could be changed to a popular vote?

CS: The most likely way is through the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which a number of states have already enacted. Its an agreement that, if enough other states sign on, a state will assign its electors to whoever wins the popular vote. From my perspective, theres nothing in the Constitution that would prevent that. The Constitution allows the state legislature to decide how to appoint electors. So theres nothing stopping a state from appointing electors who reflect the national popular vote. Theres also talk of lawsuits challenging the winner-take-all structure of the Electoral College. That structure is not mandated by the Constitution. Were all used to it and tend to think thats just how it is. But it doesnt have to be that way, and there are compelling arguments for changing that. But in terms of a constitutional amendment to change the Electoral College, I think were pretty far away from that.



Related stories:

Could An Electoral College Revolt Stop Trump?

The Electoral College Now Has A Moral Responsibility To Vote For A Trump Alternative
Let These Videos Take You Inside Trump's Horror Show 'Thank You' Tour

By aaroncynic in News on Dec 14, 2016 3:25PM

President elect Donald Trump made the latest stop in his victory thank you tour Tuesday evening in suburban Milwaukee where he reminisced on election night and compared Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to a fine wine.

"I've come to appreciate him," Trump said of Ryan, who waffled on his support for the exceedingly wealthy real estate mogul-turned-celebrity reality television host-turned-President. "He's like a fine wine. Every day I appreciate his genius more and more. If he ever goes against me Im not going to say that. It was the first time the pair have appeared in public together since Trump took the presidency.

Ryan, who was booed more than once by the crowd, was one of several hype-men who warmed up the crowd for Trump for more than 30 minutes before the President-elect took the stage. Among the others were Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, Vice President Elect Mike Pence, Wisconsin House Rep. Mike Duffy, and Governor Scott Walker, who earlier made frosted pecans for the holidays, because all of this is fine:





Was up making our frosted pecans last night for the holidays pic.twitter.com/vtt6C8OzZf  Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) December 13, 2016





Hes a great governor, Trump said of Walker. Hes a great person and a great governor. I went against him and he was tough. So now its going to be your turn very soonyou and Pence have got to fight it out, I dont know.

Do you have your pitchforks and torches ready? Clarke asked the crowd, after calling the recent CIA allegations regarding Russian hackers potentially tampering with the 2016 election a conspiracy and new level of stupid from the American left. He said that Congress should instead investigate a different conspiracy theory: whether billionaire George Soros funded protesters at Trump rallies.

Flanked by several Christmas trees, Trump hit a familiar set of tropes about political correctness before going on a long ramble, recounting the events that played out on election night. When recalling his nomination as Time Magazines Person of the Year, he polled the audience to see if attendees preferred the use of man, or person, despite the magazine making the switch in 1999 and four women previously taking the title. Prior to bringing up his choice for Secretary of Defense, retired Marine Corps General James Mad Dog Mattis, he hinted at revisiting laws surrounding flag burning.

We don't like seeing people burning our American flag. We dont like it. Were gonna take a look at that. Well all take a look at that together, said Trump.

In addition to singling out Mattis, Trump also mentioned several other members of his cabinet, saying that it would be one of the greatest cabinets.

Were in the process of putting together one of the great cabinets, certainly one of the highest IQ cabinets that anybody has ever  I mean, these are seriously great people.

Despite Trumps campaign promise to drain the swamp, among those he mentioned included the President of Goldman Sachs, Gary Cohn, who hes picked as his top economic adviser and Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon Mobile, his pick for Secretary of State.

Rex is one of the greatest and most skilled global business leaders of our time, said Trump. A strong man, a tough man. A man who has already earned an avalanche of endorsements and growing praise from our nations top leaders.

Shortly after praising the oil tycoon, Trump said he would work to eliminate restrictions and regulations on energy. We are going to eliminate all wasteful job killing regulations, he said. On energy, we will cancel the restrictions on the destruction of American energy, including shale, natural gas, and clean beautiful coal.

You can also listen to the crowd chant "CNN sucks" while Trump regales them with tales of election night, below:


Hong Kong-born Londoner Emma-Lee Moss, better known to fans as "Emmy the Great", is off to China next year to take part in a six-week musicians-in-residence program organized by the British Council and the PRS for Music Foundation, the UK's leading founder of new music.

David Lyttle and Emma-Lee Moss are ready for their visit to China. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"This is so amazing," Moss told China Daily. "I grew up in Hong Kong but I have never been to the Chinese mainland and to be given this opportunity through this program is very special."

Moss, 33, was born to a British father and Chinese mother and moved to England with her family when she was 11.

Between April and June, she and two other UK-based artists will spend time in three Chinese cities. Moss, who sings in English and Cantonese and has released three studio albums since 2009, will be based in the coastal city of Xiamen in the southeast.

The performer, who wrote the original score for the Sony Pictures film Austenland and who contributed original music for Mystery Show, the number one podcast in the US in 2015, hopes her time in China will help her improve her Mandarin skills.

"I want to produce music through language and use the words to tell a story, which I think makes it more interesting," she said.

Irish musician David Lyttle, who will be in residence in the eastern city of Suzhou, and multi-instrumentalist Quinta, who will be based in Guiyang in China's southwest, will travel with Moss.

Lyttle told China Daily: "This is a fantastic experience. Coming from a jazz and Irish-folk music background, I'm interested in working with classical Chinese music and mixing all the influences together into a new sound."

During their time in China the three will meet local musicians and exchange ideas, create new work and build cultural bonds.
Belarus: Home of 'Europe's last dictator', blighted by human rights problems - and at war with the teddy bear

Not many countries get invaded by teddy bears.



Then again, not many countries are like Belarus.



This week in response to his country's multi-billion pounds air defence system being violated and 800 bears being dropped near the capital Minsk - this genuinely happened - a furious President Alexander Lukashenko decided to act.



Reputation: Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko (left) is often referred to as 'Europe's last dictator'

He fired two generals, the head of the country's air force and the boss of border security.



'How do you explain the provocation with the airplane that not only crossed our borders, but entered the territory of Belarus unpunished?'

he thundered at hapless officials.



Any future air space violations should be met with missiles thundered Lukashenko.



And he wasn't finished there.



The teddy bears were dropped on July 4 from a light plane hired by a southern Swedish PR firm to highlight Belarus's human rights problems (a country which last year arrested people for clapping, including a one-armed man).



Oppressed: Belarus's human rights problems are well documented, with a harsh stance taken on any opposition

Each bear parachuted into the country had a label attached calling for freedom of speech and human rights.



On August 3, Belarus expelled Sweden's ambassador, Stefan Erikkson, possibly the first time a diplomat has been expelled because of a group of fluffy toys.



Expelling the Swede, Andrei Savinykh, a Belarus Foreign Ministry spokesman, harrumphed: 'Mr. Eriksson has worked in Minsk for seven years. In this time his activity has been directed not at strengthening Belarussian-Swedish relations but at destroying them.'



Stockholm said the situation was 'ridiculous'.



Not welcome: Alexander Lukashenko has been banned from attending the London Olympic Games

As with everything that happens in Belarus the incident was all about Lukashenko, a man banned from attending the London Olympics.



Often optimistically described at the 'last dictator in Europe', he is definitely a relic from an age when Eastern European leaders used walls to cage their people.



Belarus is a former Soviet republic which became independent with the collapse of the USSR.



It still uses the rouble, its secret police is known as the KGB and the state controls virtually everything that happens.



Anyone who never made it to behind the Iron Curtain and feels a pang of nostalgia could do worse than a trip to Belarus, a sort of Cold War theme park.



Even Lukashenko's comedy combover and moustache appear from a different era.



Lukashenko, naturally a former collective farm manager, has been in power since 1994 and unsurprisingly appears to have mastered the trick at always winning elections.



Two years after taking control he abandoned the country's parliament and hand-picked another just as it was about to impeach him.

He apparently trusts no one else with the big decisions, even deciding to intervene in the wake of a disastrous Eurovision Song Contest result.

Except maybe one person - his seven-year-old son Kolya.



On a recent trip to Venezuela, Lukashenko hinted that his youngster, who is reputed to carry a gun, could be the one to 'take over the reins' come 2037.



Already the armed forces are getting in practice - they are said to have to salute the boy leader.



Suspicion: Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and appears to have mastered the trick at always winning elections

To ensure that Lukashenko will have to win a few more elections. This is usually a given.



It is no coincidence that the incident with the teddy bears comes just weeks before parliamentary elections in Belarus even though Lukashenko has ensured that the parliament is toothless and cannot even draft laws.



But any public vote of discontent seems unlikely as the opposition are considering boycotting the election on September 23 because of the very real fear of electoral fraud.



Which means there may be a few more stunts like parachuting teddy bears committed over the next few weeks.


Have Prince Harry, 32, and his girlfriend Meghan Markle, 35, got engaged secretly?

Reporters who cover his public engagements are told no questions about Ms Markle will be answered, although he and the American actress have been an item since August.

A secret engagement would give them a breather prior to the media storm a marriage announcement would entail.

Prince William got engaged secretly to Kate Middleton while they were on a safari holiday in Kenya in 2010. Only Margret Lekartgi, a 22-year-old Masai maid, was in on their secret.

A secret engagement would give them a breather prior to the media storm a marriage announcement would entail

Describing Twitter as a stalking ground for the sanctimoniously self-righteous, Stephen Fry, 59, announced in February that he was quitting the social media website.

He was distressed that his joke on TV about Bafta award-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan looking like a bag lady backfired.

Now hes back, promoting his appearance on James Cordens US chat show  Fun times with James Corden on The Late Late Show couch  and plugging his latest appearance in the US sitcom The Great Indoors  Another The Great Indoors day dawns.

You cant keep an old Twit down.

Describing Twitter as a stalking ground for the sanctimoniously self-righteous, Stephen Fry, 59, announced in February that he was quitting the social media website - but now he's back

The Prince of Wales appeared in the TV recording of the Royal Variety Performance last night, pictured, acting as stooge to Britains Got Talent winner, soldier-turned-magician Richard Jones.

Charles wrote down two numbers at random and threw the paper into the audience. Jones had to guess what the numbers were. Charles once fancied himself as a magician.

He even has his own cape and wand. In 1975, he joined the Magic Circle, which preserves the trade secrets of magicians. He is rather good at keeping secrets himself, says my source.

Noting that Sir Mick Jagger has now fathered a baby boy with 29-year-old ballerina Melanie Hamrick, entertainer Bette Midler, 71, says: Congrats to Mick Jagger on becoming a dad again at 73. Which reminds me, I need to pick up a pregnancy test. Im 936 weeks late!

The Queens cousin and confidante Margaret Rhodes described in her memoirs paying her last respects to the Queen Mother and delivering a final curtsey.

At Mrs Rhodess own funeral at Windsor this week the Queen bowed deeply as her friends coffin was borne out of the church.

Her presence  HM rarely attends funerals  ensured that Mrs Rhodess obsequies were recorded in the Court Circular.

The Queens cousin and confidante Margaret Rhodes described in her memoirs paying her last respects to the Queen Mother and delivering a final curtsey

Why does former Tory Cabinet minister Peter Lilley seem to be the only MP with a clear-headed view about how we can leave the EU?

He points out: There is no point in negotiating a temporary transitional deal to be followed by a permanent deal.
Calls made to Childline about gender identity have almost tripled in the past three years, according to the NSPCC.

Last year, the service held 2,796 counselling sessions with youngsters  some as young as 11  who felt their biological sex did not match their gender. Three years ago, the figure was 1,102.

So, are the nations children in the grip of an unprecedented epidemic of gender uncertainty? Or is there more to this than meets the eye? Could the fact that this rise coincides with a massively increased awareness of the issue have anything to do with it?

Calls made to Childline about gender identity have almost tripled in the past three years, according to the NSPCC. Pictured is Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympic athlete who transitioned and is the poster-girl of the Trans lobby

Celebrities such as former Olympian Bruce Jenner  a star of reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians and now reborn as Caitlyn  and Eddie Redmayne, who played a transgender character in last years hit movie The Danish Girl, are hugely influential.

And what of the conduct of certain elements in the political, educational and medical establishments?

Have they taken an approach that combines compassion with common sense  or have they simply caved in to the powerful and very vocal transgender lobby for fear of being branded as backward or, worse, as bigots?

Let me be clear: I dont for a minute doubt that there are a relatively small number of youngsters who genuinely feel they are in the wrong body.

And I like to think we live in the sort of open-minded society where they can get all the help and support they need.

But what worries me is that the whole conversation now takes place within a rigid structure constructed by the LGBTQ lobby (thats Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and now Q, which either stands for questioning or queer, depending on whom you ask) and is guided by an increasingly inflexible set of dos and donts.

Ideas that, until recently, were considered at best fanciful, at worst extreme, seem to have infiltrated traditionally sober institutions, including the medical establishment (hormone therapy is now available on the NHS even to pre-pubescent children) and, perhaps more worryingly, education.

Last year, the service held 2,796 counselling sessions with youngsters  some as young as 11. Stock image

Take an Ofsted-endorsed lobby organisation called Educate & Celebrate. Having been awarded a 200,000 grant by the Department for Education, it works in schools to teach children as young as ten about the rights and wrongs of the gender vernacular. It believes categorising children as boys and girls is gender-biased and offers a staggering array of alternative terms.

Thus children who think of themselves as being the gender with which they were born are described as cisgender. Other terms offered include panromantic (seeking romance without sexual desire), intersex (neither male nor female) and genderqueer (a combination of both sexes).

To help youngsters get the message, transgender ambassadors are sent into schools to talk about their experiences of transitioning. They offer advice on how to get hormone therapy and how the process has made them feel.

Next month, they publish a book, Can I Tell You About Diversity, which features a 12-year-old girl undergoing treatment to become male, to be distributed to primary and secondary schools. Their target audience is children not even ready to choose their A-level subjects, let alone challenge their own biology.

In case you think Im exaggerating, I recently heard about a secondary school pupil who, during a PSHE (personal, social and health education) classroom discussion about gender, said that, on balance, she thought she was probably just normal.

Cue sharp intake of breath. The correct terminology, the teacher informed her curtly, is cis. She was even punished with a detention.

Eddue Redmayne in the blockbuster film The Danish Girl, in which he plays a transsexual

If I had been that teacher, I would have awarded her a gold star for bravery. Because shes right: she is normal.

What is not normal is encouraging otherwise perfectly content children to question their identity.

If there is a genuine increase in gender-fluidity among children, I believe its entirely man-made. Young people arent naturally questioning their sex in 2016 any more than they did in back in 1916; its just that now they are being actively encouraged  some might say indoctrinated  to do so.

After all, children are very susceptible. They also have an inbuilt desire to please those they look up to  in this case, adults promoting the trans agenda.

In attempting to improve the lives of a vanishingly small minority, we are threatening the sanity of  and, yes, Im going to say it  normal children.

Its time to put an end to this nonsense. Yes, there must be compassion for the very few who experience gender confusion. But there must also be common sense that this is not something that affects the majority of children. But then common sense, that once great British characteristic, seems to be a dying quality these days.

Power list? Woman's Hour's lost the plot

Germaine Greer, one of the usual suspects on the list for Woman's Hour

I once sat on the panel for the Womans Hour Power List, the latest version of which was announced yesterday. They never asked me back  perhaps because I dared to disagree with civil rights campaigner Helena Kennedy QC, which, in Womans Hour terms, is a bit like ordering steak tartare at a vegan convention.

These lists are always hard to get right. But this years, for the Radio 4 shows 70th anniversary, is so achingly worthy, so self-consciously Islington-centric, they shouldnt have bothered.

Its all the usual suspects: Helen Brook (who set up Brook Advisory birth control centres), Barbara Castle, Germaine Greer: yawn. Someone called Jayaben Desai, who Id never heard of, but was apparently a Grunwick strike leader in the Seventies. As for the rest  Beyonce, the fictional Bridget Jones and, bizarrely, Margaret Thatcher  well, they just dont make sense.

Beyonce is, however talented, small beer compared to someone like Aretha Franklin who, at 74, has been performing for six decades and never once in her underwear.

And Bridget is nowhere near as witty or well-rounded as some of, say, Nora Ephrons more minor characters. Princess Diana had a far greater reach  and at least she was real.

As for Mrs Thatcher . . . well, having her in the No 1 slot is just wrong. Thatcher was a great politician. But I fail to see how she influenced the lives of women  the supposed criterion  any more than any other Prime Minister.

She only ever employed one female  Janet Young  in her Cabinet, and was stupendously unsympathetic to the difficulties facing working mothers, claiming she had no desire to see her country turned into a creche society.

But the real problem with this list is the narrowness of scope it represents. Womans Hour seems to be retreating into its own little echo chamber: too lazy, too smug, too arrogant even, to challenge its own assumptions.

Not blonde, just brilliant

Want proof that you dont have to be blonde, leggy, impossibly thin or practically a child to be a successful actress?

Step forward Olivia Colman, deservedly nominated as Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes for her brilliant performance in The Night Manager.

Of course, what with her not being impossibly tall, leggy, blonde, etc, most of the red carpet photos published of the event were of other people  mainly Claire Foy, who was nominated for The Crown and who, surprise surprise, just happens to be tall, leggy, blonde, etc.

So here, on the left, to redress the balance is an alternative view of what brilliant female talent looks like.

Olivia Colman, deservedly nominated as Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes for her brilliant performance in The Night Manager

Economist index that counts: Cost Per Wear

Nicky Morgan got it in the neck for criticising the Prime Minister over her 1,000 leather trousers when she herself is often seen carrying a similarly expensive Mulberry bag.

Personally, I dont care how much the PM  or any other politician for that matter  spends on their trousers. Mrs Mays a successful woman, why shouldnt she dress well if she can afford it? What I would say, however, is that there are only so many occasions on which one can wear a pair of brown leather trousers  whereas a Mulberry handbag will take you anywhere.

Woman-logic dictates that the important calculation is not the actual cost of these big ticket items, but the CPW  or cost per wear. On that front, the Mulberry wins handbags down.

Nicky Morgan, who criticised Theresa May for her 1,000 leather trousers but is regularly carries around a similarly expensive 950 Mulberry handbag

Poor Wonder Woman has been fired as UN ambassador for girls and women after protests relating to her appearance as a large breasted, white woman of impossible proportions, scantily clad in a shimmery, thigh-baring body suit. Quite why this is a problem is unclear: after all, most modern-day female so-called icons conform to that description, from Beyonce (as endorsed by Womans Hour) to Kim Kardashian to that ghastly pseudo porn quartet, Little Mix. What do they want, Andrea Dworkin in a burka?

Wonder Woman, fired as a UN ambassador after protests of her portrayal as a large breasted, white woman of impossible proportions, scantily clad in a shimmery, thigh-baring body suit

Off with Phil's head

ITVs When Phillip Met Prince Philip, in which breakfast TV host Phillip Schofield promised unrivalled access to the Queens consort, was trailed as a long-awaited insight into the mind of the man who calls himself the most experienced plaque unveiler in the West.

They also made much of the Dukes alleged rudeness but, having seem the show, Im amazed at his restraint. Schofields questions were vacuous, he spent most of his time waffling about himself and seemed more interested in cosying up to the younger royals than gaining any insight into this most intriguing of men.

If I were Philip, Id have had him carted off to the Tower.
A successful couple gave up their life of luxury for a simpler way of living in a two-bedroom mud hut in the middle of a Moroccan desert.

Dina, 45, and Mostafa Jobbour, 44, from Kentucky and Arizona, swapped expensive cars, a five-bedroom house in an exclusive neighbourhood, and a hairdressing company for a dusty African village. Their distant neighbour's donkey is their only mode of transport.

Dina, a former hairdresser - who now counts her animals as her companions - reveals their tale in Ben Fogle's Channel 5 show New Lives in the Wild.

She said: ' I was living in a five-bedroom house in the best neighbourhood in Lexington. There came a time where I was like I'm a success in the world but I'm not happy.

'What I would spend most of my day doing is gathering money to buy things that people would be impressed with and would want and now I have nothing for anyone to envy. I have the satisfaction that I have been looking for all my life with money, its the complete opposite to what I thought.'

Ben Fogle (left) with Dina (middle) and Mostafa (right) Jobbour, who swapped their affluent American life for living in a mud hut in Morocco

Dina, 45, and Mostafa, 44, met online and after a week of meeting in person they got married and moved in together

The couple left behind their five-bedroom house in Kentucky to build their own simple mud brick dwelling

Ben Fogle arrives in the Morocco to stay with the couple for his show which follows people who have overhauled their lives for something completely new.

The pair met online and after a week of meeting, Mostafa moved to the affluent neighbourhood of Lexington, Kentucky with Dina and got married.

Within the year they decided to sell up everything they own and abandon the materialistic world they were living in because they were tired of success and money.

Former hairdresser Dina was tired of her success and no longer wanted money

Dina, a former hairdresser - who now counts her animals as her only companions, beside her husband, explained her reasons to Ben.

'I thought I had to soul search, I read every religion for four years and this is my interpretation of every religion put together,' Dina explains.

'If I had to sum it all up it would be give up every luxury - the house gone, business sold. I walked out of it, its a sin to envy.'

They have all the modern trappings including running water, a shower, living room, kitchen and they are currently building a guest wing

The couple's master bedroom which is very different from their former home back in America which they sold and moved out of

Within a week of arriving to Morocco the couple bought a plot of land for 6,000 and hoped to be able to live off it by growing their own food

Their new home was crafted out of mud bricks and over the course of a year a two-bedroom shack was erected

Mostafa, who grew up in Morocco, entered the US emigration lottery when he was 25 and lived state side for 17 years successfully working in the time-share industry and healthcare.

He agrees with his wife about shedding their former image: 'Its a fake life. Its just showing off for people. I am happy here, so is Dina, this is the life. I love it.

'Self-sustaining is our definite goal. If you can survive without money that is freedom.'

For now, however, Mostafa uses his bartering skills to score them food. He sells male rabbits to the locals at the nearby souk and turns a few coins into a entire bag of food and supplies and even a stool.

His charming ways mean he's not worried about the pair ever going hungry as he believes his newly made friends would never let them go without.

Ben Fogle joined the couple for a week in their Moroccan mud hut to learn about what they had given up and why

The presenter got stuck in helping fit a window into their new guest wing which was secured in place with a paste

Dina sold her 56,000 share of her successful hairdresser and spa business that she had set up when she was 29.

That left the couple with 17,000 after settling debts, which they thought would help them survive for a long time in Morocco, but they were wrong.

'When we got here we had money so we were living large going to the city and shopping in supermarkets for food,' Mostafa says.

'Now we've spent all the money and looked back and thought, Wow what were we thinking? We never thought about the fact this money would end. So now we are down to the basics, we get what we need.'

The mud hut has the stunning backdrop of the Atlas mountain region but Dina says she doesn't want to leave and explore

The couple bought their plot of land for 6,000 within a week of arriving to Morocco and over the course of a year had built a simple mud-brick dwelling.

It has the mod cons they can't live without - a shower, flushing toilet and running water - but is totally off the grid with everything being solar powered.

Their dream is to eventually sustain themselves entirely from the land surrounding their new home, but after a few failed crops it hasn't been easy.

'There was depression, that was our dream, that was our plan. We thought everything else was going to fail.

'We see ourselves at the bottom it cant get any worse than that, the only way is up, you live and learn.'

Dina says of their lonely existence in the desert and how she isn't tempted to explore outside of their mud hut walls: 'I have no desire to leave. Im okay with staying with my animals. I do miss my family and my friends but I have gotten used to this, I like the quiet.'
More than 70 talented kids working in Broadway shows have joined forces in a powerful statement against bullying.

The group of child actors, who appear on stage in School of Rock, The Lion King, Kinky Boots, On Your Feet, and Matilda the Musical, star in an anti-bullying charity single entitled I Have a Voice.

The stirring track, from the upcoming show Song of Bernadette, was penned by Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn and lyricist Robin Lerner, and is accompanied by a dramatic short film.

Coming together: More than 70 child actors from Broadway have come together to record an anti-bullying charity track

The video features a group of children leaving behind a coded message for their fellow bullied students around a school.

It begins with a boy sitting alone at lunch being slipped a note by a young girl. Then, throughout the video, he and other students come across multiple mysterious symbols on doors, walls and even a water fountain.

At the end of the story, the kids have decoded the message and head to a janitorial closet where they discover positive and empowering messages written over the walls in glow-in-the-dark paint.

Tuneful room: The song, entitled I Have a Voice, features young singers from School of Rock, The Lion King, Kinky Boots, On Your Feet, Matilda the Musical and more

Singing loud: Profits from the single will go to www.NoBully.org, a non-profit that works to help schools teach compassion

Telling the tale: The song is accompanied by a dramatic video featuring a bullied child being passed a message

Leading the way: He is shown to a janitor's closet where there are strange symbols written on the floor

'No one can say what I have seen or understand where I have been,' the kids sing in the song. 'For what I found inside myself belongs to me an no one else. If I were blind and had no eyes to see, still I would hear that voice inside of me. I wish that you  I wish that you could hear it too.'

The single itself, which is on sale for $1.29 on iTunes and $1.99 at Broadway Records, will be putting profits towards www.NoBully.org.

The website is a non-profit that helps staff at schools better teach kids the compassion they need to prevent and stop bullying both in the halls and online.

Popping up: Soon enough he is seeing the symbols all over the school

Finding out: The boy and other students sit down and crack the code before returning to the janitor closet

The find: They switch off the lights to find empowering messages scrawled on the walls

A big hand: They exit the room to applause from the peers who let them there

Van Dean, President of Broadway Records, is the executive producer behind the track. He previously founded the Broadway for Orlando single that went viral after the Pulse shooting in June.

'I truly hope this song will inspire others to be more inclusive, tolerant and unite kids to celebrate our differences,' he told People.

Composer Frank Wildhorn added: 'I am so honored and grateful for my music to be used for this cause, which as a father, is so very important to me. I believe music can heal, I believe so strongly in its power to communicate.'
Not getting enough vitamin D while pregnant could increase the chance of your child having autism, a new study suggests.

The study found that women deficient in vitamin D during pregnancy were more likely to give birth to children who displayed autistic traits.

Lead researcher Professor John McGrath, from the University of Queensland, said this suggested vitamin D supplements could reduce the incidence of autism.

Scroll down for video

Deficiency: The study found that women who did not get enough Vitamin D while pregnant were more likely to have children who displayed autistic traits

The study, led by researchers from the Queensland Brain Institute, looked at blood samples from more than 4,000 pregnant women and their children.

Women who had low vitamin D levels at 20 weeks' pregnant were more likely to have children displaying autistic traits by the age of six, the study found.

Professor McGrath said: 'This study provides further evidence that low vitamin D is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders.

'Just as taking folate in pregnancy has reduced the incidence of spina bifida, the result of this study suggests that prenatal vitamin D supplements may reduce the incidence of autism.'

Safe: The study suggested that, to reduce the chance of autism, pregnant women should take Vitamin D supplements

The solution to boosting vitamin D levels was not seeking out more sun, Professor McGrath said.

'We would not recommend more sun exposure, because of the increased risk of skin cancer in countries like Australia.

'Instead, its feasible that a safe, inexpensive, and publicly accessible vitamin D supplement in at-risk groups may reduce the prevalence of this risk factor.'
She hopes inspire others who struggle with

Vanessa Vlajkovic just finished her first year of university.

She has a passion for cheerleading and at 19 years old, a thirst for knowledge that has seen her learn five languages.

One of which is Auslan.

Miss Vlajkovic is deaf and blind, and told Daily Mail Australia while she had the option to have cochlear implants, she chose instead to learn to sign.

Perth woman Vanessa Vlajkovic, 19, is deaf and blind, but refuses to let to hold her back from achieving her dreams

Members of the deafblind community can use a modified version of sign language - known as tactile Auslan - where they place their hand over the hand of the signer.

They can also use finger spelling, where signs are formed on the palm of the hand.

Miss Vlajkovic is able to communicate via text by using a special device that converts her texts in to to braille.

With these different methods of communication available, she decided against a cochlear implant.

'My family weren't thrilled. There is no denying that,' she said of her decision.

'Many people are under the mistaken impression that cochlear implants are a cure for deafness. They are not.

'I didn't want them, I wanted to learn sign language.

'As English is my family's second language they haven't quite grasped Auslan yet.

'We mainly communicate via SMS. It's a challenge and it can indeed be frustrating.'

Instead of having cochlear implants she chose to learn Auslan (Australian Sign Language) as she said the implants were not a cure for deafness

WHAT ARE COCHLEAR IMPLANTS? A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing The implants bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. However, an implant does not restore normal hearing and not everyone performs at the same level with this device. Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Advertisement

But she continued: 'I am proud to be deaf. It is who I am and I embrace it with everything in me. Don't try to take that away from me because it won't work.'

Miss Vlajkovic was born with perfect hearing but only 20 per cent vision.

When she turned seven her hearing started to deteriorate, and when she was 16 years old, she was diagnosed with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder.

The disorder meant one of her auditory nerves had broken, and she also had optic atrophy, which affects the optic nerve.

'Basically my vision and hearing losses are related because both nerves are either broken or don't form properly,' she said.

While she was born with 20 per cent vision, her hearing started to deteriorate when she was seven years old

But rather than let it get to her, Miss Vlajkovic has refused to let the condition hold her back.

She just completed her first year of study at Perth's Edith Cowan University, where she worked with a note taker and two interpreters.

When she is communicating with others she uses an Auslan (Australian Sign Language) interpreter, or if people don't sign, they can email, text or Facebook message her.

She also has a 'Qwerty' keyboard that converts people's messages into braille.

Cheerleading is one of her passions, having started the sport one and a half years ago

Miss Vlajkovic said her cheerleading instructor learned basic Auslan so they are able to communicate

'Hearing aids were okay,' she said.

'They were effective for a while, but as soon as I was re-diagnosed they stopped being useful in communication.

'They only really aided in environmental sounds, which to me wasn't helpful. So I ditched them about 11 months ago.'

As well as completing her first year of uni, Miss Vlajkovic takes part in cheerleading.

'I'm happiest when I'm in the air. Cheer is everything to me,' she said.

The owner of her cheerleading club, West Coast Fury's Peta Parker, even learned basic Auslan to be able to communicate with Miss Vlajkovic.

'I really am truly grateful to all the people who have bent over backwards to make things possible for me,' Miss Vlajkovic said.

'I'm happiest when I'm in the air. Cheer is everything to me,' she said

Miss Vlakjovic was named Western Australia's Young Person of the Year, and said she refuses to let being deaf and blind hold her back.

'Why should it? I'm all about promoting a positive attitude towards people living with daily challenges,' she said.

'Far too many people think being deaf/blind or having any other condition makes them incapable, inferior and/or alien.

'None of these are true. I'm a living example of this - I have never let what happened to me stop me from achieving my goals.'

'My advocacy and patience has begun to pay off.

'I have never let what happened to me stop me from achieving my goals,' she said

'It goes to show that, given enough time and pushed hard enough, people will do what you ask them.'

She hopes by sharing her story to give others the strength to follow their dreams.
You are here: Home

China's forex regulator on Tuesday praised an announcement made by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) that it will publish Chinese banking data.

The BIS announced on December 11 that it will now publish Chinese locational banking statistics (LBS), and that it will also publish Chinese banking data on its official website.

The BIS move showed China's statistics on balance of international payments are internationally recognized thanks to continuous improvement on transparency, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said.

The number of LBS reporting countries rose from 44 to 46 after taking in China and Russia.

A total of 12 emerging economies now report the LBS, along with 12 offshore financial centers and 22 advanced economies, according to the BIS.

"The claims and liabilities of domestic and foreign banks located in China and Russia have been included in global aggregates in the LBS since the end of December 2015," the BIS said.

At the end of June 2016, Chinese banks reported outstanding cross-border claims of $778 billion and liabilities of $918 billion, it said.
A beloved boxer dog was left fighting for life after heroically saving his owner's two-year-old daughter from a venomous tiger snake and being bitten in the process.

Mack killed the snake that was just metres from two-and-a-half-year-old Carmen as she played on a trampoline in the backyard of her home in the Melbourne suburb of Tarneit.

But he was bitten several times by the four-foot long snake and left in a critical condition after the encounter last Thursday.

Hero: Mack the boxer dog was bitten several times by a tiger snake as he protected Carmen (left, holding her baby sister Lexi)

His owner Jo Shaw, who calls Mack her 'best mate', said she and her husband Leigh rushed their pet to the vet before having him transferred to a bigger hospital.

HOW DANGEROUS ARE TIGER SNAKES? The tiger snake lives in the temperate southern areas of Australia. It's venom is highly toxic and if untreated the mortality rate is around 45 per cent. In the event of a bite call triple zero immediately. Apply a pressure bandage to the area and keep the person calm and still until medical help arrives. Do not wash the bite area or apply a tourniquet. Also, do not cut the wound or try to suck venom out. Advertisement

'Carmen was jumping on the trampoline and the dog was running around in the yard,' Mrs Shaw told Daily Mail Australia.

'I walked away to load the dishwasher and I heard a clap of thunder. My daughter came running and she said, "Hi Mum, Mack's not coming."

'I went and found him frothing at the mouth and paralysed and he wasn't breathing. My husband and I, we rushed him to the vet.'

Mrs Shaw said she searched in her yard to find the creature that had bitten Mack and was stunned to find the massive snake.

It was already dead but was less than two metres from the trampoline where her daughter was playing.

'I was just in shock because I didn't know if it was poisonous,' she said. 'I was in shock thinking he was not going to make it.'

Recovering: Mack is now home after spending time in U-Vet Animal Hospital (above)

On the mend: The dog suffered kidney damage due to the venom from the snake

She said that Mack was given three doses of anti-venom, adding that 'he was in a really bad way' after suffering kidney damage from the snake venom.

He was transferred to U-Vet Animal Hospital in Werribee.

'The doctors there brought him back,' Mrs Shaw added.

'The next morning, he was chewing on the ventilator to get off the life support machine.'

But as Mack's medical bills mounted to $6,000, she was at a loss at how to cover the cost.

Deadly: Mack killed the four-foot long tiger snake (pictured left) but not before being bitten

Adorable: Mack, pictured with Carmen, was adopted by the Shaws when he was a puppy

Special: Jo and Leigh Shaw (above, on their wedding day) said they got Mack at a difficult time in their lives after she miscarried twins

The family decided to sell their most prized possession, a 1968 Holden HK Kingswood sedan, to get the money.

But she said that strangers on Facebook, where the listing for the car was posted, said the family couldn't lose their dog and the classic car at the same time.

They urged her to set up a GoFundMe page which they promised to contribute to.

Fundraising: Jo Shaw said her family listed their prized classic car (above) for sale on Facebook to raise money for medical bills but were urged by supporters to create a GoFundMe campaign

'These complete strangers from all over Australia have been sending us so much love and support,' she said.

She added: 'Mack is almost four and we've had him since he was a puppy. We got him after I had a miscarriage and my husband and I lost twins.

'Mack is very special to us, he means so much to us because we got him at such a bad time in our lives and now he has saved our daughter.'
Love wine? Love lipstick? Listen up.

A Korean beauty brand has designed the product of countless women's dreams, by way of a range of lipsticks, balms and glosses actually infused with real wine.

The Labiotte Chateau Wine Lipstick Fitting collection is exactly how it sounds - a wine-bottle-shaped lipstick line with actual wine extract inside it.

Vino varietals: A Korean beauty range has launched a line of wine-infused lipsticks, glosses and balms (pictured) - containing natural ingredients and real-life wine extract

Selection: Named after different wines, the lipsticks (pictured) come in shades such as Cabernet Red, Malbec Burgundy, Nebbiolo Red and Shiraz Red

But you can forget red-wine-stained lips, as the four shades on offer are all as covetable as each other.

Named after vino varietals, the lipsticks come in Cabernet Red (which is deep and rose-coloured), Malbec Burgundy (purple berry hued), Nebbiolo Red (cherry-coloured red) and Shiraz Red (a pink-tinted red).

If you're more of a lipgloss girl, there are also six different glosses in various grape-inspired shades.

On offer: As well as the lipsticks (pictured), there are also some glosses and balms on sale

Hidden benefits: The line of products promises to deliver all sorts of anti-ageing benefits to your pout

Each Labiotte product comes encased in an adorable miniature bottle of wine.

The idea behind the range is that Labiotte's glosses, balms and lipsticks are made with natural ingredients and wine extracts.

These promise to deliver all sorts of anti-ageing benefits to your pout.

Science: However, for those wondering - you cannot get drunk from the lip products

For those who might be wondering, you cannot get drunk from any Labiotte lip product.

However, they will sit perfectly on your lips as you sip from a glass of Pinot.
A little boy who shot to fame after blaming Batman for drawing on his mirror is melting hearts again after appearing on This Morning.

Noel Hopkins, three, from Scotland, originally shot to fame after his mother, Laura, shared a 15-second clip of him blaming Batman for drawing all over her mirror with his sister's lipstick.

Today, the toddler, who also starred in a viral video showing off his impressive knowledge of prehistoric creatures, was gifted a dinosaur toy on the show - and his reaction has melted hearts.

The youngster was given an enormous stuffed T-Rex by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield and thanked them for his Christmas present and started roaring, which caused viewers to label him the 'cutest kid ever'.

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Noel Hopkins, three, from Scotland, shot to fame when he was filmed blaming Batman when he was found drawing on his mother's mirror with lipstick. He has become a social media sensation again after appearing on This Morning and being gifted a huge stuffed dinosaur

Viewers took to Twitter to gush about the viral star, with one writing: 'How adorable is little Noel! My heart is melting #ThisMorning.'

'Little Noel is making me melt' added another.

' Oh my goodness the cutest most gorgeous little boy on #ThisMorning he's adorable with his dinosaurs!' said one.

'#ThisMorning that little boy Noel is just the cutest, adorable, polite little man!' gushed one person.

'Cannot cope with how cute the little boy on #ThisMorning is' said another.

One fan gave him the ultimate accolade: 'Noel is the cutest kid I've ever seen #ThisMorning'

'Little Noel on #ThisMorning is sooo cute! So much joy watching him & his T-rex,' added one.

Since his mother Laura shared the clip it has received four million views on YouTube and celebrities such as Kris Jenner and Ryan Seacrest have also posted the video

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby presented Noel with a huge stuffed T-Rex animal after he shared his love for dinosaurs

Noel thanked the presenters for his gift and was thrilled at the surprise making roaring noises just like a T-Rex

Noel Hopkins, three, from Scotland, shot to fame when he was filmed blaming Batman when he was found drawing on his mother's mirror with lipstick. He has become a social media sensation again after appearing on This Morning

Viewers were delighted over the tot's appearance on This Morning and gushed over how adorable he was

Noel was giddy with excitement at being on television alongside his mother and showed off one of his favourite toys

Noel has become quite the internet sensation over the past seven months since the clip of him scrawling with lipstick and blaming Batman has been viewed four million times.

Mother Laura has even set up a YouTube channel and Instagram page for her son so people can follow his antics.

Since then the short clip has been shared by celebrities such as reality star Kris Jenner, television presenter Ryan Seacrest and Oscar winner Jamie Foxx.

The cute tot was even being chased by Ellen DeGeneres to appear on American talk show, The Ellen Show.

Laura told presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: 'I just took that video on my phone and posted it to my Facebook, a lot of my friends thought it was funny and I sent it to a Facebook page for mums.

'Then my phone went crazy, I had all these people calling me. It was like 15 seconds long the video. It has been quite mad hasn't it Noel!'

Laura admitted she was surprised about how big the 15-second video has become and has even set up a YouTube channel for her son so his fans can follow his antics

It was cuteness overload for those watching at home as they labelled him the 'cutest kid ever' and praised him for being so polite
Ivanka Trump's lifestyle brand has taken plenty of hits and even a boycott thanks to her father Donald's controversial statements throughout the election, and now that he is President-elect, critics are peacefully taking their frustrations out in reviews of his eldest daughter's footwear collection.

The series of ironic Amazon reviews for her brand's 'Issa' dress boots were first spotted by Yahoo Style, and the clever messages are filled with plenty of jabs taking aim at everything from Donald's views on climate change to him lewdly saying that when he meets women he can just 'grab them by the p***y'.

'Too Restrictive, tight, Not enough room for growth, will fit only the 1%,' one Amazon customer titled her review. 'These are really really restrictive and tight - no wiggle room for any kind of freedom of thought.

Business blunder: Donald Trump's critics are posing as Amazon customers to write scathing reviews of dress boots from his daughter Ivanka's shoe line

More than a style statement: The series of ironic Amazon reviews for her brand's 'Issa' dress boots are are filled with plenty of jabs about Donald and his controversial comments

Taking a stand: This Amazon customer wrote that the the boots are 'tight' and 'will fit only the 1%'

'Can you get sued for writing a bad review of a product?' the person asked. 'Anyway, these boots might fit a person that is male, straight, white and Christian but if you don't fit all these criteria, they are NOT the boots for you!

'They are made in a sweatshop by child labor in a foreign country because that's called being smart. I heard they are going to move manufacturing to Taiwan, which may make them better but who knows. Everyone keeps telling me to wait and see. They are certainly not comfortable enough to stand in for four years.'

Unsurprisingly, many of the messages come equipped with a one-star ratings, even though it is probably safe to say that the reviewers never actually slipped their feet into a pair of the boots.

'You get what you ask for. Boots edition,' wrote commenter 'Here to stay'. 'These boots are perfectly designed to trample on fellow Americans' Civil Rights Day or Night.

'Your legs will be enclosed in a tight, made-somewhere-that-is-not-America material that will squeeze all the blood from your brain, resulting in blind admiration of demagoguery.

'You get what you ask for. Boots edition': One person wrote that the boots are 'perfectly designed to trample on fellow Americans' civil rights'

Hitting back: Unsurprisingly, many of the messages come equipped with a one-star ratings

'All the while, your feet will continue to atrophy as they are are squeezed into a fetishized version of the female body which likely will not include making decisions on its behalf. That said, you get what you ask for.'

Another one-star reviewer slyly wrote that when she first saw the boots, she 'really wanted to grab them by the...tops'.

'But, it turns out that I am not the intended demographic. You see I'm...MEXICAN,' she explained. 'And these boots were clearly intended to be polished by my people, not worn by them. But the Swedish exchange student down the street fits them perfectly.'

However, Susan Harper actually gave the boots five out of five stars - but not for the reasons Ivanka would have liked.

'These boots were perfect for wiping my feet on the Constitution and trampling the civil liberties and basic human rights of my fellow Americans,' she explained. 'The leather is perfectly conditioned with the sweat and tears of underpaid sweatshop workers, and will keep its beautiful sheen for years!

Support: Ivanka is pictured with her father, half-brother Barron, stepmother Melania, husband Jared Kushner, and sister Tiffany (pictured left to right) during her dad's victory speech

Peaceful protest: Many joked that the boots were 'restricted' and 'narrow', and one woman said sh was going ot 'drink the next four years away'

Making a statement: Another Amazon customer deduced that the boots were 'made in China or Russia'

'The spike heel is ideal for grinding democracy into the ground, or simply kicking the downtrodden as you stride past.'

Amazon user Lucinda TInsman noted that the 'very narrow boots' go very 'well with people with a narrow-minded outlook on life'.

'Because they are made of man-made materials, very di

fficult to breathe in,' she added. 'Due to the escalation of climate change they are linked to, in all likelihood the wearer will not be able to breathe at all within one generation.

'They are the product of pure greed, which doesn't make any sense because even the wealthiest individuals' children and children will die if their father's and father's father's actions led to a world that cannot support human life, which is what is happening as we speak. Do not buy, for the good of the country or for the good of your children.'

Amazon reviews criticizing Trump Advertisement

Laurel Wells Thompson, from Atlanta, told Yahoo Style that she just had to get in on the action after a friend of hers posted a link on Facebook to the cheeky Amazon review she had just written on the boots.

'I thought it was a hilarious way to poke fun at Ivankas hypocrisy. I had to join in,' she explained.

Although the boots did get some gushing reviews from people who actually bought them, another actual customer used the section to reveal why she is giving her pair away.

The woman explained that she purchased the boots in the spring with the plan of wearing them in the fall, noting that they 'fit nicely'.

Fun boss? Although Ivanka is reportedly separating herself from her lifestyle brand, she went bowling with her team last week

Where the magic happens" The businesswoman took to Instagram last week to show a photo of herself FaceTiming her son Theodore in her new office at Ivanka Trump HQ

However, this month she went to see if she could return them because she wants to join the growing number of people who have returned Ivanka Trump items in protest of her position on the allegations made by women against her father.

'I have missed the window to be able to return the boots, so I think I shall take them to my nearest consignment store - unused, unworn - but sometimes you just have to stand up for your principles.'

In October, a growing number of women joined the #GrabYourWallet campaign, which encourages shoppers to boycott retailers that sell items from the Ivanka Trump Collection - including Amazon - because of her unwavering support of her father in lieu of his lewd comments against women and the number of sexual assault allegations against him.

After the election in November, a group of prominent people in the art world, who are calling themselves the Halt Action Group, started the 'Dear Ivanka' Instagram account, which features glamorous photos of the businesswoman alongside captions that address fears associated with a Trump presidency.
The Duchess of Cornwall was in full 'grandmother mode' as she hosted a party for some very special young children today.

Camilla, 69, invited youngsters with both serious and terminal illnesses from the Helen and Douglas House hospice in Oxfordshire, as well as a group helped by Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's charity, to her London home, Clarence House, to help decorate one of its magnificent Christmas trees.

Looking festive in a beautiful emerald green dress by Bruce Oldfield, the royal - who has five young grandchildren of her own - didn't stand on ceremony and knelt down to help them decorate the fir.

The Duchess of Cornwall went into 'full grandmother mode' this afternoon as she invited youngsters with both serious and terminal illnesses into her home at Clarence House

'You tell me where you want me to put it,' said the duchess to Violet Webster (who proudly told her she was two and three-quarters), who was born with a hole in her heart.

Clare Periton, chief executive of Helen and Douglas House, which when it was founded 34 years ago was the first dedicated children's hospice in the world, said: 'The Duchess has grandchildren of her own and you can see her in full grandmother mode today.

'She's a proper grandma, you can tell. This afternoon means as much to her as it does to us.

The children were helping Camilla to decorate her Christmas tree in her royal abode

'You tell me where you want me to put it,' said the duchess to Violet Webster (pictured), who was born with a hole in her heart

'What's so wonderful is that it gives these children and their parents some very special memories. It's not always easy to say but many of these children have terminal illnesses and will die, so it's a very special memory for their families to have.

'None of them can believe how happy and relaxed the party is. One of the children was tired and sat down on a chair to have a look at a clock that had caught his eye - he is obsessed by clocks.

'When his mother asked what it was she was told the chair was a Chippendale and that the clock was worth even more!

Ronnie Edwards, who suffers from the bleeding disorder ITP, attended the event with his mother Stephanie

Camilla even arranged for Ronnie to have a bowl of tomato ketchup brought in from her kitchen to have with his sausages and mash

'But the Duchess's staff insisted he sit down and take as long as he wanted. There's no standing on ceremony here.'

It is the eleventh time Camilla has held the event and before the festivities took place she took the time to speak to every child and their family.

Neive Trainor, six, who suffers from seizures, was practising her curtsey as she waited and carried it off beautifully as she waited for the royal.

'Well what a beautiful curtesy,' Camilla declared, ' and your lovely red shoes. They are gorgeous.'

Dressed in a festive jumper Ronnie was the perfect helped for the Duchess to decorate her tree

Her mother, Fiona Williams, from Teeside, said afterwards: 'We can't believe she has invited us here. What a wonderful day. Neive has so been looking forward to it.'

Blake Morris, seven from near Cardiff, South Wales, who suffers from epilepsy, was with his mother Anita Edwards, who told the Duchess: 'We can't thank you enough for inviting us.'

One of the stars of the day was six-year-old Ronnie Edwards, who was with his mother Stephanie, from Cambridge.

Ronnie, who suffers from the bleeding disorder ITP, was dressed in a festive Christmas jumper that was much admired by Camilla, who even arranged for him to have a bowl of tomato ketchup brought in from her kitchen to have with his sausages and mash.

Today marks the eleventh time Camilla has held the event for the children at her home

She also persuaded her assistant equerry and Welsh Guardsman, Captain Matthew Wright, to let Ronnie pose with his sword, while the other nine visitors, aged between two and 26, tried his bearskin on for size.

Captain Wright also delighted the children by managing to place a decoration on the Christmas tree with his sword. 'Look at their faces - no pressure,' teased the Duchess.

She then opened the doors theatrically to the library area where a decorated table was groaning with plates of festive snowman cakes and biscuits.

The Duchess rolled up her sleeves and handed out plates of sausages and mash, arranged to form a smiling face, as well handing out goodie bags to the children.
born royal met with Minister of Development Gerd Mueller and later with Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schaeuble on Wednesday

She is well known for her love of prints and so it came as no surprise when Queen Maxima stepped out in an elegant statement jacket this afternoon.

The Queen of the Netherlands wore her eye catching coat during a visit to the German Federal Ministry of Finance in Berlin on Wednesday.

Maxima, 45, paired her daring baroque jacket with an elegant pink dress which highlighted the accent of colours in the wool coat.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked elegant as she stepped out in a statement jacket as she visited German Federal Ministry of Finance in Berlin on Wednesday

One of the taller European royals, at 5ft 8in Maxima has never been reluctant to slip on a pair of heels today opting for a platform brown suede pair.

Well known for her expressive face the mother-of-three seemed to be in high spirits as she arrived at her engagement in the German capital.

The Dutch royal met with German Federal Minister of Development Gerd Mueller as she arrived.

The Dutch royal met with German Federal Minister of Development Gerd Mueller as she arrived

The pair seemed to be getting along well as they spoke together at the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation in Berlin

Well known for her expressive face the mother-of-three seemed to be in high spirits this afternoon

The pair seemed to be getting along well as they spoke together at the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation in Berlin.

Later the royal showcased her subtle rose coloured dress that she wore under her bold coat as she met with German Federal Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schaeuble.

Maxima spoke passionately to the minister as she could be using exaggerated hand gestures to express herself.

The royal later removed her jacket to showcase a more demure rose dress as she met with German Federal Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schaeuble

The Argentinian born royal is an expert when it comes to all things financial as she is UN secretary special advocate for inclusive finance for development.

The Dutch Queen was first handed her role of Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance in 2009 by Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon

Maxima, who is also the Honorary Patron of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, has been tasked with raising awareness of the benefits of financial systems that also help the poor.

Maxima spoke passionately to the minister as she could be using exaggerated hand gestures to express herself
An arctic cold front may be headed to New York City, but Ivanka opted to show off her outfit and carry her coat as she headed to work on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old looked elegant in an ice blue A-line dress and a white coat in her hand as she stepped out the gold doors of her Park Avenue apartment building this morning.

Despite the chill, Ivanka left her legs bare and accessorized her look with a floral saddle bag and floral heels from her eponymous clothing and accessories collection.

All smiles: Ivanka Trump flashed a grin as she headed to work on Wednesday morning

Although it was recently reported that critics of her father Donald have been posing as Amazon customers to write scathing reviews of a pair of her brand's boots, Ivanka didn't look like she had a care in the world as she rushed off to work.

The businesswoman made sure to flash a smile to the photographers standing outside of her door as she strut out the door and headed straight to SUV that was parked outside her building.

It has been a busy couple of weeks for Ivanka, who has taken numerous high-profile meetings at Trump Tower with her dad, the President-elect.

Coat-free: Ivanka opted to show off her outfit as she stepped out the gold doors of her Park Avenue apartment building

Ready for spring! Ivanka, who carried her white coat on her arm, accessorized her outfit with a pair of floral shoes and a handbag from her eponymous line

So far this month, Ivanka has spoken with former Vice President Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio about climate change, and most recently rapper Kanye West.

On Tuesday, Kanye had a 15-minute sit-down at Trump Tower which he later said was about 'multi-cultural issues'.

Ivanka posed with Kanye and her father while they were in his office together, and she joined Donald when he went downstairs to see the rapper out of the building.

The mother-of-three was in the background as Kanye and Donald took photos together in the gilded lobby of the building, which has become the place to see who is who in the new Trump administration.

High-profile guest: Ivanka and her father Donald met with rapper Kanye West on Tuesday afternoon. She is pictured watching them pose for photos in the lobby of Trump Tower

Doting daughter: Ivanka accompanied Donald while he walked Kanye out of the building following their 15-minute meeting

Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, 35, are reportedly planning on moving to Washington, D.C. with their three children, Arabella, five, Joseph, three, and Theodore, eight-months, to be close to her father Donald during his presidency.

Although she said just last month that she doesn't have any plans to join the President-elect's administration in any official capacity, her dad revealed last night that he would 'love' to have her be a part of it.

Speaking with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, the incoming commander-in-chief said he was actively pursuing a way to include his eldest daughter and her husband Jared in his administration.

New role? Earlier this week the President-elect said he wants to include Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, 35, in his administration. They are pictured in October

All together: Ivanka and Jared are reportedly considering moving to Washington, D.C. with their three children, Arabella, Joseph, and baby Theodore

'If you look at Ivanka, you take a look and she's so strong, as you know, on the women's issue and childcare and so many things, she would be so good  nobody could do better than her  we'll have to see whether or not we can do that,' Donald acknowledged.

Politico reported last week that Ivanka planned to hire a chief of staff and several aides to assist her as she moves into the role of first daughter, which historically has been an un-official role.

'And I'd love to have Jared helping us with deals with other nations,' Donald added 'Let's see if we can do peace in the Middle East and other things.'
A provocative series of photographs features the words of Donald Trump emblazoned across the naked bodies of women in a bid to highlight the President-elect's sexist comments.

Aria Watson, an 18-year-old student from Oregon, originally created the pictures as her final project for an 'introduction to photography' class.

But since sharing them online, the photographs have attracted global attention and resonated with hundreds of thousands of people.

Reaction: A student from Oregon has created a provocative photo series, pictured, featuring the words of Donald Trump emblazoned across women's bodies

Voice: Aria Watson, 18, originally created the pictures as her final project for an 'introduction to photography' class

Personal: The pictures show the bodies of Aria and her friends and family painted with comments by the President-elect

The pictures show the bodies of Aria and her friends and family painted with comments by the President-elect written on the corresponding body part.

One picture shows a topless woman with the words 'a person who is very flat-chested is very hard to be a ten' - a Trump quote from The Howard Stern Show - written across her breasts.

Another, alluding to Trump's comments about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, features the words 'blood coming out of her wherever' written on a woman's legs.

It also features a photo of a woman covering her pubic area with her hand with the Access Hollywood tape 'grab 'em by the pussy' quote written across her.

In all of the pictures the women's faces are kept out of shot so they cannot be identified.

At the time of the election, Aria was too young to vote but she said her 'heart shattered' when the Republican businessman won the race to the White House.

Far-reaching: Since sharing them online, the pictures have attracted global attention and resonated with hundreds of thousands of people

Statement: Aria said she wants her photographs to help awaken people to the words of Trump and hopes the project 'opens their eyes'

Awakening: Until this year, Aria said she did not used to have much of an interest in politics but the 2016 election campaign changed that.

She originally tried to share her work, which features nudity, on Facebook and Instagram but they were removed.

After posting '#SignedbyTrump' on Tumblr, the series gained momentum and has since attracted more than 130,000 comments.

Until this year, Aria said she did not used to have much of an interest in politics but the 2016 election campaign changed that.

'The election was going on at the time, and I felt very strongly about the candidates and their views, so I decided to mix my political opinions with my photography,' she told BuzzFeed News.

She wants her photographs to help awaken people to the words of Trump and hopes the project 'opens their eyes'.

Some of the feedback she has received has moved her to tears, she said.
My husband has often said he believes I would be a good prison guard. Mr Candy is a big softie, so he has a reluctant admiration for my iron willpower in the face of insubordination and general naughtiness.

Nobody would escape, he says, because youre so suspicious youd spot a prisoner planning to dig out with a spoon before he even stole the spoon.

He is not wrong. But this is not because I am by nature incredibly well-disciplined: quite the opposite. Its because Im the prisoner planning to steal the spoon. You cant trick a tricker, as they say.

House rules: Lorraine Candy, a working mother-of-four, has started taking her childrens' mobiles away at 9pm on school nights (stock image)

And so it is with my teenagers. Mr Candy crumbles in the face of their rule-breaking tactics.

The right royal battle of phonegate, which has raged on for nearly a month, has almost broken him. But Im standing firm and continue to take their mobiles away at 9pm on school nights. This is to help them sleep properly and step out of the relentless pressure to be connected with everyone and everything.

Ive read many studies about how bad 24-hour mobile access is for them and indeed just last week U.S. researchers linked constant teen phone use to depression, anxiety and obesity.

As expected, a righteous fury descended over the house (mainly the kitchen) when we initiated the electronic curfew. My 14-year-old and 12-year-old told me I had ruined their lives, that their friends would desert them, and that they would have to spend all day at school in the toilets avoiding everyone, so shameful was their lack of phone time in the early hours.

Just last week U.S. researchers linked mobile phones to constant teen phone use to depression, anxiety and obesity

Then they tried every trick in the book to beat the ban, from hiding phones in PJ bottoms to pretending the phone was lost or broken. One of them would even retire to the loo at 8.55pm pretending to have a poorly tummy so she could lock the door and sit with the phone as late as possible.

They spun me giant stories about the phone being crucial for homework or they would face a firing squad, they told me traumatic tales of tragedies their friends faced if they couldnt stay in touch through the night. I was most impressed, but stayed one step ahead because I was once a smarty pants teenage girl myself.

Phonegate escalated this week with a new development; fellow mums have begun to follow my lead and remove phones at bedtime. Its a trend spreading faster than the winter vomiting bug.

This caused a blazing row at home, one so bad Mabel, five, voluntarily handed her over her toy Barbie phone with a look of fear in her eyes. Its on mute, she added for some illogical reason.

Working mother: Lorraine Candy, pictured above, is editor-in-chief of Elle magazine

Yet my older girls are going to sleep earlier, they have not become social pariahs, they spend more evening time with us and go to bed more relaxed and less distracted. They have their phones Friday and Saturday nights and I do not have the passcodes for them, so their private worlds are still private for them.

I read in the news this week that Cornish mum Karly Tophills experiment to ban the phone for a year from her 13-year-old has an extremely positive effect on him (not least his agreeing to be photographed with his mum for a newspaper which is rare for teen boys).

Her son has been phone-free for six weeks and is more talkative, co-operative and happier in himself. He takes half the time to get ready for school and, miracle of miracles, helps with household chores. Its been so effective shes reduced the year-long ban to three months, moderation being the key in all things in life I think.

Shes also come up with the idea of family phone-free Fridays. This means all adults in the house are banned from using their phones and could work for those of you not brave enough to implement the 9pm cut-off.

I admit for me its been tough, and has changed the dynamic between myself and my eldest, but parenting isnt a popularity contest, its a giant responsibility to mould what you hope will be the best-loved human in the world.

And if I have learned one thing after 14 years of bringing up four kids its to listen to your instincts. Would your parents have let you stay on the phone to your mates until the small hours? Would they have let you talk to strangers youve never met after dark on a school night? Of course not.
Tucked up on the sofa with the curtains drawn against the cold night air and a glass of wine in hand, the thought of venturing out onto a busy shopping street is anathema to most of us.

Yet it is late evening  10.18pm to be precise  when we are at our most susceptible to impulse buying.

The traditional High Street is, of course, closed for business at such a time. But the so-called vampire economy of late-night online shopping is very much open  and doing a roaring trade. If this sounds sinister, thats because it is.

New research shows that one in three Britons now spend more money shopping online at night than they did five years ago. Pictured, Charlotte Douglass, 33, (left) and Melissa Keighley, 40

For savvy online shopping websites are increasingly using the hours of darkness to target vulnerable customers (most of them women) by bombarding them with irresistible discounts.

It seems the strategy is working. New research shows that one in three Britons now spend more money shopping online at night than they did five years ago  browsing for an average of two hours, 12 minutes after dark a day.

The research says they blow 25.33 a week on clothes, 15.99 on make-up and beauty products and 27.45 on presents for friends and family.

Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, professor of business psychology at University College London, says online firms are cynically exploiting weaknesses in the human psyche to encourage splurges.

Research has shown that willpower is a measurable form of mental energy which becomes depleted the more you use it through the day  meaning that our reserves are considerably lower by the evening than they were in the morning.

Companies now have a lot of data on consumers, and this has helped them to understand when best to nudge customers, says Professor Chamorro-Premuzic.

People are more likely to drink alcohol at night. This is a lethal combination for making impulsive purchases and marketeers know it. But obviously, impulsive, alcohol-fuelled decisions are less likely be the smartest choices.

Abi Rose, 39, a married stay-at-home mother from North London, blames her late-night shopping habit  which costs her more than 5,000 a year  not on shopping while under the influence, but on a fear of missing out on good deals

Splurging online at home  with disastrous consequences for her bank balance  is something Melissa Keighley understands only too well.

The 40-year-old music therapist from Kent lives alone and often buys useless objects online after dinner. Although she rarely spends more than 60 a time, over a year it equates to hundreds of pounds she can ill-afford.

She says: I love the shopping app Wish, which offers great deals on beauty and fashion items, often labelling them almost gone.

But I think it should come with a breathlyser before allowing you to make a credit card purchase, because whenever Ive had a few drinks, my judgment goes haywire and I buy extraordinary things, such as crazy patterned tights, which I never wear.

Wish is good at pinging notifications about an item you may have looked at a few weeks earlier, and which is now on sale. After a few gins, it looks attractive.

I usually spend about 10 to 15 a time, although I can go up to 60 if I really want something.

The research says they blow 25.33 a week on clothes, 15.99 on make-up and beauty products and 27.45 on presents for friends and family

Hypnotherapist Claire Hegarty treats more than 50 women a year with shopping addictions at her practice in Chester. Its the grab them while you can mindset, explains Claire.

With so much available online, and many websites keeping your card details saved, its becoming so much easier to spend, even if its on items you dont need or want, but think you must have before they run out. Charlotte Douglass, 33, a stay-at-home mother from Hove, East Sussex, knows how seductive those deals can be.

Like many mothers, she regards the brief window after the kids have gone to bed as precious me-time, and enjoys sitting on the sofa with a glass of wine and her smartphone.

She finds offers from retailers irresistible  such as 50 per cent off partywear, and easyJet and lastminute.com flash sales.

I have every single shopping app  Selfridges, Topshop, Asos, ShopStyle, you name it, Abi says

The emails will pop up and Ill think: Ooh, that looks like a good idea and Im off shopping, she says. Ive bought the silliest tat: lights that go under a cupboard and yet gobble up eight batteries a day; blue contact lenses for Halloween that turned up two days late; even a pen that promised to take scratches off the car.

It seems like a good idea at the time. But my decisions are never sound when Im tired late at night.

Yet this doesnt stop Charlotte shopping online at least three nights a week. She hasnt done the maths, but reckons she must easily waste more than 1,000 a year.

I once bought some parasols for 3 each for a friends wedding because I thought it might rain, but when they turned up they were miniature ones! In the harsh light of day, such is her regret that just the sound of the delivery van drawing up outside her four-bedroom house is enough to trigger a wave of shame.

I hardly take anything back though, as it seems such a hassle, so I end up wasting money.

Splurging online at home  with disastrous consequences for her bank balance  is something Melissa Keighley understands only too well

Increasingly sophisticated smartphone technology has meant the rise of one-click shopping, where customers payment details and addresses are stored online for future reference, so purchases can be completed in seconds.

Now, in a bid to help women such as Charlotte who are at the mercy of this enticingly easy to use vampire economy, the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute is calling for greater protection for consumers.

This would include card providers delaying payment until the morning after a late-night purchase to check you still want to buy, and options to permanently opt-out of online retailers, blocking them like porn sites.

The Institutes director, Polly Mackenzie, says: Its crazy because we have parental controls online and can block what our children do and watch, but we cant block ourselves.

Retailers induce their customers to buy late at night when they might be tired and have had a few drinks  a toxic combination.

The biggest offenders when it comes to sending late-night emails are amazon.co.uk, lastminute.com and even Matalan is now sending them between midnight and 5am.

If you stumbled into a shop in the real world after a few drinks, its likely the assistants would discourage you from making a purchase. But online, its virtually encouraged, with your payment details stored and an autofill to help you key in your name and address, so you can easily do it even if youre drunk.

Abi Rose, 39, a married stay-at-home mother from North London, blames her late-night shopping habit  which costs her more than 5,000 a year  not on shopping while under the influence, but on a fear of missing out on good deals.

I have every single shopping app  Selfridges, Topshop, Asos, ShopStyle, you name it, she says. Theyre always sending me notifications with discounts, and I dont want to miss out on what looks like a bargain.

Im a big sucker for high fashion stuff that never lasts more than a season. And when I press confirm payment, it doesnt feel like Im handing over real money, especially if I use the online payment system Paypal, which can take up to a month to come out of my account.

New research shows that one in three Britons now spend more money shopping online at night than they did five years ago

My husband Danny and I have separate bank accounts and the packages tend to be delivered when hes out, so he doesnt know what I spend. But it is getting ridiculous.

I have 150 pairs of shoes, and five pairs of Converse sneakers, which I dont need.

Claire Hegarty suggests altering your evening routine to break the sofa, wine and mobile phone habit. Late-night shopping is often about winding down, so its about finding different ways to relax that dont involve sitting with your phone or computer, which actually only keeps your mind active, she says.

Take some time out in the evening, even five to ten minutes, to do something unrelated to the rest of your day.

This could be calling a good friend, listening to some happy music or going for a brisk walk.
You are here: Home

Chinese police have smashed a major human trafficking ring and rescued 36 children who were abducted to be sold, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said Tuesday.

According to the MPS, police in east China's Fujian Province received information in May this year about a suspect surnamed Tan who was believed to be involved in child trafficking.

As the investigation unfolded, a major child trafficking ring spanning seven provinces and municipalities was revealed.

The police say the ring, allegedly led by two suspects named Xiong and Hou and operated by Tan and another suspect Zhang, has been responsible for the trafficking of dozens of infants since 2014.

A coordinated "recent" raid by police from Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong and Yunnan provinces arrested 157 suspects connected to the ring, according to the MPS.

A Tuesday MPS statement said that China has "zero tolerance" to trafficking of women and children, and will continue to pursue traffickers.

The ministry will also target "buyers" in human trafficking cases, it said.
Like every mother, Lucy Alexander did everything to protect her children. That instinct is hardwired, from their first kicks in the womb, to their first day at university.

Shed zipped up coats and fastened sunhats. Shed stayed up for nights on end, swabbing sweaty brows and cuddling night-time monsters. Shed held hands crossing roads and hung on to wobbling bicycles.

And anyone looking at this family couldnt deny Lucy and her husband had done an exemplary job. Three beautiful children, thriving at school and successfully navigating the tricky terrain of their teens and early adulthood.

Bullied to death in his bedroom: Felix Alexander, 17, (pictured) died when he stepped in front of a train near his home in Worcester on April 27

Except, there was one thing Lucy couldnt protect her children from, something most parents are woefully ill-equipped to deal with, and it ended up claiming the life of her youngest son, Felix.

Seven months ago, this bright, handsome and sweet-natured 17-year-old took his own life, apparently driven to despair by bullying that had gone for years  most of it online. It had sapped him of confidence and self-worth and left him  in his own words  incapable of feeling happy.

We just didnt see it coming, says Lucy, wiping away tears. We thought hed begun to see a way out, but he was too damaged.

This feeling of powerlessness at an evil that stalks children, even when parents believe theyre safe, prompted Lucy to write a poignant open letter, published earlier this year, which went viral.

We just didnt see it coming. We thought hed begun to see a way out, but he was too damaged.

She doesnt chastise or blame. Instead she pleads with children to be kind always, never to stand by and leave bullying unreported. She urged young people to stand up to unkindness. You will never regret being a good friend.

She also asked teachers to be more aware of signs that pupils are struggling, and entreated parents to take more of an interest in what their children are doing online.

Lucy, 51, who works as a sexual health nurse, was overwhelmed by the number of people  most of them strangers  who contacted her since she put pen to paper.

I felt I needed to tell people, to warn them before its too late for someone else. I needed to stop another Felix, she says.

Epidemic levels: More than 25,000 children contacted the NSPCC last year, and Childline has seen a 13 per cent rise in cases connected to bullying (stock image)

Its fair to say that other Felixes must surely exist and parents, like Lucy, feel panicked and ineffectual in the face of this creeping menace. Bullying is at epidemic levels. More than 25,000 children contacted the NSPCC last year, and Childline has seen a 13 per cent rise in cases.

Between ten and 15 teenage suicides are ascribed to bullying  much of it online. The Office for National Statistics cites teenage suicides as being at a 17-year high, prompting the Crown Prosecution Service to recommend new guidelines to make prosecution of internet trolls much easier.

Yet, outwardly, it is so hard to see. The bullies of today dont leave cuts and bruises. Indeed, look at pictures of Felix  larking around on the rugby pitch, posing in a pair of oversized sunglasses at his school prom  and what strikes you most is his smile.

He was known for his massive smile  with more teeth than most children should have, says Lucy. He was bright, active and loving. He was very humorous, too.

Yet, Lucy can see this smile was a coping mechanism, a mask. Posts on Felixs social media pages give a belated insight into how much damage years of bullying had done. He couldnt shake off the feeling of being different and unlikable, she says.

Sad loss: Felix's mother Lucy (pictured together) went on to pen an open letter to his bullies

Not photogenic, just ugly, he wrote on Twitter in January. My social skills are non-existent. In February, he said: Life is severely depressing at the moment. No loyalties to anyone. At 12.45am on April 27, Felix posted just two words: Im sorry.

Later that morning, he got up, got dressed for school as normal  and, having told his parents he was going to the bus stop, walked to a station near his home in Worcester, where he stepped in front of a train. He was killed instantly.

Somewhere amongst the howls of anguish and grief at the familys loss came the simple, unanswerable question. Why?

What marks out a child as the one its OK to taunt and ostracise? What turns well-brought up children into aggressors? And, more importantly, what can parents do to stop it? Theyre questions Lucy still, after seven months of soul-searching, cannot answer.

For the first half of Felixs tragically short life was happy and untroubled. Felix  and his elder brother and sister, whom Lucy doesnt want to name  wanted for little and all attended the independent Kings School in Worcester.

Then, when he was ten, Felix stopped enjoying school as much. There was name-calling and ostracising, but Lucy thought he could soldier on.

The only thing she can think of that might have marked him out as different was an incident in 2009, when he came home from school, upset after a playground argument about the violent video game Call of Duty.

Fatal trigger? In 2009 Felix apparently came home from school, upset after a playground argument about the violent video game Call of Duty

The other children were asking him why he didnt have it, she says. One even called him a p***y because he wasnt allowed to play it.

Like many parents, Lucy wasnt comfortable with her ten-year-old son playing age 18-rated games. But it was around this time that friendship groups started forming among his classmates  and Felix found himself on the outside.

In the seven years he was at school, I could count the number of parties he went to on one hand, says Lucy. That became his identity: Felix was just the boy everybody hated.

Every day after school, we used to sit down at the kitchen table and hed tell me what was happening.

He was very honest and would say if something had upset him. Sometimes he would cry. We would try to find ways of dealing with it. I went into school and talked to the teaching staff, and it seemed like they were doing something about it.

I could count the number of parties he went to on one hand... That became his identity: Felix was just the boy everybody hated.

Felix moved on to senior school, still at Kings, and, when he was 14, his parents allowed him to get a mobile phone and join Facebook.

And from there, in a pattern that is becoming worryingly familiar, the bullying moved online. Some of the most hurtful exchanges were conducted on the controversial website Ask.fm, where users can ask each other questions and give anonymous  and often abusive  answers.

The website, launched in Latvia in 2010, has been linked with several teenage suicides in the UK and many have called for it to be shut down.

Lucy describes Ask.fm as poisonous. Felix was told he was ugly and worthless. Eventually he logged out of the site completely because he found it too painful, but it was too late  his self-worth was at zero.

The bullying continued on other sites: Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat.

Felix couldnt help but fixate on it, says Lucy. There was even a bit of racist abuse [Felixs father is of Indian origin]. People who barely knew him started joining in.

He spent lunch and break times on his own. He spent weekends and holidays on his own or with me. If he made a friend, somebody would message that person and say: Why do you want to be friends with him? Hes the most hated boy in school.

Pictured is Lucy Alexander's letter in full following the death of her son

Convinced the internet was the source of her sons problems, Lucy tried cutting him off completely. But hed say I was punishing him for something other people were doing, she says. Youre isolating me more Mum, hed say.

That same year, aged 14, Felix hit a real low. The abuse was unrelenting. Bullies shouted insults at him from the sidelines of the rugby pitch.

Once, they put his kit bag in the shower. The stress brought on a form of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and he would repeatedly wash his hands, scratch his neck and obsess over specks of dirt.

At that age, friendships are everything, says Lucy. He said to me: I just want one, really good friend; somebody who phones me first to tell me things. I told him it would come. But he couldnt see it.

Lucy and her husband decided to send Felix to a psychotherapist, whom he saw once a week for around a year. She taught him coping mechanisms, helped him work on his self-esteem  and for a few months, things started to look up.

But before long the cyberbullying became impossible to ignore again.

I saw some really hurtful comments, says Lucy. Even by so-called nice kids from lovely families.

Young people are really struggling to communicate ... many dont know how to talk to one another outside of Facebook

Lucy begged Felix to change schools, but he refused, fearing it would only make him more of a target. To her relief, his GCSE grades werent good enough to get into the sixth form  his schoolwork, previously so good, had suffered  and he moved to Pershore High School, ten miles away, in September last year.

It seemed a fresh start: Felix made friends and caught up on schoolwork. A post on his social media page earlier this year shows him enjoying a ski trip to Italy with new friends. Best week of my life, he wrote.

Even the cyberbullying stopped. But for all the positive changes, Felix seemed unable to let go of the past.

He couldnt manage those new friendships very well, says Lucy. He perceived slights where there werent any. Hed say: Its going to be like it was all over again.

In a suicide letter, found by his mother after his death, Felix summed up his despair. I just couldnt see a way to be happy, he said.

Lucy has made it her mission to stop as many others as she can from feeling this way. She doesnt want to point fingers, nor does she let herself feel guilty.

Instead, she says, we need to talk about cyberbullying more openly, to stop the malicious ways young people can behave online.

Classmates at the 13,000-a-year King's School (pictured) in Worcester teased him because he was not allowed to play violent video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Young people are really struggling to communicate, she adds. Felix thought all his classmates were leading this great social life without him, but many dont know how to talk to one another outside of Facebook. We need to teach them about expressing themselves... whats responsible to put out there and whats not.

We tried to speak to people in authority, but they were at a loss as to how to deal with it.

Teachers need education, as do parents. And this shouldnt be a one-off conversation  it needs to be drilled into all of us, year after year, until this stops happening.

After Felixs death, the students in his class wrote to his parents with their favourite memories of him. There was the boy who struggled to make friends, until Felix helped him fit in. There was the girl who was sick in the first term, whose bags Felix carried along the corridors. Hundreds of letters poured in, all with one thing at their heart.

Kindness, says Lucy. That was Felix all over. If he is going to leave a legacy, Id like it to be that. Online or in the classroom, we need to start being kinder to one another.

God knows, Felix could have done with some of that.
At the age of 72, Jackie Murrell has more than just a spring in her step. She has a twinkle in her eye.

With silvery blonde curls cut flatteringly short, her make-up fresh and clothes fashionable, she sits next to her attentive husband Tony basking in his praise, looking every inch like a woman in love.

Tony is a charmer, she says. While that used to worry her as a young woman, and she was often jealous, now after 44 years together, she admits those fears are long gone.

Pillow talk: Jackie Murrell, 72, says her sex life with husband Tony is still very active (left) her 40-year-old daughter Kelly says as a working mum her sex life isn't as strong (right)

At my age, Im more sure of myself and in our relationship, she says, before adding, not at all coyly: My intimate life with Tony is still very active. We make love at least once a week and we both initiate it. We also love a kiss and cuddle in bed every day, too. Such a passionate relationship certainly belies the old-fashioned assumption that sex is only for the young.

And, perhaps, nobody is more aware of this than Jackies 40-year-old daughter Kelly. As a working mum with three children, she is quick to confess that her sex life is often way down her list of priorities.

I suspect over the past decade my mum has made love more often than I have, she admits.

It is a comparison that few are prepared to make. Because the natural assumption made by every generation is that they have a more active sex life than their parents. Recent research, however, suggests that the baby boomer generation may, in fact, be making love more often than their middle-aged children.

More than half of men and almost a third of women over 70 surveyed by the University of Manchester last year said they were still sexually active.

Going strong: Jackie says her intimate life with husband Tony is still very active, she adds: 'We make love at least once a week and we both initiate it'

Additionally, one third were still having frequent sex, defined as at least twice a month. But the same cannot be said for younger couples  a study published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behaviour this summer, found that many now have considerably less active sex lives than their baby boomer parents.

Other research carried out by University College London suggested that the frequency with which 16 to 44-year-olds are having sex has been steadily decreasing over the past two decades. In other words, the differing experiences of Kelly and her parents are far from unique.

But what explains it? The usual answers that are wheeled out are lack of time  children and work conspiring to leave no window for passion  along with the fact that older, post-menopausal women often feel liberated once the prospect of unwanted pregnancy has disappeared and enjoy a more carefree sex life as a result.

Divorced from her childrens father, but living with a new partner, Kelly admits that domestic responsibility and the care of young children has meant her own personal needs have taken a back seat for years and her love life has inevitably suffered as a result.

At my age, Im more sure of myself and in our relationship. We love a kiss and cuddle in bed every day

This isnt the whole story, though, as she admits her sex life was dwindling long before her divorce.

When I was married to my ex-husband we had sex once a month, if that. I wasnt interested in sex at all. If I could have gone without it, I would, she says.

While Kelly largely puts her dwindling libido down to feeling exhausted and lacking in confidence about her body, she feels there was another reason.

The children came first, she confesses. My ex did get jealous, fighting for attention with our sons. But with a baby, there is no choice is there?

Is there really no option but to sacrifice intimacy with your husband when you have a family?

The reality is that Kellys parents had similar commitments to juggle. Might it be that because they dealt with the demands of parenthood differently, they are reaping the benefits in older age?

Jackie believes that is the case. She is convinced that its only because she put her 73-year-old husband and marriage first that the relationship has endured, thrived and deepened.

Between the sheets: Kelly lives with her partner Nathan, 47, (pictured) and her three children aged 20, 13 and ten - she admits that time for intimacy is limited

In her marriage, Kelly had less time to devote to the intimate side of their relationship. She put the children and herself first, says Jackie. Its not something that sits comfortably with me.

My generation simply didnt do that. Our mothers put their husbands first and we followed that path. There was never a time I put the children before Tonys needs.

This generational difference is marked, says Phillip Hodson, 70, broadcaster and author of the book, How Perfect Is Your Partner.

With previous generations, children were lower in the pecking order than they are now. Their wishes were regularly subordinated to those of their parents, he explains. He believes that with this generation, childrens needs come higher up the list. Sometimes overly high, explains Hodson. But if you want the parents relationship to thrive you must quite quickly offer it enough space, oxygen, time and love. It doesnt have to be a lot of time, just regular time.

The problem is that all relationships are either growing or dying, they never stand still. If you keep taking out and never putting anything back, you go broke. In a relationship, its the intimacy that breaks.

Lots of younger people dont like to think about older people having loving relationships and good sex, which is odd

So how do you maintain that intimacy when pressured on all sides? Tony and Jackie were themselves both busy people when they were their daughters age.

Tony owned a grocery store, and Jackie ran a hair salon. They have three children together, but always insisted on making time for themselves and ensured they went out in the evening as a couple at least once a week.

If youre married or in a long-term relationship, you cannot act like a single person or play the mum card, says Jackie.

She believes that as well as putting children before their husbands, women of Kellys generation have a tendency to be selfish.

Its about them first, they love their me time. When youre married, you dont go out with the girls on a Friday night. Thats like purposefully going out looking for a member of the opposite sex. Tony and I have always gone out socially together.

By doing this, Jackie believes it meant that when the children had grown up their relationship was still very much alive.

We both say that it was when our youngest left home that our life really started and by then, I was 52, says Jackie.

Ten years ago, the couple sold their business, and moved to a retirement village near Canterbury.

This is now our time. While were in good health, were making the most of every day.

Still got it: Recent research suggests that the baby boomer generation may be making love more often than their middle-aged children (stock image)

And every night, it seems. Despite the fact that they have separate bedrooms because of Tonys snoring, they confess to regularly liking a kiss and cuddle.

We enjoy it more now than when I was my daughters age, she says.

Which is not something that Kelly would dispute. She now lives with her partner Nathan, 47 and her three children aged 20, 13 and ten. She admits that time for intimacy is still limited.

My life is very different to mums. There are so many reasons for sex taking a back seat. Theres work, being a mum and then there are those issues I have about my body.

Im heavier than Id like to be and I do lack confidence. All those factors massively impact on my desire to make love.

But Kelly agrees her marriage suffered because they didnt put the relationship first. We werent spending enough time focusing on each other. Having children didnt help as they had to be the priority. Even though I was a full-time mum, domestic life was full on. Intimacy took a back seat and our marriage paid the price.

Her mother believes that her daughter has learnt the hard way.

My life is very different to mums. There are so many reasons for sex taking a back seat. Theres work, being a mum and then there are those issues I have about my body.

Now that her boys are growing up, there isnt that excuse anymore  she knows she needs to make time for the physical side of her relationship, too, Jackie says.

Kelly knows this, but still finds it hard. The problem is my body clock is all over the place, so even if Im drained and tired Ill do it, but not as often as I should. I do my bit and although we dont pencil in sessions, I try to be as adventurous as I can.

Kelly and Nathan are planning their wedding for next year and know that keeping the spark alive is important. But there are still weeks when Kelly realises a fortnight has gone by and they havent had sex.

I do worry and recognise I need to keep on my toes in the bedroom. But with work and the children, Im constantly exhausted.

According to Jackie, prioritising the relationship  including building a strong friendship  with your other half is key to getting you through the tough times.

Anyone can fall in love, just as you can make love to anyone. But if you want a relationship to go the distance, and Im talking about decades, then you have to get to know one another first.

The importance of nurturing friendship and kindness in a relationship is consistent with findings of a recent Gransnet survey on sex in your 60s, carried out earlier this year.

It found that mutual support, kindness, good communication and friendship were rated as important by 97 per cent of respondents for keeping a relationship alive.

A third of respondents (average age of Gransnet users is 64) also reported having sex once or more a week, while two per cent reported that making love is a daily occurrence.

Always on the go: Relate, the counselling charity, sees many younger couples who are struggling to make time for each other in hectic day-to-day living (stock image)

Lots of younger people dont like to think about older people having loving relationships and good sex, which is odd when you consider that for many of us its the best case scenario, explains Gransnet editor Cari Rosen. We see plenty of evidence that people in their 60s and beyond enjoy and sustain active romantic and sexual lives.

Sex might be seen as the preserve of the younger generations, but thats not borne out in our surveys or in the frequent conversations on our forums. These would indicate that couples who prioritise sexual, emotional, romantic connections with each other often have the most long-lasting and loving relationships.

Meanwhile Relate, the counselling charity, sees many younger couples who are struggling to make time for each other in hectic day-to-day living.

Its very common for couples to find sex being squeezed out of their relationship because of the pressures of work, children and running a home, says Relate therapist Clare Prendergast. It can affect the intimacy of the relationship as a whole.

She says that it is vital to keep making an effort, even if it is just to let your partner know you find them attractive.

Its important to have some sort of contact and intimacy, but a cuddle, a wink or a sexy text from the office might be enough. If you dont have the time or energy for sex, find other ways to see them as desirable.

Jackie and Tony agree it is putting one another first and keeping the romance alive that has seen them through. Every day without fail, Tony will turn to me and say, Have I told you I love you today?.

I know he worships the ground I walk on and I couldnt think of anyone else Id rather spend my time with, explains Jackie

They have a rule that they never go to bed on a row, and even though Tony might be asleep in his chair by 10pm and they have separate bedrooms, Jackie will always join him in bed before slipping off to her own room.

Phillip Hodson also believes that thoughtful romantic touches are important to maintaining intimacy into old age.

Through researching his books on relationships, he often sees older couples where the husband and wife insist that their partner is still beautiful. The idea that everybody at 75 is having bedroom gymnastics might be a bit optimistic, but intimate touch, love, a sense of romance, humour, and caresses, are all important, he says.

Ive been with my partner for nearly 50 years and Ive just put 11 candles in our bedroom, he explains, atmosphere and mood is so important to love and good sex. It is a psychological and emotional process as well as a physical and biological one.

Kelly admires the relationship her parents have, and feels she has learned from it.

Theyve always put one another first, she says. This time round I like to think Ive learnt from my mistakes. Ive followed my parents mantra. Its something theyve drummed into my sisters and me: get to know them as a friend first. Thats exactly what I did with Nathan. It worked.

As we discovered how much we had in common, our feelings grew for one another. Weve started from a solid base. Were open about talking (just like my parents are), and were now a tight-knit couple. I see how in love and lust they are and want that for me, too.
A thank you letter written by a professor to her students is warming the hearts of thousands across the country.

Jessica Langer, a teacher of marketing and creative industries at Ryerson University in Toronto, has gotten into the habit over her decade-long career of thanking her students at the end of each semester for their efforts.

But this year had been a special one for the educator. Not only is she taking a full-time job at Centennial College, and therefore leaving Ryerson, but she thought her final batch of students to be one of the best she has ever had.

Inspiration: Professor Jessica Langer, a teacher of marketing and creative industries at Ryerson University, has gone viral after writing a 'thank you' email to her students

Looking ahead: The lengthy email was sent to the group of students after Jessica's last year as a teacher at the university

So, for this year's letter, Jessica crafted something that was so heartfelt and powerful that it moved a student to tears.

'I want you to know that a great semester requires great students as much as it requires great teaching,' she said. 'I want you to know a few other things as well.

'I want you to know that school is important, but it isn't everything. If you find it difficult to write a research paper, that doesn't mean you won't be able to manage a marketing department,' she said.

'If you find numbers intimidating, that doesn't mean you won't be able to write the world's best press release. It's okay, and normal, to find some things easier than others. Part of your life's project will be to figure out and play to your strengths. And I promise: you have strengths.'

Moved: One of the students was sent crying by the touching words, later sharing the letter

Getting attention: The letter was shared by thousands, and gained the teacher more than a few new fans

Putting it out there: Some users replied to the student saying that the professor 'sounds like an amazing person'

She also encouraged her students to not be broken by setbacks such as missing promotions, having others take credit for their ideas or even getting laid off.

She then went on to tell them to remember that they are not represented by their failures and promises them that each one of them has the potential to be successful.

Lastly she said: 'Each and every one of you is valuable. You matter. To me, to your friends and family, and to the world.'

The sweet email was later shared by one of the students on Twitter, where she admitted that it 'made me cry' because 'I really needed this.'

Other users on the site quickly fell in love with Jessica and her incredibly kind words, with one gushing: 'This is the most touching email I have ever read. Your prof sounds like an amazing person.'

Setting it straight: The student was quick to confirm that Jessica is, indeed, an amazing person

New fans: Dozens of others replied to the tweet with their positive feelings about the note

Never a break: Jessica herself decided to use her newfound fame as a teachable moment

The tweet was shared thousands of times and led to many reaching out to Jessica themselves.

Speaking to BuzzFeed, Jessica revealed that her intent behind the letter was to reach out to those who may not have the confidence or support they feel they need to succeed.

'Statistically, at least some of my students are likely to be in home situations where they dont have an advocate,' she said.

'I feel very strongly that my job as a professor is to be a person in my students lives who they can trust and who has their best interest in mind, and who can and will advocate for them.'
An Oxford University student who was given just six months to live after developing bone cancer has died.

Matt Greenwood, 21, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in his hip, which had spread to his lungs earlier this year.

He was in the process of completing his bucket list after friends raised more than 60,000 for him to travel around the world.

But the engineering student, who had his right leg amputated during his battle, passed away on Sunday.

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Matt Greenwood, 21, whose friends raised more than 60,000 for him to complete his bucket list, has died from an aggressive form of bone cancer

Keith Gull, the principal of St Edmund Hall, where he was study, told the Oxford Mail: 'He was a brilliant student and an extremely brave man, constantly thinking of others and giving thanks for what others had done for him.

'He was an extraordinary person who well miss terribly.

'Matts determination and sense of humour  before and after his diagnosis, through long stays in hospital, his different treatments, and a major operation  have been inspirational and humbling.'

Mr Greenwood, who was on course for a first class degree, underwent two cycles of chemotherapy - but it proved unsuccessful.

After being told his disease was terminal, he made the decision to live his life to the full by travelling.

A charity campaign organised by his friends quickly raised 60,000 to help him complete his bucket list.

He had hoped to visit Disneyland in Paris, as well as seeing Rome and Athens in their full glory.

Mr Greenwood, who had his right leg amputated, pictured left, wanted to travel the world after previously visiting exotic locations including climbing Mount Huashan in China, pictured far right with friend John Logan in 2015

Challenges he set out to reach included driving a racing car, going on a hot air balloon ride and completing a sky-dive.

While he also wanted to see the Lion King musical in London, complete the Three Peaks challenge and learn to ride a bicycle again.



Mr Greenwood, previously a keen rower and rugby player, said last month: 'Previously I was very sporty, I rowed in Oxford and played rugby before that. I used to run, play squash, cycle, and get as much time outdoors as I could.

'One of my greatest passions was to travel as much as possible; I have been to Africa, China, and toured Europe. It breaks my heart to have to send out this message.

'What I ask of everyone is to cross all our fingers for a speedy recovery, and then make the absolute most of every single minute that I have left.'

He added: 'The support of my friends and family is all that has got me through the last 15 weeks, and I am so grateful for everyone who has been there for me.

Friends of the student, pictured at Oxford third from right, managed to raise 60,000 for him to help him try and complete his bucket list

Mr Greenwood, third from left, was formerly vice captain of the rowing club at St Edmund Hall, his college at Oxford

'I am not just going to lie here and let cancer win; I am going to travel and party and love, and get the most I can out of the remainder of my life.

'Seeing all the messages of support has been really touching. I am in awe of the love that people have and are willing to share when times are desperate.

'I can only thank everyone so much for their amazing support and generosity.'

His mother Michaela added: 'I just can't thank everybody enough. I'm usually not stuck for words, but I'm so overwhelmed with it all.

'All the hard work going into the fundraising has been amazing. I also want to thank everybody for being there so much for Matt over the last few months; the amount of visiting all his friends have done, the cards, gifts, games of monopoly.

'I strongly think that you've all made so much difference to how Matt has coped, and I will always be grateful.'
Gemma Garfirth, 21, (pictured) has a rare sleep disorder which causes her to fall asleep for weeks at a time

A student is scared she will end up sleeping through Christmas this year as a result of a rare disorder.

Gemma Garfirth, 21, slept through a week of festivities three years ago - missing family gatherings, present-opening, and even Christmas dinner.

The student, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, suffers from the incurable Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS), dubbed the Sleeping Beauty syndrome.

It often sees her fall into a trance - known as a 'sleep episode' - and nod off for an entire week and has played havoc on her life over the past five years.

Around 1,000 people worldwide are affected and it is known to cause extreme exhaustion, paranoia and hysterical behaviour.

Miss Garfirth, who lives in Birmingham for her studies, said: 'As everyone gets excited and looks forward to the Christmas period, I struggle to.

'An episode can come on at any time and I have absolutely no control over it.

'Having already missed one Christmas, it does stress me out. I tend to not look forward to it as much as I used to.

'KLS has such a huge impact on my life, and trying to live as a normal young woman has its difficulties.'

In February 2011, aged 15, Miss Garfirth nodded off while on a shopping trip with her mother, Mandy, 45, a receptionist.

By the evening she was acting strangely, repeating herself and drifting in and out of a dream-like state.

The student was diagnosed with Kleine-Levin Syndrome in 2011 and has suffered from 30 sleep episodes over the past five years

Miss Garfirth, who studies mental health nursing at Birmingham City University, was rushed to hospital.

Doctors carried out blood and urine tests in an attempt to determine what was wrong with her.

They also checked my heart rhythm, brain activity and gave her a lumbar puncture - where a needle is inserted into the lower part of the spine to test for conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord or other parts of the nervous system.

Shortly after arriving at hospital, Miss Garfirth fell into a deep sleep which lasted for fourteen days.

Over the next five months she experienced two more prolonged sleep episodes, and by August 2011 she was finally diagnosed with Kleine-Levin Syndrome after undergoing further tests.

Leading a normal life soon became difficult for her, and she missed weeks of school due to frequent sleep episodes.

Miss Garfirth (pictured with her boyfriend, Greg Lloyd, 24) fell asleep and missed the full week of Christmas festivities three years ago

'Once I missed a biology exam because I was in the middle of an episode,' she said.

'Luckily my school allowed me to resit it, but I was so angry and upset over how much it was affecting my life.'

Then in December 2013, she felt herself drifting into another deep sleep as she sat wrapping Christmas presents in her bedroom.

She explained: 'I felt a strange sensation in my head and was struggling to concentrate.

'I knew I was about to go into an episode. It was just three days before Christmas, I was devastated.

'It had always been my favourite time of the year and I was just so upset to miss it.'

During the week-long episode, Miss Garfirth was woken by her mother twice a day to eat and use the toilet.

Having suffered from four episodes just this year, Miss Garfirth fears she will miss this year's Christmas festivities

'I missed the whole buzz surrounding the lead up to Christmas,' she said.

'I was basically asleep throughout the entire celebrations - I was gutted.'

Thankfully she woke up from the episode on December 29 - just in time to celebrate News Year's Eve.

WHAT IS KLEINE-LEVIN SYNDROME? Kleine-Levin Syndrome is a neurological condition that starts during adolescence, and sometimes begins after an infection or illness. It is characterised by periods of excessive sleep of up to 20 hours a day. Episodes can come on very quickly and last between a few days to a few weeks. During such an episode a sufferer may be irritable, childish, disorientated and want to eat excessive amounts of food. Patients return to normal between episodes, however they may become depressed as a consequence of the condition. Around 1,000 people worldwide suffer from the disorder, which is commonly known as Sleeping Beauty Syndrome. Two-thirds of sufferers are male. There is no known cure for the sleeping disorder, and the main treatment is watchful waiting at home by loved ones. Research suggests episodes decrease in frequency and intensity over the course of 8 to 12 weeks. Advertisement

Now, having suffered from four episodes this year, the most recent in October, Miss Garfirth is worried she'll miss this year's Christmas festivities.

Tiredness and drinking certain types of alcohol can trigger an episode, so she ensures she has eight hours sleep each night and avoids drinking.

She said: 'If it does happen I know I'll be really unlucky, so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed.

'It's such a special time of the year and to miss it twice will be horrendous.

'KLS is a tough thing to live with, and I've been labelled everything from lazy to drunk from people who don't understand it.'

With the support of her family and boyfriend, Greg Lloyd, 24, a shop assistant, she is determined to have the best Christmas.

Doctor Zenobia Zaiwalla, a consultant neurophysiologist at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, said: 'Gemma has Kleine-Levin Syndrome, a rare sleep disorder associated with episodes of excessive daytime sleepiness with disinhibited behaviours.

'Her episodes last for about a week and have occurred in the midst of exams.

'Stress and sleep deprivation can trigger episodes as well as alcohol and in women can be linked to menstrual cycle.
A new study found giving overweight adults a drug used to treat sleeping disorders helps to reduce impulsive behaviour

A drug used to treat a chronic sleep disorder could help food addicts lose weight, scientists claim.

Eating releases dopamine in the brain, but food addicts are known to have a deficiency of the hormone.

This causes them to eat more to reach the same level of pleasure as others.

A new study found that giving overweight adults Modafinil - generally given to sufferers of narcolepsy - helps to reduce impulsive behaviour.

It is known to increase the levels of dopamine in people who take it, which experts say reduces the urge to act on food cravings.

Researchers from Warwick University and Imperial College London conducted a series of trials on 60 men aged between 19 and 32.

Some 20 were given a placebo, 20 were given Modafinil and 20 took a similar drug, Atomoxetine.

'We found Modafinil, which is already on the market, did reduce people's impulsive behaviour,' said Professor Ivo Vlaev, from Warwick University, one of the lead researchers.

However, Atomoxetine - which is also used to treat 'impulsive conditions' - did not.

Professor Vlaev explained that food addicts suffer from the same neurological conditions as alcoholics, schizophrenics and people with ADHD.

Modafinil is known to increase the levels of dopamine in people who take it, which experts say reduces the urge to act on food cravings

As Modafinil has been shown to reduce impulsiveness in people with those disorders, he believes it will help food addicts as well.

He added: 'There is a substantial number of obese people who are food addicts because they have an inability to control their impulsive actions.

'And this drug has shown it can give them more control, which will help them lose weight and improve their health.'

Modafinil, which is sold under a wide variety of brand names around the world is also used to boost academic performance.

But previous research has found that the drug could cause dizziness and sometimes fatal skin reactions.
Leah Boxall, 34, has a rare condition which has left her partially paralysed and bedridden

A mother whose brain is sinking into her spine says she will die within months without the funds to pay for life-saving surgery in Spain.

Leah Boxall, 34, from Southampton, cannot turn her neck without dislocating it and her brain stem is being crushed by the weight of her head as a result of her Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS).

The single mother must raise 60,000 to pay for an operation to fuse her skull to her neck to create space for her brain - which is being crunched by pressure from her skull - that will save her life.

Multiple operations costing 180,000 will then be required to strengthen her body and prevent paralysis  but she must have the first 60,000 procedure within the next few months to live.

The complex surgery is not available on the NHS so Ms Boxall hopes to travel to Spain.

But her condition - which weakens the collagen in her body - is so severe that she is already partially paralysed and bedridden, relying on a neck brace to support her head and keep her alive.

Her 12-year-old daughter Caitlyn is her main carer and Ms Boxall fears that if she cannot raise the money for surgery her daughter will be left alone.

About one in 15 people with EDS will go onto to develop a rare complication known as craniocervical instability, and Ms Boxall is one.

It means her neck is no longer strong enough to hold her head in place and the pressure from her skull is causing her brain stem to crunch, she says.

Ms Boxall said: 'It's hard to put into words how I feel. It's like I have been left to die. I have to somehow raise 60,000 to save my own life but even trying to live every day is torture.

'I can't even get out of my bed now. When I sleep I am scared that I won't wake up again. I am literally relying on strangers to try and help me survive.

'I am a proud hardworking person but I am begging because I cannot face leaving my daughter without a mother.

'Sometimes it's hard to breathe and see and I have constant pain in my head.

'I hate having to rely on my girl to do the things for me that I should be doing for her - I want to save myself so I can be her mother again.'

Ms Boxall suffers from EDS and needs to raise 60,000 for life-saving surgery abroad. Her daughter, Caitlyn, 12, is now her main carer at their home in Southampton

'I hate having to rely on my girl to do the things for me that I should be doing for her - I want to save myself so I can be her mother again,' Ms Boxall said

Problems began for her when she was 19 years old. Following a horse riding accident, she had her back examined by consultants who said she had 'the spine of an 80 year old'.

Over the next ten years, she suffered constant neck, leg and back pain that eventually forced her to give up work in 2012.

She added: 'I was devastated because I loved my job managing a horse stables, especially teaching people to ride.

'I enjoyed especially working with people with disabilities and Autism who loved being around horses. 'It was my dream career and I had worked so hard.'

She underwent spinal surgery but suffered more headaches and further tests failed to reveal why.

A former riding stables manager, Ms Boxall (pictured with her daughter Caitlyn) was forced to quit her job due to her worsening condition in 2012

There is no available treatment in the UK, so Ms Boxall is hoping to travel to Spain for surgery

She also suffered dizziness and memory loss and eventually even lying down did not relieve the pain in her head and neck.

With no answers she began to search online and discovered EDS, which is usually diagnosed following an MRI scan performed in an upright position.

WHAT IS EHLERS-DANLOS SYNDROME? Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a collection of inherited conditions, known as heritable disorders of connective tissue. Connective tissues provide support in skin, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, internal organs and bones. There are different types of EDS, which can cause: The fragile skin and unstable joints may be the result of faulty collagen. Collagen is a protein in connective tissue that acts as a 'glue' in the body, adding strength and elasticity. The different types of EDS are caused by alterations in certain genes that make collagen weaker. In some cases the amount of collagen in the body is reduced. The faulty genes can be passed from parents to their children. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

But it was not available on the NHS and her family paid.

As well as confirming the EDS diagnosis, the scan also revealed craniocervical instability  a rare but potentially fatal complication that means the brains slips because the neck is no longer supporting the head.

She said: 'I was relieved to finally have an answer at last, but terrified to know what the prognosis was.

'But what scared me more was learning there was no help for me.

'The conditions are recognised by the NHS because they are on their website but there is no treatment in the UK.'

Earlier this year she travelled to see Dr Gilete at the Hospital Teknon in Barcelona, Spain, as he is one of three surgeons who can operate. The other two are in America.

She said: 'I was told that I need multiple surgeries but the first and most crucial one is to basically save my life and without it I will die.

Two further operations would then be needed to secure her neck and lower spine.

She claims she was told that despite her ill health she had no choice but to try and raise the money herself.

She said: 'The NHS have said the best they can offer me is the chance to apply to have a portion of the cost reimbursed - a sum of around 8,000.

'I felt broken. I'm not asking for cosmetic surgery, I'm just asking not to die so I can be a mother to my daughter.'
Where you live determines how you die.

That is the conclusion of a new study that lays bare the most common causes of death county-by-county across the United States, and how it has changed since 1980.

The data collected by the University of Washington in Seattle offer an unprecedented detailed glimpse into the differing healthcare needs between regions.

Violent deaths are more common in the West.

Heart disease is more likely to claim lives in West Virginia and Kentucky.

Diabetes is most commonly fatal in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Cancer kills more in Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado than anywhere else.

Drug overdose deaths have shot up 200 percent since 1980 - with some areas seeing an increase as high as 1000 percent. The worst-affected counties are in Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, western Pennsylvania, and east-central Missouri.

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In general, American lifespan is longer today than it was in 1980. However, some regions have seen a surge in death rates.

The disparity has left demographers and public health officials baffled, unable to explain it in a nutshell.

But in a new study published this week, researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle warn we are not doing enough to tailor rehab and healthcare programs to each county's specific needs.

There were also disparities within regions.

The counties with the highest and the lowest mortality rates from cirrhosis and other liver diseases were both in South Dakota.

Oglala Lakota County, SD, sees 193 deaths per 100,000 people. However, in Lincoln County, SD, there are around seven deaths per 100,000 people.

WHERE HEART DISEASE IS MOST COMMON

Cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death overall in the United States in 2014.

Though the rate has dropped by 50 percent since 1980, some regions have seen slower improvement.

It was a particularly common cause of death along the Mississippi River.

Cardiovascular disease was a particularly common cause of death along the Mississippi River

The worst-affected counties in 2014 were Franklin, Louisiana; Caldwell, Louisiana; Gallatin, Kentucky; and some other counties in the surrounding area.

The researchers warned it is difficult to accurately design targeted healthcare strategies for each region's needs because death certificates are so vague.

Nearly all deaths in the United States are reported in death certificates.

However, the causes of death recorded may be vague or even implausible.

For example, a physician may report that someone died of heart disease, when the underlying cause was, in fact, hypertensive heart disease.

This is important because hypertensive heart disease specifically refers to a build up of blood pressure, and health care providers could target their work in that area.

WORST AFFECTED BY DRUGS & MENTAL DISORDERS

The study combines drug use and mental disorders into one category.

More than 2,000 US counties witnessed increases of 200 percent or more in deaths related to substance abuse and mental disorders since 1980.

The worst affected were counties in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio, which saw alarming surges of more than 1,000 percent.

The greatest increases in substance-related deaths were in Clermont County, Ohio (2,206 percent), and Boone County, West Virginia (2,030 percent)

Drug overdoses are far more prevalent in rural areas, the data showed.

The greatest increases in substance-related deaths were in Clermont County, Ohio (2,206 percent), and Boone County, West Virginia (2,030 percent).

The largest drops in this category were seen in Aleutians East Borough, Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, and Miami-Dade County, Florida, declining by 51 percent and 45 percent, respectively.

'The mortality trends in mental and substance use disorders, as well as with other causes of death covered in the study, point to the need for a well-considered response from local and state governments, as well as care providers, to help reduce the disparities we are seeing across the country,' said Dr Christopher Murray, Director of IHME.

HARDEST HIT BY CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES

Chronic respiratory diseases, a group that includes COPD and asthma, saw the most dramatic increases in a band of counties spanning northern Texas to the Carolinas.

Concurrently, a small number of counties along the Mexico border, in northwestern New Mexico, and in central Colorado, experienced decreases.

Northern Texas, the Carolinas, and parts of New Mexico are hardest hit by respiratory disease

WHERE ACCIDENTS KILL MORE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE

Transport accidents killed the most in Todd County, South Dakota, in 2014.

New York County, New York, had the lowest rate of accident-related deaths.

The national mortality rate from traffic accidents decreased by 45 percent between 1980 and 2014.

Generally, lower death rates were found in urban areas, and higher rates were seen in rural counties.

Transport accidents killed the most in Todd County, South Dakota, in 2014.

SELF-HARM WORST ON RESERVATIONS

The highest mortality rates were observed in counties in Alaska, in Native American reservations in North Dakota and South Dakota, and in states in the southwest.

Lower rates were found in the upper Midwest, New England, southwestern Texas, and southern California.

The mortality rate from self-harm and interpersonal violence declined by 22.1 percent overall between 1980 and 2014.

The highest mortality rates were observed in counties in Alaska, in Native American reservations in North Dakota and South Dakota, and in states in the southwest

However, it was not the same everywhere.

Substantial declines were seen in counties in southern California, Texas, and states along the Atlantic coast from Florida to Virginia.

But there was a surge in counties in Utah, Oklahoma and Kansas, along the Canadian border in North Dakota and Michigan, and parts of the Midwest and New England.

ALZHEIMER'S AND OTHER NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES

Deaths from neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, increased in the majority of counties over the 35-year span of the study.

Neurological disorders caused 3,971,426 deaths between 1980 and 2014.

Large increases were seen in counties from eastern Texas and Oklahoma to Alabama

Especially large increases were seen in counties stretching from eastern Texas and Oklahoma to Alabama.

Notable declines in mortality were found in counties in the west stretching from central Idaho and western Montana to central Colorado.

DIABETES

Counties throughout much of the south and mid-Atlantic had mortality rates thatwere higher than average.

Mortality rates were particularly high in counties in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi along the Mississippi River and in counties in North Dakota and South Dakota with Native American reservations.

The mortality rate from this cause increased by 21 percent overall between 1980 and 2014.

Mortality rates from diabetes were particularly high in counties along the Mississippi River

Similarly, 91.5 percent of counties had an increase in mortality rates from these diseases.

However, pockets of counties in Maryland, central Colorado, and north and western Alaska as well as individual counties throughout the rest of the country experienced declines in mortality during the same period.

DIARRHEA & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Counties in southern states from Louisiana and Arkansas to Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky were worst-affected by this cause of death

Mortality rates from this cause were highest in counties in southern states from Louisiana and Arkansas to Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Rates were lower than average in southern Florida, New England, the upper Midwest, central Colorado, and the Pacific Northwest.

Nationally, the mortality rate from this cause declined by 22.1 percent between 1980 and 2014.

But 28.3 percent of counties experienced increases in this mortality rate during the same period.

Especially large increases were seen in counties in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, southern Illinois, and eastern Kentucky.

CANCER

Very high mortality rates were observed in counties along the southern half of the Mississippi River, in eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, and in western Alaska

The study charted the rate of deaths by neoplasms - abnormal growths of tissue in the body. In other words: cancer.

Very high mortality rates were observed in counties along the southern half of the Mississippi River, in eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, and in western Alaska.

Rates were much lower in states stretching from Idaho and Wyoming in the north to western Texas in the south.

Looking at the rates since 1980, increases in mortality from neoplasms were found in south-central counties.

The largest increases were observed in eastern Kentucky.

In contrast, the largest decreases in mortality from neoplasms were found primarily in counties in central Colorado, southern Florida, Alaska, parts of New England, and coastal counties in California.

CIRRHOSIS & OTHER LIVER DISEASES

Select counties in Montana, Florida, and North and South Dakota have the highest mortality rates from cirrhosis.

But sharp increases were seen in southwestern Oregon and northwestern Texas since 1980.
They found there may be an effect on the brain from dys

A urine test for kidney disease could also warn if patients are at risk of dementia, a new study suggests.

Adults who have increased amounts of a specific protein have a 35 per cent higher chance of going on to suffer from memory loss.

High levels of albuminuria is a tell-tale sign of kidney disease, as the organ should naturally stop it from passing between the blood and urine.

While the exact link between renal failure and dementia is not fully understood, scientists say.

Adults who have increased amounts of a specific protein in their urine have a 35 per cent higher chance of going on to suffer from memory loss, a study found

Researchers from Maastricht University, the Netherlands analysed 27,805 people and 22 previous studies surrounding kidney problems and cognitive ability.

They looked at a protein in the urine, also called albuminuria or proteinuria.

It showed people with protein in the urine were significantly more likely to develop cognitive impairment than people who did not have it in their urine.

Dr Kay Deckers, who led the study, said: 'Kidney dysfunction has been considered a possible risk factor for cognitive impairment or dementia.

'Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and dementia share many risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, and both show similar effects on the brain.

While the exact link between renal failure and dementia is not fully understood, scientists say

'So they may have shared vascular factors or there may even be a direct effect on the brain from kidney problems.'

Dr Deckers added that both kidney disease and dementia are 'important public health problems' with rising health care costs for 'our society.'

Worldwide, the number of people suffering from dementia has increased.

While the prevalence of CKD in the general population - estimated to be between eight and 16 per cent - has also increased.

But experts say more research is needed to determine whether kidney problems are in fact a cause of dementia or if they are both caused by the same factors.
Delhi Police data suggests that the capital is now safer than at any time in the past decade.

Violent crimes such as rape, murder, kidnapping, riot and dacoity (armed robbery) have witnessed a sharp dip of 27.16 per cent in 2016 compared to the previous year, the statistics accessed by Mail Today reveal.

The figures also reveal that the crime rate had gone up every year since 2005, particularly for heinous offences.

New Police Commissioner of Delhi, Alok Verma taking charge from his predecessor BS Bassi at Police Head Quarters in New Delhi

For instance, after the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape, the number of serious crimes nearly doubled from 2,402 that year to 4,159 in 2013.

The case had sparked widespread revulsion across much of urban India and led to thousands of people coming out onto the streets to protest over growing violence against women in the largely patriarchal and conservative nation.

However, despite the government strengthening laws, such crimes did not witness any major drop.

Also, the total number of cases registered in 2012 was 54,287 and this went up to 80,184 the next year.

There has been a 39.72 per cent dip in dacoity cases till November 30 this year, a 36.88 per cent plunge in riots, a 36.35 per cent decrease in robbery cases, an 18.09 per cent drop in attempt to murder cases, and a 1.78 per cent fall in rape cases reported at police stations across the city.

A sharp is also visible in the number of non-heinous crimes such as snatching and molestation.

While the senior cops attributed this trend to better policing, many residents Mail Today spoke to said they do not feel any safer.

Crimes against women have always been a major worry for the force. But this year, Delhi Police managed to improve the situation.

Earlier, on an average as many as six rapes were being reported every day, while in 2016 the number has come down to five.

Similarly, daily around 15 women reported being molested last year, while till November 30 in 2016 the average had reduced to 11.

If the crime rate of 2014 and 2016, till November 30, is compared, then two years ago as many as 10,266 cases were registered under IPC sections (heinous crimes) while this year, only about 7,620 such cases have been reported.
A satellite that can monitor global carbon levels will be launched this month by China. The orbiting carbon observatory satellite is not only one of the best satellites of its kind, but is also the first for China.

The loading model of the orbiting carbon observatory satellite [Photo: China Daily]

The satellite works through highly accurate detectors of cloud, aerosol and carbon monoxide, explained an employee of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

After scanning the earth every sixteen days, the satellite will send the statistics down to earth. The analyzed data will read the carbon profiles of all regions at any season. It will calculate the carbon data over the seas and oceans and analyze ground reflection and observe the changes and fluctuations.

Global warming is mainly led by gases like carbon dioxide. Earlier this year, a number of countries signed the Paris Agreement, promising to reduce their carbon emissions. Reducing carbon emissions is a global problem that needs a global solution, and utilize this technology will enable China to gain a better understanding of the global state of carbon emissions, The Paper reported.
Jamai Raja star Nia Sharma has been named the third 'sexiest' Asian woman in the world ahead of Bollywood actresses like Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif.

Deepika Padukone topped the poll by Britains Eastern Eye newspaper, while Quantico actress Priyanka Chopra came a close second, who had led the list four times running.

And TV actress Nia could barely contain her excitement after hearing about her standing on the list after the Bollywood heavyweights.

Jamai Raja actress Nia Sharma has been named the world's third 'sexiest' Asian woman by Britains Eastern Eye newspaper

She was shocked to beat the likes of Katrina Kaif, pictured here walking the runway at Regal Threads Fashion Show By Manish Malhotra at Trident Hotel in Mumbai in January

She also beat Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt to third position, to the delight of her fans

Sharing the news on her Instagram account, she said: '#3rd rank!!! #maniacsssssss you guys are Sick ..!!! like reallyyyyyy Sick.!!! Hahhahahah.'

She later told the Daily Bhaskar: 'It's crazy to call myself as the sexiest woman. Im like wow, this is cool. Looking at the past years, I was expecting fifth or sixth position.

'But standing on the third position was totally unexpected. I would thank all my fans for this special moment.'

TV actresses Drashti Dhami, Alia Bhatt and Sanaya Irani stood on the fourth, fifth and sixth spot respectively.

Deepika Padukone (left) and Priyanka Chopra (right) came first and second, respectively

'SEXIEST' ASIAN WOMEN 1. Deepika Padukone 2. Priyanka Chopra 3. Nia Sharma 4. Drashti Dhami 5. Alia Bhatt 6. Sanaya Irani 7. Katrina Kaif 8. Sonamm Kapoor Advertisement

Deepika Padukone, who is soon to make her Hollywood debut in xXx: Return of Xander Cage alongside Vin Diesel won the title for the first time, dethroning Priyanka Chopra.

The Quantico star has led the list four times previously.

Nia Sharma started her career with crime thriller series Kaali - Ek Agnipariksha and but shot to wider fame in 2014 for her role as Roshni in Jamai Raja.

Apart from her shows, she has grabbed plenty of attention for her sexy dresses at award functions.

She also hit headlines for more controversial reasons when she claimed that TV actors dont know how to dress.
The inability to catch or locate monkeys following a hullabaloo from animal activists may force the South Delhi Municipal Corporation to knock on the door of the judiciary.

The SDMC is considering to move the Delhi High Court expressing its inability to catch monkeys owing to an untrained and scarce workforce.

The matter is likely to be filed this week.

The inability to catch or locate monkeys following a hullabaloo from animal activists may force the South Delhi Municipal Corporation to knock on the doors of the judiciary

'Under the Wildlife Protection Act, it is the responsibility of the state wildlife department to deal with monkeys in the Capital.

'However, in 2007, the Delhi High Court had directed the municipal corporations to catch the monkeys in the city area and release them in the nearby forests,' said RBS Tyagi, director of the veterinary department.

Officials in the veterinary department said that no monkey catcher wants to work with the corporation as in the past activists had taken them to the police stations.

'Moreover, we were suggested to catch the monkeys in troops. But it is next to impossible to wait for an entire family to enter the cage together,' said an official.

The civic body had asked the Delhi government's wildlife department to provide them with the monkey catchers but the department asked them to seek help from the authorities in the cities like Meerut and Mathura that are facing the same problem, as the monkey catchers were not available with them.

The south MCD has so far spent Rs 5.5 lakh in catching 664 monkeys in the last three years and shifted them to Asola Bhati mines.

However, officials say the monkeys do not stay there for long and again come back.

The department had also sought help from various city authorities in the country but no positive response has come so far.

Officials in the veterinary department said that no monkey catcher wants to work with the corporation as in the past activists had taken them to the police stations.

SDMC mayor Shyam Sharma said: 'We do not have trained staff to catch monkeys.

We tried to get the work done from the NGOs that sterilise dogs for us, but even they refused.

'Every time we catch monkeys we face a lot of resistance from the activists.' Sharma added that the workers avoid the task out of fear for monkey attacks.

'In all the four zones, workers have been attacked. We will raise this issue in the house meeting,' he said.

Leader of opposition Farhad Suri said the worst-affected areas included East Nizamuddin, Sangam Vihar and Jangpura.
The RBI said on Tuesday that Rs 12.44 lakh crore in scrapped currency notes has been deposited to the banks, while Rs 4.61 lakh crore has been issued to the public since the demonetisation drive began on November 9.

'The old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, which have been returned to the RBI and the currency chest amounted to Rs 12.44 lakh crore as of December 10,' RBI deputy governor R Gandhi told reporters.

As on November 8, the day demonetisation was announced, there were 1,716.50 crore pieces of Rs 500 and 685.80 crore Rs 1,000 notes in circulation, which are no more legal tender.

With another 17 days to go for depositing the banned currency, the RBI said on Tuesday that Rs 12.44 lakh crore in scrapped currency notes has been deposited to the banks

The total value of these notes works out to 15.44 lakh crore and they constituted around 86 per cent of the total currency in circulation.

These figures were stated by MoS Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal in Parliament.

With another 17 days to go for depositing the banned currency notes there are still Rs 3 lakh crore worth of these that has still not come into the banking system.

A senior Income Tax official told Mail Today that the flow of old notes coming into has slowed down so we are still keeping our fingers crossed.

Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India R. Gandhi

However, he said, 'We are confident that much of the black money that has been deposited in the accounts of others will be traced since it has come back into the banking system.'

The money that various banks have issued through their counters and ATMs since November 10 and up to December 10 stood at Rs 4.61 lakh crore , Gandhi said.

In terms of volume, the number stood at 21.8 billion pieces of notes of various denominations, of which 20.1 billion pieces were of Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 50 and Rs 100.

The number of higher denomination of new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes stood at 1.7 billion, he said.

Hence, while the notes surrendered have risen by almost Rs 1 lakh crore, cash disbursal has risen only a little since December 7, when RBI had said that banks had issued Rs 4.27 lakh crore of new notes post-demonetisation through ATMs and bank counters, the banned notes collected had stood at Rs 11.55 lakh crore at the time.

Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal takes charge

'The entire system is continuously gearing up to support circulation of notes.

'Daily, we are issuing more and more notes, getting it printed and issuing it and this will be a continuous affair. The public are requested to freely use the notes that they have in their hands rather than hoard it,' Gandhi said.

At the same time and with more instances of money laundering and fraudulent currency exchange surfacing, the RBI on Tuesday warned of stern action against wrong-doers and asked banks to carry out a thorough central data checking, while it suspended a junior functionary who is being probed.

'We have issued elaborate instructions to all banks to conduct central data checking and wherever they find any inconsistency, it should be pursued further through their internal audit mechanism,' deputy governor of RBI, S S Mundra told reporters in Mumbai.

'Our supervisors are also carrying out similar exercise on various data points of banks and wherever any untoward kind of transactions or actions are noticed, due action would be pursued and due investigation would be carried out,' he said.

He denied reports that RBI had issued show-cause notice to Axis Bank and was planning to cancel its banking licence following massive malpractices in currency exchange at many of its branches.
Coming under fire from opposition Congress and AAP over the alleged power scam in Arunachal Pradesh, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday rejected the charges of wrongdoing.

Both Rijiju and the ruling BJP turned the tables on Congress, saying the contract was awarded during its own regime.

Reports claimed that Rijiju, his cousin Goboi Rijiju - a contractor in Arunachal Pradesh - and several top officials of the state-run NEEPCO, including its chairman and managing director, have been named in a 129-page report by the PSU's chief vigilance officer Satish Verma.

Home Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said Congress awarded the contract during its regime

The report alleges corruption in the construction of two dams in the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Project, one of the biggest of its kind in Arunachal Pradesh.

But he this week turned the tables on Congress (photo for representation only)

West Kameng, the site of the project, falls in Arunachal West which is the parliamentary constituency of Rijiju.

Rijiju slammed the Congress, saying: 'All the contract works were allotted during the Congress regime, all payments were made during their time.

'The Congress had governments in the state and at the Centre during the period. They should explain if there was any corruption in the deals.'

'When I became an MP in 2014, some villagers approached me requesting to get some pending payments cleared because they are small sub-contractors.

'I forwarded their letter to Piyush Goyal... that's it. I have done no wrong and there is no corruption.'

The BJP countered Congress and said: 'The Congress was trying to blame the Union minister for its sins as it was the Congress which was in power at the Centre and in Arunachal when the project was sanctioned.'

The report alleged corruption in the construction of two dams in the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Project (photo for representation only)

According to a statement by the power ministry, the letter written by MoS Home Affairs has no bearing on any payments released by NEEPCO as the payment had already been released before his letter under the authorisation of Verma.

NEEPCO is a Mini Ratna company and the government does not interfere in the operational matters of PSUs.

No instructions or directions by the government were given to NEEPCO at any time for making any payments.
Three members of the same family were killed and two were critically injured in Kalindi Kunj when a dumper struck their motorbike from behind.

The victims, identified as policeman Rajkumar, 38, his wife Seema and their three children, were involved in the fatal accident at around 1.30pm on Tuesday.

Rajkumar, who worked as a constable with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), was driving his family from Noida to Pushp Vihar on the motorcycle.

A traffic official of the south district said: 'As soon as Rajkumar moved from signal post at Kalindi Kunj, a speeding dumper rammed the motorcycle from behind.

'Rajkumar, Seema and their daughter Ritu died on the spot, while their two minor sons, Avinash and Surya, were critically injured.'

The driver of the dumper tried to flee but was caught and thrashed by the angry passers-by, it was claimed.

He was later handed over to the police and has since been admitted to hospital.

Delhi police say 86,272 cases were lodged for triple riding on two-wheelers this year before November 30 (photo for representation only)

'Only two people are allowed to ride a motorcycle in our country, but in this case five people were on the bike, which is violation of traffic rules. Besides, only three of them were wearing helmets,' the traffic official said.

According to the data provided by Delhi Police, there were 1,394 fatal accidents in the national capital this year.

The figure, however, is 5.42 per cent less than the figure during the same period last year when it reached 1,474.

Up until November 30 this year, about 5,397 non-fatal accidents were reported which is 8.26 per cent lower than the number in the corresponding figure in 2015, when it touched 5,883.
Single bribes up to 16 million euros may have been routed to India's most powerful political families to swing the now-scrapped AgustaWestland luxury helicopter deal during UPA rule, secret notes allegedly written by British arms agent Christian Michel reveal.

India Today TV has exclusively accessed these handwritten notes, faxes and emails that shed light on how the controversial chopper scandal may have been orchestrated.

The Congress, which has been facing heat over the scam-tainted deal, insisted on Wednesday that the BJP-led government act on the expose.

Alleged middleman in the VVIP Chopper scam, Christian Michel has distanced himself from the deal and denied all involvement in any wrongdoing. However, his 'jottings', seemingly show how AgustaWestland's parent company, Finmeccanica, allegedly set aside 52 million euros to bribe decision-makers in India to clinch the deal.

Meticulously maintained by Michel the alleged 'master-middleman', the notes apparently provide compelling evidence of how shadowy agents steered the Rs 3,600-crore contract that the Manmohan Singh government signed in 2010.

His 'jottings', which were seized by Italian police and handed over to the CBI later, seemingly show AgustaWestland's parent company, Finmeccanica, allegedly set aside 52 million euros to bribe decision-makers in India to clinch the deal.

Michel, who Finmeccanica hired as a broker for the Indian business, sent regular updates to his bosses in Europe and also to Guido Haschke, the other alleged middleman in the agreement, the notes show.

AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper scam The story broke in early 2013, an Indian national parliamentary investigation began looking into allegations of bribery and corruption involving several senior officials and a British-Italian helicopter manufacturer concerning the purchase of a new fleet of helicopters. Several Indian politicians and military officials have been accused of accepting bribes from AgustaWestland in order to win the Rs 36 billion (US$530 million) Indian contract for the supply of 12 AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters; these helicopters are intended to perform VVIP duties for the President of India and other important state official. A note presented in the Italian court, sent by middleman Christian Michel, asks staff to target key advisors to Sonia Gandhi and lists their names as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Ahmed Patel and Pranab Mukherjee amongst others. The note also contains the bribes to be paid out, divided as 'AF' 6 million, 'BUR' 8.4 million, 'Pol' 6 million and 'AP' 3 million. On 25 March 2013, India's Defence Minister A.K. Antony confirmed corruption allegations by stating : 'Yes, corruption has taken place in the helicopter deal and bribes have been taken.' The deal was cancelled but questions remain unanswered. Advertisement

Updates, according to the highly-placed CBI sources, were sent through fax and email.

The investigating agency, they told India Today TV, has confirmed contents of Michel's diaries by questioning his secretary, who typed some of them.

In entries dated March 15, 2008, he named some of India's top politicians in and outside of government offices.

'As Mrs Gandhi is the driving force behind the VIP, she will not fly any more in the Mi-8,' the letter reads. It listed then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Ahmed Patel among Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's key advisers.

Separately, Michel allegedly mentioned 15 to 16 million euros for a 'family' and another three million for 'AP'.

'Who is stopping the government from taking action in the matter,' Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

'Whatever action was taken, it was taken by the UPA, from starting the process to black-listing the company to the seizure of the helicopter.

'Now the big question is why is all this happening now? What was the government doing for two and a half years?'

The diaries reveal Michel may have paid six million euros to Indian air-force officers, 8.4 million to bureaucrats in addition to 15-16 million to a political family.

They also show that he had knowledge of intimate details of meetings of the high-profile contract negotiation committee (CNC).

Michel also claimed to have paid off influential people in India, who helped reject Russian and American choppers.

Besides, he claimed to be in touch with officials from the PMO, SPG, CVC and defence ministry.

'Presentation of offer saw the Russians being rejected through a technicality, which was no accident,' reads a note dated April 10, 2008.

'We are consciously and deliberately trying to disqualify competition at this stage.'

In entries dated March 15, 2008, he named some of India's top politicians in and outside of government offices

Michel also apparently had prior information about meetings. He may have been able to offer big money whenever an opportunity for bribing from his staggering budget of 52 million euros arose, senior investigators say.

His 'kickback sheet' recorded 6 million euros to at least four different IAF officers, cited mostly with the initials of their official titles  DCH (Deputy Chief of Air Staff), PDSR (Project Director Service Requirement), FTT (Field Trial Team) and DG Maintenance (Director-General Air Force Maintenance).

His diaries recorded bribes purportedly paid to the Defence Ministry under then minister AK Antony.

Several Indian politicians and military officials have been accused of accepting bribes from AgustaWestland in order to win the Rs 36 billion (US$530 million) Indian contract for the supply of 12 AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters; these helicopters are intended to perform VVIP duties for the President of India and other important state official.

A tidy 8.4 million euros may have been given to at least five senior bureaucrats in the MoD and also to the CAG, coded in his diaries as DS (Defence Secretary), JSAF (Joint Secretary Air Force), AFA (Additional Financial Advisor Air Force), DG ACQ (DG Acquisitions), CVC (Central Vigilance Commission), Auditor General (Comptroller and Auditor General).

'The family want their agreement honoured,' said a line in another letter, which pegged the 'agreement' with the 'family' at 28 million euros.

'Now it's been proven that not just the PMO, but even the Gandhi family was involved in the deal,' BJP leader Kirit Somaiya said.

'I will give a notice in Parliament tomorrow for a discussion on the matter.'

On April 10, 2008, the diaries also recorded that the CCS (cabinet committee on security) had appointed a 'spokesperson to interact with us to facilitate an understanding.'

A February 8 letter the same year claimed the CVC chairman 'was willing to be persuaded'.

'(The) Maintenance Command is ready to work with us on all technical issues to make the above possible,' Michel allegedly wrote.

According to top CBI investigators, former air-force chief SP Tyagi - now in custody over allegations of reducing the flying ceiling of the helicopter from 6,000m to 4,500m to put AgustaWestland in the race - had made cash investments worth Rs 2.5 crore in real-estate while in office.

Tyagi, however, claims he had reinvested money he received from the sale of his land.

But the CBI suspects the cash came from Agusta payoffs. Investigators, most senior officials said, would file their first charge sheet in the next few weeks.

They believe they have sufficient evidence to establish the deal was compromised.
The concept of the economy as we know it can feel like it has been around for ever. But it was hardly talked about much before the Second World War.

Today it has sprawled to such an extent that it is seen as everything from a key priority for politicians to the justification for encouraging parents to read with children or funding arts projects.

So says Joe Earle, co-author of a new book called The Econocracy and this weeks guest on the Big Money Questions show.

Perilous: Leaving economics to the experts can have disastrous consequences, argues Joe Earle

In our modern society it has taken such a central place, he says. So now you even have a childrens charity saying weve got to teach parents to read to their children because GDP will grow by 2.1 per cent and politicians in the House of Commons saying my first priority is the economy.

He adds: 'In 1950, the economy wasnt mentioned once in the winning political election manifesto in the UK; by 2015 it was mentioned in the manifesto 59 times.'

Joe, with Cahal Moran and Zach Ward-Perkins - two fellow economics students from the University of Manchester - wrote the book about the perils of leaving economics to the experts.

Joe argues that because the idea of the economy has become so important if we cant feel like we have an ownership of what the economy is and what it does and who it serves, we are in a real way locked out of politics.

The authors are members of a student movement called Rethinking Economics, which has members in 45 countries around the world.

They are largely the generation of students who decided to study economics after the financial crisis in order to understand what had happened and to try to contribute to make it better.

However Joe explains that when they got into their classrooms and lecture theatres, they found what they were taught was almost completely cut off from reality.

They looked at mathematical models and questions that were supposed to represent the economy, but that, he says, had little bearing on what was going on in the outside world.

It made them question how well prepared the people are with whom we trust the responsibility of understanding and steering the economy.

They are calling on economists to engage with the public to open up the discussion about the economy and on people not to leave it to the experts, but engage in the debate themselves.

The group have been going into schools to talk to children about the economy, running workshops for members of the public and have a website that seeks to demystify economics called Economy.
Around 66% of Britons are still on standard variable energy

Consumers can compare the cheapest and most expensive

Households can now see the cheapest and most expensive energy tariffs on the market in a league table published by the sector's watchdog.

Ofgem's energy tariff table lets customers compare the average annual energy bills of households on standard variable tariffs with the biggest suppliers against the ten cheapest ones.

Energy Secretary Greg Clark said the comparison table will improve transparency and help the 'millions' of households overpaying for their energy while languishing on expensive standard variable tariffs.

Toasty: Households can now use Ofgem's energy bill comparison league table

Last month, Ofgem revealed that 66 per cent of households remain on standard variable tariffs.

Mr Clark said: 'Millions of people across Britain continue to pay too much for their energy. The measures announced today are a positive step to help more people benefit from increased choice and competition.

'As the Government has made clear, where markets are not working for consumers - in energy or otherwise - we are prepared to act.'

Richard Neudegg, head of regulation at uSwitch.com, said the table could provide consumers with the 'wake-up call' they need to shop around and save money.

The Government is also launching a call for evidence on allowing customers access to accurate electronic data on how much energy they use to enable them to share it securely with price comparison websites in return for individual quotes.

Commenting on Ofgem's comparison table, Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: 'This league table will lift the lid on the price difference between standard tariffs and cheaper deals, helping those customers who are currently paying over the odds for their gas and electricity identify a better rate.

Pricey deals: Last month, Ofgem revealed that 66 per cent of households remain on standard variable tariffs

Comparisons: Ofgem's new standard variable rate tariff comparison table lets consumers compare deals

'We'd also like to see energy companies do more off their own back to help customers who are on a low income, like moving them to a cheaper deal.'

Energy UK figures released today show that over four million customers switched electricity supplier this year, 'eclipsing' the past three years, while more than 400,000 switched in November, the highest figure since November 2013.

Earlier this month, British Gas, E.on and SSE confirmed a price freeze for customers on standard variable tariffs until early next year.

Prices for six million British Gas customers on its standard variable tariff will be held until March 2017, while E.on is freezing prices until April.

This follows on from SSE, which is also freezing prices until April 2017, placing pressure on the remaining three large firms, npower, ScottishPower and EDF to do the same.
British holidaymakers heading abroad are facing pricier trips next year thanks to Brexit uncertainty, sterling depreciation, rising oil prices and ongoing geopolitical events, a leading online travel firm warns.

Four in five UK travel companies surveyed by Travelzoo are bracing themselves for price increases in 2017. One fifth of those say the increase could be as high as 15 to 20 per cent.

Travelzoo says that until now, travel companies have been absorbing price increases on costs such as hotel rates set in euros in popular spots like France and Spain - and many have been selling holidays at prices set before June's EU referendum.

Heading up? Research from Travelzoo suggests travel agents could be charging up to 20% more for popular holiday destinations next year

But it adds that businesses cannot do this indefinitely.

Last week, travel firm Mark Warner wrote to customers who had already booked trips to say it was having dish out an additional surcharge of up to 50.

Its managing director said in a letter to clients: 'It will be necessary and unavoidable for us, for the first time in many years, to invoke the surcharge clause contained within our contractual terms and conditions.'

Joel Brandon-Bravo, managing director of Travelzoo UK, said: 'The impact of sterling's fall in particular has not really been felt in holiday pricing to date, however all the signs are pointing in the direction of price hikes for many popular holiday destinations in 2017.

'In Britain, the travel industry serves two masters; firstly, the UK economy  which is currently feeling the effects of Brexit, with a pound worth much less than this time last year.

'Secondly, the wider global market  one that's reeling from rising oil prices, travel bans to north African sun destinations, and safety concerns in other traditional holiday destinations.

'If one catches a cold, the other can normally soak up the additional expense. However, when both are struggling  as they are right now  something has to give.'

Travelzoo spoke to 15 different travel agencies last week for the research.

Cape Town: The South African city has made Travelzoo's travel list for 2017

This year has seen the largest proportion of Britons holidaying abroad since 2011, with 86 per cent of the population heading away, according to the Association of British Travel Agents.

Travelzoo's research shows a growing sense of consumers looking 'beyond Europe', with a quarter saying they're avoiding European holiday destinations, due to concerns over the falling value of the pound and the general safety of Europe.

Joel Brandon-Bravo adds: 'For those looking to minimise the impact of these imminent price hikes we would advise consumers book early for peak holiday periods such as summer 2017, consider destinations that have more favourable exchange rates and be open-minded.'

'If destinations such as Sharm el-Sheikh and Tunisia remain closed to the UK this will continue to put pressure on pricing to ultra-popular Western Mediterranean destinations.

'The world is a large place  perhaps 2017 is the year to break out of predictable holiday destinations and try somewhere new.'

Ljubljana: The Slovenian city may be hard to pronounce, but Travelzoo predicts it could see a surge of tourists next year

It predicts some unusual spots will see a rise in UK tourists next year as they offer good value for money.

The five spots it has picked is Cape Town, South Africa; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Tivat, Montenegro; Zighy Bay, Oman and Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Cape Town makes the list as the South African rand still remains weak against the pound. Ljubljana thanks to direct flights and the fact the next First Lady of the United States hails from Slovenia.

Tivat is included thanks to new direct flights from EasyJet and warm temperatures. Zighy Bay was named one of Lonely Planet's best in travel destinations for 2017 and Colombo thanks to it being one of the cheapest long-haul destinations.
Madagascar faces bubonic plague epidemic thanks to rat-infested prisons after disease kills 60 people in a year

Madagascar had 256 cases of bubonic plague last year with 60 deaths

Charities fear disease will become an epidemic thanks to crowded prisons

Fleas which carry the plague thrive in the humid weather of October



Bubonic plague is sweeping through Madagascar and could lead to a full-blown epidemic, aid charities have warned.



Fears are growing that the deadly disease could spread through the prisons of the island nation, which are frequently infested with rats.



Last year, 60 people in Madagascar died from bubonic plague, more than in any other country in the world.



Disease: Bubonic plague, carried by fleas like this one, is sweeping through Madagascar

While the disease has been almost entirely eradicated from Europe, there were 256 cases of bubonic plague recorded in Madagascar last year.



October is the start of the danger period for the disease as fleas which spread the plague thrive in the humid weather.

The International Committee of the Red Cross and the Pasteur Institute are now working in the country to prevent bubonic plague from becoming even more common, according to the BBC .

Experts are particularly concerned about the prospect of an epidemic started in Madagascar's crowded and filthy prisons and then spreading when inmates are released or receive visitors.



Rats living in the prisons often carry fleas which transmit bubonic plague to humans by biting them.

The disease can then escape to the outside world via staff, visitors, freed inmates or the rats themselves.

Idyllic: But Madagascar, pictured, is now the plague capital of the world with 256 cases last year

'If the plague gets into prisons there could be a sort of atomic explosion of plague within the town,' Christophe Rogier of the Pasteur Institute told the BBC.



'The prison walls will never prevent the plague from getting out and invading the rest of the town.'



The ICRC is working to eradicate the disease, but this is particularly difficult as it is necessary not only to kill the rats themselves but also to destroy the fleas living on them.



Although the disease can be cured by antibiotics, rural residents often do not have access to even basic healthcare and can be ashamed to seek treatment.



One farmer told the BBC he had not been allowed to bury his daughter after she died of plague, as officials took her body into quarantine and buried it themselves.


Lhasa's ancient Barkor Street was filled with the smoke from burning juniper branches and the sound of prayers, as thousands celebrated the annual Pal Lhamo festival on Tuesday.

Tibetan Buddhists offer Khadaks and cash to the statue of the Pal Lhamo deity in Jokhang Temple during the Pal Lhamo Festival on Tuesday. [Photo by Palden Nyima/chinadaily.com.cn]

The one-day event is practiced on the 15th day of the 10th month according to the Tibetan calendar.

"Tibetan women consider Palden Lhamo, one of the protective deities of the Tibetan Buddhism, as their protector, and the females regard it as an important day," Yeshi Choedron, an English announcer at the Tibet People's Broadcasting Station, explained.

The religious festival has become a particular favorite of women in Lhasa, as many young girls can ask for money from any men on the occasion.

Kalsang Drolma, a waitress in Lhasa, said she profited from the rare religious event.

"I woke up at 4 am and arrived at the Jokhang Temple at 5 am. I am pleased to pay my visit to the Pal Lhamo deity today," she said.

The 26-year-old said she made about 500 yuan ($72) from her WeChat friends in the first half of the day.

According to Yeshi Choedron, Tibetan women would traditionally not ask for money from men on this day, and the event has evolved over time.

"Traditionally, while people make offerings to the deities with cash and offerings, they would donate tips for the lower class or the poor," the 34-year-old said.

Yeshi said she herself did not like to participate in asking money from men on this event, however, she was not opposed to other girls doing it.

Yeshi thought it could also be considered a women's day as Tibetans believe the Palden Lhamo deity would come down to earth and the women in Lhasa believe Palden Lhamo is their protector.

She said that in the past, the image of Palden Lhamo would be carried to the third floor outside the Jokhang Temple and then her image would be faced south where the statue of the Trizongzan was enshrined in a monastery on a small mountain in the Drub village.

It has undergone some changes today, as the image of the Palden Lhamo is now carried to the quarter yard of the temple, not the third floor.

"As far as I know, I heard from the monks saying on this day, there are so many people offering barley wine to the Pal Lhamo image, there is so much barley that it is leaking everywhere, it becomes slippery, and it is little bit dangerous for the pilgrimages who come to pay their homage. Secondly it is not good for the preservation of the old temple, so it is carried to the quarter yard today."

According to Tibetan history, the daughter of Palden Lhamo, the Bal Lhamo deity fell in love with Trizongzan, who is also a protective deity of Jokhang Temple.

When this was discovered by Palden Lhamo, she punished Trizongzan by making him stay on the south bank of Lhasa River, and the lovers promised to meet once a year across the river on that special day.
A lonely Chinese grandma is desperate for travel buddy.

Li Yanling is offering an all-expense-paid holiday to a tropical island in south China just to get someone to go with her. She'll even throw in an iPhone 7.

Even though she has children of her own, Li Yanling, 63, felt the need to recruit a 'daughter' on social media.

Scroll down for video

Li Yanling hopes to find someone who is outgoing, clever and beautiful to travel with

Li Yanling wishes to visit Sanya, Hainan Island which is a tropical island in China

Ms Li lives alone in Zhengzhou city in central China and didn't want to inconvenience her children by asking them to travel with her since they live away from home.

One of her daughters lives in Canada so travelling to Sanya, Hainan Island with her mother would be difficult.

The grandma is seeking a young, beautiful, outgoing woman between the ages of 18 and 25 to accompany her as a pseudo daughter on this trip.

She wants someone to talk to and take photos of her.

Ms Li used to work in the medical industry. Now she is trying to enjoy her retirement and wishes to travel.

The pensioner told CCTV News: 'Id like to see the sea in Sanya this winter, but just fear the loneliness of traveling solo.'

Li Yanling is offering a travel companion an iPhone 7 in addition to the free vacation

Her post went viral on Chinese social media with people commenting and shaming her children who could not spare time for their mother.

Ms Li is representative of many Chinese seniors who are lonely in retirement.

Last year a 77-year-old from east China posted advertisements in the hopes of getting a family to 'adopt' him since he would go days without speaking to anyone.

The low birth rate combined with the effects of the one-child policy, introduced in 1979 and phased out in 2015, has created an aging population.

A report by the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics shows the one-child policy created a '4-2-1' family structure. This is hurting the older generation because there soon won't be enough working people or family members to support them.

Li Yanling shows the iPhone 7 she purchased for a potential travel companion

Like many Chinese pensioners, Li Yanling lives alone since her children moved away

In 2010, China's Financial Policy Report showed that by 2050 seniors older than 60 will make up 30 percent of the population. With more and more children leaving home to work outside of their hometown this is creating an largely isolated aging group.

Adult children used to live with their parents but now many find better career opportunities away from home. This is especially the case with children who move to cities from rural areas.

It used to be commonplace for multiple generations to live in a single household in China. Nursing homes used to be few and far between but have become more commonplace in the last decade.
Sick of seeing their family members kidnapped by the local gang, the furious citizens of the Mexican town of Totolapan have abducted a kingpin's mom to demand their release.

The town is controlled by Raybel Jacobo de Almonte, better known as 'El Tequilero', who has been at war with other bosses in the area. It's believed he kidnapped the citizens either for extortion or because he thought they were helping other gangs.

But this week the citizens struck back, as teams of vigilantes rode through Totolapan waving guns, demanding action - and threatening El Tequilero's mom.

Scroll down for video

Vigilantes: These townspeople from Totolapan, Mexico, formed a vigilante group after their relatives were kidnapped by crime boss 'El Tequilero' for extortion and helping other gangs

Revenge: They then took his mom (pictured left) to negotiate their release. 'El Tequilero' (right) means 'The Tequila Drinker'. His real name is Raybel Jacobo de Almonte

Drunk: The only known video footage shows 'El Tequilero' so drunk that he needs his friends to hold him in a sitting position. He is seen talking to Totolapan's mayor (in white hat)

The latest victims of El Tequilero's reign of terror disappeared last week.

Among the several people kidnapped was local construction engineer Isauro de la Paz Duque, who was snatched on Sunday by men who had threatened to kill him.

The next day, a woman who identified herself as De la Paz Duque's wife said on a video that townspeople had taken El Tequilero's mother, identified as 'Mrs Felix del Monte'.

'We have your mother here, Mr Tequilero,' she said. 'I propose an exchange: I'll give you your mother if you give me my husband, but I want him safe and sound.'

A photograph of the kidnapped woman shows her sitting on the floor of an empty white room, with just a ventilation fan beside her.

The mom was just one of two dozen people kidnapped by teams of vigilantes - known as 'self-defense forces' in the region - in response to El Tequilero's abductions.

All of those kidnapped were suspected - by the vigilantes, at least - to be members of his gang.

The vigilantes had also been seen in the streets carrying shotguns and hunting rifles, and and also appeared in videos, carrying banners and calling for action against El Tequilero.

'We urgently demand the release of the kidnap victims,' a masked man says in one video. 'We are a legitimate self-defense force of the people.'

Demands: The vigilantes - calling themselves a 'self-defense force' - demanded their relatives' return from El Tequilero, whose real name is Raybel Jacobo de Almonte

The government of Guerrero state moved to diffuse the situation Tueday, sending around 220 soldiers and police, as well as a negotiating team, to the area.

'The goal of the team is to ensure that no injury is done to the missing person, nor to the mother of the head of the Tequileros gang, who has apparently been taken by the self-defense forces,' a government statement said.

The end result was the freeing of around five of the kidnap victims and an agreement to release the others on the understanding they would be investigated or charged by police.

But the mom remains in the custody of the vigilantes.

The government has agreed to have state police oversee her exchange for the kidnapped engineer.

The emergence of vigilante groups, also known as self-styled 'community police,' has become a headache for Guerrero's government.

Authorities say they understand residents' frustration but note the groups often wind up kidnapping suspects, fighting among themselves or preventing police from doing their work.

'The truth is, they are not really community forces, nor are they police,' Governor Hector Astudillo has said. 'They are armed groups that unfortunately carry out acts ... that generate more violence and confrontation, rather than help.'

Angry: This woman's husband, Isauro de la Paz Duque, was kidnapped on Sunday. The boss's mom was taken Monday. On Tuesday the government deployed police, army and negotiators

On Tuesday, he said: 'This is something that has to end - that every time somebody gets the idea into their head of kidnapping somebody, they kidnap them.'

'El Tequilero' has lived up to his nickname, which translates roughly as 'The Tequila Drinker.'

In his only known public appearance, he was captured on video drinking with the town's mayor-elect. He mumbles inaudibly and has to be held up in a sitting position by one of his henchmen.

In late November, the Guerrero government said he was believed to have been wounded and was hiding out with his kidnap victims in the mountains.

The state attorney general headed an extensive manhunt using helicopters and troops on the ground in an unsuccessful effort to locate the gang leader.

The area around Totolapan is a hotbed of drug trafficking, killings and extortion. It is the foot of the mountains that produce much of Mexico's opium poppy crop.

Totolapan itself is considered so dangerous that many outlying hamlets in the township have been abandoned by fearful residents.

In 2014, the battered body of the parish priest, the Rev. Ascension Acuna Osorio, was found floating in the Balsas river near the town.
Bibbs faces up to 20 years in jail under the terms of his plea agreement

The cousin of Heather Mack's boyfriend has admitted to being part of a plan to murder her U.S. socialite mother in Bali and stuff her body in a suitcase.

Chicago man Robert Justin Bibbs, 26, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to his long-distance role in the 2014 murder of Sheila von Wiese-Mack in Bali, Indonesia.

Ms von Wiese-Mack, a millionaire heiress, was killed by her daughter's boyfriend Tommy Schaefer before her body was stuffed into a suitcase.

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Chicago man Robert Justin Bibbs, 26, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to his long-distance role in the 2014 murder of millionaire heiress Sheila von Wiese-Mack in Bali, Indonesia

Heather Mack (left) and Tommy Schaefer (right) were convicted last year over Sheila von Wiese-Mack's murder. Mack was sentenced to 10 years, while Schaefer was sentenced for 18

Bibbs had advised his cousin Schaefer and Mack by text message on how to kill Ms von Wiese-Mack in the hope of getting a share of the inheritance.

His texts included emoji symbols illustrating possible killing methods.

Schaefer was sentenced to 18 years in prison for premeditated murder.

Mack, who was pregnant at the time of sentencing and has since had a baby girl in prison, is serving 10 years for being an accessory to murder.

Bibbs acknowledged in his plea agreement that he was aware of the plot to commit the murder and counseled Schaefer on how to get away with it.

He had hoped for a cut of Ms von Wiese-Mack's inheritance by offering advice on killing her.

Bibbs was charged with a count of conspiracy to commit foreign murder of a national of the United States.

Mack and her mother, who had a troubled relationship, had traveled together to Bali in August 2014 and were staying at the luxury St. Regis Bali resort.

Mack and her mother (pictured together) had traveled together to Bali in August 2014 and were staying at the luxury St. Regis Bali resort

Mack and Schaefer, who are no longer together, have a baby girl together. She was born in jail after they were both sentenced and still lives behind bars

Mack, who was pregnant at the time of sentencing and has since had a baby girl in prison, is serving 10 years for being an accessory to murder

Schaefer joined them, surprising von Wiese-Mack, who did not know he was coming to Indonesia. Ms Von Wiese-Mack did not approve of the couple's relationship and the couple were planning to tell her Mack was pregnant.

Schaefer subsequently sent a text message to Bibbs in the United States and the two discussed killing the mother, with Bibbs suggesting drowning her or sitting on her face with a pillow to suffocate her, prosecutors said.

Later that day, Schaefer bludgeoned Ms von Wiese-Mack to death in her hotel room with a metal fruit bowl.

Schaefer and Mack then stuffed the 62-year-old's badly battered body in a suitcase, which was later found in the truck of a taxi at the Bali resort.

Ms von Wiese-Mack was bludgeoned to death in her hotel room in 2014 by her daughter's boyfriend Schaefer

Heath Mack gave birth to her daughter behind bars and she still lives with her in jail

The pair, who split up after they were sentenced, were arrested the following day and convicted in April 2015 in Indonesia for their roles in the murder.

Bibbs was arrested in the United States in September 2015.

Prosecutors and Bibbs' legal counsel have agreed the maximum sentence will be no more than 20 years under the terms of his plea agreement.

But U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer will impose the sentence on March 23, 2017.

Bibbs' attorney, Donna Hickstein-Foley, declined to comment on Tuesday.




Senior Thai police have publicly denied the allegations of a young Australian woman who says she was raped by her tuk tuk driver and his friend while in Bangkok.

The 23-year-old woman claims she was raped beside an abandoned building after hopping on the bike at around 3.40 am on Khaosan Road - but police say the incident was reported too quickly to be 'likely'.

'If there was a sexual assault, it would have taken her longer [to get to the police station],' Pol. Col. Thanawat told local media.

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A young woman, pictured, claims she was raped by her tuk tuk driver in Thailand - but police have released CCTV footage of her which they say proves her story is unlikely

The young woman is seen walking with a man - presumed to be a tourist - shortly before asking a tuk tuk driver for a ride

'Besides, at the time she claimed the assault took place, she was seen on Khaosan Road,' he added.

The police officer said it can take up to 25 minutes for a tuk tuk to travel from Khaosan Road to the abandoned building where the alleged rape took place.

He also explained CCTV cameras place the tourist with the bike and its rider just four minutes before she entered the police station.

The young Australian arrived at the police station on the back of a motorbike  after fleeing from her alleged attackers.

Police say the young woman's story is 'unlikely' because there was only 40 minutes between her hopping on the tuk tuk and reporting the crime to police

Police are looking for the tuk tuk driver involved as well as the local who reportedly helped her. They expect rape test results back today.

Meanwhile, Pol. Lt. Gen. Sanit Mahathavorn, Commander of the Metropolitan Police, said they are working to complete the investigation quickly as it 'effects the reputation of Thailand'.

Police have released CCTV footage of the woman which appears to show her with another tourist shortly before she caught a lift on the tuk tuk.

Part of the rape kit analysis will determine the race of the woman's attacker if any bodily fluids are found, local media report.
Spurned lovers are taking revenge on their exes - by asking Donald Trump to deport them on social media.

Angry ex-girlfriends and boyfriends are posting complete addresses of their former partners and saying they hope that the President-elect will kick them out of the country.

They are telling Trump where their exes work, security passcodes to get into their houses and instructions about which door to knock on.

One said that his ex was the 'last door on the left' and another said it was the house with a palm tree in front.

The dozens of posts on social media have sparked a huge debate online with some calling it cruel - but many others have applauded it.

Thank you tour: As well as speaking in Wisconsin, the president-elect is being sent suggestions on social media of who he could deport - and how to find them

The President-elect has made immigration one of his key campaign issues.

He also vowed to build a wall along the border with Mexico and make them pay for it, and increase the budget for deportation

DailyMail.com discovered numerous posts on Facebook and Twitter. Many of the posts were sarcastic and claimed that they did not want Trump to deport their exes.

However they then published the full address to track them down.

A woman in Austin, Texas wrote on Facebook: 'I pray Trump doesn't deport my ex who lives at XXXXX, Irving, TX, second floor. Third door to the left'

In response another man wrote: 'Or mine...who happens on be on an expired visa and has a few felonies due to drugs and 3 dwi's'.

Others who commented said: 'I am dying right now' and 'This is a great way to get even isn't it'.

Another wrote: 'Did he move yet or go under protection lol. Ahhh' to which the original poster replied: 'Girl, I'm just waiting for the messages when he sees this'.

On Facebook another man wrote: 'I hope Trump doesn't deport my ex who lives on XXXX. San Antonio, TX. Security passcode: XXXX. The dogs are tied up after 9pm'.

A woman wrote: 'I hope Donald Trump don't deport my ex XXXXX that stays at XXXX. he illegal with no papers and sell drugs out the bando next door with all types of illegal guns and drugs'.

Among the comments was: 'That's cold, why you didn't say that when you were with him'.

One man asked Trump to deport his Mexican ex-girlfriend and added: '#runmaria'. A man in New York gave detailed instructions about where his former girlfriend lives and wrote: 'Can't miss it!'

In a comment below he wrote: 'My ex is such a nice woman when she's not playing games or being bipolar or yelling at me. Lol'.

Another man wrote that he was 'praying that Trump once in office doesn't deport my ex that lives on , if she's not there she's at work downtown at XXXX'.

One post said that Trump was unable to help him. It read: 'Wish I could deport my ex....sadly he's legal'.

On Twitter there were similar appeals to the President-elect.

One man wrote: 'I REALLY hope @realDonaldTrump doesn't deport my ex who lives at XXXX Orlando. It's easy to spot. There is a palm tree outside.

Another wrote: 'I hope Donald Trump doesn't deport my ex Dominican girlfriend who lives at XXXX New York'.

One woman wrote: 'I hope Donald Trump doesn't deport my ex, who is from El Salvador who lives at XXXX near Orlando'.

Another man wrote: 'Mr Trump, plz dont deport my ex gf, who lives at XXXXX, 3rd floor (last door on the left)'

One man said that his ex was living in a red brick house in Texas where 'her back door is always open'.

A man in Florida wrote: 'Oh no! Trump please dont deport my ex-boyfriend XXXX, apartment number XXXX'.

Since his shock election last month Trump has said that he will be happy with a mixture of fencing and a physical wall on the border with Mexico.

The 700 miles that are covered by a wall are a mix of giant barriers, walls to stop traffic and 'virtual walls' with infra red sensors and patrols.

In a CBS interview Mr Trump said that he would throw out between two and three million illegal immigrants immediately.

After the border is 'secure' he will decide on the rest who are still in America.

He said: 'After the border is secure and after everything gets normalized, we're going to make a determination on the people that they're talking about who are terrific people, they're terrific people but we are gonna make a determination at that.

'But before we make that determination...it's very important, we are going to secure our border'.
A man who subjected his daughter to a decade of sexual assaults from when she turned two until she became too old to satisfy his paedophiliac behaviours has been jailed for 14 years.

Aged in his 50s, the Western Australian man who cannot be named, abused the girl from about 2002-2011, recording some of it and sharing it with other paedophiles.

In sentencing, District Court Judge Christopher Stevenson said the father's actions were the 'grossest thing any parent could do to their own child', The West Australian reported.

A Western Australia man who subjected his daughter to a decade of sexual assaults from when she turned two until she became too old to satisfy his paedophiliac behaviours has been jailed (stock image)

The father would wait until his wife and stepdaughter had left the house to abuse the girl and admitted grooming her and treating her in a way that would normalise the abuse.

Her behaviour - willingly taking part in degrading activities - showed she was under her father's control.

He also downloaded child exploitation material from the internet including content showing children as young as one being 'sadistically tortured', it was reported.

Judge Stevenson said the pornography was 'vile', 'depraved' and 'beyond human comprehension'.

The father would wait until his wife and stepdaughter had left the house to abuse his daughter (stock image)

'It is not the behaviour or conduct that can be seen anywhere else in the animal kingdom.

It is not the behaviour or conduct that can be seen anywhere else in the animal kingdom. District Court Judge Christopher Stevenson

'That material is baseless and it is difficult to comprehend how you could possess it.'

The father pleaded guilty to 51 child sex charges.

They including 19 counts of sexually penetrating his daughter and 24 counts of indecently recording her.

Judge Stevenson said the offending was planned and deliberate and that the girl had been unable to reveal what was happening so no-one could protect her.

His actions did not reveal any empathy or remorse, but a psychologist said he was likely to comply to treatment and supervision.

The man's sentence was backdated to August 2015 and he will be eligible for parole after 12 years.
For years it called itself the worlds local bank.

But this will ring increasingly hollow for many of HSBCs customers in the UK - particularly those in small towns and villages.

For a report has found that the High Street giant has closed 321 branches in less than two years - more than a quarter of its network.

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HSBC has closed 321 branches in the last two years, a fact critics have been quick to leap on as the group has alwasys branded itself as 'the world's local bank'

Analysis by consumer group Which? found that in total, 1046 bank branches have disappeared from Britains high streets since January last year, forcing people in rural communities to travel miles to their nearest bank.

HSBC is followed by Royal Bank of Scotland, which closed 191 branches, or 10 per cent of its network. This includes outlets of NatWest in England and Wales and branches of RBS in Scotland.

Lloyds Banking Group, which includes Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, has shut 180 branches, or 14 per cent of its network.

All the biggest lenders have been cutting their branch network to slash costs, as customers increasingly sort out their finances online or on their smart phones.

HSBC said that the number of visits to its branches had fallen on average by 40 per cent in the past five years.

But campaigners say the devastating cuts are penalising the elderly and small businesses who still rely heavily on their local bank branch.

Which? said many of the closures are in rural areas where people struggle to bank online because of slow broadband speeds.

Banks have also stressed that customers can use their local Post Office for basic financial transactions if their local branch is closed.

But Post Office workers are striking for five days next week and many bank customers are not even aware they can their Post Office as an alternative.

Which? said that while 72 per cent of the people it asked rated their general experience of the Post Office as good or excellent, 41 per cent said they did not realise that it offered banking services.

A former HSBC branch in Chirk, North Wales first opened in 1910 and was one of the last two rural bank branches in North East Wales.

Residents and shopkeepers protest against the closure of HSBC, High Street, Bookham in Dorset

Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive of Which?, said: 'Access to the services necessary to make everyday banking possible should be simple and straightforward. Weve seen some good examples of banks acting responsibly and in the interest of local communities when they close branches.

'However, banks can and must do a better job of working with their customers to understand their needs and those of the local community, especially when they are making changes to the services they offer or closing branches.'

High street lenders have all abandoned a long standing commitment to not shut a branch if it is the last in town.

This has left hundreds of villages in the UK which do not have a single branch, from Colyton in Devon, to Bourne End in Buckinghamshire.

The number of branches in the UK has more than halved since 1989 from 17,831 to 8340.

Banks have promised to offer greater support and advice to customers faced with branch closures.

A review into the industrys arrangements by Professor Russel Griggs found lenders could offer more support to customers on alternative ways to handle their finances.

A spokesman for HSBC said: 'Since our branch network was first established over 100 years ago the UK has gone through significant change and customers are now rapidly moving their banking online.
Not mentioning Australia's part in the New Zealand Wars in a new Anzac memorial for risk of offending has been labelled 'political correctness gone mad' by the Veteran Affairs Minister.

The New South Wales State Library said the government needed to be aware of how the inclusion of the country's involvement in the 1845-64 wars in the new Hyde Park Anzac memorial would be received by New Zealanders.

But Veterans Affairs Minister David Elliott was quoted as calling it 'political correctness gone mad' by The Daily Telegraph.

The Anzac War Memorial in Hyde Park, Sydney in 2010. The park is being upgraded and receiving a new war memorial

Veterans Affairs Minister David Elliott saying not mentioning Australia's part in the war would be 'political correctness gone mad'

The Australian War Memorial website states the wars began because of 'the continuing expansion of European settlers onto Maori land and the colonial governments determination to crush native independence'.

About 2000 Australians enlisted for the wars, according to the Victoria State Library.

They were promised land for their participation, it was reported.

During the conflict, about 2000 Maori - native New Zealanders - were killed and one million hectares of their land was confiscated by colonial forces, according to The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, a government website.

Opposition veterans affairs spokeswoman Lynda Voltz

About 500 British and colonial troops died, as well as 250 kupapa - Maori who fought for the British side.

The State Library's concerns were raised representative Richard Neville at a meeting of the memorial's trustees on November 29, Opposition veterans affairs spokeswoman Lynda Voltz told The Daily Telegraph.

He said the wars would have significance to people living in NSW and that had to be taken into account.

Ms Voltz suspected he was referring to New Zealanders - including Maori - who lived in the state.

She said she'd responded to Mr Elliot's claims there was no controversy by saying: 'it may be considered controversial because there was a context that soldiers were offered land to fight', the Telegraph reported.
Luckily, the fire is quickly put out by

A magistrate has released shocking CCTV footage of an arsonist lighting a grassfire opposite his house, before returning home to call 000 to report the emergency.

The video shows 42-year-old unemployed Luke Blacker get into his car and drive across the road, stopping to set fire to the long, dry grass in Melbourne last year.

Before anyone can see what he's done, he gets back into his car and speeds off down the street. He then returns home to report the emergency he created.

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Arsonist Luke Blacker lights a grass fire across the road from his Melbourne home

The flames are fanned by strong winds, and quickly start spreading across the park. As thick white smoke starts pouring into nearby homes, concerned neighbours spill out onto the street to watch the blaze.

Finally, firefighters come to battle the blaze with water-guns.

Blacker watches the disarray from the safety of his front yard.

The entire incident was caught on a neighbour's CCTV camera, and turned over to police.

Blacker was arrested and initially told police that he had no involvement with the blaze, claiming:

'I wouldn't deliberately start a fire, believe me no way in the world. I'm not a 10-year-old kid, you know what I mean.'

Alarmed neighbours spill out onto the street to watch the blaze

Firefighters battle the blaze with waterguns

Blacker pleaded guilty in the County Court of Victoria on Wednesday to one count of intentionally causing a bushfire, a penalty which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment.

Blacker conceded that he may have started the fire, but denied that it was intentional, declaring: '[there was] probably a 95 percent chance I did do it, but it wasn't intentional'.

The court heard that Blacker had previously been convicted of reckless conduct endangering serious injury and was currently subject to a community correction order.

Blacker's defense lawyer, Mia Stylianou, argued that his mental capacity was diminished as he was suffering from depression, extreme anxiety, and alcoholism.

The court heard that he was struggling to cope with the loss of his young son in 2008, coupled with a workplace injury in 2012.
Hundreds of commuters were stranded inside dark, stuffy trains for nearly an hour following a power fault.

Melbourne travelers were plunged into darkness on the City Loop on Tuesday morning after a loss of power brought trains to a halt.

The outage affected Parliament, Flagstaff and Melbourne Central stations, Metro spokesman Marcus Williams told Daily Mail Australia.

Melbourne travelers were plunged into darkness on the City Loop on Tuesday morning after a loss of power brought trains to a halt

Commuters were stuck in the dark City Loop tunnel for almost an hour on Tuesday morning

One commuter stuck between North Melbourne and Flagstaff station, told the Herald Sun that people began forcing open the train doors to get air.

'The train driver announced not to touch the doors as they unlocked when the power was out  but people started opening doors as it was hot and stuffy,' Justin Burns said.

'No aircon on a packed train due to the no power.

'I was running through survival mode thinking how I could make the food in my bag last and where I could get water.'

Other commuters said it was 'like a horror movie' in the darkened carriages, according to The Age.

There reports of load bangs and sparks before the power went out according to witnesses.

Mr Williams said two trains were stopped in between stations at the time of the outage.

'We managed to restore power to one of those, and we got the second train moving again - but we featured another power loss.'

Staff members helped passengers disembark the second train as the network now tries to cope with the congestion chaos.

'City Loop services are still running except for Sunbury, Craigieburn and Upfield lines,' Mr Williams said.

'Those three lines are running direct to Flinders St.'

Mr Williams said investigations are continuing to find the cause of the loss of power.

One commuter stuck between North Melbourne and Flagstaff station said people began forcing open the train doors to get air
 Flash

Willie Walsh, chief executive of the International Airlines Group, has blasted the UK government for dragging its feet on introducing a new 10-year visa for Chinese visitors.

Walsh, who heads one of the world's largest multinational airline companies, including British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia, said: "The government needs to get its act together to make Britain attractive to the Chinese or we will continue to lose out on the economic benefits that they can bring to the UK."

In a recent news release he accused the UK government of going back on a promise, first delivered during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit in October 2015, to introduce a new 10-year multiple entry visa for Chinese visitors at no extra cost.

Philip Hammond, the then UK foreign secretary, announced with some fanfare during a subsequent visit to Beijing in January, that the UK had fulfilled a pledge to introduce a new two-year visa system that would enable visitors from China to make multiple trips to the UK for longer periods.

Hammond, now UK chancellor, said at the time: "In due course we would like to see this two-year visa extended to a 10-year multiple entry visa. That remains our aspiration and we will work with our Chinese partners towards it."

Walsh insisted the issue is time critical.

He said: "We need to ensure we can trade effectively post-Brexit."

Walsh noted that the UK export market to China was worth almost 13 billion pounds in 2015 and stressed that more needs to be done to encourage trade links with the world's second-largest economy.

He said: "The US already has a standard 10-year visa which costs around 100 while Britain's costs 800. The government needs to match its rhetoric on China with action."

Walsh earlier this year urged a relaxation of visa requirements after noting that it was much easier for Chinese tour groups to travel within mainland Europe with a so-called Schengen visa than it was to travel to the UK.

The UK Home Office told China Daily UK that it will first evaluate a pilot two-year multiple entry visit visa scheme, which began in January 2016, before considering a 10-year scheme.
The inquiry will also recommend if there should be a limit on cash payments

The $100 bill may be taken out of circulation as people avoid tax by paying cash

The taskforce will determine how Australian has lost billions in unpaid taxes

The Australian government are looking at removing $100 bills from circulation amidst fears people are avoiding taxes by paying cash.

The future of cash payments over a certain limit will also be at the centre of a federal investigation of Australia's hidden 'black economy', which has allowed billions of dollars in unpaid tax fall through the cracks.

Revenue and Financial Services Minister Kelly O'Dwyer said those flouting the law were robbing the Australian people of vital infrastructure and services as the lost revenue could be used to better fund education or health.

The Australian government are looking at removing $100 bills from circulation amidst fears people are avoiding taxes by paying cash

'The whole point of this crackdown on the black economy is to make sure we close down any potential loopholes,' she told ABC radio on Wednesday.

Despite the broad use of electronic forms of payment, Ms O'Dwyer warned there are three times as many $100 notes in circulation than $5's.

'It does beg the question 'why',' she said.

The black economy accounts for 1.5 per cent of GDP, given many cash payments are untaxed.

Revenue and Financial Services Minister Kelly O'Dwyer (pictured) said those flouting the law are robbing the Australian people of vital infrastructure and services

The minister said she would not rule out removing the $100 note from circulation but would hear the expert panel's recommendations before making any decisions.

'There's nothing wrong with cash per se, the issue is when people don't declare it and when they don't pay tax on it,' she said.

The taskforce will draw on the experience of countries like France, where the government banned cash payments of more than 1000 euros.
The child protection advocate who brought down a governor-general now wants a high-profile criminologist stripped of his Order of Australia medal for playing sick games with young girls.

Retired Queensland criminology professor Paul Wilson was found guilty in November of molesting a girl during the 1970s.

Child protection advocate Hetty Johnston says that guilty verdict from a Brisbane District Court jury should see him stripped of his Order of Australia medal.

'You need to be a proper character to have it and he's clearly not,' she told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.

A jury found criminology professor Paul Wilson guilty of molesting a girl during the 1970s

Child protection advocate Hetty Johnston (pictured) said a person of ill character needed to be stripped of their Order of Australia medal

'It's really, really important for the integrity of the whole award system .

'They do take them away from recipients if they find them to be unworthy so I'm hoping that happens sooner rather than later.'

A jury took three hours in November to reach a guilty verdict on four counts of indecently dealing with a child, between 1973 and 1976, leading him to be jailed for 18 months suspended after serving six months behind bars.

During his trial, a victim told jurors how he tapped his penis against her and played a blindfolded game of hide and seek with her and another girl.

His victim was just eight years old when the offending began in Brisbane.

Professor Wilson, the former chair of criminology at Bond University on Queensland's Gold Coast, was awarded his Australia Day honour in 2003.

Retired criminology professor Paul Wilson outside Brisbane District Court in November 2016

That was also the year Ms Johnston, the founder of Bravehearts, successfully campaigned for then governor-general Peter Hollingworth to resign over his handling of child sexual abuse complaints when he was Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane.

Now, she wants incumbent Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove to terminate Professor Wilson's honour, pointing out how child molesters often had high profiles.

'People who harm children are very, very good as putting themselves forward as an upstanding community member,' Ms Johnston said.

'Quite often, they do lots of volunteer work. Often that is a mask.

'They need to have that credibility, they need to have that esteem and they need all of those things to get access to children to win the trust of the adults who would otherwise protect those children.'

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove (pictured) is being called upon to revoke retired criminologist Paul Wilson of his Order of Australia medal

Ms Johnston was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2014 for her work in child welfare and protection.

'It's the thing I'm most proud of,' she said.

The governor-general can cancel an honour if a recipient has been convicted of a criminal offence.

The Governor-General's office said it would consider any request for Professor Wilson's honour to be revoked.

'The council considers all matters brought to their attention by the Honours Secretariat,' a spokesman told the ABC.

'The secretariat monitors the media and other resources, and may also receive information from members of the public.'

Forty-three awards have been cancelled or terminated since the start of the honours system in 1975, the ABC said.
the day before Thanksgiving in front of 800 friends and family members

The NYC party boy and his New Jersey pal who were arrested last month following the stabbing death of a Hofstra grad pleaded not guilty to all charges against them in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday.

James Rackover, 25, and Lawrence Dilione, 29, each appeared at Manhattan Supreme Court and entered pleas of not guilty to charges of concealing a corpse, hindering prosecution, and tampering with evidence.

Neither of the men have been charged with murder.

The judge in the case also reduced Rackover's bail from $3million to $1million, or a $300,000 cash bond.

Dilione was released on bond last month.

The two men are facing these charges in the death of Joseph Communale, who was allegedly stabbed to death in Rackover's apartment on November 13.

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James Rackover, 25, and Lawrence Dilione, 29, each appeared at Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday (Rackover above)

The judge in the case reduced Rackover's bail from $3million to $1million, or a $300,000 cash bond

The men each pleaded not guilty to charges of concealing a corpse, hindering prosecution, and tampering with evidence (Dilione above on Tuesday)

Dilione was released on bond last month and has been home in New Jersey

Video courtesy of Crime Watch Daily

Last week, Max Gemma, 29, was also booked on charges of hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence in the death of Comunale in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday, with his bail set at $200,000 bond or $100,000 cash. He entered a plea of not guilty.

Gemma is from Oceanport, New Jersey, just like Dilione.

Comunale was laid to rest the day before Thanksgiving, also the same day Dilione was released on bail.

Over 800 heartbroken friends and family members turned up in Stamford, Connecticut, at St Leo's Church to pay their final respects.

His father Pat broke down in tears as he spoke to those in attendance, saying: 'Well, Joeyd be mad at me for crying, because he never cried.

'He loved his friends. That's a testament to what kind of kid he was. And he shared everything with his friends, I can assure you.'

Family members and friends outside the church said that all they want now is for justice to be served, and for Dilione and Rackover to go to prison for killing the caring young man with a 'big heart.'

The body of Comunale, who goes by the name Joey, was discovered in a wooded stretch on the Jersey shore on November 16.

The area is just minutes from Dilione's workplace, Shore Point Roofing.

Comunale's partially-burned remains were found inside a suitcase that had been buried behind Foggia's Florist in the town of Oceanport. There were multiple stab wounds on the victim's body while he also suffered a broken pelvis.

Trio: Max Gemma (above in court last Tuesday), 29, of Oceanport, New Jersey has been charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence in Joseph Comunale's death

One and two: Comunale, 26, was at the apartment of James Rackover with Lawrence Dilione (above), when he was stabbed

Rackhouse changed his name in March of last year after moving in with Jeffrey Rackhouse (pair above in May 2014)

Comunale was reported missing at 8am on Tuesday, November 15 by his father after he never returned home from his weekend trip to New York City.

He reportedly met Rackover and Dilione at Gilded Lily, a club on West 14th Street, and that at the end of the evening they headed back to Rackover's apartment on 59th Street with three women.

The three women then left early that morning, and Comunale was seen reentering the building around 7:30am.

Some time after he returned the men reportedly got into a fight and Comunale was stabbed multiple times.

Then at some point a person inside called the front desk to request a luggage cart.

Not long after that, a man was recorded on surveillance video using the cart to transport two pieces of luggage out of the building.

A building employee was also reportedly asked by an individual in the building how long video surveillance was kept before it gets erased.

Rackover was born James Arthur Beaudoin Jr. in Florida, and was arrested multiple times for burglary, armed robbery, and drug possession.

Then, in January of 2009 he was charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, again in Broward County.

For that arrest he was also charged with violating his probation.

He left Broward County and his criminal past behind however to travel north to New York, where he found a new home in Jeffrey Rackover's multimillion dollar apartment.

James was later given his own apartment in the same building, which is where police believe the grizzly murder of Comunale occurred this weekend.

Jeffrey treated James as the son he never had and allowed him to formally use his name.
A police officer fatally shot a grandfather with dementia even though the 73-year-old was unarmed and made no threatening movements, police said Tuesday.

Rookie cop and former-Marine Reagan Selman. 26, fired seven rounds at a confused Francisco Serna in Bakersfield, California, at around 12.30am Monday.

Police responded to reports that a man was brandishing a firearm in the neighborhood, and a witness pointed to Serna, who had both hands 'concealed inside his jacket', according to police.

But the elderly man was unarmed, and instead of a gun, police found 'a dark colored simulated woodgrain crucifix,' according to a police statement cited by USA Today.

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Officer Reagan Selman (left) fired seven rounds around 12.30am Monday, and killed Francisco Serna (right) in Bakersfield, California even though the 73-year-old was unarmed, police said

Serna had five children and was a 'retired grandpa, just living life,' his son said. Family members said he exhibited signs of dementia, and took walks at night when he couldn't sleep

Selman (pictured) has been a member of the Bakersfield force since July 2015 after a stint in Afghanistan. He and six other cops were put on administrative leave pending an investigation

Serna's neighbor returned home with a friend and got out of the car in her driveway, only to find the 73-year-old standing behind her with his right hand hidden inside his jacket, according to police.

Serna questioned her about living in the neighborhood, and told her to open the car door so he could have a look inside. The woman's friend complied.

The neighbor saw a 'dark brown or black handled object that she believed was a gun,' and ran inside the house, telling her husband to call the police.

When the husband called 911, he told the dispatch without expressing any doubt that Serna was armed and brandishing a revolver, according to Assistant Police Chief Lyle Martin.

When Selman and several other officers arrived, the neighbor pointed at Serna and yelled, 'That's him!'

Sleman (pictured with his wife Crystal) allegedly started firing at Serna less than 30 seconds after arriving on the scene

The elderly man walked towards them with both hands concealed inside his jacket, and did not follow orders to stop and show his hands, police said.

Selman fired seven rounds at the 73-year-old even though he did not lunge at the officers or exhibit any threatening behavior, Martin said.

Martin also said the police failed to utilize 'lower levels of force'.

Selman was the only officer who opened fire just 20 to 30 seconds after the neighbor yelled, and Serna was pronounced dead in the driveway on the same block of his home.

A search of the scene revealed Serna was not armed. Police found a 'dark colored crucifix' instead.

Selman and six other officers have been put on administrative leave pending an investigation, Martin said.

Rogelio, above, who goes by Roy, posted a video on Facebook claiming police murdered his father, and pointed to the area where it happened

While the 73-year-old's son claimed he was shot nine times, Martin told reporters on Tuesday that Selman fired seven rounds.

'Right across the street is where the police shot my father with nine bullets to his body, and my dad was not armed,' Rogelio Serna said in a video on Facebook.

'My father was MURDERED by BAKERSFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT' he wrote.

Rogelio wrote in another post that his father was in the early stages of dementia and would go on walks when he had trouble sleeping.

'My dad did not own a gun. He was a 73-year-old retired grandpa, just living life,' Rogelio Serna told the Times.

'He should have been surrounded by family at old age, not surrounded by bullets,' he added.

Serna was a father of five, grandfather of 16 and great-grandfather of five.

He lived with his wife and one of his daughters. He worked at a cotton gin in California's Central Valley until he retired more than a decade ago.

Rogelio Serna said his father had been suffering from delusions and other early signs of dementia over the course of the last year, and his condition had deteriorated in the past month.

Police had visited the house twice before because his confused father activated a medical alarm, Rogelio Serna said.

Serna's son paid tribute to his father and said: 'He was taken from us sooner than expected. Not from a sickness, but from senseless police'

Rogelio Serna filmed another video on Tuesday, alerting supporters to a candlelight vigil that was being held that day.

He paid tribute to his father and said: 'He was taken from us sooner than expected. Not from a sickness, but from senseless police.'

Rogelio Serna added that his father was not tasered, and said: 'I've got nothing against the police, but it's got to stop against innocent people. Enough is enough already. '
He said they've had past reports and have laid

Cox from Coolum Police said they are aware of activities in the area

A father is 'outraged' after discovering a couple having sex on a beach close to where other couples were sitting, and another who were 'heavy petting'.

Jason Bowkers was at Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday afternoon when he saw a couple engaging in 'heavy sexual activity'.

'As far as I'm concerned, nudity promotes promiscuity. From what I've just seen, it encourages people to become sexually active and I am 1000% against this,' Mr Bowkers told the Sunshine Coast Daily.

A Queensland father has called for police and the local council to crack down on activities at Third Bay (pictured) on Coolum Beach in Queensland after he saw a couple having sex

'I didn't find it too offensive when people were sitting on the beach, mostly naked.

'But I did find it offensive when they were sitting on the beach blatantly fornicating.

'It was not discreet, it was a bit of showmanship,' he said.

Mr Bowkers said Third Bay was known as being an alternative location, but this was taking it too far and clothing optional beaches should not be allowed on the Sunshine Coast.

He said his 13-year-old daughter and friend regularly walk on the beach and he was concerned they would be exposed to the behaviour.

He has called for police and the local council to clamp down on the activity in the area.

A spokesperson from the Sunshine Coast Council told Daily Mail Australia Mr Bowkers had reported the incident to them, but it was a police matter.

Sergeant Ben Cox from Coolum Police Station said police were aware of the activities in the area and had charged people in the past. He said the reports were 'fairly sporadic' and tended to spike during the school holidays

Sergeant Ben Cox from Coolum Police Station said the incident hadn't been reported to the station, but they'd had previous reports of similar activity in the area and a number of people had been charged over the years.

'It's a fairly secluded area so it lends itself to that kind of behaviour, we're certainly aware of it and we patrol it a fair bit,' Sergeant Cox said.

He said there have been people banned from the area in the past because of similar activity, but it was fairly sporadic and tended to tie in with school holidays.

Jason Bowkers said he was concerned about the behaviour because his 13-year-old daughter and friend often walked along the beach and he was worried they would be exposed to it

'If it's reported we will certainly take action and locate people and charge them for offensive behaviour,' he said.

Sergeant Cox said the beach is frequented by children and families and that plain clothes police also patrol the area.
Civilians trapped inside the Syrian city of Aleppo have been posting goodbye messages on social media and begged for an end to the conflict.

The world's view of the Syria conflict has largely been driven by YouTube, Twitter and Facebook - making it one of the world's most documented wars through amateur videos and coverage.

And as the battle for the city came to an effective end yesterday, residents inside Aleppo who were fearing for their lives took to social media to post emotional messages.

Omar Arab who posted one video to Facebook pleading for help before being interrupted by the sound of gunfire

Activist Lena Shame, left, and teacher Abdulkafi Alhamdo, right, also spoke of their fears of being trapped in Aleppo

In one of the videos posted online, Salah Ashkar , begs for intervention to end the brutal assault on Aleppo, telling the camera: 'Please, there is no minute to spare. Please, please stand with Aleppo.'

Another man, named as media activist Omar Arab, is interrupted during his video by the sound of gunfire over head.

Meanwhile, activist, Lena Shame , describes being in the 'middle of a genocide' before adding: 'This may be my last video.

'More than 50,000 who rebelled against the dictator Assad have been killed.

While teacher Abdulkafi Alhamdo posting on the live streaming app Periscope added: 'Many people now are being killed and just kept in the streets and their buildings. No one can help them. No way, no hospitals, no cure.

In another clip , he adds: 'We did not want anything else but freedom. This world doesn't like freedom it seems.

In one of the videos posted online, Salah Ashkar , begs for intervention to end the brutal assault on Aleppo

'Want I want to say is I don't believe anymore in the United Nations or the international community.

'Russia doesn't want to let us get out alive, they just want us dead.'

Meanwhile, a man called Dr al-Nasr, described the situation as 'apocalyptic'.

However, since the messages have been posted a ceasefire deal has been struck between the pro-Syrian government forces and the rebels for them and the civilians still living there to evacuate the city safely.

Since the messages have been posted a ceasefire deal has been struck between the pro-Syrian government forces and the rebels for them and the civilians still living there to evacuate the city safely

Russia's U.N. ambassador Vitaly Churkin told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that 'according to the latest information that we received in the last hour, military actions in eastern Aleppo are over.'

This means that the battle for Aleppo, one of the worst of a civil war that has drawn in global and regional powers, has ended with victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his military coalition of Russia, Iran and regional Shi'ite militias.

For rebels, their expected departure with light weapons starting on Wednesday morning for opposition-held regions west of the city is a crushing blow to their hopes of ousting Assad after revolting against him during the 2011 Arab uprisings.

Meanwhile, Russia's U.N. ambassador Vitaly Churkin told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that 'according to the latest information that we received in the last hour, military actions in eastern Aleppo are over.'

Rebel officials said fighting would end this evening and a source in the pro-Assad military alliance said the evacuation of fighters would begin at around dawn on Wednesday

He added: 'The bottom line is - if everything is okay - that means that the fighting around eastern Aleppo is over.'

Elsewhere, rebel officials said fighting would end this evening and a source in the pro-Assad military alliance said the evacuation of fighters would begin at around dawn on Wednesday. A reporter in Aleppo said that the booms of the bombardment could no longer be heard.
Britain has a worse mobile phone network than Albania, Romania or Peru, officials revealed yesterday.

Several countries that receive British aid also have better networks, including India and Indonesia, the National Infrastructure Commission found.

It said more than 8,000 miles of Britains A and B roads have no signal at all.

In addition, the latest 4G signals needed to make full use of mobile internet services are available in only a fifth of homes outside Britains major cities.

Several countries that receive British aid also have better networks, including India and Indonesia, the National Infrastructure Commission found

This had created digital deserts across swathes of the country.

Britain comes 54th in the world, with coverage of just 57.9 per cent  the amount of time the average user has access to 4G.

In a report, the NIC said the market was failing consumers. It urged ministers to stop Britain falling further behind as the mobile industry moves on to superfast 5G technology  the fifth generation of mobile internet networks.

Former Labour Cabinet minister Lord Adonis, who led the review, said that although Britain was languishing in the digital slow lane, the rollout of 5G technology was an opportunity for the Government to start again.

He added: The typical user can access 4G barely half the time. Roads and railways can feel like digital deserts and even city centres are plagued by not-spots where connectivity is impossible.

Former Labour Cabinet minister Lord Adonis, who led the review, said that although Britain was languishing in the digital slow lane

That isnt just frustrating, it is holding British business back as more of our economy requires a connected workforce.

Britain gives more than 300million in aid to India, Indonesia, Morocco and Colombia, all of which have better 4G coverage, although it is not thought that aid money has been used to directly fund mobile networks in these countries.

Todays report says mobile services should be treated like other essential utilities. It calls on ministers to:

Work with the regulator Ofcom to impose a new universal service obligation on mobile phone companies to secure essential connectivity wherever we live, work and travel;

Force mobile phone firms to share their infrastructure to improve coverage, particularly in the countryside;

Ban the providers from making misleading claims about the extent of their coverage, and authorise the Advertising Standards Authority to take action if they do;

Work with the Highways Agency and rail authorities to ensure that 5G technology is made accessible across the entire motorway and rail network.

Former Tory minister Grant Shapps, who chairs the cross-party Big Infrastructure Group of MPs, said the report was a devastating indictment of Britains failure to keep pace with the world on mobile technology.

A study by the MPs in October found that 17million people had poor mobile reception at home  or none at all, and said foreign tourists often got a better signal.

He added: Ministers have beentoo easily taken in by glib promises from telecoms providers and the ineffective and weak response of Ofcom.

Mr Shapps called on Theresa May to take personal responsibility for driving through improvements, and urged her to nominate a Cabinet minister to oversee the rollout of 5G. Mobile phone firms have fought moves to make them share their infrastructure with rivals, even though they already do so for foreign visitors.

But they could be forced to co-operate if ministers accept the call to impose a universal service obligation on them.

Ministers have already agreed a deal that will require mobile phone firms to provide basic coverage to 90 per cent of the UK by the end of next year.

But the NIC study suggests users should be able to expect to access basic voice and text services wherever they are, including on all main roads.

Grant Shapps, who chairs the cross-party Big Infrastructure Group of MPs, said the report was a devastating indictment of Britains failure to keep pace with the world on mobile technology

The National Infrastructure Commission was set up by George Osborne last year to provide impartial advice to ministers on improving Britains creaking infrastructure.

It was asked in March to advise ministers on how the UK could become a world leader in the deployment of 5G, which offers ultra-fast, reliable connections.

But the NIC found that the UK was already lagging far behind its rivals in exploiting mobile technology. It discovered that 4G technology was available to British users only half the time.

Countries such as the US and Japan have networks that can handle four times as much data.

While 4G services are available to users in 80 per cent of urban properties, this drops to merely 20 per cent in the countryside.

Just 8 per cent of A and B roads have full 4G connectivity, the report found. Even on motorways, users cannot get 3G or 4G almost a quarter of the time.

The Treasury insisted last night that ministers were already beefing up Britains mobile infrastructure, with Chancellor Philip Hammond announcing 1billion investment in 5G and fibre-optic technology last month.

A Treasury spokesman said: We want the UK to become a world leader in 5G, which is why we asked NIC to carry out this study. We will consider their recommendations carefully and respond at Budget 2017.
Bricklayers and scaffolders are earning up to 50,000 a year due to a 'chronic' shortage of skilled workers, a new study shows.

Hiring at private firms has reached the highest level for three years despite the economic uncertainty posed by Brexit, according to a job report from Manpower.

Bricklayers are now commanding up to 24 an hour in regions such as the East of England, almost double the national average of 12.18, while scaffolders are on 22 an hour.

The outlook is most promising in the construction and utilities sectors but they are facing a shortage in skilled workers resulting in the increase in pay.

Bricklayers in some regions were making up to 24 an hour, almost double the national average of 12.18

Manpower said the biggest headache for employers was a shortage of suitably skilled workers.

Mark Cahill, ManpowerGroup UK managing director, said the sector had been buoyed by the government's huge investment in housing infrastructure over the next five years.

'Building and skilled trades firms are desperate to make the most of this opportunity, but they have been facing a chronic talent shortage for years,' he added.

The research of more than 2,100 companies revealed a positive picture in private firms, but fears that the public sector will shrink in the first few months of 2017.

The survey asked whether employers intend to hire additional workers or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming quarter.

Mr Cahill said the research revealed that: 'UK companies are going into 2017 hungry for top talent.

'Employers are still unsure about what exactly Brexit will mean, but are not letting that uncertainty deter them from hiring.

'Some employers may be looking to bring in talent while they can before any curbs to freedom of movement across the European Union come into effect, as more than half of all the jobs created by UK employers this year went to EU workers.'

The survey also found that the utility sector was the most buoyant about job growth which Manpower said was due to the government's plans to install smart meters.

'In the next two years more than 26 million smart meters will need to be fitted if the government is going to meet its targets.

'Energy companies will need an army of up to 20,000 skilled engineers and wider support staff to meet this challenge,' Mr Cahill explained.

However employment in transport is predicted to fall, with the sector probably reaching its peak after years of growth, said the report.

While the employment outlook is bright for the construction and utilities sectors, employment in transport was predicted to fall, according to a report

Mr Cahill said this was down to the recent court ruling against Uber and firms looking towards driver-less technology which has received a 390m boost.

However, he added: 'Drivers shouldn't be despondent though. There is still a real skills shortage in the sector and with Christmas delivery season in full-swing, drivers are set for a very busy period.'

The survey supports research by Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) earlier this year which found that bricklayers were earning up to 1,000 a week.
Budget-conscious shoppers have long turned to supermarkets own-label products to get more for their money.

But now it seems increasing numbers are upgrading to retailers premium food brands, with figures showing they are spending 13 per cent more on them than they did last year.

Analysts predict a record festive season for ranges such as Tescos Finest, Sainsburys Taste the Difference, Morrisons The Best and Asdas Extra Special.

Analysts predict a record festive season for ranges such as Tescos Finest, Sainsburys Taste the Difference, Morrisons The Best and Asdas Extra Special

Marks & Spencer is also benefiting from a taste for the finer things, recording a 2.9 per cent increase in food and drink sales compared with a year ago.

Aldi remains the fastest-growing grocer, thanks largely to the appeal of its Specially Selected range to middle-class families.

There has been a 25 per cent increase in sales from the range this year, including more than 3.5million dry aged steaks.

The chains Specially Selected and Exquisite Christmas range includes handmade local foods, fine cheeses, rope-hung boxed smoked Scottish salmon and a jewelled layered pork pie.

Sales at Aldi were 10 per cent higher over the past 12 weeks compared with a year ago, according to figures from the retail analysts Kantar Worldpanel.

Big supermarkets have been squeezed by a price war triggered by the rise of Aldi and its rival Lidl

In second place for growth was Iceland, with sales up 8.6 per cent since it started offering gourmet foods under the Luxury label. The list includes Gaucho rump steaks, Arctic sliced octopus and two whole poussins with bacon for 5.

Big supermarkets have been squeezed by a price war triggered by the rise of Aldi and its rival Lidl.

As a result, the price of essentials such as bread, milk, butter, eggs and vegetables has been held down for two years.

It appears that while families enjoy these austerity price savings, they are increasingly putting upmarket treats in their trolleys.

A rare breed of premium turkey, Narragansett, which has not been sold by supermarkets for more than 70 years, is being offered by Tesco under its Finest brand. Whole birds will sell for 9 a kilo, about double the cost of a standard turkey.

Kantars head of retail, Fraser McKevitt, said: Top-tier private label finds its way into 12 per cent of shopping trips, with 88 per cent of consumers now buying from these lines. In the past 12 weeks, 6.3 per cent of own-label purchases were from premium lines such as Tesco Finest and Sainsburys Taste the Difference, well ahead of the 5.7 per cent recorded last year.

Weve seen particularly impressive performances from Morrisons The Best, which saw sales increase by 35 per cent, and Asda Extra Special, which grew by 15 per cent.

He added: Over Christmas its likely premium lines will record their highest ever sales figures.

In second place for growth was Iceland, with sales up 8.6 per cent since it started offering gourmet foods under the Luxury label

Food prices have fallen for two years, but Kantar said some lines are starting to rise. Fresh fish, for example, is up 5.3 per cent year on year, chilled ready meals by 2.3 per cent and beer by 2.1 per cent.

Kantar said the third fastest growing supermarket was Lidl, where sales are up 5.7 per cent. There was a 2 per cent increase at the Co-op, 1.6 per cent at Tesco and 1.1 per cent at Waitrose.

Overall sales at Sainsburys were down by 0.6 per cent. Morrisons registered a fall of 1.4 per cent and Asda one of 4.7 per cent.
Today it was Theresa May's turn to mock Boris Johnson as she labelled him an 'FFS' in what is fast-becoming a daily battle with her Foreign Secretary.

Responding to a Labour MP who told her that when she penciled 'FO' against his name in July, 'it should have been an instruction rather than a job offer,' she replied saying: 'He is, in short, an FFS - a fine Foreign Secretary.'

The barbed jibe at Mr Johnson came hours after he took a swipe at the Prime Minister by joking to ambassadors that she wears lederhosen.

The Foreign Secretary, who has repeatedly been the butt of jokes made by Mrs May, got his revenge by laughing about her 995 leather trousers at a diplomatic reception.

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Today it was Theresa May's turn to mock Boris Johnson as she labelled him an 'FFS' in what is fast-becoming a daily battle with her Foreign Secretary

He joked to ambassadors at the Lancaster House party last night about how Britain imported goods from all over the world, including Mrs May's controversial fashion choice.

'We are so cosmopolitan that we drink more champagne, buy more German cars than anyone else and our wonderful Prime Minister wears lederhosen,' he said.

He added: 'We managed to export Nigel Farage to America, but not in a diplomatic fashion.'

Mrs May was criticised by some for wearing designer leather trousers worth 995 for a magazine photoshoot. The 'bitter chocolate' trousers were designed by Amanda Wakeley and received much attention - including from those who suggested they were too extravagant, like MP Nicky Morgan. It later emerged Mrs Morgan owns a handbag worth 950.

Boris Johnson last night took a swipe at Theresa May by joking to ambassadors that she wears lederhosen

Mr Johnson joked: ''We are so cosmopolitan that we drink more champagne, buy more German cars than anyone else and our wonderful Prime Minister wears lederhosen'

Mr Johnson also joked about how after a previous diplomatic reception, EU ambassadors had claimed he privately said he supported freedom of movement - an accusation he categorically denied.

He said: 'Last time I spoke to so many ambassadors, I'm afraid a rather curious account of what I said emerged.

'I'm in favour of free drinks, which you are all enjoying tonight, but I'm not necessarily in favour of freedom of movement.'

MP Nicky Morgan criticised Mrs May for her extravagant trousers - it later emerged Mrs Morgan owns a handbag worth 950

He continued:'I have a very simple message for you all, which is that this government recognises - particularly now - that Britain cannot turn its back on the world. 'We understand that after 23 June we have to be more energetic, more outward looking, more engaged with the world and you all, than ever before.

'So I would say to the great ambassadors and high commissioners here tonight, that when you come to write your truthful and accurate diptels (diplomatic telegrams), I hope you will recall some of the enthusiasm and confidence of this new government.' Friends of Mr Johnson have claimed he has felt undermined by Mrs May's repeated jokes about him.

During her speech to Tory party conference in October, she said: 'When we came to Birmingham this week, some big questions were hanging in the air. Do we have a plan for Brexit? We do.

'Are we ready for the effort it will take to see it through? We are.

'Can Boris Johnson stay on message for a full four days? Just about.' Last month at an awards ceremony she joked that she might put Mr Johnson down like a disobedient dog.'
 Flash

The first direct flight from southern Chinese city of Guangzhou arrived in Adelaide, capital of South Australia, Tuesday.

Adelaide Airport welcomed the major flight with a water-cannon salute.

The Airbus A330-200, packed with more than 190 passengers, touched down on time at 9.30 a.m. local time. This is the sixth flight that China Southern offers between Guangzhou and a capital city in Australia.

This tri-weekly flight, China Southern Flight 663, further enhanced China Southern's leading position in the highly competitive China-Australia aviation market, China Southern's Sales Manager Guo Jianye said.

South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill expected the direct flight will be "instrumental" in boosting the state's international profile and local economy.

"This partnership will not only provide positive impacts for tourism, trade, education and investment but will create hundreds of jobs across the state," he said.

"China is South Australia's largest trading partner and the state government is committed to expanding and identifying opportunities of mutual benefits across all sectors."

Tan Wangeng, President and CEO of China Southern Airlines, said the planning of the flight have been six years in the making. Thanks to Premier Weatherill's visit to Guangzhou in April this year, the flight became a realities sooner than expected.

"I believe that the launch of our new Adelaide-Guangzhou route will further promote the economic and cultural exchanges between Australia and China and encourage South Australia to open more to the international community," Tan said.

South Australian government expected the direct flight between Adelaide and Guangzhou will help bring 120,000 extra visitors a year to Adelaide and create 100 to 150 direct employments.

In the year ending September 2016, the state has attracted 38,000 Chinese visitors, a 31 percent increase on previous year.

Earlier this month, Australian and Chinese governments have settled arrangement to open aviation market between the two countries. The new arrangements will remove all capacity restrictions between Australia and China for each country's airline and will liberalize traffic rights and code share arrangements.

Figures from the Australian government showed that more than 1.93 million people travelled between the two countries by air in 2015, a 14.3 percent increase than the previous year.

China is Australia's fastest growing and highest spending international visitor market. More than 1 million Chinese tourists visited Australia in 2015-16 (up 22.3 percent from the previous year), and spent almost 9 billion AU dollars (6.7 billion U.S. dollars) during their stay.

John O'Sullivan, Tourism Australia CEO, said in the past six years, the Chinese market for Australian tourism has been increasing at an average rate of 20 percent. He expected that in 2017, the China-Australia Year of Tourism, the Chinese tourist market will continue the momentum.
A yoga mogul was mysteriously found dead in his $3 million California mansion Monday afternoon.

Police said there were 'suspicious circumstances' surrounding the death of founder and former CEO of CorePower Yoga, Trevor Tice, but didn't explain what they thought may have been the cause, the New York Daily News reported.

Officers were called to his home in San Diego for a welfare check by someone who knew him.

Founder and former CEO of CorePower Yoga, Trevor Tice (pictured), was mysteriously found dead in his $3 million California mansion Monday afternoon

Police said there were 'suspicious circumstances' surrounding the 48-year-old's death, but didn't explain what they thought may have been the cause. Tice was found inside his $3 million mansion (pictured)

Authorities said Tice is believed to have been living in the home by himself, but a person who knew him was conducting a welfare check when they found his body

'A person known to the occupant of the house went over there to check on him, they found a deceased person inside,' San Diego Police Lt Mike Holden told Fox 5 San Diego.

Holden said the 48-year-old is believed to have been living in the home by himself.

An autopsy will determine whether the death was a homicide, authorities said.

According to CorePower Yoga's website, there are more than 150 studios across the US.

Tice founded the company in 2002 after he suffered a mountain climbing accident and could no longer run, the Daily News reported.

The Denver-based company announced in August that a New York City location would open in 2017.

According to CorePower Yoga's website , there are more than 150 studios across the US. Tice (pictured) founded the company in 2002 after he suffered a mountain climbing accident and could no longer run

CorePower Yoga released a statement on the Facebook page confirming Tice's death, adding that he 'brought to the world boundless energy, an electric smile, an immutable desire to improve'

CorePower Yoga released a statement on the Facebook page confirming Tice's death.

'We are deeply saddened to confirm that our CorePower Yoga founder, Trevor Tice, passed away on Monday, Dec. 12, 2016.

'CorePower Yoga is a manifestation of the best Trevor brought to the world: boundless energy, an electric smile, an immutable desire to improve.

'Trevor contributed more to the world than most dare to dream -- and we will forever live in a more joyful, more peaceful, and fundamentally better place because Trevor Tice was part of it.

'Together, our community is grieving this tragic loss and honoring Trevors tremendous legacy.'
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It was once renowned for its bustling souks, grand citadel and the historic gates leading to the Old City.

But Aleppo has been rendered virtually unrecognisable by the worst fighting seen in Syria's six year civil war.

For centuries, the city in the north of the country was Syria's economic and cultural powerhouse, attracting tourists from around the world to its celebrated heritage sites.

A man smokes his water pipe in front of the Aleppo citadel, an Islamic landmark and the most prominent historic architectural site in the city in 2006, just ten years ago

Aleppo would welcome thousands of tourists each year, with many wanting to visit the ancient citadel in the heart of the Old City

The view over Aleppo from the citadel, a large medieval fortified palace, before the civil war. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986

But today, the remains of a shell lies strewn across the ground in front the citadel following heavy fighting in the battle for the city

The city also boasted the largest covered market in the world and served for centuries as a gathering place for artisans and traders.

They came from across the globe to its 4,000 shops and 40 caravanserais, roadside inns for travellers.

Meanwhile tourists came to admire a millennium-old minaret towering above Aleppo's Umayyad mosque, an imposing building overlooking the old city centre, as well as spend money at a 21st century shopping mall.

But the war that erupted across Syria in 2011 exploded into Aleppo in the summer of 2012, when rebel fighters took over the east of the city.

Tourists came toAleppo to admire a millennium-old minaret towering above the Umayyad mosque, an imposing building overlooking the old city centre

Men, women and children wander in the courtyard of the ancient mosque and enjoy the sunshine in the years before the civil war

But following the fierce battle for the city, the mosque has been reduced to rubble and the minaret has now been destroyed

The mosque's minaret, dating back to the 11th century Seljuk period, was destroyed during clashes in April 2013, leaving a pile of blocks, some featuring elegant motifs.

At the citadel, part of the imposing ramparts have collapsed, and at the entrance, the traces of fire could be seen on blackened walls.

The rebels hoped their march into Aleppo marked the beginning of the end for President Bashar al-Assad, while the government in Damascus pledged to swiftly drive them out.

People shopping at one of the souks in Aleppo in 2010. Then the city was described as having a quiet pride and a cosmopolitan culture

The souk in the heart of the city was one of the biggest in the world. Pictured left is a man working in the souk in 2010 and right a Syrian worker weaving a traditional rug in 2006

Now the old souks are unrecognisable today in Aleppo having come under heavy bombardment during the fighting

Neither side achieved those goals, and the war in Aleppo dragged on more than four years. As the fighting ground on, Aleppo became the biggest prize of the civil war, even as the city itself crumbled under air strikes from government forces and bombardment by both sides.

Sections of the medieval sook, or market, have been ruined or burnt down, and modern structures have also suffered.

The Shahba shopping mall on the outskirts of the city has closed - taken over by various insurgent groups during different phases of the fighting around Aleppo.

Tourists walk past a trinkets shop in the Jdeideh district of Aleppo in 2010. As little as six years ago, the city was brimming with tourists

A sweet shop selling baked goods inside Al Madina Souk in Aleppo in 2010, before it was destroyed during the civil war

A street scene in the old town of Aleppo in 2010. Aleppo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth; historians claim the site has been lived in for more than 8000 years

Before the civil war, Aleppo was also known for its culinary diversity. Pictured left is a waiter from the Sheraton Hotel in 2010 holding a plate with Kabbab Azmerly, while right is a baker making traditional baklava

Members of the Syrian Academy of Gastronomy taste Aleppine cuisine at a restaurant in the historic city of Aleppo October 2007

The Baron Hotel, whose guest list included Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey; British colonial officer T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia; and King Faisal of Syria and Iraq, found itself abandoned on the front line.

Now the Syrian army, backed by Assad's Russian and Iranian allies, is poised to recapture the city after taking back all but a pocket of rebel territory in the east.
STRIKE CHAOS: FOR VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES, YET ANOTHER DAY OF HELL

By Sam Greenhill and Rosie Taylor for the Daily Mail

Furious commuters launched a tirade of condemnation yesterday at the misery they are being forced to endure.

Some were mothers and fathers who told of their anger at missing their children, while some workers have even quit their jobs in disgust at the mayhem.

TEARS AT DAWN WHEN THE 'MUMMY GUILT' KICKS IN

A tearful mother facing more than six hours commuting yesterday told of her mummy guilt at having to wake her young son before dawn to get him into childcare before trying to get to work.

Jenny Lehane, 37, sent her MP a photo of Matthew, six, wearing pyjamas in the street, and said: I am very upset. I am so exhausted from it all  having so much pressure to get from A to B. The mummy guilt kicks in when you are dragging your child out of bed.

Jenny Lehane, 37, pictured with her son Mathew, six, told of her 'mummy guilt' at having to get her child up before dawn so she could take him to child care before trying to go to work

The catering managers journey usually takes her one hour and 20 minutes, but yesterdays shutdown left her facing a three-and-a-half hour slog.

In an emotional email to Chris Philp, MP for Croydon South, she wrote: I am writing this on a bus with tears streaming down my face at the utter failure of our MPs and Government to do anything to stop this completely intolerable failure by Southern to run the service that my fares and taxes are paying for.

'It depresses me that the Government voted for by us, the hard-working, tax-paying commuters, will do nothing to help us. How dare you allow this to happen!

'Because it is being allowed. The Government want to prove a point by breaking the unions. How dare you use us to do it!

Ms Lehane sent her MP Chris Philp, who represents Croydon South, this picture of her son wearing his pyjamas in the street as she got him up at 5.30am

Do you have any idea of the stress, worry and upset this is causing? I have to go to work. I am a single parent and my six-year-old needs his mother to work to keep a roof over our heads. I was caught up in the farce last night. I collected him at 8pm.

'I then took him out of bed at 5.30am so I can try another three-hour journey to get to work so I dont lose my job. Is this fair? It is not. How dare you all do this to him.

Hang your heads in shame.

In response Mr Philp said: This is a heartbreaking story which I hear all too often. This strike is completely pointless  its about who presses the button to open and close the doors. No one is losing their job or having a pay cut and there are no safety issues.

I CAN'T DESCRIBE HOW MUCH I HATE SOUTHERN

A mother of triplets wrote on Twitter: Words cannot describe how much I hate Southern Rail. The stress you are causing me and my family is shameful.

Lorna Cobbett, 37, travels from Horsham in West Sussex to London Victoria, and said: My commute is meant to take 55 minutes, but on a bad day it can take two hours.

Lorna Cobbett, 37, who travels from Horsham in West Sussex to London Victoria, has triplets, pictured, said Southern Rail was causing her family 'shameful' levels of stress

I have triplets, one of them seriously disabled with a life-limiting condition. My real fear is that I wont be able to get back if my daughter ends up in hospital.

Thankfully, the last time we had to call an ambulance for her, I was working from home. If Im in London, how do I know Im going to be able to get to her as quickly as I need to? It makes me really angry.

NO BEDTIME STORIES UNTIL I GET HOME ON THURSDAY

Management consultant Jim Boyden said the strike was robbing him of story-time with his two young children.

Mr Boyden, 38, is staying in a hotel instead of returning to his home in Shoreham, West Sussex, for the cherished bedtime routine.

He shared a photo of himself with one-year-old son Zac and told Southern: Because of your strike, I am unable to travel home until Thursday and read him and his sister a story.

Jim Boyden, 38, pictured with his one-year-old son Zac, blamed Southern Rail for not being able to get home until Thursday to read him a bedtime story

'Because of your strike, we will not discover what animal is hiding in his favourite book tonight, or tomorrow night.

'Because of your strike, he will be unable to show me his favourite toy, which is, ironically, a choo choo train.

Because of your strike, I will miss his smile. You can refund me my season ticket, but how  how  are you going to give me back the things money cant buy? For Gods sake, sort it out.

MY ROUTE HAS BECOME A LIVING NIGHTMARE

Commercial lawyer Emma Green told yesterday how she quit her job because of the chaos. The 36-year-old mother and diabetic said the stress of her commute from West Sussex forced her to resign after just three weeks in a new job getting up at 6am and not returning home until as late as 9.30pm.

She said: The railway route from Arundel to either London Victoria or London Bridge and back had become a living nightmare.

Sometimes I was standing for the entire journey. As a diabetic this could be very uncomfortable and I could end up feeling dizzy or faint.

I'VE DECIDED TO GIVE UP MY HIGHLY PAID JOB

Another for whom the chaos is the last straw is Alistair Cansdale, 42, who has quit his job in digital marketing.

Mr Cansdale, who commuted from Haywards Heath in West Sussex to London Victoria, said: In the end I couldnt take it any longer.

Last week I took a big jump and decided to give up my highly paid job in London  with nothing to go to.

I was working for a difficult management team who were constantly checking up on peoples hours. I spent the whole afternoon every day thinking, whats the earliest I can leave?

Mr Cansdale said his usual 45-minute journey could take up to three hours.
Temperatures are expected to drop rapidly as a cold front sweeps across the southeast coast, turning the heat down 16 degrees.

Relief will wash over the Sydney CBD about 4pm on Wednesday, with temperatures expected to fall below 30 'rather rapidly' after a scorching top of 38 degrees, Weatherzone senior meteorologist Jacob Cronje told Daily Mail Australia.

The humidity will bring showers overnight and keep temperatures just below 20 degrees.

Young men enjoy the summer weather at Bondi Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs on Wednesday

Wednesday is expected to hit 38 degrees on Wednesday before a cool change sets in

Mr Cronje said Thursday would be at least 16 degrees cooler than Wednesday in Sydney, with temperatures staying down until the mercury briefly tips into the 30s over the weekend.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jordan Notara said people will 'definitely be feeling the difference' by the early evening.

'There will be a 5 degree drop in temperatures within the first few hours,' Mr Notara said.

A woman checks out the surf conditions at Bondi Beach in east Sydney

Bondi Beach is pictured on Wednesday as Sydneysiders enjoy a dip and sunbake

The temperature had already hit 30 degrees by 7am in the city's west, and was 35.1 by 9am in Penrith.

It was 34 degrees in the CBD by 10am.

The cold front hit Melbourne over Tuesday night, and is expected to come through Canberra about midday or before 2pm.

The change comes after Sydney sweltered through its warmest December night in 158 years and the second hottest on record.

Bondi Beach is pictured on Tuesday morning after the hottest December night on record

'Sweltering in Sydney this morning,' a woman wrote with a view from her window

Bondi Beach is pictured on Wednesday morning before the mercury hits 38 degrees

Temperatures in the city only dipped down to 27.1 degrees on Tuesday night, BOM confirmed on Wednesday.

The Bureau of Meteorology said this was not entirely unexpected.

'It was definitely on the cards for sure ... we were expecting to break the record of 26.3C,' forecaster Jordan Notara told AAP.

The minimum on Christmas Day in 1858 was 26.3 degrees.

'It was mainly due to the hot day yesterday when we didn't have the sea breeze cool things down as significantly as it could have.'

A woman sunbakes before the cool change hits Sydney about 4pm on Wednesday

A woman at St Kilda beach in Melbourne enjoys the sun on Tuesday

Sydney topped at 37.8 degrees on Tuesday.

The NSW Rural Fire Service has placed total fire bans on Greater Sydney, the Illawarra/Shoalhaven, lower and upper Central West regions.

Severe fire danger warnings are in place for Sydney and the Illawarra.

On Tuesday the hot weather left Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Melbourne sweltering together for the first time in more than half a century.

Temperatures peaked above 33C in all four capital cities for the first time since 1965, according to the weather bureau.

Women sunbake on the rocks at Coogee Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs on Tuesday

A beachgoer does a handstand at Port Melbourne beach on Tuesday

Garance Timbal plays at St Kilda Beach in Melbourne on Tuesday before the cold front hit the Victorian capital on Tuesday night

The temperatures across the nation's south east are being driven by hot, dry winds drawn down from northern Australia.

Thursday in Sydney is expected to be a maximum of 22 with possible showers, followed by 25 on Friday and warmer weather on Saturday with rain continuing over the weekend.

Maximum temperatures in Melbourne will continue to hover over the late-teens and early-20s over the next few days with mostly sunny skies and possible showers.

Brisbane will be in the low 30s over the next few days with sunny skies, followed by possible showers on Sunday.

Adelaide is sitting over the mid-20s and is expected to have mostly sunny weather. The weekend will be its hottest on Sunday at 27 degrees.

WEATHER FORECAST IN CAPITAL CITIES Sydney Thursday: Max 22, min 19, and possible showers Friday: Max 25, min 19, and showers Saturday: Max 31, min 21, and showers Sunday: Max 22, min 18, and possible showers Brisbane Thursday: Max 32, min 19, and sunny Friday: Max 30, min 22, and mostly sunny Saturday: Max 32, min 22, and sunny Sunday: Max 30, min 22, and possible showers Melbourne Thursday: Max 20, min 12, and mostly sunny Friday: Max 23, min 12, and possible showers Saturday: Max 19, min 15, and clearing showers Sunday: Max 20, min 20, and mostly sunny Adelaide Thursday: Max 25, min 12, and possible showers Friday: Max 26, min 15, and cloudy Saturday: Max 23, min 14, and mostly sunny Sunday: Max 27, min 11, and mostly sunny Source: Weatherzone Advertisement

People play in the ocean through hot summer weather in Melbourne on Tuesday

Bureau of Meteorology on Tuesday said the heat was caused by hot air being driven into the southeast by northerly winds

2pm Wednesday is pictured before the cool change hits Sydney
Clearing the drive of snow after a heavy storm is normally an arduous task.

But one genius boy has found a way to speed up the painstaking process.

The youngster created a makeshift snowplow with his hoverboard at home in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

One genius boy has found a way to speed up the painstaking process of clearing snow

The boy rapidly rolled up and down his drive while shovelling snow at either side.

He kept swapping sides until there was barely any snow left, allowing his father to safely drive him to school.

His ingenious methods have attracted thousands of views after footage was posted to YouTube.

And viewers have been amazed by his efforts.

Dave wrote: 'OMG! That is so freakin insane! ....Finally, a functional USE for a HoverBoard!'

The youngster created a makeshift snowplow with his hoverboard at home in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

And Alex Rose said: 'That kid's an earner!'

Others, however, let their jealousy shine though.

One commenter joked: 'When I was your age... we had to walk with our feet! (fist shake)'.
Britain wasted 285million of foreign aid on a South Atlantic airport that commercial planes cannot even use, a damning report by MPs reveals today.

The amount of taxpayers money blown on the white elephant on the island of St Helena could have funded more than 7,500 beds in Englands crisis-hit social care sector.

In a blistering report today, the Commons public accounts committee lambasts the evasive Department for International Development over the disaster.

It says officials unquestionably failed the taxpayer and that nobody has been held to account for the incompetence.

Britain wasted 285million of foreign aid on a South Atlantic airport that commercial planes cannot even use, a damning report by MPs reveals today

The report on another scandalous waste of foreign aid comes as senior MPs are demanding that money is diverted from the DfIDs bloated 12billion budget to tackle the social care crisis.

There are calls for Britain to abandon its target of spending 0.7 per cent of national income on aid at a time when the care sector is close to toppling over.

The average weekly UK nursing home fee is 726, or 37,752 a year. The 285.5million squandered on the St Helena airport could have paid for a staggering 7,560 care home places for an entire year.

The project was approved shortly after David Cameron and the Coalition came to power. But, farcically, commercial aircraft have been unable to use the airport on the tiny British overseas territory because of dangerous wind conditions.

MPs said it was staggering that ministers and officials did not foresee the problem of wind shear  a sudden, powerful change in wind direction which can destabilise or even flip large aircraft.

Incredibly, the issue on St Helena  about 1,200 miles off the coast of West Africa  was noted by Charles Darwin on his voyage on the Beagle in 1836.

At one stage, the DfID was considering blowing the top off two mountains adjoining the airfield to counter the problem, but this idea was abandoned.

Meg Hillier, Labour chairman of the public accounts committee, said in the report: The Government has an obligation to support St Helena but a 285million white elephant serves neither its people nor the taxpayers footing the bill.

The failure to undertake robust due diligence on this project is truly appalling. I also have serious concerns about the airports business case, which was marginal at best. The result is a disaster: a commercial airport that is not fit for purpose, no credible plan to salvage value for money, and no clarity on exactly who is responsible for the whole sorry mess.

The airport was meant to start operating in May 2016 but test flights a month earlier revealed the problems.

While the airport has handled a small number of flights, wind shear has prevented the operation of a planned commercial service.

The average weekly UK nursing home fee is 726, or 37,752 a year. The 285.5million squandered on the St Helena airport could have paid for a staggering 7,560 care home places for an entire year

The report said the DfID had been evasive over who should be held responsible for the fiasco.

It added: There is also doubt over whether the airport, when operational, will lead to St Helena becoming financially self-sufficient, due to significant uncertainties over projected tourist growth figures and a lack of progress toward attracting investment. Thus far, the Department has unquestionably failed the residents of St Helena and the British taxpayer.

Officials insisted that no compensation would be paid to Comair, the commercial airline which had planned to fly to the island. But the MPs report suggested the DfID may have over-egged potential tourism benefits to make the business case for the airport stack up.

DAILY MAIL COMMENT Useless to commercial aircraft because of wind conditions first noted by Charles Darwin in 1836, St Helenas airport stands as a grotesque monument to the madness of Britains foreign aid policy. How can officials have poured 285.5million of our money into the project, without even asking the most basic questions about its viability? They might as well have tipped the cash into the Atlantic. Yet nobody has been held responsible for the waste. Isnt the sickening truth that in Whitehalls warped world, the white elephant airport counts as a success, since it helped meet the Coalitions idiotic target of spending 0.7 per cent of our national income on aid? Until MPs tear up this recipe for corruption and waste, dont let them dare tell frail and elderly victims of our social care crisis that Britain cant afford to look after them. Advertisement

On Monday, Chancellor Philip Hammond suggested for the first time that the 0.7 per cent aid target would be reviewed. It has been hugely controversial at a time when other departments have faced pressure to make cuts.

Many believe the target should be abandoned, with the money used to fund the creaking social care sector. At the moment, ministers are planning to bail out social care by allowing town halls to hike council tax bills by an average of 80 next year  with a similar rise to follow in 2018.

But MPs and council bosses have pointed out that this is likely to be nowhere near enough to plug a 1.3billion black hole in the system.

Last night, Whitehall insiders said new International Development Secretary Priti Patel was appalled by the internal and external failures involved in the St Helena project.

A DfID source added: Officials and suppliers will be held to account. Poor value and poor performance must be rooted out. We owe it to the worlds poorest.

A spokesman for the department said 18 flights had landed at the airport so far, with more due next week, adding: One of the first things the Secretary of State did this summer was to take concrete actions to get the airport up and running and to ensure the lessons from this project are learnt. We are already seeing the results.
Kris Hopkins said detectives would not re-examine nearly 200 cases where troops were killed during the Troubles

The murders of scores of British soldiers by terrorists in Northern Ireland will not be re-investigated by police, a minister revealed last night.

Kris Hopkins said detectives would not re-examine nearly 200 cases where troops were killed during the Troubles.

The Northern Ireland Minister spoke out after it emerged that up to 1,000 retired soldiers aged in their 60s and 70s face a witch-hunt some 40 years after they battled terrorism in the province.

Last week the Police Service of Northern Ireland faced anger over moves to look at every single killing involving the British Army during the conflict.

Its taxpayer-funded Legacy Investigation Branch (LIB) will re-open 238 fatal incidents, which led to 302 deaths.

This will mean UK veterans being investigated as potential murder or manslaughter suspects over actions taken decades ago at the height of the IRAs terrorist campaign. The veterans could face new charges, trials and even jail.

Although the review is also supposed to look at deaths carried out by the IRA, Mr Hopkins admitted that the killings of around 185 British soldiers would not be examined.

This is because the PSNI must prioritise cases flagged up by the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service, which is headed by a lawyer who used to work for leading Republicans Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.

Mr Hopkins blasted the current system as not being fair, balanced or equitable during a Commons debate on the scandal.

He believes the LIB should be scrapped and replaced with a proposed 150million independent Historical Investigations Unit, backed by the Northern Ireland Executive.

This would look at cases chronologically and last only five years. MPs were told that the backlog of cases will take around 40 years to clear.

At the current rate of progress, many of those at the back of the queue will not be alive to see justice for their loved ones. Military chiefs and MPs have pointed out that 90 per cent of deaths during the Troubles were inflicted by Republican terrorists.

But one former soldier, ex-Warrant Officer Class 1 Dennis Hutchings, 75, is already set to stand trial next year charged with attempted murder.

This follows an investigation into the 1974 fatal shooting of an IRA suspect later found to be innocent.

Mr Hopkins told MPs: The almost exclusive focus on the actions of the state is disproportionate.

Tory MP Sir Henry Bellingham, who secured the debate in Westminster Hall, slammed the move

He said this must be challenged and redressed if we are to deal with the past in a way that is fair, balanced and allows victims and their families to see a better outcome than the current piecemeal approach.

The status quo is not working for victims and families. I want to ensure that the balance of an investigation is rightly on the terrorists who caused so much suffering rather than disproportionately on the brave soldiers and police officers who sacrificed so much to protect us.

Veterans  who will receive free Ministry of Defence-funded legal advice  believe the investigation is politically motivated and designed to appease IRA families.

Many suspected terrorists have been granted pardons or comfort letters intended to protect them against prosecution.

Tory MP Sir Henry Bellingham, who secured the debate in Westminster Hall, said: All of this runs contrary to pledges made by the Prime Minister and various defence ministers.

It also breaches natural justice and represents a tearing up of the military covenant.

It is absolutely outrageous to try and claim some sort of parity between servants of the crown who behaved in good faith on the one hand, and terrorists and paramilitaries whose sole aim was to kill as many people as possible.

Sir Henry, a former Foreign Office minister, added that he did not want to see any more veterans dragged out of their retirement home.
Jeremy Hunt called on adults to start thinking about how to fund their future needs as early as their twenties and thirties

Families should put money aside to pay for their care in old age like they do with their pensions, the Health Secretary urged last night.

Jeremy Hunt called on adults to start thinking about how to fund their future needs as early as their twenties and thirties.

He also warned that taxes would have to be raised to fund the spiralling costs of healthcare  particularly if the economy stalls.

Mr Hunt was giving evidence to a House of Lords committee amid growing warnings that the social care system is on the brink of collapse.

MPs are calling for the foreign aid budget to be diverted to fund care services, while the Prime Minister is preparing to allow town halls to bring forward rises in counil tax.

Earlier yesterday, the head of the NHS told the same committee the Government should scrap the hugely expensive triple lock guarantee on pensions, and use the money to fund social care.

Simon Stevens called for it to be replaced by a triple guarantee which would see adults put money in a pot to pay for care, pensions and housing.

The social care system is in crisis and does not have enough money to meet the needs of the ageing population.

It is funded by councils and includes residential care as well as home-help and meals and wheels.

But the lack of services is leading to rising numbers of elderly patients having to languish in hospital as bed blockers as there is no care at home.

Mr Hunt told the Lords NHS Sustainability Committee: We need to get into the habit of saving when were younger like we do for our pensions.

In a nutshell we need as a country to start saving for our social care costs as we save for our pension.

It needs to be a normal and automatic a thing to do for everyone to do and we need to make sure there is a proper safety net there for those who havent been able to do that .

That is a difficult issue thing to do because on the one hand you want to encourage saving but we also want to live in a civilised country where there is a safety net below which no-one falls.

Mr Hunt was giving evidence to a House of Lords committee amid growing warnings that the social care system is on the brink of collapse

The Health Secretary said many adults would be reluctant to put money aside when they may never need long term care.

One of the complexities in this area is that it is a Russian roulette as to who actually has to pay care costs.

One in four of us will pay more than 100,000 but a lot of will pay absolutely nothing. He added.

So in that context it is quite hard to persuade people that they need to put aside money when they are younger.

He urged the Government to consider implementing long-term incentives to encourage the public to save such as tax reliefs for pensions.

Mr Hunt also said: We are going to have to find a way of devoting more of our resources into health and social care without doubt.

Mr Hunt told the Lords NHS Sustainability Committee: We need to get into the habit of saving when were younger like we do for our pensions'

When asked by Lord Carlisle whether the increased funding would come primarily from taxation, he agreed.

Simon Stevens had earlier told the committee that funding for social care needed to be first in the queue for an injection of cash.

If there were to be any extra money any time soon, then in my opinion social care should be front of the queue because it is quite obvious that the knock on consequences of a deteriorating social care offer not only for vulnerable people, but also into hospitals, is now unarguable.

Earlier this week Tory MPs called for money to be diverted from the 12 billion foreign aid budget to help fund social care.

Ministers are considering allowing council tax rises of up to 100 to a typical bill to pay for the crisis.

Simon Bottery, director of policy at the charity Independent Age said: Jeremy Hunt is almost certainly chasing a mirage in expecting large numbers of people to voluntarily save for their future social care costs.

The evidence from across the world is that people do not do this without it being required of them.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said: Very few people earn enough during their working lives to put aside sufficient for a possible big social care bill in later life.
Professor Bart De Strooper, the head of the new Dementia Research Institute, said he hoped Alzheimer's is treated in the same way as HIV by 2025

Alzheimer's may be as manageable as HIV within a decade, the head of a major new dementia institute predicted last night.

Leading health charities yesterday announced the creation of a 250million UK Dementia Research Institute, to open in London next year.

They also announced the appointment of Professor Bart De Strooper, a renowned Belgian neuroscientist, who will run the institute from a hub at University College London.

Professor De Strooper, in an interview to mark his appointment, predicted it would be possible within a decade to stabilise or partially reverse Alzheimers disease - even if it proved impossible to cure.

We wont be celebrating in 2025 that dementia is cured, but I hope that by then there will be groups of patients who can be treated in much the same way HIV/Aids is treated today, he said.

I believe it will happen.

The dementia world received a huge set-back last month when the leading contender to become the first effective treatment for Alzheimers was shown to have failed in trials.

But Professor De Strooper said another drug would emerge in time to meet a pledge, made two years ago by David Cameron, that a treatment for Alzheimers would be available by 2025.

The former Prime Minister in 2013 promised to increase funding for research, and pledged a new drug would be developed to slow down the onset of dementia or even deliver a cure by 2025.

That promise was cast into doubt when solanezumab  the brightest hope for dementia - was last month shown to make no clinical difference to Alzheimers patients.

But Professor De Strooper said he was confident another contender would emerge.

Im very optimistic - the brain is the most plastic organ we have, he said.

If you could stabilise the disease at an early stage it might be possible to regain part of the function that seems to be lost.

Professor De Strooper added: Im a scientist so I dont look into crystal balls but I would put a lot of money on saying that the next generation will have a completely different view of dementia disorders.

In just the same way Aids in the 1970s and 80s was seen as a terrible doom or punishment of the gods, but is now manageable and treatable.

Aricept, a cognition enhancing medication, is used to treat Alzheimer's. A new promising drug, solanezumab, recently flopped casting doubt on the possibility of breaking new ground

Cancer has gone through a similar process - the way we look at cancer today is quite different from what it was a generation ago. I think we are already further on than many people believe.

Prof De Strooper, who is putting together a multi-disciplinary team of doctors, biologists, engineers and data specialists working from centres across the UK, said he hoped to see real surprises.

The institute is funded by the Medical Research Council and charities Alzheimers Society and Alzheimers Research UK, is due to start operating towards the end of next year.

It will tackle Alzheimers and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinsons with a radical joined-up approach to connect researchers working in widely different fields.

Prof De Strooper is currently in charge of the Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Leuven, Belgium.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Alzheimers Society, said: Were incredibly excited about what Professor De Strooper will bring to the DRI as the new director given his wealth of experience and bold vision.

The institute is due to start operating towards the end of next year and will tackle Alzheimers and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinsons

People affected by dementia were at the heart of the decision to put him in post and are very optimistic about this world-leading institute that will transform the treatment, care and prevention of dementia.

Alzheimers Research UK chief executive Hilary Evans added: Sustained high-level funding for research is vital to drive the advances that will change the lives of people with dementia.

Last month the Office for National Statistics announced dementia had become the biggest cause of death in England and Wales, overtaking heart disease for the first time.

An estimated 850,000 people in the UK are thought to be living with dementia, with figures expected to rise to one million by 2025, and two million by 2050.
Advertisement

Seeing the Northern Lights majestically shimmer across the Norwegian skyline is a bucket list item for many.

But surfing underneath the iridescent green glow as the lights bounced off the icy cold water took Mick Fanning's experience to a whole new level.

The three-time ASP World Tour champion said he could not help but scream with excitement when he saw the lights peaking out from beyond a mountain top and rushed to get into the icy water as photographers Emil Sollie and Mats Grimsaeth sat poised on the beach to capture the unprecedented event on film.

Scroll down for video

Mick Fanning is the first professional surfer to be captured on a wave underneath the iconic Northern Lights

Fanning said he could not help but scream with excitement when he saw the lights peaking out from beyond a mountain top and rushed to get into the icy water as photographers were poised to capture the unprecedented event on film

'You see them starting to glow beyond the mountains then they dance across the sky - it really is amazing,' Fanning told Daily Mail Australia.

'Every time you see them your jaw just hits the deck... I was lucky it was not non-stop waves so I had plenty of time to sit and just take it all in,' he added.

The 35-year-old, from Penrith, in Sydney's west, took some time away from the professional surfing circuit this year following the death of his brother, the breakdown of his marriage and narrowly avoiding a potentially deadly great white shark attack.

Instead the accomplished surfer has spent the year chasing waves in 'far-flung places' all over the globe.

Sollie and Grimsth, from Norway, have been trying to figure out how they could capture the iconic glow of the Northern Lights, as well as the silhouette of a lone surfer carving up a wave below for around two years.

Photographers Emil Sollie and Mats Grimsaeth have been trying to figure out how they could capture the iconic glow of the Northern Lights, as well as the silhouette of a lone surfer carving up a wave below for around two years

'There are so many elements that have to come together at the same time,' Sollie said

'To shoot a picture of surfing under the Northern Lights, there are so many elements that have to come together at the same time,' Sollie said.

It took only seconds for the world-class surfer to commit to the awe-inspiring photography project

'Technically, this is one of the hardest pictures to capture,' he added.

But Fanning said it only took him seconds to commit after Red Bull approached him to be involved in the awe-inspiring photography project.

'I was saying yes even before my team manager could get all of the words out of his mouth,' he said.

'Going to see the Northern Lights had always been on my bucket list so having the opportunity to surf under them was absolutely incredible.'

Fanning said the excitement in the air was palpable on the first night the group set up camp on a beach in the Norwegian archipelago of Lofoten.

With so many elements to fall into place, they gave themselves ten days to be able to capture the shot and were stunned when they spotted the lights on the first cold winter night of their stay.

'The first time I saw the lights creep out there were unfortunately no waves so we couldn't do the shoot,' he said.

'Going to see the Northern Lights had always been on my bucket list so having the opportunity to surf under them was absolutely incredible,' Fanning said

Fanning said the excitement was palpable on the first night he set up camp on a beach in the archipelago of Lofoten

They gave themselves ten days to be able to capture the shot and were stunned when they spotted the lights on the first cold winter night of their stay

'The first time I saw the lights creep out there were unfortunately no waves so we couldn't do the shoot,' Fanning said

The 35-year-old took some time away from the professional surfing circuit this year and has instead spent the year chasing waves in 'far-flung places' all over the globe

Fanning said the project was an amazing way to cap off a year spent away from the pressure of competitive surfing

The photography team were set up on the beach as Fanning waited patiently for the lights to illuminate the sky

Fanning was initally concerned about the water temperature but became overwhelmed with adrenaline as he scrambled over the rocks and hit the surf

WHAT ARE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS? There are two types of auroras - Aurora Borealis, which means 'dawn of the north', and Aurora Australis, 'dawn of the south.' The lights are created when charged particles from the sun enter Earth's atmosphere. Usually the particles are deflected by the Earth's magnetic field, but some enter the atmosphere and collide with gas particles. These collisions emit light, in many colours although pale green and pink are common. Advertisement

'But it only lasted for a couple of minutes so I guess it's lucky I didn't go out and get wet for nothing.'

'It can be a bit of a roll of the dice because we needed he right waves, a clear night and the lights to come on. '

Fanning said he had done extensive research on the area before getting to the suite and was somewhat nervous about the water temperature, particularly at night and during the depths of winter.

But the world-class surfer said he became overwhelmed with adrenaline as he scrambled over the rocks and hit the water, pushing the fear to the back of his mind.

'At first I was thinking my body could freeze up which would be pretty painful but the water wasn't too bad at all.'

'I rushed out there and was just screaming I was so excited.'

He said there was a massive team involved in the shoot, which included another person in the water responsible for setting off the flash as he caught a wave.

Fanning said he has seen some particularly stunning scenery during his travels over the last year, but his experience under the Northern Lights will be permanently etched in his memory

'I rushed out there and was just screaming I was so excited,' Fanning said of the moment he saw the lights

'At first I was thinking my body could freeze up which would be pretty painful but the water wasn't too bad at all,' Fanning said

'The exposure is set to six seconds and that is to capture the lights. Then when they feel I am in the right spot they hit the flash and that is when it all lights up and freeze frames the action,' Fanning explained.

Fanning said he has seen some particularly stunning scenery during his travels over the last year, but his experience under the Northern Lights will be permanently etched in his memory

'I had an opportunity to go to Alaska earlier this year and got to watch these massive ice glaciers fall into the ocean and bears feed on salmon which was pretty crazy but this is something I will remember forever.'

Fanning broke away from the pro-circuit to get some 'perspective' following a nightmarish series of events in 2015 that he claims forced him to search deep within to find the courage to move forward.

'I had an opportunity to go to Alaska earlier this year and got to watch these massive ice glaciers fall into the ocean and bears feed on salmon which was pretty crazy but this is something I will remember forever,' Fanning said

Fanning, 35, was attacked by a great white shark (pictured) during a surfing competition at Jeffrey's Bay in South Africa

Fanning announced the split with his wife of seven years Karissa (pictured right) via Facebook on January 31, 2016

In the space of less than 12 months Fanning lost his eldest brother Peter to a heart condition, divorced from his wife Karissa and narrowly escaped death when a great white shark attacked him during a surfing comp at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.

'It does take its toll from time to time but you just have to take it in your stride,' Fanning said.
 Flash

A newly published book on the documents of a late United States diplomat, who was also a scholar on Tibet, has provided conclusive evidence that the envoy in the early 20th century considered Tibet to be an inseparable part of China.

Selected Documents Relating to Tibet from William W. Rockhill Papers, compiled by Cheng Long, a former associate professor at Beijing Language and Culture University, was published recently by China Intercontinental Press.

William Rockhill (1854-1914), a US diplomat, explorer and scholar on Tibet, was the author of the United States' Open Door Policy for China and the author of several books on Tibetan studies.

"Rockhill several times pointed out to the US public that Tibet is an inseparable part of China, and he introduced his position to president Theodore Roosevelt," Cheng said.

Cheng said he began to pay attention to Rockhill while he was teaching at the University of South Carolina in 2008, after US students kept asking questions about Tibet.

"So I came up with an idea - to tell the history and culture of Tibet by using Western historical documents, which are more convincing to them," he said.

From 2008 to early this year, Cheng searched for documents at such places as Harvard and Yale universities, the Library of Congress and the US National Archives, and he collected abundant materials from Rockhill related to Tibet.

According to the US State Department website, Rockhill, who was born in Philadelphia, was appointed as the third assistant secretary of state in April 1894. He was appointed US ambassador to China in 1905 and held the position until 1909.

Rockhill was also a famous scholar of Tibet and visited the region twice. In 1908, he met several times with the 13th Dalai Lama, with whom he kept in touch through letters.

Rockhill was appointed to an unpaid post at the US legation in Beijing in 1883 on his first trip to China. He intended to perfect his spoken Tibetan and Chinese and to travel to Lhasa, according to William Woodville Rockhill: Scholar-Diplomat of the Tibetan Highlands, a book by the late Kenneth Wimmel, who was a US foreign affairs officer.

Cheng said that Rockhill had the habit of keeping copies of important files and that these materials are well preserved.
That image you put on your LinkedIn account can ruin your career.

Sydney public relations manager Michael Frier found out the hard way when he posted a pretentious-looking image of himself as a joke to friends.

'I just thought my friends would chuckle over it,' he wrote in a blog for PR employer Spectrum Group.

This pretentious looking image of Michael Frier did no favours for his public relations image

But his serious pose with his thumb and index finger on his chin gave potential clients an impression he didn't expect.

He realised the error of judgement when a former work colleague texted him after seeing that LinkedIn image in a Mumbrella story.

'Saw the article. Nice photo,' the text said.

Mr Frier soon released this his term for 'nice photo' actually meant 'you look like a berk.'

He explains a wrong image can give a bad impression.

Michael Frier actually has a cuddly side but his contrived pose on LinkedIn gave would-be clients the impression he was a public relations w*****

'This is an imposter,' Mr Frier said.

'This pretentious a*******. Portraying himself to the whole Australian public relations industry as the kind of PR w***** that I so despise.'

For someone who's meant to know about image management, he should have known how one pose can do a lot of damage.

'Looking exactly like the guy in the meeting who stands up and says something like, we need a new objective for engagement, we want both growth and profits. I call it Grofits,' he said.

A wrong image can convey the impression you like buzzwords that mean very little

'The kind of man who loves the "brand w***" that my boss so clearly calls out as hating on our company website.'

That image you post can literally turn people off.

'I would not be friends with this guy, I would sit across a meeting room table from him and think: Please stop your brand wank chat",' Mr Frier said.

It also ruined his career, or so he says rather modestly.

'Looking back in hindsight with more rational thought, I know that my reputation is definitely in tatters,' he said.

'I will never get offered a job again.

'That Ive cost the company so much money they are letting me go. Within a year, I have no doubt Ill be on the streets.'
Where was Ed Miliband? In 2013, playing petty games, he stopped the West intervening in Syria.

Yesterday, when MPs held an emergency debate on the bloodshed that has since happened in Syria, the former Labour leader was absent.

Perhaps he was too busy scheming against Brexit and Rupert Murdoch.

The debate began with former International Aid minister Andrew Mitchell. He brought vivid descriptions of events on the streets of Aleppo.

Parliament hosted an emergency debate on international action to protect civilians in Aleppo, pictured, in which debate turned to why intervention had not occurred earlier

Even as the House sat there  a House far from full  we heard that medical orderlies in that forsaken city were having to wear protective boots because there was so much blood on the floor.

There is clear evidence of civilians being executed  shot on the spot, said Mr Mitchell (Con, Sutton Coldfield).

Pukka ex-Army man that he is, he spoke without milking the moment.

The one sign of emotion was a right eyebrow which kept pulling back from his face, as though in disbelief, as he described bodies rotting in the streets.

They could not be taken away for burial owing to murderous sniper fire.

From his bench at the back of the House, the grey-thatched Mitchell brought news of an Aleppo building containing 100 quivering children.

It was under fire from the Russian-backed Syrian army at that very moment.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, pictured, said evidence was being collected in Aleppo that could support possible prosecutions of war crimes

Ones mind was wrenched from this comfortable December debating chamber to a dusty Hades hundreds of miles to the east.

Ancient Aleppo was a centre of civilisation centuries before Christ.

She was the end point of the Silk Road, her souks rich and exotic. The silks must now be sodden and stained. The spice piles have been scattered.

Stephen Doughty (Lab, Cardiff) recalled the summary executions, disappearances of men and boys, unmarked graves and other atrocities in Srebrenica during the Bosnia war in 1995.

Later in the debate, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that evidence was being collected in Aleppo so that prosecutions for possible war crimes might at some point be brought.

But legal retribution is about the only threat we seem to have in our quiver at present.

Former International Aid minister Andrew Mitchell, pictured, gave a vivid description of the events in Aleppo, claiming there was 'clear evidence' of civilians being executed

Boris was bleakly realistic about that. Air drops of food were just too dangerous.

Our supply planes would be sitting ducks. James Morris (Con, Halesowen & Rowley Regis) discerned the most significant failure of Western policy.

John Woodcock (Lab, Barrow & Furness) felt sorrow and shame and anger about Aleppos fate.

He did not hesitate to criticise Mr Miliband. While admitting that it might not do much good for what little career I have left in my party, Mr Woodcock said I still feel sick at the idea of Mr Miliband rushing into the Labour Whips office, as he did after the vote in 2013, to congratulate himself on stopping a war. Slaughter had followed.

If you dont shape the world, you will be shaped by it, said George Osborne (Con, Tatton).

He was making his first full backbench speech for 13 years and it was a humdinger, heard in rapt silence by the House, even the Labour benches.

Mr Osborne argued that the Miliband veto on action in 2013 had led, one way or another, to tens of thousands of deaths, millions of people being displaced, a refugee crisis which ignited extremism in Europe, the destabilisation of our allies Lebanon and Jordan, and the swaggering confidence of Russia and Iran.

It comes as the UN Security Council also held an emergency meeting, pictured, on the situation in Aleppo

Parliament should take its responsibility, he said. I think he meant Mr Miliband should do so, too.

Alison McGovern (Lab, Wirral South), now pressing hard for the Government to act in Syria, admitted that the 2013 vote would live with her for the rest of my life.

But though she, Jess Phillips (Lab, Yardley) and a rather histrionic Ben Bradshaw (Lab, Exeter) heckled Foreign Secretary Boris, it was hard to see what more could be done.

Boris spoke well. He radiated a convincing humanitarian anger, speaking of the piteous scenes in Aleppo.
Dylann Roof, 22, allegedly drove past Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina several times before he allegedly went on a shooting rampage in June last year

The man accused of shooting dead nine black people inside a Charleston church allegedly called and drove past several times before the massacre, a court heard.

Witnesses testified in court on Tuesday that Dylann Roof, 22, had driven past the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina several times before he allegedly went on a shooting rampage in June last year.

Bonita Navarro of AT&T also told the court that a 13-second call was placed in February 2015 to the church from Roof's home.

Roof is accused of murdering nine bible study worshipers inside the church. He was captured on surveillance cameras walking calmly out of the church with a gun in his hand following the shooting.

He faces a possible death sentence if convicted on 33 charges, including hate crimes and obstruction of the practice of a religion.

Roof's attorneys say he would be willing to plead guilty if prosecutors dropped their pursuit of the death penalty.

Scroll down for video

A handgun, ammunition, a confederate flag and a burned American flag were all found in Dylann Roof's car

Prosecutors say a handwritten list of the address of black Charleston churches was also found

This is the chilling moment Dylann Roof laughed as he confessed to police that he had killed innocent churchgoers at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in June 2015

It comes after prosecutors showed the jury photographs taken during a search of Roof's home, where they found a wooden board used for target practice.

A list of black churches was also found in a backpack in Roof's car when he was arrested, according to former State Law Enforcement Division agent Brittany Burke.

Burke is one of the agents who processed evidence found in Roof's car when he was arrested after the June 2015 shootings at Emanuel AME Church.

During her testimony, prosecutors showed other pictures of items retrieved from Roof's car, including a cellphone, laptop, ammunition and an American flag that had been burned.

Later in Monday morning's trial session, the manager of a store that sold Roof the handgun that he used said a typical background check was conducted.

Ronnie Thrailkill testified that Roof filled out the paperwork required by federal law when he came into Shooter's Choice in April 2015.

Nine people were killed by the 22-year-old. They are pictured above. Top (L-R): DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Myrah Thompson. Center (L-R): Ethel Lance, Susie Jackson, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton. Bottom (L-R): Daniel Simmons, Clementa Pinckney and Cynthia Hurd

'Uh, I did it,' Roof (left and right) said in a video recording of the questioning, which was played for the public for first time Friday at his death penalty trial

Roof had been arrested for drugs two months earlier, but Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said that a jail clerk entered incorrect information that wasn't ever fixed in a state database.

When Roof sought to buy the gun, an FBI examiner spotted the arrest, but called the wrong agency to get his record. Without the necessary documents, the purchase had to go through after three days as is federally required.

Victims' families are suing the FBI for negligence in allowing the sale. FBI Director James Comey has said Roof should have never been allowed to buy the gun and promised a full review.

Expected to testify this week are agents who searched Roof's home and his family's residences. Also expected are experts to analyze what was found.

Last week, during the opening of Roof's federal death penalty trial, there was raw, emotional testimony from a survivor of the shooting, grisly crime scene images and a catalog of racial hatred from Roof's videotaped confession and journal.

FILE- In this June 18, 2015 file photo, two Charleston police officers stand in front of the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C.

Roof's attorney David Bruck has conceded Roof's guilt and said in his opening statement he plans to call very few, or perhaps no witnesses.

Prosecutors have spoken about Roof's hatred and sprinkled it in from a number of sources. But key has been the two-hour confession to the FBI about 17 hours after the shootings and his journal found in his car when he was arrested.

Roof believed segregation needed to return because it kept white people from falling to the level of blacks. It had other bogus claims that whites were naturally the superior race and that blacks liked slavery.

Roof ended this sentence with a racial slur. 'Who is fighting for these white people forced by economic circumstances to live among (blacks).

The trial began with emotional testimony from Felicia Sanders. She was one of three survivors of the attack, telling the jury she swished her legs in the blood of her dead aunt and dying son so Roof would think she was dead.

Sanders' 11-year-old granddaughter also survived. Sanders said she held the girl so tight so she wouldn't scream that she thought she might suffocate her.

Sanders opened her testimony with happy remembrances of the nine fellow Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal parishioners who died. She ended it with controlled anger toward Roof, who never looked at her.
The endgame in Aleppo was always going to be dreadful. How could it not be after many months of a siege that has generated terrible suffering with heart-rending images being broadcast round the world?

But for Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, former chancellor George Osborne and other MPs to say we in Britain bore some responsibility for the horrors now taking place in the ancient Syrian city because we did not intervene in the war is, quite frankly, nonsense.

Has Osborne forgotten that he was part of the Conservative government responsible for the utterly disastrous intervention to get rid of Colonel Gaddafi in Libya in 2011?

In the ensuing civil war, an estimated seven times more people died than the number of those they were actually trying to protect from Gaddafi.

The violent endgame in Aleppo, which is causing civilians to flee violence, pictured, is 'dreadful', but Britain being responsible for 'not intervening earlier' is 'nonsense', writes Michael Burleigh

The country was left in complete anarchy with hundreds of insurgent and terrorist groups operating in an arms free-for-all; and the chaos in Libya is directly responsible for the millions of migrants whove made their way to Europe, because the country has no navy to speak of which can stop migrants in the way Gaddafis navy used to.

The fact is, intervening in Syria would have been disastrous  for it is a hugely complex theatre which has presented immense challenges to all Western policy makers as it is used by countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia to fight their proxy wars.

It is instructive to look at why Obama considered all manner of possibilities in Syria before, finally, deciding not to intervene.

Early in 2012, the US president considered setting up a no-fly zone to protect Syrian civilians.

His chief of general staff, General Martin Dempsey, said it would first require 70,000 US personnel to destroy President Assads already formidable ground-to-air missile defences.

So, the US then supplied non-lethal military assistance in the form of training instead.

When in August 2012, US intelligence reported that Assads forces were moving and mixing chemical weapons agents, Obama spoke of red lines regarding chemical weapons, which should not be crossed.

The city has been badly damaged by the battle between nationalist forces and rebels, which has last four years

After evidence came in April 2013 that Assads forces had used sarin at a village outside Aleppo, former president Bill Clinton and that old warmonger Senator John McCain were demanding Obama bomb Assads chemical munitions dumps.

And after Assads forces used chemical shells the following August to kill a large number of civilians in a rebel-controlled suburb of his capital, the Pentagon had a plan to use Tomahawk missiles to destroy four of Assads command and control sites.

Obama called off these strikes immediately after the British parliament voted against action.

But the British vote was not the only reason the strikes never took place.

The truth is that, having seen the disastrous effect of Anglo-French intervention in Libya, he had made sure Congress would have to approve them, and they never would have.

At that point the Israelis and Russians threw him a lifeline  and one which highlighted the importance of diplomacy.

As a friend of Putin, the Israelis helped broker a deal whereby Assad, with Russian encouragement, would surrender his chemical munitions to an obscure Hague-based agency.

The chemical weapons, which up to that point Assad claimed he did not possess, duly left Syria and over 42 days 600 metric tons of such materials were destroyed on board a US ship crewed by civilian experts.

While one can argue about the wisdom of Obamas decision to issue red lines and then not enforce them, there were clearly enough armed players in the Syrian civil war to make Western intervention not only redundant but also a very risky proposition.

The fact is that every Western intervention, from Iraq in 2003 onwards, has created a monumental mess, from which Islamist terrorists (including Al Qaeda and Islamic State) have been the only beneficiaries.

Doing something in Syria is for fools. It would have been highly dangerous to blow up chemical weapons stores  and not just because it could send huge amounts of highly poisonous sarin gas into the atmosphere.

Terrible though the scenes in Aleppo are (pictured), Osborne and co. should realise how important it is to think forwards through what might happen, rather than always, regretfully, looking backwards

Even imposing a no-fly zone would have exposed US or British aircraft to Assads Russian missile defences.

Since these include batteries crewed by Russians, and now with Russian combat aircraft in the skies above, are the proponents of intervention really ready for a shoot-out with Putin?

Worse, we have no clear idea of exactly who we would be indirectly aiding and abetting on the ground.

Do we really want Islamists in power in Syria? What would be the fate of its Christians and Shia Alawite Muslims?

Do we want Syria to break into four states, one of which would be an Islamist jihadistan, and all of which would cleanse their minorities?
Former cop said he was dismissed by Condon when

Coroner asked Mike Condon to leave so former police

A former detective has claimed his superior told him to 'f*** off' and that he 'wouldn't know anything' after he suggested Brett Cowan was responsible for Daniel Morcombe's disappearance.

After the Sunshine Coast schoolboy vanished in 2003, ex-detective Dennis Martyn interviewed Cowan and told his boss, the then head of the Homicide Squad Mike Condon, he believed they had 'their man'.

'F*** off, you wouldn't know anything,' Condon, now an assistant commissioner, allegedly said in response.

Cowan was not charged until he confessed in 2011 - eight years after Daniel vanished.

On Wednesday, Coroner Terry Ryan asked Assistant Commissioner Condon to step out of the room so Mr Martyn could give evidence 'without fear of intimidation'.

Daniel, 13, was abducted from a Sunshine Coast bus stop in 2003 and the inquest into his death resumed on Wednesday

Former police officer Dennis Martyn said he told the then head of the Homicide Squad Mike Condon (pictured), now an assistant commissioner, Cowan was 'their man' soon after they interviewed him, but was told to 'f*** off'

Daniel vanished from a Sunshine Coast bus stop in December, 2003 and Cowan was interviewed by police two weeks later.

He was charged in 2011 after he eventually confessed to murdering the schoolboy and taking police to his remains on a macadamia farm.

'[Cowan] was a highly probable person of interest after my first conversation,' Mr Martyn told the inquest, The Courier Mail reported.

'He put himself in the vicinity ... He had a white vehicle and it was possible that there were two witnesses that reported seeing a white vehicle on the opposite side of the bus stop.

Another former police officer, Kenneth King, told the inquest Mr Martyn had documented why Cowan was a 'good suspect' in a notebook to give to detectives.

He claims the notebook, with Cowan's criminal history, vanished years later.

Daniel was abducted and murdered by serial paedophile Brett Peter Cowan, who is serving a life sentence

Mr King said police questioned Cowan twice, two weeks after Daniel (pictured) vanished, and his cooperation struck him as strange

Despite Cowan's arrest and sentence, Daniel's parents Bruce and Denise Morcombe asked the coroner to reopen the inquest into their son's disappearance

Mr King told the inquest he had always considered Cowan a key suspect.

'Cowan was a very strong suspect. I thought it was odd, given the normal investigation practice,' Mr King said.

'No one had ever come back to me to clarify or check details.'

He agreed with lawyer Peter Boyce, who is representing Daniel's parents Denise and Bruce Morcombe, that Cowan ticked a lot of boxes.

Cowan was in the vicinity at the time Daniel went missing, there was a 45-minute hole in his alibi, he owned a white vehicle and had a criminal history of pedophilia, he told the court.

Mr King said police questioned Cowan twice, two weeks after Daniel vanished, and his cooperation struck him as strange.

Mr Martyn told the inquest he believed 'more focus' should have been on Cowan during the investigation.

Daniel, 13, was abducted from a Sunshine Coast bus stop in 2003 and murdered by serial paedophile Brett Peter Cowan, who is serving a life sentence

Former detective Dennis Martyn told the inquest he believed 'more focus' should have been on Cowan during the investigation as he was a 'strong suspect'

Cowan was caught in August 2011, after a complex and lengthy police investigation, parts of which were sparked by the evidence presented at the initial inquest, which was adjourned four months earlier in April.

Despite Cowan's arrest and sentence, Daniel's parents asked the coroner to reopen the inquest into their son's disappearance.

The Morcombes say while they're happy with the police investigation and the eventual outcome, they want the coroner to examine some aspects of the case.

'Now we have the answers, the resumption will focus on investigative methodology,' they said in a statement on Tuesday.

'What systems worked and what could have been done better.

'If we help one family's tragic case reach a conclusion and not have it destined to become a cold case, then the resumption has a purpose and is worth it.'

The inquest is scheduled to run until Thursday.

'If we help one family's tragic case reach a conclusion and not have it destined to become a cold case, then the resumption has a purpose and is worth it,' Daniel's parents said

TIMELINE OF EVENTS IN THE MURDER OF DANIEL MORCOMBE December 7, 2003: Daniel, 13, vanishes waiting for a bus on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

October 13, 2010: Coronial Inquest, headed by state coroner Michael Barnes, opens.

April 2, 2011: Inquest adjourns and police continue their investigation.

August 13, 2011: Brett Peter Cowan is charged with murder, child stealing, deprivation of liberty, indecent treatment of a child, interfering with a corpse.

August 17 to September 9, 2011: Shoes and bones found in bushland at Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast.

Aug 28, 2011: Forensic analysis confirms bones are Daniel's.

November 26, 2012: Cowan's committal hearing begins in Brisbane Magistrates Court.

November 29, 2012: the State Coroner orders Daniel's remains be released to the Morcombes.

December 7, 2012: Daniel Morcombe's funeral is held, nine years to the day after the vanished.

February 7, 2013: Cowan is ordered to stand trial for Daniel's abduction and murder.

February 10, 2014: Cowan's trial begins in the Supreme Court in Brisbane.

March 14, 2014: Jury finds Brett Peter Cowan guilty on all three counts - murder, indecent treatment of a child and interfering with a corpse. He is sentenced to life in jail.

April 9, 2014: Cowan files notice to appeal over his conviction, arguing the jury should have never heard his confession to undercover police in 2011.

May 21, 2015: Cowan's appeal is dismissed.

December 14, 2016: Coronial Inquest reopens hearing claims senior police ignored initial advice that Cowan was the main suspect. Advertisement
The former Health Secretary - who was forced to quit after he was caught flouting his own Covid lockdown rules with his married aide Gina Coladangelo - has sparked a storm which has seen him ridiculed and even booted out of the parliamentary Tory party. Justifying his decision to fly Down Under, landing in Brisbane this morning, Mr Hancock denied he had 'lost his marbles'. He insisted it was so he can 'go to where the people are - not to sit in ivory towers in Westminster' - and claimed that he will 'promote his dyslexia campaign' and make a donation to a hospice - although not his entire estimated 350,000 pay deal from ITV. But millions are set to punish him for his decision, including MPs. One former minister has threatened 'to vote for him to eat armadillo c**k every night'. Transport Secretary Mark Harper said today that he should 'step down' and didn't deny he would also vote for Hancock to face Bushtucker Trials, smiling as he said: 'That will be between me and my phone'. In Mr Hancock's West Suffolk constituency, Andy Drummond, the cheesed off deputy chairman of the local Conservative Association, said: 'I'm looking forward to him eating a kangaroo's penis'. Incredibly the now independent MP insists that he will still be doing his job as an MP, meaning he will not forego his taxpayer-funded salary for the duration of his trip. He said: 'As an MP, my first priority is to my constituents. I have agreed with the show's producers that I can be reached at any point on any urgent constituency matters'. Yesterday the Prime Minister said he was doing the opposite. The former health secretary also revealed he had twice asked to appear on the show before but accepted the third offer because the government is now 'stable'. Many have pondered whether he made up his mind when he was snubbed by new PM Rishi Sunak at his victory rally last week, which was tacit confirmation his career as a senior MP is over.
The number of pupils caught cheating in GCSE and A-level exams using their mobile phones this summer has increased, new data reveals.

A rising number of teachers have also been punished for malpractice because they wrongly gave help to teenagers during exams.

While the overall rate of malpractice has lowered slightly, by 1 per cent, this is actually less than the decrease in the exam-taking population, which was 5 per cent smaller than last years cohort.

The number of pupils caught cheating in GCSE and A-level exams using their mobile phones this summer has increased, new data reveals

It accounts for only one in 10,000 of the exams taken.

In contrast, the number of pupils who snuck smart phones into their exams increased by 14 per cent, from 790 to 900 incidents.

This represented 37 per cent of the 2,430 penalties issued to candidates in total.

Mobile phones are a growing problem for exam invigilators, as pupils can use them to look up answers on the internet.

They can also contact friends and family to help them during exams.

Pupils taking unauthorised material into the exam room was the most common form of malpractice, making up 54 per cent of cases.

The second most common was plagiarism, failure to acknowledge sources, copying from other candidates or collusion  accounting for 420 penalties, or 17 per cent of the total.

Cases of inappropriate, offensive or obscene material included in exam papers or coursework were the reason for 320 penalties, accounting for 13 per cent of cases.

And disruptive behaviour in the exam room resulted in 140 penalties, accounting for 6 per cent of the overall figure.

A further 80 penalties, or 3 per cent, were issued because pupils had failed to follow exam board supervision requirements, or tried to obtain, receive, exchange or pass information related to an exam.

Pupils taking unauthorised material into the exam room was the most common form of malpractice, making up 54 per cent of cases

The figures from Ofqual, the exams regulator, also showed that a number of teachers were caught breaching the rules too.

Its report said 388 penalties were issued to individual members of school or college staff, an increase of 48 per cent on last year were 262 penalties were issued.

Most had given inappropriate help to pupils during exams and the most common penalty was a written warning, used in 48 per cent of cases.

The second most common staff penalty was suspension from involvement with exams or assessment.

The report said: Most penalties were issued as a result of school or college staff giving inappropriate assistance to candidates  218 cases. This is an increase of 33 per cent on summer 2015.

While the overall rate of malpractice has lowered slightly, by 1 per cent, this is actually less than the decrease in the exam-taking population, which was 5 per cent smaller than last years cohort

In contrast to the rise in penalties issued to staff, penalties issued to schools and colleges themselves fell in 2016, from 288 to 169.

Ofqual said exam boards had issued penalties to schools and colleges for a number of breaches of the rules.

A spokesman for the Joint Council for Qualifications, which represents exam boards, said: Malpractice in examinations continues to be rare, as data published today by Ofqual shows. Penalties to students remained stable in number and represent only 0.011% of examination units taken in summer 2016.

School and college staff and the institutions themselves received relatively few penalties (388 and 169 respectively).
Donald Trump wrapped up a day that included face-to-face meetings with hip hop star Kanye West and Vogue editor Anna Wintour by wishing 'Merry Christmas' to a crowd in Wisconsin.

The president-elect spoke to supporters from in front of a bank of Christmas trees in West Allis, but they booed when he said he was starting to appreciate Speaker Paul Ryan like a 'fine wine'.

But Trump was also very much in the holiday spirit, and promised his administration would be built on 'jobs, jobs, jobs'.

A red sign on the podium in Wisconsin said 'Merry Christmas USA' and 'Make America Great Again.'

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President-elect Donald Trump (right), US Vice president-elect Mike Pence (center) and US House Speaker Paul Ryan (left) wave after speaking at a 'Thank You Tour' rally at the Wisconsin State Fair Exposition Center in West Allis

Trump wrapped up a day that included face-to-face meetings with hip hop star Kanye West and Vogue editor Anna Wintour by wishing 'Merry Christmas' to a Wisconsin crowd in front of a bank of Christmas trees

Trump holds up a Green Bay Packers jersey presented to him Ryan (left) during the rally

Trump began his remarks in Ryan's home state by saying the speaker had been 'terrific,' sparking a negative response from some members of the crowd.

Ryan had called off a joint appearance with Trump before the election and the two were often at odds, as when Ryan said some of Trump's campaign remarks were the 'textbook' definition of racism.

Now that he is president and Ryan working to push through his agenda, Trump has seen Ryan in a new light, and defended him.

'Honestly, hes like a fine wine. Every day goes by I get to appreciate his genius more and more. Now if he ever goes against me, Im not gonna say that, okay?' Ryan told a crowd in West Allis, Wisconsin.

Trump doesn't drink.

A huge crowd packed into the arena to hear The Donald speak as he continued to build his cabinet ahead of the inauguration

Stephen Bannon, Senior Advisor to Trump and Reince Priebus were back stage as Trump delivered his remarks in Wisconsin

In near zero degree fahrenheit temperatures President-elect Donald Trump walks down the stairs from his airplane upon his arrival at Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee

Ryan lauded Trump in his own remarks. 'It was before I had my drivers license the last time Wisconsin went Republican,' said the boyish-looking speaker.

'I want to thank Donald Trump, I want to thank Mike Pence, for helping Wisconsin, Michigan, the Midwest, finally see the light of day and put a Republican back in the White House,' he said.

Trump raved about his cabinet, and bragged about an unusually eclectic day at Trump Tower.

'I think its going to be one of the great cabinets ever, ever, ever,' he said. He said it was 'certainly a cabinet with the highest IQ.'

Trump appeared with vice president-elect Mike Pence

Trump hailed 'leaders and titans of industry, art, sports, science are reaching out and want to find ways to help' his administration

Trump said he has grown to appreciate Speaker Paul Ryan (R, with governor Scott Walker) like a 'fine wine'

Trump spoke on a day he also met with singer Kanye West

Military helicopters were seen hovering about Trump Tower in New York just before the president-elect left for Wisconsin

A C130 military plane was also seen flying over New York City during the day

Trump arrives back at LaGuardia airport after an event in Queens, New York

'Leaders and titans of industry, art, sports, science are reaching out and want to find ways to help,' Trump said.

'Today as an example in my office, the great Jim Brown. Bill Gates. Anna Wintour. Kanye. Thats right. Right, I like Kanye. Ray Lewis. Weve had so many people,' he continued, after name checking the Cleveland Browns legend, Microsoft founder, Vogue editor, rap star, and storied linebacker who met with him just today.

'They come up and they want to be a part of what were doing. And we want to use everybody, we want to use all of the brain power, because were going to bring us  Were going to be not only great, were going to be greater than ever before. You watch,' Trump said.

The president-elect also met with Vogue editor and Hillary Clinton supporter Anna Wintour

Trump lauded his new secretary of state pick, Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson. 'Rex is one of the greatest and most skilled global biz leaders of our time,' he said.

And he defended Tillerson's ties to Russian Vladimir Putin, without mention Putin or Russia directly. 'And you, know Rex is friendly with many of the leaders in the world that we dont get along with and some people dont like that. They dont want him to be friendly  thats why Im doing the deal with Rex, because I like what this is all about.'

Trump also defended the look of his cabinet, after reports on the proportion of older white men in top positions.

'We are going to work so hard for you. Were going have the best people in the world. And you see the people were getting. If you dont mind, we wont be too politically correct. If you dont mind, okay? Is that alright?' he asked.

Trump also said he though he lost the election when he spoke to his daughter Ivanka about exit polls on Election Day.

'I really assumed I lost. You know, I believe that these things are supposed to be correct. I sort of thought I lost, and I was okay with it. I wouldnt say great  in fact I called my vice president. I said its not looking good, right Mike?' Trump said.
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Outback Queensland is in the grip of a severe drought, but you wouldn't know it to look at these luscious snapshots.

Heavy rains have seen the arid landscape known as Warrego Way - a 1700km expanse from Birdsville to Brisbane - temporarily transformed from a dry desert into a lush green oasis.

Australian landscape photographer Sean Scott has captured the usually sandy plains of the region teeming with green foliage and wildlife.

Flourishing: Heavy rains have seen the arid landscape known as Warrego Way transformed into a vivid green oasis

Stunning: The usually red dirt has been replaced by green fields and foliage with the arrival of welcome rains

Australian landscape photographer Sean Scott has captured the dramatic transformation, including this visit from a curious horse who popped his head into his car

Record-breaking rainfall in outback Queensland has turned red dirt and yellow sand into green fields and foliage

Scott said there was still red dirt underneath the grass, creating a striking scene to behold when driving through

'I definitely wasn't expecting it as I crossed the border from the Northern Territory into Queensland  big wide open plains and greens everywhere,' Mr Scott said.

He said there was still red dirt underneath the grass, creating a striking scene to behold when driving through.

'It was my first time visiting Birdsville and it was not at all what I expected. The recent rain had the place thriving with wildlife and it was green as far as the eye could see,' Sean said.

Record-breaking rainfall in outback Queensland's in the winter continued on with more big falls through spring to turn red dirt and yellow sand into green fields and foliage.

The Cairns-born photographer said like many who live on the east coast, he'd never properly visited the interior of the Sunshine State.

'Outback Queensland has a character of its own and will get under your skin. It was nothing like I had ever experienced and I truly loved it.'

Despite the swift spring transformation, authorities warn much more rain is needed to break the drought in the rural regions.

A kangaroo is seen caring for her joey in the drought-stricken region

More than 80 per cent of the state still drought declared, including most of the areas Mr Scott travelled through

Horses explore the usually arid landscape after heavy rains turned it into a striking scene

He admitted there was still plenty of country which fulfilled the 'dusty outback' stereotype, and made his final stop of the trip at the Gold Coast for a swim all the sweeter.

'It took me about three days to get the red dirt off me,' he said.

Despite the swift spring transformation, authorities warn much more rain is needed to break the drought in the rural regions.

More than 80 per cent of the state still drought declared, including most of the areas Mr Scott travelled through, but the welcome rains have given some relief.

Scott's stunning birds eye photography shows the ordinarily dry landscape in a fresh perspective

Scott admitted there was still plenty of country which fulfilled the 'dusty outback' stereotype
A police officer is expected to make a full recovery after being shot by a shotgun-wielding parolee on Tuesday at a Nashville motel.

Officer Terrance McBride, who has worked for the department for three years, was shot in the shoulder by 43-year-old Paul Hardesty shortly after 5am.

A citizen reported that the man in room 104 was potentially wanted on outstanding warrants and had spoken of committing a robbery, according to a statement by Commander T Graves.

Officer Terrance McBride (left) was shot in the shoulder by 43-year-old Paul Hardesty (right) shortly after 5am at a Nashville motel on Tuesday

McBride responded to the Cumberland Inn (pictured) with his partner Officer Ky Luu. The officers, who could see drug paraphernalia in the room, began clearing it when shots rang out from the bathroom, hitting McBride

McBride responded to the Cumberland Inn with his partner Officer Ky Luu.

When the officers knocked on the door, it was answered by a female who had track marks on her arms and admitted to being a heroin user.

The woman opened the door and 'in a very suspicious manner' denied anyone else was there, police spokesman Don Aaron said.

He said officers, who could see drug paraphernalia in the room, began clearing it when shots rang out from the bathroom, hitting McBride, News Channel 5 reported.

The officers retreated, though Luu heard another Hardesty fire another gunshot after they left the room, Aaron said.

Police tried to make contact with Hardesty after the shooting, but never got a response.

Officers later discovered Hardesty dead in the bath tub from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head inside a room at the Cumberland Inn. He was clutching a sawed off 12-gauge shotgun (pictured). Hardesty was on parole through 2021 for New York burglary convictions

Officers found this drug paraphernalia inside the motel room. Authorities are searching for the woman, who fled from the room on foot after shots were fired

Officers later discovered Hardesty dead in the bath tub from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head inside a room at the motel.

He was clutching a sawed off 12-gauge shotgun. Hardesty was on parole through 2021 for New York burglary convictions.

Hardestys parole supervision was transferred from New York to Tennessee earlier this year.

McBride will have to undergo surgery, Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said during a news conference.

'It is serious, but the doctors tell me he will make a full recovery,' Anderson said.

Officer Luu, who was not injured, is on routine administrative assignment pending the preliminary investigation into the shooting.
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China said Tuesday that the trilateral summit with Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) should be held at "an appropriate time" after Japan, the rotating chair, postponed the meeting until 2017.

Japan had been trying to hold the annual trilateral summit in December, but it was uncertain if scandal-hit ROK President Park Geun-hye could attend.

"Due to various circumstances, we will rearrange it and hold it in Japan at a suitable time next year," Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday.

"China is engaged in close communication about the summit with Japan," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a news briefing.

"The trilateral summit should be held at an appropriate time and under proper conditions for the three parties, and should achieve positive outcomes," Geng said.

Geng reiterated that China attaches great importance to trilateral cooperation with Japan and the ROK and is ready to work closely with the two countries.

China wants to keep improving trilateral cooperation and ensure its healthy, stable and sustainable growth, the spokesperson said.

China, Japan and the ROK have hosted regular trilateral summits since 2008, except for a three-and-half-year suspension starting in May 2012, due to regional tensions.

The sixth China-Japan-ROK leaders' meeting was held in Seoul in November last year.
Tony Abbott says governments have been far too ready to put people with 'bad backs and a bit of depression' on the disability support pension.

Reflecting on the prevalence of the welfare payment, the former prime minister said for those who find it impossible to find work, 'fair enough' they need to be looked after.

'We were far too ready to put people on the disability support pension with bad backs, a bit of depression and so on and these are not permanent conditions,' he told Ray Hadley on 2GB radio on Wednesday.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott is alarmed by how easy it is to receive welfare payments for people who claim they have 'a bad back or a bit of depression'

Former prime minister Tony Abbott says the unemployed in regional areas should work as fruit pickers

Tony Abbott says people in areas of high unemployment are refusing to take jobs like fruit picking. (Stock image)

Mr Abbott, a former employment services minister, also said excuses were too often accepted from people on unemployment benefits for refusing to take a job.

'This idea that you can be unemployed on benefits on a town where you can't get fruit pickers or a town where they can't get people to work as cleaners in nursing homes, it's just wrong,' he said.

'A job is a job.'

He accepted some jobs might not be the ones people want to do for the rest of their lives, but the alternative was sitting idle at taxpayers' expense.

'Frankly, we do as a nation have to wake up to ourselves,' he said.

Tony Abbott says people with depression are going on welfare when they can work

Mr Abbott claimed there were 'welfare villages' in the outskirts of Australia's major cities.

'They're not black welfare villages, they're white welfare villages,' he said, warning of social dysfunction.

The unemployment rate in areas of regional Australia is almost double the national average of 5.6 per cent, yet farmers are relying on backpackers to pick fruit.
A prominent Islamic community leader says he believes there is no religious reason for a Muslim woman to refuse to stand for a judge or show her face in court.

Dr Jamal Rifi said Moutia Elzahed - the second wife of a convicted Islamic State recruiter - shouldn't have gone to court if she wasn't prepared for the consequences.

'If she doesnt want to remove it (the burqa), then don't step inside the court room,' said the Sydney general practitioner and community spokesman.

Moutia Elzahed (pictured) refused to stand for the Judge Audrey Balla - with her counsel telling the court 'she won't stand for anyone except Allah'

Ms Elzahed (left, right) is pictured leaving the Sydney District Court last week. She is suing the Commonwealth and the state of New South Wales over battery and assault

Ms Elzahed, her husband and two teenage sons are suing the Commonwealth and the NSW government over alleged battery and assault during 2014 counter-terrorism raids.

And in what was believed to be a legal first, District Court judge Audrey Balla recently ruled Ms Elzahed could not give evidence to the court with her face covered.

The judge also called out Ms Elzahed for failing to stand when she entered and exited the courtroom last week.

Speaking about the incidents, Dr Rifi told Daily Mail Australia: 'Religion shouldnt be used (to justify) disrespectful manners'.

He said the majority of Australian Muslims were 'baffled by people who claim that due to their religious belief they can be disrespectful of the law.'

'Allah has nothing to do with it. It is standing or bowing for the crest and the Crown. It is a matter of civil duties and civil respect.

'Religion has nothing to do with it'.

Speaking of the matter, community leader Dr Jamal Rifi said: 'Religion shouldn't be used (to justify) disrespectful manners'

Ms Elzahed is the second wife of convicted Islamic State recruiter Hamdi Alqudsi (right)

He said Ms Elzahed should have shown her face to the court.

'I can't see any religious reasons for a lady wearing a cover over her face not to show it in front of a court authority,' he said.

'And if there was anything that prevented her on a personal level she should not have put herself in this position.

'If she has taken the decision to go to court she needs to wear every consequence through the course of the court proceedings.'

Her lawyer reportedly told the court Ms Elzahed could not show her face to men outside her family under her religion.

Former Australian Grand Mufti Sheikh Fehmi el-Imam put out a statement saying Muslims could show their face to officers of the law 'when necessary'.

Keysar Trad, the president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, said the majority of Muslims believed the face could be shown in court but some did not.

'Wearing a face covering for them gives them the freedom to move about in public otherwise in their case they probably would not go out if they couldn't wear it'

Another Islamic leader, Keysar Trad, explained 'Wearing a face covering for them gives them the freedom to move about in public otherwise in their case they probably would not go out if they couldn't wear it'

Mr Trad said the 'standing' incident was a matter of interpretation for the Muslim community.

'It's a matter of interpretation - some people believe it's not right, it's some form of idolatry... or excessive reverence,' he said.

Zali Burrows, Ms Elzahed's lawyer said, she was 'ticked off' by any one criticising her client's conduct.

Last week, Ms Elzahed told Daily Mail Australia she had been misunderstood and believed the focus should be on her claims of abuse by police.

'I have done nothing wrong,' she said.
Senator Jacqui Lambie has told of her pride after her son announced he has overcome crippling drug addictions which plagued his early life.

The Tasmanian senator posted a video of son Dylan Milverton speaking about his recovery to her Facebook page along with the caption: 'So proud of my boy!'

In the video, Milverton, 22, admits to having been addicted to meth, LSD, marijuana and alcohol 'since before my teenage years', but says he is clean now.

Senator Jacqui Lambie has told of her pride after her son, Dylan Milverton (left, entering court last year, and right, today) announced he has overcome crippling drug addictions which plagued his early life

Lambie, who had Dylan during a relationship with soldier John Milverton while she was in the Army, famously called out her son for being an addict in Parliament

He credits his success to the Teen Challenge programme, a Christian rehab group open to those aged between 16 and 39, which he joined in October last year.

Milverton reveals it was his mother who advised him to attend the clinic, which he initially refused to do.

But he added: 'I got to a turning point where I was sleeping on a concrete floor at the back of an abandoned house and I thought, "I'm sick of doing this", and then I sort of went, "Oh I might give Teen Challenge a go".'

At the time Milverton was facing charges for drug possession, driving offences and using counterfeit money, for which he received a two-year jail term.

But after hearing that he was enrolled in a rehab programme, the judge decided to suspend the sentence on the condition that he complete treatment.

A year later, Milverton has now completed his stay at the clinic and says he is clean of alcohol and drugs.

Milverton reveals it was his mother who advised him to attend the clinic, which he initially refused to do. They are pictured together in younger years

The Tasmanian senator posted a video of son Dylan Milverton speaking about his recovery to her Facebook page along with the caption: 'So proud of my boy!'

Milverton (pictured as a child) credits his success to the Teen Challenge programme, a Christian rehab group open to those aged between 16 and 39, which he joined last year

He says he has got himself a job at an ice cream shop while he gets back on his feet, and will now volunteer at Teen Challenge as a way of thanking them for their help.

Lambie, who had Dylan during a relationship with soldier John Milverton while she was in the Army, famously called out her son for being an addict in Parliament.

While advocating for a bill allowing parents to force their children into rehab, she said: 'I am a Senator of Australia and I have a 21-year-old son that has a problem with ice, and yet even with my title I have no control over my son.

'I can't involuntarily detox my own son, because I am not talking to my son anymore, I'm talking to a drug.

'And I can tell you, I'm not the only parent out there. There is [sic] thousands of us.'

At the time Dylan hit out at her, saying she did not tell him she would be bringing his private life into the public sphere and accused her of doing it for 'political pull'.

While he did admit to using meth, he said he took it 'socially' and was not an addict.
One lucky punter has scooped a first division lotto win of $10 million just in time for Christmas.

The lucky winner bought their ticket for Tuesday's winning game from Armadale near Perth in Western Australia but is yet to claim the prize.

It is the fifth first division win in Western Australia in just five days, according to Lottery West.

One lucky punter has scooped a first division lotto win of $10million just in time for Christmas (stock image)

The lucky ticket was sold at Haynes Good News Agency  the first division one ticket to be sold at the store since it began operating five years ago.

Mikaela Thompson, who works at the agency, said staff are thrilled and in shock.

'It's just the most amazing feeling to know that we have changed someone's life for the better and what a perfect time just before Christmas,' Ms Thompson said.

WA's tally of division one lotto and first prize winners for the year has now reached 83.

These winners have shared in almost $137 million.
A police dog has allegedly been left in the back of a hot police van for an hour in 30 degree heat.

Adam Semaan, 30, said he heard the dog barking and spotted the dog in a parked van outside Surry Hills Police Station in inner-Sydney on Wednesday morning.

Mr Semaan, who lives nearby, said the dog was still in the van an hour later when he returned and has demanded better treatment in a picture posted to Facebook.

A police dog has allegedly been left in the back of a hot patrol wagon for an hour in 30 degree heat

'Poor doggo has been sitting in this car for almost an hour unattended. It's 30 degrees already and there is a big air-conditioned Surry Hills police station right there in the background,' Mr Semaan wrote on Facebook.

A photograph shows the dog sitting in the back of the van with his head behind a barred, open window.

He told 7 News he first thought there must have been two dogs because of how loud the barking was.

'For a dog to do that, with nobody around [to provoke it], it was a cry for help,' Mr Semaan said.

'Poor doggo,' Mr Semaan wrote on Snapchat on Wednesday morning

'I can only guess as to how long the dog was there before I saw it.'

He considered breaking the window to help get the dog, which was panting when he saw it for the second time, but decided against it.

'If anyone attacks a police dog they are charged with assaulting an officer. These dogs should be respected more than that,' he told 7 News.

NSW Police said the car was parked in the shade with open vents.

'The welfare of our police dogs is paramount and our dog unit vehicles are designed to ensure their safety and comfort,' NSW Police said in a statement.

'As can be seen, the vehicle was parked in the shade and the vents were open and active on the side and the roof.'

Adam Semaan, 30, said he heard the dog barking and spotted the dog in a parked van outside Surry Hills Police Station in inner-Sydney on Wednesday morning (stock image)

'The officer checked on the dogs' welfare regularly and they also had access to water. The vehicles are fitted with air conditioning in the pods,' police said in a statement.

'Our officers are trained to detect any heat-related issues with their police dogs and take their health very seriously.'

Sydney CBD was tipped to reach 38 degrees on Wednesday, and was already 34 degrees by 10am.

Mr Semaan said he saw the dog first at 7.20am, and then at 8.15am.

It was 30.1 degrees at 8.10am, according to Weatherzone.

On its website, RSPCA Queensland advises dog owners not to leave their pets inside a stationary vehicle, even if the windows are down in a shaded position.
Her foster father Rick Thorburn has been charged with the schoolgirl's murder

Tiahleigh Palmer's body was found on a river bank seven days after she vanished

Trent Thorburn, 19, has been charged with incest, perjury and perverting

The foster brother of slain schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer will have to wait another week to see if he will spend Christmas behind bars after his bail application was delayed.

Trent Thorburn, 19, was charged with incest, perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice in September after police alleged he had been sexually assaulting the 12-year-old girl in the months before her suspected murder.

Thorburn has been locked up since his arrest, but made an application for bail in Brisbane's Supreme Court last week, which was adjourned until December 21 when it was heard before his alleged victim's mother, Cindy Palmer, on Wednesday.

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Trent Thorbun is accused of incest, perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice

Police allege he was sexually assaulting Tiahleigh Palmer in the months before her murder

He applied for bail last week but his case was adjourned until next week after it was heard briefly before his accused victim's mother, Cindy Palmer (pictured)

The Queensland man's father Rick Thorburn is accused of killing the 12-year-old and dumping her body in a bid to conceal the incestuous relationship his son had with her during the ten months she lived in Logan, Queensland, with the foster family.

The metal fabrication apprentice's older brother Josh, 20, and mother Julene, 54, have also faced charges.

They both pleaded guilty to perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice last month.

The family were arrested following a gruelling 11-month investigation by Queensland Police into Tiahleigh's murder after her heavily decomposed body was found on the banks of the Pimpana River on November 6.

Thorburn's bail application was delayed on Wednesday after the court heard there were issues with determining where he would live upon his release as he awaits trial.

All four members of the Thorburn family have faced charges relating to Tiahleigh's murder Pictured: Rick Thorburn, Josh Thorburn, Julene Thorburn and Trent Thorburn)

Rick Thorburn is accused of killing the 12-year-old and dumping her body in a bid to conceal the incestuous relationship his son had with her while she lived in the foster home

The metal fabrication apprentice's older brother Josh (left) and mother Julene (right) pleaded guilty to perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice last month

Rick Thorburn was a pallbearer at Tiahleigh's funeral, which attracted up to 600 mourners

He was denied bail in September after a court heard details of his alleged sexual involvement with Tiahleigh.

Tiahleigh's mother described waiting for the Thorburns to face court as a 'roller coaster' of emotion on Wednesday, but made no comments to waiting media after the hearing was adjourned.

'I have moments when they're not too hard but other days I just can't get through,' she said, according to the Brisbane Times.

Ms Palmer spearheaded an online campaign to bring her daughter's killers to justice as police followed up with more than 3,500 separate lines of enquiry during their investigation.

Thorburn was denied bail in September after a court heard of his alleged sexual involvement with Tiahleigh in the months before her death

Tiahleigh had been living with the Thorburn's in Logan for ten months before she died

Ms Palmer spearheaded an online campaign to bring her daughter's killers to justice as police followed up with more than 3,500 separate lines of enquiry during their investigation

The family were arrested following an 11-month investigation into Tiahleigh's murder after her heavily decomposed body was found on the banks of the Pimpana River (pictured)

Tiahleigh was last seen alive about 8.10am when her foster father claimed to have dropped her off near Marsden State High School on October 30.

Police now allege she never made it to school and believe she was killed at the Thorburn's home the night before her disappearance.

Thorburn's bail application will be heard again on December 21.
A truck has overturned near Sydney's Harbour Bridge, causing hours of tailbacks and covering the highway with tonnes of sand and rocks.

The accident took place on the Cahill Expressway at around 1.45pm on Wednesday as the truck was heading southbound near Macquarie Street.

The vehicle struck a guard rail while navigating the on-ramp, flipping over it before spilling its cargo across the tarmac.

The driver, reportedly from Sydney-based Double X Trucking Group, has been arrested but police are struggling to find out his identity. He is yet to be charged.

It is not clear what caused the crash but miraculously no one was injured.

Rush hour commuters are facing hours of misery in Sydney after a truck carrying tonnes of sand and rocks overturned on the Harbour Bridge earlier today

While the vehicle was removed on Wednesday afternoon, the Cahill Expressway was closed so workers could remove the rubble

The vehicle struck a guard rail while navigating the on-ramp, flipping over it before spilling its cargo across the tarmac - causing chaos on the roads

Traffic is backed up for six kilometres over the Harbour Bridge, causing heavy delays, a Transport Management Centre spokesman said.

She said: 'We are advising people heading south from the north and north-west, not to go that way, traffic is really heavy.

'If you can't delay your trip, consider using the Gladesville Bridge instead.'

While the truck was removed in time for the evening rush hour, rubble is still being cleared from the road, causing misery for commuters.

It is not clear what caused the crash but miraculously no one was injured in the incident

There are currently tailbacks of up to six kilometres across the Harbour Bridge as rush hours commuters face an evening of misery

A Transport Management Centre spokesman said traffic is backed up for six kilometres over the Harbour Bridge, causing heavy delays

Transport bosses are advising motorists to completely avoid the Cahill Expressway or to delay their journeys until later in the evening

Motorists were forced to drive through the sand as they made their way off the road

Queues stretch back as far as the Gore Hill Freeway into the Lane Cove Tunnel in one direction, and over the Spit Bridge past Military Road in the other.

The Harbour Tunnel was also closed for an hour while the truck was righted.

Local buses have resumed normal service but could be delayed by up to an hour.

The chaos could cause problems for Coldplay fans heading to a gig at the Allianz Stadium later tonight, with drivers warned to take public transport instead.

Motorists vented their frustrations online, including some who are planning to go to the concert

Motorists vented their frustrations online, including some who are planning to go to the concert.

'I just wanna go pick up the keys to my flat... Sydney traffic (and Coldplay plan) makes it virtually impossible,' Rosey tweeted.

Nicole Punsalan wrote: 'Thank goodness I'm not heading north this evening #Sydneytraffic #Sydney.'

Another Twitter user, called Sydney, tweeted: '50 minutes to travel what normally takes 5. #sydneytraffic.'
A military plane circling around Manhattan caused panic and confusion for some New Yorkers on Tuesday as they tried to work out why the aircraft was flying so low.

The C-130 aircraft, which was spotted flying low around midtown Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, was taking part in a routine military training exercise.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the U.S. military was cleared to carry out the flights over the city. Two other helicopters were also spotted flying low.

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Military plane circling around Manhattan caused panic and confusion for some New Yorkers on Tuesday as they tried to work out why the aircraft was flying so low

But New Yorkers had to turn to social media to try and work out what was happening after no alerts were put out by the city.

Ever since 9/11 occurred, it is common for city authorities to issue warnings on social media of potential test flights to stop people from panicking.

An NYPD spokesman initially told Buzzfeed they didn't know why the plane was circling midtown, which happens to be where Trump Tower is located.

'This plane that's been circling over Manhattan is starting to freak me out,' one Twitter user wrote.

The C-130 military aircraft was spotted flying low around midtown Manhattan on Tuesday

Officials confirmed the aircraft was taking part in a routine military training exercise

Confused New Yorkers had to turn to social media to try and work out what was happening after no alerts were put out by the city

The C-130 aircraft (pictured) was cleared to carry out the flights over the city, the FFA said

'Why is this giant military plane flying over midtown (along with 2 helicopters)? Circling nearish Trump Towers,' another said.

One person tweeted: '#Military #plane C-130? Circling around #Manhattan. Anyone have answers?'

'Seeing multiple reports of a USAF C-130 and several Black Hawk helicopters circling low (3,000 feet) over Manhattan. No, that is not normal.'

It is not clear what type of training exercise was being carried out.

'This plane that's been circling over Manhattan is starting to freak me out,' one Twitter user wrote
A man who was jailed for raping an autistic woman, while dressed as The Joker, has had his appeal against his 10-year sentence thrown out (stock image)

A man who was jailed for raping an autistic woman has had his appeal against his 10-year sentence thrown out.

Nathaniel James Mahoney, who was 23 at the time, was sentenced to 10 years jail in 2015 for 10 counts of physical and sexual assault against four different women, reported the NZ Herald.

However, he appealed on the grounds that he had exchanged Facebook messages with one of the victims after the incident, proving the sex was consensual.

On Thursday, New Zealand Court of Appeal heard Mahoney met the 18-year-old victim, identified as Ms C, at an Armageddon Expo, while he was dressed as The Joker and she was dressed as Hayley Quinn.

The court heard the pair went back to her parent's house where Mahoney met Ms C's mother, before he is said to have followed her into the shower without her consent and raped her.

Ms C's mother reportedly knocked on the door of the bathroom during the assault, but the victim was too afraid to call out for help.

According to the Court of Appeal decision, Mahoney then raped her for a second time in her bedroom.

The woman later told her parents who took her to doctor and confirmed her injuries were consistent with being raped.

Later, Mahoney is then said to have initiated a friendship with the woman via Facebook.

The court heard Ms C said in the messages: '... your [sic] the greatest friend I ever had'. 'I love hanging out with you also. I feel special around you.'

These messages formed the basis of Mahoney's appeal, heard in September this year.

Mahoney's lawyer told the court it wasn't until he rejected Ms C and told her he just wanted to be friends, that she complained to police about the rape in May that year, and another that occurred later that same year at his house.

Mahoney's appeal was based on messages later exchanged between him and the woman on Facebook. But the court said the messages fitted with her obsession with comic book characters such as Hayley Quinn (pictured) and by extension, Mahoney (stock image)

But the court agreed Ms C's communication via Facebook with Mahoney fitted with her 'autistic obsession' with Harley Quinn, other comic characters and by extension, Mahoney.

The court also said the messages occurred after the first sexual activity and initially Ms C was a reactive and non-committal participant in the messages.

The decision by Judges Harrison, Brown and Brewer denied the messages would have led to the jury to return not guilty verdicts to the charges of rape, injuring with intent to injure and sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.

In the decision, Mahoney was given credit for his age, the fact he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and that he has no other convictions.
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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday picked ExxonMobil chief executive officer Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state.

Calling Tillerson "one of the truly great business leaders of the world," Trump made the announcement on Twitter.

"The thing I like best about Rex Tillerson is that he has vast experience at dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments," Trump tweeted.

Tillerson, 64, is the Texas-based oil company's CEO since 2006. Like Trump, he has no government experience and so far little is known of Tillerson's views about foreign affairs.

The Wall Street Journal early on quoted sources as saying that Tillerson's initial emergence as a candidate for the country's top diplomat surprised senior Exxon officials, including Tillerson himself.

But in Tillerson, a seasoned business executive, some Trump advisers saw a "mold-breaking pick who would bring an executive's experience to the diplomatic role," the Journal reported.

As Exxon CEO, Tillerson, who is set to retire from the company in 2017, oversees business operations in over 50 countries and has known Russian President Vladimir Putin since the 1990s.

Tillerson was awarded Russia's Order of Friendship in 2013, a state decoration to reward foreign nationals whose work is aimed at the betterment of relations with Russia.

Tillerson joined Exxon in 1975 and has spent his entire career at the company.
Matthew Perrin's ex-wife took another stab at the former Billabong boss in court today, saying that gambling away the couple's custom-designed luxury house was 'worse than having an affair.'

Meanwhile Perrin's lawyers turned the heat on the ex-wife, Nicole Bricknell, suggesting she deliberately chose not to 'save' Perrin from going to jail or losing the house when she had the chance to do so.

Perrin's barrister Andrew Hoare asserted that Ms Bricknell could have used $10 million that she withdrew from the couple's joint bank account to repay her husband's mortgage to the Commonwealth Bank.

The former Billabong CEO is on trial for allegedly using his wife's forged signature to put up the couple's luxury house as security for $13.5 million credit from the bank in 2008.

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Former Billabong boss Matthew Perrin (left) and former wife Nicole Bricknell (right)

Bricknell told the Brisbane District Court that signing away their custom-built, waterfront house at Surfers Paradise (pictured) was 'worse than having an affair'

The pair enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle for a number of years but it all fell apart after Perrin allegedly used their waterfront home on Cronin Island as bank security

Nicole Bricknell, the ex-wife of former Billabong boss Matthew Perrin, arrives at the District Court in Brisbane on Wednesday

'You could have used that $10 million to pay back the bank and save your husband at that point,' Mr Hoare asked, according to the Courier-Mail.

'Could I? Why would I have done that?' Ms Bricknell replied. 'My children are my priority.'

Mr Hoare also asserted that Perrin 'never mentioned the word jail or the word forgery' when broke down in front of his family in January, 2009.

Ms Bricknell has previously testified that her husband wept and confessed to the family that he had caused their finances to collapse.

On Wednesday, the mother-of-three stood by her version of events and said Mr Hoare's suggestion was 'completely incorrect.'

She also denied knowing the house was at risk before withdrawing the $10 million, which she did on the same day as her husband allegedly confessed to his misdeeds.

Bricknell told the Brisbane District Court that signing away their custom-built, waterfront house at Surfers Paradise was 'worse than having an affair'.

'Matthew was never allowed to sign my signature on anything,' she told the court on Wednesday.

The former Billabong CEO is on trial for fraud and forgery after allegedly faking his wife's signature on the paperwork in 2008

'I always protected my children and I never ever would have allowed him to sign my name on anything - that was not the right thing to do.'

'This man has taken from me and my children without my permission and knowledge, that's worse than having an affair in my opinion.'

The couple allegedly made $33 million from their investment in the popular surfwear company in the late 1990s.

The pair enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle for a number of years but it all fell apart after Perrin allegedly used their waterfront home on Cronin Island as bank security.

Perrin was declared bankrupt in 2009 after his investments collapsed.

He admits signing his former wife's name but claims he had her permission to do so.

He is also accused of faking his brother Fraser Perrin's signature as a witness on the paperwork.

Perrin denies nine charges of forgery and three of fraud.
he managed to scramble from water

He was rescued by a helicopter

A German tourist has been rescued by helicopter after he was attacked by a 'grumpy seal' while swimming in New Zealand.

A rescue serviceman told Stuff the tourist 'was taught a harsh lesson about New Zealand wildlife after he crossed paths with a grumpy seal'.

The 18-year-old man had been hiking in Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand's South Island with a friend when he visited Separation Point on Wednesday.

A German tourist has been rescued by helicopter after he was attacked by a 'grumpy seal' while swimming in New Zealand (stock picture)

Brashly he decided to go for a swim off some rocks below a lighthouse.

The Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter was called shortly after.

'Resident seals in the area took exception to his presence and attacked him, delivering nasty bite wounds to both lower legs,' a Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter spokesperson told the publication.

The man managed to clamber from the water before a Department of Conservation ranger called for help.

The man was treated by an intensive care paramedic at the site.

He was then airlifted to Nelson Hospital's emergency department.
Firefighters are battling around 50 bushfires across NSW, with strong winds and scorching temperatures fuelling the blazes.

Total fire bans covered greater Sydney and other parts of the state on Wednesday, while there are severe fire danger warnings in Sydney and the Illawarra.

The biggest concern for crews was major blaze in Abermain in the Hunter Region, which investigators believe was deliberately lit.

'The cause of the fire is still being determined but it's being treated as suspicious,' a NSW RFS spokesman said.

Firefighters are battling around 50 bushfires across NSW, with strong winds and scorching temperatures fuelling the blazes

The fires come as Sydney sweltered through it's hottest December night since 1858 on Tuesday

'It's going to be a long day ahead, there's a lot of bad weather to go today before we can say things are safe, and the fire's certainly not contained,' RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told the Seven Network.

'The winds are starting to pick up ... it is a race against time, because if that fire isn't contained by the time the southerly cool change comes through later on this afternoon, the fire could sweep back northwards, putting homes in Abermain at risk.'

Two out-of-control bushfires are burning in bushland north of Patonga, in the Brisbane Water National Park area, 9 News reports.

On Tuesday the hot weather left Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Melbourne sweltering together for the first time in more than half a century.

Sydney struggled through the uncomfortably warm night on Tuesday, with temperatures in the city only dipping down to 27.1C, the highest minimum on record in 158 years since Christmas Day 1858, when they dropped to 26.3C.

The temperature also smashed all but one previous record on Tuesday, making it the second-warmest Sydney evening in recorded history.

Shane Fitzsimmons said it's a race against time to contain the blazes before the winds change

Total fire bans covered greater Sydney and other parts of the state on Wednesday, while there are severe fire danger warnings in Sydney and the Illawarra
The best and brightest students involved in this year's HSC have been revealed  and a 16 year old who took the maths exam a year early has made a surprise leap to the top spot in the subject.

Finnegan Waugh from St Joseph's College in Hunter's Hill, Sydney took two HSC maths tests a year early  two-unit and extension one - he came equal first in the mainstream maths subject.

The humble teenager told Daily Mail Australia he was excited about the results and thinks he and the other students he tied with all got 100 per cent of the questions right in the test. He also finished the exam one and a half hours early.

Finnegan Waugh from St Joseph's College in Hunter's Hill, Sydney took two HSC maths tests a year early  two-unit and extension one. He came equal first in mathematics

Dominic Dwyer, pictured left with his sister Maddy, came first in two subjects

'I thought I had done well but I never expected to come first,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'But I did spend the whole holidays just studying maths  the other kids had to study for every subject.'

Maths was never the A-grade student's favourite subject  but has recently clawed its way from the bottom of the list.

'The work has become more challenging in the last two years so I started to like it more,' he said.

Mr Waugh will have to sit for the rest of his HSC exams next year  alongside his peers but will have a lighter load after his early completion of two subjects this year.

Meanwhile year 12 student Dominic Dwyer also did well in exams topping the state in two subjects.

Finnegan Waugh was proud of his results - but said keeping them a secret was difficult

The 18-year-old from Sydney's Fort Street High School led NSW in Modern History and French Continuers, snapping up two of the four first-in-course certificates the school achieved this year.

Sydney's James Ruse Agricultural High also nabbed four first-in-course honours, while Sydney Grammar School came out on top with seven.

The top honours were announced on Wednesday by NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli, ahead of the full results release at 6am on Thursday when the more than 77,000 NSW students who sat the exams will receive at text message relaying their results.

'This is a very proud day for all the students who have achieved a first in course result,' Mr Piccoli said.

'Whether a student tops the state or not, undertaking the HSC gives young people skills and experience that will serve them well in their lives beyond school.'

Mr Waugh said he had been confident with the exam but didn't expect to come first in the state

There were 129 first-in-course certificates awarded to 124 students across 74 NSW schools, including 34 government and 40 non-government.

Mathematics was the highest-scoring subject, with six students awarded for topping the course.

Sydney Girls High topped three subjects while a spattering of other schools, including Baulkham Hills, International Grammar and Nowra, topped two.

Dominic said he could barely believe he had topped two subjects.

'I was shocked, myself, my parents were equally surprised but it's a great feeling,' he said.

The winning students had to keep their achievements a secret from their friends until the award ceremony on Wednesday, and say it is a relief to be able to talk about it.
A convicted child sex offender worked as Santa Claus at a Virginia pet store's Christmas event over the weekend, interacting with children and families while posing for pictures with pets, according to employees.

Leonard Russell Kidd, 37, of Max Meadows - who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a six-year-old boy - was supposed to stay away from events where children would be present unless he had permission from his probation officer, court documents show.

However, Kidd's probation officer was unaware that he had worked as Santa Claus at the Petco event in Wytheville on Saturday, according to The Roanoke Times.

Convicted child sex offender Leonard Russell Kidd, 37, reportedly worked as Santa Claus at a Petco over the weekend, interacting with children and families. He was supposed to stay away from events where children would be present unless he had his probation officer's permission

Court documents show Kidd pleaded guilty in 2002 to sexually assaulting a six-year-old boy and was implicated in the abuse of two other young boys.

He was released from prison last year.

His conditional release plan stated he must stay away from events where children would be present unless he has his probation officer's permission.

Kidd's probation officer, Mike Montgomery, said he did not know about the Saturday event at Petco.

Meanwhile, Virginia Department of Corrections spokeswoman Lisa Kinney said conditions of probation are confidential.

Across the country last weekend, the pet store chain held events where families could get pictures of their pets snapped with Santa, with the proceeds going to the Petco Foundation. A photo advertising the event shown above shows a Santa that is not Kidd

Managers at the store confirmed on Monday that Kidd had worked at the store and played Santa during the event on Saturday with children and their families.

However, it is not clear if the store was aware of his record prior to the event.

Petco spokeswoman Lisa Stark said Kidd is no longer at Petco and that the company is investigating.

She told The Roanoke Times that 'the safety of all guests in our stores is our top priority,' adding that they are cooperating with authorities.

In 2002, Kidd pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual battery in the assault of the six year-old boy along with assault and battery of a police officer.

The Petco in Wytheville shown above. Petco spokeswoman Lisa Stark said Kidd is no longer at Petco and that the company is investigating

He was jailed until 2009, but authorities invoked a state law that allows some sex offenders to be held longer and kept Kidd in prison until last year.

During hearings about Kidd's post-prison confinement, psychologists had concluded he had a mental abnormality that made it likely for him to commit other offenses, according to the Wytheville Enterprise.

Across the country last weekend, the pet store chain held events where families could get pictures of their pets snapped with Santa, with the proceeds going to the Petco Foundation to benefit animals in need this holiday season.
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Thousands of commuters have been told to brace for yet another day of travel chaos as Southern Rail warned services will be 'severely disrupted' tomorrow even though drivers will not be on strike.

Some 300,000 passengers who rely on Southern trains each day have been hit by two days of industrial action after drivers walked out in a dispute over driver-only train.

The strike is due to end at midnight tonight but commuters were warned that services tomorrow will still be 'severely impacted, with reductions and cancellations across all routes'.

In an announcemen this afternoon, Southern said this was because 'some trains and crew will still not be in position' and 'the overtime ban will continue to have a serious impact'.

Southern urged passengers to check its website before travelling tomorrow.

Talks between Southern and drivers' union Aslef have been adjourned until tomorrow. A further 24-hour strike is set for Friday unless the talks at conciliation service Acas are successful.

Chaos: Commuters queued for the Gatwick Express at London Victoria station this morning. The Express is operating a reduced service but many are using the trains as a means of travelling to and from London during the strikes

A notice in London Victoria warned passengers that there was once again no Southern Rail trains operating today

One passenger accused Southern Rail of 'holding commuters hostage' while others lamented their long journeys to work

Fury: Customers hit by the Southern Strike have been left furious by yet another day being unable to get to work by train

While platforms serviced by Southern trains were left empty, passengers queued for the Gatwick Express at London Victoria

Confusion and delay: Commuters begin queuing at Wimbledon station at just after 6am as they desperately try to get to work

Day 2: As another damaging day of industrial action left Southern commuters high and dry yet again, barriers were put up at Brighton ahead of another day of misery for 300,000

Platforms usually reserved for Southern trains were left empty at rush hour at Victoria train station this morning

It comes as the Association of British Commuters is calling for the Government to launch a public inquiry into the chaos.

The pressure group, formed earlier this year in response to problems on Southern Rail services, has also called for Chris Grayling to resign if he 'refuses to act'.

ABC is also organising a protest march for tomorrow evening and has called on all unsatisfied commuters to join them at London Victoria station at 5.30pm to march on the Department for Transport at 6.10pm.

Meanwhile RMT union leader Mick Cash said he had been barred from taking part in the Acas talks.

Mick Cash arrived at the conciliation service on Wednesday morning, alongside the leader of Aslef, Mick Whelan, but left shortly afterwards.

Mr Cash said: 'RMT is furious at the complete contempt that has been shown to us by Southern Rail this morning which leaves us in a state of limbo when we should all be around the table thrashing out the issues that have led to the current action.'

Southern Railway said the RMT only represented 12 drivers, as opposed to 1,000 in Aslef.

Nick Brown, chief operating officer of Govia Thameslink Railway, Southern's parent company, said: 'We hope today's talks with the Aslef leadership are productive.

'I have spoken with the general secretary of the RMT this morning and informed him we'd be happy to meet him at Acas later today to talk about any new proposals he has to try and end the conductors' dispute.

'And I also asked him to call off their programme of strikes planned for Christmas and New Year.'

This morning Londoners were so desperate they have decided to run, cycle or even walk into the centre of the capital this morning, sharing their nightmare journeys onTwitter and using the hashtag #boycottsouthern.

The chaos at Southern has already cost taxpayers up to 50million in compensation because of an agreement with the Government that means the firm is not liable for the bills.

Rail row: RMT General Secretary Mick Cash, left, was banned from reconcilatory talks, the union said. Senior Tory MPs have demanded Chris Grayling, right, pushes through emergency legislation to ensure half of all train services run during strikes

Members of the Aslef union picketed outside Selhurst rail depot for a second day as the 48-hour walkout continues

Damaging: The strike action - and the stand off between train staff and their bosses - is already being branded the worst rail dispute in a generation, left is Three Bridges station near Gatwick and right is at East Croydon

Passengers are using the Gatwick Express, pictured, as a way to travel to and from London Victoria during the 48-hour strike

A sprawling queue of passengers make their way on to the Gatwick Express this morning as they try to beat the disruption

Information boards at Victoria station, one of London's major transport hubs, were once again left empty today

MORE STRIKE MISERY FOR PASSENGERS AS TUBE WORKERS THREATEN TO STRIKE Desperate commuters hit by the 48-hour Southern rail walkout could face more travel misery after London Underground threatened to strike. Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) are banning overtime in protest over staff being moved from ticket offices onto station concourses. The union claims there has been an increase in verbal and physical abuse suffered by its members in the months since and warned it has a 'mandate for strikes' if the row is not resolved. The RMT union is also involved in the dispute. There was widespread public opposition to the closure of Tube ticket offices. A union is banning overtime in protest over London Underground staff being moved from ticket offices onto station concourses and have warned it could escalate to strikes (file image) Lengthy talks between the two sides are due to end today ahead of a Transport for London board meeting tomorrow. The TSSA is pressing for ticket offices to be reopened and job cuts reversed. General secretary Manuel Cortes said: 'Tube staff think there has been too much talking about the impact of ticket office closures and too little action to remedy the violence and abuse our members face. 'The TfL board have a chance to show Londoners that they will stick up for the Tube, for its workers, for its passengers and their safety. 'If they think they can get away with dangerously inadequate staffing levels, I warn them to think again. 'Right now, we are only implementing an overtime ban but we have a mandate for strikes and we will not hesitate to use this to secure the safe, fully-staffed Tube Londoners deserve.' Steve Griffiths, London Underground's chief operating officer, said: 'We have already been in discussions with TSSA at Acas and have started a joint review of staffing numbers and deployment with the trade unions. 'The independent review of the closure of ticket offices has been published by London TravelWatch and will feed into our joint review to ensure that we continue to deliver high quality customer service.' London mayor Sadiq Khan ordered London TravelWatch to review the impact of the closures and job losses and while it recommended a number of moves to improve services, it did not call for the reopening of ticket offices. Overtime has also been banned by station staff belonging to the RMT union in protest over the job cuts. Advertisement

This morning one Twitter user named Kim posted: Up at stupid o'clock, with the prospect of a 2 hour journey into work & an 8 hour shift before a 2 hour commute home #southernFail

Another named Chris tweeted: Today I am running to work ...as it's gonna be quicker than sitting in the traffic being caused by the #southernFail strike!

Melissa King wrote: Nothing i love more then walking down quiet, dark roads at 6.00 am because there are no trains! & 2 hour extra journey times.

Commuter Michael Wayte posed on Twitter: Just left home get to work on time if @SouthernRailUK were running trains id still be in bed right now fast asleep #southernFail.

Tory MP Chris Philp, who represents Croydon, one of the worst affected areas, met with Mr Grayling and 12 other MPs with seats in the southeast and demanded an end to all-out strikes.

Mr Grayling said afterwards: 'I am not ruling anything in or out', adding that commuters were being subjected to union militancy at its worst.

Ministers will now examine whether rail workers should be banned from striking, as is the case with the police and armed forces.

Gatwick Express services were in demand this morning as passengers tried to find ways out of central London

Southern station staff were on hand to help as passengers packed on to a waiting Gatwick Express train at London Victoria

MOTHER SHARES PHOTO OF HER EXHAUSTED DAUGHTER ASLEEP ON TRAIN FLOOR Hundreds of frustrated commuters have used the strikes to hit out at the year-round 'fiasco' on Southern Rail. The operator has repeatedly come under fire for its delayed and intermittent services. One mother tweeted: 'If you want a photo summing up the Southern Rail fiasco here it is - and this was on a non-strike day recently. My little daughter just couldn't stand any longer.' One frustrated commuter posted this photograph of her young daughter sleeping on the floor of a Southern Rail train Advertisement

And a source told the Times that Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), Southern's parent company, could be 'stripped' of its proposed mega franchise because it is 'poisoning' the industry.

It could now be broken in two, with one running Southern and Gatwick, and the other running Thameslink and Great Northern.

Last night the Mail revealed the militant union chief behind the strikes backed the introduction of the same driver-only trains he now claims are unsafe.

UNION CHIEF BANNED FROM STRIKE TALKS A desperate bid to settle the bitter Southern Rail stand-off threatened to collapse almost immediately today as a furious union chief was banned from talks. The RMT's Mick Cash was blocked from joining a session at conciliation service Acas as the walkouts by drivers entered a second day, bringing all services to a halt. The company insisted the discussions were aiming to resolve the dispute with drivers - who are primarily represented by the Aslef union. But Mr Cash complained he had been treated with 'complete contempt' and threatened consequences. Banned: Mick Cash, pictured today Advertisement

As hundreds of thousands of commuters endured a day of chaos, Mick Whelan of Aslef insisted his members were on strike to protect the travelling public.

He claimed trains on which drivers rather than guards operate doors were behind a big rise in accidents.

But a document seen by the Mail reveals Mr Whelan was happy to support bringing the services to Thameslink routes in 2011.

Signed by the 128,000-a-year union baron, the document confirmed Aslef agrees to drive and operate 12 driver-only trains to meet timetable requirements.

Thameslink is now part of Govia Thameslink Railway, which also runs the strike-ravaged Southern services. The row erupted as:

Transport secretary Chris Grayling said he might toughen strike laws;

Almost all of Southerns 2,242 services were cancelled, causing the worst disruption in 20 years;

Desperate commuters complained of six-hour journeys to work;

They had to queue at bus stops, trek to other stations, brave jams or stay at home;

Independent experts dismissed the driver-only safety fears;

Rail bosses and union chiefs last night agreed to hold peace talks at Acas to end the industrial action.

Yesterday, Mr Whelan claimed more commuters had thrown themselves in front of trains since drivers were given responsibility for shutting doors.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4s Today programme, he said: We have had an awful increase in the number of people falling between the platform and the train.

We are seeing an awful lot of people who jump in front of trains. We are seeing an awful lot of people who are taking risks every day because of the technology we are now told we cant rely upon.

Presenter John Humphrys replied: It is quite difficult to see what people who want to commit suicide by jumping in front of trains, which people have done since trains began, one wonders what this has to do with the strike.

Mr Whelan said he had been told by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch that we cannot rely upon the technology we are using.

Yesterday however it emerged that a report by the independent watchdog dismissed safety concerns earlier this month.

The report stated: We have found no evidence to suggest that driver-only operated trains cannot be dispatched safely.

After months of disruption, services on Southern rail ground to a halt when more than 900 members of drivers union Aslef kicked off a 48-hour strike yesterday.

A further 24-hour strike is set for Friday unless the talks at conciliation service Acas are successful.

Hundreds of guards who are members of the Rail Maritime & Transport union are staging a simultaneous walk-out.

STRIKE CHAOS: FOR VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES, YET ANOTHER DAY OF HELL By Sam Greenhill and Rosie Taylor for the Daily Mail Furious commuters launched a tirade of condemnation yesterday at the misery they are being forced to endure. Some were mothers and fathers who told of their anger at missing their children, while some workers have even quit their jobs in disgust at the mayhem. TEARS AT DAWN WHEN THE 'MUMMY GUILT' KICKS IN A tearful mother facing more than six hours commuting yesterday told of her mummy guilt at having to wake her young son before dawn to get him into childcare before trying to get to work. Jenny Lehane, 37, sent her MP a photo of Matthew, six, wearing pyjamas in the street, and said: I am very upset. I am so exhausted from it all  having so much pressure to get from A to B. The mummy guilt kicks in when you are dragging your child out of bed. Jenny Lehane, 37, pictured with her son Mathew, six, told of her 'mummy guilt' at having to get her child up before dawn so she could take him to child care before trying to go to work The catering managers journey usually takes her one hour and 20 minutes, but yesterdays shutdown left her facing a three-and-a-half hour slog. In an emotional email to Chris Philp, MP for Croydon South, she wrote: I am writing this on a bus with tears streaming down my face at the utter failure of our MPs and Government to do anything to stop this completely intolerable failure by Southern to run the service that my fares and taxes are paying for. 'It depresses me that the Government voted for by us, the hard-working, tax-paying commuters, will do nothing to help us. How dare you allow this to happen! 'Because it is being allowed. The Government want to prove a point by breaking the unions. How dare you use us to do it! Ms Lehane sent her MP Chris Philp, who represents Croydon South, this picture of her son wearing his pyjamas in the street as she got him up at 5.30am Do you have any idea of the stress, worry and upset this is causing? I have to go to work. I am a single parent and my six-year-old needs his mother to work to keep a roof over our heads. I was caught up in the farce last night. I collected him at 8pm. 'I then took him out of bed at 5.30am so I can try another three-hour journey to get to work so I dont lose my job. Is this fair? It is not. How dare you all do this to him. Hang your heads in shame. In response Mr Philp said: This is a heartbreaking story which I hear all too often. This strike is completely pointless  its about who presses the button to open and close the doors. No one is losing their job or having a pay cut and there are no safety issues. I CAN'T DESCRIBE HOW MUCH I HATE SOUTHERN A mother of triplets wrote on Twitter: Words cannot describe how much I hate Southern Rail. The stress you are causing me and my family is shameful. Lorna Cobbett, 37, travels from Horsham in West Sussex to London Victoria, and said: My commute is meant to take 55 minutes, but on a bad day it can take two hours. Lorna Cobbett, 37, who travels from Horsham in West Sussex to London Victoria, has triplets, pictured, said Southern Rail was causing her family 'shameful' levels of stress I have triplets, one of them seriously disabled with a life-limiting condition. My real fear is that I wont be able to get back if my daughter ends up in hospital. Thankfully, the last time we had to call an ambulance for her, I was working from home. If Im in London, how do I know Im going to be able to get to her as quickly as I need to? It makes me really angry. NO BEDTIME STORIES UNTIL I GET HOME ON THURSDAY Management consultant Jim Boyden said the strike was robbing him of story-time with his two young children. Mr Boyden, 38, is staying in a hotel instead of returning to his home in Shoreham, West Sussex, for the cherished bedtime routine. He shared a photo of himself with one-year-old son Zac and told Southern: Because of your strike, I am unable to travel home until Thursday and read him and his sister a story. Jim Boyden, 38, pictured with his one-year-old son Zac, blamed Southern Rail for not being able to get home until Thursday to read him a bedtime story 'Because of your strike, we will not discover what animal is hiding in his favourite book tonight, or tomorrow night. 'Because of your strike, he will be unable to show me his favourite toy, which is, ironically, a choo choo train. Because of your strike, I will miss his smile. You can refund me my season ticket, but how  how  are you going to give me back the things money cant buy? For Gods sake, sort it out. MY ROUTE HAS BECOME A LIVING NIGHTMARE Commercial lawyer Emma Green told yesterday how she quit her job because of the chaos. The 36-year-old mother and diabetic said the stress of her commute from West Sussex forced her to resign after just three weeks in a new job getting up at 6am and not returning home until as late as 9.30pm. She said: The railway route from Arundel to either London Victoria or London Bridge and back had become a living nightmare. Sometimes I was standing for the entire journey. As a diabetic this could be very uncomfortable and I could end up feeling dizzy or faint. I'VE DECIDED TO GIVE UP MY HIGHLY PAID JOB Another for whom the chaos is the last straw is Alistair Cansdale, 42, who has quit his job in digital marketing. Mr Cansdale, who commuted from Haywards Heath in West Sussex to London Victoria, said: In the end I couldnt take it any longer. Last week I took a big jump and decided to give up my highly paid job in London  with nothing to go to. I was working for a difficult management team who were constantly checking up on peoples hours. I spent the whole afternoon every day thinking, whats the earliest I can leave? Mr Cansdale said his usual 45-minute journey could take up to three hours. Quitting was a huge relief but its also been unnerving. Its a relief that I dont have to do the daily commute any more, he said. Advertisement

The chaos at Southern has already cost taxpayers up to 50million in compensation because of an agreement with the Government that means the firm is not liable for the bills.

Aslef and the RMT have both claimed they are striking due to the dangers posed by the driver-only operated (DOO) trains.

FRUSTRATED COMMUTER LIVE TWEETS NIGHTMARE JOURNEY INTO WORK One frustrated commuter shared his nightmare journey to work in a series of tweets to Southern Rail. Michael Wayte started his posts by revealing he needed to get up 'extra early' to make it into work on time. He continued to update followers as he took two buses in place of a single Southern train. Advertisement

Drivers now use a CCTV screen in their cabin to see whether the platform is clear. Rail bosses have stressed that guards and drivers, who typically earn around 50,000 a year, will not lose their jobs and will not receive a pay cut.

Mr Grayling said commuters were being subjected to union militancy at its worst. Ministers will now examine whether rail workers should be banned from striking, as is the case with the police and armed forces.

Downing Street also refused to rule out a crackdown on militant rail unions, saying strike laws introduced this year were being kept under review to see how effective they were.

Steve Hedley, assistant general secretary of the RMT, insisted members would defy any new law preventing industrial action.

The difference between people who can go to work for a living and people who are in enslavement is that people who go to work for a living can withdraw their labour, he said.

Huw Merriman, a Tory member of the Commons transport committee, yesterday published a letter from Ian Prosser, chief inspector of railways for the Office of Rail and Road, in which he also vouched for the safety of driver-only trains.

He stated: Trains with doors operated by drivers (known in the industry as Driver Only Operation) have been in operation in Great Britain for more than 30 years.

He added that our inspectors are satisfied that, with suitable equipment, proper procedures and competent staff in place, it is a safe method of working.

Around 30 per cent of trains in the UK are driver-only operated. They run on services across the country, including Thameslink, Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway and ScotRail.

Almost all train drivers in Britain  who have been operating these trains  are also members of Aslef. Speaking to the Mail, Mr Whelan blamed bosses at Govia Thamselink for the dispute.

This has been forced upon us, he added.

We are doing this for the travelling public. We are doing this for the members that we represent. Our reality is that we want a better safer railway.

'This isnt about money for us. The risks are we are going to kill somebody and we value peoples lives obviously far more than the company and far more than the Department for Transport.

He also claimed that the heightened security risk after the terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris meant more workers  including guards  were needed.

He said: You need people in offices, you need people on the back of trains, you need people on platforms.

Mr Merriman, who commutes from his home in Sussex to Westminster, countered: If Mr Whelan was acting in the best interests of passengers he would ensure his members drive the trains so people can get to work and get home to see their children.

This all confirms that the unions safety claims are completely baseless. They claim these trains are unsafe yet their members have been driving them for years.
A teenage Chick-fil-A employee went to work in a neck brace and arm sling after being injured in a car crash because he needed money to help feed the homeless and he didn't want to let his colleagues down.

Jakeem Tyler was pictured serving customers at a Chick-fil-A in Avon, Indiana last week.

His left arm was in a sling and he was wearing a neck brace as he counted out change from behind the counter.

Teenager Jakeem Tyler was pictured serving customers at a Chick-fil-A in Avon, Indiana last week wearing a neck brace and arm sling after recently being injured in a car crash

The photo was shared on Facebook by customer Cameron Nelson - and it has since gone viral after he shared the teenager's reasons for being at work.

'I saw this young man working with a neck brace & a sling. We sneeze too hard & decide to call in, but he's workin like nothing's wrong,' Nelson posted on Facebook.

'When I placed my order, I asked him what happened... he said he was involved in a car accident, but he was working cause he needs the money & also wants to feed the homeless for Christmas & needs the cash.

'He's definitely doin it for a great cause & I was amazed he's still workin despite his condition.'

Nelson created a GoFundMe page for Tyler and it has well exceeded the $2,500 aim.

In less than a week, the page has received $12,005 in donations.

He was working at a Chick-fil-A in Avon, Indiana when a customer approached him and asked why he was working injured. Chick-fil-A issued a statement praising their teenage employee

The photo was shared on Facebook by a customer, Cameron Nelson, and it has since gone viral after he shared his reasons for being at work

Cameron Nelson (pictured) created a GoFundMe page for Tyler and it has well exceeded the $2,500 aim

The teenager had been planning on buying food for a local charity called Homeless Hoosiers.

His employer, Chick-fil-A, issued a statement praising the teenager.

'Jakeem is a phenomenal young man and an outstanding team member. He is an inspiration both in terms of his work ethic and commitment to serving others,' a statement read.

'Although he was in a car accident recently, he returned to work after being cleared by his doctor and with the support of his family so he could not only serve alongside his team in the restaurant but also earn money to give back to others.

'We are beyond proud of Jakeem and support his efforts to serve the homeless in our community. In regards to the money being donated on his behalf: Jakeem is grateful for the support of the community. How he decides to utilize the money is up to Jakeem and his parents.'
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It is the infamous party which became a rite of passage for young Western backpackers in Thailand.

Tourists are flocking to Thailands popular party island of Ko Phangan in droves for the first Full Moon Party since the death of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October.

The kings death sparked a national period of mourning with foreigners urged to swap their bikinis and shorts for more modest clothing to avoid offending locals.

But spirits have clearly lifted as scantily-clad revellers were snapped hitting the beaches with glowing facepaint, as firedancers put on dazzling lightshows.

Party time! Revellers at the notorious Thai Full Moon Party take to their friends shoulder's and hit the beach

Back in business! The party marks the first since the death of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October sparked a period of national mourning

Time to shine! A firedancers put on dazzling lightshows for crowds as the notorious party gets underway

Glowing smile: A partygoer daubed with neon bodypaint kicks off the celebrations

Social media has been awash with images from the celebration, as tourists kick back their heels and blow off steam on the idyllic beach.

Some partygoers were seen daubed with neon bodypaint under the glow of a blazing moon, as others snapped up buckets filled with bottles of spirits.

The party gets going when the sun sets and the sea of neon painted bodies create a striking scene.

October marks the beginning of the country's high season, with millions of Western tourists descending on the picturesque party islands.

Full Moon Parties have been mired in controversy in recent years after a spate of deaths, overdoses and debaucherous behaviour hit headlines the world over.

Several Full Moon Parties were cancelled after the death of the king and tourists were urged to follow locals by wearing black throughout the mourning period.

Social media has been awash with images from the popular party

Partygoers take a moment to relax under the glow of a bazing moon

High spirits: Partygoers dance in front of a DJ booth during a Jungle Party on Ko Phangan island

Fire away: Firedancers put on stunning lightshows for crowds at the celebrations

How low can you go: A firedancer puts on an athletic show at the popular party

A facepainter checks her phone in front of a wall of neon designs during the celebartion

Facepainters wait for customers against a wall of glowing neon signs
A New Jersey state trooper was arrested and suspended from his job without pay after investigators learned he was pulling over women to ask them out on dates.

Marquice Prather, 37, of Linden, was arrested last Friday on charges that he falsified and tampered with public records to cover up his behavior.

State Police Office of Professional Standards began looking into the three-year veteran after several women complained about him.

Marquice Prather, 37, joined the statewide force in 2013 and was assigned to the division's Holmdel station (file photo)

Investigators found that Prather showed a pattern of stopping women between the ages of 20 and 35 to ask them for their phone numbers.

On some occasions, Prather would allegedly turn off his wireless microphone during the encounters and falsely report it had malfunctioned.

He's also accused of manipulating records to conceal that he was targeting women drivers.

Prather allegedly pulled over a number of young women to ask them out on dates (file photo)

Prather was released without bail after his arrest. His attorney, Robert Ebberup, says he'll plead not guilty.

'We can't comment on the case until more information is available,' Ebberup told NJ.com.

If convicted by a state grand jury, Prather could face up to five years in prison, police said.
Chinese businessmen laughed Maddison Lawrence out of the room when she first pitched her idea for a paint protection film on trucks, but the 22-year-old has had the last laugh.

The young woman from Rockhampton in central Queensland, grew up with no experience in transport, but it didn't stop her from grabbing the trucking industry by the bull-bar and transforming it.

Ms Lawrence is a serial entrepreneur whose most recent venture took her to China to find products she could create her business with.

She flew to Beijing for an international car show in May with the sole purpose of finding a product which would protect and prevent damage to trucks.

Ms Lawrence flew to Beijing for an international car show in May with the sole purpose of finding a product which would protect and prevent damage to trucks

Maddison Lawrence (pictured) said she fell in love with trucks and wanted to make a business fuelled by her passions

But Ms Lawrence said her idea wasn't taken seriously and she was laughed at by businessmen at the Chinese car show.

'When I went to all the manufacturers, they weren't being horrible or anything, they just thought it was funny,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'They only really put (the solution) on luxury cars because it's expensive.

'So when I told them I wanted to use it on trucks, that got a laugh.

'But a brand new truck is worth $250,000, so it may as well be a Ferrari.'

Ms Lawrence (pictured) said her idea wasn't taken seriously and she was laughed at when she brought it up

Ms Lawrence said she was able to convince the manufacturers and they finally took her seriously

Ms Lawrence said she was able to convince the manufacturers the worth of Australian trucks  and they finally took her seriously.

She said trucks needed to be sprayed with protective coating every three years and it was 'insanely expensive', but her product, Flexishield, would save truck owners thousands.

'It means the paint stays better (for) the lifetime of the film ... they just peel off the film at the end. No down time in having truck off road at the panel shop getting resprayed,' she said.

Since launching her new business in November, from her home at Coolum Beach in Queensland, Ms Lawrence said she was 'very excited'.

'It's a big task definitely, but I get really excited for opportunities and give them all I've got,' she said.

'It's a big task definitely, but I get really excited for opportunities and give them all I've got' Ms Lawrence said

FlexiShield is a paint protection film, generally only used on luxury cars, but Ms Lawrence hopes to change that

While she had proven herself successful, Ms Lawrence said it wasn't always smooth sailing

While she was now hugely successful, the 22-year-old said it wasn't always smooth sailing.

A glamorous young girl in a not-so-glamorous industry, Ms Lawrence said she had to prove herself from the beginning, with hard work and dedication.

When she was just 17-years-old and still in high-school, Ms Lawrence started her first business; detailing cars.

A glamorous young girl in a not-so-glamorous industry, Ms Lawrence said she had to prove herself from the beginning, and she did that by working hard

With her drive for success paired with good old fashioned hard work, Ms Lawrence said she 'got really interested in the industry and the genuine, hard-working true blue Aussies working in it'.

Her business steadily went from strength to strength, and said its success was the reason she was able to throw herself into her new passion  trucks.

'Like any business it's going to be challenging with lots of little road bumps, but I try not to let things like that faze me too much,' she said.

'I just focus on the end goal.'
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Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni (C, Rear) gives his first speech to the Lower House ahead of a confidence vote in Rome, capital of Italy, on Dec. 13, 2016. The new government of Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni cleared a Lower House confidence vote on Tuesday with 368 in favor and 105 against. (Xinhua/Jin Yu)

The new government of Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni cleared a Lower House confidence vote on Tuesday with 368 in favor and 105 against.

The newly formed cabinet was officially sworn in Monday evening, and it would seek a second confidence vote in the senate on Wednesday, in order to fully entering into force.

Addressing lawmakers ahead of the voting, Gentiloni appealed for support in order to address the most pressing issues, including the financial troubles haunting Italy's third largest lender -- Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) -- the migration crisis, and the reform of the electoral system.

The weak economic recovery, high unemployment, and the reconstruction in quake-hit central regions were also enlisted as priorities.

"We all are aware we will have to work on the rules that would bring the country to elections,"Gentiloni said.

Two different laws currently govern the election of the Senate and the Lower House of parliament, and Italian president Sergio Mattarella stressed they need to be "harmonized" before the country could possibly face early elections, as all opposition forces were asking.

The freshly nominated prime minister then focused much of his address on unemployment.

"The priority of all our priorities will be: job, job, and still job," Gentiloni stressed.

"In a time when our economy has been showing timid signs of recovery, we certainly know we must boost such trend."

Almost half of the lower house hall was empty during Gentiloni's speech, since deputies from major opposition anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and Northern League party deserted the vote in protest against the new cabinet, to which they said they recognize no legitimacy.

Gentiloni was asked by President Mattarella to form a new cabinet following the resignation of Matteo Renzi as prime minister on Dec. 7.

Renzi stepped down after a sounding defeat in a crucial referendum on a cabinet-backed constitutional reform on Dec. 4.

Both Gentiloni and Renzi belong to the center-left Democratic Party (PD), which is the largest political force in parliament.

The new cabinet would count on the same majority of the previous one, since opposition forces said they were not available to take part in a national unity government.

Most key figures of Renzi's cabinet were confirmed in their office, including Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan, a respected economist whose figure was perceived as reassuring for the markets and European Union (EU) allies.
A young waitress in Texas was fired from her job after a photo of her flipping off a Harris County Sheriff's police car went viral on social media.

Rachel Ali shared the snap on her Facebook page and the post has now been shared thousands of times and ignited a firestorm on social media.

The picture also caught the attention of pro-law enforcement groups, which found out she was a waitress at Los Cucos and pressured the company to fire her.

Rachel Ali posed in front of a Harris County Sheriff's police car with each of her middle fingers extended in the air on May 4. The photo led to her being fired from her job as a waitress

'They're disgusted, especially by seeing this happen so close to home,' Tom Moore, president of the Harris County Fraternal Order of Police, told KHOU.

'I think she's going to learn from her actions that there's consequences and they're not all good. She needs to be unemployable in the service industry.'

Ali said she didn't mean anything by the pose and took two photos next to the police car on the night of May 4 - one giving the peace sign and the other with each of her middle fingers extended in the air.

Tex-Mex restaurant Los Cucos (pictured) in Kingswood fired Ali for taking the photo

'It was a stupid decision to put it on social media,' said Ali. 'I regret posting it where people could see it. It was careless, but it was harmless.'

Speaking in her defense, Ali said despite what people may assume by the photo she doesn't hate police.

'I've always treated them with respect,' said Ali. 'That couldn't be further from the truth, as far as hating cops.'

Ali said she didn't mean anything by the photo and doesn't hate police

Months after Ali posed for the photos and prior to working at Los Cucos she was fired from her job there on Monday after the Tex-Mex restaurant succumbed to pressure from the community.

'I think she's going to learn from her actions that's there's consequences and they're not all good,' said Moore. 'She needs to be unemployable in the service industry.'

Ali said she's now trying to focus on getting her job back.
Flight Centre could be fined $11 million for preventing customers from buying cheaper flights directly from airlines.

The High Court ruled on Wednesday travel agency Flight Centre tried to engage in anti-competitive conduct, upholding a prior Federal Court decision and paving the way for cheaper flights.

High Court judges heard Flight Centre acted as an agent to sell international plane tickets on behalf of airlines, receiving a commission for each sale.

Travel agency Flight Centre could be fined $11million for blocking customers from buying cheaper flights directly from airlines, an Australian High Court found on Wednesday (stock image)

It entered preferred airline agreements with Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Emirates, with additional incentive commissions.

However, these airlines sometimes sold cheaper tickets directly to customers. That caused problems for Flight Centre because it advertised it would undercut any fare.

Between August 2005 and May 2009, Flight Centre sent a series of emails to the airlines telling them to stop directly offering international airfares at the lower prices.

After negotiations with Singapore Airlines broke down, Flight Centre instructed staff to stop selling tickets on that carrier.

Flight Centre acted as an agent to sell international plane tickets on behalf of Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Emirates, receiving a commission for each sale (stock image)

However, these airlines sometimes sold cheaper tickets directly to customers, and between 2005 and 2009, Flight Centre sent a series of emails to the airlines telling them to stop directly offering lower prices (stock image)

A case was launched by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The Federal Court initially found for the ACCC but, on appeal, found for Flight Centre, holding that it wasn't in competition with the airlines for which it sold tickets.

The ACCC then appealed to the High Court.

'This decision will provide important guidance for future application of competition laws in Australia to other situations where competing offers are made directly to consumers by both agents and their principals,' Mr Sims said.

The High Court upheld a prior Federal Court decision that Flight Centre tried to engage in anti-competitive conduct, which could pave the way for cheaper flights (stock image)

'It is likely to be particularly relevant when businesses make online sales in competition with their agents.'

The case now returns to the Federal Court for determination of penalty.

The original trial judge Justice John Logan imposed a fine of $11 million, an amount ACCC chairman Rod Sims has since argued was inadequate.
A teenaged Afghan refugee accused of raping and murdering a young medical student in Germany had tried to kill once before, it emerged today.

Stern magazine reported that Hussein Khavari, 17, had thrown a 20-year-old student off a cliff on Corfu, Greece, in May 2013.

The woman was severely injured but 'miraculously' survived and was able to identify her attacker.

Murder accused Hussein Khavari previously threw a 20-year-old woman off a cliff in Corfu, it has emerged

Khavari, who sits in detention in Germany after his DNA linked him to the October sex killing of Maria Ladenburger, 19, in Freiburg, was given a 10 year jail term by a Greek court.

Khavari told his lawyer that he 'regretted' what had happened. The magazine added: 'Why the Greek justice system early on let him out of jail, if he pushed her off, is thus far unclear.'

Bild newspaper in Germany showed a picture of Khavari that he took of himself days before the attack on Maria to Maria-Eleni Nikolopoulou, his Greek lawyer in the trial in 2014.

Maria Ladenburger, 19, the daughter of a high-ranking EU official, was killed in Freiburg in October

Khavari, who sits in detention in Germany after his DNA linked him to the October sex killing of Maria Ladenburger, 19, in Freiburg

Her reaction: 'This is the same person, definitely. I'm speechless.'

The Greek victim plunged 25 feet down the cliff face. Authorities said she only survived because, as a keen amateur mountain climber, she knew how to protect her head during the plunge.

The attack came after Khavari had been drinking in a bar. The Greek history student told said she had been walking home when 'he was suddenly in front of me. I gave him my purse. But when the headlights of a car him he pushed me backwards.'

Hussein Khavari, 17, threw a 20-year-old student off a cliff on Corfu, Greece, in May 2013

In a further interview with the Greek TV channel Alfa in 2014 she went on; 'Then he grabbed me at the hips and legs, lifted me up and threw me down the cliff.'

In February 2014 he was sentenced to 10 years in jail. But he was placed in youth detention and it remains unclear why he was freed so soon into his term.

Police in Freiburg have confirmed they are in contact with the authorities in Greece.

Khavari pitched up in Germany in 2015 as an unaccompanied minor. Police say he ambushed Maria as she rode her bicycle home in the early hours of the morning, raped and then drowned her in a river.

Ironically Maria - daughter of a high-ranking EU official - worked part time between her studies in helping out migrants in the city but police have still not said if he met her the night before her ended her life.

The killing triggered an outpouring of hatred over refugees.The rising tide of public anger makes it increasingly harder for Angela Merkel - who will seek a fourth term in power in the general election next year - to justify setting no ceiling on the numbers of refugees who may yet arrive.
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The ceasefire in Aleppo is back on just hours after it collapsed amid claims of backsliding by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Rebels in the city say the truce deal will be implemented once again to allow the safe evacuation of fighters and civilians in eastern Aleppo.

Spokesmen for three rebel groups said the ceasefire would come into effect tonight and implementation of the deal would begin early on Thursday at 5am.

Explosions were seen in southestern Aleppo after a truce collapsed this morning. Thousands are trapped in the city waiting for evacuation

Destruction: Smoke rises above high rise flats as fighting continues in Aleppo today. There are conflicting reports about who sparked the clashes today

Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan are due to hold urgent talks in a bid to rescue the truce. An explosion is pictured in Aleppo today

The evacuation from a sliver of territory the rebels still hold in eastern Aleppo was supposed to begin at dawn on Wednesday, but shelling resumed in the morning hours.

Rebels accused the Syrian government and its allies of derailing the deal by placing new conditions.

However, Ahmed Karali, spokesman for the Ahrar Sham rebel group, said on Wednesday that the deal was then salvaged.

He added that the first group of wounded people and civilians would begin leaving early on Thursday morning.

It comes as a terrified woman in Aleppo has pleaded to be rescued after warning that others have started killing themselves to avoid being subjected to sex attacks by Assad's soldiers.

In a message given MailOnline, Um Qusai, 40, begged the outside world to 'please get me out of here' as she revealed frightened women are prepared to end their lives to avoid being tortured in the war-torn city.

As a truce aimed at evacuating thousands of trapped residents collapsed this morning, Qusai said: 'We're not afraid of death. We're afraid of rape and torture'.

'Women are preparing to commit suicide out of fear of rape,' she added in a message from inside the city. 'Are you hearing us? We are Syrian women  Aleppo women. Please get me out of here, because rape I cannot stand. We do not fear death but we are afraid of rape and torture.'

Syrian troops have reduced the area under rebel control to an area measuring under a square mile. Smoke is seen in the background in a rebel-held neighbourhood of Aleppo

There were conflicting claims about why fighting had broken out. Russia claims rebels had resumed fighting at dawn and that Assad's forces had moved to repel the attacks

A ceasefire designed to allowed thousands of civilians to leave Aleppo safely has collapsed this morning amid reports heavy fighting and air strikes have resumed

The deal to evacuate thousands of civilians and rebels trapped in Aleppo ran in to delays amid calls for UN observers to oversee the operation.

One rebel group has claimed that up to 20 women had killed themselves in one morning this week over fears they would be subjected to sex attacks by soldiers.

It comes as the UN warned women and children in Aleppo are being targeted for execution in sinister planned attacks.

Speaking to the Daily Beast, Abdullah Othman, the head of rebel group the Consultative Council in the Levant Front, claimed that in one morning alone '20 women committed suicide in order not to be raped.'

The claims have not been verified.

A harrowing note has since emerged purportedly written by a nurse who vowed to take her own life before 'animal' soldiers arrived 'because I do not want several members of the Assad Regime to savour raping me'.

In a letter apparently written for religious leaders and the Syrian opposition, the unnamed woman said conditions in the city were so bad that 'hell-fire will be worse than this'.

Syrian pro-government forces patrol the embattled city of Aleppo after airstrikes and shelling sent terrified residents running through the streets

A truce brokered by Russia and Turkey, came to a deadly end this morning with seven killed in fresh clashes and jets seen pounding the city once again

Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan are due to hold urgent talks in a bid to rescue the truce

Syrian forces gather next to buildings that have now been reduced to rubble following the bombardment of Aleppo

There were conflicting claims about why fighting broke out earlier today. Russia claims rebels had resumed fighting at dawn and that Assad's forces had moved to repel the attacks.

Rebels accused Iran of foiling the deal by imposing new conditions on the rebels. Along with Russia, Iran backs Assad and has committed advisers and elite Revolutionary Guard forces to the government's war. Turkey backs the rebels fighting to topple Assad.

Assad has claimed western countries are seeking a cease-fire in the northern city of Aleppo in order to save 'the terrorists.' He said in an interview today that the cease-fire was to stop his government's advance in the city and 'keep the terrorists and save them.'

Media activist Mahmoud Raslan said aircraft bombed the rebel Ansari district 'as if there's no such thing as a 'cease-fire' or 'evacuation of civilians'.'

Smoke is seen billowing in the background this morning as deadly clashes erupted - despite attempts to broker a peace

Terrified women in Aleppo have started killing themselves to escape being raped by Assad's soldiers after the Syrian ceasefire collapsed, it has been claimed. Pictures show how buildings have been reduced to ruins

There were conflicting claims about why fighting broke out today. Russia claims rebels had resumed fighting at dawn and that Assad's forces had moved to repel the attacks

Activist Mojahed Abu Joud filmed himself walking around the bomb ravaged city as war planes and shells battered the area

Another activists, Lina shamy, warned that the 'revolutionaries will fight until the last breath'. Explosions could be heard over head

Buses meant to take rebels and civilians out of Aleppo have returned to depots - signalling the collapse of the truce as fierce fighting was reported to have resumed this morning (pictured)

Militants in Aleppo said an agreement had been in place with Russia to cease bombardment in the city since yesterday and that there should be a full ceasefire tonight. Syrian forces are pictured walking through the recaptured Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood

As thousands of cold and hungry civilians were left trapped in the city and uncertain of their future, Raslan said the bombing is a de facto announcement that 'they are going to kill us all.'

Activists, including Lina shamy, posted a series of video messages from inside the besieged area while one man Mojahed Abu Joud filmed himself walking around the city with the sound of explosions in the background.

'Bombing is ongoing, no one can move. Everyone is hiding and terrified,' activist Mohammad al-Khatib told AFP from inside the city. The wounded and dead are lying in the street. No one dares to try and retrieve the bodies.'

Syrian civilians take food from a storage room that was formerly held by the opposition forces in eastern Aleppo's al-Kalasseh neighbourhood

Syrian troops were poised to recapture all of the country's war-torn second city. Rights group Amnesty International has described global inaction over the siege as 'shameful'

A source close to the government said Damascus had objected to the number of people seeking to leave and wanted the names of evacuees.

'The government also wants a list of the people who are leaving because they could include hostages or prisoners,' the source said.

Up to 15,000 people are said to be waiting to leave the city - including 4,000 insurgents - but military chiefs say the original deal was for the departure of just 2,000 fighters.

Yasser al-Youssef, a political official from the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group, accused the government and its ally Iran of 'blocking civilians from leaving after adding new conditions' to the deal announced on Tuesday.

'They want to link this deal to other issues, including the areas of Fuaa and Kafraya,' he added, referring to two government-held Shiite-majority villages in the northwest that are under rebel siege.

However, the UN's Commission of Inquiry for Syria said it had received reports opposition fighters were blocking civilians from fleeing Aleppo and using them as human shields.

Russia claims 6,000 civilians, among them 2,000 children, have left rebel-held districts over the past 24 hours and that 366 rebels had laid down their arms

The organised pull out, brokered by Russia and Turkey, was expected to begin around 5am after a ceasefire was finally agreed yesterday

In a statement, the COI said it had 'allegations of opposition groups... preventing civilians from leaving as well as opposition fighters embedding themselves within the civilian population, thus heightening the risk to civilians of being killed or injured'.

It specifically implicated Al-Qaeda's former affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, and the powerful Ahrar al-Sham rebel group.

Earlier, a deal to evacuate thousands trapped in Aleppo had run in to delays amid calls for UN observers to oversee the operation.

SEX ATTACKS ECHO HORRORS OF WORLD WAR TWO It is one of the horrors of war that has repeated itself during countless conflicts over history - and it appears the devastating aftermath of the Aleppo siege is no different. Rebels have claimed women in the city are so scared of being raped by advancing regime soldiers that many have resorted to suicide. Their plight was highlighted by a nurse who wrote a heartbreaking suicide note revealing plans to kill herself rather be subjected to a sex attack. Such horrors are a chilling echo from the past. In the chaotic dying days of Second World War there were an estimated 2million victims of rape by Soviet soldiers as the Red Army marched on Berlin. Three million German troops had earlier launched an ill-fated assault on Soviet territory. But it was the defenceless women, girls and in some cases elderly ladies who were made to pay as Russian troops swept back through towards Germany. In the weeks after Berlin fell, the rape epidemic was said to be so bad the Roman Catholic Church considered abortion for some victims. The Russian establishment continues to deny the events. When the historian Antony Beevor wrote about it in his book Berlin: The Downfall, the Russian ambassador to London, Grigory Karasin, accused him of 'an act of blasphemy', saying: 'It is a slander against the people who saved the world from Nazism.' Advertisement

The organised pull-out was expected to begin around 5am after a ceasefire was finally agreed yesterday.

But three hours later, a dozen green government buses that had gathered at the edge of the Salaheddin neighbourhood to transport evacuees were still parked with their drivers asleep inside.

An opposition official said there were 800 sick and wounded people requiring immediate medical evacuation from eastern Aleppo.

Russia claims 6,000 civilians, among them 2,000 children, have left rebel-held districts over the past 24 hours and that 366 rebels had laid down their arms.

Rebel resistance in the city is likely to end in the 'next two of three days', Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

The agreement was announced late on Tuesday as government forces were on the verge of recapturing all of east Aleppo, in rebel hands since 2012

An opposition official said there were 800 sick and wounded people requiring immediate medical evacuation from eastern Aleppo

Many spent the night in the street despite a storm, as they had fled from other areas and had nowhere to stay

This morning, France's foreign minister said uncertainty surrounding the evacuation showed that it was imperative to have United Nations observers on the ground to manage the process.

'France wants the presence of UN observers on the ground and humanitarian organisations like the Red Cross must intervene,' Jean-Marc Ayrault told France 2 television.

The United Nations said earlier on Wednesday it was 'not involved' in plans to evacuate fighters and civilians, but it was ready to help with any evacuation

There was no immediate official explanation for the delay from the government or the rebels, or from the deal's co-sponsors.

Activists reported hearing cluster bombs exploding and warplanes flying overhead as they begged the outside world to intervene

One activist trapped in a rebel held area of Aleppo described dozens of casualties as the bombing continued this morning

The agreement was announced late on Tuesday as government forces were on the verge of recapturing all of east Aleppo, in rebel hands since 2012.

In the last parts of the city still held by the rebels, large crowds gathered from before dawn awaiting evacuation.

Many spent the night in the street despite a storm, as they had fled from other areas and had nowhere to stay.

Tens of thousands of civilians have stayed on in the ever-shrinking rebel enclave for fear of arrest or torture by government forces.

Many more have fled to government-held districts or to territory controlled by Kurdish fighters.

ALEPPO UNDER SIEGE: TIMELINE OF A WAR-TORN CITY Following are key dates in the battle for Syria's Aleppo where fierce fighting resumed on Wednesday in a blow to hopes for the peaceful evacuation of the last rebel-held areas. Dragged into war April-May, 2011: Thousands of students demonstrate in Aleppo, a northern city that had been spared the violent protests that erupted elsewhere in the country. The protests are swiftly crushed by security forces and rival students who back the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. July 20, 2012: Fierce fighting breaks out between the army and rebels of the Free Syrian Army, a group of armed civilians and army deserters, in several city districts. - In August the same year, troops backed by heavy artillery and warplanes secure central Christian neighbourhoods after a two-week offensive. After that, the city is divided between loyalist districts in the west, where around 1.2 million people live, and rebel-controlled areas in the east with a population of more than 250,000. The Syrian government's capture of eastern Aleppo, held for more than four years by rebels, marks a horrific new chapter for Syria's largest city Barrel bombs December 15, 2013: Regime air strikes drops 'barrel bombs' on rebel districts, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The crude and imprecise bombs are made of TNT packed into oil drums that are dropped from the air. Rebel tactics include firing rockets on government-held areas of the city. Russian intervention September 2015: Russia comes to the aid of Assad's government, launching air strikes on Syria. February 1, 2016: The regime launches an offensive against rebels in Aleppo province, backed by Hezbollah fighters and Russian aircraft. July-August: Government forces cut the rebel's last supply route into Aleppo, effectively placing east Aleppo under regime siege, with inhabitants hit by food and petrol shortages. Rebels make several attempts to break the siege, but aid does not get through. September 22: After the end of a one-week ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States, the Syrian army announces a major offensive to retake all rebel-held areas. October 5: The United Nations declares Aleppo's eastern districts 'besieged'. A man sits amid debris near Umayyad mosque, in the government-controlled area of Aleppo, during a media tour, Syria Blistering offensive November 15: After almost a month of relative respite, regime forces, initially with Russian air support, launch a new assault to recapture the entire city. Rebel areas come under the heaviest bombardment for two years, with barrel bombs, shells and rockets. November 26: The government announces that the district of Masaken Hanano - the largest rebel zone - has been recaptured. December 6: Eight more districts in eastern Aleppo, including the strategic Shaar neighbourhood, fall into regime hands. December 7: Rebels make a highly symbolic retreat from the Old City. December 12: The army captures the Sheikh Saeed district in the southeast, giving it control of 90 percent of the onetime rebel sector. December 13: The guns fall silent after regime-backer Russia and rebel-supporter Turkey broker an agreement for a ceasefire and the evacuation of thousands of civilians and fighters from the last remaining rebel districts. December 14: Fierce fighting resumes after hours of calm, as the evacuation agreement is put on hold with the rival sides trading blame. Advertisement

Under the evacuation deal, both civilians and rebel fighters are to be transported to rebel-held territory elsewhere in northern Syria.

'The first stage will be the evacuation of civilians and wounded, within hours, and afterwards fighters will leave with their light weapons,' said Yasser al-Youssef, of the Nureddin al-Zenki group.

Turkey said those leaving would be taken to Idlib, which is controlled by a powerful rebel alliance that includes Al-Qaeda's former affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said Turkey would 'set up a tent city to accommodate up to 80,000 Syrian refugees fleeing Aleppo'.

Washington, which backs the opposition, said it had not been consulted on the deal but welcomed any arrangement that brought safety to the people of Aleppo.

The remains of a shell are pictured outside Aleppo's historic citadel yesterday. A ceasefire deal has now been struck between the government and the rebels

Just 10 years ago, the same citadel was bustling with tourists and visitors after Aleppo was named as the Arab world's Islamic cultural capital

The streets of the Old City of Aleppo are virtually unrecognisable after being bombarded by shells in some intense battles

The same street just seven years ago was a bustling shopping area filled with businesses and many cars on the road

US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power urged international supervision of the evacuation, expressing concern about 'people who wish to leave but who, justifiably, fear that, if they try, they will be shot in the street or carted off to one of Assad's gulags.'

While tens of thousands of civilians have already fled east Aleppo for government-held territory, others say they fear arrest or torture at the hands of the regime.

The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV broadcast on Wednesday footage of Syrian government buses idling at an agreed-on evacuation point. It was not immediately clear what has caused the delay.

ALEPPO CIVILIANS ARE IN PUTIN'S HANDS, SAYS PM Tens of thousands of civilians trapped in Aleppo are in Putins hands, the Prime Minister said yesterday. As a ceasefire collapsed less than a day after a deal was struck, Theresa May said it was the Russian leader who had the power to stop the unfolding disaster. Her comments came as civilians waiting for buses to evacuate them had to run for their lives and find shelter as bombs rained down over the ancient city. Shells were said to have fallen on the road where the evacuations were due to take place last night, sparking fears of a genocide. The bloodshed sparked calls from MPs for Britain to act and stop the heart- breaking unfolding crisis in the ancient city. Speaking during Prime Ministers Questions, Mrs May defended Britains efforts to stop the massacre, saying the UK had been pressing for action inside the UN. She said all MPs must take responsibility for the decision not to act against President Assad in 2013 when there was a vote in Parliament. Her comments came after George Osborne and foreign secretary Boris Johnson condemned the Labour-led failure to intervene in the war-torn country. A string of MPs pressed Mrs May during PMQs over what she is now doing to intervene. Labour MP Lucy Powell said: The heart-breaking humanitarian crisis and genocide in Syria continues to take place as the world watches on impotently. Yet there is still no end in sight. She urged the PM to launch a UK-led strategy to protect civilians. And Reza Afshar, diplomatic adviser to the Syrian opposition, told the BBC: The idea that the West doesnt have leverage to deal with this issue is simply wrong. You create the leverage, and you create that by creating consequences for the actions that the Syrian government and the Russians are taking. If you fire a cruise missile from a ship on to the end of a Syrian runway, I think their behaviour would change quite quickly. Mrs May said Vladimir Putin could stop the crisis as he was able to tell Assad that humanitarian aid needs to get through. She said: Its in President Putins hands. He can do it, why doesnt he? On Tuesday, the UN described what was happening in Aleppo as a meltdown of humanity. Advertisement

The TV said it expected at least another couple of hours of delay. It said the buses are prepared to move 5,000 fighters and their families to Atareb, an opposition-held town in the northwestern Aleppo countryside.

Brita Haj Hassan, a Syrian opposition official living in exile, told The Associated Press from Luxemburg that the U.N. and other intermediaries had informed the opposition that the evacuation had been delayed until Thursday.

However, there was no comment from the government, the United Nations or aid groups on the ground. Haj Hassan, who is on the opposition's local council for Aleppo, said he blamed Russia and Iran for the delay.

The dramatic developments surrounding Aleppo - which would restore the remainder of what was once Syria's largest city to President Bashar Assad's forces after months of heavy fighting and a crippling siege - followed reports of mass killings by government forces closing in on the final few blocks still held by the rebels.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the emergency meeting late on Tuesday that he had received 'credible reports' of civilians killed by pro-government forces as they swept into the last rebel areas in Aleppo.

Several of the walls surrounding the UNESCO-listed building have been destroyed and fighters have been inspected looking on at the ruins

Syrian pro-government forces walking in the ancient Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, which now lies in ruins

Before the conflict in Syria, the Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo, also known as the Grand Mosque stood proudly in the city

The Great Mosque of Aleppo before the civil war, which was a UNESCO-listed ancient building and located in the city's old town

'To the Assad regime, Russia and Iran -three member states behind the conquest of and carnage in Aleppo - you bear responsibility for these atrocities,' said U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power.

Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syria's U.N. ambassador, denied any mass killings or revenge attacks, but added it was Syria's 'constitutional right' to go after 'terrorists,' a reference to all opposition fighters.

'Aleppo has been liberated from terrorists and those who toyed with terrorism,' he said. 'Aleppo has returned to the nation.'

Rupert Colville of the UN Human Rights Office said the organisation had credible reports that massacres were not the haphazard actions of 'bad militia'.

VIGILS ARE HELD FOR CIVILIANS TRAPPED IN ALEPPO A crowd gathers in Centenary Square in Bradford for a vigil in honour of the civilians still trapped in the Syrian city of Aleppo A woman takes the microphone and gives a speech during the vigil for Aleppo in Bradford city centre earlier this evening Campaigners in Bradford have held a candle light vigil for the people of Aleppo who are still trapped in the city. Hundreds gathered in Bradford's Centenary Square, where people gave speeches and held up signs saying 'Bradford stands with the people of Aleppo. Some people even came donning white hats to honour the work of the voluntary organisation The White Helmets, who act as first-responders in Syria. The vigil mirrors thousands that have taken place across the world as people raise fears of a humanitarian crisis in Aleppo. Two young women hold up a sign saying 'Save Humanity' and '#AleppoBleeds' at the vigil in Bradford this evening The vigil in Bradford mirrors thousands that have taken place across the world as people raise fears of a humanitarian crisis in Aleppo Advertisement

He told BBC Radio Four's World At One: 'It's very hard to fully verify anything in such a chaotic and ghastly situation as this, but we do have some good sources who we have been dealing with for a long time now.

'And they have been giving us very balanced information, both about violations on the government side, but also by opposition fighters, so we are reasonably confident the information is sound.

'This was Sunday/Monday, 82 civilians, whose names we have, individual names, including 11 women, and 13 children, who were shot, shot dead. Some in the street, some, apparently, just summarily executed, and some just shot inside buildings, in their homes, or in basements or cellars where they were sheltering

'What I think is perhaps most sinister is - this I can't really confirm - there was indications, I would say, that there was some kind of plan here, that it wasn't just haphazard behaviour by bad militia or something.

'For example, one large family, somewhere around 20 individuals, were targeted and shot in two different locations, two different districts, so that sounds too much to be coincidental - that sounds like a plan.'

Asked if the killings amounted to war crimes, Mr Colville said: 'Yeah, I mean, it's up to a court to decide a war crime, who's responsible, and evidence, and so on and so forth, but, yes, summary executions, torture, these kind of crimes are very serious international crimes.'
The year 2016 has been very good to Donald Trump.

Not only has the billionaire business mogul landed the White House in a rule-shattering campaign that shocked the world and graced Time's prestigious Person of the Year cover  Yale University has just awarded the outspoken president-elect with the best quote of the year.

While on the campaign trail in Iowa, Trump said to a crowd that he could stand in the middle of New York City and 'shoot somebody and wouldn't lose any voters'.

The remark caught the attention of the Ivy League university and earned him the top spot on the school library's annual edition of Yale Book of Quotations, which was first published in 2006.

Scroll down for video

Donald Trump topped Yale University's list of best quotes from 2016. The president-elect said: 'I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters'. he is pictured above on Tuesday on his 'Thank You' tour in Wisconsin

Trump is named twice on the top ten quote list alongside other influential people of the year, including Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, John Boehner and Olympian Simone Biles.

Sound bites from the historic presidential campaign dominated the 11th edition from Fred Shapiro, an associate director of Yale's library.

He chooses quotes that are famous or revealing of the spirit of the times, and not necessarily eloquent or admirable.

YALE'S PICKS FOR THE BEST QUOTES OF 2016 1. 'I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters.'  Donald Trump, speech at campaign rally, Sioux Center, Iowa, Jan. 23. First Lady Michelle Obama was named second on the list for saying: 'When they go low, we go high' 2. 'When they go low, we go high.'  Michelle Obama, commencement speech at Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi, April 23. 3. 'You could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the "basket of deplorables."'  Hillary Clinton, remarks at a fundraiser, New York, Sept. 9. 4. 'And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside.'  Lin-Manuel Miranda, poem about Orlando massacre read at Tony Awards ceremony, New York, June 12. 5. '(In politics) you need both a public and a private position.'  Hillary Clinton, speech to National Multi-Housing Council released by WikiLeaks, Oct. 7. 6. 'I alone can fix it.'  Donald Trump, speech at Republican National Convention, Cleveland, July 21. 7. 'Have you even read the United States Constitution? ... You have sacrificed nothing and no one.'  Khizr Khan, addressing Donald Trump in speech at Democratic National Convention, Philadelphia, July 28. Former Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner said Senator Ted Cruz was 'Lucifer in the flesh' 8. 'Lucifer in the flesh. ... I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life.'  Former Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner, describing Ted Cruz during talk at Stanford University, April 27. 9. 'His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life.'  Dan Turner, letter to judge prior to sentencing of his son, Brock Turner, after Brock's conviction for sexual assault of an unconscious woman, June. 10. 'I'm not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I'm the first Simone Biles.'  Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, interview, Rio de Janeiro, August 11. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles is regarded as the best gymnast of all time. In an interview the 19-year-old said: 'I'm not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I'm the first Simone Biles' Advertisement

Hillary Clinton is named twice on the 11th edition of the Yale Book of Quotations. She earned third place for calling Trump supporters a 'basket of deplorables'

Hillary makes the list twice as well, once for calling Trump supporters a 'basket of deplorables' and the other regarding the WikiLeaks scandal.

Other non-political quotes centered on character and love.
Tens of thousands of City jobs will start being lost next year unless there is a transitional Brexit deal, peers are set to warn.

Financial companies will activate contingency plans to shift operations to the continent if they are not reassured about access to the single market.

They cannot wait longer because the changes take time to implement and business will be badly damaged by any 'gap' in their ability to trade in the EU.

Firms in the City of London (pictured) will activate contingency plans to shift operations to the continent next year if they are not reassured about access to the single market, peers are expected to warn

The stark warning will be delivered in a report being published by a cross-party House of Lords committee tomorrow, according to the Guardian.

The peers have been given estimates for the job losses, including an assessment from Ernst & Young commissioned by the London Stock Exchange that claims 200,000 are at stake.

The Brexit committee has been told that banks need clarity long before the formal Article 50 negotiations with Brussels are concluded - due to be by March 2019.

The conclusions underline the choices facing ministers amid an apparent split over whether there should be a transitional arrangement with the EU after we officially leave.

Chancellor Philip Hammond made clear he supported the idea this week, saying 'thoughtful politicians' were increasingly convinced one was needed.

The proposal could include negotiating a period of several years after our membership is officially terminated when we would still pay for full access to the single market.

That would guarantee the continuation of so-called 'passporting' rules - which mean firms registered in the UK can sell products and services throughout the EU.

However, other ministers - including Brexit Secretary David Davis - are thought to be more sceptical about the prospect.

Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator, said yesterday that he was not opposed to a transitional arrangement.

But he stressed that it could not be allowed to run indefinitely.

London Stock Exchange Group chief executive, Xavier Rolet is said to have told the committee that the confrontational nature of the article 50 negotiating process will make it hard to secure a smooth transition.

Chancellor Philip Hammond made clear he supported the idea of a transitional Brexit deal earlier this week

Rolet told the inquiry: 'Article 50 was designed with exactly the opposite set of objectives in mind; that is, to impose and enforce such a reduced timeline to raise the cost of exiting the EU and make it punitive, or to create a level of uncertainty. This is our number one concern.

'If our customers are faced with an uncertain outcome within, say, the next two and a half years, for the protection of their own customers and shareholders they likely have to start today to think, plan and execute alternative arrangements.

'The real difficulty is, for most financial securities and licences the delays in securing a licence easily exceed a year; 18 to 24 months is the norm, particularly since in most cases the regulatory environment in Europe is less global, sophisticated and deep than in the UK.
A man suspected of killing a British tourist with one punch outside a Spanish bar has been arrested after a strand-off with police.

The 34-year-old suspect was held after police surrounded his flat in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol and he threatened to kill himself before agreeing to surrender.

He will now be questioned by a judge in a private court remand hearing.

Police say the Briton, a 42-year-old named locally as Nadeem Aslam, died after being punched in the face and falling to the ground.

A 42-year-old Briton named locally as Nadeem Aslam (pictured), died after being punched in the face and falling to the ground

The 42-year-old died after falling to the ground and hitting the back of his head outside the Entrehoras bar in the popular resort of Fuengirola

The incident happened around 11.30pm last Thursday outside a bar popular with British holidaymakers and expats called Entrehoras.

A spokesman for Spain's National Police confirmed: 'National Police officers have arrested a 34-year-old Polish man in Fuengirola as the suspected killer of a British citizen who died after a fight at the door of a bar in that resort.

'Investigations so far have shown that the suspect punched his victim in the face, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head.

'He was confirmed dead at the scene. A man with him was also injured.'

He added: 'It appears the two British men were trying to get into the bar when they began to insult and push the owner.

'During the resulting row one of the clients seems to have come out from inside the bar and punched one of the British men in the face, knocking him to the ground, before going on to hit the other man with him in the face as well.

The incident happened around 11.30pm on Thursday outside the late-night bar Entrehoras (pictured)

'The suspect fled the scene after the incident. He was subsequently tracked down to a property in Fuengirola.

'After several hours negotiating with him to try to get him to hand himself in, during which he refused to do so and even threatened to commit suicide, the police managed to persuade him to leave the building.

'He was handed over to a judge following police questioning.'

It is not known where in the UK the man who died is from.

A source close to the case said he was on holiday in the area when the incident happened.
A New Zealand policeman who was filmed pushing a 13-year-old boy off his bike and pinning him against a fence will not face criminal charges.

Footage of the incident went viral in August, showing the officer tackling Matthew Heather around the neck and upper body and pushing him to the ground on a street in south Auckland.

A police investigation has found the officer won't be charged but will be asked to apologise to the teen and his family.

A police officer who was caught pushing a teenager off his bicycle (pictured) onto the ground will not face criminal charges

Police had been called to to shut down a noise complaint when the officers pushed Matthew off his bike.

He was reportedly uninjured during the incident, and kept in the back of the police car a short time before being released.

Upper North professional conduct manager Inspector Tracy Phillips said the matter had been taken very seriously and sparked a thorough investigation.

'In line with what the victim's family wanted, it has been decided the officer will not face any criminal charges. He will meet with the victim and his family to offer an apology.'

The teen's family said they were happy with the investigation and the decision not to charge the officer.

An employment investigation will now begin however this will remain a private matter.

Footage of the incident went viral in August, sparking a police investigation which came to a close this week
Live TV is never easy - and presenter Tom Steinfort learned that the hard way as he jumbled his words during a news bulletin.

The Nine News anchor was describing Tuesday's scorching heatwave when he appeared to become confused about what month it was.

'Tonight on Nine News, Sydney swelters through its hottest September, sorry rather November, evening after...,' he said trailing off.

Live TV is never easy - and presenter Tom Steinfort learned that the hard way as he jumbled his words during a news bulletin

Steinfort quickly apologised to viewers watching the afternoon news broadcast and tried to continue.

But he was hit by further glitches as he tried to continue.

'Sorry we just appear to be having some issues here with some of our services,' he said.

'There we go, we're having our hottest day in... Nov... 150 years,' he continued.

Steinfort (pictured covering the US presidential elections) quickly apologised to viewers watching the afternoon news broadcast and tried to continue

The news anchor made the mistake after the heatwave brought highs of 37C to Sydney. Pictured, people relax on Bondi Beach on Tuesday

Ever the professional, Steinfort quickly regained his composure and continued with the bulletin, detailing a truck fire and electricity price rises.

But there still appeared to be timing issues with other parts of the broadcast, with the bulletin coming off as rather awkward.

Steinfort was recently promoted to Weekend Today host after a stint based in London as the news channel's European correspondent.
Advertisement

A series of haunting images of an abandoned theme park in West Virginia hints at the horrific history of the site.

Lake Shawnee Amusement park was opened in the 1920s by an optimistic businessman, Conley T Snidow, who built a swing set and a ferris wheel and turned the pond into an open-air swimming pool.

Several tragic accidents would hit the park over the years, claiming six lives, including a little boy who drowned while swimming.

Don't stay after dark: A couple stroll through the abandoned theme park in West Virginia

These derelict huts on the site were used for selling tickets to the rides or for selling hot dogs

But the most horrific involved a little girl in a pink dress who using the swing set when a truck reversed down the path, hitting her and killing her instantly.

Eventually, in 1966, the cursed park shut down.

In 1988 an archaeological dig on the site found 13 bodies, mostly children, confirming suspicions that it had been used as a Native American burial ground.

An optimistic entrepreneur, Conley T Snidow, bought the former Clay farm in the 1920s, put in swings and a ferris wheel

The ferris wheel is now abandoned and overgrown but in the 1950s and early 60s it rang with the cries and giggles of children

In fact the site, in Mercer County, not far from Matoaka, was home to a tribe of Shawnee for many years.

But in 1775 the first white settler arrived, with his family.

Mitchell Clay built a farm but clashed frequently with the Indians.

In 1783 a band of Indians killed his youngest son, Bartley, and his daughter Tabitha and abducted his eldest son, Ezekial, who was taken to Ohio and burned at the stake.

Clay took revenge by murdering several of the Shawnee.

This is the pond which was used as an open air swimming pool for years until a young boy drowned in it

This sign tells the grim story of why the land first became haunted after a clash in the 18th century

Mitchell Clay moved into the area in 1775 and built this farmhouse. Eight years later a bloody clash with a Native American tribe led to several deaths

The rest of the tribe, knowing Clay would be supported by the government of the recently independent United States, fled West Virginia and settled in Kansas.

Nowadays what remains of the Shawnee nation lives mainly in Oklahoma.

Gaylord White, who now owns the land, featured in an episode of the Travel Channel's Most Terrifying Places in America, and said: 'Sometimes the seat of the swing will start to move underneath your hand until you feel cold air blowing through the seat.'

His son said he had even seen the little girl, in her pink dress covered in blood.

'She looked at me and as long as she looked at me, I couldn't move,' he said.

A rusted ferris wheel in the abandoned Lake Shawnee Amusement park in West Virginia. It was once gaily painted

When the ferris wheel was erected in the 1920s it would have been hugely excited for local children, who had probably never seen one before

This is the rusted swing set where the little girl in her pink dress met her death. Her ghost has been spotted on site recently

A child's toy has been left on the rusted swing set, which is now almost 100 years old

A rusted tractor sits idly on the site of the abandoned Lake Shawnee Amusement park in West Virginia

This sign, erected on the site 30 years ago, gives an indication of what happened on the site in 1783, when white settlers moved into the area and clashed with the indigenous Shawnee tribe

The entrance to the abandoned Lake Shawnee Amusement park in West Virginia. The site attracts paranormal investigators

A rusted slide on the abandoned Lake Shawnee Amusement park in West Virginia. The site is reputedly haunted

The former Clay farm featured on a recent episode of The Most Terrifying Places in America

The ferris wheel operated on the site for 40 years. It is not known if any of the accidental deaths occurred on the ferris wheel
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At least one civilian was killed and another was wounded on Wednesday in an attack on a checkpoint in Ukraine's Donetsk region, authorities said.

The attack occurred at about 9 a.m. (GMT 0700) at Mayorsk checkpoint located at the contact line separating the government and the pro-independence insurgent forces, the State Border Service of Ukraine said in a statement.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry blamed rebels for the attack, saying it was a provocative act aimed at destabilizing the situation in the restive region.

Ivan Prykhodko, the insurgent-appointed acting mayor of Gorlovka city, which lies 15 km south of the checkpoint, accused government forces of being responsible for the attack, saying it targeted a passenger bus.

Prykhodko put the number of those killed in the shelling at two civilians, saying one person was killed by gunfire and another died from a heart seizure during the attack. Two civilians were wounded, he added.

Over the past three months, the number of conflict-related civilian casualties in eastern Ukraine has significantly dropped as fighting abated and shifted to non-residential areas.

According to the Ukrainian government's estimates, about 10,000 people have been killed since the armed conflict erupted in April 2014 between government troops and pro-independence militants in Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
The father of a British girl allegedly kidnapped in Australia by a mentally ill man who thought he was an 'alien' today begged his daughter to return to the UK - after his secret texts helped police rescue her.

Terrified traveller Mary Kate Heys, 20, used Google Maps to send SOS iPhone messages to her dad after she was allegedly lured into a car outside a hostel in Queensland by a Swedish man threatening to drive her 900 miles away to Cairns.

Antony Smith alerted Australian police to the drama despite being 10,000 miles away in Bury, Greater Manchester, and cops eventually intercepted the vehicle and brought Mary to safety after a three-hour manhunt.

Mary - known to friends as Miri - has stayed in Australia despite the ordeal, but Mr Smith pleaded with his daughter to come home.

Antony Smith, the father of Australia kidnap victim Mary Heys, has urged her to come home

Miss Heys has stayed in Australia after her horrific ordeal at the hands of a kidnapper

Mr Smith, a 47-year-old heating engineer, said: 'I would like her to come home if I'm honest. I spoke to her on Monday. She was scared and shaken but relieved to be safe.

'I can't afford to go to visit her but obviously if she stays there long-term I would find the money for flights.

'It's been a really hard and stressful couple of days, but there was no bigger stress than the actual situation itself. We made it through OK.

'Everything else pales into insignificance in comparison to your daughter being in danger.

Miss Heys was kidnapped in Australia but texted her father to tell him what was going on. He then informed Australian police

'I spoke to Julia [Mary's mother] yesterday and she was OK, obviously a bit stressed out. I think Mary is a bit unsure at the moment what to do next. She's shaken up.'

Recalling the ordeal, he said: 'I got a text on Sunday evening at about 7.30pm. I was just sat at home watching TV. Basically she sent her first location through her iPhone. It was really shocked me.

'I kept on messaging her and at the same time found the Queensland police number on the internet and dialled it.

'It went through to a non-emergency number at first but I was quickly transferred to the emergency line. The whole time Mary was texting me her updated locations.

'I was looking on a map and could see the intersections in the road. I managed to keep giving the police updates to the point where they intercepted the vehicle.

'I was panicking. I just had to keep myself together and do the best I could. The whole thing lasted about an hour-and-a-half.

'I don't know anything about this bloke other than she met him in a hostel. The police were really good at dealing with it.'

The messages sent to Mr Smith show the pair's communication became increasingly frantic

Mr Smith added: 'Mary only left two weeks ago. I drove her to the airport. She had been sending me little texts and videos to keep me updates.

'She's got a working visa but for the first couple of weeks she's just been on holiday really. She was working in a few car garages before she left.

'I've not had any more contact from Queensland police, but they have my details.'

Mr Smith was in a relationship with Mary's mother Julia Heys, 46, for 16 years, but they separated 15 years ago.

Mary, who has a sister, Erica, got into the vehicle with a Swedish traveller she met at a hostel in the Sunshine Coast and agreed to travel with him 70 miles south to Brisbane at around 4.30am [Australian time] on Monday.

Ms Heys was picked up by Australian police after Mr Smith informed them of her location

But about an hour into the drive, Mary sent the distress signals to her dad when the 22-year-old man allegedly told her he wanted to drive them 900 miles north to Cairns.

The exchange of messages, which were accompanied by seven different locations pinpointed on a map, read:

Mary: 'Dad are you awake'.

Antony: 'Yeah it's only 7 at night x. Are you ok x.

Mary: (Shares Google map of her location) 'I need you to call the Australian police. Do not ring me. And tell them I'm in a silver Peugeot. I've been taken by a man. I don't think he's dangerous. Please hurry.'

Antony: 'I'm trying to find the number'.

Mary: 'Don't worry. I think I'll be ok if your (sic) quick. He said he is taking me to Gaines. Caines. Are they coming. He thinks he's an alien.'

Queensland Police said they found Mary in the car as a passenger in Gympie, Queensland, around 60 miles north of where she had been staying.

A spokeswoman said: 'The woman had planned to go to Brisbane but once she got in the car the man decided he was driving north to Cairns where she did not want to go.

'It was then that the woman texted her dad and he contacted us so we were able to locate the car in Gympie. The woman decided not to lay charges on the man.'

Mr Smith said: 'It's been a really hard and stressful couple of days. Everything else pales into insignificance in comparison to your daughter being in danger'

It is understood the man - who has not been named - is being treated for mental health issues, but Mary has decided not to press charges.

Speaking about her ordeal this week, Mary said: 'This has been incredibly difficult as so many people are asking why I didn't escape.

'I was terrified and I didn't know what to do. My dad came to the rescue but in reality it's every dad's worst nightmare. This whole experience has been completely overwhelming.

'I was planning on travelling around Australia for the next six to 12 months but all I want to do right now is go home and get a hug from my mum.
Desperate commuters hit by the 48-hour Southern rail walkout could face more travel misery after London Underground threatened to strike.

Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) are banning overtime in protest over staff being moved from ticket offices onto station concourses.

The union claims there has been an increase in verbal and physical abuse suffered by its members in the months since and warned it has a 'mandate for strikes' if the row is not resolved. The RMT union is also involved in the dispute.

A union is banning overtime in protest over London Underground staff being moved from ticket offices onto station concourses and have warned it could escalate to strikes (file image)

There was widespread public opposition to the closure of Tube ticket offices.

Lengthy talks between the two sides are due to end today ahead of a Transport for London board meeting tomorrow.

The TSSA is pressing for ticket offices to be reopened and job cuts reversed.

General secretary Manuel Cortes said: 'Tube staff think there has been too much talking about the impact of ticket office closures and too little action to remedy the violence and abuse our members face.

'The TfL board have a chance to show Londoners that they will stick up for the Tube, for its workers, for its passengers and their safety.

'If they think they can get away with dangerously inadequate staffing levels, I warn them to think again.

Strikes could mean further misery for London commuters who are currently caught up in a 48-hour walkout by Aslef union members. Pictured, Victoria Underground station yesterday

'Right now, we are only implementing an overtime ban but we have a mandate for strikes and we will not hesitate to use this to secure the safe, fully-staffed Tube Londoners deserve.'

Steve Griffiths, London Underground's chief operating officer, said: 'We have already been in discussions with TSSA at Acas and have started a joint review of staffing numbers and deployment with the trade unions.

'The independent review of the closure of ticket offices has been published by London TravelWatch and will feed into our joint review to ensure that we continue to deliver high quality customer service.'

London mayor Sadiq Khan ordered London TravelWatch to review the impact of the closures and job losses and while it recommended a number of moves to improve services, it did not call for the reopening of ticket offices.
Sick Facebook users have posted fake images of a young girl killed outside a school covered by a high-viz jacket.

The people behind the post claimed the incident happened outside Inglehurst Primary School in Leicester.

However, the school insisted that they did not organise the incident.

A twisted Facebook user posted this image to promote a road safety message

The hoaxers then used this message to claim that the horrifying image was real

Former RAF man Tim Pppppppppprice used the mannequin, pictured, for his sickening stunt

A large number of people took to social media to express their outrage over the incident which police insist never happened.

Many social media users expressed outrage over the images which were pasted on Facebook.

The chilling image was posted on the internet with an authentic-sounding description of what happened.

The person who posted the message also claimed the fictitious girl's parents were unaware of the fake incident.

The image was posted on the Spotted New Parks page, claiming the girl was hit after being dropped off for school.

Internet hoaxers claimed the girl ran back to her father's car, in front of another vehicle being driven by a mother from the school when she was struck.

Inglewood Primary Schoo. pictured, l confirmed they were not involved in the sick prank

According to the Leicester Mercury the 'girl' was a dummy placed under a jacket.

Facebook users, however, expressed their disgust.

One wrote: 'Fake or not it's disgusting. Imagine all the parents panicking now wondering if it was there child and ringing schools up to check.'

Another said: 'Yes awareness should be raised but choice of words and pictures needs to be carefully thought out!'

Tim Pppppppppprice, pictured, used the shop mannequin for his sickening stunt

Head teacher Sharon Downes of Inglehurst Junior School said: ' I'm not aware of the Facebook post. We don't want parents to park on the yellow lines outside school but we have nothing to do with this and were completely unaware.'

Facebook user John Wright added: 'This post has caused panic everywhere today. My sister works at the school and says parents have been ringing non-stop in tears to find out whats [sic] happened. Please think before you post!'

The sick prank was organised by Tim Pppppppppprice, who has changed his name by Deed Poll from Price, to 'shock' parents into not stopping on zigzag lines outside schools.

The 51-year-old, aformer RAF serviceman and motorbike dispatch rider, said: 'I knew there had been lots of parents parking outside Inglehurst Junior on zigzag lines and causing problems and the thought of a child being knocked over there was really distressing to me.

'I thought the only way to make people sit up and take notice, and think twice about ever doing that again, was to create something with shock value, so that's what I did.

Mr Pppppppppprice, an administrator of the Spotted New Parks Facebook page site, said: 'I took a mannequin and laid the coat over it on Sunday morning and took some photos.

'I was shaking on Tuesday when I posted the picture because I anticipated the impact it would have.

'I knew it had major shock value and it could worry parents and anger them. But if it helps to save a life, then I won't have any regrets.

'That is the aim of it, although of course I'm sorry that it has distressed people.'

The Spotted New Parks site has now been removed entirely from Facebook and a new message has been posted from a person claiming to be the originator of the site.

It says: 'I, like you lot, was horrified. The post, as you may have noticed, has now been removed.

'Sorry for any distress it may have caused.

'Rest assured there was no child found 'unresponsive' it was a mannequin.

'It is with regret that I've removed the admin concerned as up until now they were doing a good job.

'As owner of this page, I apologise sincerely for not having seen the content sooner.'

Tim Pppppppppprice, born Tim Price, paid 30 to have an extra nine Ps added to his surname in 2014 after he became fed-up with being pestered by telephone salesmen cold-calling him.

Speaking at the time, he said: 'It's pronounced Tim Per-per-per-per-per-per-per-per-per-per-rice.

'I like it. I did it to put them off, all these people who keep calling me trying to sell me things I don't want.

'I must be on some kind of list. God knows how - I'm ex-directory.

'My theory is that when these salesmen see my name on their list of names to call, they'll think: "Blow that - I can't even pronounce his name, so I won't call him".'
Tragic: Pamela Gower, 49, fell 15,000ft to her death after twice backing out of jumping because she was afraid of doing so alone

A skydiver with dwarfism fell 15,000ft to her death after she lost control while performing a barrel roll and struggled to stabilise herself because of her shorter arms and legs, an inquest has heard.

Pamela Gower had also twice backed out of leaping from the plane hours before the fatal sky dive because she was afraid of jumping alone, it was said.

The 49-year-old went up in the aircraft with her instructor Michelle Meakins but told her: 'My mind wants to do it but my body doesn't,' shortly before she made the jump that killed her.

The employment advisor jumped on her third chance but while attempting a 'barrel roll' manoeuvre she went into a high speed spin, lost control and was found on a road near a housing estate.

County Durham Coroner's Court heard that video footage captured of the fatal jump showed Ms Gower trying to deploy the parachute two or three times but the G force from the spin - greater than a fighter pilot - was too strong.

Tony Butler, chief operating officer at the British Parachute Association, told the court he thought that it would be more difficult for Ms Gower to stabilise herself in the air by arching because of her dwarfism.

He said: 'I think it would make it more difficult, part of arch is to extend your limbs and as she has short limbs it would be difficult.'

Ms Gower, from Hebburn in South Tyneside, was planning to leap from the plane not holding on to her instructor on September 10 this year.

Ms Meakins had encouraged her and told her: 'I know it's nerve wracking but you don't need me to hold onto you.'

Ms Gower was an employment advisor at Remploy's Newcastle branch and supported disabled people into work. She had a specially adapted harness because of her restricted height.

Ms Gower (pictured) was planning to jump from the plane not holding on to her instructor

She was found on a road at a housing estate close to the airfield at Shotton Colliery where her plane had taken off from the nearby Peterlee Parachute Centre.

WHAT WENT WRONG? Video footage of Pamela Gower's fatal jump showed her trying to deploy her parachute two or three times but the G force from the spin - greater than a fighter pilot - was too strong. Tony Butler, chief operating officer at the British Parachute Association, told the court he thought that it would be more difficult for Ms Gower to stabilise herself in the air by arching because of her dwarfism. He said: 'I think it would make it more difficult, part of arch is to extend your limbs and as she has short limbs it would be difficult.' Advertisement

Senior Coroner Andrew Tweddle said: 'So what we have is exceptional circumstances affecting a diver who is partially trained and because of her unique stature that made it difficult for her to recover through the arching technique.

'It's a combination of things all going wrong at the same time that led to the fatal outcome of this situation.'

Giving evidence, Ms Meakins said she had become good friends with Ms Gower and described her as 'very determined'.

Although Ms Gower had completed level five sky dives in Spain, Ms Meakins insisted that she went back over old ground and practised with her at a wind tunnel before agreeing to take her on as a student.

She said: 'For my own peace of mind as an instructor I wanted to fly with her in a wind tunnel and take on board myself that she was satisfactory to fly. She achieved that.'

The 49-year-old, who had dwarfism, had gone up in the plane with her instructor Michelle Meakins and twice decided not to jump alone. The scene where Ms Gower died

Ian Rosenvinge, the owner of Peterlee Parachute Centre - where the tragedy took place - told the inquest that Ms Gower had specially made kit to fit her frame which she had bought from the United States.

Inquest: A coroner recorded a conclusion of misadventure in the death of Pamela Gower

He passed on condolences to her family who questioned if too much time had lapsed between each of her sky dives.

Recording a conclusion of misadventure, Mr Tweddle said: 'The deceased suffered from dwarfism and was an experienced diver who had done jumps in Spain and in the UK.'

He went on to say that Ms Gower was 'properly prepared' to do the jump.

'She attempted a barrel roll, she didn't recover from this and went into a high speed spin. Her stature meant it was more difficult for her to recover from the spin and she was unable to do so. She lost consciousness.

'Her back-up parachute deployed correctly but she suffered fatal injuries when she hit the ground.'
A cheeky German Shepherd was filmed shoving a cat's face into some snow.

Lindsay Roy-Bernatchez, of Levis in Quebec, Canada, filmed her poor ginger cat, Kiwi, looking bewildered as he slowly padded through the snow.

Suddenly, her dog, Katniss, bounds up towards Kiwi and tries to play with him.

Kiwi, a ginger cat that lives in Canada, was filmed trying to walk through the snow

Katniss, a German Shepherd, then joins Kiwi outside to play...but then dunks his head into the snow

The cheeky dog then runs away playfully as Kiwi looks on, startled and furious

However Kiwi is still trying to maintain his balance while walking through the snow.

Katniss cheekily then pushes Kiwi's face right into the snow, before running away excitedly.

The video, which was filmed by Lindsay on Snapchat and then posted to her Facebook page, has been viewed more than 600,000 on Facebook and 289,000 on YouTube.
A German minister has refused to wear a hijab during a visit to Saudi Arabia - saying women should have the same right to choose their clothing as men.

Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen's stand came a week after Chancellor Angela Merkel called for the burka to be banned.

Von der Leyen was in Saudi capital Riyadh to meet deputy crown prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, where she voiced her annoyance at the expectation that women cover up.

But it sparked anger in the deeply-conservative state, where social media users called for her to be arrested.

It comes in a week when a Saudi woman was arrested for taking off her veil in public.

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Ursula von der Leyen wore a suit when she was received by the Vice Regent and Defence Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman Al-Saud, in the Divan Palace

The German minister voiced her annoyance at the expectation that women should wear traditional clothing when visiting the country

The German minister shunned traditional Saudi attire, opting instead for a dark blue suit when she met her counterpart at the Divan Palace in the country's capital.

Her decision sparked anger on Twitter in Saudi Arabia, Al Bawaba reported.

One Twitter user wrote: 'Ok so why didn't they arrest her? The hypocrisy and double standards.'

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen wore a suit as she was received by Saudi Assistant Defence Minister Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al-Ayesh at the King Salman Air Base in Riyadh

Another posted: 'The German Defense Minister: Not wearing the hijab in Saudi was deliberate. This is an insult to Saudi Arabia!'

Speaking of her refusal to wear full-length robes, known as the abaya, Das Bild reports, she said: 'No woman in my delegation has to wear the abaya.

'The right to choose your own clothing is a right shared by men and women alike. It annoys me, when women are to pushed into wearing the abaya.'

The newspaper reported that although servants looked 'astonished' at the sight of the German minister in traditional dress, it did not spark any protests.

All women in Saudi Arabia  local and foreign  are legally required to wear an abaya  which is a traditional full-body covering.

Muslim women must also wear a headscarf  or hijab  but foreigners do not need to.

US First Lady Michelle Obama was last year criticised in Saudi Arabia when she went out bare-headed on a visit with her husband

The face does not need to be covered, but some opt to wear the full burka.

Von der Leyen followed the example set by US First Lady Michelle Obama, who was condemned in Saudi Arabia when she went bare-headed on a visit with her husband last year.

Saudi Arabia has been criticised for its attitude to women, who are not allowed to hold driving licenses and who are expected to adhere to strict standards in the way they dress.

In 2013, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visited Saudi Arabia, where they met Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud.

The Prince Of Wales and The Duchess Of Cornwall met King Abdullah in Riyadh in 2013, but as a member of the royal family, Camilla is not required to wear an abaya

Camilla did, however, wear a headscarf when she arrived in Saudi Arabia during a tour of the Middle East in 2013

Camilla was also bare-headed when she met King Abdullah, but as a member of the royal family, Saudi laws mean she is not not required to wear an abaya.

British Foreign Office guidelines state: 'Women should observe the strict Saudi dress code and wear conservative and loose-fitting clothes, including a full-length cloak (abaya) and a keep a scarf with them in case they are asked to cover their head by the Hai'a, commonly known as Muttawa (Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice/Religious Police).

'Men should not wear shorts in public or go without a shirt. Visitors should always seek guidance concerning acceptable clothing.'

British Prime Minister Theresa May last week met King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia in Manama, Bahrain

Last week Angela Merkel told her CDU party conference that the full veil is 'not appropriate' in Germany

Last week Angela Merkel called for a burka ban, saying the 'full veil is not appropriate' in Germany.

The German chancellor told her conservative CDU party conference that wearing the burka should be outlawed 'wherever that is legally possible'.

Merkel said she would back a nationwide ban just months after revealing that she believed the burka was a barrier to Muslim women becoming integrated into German society.

Police in the Saudi capital said on Monday they had arrested a woman for taking off her veil in public and posting pictures of her daring action on Twitter.

Police spokesman Fawaz al-Maiman did not name the woman, but several websites identified her as Malak al-Shehri, who triggered a huge backlash on social media after posing without the hijab in a main Riyadh street last month.

Maiman said in a statement that the police in the ultra-conservative kingdom acted in line with their duty to monitor 'violations of general morals'.

He said the women posted a tweet of herself standing next to a popular Riyadh cafe but without wearing the Islamic headscarf that is required in Saudi society.

The woman, who has been identified as Malak Al Shehri, shared a photograph of herself without a hijab or abaya - a traditional body covering - in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The woman, in her 20s, was taken to prison, he said, also accusing her of 'speaking openly about prohibited relations with (non-related) men'.

'Riyadh police stress that the action of this woman violates the laws applied in this country,' Maiman said, urging the public to 'adhere to the teachings of Islam'.

The oil-rich desert kingdom has some of the world's tightest restrictions on women and is the only country where they are not allowed to drive.

After her arrest, Saudis reacted with fury to her actions.

One message of abuse reportedly read: 'The least punishment for her is beheading her.'
An Apex teenager has admitted to trashing a juvenile jail and rioting in the lead-up to his sentencing over a string of ruthless robberies and car thefts.

According to the Herald Sun, the 17-year-old boy with links to the notorious African gang in Melbourne previously admitted to a number of crimes - including home burglaries, brazen thefts and a carjacking.

He was due to be sentenced for the crimes on Wednesday by a childrens magistrate, but the judgement was delayed after his lawyer said another charge had been laid.

The boy's lawyer indicated that he would likely plead guilty to the latest charge of criminal damage at Melbourne's Parkville Youth Justice Centre.

An Apex teenager has admitted to trashing Melbourne's Parkville Youth Justice Centre (pictured), as he awaits sentencing for a string of ruthless robberies and car thefts

The teen is likely to plead guilty to the charge of criminal damage at the juvenile jail, which has been the scene of countless violent riots in recent months (pictured)

The boy has already admitted to his involvement in a number of riots at the youth jail, including an out-of-control rampage in August that saw an inmate bashed and property devastated.

He also admitted his involved in another violent riot at the centre in October - including an incident where he threatened to stab an inmate with a pen.

The teen is still contesting charges over a spree of crimes on June 2, the Herald Sun reported.

It's alleged that he was part of a group that targeted tobacconists in a set of cooordinated robberies inside three Melbourne shopping centres.

The group were then alleged to have led police on a wild chase into the city centre.

The teen had his bail extended and will face sentencing in January.

The teen - who has links to the Apex gang (unrelated member pictured) is still contesting charges over a spree of crimes allegedly committed on June 2
A kayaker couldn't believe her eyes when she was out on the water in Florida and spotted an alligator hitching a ride on a manatee.

Dana Menk spotted the curious sight in Jacksonville and had to look twice after she saw the alligator seemingly riding the manatee in a canal near her home.

Dana snapped a picture of the unusual sight, and she later shared the image online, which clearly shows the alligator on top of the manatee.

The alligator was spotted in a Florida canal, hitching a ride on a manatee

'Took me a minute to realise what I was seeing,' she told The Dodo.

'In 40-plus years of living in Florida, it was a first for me.'

Dana said the two animals were swimming in tandem for about 100ft.

'The alligator was directly over her most of the time,' she told Dodo.

Kayaker Dana Menk spotted the curious sight in Jacksonville and said the pair were swimming in tandem for about 100ft

'I've seen manatees scratch their back on kayaks and structures, so who knows, maybe she was getting a back scratch,' she added.

Alligators and manatees share much of the same habitat, and gators are rarely seen behaving aggressively toward a manatee.
Russian and Syrian secret services may be encouraging refugees in Germany to carry out orchestrated sex attacks, in a bid to oust Angela Merkel from office, it is claimed.

The extraordinary assertion was made by an expert from the European Council on Foreign Relations, who said the foreign powers could collude to destabilise Germany ahead of next year's election.

Gustav Gressel, a Russian expert at the think-tank, said small numbers of refugees with links to the Kremlin and Syrian security services could be mobilised to sway public opinion against the Chancellor.

Hundreds of sex assaults were reported across Germany on New Year's Eve, prompting an anti-migrant backlash

Citing a series of sex assaults in the city of Cologne during New Year's Eve celebrations at the start of 2016 he told Bild: 'What would happen, for example, if a similar event were repeated at a summer festival before the election as in the Silvesternacht in Cologne?

'How would Merkel stand then? What would be the consequence for the Bundestag election? Of course, this is an extreme example, but it is within the range of possibility.'

Hundreds of sexual assaults and 29 rapes were reported across Germany, centred mainly in Cologne.

Last year's attacks sparked an anti-migrant backlash, including this march in January by far-right group Pegida

The attacks provoked an anti-migrant backlash, and Gressel said similar attacks could provoke Germans to turn on Merkel at next September's election.

Merkel is widely viewed as hostile to Russia, and this week recommended extending EU sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine conflict.

Last month the Chancellor warned that Russia is already trying to influence the German electoral process, stating: 'We are already, even now, having to deal with information out of Russia or with internet attacks that are of Russian origin or with news which sows false information.'

Putin's government has been accused of trying to influence the result of next September's election in Germany

Angela Merkel said last month that dealing with Russian cyber attacks is already a 'daily task'

She said dealing with this is already a 'daily task', and added: 'So it may be that this could also play a role during the election campaign.'

But Hans-Georg Massen, who heads Germany's domestic intelligence service, said a Russian disinformation campaign was likely.

Last month he cited the high-profile case last year of a young Russian woman from Berlin, who Russian media said was kidnapped and raped by migrants, a claim later refuted by the German government.

He told Reuters: 'This could happen again next year and we are alarmed.

'We have the impression that this is part of a hybrid threat that seeks to influence public opinion and decision-making processes.'

Merkel is widely viewed as being hostile to Russia,
Like a scene out of an action film, two men were spotted stealing goods from a moving truck on a motorway in a unique Chinese fashion.

The suspects jumped on top of the truck in central China and threw the loot into a van trailing behind.

After the pair tossed stolen goods from the loaded truck onto the van, they jumped in the vehicle to the shock of other drivers.

Thieves jump on top of a truck and toss goods to a van on the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway

After the robbery the men hopped to the van trailing behind the truck

Both men climbed onto the truck before throwing the loot to their own van

The astonishing footage, taken by a motorist in another vehicle, shows how the daring men robbing the truck on the busy Beijing-Shanghai Expressway.

The robbery reportedly took place on December 8.

The scene looks like something out of a movie with bandits defying death to steal from a moving vehicle.

It is not known what the truck was carrying at this time.

Last month, another pair of thieves were caught robbing a truck in the same fashion, as the below video shows. The video was widely shared on Chinese social media.

One of the thieves appears to crawl across the truck he is robbing
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has said he personally killed suspected criminals when he was mayor of a southern city to set an example for police.

Duterte made the comments in a speech late on Monday night to businessmen as he discussed his campaign to eradicate illegal drugs, which has seen police and unknown assailants kill 4,927 people since he became president on June 30.

After speaking about police killing suspects during the current crime war, Duterte said he led similar efforts when he was mayor of Davao, the major southern city that he ruled for most of the previous 20 years.

'In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys (police) that if I can do it why can't you,' Duterte said in his speech at the presidential palace.

'And I'd go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also. I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill.'

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is known for making controversial comments later clarified or retracted by aides

Duterte, 71, also responded to criticism from human rights groups and US President Barack Obama about his anti-crime tactics, vowing he would not be intimidated by their criticism into stopping.

'Sorry, I am not about to do that,' he said.

In a speech to expatriate Filipinos during a state visit to Cambodia on Tuesday, Duterte joked that as mayor of Davao he would go on missions with police and shoot blindly at criminal suspects.

'I (would) sometimes go along with them.

'If you say I shot someone, maybe I did. I was closing my eyes because I am scared of firing a gun,' said Duterte, a lawyer and former state prosecutor.

As these extraordinary quotes come to light, we take a look at his wildest remarks.

On corrupt journalists: 'Just because you're a journalist you are not exempted from assassination, if you're a son of a bitch.'

'Just because you're a journalist you are not exempted from assassination, if you're a son of a bitch.'

Just before taking office, Duterte said in June that journalists could be murdered if they were corrupt.

After UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern at the comments, Duterte's then spokesman, Salvador Panelo, released a statement blaming the controversy on 'incorrect news reports'.

'The president-elect has not endorsed - cannot - and will never endorse extrajudicial killings, they being contrary to law.'

'He does not condone the killing of journalists nor any citizen for that matter, regardless of its purpose,' the statement read.

On human rights activists: 'Human rights (defenders) say that I kill. I said: 'Okay, let us stop and let them (criminals) multiply. So when harvest time comes, here will be more who will die. I will include you in that because you let them multiply.'

'Human rights (defenders) say that I kill. I said: 'Okay, let us stop and let them (criminals) multiply. So when harvest time comes, here will be more who will die. I will include you in that because you let them multiply.'

Duterte threatened in November to kill human rights activists because of their criticism of his crime crackdown that has seen police and vigilantes kill thousands of people

Presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said human rights activists should not fear being killed.

'The president did not mean he would do that,' he said.

'It was just frustration he expressed through language.

'You know that is how the president talks.'

On America: 'In this venue, I announce my separation from the United States. America has lost. I've realigned myself in your (Chinese) ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way.'

'In this venue, I announce my separation from the United States. America has lost. I've realigned myself in your (Chinese) ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way.'

In an October address to Chinese businessmen in Beijing, Duterte signalled his intent to end the Philippines' decades-long alliance with the United States in favour of closer ties with China and Russia.

After Duterte said upon returning from China he would not sever US ties, spokesman Ernesto Abella urged journalists not to take the president literally.

'Let us not be too literal.

'You've seen the way he speaks, so in other words watch and understand the context of what he says, okay?'

'Maybe the most important thing here is to understand the words "cut ties".

'He said it's a possibility that he could, that he might... so let's try to use our creative imagination, okay.'

On the UN: 'Maybe we'll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations. If you are that disrespectful, son of a whore, then I will just leave you.'

'Maybe we'll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations. If you are that disrespectful, son of a whore, then I will just leave you.'

In August, Duterte said the Philippines may withdraw from the United Nations in response to UN criticism of his war on crime.

Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay quickly insisted the Philippines would remain with the United Nations.

'The president was tired, disappointed, hungry when he made the statement,' he said.

'We must give him leeway. He is also human.'

Later, when reporters asked him about the issue, Duterte replied: 'Can't you take a joke?'

On Barack Obama: 'You must be respectful. Do not just throw away questions and statements. Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum.'

'You must be respectful. Do not just throw away questions and statements. Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum.'

Just before departing for a September summit in Laos that was meant to include a bilateral meeting with Barack Obama, Duterte used foul language in a warning to the US president against criticising the crime war.

Duterte quickly released a statement expressing regret, after Obama cancelled their planned meeting.

'While the immediate cause was my strong comments to certain press questions that elicited concern and distress we also regret it came across as a personal attack on the US president,' the statement read.

But, once out of Laos, Duterte said he had never insulted Obama.

'I never made that statement. You can check it out.'

On God: 'A voice said that you know: "If you don't stop epithets, I will bring this plane down now." And I said: "Who is this?" So, of course it's God. Okay. So I promised God not to express slang, cuss words and everything.'

'A voice said that you know: "If you don't stop epithets, I will bring this plane down now." And I said: "Who is this?" So, of course it's God. Okay. So I promised God not to express slang, cuss words and everything.'

Duterte said in October he spoke with God, who ordered him to stop swearing.

After the comments were widely reported in the Philippines and overseas, Duterte said he was only joking and ridiculed journalists for believing him, saying: 'Those idiots fell for it.
Three water cannon bought by Boris Johnson but never used have cost the taxpayer more than 320,000 - including nearly 1,000 on a new CD player.

The bill for the anti-riot vehicles has been revealed by London Mayor Sadiq Khan as he announced that they are up for sale.

Mr Johnson purchased the second hand Wasserwerfer 9000 from German police in 2014 when he was in charge at City Hall.

He then embarked on an abortive bid to convince the government to make using the vehicles legal.

Boris Johnson purchased the second hand Wasserwerfer 9000 from German police in 2014 when he was in charge at City Hall

In a snub to Mr Johnson (pictured leaving Downing St yesterday) Theresa May blocked use of the water cannon as they could cause 'serious harm' to protesters and destroy trust in police

However, as Home Secretary Theresa May blocked the move on the basis that water cannon could cause 'serious harm' to protesters and destroy trust in the police.

In a devastating put-down during the Tory leadership campaign this summer, Mrs May deployed the humiliating episode to ridicule Mr Johnson's ability to secure a good Brexit agreement.

'I seem to remember the last time he did a deal with the Germans he came back with three nearly new water,' Mrs May said.

Mr Khan said buying, fitting out and maintaining the three vehicles had now cost the Metropolitan Police 322,834.

Some 32,000 has been spent making them compliant with the London 'low emission zone', another 19,035 on repainting, and 19,376.70 fitting CCTV.

The bill for repairing rust patches was 4,911.15, adding 999 sirens 3,109.20, and adding police branding 3,511.50.

Extraordinarily, the authorities have also blown 970.50 installing a 'Radio/CD player'.

Mr Khan said the machines were costing 21,000 per year to maintain, and saving them would save almost 175,000 over the next eight years.

The Labour mayor has asked the Ministry of Defence to sell off the vehicles at the best possible price.

Mr Khan said: 'It beggars belief that such a huge amount of taxpayers' money has been wasted on paying to store these redundant machines.

'We've been left in this position by the previous Mayor who rashly purchased them before he even had permission to use them, and now it's my job to claw back as much of London taxpayers' money as I can.

'I have spent a significant amount of time looking into how I can do this, and have been left with no choice but sell these machines through a process that charges a fee.

'By working with communities and returning to real neighbourhood policing, we can do far more for the safety of our city rather than relying on obsolete and illegal water cannon.

'They do not belong on the streets of London, and by selling them we're able to put money back into helping young people affected by gang crime and keeping Londoners safe'.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said compensation could be paid to VIPs investigated by Operation Midland

Former military chief Lord Bramall and ex-MP Harvey Proctor could be in line for compensation after being wrongly accused of child abuse.

Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said he had personally apologised to both men over the lengthy investigations into them and today indicated they could get cash payouts.

Both men were probed by the Metropolitan Police's Operation Midland, which was a disastrous investigation into baseless claims of a VIP paedophile ring.

Sir Bernard also suggested that changes were needed in the way investigations were handled and complainants should not automatically be believed by officers.

Suspects should also be given anonymity until they are charged, Sir Bernard suggested.

In November, a review led by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques criticised Scotland Yard for a catalogue of failings in its 2.5 million Operation Midland, which closed without a single arrest earlier this year.

The controversial 16-month probe saw raids on the homes of D-Day veteran and former chief of the defence staff Lord Bramall, late former home secretary Lord Brittan and ex-Tory MP Mr Proctor after lurid claims were made by one alleged victim, known as 'Nick'.

Sir Bernard told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'I have met both Lord Bramall and Harvey Proctor. I have apologised to them personally.

'I think all we are waiting for now is for them to formulate what they would explain are the damages in this case.'

Asked if they would receive compensation, Sir Bernard said 'I think it is perfectly possible' and added: 'We are eager to resolve things as quickly as possible.'

D Day veteran Lord Bramall (pictured in July) was among those who faced an investigation under the disastrous Operation Midland

In testy exchanges with presenter John Humphrys, Sir Bernard defended his claim that he was unaware of the scale of failings in Operation Midland until Sir Richard's review.

KEY FAILURES OF THE MET'S OPERATION MIDLAND Sir Richard Henriques's report into Operation Midland highlighted 43 errors made by officers, stretching from the banal to the bizarre. They included: Sent two officers to Australia to interview someone who, Sir Richard notes, 'must necessarily have survived his childhood' and who 'could have answered any questions by more economical means'.

Asked for warrant on Lord Brittan's property, not realising he could not own property because he was dead.

Conducted a search in North Yorkshire as though looking for bodies or body parts.

Asked a consultant psychologist to assess 'Nick' butthen overruled the expert's concerns over their star witness 'as biased'.

Conducted several hundred door-to-door inquires, 'a poor use of resources'. Advertisement

He pointed out that the Met handled 'numerous high-profile cases' at any given time.

'I could probably run through at least 20 that you would regard as high-profile,' he told Humphrys. 'Some of them are very significant public figures.'

He added: 'The sad reality is in these cases, which are very high profile, we got it wrong.'

Setting out the reforms he believed were needed, Sir Bernard said suspects' names should be withheld before they are charged.

'We know that the bar to arrest is relatively low, we need reasonable suspicion.

'You need adequate evidence to put a charge into court to make the charge, so at that point we are quite confident we would always publish the name and in any case it would be in the court appearance.

'So I would say, generally, that ought to be a statutory right.'

Former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor called a press conference to challenge the allegations levelled against him

He also rejected advice that complainants, particularly in sexual offences, should be believed.

'At the moment, much of the advice that is given to the police by the inspectorate - and some of our own advice at times - has been that we should believe, particularly in sexual offences, believe the complainant,' he said.

'My view would be that what we should be, as police officers, is independent, we should be comforting, be understanding and sympathetic to the complainant and we should accept their complaint and then go and investigate to see whether, first of all, the crime happened and, if so, who did it.'
Both were wearing no shoes and have been described as

They were last seen walking down a south-east Brisbane road on

An 11-year-old boy and an 10-year-old boy have been reported missing after they were last seen walking down a south-east Brisbane road.

The boys, who are both described as being Caucasian, were last seen on Old Cleveland Road in the suburb of Capalaba around 4pm on Wednesday, police said.

Police said they are concerned for their welfare because of their age.

Two boys, aged 10 and 11, (pictured) have been reported missing after they were last seen walking down a south-east Brisbane road around 4pm on Wednesday

One of the boys is described as having tanned skin and is about 150cms tall with short brown hair and brown eyes.

He was wearing a black t-shirt with a white logo that read 'born to ride the legendary wave'. He also wore cut-off jeans and had no shoes on.

The second boy is also around 150cms tall with a slim build with blonde hair and blue/grey eyes.

He was wearing a t-shirt with cream shorts that had a stain on them and had no shoes on.
A ride down a water slide ended in pain for a teenage girl who was injured at a Queensland theme park.

The teenager was sent to Gold Coast University Hospital in stable condition with a possible spinal injury, according to the Brisbane Times.

The incident happened around noon on Wednesday at the Wet'n'Wild park near Oxenford.

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A teenage girl was sent to Gold Coast University Hospital in stable condition with a possible spinal injury after she was injured at a Wet'n'Wild theme park

The incident happened around noon on Wednesday at the Wet'n'Wild park near Oxenford

Lifeguards and a nurse treated a guest who complained of neck pain after she got off the Aqua Loop ride, a Wet'n'Wild spokesperson said in a statement.

'The guest advised lifeguards of a pre-existing condition and she was transported to hospital as a matter of precaution.'

'The park has a highly trained emergency response team and works closely with emergency services,' the spokesperson said, adding that the safety and well-being of guests is the park's 'highest priority.'
This Chinese acrobat has impressed the internet with her incredible sense of balance.

The woman from Wuqiao in east China showed off her astounding stability by balancing a teapot on top of a stick, which stood on the tip of another stick held between her teeth.

In what looks like an impossible feat, Wang Xiaona balances the pot and positions herself so the two sticks form a nearly straight line. Meanwhile the teapot stays as stable as a table.

Wang Xiaona raises and lowers the teapot using her teeth and two sticks

The mesmerizing stunt looks impossible, especially the part when Ms Wang smoothly lowers the pot by moving the sticks from 180 degrees to an angle.

Ms Wang's assistant says in the video for New China TV: 'As the saying go, it's easier to go down a hill than up it. So now we'll see how she puts it down.'

Ms Wang then wowed the audience in her next stunt by balancing a pot on top of spinning spatula that was twirling on a spoon at a 90 degree angle.

Wang Xiaona balances a spinning bowl using a spatula and a spoon held between her teeth

Wang Xiaona let the audience know the spear she balanced on her head was sharp

Ms Wang concentrates and has to move back and forth to counteract the spinning motion and keep the bowl balanced.

She had to stop the trick for a second to re-spin the bowl.

For her final routine she supported a spinning plate on a spear with her teeth. Ms Wang lets the audience know the spear was actually sharp.

After about 15 seconds she asked the audience: 'Can I put it down now?'
A hero Ironman swimmer has rescued a four-year-old boy who fell into the River Thames in front of his screaming mother.

Mark Maloney, 37, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, battled fierce currents to pull the boy to safety near Bankside with 'seconds to spare' yesterday afternoon.

The insurance worker said his training for Ironman events and triathlons helped him keep his head above the water and grab the boy to take him to safety.

Emergency: A hero swimmer rescued a four-year-old boy who fell into the River Thames

He told the London Evening Standard: 'I just acted on instinct without thinking really. I do a lot of triathlons and lots of open swimming so I thought I could help.

'In the water I was panicking because I couldn't see him, I was screaming up to my mates "where is he?" And suddenly his head popped up in front of me.

'He was bobbing under and I didn't think he would come back up again so I managed get hold of him. I was talking to him to reassure him.'

Mr Maloney was visiting London for work and was with colleagues at The Old Thameside Inn on Bankside when he heard the boy's mother screaming.

Heroic: Mark Maloney, 37, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, battled fierce currents to pull the boy to safety near Bankside with 'seconds to spare' yesterday afternoon

Speaking to Standard reporter Barney Davis, Mr Maloney's manager Andrew Edwards said what he did was 'the most heroic thing I have ever seen'.

Mr Edwards added that his mother was so in shock that she could hardly speak, and she was 'trying her best to say thank you but she couldn't get the words out'.

A RNLI spokesman added: 'RNLI Tower lifeboat was launched at 2pm to reports of a person in the water by the Thameside Inn.

'There was a strong, ebbing tide which can be extremely dangerous. En route it was called through to say the person was clear of the water but medical assistance was required.

Thames location: Mr Maloney was visiting London for work and was with colleagues at The Old Thameside Inn (file picture) on Bankside when he heard the boy's mother screaming

'The lifeboat crew gave medical aid to a four-year-old boy who was reported to be fully conscious but wet and distressed. Both were handed over to paramedics for further medical assistance.'

And a London Ambulance Service spokesman told MailOnline: 'We were called at 3.27pm on Tuesday to reports of a person in the water at Pickfords Wharf.
An alleged knifeman was heard yelling 'I'm going to kill a Muslim' before he stabbed a passenger on a busy train, a court heard today.

Adrian Brown, 38, allegedly knifed Muhammed Aksar Ali just before their train arrived at Forest Hill Station, south-east London around 1pm on Monday.

He is also charged with possession of an offensive weapon and assaulting Filipa Dias at the Honor Lea Hostel in Forest Hill on the same day.

A photo taken at the scene is believed to show the suspect in the Forest Hill stabbing

Brown appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court today in a grey tracksuit, speaking only to confirm his name, address and date of birth.

Ijaz Malik, prosecuting, alleged that Brown threatened passengers with a knife, then stabbed Mr Ali in the head and torso.

He told the court: 'Mr Ali sustained a punctured lung, punctured abdomen and a wound to his head.

'Mr Brown was heard shouting "F****** Muslims, I'm going to kill a Muslim, I'm going to get all the Muslims".'

Police at Forest Hill station yesterday after a man stabbed a train passenger and made threats

Mr Ali is said to be in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

Brown, of Forest Hill, is charged with one count of attempted murder, possession of an offensive weapon and assault by battery, to which he has entered no plea.
Journalist Caroline Sinz from France 2 said: 'Women seem to have been erased'

After urban riots in 2005, parts of the country have become socially segregated

French women who have been effectively banned from cafes and bars in certain 'no-go' suburbs in the country are fighting back.

Journalists and activists for TV channel France 2 went undercover in various communities with high Islamic populations in Paris to show how conservative Muslim men are enforcing social segregation in public spaces.

In the secret footage, activists Nadia Remand and Aliza Sayah from women's rights campaign group La Brigade des Meres (Brigade of Mothers) enter a shop in Sevran: a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris.

'The cafe terraces and the streets have something in common: women seem to have been erased,' Journalist Caroline Sinz narrated:

In undercover footage, activists enter a shop in Sevran (pictured) - a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris - to depict the social segregation taking place

The group was told by a customer in the shop: 'It's best to wait outside. There are men in here.'

Another said: 'In this cafe, there is no diversity.'

Outraged, one of the activists asked the manager of the store what it would be like if he wanted to go to a cafe with a female relative who was denied entry.

'My cousin stays at home,' he said. 'My cousin can do what she wants, but not with me.'

'In this cafe, there is no mixing. We are in Sevran, not Paris. Here there is a different mentality. It is like back home,' he added.

In Lyon, a city farther south, France 2 journalist Sinz spoke to a young woman who said she makes sure to be very careful in how she dresses.

Gender inequality in certain parts of Paris was exacerbated following urban riots in 2005, when conservative Muslim men took control of various neighbourhoods, including Sevran

She said she will often wear baggy clothes and no makeup to avoid being targeted by the Muslim men in the neighbourhood.

'I'm afraid, simple as that,' she said, when asked why she feels she must alter her appearance.

The undercover report was called an 'intolerable' example of 'discrimination against women' by Axelle Lemaire, the Secretary of State for Digital Affairs and Innovation.

'There are now areas in our country where women can no longer go,' Pascale Boistard, the womens rights minister, added.

Gender inequality in certain parts of Paris was exacerbated following urban riots in 2005, when conservative Muslim men took control of various neighbourhoods, including Sevran.

Now, feminist group Collectif des Femmes often hosts marches to streets that are dominated by Muslim men in an effort to encourage the group to diversify.

But for many women who live in Sevran, Lyon or elsewhere, their daily lives are still routinely censored.

'They are afraid, they have already spoken out in many cities, and were insulted and assaulted,' Sinz told Franceinfo.
Four fraudsters who rigged English language tests for more than 800 bogus overseas students in a vast immigration scam are behind bars today.

The gang charged very large sums of money to read out the answers to multiple-choice tests or provided substitutes to sit in the language exams on behalf of candidates.

The industrial scale fraud was first uncovered by an undercover BBC Panorama sting in 2014 which triggered a police investigation.

Three firms involved also provided forged bank statements and academic records for Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi migrants trying to illegally extend their stay in the UK.

In the dock: Harinder Kumar, 31, (left) and Shaheen Ahmed, 33, (right) have been convicted of rigging English language tests for hundreds of overseas students

Mohammed Hasan, 37, was also convicted of being part of 'wholesale exploitation of the student visa system'

The companies ran tests devised by one of the worlds largest language testing firms, Educational Training Services Global (ETS), Southwark Crown Court heard.

Today Harinder Kumar, 31, Talal Chowdhury, 30, Shaheen Ahmed, 33, and Mohammad Hasan, 37, were found guilty of plotting to facilitate the commission of breaches of immigration law between 17 October 2012 and 10 February 2014.

Jurors were unable to return verdicts against co-defendants Hemant Kumar, 40, and Wahida Sultana, 39.

Six other alleged fraudsters named on the indictment fled the country before they could be charged.

Inside man Chowdhury Baker Al Mahmud Habib earlier admitted the same charge and was a key witness during the two-month trial.

Prosecutor David Walbank said: What the police inquiry revealed was a well-practised operation involving the wholesale exploitation of the student visa system and fraud on a truly industrial scale.

Jurors were unable to return verdicts against co-defendants Hemant Kumar, 40, pictured, and Wahida Sultana, 39

The evidence makes clear that at the college which is at the centre of this case, there were during the 16-month period covered by the charge, at least 800 bogus English language examinations taken, the vast majority of which were later relied upon in support of fraudulent applications to the Home Office for the obtaining of student visas.

Jurors heard the rigged tests were run at Eden College International in Mile End Road, Bow, east London, while Hasan was a designated invigilator.

Harinder Kumar ran an immigration advice service, Student Way Education in Southall, Middlesex, where they promised a guaranteed pass on the tests for 500.

Ahmed and Chowdhury funnelled immigrants looking for dodgy visa extensions to the Eden College from their educational consulting company Total Care London, based in Woolwich at the time of the Panorama sting.

Mr Walgate said: We will suggest that perhaps the most important result of the police investigation was the arrest of that gentleman that I have mentioned Mr Baker Habib... because after being charged he admitted his guilt from which you can be sure that there was a conspiracy.

Baker Habib ran Hikerz, a student advice agency in Whitechapel, east London, and had first met Chowdhury in Bangladesh more than a decade ago.

He claims he became embroiled in the scam after noticing that other agencies were recruiting foreign students for colleges despite their poor English skills.

Talal Chowdhury told him that he could sort the problem out for him and invited him to send his students to Eden College to take the [English test] there, said Mr Walbank.

Jurors heard when Baker Habib took a foreign student for a test between September and October 2012 Chowdhury asked him to log the student on and then asked him to do the speaking and writing test himself for that student.

There were other proxies in the room taking the exams for the students.

Baker Habib attended the college up to 30 times and says he never saw anyone doing the tests for themselves.

Mr Walbank said: During the 16-month period of the charge that we are concerned with at Eden College there were at least, the crown submit, 800-odd bogus tests, thats the minimum figure.

And in relation to those 800-plus tests, more than 600 resulted in subsequent applications to the Home Office, claiming amongst other things, that the person was proficient in English.

Family members wept in the public gallery as the fraudsters were found guilty today.

Harinder Kumar, of Southall, Middlesex, Chowdhury, of Rainham, Gillingham, Ahmed, of Orpington, Kent, and Hasan, of Dagenham, Essex, were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to facilitate the commission of breaches of immigration law.

They were remanded in custody until their sentencing hearing at a later date at Southwark Crown Court.

Jurors could not return verdicts against Hemant Kumar, of Knowsley Avenue, Southall, Middlesex, and Sultana, of London Road, Plaistow, east London.
Volunteer firefighter Jonathan Antovel has been arrested on a charge of first-degree rape after allegedly sexually assaulting a former NYPD cop after a party at his station house this month

A Long Island volunteer firefighter has been arrested for allegedly raping a former NYPD cop and sending pictures of the attack to friends.

The incident reportedly happened on December 10 when Jonathan Antovel and the unidentified victim went to a party at his station house in Hauppauge, New York, police sources told the New York Post.

The two left the boozy mixer together and went back to Antovel's house, where the victim remembers passing out in his bedroom.

Once she was unconscious, Antovel reportedly stripped her clothes off and raped her - sending photos of the attack to some of his friends.

At least two of those friends were in the NYPD, and one of them reported the photos immediately to the Internal Affairs Bureau in Suffolk County - where the rape allegedly occurred.

The officer was brought in for an interview, and later Antovel was arrested on a charge of first-degree rape.

The victim served 10 years in the NYPD.
Soldiers who served in Northern Ireland will not be allowed to be hounded in the same way as Iraq veterans, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon promised today.

He said it was vital that the re-opening of investigations into historical deaths in Ulster is proportionate and includes killings by terrorists.

Nearly 400 retired British soldiers have been sent letters digging for information about their service in Northern Ireland following the decision by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to re-examine 302 deaths from the 1970s and 1980s.

Soldiers who served in Northern Ireland will not be allowed to be hounded in the same way as Iraq veterans, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, pictured, promised today

There are now fears that the personnel, many in their 70s and 80s, will face the same harassment as the more than a thousand soldiers who faced lengthy legal inquiries as part of the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT).

The six year-long investigations unit, which was set up under the last Labour government, is looking into claims of murder, abuse and torture carried out by British troops in Iraq but has been heavily criticised after spurious claims led to more than a thousand claims being dismissed.

Today Mr Fallon admitted the Ministry of Defence had 'not forecast the industrial scale of the claims' lodged against Iraqi veterans and vowed to learn the lessons from IHAT in view of the re-opening of Northern Ireland killings.

He said today: Were not going to allow the Northern Ireland process to develop into another IHAT and I am working at the moment with the Northern Ireland Secretary, who I will I think be consulting on proposals to ensure that the current series of investigations that have been opened up by the PSNI to ensure that that process is better balanced in future.

Michael Fallon told MPs on the Commons Defence Committee today that he will ensure there are better safeguards and time-limits put in place to avoid the Northern Ireland process replicating the disastrous IHAT probes

A new probe has been launched into all 302 killings by British troops in Northern Ireland during The Troubles

He told MPs on the Commons Defence Committee today that he will ensure there are better safeguards and time-limits put in place to avoid the Northern Ireland process replicating the disastrous IHAT probes.

IHAT: SIX YEARS OF HOUNDING IRAQ VETERANS The Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) was set up in the last days of the Labour government in 2010. It was set up to look into claims of murder, abuse and torture carried out by British troops in Iraq but has been heavily criticised after spurious claims led to more than a thousand claims being dismissed. Since 2010 it has cost taxpayers more than 50million - but has not successfully prosecuted a single individual for serious criminality. David Cameron tried to close the investigation but was over-ruled by government lawyers. Today Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the remaining cases must be allowed to run their course to prevent Britain being dragged to the International Criminal Court. Ihat figures show that it has received 3,368 complaints since it was set up. Of those, 1,747 have been rejected. One case has been passed to the RAF Police to investigate and another, of alleged ill treatment, resulted in a 3,000 fine. Another 127 are still in the assessment phase, and four were returned to PIL asking for further evidence. That leaves just under 1,500 on the books. Advertisement

Mr Fallon said soldiers who served in Northern Ireland will receive financial and legal support.

He said: We are now looking at how we can ensure that this process in NI is not random, that it is properly proportionate - in other words murders by terrorists are fully investigated if there are to be investigations into any deaths at the hands of our service personnel.

We are looking at the time limits that should apply and the safeguards for those that might be investigated into events that took place a very long time ago.

Despite admitting mistakes were made on IHAT, Mr Fallon insisted the remaining investigations must run their course to prevent Britain being dragged to the International Criminal Court.

And he defended police officers spying on soldiers after MPs slammed the practice as 'appalling'.

Asked whether he thought it acceptable for covert surveillance to be part of the IHAT investigations, Mr Fallon said: We cannot be sure of the remaining cases as to how many may well to turn out to be deserving of further investigation.

'The fact that a thousand or so have already been dismissed doesnt mean that there may not be some serious cases there.

'You will recall there were some very serious cases very early on in Iraq that certainly needed to be investigated and there may be in the remaining 250  or finally by next summer the remaining 60 cases  there may be some very serious cases, certainly that will need investigation.

British Army soldiers patrolling streets of Nationalist West Belfast during The Troubles in 1973
A terminally-ill man fulfilled his dying wish on Friday by marrying his long-term girlfriend from his hospital bed in Texas.

Raul 'Tiny' Hinojosa, 33, who was diagnosed with leukemia, finally tied the knot with his partner of 11 years Yvonne Lamas, CNN reported.

'He was very respectful, very romantic and always wanted to give me the world', said Yvonne. 'He knew how to put a smile on my face no matter the situation'.

The poignant last-minute ceremony, arranged by family and hospital staff in Amarillo was captured on video.

After 11 years of dating, Yvonne Lamas and Raul 'Tiny' Hinojosa were finally wed on Friday



Yvonne went with a hospital chaplain to the courthouse to acquire a marriage license.

Due to the circumstances, the judge waived the typical 72-hour waiting period, she said.

When they returned to the hospital, the director of the critical care unit let Raul wear his suit for the ceremony, Yvonne said.

Relatives found a dress for her and cooks in the hospital's cafeteria baked a cake.

Friends, family and hospital staff gathered inside Raul's room to celebrate the couple's union

Angie Paiz, Raul's aunt, created a GoFundMe page to help the young family financially

After Raul was admitted to the critical care unit last October, Yvonne spent every day by his side, balancing his needs with those of their four children.

The couple has a nine-year-old son and Yvonne has three daughters from a previous marriage, but Yvonne said he treated them as if they were his own.

'As a father figure he was very loving, very caring to my kids', said Yvonne. 'He gave them the world and was there for them when times were tough'.

Raul proposed to Yvonne in 2007, but hospital bills prevented them from marrying until now.

He loved spending time with his friends and family, especially his children and granddaughter

'He was determined to give me the best fairy tale wedding', she said. 'He tried saving up, but within that time he ended up getting diagnosed with the leukemia'.

But in a matter of hours on Friday the couple was ready to finally get married.

The video shows hospital staff lined up outside Raul's room, with Yvonne, between him and her father, who escorted her down the aisle.

He placed her hand in Raul's as the chaplain choked back tears as she recalled the couple's journey to the altar.

'When this illness was diagnosed', said the chaplain. 'Yvonne promised she would never leave him. She would be with him. They would do this together'.

Surrounded by family, friends and hospital staff, the couple recited their vows.

Raul died just 36 hours after they were married.
Buzz Aldrin looked in high spirits as he gave an interview with the Today Show Wednesday morning, less than two weeks after he had to be evacuated from Antarctica when he had a medical emergency.

The 86-year-old former astronaut, and second man on the moon, said he suffered altitude sickness as he was journeying 11,000 feet up to the South Pole earlier this month.

While Aldrin made it to the South Pole - becoming the oldest person to do so - he immediately had to be evacuated to a hospital in New Zealand for congestion in his lungs - cutting his trip short.

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Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin spoke about his recent trip to Antarctica on the Today Show Wednesday morning

Aldrin had to be evacuated after reaching the South Pole for altitude sickness. He was discharged from the hospital last week

'I got out of breath, you know. That's nothing new. Except it's a little more concentrated. It's cold and you got a heavy stuff and not much air to breathe up there,' he told Al Roker.

'When turning back is about as difficult as pressing on you press on because you got an objective. Especially when they tell me that I set a record - the oldest guy to the South Pole. See now it was worth it really.'

While he was hospitalized in New Zealand, waiting for his chest to clear, he learned about the passing of his fellow former astronaut John Glenn.

Aldrin now holds the record for oldest man to the South Pole. He is 86 years old

'I got out of breath, you know. That's nothing new. Except it's a little more concentrated.It's cold and you got a heavy stuff and not much air to breathe up there,' Aldrin said of his bout of altitude sickness

After getting altitude sickness at about 11,000 feet, Aldrin was evacuated to New Zealand where he recuperated for about a week before being sent home to Florida

Aldrin is pictured above reading in the hospital after being evacuated from the South Pole

Aldrin was the second man on the moon (pictured above in a photo taken by his fellow astronaut, Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon)

During his Today Show interview, Aldrin remembered Glenn - a man he first met in 1953 when the two were fighter pilots in the Korean War.

Glenn was a 'typical all-American guy,' Aldrin said, adding that he 'admired that guy so much'.

'He was a Marine, but he knew how to fly that airplane I'll tell you,' Aldrin, an Army veteran and West Point alum, said.

Glenn died last Thursday at the age of 95. In addition to a decorated career as a fighter pilot and one of the Original Seven astronauts, he was a long-serving senator for the state Ohio.
A Coles shopper has demanded a $50,000 payout from the supermarket after he slipped on a banana and broke his finger.

Pensioner Rakesh Dhody, 63, claims he was left in 'extreme pain' after he stood on the banana and got his finger trapped in a shelf as he fell over.

Mr Dhody was left with a fractured finger and said he needed six months of therapy after the fall at the store in Tarneit, Melbourne.

His claim comes on the same day a Sydney woman won more than $90,000 after slipping on a grape at a Coles supermarket and injuring her back.

Coles shopper Rakesh Dhody has demanded a $50,000 payout from the supermarket after he slipped on a banana and broke his finger

Mr Dhody told The Age he popped into the supermarket after visiting his wife in hospital.

Coles worker sand shocked witnesses rushed to his aid after he slipped on the fruit, which left him with a bent and broken ring finger.

He is now demanding $50,000 from the supermarket's parent company Wesfarmers to compensate him 'for the stress, pain, suffering and run-around' he endured.

Mr Dhody said he suffered 'extreme' lack of sleep after the incident and went through six months of hand therapy at a hospital during his recovery.

The pensioner said he struggled to care for his sick wife after the fall and found it difficult to do 'do day to day tasks such as clean dishes, washing, clean the house etc'.

He said: 'It is a very genuine incident and claim, and I had sleepless nights for many weeks.'

Mr Dhody was left with a fractured finger and said he needed six months of therapy after the fall at the store (pictured) in Tarneit, Melbourne

Wesfarmers investigated the incident and offered to pay for any reasonable expenses Mr Dhody incurred.

But he argues that will not be enough, adding that he receives cheap medical services as a pensioner.

He also said he had to pay for taxis for some time after the slip as he was unable to drive because of his injury.

Mr Dhody said he plans to take the company to court if they do not payout $50,000.

Wesfarmers has denied liability and a spokeswoman said it was waiting for him to respond to their offer to cover his costs.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Coles for further comment.

Sangeeta Guru (pictured) was awarded $90,000 four years after slipping on a grape at Coles

Mr Dhody's claim came after beautician Sangeeta Guru won $90,000 after suing Coles over an injury she sustained in a store.

The mother-of-two slipped on a grape more than four years ago while she was shopping at a Coles in Penrith.

Mrs Guru, now 40, fell heavily on the floor as her leading foot slipped, aggravating her back which was already in bad shape.

The Fijian-born woman was wearing thongs when she failed to notice a grape on the floor next to open shelves on October 19, 2012.

But she saw Coles workers loading grapes on to open shelves shortly before she slipped, leaving her with shoulder, wrist and neck pain.

The Cambridge Gardens Coles near Penrith in Sydney's west where the self-employed beautician slipped over

The entrepreneur, who now lives in Ballarat in regional Victoria, also injured her left ankle, hurt her torso and cut her left knee, which bled.

Judge Leonard Levy accepted that Coles was negligent, finding Mrs Guru did not go shopping to 'traverse an obstacle course'.

Coles' parent company Wesfarmers has been ordered to pay $90,130.45, which included a $40,000 component for future economic loss.

This was less than the $411,000 she had sought for future economic loss, based on earning $500 a week until she turned 70, on top of $415,638 she had sought for future domestic help.
The asylum seeker, named only as Amir A. in court, had his sentence extended

An Iraqi asylum seeker who brutally raped a 10-year-old schoolboy, claiming he was suffering a 'sexual emergency', will spend longer behind bars after his six year sentence was increased.

The 20-year-old rapist - named only as Amir A. in court - attacked the child at a swimming pool in Vienna, Austria.

His victim was left with horrendous injuries and is still suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

His lawyers had sought a retrial after successfully arguing that the original trial had not done enough to discover if he knew for certain that his victim was saying no.

The appeal had shocked legal experts because as a 10-year-old minor, the victim could never have given his consent to sex.

Now judges at Austria's Supreme Court have found the asylum seeker guilty for a second time - and jailed him for seven years.

The rapist had been taken to the Austrian capital's Theresienbad pool in December last year as part of his integration programme.

The horrific attack happened at Vienna's Theresienbad pool in December last year, where the rapist was taken as part of his integration programme

But he dragged his victim into a changing room where he locked the door and subjected him to a sickening sexual assault.

The court heard that the schoolboy needed urgent medical treatment for agonising injuries sustained in the attack.

The terrified youngster told a lifeguard what had happened, and the staff member called police.

After the rape, the accused calmly returned to the pool and was using the diving board when officers arrived to arrest him.

The terrified youngster told a lifeguard what had happened, and the staff member called police

He first confessed to the rape, saying he knew it was wrong but did it anyway because it was a "sexual emergency" because he had not had sex for four months.

His lawyers later changed his story claiming there were doubts over whether he knew the victim had denied consent.

He was found guilty of serious sexual assault and rape of a minor.
Boulder police and prosecutors are planning a new round of testing on DNA evidence found in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case.

They are hoping that new advancements will help them in their search for JonBenet's killer after an investigation by the Daily Camera and 9NEWS uncovered major flaws in the way the DNA in the case had previously been tested.

The tests would also tap into an FBI database that includes genetic profiles from more than 15.1 million known offenders.

Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett and Boulder police Chief Greg Testa said that they have already discussed the matter with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation during a meeting that took place just before Thanksgiving.

December 26 will mark the 20-year anniversary of JonBenet's murder.

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New sear ch: DNA evidence in the JonBenet Ramsey (above) murder case will be retested

Family: An investigation into how evidence was handled that was released in October uncovered major flaws (the Ramsey family's Christmas card from the early 90s)

Earlier this year, forensic experts took a look at the lab results and reports in the case and came to the conclusion that the DNA samples taken from Jon Benet's long johns came from at least two people in addition to the victim, while the sample taken from her underwear could be a composite and not a single individual.

These findings were based on the experts looking at the same reports that former Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy cited back in July 2008 when she made the decision to officially exonerate the child beauty queen's parents John and Patsy and her brother Burke in her murder.

Based on their findings, these results would not be enough to clear the Ramseys of suspicion in the case. It would also not be enough to implicate any member of the family.

The findings of these forensic experts also presented another problem as they suggested that the unknown male killer who law enforcement officials have been searching for over the past decade does not exist.

Instead of being the DNA of one person, they have instead created a composite of someone who does not exist.

Meanwhile, documents show that Lacy was informed that the DNA samples which had been recovered from the evidence in the case came from at least two people, but chose not to address or reveal this in her letter exonerating the Ramseys.

That is not all either, as the experts also believe there is a chance that the DNA samples have no value in the case.

The DNA could have come from earlier contact or even another article of clothing JonBenet had been wearing prior to her death.

'It's certainly possible that an intruder was responsible for the murder, but I don't think that the DNA evidence proves it,' said William C. Thompson, a professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California-Irvine.

Lin Wood, the attorney for the Ramseys, said in a statement: 'I have absolute and total confidence in the integrity of former District Attorney Mary Lacy, and I am also aware of internet comments by former Boulder police Chief Mark Beckner where he, within the last several months, affirmed that the Ramsey case was a DNA case.'

Burke Ramsey is currently suing CBS for $150million after the network aired The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey last month, which concluded with investigators revealing that after extensive research into the events that happened on the night of the murder they believed Burke Ramsey was responsible for killing his sister.

Scene: Boulder police and prosecutors are hoping that new advancements will help them in their search (the Ramsey home above)

Tragedy: December 26 will mark the 20-year anniversary of JonBenet's death

Advancements: The tests would also tap into an FBI database that includes genetic profiles from more than 15.1 million known offenders (John and Burke at Patsy's 2006 funeral above)

The body of JonBenet, a child beauty queen, was found bludgeoned and strangled hours after she was reported missing and covered by a white blanket with a nylon cord around her neck, her wrists bound above her head and her mouth covered by duct tape.

John and Patsy had called police to report her kidnapping and said they found a note demanding a ransom of $118,000 for her safe return - and that they had not contact the authorities.

Despite this, police arrived to their home shortly after in clearly marked vehicles.

John and Patsy would remain the primary suspects in their daughter's death for more than a decade, and it was not until 2008 that police finally cleared them of any wrongdoing.

At that time, Patsy had been dead for two years after a lengthy battle with ovarian cancer.

She was initially suspected by many of being the murderer after reports emerged that handwriting on the ransom note was similar to her own, but after she willingly provided a sample to police it was determined she did not write the note.

Many also suspected someone in the family as they claimed there were no footprints in the snow around the house.
An Aleppo nurse wrote a suicide note before killing herself so Syrian soldiers could not 'savour' raping her, it has been reported.

In a letter apparently written for religious leaders and the Syrian opposition, the unnamed woman said conditions in the city were so bad that 'hell-fire will be worse than this'.

She then vowed to take her own life before 'animal' soldiers arrived 'because I do not want several members of the Assad Regime to savour raping me'.

There have been unverified reports that up to 20 women killed themselves in just one morning in the besieged city to avoid being subjected to sex attacks.

The heartbreaking note emerged as a truce aimed at safely evacuating thousands of civilians and rebel fighters from Aleppo came to a deadly end this morning.

An Aleppo nurse wrote a suicide note before killing herself so Syrian soldiers could not 'savour' raping her, it has been reported. Pictures show the ruins of Aleppo

The heartbreaking note emerged as a truce aimed at safely evacuating thousands of civilians and rebel fighters from Aleppo came to a deadly end this morning. Residents are pictured fleeing the city yesterday

She wrote: 'I am one of the woman in Aleppo who will soon be raped in just moments..there are no more weapons or men that can stand between us and the animals who are about to come called the 'country's army'.

The woman said she was killing herself 'because I do not want several members of the Assad Regime to savour raping me while just yesterday they were afraid to say the word 'Aleppo'.

She added that 'the Day of Resurrection has taken place in Aleppo and I don't think Hell-Fire will be worse than this.'

Speaking to the Daily Beast, Abdullah Othman, the head of rebel group the Consultative Council in the Levant Front, claimed that in one morning alone '20 women committed suicide in order not to be raped.'

The claims have not been verified.

It comes as the planned evacuation of rebel districts of Aleppo stalled on after air strikes and heavy shelling hit the city and Iran was said to have imposed new conditions on the deal.

A ceasefire brokered on Tuesday by Russia, Assad's most powerful ally, and Turkey was intended to end years of fighting in the city, giving the Syrian leader his biggest victory in more than five years of war.

'ALEPPO IS WORSE THAN HELL FIRE': THE SUICIDE NOTE IN FULL A nurse has left a heartbreaking suicide note revealing her fear of being raped 'I am one of the woman in Aleppo who will soon be raped in just moments..there are no more weapons or men that can stand between us and the animals who are about to come called the 'country's army'. 'I don't want anything from you..I don't even want your supplication...as I am still able to speak I think my supplication is going to be more truthful than what you say! 'I am committing suicide..and I don't care if you say I am in Hell-Fire! 'I am committing suicide because I did not remain firm in my deceased father's home for all these years because his heart burned when he saw all those who left Aleppo. 'I am committing suicide not due to no reason but because I do not want several members of the Assad Regime to savour raping me while just yesterday they were afraid to say the word 'Aleppo'. 'I am committing suicide because the Day of Resurrection has taken place in Aleppo and I don't think Hell-Fire will be worse than this.. 'I am committing suicide and I know all of you will unite on my entering of Hell-Fire and that will be the only thing that you will unite upon: the suicide of a woman. Not your mother or sister or wife...but a woman you are not concerned about. 'I will conclude by saying that your fatawa (verdicts) have become meaningless to me so save it for yourself and your family.. 'I am committing suicide.. And when you read this know that I have died pure despite everyone. Advertisement

But air strikes, shelling and gunfire erupted on Wednesday and Turkey accused government forces of breaking the truce. Syrian state television said rebel shelling had killed six people.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said however that rebel resistance was likely to end in the next two or three days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan will discuss Aleppo later on Wednesday, the Kremlin was quoted as saying.

Nobody had left by dawn under the plan, according to a Reuters witness waiting at the departure point, where 20 buses stood with engines running but showed no sign of moving into rebel districts.

People in eastern Aleppo packed their bags and burned personal belongings, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed militia allies.

In what appeared to be a separate development from the planned evacuation, the Russian defence ministry said 6,000 civilians and 366 fighters had left rebel-held districts over the past 24 hours.
A homeowner whose driveway was blocked by a van took the keys and hid them from the driver as an act of revenge.

Andrew Krasucky, 26, of Hounslow, London, went to confront a tradesman who had parked in front of his driveway, despite parking spaces being nearby.

However, he discovered the driver had left his keys in the ignition of the vehicle.

Locking the van behind him, Andrew went to a cafe for two hours and then returned to find the driver searching high and low for his missing keys.

Rather than handing them over, the crane driver decided to exact his own 'punishment' and filmed the man looking for them for another four hours until it was getting dark.

He even repeatedly pressed the central locking on the keys so that the tradesman became convinced they were in the van.

Andrew said: 'It was really selfish and thoughtless of him, especially because he had the option of a space. You can't do that. It's unacceptable.

'It was all about punishing him. I don't think he understood what really happened. But deep in my mind I will remember this occasion for a long time.

The van driver parked in front of Andrew Krasucky's home in Hounslow, London

Andrew decided to take the keys, which were left in the ignition of the unlocked van

He then hid them from the van driver for six hours while he went to a coffee shop

'I was very happy as I didn't make him pay a fine [by trying to get him in trouble], it was just one of life's pleasures to punish him for ignoring other people, parking outside our house and not caring.

'I was very annoyed as there was a free space and he didn't bother to use it despite it being just a few feet ahead of him.

'He just dumped it outside my home, which made me very angry. My partner would not have been able to get up the drive when she came home.'

Andrew said he managed to confront the van driver later and asked him to move.

'I asked him could he not park anywhere else and wondered what he would tell me. He was polite and apologised but said he couldn't find his keys.

Andrew said the driver was 'selfish' and 'thoughtless' for not parking in a free space and in front of his drive instead

Andrew says there were several free spaces outside of his home and down the street

'I could have called the police and said that there is a man parked across my driver who has left the keys in the ignition and he might have got in trouble.

Andrew threw the keys outside sometime around 4pm and the driver found them shortly after that, just as it was getting dark.

Andrew said: 'I thought about going out and giving them him [while telling him why I had taken them] but it would probably have ended up in a fight.

'The keys landed next to the van but he was still walking around and couldn't see them. He didn't see me do it. Eventually he found them.

'He opened and closed the door and then left the van. I couldn't believe it.

'So I went out again and asked him whether he was going to move it and he said "oh yes, OK".

He decided to do it as a 'punishment' for the driver, but didn't want to report him to the police

'I was so angry that he still didn't move it even when he had the keys. I thought "just go away!"'

After initially pinching the keys, Andrew began posting pictures of the situation on social media - prompting a frenzy of suggestions from other users who wanted to see the van driver punished.

Andrew said: 'I thought about taking off the hand brake but thought it was too much. I didn't want to get in trouble myself.

'On social media I told people about how I had his keys and lots of people suggested things for me to do to him.

'This was more than enough. You can't go too far with the punishment.

'Afterwards, I thought if I were to do it again I would tell him not to park like that again or he won't get his keys back. That's what I would do next time. Hopefully there won't be a next time - but I am certain someone will park there again.
A former school teacher in South Australia was sentenced to jail time for taking so-called 'upskirt' videos of female students.

Stephen Thomas Ward, 67, was a teacher at the private school Gawler's Trinity College for 20 years before he was busted for producing child sex images earlier this year.

On Wednesday the formerly married father-of-two was sentenced to a two-year- jail term with a non-parole of 10 months, the Advertiser reported.

Stephen Thomas Ward, 67, a teacher at Gawler's Trinity College, used a school-issued mobile phone to record illicit videos of female students and stored the material on a home computer

'You will never teach nor work with children ever again,' said District Court judge Paul Muscat upon handing down the sentence, the Advertiser reported.

One of Ward's young victims was 'innocently catching a train home from school when she was violated without even knowing it was happening,' a judge said on Tuesday, according to the Advertiser.

Ward used a school-issued mobile phone to record the illicit videos and stored the material on a home computer.

The crimes - one aggravated and basic charge of possess child exploitation material and four counts of indecent filming - were committed between January 2012 and February this year. Ward pleaded guilty to all counts.
A young boy has died after getting trapped in a snow bank in upstate New York, just hours after his grandmother died.

The 13-year-old boy, Joshua J. Demarest, was buried under the snow while building a fort with a school friend, Tyler Day.

Police were called to the scene in Greenwich, New York, about 5pm on Tuesday after a family member reported the two boys missing. They had last been seen about 3pm.

A young boy has died after getting trapped for hours in a snow bank (pictured) in Greenwich, New York

Joshua J. Demarest (pictured) died after the snow fort he was playing in with a friend collapsed

Officers found the two boys with the help of a K9 unit, and desperately shoveled about seven tons of snow in just 10 minutes to reach them. They found Demarest about 7:15pm.

Responders unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate him at the scene, before he was rushed to Saratoga Hospital.

He was pronounced dead about 10pm.

His surviving grandfather posted an emotional farewell to the young boy on social media.

Demarest (pictured) was rushed to hospital after rescuers pulled him from the snow after being buried for about three hours

Demarest's (left) family revealed on Wednesday that the young boy died just hours after his grandmother, Pamela (right)

Josh Demarest's mother, Rachel (left), had been with her dying mother in New Jersey when she found out her son was missing on Tuesday afternoon

'My grandson Joshua James Demarest died tragically last night,' Efton Jiles wrote on Facebook.

'Our grief is compounded because Josh's grandmother died only a few hours earlier.

'We are devastated... May we all endure, and in love for one another, find an accepting peace.'

Jiles also said Josh's mom, Rachel, had been in New Jersey with her mother as she died, when she was called back home after her son went missing.

Video courtesy of ABC News10

Day, 12, who was found after his best friend, was conscious and trying to dig his way out of the snow, police said.

He was released from hospital on Wednesday morning after being treated for hypothermia. He told police he was trapped in a part of the fort that had a pocket of air, which allowed him to survive.

Police Chief George Bell told reporters a public works truck had been plowing snow in the same area as the boys were playing at the time they were trapped.

Bell said investigators believe a truck dumped more snow or bumped into the fort while the boys were inside, collapsing it on top of them.

A GoFundMe page has been created to support the Demarest family. By 4pm, more than $11,000 has been donated.
A detailed reconstruction of Russian-directed hacking during the U.S. elections has revealed how the White House rejected robust responses that might have gotten Moscow's attention, along with a series of party missteps that allowed the intrusion to proliferate unabated.

The White House did not hold the first Situation Room meetings about the hack until July, the New York Times revealed in a detailed report on how the hack unfolded. That was several months after the initial intrusion into the computers of the Democratic National Committee, which is believed to have occurred in April.

Ultimately, that hack would result in the release of thousands of embarrassing documents in the midst of a heated political campaign  and forcing the resignation of the DNC chair on the eve of the Democratic National Convention.

As the scope and origins of the cyber attack became more clear, the White House considered, but rejected the most robust responses that would have sent a strong signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President Obama is under fire for failing to execute a stronger response to a hack on the U.S. elections that government agencies believe was directed by the Russian government

'Possible' counterstrikes that were 'reportedly included,' according to the paper, were going after Putin, a former KGB agent, to expose his financial links to wealthy oligarchs, and punching holes in the Russian internet to let dissidents spread their views.

'Pentagon officials judged the measures too unsubtle and ordered up their own set of options,' according to the paper. None of those ideas were 'formally presented' to President Obama.

Top security officials who met in the White House about the intrusion that roiled Hillary Clinton's campaign feared an overreaction by the U.S. might actually help Putin.

'If we went to Defcon 4,' said one government official, using the nuclear warning code, 'we would be saying to the public that we didn't have confidence in the integrity of our voting system.'

The White House wouldn't say Wednesday if it had taken action since.

'I'm not in a position to confirm whether or not that response has been initiated or not,' press secretary Josh Earnest said. 'I'm also not in a position to confirm that we won't ever in the future discuss what that response is or what that response may be.'

Earnest claimed that the intelligence community waited until October to accuse Russia of hacking in public because it needed to run the assessment by 17 agencies and confirm with 'high confidence' that Putin's affiliates were behind the hack.

'It would've been inappropriate for White House figures, including the president of the United States, to be rushing the intelligence community, to expedite their analysis of the situation because we were concerned about the negative impact it was having on the president's preferred candidate in the presidential election,' Obama's spokesman, Josh Earnest, said.

'That would've been all the more damaging in an environment in which you have the Republican nominee, without evidence, suggesting that the election is rigged.'

Earnest said the White House was 'deeply concerned' about masking the intelligence communities methods before it made the report available to the public.

It was also focused on 'insulating the intelligence community from the kind of political pressure' obvious to anyone following the election, he said.

Former DNC staffer Yared Tamene got a call from the FBI about the hack, but had doubts about the authenticity of the person on the other end of the phone

President Obama warned Russian President Vladimir Putin about the election intrusions at a summit in September. The two are pictured here in 2015

Campaign chairman John Podesta became the victim of a cyber attack when he was sent an email claiming to be from Google in March saying he needed to change his password

One of Podesta's aides forwarded the email to computer technician Charles Delavan to check whether the message was legitimate

The email claimed to be from Google and told him he needed to change his password immediately because someone had tried to access his account

The White House official shot back at a Times reporter asking the White House for a response to the report that it may not have mattered, in terms of how the hacks were covered, if the administration had come forward with the information sooner.

'I think it actually is an open question about whether it would've made a difference,' he said.

Earnest contended that 'news organizations in United States essentially became the arms of Russian intelligence' when they promoted the stolen emails belonging to Democratic Party officials.

Hacked DNC emails did not surface until July of 2016. The DNC was alerted to suspicious behavior by the FBI in 2015.

The DNC tech official who took a call from the FBI after the initial intrusion was detected in September 2015 was dubious.

'I had no way of differentiating the call I just received from a prank call,' the contracting official who took the call, Yared Tamene, wrote in an internal memo obtained by the paper.

A Clinton staffer made a fateful error when he made a typo in an email message to Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta of a possible phishing scam that was part of the hack.

'This is a legitimate email,' Charles Delavan, warned a Podesta aide. 'John needs to change his password immediately.'

When Podesta clicked the link, it ultimately led to the release of 60,000 emails from his personal account, many of them embarrassing and harmful to Clinton's effort.

An April 29, 2016 DNC email warned: 'Not sure it is related to what the F.B.I. has been noticing. The D.N.C. may have been hacked in a serious way this week, with password theft, etc.'

Contractors that the party hired quickly determined that Russia was the suspect behind the hack.

Delavan explained that he meant to write that the it was an 'illegitimate email,' an error the Times says has plagued him since.

A typo in an email from one of Hillary Clinton's aides may have been responsible for allowing Russian hackers to access tens of thousands of emails belonging to top staffers

Donald Trump dismissed CIA claims that Russian hacks were intended to help him win the election as 'ridiculous', also claiming that Democrats were pushing the reports in the media

The CIA told senators in a secret meeting that they believed hacks on Democratic emails in the election were intended to aid Trump's victory. That meeting was revealed by press on Friday

The attacks are believed to be the culmination of decades of Russian-backed attacks dating to 1996, which also included hits on regional rivals including Estonia and Ukraine.

There were delays in a formal 'attribution report' directly pointing to Russia.

'It took forever,' complained one senior official.

In August, the head of the National Security Agency, Admiral Michael Rogers, was pushing for a strong response.

Even moves like having the president place new sanctions on the hackers were avoided.

Charles Delavan wrote that a phishing email was 'legitimate' instead of illegitimate

'No one was all that eager to impose costs before Election Day,' said a participant in White House national security meetings. 'Any retaliatory measures were seen through the prism of what would happen on Election Day.'

'We just kept hearing the government would respond, the government would respond,' acting DNC chair Donna Brazile. 'Once upon a time, if a foreign government interfered with our election we would respond as a nation, not as a political party.'

Obama elected to give an in-person warning to Putin at a summit meeting in Hangzhou, China in early September, informing his counterpart that interference in the election or manipulating the vote would invite a strong U.S. response.

Vice President Joe Biden hinted at cover responses.

Former deputy CIA director Michael Morrell, who supported Clinton, says any response needed to be overt to get the message across.

'If you can't see it, it's not going to deter the Chinese and North Koreans and Iranians and others,' he said.

'There shouldn't be any doubt in anybody's mind,' said Rogers, commander of United States Cyber Command, at a conference after the election. 'This was not something that was done casually, this was not something that was done by chance, this was not a target that was selected purely arbitrarily,' he added.

'This was a conscious effort by a nation-state to attempt to achieve a specific effect.'
A man who is charged with assaulting a 67-year-old man in a home invasion insists he is 'not a bad person.'

Kyle Elston, 19, was charged with beating Wally Janeczko at his Geelong home, south of Melbourne, in August.

The father-of-one was released from prison on bail on Tuesday after a court heard Mr Elston was addicted to ice at the time of the home invasion and a plan was in place to help him with drug issues, according to Nine News.

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Kyle Elston, a 19-year-old man who is charged with assaulting a 67-year-old man (pictured) in a Geelong home invasion in August, was released on bail on Tuesday and insists he is 'not a bad person'

The father-of-one (pictured) was released from prison on bail after a court heard Mr Elston was addicted to ice at the time of the home invasion and a plan was in place to help him with drug issues

Mr Elston maintains his innocence and claims he was at his father's home eight kilometres away from where Mr Janeczko was attacked.

Mr Janeczko was sitting in his living room of his Hamlyn Heights home, where his 93-year-old father also lives, when an intruder allegedly stormed in and threatened the elderly men with a knife before beating Mr Janeczko for about 15 minutes.

Mr Janeczko's pants were allegedly cut by the intruder, who took his credits cards and about $350 in cash.

Mr Elston was arrested soon after and spent three months in prison before he was released this week.

Mr Elston told Nine News he believes it was the right decision to let him out of prison because he is 'not a dangerous person.'

'I'm not a bad person, I don't do bad things, I wouldn't hurt anyone.'

The elderly man, Wally Janeczko (pictured), was beaten for 15 minutes in a home invasion and his money and credit cards were taken

Mr Elston (left) maintains he is innocent and said he was eight kilometres away when the home invasion occured

Mr Elston's sister, Charmaine, said her brother had been introduced to methamphetamines while out drinking with friends.

'Having a drink one night and they then give him a toke at the crack pipe  that's how he got introduced into the ice,' she told Nine News.

With some coaxing form his sister, Mr Elston apologised to Mr Janeczko.

'I'm sorry mate for what happened but I didn't do it to you,' he said.
Theresa May has told Jeremy Corbyn to 'get on the phone' to his union paymasters and bring an end to the rail turmoil engulfing hundreds of thousands of commuters.

The Prime Minister lashed out at the Labour leader as she dismissed the idea that Southern Rail strikes were motivated by safety fears.

In feisty exchanges at her regular questions session in the House of Commons, Mrs May branded the impact of the walkouts on ordinary workers trying to travel to and from London 'appalling'.

In feisty exchanges at PMQs today, Mrs May branded the impact of the walkouts on ordinary workers trying to travel to and from London 'appalling'

Mr Corbyn received 35,000 from Aslef and the RMT towards his campaign for reelection as Labour leader over the summer

She pointed to the financial links between the unions involved - Aslef and the RMT - and the Labour Party.

They handed Mr Corbyn 35,000 towards his campaign for reelection as leader over the summer, and have given the wider party significant sums.

'This is an appalling strike. He is right to raise the discrepancy in attitude of Aslef,' Mrs May told MPs.

'We've seen driver-only operated trains on rail networks in the UK for decades; they are on the Thameslink trains.

'I hope that the talks at Acas are going to lead to an end to this strike.

'I've got a suggestion for the Leader of the Opposition. I think the Leader of the Opposition could do something to help members of the public.

'The Labour Party is funded by Aslef. Why doesn't he get on the phone and tell them to call the strike off immediately?'

Mrs May's attack came after she was asked about the strikes by Tory MP Tim Loughton.

As commuters enduring a second day of walkouts by Southern drivers, Sadiq Khan has broken ranks with Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party to urge an immediate end to the action

The Prime Minister lashed out at the Labour leader as she dismissed the idea that Southern Rail strikes were motivated by safety fears

The backbencher raised the plight of one constituent unable to get to hospital for cancer drug trials as a result of the strike.

'Today, a constituent of mine from Shoreham will struggle to get to University College Hospital London for life-saving cancer drug trials,'

'Across Sussex thousands of others will be unable to get to work, to school, to college, because Aslef object to their drivers on Southern operating the doors.

'Yet today Aslef drivers will be driving Thameslink trains on the same rails operating the doors on the London to Brighton line.

'Can the Prime Minister give her assurance that everything will be done at the Acas talks today to end this nonsense of a strike, address any residual safety issues and give our constituents their lives back?'
A cyclist has been accused of hitting a 74-year-old woman in an alleged road rage attack after her elderly husband beeped his horn at him.

Shocking dashcam footage shows a man called Jim tooting his horn at a pair of cyclists who were riding side by side on a road in suburban Perth.

The bike riders react furiously, stopping in front of Jim, 73, and his wife Essie, bringing them to a sudden halt.

A cyclist has been accused of hitting a 74-year-old woman in an alleged road rage attack after her elderly husband beeped his horn at him

As Jim tries to drive around the cyclists, one of them is seen hitting the top of the car - and allegedly catching Essie's hand that was resting on the window, the Stirling Times reported.

'Oh you b*****d, you hit me,' the elderly woman shouts.

The enraged cyclist demands to know what the driver was thinking when he beeped his horn, but Jim is having nothing of it.

'What do you think you're doing hitting my wife?' he retorts.

'I didn't hit your wife,' the cyclist replies, adding: 'What the hell do you think you're doing coming down behind us and beeping like that?

'I have every right to be on the road.'

Shocking dashcam footage shows a man called Jim tooting his horn at a pair of cyclists who were riding side-by-side on a road in suburban Perth

As Jim tries to drive around the cyclists, one of them (left) is seen hitting the top of the car - and allegedly catching his wife Essie's hand that was resting on the window

Essie tells the man to 'go to hell' while Jim calls him a 'b****y idiot' and drives off.

The elderly couple handed the footage in to Western Australia Police, who are now hunting down the cyclist.

'One of the cyclists struck her hand on the window with his hand and I heard her screaming and I was shouting at the bloke,' Jim said.

Essie added: 'I heard my husband beep the horn, the cyclists slowed down and moved to left of the road. The next thing I heard something sounded like banging or kicking the car.

'I then felt a sharp pain in my left hand, I yelled in pain and quickly pulled my hand inside the car. I was scared and confused to why he was screaming at me.'
Zack was just 13 years old when he got his first taste of the drug meth.

A bright-eyed student in his first year of high school, an older man approached him at a back gate on campus and asked him if he wanted to sell the drug to other teens.

By the age of 14 he was dealing ice and totally addicted. It would be the beginning of a devastating habit that lasted five years and saw his life plummet to rock bottom.

'My main priority was ice, it's all I cared about,' Zack, 18, said in an ABC documentary about the grip of the drug in the rural town of Nowra, on the South Coast of NSW.

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Zack, 18, was addicted to the drug meth for five years after being introduced to it in school

He was just 13 years old in Year 7 when a man standing outside his school gates asked him if he wanted to sell it. Within a year he was dealing drugs and totally hooked to ice

'I stayed up nine weeks (without sleeping). That's all we'd do, we'd sit in the room and smoke it.'

Speaking to local radio station Power FM earlier this year, Zack's mother Tracy revealed the harrowing moment she realised her son was addicted to ice.

The mother-of-four said her eldest son had come home craving for a hit of the powerful stimulant and suffered a melt-down in front of his younger siblings.

She said his physical and mental demise as the drug took control was quick.

'He started going out with a girl that was from out of town, and her family were ice addicts and they stole ice and he basically lived in a crack house.'

'He was living on the streets. He outwardly admits that he was stealing cars and robbing homes ... they would do whatever they had to do to get their next hit.'

'I had to let Zack go.'

Zack's mother Tracey (pictured together) revealed the moment she knew her son was addicted to ice - as he had a meltdown in front of her three other children while craving a hit

Zack said at one stage in the depths of his ice addiction he stayed awake for nine weeks

In an impassioned Facebook post in early 2015, Zack's sister Brittany also opened up about how her brother's addiction was affecting the family unit.

'I haven't yet really spoken about it myself to anyone, hoping that the problem would just go away, but it doesn't and it wont,' she wrote.

'My beautiful 17-year-old brother was preyed upon as a 15-year-old innocent, vulnerable boy at the back gates of school, and offered crystal meth.

My main priority was ice, it's all I cared about ... That's all we'd do, we'd sit in the room and smoke it.

'It's taken us all on a roller coaster, and my brother will never be the same again. He is addicted to ICE ... a horrible drug that controls you.'

Tracy recalled fielding a phone call one night from Zack, who told her he was at the top of a tree and had a rope.

Miraculously, one day Zack came to his grips and turned up at his nan's doorstep asking her if she would take him in and help him get off the drug.

He has been clean for over a year now, but is battling with ongoing mental problems and regularly sees therapists as a result of his heavy drug use.

Tracy recalled fielding a phone call one night from Zack, who told her he was at the top of a tree and had a rope

As Zack battled with his addiction - which saw him live on the street with another ice addict - his sister (pictured together) posted an emotional status about how it affected the family uit

But the wider problem of ice addiction and supply in the sleepy regional town of Nowra, roughly 160 kilometres south of Sydney, remains largely unsolved.

Following a community meeting in 2014, NSW Police established Strike Force Croci in an attempt to clamp down on the rampant drug use and supply in the region.

The specialised task force, comprised of officers from the Shoalhaven Local Area Command and the State Crime Commands Drug Squad, has led to countless arrests and the dismantling of a number of far-reaching drug syndicates along the coast.

But local 'vigilante' and 'whistle blower' Mick, who also appeared on the ABC documentary, still believes ice addiction is rampant in Nowra.

The tattoo-covered man, who no longer speaks to his son after he broke his arm in a meth-fuelled rage, owns a police-scanner and tries to find local dealers himself.

'These are the lowlifes of the area, they're gonna be mocked, exposed, named and shamed. We'll get em ... we're gonna put the locker on them,' he said.

'We're gonna go hunting rats.'

The End of the Line screens Wednesday 14 December, 9.30pm on ABC2 and iview.
Theresa May has said a new funding plan for social care will be announced tomorrow as Jeremy Corbyn demanded she 'get a grip' on the crisis.

The Labour leader claimed the 'blackhole' in local authority budgets was a drama 'made in Downing Street' and claimed fixing it via council tax rises was a 'con'.

Reports suggest the new council funding rules due tomorrow will allow councils to increase a charge for social care from 2 per cent to 3 per cent for two years.

Local authorities can also increase overall council tax by up to 2 per cent each year without testing the plans in a referendum - meaning for an average 1484 council tax bill, the increase spread over two years will be around 150.

Theresa May, pictured at today's PMQs, has said a new funding plan for social care will be announced tomorrow as Jeremy Corbyn demanded she 'get a grip' on the crisis

Labour leader Mr Corbyn claimed the 'blackhole' in local authority budgets was a crisis 'made in Downing Street' and claimed fixing it via council tax rises was a 'con'

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid will give MPs the full details tomorrow, Mrs May said at Prime Minister's Questions.

Mr Corbyn demanded Mrs May ensures the system is 'properly' funded, adding that 4.6 billion was cut from the social care budget between 2010 and 2015.

Mr Corbyn suggested cancelling a cut to corporation tax while Tory Philip Davies proposed raiding the foreign aid budget - but both ideas were dismissed.

A furious Labour leader told Mrs May: 'This is a social care system that's deep in crisis. The crisis is made in Downing Street by this Government.'

He added that people are forced to give up work to care for loved ones because 'there isn't the system to do it', with others needing to stay in hospital for longer than they should.

Mr Corbyn went on: 'It leads people into a horrible, isolated life when they should be cared for by all of us through a properly funded social care system.

'Get a grip and fund it properly, please.'

Mrs May replied: 'The issue of social care is indeed one that has been ducked by governments for too long.

'That is why it is this Government that will provide a long-term sustainable system for social care that gives reassurance to people.

'But when you talk about governments ducking social care, let's look at that 13 years of Labour in government.

Mr Corbyn pleaded with Mrs May to fix social care funding immediately and proposed cancelling a planned cut to corporation tax to pay for it

Mrs May told MPs Labour had failed to address funding problems in social care for 13 years in government

'They said in 1997 they said they'd sort it in their manifesto. They had a royal commission in 1999, a Green Paper in 2005, the Wanless report in 2006, in 2007 in the CSR (comprehensive spending review) they said they'd sort it, in 2009 they had another Green Paper.

'Thirteen years and no action whatsoever.'

Mr Corbyn told the PM: 'Your talk of putting it on to local government ought to be taken for what it is - a con.

'Two percent of council tax is clearly a nonsense - 95 per cent of councils use this social care precept and it raised less than 3 per cent of the money they plan to spend on adult social care.'

Town halls are scrambling to cover rising costs for social care (file picture)

He said raising council tax has different outcomes in different parts of the country, adding: 'For example, if you raise the council tax in Windsor and Maidenhead you get quite a lot of money.

'If you raise the council tax precept in Liverpool or Newcastle, you get a lot less.

'Are you saying that older people, frail, elderly, vulnerable people are less valuable in our big cities than they are in wealthier parts of the country?'

Mr Corbyn said the 'crisis' has an impact on individuals, families and the NHS.

He also told Mrs May: 'Why don't you do something really bold - cancel the corporation tax cut and put the money into social care instead?'

Mrs May said Newcastle is one of the councils which in September had 'virtually no delayed discharges', telling the Commons: 'So elderly people were not being held up in hospital when they didn't need to be and when they didn't want to be.

'So what this shows is that it is possible for councils to deliver on the ground.

'So you see councils like Newcastle and Torbay doing that, and then you see councils like Ealing not using the social care precept and a different result.

'The difference between the worst-performing council in relation to delayed discharges and the best is a 20-fold difference.

'That's not about the difference of funding, it's about the difference of delivery.'

Asked by Mr Davies if aid cash could be redirected to care, Mrs May said: 'I think it is absolutely right that the Government are taking steps on the pressures on social care here in the United Kingdom, but it is also important for us that we take into consideration those who are in different circumstances across the world.

'This Governments record of ensuring that 0.7 per cent of our GDP is spent on overseas aid is a record second to none.

'We should all be proud of the help and support that we are giving to people around the world who, often, are living in incredibly difficult circumstances.
She was later allowed to attend if a pageant

Pageant officials also allegedly attempted to stop her from meeting with state officials about the

Chinese-born Anastasia Lin has been barred from talking to the press or speaking

A Canadian beauty queen who has criticized China's human rights abuses has been told she cannot speak when she attends the Miss World pageant in Washington, her family claim.

Chinese-born Anastasia Lin was barred from traveling to China to attend the 65th annual Miss World pageant in Hainan province, as Miss World Canada, following her outspoken opposition to the country's treatment of its prisoners of conscious.

After missing her chance at the Miss World crown last year, organizers invited her to compete in this year's competition in Washington.

Pageant winner: Anastasia Lin was crowned Miss World Canada in 2015 but barred from attending the finals in China over her criticism of the country's human rights record

But there was one big proviso; She would not be able to talk to the media or speak publicly at the event whose major sponsors are all Chinese companies, her friends and family told the New York Times.

Her friend Jacob Wallenberg said Lin was specifically warned by pageant employees that she would be thrown out of the competition if she spoke to reporters or mentioned human rights during the pageant.

'She is very frustrated,' he said of Lin, an actress, beauty queen and human rights activist.

The Canadian beauty queen who has criticized China's human rights abuses has been told she cannot speak when she attends the Miss World pageant in Washington, her family claim

Friends say Lin was specifically warned by pageant employees that she would be thrown out the competition if she spoke to reporters or mentioned human rights during the pageant (pictured giving a speech on human rights in China, right, at the National Press Club, right, and at the Leo Awards, left)

She has also been barred from attending the U.S. premiere of The Bleeding Edge - a film in which she plays a Chinese Falun Gong practitioner who is tortured and killed before having her heart removed.

The thriller which aims to shed light on what activists claim are China's government-run programs to harvest the organs of Falun Gong practitioners - a meditation practice outlawed by China's ruling Communist Party in 1999 as an 'evil cult'. Ms. Lin herself is a practitioner.

Chinese law allows for the arrest and imprisonment of anyone suspected of supporting or propagating religious movements not officially approved by the state.

Meanwhile, the pageant also refused to let the beauty queen go to a meeting with a State Department official to discuss the harassment of her father in China.

Lin said that after she won the Canadian title, that Chinese security agents visited her father in an apparent attempt to intimidate her into silence.

Eventually, the pageant organizers agreed to let her go, but only if she was accompanied by a pageant representative. They also refused to let the State Department post a picture of the meeting on social media.

This year, Lin will be attending the Miss World finals but allegedly will not be allowed to speak (2016 contestants attend the MGM National Harbor Grand Opening Gala on December 8, 2016 in National Harbor, Maryland)

The Miss World organization declined reporters' requests for comment about the allegations.

But claims that the pageant is trying to silence its contestant raises worrying questions about China's influence on a Western organization.

Lin, who moved to Canada when she was 13, has been anything but shy about her beliefs.

Two months after winning the Canadian pageant, she testified at a U.S. congressional hearing about religious persecution in China.

In her testimony, she said she wanted to 'speak for those in China that are beaten, burned and electrocuted for holding to their beliefs', according to the text of her statement on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China's website.

The 26-year-old believes that is why she was denied entry to China last year, and, according to friends, why she has been barred from speaking this year.

Lin, pictured at Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, last year, after she was denied entry to mainland China

Lin was stopped from attending the Miss World Grand Final in Sanya, Hainan, last year (pictured)

'If they start to censor beauty pageants  how pathetic is that?' Lin said in Hong Kong, last year after being refused entry into the country, as she accused Beijing of overreach in extending its campaign of censorship even to beauty contests.

Marion Smith, the executive director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation which is sponsoring The Bleeding Edge movie said he was concerned but not surprised about the paranoia of the Chinese government that they would interfere in a beauty pageant.
Police in Oklahoma say they've arrested a 13-year-old girl accused of plotting a mass shooting at a high school.

Officers, who had received a credible tip off about a 'possible mass shooting plot against the Tonkawa High School,' had conducted a search warrant at the teen's home on Sunday.

Investigators say they found weapons, ammunition and 'personal writings' from the teen which were relevant to the case.

Officers, who had received a credible tip off about a 'possible mass shooting plot against the Tonkawa High School' (pictured) had conducted a search warrant at the teen's home on Sunday

Among those 'writings' were lists of specific students she hoped to target in the shooting. The families of all those named have been notified.

'They were pretty shocked. It's kind of a hard thing to take, to hear something like that,' Cpl. Nick Payne said.

The Tonkawa Police Department say the girl was charged as a juvenile with threats to perform acts of violence and is now being held in a youth detention center.

She is believed to have been acting alone in the plot.

Police will not release her name as she is a juvenile.

'You don't think something like that's going to happen in Tonkawa,' student Kaitlyn Jordan told KFOR.

Student Kaitlyn Jordan (left) said she was stunned by the news, while Cpl. Nick Payne (right) said he girl had planned for multiple scenarios how she could hurt and kill her classmates

'I don't know if she was being bullied or what was happening in her life,' Jordan said.

Cpl. Payne said that the first thing he had noticed during the police interview was that the girl was 'very intelligent.'

He added that the girl had planned for multiple scenarios how she could hurt and kill her classmates.

'At this time, we just know that she was very serious about it,' Payne said.

Tonkawa is a town of about 3,200 people near the state's border with Kansas, about 85 miles north of Oklahoma City.

Female gunmen are extremely rare in mass shootings. According to a survey of mass shootings resulting in the death of four or more people since 1966, the Washington Post found that just three of the 130 shooters were female.

While rare, they do happen.

Just last September, a 14-year-old female freshman shot and wounded a fellow student, 17, at a West Texas high school before killing herself.

The girl had brought a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun, 18 bullets and an ammunition magazine from home, all concealed in her backpack.
Doris Payne, 86, was arrested Tuesday and charged with shoplifting for trying to steal a bracelet worth $2,000 at a Georgia mall

Legendary jewel thief Doris 'Diamond' Payne has been arrested after being caught stealing a $2,000 diamond necklace from an upscale department store.

The 86-year-old gained infamy for a six-decade criminal career during which she has traveled the world to swipe millions of dollars worth of jewels by making staff 'forget' she was carrying them.

Payne - a career criminal who was once wanted on two continents - swore off her life of crime more than a decade ago. But it seems that old habits die hard.

And on Tuesday, she was arrested at a Von Maur department store just outside Atlanta after police say she put a $1,995 diamond necklace in her back pocket and tried to leave the store.

She faces a shoplifting charge while online jail records did not show any bond information.

Sweet, elegant and immaculately turned out, Payne may be the world's most unlikely international jewel thief.

Yet authorities have said Payne has lifted pricey baubles from countless jewelry stores around the world in an illicit career that has spanned six decades.

The legend of Payne's thefts have long fascinated the public and media, with countless news stories and a 2013 documentary film, 'The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne,' detailing her feats.

When asked about her exploits in an interview with The Associated Press earlier this year, she said simply: 'I was a thief.'

Court papers in Atlanta reference six cases prior to the alleged theft last year, mostly in southern California, dating to 1999.

Career criminal: Payne was arrested twice in 1965, first on May 10 (left), and again on June 3 (right)

Notorious: Payne was arrested again, pictured on her arrest in 2009, (left) and again in 2013 (right)

At it again: The jewel thief was arrested again last year, on October 23, 2015, after police say she slipped a pricey pair of earrings into her pocket at an upscale Atlanta shopping mall

But Payne's career as an international jewel thief began decades ago with a criminal record dating back to 1952.

Since then she has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry including her most notable theft - a 10-carat diamond ring, valued at $500,000, from Monte Carlo in the 1970s.

Payne fled to France, and was detained in Nice before being extradited back to Monte Carlo. She was held there for nine months before being released, as authorities were unable to locate the stolen gem.

Authorities have said she has used at least 22 aliases over the years and probably got away more often than she was caught, though she has done several stints in prison.

The Jewelers' Security Alliance, an industry trade group, sent out bulletins as early as the 1970s warning about her.

Payne, who appeared effortlessly elegant and spoke with calm deliberation during the interview with the AP, nevertheless grew cagey when asked about her methods.

'I don't dictate what happens when I walk in the store. The people in charge dictate what happens with me when I walk in the store,' she said. 'I don't tell a person in the store I want to see something that costs $10,000. They make those decisions based on how I present myself and how I look.'

Born to a coal mining father and a seamstress mother in the remote and impoverished town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, in 1930, Payne was the youngest of six children.

Doris Payne (pictured posing for a photo in Atlanta in January of this year) has been arrested multiple times during the past 60 years

Although a family move to Cleveland, Ohio, when broadened her horizons somewhat as a teenager, she still faced the injustice and suppression that was the lot of many black women in those days of American history.

Kirk Marcolina, producer of The Life And Crimes Of Doris Payne, said: 'She always wanted to become a ballerina but one day somebody told her she couldn't - there were no black ballerinas.

'She realized she had to find another way of getting out of that small town and seeing the world. Stealing jewels eventually became the way she did it.'

In the documentary, Doris revealed how she first learned her trademark distraction trick as a teenager when a store clerk eagerly ditched her when a white customer came in.

She walked to the door, a small gold watch still clasped around her wrist. Although she gave it back that time, she realized how easy it would have been to walk away with the prize.

Sweet, elegant and immaculately turned out, Payne may be the world's most unlikely international jewel thief

From there, she worked her way up from bargain jewelry to some of the most expensive stores across the globe, hitting targets as far afield as Britain, France, Italy, Monaco and even Japan.

Aged just 23, she walked out of a Pittsburgh jewelry store with a diamond valued at $22,000.

She developed a winning strategy - dressing nicely, carrying a designer handbag and arming herself with a detailed story - that she used to charm jewelry store employees.

Faced with a well-to-do woman with money to spend, store employees would relax their rules and bring out multiple high-value pieces at once, and Payne would quickly slip the expensive baubles on and off until the employee lost track and she could easily leave with one in hand.

Over time, she has been connected to 22 aliases, nine dates of birth, and five Social Security numbers, but is nevertheless so brazen about her crimes that she once gave her occupation as 'jewel thief' in court papers.

But the international lifestyle has come at a heavy price for the cunning Payne: she has an Interpol file dating back to the 1970s, a U.S. criminal record 20 pages long and has served a string of jail terms including a nearly five-year prison stint in Colorado.

In a 2005 jail interview, Payne remembered her exploits with amusement and explained how she stole diamonds because they were easiest.

For her, the thefts were about the thrill, not the money.

Theres never been a day that I went to steal that I did not get what I went to do,' she said in her documentary.

A wanted poster was issued for Payne and her suspected accomplice Harold Brondfield in 1966 over the theft of two rings

'I dont have any regrets about stealing jewelry. I regret getting caught.'

That sentiment proves problematic for judges faced with the elderly offender.

In 2010, she asked one to be lenient because she was 'truly sorry that this went on as long as it did,' but that wasn't enough.

'You won't stop,' Judge Frank Brown said at the time, explaining his decision to sentence her to five years which was at the high end of the possible verdicts.

'Thats the problem here... Shes a thief. Shes charming. Santa Clauss wife, thats who she is.'

After that punitive sentence, Doris vowed to leave her life of crime.

But in 2013, just three months after she had been released from jail, she was up to her old tricks.

When Doris walked into El Paseo Jewellers in Palm Desert, California staff were delighted. White-haired and elegant, not in the best of health but articulate and elegantly turned out, she told them she had just had a $25,000 insurance payout and wanted to spend the cash on a present for herself.

The international lifestyle has come at a heavy price for the cunning Payne: she has an Interpol file dating back to the 1970s, a U.S. criminal record 20 pages long and has served a string of jail terms, she is pictured in her cell at Clark County jail in Las Vegas, in 2005

Salespeople fussed around her with typical Californian courtesy, helping her try on gem-encrusted necklaces and rings and, when her hip began playing up, finding her a chair to rest her legs.

After making arrangements to complete her purchase of a diamond and white gold pinkie ring the next day, they helped her hobble to the door.

What staff did not realize was that the $22,500 the ring was still on her finger.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the manager of El Paseo Jewelers only realized that the ring was missing hours after she had gone.

She sold the ring to a nearby pawnshop for $800, and as part of the sale, she had to give her thumbprint, which eventually tipped off authorities.

In 2014, she was sentenced to spend two years in jail and two years under mandatory supervision after the judge took pity on her age and ill health.

Payne is pictured in court in 2013 after she walked out an El Paseo jewelers with a $22, 500 ring just three months after she was released

All a ruse: Over time, she has been connected to 22 aliases, nine dates of birth, and five Social Security numbers (Payne pictured in a Las Vegas courtroom in 2005)

After an early release, she was arrested again last year for allegedly pocketing a $690 pair of earrings from a Saks Fifth Avenue department store at a mall in Atlanta's upscale Buckhead neighborhood.

Payne is truly in a league of her own in the pantheon of jewel thieves, Jewelers' Security Alliance president John J. Kennedy said.

'It's extraordinarily rare for a criminal to have that lengthy of a career,' he said. 'Usually they either stop because they have enough money and they don't want the risk anymore, or they're dead.'

Kennedy said people often ask him about her, fascinated and even amused by the story of this elderly woman who has committed so many thefts.

'We're all laughing, but it's not funny,' he said. 'She goes in and she takes product from people, and it causes a lot of grief for people.'
Ryan Hudson, 40, was sacked after he went on a racist social media rant

A Michigan firefighter and former US Marine has been sacked after racially abusing a woman on Facebook.

Ryan Hudson, 40, went on a racist social media rant last Thursday after he was caught up in a spat with a woman named Tarvenia, who asked to be identified only by her first name.

The pair got into a heated exchange after Tarvenia, from California, commented on a post about President-elect Donald Trump criticizing war veterans like Senator John McCain, Wood TV reports.

Tarvenia commented saying that her brother was also a veteran, and she voiced her support for San Francisco 49ers' Kaepernick when he kneeled during the national anthem as a show against police brutality.

In response, Hudson wrote: 'F*** Black Lives Matter. You are the epitome of a n***** and if you think it's just black lives kiss my a** b**** and go back to the fields that us in the north fought to free you from.'

He racially abused a woman called Tarvenia, from California, who commented on a post about President-elect Donald Trump

A shocked Tarvenia said that although citizens can speak freely in America, free speech can have consequences.

'Yes we do have free speech in this country, but free speech does not mean you're safe from the consequences of your free speech and your decisions,' she told Fox 17 West Michigan.

'We don't just get to spout off at the mouth and spew hatred and ignorance.'

The posts were shown to Belding Fire Chief Greg Moore who fired Hudson

When the posts were shown to Belding Fire Chief Greg Moore he fired Hudson, who was, Moore said, the first firefighter he had ever had to dismiss.

Hudson later deleted his comments, and has since apologized, admitting that he had been drinking at the time he wrote the post.
in Iraq and Syria, drawing the U.S. into a new war with them

Some 400,000 people have died in Syria's civil war and millions were displaced; ISIS filled

President Barack Obama made two crucial foreign policy blunders during his eight years in office that will stain his legacy - withdrawing troops from Iraq and allowing Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad's power to go unchecked, retired four-star general says.

Admiral James Stavridis, a NATO commander in Europe for Obama until 2013, said Wednesday that Obama acted too cautiously in Syria, where 400,000 people have died in the country's civil war.

'I think he'll look back in deep sorrow and some shame,' he said Wednesday on MSNBC of Obama's unenforced 'red line'.

Admiral James Stavridis, a NATO commander in Europe for Obama until 2013, said Wednesday that Obama acted too cautiously in Syria, where 400,000 people have died since 2011 in the country's civil war

Stavridis was on Hillary Clinton's list of possible running mates. He met with President-elect Donald Trump but told Morning Joe on Wednesday that he would not join the Republican's administration.

'I suppose I could, but I will not. I am content as dean of Fletcher,' he said.

A Navy admiral, Stavridis retired in 2013. Obama infamously warned Assad in 2012 that if he crossed the 'red line' and moved or used chemical weapons he would face 'enormous consequences.'

His administration prepared to go to war after Assad defied the admonishment but made an about-face after Russia intervened and brokered a deal with the Syria government to confiscate and destroy the arms.

The exiting president maintains that he was right to pull back because there is no military solution to the conflict in the war-torn country.

'The only solution is a diplomatic one, and no country in the world has expended more of an effort to pursue that diplomatic solution than the United States of America,' Obama's spokesman, Josh Earnest, said Tuesday.

Obama likely will be judged by history as much for what he did not do as for what he did, as Stavridis demonstrated today.

He first called on Assad to leave power in 2011. But the two-term president never supplied moderate rebels with enough firepower to topple him or force him to the negotiating table.

His failure to carry out threatened air strikes to enforce the 2012 'red line' over dealt a heavy blow to U.S. standing, including by some of his staunchest regional allies.

Despite providing billions of dollars in relief aid for refugees, Obama's approach has failed to quell what some have called the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two.

Stavridis said Obama's abandoned threat to Assad 'sends a very bad' message to the world.

'The big mistake was withdrawing troops from Iraq,' Stavridis, now the dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, said. 'If we'd kept 15,000 there, you can drop a plum line to the rise of ISIS and dissolution in Syria.'

In terms of the civil war in Syria, he contended, 'It was not taking out Assad's Air Force as part of the move to get rid of the weapons of mass destruction, aka the red line.

'That was the moment where we could have made a difference with the facts on the ground. It was before Russia came in,' he said.

The Obama administration deflected Tuesday from the catastrophe in Syria, touting its victories against ISIS, which filled vacuums in Iraq and Syria, instead.

A ceasefire between the Syrian government in and militants in the city of Aleppo that came about after peace talks between Turkey and Russia collapsed on Wednesday.

Rebels and civilians were supposed to be evacuated from the city. The Turkish government says 'some forces' loyal to Assad did not honor the ceasefire and innocent Syrians remain trapped inside.

The Obama administration deflected Tuesday from the catastrophe, touting its victories against ISIS, which filled vacuums in Iraq and Syria, instead.

ISIS' territory is now 'rapidly shrinking' and the terror group has been isolated and no longer has access to foreign borders.

'We're having tremendous success against this enemy,' Brett McGurk, the president's special presidential envoy to the U.S.-led coalition said. 'But this remains an unprecedented threat. This fight is not over.'

The president met with McGurk Tuesday to discuss the multiyear effort to destroy ISIS as the United Nations Security Council gathered to debate the ceasefire in Syria between Russian-backed forces aligned with Assad and militants battling the government in Aleppo.

The diplomat rejoiced over security forces' progress in Raqqa, an ISIS stronghold that's been under siege for the last month, telling reporters after his meeting with Obama that the advance is 'proceeding quite well.'

The battle to retake Mosul, now in its second month, has been slow going.

Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Sunday that 2,000 ISIS fighters had been killed or wounded in the Mosul fight. Up to 5,000 fighters remain on the battlefield.

McGurk said Tuesday that U.S. coalition is putting 'relentless pressure' on ISIS there, and the military operation to retake Mosul has been the 'most complex to date.'

'In Mosul, it will take as long as it takes,' he stated.

ISIS' 'territory is now rapidly shrinking,' he said. A new map of Iraq and Syria released by the administration today shows ISIS losing 60 percent of territory in Iraq it had claimed and 28 percent in Syria.

The areas where ISIS has gained ground are in areas, primarily in Syria, that are not part of the U.S. operation, McGurk stated.

'It is significant,' he said, 'that to date that ISIL has not retaken control of any of the ground it has lost in operations we have enabled. And we're going to make sure it continues that way.'

He later stated, 'In our operations, ISIL has not retaken a speck of ground.'

The one city ISIS reclaimed - Palmyra - was part of a Russian operation.

The Russians 'claim to to be fighting' ISIS, McGurk said, but that is the only anti-ISIS mission they've underwent.

'We're not pleased about that,' he said. 'We want to wipe ISIL entirely off this map.'

The United Nations Security Council was meeting to review the ceasefire agreement in Syria as he spoke.

As many as 100,000 civilians were trapped in the city, and UN agencies are reporting indiscriminate killings. In one instance, the UN human rights division says, 82 civilians were killed on the spot by the Assad's regime.

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs described a 'complete meltdown of humanity.'

McGurk called the deaths 'horrific,' and Obama's spokesman said 'the situation in Aleppo remains deeply troubling.'

'We're having tremendous success against this enemy,' Brett McGurk, the president's special presidential envoy to the U.S.-led coalition said Tuesday. 'But this remains an unprecedented threat. This fight is not over'

Russia's Ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, told the Security Council that militants, their families and the wounded would be evacuated Tuesday as part of a ceasefire agreement that had been acknowledged by Syrian rebels.

The fall of the last rebel-held areas in the Syrian city of Aleppo could seal the fate of the 'Obama Doctrine,' deepening the world's worst humanitarian crisis in decades and marring Obama's legacy.

With the U.S.-aligned rebels facing defeat by government forces backed by Russia and Iran, Obama's light-footprint approach to the Syrian conflict will suffer a serious blow weeks before he hands power to President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20.

The rebel loss will underscore the failure of U.S. efforts to stem the carnage from Syria's nearly six-year-old civil war, leading some critics to predict that Obama's record will be tarnished just as President Bill Clinton's was by his refusal to intervene to halt the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

'There is no doubt he will be hammered in historical terms,' said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East adviser to Republican and Democratic administrations. 'The question will be why he didn't do more.'

Meanwhile, Obama's light-footprint approach to the Syrian conflict suffered a serious blow. The fall of the last rebel-held areas in the Syrian city of Aleppo could seal the fate of the 'Obama Doctrine,' deepening the world's worst humanitarian crisis in decades

While the war is expected to grind on, Assad's victory in Aleppo will provide fresh fodder for Trump, who has argued the insurgency has collapsed, and the United States should revamp its fight against Islamic State by joining up with Russia, and by extension, Assad.

Syria has been one of the main testing grounds for Obama's doctrine of relying on local proxy fighters instead of large-scale U.S. military deployments, reflecting his reluctance to be drawn back into unpopular ground conflicts like the Iraq war.

The approach has faltered in Syria, where on Tuesday the Syrian army said it could declare full control over eastern Aleppo by Wednesday.

'Leading from behind leaves a vacuum that is filled by the Bashar Assads and Vladimir Putins of the world,' said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, referring to how an Obama aide described his strategy. 'I think history will judge that these are unintended results that are going to cause great challenges to the United States for years to come.'

Obama has been criticized for refusing to provide sufficient arms and other support to moderate rebel groups to compel Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers to negotiate an end to his authoritarian rule.

'Obama has pursued a policy of calculated dithering in Syria, just agonizing over the choices until they no longer existed,' said Emile Hokayem, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.

The Democratic president has defended his policy as 'judicious.' His spokesman, Josh Earnest, said it was Obama's 'overriding responsibility' to protect the interests and safety of the American people first.

'There's no military solution to the civil war in Syria,' he said Tuesday, fending off criticisms of the president's response to the humanitarian crisis. 'What is the military proposal that would effectively prevent those deaths?'

The suggestion seems to be that the US should just occupy Syria, he said.

'I don't think there's any evidence to substantiate that claim, even if it's ones that's being made,' he said. 'The only solution is a diplomatic one.'

The administration tried to change the subject to its success against ISIS on Tuesday. 'It is significant,' McGurk said, 'that to date that ISIS has not taken control of any ground' in the areas monitored by the U.S. 'In our operations, ISIL has not retaken a speck of ground'

A Republican, Trump has vowed a dramatic shift from Obama's cautious strategy toward a more aggressive approach - although exactly how he will proceed remains unclear.

He will inherit an increasingly complicated conflict in Syria, and many analysts fear his lack of foreign policy experience could lead to dangerous miscalculations.

If Trump follows through after Aleppo's fall on his pledge to cooperate with Russia, Assad's military patron, there is a risk that frustrated moderate rebels could gravitate toward militant factions that pose a potential threat to Western interests.

As Assad himself turns from the wreckage of Aleppo to assert his authority over a fractured Syria, he will have to contend with the loss of swaths of his country for the time being and tough pockets of resistance still to crush.

The war has taken some 400,000 lives and made more than 11 million people homeless, driving many into neighboring countries or on a long perilous trek to Europe.

A Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during clashes with Syrian Army in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo in August. Rebels and the Syrian government agreed to a ceasefire yesterday - a serious blow to the Obama Doctrine - but it has not held

Obama recently told an interviewer that the grim situation in Syria 'haunts me constantly' - although he insisted there was not much he would have done differently.

White House aides privately acknowledge that Syria - and other Arab countries in turmoil, such as Libya and Yemen - could leave a black mark on his legacy.

But they hope his record will be buoyed in other areas, including the landmark Iran nuclear deal, diplomatic openings to Cuba and Myanmar, the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the prevention of a 9/11-style attack on U.S. soil on his watch.
British Airways passengers face an uncertain Christmas and New Year holidays after 2,500 members of cabin crew are set to strike following a vote for industrial action.

Employees who have joined the airline since 2010, known as 'mixed fleet' crew, are could begin action as soon as December 22 although exact dates have not yet been announced.

The announcement came with Britons already braced for a festive season plagued by strikes - with Southern Rail and Post Office workers also planning walkouts.

A threatened strike by drivers who deliver Argos goods was suspended this afternoon however after a deal to end a row over pay.

British Airways cabin crew haved voted in favour of strikes in a dispute over pay

British Airways crew in 2013. The union Unite claims 'mixed fleet' crew are underpaid

Unite says around 2,500 of BA's cabin crew are members of its union. BA has around 15,000 cabin crew workers in total.

It handles around 100,000 passengers and 700 flights every day at Heathrow.

The airline, which mainly operates out of Heathrow but also has a base at Gatwick, says it is working to get the dispute resolved.

A BA spokesman said: 'We are extremely disappointed that the union is creating uncertainty for our customers.

'Mixed Fleet Unite represents about 15% of our cabin crew. We remain focused on resolving this issue as quickly as possible without any disruption to customers.

'We have proposed a fair and reasonable pay increase to Mixed Fleet cabin crew which is in line with that accepted by other British Airways colleagues and which will ensure their reward levels remain in line with cabin crew at our airline competitors.'

The union Unite claims that employees who have started since 2010 earn less than other staff members and that some have even been forced to take on second jobs.

BA says the 'mixed fleet' crew represents only 15% of its cabin crew. Pictured: Staff in 2013

Unite insists the earnings for 'mixed fleet crew' were advertised between 21,000 and 25,000 but it reality started at just over 12,000 plus 3 an hour flying pay.

Unite members employed by Wincanton, which delivers for Argos, were also due to walk out next week, but they will now vote on an offer aimed at resolving the dispute.

Speaking about the BA strike Unite's regional union officer Matt Smith said: 'Our members have overwhelmingly voted for strike action because British Airways' pay rates are indefensible and the crew are at breaking point.

'Mixed Fleet crew earn just over the minimum wage and below the national average. Significant numbers of crew are taking on second jobs, many go to work unfit to fly because they can't afford to be sick.

The action will begin after 21 December but it is claimed it will not affect Christmas travellers

Mr Smith added: 'Not only are the pay rates indefensible but, in aviation, low pay is a safety issue. Thirty percent of the Mixed Fleet crew have been with the company for just under a year.

'Crew simply can't afford to stay. Inexperience, fatigue, and the fact that BA recently cut the length of crew training courses means Unite is genuinely concerned about the potential repercussions.

'We urge British Airways to avoid this dispute and do the right thing by both the frontline staff and the travelling public, by engaging with Unite to negotiate a genuinely meaningful way forward.'
The partner of Lindt Cafe manager Tori Johnson said he 'still lives in disbelief' and expects him to walk through the door two years after he was shot and killed.

Mr Johnson and barrister Katrina Dawson were killed after 18 people taken hostage in the Lindt Cafe in Sydney's Martin Place on December 15, 2014, by gunman Mon Haron Monis.

Two years after the shocking attack, Thomas Zinn, Mr Johnson's partner of 14 years, told the Daily Telegraph the siege 'feels like only yesterday.'

Thomas Zinn, the partner of Lindt Cafe manager Tori Johnson (pictured together), said he still expects him to walk through the door two years after he was shot and killed during the Lindt Cafe siege in Sydney

Mr Johnson and barrister Katrina Dawson (pictured) were killed after 18 people taken hostage in the Martin Place cafe on December 15, 2014

Gunman Mon Haron Monis stormed the cafe around 9.45am two years ago, beginning a 16-hour standoff with police

'I still live in disbelief about what happened to Tori, sometimes expecting the door to open and him returning from work,' he said.

'There are no words to describe how you feel losing your partner you are so deeply connected with.'

Ms Dawson's mother said she still deeply misses her 'darling Katrina, every day.'

'It is an especially difficult time for the family and it doesn't get any easier as time goes on.'

A public memorial service will be held in the morning at St Stephen's Uniting Church in Macquarie St, near the Lindt cafe.

'I still live in disbelief about what happened to Tori, sometimes expecting the door to open and him returning from work,' Mr Zinn (pictured with Tori) said

Mr Johnson (pictured) was shot by Monis, which caused police to storm the building

Some hostages managed to escape throughout the horrific siege

Monis entered the cafe around 9.45am two years ago as Ms Dawson was meeting friends for coffee.

After a 16-hour standoff with police, Mr Johnson was shot by Monis, which caused police to storm the building.

Ms Dawson was killed when officers began shooting at Monis and bullet fragments struck the object she was hiding behind.
A former Army officer has called on the Prime Minister to put an end to the 'witch hunt' of legal claims against British troops.

Rachel Webster was previously awarded 5,000 damages after claiming her breasts were exposed during her 'humiliating' arrest by officers investigating allegations of historical abuses by UK troops.

She has now blasted the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat) and its 'bloated, discredited and damaging witch hunt' against soldiers.

Rachel Webster broke down today as her lawyer demanded the 'witch hunt' into alleged abuses by British troops in Iraq is brought to an end

Ms Webster, originally from Brigg in north Lincolnshire, rose to the rank of captain and completed four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the highly commended officer complains of being roughly treated and humiliated when arrested and physically restrained in her own home in a dawn raid on January 10, 2014.

Despite her previous payout, she is now suing over the right of the Iraq historic allegations team to have raided her home.

In a statement today, she called on Theresa May to stop Ihat continuing its operations 'to avoid any further damage to military personnel' .

Her representative said: 'Christmas is a difficult time for the armed services and their families and this is not helped by the ongoing and unnecessary Ihat investigations.

'Rachel firmly believes that the British armed forces are the best in the world and yet they have faced thousands of unwarranted allegations of criminal conduct.'

Sgt Webster (left in Iraq) met Tony Blair when he visited Basra soon after the invasion (right)

Soon after the statement was read, Ms Webster, who was wearing her military service medals, broke down in tears.

Her statement pointed out that Mrs May recently said 'the bravest of the brave would be protected'.

She also said the Attorney General was asked to name another country that had an Ihat or similar organisation - 'he couldn't because Ihat is a very British aberration'.

The statement continues: 'It's as if those charged with looking after the health and welfare of troops at home have been found sleeping on their watch, waking up - two years too late for Rachel - to find that Ihat has mutated into an unstoppable, double-jeopardy juggernaut running dangerously out of control.

'Ihat has been complicit in the needless investigation of thousands of military personnel, interrupting their lives and frazzling the mental health of those put under its spotlight.'

Ms Webster with her representatives David Taylor and Helen Hilstead outside court today

Ms Webster had served her country well during 24 years of military service and received a commander's commendation in Kosovo for her work with rape victims.

The statement argues Ihat is not the right mechanism for investigating alleged historic war crimes but has become 'like a dog with a bone that just won't let go'.

The statement says Ihat has already played too large a part 'in this shabby, self-perpetuating circus of tank-chasing solicitors, dubious fixers and retired policemen who have contrived to catch the armed services in its crossfire.'

Her representative said: 'Rachel calls for an end to this self-inflicted military fiasco and that an inquiry be ordered to see what went so badly wrong.
The yob who kicked a woman down a flight of stairs at a Berlin subway station has fled to his native Bulgaria, according to German media.

A local tabloid has reported public prosecutors had identified the man who booted the 26-year-old victim in the city, but that police have not been able to arrest him because he has left the country.

Yesterday, it was reported the local police force had apprehended a man in connection with the incident, but it appears not to be the responsible party.

Prosecutor Martin Steltner told Berlin tabloid BZ, who are reporting on the fleeing suspect, said he would be investigating.

A man was arrested in connection with the horrifying attack yesterday after a cash reward was offered by the bodyguard of stars such as Lady Gaga and Charlize Theron.

The incident in October was captured in a video shared this week, showing a thug kicking a young woman down a flight of stairs.

Witnesses were initially shy in coming forward, but now that bodyguard Michael Kuehr, 54, has offered 2,000 (1,677) to anyone stopping the attacker and his three accomplices on the video, police are questioning a man in relation to the incident.

CCTV shows the young woman walking through the metro station in Berlin when the man comes up behind her, holding a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other

A businessman has also offered a cash reward, and Mr Kuehr and said he was one of many Germans let in shock after watching the CCTV footage.

He claimed he 'almost had to vomit during breakfast' when he saw the footage of a slim young woman going down a tiled staircase, followed by a heavyset man in blue jeans and a leather jacket, clutching a beer bottle and smoking a cigarette.

When she is still at least eight steps from the bottom, the perpetrator raises his leg and kicks her hard in the back, sending her flying several feet down to the ground.

She lands painfully on her face, sprawling on the hard surface, the contents of her handbag scattering across the floor.

The attacker, flanked by three friends, walks back up the stairs and saunters away.

One of his accomplices lingers for a second to retrieve a dropped bottle and then strolls away with the rest.

Mr Kuehr said: 'I am an absolute opponent of vigilantism, there are laws. I see myself as a supporter of the police.'

The yob, dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, aims a targeted kick at her back, toppling her down the stairs

His three companions glance at the woman lying on the floor before leaving. One of them even leans down to pick up a beer bottle and then walks off

He encouraged people who might know the suspects or have any clues to either contact the police or email him.

He added: 'I have already received a useful note and passed it on to the police.' A businessman also reported to local media that he wanted to donate 10,000 (8,388) to help solve the case.

The anonymous father of a daughter said half the money would go to the person with the tip leading to the arrest.

He said: 'I will donate the other 5000 for the woman to go on holiday and recover from the pain.'
In the dock: Simon Halabi, 58, allegedly called binman Carl Thomas a 'black c**t', a peasant and a monkey as he picked up bags outside Annabels in Mayfair

A former billionaire who abused a binman outside a private members club said he did not realise it was racist to call someone a black c***, a court heard today.

Simon Halabi, 58, also called self-employed refuse collector Carl Thomas a peasant and a monkey as he picked up bin bags outside Annabels in Mayfair.

Halabi, who was once Britains 12th richest man before declaring bankruptcy in 2010, says Mr Thomas had blocked his Bentley in as he tried to park near his palatial pad on Hays Mews.

The property tycoon says the West Indian told him to f*** off and punched him in the mouth after he honked his horn and asked what he was doing outside his home.

Southwark Crown Court heard he told police he had repeatedly called Mr Thomas a black c*** as he fended him off, but not in a racist way.

During his police interview Halabi said he kicked at Mr Thomas to fend him off to ensure that he didnt come anywhere near my girlfriend, my property, or me.

He continued: I kicked out at the man, I called him a black c**t three or four times - I didnt mean this in a racist way.

Jurors heard Halabi used the racial language as a further means of ensuring [Mr Thomas] went away.

At the time I didnt understand by using the word black to refer to the man it would be deemed to be racist or showing hostility to the man based on his ethnicity, he said.

I wish to state now that Im not racist and indeed have friends and employees from various ethnic backgrounds.

My intention was simply to shout at the man in such a way that he would leave.

He later added: I understand now that the use of the term black c*** is racist and I apologise wholeheartedly for causing offence in this regard.

When police asked how he knew the term was racist, Halabi answered: Because my solicitors told me and I apologise, I didnt really know.

I have employed about 10 black people for the last 10-20 years and I treat them with great respect.

I will never use it again from now on.

Mr Thomas recorded Halabi calling him a black c***, a monkey, and a peasant on his phone during the incident.

Halabi initially denied calling Mr Thomas a monkey but when police told him about the recording he said: A monkey? We all come from monkeys.

The businessman had been dining with his girlfriend at the World China Club in Baker Street, Marylebone, before driving home in his black Bentley at around 11.40pm.

The couple had shared a bottle of wine, 'six or seven dishes' and toasted Chinese New Year, the court heard.

Halabi told police an unmarked white van pulled up and blocked them in his vehicle outside his home.

He claimed he was 'scared the driver intentionally blocked me in order to rob me and says he called out excuse me before beeping his horn.

Halabi told officers when he asked Mr Thomas what are you doing here? he was told to f*** off and was punched in the mouth.

I became extremely alarmed - the man was much larger than me and I had never seen him before on my street, he said.

As far as I was concerned the man had no legitimate purpose being outside my property I was afraid for myself.

He added: At no point did the man provide any explanation for what he was doing on the street.

David Jenkins, prosecuting, asked Halabi how he could not know that the using the words 'black c***' was racist.

Mr Jenkins said: 'You are a very arrogant man aren't you. You look down on people that have not done as well as you in life and that is what you did that night.'

Halabi, who was once Britain's 12th richest man before declaring bankruptcy in 2010, said today: 'Im not racist and indeed have friends and employees from various ethnic backgrounds'

Halabi replied: 'If that is your opinion I will respect it'.

Mr Jenkins said the terms 'peasant' and 'monkey' were used to 'run Mr Thomas down'.

'This is about him putting you down in front of your girlfriend, him telling you not to beep your horn,' he said.

'You had been put down in front of your girlfriend and told by a black man not to do that.

'Your immediate reaction was to call him a 'f****** black c***'.

'You behaved badly that night and realised you would be in trouble so you made up a story to fit the CCTV.'

Mr Jenkins said the footage shows Halabi must have know that Mr Thomas was a rubbish collector as he would have seen him collect the bags from the street.

Addressing Mr Jenkins, Halabi said: 'I do not want to be disrespectful counsellor but when did you last drive a car, I could not see that far.'

'Do you need to see the video again?'

Mr Jenkins said Halabi's girlfriend tried to calm him down but he was 'beside himself with rage'.

'You were being arrogant,' said Mr Jenkins.

'You thought you could treat a man who was a refuse collector like a peasant, like a monkey,' said Mr Jenkins.

Mr Jenkins said that Mr Thomas had filmed Halabi saying: 'What's a black c*** doing in Mayfair like this?'

'Mayfair, black c**** like him, all we need.'

Mr Jenkins said Mr Thomas can be heard saying 'stay away from me'.

When a member of the public intervened and told Halabi he was not taking sides Halabi told him: 'Just f*** off.'

'You are a black c*** like him as well, you two are no different.'

When police arrived Halabi said: 'I am being arrested because of that black c***', jurors were told.

Mr Jenkins said he made no mention of being beaten or punched by Mr Thomas.

Halabi maintained he did not know he was being racist and says he did not attack Mr Thomas.

Mr Jenkins said that Halabi's injuries were consistent with reaching into Mt Thomas' van to try and get his keys and suggested he was 'exaggerating' his injuries.

Halabi said he shared wine with the manager and the sommelier and was not drunk.

'I was not affected by the drinking. If I was I would not have driven,' he told jurors.

The court had previously heard that Halabi had a conviction for drink driving in Europe.

CCTV showed Halabi unable to park his car first time as he is too far away from the curb.

Halabi told jurors Mr Thomas blocked in his car outside the entrance to his penthouse apartment.

He said: 'The vehicle pulled up, I couldn't open my door or get out.

'I looked at my girlfriend and she looked at me, we were really quite shocked.

'She said is this a joke. I put my window and said 'excuse me' and I heard 'f*** off'.

'I was convinced it was someone trying to rob us as we had been blocked in and I heard the swear words.'

Crime scene: The incident is alleged to have taken place outside Annabel's in Mayfair, pictured

Halabi said he could only 'vaguely' see what Mr Thomas was doing when he got out of his car.

'I was frightened when I got out the car, it was very unusual for a big white van to be blocking me,' he said.

'I told my girlfriend to stay in the car. I asked him what he was going here and who are you.'

'He swore at me again saying 'f*** off', that is when I got a punch to my face.'

Mr Thomas had earlier told the court he was a Christian who never uses swear words.

Halabi admitted to the jury he called Mr Thomas a 'f****** black c***', a 'peasant' and a 'monkey'.

He also admits to kicking at Mr Thomas but only did so as he felt he was going to be attacked.

But Halabi denies ever punching Mr Thomas.

He said: 'I was constantly aware from the first punch he was going to attack me.

'I thought there could be other people outside my house or in the back of the van. I made sure my girlfriend stayed back.'

Halabi said he had never used that type of language before and would not again. He maintains he did not realise it was racist.

Halabi sustained a cut lip and bruising after the scuffle on 23 February 2015 and suffered from acute chest pain.

The tycoon amassed a property empire in the 1980s and became Britains 14th richest man in 2007 with a value of 3billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

His portfolio included the Naval and Military Club in Piccadilly as well as a 25million stately home in Buckinghamshire and a 30million stake in the Shard.

But he declared bankruptcy in 2010 after he failed to repay a 56million bank loan after his assets were hit by the credit crunch.

Three years later Halabi was sued for divorce by his Lithuanian-born wife Urte and the proceedings are still ongoing at the High Court.

Halabi, of Mayfair, wore a tailored black suit with a white shirt in the dock.

He denies one count of racially aggravated assault and one count of assault.
A restaurant in the Netherlands has become famous for serving up a dish called the 'My Little Pony Burger' - but it's not just a creative name.

The burger is actually made from real horse meat.

Dutch restaurant Food Guerilla gets the strange delicacies from a quirky food truck called Keuken van het Ongewenst Dier - or the 'Unwanted Animal Kitchen'.

A restaurant in the Netherlands has become famous for serving up a dish called the 'My Little Pony Burger'

But the burger doesn't just have a creative name - it's actually made from real horse meat

The patties are all made from the butchered meat of ageing ponies at nearby amusement park Slagharen, Vice Munchies reported.

In fact, the food truck's entire identity centres around selling products made from species that are 'not socially acceptable' to eat.

The idea is to avoid waste and when older horses are deemed useless and put down, their meat is typically not utilised.

Despite the environmental upsides, progressive chef Babbe Hengeveld, who owns Food Guerilla, is aware that horse meat burgers might seem a little unconventional.

'They dont sell well because people do feel bad about the idea of eating horse,' Hengeveld told Vice.

'I just need to throw away the meat sometimes. For people to understand, you really have to explain to them clearly about the unwanted ponies and horse meat.

'When Im cooking in the kitchen, I dont always have time for this.'

There are foodies - and therefore in-the-know, savvy restaurants - that have proved to be keen on the burgers. The interest just isn't always motivated by the prospect of reducing waste.

But Hengeveld doesn't mind.
Jurors on Tuesday convicted a businessman for the murder of a Hollywood production assistant.

After about a day of deliberating, jurors in Los Angeles convicted Ezeoma Chigozie Obioha of first-degree murder in the death of 30-year-old Carrie Jean Melvin.

Jamon Hicks, one of Obioha's attorneys, told The Los Angeles Times that his client was saddened and hurt by the verdict and that he will file an appeal.

'They got the wrong guy', said Hicks. 'He didn't do it'.

Ezeoma Chigozie Obioha (pictured with musician Pharrell), 32, was convicted of murdering Carrie Jean Melvin on Tuesday

Outside the courtroom on Tuesday, Bernard Melvin, Carrie's father, said he hoped people would remember his daughter and that he felt compassion toward Obioha's family.

'There's nothing to celebrate here', said Melvin. 'I lost my daughter, and a young man is going to spend the rest of his life in prison. That's nothing to celebrate'.

Prosecutors said Obioha walked up behind Carrie Jean Melvin as she was walking with her boyfriend to a Thai restaurant in their Hollywood neighborhood, shot her in the head and fled in a black car.

Authorities soon focused on the 32 year old and arrested him a few weeks after the murder.

Carrie Melvin (pictured), 30, was killed on July 5, 2015, when a gunman shot her in the back of the head as she was walking with her boyfriend in their Hollywood neighborhood



Obioha, who is said to have had civic ties and an emerging clothing line, allegedly owed Melvin $1,620 for the social media work she had done to promote his business and was romantically interested in her.

Days before the July 5, 2015, murder, Obioha found out Melvin had filed a claim against him with the state Labor Commission after his check bounced, prosecutor Michele Hanisee told a jury last week.

Bernard Melvin said he knew about the incident involving his daughter and a client who wrote her a check that bounced.

On Facebook, Obioha is listed as the President and CEO of The Hoodfellas, Inc., and on the company's website it says he is a Morehouse College graduate and a US Army Veteran

At the crime scene, police found a white Rio Royal Grand 12-gauge 00 buck shell with a 'globalshot.com' head stamp, Hanisee said.

The next morning a boy found a 12-gauge shotgun under a rock while playing on the beach in Malibu. A similar shell was lying nearby.

They traced the shell's serial number back to Obioha, she said.

Defense attorneys argued that both shotgun shells and the gun were planted because a blast from a Rio Royal shell would have caused more damage to the victim's face.

Obioha's mother, Pauline, told jurors that her son was at home the night of the murder.

Carrie Melvin was a Hollywood production assistant. Her father, Bernard, said he hoped people would remember his daughter and that he felt compassion toward Obioha's family

Melvin's boyfriend, Anyimalik Howell, told police he had never met Obioha and only knew him as 'EZ'.

Howell and a security guard who witnessed the attack picked Obioha out of a six-man photographic lineup.

On Facebook, Obioha is listed as the president and CEO of The Hoodfellas, Inc. He had a storefront for the business in the Mid-City neighborhood of LA.

Police raided the store and marijuana dispensary adjacent to it where Obioha was a security guard, as well as his home shortly after the murder.
President-elect Donald Trump told a Wisconsin crowd that he 'really assumed' that he'd lost the election, due to 'phony' exit polls.

Trump spent the last 30 minutes of his West Allis appearance on Tuesday rehashing that storied night, when he shocked the world by winning the White House over his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

'Should I go over that evening just once quickly?' Trump asked his crowd of supporters, gathered for one of the president-elect's 'thank you' tour stops.

Scroll down for video

President-elect Donald Trump paid a visit to West Allis, Wisconsin, last night and spent 30 minutes talking about his Election Night victory with the crowd

Storytime was prompted by Trump, once again, taking on the media, with his crowd chanting 'CNN Sucks!'

Trump then inserted that journalists were 'devastated' by his Election Night victory.

'So it began with phony exit polls,' Trump told the crowd. 'And I got a call from my daughter at around 5 o'clock and she was called by people in their business. And her husband, Jared, great guy, he was called.'

'Then they called me and they said, "I'm sorry dad, it looks really bad. Looks really really bad." I said, "What's the problem?"' Trump continued.

'So I sort of thought I lost, and I was OK with that. I wouldn't say great. In fact, I called my vice president and I said, it's not looking good. Right Mike?' Trump recalled, hollering to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who attended Tuesday night's rally and was standing off stage.

Trump suggested that those conducting the exit polls were asking questions like 'Donald Trump is a bad person  do you agree or not?'

Donald Trump told Wisconsin supporters that his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner gave his bad news early on Election Night

And thus those polls contained a lot of 'phony stuff.'

'So I got the call and they said, "Looks bad, looks really bad,"' Trump recalled.

'They actually thought we might lose, strongly,' he added.

The businessman said the exit poll results didn't make sense to him because of the large crowds he was getting when traveling state to state.

'Does anybody remember my opponent?' he then said, to which the crowd replied with a chorus of 'lock her ups.'

'Governor these people are brutal,' Trump said, calling to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who was also on hand. 'Now I know why it's always a bloodbath for you guys.'

House Speaker Paul Ryan, a congressman from the state, was also in attendance.

Getting back to the story, Trump reminded the crowd how he went to Michigan, which looked to solidly be in the Hillary Clinton column, at the last hour.

Showing up there after midnight on Election Day eve.

Donald Trump, visiting Wisconsin on Tuesday, talked about his Election Night victory and gave shout-outs to Gov. Scott Walker and House Speaker Paul Ryan

'We went to Michigan with no notice,' Trump said. 'With like a tweet,' he continued, boasting he got a crowd of 31,000 people to show up.

The president-elect said he planned all those last-minute rallies because, 'If you put out every single ounce of energy in your blood you feel like, OK, there's nothing more you can do.'

For election night, Trump booked a ballroom at a Midtown Manhattan Hilton property, while Clinton had rented out a convention hall.

'If we're going to lose,' Trump said was his thinking. 'I don't want a big ballroom.'

He suggested that if he had lost he would have briefly thanked his supporters and said, 'good night everybody.'

'I'm out of there,' he laughed.

The president-elect suggested that he knew Clinton's campaign was in trouble when they cancelled the planned fireworks display for election night.

'When you lose you don't set off fireworks,' Trump told the crowd.

'I wanted to be a wise guy,' he also offered. 'I offered them 5 cents on a $1 for the fireworks.'

Donald Trump, photographed returning to LaGuardia Airport, told Wisconsin voters all about his Election Night victory at a rally in the state

Getting to the part of the story when the polls closed, Trump started touring his crowd around the states.

He reminded them of his big victory in Ohio and then in Iowa, how the Florida panhandle helped him win the state there.

'They're like in a state of absolute, like they're getting sick,' he said of reporters, forced to call North Carolina for the Republican hopeful.

And then speaking of Pennsylvania, he called the Keystone State, 'the bride that got away,' mentioning how Republicans had tried to put the formerly blue state back in their column for years.

Trump pointed to Utah, where he not only had to face Clinton, but a third-party challenge from Evan McMullin.

'My wife looked at him and said, "You're not going to lose to him,"' Trump divulged to laughs.

Trump won Utah, and Georgia and suggested there was a 'slaughter' in Texas, as he won the Lone Star state by 9 points.

Mitt Romney beat President Obama in Texas by 16 points in 2012.

'And all of the sudden, Donald Trump had won the state of Wisconsin,' Trump said to resounding cheers. 'Donald Trump has won the state of Pennsylvania,' he added.

'That map was so beautiful looking,' Trump recalled.

He touted the Electoral College, calling it 'genius,' as Trump lost the popular vote to his Democratic rival Clinton.

'And I'll never forget the guy who was saying, for months, there is no path to 270 for Donald Trump,' the president-elect said. 'But there was a path to 306.'

'So we ended up winning,' he said, telling the crowd that he would never forget when they turned Wisconsin red.

'There is no path for Hillary Clinton to become president,' Trump remembered what broadcasters said. 'Donald Trump is your next president of the United States.'

He then gave credit to the crowd.

'Because of you,' he noted. 'So I want to thank, I want to thank the people of Wisconsin.'
Ben Emmerson, a senior QC, was suspended from his job on the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse over the claims and subsequently quit his post as senior counsel

The former top lawyer at the struggling child abuse inquiry has been cleared of allegations of sexual assault and harassment.

Ben Emmerson, a senior QC, was suspended from his job on the inquiry because of concerns over his leadership. He subsequently quit his post as senior counsel before the claims emerged about the alleged incident, which happened weeks before he left.

His chambers, Matrix, set up an independent inquiry to look at the claims reported on BBC Newsnight about an alleged sexual assault in a lift.

A formal complaint was not made by the woman involved.

The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) has not commented on Mr Emmerson's departure beyond an initial statement raising concerns about 'aspects of Mr Emmerson's leadership'.

The Matrix inquiry was led by the former director of public prosecutions Sir David Calvert-Smith.

Matrix said today: 'After examining the evidence, Sir David submitted his final report to the management committee earlier this week.

'In his report, Sir David concluded ''without hesitation'' that Mr Emmerson had not committed any act of sexual assault or sexual harassment.'

Mr Emmerson said: 'This has been a difficult period and I am naturally pleased that an independent senior judge has now confirmed the allegations against me were always unfounded.

'I hope that the inquiry can now be left to get on with its important work, free from unnecessary distractions.'

Mr Emmerson resigned from the inquiry after the allegation emerged but had reportedly planned to go before the claim was made.

Professor Alexis Jay (file picture) is the current IICSA chairwoman. The inquiry has been rocked by resignations and delays

Prime Minister Theresa May has been forced to repeatedly express confidence in the troubled IICSA inquiry, which she created as Home Secretary.

The 100million probe is now on its fourth chairwoman and is yet to hear a single day of public evidence.

A succession of lawyers have quit the struggling probe, which is expected to run until at least 2020 as it investigates hundreds of allegations of historical abuse.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions last month, Mrs May said: 'We owe it to the survivors and victims for the inquiry to continue and I have to say  having seen the work that Professor Alexis Jay has done in the Rotherham inquiry that she undertook  I have absolute confidence in her ability to undertake this inquiry.'
An all-out war is brewing in New York between the Hells Angels and NYPD after bikers refused to cooperate with a police investigation into a shooting outside their headquarters.

In response, cops stormed the notorious bikers' clubhouse on Tuesday, slapping bikers with tickets for minor infractions, police and witnesses said.

More than 30 cops descended upon the East Village headquarters and handed out summonses for any minor infractions they could find, according to police.

'It was done just to f*** with them,' one police source told the New York Post. 'They're not c-ooperating with the investigation. If they're gonna give us a hard time, we're gonna give them a hard time.'

More than 30 cops descended upon the East Village headquarters and handed out summonses for any minor infractions they could find

The bikers were slapped with at least three summonses, cops said, for violations including blocking the sidewalk with planters and failing to display license plates on motorcycles, which were covered with a protective sheet.

Officers also ripped out an outdoor bench, and used a saw to cut away a metal ramp outside the building.

Police swooped after bikers refused to answer questions after a 25-year-old man was shot in the stomach during a brawl with the Hells Angels.

The bikers were slapped with at least three summonses, cops said, for violations including blocking the sidewalk with planters and failing to display license plates on motorcycles

The man was shot, allegedly by one of the bikers, after he moved a traffic cone outside their headquarters on East Third Street near First Avenue early on Sunday morning.

David Martinez was in the passenger seat of his friend's car when they tried to pass a livery car on the narrow streets of the East Village in Manhattan.

Martinez got out and moved a traffic cone, only to be punched by a Hells Angel before several other club members joined in, the New York Daily News reported.

Police swooped after bikers refused to answer questions after a 25-year-old man was shot in the stomach during a brawl with the Hells Angels (file picture)

He is recovering after surgery, but is reportedly too scared to speak to police amid fear of reprisals from Hells Angels.

Police said they swarmed the bikers' headquarters in order to send them a message.

'We want them to feel our presence and to let them know we are here,' the source said.

'They don't own that block and they have no right to block parking spots for themselves. It's a public street.'
Crystal Garlin, 32, allegedly stabbed her boyfriend after he refused to pay for the birthday gift she wanted

A Florida woman's birthday turned bloody when her boyfriend refused to get her what she wanted, and she allegedly cut him with a knife during a fight.

Crystal Garlin was hoping to get her nails and hair done for her 32nd birthday but her boyfriend, whose name has not been released, refused to pay.

The couple began to argue about the unfulfilled birthday wish on Friday, and Garlin allegedly grabbed a knife as it became more heated.

When her boyfriend tried to grab the knife and take it away, it cut his hand.

But when Fort Myers Police Department officers arrived at the scene, Garlin had a much different story to explain the injury.

Garlin told officers that she and a female relative had been fighting outside the home.

She said her boyfriend had tried to break up the fight and had gotten locked out of the house in the process, according to The News-Press.

Garlin claimed he then cut his hand after trying to climb through a broken window to get back inside.

Garlin was hoping to get her nails and hair done for her birthday and they began to argue. She then allegedly grabbed a knife and he got cut when he tried to take it away from her

Her boyfriend called police around 9pm and reported that he had been cut with a knife by his girlfriend during an argument.

He refused medical treatment and would not answer any other questions about the knife, the police report states.

Officers were unable to find the specific knife used in the attack after searching the house.

Garlin has been charged with battery causing great bodily harm.

She was released on $10,000 bond just in time for her birthday on Monday.
The number of injuries caused by exploding e-cigarettes is on the rise, the FDA has warned, with 66 explosions occurring in 2015 and early 2016 alone.

That's compared with 92 explosions between 2009 and September 2015 - averaging around 18 a year, or 27 per cent of the most recent totals.

And those figures could be an undercount - just one hospital, Seattle's Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, says it has seen about 23 patients with e-cigarette burns since it started tracking them informally in October 2015.

Lawyer Marc Eli Freund stands next to his client Katrina Williams of Queens, New York as she recovered from injuries she said she got from an exploding e-cigarette in April

Exploding e-cigarettes have hit the headlines in spectacular and horrifying fashion over the past year.

In April, Katrina Williams of Queens, New York, suffered third-degree burns on her leg when an e-cigarette exploded in her pants pocket 'like a firecracker' while she was driving.

The blast was so bad, she said that the cigarette was propelled out of her pocket and became embedded in the dashboard.

Williams, a freight manager, said she still hasn't returned to work. 'It was very disturbing,' she said.

Faulty batteries, coupled with increasing popularity, are the suspected culprits in the dramatic increase in injuries. The industry maintains e-cigarettes are safe when used properly.

In late November Otis Gooding, a clerk at a liquor store in New York's Grand Central Station, was casually leaning against a counter when the e-cigarette in his pocket erupted.

A security camera captured him frantically trying to snuff out a fountain of white-hot sparks.

Gruesome photos showed the skin on his leg melted away, and burned off his right hand.

Williams suffered severe burns from the incident. She says the battery exploded with such force that it became lodged in her cars dashboard

Williams was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where she was treated for third-degree burns and she is now burned, bruised and traumatized

Surveillance video also captured an e-cigarette explosion in September, when a Louis Vuitton bag belonging to Mara McInerney, suddenly began smoking as she stood at a New Jersey checkout counter.

No-one was hurt in that incident.

And police say a teenage girl on a train at the Universal Orlando amusement park suffered burns in October when an electronic cigarette belonging to another visitor exploded and shot a fireball at her.

'They are extremely dangerous and need to be revamped or revised,' said Marc Freund, a New York attorney who represents both Williams and a 14-year-old boy who was partially blinded when an e-cigarette device exploded at a smoking kiosk in a Brooklyn mall.

The problems with the devices are linked to their lithium-ion batteries, which help vaporize liquid nicotine into a mist that distributors and some health experts say is far less harmful than traditional tobacco cigarettes.

The same types of batteries are used safely in many consumer electronics, but they've also been behind fires in hover boards and smartphones.

Otis Gooding, 31, of New York, was recovering in hospital with horrific burns after an e-cigarette exploded in his pocket at Grand Central Terminal in November

Gruesome photos show skin on his leg melted away. His hands were also charred as he frantically tried to put out the fire in his pants

Last year, the federal Department of Transportation issued a rule prohibiting passengers from packing e-cigarettes in checked luggage to protect against in-flight fires.

And their popularity cannot be denied: There were 10.8 million regular e-cigarette users in the US in 2015, generating $3.5 billion in sales, according to Euromonitor International, a market research company.

Gregory L Bentley, a California attorney who won a nearly $2 million judgment for a woman burned by an e-cigarette last year, said he has a growing list of similar cases.

Most of them, he said, involve batteries and other components manufactured in China that have been subject to little safety oversight.

'The problem is defectively manufactured batteries,' he said. 'Consumers need to know it's next to impossible to sue a Chinese company. If people want to seek compensation they have to target distributors, wholesalers and retailers.'

Brandon Barbero, of Albany, New York, said that his device blew up in his face just as he put it in his mouth and pressed the button to get it to smoke earlier this year

Brandon said the blast was so strong it ripped a whole in his tongue and knocked out teeth

The number of injuries caused by exploding e-cigarettes is on the rise, the FDA has warned, with 66 explosions occurring in 2015 and early 2016 alone (file photo)

Thomas Kiklas, co-founder of the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association (TVECA), on the other hand, argues the devices are safe when used properly.

He said the TVECA encourages proper recharging of the batteries as a way to prevent possible injuries.

Last week, the US surgeon general called e-cigarettes an emerging public health threat to the nation's youth, although he highlighted the risk of nicotine addiction, not explosions.

New York Senator Charles Schumer said the FDA should consider a recall.

'It's bad enough that e-cigarettes cause nicotine addiction and may be dangerous to a person's health, but now it seems they're doubling as a ticking time bomb,' he said.

FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum said the agency is reviewing the health impacts of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.
Olga Perez Stable Cox, an instructor in Orange Coast College's psychology department, set off a firestorm of criticism for a series of comments on President-elect Donald Trump

A California professor who was caught on camera ranting about Donald Trump's election win has been forced to flee the state after receiving multiple death threats.

Olga Perez Stable Cox, who teaches human sexuality at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, was secretly recorded by one of her students last week calling Trump's win an 'act of terrorism'.

She also blasted Trump as a 'white supremacist', and said Mike Pence is: 'one of the most anti-gay humans in this country'.

A video of her comments went viral after it was posted on Facebook.

Cox's teachers union revealed on Monday that she has received more than 1,000 emails and threatening phonecalls in the wake of the video being published.

'Someone emailed her a picture of her house, with her address,' Rob Schneiderman, Cox's union president, told the Orange County Register.

He said the email also called her a 'libtard, Marxist, hatemonger, nutcase', before he added: 'her home address is now going to be sent everywhere.'

Cox told her students (pictured) Trump is a 'white supremacist' and his election was an 'act of terrorism'

Some of the other messages Cox has received are much more explicit in their threats.

'You want communism, go to Cuba... try to bring it to America and we'll put a f***ing bullet in your face,' one read.

The Register also reported hundreds of students and faculty members held a rally on campus to support Cox, who was described as someone who fought for all students.

'She has been here 30 years and impacted over 30,000 lives,' Elias Altamirano, 20, told the newspaper.

'I want to let Olga know this is her home and she doesnt have to feel threatened.'

The College Republicans, the group that published the video, held a separate event on campus to protest against a teacher bringing their political beliefs into the classroom - something it claims happens across the country.

It comes after Cox's video emerged last week.

TRANSCRIPT OF OLGA PEREZ STABLE COX'S ANTI-TRUMP RANT 'white supremacist and a vice president that is one of the most anti-gay humans in this country. And so we are in for a difficult time but again I do believe that we can get past that. Our nation is divided, we have been assaulted, its an act of terrorism. 'One of the most frightening things for me and most people in my life is that the people creating the assault are among us. It is not some stranger from some other country coming and attacking our sense of what it means to be an American and the things that we stand for and that makes it more painful because Im sure that all of us have people in our families and our circle of friends that are part of that movement and it is very difficult ... we are way beyond Republicans and Democrats and were really being back to being at civil war  I dont mean that in a fighting way but our nation is divided as clearly as it was in Civil War times. 'And my hope is we will get leadership to help overcome that. I will go over some coping skills but before i do that I want you to know that the optimist in me, first of all, we are the majority, more of us voted to not have that kind of leadership, and we didnt win because of the way our electoral college is set up but we are the majority and thats helping me to feel better. 'Im relieved that we live in California it is one of the best states and I love that and I love living here but im especially proud of our Legislature who did put out a message ... one of the things Im doing to cope is to look for positive messages and look for some hope thats the optimist in me  and California legislative leaders did put something... and these are things you can find....' Advertisement

Cox called Trump (left) a 'white supremacist' and called Mike Pence 'one of the most anti-gay humans in this country'

Orange Coast College (pictured) officials are still investigating the complaint against the professor and the context in which the comments were said

'We are in for a difficult time but again I do believe that we can get past that,' she could be heard saying in the video.

'Our nation is divided, we have been assaulted, its an act of terrorism,' she added. 'One of the most frightening things for me and most people in my life is that the people creating the assault are among us.'

The school's College Republicans have filed a formal complaint with the office of college president Dennis Harkins.

'The video, shot during a class on human sexuality, was submitted anonymously to us and we wanted to share it to raise awareness on this issue,' said club president Joshua Recalde-Martinez, a sophomore majoring in political science, to the Huffington Post.

'We want other students to know that we will help protect them against the constant leftist indoctrination we are experiencing in class by exposing behavior like this.'

The school's College Republicans, headed by club president Joshua Recalde-Martinez (pictured), have filed a formal complaint with college administrators

In a letter to OCC officials (pictured), attorney Shawn Steel called the professor's statements 'inflammatory' and 'extreme'

The Coast Federation of Educators, who represents Cox, said the recording of the comments is illegal and could land the student in trouble

In a letter, an attorney representing the club, Shawn Steel - a former chairman of the California Republican Party, called the professor's statements 'inflammatory' and 'extreme.'

'Several of her students were shocked by her behavior,' the lawyer wrote to the school administration.

'Its alarming. Its scare-mongering. Its irrational. Its a rant  and it doesn't belong in the classroom,' Steel added.

Cox, who has taught at OCC for 30 years, has not made a statement regarding the incident.
I was not raised in a racist home or environment. Living in the South, almost every White person has a small amount of racial awareness, simply beause [sic] of the numbers of negroes in this part of the country.

But it is a superficial awareness. Growing up, in school, the White and black kids would make racial jokes toward each other, but all they were were jokes.

Me and White friends would sometimes would watch things that would make us think that 'blacks were the real racists' and other elementary thoughts like this, but there was no real understanding behind it.

The event that truly awakened me was the Trayvon Martin case. I kept hearing and seeing his name, and eventually I decided to look him up.

I read the Wikipedia article and right away I was unable to understand what the big deal was. It was obvious that Zimmerman was in the right.

But more importantly this prompted me to type in the words 'black on White crime' into Google, and I have never been the same since that day.

The first website I came to was the Council of Conservative Citizens. There were pages upon pages of these brutal black on White murders. I was in disbelief.

At this moment I realized that something was very wrong. How could the news be blowing up the Trayvon Martin case while hundreds of these black on White murders got ignored?

From this point I researched deeper and found out what was happening in Europe. I saw that the same things were happening in England and France, and in all the other Western European countries.

Again I found myself in disbelief. As an American we are taught to accept living in the melting pot, and black and other minorities have just as much right to be here as we do, since we are all immigrants.

But Europe is the homeland of White people, and in many ways the situation is even worse there. From here I found out about the Jewish problem and other issues facing our race, and I can say today that I am completely racially aware.

Blacks

I think it is is fitting to start off with the group I have the most real life experience with, and the group that is the biggest problem for Americans.

N****rs are stupid and violent. At the same time they have the capacity to be very slick. Black people view everything through a racial lense [sic].

Thats [sic] what racial awareness is, its viewing everything that happens through a racial lense [sic].

They are always thinking about the fact that they are black. This is part of the reason they get offended so easily, and think that some thing [sic] are intended to be racist towards them, even when a White person wouldnt [sic] be thinking about race. The other reason is the Jewish agitation of the black race.

Black people are racially aware almost from birth, but White people on average dont [sic] think about race in their daily lives. And this is our problem. We need to and have to.

Say you were to witness a dog being beat by a man. You are almost surely going to feel very sorry for that dog. But then say you were to witness a dog biting a man. You will most likely not feel the same pity you felt for the dog for the man. Why? Because dogs are lower than men.

This same analogy applies to black and White relations. Even today, blacks are subconsciously viewed by White people are [sic] lower beings. They are held to a lower standard in general. This is why they are able to get away with things like obnoxious behavior in public. Because it is expected of them.

Modern history classes instill a subconscious White superiority complex in Whites and an inferiority complex in blacks. This White superiority complex that comes from learning of how we dominated other peoples is also part of the problem I have just mentioned. But of course I dont [sic] deny that we are in fact superior.

I wish with a passion that n****rs were treated terribly throughout history by Whites, that every White person had an ancestor who owned slaves, that segregation was an evil an [sic] oppressive institution, and so on.

Because if it was all it true, it would make it so much easier for me to accept our current situation.

But it isnt true. None of it is. We are told to accept what is happening to us because of ancestors wrong doing [sic], but it is all based on historical lies, exaggerations and myths. I have tried endlessly to think of reasons we deserve this, and I have only came back more irritated because there are no reasons.

Only a fourth to a third of people in the South owned even one slave. Yet every White person is treated as if they had a slave owning ancestor. This applies to in the states where slavery never existed, as well as people whose families immigrated after slavery was abolished.

I have read hundreds of slaves narratives from my state. And almost all of them were positive.

One sticks out in my mind where an old ex-slave recounted how the day his mistress died was one of the saddest days of his life. And in many of these narratives the slaves told of how their masters didnt [sic] even allowing whipping on his plantation.

Segregation was not a bad thing. It was a defensive measure. Segregation did not exist to hold back negroes. It existed to protect us from them. And I mean that in multiple ways.

Not only did it protect us from having to interact with them, and from being physically harmed by them, but it protected us from being brought down to their level. Integration has done nothing but bring Whites down to level of brute animals. The best example of this is obviously our school system.

Now White parents are forced to move to the suburbs to send their children to 'good schools'. But what constitutes a 'good school'? The fact is that how good a school is considered directly corresponds to how White it is.

I hate with a passion the whole idea of the suburbs. To me it represents nothing but scared White people running. Running because they are too weak, scared, and brainwashed to fight.

Why should we have to flee the cities we created for the security of the suburbs? Why are the suburbs secure in the first place? Because they are White.

The pathetic part is that these White people dont [sic] even admit to themselves why they are moving. They tell themselves it is for better schools or simply to live in a nicer neighborhood. But it is honestly just a way to escape n****rs and other minorities.

But what about the White people that are left behind? What about the White children who, because of school zoning laws, are forced to go to a school that is 90 per cent black?

Do we really think that that White kid will be able to go one day without being picked on for being White, or called a 'white boy'? And who is fighting for him? Who is fighting for these White people forced by economic circumstances to live among negroes? No one, but someone has to.

Here I would also like to touch on the idea of a Norhtwest [sic] Front. I think this idea is beyond stupid.

Why should I for example, give up the beauty and history of my state to go to the Norhthwest [sic]? To me the whole idea just parralells [sic] the concept of White people running to the suburbs. The whole idea is pathetic and just another way to run from the problem without facing it.

Some people feel as though the South is beyond saving, that we have too many blacks here. To this I say look at history. The South had a higher ratio of blacks when we were holding them as slaves.

Look at South Africa, and how such a small minority held the black in apartheid for years and years. Speaking of South Africa, if anyone thinks that think will eventually just change for the better, consider how in South Africa they have affirmative action for the black population that makes up 80 per cent of the population.

It is far from being too late for America or Europe. I believe that even if we made up only 30 percent of the population we could take it back completely. But by no means should we wait any longer to take drastic action.

Anyone who thinks that White and black people look as different as we do on the outside, but are somehow magically the same on the inside, is delusional. How could our faces, skin, hair, and body structure all be different, but our brains be exactly the same? This is the nonsense we are led to believe.

Negroes have lower Iqs [sic], lower impulse control, and higher testosterone levels in generals. These three things alone are a recipe for violent behavior.

If a scientist publishes a paper on the differences between the races in Western Europe or Americans, he can expect to lose his job. There are personality traits within human families, and within different breeds of cats or dogs, so why not within the races?

A horse and a donkey can breed and make a mule, but they are still two completely different animals. Just because we can breed with the other races doesnt make us the same.

In a modern history class it is always emphasized that, when talking about 'bad' things Whites have done in history, they were White.

But when we lern [sic] about the numerous, almost countless wonderful things Whites have done, it is never pointed out that these people were White.

Yet when we learn about anything important done by a black person in history, it is always pointed out repeatedly that they were black. For example when we learn about how George Washington carver [sic] was the first n****r smart enough to open a peanut.

On another subject I want to say this. Many White people feel as though they dont [sic] have a unique culture. The reason for this is that White culture is world culture.

I dont [sic] mean that our culture is made up of other cultures, I mean that our culture has been adopted by everyone in the world. This makes us feel as though our culture isnt special or unique.

Say for example that every business man in the world wore a kimono, that every skyscraper was in the shape of a pagoda, that every door was a sliding one, and that everyone ate every meal with chopsticks. This would probably make a Japanese man feel as though he had no unique traditional culture.

I have noticed a great disdain for race mixing White women within the White nationalists community, bordering on insanity it. These women are victims, and they can be saved. Stop.

Jews

Unlike many White naitonalists [sic], I am of the opinion that the majority of American and European Jews are White.

In my opinion the issues with Jews is not their blood, but their identity. I think that if we could somehow destroy the Jewish identity, then they wouldnt [sic] cause much of a problem.

The problem is that Jews look White, and in many cases are White, yet they see themselves as minorities.

Just like n****rs, most Jews [sic] are always thinking about the fact that they are Jewish. The other issue is that they network. If we could somehow turn every Jew blue for 24 hours, I think there would be a mass awakening, because people would be able to see plainly what is going on.

I dont [sic] pretend to understand why Jews do what they do. They are enigma [sic].

Hispanics

Hispanics are obviously a huge problem for Americans. But there are good Hispanics and bad Hispanics.

I remember while watching Hispanic television stations, the shows and even the commercials were more White than our own.

They have respect for White beauty, and a good portion of Hispanics are White. It is a well known fact that White Hispanics make up the elite of most Hispanics [sic] countries. There is good White blood worht [sic] saving in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and even Brasil [sic].

But they are still our enemies.

East Asians

I have great respent for the East Asian races. Even if we were to go extinct they could carry something on.

They are by nature very racist and could be great allies of the White race. I am not opposed at all to allies with the Northeast Asian races.

Patriotism

I hate the sight of the American flag. Modern American patriotism is an absolute joke. People pretending like they have something to be proud [of] while White people are being murdered daily in the streets.

Many veterans believe we owe them something for 'protecting our way of life' or 'protecting our freedom'. But im [sic] not sure what way of life they are talking about. How about we protect the White race and stop fighting for the Jews.

I will say this though, I myself would have rather lived in 1940's American than Nazi Germany, and no this is not ignorance speaking, it is just my opinion. So I dont [sic] blame the veterans of any wars up until after Vietnam, because at least they had an American [sic] to be proud of and fight for.

An Explanation

To take a saying from a film: 'I see all this stuff going on, and I dont [sic] see anyone doing anything about it. And it pisses me off'. To take a saying from my favorite film: 'Even if my life is worth less than a speck of dirt, I want to use it for the good of society.'

I have no choice. I am not in the position to, alone, go into the ghetto and fight.

I chose Charleston because it is most historic city in my state, and at one time had the highest ratio of blacks to Whites in the country.

We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the internet. Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me.

Unfortunately at the time of writing I am in a great hurry and some of my best thoughts, actually many of them have been to be left out and lost forever. But I believe enough great White minds are out there already.
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Donald Trump gathered Silicon Valley executives together for a roundtable meeting, in an attempt to smooth over frictions after a contentious presidential campaign.

The biggest names in attendance were Apple's Tim Cook  who publicly supported Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton  and Tesla founder Elon Musk, who would meet Trump separately after the roundtable.

Looking around the room Trump called the group gathered 'amazing' and then boasted about the stock market 'bounce' that followed his election, which helped many of the businesses represented in the room.

'So right now everybody in this room has to like me  at least a little bit,' Trump told the crowd.

'But we're going to try and have that bounce continue,' Trump pledged.

Scroll down for video

Silicon Valley bigs: Amazon's chief Jeff Bezos, Larry Page of Alphabet, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Vice President-elect Mike Pence, President-elect Donald Trump, Peter Thiel, co-founder and former CEO of PayPal, Tim Cook of Apple and Safra Catz of Oracle attend a meeting at Trump Tower

Donald Trump entertained a number of Silicon Valley CEO's and bosses including Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg

Donald Trump (left) thanked his one Silicon Valley backer, Peter Thiel (right), who brought a number of tech titans to Trump Tower today

'Right now everybody in this room has to like me - at least a little bit,' said Donald Trump to tech executives including PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel (center) and Apple CEO Tim Cook (right)

Oracle's CEO Safra Catz, one of the top women in tech, attended today's meeting at Trump Tower, along with top executives from Facebook, Tesla, Google and IBM

The president-elect's children: Donald Jr. (left), Ivanka (middle) and Eric Trump (right) sat through the meeting today with Silicon Valley bigwigs

Donald Trump's three adult children including Eric Trump (left) and Ivanka Trump (right) attended the meeting today with Silicon Valley leaders, again raising questions about the role they will play in both the Trump White House and the handling of the Trump business empire

Donald Trump's incoming economic adviser Gary Cohn (left), the current president of Goldman Sachs, along with Trump's commerce pick Wilbur Ross, sat through today's meeting with Silicon Valley's top brass

United States President-elect Donald Trump, US Vice President-elect Mike Pence, cabinet nominees and technology company chiefs are seen at the meeting

Facebook's Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg (left) attended a meeting for Silicon Valley executives alongside Vice President-elect Mike Pence (center) and Donald Trump (right)

While Mark Zuckerberg skipped the meeting, Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg (left) attended, as did Jeff Bezos (right) of Amazon and the Washington Post. Trump was critical of the Post's coverage through the campaign

It was Peter Thiel, Trump's one prominent Silicon Valley backer, that brought the tech titans and the president-elect face-to-face.

Safra Catz, the CEO of Oracle, had been the first to arrive at Trump Tower. She said: 'If he can reform the tax code, reduce regulation, and negotiate better trade deals, the U.S. technology community will be stronger and more competitive than ever.'

Soon after Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos arrived. He's also the owner of the Washington Post, one of the many media outlets that Trump took issue with during his presidential campaign.

Other attendees included Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg, Alphabet's Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, Palantier's Alex Karp, Intel's Brian Krzanich, Cisco's Chuck Robbins, IBM's Ginni Rometty and Saya Nadella of Microsoft.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates paid the president-elect a visit on Tuesday at Trump Tower.

First arrival: Safra Catz, the CEO of Oracle, was the first of the tech giant bosses to arrive at Trump Tower

Talks: Catz said she hoped Trump would move on tax code reform, reducing regulation and negotiating better trade deals

Amazon.com's CEO Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post, arrived for a meeting with Donald Trump today at Trump Tower

Amazon and Washington Post head Jeff Bezos was the second tech titan to arrive today for a meeting between team Trump and Silicon Valley

Google giants Larry Page (left), now the CEO of the search engine's parent company Alphabet, and Eric Schmidt (right), the chairman of Alphabet, are spotted arriving at a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump

Tesla's Elon Musk (right) participated in a roundtable meeting with President-elect Donald Trump and met with him personally after the big meet-and-greet

Ginni Rometty, the president and CEO of IBM, was among the Silicon Valley titans spending time with President-elect Donald Trump and his team today in New York

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was spotted leaving a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump and his team at Trump Tower today in New York. Yesterday's the company co-founder, Bill Gates, took a meeting with the president-elect

Cisco's CEO Chuck Robbins is caught entering Trump Tower today for a meeting with the president-elect, his team, and other Silicon Valley bigwigs

Reporters were briefly led into the room, in which Trump hosted the tech titans, along with his three adult kids, Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr.

The adult children's presence comes at a time when their expanded role is sparking controversy, as they were originally supposed to be charged with handling Trump's business ventures while he was in the White House.

Trump's Vice President-elect Mike Pence, adviser Steve Bannon, incoming chief-of-staff Reince Priebus, commerce secretary pick Wilbur Ross and economic adviser selection Gary Cohn, were also in attendance.

Trump kicked off the meeting by complimenting Thiel.

'He got about just the biggest applause at the Republican National Convention,' Trump said.

'He's ahead of the curve. And I want to thank you. You're a very special guy,' Trump added, grabbing the hand of Thiel, who was sitting on his left-hand side.

The president-elect then addressed the full group.

'So I want to add that I'm here to help you folks do well,' Trump said. 'You're doing well right now and I'm very honored by the bounce.'

Trump was referring to the post-election bounce on the stock market.

HOW MUCH ARE TRUMP'S TECH EXECUTIVES WORTH? Elon Musk (CEO, Tesla) $11.5 billion Tim Cook (CEO, Apple) $503 million Larry Page (CEO, Alphabet) $40.7 billion Eric Schmidt (Executive Chairman, Alphabet) 11.5 billion Jeff Bezos (CEO, Amazon) 66.9 billion Sheryl Sandberg (COO, Facebook) $1.27 billion Safra Catz (CEO, Oracle) $525 million Satya Nadella (CEO, Microsoft) $84 million Brian Krzanich (CEO, Intel) $14.6 million Chuck Robbins (CEO, Cisco) $17 million (base yearly salary) Ginni Rometty (CEO, IBM) $45 million Peter Thiel (PayPal founder) $2.7 billion Donald Trump (president-elect) 3.7 billion Advertisement

'They're all talking about the bounce,' he repeated.

Trump said the most important thing was 'we want you to keep going with the incredible innovation.'

'There's nobody like you in the world, in the world. There's nobody like the people in this room,' the president-elect told the titans.

Trump pledged to be there for Silicon Valley and make it easier for American companies to trade.

'And you'll call my people, you'll call me. It doesn't make any difference,' Trump continued. 'We have no formal chain of command over here.'

After several minutes, reporters were ushered out of the room.

Attendees, like Sandberg, will likely bring up their own priorities like strong encryption and liability protections from content shared by their users.

The meeting was billed as an introductory session, said four sources briefed on the talks, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting.

Early reviews of the meeting suggested it went as well as it could.

Bezos labeled the get-together 'productive,' according to Politico.

'I shared the view that the administration should make innovation one of its key pillars, which would create a huge number of jobs across the whole country, in all sectors, not just tech  agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing  everywhere,' the Amazon CEO and Washington Post owner said in a statement.

The CEOs of Airbnb and Uber were invited but did not attend. Uber's Travis Kalanick is traveling in India all week, according to a person familiar with his plans.

Top Twitter executives were left out in the cold, despite the micro-blogging site being one of the president-elect's favorite mediums to get his message out to supporters.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said the reason why Twitter wasn't invited was because 'the conference table was only so big.'

But a spokesman for the president-elect's transition team told Reuters: 'They weren't invited because they aren't big enough.'

With a market capitalization of $13.85 billion, Twitter is smaller than Facebook and Amazon. The smallest company in attendance was Tesla, with a market capitalization of $31.92 billion.

One source familiar with Trump's relationship with Twitter said the decision to exclude Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey was motivated by the president-elect's ire at the company, which rejected an advertising deal with his campaign in October.

Trump's election campaign had offered to pay to have an emoji, or small picture, that would show up on tweets during the second presidential debate anytime Twitter users tweeted the phrase "#Crooked Hillary," Republican Trump's nickname for his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

Twitter rejected the deal, saying it might mislead users who would not be able to tell that the campaign had paid for the emoji.

The Trump transition spokesman said the emoji had nothing to do with the invitation omission. The official said Trump has had public spats with other tech leaders who were invited, including Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, and Cook, who hosted a fundraiser for Clinton.

Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption, and his surprise victory last month alarmed many companies that feared he might follow through on his pledges.

He has said that many tech companies are overvalued by investors.

'You look at some of these tech stocks that are so, so weak as a concept and a company and they're selling for so much money,' he told Reuters in an interview in May.

Those concerns have not been assuaged in recent weeks as Trump has threatened to upset trade relationships with China, a key market for U.S. tech companies, and appoint officials who favor expanded surveillance programs.

'For some of the companies, there was some hesitation about whether to attend' because of sharp political and personal differences with Trump, one tech industry source said.

Nearly 600 employees of technology companies pledged in an open letter on Tuesday to refuse to help Trump's administration build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.

Silicon Valley enjoyed a warm rapport with President Barack Obama and heavily supported Democrat Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign.

Schmidt was photographed on election night at Clinton headquarters wearing a staff badge, and Musk said in interviews before the election that Trump's character reflected poorly on the United States.

Musk was quoted saying that Trump 'is probably not the right guy' to be president of the United States.

Despite those tensions, Trump named Musk to a business advisory council that will give private-sector input to Trump after he takes office on Jan. 20.

Uber's Kalanick was also appointed to the council.

Invitation: Trump's move to reach out to Silicon Valley also saw Elon Musk and Uber's Travis Kalanick appointed to his business advisory council

Not attending: Travis Kalanick, of Uber, is in India but was named to Trump's business advisory panel

Tech mogul Peter Thiel, a Trump supporter who spoke at the GOP convention, helped organize the Silicon Valley get-together

From the employees of the 10 largest Fortune 500 tech companies, Trump raised just $179,400 from 982 campaign donors who contributed more than $200.

Clinton raised $4.4 million from the employees of the same companies, with more than 20,400 donations, a Reuters review of contribution data found.

Trump publicly bashed the industry during the campaign. He urged his supporters to boycott Apple products over the company's refusal to help the FBI unlock an iPhone associated with last year's San Bernardino, California, shootings, threatened antitrust action against Amazon and demanded that tech companies build their products in the United States.

In another attack on Bezos, he suggested that the Amazon CEO was using is ownership of The Washington Post as a tax-dodging 'scam.'

He also got in a spat with Facebook's Zuckerberg over immigration.

Trump has also been an opponent of the Obama administration's net neutrality rules barring internet service providers from obstructing or slowing consumer access to web content.

Two advisers to his Federal Communications Commission transition team are opponents of the rules, as are the two Republicans on the FCC.

Last week, the two Republicans on the panel urged a quick reversal of many Obama policies and one, Commissioner Ajit Pai, said he believed that net neutrality's 'days are numbered.'
A group of Good Samaritans are being hailed heroes for wading into a frozen pond in Minnesota and rescuing a woman who crashed her car into the icy water.

Police said the woman went to pull over at the intersection of Hwy. 169 and I-494 in Bloomington after her car windows fogged up, but ended up driving straight into a holding pond next to the freeway ramp.

The vehicle was almost completely submerged in the freezing water, which was seeping in through the windows.

Rescue effort: This is the group of Good Samaritans that pulled over to help a woman who crashed her car in a retention pond in Bloomington, Minnesota, on Tuesday

Heroes: The group used a pallet from a truck to balance on the ice until they could get the window out through the back window

The incident happened shortly after 8am on Tuesday.

A group of passersby quickly stopped to try and help the woman. Video from a nearby traffic camera shows the men moving out to the vehicle carefully.

One pulled a pallet off a truck and set it on the ice to distribute weight as they got alongside the vehicle.

Inside the car, the woman managed to smash the back window with a fire extinguisher.

The men then pulled her out of the car and brought her ashore, MPR News reported.

Accident: The SUV driver drove into the pond accidentally after her windows fogged, police said

The car was almost fully submerged in the freezing water, trapping the woman inside

The driver told police she did not even known she's driven into the pond until water started coming into the vehicle

Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Tiffani Nielson the woman rescued sustained minor injuries.

Nelson praised the way the woman reacted from inside the car, and noted that other drivers should think about how they would get out of their vehicle

'You can pull your headrest out and use the prongs from that to break through the vehicle,' Neilson said.

'If you ever feel your vehicle is going into a body of water you should try to roll the windows down right away.'
Dozens of daredevil tourists took part in the mannequin challenge on the world's highest glass-bottomed bridge on Sunday.

Video footage has emerged showing around 100 people freezing in action on the 984ft high see-through structure in Zhangjiajie, south-west China.

Some tourists appeared to be terrified by the transparent flooring while others seemed to be taking selfies in the one-minute-long clip which took two hours to shoot.

Around 100 people took part in the filming on 984ft high bridge in Zhangjiajie, China

One participant kept the pose of taking pictures during the one-minute-long clip

There were also a number of participants lying on the glass panels, which made them look as if they were floating in the air.

'Because of the nature of the bridge, the video could make people look like they were floating,' a spokesman from the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon told MailOnline.

Management of the tourist attraction gathered around 70 tourists and 30 employees to take part in the filming in the morning of December 11.

Chen Zhidong, the chairman of the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, also took part in the challenge, the same spokesman said.

Three women lay on the glass panels, which made them look as if they were floating in the air

It took the attraction two hours to shoot the mannequin challenge video on December 11

The glass-bottomed bridge is located in the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, a popular scenic spot in China known to have inspired the American blockbuster Avatar.

The walkway took three years to build and cost a whopping 48 million.

At 1,400 feet long and 984 feet high, it's described as the longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge in the world.

It is 19 feet wide and made of 99 panels of clear glass.

The attraction opened on August 20, but was forced to close just 13 days later due to 'overwhelming' volume of tourists.

It was allowed to receive visitors again in late September and has since stayed opened on a trial period.

The glass-bottomed bridge is located in the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, a popular scenic spot

At 984 feet high, the structure is described as the highest glass-bottomed bridge in the world

The bridge was forced to close just 13 days later due to 'overwhelming' volume of tourists
Anti-war MPs have demanded RAF drones be used to send aid deliveries into besieged Aleppo despite the aircraft being incapable of doing so.

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said the use of drones was an alternative to sending manned flights into Syria during an emergency Commons debate yesterday.

The proposal has also been endorsed by Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas.

The RAF's Reaper drones can carry tightly packed bombs weighing more than 1,500KG but they are not equipped to fly with unwieldy pallets bearing tonnes of aid.

Reaper drones (file picture) can carry tightly packed bombs weighing more than 1,500KG but they are not equipped to fly with unwieldy pallets bearing tonnes of aid

Both politicians also advocated the use of GPS-guided parachutes for aid parcels - but this does not have sufficient accuracy to drop into a ruined city such as Aleppo.

An analyst at UK Defence Journal said: 'The aircraft is normally armed with GBU-12 500lb laser guided bombs and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and although this number can be changed to suit particular missions it cannot be substituted with cargo.'

Ms Thornberry said: 'If Russia and Assad continue to block road convoys into the area then surely the Government must finally accept that we have reached the point of last resort when the previous foreign secretary promised that air drops would be used.

'If we fear that manned flights would be too dangerous... then the Government must consider using unmanned drones or GPS-guided parachutes.'

Writing in the Spectator, Ms Lucas said: 'I believe humanitarian airdrops should begin immediately, and should be carried out by drones or GPS-guided parachutes.

'The use of drones is not something I have advocated before but, given the risks associated with a manned aircraft potentially being shot down and the resulting escalation in violence, its a compromise I am willing to make.'

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson yesterday ruled out the prospect of immediate air drops, blaming the dangers of Syrian airspace.

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry (left in the Commons yesterday) called for aid drops via unmanned drone but Boris Johnson (right in the same debate) warned the Syrian airspace was too dangerous to send in flights

Mr Johnson told MPs: 'For air drops to be accurate they must be conducted at low level and low speed and Russia has deployed its most advanced jet fighters and surface-to-air missiles in Syria, which makes it impossible for us to carry out air drops without Russian permission.

Green Party co-leader has also called for aid drops using drones

'Even if Russia were to give its consent, our aircraft would still have to fly over areas of Syria that are hotly contested by a multitude of armed groups, including Daesh and al Qaida.

'They would make every effort to shoot down a British plane and a lumbering, low-flying transport aircraft would be a sitting duck.

'We came reluctantly to the conclusion that air drops over Syria under those conditions would prove too great a risk.

'And when it comes to drones and other devices, we still face the problem that it is the Syrians and the Russians who control the airspace.'

MPs desperate for a solution to the crisis in Aleppo urged the Government to explore all options for ending the fighting and getting in aid.

Alison McGovern, the Labour MP for Wirral South, told the Commons the Assad regime has been dropping leaflets in Aleppo saying the international community has abandoned them.
Yankee Candle is voluntarily recalling more than 30,000 of its products just before the holidays, amid fears that the glass jars could crack when the candles are lit.

The Massachusetts-based company and Consumer Product Safety Commission said 31,000 candles from Yankee Candles Luminous Collection fragrance line were being recalled due to the hazard.

Yankee Candle said it has received 16 reports of the glass jar cracking, but that it had not received reports of any injuries.

The company said it was recalling the products - which are popular as Christmas gifts - 'out of an abundance of caution and a firm commitment to safety'.

Yankee Candle is voluntarily recalling more than 30,000 of its products amid fears that the glass jars could crack when the candles are lit

A statement posted by the company read: 'The Yankee Candle Company, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, is announcing a voluntary recall of the Luminous Collection candle.

'We have recently received consumer feedback regarding our new Luminous Collection candles which has indicated that when the candle is lit, the glass jar may crack, posing a possible laceration hazard.

'At Yankee Candle we pride ourselves on having the highest standards of quality. Out of an abundance of caution and a firm commitment to safety, we have decided to request the immediate return of all Luminous Collection candles.

'This issue is limited to six Luminous Collection candles only.'

Consumers who have purchased on of the affected candles have been advised to immediately stop using the product

The candles that are being recalled are: Sea Salt & Coral (1535651), Blackberry & Sage (1535890), Apple Blossom & Melon (1535891), Sugarcane & Honey (1535892), Pine & Sandalwood (1535893) and Cinnamon & Cedar (1535894).

The item numbers can be found printed on the bottom of the candle's glass jar.

Consumers who have purchased on of the affected candles have been advised to immediately stop using the product and contact Yankee Candle to receive a full refund - and another candle of their choice.

The statement continued: 'If you or someone in your household has purchased a Luminous Collection candle, you are encouraged to return it to your nearest Yankee Candle company-owned retail location to receive a full refund plus one free candle of your choice for your inconvenience.'
Harvard professor Larry Lessig, briefly a Democratic candidate for president last year, says a growing number of electors are considering a plan to thwart Donald Trump.

The constitutional law professor has been offering pro-bono legal advice to Electoral College members through his anti-Trump group Electors Trust.

He told Politico the group has heard from 20 Republicans who are open to defecting from Trump and becoming 'faithless electors.'

That's 'more than half' the number necessary to keep Trump from becoming president, he said.

Scroll down for video

Harvard professor Larry Lessig, briefly a Democratic candidate for president last year, says a growing number of electors are considering a plan to thwart Donald Trump

Trump is slated to win 306 electoral votes. Should 37 electors defect, he'll fall below the constitutionally-mandated threshold of 270, and the House of Representatives will get to select the next president.

Faithless: Republican never-Trump activist Chris Suprun (right) is the only known Republican intending to become a faithless elector

The Republican National Committee has only identified one party member in its whip count willing to defy the Trump, the presumptive president-elect.

Texas elector Chris Suprun signed an open letter to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper asking for an intelligence briefing before the Dec. 19 Electoral College vote.

Suprun and a group of nine other electors that includes the top-ranking House Democrat's daughter, Christine Pelosi, demanded a security briefing on government claims that Russia interfered in the election before they cast their votes.

Hillary Clinton's campaign backed them up on Monday, saying, 'The bipartisan electors' letter raises very grave issues involving our national security.

'Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed,' campaign chairman John Podesta said.

A separate group of electors whose votes are bound to Hillary Clinton are challenging laws requiring them to vote for the candidate who won their state.

They're brokering deals with Republicans who don't want Trump in the White House, either.

If they're able to throw enough votes, the Republican-run House will take its turn. Lawmakers would have the opportunity to put someone else in the Oval Office instead of Trump.

Delegates from a majority of states are required to mark down the candidate who won the most votes in their statewide election. But 20 states have unshackled votes.

Trump is slated to win 306 electoral votes. Should 37 electors defect, he'll fall below the constitutionally-mandated threshold of 270, and the House of Representatives will select the next president

'Obviously, whether an elector ultimately votes his or her conscience will depend in part upon whether there are enough doing the same,' Lessig told Politico. 'We now believe there are more than half the number needed to change the result seriously considering making that vote.'

Politico says that Lessig did not provide evidence of his claim, which counters public and private whip counts.

The Electoral College has never defied the will of voters. In two cases candidates did not command a majority, and the decision went to the House of Representatives - in 1800 and 1824.
Shocking footage has revealed the moment a black suspect shot two white police officers in a parking lot after being asked repeatedly by one to take his hands out of his pockets.

Khari Gordon, 22, was arrested on Monday night after shooting Captain Michael Schulman and Jeffrey Martin.

The police officers approached him after pulling him over on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle.

In bodycam footage of their exchange, Captain Schulman is heard asking the young man repeatedly to take his hands out of his pockets

Seconds later, Gordon is heard firing his gun at the 50-year-old who fell to the ground screaming.

He went on to shoot Officer Martin, 22, before fleeing the scene on foot. The footage was released by police on Wednesday.

Captain Schulman, 50, was shot in the armpit and officer Martin was shot in the hand. Both were taken to hospital.

Captain Schulman, who is a father-of-two, remains in intensive care unit with a punctured lung. Officer Martin was discharged from hospital but must undergo specialist surgery to remove a bullet from his hand.

He is an army veteran who joined the force less than one year ago.

Left, officer Martin appears on his partner's bodycam footage while he asks Gordon to take his hands out of his pockets (right)

The officers pulled Gordon over at Zaxby's restaurant on Monday at around 8pm after identifying the car he was driving as stolen

Captain Michael Schulman, 50, (left) was shot beneath the armpit and suffered a punctured lung. Jeffrey Martin (right), 22, requires specialist surgery to remove the bullet in his right hand

There was no update on Captain Schulman's condition on Wednesday morning.

The pair had pulled Gordon over at Zaxby's restaurant on Monday at around 8pm after identifying the car he was driving as stolen.

Gordon was denied bail and faces two counts of felony intent to murder among other charges

After shooting the police men, Gordon fled on foot and hid for several hours in woodlands before being caught.

He has been denied bail and faces two counts of felony intent of murder, two counts of aggravated assault on an officer and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Lavonia Police Chief Bruce Carlisle called for an end to police shootings on Monday as he gave details of the incident.

'Yesterday was a terrible day for law enforcement in the state of Georgia. Four officers were shot.

'This has to end. I don't know what the answer is but it has to end somewhere,' he told Fox News.
Kanye West received a parting gift from Donald Trump after their meeting on Tuesday - a signed copy of the President-elect's TIME magazine Person of the Year cover.

The 39-year-old rapper tweeted out a photo of the magazine cover just a day after the meeting in Trump Tower, in which he said they spoke about multicultural issues.

'To Kanye you are a great friend. Thanks,' read Trump's message, accompanied by his autograph in silver permanent marker.

Just after their meeting, Kanye sent out a series of tweets saying he had wanted to discuss 'multicultural issues', which he said were 'bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago', with Trump.

President-elect Donald Trump gave Kanye West a signed copy of his TIME Person of the Year magazine after their meeting

The 39-year-old rapper tweeted out a photo of the magazine cover just a day after the meeting in Trump Tower

'I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change,' he said.

Finally he tweeted: '#2024.'

The 15-minute meeting, however, did not include a request or an offer to perform at the presidential inauguration next month, TMZ reported.

Trump also met with NFL royalty Ray Lewis and Jim Brown, as well as Microsoft's Bill Gates on Tuesday.

Trump posted a photo to Twitter of Brown and Gates, saying: '.@BillGates and @JimBrownNFL32 in my Trump Tower office yesterday- two great guys!'

West was cleared by the Secret Service to meet Trump despite concerns he had been under a psychiatric hold in a California hospital until last week.

Trump told reporters after the meeting that he and the rapper 'discussed life'. Kanye, Trump and his daughter Ivanka then posed for photos in the president-elect's personal office.

Then Trump descended to the lobby of Trump Tower to say goodbye to West, an honor he has extended to just one other visitor, and to none of the people he interviewed about top-level posts in his administration.

'We're just friends, just friends. He's a good man. Going well. Long time  We've been friends for a long time,' Trump said. 'Life, we discussed life.'

After their meeting on Tuesday, Kanye sent out a series of tweets saying he had wanted to discuss several issues, including 'bullying' and 'violence in Chicago'

Trump also met with NFL royalty Ray Lewis and Jim Brown, as well as Microsoft's Bill Gates on Tuesday. Trump posted a photo to Twitter of Brown and Gates, saying: '.@BillGates and @JimBrownNFL32 in my Trump Tower office yesterday- two great guys!'

Kanye - who until last week was in hospital in Los Angeles recovering from a reported nervous breakdown - did not respond to questions about whether he would run in 2020 and said: 'I just want you to take my picture right now.'

As Kanye left Trump said: 'Man, you take care of yourself, I'll see you soon.'

It was a reference to the rapper's hospitalization due to a nervous breakdown. The Secret Service had assessed that West was not a threat to the president-elect's personal safety, TMZ reported.

During the meeting, Kanye gifted a book of photos of nudes and people in hoodies and tattoos to Trump, though the title of the book is unclear.

A source told TMZ that it would not be going on the Trump office's coffee table - possibly in reference to its content.

West, who was born and brought up in Chicago, was said to have planned two meetings with Trump, one without a focus on Chicago and the next raising how he can help bring down the murder rate himself.

Kanye feels great again: The rapper posed with a smiling President-elect Trump and Ivanka inside the Republican election winner's personal office in Trump Tower. On Ivanka's shoulder are ratings from Variety magazine, showing The Apprentice as the most-watched show. Above her to the right is a picture of her father and John F Kennedy Jr taken at his Mar-a-Lago resort and club in February 1996. JFK Jr died in July 1999

Meeting: Kanye spent 15 minutes talking with Trump about 'life' the president-elect said - but did not offer to play the inauguration. The photographs in the background include Trump meeting Ronald Reagan at the White House (top left), which was shined by Reagan, and the cover of Playboy's March 1990 edition which showed him with Brandi Brant. Between the two men is a cover of New York magazine from February 11, 1985 featuring Trump

There has been no independent confirmation from the Trump transition team of the nature of the discussion.

The rapper had swept into Trump Tower with an entourage which included his mother-in-law's 35-year-old boyfriend shortly after 9am for the meeting with the man he recently called a 'genius'.

TMZ reported that the meeting was at Kanye's request and that Trump had agreed to it.

The 39-year-old, who until last week had been recovering from a nervous breakdown in hospital in Los Angeles having been hospitalized on November 21, was taken upstairs without speaking to reporters.

Trump's transition team is currently looking for performers at the inauguration on January 20, and the addition of one of rap's biggest names would clearly be a huge coup.

Trump's inaugural committee is hoping to attract some star power to the presidential inauguration in January, but efforts are reportedly coming up short.

Friends: Donald Trump embraced Kanye West after a 15-minute meeting at Trump Tower which the rapper had requested

Trump power: Donald Trump escorted Kanye West to the lobby of Trump Tower after their 15-minute meeting, with daughter Ivanka also present

A Hollywood source told TheWrap that the inaugural committee was talking to Kid Rock, Ted Nugent, Lee Greenwood and possibly Garth Brooks, who told TMZ that he's open to the idea of performing.

West spoke in support of the president-elect last month at a concert, in the wake of Trump's victory of Hillary Clinton to back the Republican.

'If I would've voted, I would've voted Trump,' he told a crowd during the concert in San Jose, California.

He also told the crowd that Trump was a 'genius' for winning.

He then added: 'Specifically to black people, stop focusing on racism. This world is racist, ok? Let's stop being distracted. It's just a f***ing fact, we are in a racist country, period.'
Former abductees made to serve the Lord's Resistance Army have recalled how their lives have been left shattered by being forced to become child soldiers or have an Ugandan warlord's children.

Lily Atong was taken as a young girl and made to marry the chief Joseph Kony with whom she had five children.

The LRA is thought to have murdered tens of thousands of people and abducted at least 30,000 children, forcing them to become soldiers or sex slaves like Grace Achan who was one of 30 girls kidnapped from St Mary's Convent in Aboke, northern Uganda, in 1996 and taken to a Kony resistance army camp in Sudan.

Grace was caged for eight years and was raped repeatedly by a senior commander of the rebel group, which is still active and has no political aim.

Lily Atong was taken as a young girl and made to marry the chief Joseph Kony with whom she had five children

The LRA, under Joseph Kony (pictured right) is thought to have murdered tens of thousands of people and abducted at least 30,000 children, forcing them to become soldiers or sex slaves

Shockingly, Lily Atong still feels a closeness to a man who kept her hostage for nearly a decade

But, shockingly, she still feels a closeness to a man who kept her hostage for nearly a decade.

'We have a very strong bond,' she says, 'I produced so many children with him.

'Although he has done some bad things also it's very difficult to go very deep to explain about his life.'

Her abduction led to her brother Dominic Ongwen standing trial at The Hague convicted of 70 war crimes and crimes against humanity - the exact same ones his sister suffered.

But Lily says her brother - whose trial started on December 6 - should not be judged as a war criminal.

'He was abducted while he was very young, indoctrinated.

'He never knew anything to do with laws.

'Is there no opportunity to set him free?' she asks.

She lives a quiet life in Gulu, Uganda, selling beadwork for a living.

Her abduction led to her brother Dominic Ongwen standing trial at The Hague convicted of 70 war crimes and crimes against humanity - the exact same ones his sister suffered

Lily Atong now lives a quiet life in Gulu, Uganda, selling beadwork for a living

Joseph Kony launched his guerilla army in 1987 but the group has no political aim

Grace Achan was abducted by child soldiers in Uganda when she was a schoolgirl.

A REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE Joseph Kony launched his guerilla army in 1987 but the group has no political aim. He claims to be fighting under God's orders to establish a society based on the Bible's Ten Commandments. He has led a campaign of fear throughout northern Uganda and neighbouring countries. The organisation is believed to have murdered tens of thousands of people, abducted at least 30,000 children to work as sex slaves or soldiers and forced more than 1.5million people to flee their homes. The brutal campaign has forced millions to live in fear and sees families in some areas abandoning their rural homes at night to sleep in makeshift refugee camps. Kony and several of his leading lieutenants were indicted in 2005 by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Advertisement

Recalling the terrifying night she was kidnapped by child soldiers, Grace told the Panorama programme: 'The young ones were dirty and putting on rags or old school uniforms. The young ones were very aggressive.

'I thought that would be the end of my life.

'I had heard a lot about them, they were risky and dangerous, they can kill. I knew once they get you that will be the end of you.'

She told how she was forced to walk barefoot for two weeks to Sudan before getting to a camp of the resistance army spearheaded by one of the world's most wanted men.

She continued: 'The moment you begin your menstrual period they say to you now you are ready for a man. This is what they will do. '

Grace said that it didn't matter what age the girls were - they were all raped.

'I kept thinking how can I be given to a man like this. If you say no they beat you,' she added, stating that she had seen people being beaten with machete firsthand.

Grace was then kept as a prisoner and was repeatedly raped by a senior member of the group for eight years - bearing two children by him.

Grace only managed to escape - with one of her two children - when the Ugandan Army attacked the base.

Still at large, Kony claims to be fighting under God's orders to establish a society based on the Bible's Ten Commandments

Auma Consolata, a former abductee of the Lord's Resistance Army in 2005 when she was 17, bears the scars of her encounter with the rebels who cut off her lips, nose and ears before she was able to escape back to her family

Evelyn Apoko, 22, was kidnapped from her village near Gulu, Uganda, in 2001 by the LRA and forced into child slavery before she escaped three years later

Ugandan Elen Lanyomo, whose lips were cut off by Lords Resistance Army (LRA), eats a banana in Juba, southern Sudan

Margareta Otto has five children and she bears scars of the decade-long war in northern Uganda, when fighters of the Lord's Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony, attacked her village and mutilated her face

Nancy, 16, who was the baby sitter of Lord Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony was shot in the jaw by the Ugandan army before being freed from the clutches of Kony

As well as being raped and forced to kill, abductees were allegedly forced to cook and eat human flesh and some had their lips cut off by militants.

Ugandan Elen Lanyomo was one such woman to suffer at the hands of the LRA.

Evelyn Apoko, 22, was kidnapped from her village near Gulu, Uganda, in 2001 by the LRA and forced into child slavery before she escaped three years later.

Her face was mutilated during a battle between the LRA and government forces.

Auma Consolata, a former abductee of the Lord's Resistance Army in 2005 when she was 17, bears the scars of her encounter with the rebels who cut off her lips, nose and ears before she was able to escape back to her family.

Kony and several of his leading lieutenants were indicted in 2005 by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, but the rebel group is still active

She lives with her baby girl in Unyama camp for internally displaced people, Gulu district, northern Uganda, and insists Kony should be killed.

Margareta Otto has five children and she bears scars of the decade-long war in northern Uganda, when fighters of the Lord's Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony, attacked her village and mutilated her face.

Another victim is mechanic Kenneth Kaunda.

He was 13 when an older boy appeared out of the forest and grabbed him by the wrist in the family agricultural plot, dragging him away.

After that, 'life was very harsh,' says the 32-year-old.

Newly abducted children were ferociously beaten to break their spirit and ingrain fear of their captors.

'When you see someone being beaten like a pig... and all those new recruits, their hearts were broken, they ask themselves, am I going to survive?' Kaunda says haltingly.

The dehumanising violence never ended and children quickly learned that there was no one they could trust, no one to protect them and little chance of escape.

'If you attempt to run, even your friend will just shoot you,' says Kaunda, who was himself eventually put in charge of the new kidnapped recruits.
Death: Nishanthan Gnanathas, 31, hit his head on a wire balustrade when he was pushed from a yacht into the River Tagus in Lison

A City financier drowned after being thrown overboard from a yacht as a joke during his best friends stag party when horseplay went tragically wrong, an inquest heard today.

Nishanthan Gnanathas, 31, of Sutton, South London, who was the best man, hit his head on a wire balustrade when he was pushed from a yacht by Andre van Eck into the River Tagus in Lison.

He was unconscious when he hit the water and never resurfaced  with his family facing a six-day wait before his body was recovered from the water following a major search operation.

Mr van Eck insisted he had asked the captain when it was safe to push Mr Gnanathas overboard, Westminster Coroners Court heard.

Witness Youssef Ismail said: I got married about a year earlier, but we were doing a one-year anniversary party for friends and family, because they werent there.

'Nish was my best man. He organised the trip to go to Portugal as a stag do.

He added: Nish ended up in the water and hit his head on the way in. Everyone was like oooh. I jumped in, so did Andre, but we couldnt find him. I think we were on our first beer.

Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox asked: Who pushed him in? He replied: Andre did.

Asked if he hit his head, Mr Ismail replied: We didnt see it, we heard it. We half expected him to be messing around to be honest with you.

Tragic incident: Mr Gnanathas was unconscious when he hit the water and never resurfaced  with his family facing a six-day wait before his body was recovered from the water

Mr Gnanathass father asked the witness if the joke had been planned.

Mr Ismail replied: I think the joke was the best man goes overboard. It was just friends playing around. No one even thought he was in danger.

The funny thing is I protected his phone more than I protected him. If I thought he was in danger I wouldve let him keep his phone.

Mr van Eck told the court: We had horseplay all the time. We had no intention for anyone to get hurt.

I went to see the captain and said look, somebody needs to go overboard. Is it all right if I chuck the best man over?

He said its a bit dangerous when the boats moving because someone might get dragged under.

But Mr van Eck asked the captain again once the boat had stopped and was told it was no problem.

He said that, just before he planned to throw him overboard, Mr Ismail had got his phone so it did not get damaged.

I picked him up and threw him over. I think he grabbed one of the rails, swung back on himself and hit the side of the boat. I tried but to no avail. I swam underneath the boat, but we couldnt find him.

Explaining why Mr Gnanathas was to be thrown overboard first, Mr van Eck said: He was the best man. When we went to restaurants and the food was late, it was Nishs fault.

He added: We were all going to get into the water at some point. He protested in a sense, he said Ive got a beer, Ive got a beer. On a stag do, a beer is precious.

As he stepped down from the stand, Mr van Eck turned to Mr Gnanathass family and said: Im really sorry.

Dr Michael Heath, a forensic pathologist who conducted a post-mortem after the body had been repatriated, said he found no evidence of violence or injury.

Dr Heath added that it was quite likely that there had been a head injury, but that changes in the body before his examination made it impossible to be certain.

He said that the respiratory system can shut down when a person hits cold water.

This may be a factor in the reason he wasnt able to protect himself and come to the surface.

Dr Heath gave the cause of his death on July 22 as immersion in water.

Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox noted that the group had jumped off a pier the day before and that Mr Gnanathas had been one of the first of those to jump.

The plan had been for everyone to get into the water, but Nish being the best man was the one targeted to go in first.

Dr Wilcox said that footage taken on the boat showed Nish being lifted up and dropped into the water.

As he went in, [Mr van Eck] thinks Nish grabbed one of the rails and then swung back against the boat. Nish entered the water and that was the last anyone saw of him.

It is significant and relevant that the water was cold, but it also significant that this was recognised by locals as a safe place to swim. Sadly, Nish didnt resurface and died.

Dr Wilcox said that Dr Heath had been able to exclude any evidence of any inflicted injury. Theres simply no evidence of any assault.

She concluded: I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that whatever happened was very quickly and that Nish suffered some sort of physical shock and suffered respiratory arrest and couldnt breath because of the water.

What happened must have been very sharp and very sudden. He was a young, fit man and had been able to jump off the pier in similar circumstances the day before.

I accept the cause of death as immersion in water. My final conclusion is that I am entirely satisfied that this was misadventure.

It was an intentional act with an unintended outcome. This was horseplay. There was never any intention by anyone of any person to hurt and I find that these actions were not wholly responsible.

She added: I find he died as he entered the water.

This was an absolutely tragic accident that could not have been reasonably anticipated. It was just horseplay that went tragically wrong.

Mr Gnanathas, who worked as a risk manager for Millennium Partners, was part of a group of 13 friends on board the yacht.

Maritime police chief Malaquais Dominguez said at the time that his death was a tragic accident.

He said: I am satisfied that it was a stupid joke between friends. He was pushed and he went overboard. He disappeared in the water.

I have no doubt they will live with this terrible moment for the rest of their lives and that it was an accident and there was absolutely no intention to cause the missing man any harm.
A Maryland high-school teacher has been suspended after telling her students to 'have fun' writing a 'slave song' in a class about black slave-turned-abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

The teacher - who is not being named by the school board - told students at Mount Hebron High that they were to write 'a song that mimics a slave song', The Baltimore Sun reported.

The assignment ended with the remark 'Have fun and entertain us all!' - a faux pas that saw the school apologizing and the teacher put on administrative leave.

Suspended:A teacher at Mt Hebron High (pictured) in Maryland was suspended after telling her students to 'have fun' writing a slave song that would 'entertain us all' around December 7

'Entertainment': The teacher also told students to 'entertain us all' in the homework, which was given out on December 7. The school's head teacher apologized by email that same day

Annoyance: Students, including this one, expressed their upset at the assignment. They had been learning about black slave-turned-abolitionist Frederick Douglass

Twitter user Foreign_Loko - who says he is a student at the school - posted a screenshot of the teacher's assignment, titled 'Personal Song Project', on December 7.

It read: 'You are going to make a song that mimics a slave song. It can lament the situation in which you find yourself, highlight a maxim that you feel is important, or heed a cryptic warning using symbolism/metaphors...etc.

'You can write your own tune or borrow one! Have fun and entertain us all!'

The student, who is black, captioned the screenshot: 'lol because slavery was a "fun and entertaining" topic to sing about #welcometoMTH'.

That same day, Mount Hebron High Principal Andrew Cockley wrote to parents saying the assignment stemmed from a lesson on Frederick Douglass.

The assignment was 'a means to learn how language can be used effectively to convey feelings and important messages,' he said.

'The activity was culturally insensitive and caused discomfort for many students,' he added.

'The teacher has apologized to all students given the assignment and their parents. The assignment has been removed.'

'Outrageous': Superintendent Renee Foose (pictured) said the request was 'outrageous' and not part of the official curriculum. The teacher is now back at the school

Howard County Superintendent Renee Foose said that the 'outrageous' and 'offensive' assignment was not part of the official curriculum, and said the teacher was 'inexperienced'.

'Some thought we shouldn't have apologized; some thought we were too quick to apologize,' she added. 'I do not believe you can ever be too quick to apologize.'

The teacher has now returned to work.

This is the latest in a series of racially charged incidents in the district.

In November a white student at Atholton High School posted a picture of herself in blackface with the message 'I'm finally a n****r.'

That same month a white student at River Hill High School posted a photo of herself apparently holding a handgun, with the message 'I'm boutta shoot some n****rs.'

And on December 7 - the same day Mount Hebron's teacher issued the slave song assignment - 400 students at Oakland Mills High School staged a walk-out.

They demanded a school policy change that would require the administration to announce any 'direct or implied threat' made by one student to another.

That came after an Oakland Mills student made a 'racially offensive and hurtful post' on the iFunny app at the end of November.

All three schools are around 10 miles from Mount Hebron, and located in Howard County, which - as of 2010 - had a 17.5 per cent black population, and a 62.2 per cent white populace.

Video courtesy of WJZ
Price increase: Lego has become the latest company to blame Brexit for price hikes with the cost of the toy bricks set to rise by 5%

Lego has become the latest company to blame Brexit for price hikes with the cost of the toy bricks set to rise by an average of 5 per cent in the UK in the new year.

The toymaker said the change was a reaction to the collapse in the value of the pound since the UK's vote to leave the EU in June.

From New Year's Day the Danish company will raise the prices it charges retailers to stock its products but it said it was up to shops to decide whether to pass on this increase to customers.

In a statement Lego, which has its headquarters in Billund, Denmark, said: 'As communicated to our retailers, The LEGO Group will raise prices in the UK, due to currency fluctuations'.

The company has factories in Billund, Nyiregyhaza, Hungary, Monterrey, Mexico and Jiaxing, China, where moulding takes place. Its brick decorations and packaging are done at plants in Denmark, Hungary, Mexico and Kladno in the Czech Republic.

Lego did have a factory in Wrexham, but this closed in 1999 with production of the bricks moved to eastern Europe. Its UK offices are now in London, and in Slough, Berkshire, not far from the British version of Legoland, in Windsor.

Lego is the latest firm to warn of rising costs, with a weaker sterling making imported products - such as food ingredients - more expensive.

In October, food supplier Unilever was drawn into a spat with supermarkets after it blamed Brexit for a 10 per cent price rise on dozens of brands including Marmite.

It eventually withdrew blanket price rises following threats of a boycott by shoppers.

The toymaker said the change was a reaction to the collapse in the value of the pound since the UK's vote to leave the EU. From New Year's Day the Danish company will raise its prices

Just weeks later Apple said it was raising UK prices for its computers by 20 per cent.

BREXIT PRICE RISES In October, the so-called Marmite-gate saw its supplier Unilever drawn into a spat with supermarkets after it blamed Brexit for a 10 per cent price rise on dozens of brands. It eventually withdrew blanket price rises following threats of a boycott by shoppers. Just weeks later Apple said it was raising UK prices for its computers by 20 per cent. And last month Toblerone increased the gaps between the chocolate bar's iconic triangular peaks as a cost-cutting measure to reduce the weight. The controversial UK-only change to the Swiss chocolate bar was made because of the 'higher costs for ingredients' - such as cocoa - in the wake of Brexit. Meanwhile, juice manufacturers Tropicana is another company which has reduced the size of some of its products without changing the price tag. It led to speculation this was also related to cost-cutting measures in the wake of Brexit, although Tropicana has not said whether or not this is the case. Advertisement

And last month Toblerone increased the gaps between the chocolate bar's iconic triangular peaks as a cost-cutting measure to reduce the weight.

The controversial UK-only change to the Swiss chocolate bar was made because of the 'higher costs for ingredients' - such as cocoa - in the wake of Brexit.

US-based Mondelez International, which owns Toblerone and Cadbury, denied the change was made 'as a direct result of Brexit', but it pointed out the exchange rate was 'not favourable'.

The move by the company, formerly known as Kraft, has resulted in the weight of the 400g bars being reduced to 360g and the 170g bars to 150g, while the price remains the same.

Last week Lego appointed its first foreign CEO and give its family owners a bigger role in developing the Lego brand under an organisational shake-up that will see incumbent Jorgen Vig Knudstorp step down by the end of the year.

Briton Bali Padda, currently chief operations officer, will replace Knudstorp, who was the first chief executive from outside the Kristiansen clan, Denmark's richest family.

Knudstorp will now head up the Lego brand, the company said.
It is believed that one of the vehicles was sold to the current owner for $80,000

Those two prototypes were purchased by a man in the United Kingdom who may be looking to sell the vehicles

50 of them but only kept the two prototypes and never

They each had Italian leather upholstery, wool carpeting, a TV and VCR, a fax machine, a paper shredder, pop-out writing desks and even a cellular phone

This is the one-of-a-kind luxury limousine that Donald Trump designed exclusively for Cadillac more than two decades ago.

The custom automobile was first spoken about by Trump in his 1987 autobiography The Art of the Deal.

Trump said he was approached by John Grettenberger, the head of Cadillac at the timer, and agreed to design two distinct versions of the limousine - the Trump Golden Series and the Trump Executive Series.

Automotive News reports that both were unveiled in Atlantic City in 1988 and featured 'Italian leather upholstery, wool carpeting, a TV and VCR, a fax machine, a paper shredder, pop-out writing desks and even a cellular phone.'

Trump reportedly received two prototypes and then only purchased one of the vehicles, despite a promise to buy a small fleet.

Scroll down for video

Donald Trump designed two limousines for Cadillac in 1988 (above in the backseat of one of the cars)

He reportedly said he would purchase 50 of them but only kept the two prototypes and never ordered any other claims the head of Cadillac

They each had Italian leather upholstery, wool carpeting, a TV and VCR (left) and a car phone (right)

The carts also had a fax machine, a paper shredder, pop-out writing desks

Those two prototypes were purchased by a man in the United Kingdom who may be looking to sell the vehicles

Trump spoke at the unveiling of the vehicles, saying: 'Well, this began about two years ago when John and I were in Palm Beach. And I was saying, 'John, what Cadillac ought to do is come up with a design for an incredible limousine that has the big headroom and all of the assets that anyone, could want.'

Each vehicle had the Trump logo stitched on the back seat

'Later, I got a call from John and he said, 'Would you like to get involved with this design project?'

'I said, 'I know nothing about cars except what I personally like' But between myself, Cadillac, and John Staluppi at Dillingerwe went ahead and designed the car.

'We built one, and we saw a lot of things we didn't like. So we went back (several times), and this is what we produced. And we think we probably designed the ultimate limousine to be found anywhere in the world.

'You can see the kind of quality there is. We left nothing out. I'm very honored that they built me the first one and, frankly, I deserve it. I really am very honored and I would like to thank Cadillac and everyone else involved.'

There were also reports that he planned to purchase 50 of the cars to transport people from new York City to his casinos in Atlantic City

In the end he only reportedly purchased two, one for him and one for his father Fred.

He also wrote in his autobiography that while waiting for the limosuines he got a 'beautiful gold Cadillac Allante' from the company

It is believed that one of the vehicles was sold to the current owner for $80,000

We built one, and we saw a lot of things we didn't like. So we went back (several times), and this is what we produced,' said Trump when he unveiled the vehicle in 1988

'You can see the kind of quality there is. We left nothing out. I'm very honored that they built me the first one and, frankly, I deserve it,' said Trump at the unveiling in Atlantic City

The owner of Cadillac said about the design process: 'He would input to the interior styling of the vehicle and allow Cadillac to use his name in promotional activity'

'Donald gave all sorts of reasons for a delay, purchased one for "his father," but no order for the remaining forty-nine,' said the then head of Cadillac

Grettenberger also detailed the events surrounding the creation of the limousine very differently in his autobiography.

'He would input to the interior styling of the vehicle and allow Cadillac to use his name in promotional activity,' wrote Grettenberger.

As for that order for 50 cars, Grettenberger wrote: 'The two prototypes were built but when it came down to approving the transaction and placing a purchase order for the fifty limos, nothing happened!

'Donald gave all sorts of reasons for a delay, purchased one for "his father," but no order for the remaining forty-nine. I'm not even sure what happened to the second prototype.'

He later added: 'So much for the Trump limousine!'

The two existing versions are both now owned by a man in the United Kingdom who may be looking to sell the vehicles given the renewed interest in Trump.
Jeremy Corbyn has defended his decision to hire a former Sinn Fein staffer who worked for Gerry Adams and has links to convicted IRA terrorists.

Jayne Fisher, who was head of Sinn Fein's London office, is due to start working in the Labour leader's office in January.

The move to hand such a key role to someone with such strong links to the controversial hard-left Irish nationalist party has caused fury among Labour MPs, who said it would further undermine the partys reputation on national security.

Last night they confronted Mr Corbyn over the appointment, but he insisted Ms Fisher was very lovely and will be a great appointment.

Today a video emerged of Ms Fisher singing on stage alongside the infamous Brendan Bik McFarlane in 2009.

Today a picture emerged of Jayne Fisher, pictured second right, sitting alongside Sinn Fein MLA Jennifer McCann, pictured second left, who was jailed for ten years for shooting a police officer

Jeremy Corbyn has hired Jayne Fisher, who was head of Sinn Fein's London office. Ms Fisher is pictured far left at a meeting with Mr Corbyn, pictured third left, Sinn Fein's deputy First Minister and Sinn Fein's president Gerry Adams, second right, during a meeting in Parliament last year

He was an IRA member who was handed a life sentence for his role in the bombing and machine gun attack on a Belfast bar in 1975, which killed five people.

The Guido Fawkes website also revealed photos of Ms Fisher alongside Sinn Fein MLA Jennifer McCann, who was jailed for ten years for shooting a police officer, and another photo of her sitting next to Sinn Feins Conor Murphy, who was sentenced to five years in prison for explosives in 1982.

MailOnline has contacted Ms Fisher for comment but has not received a response.

Ms Fisher will be in charge of 'stakeholder engagement' for the Labour leader when she joins next month.

The appointment also risks further antagonising the Jewish community due to her anti-Israel history. In a rally in Hyde Park in 2014 she helped spread Mr Adams' call for the 'expulsion' of Israel's ambassador in Dublin.

One Labour MP who confronted Mr Corbyn over the appointment last night told PoliticsHome: 'It's fair to say that the general response was one of shock and anger.

'Obviously, we really need to annoy more people in the run-up to Christmas.

'Jeremy said she was very lovely and very good and will be a great appointment. But she's worked for the Shinners - there's no getting round that.'

Today a video emerged of Ms Fisher singing on stage alongside the infamous Brendan Bik McFarlane in 2009

Another photo showed Jayne Fisher, circled, sitting next to Sinn Feins Conor Murphy, also circled, left, who was sentenced to five years in prison for explosives in 1982

Ms Fisher has written regularly about the IRA's important role in history, writing in a blog post in 2011 that the 1981 Hunger Strike was 'one of the most important and courageous struggles to have taken place anywhere in history, anywhere in the world'.

Mr Corbyn has gone on a hiring spree with the extra cash flowing in from the trade unions.

But Labour insiders acted with dismay when they discovered he was using part of the funds to take on a former staff member of Mr Adams.

Ms Fisher simply describes herself as a 'London based socialist' on Twitter and is part of the TUC's international committee.

She stood in for the former militant, Mr Adams, at a Hyde Park rally for Gaza in 2014 to deliver his speech, calling for the Israeli ambassador to Ireland to be expelled.

In 2012, Mr Adams urged his Twitter followers to sponsor Miss Fisher's charity cycle ride around Cuba. He said: 'Will u sponsor Jayne Fisher's Cuba Cycle Challenge appeal for the Music Fund for Cuba. In memory of Kirsty McColl.'

She has been pictured with Mr Corbyn and her former boss, Mr Adams, in an infamous cosy picture taken in the Houses of Parliament.

The latest register of MPs' staff  updated on November 8 this year  lists her as working for Paul Maskey, the MP for Belfast West.

Jeremy Corbyn and Gerry Adams are long-standing friends. In 1996, Mr Corbyn was accused of 'traitorous' behaviour for helping Sinn Fein boss Gerry Adams plug his autobiography inside the Houses of Parliament

But a woman who answered Mr Maskey's constituency office phone in Northern Ireland confirmed she was no longer working for the party and had left her post 'some time over the summer'.

Miss Fisher has posted thousands of Tweets but has deleted all but the last few days' worth.

Her latest one is to publicise a branch meeting of the Labour party in the Marx Library in Clerkenwell, London.

Another Tweet this week praised the Labour London Mayor: 'Good to see @SadiqKhan re-assert the strong commitment to London St Patrick's events & acknowledge Irish community.'

Sinn Fein has four MPs at Westminster but none of them can take up their seats as they refuse to pledge allegiance to the Queen.

Labour Party rules stipulate that you cannot be a member of any other party but there is no time period that must pass between joining and quitting another party.

Miss Fisher, who turned 50 this October, lives in Islington in a council flat with Mike Hedges, a 57 year-old who chairs Unite's London and Eastern Political Committee and is a Labour member.

Mr Hedge is a taxi driver who drove Mr Corbyn around the capital when he was elected leader. One photo shows Mr Corbyn and Miss Fisher in the back of his car.

A Labour MP, who did not wish to be named, slammed Jeremy Corbyn, pictured at Prime Minister's Questions today, over the appointment of Jayne Fisher. They said: 'This is just the latest example of an ill-judged appointment of someone who doesn't share Labour values'

A Labour MP, who did not wish to be named, said: 'This is just the latest example of an ill-judged appointment of someone who doesn't share Labour values.

'It could also go down badly amongst all those voters who are nervous about the Labour leadership's commitment to national security given previous allegiances.'

Another Labour source said: 'Jayne has been in and around Corbyn's office for months. She is finally taking up a more permanent role.'

The source said there were concerns about her appointment as she was a member of the Socialist Action Group, the hard left, secretive faction that moderates believe has been destabilising the Labour Party.

Mr Corbyn caused outrage in the weeks after the 1984 Brighton bombing by inviting Gerry Adams and other Sinn Fein members to the Houses of Parliament.

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: 'We don't comment on staffing matters'.

Miss Fisher did not return phone calls or texts when asked for a response.

A Labour source said that Miss Fisher had first joined the Labour party at 18 and has been involved with its women's conference and the Labour Party Irish Society.

She became involved with Sinn Fein after taking part in a cross-party movement, the 'Friends of Good Friday Agreement'.

'That's how she ended up working for the Sinn Fein parliamentary group. As part of the peace process, they wanted a presence in Westminster,' one insider said.
A snowplow operator has been killed after getting pulled into the blades of a machine he was using.

Byran Bidegain died in an accident on Tuesday morning on the State Highway 21 at the Mores Creek Summit, Idaho Transportation Department officials said.

Boise County Deputy Coroner Mike Johnson said the 62-year-old's death is being ruled an accident, KIVI reports.

A snowplow operator has been killed after getting pulled into the blades of a machine he was using (stock image)

Johnson said it appeared as though Bidegain had been trying to unclog snow from the plow when he was pulled into the rotor blades.

Snowmobilers discovered Bidegain's body in an area that has no cellphone coverage and rode 20 miles to Idaho City to alert authorities, the Boise County Sheriff's Office said.

The Idaho Transportation Department said Bidegain was a road maintenance worker who had been with the agency for about five years.

Officials are continuing to investigate.

Idaho has been bracing for a massive storm this week that could see more than three-feet of snow across the state.

Winter storm warnings and weather advisories have been issued by the National Weather Service, with snow forecast to fall until at least Friday.

Idaho residents have been warned to prepare for heavy snow this week. Pictured is snow in Idaho on Tuesday

People have been told to avoid going outside when possible.

'Significant amounts of snow are forecast that will make travel dangerous,' the National Weather Service said.
Britain's post-Brexit border controls are not up for negotiation in the talks on leaving the EU, David Davis has told MPs.

In one of the clearest signals yet on the direction of the talks, the Brexit Secretary said it was vital to respect the referendum demand for lower migration.

In his first evidence session with the Brexit committee, Mr Davis said it was not his job to set immigration policy only to regain complete control over it.

Asked if border control would be up for negotiation, Mr Davis said: 'No.'

The move suggests the Government will completely leave the EU's free movement of workers system - implying a full exit from the single market.

Ahead of tomorrow's summit of EU leaders in Brussels, Theresa May spoke to European Council president Donald Tusk. He said the UK Prime Minister will use tomorrow's meeting to update fellow leaders about her preparations for Brexit.

In one of the clearest signals yet on the direction of the talks, Brexit Secretary David Davis (pictured during his evidnece to Parliament today) said it was vital to respect the referendum demand for lower migration

Mr Davis also told the MPs - led by senior Labour MP Hilary Benn - the Government would not publish its Brexit plan before February.

And the Brexit Secretary admitted he was yet to meet with any ministers in Germany, Europe's biggest economy.

Grilled on migration, Mr Davis told the committee: 'The example I will point you to is the Swiss example. They thought they had control over their own migration via an emergency brake system.

'When they tried to exercise it they were unable to because it was tied into so many other treaties.

'What we have to bear in mind is we have to pay respect to the outcome of the referendum, there has got to be clear control by this Parliament.'

He added: 'My job is to bring the decision back here, not exercise the decision.'

Asked if that would be part of the negotiations, Mr Davis said: 'No - I don't.

'I think that the operation of that decision after we have left the EU will be in the national interest and that will affect all of us.

'The judgement the Government comes to as to what is necessary for universities, what is necessary for business and what is necessary for fruit picking.'

Mr Davis gave almost two hours of evidence on the latest stages of preparations for Brexit to MPs in Parliament today

Mr Davis told the committee he is ready to accept a transitional arrangement to implement the terms of Britain's withdrawal from the EU 'if it's necessary and only if it's necessary'.

DAVIS IS 'HOPEFUL' OF OPEN IRISH BORDER AFTER BREXIT Brexit Secretary David Davis has said he is 'optimistic' about maintaining an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic following the UK's withdrawal from the European Union. But he said he did not envisage a special arrangement for Northern Ireland and Gibraltar, which might keep the province inside the EU's Customs Union, as part of the Brexit deal. Mr Davis told the House of Commons Exiting the EU Committee that the Government was 'determined' to keep an open border, with no fences and no checkpoints, dismissing suggestions that this would create a route into the UK for people trying to evade post-Brexit immigration controls. He said the European Commission's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and the Dublin government shared this goal, making an agreement likely. One possible model for the future border was the very lightly-controlled border between Norway - which is outside the EU and the European Customs Union but part of the Single Market - and EU member Sweden, he told the cross-party committee. Mr Davis said the open border allowing easy passage of people and goods between the Republic and the North was 'a very important part' of the peace agreement to end the Troubles in Northern Ireland. He added: 'We are determined to maintain that as an open border. 'I am optimistic that the EU will be helpful to us on this.' Advertisement

Chancellor Philip Hammond said earlier this week that businesses, regulators and 'thoughtful' politicians on both sides of the Channel recognised that a transition deal would be 'generally helpful' to avoid the shock of a sudden cliff-edge switch to new arrangements post-Brexit.

Mr Davis also indicated that the Government is working on four possible outcomes from the Brexit talks in relation to the European Customs Union.

These range from being fully or partially inside the Union to having a free trade agreement and customs arrangement with the remaining EU to being 'completely outside'.

But Mr Davis told MPs voters wanted Brexit delivered 'properly and soon'.

'A transitional arrangement means many things to different people,' said Mr Davis.

'An implementation phase? If it is necessary and only if it is necessary.

'But the British people want this done with some degree of expedition, they want it done properly and soon and that is what we are trying to do.'

Joking that 'I hope you can classify me as a thoughtful politician', the Brexit Secretary said he believed Mr Hammond's comment related to politicians in other EU states.

On the spectrum of possible outcomes being considered by the Government, he said: 'The four I have in mind are inside the Customs Union; a 'partially inside' Turkish model; outside with a free trade agreement and a customs arrangement; and completely outside.'

Mr Davis revealed that the Government's plan for Brexit will not be published before February.

Mrs May conceded the need to produce some kind of plan to head off a potentially embarrassing Commons defeat last week.

Mr Davis made his remarks in his first evidence to the new Brexit committee, chaired by senior Labour MP Hilary Benn (pictured during today's hearing)

MPs voted last week for the plan to be made public before the triggering of two-year withdrawal talks under Article 50 of the EU treaties - due by the end of March.

Asked when MPs and voters can expect to see the plan, Mr Davis said: 'As soon as we can, once all of the research and policy is completed.

'It won't be next month. The policy work is still under way, there are quite a few decisions still to be made.'

And he made clear that - while he wanted to be 'as open as we can' in revealing the Government's intentions - Mrs May will continue to hold some of the UK's cards close to her chest.

'We have got to be careful about what we do publish,' said Mr Davis.

'I want to be as open as we can be, but we must be sure we are not undermining our own position.'

Theresa May (pictured leaving No 10 today) conceded the need to produce some kind of plan to head off a potentially embarrassing Commons defeat last week
A teenager was killed and his 17-year-old friend left fighting for his life after their car crashed outside a police station.

The vehicle hit a road sign fatally injuring the 19-year-old driver at around 12.10am on Wednesday morning in Stevenage.

The black Suzuki Swift car came off the road and only stopped when it crashed into the sign, police said.

The vehicle hit a road sign fatally injuring the 19-year-old driver at around 12.10am on Wednesday morning outside the police station (pictured) in Stevenage

Emergency services rushed to the scene but the driver was pronounced dead in the wreckage.

His passenger, a 17-year-old girl, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital, in Cambridge, which specialises in head injuries.

The main road of Lytton Way, through the Hertfordshire town, was closed shortly after midnight until around 7am as accident investigators examined the scene.

A post mortem examination is due to be carried out on the body of the 19-year-old who has not yet been named. An inquest will be opened in the next few days.

A spokesman for Hertforshire Constabulary said: 'We are appealing for witnesses and information following a fatal collision which occurred in the early hours of this morning (Wed) in Stevenage.

The 17-year-old girl, who suffered serious injuries was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital, in Cambridge (pictured), which specialises in head injuries

'The incident occurred at 12.07am on Lytton Way, opposite the police station, when a black Suzuki Swift collided with a road sign.

'The driver, a man from Stevenage, sadly died at the scene. The passenger, a 17-year-old girl, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Addebrooke's hospital.
President-elect Donald Trump is receiving the official President's Daily Brief from a leading figure in the U.S. intelligence community, but only three days per week, a spokesman said Wednesday.

Trump's future national security advisor, retired Gen. Michael Flynn, takes the briefings on the other days and relays the information to him during their daily meetings.

The President's Daily Brief, or PDB, is a top-secret assessment of U.S. intelligence usually presented each morning by the director of national intelligence, currently James Clapper. It combines analyses from the CIA, the FBI, the NSA and other U.S. Intelligence Community agencies.

'The president,' spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters, referring to Trump, 'is getting the PBD [sic] three times a week right now. He is meeting with Gen. Flynn on a daily basis to get an intel update.'

President-elect Donald Trump, shown Tuesday in the lobby of Trump tower with rapper Kanye West, is reportedly sitting through the U.S. government's most top-secret daily intelligence briefing three times per week instead of seven

Trump's designated national security advisor, retired Gen. Mike Flynn, is briefing him on the other days and meets with Trump daily himself

'So in some cases  he is getting an intel briefing every single day, in some cases twice,' Spicer continued.

'So I think that would be false, that he's not getting an intel briefing every day. Every single day he's getting a briefing. Three times a week it's the actual PBD [sic].

U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday that Trump is receiving an average of one presidential intelligence briefing a week  far fewer than most of his recent predecessors  but that Vice president-elect Mike Pence gets briefings around six days a week.

Former CIA director Leon Panetta (left), said Wednesday in Dubai of daily intelligence briefings that he has 'never seen a president who said, "I don't want that stuff"

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus (left), pictured Tuesday night in Wisconsin with Trump's senior strategist Steve Bannon (right), said Tuesday on Fox News that fretting about the president-elect's briefing schedule 'is a little bit ridiculous and over the top'

Former CIA director and defense secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday in Dubai that Trump risks being blamed after any potential attack on the United States if he refuses to receive more regular intelligence briefings.

Panetta, a former Democratic Congressman who served as CIA director and defense secretary in President Barack Obama's first term, told the Arab Strategy Forum, a conference sponsored by the government of Dubai, that Trump's aversion to receiving daily PDBs 'can't last.'

'I've seen presidents who have asked questions about whether that intelligence is verifiable, what are the sources for that intelligence, but I have never seen a president who said, "I don't want that stuff",' Panetta said.

'If we endure another attack and the intelligence officials had indications or information regarding that attack and the president did not want to listen to that, for whatever reason, the responsibility for that attack would fall on the president.'

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said Tuesday that Trump has been receiving intelligence briefings 'every day,' but didn't describe what they consisted of or who delivered them.

Priebus said on 'Fox & Friends' that the president-elect will receive the PDB three times this week, but didn't explain how he was getting his information on the off-days.

'This is a little bit ridiculous and over the top,' Priebus said in response to critics who slammed Trump for saying during the weekend that he only requests top-secret briefings 'when I need it.'

Trump told Fox News' Chris Wallace in a Sunday interview that his generals and his vice president are being briefed regularly, and he doesn't see why he needs to sit though the lectures every day, too.

'I'm, like, a smart person. I don't have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years,' Trump stated.

His comments created an uproar. Critics also said Trump was being hypocritical.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper typically delivers the President's Daily Brief in the Oval Office each morning; the president-elect is eligible to receive the same information

The Republican businessman derided Obama from his Twitter account on multiple occasions for skipping his daily briefings when he was 'fundraising and campaigning.

'Fact--Obama does not read his intelligence briefings nor does he get briefed in person by the CIA or DOD. Too busy I guess!' he said in a Sept. 30, 2014 tweet, long before he began exploring a presidential run.

Obama weighed in Monday, telling the Daily Show's Trevor Noah that Trump is 'flying blind.'

'I think the president-elect may say one thing and do another once hes here,' Obama assessed. 'Because the truth of the matter is that its a big, complicated world. It doesnt matter how smart you are, you have to have the best information possible to make the best decisions possible.'

Priebus told Fox on Tuesday that such hysterics were unnecessary.

'It's just not true. He's doing his intelligence briefings every day, and we do the presidential briefing, I think this week we'll have three presidential briefings in the five days,' he said after a clip of the Obama interview aired. 'He's very prepared.'

'We spend all day, every day in his office, every half an hour meeting with someone different, whether it be about world affairs, whether it be domestic issues, interviews for cabinet positions,' Priebus added.

'Yesterday he spoke with President Obama, as well, for quite a long time, talking about a number of issues.'

'People are slicing and dicing right now and it's December, it's 10 days before Christmas, it's interesting, and everything's Donald Trump all the time,' Priebus said. 'But that's OK, because he's ready, we're excited and he's doing a fantastic job.'
Flames broke out from the roof of a New York City hospital building that's under construction on Wednesday afternoon.

The Fire Department of New York was at the scene of a construction fire at the NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan that began shortly after noon.

One person at the scene was treated for minor injuries. No one else was hurt, according to the FDNY.

Scroll down for video

A fire broke out at the NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon. It is believed the fire originated from a sub-roof located on the fifth floor

It remains unknown what started the two-alarm fire but sources said roofing materials appeared to have caught alight

Authorities said the blaze originated at the $1.2billion Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Pavilion, an 830,000 sq ft tower that is scheduled to open in 2018.

NYU Langone spokeswoman Allison Clair told Daily Mail Online that the fire started on the seventh floor.

The cause of the two-alarm fire remains unknown but sources told WABC that roofing materials appear to have caught alight.

NYU Langone Medical Center said in a statement that the fire was confined to the construction site and was extinguished at 12.45pm.

No patients were harmed and no one was evacuated from the hospital buildings the fire, Clair told Daily Mail Online.

Bystanders took pictures of the smoke above as firefighters worked to contain the flames

Authorities said the blaze originated at the Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Pavilion, an 830,000 sq ft tower that is scheduled to open in 2018

At least 25 fire trucks arrived at the scene to battle the blaze in the Kips Bay neighborhood

Stretchers were at the ready, but only one person was treated for minor injuries at the scene

FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said very little smoke entered the building.

'The ventilation systems were shut down promptly by the hospital and it eliminated that as a problem,' he told CBS New York.

Some patients in rooms on the north side of Tisch Hospital facing the construction were moved to the south side of the floor as a precaution.

NYU Langone said the patients have since been returned to their rooms.

The Office of Emergency Management also asked people near the building to close their windows, according to NBC New York.

Langone's Chief of Staff Joe Lohota said normal operations continued at the hospital during the fire.

Some NYU Langone patients were reportedly moved away from windows near smoky areas

New Yorkers posted pictures of the billowing smoke, which spread through the city for miles

The fire, which broke out at noon, was extinguished within the hour

'They were here faster than I ever thought possible,' he said. 'They put this fire out as quickly as possible and we very much appreciate it.'

The fire and the extent of its damage are currently under investigation.

Images from the scene showed thick black smoke and flames rising from a roof as people in hard hats worked nearby.

New Yorkers posted pictures of the billowing smoke, which spread through the city for miles. .

The Pavilion is 364 feet high and will have 374 private rooms, as well as a brand new pediatrics hospital known as the Hassenfeld Children's Hospital.

Construction began in 2013.

NYU Langone Medical Center posted that the fire was out just after 1pm
Officials in Sweden have been ordered to ensure that they are ready for war as fears of a Russian invasion grow.

The country's Civil Contingencies Agency has sent out a letter to all local authorities telling them they must be better equipped to respond to the threat of war.

It is believed the letter was prompted by Sweden returning to their old Cold War-era 'Total Defence Strategy'.

Officials in Sweden have been ordered to ensure that they are ready for war as fears of a Russian invasion grow. Pictured are Swedish troops training

The strategy places emphasis on defending the nation from overseas threats by taking economic and civilian precautions as well as military ones.

It was ordered to be implemented last December citing a deterioration in the 'security situation'.

And according to Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, the letter sent out reads: 'This places a high demand on... operational speed, decision making, information sharing, crisis communication, flexibility, robustness and handling secret information.'

THE SWEDISH ARMED FORCES The size of the Swedish armed forces has been in decline since the Cold War in line with shrinking military budgets. The Swedish army currently has only 20,000 men in comparison to as many as 180,000 men in the 1980s. This is also reflected in the defence budget as spending on defence has reduced from 3.1 per cent in 1981 to 1.1 per cent in 2016. Earlier this year it was revealed that Sweden's voluntary service had only attracted 2,500 recruits. This means that is likely by 2018, that conscription will return in Sweden to plug the widening gap. Advertisement

But despite the instructions, the MSB's information head Svante Werger said: 'There is nothing to indicate that war is likely, but we have the government's mandate to plan for it.'

However, there has been a backlash against the letter, with some local leaders saying the requirements placed on municipalities were unrealistic.

Meanwhile others have accused the Swedish government of using the excuse of Russian aggression to justify spending more on the country's military.

The letter comes as officials on Gotland, Sweden's militarily strategic island in the Baltic Sea, said they likely will turn down a Russian request to rent harbour space after the government warned it could harm the country's defense and political interests.

'Following the information we got from the government, we very likely will say 'no,'' Tommy Gardell, head of the island council's technical board, said. 'We will align with the government.'

Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist said renting out harbor space on Gotland  considered of strategic importance for military control of the Baltic Sea  would 'negatively affect Sweden's defense and political interests.' He did not elaborate, citing security reasons.

Tensions in the region have grown between Baltic NATO members and Moscow, including reports of airspace violations by Russian military aircraft.

The strategy places emphasis on defending the nation from overseas threats by taking economic and civilian precautions as well as military ones. Pictured are Swedish troops training in the Baltic

Non-aligned Sweden and Finland have watched with increasing trepidation, stepping up their own military activity with cross-border exercises and drills with NATO countries.

In September, Sweden stationed permanent troops on Gotland, which Hultqvist described as sending a signal after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and its 'increasing pressure' on the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Meanwhile in October Sweden's neighbours Finland accused the Kremlin of running a 'systematic lying campaign'.

It shares an 833 mile border with Russia, but questions over the legality of the country's independence have made Finnish leaders uneasy.
A Wikileaks envoy today claims he personally received Clinton campaign emails in Washington D.C. after they were leaked by 'disgusted' whisteblowers - and not hacked by Russia.

Craig Murray, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan and a close associate of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, told Dailymail.com that he flew to Washington, D.C. for a clandestine hand-off with one of the email sources in September.

'Neither of [the leaks] came from the Russians,' said Murray in an interview with Dailymail.com on Tuesday. 'The source had legal access to the information. The documents came from inside leaks, not hacks.'

His account contradicts directly the version of how thousands of Democratic emails were published before the election being advanced by U.S. intelligence.

Craig Murray (left), former British ambassador to Uzbekistan and a close associate of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (right), told the Dailymail.com that he flew to Washington, D.C. for a clandestine hand-off with one of the email sources in September

Murray is a controversial figure who was removed from his post as a British ambassador amid allegations of misconduct. He was cleared of those but left the diplomatic service in acrimony.

His links to Wikileaks are well known and while his account is likely to be seen as both unprovable and possibly biased, it is also the first intervention by Wikileaks since reports surfaced last week that the CIA believed Russia hacked the Clinton emails to help hand the election to Donald Trump.

Murray's claims about the origins of the Clinton campaign emails comes as U.S. intelligence officials are increasingly confident that Russian hackers infiltrated both the Democratic National Committee and the email account of top Clinton aide John Podesta.

In Podesta's case, his account appeared to have been compromised through a basic 'phishing' scheme, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

U.S. intelligence officials have reportedly told members of Congress during classified briefings that they believe Russians passed the documents on to Wikileaks as part of an influence operation to swing the election in favor of Donald Trump.

But Murray insisted that the DNC and Podesta emails published by Wikileaks did not come from the Russians, and were given to the whistleblowing group by Americans who had authorized access to the information.

'Neither of [the leaks] came from the Russians,' Murray said. 'The source had legal access to the information. The documents came from inside leaks, not hacks.'

He said the leakers were motivated by 'disgust at the corruption of the Clinton Foundation and the tilting of the primary election playing field against Bernie Sanders.'

Murray said he retrieved the package from a source during a clandestine meeting in a wooded area near American University, in northwest D.C. He said the individual he met with was not the original person who obtained the information, but an intermediary.

Murray claims he met with the person who passed the emails over in a Washington, D.C. part near American University

His account cannot be independently verified but is in line with previous statements by Wikileaks - which was the organization that published the Podesta and DNC emails.

Wikileaks published the DNC messages in July and the Podesta messages in October. The messages revealed efforts by some DNC officials to undermine the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders, who was running against Hillary Clinton.

Others revealed that Clinton aides were concerned about potential conflicts and mismanagement at the Clinton Foundation.

Murray declined to say where the sources worked and how they had access to the information, to shield their identities.

He suggested that Podesta's emails might be 'of legitimate interest to the security services' in the U.S., due to his communications with Saudi Arabia lobbyists and foreign officials.

Murray said he was speaking out due to claims from intelligence officials that Wikileaks was given the documents by Russian hackers as part of an effort to help Donald Trump win the U.S. presidential election.

'I don't understand why the CIA would say the information came from Russian hackers when they must know that isn't true,' he said. 'Regardless of whether the Russians hacked into the DNC, the documents Wikileaks published did not come from that.'

Murray was a vocal critic of human rights abuses in Uzbekistan while serving as ambassador between 2002 and 2004, a stance that pitted him against the UK Foreign Office.

He describes himself as a 'close associate' of Julian Assange and has spoken out in support of the Wikileaks founder who has faced rape allegations and is currently confined to the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

Assange has similarly disputed that charges that Wikileaks received the leaked emails from Russian sources.

'The Clinton camp has been able to project a neo-McCarthyist hysteria that Russia is responsible for everything,' Assange told John Pilger during an interview in November.

'Hillary Clinton has stated multiple times, falsely, that 17 US intelligence agencies had assessed that Russia was the source of our publications. That's false  we can say that the Russian government is not the source.'

Murray suggested that John Podesta's emails might be 'of legitimate interest to the security services' in the U.S., due to his communications with Saudi Arabia lobbyists and foreign officials

The Washington Post reported last Friday that U.S. intelligence agencies had 'identified individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided WikiLeaks with thousands of hacked emails.'

The paper said U.S. senators were presented with information tying Russia to the leaks during a recent briefing by intelligence officials.

'It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia's goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected,' a senior U.S. official familiar with the briefing told the Post. 'That's the consensus view.'

The paper said U.S. senators were presented with information tying Russia to the leaks during a recent briefing by intelligence officials.

'It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia's goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected,' a senior U.S. official familiar with the briefing told the Post. 'That's the consensus view.'

The Obama administration has been examining Russia's potential role in trying to influence the presidential election. Officials said Russians hacked the Republican National Committee, but did not release that information in a deliberate effort to damage Clinton and protect Donald Trump.

Several congressional committees are also looking into the suspected Russian interference.

While there is a consensus on Capitol Hill that Russia hacked U.S. political groups and officials, some Republicans say it's not clear whether the motive was to try to swing the election or just to collect intelligence.

'Now whether they intended to interfere to the degree that they were trying to elect a certain candidate, I think that's the subject of investigation,' said Sen. John McCain on CBS Face the Nation. 'But facts are stubborn things, they did hack into this campaign.'

President elect Donald Trump raised doubts about the reports and said this was an 'excuse' by Democrats to explain Clinton's November loss.
Under siege for the president's refusal to take military action to protect Syrians from being slaughtered by their brutal dictator, the White House tarred and feathered Russia on Wednesday for supporting 'depraved' tactics employed Bashar al-Assad in the first place.

Assad's regime 'crossed all the lines,' trying to starve people into submission, targeting hospitals and playgrounds in Aleppo with weapons, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. 'And frankly, they cross lines I hadn't previously thought of.'

'The idea that you would target a playground and bomb kids, hoping that you would then convince people to give up because you had killed their kids? What kind of a sick mind comes up with a strategy like that?

'And what kind of civilized country is going to support those tactics? But that's what Russia has done.'

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Under siege for the president's refusal to take military action to protect Syrians from being slaughtered by their brutal dictator, the White House tarred and feathered Russia on Wednesday for supporting 'depraved' tactics employed Bashar al-Assad in the first place

The U.S. has not seen as much progress in Syria as it would like, he admitted. 'And there are innocent Syrian men, women and children that have died as a result of it.'

ALL YOUR FAULT: 'What kind of civilized country is going to support those tactics?' the White House said today of Assad bombing civilians and playgrounds. 'That's what Russia has done,' the Obama administration charged

Assad and Russia are the cause of those killings, though, the White House official argued, hitting the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin the abstract. 'These atrocities have to come to an end.'

At yesterday's United Nations Security Council meeting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power excoriated Russia and Iran for allowing Assad to mass murder his own people.

Their 'ghastly tactics' will not stop with the fall of Aleppo, which has joined 'the ranks of those events in world history that define modern evil, that stain our conscience decades later.'

'Is there literally nothing that can shame you? Is there no act of barbarism against civilians, no execution of a child that gets under your skin, that just creeps you out a little bit? Is there nothing you will not lie about or justify?' she said.

Russian ambassador to the U.N. Vitaly Churkin said Power was acting 'as if she was Mother Teresa.'

'Please remember what country you're representing - remember your own country's track record and then you can start opining from the position of moral supremacy,' he said.

A wounded Syrian woman from the al-Sukari neighbourhood is helped onto the back of a truck as she flees during the ongoing government forces military operation to retake remaining rebel-held areas in the northern embattled city of Aleppo today

President Bill Clinton's eight-year tenure was tarnished after he refused to intervene in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, a crime against humanity that Power brought up in her speech.

Obama infamously warned Assad in 2012 that if he crossed the 'red line' and moved or used chemical weapons he would face 'enormous consequences.'

His administration prepared to go to war after Assad defied the admonishment but made an about-face after Russia intervened and brokered a deal with the Syrian government to confiscate and destroy the arms.

The exiting president maintains that he was right to pull back because there is no military solution to the conflict in the war-torn country.

The U.S. has tried to force Assad to step down through diplomatic efforts. It has also provided $6 billion in financial support for humanitarian aid.

Admiral James Stavridis, a NATO commander in Europe for Obama until 2013, said Wednesday that Obama acted too cautiously in Syria, where 400,000 people have died in the country's civil war.

'I think he'll look back in deep sorrow and some shame,' he said Wednesday on MSNBC of Obama's unenforced 'red line' in Syria.

Syrian pro-government forces advance in the Jisr al-Haj neighbourhood during the ongoing military operation to retake remaining rebel-held areas in the northern embattled city of Aleppo

Admiral James Stavridis, a NATO commander in Europe for Obama until 2013, said Wednesday that Obama acted too cautiously in Syria, where 400,000 people have died in the country's civil war. 'I think he'll look back in deep sorrow and some shame,' he said

Earnest said he was unfamiliar with Stavridis' comments while defending the role the U.S. has played and the resources its put toward defeating ISIS, 'which essentially is a consequence of the chaos inside of Syria.'

'It's heartbreaking. It's tragic when you see a government commit atrocities against its own people using the military might of the state,' he said. 'And President Obama has been leading the international effort to address it. Both by trying to find a diplomatic solution to the chaos, but also dealing militarily and otherwise with the extremist threat that is propagated by that kind of chaos.'

He held up the operation in Iraq and the strike on Osama bin Laden as examples of times when Obama acted boldly.

Stavridis said on Morning Joe that Obama's abandoned threat to carry out airstrikes on Assad 'sends a very bad' message to the world.

'The big mistake was withdrawing troops from Iraq,' Stavridis, now the dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, said. 'If we'd kept 15,000 there, you can drop a plum line to the rise of ISIS and dissolution in Syria.'

In terms of the civil war in Syria, he contended, 'It was not taking out Assad's Air Force as part of the move to get rid of the weapons of mass destruction, aka the red line.

'That was the moment where we could have made a difference with the facts on the ground. It was before Russia came in,' he said.

A ceasefire between the Syrian government in and militants in the city of Aleppo that came about after peace talks between Turkey and Russia collapsed on Wednesday.

People take part in a candlelight vigil for the victims of the fighting in Aleppo, at the station square in Bern, Switzerland today. Rebels and civilians were supposed to be evacuated from the city. The Turkish government says 'some forces' loyal to Assad did not honor the ceasefire

Rebels and civilians were supposed to be evacuated from the city. The Turkish government says 'some forces' loyal to Assad did not honor the ceasefire and innocent Syrians remain trapped inside. They numbered at 50,000 or more.

The Obama administration has deflected from the catastrophe by touting its victories against ISIS, which filled vacuums in Iraq and Syria.

ISIS' territory is now 'rapidly shrinking' and the terror group has been isolated and no longer has access to foreign borders, an Obama administration official said Tuesday.

'We're having tremendous success against this enemy,' Brett McGurk, the president's special presidential envoy to the U.S.-led coalition said after a meeting with him. 'But this remains an unprecedented threat. This fight is not over.'

The administration blames Russia not just for deaths of innocent civilians at the hands of Assad in Syria but the slow pace of the mission to defeat ISIS.

The Russians 'claim to to be fighting' ISIS, McGurk said Tuesday, but they've led one anti-ISIS mission, and that territory belongs to the enemy again.

'They say, on the one hand, that they're interested in trying to fight extremism and bring the violence to an end in Syria. Even at the same time that they prop up the failed government there that exacerbates the violence and makes the diplomatic solution even harder to reach,' Earnest said on Wednesday.

Earnest flagged the $6 billion the United States has put toward humanitarian efforts in Syria and and said it has played a 'leading role in trying to negotiate a kind of cessation of hostilities that would allow for the provision of humanitarian assistance' in Aleppo and elsewhere.

The Obama administration is committed to facilitating a 'conversation about resolving the political situation inside of Syria so we can bring the violence to an end and we can put new leadership in Syria that actually reflects the will of the Syrian people and end that chaos,' he said.
Donald Trump Jr. helped steer the process that resulted in the selection of Rep. Ryan Zinke as President-elect Donald Trump's choice to run the Interior Department, the Trump transition confirmed Wednesday.

The eldest Trump child, who has a formal role in the Trump transition, took part in interviews and phone calls with potential candidates, Politico reported Wednesday.

The Trump transition didn't dispute his involvement, even as Trump and his brother Eric Trump are set to assume a new role running the Trump business organization when their father takes office as president.

'I would say that the transition team has been very transparent in the fact that Donald Trump, Jr. is on the transition team, that he is someone who is helping us on this government, put things together,' said transition spokesman Jason Miller.

Donald Trump Jr. helped vet candidates to be the new Interior Department secretary. He also met with tech executives at Trump Tower on Wednesday

'We've announced that right from the beginning,' he continued, when asked about the dual roles on a conference call with reporters. 'And so, it only makes sense if a transition team member was active in the process.'

Trump and Zinke share at least one thing in common: both love hunting and the outdoors. Trump has posted images of many of his most impressive kills, and Zinke, 55, is a hunter and fisherman who has showed off hunting knives from his collection of blades.

Zinke also spent two decades as a Navy Seal, studied geology, and sits on the House Natural Resources Committee. Like many previous nominees for the agency, he hails from a western state where federal lands are a major economic and cultural issue.

STRAIGHT SHOOTER: Donald Trump Jr. is an avid hunter, and joked that Interior would be the agency he would most like to run

MAKING THE CUT: Zinke, displaying one of the knives in his collection, advanced through a process that Donald Trump Jr. helped guide

SEAL OF APPROVAL: Zinke spent two decades as a member of the Navy SEALs, and is expected to get the official nomination to run the Interior Department

Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump sat in on a meeting President-elect Trump held with tech leaders Wednesday

NEIGH, DON'T SHOOT!: One of the issues Zenke will have to confront if confirmed is controversy over thousands of wild horses that the Bureau of Land Management holds in pens to prevent them from ravaging federal lands

Interior is the nation's largest landowner. Although it maintains multiple recreation areas, it also controls vast oil and gas resources, leases land to ranchers for grazing, and interfaces with Native American tribes through the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Trump joked about his own interest in the job in an interview with the publication Wide Open Spaces in November.

'The big joke at Christmas this year was the only job in government that I would want is with the Department of Interior,' he said. 'I understand those issues. It's something I'm passionate about. I will be the very loud voice about these issues in my father's ear. No one gets it more than us.'

Former ambassador to the Czech Republic Norm Eisen told a forum of House Oversight Committee Democrats Wednesday that he finds the role of Trump's children concerning.

'Theyre on the board of the transition, theyve been in meetings,' he said. 'What on earth are they thinking?'

'I saw this as an ambassador and Im so sad that its come to my own country,' he continued, referencing 'princelings' in China. 'The kids are used [in other countries] as a vehicle, a conduit to influence the parents all over the world.'
Hundreds of inaugural planners planted themselves in front of a giant 60-by-40-foot floor map of Washington on Wednesday for a daylong rehearsal of how each moment of Inauguration Day 2017 will play out.

These are not people who like surprises: They're looking to game out every scenario for a day that should be all about the peaceful transfer of power and not pesky mix-ups.

With many inaugural plans still taking shape, America's Got Talent star Jackie Evancho said she'll be singing the national anthem at the January 20 swearing-in, a role Beyonce performed in 2013.

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A model of the White House is displayed on a giant planning map during a media tour highlighting inaugural preparations being made by the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region for military and civilian planners

Inaugural planners are looking to game out every scenario for a day that should be all about the peaceful transfer of power and not pesky mix-ups

Pictured is a model of the Capitol Building included on the planning map

Trump's communications director for the inaugural committee tweeted that 16-year-old Evancho is 'an inspiration for all Americans'.

'It's going to be awesome,' Evancho told NBC's Today show.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee is sorting through applications from 200 groups hoping to march in the inaugural parade.

Don't look for any high school marching bands from the District of Columbia in that stack, though.

A model of the Old Post Office, now Trump International Hotel, is visible on the map

News photographers take photos of the model of the Capitol Building in this Wednesday photo

WRC-TV reported Wednesday that no city public schools applied, although D.C. schools have marched in the last five inaugural parades.

Wednesday's rehearsal was sponsored by the military, which provides 13,000 active duty and National Guard members to help with inaugural events, including the swearing-in ceremony, parade, protests, balls and movement of an anticipated 800,000 spectators.

What keeps these inaugural planners up at night?

The weather, for one thing.

Directional signs are displayed on the map in the lead-up to Inauguration Day

Wednesday's rehearsal was sponsored by the military, which provides 13,000 active duty and National Guard members to help with inaugural events

Members of the media interview officials on the inaugural preparations being made by the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region for military and civilian planners

'I put the chaplain on this task,' joked Maj. Gen. Bradley Becker, commander of the joint task force providing military ceremonial support for inaugural events.

'He has guaranteed us a beautiful, 40-degree, clear and very nice day.'

Just in case, though, each military participant comes to Washington with three uniforms designed for different kinds of weather.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee is sorting through applications from 200 groups hoping to march in the inaugural parade

Classical crossover singer Jackie Evancho, a 16-year-old singer from the Pittsburgh suburbs, has been chosen to sing the national anthem at President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration (2014 photo)

President-elect Donald Trump is pictured at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Friday

Beyond that, there's the matter of Donald Trump. Will this most unconventional president-elect go all-in for the traditional pomp and ceremony that has long been associated with Inauguration Day?

'There's only so many ways you can make this thing happen,' says Brig. Gen. George Degnon, deputy commanding general for the inauguration.

'Generally speaking, the inauguration is taking shape as it has in the past.'
The California man charged with the murdering a British couple in the Caribbean in 1978 'laughed' as he boasted about the killings, a friend has claimed.

Bryan Logsdon, 50, of Pomona, California, said Silas Duane Boston, 75, described Frampton's dying screams as 'funny' while telling him about the killings during a trip to Mexico in the early 1990s.

Logsdon's claims form part of the criminal case against Boston, who is set to go on trial for the murders of Peta Frampton and Christopher Farmer in January next year.

Investigators from the FBI also spoke to his sons, Vince, 52, and Russell, 50, whose testimony appears in documents lodged at Sacramento Superior Court last week and seen by DailyMail.com.

Silas Duane Boston, 75, has been charged with the 1978 murders of British couple Christopher Farmer and Peta Frampton when they were sailing on his boat in the Caribbean Sea

British tourist Christopher Farmer (middle) was allegedly beaten and bound before being thrown overboard by Silas Duane Boston. The alleged killer's two sons, Russell and Vince (pictured), were on board the boat at the time

All three told investigators that they had been too frightened of Boston to come forward before  citing a network of shadowy contacts, who the trio claimed could harm them on his behalf.

Vince and Russell, who were aboard Boston's boat when the couple, both 25, disappeared, claim their father broke an antique billy club over Farmer's head and broke a fillet knife while attempting to stab him in the chest - before threatening Frampton with a spear gun.

The brothers, who are now estranged and live in different states, also told authorities that he hogtied the couple and placed plastic bags over their heads.

Vince claims he was then ordered to watch Frampton, who had been imprisoned in the galley of the Justin B, overnight  and both say they saw him throw the tourists overboard the following day.

Frampton, who was half-naked when she was eventually found, was allegedly forced to watch her boyfriend drown and could be heard screaming as she died, according to Logsdon, who met Boston through his son Russell.

'Boston said the female [Frampton] heard the splash of the male victim [Farmer] entering the water and started calling her boyfriend's name,' Logsdon said in his statement.

'After a couple of minutes, Boston threw the female in the water. Boston told Logsdon it was funny because when the bag burst over her head, you could hear her screams through the bubbles that came up while she was drowning.'

Police were probing the death of Boston's former wife, Mary Lou Boston. She disappeared in 1968.

Vince and Russell separately told the FBI that Boston checked his watch 'three or four minutes' after throwing the couple overboard, before turning to them and saying, 'OK, they're dead now'.

When the couple's bodies were discovered floating in the sea close to the fishing village of Punta de Manibique, Guatemala, on July 8 1978, they were so badly decomposed, they were of 'monstrous' appearance according to the doctor who carried out an autopsy on them.

Both bodies were covered in fish bites and were in an advanced stage of deterioration  forcing investigators to use dental records sent from the UK to identify them.

The discovery of the corpses later led Boston to allegedly complain to Logsdon that you should 'always gut someone when you are going to throw them into the water because otherwise they are going to bloat and float ashore'.

The chilling new details of the murders emerged in documents filed after Boston's arrest at a convalescent home in Paradise, California, on December 2.

Last week, the 75-year-old pleaded not guilty to two counts of 'maritime murder' at a hearing held in Sacramento, California, on December 8.

His arrest follows an FBI investigation into the cold case killings  and a Sacramento Police Department review of the 1968 disappearance of his 23-year-old wife Mary Lou.

Along with further details of Frampton and Farmer's alleged murder, the documents also contain testimony from Logsdon, Vince and Russell in which they claim that Boston also murdered her.

According to Logsdon, Boston said he drove the mother-of-two into the countryside and ordered her out of the car before shooting her dead.

He allegedly boasted that he decided to 'snuff the b****' after she asked him for a divorce and ordered her to 'run b****' before opening fire.

Tragically, her final words were about her two sons  gasping 'but what about the kids?' as Boston stood over her and finished her off with a final shot.

Boston's sons Vince and Russell were initially approached about their mother's disappearance but also told of their experiences on the 1978 voyage with their father, Frampton and Farmer.

On the same trip, Boston, who also has a daughter, Victoria, and a third son named Justin, allegedly threatened to kill his sons who told the FBI in October 2015 that they remain 'fearful' of their father.

Still scared: Vince Boston and his brother said they had not come forward over fears for their own safety if they informed on their father

The criminal complaint prepared by the FBI also includes excerpts from the initial police report filed by authorities in Guatemala  which notes that the couple were found floating in the sea by firefighters approximately 200 yards from the village of Punta de Manibique at 3.30pm on July 8 1978.

Both were badly decomposed, having been in the water for at least a week, and showed signs of torture  with Farmer's body also bearing a wound to the right leg.

Dr Angel Marie Vasquez Cuellar, who performed the autopsy on the couple in Puerto Barrios on July 10, noted that the corpses were 'monstrous' in appearance and covered in fish bites.

Neither could be immediately identified and the bodies were buried side-by-side in the local cemetery  where they still remain.

Both corpses were exhumed in April 1979 after the couple were reported missing and identified using dental records sent from the UK.

The tourists, who were both 25 and from Manchester, had been planning to spend a year traveling  beginning with a visit to Australia, followed by a tour of Central and South America and concluding with a visit to the US.

Frampton was newly graduated from law school and Farmer was a doctor.

Having departed for Australia in December 1977, a letter posted by Frampton on May 19 1978 reveals the couple had reached Guadalajara, Mexico, by that Spring and were planning to travel on to Belize.

It was there, in Belize City, that Farmer and Frampton first encountered Boston who offered them passage on his boat, the Justin B  named for his son with his second wife, Katherine Quinn.

In a letter to her family dated June 13, Frampton wrote that 'an American called Dwayne [sic] who owns a Belizean boat called Justin B offered to take us up to Chetumal [Mexico] by sail so we decided to do that'.

Testimony: Bryan Logsdon told police that Boston had boasted to him of the murders but he had been too frightened to tell authorities about the account

Her final letter, dated June 28 but postmarked July 18, talks of setting off from Placentia and enjoying 'the perfect sail' up to Hunting Cay  but complains of the behavior of Boston and his sons.

'They are 12 & 13 years but behave more like 8 & 9 & I find I have no patience at all with them,' she wrote.

'What makes it worse is that Duane [Boston] curses & puts them down constantly, often when things are not going quite right.'

Speaking to the FBI in October 2015, Vince said the trio had ended up in Belize following an 'incident' in Sacramento during which they overheard a woman screaming at Boston to stop.

Russell later elaborated, telling authorities that his father had committed a 'statutory rape'.

Son: Russell Boston said his father plotted the couple's deaths after the laughed when he fell into the water after trying to hit Frampton and missing

Shortly afterwards, Boston took his sons to get passports and drove them to Belize via Mexico, where he bought a boat and began operating an unlicensed tour business.

Vince told detectives that Boston would become 'very violent' when drunk and would 'cuss and yell' at his sons  especially the younger.

In his testimony, Russell said his father had been 'yelling' and punching him repeatedly when Farmer intervened.

'On one such occasion, Farmer told Boston to leave RB [Russell] alone,' Vince claimed in his statement. 'Boston tried to hit Farmer, missed and fell into the water.

'Farmer and Frampton laughed at Boston after he fell into the water. Soon after the incident, Boston began plotting Farmer's and Frampton's deaths.'

According to both Vince and Russell, the attack that allegedly led to the couple's deaths began the following night, while the Justin B was anchored in deep water off the coast of Guatemala.

Both brothers claim that their father battered Farmer over the head with a billy club and stabbed him with a fillet knife, before tackling the Briton and tying him up with ropes.

In his account, Russell said Farmer fell to his knees, screamed 'what's your game, what's your game?' and attempted to cover his head as Boston hit him.

Eventually, he yelled out 'I give up, I give up' before pleading with Boston to tell him why he was being attacked.

Frampton, meanwhile, was tied up and placed in the galley  with Vince allegedly ordered to watch her overnight.

The next day, Boston, claim his sons, told the couple that he would put them ashore if they made over their travelers checks to him.

But after they did so, Boston moved Frampton to the rear of the boat and attached machine parts, which he carried for ship's ballast, to the couple. Both had plastic bags placed over their heads.

Farmer was thrown overboard first, with Frampton following a few minutes later.

According to Vince, 'three or four minutes' after the couple went overboard, Boston looked at his watch and said, 'OK, they are dead now'.

Later the same day, Boston allegedly attempted to justify his actions, telling his sons: 'You know I had to do that. They didn't give me a choice'.

The trio then set sail for Livingston, Guatemala, where they were logged arriving by the local harbormaster on July 6 1978.

While there, according to Russell, Boston allegedly disposed of the couple's clothes  dropping them off 'at a local business'.

He also steamed open and read Frampton's final letter, eventually mailing it on July 18 in what Russell claimed was an attempt to throw authorities off the scent.

Boston, who has spent most of the past three decades living between Laguna Beach in southern California, and northern Mexico, is claimed to have boasted of the killings to Logsdon during a year they spent traveling in the early 1990s.

According to Logsdon, Boston spoke 'nonchalantly' about the murders and 'laughed' in delight at getting away with it.

Chillingly, he is also claimed to have told the now 50-year-old that he had learned from the murders that you should 'always gut someone when you are going to throw them into the water because otherwise they are going to bloat and float ashore'.

A transcript of a phone conversation between Boston and Frampton's father Charles shortly after her disappearance and included in the documents also reveals how he denied all knowledge of the 25-year-old's whereabouts.

Boston is now incarcerated in Sacramento County Main Jail where he is recorded as being booked on a 'FBI hold' with the charges against him listed as murder.

In the indictment lodged with the court on December 8, Boston is charged with two counts of 'maritime murder'  one each for Farmer and Frampton.

But in a chilling twist to the tale, the criminal affidavit notes that further killings have been linked to Boston  including that of his wife Mary Lou.

According to Logsdon's testimony, Boston boasted to him of her murder  telling him he decided to kill her after she asked for a divorce.

A furious Boston then allegedly drove the 23-year-old to a 'favorite shooting area' before ordering her out of the car and telling her to 'run b****'.

Logsdon's statement continues: 'Boston fired shots at her with his gun and hit her. Boston was unsure if he hit her on the back of her skull or the base of her skull but the shot did not kill her.

'Boston stated he walked up to her and she looked up at him and said, 'but what about the kids?'

'Boston told Logsdon that after she asked him the question, Boston just 'snuffed the b****'. He said he 'snuffed' her in a creek bed and it caved in on her and that she will not be found for 'a million years'.

According to Logsdon, the 75-year-old also claimed he had cut the throats of another couple, again in Belize, although authorities were unable to find evidence that the crime took place.

Also uncorroborated is Boston's alleged claim to have shot a group of drug dealers in Sacramento after a female friend was sexually assaulted by the quintet.

But authorities did find evidence of Boston's involvement in a hit and run in the city on June 10 1972.
Shocking video has emerged of a man punching out a homeless man on a platform of the Los Angeles Metro, before kicking out the vagrant's teeth.

The attack occurred early Tuesday at the Hollywood and Vine Metro Red Line station around 1am.

A witness who saw the scene unfold said the suspect and the homeless man had a dispute while waiting for the train.

The witness started taking video on his cellphone, and captured the moment the suspect takes off his hoodie and hits the man.

Attack: The cellphone footage shows the male suspect (white vest) walking up to the homeless man, who has his back turned (left), and then suddenly punching him (right)

King hit: The video shows the homeless man falling (left). He falls extremely close to the tracks

The homeless fell straight to the ground after the hit. He just misses falling onto the train tracks.

According to witness Luke Cunningham who was filming, the male suspect then walked up and kicked the homeless man in the face, knocking out his teeth.

'You can't see in the video but then he kicked him in the face while he was down,' Cunningham told KTLA.

'I followed the guy and he had no teeth in his mouth. He had his teeth knocked out and he was bleeding all over the place.'

However, police have obtained separate footage that clearly identifies the suspect's face, and have released it hoping that it will lead to an arrest.

Do you know this man? Police obtained this image of the man they believe was the attacker

Also caught in the footage is a man who was with the alleged attacker, seen getting on the train

The attacker was accompanied by two other men, and all three left before paramedics or law enforcement arrived.

One of the suspect's friends, in a gray hoodie, was seen in footage getting on the train, stepping over a pool of blood.

Police said the victim had also left the scene by the time help had arrived.

LA County Sheriff's Deputy Ramon Montenegro said the matter remains under investigation, as they try to track down the people involved.

'You can't see in the video but then he kicked him in the face while he was down,' Witness Luke Cunningham told KTLA

'You can see some verbal exchange, not sure if it was a verbal altercation,' Montenegro said in a statement to KTLA.

'But whatever it was it didn't warrant an assault because it didn't appear the victim was a threat to the other gentleman.'
Ashley Madison has agreed to pay $1.6million in a multi-state settlement for a 2015 security breach which exposed hundreds of its customers' personal information.

The adult dating service was found to have lax security services and misleading clients who believed their data would be protected even after they stopped using the site to conduct affairs.

A 2015 breach exposed the email addresses, phone numbers and explicit sexual preferences of 30million users and prompted the lawsuit.

The website's parent company has changed its name to Ruby Corp since the scandal. It vowed to uphold improved security for users in future.

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Ashley Madison has agreed to pay $1.6million - a tenth of a settlement originally sought in a multi-state lawsuit - for a 2015 breach of customer information which exposed millions of affairs

The $1.65million is had agreed to pay is less than a tenth of the full $17.5million sought by plaintiffs originally.

The remaining $15million has been suspended due to the company's apparent inability to pay.

It's not clear whether any of the site's users who had their details exposed will receive any of the money.

New York's Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman condemned its 'reckless' handling of user information in a statement on Wednesday.

'This settlement should send a clear message to all companies doing business online that reckless disregard for data security will not be tolerated.

'All companies have a responsibility to protect the privacy and personal information of consumers, and my office will continue to work with other state and federal authorities to protect consumers from online threats.'

The settlement was divided up between 13 states, the District of Columbia and the Federal Trade Commission, with each state receiving around $81,000.

Among misrepresentations on the website was a 'Full Delete' option which many purchased for $19 to permanently erase any trace of their profiles from the site.

It was billed as the only way to get rid of personal information. Ashley Madison however retained client information for up to 12 months after users purchased the service.

Some of those who had bought the option were exposed by the 2015 hack.

New York's Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman condemned its 'reckless' handling of user information in a statement on Wednesday

'The company failed to delete users photographs, and in some instances chat communications, nicknames, and sexual preferences.

'Many users whose information was disclosed in the July 2015 security breach had purchased the Full Delete, in some cases more than twelve months prior to the security breach.

'As many as 7,989 New York residents had purchased the Full Delete option at the time of the breach,' the attorney general's statement read.

Others' information was susceptible to hackers due to the company's 'lax' security and untrained staff.

It also conned male users by creating fake female profiles to entice them to spend more money.

Some of the fake profiles featured photographs of real-life users who hadn't used their account for a year.

'In some instances, it used portions of the profile photographs of actual users who had not had account activity within the previous year as the photographs in the fake profiles that it created, cropping or hiding users faces but not their bodies,' the attorney general said.

Ashley Madison's CEO Noel Biderman (above) stepped down after the hack. He was found to have used the service himself

Ashley Madison has always denied encouraging affairs despite the promise of 'discreet' dating.

Its CEO Noel Biderman stepped down after the hack. He was found to have used the service himself.

Earlier this year, devastated victims of the hack told how they had been contacted by their lovers' spouses after the leak.

'Todays settlement closes an important chapter on the companys past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity and to building a new future for our members, our team and our company,' Rob Segal, Ruby Corp's CEO said in a statement.
As cities around the world begin to light up with Christmas cheer, the great capital city of Italy has left their citizens wanting more.

Rome's annual Christmas tree has been dubbed the 'saddest in the world' with drooping limbs, lackluster lights - and not even a star on top.

The barren tree stands in the centre of the city at Piazza Venezia - and has driven many locals to social media to express their disappointment.

The barren tree stands in the centre of the city at Piazza Venezia - and has driven many locals to social media to express their disappointment

The tree was illuminated in a ceremony last week by Mayor Virginia Raggi on the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception - which many Italians consider the start of the holiday season, according to The Local.

The mayor called on families and children in the audience to count down from ten to the big moment - which was met with awkward silence.

In comparison to Italy's many other celebrating cities, the decorations fall noticeably short.

This Instagram user called it 'the saddest Xmas tree in Rome' and claimed 'Even in war-torn Iraq they have a better tree!'

Milan's Christmas tree was put together by jewelry company Pandora and is intricately adorned with 50,000 sparkling lights.

One Facebook user dubbed the tree 'albero dell'austerity' - 'the austerity tree'.

Commenter Ultimo Parri said that the tree reflects 'the situation in the city.

'At least you can't say that we are not consistent.'

The top rated comment by Gianandrea Traversi declared: 'It would have been better not to have anything at all, it's so ugly!

'And they wonder why tourists choose other cities.'

A lengthy conversation of comments ensued as arguments for and against the tree were stated - while some called into question the impact of cutting costs on sacrificing Christmas cheer.

The Christmas tree and lights were both donated.

One resident said: ' Doing something cheaply doesn't have to mean doing it badly. I saw [the tree] today in real life: it's ugly and sad,'

'It looks like it's been hit by a hurricane.'

An Instagram user posted a photo of the disappointing tree with the caption: 'The saddest Xmas tree in Rome 'Even in war-torn Iraq they have a better tree!' #XmessFail'.

Several other cities have made headlines this year for their attempts at holiday decor that left much to the imagination.

Montreal tried to rival New York City's iconic tree - but was generally mocked round the world for their attempt.

Montreal's Christmas Tree this year intended to rival New York City's famous tree

The Midlands city of Leicester was similarly disgraced by their annual tree.

Residents dubbed the tree as 'vile' as it struggled over the weight of abnormally thick and heavy tinsel.

Its unveiling was attended by 20,000 people, many of whom found it 'embarrassing' according to the Mirror.

Leicester's tree looked a bit top-heavy, having its branches bent by tinsel that was too heavy

Leicester's tree appeared to only have been decorated halfway from the top

Hobart, Tasmania made headlines again this year after their modern Christmas tree was defaced by yarn-lovers.

The tree, which cost $35,000, received international attention last year and was generally regarded as a failure.

This year, a self-titled 'yarn collective' made their own attempt to decorate the metal structure.
The father of a teenager who plunged 15 metres off a cliff while drag racing has said the driver is 'looking after himself' after he pleaded not guilty and requested his licence back.

Ivana Clonaridis and driver Harley Churchill, both 19, are believed to have been returning from a 'hoon party' in Keilor East, Melbourne's northwest, on January 27 when they allegedly decided to drag race another vehicle.

Both teenagers died after the car flew off the EJ Whitten bridge on the Western Ring Road and exploded on impact.

The alleged driver of the other vehicle, Adem Arpaci, 21, was charged with culpable driving and pleaded not guilty in the Magistrates Court on Thursday while also requesting his licence be returned, according to Nine News.

Ms Clonaridis's father said Arpaco was 'looking after himself' and admitted Christmas was going to be very difficult without his daughter.

The father of teenager Ivana Clonaridis (pictured) who plunged 15 metres off a cliff while drag racing has said the driver is 'looking after himself' after he pleaded not guilty

The alleged driver of the other vehicle, Adem Arpaci, was charged over the crash and pleaded not guilty in the Magistrates Court on Thursday

'He's got to look after himself, doesn't he?' Ig Clonaridis said of Arpaci's licence request.

Mr Clonaridis also said Mr Churchill was on the drug ice when the vehicle plunged off the cliff, but said the coroner's report showed his daughter was clean.

'I just want to make one thing clear to the ones that believe or think Ivana was also under the influence of amphetamines. Her coroner's report showed she was totally clean,' he said.

Police allege Arpaci was driving the other vehicle and decided to drag race with the teenagers. His licence was cancelled following the crash and he requested it be returned, but was denied.

The cars never came into contact when Mr Churchill and Ms Clonaridis flew off the cliff, according to detectives.

Ms Clonaridis's father said Arpaco was 'looking after himself' and said this Christmas was going to be very difficult without his daughter

The cars never came into contact when Mr Churchill and Ms Clonaridis flew off the cliff, according to detectives

Mr Clonaridis also said Mr Churchill (left) was on the drug ice when the vehicle plunged off the cliff, but said the coroner's report showed his daughter (right) was clean

At the time of the crash, police said Mr Churchill was driving the blue Holden utility truck at around 160 kilometres per hour when he lost control

At the time of the crash, police said Mr Churchill was driving the blue Holden utility truck at around 160 kilometres per hour when he lost control.

In the hours before the crash it is believed the two had participated in an industrial estate 'hoon party' at Campbellfield, around 16 kilometres from the E J Whitten Bridge.

Major collisions investigator Detective Inspector Bernie Rankin said the cars were side by side and travelling around 160 kilometres per hour before the utility truck careered through the barrier.

'This is just a classic case of testosterone, adrenaline, young fellows and fast cars. It's just a dreadful mix,' he told reporters at the scene.

The trial continues.

Major collisions investigator Detective Inspector Bernie Rankin said the cars were side by side and travelling around 160 kilometres per hour before the utility truck careered through the barrier

At the time of the crash, police said Mr Churchill (right) was driving the blue Holden utility truck at around 160 kilometres per hour with Ms Clonaridis (left) in the passenger seat

Mr Churchill was believed to have been driving his blue Holden utility truck at around 160 kilometres per hour
The former top ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush is urging President-elect Donald Trump to liquidate his entire financial empire or risk violating the Constitution from the moment he is sworn in as president.

'The business empire is going to have to be sold if the president is going to be able to be free of conflicts of interest, or were going to have a disaster on our hands,' Richard Painter warned House Oversight Committee Democrats, who convened a 'forum' about potential ethics conflicts facing Trump.

Among the array of issues facing Trump are the payments, royalties, and rents that come to him from his overseas business empire  which could violate the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution barring gifts from foreigners or foreign powers.

'I dont know if this problem isnt solved whether the Chief Justice can even show up to give him the oath of office,' he said.

Former White House top ethics officials are urging Trump to liquidate his real estate empire by the time he takes office to avoid running afoul of the Constitutions 'Emoluments' clause

'This is not some arcane provision. All it says is no for government payoffs for anybody holding a position of trust with the United States Government, not just the president,' he said.

Painter helped vet Bush cabinet officials, including former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who had to dump stock in Goldman Sachs when he took office. He is now a law professor at the University of Minnesota.

He said Trump was putting members of the Electoral College, who meet Monday to choose the president, in a 'very, very unfair position  telling the electors that they should be voting for him for president when he has not assured them that he is going to be compliant with the Constitution the minute he is sworn into office.'

Then he raised the issue of Trump properties located around the world and 'the security risk when you have the name of the president of the United States on the top of a building in an area of the world where theres a high terrorism risk. Whos going to pay for that, a foreign government, or are we going to pay for it?'

Democrats held the forum in a nondescript room inside the Capitol Visitors Center. It wasn't a real hearing, and the Republican majority, who they say was invited, controls the stately Oversight Committee room. Only the committee majority has the power to issue subpoenas to force the release of information.

Former ambassador to the Czech Republic Norm Eisen, President Obama's former ethics counsel who is now at the liberal Brookings Instituation, called for Trump's empire being transferred to an independent trustee.

The experts said at a House Democratic forum that Trump could run into constitutional problems after January 20 if he receives payments through his hotel  although a government agency disputes a claim that it has already decided the matter

The role of Trump's children in his transition also came in for criticism at a Democratic-run House forum  which wasn't a real hearing since only Republicans can set those

Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings organized the meeting with committee Democrats. He says he invited members of the majority, who are the only ones who can schedule a real hearing

A general view of the entrance to the Akoya by Damac Trump International Golf Club on December 12, 2015 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

'Let that trustee tomorrow start to worry about all of these financial entanglements,' Eisen said. 'Let Donald Trump focus on his job as president-elect and then liquidate those assets and put them behind that big beautiful wall, an ethics wall, where he doesnt know whats being done with his funds.'

Eisen has joined with 'Clinton Cash' author Peter Schweizer, who exposed myriad financial connections between Clinton Foundation donors, friends, former aides, and Hillary Clinton's State Department, in an op-ed urging Trump to put his holdings into an independent blind trust.

'We are faced with the extraordinary situation, should the president-elect continue on this course, that on the first day that hes in office, indeed the first hour, the first minute after he takes his oath of office he will have these flow of for government payments,' Eisen said.

He mentioned Trump's new luxury hotel in Washington, saying, 'Every one of those dollars that hits the hotel come January 20 will be in violation of the United States Constitution.'

Panel Democrats released a letter Wednesday where they stated the the General Services Administration, the government's landlord, has told them Trump would be in violation of his lease if he maintains ownership of the hotel lease when he takes office. Trump owns the 60-year lease to the government's Old Post Office, although the contract bars any elected official from being ''admitted to any share or part of this Lease or to any benefit that may arise therefrom.'

Bormer George W. Bush ethics lawyer Richard Painter is calling on Trump to sell his assets

Former Obama ethics lawyer Norman Eisen said Trump will face a constitutional ethics issue 'the first minute after he takes his oath of office' because of the Emoluments clause

But the GSA countered that it 'does not have a position that the lease provision requires the president-elect to divest of his financial interests,' according to a statement from its spokeswoman.

'We can make no definitive statement at this time about what would constitute a breach of the agreement, and to do so now would be premature.'

The letter stated that the deputy commissioner had informed staff that Trump 'will be in breach' of the contract on January 20.

Trump repeatedly praised the agency during the campaign.

'I could care less if Donald Trump wants to keep this name on this television show, Celebrity Apprentice,' said ranking panel Democrat Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland. 'Some people may say thats beneath the president. But that is not what this forum is all about.'
It was a tale so touching it brought a tear to eye of many readers during this festive season.

Eric Schmitt-Matzen even broke down in tears during an interview with the DailyMail.com on Monday, where he described how a terminally ill little boy had died in his arms after he visited him in hospital dressed as Santa.

The story of how the 60-year-old had granted the dying wish of a five-year-old went viral after it first appeared in a local newspaper column.

But now that same newspaper has cast doubt on their own account.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reported that, despite investigation by their own reporters, they were unable to verify the story and so are 'no longer standing by the veracity' of the account.

A local newspaper has cast doubt over the story of Eric Schmitt-Matzen, 60, who said he fulfilled a terminally-ill child's wish to see Santa Claus, and then held the boy as he died in his arms

DailyMail.com has visited or contacted five hospitals in the Eastern Tennessee area near Schmitt-Matzen's home in an attempt to verify the story, but none of the facilities approached had any record of such a visit taking place.

Erica Estep, public relations manager from East Tennessee Children's Hospital,the only children's ICU in the Knoxbille metro area, told DailyMail.com: 'I am aware of the story but this did not happen at our hospital.'

A marketing manager for the Tennova Healthcare, which manages nine hospitals or health centers in the area and is the second largest healthcare provider in the Knoxville metro area, said it did not happen at any of their facilities.

Jellico Community Hospital told DailyMail.com that such a little boy had not been in treatment at their center.

Eric Schmitt-Matzen, who plays Santa at 80 different gigs every year, has always refused to reveal the names or details of the young boy he visited, or his family on the grounds of privacy. He also refused to divulge the name of the hospital or nurses who called him in to visit.

When visited at his business, Schmitt-Matzen told DailyMail.com that he did not have any information on the family and added that he would not have done the original interview if he had known the story would become so big.

'This has gotten so blown out of proportion,' he said.

However, the professional Santa, who is also a mechanical engineer and co-owner of Packaging Seals & Engineering, said he was unfazed by the skepticism now surrounding his story.

'If some people want to call me a liar . . . I can handle that better than I can handle a child in my arms dying,' he said. 'It's sticks and stones,' he told the Washington Post.

Schmitt-Matzen claims that he had just gotten home from work just over a month ago, when he got an urgent phone call.

A nurse who worked at the hospital where Schmitt-Matzen, 60, often spreads joy and Christmas cheer, said there was a 'very sick five-year-old boy' who wanted to see Santa Claus, Schmitt-Matzen told the Knoxville News Sentinel.

The mechanical engineer said he was so shaken by the experience he considered hanging up his Santa suit for good

Fifteen minutes later, Schmitt-Matzen said he arrived and the boy's mother handed him a toy to give to her son.

'I sized up the situation and told everyone, 'If you think you're going to lose it, please leave the room. If I see you crying, I'll break down and can't do my job,'' he said.

'When I turned around, where is everyone? Already outside, crying in the hallway,' he told DailyMail.com.

As the boy's relatives watched from a window looking into the Intensive Care Unit, Schmitt-Matzen said he walked inside and saw the boy.

'He was laying there, so weak it looked like he was ready to fall asleep,' he said.

'I sat down on his bed and asked, 'Say, what's this I hear about you're gonna miss Christmas? There's no way you can miss Christmas.'

'Why, you're my Number One elf!'

He said the little boy looked up at Schmitt-Matzen and his perfect Santa Claus beard and asked: 'I am?'

Schmitt-Matzen had assured the child that he was, and then gave him the toy.

'He was so weak he could barely open the wrapping paper. When he saw what was inside, he flashed a big smile and laid his head back down.'

The little boy then had a big question for Santa, Schmitt-Matzen said.

'They say I'm gonna die,' he told Schmitt-Matzen. 'How can I tell when I get to where I'm going?'

Schmitt-Matzen then asked the little boy to do him a 'big favor'.

Schmitt-Matzen works 80 gigs as Santa Claus a year, even bringing along his wife as Mrs Claus, but it was this visit to the hospital that he will never forget

'When you get there, you tell them you're Santa's Number One elf, and I know they'll let you in,' he told the boy.

'They will?' the child asked.

'Sure!' Schmitt-Matzen said he had replied.

The little boy sat up and gave him a big hug. He had one more question: 'Santa, can you help me?'

It would be his final words.

'I wrapped my arms around him. Before I could say anything, he died right there,' Schmitt-Matzen said.

'He was in my arms when I felt him pass.

'I kinda looked up in the air, and tears started coming down my face,' he told DailyMail.com, choking up again at the memory.

'I let him stay, just kept hugging and holding on to him.'

Schmitt-Matzen said everyone outside the room then realized what had just happened, and the little boy's mother ran into the room screaming.

'I handed her son back and left as fast as I could,' he said.

'I spent four years in the Army with the 75th Rangers, and I've seen my share of (stuff). But I ran by the nurses' station bawling my head off.

Schmitt-Matzen said he decided to become a professional Santa six years ago, after agreeing to play him for his local church. He even studied at 'Santa School' before he was allowed to become a fully fledged Santa Claus

The entire experience completely rattled Schmitt-Matzen, who said he cried the entire drive back home.

'I even had to pull over a couple of times,' he told the DailyMail.com.

'My wife and I were scheduled to visit our grandchildren in Nashville the next day, but I told her to go by herself,' he said.

'I was a basket case for three days. It took me a week or two to stop thinking about it all the time,' he added of the experience, which occurred more than a month ago.

Schmitt-Matzen was so affected he even considered leaving Santa Claus behind for good.

But he dragged himself to another show, and remembered just what had inspired him to wear Father Christmas' suit in the first place.

'When I saw all those children laughing, it brought me back into the fold,' he said.

'It made me realize the role I have to play.'

Schmitt-Matzen said that he knew many people who had played Santa for decades without ever having to make a deathbed visit.

Yet, since putting on his jolly red hat and coat six years ago, he has made no less than four - including one adult who wanted to knock 'a picture with Santa' off their bucket list.

But this was the one that has stayed with him the most.

He and his wife Sharon Byrne Schmitt-Matzen, pose together as Mr and Mrs Claus

'This one hit me a little harder because he died in my arms,' he said.

Schmitt-Matzen said his second ever Santa request had been to make a deathbed visit. He said he had visited the hospital room of her granddaughter with his elves and Mrs Claus, but when he walked in last, 'all the (medical) alarms in that place went off' as the sick little nine-year-old girl spotted her hero.

'I thought I'd killed her,' he said. 'She had so many tubes and things down down her.'

'The kids know they are going to miss Christmas which is a fun time for them. That has them more worried about missing Christmas than dying.

'It may sound ridiculous to us adults, but that's what they understand.'
A jury today found Lea Ledesma guilty of manslaughter

A Filipina nurse who killed a pensioner when she mixed up his name with another patient and gave him the wrong blood transfusion is facing a jail sentence.

Lea Ledesma, 48, gave Ali Huseyin, 76, AB-type blood meant for Irfan Hussain, 37, who was blood group O, at London Heart Hospital in Marylebone.

Doctors ordered the transfusion when the pensioner lost blood from his chest drain at 9.30am after a successful heart bypass the day before.

Ledesma accidentally jotted down Mr Hussain's patient number on her hand instead of Mr Huseyin's, Southwark Crown Court heard.

She then failed to carry out further checks to identify her 'series of mistakes.'

The experienced nurse had spotted that the details did not match but went ahead with the transfusion and triggered a fatal heart attack.

A team of doctors and nurses rushed to help Mr Huseyin but only discovered he had been given the wrong blood after Ledesma gave another nurse Mr Hussain's patient number.

A jury of eight men and four women today found Ledesma guilty of manslaughter by a majority of ten to two after just over seven hours of deliberations.

Ledesma wept and hid her face in her hands in the dock after the verdict was read out.

Jurors heard that nurses were only assigned to one patient on the intensive care ward, which had a system of safeguards in place so patients could be identified properly.

Ledesma jotted Mr Hussain's eight-digit patient number on her hand without taking any other documentation with her before getting the blood.

She then failed to notice the error when the dispensing machine printed out a receipt confirming the unit dispatched.

Mr Huseyin had two successful blood transfusions - one from Ledesma and one from a night nurse - following his operation.

Doctor Guangiuseppe Cappabianca, who ordered the transfusion, said he did not make a written prescription to say the patient needed O-type blood because there was already one in place.

He said it is 'very common to have a prescription that is repeatable', adding: 'Given that the nurse was only looking after that patient there was no possibility to mismatch with somebody else.

'She was given only one patient and the procedure to collect the right unit of blood was independent from the prescription.'

He continued: 'Since there was already blood transfusion ongoing at 8am when I arrived I said to give another unit of blood.

'The moment the nurse is saying there's no prescription she should have requested a prescription.'

Ledesma wept and hid her face in her hands in the dock after the verdict was read out

Ledesma claimed Dr Cappabianca had taken Mr Huseyin's notes from his bed as he went round the ward after ordering another transfusion.

The experienced nurse said she told him the pensioner's blood pressure had dropped 10 minutes before it fell to a critical level - but he says he is sure she didn't.

'The first time I have heard about this problem was from the anaesthetic registrar,' said Dr Cappabianca.

'I wasn't in the ICU (intensive care unit) at the time.'

Earlier Timothy Cray QC, prosecuting, said: 'It was hospital policy, and we would suggest basic common sense, that she was required to undertake further checks at the bedside to make sure that she was giving the right blood to the right patient.

'Before you put the blood into the body you make darn sure that you have got the right blood.'

Ledesma, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, was found guilty of one count of manslaughter.
A student who fled his war-torn home has topped his high school certificate just two years after arriving in the country.

Aged 14, Hicham Jansis fled Homs, Syria for a refugee camp where he remained aged 16, but on Wednesday in Sydney, he received an HSC award and revealed his dreams of being a doctor.

Hicham only arrived in Australia two years ago and couldn't believe it when he was told he'd topped the state in Arabic Extension, he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Hicham Jansis receives an award for topping his HSC from New South Wales Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli

Aged 14, Hicham Jansis fled Homs, Syria for a refugee camp before making his way to Australia

'When they called I thought it was going to be bad... I couldn't believe it.'

But it hasn't been an easy ride - studying has been challenging for him with war ravaging his home country.

And the day of his last HSC he learned his uncle had been killed in Aleppo by a bomb.

'You can't concentrate when your city is being bombed, when your relatives are killed or being arrested by the regime,' he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

You can't concentrate when your city is being bombed, when your relatives are killed or being arrested by the regime. Hicham Jansis, student

His schooling hasn't been consistent, either.

In the refugee camp, which housed 80,000, school was only two hours a day - the priorities were food, water and money.

Even his father, Mukthar Jansis, 50, is lucky to be with him - he was severely injured as they fled Homs and only just survived - thanks to a medical volunteer.

The volunteer's efforts are why Hicham wants to become a doctor.

He acknowledges he's got work to do in subjects like Maths, Chemistry and Biology, but he's determined to get there.

Hicham also wants to help other refugees, but first he wants to help in Australia - and the people who 'gave him everything'.

icham also wants to help other refugees, but first he wants to contribute to Australia
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The remains of political prisoners hanged in South Africa have been exhumed so they can be returned to their families.

The Gallows Exhumation Project was launched in March this year. It was preceded by the walkabout at the Pretoria Central Maximum security prison where the execution of political and non-political prisoners was carried out between 1960 and 1990.

At least 130 political prisoners were hanged for political related offences between the period of 1960 and 1990.

The remains of political prisoners hanged in South Africa have been exhumed so they can be returned to their families

The Gallows Exhumation Project was launched in March this year. It was preceded by the walkabout at the Pretoria Central Maximum security prison where the execution of political and non-political prisoners was carried out between 1960 and 1990

At least 130 political prisoners were hanged for political related offences between the period of 1960 and 1990

All those sentenced to death were transferred to the prison to undergo execution projects.

Solomon Mahlangu, Benjamin Moloise, Michael Lucas, the five Vulindlela family members, Thelle Simon Mogoerane and many others are among those who were hanged at the centre.

Out of all 130 political prisoners who were hanged, 47 had already been exhumed whilst 83 still remained buried in unmarked graves.

Minister Michael Masutha said at the launch in April: 'The Missing Persons Task Team in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will be conducting the exhumations of the remains of these gallant fighters.

'Our TRC unit with various provincial governments will then arrange for the remains to be formally handed over to the affected families for dignified reburials.'

The Minister condemned the deeds that were orchestrated by the apartheid regime to inhumanly deprive the affected families of their loved ones.

Sixty-nine of the 83 human remains that are yet to be exhumed were buried in Mamelodi West cemetery while 14 were buried in Rebecca Street cemetery.

The overwhelming majority (nearly 70 per cent) of their families are in the rural Eastern Cape while the remainders are scattered between, Gauteng, Limpopo, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Sixty-nine of the 83 human remains that are yet to be exhumed were buried in Mamelodi West cemetery while 14 were buried in Rebecca Street cemetery

The Department of Correctional Services brought the representative of their families to attend the unveiling of the Gallows Memorial at the Pretoria Central Prison in December 2011.

The Missing Persons Task Team took the family representatives to view the burial sites during that event.

'Our department has taken steps to recognise fundamental violation and provide some form of reparations to the affected families' Minister Masutha added.

The overwhelming majority (nearly 70 per cent) of their families are in the rural Eastern Cape while the remainders are scattered between, Gauteng, Limpopo, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal

The human remains will be exhumed, examined for DNA matching and then be handed over to the affected family after being positively identified.

It is the department's hope that the exhumation and reburials of the remaining 83 political prisoners will assist in healing the nation and unite all of us towards a truly democratic country.

Apartheid - a grotesque and brutal form of government in which whites held all the power and blacks and other racial groups were segregated and oppressed - was condemned to the dustbin of history.

Apartheid became the way of life in South Africa in 1948, when the Afrikaner National Party came into power.

South African were separated into four racial groups: Bantu (South African natives), colored (mixed-race), white and Asian (immigrants from the Indian sub-continent).

The South African government made international headlines when authorities killed hundreds of black students for peacefully protesting apartheid in 1976.

The slaughtering of the students came to be known as the Soweto Youth Uprising.

Police killed anti-apartheid activist Stephen Biko in his jail cell in September 1977.

Biko's story was chronicled in the 1987 film 'Cry Freedom,' starring Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington.

Britain and America imposed sanctions on the country in 1986 and the South African economy was badly affected by it.

Three years later, many of the laws were dismantled and in 1990 Nelson Mandela was released from prison.
Police have arrested a man for the murder of a teenage sunbather who disappeared from a lake 29 years ago.

Wendy Kae Robinson, 19, vanished from Lake Weatherford in Weatherford, Texas, on July 8, 1987. Her body was found four days later near a ranch around seven mile away.

On Wednesday, Weatherford Police announced the arrest of 59-year-old Ricky Lee Adkins.

Police said there was nothing to suggest the pair knew each other at the time of her death and were unable to confirm whether he was questioned during previous investigations.

Ricky Adkins (right) has been arrested for the 1987 murder of Wendy Kae Robinson, a 19-year-old who vanished while sunbathing near a lake in Weatherford, Texas

He was living in the area at the time of her death and had previously been arrested for an unrelated crime.

Investigators are now waiting for DNA results from two laboratories in Texas and California which they hope may provide them with more clues.

'Mr Adkins is just a single piece of our overall case.

'We're continuing to investigate other leads that is leading us to believe there are more people,' Chris Crawford, Interim Deputy Chief of Police at Weatherford County told DailyMail.com on Wednesday.

Wendy was last seen at around 1.55pm on July 8 sunbathing at an area of the lake nicknamed 'The Wall' by locals.

Adkins was arrested for a separate incident in 1987. Police could not confirm if he was ever suspected in Wendy's disappearance before Wednesday's arrest

She was reported missing by her father Jim Robinson the following day when she failed to return home.

Police found her car near the lake but did not locate her body for another four days.

It was discovered near a ranch some seven miles away. She died as the result of blunt force trauma.

While investigators looked into the case for years, no solid leads were produced until it was revisited in January this year.

The department merely decided to go back to some of its cold cases while key witnesses were still alive, said Crawford.

'They started looking at old suspects, people who were witnesses or interviewed and they started to talk to a lot of people.

'We are aggressively working at the case,' he added.

He added Wendy's family were 'ecstatic' by the development and hoped it would bring them closer to solving how she was killed.

Wendy disappeared from Lake Weatherford in Weatherford, Texas, (above) on July 8, 1987

'We have kept them informed. Mr Robinson has been at the police station this week. He's excited, he's ecstatic.

'It's a bitter sweet situation - it does bring up some old wounds.'

Little is known of Adkins who is yet to be arraigned. He was arrested without incident in Ranger, Texas, on Wednesday on a Grand Jury indictment.

Police say they are 'highly confident' they will make more arrests in the near future but would not disclose how many people they believe were involved.

No motive for the killing has yet been given. Crawford could not confirm whether Adkins was wanted in any other of the department's cold cases when asked on Wednesday afternoon.
None of Harry Reid's political foes are more delighted that he's heading into retirement, perhaps, than Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee for president.

Reid assailed Romney this week in the Huffington Post for ingratiating himself with Donald Trump as he sought to become his secretary of state.

The outgoing Senate Democratic leader attacked him as a 'person with no character' to which Romney said, 'Good riddance, Mr. Reid. The Senate will be better served without you in it.'

Harry Reid assailed Mitt Romney for ingratiating himself with Donald Trump as he sought to become his secretary of state

Reid stunned the political class when he claimed in July of 2012 that an 'extremely credible source' told him Romney didn't pay taxes for a decade, beginning a feud with Romney that continues to this day.

He challenged the wealthy Republican, on his second run for president, to release his tax returns and prove him wrong.

Romney released a 20-year summary of his taxes dating back to 1990 and full returns for 2010 and 2011 but didn't give in to Reid's demands.

In a twist of irony, Romney accused Trump of having a 'bombshell' in his taxes this year when the billionaire refused to release his own returns as he ran for president.

He also called Trump a 'con man,' a 'phony' and a 'fraud' and encouraged GOP primary voters to pick anyone on the ballot but him for president.

Romney backed off from his criticisms after Trump was elected, even interviewing for a position in his cabinet.

The outgoing Senate Democratic leader attacked Romney as a 'person with no character' to which Romney said, 'Good riddance, Mr. Reid. The Senate will be better served without you in it'

Reid hammered him for the 180 in the Huffington Post on Tuesday.

'This is a man who came out big-time against Trump. Oh, the things he said about Trump,' Reid told the publication. 'Either he wasnt telling the truth, or hes a person with no character.'

The Nevada senator, who did not run for reelection this year, added, 'After having said that, to go and do homage to this guy he said awful things about, I dont think that shows much character.'

'Mitt Romney is somebody I had respect for,' Reid asserted. 'I have none anymore.'

Trump did not choose Romney for the secretary of state position. He instead picked Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tilllerson.

Trump did not choose Romney for the secretary of state position. He instead picked Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tilllerson

Romney told HuffPo in a statement, 'I was indeed very critical of Mr. Trump during his campaign. But now he has been elected president and accordingly, if I could have helped shape foreign policy to protect the country I love, I would have been more than willing to do so.'
The Michigan presidential election recount turned up some ballot irregularities after all, but not the kind Green Party nominee Jill Stein was looking for.

In Detroit, a Democratic stronghold where Hillary Clinton won 95 per cent of the vote, voting machines in one-third of the election precincts counted more ballots than the number of people recorded as walking in line to cast them.

The Wayne County clerk's office reported that only 236 of Detroit's 662 voting precincts had ballot totals and registration records that matched.

The rest were off by at least 1 vote. One hundred and forty-four had too few votes. But the largest number, 248, had too many.

Fully 52 of those precincts recorded at least five too many votes.

Green Party candidate Jill Stein (left) paid for a partial recount of Michigan's presidential votes and one giant set of irregularities emerged  in precincts that favored Hillary Clinton by wide margins

Donald Trump won the Michigan contest last month by more than 10,000 votes

The 'irregular' precincts were excluded from the recounts that proceeded until a federal judge ordered it stopped a week ago.

Stein won barely 1 per cent of the vote. U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith ruled that she hadn't shown that she would have been harmed by any Election Day miscounting, and could offer only speculation that the vote totals might have been off.

President-elect Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in Michigan by 10,704 votes, a difference of 0.2 per cent.

Election officials told the Detroit News that the depth of the voting irregularities surprised them.

'There's always going to be small problems to some degree, but we didn't expect the degree of problem we saw in Detroit. This isn't normal,' Wayne County Board of Canvassers chairwoman Krista Haroutunian told the newspaper.

'We're assuming there were [human] errors, and we will have discussions with Detroit election officials and staff in addition to reviewing the ballots,' state elections director Chris Thomas added.

It's still unclear just how many votes may have been recorded in error throughout Detroit. That's because elections officials stop counting a voting machine's inaccuracy after the first five are identified.

Ballots like this one in Michigan were counted and recounted, and canvassers found that in hundreds of precincts there were more votes cast than people who signed in on Election Day

Officials were quick to dismiss any suggestion that election fraud could explain why so many precincts saw more votes cast than were authorized.

Washtenaw County Elections Director Ed Golembiewski told the Detroit News that over-votes and under-votes tend to cancel each other out.

'It's usually human error,' he said.
An entire town in Indiana has been left without a police force after every single cop quit in protest against the government.

The officers at the Bunker Hill Police Department in Indiana walked off the job on Monday night after resigning.

Police chief Michael Thomison submitted resignation letters for himself and his four unpaid deputies - Nate Ward, Josh Graham, Isaac Sprague and Troy Gornto - at a town council meeting.

Bunker Hill Police chief Michael Thomison (pictured) submitted resignation letters for himself and his four deputies - Nate Ward, Josh Graham, Isaac Sprague and Troy Gornto - on Monday

'Due to the actions of the current town council, I find myself unable to continue in this job,' the resignation letter read.

'This means you now have to notify the state building department that you no longer have a valid department.'

In his resignation letter, Thomison accused the town board of asking them to 'do illegal, unethical, and immoral things.'

The officers claimed the council had asked police to run background checks on other town councilors to find out criminal history and other confidential information.

The officers at the Bunker Hill Police Department in Indiana (pictured) walked off the job on Monday night. They claim the town council tried to make them do illegal things

Police deputy Troy Gornto was among those to resign on Monday. He penned a Facebook post saying it was an 'honor and privilege' to work for the force and wished the town the best

Thomison also said the council's decision to cut the department from nine (pictured) to four deputies make it impossible to function properly and they only had one set of body armor

Thomison also said the council's decision to cut the department from nine to four deputies make it impossible to function properly.

The officers added that the deputies had to share one set of body armor, which puts their lives on the line when they are on duty making arrests.

'I did not want to send someone out there with bad body armor so I would take mine off and provide it to the other officers,' Thomison told Fox59.

'I told them we have to provide this, there is an IC code that explains that and says that the town has to provide that body armor.'

Police deputy Troy Gornto penned a Facebook post after resigning saying it was an 'honor and privilege' to work for the town

Thomison also argued that the council pushed him to working part-time when he returned to work after cancer treatment last year, which meant he wasn't entitled to healthcare. Pictured is a GoFundMe page set up by a fellow officer to support him

Thomison also argued that the council pushed him to working part-time when he returned to work after cancer treatment last year, which meant he wasn't entitled to healthcare.

Police deputy Troy Gornto penned a Facebook post after resigning saying it was an 'honor and privilege' to work for the town.

'I got to meet a lot of local residents and got to known some people I can know called friends,' he wrote.

'I wish the town of Bunker Hill the best.'
Former MP Bronwyn Bishop has said Australians who suffer depression are 'rorting the welfare system' a year after she was dumped for using taxpayer funds to take a $5000 helicopter ride.

The former Speaker of the House made the comments on Sky News on Wednesday night, where she is now a political commentator, and also claimed many people suffering depression who seek welfare are 'drug addicts'.

'There are a large number of people who were rorting it and there are a large number of people who are drug addicts and they think they meet the criteria,' she said.

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Former MP Bronwyn Bishop (pictured) has said Australians who suffer depression are 'rorting the welfare system'

Ms Bishop was dumped by the Liberal Party in April after it was revealed last year she chartered a $5000 private helicopter flight to attend a party fundraiser

'The ones that go on that pension, who go under that heading of depression, many of them are drug addicts.'

The former MP made the controversial comments in response to Tony Abbott's suggestion the government has been far too ready to put people on the disability support pension.

Ms Bishop was dumped by the Liberal Party in April after it was revealed last year she chartered a $5000 private helicopter flight to attend a party fundraiser.

Mr Abbott came under fire on Wednesday saying it was 'fair enough' for those who find it impossible to find work to be looked after.

'We were far too ready to put people on the disability support pension with bad backs, a bit of depression and so on and these are not permanent conditions,' he told Ray Hadley on 2GB radio on Wednesday.

Since making the controversial comments, Mr Abbott has been hit with a mixture of vitriolic abuse from his critics and messages of encouragement from his supporters.

He was labelled a 'parasite' online.

The former Speaker of the House made the comments on Sky News on Wednesday night, and also claimed many people suffering depression who seek welfare are 'drug addicts'

The former MP made the controversial comments in response to Tony Abbott's suggestion the government has been far too ready to put people on the disability support pension

Former prime minister Tony Abbott said the government was far too ready to put people who claim they have 'a bad back or a bit of depression' on the disability pension

Jessica Rudd, the daughter of former PM Kevin Rudd, slammed Mr Abbott for his comments

Another woman called Mr Abbott a 'parasite' and made reference to the generous pension politicians receive after retiring

Not everyone was unhappy with Mr Abbott's remarks, with some taking to social media to applaud him for speaking his mind

'When will this country wake up?': A number of people praised Mr Abbott for 'calling out' people sponging off welfare payments

Jessica Rudd, the daughter of former PM Kevin Rudd, was one of the first to criticise Mr Abbott for his choice of words.

'BREAKING: Able-bodied triathlete pensioner in Lycra slams pensioners suffering chronic pain and mental illness,' she tweeted sarcastically.

'Good to know this country once elected a man who talks about 'a bit of depression' the same way most people talk about a papercut,' wrote Allison.

'And this is one of the parasites who will leave parliament and get a hefty payout,' wrote Susan - in reference to the generous pensions politicians are entitled to after retiring.

'Anyone listening to this mad monk will get depression,' wrote Barry.

Not all listeners disagreed with Mr Abbott's remarks however, with many taking to social media to applaud him for speaking his mind about welfare.

'I do agree with Tony on this one. There are many many people out there who are depressed, but life goes on,' wrote Kitty.

'Careful Tony the truth hurts some unemployables,' warned Barry.

'Couldn't agree more ... just far too much welfare. When will this country wake up?,' wrote Jamie.

Tony Abbott said people with depression are going on welfare when they can work

The former prime minister received a torrent of abuse on his personal Facebook page and across other forms of social media

Mr Abbott, a former employment services minister, also said excuses were too often accepted from people on unemployment benefits for refusing to take a job on 2GB.

'This idea that you can be unemployed on benefits on a town where you can't get fruit pickers or a town where they can't get people to work as cleaners in nursing homes, it's just wrong,' he said.

'A job is a job.'

Mr Abbott accepted some jobs might not be the ones people want to do for the rest of their lives, but the alternative was sitting idle at taxpayers' expense.

'Frankly, we do as a nation have to wake up to ourselves,' he said.

One man, believed to be on the disability pension, disagreed with Mr Abbott's sentiments and shared a photograph of him in his wheelchair.

He captioned the photograph: 'I could be picking fruit! Really low hanging fruit. Or cleaning! Doorknobs, maybe.Would swap disabilities for a job anyday (sic).'

Tony Abbott said people in areas of high unemployment are refusing to take jobs like fruit picking (Stock image)

Mr Abbott claimed there were 'welfare villages' in the outskirts of Australia's major cities.

'They're not black welfare villages, they're white welfare villages,' he said, warning of social dysfunction.

The unemployment rate in areas of regional Australia is almost double the national average of 5.6 per cent, yet farmers are relying on backpackers to pick fruit.
Hillary Clinton camp insiders have lashed out at Huma Abedin after her boss's surprise loss to Donald Trump in the election last month.

'Maybe Im just pissed off, but I really dont give a s*** about what happens to Huma Abedin to be honest with you,' one Clinton adviser told Vanity Fair.

That person then added that they took issue with Abedin appearing on the rope line alongside Clinton when she greeted disappointed supporters after conceding the election to Trump.

'Youre staff, O.K.? Staff is staff. Youre not a principal.'

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Hillary Clinton staffers are lashing out at Huma Abedin after Hillary's surprise loss (Abedin above on November 8 at a rally in North Carolina)

'Maybe Im just pissed off, but I really dont give a s*** about what happens to Huma Abedin to be honest with you,' said one adviser (Abedin shopping in NYC in late November)

Another Clinton insider also seemed to suggest that Abedin was getting a little too comfortable with the limelight.

'She was enjoying the red carpet and enjoying the photo spreads much too much in my opinion,' said the insider.

'She enjoyed being a celebrity too much.'

Abedin was often photographed at Clinton events, took selfies with supporters and was also featured in Vogue.

The other problem with Abedin seems to be the resistance of those closest to Clinton to get her to change her ways during the election, despite her falling poll numbers.

The insider said that some urged Clinton to do The View more to show her 'gregarious side,' but she only appeared once on the program.

What's more, the insider claims that Clinton's inner circle grew smaller and smaller as the election approached, while Trump's grew bigger and bigger.

It is unclear now what Abedin will do, having worked for Clinton ever since she graduated from college.

'[S]hes someone that will be sought after either personally or through business from many rich, very rich connected people. Shell do very well for herself,' said the insider.

Abedin will likely be on hand Thursday night for Clinton's holiday party at The Plaza Hotel in New York City (Abedin above on November 9 at Clinton's concession speech)

She will likely be on hand Thursday night however for Clinton's holiday party at The Plaza in New York City.

The December 15 party will be a thank you to those who doled out millions to Clinton's campaign, honoring the Hillary for America finance leadership council.

Clinton's decision to host a joyful, and costly, celebration is a surprising one, especially just one month after her shocking loss in the general election.

Among those who are expected to attend are Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, designer Tory Burch, investor Alan Patricof and billionaire hedge-fund manager Marc Lasry.

Those five not only donated to Clinton but also hosted fundraising events for the campaign.

Wintour also used her position to have Vogue formally endorse Clinton for president.

Also in attendance at the holiday bash will be Tim Kaine, who usually throws his own holiday party the same day in New York City.

This has led to some speculation that he may be planning a 2020 run for president.

Clinton is sparing no expense for the event either, which will be held at in the hotel's Grand Ballroom.

The 4,800 square foot beaux-arts style ballroom has been the site of some of the city's most memorable, and lavish, wedding ceremonies, as well as where Truman Capote held his famed Black & White Ball.

It is also where Donald Trump and his second wife Marla Maples held their wedding reception, back when Trump owned the hotel.

The rental fee for the room alone is reportedly $12,000, and that does not include the food and drink price for the guests.

In the end, most events held at the venue cost well over $100,000, and some have even topped $1million over the years.
The baby was delivered after two hours, but its gender was not specified

A mother who weighs 22 stone (309lbs) has successfully given birth in China.

A team of 16 medical staff worked together to carry out a two-hour Caesarean section on December 13 at a hospital in Changsha, southern China, reported Huanqiu.com, an affiliation to People's Daily.

The woman were reportedly 39 weeks pregnant and had been diagnosed with various heart diseases, pulmonary hypertension and gestational diabetes.

A team of medical staff worked together to deliver the baby for the mother in Changsha, China

Staff joined forces to support the 22-stone woman so that the doctor could induce anaesthesia

Staff from the different departments of the Hunan People's Hospital, including Obstetrics, Anesthesiology, Neonatology, were summoned to the operation, according to the report.

The name and age of the mother were not given in the report.

Due to the weight of the patient, anaesthesia had been a challenge, doctors said, because a normal needle was eight centimetres (three inches), not long enough to inject the anaesthetic into the body.

Her baby was delivered after two hours, but its gender or health condition were not specified

Multiple staff had to join forces to support the mother so that she could stay upright for the doctor to induce anaesthesia from the spine, instead of the neck.

The report also said that the mother suffered from Sleep Apnea, which meant a full-body anaesthesia could be particularly risky.

The operation started in the morning and after around two hours, her baby was successfully delivered at 11:59am.

The report did not mention the gender of the baby. Nor did it mention whether or not the baby was healthy.
Popular platforms such as Google, Facebook and WhatsApp face a strict new privacy crackdown from the EU.

The security rules dictate how big messaging services track people online to target advertising at users.

The industry fears that the new rules from Brussels could damage its business model and threaten the 'entire internet'.

Popular internet platforms such as Google, Facebook and WhatsApp are facing a strict new privacy crackdown from the EU. The security rules dictate how big messaging services track people online to target advertising at users. (Stock image used)

THE NEW RULES The new rules are part of the EU's overhaul of its 'ePrivacy' directive, which oversees everything from marketing emails to online tracking. One of the new rules would force websites and browsers to ask for users' consent before directing advertising at them based on their browser history. Users currently have to actively opt out of receiving such advertisements. The EU will also bring in a rule to tighten regulation on online messaging and calls, or 'Over The Top' (OTT), services. The EU executive plans to extend rules that currently only apply to telecom operators to web companies offering calls and messages using the internet. Telecoms firms have long complained that companies such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook are more lightly regulated, despite offering similar services. Advertisement

A draft of new proposals leaked from the European Commission yesterday reveals the full extent of Brussels' latest attempts to tighten its grip over Silicon Valley's big hitters.

The rules would force websites and browsers to ask for users' consent before directing advertising at them based on their browser history.

Users currently have to actively opt out of receiving such advertisements.

The document suggests that the EU will also attempt to tighten regulation on online messaging and calls, or 'Over The Top' (OTT), services.

Messaging services like WhatsApp and Skype will likely be affected.

The move is part of the EU's significant overhaul of its 'ePrivacy' directive, which oversees everything in online privacy from marketing emails to online tracking.

Big Silicon Valley groups like Facebook and Google have been under fire from Brussels this year.

The EU launched antitrust probes into Google in April, and ordered Apple to pay billions of euros in backdated tax to the Irish government back in August.

Companies that do not abide to the EU's new rules could face fines of up to four per cent of global turnover.

This fine would reach ten figures for the bigger companies at risk.

The proposal is set to be unveiled in January and may still undergo changes.

Online advertisers have warned that the new proposals could threaten the internet's entire business model.

'This is very concerning  it's putting at risk the entire internet as we know it,' Yves Schwarzbart, head of policy and regulatory affairs at the Internet Advertising Bureau in the UK, told FT.

A draft of new proposals leaked from the European Commission yesterday reveals the full extent of Brussels' latest attempts to tighten their grip over Silicon Valley's biggest hitters. Image: EU flag waving in front of European Parliament building in Brussels, Belgium

'Our number one concern is asking for prior permission.

'Advertising is the funding model of the internet, and helps publishers create better content.

'That whole model could be undermined.'

Speaking to FT, an unnamed executive from a large technology company said: 'We think this will be very damaging to Europe's digital future.

'It creates huge barriers for digital businesses, large and small, compared to the rest of the world, and is likely to worsen the experience for European consumers over the rest of the world, as services become harder to use, more disruptive and more confusing.'

Telecoms firms have long complained that companies such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook are more lightly regulated, despite offering similar services.

They have previously called for EU rules specific to telecoms firms either to be repealed or extended to everyone.

Speaking on 'Over The Top' (OTT) messaging services like Facebook and Skype, the leaked report says that lax rules on these services: 'C reate a void of protection of confidentiality for the users of these services.'

'Moreover, it generates an uneven playing field between these providers and electronic communications service providers, as services which are perceived by users as functionally equivalent are not subject to the same rules.'
NASA's Curiosity rover has revealed how the ground under its wheels was once 'perfect' for life.

The rover is climbing a layered Martian mountain, and has found the ingredients for a 'stew of life', researchers said.

New NASA analysis revealed today points to a 'evidence of how ancient lakes and wet underground environments changed, billions of years ago, creating more diverse chemical environments that affected their favorability for microbial life.'

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 Slide me  Hematite, clay minerals and boron are among the ingredients found to be more abundant in layers farther uphill, compared with lower, older layers examined earlier in the mission.

STRANDED ON MARS Engineers are troubleshooting a snag on NASA's Curiosity that's preventing the rover from moving its robotic arm and driving to another spot on Mars, the space agency said Tuesday. The problem involves a motor in the rover's drill that is used to bore into rocks. Curiosity has been taking pictures and tracking the weather, but doing little else for the past two weeks. Advertisement

'There is so much variability in the composition at different elevations, we've hit a jackpot,' said John Grotzinger, of Caltech in Pasadena, California.

Hematite, clay minerals and boron are among the ingredients found to be more abundant in layers farther uphill, compared with lower, older layers examined earlier in the mission.

'Variations in these minerals and elements indicate a dynamic system,' Grotzinger said.

'They interact with groundwater as well as surface water.

The water influences the chemistry of the clays, but the composition of the water also changes.

This map shows the route driven by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover (blue line) and locations where the rover's Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument detected the element boron (dots, colored by abundance of boron according to the key at right). The main map shows the traverse from landing day (Sol 0) in August 2012 to the rover's location in September 2016, with boron detections through September 2015. The inset at upper left shows a magnified version of the most recent portion of that traverse, with boron detections during that portion.

'A sedimentary basin such as this is a chemical reactor,' Grotzinger said.

'Elements get rearranged.

'New minerals form and old ones dissolve. Electrons get redistributed.

'On Earth, these reactions support life.'

'We are seeing chemical complexity indicating a long, interactive history with the water.

'The more complicated the chemistry is, the better it is for habitability.

'The boron, hematite and clay minerals underline the mobility of elements and electrons, and that is good for life.'

Examination of a calcium sulfate vein called "Diyogha" by the Chemical and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover found boron, sodium and chlorine. At left, an image from Curiosity's Mast Camera (Mastcam) shows the context of the pale vein in mudstone of the Murray formation on lower Mount Sharp. A red outline marks the area included in a magnified view, at right, from ChemCam's remote micro-imager.

Scientists are discussing what these and other variations tell about conditions under which sediments were initially deposited, and about how groundwater moving later through the accumulated layers altered and transported ingredients.

Effects of this groundwater movement are most evident in mineral veins.

The veins formed where cracks in the layers were filled with chemicals that had been dissolved in groundwater.

The water with its dissolved contents also interacted with the rock matrix surrounding the veins, altering the chemistry both in the rock and in the water.

Members of Curiosity's science team presented an update about the mission Tuesday, Dec. 13, in San Francisco during the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

What Curiosity has found: This series of pie charts shows similarities and differences in the mineral compositions of mudstones at 10 sites where NASA's Curiosity Mars rover collected rock-powder samples and analyzed them with the rover's Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument.

As the rover examines higher, younger layers, researchers say they are impressed by the complexity of the lake environments when clay-bearing sediments were being deposited, and also the complexity of the groundwater interactions after the sediments were buried.

Whether Martian life has ever existed is still unknown.

No compelling evidence for it has been found.

CURIOSITY'S MISSION ON MARS When Curiosity landed in Mars' Gale Crater in 2012, the mission's main goal was to determine whether the area ever offered an environment favorable for microbes. The crater's main appeal for scientists is geological layering exposed in the lower portion of its central mound, Mount Sharp. The crater's main appeal for scientists is geological layering exposed in the lower portion of its central mound, Mount Sharp. These exposures offer access to rocks that hold a record of environmental conditions from many stages of early Martian history, each layer younger than the one beneath it. The mission succeeded in its first year, finding that an ancient Martian lake environment had all the key chemical ingredients needed for life, plus chemical energy available for life. This map shows the route driven by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover from the location where it landed in August 2012 to its location in December 2016, which is in the upper half of a geological unit called the Murray formation, on lower Mount Sharp. Now, the rover is climbing lower on Mount Sharp to investigate how ancient environmental conditions changed over time. Advertisement

'We are well into the layers that were the main reason Gale Crater was chosen as the landing site,' said Curiosity Deputy Project Scientist Joy Crisp of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, California.

'We are now using a strategy of drilling samples at regular intervals as the rover climbs Mount Sharp. Earlier we chose drilling targets based on each site's special characteristics.

'Now that we're driving continuously through the thick basal layer of the mountain, a series of drill holes will build a complete picture.'

This graphic depicts aspects of the driving distance, elevation, geological units and time intervals of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover mission, as of late 2016. The vertical dimension is exaggerated 14-fold compared with the horizontal dimension, for presentation-screen proportions.

Four recent drilling sites, from 'Oudam' this past June through 'Sebina' in October, are each spaced about 80 feet (about 25 meters) apart in elevation.

This uphill pattern allows the science team to sample progressively younger layers that reveal Mount Sharp's ancient environmental history.

One clue to changing ancient conditions is the mineral hematite.

It has replaced less-oxidized magnetite as the dominant iron oxide in rocks Curiosity has drilled recently, compared with the site where Curiosity first found lakebed sediments.

'Both samples are mudstone deposited at the bottom of a lake, but the hematite may suggest warmer conditions, or more interaction between the atmosphere and the sediments,' said Thomas Bristow of NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California.

This graphic maps locations of the sites where NASA's Curiosity Mars rover collected its first 19 rock or soil samples for analysis by laboratory instruments inside the vehicle. It also presents images of the drilled holes where 15 rock-powder samples were acquired. Curiosity scooped two soil samples at each of the other two sites: Rocknest and Gobabeb. The diameter of each drill hole is about 0.6 inch (1.6 centimeters), slightly smaller than a U.S. dime.

He helps operate the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) laboratory instrument inside the rover, which identifies minerals in collected samples.

Chemical reactivity occurs on a gradient of chemical ingredients' strength at donating or receiving electrons.

Transfer of electrons due to this gradient can provide energy for life.

An increase in hematite relative to magnetite indicates an environmental change in the direction of tugging electrons more strongly, causing a greater degree of oxidation in iron.
Footprints belonging to a group of early humans who lived 3.6 million years ago have been uncovered in Tanzania.

The early impressions were made when five of our ancient relatives - most likely Australopithecus afarensis - walked across wet volcanic ash.

Researchers say the footprints suggest that members of Australopithecus afarensis may have had a gorilla-like social arrangement of one dominant male mating with several females.

Footprints belonging to a group of early humans who lived millions of years ago have been uncovered in Tanzania. A man, accompanied by four women was thought to have walked at least 30 metres over the volcanic ash that later hardened into rock

AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFARENSIS Australopithecus afarensis is one of the longest-lived and best-known early human species, who lived 3.85 to 2.95 million years ago in Eastern Africa. The species survived for more than 900,000 years, which is over four times as long as our own species has been around. Similar to chimpanzees, Au. afarensis children grew rapidly after birth and reached adulthood earlier than modern humans. Au. afarensis had both ape and human characteristics, with apelike face proportions and long, strong arms with curved fingers adapted for climbing trees. They also had small canine teeth like all other early humans, and a body that stood on two legs and regularly walked upright. Advertisement

The 13 footprints were discovered in Laetoli, Tanzania, by an international group of researchers, led by Sapienza University in Rome.

The researchers believe that they belong to five members of Australopithecus afarensis  the prehuman species best known for the fossil skeleton, nicknamed 'Lucy.'

A man, accompanied by four women was thought to have walked at least 30 metres over the volcanic ash that later hardened into rock.

Professor Giorgio Manzi, lead author of the study, said: 'This novel evidence, taken as a whole with the previous findings, portrays several early hominins moving as a group through the landscape following a volcanic eruption and subsequent rainfall. But there is more.

'The footprints of one of the new individuals are astonishingly larger than anyone else's in the group, suggesting that he was a large male member of the species.

The researchers believe that they belong to five members of Australopithecus afarensis  the prehuman species best known for the fossil skeleton, nicknamed 'Lucy'

'In fact, the 165cm stature indicated by his footprints makes him the largest Australopithecus specimen identified to date.'

The findings differ from previous studies that have suggested that Australopithecus afarensis males only had one sexual partner.

A study in 2003 by researchers from Penn State University performed extensive simulations using modern humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas to understand the sex lives of Australopithecus afarensis individuals.

In their paper, the researchers, led by Dr Philip Reno, wrote that 'the reproductive strategy of A afarensis was principally monogamy.'

The prints were found at Laetoli  a site which is famous for another set of smaller footprints left by Australopithecus afarensis individuals.

In the 1970s, those prints made headlines as the earliest clear evidence of upright walking by our ancestors.

This illustration provided by Dawid A. Iurino in December 2016 shows a reconstruction of the northern Tanzanian Laetoli site 3.66 million years ago, where the footprints were found

ESTIMATING HEIGHT FROM FOOTPRINTS Measurements of the length and width of the footprints, stride length and the angle of the gait allowed the researchers to calculate rough weights and heights for the five. The male came in at the heaviest and tallest, weighing 48.1kg (100 pounds) and measuring about 5 foot 5 (165 centimetres), while the lightest only weighed 28.5kg. If these measurements are correct, this would mean the male loomed more than 20 centimetres (eight inches) above his fellow walkers. Advertisement

The newly found prints are only 150 metres away.

Measurements of the length and width of the footprints, stride length and the angle of the gait allowed the researchers to calculate rough weights and heights for the five.

The male came in at the heaviest and tallest, weighing 48.1kg (100lbs) and measuring about 5 foot 5 (165cm), while the lightest only weighed 28.5kg.

If these measurements are correct, this would mean the male loomed more than 20 centimetres (eight inches) above his fellow walkers.

Dr Marco Cherin, who also worked on the study, said: 'A tentative conclusion is that the group consisted of one male, two or three females, and one or two juveniles, which leads us to believe that the male - and therefore other males in the species - had more than one female mate.'

Measurements of the length and width of the footprints, stride length and the angle of the gait allowed the researchers to calculate rough weights and heights for the five

The large male-female disparity suggests that Australopithecus afarensis may have had a gorilla-like social arrangement of one dominant male, with a group of females and their offspring.

But not everyone is convinced by the researchers' analysis of the height.

Dr William Jungers, a research associate at the Association Vahatra in Madagascar who wrote a commentary on the study, says the estimate is suspect.

The prints were found at Laetoli  a site which is famous for another set of smaller footprints left by Australopithecus afarensis individuals

In his commentary, Dr Jungers wrote: 'It is important to note that foot length has only been roughly estimated for this ancient species, and that the height estimates would change if a different foot length-to-stature ratio was used.'

In November, researchers analysed the fossilised arm bones of Lucy, an early hominin from the Australopithecus afarensis species, and suggested that she was a tree climber.

Scans of Lucy's arm bones revealed her upper limbs were somewhere between a modern human and a chimpanzee.

In November, researchers analysed the fossilised arm bones of Lucy, an early hominin from the Australopithecus afarensis species, and suggested that she was a tree climber

The evidence gleaned from the scans proves she spent time climbing and used her arms to pull herself up, potentially ending the long-running debate among palaeontologists.

It also expands on evidence from earlier this year which claimed that Lucy may have died from a fall, most likely from a tree.

Taken together, the evidence suggests that Australopithecus afarensis may have been spent time on the ground, returning to the safety of the trees for food and to sleep, to avoid predators.
Uber is bringing a small number of self-driving cars to its ride-hailing service in San Francisco  a move likely to excite the city's tech-savvy population and certain to antagonize California regulators.

The testing lets regular people experience the cars as Uber works to identify glitches before expanding the technology's use in San Francisco and elsewhere.

Uber's self-driving tests in San Francisco will begin with a 'handful' of Volvo luxury SUVs - the company would not release an exact number - that have been tricked out with sensors so they can steer, accelerate and brake, and even decide to change lanes.

The cars will have an Uber employee behind the wheel to take over should the technology fail.

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Uber is bringing a small number of self-driving cars to its ride-hailing service in San Francisco  a move likely to excite the city's tech-savvy population and certain to antagonize California regulators

The Wednesday launch in Uber's hometown expands a public pilot program the company started in Pittsburgh in September.

California law, however, requires a test permit for self-driving prototype vehicles, and Uber does not have one.

The company argues that the law doesn't apply because its cars require a human backup.

Uber has a history of testing legal boundaries.

Although the company has been around less than a decade, it has argued with authorities around the world about how much of its drivers' histories should be covered in background checks and whether those drivers should be treated as contractors ineligible for employee benefits.

The Wednesday launch in Uber's hometown expands a public pilot program the company started in Pittsburgh in September. The testing lets everyday people experience the cars as Uber works to identify glitches before expanding the technology

Users of the app may be matched with a self-driving car, but can opt out if they prefer a human driver. Self-driven rides cost the same as ordinary ones.

The cars will be put to the test in the congested streets of San Francisco.

The city can be a daunting place to drive given its famously steep hills, frequent fog, street and cable cars, an active bicycle culture, and roads that are constantly being repaved, remarked and restricted for bike lanes and traffic management.

HOW MICHIGAN BECAME FIRST STATE TO LET AUTONOMOUS CARS ON ROADS WITHOUT A HUMAN DRIVER Companies can now test self-driving cars on public roads in Michigan without a driver or steering wheel under controversial new laws that could push the state to the forefront of autonomous vehicle development - at a price. A new package of bills signed into law last Friday comes with few specific state regulations - leaving many decisions up to automakers and companies such as Google and Uber. Michigan Transportation Director Kirk Steudle, who signed the bill, admitted there will be crashes and fatalities caused by the technology - but said 'it's a risk worth taking'. And they allow the sale of self-driving vehicles to the public once they are tested and certified, according to the state. The bills allow testing without burdensome regulations so the industry can move forward with potential life-saving technology, said Gov. Rick Snyder, who signed the bills. The bills give Michigan the potential to be a leader by giving the companies more autonomy than say, California, which now requires human backup drivers in case something goes awry. Police will investigate any crashes and presumably would report any trends to the state, which could suspend a company's manufacturer license plates and end the tests, Steudle said as he conceded that there will be crashes and probably a fatality involving autonomous cars. But the technology can eliminate human errors that cause 94 percent of crashes and cut the 100 highway deaths in the U.S. every day, he said. Advertisement

Uber believes its technology is ready to handle all this safely, though its executives concede the vehicles are nowhere near able to drive without a human ready to take control in dicey situations.

There was room for improvement during a Tuesday test drive attended by The Associated Press.

The car was destined for a local pizza parlor, but didn't pull directly in front of the restaurant, and instead stopped in the middle of the street. The cars may strike some riders as over-cautious, too.

During the test drive, one idled in a traffic jam even though an adjacent lane was clear, prompting the human driver to make the move himself.

Uber's fleet of Volvo XC90s won't be the first self-driving cars on San Francisco streets  several other companies visit regularly with test prototypes, though none offers public rides.

Once testing is complete, the ultimate vision is to sell to the public technology which supporters argue will save thousands of lives because it doesn't drink, text, fall asleep or take dangerous risks.

Under state law, self-driving tests on public roads require a permit from the Department of Motor Vehicles. The department has issued permits to 20 companies, mostly a collection of traditional automakers and tech companies  but not Uber.

Uber argues that its cars aren't really autonomous, and thus aren't covered by the law. Under the law, an 'autonomous vehicle' requires a permit if it can drive itself 'without the active physical control or monitoring of a natural person'.

According to Anthony Levandowski, the leader of Uber's self-driving program, Uber's cars simply aren't advanced enough to drive themselves without human monitoring. 'We're just not capable of doing that yet,' he said.

Therefore, the Volvos are not autonomous and do not require a permit.

It makes no sense to get a permit when one is not needed, Levandowski said: 'This is where science and logic needs to trump blind compliance.'

In a statement issued late Tuesday, the DMV said it 'encourages the responsible exploration of self-driving cars' and noted that 20 companies have permits to test hundreds of cars in California.

'Uber shall do the same,' the statement said.

California law, however, requires a test permit for self-driving prototype vehicles, and Uber does not have one. The company argues that the law doesn't apply because its cars require a human backup

Uber's self-driving tests in San Francisco will begin with a 'handful' of Volvo luxury SUVs  the company wouldn't release an exact number  that have been tricked out with sensors so they can steer, accelerate and brake, and even decide to change lanes

Uber believes its technology is ready to handle all this safely, though its executives concede the vehicles are nowhere near able to drive without a human ready to take control in dicey situations

Operating without a permit arguably gives Uber a competitive advantage. Companies with one must report to the state all crashes and every instance in which a person takes control during testing.

All that information is public. To receive a permit, a company must show proof of insurance, pay a $150 fee and agree that a human driver can take control of the vehicle.

Uber's stance seems likely to upset both state officials and competitors, said Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina who tracked California's law as it was drafted in 2012.

While an attorney could argue that Uber is reading the letter of California law correctly, Smith said, testing permits were 'envisioned as a gateway, as an interim step' to launching self-driving cars on public roads.

Smith recalled discussing at the time the argument that Uber is now making: One day, a company might go public without a testing permit precisely because the law requires human oversight during testing.
These incredible close-ups of crabs, crustaceans, shrimps, sharks and more are all winning entries to the Best of British Underwater photography contest.

The underwater images, which were all taken in UK waters, have come top in the competition, organised by the British Society of Underwater Photographers.

From a battle between two trout in a Hampshire river, to a crab crawling the bed of a Scottish loch, the winners' gallery takes viewers on a fascinating wildlife tour of UK waters.

A picture of a shark reflected in the water in Penzance, Cornwall, helped keen photographer Kirsty Andrews win the contest.

Ms Andrews, who submitted several photos to the competition, said:

'Blue sharks are stunning visitors to UK shores, and snorkelling with them is exciting and wonderful.

'On a calm day the sun's rays cut through the water and as well as showing the beautiful reflected shark I wanted to give a feel for the vast depths of clear water beneath her.'

Other winning photos include mating pikes pursuing a female, a pink shrimp in a grotto of soft coral and Lion's mane jellyfish in Babbacombe Bay, Torbay.
A stone tablet recovered from the seafloor off the coast of Israel has revealed new insight into one of the bloodiest periods of ancient Jewish history.

Researchers have revealed for the first time that its inscriptions give the name of the Roman governor who ruled over the biblical state of Judea in the lead up to a failed revolt by the Jews.

Archaeologists say that in addition to revealing the governors name - Gargilius Antiquus - the tablet features only the second recorded Roman inscription to use Judea for the region.

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Archaeologists at the University of Haifa in Israel have deciphered the Greek engraving on an 1,800-year-old tablet which provides the second recorded Roman inscription of 'Judea' and lists the Roman governor of the region in the 2nd century

The slab was first found on the seafloor about 18 miles (30km) off the coast of the city of Haifa and is believed to date back to the 2nd century CE.

This was a bloody period in Jewish history, leading up to the Bar Kokhba revolt, when the people of the province of Judea rebelled against the Romans.

Some historians believe the events led to the deaths of more than half a million Jews, with Roman Emperor Hadrian wiping the name of Judea from the records.

Over the past 70 years, excavations around the site of the biblical city of Dor, south of Haifa, have revealed chunks of pottery as well as the huge rectangular stone, which was later dragged from the waters and moved to the University of Haifa.

The slab was first found on the seafloor about 30 km off the coast of the city of Haifa and is believed to date back to the time of the Bar Kokhba revolt, when the people of the province of Judea rebelled against the Romans

Over the past 70 years, excavations around the site of the biblical city of Dor, south of Haifa, have revealed chunks of pottery as well as the huge rectangular stone, which was later dragged from the waters and moved to the University of Haifa

JUDEA STRICKEN FROM THE RECORD Archaeologists at the University of Haifa in Israel have deciphered the Greek engraving on a 1,800-year-old tablet. They claim the inscriptions mention 'Judea', only the second recorded Roman inscription of the biblical province. Following unsuccessful attempts to overthrow Roman rule, historical records indicate that Emperor Hadrian changed the name of the region to Syria-Palaestina. The inscriptions also mention the governor of Judea at the time, a Roman named Gargilius Antiquus. Advertisement

The enormous stone is believed to have formed part of a larger sculpture, at 33 inches (85 cm) tall and weighing more than 1300 lbs (600 kg).

Etched carefully into its surface are seven lines of Greek text, the working written language of the region at the time.

Now, a team working to decipher the inscriptions have revealed that it names Gargilius Antiquus as the governor of the biblical region before the events of 131 CE.

They say the mention of Gargilius Antiquus matches previous finds at the site decades earlier, but in which the name of the province had not been preserved.

For the first time, we can identify with certainty the name of the Roman governor of Judea during the critical period leading up to the Bar Kochba revolt, said Professor Assaf Yasur-Landau, from the University of Haifa.

Apart from that, this is only the second time that the name Judea has appeared on an inscription from the Roman period.

The inscription enormous tablet, which weighs more than 600 kg, is now on display at the University of Haifa's library

The mention of Judea joins only one other Roman inscription of the title, which also mentions Pontious Pilate  who the bible records as the prefect who sentenced Jesus to death.

After the bloody revolts of the 2nd century, the Romans attempted to stamp out the record of Judea and the uprising, renaming the province as Syria-Palaestina.

'What we have here is an inscription dated to just before Judea ceased to exist as a province under that name,' the researchers add.

'Of the two inscriptions mentioning the name Judea, the one just discovered is later, of course.'

'Because such findings are so rare, it is unlikely that we will find later inscriptions including the name Judea,' they add.
'Atmospheric rivers', that can contain many times more water than the world's largest rivers, could cause massive floods capable of wiping out entire species.

These narrow jets of humid air are expected to increase under future climate change, according to new research.

The study claims to be the first to document the biological impact of atmospheric rivers.

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'Atmospheric rivers', that can contain many times more water than the world's largest rivers, could cause massive floods capable of wiping out entire species

WHAT ARE ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS? Atmospheric rivers, or 'rivers in the sky,' are long, narrow corridors of concentrated moisture that travel in the lower atmosphere. They can transport seven to 15 times as much water flow as the Mississippi River, but in the air. In California, atmospheric rivers have been known to deliver up to half of the state's annual precipitation in just 10 to 15 days. They have also been linked to all seven declared floods on California's Russian River between 1996 and 2007. While atmospheric rivers are expected to increase, their unpredictable nature makes it difficult for researchers to collect ecological data before and after extreme events. Advertisement

The research, carried out by University of California, Davis and the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, or NERR, documents the mass death of wild Olympia oysters in 2011.

'This shows us one way in which extreme events might affect coastal ecosystems,' said lead author Brian Cheng, a UC Davis doctoral candidate and NERR graduate research fellow at the time of the study.

'Oysters can help buffer shorelines and enhance biodiversity, but this is one facet of climate change that might be a hurdle for oyster restoration efforts in San Francisco Bay.'

Atmospheric rivers, or 'rivers in the sky,' are long, narrow corridors of concentrated moisture that travel in the lower atmosphere.

They can transport seven to 15 times as much water flow as the Mississippi River, but in the air.

In California, atmospheric rivers have been known to deliver up to half of the state's annual precipitation in just 10 to 15 days.

They have also been linked to all seven declared floods on California's Russian River between 1996 and 2007.

While atmospheric rivers are expected to increase, their unpredictable nature makes it difficult for researchers to collect ecological data before and after extreme events.

The researchers were able to gather data in this case after previously experimenting with how oysters respond to changes in temperature, salinity and oxygen.

They learned that oysters have a specific threshold for low salinity.

In March 2011, a series of atmospheric rivers caused landfall in California, leading to intense rain resulting in a massive increase in freshwater flowing into San Francisco Bay.

This caused a low salinity level that matched the oysters' low salinity threshold that the researchers had previously discovered.

Pictured is a particularly strong atmospheric river stretching from the Caribbean to the UK on 5 December 2015, caused by Storm Desmond. A second atmospheric river, which originated from the Philippines, can be seen in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of North America

'Atmospheric rivers' are though to be behind a massive die-off of oysters in north San Francisco bay. These narrow jets of humid air are expected to increase under future climate change, according to a new study

They had been monitoring the massive Olympia oyster population at China Camp State Park in northern San Francisco Bay.

This was home to some 3,000 oysters per square meter (93.28 square feet).

In comparison, the next most densely populated site has around 100 oyster per square metre.

Following the atmospheric river event, nearly all of the oysters at China Camp died - the researchers estimate that the death tool was in excess of 100,000, possibly hundreds of thousands.

Researchers monitored the massive Olympia oyster population at China Camp State Park in northern San Francisco Bay

The researchers concluded that the the deaths were the result of low salinity.

This was caused by extreme freshwater flow into the bay, which was traced back to rainfall over the the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

There were 20 atmospheric rivers between October 2010 and September 2011, said the researchers, with three of them taking place in March, right before the mass oysters death, said the researchers.

Prior to the 2011 die-off, the wild oyster population in the area was already struggling, though they are beginning to come back, said the researchers.

Nearly all of the oysters at China Camp State Park in northern San Francisco died as a result of low salinity. This was caused by extreme freshwater flow into the bay, which was traced back to rainfall over the the Sierra Nevada mountain range, following a series of atmospheric rivers

However, their future is uncertain and any major weather events in future, including atmospheric rivers, could knock back their progress again.

'On the one hand, it's good news that despite the mass die-off, a few years later, they came back,' Mr Cheng said.

'But it's not as simple as that.

'These new oysters are smaller and less fertile, and that may have consequences for restoring oysters in San Francisco Bay.'

To deal with the expected influence of atmospheric rivers and other extreme weather events, Mr Cheng thinks strengthening the entire oyster population across the bay is the best way to help them recover and be more resilient to future changes.
wind chills ending up in the -10 to -25 degrees F

A stunning animation from space reveals winter is coming for certain parts of the United States.

The NASA data shows a frigid air mass is sweeping over the US and is likely to affect states located in the north central to the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic areas.

Known as a polar vortex, this weather system is expected to deliver bitter wind chills and temperatures 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit below the average on both Thursday and Friday.

WINTER IS COMING A polar vortex is sweeping over the US and is likely to affect states from the north central to the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic. Data from NASA's satellite shows that the coldest air will make its way across the Upper Midwest region on Wednesday night into Thursday. Minnesota, Wisconsin, parts of the Dakotas and Chicago are set to feel wind chills colder than -20 degrees by Thursday morning. Record breaking low temperatures are expected for northern Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia on Thursday. Maine, the Boston metro area, New York City and the D.C. metro area could also experience record low temperatures on Friday. New England and parts of the US East Coast could experience wind chills as low as -10 to -25 on Thursday and Friday. The National Weather Service in Boston has issued a warning of dangerously cold weather for the end of the week. Advertisement

These predictions stem from imagery collected by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument attached to NASAs Aqua satellite that measures temperature data in infrared light.

At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, a series of AIRS images and an animation were created to depict the temperature of air at heights of 500 millibars.

From December 1 to 11, AIRS has been monitoring the movement of cold air traveling across the US and Canada.

On December 7, cold arctic air descended from Canada into the Plain states - reaching Colorado, Kansas and Missouri.

Then it shifted east two days later, making its way through the Ohio Valley and New England.

Another trough of cold air came blowing down from Canada into the northern plains on December 11.

This system is set to head for the north central and northeastern parts of the US on December 14 and 15, and coming with it are very chilly temperatures.

On AIRS 500 millibar imagery, generally, warmer than average temperatures can be found under ridges where the curve lifts northward.

Colder temperatures can be found under troughs, or where the front dips toward the southward.

A polar vortex is expected to deliver temperatures 20 to 30 degrees below the average this week. These predictions stem from imagery collected by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument attached to NASAs Aqua satellite that measures temperature data in infrared light

These maps give a large-scale picture of the weather pattern over the continental United States and North America.

The 500 millibar maps are useful in examining winter weather patterns between about 30 degrees and 60 degrees latitude.

And data pulled from the instrument shows that the coldest air will make its way across the Upper Midwest region on Wednesday night into Thursday, reports The Washington Post.

Minnesota, Wisconsin, parts of the Dakotas and Chicago are all set to feel wind chills colder than -20 degrees by Thursday morning.

Record breaking low temperatures are expected in northern Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia also on Thursday.

Maine, the Boston metro area, New York City and the D.C. metro area could also experience record low temperatures the following day.

However, New England and parts of the US East Coast are expected to feel the brunt of the polar vortex and could feel wind chills as low as -10 to -25 on Thursday and Friday.

The National Weather Service in Boston has already issued a warning of dangerously cold weather for the end of the week.

The term polar vortex first became popular in 2014, when the system made its way across the the US - it affected 200 million people and caused billions of dollars in damages.

From December 1 to 11, AIRS has been monitoring the movement of cold air traveling across the US and Canada. Another trough of cold air came blowing down from Canada into the northern plains on December 11 (pictured)

Many #TropopausePolarVortices (#TPVs) comprise the #CircumpolarVortex. The TPV w/ lowest theta-DT on Earth fcast to be over Boston on Friday pic.twitter.com/se5wMzQoiL  Philippe Papin (@pppapin) December 13, 2016

However, climatologists told DailyMail.com that, thankfully, it wont be as severe this time around.

The winter of 2014 was a really extreme case, as the cold was so persistent and it was focused on one area, which makes it very hard to reproduce,' Judah Cohen, a climatologist at Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER), a Verisk Analytics Business, told DailyMail.com.

The north central to the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic are set to experience record low temperatures this week. New England and parts of the US East Coast could experience wind chills as low as -10 to -25 on Thursday and Friday

'Normally when a vortex stretches it eventually bursts, but in 2014 it just kept stretching and bouncing back.'

'That event was highly unique and very hard to duplicate, Im not saying it is impossible, but there are no signs that we are going to get a repeat.'

Experts say the polar vortex is already on the move this year  which could be very troubling later on.

'There has been an unusual weakening, but it is unprecedentedly early and if we look at it chronologically it should hit in January,' said Cohen.

A recent study claimed Arctic sea-ice loss is causing the Polar Vortex to shift and as a result, winters are expected to get longer and more bitter

'Researchers are attributing the weakening in the study it to see-ice, which is contributing to the shift.'

A group of international researchers recently collaborated in a study that says it reveals the vortex shift induces cooling over some parts of the Eurasian continent and North America which partly offsets the tropospheric climate warming there in the past three decades, the team shared in the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

The potential vortex shift in response to persistent sea-ice loss in the future and its associated climatic impact, deserve attention to better constrain future climate changes.

Experts say the Arctic sea-ice loss is causing the polar vortex to shift and will cause longer winters. Pictured is the differences in 6-month (SeptFeb) mean SIC over the northern polar cap from the 2000s and the 1980s

The Polar Vortex hit the US hardest in 2014 , affecting 200 million people and causing billions of dollars in damages, but climatologists told DailyMail.com that, thankfully, it won't be as severe this time around

The winter of 2014 was a really extreme case, as the cold was so persistent and it was focused on one area, which makes it very hard to reproduce. Normally when a vortex stretches it eventually bursts, but in 2014 it just kept stretching and bouncing back

For more than 30 years, the polar vortex has been weakening because of this sea-ice loss in the Arctic, which is linked to human induced climate change, reports Think Progress.

And when this happens, a piece of the vortex can surge to the southern part of the globe, which it then pushes Arctic cold into areas of North America and Europe, reports The Weather Channel.

'The coldest areas this winter are expect to be in the Great Lakes near the northern plains,' Samuhel told DailyMail.com.

'But it looks like the south should have a pretty warm winter, especially the south central states.'

Samuhel also predicts that there will be a major difference between the northern and southern areas of the US, which will result in sever storms across the board.

Two years ago, this bitter shift caused the US economy some $5 billion in fights and infrastructure repairs.

A polar vortex also means higher energy bills that not only break the bank, but also dips into to our fossil fuel supply around a time experts reveal we have aggressively cut down in order to control climate change.

However, Cohen doesn't believe we will experience another harsh winter like the one two years ago.

'There can be two events where the polar vortex experienced weakening, which is what happened in 2009-2010, he said.

We had a very early weakening, then there was another in February and that is a plausible outcome for this winter.

If there was one winter to repeat would be 2009/2010 not 2013/2014.

Climatologists say this winter will not be as bad as 2014 (pictured is a frozen Niagara falls during the 2014 polar vortex) and if the polar vortex does strike it will be in January

This study comes shortly after the U.N. weather agency sent out a warning of 'fundamental change' afoot in the global climate and continued warming, accompanied recently by unusually high rainfall in parts of the US and Europe.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) cited data released by Nasa showing that this May was the hottest on record, and the Northern Hemisphere spring has been the hottest spring ever.

WMO global climate director Dr. David Carlson said the new data showed 370 straight months of warm or warmer-than-average temperatures worldwide.

The state of the climate so far this year gives us much cause for alarm,' said Carlson.

The first four months of 2016 were the warmest globally in 136 years.

'Exceptionally high temperatures. Ice melt rates in March and May that we don't normally see until July. Once-in-a-generation rainfall events. The super El Nino is only partly to blame. Abnormal is the new normal.'
Researchers have pinpointed the 'natural thermostat' that cools the air in Earth's upper atmosphere after violent solar storms.

This activity includes solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) - which release electrically charged plasma from the sun.

It is known to damage satellites, cause power outages back on Earth, and even disrupt GPS navigation services.

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Researchers have pinpointed the 'natural thermostat' that cools the air in Earth's upper atmosphere after violent solar storms. This activity includes solar flares and coronal mass ejections or CMEs (illustrated) - which release electrically charged plasma from the sun

HOW THE STUDY FOUND THE 'THERMOSTAT' The findings came about when Professor Knipp was reviewing satellite data from a severe solar storm in 1967. 'I found a graphic buried deep in a long forgotten manuscript,' she said. 'It finally suggested to me what was really happening.' As coronal mass ejections or CMEs - which release electrically charged plasma from the sun - cause the upper atmosphere to expand, satellites in low-Earth orbit experience more drag as they are forced to move through extra gaseous particles. Satellite drag is a major concern for aerospace firms as it causes orbit decays for spacecraft, which eventually burn up in our planet's atmosphere. The new study compared two 15-year-long sets of satellite data. One was from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument riding on Nasa's TIMED satellite. The other was collected by the U.S. Department of Defense satellites. 'We found that the fastest material streaming off the sun was triggering these shockwaves, causing the atmosphere to heave up and heat up,' said Professor Knipp. 'But it became very clear that these shock waves were at the root of creating the nitric oxide, which caused the atmosphere to shed energy and cool.' Advertisement

CMEs are powerful enough to send billions of tons of solar particles hurtling toward Earth at more than 1 million miles (1.6km) per hour, according to University of Colorado Boulder Professor Delores Knipp.

The researchers found that when such powerful CMEs speed toward Earth, they create shock waves similar to supersonic aircraft creating sonic booms.

While energy from the shock waves expands and heats up Earth's upper atmosphere, it also causes nitric oxide to form.

This chemical rapidly cools and shrinks the atmosphere.

'What's new is that we have determined the circumstances under which the upper atmosphere goes into this almost overcooling mode following significant heating,' said Professor Knipp.

'It's a bit like having a stuck thermostat  it's really a case of nature reining itself in.'

While CMEs slamming into Earth's atmosphere can cause temperature spikes of up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit (399 degrees Celcius), the nitric oxide can cool it by around 930 degrees Fahrenheit (499 degrees Celcius), said Professor Knipp.

The findings came about when Professor Knipp was reviewing satellite data from a severe solar storm in 1967.

'I found a graphic buried deep in a long forgotten manuscript,' she said.

'It finally suggested to me what was really happening.'

As CMEs cause the upper atmosphere to expand, satellites in low-Earth orbit experience more drag as they are forced to move through extra gaseous particles.

Satellite drag is a major concern for aerospace firms as it causes orbit decays for spacecraft, which eventually burn up in the atmosphere.

The new study compared two 15-year-long sets of satellite data - one from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument riding on Nasa's TIMED satellite (illustrated), and the other from US Department of Defense satellites

IMPACT OF SOLAR STORMS If Earth's magnetic field was hit by charged particles from a solar storm the effects could include: - Electric grid disruption - Radar interference - Solar cell damage - Telecommunication cable disruption - Pipeline corrosion - Loss of synchronisation of global internet - Airline passenger radiation Advertisement

The new study compared two 15-year-long sets of satellite data.

One was from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument riding on Nasa's TIMED satellite.

The other was collected by the U.S. Department of Defense satellites.

'We found that the fastest material streaming off the sun was triggering these shockwaves, causing the atmosphere to heave up and heat up,' said Professor Knipp.

'But it became very clear that these shock waves were at the root of creating the nitric oxide, which caused the atmosphere to shed energy and cool.'

The research is to be published in the journal Space Weather and Professor Knipp unveiled the findings in a presentation this week at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union San Francisco.

In October, solar winds triggered a giant geomagnetic storm, raising fears that they could cripple power supplies.

The charged particles were coming from a coronal hole on the sun that was facing Earth.

If Earth's magnetic field was hit by charged particles the effects could also include radar and satellite interference, causing problems phone and internet networks and navigation services.
A bizarre spherical cloud was spotted hovering over a city in Japan last week.

The phenomenon has since sparked the curiosity of conspiracy theorists who believe a 'Death Star' UFO created the puff as a shield - allowing it to observe humans without being seen.

However, experts have been quick to respond to these claims, saying the sighting may be a small portion of a larger cloud that was separated by strong winds.

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A bizarre spherical cloud was spotted hovering over a city in Japan last week. The phenomenon has since sparked the curiosity of conspiracy theorists who believe a 'Death Star' UFO was created the puff to hide - allowing it to observe humans without being seen

WHAT COULD IT BE? Todd Lane, an atmospheric scientist from the University of Melbourne told Science Alert that the bizarre shaped cloud is most likely some form of a cumulus fractus cloud. These small, ragged cloud fragments are usually found under an ambient cloud base. They form or have broken off from a larger cloud, and are sheared by strong winds, giving them a jagged, shredded appearance. The clouds form between 8,000 to 20,000 feet and they usually appear when warm air from the ground rises to meet cooler air in the sky. Advertisement

The peculiar cloud was reported earlier this month in the city of Fujisawa, which is just south of Tokyo, Japan.

Images snapped of the strange sighting have caused a frenzy across the internet, as many want to know what was floating in the sky.

Scott C Waring, creator of UFO Sightings Daily, weighed in on the discussion on Wednesday.

'This sphere cloud was seen over Japan last week and it's holding together especially well,' he shares in a blog post.

'Cloud like this are often made by UFOs that want to hide, yet come especially close so they can scan and observe the humans on the ground.'

Waring continues to explain that since this cloud was formed by a UFO, it has the ability to stay together for hours, whereas natural clouds change shapes 'second by second'.

However, the photographer who captured the puff in the sky said it started to lose its shapes while they were taking the pictures  then it quickly faded as if it never existed, reports Science Alert.

'When I looked out of the car window I saw a round ball-shaped cloud. I gazed at the cloud for a while then I rushed to take the photo,' Twitter user @pmxpvrtmx (Poppy) told local Japanese news outlet, Rocket News 24.

'When I saw the cloud it was an even more spherical shape, so I regret not taking the photo more quickly.'

However, experts have been quick to respond to these allegations, saying the sighting is most likely a small portion of a larger cloud that was separated by strong winds

Todd Lane, an atmospheric scientist from the University of Melbourne told Science Alert that the bizarre shaped cloud is most likely some form of a cumulus fractus cloud.

Alien hunters believe a 'Death Star' created the cloud over Japa

These small, ragged cloud fragments are usually found under an ambient cloud base.

They form or have broken off from a larger cloud, and are sheared by strong winds, giving them a jagged, shredded appearance.

This theory coincides with another picture that claims to be of the same sighting, but just of a different angle.

In this image, the cloud seems to be less spherical and more like a jagged piece.

Todd Lane, an atmospheric scientist from the University of Melbourne told Science Alert that the bizarre shaped cloud is most likely some form of a cumulus fractus cloud. This coincides with another image (pictured) of the same sighting, but just of a different angle

Others have suggested that it was nothing more than a roll cloud (pictured)  a type of arcus cloud-low horizontal formation that is a result of a cold front and is usually associated with thunderstorms

Others have suggested that it was nothing more than a roll cloud  a type of arcus cloud.

These are low horizontal formations that result from a cold front and are usually associated with thunderstorms.

And depending on the weather conditions, this type of cloud, 'can last for several hours and extend for several hundred miles,' Stephen Corfidi, a meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told National Geographic.
Air France has suspended flights to Sierra Leone because of the Ebola outbreak there and at the request of the French government.

The decision comes a week after the airline's staff signed a petition calling on their employer to avoid Ebola-hit countries for their own safety.

Unions representing employees called on the airline to halt its flights to and from the West African countries that are grappling with the worst Ebola outbreak ever.

Air France has temporarily suspended flights to Sierra Leone at the request of the French government

The disease has now killed more than 1,400 people in West Africa.

Air France announced that it temporarily halted its three flights a week to Freetown, Sierra Leone, but said it is maintaining its flights to Conakry, Guinea, and to Lagos, Nigeria, cities it flies to once a day.

The French government said the increasing spread of Ebola  notably in Liberia and Sierra Leone  prompted its request for suspension of Air France flights to Sierra Leone and its recommendation that French citizens leave Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Referring to Ebola, the airline said: 'Measures in place at airports there "guarantee ... that no passengers presenting symptoms ... can board.'

A group of young volunteers wear special uniforms for the burial of people in Sierra Leone in a bid to combat the spread of the Ebola virus

The decision came as British Airways announced it was extending its flight suspension to Liberia and Sierra Leone to December.

The British carrier initially said it was halting its service between Heathrow Airport and Liberia and Sierra Leone until the end of August due to the deteriorating public health situation in both countries, but it confirmed that it is extending the suspension until 31 December.

The decision was announced by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in an updated travel advisory for Britons.

As many as 1,400 people have died in West Africa in the worst Ebola outbreak in history

In a statement provided to MailOnline Travel, British Airways said: The safety of our customers, crew and ground teams is always our top priority and we will regularly reassess the routes in the coming months.

Customers with tickets on those routes are being offered a full refund or a range of rebooking options.

BA normally operates four flights a week between Heathrow Airport and Monrovia, Liberia, with a stopover in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

A week ago, Air France employees protested at the airline's decision to continue operating in West Africa.

Sophie Gorins, the secretary-general of the SNPNC union, which represents cabin crew, told AFP: We know that our jobs put us at risk, but they are measured risks. This is completely out of control and the information is not the same from one day to the next.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released an image of how the Ebola virus looks

Some workers were also refusing to board planes bound for the affected countries, a spokesman for the airline said.

Many regional and major airlines have suspended services to the three countries most affected by the Ebola outbreak: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The United Nations has said the lack of flights is making it increasingly difficult to bring supplies to those countries. U.N. flights to bring humanitarian workers to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, also have faced restrictions.

The World Health Organisation said the risk of transmission of Ebola virus disease during air travel is low as it is not spread by breathing air from an infected person.

The organisation said: Transmission requires direct contact with blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected living or dead persons or animals, all unlikely exposures for the average traveller.

The risk of getting infected on an aircraft is also small as sick persons usually feel so unwell that they cannot travel and infection requires direct contact with the body fluids of the infected person.
She claims that her camera's memory card wasn't checked when she left

show places such as Pyongyang, the DMZ and the Diamond Mountain

The world knows that poverty and repression are rife in North Korea - but one tourist went there and declared that it 'didn't look that bad'.

Joanna Chrzanowska visited North Korea in September of this year and travelled all around, visiting places such as Pyongyang, the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea and the Diamond Mountain.

During her time there she claimed that many parts resembled Europe and the US and even declared that one avenue could have been in downtown Los Angles.

Chrzanowska said this man's job wasn't completely useless, as there was traffic

She said that food stalls were set up by tourist attractions, just as they are in Western nations

Writing on Boredpanda, Chrzanowska asked: 'Is it an avenue [pictured] in the most socialist and usurper country in the world or a lane in Los Angeles? You tell me'

In what Miss Chrzanowska described as a 'treat', she was able to take part in the Pyongyang International Beer Festival during her stay

Despite her rare upbeat view of North Korea, she did still admit that it was 'terrifying'

She initially shared her images on BoredPanda and on her blog.

She told the site: 'It appears it doesn't seem as bad as the world wants to convince you it is.

'A lot has changed since Kim Jong Un came to power. Don't get me wrong, I am aware that I have been shown only a part of the country.

Miss Chrzanowska took a photo of children carrying flowers for Kim II Sung and Kim Jong Il

There are a lot of cyclists in North Korea - and therefore a lot of bike racks

Miss Chrzanowska described this photo as 'the essence of world collision' on Boredpanda

Chrzanowska said that this was as close to a traffic jam as she saw on her trip to North Korea

Chrzanowska said this picture featured the main modes of transport in North Korea - walking and cycling

The photo shows North Koreans in the suburban areas of Pyongyang

She explained that no action was taken against her, or any members of her travel group, when she left the country after taking these photos

'But even so, if you're being told by someone that they've brought "illegal" photos from DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), please note that for example that taking photos in North Korea is as legal as taking them anywhere else in the world.'

She explained that she was limited as to what she could photograph and where she could go because of high levels of security.

She also claimed her tight schedule partly dictated what she could snap.

Otherwise, she said: 'You can take photos as far as your camera shoots them.'

Miss Chrzanowska said she took this photo on the way from the airport to the hotel

She told Boredpanda: 'Do you really think that Kim doesnt want you to see these pictures?'

This picture shows how the designs for North Korea's subways were influenced by those found in Moscow

Chrzanowska said that the tight schedule of her trip partly dictated what she could snap

One of the glitzier buildings that Chrzanowska was shown by North Korean officials

This photo was taken in Chrzanowska's hotel in Pyongyang

Propaganda posters show the high level of government influence in North Korean society

She also explained that no action was taken against her, or any members of her travel group, when she left the country.

She added: 'I haven't had the memory cards of my camera checked and neither did any other member of the group on my trip.'

However, she did admit that the country was still 'terrifying'.

Miss Chrzanowska said it is clear that a lot of things have changed since Kim Jong Un came to power

Chrzanowska said she was all too aware that she had only been shown parts of the country

During her visit Miss Chrzanowska was able to visit the border between North and South Korea

Called the DMZ or demilitarized zone, the border roughly follows the 38th parallel between the countries of North Korea and South Korea

This is Chrzanowska with her back turned to South Korea

Along with taking pictures of scenery, she also took pictures of people around her and particularly other tourists - who were also taking pictures of her

In North Korea, you're never far away from a picture of Kim Jong Un

One of the biggest no-no's picture-wise in North Korea is snapping soldiers

Miss Chrzanowska said that it is not 'illegal' to take pictures in North Korea

A group of school children visiting the graves of 'dear comrades' Kim II Sung and Kim Jong Il

This image shows flowers that people had put on the graves of deceased communist leaders

Cars in North Korea are rare - and often contrast sharply with surrounding poverty. Though here, the surrounds are idyllic

The tourist destination of Diamond Mountain is one of the most popular National Parks in the DPRK

This photo was taken at one of the highest tourist points in one of the National Parks

Miss Chrzanowska said that even in these parks 'there are locals trying to make a living'
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London in three words: tea, weather, pubs.

They are among the words used most commonly on Twitter to describe England's capital city, according to fascinating new research.

A travel website looked at the way ten major cities around the world are most often described on the social media site, also including New York, Barcelona and Sydney - and assembled them into fascinating at-a-glance infographics.

A travel website looked at the way ten major cities around the world are most often described on the social media site, including New York, Barcelona and Sydney - and assembled them into fascinating at-a-glance infographics

They were put together by airport transfer firm Hoppa, who said that it wanted to see what Twitter knew about the world's favourite cities.

It did this by analysing 1,000 tweets per city and recording the words used most often to describe them.

After analysing thousands and thousands of tweets, Hoppa found that a lot of news items dominated.

Based on the research, Hoppa said that Twitter captures the city's atmosphere, what's going on there at any given moment, and highlights the unique characteristics that even locals would agree with

However, the words that were repeated frequently and were seemingly unrelated to a specific event or trend were incredibly telling of how people perceive these cities.

The analysis confirmed that Twitter probably knows a lot more than the average person about world cities.

Based on the research, Hoppa said that Twitter captures the city's atmosphere, what's going on there at any given moment and highlights the unique characteristics that even locals would agree with.
Another holiday, ladies? Tamara and Petra Ecclestone play tourists in their mother's native Croatia



The Ecclestone sisters are currently enjoying a tour of their mother's native Croatia.

Tamara and Petra were spotted heading out to dinner in Dubrovnik tonight, stopping to take some holiday snaps in front of the city's landmarks.

The family are staying on a luxurious boat, Diamonds Are Forever, which has been taking them around the islands.



Sisters on tour: Petra and Tamara Ecclestone are pictured heading out for dinner in Dubrovnik

The sisters are with their mother Slavica, and Tamara's boyfriend Omar Khyami.

Both were wearing their best holiday style, with Tamara, 27, in a white crochet dress and Petra, 23, wore a cream and purple maxi.

The duo looked relaxed and far from their usual overly-primped style, with Petra's hair still wet from the sea and Tamara's pulled back in a casual bun.



Strike a pose: The sisters are on holiday with their mother Slavica in her native Croatia

Summer style: Tamara wore a white crochet dress while Petra wore a two-tone maxi

Former model Slavica wore a floor-length mink-coloured dress with a gathered waist.

The family jetted out of London on Monday, after the Silverstone Grand Prix.

They have been touring the islands, stopping off in Hvar, Vis and today Dubrovnik.



Luxury living: the family are touring the islands on their boat Diamonds Are Forever

Sisters on the high seas: Tamara and Petra posed for a happy snap

Tamara has been teasing fans with snaps from her holiday all week, tweeting pictures of herself in a bikini on board their luxury vessel.

Yesterday, the reality star flaunted her tanned and toned physique in a tiny white bikini.



Pictured against a backdrop of a perfectly blue sky, Tamara accompanied the photograph with a caption reading: 'Chilling in Croatia'.

Sunshine on a rainy day: Tamara shared a sexy bikini picture of herself after swapping rainy Britain for sunny Croatia this week



The curvaceous brunette seems smitten with her holiday destination, and made sure to update her fans on her movements for the day.



She tweeted: 'Morning from a very sunny and beautiful Croatia. Enjoying the Croatian islands so beautiful Vis today.'

Yesterday, Tamara enjoyed a laid-back lunch on the island of Hvar, and explained she was enjoying spending some quality time with her family and boyfriend Omar Khyami.

Fancy a dip? Tamara posted this picture of her relaxing in the jacuzzi on her private yacht

Cosy: The heiress enjoyed lunch with her boyfriend Omar Khyami on the island of Hvar

'A beautiful day in Croatia loving spending time with my family,' she wrote.

The Billion $$$ Girl star is certainly making the most of her time away, and earlier this week posted a picture online of her dressed in a hot pink bikini enjoying a dip in the spacious jacuzzi on her yacht.



The socialite has already enjoyed breaks in Santorini, Cannes, Monaco, Dubai and the Bahamas this year.
Heiress and former reality star Paris Hilton wants the world to know she means business.

The 35-year-old starlet recently talked with Harper's Bazaar about shedding her party girl image and her new life as a bona fide boss lady.

In the magazine interview, the hotel heiress makes clear she is a completely different person from her party girl past.

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Business class: In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Paris Hilton said she's completely changed from her hard partying ways and is dedicated to her businesses and brands

Nowadays, Miss Hilton sees herself as an entrepreneur.

'I want to be known as a businesswoman. I don't want to be known as a reality TV star; I don't like the way that sounds.'

The former tabloid fixture explained: 'I am very focused on my business and when you live in that mind frame, you can stay away from the trashy tabloids.'

Red hot! The former reality star looks darling as she arrives at LAX Tuesday. The hotel heiress was on her way to Paris, France

Party girl, no more! The Stars Are Blind singer told Harper's Bazaar her partying days are behind her. Instead, she focuses her time on her successful business

Try as she might, the paparazzi aren't staying away from Paris anytime soon.

Appearing at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, the glam businesswomen glowed as she posed for paps before flying to France.

She prepared for a flight to Paris in an eye-catching coral pink dress.

Travelling light, the jet-setter only carried her phone and a hand bag from her own Paris Hilton line. She wore a floppy white hat and giant sunglasses to keep incognito.

Boarding! The Simple Life star told Harper's 'I want to be known as a businesswoman'. Here, she looks red hot while catching a flight from LAX

An expert self-promoter, Paris catapulted into stardom during the early days of reality TV and social media . She starred in several reality series, including The Simple Life alongside Nicole Richie.

Now, the California blonde's companies include three hotels, over 20 best-selling fragrances, her own line of accessories and more. The celebrity-executive is valued at over $100 million.

Even though she is the heiress of the Hilton Hotel fortune, Paris sees herself as self-made success story.

'Every dollar I have ever made, I have made myself. Yes, I feel very lucky to have come from a privileged family, but I have done it all on my own.'
They split on acrimonious terms earlier this year.

Yet Nicola Hughes and Alex Mytton appear to be well and truly over, after she was spotted living it up at Rita Ora's lingerie bash on Tuesday while her ex-beau was soaking up the Barbados sun with his new squeeze Lottie Moss.

The 26-year-old Made In Chelsea star looked sensational in a thigh-skimming velvet mini as she dazzled the cameras - looking blissfully unaware that her co-star ex, 25, was in the throes of a romantic getaway with his girlfriend.

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Legs eleven! Nicola Hughes and Alex Mytton appear to be well and truly over after she was spotted living it up at Rita Ora's lingerie bash on Tuesday while her ex beau was soaking up the Barbados sun with his new squeeze Lottie Moss

Nicola dated Alex, who was notorious for his philandering ways while seeing co-star Binky Felstead, after they met in August 2014 while making an appearance with co-star Jamie Laing at the Naas Court Hotel in Co. Kildare, Ireland.

After an extremely tumultuous romance, things ended badly however when slept with Olivia Bentley, 21, during their summer stint in the South of France, Nicola branded her ex a 'gross, vile human'.

Since then she has shaken off her association with the hunk - yet his new relationship with Kate Moss' sister Lottie will no doubt dredge her name back into the spotlight.

The blonde beauty looked worlds away from the relationship as she wowed at the launch of Rita's new lingerie line for Tenezis - which saw an all-star turnout, before she headed to the launch of Knightsbridge's Buudha Bar.

Moving on up: The 26-year-old Made In Chelsea star looked sensational in a thigh-skimming velvet mini as she dazzled the cameras - looking blissfully unaware that her co-star ex, 25, was in the throes of a romantic getaway with his girlfriend

She wore black velvet: Slipping into a sexy velvet mini, she showed off her incredibly slender legs - with the long sleeves on the dress making her pins the main focus of the ensemble

Stunner: Her blonde locks were glamorously blow-dried and framed her stunning features

Way back when: Nicola dated Alex, who was notorious for his philandering ways while seeing co-star Binky Felstead, after they met in August 2014 while making an appearance with co-star Jamie Laing at the Naas Court Hotel in Co. Kildare, Ireland

Slipping into a sexy velvet mini, she showed off her incredibly slender legs - with the long sleeves on the dress making her pins the main focus of the ensemble.

She clutched onto a red leather handbag while boosting her height with a pair of pointed strappy heels - perfect for lengthening her legs and perfecting her stylish yet sexy ensemble.

As she beamed in front of the cameras in her well-trained manner, the stunning star appeared unaware of her ex-boyfriend's antics - which were strewn in all their glory across social media.

Glamour girl: She clutched onto a red leather handbag while boosting her height with a pair of pointed strappy heels - perfect for lengthening her legs and perfecting her stylish yet sexy ensemble

Alex who? As she beamed in front of the cameras in her well-trained manner, the stunning star appeared unaware of her ex-boyfriend's antics - which were strewn in all their glory across social media

Details: She clutched onto a red leather handbag while boosting her height with a pair of pointed heels - perfect for lengthening her legs and perfecting her stylish yet sexy ensemble

Having a blast: She was clearly in a high spirit during the night

Happier than ever: Lottie, an aspiring model hot on the heels of her legendary sister, shared a suggestive snap shot showing her beau grabbing her peachy derriere while gazing admirably at her back facing assets

Lottie, an aspiring model hot on the heels of her legendary sister, shared a suggestive snap shot showing her beau grabbing her peachy derriere while gazing admirably at her back facing assets.

The hot new couple are joined on their trip by yet another of Alex's ex-girlfriends - this time in the form of Jess Woodley, who has been getting very cosy with the duo.

The trio have been snapped on a number of occasions on the beach together, with both Lottie and Jess clamouring into Alex's arms in the Caribbean waters.

Hug o'clock: The hot new couple are joined on their trip by yet another of Alex's ex-girlfriends - this time in the form of Jess Woodley, who has been getting very cosy with the duo

Beaming: Any love woes were worlds away from the beaming beauty's love island
As a male glamour model, Sam Johnston is no stranger to posing for racy photos.

So it was no surprise to see The Bachelorette villain getting down to his 'birthday suit' on his 28th birthday.

The one-time reality star took to Instagram this week to share some images from a very raunchy bathtub photoshoot.

'Birthday suit on my birthday!!!' Sam Johnston stripped down for a raunchy bath on Instagram

'Birthday suit on my birthday!!!' wrote the 28-year-old.

In the image, Sam smiled as murky white water protected his modesty.

Naughty pictures on his birthday appear to be a tradition for the brunette hunk, who was spotted lying on a bed without clothes in a picture posted last year.

Something on your mind? In another photo, the male glamour model showcased a more contemplative expression for fans

Dare to bare: The Bachelorette reject has no problem getting naked for the cameras and is often seen posed topless in photos posted to social media

Fans gushed over Sam's envy-inducing physique, some commenting that they wished the water was more transparent.

One fan wrote: 'OMFG I wish that water was clear.' While another commented: 'Best present I have ever received.'

Another wrote: 'Happy birthday big fella!'

What's going on here? Meanwhile, Sam made headlines earlier this year when he posed when he stripped down to nothing, in a racy photo shoot presumably promoting office furniture

Meanwhile, Sam made headlines earlier this year when he stripped down to nothing in an X-rated photo shoot presumably promoting office furniture.

In one sizzling frame, captured by photographer Jose Alexander, Sam is seen straddling a stool which he had his legs wrapped around while firmly gripping its adjustable lever.

Sam found fame after appearing on The Bachelorette Australia with Georgia Love before being sent home after brutally revealing he was on there to further his career.

'This has just given me like a little kick to get moving quicker': Sam Johnston signed his early exit papers on The Bachelorette after admitting he'd joined to further his acting career

'It was like freight train right into the face': Georgia Love was not impressed by his honesty

'I think presenting's kinda cool ... it was kind of heading that direction before this,' he explained on the show when on a date with Georgia.

Adding: 'If I left this experience without you, I wouldn't, you know, be absolutely heartbroken.'

It was the line, that clinched Georgia's decision to send Sam packing from the Bachelorette mansion.
Rillington Place

Rating:

Digging for Britain

Rating:

Of all the images in Rillington Place (BBC1) that sent a chill through the marrow, and there were many, it was the sight of serial killer John Reginald Christie in an orange paper party hat that was the most ghastly.

Christie  known as Reg  was at the head of the table in his neighbours house, watching mournfully as the roast potatoes were passed round and the turkey arrived.

Later, still in his tissue paper crown, he sat alone in the dark at his kitchen table with his back to the camera.

Tim Roth portrays serial killer John Reginald Christie in Rillington Place on BBC1

The two moments were juxtaposed to show us how far his tawdry, murderous life had drifted from the ordinary world.

But it made the blood curdle, to imagine that banal monster pulling a cracker with the children and nibbling at his roast dinner.

The youngsters probably had to call him Uncle Reg. Every friend of the family was uncle or auntie in the Fifties.

Nowadays, parents are so petrified of child-snatchers that if a neighbour spoke to their little ones unexpectedly, theyd call the police.

But back then no one could ever imagine the people in their street capable of hideous crimes.

Throughout the three-part series Tim Roth has portrayed the way Christie could switch from creep to charmer, as easily as shrugging on his overcoat.

When testifying against Timothy Evans, he won the courts sympathy so completely that the judge offered him a seat during his cross-examination.

SUGAR RUSH OF THE NIGHT Do Americans have a higher tolerance for saccharine sweetness than the Brits? This Is Us (C4) is made unwatchable by treacly dollops of sentimentality and emotional goo. Some of the writing may be clever, but its as sick-making as icing on honey. Advertisement

And he showed us how carefully Christie put his safeguards into place against discovery, befriending local coppers and emphasising to his GP that he was suffering from blackouts when he wasnt aware of his actions.

He thought he had an answer for everything.

Without cognisance there can be no culpability, he told the inspector smugly after his arrest.

You cant hang a man who is not in charge of his faculties.

What this drama failed to answer was the question of Why: what compelled Christie to kill so many women?

All we knew of his past was that he claimed to be a World War I veteran who survived a gas attack.

What of his mother, his siblings, his schoolfriends  is there nothing to explain what he became?

Rillington Place: Christopher Stevens felt the drama failed to answer the question of why Christie committed his murders

We understood him so little that it came as a shock when, after sitting and sadly contemplating his sleeping wifes face, he suddenly tied a stocking round her neck and throttled her  then calmly felt for a pulse, like a doctor checking a patient.

Why did Ethel have to die that morning?

Was it because she was nagging him to leave London, or because she knew he had committed the crime for which Evans had been hanged?

Or was it because she had seen his humiliation, when the new West Indian tenant upstairs laughed at him?

The only definitive answer came from Roth himself, on the subject of Christies whisper.

It sounded like a wet Tuesday in Leeds, or more precisely like Alan Bennett, and the actor admits thats exactly whose accent he copied.

I doubt the playwright will take that insult lightly.

Expect something very unpleasant to happen in his next work to a character named Roth.

While bodies were being discovered under the floorboards and behind the wainscoting all over 10 Rillington Place, there were more corpses unearthed on Digging For Britain (BBC4).

Digging for Britain: Christopher Stevens felt that Alice Roberts kept the series 'moving at such a pace'

One had its feet on back-to-front, while another was bundled up with antlers and whalebones.

Archaeologists never suspect foul play when they find a skeleton. Perhaps they should.

In one Saxon cemetery they saw evidence of a toddler who died from hydrocephaly, a teenager who had rickets, and an old man with a peg leg  all ordinary ailments. And theres nothing more ordinary than murder.

The discoveries pile up on this show, because presenter Alice Roberts keeps it moving at such a pace.

A man with a metal detector found a pair of bronze tweezers  two minutes later, the time team had uncovered a monastery.

Which led to the most surprising detail of the night.

Why would a monk need tweezers?
She's the former Home And Away actress who spent three years in Summer Bay.

So it's no surprise Isla Fisher looked right at home while back on the beach during her visit home to Australia on Wednesday.

The beaming flame-haired beauty was accompanied by her husband Sacha Baron Cohen as the couple hit Bondi Beach to cool off amid a heatwave in Sydney.

Beaming barefoot beauty: Isla Fisher (left) smiled and waved at locals in Sydney as she strolled around barefoot on Wednesday with her husband Sacha Baron Cohen (right)

The 40-year-old actress donned a tie-dye fuchsia kaftan, with an embellished border around the thigh-skimming beach cover all.

The loose-fitting item featured kimono style sleeves that billowed in the breeze.

Underneath the see-through sheath, Isla donned a polka dot navy and white two-piece, believed to be by Australian bikini brand, Seafolly.

Cooling off: The cute couple hit up Bondi Beach to cool off amid a heatwave in Sydney

Quick adjustment: The 40-year-old actress donned a tie-dye fuchsia kaftan, featuring an embellished border around the thigh-skimming beach cover all, which she was seen adjusting as they left the beach

Refreshing drink: The flame-haired beauty was seen holding a plastic cup, which appeared to contain the remnants of a cold drink

Shirtless Sacha: Best known for his comedic characters including Borat and Bruno, the 45-year-old carried his black polo top and shoes in hand with a white towel draped across one shoulder

Earlier in the day, the successful power couple were seen sitting on the golden sand after taking a dip in the ocean, with sand stuck to Sasha's still wet leg.

As they walked off the sand, Isla could be seen holding the remnants of a refreshing drink in hand, with ice still filling the bottom of the plastic cup.

Meanwhile a shirtless Sacha, best known for his comedic characters including Borat and Bruno, carried his black polo top and shoes in hand with a white towel draped across one shoulder.

Downtime: Earlier in the day, the couple were seen sitting on the golden sand after taking a dip in the ocean

Minimal accessories: Isla added some funky sunglasses to her beach look and wore her wedding rings as well as some stud earrings

Bikini babe: Underneath the see-through sheath, Isla donned a polka dot navy and white two-piece, believe to be by Australian bikini brand, Seafolly

Donning just a pair of red boardshorts, the actor looked toned and tanned as he added a white hat and dark shades to complete his Summer holiday look.

Isla also added some funky sunglasses to her beach look and wore her wedding rings as well as some stud earrings, but left all other accessories at home - which seemed to include her shoes.

The actress was seen happily walking along the pavement barefoot, despite the hot weather.

The couple, who are based in London, arrived back in Sydney earlier this month, ahead of Isla being honoured with the AACTA Trailblazer Award for her stellar career.

Not too hot? The actress was seen happily walking along the pavement barefoot, despite the weather

Best known for her breakout role in The Wedding Crashers, the comedic actress had the speech of the night as she accepted the honour - kicking off with thanks to other famous Australian actresses who 'must have said no' before she was asked.

The 40-year-old also thanked Donald Trump for 'showing the world that unqualified orange people can win things.'

Earlier in her speech, she also made fun of his wife Melania Trump as she recited lines from one of Michelle Obama's speeches.

Award-winning: Isla and her family are in Sydney as the former Home And Away actress was honoured for her work, receiving the AACTA Trailblazer Award last Wednesday

'Orange people can win things!' The Australian actress had the speech of the night after taking a swipe at the U.S President elect, Donald Trump

Her mother and husband, Sacha Baron Cohen, who sat in the audience, were left shocked and in tears of laughter by her speech.

The evening was made extra special, as it marked the couple's 15th anniversary since meeting in Sydney.

The pair began dating later in 2002, before tying the knot in Paris in 2010 and they now share three children together: nine-year-old Olive, six-year-old Elula Lottie Miriam and 21-month-old Montgomery Moses Brian.
Michelle Bridges is so dedicated to her fitness regime that she's taken to jogging up and down a huge set of concrete stairs with her son Axel strapped to her back.

On Wednesday, the personal trainer shared an Instagram snap of the smiling tot in a harness as she conquered the daunting staircase a whopping ten times.

'You want me to do more than 10 times Axel?! Are you nuts!?? My legs are shaking!!' the fitness author captioned the picture.

That's dedication: Michelle's workout routine includes running up and down a giant set of stairs ten times using her son as a 12kg weight

Axel, who turns one on December 19, was enjoying the ride despite the exertion leaving his mum exhausted.

The former Biggest Loser trainer recently told her 233k Instagram followers that she's been using her son as '12kg weight vest.'

Michelle has been incorporating Axel into her training sessions, including a fun beach workout during which she carried her little one safely in a harness.

Beach baby: Michelle has been incorporating Axel into many of her training sessions

Fighting fit: The 46-year-old defends her rigorous routine as 'right for her body'

The inventor of the 12 Week Body transformation began working out less than a month after giving birth, spending 56 minutes a day jogging and walking.

She came under fire for the intense post-natal routine, which was slammed as 'irresponsible' by physiotherapist Lyz Evans.

The 46-year-old defended her choice to return to her normal routine as 'right for her body'.

'I'm back into things a little faster than most, simply because it feels right for my body,' she told The Australian Women's Weekly.

Yummy mummy: The personal trainer wasn't fussed about getting her pre-pregnancy body back. 'I don't accept the pressure,' she insisted

She also defended exercising while heavily pregnant. 'I trained safely all the way through my pregnancy, and so I felt perfectly fit to get back into it,' she said.

But the gym bunny was determined not to feel the pressure to take on 'yummy mummy' status after the birth of her son.

'I'm pretty clear cut about that. I don't accept the pressure,' she told The Project's host Waleed Aly last year.
He played a grizzled man who lived off the earth in The Revenant.

But Leonardo DiCaprio displayed the body of a fellow who likes to live the high life as he went for a paddle in the Mexico on Tuesday.

The jolly actor showed off his middle-age spread as he made the most of the sunny weather on the Caribbean coast.

Big star: Leonardo DiCaprio showed off his dad bod as he went for a paddle in Mexico Tuesday

'Blue Monday': His girlfriend Nina Agadal was also on the trip according to a Wednesday report from People as she shared this picture on Monday

Though she was not pictured on the outing, a source for People magazine reported on Wednesday that his model girlfriend Nina Agdal was also on the trip.

On Monday, Nina took to Instagram to share a photo of herselfin a sheer white number while standing in a body of water.

Along with a palm tree and blue heart emoji she captioned the image: 'Monday blues.'

Making a big splash: The jolly actor was certainly drawing stares in his tight swimming shorts

Smooth: The acting beefcake also had a meticulously manicured chest

However on Leo's trip to the beach at one point the jet-setting environmentalist jutted his stomach into the water as the waves lapped around his waist.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape star Leo, 42, certainly looked like a man comfortable in his own skin as he sauntered around in a tight-fitting pair of swimming shorts.

And the megarich actor, who has amassed an estimated net worth of $245 million, added a dash of Hollywood style to his look by wearing a pair of black sunglasses.

Not my sunglasses!: Leo held on tight to his designer shades as a wave crashed over him

Make way: The heavyweight actor stuck his belly out as he waded into deeper waters

And the fresh-faced 24-years-old, she is almost exactly half the Peter Pan-like actor's age, and a whopping 17 years younger than his most famous leading lady Kate Winslet.

The cherry on the cake for the hard-working actor is he finally won his coveted best actor Oscar for his turn in the aforementioned The Revenant, overcoming a weak field with some aplomb.

But Leo cannot be accused of complacency, for he has several projects in the works.

Give us a wave: The actor seemed in high spirits as he larked around in the water

A pec-tacular sight: The Titanic star was impossible to ignore as he emerged from the water

That takes guts: Leo looked confident as he strolled out of the water after taking a dip

Hanging with his buddy: The A-lister was joined by his close pal Lukas Haas and a mystery girl

Feeling tropical: Leonardo later changed into a pair of palm tree-printed swimming trunks

The hunk will soon star in the long-awaited big screen adaptation of 1990s environmentalist cartoon Captain Planet And The Planeteers.

Leonardo is also joining forces with acclaimed director Martin Scorsese once agian for a film about H. H. Holmes, who was one of the first documented serial killers.

The movie, which has long been in the works and is set to be titled The Devil In White City, will mark the sixth time Leo and Marty have teamed up.

New couple alert?: Leonardo's Inception and The Revenant co-star appeared to be romantically involved with the unidentified woman

What's his secret? The actor, who is worth $245 million, is dating a model half his age
He's the British comedian known for his portrayal of middle-aged Kazakh journalist, Borat.

But Sacha Baron Cohen, showed off a far youthful figure, as he enjoyed downtime at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Wednesday.

The 45-year-old revealed his lean frame in a pair of red board shorts as he was seen exiting the surf.

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Buff Borat! Sacha Baron Cohen, 45, showed off his lean frame as he took to the surf at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Wednesday

Sacha was spotted in a pair of red O'Neill board shorts as he made his way out of the surf.

Sporting a youthful appearance, the star highlighted a flat stomach and slender arms with muscular definition.

Keeping dry with a white towel, Sacha drew attention to his gold wedding ring.

The Hammersmith-born personality kept a relaxed figure, with a small amount of stubble and his short dark locks slicked back from the surf.

Lean: Sporting a youthful appearance, the star highlighted a flat stomach and slender arms with muscular definition

Svelte: While enjoying the surf, Sacha drew attention to his toned back

Sacha is currently enjoying downtime in Australia, with wife Isla Fisher, 40.

The high-profile couple are parents to daughters Olive, nine, Elula, six, and son, 21-month-old Montgomery.

Sacha accompanied former Home And Away star Isla, at last Wednesday's AACTA Awards in Sydney.

Isla, who has since gone on to star in Hollywood films The Great Gatsby and Confessions of a Shopaholic, accepted the Trailblazer award.

In good company: Sacha was joined by wife Isla Fisher (R), 40

Content: The couple were all smiles as they exited the popular Bondi Beach

The occasion also marked the same day Sacha met Isla at a Sydney party, 15 years ago.

Sacha and Isla are notoriously private about their long-lasting relationship.

However, Isla paid tribute to Sacha and their growing brood as she accepted the accolade at last week's awards ceremony.

'I need to thank my beautiful husband and our three gorgeous children,' she told the crowd.

'It is actually our 15 year anniversary and we met here in Sydney this time 15 years ago.

'So this is a very special night.'

Supportive: Sacha accompanied wife Isla Fisher to last Wednesday's AACTA Awards in Sydney
She enjoyed a sun-drenched getaway with her beau last month.

And Olivia Buckland was yearning for the sun as she shared a throwback snap on Tuesday - showing her sizzling physique in a shot taken during her Caribbean break with Alex Bowen.

The 24-year-old Love Island star, who met her handsome man during her stint on the ITV2 dating show, looked incredible in a hot pink bikini complete with dazzling adornments.

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Missing the sun! Olivia Buckland was yearning for the sun as she shared a throwback snap on Tuesday - showing her sizzling physique in a shot taken during her Caribbean break with Alex Bowen

Olivia and Alex found love when they met on the dating show earlier this year, although their romance hit some rocky ground before taking off after the hunk hooked up with Zara Holland.

Since leaving the show, where they came second to Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey, the couple have gone from strength-to-strength with Alex moving from his native Wolverhampton to Olivia's home county of Essex.

After their Barbados break the couple have returned to their usual glamorous life, yet Olivia clearly misses the sun as she shared a snap of her bikini body.

No doubt encouraged by the blistering December climes descending on the UK, the blonde beauty flashed her washboard stomach and perky cleavage in the stunning two-piece with gold attachments at the hip.

Way back when: The 24-year-old Love Island star, who met her handsome man during her stint on the ITV2 dating show, looked incredible in a hot pink bikini complete with dazzling adornments

The happy couple: Olivia and Alex found love when they met on the dating show earlier this year, although their romance hit some rocky ground before taking off after the hunk hooked up with Zara Holland

As ever her tattoos helped highlight her very best features including her waist tattoo narrowing her middle while her inking under her bust boosted her assets.

She added a caption on the shot reading: ' Going through memories in Snapchat and found Barbados I miss the sun and living in kinis!'

Olivia's candid display of her phenomenal frame will no doubt act as a final dismissal of the haters, who claimed she was doctoring her images in August.

Stunner: As ever her tattoos helped highlight her very best features including her waist tattoo narrowing her middle while her inking under her bust boosted her assets

Defensive: After spending six weeks in swimwear during her Love Island stint, which kicked off in June, she enjoyed a relaxing trip to Marbella, where she littered her social media accounts with sexy shots

After spending six weeks in swimwear during her Love Island stint, which kicked off in June, she enjoyed a relaxing trip to Marbella, where she littered her social media accounts with sexy shots.

Yet many of her 781,000 Instagram followers accused the star of digitally altering one image in particular.

When Olivia wowed in a tiny pink bikini, which exhibited her phenomenally slender waist, she lashed out at followers for accusing her of using Photoshop.

Stunner: When Olivia wowed in a tiny pink bikini, which exhibited her phenomenally slender waist, she lashed out at followers for accusing her of using Photoshop

Look at me! An incensed Olivia was adamant her reduced waist was the result of her dark tattoos along the length of her sides - not down to digital alteration or manipulation

Some Instagram comments read: 'Deffo edited her waist init... Mate that's a joke saw her for 6 weeks straight in a bikini on tv and was nowhere near that hahah... I don't remember your waist being that thin though... tell me that ain't photoshopped she looks abnormal.'

An incensed Olivia was adamant her reduced waist was the result of her dark tattoos along the length of her sides - not down to digital alteration or manipulation.

She wrote in her caption: 'Getting in the Marbs swing of things - bikini and heels - always a winner!... P.S I don't have photoshop on my phone, I edit my pics and put a filter on. I have a tattoo on my waist. You guys really need to move on and accept it.'
For the last month, they've been dodging rumours that they're moving in together, having a baby and getting married.

But last week, Bindi Irwin and boyfriend Chandler Powell added fuel to the fire after they were spotted shopping for a double bed and homeware items in Brisbane, Queensland.

While out and about, the pair showed off big smiles as they were seen stopping to look at bed fixtures, desk fans and flat pack items.

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Something to tell us? Bindi Irwin and boyfriend Chandler Powell have been spotted shopping for a double bed and homeware items in Brisbane, Queensland

At one point, the pair stood and held hands as they stopped to admire one particular bedding unit and mattress.

After spending some time in the shopping complex, they walked out with multiple shopping bags that read 'House' on the front.

As they walked towards their awaiting vehicle, Bindi balanced a gold metal basket, which was also filled with over loaded bags of items.

That looks comfortable: While shopping, the pair stood and held hands for a moment as they stopped to admire one particular bedding unit and mattress

Comfy? They were also spotted testing out a lounge at a furniture shop

That will look good: They were also seen looking at desk fans and flat pack items

The daughter to the late Steve Irwin beamed with happiness during the shopping trip and dressed casually in boots, jeans and a chequered shirt.

Her beau of three years matched her for the occasion, wearing a green and khaki flannelette top and dark denim jeans.

Moments earlier, Chandler was seen decked out in the iconic Australia Zoo uniform of a beige button-up shirt and shorts.

Every day needs: They also browsed the kitchen appliance areas, which homed a range of glasses for the home

Waiting: Bindi and Chandler blended in with the locals as they waited in line for the check

Buying up big: After spending some time in the shop, they walked out with multiple shopping bags that read 'House' on the front

The shopping for items comes after Woman's Day reported they were set to move in together after receiving Bindi's mother, Terri's blessing.

Earlier this week, New Idea also reported that the young pair 'plan to tie-the-knot in the near future'.

A friend close to the Bindi and Chandler apparently told the magazine: 'Chandler wants to seal the deal and make Bindi his wife as soon as possible.'

Finding the right items: The store sells a range of items, including knives, plates and utensils

Not impressed: During the shopping adventure, Candler looked less than impressed as he kept yawning throughout

Struggling: As they walked towards their awaiting vehicle, Bindi balanced a gold metal basket, which was also filled with over loaded bags of items

It came a month after the magazine reported the couple will marry in front of the same pastor who married her parents Terri and Steve in 1992.

They also alleged that Bindi and Chandler have made several 'secret visits' to the church, which is located in Eugene, US, to prepare for the big day.

Meanwhile, Woman's Day also claimed that her mother Terri has been worried the couple may become parents at a young age, despite them staying in separate bed when together.

Casual: For the outing, Bindi dressed in boots, jeans and a chequered shirt

Beauty: The Wildlife Warrior showed off her natural beauty through minimal makeup as she wore her golden locks out

Dressing alike: Chandler matched his girlfriend of three years with a a green and khaki flannelette top and dark denim jeans

'A couple of weeks ago, Bindi was under the weather and it flashed through Terri's mind she could be pregnant,' a source told.

'But it turned out to be a bug and Terri breathed a huge sigh of relief.'

They also explained that despite the pair staying 'in separate rooms' when with each other, 'Chandler has become very much part of the family'.

Traditional: Moments earlier, Chandler was seen decked out in the iconic Australia Zoo uniform of a beige button-up shirt and shorts

Living arrangements: The shopping for items comes after Woman's Day reported they were set to move in together after receiving Bindi's mother, Terri's blessing

Taking the next step? Earlier in the week, New Idea reported the young pair 'plan to tie-the-knot in the near future'

On Monday, a representative for Bindi denied all claims to Daily Mail Australia.

'As per usual, New Idea is reporting complete untruths. Bindi and Chandler are not getting married, Terri and Russell are not romantically linked and Russell hasnt made that offer,' the spokesperson said.

'This is yet another trashy magazine report containing no factual information whatsoever.'
Felicity Jones at the London premiere of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12A)

Verdict: Out of this world

Rating:

Nobody could reasonably compare the Millennium Falcon to a London bus, but its certainly true that after a decade of waiting for a new Star Wars film, we have seen two arrive in speedy succession with another to come 12 months from now.

The latest release, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, is actually the first of three so-called 'anthology' movies, stand-alone stories intended as an accompaniment to the main feast.

After all, when youre dealing with entire galaxies, there is plenty of room for spin-offs.

Nonetheless, a little cynicism didnt seem unreasonable when plans for the anthology were unveiled last year.

Disney, having shelled out over $4bn for the franchise, appeared to have found a useful new licence to print money in the form of companion films that fans would feel compelled to see.

The only way to dispel that cynicism was to make the films very good indeed. And that, Im delighted to report, is what Rogue One is.

It works triumphantly as a story in its own right, while at the same time acting as a kind of prequel to the original 1977 picture.

British director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla), as befits the namesake of one of the greatest of all rugby players, has not dropped the ball.

Likewise, screenwriters Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy have done a really fine job. The latter also wrote the first four Bourne films, and actually Rogue One does have a feel of Bourne or Bond in many of its chase sequences.

However, it owes even more to classic World War II films, notably in one scene which chops from cockpit to cockpit as bantering rebel pilots close in on their target. Give or take a few million light years, it could practically be The Dam Busters.

So, much as I enjoyed last years Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this is even more exhilarating, a thrilling yarn propelled by a top-notch cast operating on all cylinders.

The last film rocket-fuelled the career of Daisy Ridley, the Keira Knightley-lookalike whose eager performance rather evoked a thigh-slapping pantomime principal boy.

Feisty: Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso with K-250 in the movie released on Friday

This time, with the franchise again conspicuously making a woman the real star of the show, the lead is Felicity Jones, a more substantial actress already with an Oscar nomination behind her (for The Theory Of Everything).

She is tremendously sexy and plausibly feisty as Jyn Erso, a rebel with a cause, having been forcibly separated as a child from her scientist father Galen (Mads Mikkelson), who is made to work for the Empire to develop 'a super weapon'.

In the US, some Donald Trump loyalists are calling for a boycott of the film, suggesting that it packs an anti-Trump message. But if Rogue One shames or embarrasses anyone, its Tony Blair.

When you think your enemies have weapons of mass destruction, this film implies, its really not that hard to find out for sure.

The Armageddon option constructed here, as all Star Wars devotees will know, is the fearsome Death Star.

But Galen has planted a fatal flaw deep within it, which Jyn and her fellow rebels, having commandeered their own ship, the titular Rogue One, must activate before it is uncovered by lead baddie Orson Krennic (a memorably sinister turn by Ben Mendelsohn).

She is also understandably keen to be reunited with her old dad.

Jyn knows who she cant trust, but not who she can. Her main ally appears to be a fellow insurgent, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), but he has dangerous ulterior motives. She seems better off confiding in her worlds-weary former mentor, Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker, splendidly cast), for whom she has a slick answer when he questions whether she can bear to see the Imperial flag reigning over the galaxy. Its not a problem if you dont look up, she says.

There is so much here to savour, from the intelligent script to some properly thrilling action set-pieces.

And there are nods aplenty to the other films, with rather more than a nod in the clever digital resurrection of Peter Cushings gauntly intimidating Grand Moff Tarkin, furiously crossing swords with his Imperial colleague, Krennic.

Never mind swords, though, what about lightsabers? Yes, theyre back too, or at least one is, wielded briefly but mercilessly by none other than Darth Vader (Spencer Wilding) himself.

Rogue One yields some fabulous new characters, including Riz Ahmeds Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook, who nervously switches teams.

And I much enjoyed a blind martial arts expert, Chirrut Imwe (the excellent Donnie Yen), even if he is not-so-subtly programmed to appeal to audiences in the booming Chinese market.

But the venerable franchise didnt get where it is today  almost $4.5 billion and counting - without feeding fans with the familiarity they crave. So we get a delightfully sardonic droid, K-2SO (Alan Tudyk).

And a one-liner from one of our favourite characters from nearly 40 years ago, cueing up, in that time-bending way, all the adventures of the George Lucas original. All things considered, Rogue One is a five-star treat.
Emma Roberts gave her petite 5ft2in stature a big boost with brown suede over-the-knee boots while strutting through West Hollywood on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old Scream Queen paired her fancy footwear with a bell-sleeved white jumper, black skinny jeans, and a matching purse selected by stylist duo Brit & Kara Elkin.

For her trip to the Nine Zero One salon, the Nerve starlet let her natural beauty shine through with a fuss-free updo and black cat-eye shades.

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These boots were made for walking: Emma Roberts gave her petite 5ft2in stature a big boost with brown suede over-the-knee boots while strutting through West Hollywood on Tuesday

Winter: The 25-year-old Scream Queen paired her fancy footwear with a bell-sleeved white jumper, black skinny jeans, and a matching purse selected by stylist duo Brit & Kara Elkin

Pamper session: For her trip to the Nine Zero One salon, the Nerve starlet let her natural beauty shine through with a fuss-free updo and black cat- eye shades

Riddle of the ring: Emma continued to fuel rumours she's gotten re-engaged to former fiance Evan Peters by wearing that curious large-stoned bauble on her left-ring finger

Emma continued to fuel rumours she's gotten re-engaged to former fiance Evan Peters by wearing that curious large-stoned bauble on her left-ring finger.

On November 26, multiple sources confirmed to Us Weekly that Roberts and Peters - who've split twice - 'are engaged again.'

The nepotistically-privileged niece of Julia Roberts recently returned from Manhattan where she spent several days with the X-Men: Apocalypse star, who turns 30 next month.

It's hard to believe the Sarah Lawrence drop-out was once arrested for domestic violence during a 2013 Montreal quarrel with Evan, but he declined to press charges.

Betrothed? On November 26, multiple sources confirmed to Us Weekly that Roberts and Peters - who've split twice - 'are engaged again' (pictured December 5)

Dark past: It's hard to believe the nepotistically-privileged niece of Julia Roberts was once arrested for domestic violence during a 2013 Montreal quarrel with Evan, but he declined to press charges

Life imitating art: The combative, American Horror Story couple - who got back together in August - first met as castmates on the 2012 set of Adult World

The combative, American Horror Story couple - who got back together in August - first met as castmates on the 2012 set of Adult World.

Emma can currently be seen as C.U.R.E. Institute Hospital medical student Chanel Oberlin in the second season of Fox's Scream Queen.

Two-time Golden Globe nominee Brooke Shields guests stars as Dr. Scarlett Lovin on Tuesday night's episode of Ryan Murphy's campy horror series.

'Lovin the D': The Sarah Lawrence drop-out can currently be seen as C.U.R.E. Institute Hospital medical student Chanel Oberlin in the second season of Fox's Scream Queen
Hilary Duff was snapped shopping in Beverly Hills on Tuesday with her four-year-old son Luca, hours after calling out social media commentators who were uncomfortable with shots of her kissing the tot on his lips.

The Younger actress wore an olive cowboy hat with a flat bill, a hunter green sweater with horizontal patterns and diagonal black stripes, tight blue jeans and black booties. She was headed to the upscale makeup retailer, Sephora.

The fashion-conscious Houston native, 29, rounded out her look with sunglasses and a brown purse while holding hands with her son, whose father is her ex-husband Mike Comrie, a 13-year veteran of the NHL.

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Out and about: Hilary Duff, 29, was spotted with her son Luca Tuesday in Beverly Hills while shopping for makeup at Sephora

Holly jolly: The Younger star didn't look to be in a bad mood after she took to Instagram earlier in the day to strike back at critics of a shot of her kissing then boy on his lips

The celebrity mom had styled her son Luca in a bright blue jacket with blue camouflage pants and black and white sneakers.

Duff seemed to be in a good mood on the outing, though was likely less than overjoyed when she took to her Instagram account on Tuesday to set the record straight after receiving a number of remarks condemning her kissing her son's lips in a shot taken outside of the It's A Small World attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim.

The image of Hilary and Luca, in question, was accompanied by her caption, 'Happiest happiest happiest happiest happiest happiest happiest happiest place on earth! We love you @disneyland.'

There's so much that we share: Duff's innocent shot had some Instagram users saying that she was not behaving appropriately with the four-year-old

Take that: The singer-actress had searing words for her online detractors after receiving criticism for the kiss with her son

Glamming up: The Hollywood mom held her son's hand as they made their way through the establishment

Shop till you drop: The mother-of-one knelt down to rummage through the selection at the Sephora location, flanked by the tot

But some were not feeling sentimental, as among the remarks, one poster wrote, 'I will not kiss my daughter on the mouth... I give her endless love without having to kiss her in the lips.'

The Lizzie McGuire actress told her detractors, 'For anyone commenting that a kiss on lips with my four year old is "inappropriate" go ahead and click a quick unfollow with your warped minds and judgement.'

Duff's currently enjoying the holidays focusing squarely on her son, as she recently parted ways with West Hollywood gym owner Jason Walsh.

Casually cool: The Younger actress wore an olive cowboy hat with a flat bill, a hunter green sweater with horizontal patterns and diagonal black stripes, tight blue Parker Smith jeans and black booties

What lies ahead: Single, gorgeous and with a thriving career, the future looks bright for Hilary in 2017
They welcomed their twin boys, Tom and Darcy, in September.

And with less than two weeks to go until Christmas, Rebecca Judd and her husband Chris have embarked on a family holiday with all four of their children.

The model and TV presenter was spotted at Sunshine Coast airport in Queensland on Friday, as she disembarked a flight with her former AFL star man and their kids.

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Family trip! Rebecca and Chris Judd were spotted flying into the Sunshine Coast in Queensland with their four children on Friday

Holding one of the twins each, Bec and Chris had their hands full as they made their way off the airplane and into their hire cars.

The couple's son Oscar, five, and daughter Billie, two, followed along as they prepared to start their holiday.

Chris, 33, handed his newborn over to a woman who appears to be the family's nanny as he walked hand-in-hand with his son from the terminal to the car.

Quite the handful: The couple were seen carrying their two-month-old twins Tom and Darcy as well as their bags as they disembarked the plane

Time for a holiday? The family of six were joined by a woman who appears to be their nanny as they touched down at the local airport

Bec, 33, cut a stylish figure in tight-fitting trousers and a matching black leather jacket, which she teamed with a chic pair of studded sandals.

Her husband was also sporting all black, adding a pair of brown leather boots to his otherwise monochrome look.

It's unclear if the family of six plan to stay in Queensland over the Christmas period.

Model behaviour: Bec, 33, cut a stylish figure in tight trousers and a matching black leather jacket

Off they go: The clan were picked up in hire cars as they made their way out of the airport

Babies on board: Bec carried one of the twins while her nanny held the other

Doting dad: Former AFL star Chris walked hand-in-hand with his five-year-old son Oscar as they made their way to the car

The glamourous couple have had their hands full since welcoming their newest additions less than two months ago.

And in an interview with Today's Lisa Wilkinson, Bec revealed exactly what it takes to juggle her busy career with being a mother to newborn twins as well as two young kids.

Admitting she's a 'crazy routine lady,' the model told her fellow Channel Nine presenter she's also enlisted the help of a part-time nanny and other family members to assist her.

A helping hand: Bec recently revealed they had hired a nanny to help 'three days a week'

Busy: The lifestyle blogger admitted she's a 'crazy routine lady,' which helps her juggle being a mother to newborn twins with all her other roles

'I've got a part-time nanny, she's with us three days a week and then Chris' family who live down the road, which is great,' she revealed.

And as of next year, the lifestyle blogger will have even more help around the house.

'Next year we're very excited because my mum is moving in over from WA so she's going to live with us for 12 months,' Bec said.

The mother-of-four also credited her retired AFL star husband Chris for 'championing the routine' since welcoming their new arrivals.

Champion dad: Bec also revealed Chris is a 'champion' when it comes to taking care of the newborns

Adorable: Bec, who gave birth on September 29, also revealed Tom is older than Darcy by one minute

'He's championing the routine. We keep a little diary, Tom on this side, Darcy on this side. Feeds, poos, sleeps. It's a schedule,' she revealed.

The weather presenter, who is currently on maternity leave from Channel Nine, revealed who's officially the oldest out of the two.

'Tom's [the oldest] and biggest by one minute,' the lifestyle blogger told Lisa before revealing their exact time of birth.

'So 12.43pm and [Darcy] 12.44pm. He was about 400grams lighter and he still is.'
She appeared on Channel Nine's Celebrity Apprentice in 2013.

And PR queen Roxy Jacenko has teased a return to the channel in the new year.

The 36-year-old publicist took to Instagram on Wednesday with sneak peeks of a potential partnership with Nine surrounded by a filming crew.

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'Coming Feb 2017': Roxy Jacenko teases return to Channel Nine in the new year with secret filming project posted to Instagram on Wednesday

Roxy appeared to have had her makeup flawlessly applied for the shoot as she sat on a stool in front of a green screen.

The Sweaty Betty owner wore a belted black frock with nude and black heels, as she held a takeaway coffee in her hand.

Roxy later posed with TV presenter Richard Reid in a friendly embrace as the pair both appeared camera ready with hair and makeup already in pristine condition.

She captioned the post, in part: 'Too much fun filming with @channel9 today -@the_richardreid... coming Feb 2017.'

'Too much fun filming': The Sydney PR queen also posed with TV presenter Richard Reid in a friendly embrace, potentially hinting to joining him on the network in 2017

Daily Mail Australia understands that Roxy will be joining one of Channel Nine's pop culture shows while juggling her already busy work life.

Richard has previously appeared sporadically on video-based series 20 To One, which will be returning in 2017 with hosts Erin Molan and Dave Thornton.

Richard, who also appeared on Nine's Celebrity Apprentice in a different season to Roxy, wrapped his arm her in the behind-the-scenes pictures, which could be a hint that her yet-to-be-announced role could be alongside the media personality.

Flashback: Roxy posted six weeks ago in a similar black dress while at the same Sydney studio, also making mention of Channel Nine in her caption

The mother-of-two was also spotted six weeks ago in a similar black dress at the Sydney studio.

This was months after she appeared on Nine's 60 Minutes for her hour-long special dedicated to documented her journey with breast cancer.

Within the aired segment earlier this year, she spoke at lengths about her struggles while showing intimate moment from within the hospital, including images from the operating theatre ad the moment surgeons removed her cancerous tumour.

Past appearances: Her post have come months after she appeared on Nine's 60 Minutes for her hour-long special dedicated to documented her journey with breast cancer

A smaller on-air role is believed to be more more accommodating to Roxy's schedule.

She manages her own PR brand, mothers her two young children and runs daughter Pixie's accessory label, Pixies Bows.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine and Roxy Jacenko for comment.

Mother: Roxy is the mother of two small children, Roxy, four, and Hunter, two
She has been famously candid when it comes to talking about going under the knife.

But Lisa Rinna has brushed off suggestions she's had another trip to the plastic surgeons.

The 53-year-old - who has had a boob job and silicone lip injections in the past - was asked by her Real Housewives boss Andy Cohen whether she's had her assets recently enhanced.

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Mere illusions? Lisa Rinna denied having any more cosmetic enhancements as she was quizzed about her plump pout and impressive cleavage on Watch What Happens Live on Tuesday

Appearing on Watch What Happens Live on Tuesday, host Cohen commented that Lisa's upper lip looked 'way plumpy', before pushing: 'Did you do more to it?'

'No, no it goes up and down you know that,' she shrugged unconvincingly.

She also denied getting another boob job.

'No I don't (have new boobs), but I have boob pads in. It's all an illusion people, I can do many things with this body,' she rambled.

Extra padding: The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star said she had boob pads in and that her look was all 'an illusion'

Cagey: Lisa - whose had lip injections and a breat augmentation in the past - was keen to shrug off host Andy Cohen's suggestions that she had undergone more work

Lisa has been open about having silicone injected into her lips as a 25-year-old in 1986. She compared the procedure as like having 'a tattoo with a girlfriend'.

After criticisms of her enhanced pout from fans, she went back under the knife to have her top lip reduced in 2010.

She said at the time: 'I feel fantastic. It looks good  its a huge difference.'

She also underwent a breast augmentation before posing for Playboy in 1998.

Changing the subject on the chatshow, Lisa was asked about which birthday party she'd preferred on the Bravo show between Erika Girardi's or Dorit Kemsley's bash.

TV personality: Julie Chen of Big Brother and The Talk also was in the clubhouse on the chatshow

Drinking show: Lisa enjoyed a drink during her appearance - and talked about socialising with her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-stars

'I had a good time at bothbecause I drank,' she retorted.

When asked what she thought about Dorit's vague accent she said: 'Which one?' and dissolved into laughter before admitting that she and the other RHOBH women had discussed Dorit's voice behind her back.

Talking of the in-fighting on ABC's The View, Julie Chen said: 'I do think that Barbara Walters is probably like ''this amazing show that I createdis withering away with a revolving door of hosts that people can't keep straight''.'

Chen didn't hesitate when asked which Big Brother contestant she 'never wants to see again'.

'Aaryn [Gries] the girl from Texas who said some things that many people, including me, thought were racist,' she proclaimed.

Chen said the 'grossest habit' she'd witnessed was a man called Jerry from 'an early season' who 'never washed his hands after using the bathroom'.

But first: Julie poked fun of herself and mimicked a move from The Chenbot

Good times: The guests were having a fun time in the Bravo clubhouse

The former newscaster also admitted to painting her grey hairs with a liquid eyeliner 'strand by strand'.

The TV personality is married to Leslie Moonves, 67, Chief Executive Officer of the CBS Corporation.

She admitted getting into a huge row with him over his idea to stop airing Big Brother live one year when the contestants 'couldn't control their foul mouths'.

CBS chief: Les Moonves was in the audience supporting his wife Julie

Behind the bar: Cody Calafiore and his brother Paul of Big Brother were behind the bar

'I almost fired her,' said Moonves, who was sitting in the audience.

Andy noticed that rake thin Rinna had only accepted a bird-sized quantity of food when having dinner with her daughters on the last RHOBH episode.

'It's very difficult to eat on camera, it just is,' protested Rinna, who said she cannot cook, and leaves the food prep to her husband Harry Hamlin and their staff.

Big Brother season 16 runner-up Cody Calafiore, 25, and his older brother Paul who competed on Big Brother 18 were behind the bar.

Poll results: A majority of viewers did not believe the Lisa Rinna and Lisa Vanderpump friendship would last
She's just been named the new face of Olivella, a natural skincare line made from virgin olive oil available through Chemist Warehouse.

And while The Real Housewives of Melbourne star Susie McLean, 48, is enjoying the benefits of her natural skincare regimen, she has some advice for younger reality TV stars who are going under the knife.

'That's really sad, I think that's a shame,' she told Daily Mail Australia after learning that The Bachelor's Keira Maguire, 30, and Big Brother's Skye Wheatley, 23, have recently received fillers and nose jobs.

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'They are definitely too young!' Susie McLean, who is the new face of natural skincare line Olivella, revealed her thoughts on young reality TV stars like Skye Wheatley and Keira Maguire who have already started using Botox and fillers

'I think for fillers, they are definitely too young because it alters the shape of your face and fillers really should be used to add volume that you've lost,' she explained.

Susie continued: 'I think dabbling in fillers and Botox at a young age alters your looks too much.

'There's a lot of young girls that have had way too much of that and it's hard to tell how old they actually are. They look like attractive women but they could be in their mid-forties or fifties, but they're actually in their late twenties.'

Before and after: The Bachelor's Keira Maguire, 30, recently opened up about her plastic surgery transformation, which includes a nose job, Botox, and lip fillers

Next up, boobs! Keira recently claimed she 'always wanted to be perfect' and is considering a breast enlargement following her recent cosmetic treatments

Surgeon to the stars! Double Bay surgeon Dr. Michael Zacharia (C) was responsible for Keira Maguire (R) and Skye Wheatley's (L) recent nose jobs

However, Susie was more forgiving when it came to Keira and Skye's recent rhinoplasty procedures.

'In terms of a nose job, if you're not happy with the shape of your nose and it's something that's always bothered you then go for it,' she said.

Keira, who rose to fame on The Bachelor, has admitted to getting Botox, lip fillers, a nose job, and vampire facials - and is thinking about getting a breast enlargement.

New look: Skye Wheatley, 23, recently unveiled her new nose, after having previously confessed to receiving lip fillers and a botched boob job in Bangkok

'There's a lot of young girls that have had way too much of that and it's hard to tell how old they actually are,' Susie told Daily Mail Australia (Pictured: Skye Wheatley)

The price of beauty? Skye has changed her appearance dramatically since rising to fame on Big Brother Australia 2014

As for Skye, she famously received a botched 'Bangkok boob job' in Thailand last year, and has since had lip fillers and a nose job.

While the young reality TV stars seem happy with their surgeries and injectables, Susie is busy enjoying the benefits of Olivella skincare.

'It's all very natural and it's made in the olive groves of Italy,' explained Susie, who is of Italian heritage.

'It's all very natural and it's made in the olive groves of Italy': The 48-year-old is currently enjoying her new role as the face of natural skincare line Olivella

'I use it on everything!' Susie recommends the Olivella Moisturizer Oil (L), but also enjoys other products like Olivella's liquid soaps and eye creams

'I love the Olivella Moisturizer Oil, which is 100% virgin olive oil,' she said.

Susie added: 'It's an elixir of the gods that stuff, it's amazing! I use it on everything - my nails, my hair, and as a night mask before bed.'

Susie also revealed she prefers a 'simple' skincare routine, which usually sees her cleansing her face with Olivella's Liquid Soap, before using the Olivella Contour Eye Cream and Olivella Moisturizer Oil before bed.

The mother-of-two also said Real Housewives of Melbourne is due to begin production for season four soon, but was unable to reveal any specific casting details for the series.
They are the Australian brothers taking Hollywood by storm.

But despite the family's enormous fame, the Hemsworth boys remain down-to-earth enough to enjoy the simple things in life.

In an Instagram photo on Wednesday, Luke Hemsworth, 36, and Liam Hemsworth, 26 are pictured spending a sunny afternoon drinking beer on the beach with their friends.

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'This was a fun day': On Wednesday Liam Hemsworth shared a selfie of him and brother Luke Hemsworth relaxing together on the beach

In the impromptu snap, Liam smiles as he holds up the camera, showing off his dark beard and tousled hair.

Behind him is a stunning panoramic shot of a beach at sunset.

His older brother grins cheekily at the camera, as friends walk along the beach with them.

Both actors are dressed casually in grey t-shirts.

Close: The brothers make no secret of their close bond, frequently being photographed with each other at events

'This was a fun day,' Liam captions the photo.

It appears highly likely that the photo was taken in Byron Bay, as a male companion is seen holding a bottle of Stone and Wood Ale - a beer brewed exclusively in the Australian beach destination.

The hippy hub is a favourite destination of the Hemsworths, with middle brother Chris owning a house with wife Elsa Pataky there.

Terrific trio: Chris Hemsworth first found success acting in Hollywood, with a screen grabbing role in Star Trek

Supportive: Luke and Liam last year turned out to support Chris' movie Vacation at its LA premiere

Last week, reports surfaced that Liam and his fiancee Miley Cyrus were also eyeing up a $4.5 million property there.

The couple are said to be interested in a palatial 12,500 square metre property in Broken Head, The Gold Coast Bulletin reported last Friday.

If the loved-up pair decide to put down roots near the idyllic northern NSW beach town, they will be neighbours with Chris' family, who live adjoining the place for sale.

Making his mark too: After acting in Australia for years, Luke this year found success in the United States with a role on hit HBO show Westworld

The highly-successful brothers have made no secret of their close family bond in the past.

In a joint interview in March with #Legend magazine, Liam revealed he starting acting because he wanted to emulate his brothers.

The Last Song actor also said the way his family raised them help keep him and his brothers grounded.

'I think that our whole family...that we have such great parents who brought us up with such good values,' The Hunger Games star said.

'I have always looked up to my older brothers. Yeah, we are really close friends.'
She is currently in America filming real-life war drama Horse Soldiers with her husband Chris Hemsworth.

But Elsa Pataky enjoyed the day off on Tuesday to explore the local sights, and even paid a visit to a novelty fortune teller machine.

The 40-year-old actress shared a photo of herself with Mr 'Zoltar', and wrote in the caption: 'Big Big Big... I want to be a kid again!'

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Zoltar Speaks! Elsa Pataky enjoyed the day off from filming in America on Tuesday to explore the local sights - and even paid a visit to a novelty fortune teller machine

Elsa was inspired to take the photo by the 1988 film Big, starring Tom Hanks, which features a famous scene with a 'Zoltar Speaks' machine.

In the film, the 12-year-old lead character puts a coin in the cabinet and makes a wish to be 'big' and wakes up as a grown man in his 30s.

Meanwhile, for the photo Elsa opted for her typical boho chic look in a pink pattered dress and styled her blonde hair in a scruffy updo.

New role: Elsa recently travelled from her home in Byron Bay to the USA to film real-life war drama Horse Soldiers, in which her husband Chris Hemsworth (L) plays a lead character

She recently travelled from her home in Byron Bay to America to film Horse Soldiers, in which her husband Chris, 33, plays a lead role.

The Afghanistan War drama follows a group of CIA agents tasked with dismantling the Taliban shortly after the September 11th attacks.

It would appear Elsa, who married Chris in 2010 after dating for several months, is playing Chris' love interest in the upcoming film.

Loved up: Elsa confirmed she is playing Chris' love interest in the film after sharing a photo of the couple in bed together, writing on Instagram: 'Shooting with my on and off screen love'

She recently shared a behind-the-scenes photo of the couple in a bed together, writing on Instagram: 'Shooting with my on and off screen love'.

The couple share three children together - daughter India Rose, four, and two-year-old twin sons Sasha and Tristan.

The family recently moved from Hollywood to coastal New South Wales as Chris fulfills his role as an ambassador for Tourism Australia.
He's one of most famous faces in the Australian fitness industry thanks to his role as a trainer on The Biggest Loser.

And Steve 'Commando' Willis revealed on Wednesday that his eight-year-old daughter Ella is already following in his footsteps.

The 40-year-old told Channel Seven's The Daily Edition that, unlike other children her age, Ella prefers being active to watching TV.

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Active family! TBL's Steve 'Commando' Willis told The Daily Edition on Wednesday that, unlike children her age, his eight-year-old daughter Ella prefers being active to watching television

Steve, who is dating his TBL co-star Michelle Bridges, was speaking about Ella's role as a junior ambassador for Garmin watches.

He explained the promotional campaign, which launched in September, focused on ways to get children active using technology.

'Ella, she lives and breathes it,' Steve said proudly.

Fit couple: Steve is in a relationship with TBL co-star Michelle Bridges (R), after they met while filming the Australian reality TV show. Pictured at the 2015 Logie Awards in Melbourne

'She would rather be doing gymnastics or dancing or just running around than plonking in front of the television,' he added.

Earlier this year, Ella was announced as the face of Garmin's Vivofit Jr, a wearable activity tracker for children aged four to nine years.

Steve has already represented the fitness watch company for two years.

Bundle of joy! After breaking up with their former partners in 2013, Steve and Michelle began publicly dating and welcomed their first child together, son Axel, in December last year

Ella is Steve's daughter from his previous relationship with de facto wife Froso.

They split in May 2013, shortly after his Michelle left her husband Bill Moore.

Steve and Michelle subsequently began dating and welcomed their first child together in December.
She has enjoyed a string of high-profile romances and was even briefly engaged.

But Vicky Pattison has taken a swipe at all her former partners by insisting that new beau John Noble is 'The One', saying he is 'the only man I've ever loved'.

In a gushing 29th birthday tribute on Wednesday, the I'm A Celebrity winner wrote: 'Huge happy birthday to the only man I have ever loved... And the most amazing human I know!!! Happy 29th gorgeous boy... Let's have a good one!!!'

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The One? Vicky Pattison has taken a swipe at all her former partners by insisting that new beau John Noble is 'The One', saying he is 'the only man I've ever loved' in a birthday message

He was quick to return the favour, posting the same cosy snap of the pair alongside the caption: 'Spoilt rotton off my partner in crime! 29 today.'

Her shout out will come as a blow to her exes, including her former Geordie Shore co-star Ricci Guarnaccio, who she was briefly engaged to in 2012 before a very acrimonious split in 2013.

She has gone on to enjoy short-lived romances with Spencer Matthews, Mario Falcone, and was linked to Alex Cannon, who she also declared she 'loved' when he appeared on CBB earlier this year.

She also dated reality bad boy Stephen Bear after they met on Ex On The Beach, before another nasty split.

Remember him? Her shout out will come as a blow to her exes, including her former Geordie Shore co-star Ricci Guarnaccio, who she was briefly engaged to in 2012 before a very acrimonious split in 2013

Bear not necessary: She also dated reality bad boy Stephen Bear after they met on Ex On The Beach, before another nasty split

She has gone on to enjoy short-lived romances with Spencer Matthews, Mario Falcone (R), and was linked to Alex Cannon (L), who she also declared she 'loved' when he appeared on CBB earlier this year

Vicky only had eyes for John, however, following their romance-filled weekend in Vienna with her boyfriend John Noble to celebrate his birthday.

The fresh-faced former Geordie Shore star, 29, beamed as she returned home, looking casual and well-rested in a grey tracksuit and pink satin bomber jacket.

The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here winner added a luxe touch to her low-key outfit with a pair of white and pink cult Valentino trainers.

Sticking to an upmarket theme with her accessories, she also carried a cream Prada Saffiano tote bag.

Perhaps feeling the effects of the delayed flight - which is said to have landed at 2am - the reality star appeared to go make-up free.

Wearing her raven tresses in tousled waves, Vicky seemed to be in high spirits as she strolled down the arrivals lounge holding hands with John.

Pucker up: Vicky only had eyes for John, however, following their romance-filled weekend in Vienna with her boyfriend John Noble to celebrate his birthday

Loved up: The fresh-faced former Geordie Shore star, 29, beamed as she returned home, looking casual and well-rested in a grey tracksuit and pink satin bomber jacket

Fancy footwear: The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here winner added a luxe touch to her lowkey outfit with a pair of white and pink cult Valentino trainers

John, meanwhile, opted for a marginally dressier vibe - rocking a black bomber jacket over a shirt and distressed skinny jeans.

The couple were clearly incredibly pleased with their city break in Austria, littering their social media accounts with loved-up selfies together.

Kicking off the snap-happy action, Vicky uploaded a selfie of the pair sipping on cocktails at the airport, which she captioned: 'Vienna here we come....'

Their trip was packed full of activities, including rooftop cocktails, a horse-drawn carriage ride and a visit to the opera.

Summing up the mood of the getaway, Vicky captioned one panoramic shot of their drinks at a bar: 'Vienna for @johnnoblejn 's birthday is everything'.

Well-rested: The couple were clearly incredibly pleased with their city break in Austria, littering their social media accounts with loved-up selfies together

Romantic! They enjoyed a special tour of the city with a ride in a horse-drawn carriage

The pair appear to be spending some much-needed alone time together during their European break in Austria, after being separated by Vicky's presenting job on the other side of the world.

However her new beau flew out to meet her in Australia, where she was filming ITV2's I'm A Celebrity... Extra Camp, as a sweet surprise for her 29th birthday.

Vicky then made the relationship public on her Instagram, when she posted a selfie of the pair alongside her mum enjoying a dinner Down Under to celebrate the milestone.

She has since shared a number of lovey-dovey snaps of the couple, proving they are truly smitten.

John is often at the heart of the Newcastle social scene, frequently sharing snaps with Vicky's former co-stars Gary 'Gaz' Beadle and Scott Timlin, so it is no wonder the pair crossed paths.

Keeping it classy! Vicky dressed up in patent red stilettos and a graphic print dress for a trip to the opera

'Casual...We're so edgy': The couple perfected their pouts for one artful shot against a graffiti laden backdrop

However their romance has already been plagued with drama - despite having only hit headlines this month.

Her former flame Jordan Wright slammed the star while she was Down Under for moving on with John just a day after their own romance ended - a claim Vicky staunchly denies.

Talking to The Sun, he said: 'The day after we split up was the day she went on X Factor. We split on the Friday and the Saturday she went on the show and necked off with the guy she's in Australia with.'

'Less than 24 hours after we split she had her tongue down another geezer's neck!'

Cute couple: The pair appear to be spending some much-needed alone time together during their European break in Austria, after being separated by Vicky's presenting job on the other side of the world

He continued: 'I was obviously p***ed off. The thing that f**ked me off the most about the whole situation is the way she brushed us under the rug  like we weren't even a thing. Like she said we weren't serious.'

However Vicky was quick to hit back at her ex's warring words, by posting a quote to her Instagram which read: 'Always be careful of what you hear about a woman. Rumours either come from a man that can't have her or a woman who can't compete with her.'

She added to her followers in one final blow: 'Hatred and anger are curved blades that turn inward and only hurt those harbouring it.

'Sooooooo, move on, lighten up and chill out! Oh and always try not to be a helmet. Namaste.'

Quite a view: Summing up the mood of the trip, Vicky captioned one panoramic shot of their drinks at a bar: 'Vienna for @johnnoblejn 's birthday is everything'




Her early exit from the jungle ensured she could make the most of Australia's beautiful Gold Coast.

And Ola Jordan, 34, might not have been back in the UK for long, but it appears she's already missing the climate down under.

The former Strictly star shared a throwback photo of herself on Instagram frolicking on the beach in a stunning white bikini.

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Jumping for joy: Ola Jordan, 34, might not have been back in the UK for long, but it appears she's already missing the climate down under

Jumping into the air above the wet sand, the beauty captioned the shot: 'Oh... I'm missing this weather '

Wearing black shades and her locks in a messy beachy style, Ola kicked back her leg and raised her arms into the air.

Her mouth was open in a wide smile, and she showcased her slender shape in the fun pose.

Early exit: Ola was the third star to be evicted from the latest series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! following Danny Baker and Lisa Snowdon out of the jungle

There wasn't a cloud in the sky above the choppy surf, and the white sandy beach looked appealingly quiet.

Ola was the third star to be evicted from the latest series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, following Danny Baker and Lisa Snowdon out of the jungle.

Explaining why she decided to swap the ballroom for the jungle, she quipped on Good Morning Britain: 'When else are you going to have five snakes on your face? It's brilliant.'

Once in a lifetime: Explaining why she decided to swap the ballroom for the jungle, she quipped on Good Morning Britain: 'When else are you going to have five snakes on your face? It's brilliant'

'It's being able to be close with animals and different thing, honestly, I love it' she added, while admitting that when it came to tasks 'everything was pretty, pretty bad'.

However, she gave her stint an overall glowing review, gushing: 'It was a fabulous experience, I've got to say.'

'I would love to stay much longer of course I would, but I'm happy to be by the pool now enjoying cocktails. I was very lucky to be in the jungle with a very lovely bunch of people.'
She became one of the world's most sought after models after being scouted at the tender age of 12.

And Chanel Iman proved her years in the fashion industry hadn't gone to waste as she stepped out in style at celebrity hotspot Catch LA in West Hollywood on Tuesday night.

The catwalk queen, 26, showed off her enviably long, lean legs in a pair of thigh-high black suede boots which she teamed with an oversized hoodie.

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Catwalk queen: Chanel Iman showed off her enviably long, lean legs in a pair of thigh-high boots as she enjoyed a night out at celebrity hotspot Catch LA in West Hollywood on Tuesday

The star stole the spotlight as she strutted along in the sexy footwear, which added height to her already statuesque 5ft10 frame.

Chanel accessorised with two silver chains, while her glossy raven tresses framed her striking features.

Looking incredibly stylish, the catwalk queen made quite the arrival as she headed in to the popular Hollywood hangout with a furry bag draped over her shoulder.

Boot-iful: The model, 26, stole the spotlight as she strutted along in the sexy footwear, which added height to her already statuesque 5ft10 frame

Stylish: Chanel's navy sweater skimmed her slim frame and boasted two drawstrings down the middle and she accessorised with two silver chains and a furry black bag

Taking a break from her high-profile modelling duties, Chanel recently enjoyed a sun-soaked holiday in Dubai.

Posting a number of saucy snaps to her Instagram page, Chanel showed off her tiny abs and pert posterior in a skimpy white bikini as she frolicked on the beach.

Chanel has made quite the name for herself as a model having walked the runway for Burberry, Tom Ford, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen to name just a few.

The stunner, who was previously in a relationship with A$AP Rocky, has turned her hand to acting in recent years.

Beach babe: Chanel recently took a break from her high-profile modelling duties and enjoyed a sun-soaked holiday in Dubai

Bottoms up: The beauty showed off her pert posterior in a skimpy white bikini as she frolicked on the beach in the Emirate

She made her acting debut in the comedy drama Dope, which also starred Zoe Kravitz.

The budding screen star has another film she's been working on, which will come out in 2017.

Mad Families, which is directed by Fred Wolf, is about three families who compete for a camping spot during a busy Fourth of July holiday weekend.

The comedy already has a strong cast of big names, including Leah Remini, Charlie Sheen, Charlotte McKinney and Naya Rivera.

Catwalk queen: Chanel has made quite the name for herself as a model having walked the runway for Burberry, Tom Ford, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen to name just a few




She bagged her first ever Golden Globe nomination on Monday for her role in Rules Don't Apply.

And Lily Collins still couldn't contain her delight at receiving the highly-coveted Best Actress nod as she grabbed a coffee, before heading to The London Hotel in West Hollywood on Tuesday.

The actress, 27, looked incredibly chic in a structured grey coat and skinny jeans as she boasted an extra spring in her step after receiving the good news.

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Happy: Lily Collins, 27, couldn't contain her delight at receiving her first ever Golden Globe nomination as she arrived at The London Hotel in West Hollywood on Tuesday

Lily teamed her stylish winter outfit with dark shades and a pair of black heeled shoe boots.

The screen star wore her brunette locks loose and opted for natural make-up to showcase her pretty English rose features.

On Monday, the daughter of British rocker Phil Collins was left in shock after receiving the Best Actress nod in the Motion Picture Musical or Comedy category for her role in comedy drama Rules Don't Apply.

The actress immediately took to Instagram to share a shot of herself with her hand over her mouth in shock as she took in the good news.

Next to the emotional image, Lily wrote: 'The moment your mom captures you being nominated for your first Golden Globe. Priceless. I still can't breathe.

'This can't be real!': The star was left in shock on Monday after receiving the Best Actress nod in the Motion Picture Musical or Comedy category for comedy drama Rules Don't Apply

Stylish and successful: The actress, 27, looked incredibly chic in a structured grey coat and skinny jeans from Parker Smith as she boasted an extra spring in her step after receiving the good news

'Beyond honored, thankful, and proud. This can't be real!'

Lily later added: 'I've never felt so shocked, honored, and proud. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to my fearless leader and mentor Warren Beatty, the Hollywood Foreign Press, and to all those involved with Rules Don't Apply.

'Sharing this moment with my mom sitting on our couch in the dark is something I'll never forget. It's a complete dream come true. I still can't breathe.'

On Tuesday, Lily shared a close-up snap as she looked lovingly at her mother, American model Jill Tavelman, which she captioned: 'Waking up smiling and still floating from last night's celebrations with my mom. What a day...'

Set in 1950s Hollywood, Rules Don't Apply follows the romantic relationship between a young actress (Collins) and her driver, which has been forbidden by their boss Howard Hughes (Warren Beatty).

'What a day': Lily shared another Instagram snap with her American model mother Jill Tavelman, which hinted they had celebrated the news all day in style

Talented: Set in 1950s Hollywood, Rules Don't Apply follows the romantic relationship between a young actress (Collins) and her driver, which is forbidden by their boss

'Hes so lovely and so mentorish to me,' Lily told Variety about working with Beatty, who also directed the flick.

'You always hope someone will take you under their wing and teach you  when its Warren Beatty, its like, Oh my god, how is this real?

And Lily revealed the advice the actor gave her on set, recalling 'Allow yourself to surprise yourself. And, the instant you give it up to the moment and are present, something happens.

'But it only happens when you trust the people around you. I trusted him, [co-star] Alden [Ehrenreich], and the rest of the cast and crew. '

The 74th Golden Globe Awards will air live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on Sunday, January 8 and will be hosted by Jimmy Fallon.
The Block's Suzi Taylor has DENIED reports she is dating 73-year-old Melbourne businessman Geoffrey Edelsten.

Geoffrey claimed on Wednesday that he was in a relationship with the controversial reality TV star, after they met at a Chapel Street restaurant.

But Suzi, 44, told Daily Mail Australia they were not romantically involved, saying she has 'no idea' what gave him that impression.

Meanwhile, her representative also claimed the story was 'absolutely false', and clarified the pair were 'just new friends'.

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'We really hit it off!' The Block's Suzi Taylor (R) exclusively told Daily Mail Australia about her blossoming friendship with Geoffrey Edelsten (L) after they met at a Melbourne party on Wednesday night - but says they are not romantically involved

Suzi met Geoffrey for the first time this week at the Meatball & Wine Bar opening in Windsor, Melbourne - and photos from the event show the pair getting close.

However they are not romantically involved, despite the medical entrepreneur reportedly telling News Corp they were dating.

Geoffrey told the publication he felt 'euphoric' around Suzi, who he described passionately as a 'beautiful looking lady'.

He continued: 'I am enjoying her company and the relationship very much indeed.'

Nothing to see here! Suzi (L) denied reports she is dating 73-year-old Geoffrey (R), with her spokesperson telling Daily Mail Australia they are 'just friends'

Getting close? Geoffrey told the Herald Sun he felt 'euphoric' around Suzi, who he described passionately as a 'beautiful looking lady', and said he was 'enjoying the relationship very much'

But Suzi set the record straight, telling Daily Mail Australia: 'No we're not dating.'

She explained: 'I met him at a soiree tonight (Wednesday). I'm actually very friendly, we really hit it off!

'But we're just friends,' the former Penthouse model concluded.

When asked by Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday if he hoped for a long-term future with Suzi, Geoffrey said: 'I certainly hope so'.

But after learning Suzi had denied any romance, he added: 'Oh, well. She'll just say whatever she likes'.

'I'm actually very friendly': Suzi claimed she met Geoffrey for the first time on Wednesday at the Meatball & Wine Bar opening night on Chapel Street - but they aren't dating

A misunderstanding, surely? When asked by Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday if he hoped for a long-term future with Suzi, Geoffrey said: 'I certainly hope so'

Not happy: Suzi later wrote on social media: 'Don't believe anything you read about me... I'm very much single, and my sole attention and focus is on my beautiful children who I love dearly'

On Thursday, Suzi appeared on KIIS FM's Summer Fling and laughed off the rumours.

'It's hilarious...I said hello, we had a little chat and then next minute we were dating,' she told.

'Maybe he had a few too many drinks, I just don't understand it...

'I normally go for someone so different to that, he's just not my cup of tea'.

She added: 'I'm sure my kids don't want to call Geoffrey daddy...or grand-daddy'.

Suzi also revealed she is currently dating someone but decided to keep tight lipped on details.

Deja vu? Earlier this year, Playboy bunny Ashley Kirk (pictured) strongly denied she was in a relationship with the former Sydney Swans owner after he spoke about their 'relationship'

She then took to social media to share a selfie of herself along with another denial.

'Don't believe anything you read about me in any of the garbage press. I'm very much single, and my sole attention and focus is on my beautiful children who I love dearly. I have no room in my life at present for a man,' she wrote.

This is not the first time there has been a possible misunderstanding in Geoffrey's colourful dating life.

Earlier this year, Playboy bunny Ashley Kirk strongly denied she was in a relationship with the former Sydney Swans owner.

Geoffrey previously told The Daily Telegraph there was 'sensational chemistry' between them after meeting on a business trip.

He said: 'Shes gorgeous, articulate and fun and is attracted to me, I believe, because Ive a lot to offer.

'I have seven masters and two doctorates and can help mentor her career.'

Busted! But despite Ashley's denials, Daily Mail Australia later published leaked text messages which proved they were in fact dating - and that she begged Geoffrey for money

But despite Ashley's denials, Daily Mail Australia later published text messages which proved they were in fact dating.

The private exchanges suggested Ashley, 32, was hoping to get a $1million payday from an exclusive Channel Nine interview with Geoffrey.

The American model also pleaded with her long-distance boyfriend to help clear her debts and threatened to leave him if he refused.

In happier times: Geoffrey was previously married to Melbourne socialite and reality TV star Brynne Edelsten (R) between 2009 and 2014. Pictured in September 2012

Geoffrey was previously married to Melbourne socialite and reality TV star Brynne Edelsten between 2009 and 2014.

Shortly after their split, he wed Miami-born glamour model Gabi Grecko but the marriage only lasted several months.

Later, it emerged Gabi was the former prostitute at the centre of a mile-high 'group sex' scandal involving senior NYPD officers.

It was also revealed Gabi, 27, and Geoffrey had met on a 'sugar daddy' site that connects young women with rich older men.

Brief romance: Later, Geoffrey married Miami-born model Gabi Grecko (L) but the union only lasted several months. She was later exposed as the prostitute involved in an NYPD scandal

More recently, Geoffrey expressed interest in dating Australia's richest woman Gina Rinehart, 62.

He told Woman's Day earlier this month: 'I don't normally like women my age but Gina Rinehart is mature, independently wealthy and intelligent.

'She's been looking attractive in recent years, has lost a lot of weight and has clearly been looking after herself.'
He's just been awarded the honour of an OBE after fighting his way to the top of the A-List and gainging critical acclaim.

Clearly enjoying some downtime away from the film set, Eddie Redmayne looked to have slipped into daddy day care mode as he looked after his baby daughter, Iris.

The 34-year-old Fantastic Beasts star looked every inch the doting dad as he took his six-month-old daughter for a walk around the British capital following his OBE honour.

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Daddy day care: Clearly enjoying some downtime away from the film set, Eddie Redmayne looked to have slipped into daddy day care mode as he looked after his baby daughter, Iris

Choosing to spend some quality time alone with Iris, his first child with wife Hannah Bagshawe, Eddie headed out for a quiet stroll on his own.

Pushing the tiny tot around in her pushchair, the Oscar-winning actor looked like any other first-time father.

The Jupiter Ascending star cut a casual figure on his outing, dressing down in a black jumper with a panther stitched onto the torso.

Despite his dressed-down vibe, the star still managed to turn a few heads as he strolled around town with his daughter - attracting some stares from a number of passing ladies.

He's the man: The 34-year-old Fantastic Beasts star looked every inch the doting dad as he took his six-month-old daughter for a walk around the British capital following his OBE honour

He teamed the funky long-sleeved number with a white tee and a pair of skinny navy chinos, before rounding his look off with some comfy trainers.

Keeping things casual and practical, Eddie only wore a watch and a pair of shades.

Despite being a father to a newborn baby, the London-born star looked fresh-faced and rested.

Just another dad: Pushing the tiny tot around in her pushchair, the Oscar-winning actor looked like any other first-time father

Keeping it casual: The Jupiter Ascending star cut a casual figure on his outing, dressing down in a black jumper with a panther stitched onto the torso

Having taken in some of the capital's sights and sounds, the father/daughter duo headed back to Eddie's car and - presumably - made a move for home.

His outing with Irish came just two weeks after he capped off a stellar year by collecting an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) from Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, Berkshire in recognition of services to drama.

However it seems rather than letting her father get all rested for his bid day, Irish chose to keep the Eton-educated star up the night before.

Fresh-faced: Despite being a father to a newborn baby, the London-born star looked fresh-faced and rested

Time for home? Having taken in some of the capital's sights and sounds, the father/daughter duo headed back to Eddie's car and - presumably - made a move for home

At the ceremony Eddie admitted that while being a parent was 'wonderful', he was feeling a little sleep deprived on his big day because of his little girl.

'She does have the habit of knowing when you have a big day, like today', he sighed.

'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.'

Of his latest honour, he said: 'It was absolutely wonderful.

Honoured: His outing with Irish came just two weeks after he capped off a stellar year by collecting an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, Berkshire

'She was up until four in the morning': However it seems rather than letting her father get all rested for his bid day, Irish chose to keep the Eton-educated star up the night before

'Also being with such extraordinary people the whole experience is incredibly humbling and also getting to be in Windsor Castle is breathtaking, around Christmas as well with all the decorations.'

Pressed on what the Queen had said to him, the Danish Girl star said: 'She was asking me whether I prefer film or theatre, and asked me if I enjoyed it.

'Im very lucky to do something I am passionate about - Im very grateful to do something I love because it is a rare thing.'

Eddie said it was 'an extraordinary thing' to receive his OBE, adding: 'It is something that I had never thought of and it was never in my wildest imagination.'

Eddie and Hannah started dating in 2012 after previously being friends since their school days.
Noni Janur has been 'feeling the heat' in Sydney's sweltering summer.

On Wednesday the brunette beauty posted a stunning black and white snap to Instagram of herself enjoying a coconut drink.

Wearing a white two-piece, Noni's curves were on full display.

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Thirsty work! On Wednesday the brunette beauty posted a stunning black and white snap to Instagram of her enjoying a coconut drink

She wore her hair tied into a top pony tail and her makeup natural to showcase her smattering of adorable freckles on her cheeks.

The day before she struggled to cope with the heat, posting a snap of herself with her tongue out.

The Bachelor babe wore a pair of denim dungarees while calling for someone to get her a 'Zooper Dooper'.

The 29-year-old's pleas for the ice lolly came as temperatures in Sydney, where she lives with fellow reality TV star Kiki Morris, hit 37 degrees.

Feeling hot, hot, hot: Noni Janur was 'feeling the heat' as she posed for a cute snap in her denim dungarees on Tuesday

She captioned the photo: 'Feeling the heat today. Someone bring me a zooper dooper stat.'

A fully clothed picture of TV personality is a rare occurrence on her Instagram page, which is filled with shots of a usually bikini-clad Noni relaxing on the beach.

And her latest revealing display came as she cooled off with a dip in the sea at Bondi Beach on Friday.

Beach bum: Noni's latest revealing display came as she cooled off with a dip in the sea at Bondi Beach on Friday

Wearing tiny black string bikini bottoms, Noni's backside was the main focus of a photo she uploaded to Instagram.

Wet from head-to-toe, Noni is wading through knee-deep water as she adjusts the strings on her bikini bottoms.

The reality TV contestant is wearing a pink Balini bikini as she stands with her back to the camera.

Noni's snap generated nearly 2,000 likes from her followers, who are regularly treated to uploads of her scantily-clad.

Bum note: Wearing tiny black string bikini bottoms, the 29-year-old's backside was the main focus of a photo she uploaded to Instagram

Social star: Noni's snap generated nearly 2,000 likes from her followers, who are regularly treated to uploads of her scantily-clad

The beauty is never far away from the beach or some of the girls she met during her time on The Bachelor.

Noni has been pictured spending time with Megan Marx, Tiffany Scanlon, Keira Maguire, Faith Williams and Nikki Gogan since the show ended.

And the swimwear model moved in with one of the girls she shared a house with during the Channel Ten series - Kiki Morris.

Beach babe: The bronze beauty is never far away from the beach or some of the girls she met during her time on The Bachelor

The girls: Noni has been pictured spending time with Megan Marx, Tiffany Scanlon, Keira Maguire, Faith Williams and Nikki Gogan since the show ended

Noni, who previously lived on The Gold Coast, recently revealed on Instagram that she had relocated to Sydney.

'Today's the day I'm moving to Sydney. All types of emotions going on but it's definitely going to be a great adventure,' she wrote online at the time.

'Change is always good plus I get to live with one of my besties. Summer in Bondi, let the good times begin!'
The Chippewa Falls Fire Department received an early Christmas present this week in the form of two 14-pound machines that will all firefighters to respond faster and better to cardiac arrest calls.

The department received two LUCAS2 Chest Compression Systems, which are designed to replace the responders manual chest compressions in a much more efficient way.

This is a mechanical device that gives consistent, precise and uniform compressions where we cant do that, Fire Chief Mike Hepfler said. With the advancement we have as a department, going from an intermediate service to a critical care paramedic service, we figured it was a need.

Both HSHS St. Josephs and Sacred Heart hospitals use the LUCAS2, and one Cornell ambulance is outfitted with one. It will help with creating a uniform system, but more importantly it will streamline cardiac arrest response times and increase chance of survival, in which CPR timing is critical.

Fire Inspector Justus Busse said the machines are designed to provide compressions at a rate of 100 a minute. The 2015 American Heart Associations life support guidelines recommend 100-120 a minute.

While first responders are trained to do the same, Busse said its difficult to retain consistent compressions with the proper strength, especially while transporting a victim and when they are in an ambulance.

Every minute without blood flow to the brain is a 10 percent reduction of survival, Busse said. Especially when you start moving a patient your quality of CPR decreases a lot, which decresases survival and neurological responses. With this machine we can put it on the patient, move him or her and continually provide good chest compressions.

The LUCAS2 is a wishbone-shaped machine that basically wraps around the patient and hooks to a board underneath him or her. The compressor sets itself 2 inches above the chest. All the operator has to do is put it around the patient, set it and let the machine do the work.

The board along with the LUCAS2 can all be transported onto a cot and into an ambulance.

Members of the department received training for the equipment Tuesday afternoon, and Hepfler said the LUCAS2s are operating in both the Medic 1 and Medic 2 units as of Tuesday.

Among those firefighters was Drew Smiskey, who said a previous department he worked for had LUCAS2 and hes excited to see them in place here.

CPR takes a lot of manpower, and this removes a lot of the chaos on a cardiac arrest call, Smiskey said. Its easy to use and a great tool for the community.

It will also reduce the number of people who respond to a cardiac arrest call, which can take as many as six people if they are available. While they are fortunate to have the police department respond when they have an officer available, they cant always count on that. Hepfler said this can put their mind at ease.

Those who were off Tuesday will be trained immediately the morning they come in. Hepfler said theyll also train the police department.

Donations from TTM Technologies, which has donated items previously to the department, and HSHS St. Josephs Hospital, which provides a monetary donation each year, paid for the entirety of the machines. Hepfler said they cost about $13,500 a piece.

Without their support we wouldnt have been able to improve our quality of care, Hepfler said.

The department responded to 54 cardiac arrest calls in 2015, and has responded to 50 so far in 2016.

Jeff Preston, a sales representative from the company that sells the LUCAS2, estimated there are currently around 250 LUCAS2 units in place in Wisconsin.
With all the relationship drama they've endured over the last few months, it's no surprise they've jetted off for a relaxing getaway.

And Megan McKenna, 24, and Pete Wicks, 28, looked to be living a life of luxury as they shared pictures from their Dubai jaunt on Instagram.

The TOWIE babe laid in an eye-catching black bikini, with touches of metallic colour brightening up the ensemble.

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Winter sun: Megan McKenna, 24, and Pete Wicks, 28, looked to be living a life of luxury as they shared pictures from their Dubai jaunt on Instagram

She messily tied up her brunette tresses underneath a black cap which she pulled down to shield her eyes from the Middle-Eastern sun.

Her slender shape looked enviably bronzed as she relaxed on a comfy seating area covered with blue beach towels.

Megan helped herself to a plate filled with freshly sliced watermelon - the perfect beachside snack.

Meanwhile, Pete was pictured sunning his heavily tattooed torso in a pair of black swimshorts.

Laidback: Pete was pictured sunning his heavily tattooed torso in a pair of black swimshorts

The heartthrob tied his long locks up and wore a pair of shades as he basked in the sunlight.

With his phone and a packet of cigarettes next to him, he clutched what looked like a glass flute filled with rose.

Pete wrote beside the image: 'Having such a chilled day @covebeachdubai - thank you for the hospitality '

Keeping their fans in the loop, Megan previously posted a snapshot of herself in a silver sequinned bikini smooching her beau while soaking in a swimming pool.

Smacker: Megan previously posted a snapshot of herself in a silver sequinned bikini smooching her beau while soaking in a swimming pool

Megan's brunette hair was worn into a tousled top knot for the dip, while Pete let loose his famous man bun.

The couple appeared to be enjoying their winter getaway, with Pete posting a second shot with his back to the camera, showing off his copious tattoos as he dipped his toes in the water.

It seems the couple may have travelled in style, with Megan earlier sharing a snapshot of the pair enjoying a glass of bubbly on the plane.

'Champers in our couple pod!,' she wrote.

Winter sun: The TOWIE star posted a snapshot showing himself dipping his legs in the pool while showing off his copious tattoos

In our couple's pod: Megan and Pete flew to Los Angeles in style

The couple's appearance came following Megan's starring performance at Sunday night's West End Musical One More Dance.

The star performed in a slinky silk floor-length red gown which hugged her slender physique to perfection, before she later changed into a more casual black ensemble.

And Megan's dad Dave McKenna was also there to support his daughter, posing alongside cheerily alongside Pete.

Megan's parents featured heavily in TOWIE scenes during which Pete wooed Megan back following his sexting scandal over the summer.

Pucker up! Boyfriend Pete looked proud as punch as he supported Megan during her live singing debut on Sunday night

Lady in red: Megan took to the stage in a figure-hugging strappy number hugged her slender physique to perfection, and she later changed into a more casual black ensemble

Number one fans: Supporting her on her big night was of course both her number one fans - Pete and father Dave McKenna

Earlier in the night-despite being better known for her dramatic escapades on ITVBe's The Only Way Is Essex, Megan looked every inch the theatre pro.

Worlds away from her reality star counterpart on Sunday night,she made her West End debut in Kristina Rihanoff and Gleb Savchenko's production One More Dance.

Singing her heart out onstage at the Adelphi Theatre, the reality star truly dazzled in a slinky red satin number as she first wowed the audience with her powerful voice.

The TOWIE lass later changed into an angelic white gown, which injected a hint of glitz into the evening with chic embellished shoulder panels.

This is my moment: Megan looked every inch the theatre pro on Sunday night, as she made her West End debut in Kristina Rhianoff and Gleb Savchenko's One More Dance

Superstar: Singing her heart out at the Adelphi Theatre, the reality star dazzled in a slinky red number before changing into an angelic white gown as she wowed with her powerful voice

Centre stage: Megan dominated the stage in her West End debut as Gleb, Kristina and their dances moved effortlessly around her

Dynamic duo: Megan posed with professional dancer Gleb Savchenko backstage at her first sold out performance

Having bonded with Kristina Rihanoff during their time in the CBB house earlier this year, Megan stayed in contact with the former Strictly Come Dancing star and was consequently cast in her West End show alongside Gleb Savchenko, earlier in the year.

Kristina listened to Megan sing while they spent the same season of CBB together and booked her for the one-night-only show last month, when Megan said how 'thrilled' she was to be asked.

'I didnt have to think twice,' she said of the casting. 'Making my West End debut singing on stage with some of the most talented dancers in the world accompanying me truly is a dream come true.'

Dreamy: The TOWIE lass later changed into an angelic white gown, which injected a hint of glitz into the evening with chic embellished shoulder panels

Debut: Megan looked thrilled as she left the Adelphi Theatre after making her West End stage debut in stunning satin gown alongside Gleb Savchenko

The TV personality has been desperate for years to be recognised for her singing ability more than anything else, and her slog through the realms of reality TV has finally allowed her to do this.

Before the show on Sunday, she treated fans to photos of her backstage in the stunning cherry red gown.

She posed for the camera in the satin floor-length backless number, showing off her delicately curled brunette locks which she wore loosely behind her shoulders.

'It's show time!' was her caption, before posting a second shot of her in the wings with an array of backstage crew around her, holding out her dress's train in all directions, creating an almost winged effect.

'Just chilling backstage...' she quipped in the caption.

'It's show time': She posted a shot of her in the wings with an array of backstage crew around her, holding out her dress's train in all directions, creating an almost winged effect

Joining forces: Megan joined Gleb Savchenko for the West End show on Sunday night

The show featured Ballroom and Latin American dance routines, starring Gleb and Kristina.

Parts of it was accompanied by live singing performances from a variety of stars, including Megan.

Starting out, she appeared on Britain's Got Talent in 2006, aged 16, where she performed a rendition of What is This Feeling? (Loathing), from West End musical Wicked.
Melinda Messenger was accused of scare-mongering by This Morning's resident doctor after revealing that she won't be giving her teenage daughter the HPV vaccine.

A row erupted between the TV presenter and former glamour model, 45, and Dr Chris Steele after she expressed her concern about the link between the jab and a range of chronic illnesses.

Known side effects include headaches, fever and nausea, but experts around the world remain adamant there is no evidence to link the vaccine to anything stronger.

However, Dr Steele attacked her for making her decision to not give Evie, 13, the jab public as others parents could follow suit.

He said: 'What upsets me, Melinda, is that you've done this in the public domain. You could have done this privately. This will affect people.'

'You could have done this privately': Melinda Messenger was slammed on This Morning on Wednesday as she revealed why she WON'T give her daughter Evie, 13, the HPV vaccine

But furious Dr Chris said: 'What upsets me, Melinda, is that you've done this in the public domain. You could have done this privately. This will affect people'

Her appearance on the daytime show came just a month after she wrote a first-person piece for the MailOnline about why Evie has not been given the vaccine.

The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, is routinely offered to 12-13 year-old girls as part of the NHS' cervical cancer programme.

It is known to protect against two common types of HPV, which are responsible for more than 70 per cent of the cases in the UK.

The disease is believed to currently kill 1,000 people yearly in the UK, doctors estimate that around 400 lives are saved each year as a result of vaccinating girls before they become infected.

Viewers of the programme tweeted their disgust over Melinda's comments, calling the decision 'disgraceful'

Another user said 'Well done Melinda Messenger' for scaring girls into not having the vaccine

But some expressed their concerns over the vaccine, discussing the range of side effects it is known to cause

One Twitter user said that the side effects happen to 'so many girls' and that the link cannot just be a 'coincidence'

But many women report that they have developed chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) after having the vaccine.

Health authorities around the world, including the World Health Organization, have recently extensively reviewed the vaccine and have concluded it is safe.

Melinda said she had been approached by many who had been struck down with the condition and that she was unable to 'ignore it'.

However, she did say that she wasn't against the idea of immunisation in general. But she didn't want to rush into making a decision for daughter without finding out more.

Viewers of the programme tweeted their disgust over Melinda's comments, calling the decision 'disgraceful'.

But some expressed their concerns over the vaccine, discussing the range of side effects it is known to cause.

Concerned: Phillip Schofield revealed that both his daughters have had the vaccine and said even the contraceptive pill has a host of side effects

Debating the issue: The HPV vaccine, Gardasil and is routinely offered to 12-13 year-old girls and Melinda's daughter Evie, is aged 13

Melinda said: 'There are 300 cases in the UK of people being struck down with chronic illnesses after the vaccine. I've had email after email about this and I can't ignore it'

WHAT IS THE HPV VIRUS? Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the name for a group of viruses that affect your skin and the moist membranes lining your body. There are more than 100 types of HPV. Around 30 of which can affect the genital area. Genital HPV infections are common and highly contagious. They are spread during sexual intercourse and skin-to-skin contact of the genital areas. They can cause genital warts - the second most common sexually transmitted infection in England. While it is also known to cause cervical cancer by creating an abnormal tissue growth. Other types of HPV infection can cause minor problems, such as common skin warts and verrucas. All girls aged 12-13 are offered a vaccination against HPV by the NHS to help protect them against cervical cancer. Gardasil protects against two types of HPV, which are responsible for more than 70 per cent of cervical cancers in the UK. Women aged 25-64 are offered cervical screening to check for abnormal cells in the cervix. It's estimated that about 400 lives could be saved every year in the UK as a result of vaccinating girls before they are infected with HPV. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

And Doctor Zoe added: 'There is nothing to support that the vaccination is linked to chronic disease. I strongly urge people to have the vaccine as it could save your life.

'In a year, these teenagers might still have had chronic illnesses, it's no surprise they may want to think there is a link. But they may have fallen ill anyway.'

She argued that she believed the reported side effects were not necessarily linked to the jabs.

Host Phillip Schofield said that both of his daughters have had the vaccine.

But a concerned Dr Chris said that there had been some concerns about This Morning covering the story.

He said: 'When the MMR vaccine came out. It was linked to autism and children died. I went through this with German measles as well.'

Melinda said she had read a piece on the vaccine, which most people don't see and she was alarmed by what she had read.

She said: 'It's a 28-page insert by parents which lists the adverse effects which can occur. It includes autoimmune disease, gastro and respiratory problems and even death.'

But Phillip rationalised: 'Well, there are a lot of things like that on the packets of the pill.'

Melinda replied: 'Yes, every drug has a side effect, but it's my role to protect my daughter against any serious side effects.'

Dr Zoe said: 'Yes, but these are all just reported links. None are proven. Millions of pounds have been spent on researching it. It is the safest drug we've had.'

Looking for answers: Dr Zoe said that no illnesses were proven to be linked to the vaccine, saying: ' Millions of pounds have been spent on research. It is the safest drug we've had'

Melinda followed up with: 'More research needs to be done'

Phillip concluded by asking both doctors if they would advise their patients to have the vaccine and they both said they 100 per cent would.

Melinda followed up with: 'More research needs to be done.'

Clearly aware that the subject matter was a controversial one, Melissa had tweeted about it the day before.

She said: 'Getting ready for 'this morning' tomorrow on itv, where I'm talking about the Hpv vaccine. Should be interesting! X'

A spokesperson for Public Health England said: 'The HPV vaccine is the most effective way for young girls and women to protect themselves against cervical cancer - the most common cancer among women under the age of 35.

'The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is clear that the evidence does not support a link between HPV vaccination and any of the chronic illnesses it is being linked to.

'We would strongly urge any eligible teenagers, aged 12 to 13, not to be deterred from getting vaccinated at the right time because of any misleading information  delaying the vaccination reduces the protection given.

'This very effective vaccine could save their lives.'

Anticipation: Clearly aware that the subject matter was a controversial one, Melissa had tweeted about it the day before
She is set to face the toughest interview of her life as she fights to take home The Apprentice investment.

And hopeful Frances Bishop proves she has brains and beauty as she strips off for a racy shoot.

The 25-year-old has swapped her suit for very sexy lingerie proving she's confident in all aspects of her life.

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She's the boss! The Apprentice's Frances Bishop proves she has brains and beauty as she strips off for a racy shoot

The children's clothing company owner - who competed in Miss Great Britain in 2013 - strikes a series of provocative poses.

Frances is defiant when it comes to critics who says she can't model and be the boss in business.

She told the Daily Star: 'I feel bloody good in myself  whats the harm in that?

'We should be saying: 'Be confident in your body. Own it."'

Boardroom to bedroom: The 25-year-old has swapped her suit for very sexy lingerie proving she's confident in all aspects of her life

Racy: The children's clothing company owner - who competed in Miss Great Britain in 2013 - strikes a series of provocative poses

All wrapped up: She pushes the boundaries even further in another image - as she wraps a rope around her wrists

In one snap, Frances' modesty is barely contained in a sheer bodysuit as she lies suggestively on a leather chair.

The beauty then changes into skimpy lace underwear as she poses against a wall.

She pushes the boundaries even further in another image - as she wraps a rope around her wrists.

Take a seat: In one snap, Frances' modesty is barely contained in a sheer bodysuit as she sits forward in a leather chair

Brains and beauty: The stunner branded herself a 'pocket rocket' as she joined the hopefuls after a 250,000 investment from Lord Alan Sugar

After joining the latest round of hopefuls after a 250,000 investment from Lord Alan Sugar as the new series began in October, Frances insisted that she should not be overlooked because of her petite frame.

She said of herself: 'I'm a pocket rocket. Im quite fiery and live by the rule "kill them with kindness.'"

As part of the final five, she will face the uber-tough interviews round as she presents her business plan ahead of the show's final on Sunday.
They fell head over heels for each other on ITV2's Love Island this summer.

But Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen proved their relationship could survive the bitter chill of winter as they headed to London's Broadgate Ice Rink for a skate on Tuesday.

Alex, 24, looked absolutely smitten as he helped his girlfriend Olivia, 22, balance on the ice on a seal prop before warming things up with a steamy smooch.

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Festive fun: Love Island's Olivia Buckland, 22, and Alex Bowen, 24, looked loved up as they headed to the London's Broadgate Ice Rink for date night on Tuesday

Pucker up: Clearly infatuated with each other, the former Love Island stars took a moment to share a passionate kiss before resuming the skating duties

Wrapped up warm for their festive evening out, the two reality stars looked every inch the loved-up couple as they glided around the rink.

Olivia couldn't resist injecting sex appeal to her ensemble with a red lace top underneath a scarlet faux-fur lined cape, which she teamed with skinny leather trousers.

The former sales executive completed her wintry look with a burgundy-coloured bobble hat and heavy make-up, while debuting flowing blonde Rapunzel-style hair extensions.

Not to be outdone, Alex also looked stylish in a pair of ripped grey jeans and hooded camo jacket.

Looking ice! Olivia couldn't resist injecting sex appeal into her ensemble with a red lace top underneath a scarlet faux-fur lined cape, which she teamed with skinny leather trousers

Blonde ambition: The former sales executive completed her wintry look with a burgundy-coloured bobble hat and heavy make-up, while debuting flowing Rapunzel-style extensions

Smitten: Wrapped up warm, the two reality stars looked every inch the loved-up couple as they glided around the rink

Clearly infatuated with each other, the twosome took a moment to share a passionate kiss before resuming the skating duties.

Not quite ready to glide on the ice by herself, Olivia bagged herself a toy seal which helped her gain some momentum.

Ensuring he wasn't far from his other half, Alex stood behind the seal to push her around before foregoing the balancing prop completely.

Despite being quite shaky on the ice, with the help of each other the genetically-gifted pair managed to avoid any embarrassing slips.

Helping hand: Not quite ready to glide on the ice by herself, Olivia bagged herself a toy seal which helped her gain some momentum

Support system: Ensuring he wasn't far from his other half, Alex stood behind the seal to push Olivia around as they enjoyed their

Could be worse: The reality star turned fashion designer seemed to be chilling as her beau did the hard work

Alex and Olivia found love during the second season of ITV2 show Love Island and their relationship has gone from strength to strength.

The handsome star recently moved into his girlfriend's Wolverhampton home, and the pair bought an adorable French bulldog puppy together called Reggie.

Speaking to MailOnline's FEMAIL about her beau, Olivia recently gushed: 'I know it sounds cliche but I honestly dont think it could be any better.

'When Im with him it just feels so right, its like nothing Ive experienced before. My mum always told me that when you find The One youll see why your past relationships werent right. Alex is The One.'

Getting better: It wasn't long before Olivia forewent the balance prop completely

Success: Despite being quite shaky on the ice, with the help of each other the genetically-gifted pair managed to avoid any embarrassing slips

Sunnier climes: They fell in love on ITV2's Love Island this summer

The smitten pair have recently enjoyed a getaway to Barbados, where the blonde beauty's Instagram was lined with enviable sun-soaked snaps.

And the couple are even planning on spending the festive period together.

Olivia added in an interview with MailOnline: 'Well obviously be together for Christmas.

'Id love to get both our families together for it so well see. Then Alex and I are going to New York for New Year and my birthday so that will be very special.'

Discussing how Love Island has changed her life, Olivia said: 'I think its changed my life to some degree but its not changed me and the latter is really important, Ive seen quite a few people mess that bit up.

'Im still that Olivia who loves a good party and a McDonalds breakfast and that will never change; just fortunately I dont have to be tied to a desk in an office selling pens anymore!'

Moving quickly: The handsome star recently moved into his girlfriend's Wolverhampton home, and the pair bought an adorable French bulldog puppy together called Reggie
She has revealed that she is eager to start a family with her jailbird boyfriend when he's released from prison next year.

But first, Lauren Goodger is determined to ensure that convicted criminal Joey Morrison has a good Christmas despite being behind bars.

The TOWIE star showed off 'his and hers' Chanel trainers on Instagram on Wednesday, with one of the pairs costing over 500.

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Feeling flush: Lauren Goodger is determined to ensure that convicted criminal Joey Morrison has a good Christmas despite being behind bars after snapping up some expensive gifts

After sharing the snap, Morrison's sister commented: 'What about the sis in law?'

Her post comes as she reveals she will visit Joey - who was sentenced on a string of offences including drug-dealing, possessing a firearm, kidnap, blackmail, ABH and burglary - over Christmas, and is eager to have a baby with him.

She said to Closer magazine: 'I'm going to visit him over the Christmas period and I really wanted to see him on Christmas Day, but sadly the prison is closed.

'I'll have one [a baby] next year. I want one right now, really. Hopefully I'll have a little girl, but if I have a boy first, then it's fine because she'll have an older brother.'

Shoe are these for? The TOWIE star showed off 'his and hers' Chanel trainers on Instagram on Wednesday, with one of the pairs costing over 500

'I'll have a baby next year': The gift snaps comes after Lauren Goodger reveals she is planning a family with convicted criminal Joey Morrison who is serving an 18-year sentence

Lauren's 'love interest' is currently serving an 18-year-sentence but is due to be released in a matter of months after serving half his time.

And the former TOWIE star couldn't be happier.

She told the publication: 'He's not a bad person because he's in prison. Yes, he's not been an angel but people deserve a second chance and his crimes never involved innocent people.'

After talking about Joey (pictured) she said: 'I'll have one [a baby] next year. I want one right now, really. Hopefully I'll have a little girl, but if I have a boy first, then it's fine because she'll have an older brother'

Lauren calls Joey 'a beautiful person inside and out' and said she's said she wishes she could spend Christmas with him.

She said: 'I'm going to visit him over the Christmas period and I really wanted to see him on Christmas Day, but sadly the prison is closed.'

According to the Sunday People, Morrison is currently serving part of his lengthy sentence in HMP Standford Hill, Kent, where Lauren's visits have prompted rumours of a romance.

The prison is rated as category D open prison, meaning prisoners work within the community outside of the jail and there is a more relaxed attitude for visits.

Morrison, alongside accomplice Marvin Russell Jacobs, was convicted of possession with intent to supply, possession of a firearm, kidnap, blackmail, actual bodily harm and aggravated burglary following an eight-week trial at Wood Green in North London.

In one incident, the pair were accused of forcing their way into a home in Enfield and using a stun gun on a 27-year-old man while demanding 2million. When the victim told them the police were outside, the suspects fled.

Former flame: Lauren's love life has often been thrust into the limelight, and her last serious relationship was with Jake McLean, who also spent time behind bars

The judge at the time said the victims were concerned in the supply of drugs.

Lauren's love life has often been thrust into the limelight, and her last serious relationship was with Jake McLean, who also spent time behind bars.

The couple first started dating in 2012 before splitting in 2013, only to rekindle their love for a few months between 2015 and 2016.

McLean was jailed for three-and-a-half years at St Albans Court in 2008 after being found guilty of conning his way into a mother's house two days before Christmas, overpowering her before a masked gang ran in and raided the family home.

Prior to her relationship with Jake, Lauren was engaged to co-star Mark Wright, following a rocky ten year relationship.

However, the couple split in 2012 and he has since gone on to marry actress Michelle Keegan.
She's only just returned to her native Perth after an idyllic trip to Hawaii with personal trainer boyfriend Andrew Papadopolous.

And on Wednesday, model Renae Ayris gushed over her man as she marked their one year anniversary.

The 26-year-old blonde beauty shared a sweet tribute to Andrew on Instagram, writing in part of her post: 'No words can explain how much you mean to me.'

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Sweet: On Wednesday, model Renae Ayris gushed over her man Andrew Papadopolous as she marked their one year anniversary

'One year with this kid,' Renae began her post, adding a love heart emoticon.

'Your approach to life is like no other and you inspire not just me but everyone around you every single day,' she wrote.

The Former Miss Universe Australia added: 'Thank you for being you x x x.'

Smitten: 'One year with this kid,' Renae began her post, adding a love heart emoticon (seen here in Hawaii last week)

Close: Commenting underneath was friends and fans including celebrity pal Natalie Imbruglia

Commenting underneath was friends and fans including celebrity pal Natalie Imbruglia.

The hit maker commented: 'Happy Anniversary you gorgeous couple.'

It comes after Andrew and Renae went to Hawaii where teamed up with a company called Active Escapes and exercised on the regular while there.

Renae also enjoyed soaking up the sun as she reclined on a boar as they sailed off the coast of Waikiki.

Beach babe: Renae also enjoyed soaking up the sun as she reclined on a boar as they sailed off the coast of Waikiki

Her love history: Renae - who hails from Western Australia - last had a high profile relationship with AFL star Thomas Bellchambers, who she split with in late 2014 after a year together

In January this year, Renae confirmed their romance to Daily Mail Australia and said they had been dating for the past month.

Renae - who hails from Western Australia - last had a high profile relationship with AFL star Thomas Bellchambers, who she split with in late 2014 after a year together.

She won Miss Universe Australia in 2012, and since then has enjoyed career success and is an ambassador for brands including shoe brand Holster.

Going strong! In January this year, Renae confirmed their romance to Daily Mail Australia and said they had been dating for the past month

Renae recently starred on the SBS series, First Contact, which required her to spend 28 days living with Australia's Indigenous community.

The personality revealed the show was a 'life-changing experience'.

Before filming of the series began, Renae admitted that she did not have much knowledge of Indigenous history.
He's the former NRL player known for his brief relationship with Lynzey Murphy.

But it appears Daniel Conn is dating Instagram model Kaily Emma Smith after they were spotted at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday.

The Geordie Shore star, 30, cuddled up to the blonde for a social media snap, and fans were quickly asking if they are official.

Getting close! It appears Daniel Conn (R) is dating Instagram model Kaily Emma Smith (L) after they were spotted at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday

In the romantic photo, Kaily smiled alongside the muscular F45 personal trainer, while he placed a hand around her slim waist.

They posed for a sunset photo against the backdrop of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and looked comfortable in each other's company.

Daniel showed off his physique in a tight white T-shirt, while Kaily flaunted her slender curves in a slinky black dress.

Are they official? This is not the first time 23-year-old Kaily (pictured) has been spotted with Daniel, as they were photographed in Sydney together in October

Meanwhile, fans of the former rugby league star quickly began asking about his relationship status.

'Don't you two look great together,' read a comment. Another stated: 'It must be tough waking up and being you!'

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Daniel's representatives for comment.

Lovely views! The Wagga-born beauty is based in Sydney and launching her modelling career

This is not the first time the reality TV hunk has been spotted with the 23-year-old Wagga-born model.

In October, they were photographed cosying up in Sydney, sparking rumours they were more than just friends.

Meanwhile, Daniel confirmed he had split with My Kitchen Rules contestant Lynzey Murphy in July after a brief romance.

'We are not together but are still great friends': Daniel confirmed he had split with My Kitchen Rules contestant Lynzey Murphy (L) in July after a brief romance. Pictured in April

He previously told The Daily Telegraph: 'We are not together but we are still great friends. We have both got such hectic schedules.'

Daniel is also known for his fling with Vicky Pattison, after appearing in the sixth season of MTV UK's Geordie Shore.

But he told Daily Mail Australia last year that he never had sex with Vicky during their short-lived relationship.
She's made strong sartorial statements at various red carpet events during the last few days in Dubai.

And Eva Longoria still looked raring to go as she touched down in style at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France, on Wednesday afternoon.

The former Desperate Housewives star, 41, donned an all-black ensemble which fused comfort and style as she made her way through the airport.

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Jet-setter: Eva Longoria, 41, looked stylish as she touched down at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France, on Wednesday after a whirlwind trip to Dubai

The Texas-born beauty opted for a loose-fitting black top and comfy joggers, which she paired with a stylish pom-pom lined black coat.

Walking along in a pair of white trainers, the talented actress hid her make-up free face in an oversized pair of black shades and tamed her locks with a fedora hat.

Clearly used to her life as an international jet-setter, Eva managed to squeeze all her glam outfits into one large hardback suitcase while throwing her essentials into a chic blue handbag.

Eva, who wed Mexican businessman Jose Baston in May, was in high spirits as she smiled and waved at her fans.

Touchdown! The former Desperate Housewives star donned an all-black ensemble which infused comfort and style as she made her way through the airport

Casual chic: The Texas-born beauty opted for a loose-fitting black top and comfy joggers which she paired with a stylish pom-pom lined black coat

Luggage: Eva squeezed all her glam outfits into one large hardback suitcase while throwing her essentials into a chic blue handbag

The brunette beauty started off her week in style as she attended the Global Gift Gala in Dubai where she picked up an award with her pal Melanie Griffith, 59.

A vision in black, the TV star - who also attended the Dubai International Film Festival the day prior - showed off her curves in the slinky off-the-shoulder number.

The Global Gift Foundation is a 'non profit organisation that aims to create a positive impact on the lives of children, women and families who are in need,' according to their site.

Eva has supported the organization for years, attending its events in countries such as Spain and France.

Always a stunner: The talented actress hid her make-up free face in an oversized pair of black shades and tamed her locks with a fedora hat.

Keeping everyone happy: Eva, who wed businessman Jose Baston in May, was in high spirits as she smiled and waved at her fans

Flying across the world: Eva is clearly used to her life as an international jet-setter

Red carpet glam: The brunette beauty started off her week in style as she attended the Global Gift Gala in Dubai where she was a vision in black in a slinky off-the-shoulder number

Honoured: Eva and her actress pal Melanie Griffith, 59, picked up an award for supporting the non-profit organisation

Clearly in the mood to have some fun, Eva and Melanie frolicked through the streets of Dubai after the event in a series of hilarious Snapchat videos and photos.

'I'll do anything for a good angle,' the Telenovela star was clearly not shy as she posted a snapshot of herself sprawled on the ground.

Meanwhile, back at home Eva is currently filming All-Star Weekend, a movie directed by Jamie Foxx and co-starring Jeremy Piven.

She's also set to star in the TV mini-series, Decline and Fall, set for a 2017 release.

As a producer, a documentary surrounding Latino voters, Ours is a Future, is currently in post production.
Katie Waissel has reportedly split from her second husband, American comedian and radio host Brian Moote, after just one year of marriage.

The heartbroken 30-year-old, who married Brian following a six-month romance, was pictured without her wedding ring while walking her dog in New York on Monday.

The Sun claims the split is the reason Katie has pulled out of playing Princess Jill in a production of Jack and The Beanstalk in Northwich in Cheshire.

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All over? Katie Waissel has reportedly split from her SECOND husband Brian Moote after just a year of marriage

Sad times: According to The Sun , the heartbroken 30-year-old has been pictured without her wedding ring (although she is seen wearing it here on December 8)

A source confirmed to The Sun: 'Katie and Brian have split, and she is simply too upset to handle the gruelling regime of a pantomime.'

A spokesperson for Katie declined to comment to MailOnline.

Katie usually updates her social media with regular updates about Brian - but the last time she mentioned him on Twitter was September 22, when she wrote: 'Yes I will order you a margarita too @MootePoints.'

In turn, Brian has been distinctly silent on Twitter about Katie.

Tell-tale? Katie was pictured without her wedding band when she went out with her dog in New York on December 12

Moving on: Katie appeared a little down in the dumps as she walked around the block

On October 29, Katie hinted all was not well in her marriage, writing: 'Today I regret that night that I put that ring on - Beyonce'.

She also quoted Lady Gaga's new song, Million Reasons, writing: 'And if you say something that you might even mean, It's hard to even fathom which parts I should believe.'

A few days later, she added: 'When you wake up on the day that your life has changed. Happy Nov 1st! May this month bring positivity and happiness.'

On 22nd, she also wrote: 'Can't go back making the same mistakes! Must go forward and make new ones! - Bridget Jones.'

Happier times: The couple married in October 2015 following a whirlwind romance, but regular social media user Katie hasn't mentioned her man on Twitter since September 22

Keeping her spirits up: She shared this super sexy picture of herself as she tried to take her mind off things

Meanwhile, Katie spoke to OK! back in August about how she felt Brian was The One.

She said: It was like that age-old saying: "When you know, you know".'

'Ive been married before so I was in no rush to get into anything else, but were best friends. It didnt seem fast for me, the reality star added.

Despite it being a life-changing moment, Brain revealed that he was unfazed when he proposed last summer.

It was very low-key. We decided to get married with a high five over dinner one night in August, he told the publication.

Brian and Katie met when she was in LA over two years ago through a friend.

A source close to Katie revealed all about their nuptials, telling Now magazine:

'They knew each other for a year before he plucked up the courage to text her! Brian won Katie over with hilarious banter and sharp wit which made her call him immediately.'

Something to say: The star has been hinting about her relationship status for the last couple of months on social media

Meanwhile, the unlucky-in-love former X Factor star Katie split from her first husband Brad Alphonso three years ago following two months of marriage - they had only been dating for 16 weeks before the nuptials.

She was left 'devastated' after posting a series of extraordinary photographs of her battered and bruised arm on her Twitter page following an apparent disagreement with him.

It is understood that police were called after the former X Factor star bumped into male model Brad Alphonso, to whom she was married for two months, on a night out in Los Angeles.

Swoon: Katie likes to keep her fans updated on all aspects of her life on social media - she shared this Instagram snap three months ago as she posed backstage on a shoot

Trouble in paradise: The former CBB star last mentioned her husband on Twitter on September 22

Katie had officially filed for divorce from Alphonso 40 days previously.

Brad was believed to have been taken away by police following the alleged argument, but later released without charge.

As well as tweeting the picture of her injury, alongside the hashtag 'thisdoesntwashwithme' Katie shared her story with her followers, admitting that she will 'never forgive and never forget #markedforlife.'

The good times: She shared a picture of her and Brian sightseeing almost a year ago

She wrote: 'Nothing like a name and shame at 02:54 am Los Angeles time.'

Katie continued: 'He's a f***ing liar he's an asshole he's a b****ard I'm better off without a lower!!#prettyfacefor5mins #untilltheygettoknowyoy.'

Before concluding: 'Keep falling for the bulls**t !! Never again!!! Just have to think new inspiration for new material !! #asshole.'

Katie and Alphonso wed in an intimate ceremony in New Orleans in September 2012. The couple used Twitter to announce their engagement in the July before.

Household name: Katie is perhaps best known for starring in the 2010 series of X Factor

She tweeted at the time: 'Just woken up with a huge smile on my face can't believe that we are engaged!! @Brad_Alphonso.'

She later added: 'Making great music out here, got engaged to the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with,and have all you to share it with! so happy!'

Last month, she revealed that she was on a mission to get her abs back after 'slacking' with her workouts.

And it looked like Katie had definitely achieved her goal as she showed off her incredible physique in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Clad in a skimpy bikini, she was a vision of beauty as she soaked up the sunshine.

Not amused: Earlier this year Katie came back into prominence with a stint on Celebrity Big Brother, where she famously fell out with Christopher Biggins

Donning a colour-block style pink bikini top, the garment showed off her cleavage and flattered her tanned complexion.

She teamed the item with a pair of skimpy briefs, exposing her impeccably toned abs, as well as her impressive tattoo collection.

Going make-up free, she allowed her natural beauty to shine through, whilst her golden locks were swept up into a top knot.

Katie shot to fame when she appeared on the series seven of the X Factor, where she finished in seventh place.

Earlier this year she came back into prominence with a stint on Celebrity Big Brother, where she famously fell out with Christopher Biggins.

Biggins was evicted by show bosses after making offensive comment and an alleged Nazi joke, and Katie (who is Jewish) recently revealed that there was still tension between him.

The actor, 67, had said that his inflammatory comments in the house had been 'taken out of proportion' and claimed he would sit down on talk to her about the issue on TV.

All over before it really began? Katie Waissel split from her husband Brad Alphonso after just two months of marriage - they tied the knot in September 2013

No more? The pair wed in September after just 16 weeks of dating but they reportedly broke up at the beginning of December
Lauren Jauregui didn't make it to Brazil in time to join her Fifth Harmony bandmates at an event on Wednesday.

The star - who was cautioned after being found to be in possession of weed at Dulles airport on Tuesday night - was missing from the group at the Audio Club event in Sao Paulo.

TMZ reports that the singer was making her way through security at the Washington DC airport when she was asked to submit to a secondary bag search.

Missing someone: It appears as though Fifth Harmony's Lauren Jauregui didn't make it to Brazil on Wednesday after she was reportedly given a citation for marijuana possession at Dulles airport on Tuesday night

Citation: The 20-year-old was initially reported to have been arrested but her lawyer denied the claims, saying instead she was just cautioned and released in Washington DC

It was then that a TSA staff member discovered a small bag of marijuana in the 20-year-old's carry-on luggage and cops were then brought over to the checkpoint.

It was initially claimed the singer was arrested, however, Lauren's lawyer told TMZ that she only got a citation.

They added that the Cuban-American songstress was 'released on her own recognizance.'

Keeping up appearances: Camila, Ally, Normani and Dinah held down the fort at the Audio Club event in Sao Paulo

Is she on her way? Lauren's lawyer said that the incident at Dulles airport would not impact any of the girls' concerts

The show must go on: The rest of the band performed without the fifth member of the group

Lauren was on her way to Brazil where Fifth Harmony are scheduled to be performing on Wednesday evening.

Her lawyer said the incident does not affect any concert dates - but it was hard not to noticed the fifth missing member in photographs taken on Wednesday.

Instead, Camila Cabello, Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei and Dinah Jane Hansen were seen holding down the fort without Lauren.

The 20-year-old singer was asked to submit to a secondary bag search where TSA officials found a bag of weed

Missed her flight: The singer was headed to Brazil where she's scheduled to perform with her band on Wednesday when she was caught with the drugs

Lauren certainly appeared to be a free woman on Wednesday morning as she posted an Instagram about the Aleppo refugee crisis.

Meanwhile, last month she admitted she is bisexual in anopen letter to Donald Trump which hit out at supporters of the business tycoon.

'I am a bisexual Cuban-American woman and I am so proud of it.

'I am proud to be part of a community that only projects love and education and the support of one another,' she added.

Lauren auditioned for the US version of The X Factor when she was just 16.

Nothing to see here: The songstress was clearly a free woman on Wednesday as she was able to post an Instagram about the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo
Chippewa and Clark counties are mounting a combined effort to snag government funding for private homeowners whose homes had flood damage from storms Sept. 21 and 22.

Chippewa County will take the lead in the joint application for Community Development Block Grant-Emergency Assistance Program funding, under a resolution passed on a 14-0 vote by the County Board on Tuesday night.

If the application is successful, the counties would offer the funds to owners of property damaged by the flooding as grants.

We have identified 35 different households with flood damage, said Ruth Rosenow, director of Chippewa Countys Housing Authority. Of those, 12 are in Chippewa County and the rest in Clark County.

The total amount that will be applied for is $373,597.

We dont know that we will get everything that we ask for, Rosenow said, and not all of the households included in the count might not be eligible for a grant. But its a place to start, she said of the 35 household figure.

A lot of these households have already spent their ready cash for cleanup, Rosenow said. The programs grant money is for other expenses, such as repairs and replacing equipment.

In other action, the board on a 14-0 vote approved an agreement with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue to collect unpaid debt thats owed the Chippewa County Clerk of Circuit Courts office.

The agreement covers items such as payment plans and hearings, judgments, income assignments and intercepting tax refunds.

The DOR has debt collection tools that are currently not available to the clerk of courts office, the resolution says.

Closing committee

The board also voted 14-0 to disband the countys Children with Differing Abilities Advisory Committee because its duties were being done by others. The committee had been in effect since Sept. 8, 2009.

Selling 80 acres of county property in the town of Colburn was also approved on a 12-2 vote. The county took over the property because of delinquent tax liens, and will now take bids for the land. The land sale is expected to be done in 2017.

Alyssa Kellagher updated the board on the Explorer program, where students learn about job skills and possible careers.

We run the Exploring program throughout the school year, said Kellagher, who heads the program for the county which provides $75,000 of funding.

She said the program students learn about jobs including computer-aided design, engineering, welding and machining. A huge goal for us is working towards narrowing the job skills gap, she said.

One portion of the program includes working with three Bloomer businesses, including Processed Metals Innovators, AJ Manufacturing and Catalytic Combustion.

Kellagher said there are 123 students in the program, with a goal of reaching 150 students.

The program is run through the Boy Scouts of America Chippewa Valley Council.

Supervisor Leigh Darrow was absent from Tuesdays meeting.
She welcomed a baby earlier this year and is completely back to her svelte frame.

But The Hills vet Audrina Patridge must have felt the pressure.

After all, the 31-year-old star (who recently married Corey Bohan) has a swimsuit line to promote which she did on Tuesday with lifestyle blogger Diana Madison's The Lowdown.

Swimsuit expert: Audrina Patridge visited the set of Diana Madison's The Lowdown on Tuesday to talk about her new line of swimwear, Prey

It's not easy being green! The former MTV talent looked fit in her emerald green jumpsuit and neutral stiletto sandals

At the studio, the fashionista stunned in an emerald green jumpsuit from Adelyn Rae that exposed her toned shoulders and arms.

The Hills alum wore an on-trend strappy nude heel and simple studded earrings.

She sported a blown out caramel ombre hairstyle, paired with an understated smoky eye that was perfect for daytime.

California girl: The LA native created Prey after learning how difficult finding the right swimsuit can be

The LA native was inspired to create her line after having difficulty finding the perfect suit for herself.

The star told Women's Wear Daily: 'Im at the beach all the time, living in swimsuits and traveling the world to more beaches, and Ive tried on so many different suits.

'I can never find one that I love so I took patterns and styles I like plus elements from my adventures in Australia, Mexico, and Costa Rica as inspirations to create my own.'

The flirty Prey line of swimwear comes in a range of styles and sizes and will cater cup sizes from A to DD.

On set style: The reality starlet sat down with lifestyle blogger Diana Madison in Obsev Studios

In addition to its body positive appeal, the TV personality also shared her project's environmentally conscious focus.

The line aims to raise awareness for endangered sharks and Audrina plans to eventually partner with conservation group Oceana.

The collection also sources its materials around LA and Patridge teamed up with Colombia-based swimwear brand La Isla to manufacture the line.

Style with a purpose: The Hills alum and swimwear designer's line aims to raise awareness for endangered sharks and eventually plans to partner with conservation group Oceana

Looks like the newly married star made sure to pack plenty of her own suits during recent travels.

Last week Audrina was recently spotted beach side in Miami sporting her own designs.

The California cutie looked like a knockout modeling her Prey suits while spending time with motorcycle racing hubby Corey Bohan and friends.

The couple were married in November and share a five-month-old daughter together.

Beach bliss: The TV personality is all smiles after her recent marriage to motocross racer Corey Bohan. Here, the bombshell is seen in Miami modeling a suit of her own design




She caused controversy earlier this month after uploading a topless selfie to Instagram, prompting the picture sharing platform to remove it.

But Jemma Lucy was proud to show off her eye-popping cleavage in public on Tuesday night as she headed for a night out with a male pal in Manchester.

Making her surgically enhanced 32G assets the focal point of her look, the Ex On The Beach star, 29, went completely braless under a skimpy iridescent mini-dress.

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She's got front! Jemma Lucy, 29, showed off her surgically enhanced 32G assets by going braless under a skimpy dress for a night out with a male pal in Manchester on Tuesday night

Braving the chilly weather, Jemma looked in high spirits as she worked the saucy garment with confidence, even though it barely contained her hard-to-miss cleavage.

Showing off the rest of her toned frame, the dress finished at a very short level, allowing her to flaunt her toned legs.

Opting for maximum glamour, the reality star boosted her height with a pair of fluffy open-toe wedge heels.

Jemma's long raven tresses framed her face but on the beauty front, she was sure to slick on lashings of mascara.

Provocative: Braving the chilly weather, the Ex On The Beach star looked in high spirits as she worked the saucy garment which barely managed to contain her hard-to-miss cleavage

She was joined for the night out with her pal who was more appropriately dressed for the colder weather in a grey knit and black jeans.

Last week, Jemma was right in her element as she shared a saucy snap of herself sitting in the bathtub where she was covered in coffee scrub and attempted to hide her robust assets with foamy bubbles.

She was in a much braver mood as she uploaded a topless picture of herself on Instagram earlier this month.

However the upload was short-lived as it was reported by a user, causing it to be removed from the site.

What a tease! Last week, Jemma shared a saucy snap of herself sitting in the bathtub where she was covered in coffee scrub and attempted to hide her robust assets with foamy bubbles

'They need to get over their pathetic life!' Jemma was left fuming after a topless picture of herself was removed from Instagram earlier this month after it was reported by a user

'Whoever the f*** it is that keeps reporting my pictures needs to get over their sad pathetic little life', she ranted, after uploading the snap to Instagram.

The original snap showed Jemma standing topless against a brick wall, fully made up as she seductively sucked on an ice cube while she held another in front of her nipple.

The nipples were covered by two triangle emojis, and she captioned the racy shot: 'Eating ice and icing up my nipples cos that's what I do on Sundays (sic)'.

Jemma soared to fame on the third season of the MTV dating show last year and has since become a regular fixture on the party scene before returning to EOTB in the fifth season earlier this year - where she ejected from the house by producers due to her erratic behaviour.
They might be two of Hollywood's hottest stars, but that doesn't mean their on-set passion gets them revved up.

Chris Pratt talked to People on Wednesday about what it was like filming a sex scene with his co-star Jennifer Lawrence for the film Passengers.

'There's nothing sexy about it!' said the husband of Anna Faris.

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Not steamy: Chris Pratt told People Wednesday that shooting a love scene with Jennifer Lawrence on Passengers was far from sexy

He felt uncomfortable: The star then added, 'It's just really awkward!'

As weird as it felt being a part of this, the 37-year-old star made sure that Jennifer was comfortable.

'Essentially it's your job to minimize the discomfort by making sure it's a closed set and assuring the person you're with that they're okay,' the actor revealed.

'And you know - for all the sense of anxiety that comes with leading up to a scene like this - you get into it and you realize there's nothing sexy about it at all. It's just really awkward!'

All alone: The stars play astronauts that wake up before they have arrived at their destination

Nice guy: As weird as it felt being a part of this, the 37-year-old star made sure that Jennifer was comfortable. 'Essentially it's your job to minimize the discomfort,' he said. Here they are seen last week in LA

The Jurassic World star then said: 'It's part of the gig, so you just do what you can to try and ease any discomfort the other person feels.'

Despite the awkwardness of this scene, these two managed to become good pals over the course of filming.

'I got pretty lucky that she's awesome,' the Hollywood hunk said about The Hunger Games star. 'She's about as cool as you'd imagine. And more.'

Going strong: Chris has been married to actress Anna Faris for seven years and they have a four-year-old son named Jack. Here they are pictured in 2015

Chris has been married to actress Faris for seven years now and they have a four-year-old son named Jack.

It can be difficult to spend time away from his family while filming movies, but Skype is a great way for the actor to keep in touch.

'I just did it and made everybody wait so that I could at least say good morning and tell Jack the things I needed to tell him for the day,' the Minnesota native said.

Smiling family: The happy trio were seen flying out of LA to Atlanta in May where Chris worked on Guardians Of The Galaxy

'So it's just checking in every day. Thank God for technology.'

The Guardians Of The Galaxy star added that while tech communication is 'astounding,' it's nothing compared to being physically present with his wife and child.

'Nothing can substitute for actual face time - even FaceTime can't substitute being present and being able to physically hold your family,' he said.
She recently described her battle with anxiety, after a decade in the modelling industry.

But Rosie Huntington-Whiteley showed that she was taking her 'fashionista in the spotlight' status in her stride on Wednesday as she arrived in Milan with style.

The 29-year-old supermodel rocked a chic, long leather jacket detailed by sharp silver buttons with a coal shimmery blouse underneath as she strutted through the airport.

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Trendy lady: But Rosie Huntington-Whiteley showed that she was a true fashionista when she sported an all black ensemble as she arrived in Milan on Wednesday

Clad in skin tight raven jeans, Jason Statham's soon to be wife had her toned pins lengthened with a stellar pair of knee-high boots.

The blonde beauty had her golden waves flowing past her shoulders and she wore a very moderate face of make-up, with only a nude lip to add to her striking features.

The Mad Max: Fury Road actress accessorised with a simple chain and a pair rockstar shades while carrying a glossy oversized handbag to complete her look.

Woman in black: Clad in skin tight raven jeans, Jason Statham's soon to be wife had her toned pins lengthened with a stellar pair of knee high midnight boots

Rosie shows off the impeccable body in a candid interview and cover shoot for this month's ELLE UK, revealing how her secret battle with anxiety at work helped her to improve her confidence.

'It's a horrible feeling,' Rosie said, admitting that her work has sometimes caused her terrible anxiety.

'There was one particular time when I had terrible anxiety attacks. But I got through it.

'It's a horrible feeling,' Rosie said, admitting that her work has sometimes caused her terrible anxiety

'Those rough patches are always times you can look back on and in hindsight, you can be quite proud of  It gives you a deeper understanding of yourself.

'Each year, that understanding gives me so much more. It's true what they say: you get more confident, and grounded, and just weed out the bullsh*t.'

Devon-born Rosie was just 15 when she entered the modelling industry via an internship at a modelling agency and began to work in front of the camera, herself.

Of that 10 years, she's spent six with Hollywood hardman Jason, who she met during her first foray into acting in 2011.

Loving: couple She's spent six years with Hollywood hardman Jason, who she met during her first foray into acting in 2011

Only romantic partners: Though their transatlantic lives - he stays largely in Los Angeles for movies and she works regularly in London - are largely kept out of the spotlight, Rosie says you most certainly won't find them in the gym together

Though their transatlantic lives - he stays largely in Los Angeles for movies and she works regularly in London - are largely kept out of the spotlight, Rosie says you most certainly won't find them in the gym together.

She told the magazine: 'Going to the gym is my time, I don't want to be distracted and don't want to be goofing around.

'It's a time when I feel I need to be focused on myself because it's like a form of meditation.

'I don't like to be told what to do by my other half. If he's like, "Do another squat," I'm like "No! You get down and do another f**king squat."'

In 2017, Rosie introduces the new activewear branch of her successful Marks & Spencer line for Autograph.
She never fails to turn heads on the red carpet.

And Naomie Harris once again did not disappoint with her sartorial flair, as she made her stylish arrival at the Collateral Beauty photocall in London.

The actress, 40, showed off her long and slender legs in a chic patterned playsuit as she hit the carpet on Wednesday night with her fellow cast.

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Leggy lady: Naomie Harris did not disappoint with her sartorial flair on Wednesday as she made a stylish arrival at the Collateral Beauty photocall in London

The Skyfall star no doubt caught the attention of everyone at the bash in her thigh-skimming playsuit, which flaunted her sensationally leggy figure for all to see.

The one-piece remained incredibly classy with a high neck and long sleeves, and softly skimmed her figure with its white chiffon material.

The playsuit was adorned with a print of bold orange tigers for a splash of colour, before splitting into black panels across her middle to accentuate her slim figure.

Pins on parade: The Skyfall star no doubt caught the attention of everyone at the bash in her thigh-skimming playsuit, which flaunted her sensationally leggy figure for all to see

Cutting off high up her thigh, the outfit then upped the sex appeal by leaving her long and lithe legs on show for all to see - which she elongated with a set of strappy black heels.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star left her hair sleek and straight, and dressed her face with minimal but glowing make-up, to let her naturally stunning complexion do the talking.

Naomie attended the event alongside her fellow cast-mates, including Will Smith, who she has been touring the world with to promote their new film Collateral Beauty.

Showing her wild side: The playsuit was adorned with a print of bold orange tigers for a stylish splash of colour

Maintaining her effortless style throughout the promo tour, Naomie had dazzled in a vibrant green floral frock earlier this week at the star-studded premiere for the film in New York City.

The blockbuster, which will be released in the US on December 16, follows a successful advertising executive Howard Inlet (Smith) whose child dies, leading him to retreat from life entirely.

As a therapeutic exercise, Howard starts writing letters to 'Love', 'Time' and 'Death', which he posts.

Having a ball: Naomie attended the event alongside her fellow cast-mates, including a casually-clad Will Smith

Natural beauty: The Pirates of the Caribbean star left her hair sleek and straight, and dressed her face with minimal make-up, to let her naturally stunning complexion do the talking

The film comes from Oscar-winning director David Frankel (Dear Diary, The Devil Wears Prada) and also stars Edward Norton and Michael Pena.

It looks sure to tug on moviegoers' heartstrings as it explores the personal tragedy Howard feels, especially around the Christmas season.

The cast posed happily on the carpet, getting into the festive spirit to celebrate the film's release by making a Christmas Tree out of thousands of dominoes.

The festive creation is in tribute to Smith's character Howard, who embarks on many domino constructions in the movie.

Collateral Beauty is released in the UK on December 26.
Just a day before she candidly revealed she nearly turned down her forthcoming role as Penny Johnson in ABC's forthcoming TV remake of Dirty Dancing due to her anti-abortion beliefs.

And fresh from her chat, Nicole Scherzinger was out on the town as she headed to the opening night of the West End production of Dreamgirls on Wednesday night.

The 38-year-old former Pussycat Dolls star opted to defy her usual sexy style in favour of a fashion forward getup, in which she wore a deconstructed skirt paired with a crisp white shirt and fedora.

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Stunner: Nicole Scherzinger was out on the town as she headed to the opening night of the West End production of Dreamgirls on Wednesday night

Nicole looked stunning as she hit the town, shortly after revealing she almost turned down the part of Penny, played by Cynthia Rhodes in the classic 1987 film, because she harbours strong anti-abortion beliefs.

The X Factor judge admitted that her family is 'really hardcore' against termination because her mother had her at the tender age of 18 leading to their strong stance on abortions.

Hitmaker Nicole, who admitted she finally accepted so she could be a voice behind the subject, looked stunning as she attended the theatre show.

Showing off her edgy fashion credentials, the brunette beauty slipped into a high necked white shirt which covered her cleavage yet exhibited her toned arms.

Chatting away: Just a day before Nicole Scherzinger candidly revealed she nearly turned down her forthcoming role as Penny Johnson in ABC's forthcoming TV remake of Dirty Dancing due to her anti-abortion beliefs

Open about it: Nicole looked stunning as she hit the town, shortly after revealing she almost turned down the part of Penny, played by Cynthia Rhodes in the classic 1987 film, because she harbours strong anti-abortion beliefs

Kooky style: Nicole displayed her kooky cutout skirt

Hat's it folks: Boosting her height was a pair of staggering heels which complemented her edgy fedora - sitting atop her sleek tresses

She made a statement through her skirt as she sported a figure hugging black number with zips extending along the thigh while a bizarre frilled trim hung off the bottom of the hem.

Boosting her height was a pair of staggering heels which complemented her edgy fedora - sitting atop her sleek tresses.

Her make-up was perfectly styled with a slick of plum lipstick adding a rock chick feel and heavy eye make-up defining her almond shaped eyes.

Joining her at the bash was a bevy of stunners including Ella Eyre who wowed in a slinky black dress with a bare back which showed off her braless state.

Bold: She made a statement through her skirt as she sported a figure hugging black number with zips extending along the thigh while a bizarre frilled trim hung off the bottom of the hem

Style: Nicole draped an oversized leather jacket stylishly over her shoulders as she arrived at the venue

Stunner; Boosting her height was a pair of staggering heels which complemented her edgy fedora - sitting atop her sleek tresses

Glam: Nicole oozed glamour as she posed up a storm on the red carpet

Pucker up: The songstress blew a kiss at her fans outside the exclusive bash

Step to it: The fashion darling teamed her quirky monochrome ensemble with a semi perspex pointed point

Fabulous: She looked stunning on the night as she posed for shots

Party pals: Nicole dined with her X Factor protege and winner Matt Terry at London's Zuma Restaurant

Style it out: X Factor winner Matt Terry looked dapper in a monochrome ensemble leaving the eatery

Theatre icon Elaine Paige looked incredibly glamorous in a fur trimmed coat with a chic black ensemble underneath.

Songstress Emeli Sande wows in a sleek black coat while her bleach blonde pixie crop was slicked down and stood against her red lipstick.

A day before Nicole explained to The Daily Mail about her Dirty Dancing roke: 'I was like a crazy thing because, my family, my Papas a Bishop and my familys really hardcore against abortion.

So I got the role and I almost didnt take it because I didnt want to promote abortion, because my character has an abortion.

A wElla wElla wElla : Joining her at the bash was a bevy of stunners including Ella Eyre who wowed in a slinky black dress with a bare back which showed off her braless state

Glam: TV star Sarah-Jane Crawford gave it her all for the show

Legend: Theatre icon Elaine Paige looked incredibly glamorous in a fur trimmed coat with a chic black ensemble underneath

Bleach blonde beauty: Songstress Emeli Sande wows in a sleek black coat while her bleach blonde pixie crop was slicked down and stood against her red lipstick

Silver siren: Naomi Isted wowed in a glittering silver mini dress whilst she added some height to her frame in a pair of black pointed heels adorned with a bow

Radiant in red: Clara Amfo wowed in a scarlet satin gown that flashed a hint of her lean legs

Hair she is! Clara styled her raven coloured locks in an afro that framed her pretty face

Beautiful in black: Elaine Paige dazzled in a little black dress teamed with patent heels

Lovely ladies: Cherrelle Skeete wowed in a floor length pink satin gown whilst Linzi Stoppard looked lovely in a black mesh dress

Lovely couple: Lenny Henry and Lisa Makin looked loved-up on the red carpet

Living the dream! Nicholas Bailey, Adam J Bernard, Ibinabo Jack, Liisi LaFontaine, Amber Riley, Lily Frazer, Tyrone Huntley and Joe Aaron Reid posed for snaps backstage

But I was like, hopefully they can learn from you know her ways and I can be a positive influence. My mum got pregnant with me when she was 17 and had me when she was 18. She chose. Her parents were never going to let her have an abortion. So I came out, so I just want to you know encourage everybody to keep your babies.

Penny falls pregnant in the original film and opts for an illegal abortion, forcing Baby to step in and dance with Johnny Castle, who was originally played by Patrick Swayze.

The character's life hangs in the balance due to the dangerous procedure, with leading lady Baby's doctor father forced to step in and save her.

Strong feelings: A day before Nicole explained to The Daily Mail about her Dirty Dancing storling: 'I was like a crazy thing because, my family, my Papas a Bishop and my familys really hardcore against abortion'

Nicole, who was raised Catholic, was born in Hawaii, but her mother Rosemary Elikolani split from her father Alfonso Valiente when she was very young.

The star said that her family were initially against her taking the part until her grandfather, who is a preacher, prayed on the subject and decided it was 'what she was meant to do'.

She said: 'We decided that maybe I could be a voice, that I could shed some light on the subject without being preachy.'

Nicole said she was 'so excited' to join the cast of the 1987 adaptation, which already features Abigail Breslin and Debra Messing.
She's gone from small-time reality TV star to launching her own fitness DVD and winning I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

But it seems nothing can top meeting Hollywood hunk Tom Hardy for Scarlett Moffatt since the Gogglebox favourite branded their encounter the highlight of the year 2016.

The star took to Instagram on Wednesday to share some sweet snaps of herself posing with the actor, captioning one image: 'Tom hardy topped my amazing 2016  #tomhardy #2016 #amazing'.

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Loving life: It seems nothing can top meeting Hollywood hunk Tom Hardy for Scarlett Moffatt since the Gogglebox favourite branded their encounter the highlight of the year 2016

'Still can't believe I met this legend yesterday, Tom Hardy is a true gentleman & hilarious #tomhardy', she enthused alongside another picture.

The pair certainly appeared to have been getting along famously, with Tom lacing a friendly arm around Scarlett's shoulders.

The reality star's fans were also mighty impressed with her A-list soiree, enthusing, 'Oh my god' and 'So lucky!'.

Star-struck: 'Still can't believe I met this legend yesterday, Tom Hardy is a true gentleman & hilarious #tomhardy', she enthused

Meanwhile, Scarlett was in high spirits as she reunited with her loved ones at a welcome home party in her native Bishop Auckland on Sunday night.

The 26-year-old flaunted her super-slim figure in a demure green lace dress as she headed into Mitre Social Club, where her proud family had hired a throne for the Queen of the jungle's homecoming.

The brunette beauty showed off her weight loss following I'm A Celebrity in the pretty green dress, which boasted a tulle overlay and Victoriana-inspired frilly collar.

Lovely in lace! Scarlett was in high spirits as she reunited with her loved ones at a welcome home party in her native Bishop Auckland on Sunday night

Featuring a black studded belt, the dress nipped in Scarlett's waist and flaunted her lithe physique.

She added a subtly glamorous edge to the ensemble with some tan suede caged heels and a monogrammed Louis Vuitton mini-tote.

Ditching the extensions, the former Beauty School Copouts star embraced a more natural look as she wore her raven hair in glossy waves.

In great spirits: The Gogglebox star flaunted her super-slim figure in a demure green lace dress as she headed into Mitre Social Club, where her proud family had hired a throne for the Queen of the jungle's homecoming

Looking good: She added a subtly glamorous edge to the ensemble with some tan suede caged heels and a monogrammed Louis Vuitton mini-tote

Scarlett, who was crowned I'm A Celebrity champ last week, revealed she wasn't affected by the fame as she attended the bash at a pub just minutes from her parents' house.

Inside, the venue was decorated with posters and banners and featured cakes to make it look like a Bush Tucker trial.

Clearly overwhelmed with the thoughtful gesture, Scarlett shared an Instagram snap sitting on the throne.

The Geordie beauty captioned the happy shot: 'Thanks so much to my friends & family for the lovely surprise party'.

Slinky Scarlett: The snap also showed just how much weight the Gogglebox star has lost, with Scarlett slipping her superslim figure into a classy black dress

'Thanks for the surprise party': Scarlett shared a delighted Instagram snap sitting on the throne her family hired for her homecoming

It comes as further details of Scarlett's humble beginnings have emerged - revealing she worked as a shot girl in a pub in Magaluf in 2014.

She worked in the Spanish resort - infamous for wild partying and raucous drinking -for two months and admitted she once saw two strangers have sex in front of her.

The reality queen told the Daily Star: 'Once, I watched a random guy bend a girl over at one of the infamous foam parties.

'From there it turned into soft porn and she never once turned around to even see what the guy's face looked like.

'What that young girl did was wrong, very wrong, but after watching the footage it's clear to see how a drunk, vulnerable 18-year-old could get swept up in the moment and madness that is Maga.'

Shocking: Scarlett revealed she saw two strangers have sex at a foam party while working as a shot girl in Magaluf in 2014
Oliver Curtis will find out on Friday if he will be home in time for Christmas, as he appeals his charge of insider trading.

But now, Roxy Jacenko has admitted her young family won't be celebrating the festive season this year.

Speaking to WHO magazine, the PR Queen also confessed her five-year-old daughter Pixie has struggled being away from her father and experiences some 'terrible days'.

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Hard times: Roxy Jacenko has confessed her five-year-old daughter Pixie has 'terrible days' being away from her father Oliver Curtis

' We just try to make sure she's busy all the time because an idle mind, whether you're five or 50, is a disaster, but I'm proud of her,' Roxy bravely told.

But the businesswoman explained keeping her family distracted also meant ignoring the fact that Christmas was just around the corner.

'I told Pixie and Hunter their father would be home by Christmas...it was so far away, now here we are,' she said, adding she has also stopped her mother, Doreen from buying a festive tree.

Brave: The PR queen bravely explained: ' We just try to make sure she's busy all the time because an idle mind, whether you're five or 50, is a disaster, but I'm proud of her'

Turning a blind eye: But the businesswoman explained keeping her family distracted also meant ignoring the fact that Christmas was around the corner

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Roxy for comment.

In August, Roxy opened up about the struggles of becoming a single mother while her businessman husband served time in a Cooma jail, south of Canberra.

During an interview with 60 Minutes, the 36-year-old said Pixie wasn't coping with her dad not around, while Hunter was doing 'exceptionally well'.

Ignoring: She said, 'I told Pixie and Hunter their father would be home by Christmas...it was so far away, now here we are,' adding she has also stopped her mother from buying a festive tree

Tight lipped: Roxy also admitted she is determined to keep the truth about Oliver's whereabouts a secret from Pixie and Hunter

'Pixie's very upset. Every day's hard with her now and she cries for her dad,' the PR maven explained.

'Making a happy birthday video for him last night was horrible. Absolutely awful.

'She cried and slept in bed with me,' Roxy explained adding it was a situation she 'never wanted to be in'.

Roxy also admitted she is determined to keep the truth about Oliver's whereabouts a secret from Pixie and Hunter.

Unaware: She added she has told the children Oliver will be home at Christmas 'because they've got no idea when Christmas is, it could be 12 months or two years to them'

Verdict: Oliver will front a court on Friday in a bid to get his insider trading conviction overturned which, if successful, would see him walk free from prison

'I think there's certain things you choose to tell a child. I've said he's in China,' she explained.

She added she has told the children Oliver will be home at Christmas 'because they've got no idea when Christmas is, it could be 12 months or two years to them.'

Oliver will front a court on Friday in a bid to get his insider trading conviction overturned which, if successful, would see him walk free from prison.
Blac Chyna rang in the middle of her week with a sizzling set of Instagram photos in which she showed off her curves in a transparent dress.

It wasn't entirely clear whether the photos was of her current post-baby body, or of her figure from before her pregnancy.

Earlier on Wednesday, Deadline reported that her E! series reality series Rob & Chyna has been renewed for a further eight episodes slated to air next year.

Smoldering stare: Blac Chyna rang in the middle of her week with a sizzling Instagram photo in which she showed off her curves in a transparent dress

In the Instagram, the 28-year-old gave the camera a smoldering stare as she lounged on a gold-bordered black bench.

Not done there, in the next shot the star lay down on the chair showing off her famed derriere.

The final picture she posted she dedicated to her beau, tagging in Rob's Instagram.

Her netted dress offered a full view of her barely-existent black underwear.

Oh la, la: In one shot the star lay down on the chair showing off her famed derriere

For her sweetie: The final picture she posted she dedicated to her beau, tagging in Rob Kardashian's Instagram

The reality star wore just an itsy bitsy thong under her dress so that her famed behind was very visible.

Chyna accessorized the look with just a pair of black stilettos.

Whilst much of her hair had been gathered up into a high bun, a curly bit of it dangled alongside the right hand side of her face.

Comeback: Earlier on Wednesday, it emerged E! were renewing Rob & Chyna, the reality series the 28-year-old co-stars in with her fiance Rob Kardashian

On November 10, Chyna and her fiance Rob Kardashian welcomed a daughter they named Dream Kardashian.

Though the Washington, DC native's got a four-year-old son called King Cairo by Tyga, her daughter is her firstborn by her reality show co-star.

Rob & Chyna aired its hour-long pilot on E! on September 11 this year, beginning a series that wound up consisting of six episodes.

An eventful year: On November 10th, Chyna and her fiance Rob Kardashian welcomed a daughter called Dream Kardashian

Deadline have quoted Jeff Olde, E!'s Executive Vice President of Programming & Development, as saying: 'We are excited to share the next chapter of their story.'

He'd explained: 'Rob and Chynas romance struck such a chord with our viewers, who were engaged in their story even before we started filming the first season.'

On Sunday their baby special will air on E!
Her investment banker husband is gearing up to spend his first Christmas behind bars.

And while Roxy Jacenko, 36, won't be able to spend the festive season by Oliver Curtis' side, she has revealed that she speaks to him every day on the phone.

'He calls every day, for six minutes, and the first question is: 'How are the kids?' she revealed to Who magazine this week.

'He calls every day, for six minutes': While Roxy Jacenko, 36, won't be able to spend the festive season by Oliver Curtis' side, she has revealed that she speaks to him every day on the phone

The pair share five-year-old daughter Pixie and two-year-old son Hunter.

When quizzed about how Oliver has been handling his time in jail, Roxy responded: 'He's taking it on the chin. Not that he has a choice. It's a really difficult environment but we are proud he is getting on with it.'

Oliver was sentenced to two years imprisonment in June after he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit insider trading.

NSW Supreme Court Justice Lucy McCallum said the banker, knew what he was doing was 'very wrong' - but he had used his insider trading with his former best friend to fund a 'lifestyle of conspicuous extravagance'.

'The first question is: 'How are the kids?'' The pair share five-year-old daughter Pixie and two-year-old son Hunter

Shortly after his sentence, Roxy revealed Oliver had taken up working as a clerk while behind bars.

'He has a job, he works as a clerk in an administrative role. They go to the gym a lot,' she told KIIS FM's Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson.

'He's said everyone is really nice. He has settled in as well as he can. He likes his job, it's good to have a job.'

Behind bars: Oliver was sentenced to two years imprisonment in June after he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit insider trading

In August, Roxy revealed she has lied to her two children about their father's whereabouts.

Speaking once again to Kyle and Jackie O, the PR queen said she had told her children Oliver was in China for work.

'Its not unusual for them. When he was working he spent a lot of time there,' she explained, adding: 'So when they first asked. I said back hes in China.'

'I think I was asked on the spot when dad was coming home and I said Christmas. I will have to say he's still in China,' she added.

Keeping busy: Shortly after his sentence, Roxy revealed Oliver had taken up working as a clerk while behind bars

'I said back hes in China': In August, Roxy revealed she has lied to her two children about their father's whereabouts
On Tuesday night, the Chippewa Falls School Board attempted to pick up the pieces of two referendums that failed in last months election. It did so with a two-hour discussion that covered plenty of old ground, introduced a few new wrinkles, and led to many questions but no consensus on what do next.

Three members preferred to go back to voters with another referendum that they thought would pass. But four others objected, believing the results would be the same or they wanted to take the time to come up with a different plan. Regardless, there was nothing close to a solution ahead of a Jan. 24 deadline to get a referendum on the ballot for the spring elections in April 2017.

However that doesnt mean that when the board holds its monthly meeting Thursday night, that those opinions couldnt change and motions might fly.

The board reached a couple of conclusions Tuesday regarding the results of the Nov. 8 election. The first was that the one-sided defeat of the $98 million proposal was proof to all that there is little support for a new high school.

Even though we had two facilities reports that recommended a new high school, people here dont want one, Board President Amy Mason said. They just dont, pure and simple.

The much-closer vote on the other referendum had members trying to interpret what could be done to flip enough votes to make it pass next time.

Staish Buchner and Dave Czech both attributed the loss of the $61.2 million referendum question to objections people had to it including $630,000 for the purchase of land for a new high school. Czech also suspected a second question for $98 million cost votes from the first question, which was defeated 52.3-47.7 percent, losing by 784 votes out of 16,814 votes cast.

But Jennifer Heinz wasnt so sure removing the land from that question would make it pass.

Three options

Superintendent Dr. Heidi Eliopoulos laid out three possible paths for the board at the outset of the meeting, based on a post-election discussion that occurred at last months board meeting:

Resurrect Question 1 with some modifications, as some board members favored, for a vote in April 2017.

Delve into everything once again and come up with a different solution that would wind up on a referendum in April 2018.

Forget about addressing facility needs through a referendum, and attempt to complete projects within the budget, using a capital projects planning process for a future budget cycle.

Pat Allen and Pete Lehmann had no interest in passing another referendum, at least not one for next spring.

Weve heard from the public. We have a new definition of what the publics expectations are as to how we address the needs, he said, using the money spent on additions at Southview Elementary School as a model for how to make improvements and avoid referendums.

Allen believes she is the least convinced of any board member that they should seek another referendum.

I have some things that remain unanswered, she said. They included other solutions for the plumbing problems at Stillson, plans for two properties the district owns near the high school, and another way to solve space needs.

Why are we not looking seriously at redistricting as part of our plan? Allen asked.

Chad Trowbridge, the districts business manager, said the last time a redistricting plan was undertaken was in 2005, and it only came after several unsuccessful attempts to reapportion elementary students.

It was a very emotional time for families. You are telling families (your children) are no longer going here, he said.

Mason said she still had questions and mostly sided with Lehmann and Allen, although if those questions were answered to her approval, she could be persuaded to do something in 2018.

Heinz was also not in favor of returning in April with another referendum. She talked to several people who either werent aware a referendum was on the ballot last month or they were misinformed about what the referendums would do.

People were saying, we want to support our schools, give us more specifics, Heinz said. Its clear there still is some misunderstanding.

She stressed that more education efforts need to be undertaken, but Lehmann said the time for education had passed and the results spoke for themselves.

I think we provided numerous opportunities for the public to be informed, Mason said.

Trying to push this to April, with as much disagreement as weve got again tonight, Heinz said, would be a mistake. I think we have more work to do.

Work was done

Buchner tossed out three possible options for the board: a referendum seeking enough money to repair all of the elementary schools, including Stillson; to remove the land purchase and resubmit the first referendum; and a third option to build two new elementaries, Stillson and Hillcrest, and use the current Hillcrest space to move the alternate school and other offices currently housed in other buildings.

Kathy Strecker fell in with Czech and Buchner.

Like Pete, I do feel we need to prioritize and fix whats urgent within the money in our budget, she said. But well need an injection of capital to truly get big things done, so we should go to referendum. The timeline is short but the momentum is there, and I dont want any of that hard work to go to waste. We should take that and come up with a sensible solution that we are unified on, and again, let the voters speak.

She and Czech each voiced surprise that the referendum question that would have rebuilt Stillson Elementary was voted down in the town of Lafayette, where Stillson sits. It lost in Lafayette by 116 votes, 1,627-1,511.

Czech wasnt in favor of starting over, and felt the most pressing space needs were at the elementary schools.

I dont understand what more we can do to understand the situation. I think we all understand what the problem is, he said. I dont see any benefit to waiting. That would be an acknowledgement that we really didnt look at the proposals.

He said a lot of time had been spent trying to figure out what voters would support, and did not think any surveys had clarified matters.

The best survey you can have is a vote. We just had that. We know exactly where the taxpayers sit. This proposal is very close, Czech said.

Building Stillson to accommodate extra students could, under redistricting, solve space needs at other elementary schools, he said.

Im comfortable this is what we need and the taxpayers would support it, Czech said.

But on Tuesday night, he didnt have enough company in that belief.
Reese Witherspoon made a furry new friend this week.

On Wednesday, the actress took to her Snapchat and Instagram pages where she posted a video of herself holding a cute little bunny named Turbo.

'Hello, every bunny!' Reese wrote in the caption. '#CanIKeepHim #ILoveMyJob #HisNameIsTurbo @draperjames'

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Bunnies all over: Reese Witherspoon took to social media on Wednesday to show off her little friend Turbo while wearing a bunny printed dress

Conveniently, the Louisiana native happened to be wearing a dress with little bunnies printed all over it.

And based on her Snapchat story, Turbo wasn't the only creature she spent the day with.

A couple other bunnies hung out with the blonde bombshell on a chair.

More bunnies! The actress surrounds herself with playful rabbits while promoting her business Draper James in Wednesday's Snapchat story

The Oscar winner is promoting her business Draper James, which specializes in home decor, fashion and accessories.

There are two Draper James stores, one in Nashville, Tennessee and another in Dallas, Texas.

'Ever since we went live about a year ago, Dallas has been one of our top cities,' the Walk The Line star told LA Times. 'Customers in Dallas just really seem to love the brand, which is a celebration of Southern lifestyle.'

Fun accessories: The Academy Award winner sells a number of different items through Draper James, including home decor and gifts for the holidays. Here she is in a recent Instagram post

The wife of Jim Toth and mother of three voices Rosita in the upcoming film Sing, hitting theaters on December 21.
They've been married, then divorced and now they are engaged again.

But now it seems Brendan Fevola and his fiance Alex have finally found their happily ever after with one another.

Speaking to WHO magazine, the former AFL bad boy revealed they will be eloping overseas in the new year and that a baby may be on the cards.

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Future: Brendan Fevola has revealed and he fiance Alex will be eloping overseas in the new year and that a baby may be on the cards

'Eloping at a grouse holiday destination is on the agenda,' the 35-year-old confessed.

Brendan added that he has become 'so clucky' since becoming an uncle and hopes that he and Alex could add to their broad in the future.

'I get so clucky...Alex and I really want a boy, so you never know,' the father-of-three revealed.

Baby boy? He explained: 'I get so clucky...Alex and I really want a boy, so you never know'

Family: Brendan and Alex are already parents to three daughters, Mia, 16, Leni, 9 and Lulu, 6

On Wednesday, Brendan reflected on the past year, telling the Herald Sun: 'Life is good, man.'

'People are getting to see the real me,' the father-of-three, told the publication.

Brendan also revealed how excited he was that he and his FOX FM radio co-hosts Fifi Box and Dave Thornton celebrated a win in the breakfast slot, with a 9.4 per cent share in Melbourne.

Good times: On Wednesday, Brendan reflected on the past year, telling the Herald Sun : 'Life is good, man'

They did it! Brendan also spoke about his FOX FM radio win and credited wife Alex and their daughters to his success on air

They took the top spot from Eddie McGuire's show and he credited partner Alex for his on-air success.

'Im lucky Ive got an ex-wife whos now my fiancee, and three daughters because theyre my content,' he added.

The former Carlton and Brisbane Lions star joined Fifi and Dave in April this year.

King of the jungle: Brendan earned the spot at the station after winning I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! earlier this year

He scored the gig on the station after winning the latest series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

Alex and Brendan had also previously split in 2005, after Brendan's controversial affair with Australian model Lara Bingle, who is now married to actor Sam Worthington.

Alex has previously confirmed the betrayal ruined their marriage but, at the time, Lara denied the allegations.

Moving forward: Alex and Brendan had also previously split in 2005, after Brendan's controversial affair with Australian model Lara Bingle, who is now married to Sam Worthington

In 2010, a nude image of Lara in the shower resurfaced from her alleged affair with Brendan.

A year after the Lara Bingle scandal came to light, Alex and Brendan reconciled.

He and Alex confirmed in March 2014, they had split after almost ten years marriage, but reconciled earlier this year.
Her sexy figure shot her to fame as the former Miss Great Britain.

And Zara Holland certainly oozed self-confidence on Wednesday night as she dared to bare plenty of skin at the Tresor Paris bash in London.

The 21-year-old was not afraid to flash ample amounts of her cleavage in a daring plunging jumpsuit as she enjoyed her night out on the town.

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Peek-a-boob! Zara Holland oozed self-confidence on Wednesday night as she dared to bare plenty of skin at the Tresor Paris bash in London

The former pageant queen displayed her sensational womanly curves as she went braless in the plunging and backless velvet number to show off saucy amounts of skin.

Cutting very low at her chest, the all-black ensemble cut low at her chest to leave an eye-popping amount of her plentiful bust on show.

Securing and hoisting her assets up into a halter neckline, the festive outfit then plunged even lower at her back - revealing plenty of her smooth, sun-kissed skin and flashing a hint of sexy side-boob as the straps extended down her sides.

Dare to bare: The former pageant queen displayed her sensational womanly curves as she went braless in the plunging and backless velvet number

Sexy: Securing and hoisting her assets up into a halter neckline, the festive outfit then plunged even lower at her back - revealing plenty of her smooth, sun-kissed skin

Remaining demure elsewhere, the jumpsuit cinched in flatteringly at her petite waist before skimming her figure to its floor hem - elongating her legs as it did so.

Getting into the festive spirit even more, the reality star teamed the look with a set of glittering silver heels for a hint of glitz and accessorised with chunky silver cuff.

She tied her look together with casually tousled curls, thick false lashes and a slick of pink lipstick, for one last hint of glamour.

Strike a pose: Remaining demure elsewhere, the jumpsuit cinched in flatteringly at her petite waist before skimming her figure to its floor hem - elongating her legs as it did so

Finishing touches: The reality star teamed the look with a set of glittering silver heels for a hint of glitz and accessorised with chunky silver cuff

Zara is getting herself back on the party scene, after suffering an awkward Visa mishap which prevented her from jetting to India for charity work last month.

The star arrived at London's Heathrow in late November - but was turned away at the desk upon realisation she held the incorrect paperwork, and was left unable to fly.

'The charity didn't realise that visa requirements have changed,' a spokesperson for Zara told MailOnline. 'They have rescheduled for the Spring but she was obviously disappointed not to go. '

Glamour girl: She tied her look together with casually tousled curls, thick false lashes and a slick of pink lipstick, for one last hint of glamour

Zara had been intending to visit shelters, an orphanage and a school on behalf of the SQ Foundation - turning her attention back to the philanthropy she focused on during her pageant days, prior to her stint on Love Island.

The blonde beauty endured a dramatic summer, which saw her lose her Miss Great Britain crown after having a televised romp on ITV2.

The disgraced beauty queen told MailOnline she does not actually regret having sex with Love Island hunk Alex Bowen, despite thousands of viewers seeing her escapades live on TV.

Stepping out: She later left the bash in an equally as glamorous fashion - cladding herself in a high-shine fur coat and carrying a Michael Kors bag on her arm

Eye-popping: Zara chatted to a friend as she headed home, her eye-catching bust clear for all to see in the daring look

All-black everything: Also at the bash was Lydia Lucy in a high-shine lycra dress

Finishing touches: She paired the mini dress with a pair of knee-high lace up boots

Love Island reunion: Zara was also joined by Cara de la Hoyde at the bash, who looked glamorous in an all-over fur ensemble

She told MailOnline: 'Women like to have sex. I just personally have never had a one night stand before and a lot of women have one night stands and there's nothing wrong with sex and if you wake up in the morning and it makes you feel good.

'Sex is nothing to be ashamed of. We're all women but I just don't regret my actions, I just regret doing it on TV.'

However after picking herself up, Zara recently shared a snap alongside a mystery man, seeming to confirm the end of her single status after a turbulent few months.

She captioned the photo with three love heart emojis alongside the words: 'Happiest girl alive'.
She bid farewell to her old nose this week after unveiling the results of her recent rhinoplasty.

And Skye Wheatley, 22, has now revealed she's also bid farewell to her boyfriend Cameron McCristal.

The former Big Brother contestant confirmed the split in a comment on Instagram this week, telling fans: 'We're just friends as of now. Whatever's meant to be will be.'

Splitsville! Skye Wheatley, 22, confirmed she has broken up with her boyfriend Cameron McCristal this week, telling fans in an Instagram comment: 'We're just friends as of now'

Meanwhile, Skye has un-followed Cameron's Instagram account but has not deleted photos of the pair together.

The pair had been dating on-and-off since June 2015, having split once before in January of this year.

Following the split in January, Skye told Daily Mail Australia: 'We broke up, my life is s*** right now. It's a long story.'

What's going on here? Meanwhile, Skye has un-followed Cameron's Instagram account but has not deleted photos of the pair together

When asked what had happened, Skye remained vague adding only: 'I got told a few things. Something had happened.'

The couple revealed they had rekindled romance in June this year by uploading a flirty YouTube video of themselves driving around Brisbane together.

The news of Skye and Cameron's second break-up comes just days after Skye revealed the results of her nose reconstruction.

On-off romance: The pair had been dating on-and-off since June 2015, having split once before in January of this year

Speaking to Yahoo7 about her recent rhinoplasty, the petite blonde revealed she initially disliked the results of the operation so much that she burst into tears.

'I bawled my eyes out,' Skye recalled. 'I was like, 'What the f*ck' is this?''

The star's nose was so swollen she believed she looked like Pinocchio. At the time, the Gold Coast based model was also in severe pain.

Skye is that you? On Wednesday Skye Wheatley was barely recognisable in a new photo shared to Instagram since her nose job

'It was really painful because obviously I had just had my face half ripped up,' she said.

Previously she admitted to having lip fillers done and in 2015 travelled to Bangkok for a boob job, which she later discovered had been botched after she discovered a 'double bubble' in her breast.

She told Daily Mail Australia in August that she planned to have surgery to fix the breast augmentation.

Looks different: Her latest look is a far cry from the girl next door that appeared on Big Brother in 2014
She's no stranger to style, having designed her own clothing and jewellery collections in years gone by.

And Laura Whitmore was quick to show off her sartorial flair once again on Wednesday night as she attended the VIP launch of the Wonderland winter issue.

The Irish blonde, 31, flashed her long and lithe legs in a chic pastel blue mini dress as she arrived at the bash, held at the swanky Bo Lang in London.

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Out of the blue: Laura Whitmore, 31, was quick to show off her sartorial flair on Wednesday night as she attended the VIP launch of the Wonderland winter issue

The MTV presenter showed off her enviably leggy frame in the micro-mini dress, adorned with chic jacquard diamond stitching.

Cutting across her shoulders in a straight, high neck, the pale blue number remained classy as it fell to its super short height.

In one of her trademark trendy touches however, the dress was then finished with punky fishnet sleeves and a thick black belt, which cinched in to flaunt her petite waist and slim figure.

Stylish: The MTV presenter showed off her enviably leggy frame in the Hasan Hejazi micro-mini dress, adorned with chic jacquard diamond stitching

Despite the chilly winter weather, the former model left her toned pins on show as she stepped out in the thigh-skimming mini, which she teamed with chunky black ankle boots.

Adding quirky accessories in her signature style, Laura carried a constrasting red and black clutch emblazoned with the words 'Love me Tender', and layered a black longline coat on top, complete with chic leather panels.

Laura left her blonde hair in soft waves and dressed her face with minimal make-up barring a thick lashing of mascara, to enhance her striking features.

High-fashion: In one of her trademark trendy touches however, the dress was then finished with punky fishnet sleeves and a thick black belt

The Irish blonde has been hitting the festive party scene hard in the run-up to Christmas - having glammed up for the Stella McCartney Christmas lights switch-on in Mayfair last week with the likes of Pamela Anderson and Ronnie Wood.

Heading to multiple fashionable event since then including this launch, which was also attended by Millie Mackintosh and Mollie King, it seems Laura is making the most of her time off after her stint on Strictly Come Dancing.

After giving it her all on the dance floor, Laura was voted off in Week 7 of the competition after a bottom two dance-off against Ore Oduba.

Yet following her exit, the television personality has been plagued by rumours that she and professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice had fallen out.

Natural beauty: Laura left her blonde hair in soft waves and dressed her face with minimal make-up barring a thick lashing of mascara, to enhance her striking features
Trump defends diplomat pick Tillerson against critics

Donald Trump defended his nomination of ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson as America's next secretary of state, dismissing concerns about the oilman's ties to Russia and saying US foreign policy needed a new direction.

The nomination, which capped weeks of debate about the right candidate, was the most keenly awaited in Trump's cabinet as the world waits to see how the incoming Republican president intends to alter US foreign policy.

Trump has stoked alarm among Democrats and fellow Republicans ahead of his January 20 inauguration by calling for closer ties with Moscow, in contrast to received wisdom in Washington that Russia remains a global security threat.

The Kremlin welcomed the nomination of ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson as America's next secretary of state, praising him as a "very solid figure" ERIC PIERMONT (AFP/File)

That sentiment -- coupled with the fact that Trump is at loggerheads with some Republican senators over a CIA assessment that Russian hackers helped him win the election -- may complicate Tillerson's confirmation hearings.

Trump, who announced the nomination early Tuesday, hailed Tillerson as a "great diplomat" and "one of the greatest and most skilled global business leaders of our time" at a campaign-style rally Tuesday night in the traditionally Democratic-leaning state of Wisconsin that helped elect him.

The 64-year-old Texan, who has no experience in government and spent his entire career at Exxon, "has the insights and talents necessary to help reverse years of foreign policy blunders and disasters," Trump told the crowd.

But politicians on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns over Tillerson's ties to Russia. The businessman was awarded Russia's Order of Friendship by Vladimir Putin in 2013 and has publicly opposed sanctions on Moscow that thwarted his attempt to pursue huge oil deals in the Russian Arctic.

The Kremlin welcomed his nomination with an aide praising him as a "very solid figure" with whom Putin and Russians have "good, business-like relations."

- Putin's friend? -

"Rex is friendly with many of the leaders in the world that we don't get along with and some people don't like that," Trump told the crowd in West Allis, without mentioning Russia or Putin.

"They don't want him to be friendly. That's why I'm doing the deal with Rex, because I like what this is all about," he added.

"We need a new direction," said Trump. "Instead of jumping recklessly from one intervention to another, my administration will build a long term strategy for stability, prosperity, peace, and rebuilding our own country."

A series of establishment Republicans, including former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and James Baker, and former defense secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates have lined up to praise Tillerson.

Tillerson joined ExxonMobil in 1975 as an engineer, before rising to become president and chief executive, overseeing business activities in more than 50 countries. Appointed CEO in 2006, he had been due to retire in March.

But his lack of formal policy and government experience, and embedded relationship with a hugely powerful energy company is bound to result in sharp questions in the Senate confirmation hearings.

Senior Republican Senator John McCain has called Tillerson's ties to Putin "a matter of concern."

"Vladimir Putin is a thug, bully and a murderer, and anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying," McCain has said.

Senator Marco Rubio, a former Trump rival for the Republican White House nomination, tweeted: "Being a 'friend of Vladimir' is not an attribute I am hoping for from a #SecretaryofState."

McCain and other senators have backed a congressional probe into intelligence assessments on Russian election interference, putting top Republicans on a collision course with Trump, who dismissed the reports as "ridiculous".

- Business controversy -

If confirmed, Tillerson will face the hugely sensitive job of representing overseas a president apparently intent on trashing protocol and upending relationships built on decades of delicate diplomacy.

Beyond thorny ties with Russia, Sino-US relations are strained after a series of moves by Trump that provoked China, the world's second-largest economy, and controversy is also rife over his global business empire.

Trump postponed a press conference originally set for Thursday at which he was to unveil plans for separating himself from his global business dealings, instead writing on Twitter that his adult sons would manage the company.

The 70-year-old billionaire is now putting the finishing touches to his cabinet with former Texas governor Rick Perry and Montana Representative Ryan Zinke his reported picks for energy and interior secretary respectively.

On Tuesday he greeted a stream of guests in New York including rapper Kanye West and Bill Gates, the richest man on the planet who dedicates his life to philanthropy. Gates said Trump had an opportunity to inspire Americans to embrace innovation as John F. Kennedy once promoted space exploration.

"We had a good conversation about innovation, how it can help in health, education, the impact of foreign aid and energy, and a wide-ranging conversation about power of innovation," Gates said afterward.

Trump told the Wisconsin rally he also met Tuesday with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who was a vocal supporter of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

He praised Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, with whom he had a combative relationship during the campaign.

"Honestly, he is like a fine wine," he said to laughter. "Every day goes by I get to appreciate his genius more and more."

Trump administration nominees Christopher HUFFAKER (AFP)

Vladimir Putin (L) speaks with ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson during the 2011 signing of a Rosneft-ExxonMobil strategic partnership agreement in Sochi Alexey Druzhinin (RIA Novosti/AFP/File)
Cold, hungry civilians wait to leave Aleppo after delay

Thousands of cold and hungry civilians crowded the streets of Aleppo on Wednesday uncertain of their future after their planned evacuation from the last rebel pocket of the city was delayed.

The delicate deal to end years of rebel resistance in Syria's second city came amid mounting international concern about the plight of civilians and as the UN said it had reports of atrocities being committed by advancing government forces.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow expects rebel resistance in Aleppo to end in the next two to three days.

Syrian pro-government forces were on the verge of recapturing all of east Aleppo, in rebel hands since 2012 George OURFALIAN (AFP)

"I expect that the rebels will stop their resistance in the next two to three days," Russian news agencies quoted Lavrov as saying. "I hope that the situation in eastern Aleppo will be resolved in two to three days."

From before dawn, entire families gathered in the streets of for news of the deal brokered by Russia and Turkey for their safe passage.

The first departures had been expected to begin around 5:00 am (0300 GMT), but hours later there was no sign of movement.

There was no comment on the apparent delay in the evacuation from the government or the rebels, or from the deal's co-sponsors.

An AFP correspondent in the government-held west of the city said evacuation buses waiting on the the edge of the Salaheddin neighbourhood -- still divided between rebel and regime control -- had not moved.

Drivers were sleeping inside the two dozen green government buses, which arrived late on Tuesday soon after the deal was announced.

An AFP correspondent inside remaining rebel-held territory said hundreds of civilians had gathered in the streets from the early hours, some clutching bags of belongings, to await evacuation.

Some had slept in the open, despite the cold and a fierce storm that brought heavy rain and high winds, after fleeing from other districts as they army advanced and finding nowhere to shelter.

No aid has entered east Aleppo since mid-July, when government troops first encircled rebel districts of the city, and food supplies have dwindled, forcing many to survive on as little as a meal every two days.

The army has seized virtually all of east Aleppo, in rebel hands since 2012, since beginning an operation to recapture the city last month.

Losing their onetime bastion will deal the opposition its worst blow since the conflict began in March 2011 and mark a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad and his allies Iran and Russia.

- Turkey plans camp for evacuees -

The evacuation deal emerged late Tuesday, with rebel officials saying civilians and fighters would leave for opposition territory elsewhere in northern Syria.

"The first stage will be the evacuation of civilians and wounded, within hours, and afterwards fighters will leave with their light weapons," said Yasser al-Youssef, of the Nureddin al-Zenki group.

Turkey said those leaving would be taken to Idlib, which is controlled by a powerful rebel alliance that includes Al-Qaeda's former affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said Turkey would "set up a tent city to accommodate up to 80,000 Syrian refugees fleeing Aleppo".

Washington, which backs the opposition, said it had not been consulted on the deal but welcomed any arrangement that brought safety to the people of Aleppo.

US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power urged international supervision of the evacuation, expressing concern about "people who wish to leave but who, justifiably, fear that, if they try, they will be shot in the street or carted off to one of Assad's gulags."

While tens of thousands of civilians have already fled east Aleppo for government-held territory, others say they fear arrest or torture at the hands of the regime.

- Summary executions reported -

The UN has reported allegations that men have gone missing after crossing to government areas, and on Tuesday said it had credible reports of summary executions by pro-regime fighters.

UN rights office spokesman Rupert Colville described reports of at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, being executed in recent days.

He said pro-government fighters had reportedly entered homes and killed those inside, and in others "caught and killed on the spot" fleeing civilians.

The UN was "filled with the deepest foreboding for those who remain in this last hellish corner of opposition-held eastern Aleppo," he said.

Witnesses described scenes of carnage in rebel areas, with bodies lying amid the rubble of city streets.

Aleppo, a cultural and economic hub second only to Damascus in importance, had been split between a rebel-controlled east and government-held west since 2012.

It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, after an estimated 130,000 fled to other parts of Aleppo during the government advance.

The assault has been accompanied by heavy air and artillery bombardment and at least 463 civilians, including 62 children, have been killed in east Aleppo since it began in mid-November, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Another 130 people, including 40 children, have been killed by rebel rocket fire on western districts, the monitoring group says.

More than 310,000 people have been killed since the Syrian conflict began, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees.

The collapse of Aleppo's rebel resistance Kun TIAN, Simon MALFATTO, Laurence SAUBADU (AFP)

Buses wait to evacuate civilians leaving from rebel-held areas of Aleppo George OURFALIAN (AFP)
Syria rebels announce new evacuation deal for Aleppo

Syrian rebels announced a new evacuation deal for Aleppo civilians and the injured, after shelling and air strikes sent terrified residents running through the city's streets.

However a source close to Syria's government denied the development, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said hostilities were ongoing after an earlier agreement collapsed.

Under the initial plan, thousands of civilians and rebel fighters were due early Wednesday to evacuate the east of Syria's second city, scene of some of the worst violence in more than five years of war across the country.

Syrian pro-government forces advance in the Jisr al-Haj neighbourhood during the ongoing military operation to retake remaining rebel-held areas in the northern embattled city of Aleppo on December 14, 2016 George OURFALIAN (AFP)

But cold and hungry civilians who had gathered before dawn to leave were instead plunged back into a familiar nightmare.

"Bombing is ongoing, no one can move. Everyone is hiding and terrified," activist Mohammad al-Khatib told AFP from inside east Aleppo.

"The wounded and dead are lying in the street. No one dares to try and retrieve the bodies."

Officials from the Nureddin al-Zinki and the hardline Ahrar al-Sham rebel groups confirmed to AFP that a new truce deal had come into effect after hours of violence Wednesday.

"A ceasefire has come into effect in Aleppo after negotiations between the Russians and the Turkish Red Crescent," said Yasser al-Youssef, a Nureddin al-Zinki political official.

"The first group of civilians and wounded people will leave at dawn on Thursday," Youssef told AFP.

He said an agreement on rebels had also been reached but news of the deal was denied by a source close to Syria's government.

"There is no agreement, the negotiations are ongoing," the source said.

- Telephone diplomacy -

As air strikes and artillery fire shook the city earlier Wednesday, AFP's correspondent in rebel areas of Aleppo saw panicked civilians running for cover.

The Britain-based Observatory reported "very intense clashes on every front line" and said at least two people had been killed in rebel areas.

State television said rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas had killed at least seven people.

Former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front said Wednesday that one of its suicide bombers detonated a car bomb at a regime position in southern Aleppo.

A source with knowledge of efforts to resuscitate the ceasefire deal earlier said Syria, opposition backer Turkey, and regime allies Russia and Iran were locked in talks.

Moscow has blamed rebels for violating the ceasefire, saying it now expected opposition resistance in Aleppo to end in the next "two to three days".

A source close to the government said Damascus objected to the number of people leaving, claiming rebels had sought to raise it from 2,000 to 10,000.

But Youssef from the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group said the regime and Iran sought to link the Aleppo deal to the fate of Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite-majority villages in northwest Syria under rebel siege.

It was unclear whether the new agreement included a condition that wounded people would also be evacuated from there.

The rebels and Ankara have accused President Bashar al-Assad's regime and its supporters of blocking the evacuation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call that ceasefire violations must end.

"They stressed that the ceasefire agreement... should be put into practice (and) the violations of the deal must be stopped," Turkish presidential sources said.

- Moscow meet -

Turkey said it would meet with Russia and Iran in Moscow on December 27 to discuss a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

"We are striving to secure a ceasefire throughout the country and for negotiations for a political solution to start," said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday also spoke again with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, as well as with Cavusoglu and Qatar's Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

Syria's army has pressed a month-long assault that has seen it take more than 90 percent of the former rebel stronghold in east Aleppo.

Turkey has said those leaving would be taken to Idlib province, which is controlled by a powerful rebel alliance that includes the Fateh al-Sham Front.

The agreement came amid international concern about the plight of civilians in the city, and as the UN said it had reports of atrocities being committed by advancing government forces.

In Istanbul, more than a thousand people protested outside the Iranian consulate to denounce the actions of regime allies Tehran and Moscow and demand the evacuation of civilians from Aleppo.

In Kuwait around 2,000 demonstrated in front of the Russian embassy while in Paris several hundred people gathered in support of the victims of Aleppo.

- Eiffel Tower goes dark -

The lights on the Eiffel Tower were also switched off in what Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo was a protest at the "unbearable" situation for civilians in Aleppo.

The UN said Tuesday it had credible reports of at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, being executed in recent days.

And the UN's Commission of Inquiry for Syria said it had received reports opposition fighters were blocking civilians from fleeing Aleppo and using them as human shields.

Aleppo, a cultural and economic hub second only to Damascus in importance, had been split between a rebel-controlled east and government-held west since 2012.

It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, after an estimated 130,000 fled to other parts of Aleppo during the government advance since mid-November.

More than 465 civilians, including 62 children, have died in east Aleppo during the assault, the Observatory said Wednesday in a new toll.

Another 142 civilians, among them 42 children, have been killed by rebel rocket fire on government-held zones in the same period, the monitor said.

Syria's conflict has evolved from anti-Assad protests into a multi-front war that has killed more than 312,000 and drawn in world powers on all sides of the war.

The battle for Aleppo Sophie Ramis, Simon Malfatto, Valentina Breschi, Frederic Bourgeais (AFP)

Buses wait to evacuate civilians leaving from rebel-held areas of Aleppo George OURFALIAN (AFP)

Syrian pro-government forces are on the verge of recapturing all of east Aleppo, in rebel hands since 2012 George Ourfalian (AFP)

People leave a rebel-held area of Aleppo towards the government-held side on December 13, 2016 Karam al-Masri (AFP)
GM probed in China for antitrust violations: source

Chinese antitrust officials are investigating General Motors in the wake of escalating tensions between Beijing and US President-elect Donald Trump, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

Earlier, the state-run newspaper China Daily reported that China would slap fines on an unnamed US carmaker for monopolistic behaviour.

A penalty will be issued "soon" against an American firm for telling distributors to fix prices, the paper said in a front-page story, citing an "exclusive interview" with the director of the price supervision bureau in the country's top economic planner.

Traffic in Beijing Wang Zhao (AFP)

Chinese authorities often use state-controlled media to test out lines of attack and broadcast pointed messages while preserving a more neutral official stance.

Asked about the fine at the regular foreign ministry press briefing Wednesday, spokesman Geng Shuang said he knew "no details", adding that China welcomes US companies in principle but they must abide by local regulations.

Zhang Handong, director of the National Development and Reform Commission's price supervision bureau, which is conducting the probe, told the newspaper "no one should read anything improper into the timing" of the decision.

A spokesman for General Motors, the largest US automaker, said the company was in compliance with the law.

"GM fully respects local laws and regulations wherever we operate. We do not comment on media speculation," he said.

The story comes in the midst of a war of words between Trump and Chinese media, after the billionaire Republican businessman suggested he may reject the One China policy unless Beijing makes concessions on trade and other matters.

In an interview Sunday he said he did not see why Washington must "be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade".

The president elect's protocol-breaking decision to take a call earlier this month with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has angered Beijing, which regards the island as a rogue province awaiting unification.

Trump, who takes office on January 20, has also repeatedly threatened to slap 45 percent tariffs on Chinese exports to the US.

It would not be the first time Chinese regulators have penalised foreign carmakers, with the commission in 2014 slapping multimillion-dollar fines on German and Japanese companies, drawing accusations of protectionism to boost local firms.

In an editorial, also published Wednesday, the China Daily took a swaggering tone, saying that if Trump wants to make Taiwan a bargaining chip, "he has no leverage".

"However, since he has indicated with his pre-office sound bites that his real interest is trade, let's talk about trade," it said.

The editorial singled out General Motors, noting that the US automaker had sold in China more than one-third of the nearly 10 million vehicles it sold last year.

"For the American economy to be great again," it added, "the US needs to cement its economic relations with China, rather than destroy them".

state-run newspaper China Daily had reported that China would slap fines on an unnamed US carmaker for monopolistic behaviour Mark Ralston (AFP/File)
Yemen rebel leader accuses UK of war crimes

The leader of Yemen's rebel Huthi government on Wednesday accused Britain of war crimes by supplying weapons that Saudi-led forces were using to "bomb the people".

Abdel Aziz bin Habtoor said Britain had "sold cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia" that it knew would be dropped on Shiite Huthi rebels fighting the internationally-recognised, Saudi-backed administration of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

"I don't think they are guilty of war crimes, I believe so," he told broadcaster Sky News. "They are participating in the bombing of Yemen people."

In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against Iran-supported Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies after the rebels overran much of Yemen Fayez Nuerldine (AFP/File)

In response to a parliamentary question about the allegations, Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs that Britain had a "very strict regime for export licences in relation to weapons".

"We exercise that very carefully, and in recent years we have indeed refused export licences in relation to arms, including to Yemen and Saudi Arabia," she added.

"Where there are allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law, then we require those to be properly investigated."

The United States on Tuesday blocked the transfer of precision munitions to ally Saudi Arabia, amid anger about the civilian death toll from the kingdom's bombing campaign in Yemen.

"This reflects our continued, strong concerns with the flaws in the coalition's targeting practices and overall prosecution of the air campaign in Yemen," said the White House.

Saudi Arabia has been a long-term ally of the US and Britain in the Middle East, but British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson last week was rebuked by his government after accusing the country of backing "proxy wars" in the region.

In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against Iran-supported Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies after the rebels overran much of Yemen.

Since then, the rebels have been pushed out of much of Yemen's south, but they still control nearly all of the country's Red Sea coast as well as swathes of territory around the capital Sanaa.
Chippewa County residents will be able to request records of a birth, marriage, divorce or death from the Chippewa County Register of Deeds office, even if those records were first made in another Wisconsin county.

The new system begins Jan. 3, 2017, said Marge Geissler, Chippewa County Register of Deeds.

We have been working on this for years, said Geissler, who served on the State Vital Records Committee.

The records will be available if they are on the Statewide Vital Records Information System.

Geissler said that means county residents no longer have to go directly to the Wisconsin county where they were born, married, divorced or the county where a family member died to get the record.

Plus, this will be the first time residents can get a divorce certificate from the Register of Deeds Office. Previously, the information was only available with a decree through the Clerk of Circuit Courts office.

A small number of special service records will not be available through the new system, and not all records will be available on Jan. 3.

The State Vital Records Office is working with county Register of Deeds on developing a process to load all vital records into the information system. Residents may contact the Register of Deeds office to see what records are available through the new system.

Geissler said the cost of the records will remain the same as before, $20 for a first copy and $3 for additional copies.

Residents can also apply for the records online at: www.co.chippewa.wi.us/government/register-of-deeds. Geissler said people using the online method must fill out an application and provide identification information.

For more information on the new system, contact Geissler at mgeissler@co.chippewa.wi.us or call 715-726-7994. The departments office is on the first floor of the Chippewa County Courthouse, 711 N. Bridge St., Chippewa Falls.

We have been working on this for years. Marge Geissler, Chippewa County Register of Deeds
Iran's Rouhani congratulates Assad on Aleppo 'victory'

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani phoned his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday to congratulate him on the impending defeat of rebel forces in the battleground city of Aleppo, his website said.

"The victory in Aleppo... constitutes a great victory for the Syrian people against terrorists and those who support them," Rouhani told Assad.

The Syrian leader reportedly responded that Iran had stood "on the side of the Syrian people and government in its most difficult moments, and we will never forget it".

Syrian pro-regime fighters in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood on December 13, 2016

Iran has not committed its regular army to the Syrian conflict, but its paramilitary Revolutionary Guards have played a crucial coordinating role.

Thousands of Iranian volunteers -- many of them motivated by a desire to protect Shiite shrines in Syria -- are thought to have fought on the frontline.

With just a small pocket of rebel resistance left in Aleppo, Tehran officials say the offensive has underlined Iran's growing regional clout.

"The coalition between Iran, Russia, Syria and (Tehran-backed Lebanese militant group) Hezbollah led to the liberation of Aleppo and will next liberate Mosul (in Iraq)," said Yahya Safavi, top foreign policy adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Safavi, a former head of the Revolutionary Guards, said a clear message was being sent to the incoming US president, Donald Trump, who has vowed to take a tougher line with Iran.

"The new American president must accept the reality that Iran is the leading power in the region," the Guards' Sepahnews website quoted him as saying.

Iran accuses the United States and its allies of supporting "terrorists" in Syria.

Fresh panels have sprung up around Tehran, with one reading: "The fight against the United States has once again paid off. Aleppo is liberated."

Western governments counter that Assad is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of his own people in more than five years of conflict in Syria.
Kiir calls for 'national dialogue' to end South Sudan war

President Salva Kiir called Wednesday for a "national dialogue" to end the three-year-long civil war in South Sudan.

In a speech to parliament, Kiir, whose wrangling for power with his former deputy Riek Machar plunged the world's newest nation into a brutal, destructive and ongoing civil war in December 2013, said the dialogue would "consolidate peace" in South Sudan.

Kiir said a panel of "eminent personalities and people of consensus" would guide the national dialogue which would involve "all the people of South Sudan" but did not say who the panel members would be.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir's call to end violence comes at the start of the traditional fighting season, after the rains have stopped, and on the eve of the civil war's third anniversary Charles Atiki Lomodong (AFP/File)

The ambitious aims of the initiative, he said, are to "save the country from disintegration and usher in a new era of peace, stability and prosperity."

"As long as I am your president, I will not allow the suffering of our people to continue and I will not also allow this country to fall apart," Kiir said.

Kiir's troops and allied militia have been accused of ethnic massacres, rape and sexual slavery, looting, pillage and the forced recruitment of child soldiers. Rebels have perpetrated similar crimes.

In recent weeks fresh ethnic killings -- most allegedly carried out by Kiir's forces -- in and around the southern town of Yei have triggered genocide warnings from the UN.

In his speech Kiir asked forgiveness "for any mistakes I might have committed" but did not specify what they might be.

Neither was there any mention of justice for crimes committed, nor of his arch enemy Machar who is currently in exile in South Africa after being chased from the country during battles that raged in the capital Juba in July.

Nevertheless, Kiir issued a directive to both government and rebel forces "to immediately cease hostilities, protect their fellow citizens and prepare the ground for a more peaceful, secure and joyous Christmas and New Year."

Kiir's call comes at the start of the traditional fighting season, after the rains have stopped, and on the eve of the civil war's third anniversary.

In Geneva, the UN human rights council held a special session on South Sudan on Wednesday, passing a resolution that called on Kiir's government to put an end to widespread atrocities and bring the perpetrators of past violations to justice.

The head of the UN's human rights commission for South Sudan, Yasmin Sooka, also reissued her warning that the country risked plunging into a crisis similar to the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda.
Palestinian stabs Israeli officer, shot dead: police

A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli policeman with a screwdriver in annexed east Jerusalem's Old City before being shot dead on Wednesday, police said.

The attacker "produced a screwdriver and stabbed a policeman in the head, lightly injuring him", police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement.

"Security forces neutralised the terrorist."

Bloodstains after a Palestinian is shot by Israeli police after stabbing a patrolman with a screwdriver in annexed east Jerusalem's Old City on December 14, 2016 Ahmad Gharabli (AFP)

She later confirmed he had died of his injuries after being taken to a local hospital.

The assailant struck in the heart of the Old City, a major draw for foreign tourists and pilgrims but the site of several attacks over the past year.

Samri said in a later statement the Palestinian was a 21-year-old and from Beit Surik village near Ramallah in the northern West Bank.

A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks erupted last year, but the violence has greatly subsided in recent months.

Since October 2015, 243 Palestinians, 36 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed, according to an AFP count.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.
UN says Gambia's Jammeh must go

The UN's west Africa envoy on Wednesday said Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh must step down as soon as his mandate ends in January to allow election winner Adama Barrow to take office.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas said that Jammeh, who is contesting his presidential election defeat, had the constitutional right to remain in office until his five-year term ends on January 19.

"Between now and January 19 it is Mr Jammeh that is the constitutionally elected president," he told AFP in Dakar, Senegal. "By January 19 he should be ready to hand over power."

Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh, who took office in a coup, has led The Gambia for 22 years Issouf Sanogo (AFP/File)

Jammeh, who has ruled the country for 22 years after seizing power in a coup, initially conceded defeat to opposition leader Barrow in the December 1 poll but in a U-turn subsequently rejected the official results.

On Tuesday, his party issued a legal challenge, while Barrow called for the president to step down "now".

Commenting on opposition worries that Jammeh could try to cling on to power pending the outcome of the legal case lodged by the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reconciliation and Construction (APRC), Chambas said:

"That legal process has nothing to do with the term of his mandate."

His spokesman earlier told AFP that the ongoing police occupation of The Gambia's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) -- the object of the APRC's legal complaint -- was an "unacceptable act".

In New York, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon too condemned the IEC's takeover and called on security forces to immediately leave the premises.

Ban "condemns this outrageous act of disrespect of the will of the Gambian people," his spokesman said in a statement.

"This action violates the independent status of the IEC under the Gambian constitution, and could compromise the sensitive electoral material under the commission's custody," he added.

"He calls on the Gambian military and security forces to immediately vacate the IEC premises."

IEC chairman Alieu Momar Njie told AFP on Wednesday that he had not yet been informed why he was locked out of his own premises.

He further dismissed Jammeh's legal challenge of the IEC's election result as unworkable because of the lack of judges in the Supreme Court, which is the body mandated to decide on cases of electoral law.

"The only way they can pursue the commission is through the court, and there is no court," Njie said.

- Court boycott -

Last year Jammeh fired a number of top judges after they commuted several death sentences.

To meet the deadline of January 18 required for Jammeh's case to be heard before the end of his tenure, he would need to appoint as many as six judges to the Supreme Court, which has lain dormant since May 2015.

Lawyers continued a planned boycott of the court system on Wednesday in protest at Jammeh's legal fight.

The country's most influential lawyers' group, The Bar Association, has said any appointment of judges by Jammeh to decide on a case involving himself would be fundamentally unjust.

An opposition leader, Halifa Sallah, also raised the January 19 deadline in a statement to reporters in Banjul.

"We maintain that president-elect Barrow continues to be the next Gambian president, who should take office the day that (Jammeh's) mandate expires," Sallah said.

"We have said that starting from January 19... if President Jammeh says 'I will not leave', then there will clearly be a constitutional crisis and most probably a conflict in this country," he warned.

Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said on Tuesday that a heavyweight delegation of four African leaders including herself had failed to reach a consensus with Jammeh and Barrow on a transition of power.

"We come to help Gambians find their way through a transition. That's not something that can happen in one day," said Sirleaf, who headed the team of four African heads of state and the UN's Chambas.

The lack of a deal has come as a blow to the opposition, which had hoped Jammeh would leave power within a month under international pressure.
Saudi rejects interference in Yemen: King

Saudi Arabia is determined to prevent external "interference" in neighbouring war-torn Yemen, King Salman said in an annual address on Wednesday.

He did not explicitly refer to the kingdom's regional rival Iran but Saudi officials have accused Tehran and the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah of aiding rebels in Yemen.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has itself led an Arab coalition conducting air strikes against the Shiite Huthi rebels and providing other assistance to local forces in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz attends the opening session of the Shura Council in Riyadh on December 14, 2016 Bandar Al-Jaloud (Saudi Royal Palace/AFP)

"We will not accept any interference in the internal affairs of Yemen," King Salman said in an address opening a new session of the Shura Council, an appointed body which advises cabinet.

Salman said his country will neither accept that Yemen "becomes a base or a point of passage for whatever state or party to menace the security or the stability of the kingdom and of the region".

The Saudi-led coalition intervened after Huthi rebels allied with elite members of security forces loyal to Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh seized the capital Sanaa and overran other parts of the country.

The rebels have killed at least 110 civilians and soldiers in rocket fire and skirmishes along the Saudi frontier. They have also fired longer-range ballistic missiles over the border at Saudi Arabia.

International investigators last month said they had found a suspected "weapons pipeline" from Iran through Somalia to Yemen.

British-based Conflict Armament Research, which is primarily funded by the European Union, analysed photographs of weapons including assault rifles and rocket launchers to draw its conclusions.

Tehran has repeatedly denied sending arms to Yemeni rebels.

The Arab coalition, for its part, has faced repeated allegations of killing civilians, and on Tuesday the United States blocked the transfer of precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia.

-- 'Sometimes painful' measures --

A senior US administration official said the move reflected "strong concerns with the flaws in the coalition's targeting practices" and its overall conduct of the Yemen air war.

Salman's son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 31, has had overall responsibility for the Yemen campaign as he holds the post of defence minister.

King Salman underlined that Riyadh was open to a "political solution" in Yemen, whose security "is intrinsically linked to that of the kingdom".

The Yemen war has killed more than 7,000 people, about half of them civilians.

Its intervention has cost Saudi Arabia billions of dollars despite austerity at home to cope with fallen oil revenues.

On top of hikes in the prices of petrol, electricity and water over the past year, the cabinet in September imposed a wage freeze on civil servants, who make up the bulk of the workforce.

The government was left owing billions of dollars to private firms, chiefly in the construction sector, where tens of thousands of foreign workers were left unpaid.

King Salman said the government "took measures that were sometimes painful" because of the effect of lower oil prices, but that it has coordinated with other producers to stabilise the petroleum market.

"The kingdom experienced similar circumstances in the past three decades, obliging it to reduce its expenses, but it always succeeded in surmounting them," he said.
18th-century Chinese imperial seal sells for 21 mn euros

An 18th-century Chinese imperial seal sold for 21 million euros in Paris Wednesday -- more than 20 times its estimate, the Drouot auction house told AFP.

Decorated with stylised dragons, the symbol of imperial authority, the extremely rare stamp in red and beige nephrite jade comes from the Qianlong period (1736-1795).

It was snapped up by an unnamed Chinese collector after a furious bidding battle between would-be telephone buyers and those in the salesroom.

The Chinese imperial seal belonged to the Emperor Qianlong, who is regarded as the longest serving emperor in Chinese history, holding ultimate power long after he officially retired Stephane Briolant (PIERRE BERGE & ASSOCIES/AFP)

The seal belonged to the Emperor Qianlong, who is regarded as the longest serving emperor in Chinese history, holding ultimate power long after he officially retired.

Under this hugely capable and cultured emperor, the Qing dynasty reached its apogee of wealth and power, almost doubling in size during his six decade reign.

The nine dragons that decorate the seal's sides symbolise both his masculine power and imperial authority, the auction house said.

The empire's population rose to some 400 million people as he expanded its borders, but by the end of Qianlong's long reign China was slipping into slow decline.

Still, the Qing dynasty, which came from the Manchu minority from Manchuria in northern China, staggering on until 1912.

The seal was acquired by a young French naval doctor in China in the late 19th century and has remained in the same family since.

According to Drouot, the young officer visited China many times and built an impressive collection through his "taste, culture and the friendships he was able to build up over the years".
Exiled Abbas rival gets 3 years for graft: lawyer

An exiled rival to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was sentenced in absentia to three years in prison Wednesday on corruption charges, his lawyer said.

A lawyer for Mohammed Dahlan condemned the sentencing as part of Abbas's attempts to sideline political rivals.

Dahlan, 55, "was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay back $16 million" (15 million euros), lawyer Salameh Halaseh told AFP by phone.

Mohammed Dahlan has been sentenced in his absence to three years in jail

Halaseh said the defence had only been informed of the hearing, held in an anti-corruption court in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, on Tuesday.

Dahlan was expelled from Abbas's Fatah party in 2011 and now lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates.

Sevag Torossian, another lawyer for Dahlan, called the conviction a "cleansing exercise" for Abbas, who has sought to sideline perceived rivals in Fatah.

Dahlan, who has urged 81-year-old Abbas to step down, is believed to have the support of a number of Arab countries.

The conviction came two days after Abbas lifted the immunity of five members of the Palestinian parliament, including Dahlan, opening them up to prosecution.

The other four are alleged to be allied to Dahlan.

Torossian said the case had been going on for years but the charges were struck down in 2015 when a Palestinian court ruled he was immune from prosecution as a parliamentarian.

But last month, the Palestinian Constitutional Court ruled that Abbas has the authority to revoke immunity without the consent of parliament.

On Wednesday, a coalition of Palestinian human rights organisations criticised the lifting of immunity for the five lawmakers.

"Parliamentary immunity is one of the most important constitutional principles," the Council of Palestinian Human Rights Organisations said in a statement, calling its lifting "an act of aggression against the popular will".

The statement also warned of the potential "collapse of the entire political system and disappearance of basic law".
UK's Petrofac halts work at Tunisia gas plant

British energy firm Petrofac stopped work at a Tunisia gas plant after renewed protests despite an agreement to end social unrest, a minister and a company official said Wednesday.

The halt in operations at Cherqui on Kerkennah island in southeast Tunisia comes after a deal in September ended a protest by local workers.

"Despite the agreement signed in September and the promises from civil society in Kerkennah, (protesters) several times blocked the road for trucks," Energy Minister Hela Cheikhrouhou told radio Mosaique FM.

The British energy firm Petrofac's facility on Kerkennah island in Tunisia has halted production due to a labour dispute that sparked protests and social unrest Fethi Belaid (AFP/File)

"Civil society needs to deal with the situation in a responsible way. From our side, we want to listen to those who are blocking the way to trucks and to their new demands," she said.

Activities had resumed at the site at the start of the month, according to Tunisian media. The exact demands of the protesters were not immediately clear.

"This is not how we can best help (foreign) firms to work in out country," Cheikhrouhou said.

The head of Petrofac in Tunisia, Imed Derouiche, was quoted by HuffPost Tunisie as saying the company had decided on a "technical shutdown" after the road blocks.

Tunisia said in September that Petrofac would resume operations at the gas plant after a labour dispute was resolved that had halted work for months.

The accord, negotiated in the presence demonstrators and union figures, called for the creation of three-year contracts and a development company for Kerkennah, Social Affairs Minister Mohamed Trabelsi said at the time.

Petrofac, which works in cooperation with Tunisia's national oil company at the site, is the largest employer on the Kerkennah islands.

The unrest started at the start of the year after the end of a programme -- largely financed by Petrofac and created in the wake of Tunisia's 2011 uprising -- to get unemployed graduates into work, although often without permanent contracts or benefits.

Petrofac said it could no longer fund the programme and called on the Tunisian state to take over.
UN chief urges Gambia military to end takeover of election commission

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday condemned the military takeover of Gambia's independent electoral commission, calling on the army and police forces to immediately leave the IEC's offices.

The seizure of the IEC on Tuesday came after President Yahya Jammeh refused to recognize electoral defeat and accused the election body of vote-tampering.

Ban expressed "dismay" over the takeover, saying he "condemns this outrageous act of disrespect of the will of the Gambian people," his spokesman said in a statement.

Outgoing Gambian President Yahya Jammeh speaking during a press conference after being defeated during the presidential election on December 3, 2016 Handout (GRTS - Gambia Radio and Television Services/AFP/File)

"This action violates the independent status of the IEC under the Gambian constitution, and could compromise the sensitive electoral material under the commission's custody," he added.

"He calls on the Gambian military and security forces to immediately vacate the IEC premises and to refrain from any further acts with the intent to jeopardize efforts toward the peaceful transfer of power."

The UN chief renewed his appeal for Jammeh, Gambia's leader for 22 years, to hand over power to President-elect Adama Barrow.

A UN envoy joined a delegation of African leaders in Banjul this week to press for a transfer of power, but Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said no deal had been reached following talks with Jammeh and Barrow.
Zimbabwe's Mugabe criticises officials 'bickering' for power

Zimbabwe's ageing President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday criticised ruling party officials for allegedly "bickering" over positions of power and jostling to succeed him.

"Positions in the party are not jumped upon. People rise slowly," Mugabe told members of his Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party's central committee.

"So, dirty politics should never be countenanced in our party. The tradition of our party is never one of bickering over party positions," he said in a speech at the ZANU-PF headquarters in the capital Harare.

92-year-old Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe criticised ruling party officials for allegedly competing over who will succeed him Jekesai Njikizana (AFP/File)

Mugabe, 92, has been in power since independence from British colonial rule in 1980.

The leader, who has previously been rumoured to be unwell, appeared tired Wednesday as he drawled through parts of his speech, while repeatedly pausing for breath.

Despite his advanced age, Mugabe has avoided naming a successor or laying out plans to retire. He once joked that he would rule until he turned 100.

The absence of a clear successor has sparked infighting in recent years between factions angling for his position, threatening to split the ruling party.

In 2014, Mugabe expelled his deputy Joice Mujuru after Mugabe's wife Grace launched a campaign against the former vice-president, accusing her of instigating factional fighting and plotting to topple the veteran ruler.

Mujuru denied the charges and formed her own party, along with other ZANU-PF former members.

"I have said this before, that there is nothing wrong in expressing an ambition, an aspiration," Mugabe told senior party officials before the meeting.

"But I however frowned upon shameless and unbridled ambition which also seeks to ride roughshod over others."

Mugabe's deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa has been named the leader of a faction seeking to succeed Mugabe.

Another faction, named Generation 40 or G40 because its members are generally younger, reportedly has the backing of Mugabe's wife Grace.

Wednesday's meeting came ahead of the ZANU-PF's annual conference in the town of Masvingo, which runs until Saturday.
Wisconsin not only has a workforce shortage, but in many cases it also has a candidate shortage. According to the 2016 State of Wisconsin Cities and Villages Report, sponsored by the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, most local government positions have one or fewer candidates on the ballot next spring. In small communities, the level of competition is even lower.

How do we encourage people to run for office? How do we fill the committees, councils and boards that perform critical policy-making work? How do we get people to connect with their government? Its a timely topic. December is the month citizens take out nomination papers for local offices. The deadline for turning them in is Jan. 3, 2017.

We know that about 20 percent of all local offices will turn over next April. We also know that it is becoming more difficult to convince residents to stand for election and serve. The Cities and Village Report found that over half of cities and villages will not have a contested race on the ballot next year. In some places there will be blank spots on ballots.

The disengagement of citizens from their government is not new; it has been developing for years. This falls gutter-level discourse at the national level did not help. If national politics is that ugly, who can blame citizens for avoiding elections at the local level?

But a democracy cannot function without involved citizens. Ours is a government of the people and by the people .... I was shocked when Wauwatosa Mayor Kathy Ehley told me she has 250 spots on citizen committees that must be filled for her city to function properly. Even Bayfield, population 481, relies on 75-100 volunteers. There is no ruling class in American government  were it. In all communities, but especially the smaller cities and villages that define most of Wisconsin, it takes a village to run a village.

So whats the answer? Heres one: Ask them.

Some parts of this problem are beyond our control. We cannot halt demographics, and we cant reshape the national dialog. But we are not powerless. In fact, you have the most important tool within your grasp. You know your community; you know the people who live there. Ask them to serve. Talk about different ways they can serve. If they say no, ask someone else.

Nearly everyone who has run for local office did so at least in part because they were asked. As a professional working in the nonprofit world, I have attended a number of training sessions on recruitment and fundraising. Over and over again we are told the number one reason people dont step up and help is because no one asks. Dont overlook the simple. Ask.

Many city and village leaders will look at me in dismay and say, We have asked. Weve asked everyone we know and several we dont know. Your neighbors avoid you and nobody sits with you at the Chamber lunch any more. All I can say is expand your horizons. Start attending other service clubs and include civic service as part of your monthly talk at the senior center. Pester board members for names. Get the local paper to write about it.

Its a never-ending task, but its a necessary one. Democracy depends on it. Ask.
Trump sits down with tech execs, including critics

Donald Trump met Wednesday with some of America's most powerful tech executives in a bid to mend fences with a largely pro-Hillary Clinton industry and promote job creation and trade.

The afternoon summit at Trump Tower in New York gathered some of the wealthiest and brightest brains in the tech industry around the same table as the incoming billionaire Republican president after a bruising election campaign that revealed a bitterly divided country.

Five weeks before the 70-year-old property tycoon is scheduled to take office as head of the world's most powerful democracy, the participants discussed improving America's cybersecurity, repatriating US profits stashed overseas and market access with China, among other topics, according to the Trump transition team.

(L-R) Amazon's chief Jeff Bezos, Larry Page of Alphabet, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Vice President-elect Mike Pence and President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower TIMOTHY A. CLARY (AFP)

The meeting came as leading senators voice concern about Trump's pick of ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson as secretary of state and the oilman's ties to Moscow. The CIA said that Russian hackers interfered to help sway the November 8 election in his favor.

It was hostile territory for Trump by meeting Silicon Valley titans who -- with the notable exception of PayPal co-founder and Trump supporter Peter Thiel -- threw their weight behind his Democratic rival Clinton during the campaign.

"I'm here to help you folks do well," Trump told the executives in opening remarks that reporters were briefly allowed to observe.

"We want you to keep going with the incredible innovation. There's nobody like you in the world," he said.

Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence sat side-by-side in the middle of the table surrounded by CEOs that included Tim Cook of Apple, Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Larry Page of Alphabet (Google).

The executives attending also included Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk, Facebook's chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg and Oracle CEO Safra Catz.

- Twitter absent -

Trump's three eldest children -- Don Jr, Ivanka and Eric -- also attended as did Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner, and other key Trump staffers.

The most glaring absence was Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey -- even more so given the president-elect's prolific use of the social network and its expanding list of 17.3 million followers.

Politico reported that Twitter was "bounced" from the meeting in retribution for refusing during the campaign to allow an emoji version of the hashtag #CrookedHillary.

But others have also been targets of the former reality television star's ire, including Bezos for allegedly using the newspaper he owns, The Washington Post, to secure tax benefits for Amazon -- and to attack the Republican.

Bezos responded by cheekily offering Trump a trip into space -- on a rocket operated by his Blue Origin space flight company.

The president-elect suggested reconvening the tech leaders again in the future, perhaps as frequently as every quarter, according to a post-meeting statement from his transition team.

The tech titans who passed through the lobby of Trump Tower on their way out declined to answer shouted questions from reporters.

Late last month, a group of 17 tech associations offered to work with Trump while calling for policies to "foster growth and innovation."

Signaling the path forward, Trump told the tech leaders Wednesday that they could call him or his team. "We have no formal chain of command around here," he said.

- Taxes and encryption -

While the tech industry is likely to oppose any trade barriers or efforts to limit immigration, many companies are expected to welcome a lowering of corporate tax rates promised by Trump, especially on profits repatriated from overseas.

"We're going to make fair trade deals. We're going to make it a lot easier for you to trade across borders," Trump told the leaders.

"There's a lot of restrictions, a lot of problems that I think you see. And if you have any ideas on that, that would be great," he added.

Tech firms led by Apple are responsible for the lion's share of an estimated $2.5 trillion being held overseas by US companies, which are reluctant to bring those funds back and face a hefty tax bill.

A potential clash between Trump and the sector is possible over encryption, and the ability of law enforcement and intelligence services to decrypt devices for national security investigations.

Trump said he would add Musk and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to his advisory council of business leaders tasked with helping to create new jobs "across the United States from Silicon Valley to the heartland."

Trump was putting the finishing touches on his cabinet, nominating former Texas governor Rick Perry as energy secretary on Wednesday and reportedly choosing Montana Representative Ryan Zinke as interior secretary.

Perry, who was crushed by Trump in the Republican presidential primary race, once assailed him as a "cancer on conservatism."

On Wednesday, Forbes magazine ranked Trump as the second-most powerful person of the year -- right behind Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Early release for two Rwanda genocide convicts

The UN has granted early release to two men convicted of genocide by the special tribunal set up to try those responsible for Rwanda's 1994 genocide.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) sentenced historian Ferdinand Nahimana and priest Emmanuel Rukundo to 30 years and 23 years respectively, but a document posted on the website of the UN's Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MTPI) on Wednesday said they would be released early from the Mali jail where they have been detained.

"While the crimes of which Nahimana was convicted are very grave, the fact that Nahimana already completed two-thirds of his sentence as of 27 March 2016, and the fact that he has demonstrated some signs of rehabilitation weigh in favour of his early release," Judge Theodor Meron said, in a September decision that was only published on the MTPI website on Wednesday.

The 1994 genocide in Rwanda killed thousands, whose preserved skulls reside at the Genocide memorial in Nyamata, as 10 out of 61 convicts have been granted early release including historian Ferdinand Nahimana and priest Emmanuel Rukundo Simon Maina (AFP/File)

The judge came to a similar conclusion with regards to Rukundo, a former military chaplain, in a July decision also published on Wednesday.

Out of 61 people convicted at the Rwanda genocide tribunal, 10 have now been granted early release in decisions that are commonly criticised by the government in Kigali which took power in the wake of the genocide.

Nahimana is a former history professor and founder of the notorious hate-speech broadcaster Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines, which exhorted Rwandan Hutus to kill Tutsis during the genocide from April to July 1994.

First arrested in 1996, he was found guilty of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, incitement, persecution and extermination in December 2003.
US church massacre survivor recalls being spared 'to tell the story'

A survivor of last year's massacre of nine African American churchgoers in Charleston recalled in federal court Wednesday how the gunman, Dylann Roof, spared her life, telling her he needed her "to tell the story."

Polly Sheppard dove under a table as shots rang out at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015 during prayers at end of a Bible study session.

When Sheppard opened her eyes, Roof's boots were in her line of sight, she told the jury hearing the federal death penalty case in South Carolina.

Felicia Sanders (R) and Polly Sheppard (L), two of the three survivors of the Mother Emanuel Church shooting in Charleston, walk off the stage on the third evening session of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia July 27, 2016 Nicholas Kamm (AFP/File)

"Did I shoot you yet?" Roof asked, according to Sheppard.

"No," she replied.

"I'm not going to. I need you to tell the story," Roof said.

Sheppard's dramatic testimony was the last to be given before the jury convenes to decide whether Roof, who declined to testify on his own behalf, is guilty of a hate crime punishable by death.

Roof's lawyers called no witnesses, resting their case after failing to persuade the judge to allow two mental health experts to testify on behalf of the 22-year-old defendant.

Closing arguments are set for Thursday, with the jury then expected to begin deliberations. Should he be found guilty, Roof has elected to represent himself during the sentencing phase of the trial.

- 'He's shooting everybody ' -

Roof, who posted a racist manifesto online before the killings, showed no emotion, staring straight ahead with a sullen look on his face as the 72-year-old Sheppard testified, warmly recalling the nine men and women who died.

She said she had been at the church all day, and had planned to skip the Bible study group, but was prevailed on to stay by her friend Myra Thompson, one of the victims.

"I had planned on sneaking out," she said, to rare laughter in the courtroom. "(But Thompson) kept watching me."

Roof was given a Bible and pamphlet when he entered the church and joined the group, Sheppard recalled.

At the end of the session about 50 minutes later, the group stood to pray, closing their eyes.

That was when gunshots rang out.

Sheppard said she mistook them for the sparking of old electrical wiring until her friend Felicia Sanders started screaming.

"Oh, he's shooting everybody, Miss Polly," Sheppard recalled Sanders saying.

Sheppard told the court how Roof executed 26-year-old Tywanza Sanders, Felicia Sanders's son.

"Why are you doing this? We mean you no harm," said a wounded Tywanza Sanders, who propped himself up on his elbows to address the attacker before being shot dead.

"I have to. I have to. You're raping our women and taking over the nation," Roof said, according to Sheppard's account.

- Panicked phone call -

A recording of a 911 call made by Sheppard at the time of the shooting was then played in court.

"There's plenty of people shot," said Sheppard. "He shot the pastor. He shot all the men in the church. Please come right away."

Speaking in panicked tones, Sheppard explained to the dispatcher that Roof was still in the building.

"He's coming. He's coming. He's coming. Please!" said Sheppard, who identified the shooter as a "21-year-old white dude."

Authorities soon responded to the scene but Roof had already fled and began to drive away from Charleston.

Before Sheppards testimony Wednesday, a doctor detailed the gunshot wounds discovered on each of the victims during autopsies. Each of the nine men and women, aged 26 to 87, had been shot five to 10 times.
US refuses to say Syria peace effort failed

The United States refused to say its diplomatic efforts to end the war in Syria had failed Wednesday, as Secretary of State John Kerry spoke again with his Russian counterpart.

The collapse of a Russian and Turkish-brokered bid to end the siege of a shrinking rebel-held pocket of Aleppo has underlined the disarray in efforts to end the conflict.

But according to the State Department, Kerry intends to soldier on with efforts to convince Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's international backers to force a truce.

A general view shows damaged buildings in old Aleppo's Jdeideh neighbourhood on December 9, 2016 George Ourfalian (AFP/File)

To that end, he hit the phones again to talk to Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Turkey's Mevlut Cavusoglu and Qatar's Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

A fourth call to the United Nations special envoy for the conflict, Staffan de Mistura, was underway as Kerry's spokesman John Kirby briefed reporters on the effort.

"In all of these conversations, the secretary has stressed the need to continue to try to stop the bloodshed and the violence through a meaningful ceasefire," he said.

The desperate residents of eastern Aleppo had hoped on Wednesday that an apparent deal worked out between Ankara and Moscow would allow them to flee to safety.

But the truce never took hold and thousands of cold, wet and hungry civilians and rebel fighters had to take cover again as shelling and air strikes resumed.

Kirby blamed the failure of the planned truce, which Washington had no part in brokering, on Assad's regime and Iranian-backed pro-government militias.

And he pushed back forcefully against suggestions that the US administration's years-long outreach to Moscow and Syria's neighbors had been a failure.

"The failure is on Russia for not putting the proper pressure on the Assad regime to stop the brutality, the gassing, the starvation of their own people," he said.

"The failure is on the part of the regime and its backers, including Russia and Iran," he added, accusing Moscow and Tehran of seeking a military solution to the conflict.

"That's the real failure here and the Syrian people are the ones caught in the crossfire."

Kirby said President Barack Obama's administration would continue to push for a diplomatic solution to the conflict until Kerry leaves office on January 20.
Putin, Abe hold hot spring meet on WWII island row

Japan and Russia on Thursday hunkered down to try and make progress towards a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities hamstrung by a decades-old territorial dispute.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is hosting President Vladimir Putin at a hot spring summit in his ancestral city of Nagato in the hopes of achieving a breakthrough.

The Soviet Union seized islands off Japan's northern coast in 1945 in the closing days of the war. Known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, they have been a thorn in relations ever since.

Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the start of a summit meeting in the Japanese city of Nagato on December 15 Alexander Zemlianichenko (POOL/AFP)

But Abe would like to seal a deal as soon as possible because the islands' ageing Japanese former residents are dwindling in number.

Abe said that he and Putin spoke for three hours on a range of issues, with about half of that centred on the peace treaty.

"I think we were able to carry out frank and very straight discussions," Abe told reporters, describing a "good atmosphere" for the summit.

Putin, at the start of the talks, said he expected they would help improve relations.

"I think the summit today and tomorrow will bring a big contribution to the development of ties," he said.

Putin, a practitioner of the Japanese martial art of judo, is making his first visit to Japan as president in 11 years and has said he wants to end the "anachronism" of the two countries not having a World War II peace treaty.

"But how to do this is a difficult question," he told Japanese media before his arrival, damping down expectations of major progress.

Underscoring the intense interest in the meeting in Japan, Putin's arrival at the airport in the city of Ube, about three hours later than originally anticipated, was shown live on television.

- 'No time to spare' -

The summit is the latest attempt to draw a line under World War II since Japan and the Soviet Union began discussions in 1956.

Abe's late father Shintaro took the lead in negotiations with Moscow as a foreign minister but died in 1991 after pushing for talks while suffering from cancer.

Japan has been careful to avoid criticising Russia, particularly its role in Syria that has drawn condemnation by Western countries, as it seeks to resolve the territorial dispute.

But in what appeared to be a gentle rebuke, Abe mentioned "the importance of Russia playing a constructive role in international issues".

Abe has looked to eke out concessions by dangling the prospect of major Japanese investment in front of Moscow, which is mired in economic crisis.

He said they also discussed joint economic development of the islands and making it easier for Japanese former residents, whose average age is 81, to visit.

"I held talks, keeping in mind that the former islanders feel that they have no time to spare," Abe said, mentioning that he handed Putin letters from some of them.

Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin advisor, told reporters that the two leaders called for experts to find ways to achieve joint exploitation of the territory, citing "fishing, tourism, culture and medicine".

But few believe Putin is likely to cave to Japanese demands to hand back at least some control over the islands, especially after Donald Trump's election as president of the United States last month.

The New York real-estate baron has vowed to improve ties with Russia, where the economy has reeled under US sanctions against Moscow over Ukraine and the impact of falling oil prices.

Abe and Putin will hold further talks in Tokyo on Friday.

Soviet troops seized the Kuril Islands in 1945
Uruguay rule-signing launches marijuana market

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP)  President Jose Mujica and his ministers signed the long-awaited rules for Uruguay's legal pot marketplace Tuesday, launching a rollout that should stock pharmacies with government-approved marijuana cigarettes for sale by year's end.

By putting his government at the center of a legal marijuana industry, Mujica hopes to keep otherwise law-abiding citizens away from organized crime and treat addiction as a public health challenge rather than a law enforcement threat.

Opinion polls suggest most Uruguayans are against the pot plan, but Mujica told The Associated Press in an interview Friday that his government has got to try it.

A shopper looks at a T-shirt decorated with a marijuana leaf and the word " Mujicannabis," a combination of the president's last name "Mujica" and cannabis, at a head shop in downtown Montevideo, Uruguay, Tuesday, May 6, 2014. Uruguay's President Jose Mujica is set to sign a law creating the country's legal marijuana market,making Uruguay the first country in the world to create a nationwide market regulating the cultivation, sale and use of legal marijuana. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

"I want to rescue society's right to experiment. If it didn't exist, we would be condemned to paralysis, stuck in a photo that never changes a bit. There is no other way to be able to advance," the president said.

"The institutional life of a society is a permanent experiment. And we shouldn't be shocked by this. It's not like we're grabbing society like a guinea pig and forcing it into brutal treatment. It's that the search for solutions to difficult problems sometimes carries us to try other paths."

Mujica and his governing Broad Front coalition ministers signed the rules behind closed doors, passing up the opportunity for a public ceremony on an issue that has dominated public discussion in Uruguay recently. But deputy presidential secretary Diego Canepa confirmed to the AP that now that the regulations carry his signature, the law is fully in effect.

That means Uruguayan citizens and legal residents 18 or older can register to obtain licenses giving them the right to cultivate up to six marijuana plants per household and harvest 480 grams a year, or join a marijuana growing club with between 15 and 45 members and no more than 99 plants.

In two weeks, the government plans to take bids and choose a handful of growers to provide marijuana to the government for sale. Those plants should be ready for harvest in time for licensed buyers to purchase up to 10 grams a week or 40 grams a month in a network of pharmacies, at a cost that will begin at about 90 cents a gram, but be adjusted to compete with illegal weed.

The rules establish that the Uruguayan state will sell five varieties of pot, with no more than 15 percent THC, the substance that makes people high. Buyers will use a fingerprint identification system so the government can track their purchases without them having to identify themselves in stores.

By no means will Uruguay become a pot smoker's paradise, Mujica told the AP.

"There is no imaginary solution that is sold by the bottle or cigarette. That's just escapism. And in life there are many things that are worth trying as an adventure, but not imaginary adventures that end up enslaving a life," he said. "This is a lesson that has to be had with Young people, and that has to be ongoing, but with a tone of understanding, like from a grandfather and not an oppressive police thug."

Uruguay's public health system is "certainly not ready" for the consequences of the new system and will have to adjust along the way, Mujica added.

"Faced with a challenge, the challenge motivates us, pushes us and we'll confront it along the way," he said. "This idea of having everything planned out in advance is something beautiful for people who manufacture novels."

A sign that reads in Spanish "We don't sell pot, yet" stands on display at a head shop in downtown Montevideo, Uruguay, Tuesday, May 6, 2014. Uruguay's President Jose Mujica is set to sign a law creating the country's legal marijuana market, making Uruguay the first country in the world to create a nationwide market regulating the cultivation, sale and use of legal marijuana. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Oklahoma police say child abuse worst seen, 2 arrested

OWASSO, Okla. (AP)  An Oklahoma couple has been arrested in what a police officer calls the worst case of child abuse he's seen.

Police arrested 25-year-old Kevin Fowler and 24-year-old Aislyn Miller on Friday at an urgent care center in Owasso on complaints of abusing their twin 9-month-old infants.

Police told reporters that nurses described the children as looking like skeletons and said a maggot crawled out of one child's wound. The other hand an infection from hair being wrapped around a finger and not removed. Police also say nurses found human waste in one infant's ear.
UNICEF: 80,000 children will starve to death in Nigeria

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)  Nearly a half million children will face starvation in northeastern Nigeria next year and 80,000 will die if they don't get treatment in the humanitarian crisis created by Boko Haram's Islamic uprising, the U.N. Children's Agency warned Tuesday.

"What is already a crisis can become a catastrophe," UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake said.

His statement said the 400,000 children at risk of starvation represent just a fraction of the suffering among some 2.6 million refugees in the seven-year insurgency that has killed more than 20,000 people.

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2016, file photo, a doctor feeds a malnourished child at a feeding centre run by Doctors Without Borders in Maiduguri, Nigeria. The U.N. childrens agency said on Tuesday, Dec. 13, that nearly a half million children will face starvation in northeast Nigeria next year and 80,000 will die if they dont get treatment in the humanitarian crisis created by Boko Harams Islamic uprising. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File)

"If they do not receive the treatment they need, one in five of these children will die," Lake said.

"Large areas of Borno state are completely inaccessible to any kind of humanitarian assistance. We are extremely concerned about the children trapped in these areas," he added.

Boko Haram attacked a military-escorted humanitarian convoy in July about 70 kilometers (45 miles) from Maiduguri, the birthplace of the insurgency, wounding a UNICEF worker, two other aid workers and two soldiers.

A rocket-propelled grenade slammed into the windshield of a bullet-proof vehicle, one that Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has accused the agency of buying instead of spending money on people in need. UNICEF said the vehicle was a donation.

Lake spoke just days after Buhari accused the U.N. and private international aid agencies of exaggerating the crisis to seek donations. Buhari declared that Boko Haram was "technically defeated" a year ago and appears fixed on maintaining that fiction.

While soldiers from a multinational force of Nigeria and neighboring countries have pushed the extremists out of towns and many villages they occupied, attacks on military outposts and suicide bombings of soft targets continue.

The Associated Press has reported since September that children already are dying of starvation in Maiduguri, the biggest city in Nigeria's northeast that is easily accessible. Doctors Without Borders said in November that thousands of kids already have died, including 10 percent to 25 percent of children admitted to its 110-bed Maiduguri emergency treatment center.

Nigeria's Senate is investigating allegations that government agencies are diverting food aid that could help prevent those deaths.
Johnson & Johnson ends talks to buy Actelion

Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday it has ending talks to buy Swiss drugmaker Actelion Pharmaceuticals.

The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based health care giant said it was unable to reach a deal that would have created "adequate value" for its shareholders. Last month, it said the two were in early-stage talks about a possible deal.

Actelion late Tuesday confirmed the negotiations with Johnson & Johnson had been broken off. It added, however, that it was in talks "another party regarding a possible strategic transaction." It gave no further details.

Johnson & Johnson develops drugs and makes medical devices and other consumer products. It is behind such brands as Band-Aids, Tylenol and biologic immune disorder drug Remicade.
'Democracy sausage' snags Australia's official word of 2016

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  A humble barbequed sausage on a slice of bread sold at polling booths around Australia has been picked as the country's official word of the year  "democracy sausage."

Despite being two words, Australian National Dictionary Center director Amanda Laugesen said on Wednesday that democracy sausage qualified as Australia's word for 2016 because it was essentially a compound word.

The term was first recorded in 2012 to describe the ubiquitous beef sausage sandwiches served with onions, ketchup, barbeque sauce or mustard, which are sold at fundraising stalls outside polling booths.
5 things to know ahead of the Abe-Putin hot springs summit

TOKYO (AP)  Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be the first G-7 leader to welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin for an official visit since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. Why? Territory.

Despite continued sanctions on Russia, Abe is eager to make progress on a 70-year-old territorial dispute that has kept their countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II.

A look at the two-day talks, which open Thursday at a hot springs resort in Abe's ancestral hometown of Nagato and wrap up Friday in Tokyo:

FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2016, file photo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru. Abe will welcome Putin at a hot springs resort in in western Japan on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Despite the cozy setting, they face tough negotiations over a 70-year-old island dispute that has kept them from signing a peace treaty. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

THE ISLANDS

Japan says the Soviet Union took the southern Kuril islands illegally at the end of World War II, expelling 17,000 Japanese to nearby Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's four main islands. About one-third of the former residents are still alive. The Soviet Union, unilaterally scrapping a 1941 neutrality treaty, entered the war against Japan a week before the latter's surrender on Aug. 15, 1945. It occupied the disputed islands  known as the Northern Territories in Japan  within weeks, a process Russia says was legal. The two countries signed a Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration in 1956 ending their state of war and restoring diplomatic relations, but failed to conclude a peace treaty because of the island issue. Russia governs the islands and the Russians who live there.

___

PROSPECTS

Japanese hopes for a settlement sank after Abe met Putin last month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Peru. James Brown, a Russia-Japan expert at Temple University's Japan campus said "there are too many obstacles to an agreement on the territorial issues to actually sign a peace treaty. I think they are trying to come up with some sort of formulation that gives the impression of progress." Former Japanese diplomat Kazuhiko Togo said in a recent commentary that serious negotiations began only after Abe and Putin met in Sochi, Russia, in May, "and seven months is too short to untie this complicated knot."

___

ECONOMY FIRST

Russia wants to attract Japanese investment, particularly to its far east. Japan's trade minister in charge of Russia, Hiroshige Seko, said about 30 projects in eight areas are ready for signing: Japan would provide advanced medical, health and environmental technology and help with the industrialization of the far east, while receiving expertise from Russia in decommissioning nuclear plants, energy and cyber security. "We will have a win-win situation, at least in economic relations," he told a news conference this week. Joint development of the disputed islands is also on the table, but Japan is wary of the sovereignty issue: If it's Japanese territory, shouldn't Japanese laws apply?

___

THE LEADERS' WORDS

Abe told a group of former residents of the islands this week that "I'm determined to put an end to this issue in our generation." Putin told Japanese journalists Tuesday that there is a chance of a breakthrough, but his government doesn't mind the status quo. "We think that we have no territorial problems. It's Japan that thinks that is has a territorial problem with Russia," he said.

___

TRUMP FACTOR

A Russia-friendly approach from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could buy time, taking pressure off Japan to strike a quick deal before a change in U.S. leadership, said Alexander Gabuyev, a Carnegie Moscow Center expert on the Pacific region. Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton, had been expected to take a tougher stance toward Moscow. At the same time Trump's "America first" policy has raised concern in Japan that any reduction of the U.S. military presence in Asia could mean increased risks for Japan as China's regional ambitions grow. Even short of a territorial agreement, Japan is keen to have closer relations with Russia for security reasons.

___

Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and videojournalist Kaori Hitomi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

___

Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at twitter.com/mariyamaguchi

Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mari-yamaguchi

___

Online:

Former diplomat Kazuhiko Togo: http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/12/10/can-japan-and-russia-achieve-a-genuine-rapprochement/

Temple professor James Brown: http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/12/07/why-the-abe-putin-summit-is-likely-to-disappoint/

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2007, file photo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers a speech at a rally marking the Northern Territory Day in Tokyo. Abe will welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin at a hot springs resort in in western Japan on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Despite the cozy setting, they face tough negotiations over a 70-year-old island dispute that has kept them from signing a peace treaty. (AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara, File)

In this Aug. 21, 2011, photo, an employee of a fish factory prepares salmon caviar for packing in the village of Kitovy in Iturup Island, Russian Far East. Japanese leader Shinzo Abe will welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin at a hot springs resort in in western Japan on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Despite the cozy setting, the two leaders face tough negotiations over a 70-year-old island dispute that has kept them from signing a peace treaty. (AP Photo/Sergei Krasnoukhov)

FILE - In this July 3, 2012, file photo, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visits a seaside supermarket in the town of Yuzhno-Kurilsk, on the Kunashir Island of the Kuril Islands. Japanese leader Shinzo Abe will welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin at a hot springs resort in in western Japan on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Despite the cozy setting, the two leaders face tough negotiations over a 70-year-old island dispute that has kept them from signing a peace treaty. (Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti Russian Government Pool Photo via AP, File)
AP Analysis: Advantage Assad _ Aleppo capture a key moment

BEIRUT (AP)  The Syrian government's expected recapture of Aleppo after a prolonged and punishing air assault is a defining moment in the country's devastating civil war: it leaves President Bashar Assad in control of almost all major urban areas  and poised to petition for a role in the world community's broader war against Islamic State militants clinging to parts of Syria's northeast.

The prospect of such cooperation would once have been considered highly improbable. Assad became anathema in the West and much of the region after the brutal means he employed during six years of carnage that killed hundreds of thousands, displaced half his population and sent millions of refugees to neighboring countries and Europe.

But much has changed. Vladimir Putin's Russia is fully engaged on Assad's side, with no world players eager to take it on. The assortment of rebel groups now clings to a handful of pockets around the country, lacking momentum and likely to return to a low-grade insurgency at best.

This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. Government forces and rebel fighters have fought to control the 12th century mosque in the last four years, until Syrian troops seized control of it this week. Syrian rebels said Tuesday that they reached a cease-fire deal with Moscow to evacuate civilians and fighters from eastern Aleppo, after the U.N. and opposition activists reported possible mass killings by government forces closing in on the rebels' last enclave. (SANA via AP)

Most critically, the incoming U.S. president projects a sort of flexibility lacking under Barack Obama. Promising to scale up the war on the Islamic State group, Donald Trump has hinted he would be ready to work with Assad and Russia. "I don't like Assad at all," Trump said during the second presidential debate in October. "But Assad is killing ISIS. Russia is killing ISIS," he said, using an alternative acronym for the group. And his selection of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who has extensive business dealings with Russia and ties to Putin, has only fueled speculation that Trump would pursue closer ties with Moscow.

If such a shift occurs, it would resolve an awkwardness that has bedeviled the two-year, U.S.-led military effort to uproot IS militants from the swaths of Iraq and Syria they seized in 2014. In these areas, the group established an extraordinarily ruthless "caliphate" with mass killings and enslavement, imposed their brutal interpretation of Islam and fomented regional insurgencies and global terrorism.

That helped pull together a broad coalition of Western and Middle Eastern nations that seems near victory in Iraq, where the Baghdad government has been a critical ally leading the fight on the ground and where a major battle for the key city of Mosul is now underway.

But in Syria, the fight was complicated by Assad's pariah status. Lacking a local military ally, the U.S.-led coalition has partnered with irregulars and relied on air power and some special forces' operations. That approach, which has had modest success, may well erode if Assad is widely deemed to have survived the war.

Aleppo is key to cementing that perception  its loss is a crushing blow to the rebels, leaving them little chance of recovering momentum. Syria's largest city was once the country's commercial powerhouse, holding symbolic and strategic importance as an ancient trading post and longtime gateway to Turkey and the West. The rebels' hold on the eastern sector of the city has been crumbling this week, reduced to a few neighborhoods, and the government seems on the verge of re-establishing authority over the city.

Assad also controls the capital, Damascus, the major cities of Homs and Hama, as well as most of the Lebanese border and the Mediterranean coast, where his minority Alawite sect holds sway.

Assad has vowed to carry on with the war until all of Syria is retaken, but has expressed confidence that opposition to him is on the decline. "Even if we finish in Aleppo, we will carry on with the war against them," he told a local newspaper last week.

Now he can free up some of his troops and thousands of allied militiamen to turn to remaining pockets held by rebels elsewhere in Syria, as well as the Islamic State jihadis. These rebel areas include some stretches around Damascus and near the Jordanian border, as well as in northern Idlib province, a stronghold of Syria's al-Qaida affiliate.

"The recapture of Aleppo will position Assad to claim that he is Syria's legitimate sovereign ruler and lobby the international community to provide him with support," said Jennifer Cafarella of the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.

He seems more likely to achieve that if he is actively engaged in fighting the Islamic State group, which has not been a top priority despite the fact that its major stronghold is the mid-sized Syrian city of Raqqa. On Sunday, IS extremists re-occupied the central town of Palmyra, which they had been expelled from earlier this year  a surprise attack that clearly took advantage of the Russian and Syrian government's preoccupation with Aleppo.

It's unclear whether Assad will prioritize retaking Palmyra, with what's left of its archaeological treasures after the first Islamic State occupation. He may prefer to wait a few months in hopes of engineering a new situation with the new team in Washington.

Either way, Syria's future will likely be messy for a while, given the array of armed factions, the likelihood of continued foreign meddling through porous borders and the trauma and rage felt by much of the population. Many expect a continued insurgency  which in turn would help Assad argue that he should be viewed as a partner in the international fight against "terrorism."

In the battle for local hearts and minds, it looms large that Assad relied so heavily not only on Russia and longtime ally Iran to retake Aleppo, but was also aided by Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah militia and volunteers from Iraq and Afghanistan.

This stands in stark contrast to the outside powers supporting the opposition. No one sent in troops other than Turkey, an intervention mostly bent on downsizing Kurdish fighters it deemed a threat to its own security. The Syrian rebels were armed only lightly, and the United States refrained from attacking Assad even after the 2013 use of chemical weapons. Even the notion of a no-fly zone over northern Syria was rejected.

Cafarella said this environment legitimizes an emerging narrative among jihadi groups that says the international community allowed Iran and Russia to dominate Syria, and as a puppet Assad must be opposed.

Radicals' "ability to recruit will grow rather than diminish after Aleppo's fall," she said. "The terror threat emanating from Syria will increase rather than decrease."

A big question now is the position of Assad's regional enemies, from Saudi Arabia and other gulf nations to Turkey. Assad may lobby for restarting peace talks, betting on the opposition's weakness to force concessions  chiefly that he should remain in power at the head of a more inclusive government. But given the epic devastation he has overseen, a genuine rapprochement seems unlikely in the extreme.

___

Zeina Karam is the AP's news director for Lebanon and Syria and has covered Syria since 1997. Dan Perry is AP's Middle East editor leading text coverage in the region.

This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching through the streets of east Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. Syrian rebels said Tuesday that they reached a cease-fire deal with Moscow to evacuate civilians and fighters from eastern Aleppo, after the U.N. and opposition activists reported possible mass killings by government forces closing in on the rebels' last enclave. (SANA via AP)

This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching through the streets of east Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. Syrian rebels said Tuesday that they reached a cease-fire deal with Moscow to evacuate civilians and fighters from eastern Aleppo, after the U.N. and opposition activists reported possible mass killings by government forces closing in on the rebels' last enclave. (SANA via AP)

This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching through the streets of east Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. Syrian rebels said Tuesday that they reached a cease-fire deal with Moscow to evacuate civilians and fighters from eastern Aleppo, after the U.N. and opposition activists reported possible mass killings by government forces closing in on the rebels' last enclave. (SANA via AP)

This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. Government forces and rebel fighters have fought to control the 12th century mosque in the last four years, until Syrian troops seized control of it this week. Syrian rebels said Tuesday that they reached a cease-fire deal with Moscow to evacuate civilians and fighters from eastern Aleppo, after the U.N. and opposition activists reported possible mass killings by government forces closing in on the rebels' last enclave. (SANA via AP)
2nd Norwegian refugee worker expelled from South Sudan

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  A second staff member with the Norwegian Refugee Council has been ordered to leave South Sudan in less than a week, the group said Wednesday, adding it is "deeply dismayed" by the incident that comes on the eve of the third anniversary of the outbreak of South Sudan's civil war.

The refugee group's secretary-general, Jan Egeland, said Warrap State, its area manager in Alek, was told to leave South Sudan on Tuesday. He was expelled four days after country director Victor Moses was kicked out.

Egeland said the actions are "unacceptable" and said aid organizations in South Sudan "must be permitted to operate without interference, intimidation or fear of expulsion."

He said the refugee group "may have to reassess our ability to deliver assistance at scale in South Sudan."

The Oslo-based organization said in a statement it had "not received any formal explanation of the charges against these two individuals."

In Geneva, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, urged the world body to call on South Sudan's leaders to refrain from incitement to violence and ethnic hatred, adding there's still time for action to avoid "a worst-case scenario" in the five-year-old country.

The Geneva-based body has no power to sanction countries but it can formally investigate allegations of human rights abuses.

Last week, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator said South Sudan's government had restricted the delivery of aid. In the month of November, the U.N. recorded more than 80 incidents where aid workers were attacked or blocked from doing their job.
The Latest: Rights groups urge EU migrant policy about-face

PARIS (AP)  The Latest on migration issues in Europe (all times local):

3:25 p.m.

Human rights and aid groups are calling on the European Union to make it safer for refugees to reach Europe rather than try to keep out people seeking sanctuary or better lives.

Trucks drive past a 4 meter high (13 foot high) wall along the highway leading to the Calais port, outside Calais, northern France, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. Funded by Britain, a wall has been completed to stop migrants from jumping in trucks in Calais heading across the English Channel. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

The 25 NGOs said in a statement Wednesday they are "gravely concerned" about EU policies that make it harder to seek asylum and put the burden for handling the problem on overwhelmed Greece.

They said that "in any other part of the world, Europe would be calling on governments to improve the situation. Instead, European countries are shifting their protection responsibilities on to countries outside the EU."

Their appeal comes on the eve of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels focused in part on migration, notably the bloc's efforts to persuade Turkey to stop refugees coming to Europe.

___

12 p.m.

A German pro-refugee group says that around 50 Afghans will be deported to their homeland after being rejected as asylum-seekers in Germany.

Pro Asyl said that the group of Afghans would be deported on Wednesday night from Frankfurt airport.

The German government has declined to confirm any upcoming deportations, saying that it never announces such measures.

So far, Germany has deported very few Afghan migrants. Instead, it has tried to convince them to go home on a voluntary basis by offering financial incentives upon their return.

Recently, however the government has said it would toughen its stance on rejected asylum-seekers and that more people would be deported.

Around 890,000 migrants arrived in Germany last year, with many coming from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

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11:40 a.m.

Funded by Britain, a wall has been built to stop migrants from jumping onto trucks in the northern French city of Calais heading across the English Channel.

The threat, however, appears to have already receded.

Regional spokesman Steve Barbet says no migrants have been reported trying to hop a truck since French authorities dismantled Calais' refugee camp in October. He said Tuesday that police scouring the city and the surrounding area daily have found no new camps, though a handful of migrants still gather at the port.

He says the new 4 meter-high (13-foot-high) concrete wall along a Calais highway aims to deter future migrants.

Thousands of migrants from the Mideast and Africa, who had converged on Calais after fleeing conflict and poverty, have now been dispersed across France.

A migrant from Afghanistan holds a child at the migrants camp built by Doctors Without Borders in Grande Synthe, outside Dunkirk, northern France, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 29, 2016 file photo, migrants, most of them from Eritrea, jumps onto the water from a crowded wooden boat as they are helped by members of an NGO during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 13 miles north of Sabratha, Libya.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)

A migrant from Afghanistan walks with his baby in the migrants camp built by Doctors Without Borders in Grande Synthe, outside Dunkirk, northern France, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)
The Latest: Senate to hold hearing on election meddling

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):

11:25 p.m.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans to hold an open hearing in January that will examine possible meddling by Russia in last month's presidential election.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, right, and PayPal founder Peter Thiel, center, listen as President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with technology industry leaders at Trump Tower in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

An aide to Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee says he and Ben Cardin of Maryland received a classified briefing on cyber threats prior to the Nov. 8.

Corker is the committee's Republican chairman and Cardin is the top Democrat on the panel.

The aide was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.

Corker said on MSNBC Tuesday that the Director of National Intelligence, the CIA and the FBI differ over whether Russia interfered to help Donald Trump win the White House. He says, "I know that's frustrating to people."

___

10:45 p.m.

The agency that oversees U.S. intelligence says it will release more information to the public about Russia's attempts to influence the election once a review ordered by President Barack Obama is complete  but not before.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is responding to reports that the U.S. intelligence community is conflicted about whether Russian hacking was intended to help Donald Trump.

Obama has ordered a review of foreign interference in U.S. elections to be completed before he leaves office on Jan. 20. The office of DNI James Clapper says it will brief Congress on the conclusions and will also inform the public "consistent with protecting intelligence sources and methods." That means some details may be withheld.

Clapper's office says it won't comment until then.

___

10:20 p.m.

President-elect Donald Trump's transition team says a questionnaire sent to Energy Department officials "was not authorized or part of our standard protocol."

The Trump team had sought information about the agency's operations and personnel, including a list of employees and contractors who attended international meetings on climate change over the past five years.

An Energy Department spokesman said Tuesday that the agency "will not be providing any individual names to the transition team." The spokesman said some of the questions asked left DOE workers "unsettled."

Democrats have called the questionnaire a modern-day political witch hunt that could have a chilling impact on federal workers.

The transition team released a statement Wednesday evening saying the questionnaire was not authorized and "the person who sent it has been properly counseled."

___

4:50 p.m.

President-elect Donald Trump is naming Michigan GOP leader Ronna Romney McDaniel deputy chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, in anticipation of her becoming RNC chairwoman next year.

Trump is praising McDaniel's loyalty "to our movement" and says, "I look forward to her serving as the party's chairman in 2017."

McDaniel is the niece of 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who sharply criticized Trump throughout the 2016 election campaign. Trump was the first Republican presidential nominee to carry Michigan in 28 years.

The 168-member Republican National Committee is expected to select a new chairman at its winter meeting, scheduled for next month in Washington.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has been asked to serve as Trump's White House chief of staff. Priebus had supported McDaniel as his successor.

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4:20 p.m.

A bipartisan advocacy group sees President-elect Donald Trump as a potential leader in long-dormant efforts to reduce big money in politics.

Issue One has united more than 100 former lawmakers behind a plan to give small donors more power in the political process through tax rebates. The coalition is led by former Indiana Rep. Tim Roemer, who says lawmakers often describe their fundraising duties as "sickening."

Lawmakers think the new president could use his political juice to help pass the first major campaign finance overhaul in more than a decade. The group hopes to break through to Trump, who has put forward no policy proposals on the issue even as he has repeatedly pledged to "drain the swamp" in Washington.

Issue One has passed along its proposals to Trump transition aides.

___

2:45 p.m.

President-elect Donald Trump has told group of technology executives that he's "here to help you folks do well."

Trump assembled the leaders at Trump Tower in New York on Wednesday.

Many in Silicon Valley were among Trump's sharpest critics during the campaign, expressing concerns his policies could stifle innovation and compromise digital privacy.

But Trump struck a positive message at the top of the meeting. He put it this way: "We want you to keep going with the incredible innovation" and said, "We will be there for you."

Among those at the meeting: Apple's Tim Cook, Alphabet's Larry Page, Amazon's Jeff Bezos (BAY'-zohs) and Telsa's Elon Musk, as well as Trump's adult children.

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2:35 p.m.

Donald Trump could have big legal or political problems if he doesn't dump his new hotel in the nation's capital.

Democrats say he'd be in breach of his lease to use the government-owned building that houses the hotel unless he sells his ownership interest before he assumes office on Jan. 20.

House Democrats cite a Dec. 8 briefing by a deputy commissioner at the government agency that's overseeing the lease.

The General Services Administration says in a statement that it won't make a decision on whether there's a breach until after Trump is in the White House.

A clause in the lease requires that "no elected official" shall be "admitted" to the lease. Some experts in government contracting law have said that means Trump must divest his ownership interest.

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12:10 p.m.

Hundreds of inaugural planners are spending the day planted in front of a giant 60-by-40-foot floor map of Washington trying to game out how each moment of Inauguration Day will play out.

These aren't people who like surprises. They're trying to anticipate every scenario for a day that should be all about the peaceful transfer of power and not some pesky mix-up.

The military provides 13,000 active duty and National Guard members to help with the logistics associated with the swearing-in ceremony, massive parade, big protests, fancy balls and hundreds of thousands of spectators.

What really keeps the inaugural planners up at night? The weather.

One military commander jokes that they've put the chaplain in charge of that variable, and he's promised a beautiful day for Jan. 20.

___

12:04 p.m.

Democratic senators are calling on Betsy DeVos (dih-VAHS')  President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for education secretary  to ensure that a political action committee she controlled pays $5.3 million in fines and penalties owed for campaign finance violations.

DeVos' All Children Matter PAC broke Ohio election law by funneling $870,000 in contributions from its nationwide PAC to its Ohio affiliate in 2008. The state of Ohio later fined the group $5 million. That fine hasn't been paid yet.

Five Democratic senators have written DeVos to express concern that she and her PAC would  in the lawmakers' words  "brazenly disregard election law and blatantly refuse to take responsibility and pay" the fines.

The senators note that, as education secretary, DeVos would oversee repayment of $1 trillion in debt from millions of student-loan borrowers.

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12 p.m.

The chief government ethics agency says President-elect Donald Trump's plans to transfer management control of his business to his children wouldn't eliminate the issue of conflicts of interest.

That's the word from the Office of Government Ethics in a letter responding to questions from Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware. The office says transferring management control to Trump's children's wouldn't meet the requirements for setting up a blind trust or eliminate conflicts.

Other presidents have sold their financial assets and left the money in a blind trust overseen by a manager without ties to them. That's not required by federal law.

Presidents are generally exempt from federal rules on conflicts of interest.

Trump tweeted on Monday that he plans to hand managerial control of his business to two of his children.

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11:30 a.m.

Trump Hotels says it'll no longer operate a Rio de Janeiro luxury hotel that's involved in a criminal investigation. The company also is pulling its name off the Brazilian property.

Trump Hotels spokeswoman Christine Lin tells The Associated Press that the decision was made because developers are behind schedule.

The beachside hotel in the upscale suburb of Barra da Tijuca was supposed to be finished in time for the Rio Olympics this past August. Today, only a portion of it is operational.

In October, prosecutors said they were investigating questionable investments in the hotel by two pension funds. Hotel owner LSH Barra has denied wrongdoing.

President-elect Donald Trump has faced criticism for investments overseas that many say present conflicts of interest.

___

11:03 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump's team says he is receiving formal intelligence briefing three times a week.

Spokesman Sean Spicer says Trump is also meeting daily with incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn to be briefed on intelligence matters.

Trump has challenged the necessity of a daily intelligence briefing, telling Fox News Sunday in a recent interview that he doesn't need to hear the same information every day. He says he's told intelligence officials to let him know if situations change.

Trump has also publicly challenged the intelligence community's assessment that Russia interfered in the presidential election in order to help his prospects.

___

10:07 a.m.

"America's Got Talent" star Jackie Evancho will sing the national anthem at Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony in January.

The 16-year-old tells NBC's "Today" that she's excited, and "it's going to be awesome."

Her website says the Pittsburgh native is a soprano who has performed at the National Prayer Breakfast and the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington.

Her Facebook page includes a photo of her with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn tweeted a confirmation of Evancho's booking, calling her "an inspiration for all Americans."

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9:27 a.m.

Donald Trump says he appreciates House Speaker Paul Ryan, but the president-elect also is warning the top congressional Republican not to cross him.

At a rally Tuesday in West Allis, Trump praised the Wisconsin politicians in attendance. When Ryan drew boos, Trump said he was "like a fine wine. Every day that goes by I get to appreciate his genius more and more." He added, however, "if he ever goes against me I'm not going to say that."

Trump and Ryan were at odds throughout the campaign, with the speaker declining to campaign for the GOP nominee after a video emerged of Trump making predatory remarks about women. Since the election, Ryan is all-in on Trump, even repeatedly using the Trump slogan, "Make America Great Again."

___

8:10 a.m.

Democrats on the House oversight committee say a government administrator told them that Donald Trump must divest himself of all financial interests in his Washington hotel or be in breach of his lease with the federal government.

That's according to a letter they wrote reflecting what they say is the General Service Administration's assessment. Led by Maryland congressman Elijah Cummings, the Democrats wrote that Trump's daughter, Ivanka, is the primary contact on the lease and that presents "obvious" conflicts of interest.

The letter also says the GSA had not, as of Dec. 8, heard from the Trump Organization about how it will solve the contract issue.

Trump contracted with the GSA to redevelop the Old Post Office building as a hotel. A provision in the contract expressly prohibits any elected official from having a financial interest in the lease.

The property opened for business this fall.

___

6:10 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump has announced his selection of former campaign rival Rick Perry to be the country's next secretary of energy.

In a statement early Wednesday on his decision, Trump said that Perry, a former governor of Texas, had led his state through "a sustained period of economic growth and prosperity" by developing its energy resources and infrastructure.

Trump says in his statement that his administration "is going to make sure we take advantage of our huge natural resource deposits to make America energy independent and create vast new wealth for our nation."

Perry calls it "a tremendous honor" to be chosen for Trump's Cabinet. Perry adds that he looks forward to "engaging in a conversation" about America's energy future.

Directional signs are displayed on a giant planning map during a media tour highlighting inaugural preparations being made by the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region for military and civilian planners, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, at the DC Armory in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

A model of the Capitol Building is displayed on a giant planning map during a media tour highlighting inaugural preparations being made by the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region for military and civilian planners, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, at the DC Armory in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Human rights groups to Ethiopia: Where is jailed journalist?

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP)  Human rights groups are asking Ethiopia's government to immediately disclose the whereabouts of a popular local journalist who has been behind bars since October 2014.

The Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia and DefendDefenders on Wednesday called it "unacceptable" that the government was unwilling or unable to provide Temesgen Desalegn's relatives with information after two years of detention.

The groups say Temesgen was jailed on "spurious charges." The journalist is serving a three-year sentence on charges of defamation, incitement and false publication.

The public relations head of the Ethiopian Federal Prison Administration, Gizachew Mengiste, tells The Associated Press he has no information about Temesgen's whereabouts
Two female occupants of the SUV were able to escape the submerged vehicle and call for help

Crews are still searching for a fifth person, identified as Bobby Shore, who is presumed dead

as Robert Hardin, the driver of the SUV, his wife, Christy Hardin, her mother, Cheryl Hobson, and Dale Steven Keener

Four members of the same family were killed after an SUV they were in drove off a boat landing and plunged into a river in northeastern Alabama Tuesday evening.

Cherokee County coroner Dr. Jeremy Deaton identified the deceased Wednesday as Robert Hardin, the driver of the SUV, his wife, Christy Hardin, her mother, Cheryl Hobson, and Dale Steven Keener.

He said the victims' ages ranged from the 20s to the 40s and the cause of death for all four was fresh water drowning.

Recovery mission: Alabama State Troopers are out at first light Wednesday to search for the missing victim in the crash of an SUV at Leesburg Landing in Cherokee County that killed four

The SUV carrying seven family members drove off this boat dock and landed in the Coosa River Tuesday evening

Among the four deceased victims were Christy Hardin (left) and her husband, Robert (right)

Robert Hardin, pictured right alongside his wife, was the driver of the doomed Saturn Outlook

The small SUV was discovered at 11pm in 18 feet of water and was pulled out of the river

Deaton added that the two men and two women who died had young children.

Crews are still searching for a fifth person, identified as Bobby Shore, who is presumed dead.

The Gadsden Times reported that two people who were also riding in the doomed 2004 Saturn Outlook survived and were taken to the hospital to be treated for traumatic shock and hypothermia.

According to information from the US Geological Survey, temperature of water in the Coosa River was around 52 degree Tuesday.

Alabama State troopers and the county's rescue squad are still on the scene looking for Shore's body.

More victims: Christy's mother, Cheryl Hobson (left), and Dale Steven Keener (right) also perished in the crash

Missing: A fifth passenger, Bobby Shore (pictured above), is missing and presumed dead

According to officials, the accident took place just before 7pm Tuesday when the Saturn SUV carrying seven people drove off a boat ramp into the Coosa River at Leesburg Landing.

The occupants of the vehicle were on their way to visit a relative in Cherokee County at the time of the crash, according to the station WBRC.

Two women were able to scramble out of the sinking SUV and summon help. One of them has since been released from a hospital in Gadsden.

A Cherokee County Rescue crew is seen scouring the river in search of Shore's body

The occupants of the vehicle were on their way to visit a relative in Cherokee County at the time of the crash

First responders who arrived on the scene recovered the first two bodies from the river at 9pm. The other two were found sometime later.

The waterlogged SUV was found in 18 feet of water and pulled out of the river at 11pm by the Cherokee County Rescue Squad.
Abbas foe sentenced to 3 years on corruption charge

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP)  An official says a Palestinian court has sentenced a political foe of President Mahmoud Abbas to three years in prison for allegedly embezzling $16 million as a Cabinet minister.

The official says the decision was handed down Wednesday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case with the media.

The defendant, Mohammed Dahlan, has lived in exile since falling out with Abbas in 2010. He was sentenced in absentia.

Since the rift, Abbas has taken a series of steps to block Dahlan's possible return to a West Bank leadership position. Egypt and other Arab states urged Abbas to allow Dahlan's return.
President-elect Donald Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin expanded by an additional 131 votes after the results of a statewide recount were certified Monday afternoon.

The state's final election results changed by less than 1 percent after the recount, requested late last month by Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Trump's lead over Clinton is now 22,748 votes, up from 22,617.

In total, Trump gained 844 votes and Clinton gained 713 votes, according to the official canvass.

Elections officials worked around the clock starting Dec. 1 to complete the recount by the federal Dec. 13 deadline. The Wisconsin Elections Commissions certified the results late Monday afternoon, about 24 hours earlier than expected.

"This was really a remarkable achievement by the county clerks, the canvassing boards, the tabulators, the municipal clerks," said elections administrator Michael Haas.

The recount revealed some problems with older machines, said commission chairman Mark Thomsen and commissioner Don Millis. An old machine in the city of Marinette, for instance, failed to count votes unless the ink on the ballot was dark enough.

The commission would like to see machines like the one in Marinette updated, Millis said.

"The vast majority of the changes were due to either writing in the wrong number or some sort of human error. There were virtually no changes that had to do with tabulators," Millis said.

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."

"We found no evidence of any hack, in terms of our computer infrastructure system," Thomsen said.

In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Stein lamented that every county in the state had not conducted its recount by hand. Each of the state's 72 counties had the option of counting manually or by machine. The majority counted by hand.

"This recount was never about changing the outcome; it was about validating the vote and restoring confidence in our voting system to Americans across the country who have doubts," Stein said. "The recount in Wisconsin raised a number of important election integrity issues that bear further assessment and serious action to ensure we have integrity and confidence in our electoral system."

Gov. Scott Walker said earlier this month he would consider passing a law that would prevent a fourth-place candidate like Stein from requesting a presidential recount in Wisconsin.

Neither Thomsen nor Millis offered an opinion on whether the commission would support such a change, but Millis said he believes the recount was an "abuse of the system" that served to bolster Stein's fundraising network.

Thomsen disagreed, arguing the recount offered a "complete audit of our complete state system to identify where the weaknesses are."

Stein's campaign paid a $3.5 million fee assessed by county clerks and the state Elections Commission to cover costs. Clerks are required to submit the actual costs to the state by Dec. 30. If a refund to the Stein campaign is necessary, it must be given by Jan. 12, Haas said.
McKellen-Stewart double act signs off with live screening

LONDON (AP)  One of the great theatrical bromances of our time is coming to the big screen.

Onstage co-stars and offstage pals Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are capping a West End run of Harold Pinter's bruisingly funny "No Man's Land" with a live broadcast to dozens of movie theaters around the world on Thursday. There are repeat screenings over the coming weeks as part of the U.K. National Theatre's NT Live series.

The two eminent actors  both knighted by Queen Elizabeth II  became friends while filming the superhero "X-Men" movies, and their onstage chemistry has blossomed alongside an exuberant offstage friendship, complete with Instagrammed selfies.

FILE - In this Wednesday, June 10, 2015 file photo, Ian McKellen, left and Patrick Stewart pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film Mr Holmes in London. Onstage co-stars and offstage pals Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are capping a West End run of Harold Pinter's bruisingly funny "No Man's Land" with a live broadcast to dozens of cinemas around the world on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

In 2009 they co-starred as the limbo-lost Vladimir and Estragon in Samuel Beckett's "Waiting For Godot." In 2013 on Broadway, they paired Beckett's drama with "No Man's Land," performing the two plays in rep.

This year they headed back to Britain with Pinter's tragicomedy about two writers: one struggling but hopeful, the other successful but trapped. As the play opens, McKellen's eager Spooner has been invited to the grand home of Stewart's imperious yet befuddled Hirst for an ocean of whiskey and a titanic battle of wills.

The play was first staged in 1975, when Pinter was in his 40s. But 77-year-old McKellen says that "it seems to me at my age to be very much about how you cope with aging."

"One of the characters has a sort of dementia, and his new friend is trying to bring himself back into the real world, which is rather a dangerous thing to do with someone who is living in a fantasy," McKellen said the morning before a recent performance at London's Wyndham's Theatre.

In typical Pinter style, "No Man's Land" is frequently mysterious and often bleak. But the interaction of McKellen's nervy and garrulous Spooner and Stewart's alternately jovial and menacing Hirst is also very funny. There's a bravura comic scene in which the two swap increasingly unlikely reminiscences in a game of nostalgic one-upmanship.

"The play is constantly about the shifting of power," said Sean Mathias, who directed both "Godot" and "No Man's Land"  and the two lead actors "have a natural chemistry."

"They are so different and I think there is a kind of contrast that works between them," Mathias said.

McKellen says the two men were drawn together by their shared background. They are a similar age  McKellen is 77, Stewart 76  and both come from modest backgrounds in the north of England. Both worked early in their careers at the Royal Shakespeare Company, and both played iconic roles in sci-fi and fantasy  McKellen as wizard Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings," Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

And neither is thinking about retirement, though McKellen says "I've never had a wish-list of parts I've wanted to play."

"I always assumed that I would play Romeo one day, and I did; and Hamlet, and I did," he said.

"There's nothing that I really want to do. Apart from a musical  but I can't sing or dance, so I suppose that's not going to happen."

Don't bet against it. McKellen says he plans to nurture his musical side once "No Man's Land" ends its run on Saturday.

"My next treat to myself is learning to play the piano."

He would love to reunite with Stewart and Mathias, though he says the classic repertoire is short on strong double-acts for senior actors.

"There are not many plays with two equally good parts for men of our age  very few," McKellen said. "So someone had better get writing."
Powerball, Pokemon, Prince among 2016 top Google searches

"Pokemon Go," the iPhone7 and Donald Trump are among Google's top trending searches globally of 2016. But, in the U.S., no subject ranked higher than Powerball.

The multi-state lottery's record $1.6 billion prize in January and $429 million payout in June had ticket holders Googling winning numbers and gave Powerball the No. 1 spot on Google's top 10 list in the U.S. this year.

Prince's death in April made him the second-highest trending overall topic in the U.S. and top-trending globally on the list of celebrities who died in 2016.

FILE - In this July 25, 2016, file photo, a fan maneuvers his smartphone as he plays "Pokemon Go" in Hong Kong. "Pokemon Go" is among Google's most-trending searches of 2016. The search engine giant released its year end trending searches list on Dec. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

The wild popularity of "Pokemon Go," the mobile app game that had millions glued to their smartphones this summer, was the top searched trending topic around the world. And people also wanted some hints on how to play it. Gamers frequently Googled tips on how to catch Pokemon and how to battle them as well.

In other categories, Hillary Clinton again finished runner-up to Trump on the list of top-searched people globally and in the U.S. The presidential election also prompted one of Google's trending "how to" searches of the year in the U.S.: "How to move to Canada" was ranked No. 5.

Netflix's binge-worthy programming led the TV list in the U.S. "Stranger Things," ''Making a Murderer" and "Fuller House" grabbed the top three spots. In music, Beyonce had a big year on stage and online. She was the top trending search in the U.S. on Goggle's musicians list and her "Formation" was the top trending song. Celine Dion took the top spot globally.

If searches for recipes are any indication, Americans were looking to make alcohol by the pitcher alongside comfort food in 2016. Sangria, a punch made with wine and fruit, was the top search for cocktails. Green bean casserole took the top spot for food recipes.

After "Pokemon Go," the top 10 trending searches globally were iPhone7, Trump, Prince, Powerball, David Bowie, Deadpool, Olympics, Slither.io, and Suicide Squad.
Kenya: Iranian men in Israeli embassy case to be deported

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  A Kenyan court has ordered the deportation of two Iranian men who were accused of plotting an attack on the Israeli embassy in the capital, Nairobi.

A court order issued Wednesday said an agreement had been reached between prosecutors and the Iranian embassy leading to the termination of criminal charges and deportation.

The suspects, Sayed Nasrollah Ebrahim and Abdolhosein Gholi Safaee, had been in custody since Nov. 29, when they were arrested outside the Israeli embassy with video footage of the facility. They had been traveling in an Iranian diplomatic car after visiting a prison where they saw two other Iranians who have been jailed for 15 years on terrorism charges, according to prosecutors.

They were charged with collecting information to facilitate a terrorist act.

Iranian agents have been suspected in attacks or thwarted attacks around the globe in recent years, including in Azerbaijan, Thailand and India. Most of the plots had Israeli targets.

In June 2013, a Kenyan court convicted two Iranian nationals of plotting attacks against Western targets in Kenya and they were sentenced to life in prison. That sentence was reduced on appeal in February to 15 years in prison.
Syrian refugees protest at Russian consulate in Greek city

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP)  About 40 Syrian refugees from camps near Thessaloniki have protested peacefully outside the Russian consulate in the northern Greek port city against Russia's bombardment of Aleppo.

Refugees burnt a Russian flag and held up placards outside the building, which was heavily guarded by Greek police.

Rizan Ali Hasan, 24, said Wednesday's protest was prompted by high civilian casualties in Aleppo. "Many children were killed," he said.

A Syrian boy holds a photo depicting dead children during a protest near the Russian Consulate, at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. A few dozens of Syrian refugees, who live in camps around the city, staged a rally to protest against Russia's military interference in Syria. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

Other protesters held up a banner showing a helicopter and a plane over Aleppo, and the phrase "Russia destroyed us."

Syrians make up the majority of the 62,000 refugees and other migrants stuck in Greece after a series of Balkan border closures and a European Union deal with Turkey to stop migrant flows.

A Syrian refugee chants slogans during a protest near the Russian Consulate, at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. A few dozens of Syrian refugees, who live in camps around the city, staged a rally to protest against Russia's military interference in Syria. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
Israeli PM visits Kazakhstan

MOSCOW (AP)  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Kazakhstan, the first trip to the ex-Soviet nation by an Israeli leader.

Following Netanyahu's talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the two countries on Tuesday signed agreements on cooperation in scientific research, civil aviation, medicine and agriculture. They also agreed to work more closely together in fighting terrorism.

Netanyahu commended Nazarbayev, who has led Kazakhstan for 27 years, first as its Communist boss and then as president, for creating an atmosphere of tolerance in the Central Asian nation. He said Jews who came from Kazakhstan to Israel "speak very warmly of Kazakhstan and of the attitude towards all religions here."
The Latest: Cosby hearing adjourns, no decision on accusers

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP)  The Latest on Bill Cosby's latest court appearance in his sexual assault case (all times local):

5:10 p.m.

A Pennsylvania judge says he'll take some time before deciding whether to allow more than a dozen women who accuse Bill Cosby of sexually assaulting them to testify at his trial next year.

Bill Cosby arrives for a pretrial hearing in his sexual assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. He is charged with sexually assaulting one woman in 2004, but prosecutors are hoping to call 13 other accusers to testify at his spring trial. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill heard arguments Wednesday from Cosby's lawyers, who say the 79-year-old comedian's accusers should be barred from taking the witness stand.

Cosby is charged with sexually assaulting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Prosecutors want to call 13 other accusers to show that Cosby had a history of drugging and molesting women.

Defense lawyer Brian McMonagle says prosecutors are dredging up assault allegations dating to the 1960s to try to breathe life into a weak case.

The two-day hearing has adjourned.

___

3:10 p.m.

Bill Cosby's lawyers are attacking what they're calling "vague, remote and often inconsistent" allegations from a slew of accusers that prosecutors are seeking to call as witnesses at his sexual assault trial next year.

At a hearing outside Philadelphia on Wednesday, the defense portrayed the potential witnesses as "bandwagon" accusers who came forward last year because they sought to cash in.

The 79-year-old actor and comedian is charged with sexually assaulting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

Prosecutors are asking a judge to permit testimony from 13 other women who also accuse Cosby of sexual assault. Prosecutors want to show that Cosby had a history of drugging and molesting women.

Cosby's lawyers say the women's stories aren't similar enough to warrant their testimony.

___

1:15 p.m.

Defense lawyers for Bill Cosby say accuser Andrea Constand has given four versions of her account that she was sexually assaulted by the actor and comedian in 2004.

A judge is hearing arguments Wednesday on whether 13 other accusers can testify for the prosecution at Cosby's upcoming trial. Prosecutors are trying to show that Cosby had a "signature" pattern of drugging and molesting women.

Defense lawyers say Constand has offered shifting accounts of the encounter at Cosby's suburban Philadelphia home, making comparisons with the other accusers impossible.

Prosecutors say sexual assault victims often recall more details in subsequent interviews. They say the discrepancies in Constand's accounts are not material to the case.

The pretrial hearing is set to conclude Wednesday.

Constand has given permission for her name to be used.

___

12:15 p.m.

Bill Cosby's lawyers say prosecutors are trying the 79-year-old comedian for an alleged 2004 sexual assault only so that "a bandwagon" of women can vindicate old claims that he drugged and assaulted them.

Lawyer Brian McMonagle asked a judge Wednesday to prevent prosecutors from calling 13 of Cosby's other accusers as witnesses at next year's trial. He says uncertainty about where and when some of the encounters occurred made them impossible to rebut.

Prosecutors say the women will show that a sexual encounter at Cosby's suburban Philadelphia home was part of a signature criminal pattern.

McMonagle argued that the women went public at the urging of "clever, cunning lawyers who had the agenda of bringing down an American icon."

___

10:45 a.m.

A prosecutor is arguing that 13 women who accuse Bill Cosby of sexual assault should be allowed to testify at his upcoming trial because their stories are so similar that they show the "handiwork of the same perpetrator."

The 79-year-old comedian is in court near Philadelphia for a second day of pretrial arguments on the key question of how many accusers can testify to bolster the prosecution case.

Cosby faces charges over a 2004 encounter at his home. Prosecutors say Cosby drugged and molested her in a manner strikingly similar to his encounters with 13 other women they hope to call.

The defense says the accusers' decades-old memories are hazy and unreliable. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele told the judge that Cosby shouldn't be rewarded for incapacitating his victims.

___

10:15 a.m.

Bill Cosby is back in court for a second day of a crucial pretrial hearing in his Pennsylvania sexual assault case.

The 79-year-old entertainer returned to court Wednesday. He is facing charges from a 2004 encounter with a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home.

Prosecutors are asking a judge to permit testimony from 13 other women who also accuse Cosby of sexual assault. Prosecutors want to show that Cosby had a history of drugging and molesting women.

Cosby's lawyers say the women should be barred from taking the stand at his spring trial. They're expected to attack the accusers' credibility at Wednesday's hearing.

___

12:15 a.m.

Bill Cosby's lawyers say the 79-year-old actor has vision and memory problems that leave him unable to help defend himself in his upcoming sexual assault trial.

But the actor seemed mentally fit on Tuesday in a suburban Philadelphia courtroom as he shouted out answers to questions meant for the prosecutor.

Prosecutors were trying to recall where one alleged assault took place, when Cosby helpfully announced that the hotel was in Chicago.

At another point, Cosby told the judge, who was trying to figure out his age, that he was born in 1937. On July 12th.

The judge at this week's pretrial hearing must decide if other accusers can testify that they were drugged and molested in the same way as trial accuser Andrea Constand.

The hearing resumes Wednesday.

Bill Cosby, center, arrives for a pretrial hearing in his sexual assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. He is charged with sexually assaulting one woman in 2004, but prosecutors are hoping to call 13 other accusers to testify at his spring trial. (Chloe Elmer/Bucks County Courier Times via AP, Pool)

Bill Cosby arrives for a pretrial hearing in his sexual assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Bill Cosby arrives for a pretrial hearing in his sexual assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. He is charged with sexually assaulting one woman in 2004, but prosecutors are hoping to call 13 other accusers to testify at his spring trial. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele arrives for a pretrial hearing for Bill Cosby's sexual assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. Cosby is charged with sexually assaulting one woman in 2004, but prosecutors are hoping to call 13 other accusers to testify at his spring trial. (Chloe Elmer /Bucks County Courier Times via AP, Pool)

Attorney Gloria Allred walks into the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., for a pretrial hearing in Bill Cosby's sexual assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. Cosby is charged with sexually assaulting one woman in 2004, but prosecutors are hoping to call 13 other accusers to testify at his spring trial. (Chloe Elmer/Bucks County Courier Times via AP, Pool)

Bill Cosby arrives for a pretrial hearing in his sexual assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. He is charged with sexually assaulting one woman in 2004, but prosecutors are hoping to call 13 other accusers to testify at his spring trial. (Chloe Elmer /Bucks County Courier Times via AP, Pool)

Bill Cosby arrives for a pretrial hearing in his sexual assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. He is charged with sexually assaulting one woman in 2004, but prosecutors are hoping to call 13 other accusers to testify at his spring trial. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Bill Cosby arrives for a pretrial hearing in his sexual assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. He is charged with sexually assaulting one woman in 2004, but prosecutors are hoping to call 13 other accusers to testify at his spring trial. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Czech military to purchase 8 radars made in Israel

PRAGUE (AP)  The Czech Republic's defense minister says the country's military has decided to purchase Israeli-made radars for its military.

Martin Stropnicky says the army will pay 2.9 billion koruna ($114 million) for a total of eight ELM 2084 MMR radars made by the Israeli state-run IAI Elta company. The radars are used in the Israeli Iron Dome rocket defense system.

They will be delivered in 2019-2021 and will replace obsolete Soviet-made radars.
Lasers pointed at 6 aircraft overnight around Boston

BOSTON (AP)  Authorities say lasers were pointed at several aircraft in the Boston area overnight, including several commercial flights and a MedFlight that had just taken off from a Boston hospital.

No one was hurt, but laser lights can blind a pilot and pointing them at aircraft violates federal law.

The Federal Aviation Administration tells WBZ-TV (http://cbsloc.al/2hEFIx8) it received reports from six aircraft between midnight and 6 a.m. Wednesday. Most of the aircraft were headed to Logan Airport.

Cambridge police said they received reports on three of the incidents.
Italy's new premier wins 2nd confidence vote in his govt

ROME (AP)  Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni has won a second vote of confidence in Parliament, paving the way for his new government to lead Italy until it holds a new election.

The Senate voted 169-99 Wednesday in favor a day after the confidence measure easily passed Parliament's lower chamber.

Gentiloni now heads to the first major international meeting of his premiership  Thursday's European Council summit in Brussels  with Parliament's backing and his government in place.

Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni, standing at center, speaks ahead of a confidence vote for his government at the Senate, in Rome, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. On Tuesday his government won a vote of confidence at the Lower Chamber, approval from both houses is required for the government to carry on its mandate. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Gentiloni, who served as foreign minister in former Premier Matteo Renzi's Democratic administration, has said his priorities are to spur economic growth in Italy's south, rebuild Italy's earthquake-devastated central section, and help lawmakers craft a new electoral law.

Opposition parties have clamored for an early election, but the current law has one set of rules for the Senate and another for the lower Chamber of Deputies.

Gentiloni told lawmakers that Thursday in Brussels he would press Italy's demands for more assistance from Europe to settle or repatriate the tens of thousands of migrants coming ashore from Libyan-based smuggling operations.

Maurizio Gasparri of the center-right Forza Italia party said Gentiloni was missing the point.

"The problem isn't that Europe isn't helping us," Gasparri told the Senate before the vote. "Stop bringing 5,000 migrants a day into Italy."

Other opposition parties, including the anti-EU Northern League and the populist 5-Star Movement, had criticized Gentiloni's decision to reappoint nearly all of the ministers of Renzi's cabinet. They said that ignored the results of the Dec. 4 referendum in which the majority of Italians voted against Renzi and his reforms.

Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni speaks ahead of a confidence vote for his government at the Senate, in Rome, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. On Tuesday his government won a vote of confidence at the Lower Chamber, approval from both houses is required for the government to carry on its mandate. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Oklahoma girl, 13, accused of plotting mass attack on school

TONKAWA, Okla. (AP)  Police have arrested a 13-year-old girl suspected of plotting a mass shooting at her northern Oklahoma high school.

Acting on a tip, police in Tonkawa executed a search warrant Sunday at the girl's home and seized handguns and rifles, ammunition, and the girl's personal writings. Police Chief John Whitham said Wednesday that it's unclear how she got the weapons.

Police say the girl, who lives with her parents and grandmother, also made threats about specific students at the school, and that their families had been notified. She was charged as a juvenile with making threats to perform acts of violence and is being held in a youth detention center.

Investigators believe that the girl was acting alone, but they don't know of a possible motive.

"I don't know if it's something that had happened," Whitham said.
Hundreds gather in Sarajevo to rally for peace in Syria

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (AP)  Up to a thousand people gathered Wednesday in Sarajevo  the Bosnian city that survived a brutal 44-month siege during the Balkan wars of the 1990s  to rally against the carnage in Syria.

Representatives of Bosnia's Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox Christian and Jewish communities said they felt a moral responsibility to voice outrage at the international failure to stop crimes against civilians in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria.

"Here in Sarajevo, we must do everything in our power to show to (Syrian) people that we understand them and to call on humanity to wake up and raise their voices against war," Eli Tauber, the leader of Bosnia's small Jewish community, said.

Foreign students in Bosnia hold toy dolls to symbolise dying infants of Aleppo, Syria, during a solidarity rally in Sarajevo, Bosnia on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. Up to a thousand people gathered in Sarajevo, a city that became synonymous with civilian suffering during the Balkan wars of 1990s, to express solidarity with the civilian victims of Aleppo. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)

Participants recalled their own suffering and the sense of having been abandoned by the rest of the world during the 1992-95 interethnic war that left 100,000 people dead and another 2 million homeless.

"I was born during the war in Sarajevo in a hospital that was under mortar fire," said Smirna Kulenovic, 22, a Bosnian Muslim student. "I am here today to raise my voice against all war crimes, equally those that were committed here 20 years ago and those that are now being committed in Syria."
Bevin fills position overseeing state's job-creation efforts

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  After a year in office, Gov. Matt Bevin has chosen a Louisville businessman with economic development experience to lead the state agency tasked with luring new industries to Kentucky and aiding existing businesses in hopes they expand.

The Republican's selection of Terry R. Gill Jr. as his secretary of the Cabinet for Economic Development comes as Bevin and other GOP leaders prepare a 2017 legislative agenda that's expected to focus on economic growth and job creation.

Bevin praised Gill for his "business competence and a passion for economic development."

"Kentucky is poised for unparalleled success in the years ahead," Bevin said Wednesday in a statement in Frankfort. "Thanks to a new pro-business majority in the legislature and our focus on eliminating bureaucratic red tape, Kentucky is becoming more business-friendly by the day."

Republicans will be in complete control of the General Assembly after their historic takeover of the state House in last month's election. The GOP's agenda includes right-to-work legislation, which would make it illegal for companies to force employees to join labor unions. Bevin's to-do list includes overhauling the state's tax code.

Bevin inherited an acting economic development secretary from his Democratic predecessor, Steve Beshear. Erik Dunnigan took over for Larry Hayes in November 2015 when Hayes retired; Dunnigan had been his deputy secretary.

Bevin took office the next month. Dunnigan departed last month for a private-sector job, and another acting secretary for the Cabinet department, which has about 65 employees, wasn't appointed.

"We've been working closely with the governor's office pretty much on a daily basis," cabinet spokesman Joe Lilly said Wednesday.

Bevin maintained the state did not miss a beat in the year without a permanent secretary. Gill's appointment takes effect Jan. 1, the governor's office said.

Gill called it an "exciting time" to assume the role of economic development secretary, and praised Bevin's efforts to bolster workforce development and to eliminate or revise some of the state's regulations governing private businesses.

"We have a lot of work to do, but given the incredible assets we possess, I'm confident we will succeed in growing the state's economic base," he said.
Security Council drops LGBT rights from tribute to UN chief

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. Security Council eliminated a reference to one of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's key achievements  support for gay rights  in a statement Wednesday paying tribute to the outgoing U.N. chief.

Council diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because consultations were private, said Russia insisted on getting rid of the reference to LGBT rights.

Ban and many Western countries have worked to improve the rights of the LGBT community in recent years but have repeatedly run into opposition from some member states, especially countries in the Middle East and Africa as well as Russia and China.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stands next to his official portrait after it was unveiled at U.N. headquarters, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The original statement, obtained by The Associated Press, said it was thanks to Ban "that women, young people, and the LGBT community have been heard and assisted, and today their voices sound louder and stronger in (U.N.) headquarters and around the world."

But the statement read at Wednesday's council tribute to Ban made no reference to the LGBT community, instead saying it was thanks to the secretary-general "that the most vulnerable or marginalized have been increasingly heard and assisted by the United Nations."

A brief resolution adopted by the council by acclamation on Wednesday acknowledges Ban's "exceptional efforts to solve international problems in economic, social, environmental and cultural fields, as well as his endeavors to meet humanitarian needs and to promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all."

Spain's U.N. Ambassador Roman Oyarzun Marchesi, the current council president, then read the council statement, highlighting Ban's "two remarkable successes:" the new U.N. goals for 2030 and last December's agreement to combat climate change. It also cited his efforts to promote human rights and to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need.

Ban, who hands the reins of the U.N. to Antonio Guterres on Jan. 1 after 10 years as secretary-general, responded by urging the Security Council to take early action to prevent conflicts.

Above all, he pleaded for council unity, saying where unity is lacking such as in resolving the dispute over Western Sahara, "the consequences can be profound"  and in the case of conflict-torn South Sudan "even catastrophic."

"My deepest regret on leaving office is the continuing nightmare in Syria," Ban said, again pleading with the deeply divided council which has failed to act to try to end the more than five-year conflict to protect Syrian civilians.
Things to know about federal land polices under Trump

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Advocates for more state control of public lands and fewer government regulations on energy development hope Donald Trump will be more receptive to their cause, which they say has been ignored during President Barack Obama's two terms. A look at some key questions:

___

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

FILE - In the Jan. 23, 2016, file photo, demonstrators gather near a national wildlife refuge to protest against a group occupying the land near in Burns, Ore. For conservatives who have long believed federal managers of America's vast public lands put more value on endangered owls than people and jobs, Donald Trump's election raises hopes for significant increases in oil and gas drilling, mining, grazing, timber harvesting and perhaps even a shift of control to state or local governments.(AP Photo/Keith Ridler, File)

Decisions about what activities are allowed on hundreds of millions of acres of federal land, more than half of them concentrated in 12 Western states. The landscape includes expansive deserts, snow-capped mountains and red rock canyons. The lands are treasured by outdoor enthusiasts and vital to cattle ranchers, oil companies and loggers. States such as Alaska, Idaho, Nevada and Utah, where federal lands account for the majority of their territories, have long complained that regulatory agencies pay too little heed to residents' needs.

___

WHERE ARE THE BATTLE LINES DRAWN?

Efforts to wrest control from the federal government are being waged in state legislatures and Congress and might wind up in court.

Dozens of demands for land handovers have surfaced in the West in recent years, with Utah pushing hardest. A law it enacted four years ago demanded that the federal government relinquish control of public lands in Utah by 2014. The deadline passed with no action, and the state has since spent about $2 million on outside attorneys to prepare a longshot lawsuit. Utah's GOP-controlled Legislature wants to proceed, but the state attorney general has yet to agree.

___

WHAT DO PROPONENTS OF LESS FEDERAL CONTROL SAY?

Supporters, mostly Republicans, say Washington-imposed limits on use of natural resources deprive Western states of growth, jobs and tax revenue, a burden not shared by Eastern states where the federal government owns much less property. They argue the federal government is a poor manager, citing overgrown forests ripe for catastrophic wildfires. They contend states can balance conservation with energy exploration to protect outdoor recreation while stimulating local economies.

___

WHAT DO OPPONENTS SAY?

Opponents fear states would sell off lands that belong to all Americans and allow oil drilling, mining and clear-cut logging, ruining cherished landscapes. They consider federal land managers even-handed protectors of valuable cultural and natural resources. They say state control would limit access for hunting, fishing and other recreation while splintering wildlife habitat. In a warning of what could happen without federal protection, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance ran TV ads this year with altered pictures of oil derricks near the state's iconic red rock lands.

___

WHERE DO THE PRESIDENT-ELECT AND HIS CHOICE FOR INTERIOR SECRETARY STAND?

Trump's stance is murky. He has pledged to honor Theodore Roosevelt's conservation legacy. But he also promises to "unleash" energy production on federal property. Trump told Field & Stream magazine in January that he opposed transferring ownership to states because states might sell the land. But that same month, he wrote a guest newspaper column in Nevada endorsing state control, which the GOP platform supports, and vilifying "faceless, nameless bureaucrats" in federal management agencies.

Trump has offered the job of interior secretary to Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana, who has not said whether he will accept. Zinke has been critical of federal land management and wants more development of coal, oil and natural gas. But he's an outspoken supporter of keeping the lands in federal hands and resigned as a GOP convention delegate over the platform's opposition.

FILE - This March 23, 2016, file photo shows part of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore. For conservatives who have long believed federal managers of America's vast public lands put more value on endangered owls than people and jobs, Donald Trump's election raises hopes for significant increases in oil and gas drilling, mining, grazing, timber harvesting - and perhaps even a shift of control to state or local governments. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP, File)
Justices to weigh limits on where patent lawsuits are filed

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court could make it easier for companies to defend themselves against patent infringement lawsuits.

The justices said Wednesday they will decide whether such lawsuits can be filed in any court in the country  as they are now  or be limited to courts that are more convenient for corporate defendants.

The issue is important to many companies that complain about plaintiffs "forum shopping" for favorable courts. More than 40 percent of patent lawsuits are now filed in eastern Texas courts, where local rules favor quick trials and juries can be more sympathetic to plaintiffs.
Under bill, Christie could profit from book while in office

TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  New Jersey lawmakers pushing a bill that would clear the way for Gov. Chris Christie to profit from a book deal before he leaves office and at the same time raise salaries for legislative staffers say the changes are necessary and have long been in the works. But critics say the measure being fast-tracked through the Legislature is "unseemly."

In a Statehouse where laws can sometimes take years to be approved, committee hearings are planned for Thursday on the legislation introduced Monday, and lawmakers say it is likely to get a vote in the final session of the year next Monday.

The bill changes a law that prohibits the governor from drawing any income beyond his $175,000 per year salary. The legislation also includes an increase of $30,000 to $140,000 in appropriations for each of the state's 120 lawmakers to spend on staff.

It's an apparent trade-off that to some legislators looks like a tit-for-tat in which Christie, a high-profile Republican who ran for president, appeared on the late-night TV circuit, advised President-elect Donald Trump and appeared at the center of the 2013 George Washington Bridge scandal, is free to pursue a book deal.

"That's exactly what it looks like. That's what makes it so unseemly," said Democratic state Sen. Ray Lesniak, who opposes the legislation. "It's bad enough he's been out campaigning. He's been an absentee governor. ... My staff needs a raise but not for a governor who's been out of state."

Democratic Assemblyman Gary Schaer sponsored the bill in the lower house and said it's important for the public to have lawmakers who can afford "well-qualified and well-educated" staff. But he said the political realities of legislating meant the Democrat-led Legislature had to couple the staff raise with relaxing the salary constrictions on Christie.

"Clearly politics is what politics is. In order to get the governor's support clearly he wants something back for himself." Schaer said. "Am I happy about the deal? No. But I'm a political realist."

Messages left with the governor's office were not immediately returned.

Democratic Assemblyman John Burzichelli, who also co-sponsored the bill, said money for staff hasn't increased since 2002. He said the raises are warranted and that just because Christie writes a book doesn't mean it will sell.

The legislation also would allow Christie to raise his department heads' salaries from $141,000 to as much as $175,000.

Judges would get 3 percent raises in 2017 and 2018, and the state's county prosecutors  appointed by Christie  also would get pay increases. They currently make $165,000, but would see that go up to $175,000 by 2018.

The boost in judges' salaries led Democratic state Sen. Nicholas Scutari to sponsor the bill in the Senate. As chairman of the judiciary committee, he said he has seen good judges leave the bench for private practice because the salaries weren't high enough.

"Nothing could be more important," he said. "What are we doing if not running government well?"

Lawmakers who support the measure say the issue has been talked about for years and that it's nothing new. But experts point out that the speedy clip at which lawmakers are moving the bill could hurt the public's trust. There's been no fiscal estimate of what the changes would cost the public, for example.

Matthew Hale, associate political science professor at Seton Hall University, said that on balance, paying staff and judges more money would probably attract better qualified candidates, but the fact the bill is moving just before the holidays hurts the lawmakers' case.

"That gives the appearance of sneakiness," he said.

Scutari said he doesn't buy that reasoning.
Prince Harry held his girlfriend Meghan Markles hand while carrying a Christmas tree after a spot of incognito festive shopping, it has been claimed.

The 32-year-old royal was seen buying a 65 Nordmann Fir from Pines and Needles in Battersea Park, south London, on Monday evening.

Harry 'bought Christmas tree in Battersea Park with girlfriend Meghan Markle' https://t.co/hwlgIAUFhL pic.twitter.com/DCa28jGUpQ  Harriet Line (@HarriLine) December 13, 2016

Harry and his American actress girlfriend spent around half an hour in the pop-up store, before paying by card and walking hand-in-hand back to a people carrier.

Tree-seller Zaqia Crawford, 30, from New York, served the pair but did not realise who they were until her colleague Ollie Wilkinson, 22, told her.

(Harriet Line/PA)

She said: They came in to buy a tree, they were looking at trees and I went over to help them pick the tree.

They knew exactly which tree they wanted  it wasnt exactly a long process. They were really friendly, really nice I didnt know it was them at all.

Ms Markle, 35, was wearing a pair of stiletto boots and wool coat, while Harry donned a beanie hat and chinos, Ms Crawford recalled.

Mr Wilkinson said he was shocked when he clocked the famous couple who he thought were trying to be discreet, but decided to offer them a complimentary bunch of mistletoe.

I knew exactly what it was so I thought I had to. I said would you like this mistletoe and she [Meghan] said yes that would be great. He [Harry] then squeezed one of the berries on it and was like I find this stuff weird and then she was like oh, I really like it, he said.

Then he walked off with the tree on his shoulder, holding her hand, and she was holding in her other hand a bunch of mistletoe.

Pines and Needles in Battersea Park

Ms Markle told the American sales assistant that she missed the food in her homeland as she struck up a conversation about the US, while Harry asked her how she felt about London.

I said it depends on the day you ask me, really  some days I like it, some days people suck. He said how about today, I said today was a good day I always get those kind of conversations because of my accent.

Ms Crawford said the pair seemed totally happy, cute, couple-y  but not overly mushy and gross.

Harry offered to help Ms Crawford carry the tree and gave the suggested 1 donation to the charity Action for Children, before shaking her hand as they left.

The couples relationship, which began in the summer, was confirmed last month by Harrys communications secretary who described in a statement the wave of abuse and harassment she has experienced since rumours of the couples romance surfaced.
A former cabinet minister at the centre of a spat over the Prime Ministers 1,000 leather trousers has pulled out of filming for an episode of Have I Got News For You.

Nicky Morgan will no longer appear on the satirical panel show on Friday due to unforeseen circumstances, an agent for the programmes production company said.

(Ian West/PA)

The Tory MP for Loughborough, who Theresa May sacked as education secretary when she took over Downing Street, has been embroiled in the so-called trousergate row since she criticised the PMs decision to wear the 995 trousers during a photo shoot for a newspaper.

Her expression of doubt over the PMs decision to wear the Amanda Wakeley-designed bitter chocolate trousers forced Mrs May to deny she was out of touch and prompted a top aide to bar her from a No 10 meeting on Brexit.

(Nick Ansell/PA)

Tory MPs backing the PM have pointed to the fact that Ms Morgan has a designer Mulberry handbag which retails for some 950, but sources close to the 44-year-old are reported to have said it is more than a decade old and was a gift.
Margaret Thatcher has found herself in the unlikely company of Bridget Jones and Beyonce, thanks to BBC Radio 4s Womans Hour Power List for 2016.

The late prime minister headed the annual lists seven-strong field, which was unveiled at a Buckingham Palace reception attended by the Duchess of Cornwall.

It's #WHPowerList day Here are the 7 women who've had the biggest impact on women's lives over the past 7 decades https://t.co/JTT8Ftkfps pic.twitter.com/G3piVpQb1p  BBC Woman's Hour (@BBCWomansHour) December 14, 2016

Before the winners were announced, Camilla gave an address in which she described the programme as part of the soundtrack to my life.

She said: It is a living social history charting the changing attitudes to women as well as the changing attitudes of women themselves.

This year, the list coincides with the programmes 70th anniversary and sought to celebrate seven women who have made the biggest impact on womens lives since the shows launch in 1946.

The Duchess of Cornwall meets Woman's Hour host Jenni Murray (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA)

Listeners were invited to make suggestions for a shortlist, which was then passed to a judging panel including award-winning screenwriter Abi Morgan, former Womans Hour editor Jill Burridge and business leader Baroness Karren Brady.

A nominees body of work and its impact on the lives of other women were among the qualities considered by the judges.

Mrs Thatcher, who died in 2013, topped the list for both her positive and negative impacts for women.

Our #WHPowerList judges decided Margaret Thatcher had the biggest impact on womens lives over 7 decades. Heres why in 60 seconds  pic.twitter.com/Zi1ATHVGqe  BBC Woman's Hour (@BBCWomansHour) December 14, 2016

Of the countrys first female leader, journalist Emma Barnett said: Anyone born in the 80s, and thereafter, grew up thinking it was normal for a woman to run the country.

Anyone over the age of 18 while she was in charge was shaped by her leadership style and uncompromising policies. In fact, a whole generation of womens feminism was formed in direct retaliation to her.

Brook Advisory Centres founder, the late Helen Brook, was also honoured for her work on contraception and sexual health, as well as the late Labour MP Barbara Castle, who brought in the Equal Pay Act in 1970.

Germaine Greer was fourth on the list (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA)

Australian writer Germaine Greer  whose famous text The Female Eunuch was published in 1970  was the lists fourth entrant.

She attended the palace reception, posing for pictures with the Duchess, and was described by Ms Morgan as a warrior on the frontline of the feminist movement.

Fictional character Bridget Jones, created by Helen Fielding and made famous by her candid diaries, and late Grunwick strike leader Jayaben Desai were also featured.

Closing out the list was American popstar Beyonce, whom commentator Ayesha Hazarika venerated as a global beauty icon and budding race relations figure.

Karren Brady was on the judging panel (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA)

The Womans Hour Power List launched in 2013 and featured the 100 most powerful women in the UK.
Hull was the surprise choice of US ambassador Matthew Barzun when asked which UK location he will remember most fondly when he returns home to Kentucky.

In his time heading the embassy in Londons Grosvenor Square, Mr Barzun has made a point of travelling the length and breadth of the country, visiting 125 towns and cities in three and a half years.

But it was the Humberside city that won his heart, rather than some of the big tourist sites that attract many more of his countrymen.

Matthew Barzun joined a question and answer session at Twitter's UK HQ (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Mr Barzun told the Press Association, following a question and answer session with young people at Twitters UK HQ in London, that his attraction to Hull arose partly because the city was the birthplace of two of his heroes  anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce and mathematician John Venn.

Venns famous diagram has regularly come to his aid when illustrating talks with a flip-chart and marker pen at some of the 160-plus schools he has visited during his time in the UK.

He said it was these school visits, where he met 20,040 sixth-formers, and not the sparkling embassy receptions with A-list guests he would remember most fondly from his time in Britain.

Love the US Ambassador's commitment to visit a UK school a week to listen to British students' views. He met 20,000 teenagers! #AskMatthew pic.twitter.com/1TzGyQiYX3  Lauren Harris (@MsLoloJ) December 13, 2016

There was absolutely affection for the US among these British teenagers but also sharp criticisms of America and its impact on the world.

But after a year of polarised politics on both sides of the Atlantic, he said his school talks showed him that our democracies demand of one another that we are able to disagree and we are able to discuss and do so in an atmosphere of decency  thats something I have experienced as I have been so warmly welcomed by the British people.

Meanwhile, Mr Barzun said he is confident that Britain will continue to enjoy a vibrant trade relationship with the USA after Brexit, despite President Barack Obamas warning that the UK would go to the back of the queue for a trade deal.

With the TTIP trade agreement between the US and EU apparently mired in delays, Mr Barzun said that America would not be waiting for deals to be struck but would carry on building economic ties with close partners like the UK.

The ambassador, whose time in London draws to an end as Donald Trump takes office in January, said he was losing no sleep about the survival of the special relationship between the UK and US, which was really strong now and will continue to be strong.

Ever the diplomat, Mr Barzun declined to make any comment about his expectations for a Trump presidency, saying only that Mr Obama had asked all ambassadors to do everything they could to ensure that the transition to the new administration goes as smoothly as it can do.

And he kept his silence over the president-elects surprise suggestion that Nigel Farage would make a great head of the UK embassy in Washington, telling PA: I will leave that to Her Majestys Government to decide.
The Only Surgeon for Millions of People Wins First Annual Gerson L'Chaim Prize

Dr. Jason Fader of Burundi, Sole Full-Time Surgeon Outside Capital City, Awarded $500,000



Watch Dr. Jason Fader at work



Contact: Michael Conrad, 214-616-0320, Michael@Lovell-Fairchild.com



NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Dr. Jason Fader, a son of medical missionaries and now on a team of American physicians in Burundi--the world's hungriest nation--today was awarded $500,000 in the first-ever Gerson L'Chaim Prize for Outstanding Christian Medical Missionary Service.



"Because of the L'Chaim Prize, hundreds of people will walk, thousands will receive care, and tens of thousands will be helped by the doctors we train," Dr. Fader said.



The L'Chaim Prize, the largest ever in clinical care, is awarded by the African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), founded by New York entrepreneur Mark Gerson and his friend Dr. Jon Fielder, a medical missionary serving in Kenya.



"Missionary doctors are this era's untold humanitarian story," said Gerson, who underwrites the prize with his wife, Rabbi Erica Gerson. "Forsaking every comfort and convenience to bring skilled compassion to the continent's poor, Dr. Fader and his team are links in a string of unsung heroes across Africa."



With the L'Chaim prize, Fader and his colleaguesserving with the agency SERGEwill:

add critically needed hospital beds at rural Kibuye Hope Hospital



create Burundi's first postgraduate medical training



expand lower-limb fracture care in a nation that travels by foot

"It's hard to overstate the value," Fader said. "In one of the world's poorest countries, a prize of this magnitude, for one hospital, is far reaching."



Burundi--called the world's hungriest nation by the World Bank--has but 13 surgeons for 10 million people. For their part, Fader and his on-the-ground team are training doctors, performing surgical procedures, and upgrading and expanding medical facilities. Every team member raises individual financial support and arrives having studied both French and Kirundi. Since 2013, the team has served at the Kibuye Hope Hospital, the teaching hospital for Hope Africa University Medical School.



"To move forward, to provide higher volume and better quality care, and to train more national healthcare workers, this hospital must expand," Fader said. He plans to serve in Burundi "for many years to come."



Medical care is Africa's most endangered species. Since missions and agencies peaked in the last century, the docs still there, and their African colleagues, receive shrinking support amid rising and complex medical challengesfrom AIDS to surgical problems to cancer. Fielder and Gerson, with friends and supporters, formed AMHF to bolster Africa's white-lab-coat heroes and their institutions.



The 2016 Gerson L'Chaim Prize drew 26 applications from long-term medical missionaries, Catholic and Protestant, in 12 countries. Candidate projects span women's health centers, African doctor training, cancer diagnosis and treatment, pediatric surgery training and care, heart surgery, mobile HIV care, malaria prevention, and ER centers.



For interviews, contact: Michael Conrad Michael@Lovell-Fairchild.com 214-616-0320:

Learn more at www.amhf.us



Read the Gerson's essay on Medium



Watch the Prize and Finalist videos



Read official prize policies



Follow #LChaimPrize via AMHF's profile on Twitter or Facebook



Donate

Visit Lovell-Fairchild.com for:

Curtain Raiser Press Release



AMHF Media Tip Sheet



AMHF Q&A



Suggested Interview Questions

About African Mission Healthcare Foundation

A registered U.S. 501(c)3 charity, AMHF enhances access to health services for the tens of millions of Africans who fail to receive quality, life-saving care. It advances financial, logistical, personnel and management support to African mission health facilities, which, through thousands of centers, provide roughly one-third of medical services on the continent. AMHF directly supports care for 70,000 patients annually and finances formal training of 100 African healthcare professionalsa credit to its partners efficiency. In Kenya, a clubfoot may be corrected for $100. In Malawi, a child's malaria treatment costs less than $10. In eight countriesincluding Malawi, Uganda, South Sudan and TanzaniaAMHF has built clinics, procured x-ray machines, educated surgeons and doctors, and sponsored life-changing operations, particularly pediatric rehabilitative treatments. AMHF oversees Kenya's largest HIV and tuberculosis clinical mentorship program.
Police have closed an investigation into a reported assault on Strictly Come Dancing star Gorka Marquez.

The professional dancer was said to have been beaten up by a gang of youths on a street in Blackpool just hours after he took part in the BBC1 live show last month

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: We have carried out a proportionate investigation which is now closed. No arrests have been made.

We've completed our investigation after the report of an assault on Strictly come Dancing star Gorka Marquez https://t.co/JNe5jxSdpH  Lancashire Police (@LancsPolice) December 14, 2016

We have never received a complaint from the victim and any injuries sustained would seem to be of a minor nature. We will always take reports of crime seriously and would urge anyone who has been a victim to come forward so they can assist us in our inquiries.

It was reported that the Spaniard would need dental surgery after having two teeth broken when he was punched in the face as a group of local louts came out of nowhere.

The 26-year-old was said to have been targeted as he walked to the resorts Flamingo nightclub with fellow dancers Aljaz Skorjanec and Neil Jones.

Marquez with some of his fellow pro-dancers (Ian West/PA)

Marquez later tweeted: Thanks for all your kind messages and support about Blackpool.

It was a bad experience but Im feeling better and just want to look forward to the show on Saturday.

The incident, following the televised live show at Blackpool Tower Ballroom on Saturday November 19, was not reported to the police.

Marquez returned to rehearsals the following week and was sent flowers by tourism chiefs in Blackpool.

Thank you to everyone from @TheBplTower for the flowers!!! I'm feeling better and can't wait to be dancing on Saturday!! pic.twitter.com/IEOzZNVKe6  Gorka Marquez (@gorkamarquez1) November 23, 2016
Ben Stokes hopes brilliant leader Alastair Cook stays on as England captain.

All-rounder Stokes took his opportunity to speak up for the man who has been in charge throughout his Test career so far, but whose continued tenure appears to be in serious doubt with England in danger of a 4-0 series defeat in India.

Speculation about Cooks position - after a record 58 Tests as captain - has dogged the tourists ever since he spoke openly on the eve of the series of a future in which he may one day return to the ranks and be able to concentrate on his batting.

Cook says we paid a heavy price for missed opportunities



https://t.co/uVhxt8SHGW pic.twitter.com/1Cw2FH0WHs  England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 12, 2016

Three successive defeats have not helped matters, and neither of course would another in Chennai where the final Test is set to begin on Friday - despite the ravages of Cyclone Vardah - against hosts who have trounced everyone on their home soil ever since Cooks 2012 tourists won 2-1 here.

Both teams were unable to hold Wednesdays scheduled practice sessions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium - where groundstaff have been trying to accelerate the drying process following Mondays vicious storm, in homespun fashion, by rolling barbecue pans full of hot coals on stumps inches above the pitch.

Ground staff trying to dry the pitch at Chepauk with coals !! pic.twitter.com/6kgphnDvY0  Nasser Hussain (@nassercricket) December 14, 2016

The match has nonetheless been given the go-ahead, with both teams set to train on Thursday but be limited to fielding, fitness drills and maybe throw-downs because the nets will not recover in time.

Stokes, meanwhile, was looking further ahead as he voiced his support for Cook to continue his four-year tenure.

Ive played 31 Test matches, and hes been the captain in every single one, he told the BBC. He doesnt want anything except success for the team. He wants to drive that forward. As a leader, I think hes been brilliant - and I think he still will be.

Ben Stokes

Stokes is one of a clutch of players who have flourished, in his case notably in the 2015 home Ashes victory, then hitting a career-best 258 in Cape Town last winter and even on this tour - with several outstanding performances as England have threatened at times to be competitive without being able to sustain their challenge.

Over the last two years, hes been absolutely fantastic, Stokes added. Hes been part of the driving force of getting us to be the team we are today.

Albeit were 3-0 down, weve made huge strides since Australia (in 2013/14).
Three Heathrow Airport baggage handlers were among 11 people arrested as police smashed a suspected drugs smuggling ring.

Around 125 investigators from the National Crime Agency (NCA), along with officers from the Metropolitan Police and Border Force, carried out raids across London and south-east England on Wednesday.

Ten men, aged between 26 and 60, and a 24-year-old woman were detained on suspicion of conspiring to import class A drugs and taken for questioning.

Police during the raid

The operation follows seizures of drugs at the airport over the last 15 months, amounting to around 100kg in cocaine and 50kg in cannabis.

The NCAs senior investigating officer David Reynders said: Large scale drug smuggling through UK airports is high risk for organised criminals. Todays operation was coordinated to strike simultaneously at as many parts of the suspected drugs ring as possible.

The NCA is grateful for the support and co-operation of the airport authorities and Border Force, all of whom have a vested interest in protecting the security of our borders.

NCA staff during one of the raids (National Crime Agency/PA)

Photos released by the NCA showed arrests at an address in Stoke Newington, in north-west London, where three men aged 26, 30 and 36, and the woman were detained.

The other arrests included a 40-year-old man in Banstead, Surrey, a 51-year-old man from Grays, in Essex, men aged 31, 42 and 54 at addresses in Tooting and Thornton Heath, south London, and Hayes, in west London respectively.
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have united in the Commons by urging people to buy a Christmas charity single in Jo Coxs memory.

A special recording of The Rolling Stones hit You Cant Always Get What You Want, featuring MPs and musicians including KT Tunstall and David Gray, is due to be released on Friday.

Both @theresa_may & @jeremycorbyn urge MPs at #PMQs to download charity single in memory of Jo Cox https://t.co/Md5OY9f16Q  Andrew Woodcock (@AndyWoodcock) December 14, 2016

Cash raised will go to the Jo Cox Foundation, which supports a range of charities including the Royal Voluntary Service and White Helmets.

The song also features a group of 16 MPs, including members of parliamentary rock group MP4, and the Royal Opera House Thurrock Community Chorus.

Speaking during Prime Ministers Questions, Labour leader Mr Corbyn asked: Sadly our late colleague Jo Cox will not be celebrating Christmas this year with her family.

Wishing every success to Jo Cox charity single by @MP4RockBand. Pre-order here via link: https://t.co/9Pkm6PtzS6 pic.twitter.com/D0HrRimFgw  Angus Robertson (@AngusRobertson) December 14, 2016

She was murdered and taken from us so I hope the Prime Minister, and Im sure she will, will join me in encouraging people to download the song which many members helped to create  a tribute to Jos life and work and in everlasting memory of her.

Prime Minister Mrs May replied: You are absolutely right to raise this issue. Im sure everybody in this House wishes to send a very clear message  download this single for the Jo Cox Foundation.

Its a very important cause and we all recognise that Jo Cox was a fine member of this House and would have carried on contributing significantly to this House and this country had she not been brutally murdered.

.@PHammondMP confirms VAT on the sales of the Christmas single in memory of Jo Cox will go to the @JoCoxFoundation https://t.co/UbAxHHIzM9 pic.twitter.com/PAVIQAjnVD  HM Treasury (@hmtreasury) December 12, 2016

Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced the Government will make a charitable donation equivalent to the VAT payable on the sales of the single to the Foundation.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan is selling three water cannons purchased by predecessor Boris Johnson because the redundant vehicles would cost nearly 175,000 to maintain.

The water cannons, bought second-hand by Mr Johnson from German authorities in a blaze of publicity in 2014, have already cost Londoners 322,834 despite then home secretary Theresa May banning their use in riot situations a year after they arrived in the capital.

Mrs May went on to use the purchase to ridicule her then rival for the Tory leadership when she launched her bid to succeed David Cameron as Prime Minister in June.

Water cannon

Lampooning the Brexit negotiating skills of the man she would later make Foreign Secretary, Mrs May said: I seem to remember last time he did a deal with the Germans, he came back with three nearly-new water cannon.

Mr Khan campaigned for City Hall on getting rid of the water cannons, and has now produced a detailed breakdown of their cost to Londoners.

Despite the fact that Mrs May ruled they could not be used because they might cause serious injuries, and there were question marks over their effectiveness in fast-moving riot situations, storage and maintenance of the vehicles by the Metropolitan Police would cost Londoners almost 175,000 over the next eight years of their working life.

Money spent on the water cannons include 32,004 for low emission zone compliance, 19,035 for re-painting, 3,109.20 for signage, and 970.50 for the fitting of radios and CD players.

The vehicles, which cost 85,022.01 to buy, are to be sold via the Ministry of Defence to the highest and most reputable bidder from an EU policing or civil protection organisation, with the proceeds, and saved maintenance costs, being pumped into frontline services to help tackle the causes of crime, according to the mayors office.

Mr Khan warned that about a third of the purchase price would have to go to the contractor in the deal, and German federal police have to approve any purchaser.

It beggars belief that such a huge amount of taxpayers money has been wasted on paying to store these redundant machines. Weve been left in this position by the previous mayor who rashly purchased them before he even had permission to use them, and now its my job to claw back as much of London taxpayers money as I can.

I have spent a significant amount of time looking into how I can do this, and have been left with no choice but sell these machines through a process that charges a fee.
A planned strike by drivers who deliver goods for retail giant Argos has been suspended after a deal to end a row over pay.

Members of the Unite union employed by Wincanton were due to walk out next week, but they will now vote on an offer aimed at resolving the dispute.

Unite regional officer Rick Coyle said: We have had constructive talks with the Wincanton management today and, as a result, we have hammered out a deal that Unite feels it can recommend to our members.

An Argos store

Wincanton and Unite have held successful talks today under the auspices of Acas https://t.co/neQwfWbQOc pic.twitter.com/vCIwujJ4nU  Unite the union: join a union (@unitetheunion) December 14, 2016

The details of the deal are confidential and we will be balloting our drivers on the offer.

While this ballot is being conducted all proposed industrial action has been suspended and our members at the Argos national distribution centre in Staffordshire will be working normally.

A Wincanton spokesman said: We are equally pleased that our planned meeting today has produced an outcome which works for all parties.

All industrial action has now been suspended pending a ballot on the terms of the agreement among Unite members, and at this important time of year, the Argos business will be unaffected.

An Argos spokesman said: Were pleased that both sides have resolved their issues.
The remaining doctors in the square mile of eastern Aleppo under attack are terrified of possible retaliation from pro-government forces and want to be evacuated, Doctors Without Borders says.

Teresa Sancristoval, the head of the emergency unit for the Syrian city, said the doctors who are regularly in touch with her group feel abandoned to their fate and with no way out.

A ceasefire designed to allow for the evacuation of civilians and rebels crumbled on Wednesday as government bombing resumed.

Protest to support Aleppo

#Aleppo We are outraged at the violence exerted against civilians and the passivity displayed by all those that can do something to stop it.  MSF International (@MSF) December 14, 2016

Doctors in the besieged strip have already been overwhelmed, and only one health facility remains operational.

Rescuers say bodies and wounded are being left on the streets because of the intensity of the attack.

People are losing any kind of hope, she said.

A ceasefire deal between rebels and the government broke down, ending a chance to evacuate the remaining fighters and tens of thousands of civilians.

#Aleppo is joining Rwanda and Srebrenica as defining historical events that embody evil. #Assad, #Russia, #Iran know no shame.  Samantha Power (@AmbPower44) December 13, 2016

Shelling continued much of the day and buses meant for the evacuations, which were waiting at the rendezvous point on the edge of the rebel enclave, returned to their depots.

Activists and rebels trapped in the oppositions last sliver of territory in Aleppo said pro-government forces had struck their district with dozens of rockets.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said western countries are seeking the ceasefire in order to save the terrorists.

President Assad spoke to the Russia Today channel in an interview aired on Wednesday.

The Lebanese al-Manar TV, broadcast footage of the buses leaving the evacuation point empty and said government forces had resumed fighting with rebels in the city.

Al-Manar is the media arm of the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside government forces.

The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that the rebels resumed the hostilities at dawn, trying to break through Syrian government positions to the north-west.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the Syrian government and its allies of trying to scuttle the deal.

We see now that the regime and other groups are trying to obstruct this (deal), he said in remarks quoted by the state-run Anadolu Agency.

This includes Russia, Iran, forces supported by Iran and the regime.
The most senior transgender woman serving in the British Army has said the fantastic support she received while transitioning made the her job business as normal.

Captain Hannah Winterbourne, who joined the Army as a man, came out as transgender and started transitioning three years ago after a tour to Afghanistan.

Since then, the 29-year-old from Cardiff has received incredible support from her contemporaries and has praised the force for its really strong diversity policies

Captain Hannah Winterbourne

Fantastic little reception at No 10! pic.twitter.com/UvH0ou3cuC  Hannah Graf MBE (@hannahw253) December 14, 2016

Capt Winterbourne, now living in Tidworth, Wiltshire, said: Support Ive had has been incredible. The Army is a people-based organisation and looking after people is one of its key tenets, and that filters down through the entire ranks. Ive served in several regiments now since transitioning and genuinely theyve been fantastic.

She said she had been pretty much treated the same since she started transitioning, adding: Obviously there are certain rules and regulations for male and female but apart from that its been business as normal.

As an officer commanding the light aid detachment, Kings Royal Hussars, Capt Winterbourne is responsible for about 80 soldiers including technicians and mechanics.

Cheeky little visit to Henry VIII's wine cellar at 0730 in the morning!  pic.twitter.com/aJ3HGgpI1E  Hannah Graf MBE (@hannahw253) December 14, 2016

She is also the Armys transgender representative and a nominee in the Suns Inspiring Others category for its annual military awards, the Millies.

The awards night on Wednesday will celebrate the bravest and best figures from the Royal Navy, Army and the Royal Air Force.

Asked if she thinks sharing her positive experience will encourage others to be open, Capt Winterbourne said: I really hope so. I think that most transgender people to begin with live in fear of losing their friends, their family, their colleagues, their job etc, and thats quite a difficult place to be.
The Duchess of Cambridge has joined a group of Cub Scouts for a special party to celebrate a century of the youth movement.

She wore a yellow Cub scarf as she took part in a series of games in a bunting-decked Scout Hut, including one with a multi-coloured parachute.

A ball was placed on the parachute and the Duchess smiled as the group used teamwork to manoeuvre it around.

The Duchess of Cambridge with Cub Scouts in Norfolk

The Duchess of Cambridge plays parachute games with Cub Scouts from King's Lynn district to celebrate the 100th birthday of Cubs pic.twitter.com/oj466qr1QI  Sam Russell (@SamRussellPA) December 14, 2016

In another activity youngsters were asked to write something positive about themselves on a piece of card to be displayed, to promote emotional wellbeing and resilience.

The Duchess wrote: I am good at Bonfire Building.

She also helped to decorate birthday cupcakes with icing, took part in a trust game where youngsters leaned back and held each other up, and had a sling put on her arm to practise first aid.

Afterwards she thanked the young Cub Scout who put her sling on and exchanged a high five with him.

There was a special rendition of happy birthday dear Cub Scouts before the group renewed their Cub Scout Promise and 100 candles were lit.

The group of cubs, all from the Kings Lynn area of Norfolk, met the Duchess at a Scout Hut in the village of North Wootton, near Kings Lynn, on Wednesday.

The Cubs were set up on the 16th December 1916, and to celebrate 100 years The Pack and The Duchess are decorating special 'cub' cakes! pic.twitter.com/GEqSNcmKZ9  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) December 14, 2016

After the Cubs thanked her, the Duchess said: Its been a real treat for me as well to come to see all of you here and keep up the hard work because youre doing all the hard work helping other people, helping each other and things so keep it up, and happy Christmas to you all.

She was then presented with a bouquet of flowers, and gifts for George and Charlotte  a teddy bear in a Cub Scout outfit and one in a Beaver outfit.

The Duchess previously worked as a volunteer with a Cub Scout pack when she and the Duke of Cambridge lived in Anglesey, North Wales.

The next activity is all about respecting others and yourself, and HRH helps as the @UKScouting Cubs create a wall of positivity! pic.twitter.com/ENYtthHh9O  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) December 14, 2016

Organisers said the theme of the activities at the party was looking after yourself and others physically and emotionally.

Alex Peace-Gadsby, the Scout Associations Chief Commissioner for England, said: Were thrilled that the Duchess has been able to join us as we celebrate the Cubs 100th birthday.

We have hundreds of events planned across the United Kingdom, with a chance for each and every one of our 150,000 Cubs to take part.

Cub Scouting was co-founded by Robert Baden-Powell and Vera Barclay in December 1916. More than half a million people are involved in Scouting across the UK, including almost 160,000 Cub Scouts.
Japan casino bill clears panel, paves way to legalise gambling

By Thomas Wilson

TOKYO, Dec 13 (Reuters) - A contentious bill to legalise casinos in Japan cleared a key parliamentary panel on Tuesday, paving the way for high-stakes gambling in the world's third-biggest economy.

Brushing off concerns - even from within Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition - over gambling addiction and other social ills, lawmakers in an upper house committee approved the bill, which essentially assures its enactment into law. It had failed repeatedly in previous parliaments to come up for a vote.

Domestic and international companies from MGM Resorts International to Japanese game-machine maker Sega Sammy Holdings Inc could benefit from legalised casinos in Japan, a market that brokerage CLSA estimates could be worth up to $40 billion a year.

Abe coalition has a strong majority in the upper house, so the bill is almost certain to be approved by the full chamber on Wednesday, the last day of this parliamentary session. It has already cleared the lower house.

Vocal criticism of the bill from both the ruling coalition and opposition parties had centred on concerns about gambling-related social ills such as addiction and organised crime.

An opinion poll this week by public broadcaster NHK found opposition at 44 percent and support at just 12 percent, with 34 percent of respondents undecided.

"Whether casinos will be a plus or not for society is not only a question of making money," said Masaaki Machida of gambling addiction support group Hopehill.

"Costs for treating, imprisoning, or hospitalising (addicts) would be a spiritual, economic and social loss for Japan."

Supporters of the bill, which allows for large-scale projects that combine casinos with hotel, shopping and conference space, see casinos as a way to boost tourism - a key success of Abe's economic growth policies.

Proponents hope to submit legislation next year to set out full details of the construction, regulation and location of these "integrated resorts."

Tokyo, neighbouring Yokohama and the western city of Osaka are in the running as potential locations for casinos. Smaller places on the islands of Kyushu and Hokkaido are also hopeful of being selected.

Japan is already home to government-backed gambling in the form of betting on horse, boat and bicycle races.
AUL Releases UNSAFE, Ground-breaking Report Examining Dangerous Conditions in Abortion Clinics, Calls for Further Investigation "In the Supreme Court's June ruling in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, the Justices indicated that health and safety standards designed to protect women from abortion industry abuses would be constitutional if there was better evidence of the need for such regulations - here's proof that women need such protections and that abortion clinics must be better regulated and regularly inspected," said AUL's Denise Burke.



Contact: Kristi S. Hamrick, KSH Media Inc., Cell: 202-731-5621, @KristiSHamrick; Americans United for Life



WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Following an examination of confirmed reports of dangerous abortion clinic conditions over the last 8 years, Americans United for Life releases a ground-breaking investigative report out today: Unsafe: How The Public Health Crisis in America's Abortion Clinics Endangers Women. The analysis details horrific abortion clinic conditions, documenting that 227 abortion providers in 32 states were cited for more than 1,400 health and safety deficiencies between 2008 and 2016 and details hundreds of significant violations of state laws regulating abortion clinics. "The Supreme Court wrongly threw out Texas' health and safety standards, concluding that there was insufficient evidence to support the need for the law. That perceived deficit must be addressed wherever and whenever possible, yet this void exists, in part, because of the scandalously lax manner in which many abortion clinics are monitored," observed Americans United for Life Vice President of Legal Affairs Denise Burke, the report's author. She continued: "AUL took on the task of learning what information is available on abortion clinic conditions and what is not, as too few states protect women by appropriately regulating and inspecting abortion clinics. The fact that data from some states are not included in the report indicates the need for better and more regular inspections and reporting on the results of those inspections. Importantly, AUL is releasing this report in advance of the 2017 state legislative sessions so that lawmakers will have an important tool for explaining the critical need for enhanced health and safety standards and to call for further investigation." The more than 200-page report examines the following: Women You Should Know which tells the stories of women who have been victimized by the abortion industry. Many of these women lost their lives after receiving dangerously incompetent care in the nation's abortion clinics.



America's Epidemic of Substandard Abortion Facilities and Practices which features a detailed analysis of hundreds of violations and deficiency reports from state health inspectors showing that abortion clinics, including Planned Parenthood facilities, are routinely cited for putting women's health and safety at risk. Among the most common violations found in America's abortion clinics are failing to ensure a safe and sanitary environment, failing to document and protect patient records, failing to properly train staff, allowing unqualified staff to provide care to patients, utilizing expired medications and medical supplies, failing to purchase and maintain required equipment, failing to adopt and follow health and safety protocols, failing to properly handle medications, failing to comply with physical plant standards, and failing to monitor patient vital signs. Hundreds of significant violations of these common sense health and safety standards were found over just the past 8 years.



The Perilous Prevalence of "Circuit Rider" Abortionists, which reveals the abortion industry's reliance on a small cadre of abortion providers who travel from state to state plying their grisly trade and who are not available to women suffering post-abortive complications. The report also highlights the dangerous individuals who populate the abortion industry. Shockingly, at least 65 of the abortion providers examined were chronic offenders who had been cited multiple times for the same violations in subsequent inspections. Further, at least 13 abortion providers either failed to report suspected sexual abuse of a minor or failed to implement practices to protect minors from ongoing sexual abuse, at least 30 abortion providers failed to provide or post all required informed consent information, and more than two dozen abortion clinics failed to comply with abortion reporting requirements. While performing about a third of all abortions in the U.S., Planned Parenthood is featured prominently in the report. Thirty-nine Planned Parenthood clinics in 15 states (Alabama, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia) are cited in Unsafe. Various Planned Parenthood clinics across the nation were found to have committed each of the violations delineated in Unsafe's "Top 10" violations list. Top 10 Violations Cited in Unsafe:



Violation Clinics Implicated/ States Implicated 1. Failure to ensure a safe and sanitary environment and to follow infection control policies 130 clinics in 22 states 2. Failure to accurately document patient records and keep patient medical information confidential 100 clinics in 17 states 3. Failure to ensure staff are properly trained for duties 82 clinics in 14 states 4. Unlicensed/unqualified/untrained staff providing patient care 81 clinics in 14 states 5. Expired medications and medical supplies 77 clinics in 17 states 6. Failure to adopt, follow and/or periodically review internal health and safety protocols 77 clinics in 15 states 7. Failure to purchase and maintain the required equipment 74 clinics in 11 states 8. Failure to properly handle medications 62 clinics in 16 states 9. Failure to comply with physical plant standards 41 clinics in 6 states 10. Failure to monitor patient vital signs 30 clinics in 10 states

"The abortion industry willingly sacrifices women's health and safety in their 'back alley' clinics, prioritizing mere access to abortion over women's health and safety. Convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell provided 'mere access' to abortion, and women died in his care," said Burke. "During the investigation of Gosnell and his 'house of horrors' abortion clinic, the grand jury found that, while there were laws on the books allowing for inspections, state officials decided not to act because of abortion politics. Women's health and safety must not be held hostage by an abortion industry willing to put profit over people." "The abortion industry willingly sacrifices women's health and safety in their 'back alley' clinics, prioritizing mere access to abortion over women's health and safety. Convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell provided 'mere access' to abortion, and women died in his care," said Burke. "During the investigation of Gosnell and his 'house of horrors' abortion clinic, the grand jury found that, while there were laws on the books allowing for inspections, state officials decided not to act because of abortion politics. Women's health and safety must not be held hostage by an abortion industry willing to put profit over people." "This report is the tip of the iceberg as too many state officials are turning a blind eye to this red-light district of medicine," said Burke. "AUL is calling on state attorneys general and governors to order inspections of abortion clinics and on state legislators to enact the enhanced protections for women and their unborn children featured in AUL's Women's Protection Project and Infants' Protection Project." To learn more about the dangerous conditions documented in America's abortion clinics, go to www.unsafereport.org or www.aul.org To sign a petition calling on state legislators to request immediate inspections of abortion clinics in their states visit www.unsafereport.org For more on AUL's constitutionally sound and effective model legislation featured in Defending Life, click here.

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U.S. says it has seen Aleppo ceasefire reports, cannot confirm them

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it had seen reports of a ceasefire for the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo brokered by Turkey and Russia and would welcome that development if it led to a halt in bombing and allowed people to leave the area.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said he had no reason to believe the ceasefire reports were not true but could not independently confirm them.

"Obviously if it is true and there has been a ceasefire arrangement reached that not only stops the bombing and the violence but allows people to safely leave Aleppo, we would welcome it," Kirby told a daily briefing.

A Turkish government source said earlier on Tuesday that fighters and their families, along with civilians who have thrown in their lot with the rebels, will have until Wednesday evening to quit the city.

Asked if the United States had known that Turkey and Russia were in discussions on a ceasefire, Kirby said: "I'm not aware that we had any indications that there were bilateral discussions to reach this kind of arrangement. So I don't know that there was any prior knowledge."
From Syria to North Korea, Tillerson would inherit a messy global situation

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - From Syria's bloody civil war and the slow-burning crisis in eastern Ukraine to perennial diplomatic headaches such as the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs, Rex Tillerson would face a messy, complex world as the chief U.S. diplomat.

Below are brief descriptions of some of the problems that will land on his plate if he is confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 69th U.S. secretary of state after a career spent at Exxon Mobil Corp, where he rose to be chief executive.

SYRIA

Tillerson will inherit an increasingly complex conflict in Syria, where the rebel-held eastern portion of Aleppo is on the verge of falling to Syrian government forces backed by Russia, Iran and Shi'ite militias from Lebanon and Iraq.

The civil war, now well into its sixth year, pits President Bashar al-Assad against a range of rebel groups, many supported by outside powers including the United States, Turkey and Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

During the U.S. presidential campaign, President-elect Donald Trump suggested his top priority was defeating the Islamic State militant group that has launched attacks in Europe and inspired mass-casualty attacks in the United States.

If Trump cooperates with Russia against Islamic State, which holds a swath of northeastern Syria, there is a risk that moderate rebels, angered by what they viewed as abandonment by the United States, could gravitate toward militant Islamist factions that pose a potential threat to Western interests.

Moreover, the persistent bloodshed could unleash new and destabilizing waves of refugees into neighboring nations from which they could then attempt to reach Europe. Earlier refugee flows triggered a backlash that has bolstered far-right nationalist parties in Europe.

Cooperating with Russia would cause other complications for the new U.S. administration. For one thing, it could, by extension, align the United States with Iran and its Lebanese proxy militia, Hezbollah. Iran has used its ties to Syria to project force in the region, a troubling fact for Israeli officials not eager to see Tehran extend its influence.

IRAQ

Next door in Iraq, Tillerson will confront a country struggling to overcome deep ethnic and sectarian divisions as it fights to stamp out the Islamic State insurgency with the help of some 6,000 U.S. support troops and military advisers.

Even if Iraqi security forces prevail in retaking the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul, the country's second-largest city, the extremist group is expected to revert to waging a guerrilla war against the Shi'ite-dominated central government.

If so, that could force Trump and Tillerson to decide whether the United States should remain engaged - and attempt to counterbalance the powerful influence of neighboring Shi'ite-led Iran - or play a diminished role.

Tillerson also may face a renewed drive by Iraq's minority Kurds, trained and armed by the United States to fight Islamic State, for independence for their oil-rich autonomous northern region.

Such a move, which the United States has opposed, would raise the threat of a conflict between the Kurds and Baghdad that could affect the international petroleum market. It could also fuel demands by Kurds in Syria and in Turkey for greater autonomy, a prospect that Turkish officials bitterly oppose.

NORTH KOREA

North Korea's secretive, authoritarian government has conducted five nuclear tests over the past decade, four of them during the Obama administration and two this year alone, along with an unprecedented flurry of ballistic missile tests.

The North's tests have brought tighter U.N. Security Council sanctions, including some passed last month that aim to cut its export earnings by a quarter, but no sign that Pyongyang's young leader, Kim Jong-un, is willing to restrain its nuclear and missile programs.

Reclusive, impoverished North Korea poses a direct threat to rich, democratic South Korea, a U.S. treaty ally that technically remains in a state of war with Pyongyang because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.

The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and the United States, which maintains about 28,000 troops in South Korea as a tripwire to deter North Korean from attacking.

North Korea said after its September nuclear test that it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile. If it developed an effective intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, it could strike the continental United States.

IRAN

Trump has harshly criticized the agreement struck on July 14, 2015, between Iran and six major powers under which Tehran agreed to restrain its nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

Many Republicans, particularly in the U.S. Congress, have argued that the deal, negotiated by the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia, should be torn up.

While Trump has been critical of the agreement, it is not certain he would actually abrogate it.

For one thing, Israeli officials quietly say that they prefer to have Iran live under the deal's restraints and subject to its transparency measures, than totally freed from both, which could allow them to race to acquire nuclear weapons.

Further, if the United States were to be blamed for the agreement's collapse, it would be unlikely to find much sympathy among its European allies to reimpose sanctions on Tehran.

Even if the deal holds, Tillerson may have his hands full trying to find ways to counter Iranian support for Syria's Assad, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis, the militia fighting the Saudi-backed government in Yemen.

CHINA

Tillerson may quickly find himself dealing with a crisis of Trump's own making with China given Beijing's angry response to the Republican president-elect's view that Washington did not necessarily have to stick to its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of "one China."

If he were to upend some four decades of settled U.S. policy, Trump risks antagonizing Beijing, which could decide to restrict cooperation with the United States or, if truly pushed, seek to subvert U.S. policy aims around the world.

The United States has a vast array of interests with China, which is the third-largest destination for exports of U.S. goods and the largest source of goods imported into the U.S. market. China is also the largest holder of U.S. government debt.

Among the areas where the two sides have worked together under the Obama administration are maintaining growth in the world economy, reining in the Iranian nuclear program and seeking to combat climate change. They have also had disagreements over North Korea and China's maritime claims.

UKRAINE

Russia seized the majority Russian-speaking Crimea from Ukraine on March 16, 2014, after an uprising toppled Ukraine's pro-Russian president.

Ukraine, the United States and many governments in Western Europe also say that Moscow has armed and encouraged pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, and covertly infiltrated Russian military personnel.

The conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists has cost nearly 10,000 lives since 2014. Germany and France have tried with little success to convince both sides to implement a peace deal agreed to in Minsk last year.

The Kremlin denies Western charges that it is stoking the separatist movement and aiding the rebels and accuses Ukraine of perpetuating the violence and violating the Minsk deal.

The United States and the European Union have imposed a range of economic sanctions on Russia as a result of its annexation of Crimea and its actions in eastern Ukraine.

Trump has said that better relations with Russia could be a great benefit to the United States and there are suspicions that he and his nominee for secretary of state might be inclined to ease the Western sanctions on Russia.

One U.S. official said there might be a deal to be done if Russian President Vladimir Putin were willing to abide by the Minsk peace deal, or to agree to something similar under a different name, in return for sanctions relief.

AFGHANISTAN

Trump has given few specifics on his plans for Afghanistan, where nearly 10,000 U.S. troops remain more than 15 years after the Islamist Taliban were toppled by U.S.-backed Afghan forces.

Trump has said, however, that the United States should stop carrying out "nation building," something it has been seeking to do for a decade and a half in the southwestern Asian nation.

One of the most important questions facing Trump on Afghanistan, former officials and experts say, is how many U.S. troops will stay on there.

Acknowledging that Afghan security remained precarious and Taliban forces had gained ground in some places, President Barack Obama shelved plans to cut the U.S. presence almost in half by year's end, opting instead to keep 8,400 troops there through to the end of his presidency in January.
4-Aleppo evacuation plan back on track to end years of fighting

By Laila Bassam, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Tom Perry

ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT, Dec 14 (Reuters) - An evacuation of rebel-held districts of Aleppo is back on track and expected to begin within hours, officials on both sides of the war said late on Wednesday, a retreat that would mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and end years of fighting.

An initial deal that would have seen thousands of civilians and opposition fighters granted safe passage out of the city stalled on Wednesday and the planned exodus failed to materialise.

Iran, one of Assad's main backers, had imposed new conditions, saying it wanted the simultaneous evacuation of wounded from two villages besieged by rebels, according to rebel and U.N. sources.

But Abdul Salam Abdul Razak, a military spokesman for the Nour al-Din al Zinki rebel group, said late on Wednesday that a new agreement had been reached which included those villages in Idlib province. "Within the coming hours its implementation will begin," he told Reuters.

An official in the Jabha Shamiya rebel group said implementation would begin around 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Thursday.

An official in the pro-Damascus military alliance confirmed the truce deal was on, and said about 15,000 people would be evacuated from the majority Shi'ite villages, Foua and Kefraya, in return for the evacuation from Aleppo of "militants and their families and whoever wants to leave among civilians".

He said those leaving Aleppo would head for Idlib province to the west of the city.

The Jabha Shamiya official however denied that 15,000 people would leave the two villages and said only the wounded would be evacuated.

It was not immediately clear how the deal had been reached.

The original ceasefire was brokered by Russia, Assad's most powerful ally, and opposition backer Turkey on Tuesday. But the planned evacuation of rebel-held areas did not happen and instead shelling and gunfire erupted in the city on Wednesday, with Turkey accusing government forces of breaking the truce. Syrian state television said rebel shelling killed six people.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, said the bombardment by Syrian government forces and their allies "most likely constitutes war crimes".

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call earlier in the day to make a joint effort to start the process, Turkish presidential sources said.

Shortly before the new deal was announced, clashes raged in Aleppo.

Government forces made a new advance in Sukkari - one of just a handful of districts still held by rebels - and brought half of the neighbourhood under their control, the Observatory said. Rebels saying they launched an attack against government forces using suicide car bombs.

The Russian defence ministry said - before the report of the government forces' advance in Sukkari - that the rebels controlled an enclave of only 2.5 square km (1 square mile).

RAPID ADVANCES

At dawn on Wednesday nobody had left under the initial evacuation plan, according to a Reuters witness waiting at the departure point, where 20 buses stood with engines running but showed no sign of moving into rebel districts.

People in eastern Aleppo had packed their bags and burned personal belongings, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed militia allies.

Officials in the military alliance backing Assad could not be reached immediately for comment on why the evacuation had stalled.

U.N. war crimes investigators said the Syrian government bore the main responsibility for preventing any attacks and reprisals in eastern Aleppo and that it must hold to account any troops or allied forces committing violations.

In what appeared to be a separate development from the planned evacuation, the Russian defence ministry said 6,000 civilians and 366 fighters had left rebel-held districts over the past 24 hours.

A total of 15,000 people, including 4,000 rebel fighters, wanted to leave Aleppo, according to a media unit run by the Syrian government's ally Hezbollah.

The evacuation plan was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire.

By taking full control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia's air force and an array of Shi'ite militias from across the region.

Rebels have been supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but the support they have enjoyed has fallen far short of the direct military backing given to Assad by Russia and Iran.

Russia's decision to deploy its air force to Syria 18 months ago turned the war in Assad's favour after rebel advances across western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year.

The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria.

FEAR STALKS STREETS

As the battle for Aleppo unfolded, global concern has risen over the plight of the 250,000 civilians who were thought to remain in its rebel-held eastern sector before the sudden army advance began at the end of November.

The rout of rebels in Aleppo sparked a mass flight of terrified civilians and insurgents in bitter weather, a crisis the United Nations said was a "complete meltdown of humanity". There were food and water shortages in rebel areas, with all hospitals closed.

On Tuesday, the United Nations voiced deep concern about reports it had received of Syrian soldiers and allied Iraqi fighters summarily shooting dead 82 people in recaptured east Aleppo districts. It accused them of "slaughter".

The Syrian army has denied carrying out killings or torture among those captured, and Russia said on Tuesday rebels had "kept over 100,000 people in east Aleppo as human shields".

Fear stalked the city's streets. Some survivors trudged in the rain past dead bodies to the government-held west or the few districts still in rebel hands. Others stayed in their homes and awaited the Syrian army's arrival.
Actelion talking to Sanofi after J&J exit

By Oliver Hirt and Pamela Barbaglia

ZURICH/LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Switzerland's Actelion Ltd is in talks with French drugmaker Sanofi about a deal, sources said on Wednesday, after U.S. healthcare group Johnson & Johnson abandoned efforts to buy the company.

Two people familiar with the situation said discussions were advanced but a deal was not assured. Actelion's shares ended 9 percent lower on investor concern that J&J's exit underlined the challenges facing any bidder for Europe's biggest biotech group.

One option under consideration is for Sanofi to give shareholders a so-called contingent value right (CVR) on top of cash. The CVR would pay out if certain Actelion drugs live up to commercial expectations.

Sanofi, which also provided a tradable CVR when it bought U.S. rare diseases firm Genzyme for $20 billion in 2011, declined to comment.

Sources said Roche was closely monitoring developments and might yet step in, if talks with Sanofi foundered. A Roche spokesman declined to comment.

Sanofi was trumped in August by Pfizer's $14 billion bid for U.S. cancer drug company Medivation and is still eager for deals to broaden its drug line-up.

However, analysts said Sanofi Chief Executive Olivier Brandicourt could ill afford to fail in a second high-profile bid.

Actelion told J&J it was confident it could attract an offer significantly higher than the approximately 250 Swiss francs per share the U.S. company had offered, according to one person familiar with the matter.

There were also disagreements about the proposed deal's structure, the person added.

Actelion shares had closed at 208.50 Swiss francs on Tuesday, a 25 percent premium to their price before J&J's bid became public two weeks and giving the company a market capitalisation of 22.5 billion Swiss francs ($22.2 billion).

"I presume these parties are prepared to make offers that are more attractive than that which J&J was envisaging," said Eleanor Taylor Jolidon, a fund manager at Union Bancaire Privee in Geneva, which is among Actelion's top 40 investors.

"Otherwise, the board of directors would not have acted in the interests of the stakeholders by creating a situation in which J&J walked away."

CEO'S PIVOTAL ROLE

The Swiss company, founded by its CEO Jean-Paul Clozel in 1997, confirmed talks over a "possible strategic transaction" but did not name the counterparty.

A spokesman declined further comment but sources with knowledge of the matter identified Sanofi.

Analysts have previously named Sanofi as a potential buyer for Actelion, whose portfolio of drugs against deadly pulmonary arterial hypertension -- elevated pressure in arteries connecting the heart and lungs -- would supplement Sanofi's Genzyme unit.

Even so, a competitive auction could drive up its price to unrealistic levels.

"Winning a bidding war when it comes to acquiring biopharmaceutical companies almost always equates to way over-paying," wrote Tim Anderson, an Bernstein analyst.

"These are not bragging rights," he said. "If Actelion were to go out at around $30 billion, this equates to around 13 times sales and 30 times earnings before interest and taxes. These are high figures."

Clozel, who worked for Roche for 12 years before founding Actelion, and his wife, Chief Scientific Officer Martine Clozel, have built up a world-leading drug portfolio at Actelion to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension.

The Clozels aim to expand in drugs for multiple sclerosis and clostridium difficile, but regulatory approvals for those are years away.

The company is also counting on its new pulmonary arterial hypertension treatments Opsumit and Uptravi, which combined are forecast to bring in nearly 4.5 billion francs in annual sales by 2020.

Clozel has rebuffed past pressure from some shareholders to do a deal, maintaining Actelion is better off staying independent. Five years ago, he successfully fended off an effort by activist hedge fund Elliott Management to put Actelion up for sale.
KKR-backed consortium makes $5.5 bln counterbid for Australia's Tatts

By Jamie Freed

SYDNEY, Dec 14 (Reuters) - A group including private equity firm KKR and Macquarie Group Ltd on Wednesday offered up to A$7.3 billion ($5.47 billion) to buy Australian lottery operator Tatts Group, threatening a takeover deal with Tabcorp Holdings Ltd.

Tatts said in a statement that its board had not yet formed a view on how the proposal compared with the Tabcorp offer currently valued at about A$6.03 billion, but two Tatts shareholders said they believed it was a superior deal and could spark a bidding war with the entry of additional players.

The consortium, also including Morgan Stanley Infrastructure and First State Superannuation Scheme, has the advantage of not needing approval from the competition regulator, which is closely examining the offer from Tabcorp, Australia's biggest bookmaker.

Tabcorp in October agreed to acquire Brisbane-based Tatts to form a gambling powerhouse and fend off a growing challenge from overseas online rivals. But that deal is now in doubt as the new offer already has the backing of at least some shareholders.

"The value of the lotteries business is starting to be recognised," said Charlie Green, a director at Hunter Green Institutional Broking, which owns Tatts shares. "It is now undeniably game-on in terms of an auction."

The latest offer, while an improvement on Tabcorp's, was unlikely to be the last, said Gabriel Radzyminski, managing director of activist investor Sandon Capital, which also owns Tatts shares.

Tatts' stock soared as much as 13 percent to a nine-year high of A$4.74 after it announced the new proposal, suggesting the market prefers the consortium's bid.

The proposal from the Pacific Consortium comprises A$3.40 per share cash for the lotteries business and shares in a spinoff wagering company the consortium values at A$1 to A$1.60 a share, Tatts said.

The wagering company would be listed in Australia under the proposal, unless it was sold to a strategic buyer, such as Tabcorp, first.

Tabcorp has outlined A$1.4 billion of synergies associated with the Tatts merger, all of which relate to wagering rather than lotteries.

"The consortium bid, in a way, is an exploration if Tabcorp values lotteries or not," Radzyminski said, calling the structure of the new offer an invitation to Tabcorp to drop its takeover proposal and acquire the wagering component from the consortium.

TWO HORSE RACE?

Tabcorp's offer of 0.80 Tabcorp shares plus A$0.425 cash for each Tatts share held equated to A$4.11 per share based on Tabcorp's trading price on Wednesday.

Tabcorp's shares were down 1 percent, further lowering the value of its offer.

A Tabcorp spokesman said the company remained committed to completing the Tatts deal.

Each member of the Pacific Consortium holds a 30 percent stake except for Macquarie, which holds 10 percent, said a source familiar with the situation who was not authorised to speak publicly.

It was not immediately clear which member of the group would call the shots if the bid succeeded, the source said.

Pacific Consortium Chairwoman Kerry Schott said in a statement the group had a record of long-term investment in assets that "deliver annuity-style returns similar to infrastructure assets".

Tatts shareholder Green said lotteries were attractive to infrastructure investors because they offered large, reliable cashflows. Wagering, he said, was more volatile.

Radzyminski said he believed Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP), the owner of UK lottery operator Camelot Group, might also consider bidding for Tatts.
Saudi Arabia engineers big shift in oil market sentiment: Kemp

By John Kemp

LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has transformed sentiment in the oil market by assembling an unprecedented coalition of oil producing countries to agree output cuts in 2017.

Saudi officials have obtained pledges from OPEC members to cut production by almost 1.2 million barrels per day and from non-OPEC members by an extra 560,000 bpd during the first half of 2017.

In the process, Saudi negotiators wrong-footed many hedge fund managers, who had established large short positions in futures and options last month expecting there would be no deal or only a very weak one.

Hedge fund managers increased their short positions in the three main crude futures and options contracts by more than 200 million barrels between Oct. 18 and Nov. 22 amid scepticism about any deal.

But as negotiators narrowed their differences and then announced a deal among OPEC members nearly all those positions were closed: shorts were reduced by 174 million barrels in just two weeks between Nov. 22 and Dec. 6.

Saudi Arabia thus executed a successful short squeeze (whether that was the intention or not) and forced crude prices higher as bearish fund managers were forced to buy back their loss-making short positions.

Hedge funds in turn fuelled the rally by opening an extra 154 million barrels of crude long positions over the last four weeks, including 94 million barrels opened the week after the OPEC deal was announced.

The hedge fund community has therefore pivoted from a relatively bearish position on Nov. 15 (when funds held a net long position of just 422 million barrels) to a bullish one on Dec. 6 (with a record net long position of 895 million barrels).

Brent prices have been jolted up from less than $45 per barrel in mid-November to over $55 in recent trading.

And Brent time spreads, seen as an indication of the expected supply-demand balance, have strengthened, though most of the tightening has come after the first half of 2017.

SUCCESSFUL DEAL?

The abrupt shift in sentiment has led many analysts to conclude OPEC has returned to its former role as an active market manager after a number of years as a passive onlooker.

OPEC's return may be overstated. As in the past, the key role has been played by Saudi Arabia, in conjunction with its close allies, with Riyadh persuading other producers to lend symbolic support.

Nonetheless, Saudi Arabia has succeeded in banishing the bearishness that haunted the oil market over the last six months and converting most hedge fund managers into oil bulls.

The resulting increase in prices will make all OPEC and non-OPEC producers better off and helps vindicate the deal.

Oil exporters are less likely to cheat if the deal delivers the promised significant improvement in revenues, at least at first.

All the components for a successful deal to restrict oil output, cut excessive stockpiles, and drive crude prices higher have fallen into place.

Market conditions and price movements resemble those during previous successful deals in 1999/2000 and 2008/09.

The International Energy Agency assesses the OPEC and non-OPEC agreements could move the crude market into a deficit of 0.6 million bpd during the first half of 2017, if they are implemented fully.

Full compliance is unlikely. Energy professionals expect OPEC countries to achieve only around half of the promised cuts. But the assessment gives some indication of how much non-compliance could be tolerated before the deal unravels.

The challenge for the Saudis now is to keep the hedge fund managers on side to avert a sell off that could push prices lower again.

Many funds appear to follow momentum-based strategies (buying when prices are rising and selling when they are falling).

So the very large concentration of hedge fund long positions has created significant downside price risk if prices stop rising and start to pull back.

To keep the funds bullish, the Saudis need to turn the OPEC and non-OPEC agreements into a evidence of a real reduction in crude supplies and a drawdown in stocks.

Saudi Arabia and a number of other exporting countries have already begun to notify refiners shipments will be cut in January, with news leaked to the media.

Since stockpiles are most transparent and reported with the highest frequency in the United States, it would make sense to engineer a reduction in shipments to the United States and try to cut stocks on U.S. territory.

Nothing succeeds like success. Saudi Arabia needs clear evidence the deal is working to keep the hedge funds long and prices high, which in turn will encourage compliance with the deal, at least in the early stages.

The biggest risks come from non-compliance by OPEC members or Russia; a sharp rise in shale output; rising production from uncapped producers Libya and Nigeria; a drop in oil demand; or a fall in crude prices themselves.

If oil prices start falling, many hedge funds with long positions may be tempted to reduce them and take some profits.

The risks from all these sources are considerable and are likely to increase over time; any one of them could cause the OPEC and non-OPEC agreement to unravel if the gains from cooperation start to fade.

For now, however, Saudi Arabia has intervened successfully to shift sentiment and been rewarded with a price improvement of more than 20 percent.
U.S. Democrats enlist experts to scour Tillerson's business record

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democrats plan to enlist accountants and legal experts to pore through the business records of Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state, Democratic aides said.

Tillerson could face a rocky confirmation process, given concerns among both Democrats and Republicans about his ties to Russia. If Tillerson can overcome the skepticism of Republicans, he could win confirmation since their party will control a slim majority in the Senate when Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Democrats' misgivings about Tillerson go well beyond the worry that he might be too accommodating toward Moscow. They see risks of conflicts if the head of the $380 billion oil giant becomes the nation's top diplomat and they want to ensure that his personal wealth and business interests get close scrutiny.

Aides said Democrats began assembling experts to prepare for Tillerson's confirmation even before his nomination was formally announced on Tuesday.

"We will bring in people who have been through confirmation battles before," a Democratic leadership aide said. "We want to have a very thorough review. We are very comfortable with this process taking as long as it needs."

In many ways, Exxon operates its own kind of diplomatic corps, dispatching executives to network with government officials in the more than 40 countries in which the company operates.

"The scale and the reach of Exxon Mobil ... does raise some questions about those relationships and how his experience at the helm of Exxon Mobil will influence his decision-making as secretary," said Democratic Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which will hold Tillerson's confirmation hearing next month.

Tillerson, 64, is on the New York Times' list of the 200 highest-paid CEOs, having earned some $24.3 million in 2016. He has a net worth of $150 million, plus a $70 million pension plan. He would likely need to divest his holdings of Exxon stock.

RUSSIA TIES

Democrats are also consulting with foreign affairs experts as they examine his relationships with countries such as Russia.

Tillerson opposed sanctions imposed on Russia after its annexation of Crimea. He has said they are often ineffective. Exxon has said the sanctions on Russia could cost it hundreds of millions of dollars or more.

"We are looking at issues like, will he need to recuse himself from decisions on sanctions?" another Democratic aide said.

Exxon has also come under attack for the financial arrangements of its oil production in Chad, where the company's lawyers are negotiating over a $74 billion fine tied to accusations of royalty underpayment.

Exxon also has development rights in Iraq, which is battling Islamic State, and Saudi Arabia, with its controversial record on human rights and complex relationship with U.S. ally Israel and Iran, whose international nuclear agreement signed by President Barack Obama has been harshly criticized by Trump.

"Mr. Tillerson has demonstrated he knows the corporate world and can put his shareholders' interests first, but can he be a respected secretary of state that puts the national security interests of the American people first?" asked Senator Ben Cardin, the ranking Foreign Relations committee Democrat.

Tillerson enjoys strong support from Republican leaders, but some party members offered more muted reactions.

Marco Rubio, a Republican member of the Foreign Relations panel, who ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, said he had "serious concerns" about Tillerson's nomination.

Even critics said, however, they were open to the appointment, if Tillerson gives satisfactory answers during the confirmation process.

"There are lots of ways that energy and our energy dependence has influenced our foreign policy over decades, and hopefully he will bring some insights as a result of that experience," Coons said.
Australia ponder pace quartet for Pakistan opener

MELBOURNE, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Australia may unleash an all-pace attack against Pakistan for the series-opening day-night test in Brisbane, home captain Steve Smith said.

Smith expects fast bowler Jackson Bird, recalled for the last test against South Africa, to hold his place in the 11, meaning debutant paceman Chadd Sayers could edge out spinner Nathan Lyon for the match starting at the Gabba on Thursday.

"We want to have another look at the wicket today... to determine how much grass is on the wicket and things like that," Smith told reporters in Brisbane at the pre-match media conference on Wednesday.

"Jackson will probably play, he played the last game and played pretty well so I dare say he will play."

The Gabba wicket, which traditionally offers pace and bounce, had a layer of grass on the eve of the venue's first day-night test.

Cloudy conditions are also forecast at the end of the week which could make the pink ball swing as both sides hope to eke out an early advantage in the three-test series.

Curator Kevin Mitchell suggested the match might not last the full five days if the weather was humid.

"It's not beyond the realms of possibility," he told reporters.

Lyon took four wickets to help a re-jigged Australia side beat the Proteas in the day-night match in Adelaide, a return to form for the off-spinner after he struggled in defeats at Perth and Hobart as South Africa claimed a 2-1 series win.

Pakistan's batsmen took Lyon apart in a 2-0 series loss for Australia in the United Arab Emirates two years ago but the spinner has an excellent record in Brisbane and has not missed a test there since his debut in 2011.

"So I'll leave you guys to write that, that there's going to be four quicks and stuff," Lyon said earlier in the week.

"I'm confident of playing, I'll put it that way."
Iran crude oil exports to hit 5-mth low in Dec -source

By Osamu Tsukimori

TOKYO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Iran's crude oil exports in December are set to fall 8 percent from November to a five-month low, a source with knowledge of its preliminary tanker schedule said, as lower shipments to China and others in Asia offset bumper exports to Europe.

Iran was exempted from last month's OPEC deal to reduce output by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) starting from January, and had been expected to boost its output slightly.

But Iran's December crude exports excluding condensate are set to fall to 1.88 million bpd, from 2.04 million bpd in November, the source familiar with its export situation said. That may be a sign it is having trouble maintaining output after the lifting of sanctions this year led to a surge in production.

Exemption from the deal agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was a victory for Tehran, which has argued it needs to regain the market share it lost under Western sanctions targetting its nuclear programme.

Compared with a year ago, Iran's December crude exports are still set to jump 81 percent as shipments to Europe resumed only in February this year, according to the source.

ASIA EXPORTS TO TUMBLE

Iran exports to Asia this month are set to fall 17 percent from November to 1.11 million bpd, the lowest since February, as major importers all cut their purchases except for India.

Exports to Europe look set to rise 10 percent from November to this year's high of 767,000 bpd, topping levels seen prior to the imposition of toughened sanctions in 2012.

Before the sanctions were enforced, Iran was exporting about 2.2 million bpd of crude each month, with Europe taking about 600,000 bpd, according to the International Energy Agency.

Loadings headed for China in December will tumble 28 percent from November to 400,000 bpd, the lowest since October 2015.

Japan is lifting 134,000 bpd of crude, down 1.6 percent from November, while South Korea is loading 60,000 bpd, half its November volumes.

India - the only major Asian buyer to show growth - will load 517,000 bpd in December, up 12 percent from November and making it Iran's top buyer for the month.

In Europe, Italy and Turkey are both lifting around 190,000 bpd, while Greece and Spain are taking around 97,000 bpd.

Austria is loading about 1 million barrels this month, following its first purchase in years in August.

In addition, another 161,000 bpd is heading to unspecified destinations in Europe.
Syria's civil war to mar Obama legacy

By Matt Spetalnick and Jonathan Landay

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - The fall of the last rebel-held areas in the Syrian city of Aleppo could seal the fate of the "Obama Doctrine," deepening the world's worst humanitarian crisis in decades and staining U.S. President Barack Obama's legacy.

With the U.S.-aligned rebels facing defeat by government forces backed by Russia and Iran, Obama's light-footprint approach to the Syrian conflict will suffer a serious blow weeks before he hands power to President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20.

The rebel loss would underscore the failure of U.S. efforts to stem the carnage from Syria's nearly six-year-old civil war, leading some critics to predict that Obama's record will be tarnished just as President Bill Clinton's was by his refusal to intervene to halt the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

"There is no doubt he will be hammered in historical terms," said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East adviser to Republican and Democratic administrations. "The question will be why he didn't do more."

While the war is expected to grind on, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's victory in Aleppo would provide fresh fodder for Trump, who has argued the insurgency has collapsed, and the United States should revamp its fight against Islamic State by joining up with Russia, and by extension, Assad.

Syria has been one of the main testing grounds for Obama's doctrine of relying on local proxy fighters instead of large-scale U.S. military deployments, reflecting his reluctance to be drawn back into unpopular ground conflicts like the Iraq war.

The approach has faltered in Syria, where on Tuesday the Syrian army said it could declare full control over eastern Aleppo by Wednesday. A deal was struck to allow the remaining rebel fighters to evacuate their last enclave there, Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said.

"Leading from behind leaves a vacuum that is filled by the Bashar Assads and Vladimir Putins of the world," said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, referring to how an Obama aide described his strategy. "I think history will judge that these are unintended results that are going to cause great challenges to the United States for years to come."

Obama has been criticized for refusing to provide sufficient arms and other support to moderate rebel groups to compel Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers to negotiate an end to his authoritarian rule.

"Obama has pursued a policy of calculated dithering in Syria, just agonizing over the choices until they no longer existed," said Emile Hokayem, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.

The Democratic president has defended his policy as "judicious." His spokesman, Josh Earnest, said it was Obama's "overriding responsibility" to protect the interests and safety of the American people first.

A Republican, Trump has vowed a dramatic shift from Obama's cautious strategy toward a more aggressive approach - although exactly how he will proceed remains unclear.

He will inherit an increasingly complicated conflict in Syria, and many analysts fear his lack of foreign policy experience could lead to dangerous miscalculations.

If Trump follows through after Aleppo's fall on his pledge to cooperate with Russia, Assad's military patron, there is a risk that frustrated moderate rebels could gravitate toward militant factions that pose a potential threat to Western interests.

As Assad himself turns from the wreckage of Aleppo to assert his authority over a fractured Syria, he will have to contend with the loss of swaths of his country for the time being and tough pockets of resistance still to crush.

The war has taken some 400,000 lives and made more than 11 million people homeless, driving many into neighboring countries or on a long perilous trek to Europe.

COST OF INACTION

The imminent fall of rebel-held eastern Aleppo - and the sense of U.S. powerlessness as it unfolds - suggests that Obama likely will be judged by history as much for what he did not do as for what he did.

He first called on Assad to leave power in 2011. But Obama never supplied moderate rebels with enough firepower to topple him or force him to the negotiating table. His failure to carry out threatened air strikes to enforce his 2012 "red line" over Assad's use of banned chemical weapons dealt a heavy blow to U.S. standing, including by some of his staunchest regional allies.

Obama also rejected recommendations, as recently as October, by members of his national security team for tougher action against Assad. Instead, he gave priority to striking Islamic State with a U.S.-led bombing campaign and local allies assisted by relatively small numbers of U.S. special forces.

The strategy hewed to a prescription Obama laid out in a 2014 West Point speech in which he made clear he would intervene in foreign conflicts only when he believed U.S. interests were threatened.

That led to the return of thousands of U.S. military personnel to Iraq to support Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State.

But in Syria, despite providing billions of dollars in relief aid for refugees, Obama's approach has failed to quell what some have called the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two.

Obama recently told an interviewer that the grim situation in Syria "haunts me constantly" - although he insisted there was not much he would have done differently.

James Jeffrey, a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Turkey, said Obama's risk-averse approach had not only allowed Assad to attack the opposition with impunity but also opened the door to greater Russian and Iranian influence in the Middle East.

But Paul Pillar, a former top U.S. intelligence analyst on the Middle East, said Obama was right to hold back in Syria because it was "no place to commit U.S. prestige and resources for regime change."

Earnest said on Thursday that historians may "end up quibbling" about Obama's Syria policy, when he was asked about a Syrian opposition leader who told the Wall Street Journal that "history will never forgive Obama for what he has done to the Syrian people."

White House aides privately acknowledge that Syria - and other Arab countries in turmoil, such as Libya and Yemen - could leave a black mark on his legacy.

But they hope his record will be buoyed in other areas, including the landmark Iran nuclear deal, diplomatic openings to Cuba and Myanmar, the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the prevention of a 9/11-style attack on U.S. soil on his watch.

Still, reflecting deep unease in Washington over the bloodshed in Aleppo, Robert Ford, who resigned in 2014 as U.S. ambassador to Syria over policy disagreements, and is now at the Middle East Institute, said: "I'm personally sad that after we thought we had learned lessons in places like Sarajevo, Srebrenica and Rwanda, it's in fact very clear that this administration doesn't really care."
Romania - Factors to watch on Dec. 14

Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Wednesday.

ELECTION

Romania's Social Democrat Party (PSD), the winners of Sunday's election, declined to meet the president on Wednesday for talks on a new government, saying they would wait and propose a prime minister candidate only after a new parliament is sworn in.

INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT

Romania's National Statistics Board to release industrial output data for October at 0700 GMT.

POSTPONED TAX CUTS

Romania's leftist Social Democrats, winners of Sunday's parliamentary election, want to postpone by one year three tax cuts they had initially planned for 2017, party leader Liviu Dragnea said on Tuesday.

The outgoing technocrat government of Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos may approve the postponement via decree at its Thursday meeting.

CENTRAL BANK

The risk of a sudden shift in investors' perception of emerging economies has risen and could put pressure on Romania's economy quickly, the central bank warned on Tuesday, stressing the need for prudent fiscal and monetary policies.

CEE MARKETS

Central European government bonds rebounded on Tuesday as crude oil prices offered relief to debt markets, although Romanian bonds remained under pressure after leftists won a parliamentary election on the weekend.

For the long-term Romanian diary, click on

For emerging markets economic events, click on

For an index of all diaries, click on
Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Dec 14

PRAGUE, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial markets on Wednesday. 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================================== INVESTMENTS: The Czech Republic expects Chinese investment to gather pace as firms that have been buying up existing companies seek to expand their operations in the central European country, said the head of the state agency overseeing foreign investment. Story: Related stories: UNIPETROL: Refining group Unipetrol has extended a delivery contract with parent group PKN for Tatnetft crude. Story: Related stories: SKODA: Volkswagen's Skoda Auto said November deliveries grew by 9.6 percent year-on-year to 97,500 cars. Story: Related stories: BEER: Asahi Group Holdings will buy a group of eastern European beer brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev for 7.3 billion euros ($7.8 billion), boosting its new presence in the region in the largest overseas beer deal by a Japanese brewer. AB InBev agreed to sell brands including Pilsner Urquell from the Czech Republic, Poland's Tyskie and Lech, Hungary's Dreher and Romania's Ursus to ease clearance from competition regulators for its $100 billion takeover of SABMiller, finalised in October. Story: Related stories: CEE MARKETS: Central European government bonds rebounded on Tuesday as crude oil prices offered relief to debt markets, although Romanian bonds remained under pressure after leftists won a parliamentary election on the weekend. Story: Related stories: ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------ Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change close on day in 2016 vs Euro 27.019 26.997 -0.08 -0.08 vs Dollar 25.351 25.41 0.23 -1.97 Czech Equities 911.09 911.09 0.63 -4.73 U.S. Equities 19,911.21 19,796.43 0.58 14.27 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600 GMT ======================PRESS DIGEST============================== M&A: The Czech M&A market is seeing a record year, the newspaper said. First-half deals rose 75 percent to 119.5 billion crowns ($4.72 billion), according to EY research. Almost three quarters of deals involved Czech investors, up from half a year ago. Hospodarske Noviny, page 20 JOBS: Analysts from bank CSOB analysed around 60,000 of the 136,000 job vacancies in the country found that most are low paid and will be hard to fill without foreign workers, for example from Ukraine. The labour office says employers are mostly looking for production assistants, drivers, construction workers, cooks or security guards. Czech unemployment is at an eight-year low and is the lowest in the European Union. Hospodarske Noviny, page 5 WAGES: Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka supports higher pay for Czech Post workers, whose unions have called a 2-hour strike next week. Sobotka had earlier this month also urged one of the country's largest retail firms, the Dutch-based Ahold, to raise wages as income gaps with western Europe increasingly become a political issue. Lidove Noviny, page 12 MORTGAGES: Ceska Sporitelna, one of the country's biggest lenders, will raise mortgage rates by 0.4 percentage points from January. Hospodarske Noviny, page 12 TOURIST HOUSING: The number of tourists living in private accommodation or using services like Airbnb rose around 40 percent in the first nine months of the year to 2.2 million, according to CzechTourism agency research. (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 = 25.3390 Czech crowns) (Reporting by Prague Newsroom)
Dixons Carphone plans for tougher times ahead

By James Davey

LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Dixons Carphone, Britain's largest electricals and mobile phone retailer, is planning for tougher times after the group beat forecasts with a 19 percent rise in first-half profit.

The company has had a strong run of earnings so far in 2016, but its shares have fallen 30 percent, reflecting its exposure to high-cost, big ticket goods and perceived vulnerability to any drop in consumer spending.

Its shares had risen ahead of the results and were up initially on Wednesday before dropping sharply. They were nearly 7 percent down by 1200 GMT, making them the biggest fallers in the FTSE 100 index.

Analysts said Dixons Carphone's performance was not strong enough to justify a boost to earnings forecasts.

"The shares have had a good run (this week) and a lack of upgrades today has led to profit-taking," independent retail analyst Nick Bubb said.

Analysts also fear many retailers may have to raise prices next year as a slide in sterling after the Brexit vote has increased import costs, potentially squeezing consumer demand.

Dixons Carphone, which trades as Currys, PC World and Carphone Warehouse in Britain and Ireland, said it had still not seen any effect on trade in its home market as a consequence of Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union.

It said it remained optimistic about its ability to continue to gain market share in all its key markets, while its investment plans had not changed because of Brexit. It also operates the Elkjop and Elgiganten brands in Nordic countries and Kotsovolos in Greece.

But Chief Executive Seb James said the company was planning for the possibility of more uncertain times.

"In particular, we have been focusing on reducing our fixed cost base, identifying areas of potential market share growth if the world becomes a tougher place for our competitors, and generally preparing for all eventualities - just in case," he said.

"We are also planning our offer so that potential currency impacts are minimised for the customer."

Dixons Carphone's finance director Humphrey Singer said that 90 percent of its purchases are in sterling, meaning there is not a direct pressure from exchange rate movements.

He said its suppliers, who manufacture globally, will, however, feel currency pressure once their hedging arrangements begin to unwind.

But he said countering that was the fact that the company has a wide product range that tends to change a lot over time.

"So actually I'm not sure it will be very noticeable to consumers what the price changes (will be)," he said.

Singer also pointed out that many of Dixon Carphone's products are naturally deflationary - computer products deflate at about 10 percent a month, while TVs deflate at about 10 percent a quarter.

Dixons Carphone made an underlying pretax profit of 144 million pounds ($182.3 million) in the 26 weeks to Oct. 29 - ahead of analysts' average forecast of 141 million pounds.

Group revenue was 4.87 billion pounds, up 11 percent. Sales at stores open over a year rose 4 percent, driven by a 5 percent rise in the UK & Ireland.

Before Wednesday's update analysts were on average forecasting an underlying pretax profit of 487 million pounds for 2016-17, up from 447 million pounds in 2015-16.
Moscow says easier to deal on Aleppo with Ankara than Washington - RIA

MOSCOW, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Russia finds it easier to negotiate deals on the Syrian city of Aleppo with Turkey than with the United States, RIA news agency quoted a Russian foreign ministry official as saying on Wednesday.
Turkey's Syria campaign has killed 1,800 IS and Kurdish militia fighters -Erdogan

ANKARA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Turkey's military operations in Syria have killed around 1,800 Islamic State and Kurdish militia fighters since being launched in August, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

Turkey launched "Operation Euphrates Shield" four months ago in a bid to push Islamic State militants away from its border in northern Syria and prevent Kurdish militia groups from seizing territory in their wake.
China tells Japan it opposes unilateral North Korea sanctions

BEIJING, Dec 14 (Reuters) - China is willing to work with the international community to fully implement U.N. resolutions on North Korea, but opposes any unilateral sanctions outside that framework, a senior Chinese diplomat told Japan on Wednesday.

Japan and South Korea said this month they would impose new unilateral sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, following a new U.N. Security Council resolution imposed on the reclusive country.

North Korea has rejected the U.N. resolution, aimed at cutting its annual export revenue by a quarter after its fifth and largest nuclear test in September.

It says the resolution is a conspiracy hatched by the United States to deny its sovereignty.

Both South Korea and Japan already have comprehensive unilateral sanctions in place against North Korea.

Speaking by telephone to Kenji Kanasugi, director-general of Asian and Oceanian affairs bureau at Japan's foreign ministry, China's special envoy for the Korean peninsula Wu Dawei said China had always pushed for denuclearisation via talks.

"China is willing, along with the international community, to fully and completely enforce Security Council resolutions, and opposes unilateral sanctions imposed outside the framework of Security Council resolutions," China's Foreign Ministry cited Wu as saying.

"The situation on the Korean peninsula is complex and sensitive. All sides should work hard together to maintain the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula," Wu said.

China also hopes all parties can create conditions for the early resumption of a six-party talks process, he said, referring to a stalled dialogue mechanism involving the two Koreas, China, Japan, the United States and Russia.

China is North Korea's sole major ally though their relations have been seriously strained by North Korea's repeated missile and nuclear tests.

While China has signed up for several rounds of U.N. sanctions it has repeatedly said civilians and normal trade contacts should not be affected.
Retail magnate Wiese pursues retail vision through "Africa's IKEA"

By Tiisetso Motsoeneng

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 14 (Reuters) - South African retail magnate Christo Wiese sought to create an African retail giant on Wednesday with the proposed takeover of Steinhoff's African assets by Africa's biggest grocery retailer Shoprite.

Wiese owns 16 percent of Shoprite and 23 percent of Steinhoff, the owner of UK's Poundland and U.S.-based Mattress Firm, which said on Wednesday they were in talks about an all-share deal that would create a no-frills retailer with $15 billion in annual sales spanning food, furniture and clothes.

The deal, which was initiated by Wiese, would give Steinhoff, which is dubbed Africa's IKEA and vies with the Swedish firm for global market share, a major interest in Shoprite, a 110 billion rand ($8 billion) company operating in countries including South Africa, Nigeria and Angola.

Wiese, also a top shareholder and board member in Brait , which owns British clothing retailer New Look and gym chain Virgin Active, told Reuters in September a Shoprite and Steinhoff merger would be a "natural development".

But investors were not immediately convinced by the proposed tie-up, which one banker said could value the merged entity at around $15 billion, sending shares in both companies between 4 percent and 8 percent lower as analysts questioned its merits.

Shoprite fell 6.6 percent to 180 rand, on course for its biggest daily percentage decline in nearly a decade, while Steinhoff slumped 7 percent in Johannesburg and Frankfurt, where it took its primary listing a year ago to raise its profile and access deeper capital markets.

"I see no logic in this deal...Both have operated independently well on their own for last 20 years and they've never needed each other," Evan Walker, an analyst at 36One Asset Management in Johannesburg.

"The overlap is so miniscule that it doesn't make a difference."

Under the proposal, Shoprite would issue shares to Steinhoff in exchange for its assets on the continent that include clothes discounter Pepkor and furniture business JD Group.

For Shoprite, the deal allows it to branch out of grocery retail into clothing, electronics, shoes and furniture while Steinhoff, through its "significant" stake in Shoprite, would add groceries to its sprawling four continent empire.

AFRICA'S IKEA

Steinhoff has also agreed in principle to buy Wiese's 1 billion rand stake in Shoprite and that of the Public Investment Corporation, a South African government employee pension fund that owns 11 percent.

In addition, the two companies said Steinhoff may be required to extend a mandatory offer it plans to make to the two biggest shareholders to other investors on the same terms, a move that could lead to a full takeover of Shoprite.

"If this is the case, such offer will be in the form of a Steinhoff share-for-Shoprite share exchange," they said.

The potential tie-up excludes Steinhoff's European, Asian and U.S. assets. It extends Steinhoff's deal-making binge that has taken the company across the Atlantic for first time with the $3.8 billion rand acquisition of U.S-based Mattress Firm.
Philippines' Duterte "in the pink of health", ministers say

MANILA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Ministers in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's cabinet on Wednesday said he was in good health, after the leader talked about ailments afflicting him and said he might not live to complete his six-year term.

Duterte told a gathering of business leaders on Monday that he suffered from back pains, migraines and Buerger's disease, a cause of blockages in the blood vessels, associated with smoking in his youth.

The 71-year-old president stirred further questions about his health by telling a crowd of a few thousand expatriate Filipinos in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, where he is on a visit, that he might not "be around" until the end of his term.

"He is doing very well," presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella told a news briefing in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, however.

"Whatever pains he's experiencing, is basically, as the doctors would say, 'Wear and tear'. So nothing to be afraid about, nothing to be concerned about. He's doing fine."

Duterte, who will be 77 at the end of his term in 2022, is the oldest person to be elected president in the Philippines since the post-war period.

He missed some events during meetings of the ASEAN grouping of South East Asian nations in Laos in September and last month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru, due to migraine attacks and a bad stomach.

Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello told the same media briefing he had difficulty keeping pace with Duterte's schedule, and did not know where the leader got his energy.

"He is super-healthy," said Bello. "Whatever he is doing, I don't think somebody who is sick can do that. He must be in the pink of health."
Flight MH370 families urge Mauritians to be on alert for debris

PORT LOUIS , Dec 14 (Reuters) - Relatives of victims of a Malaysian Airlines flight that vanished in 2014 urged the people of Mauritius on Wednesday to be on lookout for plane debris that might wash ashore in the Indian Ocean island state and hand in anything to authorities.

Flight MH370, carrying 239 passengers and crew, disappeared on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, sparking an international search in the southern Indian Ocean that continues today.

"We hope more people will find more debris which could help to determine the location of the wreckage," Hui Jiang, who lost his mother on the plane, told a news conference in the Mauritian capital Port Louis.

Jiang and five others were visiting Mauritius this week as part of a regional tour by relatives of the missing passengers to help raise alertness to plane wreckage that might turn up in the area.

"We don't know how many pieces are out there and lost forever because people are not aware," said Grace Nathan, whose mother was on the doomed flight.

A total of 33 pieces suspected to be from the plane have been found so far, including parts of the wings and tail, on the shores of Mauritius, the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, Mozambique, Tanzania and South Africa.
EU leaders seek more vessels for Libyan coastguard

BRUSSELS, Dec 14 (Reuters) - European Union leaders will on Thursday call for more vessels for the Libyan coastguard to help it prevent migrants leaving its shores for Europe, sources said.

Migrant arrivals from Libya to EU member state Italy are higher this year than last at more than 175,000 people. Curbing immigration is the bloc's top priority after about 1.4 million refugees and migrants reached it in 2015-2016.

The EU's naval operation in the Mediterranean, Sophia, which is targeting arms traffickers and training the Libyan coastguard, is obliged to pluck out of the sea people who leave Libya in unreliable boats provided by people smugglers, meaning most of those who reach Italy arrive on EU vessels.

One EU official said the bloc is increasingly worried that Sophia "has become a taxi service".

At their summit in Brussels on Thursday, EU leaders will agree on "the need to enhance support for the Libyan coastguard", according to a draft joint statement.

An EU diplomat said the bloc needed to find a way to finance the Libyan coastguard or provide it with vessels directly: "The idea would be to make it more effective in preventing migrants from leaving Libya rather than just having our search and rescue operations."

Diplomats say that has so far proven difficult to agree among member states and Brussels, and can carry risks because of the breakdown of law and order in Libya, which has allowed the smuggler gangs to operate freely.

Libya has been engulfed in chaos since the West, including EU states, helped rebels oust its long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

While the country now has a U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, it has been struggling to impose its authority on rival factions, leaving Libya caught up in factional fighting between various groups of former rebels who had battled Gaddafi.
U.S. approves $25 million radar sale to the Philippines

WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. government has approved the sale to the government of the Philippines of two Sea Giraffe radars and related equipment, support and training for about $25 million, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Wednesday.

The Philippines requested the sale to improve monitoring of its territorial waters. The radars will be installed on two Philippines Navy ships and the principle contractors will be VSE Corp and Saab.

The radar sale will allow the Philippines to beef up its maritime security and helps reinforce an important U.S. regional security relationship at a time when Washington is concerned about what it sees as China's overreaching claims in the South China Sea.

The Philippines has for decades been one of the closest U.S. allies in Asia, but the relationship has been strained recently as President Rodrigo Duterte has voiced disdain and mistrust of Washington while U.S. officials are worried over potential human rights violations under his government.

The U.S. Congress was informed of the radar sale and did not object.
UK prosecutor drops Somali corruption inquiry into Soma Oil

LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - UK prosecutors have closed a 17-month investigation into alleged bribery and corruption at Soma Oil & Gas, a private UK exploration company seeking oil in Somalia, despite finding "reasonable grounds" to suspect wrongdoing.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO), which opened the inquiry last July after a tip-off from the United Nations' Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group (SEMG), said there was not enough evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.

"Whilst there were reasonable grounds to suspect the commission of offences involving corruption, a detailed review of the available evidence led us to the conclusion that the alleged conduct, even if proven and taken at its highest, would not meet the evidential test required to mount a prosecution for an offence," the SFO said in a statement on Wednesday.

A spokesman for Soma, which has vigorously denied any wrongdoing and was one of the first energy explorers to enter Somalia in 2013 after more than two decades of conflict, welcomed the SFO decision.

Soma, chaired by former British Conservative Party leader Michael Howard, attempted to bring an ambitious legal challenge against the SFO earlier this year to force prosecutors to either end their investigation or indicate informally that they did not plan to pursue the company. It failed.

According to the High Court judgment on Soma's bid for a judicial review, the SEMG alleged in a report last year that "capacity building payments" from Soma to Somali public officials were "a likely part of a quid pro quo arrangement" allowing Soma to claim commercial advantages.

The judgment, published on Aug. 17, said the SFO inquiry had cast a shadow over Soma's business and "gave rise to a risk of insolvency".

Under its Somali deal, Soma provided the government with seismic surveys on 12 offshore oil and gas blocks covering around 60,000 square kilometres in return for getting first refusal on blocks it wanted to explore.

But the SFO inquiry was compounded by delayed Somali parliamentary elections and doused Soma's hopes of bringing in a partner, tapping investors or raising debt or equity to proceed with plans such as building costly offshore wells.
Venezuela power clash resumes after Vatican-led talks falter

By Andrew Cawthorne

CARACAS, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Political conflict between Venezuela's opposition-run legislature and socialist government flared again on Wednesday after the breakdown of Vatican-led talks, as each side moved to appoint its own members to the national election board.

The opposition Democratic Unity coalition blames President Nicolas Maduro for the OPEC nation's shrinking and dysfunctional economy, and wants to remove him through a referendum or by bringing forward the presidential vote due for late 2018.

Maduro, 54, says he will stay the course, and accuses opponents of sabotaging the economy to undermine him while also seeking a coup with U.S. connivance.

The feuding sides came together at the end of October in a dialogue convened by the Vatican and three former heads of government. But the opposition walked out last week saying officials were reneging on accords including an agreement to negotiate new members of the five-person election board.

That issue is central to Venezuela's long-running political conflict because the election board has quashed the opposition's request this year for a recall referendum and is viewed by many in Venezuela as being compliant towards the government.

On Tuesday, the National Assembly pressed ahead with a symbolic political trial of Maduro, declaring him responsible for economic hardship and rights abuses in the nation of 30 million people. Later, the Supreme Court, which normally backs Maduro, renewed the terms of two outgoing election board members, saying the Assembly was in "contempt" of the law.

Opposition leaders said that was an unconstitutional usurping of their functions and were set to appoint their own replacements for the two board members during a National Assembly session later on Wednesday.

"The Supreme Court cannot substitute the Assembly's responsibility," said lawmaker Juan Pablo Guanipa, who sits on the assembly's appointments committee.

"They have caused a war of powers, and this leads us to a situation of total non-governance in the nation."

Government legislators, who walked out of the Assembly on Tuesday, lodged formal complaints at the Supreme Court and Comptroller's Office on Wednesday against opposition lawmakers.

"Not only are they seeking a coup d'etat against the president, but they are also flagrantly breaking the law," said minority leader Hector Rodriguez.

While the politicians bicker, Venezuelans are reeling from a brutal economic crisis, with many skipping meals due to shortages and soaring prices in a third year of recession.
Egypt freezes assets of media company chairman

CAIRO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The chairman of two independent Egyptian newspapers, including one of the country's only English-language papers, said on Wednesday that the company's assets were frozen for alleged ties to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, a charge he denied.

The Muslim Brotherhood's activities were banned in 2013 after the army ousted President Mohamed Mursi of the Brotherhood following mass protests against his rule.

The government formed a committee shortly thereafter to manage the Brotherhood's funds and properties. It has since seized the assets of many of the group's leaders.

Mostafa Sakr, chairman of Business News -- the parent company of Al-Borsa, a widely read financial newspaper, and Daily News Egypt, a popular English-language paper -- denied any connection to the organisation.

"Our notebooks are open and our assets are clear and they have just one source, our advertisements and subscriptions," Sakr told Reuters.

"We did not receive any explanations or even warnings about this beforehand whatsoever, so we are extremely surprised by this decision," he said.

Human rights groups have accused Egyptian authorities of widespread violations that include rolling back press freedoms won in the 2011 uprising that toppled veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
Venezuela tries to crash Mercosur talks, says minister 'thrown to ground'

By Hugh Bronstein and Girish Gupta

BUENOS AIRES/CARACAS, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said his foreign minister was "thrown to the ground" by Argentine authorities on Wednesday after attempting to crash a Mercosur trade bloc meeting in Buenos Aires, following Venezuela's suspension from the group earlier this month.

In dramatic video shot outside Argentina's Foreign Ministry, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez is seen jostling with security to try to get into the meeting, though Maduro presented no evidence she was thrown to the ground.

"She was gravely hurt and possibly has a fractured collarbone," Maduro said on Wednesday evening during a speech in Cuba.

OPEC member Venezuela was expelled from Mercosur this month in part due to concerns about the government's human rights record.

Maduro's socialist government, which has lost allies in the region as various countries including Argentina have moved to the right, says its suspension from the bloc is an unjustified and illegal "coup."

"If they close the door to us we will, as our President Maduro has said, go through the window," Rodriguez told reporters outside the ministry. "Venezuela does not need an invitation because it is for the time being president of Mercosur."

Critics of the government in Venezuela lambasted Rodriguez as an embarrassment to the country.

The pugnacious foreign minister was later allowed into the ministry building to meet with Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra. Rodriguez stayed for about an hour before exiting without gaining access to the Mercosur session.

Malcorra later told reporters that she had made it clear to Rodriguez that while she was welcome to meet one-on-one with her at the ministry, Venezuela was not invited to the Mercosur conference.

"No one ever gets into a multilateral meeting without authorization. The minister obviously felt she had the right to attend, but she had been told explicitly, verbally and in writing that she was not invited," Malcorra said.

The one-on-one meeting also proved fruitless, she added.

"We got into a circular discussion that was not going to get us to a concrete solution," Malcorra told a news conference.
Chilean heat wave breaks record temperature set a century ago

SANTIAGO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - A heat wave brought blistering temperatures to the streets of Chile's capital city, Santiago, on Wednesday and broke a century-old record as thermometers reached 37.3 Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit).

Chile's meteorological service called the event extreme, while the health ministry advised residents to wear light clothing, drink water and avoid outdoor activities.

"The only thing to do is quickly go [into the shade], wet yourself down, and drink lots of water. You can't do much else," said Luis Duran, a middle-aged kiosk owner in the city's historic center.

The nation's forestry service, which is currently battling scores of forest fires in central Chile, warned of "extreme risk" of dry vegetation going up in flames, creating a potential headache for Chile's timber industry.

Authorities said that exposure to ultraviolet light, the cause of summer tans and sunburns, was also a concern, especially in agriculture and other industries that require outdoor work.

"It's at an extreme level, I mean dangerous just doesn't do it as an adjective," Luis Salazar, with the nation's meteorological service told Reuters.

Santiago, a city of around 6.2 million people, is in a dry mountain valley in central Chile less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Pacific Ocean and typically enjoys a moderate climate. The temperature on Wednesday broke a previous high of 37.2 Celsius, set in 1915.
Appe Lanka recently launched its new website and the projects management shared their plans for the first quarter of 2017 at a gathering that was graced by Chief Guest D.M. Swaminathan Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement & Hindu Religious Affairs and Guest of Honour Eng. KarunasenaHettiarachchi - Secretary to the Ministry of Defence. The event took place at the Jaguar Land Rover Showroom and was attended by members of the media, local business leaders,

community members, public sector officials and project representatives at the Jaguar Land Rover showroom. The launch of the website marked the start of the projects two-year fundraising drive, which is being initiated by Appe Lanka to support and sustain its work in north-east Sri Lanka.

Appe Lankais a rural development project, which is initiated by Awakening Lanka in partnership with the Sri Lankan Governments Ministry of Rehabilitation and Resettlement. The project strives to positively impact and uplift the people of Poonakary, who were severely affected during the years of civil war and are still struggling to regain a sense of normalcy in their lives.

The new website features an overview of the projects goals, objectives and progress in north-east Sri Lanka and includes striking visual imagery of the project in action. Each key focus of the area is described along with an overview of local events and initiatives that are conducted to support and uplift the community.

Appe Lankas first fundraising event, titled For Poonakary, will be hosted in begging of 2017 to raise funds and awareness for the initiative whilst facilitating reconciliation, peace and understanding in Poonakary. At the event, cyclists, hikers, swimmers, sailors and kayakers from all walks of life will come together with the common goal of travelling from Kalapitiya to Poonankary to raise funds and generate awareness and hype about Appe Lanka and its work.

At the end of their journey, a celebratory concert that will feature traditional songs, dances and poems and Appe Lanka foundation will also donate 100 bicycles for the children to travel to school in-order to prevent them from dropping out of school. At the concert, the official For Poonakary theme song will be launched in the presence of community members, government officials, Appe Lanka representatives and well-wishers.

Commenting on the project, Shaan Corea- Founder, Appe Lanka said, We are truly pleased to launch our official website and we look forward to commencing our fundraising drive. All the funds that we raise will help us to make a meaningful impact and run a sustainable project in a part of our country that is truly in need. Our team is thankful for all of the support that we have received so far and we would like to take this opportunity to invite corporates, business leaders and representatives from both the public and private sector, to join us on this important journey of change and reconciliation.

Appe Lanka primarily strives to provide renewable electricity and social services to households in villages recovering from the civil was. Additionally,the project offers psycho-social support to the youth of the community, by counselling school children and encouraging them to embrace an attitude of perseverance and strength. To date, Appe Lanka has completed a pilot project that provides solar home systems to 28 homes in Poonakary, and a further 1000 homes have been identified for future development. In addition, the project raised funds to donate 23 computers, to 23 village schools in October.

All fundraising initiatives in the years to come, will be facilitated to help Appe Lanka achieve its long-term project goals and vision. Going forward, Appe Lanka will be using all funds raised towork towards building an educational training and retirement centre, that will create sustainable economic development and employment opportunities for the people ofPoonakary.

In the year ahead, aside from running its core projects, Appe Lanka will also be facilitating livelihood development programmes and tailor-made training initiatives that address the specific needs and challenges of youth and adults in the area. To support all solar projects, youth will be trained on how to install and maintain solar power systems in the village, enabling them to find financial independence whilst contributing to the well-being of their community at large. A BPO training programme will also be implemented to ensure that all youth will have the chance to live and work in Poonakary in the long-run. Concentrated efforts are also being made to enhance the levels of literacy in the village and a large-scale English Language training initiative will be implemented shortly.

Appe Lanka, which operates under the banner of Awakening Lanka, was founded by Shaan Corea in August 2015 and the project is further supported by its network of partners which includes Michael Ondaatje, the Ministry of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs, Sampath Bank, D.L & F. De Saram and Olivia BonnalSansoni.

Appe Lanka'sPledge for Poonakary event is supported by Hilton Colombo, Jaguar Land Rover, DYNAMIC AV Technologies (PVT) LTD, Anim8, House of Wines, Leo Burnett /MSLGROUP, 230i, Little Black Book, Shirohana, Olivia BonnalSansoni andLumala.

To sponsor or support Appe Lanka and its efforts to empower the people of Poonakary, kindly call +94 (11) 2582103 / +94 77 2872056 or e-mail info@awakeninglanka.com
The Hambantota Magistrates Court today issued an order containing seven conditions to stop the protest and Satayagraha by the Hambantota Port employees as it hampered the activities of the Port.

Magistrate Manjula Karunaratne ordered the protesters not to block the entrance to the Port, not to damage the vessels calling to the Port and sailing from the Port, not to intimidate the Police and Naval personnel arriving at the Port, provide any apparatus or keys required for the Port activities when demanded by the responsible official without any delay, not to damage any property of the Port, not obstruct any trade union action of the Ports Authority and not to use property of the Port for any trade union action.

Hambantota ASP Prasanna De Alwis handed over the court order to the protestors and the protestors had accepted it.

Port Employees Union president Suranga Lakmal said they would continue their protests abiding by the conditions of the court order until they get employment at the Ports Authority.

He said they would remove the tent set up at the Ports entrance and would set it up somewhere else so that activities of the Port would not be obstructed as ordered by the court.(Sanath Gamage)
The worlds leading public intellectual, Prof. Noam Chomsky in an exclusive interview with Daily Mirror, spoke on many issues that have pervaded the current political scenario. In the interview, he details the reasons behind the election victory of Donald Trump, his views on the rise of the Right Wing and the causes that resulted in the people losing confidence in mainstream political establishments.

Noam Chomsky, one of the world's most cited scholars, considered the Father of modern linguistics, a paradigm shifter in Human Sciences, Cognitive Scientist, Philosopher and the world's leading political dissident, spoke to Daily Mirror on a wide array of topics at his study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Boston. Having written his first landmark work Synctactic Structures laying the groundwork for the scientific study of language in 1957, he co-created the Universal Grammar theory and the Generative grammar theory among others. Chomsky's foray into political dissidence was during the Vietnam War when he penned down an anti-war essay titled The Responsibility of Intellectuals. His activism resulted in multiple arrests and was placed on consecutive watch lists by the Government of United States. He has since spearheaded thought through numerous books and publications, most of which are political in nature including Manufacturing Consent (1988), Understanding Power (2002), Necessary Illusions (1989), On Power and Ideology (1987), Problems of Knowledge and Education (1971) Propaganda and the Public Mind (2001) and On Palestine (2015), among many others.

Born on December 7, 1928 to Jewish parents in Philadelphia, Avram Noam Chomsky developed a keen and critical mind, questioning the existing institutional, academic and governance structures since his early teens. As an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Chomsky studied philosophy, logic and languages after which he was named to the Society of Fellows at the Harvard University. Thereafter he commenced teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he currently continues to have ties with as a Professor Emeritus. He married Carol Doris in 1949 to whom he remained faithful until her death in 2008. He is the father of three children and currently resides in Boston. He shared the following:

Q: It is both a pleasure and a privilege to have you speak for the first to a Sri Lankan entity - The Daily Mirror. Since we are confined by time, I would appreciate if the answers are kept as brief as possible. To start off with, during the recent election of Donald Trump, we saw a kind of rise of racism and xenophobia, a phenomenon of right wing populism that we are seeing across the world including in Sri Lanka. What are your views on this?

A: There are many factors but there are some that are pretty common, certainly for the United States and Europe from which I have just returned, incidentally. One factor that is common and which is very significant is the Neo Liberal programme that was instituted globally, roughly around 35 years ago, around 1980 or a little before and picking up afterwards. These are programmes that were designed in such a way that they marginalize and cast aside a considerable majority of the population. So in the United States if you take a look at say the Trump voters, they are not the poorest people. They have homes, they have jobs, and they have small businesses. They may not have the jobs they like but they are not starving and are not living on US$ 2 a day. These are people who have been stuck for 30 years. Their history and their own image of life and history and the country is- that they have worked hard all their lives, they have done all the right things. They have families, they go to Church and they have done everything right just as their parents did. Theyve been moving forward, which they expected to continue: that their children would be better off than they are, but it hasnt happened. It stopped. As if they are in a line, in which they were moving forward and it stopped. Ahead of them in the line are people who have just shot up into the stratosphere: that is Neo Liberalism. It concentrates wealth in tiny sectors. They dont mind that, because part of the American mythology is that you work hard and you get rewards. It is not what happens but that fits the picture, the mythology. The people behind them are the ones they resent. This is not untypical; scapegoating. Blame your problems on those who are even worse off than you. And their conception is that the Federal Government is their enemy, which works for the people behind them. That the Federal Government gives Food Stamps to people who dont want to work, that it gives welfare payments to women who drive in rich cars to welfare offices. (These are) images that Ronald Reagan concocted. Their thinking is that, the Federal Government is helping to put them in line ahead of me, but nobody is working for me. That picture is all over the West. A large part of it was behind the Brexit vote, in the United States they would blame Mexican immigrants, or Afro Americans, in the UK they would blame the Polish immigrants, in France the North Africans and in Austria the Syrian immigrants. The choice of target depends on the society, but the phenomenon is pretty similar. The general nature is pretty similar. There are streaks of racism, xenophobia, sexism, and opposition to gay rights and all sorts of things. And they coalesce when economic and social policies have been designed in such a way which essentially ignores these people and their concerns and doesnt work for them -- and seems to them to work against them.

Q: But dont you think Professor, the notion of an isolationist imperial power, a non-intervening imperial interest that Donald Trump has promised, is something positive for countries like Sri Lanka and the third world at large?

A: Isolationist is a very funny word. Take Donald Trumps recent appointments -- the important appointments. The most important appointment is his National Strategy Advisor who is Michael Flynn. He is a radical Islamophobe. He thinks we should go to war with the whole Islamic world,-- the whole Islamic world. And his view of Islam is not that of a religion, but that its a political ideology like fascism, and it is at war with us and that we should destroy it. Is that isolationism? Donald Trumps position and that of Paul Ryan and other Right Wingers is that we should sharply build up the Pentagon. They talk about our depleted military forces. I mean you dont know whether to laugh or not. The US spends almost as much on the military as the rest of the world combined. It is technologically far more advanced. No other country has hundreds of military bases all over the world, actually forces fighting all over the world. But we are a depleted military force and everybody is about to attack us and we have to build the military more, is that isolationist? We have to carry out economic war against other countries, is that isolationist? No of course not. This is vulgar imperialism masked by a fraudulent concern for the working people and the middle class. Is there any such concern apparent from his cabinet appointments? (they are) straight out of Wall Street and Goldman Sachs. Take a look at the stock market, that tells you how people with power are evaluating his Presidency. (it) Shot up as soon as he was elected. The financial institutions zoomed. The worlds biggest Coal Company Peabody which was in bankruptcy had its stock go up by about 50% within days of his election. The military industry, energy industries, pharmaceuticals..they are all going to the sky. Is that an illusion? No, its not. Thats the policy, the appeal is not so much the poor, but working people who have suffered, not suffered in the sense of real deep poverty, but suffered in the sense of a loss of status, a loss of dignity, and a loss of hope for the future. In the United States this is combined with an objective fact. That this country is built on extremist white supremacy, comparative measures of white supremacy across the world has put the United States way in the lead, even ahead of white South Africa, and now the white population is becoming a minority.

Q: You bring in two interesting points; one is on white supremacy and the other is on Islam and Islamophobia. Firstly though, this idea of supremacy, we have seen this even in parts of South Asia. If you see the rise of Narendra Modi, it was along the same populist lines and even in post war Sri Lanka we are seeing these same attitudes swelling up. So it is not something confined to the US. What do you think the real reason is for this?

A: Different reasons for different places. In India its the rise of Hindu nationalism, which is extremely dangerous. It looks like there is an alliance building up with these xenophobic Right Wing forces around the world. If you noticed, the reactions to Trumps election across the world, was great enthusiasm from the ultra-Right all over. In fact, his first contact was with Nigel Farage, the leader of the UKIP in England and it went on like that. There are common features, but different factors in different countries. In India, it is the Muslims, in the United States its Muslims too. But there were also Mexicans and so on. But I think throughout the world you see a similar failure of mainstream establishment institutions to deal with the peoples real problems.

Q: Arent these fears about the Muslims real? Even in Sri Lanka, there is this fear about the Muslims, along the lines of the fear prevailing in the West. Arent these fears about the Muslims real?

A: They are not unreal. Hitlers fears about the Jews under the Nazis were not totally unreal. There were rich Jewish bankers, there were Jewish Bolsheviks. Any propaganda system, no matter how vulgar or disgraceful, can only succeed if there are at least small elements of truth. They may be small. While you are in Boston if you listen to Talk Radio the main radio- all very Right Wing - you will hear people speaking about Syrian refugees and how they are being treated like princes. That they have been given all kinds of money, that they have been given health services, and education - all kinds of things that we dont have the Syrian refugees get- How many Syrian refugees are there? A couple of thousand! They probably do get health services, so it is not totally false. But the typical history of scapegoating is to pick vulnerable people and find something that is not totally false about them- because you have to have some element of truth- and then build it up into a colossus which is about to overcome you. I mean there are states in the United States in the Midwest, where the legislature has passed laws banning Shari'a. How likely is Shari'a going to be imposed in Oklahoma? I mean you know it is not zero. You can find a woman somewhere who is wearing a veil, so there is something. But thats the way it works. I think in Sri Lanka there is a pretty ugly history after all; I dont have to recount it. You can find plenty of cases of massive atrocities and crimes and so on. A demagogic leader and the administration which is not working in the interest of the population but in the interest of wealth and power, almost reflexively is going to turn to attacks on the vulnerable with the support of the media and often the intellectual classes, and blow up small elements of truth into a massive attack. The United States is extremely interesting in this respect. It is the most safe and secure country in the world, but it is probably the most frightened country in the world. Do you know any other country where people feel that unless they take a gun to Church or a restaurant they might be attacked? I mean, does it happen in Sri Lanka? No! Does it happen anywhere else? but it happens in the United States of America. All over the United States people feel terrified -- they are coming after us, and that goes way back in American history, and it has roots. There are historical roots.

Q: Going by what you just said Professor, Edward Said, one of your contemporaries and friends writing in the early 80s in his seminal work Orientalism and Covering Islam points out that Islam has been portrayed by the West, as a monolithic entity. That the West ignored the different histories and different cultures and so on. Have the Muslims of today, 30 years on, bought into this propaganda and believe themselves that they are in fact a monolithic entity?

A: Take the US or the British policy towards Islam. It has been highly supportive of the most radical elements of Islam. That is true of the British and its true of the Americans after they took over from the British. So who is the leading US ally in the Islamic world? Saudi Arabia, perhaps the most extreme, radical, fundamentalist State in the world. But certainly in the Islamic world. And a missionary State, which uses its huge resources to sponsor its Wahabist extremism through Madrasas and so on. It is the main source of Jihadism. The main ally is that -- monolithic. I mean what state power does, and propaganda usually follows, is (to) find what will support a power interest. In these cases imperial policy. If it happens to be radical Islam thats fine. At the same time we might be fighting radical Islam somewhere else. The propaganda system would create images of Islamic terror seeking to destroy us when that turns out to be the plausible kind of scapegoating. So 9/11 happened and the Tamil Tigers atrocities happened. You can use those as ways of building up fear, anger, and anxiety to support the tendency to hide under the umbrella of power from these forces about to destroy us. Like Shari'a law in Oklahoma, got to protect ourselves!

Q: You spoke of a new shifting of the world order when you spoke of Nigel Farage and other Right wing elements shifting towards Donald Trump. Is there a shift in the international sphere, like we saw during the Cold War, where the world went into two different sides including the non-aligned? A kind of shift today that is happening, between the Right Wing nativists on the one hand and the Left wing internationalist on the other?

A: First of all, I dont really agree with the conventional version of the Cold War. You take a look at the events of the Cold War. Not what intellectuals talk about, not the ideology. Take a look at the events. The events of the Cold War consisted of violent attacks by the US within its domains -- which is most of the world. And Russian, violent attacks its much smaller domain, which was Eastern Europe. That was the Cold War. Each side used the alleged threat of the other as justification for its own internal repression. So the US had to support a terrorist war against Nicaragua because of the Russians, who were not anywhere nearby. The Russians had to invade Hungary because of the Americans. That was the Cold War. There was, in a way, you could describe it as a kind of tacit compact between the two imperial powers: The huge imperial power of the United States, the smaller imperial power of Russia. Kind of a tacit compact in which each side was authorized to carry out violence and repression in its own domains, for the US this means most of the world, without an actual conflict. Now there was a danger, always, a serious danger that an actual conflict might blow up in which case were finished. As soon as there is a major nuclear war, humans are done with. So there was always a fear, if there is a confrontation; but if you look at the events of the Cold War you get a very different picture. And its the events that matter, not the words.

Q: But is there a realignment across the world, Professor, between this Right-wing populist xenophobic elements and

A: No, there is Left liberal populism too, take the United States.

Q: You gave me a good precursor to the next question. Isnt the left liberal dead? I know youve had your differences with Slavoj Zizek but as he points out what Clinton personified and is a symbol of is that Left liberal position- a coalition which had you and also Alan Dershowitz, which had Occupy Wall Street and Wall Street together. Isnt this coalesce

A: There is lack of comparison there. Alan Dershowitz speaks for the, its kind of a mixture, but the xenophobic extremist Right -he is all over the place. The Left liberal media, say NPR, hes on it all the time, Right wing media he is on it all the time. Then theres me. Am I on (them)? In fact, when you leave, take a photograph of one of my favourite front pages of a journal. I liked it so much I framed it. Its the main Left liberal journal  American Prospect  and it has a picture of two evil creatures who are threatening American liberalism, one is Dick Cheney and the other is me. Thats the parallel. And it indicates whats in the mind of American liberals -Were being attacked by these monsters on both sides- One of them who sits in an office and has no access to anything, the other- the guy who controls the biggest military machine in the world and is invading Iraq, those are the two forces. Same with the rest, Occupy versus Wall Street, whats the comparison? Actually, there is a comparison, but not whats being described. Occupy is very small, it doesnt begin to compare with Wall Street. But the population does. And a lot of the population supports them (Occupy). In fact take the US election, in terms of numbers, Clinton won pretty easily. But more interestingly, if you look at younger voters, first of all Clinton won overwhelmingly, but Sanders won even more overwhelmingly. Here is somebody who came out of nowhere, no economic support, no rich supporters, no corporate support, 100% media opposition, basically unknown, talking about socialism, which is a bad word, and overwhelmingly won the youth support. Well, the constituency that supported him does not have money, power, corporate backing, and so on. So they are not considered popular, they are just kind of off the spectrum of discussion, but they are there. And they can change policies.

Q: Professor, since you spoke of the youth, we have watched you speaking about how Universities dumb down thinking or intellect. You are a person who, since your early teens, you have questioned the status quo, do you see that among the youth today? Are the youth questioning the status quo as much as they should?

A: Well, why did an overwhelming majority of young people support Bernie Sanders? That is the answer to your question. Yes, of course they are challenging the status quo. They dont have wealth, military power, corporate backing, media backing, nor support from intellectuals; but sure, they are challenging the status quo. All the time.

Q: But across the globe, arent you also seeing them move toward the nativist nation state concept?

A: You are seeing that, but you are also seeing something like the Sanders phenomenon, Soy Podemos in Spain. I just happened to be in Barcelona, Barcelona is a major city, and the mayor who was just elected is a Left-wing activist. These things exist all over Europe. The Corbyn phenomenon in England, the Labour Party elite is bitterly opposed to it, of course the Tories kind of like it, because they want to see the Labour Party collapsing. But, its substantial. As soon as Corbyn opened a possibility for people, ordinary people, to participate, the Labour Party shot up. These are real opportunities. Take the Trump voters in the United States, many of them voted for Obama in 2008. Why? If you remember the campaign slogan, it was hope and change and they were voting for hope and change. They didnt get any hope and they didnt get any change, so they are disillusioned and now they are voting for someone else who is calling for hope and change.

Q: But dont you see that happening even in South Asia? That its either Trump versus Corbyn? That the liberal middle ground, for which I use Hillary Clinton as a symbol is losing ground. That you need to pick a side, instead of staying in the centre?

A: Everywhere. Everywhere, the mainstream political organisations which are kind of centrist -- centre Left or centre Right -- are diminishing and collapsing. That is true of institutions too. Theres anger at institutions, contempt for them, hatred of them. Not just the political institutions, but the banks, the corporations, just about everything except the military. This, to go back to our original discussion, is a reflection, substantially, of the Neo Liberal policies of the past generation. It has harmed much of the population, offered nothing to them, given power and prestige to extreme wealth and professional elites who are protected. So, it leads to anger and resentment against the established institutions.

Q: Moving on, has the media changed landscape since you wrote Manufacturing Consent in 1989? Is the media manufacturing consent now?

A: Well, we didnt actually say that media is manufacturing consent; we said that -that is what they are trying to do. We discussed the nature of the media. Theres a separate question  to what extent is it effective? And thats an interesting question, but we didnt discuss it. Theyre still doing it in the same way. In fact, dramatically. Take November 8, two things of critical significance happened on November 8. One of them was massively reported, the other, which was much more important, received no report  that was the Marrakesh Conference of two hundred countries that tried to implement the Paris programmes to try to save the human species from destruction. Thats a lot more important than what happened in the US election. And, in fact, it was undermined by the US election. What happened in Morocco is astounding if you look at it; one country was leading the way to try to save civilization from self-destruction. One country was way behind, trying to lead the way towards self-destruction, the first was China the second was the United States. That is a remarkable spectacle. Did you see a comment on it?

Q: Nothing

A: That is manufacturing consent.

Q: Finally, you have come to the evening of your life after over half-a-century of being the epitome of pioneering thought and intellectual discourse, what are your views on religion? And what is your personal belief of life after death?

A: Personally, it means nothing to me, but if it means something to other people, that is fine. As long as they dont bother others. I dont ridicule it, I dont have contempt for it, I have respect for their views, but they are not mine.

Q: And your views on religion, you were born into a Jewish family and raised

A: Well, remember that Judaism is fundamentally a religion of practice, more than belief. So, say my grandfather, who was basically still living in the 17th century Eastern Europe was ultra religious. But if I had asked him, did you believe in God? He probably wouldnt have known what I was talking about. Judaism means carrying out the practices. My father was basically secular, but deeply involved in Jewish life. If you go to a New England church on Sunday morning, you would find people who are deeply religious, but not believers. Religion to them means community, associations, helping each other, having some common values and so on. Religion could be all sorts of things. But to me, it doesnt happen to be a value; if other people do, that is their business. (Hafeel Farisz)
Sri Lankas exporters are urging the government to ensure the full implementation of Revenue Administration and Management Information System (RAMIS) by January 2017 before abolishing the Simplified Value Added Tax (SVAT).



The Exporters Association of Sri Lanka (EASL), which represent the majority of Sri Lankan exporters, small, medium and large, urgently calls upon the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Inland Revenue to confirm that RAMIS will be fully implemented and that it will be operational in January 2017. Exporters were deeply concerned at the announcement that SVAT will be suspended, but have been assured that RAMIS will allay their concerns as it will replace the current SVAT scheme, EASL said in a statement.



Exporters said SVAT system, up to now, provided them with a significant level of relief towards the constraints on its cash flows, as, prior to that, exporters endured delays of months and even years, to recover the significant value of VAT they reposed with the Inland Revenue Department.

It is for this reason that exporters are needing to reiterate that there should not be a hiatus in the transition from SVAT to RAMIS and that the current SVAT system must remain operational until RAMIS is in place as projected, EASL added.
Five pilgrims who went missing in the Nallathanni forest in the Sri Pada reserve on Monday were rescued by the Police Special Task Force (STF) today after they were located by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) yesterday, Military Spokesman Brigadier Roshan Senavirathne said.

The police, Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and the military had launched search and rescue operations, when the five individuals, including two women, who entered the Sri Pada forest reserve through the upper division of the Laxapana Estate in Nallathanniya went missing.

Four of the pilgrims were identified as residents of Nugegoda and the other was identified to be a Laxapana Estate worker.

SLAF said the DMC had requested assistance to locate and rescue the missing persons. Therefore, a SLAF rescue team led by Squad Leader Uditha de Silva and six others including three rescuers were deployed in a Bell 412 helicopter from the Ratmalana Air base on Tuesday evening.

Squad Leader Silva said the forest cover and the conditions made it impossible for the helicopter to deploy its rescue team after the group was located. With the light and conditions deteriorating, the helicopter proceeded to land at a nearby safe location and transmitted the GPS coordinates to the ground rescue personnel.

The Bell 412 was on standby yesterday morning to be deployed to the site once more to heli-drop food and supplies until the ground rescue team could reach the victims. (Darshana Sanjeewa)

Pics and Video by SLAF Media
Residents in Hambantota launched a protest campaign against the sale of their lands to Chinese companies. The protestors have blocked the Colombo  Kataragama road at the Mirijjawila junction.(Sanath Gamage)
Dr. D. D. A. Hettiarachchi, a traditional ayurvedic doctor hailing from Galle in Ganemulla, claims to have found cure for Dengue and several Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) including Herpes and HIV/AIDS, and says he has saved hundreds of lives in his over 50 years service.

Even though Dengue is not deadly, the society has labelled it so. This is not a new disease. It has existed in the past, as far back as B.C. 92 in ancient China. I have come across it in ancient books as Break-bone fever. The ayurvedic name for Dengue is Dandaka fever - as it hurts like being beaten from a batton. I have also treated many patients with Dengue symptoms in the past, before the society even came up with the term. By now, I have been treating Dengue patients for nearly 15 years. Some people have natural antibodies against Dengue, but some do not. Western medicine doesnt have a cure for the disease, which is why it is considered lethal. But there are alternatives like the treatments I give. I have cured western doctors too. However, decent western doctors admit that Dengue could be cured with ayurvedic medicine. Some of them have even sent me patients they failed to cure, the doctor commented.

I can cure any Dengue patient within 18 hours. I have held discussions with many ayurvedic and western doctors regarding my treatment, but they come to a halt after the directors and authorities attempt to snatch my secret formula, which they are determined to have. Using my know-how to treat Dengue-inflicted patients is not their focus. I reiterate, Dengue is curable. I dont want to affront any medical tradition, what I do and want to do is to heal patients. I am ready to face any challenge in the context of curing Dengue patients. The malady should be managed well and it cannot be done by staying at home; it needs the caring of a hospital as doctors and nurses do the necessary blood tests. Dengue is a virus and there are no cures for viruses in western practices. People are hurt by various diseases every day because they give up medicine and the traditional way of life, Dr. Hettiarachchi added.

Many tourists have come to him seeking a cure for their diseases, especially HIV and other STDs. He is treating an HIV-infected person in Botswana by sending her the required medicines on a monthly basis. He has patients from countries like Germany and USA, and most of them have requested him to work abroad, but he wants to remain in his home country and serve it to the best of his ability.

Dr. Hettiarachchi has been visited by a number of patients including military officers, doctors and lawyers. He has many reports requested from the patients related to various stages of sickness.

The treatment

Dengue treatments should be carried out within 18 hours. There are only two medicines to provide - an ointment to be applied on the head and ears, with a powder to drink mixed with a piece of papaya leaf and king coconut flower juice. It is given thrice at six hour intervals. This medicine has saved the lives of many. The doctor suggests that Ebola virus could also be cured by this treatment, if it is detected in Sri Lanka.

Mother of a three-year-old Dengue patient

My son was detected with Dengue when he was just three years old. He was hospitalized in IDH for six days. His blood count dropped and he had begun to bleed internally. Doctors had given up on him and it was a visitor to the hospital who told us about Dr. Hettiarachchi. Later, my husband visited the doctor and he was given the medicine. Just one hour after applying the given oil, my son was able to urinate after it being blocked for hours. Although my son bled inside hours ago, soon after the treatment, he showed signs of recovery. Within only two days, his blood count returned to the normal state, bewildering all doctors. As my sisters son was also affected with Dengue, he was given the same treatment and he too recovered, she said.

History of Dr. Hettiarachchi

Dr. Hettiarachchi was a student of the Hiththatiya Gunarathna Mudalinda Pirivena, the first Pirivena in the South, where he learned traditional ayurvedic medicine. He later schooled at Kajjuwattha weda walawwa. Those two places were leading institutes for training traditional ayurvedic doctors at that time.

Cures for HIV/ Herpes

Dr. Hettiarachchi had conducted a research on HIV at the IDH Hospital only to be interrupted halfway due to lack of funds. He claims that he could cure HIV and many other STDs. According to him, the HIV germ activates three to four months after it first enters the body, and later, detectable side effects appear. If patients come for treatment before the germ activates, he says with eight, 10 or 12 months of treatment, the patient could be cured. If the ELIZA test results negative two or three times, the disease is believed to be cured. He has completely cured eight patients suffering from HIV and nearly 75 patients with Herpes.

A cured Herpes victim

A patient found to be a Herpes victim underwent three years of medical treatment before he came to Dr. Hettiarachchi.

I came to Dr. Hettiarachchi four months after the disease was detected. Now I am having treatment for two years and nine months. My reports show negative results now, he said.

Eternal cycle of diseases

Commenting on diseases and related consequences, the doctor said: Diseases cannot be eliminated forever, as being sick is an eternal cycle. Diseases spread and deplete from time to time. There are antibodies for sicknesses, but there are times when we cannot fight with internal antibodies only. We should always be on guard against what is known to be bad. People should be satisfied with what they get, without running after for more than they have. The more you chase things, the more misery will you have to face. Most of the people who come to me with social diseases are either married but looking for sexual pleasure out of the family or had sought sex at a very young age.

The government officials are not cooperating and the government is not considerate of my research work, treatment or the yeoman service I render to the needy. Once I informed the former president about my efforts, and as a result, former Director of the Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute Prof. K.K.D.S. Ranaweera had several discussions with me to do a research at the IDH Hospital with the Dengue team there, but the discussions didnt turn into a research, the doctor said.

Prof. K.K.D.S. Ranaweera - Former Director of Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute, Maharagama

It is difficult to prove Dr. Hettiarachchis medicine scientifically, and the reports he have cannot prove the miracle of his medicine. We discussed about him with our doctors, as there are people like that everywhere. We were also willing to help him even though we were a little suspicious about him. Therefore, we asked him to bring the patent of his finding. But, he never did so. Actually we dont believe it as a successful treatment, and he is somewhat afraid of being robbed of his formula. We informed him that if he could prove the validity of his treatment, there was no rejection from us. We cannot be satisfied with the method he claims to have used to save Dengue patients. His medicine should start from the first detection of a Dengue patient and be measured with before and after progress. Sometimes, Dengue gets cured even without any treatment. But, I do not reject his cure out of hand. He and many other people who claim to have found a cure for Dengue expect sudden recognition from us. If we give that kind of recognition to anyone, it should happen with a scientific reasoning and systematic research, the professor said.

Commenting on his skills and experience, the ayurvedic doctor said: Many helpless patients are deceived by dishonest ayurvedic practitioners who charge huge sums for treatment. Now I am 70 years old, and I want to do as much service as I could to cure patients before my demise. I request the government, the directors of the Ayurveda Medical Council and all those who are responsible to use me for the well-being of the ill. I assure I can cure Dengue, HIV and Herpes and other STDs. If I am sponsored to do research work on HIV and other STDs, if I am given a ward or a unit in an ayurvedic hospital, then I can serve patients with utmost dedication, whether it is Dengue or HIV. (Nisansala Dissanayaka)

Address  No. 98/7, Sisira Mawatha, Suwa Asapuwa, Kendaliyaddapaluwa, Ganemulla.

Mobile  071-8564157

Pix by Kushan Pathiraja
While rejecting the complaint made by the joint opposition over a financial misappropriation of a whopping Rs.1, 500 million, Foreign Employment Minister Thalatha Atukorale today referred a letter to the Bribery Commission (BC) requesting an immediate investigation on the complaint.

Addressing a media briefing, Mrs. Atukorale said she had directed a letter to the BC Director General requesting necessary action on the complaint made against her, proceeded by an immediate investigation.

A group of politicians, claimed to be the Joint Opposition, has filed a complaint against me stating that I have caused the State a loss of Rs.1, 500 million by the mandatory insurance scheme of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) for all Sri Lankan migrant workers since August 2015," she said.

Mrs. Atukorale stated that the allegations in the complaint lodged by the joint opposition were completely false and baseless, and added that she was ready to accept any sort of punishment for these kind of baseless allegations if she was proven guilty.

On a different note, she said a least amount of funds from the Budget were allocated for the functioning of the SLBFE.

It had never operated with State funds, she added. (Kalathma Jayawardhane)

Video by Buddhi
The Navy rendered assistance to load 1,086 cars and jeeps onboard a Vehicles Carrier, Glovis Phoenix on December 13. The South Korean Vehicles Carrier arrived at the outer harbour of Hambantota on December 11 and made its entry into the port on Tuesday for the loading of vehicles.
The Navy had handed over its report on the Saturdays incident at the Hambantota Port, where the Navy Commander had allegedly attacked a journalist, to Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi today.

A tense situation prevailed at the Hambantota Port when the Navy tried to release two merchant ships seized by protesting workers on December 10.

On Sunday, Defence Secretary asked the Navy to submit a report on the allegation that the Navy Commander had threatened a journalist during the protest.

The Navy yesterday submitted a full report over the incident that took place at the Hambantota Port. First, I need to study the report and then will take necessary steps, Mr. Hettiarachchi told the Daily Mirror.

Earlier, the Navy said it took swift measures to disperse the port employees, who staged a protest campaign at the Port premises.

They said the protesting employees were obstructing the operations of the Merchant Ships berthed in the jetty and causing damage to the ships and the adjacent facilities by using heavy machinery, equipment and gantry cranes to block the movement of ships. (Darshana Sanjeewa)
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) rescue team deployed in a Bell 412 helicopter managed to locate the five persons went missing since Monday in Nallathanniya forest in the Sri Pada reserve yesterday. They were later rescued by the Police Special Task Force this morning.(Pics by SLAF)
A licence suspension is likely to be enforced on at least one of the eight tea brokers active in the Colombo Tea Auction for aiding or actively engaging in mixing refuse tea with tea leaves intended for consumption.



There is a tea broker who has got into some trouble, and there is an inquiry going on, which has still not been completed, Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Rohan Pethiyagoda told Mirror Business on the sidelines of the 150 years of Ceylon Tea press briefing held last week.

He said that he is ethically bound not to divulge information on the suspected broker since the inquiry is ongoing.



Industry sources however said that another tea broker has also been under investigation.

While industry sources initially said that the infringing broker is most likely to be slapped with a fine, Pethiyagoda noted that given the severity of the wrongdoings so far uncovered, a license ban would be the most likely outcome, once the inquiry is completed and a formal case is made.

The view of the Tea Board directors is that they should be suspended for a substantial time, he said.

Directors at the Sri Lanka Tea Board consist of public officials, as well as private sector trade association heads, including representatives from the tea brokers, exporters and manufacturers.

I think it (the inquiry) will go on for a while, because theres a lot of evidence and we have to check records which the broker has been providing which are irregular, because they seem to have falsified some of their records and to check them, it will be a long and complex inquiry, he said.

Annually, nearly 300,000 kilograms of refused tea intended for export are detected by the Tea Board, which is mandated with maintaining the image of Ceylon Tea as the worlds finest.

Usually, fingers are pointed at small scale tea factories and dubious exporters for tarnishing Ceylon Teas image.

Industry sources noted that while action may have been taken against brokers in the past for unethical behaviour, this may be the biggest infraction yet, which threatens the integrity of the worlds oldest tea auction. (CW)
The Joint Opposition (JO) today questioned whether President Maithripala Sirisena was informed of the agreement signed to sell 80 percent of shares of the Hambantota Port to a Chinese firm.

The President is also the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).

Addressing a news conference, MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage said Subject Minister Arjuna Ranatunga had not even been informed of the decision.

When asked, the government says it was the Prime Minister and Minister Malik Samarawickrama, who were in charge of decision making. If it is true, then what is the point of having a Ports and Shipping Minister? Decision related to the Hambantota Port had been taken bypassing the Minister. He had only been briefed once everything was finalised, he said.

Meanwhile, he said a shady deal of US$ 100 mn had taken place in Hong Kong in line with handing over the Southern Port to China.

We request the President to probe into this corrupt deal, he said. (Lahiru Pothmulla)

Video by Buddhi
Onset of Indian winters has been synonymous with the arrival of migratory birds for ages. But over the last few decades, several of these winged visitors have displayed a change in seasonal movements due to the destruction of - or threat to - their habitats. The sighting of six black-necked cranes in a remote Tawang village has swept local activists, conservationists and environmentalists with a wave of cheer.

The black-necked crane is an endangered bird that has chosen a remote  untouched from modern ills  area deep inside Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh as its wintering site. Zemithang on the Nyamjang Chhu river in the Pangchen Valley of Tawang district is its chosen winter abode, now threatened due to a proposed hydropower project. Zemithang is one of the only two wintering sites of the black-necked crane in India, the other being Sangti Valley in neighbouring West Kameng district.

Black-necked cranes migrate from Tibet during the winter. Classified as "vulnerable" in the list of endangered species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), these beauties also figure in schedule I list under our Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Black-necked cranes at one of the only two wintering sites at Zemithang in Pangchen Valley, Tawang. (Photos: Degin Dorjee)

According to data on migratory birds by ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology, hosted by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), almost 20 per cent of all known bird species, about 2000 of them, make regular seasonal movements.

Alarmingly, more than 40 per cent of these migratory species are declining and nearly 200 are now classified as globally threatened. The dangers they face include destruction and degradation of habitats, pollution and badly-sited infrastructure.

Arunachal's Tawang district has two main rivers  Tawang Chhu and Nyamjang Chhu, which together have 10 tributaries. The government has proposed as many as 13 large hydropower projects with a total installed capacity of 2,900 MW in the district. Located 90-odd kms northwest of Tawang town, Zemithang, Lumpo and Muchot are all remote villages, nearer to the international border and one can reach them via a winding, hilly road.

Zemithang, at an altitude of 8,000 feet approximately, is the village nearest to the proposed location of the barrage for the 780 MW Nyamjang Chhu project on the Nyamjang Chhu in the Pangchen Valley. Main Pangchen Valley is a narrow stretch - 1.52km long and barely 0.50.75 km wide, with much of the riverbed exposed during the winter with silvery sand - home to the endangered black-necked cranes.

Against this backdrop, Zemithang becomes a classic example, especially when black-necked cranes have been sighted this year too  even if just one. Waha me ek tho crane aaya hai (One crane has arrived there), Lama Lobsang Gyatso, the activist monk who has been fighting against the proposed hydropower project, told me excitedly over the telephone some days back. Gyatso, a Lama from the Monpa community, is a founding member of the Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF). Monpas comprise almost 90 per cent of Tawangs population.

Thankfully, not just one, six black-necked cranes have been spotted this year as yet.

Numbers speak for cranes

Arunachals other sites that hosted the black-necked cranes have already shown signs of damage. A 2015 scientific paper "Status and Distribution of black-necked Crane (Grus Nigricollis) in India" published in the journal Zoological Research, captured in detail the sightings of these birds at their breeding locations and wintering sites from the year 2000 to 2014.

Arunachal Pradesh had a history of these birds sighting at Apatani valley and Sangti Valley, but for last few decades, the birds have abandoned the Apatani valley.

The disappearance of black-necked cranes from Aapatani valley is attributed to habitat loss, degradation and poaching, the paper pointed out.

The year-wise figures from Arunachal Pradesh as the scientists found during this comprehensive study, "Status of black-necked Crane observed in Sangti and Zemithang valleys":

Sr No Year Total sightings Location

1) 2005-2006 11 Sangti

2) 2006-2007 6 Sangti

3) 2007-2008 4 Sangti

4) 2008-2009 - Sangti

5) 2009-2010 3 Zemithang

6) 2010-2011 7 Zemithang

7) 2011-2012 4 Zemithang

8) 2012-2013 2 Zemithang

9) 2013-2014 5 Zemithang

10) 23 Nov 2014 4 Zemithang

11) 15 Dec 2014 4 Sangti

As is evident from the table, 2009 onwards, Sangti has not seen any cranes except just four on a single day in 2014, mainly because of habitat destruction. The presence of high tension wires in the crane habitat  supply lines cut right across the valley  is a continues threat in Sangti valley, where a crane was killed after hitting a high-tension power line in 2007.

Another change is the shifting crop pattern where traditional paddy crop has been replaced in large quantum by horticulture or maize plantation. Therefore, since 2010, Zemithang has emerged as a destination of choice for the black-necked cranes.

Since 2010, World Wide Fund-India (WWF-India) has been monitoring the presence of and working for the conservation of these birds along with local Monpa population. Kamal Medhi, WWF-India coordinator, Western Arunachal Landscape, said: There have been in all six sightings as yet in 2016. Two in mid-November, two towards November end and two in December first week.

Historical evidence has shown how habitat destruction has made birds abandon the Sangti Valley site. So, it becomes much more important to preserve, keep undisturbed the Zemithang site, said Medhi, who is based in Assam's Tezpur.

I had visited Zemithang earlier this year and reported how the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had suspended the environmental clearance given to this 780 MW hydropower project, clearly pointing out to the fact that the environmental clearance made no mention that the project will have an adverse impact on the winter habitat of the black-necked crane.

The tribunal had asked the government to carry out cumulative impact assessment studies. It also asked for a fresh appraisal of the project and a separate study by Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change - to be undertaken by Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII)  to determine the flow requirement for the protection and conservation of the black-necked crane.

Interestingly, counsels for the private developer for the proposed project had disputed the site was the preferred winter abode of the birds. Lama Gyatso and other petitioners in the NGT case had established how it was indeed a site of continuous winter habitation.

Maintaining ecological integrity

The scientific paper published in the Zoological Research journal has recommended that Sangti and Pangchen valleys be declared black-necked crane nature reserves to revive their wintering population and measures be taken to maintain their ecological integrity on priority.

Now there is nothing left for imagination. The presence of birds has been clearly established. One of the authors of this scientific paper published in Zoological Research was S A Hussain from WII Dehradun. The same WII has been asked to do the study by the NGT. Hope the findings are consistent with the earlier findings, points out Neeraj Vagholikar, environmentalist with the NGO Kalpavriksha.

During the NGT hearing, the petitioners had also drawn from the local cultural connection emphasising that the Monpas consider the black-necked crane an embodiment of the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, who wrote about the majestic bird in his poetry, reported Arunachal Times.
At a time when the Modi government is fighting a difficult perception battle over demonetisation, it has been left hugely embarrassed with a high profile minister like Kiren Rijiju, the Northeast's face of Cabinet coming under the graft scanner. Rijiju, the Union minister of state for home; his cousin Goboi Rijiju - a contractor in Arunachal Pradesh - several top officials of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), including its chairman and managing director, have been named in a 129-page report by the PSUs chief vigilance officer.

The report alleges that corrupt practices were employed in the construction of two dams for 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Project, one of the biggest hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh. The scam is reportedly worth Rs 450 crore.

What is the alleged Rs 450 crore scam all about?

According to the CVO's report:

- Several fake and inflated bills were used by contractors to allegedly siphon off money in the name of transporting rocks needed for the dam construction.

- The transportation cost was decided arbitrarily and fraudulently. For example, the contractor Patel Engineering Limited (PEL) got more material from quarries located close to the project site, but claimed that most of their material was from quarries located the farthest.

- Many transport challans and records provided by PEL were found to be fake. For example, thousands of tonnes of rocks were found to have been carried to the project site, at least on paper, on scooters, bikes and cars even as several registration numbers provided by the PEL were found to be non-existent.

In some cases, the same vehicle number or the same driver appeared many times on different challans claiming to have begun the journey from different quarries situated 70 km away on the same date - just half an hour apart.

The prime minister often claims that this government works for the people and not for vested interests of its ministers. Why then did Rijiju interfere to enrich his contractor cousin at the cost of a PSU? Credit: RSTV

- Reimbursement of these bills belonging from May and July 2015, to PEL was stopped by NEEPCO after Verma sent an advisory to the head of project flagging the alleged irregularities, but Rijiju intervened to have the funds released by directly approaching the power minister via a letter dated November 4, 2015.

- Rijiju's cousin Goboi Rijiju also went to meet Verma. Goboi Rijiju is one of the sub-contractors in the project.

Vermas report purports an audio CD has a conversation he had with Goboi Rijiju on December 29, 2015, in which Goboi is pursuing the officer to clear the payments while offering any help you need from bhaiya (the minister).

What are the ethical concerns that arise in light of the above facts? The Opposition has asked for Rijiu's resignation pending an inquiry, whereas the government has come out strongly in defence of the minister. What makes Rijiju's position in the Modi Cabinet untenable?

Blatant conflict of interest

At least Rijiu using his public office to release payments in a sub-contract involving his cousin under scanner for causing loss to the public exchequer is a case of blatant conflict of interest.

Why didn't Rijiju make a formal disclosure of his vested interest while writing the letter to the power minister? Why did he use his public office to force the Indian government to extend benefits to his family?

The prime minister often claims that this government works for the people and not for vested interests of its ministers. Why then did Rijiju interfere to enrich his contractor cousin at the cost of a PSU?

Taped offer of quid pro quo

More damning for Rijiju is the taped conversation where the cousin of the minister tries to influence the probe officer by throwing around Rijiju's name.

The cousin is explicit in offering a quid pro quo. He says that his brother will extend any help the officer desires, including getting a favourable promotion. This offer for quid pro quo amounts to the criminal offence of trying to interfere in government servants' duties to their jobs.

If Rijiju had no knowledge of his cousin's offer for quid pro quo, then he must haul his cousin to court, else it would entail a safe inference that Rijiju's was a party to this illicit act of his cousin.

Hounding the vigilance officer

What also goes against Rijiju is why the chief vigilance officer was hounded.

Firstly, Rijiju - in his letter to the power minister - takes a stand against the CVO by blaming him specifically for delayed payment. Secondly, the CVO - who was proving to be an inconvenience for Rijiju - is handed a chargesheet and shunted out.

Thirdly, after the story has come out, the PIB as well as BJP's communication wing have focused on maligning the CVO, instead of addressing the substantial documented anomalies in a classic case of shooting the messenger.

The attempt to malign the CVO will also discourage other upright officers from daring to expose scandals involving the high and mighty as they can see how their reputation, as well as career, are at the risk of being shattered for daring to do their jobs honestly.

If Rijiju is clean, why was the probe scuttled midway? Wasn't it in his interest to allow the probe to be concluded, so that the names of his cousin and himself could be cleared?

Worrying response by Rijiju to the alleged scam coming out in public

The minister's first response after the alleged scam was to say that shoes would be hurled at the journalist who reported the story. This attempt to intimidate and silence the journalist reporting his misdeeds shows how brazen the minister himself is. It brings out a dangerous arrogance of power, a belief that just because he is a minister, he is above any sort of accountability.

Secondly, his response has also been to point out that the project pertains to the UPA's time. But how does showing UPA's complicity in the scam excuse his own involvement?

Thirdly, he has taken recourse to the sympathy card, talking of how he has risen despite adverse conditions. But as admirable as rising against odds is, they can't be the ground for condoning the misdeeds if he has actually committed them.

It is clear that Kiren's Rijiju's role in this alleged scam and its emergence in the public discourse creates sufficient grounds for apprehensions over his integrity.

Also, his presence in the council is likely to come in the way of any impartial probe being conducted in the whole matter.

Thus, Rijiju's tenure in the council in light of the whole controversy has become untenable.

And yet, intriguingly, our prime minister, who has been exhorting us - the common people - to make many sacrifices to aid in his fight against corruption has shied away from any bold and proactive measure against his own minister.

The silence and inaction of the prime minister against his own graft-tainted minister would have been deplorable at any time, but when the nation is bearing untold hardship to fight graft, such double standards are simply unacceptable and raise doubt about the seriousness of the PM in combating graft.

Now, is not the time for the prime minister to quit dilly-dallying and sending confusing signals to a nation, which is making great sacrifices for his supposed struggle against black money?
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The following companies are subsidiares of Allstate: AIMCO Private Fund I Holding LLC, AIMCO Private Fund I LLC, AIMCO Private Fund II LLC, ALIC Reinsurance Company, ALINV Mosaic LLC, ANIHI Newco LLC, AP Real Estate LLC, AP Riverway Plaza LLC, AP Timber LLC, Allstate Assignment Company, Allstate Assurance Company, Allstate County Mutual Insurance Company, Allstate Digital Ventures LLC, Allstate Distributors L.L.C., Allstate Enterprises LLC, Allstate Exchange Services LLC, Allstate Finance Company Agency Loans LLC, Allstate Finance Company LLC, Allstate Financial Advisors LLC, Allstate Financial Corporation, Allstate Financial Insurance Holdings Corporation, Allstate Financial LLC, Allstate Financial Services LLC (1), Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company, Allstate Global Holdings Limited, Allstate Indemnity Company, Allstate Insurance Company, Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, Allstate Insurance Holdings LLC, Allstate International Assignments Ltd., Allstate International Holdings Inc., Allstate Investment Management Company, Allstate Investments LLC, Allstate Life Insurance Company (2), Allstate Life Insurance Company of Canada, Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York, Allstate Motor Club Inc., Allstate New Jersey Insurance Company, Allstate New Jersey Property and Casualty Insurance Company, Allstate Non-Insurance Holdings Inc., Allstate North American Insurance Company, Allstate Northbrook Indemnity Company, Allstate Northern Ireland Limited, Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company, Allstate Settlement Corporation, Allstate Short Term Pool LLC, Allstate Solutions Private Limited, Allstate Texas Lloyds, Allstate Texas Lloyds Inc., Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Company, American Heritage Life Insurance Company, American Heritage Service Company, Answer Financial Inc., Answer Marketplace LLC, Arity 875 LLC, Arity International Limited, Arity LLC, Arity Services LLC, CE Care Plan Corp, Castle Key Indemnity Company, Castle Key Insurance Company, Complete Product Care Corp, Current Creek Investments LLC, E.R.J. Insurance Group Inc. (3), Encompass Floridian Indemnity Company, Encompass Floridian Insurance Company, Encompass Home and Auto Insurance Company, Encompass Indemnity Company, Encompass Independent Insurance Company, Encompass Insurance Company, Encompass Insurance Company of America, Encompass Insurance Company of Massachusetts, Encompass Insurance Company of New Jersey, Encompass Insurance Holdings LLC, Encompass Property and Casualty Company, Encompass Property and Casualty Insurance Company of New Jersey, Esurance Holdings Inc., Esurance Insurance Company, Esurance Insurance Company of Canada, Esurance Insurance Company of New Jersey, Esurance Insurance Services Company of Canada, Esurance Insurance Services Inc. (4), Esurance Property and Casualty Insurance Company, First Colonial Insurance Company, Identity Protection Strategic Solutions LLC, InfoArmor Aggra Inc., InfoArmor Inc., Insurance Answer Center LLC (5), Intramerica Life Insurance Company, Ivantage Insurance Brokers Inc., Ivantage Select Agency Inc., Kennett Capital Inc., NBInv AF1 LLC, NBInv AF2 LLC, NBInv AF3 LLC, NBInv AF4 LLC, NBInv AF5 LLC, NBInv AF6 LLC, NBInv AP1 LLC, NBInv AP2 LLC, NBInv AP3 LLC, NBInv AP4 LLC, NBInv AP5 LLC, NBInv AP6 LLC, NBInv AP7 LLC, NBInv AP8 LLC, NBInv APAF1 LLC, NBInv Riverside Cars1 LLC, NBInv Riverside Management LLC, North Light Specialty Insurance Company, Northeast Agencies Inc. (6), Pablo Creek Services Inc., Pafco Insurance Company, Pembridge Insurance Company, PlumChoice Business Services Inc., PlumChoice Inc., Protection Plan Group Inc., Right Answer Insurance Agency LLC, Road Bay Investments LLC, ST Product Care Corp, Signature Agency Inc., Signature Motor Club Inc., Signature Motor Club of California Inc., Signature Nationwide Auto Club of California Inc., Signatures Nationwide Auto Club Inc., SquareTrade Australia Pty Ltd, SquareTrade Canada Inc., SquareTrade Europe Limited, SquareTrade Holding Company Inc., SquareTrade Inc. (7), SquareTrade Insurance Services Inc., SquareTrade Limited, SquareTrade Protection Solutions Inc., SquareTradeGo Inc., Tech-Cor LLC, and West Plaza RE Holdings LLC.

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The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation provides a range of financial products and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and Other segments. The Securities Services segment offers custody, trust and depositary, accounting, exchange-traded funds, middle-office solutions, transfer agency, services for private equity and real estate funds, foreign exchange, securities lending, liquidity/lending services, prime brokerage, and data analytics. This segment also provides trustee, paying agency, fiduciary, escrow and other financial, issuer, and support services for brokers and investors. The Market and Wealth Services segment offers clearing and custody, investment, wealth and retirement solutions, technology and enterprise data management, trading, and prime brokerage services; and clearance and collateral management services. This segment also provides integrated cash management solutions, including payments, foreign exchange, liquidity management, receivables processing and payables management, and trade finance and processing services. The Investment and Wealth Management segment offers investment management strategies and distribution of investment products, investment management, custody, wealth and estate planning, private banking, investment, and information management services. The Other segment engages in the provision of leasing, corporate treasury, derivative and other trading, corporate and bank-owned life insurance, renewable energy investment, and business exit services. It serves central banks and sovereigns, financial institutions, asset managers, insurance companies, corporations, local authorities and high net-worth individuals, and family offices. The company was founded in 1784 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Tyler Technologies, Inc. provides integrated information management solutions and services for the public sector. The company operates in three segments: Enterprise Software; Appraisal and Tax; and NIC. It offers financial management solutions, including modular fund accounting systems for government agencies or not-for-profit entities; utility billing systems for the billing and collection of metered and non-metered services; products to automate city and county functions, such as municipal courts, parking tickets, equipment and project costing, animal and business licenses, permits and inspections, code enforcement, citizen complaint tracking, ambulance billing, fleet maintenance, and cemetery records management; and student information and transportation solutions for K-12 schools. The company also provides a suite of judicial solutions comprising court case management, court and law enforcement, prosecutor, and supervision systems to handle multi-jurisdictional county or statewide implementations, and single county systems; public safety software solutions; systems and software to automate the appraisal and assessment of real and personal property, as well as tax applications for agencies that bill and collect taxes; planning, regulatory, and maintenance software solutions for public sector agencies; software applications to enhance and automate operations involving records and document management; and data and insights solutions. In addition, it offers software as a service arrangements and electronic document filing solutions for courts and law offices; software and hardware installation, data conversion, training, product modification, and maintenance and support services; and property appraisal outsourcing services for taxing jurisdictions. The company has a strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services for cloud hosting services. Tyler Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.
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 following companies are subsidiares of Reliance Steel & Aluminum: AMI Metals Aero Services Ankara Havaclk Anonim Sirketi, AMI Metals Europe SPRL, AMI Metals Inc. , AMI Metals UK Limited, Acero Prime S. de R.L. de C.V., Admiral Metals Servicenter Company, Admiral Metals Servicenter Company Inc., Airport Metals, Alaska Steel Company, Alaska Steel Company, Aleaciones Especiales de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., All Metal Services (Malaysia) Sdn., All Metal Services India Private Limited, All Metal Services Limited, All Metal Services Ltd. (Xian), All Metals Holding, All Metals Processing & Logistics Inc., Allegheny Steel Distributors Inc., American Metals Corporation, Best Manufacturing Inc., CCC Steel Inc., Chapel Steel Canada Ltd., Chapel Steel Corp., Chatham Steel Corporation, Clayton Metals Inc., Continental Alloys & Services (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Continental Alloys & Services Limited, Continental Alloys & Services Pte. Ltd., Continental Alloys Middle East FZE, Crest Steel Corporation, Delta Steel Inc., Diamond Manufacturing Company, DuBose National Energy Fasteners & Machined Parts, DuBose National Energy Fasteners & Machined Parts Inc., DuBose National Energy Services, DuBose National Energy Services Inc., Durrett Sheppard Steel Co. Inc., Earle M. Jorgensen Company, FastMetals Inc., Feralloy Corporation, Ferguson Perforating Company, Ferguson Perforating Company, Fox Metals And Alloys, Fox Metals and Alloys Inc., Fry Steel, Fry Steel Company, GH Metal Solutions, GH Metal Solutions Inc., Haskins Steel, Infra-Metals Co., KMS FAB LLC, KMS Fab, KMS South, KMS South Inc., Liebovich Bros. Inc., McKey Perforating, Merfish United, Merfish United Inc., Metals USA, Metals USA Inc., Metalweb Limited, National Specialty Alloys, National Specialty Alloys Inc., Northern Illinois Steel Supply Co, Northern Illinois Steel Supply Co., Nu-Tech Precision Metals Inc., Nu-Tech Precision Metals Inc., PDM Steel Service Centers Inc., Pacific Metal Company, Phoenix Corporation, Precision Flamecutting and Steel Inc., Precision Strip Inc., Reliance Metalcenter Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Reliance Metals Canada Limited, Rotax Metals Inc, Rotax Metals Inc., Service Steel Aerospace Corp., Siskin Steel & Supply Company Inc., Sugar Steel Corporation, Sunbelt Steel Texas, Tubular Steel, Tubular Steel Inc., Valex Corp., Valex Korea Co. Ltd., Valex Semiconductor Materials (Zhejiang) Co. Ltd., Viking Materials Inc., and Yarde Metals Inc..

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Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. provides home and security products for residential home repair, remodeling, new construction, and security applications. It operates in three segments: Plumbing, Outdoors & Security, and Cabinets. The Plumbing segment manufactures, assembles, and sells faucets, accessories, kitchen sinks, and waste disposals under the Moen, ROHL, Riobel, Victoria+Albert, Perrin & Rowe, and Shaws brands in the United States, China, Canada, Mexico, Southeast Asia, Europe, and South America directly through its own sales force, as well as through independent manufacturers' representatives to wholesalers, home centers, mass merchandisers, and industrial distributors. The Outdoors & Security segment offers fiberglass and steel entry door systems under the Therma-Tru brand; storm, screen, and security doors under the Larson brand; composite decking and railing under the Fiberon brand; and urethane millwork under the Fypon brand. This segment also manufactures, sources, and distributes locks, safety and security devices, and electronic security products under the Master Lock and American Lock brands; and fire resistant safes, security containers, and commercial cabinets under the SentrySafe brand. It serves home centers, hardware and other retailers, millwork building products and wholesale distributors, specialty dealers, and remodeling and renovation markets, as well as locksmiths, industrial and institutional users, and original equipment manufacturers in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America, Japan, and Australia. The Cabinets segment manufactures custom, semi-custom, and custom cabinetry, as well as vanities for the kitchen, bath, and other parts of the home directly to kitchen and bath dealers, home centers, wholesalers, and builders in North America under the AOK, Diamond Brands, Homecrest, Kitchen Craft, Omega, and EVE brands. The company was incorporated in 1988 and is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.
BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network. This segment also sells 4G mobile phones, tablets, connected devices, and mobile broadband devices from various manufacturers. Its Business and Public Sector segment provides fixed voice, mobility, fiber and connectivity, and networked IT services to retailers, utilities, public sector, healthcare, sports, construction, finance, and educational sectors. The company's Global Services segment offers business communications and ICT services comprising BT Connect, BT Security, BT One, BT Contact, BT Compute, BT Advise, and BT for financial markets. This segment serves approximately 5,500 customers in 180 countries. Its Wholesale and Ventures segment enables communications providers and other organizations to provide fixed or mobile phone services. Its ventures provide mass-market services, such as directory enquiries and payphones; and enterprise services comprising BT Fleet and BT Redcare. This segment also provides broadband and Ethernet, voice, hosted communication, mobile virtual network operator, managed solutions, machine-to-machine, roaming, and media services. The company's Openreach segment engages in the provision of services over the local access network; and installation and maintenance of fiber and copper communications networks that connect homes and businesses. The company was formerly known as Newgate Telecommunications Limited and changed its name to BT Group plc in September 2001. BT Group plc was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure, Gas Utilities and Infrastructure, and Commercial Renewables. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest; and uses coal, hydroelectric, natural gas, oil, renewable generation, and nuclear fuel to generate electricity. It also engages in the wholesale of electricity to municipalities, electric cooperative utilities, and load-serving entities. This segment serves approximately 8.2 million customers in 6 states in the Southeast and Midwest regions of the United States covering a service territory of approximately 91,000 square miles; and owns approximately 50,259 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure segment distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and power generation natural gas customers; and owns, operates, and invests in pipeline transmission and natural gas storage facilities. It has approximately 1.6 million customers, including 1.1 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, as well as 550,000 customers in southwestern Ohio and northern Kentucky. The Commercial Renewables segment acquires, owns, develops, builds, and operates wind and solar renewable generation projects, including nonregulated renewable energy and energy storage services to utilities, electric cooperatives, municipalities, and corporate customers. It has 23 wind, 178 solar, and 2 battery storage facilities, as well as 71 fuel cell locations with a capacity of 3,554 MW across 22 states. The company was formerly known as Duke Energy Holding Corp. and changed its name to Duke Energy Corporation in April 2005. The company was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
AutoZone, Inc. retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories. The company offers various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products. Its products include A/C compressors, batteries and accessories, bearings, belts and hoses, calipers, chassis, clutches, CV axles, engines, fuel pumps, fuses, ignition and lighting products, mufflers, radiators, starters and alternators, thermostats, and water pumps, as well as tire repairs. In addition, the company offers maintenance products, such as antifreeze and windshield washer fluids; brake drums, rotors, shoes, and pads; brake and power steering fluids, and oil and fuel additives; oil and transmission fluids; oil, cabin, air, fuel, and transmission filters; oxygen sensors; paints and accessories; refrigerants and accessories; shock absorbers and struts; spark plugs and wires; and windshield wipers. Further, it provides air fresheners, cell phone accessories, drinks and snacks, floor mats and seat covers, interior and exterior accessories, mirrors, performance products, protectants and cleaners, sealants and adhesives, steering wheel covers, stereos and radios, tools, and wash and wax products, as well as towing services. Additionally, the company provides a sales program that offers commercial credit and delivery of parts and other products; sells automotive diagnostic and repair software under the ALLDATA brand through alldata.com; and automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products through autozone.com. As of August 27, 2022, it operated 6,168 stores in the United States; 703 stores in Mexico; and 72 stores in Brazil. The company was founded in 1979 and is based in Memphis, Tennessee.
On Tuesday, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed a new law that bans abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy. However, he also vetoed a measure that was much more restrictive that would have banned abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which could be as early as just six weeks into a womans pregnancy.

In making the decision between the two bans, that the legislature in Ohio adopted a week ago, Kasich said the heartbeat measure was a clear contradiction to the current ruling of the Supreme Court on abortion.

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Kasich called the measure banning abortions after week 20 the most legally sound and best sustainable approach to the protection of the sanctity of human life.

There are no exceptions for incest or rape included in the 20-week measure and advocates for abortion rights consider the measure extreme.

Under existing law in Ohio, there is an exception based on the life of the mother, a spokesperson from Kasichs office said.

Ohio at this time bans abortions following the 24th week of pregnancy.

With the signature of the governor, Ohio is now the 18th state that has adopted an abortion ban at 20 weeks, though two of those bans in Idaho and Arizona, were struck down as being unconstitutional by a federal court.

Legal experts have said that the 20-week Ohio ban is much more likely to survive a challenge of constitutionality than the bill based on the fetal heartbeat.

Barring any court action, the measure will become law after 90 days, but is appears inevitable that a legal challenge will take place.

On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union said that the new measure is in fact unconstitutional and would harm both women and families and is expected to file a lawsuit blocking it.

Each year, there are close to 20,000 abortions performed in the state of Ohio said one legal expert, and less than 2% of those take place after the pregnancy has reached 20 weeks.

While Ohio maintains a record of abortion in the state, it does not keep track of the different reasons the pregnancy was terminated. Opponents of abortion argue one abortion is too many.

Actions by Kasich come as advocates for abortion rights and opponents of abortion across the U.S. are readying for big battles following the surprise election of Donald Trump.

People on each side of the abortion debate see the rights to have an abortion in more danger than any time since the landmark Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade.
Morgan Stanley is the 6th largest financial institution in the US. The company is ranked 61st on the Forbes Fortune 500 list and is the 39th largest bank in the world. A financial holding company, Morgan Stanley provides a full range of financial services to clients around the world.

Morgan Stanley was formed in 1935 as a result of the Glass-Steagall Act. Glass-Steagall separated commercial and investment banking in a way that forced the then-largest bank J.P. Morgan & Co to split into two groups. J.P. Morgan & Co. chose to retain the commercial side of the business while partners Henry S. Morga, grandson of J.P., and Harold Stanley took the investment end. In its first year, Morgan Stanley did 24% of the IPO business and maintains a lions share of the market to this day.

The original company existed and grew through acquisitions until 1987 when it merged with Dean Witter Discover & Co. The new Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Discover & Co existed for 14 years until 2001 when the name was shortened back to Morgan Stanley.

The bank is credited in part with both beginning and ending the financial crisis of 2007/2008. The Process Driven Trading unit lost $300 million in one day due to a short-squeeze that popped the bubble in the housing market. After teetering on the brink of failure Morgan Stanley agreed to become a bank holding company regulated by the Federal Reserve, a key factor in the original decision to split from parent J.P. Morgan & Co. Ironically when given the chance, present-day J.P. Morgan refused to buy Morgan Stanley but that was for the better.

Today, Morgan Stanley operates through three segments via offices in 41 countries and employs more than 75,000 people. Revenue in 2021 topped $49 billion and total assets topped $1.15 trillion.

The operating segments are Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments. The Institutional Securities segment is by far the largest and most profitable. It offers a range of services and products for businesses, institutions, and entities that include capital raising, strategic advisory, underwriting, advice on M&A, restructuring, and real estate. The Wealth Management segment provides brokerage and investment advisory services for individuals and employers. The services include brokerage, financial planning, company stock-plan administration, insurance, mortgage loans, lines of credit, and retirement planning. The Investment Management segment provides investment products to a range of institutions, organizations, corporations, and governments.
WESCO International, Inc. provides business-to-business distribution, logistics services, and supply chain solutions in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Electrical & Electronic Solutions (EES), Communications & Security Solutions (CSS), and Utility and Broadband Solutions (UBS). The EES segment supplies products and supply chain solutions, including electrical equipment and supplies, automation and connected devices, security, lighting, wire and cable, and safety, as well as maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) products. This segment also offers contractor solutions, direct and indirect manufacturing supply chain optimization programs, lighting and renewables advisory services, and digital and automation solutions. The CSS segment operates in the network infrastructure and security markets. This segment sells products directly to end-users or through various channels, including data communications contractors, security, network, professional audio/visual, and systems integrators. It also provides safety and energy management solutions. The UBS segment offers products and services to investor-owned utilities; public power companies; and service and wireless providers, broadband operators, and contractors. This segment's products include wire and cable, transformers, transmission and distribution hardware, switches, protective devices, connectors, conduits, pole line hardware, racks, cabinets, safety and MRO products, and point-to-point wireless devices. This segment also offers various service solutions, including fiber project management, high and medium voltage project design and support, pre-wired meters and capacitor banks, meter testing and metering infrastructure installation, personal protective equipment dielectric testing, and tool repair, as well as emergency response, storage yard, materials, and logistics management. The company was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
College and career readiness have definitely become a trending focus in many school systems, often starting exposure to college and career options in elementary school. Waiting to have conversations about higher education and career options in high school is now considered to be an old adage.

While school systems are beginning this focus earlier and more often through their formal and informal opportunities with students, its also imperative for parents to understand the importance of introducing college and career readiness options to their youth.

Many times budding athletes have the desire to play their favorite sport professionally. While there is a balance of encouraging your youth to work diligently to pursue their dreams, it is also important to have realistic conversations about goals of this nature.

An additional misconception is that college athletes are actually studying the sport they are playing. Explaining that college athletes are studying a certain subject or area is an important step for youth to realize that academics are important and career options must be considered.

Here are some ways to introduce potential career paths to youth:

 Enroll your youth in out of school time organizations such as 4-H, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts or a similar organization. They typically incorporate career exposure through skill development or activity base learning.

 Knowing a youths interest areas early can enable parents to encourage students to focus on doing well and understanding concepts learned in school. For example, if a youth is interested in becoming a doctor, encourage them to take and challenge themselves in courses such as biology and math.

 Intentionally attempt to match youth interest to a specific career field, if possible, and opportunities that are available in your community.

 If age appropriate and accessible, arrange a tour of a local business that focuses on the career field your youth is interested in.

 Download the Nebraska 4-H Career Explorer website or app. This can be downloaded onto a mobile device or viewed online at http://careerexplorer.unl.edu. This is a good resource for basic career exploration.

Career exploration can become a purposeful conversation with your youth as early as elementary school. Encouraging youth to think about future career paths and what challenges they want to solve in their future will be time well spent.
A federal judge has ruled that the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and one of its agents are to be removed from a federal lawsuit filed by University of Virginia graduate Martese Johnson and that Johnson was not the target of a false arrest during a controversial encounter last year.

In an opinion filed Tuesday, Judge Glen Conrad said that ABC Agent John Cielakie, one of three involved in a March 2015 incident with Johnson, should be excused entirely from the lawsuit Johnson filed in October 2015. He further dismissed the department as a whole from the suit, agreeing with filings from the ABC that it qualifies for immunity under the 11th Amendment.

The lawsuit was sparked after Johnson, then a third-year student at UVa, was arrested by Cielakie and two other ABC agents outside of a popular bar on the Corner near UVa Grounds in the early-morning hours after St. Patricks Day in 2015. The agents believed Johnson had been attempting to enter the bar using a fake ID as he was turned away by a bouncer at the door.

The then-20-year-old had a valid ID, according to his lawsuit, but was turned away for having failed to recite the correct ZIP code. When the agents approached him, a confrontation ensued that ended with Johnson being taken to the ground, his face lacerated. He later required 10 stitches to his face and scalp from what he said in his suit was a brutal and unjustified attack that left him permanently disfigured.

Videos of the aftermath of the arrest show Johnson screaming I go to UVa and accusing the officers of targeting him because of his race. A review of the incident by state police says that Johnson also shouted racial comments at emergency personnel who were attempting to give him medical attention for his head wound. Johnsons suit alleges he was not read his Miranda rights while being arrested by the officers, who shackled his arms and legs.

Photos of the arrest taken by bystanders show Johnson, who is black, on the ground with a bloodied face and three white agents standing over him; after quickly circulating on social media, the photos drew accusations of profiling and police brutality.

While Johnson was initially charged with public intoxication and obstruction of justice, those charges were dropped by the citys head prosecutor months later.

The following October, Johnson filed a $3 million suit against the three agents, the ABC and its law enforcement director, Shawn Walker. The suit alleged that the agents were liable for false arrest, excessive force, gross negligence, and assault and battery; that the ABC and Walker were liable for failing to train and supervise the agents; and that Walker was liable for negligent supervision of the agents.

Fourteen months later, Conrad has dismissed certain parts of the lawsuit, including the allegation that Johnson was the subject of a false arrest when he was apprehended by the three agents. Conrad agreed with filings from the ABC that, given the circumstances surrounding the encounter, a reasonable ABC agent would believe that they had probable cause, albeit possibly incorrectly. He went on to dismiss the count in its entirety.

He also dismissed the count of negligent supervision by Walker in its entirety, citing a 1988 case out of Chesapeake that stated that there be no actionable negligence unless there is a legal duty, a violation of the duty and a consequent injury.

The vast majority of Virginia courts have not recognized a duty to supervise, Conrad wrote, going on to dismiss the claim.

The ABC itself was dismissed as a defendant in the suit because Conrad said it was protected under the 11th Amendment as an arm of the state. It had been implicated in a count of failure to supervise and train the agents, which will still go forward as it pertains to Walker.

Finally, the opinion dismisses Cielakie from all counts in the suit. At the time of the incident, Cielakie had been standing nearby and did not have the opportunity to prevent Agents [Jared] Miller and [Thomas] Custer from seizing Johnson and throwing him to the ground. His main participation was in eventually handcuffing Johnson and shackling his ankles, which did not constitute excessive force.

While Johnson has claimed that Cielakie is liable as a bystander, the court disagreed, asserting that Johnson hasnt provided a factual scenario in which Agent Cielakie would have known of the constitutional violation and had sufficient time to stop it.

Conrad went on to dismiss the excessive force, gross negligence, and assault and battery claims against Cielakie, saying that Johnson failed to plead enough facts to support the claims against him. Those counts will nonetheless move forward against the other two agents, Miller and Custer.
LINCOLN  A Nebraska group said Tuesday it's working with its founder, Gov. Pete Ricketts, to eliminate what it considers cumbersome job-licensing requirements that create a drag on the state economy.

The Platte Institute for Economic Research unveiled a campaign that will evaluate the nearly 200 occupations in Nebraska that require a license. The free-market think tank has met with Ricketts to craft a package of licensing changes for next year's legislative session.

"Occupational licensing is the biggest labor force issue in our country today," affecting one in four workers, said Jim Vokal, the group's CEO. "... It's such a big issue that Nebraskans need permission from the government to work nearly 200 different types of jobs."

Vokal said Nebraska needs to make its job licensing requirements similar to or less restrictive than those of nearby states, and should take steps to recognize similar professional licenses from other states.

The "Strong Jobs Nebraska" campaign features entrepreneurs whose businesses struggled because of state or local regulations. The group includes a banquet hall owner who tried to open a food truck business in Lincoln; a reflexology specialist who chose to work in Council Bluffs, Iowa, instead of Omaha; and a massage therapist who chose Iowa over Nebraska because of regulations.

Some industry leaders say the regulations protect consumers and ensure a level playing field with other businesses. In 2013, Lincoln city officials proposed new rules that would let food trucks park at some downtown meters. Currently, they're restricted to private property.

The Nebraska Restaurant Association objected, arguing that food truck vendors could park right next to brick-and-mortar establishments that have to pay taxes and fees and comply with city building codes.

"We're not necessarily opposed to food trucks," said Jim Partington, the restaurant association's executive director. "They fill a legitimate need. But they should maintain the same standards of food safety and comply with safety regulations. And they shouldn't be able to park outside a brick-and-mortar restaurant that's paying thousands of dollars a year in property taxes."

Food truck vendors also scoffed at the plan, which would have required them to deal with more fees, paperwork, insurance requirements and access to a limited number of public spots. The proposal would have imposed a 24-hour time limit to keep them from hogging a parking spot.

Licensing reforms play an important role in keeping more college graduates in Nebraska, said Sen. Nicole Fox of Omaha.

"They're leaving for work in other states where licensing requirements in other states are less cumbersome," said Fox, who will become a lobbyist for the Platte Institute after leaving office in January.

Fox pointed to a law she sponsored earlier this year that eliminated licensing requirements for natural hair braiding services. The issue came to her attention from a constituent who had opened a hair braiding business without a cosmetology license. In Nebraska, the license requires 2,100 hours of training at a cost of roughly $20,000.

"Now, instead of the state of Nebraska considering me a felon, I am a hair-braiding entrepreneur," said Brandy McMorris of Omaha, who braided hair for money before realizing that she had violated state law.

The Platte Institute was founded by Ricketts before he became governor, but Ricketts has said he cut ties with the group before he was elected.

A spokesman for Ricketts said the governor will unveil several new proposals in his annual address to lawmakers, "some of which will aim at cutting red tape and reducing the size of state government."
SNYDER  A Nebraska company that specializes in making firetrucks is being sold to a publicly traded Michigan company for $36.3 million.

Smeal Fire Apparatus has 400 employees in Nebraska, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. It wasn't immediately clear how the employees would be affected by the deal announced Tuesday with Spartan Motors, which is based in Charlotte, Michigan. The deal is set to close in January.

Firetruck manufacturers like Smeal have been consolidating to increase market share due to a decline in truck orders. Spartan's product line is not as specialized as Smeal, which provides buses along with military, recreational and emergency vehicles.

Smeal currently buys about $30 million worth of structural framework from Spartan. The sale terms include financial forgiveness of money that Smeal owes Spartan for recent purchases.

Spartan will determine what happens to Smeal's manufacturing locations and employees, Spartan marketing director Samara Hamilton said. She said combining the companies would most likely increase overall business, which could require more need for employees.

Smeal Chairman Rod Cerny issued a statement saying Spartan was "the perfect fit" for its customers and employees. Spartan President and CEO Daryl Adams said the purchase would enhance his company's emergency vehicle products and expand the geographical reach of its buyers.

About 230 people work at the Smeal's headquarters in Snyder. Smeal also has operations in Neligh.

Smeal became one of the 10 largest fire apparatus companies in the nation after acquiring an aerial ladder business and tanker company in 2014. Combining with Spartan would make the combined company among the top four.
Well, what do you know. After all the recriminations last summer over whether money stockpiled by the University of Virginia should be used for tuition or elsewhere, UVas Board of Visitors has decided to start stockpiling money specifically for tuition aid.

That first cache of money was called a Strategic Investment Fund by the university, and a slush fund by critic and outgoing board member Helen Dragas.

The slush fund label connoted a hidden mound of money. Indeed, Ms. Dragas claimed both that the university had been insufficiently transparent about the existence of the fund as well as incorrectly determined to spend it elsewhere other than on tuition relief.

Some members of the General Assembly caught scent of an apparent scandal, suspecting UVa of raising costs for Virginia students and parents while wrongly withholding money that could have been used for tuition. They asked for an investigation.

In addition to reasonable concerns that the university might not be putting its money into programs that would best serve the public good, it also appeared that some lawmakers simply wanted to see UVa humbled for being too independent and perhaps too powerful.

For its part, UVa vigorously defended its right to a strategic fund, its transparency regarding the fund and its intended purpose for the fund. The SIF was designed to help finance long-term programs that would allow UVa to maintain, even advance, its competitive position as a world-class university.

In the end, the state inquiry supported UVas claim that it had done nothing wrong in creating or managing the fund. The whole controversy seemed to collapse like a puffball.

But wait. Here we are just a few months later, and the Board of Visitors is creating a new fund  an endowment  specifically to help alleviate tuition pressures.

Not that finding some form of tuition relief is a brand-new notion. The university has been struggling for years with the problem of how to pay for top-level programs and attract high-level faculty while keeping tuition at a low level, accessible to students.

The idea of an endowment fund as a solution is at least three years old.

But the Strategic Investment Fund controversy almost certainly propelled the Board of Visitors into action. In fact, the plan is for the endowment to be partially financed by payouts generated from the SIF. So the endowment will partly owe its creation not only indirectly, but also directly to the putative slush fund.

Two board members voted against the plan because they felt it caved in to General Assembly critics.

But the endowment is, in truth, an elegant solution, both intrinsically and because of its recent history. Its heartening to see a positive result emerge following the sturm und drang , the suspicions and recriminations regarding that use of money just a few short months ago.
The children had been living in a storage unit, the back of a car and in rented rooms.

When Crete police arrested their 29-year-old mother Thursday on a Lancaster County warrant, officers found the three youngest -- ages 5, 3 and 2 -- in the back of an SUV, filthy, half-clothed and each holding a stolen boxer puppy.

The case is not typical of homeless families, said Pastor Tom Barber of the Peoples City Mission. The vast majority of people who are homeless in Lincoln are women and children, but they generally arent living on the street.

Instead, he said, they tend to stay with family, and more than 60 percent of their cases are related to domestic abuse.

Two-hundred seventeen families, including 449 children and 228 adults, sought help in Lincoln over a one-year period ending Oct. 31, according to the Annual Homeless Assessment Report provided by the University of Nebraska-Lincolns Center on Children, Families, and the Law.

Of the adults, 92 percent were women.

The actual number of homeless women and children likely is larger because those figures dont count people who stay with family and friends rather than seek emergency services, Barber said.

The Crete woman arrested last week has five children according to court records. Her oldest daughter, 12, lived with her father at the time. The woman is not named here to protect the identity of her kids.

Her second oldest, a 9-year-old boy, has missed school for days or weeks and bounced between Crete and Lincoln school districts seven times since 2013, according to court records.

School officials said his mother appeared intoxicated and unable to follow conversations when they spoke with her, court records show.

The boy spent days in intensive care this summer after he nearly lost his left arm when it became badly infected, and court records indicate his mother neglected to take him to follow-up medical appointments after doctors put pins in his arm to fix a broken bone.

Medical staff contacted state officials in August, and Crete police contacted the woman and offered to drive them to appointments. Still, court records say, she failed to take the boy to doctors.

Its unclear why the family ended up homeless, but they spent months in hotels, the storage unit and a car. Court records say the mother refused to cooperate with Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services caseworkers.

Luis Cuevas, who owns a private shop on the west side of Crete, said he occasionally saw the kids playing outside the nearby storage unit and adults coming and going during the past three months. He suspected the woman and her children were living in the unheated unit, he said Monday.

A man staying with the family occasionally stopped by the shop to borrow power cords, he said.

Then Cuevas six purebred boxer puppies went missing last week. They were 5 weeks old, too young to be separated from their mother.

Meanwhile, Crete police caught up with her Thursday as she dropped her 9-year-old son off at school after he'd been truant for days. In the back seat of her trash-filled SUV, officers found her youngest three children holding puppies.

The 5- and 3-year-old girls each had one bare foot and the 2-year-old girl was naked from the waist down and wrapped in a blanket, according to court documents.

Investigators believe the childrens mother sold three of the dogs. One was returned and two remain missing, Crete Police Lt. Gary Young said.

Police arrested the woman on a misdemeanor warrant for pawning property by a convicted person and cited her for possession of stolen property, theft and child abuse.

The children have been placed with their fathers. Their mother was in Saline County jail Monday evening.
LONDON - England - What goes on in the dungeons below Number 10? Theresa May, leathered up in expensive gear reveals some of her dark pleasures and guilty secrets.

One can imagine the leather clad aspirations of Theresa May gone wild in the dark dank depths of Number 10, a place where she charges a fair price to overworked Cabinet ministers and lonely single white male politicians in their sixties.

Your imagination can run wild, but what if some of it was real, like it actually happened?

There are secret rooms and chambers in 10 Downing Street, possibly accessed by pressing a well worn dusty copy of Spycatcher in the library, or by turning a certain brass knob 34 degrees to the left.

At midnight, the strains of Motley Crues song Girls Girls Girls emanates from one of these dungeons, and if you listen carefully Mistress Theresa May is whipping someone very hard.

And after the frenzied whipping sound ends, the groans can be heard.

Nicky Morgan is going to have to be very careful of what she says next time to the the papers.

The taste of fresh leather, expensive, and sweaty exudes a sultry seductive side to the PM, as she adjusts her whip, and calls for the next recipient.




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.
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Kinky Friedman, Cousin Nancy (Nancy Parker-Simons) and Tony Simons founded Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch in '98. Friends Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver, Spike Gillespie, Richard Pryor, Jerry Jeff Walker, Molly Ivins, Dwight Yoakam support the ranch. We primarily rescued dogs. Nancy, author of "The Road to Utopia: How Kinky, Tony & I Saved More Animals Than Noah" by UT Press '06 utopiarescue.com.  cousin nancy blog 2022 by Cousin Nancy All rights reserved.
New Delhi: While government is pushing for digital payments through mobile phones, chipset maker Qualcomm said that wallets and mobile banking applications in India are not using hardware level security which can make online transactions more secure.

"You will be surprised because most of the banking or wallet apps around the world don't use hardware security. They actually run completely in Android mode and users password can be stolen.

Users use fingerprint which might be captured ... in India that is the case for most of all digital wallets and mobile banking apps," Qualcomm Senior Director Product Management Sy Choudhury told reporters here.

He said that even most famous digital payment application in India is not using hardware level security. "Reason we are saying that none of them is using it because we work with OEMs (original equipment makers)," Choudhury said.

As per market research firm Strategy Analytics, Qualcomm leads mobile chipset market globally with 37 per cent share. "Everyone is getting connected, everyone is getting authenticated by device. How do you know that your device is getting ready for demonetisation? When you download a mobile banking app you don't know if it is using hardware security or not," Choudhury said.

He said that Qualcomm is now approaching digital payments companies for using secure environment for processing payments on mobile phone. "We are providing secure execution environment in the chipsets. This layer separates transactions on mobile phone from operating system.

This checks any malware from effecting transactions," Choudhury said. He said that Qualcomm is also coming up with new feature in its mobile chipsets from 2017 that verify user with payment gateway using unique features like device id, phone manufacturer signature, Android version in the phone, root kit of operating system, location and time, which will be nearly impossible to duplicate.

"Device attestation feature will start shipping in 2017. For end users it should be available by end of 2017," Choudhury said. The company has partnered with software security company Avast to generate alerts for users in case their mobile phones are infected with virus or malware.

Choudhury lauded India's Aadhaar authentication system. "Aadhaar initiated by Indian government, the path that it is moving now with digital version of Aadhaar is far ahead then most government in the entire world," Choudhury said.
People queue up to withdraw money from a mobile ATM at ITPO, Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on Monday. In an attempt to reduce rush at bank branches and ATMs, banks have pressed into service mobile ATM vans. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The I-T Department may slap a hefty 200 per cent penalty on unexplained high cash deposits in banks even before annual income tax returns are filed so as to prevent black money being converted into white during the 50-day window provided for turning in the junked Rs 500/1000 notes, a finance ministry official said. It is also collating data on spurt in deposits in zero- balance Jan Dhan accounts and will slap a 200 per cent penalty on unexplained high value cash deposits, he said.

After withdrawing old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, the government has allowed the banned notes to be deposited in bank accounts or exchanged for new legal tenders till December 30. This has led to cash balances popping up in millions of Jan Dhan accounts, opened under a government scheme for beneficiaries to get their entitlements like LPG subsidy.

Tax Department is collating data on spurt in Jan Dhan accounts. It will analyse all data and impose tax plus a 200 per cent penalty in cases of unexplained high value deposits, the official said. Under Section 12 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, tax department can ask for any information from any agency including the Reserve Bank of India and co-operative banks besides all scheduled banks. To prevent misuse of the 50-day window provided for exchange of genuine holdings of the scrapped 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, the tax department may resort to imposing tax and penalty even before annual Income Tax Return (ITR) is filed, the official said.

Any unexplained source of income can be charged with tax and a 200 per cent penalty on it. That can happen before filing of ITR. No retrospective amendment is required if high value deposits are caught before filing ITR, he said.

The finance ministry has carried out series of advertisements in newspapers assuring people that their hard earned money is safe and depositing junked Rs 500/1,000 notes of up to Rs 2.50 lakh in bank accounts will not be reported to the tax department.

It has also stated that farm income continues to remain tax free and can be easily deposited in bank. Small businessmen, housewives, artisans, workers can also deposit cash in their accounts without any apprehensions, it has said. On farm income, the official said the tax department will match the acre of land the person has and the deposits made in the bank account to identify any discrepancy.

Jewellery sales come under taxmens scan

Intensifying the crackdown on laundering of illicit wealth, tax authorities are keeping a close vigil on jewellers to check if sales are being broken down into sub- Rs 2 lakh to avoid quoting of PAN.

After the government banned old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, gold and bullion are said to be favoured route for laundering of ill-gotten wealth. Gold was sold as high as `50,000 per ten grams last week against the market price of Rs 31,000 as gold and bullion was said to be used to convert the debunked currency. A 20-40 per cent haircut in the value of defunct currency was also being resorted to launder black money.

PAN is mandatory for jewellery sale of over Rs 2 lakh. We are keeping a watch on jewellers to see if they are breaking their sales into parts of less than Rs 2 lakh, CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra told reporters here. Necessary action and penalty, he said, would be initiated wherever violations are found. Whether it is deposit of cash or sale of goods in old currency note, we are keeping a watch and taking steps, he said after inaugurating the CBDT pavilion at IITF.
Mumbai: Kareena has self-confessedly owned her pregnancy and friends and family of the actress couldnt be more proud of her. But in the past few days, Bebo, who is due on December 20, has slowed down on work commitments and public appearances.

Rumours of health scare stemmed out of the fact that the actress suddenly stopped stepping out of her house.

But Papa Kapoor has cleared the air. He told a leading daily that both the baby and Kareena are healthy.

"Kareena and the baby are healthy, and there is no reason to worry. The doctors are regularly monitoring her health. Everyone is excited. Preparations to welcome our grandkid have already begun," said Bebos father actor Randhir kapoor.

Bebo, on the other hand, stepped out in style with her gang of girls, actors Karishma Kapoor and Amrita arora Ladak, to put speculations to rest.

The actress was spotted lunching with her pack at a posh Khar restaurant.
The two were earlier scene in 'Brothers,' but weren't paired together.

Mumbai: Sidharth Malhotra and Jacqueline Fernandez' upcoming action potboiler, helmed by Raj Nidimoru and DK had been in the news for the longest time surrounding its premise and title.

While there has been massive speculation that the film is a sequel to Sidharth Anand's Hrithik Roshan-Katrina Kaif starrer 'Bang Bang,' the makers have been vehement with their denial of it.

There had also been rumours stating that the film has been christened 'Reloaded'.

However giving every rumour a rest, it has finally been revealed that the film has been officially named 'Reload,' and the news doesn't end there!

The film is all set to hit theatres on August 25, 2017.

Sidharth will be seen playing a double role in the film. The two characters are also said to be diametrically different and will see the actor in different avatars.

The actor will be seen indulging in some raw hand-to-hand combat scenes in the film, which has him as a man on a mission.

The film also stars Suniel Shetty as an ex-colonel in the film. He will incidentally be playing Sidharth's father. Suniel himself has been undergoing vigorous training for his action sequences in the film.

Fans can now barely wait for the film's first look.
Mumbai: The news we are about to drop may leave the boys heartbroken and girls in an envious state. The fashion inspiration of many, Bollywood belle Sonam Kapoor has finally found love and even decided to tie the knot with him.

A Mumbai Mirror report claims a source revealed to them that the rumoured couple of one year has reportedly made up it's mind to settle down and the wedding will take place sometime next year.

Sonam, who has always kept her personal life away from the media, is of course denying the reports.

Seems like Sonams family has also accepted their future son-in-law with open arms. During Mirzya promotions, Harshvardhan Kapoor was seen wearing clothes from Anands brand. In fact, just yesterday, a website posted pictures of Kareena Kapoor on Twitter donning a shirt from Ahujas brand and guess who retweeted it? Yeah, you got that one right!

Sonam is leaving no stone unturned in helping Anands business flourish. Sweet, isnt it?!
Mumbai: As Rana Dagubatti celebrates his 32nd birthday today, the makers of Baahubali 2 released the actors first look from the film. In the new picture, Rana looks vicious as he stares in the camera. Flaunting bullish armour, Rana is seen sporting a salt-and-pepper look and a man bun.

As Baahubalis sequel is packed with high octane action sequences and in order to do justice to his role, Rana trained rigorously to get his physique in perfect shape.

Just last month, Prabhas first look from the film was revealed at the Mumbai film festival. Now with his arch nemesis, Bhallalas first look out as well, fans are excited to catch the film in theatres.

'Baahubali: The Conclusion', being made in Telugu and Tamil while also being dubbed into Hindi, stars Prabhas as the eponymous warrior king, alongside Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah Bhatia, Anushka Shetty and Sathyaraj. The prequel had made over 650 crore rupees approximately, through its run at the global box-office.
Mumbai: Actor of popular reality crime series Crime Patrol committed suicide yesterday in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh by reportedly shooting himself in the chest.

Anjani Chaturvedi, sister of Kamleshs wife, had not invited him for the wedding of her daughter which got the deceased actor really upset. When the unfortunate incident happened, Anjani was present.

Kamlesh was drunk beyond belief when he got into an altercation with his family. And in a frenzy of rage, took out his revolver, shot first in the air and then his chest.

The panic-stricken family called ambulance but he was already dead by then.

Although the police has declared the cause of death as suicide, the exact reason behind this unfortunate incident will be known once the post-mortem report is out.
They plan to use the proceeds from the 15 paintings they sold to help provide treatment for Syrian children injured in the war (Photo: AFP)

Germany: Alongside the traditional gluehwein and sausages on offer at a Christmas market in small-town Bavaria, visitors could also try more exotic fare: falafel and kibbeh served by a family of refugees from the Syrian war.

As hostility towards immigrants has increased since a record 890,000 arrived in Germany in 2015, the participation of the Ballish family in a distinctly German tradition was welcomed by many at the market in Schillingsfuerst as a sign of integration.

"I feel comfortable here but of course not like at home," said 20-year-old Mayar Ballish who served falafel sandwiches from a wooden hut decorated with festive fir tree garlands, red bows and white fairy lights.

"The people here are so nice and so kind, yes, the language is always difficult," she said in German. In the baroque castle behind the market, Mayar's sister, Nawar, 21, and their father, Moneer, held an exhibition of their own paintings and drawings depicting scenes of suffering in Syria.

"I'd like people to understand the feelings we Syrians have, whether we're living in Syria now or elsewhere, and what we're going through," said 53-year-old Moneer.

They plan to use the proceeds from the 15 paintings they sold to help provide treatment for Syrian children injured in the war. Ruth Brinkmann-Seitz, a visitor to the exhibition, said the paintings had moved her to tears.

"I'm delighted that this kind of integration is happening - just like that, without any big fuss and really great," she said.

The younger Ballish children - 10-year-old Shams and 9-year-old Sama - beamed as they sung German Christmas songs while wearing red Santa hats with their schoolmates on stage at the market.

Their mother, Shahnaz, who cooked falafel and kibbeh - a Middle Eastern speciality made of ground meat, onions and bulgur wheat - said she was proud the family had shown locals refugees could be productive.
Hyderabad, known for its Irani chai, has been witness to a steady flow of new tea bars.

Yes, theres a day dedicated to tea! International Tea Day has been celebrated on December 15 for more than a decade in tea producing countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal among others.

Hyderabad, known for its Irani chai, has been witness to a steady flow of new tea bars. The beverage has always been an inevitable part of our lives, but with tea bars offering new and interesting flavours, people are now rushing to these places for their daily dose of chai.

The Chai Bar at a star hotel in the city is truly a place for tea lovers with over forty varieties of speciality teas from Assam, Darjeeling and the Nilgiris.

Handpicked teas like mango flavoured Assam tea and Kashmiri Kahwa are among peoples favourites. They also have other interesting flavours like Dragon Ball, Darjeeling First Flush, Blood Orange Herbal Blend and Pondicherry Fruit Tisane etc.

Our tea bar is a tribute to Indian tea industries. We started the Chai Bar in 2013 and its been a huge success. Many customers enjoy tea over coffee and thats when we decided to have an exclusive tea bar. People think tea has no varieties, but thats not true. Having a tea bar is now the USP of many restaurants such as ours, says the spokesperson of the hotel.

Chai Kahani is another popular tea cafe in the city, and its owner Vikas Reddy is thrilled with the response. I started one cafe at Madhapur just this year and the response has been so amazing that I have opened another branch at Kompally. Weve welcomed 4,000 customers in just 20 days! Tea is a daily affair in South Indian homes and since we are providing them with more options for flavours, people are more than happy about it. Priced at Rs 60-70, its also affordable when compared to coffee, says Vikas and adds, Not just youngsters, but people of all age groups enjoy tea and its also a healthier option. Tea is the new trend.

Tea invites conversation and many Hyderabadis love to chat over tea at Lamakaan. Ashhar Farhan, trustee of Lamakaan says, Tea is a part of Lamakaan culture. We just serve the regular Hyderabadi chai, but people love it. Irani cafes have eroded from the city, but we continue to serve it to people for just `10. People enjoy having tea while conversing with friends or colleagues and thats the reason people come to Lamakaan.
Ahmedabad: Four persons were on Wednesday sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment by a local court for the gang-rape of a woman in the city in 2013.

The court of District and Sessions Judge A I Sheikh sentenced Samir Hussain Sheikh, Md Sharif Badshah, Kabir Sheikh and Imtiyaz Ali Sheikh after considering a set of evidences, including FSL reports of semen and their body abrasions, as well as examination of 17 witnesses.

The woman was gang-raped in the afternoon of November 29,2013, at her house in Vatva locality here when her husband was away. The culprits were known to the woman and resided in the same area.

The gangrape was committed in front of victim's 10-year-old daughter, who was considered as an additional witness by the court though her statement was not taken.

The court also considered medical evidences such as the FSL report of semen sample matching with that of the accused, and medical examination of the accused which showed abrasions on their bodies.

While delivering the sentence, the court also took into account the fact that the FIR was filed immediately after the incident.
New Delhi: It was a casual on-metro selfie that a US-based NRI woman had clicked which helped the CISF recover her stolen gold jewellery worth Rs 22 lakh and bust a gang of women pickpockets from a Metro station in New Delhi.

The CISF on Tuesday said they nabbed six alleged women pickpockets at a station who used to operate in crowded areas and target the metro travellers.

Nilam Kumari, the California-based NRI software engineer, had on December 9 filed a complaint that her jewellery bag was stolen near Central Secretariat station when she was travelling with her husband, CISF officials said.

"The couple had valued the stolen jewellery at Rs 22 lakh in their FIR," they said.

They said they cracked the case with the help of a 'selfie' Nilam had clicked on-metro and submitted it to the police. The 'selfie' had one of the accused pickpocket woman in the background.

They said the identified the woman in the background and apprehended her, who gave information about the other five during interrogation.

The CISF then began monitoring the movement of the woman and nabbed them on Tuesday from Chawri Bazar Metro station. They were questioned extensively during which they spilled the beans. On of the six woman, identified as Kamla, act as their leader, they said.

The accused woman also surrendered the items they had stolen, which included the bag containing jewellery belonging to Nilam.

The CISF has handed over the accused women to the police for further interrogation as there was a possibility that they could be involved in other such cases.

Appreciating the investigative skills of the three Central Industrial Security Force personnel, the force's chief OP Singh announced a prize of Rs 20,000 cash for Sub-Inspector Monika and Constables Noorjahan and Nasrin Khatun.
BALLARI: In a sudden twist in the tale of excise minister H Y Meti allegedly seeking sexual favours from an Ayurvedic doctor, RTI activist Rajashekhar Mulali, who claimed that he was threatened by supporters of the minister, received a notice from the local police even as he was provided protection, here on Monday.

In the notice, Mr Mulali has been asked to answer six questions though a FIR has not been registered even four days after he lodged a complaint at Gandhi Nagar police station, alleging that he was threatened by supporters of Mr. Meti, and warned him not to release the CD in which the doctor made allegations against Mr Meti.

In the notice, Mr. Mulali has been asked to reply to the following questions: where was he headed when he was allegedly threatened by some men on December 8, the time and place where he was threatened, why he decided to take that route, where was he before he set out in that direction, who and how many threatened him, their language, and a detailed description of each member.

Besides, he was also asked who were tailing him for the last eight days and where, when, at what time. Speaking to the media on Monday, Mr Mulali said he did not nurse any grudge against the minister, had not sought any favours from him, and did not belong to any political party.

He said that he had watched the alleged CD involving the minister and the lady doctor, but does not have a copy of the CD. Mr Mulali said that he would wait for the state government to initiate action against Mr Meti in connection with the CD case and then meet KPCC president Dr G Parameshwar to explain everything he knew about Mr Meti and the CD. In case, the KPCC president does not act, I will approach top AICC leaders, he added.

Siddaramaiah & Co defend Meti

A day after excise minister H.Y. Metis name surfaced in a sex CD scandal, CM Siddaramaiah on Monday reacted to the controversy remarking that the state government will not delay in taking disciplinary action against the former by even a minute if the alleged CD is released in the public domain and is found to be true.

Ministers Kagodu Thimmappa, Basavaraj Rayareddy and K.J. George came out in strong defence of Mr Meti. The Congress and Mr Meti got a shot in the arm with JD(S) deputy floor leader in the Assembly, Y.S.V. Datta too cautiously batting for his ex-colleague in JD(S).

Speaking to reporters here, Mr Siddaramaiah said, The question is not about who has done it? Whether Mr Meti or anyone else. This is definitely a blunder. I will not even take a minute to initiate action once the CD is released.

He quickly added that there is no question of protecting anyone as this is an issue concerning morality. RTI activist, Rajashekhar Muloli had been making claims that he has seen such a CD. If so, then let the CD be made public. I have not yet sought any explanation from Mr Meti on this issue, he said replying to media queries.

Mr Thimmappa said, The episode appears to be a blackmail tactic. I feel that these tactics are becoming more common now. According to him, Mr Meti is trustworthy than the RTI activist.
Renewal of FCRA licence of Greenpeace India, Teesta's NGOs Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace stands cancelled with immediate effect. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: In a major flip flop, the Home Ministry on Wednesday cancelled renewal of FCRA licence of Greenpeace India and two NGOs run by activist Teesta Setalvad, three months after "inadvertently" allowing their registration for five more years.

Renewal of FCRA licence of Greenpeace India, Teesta's NGOs Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace stands cancelled with immediate effect, a Home Ministry official said.

The Ministry also ordered review of recent renewal of FCRA registration of 13,000 NGOs to look into the possible goof ups of existing rules.

The Home Ministry also ordered a probe by the Computer Emergency Response Team-India to ascertain whether there was hacking of government software systems as there have been several instances where licences of NGOs under scrutiny were renewed automatically.

Government ordered that applications of all "red-flagged NGOs will have to be vetted by Joint Secretary handling Home Ministry's Foreigners Division.

Orders, generated online, renewing FCRA licence of Greenpeace India, Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace stand "null and void" and the licence to these NGOs stands cancelled and they cannot receive foreign funds, the official said.

Registration of these three NGOs was renewed for five years in September.

While licence of Greenpeace India, Sabrang Trust were cancelled by the government in the past, Citizens for Justice and Peace was put in prior permission category, thus preventing it to receive foreign funds without government permission.

The Home Ministry had seen embarrassing moments two months ago when similar lapses were witnessed in "automatic renewal" of licence of Zakir Naik-run NGO -- Islamic Research Foundation -- leading to suspension of four officials including a Joint Secretary.

Licence of IRF was later cancelled by the government permanently after declaring it as a terror outfit.

The three NGOs were accused of "prejudicial affecting public interest" of the country and alleged violation of various provisions of FCRA.
Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju at Parliament during the winter session, in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Congress plans to raise Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju's alleged involvement in the Rs 540 crore hydro-electric scam in Rajya Sabha.

Congress leader Anand Sharma has given a notice under rule 267 in Rajya Sabha for the discussion on the matter.

On Tuesday, Congress had accused Kiren Rijiju of being involved in a Rs 450-crore hydro-electric scam in Arunachal Pradesh.

"We have audio proof against Kiren Rijiju," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala in a press conference. He added that Rijiju should resign and an independent probe should be initiated into the matter.

But Rijiju brushed aside all allegations of corruption levelled against him and his distant cousin, saying that the ones planting such news would be 'beaten up with shoes' if they come to Arunachal.

Rijiju pushed aside all the blame calling it "shameful" and asked if helping one's own people be termed as 'corruption'.

"To help your own people is corruption? Is helping people corruption?" said Rijiju.

"This news is nothing but a mischief. I did write a letter but there's nothing suspicious about it," he added.

Rijiju, his distant cousin, a contractor in Arunachal Pradesh, Goboi Rijiju, and several other officials of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) have been accused of corruption in the construction of two dams for one of the biggest hydro-electric projects in Arunachal Pradesh.

Their names, including the names of Chairman and Managing Editor of NEEPCO, have been mentioned in a 129-page report submitted by the Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) Chief Vigilance Officer.
Questions have been raised on the efficacy of pellet guns which were used to disperse protesters in Kashmir as many people lost their eyesight and some deaths also occured. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said pellet guns should not be used "indiscriminately" for controlling street protests in Jammu and Kashmir and be resorted to only after "proper application of mind" by the authorities.

A bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur issued notices to the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government while seeking their replies on a plea alleging "excessive" use of pellet guns in the state.

The apex court also sought assistance of Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi on the issue and asked him to submit copy of the report submitted by the Expert Committee constituted for exploring other alternatives to pellet guns.

Read: Kashmir unrest: Try not to use pellet guns, Mehbooba tells security forces

"Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi is requested to assist this Court and to place on record a copy of the report, if any, submitted by the Expert Committee, constituted by the

Government of India in terms of its Office Memorandum/Order dated July 26, 2016... Needful be done within six weeks from today," the bench also comprising Justice D Y Chandrachud said while posting the matter for hearing on January 30.

"All that we want is an assurance that pellet guns will not be used indiscriminately or excessively in the state and will be resorted to after proper application of mind," the bench observed.

The court was hearing an appeal filed by Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association against the High Court order seeking stay on use of pellet guns as a large number of people had been killed or injured due to its use.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court had on September 22 rejected the plea seeking a ban on use of pellet guns on the ground that the Centre had already constituted a Committee of Experts through its Memorandum dated July 26, 2016 for exploring alternatives to pellet guns.

Taking note of the statement, the High Court had disposed of the petition, saying that no further direction was required since the matter was being looked at by the Centre.

The High Court Bar Association challenged the order, contending that High Court should not have disposed the petition and instead waited or called for the report of the expert committee.

The High Court had also declined to accept the plea to prosecute the officers who ordered use of pellet guns and those who actually fired them.

It had also directed the authorities concerned to ensure that all the injured are extended adequate medical treatment by specialists for whatever injury they sustain.
New Delhi: Indian diplomatic missions have filed 182 mercy petitions in 12 countries, including the UAE and Oman, on behalf of Indians in foreign jails in the last three years, Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

Maximum number of petitions have been filed in the UAE (74), followed by Oman (57), Bahrain (14), Myanmar (12) and the US (5), Minister of State for Foreign Affairs V K Singh said in written reply to a question.

To another question, he said that since inception of the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) scheme in December 2005, 23,60,626 Persons of Indian Origin have been issued OCI cards till December 6, 2016.

Replying to yet another question, Singh said the External Affairs Ministry is implementing a Productivity Linked Incentive Scheme (PLIS) to enhance the efficiency in the functioning of the Passport office in the country.
The concept was to form the horticulture farmers into groups to provide them with the necessary financial aid through Nabard and also have direct trading for horticulture produces via tie-up with national and international companies. (Representational image)

Israel, despite it being a semiarid country with limited water resources and rain-deficit conditions, is a leading producer of agricultural commodities and can provide a model for regions like Anantapur which have better climatic conditions, in matters of technology adaptations.

While Israel has an average of 435mm annual rainfall, Anantapur district has more than 500mm rainfall, and it has emerged as the horticulture hub of the state. The government plans to adopt the advanced technology of Israel along with improved market facilities at global level for the produces from this district. The Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture has been launched two months ago. The concept was to form the horticulture farmers into groups to provide them with the necessary financial aid through Nabard and also have direct trading for horticulture produces via tie-up with national and international companies.

Further, the district administration wanted to have MoUs with more number of Israel companies to provide technical assistance because of their successive rigorous research in developing different varieties of hybrid seeds with salient features of immunity and heavy production.

Hindupur horticulture official Sudarshan said an Israel-based research institute came forward to set up a training centre in the district to assist pomegranate producers.

Southern and eastern parts of the district are known for tasty fruits, but the orchards incur losses due to unfavourable conditions including poor technology and less susceptibility.

Collector Kona Sasidhar had agreed to establish the centre on pomegranate crop. As part of the mission, the farmers of crops like sweet orange, mango, grape and vegetables will also get necessary technological support as also direct marketing facilities at their door steps. Groundnut farmers are being encouraged towards taking up dry land horticulture, District Water Management Age-ncy (DWMA) project dire-ctor Nagabnhushanam said.
Jammu: A terrorist was neutralised in an encounter with security forces in Bijbehara, Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.

While in a separate incident, the Army launched a search operation to smoke out hidden terrorists in Sopore in Baramulla district.

The Army and the Police have cordoned off the area and launched search operations in Bomai area of Sopore in Baramulla, where terrorists are believed to be hiding.

More details awaited.
Six banks have replied till date, saying no such discrimination is being done and that ATMs are being filled up at the same intervals. (Photo: Representational Image)

Hyderabad: The State Minorities Commission on Wednesday said it has sought information from the RBI and different banks following a complaint that the old city area of Hyderabad is being discriminated in allotment of cash following demonetisation.

"We have framed about four questions. One, whether the same amount is being allotted to the branches in old city and the new city area; whether the ATMs are being filled up at the same intervals and the same amount of cash; how many ATMs are working and how many are not working and the calibration has been done or not and all other RBI norms are being followed or not," Commission Chairman Abid Rasool Khan told PTI.

Six banks have replied till date, saying no such discrimination is being done and that ATMs are being filled up at the same intervals, he said.

The banks also said they deputed officers to facilitate payments to the old city residents, he said.

The commission has asked banks to take special care of residents in old city irrespective of religion as many of them are daily wage earners, and also to send mobile banks.

It has also urged the banks to hold camps in localities inhabited by poor as they do not know about digitalisation, he said.

"These are the efforts we are putting from the commission, irrespective of religion, to facilitate weaker sections (to see that they get cash). We will analyse the replies from banks. Our intention is to see that these people get the money. We are trying to do it as a social cause not as a religious cause, (we are) concerned that they (many residents of old city) are poor," Khan said.

The State Minorities Commission serves both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh as of now.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi had recently claimed that adequate bank network was missing from Muslim areas.

"In many Muslim areas, banks are not present in the manner they should be. The proportion of loan distribution is also less (compared to other areas)," Owaisi, the MP from Hyderabad, had said after a meeting at Udgir in Latur district of Marathwada region in Maharashtra on Monday.
Kiren Rijiju has been accused of being involved in a multi-crore scam.

New Delhi: Lok Sabha on Wednesday continued to see ruckus with the Opposition training their guns on the government over the controversy involving Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and the demonetisation issue, forcing adjournment of the proceedings for the day.

As soon as the House met for the day, Opposition members, including those from Congress, TMC and Left parties, were on their feet raising demands about certain issues, including the controversy involving Rijiju and demonetisation.

Some members from the Treasury benches were also on their feet waving papers but both sides were not audible amid the din.

Among other issues, Opposition members were seen to be raising concerns about alleged misuse of office by Rijiju, who is the Minister of State for Home Affairs, with regard to a power project in Arunachal Pradesh.

With the ruckus continuing, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan the proceedings were adjourned till noon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, party's Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, among others, were present in the House.

Lok Sabha has been witnessing a virtual washout since the Winter Session started on November 16 with the Opposition and the government locking horns over the demonetisation issue.

The Winter Session, which began on November 16, is scheduled to conclude on Friday, with indications that it could be a virtual washout.

Parliament has seen little transaction of any substantial business because of the Opposition ruckus over demonetisation and some other issues.

Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha continued to be deadlocked over the way a debate should take place on demonetisation announced by the Prime Minister on November 8.

Ever since the session began, the Lok Sabha has managed to conduct only two legislative actions -- passage of Income Tax amendment bill and approval of Supplementary Demand for Grants -- that too amid din and without much debate.

The Rajya Sabha has functioned normally only on the first day of the session when the debate on demonetisation was initiated and held for about 5 hours.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen attending the Lok Sabha session, which was adjourned within minutes on Wednesday. Rajya Sabha on the other hand began on a promising note, but some members started protesting as soon as MoS Home Kiren Rijiju spoke in the House.

The Congress said it would raise Rijiju's alleged involvement in the Rs 540 crore hydro-electric scam in Rajya Sabha. Congress leader Anand Sharma had given a notice under rule 267 in Rajya Sabha for discussion on the matter.

BJP and Congress had issued whips asking their members in both Houses to ensure their presence for the remainder of the Winter session with the issue of demonetisation casting a shadow.

Before Parliament reconvened, leaders of Opposition parties held a meeting in the morning to decide their strategy in the House.

On its part, the ruling BJP also issued a whip to ensure that the treasury benches are in full strength in both Houses.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday again asked Congress and other rival parties to start debate on demonetisation.

Both the government and the Opposition, especially Congress and TMC, have stuck to their stand that the debate be held under a Rule that entails voting which the treasury benches have ruled out.

Last Friday, Congress changed its stand and expressed readiness for debate under "no rule". However, the ruling side created ruckus and the debate could not take place.

Pitching for a debate, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today urged the Congress and other opposition parties to "rise above slogans..." as he urged them for a debate in Parliament.

The Winter Session, which began on November 16, is scheduled to conclude on Friday, with indications that it could be a virtual washout.

Parliament has seen little transaction of any substantial business because of the Opposition ruckus over demonetisation and some other issues.

Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha continued to be deadlocked over the way a debate should take place on demonetisation announced by the Prime Minister on November 8.

Ever since the session began, the Lok Sabha has managed to conduct only two legislative actions -- passage of Income Tax amendment bill and approval of Supplementary Demand for Grants -- that too amid din and without much debate.

The Rajya Sabha has functioned normally only on the first day of the session when the debate on demonetisation was initiated and held for about 5 hours.
New Delhi: The names of iconic high courts of Madras, Calcutta and Bombay may not be changed in the near future as a bill moved in this regard has run into trouble and the revised one has to be introduced in Parliament.

The High Court (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 19 to allow the names of the Calcutta, Madras and Bombay High Courts to be changed to Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai respectively.

But, now the Tamil Nadu government has asked the Centre to rename the Madras High Court as 'High Court of Tamil Nadu' instead of 'High Court of Chennai' as proposed in the bill.

While the West Bengal government wants the Calcutta High Court to be renamed as Kolkata High Court, the high court itself "not agreed for revised nomenclature."

Minister of State for Law P P Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that the old bill will have to revised and a new bill will have to be introduced.

"The central government has sought views from the concerned state governments and the respective high courts for finalising fresh bill. No time frame can be fixed for finalising of the fresh bill and its introduction in Parliament," he said.

The Calcutta High Court has the distinction of being the first high court and one of the three chartered high courts to be set up in India, along with the high courts of Bombay,

Madras. It was formally opened on July 1, 1862.

'Indian High Court Act' of 1861 vested in the Queen of England to issue letters patent to establish high courts of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.

The Bombay High Court was inaugurated on August 14, 1862.

The high court today has three benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad and Goa. Bombay HC is one of a few institutions in Maharashtra that continue to carry the old name of the city.

The state government renamed Bombay as Mumbai in 1995 and all institutions under it altered names accordingly.

The Madras High Court, which came into being around the same time, has one bench in Madurai.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Wednesday hear appeals filed by the December 16 gangrape convicts, challenging a Delhi High Court order that ordered four of them to the gallows considering "the case rarest of rare".

The apex court is hearing the appeals filed by the four convicts, Mukesh, Pawan, Akshay and Vijay on Monday's and Friday's every week.

Last Monday, the Supreme Court declined the request by two amicus curiae, senior counsel Raju Ramachandran and Sanjay R Hegde to withdraw from assisting the court in the hearing of the appeals by the convicts in the 16 December Delhi gang rape case.

Asking both to continue assisting the court in the hearing of the appeals by the four accused convicted and sentenced to death, the three judge apex court bench comprising of Justices Dipak Misra, R. Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan said, "We can appreciate the anguish expressed by the learned amici curiae.

Six people gangraped a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern in a moving bus and beat her and her male friend. After violently raping and attacking her, they threw the girl outside the vehicle, along with her male friend. The girl succumbed to her injuries in a Singapore hospital on December 29, 2012. The incident led to large scale protests across the country, forcing the government of the day to make strict and punitive laws related to harassment of women.

One of the accused Ram Singh, 33, hanged himself in prison, while another man, who was a juvenile at the time of the crime, was convicted in August and will serve the maximum sentence of three years in a reform home.

Meanwhile, on December 3, Amicus Curiae Sanjay Hegde questioned the evidence produced by the prosecution in the Nirbhaya gang rape case. In a special hearing, Hegde came out with certain points putting a question on the merit of evidence.

Hegde said that one of the convicts, Mukesh, was not with the prime culprit Ram Singh when the offence was committed. He further added that mobile locations of Mukesh and Ram Singh were found to be different on the night the offence took place.

However, Delhi Police lawyer Siddhartha Luthra said they have evidence of a dying declaration, forensic evidence with regard to DNA blood samples and finger prints. He said that the evidence establishes the fact of the alleged persons' involvement.

Luthra further said there was no element of tutoring in the case, as was the point made by one of the defence lawyers. (ANI)
Lucknow: As the Winter Session of Parliament comes to a close, Congress on Wednesday announced its decision to take the fight over demonetisation to the people with its Vice President Rahul Gandhi scheduled to address two public meetings in Uttar Pradesh later this month.

Rahul's proposed public meeting in poll-bound UP will be held days after the Congress leader claimed there will be an "earthquake" if he is allowed to speak on demonetisation in Lok Sabha.

"Congress will take the fight among the people in a big way against demonetisation and in this connection Rahul Gandhi will address public meetings in Jaunpur on December 19 and in Bahraich on December 22," media incharge of the party Satyadev Tripathi said in Lucknow.

This will be Rahul's second visit to the poll-bound state in the span of a week after the Congress leader addressed a gathering at a wholesale market in Dadri in Gautam Buddha

Nagar district, sharpening his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on note ban decision.

Rahul has alleged that the NDA government has "blocked" the money of the poor through currency ban to favour a "handful of industrialists".

"The Prime Minister has brought honest people on the streets while the rich and the corrupt are taking money through the back door of banks. It was done to ensure that the poor deposit their money in the banks, which will be used to repay the debt of around Rs 8 lakh crore owed by these industrialists to the banks," he had said.

Apprehending that the measure will "injure" the country, Rahul on Wednesday upped the ante further over cash ban, sensationally alleging that he had information about "personal corruption" involving Modi.

He claimed he has detailed information about alleged "personal corruption" by the prime minister and that the latter is personally terrified of him being allowed to speak inside Lok Sabha.

Rahul had earlier said there will be an "earthquake" if he is allowed to speak on demonetisation in Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, an important meeting of the youth wing of the party was held at the party headquarters here today to make preparations for these public meetings of the Congress vice president successful.

Addressing workers, General Secretary incharge of All India Youth Congress Sriniwas BV said that all including youths have been forced to bear immense hardships because of demonetisation.

He said Rahul has initiated a country wide campaign against this scheme and exhorted Congressmen to make the meetings a success.
New Delhi: Rejecting as "baseless" the allegations leveled by Rahul Gandhi against the Prime Minister, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar on Wednesday said they were made out of "desperation" and asked the Congress Vice President to apologise.

He also said that opposition parties were not ready for a debate in Parliament and dismissed their charge that the government was not allowing the House to function.

On Rahul's accusation against the Prime Minister, Kumar said, "Had he any information, he would have said it by now.

It is a baseless allegation. He is saying this out of frustration. Today they are saying they are not being allowed to speak. It is wrong because everyday Congress members are coming to the well of the House. Now they are making trying to spread rumour and baseless allegations."

Read: PM is personally terrified with the information I have against him: Rahul

The Congress Vice President has alleged that he has detailed information about "personal corruption" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which he wants to present in Lok Sabha but is not being allowed to do so by the PM.

Kumar said, "Rahul Gandhi and his party MPs and other Opposition parties are holding up Parliament for the last 20 days. BJP-led NDA has very clearly said that it ready for debate on the crusade against the black money initiated by Prime Minister Modi."

On opposition's charge that the government was not allowing the House to function, he said, "I want to ask Rahul Gandhi where he was hiding all these days. Parliament has started since November 16. Everyday we used to ask Congress, TMC, Left to debate. But they were taking up rules and regulations, technicalities and were not ready to debate."

Referring to a sting operation shown in a channel purportedly showing currency note exchanges allegedly in AICC headquarters, Kumar said, "We are ready for debate. On Wednesday, a channel had shown what happened in AICC headquarters.

Congress has been exposed as it has happened in the party headquarters. That is why he is saying this out of frustration.

After the expose, he should apologise to the nation." Taking on Congress, he further said, "Those who had blocked the functioning of the House are making allegations. It is really shameful that Congress is behaving like this."

Asked comment on Rahul's allegation, Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said, "Who has stopped them in all these days. First let the allegations come what is the point talking meaningless like that."
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MPs on Wednesday discussed the impact of cyclone Vardah on Tamil Nadu and the Opposition demanded that the Centre announce a financial aid package for the state immediately.

I compliment the government for positioning the NDRF in advance, I also compliment the government for making available Army columns for rescue, what they have done is good, but more needs to be done, said senior Congress leader P Chidambaram in Rajya Sabha.

The first thing they should do is respond to the government of Tamil Nadus request for financial aid. I know governments ask for more, Central government usually gives less, but immediately, the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister must consult each other and today they must announce a package, a financial aid, he added as other members of the House agreed with him by thumping their desks.

DMK leader Trichy Siva had spoken before Chidambaram and had demanded that the government release Rs 10,000 crore as aid for the cyclone-hit state.

"The commercial loss is estimated to about Rs 8000 crore and no shops are open and people cannot resume normalcy. So the central government has to send an expert team to assess the losses due to the cyclone, and immediately release Rs 10000 crore for the losses," Siva said.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley responded to the concerns raised by various members on the matter and assured the House that the Government would take necessary steps to ease Tamil Nadu's woes.

I have heard the members, the government shares concern, its a serious crisis moment, and has been pointed out some anticipated action was taken in advance, the NDRF teams were there, Army columns were there. Whatever needs to be done will be done, I will certainly have a discussion with the concerned people in the government and appropriate steps will be taken, Jaitley said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on Tuesday had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking immediate relief of `1,000 crore for carrying out immediate rehabilitation and reconstruction in areas affected by Cyclone Vardah.

Panneerselvam also asked Modi to depute a team from the Government of India to study the extensive damages caused by the cyclonic storm.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reviewed his decision to demonetise Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes with his Cabinet colleagues, and discussed ways to fast track digitisation to enable larger cashless transactions.

The Prime Minister initiated the discussion on the move, which was announced last month, with the ministers after the meeting of the Union Cabinet ended in Delhi this evening.

As it was not on the agenda, the issue was taken up after the Cabinet meeting was over.

The meeting assumes importance with the Centre's deadline of December 30, wherein people can deposit the old notes, nears, as the government pushes for improving digitisation to enable larger number of cashless transactions through various means.

The focus of the meeting remained digitisation, sources said, adding that issues like digital wallet services also came up for discussion.

The government wants to expand the scope of this digital payment mode so that they can be accepted at more places like metro stations and petrol pumps.

A three-member committee of secretaries is already in place to study ways of transitioning India into a cashless economy.

The banks have temporarily waived off the merchant discount rate to encourage card payments through swipe machines at business establishments.
Hyderabad: Having decided to promote cashless transactions in a big way, the Telangana government on Wednesday asked District Collectors to promote awareness among people, especially in rural areas.

"Ordinary people should be made aware of the cashless transactions. More swiping machines and ATMs should be made available in the rural areas," Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said in a conference of district collectors.

"I have been talking to the bankers and I want you to have periodical meetings with the bankers to evolve strategies. The idea is to make the state totally cashless in the near future," he said.

Noting that the state government has taken up a pilot project to make Siddipet Assembly constituency totally cashless, Rao said the model should be replicated in other districts.

According to the Chief Minister, the 'T-wallet' mobile app being developed by the state government would soon be in place.

"Involve teachers, lawyers, students in educating the general mass on the cashless transactions," he told the Collectors, according to a release from his office.

Wednesday's meeting is the first Collector's conference held after the recent reorganisation of districts in the state. The number of districts has been increased from 10 to 31 in the re-organisation.

He said re-organisation of the districts has been done to decentralise administrative wings so that the fruits of development and welfare schemes effectively reached the beneficiaries.

"The State has become number one in the implementation of welfare schemes. We are spending more than Rs 30,000 crore on this. We are successful in eradicating all the social evils. With the same spirit, all the government programmes and policies should be implemented," Rao said.

He said about Rs three crore would be placed with each district collector. "Powers will be given to the district collectors to utilise these funds for an emergency work and other important issues. Utilise the constituency development funds of the Legislators and Parliament members. Focus on improving conditions in hospitals and hostels," he said.

Rao gave directives to the district collectors on the implementation of various welfare and development programmes.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday dismissed Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhis claim that he had information on personal corruption of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The ruling party said that Gandhis comments were not worthy of response. However, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said that "Rahul Gandhi is making a joke of himself, his party is responsible for blocking parliament," and "Rahul Gandhi's political value is deteriorating and his comical value is increasing."

Read: PM is personally terrified with the information I have against him: Rahul

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that he was not being allowed to speak in the Parliament as he had "personal information" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Prime Minister is personally terrified with the information that I have. It is personal corruption of the Prime Minister that we have detailed information on, but I am not being allowed to speak in the Parliament Rahul said.

When questioned about the details of the information, Rahul refused to reveal details and said he would only speak on the matter in the Parliament. "I have been elected by the people of India, by the people of Amethi, and the right place for me to speak on such issues in in the House," he argued.

Gandhi had on Friday last said his party wants debate on demonetisation so that the truth can come to the fore, but the government is running away from it.

The Congress leader had said that when he gets a chance to speak about demonetisation in the House, "the Prime Minister will not be able to even sit there... Demonetisation is the biggest scam in the history of India... I want to speak in Lok Sabha. I will tell everything there."
Chennai: Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on Tuesday dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking immediate relief of `1,000 crore for carrying out immediate rehabilitation and reconstruction in areas affected by Cyclone Vardah.

Mr Panneerselvam also asked Mr Modi to depute a team from the Government of India to study the extensive damages caused by the cyclonic storm.

I request you to urgently sanction the release of an on account payment of Rs 1000 crores from the National Disaster Response Fund to the Government of Tamil Nadu to enable immediate relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction measures to proceed expeditiously, the Chief Minister said in the letter.

He said the amount is being demanded from the Union Government since the relief and rehabilitation work cannot be done with the funds available with the State Government. Mr Panneerselvam said the Government of Tamil Nadu swung into action to take all necessary precautionary measures immediately after the IMD issued the Cyclone warning.

I thank you for your prompt response and support in speedily dispatching the Central Forces. More than 15,000 persons from identified vulnerable and low lying areas were evacuated to 104 relief camps and provided with food, water, medical services and other essential services, the CM said.

State Government will present the detailed Memorandum on the extensive damages suffered due to the cyclonic storm Vardah in the next few days, the CM told the PM.

Guv closely monitoring situation

A day after tropical cyclone Vardah devastated Chennai and its neighbourhood, Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam briefed Tamil Nadu Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao about rescue and rehabilitation works.

The Governor enquired about the situation in the wake of the cyclone and the Chief Minister apprised him of the rescue and rehabilitation works being undertaken, according to a release from Raj Bhavan here.

The Governor is monitoring the situation closely, the release added. Mr. Rao, who is also the Governor of Maharashtra, was preoccupied due to the winter session of that state's Assembly in Nagpur, the release said.

Cyclone Vardah had crossed the coast near here on Monday, tearing through the city, and devastating Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts.

Meanwhile, the State Disaster Management Agency said 1,531 uprooted or fallen trees have been removed from the roads. "Work is going on. All major roads have been cleared for traffic," the agency informed.
New Delhi: Against the backdrop of his demonetisation decision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said cleaning the system from black money and corruption is "very high" on his agenda amid a push towards employment generation and self-employment opportunities.

"India is currently witnessing an economic transformation... We are now moving towards a digital and cashless economy," he said while addressing via video conferencing the 'Economic Times Asian Business Leaders Conclave 2016' in Kuala Lumpur along with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak.

"Presently, cleaning the system from black money and corruption is very high on my agenda," Modi said, against the backdrop of his November 8 decision to scrap notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination.

He said the economic process in India is being geared towards activities which are vital for generating employment or self-employment opportunities.

The Prime Minister told the gathering that a number of steps have been taken to attract greater FDI and listed the various steps taken in this direction.

He also mentioned that amendment to the Constitution to pave the way for Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will overhaul the indirect tax system in India, has been cleared by Parliament and "this is expected to be implemented in 2017".

"We welcome those who are not in India so far... India is not only a good destination. It's always a good decision to be in India," Modi said.

"We have opened up new sectors for FDI and enhanced caps for existing sectors," he said, adding the government's concerted efforts on major FDI policy reforms continue and conditions for investments have been simplified.

Total FDI inflows in the last two and a half years have touched USD 130 billion, Modi said.

"The positive change in policy, regulatory and investment environment in India is recognized by both domestic and foreign investors," he said.

Referring to "Make in India" which celebrated 2nd anniversary this year, the Prime Minister said the initiative is aimed at making the country a global hub of manufacturing, design and innovation.

"India is currently buzzing with entrepreneurial activity like never before... We have now become the 6th largest manufacturing country in the world," he said.

"Our efforts to ensure ease of doing business in India have been comprehensive and wide ranging, including legislative and structural," Modi said.

He said the government has also "rationalised greatly" the licensing regime and launched "single window interfaces" for registering a business, export-import clearances and labour compliance.

"The outcomes of our efforts are visible from India's global rankings on various indicators," he said.

"We have adopted a comprehensive National Intellectual Property Rights policy to lay the future roadmap for intellectual property," he said about an issue which has been a major concern among the foreign investors.

Modi said startups are the next big economic force in India and are "no less than a revolution".

"Building futuristic infrastructure is the biggest task at our hand. We are developing a pentagon of industrial corridors across India," the Prime Minister said.

He said there is immense focus on removing the logistics constraints and roads, railways, ports are being upgraded across the country.

"This is a time for integration...at the level of economy also, we are among the most open and integrated economies," he said.

Underlining that the 21st century is that of Asia, the Prime Minister said despite unfavourable and uncertain global economic environment, the growth prospects of Asian region remain bright.

"Asia is where there are hands to work, homes to consumeand heads have the humility to learn," Modi said.

He said the leaders of ASEAN countries have led efforts for better integration among the countries of the region. India's initiatives including a Project Development Fund and Line of Credit have given a huge fillip to India-ASEAN cooperation, he added.

Talking about India-Malaysia relations, he said close ties are "integral to the success of our Act East Policy".

He said the "timeless ties" between India and Malaysia are reinforced by the presence of a large Indian community in that country. "A recent symbol of our historic links is Torana Gate in the heart of Kuala Lumpur which connects two great nations and two great cultures," Modi said.

He also praised Najib, saying under his leadership, Malaysia is moving towards its goal of achieving developed country status by 2020.
New Delhi: For noted Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, who has faced the ire of fundamentalists on several occasions, self-censorship is the worst form of censorship.

With attacks against writers, minority religious leaders, and atheist bloggers on the rise in Bangladesh, Nasreen says many authors have now been forced to resort to self-censorship to avoid facing fatal consequences.

"In our part of the world we have problems regarding freedom of expression. Many people do not speak what they want to. And, most writers in Bangladesh now self-censor themselves. Otherwise they will be hacked to death. But, for me it is the worst form of censorship," she said.

"Even when I write for newspapers, editors cut several sentences before printing," she said.

The 54-year-old author has been living in exile in India after having incurred the wrath of fundamentalists back home over a novel written by her in 1994.

According to the writer, a voracious advocate of freedom of speech, sentiments of one group or the other will invariably be hurt, no matter what one writes.

"My sentiments are offended by the death threats I receive from Islamic fundamentalists but that doesn't mean I want to kill people for that. I have an inbuilt mechanism to face all this. The fundamentalists, however, are so weak that they can't tolerate what I say," she said.

Despite being a permanent European citizen and an American resident, the doctor-turned-author refuses to stay anywhere but India.

Initially, she was residing in Kolkata, but following a riot in the region, she was asked by the then ruling CPI(M) government to leave, and has been living in the Capital since then.

"I chose to live here and specially as a Bengali writer I decided to live in Kolkata. I needed a Bengali environment and was very happy when I settled there in 2005.

"The government and I started facing problems three and a half years later and I was forced to leave the state," she claimed.

The writer had penned her struggles from her time in exile in her book, "Nirbashan", which has now been translated from Bengali into English as "Exile."

In the book, she mentions the series of events during her seven-month struggle leading to her ouster from West Bengal, then Rajasthan and eventually India.

She also talks about the "anxious" days that she spent under house arrest.

"There were days when I had high blood pressure and wanted to see a doctor but because of security reasons, I was not allowed to do so. I was even asked how much money I needed to leave the country," she said.

Expressing concern over how more and more parts of the globe are becoming autocratic, she said the world was becoming a difficult place for writers to speak their minds.

"When writers like me are attacked here, we go to Europe. Now even Europeans have started having problems (Charlie Hebdo attack), so where do we go now?" she said.

She also called for a consolidated fight against the 'misogynist' mindset prevailing in society to "make the world a better place to live in".

"If we want to change society we have to fight fundamentalists because they want to pull society backwards. I write for human rights, women's rights and freedom of expression. For a change I think we should fight misogyny and religious fundamentalism, otherwise it won't be a better place to live," she said.
Bengaluru: Karnataka excise minister HY Meti, who is embroiled in a sex tape controversy, submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday.

Meti landed in trouble after his aide threatened a Right To Information (RTI) activist to prevent release of a sex video tape involving him.

Although the sex videotape has not emerged anywhere, two audio tapes of telephonic threats allegedly by Meti's aides to an RTI activist have surfaced and were telecast by Kannada news channels.

In the audio tapes voices are heard asking the RTI activist not to release the video tape. While they promise to pay the activist money for not releasing the video tape, they also reportedly threaten him with "adverse consequences" if he releases it.

Meti, however, has denied the allegations and even went to the extent of challenging anyone to step forward and release the sex video tape in the public domain.

Meti's resignation comes just a day after the woman, Vijayalaxmi, who had accused the minister of seeking sexual favours in return for a transfer, claimed that she had made the accusation under duress and he was like a father figure to her.

However she added to the confusion later claiming that if the CD hit the public domain, Meti and his gunman would be responsible, and reportedly got admitted to a hospital in Bagalkote.

Backtracking on her statement of December 11, denying she was the woman in the video shown on TV channels, she told reporters in Bagalkot she was forced to make false sexual harassment charges against Meti by a group of four unidentified men, who threatened to kill her otherwise. I have lodged an oral complaint with the Bagalkot superintendent of police against the four and sought police protection, she added.

Alleging that the ministers gunman, a district armed reserve (DAR) policeman, Subhas Mugalkhod, was behind the conspiracy to tarnish his image, Ms Vijayalakshmi claimed the four men had taken her to the Hubballi bypass road on November 22 and forcibly recorded her statement against him.

"I have been traumatised over the last month since making the charges against the minister. I earlier said I was not the women in the video because I was being threatened. I have a lot of respect for the minister, who is my distant relative. DAR constable Subhas has hatched this conspiracy," she alleged.

Superintendant of police, M.N. Nagaraj said the police would launch a search for Subhas Mugalkod, who was absconding after Vijayalaxmi lodged a complaint against him.

Meti was inducted in the state cabinet in June 2016.
Hyderabad: A revision in the history of Mughal administrative practices could be in store as researchers in Hyderabad found a treasure trove of 1.55 lakh documents dating back to the rule of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. The documents written in Persian are in the possession of the Telangana State Archives and Research Institute (TSARI). They present a graphic picture of Mughal mansabdari (administrative system, rank and position) and jagirdari systems (feudal land grant, revenue etc) and other aspects of administration, military, revenue, social and diplomatic affairs.

While Shah Jahan period documents number about 5,000, the rest of 1.50 lakh belong to Aurangzeb rule. Shah Jahan ruled between 1626-1658 AD and Aurangzeb 1658-1707 AD.

Translation of these manuscripts from the collection of imperial orders or yaddasht-i-ahkam-i-muqaddas brought to light several interesting nuggets. One of such orders dating back to 1662 CE states Jan Sipar Khan, a Mansabdar in Zafarabad Suba, was punished for dereliction of duty. The order accuses him of going out of the fort for hunting deer without completing his task of making an iron rocket and sacks him from the post of Qiladar. His rank was also demoted by 200 sawars.

Despite being a puritan, Aurangzeb was known to be a no nonsense administrator. The reference to attempts of making iron rockets could require further investigation. However, the invention of rudimentary rockets was credited to Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, whose army first deployed them against the British during the Anglo Mysore wars between 1780 and 1792.

The emperor promptly acted on petitions. It was accepted or rejected. Wh-enever the emperor received reports of negligence, carelessness which were against government rules and regulations, punishment was meted out, Dr Zareena Parveen, director of Tsari, told this newspaper. Another document dating back to 19th Rajab 1087 Hijri or September 18, 1676 records Mukhtar Khan, the Nizam of Khandesh, dismissing one Ziauddin, a son of Sirajuddin, and Kotwal Muhammed Hussain, the son of Muhammad Saeed, for consumption of alcohol while on duty. Though they repented before a Qazi, Aurangzed rejected their mercy plea.

All the orders written on hand-made paper are in old Persian using the Shikasta script  a cursive style of writing, said M A Moeed, a senior Research Assistant, who is translating the documents. The institute has hired Persian scholars to translate these documents. We have catalogued 40,000 odd documents so far and the work is still on, Dr Parveen said. She said that no other state archives or even National Archives of India based in New Delhi has such a large volumes of documents relating to the Mughal era.

Besides Dr Praveen, who herself is a Persian scholar, several scholars like Dr M.A. Nayeem, Mohd Ziauddin Shakib, Dr Dawood Ashraf, Dr Azam-ul-Hussaini have helped in translating the documents. There is an interesting story behind the discovery of these records also. In 1916, Maulvi Syed Muhibuddin, the accountant-general of Hyderabad State, found these documents lying in the Fort of Arak when he was on an inspection tour to Aurangabad.

Aurangabad was the capital of Aurangzebs Deccan province. It had become the de facto capital of the Mughal empire, when Aurangzeb camped there during his last days to fight the Marathas. After realising the importance of these documents, Maulavi Syed Muhibuddin informed this to Syed Khurshid Ali, then Superintendent of Daftar-i-Diwani. The government swung into action and shifted the papers to Daftar-i-Diwani in Hyderabad, which is now the Telangana state archives.
Hyderabad: The TS government on Wednesday filed a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court challenging the Justice Brijesh Kumar Tribunals recent verdict on confining fresh distribution of 1,004 tmc ft allotted to undivided AP state among residuary AP and Telangana states.

The government has also asked the apex court to issue orders to the Central government not to rush with notifying the Tribunal verdict to make it enforceable.

It also demanded constitution of special tribunal to deal with allocation of Krishna waters afresh amongst the four riparian states -- Maharashtra, Karnataka, TS and AP, applying equal criteria and treatment.

It said in the SLP that the recent verdict of the Krishna Waters Disputes Tribunal-2 did not provide justice to the newly-formed Telangana state, despite its repeated arguments before it, bringing to the notice that it had suffered huge losses in allotment of waters.

The government alleged that due to wrong and unscientific methods adopted by the KWDT-2 which favoured upstream states like Maharashtra and Karnataka, downstream TS would suffer major losses.

It also complained that the spirit behind the formation of Telangana State under AP Reorganisation Act was not taken into account. It also said KWDT-2 cannot confine the allotment given by it in 2010 and 2013 for undivided Andhra Pradesh state, will do justice to Telangana state as the region was deprived of its legitimate share since 1956.

Half of the districts in TS are dependent on Krishna water and they have no other sources of irrigation and drinking water, the SLP pointed out.
Hubballi: Former minister , H Y Metis gunman, Subhas Mugalkhod, recorded the sex video that cost him his position, according to sources. While Mr Meti has denied the district armed reserve policeman ever worked for him as gunman, sources say he was in his employment and secretly made a video recording of his visits to the district government Ayurvedic hospital in Bagalkote for massages.

Sources claim the former minister developed sexual relations with his masseuse, the woman, Vijayalaxmi, who only on Tuesday had said she was forced to make charges of sexual harassment against him by some unidentified men, who had threatened to kill her if she did not.

The gunman reportedly began to blackmail Mr Meti demanding Rs 10 crore after he became excise minister and although the former allegedly tried to broker a deal for two crore, he did not buy it. The gunman has gone absconding since the scandal broke out.

The woman, Vijayalaxmi, who is at the centre of the sex scandal, has worked at the Ayurvedic hospital in Bagalkot for the last five years on a temporary basis and is not a regular government employee. While it was alleged that Mr Meti had sought sexual favours from her in return for getting her a transfer, medical officials here say there is no provision for a transfer in posts created under a Central government sponsored scheme.

"Vijayalaxmi is one of 15 women who have been appointed on contract basis to these posts on a monthly consolidated salary. She claimed to be a distant relative of H Y Meti and have influence with him and so I kept quiet despite her lack of performance. I did, however, complain about her to senior officials seven to eight months ago," said district Ayush officer, Maheshwar Buggari.

The health department too has complained to the deputy commissioner that Vijayalaxmi was not punctual for work and did not perform her duties properly. She was reportedly absent for nearly two weeks before the sex scandal broke out. Admitted to a private hospital complaining of a stomach ache after lodging an oral complaint with Bagalkot superintendent of police on Tuesday, she is said to have discharged herself early morning against the advice of doctors.
Hyderabad: Ahead of the state Legislature session starting December 16, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh had some precise suggestions for the TS Congress seniors who met in New Delhi on Wednesday evening.

Mr Singh pointed out that the party is stronger in rural TS but not in urban areas and told them to better take steps to strengthen it in all urban and capital city of the state. The Congress seniors were also told to iron out the differences among party leaders in Khammam and Kottagudem districts.

To strengthen the party in urban areas, Mr Singh advised the leaders to take up mass contact programmes with various sections of the society and take up their cause. It was opined in the meeting that the business community, hitherto known for its allegiance to the BJP, seems to be drifting away from the party due to demonetisation and it is high time the Congress works to bring these sections closer and thereby strengthen the party.

Mr Singh also told the leaders to be more aggressive against the TRS government, especially in taking up agitational programmes. He expressed satisfaction at the programmes conducted so far.

Meanwhile, responding to a complaint by MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy against MP Renuka Chowdary and PCC working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Mr Singh asked the two leaders to sort out the differences and work together.

Responding, Ms Chowdary denied the allegations against her and offered to hold a massive public meeting at Palair which is represented by Mr Tummala Nageswara Rao. To this, Mr Singh said he would attend the public meeting.
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has empowered district collectors by providing them Rs 3 crore each to take up programmes where there is immediate need to sanction funds.

The government has created a crucial balancing fund, under which collectors can allot funds at their discretion without waiting for government approval.

Mr Rao chaired a conference of district collectors here on Wednesday. Ministers, IAS officials, police commissioners, SPs were present. He told collectors that there was an adverse impact of demonetisation on TS like other states and there was no option except to encourage cashless transactions to overcome the problem.

Past governments implemented many programmes and schemes, but there is a simmering discontent among the people. We have to find out where exactly things went wrong. People are not mere beneficiaries of government funds. Money will not solve all problems. Good policies and programmes should be introduced, Mr Rao said.

On reorganisation of districts, Mr Rao said, With this, each district has about 3 to 4 lakh households on an average. The district annual plan should be prepared based on the socioeconomic-geographic and other district specific needs and resources. Know your district, plan your district should be the motto.

He asked officials to register Sada Bainama lands for a fee. We are giving permission to treat agriculture lands under Hyderabad, HMDA and Warangal limits as Sada Bainama lands.

He suggested that crematoria should be created in the villages and where there is a sizable Muslim and Christian population, burial grounds should be provided by using MGNREGA funds.

Civic bodies still struggle

Despite a huge jump in tax collections in November following demonetisation, local bodies in TS are still struggling due to tax arrears. The Planning department has prepared booklets with detailed district-wise data that was released by the Chief Minister at the Collectors Conference on Wednesday.

According to the booklet, the 8,695 Gram Panchayats in the 31 districts face a burden of outstanding tax arrears totalling Rs 427.97 crore, while the 73 urban local bodies reel under arrears totalling Rs 1,644 crore.

Collectorates wait for funds

The government is finding it hard to sanction the Rs 150-odd crore needed to construct Collectorate buildings in the 21 new districts. After reorganisation of districts, the government sanctioned Rs 1 crore to each of the 21 new districts and Rs 25 lakh to the 10 existing ones to purchase the required furniture and shifting of files.

The Chief Minister wants integrated office complexes built in district, revenue and mandal headquarters. Presently, collectorates in the new districts function from Mandal Parishad offices.
Hyderabad: The TRS has requested the Centre to introduce the Womens Reservation Bill in Parliament. The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010, but the Lok Sabha had not voted on it. The Bill lapsed after the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.

TRS MP B. Vinod Kumar made a plea in the Lok Sabha for the introduction of the Bill. On September 12 this year, the 108th Constitution Amendment Bill, (Womens Reservation Bill) completed 20 years of its existence. It managed to only get the assent of the Rajya Sabha. The government should take up the Bill, the MP said.

The Bill seeks to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the state Legislative Assemblies. The Bill on stands for equal opportunities and would be instrumental in voicing concerns of millions of women in Parliament, the MP said.

Mr Kumar said with the passing of the Bill in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 there was jubilation, but unfortunately till date the Lok Sabha has not voted on the Bill.

I therefore appeal to the Government of India through this House to introduce this progressive legislation and take the cause of women empowerment to its logical and righteous conclusion, he said.
Aurangabad: At a time when people are spending extravagantly on their daughter's or son's marriages, a businessman from Aurangabad did something which is indeed laudable.

Ajay Munot, dedicated 90 houses to the homeless peoples instead of spending money on his daughter's marriage ceremony. Munot, who was about to spend Rs 70 to 80 lakhs for his daughter wedding, curtailed unnecessary expenditures for the noble cause.

Munot took the decision after his family and friend suggested him to do so.

"This is the new chapter in history and hope that the same concept will be followed by the other rich communities," Munot said.

"We have some responsibilities towards our society and we tried to comply with it," he added.

The bride also expressed her happiness and said, "I am very happy with the decision and will consider it as my marriage gift."
New Delhi: India's External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, who has become known for helping countless people on Twitter, has been named amongst the top 15 'Global Thinkers' by the Foreign Policy magazine.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first to reach out and wish her for being on the list along with the stalwarts like Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel and Ban Ki-Moon, among others.

Very proud to see our hardworking EAM @SushmaSwaraj part of the @ForeignPolicy Global Thinkers list 2016! Congrats. https://t.co/92H4a2drCI  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 14, 2016

Known for revolutionising the use of social media to increase public interaction, especially Twitter, she often used it to communicate and eventually solve problems of the masses in her own way. She has been known for helping people out after they had tweeted to her once.

From acquiring hospital rooms to facilitating passports to just engaging in jovial banter - her social media presence is unmissable.

One of her actions that turned many heads and incurred much appreciation all across the nation was facilitating the return of 10,000 migrant workers, who were stranded in the Gulf after being laid off. With their salaries withheld, they did not even have the money to buy food.

It was this gesture that gained Swaraj points from Foreign Policy.

The magazine noted, "In July, Sushma Swaraj, Indias external affairs minister, tweeted to roughly 6 million followers that 10,000 Indian workers employed inside the kingdom faced a food crisis. What followed was a weeks-long social media operation in which Swaraj posted information for migrants about rations provided by the Indian Embassy, claims for unpaid wages, and government-organized transportation home. It wasnt the first time Swaraj had helped those abroad via computer: From evacuating Indians from Yemen to helping replace lost passports, Swaraj has earned the nickname the common tweeples leader for her aggressive use of Twitter."

While Buzzfeed called her "the most badass foreign minister on the Internet", The Washington Post titled her the "Supermom of State", and following what she has done, the nom de guerre seems to fit appropriately.

However, all has not been looking up for her. She had tweeted in November that she had to be admitted to AIIMS due to kidney failure. And some of her followers even offered to donate their own kidney, in case that was necessary.

She was released from the Intensive Care Unit of Delhi's AIIMS on Tuesday and the doctors have said that she has been recovering well. The Foreign Policy list could be the perfect homecoming gift for Swaraj.
Hindus have the lowest level of educational attainment in the world, according to a PTI report from Washington, citing an international study of the Pew Research Centre on religion and education. Pew has done some useful poll-based studies, including in this country. The utility of a study naturally depends on studying factors that logically look related. It is here that the purpose of this study appears open to question.

While it would be a perfectly valid argument that the level of economic development of a society (or country) will have a strong bearing on the spread of education (though this may not be the only factor), it is hard to see how a religion correlates with education. Thus, there should be no surprise in the fact that the Christians of Western Europe are likely to demonstrate higher educational attainments than those in Latin America or Africa. Within a country too, the Hindus of Kerala will typically have spent more years at school and college than, say, in Bihar, that lags far behind. Extending the argument, it will be reasonable to expect that Hindus (or for that matter Christians or Muslims) in all parts of India will have broadly similar educational levels if they come from broadly similar economic backgrounds.

A religion-derived omnibus category for the world does not, therefore, appear to serve much point. Since Hindus live in one of the worlds poorest regions, South Asia (preponderantly India and Nepal), no surprise is caused by the Pew finding that the average Hindu female has only 4.2 years of schooling and the male 6.4 years. This, in fact, broadly tallies with Indias official data on proportions of Indias literate population (about 75 per cent male, against around 53 per cent female) having primary education (uptil Class 5).

For the worlds Muslims, the Pew research shows only a very marginal increase over the result for Hindus. Muslim women have 4.9 years of schooling on average while the case of men is identical with that of Hindus.

The colonial and imperialist bent of mind picked on religion a great deal, as an instrument that was used very consciously, to speak of differences among peoples and to keep them divided.That mindset simply did not conceive the notion that the colonised people seemed so different from their colonisers for the simple reason that they lacked economic clout. We trust Pews approach is different, and that it doesnt subscribe to the thinking that certain people are incapable of reaching certain levels on account of their religion.
In the Bible, the ear is synonymous with the heart and mind as an organ of cognition.

An old woman would sit motionless for hours in a church. Curious about her prayer-life, a priest inquired: What do you say to God? She replied, Nothing! I simply listen. He continued, And, does God speak to you? The woman replied, No! God also listens. Our prayer is often begging God for favours and praising God after receiving them. But, do we lend an attentive ear to God, to others and to cosmic choirs?

In the Bible, the ear is synonymous with the heart and mind as an organ of cognition. True hearing involves listening and understanding. The ear is personified as hearing, understanding, seeking knowledge and testing words. To incline ones ears means being favourably disposed to Gods words, while having deaf, heavy, uncircumcised ears implies rejecting whats heard.

Indic religions like Hinduism express encounters with the divine through the act of seeing. For instance, darshan involves the eye and insight  a faith vision of deeper dimensions of reality. By contrast, the prophetic religions basically seek revelation through the ear and hearing. Samuels prayer: Speak Lord, for your servant is listening is a faith-filled plea of receptivity to Gods word.

The Bible personifies God as having ears. Prayers and petitions begin with a request to God to incline your ear. Indeed, God hears his people groaning in bondage, facing their foes in battle, crying out in barrenness and complaining when unjustly treated. Moreover, God hears the prayers of the righteous, the poor and the needy and responds favourably to their pleas.

Let anyone with ears listen! says Jesus, as he proclaims Gods word through his preaching and his practice of virtues of love, peace, service, sacrifice and justice. Hearing his words and putting them into practice signifies openness and faithfulness to God.

Our world explodes with deafening voices and noises. Why not switch off all electronic devices, say, at daybreak, to listen to melodies of Mother Earth: the song of birds, the buzz of bees and the pitter-patter of raindrops? Moreover, in our daily dealings with others, couldnt we more keenly incline our ears to what people say, and also strive to understand the sound of their silences?

In Jesus, Gods word becomes flesh and lives among us. When Angel Gabriel announces his miraculous birth, his foster-father, Joseph, silently surrenders and Mary, his mother  Miriam, in the Quran  whispers: I am Gods servant; be it done to me according to Gods word. Emulating them, our prayerful listening and obeying Gods word will enable us to evaluate alternatives, make right choices and experience deep joy. Friends, aliens, countrymen, lend God your ears! God listens to the longings of your heart. And, God will act; when you least expect it.

Francis Gonsalves is a professor of theology. He can be contacted at fragons@gmail.com
Chennai: Residents looking at the uprooted trees in an area worst hit due to the Cyclone Vardah, in Chennai on Tuesday. (Photo: AP)

With Cyclone Vardah disrupting telecommunication services, operators today said they are working on a war footing to restore full connectivity in the storm-hit districts of Tamil Nadu.

A host of services, including electricity supply, mobile, telephone and mobile-Internet connectivity were disrupted as the cyclonic storm made landfall on Monday. Telecom companies said they are working to restore services in the affected districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur.

"Cyclone Vardah, which paralysed Chennai and nearby areas, caused disruptions to some of our services. Our ground teams are working on a war footing to restore services in the shortest possible time," Vodafone India's Tamil Nadu Business Head S Murali said.

Informing that services were back to normal in some areas, he claimed, "Voice and data services in some areas are being progressively restored and should be soon back to normal."

"We are rapidly getting the network back in place," Murali said, adding the company's 21 outlets in Chennai are operating and offering support to the customers. Telecom major Bharti Airtel in a communication said the cyclone impacted the company's undersea network cables, affecting the speed of the Internet.

"We deeply regret the inconvenience. Our engineers are working to resolve the issue and services will be normalised shortly," the company said. Telecom operator Aircel tweeted, "The company's network services were down due to the damage caused by Cyclone Vardah. Our team is working to restore the network. It will be restored soon."

Yesterday, the state government had asked telecom companies to restore their "full network" at the earliest. "All telecom companies are told to restore their full network as quickly as possible and it is being monitored," State Disaster Management Agency had said in a tweet.

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Sharma war arraigned before federal Magistrate Judge Alka Saga in Los Angeles on Monday and was released on signature bond of $100,000. (representational image)

FBI has arrested an Indian-origin computer science student for launching a series of cyber attacks against a chat site, according to officials familiar with the incident.

Sean Krishanmakoto Sharma, 26, is charged for using a Distributed Denial of Service, or DDoS, tool to attack the computers of a San Francisco-based company that provides chat services to third-party websites.

Sharma has been indicted for transmitting a programme, information, code, or command causing damage to a protected computer, United States Attorney Brian J Stretch and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge John F Bennett said.

Sharma was arraigned before federal Magistrate Judge Alka Saga in Los Angeles on Monday and was released on signature bond of $100,000.

According to information obtained from a court document, Sharma used a botnet called Xtreme Fire to launch DDoS attack. A DDoS attack is generally overwhelms a targeted computers system with external communication requests and disrupts legitimate traffic.

The FBI, which arrested Sharma, revealed that his arrest was a part of a joint anti-cybercrime operation carried by the US, Australia and 11 European countries. The five-day operation was conducted from December 5 under the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) in Netherlands.

One of the key priorities of law enforcement should be to engage with these young people to prevent them from pursuing a criminal path, helping them understand how they can use their skills for more constructive purpose, Steve Wilson, the head of EC3 said.

A total of 34 people were arrested during the operation, the FBI said without identifying the others or their countries they were arrested in. Many of them who were arrested during the five-day cybercrime operation were under the age of 20, the FBI said.

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Oculus started shipping its highly awaited Rift headset, which retails for $599, in March.

The chief executive of Oculus, Facebook Inc's virtual reality business, said on Tuesday he would step down to head a newly created personal computer-focused VR division within Oculus.

Brendan Iribe said in a blog post that Oculus is also creating a unit focused on mobile VR, which will be led by software head, Jon Thomason.

"With this new role, I can dive back into engineering and product development pushing the state of VR forward with Rift, research and computer vision," Iribe said.

Oculus started shipping its highly awaited Rift headset, which retails for $599, in March. It competes with Sony Corp's (6758.T) PlayStation VR headset and HTC Corp's Vive.

Iribe said he and Thomason would work with Facebook Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer to find a new leader for Oculus.

Facebook paid $2 billion for Oculus in 2014, believing it to be the next major computing platform. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in October that Oculus would spend $500 million to fund VR content development.

Oculus is working on an affordable standalone VR headset not tethered to PCs or consoles.

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The program has been part of secretive research unit Google X. Waymo stands for "A new way forward in mobility.

Alphabet Inc's Google self-driving car project recast itself as Waymo on Tuesday, an independent entity within the technology giant, as executives suggested the company is close to bringing its autonomous driving to the public.

Although no deals were announced, the move signals a desire to finally monetize the company's valuable research amid fierce competition from a score of rivals all vying to be the first to launch production-ready self-driving cars.

Google's high-profile program, now in its seventh year, has been at the forefront of self-driving technology, but is now challenged by companies from Uber Technologies Inc to Apple Inc and traditional car companies in the fast-growing industry.

"It's an indication of the maturity of our technology," John Krafcik, Waymo's chief executive, told reporters at a press conference in San Francisco. "We can imagine our self-driving tech being used in all sorts of areas."

The move shows "confidence that we are close to bringing this (technology) to a lot of people," Krafcik said. "We've sort of reached an inflection point."

That came in October 2015, when one of the company's self-driving cars gave the first fully autonomous ride in Austin, Texas, to a blind man with no one else in the car. Normally during testing, an engineer sits in the passenger seat to monitor the technology.

Until now, the program has been part of secretive research unit Google X. Waymo stands for "A new way forward in mobility," according to Krafcik.

Waymo would reveal when the technology will be production-ready "soon", he said.

Krafcik reiterated that Waymo has no interest in producing self-driving cars, but rather in developing the technology to drive them. Possible applications would be in ride-sharing, transportation, trucking, logistics, and personal use vehicles, he said.

Fiat Chrysler, Google's first partner, teamed up with the tech company in May to work together to integrate Google's self-driving system into 100 of the carmaker's minivans.

Google's goal to perfect an autonomous vehicle that requires zero human intervention stands in contrast to that of some other automakers developing partial autonomy, which requires some driver supervision. Google's self-driving cars have driven over 2 million miles and testing now focuses on the trickiest scenarios faced by cars on surface streets.

Google has expanded its program over the past year, hiring more engineers while doubling its testing centers from two U.S. cities to four.

Although there have been some significant departures over the past year - Chief Technical Officer Chris Urmson left in August after leading the project from its inception - some new hires have pointed to the program's readiness to move past its experimental stage.

In July, the project appointed its first general counsel and a month later it hired former Airbnb executive Shaun Stewart as director of the project, with a mandate to commercialize the company's self-driving technology.

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Bangladesh Bank spokesman Subhankar Saha could not be reached for comment on a public holiday.

The Philippines bank through which $81 million stolen from Bangladesh's central bank was channeled in February said on Tuesday that the central bank was responsible for the heist, and so any liability should not be passed on.

Manila-based Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) was responding to comments by a Bangladeshi investigator that some Bangladesh Bank officials deliberately exposed its computer systems and enabled hackers to steal the money from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Bangladesh Bank had been demanding that RCBC compensate it for the loss, blaming it for ignoring red flags.

RCBC said it did nothing wrong.

"The statement of the Bangladesh investigator indicating acts of criminal negligence on the part of certain Bangladesh Bank officials validates what RCBC had been saying all along, and that is that Bangladesh Bank's own acts are the cause of its own loss," RCBC's lawyer Thea Daep told Reuters.

"They cannot pass on liability to RCBC that had nothing to do with the theft of the funds."

Daep said RCBC would study legal options to see if Bangladesh Bank can be sued in court for making the accusations.

Bangladesh Bank spokesman Subhankar Saha could not be reached for comment on a public holiday.

Senior Bangladesh police officer Mohammad Shah Alam, who is leading Bangladesh's investigation into one of the world's biggest cyber heists, told Reuters on Monday some central bank officials had knowingly created vulnerabilities in the bank's connection to the SWIFT global messaging and payments system.

They had worked with some foreigners, Alam said, without giving details.

Alam said investigators were trying to find out how the mid-ranking officials were connected to the hackers and whether they benefited financially from the heist. He said arrests were likely soon.

In early February, the unidentified hackers used the SWIFT network to send fake orders requesting the transfer of nearly $1 billion from Bangladesh Bank's account at the New York Fed.

Many of the transfer orders were blocked or reversed, but, after a series of oversights and miscommunications, the New York Fed ultimately sent $81 million to four fake accounts in a branch of RCBC.

Most of the funds then disappeared into Manila's loosely regulated casino industry.

Only around $15 million of the loot has been returned to Bangladesh.

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The girl, from the northwestern region of Kef, had a sexual relationship with the brother of her brother-in-law. (Photo: Representational Image)

Tunis: A Tunisian court has approved the marriage of a 13-year-old girl to a relative who made her pregnant, an official said Tuesday.

The judgement triggered anger from non-governmental organisations which said the girl had been raped.

The girl, from the northwestern region of Kef, had a sexual relationship with the brother of her brother-in-law.

She was 13 years and 11 months old and "was not raped", said Chokri Mejri, the court official.

"We interviewed the girl and after verifying all the details, we considered her fit for marriage. As proof, she is pregnant," he said.

Under Tunisian law, sex with a girl under 15 without the use of force is punishable by six years in prison, but the culprit can halt proceedings by marrying the victim.

"The two families demanded marriage to avoid a scandal," Mejri said.

The court gave its green light on December 1 and the marriage agreement was signed on December 5, he said.

A wedding party had been planned for Sunday but was cancelled after the government's child protection office called for the marriage to be annulled.

"When it's a 13-year-old child, we can't talk of a sexual relation with consent. It's a rape," the agency's representative Houda Abboudi said.

"The court's decision didn't take into account the interests of this child... who will marry her rapist," she said.

The Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD) rights group said the decision was "scandalous".

"Judges think that at the age of 13... she can give consent," said ATFD head Monia Ben Jemia.

"At 13 years old, one can't give free and enlightened judgement, especially since there is no sex education at school," she said.

Tunisia is viewed as being ahead of most Arab countries on women's rights.

A bill to counter violence against women, proposed in 2014, is still waiting to be discussed in parliament.
As a teenager, Samy el-Goarany got into a good college in Manhattan and seemed set to follow his father into real estate. (Photo: Facebook)

New York: From the outside, Samy el-Goarany seemed to have it all. The son of a successful real estate broker, he lived in a big house with an indoor swimming pool on two acres in New York's bucolic Hudson Valley. As a teenager, he got into a good college in Manhattan and seemed set to follow his father into real estate. Then he went off to Syria and joined the Islamic State group.

When he was killed in fighting a year ago, his father told friends his son had died in a car crash, his body so badly burned it couldn't be recovered. But the true story of el-Goarany's death remained a secret until October, when federal prosecutors revealed details in a case against an Arizona man accused of aiding IS by recruiting American fighters.

Shocked childhood friends were unable to explain why the skinny, studious history buff they once knew walked away from a promising future to die in the Middle East around the time he would have turned 25.

"I had been close to this guy for the past 10 years, and I honestly wouldn't have suspected him of joining this deplorable group," one friend, Peter Kwon, wrote on Facebook. "To find out about this is sad, infuriating, and quite frankly, disturbing."

In a brief interview outside his home in Greenville, New York, el-Goarany's father, Mohamed, said his son had been manipulated into traveling to Syria by Ahmed Mohammed el-Gammal, the Avondale, Arizona, man now scheduled to go to trial next month in New York.

"He made him go over there," Mohamed el-Goarany said.

Federal prosecutors said el-Goarany traveled through Turkey to Islamic State-controlled territory inside Syria in January 2015.

He made the trip, they claim, after communicating online for several months with el-Gammal, who also visited the Queens apartment el-Goarany shared with a younger brother. Lawyers for el-Gammal suggest he did so willingly.

The government's own court documents indicate that el-Goarany "was a sophisticated, strong-willed young man who formed his own beliefs and arranged and financed his own travel," said el-Gammal's attorney, Sabrina Shroff.

After federal agents arrested el-Gammal the following August, el-Goarany appeared in a YouTube video wearing military fatigues and sitting on a mat in a sparsely decorated room to declare that he had come to Syria "out of my own will" and without any assistance. El-Gammal has pleaded not guilty.

Former friends of el-Goarany were reluctant to speak about him, but those who did said they were stunned to learn of the turn his life had taken.

Born in the US, el-Goarany was the son of an Egyptian civil engineer who became a developer and real estate broker in New York after emigrating to the U.S. in the 1980s. He lived in a town of fewer than 5,000 people about a 90-minute drive north of New York City.

Friends at Goshen High School knew Samy was a Muslim, but he was not a proselytizer. Classmate Sean Larkin said the two frequently talked about Islam, Christianity, Judaism and other religions before they graduated in 2008.

"Samy was never shoving Islam down anyone's throat," he said.

The family is warm and outgoing, said Quazi Al-Tariq, past chairman of the Middletown Islamic Center, located just miles from the el-Goarany family home. But since news of their son's fate was made public, they have felt "ashamed and helpless."

After the news broke, Samy's younger brother tearfully told Al-Tariq that his brother had been "reading a lot of literature about Islam and politics."

He attended Baruch College in New York City from 2009 to 2013, according to a LinkedIn profile, though a college spokeswoman refused to confirm his enrollment there, citing privacy rules.

How and why el-Goarany's beliefs hardened is unclear.

Reviewing almost 44,000 pages from his Facebook account, the FBI determined that el-Goarany had received both religious instruction and training from the Islamic State after traveling overseas, prosecutors said in a court filing.

Last fall, someone contacted el-Goarany's younger brother to tell him that his older sibling was killed in Syria, prosecutors said. That person sent photos of a four-page, handwritten letter in which the elder el-Goarany advised his brother to listen to the lectures of the radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

"You see how my life changed for the better when I came to the Land of Islam," he wrote. "You are a witness to my transformation."
Police stepped up security at Kabul airport on Wednesday for the arrival of Afghan warlord Faryadi Zardad. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP)

Kabul: An Afghan police officer shot and killed one foreigner and wounded another at a security checkpoint outside the Kabul airport on Wednesday, a security official said.

Authorities were investigating the incident but declined to comment on the nationalities of the individuals.

Police stepped up security at Kabul airport on Wednesday for the arrival of Afghan warlord Faryadi Zardad, deported from Britain after serving a prison sentence for torture. Dozens of Zardad supporters gathered at the airport to greet him.
Police suspect the four were part of a militant network responsible for a bomb-making lab in West Java province. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP)

Jakarta: A female would-be suicide bomber arrested last week one day before her planned attack in Indonesia's capital said she took orders from Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian with the Islamic State group in Syria accused of orchestrating several attacks in the past year.

Dian Yulia Novi and her husband Nur Solihin were among four suspected militants arrested Saturday after police detected their plot to bomb a guard-changing ceremony at the presidential palace. A neighborhood on the outskirts of Jakarta was evacuated after a bomb was found.

Police suspect the four were part of a militant network responsible for a bomb-making lab in West Java province that was operating under the direction of Naim.

Novi, a former migrant worker in Singapore and Taiwan, said in a TVOne interview broadcast Wednesday that she learned about jihad on social media such as Facebook. She said she was influenced by articles from an Islamic website on upholding monotheism and defending the caliphate and Aman Abdurrahman, a radical cleric serving a nine-year prison sentence in Indonesia.

The active involvement of a woman in the plot is a new development for violent radicalism in socially conservative Indonesia, where women married to or associated with militants have typically stayed in the background.

The 3-kilogram bomb that Novi was to detonate would have exploded as crowds of people gathered to watch the presidential guard changing ceremony, a popular family attraction in Jakarta. In the interview, she revealed a chilling disregard for her fellow Indonesians.

"The target is not ordinary people, not hawkers, not babies. The target is the enforcers of man-made laws," Novi said.

Naim "himself has explained that there are spectators," she said. "I would mingle with them then I would run toward the presidential guard and explode myself. That will be far from the spectators so they would not be hit directly."

Naim has been linked by police to several attacks in Indonesia this year including a January attack in Jakarta that killed eight people including the attackers.

Muslim-majority Indonesia has carried out a sustained crackdown on militants since the 2002 bombings on the tourist island of Bali by al-Qaida-affiliated radicals that killed 202 people. But a new threat has emerged in the past several years from IS sympathizers. Several hundred Indonesians have traveled to Syria to join IS.

Novi said she communicated with Naim on three occasions through the encrypted chat app Telegram and said it was he who decided the target of the attack.

Her husband, Solihin, also interviewed by the TV station, said he married Novi to facilitate her desire to be a suicide bomber.

Solihin said he was ordered by Naim to drop his wife at Jakarta's Istiqlal Mosque, where she would walk for about 500 meters (yards) to the target.

"I did not know what the target was. Only after police revealed the bomb plot, then I realized that the target was the presidential palace," he said.
He also recorded the sexual acts he performed on her and shared it with his paedophile friends. (Representational image)

Canberra: An Australian paedophile father has been jailed for 14 years for sexually abusing his daughter for over nine years until she became too old to satisfy his needs.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, the accused, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, abused the victim from the age of two. He also recorded the sexual acts he performed on her and shared it with his paedophile friends.

While the case was under trial at the district court, judge said that the accuseds actions were the grossest thing any parent could do to their own child.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that the accused would wait until his wife and stepdaughter left the house and as soon as he got a chance, he would groom the victim.

They also accused him of downloading indecent images of children from the internet. Some of the images showed children being sadistically tortured, said the judge.

It is not the behaviour or conduct that can be seen anywhere else in the animal kingdom. That material is baseless and it is difficult to comprehend how you could possess it, the judge said in his ruling.

The accused pleaded guilty to 51 offences of child abuse, including 19 counts of sexual penetration and 24 counts of making child abuse videos.

He will be eligible for parole after 12 years in prison.
Investigators said that the 29-year-old accused killed his aunt, uncle and their son, after which he used kitchen knives to cut them apart.(Photo: Representational Image)

Kiev: A Ukrainian man murdered three members of his family, decapitated them and boiled their body parts in a saucepan to make stewed meat, before shooting himself with a gun, police have said. The incident took place at the victims home in Kiev.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, investigators said that the 29-year-old accused killed his aunt, uncle and their son, after which he used kitchen knives to cut them apart.

The report also stated that the accused shot himself with a gun, moments before police entered the apartment.

Investigators said that the matter came to light when a few of the victims neighbours discovered an unpleasant smell and informed the cops. When the authorities arrived at the crime scene, they could not find anyone. As they entered the apartment forcefully, they heard a gunshot and later found the wounded accused and his familys dismembered remains.

The accused died on his way to the hospital.

A senior police official said that he believes that the accused might have killed other people in similar manner. He also said that an elaborate murder investigation has been initiated.

The nephew was boiling his relatives in saucepans. He boiled the body parts of his relatives and made stew meat, using several saucepans, a police source was quoted as saying.

He had managed to seal several cans of stew meat by the time police arrived, the source added.

Police are trying to ascertain the motive behind the murders.
The defendant raped her in his car ignoring her threats to complaint to the police. (Photo:Representational image)

Dubai: The Court of First Instance heard on Tuesday a case where a 36-year-old Pakistani man allegedly raped his colleague in his car at a remote area in Dubai on July 8th.

According to a report of Khaleej Times, he and the 32-year-old woman, a Ukrainian real estate agent, were on their way back from Al Karama when he diverted his car to a street in Dubai Land.

He asked her to sit on his lap as he wanted to train her in driving. She refused and asked him to drive her back home. However, his car got stuck in the sand as he went off road.

"He took off his pants and was trying to get the sand off the tires in vain. He would not call someone for help", she said.

He then raped her in the car and ignored her threats to complain about him to the police.

He later got down the car and called someone who came to get the car out of the sand.

She registered the case at Al Barsha police around midnight with her friend.

The complainant knew the accused, who was her colleague since 4 months. He had offered to give her driving lessons.

A police officer said that the accused has admitted the crime. His DNA traces were found on the womans body and on his cars back seat.

The trial is to be heard on January 3.
Regime forces have fired dozens of shells since this morning on areas held by the opposition factions, which have also fired at least eight shells so far into regime-controlled areas. (Photo: AP)

Aleppo: Fierce fighting and shelling shook Syria's Aleppo on Wednesday, an AFP correspondent reported, as sources said a deal to evacuate civilians and fighters from rebel-held districts was on hold.

An AFP correspondent in a rebel-held area of east Aleppo saw several wounded civilians nearby as the area came under heavy tank fire.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed shelling and "very intense clashes on every front line."

There was preliminary information about casualties, the Britain-based monitor said.

"Regime forces have fired dozens of shells since this morning on areas held by the opposition factions, which have also fired at least eight shells so far into regime-controlled areas," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Aleppo had seen several hours of calm after an agreement to evacuate civilians and fighters from the last rebel-held areas was announced on Tuesday.

But rebels and a source close to the regime said the deal was on hold on Wednesday after objections from the Syrian government.

A source close to the government said Damascus objected to the number of people seeking to leave and wanted the names of evacuees.

"The government has suspended the evacuation deal because originally it was for the departure of 2,000 fighters and now there will be more than 10,000 people," he told AFP.

"The government also wants a list of the people who are leaving because they could include hostages or prisoners," he said.

Yasser al-Youssef, a political official from the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group, accused the government and its ally Iran of "blocking civilians from leaving after adding new conditions" to the deal.
Ankara: Turkey's president said on Wednesday he would speak with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in an effort to rescue a ceasefire deal which would allow civilians and rebel fighters to be evacuated from Syria's Aleppo.

"I will speak with Mr Putin again later in the evening," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a televised speech in Ankara. "The situation on the ground is very fragile and complicated."

Turkey, Russia and rebel groups on Tuesday confirmed an agreement had been reached for civilians and opposition fighters to leave Aleppo, Syria's second city.

If implemented, the deal would mark the end of opposition resistance in Syria's second city after years of fighting and a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad.

Deadly clashes erupted in Syria's Aleppo on Wednesday, putting the deal for the evacuation of rebel areas on hold.

Moscow, a key Assad ally that launched an air war in support of his forces last year, said the Syrian army resumed its operations in Aleppo after "an attack by the terrorists was warded off".

But Erdogan accused Assad's forces of breaking the deal and attacking civilians.

"We were hoping that a process of evacuation had begun for civilians and opposition from east Aleppo as a result of negotiations that I personally followed, unfortunately missiles have begun to be launched again," the Turkish president said.

"Therefore, we remain cautious," he said, adding that the implementation of the ceasefire was the "last hope" for the people in Aleppo.

Erdogan also hit back at the United Nations for its failure to create a safe zone inside Syria to shelter Syrian refugees and said Turkey would host those fleeing from Aleppo if necessary.

"Hey the United Nations, where are you?" he said.

Erdogan said Turkey finalised preparations for civilians to be evacuated from Aleppo to to the western Syrian city of Idlib near the Turkish border.

"We are also ready to embrace those who will come to Turkey," Erdogan said.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said on Tuesday that Ankara would "set up a tent city to accommodate up to 80,000 Syrian refugees fleeing Aleppo".
Earlier on November 28, the government formed a committee to restrict access to pornography and objectionable content on the web from Bangladesh. (Photo: AFP)

Dhaka: The Bangladeshi government has plans to develop a mechanism to expose people who are viewing porn websites.

State Minister for Posts and Telecommunication Tarana Halim said the government is planning to develop a mechanism to reveal the internet pornographic consumers in Bangladesh, reports the Dhaka Tribune.

Halim said fear of being outed as a porn viewer will act as a deterrent.

The Minister made the statement while inaugurating the e-file tracking system on Monday that aims to ensure accountability, transparency, honesty.

She said internet service providers (ISPs) should take an active role to block websites hosted in Bangladesh.

"We couldn't block 100 percent of the porn sites, but if we could block 80 percent, it would be huge accomplishment for us," she said.

She reiterated the government's stance on pornography which she alleges is contrary to the country's social norms and values.

However, on Tuesday, the Minister backtracked on her statement and clarified that the government will not list porn site visitors as it is bound and committed to protect privacy of its citizens.

"I have never mentioned that the list of names of porn website visitors will be published. Technically it is not possible. We're bound and committed to protect private information and identity of people," she said in a Facebook post.

Earlier on November 28, the government formed a committee to restrict access to pornography and objectionable content on the web from Bangladesh.

Access to such websites will be blocked after the committee submits its report to the telecom division within seven working days.

The committee would make recommendations to restrict access to the porn sites.
Dhaka: Bangladesh on Wednesday paid homage to the intellectuals martyred in the 1971 liberation war as President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led thousands in paying their respects in the capital.

Army bugles played the 'Last Post' as Hamid and Hasina stood in solemn silence in a state ceremony at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Dhaka.

Pakistani troops and their Bengali-speaking Razakar collaborators and other auxiliary forces massacred several members of the pro-independence intelligentsia including physicians, professors, writers and teachers, throughout the nine-month war that is said to have killed over a million people.

Just two days ahead of the final victory over invading Pakistani forces on December 14, 1971, the infamous Gestapo-like Al-Badr and Al-Shams militias carried out a systematic campaign to murder well-regarded academics and professionals.

The then Bangladesh government and victorious freedom fighters, however, came to know about the brutal massacre only after the December 16, 1971 surrender by Pakistani troops when their top accomplices of the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing went into hiding and resurfaced years later.

The nation observed the day this year even as most of the top perpetrators have been hanged in the past three years on charges of crimes against humanity during the war.

A memorial erected in memory of the martyred intellectuals at Mirpur area in the capital was readied as President Hamid and Prime Minister Hasina offered tributes by placing wreaths there.

A report of the then American Press Corps narrated the gruesome killings of Bengali intellectuals that had taken place at the fag end of the war.

"At least 125 persons, believed to be physicians, professors, writers and teachers, were found murdered today in a field outside Dacca," the report said.

The report, sent from Dhaka to Washington on December 18, 1971, was carried by the New York Times the next day.

According to the report, all the victims' hands were tied behind their backs and they had been bayoneted, garroted or shot.

The report said the victims were among an estimated 300 Bengali intellectuals, who had been seized by Pakistani soldiers and their locally recruited supporters.
The court also confiscated two million yuan from Yang besides taking back the illegal gains he made. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP)

Shanghai: The former party chief of Nanjing city has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for accepting bribes, a Chinese court said on Wednesday, two years after he was sacked amid a national crackdown on corruption.

Yang Weize received a 12 and a half year sentence for taking over 16 million yuan (USD 2.3 million) as head of the eastern city's Communist Party office as well as other positions in Jiangsu province, a statement from the Ningbo Intermediate People's Court said.

He was first probed by the ruling party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in January 2015 and was later sacked from his position.

The investigation came as leader Xi Jinping launched a much-publicised drive against corruption after he came to power in 2014, vowing to target both high-level "tigers" and low-ranking "flies".

The court also confiscated two million yuan from Yang besides taking back the illegal gains he made, the statement said.
Beijing: One of China's most popular online community for Muslims has been shuttered after posting a petition asking Chinese President Xi Jinping to stop his "brutal suppression" of activists, the letter's authors told AFP on Wednesday.

Since 2003, the "Zhongmu Wang" website, or 2muslim.com, functioned as an "online network of Muslims sharing Islam", according to archived descriptions.

But as of Wednesday the site was inaccessible, showing only a message stating it was "under maintenance".

Two of its affiliated social media accounts were also unavailable, displaying messages that declared one account "abnormal" and the other "in violation of required guidelines".

China officially has more than 23 million Muslims, though some independent estimates say there may be as many as 50 million which would put China among the world's top 10 Muslim nations.

While China's constitution enshrines freedom of religious belief, authorities keep strict limits on it, recognising only five belief systems and seeking to control their messages.

The closure came after the posting of an open letter to Xi calling for a halt to the "brutal suppression" of activists and the immediate release of those still detained by the state, according to students who wrote the petition.

The letter criticised Xi for overseeing a crackdown on dissent since coming to power in 2012, with hundreds of lawyers, activists and academics detained and dozens jailed.

"You are not responsible for all of the crimes of the totalitarian system, but as the totalitarian system's head and its commander-in-chief of repression, you must take responsibility for the blood and tears which now flow," it said.

"In the next spring of China's new Jasmine Revolution, who will drive your tanks to crush us, the new generation of students after 1989?"

Yi Sulaiman Gu, a Muslim student studying in the US at the University of Georgia, told AFP the website shut the day after he posted the letter to a forum that had previously hosted sensitive discussions on issues such as China's persecution of Muslim dissidents.

"We believed it would be safe for Zhongmu to post it there," Gu said.

Phone calls to the website's owner went unanswered.

But the letter gained attention when screenshots of it were reposted to China's Twitter-like Weibo by opinion leader Xi Wuyi, a professor of Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who said it proved the site supported Xinjiang separatists.

Violence in Xinjiang, the homeland of China's 10-million strong Uighur ethnic minority, has killed hundreds, with Beijing attributing it to Islamic extremism and foreign influence.

"The Chinese government is very unfriendly to the Muslims inside China, especially the Muslims in Xinjiang," Anthony Chang, a co-author of the letter completing his bachelor's degree at the University of Queensland in Australia, told AFP.
File picture of Peshawar school which was attacked by Tabilan killing 150 students. (Photo: AFP/File)

Peshawar: A 18-year-old Pakistani student has succumbed to his wounds received in the deadly 2014 militant attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar, three days before the country marks the second anniversary of the massacre that claimed over 150 lives.

Irshad Hussain was being treated at a hospital in Rawalpindi for the bullet wounds he received in the attack. He had been shot in neck and back, leading to critical injuries, The Nation reported.

Hussain was suffering from mental trauma caused by the horrific attack, according to family.

On December 16, 2014, over 150 people, nearly all of them school children, were massacred when heavily armed Taliban suicide bombers stormed a Pakistan army-run school here, firing indiscriminately, leaving another 130 injured.

The deadly attack shocked the entire nation, prompting the government to launch a national action plan (NAP) to root out the scourge of terrorism and extremism once and for all.

The country also decided to put an end to capital punishment, sending scores of convicts to gallows.

The government and opposition parties agreed to set up military courts for trial of hardcore terrorists to expedite campaign against foreign and local militants.

Six months before the APS attack, Pakistan had launched 'Operation Zarb-e-Azb' in North Waziristan, killing hundreds of militants in aerial strikes and a major ground offensive.

The North Waziristan operation was launched after militants targeted Karachi's Jinnah International Airport in a speculator attack that saw over two dozen people killed in June 2014.
Peshawar: The US today signed an agreement to provide more than 8.5 billion rupees to Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) for the construction of the Kaitu Weir project in restive North Waziristan Agency.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and WAPDA signed the agreement at a ceremony held in Islamabad. "America and Pakistan have a long history of cooperation in the energy sector," American Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale said while speaking at the ceremony.

"The agreement signed today builds on decades of shared effort to meet Pakistans energy needs and help improve the lives of millions of Pakistanis," Hale said.

The Kaitu Weir is Stage 1 of the larger Kurram Tangi Dam Project (KTDP). By completing the construction of KTDP-Stage 1, more than 16,000 acres of agricultural land will be irrigated and an additional 18 megawatts of electricity will be produced, enough to benefit 100,000 Pakistanis.

Since 2009, the US has invested more than 53.1 billion rupees to develop Pakistans power sector, benefiting more than 28 million Pakistanis and adding more than 2,400 megawatts of electricity to the national grid.

This includes 1,013 megawatts from new or rehabilitated dams and thermal power plants, and 1,447 megawatts from improvements in the transmission and distribution system.
Beijing: When Donald Trump becomes US president next month, one issue above all others could force his new administration to work closely with China and underscore why he and Beijing need each other, North Korea.

A nuclear armed North Korea, developing missiles that could hit the US west coast, is clearly bad news for Washington but also Pyongyang's sometimes-reluctant ally Beijing, which fears one day those missiles could be aimed at them.

"There is enormous space for the two countries to cooperate on North Korea. The two must cooperate here. If they don't, then there will be no resolution to the North Korean nuclear issue," said Ruan Zongze, a former Chinese diplomat now with the China Institute of International Studies, a think-tank affiliated with the Foreign Ministry.

"It's no good the United States saying China has to do more. Both have common interests they need to pursue, and both can do more," he added.

North Korea is a tricky proposition even at the best of times for China, and simply easing up on UN sanctions as a way to express displeasure at Trump's foreign policies could backfire badly for China, said one China-based Asian diplomat.

"They can't really do that without causing themselves problems," the diplomat added, pointing to China's desire to denuclearise the Korean peninsula.

Taiwan tension

From North Korea to Iran to a closely entwined business relationship worth $598 billion in 2015, the two countries have broad common interests, and China expects Trump to understand that.

While China was angered by Trump's call this month with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, and then casting doubt over the future of the "one China" policy under which the US recognises Taiwan as being part of China, it was also quite restrained, said a senior Beijing-based Western diplomat

"China's game now is to influence him and not antagonise him," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

China believes the two countries need each other, and as Trump is a businessman he understands that, the People's Daily's wrote last month.

"The importance of the China-US relationship goes without saying, and can be said to be too big to fail," the communist party mouthpiece wrote in a commentary.

China also expects a transactional relationship with the deal-making Trump, especially on trade, even if for Beijing Taiwan is completely off limits for negotiation.

"Trump is a businessman. He wants a deal," a source with ties to the Chinese leadership told Reuters, requesting anonymity. "He wants the biggest benefit at the smallest cost."

On the campaign trail, Trump threatened punitive tariffs on China, and has recently repeated his criticism of Chinese trade policy, dovetailing with his Taiwan comments.

"This is provocation, but war is unlikely," a second Chinese source with leadership ties said of Trump's Taiwan moves.

"The Chinese side will not easily yield," the source said. "We expect tensions."

Trade interests

Wang Huiyao, head of the Centre for China and Globalisation and a government adviser, said China should invite the United States to join the Beijing-lead Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

"He will pursue US interests and to do so he cannot ignore the huge benefits that come from China-US trade relations," Wang said.

The Asian diplomat said some Chinese officials had expressed "euphoria" at Trump's election, believing it marked the end of US dominance in the world and represented China's chance to seized the initiative.

But Trump's unexpected move to put the Taiwan issue centre stage in relations with China had put an end to that.

"They're not as happy now," he said.

To be sure, there are voices in China seeing opportunity in a Trump presidency.

Huo Jianguo, former head a trade policy body under China's Commerce Ministry, said Trump is likely to reduce the United States' engagement with the world, presenting an opening for China.

"Under Obama, China-US relations had already deteriorated to their worst possible level. Trump will not continue to ratchet up what were clearly ideological attempts to suppress China," Huo said.

"China should not seek to immediately take the lead in global governance. They should first lead RCEP to become successful, then from here China's global influence can take root," Huo said, referring to a Southeast Asian-backed free trade deal China has championed.

Even the Global Times, an influential and normally stridently nationalistic tabloid, has sought to temper expectations on how China could use a Trump presidency to its advantage.

"China still cannot match the US in terms of comprehensive strength," it said in an editorial. "It has no ability to lead the world in an overall way, plus, neither the world nor China is psychologically ready for it. It's beyond imagination to think that China could replace the US to lead the world."
The arrest of former Indian Air Force chief S P Tyagi by the Central Bureau of Investigation on corruption charges marks an unfortunate new low for the country. This is the first time a service chief, serving or retired, is arrested on any charge. Former service chiefs have been investigated or have faced first information reports in connection with defence purchases in the past. But the investigations did not yield results or the charges were dropped later. Air Marshal Tyagi is facing charges relating to acquisition of helicopters from a UK-based company AgustaWestland, which is part of an Italian consortium Finmeccanica. The purchase agreement was signed in 2010. Tyagi retired in 2007 but he has been accused of changing the service ceiling of the helicopters to make the company eligible to take part in the tender. The CBI says that 12% of the total purchase order of Rs 3,767 crore was paid as commission to different persons including Tyagi.



The UPA government had cancelled the deal and ordered an investigation by the CBI after the bribery charges surfaced in 2013. The case was also investigated by the Italian police in that country and the Finmeccanica chief and others were convicted by the court there

earlier this year. Tyagis name had figured in the case in Italy too, but a lower court had acquitted him and others. A higher court convicted the company officials on appeal later. Since the convictions were made on the ground that bribes were paid by the company, it is necessary to find out to whom they were paid. The CBI has got details of the case and some evidence about the reported wrongdoing from the proceedings of the case in Italy. But it has to collect independent evidence in India about the role of Tyagi and others. Apart from Tyagi, two persons, including a relative, have been arrested and it is likely that more people may be involved.



The CBI should bring out the truth about the charges through a thorough investigation. It has investigated the case for three years. Only on the basis of convincing evidence, brought out through fair investigation, should the suspects be charge-sheeted. There is a need to make evidence public. There should not be any vindictiveness or undue interest in pursuing the case. This needs to be reiterated because the case belongs to the UPA era and there might be pressure or temptation to politicise it. Defence deals are not easy to investigate because of their complications, international ramifications, red herrings, false leads and other problems. The CBI should do an honest and efficient job and bring the case to an early closure.






The allegation was levelled by a combative Gandhi at a joint news conference in Parliament premises with leaders from 15 other opposition parties after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day failing to break the continuing deadlock over demonetisation.



Gandhi claimed he has detailed information about alleged "personal corruption" by the prime minister and that the latter is personally terrified of him being allowed to speak inside Lok Sabha.



"The Prime Minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside Lok Sabha because I have information about the Prime Minister that is going to explode his balloon. And I am not being allowed to speak in the House," he said.



Asked what kind of information he has, the Congress Vice President said, "That information is personal information about Narendra Modiji which I want to state in Lok Sabha. It is personal corruption of the Prime Minister that I have, we have detailed information about. We want to present it, which the Prime Minister is not allowing us to speak."



Gandhi said the entire opposition wants a debate in Parliament and have discussed with the Speaker to allow it while dispensing all rules. "Pretty much unconditionally we are ready to have a discussion, but the government is not interested in having a discussion. I have already said it before, the Prime Minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside the Lok Sabha," he said.



"The Prime Minister should stop taking alibis and he should come to the House and give all of us an opportunity to speak. Then the country should take a decision on whether the opposition or the Prime Minister is speaking the truth."



Kumar led the BJP's charge against Gandhi. "Had he(Gandhi) any information, he would have said it by now. It is a baseless allegation. He is saying this out of frustration. Today they are saying they are not being allowed to speak. It is wrong because everyday Congress members are coming to the well of the House. Now they are making trying to spread rumour and baseless allegations," Kumar said.



Kumar's ministerial colleague Prakash Javadekar said only Congress and not government will be exposed when Rahul Gandhi speeks as it rejected his charge that the government was not letting him speak in Parliament, saying there cannot be a bigger "lie" than this. Another Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said Gandhi's allegation was the "biggest joke" of the year.



Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also waded into the fresh political spat, daring Gandhi to "expose" the prime minister if he has documents at his disposal, saying Congress and BJP indulge in such "friendly match" but do not make any disclosure. "If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modiji's personal involvement in corruption, then why doesn't he expose it outside Parliament?



"Friendly match - BJP says they have AgustaWestland against Congress. Cong says they have Sahara/Birla against BJP. Both don't disclose," the AAP chief said in a series of tweets.



Upping the ante further over cash ban, Rahul Gandhi today sensationally alleged he had information about "personal corruption" involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi, days after claiming there will be an "earthquake" if he is allowed to speak on demonetisation in the Lok Sabha.The allegation by the Congress Vice President was dismissed by the BJP as "false and baseless" and "very unfortunate" while Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal dared Gandhi to "expose" the prime minister if he has documents at his disposal.Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Ananth Kumar while rejecting as "baseless" the allegation levelled against the prime minister said they were made out of "desperation" and "frustration" and asked Gandhi to apologise.
Referring to "Make in India" which celebrated 2nd anniversary this year, the Prime Minister said the initiative is aimed at making the country a global hub of manufacturing, design and innovation.



"India is currently buzzing with entrepreneurial activity like never before... We have now become the 6th largest manufacturing country in the world," he said.



"Our efforts to ensure ease of doing business in India have been comprehensive and wide ranging, including legislative and structural," Modi said.



He said the government has also "rationalised greatly" the licensing regime and launched "single window interfaces" for registering a business, export-import clearances and labour compliance. "The outcomes of our efforts are visible from India's global rankings on various indicators," he said.



"We have adopted a comprehensive National Intellectual Property Rights policy to lay the future roadmap for intellectual property," he said about an issue which has been a major concern among the foreign investors.



Modi said startups are the next big economic force in India and are "no less than a revolution". "Building futuristic infrastructure is the biggest task at our hand. We are developing a pentagon of industrial corridors across India," the Prime Minister said.



He said there is immense focus on removing the logistics constraints and roads, railways, ports are being upgraded across the country. "This is a time for integration...at the level of economy also, we are among the most open and integrated economies," he said.



Underlining that the 21st century is that of Asia, the Prime Minister said despite unfavourable and uncertain global economic environment, the growth prospects of Asian region remain bright.



"Asia is where there are hands to work, homes to consume and heads have the humility to learn," Modi said. He said the leaders of ASEAN countries have led efforts for better integration among the countries of the region.



India's initiatives including a Project Development Fund and Line of Credit have given a huge fillip to India-ASEAN cooperation, he added. Talking about India-Malaysia relations, he said close ties are "integral to the success of our Act East Policy".



He said the "timeless ties" between India and Malaysia are reinforced by the presence of a large Indian community in that country. "A recent symbol of our historic links is Torana Gate in the heart of Kuala Lumpur which connects two great nations and two great cultures," Modi said.



He also praised Najib, saying under his leadership, Malaysia is moving towards its goal of achieving developed country status by 2020.



"I would like to highlight some of our achievements," the Prime Minister said while listing a number of steps taken by his government.



He said India has now become the sixth largest manufacturing country in the world.

"Our Gross Value Added in manufacturing has recorded a growth of 9.3 per cent in 2015-16. 51 cold chain projects have been completed in the last two years and six Mega Food Parks have been opened since 2014," Modi said.



He added that 19 new textile parks have been sanctioned and 200 new production units have come up in existing textile parks in the last 2 fiscal years.



This year saw 90 per cent jump in number of mobile phone units manufactured in India, he said, adding leading global players in the auto sector have set up various new assembly lines and Greenfield units.



"Our efforts to ensure Ease of Doing Business in India have been comprehensive and wide ranging, including legislative and structural," the Prime Minister said.



"I am happy to share that the Constitutional amendment for Goods and Services Tax has been passed. This is expected to be implemented in 2017," he said.



Procedures involved in getting utilities like water and electricity are being simplified and an investor facilitation cell has been created to guide and assist the investors, Modi said while seeking enhanced inflow of funds.



"Our partnership with the state governments has also enhanced considerably since the launch of 'Make in India'," he said.



In association with the World Bank, the states were ranked on the basis of their business policies and procedures on agreed parameters in 2015, he said and added that this was further expanded in 2016.



"We have also taken major steps to kick-start the process of creative destruction. We are making it easier for companies to restructure and exit," Modi said, citing the enactment and implementation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code as a crucial step in this direction.



New commercial courts are being set up to fast track resolution of commercial disputes and arbitration laws have also been amended to fast track the proceedings, he said.

"Through the Skill India initative and its various components, we are trying to synergise the skills to the market requirements," Modi said.



"There is immense focus on removing the logistic constraints across the country," he said.

Roads, railways, ports are being upgraded across the country and to finance such infrastructure, "we have set up the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund in collaboration with foreign funds," the Prime Minister said.



"This is a time for integration. Integration cannot happen without openness. India has always been open at the heart. Now, at the level of economy also, we are among the most open and integrated economies. We welcome those who are not there in India so far," he said, adding "I personally assure you that I shall be there when you need me."





Against the backdrop of his demonetisation decision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said cleaning the system from black money and corruption is "very high" on his agenda amid a push towards employment generation and self-employment opportunities."India is currently witnessing an economic transformation... We are now moving towards a digital and cashless economy," he said while addressing via video conferencing the 'Economic Times Asian Business Leaders Conclave 2016' in Kuala Lumpur along with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak."Presently, cleaning the system from black money and corruption is very high on my agenda," Modi said, against the backdrop of his November 8 decision to scrap notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination.He said the economic process in India is being geared towards activities which are vital for generating employment or self-employment opportunities.The Prime Minister told the gathering that a number of steps have been taken to attract greater FDI and listed the various steps taken in this direction.He also mentioned that amendment to the Constitution to pave the way for Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will overhaul the indirect tax system in India, has been cleared by Parliament and "this is expected to be implemented in 2017"."We welcome those who are not in India so far... India is not only a good destination. It's always a good decision to be in India," Modi said."We have opened up new sectors for FDI and enhanced caps for existing sectors," he said, adding the government's concerted efforts on major FDI policy reforms continue and conditions for investments have been simplified.Total FDI inflows in the last two and a half years have touched USD 130 billion, Modi said. "The positive change in policy, regulatory and investment environment in India is recognized by both domestic and foreign investors," he said.
The names of iconic high courts of Madras, Calcutta and Bombay may not be changed in the near future as a bill moved in this regard has run into trouble and the revised one has to be introduced in Parliament. The High Court (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 19 to allow the names of the Calcutta, Madras and Bombay High Courts to be changed to Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai respectively.



But, now the Tamil Nadu government has asked the Centre to rename the Madras High Court as 'High Court of Tamil Nadu' instead of 'High Court of Chennai' as proposed in the bill. While the West Bengal government wants the Calcutta High Court to be renamed as Kolkata High Court, the high court itself "not agreed for revised nomenclature."



Minister of State for Law P P Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today that the old bill will have to revised and a new bill will have to be introduced. "The central government has sought views from the concerned state governments and the respective high courts for finalising fresh bill. No time frame can be fixed for finalising of the fresh bill and its introduction in Parliament," he said.



The Calcutta High Court has the distinction of being the first high court and one of the three chartered high courts to be set up in India, along with the high courts of Bombay, Madras. It was formally opened on July 1, 1862. 'Indian High Court Act' of 1861 vested in the Queen of England to issue letters patent to establish high courts of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.



The Bombay High Court was inaugurated on August 14, 1862. The high court today has three benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad and Goa. Bombay HC is one of a few institutions in Maharashtra that continue to carry the old name of the city. The state government renamed Bombay as Mumbai in 1995 and all institutions under it altered names accordingly. The Madras High Court, which came into being around the same time, has one bench in Madurai.


The four-member legislature wing of the opposition AIADMK in Puducherry today urged Sasikala, long time aide of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, to take over the leadership of the party.





"She is most competent and possesses all the merits and qualities of being the General Secretary of the AIADMK and this would also be in keeping with the plea of the party cadres," A Anbalagan, who chaired the legislature party meeting, told reporters.



Anbalagan said they had earlier met 'Chinnamma'(as Sasikala is referred to by party workers) at Chennai and personally urged her to take over the leadership of the party.



He said 'Chinnamma' had been "a most trusted sister and caring mother of the former Chief Minister and had stood by her side at all times."



It was therefore fitting and most appropriate that 'Chinnamma' became the General Secretary of the party to guide it, he said.



The meeting through a resolution made an appeal to 'Chinnamma' to take over the reins of the party leadership, he added.



The other legislators, who participated in the meeting, were: A Baskar, K A U Asanna and Vayyapuri Manikandam.
A total of 146 terrorists have been killed in 97 incidents of encounter between militants and the Indian security force in Jammu and Kashmir this year.





Sixty security force personnel were killed in such encounters, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Hansraj G Ahir said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.



In 97 incidents of encounters in Jammu and Kashmir this year (till December 2), 146 terrorists were killed, 76 terrorists or suspects arrested, while 60 security force personnel were killed and 104 others injured, he said.



In 2015, 102 terrorists were killed and 67 arrested while 39 security personnel were killed and 58 injured in such encounters. In 2014, a total of 107 terrorists were killed and 70 arrested while 26 jawans were killed and 20 injured, the minister said.



In reply to another question, Ahir said a total of 13 fidayeen attacks have taken place on security forces between May 2014 and December 2016, in which 58 security personnel were killed.



Giving more details, Ahir said, seven fidayeen attacks have taken place till December 13 this year, in which 39 security personnel have been killed.



While in 2015, four such attacks took place, in which five jawans were killed, and in 2014, there were two such attacks and 14 security personnel sacrificed their lives in them.



The MoS said there had been six incidents of attack on military establishment in Jammu and Kashmir between November 2014 and 2016, in which 22 terrorists were killed. "Four terrorists were killed in an attack on Kathar Army camp and six in Mahora in Uri in 2014, while in two separate attacks on Army camps in 2015, two militants were killed in Samba and three in Tangdhar. Four militants were killed in an attack on Uri army camp while three in Nagrota camp," he said.



Ahir said there has been a spurt in infiltration bids by the militants from the Pakistan side in Jammu and Kashmir. "This year, till October, there had been 276 bids in which 109 militants successfully managed to enter India. Out of them, 29 militants were killed, 138 returned to Pakistan and two were arrested," he said.



In 2015, 33 militants entered the Indian side in 121 infiltration attempts, 46 were killed, 41 returned and one arrested or surrendered. In 2014, 222 attempts were made in which 65 militants managed to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir, out of them 46 were killed and 105 returned to the other side of the border, the minister added.
Delhiites can taste authentic flavours of South Italy with Trattoria, Sorrentos winter brunch at Shangri-Las Eros Hotel. Curated exclusively chef Luigi Ferraro under the guidance of the executive chef Neeraj Tyagi, the brunch focuses on highlighting the authenticity of hearty Italian flavours.





The restaurant offers a family style Italian feast for its patrons. Alfresco seating combined with soothing music and bona fide Italian flavours, this feast at Sorrento will take their diners to a journey through the streets of Italy.



With an exquisite arrangement of a buffet and table service, this brunch offers a selection of classic Italian dishes served family style. The set menu boasts of Neapolitan pizzas, homemade style pastas and risottos with choice of grilled meats or seafood.



An antipasti counter display on a fresh produce table offers Seasonal Grilled Vegetable Salad with parmesan flakes, display of an exotic cheese selection including parmesan, asiago, fontal, gorgonzola, pecorino, provolone and taleggio.



A selection of cold cuts including Italian cured meat sliced live-parma ham, coppa, mortadella, cacciatore, soppressata, prosciutto, speck, pearl cous cous and Seafood Salad, Baked Sardines with Chili and Parmesan, Classic Caesar Salad, Sicilian Shrimp Salad, Octopus Carpaccio and many more.



Cicchetti selection offers bruschetta with choices of seasonal tomato, basil, rocket salad, roast chicken, wild mushroom and parmesan snow. The selection of spiedini offers a free range chicken, peruvian chili and romesco sauce, spicy lamb piccata, wild mushroom, coriander pesto, heirloom peppers stuffed goat cheese and focaccia farcita.



Bringing the perfect end to the meal are the desserts including Tiramisu, Pastiera Napoletana, Cannoli, Panna Cotta, Milli Feuille, Fresh Fig and Ricotta Crostata, Genoise, Zuccotto, Chocolate Praline Tart, Tarte au Citron and Gorgonzola Mascarpone delight amongst others.



The menu is paired with an extensive selection of in house beverages such as Carpene Malvolti Prosecco, Grappas Signature Negronis, Red or White Wine Popsicles, and Aperol Spritzers.



FAQs:



Availability: Every Sunday

Price: Rs 3,750 plus taxes per person for brunch with cocktails or prosecco

Timing: 12 noon to 3.30 pm




Nikhil Chinapa has donned many avatars  from being a disc jockey and video jockey to a music promoter and a festival director with panache.





After studying Architecture and graduating in Hospital Design, he moved on to join MTV. From MTV Select, the channels longest running show to being the host of Splitsvilla, judge on Roadies and Rock On, and host of MTV Mashups  Nikhil has done it all.



As a VJ, Nikhil gets to spend a lot of time in the world of music. A conversation between friends in 2001 led to the launch of Submerge, an Electronic Dance Music (EDM) company. Nikhil who has been a DJ professionally since then likes to play whatever he feels like  his sets are moody, varied, often erratic yet fun-packed.



He was also the co-founder of Sunburn and is the festival curator and partner of Vh1 Supersonic, Goas beach music festival. Nikhil has initiated a boutique festival Wonderwall and recently launched a clothing brand called Sheltr. Being an avid scuba driver, he loves going diving with friends.





Author

Richard Bach



There have been a series of books which have influenced me over the years. The first one that I remember being particularly moved by is the Earthsea series by Ursula K Le Guin. The book that made the most impact on my life was Richard Bachs Illusion. It helped me shape my philosophies of life like To thine own self be true, The unexplored life is not worth living and What you dont know cant hurt you. Bach is a great storyteller and I like the simplicity with which he writes. It is important to remember that whatever he writes are fiction but Illusion made me relate to how I would live my life and evolve my way of thinking. Another favourite is Lord of The Rings. It is one of the most incredible stories Ive ever read.



Inspiration

DJ Pearl



My wife Pearl is my biggest inspiration. We both play music and are a part of the electronic music scene but she is the kind of DJ that I always aspire to be. The kind of time, dedication and work she puts into her craft is amazing. I am more carefree with my approach to playing music and I should be more like her. On a personal note too, she is a very sensitive person  this is why we both have gone vegan. We are trying to do our bit for the planet and this wouldnt have happened if she hadnt inspired me to it.



Travel

Maldives



I love going to Maldives. Moreover, my brother has a diving company which takes tourists to Maldives. The experiences of diving with people who have just seen their first turtle or shark is a gratifying experience.



Maldives has some of the best marine life and its blue waters are amazing and warm.

Goa is another favourite of mine and is like my second home. There is an amazing mystical laidback quality to the place which I havent found anywhere else.



Music

Stina Nordenstam



I come from the school of thought which believes that there are two genres of music  good music and rubbish. I enjoy good music across genres  play me a classical piece that touches me and I will play it in loop till I get tired of it. The same goes for pop, hiphop, rock and independent music for me. A favourite song, which I love listening to while travelling is Faithfully by the band Journey. The opening piano chords of the song is the kind of music that puts a smile on my face.



I love Stina Nordenstams Little Star, which starts off in silence and builds up beautifully. Another favourite which everybody should listen to is Everybody Is Free To Wear

Sunscreen by Baz Luhrmann, who is also a movie director.



Movie

The Doors



A film that moved me was Oliver Stones The Doors, where I remember being in a daze for two weeks after watching it. The movie was well made and I loved listening to the music and the way the life of Jim Morrison was narrated in an exceptional manner. Another movie I watched with a smile from beginning to end was Mamma Mia.



Food

Masala Dosa



When it comes to food, I can eat Masala dosa for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. I wouldnt call myself a foodie. I enjoy food that is well made but I wouldnt cross raging rivers to have a particular meal. But, getting the perfect Masala dosa is truly a work of art. The right amount of crispiness, tenderness and getting the potatoes cooked just right is important. And if one gets the coconut chutney wrong, I will bother them.





(As told to Tini Sara Anien)








Third largest telecom operator in India, Idea Cellular, which started its first 4G site in Mysuru last December, says it will focus more on 4G in the coming days.





Within one year of our 4G operations, we have covered almost 36.9% of the population in Karnataka, with nearly 4,121 4G sites, and in Bengaluru alone 2,400 sites. We will continue to grow and increase the number of sites, Idea Cellular COO (Karnataka) Siva Ganapathi said.



At present, the telecom operator covers 1,579 villages and towns across all 30 districts of the state, and it plans to double its 4G sites by March next year.



Of 175 taluks, we are present in close to 130 taluks, and now we want to reach out to more villages. In FY2016, Rs 4,069 crore was invested in Karnataka for expansion. In the case of 2G, we have 8,827 sites, said Ganapathi, adding that 25% customers use Internet. In Karnataka, it has a customer base of over 94 lakh.



Idea Cellular Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Rajat Mukarji said, We enjoy 19.3% market share, and we have been growing two times more than the industry growth. If you take the annual incremental revenue trend, it was Rs 9,849 crore in FY16 for the industry and Rs 4,335 crore for Idea. So, we have contributed 44% to the industrys revenue.



When asked about the new entrant Jio, Ganapathi said, Our competition with RJio is only in the 4G segment. 4G is an expanding market and probably the future. The user-experience on Idea, I can vouch for, is far superior. I dont know about the competition, but we have benchmarked against all, and we will continue to do so.



One good fallout of RJios entry into the market is that the data market will explode.

Aditya Birla Nuvo is one of the companies that has received an in-principle nod from the RBI to start a payments bank. When asked, Mukarji said that the payments bank will be launched in the first quarter of the next calendar year.




A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe into the mysterious death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa.





Following questions raised over the circumstances that led to the AIADMK chiefs death, NGO Tamil Nadu Telugu Yuva Sakthi approached the court, asking authorities to make public the health reports and medical treatment given to her.



The organisation claimed that not a single photograph or video of Jayalalithaa was published or telecast till her death, and nobody was even allowed to see her even through the window.



At the time of Jayalalithaas death, people who were facing serious allegations of conspiracy and had once been sent out of the house of Jayalalithaa were present, the petitioner said.



Seeking direction to investigate the benami properties of Jayalalithaa and her associates, the petitioner also sought orders for constituting a committee of eminent people, like former Comptroller and Auditor General V K Shunglu, to examine the government decisions taken between Jayalalithaas hospitalisation on September 22 and her death on December 5.




The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that high court judges would continue to be frisked at airports in accordance with Central government procedures.



Issue of prestige





It said security checks before boarding flights should not become an issue of prestige or matters of status. A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur set aside a Rajasthan High Court order, which had directed the Centre and airport authorities to exempt high court judges from security checks. Matters of security are not issues of prestige. They are not matters of status, said the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao.



The court said that judges are expected to apply standards, which are objective and well defined by the law, and founded upon constitutional principle.






Former Air Force chief S P Tyagi and two others will have to spend three more days in CBI custody, with a Delhi court accepting a prosecution plea for their further questioning in the multi-dollar VVIP chopper scam.





While the CBI argued that their custodial interrogation was a necessity for unravelling the conspiracy that also involves players abroad, Tyagis counsel said the arrest was made only for humiliation and not for confrontation as the former Air Force chief was questioned several times.



Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi alias Julie and lawyer Gautam Khaitan were produced before Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar, who extended their custody till December 17.



The CBI had sought seven days custody, saying it was a very serious case in which the interest of the nation was compromised. But the court allowed only three days.



Tyagi and others were arrested on Friday in the Rs 3,700-crore deal involving UK-based AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Italian firm Finmeccanica, in which around Rs 462 crore was given as bribe.



Arguing for the custody of the accused, the CBI said it was a very wide and serious case in which some accused and firms from abroad were also involved.



Right now, we are handicapped due to want of material. It is a very high-profile case and we need proper material. One part of the crime was committed in India, while various other angles are in foreign land, the CBI said.



The agency has so far received help from various countries, including Italy, Mauritius, Switzerland and the UK.



However, Tyagis counsel rebutted the CBI argument and said that the former air chief was a decorated war hero and the agency was trying to tarnish his image.

The FIR only says that the ex-air chief marshal also received some amount of cash. It is just a vague allegation, Tyagis counsel said.



In the last hearing, Tyagis counsel had dragged the Prime Ministers Office under Manmohan Singh into the deal, and claimed the decision to procure the VVIP choppers from AgustaWestland was a collective one.




The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Union government to formulate a comprehensive plan within four months to curb drug menace among children after conducting a national survey.





The court also directed the Centre to prepare a database within six months about drug abuse among children, saying protecting children from the widespread prevalence of substance abuse is one of the biggest policy challenges facing India.



A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur also directed the Centre to adopt specific content in the school curriculum under the aegis of the national education policy.



India is home to the largest child population in the world with over 44 crore children, according to the 2011 census... They constitute a vulnerable age group for social, educational, moral and physical development. Protecting children from widespread prevalence of substance abuse is one of the biggest policy challenges facing India, the bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said.



The Supreme Court said that adopting a holistic solution to deal with issues pertaining to alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse in the school curriculum has to be adequately emphasised.



The court passed its directions based on a 2014 PIL filed by Bachpan Bachao Andolan, an NGO led by Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi.



Hailing the apex courts directions, Satyarthi said it is a timely judgement amid the governments crackdown on black money.


Despite the ban, manual scavenging is still highly prevalent in the state, Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya said on Wednesday.





The minister, who chaired a state-level meeting convened to discuss about the welfare of pourakarmikas in Bengaluru, later told reporters that more than 5,000 people are working as manual scavengers.



He said the previous survey conducted to ascertain the number of manual scavengers was not accurate.



The department would conduct another survey in the month of January. According to the earlier survey, there were 302 manual scavengers in cities and 474 in rural areas. But according to the Karnataka State Safai Karmachari Commission estimates, there are more than 5,000 manual scavengers in the state, the minister said.



Denial by authorities

There is also a provision to punish authorities concerned if instances of manual scavenging are reported.



However, the district authorities have continuously denied such instances to escape punishment, he said.



In the last 20 years, around 60 persons have died while cleaning manholes. But families of only 23 manual scavengers have been given compensation. As per the Supreme Court order, the families of manual scavengers have to be paid a compensation amount of Rs 10 lakh.



Compensation

Only eight families have received Rs 10 lakh compensation and 15 families had received Rs 5 lakh compensation. As many as 37 families are yet to be paid the compensation, Anjaneya said.




With egg on its face after renewing the licence of NGOs whose permission to collect foreign funds were cancelled earlier, the government on Wednesday reversed its decision and disallowed Greenpeace and two Teesta Setalvad-led NGOs on receiving donations from abroad.





The governments decision to renew the licences come two months after a similar episode when the licence of Zakir Naik-run NGO Islamic Research Foundation was renewed despite it being under prior permission category.



The fresh order by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had clarified that the licence renewal of Greenpeace and others is null and void.



Following the inadvertent renewal of licences of Greenpeace, Sabrang Trust, and Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) came to light, the Ministry of Home Affairs has now ordered an audit of recent renewal of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of over 13,000 NGOs to ensure that there is no further goof up.



The FCRA licences of Greenpeace and Sabrang were cancelled on several charges, including working against the interests of the country, while CJP was put on the prior permission list, which means that it has to take prior permission from the government before receiving foreign donations.



The MHA is also roping in Computer Emergency Response Team-India (CERT-IN) to ascertain whether there was a hacking of their website that led to the renewal of the licences. Official sources said the CERT-IN will probe if the mistaken online renewal of FCRA licenses was due to a hacking attack.



The MHA had in September last year cancelled the FCRA licence of Greenpeace citing nine reasons, which included transfer of foreign funds to undesignated accounts, mention of incorrect amounts of foreign contribution and funding legal costs in violation of FCRA rules.



While Sabrang Trusts FCRA licence was cancelled by the Home Ministry in June this year, the CJP is being probed by the MHA on charges of misuse of grants to survivors of the 2002 Gujarat riots.



Teesta is the secretary of CJP and two other NGOs  Sabrang Trust and Sabrang Communications and Publishing Pvt Ltd. Both are under investigations by the CBI and the Gujarat police.




Eight policemen, including a sub-inspector, who were arrested in the last fortnight over demonetisation-related crimes, have been dismissed from service.





The competent authorities of Bengaluru City Police under Article 311(2)(b) of the Constitution dismissed eight police personnel for their involvement in dacoity of legal tender of Rs 100 and Rs 2,000 denominations, committed on the pretext of exchanging demonetised notes for a commission (sic), police said in an official statement.



The dismissed personnel are N C Mallikarjun, a sub-inspector at Kalasipalyam police station, his constable colleagues  Manjunatha Moggad, L K Girish, Chandrashekar and Anantharaju  head constable Mayura, constable Raghava Nayak, both attached to the Girinagar police station, and B Shesha, a constable of the Central Crime Branch (CCB).



All the eight policemen were arrested in separate cases. Mallikarjun and four constables are accused of robbing a businessman of Rs 35.5 lakh in new notes near Peenya, north Bengaluru, on November 22. They were arrested on December 5 after Gangadhar, a mobile shop owner from Tumakuru district, lodged a complaint at the Peenya police station stating that he was robbed of Rs 35.5 lakh by a seven-member gang. Besides the five policemen, a police informant and his friend were also arrested in the case, a senior police officer said.



Head constable Mayura and constable Nayak were arrested on December 4 for helping a businessman make off with Rs 8 lakh in scrapped notes from a woman named Sukanya.

B Shesha, a constable attached to the Organised Crime Wing of the CCB, and three others were arrested on November 30 for abducting a businessman and his friend and robbing them of Rs 25.20 lakh in new notes.



The policemens involvement in these crimes embarrassed the state government. At a review meeting of the Home department last week, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah instructed officials to act tough against the policemen, including terminating their services, to uphold the dignity and integrity of the force.



An officer of the rank of additional commissioner of police can terminate a sub-inspector while a deputy commissioner of police can dismiss constables and head constables, according to a senior officer.


A day after sanctioning ex gratia for a militant commanders family triggered a controversy, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said there was a need to differentiate between militants and their families. We cannot look at both in the same manner, she said.





The state government had on Tuesday sanctioned an ex gratia for the slain Burhan Wanis brother Khalid Wani, killed by the army in April 2015.



The announcement triggered a controversy when the BJP, the ruling PDPs ally in the state,opposed it.



While the army and the police claimed that Khalid was killed in an encounter when he had gone to meet his brother Burhan, his family said that he was tortured to death, because his younger brother Burhan was a militant.



2 militants killed in encounters



Two militants, including a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander, were killed in separate encounters with security forces in Kashmir on Wednesday, DHNS reports from Srinagar.



In the first encounter, a militant was killed in a gunfight with the security forces in Bijbehara area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Wednesday morning. The slain militant, Sameer Dar alias Basit, is from Marhama village, close to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's ancestral home of Bijbehara. According to reports, Dar had completed his BTech from the Islamic University of Science and Technology.



Son of a bank manager, Dar took to militancy after the killing of Burhan Wani on July 8. Reports said soon after the news of Dars killing broke out, protests erupted in Bijbehara, Kanelwan, Bewoora and Srigufwara villages of Anantnag. Known as Basit Engineer in his village, Dar was said to be a close associate of Zakir Bhat, who took over as Hizbul commander after Wanis death.


The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to examine if security forces should not be allowed to use pellet guns in Jammu and Kashmir unless there is a clear direction from a magistrate.





A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice D Y Chandrachud asked Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to furnish a report prepared by an expert committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs on the use of pellet guns. All that we want is an assurance that pellet guns will not be used indiscriminately or excessively in the state and will be resorted to after proper application of mind, the bench observed. Rohatgi said pellet guns were non-lethal. The idea behind its use is not to harm but to neutralise crowds. It is a part of the procedure to control the crowds when lathicharge, water canons etc, failed, he submitted.



The court was hearing a petition filed by the Jammu and Kashmir HC Bar Association, seeking direction to put in place a standard operating procedure for use of pellet guns and making it mandatory to seek prior permission of an executive magistrate before using it on protesting crowds.
Despite the army being on high alert, there has been more than 300% increase in infiltration of militants from across the Line of Control (LoC) this year.





According to Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) figures, till November, 116 militants, mostly from the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), have infiltrated into Kashmir. In 2015, the number of militants who infiltrated was just 35.



The MAC, responsible for counter-terrorism operations, consists of representatives from the army, police, paramilitary and intelligence agencies.



While infiltration has increased, so has the number of casualties. According to official figures, 148 militants have been killed this year compared to 97 in 2015. Similarly, this year the number of casualties in the security forces so far has been 71, compared to 41 in 2015.



However, a source said the number of militants who infiltrated into Kashmir this year could be higher than the MAC estimates. The MAC figures are a conservative estimate. Some of the recently infiltrated groups are yet to come under security forces radar and others are still in the forests along the LoC, says the source.



Also, despite the September 29 surgical strikes by the army on terror launch pads in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), infiltration attempts from across the LoC continues unabated.



There are 19 militant camps active in PoK where ultras are receiving map reading, GPS use, weight, weapon and tactical training, another source said.



A senior police officer involved in counter-insurgency operations said infiltration attempts by militants were falling steadily for several years before rising sharply this year.



As the security setup was engaged in dealing with the summer unrest in Kashmir, a number of militants took advantage of the situation and not only succeeded in infiltrating, but also reached their respective locations in the hinterland without being noticed, the officer told DH.



The violent civilian protests caused a breakdown of our information network. Contrary to reports that militants presence was more in south Kashmir, in reality, Kupwara and Baramulla districts of the north have seen the maximum movement of terrorists, he further said.



A record number of militants were killed by security forces this year. Militants were desperate to infiltrate in more numbers to fill the void. Over 200 militants are still waiting at launch pads to infiltrate before heavy snowfall closes the mountain passes, the officer added.


The Tourism Department is keen on improving facilities at Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) and at Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR) to increase the footfall.





Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge told DH that the department was chalking out plans to improve the park, which attracts a lot of visitors. Among the priorities is to improve the approach road to Bannerghatta. The road is narrow and needs to be widened, he said.



Talks are also on to construct a digital amphitheatre in the zoo area. I have spoken to the zoo and JLR officials to improve facilities and speed up implementation of the zoo master plan, he said.



He said Bannerghatta is close to the city and is an ideal place for tourists to enjoy nature. JLR is a niche property and the department wants to promote more eco-tourism and wildlife tourism here. Though JLR can accommodate around 65 to 70 people, the footfall is not very high. There is also a need to make the place more accessible to tourists, especially foreigners. Bannerghatta is a popular zoo and has the potential to attract more people, he said.



BBP executive director Santosh Kumar said the amphitheatre is being planned near the Hill View Restaurant beyond the zebra enclosure on the open space belonging to JLR.

At present, there is an auditorium located beyond the hippopotamus enclosure in BBP where short films are screened.



He said the zoo was working according to its master plan on increasing the number of enclosures and getting more animals.



Talks are on with zoos abroad to bring in more animals, including cheetahs and white lions from South Africa. The footfall last year at BBP was 12 lakh. The park attracts around 3,000 visitors during weekdays and between 7,000 and 10,000 on weekends and holidays.


Bengalureans will have a say in how the next BBMP budget should be prepared and how much money should be allocated under various heads.





On Wednesday, over 67,114 inputs collected from about 40,000 citizens were handed over to Mayor G Padmavathi and commissioner N Manjunath Prasad. It was part of the first-ever My City My Budget campaign, which was launched by citizens collective Janaagraha in partnership with BBMP. Citizens were given an option to choose from 11 categories and 80 sub-categories. The inputs were collected both in Kannada and English.



A booklet containing the inputs was submitted at a function held at Town Hall, which was also attended by BMTC managing director Ekroop Caur and six corporators. Collecting inputs from citizens was a two-month-long intensive campaign.



Citizens have highlighted footpath and walkability as key areas of concern. These constituted 23% of the total budget inputs. Inputs linked to road and driveability came next at 18%, health and sanitation inputs made up 15%, while inputs about trees, parks and playgrounds comprised 12%, Sapna Karim, head-civic participation, Janaagraha, said.



Crime prevention and safety were also issues of concern for citizens. Close to 5,000 inputs related to surveillance cameras.



There were a total of 67,114 inputs from the citizens. BBMP tops the list with 51,004 budget inputs, followed by Bangalore city police with 4,791 and the BWSSB with 4,506 inputs, a press release said.



Inputs gathered

The campaign, according to the release, gathered inputs from school and college students, residents welfare associations, trade unions, urban poor communities, citizens at IT parks and the digitally active community.



The budget bus travelled 1,560-km in Bengaluru, touching 212 locations over 51 days, it said. So what is next? Sapna said the BBMP budget would now be analysed to understand the budgetary allocations towards citizen inputs and other budgetary allocations to the wards. The status of each citizen input will be tracked by organising ward sabhas with citizens, councillors and civic agency officials, she said.



The commissioner and mayor promised to incorporate these suggestions in the budget. The city received Rs 9,000 crore to undertake projects. Of this, Rs 4,500 crore came from the state government and the remaining amount is raised through tax, said commissioner Prasad. BMTC MD Ekroop Caur urged the BBMP to provide monetary support from the Palike towards procuring new buses. The present fleet of 6,000 buses was not adequate for Bengaluru, she said.


by Murriah Ebersole

The Alaska State Office of Veterans Affairs (OVA) continues its efforts to locate and recognize the members of the Alaska Territorial Guard (ATG). The ATG assembled in 1942 as a response to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent occupation of Alaska by Japan during World War II. ATG members received military training, were taught how to identify enemy ships and aircraft, and were instrumental to Allied war efforts in the region.

Roughly 6,400 unpaid volunteers, ranging from ages 12 to 80, served in over 100 communities across the state until disbandment in 1947. More commonly referred to as the Eskimo Scouts, this massive, rural, grassroots undertaking catalyzed many Alaska Native Tribes and non-native Alaskans throughout the territory into a single joint-force for the first time in history.

In 2000, all ATG members were granted U.S. veteran status. For some time, OVA has implemented efforts to locate ATG members (or their surviving relatives), assist them in obtaining their service records, and help them apply for benefits that they may be eligible to receive through the VA.

However, the task has been very challenging due to the lack of written records in rural areas from that period in history. Efforts to identify members of the ATG were further delayed when COVID-19 impacted OVAs operations and access to federal records.

The OVA Task Force has already identified and successfully obtained service records for nearly half of all known ATG members. Since resuming efforts, it has located the remaining records for ATG members in the Akiak, Akiachak, Bethel, Douglas, Galena, Glacier Highway, Golovin, Hoonah, and Ketchikan units.

The remaining ATG members from Kotzebue, an area unique for its exceptionally high number of women recruits, are expected to be identified and submitted to the Department of the Army for certification of service within the next week.

The Task Force is committed to finding and assisting all ATG Veterans including their families and dependents in recovering military records, said Verdie Bowen, Director of Office of Veterans Affairs. It is very important to correct the oversight of the past, and I feel that every Veteran who served in the military should have their records in the National Archives for future generations to come.

The Task Force is requesting surviving members or family of the ATG to please contact 907-334-0874 or toll free at 888-248-3682.

We would be honored to provide ATG members or their surviving family members with their records, said Bowen.

A list of known members ATG members is at veterans.alaska.gov/ATG, and Alaskans are encouraged to review it if there is a question whether their family member served with the ATG or if their service is accounted for.

Murriah Ebersole writes from the Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs.

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All You Need To Know About Karisma Kapoor's Boyfriend Sandeep Toshniwal!
A drive to improve access to insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) in Scotland has been announced as part of a 10m plan to improve care for people with type 1 diabetes.

The funding, from the Scottish government, will be used to widen provision of the devices to adults living with the condition in the country over the next five years.

Access to insulin pumps in Scotland has already dramatically increased over the last six years, rising by more than 400 per cent thanks to a previous investment of 7.5m by the Scottish government. There are currently 3,200 people using them in the country, with that number due to rise significantly with the new investment pledge.

The increase in the provision of continuous glucose monitoring equipment will be targeted at priority groups, mainly young children and those who endure episodes of severe hypoglycemia.

The 10m of additional funding was announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeo, speaking at type 1 diabetes charity, JDRFs 30th anniversary event in Edinburgh.

Chief Executive of JDRF in the UK Karen Addington welcomed the move: Evidence shows this type 1 diabetes technology, provided alongside support and training for its use, can improve lives. We welcome the announcement of increased funding to improve access to it.

Shona Robiso, Scotlands Health Secretary, said: We know that insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring kits can make it much easier for some people to manage their type 1 diabetes. Proper control is absolutely key to improving outcomes and preventing complications from developing.

This new investment will increase the provision of this equipment, meaning its available to many more people, and making it easier for them to lead healthy lives. Type 1 diabetes is a significant health challenge right across the world and Scotland is no exception.
They always say, beauty depends on how you perceive it. While a supernova explosion is reasonably normal in terms of space activities, the one observed by scientists back in January 2016 was certainly beyond normal supernova activity. While it gave rise to research and observation of superluminous supernovae, recent data has led to scientists exclaiming that the explosion, in fact, was a gargantuan black hole of incredible, unthinkable proportions actually tearing apart a star from nearby, thereby killing it.

The All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASASSN) spotted the source of light that was at least twice as bright as any known supernova. For reference, a supernova occurs at the death of a star when it runs out of its gases, or when foreign elements interfere with the natural constituency of a star. At the moment of its death, the star shines the brightest among any around it. Superluminous supernovae, however, are even brighter - up to about 100 times brighter than any other supernova, and still very rare in the entire universe. That, is a lot of heat, light and force.

On this note, the January explosion observed by ASASSN was more than twice as bright as a superluminous supernova, leading to scientists being intrigued by the magnitude. Named ASASSN-15lh, the explosion happened 3.8 billion light years away from our home, and emitted light that is about 570 billion times more than what our dwarf star the Sun is capable of, at its peak energy emission. While initial reactions suggested that it is a massive supernova, scientists now believe that it is a black hole of extreme proportions ripping apart a star.

Giorgos Leloudas from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel told Space that while normal superluminous supernovae start cooling down gradually after extreme heat, this one started re-heating up, and remained constantly at the high temperature, signifying terrific forces and collision of matter. Even now, it continues to do so. Alongside, the incident was observed in a reddish galaxy that typically does not include young, massive stars known for dying as superluminous supernovae.

All of these signify a star being pulled apart by terrific forces of a black hole. Now being classified as a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE), the star involved possibly was of low mass, that happened to pass by a rapidly spinning giant black hole, with incredible gravitational forces. Incidents of tidal proportions are frequent in space, but even based on such standards, this is pretty exceptional and stunning.

What remains to be seen is how the explosion pans out, and the repercussions of such galactic interactions. The scientists involved in the observation published their findings online, in Nature Astronomy journal, and will be unveiled in a PDF in January 2017.
Mineral exploration and mining company China Nonferrous Gold announced on Wednesday that Li Li had resigned as its finance director.

The AIM-traded firm, currently mining the Pakrut gold project in the Republic of Tajikistan, only cited personal reasons for Lis departure.

Li did, however, accept an appointment as a non-executive director of the company.

The board of the Company would like to thank Mr Li, for his contribution to the development of CNG and the Pakrut gold project as the finance director over a number of years and we are pleased he is able to continue working with the company in his new role as a non-executive director, said chairman Wu Xiang.

The board is now actively in the process of selecting and appointing a new finance director and we look forward to updating the market in due course.
Diversified mineral exploration and development company Sunrise Resources posted its audited results for the year to 30 September on Wednesday, with nil revenue and a total loss for the year of 0.37m, widening from 0.3m last year.

The AIM-traded firm said that made for a basic and diluted loss per share of 0.04p, compared to 0.05p in 2015.

It did highlight its operations for the year, however, saying they were focused on its projects in Nevada during the year.

Sunrise said the phase 2 drilling at the Bay State Silver Project demonstrated continuity in the Chihuahua Vein system at 300m below surface, with further drilling scheduled for spring 2017.

The trenching of the discovery outcrop at Garfield Copper-Gold Project included 22m grading 0.33% copper, which itself included two metres grading 2.18% copper and 0.48 g/t gold from 16m-18m, and 2 metres grading 1.2 g/t gold and 0.07% copper from 8m-10m.

During the year the company incorporated a new subsidiary, Westgold, as a wholly owned project generator for gold and silver projects in the the western US.

Three new projects have been staked to date through Westgold.

A lease agreement with EP Minerals was continuing at County line Diatomite Project, with the EP Minerals-permitted programme of drilling and trenching work in progress.

Potential for revenue based royalty stream was starting in June 2017, the board said.

The expansion of the Pozz Project was also ongoing, with the staking of a CS pumiceous rhyolite deposit in Nevada.

Testwork remained in progress with demand for natural pozzolan growing as a green cement replacement.

 am pleased to report on the progress being made under our strategic plan to seek cash flow from industrial minerals projects whilst continuing our more speculative exploration for precious metal deposits, said executive chairman Patrick Cheetham.

In 2016 we we have continued the development of our business in anticipation of a continuing recovery in the commodities sector and I look forward to reporting further progress in 2017 and to meeting shareholders at our upcoming AGM.
The governments Brexit plan will not be published until February 2017, David Davis the Brexit secretary said on Wednesday.

Appearing before the Brexit select committee for the first time, Davis said he wanted to be as open as we can be without revealing the governments hand, but there are a number of areas where there is still work to be done on the plan for leaving the European Union, such as on justice and home affairs.

As soon as we can, once all of the research and policy is completed. It wont be next month. The policy work is still under way, there are quite a few decisions still to be made.

He said that his department is currently doing 57 studies, which cover 85% of the economy.

Prime Minister Theresa May said she would trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, which starts a two-year clock on formal negotiations with the EU, by the end of March.

Last week, MPs voted to keep to Mays timetable and for greater clarity on negotiations so they could scrutinise the plan before the clause is activated.

Davis said: "The reasons for setting the final possible date, 31 March were numerous but one of them was the determination to carry out all of the policy work first, consult properly and then bring something to Parliament. It won't be next month. The policy work is still under way and there are quite a few decisions that have to be made."

He also said that he wanted maximum access to the single market with minimum disruption to businesses in the UK and indicated that he was working on four outcomes relating to the customs union.

The four I have in mind are inside the customs union: a partially inside Turkish model, outside with a free trade agreement and a customs arrangement, and completely outside.

Chancellor Philip Hammond previously said a transition deal would be generally helpful. Davis said a transitional arrangement means many things to different plan, while an implementation phase would be drawn up if it is necessary.
US investment bank Goldman Sachs is set to name executives David Solomon and Harvey Schwartz as replacements for outgoing president Gary Cohn, who has been picked as Donald Trump's head of the National Economic Council.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Solomon and Schwartz will fill the void left by Cohn, who was the second-in-command after chief executive officer Lloyd Blankfein.

On Tuesday president-elect Trump confirmed that Cohn would be his nomination for the key economic position, with another former Goldman Sachs partner also having been announced as his pick for treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin.

The publication also reports that current technology boss R.Martin Chavez is to take over from Scwartz as chief financial officer, a position he has held since 2013.

Solomon led Goldman's investment banking unit for over 10 years, advising companies on mergers and the raising of capital, while Schwartz rose through the securities branch of the bank.

Trump's nominations for his first administration are likely to come under intense scrutiny from both Republicans and Democrats, with his election campaign promises to "drain the swamp" of Wall Street interests from Washington appearing to be reversed.

Tuesday's announcement that Rex Tillerson will be Trump's pick for the top job of Secretary of State is expected to face particular scrutiny from the legislative body due to his close ties with Russia and its president Vladimir Putin.

The major changes at Goldman Sachs suggest that CEO Blankfein will remain at the helm for the bank for the foreseeable future, despite speculation to the contrary in recent months.
US president-elect Donald Trump has added tech executives Elon Musk and Travis Kalanick to his team of business advisers ahead of his entrance into the Oval Office in January of next year.

The two men are CEOs of two of the most important companies in the technology industry - car-maker Tesla and ride-sharing app Uber. They will join Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum, the Republican announced in a statement ahead of a key summit of industry leaders at Trump Tower on Wednesday.

PepsiCo chairman and chief executive Indra Nooyi will also form part of the group, which will be used by Trump for advice on matters of business importance.

At the beginning of the month, the president-elect announced the addition of 16 business leaders to the Strategic and Policy forum, but only IBM chief Ginni Rometty represented the tech industry until the incorporation of Musk and Kalanick.

Wednesday's meeting will see big-hitters from the sector converge on New York for a key meeting which will provide an indication of how their relationship with Trump is likely to be.

"America has the most innovative and vibrant companies in the world, and the pioneering CEOs joining this Forum today are at the top of their fields," said Trump in a statement.

The group will include Musk and Rometty, as well as Alphabet CEO Larry Page, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.

Trump has been busy in recent weeks making key appointments to his first administration, with the majority being subject to Senate approval.
European equities dipped further by midday as investors priced in a dovish hike from the Federal Reserve later in the day.

The benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 index was down 0.51%, Germanys DAX was off 0.26% and Frances CAC 40 was 0.62% weaker.

Meanwhile, oil prices retreated after the American Petroleum Institute said late on Tuesday that in the week ended 9 December, there was a 4.68m barrel build in US crude inventory levels, versus a 1.5m draw expected.

West Texas Intermediate was down 1.5% to $52.21 a barrel and Brent crude was 1.4% lower at $54.97.

IG chief market analyst Chris Beauchamp said: Markets are trading in the red this morning, but only by a small amount, as investors ready themselves for the first US rate increase in a year. Having seen equities rally throughout the past month, the big question is now what will keep the surge going into 2017.

So much has been baked into the price, both in terms of Fed policy and also the impact of the new administration, that investors are going to struggle to find a new narrative to drive everything forward. Unless Janet Yellen appears with a party hat on this evening and promises milk and honey for all, a day of reckoning could be at hand.

The FOMC rate announcement is due at 1900 GMT, with a 25 basis points rate hike expected. US retail sales and industrial production are at 1330 GMT and 1415 GMT, respectively, while business inventories are at 1500 GMT.

On the data front, eurozone industrial production fell short of the consensus in October, according to figures released by Eurostat.

Industrial production in the 19 countries that share the euro was down 0.1% from September, when it was down 0.9%. Economists had been expecting a 0.2% rise.

On the year, industrial production in the euro bloc was up 0.6%, below expectations of a 0.8% rise.

In corporate news, Swiss biotech group Actelion was under the cosh after Johnson & Johnson ended talks with the company about a potential deal. However, Actelion said it was in talks with another party regarding a possible strategic transaction, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that it was France's Sanofi.

Italian broadcaster Mediaset rallied after Fininvest and Vivendi both upped their stakes in the company.

Dixons Carphone fell despite reporting a bigger-than-expected jump in first-half profits and upping its dividend as it said it was preparing for more uncertain times ahead" as the UK exits from the EU.

Software product group Micro Focus International was in the black after reporting a rise in revenue and pre-tax profit for the first half.

Oil and gas services company Wood Group reversed earlier losses as it reaffirmed its full-year forecast for earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation but cautioned that market conditions are likely to remain challenging in 2017.

Metro AG was on the front foot after it reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter operating profit for the food and consumer electronics businesses it hopes to split in a demerger next year.

Zara owner Inditex fell despite reporting a 9% rise in nine month net profit with sales increasing by 11%.
Stocks in London nudged lower in early trade as investors erred on the side of caution ahead of the latest policy announcement from the Federal Reserve and some key UK jobs data.

At 0830 GMT, the FTSE 100 was down 0.3% to 6,948.23. Meanwhile, oil prices retreated after the American Petroleum Institute said late on Tuesday that in the week ended 9 December, there was a 4.68m barrel build in US crude inventory levels, versus a 1.5m draw expected.

West Texas Intermediate was down 1.2% to $52.36 a barrel and Brent crude was 1% lower at $55.15.

Accendo Markets analysts Mike van Dulken and Henry Croft said: In focus today will be this evenings US Fed policy update, not so much for the rate hike markets have already priced-in, more for the outlook that Fed Chair Janet Yellen offers for policy normalisation and how many hikes to expect in 2017.

After last December suggesting four hikes in 2016 and yet still to deliver even one, it wont want to over-promise again. Nor will it want to under-promise and surprise markets. Expect a cautious tone that suggests slow and steady. Perhaps a couple of hikes that could be downgraded to just one or upgraded to three without generating too much fuss.

The UK unemployment rate, average earnings and claimant count are due at 0930 GMT. In the US, retail sales and industrial production are at 1330 GMT and 1415 GMT, respectively, while business inventories are at 1500 GMT.

The FOMC rate announcement is at 1900 GMT.

The UK unemployment is expected to remain at 4.8%, while average earnings are expected to remain at 2.3%.

In corporate news, software product group Micro Focus International was in the black after reporting a rise in revenue and pre-tax profit for the first half.

Dixons Carphone fell despite reporting a bigger-than-expected jump in first-half profits and upping its dividend.

LondonMetric nudged lower as it said it has conditionally exchanged contracts to lets its distribution warehouse in Omega South, Warrington.

Capita was under the cosh as Jefferies cut the stock to hold from buy.

Oil and gas services company Wood Group ticked down as it reaffirmed its full-year forecast for earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation but cautioned that market conditions are likely to remain challenging in 2017.

Online retailer Boohoo.com rallied after upgrading its guidance for full-year 2017 on the back of a strong trading performance, as it announced the acquisition of a majority stake in fashion brand PrettyLittleThing.

Market Movers

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techMARK (TASX) 3,285.12 -0.24%

FTSE 100 - Risers

Anglo American (AAL) 1,209.50p 2.63%

Micro Focus International (MCRO) 2,178.00p 2.25%

ITV (ITV) 196.20p 2.13%

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Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 3,104.00p 1.07%

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Capita (CPI) 436.00p -3.63%

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FTSE 250 - Risers

Paysafe Group (PAYS) 319.40p 4.48%

Kaz Minerals (KAZ) 400.00p 3.17%

CMC Markets (CMCX) 98.00p 3.16%

Vedanta Resources (VED) 953.00p 2.53%

Big Yellow Group (BYG) 673.00p 2.51%

Acacia Mining (ACA) 393.30p 2.34%

Ladbrokes Coral Group (LCL) 118.40p 2.07%

B&M European Value Retail S.A. (DI) (BME) 265.80p 1.92%

Aveva Group (AVV) 1,818.00p 1.62%

Allied Minds (ALM) 425.00p 1.17%

FTSE 250 - Fallers

IP Group (IPO) 156.00p -3.11%

Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 2,741.00p -2.73%

Fidessa Group (FDSA) 2,218.00p -2.42%

Rank Group (RNK) 190.70p -2.41%

JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 330.20p -2.16%

NCC Group (NCC) 180.20p -1.80%

International Personal Finance (IPF) 163.70p -1.68%

Daejan Holdings (DJAN) 6,145.00p -1.68%

Hansteen Holdings (HSTN) 107.60p -1.56%

RIT Capital Partners (RCP) 1,823.00p -1.46%
Shares in Hastings Group spiked on Wednesday afternoon after the insurer confirmed that Rand Merchant Investment was acquiring a 29.9% stake.

RMI, which will be able to nominate a director for appointment to the board of the FTSE 250 company, has agreed to buy the shares from Hastings Investco and certain individual shareholders for a total of between roughly 487.3-499.5m.

The board of Hastings hailed an investment that will make RMI its largest shareholder once the purchases are complete, which is expected to become effective by no later than 30 April next year.

Chief executive Gary Hoffman welcome RMI's CEO Herman Bosman, who will be the first appointed representative.

"RMI has a number of investments in insurance businesses in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Given this experience, Hastings will look to explore potential areas of cooperation with RMI and OUTsurance in the future that would accelerate execution of our existing strategy including in the areas of home, data analytics, mobile propositions and operational efficiencies."

Hastings shares were up 5% at 232.32p by 1540 GMT on Wednesday.
Invesco Asia Trust released its half-yearly financial report for the six months to 31 October on Wednesday, reporting a net asset value total return of 33.6%.

The companys share price total return was 37.1%, compared to its benchmark index - the MSCI AC Asia ex Japan Index - which posted a 32.1% index for the period.

Net assets stood at 230.97m at period end, up 28.2% from the 180.11m recorded on 30 April.

The trusts net asset value was 276p, up from 210.7p, while its share price rocketed to 246.5p from 183p.

That resulted in a discount per ordinary share of 10.7%, compared to 13.1% at 30 April, or a discount ex income of 9.5%, compared to 11.7%.

Over recent years, Asian equity markets have had to contend with declining economic growth in the region, noted chairman Carol Ferguson.

This is partly due to weak export demand which is not expected to strengthen to any great extent as long as global growth remains subdued.

It also reflects the re-orientation of Chinas economy away from investment as the primary driver of its GDP growth.

Ferguson said the board was waiting to see what mix of policies the Trump administration pursues, and hoped that pragmatism will prevail over protectionist policies.

In China, there is some concern that economic stability has been accompanied by a rise in credit growth.

It is our view that the economy can manage high debt levels for some years to come as long as this debt continues to be funded by domestic savings.

Meanwhile, Ferguson said India still offers some real growth prospects, despite the fact that a recovery in its GDP growth has been slow to materialise.

The Modi government is making progress by implementing measures to tackle barriers that have inhibited Indias natural growth drivers.

As is typical with India, the market can at times be negatively impacted by reforms in the short term, and this can provide opportunities to increase exposure at more attractive valuation levels.

Against that backdrop, Ferguson said the earnings environment seemed to be gradually bottoming out.

Asian equity markets are trading at mid-range valuation levels and this is probably fair given we expect high single-digit earnings growth for 2017.

As such your portfolio manager and the board believe that this is a region where it is possible to make money through judicious stock selection.

Ferguson added there were still plenty of stocks with attractive growth prospects, whose valuation multiples are offering good entry points for long term investors.
Software product group Micro Focus International announced its unaudited interim results for the six months to 31 October on Wednesday, with revenues of $684.7m, 14.2% higher than the prior year's constant currency figures.

The FTSE 100 firm said underlying adjusted EBITDA was $320.3m, 20.9% higher at constant currencies, and adjusted diluted earnings per share increased by 20.5% to 89.20 cents.

Pro-forma constant currency revenues increased 1.2% to $684.7m in the period, slightly ahead of the guidance range for the full year.

The board confirmed that the acquisition of Serena Group completed on 2 May, and so trading results of Serena were included in the interim figures.

It also noted that in September it announced it had agreed with Hewlett Packard Enterprises to merge with the software business assets of by way of merger.

The transaction is expected to complete in the third quarter of the calendar year 2017, though exceptional pre-acquisition costs were incurred in the period and further exceptional costs will be incurred for the remainder of the FY17 and to completion in FY18.

Cash generated from operations was $201.9m, up from $162.7m, and represented 69.3% of adjusted EBITDA less exceptional costs.

Net debt at 31 October was $1,612.6m, wider than the $1,078.0m figure at the end of April but down from $1,625.0m following the completion of the Serena acquisition on 2 May.

Free cash flow during the period was $111.0m, up from $40.3m, and net debt to facility EBITDA for the 12 month period to 31 October was a multiple of 2.6 times, decreasing to 2.4 times on a pro-forma basis including the acquisition of Serena.

The boards medium term target remained 2.5 times.

It proposed an interim dividend increase of 75.5% to 29.73 cents per share, up from 16.94 cents per share last year, in line with its dividend policy of the full year dividend being twice covered by adjusted earnings.

"The board is delighted with our progress, said executive chairman Kevin Loosemore.

Our focus on delivering to our customers by making detailed product by product decisions and investments has resulted in the business achieving modest like-for-like revenue growth.

Our investments have resulted in strong growth in SUSE and a reduced rate of decline in the Micro Focus portfolio.

Loosemore said while it was a good start to the year and the firm completed two acquisitions, the board was maintaining its revenue guidance for FY17 being in the range minus 2% to zero% on FY16 on a CCY basis, pro-forma for the acquisition of Serena.

Mergers and acquisitions continue to be a key component of our strategy.

The key strategic announcement in the period was the HPE Software transaction which is on target to complete in the third quarter of calendar year 2017.

He described that as a complex transaction that will transform the group in a similar way to the Attachmate transaction in 2014, while providing the opportunity for enhanced shareholder returns over the medium-term.

The acquisition of Serena completed at the beginning of the period together with a number of small acquisitions across the business comprising GWAVA, openATTIC on 1 November and the OpenStack IaaS and Cloud Foundry Paas talent and technology assets from HPE which was announced on 30 November and is currently expected to close in the first quarter of calendar year 2017.

We are delighted to announce that our interim dividend is increasing to 29.73 cents from 16.94 cents in line with our twice covered dividend policy.
Shares in Punch Taverns rocketed on Wednesday after the pub operator confirmed it has received two takeover offers, one from Patron Capital Advisers on behalf of Dutch brewer Heineken and the other from Emerald Investment Partners.

Patron has offered 174p per share, while Emerald  a private equity firm founded by wealthy entrepreneur Alan McIntosh, who co-founded Punch  has offered 185p per share.

As part of Patrons deal, Heineken would acquire Punch A, one of the two securitisation structures within the Punch group, from Patron immediately following completion of the offer.

Punch said it was in advanced discussions with Patron and Heineken and in discussions with Emerald.

There can be no certainty that any firm offer will be made by either Patron or Emerald. A further announcement will be made in due course, Punch said.

The statement followed a report earlier by Sky News that Heineken was involved in a secret takeover battle for the group.

Back in November, Punch said it swung to a pre-tax profit in the 52 weeks to 20 August.

The group reported pre-tax profit of 60m versus a loss of 105m the year before. However, underlying pre-tax profit fell to 53m from 61m and revenue declined to 406.8m from 420.8m.

Chief executive officer Duncan Garrood said at the time: The business has ended the year with a solid set of results, in line with our expectations, and which reflects the completion of our strategic disposal programme.

At 1235 GMT, Punch shares were up 34% to 172.75p.
Fierce fighting has descended onto the Syrian city of Aleppo once again after a ceasefire which was supposed to allow rebels and civilians to escape was broken on Wednesday.

The ceasefire was declared on Wednesday as buses entered the eastern part of the city to evacuate those who were still trapped, but the violence began again on Wednesday, as well as air strikes.

A major offensive launched by Bashar al-Assad's forces in recent months has attempted to finally take back Eastern Aleppo, which has been controlled by rebel factions since 2012.

Turkish intelligence and Russian military officials brokered the deal that was agreed in order to offer respite to the thousands of civilians remaining in the region.

Russia has placed the blame for the breakdown of the ceasefire on the rebels, with its defence ministry claiming that they used the ceasefire as a way to regroup for further attacks.

"The clashes are violent and bombardment is very heavy... it seems as though everything (the ceasefire) is finished," said the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) Rami Abdulrahman.

Eastern Aleppo has been brought to its knees during the four-year conflict, in which over 250,000 are said to have died. Fighting has intensified with the regime's offensive in recent weeks, with frequent food shortages due to almost constant bombardment.

Experts estimate that there are at least 50,000 people still trapped in the besieged areas of the city, with around 1,500 of those fighting on the side of rebel factions.

US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power launched a scathing indictment of the allied governments of Syria, Russia and Iran in light of the latest botched attempt at a ceasefire.

"It should shame you," Power said in a speech to the UN. "Instead, by all appearances it is emboldening you...Are you truly incapable of shame?"
The president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte has openly admitted that he has killed people on the streets of the country during his time as a provincial mayor.

Duterte has waged a violent campaign against the country's drug problems since taking office in a landslide victory in May of this year. Although figures vary, as many as 6,000 people are said to have been killed by security forces since he launched his war on drugs.

Now the president has made the admission that he personally killed suspected criminals in his time as mayor of Davao, a position he held for two decades.

"In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys [police] that if I can do it why can't you," Duterte told business leaders at the presidential palace on Monday.

"And I'd go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also. I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill."

Duterte is a hugely popular figure among Filipinos, with a high number of citizens impressed with his tough attitude towards crime.

He has also been quick to dismiss the country's previously strong relationship with the United States, with frequent hostile comments this year towards the country. In October he announced a "separation" between the Philippines and the US, as well as referring to Barack Obama as a "son of a whore".
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Holiday lights in Columbus: What to know about Wildlights, others

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Rex Tillerson would be at the center of talks over the Syrian civil war, the Middle East conflicts and potential conflicts with China.



By JULIE PACE

AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON  In selecting Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state, President-elect Donald Trump is making the same bet he asked voters to make on him: that a track record of business accomplishment will translate into success in government.

Indeed, Trump, the first billionaire businessman to win the White House, is broadly testing that proposition across his administration. He's tapped fast food executive Andy Puzder to lead the Labor Department, billionaire investor Wilbur Ross for Commerce, financier Steven Mnuchin as Treasury secretary and Goldman Sachs President Gary Cohn as his top economic adviser.





. . .
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CORONADO, Calif. (AP)  California Gov. Jerry Brown wants President Barack Obama to permanently ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in the state.

Brown says in a letter sent Tuesday to the president that allowing new drilling would be inconsistent with goals of reducing reliance on fossil fuels and combating climate change. A temporary ban in California, Oregon and Washington expires in 2022.





. . .
Entrepreneurship is a lifelong learning process, with the incredible highs AND the devastating lows each offering lessons that help determine the way forward in business. While deconstructing setbacks can be painful, any failure you dont learn from in business is a wasted opportunity.

Here, six Aussie entrepreneurs share their key regrets in business from 2016 and how the lessons theyve learned this year will inform the direction their businesses take in 2017

Nick Bell, founder and MD, WME

One thing wish I had done differently

I would have been more cautious with placing my trust in people. Its been a great year in business but Ive been let down a few times which means my guard is up for 2017. There were instances this year where I really needed a third person verifying work rather than spreading myself too thin. It was challenging and at times trust was an issue.

On the flipside, it emphasised the importance of knowing your business from the ground-up and being careful about who you bring into certain areas of the business.

Biggest learnings

From a professional standpoint, Ive become much more analytical when it comes to investing in projects. 2016 has taught me to adopt a more measured approach  Im less impulsive in business, and Im planting a stronger focus on numbers and management.

The birth of my daughter earlier this year has also taught me plenty of lessons, both professional and personal. In the first instance, its made me hungrier for success so that I can become a good role model for her. However, its also instilled a stronger sense of altruism in me. Its fast-forwarded that concept of wanting to give back and involve myself much more in charity.

Alex Louey, co-founder and MD, Appscore

One thing wish I had done differently

Some of our ideas for expansion didnt go as planned, and there was a point this year where I got a little bit complacent when things were going great, which had some negative consequences on the company. Nothing dramatic, but our growth rate slowed a little.

Biggest learnings

Never take your eye off the ball. Thankfully, I was able to recognise the above and turn it around, but it took about a month of hard work. Theres nothing like having your best mate as a co-founder who doesnt mince words as well.

I also learned just how important it is to keep your staff engaged in your vision. Our company grew exponentially this year, which meant our operations got more complex and sophisticated. When the entire team is engaged and has a clear mission, you rely less on policies and process. Thats when creativity and innovation start taking over to truly become a great company.

Taryn Williams, founder and CEO, The Right Fit

One thing wish I had done differently

The one thing I would have done differently this year, was say no more often!

Its something Ive struggled with, and really only have just started getting better at (and is on my new years resolutions list!).

I often agree to things like meetings that could have been phone calls, attending events because I feel obliged, mentoring people because I want to pay it forward, assisting every charity that reaches out to us, meeting deadlines I know are unrealistic, and end up putting an undue amount of pressure on myself, purely because Im bad at saying no! It takes a huge personal toll.

Biggest learnings

This year I will be more strategic in what I agree to, and find compromises or say no when I can!

I recently attended Summit at Sea, a conference on a cruise ship off Miami with no wifi, no phones, no computers or tablets, just communication and ideas. I learnt so many great things here but a few of the best were

Disconnect to reconnect: I was forced to talk to strangers, to be fully present and make that human connection. It was powerful and made me realise that taking a break from technology more often will only enhance my productivity in 2017.

Everything is going to be ok: As the presidential polls closed, there was an eerie feeling on the boat: despair, fear, anger, confusion, shock. But the incredible Dolores Huerta and Sonia Sanchez took to the stage and reminded us that weve been here before. Nixon being elected, Kennedy being assassinated, George W. Bush. Crying about it didnt help. People power did. It made me realise that the worst thing we can do as business owners or people is to latch onto fear and negativity. Times will be tough but we need to look at the solutions and be big picture.

Charbel Zeaiter, co-founder, Academy Xi

One thing wish I had done differently

Ben [Wong] and I started Academy Xi in January this year so theres been plenty of challenges and plenty of things weve looked back on and thought, geez, we wish that had been different.

One of those things was hiring the right people, sooner. As founders it has been difficult at times to let go at times. Trusting others to do the job to your standards can be tough but also rewarding if you find people who are better at certain tasks than you.

Four months ago we had 5 employees, now we have a team of fifteen. It really makes a difference.

Biggest learnings

Find the best people with an aligned vision

Personally, the importance of time out and reflection

Personally and professionally, the importance of support and structure

Professionally, surrounding ourselves with talented, driven people who share our vision to change the world via education

Dr Kate Adams, founder, Thankly.com.au

One thing wish I had done differently

I wouldve launched Thankly earlier in the year. I also would have refined and developed the UX (user experience design) better  its an area that often isnt done well and when building a tech business is just as important as marketing, branding or design.

Biggest learnings

To succeed you need to focus. You cant have a part time start-up and while you may have a million ideas, they are just ideas and you cant act on all of them. A new business requires resilience and 200% commitment.

Also, If your idea doesnt align with your values and you are not willing to put your money where your mouth is and give it your all, your setting yourself up for failure from the beginning.

Sage Greenwood, Managing Director, WINK Models

One thing wish I had done differently

Hiring and firing  definitely not my strong suit and being a small business we dont have a HR department.

Its a tough gig trying to get the right person for a particular role, especially when our requirements are so diverse and our industry is quite specific.

Firing is just as hard. When employees have been with you for a while, you get to know them on a more personal level which can make letting go of them even harder.

Biggest learnings

One thing Ive learnt from the above is to outsource the hiring function. We had an amazing consultant come in for our last hire and we couldnt be happier with the candidate she recommended.

Moving from an employee of WINK Models to part owner and MD has taught me plenty this year, including,
"We must be ready to dare all for our country. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. We must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina in purpose." - President Eisenhower, First Inaugural Address
Joint outreach with EU4Business Initiative to support local businesses

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has opened a new regional office in Ukraines second-largest municipality Kharkiv to expand its outreach in the eastern parts of the country.

The Kharkiv office is the EBRDs third branch in Ukraine after Kiev and Lviv and is supported by the EU through the EU4Business Initiative. It will serve as the Banks regional hub in the east of the country, Ukraines industrial powerhouse.

The new office will add depth and strength to the EBRDs business in Ukraine and will offer access to expert advice for local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The EBRD is the largest international financial investor in Ukraine. To date, the Bank has made a cumulative commitment of almost 12 billion through 369 projects since the start of its operations in the country in 1993.

Francis Malige, EBRD Managing Director, Eastern Europe and Caucasus, said: Since the opening of our first office in Kiev in 1993, the EBRD has always been committed to Ukraine. We expanded our presence to the west of the country in 2014 with an office in Lviv and we are now opening a regional office in Kharkiv in the east of the country. Eastern Ukraine is important for the economy and also has strong SMEs. The proximity of our new office to businesses in the region will help unlock their potential. I am confident that the local EBRD team will fly the Banks flag high in the region and will deliver services of the highest quality to firms across Ukraine.

At the office opening the EBRD and the EU announced the appointment of so-called partners, who will manage business support centres across Ukraine under the EU4Business Initiative. The centres will become operational in the first half of 2017 at 15 cities around the country, including Kharkiv. They will aim to raise awareness among local SMEs about the opportunities available under the Initiative and will serve as main contact points for small businesses throughout Ukraine. The EBRD will help the selected partners develop capacity to process business requests and provide SMEs with adequate information support.

The selected partners for each city are as follows.

Chernihiv  Chernihiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Dnipro  Dnipro Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Kramatorsk  Donetsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Ivano-Frankivsk  Business Community Club NGO

Kharkiv  Kharkiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Khmelnytsky  Civil Movement New Economic Policy NGO

Kropyvnytsky  Kirovograd Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Kiev  Kiev Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Lviv  PPV Knowledge Networks

Mykolaiv  Mykolaiv Regional Business Support Centre

Odessa  Odessa Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Rivne  Smart People (PE Komarenko)

Vinnytsya  Vinnytsya Business Peoples Club

Zaporizhzhya  Zaporizhzhya Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Poltava  partner to be announced.

Ambassador Hugues Mingarelli, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, commented: The EU strongly supports the efforts of the Ukrainian government to improve the business environment. In particular, we introduce new initiatives to support SMEs that create jobs across Ukraine, offer exciting new products for local and EU customers and are important taxpayers. Our EU4Business initiative is focused on the development of such companies by increasing their entrepreneurial skills and financial literacy, their ability to adjust to markets inside and outside Ukraine and to use opportunities for innovation and energy efficiency.

The opening of the regional office of the EBRD and the selection of partners who will manage the business support centres across Ukraine will further contribute to the transfer of industry-specific know-how to SMEs and will improve their access to finance. I invite all small and medium-sized companies to take advantage of a dedicated website, www.eu4business.eu, which from now on will serve as single entry point for everyone wishing to learn about EU-funded support for SMEs.

The EU4Business initiative aims to support private sector development in Ukraine by equipping SMEs with new skills and supporting their ambitions to export to the largest neighbouring market, as well as providing financing for SMEs. In parallel to that, the EU-funded initiative supports the government in the deregulation process in order to improve the business climate.

On 20 May, 2016 an agreement worth 40 million was signed by the EU and the EBRD under the EU4Business Initiative to provide up to 28 million for business advice, information, training and other support to SMEs in Ukraine. The assistance includes the creation of a network of business support centres across Ukraine and also envisages that up to 12 million of EU4Business funds will be used to support the EBRDs direct financing of smaller enterprises.

The EBRD is the largest institutional investor in Ukraine. The development of the private sector is a strategic priority for the Bank in its engagement with Ukraine, including strong support to SMEs through the EBRDs Small Business Initiative. In addition to finance, the Bank has provided expert advice to more than 650 local SMEs since 2010, thanks to funding from the EU and other donors, increasing competitiveness, stimulating growth, and supporting the creation of over 2,500 jobs countrywide.
The Snyder administration was recently ordered to resume bottled water delivery in Flint by a federal judge. In his order, U.S. District Judge David Lawson said that Gov. Snyders contention that the current method of delivery, whereby Flint residents must find a way to retrieve their own drinking water, and can use water filters that may or may not be installed and maintained correctly, is good enough is incorrect.

Not satisfied with taking hell no for an answer, Gov. Snyder is back in federal court, once again asking to be absolved from the responsibility for distributing clean water to the residents of Flint who so desperately need it:

The state of Michigan late on Tuesday asked a federal judge to dissolve an order requiring delivery of bottled water to certain Flint households, saying lead levels in the water are now lower than federal limits set out in the Safe Drinking Water Act. U.S. District Judge David Lawson has twice ordered state officials to start delivering bottled water to Flint households, unless the state can show the household has a properly installed and maintained water filter, or the resident refuses to accept water deliveries.

The state has protested, saying the water deliveries are not needed, would cost the state millions of dollars and would hurt Flints recovery efforts, which are partly based on having Flint residents run their taps more frequently to help cleanse the water distribution system. The state has sought a stay of Lawsons order and appealed to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. On Tuesday, the state put forward a new argument, telling Lawson his order should be dissolved because there is no ongoing violation of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act  which was part of the basis for Lawsons order. To meet federal requirements, at least 90% of tap water samples from at-risk households must have lead readings at or below 15 parts per billion. In Flint, the readings were 9 parts per billion in October and 8 parts per billion in November, and has been below the 15 ppb action level for each monthly round of sampling conducted since May 2016, Assistant Attorney General Richard Kuhl said in a court filing. Despite those findings, the state continues to tell Flint residents not to drink unfiltered tap water, partly because periodic spikes in lead levels are possible.

This is despite the fact that 43% of the homes tested in Flint in the latest round of testing still tested positive for lead.

It would appear that Gov. Snyder has completely given up on appearing as if he gives a damn about the people of Flint who are contending with poisoned water on a daily basis. Rather than doing what everyone, including a federal judge, sees as the right thing to do, hes attempting once again to shirk his responsibility.

Its disgusting.

As a reminder, today is Day 440 since Gov. Snyder admitted there was a problem with the poisoning of Flints drinking water with the powerful neurotoxin lead through the actions of the Emergency Managers he appointed to run the city. And, as most know all too well, its been far longer than 440 since lead in Flints water has been a problem.

Graphic by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog
From Dec. 13  16, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting a Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of the herbicide glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsantos Roundup.

For years, Monsanto has claimed that glyphosate is safe. Advertising at one time that Roundup was safer than table salt and practically non-toxic.

However, many studies contradict Monsantos assertions. In March 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization, concluded that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen. Then in July 2016, an IARC scientist, Dr. Kurt Straif, defended the agencys assessment that glyphosate probably causes cancer in humans. Dr. Straif stated that:

Our evaluation was a review of all the published scientific literature on glyphosate and this was done by the worlds best experts on the topic that in addition dont have any conflicts of interest that could bias their assessment.

They concluded that, yes, glyphosate is probably carcinogenic to humans based on three strings of evidence, that is clear evidence of cancer in experimental animals, limited evidence for cancer for humans from real-world exposures, of exposed farmers, and also strong evidence that it can damage the genes from any kind of other toxicological studies.

The SAP meetings now taking place were originally scheduled for mid-October, but the EPA postponed them only a few of days before they were to begin due to changes in the availability of experts for the peer review panel.

According to Carey Gillam, research director for U.S. Right to Know, the EPAs decision to postpone the meetings came after an intense lobbying campaign led by CropLife America, which represents the interests of Monsanto and other agricultural businesses. CropLife initially fought to keep the SAP meetings from happening at all, then said if the meetings were to be held, any person who has publicly expressed an opinion regarding the carcinogenicity of glyphosate should be excluded from participating.

In a letter to the EPA, CropLife singled out epidemiologist Dr. Peter Infante, who the lobbying firm felt should be replaced with an epidemiologist without such patent bias. As the only epidemiologist slated to be on the panel, the CropLife felt that Dr. Infante may have had enhanced influence on the epidemiological evaluation on glyphosate.

Dr. Infante has testified on behalf of plaintiffs suing Monsanto over chemical exposure. Nonetheless, Dr. Infante is one of the leading experts in his field, having spent the better part of a storied career protecting the public from harmful chemicals.

Dr. Infante spent 24 years working for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, where he determined cancer risks to those working on developing toxic chemicals, including arsenic, asbestos and formaldehyde. He has also served as an expert epidemiology consultant for a number of world bodies, including the World Trade Organization and the EPA.

CropLifes letter to the EPA was sent two days before the agency announced that the glyphosate meetings would be postponed. Many accused the EPA of kowtowing to lobbyists and the businesses they represent. The accusations only grew louder when Dr. Infantes name was no longer on the list of panelists scheduled for the December meetings.

Dr. Infante told Delta FarmPress that he was mystified by the EPAs decision to remove him from the meetings. I didnt choose to leave the panel, he said. No  I was removed from the panel. Im totally mystified by it.

The EPAs move was also surprising to environmental advocacy groups, who say it is highly unusual for the agency to remove a panelist from a Scientific Advisory Panel.

The industry wants to say that our own government scientists, the top ones in their fields, arent good enough for these panels, said Michael Hansen, senior staff scientist at the Consumers Union, after the SAP meetings were postponed in October. If the EPA wants to add extra epidemiologists that is great but why didnt they do it before? They are doing this because of pressure from industry.

According to Gillam, the delay and the maneuvering by industry to influence panel participation does little to bolster consumer confidence for the likelihood of an objective outcome.

The EPA said it will issue a risk assessment for glyphosate by spring of 2017.
Monsanto shareholders voted to approve the companys $66 billion takeover by German pesticide and pharmaceutical corporation Bayer AG on Tuesday.

The acquisition faces intense regulatory scrutiny in the U.S., the European Union and other markets, as combining the two multinational juggernauts would form the worlds largest seed and chemical company.

As Reuters reported, the combined companies plan to increase research and development spending and develop a global seeds and biotechnology hub in St. Louis to help spur regulatory approval.

I think those augur well for the deal, Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant told the news service.

https://twitter.com/MonsantoCo/statuses/808702095738212352

Grant told the St. Louis Dispatch that regulatory filings have now been made in the U.S. The deal also needs to be upheld in the European Union, Brazil, India and China. The Monsanto boss is hopeful that the proposed merger would pass in all jurisdictions, since the overlap between the two [companies] is really quite small.

But last month, several U.S. state attorneys generals reportedly joined federal antitrust investigations of the pending multibillion dollar deal. One concern is Bayer and Monsantos overlapping cotton seeds. Bayer licenses genetic traits that make seeds resistant to the herbicide Liberty, while Monsanto licenses traits that make seeds resistant to its herbicide Roundup.

Monsanto and Bayer control the two top cotton seed brands in the U.S., respectivelyor about 70 percent of all cotton acreage in the country.

One of the worst things you could do is to link Liberty and Roundup in the same company, Peter Carstensen, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin and leading agricultural antitrust expert, explained to the St. Louis Dispatch. Theres no incentive for somebody to develop a third alternative.

Critics of the takeover have many concerns including increased prices for farmers and consumers due to reduced competition, the monopolization of the global food supply and the proliferation of pesticides.

In September, when Monsanto and Bayer first announced the deal, Sen. Bernie Sanders called the proposed consolidation, a threat to all Americans  These mergers boost the profits of huge corporations and leave Americans paying even higher prices.

However, after yesterdays vote that was supported by approximately 99 percent of shareholders, Grant seemed confident the merger would pass regulatory reviews.

The companies executives believe that a successful merger would be beneficial for farmers and help address global agriculture issues such as climate change and food scarcity.

The acquisition of Monsanto is driven by our strong belief that this combination can help address the growing challenges facing farmers and the overall agriculture industry today and in the future, Werner Baumann, CEO of Bayer AG, said in a statement after the vote.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) disagrees. The environmental organization has concerns that the potential mega-corporation would have control of 29 percent of the market for seeds and 28 percent for pesticidesa threat to farmers, consumers, bees and other pollinators, as well as the environment.

Consolidating Monsanto & Bayer would escalate the use of dangerous toxic pesticidesa bad deal for farmers, bees, consumers & the planet."  NRDC ?? (@NRDC) December 13, 2016

The existence of such a powerful player would substantially harm both farmers and the environment by decreasing competition and innovation, resulting in increased costs, and allowing for greater corporate control over farmers planting choice. Its lose-lose for farmers and consumers, the organization said. Of particular concern to NRDC is that the merger would reinforce the chemical-intensive growing practices currently threatening bees and wild pollinators that support between $200-600 billion worth of crops in the global food supply.

On Monday, the NRDC filed a letter with the U.S. Department of Justice objecting to the proposed takeover. The specific concerns are:

Eliminate competition and innovation: Cottonseed is a good example of the threat. Bayer controls 38.5 percent of the cottonseed market; Monsanto controls about 31 percent. Together the chemical giant would control nearly 70 percent of the total market, an unacceptably high level of dominance by antitrust standards.

Increase costs and limit planting options for farmers: Past consolidation in the agricultural chemical marketplace has increased costs for farmers. For example, there was a 4-fold increase in the price of corn seed over the last 20 years without corresponding benefit in yields. The price of corn per bushel is now about the same it was 20 years ago.

Accelerate chemical-intensive agricultural techniques that threaten the existence of pollinators and imperil the global food supply: Pollinators are under severe threat as 90 percent of the monarch population has been lost in the last two decades, and nearly half of managed honey bee colonies die every year. Wild bees are also devastated by pesticide practices; the Rusty Patched bumble bee is now up for listing as an endangered species.

Consolidating Monsanto and Bayer would escalate the use of dangerous toxic pesticides and create a bad deal for farmers, bees, consumers and the planet, NRDC senior attorney Rebecca Riley said. The Department of Justice should reject this proposal.

The NRDCs letter also notes that other major agribusinesses also plan to combine, including ChemChina with Syngenta AG and Dow Chemical with DuPont.

Mergers are a big win in a corporate boardroom, but out on the farm, consolidation just means higher costs, Riley said.

The deal now faces a lengthy regulatory review and is expected to close by the end of 2017. Incidentally, the election of Donald Trump might be a boost to Bayers purchase of Monsanto. While the president-elect campaigned on blocking mega-deals such as AT&T Incs purchase of Time Warner Inc, Trumps nominee for attorney generalSen. Jeff Sessions, a pro-business conservative from Alabamais good news for any pending mergers.
The Department of Energy has refused to respond to the Trump transition teams chilling 74-question document seeking the names of anyone who has worked on climate change in the department. Climate scientists are also acting feverishly to preserve data after a senior Trump campaign adviser suggested eliminating funding for NASAs climate research programs.

[facebook https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/1386817284664538/ expand=1]

Scientists are rushing to copy decades of critical climate information that could be altered or destroyed under a hostile Trump Administration.

Two university professors are calling for a hackathon in collaboration with the Internet Archives End of Term 2016 project, which will archive federal online pages and data that they fear could disappear after Jan. 20, 2017. Separately, the ad-hoc Climate Mirror project seeks to store key datasets and keep them publicly available.

The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) has published a 16-page guide for government researchers whose work may be suppressed.

You just dont know whats coming, Adam Campbell, who studies the imperiled Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica, told the Washington Post.

Sentiment is shared at the DOE, which is why they are refusing to share names with Trumps transition team.

We are going to respect the professional and scientific integrity and independence of our employees at our labs and across our department, Energy Department spokesman Eben Burnham-Snyder said in an email to The Washington Post.

We will be forthcoming with all publicly available information with the transition team. We will not be providing any individual names to the transition team.

Trump Team Sparks Fear of 'Witch Hunt' as it Demands List of Climate Experts at Energy Department https://t.co/xvgJSFAANx @project1percent  EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) December 12, 2016

The gravest danger to these federal employees may be that they will lose their jobs in an anti-climate purge. Rather than keep people on the payroll under instructions not to fulfill their position descriptions, its likely that such positions would be declared surplus, PEERs executive director, Jeff Ruch, told Sierra.

The election of Donald J. Trump as president puts federal employees administering and enforcing environmental and public health protections squarely on the front lines of a battlea battle they did not choose, stated Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

In response, scientists are speaking out. We cannot normalize science denial, the Union of Concerned Scientists stated.

On Nov. 30, more than 2,300 scientists published an open letter to Trump urging him to allow them to conduct their work without political or private-sector interference. And, a Dec. 6 letter from 800 Earth scientists, also to the president-elect, stated:

You have the support of the majority of companies, military leaders, scientists, engineers, and citizens to respond to the threats posed by climate change by reducing carbon pollution and expanding clean energy. Many of Americas largest cities and states are already committed to doing so. We urge you to decide if you want your Presidency to be defined by denial and disaster, or acceptance and action.

The hashtag #StandUpForScience has become a top Twitter trend and is seen on signs held by demonstrators at the American Geophysical Union meeting underway today in San Francisco.

Concerns over preserving climate data and protecting Department of Energy jobs is far from the only environmental issue raised by the incoming Trump Administration.

President-elect Donald Trump has named Scott Pruitt to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Pruitt, Oklahomas attorney general, is a party to a 28-state lawsuit seeking to to overturn the Obama Administrations Clean Power Plan. He has sued the EPA eight times.

Trump has also named ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to lead the Department of Energy, which he once vowed to shut down.
After a visit by its representatives to Standing Rock, Swedish financial institution Nordea announced today that it will not back the Dakota Access Pipeline if it violates the demands of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

Nordea met with tribal representatives on the ground, including Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman David Archambault II. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe urged Nordea to divest and respect the rights of Indigenous communities via a letter delivered by Sami artist and activist Sofia Jannok and Greenpeace.

At a meeting with Greenpeace and Nordea regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline, it was announced that:

Nordea will demand guarantees from the companies building the Dakota Access Pipeline that it will not go through the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes reservation land. If the companies do not respect this, Nordea will start the process of selling its holdings in the companies;

Nordea will place these companies in quarantine for six months;

Nordea will send a letter to the companies by Friday with a clear requirement: They must respect the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes demands not to route the Dakota Access Pipeline in the vicinity of their land;

If the companies do not meet that requirement within the next six months, Nordeas Sustainable Finance team will recommend selling Nordeas holdings in these companies.

If the companies concerned are found to be in violation of indigenous peoples rights, Nordeas Sustainable Finance team will recommend selling holdings in them;

If the companies win a lawsuit in relation to the last stretch of the Dakota Access Pipeline, or if a change in the political situation allows companies to legally be allowed to route the pipeline near Standing Rock Sioux Tribe land, the Nordea Sustainable Finance team will recommend that Nordea sells off holdings in the companies.

The news follows similar announcements from Norways DNB and Odin Fund Management.

Its an important step that Nordea put its foot down and now has specific requirements that the oil pipeline not go through the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes land, Greenpeace Nordic climate and energy campaigner Rolf Lindahl said. It sends a clear signal to the world that the rights of indigenous peoples must be respected. We encourage others to set the same demands for the companies that are building the oil pipeline.

The fact that bank after bank is withdrawing or voicing concern over the project shows the power of people united. This is another positive development for water protectors, though it does not yet determine the pipelines future, which should be stopped in its entirety.

WIN! Shout out to our Sami family in Norway: Another major Norwegian investor Divests $23.8m from DAPL @EcoWatch https://t.co/48kj35DGqe  Indigenous Environmental Network (@IENearth) November 25, 2016

Greenpeace USA spokesperson Mary Sweeters concurred. It is becoming increasingly clear that financial institutions view the Dakota Access pipeline as a liability, she said.

Banks should not be funding projects that violate human rights and contribute to climate change. The fact that Nordea traveled to Standing Rock to consult with those on the ground and then came to this decision is significant. The recklessness of Energy Transfer Partners and Sunoco and the threat to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe are real and can scarcely be depicted in full through media. This project is a crime against Indigenous sovereignty and human rights everywhere. Its time for all banks invested in DAPL companies and those giving loans to get out for good.
By Nika Knight

A pipeline just two and half hours drive from the Indigenous water protectors ongoing stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline has leaked more than 170,000 gallons of crude oil into a tributary of the Little Missouri River and into a hillside, according to reports late Monday.

It's not an 'if' a pipeline will spill, it's when: "Oil pipeline shut down after spill in ND" https://t.co/sbHVjq6ldH via @EcoWatch #NoDAPL  Sierra Club (@SierraClub) December 7, 2016

Monitoring equipment failed to detect the leak and it is unknown how long the spill near Belfield, North Dakota had gone on before a local landowner discovered it on Dec. 5.

At least two cows have been confirmed dead near the site of the spill, reports the Pioneer Press.

The Belle Fourche pipeline is operated by the Wyoming-based True Companies, which is the same company behind the 2015 pipeline rupture in Montana that sent more than 40,000 gallons of crude into the Yellowstone River. Indeed, at that time it was reported that the operator had a checkered environmental history, with 30 recorded pipeline leaks and multiple federal fines on its record.

Bill Seuss, an environmental scientist with the North Dakota Health Department, told the Associated Press that the investigation into the cause of the most recent spill is ongoing and cleanup efforts may last into the spring.

Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, has repeatedly insisted that the pipeline is safe, but water protectors have argued that it is not a question of if it will leak, but when.

But it will be safe THIS time, right? wrote Honor the Earth national campaigns director Tara Houska on Facebook, sharing a report of the latest spill.

The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration notes that there have been more than 11,000 reported significant incidentsmeaning spills, injuries, deaths and costly accidentsinvolving pipelines since 1996.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Common Dreams.
By Kelly Mitchell

On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump officially nominated Exxon Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State, confirming a widespread leak from over the weekend. In response, everyone from preschool teachers to oil industry shill (and Senator, I guess) Marco Rubio are voicing their concerns.

Trump Taps Exxon's Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, Confirms 'Support of Big Oil and Putin' https://t.co/OA47LMjMJ1 @OpenSecretsDC  EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) December 13, 2016

Its easy to see this as the final merger between oil and state, the end of climate action and proof of the unstoppable power of oil titans. And lets be honestif confirmed, Tillerson would be terrible. Exxons decades of deception has locked humanity into some degree of unavoidable climate impacts. Trump rewarded that behavior with the keys to U.S. foreign policy.

But Tillersons nomination reveals another important story: The oil industry is really desperate.

Clean energy is booming and oil reserves are increasingly at risk of becoming stranded, which means tanking stocks and fleeing investors for companies like Exxon. At the same time, local and national opposition to oil and gas infrastructurelike the Dakota Access Pipeline movementis winning, reminding us how deeply unpopular these companies are.

Standing Rock Celebrates as Army Corps Denies Key Permit, Halts Project https://t.co/2gR870B9Em @FoEAustralia @OhioEnviro  EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) December 5, 2016

Exxon has responded with millions of dollars in slick advertising under its Energy Lives Here campaign. These ads depict Exxons innovative technology and responsible commitment to reducing pollution, with soundbites from hip engineers and scientists. Forget those oily birds  Exxon is cool now, kids!

In reality, Exxon is relying on partnerships with unscrupulous, authoritarian regimes to stay afloat. Some of Exxons biggest oil holdings are in the Russian Arctic, where Tillerson has partnered with Rosneft CEO Igor Sechina man the local media refer to as Darth Vaderon joint drilling ventures. In fact, Tillersons climb up the corporate ladder was likely fueled by his close business relationships in Russia.

U.S. sanctions against Russia have already cost Exxon more than $1 billion. Perhaps as a small consolation prize, Tillerson can bask in his Order of Friendship award from Vladimir Putin.

In short, Exxon needs the power of the U.S. State Department to make its business model work.

Tillerson and his industry friends need significant influence over U.S. foreign policy to stay viable. Thats terrible business!

You dont see Apple CEO Tim Cook, for example, vying to be Secretary of State. He doesnt need to because people actually want iPhones. In fact, in the weeks following Trumps electoral college victory, successful American companies have stated their commitment to climate action with or without Trumpbecause they dont need him in their pocket to stay afloat.

Trump is continuing to show that there is no Republican establishment dream he wont fulfill. His appointments are a whos who of DC insiders and billionaire corporate CEOs. With Tillerson set to go through the confirmation processwhich should involve grilling from the Senate and considerable pressure from activists like youwell see the oil industrys true colors.

Tillerson knows that renewable energy is wildly popular across every demographic and political affiliation. He knows its becoming the cheapest, most effective way to power communities and create economic opportunity. And thats why hes joining forces with the Trump administrationto squash progress and keep his oligarch buddies rich.

The oil industry is finally throwing all its chips on the table in an attempt to seem too big to take down. Were not fooled. Lets see this for what it truly isthe last breath of a dying industry that would drown the world to stay afloat.

Which means were only one epic battle away from victory. Join the fight! Tell the Senate to block Tillersons nomination and keep Exxon out of the White House.
(Photo: REUTERS / Umit Bektas)A Kurdish refugee woman from the Syrian town of Kobani walk along tents at a refugee camp in the border town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province January 31, 2015. The United States and its allies carried out 27 air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria since early Friday, the Combined Joint Task Force leading the operation reported on Saturday. Ten of the 17 strikes in Iraq hit near the oil city of Kirkuk, it said. In Syria, Islamic State targets near the border town of Kobani were attacked in eight of the 10 raids, the statement said

For a third Christmas in a row, the church bells will not ring in Mosul, Father Emanuel Youkhana laments.

He recounts that around June 2014 the numerical religious minorities such as Yazidis and Christian around Iraq's second biggest city began to face a horrific onslaught by the group calling itself IS (Islamic State), or Daesh in Arabic.

Mosul was once one of the major centers of Christianity in Iraq and it had once again become a place of genocide against them, he said.

"Since October this is now the second month of liberation," said Emanuel, but he said much apprehension still remains for what will happen after IS is defeated militarily.

"As pleased as we are that our homelands from which thousands of Christians were forced to flee from the extremists, are being retaken, we are very concerned about what lies ahead," Father Emanuel said at the United Nations in Geneva on 12 December.

Archimandrite Emanuel Youkhana, leader of the Assyrian Christians and head of CAPNI (Christian Aid Programme Northern Iraq), spoke at a 12 December press conference and later at a seminar about a report of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), a member of the ACT Alliance.

'PROTECTION OF MINORITIES' REPORT

The report, which was first released in Oslo on 28 November, is titled, "The Protection Needs of Minorities from Syria and Iraq". It was funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"We were quite sure that we would one day be enabled to go home to our towns and villages. We live in this hope," Emanuel said.

Many of Iraq's religious minorities live in the north, including Christians and Yezidis.

The Assyrian Christians who constitute the most populous Christian group in Iraq speak their own languages and do not necessarily identify as Arab, the report explains.

Consequently, they regard themselves, and are regarded by others, as a distinct ethnic group.

The Yezidis are predominantly Kurdish speaking, with homelands in Iraq and the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Since 2003, much of the Yezidi homeland of Sinjar has been under the control of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), although it officially remains under the jurisdiction of the central government of Iraq.

While many Yezidis are willing to identify as Kurds, they see themselves as a distinct ethnic group but they have faced turmoil under IS and even before that as they have been "totally unjustifiably accused of being devil worshippers".

Emanuel reiterated that Christian leaders in Iraq estimate that, as of November 2016, there are fewer than 250,000 Christians remaining in the country.

According to estimates in the WCC-NCA report around 70 percent of the Christians in Iraq have left the country since 2003 and most of those who remain are internally displaced.

Emanuel showed photos he had taken of damage in Christian areas and he said that regretfully sectarian messages had been painted on some of the walls by members or the Iraqi national arm fighting Iraq.

He even noted there were German messages sprayed on the walls, "put there by German Jihadis".

"As much as we are pleased that the military operation have started we hope there will not be attempts by the victors to change the demographics of the area," said Father Emanuel.

"We may not be able to restore the Christian demography [as it was before] but we can restore the Christian values and add value to this place," said the Assyrian church leader.

He noted that there were a number of main religious and ethnic minorities around Mosul  the Iraqi indigenous community; the Jewish community; the Mandians or followers of John the Baptist, the Yazidis and the Christians.

'IN IRAQ BEFORE ARABISATIZATION'

"They all lived in Iraq before Arabization."

None of these peoples had been introduced in the Iraqi school curriculum.

"We were even neglected before Daesh came to uproot us physically. I don't want this to be repeated."

He said that over 100 years, three generations of his family had faced genocide attempts  first under the Ottomans, then after the formation of the Iraqi State in 1933 and now the latest attempt by IS.

Peter Prove, the director of the WCC's Commission of the Churches on International Affairs said that Iraq faces a "litmus test" after the fighting for Mosul ends. "Society diversity is the best bulwark against sectarianism."

IRAQI MISSION STATEMENT

A representative of the Iraqi misssion to the U.N. in Geneva read out a statement in which he said, "The report quoted one Chaldean religious leader stating that "Christians are not only part of the history of this land, but also need to be part of its future. I could not find more fitting words to describe the position of the Iraqi government regarding the future of the country.

"We view the liberation of the areas occupied by ISIS, as paving the way to achieve a future that is shared by all Iraqis and belongs to all of them equally.

"Establishing social and political reconciliation by combating radical ideology and sectarian prejudice is an important goal that the political process in Iraq endeavors to achieve, through education, provision of public services, and allowing wider political participation by all Iraqis especially members of minority groups."

He, however, crticized Emanuel's statment about Iraqi troops spraying sectarian messages on Christian establishment walls arguing "those soldiers have shed their blood in order to liberate the areas inhabited by minorities including Christians."
In 2011, Education Week published its first special report on response to intervention, or RTI, an instructional framework that was becoming increasingly popular in schools across the country. The approach was often linked to special education then, and the idea behind it was simple: Identify students early who might be in need of extra help, intervene with increasingly intense lessons, and, in the process, address learning problems before they became entrenched.

Five years later, in researching and writing this pullout special report, Education Week found that RTI is still spreading and expanding into new forms and new educational uses. For instance, positive behavioral intervention and supports, or PBIS, a tiered model for improving discipline, is at heart a form of RTI. And both RTI and PBIS can be combined to form multitiered systems of support"a broader term that recognizes the frameworks use in bringing about schoolwide improvements in multiple areas.

Educators in the rural Appalachian community of Martin County, Ky., for example, are putting in place a multitiered intervention approach aimed at improving both school climate and behavior .

With the instructional models continued expansion, however, have come growing pains. The more complex and multifaceted that multitiered systems have become, the trickier it has been to implement them . Faithful implementation, it turns out, is crucial to the models success and survival. Studies show that RTI-like approaches can be effective when educators adhere to the framework, but not so much when implementation is looser.

Thats a lesson Michigan educators learned in launching a multitiered-systems-of-support initiative to improve academics and behavior in half of the states 900 elementary and secondary schools. As Steve Netzel, the executive director of curriculum and staff development for the Holt, Mich., public schools, notes in this report, the multitiered model is not a McDonalds value menu where you go, I like this part and this part and this part.  All the parts must work together.

If the terms being bandied about around RTI still confuse you, see the primer on Page 8 or read advice from a Georgia administrator who helps implement a multitiered model in his suburban Atlanta district. At bottom, the aim of this report is to provide clarity on an instructional approach that is still evolving.
Now that states are moving to take on new authority over K-12 policy under the Every Student Succeeds Act, skirmishes are breaking out in several states over whos in charge.

Legislators in Colorado and elsewhere have bickered with state board members over who should oversee parts of the plans they must submit to the U.S. Department of Education next year outlining how they will put ESSA into effect, pointing to nebulous clauses buried in their states constitutions on who calls the shots.

Even in places dominated by a single party, such as Indiana and California, state leaders are tussling with local leaders over whether to kick back some of the flexibility in areas like accountability and assessments to school board members. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, commissioned his own ESSA advisory committee after education groups complained that the Republican-dominated board of education didnt include their input in a draft plan.

These sorts of conflicts will likely escalate and multiply as legislatures start their sessions in January and as governors unspool policy priorities in their annual State-of-the-State addresses and budget messages. ESSA goes into effect next fall.

Political scientists have long described state education oversight as a tangled web of elected and appointed technocrats and politicians, many with duplicative and conflicting roles and loyalties.

Compounding the problem is the rapidly rotating cast of characters who have taken charge of state education agencies and state Senate and House education committees in recent years. And more than a quarter of the nations state education chiefs have been in office for less than year.

Whats going to be important is whether states have a political culture and alignment of political interests that supports a relatively coherent vision of what the role of public education will be in promoting the well-being of the state, said Jeffrey Henig, a political scientist at Teachers College, Columbia University, who has studied education governance issues.

ESSA touches on several key cornerstones of education policy such as assessments, accountability, and teacher quality. While some state constitutions put those tasks within the orbit of state boards of education, other states constitutions are not as clear. After a series of very public battles over standardized tests, legislatures in some states either overwrote boards policies or have stripped boards outright of their powers. Some governors have appointed their own education advisers, complicating the political landscape.

Consultation Required

Unlike its predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act, ESSA dictates that legislatures and governors be meaningfully consulted and that governors have 30 days to review a state accountability plan before its submitted to the Education Department. The National Conference of State Legislatures and the National Governors Association pushed for such a provision after several state boards adopted Common Core State Standards without legislative approval.

Who Calls the Shots? The Every Student Succeeds Act requires a number of state entities to be involved in the drafting of state accountability plans for submission to the U.S. Department of Education. But who has final say at the state level depends on the state and what political powers its constitution has granted leadership bodies when it comes to education policy. Legislatures ESSA requires that state departments of education consult with legislators before sending their state plans to federal Education Department. Lawmakers likely would have to approve any major changes to state policyand since they hold the purse strings, that gives them significant policy sway. And in recent years, many legislatures have passed laws that decrease the power that state boards in key areas, such as setting learning standards and writing state accountability systems. Governors States chief executives will have 30 days to review ESSA plans. And in many states, governors already have added clout on the education front through the ability to appoint state board of education members, secretaries of education, and state superintendents who oversee drafting plans. State Boards of Education Board members, who may be appointed or elected depending on the state, will be among those to sign off on ESSA plans sent to the Education Department. Board members typically have a key role in setting state learning standards and crafting accountability systems and teacher-evaluation systems, many of the key areas of flexibility under ESSA. State Chiefs State school chiefs are in charge of the state education agencies that are drafting the ESSA plans and which will have to execute those plans once theyre approved. In many states, theyve also been playing an aggressive role in building public consensus on what those plans should include. Source: Education Week

Any effort to push through bold education reforms under ESSA will require a savvy leader with political capital, a vision that resonates with a broad coalition, and money to spend.

National membership groups such as teachers unions, the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Governors Association, and the NCSL are rushing to mediate between warring factions, placing legislators, board members, and superintendents in the same rooms to work out their differences.

Its really an opportune time for states to rethink their education visions and itll take all the policymakers sitting at the same table to do that, said Michelle Exstrom, the education program director for the NCSL.

In such a turbulent political climate, analysts fear some states may not take full advantage of their newfound flexibilities under ESSA and instead will stick with their waivers from Race to the Top, the very plans that states griped were overprescribed by the feds.

For some states, such as Colorado, state board members and state superintendents are already resigned to the fact that their plan will look similar to the waiver they received from the federal government from provisions of the NCLB law.

Colorados legislature six years ago wrote into their law books several key provisions in order to qualify for Race to the Top money, including that the state will participate in an assessment consortium.

We went beyond what we really needed to do to be eligible for Race to the Top, said Patrick Chapman, the director of the states federal programs.

So despite the antitesting fervor thats sparked one of the countrys largest opt-out movementsa large part of it in response to Colorados use of the common corethose issues wont likely be addressed in its ESSA plan, department officials concede.

Were in a little bit of a difficult situation. We will write our state ESSA plan, but what the legislature does is up to the legislature."

Colorado is also dealing with leadership turnover. The states last education commissioner resigned earlier this year after just four months in the job, citing stress on his out-of-state family. And in this years election, the states Democrats seized control of the board, which appoints the superintendent.

Were in a little bit of a difficult situation, Chapman said, pointing out that the states constitution places education policy under the direction of the state board and that the superintendent is a member of the governors cabinet, even though the state board appoints that person. We will write our state ESSA plan, but what the legislature does is up to the legislature.

California lawmakers, like those in other states in recent decades, have reduced the power of local school officials and placed more of it in the hands of the state legislature, the elected superintendent, and governor-appointed board members. After years of infighting between Democratic and Republican officials, the states Democrats this year are using the budget and ESSA to devolve many powers back to local officials.

If you dont know whos in charge, then whos held accountable? said Mike Kirst, the chairman of the states board of education. Everyone points their fingers to the other person. I think power got overtilted to the state level. California is too big and too complex and too multiethnic for the state to be running the details of education for what we were trying to do.

Thats upset accountability hawks in the state who dont trust local officials to follow through on turnaround strategies to close achievement gaps between black and Latino students and their white peers.

Indiana, which is dominated by Republicans, has taken the exact opposite approach.

Under the states 2012 NCLB waiver, lawmakers sidestepped Glenda Ritz, the states Democratic superintendent, to usher in a bold accountability agenda heavily reliant on the states standardized test known as iSTEP. (Ritz lost her re-election bid in November.)

But a series of technical glitches and botched test scores led Gov. Mike Pence to place a statewide moratorium on the accountability system. The legislature earlier this year appointed a task force made up of 23 education leaders and two state legislators to determine the future role of assessments under ESSA.

A night before the final meeting, however, a group of eight principals, local superintendents, and teachers defected from the group, creating their own plan that would, among other things, empower teachers to grade the state standardized test and that would replace the exam within the next year.

The plan was passed, but now it will have to go to the legislature for approval.

Most of the legislators would agree that I would find it very difficult as superintendent to write legislation on health care in this state, said Scot Croner, the superintendent of Blackford Schools. I think its the same situation for our legislators, with not having the intricate knowledge of day-to-day activities of the best practice for student learning, its very difficult to try to legislate those things. We need to delegate some of that work to the state department and the state school board and allow the rulemaking process to get down to specifics.

Crafting Legislation

State Sen. Dennis Kruse, a Republican, who chairs the Indiana Senates education committee, said he will likely draft legislation with broad statements and leave it up to Jennifer McCormick, the Republican who will take office as the new state superintendent, to make final decisions over how the exam is administered.

What we passed was too detailed to have the legislature pass it, Kruse said. As legislators, we ... cant get into the weeds. Weve got 500 bills we will process here. 

In Louisiana, local educators said they attempted to work with the states Republican-dominated board of education and its appointed superintendent during the ESSA engagement process, overseen partly by an accountability commission created by the states legislature several years ago.

Frustrated about not being heard, they appealed to the governor, who soon commissioned his own ESSA advisory board.

Earlier this month, the superintendent presented his ESSA plan to the board. Its unclear how or whether the governor and state board will merge their plans.

I think that theres a view by many that theres not much flexibility being afforded, said Scott M. Richard, the executive director of the Louisiana School Boards Association. Theres just going to be more of the same.
Several states are making investments to build their corps of school counselors in the wake of mounting, quantifiable evidence that counseling support can be a powerful weapon in the battle to get more students through high school and into college.

Minnesota recently announced a $12 million effort to send counselors, social workers, nurses, and school psychologists into 77 schools. College advisers joined the counseling staffs in 30 high schools in Tennessee this fall, thanks to a $7.2 million, three-year pot of money. Colorado is piling millions on top of a $15 million investment because it got such strong results. And the Lilly Endowment in Indiana has pledged up to $30 million to support the design of comprehensive counseling programs there.

The counseling initiatives are far from the biggest-ticket items in states budgets. But theyre a significant sign of a renewed commitment to school counseling, which took particularly heavy hits in layoffs driven by the Great Recession eight years ago.

People are realizing that a school counselor really is essential in a students education, said Richard Wong, the executive director of the American School Counselor Association. Ever more complex social pressures and the drumbeat calls for college readiness make counselors even more important, he said, so were very happy to see states response to the need.

That need is deep and persistent, though states rarely take major steps to meet it. An Education Week analysis of federal data shows that nearly 3 in 10 pre-K-12 schools have no counselor. In elementary and secondary schools nationally, there are 482 students for each school counselor, although the American School Counselor Association advises a ratio of no more than 250 to 1.

In addition to their heavy caseloads, counselors juggle a raft of unrelated duties, such as test administration. At the middle and high school levels, many are not trained to manage the growing need for career and college advising. But educators know counselors can play a powerful role in shaping students choices and trajectories. Anecdotal evidence of that influence abounds, but more recently, researchers have quantified it, too.

A report this month from the National Association for College Admission Counseling shows that meeting one-on-one with a counselor to discuss financial aid or college triples students chances of going to college and increases by sevenfold the likelihood that theyll submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, the financial aid that can make or break their college plans. A 2013 study by the College Board calculated that adding one counselor to a high schools staff predicts a 10-percentage-point increase in its four-year-college enrollment.

Those are the kinds of gains lawmakers in a cluster of states had in mind when they committed money to expanding school counseling.

Zeroing In: College Advising

Tennessees initiative is led by its higher education commission, as part of the states drive to produce more college graduates. The idea was to place advisers in 30 high schools with below-average college-going rates, to focus exclusively on getting students into college. They work year-round, in part to battle the summer melt that can lead college-accepted students not to show up on campus.

Our advisers are not mental-health professionals. Theyre not doing scheduling. They spend 100 percent of their time on the college transition. This is not a replacement for, but a supplement to, school counselors, said Troy Grant, who is overseeing the program, called Advise TN, for the higher education commission.

The advisers are college graduates who come mostly from the world of K-12teachers, principals, counselorsbut also include a former park ranger and a college financial-aid director, said Sherica Nelms, Advise TNs program director. They attend a 2 week boot camp, where they study financial aid, the college application process, and related subjects. They must be fans of a data-driven approach; theyre expected to track their students progress by many metrics, including college and financial aid applications. Each adviser makes a three-year commitment to the project.

Tennessees willingness to finance Advise TN was influenced by its experience since 2006 using federal GEAR UP money to put more counselors in needy districts. That focus increased college-going rates in those counties by 22 percent, said Mike Krause, the executive director of the higher education commission.

State leaders also noticed that even though their Tennessee Promise program offers tuition-free scholarships to community colleges and technical colleges, many students could not navigate all the required steps without counseling support. Leaders of Advise TN knew they had to bolster counseling support, but also change and intensify the advisers focus.

The question is, what are those counselors being asked to do? Krause said. Were comfortable with tracking student achievement data, but its a new paradigm to track FAFSA and college-admission data, and set goals for those things. But its mission-critical.

Michelle Willis is obsessed with those kinds of data. Shes the new college adviser at Northwest High School in Clarksville, Tenn., and shes working to raise the schools college-going rate from 41 percent to 75 percent. Only 67 percent of last years graduating class completed the FAFSA, but shes bound and determined that 100 percent will this year. Shes tracking every students college and scholarship applications, ACT scores, and other metrics, and already planning summer college visits for this years juniors.

The main difference between this and my last job [as a high school counselor] is that this is much more focused, Willis said. I can deliver expertise in the area of college access. I see my job as being a support for students year-round, through the whole process.

Think A Little Deeper

Minnesotas new $12 million investment spans K-12, sending 40 counselors, 21 social workers, six school psychologists, three nurses, and seven chemical dependency specialists into schools. For its work in Indiana, the Lilly Endowment will award up to $30 million in grants for schools to design comprehensive counseling programs that will begin next October. The philanthropys project deliberately aims at all grades, K-12.

We want [districts] to think a little deeper than just What am I doing in my high school?  said Judith Cebula, Lillys communications director. Our hope is that [districts] would think about counseling as an arc that starts in the early grades and extends through high school.

Colorado has chosen to focus its counselor initiative on middle and high school. Its goal is to improve outcomes in low-income high schools: fewer dropouts, more graduates, and more students enrolling in college. The Colorado School Counselor Corps has been in place since 2010, putting 220 counselors in 255 schools, and has produced results good enough to get the program, originally funded at $5 million annually for three years, renewed in 2014 at $10 million per year.

The initiative has reduced the dropout rate in participating high schools by 3.5 percentage points, increased college enrollment by 13 percent, lowered the student-ratio from more than 363 to 1 to 216 to 1, and boosted Advanced Placement participation by 75 percent, said Misti Ruthven, who oversees the program as the executive director of innovation and pathways for the Colorado department of education. A study of the program found that for every $1 invested in counseling, the state saved $20 in potential incarceration expenses, social safety net services, lost tax revenue from earnings, and other costs related to students who would have dropped out of school.

Weve seen this as an ever-increasing priority for our state because of the positive outcomes, Ruthven said.

Even as some states redouble support for school counselors, they should take care not to get stuck in old patterns of thinking, said Mandy Savitz-Romer, a Harvard University researcher who focuses on school counseling. Investing in people and training is good, she said, but states must improve counselor-training programs and revamp counselors job descriptions, too.

Counselors need to be freed from tasks that take them away from students, Savitz-Romer said. They need support to learn to work deeply with data to track students progress and needs, and to work as key parts of their schools leadership teams to collaboratively envision counseling programs. They should also partner with teachers to integrate career- and college-readiness into the curriculum. Principals can play a pivotal role in bringing about those changes, Savitz-Romer said.

If you put more people into antiquated roles, not much will change, she said, but in a repurposed role, a lot can change.
The most remarkable feature of humankind is the flexibility of our brains. This neuroplasticityor the brains ability to adjust its activities in response to new situationsis what has allowed our species to make dramatic changes from generation to generation. Humans have evolved from small hunter-gatherer clans to urban, digitally connected, international communities. The most malleable part of our brain is the neocortex, which can absorb and store more bits of information than the brains of any other species. This capacity for cognitive thinking allowed us to create language, democracy, and thousands of other inventions.

In fact, our most remarkable invention is public education: a structured system to provide the social and cognitive stimulation children need to take advantage of their brains malleability and develop knowledge and skills in mathematics, science, and history. By providing structured cognitive and social experiences, the U.S. public education system has expressed the potential of millions of children, which has, in turn, led to invention, creativity, and productivity that has transformed the world.

The key to the success of any educational experience is the capacity to get to the cortex. Yet, each year, nearly one-third of all children attending U.S. public schools will have significantly impaired cortical functioning due to abuse, neglect, domestic violence, poverty, and other adversities. Understanding the effects of trauma on a childs brain and how these effects alter the ability to learn is essential to improving our public education system.

The brain has a set of crucial neural networks that mediate stress response. When children have attentive caregiving at home and supported emotional, motor, social, and cognitive experiences throughout their early years, they develop a well-regulated stress-response system. This leads to experiences in learning and growth that shape a child in positive ways.

When trauma or unpredictable stress brought on by poverty alters these systems, the neural networks involved in the stress response stop working properly, which can lead to emotional, behavioral, and learning problems. Trauma-related alterations to these systems can shut down areas of the brain that would normally control impulses of the neocortex. This makes it much more difficult for children to learn traditional cognitive content in school, including the ability to learn to read.

Children who have experienced trauma will be in a persistent state of alarm and less capable of concentrating when they enter classrooms. Because of this, they will pay more attention to the nonverbal cues of a teacher, such as tone of voice, body posture, and facial expressions. Unless teachers adopt some regulating practices for those students, such as meditative breathing or rhythmic motor activity, children will remain in the alarm state, impairing cognitive learning.

The effects of trauma on student learning have implications for understanding the achievement gap. Even without overt experiences of trauma, children who live in stressful environments of poverty dont internalize new information at the same rate as children who enter the classroom in a calm state. Year after year, traumatized students learn at a slower rate, disengage, and ultimately fall behinda vicious cycle that all too often leads them to drop out of school.

Fortunately, there are proven practices, programs, and policies that can help prevent and heal stress and trauma-related problems within a school community and in the classroom. When teachers understand the effects of trauma, they can begin to better understand the children who experience it and effectively address behavioral problems. The integration of relationally based disciplinary models and self-care for students, as well as secondary-stress-reduction practices for teachers and trauma-sensitive policies within a school can all make a difference.

Successful neuroscience- and trauma-informed education practices, programs, and policies show that when children feel safe and connected, our greatest inventionpublic educationcan be more effective in helping express the potential in all students.
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.
Government to consider tax on soft drinks



Coca Cola's range of soft drinks

The Isle of Man Government will look into bringing in an additional tax on soft drinks next year.

Speaker of the House of Keys Juan Watterson called for the Treasury to support the principle of a tax on sugary products at this month's sitting of Tynwald.

The motion was amended to focus on soft drinks, but was approved by Tynwald members.

Mr Watterson claims the move will help raise Government revenue, as well as tackle unhealthy eating.

A similar tax will be brought in by the UK Government from April 2018.
If you are going to calculate the economic impacts of outdoor recreation, maybe, just maybe, you might want to consult with an expert who has a book on valuation methods with chapter titles like: "Modeling the Demand for Recreation," and "Single Site Demand Estimation," and "Site Choice Models."

Outdoor recreation is an economic colossus: its reach is massive, its wealth enormous, and its influence continues to grow as more boots hit the ground. You can see it in Joshua Trees crowded campgrounds or in Mount Tams trailhead parking lots; in the Appalachian Trails thru-hiking numbers or in REIs record sales. Americans are heading outdoors in huge numbers and paying handsomely for the privilege. But how much, precisely? For years the industrys contribution to the nations economy was as much guesswork as fact.

In 2005, the Outdoor Industry Foundation commissioned the first of the economic studies to measure the industrys heft. The initial report returned impressive statistics, but it was the follow-up study six years later that stirred the giant from its slumber: the outdoor recreation economy, all $646 billion of it, was nearly as much as Americans paid for pharmaceuticals and motor vehicle sales and parts, combined. Most of the industrys stakeholders happily accepted the number at face value, and few inquired about how the numbers were derived (primarily through surveys).

Now, thanks to the passage of a bipartisan bill that sailed through both the House and Senate last month, and was signed into law by President Obama on December 8, the outdoor industry is primed for a gargantuan reveal. The Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2016, or REC Act, authorizes the Department of Commerces Bureau of Economic Analysis to assess outdoor recreations contribution to the nations gross domestic product, or GDP.

Its one of the most significant policy decisions in support of our industry in the last ten years, says Amy Roberts, executive director of the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA).
Some lower-order boundaries from Najibullah Zadran and wickets from Afghanistan's Karim Janat and Rashid Khan sealed their 11-run win against UAE in the first T20I in Dubai

Afghanistan 161 for 6 (Shahzad 38, Najibullah 31*, Shahzad 3-34) beat United Arab Emirates 150 for 7 (Rameez 49, Janat 3-31, Fareed 2-21, Rashid 2-27) by 11 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Asghar Stanikzai's team put on a challenging score for UAE  Chris Whiteoak

A quickfire opening knock from Mohammad Shahzad and late wickets from Fareed Ahmad and Rashid Khan sealed Afghanistan's 11-run win against United Arab Emirates in the first of the three T20Is in Dubai. Chasing 162, UAE were threatening at one point at 106 for 3 in the 15th over before Fareed and Rashid struck twice each to dent the hosts' lower order.

Opting to bat, Afghanistan were steady till the 10th over with Shahzad's 29-ball 38 but he was dismissed by his namesake, UAE's seamer, who was on a hat-trick as he had Samiullah Shenwari caught behind on the next ball. They stuttered further when Asghar Stanikzai was bowled for 13 in the next over.

Afghanistan, however, recovered with a 40-run stand between Mohammad Nabi (26) and debutant Karim Janat (25) as the duo pushed the score past 100. UAE would have sensed another opening when Janat was run-out in the 17th over but Najibullah Zadran dashed their hopes by blasting 31 runs off only 10 balls in the slog overs.

After smashing Rohan Mustafa for consecutive sixes in the 18th over, he struck a six and two fours off Amjad Javed and another set of those in the last over against Shahzad to help Afghanistan accumulate 55 runs in the last three overs.

UAE's top order was rocked by Janat's medium-pace as he broke the opening stand in the fourth over and removed Mustafa and Shahzad within a space of three balls in the seventh over, leaving UAE on 41 for 3. However, Shaiman Anwar Rameez Shahzad joined forces to score at nearly nine runs per over to help them past 100. But Anwar holed out to midwicket for a 27-ball 34 before Fareed dismissed Amjad Gul and Javed in consecutive overs.
Alicia Garcia-Herrero and Jianwei Xu (Bruegel)

Brexit will enable the United Kingdom to negotiate its own free trade agreement with China. To what extent would it affect trade between the EU Member States and China? Would it allow Chinese goods to use Britain as a gateway to the EU market? Would this agreement be an unequivocal benefit for the United Kingdom?

If Britain managed to negotiate a free trade agreement with China as well as an access to the EU single market, which would be a very difficult and time-consuming process, there would be a possibility of a penetration of Chinese goods to the European market via the UK. However, it must be noted that the Union would likely prevent this penetration by applying the so-called rules of origin on imports from Britain. Even more important factor is the fact that it would take longer for Chinese goods to get to Europe, hence transport costs would be higher. This would substantially reduce the benefits of overcoming the customs barriers and render this detour less attractive.

In terms of benefits for the Kingdom, it is appropriate to evaluate the impacts of British exports to China on imports from China. In the area of exports, Britain could theoretically earn the most and gain a significant competitive advantage in the automobile industry, which constitutes 35.2 percent of British exports to China. The current customs tariff amounts to 25 percent. In other sectors, there is no such leeway, so the agreement would not bring any significant change. Imports, where consumer goods constitute the biggest part, would not get much cheaper for Britain. The duties are in fact at a low level already today and the agreement would have a very modest impact.

The Union would be negatively affected by the agreement mainly in the before-mentioned automobile industry, where German and Slovak exports could be badly hit. The German exports account for more than 50 percent of the total EU exports in this category and its competitiveness would decrease following an eventual agreement. Overall, however, the composition of the Kingdoms and EUs imports and exports vary so much that the impact on EU trade with China would be minimal.

Finally, it should be noted that the EU is the UKs most important trade partner. It is likely that the better the deal the United Kingdom would reach with China, the more difficult Londons negotiations with the Union would be. The logical conclusion is that Britain should postpone negotiations with China and the EU should not be excessively concerned about their potential negative effects.

(The study can be downloaded here)


Prime minister Saad Hariri, whose family plays a big role in the local and

regional banking sector

The political crisis in Lebanon, which left the country without an elected president or a cabinet for more than two years, was partially resolved late in 2016 with the election of a president and the appointment of a prime minister. The changes lifted investor sentiment about Lebanon, but the countrys bankers say there is still a long way to go before the situation is normalized.

Lebanons banks weathered the political crisis relatively well, experiencing no large rise in non-performing loans and registering strong revenues, despite the added challenges of the Syrian refugee crisis. But bankers were also keenly aware that growth was stunted by investor uncertainty about the countrys overall prospects, including its domestic political problems.

Freddie Baz, vice-chairman and group strategy director of Bank Audi, told Euromoney last year that Lebanons GDP is 25% lower than it could be, an annual shortfall of $15 billion. That stunted growth means bank performance, although relatively strong, is far less than it could be.

According to Baz: It means Audi, which is the largest bank in the country today, could [if GDP growth was as it had been in 2010] nearly double its revenue, with very limited marginal costs.

Potential

Now, with the election of former general Michael Aoun as president on October 31 and Aouns appointment on November 3 of Saad Hariri as prime minister, bankers think they may be able to achieve their potential more fully once again.

It definitely is positive, says Fadi Osseiran, general manager of Blominvest Bank: If you asked any banker Would you rather be two months ago? they would say, No, of course not; it is much better now.

However, Nassib Ghobril, chief economist of Byblos Bank, notes that the improvement in economic and banking conditions was not as sudden as many had hoped. He says the Byblos Bank Consumer Confidence Index increased by 3.5% in October, to reach 39.3  Still a very low level. In May 2008, on the signing of the Doha Agreement, which resolved a previous political crisis in Lebanon, the index immediately rose by 103%, he says.

We thought that the arrival of a new president would pave the way directly to solving economic issues. At this moment, it doesnt seem like it yet - Fadi Osseiran, Blominvest Bank

The difference in consumer reaction reflects the fact that in 2008 the agreement clearly ended a stand-off between the government and the Shiite group Hezbollah, whereas after Aouns election in October many issues remain unresolved.

Its much better than if we didnt have a government, says Osseiran. But we thought that the arrival of a new president would pave the way directly to solving economic issues. At this moment, it doesnt seem like it yet. That is because Hariri, whose family plays a big role in the local and regional banking sector through BankMed and Arab Bank, has yet to form a cabinet. This is a difficult task given the many different factions jostling for ministerial positions and the fact that a parliamentary election is due in May.

Bankers are keen to see a working cabinet and parliament in place, not just to give the international investor community a sense of political stability, but also because they say specific reforms need to be pushed through to make the economy work better for the private sector.

Osseiran says: When the government is there, there are actions that need to be taken, laws that need to be passed. Banks will be happy with that. We havent had a budget for years now; we have to have a budget. With a budget, you decide how to spend, how to borrow money, how to issue debt, how to manage your affairs.

According to Ghobril, the politicians who are taking charge have the right agenda: The presidents slogan is reform and change, and the prime minister understands the need for the private sector. The important thing is to put the reforms on track and to give them priority in the cabinet.

Stagnation

Above all, bankers say, the new political leadership must tackle Lebanons infrastructure.

The Lebanese economy has been stagnant not just because of the political vacuum at the presidential level and the powerlessness of decision-making at public institutions, says Ghobril. Its because of the operating costs on the private sector and the decline in the competitiveness of the economy.

Bankers hope foreign investment and tourism will grow once government starts to tackle these issues, lifting the economy and banks prospects along with it. For now, Aoun and Hariris priorities are elsewhere. Beyond forming a cabinet, they are also hoping to bring in a new electoral law introducing proportional representation before the May election.

Not everyone is convinced that Lebanese banks prospects have improved.

In a note after the election of Aoun, Standard & Poors called the political developments positive, but added that the economic risk facing Lebanons banks had in fact increased, because of continued pressures on real estate prices and the tourism sector. According to S&P, direct and indirect exposure to the real estate sector accounted for 35.6% of the banks' loan book at the end of 2015.
Jean-Pierre Mustier will try to end UniCredits label as the biggest of Italys bad-debt crippled banks by taking 8.1 billion of fourth-quarter provisions, ahead of a 13 billion rights issue.

To demonstrate just how easily UniCredit can now sell its legacy exposures, the CEO and his team are already cutting risk in 17.7 billion of securitized Italian bad loans, through two new agreements with US asset managers Fortress and Pimco, in a project called Fino.



Jean-Pierre Mustier,

UniCredit CEO



After the provisions increase coverage on its non-performing book from 53.6% to 68.2%, Mustier hopes newfound freedom from Italian legacies assets will give Italys biggest bank more appeal in its rights issue in early 2017. The aim for the next three years is to reduce the ratio of gross non-performing exposures to 8.4%, down from 14.1% at end-September 2016.

In what is becoming classic Mustier style, the disposal of majority vertical tranches of the Fino portfolios closed the night before a carefully choreographed event in London on Tuesday, when he and other top UniCredit bankers unveiled the rights issue and a wider strategic shift.

It added another flourish, as executives repeatedly turned to Mustier to bat off sceptical analysts questions, when he could raise an eyebrow to his interrogators and say a press release that morning  which only mentioned a 20% sale  was already outdated.

The provisions and disposals were the result of months of work to sift through non-performing loans and try to get a better sense of what was in there, and what it was worth. Did UniCredit therefore choose to hike its provisions by this much, asked one analyst, because its loans are so much more rotten than those of other Italian banks?

If not  as Mustier suggested  should the market then take UniCredits coverage levels as a new benchmark for the sectors needs? According to Berenberg, if other banks followed suit, Italys second biggest bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, would have to write down the most, 8.5 billion. That would be a breeze, given its 39 billion market capitalization, compared with the 5 billion needed at Banco Popolare, almost three times its market capitalization.

However, UniCredit is over-provisioning to get rid of its assets quickly, so it can have a new start, thinks Luigi Tramontana, banks analyst at Banca Akros in Milan. Asset quality measures are at least as important to the relaunch as all the new efficiency, IT and cross-selling initiatives announced in December. The Fino transaction, thinks Tramontana, will give Mustiers grand strategy more credibility.

The 17.7 billion Fino portfolios cover about half of the banks bad loans in its non-core portfolio, although UniCredit retains a minority, and some of the more complex situations were excluded.

The various parties have done business before. In 2014, Fortress bought UniCredits former NPL servicing unit doBank, which is already working through about 40 billion of UniCredit assets; doBank will manage most of the smaller Fino loans, while the bank will work through the biggest.

Pimco has also recently worked alongside UniCredit on large real estate-backed loans, perhaps indicating the kinds of asset that went into its side of the deal.

According to Massimiliano Fossati, chief risk officer at UniCredit, the measures are part of a new aggressive and immediate approach to cutting the asset hangover from the integration of Capitalia after 2007, and typically volume-driven underwriting between 2005 and 2010.

The Fino project is supposed to bring market validation of internal coverage levels and heralds what will be a continued acceleration of the rundown of the non-core division. Mustier added that the legacy assets are provisioned to sell.

It was also telling how Fossati drew attention to the 5.7% non-performing ratio in UniCredits core bank, which excludes its Italy-dominated non-core division. He underlined, in particular, how close this was to the 5.4% European Banking Authority average. Other big Italian lenders, such as Intesa Sanpaolo and Banco Popolare, are keeping more non-performing loans on balance sheet; Intesa Sanpaolos non-performing ratio, however, is closer to UniCredit.

In other words, the request for the rights issue is not to put UniCredit in the category of other godforsaken Italian banks. The challenge for 2017 is getting investors to agree, and keep the momentum after a 17% bounce in UniCredits share price on Tuesday.

The well-timed news of Fino was the culmination of a heady six months since Mustier returned to UniCredit and took over from former CEO Federico Ghizzoni in July, amid investor concern over a lack of action to bolster thinning capital levels.

Accelerated-bookbuild sales of 10% stakes in Polish lender Bank Pekao and Italian multichannel bank FinecoBank completed the very day Mustier officially took office, just after announcing a strategic review for late 2016. In October, it sold another 20% of FinecoBank and transferred its Ukrainian lender to Russias Alfa-Bank.

As the results of the review, and knowledge of the size of the rights issue, approached, on Thursday the bank sealed an agreement with Polands PZU and PFR to sell a 32.8% stake in Pekao for 2.4 billion. Then, on Sunday, came a 3.5 billion sale of its asset management product factory Pioneer to Frances Amundi  Credit Agricole, Amundis majority owner, is underwriting 1.4 billion rights issue to finance the purchase.

Italy remains UniCredits biggest market, with 44% of risk weighted assets. It is holding on to its ownership of Germanys third biggest private bank, HVB. It also remains among the biggest foreign banks in Russia and Turkey.

Despite exiting its Polish bank, which it has long struggled to integrate with the rest of its emerging-Europe network, UniCredit insists its future is to be a pan-European commercial bank  so, a different animal to the other more domestic-focused Italian bank.

UniCredit always tried to differentiate itself from Italian banks, but its problems, its non-core assets, were mostly in Italy, says Tramontana. Now maybe they will reach their target.
At the Center for Science & Culture, our mission includes advancing the scientific case for intelligent design and protecting academic freedom and freedom of speech.

In case after case, we have seen that the right of scholars to research and teach is vulnerable to dogmatism and intimidation. No one better illustrates this than Dean Kenyon, a San Francisco State University biologist whose story inspired a pivotal 1993 Wall Street Journal article by Stephen Meyer. This article, as John West recounts in a recent video conversation, brought Meyer to Discovery Institutes attention and led directly to the founding of the CSC in 1996.

With that 20th anniversary in the air, lets take a moment to review Kenyons case in light of the legal principles that define academic freedom, and specifically how those principles affect scientists at public universities who have an interest in design evidence.

The National Education Associations Office of General Counsel offers the following points analyzing faculty academic freedom:

The government has far greater authority to restrict the free speech rights of its employees than to restrict the free speech rights of (nonemployee) citizens. (Pickering 1968)

The speech of public employees, including college professors, is constitutionally protected only if they are speaking as citizens on matters of public concern. (Connick 1983)

If they are speaking as employees on matters of merely personal concern (e.g., workplace gripes), then their speech is not constitutionally protected and can be the basis for permissible employer retaliation. (Connick 1983)

In addition, under the Pickering balancing test, if college or university officials reasonably believe that the professors speech might be disruptive of the workplace, impair harmony among co-workers, strain relationships with supervisors, or interfere with a students ability to get an education, then it is not constitutionally protected, even if it touches on a matter of public concern. (Waters 1994 and Pickering 1968)

even if it touches on a matter of public concern. (Waters 1994 and Pickering 1968) Where the facts show that a professor has been punished just because he/she has voiced controversial or unpopular ideas and there is no evidence that the professors speech has been disruptive of the school environment, the courts have found a First Amendment violation. (Compare Levin (1992) with Jefferies (1995))

(Compare Levin (1992) with Jefferies (1995)) When a public employee is speaking as a part of his official duties, i.e., is just doing his job, then the employees speech is entitled to no First Amendment protection at all and can be the basis for discipline or discharge. The Court added, however, that this rule may not necessarily apply to teachers performing their official duties of classroom instruction and academic scholarship and explicitly reserved that question for a later date. (Garcetti 2006) [Emphasis added.]

I realize that some of these cases were decided after the Kenyon conflict, which, as Dr. Meyer recounted in his Journal article, nevertheless serves as a memorable case in point.

Dr. Kenyon, Meyer wrote, co-authored a seminal theoretical work titled Biochemical Predestination (1969), published by McGraw-Hill. In this book, he argued that we should not look upon the appearance and development of the living cell as an improbable phenomenon but rather as one which followed a definite course governed and promoted by the properties of the simple compounds from which the process began. In other words, life got its start with no guidance or direction by an intelligent agent: none was needed.

In the years that followed, however, Kenyon began to question his views. During the 1970s, partly due to his own lab experiments, he became increasingly skeptical of evolutionary accounts for the origin of life. By 1992:

Mr. Kenyon, who included three lectures in biological origins in his introductory [biology] course, had for many years made a practice of exposing students to both evolutionary theory and evidence uncongenial to it. He also discussed the philosophical controversies raised by the issue and his own view that living systems display evidence of intelligent design  a view not incompatible with some forms of evolutionary thinking.

Soon, the chair of the biology department told him to cease presenting creationism:

Mr. Hafernik accused Mr. Kenyon of teaching what he characterized as biblical creationism and ordered him to stop. After Mr. Haferniks decree, Mr. Kenyon asked for clarification. He wrote the dean, Jim Kelley, asking what exactly he could not discuss. Was he forbidden to mention to students that there are important disputes among scientists about whether or not chemical evolution could have taken place on the ancient earth? Mr. Kelley replied by insisting that Mr. Kenyon teach the dominant scientific view, not the religious view of special creation on a young earth. Mr. Kenyon replied again (I paraphrase): I do teach the dominant view. But I also discuss problems with the dominant view and that some biologists see evidence of intelligent design. He received no reply. Instead, he was yanked from teaching introductory biology and reassigned to labs.

This removal was temporary, but unreasonable. As Meyer noted during the ordeal, [A]s SFSU considers its response, a world class scientist waits  yet another casualty of Americas peculiar academic fundamentalism. Kenyon was eventually reinstated, but faced strained relationships with other faculty members for the duration of his career.

SFSU had the right to define its own curriculum. However, something is wrong when a university objects to any probing of the textbook view, on evolution or in any other field, by a scientist with experience and relevant knowledge.

This moves out of proper scholastic and institutional concerns and into the realm of viewpoint discrimination.

Advancing science is incompatible with suppression of dissent. An understanding and appreciation of gaining knowledge underlies the principle of freedom of inquiry.

It is this vital understanding of academic freedom and free speech that the Center for Science & Culture, twenty years on, continues to articulate and defend.

San Francisco State University campus, by Webbi1987 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.
Editors note: December 15 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of filmmaker Walt Disney. Discovery Institute Senior Fellow John West is author of the new book Walt Disney and Live-Action, which explores the meaning and making of Walt Disneys live-action features. In this article, he explores the role of scientism in Disneys work.

Someone once quipped that Walt Disney harbored 19th-century emotions in conflict with a 21st-century brain. The characterization was apt.

Disney, who died fifty years ago on December 15, was known for championing traditional morality and promoting nostalgia for a simpler past epitomized by small-town America. At the same time, he was widely recognized as a visionary futurist who enthusiastically embraced the new horizons offered by science and technology.

Disneys idiosyncratic mixture of moral traditionalism and techno-optimism didnt always seem to cohere, and it led people to admire him for vastly different reasons. Conservatives embraced Disney for his defense of Judeo-Christian morality, his unrepentant support for American republicanism, his love of free enterprise and entrepreneurship, and his distrust of big government and the welfare state. By contrast, fellow futurists were attracted to Disneys modernist ideas about urban planning, his exalted view of science and technology, and his utopian visions of human progress.

Although I have a keen appreciation for Disney and his achievements, I admit Im not one of those who are especially enamored with his techno-optimism. During the last century, weve seen far too much destruction arising from the abuse of science and technology for me to believe that science can fundamentally reform the human heart or usher in a utopia. For me, scientific and technological progress is bittersweet. I think Disney was correct to see that science and technology can produce wondrous benefits for humanity. But they also make it easier for humans to accomplish their own destruction  and that darker side of scientific and technological progress was rarely on display in Disneys projects as a futurist.

Consider his Carousel of Progress, a stage show first developed for the 1964 Worlds Fair in New York City and later relocated to Disneyland and then Walt Disney World (where it still operates). Featuring audio-animatronic robots rather than live actors, the Carousel of Progress depicts the benefits to American society of the rapid technological advances during the first half of the 20th century. The audience meets an iconic middle-class American family at home circa 1900, the 1920s, the 1940s, and the 1960s.

In the 1900s, the family marvels over laborsaving inventions such as cast-iron stoves, gas lamps, ice boxes, and telephones. In the 1920s, the home has been wired for electricity, leading to electric lights, electric sewing machines, refrigerators, toasters, and coffee percolators. In the 1940s, the home adds even bigger and more efficient electric appliances, and by the 1960s, electric appliances have made preparations for previously exhausting holidays like Christmas a breeze.

Each act of this unfolding march of progress is linked together by the song Theres a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, a secular hymn to mans creativity and his mastery of his environment penned by Richard and Robert Sherman of Mary Poppins fame. The infectious tune boasts that human knowhow can make dreams a reality and usher in a great, big, beautiful tomorrow:

So theres a great, big, beautiful tomorrow

Shining at the end of every day

Theres a great, big, beautiful tomorrow

Just a dream away

Disneys techno-optimism was also on display in the Tomorrowland area in Disneyland, and his planned but never-built Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) in Florida. There is something alluring about the cheerful optimism of these efforts. But there is also something more than a little disturbing. The Carousel of Progress celebrated  apparently without irony  the use of television as parents new electronic babysitter, and the relocation of grandparents from their childrens homes into segregated communities of seniors.

The House of the Future at Disneyland featured modernist, plastic interiors and irradiated food. Disneys vision for his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow was even more hideous, exhibiting many of the worst features of modernist urban planning: top-down micro-management of every part of life; the artificial separation of where people live and work and play; bleak Bauhaus-style architecture; and the attempt to herd everyone into mass transit.

The visual center of EPCOT was a modernist 30-story hotel that was designed to be seen from miles around, although more traditional architectural forms werent completely forgotten. The citys 50-acre business and shopping district was supposed to include faux buildings and streets patterned after architecture from other parts of the world, all located within a giant, temperature-controlled enclosure  in essence, one great big shopping mall. The narrator of an early promotional film for EPCOT promised: In this climate-controlled environment, shoppers, theatergoers, and people just out for a stroll will enjoy ideal weather conditions, protected day and night from rain, heat and cold, and humidity. Disney, who loved nature, who grew up amidst real small towns and farms, and who loved to travel to other parts of the world, planned to dispense with the natural environment in his city of the future. In his new artificial downtown, no one need ever experience the discomfort of the elements. Of course, neither would they experience its joys, including sunsets or summer breezes or raindrops or the songs of birds.

What rescued Walt Disney from being a completely uncritical champion of scientific and technological progress was not his ventures into theme parks or urban planning. It was some of his films. To be sure, his educational productions often promoted the same lop-sided techno-optimism, whether championing nuclear power in Our Friend the Atom (originally prepared for his weekly television show in 1957) or extolling the virtues of mass bombing in Victory Thru Air Power (1943). Fortunately, Disneys fictional productions displayed more ambiguity.

The film in the Disney canon that offers arguably the most explicit warning about the abuse of science and technology is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), still the definitive cinematic adaptation of the Jules Verne novel of the same name. 20,000 Leagues depicts a supposedly civilized world where international powers employ science and technology for enslavement and death. The films Captain Nemo is a twisted genius who ostensibly opposes the misuse of science, but who himself willingly employs science to kill others, even those not directly implicated in the crimes he opposes. At the end of the film, Nemo blows up his discoveries in an iconic mushroom cloud. To audiences in the 1950s, where fallout shelters and duck-and-cover drills were a fact of life, the films ending was likely even more powerful than it is today.

Softening the films otherwise bleak ending, Disney included a hopeful voiceover before the final credits, repeating the words of Captain Nemo himself from earlier in the film: There is hope for the future. And when the world is ready for a new and better life, all this will someday come to pass, in Gods good time. But what ultimately makes 20,000 Leagues so powerful is not those hopeful words, but the films unflinching portrait of the human capacity to misuse science, a depiction that even its final words cannot completely obliterate.

The dangers of science and technology can also be seen in Disneys comic fantasies, especially The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) and Son of Flubber (1963), two phenomenally popular films starring Disneys everyman, Fred MacMurray, as Professor Ned Brainard of mythical Medfield College. Brainard invents flying rubber, aka flubber, a gooey substance that makes things defy gravity. Brainard is portrayed as a scientific genius, but also as a complete blunderer as a human being. With his single-minded devotion to science, he neglects his human relationships, leading him to miss his own wedding. Brainard is also oblivious to the societal consequences of his research. In Son of Flubber, he runs an experiment that inflicts widespread damage on the rest of his community even while he remains utterly clueless about what he has just done.

Both films highlight how non-scientists try to manipulate scientific discoveries for their own ends, satirizing in particular the behavior of politicians, the military, the IRS, and big business. Professor Brainard himself is shown to be corruptible, misusing his discoveries to take revenge on his romantic rival. For all of their celebration of the creativity of science, these comedies also warned against the pervasive dangers scientific progress can pose. As beneficial as science may be for society, it cannot be left free from social norms, and scientists themselves may not be the best judges of the cultural consequences of their discoveries.

But perhaps Disneys most scathing indictment of the dark side of technological progress came in a 1952 animated short based on the award-winning childrens book, The Little House, which tells how a beloved house in the country is eventually swallowed up by the encroaching city. Disneys version of the tale was considerably darker than the original book, with the forces of technological development portrayed by Disney as nothing less than demonic.

The film explicitly attacks the modern slogan of progress. While the screen reveals the depressing tenements now towering over the little house, the narrator ironically comments: Everything was bigger and better, for this was the age of Progress. Each new wave of progress in the film produces ever more nightmarish results, finally resulting in an Inferno of crime and noise and traffic and tawdry 24-hour-a-day neon lights.

Here was a hellish vision of technological progress that seemed to represent the very antithesis of the techno-optimism of EPCOT. Disney may well have viewed EPCOT as an answer to the problems posed by technological progress in the past, showing how science and technology in the future could be harnessed to build better urban environments through all-pervasive master planning. How Disney squared his proposed micromanagement of civic life in EPCOT with his own faith in human freedom, free enterprise, and limited government is anybodys guess. For myself, I dont think Disney ever completely reconciled the tensions between his techno-optimism and the rest of his worldview.

But its those unresolved tensions that made him all the more intriguing as a shaper of pop culture, and his films all the more worth watching.

All photos:  Walt Disney Company.
Last month, pro-intelligent design scientists from around the world spoke publicly at a packed conference at Cambridge University organized by Discovery Institute and the UKs Centre for Intelligent Design. They highlighted the growing evidence for intelligent design throughout nature.

The very same day, a writer for the London Spectator  one of the worlds oldest and most distinguished English-language magazines  named Evolution: Still a Theory in Crisis by Discovery Institute geneticist Michael Denton as one of the best books of 2016. Praising Denton for a truly great book that shows how genetics destroys the Darwinian position, the reviewer declared: It is hard to see how anyone reading his book could not be persuaded.

The good news keeps coming. For much of this year, molecular biologist Doug Axes book Undeniable: How Biology Confirms Our Intuition That Life is Designed has remained a bestseller at Amazon in both developmental biology and organic evolution, outselling books by Richard Dawkins, Jerry Coyne, Stephen Jay Gould, and many other titans of the Darwinist regime.

In the words of Bob Dylan, The times they are a-changin.

Would you consider playing a key role in fueling more change through the work of Discovery Institute and its Fellows?

The Darwinist Establishment fights us, unwilling to give up their destructive belief that life is the product of a blind and undirected process.

But your support this year will enable us to go around the Establishment and communicate the increasingly persuasive evidence for intelligent design to more people like never before.

Each year, we provide free access to you and millions of others to thousands of articles and hundreds of podcasts and videos. Each year, our Fellows and affiliated scholars publish important new books about the evidence for design in nature. But creating this content is NOT free.

We dont receive government grants. We rely on people like you who are interested in seeing real change in both science and culture.

By making an end-of-year donation to Discovery Institute, you can reach millions of Evolution News readers and social media users with the powerful message of intelligent design in 2017. You can mentor and equip a new group of young scientists from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America through our 2017 summer seminars. And you can bring about the publication of more path-breaking new books, including Zombie Science, biologist Jonathan Wellss long-awaited sequel to his blockbuster Icons of Evolution.

Are you ready to change the status quo in science and renew our culture? Make an end-of-year gift today!

Photo credit: Unsplash via Pixabay.
Over at CNSNews, Discovery Institute philosopher of biology Paul Nelson and I explain how the recent Royal Society meeting in London vindicated a major and provocative claim in Stephen Meyers book Darwins Doubt.

This is a modified version of something we wrote earlier here at Evolution News. We begin:

Scientists Confirm: Darwinism Is Broken Darwinian theory is broken and may not be fixable. That was the takeaway from a meeting last month organized by the worlds most distinguished and historic scientific organization, which went mostly unreported by the media. The three-day conference at the Royal Society in London was remarkable in confirming something that advocates of intelligent design (ID), a controversial scientific alternative to evolution, have said for years. ID proponents point to a chasm that divides how evolution and its evidence are presented to the public, and how scientists themselves discuss it behind closed doors and in technical publications. This chasm has been well hidden from laypeople, yet it was clear to anyone who attended the Royal Society conference, as did a number of ID-friendly scientists. Maybe that secrecy helps explain why the meeting was so muffled in mainstream coverage.  [W]hy should anyone care? For one thing, the Royal Society, dating back to 1660, is a legend in the science world. Its founders included the great chemist Robert Boyle, and it was later headed for 24 years (1703-1727) by Isaac Newton  a fact that is hard to forget with Newtons death mask on prominent display in a glass case. Portraits of Boyle and Newton look down from the walls above. So the historical connections lend a certain weight by themselves. Whats really notable, however, is that such a thoroughly mainstream body should so openly acknowledge problems with orthodox neo-Darwinian theory. Indeed, though presenters ignored, dismissed, or mocked the theory of intelligent design, the proceedings perfectly illustrated a point made by our colleague Stephen Meyer, author of the New York Times bestseller Darwins Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design.

Meyer asserts a massive disparity between how strong and invulnerable to challenge many non-scientists assume Darwinian theory to be, and how feeble and conflicted it actually is. This is revealed when you peer behind the curtains shielding the internal debates among scientists. He writes in Darwins Doubt:

The technical literature in biology is now replete with world-class biologists routinely expressing doubts about various aspects of neo-Darwinian theory, and especially about its central tenet, namely the alleged creative power of the natural selection and mutation mechanism. Nevertheless, popular defenses of the theory continue apace, rarely if ever acknowledging the growing body of critical scientific opinion about the standing of the theory. Rarely has there been such a great disparity between the popular perception of a theory and its actual standing in the relevant peer-reviewed science literature.

Read the rest here. You see, you only know this because were here to tell you what evolutionary biologists prefer to keep sotto voce.

Photo: Death mask of Sir Isaac Newton, Royal Society, London.

Im on Twitter. Follow me @d_klinghoffer.
J Walter Thompson India has announced senior management changes. With Sanjeev Bhargava, head of JWT leaving for a career outside advertising, the opportunities opened up.

Commenting on Sanjeev Bhargava, Tarun Rai, CEO J Walter Thompson Company South Asia said; Sanjeev has done an excellent job in growing JWT Delhi. He is a fantastic professional and has had a stellar career in advertising. He now leaves to start a new career in media and I am sure he will do a great job. I thank him for all that he has done for us and wish him the very best for the future."

Commenting on the new roles, Tarun Rai, CEO J Walter Thompson Company, South Asia, said  Joy, Babita and Kishore have been performing exceptionally well. They are at a stage in their careers where they have a great balance of experience and youth. I am really happy that, as an organisation, we are able to provide opportunities, at the right time, for people to grow. This is also a reflection on the bench strength of JWT. And a signal to all our employees that whenever there is any opportunity in our company we will first look at internal candidates. I am confident that the three of them will continue to perform at the highest level."

Joy Chauhan takes over as the head of JWT Delhi operations. Joy is a seasoned professional with over 20 years experience in advertising and communications. Over the years he has helped build some of the most prestigious brands in the country. He is focussed on finding innovative ways to build our clients brands and business. His energy and passion are infectious. Joy is currently the head of JWT Bengaluru operations. The office has had an incredible run under his leadership and is JWT's fastest growing office. Joy has worked in JWT for over a decade of which eight years were in Delhi so it is a 'home coming' for him. He is very familiar with the business, the people and clients in Delhi and will hit the ground running.

Kishore Tadepalli takes over from Joy as head of JWT Bengaluru. Like Joy, Kishore has over two decades of experience in advertising and communications. Almost, all of it in J Walter Thompson. He is, thus, a long term Thompsonite. He is currently the Senior Vice President and Global Brand Director on Radiant ( Rin in India). He is also the JWT India, Business Head for Hindustan Unilever. Over the years Kishore has led large teams and helped build some of the most iconic brands of the country. JWT Bengaluru has built up a lot of momentum. Kishore will continue the great work the office is doing, focus on meeting clients business objectives and keep the momentum going.

Babita Baruah gets independent charge of JWTs business unit  Power of One (PO1)  that handles a large number of PepsiCos flagship brands. Another Thompsonite with over two decades in the business, Babita has worked in JWTs Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi offices. Across these offices she has worked on some of the most powerful brands in the country. She wears her passion on her sleeve and leads from the front. She is an exceptional team leader and is focussed on being a true partner to her clients. She has done a remarkable job as the head of PO1. Beyond work, Babita is actively engaged in mentoring students and women at work, speaking in industry forums, and is part of JWTs Worldwide Diversity Council. She was invited to Harvard Business School earlier this year as a speaker on marketing trends, for the India Conference. Babita will now report in to, Tarun Rai, CEO JWT South Asia.

The changes come into effect from January 1, 2017.

Read more news about (ad news, latest advertising news India, internet advertising, ad agencies updates, media advertising India)
From: Joyce L. Gioia, CMC, CSP -- The Herman Group Austin , TX Wednesday, December 14, 2016

The Herman Trend Alert December 14, 2016 Science Fiction Shapes the Future Sponsored by ARAMCO, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia, last week the science fiction author Yasser Bahjatt spoke at a meeting of the citizen diplomacy organization, Global Austin. There, we interviewed Bahjatt about the relationship between science fiction and the future. The title of his presentation was "Legend of the Imaginary: Science Fiction as a Starting Point for Reality". Science fiction promotes having a free mind Bahjatt began by explaining that science fiction encourages us to think freely about many possibilities, including new technologies and to contemplate the use of current technologies to new applications. Science fiction creates the future Moreover, science fiction typically involves multiple cultures and perspectives, science fiction expands our capability to have compassion. And by expanding our capability to imagine, science fiction creates increased possibilities for humanity. "Nothing comes from nowhere" Bahjatt challenged his audience to name any technology that was not first envisioned in science fiction. We couldn't. The link between human imagination and scientific development is obvious. Virtually all our technologies were first envisioned by science fiction authors. Creating a market in the 21st century Before Bahjatt and his friend began publishing science fiction in The Middle East, the science fiction industry was almost non-existent in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arabian Nations, in general. Arabian publishers refused to publish his novel with the claim that no one would read this genre. Boy, were they wrong! Publishing and branding successes Their first book HWJN was almost an overnight success; with hundreds of thousands of books sold number one book for months and a bestseller for years. By now, the book has had over one million traceable illegal downloads, an impressive statistic. Understanding the value of multimedia, Bahjatt created a trailer for the book, as if it were a movie---a brilliant idea. The success of this and subsequent books may be because nobody else before them filled the void of books for young adults. A popular Middle Eastern rapper even made a rap video about the book. The goal: build an Arabic science fiction culture and community Their success encouraged them to create "The League of Arabic SciFiers" and even to establish a prize for the best science fiction idea that led to a technological breakthrough, SF2R: SciFi to Reality Prize. When they first started their publishing venture about five years ago, there were effectively no science fiction books published in Saudi Arabia; this year, 17 books were published in the field. How will this change the world in 20 years? Imagine a world in which every country on the planet had its own science fiction culture? Can you envision how we could promote technological advancement through science fiction? We look forward to such a future. ********* OUR NEW TRANSLATOR IS TERRIFIC



If you are looking for a translator who can translate English, French, or German into Spanish, you will love our new person, Mariana Campora Lesti. A veteran translator, she also does editing and proofreading of all kinds of Spanish language documents. Contact her on SKYPE at marianacampora or email her at marianalesti515@gmail.com. ********* LOOKING FOR HELP TO INNOVATE?



If so, The Innovation Global Network (www.InnovationGlobalNetwork.com) is your go-to spot for best practices and experts you need to help you with any aspects of creating innovation, entrepreneurship, or change. IGN is a global ecosystem that welcomes anyone who want to find or offer innovation help, expertise, tools and resources. When you visit their website, you'll find all kinds of information and resources, including networking events and webinars. Basic membership is free, so sign up today!  Copyright 1998-2016 by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurist. 336-210-3548 or http://www.hermangroup.com. Visit http://www.HermanTrendAlert.com to sign up. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." The Herman Group is a firm of Strategic Business Futurists concentrating on workforce and workplace issues. We forecast the future and advise clients regarding relevant trends and how those trends may affect their lives. Applying our expertise as Certified Management Consultants, we advise corporate leaders regarding employee retention and organizational development to help them build workforce stability. We help organizations become Employers of Choice. We also work with Employer of Choice, Inc. to formally recognize employers that meet the stringent standards dictated by the labor marketplace. As authors of management books and as active professional speakers, we inform and inspire people to make a positive difference in the world of work. You did really get the ball rolling with our retention presentation, overall we have seen a move in the right direction with our turnover. In practice since 1980, we have served a wide variety of clients throughout the United States and in other countries. Our global affiliates assist us in sharing our expertise and advice with clients internationally. Our team of professional consultants and trainers is supported by an administrative staff that gets things done. We also have consultants certified to deliver our programs in your local area. Delivering to both small and large groups across 100 industries, The Herman Group has provided over 2,500 educational and informative keynote speeches and training seminars worldwide. Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, we travel extensively to meet the needs of our clients. We can always be reached through the support team in our office at (800) 227-3566. Overseas callers may reach us through 336-210-3547. Should you have any questions after touring our website, please call or e-mail us at info@hermangroup.com. Get started now on improving the stability and performance of your workforce and increase your chances for success in the future.


Wednesday, December 14, 2016

It's Time For The Industry To Do Some Soul-Searching

If old school gas detection is typified by the canary in the coal mine, perhaps another bird will emerge to shake some sense into the currently moribund toxic gas detection (TGD) industry. The earliest products involved chemical reactions with an observable color change for carbon monoxide detectiondating back to the 1920s. These detectors were soon followed by devices to measure hydrogen sulfide levels.

At the same time, technologies were being developed to detect the presence of combustible gases, as well as to determine the concentration of oxygen in the environment (low oxygen can be deadly in seconds). Fast forward to the 1980s, and the ready availability of electrochemical sensors for a host of toxic compounds. Then came the multi-gas portable instruments.

Notwithstanding the availability of many other sensors, virtually all of what is now considered to be "toxic gas detection"at least for portable monitorsis confined to oxygen, combustibles, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide. Thus, much of TGD is basically confined to..."confined entry," the testing of unventilated environments before they are entered by workers.

Indeed, there are now at least a dozen companies offering virtual clones of a generic "confined entry" style TGD instrument. Yet, OSHA mandates permissible exposure limits for hundreds of compounds, so why does the industry confine itself to confined entry?

Mostly because the "confined entry" gases are easy to detect; such instruments are easy to calibrate; and such instruments are easy to sell. Fair enough, but that presents a big problem for those millions of individuals working with all the other toxic gases: Where are they to turn?

Since I'm writing this press release, I can say: Turn to Interscan Corporation. And, the fact is, they have been turning to us, and we certainly appreciate it!

In the meantime, though, the TGD industry and its distributors should take a good look into the mirror. There's way more to toxic gas detection than confined entry.
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Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has business ties to the oil and gas industry and recently danced with the stars, is President-elect Donald Trumps pick to head the Energy Department  an agency he once wanted to eliminate.

Perry oversaw the state during major oil and gas booms and pushed to make Texas the nations leading producer of wind energy.

If approved by the Senate, Perry would land a C abinet-level position that analysts say could help bridge ties between Trump and Texas Republicans who lean more conservative.

Perry has already overseen a major energy nation in Texas, University of Houston political science Professor Brandon Rottinghaus said. The state has lots of solar power, is the biggest oil producer and user, and is leading in wind energy. It has its own grid. These are all major attributes of a mini-nation in Texas alone.

The state is the nations largest oil producer at around 3.2 million barrels a day and has a third of all U.S. reserves. Texas was pumping more oil than the United Arab Emirates at its peak production last year, just behind Iraq, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Michael Webber, deputy director of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, said Perry is pro-oil, pro-coal and anti-climate science, but also pushed for renewable energy growth as governor.

Which version will we get as secretary of energy? Webber asked.

Fellow Texan Rex Tillerson, the head of Irving-based Exxon Mobil and a native of Wichita Falls, was announced as Trumps pick for secretary of state.

I think this is shaping up to be a Texas-heavy Cabinet and particularly a Texas-energy-oriented Cabinet, Webber said.

Rottinghaus said Trumps choices of Perry and Tillerson are politically smart. Trump didnt fundraise or win votes in Texas at the level of other recent Republican nominees. The states business leaders are concerned about issues such as maintaining a strong trade relationship with Mexico, the states biggest trading partner.

I think its politically important for the Trump administration to make some amends with Texas Republicans from a policy perspective and a business perspective, Rottinghaus said.

Perry twice has sought the Republican nomination for president and briefly entered the crowded 2016 Republican field, at one point calling Trump a cancer on conservatism, though he dropped out of the race and was an early Trump endorser.

Nationally, hes remembered best for a presidential debate in 2011 during which he forgot the name one of three federal agencies he had promised to eliminate if elected.

Oops, Perry said, and it was the demise of his campaign. It was the Energy Department he had forgotten, an agency with more than 93,000 employees which hell lead if confirmed by the Senate. The agency sponsors science and technology research and maintains the nations nuclear stockpile.

That political gaffe is unlikely to keep Perry out of a Cabinet position, nor are his business interests.

Perry serves on the board of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, the company building the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, which the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and activists have sought to block from crossing the Missouri River, an important source of drinking water in North Dakota.

Perry also is a board member of an Energy Transfer subsidiary, Sunoco Logistics Partners LP. He earned more than $365,000 in compensation last year for serving on the corporate boards.

Perry is the states longest-serving governor. He entered the office in December 2000 when George W. Bush resigned to become president and served until January 2015. He made job creation the theme of his governorship and traveled to blue states to try to convince companies to move to Texas for its low taxes and permissive regulatory structure.

Early in his tenure, drillers unleashed a natural gas boom in the Barnett Shale field around Fort Worth when companies figured out they could unlock oil trapped in shale with a new combination of technologies  horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing, which pumps millions of gallons of water, chemicals and sand at high pressure to break the rock and prop open the cracks, releasing oil and gas.

Later, the so-called Texas Miracle happened as the states economy outpaced the national economy during a years-long oil boom that coincided with the Great Recession.

But Perry wasnt only an oil and gas advocate. He had an all-of-the-above energy approach. He pushed hard for policies and infrastructure to carry wind energy from rural West Texas and the Panhandle to urban areas. He supported a political donors project to accept low-level radioactive waste site at a site in Andrews County in West Texas.

Perry also campaigned on behalf of San Antonio when Tesla Motors Inc.s was deciding where to build a $5 billion lithium-ion battery plant. (The company ultimately chose Nevada). During Perrys tenure, Tesla CEO Elon Musks Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, chose to build a spaceport in Boca Chica Village near Brownsville, with the goal of sending humans to Mars.

Texas doesnt have much to gain or lose directly from changes to federal energy policies, Webber said.

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.

A lot of what weve done in Texas has been market driven, Webber said. These are nominations that should be good for Texas, though we dont know. Trump is pro-coal. Coal is an Appalachian thing or a Wyoming thing, not a Texas things. The demise of coal actually benefits Texas because natural gas displaces coal. Well see what policy priorities emerge.

Environmental advocacy groups recoiled at Perrys nomination.

Public Citizen said Perry would be a disaster as energy secretary and said that during his time as governor he was a puppet of big energy companies. The Sierra Club called the nomination an insult to our functioning democracy.

Perrys clear financial interests in major energy projects like the Dakota Access pipeline make it obvious that theres no way he could manage the agencys activities impartially, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said.

The oil industry cheered Perrys nomination.

Omar Garcia, president and CEO of the oil and gas industry group South Texas Energy & Economic Roundtable, said Perry worked directly with the oil and gas industry to bring jobs to the state.

Im confident that with Rick Perry in this leadership role it will help to bring additional jobs to the entire country, Garcia said.

The nominations of Tillerson, who has close business ties with Russia and brokered an Arctic drilling deal there, and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt for head of the Environmental Protection Agency are considered more controversial than Perrys and are expected to receive far more scrutiny from senators.

Perry is going to be small potatoes compared to those, Rottinghaus said.

jhiller@express-news.net

Twitter: @Jennifer_Hiller
BEIRUT - The siege in Aleppo is almost over.

Advances by Syrian government forces and their allies have squeezed the fighters and civilians remaining in rebel-held parts of the city into a sliver of territory, spokesmen for the government and the opposition forces said Monday. The last civilians caught in the shrinking anti-government enclave issued panicked calls for help.

It appeared increasingly likely that the government would gain control of the whole of Aleppo, the largest city in Syria, within days if not hours.

That would be a turning point in the civil war, cementing government rule over all of Syria's most important cities and forcing the opposition and its backers to reckon with whether their movement, especially the armed rebellion, has failed.

It also raises questions about how an increasingly confident President Bashar Assad will govern a deeply wounded and divided country where war still rages.

According to the Russian government, Assad's main foreign backer, more than 100,000 people have fled from the rebel enclave to government-held areas. Also, 2,200 rebel fighters have surrendered. At least 13,000 people have fled in the past 24 hours, Russia said.

But there are still believed to be thousands of civilians trapped in districts that have been bombarded for more than 24 hours, while the army and its militia allies seized most of the southern part of the city.

"An important call in the name of civilians to help them," Abdelkafi al-Hamdo, a teacher and anti-government activist, said in a text message to a group of journalists. "Stop bombing. Take them out."

Hisham al-Skeif, a civilian member of a local council that had tried to govern the rebel-held areas of Aleppo, expressed frustration that while international officials were in contact with rebel leaders, no one appeared to be talking directly to the trapped civilians.

"All the political activists and the media, the relief workers, the unarmed, we are about 1,000, including our families," he said. Though the government has said it would offer amnesty to anyone who surrenders, "if the regime entered, we will be slaughtered."
Students at Barrera Veterans Elementary School are doing pretty much the same thing as their peers across the nation except for one 15-minute window each day.

During that time, theyre using a new app called Yes! Our Kids Can, devised by a nonprofit of the same name. Lionel Sosa, a former marketing executive, political adviser and San Antonio resident, developed it two years ago and chose Barrera of the Somerset Independent School District for its test drive. He said hes hoping to distribute it to the other elementary schools in the district next year and to expand its scope even further after that.

In marketing communication, once you have a message and you repeat it enough times, it becomes part of the psyche, Sosa said. And thats what were doing: marrying marketing expertise with scholarly teaching and the new digital world.

On Tuesday, the nonprofit was awarded a $65,500 grant from the John L. Santikos Charitable Foundation, which is managed under the San Antonio Area Foundation. The money will allow Sosa and his team to continue to modify the app so it best suits the needs of teachers, parents and students.

The app includes flashcards, matching games and songs. All the activities use positive reinforcement with characters that say things such as I can help, I will work hard and I will earn a degree. The upbeat songs are similar to those messages, with childrens voices singing I wanna be a doctor, I will go to college and I got skills.

It helps us go to college because it says words that make you feel good inside, said Wyatt Gaston, 7.

The second-grader said his particular favorite is a game where users match colleges with their mascots.

It makes you feel like you know where you want to go when you grow up, Wyatt said.

Sosa developed the app after an experience he had at Harvard University 16 years ago, when he and his class explored the difference between economically disadvantaged students who managed to go to colleges such as Harvard and others who fell behind.

They discovered, he said, that the kids who made it to college often had a mentor, or intervener, early on. That person provided positivity and leadership and connected them to the resources they needed.

The thought was What if we could implement that intervener in every school in the world? Sosa said.

So he developed the app, hoping that it could emulate that mentor or intervener for young children. To facilitate communication, it also includes push notifications that go to parents and teachers, telling them what the child is doing and providing them with questions and feedback so they can start a conversation.

Helping them to get over that hump and really change the trajectory of their family tree is what were trying to do, said John Andrade, president of the nonprofit. Because in the end that makes for a healthier city, a healthier state, even a healthier nation.

Wyatts grandmother Loy Herbert said he came home from school talking about the app, excited, and wouldnt stop singing those songs. She said it seemed to infuse the concept of going to college in Wyatts brain, making it seem like a natural course of action after high school.

Wyatt said he hopes all kids his age will get to use Yes! Our Kids Can.

It will teach them more, so they can actually know what theyre going to do in college, and have a straight-up, better education, he said.

sfosterfrau@express-news.net
AUSTIN  Gov. Greg Abbott, taking a distinct approach to hot-button Republican issues, said Tuesday that the border wall touted by President-elect Trump should avoid areas including the beautiful Big Bend National Park.

Talking with reporters ahead of the legislative session that begins in January, Abbott also was cautious about the transgender-bathroom crackdown championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, suggesting the state must define whether theres a problem before chasing a solution.

Abbott said some key issues including the transgender measure will be affected by how Trumps administration chooses to act. He also expects that people across the country will help shape the way Trump implements his campaign promise to build a huge wall on the countrys southern border at Mexicos expense to control illegal immigration.

I dont know all the detailed thought process of the Trump administration, Abbott said. What I can expect is this: I would anticipate that the Trump administration will build a wall in certain parts of the border.

Abbott said a wall would be more easily built in Arizona, New Mexico and maybe even certain regions of Texas.

But Abbott said border security can be accomplished in multiple ways  sometimes with a wall, sometimes with strategic fencing, sometimes with other tools and technology and definitely with manpower.

There are serpentine regions of the Rio Grande where it would be extremely challenging to build a wall, Abbott said. We dont want to see a wall in the beautiful Big Bend National Park.

Asked whether he expects Texas to have input on that decision, Abbott said, I think people across the United States will provide input about what the right strategies are and the right places are, about where a wall will work and where other strategies could work.

He also said he expects Trump will have good advisers who will provide a menu of strategies to ensure operational security of our border.

Trumps administration also could shape the issue of whether transgender people should be banned from using the bathrooms of the gender with which they identify, Abbott said.

The issue is one thats a top priority of Patrick, who says those whose birth certificate states they are men need to use mens bathrooms in order to protect the privacy of women.

House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, has said its not one of his legislative priorities but that other House lawmakers may feel differently.

Abbott said more information is required, and will be gathered, about the need for a transgender-bathroom bill.

This has been a concern expressed by many Texans and hence, its something that needs to be looked at. I have not seen any proposed legislation yet. And I think we are in a situation where there are more unknowns than there are knowns, Abbott said.

For example, Abbott said, action by President Barack Obamas administration was one of the precipitating factors in the transgender-bathroom battle, by virtue of a directive that schools allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.

An unknown is, is the Trump administration going to peel back what the Obama administration did? Abbott said. If so, what effect does that have on the issue?

Abbott also said the state must examine to what extent the transgender-bathroom issue is a problem; who has been endangered, how often, where, and under what circumstances; what laws already are on the books to protect people; and what modifications may be needed in those laws.

Abbotts assessment comes amid concerns by many in the business community that a transgender-bathroom law could damage the states economy by dampening travel and tourism and imperiling events such as San Antonios planned hosting of the NCAA Final Four in 2018.

As a general rule, yeah, I dont think men should be in womens bathrooms, said Abbott, who during the 2015 battle over Houstons failed ordinance to protect gay and transgender people from discrimination tweeted, No men in womens bathrooms.

Pressed on whether he would define a transgender woman as a man, Abbott reiterated of the transgender-bathroom proposal, This isnt an issue that should be determined without a full evaluation of all the information.

Among other issues Tuesday, Abbott also renewed his promise to work to ensure Texas cities, counties and campuses dont provide sanctuary to people in the country illegally. Abbott said he wants to ensure that they all follow state and federal laws, giving as an example the need for sheriffs to respond to immigration detainer requests.

Theres not a precise definition for sanctuary cities or campuses. A petition circulating to make the University of Texas at San Antonio a sanctuary campus was prompted by concerns over Trumps plans for a program that has protected young immigrants from being deported. A number of police chiefs, meanwhile, dont want their officers to focus on immigration status during routine stops.

Abbott cited the prospect of imposing consequences on officials who dont follow the law, ranging from removal from office to decreased government funding.

No governmental body  whether a state, county, city or campus  should treat laws like some big buffet that you can choose one item and ignore other items, Abbott said.

Abbott also said he supports additional tax cuts despite the states faltering revenues. The Legislature under Abbott approved property tax relief and a business tax cut in 2015.

He said Texas could have more money at its disposal if Trump pours more federal resources into border security, allowing the state to ratchet back its substantial investment. If there are changes in the way the Medicaid program is handled to give states more flexibility, that also could cut Texas costs, Abbott said.

I want to see tax cuts, said Abbott. He said his first choice is a cut of as much as I can get in the business tax. He cited a bill by Senate Finance Committee Chair Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, that would reduce the franchise tax rate by 2.5 percent a year if the comptroller certifies there is money available over the biennial revenue estimate.

Abbott said his focus also encompasses property taxes, saying he is looking at approaches including a proposal to require an automatic election to give voters veto power if cities or counties raise more than a certain amount in property tax revenue.

That idea is opposed by city and county officials who point out that school property taxes are a much bigger issue.

But lawmakers will be hard-pressed to cut school property taxes because the state would replace the revenue to school districts, and theres no big money available to do that. The state wouldnt replace money lost by cities and counties as a result of stricter rollback requirements.

pfikac@express-news.net

Twitter: @pfikac
A former Army recruiter from San Antonio has admitted he funneled dozens of assault rifles to operatives of Mexicos Gulf Cartel last year by organizing other soldiers to help him buy the weapons.

Sgt. Julian Prezas, who is facing a disciplinary discharge from the military, pleaded guilty in two separate cases Monday to a total of five counts of lying on federal firearms forms and attempting to export defense articles to Mexico.

Prezas, 36, acknowledged acquiring 42 guns  23 of which were seized and forfeited to the government during the investigation. However, a co-defendant who became an informant told agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that Prezas sold him 13 AR-15s, some 50 to 60 AK-47s and a shotgun last year.

RELATED: Video shows judge presiding over "El Chapo" case shot, killed while jogging outside of his home

That co-defendant, who was not identified in court documents, told agents he met Prezas after Prezas posted on a Facebook group he had 1,000 magazines of ammunition for sale in the Rio Grande Valley, Prezas plea deal said.

The co-defendant bought the ammunition and asked for more, court documents said. Prezas also began selling him rifles with the serial numbers obliterated  and the co-defendant told Prezas that the guns were going to Mexico, the plea deal stated.

RELATED: Shocking photos show blood-filled streets, clubs of Acapulco in 2016

During the investigation, agents used another confidential informant to buy firearms from Prezas in August 2015 and watched Prezas as he loaded five of them into his government vehicle at his recruiting station in San Antonio and drove to Pharr in the Rio Grande Valley. There he delivered the weapons to the informant, who paid him $61,000 and specifically told Prezas that the guns were going to the Gulf Cartel, according to the plea deal and other court documents.

Prezas also sent the informant pictures of body armor via text message, offering to sell each vest for $300, though it was not clear from the documents if that part of the deal went through. The ATF declined to comment on the investigation, citing pending cases.

When he was arrested in September 2015, Prezas had 17 guns he was taking to the informant and told agents he figured the firearms were going to Mexico, probably to a cartel or something, his plea deal said.

The plea agreement said that, between April 6, 2015, and Aug. 27, 2015, Prezas used co-defendants Thomas John Zamudio, Ricardo Esparza Salazar and Christopher Brown  servicemen he met in the military  to buy at least 42 guns for him.

RELATED: Cartel assassin leader arrested in Acapulco

In all the transactions, Prezas supplied Zamudio, Salazar and Brown with the money to purchase the firearms and paid them a cut for their efforts, making the trio straw buyers, the Prezas plea deal said. The three have pleaded guilty to making false statements on federal firearms forms and await sentencing.

Prezas lawyer, George Dombart, said his client is a decorated veteran who supports the right to bear arms but misunderstood regulations over the sales of guns.

Sometimes, the line gets blurred on public versus private sales, Dombart said. Once he became aware that his conduct was illegal, he accepted responsibility.

In January, Facebook announced it was banning the private sale of guns and ammunition on its site and on Instagram, which it also owns. The move was applauded by gun violence prevention groups that advocate for closing the so-called private sale loophole, which allows gun owners in most states to legally sell their guns without a background check.

But sales have continued on private groups on Facebook and the ATF notes the proliferation of social media networks has been a challenge in the fight to control illegal gun distribution.

It is an issue and has been an issue, said Crisanto Perez Jr., assistant special agent in charge of the ATF in San Antonio, speaking generally, not specifically about the Prezas case. Social media gives them a new way to (skirt) the law. Its not regulated.

Prezas and his co-defendants are not the first members of the military to be charged in such situations. A handful of cases have been scattered around the country, such as two members of Californias National Guard assigned to the armory in El Cajon, California, who were charged last year with selling ammunition and high-grade weapons to someone they believed was working for a Mexican drug cartel.

Spc. Jaime Casillas, 22, of El Cajon, California, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Reyes, 34, of La Mesa, California, reportedly wore their uniforms during at least one transaction, according to court documents. The sales were allegedly made to an undercover federal agent posing as a cartel member.

Prezas faces up to 10 years in prison on the lying charges, and up to 20 years in prison on the attempted exportation count. Sentencing is set for March 23 before U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia. Prezas co-defendants, who are no longer in the military, each face up to 10 years in prison.

gcontreras@express-news.net
Plans to improve Broadway, and another for a land bridge connecting the two halves of Hardberger Park, both survived efforts to reduce or kill their funding at a bond committee meeting Tuesday night.

Now those, and a slate of roughly five dozen streets projects, will go to City Council for consideration next month and then to voters May 6.

Streets, bridges and sidewalk projects make up one of the five categories included in the citys $850 million bond, the largest in San Antonios history. Streets is the biggest category by far, capturing $450 million of the bond, more than half of the total budget.

Citizens committees for each category have spent the last several weeks debating which projects to recommend to City Council. The parks, facilities and neighborhood improvements committees  the latter committee is dealing with affordable housing  all voted on their recommendations last week.

RELATED: See a PowerPoint presentation on the bond program here.

Underlying many of the bond discussions has been a debate over where the money would best be spent, in downtown or suburban areas, on so-called citywide projects, that city officials say have a community-wide impact, or on smaller projects that are more district-centric.

The night started with a debate over whether to support full funding of the $23 million land bridge at Hardberger Park, a large park north of Loop 410 that straddles Wurzbach Parkway and was named for the former mayor. The city has described the project as transformational, one that will draw locals and tourists, and will also address pedestrian and driver safety, the latter because animals try to cross Wurzbach Parkway and pose a danger to motorists.

A motion was made at the committees last meeting in November to take $3.75 million from the $7.5 million set aside for the land bridge and instead shift it to Ingram Road. That discussion was tabled and picked up again at Tuesday nights meeting.

Then, a committee member suggested the land bridge be removed from the streets bond package entirely and the money be split among all 10 council districts.

Oscar Rosalez, a District 6 representative, said he likes the idea of the land bridge but thinks there are more urgent street and sidewalk needs in the city.

Were going to continue growing as a city and were going to need more streets, were going to need more sidewalks, Rosalez said.

Both motions failed.

The parks citizens bond committee has already reduced funding for the Hardberger land bridge, from $7.5 million to $5.5 million. The Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy has pledged to raise $10 million in private funds for the project.

Hardberger is considered a citywide project, but some committee members raised concerns that not enough people from the West, South and East sides use the park or are aware of it.

Are they being actively cultivated to go and experience the land bridge, the Hardberger Park? asked District 5 representative Gloria Martinez, asking the city what kind of marketing can be done to attract more people from different parts of San Antonio.

Former Mayor Phil Hardberger, on hand for the vote, praised the committees decision and said the vote reflects the big picture, making San Antonio the city we want it be.

Later, District 10 representative Clayton Perry suggested cutting the $43 million that had been slated to make Broadway a complete street, so the avenue can accommodate cyclists and pedestrians, but the number of driving lanes would be reduced. Perry said the money should be redistributed to all 10 council districts.

That motion also failed.

Pat DiGiovanni, president and CEO of downtown advocacy group Centro San Antonio, said Broadway will become a showcase corridor for the city that will connect downtown to the cultural corridor to the north.

But committee member Bianca Maldonado, who supported cutting the Broadway funding, warned city staff that there is a lot of concern among residents about too much money being spent downtown.

District 7 reallocated about $10 million within the district, redirecting money to sidewalk projects on specific streets and also putting money toward Furr Drive and improvements around Thomas Jefferson High School. District 10 representatives reduced funding for a Bulverde Road project from $20 million to $17 million, with the balance of $3 million going to Thousand Oaks Drive.

District 2 members reversed course on a previous vote and decided to restore $2 million to a project along New Braunfels Avenue, which had been cut to fund a road project near Fort Sam Houston. With the restored funding, New Braunfels will now have $9 million. To fund the Fort Sam initiative, money was cut from another project at Rittiman and Gibbs Sprawl Road. Instead of doing an overpass there, the city will now only do improvements to Rittiman.

vdavila@express-news.net
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A few weeks out from a crisis  the release of almost 500 asylum seekers from South Texas detention centers within a 48-hour period  the San Antonio faith leaders who scrambled to provide food, shelter and clothing to them took a moment Monday to reflect.

More than 150 attended the Interfaith Welcome Coalition lunch to discuss whats still ahead as the federal government continues to grapple with the steady flow of Central American asylum seekers surrendering themselves at U.S. borders.

Coalition members  Presbyterians, Catholics, Methodists, Mennonites and others in a diverse range of faith communities and religious orders  referenced Jesus call to help the foreigner and vowed to continue to live that faith publicly.

Experts at the gathering also cautioned that, although the response from city officials and private citizens was vastly improved from the Central American refugee crisis of the 1980s, migrants will face significant legal hurdles. Ultimately, many will be deported without benefit of legal counsel, while immigration courts struggle to handle heavy caseloads, they said.

The Rev. John Garland of the San Antonio Mennonite Church, where the refugees landed and volunteers arrived with supplies night and day, said he has since experienced a deep-seated discomfort with the reactions he has received.

Were not heroes, he said. These families are the heroes. They are risking everything in the face of indescribable violence to save their childrens lives.

Jesus said, Treat the least of these as me, Garland said. We have to use everything we have to take care of them.

He and others promised to stay the course.

The mothers and children found haven at the Mennonite church, Travis Park United Methodist Church and Casa RAICES, a shelter run by the non-profit Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services.

Some stayed a few hours, some for a day or more as they prepared to travel to family across the country. Mothers were fitted with ankle monitors and assigned court dates to appear before immigration authorities.

Lee Teran, director of St. Marys Universitys Immigration and Human Rights Clinic, said while the publics response has changed, the government has been consistent in refusing to recognize Central Americans as refugees. Instead, theyve been handled as national security risks, she said.

Social justice activists and immigration attorneys have criticized detention of Central American asylum seekers as a tactic to deter others from heading north.

Women and children have been housed in contractor-run detention centers in Dilley and Karnes City. Men have been sent to a facility in Pearsall.

Teran said some mothers and children never make it as far as San Antonio and are deported without legal representation. No refugee can manage the complicated legal procedure without an immigration lawyer, she said, and while there far more now than in the 1980s, they are not enough to represent all asylum seekers.

That was reiterated by attorney Jonathan Ryan, executive director of RAICES. The work doesnt stop with this crisis, he said.

He recalled the leadership of the Interfaith Welcome Coalitions leading founder, the late Rev. Kelly Allen of University Presbyterian Church. I miss Kelly, he said. But she would be so proud.

Ryan also presented the coalitions inaugural Kelly Allen Community Service Award to Sister Denise LaRock of the Daughters of Charity for her work on behalf of refugees and immigrants.

LaRock described the San Antonio communitys response to the crisis as a miracle.

This was our posada, the most powerful Ive ever experienced, she said, referring to annual Mexican re-enactments of the Holy Familys pilgrimage to Bethlehem.

eayala@express-news.net

Twitter: @ElaineAyala
WASHINGTON  Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who famously forgot he wanted to abolish the Energy Department, was hailed Tuesday by conservatives and industry groups as President-elect Donald Trumps pick to lead the $28 billion agency on the cutting edge of energy research and nuclear security.

Democrats and environmental groups, meanwhile, chafed at what they see as an oil industry champion who, though a longtime governor, brings little technical expertise to the debates on climate change  which he questions  and the departments core mission of securing nuclear stockpiles, including the nations nuclear weapons.

Although the nomination remains unofficial, industry sources and Texas Republicans close to the transition team made clear Tuesday that they expect Trump to nominate Perry, who presided over a Texas oil and gas boom in his 15 years as governor.

Even as the president-elects team in Trump Tower held off on a formal announcement  a pattern that has held up for several of Trumps cabinet picks  his aides laid out the case for Perry, if not for his plan to dismantle the agency.

Were big fans of Governor Perry as somebody who did a fantastic job with the state of Texas, said Trump spokesman Jason Miller. As you talk about Texas economic revival, a lot of that had to do with the energy sector.

But Miller and other Trump aides steered clear of Perrys outspoken aim to abolish the Department of Energy, which some conservatives see as a relic of the Carter administration and the 1970s Arab oil embargo.

Its (Trumps) agenda thats being implemented, said Trump spokesman Sean Spicer, not somebody elses.

Obviously, we talk about streamlining and reducing the size of government, Miller said. There are a number of approaches and ideas that (will) come forward after the president-elect is sworn in.

If confirmed by the Senate, Perrys Energy Department will be expected to take a sharp turn toward traditional forms of fossil fuel extraction, in contrast to the Obama administration under current Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, a nuclear physicist. It would also represent a break from the academic slant of the department under Obama. Monizs predecessor, Steven Chu, was a Nobel laureate who directed the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

Tom Smith, Texas director of Public Citizen, which opposed Perry on a number of ethics and environmental issues while he was governor, worries about what he sees and an infusion of donor-driven politics in the department.

Perry has never been the brightest bulb in the chandelier, and hes generally been short on details and long on retail politics, Smith said. We fear he will bring those same things to the Department of Energy.

The cabinet-level agency Perry is slated to head is called the Energy Department. But its portfolio is far broader, with missions to oversee the nations nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production and storage of atomic wastes. The department also manages 17 national laboratories.

One of agencys facilities is the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, the nations only site where nuclear weapons are assembled and where about 300 weapons are disassembled yearly.

The appointment would mark a reversal of political fortunes for Perry, Texas' longest-serving governor, who twice has ran unsuccessfully for president. Before dropping out of the presidential race earlier this year to back Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Perry had denounced Trump as a cancer on conservatism and a barking carnival act.

But Perry, unlike Cruz, came on board the Trump campaign at the Republican National Convention in July, when he first publicly expressed interest in an administration post. At various times he has been seen as a candidate for defense secretary or head of Veterans Affairs, based on his background as an Air Force pilot.

Weighing on Perrys side, a number of Texas Republicans and energy groups praised Perrys experience in oil-rich Texas. Some argue that while he has questioned the scientific consensus on global climate change, he does not deny that it is real. Perry also launched ambitious wind power projects as governor.

Perry possess a very strong energy background and has a track record of proven executive leadership, said Texas U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, a former Texas A&M classmate who worked on Perrys 2016 presidential bid.

Gov. Greg Abbott, who succeed Perry, applauded the Texas stamp on the Trump administration that will be brought by Perry and ExxonMobil Chief Rex Tillerson, Trumps pick for secretary of state. They carry values that Texans think are important - less regulation, more opportunity, he said.

To Perrys critics, his selection to head the Energy Department recalls his 2011 presidential debate gaffe, when he was unable to name it as one of three of the government agencies he proposed to eliminate. The failure became known as his oops moment, which, like his turn on Dancing with the Stars, will likely be brought up by political opponents who say he is not up to the job.

Rick Perry might be uniquely unqualified to run the Department of Energy, said Benjamin Schreiber, climate and energy director for Friends of the Earth, one of several activist groups that plan to oppose his nomination.

The Democratic National Committee urged the Senate to reject Perrys nomination, noting that it could be a setback for solar and wind energy, conservation programs, and the implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal, in which Moniz played a leading role, and which Trump ardently opposes.

But some say Perry could be a moderating force in the Trump administration. Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, energy secretary in the Clinton administration, described Perry as a sensible choice compared to some of the other cabinet appointees. You need a big political presence and somebody with a megaphone in that department because of all the missions and its vast, sprawling bureaucracies.

Richardson knows Perry well: He was governor for eight years while Perry was governor of Texas. Like Perry, Richardson ran for his partys presidential nomination, losing out in 2008 when Barack Obama won the White House.

While praising Perry as a compromiser and dealmaker, Richardson said in an interview he worries about the former Texas governors ties to the oil and gas industry and his penchant for disparaging climate scientists.

Richardson said Perry could swiftly boost his standing at the Energy Department by pushing back against Trump transition team members' requests for details from federal agencies on employees involved in climate research. The Energy Department has refused thus far to comply.

He should just stop that in its tracks, Richardson said. This sounds to me like a witch hunt that is going to raise havoc with the nonpolitical bureaucracy at DOE that Rick is going to need to run that department.

Perry also would inherit the decades-long problem of storing highly radioactive nuclear waste from reactors, 70,000 tons of which have accumulated over the years at the sites of 99 operating nuclear reactors and those decommissioned.

Nevadas Yucca Mountain has been favored for decades by the nuclear industry, and by 1998 the government was to have begun storing spent fuel 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas under legislation passed by Congress 11 years earlier.

But the storage has remained blocked amid dozens of studies, ongoing litigation and staunch opposition from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who is retiring.

Trump has yet to take a public position on Yucca Mountain, telling an audience in battleground Nevada just before the election that he is going to take a look at it. His business-friendly administration will be pressed by the nuclear industry to revive the project.

At the same time, many supporters of Yucca Mountain storage are pushing to establish a temporary site for spent fuel storage like the one proposed in Andrews County, Texas.

As governor, Perry pressed to win support for high-level nuclear waste storage in West Texas, writing in a 2014 letter to then Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Speaker Joe Straus that it is time for Texas to act, particularly since New Mexico is seeking to be federally designated for high level waste disposal.

Austin Bureau Staff Writer Mike Ward contributed to this story.
WASHINGTON  The drill, baby, drill policies championed by Republicans eight years ago gained new momentum Tuesday with the announcement that Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson was President-elect Donald Trumps nominee for Secretary of State and reports that former Governor Rick Perry his Energy Secretary.

The symbolism of naming one of Texas consumate oil men in Tillerson and one of the industrys most ardent champions in Perry drew cheers across the Texas oil industry.

James Baker III, a former Secretary of State under former President George H.W. Bush who now advises oil companies through his Houston law firm Baker Botts, praised Tillersons intellect and knowledge of global affairs.

As CEO of one of the worlds largest and best-run companies, he has demonstrated the management and negotiating skills, and has the international experience, that are required in the job, he said in a statement.

Over the past eight years, the oil and gas industry has increasingly clashed with President Obama over regulations designed to reduce the risk of water pollution from hydraulic fracturing and limit the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change.

On the campaign trail, Trump promised to do away with what he described as overly burdensome regulatory environment. And in Tillerson and Perry he has seemed to found two willing partners to help him affect change.

The Exxon CEO has acknowledged man-made climate change and put his companys support behind the Paris agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which close to 200 world leaders agreed to last year. But at the same time Tillerson has questioned the economic ramifications of shifting away from fossil fuels when they provide such an outsized portion of the worlds energy.

Environmental groups are already expressing wariness as to the future of climate change regulation in the United States.

ExxonMobil has long opposed action to slow climate change. While the company has recently acknowledged the human role in climate change and declared support for the Paris Agreement, Tillerson would need to go much further, said Andrew Steer, President of World Resources Institute.

For oil and gas drillers across the Eagle Ford and Permian Basin shale fields that have struggled during through historic lows in crude prices since 2014, a Tillerson and Perry cabinet seemed to affirm hopes that Trump would carry through with his promise to reduce regulation and open up drilling on federal lands.

On Tuesday Ryan Sitton, a Texas Railroad Commissioner and frequent critic of the EPA, forecasted expeditious approval for pipeline projects and trade deals benefitting the oil and gas industry.

Rex Tillerson and Gov. Rick Perry are universally known in the energy industry and both understand the importance of oil and gas to Texas economy, he said.

Over a more than 40-year career at Exxon, Tillerson has been the prototypical Texas oil man, traveling the world in search of crude while defending his industry when it fell within the gun sights of politicians and the media.

When oil prices were skyrocketing in 2008 he appeared on the Today show to explain the vagaries of the international oil markets. Three years later, he appeared before the Senate Finance Committee to respond to Democrats push to increase taxes on U.S. oil companies.

As other CEOs got into testy exchanges with senators over their outsized profits, Tillerson kept his cool, explaining, We understand the enormous challenges facing the American people.

His long resume  replete with long stints running Exxon operations in Yemen and Russia  is already drawing scrutiny from Senate Republicans whose support Tillerson will need to win confirmation.

Some of this is associated with Wikileaks, but there are concerns that far predate the election, said Joe Barnes, a former diplomat with the State Department and now a fellow at Rice Universitys Baker Institute. There will also be lots of questions about conflict of interest but I think [Tillerson] can manage them. Hes a good sturdy effective speaker and obviously a very, very intelligent man.

Tillersons relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin  who in 2013 awarded Tillerson one of Russias highest honors for foreigners, the Order of Friendship  is of particular interest. Tillerson has also been critical of U.S. sanctions against Russia, which were enacted after Putin sent troops into the Ukraine in 2014. That halted Exxon plans to drill in the Russian Arctic through a partnership with state-owned Rosneft, a deal that promised to create a steady supply of oil and gas for decades to come.

Being a friend of Vladimir is not an attribute I am hoping for from a #Secretary of State Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, tweeted Monday.

Already Texas politicians in Washington were rallying around Tillerson, as are former Secretaries of State including Bob Gates and Condoleezza Rice.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn, the Senate Majority Whip, said he was looking forward to supporting Tillersons nomination.

His experience will be critical as the next Secretary of State will face a broad array of diplomatic challenges that will define the security and success of our nation for generations. A lifelong Texan, Ive long valued Rexs insight, Cornyn said in a statement.
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A hotly contested plan to build a low-income apartment complex in Ingram Hills passed through Planning Commission for a second time after the city overturned a previous approval in October due to administrative error.

The commission voted 7-3 to change the Ingram Hills neighborhood plan to allow for the 288-unit complex despite concerns that it will create overcrowding, lower property values and set a precedent for other neighborhood plans to be changed at a time when San Antonio is growing fast.

City Councilman Cris Medina, whose district includes Ingram Hills, asked the commission to postpone a vote on the complex until January, but a motion to delay failed after the commission deadlocked on a vote of 5-5.

On Oct. 26, the commission approved local developer Mike Hogans proposal to build the complex, named Majestic Ranch, on a vote of 5-3. Security was called to that meeting after it devolved into a shouting match between Hogan and residents of Ingram Hills.

The city voided the previous approval after realizing that not everyone living within 200 yards of the proposed project was notified of the Oct. 26 meeting, city spokeswoman Ximena Copa-Wiggins said. City staff had trouble finding an owner of one of the properties, she said.

There was not a change in the project, or we found Indian bones that made things change  there was an administrative error, said commission member Marcello Martinez before voting to approve the complex. He added, High density housing is a better use of land  Heres a case where we have infrastructure in place and we can fit in a lot more people.

The Planning Commission has been overhauled since the Oct. 26 meeting. City Council appointed five new members earlier this month despite the concerns of City Councilman Roberto Trevino and others that the commission doesnt give neighborhoods enough representation.

I really thought they were going to table it into next year. Im really disappointed, said Mike Phillips, president of the Ingram Hills Neighborhood Association.

Ken Brown, a local attorney representing Hogan, argued that the apartment complex will provide a transition between the commercial- and industrial-zoned properties on Callaghan Road and the single-family residences in Ingram Hills. The 13-acre propertys current zoning for commercial and office space would allow more intense uses than the apartment complex, he said.

But some commission members pointed out that the complex is staunchly opposed by the Ingram Hills Neighborhood Association and violates the neighborhood plan that the association drew up in collaboration with City Council in 2009.

There is room for all kinds of housing in San Antonio. We have a lot of ways to grow in all directions, commission member Mary Rogers said. Ingram Hills residents dont want to change, and I dont see why we have to do it.

Hogan, a 40-year veteran of the local real estate industry and frequent city campaign donor, declined a request for comment after the meeting. Hes applying for $14 million in federal low-income housing tax credits to build the complex, which would limit it to renters making at or below 60 percent of the local median wage and would set rent for a three-bedroom at about $899 a month. That would limit renters at Majestic Ranch to those making less than $38,400 a year, according to income estimates from the U.S. Housing Department.

Relations between Hogan and Ingram Hills residents have calmed down since the October meeting, according Phillips. But they have been unable to reach a compromise, even after meeting several times.

Ingram Hills residents would support the complex if Hogan builds a strip of single-family homes along Majestic Drive to serve as a buffer between the apartments and the rest of the neighborhood, Phillips said.

We hope that the developer will come back with a reasonable plan that includes a buffer of residential houses, he said. Were willing to hear other options  a bigger setback or something along the residential streets  but our position is that we want single-family houses.

But devoting that space to single-family homes would make the entire complex financially unfeasible, Brown said in an interview. Hogan has proposed two compromises, he said: to build two-story duplexes on Majestic Drive, or a berm and a line of trees blocking the complex from sight.

We cant do single-family lots. Thats not our product, and it takes out a significant number of units so we cant get the funding, Brown said.

Brown and Phillips both said they were open to compromise but didnt seem confident that one would be reached.

They claimed it wouldnt work, but we dont believe that, Phillips said, referring to the neighborhoods request for a buffer of single-family houses. We believe he wants the whole enchilada and doesnt want to compromise.

The proposed complex also requires approval from the city Zoning Commission, which is expected to vote on the complex Jan. 17. After that, it will be subject to approval by City Council.

Phillips said he isnt sure whether the neighborhood association will have better luck in front of the Zoning Commission or City Council. He said that Councilman Medina told him he would oppose the project if the neighborhood decides in the end to oppose it; Medina didnt respond to requests for comment.

Im just hoping that this will put some pressure on the developer to negotiate a deal that gives some kind of a buffer, he said. Well just have to see.

rwebner@express-news.net

@rwebner
Farmers are being urged by the industry to take extra care this winter and to stay safe and well on farm.

Despite a drop in fatalities last year compared to the five year average, there have been a number of incidents reported in the past few weeks.

These include a farmer in north Wales who lost his life after falling through a fragile roof - falls from height accounted for 14% of fatalities over past 10 years.

A person died after his vehicle came into contact with an overhead power line  incidents involving transport account for 29% of fatalities in the past 10 years and contact with electricity 3%.

And a man in his 60s died after falling into a silo at a farm in Devon.

NFU Vice President Guy Smith said he wanted to stress the importance of keeping vigilant when it comes to preventing life-threatening accidents during the winter months.

The last thing any of us want to hear about, particularly over Christmas, is a farming fatality, a grieving family and a community in shock, said Mr Smith.

Figures for deaths on farm dropped to 29 last year but that downward trend hasnt been maintained and its likely itll rise to nearer the average of 37 for 2016/17. Thats why we are continuing to support the farm safety campaign and educate farmers to stay safe on the farm.

Mr Smith concluded: As winter closes in farmers just need to be mindful of working alone and doing jobs around the farm in adverse weather conditions. There needs to be an element of common sense and safety involved in all decisions  because Im in a hurry is not a good enough reason. Instead just ask yourself Who would fill your boots? if something serious were to happen to you.
Brexit presents a chance for Scotland to follow a 'science led policy' approach to farming but time is short, according to a professor at Moredun Institute.

Professor Julie Fitzpatrick, the scientific director at the animal health and welfare institute said a Scottish perspective must be put in front of the UK as the policies are being written.

"I have been at meetings recently in London where it is clear agricultural strategy is being written and it will be interesting to see how much discussion there is round that," Prof Fitzpatrick said.

"This is an opportunity like no other before to show how science led policy decision making takes place, not policy led science. It has been the wrong way round in the past. We would like to see health and welfare, low carbon economies and precision farming being in some way wound back into subsidy payments."

'Everyone looked at the downside'

Prof Fitzpatrick said in the past 'it was about pillar one and pillar two subsidy payments', but now she urged Scotland to take into account sustainable production methods.

"That would mean you were in receipt of subsidies for doing farming better, so it might be litres of milk per unit of nitrogen applied to pasture or the number of beef calves reared per 100 suckler cows.

"When Brexit happened everyone looked at the downside, but a more focused agricultural policy on the needs of UK farmers is an attractive one. There are differences between Scotland and the rest of the UK, but wouldnt it be fantastic if you got a really good UK strategy and then within that you had the capacity to make regional ad geographical priorities and that might help ease farmers eventually on a trajectory where there is less reliance on subsidies and more reliance on farm productivity and profitability."
British scientists have created a synthetic molecule that when applied to crops, has been shown to increase the size and starch content of wheat grains in the lab by up to 20 per cent.

Scientists believe that this discovery can lead to people radically altering how they farm, not just wheat, but many different crops.

By now developing new chemical methods based on an understanding of biology, the researchers suggest that farmers can secure food sources for the future.

The new plant application,' developed by Rothamsted Research and Oxford University, could help to solve the issue of increasing food insecurity across the globe; 795 million people are undernourished and this years El Nino has shown how vulnerable many countries are to climate-induced drought.

The application, based on controlling naturally-occurring sugars, also increases crop resilience to drought

The results of the study were published today in Nature, which details the method based on using synthetic precursors of the sugar trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P); a first-of-its-kind strategy that used chemistry to modify how sugars are used by plants.

Rothamsted Research identified this naturally occurring sugar as being crucial in controlling how wheat uses sucrose, the main fuel generated by photosynthesis. Sucrose is key to the development of wheat grains. They identified that the more T6P that is available to wheat grains as they grow, the greater the yield.

Utilising the chemical expertise of Oxford Universitys Chemical Research Laboratory, a modified version of T6P that could be taken up by the plant and then released within the plant in sunlight was developed. This T6P precursor was added to a solution and then sprayed onto the plants, causing a pulse of T6P, which resulted in more sucrose being drawn into the grain to make starch. When tested in the lab, under controlled environmental conditions, this approach resulted in an increase in wheat grain size and yield of up to 20 per cent.

The study also demonstrated that application of the precursor molecule could enhance plants ability to recover from drought, which could ultimately help farmers to overcome difficult seasons more easily in the future.

'Radically alter how we farm'

Professor Ben Davis, Department of Chemistry, Oxford University said: The tests we conducted in the lab show real promise for a technique that, in the future, could radically alter how we farm not just wheat but many different crops.

The Green Revolution in the 20th century was a period where more resilient, high-yield wheat varieties were created, an innovation that has been claimed to have helped save one billion lives. By now developing new chemical methods based on an understanding of biology, we can secure our food sources and add to this legacy. That way we can make sure as many people have access to enough food as possible and that the less fortunate can be rescued from unexpected hardship.

The method has potential to increase yields across a wide number of crops, as T6P is present and performs the same function in all plants and crops.

Dr Matthew Paul, Senior Scientist - Plant Biology and Crop Science, Rothamsted Research, adds: This study is a proof of concept, showing us that it is possible to influence how plants use the fuel they produce for agricultural benefit, both in terms of yield and also resilience to drier conditions.

The next stage of work is to replicate this experiment as much as possible in the field in different environments, for which well need to understand how to scale up production of the T6P precursor and determine the effect that more variable conditions may have on results.

Wheat plants were grown until each plant flowered, after which varying concentrations of T6P solution (between 0.1, and 10 mM) were added to different plants to assess the effect each concentration had on growth. The wheat was then sprayed with the solutions either on the ears or the whole plant at intervals of 5 days after the plants first flowered, with just one application sufficient to increase yield. The plants were then harvested once ripe, with the grains weighed and analysed for amount of starch and protein present.

To test the responses to drought conditions, the plants were grown until just before the wheat plant developed its stem; it was then deprived of water for ten days, with T6P solutions being added on the 9th of these days. Plants were harvested after re-watering to assess biomass recovery after the drought period.
Thanks to dwindling commodity prices during 2015, Georgia farmers produce and livestock were worth about $151 million less in 2015 than they were the previous year.



However, even with the dip in production value, agriculture remained the most valuable industry in the state.



The University of Georgias 2015 Georgia Farm Gate Value Report, which was released this week, provides each countys agricultural acreage and the value of farmers agricultural production. The UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development compiles the previous years complete sales and production numbers, which provides the most in-depth glimpse of Georgia agriculture available.



We collect data for more than 80 commodities, and we collect data at the county level, said Karen Stubbs, an analyst for the center and the reports editor. Reporting at the county level is important because it helps us get a handle on both the big and small picture of whats happening in Georgia agriculture.



While the U.S. Department of Agriculture keeps an encyclopedia of statistics on agriculture throughout the nation, no other report drills down to capture information on less pervasive or new commodities, like sheep and barley.



The report is a testament to just how diverse the agricultural sector is, Stubbs said.



While broilers are perennially the largest portion of the states overall farm gate value, they only make up about 32 percent of the total. The rest of the listed commodities take up between 1 and 7 percent of the $13.84 billion total.



Having all of the production numbers at the state and local levels is important because it allows officials to access the economic impact of agriculture in each county and across Georgia.



Results



Last year, row crops and livestock really saw a decrease, but poultry and eggs, which are always the largest portion of the states farm gate value, stayed the same, Stubbs said.



The value of the states broiler crop dipped very, very slightly, by about 0.025 percent, while the value of the states egg crop increased by about 14 percent.



Vegetables and ornamental horticulture crops also increased in value during 2015, by 7 percent and 29.7 percent, respectively.



The value of other Georgia commodities fell in response to low commodity prices nationally, meaning farmers planted fewer acres of low-priced crops and got paid a lower price for the crops they did plant. Cotton, Georgias most abundant row crop, fell in value by 26 percent. Despite increases in the value of the states peanut and soybean crops, the decrease in cotton helped fuel a nearly 9 percent drop in the value of the states row crops.



The value of beef and the states livestock fell by about 14 percent; agritourism receipts were down nearly 30 percent; and the value of Georgias fruit and nut crops fell by 8.5 percent.

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Where to eat and drink in the Fayetteville area this weekend
Mahmoud Thiam via YouTubeThe former Minister of Mines and Geology of the West African country of Guinea was arrested and charged Tuesday with laundering $8.5 million in bribes he allegedly took from a Chinese conglomerate in exchange for mining rights.

Mahmoud Thiam, 50, a U.S. citizen living in New York City, was charged with two counts of money laundering.

Thiam was arrested Tuesday morning. He appeared in the afternoon before a federal magistrate judge in New York.

Thiam was Guineas minister of mines from early 2009 until late 2010. Hes also a former UBS banker.

The DOJ alleged that in 2009 he went to Hong Kong and opened a bank account there to launder bribe money.

He allegedly used some of the money to buy a $3.75 million property in Dutchess County, New York and to pay for private schools for his children, according to the complaint.

Last month Thiam told Bloomberg in a phone interview that he had been offered a bribe by global mining giant Rio Tinto.

Thiam said Steven Din, formerly head of Rio Tintos Guinea operation, offered the bribe in early 2010 to win back control of half of the undeveloped Simandou project.

Bloomberg said Din was attempting to regain control of the blocks from billionaire investor Beny Steinmetzs BSG Resources.

Din and Rio Tinto denied the allegations.

But Rio Tinto said in a U.S. securities filing in November that it suspended the chief executive of its energy and minerals division while it investigates more than $10.5 million paid to a consultant for the Simandou project.

This week BSG Resources sent a letter to Rio Tinto demanding damages for causing BSGR to lose the Simandou mining rights.

The letter referred to the Bloomberg story about Thiam.

BSGR said its damages could amount to billions of dollars.

In 2014, a French citizen who used to work for BSGR was sentenced to two years in prison for obstructing a U.S. investigation into bribery allegations involving Simandou.

Frederic Cilins pleaded guilty in federal court in New York.

He tried to obstruct an ongoing grand jury investigation into potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and money laundering laws.

Cilins was heard in recorded phone calls and meetings agreeing to bribe Mamadie Toure, a widow of former Guinea President Lansana Conte, so she would give him documents to be destroyed.

The DOJ said the documents included a contract stipulating that $2 million was to be transferred to Toures company. The contract also gave her five percent of the ownership in the mining concession areas in Guinea, the DOJ said.

BSGR has always denied any wrongdoing.

Tuesdays complaint alleged that in 2009 and 2010, Thiam laundered $8.5 million in bribes he received from senior representatives of the Chinese conglomerate.

The DOJ didnt name the Chinese company.

The DOJ said,

In exchange for the bribes, Thiam allegedly used his official position in the Guinean government to enable affiliates of the Chinese conglomerate to obtain exclusive and highly-valuable investment rights in a wide range of sectors of the Guinean economy, including near total control of Guineas valuable mining sector.

To move the bribes, the DOJ said, Thiam allegedly lied to U.S. banks so they wouldnt know he was a foreign official or where the money came from.

Money laundering is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

___

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.
Russias most important anti-corruption activist said hell run for the countrys presidency in 2018.

Alexei Navalny, 40, leads the opposition Party of Progress.

He announced his candidacy in a video Tuesday.

Navalny has called current Russian President Vladimir Putin the Tsar of corruption. He labelled Putins ruling United Russia party the party of crooks and thieves.

Last month Russias Supreme Court lifted a ban that prevented Navalny from running for office.

The ban was based on a 2013 conviction for embezzlement from a state-owned timber company.

The judge sentenced him to five years in prison but suspended the jail time.

Western countries condemned his prosecution as politically motivated.

Before being banned from politics, Navlany ran for mayor of Moscow in 2013. He lost to the incumbent, Sergei Sobyanin, a Putin crony. Navalnys strong showing with nearly 30 percent of the vote surprised the Kremlin.

Navalny trained as a lawyer. In 2010, he published what he said was evidence of a $4 billion fraud at Transneft, a state-owned firm with a monopoly on transporting oil produced in Russia.

The Supreme Court ruled last month Navalnys embezzlement trial was unfair.

Prosecutors could retry him. If convicted, hell face another political ban.

Navalny led mass protests in December 2011 against parliamentary elections he said were rigged. He also led protests in Moscow after Putins re-election in March 2012.

Putin hasnt said if hell run again in 2018.

* * *

Heres Navalnys video announcement in Russian. Go to settings, subtitles, and pick your language.

___

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.
'The Lodge' has been renewed for a second series.

The Lodge cast

The popular Disney Channel show - which follows a 15-year-old girl who leaves her life in the city to look after the family's country lodge - will begin filming for a second season in early 2017 in Northern Ireland.

David Levine, Vice President, Programming, Production and Strategic Development, Disney Channels EMEA and General Manager at Disney Channels UK & Ireland said: "We know we have something special in The Lodge. We have an exceptionally talented cast, chart worthy music, a glorious setting, fantastic story and great production partners, all of which have come together to create something just a little bit different. The reception to the show in the UK has been outstanding and we are excited to see how our audiences across EMEA respond as it continues to roll out across our remaining territories."

Whilst Steven Andrew, Executive Producer on The Lodge, added: "We are excited to be back on board and returning to Northern Ireland for another series of The Lodge. We'll get to know our characters even better, there will be more surprises, fantastic music, action and of course lots of drama."

The second season will see the cast face new challenges and work together to solve a brand new mystery. And music will once again play a huge role in the new episodes, with the series expected to feature 12 original songs and upbeat choreography.

Raymond Lau from Zodiak Kids Studios will return to produce the 15 episodes, whilst Steven Andrew will be executive producer and Lee Walters will continue as head writer.

'The Lodge' has been exceptionally well received by fans in the UK since it was launched in September. It was the highest rated series premiere on Disney Channel in the last four years as well as the biggest telecast of 2016 for tween girls aged 8 to 12 across UK children's channels. 'The Lodge' - which also premiered in Canada at the same time - was shown in the US and the series will be available in more than 100 countries by the end of the year.
Duchess Catherine will still "play a part" in her sister's wedding.

Duchess Catherine

The 34-year-old royal - who is married to Prince William has reportedly decided not to be a bridesmaid or maid of honour when Pippa Middleton ties the knot with James Matthews next May because she doesn't want to upstage the bride, but insiders insist that doesn't mean she will be stepping back from proceedings altogether.

A source told Britain's HELLO! magazine: "There have been ludicrous reports suggesting that Catherine is barred from the wedding - nothing could be further from the truth.

"It is ridiculous to suggest she will not play a part in the day."

However, the duchess will be represented in the bridal party by her children, as Princess Charlotte, 19 months, is expected to be a flower girl and three-year-old Prince George will be a page boy.

It has been reported Pippa and James will marry on May 20 next year, but there is no "particular significance" to the date they have chosen.

A source said: "There is no particular significance with 20 May - it is just the date they have decided on."

The couple will marry at St. Mark's church in Englefield, before a reception in the grounds of Pippa's parents home in nearby Bucklebury.

And the party planner chose the venue because it is both pretty and discreet.

The source said: "Pippa is a traditional girl and wanted to marry close to home.

"They appreciate that there will be significant interest with the wedding but want to keep it as private as possible.

"After the service, guests will head to the Middleton home for a reception."
Sarah Ferguson has praised her "incredible, humble" daughters.

Sarah Ferguson and her daughters

The Duchess of York is very proud of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie - whose father is her ex-husband Prince Andrew - and is delighted they have joined her in becoming patrons of the Teenage Cancer Trust.

She said: "The Duke and I couldn't be more proud of this moment.

"Their actions show their commitment and dedication to their grandmother and their country.

"It's so great to see them shining and I'm very, very proud.

"I think they're the most humble people I know in my life and the Duke and I are lucky as parents to have these incredible, humble children."

Beatrice, 28, who joined her mother and 26-year-old sister to visit TCT's specialist unit at London's University College Hospital recently, was pleased to follow in the duchess' footsteps and "do this as a family".

She told Britain's HELLO! magazine: "It's about supporting young people and making sure we recognise that teenagers have to go through so much - and then you add cancer on top of that."

The princesses quickly bonded with the patients they met on their visit.

Eugenie talked about her university days with 20-year-old student Elias Taylor.

She said: "He went to Birmingham and lived in a house with four boys, and I went to Newcastle and shared with seven girls. We have a similar path.

"And we were talking about the holidays we've been on.

"To be among these young people is amazing. They're all so strong."

Elias, who has leukaemia, was impressed by the royal visitors.

He said: "I didn't feel like I was talking to royalty. It was just nice having a good rapport with her. She was telling me about her nightlife while she was at Newcastle."
Lionel Blair has "always" lied about his age.

Lionel Blair

The British actor has admitted he has been pretending to be three years younger than he actually is for his entire life, but has finally decided to come clean about how old he is whilst celebrating his 88th birthday this week.

Speaking on 'Loose Women' on Wednesday (14.12.16) about how many years he has racked up, the 'A Hard Day's Night' star - whose birthday is on December 12 - said: "I've always lied about my age but not now!"

However, the veteran performer has revealed despite telling a little white lie about his age, his hair is real and all his own.

He said: "It's all my own. That's what kills people."

During today's programme, Lionel was presented with a birthday cake with a miniature figurine, which resembled the star, wearing a suit and top hat perched on the edge of the tasty treat.

Lionel has revealed he would like nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of fellow actor Kirk Douglas, who hit a major milestone of 100 years old last week.

He said: "I want to live to as long as Kirk Douglas!"

And the star has hinted his hectic lifestyle and heavy work schedule is the secret to keeping him feeling young and, although he he hasn't been offered many acting roles lately, he believes he will be inundated with work commitments in the New Year.

He said: "I am booked up through January. I've got to keep working. The phone doesn't always go. I'm just back from India."

Lionel has recently returned from India where he filmed the forthcoming series of the 'Real Exotic marigold Hotel', which was inspired on the 2011 film featuring Dame Judi Dench, alongside Amanda Barrie, Dennis Taylor, Rustie Lee, Doctor Miriam Stoppard, Bill Oddie, Sheila Ferguson and actor Paul Nicholas.
Koffee with Ranbir@vastu. Saving the champagne for tomorrow @neetu54 A photo posted by Gauri Khan (@gaurikhan) on Dec 13, 2016 at 6:26am PST

Charming#warm#wonderful@vastu #redrajiv#collaborations A photo posted by Gauri Khan (@gaurikhan) on Dec 13, 2016 at 7:27am PST

The first photos of Ranbir Khan's new home, which has been in the making for the last two years, made its way to Instagram last evening. Gauri Khan who has done up the interiors of the home posted a photo of her and Kapoor lounging in the living area of the spanking new apartment located in the hip Pali Hill area of suburban Mumbai.



Going by the photo, Kapoor's new home combines urban sophistication with bachelor attitude.



Earlier on, the actor's father Rishi Kapoor had taken to social media to express his delight on the way Gauri has done up Ranbir's home.
DALLAS  Porfolio was named one of the 2017 Best Companies to Work for in Texas, an awards program created in 2006 and is a project of Texas Monthly, the Texas Association of Business (TAB), and Texas SHRM and Best Companies Group.

This was the first time Portfolio has entered the competition, which is designed to recognized and honor the best places of employment in Texas, benefiting the state economy, workforce and business. The F&I product provider is one of 100 companies that made the 2017 list.

Our Dallas office is vital to our company and our clients, being responsible for vehicle service contract administration and many facets of reinsurance company administration for our dealer clients. Our Dallas team is at the core of Portfolios brand promise, said President and CEO Brent Griggs. This award shows that our Dallas employees are not only 100% engaged in our mission, but are enthusiastic about the opportunity to accomplish their important duties for all our stakeholders. They deserve every bit of the support we give them with our policies and practices.

To be considered for the list, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:

Have at least 15 employee working in Texas

Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business or government entity

Be a publicly or privately held busines

Have a facility in the state of Texas

Be in business a minimum of one year

Companies from across the state entered the competitions two-part survey process. The first part, which made up approximately 25% of the total evaluation, consisted of evaluating each nominated companys workplace policies, systems, philosophies, practices, and demographics. The second part, which made up 75% of the total evaluation, consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking.

Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Texas. It also analyzed the data and used its expertise to determine the final ranking.

The list of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in Texas and how they rank will be revealed for the first time at the TABs dinner and celebration on March 23 at the Sheraton Austin in Austin, Texas. The winners will also be profiled by Texas Monthly in a special publication that will be released in conjunction with the event.
The Bangladesh government has launched a new project titled Promoting Social Dialogue and Harmonious Industrial Relations to improve workplace relations in the readymade garment (RMG) sector. The programme will enhance dialogue between the government, employers and workers and will also help in preventing and solving disputes and increase productivity.

The project is funded by Sweden and Denmark governments and implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh, employers, and trade unions. The initiative to strengthen conciliation and arbitration mechanisms will continue till March 2021.

With its focus on strengthening social dialogue and constructive dispute resolution, this project provides a defining opportunity for Bangladesh to achieve its social and economic transformation goals, through partnership and inclusion, said ILO director-general Guy Ryder at the launch.

A key focus of the project will be on enhancing the grievance handling capacity, procedures and mechanisms of the department of labour (DoL), Bangladesh. This will include specialised training for 15-20 DoL officials to create a national pool of conciliators. An independent pool of arbitrators will also be established. In addition, Workers Resource Centres will be established to support capacity building for unions and to help them deal with dispute situations.

Bangladesh government is fully committed to fostering better workplace relations. This important project, through its core focus on improving industrial relations through social dialogue, will benefit every industry across Bangladesh, said Md Mujibul Haque, minister of labour and employment.

The project will be initially piloted in the RMG sector, with gradual scaling up within the sector. However, the impact of the project and particularly that of the dispute resolution mechanism will cover all other sectors. Through the project, improved dialogue will be fostered between trade unions and employers in at least 150 unionised enterprises. This will be achieved by developing social dialogue skills and expertise of both managers and union representatives. Workplace cooperation mechanisms and capacity of unions and employers will also be boosted in 350 non-unionised factories, while practical grievance handling procedures will be developed in each of the 500 participating factories. (RR)
A top advisor to the Bangladeshi prime minster has suggested that the Bangladesh apparel export industry should explore new markets, rather than just concentrating on exporting to the US and the EU. Dr Gowher Rizvi, international affairs adviser to the prime minister observed this while speaking at the BIDS Research Almanac 2016 held in Dhaka.A leading Bangladeshi daily quoted Dr Rizvi as saying that exploring new regions and countries like Eastern Europe, Central Europe, Africa and Turkey, would accelerate growth and human development in Bangladesh, while also bringing in more opportunities to the garment industry.

A top advisor to the Bangladeshi prime minster has suggested that the Bangladesh apparel export industry should explore new markets, rather than just concentrating on exporting to the US and the EU. Dr Gowher Rizvi, international affairs adviser to the prime minister observed this while speaking at the 'BIDS Research Almanac 2016' held in Dhaka.#

He added that the whole world can be a destination for Bangladeshi garment exports, while also offering advice on exploring new regions and markets. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The Lenzing Group, a leader in high-quality, botanic cellulose fibres and dissolving pulp to standard and specialty cellulose fibres, has announced that the Supervisory Board of the company has approved investment for a new Tencel fibre plant in the US, with the aim to increase the share of specialty fibres as a percentage of revenue to 50 per cent by 2020.Lenzing plans to construct a state-of-the-art plant with a production capacity of 90,000 tons per year at its site in Mobile, Alabama. The new facility will be the largest Tencel fibre plant in the world and will set a new milestone in the history of lyocell fibres. The investment volume will total $293 million. The new plant will utilise the latest technological standards and is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2019.

The Lenzing Group, a leader in high-quality, botanic cellulose fibres and dissolving pulp to standard and specialty cellulose fibres, has announced that the Supervisory Board of the company has approved investment for a new Tencel fibre plant in the US, with the aim to increase the share of specialty fibres as a percentage of revenue to 50 per cent by 2020.#

The Lenzing Group currently has a worldwide production capacity of 222,000 tons per year of Tencel fibres. The decision to build this plant in the US was supported by the good infrastructure at the companys mobile site and attractive energy costs.The disciplined implementation of the Lenzings expansion program is essential for driving the Lenzing Groups organic growth agenda. Therefore it was decided to create a new Management Board role, pooling together the key technical, operational and engineering responsibilities. The Supervisory Board hired Heiko Arnold as the new chief technology officer. In addition to a strong scientific and technical education, Arnold has gained many years of experience with BASF in the realisation of major investment projects and continuous operational improvements as well as extensive know-how in research & development.Lenzing CEO Stefan Doboczky said, This investment represents another major milestone in the implementation of our corporate strategy sCore TEN. This expansion also underscores our commitment to all our Tencel fibre customers, who continue to make their products even more sustainable using Tencel fibre, the worlds most sustainable botanic fibre. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Technip, a leading project management, engineering and construction company for the energy industry, has extended its successful exclusive PTA Alliance with BP Petrochemicals to acetic acid, used in dyeing of textiles. The Acetic Acid Alliance will be relevant to front end loading (FEL) 1 and 2 stages of fully owned and JV projects developed by BP worldwide.

Technip, a leading project management, engineering and construction company for the energy industry, has extended its successful exclusive PTA Alliance with BP Petrochemicals to acetic acid, used in dyeing of textiles. The Acetic Acid Alliance will be relevant to front end loading (FEL) 1 and 2 stages of fully owned and JV projects developed by BP worldwide.#

The Acetic Acid Alliance builds on the existing long-standing PTA Alliance. In the framework of the PTA relationship with BP, Technip has engineered approximately 8 million tons per year of PTA capacity over a span of 20 projects.

Technip, a leading project management, engineering and construction company for the energy industry, has extended its successful exclusive PTA Alliance with BP Petrochemicals to acetic acid, used in dyeing of textiles. The Acetic Acid Alliance will be relevant to front end loading (FEL) 1 and 2 stages of fully owned and JV projects developed by BP worldwide.#

Through its operating centre in Rome, Italy, Technip is the exclusive provider of FEL services for BP PTA fully owned and joint-venture projects and inside battery limit (ISBL) front end engineering design (FEED) for PTA third-party licensing applications.

Technip, a leading project management, engineering and construction company for the energy industry, has extended its successful exclusive PTA Alliance with BP Petrochemicals to acetic acid, used in dyeing of textiles. The Acetic Acid Alliance will be relevant to front end loading (FEL) 1 and 2 stages of fully owned and JV projects developed by BP worldwide.#

The Acetic Acid Alliance will be run out of the Technip centre of Rome, Italy, where existing synergies with the PTA relationship will be exploited.

Technip, a leading project management, engineering and construction company for the energy industry, has extended its successful exclusive PTA Alliance with BP Petrochemicals to acetic acid, used in dyeing of textiles. The Acetic Acid Alliance will be relevant to front end loading (FEL) 1 and 2 stages of fully owned and JV projects developed by BP worldwide.#

BP is a world leader in the acetic acid marketplace and provides state-of-the-art technological suites with the Cativa XL process based on methanol carbonylation and the SaaBre process based on syngas.

Technip, a leading project management, engineering and construction company for the energy industry, has extended its successful exclusive PTA Alliance with BP Petrochemicals to acetic acid, used in dyeing of textiles. The Acetic Acid Alliance will be relevant to front end loading (FEL) 1 and 2 stages of fully owned and JV projects developed by BP worldwide.#

The extension of the long lasting and value providing Alliance with BP in PTA to acetic acid proves that these relationships constitute win-win deals for technology owners and contractors. We look forward to reproduce in the acetic acid domain with BP the continuous improvement drive accomplished in the PTA sector, Nello Uccelletti, president Onshore Offshore, Technip, stated.

Technip, a leading project management, engineering and construction company for the energy industry, has extended its successful exclusive PTA Alliance with BP Petrochemicals to acetic acid, used in dyeing of textiles. The Acetic Acid Alliance will be relevant to front end loading (FEL) 1 and 2 stages of fully owned and JV projects developed by BP worldwide.#

BPs long-term alliance with Technip in PTA has been successful, and we look forward to replicating this success in the acetic acid business, commented Charles Damianides, Technology vice president BP Petrochemicals. (RKS)

Technip, a leading project management, engineering and construction company for the energy industry, has extended its successful exclusive PTA Alliance with BP Petrochemicals to acetic acid, used in dyeing of textiles. The Acetic Acid Alliance will be relevant to front end loading (FEL) 1 and 2 stages of fully owned and JV projects developed by BP worldwide.#

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Photo Caption: Weather map at 12 noon on 14 December 2016)



The Tropical Disturbance (TD) 04F has shown signs of intensification over the last 24 hours and has been slow moving. TD04F was located near 14.5 South latitude and 175.3 East longitude or about 190km Southwest of Rotuma and about 430km North-northwest of Nadi at 1pm today.

Over the next 24 to 48 hours, TD04F is anticipated to gradually intensify and move from its current location to southeast towards Fiji and enter Fiji Waters tomorrow. The major concern over this period is heavy rain and strong winds associated with the system. It is anticipated that the system will become slow moving as it comes close to Fiji. Therefore, the following warnings remain in force for the Fiji Group:

 A Heavy Rain Warning is in force for whole of Fiji;

 A Strong Wind Warning is remains in force for land areas of Fiji; and

 A Strong Wind Warning remains in force for all Fiji Waters.

The chance of TD04F developing into a Tropical Cyclone over Fiji Waters has now been elevated to moderate levels (20% to 50%) and moderate to high in next 48 to 72 hours (>50%). If the system develops into a tropical cyclone, it is most likely to be a CAT 1 or marginal CAT 2 strength over Fiji Waters. Thus it will be less destructive compared to TC Winston or TC Pam.

Currently, parts of the country are experiencing temporary break in rain especially over Viti Levu and nearby islands. However, rain is continuing over Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Northern Lau Group and nearby smaller islands. Rain and isolated thunderstorms are expected to become frequent and heavy over most parts of the country from tomorrow with possible extension through the weekend as the system deepens and moves closer to Fiji.

Expect moderate to fresh northeast to southeast winds, gradually turning northerly and becoming strong and gusty with average speeds of 45km/hr and momentary gusts up to 60km/hr from later tomorrow.

Mariners should anticipate east to southeast winds with average speeds of 20 to 30 knots and gusting up to 35 knots and winds turning northerly from later tomorrow. Seas will become very rough and visibility will be poor in areas of heavy rain and thunderstorms.

The major concern is for localised heavy and flash flooding, with increased chance of flooding of major tributaries and rivers remain possible in the western and northern divisions. The system will be closely monitored and updates will be provided as any significant changes are anticipated.

It is advisable that all communities remain prepared at all times and take necessary precautions well ahead of start of heavy rain and strong winds. The public is advised to take alerts, warnings and advisories seriously and remain updated with the latest weather bulletins.

For more details and the latest on weather, please contact the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre on 6736006, 9905376 or visit the Fiji Meteorological Services website, www.met.gov.fj
Chandan Roy Sanyal, who was last seen in the ill-fated Bangistaan, is super-excited about his next flick, which is Saif Ali Khan's Chef. The actor will be seen playing a sous chef to Saif's titular character in the comedy-drama. His character, Nazrul, fondly refers to Saif as 'Guru' in the film.

Chandan in an interview to Mumbai Mirror further revealed, "My character works with Saif in a New York restaurant and is a self-appointed disciple," informs the 36-year-old actor who has already shot for 70 percent of the film and will resume for the remaining portions in January. We are currently on a Christmas break."

He said, "Raja has adapted the film beautifully by adding Indian flavours and food to it. It's set in Kerala, Goa, Amritsar and Delhi," further revealing that he enjoys cooking Indian and Bengali cuisine, and that mutton curry and poshto dal bhat are his favourites.

When asked about his off-screen equation with Saif, Chandan added, "We got along well because we have similar taste in cinema and literature. Saif is great fun to work with. We did a few workshops together to learn how to cut vegetables, toss veggies in a pan, among other things, like professional chefs. He keeps telling me that he will invite me to his place. Maybe it will happen soon."

Chef is the Bollywood adaptation of the Jon Favreau-starrer 2014 Hollywood film of the same name.

Meanwhile, the actor will also be seen in Shahrukh Khan- Anushka Sharma starrer The Ring which has him playing an illegal Bangladesh immigrant.
The tension between India and Pakistan is ripe after the Uri attacks and the Government has banned Pakistani artists in India for the moment. Shahrukh Khan's upcoming film Raees has Pakistani artist Mahira Khan as the heroine and SRK is leaving no stone unturned to keep his movie safe during the release so much so that he met MNS chief Raj Thackery on Monday.

Sonam Kapoor To Marry Anand Ahuja In 2017?

BJP spokesperson Shaina NC has blasted Shahrukh Khan for meeting Raj Thackery by saying, "I don't know what assurances Shahrukh has gone to give Raj Thackeray. Because it is not in Raj Thackeray and his party MNS hands to control Indian outrage against the Pakistan presence in India and Bollywood. This is a matter for the Indian government to handle. Why should Raj Thackeray be consulted about it?"



Shania NC also feels that there is no need for Mahira Khan to be brought to India to promote the film Raees as SRK would be enough to promote the film himself in the country. "The film can be marketed and promoted easily without Mahira. Why is there a need to even contemplate on her presence in India to promote the film when Shahrukh Khan is the film's hero? What did SRK hope to achieve by meeting Raj Thackeray?"

Evelyn Sharma's New Bikini Picture By The Pool Will Make Your Cold December Hot!

She further commented, "If Pakistan is exporting terror and terrorism to India we cannot import their artistes. It's out of the question. I feel Pakistani artistes should willingly stay away until border issues are resolved as these issues concern people in both the counties."

Alia Bhatt Holidays In Maldives With Her Sister Shaheen Bhatt!
Renowned Hollywood actress Felicity Jones says that as she has grown up in the town of Bournville, Birmingham, she has acquired some of its traits like being a bit of rebel during her young days.

"When did I go rogue? Probably when I was growing up and I was a teenager. At times I was a bit of a rebellious teenager," Jones, who will be seen in the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story said in a statement.

The 33-year-old actor, also feels good about the fact that the young girls can relate themselves and look up to her rebel character as Jyn Erso, the Alliance fighter.

"I just feel it's a wonderful moment that young girls get to celebrate someone like Jyn just as they did with Daisy Ridley's Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Felicity Jones said.

Talking more about the character, Jones said that her character Jyn has been made similar to the character of Rey in the Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She feels the character bears a strong personality overall.

"She is someone who has great humanity, she has an independent spirit and lives by her beliefs, and I think there's something wonderful about her for a young girl to admire," Jones added further.
While there are certainly many perks to this particular job, being Spider-Man is not that easy though, feels Tom Holland.

The Spider-Man: Homecoming star reveals that he has been scared shooting this movie; thanks to some of its breathtaking stunts and while making a special mention, Tom Holland points at the scene where Spider-Man needs to jump into a lake from under a Helicopter.

"There was a few things that I couldn't do. There was some time where they dangled, my poor stunt double under a helicopter and dunked him in a lake. Damn it. This is live, isn't it? Damn. So at one point Spider-Man ends up in a lake." Said Tom in a statement.

He continued, "I'm going to get in so much trouble now. Oh, no. Yeah. I was like, 'Let me to it. Let me do it." When I saw him do it and get dunked in the lake, I'm so happy I let him do that one because that was the scariest thing I've ever seen."

Tom Holland also said that, given the risk and difficulties involved while shooting this movie, he feels he has not been paid enough.

"Can you imagine? Flying under a helicopter and being dunked in a lake. I don't get paid enough for that shit. Sorry! Again. Again. I can't help it. I'm sorry." The Spider-Man actor added further.
Celebrated Hollywood actor Will Smith states that he now tries projects which are more than just making a movie. He says he wants to "relieve some suffering in somebody's life" through his work.

"At this point, what draws me to a project is about more than just making a movie. I'm trying to create something that will potentially relieve some suffering in somebody's life," Will Smith stated.

He also added, "As an artiste, you're really trying to craft a gift."

The Pursuit of Happyness actor reveals that he feels proud for his upcoming movie titled Collateral Beauty. As he feels that the movie explores real emotions of men.

"This is a film I'm particularly proud of. It explores real emotions that are universal, with a powerful message of hope at its heart - it's everything you want a holiday movie to be." Said Will Smith.

Collateral Beauty - which is all set to release in India this Friday will feature Will Smith in an all-important role. The movie also adds Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley, Edward Norton and Helen Mirren.It is directed by David Frankel.

Will Smith said that playing a character in the movie, who cuts aloof himself from the rest of the world is quite interesting and also a "fun challenge" for him.
Arti Singh With Aman & Vandana

Arti Singh shared a picture snapped with Aman and Vandana. She wished the couple, "Wish u a very happy married life Aman n Vandana ."

Aman & Vandana

During the Sangeet event, along with the guests, Aman and Vandana too, danced their heart out. Aman was seen wearing cream sherwani, while Vandana wore a pink lehanga and long kurta.

Arti & Lavina

The Waaris team was present at Aman and Vandana's sangeet ceremony. Arti Singh and Lavina Tandon surprised the bride and groom with their special performances.

Vandana & Aman

Vandana had shared a picture snapped with Aman, "....and the celebrations begin ." Vandana was seen posing with her beautiful mehndi!

Arti With Lavina

Arti shared a picture snapped with Lavina and wrote, "Mad but pure soul . Swati ... raavi ."

Arti Akshay

Arti also shared a picture snapped with Akshay Dogra. She wrote, "Thank u for being there dogra . @iakshaydogra lucky to hv a friend like u."

Reshmi

Reshmi Ghosh Vasudev shared a picture snapped with the bride and friends, and wrote, "Aman n vandanaz mahendi n sangeet."

Reshmi With Vandana

Reshmi also shared another picture from Aman and Vandana's Sangeet ceremony. She wrote, "Aman Vandana sangeet... One more from th album."

Aman & Vandana's Marraige

Reshmi shared a picture snapped with the bride and groom. She wrote, "Mr and Mrs aman verma..... Finally.... #newlyweds #joy #lovengratitude."
Television actor Kamlesh Pandey (38) committed suicide on Tuesday (December 13) night, by reportedly shooting himself in Jabalpur, in Madhya Pradesh. Kamlesh was seen on Sony TV's Crime Patrol, where he played the role of a police officer.

According to reports, the actor was disturbed with the personal issues. He was drunk and not in his senses when he took this drastic step.



Apparently, Kamlesh was angry with his wife's sister, Anjani Chaturvedi, as she got her eldest daughter married without his consent. He was also upset that he was not invited for the marriage.

Kamlesh was reportedly so upset that he went to her house at 1 am and started banging the door repeatedly. He had an unlicensed revolver because of which no relatives went near him. He fired a few shots in the air and then shot himself in the chest.

The family then called up the police and ambulance. But by the time the police arrived, he was dead.

Although it is a case of suicide, police investigation is now under way.

The actor is survived by his wife and two daughters.
PARIS, FRANCE -- (Marketwired) -- 12/13/16 -- Department of Canadian Heritage

Today, the Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced a contribution of $100,000 to UNESCO's International Fund for Cultural Diversity to promote cultural projects in developing countries. This announcement reaffirms Canada's commitment to and leadership in implementing the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Minister Joly made the announcement following her participation in a UNESCO ministerial panel discussion on "Re-shaping digital policies for development." Reshaping digital policies is a topic of interest, as the Government of Canada recently concluded consultations across the country on Canadian content in a digital world. Today's exchange of ideas reinforces the need for a global digital conversation with governments, the private sector, and creators and consumers, because the digital world knows no boundaries. The panel was held during the Tenth ordinary session of the Intergovernmental Committee responsible for the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Minister Joly will continue to have working meetings in Europe in the coming days. She will have discussions related to arts and culture with various stakeholders, including cultural organizations and Canadian artists and creators working abroad.

Quote

"Canada places great value on cultural diversity, and our government believes it should be celebrated and shared. We strive to promote-in Canada and abroad, and on multiple platforms-a variety of content and points of view that demonstrate respect for our official languages, our multiculturalism and our efforts at reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We recognize the work done by UNESCO to promote cultural diversity, and we are proud to contribute to its projects."

- The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Quick Facts

-- The International Fund for Cultural Diversity was established as part of the implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. -- The Fund, consisting of voluntary contributions from member states, is intended to finance projects and initiatives that promote international cooperation in the cultural sector.

Associated Links

International Fund for Cultural Diversity

Tenth ordinary session of the Intergovernmental Committee

Canadian Content in a Digital World

Stay Connected

Follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr

Contacts:

Pierre-Olivier Herbert

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage

819-997-7788



Media Relations

Canadian Heritage

819-994-9101

1-866-569-6155

PCH.media-media.PCH@Canada.ca




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/13/16 -- NXGOLD LTD. ("NxGold Ltd." or the "Company"), (TSX VENTURE: NXN) is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated December 8, 2016 and December 13, 2016, it has closed a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of 19,840,600 units for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $4.96 million.

Each unit consists of one common share of the Company (each, a "Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant") and was issued at a price of $0.25. Each Warrant is exercisable to purchase one additional Share at a price of $0.50 for a period of 36 months following the date of closing of the Offering (the "Expiry Date"). If, at any time after April 14, 2017, the closing price of the Shares on the principal market on which the Shares trade is equal to or greater than $0.75 for a period of 20 consecutive trading days, the Company may accelerate the expiry of the Warrants, in which event the Expiry Date shall be the date (the "Accelerated Expiry Date") which is 30 days following the dissemination of a news release by the Company announcing the Accelerated Expiry Date.

In connection with the Offering, as compensation for the placement of certain of the units, the Company has agreed to pay an aggregate of $135,625 in cash, to certain finders. In addition, the Company has agreed to issue to one eligible finder a total of 441,000 finder's warrants. Each finder's warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Share for a price of $0.25 for a period of 36 months following the date of closing of the Offering, and is otherwise on the same terms and conditions as the Warrants.

All securities to be issued pursuant to the Offering, including the finder's warrants, will be subject to a hold period expiring April 14, 2017.

This news release is being issued less than 21 days before the closing of the Offering. This shorter period is reasonable and necessary in the circumstances as the size and nature of the Offering was only just determined.

Two directors and two officers of the Company subscribed for an aggregate of 632,600 units. The participation by insiders in the Offering is considered to be a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The transaction is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101, as neither the fair market value of the securities being issued, nor the consideration being paid, exceeds 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

The net proceeds of the Offering will be used to satisfy the Company's short term obligations under its previously announced earn-in agreement with Meliadine Gold Ltd., pursuant to which the Company has an exclusive option to earn up to a 70% interest in the Peter Lake Property, and for working capital purposes.

About NxGold

NxGold is a Vancouver-based exploration company. NxGold has entered into an earn-in agreement with Meliadine Gold Ltd. to earn up to a 70% interest in the Peter Lake Gold Property. The Peter Lake Property is located approximately 40 km northwest of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. The Property covers 4,174 hectares immediately along trend from Agnico Eagle's advanced Meliadine Gold project (with applications pending to increase the size of the Property to 10,670 hectares). The earn-in agreement is subject to final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange, conditional acceptance having been obtained.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. "Forward-looking information" includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including the use of proceeds of the Offering and receipt of final regulatory approval in connection with the earn-in agreement. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connation thereof.

Such forward-looking information and statements are based on numerous assumptions, including among others, that regulatory approval to the Offering will be obtained, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms, and that third party contractors, equipment and supplies and governmental and other approvals required to conduct the Company's planned exploration activities will be available on reasonable terms and in a timely manner. Although the assumptions made by the Company in providing forward-looking information or making forward-looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate.

Forward-looking information and statements also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual events or results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements, including, among others: negative operating cash flow and dependence on third party financing, uncertainty of additional financing, no known mineral reserves or resources, reliance on key management and other personnel, potential downturns in economic conditions, actual results of exploration activities being different than anticipated, changes in exploration programs based upon results, and risks generally associated with the mineral exploration industry, environmental risks, changes in laws and regulations, community relations and delays in obtaining governmental or other approvals.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or implied by forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or reissue forward-looking information as a result of new information or events except as required by applicable securities laws.

Contacts:

NxGold Ltd.

Travis McPherson

Vice-President Corporate Development

+1 604 428 4112




CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/13/16 -- Pulse Seismic Inc. ("Pulse" or "the Company") (TSX: PSD)(OTCQX: PLSDF) is pleased to announce that it has extended its revolving credit facility for an additional year. The new maturity date of the facility is February 13, 2020. The facility's available borrowing amount remains at $30.0 million. Up to $5.0 million of the revolving facility continues to be available as an operating line of credit. The credit facility is with a syndicate led by TD Bank and includes ATB Financial and continues to include an accordion feature which allows Pulse to increase the facility's size up to $70.0 million, subject to the consent of the lenders. The accordion incurs no renewal or standby fees.

"We value the ongoing strong support of our lenders," commented Neal Coleman, Pulse's President and CEO. "In January of this year we acquired approximately 107,000 net kilometres of 2D seismic data, thereby increasing our 2D library by over 30%. As a debt free organization, having this undrawn revolving credit facility assists us in the pursuit of additional seismic data acquisition opportunities."

CORPORATE PROFILE

Pulse is a market leader in the acquisition, marketing and licensing of 2D and 3D seismic data to the western Canadian energy sector. Pulse owns the second-largest licensable seismic data library in Canada, currently consisting of approximately 28,600 square kilometres of 3D seismic and 447,000 kilometres of 2D seismic. The library extensively covers the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin where most of Canada's oil and natural gas exploration and development occur.

Contacts:

Pulse Seismic Inc.

Neal Coleman

President and CEO

(403) 237-5559 or 1-877-460-5559



Pulse Seismic Inc.

Pamela Wicks

Vice President Finance and CFO

(403) 237-5559 or 1-877-460-5559

www.pulseseismic.com




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/13/16 -- Helix BioPharma Corp. (TSX: HBP)(FRANKFURT: HBP), an immuno-oncology company developing drug candidates for the prevention and treatment of cancer, today announced its financial results for the quarter ended October 31, 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS

-- Presented top-line data from its phase I/II dose escalation study of immunoconjugate L-DOS47 as a monotherapy in non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer ("NSCLC") patients at the 17th International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASCLC) world conference on lung cancer in Vienna, Austria; -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") accepted an accelerated escalation scheme for L-DOS47 dosing in the U.S. phase I study ("LDOS001") up to 12 micrograms per kilogram in combination with pemetrexed/carboplatin; -- Announced the appointment of Theodore Witek Jr. to the Board of Directors of the Company; -- Presented a poster presentation entitled "CAR-T Cells Harboring Camelid Single Domain Antibody as Targeting Agent to CEACAM6 Antigen in Pancreatic Cancer" at the AACR Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy in Boston, Massachusetts; -- Presented "Therapeutic Strategy Against Tumor Acidity Induced Immune- Suppression: L-DOS47 a Clinical Candidate for Lung Cancer" at the Precision Lung Cancer World R&D Summit in Boston, Massachusetts. -- Presented a corporate overview on the Company's development of its novel immuno-oncology drugs and product pipeline at the National Investment Banking Association at Newport Beach, California. -- Closed a private placement financing for gross proceeds of $1 million. -- Subsequent to the Company's fiscal first quarter ended October 31, 2016, the Company signed an exclusive agreement with Xisle Pharma Ventures ("Xisle") for its late stage Biphasix technology platform, including the lead product candidate, interferon alpha for the treatment of HPV- induced, low-grade cervical intraepithelial lesions. Xisle will be responsible for the continued clinical development and subsequent commercialization of the product. Under the terms of the agreement, Xisle pays an up-front fee of USD125,000 and subsequent milestone payments as they advance the technology to registration and market approvals.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The Company recorded a net loss and total comprehensive loss of $3,287,000 and $2,592,000 (loss per common share of $0.04 and $0.03) for the three-month periods ended October 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Research and development

Research and development expenses for the three-month periods ended October 31, 2016 and 2015 totalled $2,295,000 and $1,339,000, respectively. Higher research and development expenses relate primarily to expenditures associated with the ongoing European Phase I/II monotherapy clinical study in Poland, the Phase I combination clinical study in the U.S, the start-up and associated activities of the Company's newly established research laboratory in Warsaw, Poland, an increase in manufacturing costs and an increase in headcount.

Operating, general and administration

Operating, general and administration expenses for the three-month periods ended October 31, 2016 and 2015 totalled $1,008,000 and $1,259,000, respectively. The decrease mainly reflects a reduction in third-party consulting services and lower stock-based compensation expense.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

The Company's cash reserves of $2,397,000 as at October 31, 2016, are insufficient to meet anticipated cash needs for working capital and capital expenditures through the next twelve months, nor are they sufficient to see the current research and development initiatives through to completion. Management therefore considers securing additional funds, expected to be through the issuance of equity securities of the Company, to be of the utmost importance.

The Company's Consolidated Statement of Financial Position as at October 31, 2016 and July 31, 2016 are summarized below.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Consolidated Statement of Financial Position (thousand $) 31-Oct-16 31-Jul-16 -------------------------- Non current assets 312 235 Current assets: Prepaids 54 90 Accounts receivable 485 489 Cash 2,397 3,654 -------------------------- 2,936 4,233 -------------------------- Total assets 3,248 4,468 -------------------------- -------------------------- Shareholders' equity 907 3,164 Current liabilities: Accrued liabilities 923 589 Accounts payable 1,418 715 -------------------------- 2,341 1,304 -------------------------- Total liabilities & shareholders equity 3,248 4,468 -------------------------- -------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Company's Consolidated Statements of Net Loss and Comprehensive Loss and Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow for the three-month periods ended October 31, 2016 and October 31, 2015 are summarized below:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Consolidated Statements of Net Loss and Comprehensive Loss (thousand $, except for per share data) Oct-31 Oct-31 2016 2015 ------------------------------ Other income 27 - Expenses: Research and development 2,295 1,339 Operating, general & administration 1,008 1,259 ------------------------------ Results from operating activities before finance items (3,303) (2,598) Finance items (11) 6 ------------------------------ Net loss and total comprehensive loss (3,287) (2,592) ------------------------------ ------------------------------ Total loss per common share (i) $ (0.04) $ (0.03) (i) Figures are for both basic and fully diluted ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (thousand $) Oct-31 Oct-31 2016 2015 ------------------------------ Cash provided by (used in): Net loss and total comprehensive loss (3,287) (2,592) Items not involving cash: Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 36 36 Stock-based compensation - 73 Foreign exchange loss 9 - ------------------------------ 45 109 Changes in non-cash working capital 1,077 711 ------------------------------ Operating activities (2,165) (1,772) Financing activities 1,030 16 Investing activities (113) (28) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash (9) - ------------------------------ Net decrease in cash from continuing operations (1,257) (1,784) Cash beginning of the period 3,654 6,792 ------------------------------ Cash end of the period 2,397 5,008 ------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Company's condensed unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and management's discussion and analysis will be filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, as well as on the Company's website at www.helixbiopharma.com. Shareholders have the ability to receive a hard copy of the Company's unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements free of charge upon request at the address below.

About Helix BioPharma Corp.

Helix BioPharma Corp. is an immuno-oncology company specializing in the field of cancer therapy. The company is actively developing innovative products for the prevention and treatment of cancer based on its proprietary technologies. Helix's product development initiatives include its novel L-DOS47 new drug candidate. Helix is currently listed on the TSX and FSE under the symbol "HBP".

Forward-Looking Statements and Risks and Uncertainties

This news release contains forward-looking statements and information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements and information that are not historical facts but instead include financial projections and estimates, statements regarding plans, goals, objectives, intentions and expectations with respect to the Company's future business, operations, research and development, including the Company's activities relating to DOS47, and other information in future periods.

Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements concerning (i) the Company's ability to operate on a going concern being dependent mainly on obtaining additional financing; (ii) the Company's priority continuing to be L-DOS47; (iii) the Company's development programs for DOS47 and L-DOS47; (iv) future expenditures, the insufficiency of the Company's current cash resources and the need for financing; and (v) future financing requirements and the seeking of additional funding. Forward-looking statements can further be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "ongoing", "estimates", "expects", or the negative thereof or any other variations thereon or comparable terminology referring to future events or results, or that events or conditions "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved, or comparable terminology referring to future events or results.

Forward-looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that are also uncertain. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Forward-looking statements, including financial outlooks, are intended to provide information about management's current plans and expectations regarding future operations, including without limitation, future financing requirements, and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Certain material factors, estimates or assumptions have been applied in making forward-looking statements in this news release, including, but not limited to, the safety and efficacy of L-DOS47; that sufficient financing will be obtained in a timely manner to allow the Company to continue operations and implement its clinical trials in the manner and on the timelines anticipated; the timely provision of services and supplies or other performance of contracts by third parties; future costs; the absence of any material changes in business strategy or plans; and the timely receipt of required regulatory approvals and strategic partner support.

The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, the risk that the Company's assumptions may prove to be incorrect; the risk that additional financing may not be obtainable in a timely manner, or at all, and that clinical trials may not commence or complete within anticipated timelines or the anticipated budget or may fail; third party suppliers of necessary services or of drug product and other materials may fail to perform or be unwilling or unable to supply the Company, which could cause delay or cancellation of the Company's research and development activities; necessary regulatory approvals may not be granted or may be withdrawn; the Company may not be able to secure necessary strategic partner support; general economic conditions, intellectual property and insurance risks; changes in business strategy or plans; and other risks and uncertainties referred to elsewhere in this news release, any of which could cause actual results to vary materially from current results or the Company's anticipated future results. Certain of these risks and uncertainties, and others affecting the Company, are more fully described in Helix's Annual Information Form, in particular under the headings "Forward-looking Statements" and "Risk Factors", and other reports filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com from time to time. Forward-looking statements and information are based on the beliefs, assumptions, opinions and expectations of Helix's management on the date of this new release, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statement or information should those beliefs, assumptions, opinions or expectations, or other circumstances change, except as required by law.

Contacts:

Investor Relations

Helix BioPharma Corp.

21 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 1100

Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1L9

Tel: 416 925-3232

Email: ir@helixbiopharma.com




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/13/16 -- The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW Canada) views today's announcement from the federal government regarding changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) as an important first step in fixing a broken immigration system.

As Canada's union for retail and food workers, UFCW Canada represents over 250,000 workers in the food retail and processing, agriculture, and hospitality industries across the country, where many temporary foreign workers in Canada currently work.

"Our union is encouraged by the announced changes to the TFWP, and we will continue advocating for further improvements to the program and our immigration system, motivated by our belief that if you are good enough to work in Canada, you are good enough to stay," says Paul Meinema, the National President of UFCW Canada.

Under the announced changes, the four-year cumulative duration rule will no longer apply to temporary foreign workers in Canada, and the government also made commitments to providing further pathways to permanent residency, something that UFCW Canada has long advocated for.

"All migrant workers should have the opportunity to access permanent immigration status, and ultimately citizenship, as that is the best way to reduce the exploitative nature of the TFWP," says the UFCW Canada leader.

"UFCW will also be holding the government to account on its stated commitment to ensuring that Canadians have first access to available job opportunities, and that employers are doing everything possible to make sure Canadians know about, and are offered, all available work," adds Meinema.

UFCW Canada (the United Food and Commercial Workers Union) is the country's leading and most progressive union, representing more than a quarter of a million workers in Canada's fastest growing industries. UFCW Canada is the country's most innovative organization dedicated to building fairness in workplaces and communities. To find out more about UFCW Canada and its ground-breaking work, please visit ufcw.ca.

Contacts:

UFCW Canada

Derek Johnstone

Special Assistant to the National President

(416) 720-8858

derek.johnstone@ufcw.ca

www.ufcw.ca




PUNE, India, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The report "Modacrylic Fiber Market for Protective Apparel, Hair Fiber, Upholstery & Household, Pile (Synthetic/Fake Fur), Industrial Fabric - Global Forecast to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market is projected to grow from USD 621.9 Million in 2016 to USD 723.7 Million by 2021, at a CAGR of 3.08%.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )

Browse 65 market data Tables and 38 Figures spread through114 Pages and in-depth TOC on"Modacrylic Fiber Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/modacrylic-fiber-market-44304885.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

This growth is due to the increasing applications of modacrylic fiber such as, hair fiber, pile (synthetic/fake fur), and protective clothing. Industrial regulations and standardizations regarding the safety of employees also provide an opportunity for this market to grow.

The hair fiber segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

The hair fiber segment is projected to be the fastest-growing from 2016 to 2021. This growth is attributed to the hair-like characteristics of modacrylic fiber, which is why they are being widely used in wigs, hair extensions, and other hair-like accessories. Another reason behind the growth of modacrylic hair fiber is that it is highly flame resistant, even when combined with fibers that can flare when caught with fire.

Make an Inquiry @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=44304885

The Asia-Pacific region to play a key role in the growth of the market for modacrylic fiber

On the basis of key regions, the Modacrylic Fiber Market is segmented into, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America. The Asia-Pacific region is a key market for modacrylic fiber. The development of the economies and rapid growth in the industrialization in this region are impacting the growth of this market. Increasing industrial regulations related to employee safety ensures that industries switch to protective clothing made from modacrylic fiber, thereby impacting the growth of the market.

The following are the key players in the modacrylic fiber market:

Kaneka Corporation ( Japan )

) Fushun Rayva Fiber Co., Ltd. ( China )

) Formosa Chemicals & Fiber Corporation ( Taiwan )

) Tianjin GT New Material Technology Company Limited ( China )

) Fushun Huifu Fire Resistant Fiber Company Limited ( China )

) Zhangjiagang Hengfeng Textile Company Limited ( China )

) Nantong Xufeng Textile Industrial Company Limited ( China )

) Shanghai Changjie Textile Company Limited ( China )

) Jiangsu Blue Peacock Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. ( China )

) Zhejiang Wangzhuo Knitting Co., Ltd. ( China )

Browse Related Reports:

Acrylic Resin Market by Type (Methacrylates, Acrylates & Hybrids), Solvency, Property (Thermoplastic & Thermosetting) & Application (Paints & Coatings, Construction, Industrial & Commercial, Paper & Paperboard, Textiles & Fibers & Adhesives) - Trends & Forecast to 2019

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/acrylic-resin-market-246195771.html



Acrylic Acid Market by Derivative (Esters/Acrylates - METHYL, ETHYL, BUTYL, 2-EH; Polymers - Elastomers, Superabsorbent Polymers, Water Treatment Polymers; Other Derivatives), by Applications & Region - Global Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/acrylic-acid-market-683.html



Subscribe Reports from Chemicals & Materials Domain http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Knowledgestore.asp

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MOSCOW, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

We are different - we are equal is a core principle for the RUDN University

Leaders of 149 student communities of the RUDN University gathered on the International Day for Tolerance, to sign the RUDN Student Communities Declaration.

Presidents of international and Russian student associations and organizations announced, what tolerance means for each student of the RUDN University:

1.the right to be different;

2.long-lasting harmony in relations among representatives of different confessions, political, ethnic and social groups;

3.respect to the diversity of cultures;

4.willingness to understand each other and mutually cooperate.

Signing the Declaration on the International Day for Tolerance in a strong tradition of the RUDN University. The ceremony is official and organized the same way as the UN meeting: all the participants are leaders and express their positions on behalf of the communities they represent. This year the Declaration was signed by international student communities, representing:

35 countries of Africa

24 CIS countries (including Russia )

) 22 Latin America and Caribbean countries

countries 15 countries of the Middle East

11 European countries

The largest association among participating was the Association of African students (RUDN University ASSAFTSU). Its new leader, Ernest Cece Salomon Peguitha, plans to strengthen information and awareness raising activities of the association, promoting Africa within the University as well as in Moscow and in Russia. The new leader has a solid experience of signing the Declaration: originally from Guinea, for many years he held the position of president of the RUDN community of students from Guinea.

This is an important day for the Federation of students from Latin America and the Caribbean countries: not only the Declaration was signed, but the new leader was elected. Tituana Davila Danny Jose from Ecuador will delegate his powers to his successor soon.

Mahmud Yasin, one of the most experienced leaders of international communities, heading the Association of Arab students and representing students from Palestine, knows the Declaration text by heart. Support of the RUDN University's Mission includes it all: constructive cooperation among representatives of different nations, enhancing mutual understanding and spreading achievements of the student community," comments M.Yasin.

Rev Kadigamuve Anuruddhe Thero, president of Association of students from Asia, came to Russia 5 years ago from Sri Lanka. He reminded that one of the important activities of student communities is daily support of their compatriots. In the RUDN University, this help is real.

All the leaders of 149 student communities share the principles of equality and respect, and the ceremony of signing the Declaration demonstrates it. Numerous students of the RUDN University will make an international career, and the important principles of productive cooperation and international collaboration they learn now, in the RUDN University.

About RUDN University: http://www.rudn.ru/en_new/
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian dollar weakened against the other major currencies in the Asian session on Wednesday. The Australian dollar fell to a 1-month low of 1.0376 against the NZ dollar, from yesterday's closing value of 1.0409. Against the U.S. and the Canadian dollars, the aussie dropped to 0.7481 and 0.9826 from yesterday's closing quotes of 0.7500 and 0.9847, respectively. The aussie edged down to 1.4213 against the euro and 86.18 against the yen, from yesterday's closing quotes of 1.4162 and 86.38, respectively. If the aussie extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 1.02 against the kiwi, 0.73 against the greenback, 0.96 against the loonie, 1.47 against the euro and 81.00 against the yen. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Paris' famous landmark Eiffel Tower was closed on Tuesday due to a strike by workers over salaries and working conditions, leaving thousands of visitors disappointed. It is the third dispute in six months at the monument, which is normally open every single day of the year. Unions representing the 300 workers reportedly said the strike was called over the deliberate absence of transparency on key decisions with regard to the 324-meter tower's functioning. Employees were particularly concerned over an upcoming paint job in 2017, CGT union spokesman Denis Vavassori said. Unions have held repeated meetings recently with the officials from the company that manages the tower, SETE, pressing for 51 demands. The management accepted some, but refused all demands related to new hires and pay raises, resulting in strike. Confirming that the closure was due to a labor dispute, the tower's operator SETE reportedly said discussions are taking place between management and workers' representatives. The monument, which is the major attraction of French tourism, was visited by around 7 million people in 2015, representing 20,000 a day. Of this, 80 percent of them were from abroad. In 2016, it is estimated that the visitors would be lower at 6 million, resulting in a corresponding 14 percent drop in revenue. 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.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

SSM Holding AB (publ), the leading operator within residential development in the Stockholm region is continuing to expand its business by acquiring a new project in the attractively-located Elverkshuset in the city of Nacka. The project aims to develop about 350 apartments through a new joint venture between the property owner LIBU Invest and SSM. Construction is expected to start in 2019 with occupancy in 2021.

SSM and LIBU Invest have initiated a collaboration by forming a joint venture to manage a project that aims to develop 350 apartments, mainly units for one and two person households, in the attractively-located Elverkshuset near Nacka Town Hall. The start of construction is planned for 2019, with occupancy in 2021. The area around Elverkshuset will be developed into a conurbation that will be part of the city of Nacka. Already today, there is public transportation by commuter train and bus and in the future, the area will also be served by the planned expansion of the subway.

- SSM is focusing on a group of customers who are looking for functional and space-efficient apartments in central locations with good transportation links. The city of Nacka meets all three criteria, which is why the area is highly interesting for us to expand in, says Mattias Roos, CEO of SSM.

- LIBU Invest aims to be an active participant in Nacka's continued urban development. We have the highest respect for SSM's competence and strengths within residential development when it comes to the company's ability to develop space-efficient units as well as their commercial ability. This is why we are very satisfied to announce our cooperation, says Ola Lidfeldt, CEO of LIBU Invest.

SSM has 3,496 building rights in the planning phase and 1,481 units in production as at September 30, 2016.



SSM Holding AB (publ) is required to publish this information in accordance with the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication by the contact persons mentioned below on December 14, 2016 at 08.00 CET.

For more information, please contact:

Mattias Roos, CEO

Email: mattias.roos@ssmfastigheter.se

Ann-Charlotte Johansson, Director of Communications & IR

Phone: + 46 761 65 17 71

Email: ann-charlotte.johansson@ssmfastigheter.se

About SSM Holding (publ)

SSM is a residential property development company operating in the Stockholm region. Our vision is a housing market with room for as many people as possible. What sets us apart is that we build for a specific target group - the urbanites of tomorrow - and our ambition is to develop the most popular apartments in urban areas. SSM therefore builds apartments offering good value for money for one or two person households with high functionality per square meter, just outside the city center, close to public transport.

Read more at: www.ssmfastigheter.se

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/ssm/r/ssm-continues-to-invest-in-the-city-of-nacka,c2149617

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OSTERSUND, Sweden, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Skanska invests EUR 32M, about SEK 300M, in phase I of Mill Park, an office complex in Budapest, Hungary. The first phase will offer a total leasable area of around 18,400 square meters on 7 stories above ground. About 45 percent of phase I is currently pre-leased.

The Mill Park complex, located in the 9th district of Budapest, will comprise two office buildings with a total leasable area of over 36,000 square meters. The project is expected to receive LEED Gold certification.

Mill Park will function as a meeting point, where tenants, employees and guests can work, meet and relax. The coworking space, the roof terrace and the courtyard all contribute to this vision, the latter designed as a venue for community programs and exhibitions.

Construction work has already started and is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2018.

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.

CONTACT:

For further information please contact:

MaAgorzata Kubica, External Communication Manager, Skanska in Poland,

tel: +48 502747454

Andreas Joons, Press Officer, Skanska AB,

tel +46 (0)10449 04 94

Direct line for media: +46 10 448 88 99

This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/skanska/r/skanska-invests-eur-32-m--about-sek-300m--in-phase-i-of-an-office-project-in-budapest--hungary,c2149590

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STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Enea today announced the completion of the acquisition of Qosmos, a privately held company with leading positions in IP traffic classification and network intelligence. After approval by the French Ministry of Finance, the acquisition is a step in Enea's strategy of creating a bigger and stronger company, with focus on embedded software for communication and networking.

The total consideration amounts to approximately 52.7 MEUR and is financed through cash and bank loans. Qosmos is estimated to generate sales of approximately 14.2 MEUR in 2016. The acquisition will have limited positive effect on Enea's revenue and earnings for the full year 2016.

Qosmos is a supplier of Network Intelligence software based on Deep Packet Inspection ("DPI") and commands a dominating share of its market. The company's software provides detailed real-time traffic visibility, which is a critical component for applications such as mobile traffic management, cyber security, and network analytics. More than 100 telecom networks worldwide use solutions powered by Qosmos. The strategic complementary acquisition provides a significant and attractive extension of Enea's portfolio, especially in the area of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV).

"We will be able to help customers identify, classify, and analyze network traffic in real-time, and we will be able to serve and assist them in new areas such as traffic management and network security analytics", said Anders Lidbeck, President and CEO, Enea. "Customers will also find a strong partner and supplier in us as a company, with increased resources, broadened expertise, and expanded geographical presence".

For more information about Qosmos, see www.qosmos.com.

Read the financial press release from October about the acquisition here:

http://www.enea.com/about-us/Press/Press-releases/Press-release/?item=1209756

This information is information that Enea AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication at December 14, 2016 at 08.00 CEST.

CONTACT:

For more information please visitwww.enea.comor contact:

Anders Lidbeck, President & CEO

E-mail: anders.lidbeck@enea.com

Fredrik Medin, SVP Marketing and Communication

Telephone: +46 709 71 40 11

E-mail: fredrik.medin@enea.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

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STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Telia Company will have a revised organizational setup as of January 1, 2017. The main change will be Finland and Norway as part of the Group Executive Management. "The new structure will enhance business focus and enable us to speed up decision making whilst ramping up execution across our Nordic/Baltic markets all at the same time while maintaining focus on our responsible business agenda," says Johan Dennelind, President and CEO, Telia Company.

The Norwegian and Finnish operations will from January 1 be part of Group Executive Management. Abraham Foss, the current CEO of Norway will join as well as the new CEO for Finland, Stein-Erik Vellan, who will replace the current CEO Valdur Laid.

The operations in Lithuania, Estonia and Denmark will form a cluster overseen by Henriette Wendt who is currently Head of Corporate Development. Henriette remains in Group Executive Management. All countries will be reported as separate units to the market and the previous regional layer will now be replaced by people in the countries and from group functions, enabling further speed and efficiency.

Corporate Holdings

Our current shareholding in Turkcell and Megafon will be managed by a new unit - Corporate Holdings - headed by Robert Andersson, who is currently head of Region Europe. Robert will in this new role remain member of Group Executive Management. The Latvian operations, LMT and Lattelekom, will also become part of the unit as they are only partly consolidated and Telia Company does not have operational control. Telia Carrier is a global leading internet backbone provider and has started to improve earnings and cash flow based on its new strategy. Telia Carrier is an important part of Telia Company and will also become a part of the unit. All companies will be separately reported to the market in accordance with market rules and regulations.

Corporate Development dissolved

In the new organizational structure, Corporate Development will be split into several parts. Corporate Affairs (previously Group Legal Affairs) will be responsible for Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), People and Engagement will take on Sustainability and the CEO Office will be responsible for Group Strategy, Risk Management, and also overseeing Internal Audit (who reports to Audit Committee). Ingrid Stenmark, Head of CEO Office, will become a member of Group Executive Management.

Region Eurasia continues to be headed by Emil Nilsson, reporting to Johan Dennelind who also chairs the internal steering board governing the region. The clear mandate is to deliver on business priorities and secure a responsible exit over time.

Ethics & Compliance continues to report to the CEO as before.

"Focus on execution"

Johan Dennelind, President and CEO, Telia Company, says: "With an increased focus on our operations in the Nordics and Baltics, this new management structure will enhance transparency and enable us to ramp up execution across all our markets. The new structure will also ensure a continued focus and prioritization of responsible business for Telia Company. I want to take the opportunity to thank Valdur Laid for his hard work with transformation and laying the foundation for an exciting next phase for our operations in Finland. I welcome Stein-Erik Vellan to Telia Company, an appreciated and strong leader. I am also looking forward to working even closer with our Norwegian CEO Abraham Foss.

The Group Executive Management as of January 1, 2017;

President & Chief Executive Officer - Johan Dennelind

- Johan Dennelind CEO Office / Strategy & Responsible Business - Ingrid Stenmark , SVP

/ Strategy & Responsible Business - , SVP Finance / Finance & Procurement - Christian Luiga , Chief Financial Officer, EVP

/ Finance & Procurement - , Chief Financial Officer, EVP Communications and Division X - Peter Borsos , SVP

- , SVP People and Engagement / Human Resources & Sustainability - Cecilia Lundin , SVP

/ Human Resources & Sustainability - , SVP Corporate Affairs / Legal, M&A and Regulatory - Jonas Bengtsson , General Counsel, SVP

/ Legal, M&A and Regulatory - , General Counsel, SVP Corporate Holdings - Robert Andersson , SVP (currently Head of Region Europe)

- , SVP (currently Head of Region Europe) Global Services & Operations - Anders Olsson , Chief Operating Officer, SVP

- , Chief Operating Officer, SVP Sweden / Telia Sweden and Skanova - Helene Barnekow, CEO of Sweden , EVP

/ Telia Sweden and Skanova - Helene Barnekow, CEO of , EVP Denmark and Lithuania and Estonia - Henriette Wendt , Head of Cluster, SVP (currently Head of Corporate Development)

- , Head of Cluster, SVP (currently Head of Corporate Development) Norway - Abraham Foss , CEO of Norway , SVP

- , CEO of , SVP Finland - Stein-Erik Vellan , CEO of Finland , SVP

This information is information that Telia Company AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and/or the Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 08:45 CET on December 14, 2016.

For more information, please contact our press office +46 771 77 58 30, visit our Newsroom or follow us on Twitter @Teliacompany.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements made in the press release relating to future status or circumstances, including future performance and other trend projections are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. There can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements due to many factors, many of which are outside the control of Telia Company.

We're Telia Company, the New Generation Telco. Our 21,000 talented colleagues serve millions of customers every day in one of the world's most connected regions. With a strong connectivity base, we're the hub in the digital ecosystem, empowering people, companies and societies to stay in touch with everything that matters 24/7/365 - on their terms. Headquartered in Stockholm, the heart of innovation and technology, we're set to change the industry and bring the world even closer for our customers. Read more at http://www.teliacompany.com/.

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

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MUMBAI, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

YES BANK, India's fifth largest private sector bank, has been upgraded byMSCI ESG Research to AAA Ratingfrom AA rating. TheMSCI ESG Reporthas highlighted YES BANK's key strengths inFinancial Product Safety, Corporate Governance, and Financial System Instability, and has also highlighted that there areno significant risks for thebank from an ESG perspective.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151012/769006 )



Rana Kapoor, MD & CEO,YES BANK,said, "YES BANK excels in terms of risk management as we are the first bank in India to integrate environmental and social risks into overall credit risk assessment framework, enabling us to proactively mitigate emerging risks and create new opportunities in India's sunrise sectors. Institutional and individual investors are also now increasingly becoming more aware of the potential risks and opportunities related to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors."

The 'AAA' rating reaffirms YES BANK's 360-degree risk framework which includes pertinent ESG parameters

Environment

YES BANK has lead by example - in FY16, the bank reduced its own Specific GHG emissions by 19.52% on a year-on-year basis and earned ISO 14001:2004 certifications for 184 of its facilities in India.

Social

YES BANK has implemented inclusive, social and branchless banking models to reach out to over 18.8 lakh rural households through 1,55,000 Self Help Groups (SHGs). The bank has partnered with 39 Business Correspondents (BC) to provide comprehensive financial services to unbanked populations in rural and semi-urban areas, in 260 districts of India.

Governance

YES BANK is a benchmark institution for Triple Bottom Line accounting and reporting in India and in FY16, became the first Indian bank to release a Sustainability Report based on the Integrated Reporting guidelines of the International Integrated Reporting Council, while continuing to adhere with GRI G4 guidelines. The bank has received ISO 27001 certification for information security management system and data privacy policies.

About YES BANK:

YES BANK, India's fifth largest private sector bank with a pan-India presence across all 29 states and 7 union territories of India, headquartered in the Lower Parel Innovation District (LPID) of Mumbai, is the outcome of the professional & entrepreneurial commitment of its Founder Rana Kapoor and its Top Management team, to steadily evolve as the professionals' bank of India with the long-term mission of 'Building the Finest Quality Bank of the World in India by 2020'.

Media Contact:

Sonali Shome

+91-22 3347 8051

sonali.shome@yesbank.in


LONDON, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

RAVN Systems, leading experts in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Search and Knowledge Management solutions, announced today that The Abraaj Group (Abraaj), a leading investor operating in global growth markets, has successfully implemented RAVN Connect Enterprise, a cognitive search platform which intelligently transforms the way they locate, leverage and collaborate on expertise across their highly distributed network.

RAVN Connect Enterprise, built upon the AI platform, RAVN Applied Cognitive Engine (RAVN ACE), takes enterprise search, knowledge management and unstructured data mining to unprecedented levels.

Abraaj deployed RAVN Connect Enterprise as part of a competitive tendering process to bring about long-term transformation of its approaches to knowledge management and firm-wide collaboration across 20 offices. The new solution enables Abraaj's employees to easily search and access both proprietary and commissioned knowledge sources via a single interface working in a seamless manner on its proprietary 'Opera' platform. Additionally, the Knowledge Graph feature allows Abraaj to visualise and navigate the interrelationships between experts, content, investments, and investors in a way that was previously impossible, making rapid access to the relevant resource in a secure manner a reality.

The solution supports all phases and teams across the investment lifecycle from fundraising, through the screening and due diligence of potential deals, the management and monitoring of investment through to ultimate exit.

Ovais Naqvi, Managing Director - Head of Market Engagement at Abraaj, commented, "Our primary goal here is to leverage knowledge to accelerate business and deal decision-making and to harness the collaborative power of a multi-geography growth markets organisation. RAVN Connect is an important component in a differentiation we bring to our investors around how we share knowledge and get to more dynamic decisions on deal flow. Additionally, it helps us harness macro-economic, sectoral and functional knowledge flows seamlessly and is ultimately a major competitive advantage for us. "

Naqvi continued, "Moving forwards, we intend to further expand the use of the platform's cognitive capabilities, to extract more information and to automatically locate and classify internal and external content."

Peter Wallqvist, CEO at RAVN Systems commented, "Abraaj is leading the way as the first global investor to adopt our ground-breaking, innovative technology in support of leveraging their considerable market and sector knowledge when evaluating further investments. We are delighted to be chosen to partner with them in this move".

About RAVN Systems

RAVN Systems are leading experts in the Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning branches of Artificial Intelligence (AI). They offer revolutionary cognitive computing solutions for any information intensive vertical. RAVN's unique proprietary technology and expertise deliver long-term value, competitive advantages and help manage and mitigate risk through structuring and surfacing information contained within unstructured data.

For more information please visit http://www.ravn.co.uk

About The Abraaj Group



The Abraaj Group ("Abraaj") is a leading investor, purpose-built for operating in the growth markets of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Turkey.

Employing over 300 people, Abraaj has over 20 offices spread across five regions with hubs in Dubai, Istanbul, Mexico City, Nairobi and Singapore. The Group currently manages c. US$ 10 billion across targeted investment strategies.

Abraaj has realized US$ 6.3 billion from over 80 full exits, and Funds managed by the Group have made over 170 investments across a range of sectors including consumer, energy, financials, healthcare and utilities. The Group is committed to the highest environmental, stakeholder engagement and corporate governance standards and is a signatory to the United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment and the United Nations Global Compact. Abraaj's founder, Arif Naqvi, was appointed to the United Nations Global Compact Board by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2012 and to the Interpol Foundation Board in 2014.



Press Contact

Rebecca Tear

020 7566 0000

rebecca.tear@ravn.co.uk


ConnectWise continues to expand its international footprint with new contract for its business management, cloud, and quote and proposal platformsLONDON, 2016-12-14 10:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ConnectWise announced today that Mirus IT, one of the biggest technology solution providers in the world, will implement a broad range of ConnectWise business management solutions to help manage and grow its business.A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1e1a6c2a-1d30-40bb-9819-7a695 749c685The solutions being deployed by Mirus IT, a company that serves more than 250 businesses in London, Milton Keynes, and surrounding areas, include the ConnectWise Manage business management platform; ConnectWise Automate remote monitoring and management solution; ConnectWise CloudConsole cloud management, monitoring and billing tool; and ConnectWise Sell quote and proposal platform."When we first began talking with Mirus IT, it quickly became apparent how the organisation could benefit from a truly integrated, centralised set of business management solutions that would allow it to increase the company's efficiency, provide even more value to its clients, and deliver a means for easy scalability as it continues to expand its footprint," said David Bellini, President and Managing Director of ConnectWise International.Paul Tomlinson, Founder and Managing Director of Mirus IT, said the decision to move many of the company's business systems to ConnectWise was not difficult once he saw how the solutions worked together and the capacity they would provide."The IT service ecosystem is quickly evolving and growing, especially as more organisations move applications to the cloud," he said. "With ConnectWise, we found a holistic set of solutions, including critical PSA and RMM tools, that will result in more operational efficiencies while still allowing us to provide the level of service and personal touch our customers have come to expect. Just as importantly, we are now well-positioned to quickly and easily scale our business as new opportunities present themselves."The new agreement with ConnectWise provides Mirus IT with:-- 100 ConnectWise Manage licenses - The ConnectWise Manage platform integrates business process automation, help desk and customer service, sales, marketing, project management, and business analytics. -- 10,000 ConnectWise Automate agents - ConnectWise Automate provides users with fully automated, integrated proactive and preventative IT services. -- 10 ConnectWise Sell licenses - ConnectWise Sell is an all-in-one, integrated sales platform that creates quotes and proposal anywhere, anytime. -- The ability to manage 5,000 seats of Microsoft Office 365 in ConnectWise CloudConsole - CloudConsole is a management, monitoring, and billing tool for Microsoft Office 365 and Azure accounts, and is designed to save time and reduce the complexity of supporting a client's Microsoft cloud services.To learn more about ConnectWise and its integrated business management solutions, view the demo today.Follow ConnectWise LinkedIn ConnectWise Blog Twitter Facebook YouTubeAbout ConnectWise ConnectWise transforms how technology solution providers successfully build, manage and grow their businesses. Our award-winning set of software solutions provide a fully integrated, seamless experience to companies in more than 50 countries, giving them the ability to increase their productivity, efficiency and profitability. When combined with our relentless commitment to innovation, powerful network of ideas and experts, unparalleled passion for our users, and more than 30 years of experience, ConnectWise software solutions deliver the support companies want at each step of their business journey. For more information, visit www.ConnectWise.com.About Mirus IT Mirus is an award-winning IT services provider with offices in Milton Keynes and Central London. Established in 2002, Mirus works in partnership with predominantly SME businesses, charities and schools/colleges across the Midlands and the South East of England. Mirus is trusted by over 250 leading organisations and educational establishments and are partnered with a number of the largest players in the IT marketplace.Copyright 2016 ConnectWise. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks, trade names, service marks and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies. All other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others and are the property of their respective owners.Contact Info Diane Rose for ConnectWise +1 727.238.7567 diane@dkrcomms.com
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The euro retreated from its early highs against the other major currencies in the early European session on Wednesday. The euro pared gains to 122.13 against the yen, 1.0742 against the franc and 1.0612 versus the greenback, from its early highs of 122.66, 1.0777 and 1.0665, respectively. The euro reversed from its early 2-day high of 0.8416 against the pound, ticking down to 0.8375. The euro is likely to find support around 1.05 against the greenback, 1.04 against the franc, 120.00 against the yen and 0.82 against the pound. 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.
49 MW lithium-ion system in UK will support multiple, market-driven use cases ranging from peaking to frequency regulation Deal underscores versatility of Younicos solutions

Energy storage pioneer Younicos has been selected by Centrica to design one of the world's largest and most sophisticated battery-based energy storage systems. To be completed by winter 2018, the 49 megawatt (MW) lithium-ion system will respond to fluctuations in electrical demand in less than a second.

The battery plant will be built at the site of the former Roosecote coal and gas-fired power stations in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK, and will be owned and operated by Centrica, a leading British energy and services company. Younicos software will be key to ensuring that the system meets the various demanding requirements set by the UK Transmission System Operator (TSO).

"We are grateful for Centrica's trust in Younicos and proud to lead the charge in the transformation of energy systems worldwide," Younicos CEO Stephen L. Prince commented. "With prices for renewable power as well as for battery technology in steep and continuous decline, battery storage systems are the best solution to quickly build more flexible, stable and cost-effective grids. I'm gratified that Centrica and Younicos will have the opportunity to demonstrate the technical and economic value of batteries in meeting peak demand, while also improving grid performance and resiliency for ratepayers in the UK in the years to come."

Intelligently controlled batteries are best suited to smooth out short-term fluctuations in power supply and demand quickly and precisely, enabling the integration of a much larger share of intermittent clean energy sources. Younicos pioneered the commercial use of batteries to provide various critical grid services such as frequency regulation, and has already installed over 150 MW of battery storage globally. The German-American company built Europe's first commercial battery in Schwerin, Germany, and provided the software and controls for UK Power Network's 6 MW "Smarter Network Storage" (SNS) project in Leighton-Buzzard.

About Younicos

Younicos is a global leader for intelligent energy storage and grid solutions. Clients benefit from technical expertise, commercial know-how and in-depth experience built on 150 megawatts installed in 37 energy storage projects worldwide. The company was founded in 2005 in Berlin, Germany, and currently employs more than 130 storage experts there and in Austin, Texas (USA). For more information please visit www.younicos.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Centrica

Centrica is an international energy and services company.

The Company's Distributed Energy Power business has been established as a new global business unit with a focus on helping businesses and other large energy users to take control of their energy.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005465/en/

Contacts:

Younicos

Spokesperson Americas

Gene Hunt

+1-978-750-0333

gene.hunt@younicos.com

or

Spokesperson EMEA Asia

Philip Hiersemenzel

+49-174-9088188

Philip.Hiersemenzel@younicos.com
Unitedprint.com SE is a top European corporation, and, with its print24, Easyprint, Unitedprint, getprint, printwhat, firstprint, DDK PRINT BIG, infowerk and Unitedprint Shop Services (USS) brands, has been one of Europe's leading, market-defining online print shops for over ten years. We interviewed Ali Jason Bazooband (Director of Innovation/Marketing) to gain an exclusive outlook on the future of web-to-print, and detailed insights into Unitedprint's success story.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005470/en/

print24.com: Successful WtP Means Constantly Inspiring Customers with New Products, Services and Features! (Photo: Business Wire)

Mr Bazooband, you've been on the executive board of Unitedprint.com SE, one of the major European players in online print, for over a year now. What is your role and mission at Unitedprint?

Ali Jason Bazooband: "It's a case of permanently developing our range through attractive new products, services, features and our - now somewhat obsessive - quest to offer the lowest prices, top product quality and fastest delivery times. This coincides with both my personal role and the overarching mission of Unitedprint and its various portals. And that's why we launch so many innovations, new products, services and features every week. Always speedy and efficient to our customers' advantage, because, as we all know: "The successful ones are those who benefit customers!"

>> Read more

print24.com is a UNITEDPRINT SE brand, a global and innovation-oriented e-commerce company for print and media. As one of Europe's leading online printers, UNITEDPRINT SE is represented in the marketplace by the renowned brands print24, Easyprint, Unitedprint, getprint, printwhat, FIRSTPRINT, DDK PRINT BIG, infowerk, and Unitedprint Shop Services (USS). The company employs a staff of over 700 people at 26 locations worldwide (in Germany, 21 other European countries, and in Brazil, China, Canada, and the US). In addition to the standard print products, the company provides its customers with high-quality products ranging from the textile printing, photo printing, advertising equipment printing and gastronomy sectors. Customers can also benefit from their 24-hour availability as well as their 30/60/90-payment model, which is unique in this sector.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005470/en/

Contacts:

Unitedprint.com SE

Maria Lehmann

0049 (0)351 27225388

presse@unitedprint.com
Regulatory News:

SoLocal Group (Paris:LOCAL) has requested from Euronext Paris the suspension of trading in its shares (LOCAL FR0012938884) which is immediately effective, in the perspective of the publication of a press release.

About SoLocal Group

SoLocal Group, European leader in local online communication, reveals local know-how, and boosts local revenues of businesses. The Internet activities of the Group are structured around two business lines: Local Search and Digital Marketing. With Local Search, the Group offers digital services and solutions to clients which enable them to enhance their visibility and develop their local contacts. Thanks to its expertise, SoLocal Group earned the trust of some 530,000 clients of those services and over 2.2 billions of visits via its 4 flagship brands (PagesJaunes, Mappy, Ooreka and A Vendre A Louer) but also through its partnerships. With Digital Marketing, SoLocal Group creates and provides Internet users with the best local and customised content about professionals. With over 4,400 employees, including a salesforce of 1,900 local communication advisors specialised in five verticals (Home, Services, Retail, Health Public, BtoB) and Internationally (France, Spain, Austria, United Kingdom), the Group generated in 2015 revenues of 873 millions euros, of which 73% on Internet and ranks amongst the first European players in terms of Internet advertising revenues. SoLocal Group is listed on Euronext Paris (LOCAL). More information may be obtained at www.solocalgroup.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005517/en/

Contacts:

SoLocal Group

Press

Delphine Penalva, +33 (0)1 46 23 35 31

dpenalva@solocal.com

Edwige Druon, +33 (0)1 46 23 37 56

edruon@solocal.com

or

Investors

Elsa Cardarelli, +33 (0)1 46 23 40 92

ecardarelli@solocal.com

Sebastien Nony, +33 (0) 1 46 23 49 03

snony@solocal.com

Alexandra Kunysz, +33 (0)1 46 23 47 45

akunysz@solocal.com


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Australia's flag carrier Qantas said it will begin non-stop flights between Perth and London, which would be Australia's first regular nonstop flight to Europe.



In a statement, Qantas said the 14,498 kilometre service, using new long-range Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, will begin in March 2018. It will take just 17 hours from Perth non-stop, and will be the third-longest passenger flight in the world.



The company noted that back in 1947, when Qantas created the Kangaroo Route to London, it took four days and nine stops.



The new flight would be the longest flight on the Qantas network, followed by non-stop A380 Sydney-Dallas service. It would also be the longest Boeing Dreamliner flight in the world.



Seats on the Perth-London flights will go on sale in April 2017 for the first services in March 2018. The 787-9 Dreamliners used on the route will carry 236 passengers across Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins.



Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the history-making route would be a watershed for travel, tourism and trade.



'This is a game-changing route flown by a game-changing aircraft. Australians have never had a direct link to Europe before, so the opportunities this opens up are huge,' Joyce added.



The new flight will operate through Qantas' existing domestic terminals, which will be upgraded to accommodate international flights. The airline's current international services from Perth to Singapore and to Auckland will also move to this terminal.



Qantas said it will move its operations to an expanded Terminal 1 at Perth Airport by 2025, pending a commercial agreement.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Canstar Resources Inc. ("Canstar" or "the Company") (TSX VENTURE: ROX) is pleased to announce the commencement of drilling on the Company's 100% owned Kenora Gold Project, located 9 kilometers east of Kenora, Ontario. The program will be comprised of a minimum of 1,000 meters and will be the first of several phases of drilling anticipated on the project heading into 2017. The Company has already commenced with ground preparation including additional stripping and trenching following recently announced results including the discovery of a gold bearing felsic zone with grab samples containing up to 1.4 g/t gold (see Company's press release dates November 17, 2016).

This drilling program will follow up on the cumulative results that were collected during 2015 and 2016. These results include testing the Ace Showing located on a highly prospective structural trend ("Aviator trend") whose results include surface channel samples of 29.3 meters (true width) averaging 3.1 g/t gold (see Company's press release dated June 20, 2016). In addition the Company will test anomalies associated with the induced polariz ation ("IP") geophysical program conducted this year which identified at least 11 geophysical targets. The Company's permits will cover all proposed phases of drilling (see Company's press release dated July 11, 2016).

Danniel Oosterman, President and CEO of Canstar, states: "We are excited to bring about this stage of work for the Kenora Gold Project, built upon months of diligent field work which has resulted in very strong targets going into the program. This first phase of drilling will not only allow us to test the Ace Showing at depth, but allow us to ascertain the effectiveness of the induced polarization survey in delineating gold mineralization in this area. These will be key metrics for the project going forward."

Danniel Oosterman, P.Geo is President and Chief Executive Officer and is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information in this release.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Danniel J. Oosterman, P.Geo, President & CEO

Forward-Looking Statements

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.

Contacts:

Canstar Resources Inc.

Danniel J. Oosterman, P. Geo.

President & CEO

doosterman@canstarresources.com



Canstar Resources Inc.

Karen Willoughby

Director Corporate Communications

1-866-936-6766

kwilloughby@canstarresources.com




Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- GMV Minerals Inc. (the "Company" or "GMV") (TSX VENTURE: GMV) is pleased to announce that it has made application to the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) for two additional exploration permits which directly adjoin the northern boundaries of its Mexican Hat gold exploration project located in S.E. Arizona.

GMV has filed to acquire a 100% interest in Permit No.'s 08-119123 & 08-119124 covering Township 18 South, Range 25 East, (Sections 33 and 34 respectively). The two exploration permits are located adjacent to the north of the Company's claims and 500 metres north of the Hernandez Hill epithermal gold target. The favourable Tertiary volcanic rocks and structures that host the mineralization currently being assessed by the Company are projected onto these licenses.

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has received notification from the Bureau of Land Management that it may proceed to drill its newly discovered epithermal target (see NR dated December 6, 2016) subject to receipt of the reclamation bond which has now been posted. The Company has engaged American Drilling Corp. and expects that drilling will commence on this target in early January 2017. GMV also reports that Zonge International has commenced an expanded AMT survey, stepping out to the north, south and east of the test survey and including the Hernandez Hill area.

In addition, the Company announces that, subject to regulatory approval, it has granted incentive stock options to certain directors, officers, and consultants to purchase up to an aggregate of 880,000 common shares exercisable on or before December 13, 2021 at a price of $0.60 per share.

Dr. D.R. Webb, Ph.D., P.Geol., P.Eng. is the Q.P. for this release within the meaning of NI 43-101 and has reviewed the technical content of this release and has approved its content.

About GMV Minerals Inc.

GMV Minerals Inc. is a publicly traded exploration company focused on developing precious metal assets in Arizona. GMV, through its 100% owned subsidiary, has a 100% interest in a Mining Property Lease commonly referred to as the Mexican Hat project, located in Cochise County, Arizona, USA. The Mexican Hat property contains an inferred mineral resource of 23,452,000 tonnes grading 0.70 grams of gold per tonne hosting 531,400 troy ounces of gold. The project was initially explored by Placer Dome (USA) in the late 1980's to early 1990's. GMV is focused on developing the asset and realizing the full mineral potential of the property through near term gold production.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ian Klassen, President

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 based on assumptions and judgments of management of the Company regarding future events or results. Such statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise or update such statements except as may be required by law.

Contacts:

GMV Minerals Inc.

Ian Klassen

(604) 899-0106

info@gmvminerals.com




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- TerraX Minerals Inc. (TSX VENTURE: TXR)(FRANKFURT: TX0)(OTC PINK: TRXXF) is pleased to announce grab samples up to 72.6 g/t Au from the balance of surface sampling results from the Main and Hanging Wall mineralized structures on the Sam Otto target area. These two sub-parallel north-south striking zones are immediately to the east of the previously reported Dave's Pond structure which contained samples as high as 66.7 g/t Au (news release December 1, 2016). These three structures form part of one large and highly prospective gold bearing system in the Sam Otto area, with multiple shear hosted mineralized zones extending 1-2 kilometers in strike length and 500 meters across strike.

The Sam Otto sampling has extended the Main Zone north and south from the drilling completed in the winter 2016 program that included 49.70 m @ 1.00 g/t Au and 30.70 m @ 1.33 g/t Au (news release April 13, 2016), and it has defined new mineralization on the Hanging Wall zone 50 meters to the east. Surface mineralization has now been identified on these zones for 1.5 km of strike length with grab samples up to 72.6 g/t Au returned during sampling this past summer at the Yellowknife City Gold project ("YCG"). A map of the sampling at Sam Otto is available on our web site under "Sam Otto 2016 Field Exploration" under the "Northbelt" project section.

Joe Campbell, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TerraX, states, "This surface sampling at Sam Otto, coupled with the previously reported results from the Dave's Pond structure, reinforces our belief that the area is one large mineralized system capable of containing significant gold deposits. We are very much looking forward to the pending results of our 2016 summer drill program at Sam Otto." Mr. Campbell further stated, "Sam Otto is one of several targets we are exploring on our 129 sq km property. We believe our Yellowknife City Gold project has the potential for multiple high grade discoveries in a world renowned gold district with excellent access to infrastructure."

The field work at Sam Otto included a total of 224 samples over 2 kilometers of strike length on the Hanging Wall and Main zones. The Main Zone is a recognized mineralized structure with previous trenching from the 1930's. Preliminary drilling by TerraX in 2016 defined a north-south striking trend in the south east corner of the Sam Otto area. The parallel Hanging Wall Zone lies 50-100 meters to the east of the Main Zone and was underexplored until the 2016 surface sampling and mapping. It is now recognized to have similar styles of mineralization and the same potential size as the Main Zone, with both structures having potential for higher grade zones.

The three Sam Otto mineralized structures (Main, Hanging Wall and Dave's Pond) are visible in geophysical and LiDAR surveys along more than 2 kilometers of strike length and each mineralized shear extends across 50-100 meters in width. The most pronounced structures occur in low areas with no outcrop, but sufficient rock exposure was sampled to determine the high gold potential. Within this area, 54 grab samples returned values greater than 0.50 g/t Au, with 40 samples greater than 1.00 g/t Au, of which 12 samples were between 3.00 and 10.00 g/t Au, with two high value of 39.4 and 72.6 g/t Au, as indicated on the Sam Otto sampling map referenced above and available on our web site.

The best mineralized areas discovered to date occur as sericitic-chlorite shear zones with quartz veins and sulphide mineralization. Of particular interest is a 700 meter strike length along both the Main Zone and the Hanging Wall Zone that contains 120 samples, 45 of which returned values greater than 0.50 g/t Au with 35 samples greater than 3.00 g/t Au. This area will be a priority target for the winter drill program scheduled to start in January 2017.

Drilling was carried out on the Main Zone and Hanging Wall Zone in October of this year prior to receiving these assay results from the summer-fall 2016 field program. The Main Zone drilling consisted of two holes (TS16-010, TSO16-13) targeted at extending the strike north and the depth of the zone discovered in winter 2016 by drilling 49.70 m @ 1.00 g/t Au and 30.70 m @ 1.33 g/t Au (news release April 13, 2016). TerraX's first drilling program on the Hanging Wall Zone consisted of four holes (TS16-006, TSO16-07, TSO16-08 and TSO16-09) and tested 100 meters of strike length and 100 meters of dip length on the zone. These drill locations, as well as the drill locations from Dave's Pond, are indicated on the Sam Otto sampling map referenced above. Drill results are pending.

Sampling included insertion of certified standards and blanks into the stream of samples for chemical analysis. Samples were prepared at ALS Chemex's laboratory in Yellowknife and shipped to their Vancouver facility for gold analysis by fire assay and other elements by ICP analysis. ALS is a certified and accredited laboratory service. It should be noted that, due to their selective nature, assay results from grab samples may not be indicative of the overall grade and extent of mineralization on the subject area. The technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Joseph Campbell, the Chief Executive Officer of TerraX, who is a Qualified Person as defined in "National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects."

About the Yellowknife City Gold Project

Yellowknife City Gold ("YCG") encompasses 129 sq km of contiguous land immediately north and south of the City of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Through a series of acquisitions, TerraX now controls one of the six major high-grade gold camps in Canada. Being within 15 km of the City of Yellowknife, the YCG is close to vital infrastructure, including transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power and skilled tradespeople.

The YCG lies on the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering 23 km of strike length on the southern and northern extensions of the shear system that hosted the high-grade Con and Giant gold mines. The project area contains multiple shears that are the recognized hosts for gold deposits in the Yellowknife gold district, with innumerable gold showings and recent high grade drill results that serve to indicate the project's potential as a world-class gold district.

For more information on the YCG project, please visit our web site at www.terraxminerals.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Joseph Campbell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors - including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts, the completion of due diligence and the results of exploration activities - that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts:

TerraX Minerals Inc.

Samuel Vella

Manager of Corporate Communications

Toll-Free: 1- 800-481-1876

svella@terraxminerals.com

www.terraxminerals.com



Paradox Public Relations Inc.

514-341-0408

Toll-Free: 1-866-460-0408

info@paradox-pr.ca




MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Bee Vectoring Technologies (the "Company" or "BVT") (TSX VENTURE: BEE) is pleased to provide a shareholder update from the CEO offering an overview of the Company's strategic direction and progress towards commercialization.

-- 11 patents on BVT technologies approved; -- Successful trials in strawberries, blueberries, indoor tomatoes and sunflowers with future trials in progress; -- Regulatory submissions in the process of being reviewed, results expected in 6-18 months

"We have achieved the milestones outlined at the beginning of the year in 2016 and are extremely bullish on 2017," offered Ashish Malik, President and CEO of Bee Vectoring Technologies. "Within the three months since joining Bee Vectoring Technologies, much has been accomplished that sets out a clear and concise path to commercialization including the approval of additional patents, now totaling 11 globally, submissions to the US EPA and the continued development of our vast array of technologies. As well, we continue to verify the efficacy of our existing technology through independently validated studies."

Mr. Malik, who joined BVT following 13 successful years in the crop protection industry, including executive positions at Bayer CropScience, AgraQuest and Syngenta, added "the Company is following a plan that is well-established for the adoption of new on-farm technologies and that is expected by the industry and growers alike. In 2017, we will continue to develop both existing and new technologies while working closely with the US regulatory bodies to ensure that we are able to begin sales of BVT CR-7 as early as possible."

"In addition to the US market opportunity that exists, we have already initiated conversations with regulatory bodies in both Canada and Europe to expand the reach of our products on a global scale," continued Mr. Malik. "There is a growing need to make agriculture not only more productive but also to do so in a more responsible way by reducing its overall impact on the environment. We have created a unique and compelling technology which gives growers a new crop production tool to meet these challenges."

The Company has met several key milestones:

-- Patents Approved: The Company is pursuing an aggressive IP strategy that covers 4 different patent families on its technology and involves 60 patent applications worldwide. The Company has received approval on 11 of these patents in 7 countries worldwide covering all 4 of the patent families; the remaining patents are pending. The patents validate the novelty and innovation in the BVT system and will allow the Company to protect its technology globally from competition; -- Regulatory Submission: In August 2016 the Company submitted its first bio-pesticide BVT CR-7 for regulatory approval to the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). The submission followed eight months of rigorous testing to show the product's safety. Regulatory approval by the US EPA is expected in the first half of 2018; additional regulatory submissions will be pursued during 2017. -- Trials Completed: The Company has completed successful trials in strawberries, blueberries, indoor tomatoes and sunflowers in the US, Canada, and Europe. The trials have confirmed the efficacy and productivity improvements achieved with use of BVT system: for example, in strawberries, reductions in gray mold disease of up to 40% and increases in marketable yield up to 30% were achieved when the BVT system was used together with chemical fungicides as compared to treatments when the fungicides were used alone. In sunflower trials at North Dakota State University, the BVT system delivered a 36% reduction in incidence and a 22% reduction in the severity of sclerotinia disease and produced a yield increase in the crop of 8%. -- Partnerships Developing: The Company is gaining significant visibility within the broader industry and is attracting a high level of interest worldwide from potential long term strategic partners. Several new testing agreements have been secured, and the BVT system is being evaluated by these potential partners.

The Company is focusing on two key strategic priorities:

1. Commercialization: continue to gain grower acceptance through trials and demos, and secure regulatory approvals which will drive revenue in the prioritized crops. The focus is initially in berry crops in the Southeastern US; 2. Selective Market Expansion: expand its accessible market by developing additional crops in the US (e.g. indoor tomatoes, sunflowers), and by submitting for regulatory approval in additional countries.

To drive these priorities in the coming 6 months, the Company is pursuing commercial demonstrations of its proprietary system with influential growers, supporting the review of the BVT CR-7 product at the US EPA and conducting trials in new crops and additional countries.

The Company has progressed several crops past the proof of concept stage and is currently conducting field trials and commercial demos with growers. The path to commercialization includes:

-- Crop planning - crops are prioritized based on grower needs, size of the market and the economics and probability of technical success of the technology; -- Proof of concept trials - these are select trials designed to confirm technical fit; -- Field trials - these are replicated trials designed to get statistically significant data. The trials are paid for by the company and are carried out at universities or by contracted researchers under controlled conditions (sometimes on a grower's field); -- Commercial demonstrations - these are carried out on grower fields under field conditions. Demos are secured after the grower is convinced about a possible fit for the technology on their farm by the data from the previous field trials, and are designed to see how the technology can help improve the productivity and economics of the farmer's operation; -- Launch - the final value proposition for the technology is established, the go-to-market plan is developed and the product is available for commercial sales following securing of the regulatory approval.

The Company's objective is to have several opportunities in different stages of the sales cycle at any given growing season. Strawberries have advanced to the commercial demo stage; indoor tomatoes, blueberries and sunflowers are at the field trial stage; almonds are in the proof of concept stage.

About Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc.

BVT has developed and owns patent-pending bee vectoring technology (consisting of a proprietary tray dispenser containing a unique carrier agent) that is designed to harmlessly utilize commercially reared bumblebees as natural delivery mechanisms for a variety of powdered mixtures comprised of organic compounds that inhibit or eliminate common crop diseases, while at the same time stimulating and enhancing the same crops. This unique and proprietary process facilitates a targeted delivery of crop controls using the simple process of bee pollination to replace traditional crop spraying, resulting in better yield, organic product and less impact on the environment without the use of water or disruptions to labour.Additional information can be viewed at the Company's website www.beevt.com

On Behalf of Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc.,

Ashish Malik, President & CEO

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 press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that BVT expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to BVT'S future plans and technologies, including the timing of such plans and technologies. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "indicate" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although BVT believes that the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include continued availability of capital, financing and required resources (such as human resources, equipment and/or other capital resources), and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of BVT'S management on the date the statements are made. BVT undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change, except as required by law.

Contacts:

Bee Vectoring Technologies

Ashish Malik

President & CEO

marketing@beevt.com

www.beevt.com



Investor Relations

Babak Pedram

Virtus Advisory Group

416-995-8651

bpedram@virtusadvisory.com



For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:

Josh Stanbury

416-628-7441

josh@sjspr.co.uk




TILT Biotherapeutics Ltd, the oncolytic immunotherapy startup founded in 2013, has closed a financing round of 4.0M (~$4.3M) to progress its lead candidate, TILT-123, into Phase I clinical trials. This adds up to TILT's seed funding, bringing its total funding to almost 10M (~$10.6M).

About TILT Biotherapeutics

TILT Biotherapeutics Ltd is a leading company globally working in the area of enabling tumor T-cell therapy with oncolytic viruses. The company's patented technology involves utilization of oncolytic viruses for enhancement of tumor T-cell therapy. www.tiltbio.com

Curative treatment for solid tumors 90% of all cancers

The lead candidate, TILT-123, is a preclinical stage TNFa/IL2 armed oncolytic adenovirus. GMP production is ongoing and the first phase I clinical trials are aimed to start early 2018. TILT-123 will be used to enhance tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL), chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T), and checkpoint inhibiting antibody therapy. One of the trials, for which the funding raised will be used, will take place in two centers in Europe and address metastatic melanoma in combination with TILT-123 and TILs.

As stated by TILT's founder/CEO Akseli Hemminki, "TILT-123 is the only oncolytic virus which has been specifically designed with T-cell therapies and checkpoint inhibitors in mind. Moreover, we have already seen in humans that the virus backbone is safe and is able to access distant metastases by the vascular route". In addition to these unique features, TILT's product has been engineered for improved efficacy and safety in cancer cells. Professor Hemminki and colleagues have published over 200 scientific papers and treated over 300 patients with different oncolytic viruses.

Supported by Finnish investors and an EU grant

TILT's investors include Lifeline Ventures Ltd, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes), the European Commission, and business angels. The latest funding round consists of loans from Tekes and important equity investments from Lifeline Ventures and private investors. "TILT is an interesting investment opportunity because the TILT technology is likely to be the most effective oncolytic immunotherapy in the context of T-cell therapies and anti-PD1, and the team has an unparalleled track record in clinical translation" says Timo Ahopelto, one of the founders of Lifeline Ventures.

TILT is further aiming at expanding its current investor base to secure capital for additional Phase I/II clinical trials and establishing collaborations with companies having synergic technologies in the immuno-oncology field, notably those with checkpoint inhibitors or CAR-T.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005646/en/

Contacts:

TILT Biotherapeutics

Aino Kalervo

Head of Business Management

+358 (0)50 321 74 54

aino@tiltbio.com
MAHWAH, NJ and HERZELIYA, ISRAEL -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- TopSpin Security, Inc., the leader in integrated intelligent deception and detection solutions, today announced it is seeing significant growing traction in the financial services market due to its unique ability to protect private financial and cardholder data from cyber attackers and unauthorized access, helping financial firms stay secure and maintain compliance with regulations such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Financial services organizations such as Chicago Trading Company are selecting TopSpin's DECOYnet intelligent deception and detection platform due to its unique built-in traffic and security analysis engine which enables intelligent placement of mini-traps and decoys, an additional security layer through analysis and threat detection, and adaptive deception that evolves with changing network conditions. As a result, DECOYnet best protects private financial and cardholder information by setting decoys and fake information to trap attackers and deflect unauthorized access from real network assets, such as data repositories, file servers, and application servers.

"Adding TopSpin's proactive intelligent deception to our existing security technologies strengthens our ability to keep our information secure," said Russ McManus, CTO of Chicago Trading Company (CTC). "TopSpin's disruptive deception technology will offer CTC a real time awareness of potential risks to our business, while enriching our threat intelligence system with accurate, quality data."

TopSpin's unique ability to deliver the industry's widest diversity of mini-traps and decoy types provides financial firms the broadest option to restrict access to financial and cardholder data by business need-to-know, including offering false credential data traps that alert when a "marked" password is used. Its traffic and security analysis engine uniquely monitors all egress and internal traffic to best track all access to network resources and cardholder data, including alerting unauthorized access to private assets.

"TopSpin's growing success in the financial services market is a great example of how organizations can protect their environments and entrusted private information by setting the industry's most intelligent traps to divert attackers from real company assets," said Doron Kolton, Founder and CEO of TopSpin Security. "Organizations turn to TopSpin as their deception technology of choice to best hinder attackers on their networks, due to our unique built-in traffic analysis engine and the widest diversity of traps and decoys we offer."

DECOYnet interacts with other security tools to help financial firms maintain their requirement to develop and maintain secure systems and applications. It alerts organizations when third-party tools and service pose risks, for example if they perform scans or exfiltrate private data to an unauthorized external location. DECOYnet also enhances financial organizations' threat intelligence by combining data from decoys, traps, and internal and egress traffic monitors; and correlating it into single, actionable incidents.

DECOYnet is the financial industry's only intelligent deception solution that offers a built-in traffic and security analysis engine -- enabling highly accurate placement of mini-traps and decoys, an additional security layer through analysis and threat detection, and adaptive and flexible deception that evolves with changing network conditions. With DECOYnet, TopSpin continues to perfect its asset profiling capabilities, uniquely mapping the network by every asset and subnet to build a comprehensive deception layer for each individual network. By constantly breathing the network traffic, DECOYnet actively adapts to dynamic network conditions, including new assets and applications introduced, so the deception layer is always optimized.

About TopSpin Security

TopSpin Security is the leader in integrated deception and detection technologies which allow organizations to quickly and accurately detect breaches, engage attackers and neutralize advanced cyber-attacks. Its technology is based on a network of decoys that lure attackers by mirroring valuable network assets and are fully adaptive to organizations' changing environments. Its unique traffic analysis engine and integration into organizations' existing security infrastructure deliver the industry's only deception solution that provides for strategic placement of traps and decoys; added security and internal correlation; and operational advantages such as automated, point-and-click configuration. Once engaged, the decoys interact with attackers, deceiving them and slowing their advances, while providing accurate, actionable alerts and forensics trails. TopSpin's DECOYnet is already deployed by leading Global 2000 companies. The company's U.S. operations are headquartered in Mahwah, N.J., with its R&D center in Herzliya, Israel. Learn more at https://www.topspinsec.com.

All brands, products, or service names are or may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3091156



Contact:

Dan Spalding

Email Contact

(408) 960-9297




TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - December 14, 2016) - Beleave Inc. ("Beleave" or the "Company") (CSE: BE) is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Engage funded research project in collaboration with lead investigator Dr. Lesley Campbell, associate professor in the Ryerson University Department of Chemistry and Biology. In this work, Beleave and the Campbell lab have worked on optimizing methods for cannabinoid/terpene extraction, and compared the efficiency of this method with the efficiency of extraction of a panel of other practical extraction methods reported in the literature and used in industrial cannabis oil production. The results of the project have led to the identification of a unique approach for cannabinoid extraction and recovery. Beleave plans to support project collaborators in preparing a manuscript for publication in the International Journal of Analytical Science.

"This represents an exciting addition to Beleave's IP portfolio, and creates opportunity for future cannabis product development and commercialization. The development of such technologies is consistent with Beleave's corporate mission of being a leading provider of medical cannabis products in Canada", commented Beleave CEO, Roger Ferreira.

"I find this research contribution exciting -- it is imperative that knowledge-generating public institutions, like universities, get involved in developing high-quality, pharmaceutical extraction processes for patients, and support a healthy business environment where established and emerging companies all have access to cost-efficient, consistent and safe processes", remarked Ryerson researcher, Lesley Campbell.

About Beleave

Beleave, Inc. is a biotech company committed to becoming a licensed producer under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (the "ACMPR"). Beleave's wholly-owned subsidiary First Access Medical Inc. ("FAM") has applied for a license to cultivate and sell medical marihuana pursuant to the ACMPR. As of the date hereof, FAM has successfully advanced past the review stage, and has been issued an affirmation letter from Health Canada prior to a request for a pre-licensing inspection. Beleave's purpose-built facility is located near Hamilton, Ontario.

About Ryerson

Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education. Urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 41,500 students, including 2,400 master's and PhD students, 3,200 faculty and staff, and nearly 170,000 alumni worldwide. For more information, visit www.ryerson.ca

About NSERC

NSERC invests over $1 billion each year in natural sciences and engineering research in Canada. Our investments deliver discoveries - valuable world-firsts in knowledge claimed by a brain trust of over 11,000 professors. Our investments enable partnerships and collaborations that connect industry with discoveries and the people behind them. Researcher-industry partnerships established by NSERC help inform R&D, solve scale-up challenges, and reduce the risks of developing high-potential technology.

NSERC also provides scholarships and hands-on training experience for more than 30,000 post-secondary students and post-doctoral fellows. These young researchers will be the next generation of science and engineering leaders in Canada.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. This news release includes forward-looking statements with respect to the completion of the ACMPR licensing process, meeting the requirements of the ACMPR, and the start of production. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents, which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com.

For more information contact:

Sebastian de Kloet

Phone: 1 (905) 979 - 5173

Email: Sebastian@beleave.com
EDMONTON, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Iberian Minerals Ltd. (the "Company" or "Iberian") (TSX VENTURE: IML)(OTCQB: SLDRF) is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors of Iberian have unanimously approved the proposal to spin-out its X-Leach reagent technology to EnviroLeach Technologies Inc. ("EnviroLeach"), a new corporation formed to continue the research and development of the X-Leach technologies. This spin-out will include the transfer of all X-Leach related assets including all intellectual property rights to the eco-friendly X-Leach, non-cyanide based leach formula to EnviroLeach for the price of $3 million.

Under the terms of the proposed spin-out, through a statutory plan of arrangement, Iberian's current shareholders will receive, by way of a return of capital dividend, approximately 1 share of EnviroLeach for every 10 shares held in Iberian for an aggregate total of approximately 26,000,000 shares of EnviroLeach representing 70.27% of the issued and outstanding shares of Enviroleach. Iberian will receive 2,000,000 shares of EnviroLeach representing 5.41% of the issued and outstanding shares. Iberian will also be issued a promissory note in the amount of $1.6 million.

EnviroLeach has completed an initial private placement in the amount of $450,000. The closing of the private placement resulted in the issuance of 9,000,000 shares of EnviroLeach representing 24.32% of the issued and outstanding shares of EnviroLeach.

Greg Pendura, Iberian's Chief Executive Officer, states: "the spin-out of EnviroLeach is the result of an extensive review of strategic alternatives to attain maximum value and monetization of the EnviroLeach assets for the Iberian shareholders. The spin out allows the new company, led by Duane Nelson, to focus exclusively on the development, enhancement and commercialization of this revolutionary new reagent technology and to continue to build value with the formation of strategic relationships in both the mining and e-waste management sectors."

The Board of Directors and management of Iberian feel that the spin-out of EnviroLeach will better unlock the future value of the technology and attract an investor base best suited to the company's value proposition, particular business operations and financial characteristics, thereby maximizing shareholder value and placing EnviroLeach in a better position to ramp up, generate revenues and develop strategic relationships/partners and attain higher valuations than had it remained part of Iberian Minerals.

Iberian's wholly owned subsidiary, Mineworx Technologies Inc. will receive a free sub-license to use the technology in its business operations, providing it is not in competition with EnviroLeach.

The proposed Spin-Out Transaction will be subject to review of relevant tax and securities law issues and receipt of any applicable corporate and regulatory approvals, as well as, shareholder approval by not less than two-thirds of the votes cast at a soon to be announced special meeting of Iberian Minerals shareholders. Iberian will update stakeholders on the progress of the proposed transaction in a timely fashion and a news release will be issued specifying the future date determining the Iberian shareholders of record for dividend distribution purposes.

Greg Pendura, President & CEO

About Iberian Minerals

Iberian Minerals is a Canadian junior mining company positioned for growth through the partnership of advanced cash flow mining opportunities utilizing the Mineworx environmentally friendly mineral processing technologies.

For further information, go to www.iberianminerals.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release contains certain statements which constitute forward-looking statements or information ("forward-looking statements"), including statements regarding Iberian's business. Such forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Iberian's control, including the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, volatility of commodity prices, currency fluctuations, environmental risks, operational risks in exploration and development, competition from other industry participants, the lack of availability of qualified personnel or management, stock market volatility and the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources. Although Iberian believes that the expectations in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, they are based on factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate. Those factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward looking information. As such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward looking information, as no assurance can be provided as to future results, levels of activity or achievements. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of the date of this document and, except as required by applicable law, Iberian does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Contacts:

IBERIAN MINERALS LTD.

Rick Gliege

V.P. Corporate Development

(250) 751-3661

rick@iberianminerals.ca



ENVIROLEACH TECHNOLOGIES INC.

Duane Nelson

CEO

(604) 512-8118

duane@enviroleach.com




LONGUEUIL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Heroux-Devtek Inc. (TSX: HRX) ("Heroux-Devtek" or the "Corporation"), a leading international manufacturer of aerospace products, today announced that it has signed a contract with Swedish defence and security company Saab AB ("Saab") for the production of complete landing gear systems for the Gripen E fighter aircraft.

Under the terms of the agreement, Heroux-Devtek will manufacture, assemble and deliver complete landing gear systems for the Gripen E. Operations will be mainly carried out from the Corporation's facilities located in the United Kingdom. The design and development of the landing gear is currently being finalized by Heroux-Devtek's U.K.-based engineering team.

Based on current program status, this new contract covers a total of 96 aircraft, representing firm orders for the Gripen E for the Swedish and Brazilian air forces. It also includes the provision of spare parts. Deliveries are expected to begin in calendar 2017. The aircraft is also being considered by several other countries and the contract provides an option for Saab to award the manufacturing of additional complete landing gear systems to Heroux-Devtek.

"Heroux-Devtek is proud to further enhance its longstanding relationship with Saab. Our U.K. operations have designed and manufactured landing gear systems for previous variants of the Gripen aircraft and this new contract acknowledges their expertise on an important program. This life-cycle contract will generate revenues over an extended period of time and increase our proportion of sales derived from products on which we hold intellectual property or design authority rights. It will also solidify our geographical revenue diversification as well as our balance between commercial and defence programs. We are pleased to continue providing a wide range of complete, high-quality landing gear systems to leading OEMs of the global aerospace industry," said Martin Brassard, Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Heroux-Devtek.

Saab's Gripen is a multi-role combat aircraft capable of undertaking the full range of air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, including specialist roles such as intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) and electronic warfare. Gripen is equipped with the most modern sensors and mission systems, including an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and infra-red search and track (IRST) system. It can be armed with any air-launched weapon that a customer requires, and integration of new capabilities is speedy and affordable. Gripen is easily deployable, with a very low maintenance and support footprint coupled with high reliability.

PROFILE

Heroux-Devtek Inc. (TSX: HRX) is an international company specializing in the design, development, manufacture and repair and overhaul of landing gear and actuation systems and components for the Aerospace market. The Corporation is the third largest landing gear company worldwide, supplying both the commercial and defence sectors of the Aerospace market with new landing gear systems and components, as well as aftermarket products and services. The Corporation also manufactures hydraulic systems, fluid filtration systems and electronic enclosures. Approximately 80% of the Corporation's sales are outside Canada, including about 55% in the United States. The Corporation's head office is located in Longueuil, Quebec with facilities in the Greater Montreal area (Longueuil, Laval and St-Hubert); Kitchener, Cambridge and Toronto, Ontario; Springfield and Strongsville, Ohio; Wichita, Kansas; Everett, Washington; and Runcorn, Nottingham and Bolton, United Kingdom.

ABOUT SAAB

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions within military defence and civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents around the world. Through innovative, collaborative and pragmatic thinking, Saab develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers' changing needs.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Except for historical information provided herein, this press release may contain information and statements of a forward-looking nature concerning the future performance of the Corporation. These statements are based on suppositions and uncertainties as well as on management's best possible evaluation of future events. Such factors may include, without excluding other considerations, fluctuations in quarterly results, evolution in customer demand for the Corporation's products and services, the impact of price pressures exerted by competitors, and general market trends or economic changes. As a result, readers are advised that actual results may differ from expected results.

Contacts:

Heroux-Devtek Inc.

Gilles Labbe

President and Chief Executive Officer

(450) 679-3330



MaisonBrison

Martin Goulet, CFA

(514) 731-0000




OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Everton Resources Inc. ("Everton" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: EVR) is pleased to report the results of a very successful I.P. survey on its 100% owned property of Arroyo Carpintero, Monte Plata Province, Dominican Republic. The Arroyo Carpintero property lies in the Los Ranchos formation, the same formation of the world class Pueblo Viejo gold-silver-copper mine (Barrick) only 30 kilometers away. The survey covered some 12,700 meters of survey lines in 9 lines, 200 meters apart.

Everton acquired 100% interest in the Arroyo Carpintero concession in the Dominican Republic from Brigus Gold Corporation in 2012. Surface reconnaissance identified anomalous mineralization in the south-central sector of Arroyo Carpintero in 2012. Further to these results, surface sampling and trenching returned 15m of 0.3 g/t including 1.17 g/t gold over 1m. Difficult times in the mining and exploration industry since 2012 have impeded the advancement of the Arroyo Carpintero project, however the goals remain unchanged. The Arroyo Carpintero concession is considered to have the potential to host a Cu-Au-Mo Porphyry target system. A Caracle Creek report (PUN ARROYO CARPINTERO - MAJAGUAL HILL, Dominican Republic, November 7, 2012) states there is "abundant evidence of a hydrothermal system and dome emplacement at Majagual Hill"... "The complex evolution, volcanism and intrusions, and the enrichment of the magma in metals like Au-Ag-As + (Cu-Mo-Pb) has generated centres with potential to host world class deposits." The IP survey has outlined an extensive area of more than one kilometer in strike length and 900 meters in width open in all directions.

The results of the "Insight" Induced Polarization survey have been received and indicate that there is a large, deep, and strong chargeability anomaly that is centered on Majagual Hill. Additionally, there is a strong resistivity signature which has a strong correlation with the chargeability (see accompanying maps). This signature could be indicative of a large scale copper porphyry system. There is a positive correlation between the locations of both the resistivity and chargeability anomalies with elevated concentrations of gold and copper in the soil and rocks.

Geologically, the Arroyo Carpintero project is part of a series of volcanic centers that developed during the formation of the Island Arc. The Pueblo Viejo deposit seems to be in the Northwestern most volcanic center; Arroyo Carpintero lies in the Central volcanic center and deposits such as the ones in the Bayaguana Region are interpreted to be in the Southeastern end of this belt.

Everton has outlined seven diamond drill holes that range between 400 and 600 meters in length with a program total of 3,065 meters to be started in late January 2017.

Andre Audet, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Everton, commented, "The Dominican Republic hosts the world class deposits Pueblo Viejo gold deposit. Everton believes there are more world class discoveries to be found in this mining friendly country. This concession has the geology, basic pathfinders, surficial anomalies, even artisanal gold miners on the concession. The results of this IP survey propel us to the drilling stage."

The technical content of this release was reviewed by Wade Kornik, P.Geo., a qualified person as defined by the National Instrument 43-101.

About Everton Resources Inc.

Everton is an exploration company with concessions in the Dominican Republic adjacent to the Pueblo Viejo Mine, owned by the world's two largest gold mining companies, Barrick Gold Corporation (60%) in partnership with Goldcorp Inc. (40%) ("Goldcorp"). Everton also holds an interest in the Opinaca region of James Bay, Quebec where the Company has partnered with Hecla Mining Company which is advancing Everton's interest in the Opinaca B project by funding 100% of all exploration work on one of the largest land packages adjacent to Goldcorp's Eleonore gold deposit. Everton recently announced the acquisition of two properties: the Blue Sky Jackpot lithium property in Ontario and the Detour Lake gold property in Quebec.

For further information on Everton Resources Inc., please visit: www.evertonresources.com

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of Everton's plans, objectives, strategies, expectations and intentions. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to Everton, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Many factors could cause Everton's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent Everton's views as of the date of the release. While Everton anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause its views to change, it specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Everton or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice.

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.

To view the maps accompanying this press release, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/0050m.pdf

Contacts:

Everton Resources Inc.

Andre Audet

Chairman and CEO

613-241-2332

613-421-8406 (FAX)

andre@evertonresources.com

www.evertonresources.com




LINCOLNSHIRE, IL -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Camping World Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CWH) ("Camping World"), the nation's largest network of RV-centric retail locations, announced the launch of its "side by side" business strategy with the signing of a deal to acquire Ketelsen Campers of Colorado in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

With the launch of its "side by side" strategy, Camping World will actively seek opportunities to acquire quality dealerships with strong management, brand recognition and a solid customer base in markets where Camping World has an existing presence. The acquired businesses will continue to be operated by Camping World under the legacy name.

"With our 'side by side' strategy we will actively pursue opportunities in our existing markets over the next few years to expand market share, grow our database and add additional distribution points for our Good Sam portfolio," said Brent Moody, Chief Operating Officer of Camping World and Good Sam. Added Moody, "The addition of Ketelsen Campers of Colorado will accomplish all three objectives and add a top three dealer in the state of Colorado to Camping World's established number one position."

"Under the leadership of Randy Ketelsen, Ketelsen Campers of Colorado has consistently established itself as one of the most successful, well-known and respected dealers in the state of Colorado," said Marcus Lemonis, Chairman and CEO of Camping World and Good Sam. Lemonis added, "The acquisition of Ketelsen Campers of Colorado is the perfect launch of our "side by side" strategy and will fulfill each of our objectives - increased market share, growth of our database and an additional distribution point for our Good Sam products and services."

Lemonis continued, "I always look for three things: People, Process and Product in relation to enhancing our Camping World and Good Sam presence, all of which are exemplified by Ketelsen Campers of Colorado. Our goal is to add more quality manufacturers and brands, increase our presence in the market and grow the workforce."

About Camping World Holdings, Inc.

Camping World Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CWH) is the only provider of a comprehensive portfolio of services, protection plans, products and resources for recreational vehicle ("RV") enthusiasts. Through its two iconic brands, Camping World and Good Sam, the company offers new and used RVs for sale, vehicle service and maintenance along with more than 10,000 products and services through its retail locations and membership clubs. Good Sam branded offerings provide the industry's broadest and deepest range of services, protection plans, products and resources while the Camping World brand operates the largest national network of RV-centric retail locations in the United States through 120 retail locations in 36 states and an e-commerce platform. With both brands founded in 1966, product and service offerings are based on 50 years of experience and customer feedback from RV enthusiasts.

For more information, visit www.CampingWorld.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 concerning Camping World and other matters. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. Statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as 'may,' 'will,' 'should,' 'expects,' 'plans,' 'anticipates,' 'could,' 'intends,' 'targets,' 'projects,' 'contemplates,' 'believes,' 'estimates,' 'predicts,' 'potential' or 'continue' or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this press release are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties that affect our business, including those described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this communication. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise. You are advised, however, to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our public announcements and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For Media Outlets:

Contact Karen Porter

Email Contact




DUBAI, UAE, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and President of The Dubai Health Authority, the Emirate of Dubai will host the 5th Emirates International Urological Conference 2016 (EUSC 2016), between 15th and 17th December 2016 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/449364/EUSC_22015.jpg )



(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/449363/Dr__Abdul_Qadir_Al_Zarooni.jpg )



Recognized as the leading international urological conference in the region, EUSC has set a benchmark as the platform for high quality scientific content and continued medical education. Through the collaboration between the Emirates Urological Society and eminent urological organizations across all continents, an international gathering of over 850 delegates from over 50 countries will convene in the UAE, to discuss the latest updates and innovations in the field, share and acquire new knowledge as well as network with fellow experts.

During the three-day scientific program, most of the urologic subspecialties will be covered from updates to recent technologies in diagnosis and management. The conference will also feature five new workshops for physicians, technical and nursing staff, ranging from basic, intermediate to advanced levels and an introduction to current clinical excellence techniques.

"EUSC 2016 continues to grow in terms of the number of participating international experts and the number of medical and scientific sessions included in the program. This year we have 57 faculty members and 180 selected abstracts and research papers from 40 countries. We are also pleased by the growing number of medical organizations taking part in the parallel exhibition as this provides our delegates with a broad knowledge on latest innovations," said Dr. Abdul Qadir Al Zarooni, President of the Emirates Urological Society of the Emirates Medical Association (EMA).

The conference continues to attract a growing number of followers from other medical sub-specialties with interest in radiology, surgery, urological imaging, laparoscopy, Botox, Gynecology, and Uro-Gynecology and Live Laser Surgical Simulation. In addition to a series of joint symposia and lectures by almost all the eminent urological organizations, EUSC 2016 will include for the first-time joint multi-disciplinary sessions in collaborations with other EMA sub-specialty societies, which will be interesting for a broader number of physicians and not just urologists to attend.

"We view EUSC as a platform to facilitate and build easy interaction, not just between urologists but with our colleagues from various related fields. I am also delighted to welcome the Sharjah University as our partner for the Pre-Conference Cadaveric Workshop, organized for Urologists and Gynecologists to understand the mechanism of continence in Females, pathophysiology of SUI," Dr. Abdul Qadir said.

Note the Editor:

The Emirates Urological Society (EUS) was launched in May 2011 as a sub specialty of the Emirates Medical Association (EMA.)

The EUS mission is to strengthen and promote the practice of urology medicine to improve the quality of life of the people of the UAE; support the promotion of healthcare awareness; foster maintaining high standards of care in urological medicine by facilitating access to the latest innovations and quality scientific and medical education to meet the needs of its members.

EUS continuously aims to collect, collate and disseminate knowledge and innovations concerning the educational, research and service provision aspects of the urology practice by encouraging and supporting the development of academic organizations of urologist physicians and representing the UAE before regional and international organizations and at meetings and forums concerned with health and medical care.

Or visit http://www.eusc2016.com
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Orbite Technologies Inc. (TSX: ORT)(OTCQX: EORBF) ("Orbite", or the "Company") today announced that, further to its press release of November 24, 2016, production activities continue to progress positively at its high purity alumina ("HPA") plant.

-- Feedstock digestion continues to operate automatically and smoothly, and digestion liquors continue to be transferred to the crystallisation circuit for the production of aluminum chloride hexahydrate ("ACH") crystals, the precursor to HPA. -- In preparation for the calcination of the produced ACH into HPA, the Company produced approximately 2 tonnes of amorphous HPA to constitute the initial 'bed' in the fluidized bed decomposer and calciner. This HPA was produced using the Company's legacy low-capacity Harper decomposer. -- The Outotec decomposer is at operating temperature (approximately 700 degrees C) and the Company has commenced introducing the bed material into the new calcination system. -- Once the bed is in place and stabilized, which the Company anticipates to take approximately 3-4 days, the Company will follow with the injection of ACH crystals into the calciner system for its calcination into HPA. The Harper system will then be taken offline and used in the future for specialty purposes only.

"While producing the material required for the initial fluidized bed using the Harper calcinator has taken some time due to the low capacity nature of the equipment, we have encountered no material issues with our process, and are excited about commencing this last step in our production sequence,' stated Glenn Kelly, CEO of Orbite. "Once up and running within production parameters, decomposition and calcination is much more rapid with the Outotec system than with the Harper equipment. We therefore are confident of producing consistent quality 5N+ HPA before long. This will enable us to engage with our prospective customers with HPA from the plant and work towards converting our pipeline into contracts in the near future."

About Orbite

Orbite Technologies Inc. is a Canadian cleantech company whose innovative and proprietary processes are expected to produce alumina and other high-value products, such as rare earth and rare metal oxides, at one of the lowest costs in the industry, and in a sustainable fashion, using feedstocks that include aluminous clay, kaolin, nepheline, bauxite, red mud, fly ash as well as serpentine residues from chrysotile processing sites. Orbite is currently in the process of finalizing its first commercial high-purity alumina (HPA) production plant in Cap-Chat, Quebec and has completed the basic engineering for a proposed smelter-grade alumina (SGA) production plant, which would use clay mined from its Grande-Vallee deposit. The Company's portfolio contains 16 intellectual property families, including 45 patents and 71 pending patent applications in 11 different countries and regions. The first intellectual property family is patented in Canada, USA, Australia, China, Japan and Russia. The Company also operates a state of the art technology development center in Laval, Quebec, where its technologies are developed and validated.

Forward-looking statements

Certain information contained in this document may include "forward-looking information". Without limiting the foregoing, the information and any forward-looking information may include statements regarding projects, costs, objectives and future returns of the Company or hypotheses underlying these items. In this document, words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "estimate" and similar words and the negative form thereof are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at or by which, such future performance will be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information are based on information available at the time and/or the Company management's good-faith beliefs with respect to future events and are subject to known or unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. These risks uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those described in the section of the Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) entitled "Risk and Uncertainties" as filed on March 30, 2016 on SEDAR, including those under the headings "Recent increase in budgeted capital costs will require additional financing and may adversely impact our prospects", "We will need to raise capital to continue our growth" and "Development Goals and Time Frames".

The Company does not intend, nor does it undertake, any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements contained in this document to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

Contacts:

NATIONAL Equicom

Marc Lakmaaker, External Investor Relations Consultant

416-848-1397

mlakmaaker@national.ca



For Media Inquiries:

NATIONAL Equicom

Scott Anderson, External Media Relations Consultant

416-586-1954

sanderson@national.ca




Acquisition further enhances A&E Medical's temporary pacing wire and cable portfolio and expands A&E's geographic footprint into Europe

Vance Street Capital LLC, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, and A&E Medical Corporation ("A&E Medical"), a leading cardiovascular medical device OEM, announced the acquisition of Medical Concepts Europe ("MCE"). MCE is the first add-on acquisition for A&E Medical, which was acquired by Vance Street Capital LLC in February 2016. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, MCE is a leading provider of bi-polar, quad-polar and mono-polar temporary pacing wires and single-use patient extension cables specifically for cardio-thoracic surgeries. MCE's products are found in the leading cardiovascular hospitals throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America.

"MCE is a strong strategic fit with A&E Medical and will enable the combined businesses to provide an even broader portfolio of single-use medical products to the world's leading cardiovascular hospitals," said Brian Martin, Partner at Vance Street Capital.

"The addition of MCE not only furthers A&E Medical's position as a leader in the temporary pacing and connecting cable space, but also provides A&E Medical with a strategic footprint in continental Europe," said Mike Janish, Partner at Vance Street Capital.

"We are excited to partner with the MCE management team to build on the world-class platform they have created to better serve the combined company's customers," said Eric Sklar, President of A&E Medical. "We believe our customers will benefit from the addition of MCE's bi-polar and quad-polar pacing wires and are excited about the opportunity to provide MCE's customers with A&E Medical's industry-leading DoubleWire sternum closure systems."

Paul Hastings LLP acted as legal advisor to Vance Street Capital. R. Lips Healthcare GmbH served as financial advisor to Medical Concepts Europe. Vance Street partnered with Lexington Partners, Neuberger Berman Private Equity funds, RCP Advisors and Madison Capital Funding LLC, all of whom co-invested equity alongside Vance Street in support of the transaction.

About Medical Concepts Europe

Headquartered in the Netherlands, Medical Concepts Europe is a leading provider of bi-polar, quad-polar and mono-polar temporary pacing wires as well as single-use patient extension cables for various cardiovascular procedures. MCE's products are found in the leading cardiovascular hospitals throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America.

About A&E Medical Corporation

Founded in 1968 and headquartered in Farmingdale, New Jersey, A&E Medical is a leading designer and manufacturer of the DoubleWire high strength sternum closure system along with a wide variety of MYO/Wire temporary cardiac pacing wires and extension leads, MYO/Wire II stainless steel sutures, MYO/Punch surgical punches, electrosurgical instruments, and neurosurgical scalp clips.

About Vance Street Capital LLC

Vance Street Capital is a Los Angeles-based private equity firm which invests in middle-market businesses in the medical, aerospace, defense and industrial sectors. For over two decades, Vance Street's partners have worked with management, family owners and other co-investors to accelerate revenue growth, improve operations and acquire strategic assets for the companies in their investment portfolio. For more information please visit: www.vancestreetcapital.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005307/en/

Contacts:

Prosek Partners

Maya Pogoda, (310) 785-0810

mpogoda@prosek.com
AGOURA HILLS, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- As data centers deploy virtualization and consolidate equipment for more efficient computing, the average rack power density is constantly rising. Chatsworth Products (CPI), the experts in data center power management, presents six key considerations for deploying intelligent power distribution units (PDUs) in high-density cabinets, as well as demonstrates the management of cost and security associated with the deployment of PDUs.

"Considerations for Intelligent Power Management within High-Density Deployments" by Ashish Moondra, CPI Sr. Product Manager of Power, Electronics & Software, examines how virtualization and equipment consolidation are causing rack power densities to continuously rise. While an average cabinet supported 3 - 4 kW a few years ago, today that power load is considered in low-density environments. It is not uncommon to have cabinets drawing 9 - 15 kW and in many instances, higher than that.

With the rise in processing being done at every cabinet, strong attention needs to be paid to the cabinet power distribution strategy so that the highest levels of availability and efficiency are achieved with minimum management overhead.

To ensure highly available power to IT equipment, all power components in the power chain need to have monitoring capabilities. Rack PDUs represent the last leg of the power chain. Therefore, it is critical for organizations to choose rack PDUs with monitoring capabilities for high-density deployments.

This paper discusses the electrical, physical and management considerations for effective cabinet-level power management within such high-density scenarios. Download the white paper to find out more and for more information about CPI's power management solutions, visit the website.

About Chatsworth Products

At Chatsworth Products (CPI), it is our mission to address today's critical IT infrastructure needs with products and services that protect your ever-growing investment in information and communication technology. We act as your business partner and are uniquely prepared to respond to your specific requirements with global availability and rapid product customization that will give you a competitive advantage. At CPI, our passion works for you. With over two decades of engineering innovative IT physical layer solutions for the Fortune 500 and multinational corporations, CPI can respond to your business requirements with unequaled application expertise, customer service and technical support, as well as a global network of industry-leading distributors. Headquartered in the United States, CPI operates from multiple sites worldwide, including offices in Mexico, Canada, China, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. CPI's manufacturing facilities are located in the United States, Asia and Europe.

CPI is listed with the General Services Administration (GSA) under Federal Supply Schedule IT 70. Products are also available through GSA Advantage and through Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), including GSA Connections and NITAAC-ECS III (www.chatsworth.com/gov).

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all information, CPI does not accept liability for any errors or omissions and reserves the right to change information and descriptions of listed services and products.

2016 Chatsworth Products, Inc. All rights reserved. Chatsworth Products, CPI, CPI Passive Cooling, eConnect, RMR, MegaFrame, Saf-T-Grip, Seismic Frame, SlimFrame, TeraFrame, GlobalFrame, CUBE-iT PLUS, Evolution, OnTrac, QuadraRack and Velocity are federally registered trademarks of Chatsworth Products. Simply Efficient, Secure Array, EuroFrame, Clik-Nut and Motive are trademarks of Chatsworth Products. All other trademarks belong to their respective companies.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3091293



Media Contact

Shannon Erdley

Public Relations Specialist

Email Contact



Chatsworth Products Corporate Office

29899 Agoura Road, Suite 120

Agoura Hills, CA 91301

Phone: (818) 735-6100

Fax: (818) 735-6199

www.chatsworth.com




DUBLIN, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --



Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Soft Magnetic Materials Market by Material Type (Soft Ferrite, Electrical Steel, Cobalt), Application (Motor, Transformer, Alternator), End User Industry (Automotive, Electronics & Telecommunications, Electrical) - Global Forecast to 2026" report to their offering.

The global soft magnetic materials market is projected to reach USD 28.15 Billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 7.8%, from 2016 to 2021

Soft magnetic materials offer good permeability and also help in the reduction of eddy current losses. Thus soft magnetic materials are extremely useful in various applications such as motors, transformers, and alternators. Companies are investing in R&D for the development and manufacture of high quality soft magnetic materials. The growing automotive end-user industry is one of the major drivers for the soft magnetic materials market.

The global soft magnetic materials market is segmented into end-user industry type, application type, material type, and region. The soft magnetic materials market, by material type is further segmented into electrical steel, soft ferrite, and cobalt, among others. Electrical steel based soft magnetic materials had the largest market share in terms of value in the year 2016 owing to the high demand from various applications such as motors, alternators, and among others.

The soft magnetic materials market, by application type is segmented into motors, transformers, and alternators, among others. The market of soft magnetic materials in motors is expected to grow at a faster rate during the forecast period due to the increasing demand for motors in the automotive and electrical industries both, in terms of value and volume.

Automotive is projected to be the largest and the fastest-growing end-user industry in the soft magnetic materials market during the forecast period. The major automotive applications include, anti-lock brake systems, fuel injectors, motors, compressors, and other rotating devices, among others.

Companies such as Hitachi Metals Co. ltd. (Japan), Toshiba Materials Co. Ltd. (Japan), Daido Steel Company Ltd (Japan), Steward Advanced Materials (U.S.), Sintex a/s (Denmark), are the leading market players in the global soft magnetic materials market. They have been adopting various organic and inorganic growth strategies such as new product developments and agreements to strengthen their market shares.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Premium Insights



5 Market Overview



6 Macro Economic Overview And Key Trends



7 Soft Magnetic Materials Market, By Material Type



8 Soft Magnetic Materials Market, By Application



9 Soft Magnetic Material Market, By End-Use Industry



10 Regional Analysis



11 Competitive Landscape



12 Company Profiles



Ames Sa

Daido Steel Co. Ltd.

Gkn Sinter Metals

Hitachi Metals Ltd.

Mate Co. Ltd.

SG Technologies Limited

Sintex A/S

Steward Advanced Materials

Toshiba Materials Company Ltd.

Vacuumschmelze Gmbh & C0. Kg

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/fcpvnj/soft_magnetic

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
New growth opportunities emerge as traditional OEMs evolve from product suppliers to service providers, finds Frost & Sullivan's Mobility team

SANTA CLARA, California, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Highly improved advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) sensors are accelerating original equipment manufacturers' (OEMs) efforts to incorporate levels 4 and 5 automation features in their vehicles. These technological improvements are also encouraging conventional OEMs to transform themselves into mobility service providers. Most OEMs have deep techno-commercial expertise on automated vehicle technologies and are aiming to enhance and standardize active safety features that are currently available only as options.

New Frost & Sullivan analysis, Insight on North American OEM ADAS Sensor Strategies, discusses several disruptions are expected in the autonomous driving segment in the next five years. Specifically, most OEMS are projected to replace ultrasonic sensors wit short-range radars for more functionality, while light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-enabled vehicles could be commercially available in the following decade.

For complimentary access to more information on this research, please visit: http://frost.ly/18f

"Autonomous vehicle technologies are still in the early stages of development, but several disruptions are expected in the next five years," said Frost & Sullivan Mobility Research Analyst Anirudh Venkitaraman. "OEMs moving toward autonomous driving are currently focusing on building a trifocal camera in sensor fusion with other cameras and radars."

Despite the rapid advances in technology, legislations often delay the market introduction of ADAS technologies. The high costs of the systems also limit the application of ADAS to higher-end vehicles. However, as sensors and algorithms become more widely available, costs are expected to reduce. Currently, legislators across North America and Europe are actively working on introducing favorable regulations.

"Autonomous technologies will transform the market from a product-centric one to a service-driven one," noted Venkitaraman. "There is a strong need to look beyond traditional sales models and adopt strong leasing and shared mobility offerings to enter the market, as the timing of market entry and access to user base are critical for market success."

Insight on North American OEM ADAS Sensor Strategies is part of Frost & Sullivan's Automotive & Transportation Growth Partnership subscription.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

Insight on North American OEM ADAS Sensor Strategies

K0FD-18

Contact:

Clarissa Castaneda

Corporate Communications - North America

P: 210.477.8481

F: 210.348.1003

E: clarissa.castaneda@frost.com

http://www.frost.com
SAN CLEMENTE, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 --Image Protect Inc. (OTC: IMTL)

The Company announced today they have engaged a CPA firm for oversight of the monthly financial statements along with all accounting and financial reporting duties. The company is currently receiving proposals for a two-year audit from top tier PCAOB firms.

The company Chief Executive Officer, Lawrence Adams, stated, "Since the point of the reverse merger with Image Protect Inc. it has been our corporate strategy all along to pursue an Up-list to the OTCQB." He further stated, "With the recent name change successfully getting approved by FINRA and our year end upon us, we chose to pursue this time frame as it coincides with the closing of our fiscal year."

The company successfully got their Reg A through the Securities and Exchange Commission with zero comments earlier this year, and expects to file an S1 Registration for the up-list. We would hope our S1 process will follow the same pattern as our Reg A filing. The Up-list will allow the company to pursue Capital Raises with Investment Banks and Funds it has developed relationships with over the past year.

About the Company

Image Protect protects and monetizes creative works. By uniting technology with a team of copyright experts, we ensure that content providers preserve the value of their digital assets. Our web application monitors the global Internet to seek and collect evidence for illegally used visual content. Then our legal partners in North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania ensure that our clients receive appropriate compensation, recovering settlement fees when their work has been used without a valid license.

Safe Harbor Provision

Cautionary statement for purposes of the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Information in this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the execution and performance of contracts by the Company and its customers, suppliers and partners. Please also review Image Technology Laboratories' 10-K and 10-Q for a more complete discussion of risk factors. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.

Contact:

Craig Fischer

CF@valuecorptrading.com




MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Alphinat Inc. (TSX VENTURE: NPA) announces a profit of $48,102 for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016.

Over the course of the year, management pursued its plan established late in fiscal 2015 to turn the company to sustained profitability. We are happy to report that the company has met its 3 prime objectives for fiscal 2016:

1. Profitability: reduce expenses that are outside of headquarter operations while focusing on short term sales; 2. Quality: improve quality assurance of SmartGuide projects implemented by our clients and partners; and 3. Innovation: release version 6 of SmartGuide that delivers additional productivity gains and agility to our clients for the development of their mobile web and Cloud applications.

Over the year, Alphinat has concentrated most of its commercial efforts on its partnerships and sales in the public sector. We are pleased to see that SmartGuide is now being used by 25 municipalities, by 8 State/Provincial governments and by the governments of 4 countries, including 3 departments/agencies of the Canadian Federal government.

During fiscal year 2016, we have seen heightened interest from existing clients who had purchased OEM licenses of SmartGuide from our partners to upgrade to our enterprise licenses. Indeed, by using SmartGuide for delivery of the public portal component of a specific back-end system, clients clearly saw the flexibility and productivity that SmartGuide delivers to connect to any back-end system to deliver a seamless and personalized end-user experience for great Web and mobile applications.

Recognizing that packaged SaaS offerings of SmartGuide applications for specific verticals can accelerate the rate of client acquisition, Alphinat has finalized a first solution targeting the financial services industry for which the company has delivered to its first client. The company is also enhancing its packaging to offer a SaaS based serviced to the municipal market.

In 2016, the release of version 6 of SmartGuide was met with enthusiasm from our clients and partners. Improvements in usability and additions of native functionality further lower the technical barrier to be able to use SmartGuide while providing Alphinat with a larger addressable market potential.

For the 12-month period ended August 31, 2016, the Company recorded total revenue of $1,522,929 compared to $1,437,821 for the same period in 2015. The net earnings for fiscal 2016 amount to $48,012 or $0.001 per (averaged outstanding) common share compared to a net loss of $(395,592) or $(0.008) per (averaged outstanding) common share in fiscal 2015.

Alphinat's financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ending August 31, 2016 can be found on SEDAR, at www.sedar.com.

About Alphinat

Alphinat is the creator of SmartGuide, a next generation application development and deployment productivity toolset providing agility to leverage existing IT assets and lower costs for a one-stop delivery tool of Web and mobile enterprise applications from any back-end system.

Alphinat has been appointed by technology company peers to associate member at the Smart Cities Council (www.smartcitiescouncil.com).

Alphinat technology is also used in the healthcare, banking, insurance, telecommunications and other sectors, in modernising, automating and rendering cost-effective a number of business processes at a fraction of the cost associated with conventional customized solutions. For more details about Alphinat or its software suite, please visit www.alphinat.com.

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements in this document, including those which express management's expectations or estimations with regards to the Company's future performance, constitute "forward-looking statements" as understood by applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are, of necessity, based on a certain number of estimates and hypotheses; while management considers these to be accurate at the time they are expressed, they are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and risks on the commercial, economic and competitive levels. We advise readers that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other known and unknown factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. A number of factors could cause significant differences between actual results and those described in forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, the Company's capacity to increase acceptance of its products on the market, and to penetrate new markets; the potential existence of defects or undetected problems in the Company's products; the Company's ability to manage its growth; the Company's ability to compete with others; potential commitments; maintaining the Company's intellectual property rights and defending against litigation putting those rights in question; the Company's reliance on the knowledge of its key personnel; and the Company's access to sufficient capital to finance its future needs. This is a partial and non-exhaustive list of factors that could bear on any of our forward-looking statements. Investors are advised to not rely unduly on the forward-looking statements. This advisory applies to all forward-looking statements, whether expressed orally or in writing, attributed to Alphinat or to any individual expressing them in the name of the Company. The Company is under no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events, or other circumstances. Risks and uncertainties that bear on the Company are described in greater detail in the Company's Annual Report.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Mr. Philippe Lecoq

Chief Executive Officer

Alphinat Inc.

(514) 398-9799 ext 222




TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - An Osprey aircraft of the US Marine Corps with five crew members aboard crashed in shallow water off the coastline of Camp Schwab Marine Corps Base in Okinawa, Japan, Tuesday night. Following the incident, the Commanding General of III Marine Expeditionary Force, Lt Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, said he has decided to temporarily halt all MV-22 flight operations under Marine Forces Japan until he is 'satisfied that we have reviewed our checklists and safety of flight procedures.' Pentagon press operations director Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters that an Air Force helicopter from the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa airlifted the crew members and transported them to Okinawa Naval Hospital at Camp Foster, where they are being treated for injuries. Davis said a formal investigation will follow. Lt Gen. Nicholson said the aircraft was conducting aerial refueling operations over the sea when the rotor blades struck the refueling line, damaging the aircraft. '[There] is obviously an important military capability that the Osprey provides,' he said at a press conference. 'It contributes to the security of Japan and the region. We will absolutely get to the bottom of the cause of it and ensure we learn from it so it doesn't happen again. That's what we do.' 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.
BLACKROCK GREATER EUROPE INVESTMENT TRUST plc

All information is at 30 NOVEMBER 2016 and unaudited.

Performance at month end with net income reinvested

One Three One Three Launch

Month Months Year Years (20 Sep 04)

Net asset value* (undiluted) -5.9% -2.2% 10.0% 18.2% 250.1%

Net asset value* (diluted) -5.9% -2.2% 10.7% 19.5% 250.4%

Share price -7.5% -2.4% 8.6% 16.2% 232.9%

FTSE World Europe ex UK -5.6% -0.4% 12.1% 18.8% 174.1%

Sources: BlackRock and Datastream

At month end

Net asset value (capital only): 276.91p

Net asset value (including income): 277.63p

Net asset value (capital only)*: 276.91p

Net asset value (including income)*: 277.63p

Share price: 262.00p

Discount to NAV (including income): 5.6%

Discount to NAV (including income)*: 5.6%

Net gearing: 3.4%

Net yield**: 2.0%

Total assets (including income): 288.8m

Ordinary shares in issue***: 102,003,113

Ongoing charges****: 1.07%

* Diluted for treasury shares.

** Based on a final dividend of 3.65p and an interim dividend of 1.65p per share for the year ended 31 August 2016.

*** Excluding 8,325,825 shares held in treasury.

**** Calculated as a percentage of average net assets and using expenses, excluding performance fees and interest costs, after relief for taxation for the year ended 31August 2016.

Sector Analysis Total Assets Country Analysis Total Assets

(%) (%)

Industrials 27.4 France 24.6

Financials 22.1 Denmark 12.2

Consumer Goods 20.3 Netherlands 12.1

Technology 9.2 Switzerland 9.8

Consumer Services 8.1 Germany 7.9

Health Care 6.3 Belgium 7.9

Basic Materials 5.3 Ireland 5.8

Telecommunications 2.7 Sweden 5.2

Net current liabilities (1.4) Finland 3.9

----- Russia 3.2

100.0 Luxembourg 2.4

===== Turkey 1.9

Ukraine 1.6

Italy 1.5

Poland 1.4

Net current liabilities (1.4)

-----

100.0

=====

Ten Largest Equity Investments

% of

Company Country Total Assets

AXA France 4.1

Anheuser-Busch Inbev Belgium 3.3

RELX Netherlands 3.3

Pandora Denmark 3.0

Bayer Germany 2.9

KBC Groep Belgium 2.7

Vinci France 2.7

KPN Netherlands 2.7

Thales France 2.7

Schneider Electric France 2.7







Commenting on the markets, Vincent Devlin, representing the Investment Manager noted:

During the month, the Company's NAV fell by 5.9% and the share price decreased by 7.5%. For reference, the FTSE World Europe ex UK Index was down 5.6% during the period.

The reference index fell sharply in November, largely as a result of Euro weakness relative to Sterling. In Euro terms, the benchmark was relatively flat. The surprise victory for Trump in the US Presidential election had a broad impact on the market over the month, with many investors moving into 'Trump Trades'. Generally, these are companies which are regarded to benefit from a reflationary environment and Trump's policies, which will promote fiscal spending and a cut in US corporate tax rates.

In this environment, as sovereign bond yields in both the US and Europe moved higher, financials performed well. The underweight allocation of the Company to the financial sector detracted from performance. Conversely, however, the underweight allocation to utilities, which sold off given their 'bond proxy' characteristics, proved positive for relative returns. European macro releases were cautiously positive. The European manufacturing Purchasing Manager's Index moved slightly up while a German business confidence survey remained unchanged from last month. However, political risks remained over the period, particularly ahead of the Italian referendum as well as the presidential elections in Austria.

Stock selection impacted negatively on performance, with the consumer sector proving most challenged. In particular, we saw emerging market exposed names, such as Steinhoff, sell off sharply as sentiment turned less positive on emerging markets in light of recent dollar strength and potential shift of US policy. Equally, as sovereign bond yields rose in response to Trump's reflationary policies, yield sensitive stocks such as KPN lagged the market.

On the other side of the coin, positions exposed positively to US revenues, and in particular within infrastructure and defence, performed well - such as CRH and Thales. The spike in the oil price following OPEC's meeting in which they announced the first cut to production since the Global Financial Crisis, was beneficial for shale exposed holding Tenaris, which was the top contributor to performance over the month.

The Company also saw stronger performance from Russian listed Mail RU Group and Sberbank, as the Russian market proved more resilient in light of both more supportive oil prices and improving economic data.

At the end of the period, the Company had higher weightings when compared with the reference index to industrials, technology, consumer services, consumer goods and financials. The Company had a lower weighting towards oil & gas, utilities, health care, basic materials and telecoms.

Outlook

The outlook for the global economy on balance has likely improved, with leading indicators suggesting more positive signals across regions. The unexpected election victory of Donald Trump - leading to expectations for large tax cuts, increased infrastructure spending and reduced regulation - has likely amplified reflationary expectations and could help support the economic cycle further. Parts of the emerging markets are also showing signs of recovery following recession; this could continue in spite of the strengthening dollar. It is also important to be mindful that central banks are heading towards divergent paths. This calls for a more nuanced assessment of stocks and sectors that could look attractive in these conditions.

On the earnings front, the European market is seeing a more supportive earnings revision trend and margins are now beginning to improve. Finally, with the Fed rate cycle likely to be on a firmer upward trend than previously expected, we have had a major adjustment in the fixed income market, which could persist for some time, and this has significant implications regarding equities' style leadership. We believe that markets are likely to remain volatile in this context. Therefore, we need to continue to focus our efforts on finding undervalued pockets of stocks and industries.

14 December 2016

ENDS
OSLO, Norway, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Axactor has entered an agreement to acquire portfolios on a monthly basis from a large Nordic Financial Institution. The portfolios will contain freshly terminated B2C cases, allowing Axactor to manage the cases throughout the whole collection process.

The portfolio transaction provides Axactor with a solid entry to the Norwegian market and results from several key discussions currently ongoing. The transaction will be important to move the business into the hybrid model which is core to Axactor's strategy and further build on this with other portfolios in 2017.

"This portfolio not only increases our geographical profile in portfolio acquisitions, but it also demonstrates our ability to enter markets commonly perceived as closed to new players. Using Axactor's focus on data and analysis, we expect this to be one of many acquisitions over the coming years", says Endre Rangnes, Axactor CEO.

"Axactor will now own portfolios in all existing markets, showing strong commitment by the team to achieve this within the first year of trading as a receivable management business", says Robin Knowles, Axactor EVP Portfolio.

The acquisition will be financed by Axactor's available cash and our existing credit facilities.

For further information, please contact:

Endre Rangnes

Chief Executive Officer

Mail: endre.rangnes@axactor.com

Tel: +46 8 402 28 00

Cell Phone: +47 48 22 11 11

Geir Johansen

Chief Financial Officer

Mail: geir.johansen@axactor.com

Cell Phone: +47 477 10 451

About AXACTOR-

Axactor is addressing a large non-performing loan (NPL) market in Europe. The market is estimated to around EUR 1.5 trillion and with a solid growth rate. The main growth factors are partly driven by regulatory changes, sales of non-performing loans and an accelerating trend of outsourcing debt collection to specialized companies. Furthermore, we see a consolidation trend in the debt collection/debt purchase industry. Axactor's main focus in the credit management value chain will be: amicable and legal collection, surveillance and acquisition of NPLs.

Axactor was established in 2015 and has approximately 900 employees.

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/axactor-ab/r/axactor-enters-1st-agreement-to-acquire-unsecured-non-performing-loan--npl--portfolio-in-norway-,c2150278

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/852/2150278/603923.pdf PDF

SOURCE Axactor AB
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA--(Marketwired - December 14, 2016) - RocketSpace and DEXUS Property Group (DEXUS) today announced a partnership to launch a network of campuses in Australia designed specifically to service high-growth tech startups.

Headquartered in San Francisco, RocketSpace provides tech startups with the unique community and services needed as they scale their business, including office-as-a-service, access to capital, hands-on workshops, peer group roundtables and networking events, among other services.

Kevin George, DEXUS Executive General Manager, Office & Industrial said: "Australia is one of the world's fastest growing hubs for tech startups which are a key driver of innovation. We are excited to be partnering with RocketSpace to provide an unrivalled service to high-growth tech startups in Australia, creating a bridge between Silicon Valley and major hubs in Australia to help tech entrepreneurs grow."

Duncan Logan, RocketSpace's founder and CEO said: "Australian startups have an incredible opportunity to scale and compete at a global level. Our goal is to accelerate their growth by bringing them into the RocketSpace ecosystem and creating a bridge between Australia and the world's top tech hubs. We've had the pleasure of hosting Austrade's Landing Pad in San Francisco and look forward to growing our relationships with Australian startups."

Chris Hynes, DEXUS Head of Leasing said: "Our operating model makes this partnership more than a traditional landlord/tenant arrangement whereby DEXUS will work with RocketSpace to create hubs that take tech startup acceleration to a new level, providing members with collaborative workspaces and services as well as access to leading global corporations."

At the intersection of startups and corporates, campus members will have access to RocketSpace's roster of more than 100 corporations who they've helped to plug into the startup ecosystem and drive disruption in their industry.

RocketSpace will initially open campuses in three locations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in 2017. Like its other campuses, RocketSpace membership will be focused on funded tech startups with space for teams of 1 to 100 people. The campus will be equipped with a variety of workspace options as well as a multi-gigabit Internet connection, cafe, collaborative workspaces, and event space.

Since launching in 2011, RocketSpace members have included more than 1,000 tech startups including 18 unicorns like Uber, Blippar, SuperCell and Spotify. Its Australian launch will expand RocketSpace's global presence to four top global tech hubs in 2017 which include Silicon Valley in the US, London, China and Australia. RocketSpace doesn't require equity from its startup members.

Interested startups can learn more about becoming a RocketSpace member here: www.rocketspace.com/technology-campus-coworking-for-startups-australia.

About RocketSpace

RocketSpace is a technology campus headquartered in the heart of San Francisco. Since 2011, the company has been helping tech entrepreneurs, startups and corporate innovation professionals bring the future to market. The company offers services to its members including programming, consulting, events, and office-as-a-service, which together create the perfect ecosystem and community for innovation to thrive. Select startup alumni include Uber, Spotify, Practice Fusion, and Leap Motion, and RocketSpace's roster of Corporate Innovation Services clients include JetBlue, Schneider Electric, Converse, Tata Communications, Royal Bank of Scotland, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and ABinBev. For more information, visit www.rocketspace.com.

About DEXUS

DEXUS Property Group is one of Australia's leading real estate groups, investing directly in high quality Australian office and industrial properties. With $22.2 billion of assets under management, the Group also actively manages office, industrial and retail properties located in key Australian markets on behalf of third party capital partners. The Group manages an office portfolio of 1.8 million square metres located predominantly across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth and is the largest owner of office buildings in the Sydney CBD, Australia's largest office market. DEXUS is a Top 50 entity by market capitalisation listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under the stock market trading code 'DXS' and is supported by more than 31,000 investors from 21 countries. With 30 years of expertise in property investment, development and asset management, the Group has a proven track record in capital and risk management, providing service excellence to tenants and delivering superior risk-adjusted returns for its investors. www.dexus.com

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/12/13/11G125009/Images/DEXUS0L6A0450-e60d650b527c91a2978de87a8ed62b07.jpg

For further information please contact:



DEXUS Property Group



Louise Murray

+61 2 9017 1446

+61 403 260 754

louise.murray@dexus.com



RocketSpace



Deann Sonoda

+1 415 508 8295

dsonoda@rocketspace.com
DUBLIN, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --



Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Personal Protective Equipment Market in the UK 2016-2020" report to their offering.

The personal protective equipment market in the UK to grow at a CAGR of 3.54% during the period 2016-2020.

Personal Protective Equipment Market in the UK 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.



One of latest trends in the market is evolving E-commerce. The population of the UK was approximately 65 million in 2015, of which, over 93% were internet users. This has created a great potential for e-commerce businesses in the country. For instance, in 2015, over 75% of internet users in the UK purchased items online. Online sales grew from 13% in 2014 to 15% in 2015. For this reason, vendors in the market are focusing on marketing strategies to promote online sales and thereby cater to the demand for PPE.

According to the report, one of the primary drivers in the market is extensive PPE adoption across industries. In the UK, authorities such as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) work toward mandating the safety and welfare of workers. The authority carries out inspections and encourages compliance with health and safety legislation, in addition to taking several initiatives that create awareness about imminent hazards and reduce work-related death and injuries. The HSE has helped in making the UK one of the safest places to work in the world and has reduced the economic and social costs of health and safety failures.

Further, the report states that one major challenge in the market is difficulties in obtaining product certification. The EU maintains stringent quality standards for products that are manufactured and sold in the region. Consequently, vendors in the UK are required to meet quality standards and obtain relevant certifications to enhance end-user adoption. This adds to the manufacturing and commercialization or marketing costs for vendors.



Key vendors



3M

Honeywell

MSA Safety

Kimberly-Clark

Other prominent vendors



Alpha Solway

A J Charnaud

Ansell Microgard

Bolle Safety

Bristol Uniforms

Bennett Safetywear

Centurion Safety products

Corston Sinclair

CluisTROM

Delta Plus Group

Dragerwerk

DuPont

Delf Cold Storage and Workwear Solutions

Eurosafe Solutions

Globus

Helman Group

Helmet Integrated Systems

Interspiro

Johnstone Safety Products (JSP)

Moldex-Metric

New Direction Clothing

P&P Safety

ProtectHear

Puretone

Portwest

R. Glover Ascroft

Respair

Sundstrom Safety

Scott Safety

Sensorcom

VersarPPS

Williamson-Dickie

Wenaas

Key Topics Covered:

Part 01: Executive summary



Part 02: Scope of the report



Part 03: Market research methodology



Part 04: Introduction



Part 05: Market landscape



Part 06: Market segmentation by product type



Part 07: Segmentation by end-user industry



Part 08: Market drivers



Part 09: Impact of drivers



Part 10: Market challenges



Part 11: Impact of drivers and challenges



Part 12: Market trends



Part 13: Vendor landscape



Part 14: Key vendor analysis



Part 15: Appendix

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7hd9w5/personal

Media Contact:

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






Burlington, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 14, 2016) - Green Swan Capital Corp. (GSW: TSXV) ("Green Swan"), is pleased to announce that it has received assays from the first drill hole on the recently completed 300 metre diamond drill program on its 100% owned cobalt-gold Property located in Sudbury, Ontario. As previously reported, the drill program was completed at 'Ed's Watering Hole' which is located in the southern part of the Property.

Diamond drill hole, CP16-01, was collared 30 m west of 'Ed's Watering Hole' at an azimuth of 085 and a dip of 45. It was drilled to intersect the down dip projection of mineralization previously reported from surface grab samples at 'Ed's Watering Hole'. Drill hole CP16-01 intersected a prominent structure that was also intersected in the other 4 drill holes, CP16-02 to CP16-05.

In CP16-01, this structure, from 12.93 through to 17.00 m, includes a stockwork of quartz veins with variable amounts of pyrite and chalcopyrite. Additional veins up to 5 cm in width were intersected throughout the remainder of the hole, as well as sections of disseminated chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite hosted within Nipissing Diabase.

Highlights from drill hole CP16-01 include 1.05 m grading 0.431 g/t Au, 1.0 m grading 0.955 g/t Au, 0.27 m grading 0.341 g/t Au, and 0.20 m grading 5.34 g/t Au. Visible gold was identified in sample A616077. Additionally, cobalt values ranging from 0.002% through 0.077% were reported.

All intervals reported represent core lengths and not true widths.

DDH Sample Number From (m) To (m) Length (m) Au (g/t) Co (%) CP16-01 A616055 12.90 13.40 0.50 0.006 0.049 CP16-01 A616056 13.4 14.06 0.66 0.086 0.045 CP16-01 A616059 15.00 15.40 0.40 0.006 0.040 CP16-01 A616061 16.15 17.2 1.05 0.431 0.022 CP16-01 A616066 28.00 29.00 1.00 0.955 0.077 CP16-01 A616068 38.2 38.47 0.27 0.341 0.017 CP16-01 A616077 48.1 48.3 0.20 5.34 0.009

"We are very pleased with the results from this first hole," said Peter M. Clausi, Green Swan's CEO. "We are seeing consistent dissemination of gold and cobalt across the vein structure, and are very interested in seeing if similar dissemination exists in Holes 2 to 5."

Results for drill holes CP16-02 through to CP16-05 will be made available once received.

Samples were submitted by representatives of Green Swan to Agat Laboratories Ltd.'s facility located in Sudbury, Ontario. AGAT is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by Standards Council of Canada.

Once received by AGAT, the entire sample is crushed and 250 grams is pulverized. Gold, platinum and palladium analysis is performed using a 30g fire assay fusion followed by an Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) finish. The ranges for said elements are as follows - Gold 0.001ppm to 10ppm, Platinum 0.005ppm to 10ppm, Palladium 0.001ppm-10ppm. Samples with gold values that are greater than the upper limit (10ppm) are re-analyzed using a 30g fire assay fusion with gravimetric finish, or a screen metallic fire assay analysis. Additional analyses include a 22 multi-element package by sodium peroxide fusion followed by ICP-OES finish, silver analysis by aqua regia digestion followed by AAS finish and sulphur analysis by combustion infrared technique.

Mr. J. Kleinboeck, Green Swan's Consulting Geologist, a Qualified Person (Q.P.) under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical data presented in this press release.

About Green Swan Capital Corp.

Green Swan Capital Corp. is a Canadian mining company with a proven leadership team, targeting cobalt in Ontario. Green Swan is well-poised to deliver real value to its shareholders.



Forward Looking Statements

This news release may include statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. Green Swan cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, many of which are beyond its control. Future events and results may vary substantially from what Green Swan currently foresees. Discussion of the various factors that may affect future results is contained in Green Swan's recent filings, available on SEDAR. Green Swan assumes no liability for repeating or referring to any facts, statements, releases, data or reports disseminated by any other issuer. Any reference to any other issuer should be cross-checked for accuracy and context by the reader. 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.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Green Swan Capital Corp.

"Peter M. Clausi"

Peter M. Clausi

President, CEO and Director

For Further Information:

Peter M. Clausi

pclausi@greenswancapital.ca

1-905-681-1925 x2

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.
ORLANDO, FL -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- First GREEN Bank, a local bank with a global mission, today announces its naming rights to the high-rise building located in the Orlando Business District at 250 North Orange Avenue Orlando, Fla. 32801. The 14-story title building, which will bear First GREEN Bank's name for the next 10 years, is the bank's new headquarter office and is expected to open to the public in April 2017. Currently, the new branch is undergoing "GREEN-ovations" to offer the highest levels of sustainability.

"We are excited to headquarter our values-based company in the Orlando Business District, a hub for progressive innovation," said Ken LaRoe, founder of First GREEN Bank. "Since launching First GREEN Bank in 2009, we have proven that there is a way to succeed in business while still prioritizing our planet, people, community and shareholders. With our new, sustainable high-rise office space, we hope to magnify this business model and expand our offerings to urban centers."

Renovations are currently underway to bring the 4,000-square foot office space to the highest possible Green Globes Certification, LEED Certification and Energy Star Certification standards. Solar panels are expected to provide power to the bank on the first floor, as well as to offices on the fifth floor. The bank also plans to share any excess energy generated from solar panels with other fellow tenants. The opening of this new downtown location marks the closing of the current First GREEN Bank downtown location on South Orange Ave.

"We hope that our transition to the heart of downtown Orlando will bring more attention to the value of community banks," said Keith Costello, CEO of First Green Bank. "As First GREEN Bank grows as a company, so will our commitment to responsible business practices and quality services. Overall, we hope to inspire a movement toward positive change across worldwide companies and their consumers."

For more information on First GREEN Bank, visit www.firstgreenbank.com.

About First GREEN Bank

Since its opening in 2009, First GREEN Bank has led an impactful and successful charge to prove there is a better way to do business -- one that is financially, environmentally and socially responsible. Inspired by Ben & Jerry's mission of incorporating a strong sense of social responsibility into its business, founder Ken LaRoe and CEO Keith Costello are the only two leaders and friends in the banking industry to promote environmentally responsible behavior through its own business and employees. LaRoe and Costello coincidentally hold the last and second to last bank charter in the state of Florida and, together, plan to use that certification to promote their global mission.

Headquartered in Orlando, with additional locations in Mount Dora, Clermont, Ormond Beach, Winter Park and, most recently, Fort Lauderdale, First GREEN Bank offers personal and commercial banking services such as loans, mortgages, checking and savings, CDs, IRAs and money markets.

To find out more about First GREEN Bank, visit www.firstgreenbank.com.

Media Contact

Kaleigh DeHart

Uproar PR for First GREEN Bank

321-236-0102

Email Contact




NEW YORK, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Growing demand from power generation sector, increasing use of domestic natural gas for enhanced oil recovery and favorable prices of LNG to drive UAE LNG market

According to TechSci Research report "UAE LNG Market Demand & Supply Analysis, By Region, By Application, By LNG Terminal, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2025", UAE market for LNG is projected to grow at a CAGR 7.6% during 2016-2025, due to decline in supply of domestic natural gas, implementation of government policies supporting adoption of LNG based power generation and shift towards use of cleaner energy. In 2015, LNG was mostly consumed for power generation in natural gas based power plants, and large metal and petrochemical industries. Increasing urbanization and growing industrialization are expected to positively influence UAE LNG market during 2016-2025.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140117/663730 )



Browse 9 market data Tables and 14 Figures spread through41 Pages and an in-depth TOC on

"UAE LNG Market"

https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/uae-lng-market-demand-supply-analysis-by-region-by-application-by-lng-terminal-competition-forecast-and-opportunities/862.html

Abu Dhabi and Dubai dominated UAE LNG market in 2015, on the back of increasing use LNG for addressing primary and standby power needs. These regions are also one of the highest per capita electricity consumers in the world. In 2015, the country's electricity consumption increased to 114.47 TWh, from 107.00 TWh in 2014. Qatar Petroleum, Dolphin Energy, Excelerate Energy and Uniper SE are the major suppliers of LNG in the UAE. In 2016, Abu Dhabi Gas Industries (GASCO), a joint venture between ADNOC, Shell and Total chartered the Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) and the terminal started importing LNG from Excelerate Energy, a US based company.

Download Sample Report

@ https://www.techsciresearch.com/sample-report.aspx?cid=862

Customers can also request for 10% free customization on this report.

"Low domestic production and rising demand for natural gas from key end user segments has widened demand-supply gap for LNG in the UAE. In 2013, UAE imported 0.41 MMT of LNG and registered a capacity utilization rate of only 13.67%. LNG supply market in the country is anticipated to increase due to its cost competitiveness against locally produced natural gas, capacity additions through installation of floating storage regasification unit and implementation of favorable government policies. Moreover, easy availability of LNG from Qatar, Australia, Canada, Iran, etc., and growing need for environment-friendly fuels are expected to aid growth in the UAE market for LNG during the forecast period", said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm.

"UAE LNG Market Demand & Supply Analysis, By Region, By Application, By LNG Terminal, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2025" has evaluated the LNG market across seven Emirates of the UAE and provides statistics and information on market structure, industry behaviour and trends. The report includes market projections and potential demand forecasting. The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers to take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyses emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges, and opportunities available in LNG market in the UAE.

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NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Love Is, the first single from platinum selling recording artist Jack Radics' new album, 'The Watershed,' has landed in the Top 25 on the DRT (Digital Radio Tracker ) Independent singles chart within weeks of its release.

For the week ending December 10, Love Is soared to number 25 on the DRT's Top 125 Indie Singles chart, and continues to earn rave reviews and solid mainstream airplay across the USA.

The single has also cracked the Top 100 on the DRT Mainstream singles chart, appearing at number 82 for the same week.

The single- written, produced and composed by Radics himself- is released on his own Sound Faculty label.

The song features Radics' signature smooth vocals underscored by the upbeat pop and rhythm and blues instrumentals that have become synonymous with his reputation as a true crossover artist, appealing to a wide and diverse audience that spans several generations.

The accompanying music video to the song, shot in Atlanta and directed by award winning filmmaker James Thayer, has also been receiving high praise on Music Choice and other music oriented sites.

Radics launched The Watershed album at a glittering event at Bassmint Production Studios in Atlanta on November 4, and was hailed as a "National treasure" by special guest speaker Jewel Scott, Jamaica's Honorary Consul to Georgia.

Radics is shortly expected to embark on a major US tour to promote the album.

See also: -Love Is, the music video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTI08znTAWU

- http://www.digitalradiotracker.com/chart.html

Contact-Rachel Damarr Williams

718-444-4656

surethingpr@gmail.com

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/448710/Sound_Faculty_Jack_Radics.jpg
Simplifies entry into Latin America for online merchants

Digital River World Payments, a global payments service provider, announced it has entered into a new strategic partnership with dLocal, a technology company and payments leader focused on Latin America and other emerging markets. By integrating with dLocal, Digital River World Payments can now further offer online merchants that are not domiciled in Latin America a full money remittance payment solution, making it easier for them to take advantage of the purchasing power of shoppers across high growth markets, such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile.

"We reduce the complexities for our partners to make inroads into some of the world's fastest-growing, emerging markets," said Sebastian Kanovich, CEO of dLocal. "Through our partnership with Digital River World Payments, we enable their merchants to go to market with a portfolio of online payment options that is optimized to meet local purchase preferences and drive conversions."

The integration between dLocal and Digital River World Payments supports a suite of traditional cards and alternative payment methods, including installments, cash-payments, and various domestic card brands relevant in key emerging markets. To ensure predictable payment reconciliation, reporting, exception management and settlement, the integration also will leverage Digital River World Payments' back office capabilities.

"Digital River World Payments is joining forces with yet another proven partner," said Hayden Reed, senior vice president and general manager of Digital River World Payments. "Our agreement with dLocal is a testament to our ongoing commitment to offer our merchants more online payment options and greater flexibility. For merchants, these are key contributing factors to successfully expanding their international reach and improving consumer purchase experiences."

About Digital River World Payments

Backed by nearly 20 years of experience, Digital River World Payments is a leading provider of global online payment solutions. Powered by a robust ecommerce payments platform, its solutions support payment activities across more than 170 countries and 140 payment methods covering global card schemes along with locally relevant brands and payment networks. Digital River World Payments delivers significant value across the full transaction lifecycle while empowering merchants with a single streamlined user interface. Irrespective of their markets, payment methods, or acquiring bank connections, merchants benefit from consolidated reporting, analytics, and reconciliation as well as complete back-office integration. To learn more about Digital River World Payments, visit https://digitalriver.com/solutions/payments or email payments@digitalriver.com.

About dLocal

dLocal (https://dlocal.com) is a technology company and payments leader with a single solution, focused on Latin America and other emerging markets. With dLocal, there is no need to set up local entities, or integrate dozens of isolated payment methods, nor undergo heavy operational and tax burdens. Leading global ecommerce companies rely on dLocal to increase conversion by eliminating complexity and managing their payments expansion effortlessly. As both a payments processor and a merchant of record where it operates, the company makes it simple and risk-free for client partners to make inroads into the world's fastest-growing, emerging markets.

Digital River World Payments is a trademark and Digital River is a registered trademark of Digital River, Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks, registrations or copyrights of their respective owners.

Twitter Tags: ecommerce, DigitalRiverWorldPayments, @DigitalRiverInc

Tweet This DigitalRiverWorldPayments partners with dLocal to make online entry into Latin America easier, @DigitalRiverInc

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005331/en/

Contacts:

Media Relations Contact:

Digital River, Inc.

Gerri Dyrek, +1 952-225-3719

Group Vice President, Corporate Communications

publicrelations@digitalriver.com
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Canada Carbon Inc. (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: CCB), (FRANKFURT: U7N1) is very pleased to announce an updated Mineral Resource Estimate for its flagship 100% owned Miller Graphite Project located 80 kilometres ("km") west of Montreal, near Grenville, Quebec. The Resource Estimate was prepared pursuant to Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") by the independent firm SGS Canada Inc. ("SGS") of Blainville, Quebec. The updated Resource Estimate includes an indicated resource of 2.65Mt ("million tonnes") with an average grade of 0.80% graphite, and an inferred resource of 7.56Mt with an average grade of 0.77% graphite, within the boundaries of an optimized open pit mine model. The new pit constrained graphite resources have increased by 379% compared to what was reported in the Company's Miller Project Preliminary Economic Assessment, filed to SEDAR on April 14th, 2016. A Technical Report supporting the new Resource Estimate will be filed to SEDAR within 45 days, as required by NI 43-101.

TABLE 1: GRAPHITE MINERAL RESOURCES

======================================================== Cut-off Grade Resource Tonnage Average Grade Contained (%Cg) Category (Mt) (%Cg) Graphite (t) ======================================================== 0.50 Indicated 2,645,000 0.80 21,200 ======================================================== 0.50 Inferred 7,557,000 0.77 58,000 ======================================================== 1. Inferred mineral resources are exclusive of the Measured and Indicated resources. 2. A fixed density of 2.83 t/m3 was used to estimate the tonnage from block model volumes. 3. Resources are constrained by the pit shell and the topography of the overburden layer. 4. Effective date December 14th 2016

The Company has thus far completed sufficient diamond drilling and bedrock channel sampling to result in a resource calculation that would confirm adequate indicated graphite resources to support a minimum 10 year mine life with a maximal depth of the pit at 126 vertical meters. Geological modeling based on the drill results and surface trenching and mapping indicates that the deposit remains open at depth and on both strike extensions. The geological model also provides multiple exploration targets with the potential to further expand the graphite mineral resources. The portion of the Miller Project which is the subject of the updated Resource Estimate occupies only 0.29 square kilometres within the approximately 72 square kilometres of unrestricted contiguous mineral claims held by the Company. As reported in the press release dated November 23rd, 2016, the Company anticipates performing additional drilling during this coming winter, to better define the graphite mineralization for pit optimization and economic assessment within a Feasibility Study of the Miller Project. The Company also intends to assess its architectural marble unit by utilizing hyperspectral logging equipment to obtain precise information about marble colour from drill core. The instrumental data will enhance productivity during marble quarrying operations, as well as supporting improved quarry economic assessments for inclusion in the Feasibility Study. The hyperspectral data will be available prior to the planned quarry opening in May 2017.

Canada Carbon Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mr. R. Bruce Duncan remarked, "The substantial increase in pit constrained graphite resources provides strong support to move into the next phase, i.e. the Miller Project feasibility study."

Mineral Resource Estimation Parameters

The Mineral Resources were estimated by Jean-Philippe Paiement, P.Geo., M.Sc., of SGS with an effective date of November 23, 2016. This estimate is the second Mineral Resource Estimate produced by Canada Carbon since the acquisition of the Miller property in September 2013. The Mineral Resources were estimated using the following geological and resource block modeling parameters which are based on geological interpretations, geostatistical studies and best practices in mineral estimation:

Graphite Mineral Resources

-- Mineral Resources were estimated from the diamond drill holes and channels analytical results completed by Canada Carbon since 2013. A total of 151 drill holes and 96 surface/channels, comprising 8,148 assays were used for the mineral resources model. -- The 3-D modeling of graphite Mineral Resources was conducted using a minimum cut-off grade of 0.50% Cg over a 2 m horizontal thickness within a preliminary lithological model. The initial mineralized solids were developed using Leapfrog, and subsequently remodelled by incorporating the complete assay dataset into the Leapfrog model, within SGS's proprietary modeling software Genesis. -- Assay data were composited to 1.5m. -- The interpolation was conducted using Ordinary Kriging of the low grade graphite mineralization and Indicator Kriging for the high grade graphite veins. -- The block model was defined by a block size of 5 m long by 5 m wide by 5 m thick and covers a strike length of approximately 1,030 m to a maximal depth of 170 m below surface. The modeled graphite mineralization is open both at depth and strike. -- The Mineral Resources were constrained within the boundaries of an optimised pit shell using the parameters stated in Table 2 below. All parameters are derived from economic assessment process associated with the Company's Miller Project PEA, and adapted for use in developing the new Resource Estimate. Any interpolated blocks of the resource model located outside of the optimised pit shell are not included in the Mineral Resources. -- All dollar values in Table 2 are expressed in Canadian dollars, with the exception of the revenue value for the thermally treated graphite, assumed to be US$ 13,000/tonne. At an assumed currency exchange rate of 0.75, the revenue/tonne is approximately CDN$ 17,300.

TABLE 2: PARAMETERS USED TO MODEL OPTIMIZED GRAPHITE RESOURCES

============================================================== Parameters Value Unit ============================================================== Mining Mineralized Material 7.24 $/t mined -------------------------------------------------------------- Mining Overburden 2.22 $/t mined -------------------------------------------------------------- Mining Waste -1.00 $/t mined -------------------------------------------------------------- Mining Dilution 5.00 % -------------------------------------------------------------- Mining Recovery 95.00 % -------------------------------------------------------------- Crushing and Processing 37.07 $/t milled -------------------------------------------------------------- Treatment and Refining 1,560.34 $/t conc. -------------------------------------------------------------- General and Administration 8.21 $/t mined -------------------------------------------------------------- Freight Mine to Treatment 1.00 $/t mined -------------------------------------------------------------- Revenue from Purified Graphite 13,000 $/t sold -------------------------------------------------------------- Concentration Recovery 88.00 % -------------------------------------------------------------- Royalties 3.60 % -------------------------------------------------------------- Pit Slopes 45.00 degrees -------------------------------------------------------------- Density of Mineralized Material and Waste 2.81 t/m3 -------------------------------------------------------------- Density of Overburden 1.80 t/m3 ==============================================================

Cautionary Note: This Resource Estimate is considered by SGS to meet the requirements of a Resource Estimate as defined by Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no guarantee that all or any part of the Mineral Resource will be converted into a Mineral Reserve. Inferred Resources are considered too geologically speculative to have mining and economic considerations applied to them and to be categorized as Mineral Reserves (as defined in NI 43-101). Additional trenching and/or drilling will be required to convert Inferred Mineral Resources to Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

MILLER PROJECT OVERVIEW

The 100%-owned Miller Graphite and Marble Project is located in the Outaouais Region of southern Quebec, Canada, about 80 km west of Montreal, Quebec and 90 km east of Ottawa, Ontario. The closest cities are Grenville, Quebec (5 km to the south) and Hawkesbury, Ontario (8 km to the south). The property is easily accessible from Highway 50, which runs approximately 2 km to the south of the Project boundary, and Scotch Road, which traverses the property from south to north. A wide range of services are available locally in the town of Grenville and at the nearby cities of Hawkesbury or Lachute. Project-specific services such as tree cutting, excavating, drilling, and blasting are available from local operators. Other required services including emergency response, equipment maintenance shops, transport companies, mobile electricians, mobile mechanics, security firms, IT firms, engineering, environmental and geological consultants, restaurants and a variety of housing options are all available near the Property. The local skilled labour force is capable of supporting a mining operation. A power line crosses the southern part of the Property and a railroad runs parallel to Highway 50, near Grenville. The Project is 90 km via paved highway from the container port at Montreal.

Qualified Person

Mr. Jean-Philippe Paiment, P.Geo, M.Sc., from SGS Canada Inc., an independent Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 guidelines, and has reviewed and approved the technical related content of this news release.

CANADA CARBON INC.

R. Bruce Duncan, CEO and Director

"Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release."

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com).

Contacts:

Canada Carbon Inc.

info@canadacarbon.com

(604) 685-6375

(604) 909-1163 (FAX)




Technavio market research analysts forecast the global personal protective equipment (PPE) market in the construction industryto grow at a CAGR of close to 8% 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/20161214005040/en/

Technavio publishes a new market research report on the global PPE market in the construction industry from 2016-2020. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The market study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global PPE market in construction industry for 2016-2020. This report provides geographical segmentation of the market into three major regions, which include the Americas, APAC and EMEA. This report also provides a list of vendors that are active in providing PPE in construction industry worldwide.

According to Sarah Haque, a lead analyst at Technavio, "The global PPE market in the construction industry is fueled by developments in the construction industry in APAC and African countries. The market is also driven by increasing focus on fall protection by the construction industry."

Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=55042

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 three market drivers that are contributing to the growth of the global PPE market in the construction industry:

Demand for fall protection

Stringent and comprehensive safety regulations

Increasing awareness driven by on-site training

Demand for fall protection

On-site injuries and accidents cause employers to pay penalties and compensation, therefore, to prevent accidents they equip laborers with PPE, which can reduce the risks of work hazards. Increasing demand for fall protection is due to the increasing construction industries in Asia-pacific, Middle-East, and Africa. Asian countries are expected to increase their infrastructure expenditure by over 6% during 2016-2020. Also, construction in the Middle East and Africa is expected to grow by over 7% annually during the period of 2016-2020.

Fall protection in terms of safety harnesses, lanyards, belts and connectors, self-retracting lifelines, and guardrail systems are used in construction sites for employees to work safely. The scaffold is a structure used in construction to support workers to aid in maintenance, construction, and repair of buildings. These scaffolds are capable of supporting fall protection equipment with maximum strength to carry the load.

Manufacturers are introducing innovative products and advanced materials for fall protection. For instance, Honeywell launched Miller H-Design Fall Arrest in July 2015 and Miller TurboLite TM Edge in December 2015. This equipment comes under fall protection category.

"Thus, demand for fall protection is a driving factor for the growth of global PPE market in construction industry globally," says Sarah

Stringent and comprehensive safety regulations

Around 84% of employees who sustain a head injury at workplace do not wear head protection, and 50% of construction workers suffer from serious eye injury globally. Rising number of occupational injuries and fatalities is forcing government to enforce stringent regulations employers to build a robust workplace safety. Workplace safety can be enforced and managed by proper risk management and preventive solutions.

For instance, in 1970, the US government passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act for laborers that ensure the provision of a safe and healthy work environment. The implementation of this act led to the formation of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA ensures that safety standards are implemented at the workplace and employers work toward reducing workers' injuries. The administration covers both private and public sector employers and addresses any employee grievances that may arise out of inadequate safety at the workplace. In Great Britain, authorities such as the Health and Safety Executive work toward helping the safety of workers. The authority carries out inspections and encourages compliance with health and safety legislation.

Increasing awareness driven by on-site training

The market for PPE in construction is being driven by increasing awareness and on-site training by manufacturers. In addition to offering services, which involve the determination and selection of PPE, vendors in the market also offer on-site training support for wearers that include programs on understanding the various available features in the product and their usage in a specific scenario. For instance, hearing protection products that offer either passive or active hearing protection at the flip of a switch on the product necessitate adequate hands-on training for wearers. The goal of such training programs is to create awareness about various possible hazards at the workplace and to facilitate risk reduction by educating wearers about the correct use of safety equipment.

In 2016, OSHA conducted a National Fall Protection Stand-Down to help raise awareness in order to prevent fall hazards in the construction industry. This type of awareness campaigns are conducted regularly as a part of the comprehensive safety program.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Personal Protective Equipment Market 2016-2020

Personal Protective Equipment Market in the UK 2016-2020

Global Skin Protective Equipment 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

Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005040/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Fulcrum Partners LLC, a leading U.S. executive benefits consultancy, continues its support of Kivu Hills Academy, the first vocational school in Boneza, Rwanda. With its donations totaling $30,000 over the past three years, Fulcrum Partners, through the Global Gift Fund of ValMark Financial Group, has helped Arise Rwanda complete Phase I of the school. Kivu Hills Academy provides both vocational and academic education to post-eighth grade students, offering a curriculum that enables students to combine learning with hands-on work experiences.

Arise Rwanda is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, faith-based organization, founded by John B. Gasangwa, the driving force behind Kivu Hills Academy. Arise Rwanda provides management and oversite for the school and its programs. The organization focuses on clean water, micro enterprise, and education, believing that education is the foundation of a community.

Gus Comiskey, Managing Director, Fulcrum Partners Houston, said, "It's been exciting for us to be part of this project from the very beginning. We celebrated with Arise Rwanda when in 2015, the cornerstone for the academy was laid, and a year ago, when the first classes were held in the new building. As Kivu Hills Academy moves forward, unified and growing in self-sufficiency, so does the future of all Rwanda."

ValMark Financial Group supports selected non-profit initiatives in the U.S. and internationally through its Global Gift Fund, seeking projects that demonstrate both service and stewardship. The money donated by Fulcrum Partners has been matched, dollar for dollar, by the ValMark Global Gift Fund.

Caleb Callahan, EVP & COO of ValMark and Chairman of the ValMark Global Gift Fund said, "We talk a great deal at ValMark about the Golden Rule. This is one way we can actually live it. Joining Fulcrum Partners to support the children at Kivu Hills Academy is a true honor and joy. It provides an even greater purpose for our business. We are blessed with partners like Fulcrum who genuinely care about making a positive difference in the world."

Learn more about the history of this and other philanthropic projects of Fulcrum Partners on the "Inspire" tab of the Fulcrum Partners website.

About Fulcrum Partners LLC:

Fulcrum Partners LLC (www.fulcrumpartnersllc.com) is one of the nation's leading and largest executive benefits consultancies. Fulcrum Partners is a wholly independent, member-owned firm dedicated to helping organizations enhance their Total Rewards Strategy. Founded in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL in 2007, today the company has offices in Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Charleston, South Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Delray Beach, Florida; Honolulu, Hawaii; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Orlando, Florida; Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; Portland, Oregon; and Washington D.C.

Securities offered through Registered Representatives of ValMark Securities, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC, 130 Springside Drive, Suite 300, Akron, OH 44333-2431, 1-800-765-5201.Investment Advisory Services offered through ValMark Advisers, Inc., which is a SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Fulcrum Partners LLC is a separate entity from ValMark Securities, Inc. and ValMark Advisers, Inc

Bruce Brownell

904.296.2563

press@fulcrumpartnersllc.com




Regulatory News:

The ORPEA group (Paris:ORP), one of the leading European providers of long- and medium-term care (nursing homes, post-acute and rehabilitation hospitals psychiatric hospitals, and homecare services), has announced that today's Ordinary General Meeting approved the appointment of Laure Baume and Brigitte Lantz as new directors.

Laure Baume is Aeroports de Paris' Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Head of its Customer division, as well as a member of its Executive Committee.

A graduate of HEC Paris business school, she began her career at Kraft Foods International, where she held several positions in France and abroad. She then joined Club Mediterranee's general management committee as Head of the Group's Europe-Africa New Markets BU and Head of Strategic Marketing.

Brigitte Lantz is a doctor specialising in nephrology. She graduated from the Paris Faculty of Medicine, is a practising hospital physician at Necker hospital and holds a DEA postgraduate degree in endocrinology.

Between 2002 and 2012, Brigitte advised several health ministers on various fields, including chronic conditions (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, etc.), disabilities and dependency, the elderly and severe head injuries.

These two appointments broaden the range of medical and international expansion skills and expertise held by members of ORPEA's Board of Directors as the new directors possess vast experience.

After reviewing the candidates' status, ORPEA's Appointments and Compensation Committee determined based on the criteria of the AFEP-MEDEF Code that both these new directors can be considered as independent under this Code.

These appointments have strengthened the Group's governance, and its now highly diverse Board of Directors has 12 members, 66% of whom are independent directors, with four different nationalities represented.

Next press release: revenue for 2016 full-year

8 February 2016 before the market opens

About ORPEA (www.orpea-corp.com

Founded in 1989, ORPEA is a European leader in integrated Long-Term Care and Post-Acute Care, with a network of 733 healthcare facilities, with 74,272 beds (9,041 of them under refurbishment or construction), including:

32,688 beds in France at 352 facilities (2,993 beds under refurbishment or construction);

41,584 beds in the rest of Europe (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland) at 381 facilities (6,048 beds under refurbishment or construction).

ORPEA is listed on Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0000184798) and member of SBF 120, STOXX Europe 600, MSCI Small Cap Europe and CAC Mid 60 indices.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005878/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations :

ORPEA

Yves Le Masne

CEO

Steve Grobet, Tel: +33 (0)1 47 75 74 66

Investor Relations Officer

s.grobet@orpea.net

or

Investor and Media Relations:

NewCap

Dusan Oresansky Nicolas Merigeau

Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

orpea@newcap.eu
GATINEAU, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Department of Canadian Heritage

The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Official Languages, today announced funding of $90,000 through the Development of Official-Language Communities Program for the Reseau pour le developpement de l'alphabetisme et des competences Canada (RESDAC) in 2016-18. This support will help establish a Canada-wide project that aims to increase literacy.

Quotes

"I am always quick to make the connection between our official languages and the values of openness and inclusion that are fundamental to our government. Working to boost literacy and essential skills in Francophone minority communities leads to better informed and more engaged citizens. This is a win-win project: it brings individuals closer to achieving their full potential, and the entire community benefits."

- The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Quick Facts

-- RESDAC was founded 25 years ago and aims to increase literacy rates and essential skills among Francophone adults living in minority communities in Canada. -- The overall strategy will help the provincial and territorial governments, which are responsible for education in Canada. It will also help them better meet the literacy education needs of Francophone adults living in minority communities. -- The Development of Official-Language Communities Program aims to enhance the vitality of Francophone and Anglophone minority communities and help them participate fully in all aspects of life in Canada.

Associated Links

Reseau pour le developpement de l'alphabetisme et des competences Canada

Development of Official Language Communities

Stay Connected

Follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr.

Contacts:

Pierre-Olivier Herbert

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage

819-997-7788



Media Relations

Canadian Heritage

819-994-9101

1-866-569-6155

pch.media-media.pch@canada.ca




CHESTER, PA--(Marketwired - December 14, 2016) -

TO: City Editors, Education Editors, Photo Editors, Assignment Editors, News Directors, Broadcast Editors, Education Bloggers, Online Content Managers and Managing Editors

WHAT: Chester, PA, December 13, 2016 - Beginning at 9:00am, on Monday, December 19, 2016, Santa Claus will hand-deliver gifts to more than 1,000 students, in grades kindergarten through second, at Chester Community Charter School (CCCS), the largest K-8 charter school in Pennsylvania, as part of the school's 17 th annual "Santa Brigade" holiday program, which will take place at CCCS's East, West and Upland campuses.

After visiting CCCS, Santa will make two additional stops, that week, to hand-deliver gifts to kindergarteners and first-graders, at Atlantic County Community Charter School, on Wednesday, December 21 st , and to Camden Community Charter School's kindergarten-through-second graders, on Thursday, December 22 nd .

Vahan Gureghian, CEO of CSMI, the school's management company, and his wife, Danielle, have donated almost $17,000 to fund the purchase of this year's gifts, for all schools. Thus far, Mr. and Mrs. Gureghian have donated more than $500,000 to Santa Brigade gifts, for the charter school's students, since the program's inception.

The Santa Brigade program was established to ensure that each CCCS student would receive a gift for the holiday, regardless of his or her family's financial standing.

WHO:

Dr. David Clark, CEO, CCCS

More than 1,000 students, faculty and staff of Chester Community Charter School

Santa Claus

WHEN: Monday, December 19, 2016

9:00am - 11:00am

WHERE: Chester Community Charter School - East Campus

Building A

225 East 5th Street

Chester, PA 19013

Contact:

Meaghan F. Washington

Tel: 215-751-0140

Email: mwashington@m3mpr.com

Twitter/Instagram: @M3M_PR



Contact:

Dr. David Clark

Tel: 610-447-0400

Email: dclark@chestercommunitycharter.org

Twitter/Instagram: @Chester_Charter
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - ConAgra Grocery Products, a subsidiary of ConAgra Foods Inc., on Tuesday pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to a salmonella outbreak in 2006. The company agreed pay $11.2 million, the largest criminal fine imposed for a food-borne illness in the United States. ConAgra pleaded guilty to a criminal misdemeanor charge alleging the shipment of contaminated peanut butter linked to a 2006 through 2007 nationwide outbreak of salmonella poisoning, the Department of Justice said in a statement. ConAgra will pay $8 million criminal fine and forfeit an additional $3.2 million in assets. 'This case demonstrates companies - both large and small - must be vigilant about food safety,' said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division. 'We rely every day on food processors and handlers to meet the high standards required to keep our food free of harmful contamination.' In February 2007, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that an ongoing nationwide outbreak of salmonella contamination was traced to Peter Pan and private label peanut butter produced and shipped from the company's Sylvester, Georgia, peanut butter plant. The CDC identified more than 700 cases of salmonellosis linked to the outbreak. 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.
SANTA CLARA, California, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan is pleased to announce that 9 Screens InternationalPresident James Lloyd will deliver a keynote address at the 13th Annual Customer Contact, East: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange. The event will take place at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa April 23 to 26, 2017, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

To register for the 13th Annual Customer Contact, East: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange, or to view the event agenda, please visit: www.frost.com/ccs

This highly interactive event will present solutions that address the complex communication needs faced by today's consumer. The event, themed Leveraging Customer Contact as a Strategic Asset, will offer customer contact industry presidents, vice presidents and other senior-level executives the opportunity to benefit from:

Current case studies and best practices

Dynamic collaboration zones

Expert panel discussions

Peer-to-peer networking opportunities

Lloyd will present Positive Change: How Contact Center Executives Can Ignite the Organization and Move Beyond the Status Quo. This keynote will address the challenges of change in the business world, as well as in schools and the world at large. Additionally, Lloyd will underscore the importance of ongoing "learning, unlearning and relearning," particularly as call centers continue to undergo the many changes wrought by digital transformation.

Lloyd is a featured speaker and organizational training and development consultant whose powerful keynotes, training sessions and workshops have captivated audiences around the world. His unique storytelling ability pulls the audience in with humor, insight and motivation, and covers customer service, leadership and organizational issues.

For additional information about Customer Contact, East: A Frost and Sullivan Executive MindXchange, please email events.us@frost.com

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

Contact:

Chiara Carella

Corporate Communications - Global Director

P: +44 (0) 207-343-8314

E: chiara.carella@frost.com

http://www.frost.com
SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwired - December 14, 2016) - ISCS, developer of cloud-based, property and casualty (P&C) insurance software solutions, is pleased to announce Topa Insurance Group recently selected SurePower Innovation implemented via ISCS's cloud deployment option, SurePackage', to handle all of the group's core administration needs, and to serve as a platform for innovation and growth.

Topa Insurance Group includes several specialty insurance companies and solution providers, including Topa Insurance Company, Alphyn Universal Insurance Solutions, Dorchester Insurance Company, NevPac Reinsurance, and Topa Insurance Services, located throughout California, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Beginning in Topa Insurance Group's home state of California, this implementation will focus on the company's commercial lines of business, including commercial property, commercial package, general liability and excess liability, sold through an exclusive network of wholesale brokers and general agents across all of the company's subsidiaries.

"We selected SurePackage on AWS Cloud because ISCS on AWS provides a robust foundation for innovation, growth and efficiency," said Brian Schween, CIO for Topa Insurance Group. "The resulting business agility and ability to stay current with future product releases will strengthen our focus on ease of doing business for our partners and customers."

During the selection process, SurePower Innovation's configurability, services-based architecture, and cloud offering with advanced business intelligence (BI) capabilities hit all the right notes with Topa Insurance Group. Further, executives from Topa Insurance Group agreed that ISCS's implementation track record, investment in research and development (R&D), and comprehensive insurance business knowledge, stood out from the ranks of other companies in contention for selection.

"Consolidating to a single, highly-configurable platform will make it easier for our customers to do business with us, allow our talented employees to design and deliver even more innovative products and services, and increase internal efficiency," said Schween.

"As the bar continues to be raised on customer service and experience, 24x7x365 accessibility, and speed of doing business, the ability to provide core administration in the cloud has become a key differentiator for ISCS," said Andy Scurto, president of ISCS. "We have been working quietly with AWS to provide state-of-the-art cloud hosting and services to the insurance industry since 2008. We couldn't be more impressed with the level of service and commitment to delivering a quality experience AWS has enabled ISCS to provide to insurance clients ongoing."

About ISCS

ISCS is the developer of SurePower Innovation, a highly scalable, configurable, cloud-based modern enterprise suite that mitigates risk and increases business agility for property and casualty (P&C) insurance organizations writing personal, commercial and specialty lines. SurePower Innovation extends beyond core administration (policy, billing and claims) to include reinsurance, business intelligence (BI), insurance accounting, payables, document management, producer/commission management, agent/consumer portals and more. With a 100% proven implementation track record on enterprise core system replacement projects, ISCS consistently delivers SurePower Innovation as a complete, managed SaaS solution via ISCS's SurePackage' deployment option, allowing insurers to focus on the business of insurance. For more information, visit the company website at www.iscs.com.

About Topa Insurance Group

Topa Insurance Group is a specialty insurance platform, made up of core company Topa Insurance Company (CA), as well as Alphyn Universal Insurance Solutions (CA), Dorchester Insurance Company (USVI), NevPac Reinsurance (BVI), and Topa Insurance Services (USVI). The group is led by our Board of Directors, Marion Anderson, Chair, William Anderson, Vice Chair, Judith Munzig, Brenda Seuthe, John Donahue, Michael Day and Judy Mann. Topa Insurance Group is focused on underwriting profits, operation excellence and agility for continuous growth. For more information about Topa Insurance Group, please visit http://www.topains.com.

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Media Contact:

Jennifer Overhulse

St. Nick Media Services

(859) 803-6597

jen@stnickmedia.com
Technavio market research analysts forecast the global respiratory disposable devices marketto grow at a CAGR of close to 5% 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/20161214005046/en/

Technavio publishes a new market research report on the global respiratory disposable devices market from 2016-2020. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The market study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global respiratory disposable devices marketfor 2016-2020. The report also lists disposable masks, resuscitators, endotracheal tubes (ETTS), breathing circuits, and nebulizers as the five major product segments during invasive and non-invasive surgical treatment and patient care.

According to Srinivas Sashidhar, a lead analyst at Technavio formedical devices research, "Vendors are developing high-quality, flexible face masks to enhance patient comfort during surgical procedures. This includes scented face masks that provide relaxation to patients and colored masks for pediatric use come in different color.

Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=54911

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 healthcare and life sciences analysts highlight the following three market drivers that are contributing to the growth of the global respiratory disposable devices market:

Rise in hospital admission for respiratory diseases

Growing incidence of chronic respiratory diseases

Increasing number of surgical procedures

Rise in hospital admission for respiratory diseases

Respiratory diseases in the elderly and pediatric population are increasing. For example, the incidence of chronic respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and pulmonary embolism among these age groups is increasing every year. This will further increase the demand for respiratory devices.

According to a study, the average length of hospital stay has also increased in the elderly population. Emergency admission owing to asthma and COPD are the main causes of prolonged hospital stay. Hence, there is a greater requirement of oxygen masks, ETTs, resuscitators, and nebulizers

Growing incidence of chronic respiratory diseases

Worldwide, chronic respiratory diseases have increased the cost burden for governments in developed countries such as in the US and Western European countries. The incidence of chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, asthma, sleep apnea, and pneumonia is on the rise. According to the CDC, in 2011, COPD was the third leading cause of death in the US. In the same year, around five million patients were diagnosed with COPD, of which most of the patients were aged between 65 and 74.

"Respiratory disposables such as disposable masks, ETTs, and laryngeal mask airways are necessary for such patients who require surgical procedures," says Srinivas.

Increasing number of surgical procedures

Colectomies and appendectomies are endoscopic surgical procedures that are usually performed laparoscopically. In addition to specialty surgeries, orthopedic, trauma, ophthalmic, endoscopic, and cosmetic surgeries are also performed in hospitals. Surgical procedures can be painful; hence anesthesia is administered to the patient during the procedure to keep patients pain-free and unconscious. This requires the use of respiratory disposables.

The number of surgical procedures is on the rise in European countries. Laparoscopic colectomy procedures doubled in Slovenia and tripled in Spain between 2008 and 2013. With the rise in the number of surgical procedures, the need for respiratory disposables to administer general anesthesia will also witness a proportionate increase.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Anesthesia Disposables Market 2016-2020

Global Anesthesia Breathing Circuits Market 2016-2020

Global Anesthesia Delivery Systems 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

Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005046/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
Technavio market research analysts forecast the global tractor rental marketto grow at a CAGR of more than 8% 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/20161214005422/en/

Technavio publishes a new market research report on the global tractor rental market from 2016-2020. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The market study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global tractor rental marketfor 2016-2020. The report also lists low-powered engine and high-powered engine as the two major segments based on engine power, with the high-powered engines accounting for over 51% of the market share, in 2015.

"In APAC, India will experience the highest growth rate for the tractor rental market, growing a CAGR of close to 21%, whereas China will grow at a CAGR of more than 10%," says Praveen Kumar, a lead analyst at Technavio for automotive servicesresearch.

Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=54998

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 automotive analysts highlight the following three market drivers that are contributing to the growth of the global tractor rental market:

High labor wage

Growing participation of private players and government initiatives

Increase in number of households participating in tractor rental market

High labor wage

The labor wage in regions such as the Americas and Europe is already high, whereas APAC countries such as India and China are experiencing a rise in the minimum wage of laborers. Thus, farmers are relying on rented tractors and other farm equipment to compensate for the low employment of labor in their fields.

In the Americas, New York has been the second state that has approved a new law, which would increase the minimum wage of the laborers in the city to USD 15 per hour by the end of 2018. In APAC, countries such as India are experiencing a continuous increase in the wage of agricultural workers as well as non-agricultural workers. The Indian Government has passed legislations to revise the minimum wages for the unskilled non-agricultural laborers upward by 42%. Thus, the increase in the wage of laborers is acting as a strong growth driver for the growth of this market.

Growing participation of private players and government initiatives

There is a growing focus on the agricultural sector, and most of the economies across the world are putting up their best effort to improve the productivity of their farms. Therefore, government initiatives and spending on agricultural is on the rise throughout all the major economies of the world. Even private players are investing heavily in the agricultural sector. India observed foreign direct investment (FDI) of USD 2.26 billion from April 2000 to December 2015.

Increase in number of households participating in tractor rental market

The government is creating awareness among consumers through various initiatives to increase the productivity of the farms. In the agricultural sector, purchasing farm equipment and machinery and tractors cost heavily to the farmers, and it is difficult for small farmers to purchase farm equipment Thus, renting out tractors and farm equipment is becoming popular, and more farmers are willing to rent equipment.

In APAC, 206.7 million households depend on agriculture, but the number of households participating in the tractor rental market is low. However, it is expected that this number of will increase significantly and the revenue from the tractor rental market will exceed USD 10 billion by 2020.

"Similar upwards trends towards adoption of tractor rentals are expected in the Americas and Europe," says Praveen.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Construction Equipment Finance Market 2016-2020

Global Garden Tractor Market 2016-2020

Global All-Terrain Vehicle 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

Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005422/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
Regulatory News:

Vivendi (Paris:VIV) has crossed today the 15% threshold and reached the 20% threshold of the Mediaset share capital.

Important Disclaimers

This press release contains information that may have characterized, before becoming public, inside information as defined by Article 7, par. 1, of the European Regulation 596/2014 regarding Vivendi's acquisition of a participation in the capital of Mediaset. It also contains forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations, business, strategy, plans and outlook of Vivendi. Although Vivendi believes that such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, including but not limited to the risks related to antitrust and other regulatory approvals as well as any other approvals which may be required in connection with certain transactions and the risks described in the documents Vivendi filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers (French securities regulator), which are also available in English on Vivendi's website (www.vivendi.com). Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of documents filed by Vivendi with the Autorite des Marches Financiers at www.amf-france.org, or directly from Vivendi. Accordingly, we caution readers against relying on such forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and Vivendi disclaims any intention or obligation to provide, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Unsponsored ADRs. Vivendi does not sponsor an American Depositary Receipt (ADR) facility in respect of its shares. Any ADR facility currently in existence is "unsponsored" and has no ties whatsoever to Vivendi. Vivendi disclaims any liability in respect of any such facility.

About Vivendi

Vivendi is an integrated media and content group. The company operates businesses throughout the media value chain, from talent discovery to the creation, production and distribution of content. The main subsidiaries of Vivendi comprise Canal+ Group and Universal Music Group. Canal+ Group is the leading pay-TV operator in France, and also serves markets in Africa, Poland and Vietnam. Canal+ Group operations also include Studiocanal, a leading European player in production, sales and distribution of film and TV series. Universal Music Group is the world leader in recorded music, music publishing and merchandising, with more than 50 labels covering all genres. A separate division, Vivendi Village, brings together Vivendi Ticketing (ticketing in the UK, the U.S. and France), MyBestPro (experts counseling), Watchever (subscription video-on-demand), Radionomy (digital radio), Olympia Production, the L'Olympia and the Theatre de L'Oeuvre venues in Paris and the CanalOlympia venues in Africa. With 3.5 billion videos viewed each month, Dailymotion is one of the biggest video content aggregation and distribution platforms in the world. Gameloft is a worldwide leading video games on mobile, with 2 million games downloaded per day.

www.vivendi.comwww.cultureswithvivendi.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214005996/en/

Contacts:

Vivendi
Washington D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - December 14, 2016) - The Securities and Exchange Commission voted today to approve the 2017 budget of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and the related annual accounting support fee.

The PCAOB budget totals $268.5 million and will be funded by the collection of an accounting support fee totaling $268 million.

"The PCAOB's mission to promote informative, accurate, and independent audit reports and to oversee auditors of public companies and SEC registered broker-dealers is critical to investor protection and our markets," said SEC Chair Mary Jo White. "The 2017 budget provides the PCAOB with the funding necessary to continue to conduct inspections of auditors of U.S. public companies and broker-dealers, advance its research and standard-setting agendas, perform necessary economic and risk analysis, and conduct outreach. In furtherance of carrying out its mission in a cost-effective way, the PCAOB will undertake a study of operational efficiency and budgetary needs and submit a report to the Commission by mid-March next year."

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 established the PCAOB to oversee the audits and auditors of financial statements filed by public companies and registered broker-dealers. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act designated the SEC to oversee the PCAOB and specifies that the PCAOB's budget and accounting support fee, which funds its operations, be subject to approval by the Commission.

The PCAOB budget includes:

A 2017 budget of $268.5 million

A 2017 accounting support fee totaling $268 million allocated as follows: $232.6 million to be assessed on public companies $35.4 million to be assessed on broker-dealers



The PCAOB's 2017 budget represents an increase of approximately 4 percent from its 2016 budget of $257.7 million and an increase of approximately 6 percent over its estimated $252.8 million in spending in 2016. The 2017 accounting support fee of $268 million is approximately 6 percent higher than the 2016 accounting support fee of $253.3 million.

# # #

FACT SHEET

Public Company Accounting Oversight Board 2017 Budget

and Accounting Support Fee

SEC Open Meeting

December 14, 2016

Action

The Securities and Exchange Commission today will consider whether to approve the 2017 budget of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), and the related annual accounting support fee for the board, as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Highlights

On Nov. 17, 2016, the PCAOB adopted its 2017 budget and its strategic plan for 2016-2020. That proposed budget, which is now being considered by the SEC, includes:

A proposed 2017 budget of $268.5 million

A proposed 2017 accounting support fee totaling $268 million, allocated as follows: $232.6 million to be assessed on issuers $35.4 million to be assessed on registered broker-dealers.



The PCAOB's 2017 budget represents an increase of approximately 4 percent over the 2016 Commission-approved budget of $257.7 million and an increase of approximately 6 percent over the PCAOB's 2016 estimated spending of $252.8 million.

The 2017 budget will be funded primarily by the 2017 accounting support fee of $268.0 million, which is approximately 6 percent higher than the 2016 Commission-approved accounting support fee of $253.3 million. The increase in the accounting support fee relative to the increase in the budget primarily reflects the fact that there is less unused funding to be carried forward from FY 2016 to offset FY 2017 budgeted expenditures than was the case last year coupled with an increase to the reserve for the first 5 months of 2018.

Background

The PCAOB oversees the audits and auditors of the financial statements that are filed by issuers and registered broker-dealers. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which established the PCAOB, provides the Commission with oversight responsibility over the PCAOB. This includes reviewing and approving the PCAOB's budget and accounting support fee annually.

Under Section 109 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the PCAOB is required to establish, with the approval of the Commission, a reasonable accounting support fee to fund its operations. The fee is assessed annually on issuers and registered broker-dealers. Consideration of the budget for approval is one of the many ways in which the Commission exercises its oversight responsibilities of the PCAOB.

What's Next?

If the PCAOB's 2017 budget and accounting support fee are approved by the Commission, the PCAOB will proceed with issuing invoices to issuers and registered broker-dealers using the allocation described above in accordance with the PCAOB's funding rules.
Good safety and feasibility of the treatment at 10% dose level

Third indication in global development confirming transferability across different cancers

Regulatory News:

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214006006/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

NANOBIOTIX (Euronext: NANO ISIN: FR0011341205), a late clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the local treatment of cancer, today announces a positive readout of initial data on the safety and feasibility from the first patients treated in its Phase I/II trial evaluating NBTXR3 in liver cancers, including primary (Hepatocellular, HCC) and metastatic tumors.

Patients with either HCC or liver metastases frequently cannot undergo surgery and have very few or no therapeutic options available. Radiation therapy has been shown to improve outcomes of these patients. Clinical trials have shown a direct correlation between higher doses of radiation therapy and increased survival, in both patient populations. The delivery of a high radiation dose is complex and cannot be done in an optimal way in most situations due to toxicity. NBTXR3 aims to amplify the energy dose within the tumor to offer better clinical results and more therapeutic options to improve the poor prognosis of these populations.

Nanobiotix's Phase I/II trial evaluates the safety and preliminary efficacy of NBTXR3 nanoparticles administrated by intra-tumoral (IT) or intra-arterial (IA) injection and activated by high precision radiation therapy, delivered as high dose fractions (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)) for the treatment of liver cancers.

Elsa Borghi, CMO of Nanobiotix: "At this stage, the safety and feasibility data of NBTXR3 in liver cancers are excellent. Observations are similar to the results of our more advanced trials: Soft Tissue Sarcoma and Head and Neck cancers. This is significant because these trials cover very different patient and disease profiles. Based on the information gathered to date, we anticipate that by the end of this phase, we will have identified the appropriate conditions to use NBTXR3 in these patients populations. Once again, all transferability data show the potential of broad applicability of NBTXR3 for use with radiotherapy in the treatment of solid tumors

Preliminary data results:

1. Good safety profile with no serious adverse events recorded

Two sub-groups of patients have been treated at 10% dose of NBTXR3, with Intra Tumoral injections (IT), using either 24 Gy or 45 Gy total radiation dose, based on patients dosimetric constrains.

Intra-arterial injection has not been explored so far because the Intra Tumoral (IT) injection has been shown to be feasible and successful.

Good safety has been demonstrated within these patients as well. To date, all treated patients have completed their radiation therapy course, confirming good local tolerability and no changes in liver hepatic functions (MELD Score evaluation).

2. Treatment feasibility and appropriate distribution demonstrated

The data validate the feasibility of the injection with a volume level equivalent to 10% of the baseline tumor volume in both patient populations: primary cancer (HCC) and liver metastasis.

The product appears to stay within the tumors with no leakage in the surrounding healthy tissues from the day of injection until end of radiotherapy treatment (illustration 1 2). It confirms and supports the findings reported from the clinical trials in Soft Tissue Sarcoma or Head and Neck cancers patients.

3. 10% volume level secured, further levels under evaluation

The 10% dose level was successfully evaluated in HCC and metastatic patients. The 10% dose level is the recommended NBTXR3 volume for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) in the act.in.sarc study (www.actinsarc.com), the most advanced indication developed by Nanobiotix (Phase II/III).

The trial is now recruiting next dose levels to evaluate safety and feasibility at higher doses along with exploratory efficacy endpoints (complete Response Rate, Progression Free Survival and Overall Survival).

-ends-

About liver cancers

According to WHO, liver cancers are the second most common cause of cancer death in the world with 745,000 deaths each year, and 800,000 new liver cancer patients per year.

Liver cancers are challenging diseases to address. Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) is the safest and most modern radiotherapy currently available for the treatment of malignant liver tumors but SBRT has been shown to be efficient only in specific subsets of population with small tumors. Complete response is a rare event and local control is often compromised in big tumors, metastases and HCC with portal vein tumor thrombosis and short progression Free Survival and Overall survival.

About NBTXR3 trial protocol in liver cancer

NBTXR3 is a first-in-class radio-enhancer nanoparticle designed for direct injection into malignant tumors. NBTXR3 has the potential to improve radiotherapy efficacy by destroying locally advanced cancers more efficiently. It has been engineered to increase the local absorption of the radiotherapy dose and thereby increasing the efficacy of radiotherapy without increasing toxicity or causing damage to surrounding healthy tissues.

The first phase of the ongoing, multicenter open-label, single-arm study is a dose-escalation to evaluate the safety, feasibility and preliminary clinical activity along with determining the right dose of NBTXR3 in this indication. The second phase of the trial will be a dose-expansion phase, which will be a cohort expansion at the recommended dose of NBTXR3.

Patients receive a single injection administration of NBTXR3 24 hours before the beginning of the radiotherapy treatment. The total maximum radiotherapy dose is 45 Gy, delivered as three fractions of 15 Gy each, over 5 to 7 days.

About NANOBIOTIX: www.nanobiotix.com

Nanobiotix (Euronext: NANO ISIN: FR0011341205) is a late clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the local treatment of cancer. The Company's first-in-class, proprietary technology, NanoXray, enhances radiotherapy energy with a view to provide a new, more efficient treatment for cancer patients.

NanoXray products are compatible with current radiotherapy treatments and are meant to treat potentially a wide variety of solid tumors including soft tissue sarcoma, head and neck cancers, liver cancers, prostate cancer, breast cancer, glioblastoma, etc., via multiple routes of administration.

NBTXR3 is being evaluated in: soft tissue sarcoma (STS), head and neck cancers, prostate cancer, and liver cancers (primary and metastases). Additionally, head and neck cancer and rectal cancer trials led by Nanobiotix's Taiwanese partner, PharmaEngine, are underway in the Asia Pacific region. The Company has filed in August 2016 for market approval (CE Marking) in Europe for its lead product NBTXR3.

Nanobiotix is listed on the regulated market of Euronext in Paris (ISIN: FR0011341205, Euronext ticker: NANO, Bloomberg: NANO: FP). The Company Headquarter is based in Paris, France. Affiliate in Cambridge, United States.

Disclaimer

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Nanobiotix and its business. Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Nanobiotix considers to be reasonable. However, there can be no assurance that the estimates contained in such forward-looking statements will be verified, which estimates are subject to numerous risks including the risks set forth in the reference document of Nanobiotix filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorite des Marches Financiers) under number D.16-0732 on July 22, 2016 (a copy of which is available on www.nanobiotix.com) and to the development of economic conditions, financial markets and the markets in which Nanobiotix operates. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to risks not yet known to Nanobiotix or not currently considered material by Nanobiotix. The occurrence of all or part of such risks could cause actual results, financial conditions, performance or achievements of Nanobiotix to be materially different from such forward-looking statements.

This press release and the information that it contains do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe for, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for, Nanobiotix shares in any country.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214006006/en/

Contacts:

Nanobiotix

Sarah Gaubert

Head of Communication and Public Affairs

+33 (0)1 40 26 07 55

contact@nanobiotix.com

or

Media relations

France Springbok Consultants

Marina Rosoff

+33 (0)6 71 58 00 34

marina@springbok.fr

or

EU Outside France Instinctif Partners

Melanie Toyne Sewell

+44 (0) 207 457 2020

nanobiotix@instinctif.com

or

United States The Ruth Group

Kirsten Thomas Chris Hippolyte

+1 508-280-6592 +1 646-536-7023

Nanobiotix@theruthgroup.com
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- The Governments of Canada and Alberta are making a significant investment in the preservation and regeneration of affordable housing in Calgary. Some $18 million in joint funding will go toward the repair and renovation of social housing units for seniors and low-income families and individuals, ensuring they have safe and efficient places to call home.

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), along with the Honourable Lori Sigurdson, Minister of Seniors and Housing, made the announcement today.

Quick facts:

-- The joint contribution of $18 million was made through the 2016-2018 Social Infrastructure Fund, which is a two-year federal and provincial agreement to help Albertans in need access affordable housing. -- The funding will support capital maintenance projects such as heating, ventilation and plumbing repairs, along with renovations and replacements of roofs and elevators, which are needed at affordable housing sites across Calgary. -- Projects that will receive funding include government-owned or supported seniors, community and special needs housing. Projects will take place in more than 120 buildings owned or operated by 29 social housing providers. -- The announcement took place at Bridgeland Place, which is owned by the City of Calgary and operated by the Calgary Housing Company. It will receive $648,000 for suite renovations, replacing shut-off valves, a roof inspection and sidewalk replacement.

Quotes:

"Our Government is investing in affordable housing here in Calgary and across Canada to help create jobs and improve the quality of life for those who need it most. Thanks to the combined efforts of our partners, we are able to give a hand up to Albertans in need, and in doing so, we are contributing to the economic and social well-being of the entire community."

- Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

"Many housing units in Calgary are in disrepair. That's why our government is taking action by investing in renovations so Calgarians have a safe and affordable place to call home."

- Honourable Lori Sigurdson, Minister of Seniors and Housing

Associated links:

-- CMHC has been helping Canadians meet their housing needs for more than 70 years. As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to Canadian governments, consumers and the housing industry. Prudent risk management, strong corporate governance and transparency are cornerstones of CMHC's operations. For more information, please call 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc.ca. -- The Alberta government ministry of Seniors and Housing fosters the development of affordable housing and supports access to housing options for Albertans most in need. The Alberta Jobs Plan will invest $1.2 billion for affordable housing capital needs over the next five years. To achieve these outcomes, the ministry works with seniors, Albertans who require housing supports, their families and caregivers, communities and other government partners. A more detailed description of the ministry and its programs and initiatives can be found at www.seniors- housing.gov.ab.ca.

Stay connected:

-- Follow CMHC on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Contacts:

Mathieu Filion

Director of Communications

Office of the Minister of Families,

Children and Social Development

819-654-5546

mathieu.filion@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca



Tim Chu

Press Secretary

Alberta Seniors and Housing

780-293-8024

Timothy.Chu@gov.ab.ca



Renee Nat

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

403-515-2963

rnat@cmhc-schl.gc.ca




CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Canada's oil sands sector has experienced sustained cost-cutting, restructuring and deeper than anticipated job cuts in 2016, but a modest recovery of about 3,400 net jobs is projected over the next four years as companies shift their spending from expansion to maintenance, repair and optimization of their operations, according to the Oil Sands Labour Demand Outlook to 2020 Update report, released today by PetroLMI, a Division of Enform.

Employment is forecast to grow by approximately six per cent, or about 3,400 jobs, from an estimated 63,800 in 2016 to 67,200 in 2020. Jobs in on-site construction and module fabrication will decline by 6,500 but will be offset by an increased requirement for 9,900 workers to support ongoing operations, maintenance and turnaround activities.

The forecast is an update to PetroLMI's February 2016 Labour Demand Outlook to 2020: Oil Sands Construction, Maintenance and Operations and is based upon new production, capital expenditure and labour productivity assumptions.

"The prolonged decline in oil prices has had a deeper and longer impact on workforce requirements than many expected. With additional reductions in capital spending as well as the strain of the Fort McMurray wildfires on some companies, the result is a delay in a more significant recovery," says Enform's Carol Howes, Vice President of Communications and PetroLMI. "However, some companies with expansion projects underway before the downturn benefited from cost reductions and were able to accelerate their construction. As a result, they've begun to hire workers in preparation for moving those projects into operation in 2017 and 2018."

Since 2014, with the decline in oil prices, oil sands capital expenditures have dropped by nearly 50 per cent to $18.1 billion in 2016. Oil sands companies have focused on improving their cost structures, including labour productivity, by decreasing the number of employees while simultaneously maintaining, or even increasing, production.

The majority of the oil sands sector's capital spending over the next four years is expected to shift from growth and expansion towards maintenance, repair and optimization of operations in order to drive operational reliability and efficiency.

With current oil sands construction projects nearing completion and no new major projects on the horizon, demand is expected to increase for occupations such as heavy equipment operators and welders, while occupations more closely connected to growth-related capital spending such as some engineering roles, geoscientists, construction managers and estimators, are expected to experience below-average growth. Going forward, oil sands operators are also expected to rely more heavily on independent and third-party contractors for a variety of work.

During the forecast period, vacancies due to retirement eligibility could result in more job openings than industry activity. Based on the historical retirement rates and workforce demographics seen in the past, companies may need to replace up to 3,200 of their retiring workers, particularly for operations jobs that are permanent and long-term, bringing the total requirement to 6,600 workers.

"Alberta is an energy province and we will always be an energy province. Our oil sands operators are world leaders when it comes to technological innovation and the ability to overcome challenges, and there has been no shortage of challenges over the past few years. From the wildfires in Fort McMurray to plunging commodity prices, oil sands operators are demonstrating once again their resilience. I'm pleased to see this growth forecast, which will mean good jobs for hard-working Albertans when they need it most," said Christina Gray, Alberta Minister of Labour.

Each of Canada's oil and gas sectors is being impacted differently by the economic environment. An update to Canada's Oil and Gas Industry: Labour Market Outlook 2016 to 2020, which includes other sectors such as exploration and production and pipelines, will be released in the spring of 2017.

Oil Sands Labour Demand Update to 2020 is free to download on PetroLMI's website at careersinoilandgas.com.

The report is funded in part by the Government of Canada's Sectoral Initiatives Program and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and is produced in partnership with the Government of Alberta's Ministry of Labour.

The Petroleum Labour Market Information (PetroLMI) Division of Enform is a leading resource for labour market information and trends in the Canadian petroleum industry. PetroLMI specializes in providing petroleum labour market data, analysis and insights, as well as occupation profiles and other resources for workforce and career planning.

Contacts:

Rowena Sampang

Email: rowena.sampang@enform.ca

Phone: 403.516.8011



Breanne O'Reilly

Email: breanne.oreilly@enform.ca

Phone: 403.516.8050




TORONTO, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

ruby agrees to pay civil restitution; company says settlements signal new future

ruby, the company that owns online dating site Ashley Madison, has reached settlements with the United States Federal Trade Commission and with each of the State Attorneys-General who were participating in the investigation.

As part of these settlements, ruby has paid aggregate civil restitution of US $1,657,000 (half of which was paid to the FTC and half of which was paid to the various states participating in the settlement). In addition, ruby has agreed to maintain a comprehensive information security program and refrain from past business practices that may have allegedly been misleading to consumers. As the settlements expressly state: ruby neither admits nor denies the allegations made by the FTC and the State Attorneys-General.

Pivotal Day

"Today is a pivotal day for our members and for Ashley Madison," says Rob Segal, newly appointed CEO of ruby. According to Segal, the company has been cooperating fully with the FTC for more than a year. "Today's settlement closes an important chapter on the company's past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity and to building a new future for our members, our team and our company," says Segal.

Segal took the helm of ruby in mid-April and announced a total repositioning and rebranding in July. "Our team is making significant, long-term investments in our people, processes and systems to improve Ashley Madison for our members," he says.

According to newly appointed President James Millership, the company has already implemented many new business practices and security improvements in the past 18 months. "Today's news reflects that the company has proactively made important, transformative changes since last year -- and is committed to open, transparent communication," he says.

About ruby

ruby is the global leader in open-minded dating and the innovator behind AshleyMadison.com, CougarLife.com and EstablishedMen.com. Founded in 2007, the company is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

To learn more about ruby and how we're transforming our brands, visit http://www.rubylife.com http://www.ashleymadison.com and http://www.findyourmoment.com

Call: +1-866-205-7525 (Toll-free), media@ashleymadison.com , http://www.ashleymadison.com






DUBLIN, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Tire Pressure Monitoring System Market 2016-2020" report to their offering.

The report forecasts the global tire pressure monitoring system market to grow at a CAGR of 14.94% during the period 2016-2020.

The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global tire pressure monitoring system market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers analysis of three geographic regions and explicitly states key leading countries in the respective regions as per the market.

One of latest trends in the market is development of powerful MEMS sensors and speed sensing instruments for accuracy and precision. Sensor technology has played a crucial role in the design and development of ADAS as they form a fundamental part of the systems. Sensors and processors are the primary system components that perform the function of monitoring and processing of the vehicle data. A few automotive players are working on new tire pressure monitoring technologies that use micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors that are designed to accurately measure the pressure and temperature in the tire.

According to the report, one of the primary drivers in the market is reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions from vehicles. Advance automotive technologies are aimed at making the driving experience safer, comfortable, and convenient in addition to making them eco-friendly in nature. Rolling resistance from tires plays a crucial role in delivering the optimum fuel efficiency and level of exhaust emission from the vehicle. It has been found that low pressure in the tire leads to high rolling resistance. According to industry experts, with every 1 bar pressure drop in the tire from the stipulated value, the rolling resistance of tire increases by 20%-25% in passenger vehicles. A higher rolling resistance leads to increased fuel consumption by the engine, which results in significant reduction of the vehicle's fuel efficiency. In addition to this, an underinflated tire also leads to more carbon emissions from the exhausts. According to experts, an improperly inflated tire can lead to 5%-10% increase in carbon emissions on an average, depending upon the type of vehicle.

Further, the report states that one major challenge in the market is inaccuracy of electronic sensors and functional failure of the system.

Key vendors:

Continental

DENSO

NXP

WABCO

ZF TRW

Companies Mentioned:

Continental

DENSO

NXP

WABCO

ZF TRW

Infineon Technologies

Pacific Industrial

Schrader Electronics

Key Topics Covered:

Part 01: Executive summary

Part 02: Scope of the report

Part 03: Market research methodology

Part 04: Introduction

Part 05: Market landscape

Part 06: Market segmentation by geography

Part 07: Market drivers

Part 08: Market challenges

Part 09: Market trends

Part 10: Vendor landscape

Part 11: Key vendor analysis

Part 12: Appendix

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6wtmt4/global_tire

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
Regulatory News:

Gecina (Paris:GFC) has today signed a lease with the Orange Group for an average firm period of 11 years covering 16,000 sq.m of the Sky 56 building in Lyon Part-Dieu. This 30,700 sq.m project is currently under construction, with delivery scheduled for the second half of 2018.

Considering the space let previously to Icade and Linkcity in 2015 (25% of the space), the pre-letting rate is now up to nearly 80%. In view of the on-going talks, Gecina is confident that it will be able to let all the remaining space.

The rental conditions agreed on with the Orange Group are in line with Gecina's expectations. Factoring in all the space covered by this agreement, the space already pre-let in 2015 and the remaining vacant commercial units, this building is expected to generate almost 9.3 million euros of full-year rental income, with a net yield on cost of around 7%.

The pre-letting of this building, more than 18 months before its delivery, supports Gecina's firm belief in the locations of the various real estate projects within its portfolio. This letting also confirms the Group's confidence in its ability to effectively manage the rental risk on development and redevelopment operations within its pipeline, in Paris and Lyon's core business districts.

This iconic operation illustrates Gecina's strategic ambition to create value by gradually rolling out its project pipeline, valued at 3.7 billion euros at end-September, with 1.2 billion euros of projects already underway and primarily scheduled for delivery in 2018.

On this operation, Gecina was advised by JLL and the law firm IC-Avocats (Maitre Marlene Benoist-Jaeger).

Gecina, a leading real estate group

Gecina owns, manages and develops property holdings worth 11.7 billion euros at July 1, 2016, with 97% located in the Paris Region. The Group is building its business around France's leading office portfolio and a diversification division with residential assets and student residences. These data exclude the healthcare portfolio, which was sold for 1.35 billion euros on July 1, 2016. Gecina has put sustainable innovation at the heart of its strategy to create value, anticipate its customers' expectations and invest while respecting the environment, thanks to the dedication and expertise of its staff.

Gecina is a French real estate investment trust (SIIC) listed on Euronext Paris, and is part of the SBF 120, Euronext 100, FTSE4Good, DJSI Europe and World, Stoxx Global ESG Leaders and Vigeo indices. In line with its commitments to the community, Gecina has created a company foundation, which is focused on protecting the environment and supporting all forms of disability.

www.gecina.fr

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214006052/en/

Contacts:

GECINA:

Financial communications

Samuel Henry-Diesbach

Tel: +33 (0)1 40 40 52 22

samuelhenry-diesbach@gecina.fr

or

Virginie Sterling

Tel: +33 (0)1 40 40 62 48

virginiesterling@gecina.fr

or

Press relations

Brigitte Cachon

Tel: +33 (0)1 40 40 62 45

brigittecachon@gecina.fr

or

Armelle Miclo

Tel: +33 (0)1 40 40 51 98

armellemiclo@gecina.fr






DUBLIN, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Interactive Response Systems Market 2016-2020" report to their offering.

The global interactive response systems market to grow at a CAGR of 30.07% during the period 2016-2020.



The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global interactive response systems market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the schools and higher education institutions from the two segments that include devices, and technology. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.



The educational institutions are giving prominence to m-learning as it helps them deliver e-learning course materials to handheld device of students or to facilitate blended learning. The opportunity to develop online learning content that can be accessed through mobile devices is being fully used.



According to the report, better formative assessment techniques will drive this market. A lot of educational institutions are using interactive response systems primarily for formative assessments. In traditional teaching methods, instructors judge the effectiveness of teaching through the grades scored by students in examinations. However, institutions are now switching to the most real-time assessment of student performance accompanied with adjustment of instruction techniques after analyzing responses.

Further, the report states that high cost of implementation is hindering the growth of this market. In most regions, interactive response systems are still used in the form of devices, which must be purchased by students at an additional cost. In a typical device-based setup, students are required to spend over $50 to purchase the device. This is an additional out-of-pocket cost, which they incur apart from regular fees and other related costs.

Key vendors

Dell

Macmillan Learning

Option Technologies International

Promethean World

Turning Technologies

Other prominent vendors

Elmo

KP1

LLaborate

BOXLIGHT

QOMO

Qwizdom

SMART Technologies

Top Hat

Key Topics Covered:

Part 01: Executive summary

Part 02: Scope of the report

Part 03: Market research methodology

Part 04: Introduction

Part 05: Market landscape

Part 06: Market overview

Part 07: Market segmentation by product

Part 08: Geographical segmentation

Part 09: Market drivers

Part 10: Impact of drivers

Part 11: Market challenges

Part 12: Impact of drivers and challenges

Part 13: Market trends

Part 14: Vendor landscape

Part 15: Key vendor analysis

Part 16: Appendix

For more information about this report visit

http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/cjgzft/global

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
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- At USC Town and Gown on Monday, December 12, USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology Dean Pinchas Cohen announced the installation of Kevin Xu Chair in Gerontology and the dedication of Rongxiang Xu Regenerative Life Science Lab, made possible with generous support from biotech entrepreneur Kevin Xu.

Photo - http://prnewswire2-a.akamaihd.net/p/1893751/sp/189375100/thumbnail/entry_id/1_4njqphci/def_height/480/def_width/640/

Kevin Xu will support the school in its mission to promote healthy aging for individuals, communities and societies through leadership and innovation in research, education and practice.

"My parents' example inspired me to help others, what they gave me was more than a piece of advice - it was a way to live. Human life is the most valuable commodity, and our highest standard is humanity's well-being," said Kevin Xu. "As our global population ages, I am proud to support the USC Davis School as they make research breakthroughs and train the next generation of gerontology leaders and entrepreneurs."

"Kevin and his late father Rongxiang Xu have demonstrated a commitment to leveraging scientific discoveries to improve the quality of life for current and future generations," said Cohen.

Rongxiang Xu was a trained surgeon who specialized in developing novel wound therapy treatments. His research in tissue repair and regeneration led to multiple U.S. patents and the growth of the multi-national company, MEBO International.

As part of the installation ceremony, Cohen presented Dr. Li Li, Rongxiang Xu's widow and Kevin's mother, with the Dean's Medallion - the highest honor the school can bestow on partners and supporters. Kevin Xu and USC Davis School Professor George Shannon were presented with miniature replica chairs to symbolize the establishment of the newly-named chair position. Shannon has been named the inaugural holder of the chair and will serve as the director of the newly-named lab.

"I am honored to be appointed to this position," said Shannon, "The Rongxiang Xu Lab, Kevin Xu Chair and Brighten Award are intergenerational testaments to the importance of the field of gerontology and USC's leadership in the field."

During the ceremony Davis School Vice Dean Kelvin Davies introduced elected officials who presented Xu with certificates of recognition from the United States Congress and the State of California. The elected officials honoring Xu included Congressman Ted Lieu, Congresswoman Judy Chu, California Treasurer John Chiang, California Assemblyman-elect Phillip Chen, former Mayor of Yorba Linda Craig Young and Diamond Bar Mayor Jimmy Lin.

Contact: Tom Tao, taogx@mebo.com
3M has filed an infringement lawsuit in Dusseldorf, Germany, against Dentsply DeTrey GmbH alleging that Dentsply's Prime&Bond Active Universal adhesive dispenser design infringes on 3M's Registered EU Community Design for the 3M Scotchbond Universal adhesive flip-top dispenser design.

3M's design protected flip-top dispenser allows for easy one-handed opening and controlled dispensing of adhesive material used in the dental market. In 2012, 3M's flip top, one-handed design received the honor of the Red Dot Design Award. This international award is one of the largest and most renowned design competitions in the world. Scotchbond Universal adhesive is used by dentists around the world for dental restoration procedures. It is a leading dental adhesive in the U.S.

3M is committed to improving oral care through continuous investments in research and development. The Anaheim Group has recognized the Oral Care Solutions Division of 3M as the most innovative dental company for the past 11 years. This distinction is awarded based on the number of patent filings, 510k clearances and new product introductions.

About 3M

At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily. With $30 billion in sales, our 90,000 employees connect with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M's creative solutions to the world's problems at www.3M.com or on Twitter @3M or @3MNewsroom.

3M, ESPE and Scotchbond are trademarks of 3M or 3M Deutschland GmbH.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214006118/en/

Contacts:

3M

Lori Anderson, 651-733-0831
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A California judge has dismissed pimping charges against the CEO and co-founders of online classified ads site Backpage.com. CEO Carl Ferrer and Backpage's founders, Michael Lacey and James Larkin, have been cleared of criminal charges related to pimping and the pimping of minors. The congress had accused the trio of profiting from prostitution and sex trafficking using the website. However, Judge Michael Bowman agreed with defendant's claim that they were not responsible for third-party postings on their site. The defendants used Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects online service providers from illegal activity committed by third-party users of their site or service. 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.
Regulatory News:

I. Notification of the automatic acceleration of debt

SoLocal Group (Paris:LOCAL) was notified today by a representative of the members of the ad hoc group of creditors, the "Majority Holders" (creditors representing at least two thirds of the A7 and B3 debt tranches) voted for the automatic acceleration of the entire debt (excluding C1 debt tranche) (i.e. principal and interests of about 835M) of the Company on Friday 16 December 2016, in case of the rejection of the revised financial restructuring plan by the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting to be held on Thursday 15 December 2016.

According to this notification, the acceleration of debt by creditors is based on three cases of default:

breach of bank covenants as of 30 June 2016 and 30 September 2016, as communicated by the Company respectively on 1 August and 25 November 2016;

crossed default with the 350M 8.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2018 issued by PagesJaunes Finance Co S.C.A in title of (i) the cessation of payments of the Company, (ii) the procedures and votes related to the modification of the Plan de sauvegarde financiere acceleree and (iii) the mandat ad hoc and the conciliation;

and (iii) the and the conciliation; the existence of a major event that adversely impacts the financial situation of the Group SoLocal ("Material Adverse Effect") related to the rejection of the financial restructuring plan by the Combined General Meeting of 19 October 2016, and if need be the rejection of the revised plan by the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting of 15 December 2016.

As a reminder, these cases of default are raised by creditors pending the vote of the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting of 15 December 2016.

The Company took note of this notification, it will examine appropriate measures in the event of the rejection of the plan and in the light of this notification, could consider the opening of collective proceedings according to some terms that are not yet determined.

As a reminder: bonds issued by PagesJaunes Finance Co SCA are already accelerated and the C1 tranche (which corresponds to these bonds) is in default of payment since early December 2016 as a result of the no interest payments.

II. Extraordinary General Meeting

The President of the Commercial Court of Nanterre dismissed today the order of D&P Finance and D&P Croissance which had introduced an application for interim relief of postponement of the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting convened for 15 December 2016.

SoLocal Group therefore confirms its Extraordinary General Meeting 15 December 2016 at 4 p.m. at Espace Grande Arche de La Defense.

III. Thresholds crossing

Furthermore, SoLocal Group took note of the following threshold crossings by the Company and the Autorite des Marches Financiers

As of 14 December 2016, the company JMPI Limited declared to no longer be a shareholder in SoLocal Group.

As of 14 December 2016, Benjamin Jayet, acting in concert with the people mentioned below, declared a threshold crossing on 13 December 2016 of 10% of the capital and the voting rights of the company SoLocal Group and holding 3 910 573 shares of SoLocal Group representing 3 910 573 voting rights, or 10.06% of the capital and 10.007% of the voting rights of the Company.

Shares % capital Voting rights % voting rights Benjamin Jayet 411 130 1,06 411 130 1,05 BJ Invest 1 469 822 3,78 1 469 822 3,76 Philippe Besnard 0 0 0 0 Pentagram Media 188 306 0,48 188 306 0,48 D&P Finance 276 775 0,71 276 775 0,71 D&P Croissance 59 500 0,15 59 500 0,15 Benoit Marzloff 15 000 0,04 15 000 0,04 Christian-Louis Victor 13 905 0,04 13 905 0,04 Philippe Astruy 140 000 0,36 140 000 0,36 Gilles Brenier 470 000 1,21 470 000 1,20 Chakibel Associates 271 354 0,70 271 354 0,69 Baudoin de Pimodan 4 100 0,01 4 100 0,01 Loic de la Cochetiere 6 000 0,02 6 000 0,02 Christophe Deshayes 6 000 0,02 6 000 0,02 Pierre-Henry Leroy 9 000 0,02 9 000 0,02 Philippe Losappio 142 681 0,37 142 681 0,37 Valger LP 250 000 0,64 250 000 0,64 Association

Actionnaires de

Solocal Group 177 000 0,46 177 000 0,45 Total concert 3 910 573 10,06 3 910 573 10,007

As of 13 December 2016, the RegroupementPPLocal association declared threshold crossing of 4% of the capital of the Company on 13 December 2016;

As of 9 December 2016, Boussard Gavaudan Partners Limited declared threshold crossing on 13 December 2016 of 2.24% of the capital of SoLocal Group by holding 871 071 shares;

As of 8 December 2016, M. Gilles Brenier declared threshold crossing of 1% of the capital of SoLocal Group by holding 470 000 shares and voting rights of the Company.

About SoLocal Group

SoLocal Group, European leader in local online communication, reveals local know-how, and boosts local revenues of businesses. The Internet activities of the Group are structured around two business lines: Local Search and Digital Marketing. With Local Search, the Group offers digital services and solutions to clients which enable them to enhance their visibility and develop their local contacts. Thanks to its expertise, SoLocal Group earned the trust of some 530,000 clients of those services and over 2.2 billions of visits via its 4 flagship brands (PagesJaunes, Mappy, Ooreka and A Vendre A Louer) but also through its partnerships. With Digital Marketing, SoLocal Group creates and provides Internet users with the best local and customised content about professionals. With over 4,400 employees, including a salesforce of 1,900 local communication advisors specialised in five verticals (Home, Services, Retail, Health Public, BtoB) and Internationally (France, Spain, Austria, United Kingdom), the Group generated in 2015 revenues of 873 millions euros, of which 73% on Internet and ranks amongst the first European players in terms of Internet advertising revenues. SoLocal Group is listed on Euronext Paris (LOCAL). More information may be obtained at www.solocalgroup.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161214006164/en/

Contacts:

SoLocal Group

Press

Delphine Penalva

+33 (0)1 46 23 35 31

dpenalva@solocal.com

or

Edwige Druon

+33 (0)1 46 23 37 56

edruon@solocal.com

or

Alexandra Kunysz

+33 (0)1 46 23 47 45

akunysz@solocal.com

or

Investors

Elsa Cardarelli

+33 (0)1 46 23 40 92

ecardarelli@solocal.com

or

Sebastien Nony

+33 (0) 1 46 23 49 03

snony@solocal.com
NEW YORK, Dec 15, 2016 - (ACN Newswire) - Donnelley Financial Solutions' (NYSE: DFIN) EDGAR Online Group is joining forces with qbeats to unlock its premium content and experience. For the first time, users will be able to access premium EDGAR Online content on a pay-per-view, on-demand basis.qbeats is already helping more than 60 financial news and research providers value, distribute and monetize their content, but EDGAR Online represents the first provider of SEC filings, a bedrock source of information for investors."The information market is one of the most exciting and rich in the world and it's time to untap its full potential. We're thrilled to have EDGAR Online joining us in this endeavor," said Anna Rodriguez, qbeats cofounder and CEO."EDGAR Online has always been the premier source of SEC filing data and we're excited to use the power of qbeats technology to bring our premium content to this new audience and to as many people as possible," said Craig Clay, President, Global Capital Markets, Donnelley Financial Solutions' EDGAR Online Group.About EDGAR Online:EDGAR(R) Online is the premier provider of data derived from filings and other disclosure documents. For more than 18 years, EDGAR Online has been a leader in helping professionals uncover intelligence from SEC-filed financial disclosures, offering distribution of company data and public filings for equities, mutual funds and other publicly-traded assets through online subscriptions and data licenses. Their new DataFied API is advancing how financial data is consumed, delivered and analyzed and is transforming data points into constructive, valuable information.To learn more about EDGAR Online visit http://www.edgar-online.com/(C) 2016 EDGAR Online, a division of Donnelley Financial SolutionsEDGAR(R) is a federally registered trademark of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.EDGAR Online is not affiliated with or approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.About Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc.:Donnelley Financial Solutions (NYSE: DFIN) provides software and services that enable clients to communicate with confidence in a complex regulatory environment. With 3,500 employees in 61 locations across 18 countries, we provide thousands of clients globally with innovative tools for content creation, management and distribution, as well as data analytics and multi-lingual translations services. Leveraging advanced technology, deep-domain expertise and 24/7 support, we deliver cost-effective solutions to meet the evolving needs of our clients. For more information about Donnelley Financial Solutions, visit dfsco.com.About qbeats inc:qbeats is enabling information commerce by applying patented real-time quantitative science to index the world's content and illuminate its fair market value, defined as QMV. qbeats' core technology stack and engine are a backbone for content creators and publishers to drive story-level valuation and to monetize content through direct payment or ad revenue. Its robust analytics unlock data for enhanced content deployment, consumer targeting, and monetization. As the exclusive leader in valuation, qbeats provides users with the confidence of purchasing quality content on a pay-per-view basis through a frictionless experience. To learn more, please visit www.qbeats.com.Contact:Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc.Dave Gardella,+(1) 312-326-8155Chief Financial OfficerContentdavid.a.gardella@dfsco.comqbeats incGreg Joslyn+(1) 212-302-8787Head of Contentgreg.joslyn@qbeats.comSource: qbeats incDonnelley Financial Solutions, Inc.Copyright 2016 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - December 14, 2016) - Scotiabank (TSX: BNS) (NYSE: BNS) announced today the appointment of five Digital Banking leaders who will drive the Bank's digital strategy in its key markets of Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia. The new leaders will help the Bank improve customer focus and expand digital sales across its international footprint while driving constant innovation.

Reporting to Shawn Rose, Executive Vice President, Digital Banking, who is responsible for Scotiabank's global digital strategy, these leaders will accelerate and build our digital banking capabilities. They will lead empowered, multi-disciplinary teams of designers, developers, analytics experts, digital marketers, and agile practitioners who will work together in the Digital Factory of their respective country.

"Customers have high expectations for digital banking experiences and that's why Scotiabank is working to redefine how we meet the needs of customers and how we deliver simple, personalized banking experiences," said Shawn Rose. "These leaders have grown up in the digital and e-commerce spaces, and we will benefit from their fresh perspectives -- we are very excited about what this team can achieve."

"These appointments reflect the impressive momentum of our global digital strategy and we are very proud of the expertise these digital leaders bring to Scotiabank," said Ignacio (Nacho) Deschamps, Group Head, International Banking and Digital Transformation. "These leaders share our commitment to creating a better banking experience for our customers, and in turn, becoming an even better bank."

Fuencis Gomez (Mexico): Fuencis began her career in IT in Spain with Amadeus, and in 2004 she was named General Manager of the company in Mexico. In 2011, she joined Liverpool where she overhauled the company's digital sales platforms prior to assuming the role of Chief Commercial Officer at the airline Interjet.

Marcelino Herrera Vegas (Colombia): Marcelino (Mache) has extensive experience in sales and has moved through a series of progressively senior leadership roles at https://www.mercadolibre.com. In 2012, he relocated to Colombia to assume the role of Country General Manager where he has also been a key contributor to growing the brand across the region.

Daniel Kennedy (Chile): Daniel joined Scotiabank in 2004 and has held progressively senior leadership roles in different countries for more than 12 years. Prior to assuming his current position, he was Director, Customer Experience at Scotiabank in Chile, leading the Sales and Services Design, Quality of Customer Experience and Transformation and Innovation teams.

Jeff Marshall (Canada): Before leading Scotiabank's digital strategy in Canada, Jeff was Vice President of Digital Channels and Vice President of Marketing at Scotiabank. Previously, he held roles leading Customer Strategy and Marketing at Loblaws, and leadership roles at President's Choice Financial and TD Bank in Canada and the United States.

Luis Torres (Peru): Previously, Luis (Lucho) was the Executive Director at Cosapi Data; Venture Partner, Information Technology at Altra Investments; and held progressively senior roles over ten years with Microsoft at its headquarters in Seattle before becoming the Chief Executive Officer for Microsoft Peru. He started his career as an entrepreneur building a software solutions consulting company that became the leader in Peru and a player in Latin American markets.

As part of the Bank's digital transformation, we are opening a Digital Factory in Canada and the Pacific Alliance countries of Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia. These Digital Factories will be hubs for creation and incubation of new and partner-led ideas to deliver game-changing solutions for Scotiabank customers. These solutions will be leveraged across the Bank's footprint. The Pacific Alliance countries present an attractive growth opportunity for the Bank. Together, the four countries represent the world's sixth largest economy and its seventh largest exporter.

Click here to see a video and learn more about our Digital Banking Leaders:

https://youtu.be/-tdiARvWBq8

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 23 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 88,000 employees and assets of $896 billion (as at October 31, 2016), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using Marketwired. For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

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For media enquiries only:



Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern

Public, Corporate and Government Affairs

Scotiabank

(416) 933-1344

Marcelo.gomez-wiuckstern@scotiabank.com
DUBLIN, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Surgical Navigation Systems Market 2016-2020" report to their offering.

The global surgical navigation instruments market to grow at a CAGR of 7.04% during the period 2016-2020.

Global Thoracic Surgery Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of surgical navigation instruments.

In the current market, with the advances in technologies, innovative products are being launched by different vendors globally. Surgical navigation system, being a supportive system, consists of various components including imaging systems like 3D/4D ultrasound, CT, MRI or fluoroscopy, tracking technologies like the cameras or the electromagnetic system, monitor for navigation imaging, access to pre-operative examinations as well as storage spaces to keep surgical or other consumables during surgery.

According to the report, Medtronic's superDimension navigation system, using LungGPS technology, is a popular system for electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB), which enables access to those areas of the lung that are difficult to enter otherwise. Aesculap's OrthoPilot computer-assisted navigation is another popular orthopedic system. it is very useful in performing total knee arthroplasty using minimally invasive technique. These minimally invasive surgeries using the latest advanced surgical navigation systems not only aid in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases which were earlier not possible but also reduce operation time and pain intensity of patients in critical surgeries.

Rise in global geriatric population globally, especially in the developed countries, will also enhance the market growth of minimally invasive operations using surgical navigation systems, as it ensures minimal trauma to the elderly patients. The advantage offered by minimally invasive surgeries using surgical navigation systems, assuring higher safety with lessened post-operative scars, is driving the global surgical navigation systems market.

Further, the report states that in the current market, with the advances in technologies, innovative products are being launched by different vendors globally. Surgical navigation system, being a supportive system, consists of various components including imaging systems like 3D/4D ultrasound, CT, MRI or fluoroscopy, tracking technologies like the cameras or the electromagnetic system, monitor for navigation imaging, access to pre-operative examinations as well as storage spaces to keep surgical or other consumables during surgery.

Key vendors

Medtronic

Stryker

Brainlab

GE Healthcare

B. Braun

Other prominent vendors

CAScination

Cirle

ClaroNav

Collin Medical

Fiagon

Heal Force Bio-Meditech

Karl Storz

MASMEC Biomed

Medacta International

Micromar

Inliant

Northern Digital

OMNIlife Science

OrthAlign

Scopis

Shenzhen Anke High-tech

Siemens Healthcare

Smith & Nephew

SonoWand

Synaptive Medical

XION Medical

Zimmer Biomet Holdings

Key Topics Covered:

Part 01: Executive summary

Part 02: Scope of the report

Part 03: Market research methodology

Part 04: Introduction

Part 05: Surgical navigation systems: An overview

Part 06: Market landscape

Part 07: Market segmentation by application

Part 08: Global neurosurgical navigation systems market

Part 09: Global orthopedic surgical navigation systems market

Part 10: Global ENT surgical navigation systems market

Part 11: Global spine surgical navigation systems market

Part 12: Market segmentation by end-user

Part 13: Geographical segmentation

Part 14: Cost analysis of surgical navigation systems

Part 15: Market drivers

Part 16: Impact of drivers

Part 17: Market challenges

Part 18: Impact of drivers and challenges

Part 19: Market trends

Part 20: Vendor landscape

Part 21: Key vendor analysis

Part 22: Appendix

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/txsxdn/global_surgical

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
Weekly net asset value ("NAV") is calculated as of the close of business on each Tuesday and posted on the following business day. In the event that Tuesday is not a business day, the Company will calculate the close-of-business NAV as of the business day immediately preceding that Tuesday. The end-of-month NAV is calculated as of the close of business on the last day of the month and posted on the following business day. For weeks that include a month-end NAV report, PSH will provide only the month-end NAV and not report the Tuesday NAV. Monthly NAVs are published in accordance with the Decree on Conduct of Business Supervision of Financial Undertakings under the Wft (Besluit Gedragstoezicht financiele ondernemingen Wft).

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- AQM Copper Inc. (TSX VENTURE: AQM)(BVL: AQM) ("AQM" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed and mailed its management information circular (the "Circular") and related proxy materials to its holders of shares ("Shareholders"), options ("Options") and deferred share units ("DSUs") (together, "Securityholders") in connection with the special meeting of Securityholders to be held at 9:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) on Monday, January 9, 2017 (the "Meeting").

At the Meeting, Securityholders will be asked to approve the Company's previously announced transaction with Teck Resources Limited (TSX:TECK.A and TECK.B / NYSE:TECK) ("Teck") whereby Teck will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of AQM ("Shares") that are not already owned by Teck or its affiliates by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the "Arrangement") as described in the News Release of AQM dated November 21, 2016. Assuming the Arrangement becomes effective, each Shareholder (other than Teck and its affiliates) will receive cash consideration of C$0.23 for each Share held.

Some Benefits to Securityholders

Premium to Shareholders - The consideration of C$0.23 per Share to be received by Shareholders under the Arrangement represents a premium of approximately 53% based on the pre-announcement closing price of the Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange.

Realize Immediate Value - Cash consideration allows Shareholders to immediately realize fair value for their Shares without incurring risks related to market volatility generally inherent in junior mining stocks.

Strong Likelihood of Completion - The conditions of the Arrangement are not conditional upon financing and Teck has sufficient means to complete the Arrangement in accordance with its terms and within a reasonable time.

Unlikelihood of an Alternative Value Maximizing Transaction - Given Teck's significant stake in AQM, and considering other strategic alternatives, it is unlikely that AQM will receive an alternative offer that would generate as much value for Securityholders without significant attendant adverse risk and uncertainty.

Lock-Up Agreements - Resource Capital Fund V L.P. and the directors and officers of AQM, whose interests are closely aligned with other Securityholders, hold approximately 18% of the outstanding Shares and have entered into lock-up agreements with Teck to vote in favour of the Arrangement.

The AQM Board of Directors UNANIMOUSLY recommends that Securityholders vote FOR the Arrangement.

The Circular contains, among other things, details concerning the Arrangement, reasons the AQM Board of Directors has recommended the Arrangement, requirements for the completion of the Arrangement and the procedure for receiving consideration under the Arrangement, procedures for voting at the Meeting and other related matters. Securityholders are urged to carefully review the Circular and accompanying materials as they contain important information regarding the Arrangement and its consequences to Securityholders. A copy of the Circular is available on AQM's website at www.aqmcopper.com and on its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. VOTE TODAY.

How to Vote

A proxy form or voting instruction form will accompany the Meeting materials you receive by mail. Instructions on how to vote, which vary depending on whether you are a Shareholder or a holder of Options or DSUs are provided in the Circular.

Securityholders are encouraged to vote before 9:00 am (Vancouver time) on January 5, 2017, using the internet, telephone or facsimile.

Registered Shareholders

Registered Shareholders may vote in person at the Meeting, by mail or by:

-- Internet: vote online at www.investorvote.com using the control number located on your proxy; -- Telephone: 1-866-734-VOTE(8683), toll free in Canada and United States; or -- Fax: 1-866-249-7775, toll free in Canada and United States or 416-263- 9524 for calls outside of Canada and the United States.

Beneficial Shareholders

Beneficial Shareholders who hold AQM Shares through a bank, broker or other intermediary will have different voting instructions and should carefully follow the voting instructions provided to them on the voting instruction form included in the meeting materials they receive. In addition, certain beneficial shareholders of AQM may be contacted by Laurel Hill Advisory Group, the proxy solicitation agent, to obtain votes directly over the phone utilizing the Broadridge QuickVote TM service.

For more information, please contact Laurel Hill Advisory Group at 1-877-452-7184 (toll-free), 416-304-0211 (collect calls outside of North America) or assistance@laurelhill.com.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Contacts:

Spyros Karellas

Pinnacle Capital Markets Ltd.

416-433-5696

spyros@pinnaclecapitalmarkets.ca




TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - December 14, 2016) - The Canadian Global Impact Challenge is a nation-wide challenge for all Canadians to bring forward their BIG idea to improve the standard of living of 1 Million+ Canadians over the next 3-5 years using technology.

The competition is open to all Canadians who seek to make their life-changing idea a reality, addressing Singularity University's global grand challenges including Environment, Food, Energy, Water, Education, Prosperity, Security, Health, Space, Governance and Disaster Resilience. Eligible applicants are Canadian residents over the age of 21. The winner of the challenge will receive full tuition to attend Singularity University's prestigious Graduate Studies Program (GSP). Reserved admittance into the ten-week exclusive GSP, headquartered at the NASA Research Park in Silicon Valley, is a think tank that empowers leaders to create an abundant future, using exponential technologies.

Three leading organizations have partnered to take on the mission of hosting Canadian Global Impact Challenge in 2017. ReMAP, a network of Canadian innovators working together to accelerate the commercialization of products developed in Canada for the global market, is partnering with Deloitte, a recognized leader in understanding the power of innovation to drive economic growth, and ventureLAB, a Regional Innovation Centre that has embraced the concept of exponential innovation as a key to growing globally competitive companies in Canada.

"This kind of innovation and passion is vital for building the future of Canada", said Irene Sterian, Executive Director of ReMAP. We saw the tremendous impact the Singularity University's Global Impact Challenge has already provided previous winners in Canada by showcasing their innovations on a national stage to have their ideas recognized and to be connected with business and thought leaders from around the world through Singularity University."

"It was a shared mission to ensure that the Global Impact Challenge continued in Canada, to provide a critical point for identifying and amplifying these creative Canadian ideas, and accelerate them onto a global stage," said Karen Dubeau, Director of Partner Engagement for ventureLAB. "We are very proud to be part of a group of highly committed partners that want to ensure Canada continues to be recognized for the incredible wealth of talent and innovation that is part of our national character".

"The Global Impact Challenge is a significant and challenging call for high-impact ideas that will make a difference in the lives of Canadians. We're proud to be among the partners bringing GIC back to Canada," said Deloitte's Oren Berkovitch. "Our work has shown that collectively, we have the opportunity to improve the future prosperity of our country through the innovative spirit we share as Canadians. And specifically, we know that exponential technologies have the power to drive positive social change, so we're looking forward to hearing from Canadians about their ideas for harnessing this power."

To learn more about the 2017 Canadian Global Impact Challenge, please visit www.canadagic.ca

About Global Impact Challenges

Global Impact Challenges are a global movement designed to find innovative methods of improving peoples' lives through the use of technology. The overall program was created by Singularity University. Headquartered at NASA Research Park in Silicon Valley, SU has set out to help individuals, businesses, institutions, investors, NGOs and governments understand cutting-edge technologies and how to utilize these technologies to positively impact billions of people. To do that, the GIC program was co-founded by two notable innovators. Ray Kurzweil, is Chief Google Architect. Peter Diamandis, co-founder and chairman of Singularity University, is an engineer, physician, and entrepreneur and founder and chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation.

About ReMAP

Through shared resources, ReMAP accelerates the commercialization of innovative products developed in Canada for the global market. Our network of partners from start-ups, small-to-medium enterprises, large organizations, and leading research institutions work together to form a product-enablement value chain. Leveraging the strengths and synergies of our network partners, ReMAP engages with 38 labs and manufacturing facilities from across Canada. ReMAP supports innovations in the Aerospace & Defense, Information & Communications Technology (ICT), Healthcare, Industrial, and Renewable Energy market sectors. ReMAP is made possible through joint funding from the Government of Canada's Business-led Networks of Centres of Excellence (BL-NCE) program matched by contributions from our network partners. www.remapnetwork.org

About Deloitte

Deloitte, one of Canada's leading professional services firms, provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services. Deloitte LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private companies limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.

About ventureLAB

ventureLAB is a non-profit Regional Innovation Centre, which cultivates, supports and celebrates innovative entrepreneurs. Located in York Region, an integral leader in the Digital Corridor, ventureLAB supports entrepreneurs at all stages across York Region, Simcoe County, Muskoka District and the GTA. ventureLAB is the place where talented entrepreneurs get help bringing their innovation to market. www.ventureLAB.ca

Media Contacts:



Irene Sterian

Executive Director

ReMAP

416-509-2161

Email contact





Caitlin Stidwill

Media Relations

Deloitte

(416) 775-7144

Email contact





Rachel Azagury

Director of Marketing

ventureLAB

905.248.2710

Email contact




OKOTOKS, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Mullen Group Ltd. (TSX: MTL) ("Mullen Group" and/or the "Corporation") announced today the business plan for 2017 has been approved by the Board of Directors (the "Board"). The annual process encompassed an extensive review of a wide range of issues including: expectations for the Canadian economy; the impact of the recent recovery in oil and natural gas prices on the industry, including drilling activity in western Canada; the balance sheet of Mullen Group; and expected cash flows. Based upon this review, the Board approved a capital budget of $25.0 million for 2017, exclusive of corporate acquisitions. The capital will be focused towards acquiring replacement of trucks, trailers and specialized equipment to support the operations of Business Units in the Trucking/Logistics segment. A particular focus will be the replacement of older trucks with new fuel efficient units. The current capital budget does not contemplate any significant new capital for the Oilfield Services segment, however, this will be reviewed after the first quarter.

Highlights of 2017 Business Plan

Trucking/Logistics Segment

Generally speaking, this segment is closely correlated to Canada's GDP growth. Our expectation for 2017 is that the Canadian economy will expand moderately year over year. The consumer remains an integral component of the economy and all indications are that consumer spending will remain strong, however it is difficult to see incremental growth in the absence of real wage increases. Government spending including infrastructure development has been highlighted as a government priority. In addition, any stronger growth in the U.S. economy should provide some increase demand for Canada's exports, along with improving prospects for the Alberta economy, which has been the major drag on the overall economy, with the recent rise in oil and natural gas prices.

While the current trucking/logistics market remains extremely competitive our view is that these pressures will ease throughout 2017 as demand for freight services grows, accompanied by a tightening supply as competitors reduce capacity due to cash flow issues. The Trucking/Logistics segment will account for approximately 65.0 percent of Mullen Group's 2017 revenue, net of any acquisitions made in 2017.

Oilfield Services Segment

The oil and gas industry is closely tied to commodity pricing. Over the course of 2016 prices for both commodities has been extremely volatile, reaching multi-year lows in the first quarter of the year followed by steady increases. Today crude oil prices are above $50.00 U.S. per barrel and the natural gas price is now above $3.00 U.S. MCF, levels that provide producers with an incentive to begin reinvesting in the industry. Recent reports indicate that capital allocated to drilling activity in western Canada will increase somewhere in the range of 20.0-40.0 percent year over year, increasing the demand for oil and gas services. This will provide our 11 Business Units leveraged to drilling activity with a better market to operate within. Our view is that the competitive prices prevalent today will not ease until the latter half of 2017, as the demand and supply fundamentals begin to normalize.

In addition there is some reason for optimism surrounding certain large diameter pipeline projects as well as LNG development. Several Canadian projects have recently received conditional approvals. In addition, the Keystone pipeline project has a very good chance of receiving U.S. approvals under the new administration. While each of these are positive developments, we cannot predict the timing of the projects as such we will maintain a cautious approach until the projects receive full sanctioning.

In terms of new oil sands related development we view 2017 as a transition year. Several major projects including the Suncor Fort Hills and the Northwest Upgrader are nearing completion leaving a significant void in the need for specialized transportation services. As such, on balance, we expect our Oilfield Services segment will generate improved results as compared with 2016, but the loss of major oil sands work will be a negative factor to consider. The Oilfield Services segment will account for approximately 35.0 percent of Mullen Group's 2017 revenue, net of any acquisitions made in 2017.

Non-Asset Based Logistics

Mullen Group has renewed the development of the business-to-business Moveitonline load matching operating platform which connects shippers and carriers, providing price discovery and service capabilities in one system. In 2017, Mullen Group expects to fully connect our 28 Business Units with our 2,000 certified subcontract carriers. Once the initial development has been completed and tested, this application will provide Mullen Group with new growth opportunities in Third Party Logistics ("3PL"), the fastest growing part of the freight/logistics business today.

Balance Sheet

Having a strong, well-structured balance sheet is a key component of Mullen Group's strategy which is imperative when markets are challenged and unpredictable, such as they are today. In 2016 we took the prudent steps of deleveraging the balance sheet, paid down a series of notes, restructured the debt covenants with noteholders and raised new equity of $153.2 million. As we entered the final quarter of 2016 Mullen Group's cash and cash equivalent position was $261.3 million and we expect this to remain relatively consistent as we finish 2016. Mullen Group's proven business model generates free cash which provides the Corporation with options and flexibility as we enter 2017 and contemplate the repayment of our Series E (U.S. $85.0 million) and Series F (Cdn. $20.0 million) Notes. Annual interest payments in 2017 will be approximately $31.6 million, assuming the repayment of Series E and Series F Notes.

Acquisitions

Acquisitions remain an important element of our growth plans and we fully expect that we can use our strong balance sheet to capitalize on the right opportunities. In 2016, we witnessed increase deal flow and completed a number of small acquisitions which largely fit into our Trucking/Logistics segment and we expect this trend to continue in 2017. There is also evidence of many distressed competitors, in both the oilfield services and trucking/logistics sectors, who have locked in pricing for the coming year and which have failed to anticipate increased costs most notably with labour, repairs and maintenance, the increased cost of fuel and Alberta's carbon tax. Mullen Group will maintain a disciplined acquisition strategy, however, we expect to complete more acquisitions in 2017.

"I am more optimistic today than I have been for a few years, in spite of the current market challenges. My optimism stems from the fact that the pricing environment for crude oil and natural gas has changed significantly over the past few weeks as evidence mounts that the supply/demand imbalances prevalent over the course of the last two years may finally be returning to levels that will support higher prices. If this trend continues it is very possible that the oil and gas service sector could recover much quicker than was expected just a few months ago. Our Business Plan for 2017 contemplates a steady recovery for this sector beginning in the last half of the year. However, we have not committed new capital for our oilfield related Business Units, and will not until we are convinced firstly, that the current trend is maintained and secondly, that pricing for oilfield services increases from the current unsustainable levels. In addition, our Trucking/Logistics segment is once again on track for another solid year in 2017 based upon our expectation that the Alberta economy will experience some growth accompanied by the stable outlook for the Canadian economy," commented Mr. Murray K. Mullen, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer.

DIVIDEND - 2017

Mullen Group also announced today its intention to continue its practice of paying an annual dividend of $0.36 per Common Share over the course of 2017 aggregating to a total of $37.3 million. Such dividend will be paid on a monthly basis, subject to Board approval. The Board will continue to monitor economic conditions, the Corporation's financial performance, growth opportunities, potential acquisition opportunities and capital requirements in determining the appropriate dividend level in 2017.

"I believe the outlook for the economy and the oil and gas industry has changed for the better and as such Mullen Group will benefit. South of our border a new administration has been elected, generating optimism that the U.S. economy will enter a new faster growth phase. Furthermore, the oil and gas markets appear to be strengthening based upon improving supply/demand fundamentals along with the announcement by Saudi Arabia that they will essentially abandon a market share strategy in favour of a higher oil prices. Under this scenario our business will begin to recover after two very challenging years. In addition, we are well positioned to pursue acquisitions and recapture market share from competitors that have mispriced their services and are over leveraged. The timing of the recovery or acquisitions is somewhat elusive but I have a high degree of confidence that 2017 will be the beginning of growth for our organization once again," added Mr. Mullen.

Advisories:

This news release includes certain statements regarding Mullen Group's future plans and operations, including the 2017 Business Plan and Dividend Policy, and contains forward-looking statements that we believe allow readers to better understand our business and prospects. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends", "strategy" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information or statements. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information concerning the 2017 Business Plan, Dividend Policy, capital budget, operating income and anticipated revenues.

With respect to the forward-looking statements and information concerning the 2017 Business Plan and Dividend Policy, Mullen Group has provided such in reliance on certain assumptions that it believes are reasonable at this time, including but not limited to the allocation of 2017capital budget, impact of general economic conditions, volatility of commodity prices and activity in the oil and gas industry in western Canada. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such forward-looking information and statements, 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. Our actual results, performance, or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. We can give no assurance that any of the events anticipated will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits we will derive from them.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Additional information on other factors that could affect the operations or financial results of Mullen Group, are included in reports on file with applicable securities regulatory authorities, including but not limited to Mullen Group's annual information form dated February 10, 2016, under "Principal Risks and Uncertainties" and in Mullen Group's other filings available at www.sedar.com.

Mullen Group is a company that owns a network of independently operated businesses. The Corporation is recognized as one of the leading suppliers of trucking and logistics services in Canada and provides a wide range of specialized transportation and related services to the oil and natural gas industry in western Canada - two sectors of the economy in which Mullen Group has strong business relationships and industry leadership. The corporate office provides management and financial expertise, technology and systems support, shared services and strategic planning to its independent businesses.

Mullen Group is a publicly traded corporation listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "MTL". Additional information is available on our website at www.mullen-group.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Contacts:

Mr. Murray K. Mullen

Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President

Telephone: 403-995-5200



Mr. P. Stephen Clark

Chief Financial Officer

Telephone: 403-995-5200



Mr. Richard J. Maloney

Senior Vice President

Telephone: 403-995-5200

403-995-5296 (FAX)




CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/14/16 -- Tanager Energy Inc. ("Tanager" or the "Corporation") (TSX VENTURE: TAN) announced today that it has completed the closing of the first tranche of an equity financing and a debt financing with ACH Management, LLC ("ACH"), an arm's length third party, as further described below, subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. ACH Management, LLC is private investment company based in Dallas, Texas.

EQUITY FINANCING

Tanager completed the closing of the first tranche of a non-brokered private placement of units ("Units"). Tanager issued 16,000,000 Units to ACH at a price of $0.10 per Unit for gross proceeds of $1,600,000 (the "Equity Financing"). Each Unit consists of one common share of Tanager ("Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant ("Warrant"), with each Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one additional Common Share at a price of $0.10 per Common Share until the date that is twenty (20) months from the closing date and $0.12 per Common Share for the period from twenty (20) months from the closing date until the date that is thirty-two (32) months from the closing date.

The Corporation intends to use the proceeds from the Equity Financing for expenditures in developing Tanager's Polk County and Tyler County, Texas properties, for repayment of debt, to replenish working capital and for general corporate purposes.

All securities issued in connection with the Equity Financing are subject to a hold period that expires on April 15, 2017.

ACH acquired 16,000,000 Units pursuant to the Equity Financing at a price of $0.10 per Unit, representing an aggregate purchase price of $1,600,000. Prior to the Equity Financing, ACH did not own any Common Shares and upon completion of the Equity Financing, ACH will own or control 16,000,000 Common Shares, or approximately 15.85% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares and Warrants to acquire 16,000,000 Common Shares. Assuming the exercise of such warrants, ACH would own or control 32,000,000 Common Shares, or approximately 27.37% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares. The purchase of the Units by ACH was made for investment purposes. ACH may increase or decrease its investment in Tanager depending on market conditions or any other relevant factors. The head office address for Tanager is Sun Life Plaza West Tower,144-4 Avenue SW, Suite 1600, Calgary, AB T2P 3N4 and for ACH is 8150 N. Central Expressway, Suite 670, Dallas, Texas 75206 USA.

DEBT FINANCING

Tanager also announced that it has entered into a line of credit agreement (the "Credit Facility") with ACH for US $8,000,000 (the "Debt Financing"). The Credit Facility may be drawn at the option of Tanager during the period ended December 14, 2017. The Credit Facility matures on December 14, 2019. Funds advanced under the Credit Facility bear interest at a rate of 6% per annum, payable monthly. The Credit Facility is secured by a first lien on the Company's Texas properties. The obligations of Tanager under the Credit Facility are also guaranteed by Tanager's wholly owned US subsidiary pursuant to an unconditional secured guarantee. ACH and the holders of the outstanding debentures and notes of Tanager have entered into an intercreditor agreement that provides that such creditors will rank on a pari passu basis in the event of any enforcement on any assets of Tanager, provided that ACH will have a first priority claim on certain property of Tanager and its US subsidiary. Pursuant to the Credit Facility, a minimum of twelve (12) wells in Polk County, Texas must be drilled and completed in the Yegua formation during the period ending December 14, 2017.

In connection with the Equity Financing and the Debt Financing, ACH has been granted with the right, for so long as it holds at least 10% of the issued common shares of Tanager, to nominate one person for election as a director of Tanager at each annual shareholders meeting.

Tom M. Crain, Jr., Interim Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Tanager, stated "We are extremely pleased to welcome ACH as a significant stakeholder in Tanager. This transaction marks an important and exciting milestone in the evolution of Tanager, providing the Corporation with the capital necessary to commence the exploration, development and further appraisal of our oil and gas assets in Texas and Canada. We look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead."

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Tanager Energy Inc. is an oil and natural gas and mineral exploration company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with executive offices in Houston, Texas. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol "TAN".

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements which constitute forward-looking statements or information ("forward-looking statements"), including statements regarding Tanager's business, the Equity Financing and the Debt Financing. Such forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Tanager's control, including the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, volatility of commodity prices, currency fluctuations, imprecision of reserve estimates, environmental risks, operational risks in exploration and development, competition from other industry participants, the lack of availability of qualified personnel or management, stock market volatility and the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources. Although Tanager believes that the expectations in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, they are based on factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate. Those factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward looking information. As such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward looking information, as no assurance can be provided as to future results, levels of activity or achievements. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of the date of this document and, except as required by applicable law, Tanager does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Contacts:

Tom M. Crain, Jr.

Interim Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Phone: 713-922-1219

Email: tom@tanagerenergy.com




Conversica, a Foster City, Calif.-based provider of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered lead engagement software for sales and marketing, secured $34 million in Series B funding.

The round was led by Providence Strategic Growth Capital Partners, an affiliate of Providence Equity Partners, with participation from Toba Capital, Wellington Financial and Recruit Holdings Co., as well as existing investor Kennet Partners and founder Ben Brigham. In conjunction with the funding, Conversicas board of directors has been expanded to include PSG Managing Director Gopi Vaddi and Toba Capital Partner Wilder Ramsey.

The company will use the new funds to expand marketing and sales efforts, support ongoing product development and continue to grow operations.

Led by Alex Terry, CEO, Conversica provides an AI-driven lead engagement software for marketing and sales organizations for companies to find and secure customers by automatically contacting, engaging, qualifying and following up with leads via natural, two-way email conversations. The software is currently used by more than 16,000 salespeople at over 1,000 companies across more than a dozen industries, including technology, automotive, higher education, finance, insurance, real estate and hospitality.

In addition to its Sales Assistant, the company has used its conversational AI platform to develop AI-powered assistants that automate important business conversations, including customer lifecycle management in the automotive industry, customer success management in the software industry and loan processing in the financial services industry.

Customers, include IBM, Epson, Talend, Cake, SelectQuote, Coolfront, among others.

FinSMEs

14/12/2016
Israeli venture capital firm Pitango Venture Capital has launched its $175m seventh fund.

Pitango Venture Capital Fund, VII, focuses on investing in early stage Enterprise Infrastructure, IoT, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health startups. The new vehicle, which joined the firms first Growth Fund, which invests in late-stage companies, has already made an investment in the $30m round of Graphcore.

It is led by Eyal Niv, Rami Beracha, and Ittai Harel.

The firm has over $1.8 billion under management and investments in over 210 companies. Among them, are companies that have gone public, such as JinkoSolar, RADWARE, Retalix, CardGuard and others as well as companies that were acquired, such as dbMotion (acquired by AllScripts), superDimension (acquired by Covidien), Anobut (acquired by Apple), VideoSuf (acquired by MSFT), Provigent (acquired by Broadcom), Convergin (acquired by Oracle), Optonol (acquired by Alcon), Dune Networks (acquired by Broadcom) Ventor (acquired by Medtronic), Traiana (acquired by ICAP),, ColBar (acquired by Johnson & Johnson), RADLAN (acquired by Marvell) and Disc-o-Tech (acquired by Kyphone).

FinSMEs

14/12/2016
Tilt Biotherapeutics Ltd, a Helsinki, Finland-based oncolytic immunotherapy startup, closed a 4.0M (approx. $4.3M) financing round.

Backers included Lifeline Ventures Ltd, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes), the European Commission, and business angels.

The company, which has raised almost 10M (~$10.6M) in total funding, intends to use the funds to progress its lead candidate, TILT-123, into Phase I clinical trials.

Founded in 2013 by CEO Akseli Hemminki, Tilt Biotherapeutics enables tumor T-cell therapy by leveraging its patented technology which involves utilization of oncolytic viruses for enhancement of tumor T-cell therapy.

The lead candidate, TILT-123, is a preclinical stage TNF/IL2 armed oncolytic adenovirus. GMP production is ongoing and the first phase I clinical trials are aimed to start early 2018. TILT-123 will be used to enhance tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL), chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T), and checkpoint inhibiting antibody therapy.

One of the trials, for which the funding raised will be used, will take place in two centers in Europe and address metastatic melanoma in combination with TILT-123 and TILs.

FinSMEs

14/12/2016
There are times when certain tags get attached to filmmakers and these, unfortunately enough, end up becoming their calling cards. This writer has always felt that when one thinks of Shaad Ali, best known for Saathiya (2002) and Bunty Aur Babli (2005) and the misfire-yet-still-grossly-underrated Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007), one more often than not, ends up thinking of him as the guy who mostly remade Mani Ratnam films in Hindi. In a career that now nearly spans a decade-and-a-half, Ali had made five films, including the upcoming OK Jaanu (2016), and nearly half his oeuvre comprises Mani Ratnam remakes.

Debuting with Saathiya that was the Hindi version of Ratnam's Alai Payuthey (2000), Ali has almost come a full circle where his next release, OK Jaanu, is also based on Ratnam's OK Kanmani (2015). Amongst the younger crop of filmmakers in Hindi cinema today, Ali is blessed with one of the best ears for music and can effortlessly elevate screenwriting (that could otherwise have fallen woefully short) to become a sociocultural statement. These were best seen in Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, a film where he had taken a departure from the things that he had become used to, and also relied upon  namely, a ready-made project in the form of a remake. Perhaps the film's lackluster run at the box-office in spite of decent enough star power and a soundtrack that was one of the best in recent times, somewhere dented his chances of going beyond remaking his mentor's films in a different language.

Born to filmmaker Muzzafar Ali (Gaman, Umrao Jaan) and Subhashini Ali nee Sehgal, Ali assisted Mani Ratnam on Dil Se... (1998) where he learnt the finer aspects of the craft observing one of India's best filmmakers. Unlike most assistants or associates who move on once they embark on a solo career, Ali continued to collaborate with Ratnam even after delivering successes such as Saathiya and Bunty Aur Babli.

In fact, between Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and Kill Dil (2014) Ali assisted Ratnam on Guru (2007) and the multi-lingual Raavanan-Raavan (2010). That Ratnam might have had a strong influence on shaping Ali's cinematic choices is a given but Tamil cinema, too, seems to have had a significant impact on the filmmaker.

Even beyond his straight Ratnam remakes Ali's Kill Dil where two orphans (Ali Zafar, Ranveer Singh) raised by a local gangster (Govinda) to be assassins appears to be inspired by the mood of Vishnuvardhan's Tamil gangster film Pattiyal (2006) where Kosi (Arya) and Selva (Bharath), are contract killers working for a middleman Sami (Cochin Haneefa), who is almost like a father figure to them. Even the character of the 'girl' in both films  Parineeti Chopra in Kill Dil and Padmapriya Janakiraman in Pattiyal  has a similar track where things go south once she enters.

The film that truly announced Ali's arrival as a filmmaker was Bunty Aur Babli, which, was also one of the first solo hits of Abhishek Bachchan. Written by Jaideep Sahni, Bunty Aur Babli was also the first time Ali was not encumbered by the rigid template that is somewhat inescapable while remaking a film.

He made the most of a narrative that allowed enough opportunities to create vignettes and moments that could bear his signature. The film's story  two people (Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherji) from small town India with dreams too big for anyone's liking embarking on a crime spree where they con people for kicks  and it's unapologetic celebration of crooks resonated with a generation of viewers who did not find anything wrong with taking the easier way out.

This was also the film where Ali's knack for picking up a great tune came to the fore and moreover, his imaginative use of the legendary lyricist Gulzar who penned instant classics such as 'Kajra re' and 'Chup chup ke'.

Making the most of Bunty Aur Babli's success, Ali's next Jhoom Barabar Jhoom was an ambitious project and one where the stakes were the highest up until then in his career. Here was a film that otherwise might have been just another in the roster for the producer's, Yash Raj Films, but the focus become sharper as the music had caught the fancy of the people and the success of Bluffmaster (2005), Dhoom:2 (2006), Guru (2007) and also the critical appreciation in Kabhi Alvia Na Kehna (2006) had made Abhishek Bachchan in a star in his own right.

The rest of the cast in the film especially Bobby Deol, the second lead, was not a draw anymore and the entire onus rested on Bachchan junior, which was too much for the kind of irreverence that Jhoom Barabar Jhoom was probably aiming for. The word of mouth on the film was so poor that its fate was sealed within the first few days of its release.

Revisiting Jhoom Barabar Jhoom one can see how if the film's screenplay (which was written by Ali himself and is also the only film he has written himself) had been treated slightly differently, it could have been a richer cinematic experience. In spite of having fallen short of its potential, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom is one of the best examples of metacinema when it comes popular Hindi films and worth a re-look.

The question one needs to ask when thinking of filmmakers with potential is that does a penchant for remaking films like Ali, or rehashing classics such as Gus Van Zant's frame-by-frame Psycho remake or rebooting franchises in the case of JJ Abrams who has helmed one Mission: Impossible, one Star Wars and two Star Treks in the five films he has directed to date keep them from being taken seriously? Or does it not matter as long as the audience enjoys the films and they do not lose money?

The film that OK Jaanu reprises, OK Kanmani, is perhaps the weakest of Mani Ratnam's films. It also a film which even some die-hard Ratnam fans found difficult to sit through. Ali is the best person to reinterpret the film for the Hindi audience but this rather safe refuge of the filmmaker where he seems to return to his guru when he needs a miracle, to this writer's mind, has somewhere robbed Hindi films of a filmmaker who could have been so much more.
Tata Sons managed to oust Cyrus Mistry as a director at Tata Consultancy Services Ltds extraordinary general meeting on Tuesday solely by virtue of its 73 percent stake in Indias largest IT services company. About 86.71 percent of the total shareholders voted out whom 93 percent voted in favour of Mistrys removal. However, a closer inspection of the voting pattern reveals that 43 percent of institutional investor votes and 78 percent of retail investor votes were against the resolution.

Further, Tata Sons has increased its stake in the six remaining listed companies to bolster its chances of securing a favorable vote against Mistry. Its inability to operate in a more democratic manner has left it open to attack from minority shareholders. Mistry can rally shareholders from the listed companies to join Shapoorji Pallonji to file a case against the Tata Group for the oppression of minority shareholders under Sections 397-398 of the Companies Act, 1956.

Sections 397-398 of the Companies Act, 1956 find their genesis in Section 210 of the English Companies Act of 1948. Prior to this enactment, shareholders of companies in England had no right to complain of oppression or mismanagement unless the case fell within any of the three recognised exceptions to the famous case  Foss vs Harbottle. The only remedy available to shareholders at the time was to apply for the winding up of a company on the ground that it was just and equitable to do so.

The terms  oppression and mismanagement  are not defined in the 1956 Act. Sections 397-398 of the 1956 Act set out the remedies in respect of certain complaints against the management of the affairs of company. Under 397, members of the company can file a petition in the Company Law Board on a complaint that the affairs of a company are being conducted in a manner oppressive to certain members. Section 398 provides remedies for members if, among other things, a material change in the management or control of the company (such as the removal of a director) is likely to result in the affairs of the company being conducted in a manner prejudicial to the company. This provision was brought about by the Companies (Amendment) Act, 1960.

According to the dictionary, oppression is any act exercised in a manner burdensome, harsh and wrongful. It suggests a lack of probity and fair dealing in the affairs of a company to the prejudice of some portion of its members. The Supreme Court has held that it must be shown that the acts of the majority shareholders were oppressive to the minority members. In the exercise of powers, the CLB and the courts are under a duty to see that democratic functioning of the company in managing its affairs is ensured. The recent allotment of extra shares to boost Tata Sons stake in the assorted listed companies can be scrutinised and proved to be oppressive to the minority shareholders interest.

Another option available to Mistry is Section 245 of CA 2013 provides for class action to be instituted against the company as well as the auditors of the company. The Draft Companies Rules allow for this class action to be filed by the minority shareholders under Clause 16.1 of Chapter-XVI (Number of members who can file an application for class action). On close reading of Section 245 of the Companies Act, 2013, it can be seen that the intent of the section is not only to empower the minority shareholder and/or members of the company but also the depositors. Unlike Section 399 of CA 1956 which provides for protection to only shareholder/members of the company, Section 245 of CA 2013 also extends this protection to the class of depositors as well. However, in the current scenario, the provision of representation of a class of members or depositors by a particular member or depositor lacks clarity.

Sub-section (1) of Section 245 provides, "such number of member or members, depositor or depositors or any class of them, as the case may be, as are indicated in sub-section (2) may, if they are of the opinion that the management or conduct of the affairs of the company are being conducted in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the company or its members or depositors, file an application before the Tribunal on behalf of the members or depositors for seeking all or any of the following orders ". Besides, there being a typographical error in this sub- section (1) with respect to indicating sub-section (2) instead of sub-section (3) which provides for the minimum number of members who can apply for class action there is also some confusion as to the class on whose behalf such class action can be instituted. While 'member has been defined in the CA 2013 as including the subscriber to the memorandum of the company, shareholders and person whose name is entered in the register of members; definition for depositor is not provided under CA 2013.

Further, section 245 does not empower the Tribunal with discretionary power to admit/allow any class suit wherein class of members or depositors are unable to comply with the minimum number of members/depositors requirement to be laid down in the Companies Rules. Also, on a close reading of Section 241 and Section 245 of the Companies Act, 2013, we can find duplication in protection provided to the members in case affairs of the company are conducted in a manner prejudicial to the interest of the company/members.

The balance of consideration, however, still lies in Tata Sons favour as the burden of proof lies solely with Mistry and the minority shareholders. Whatever the outcome, there is no doubt that this fracas has deflected investor interest in the salt-to-steel conglomerate.

(The writer is the founder of Hammurabi & Solomon and a visiting fellow with Observer Reseach Foundation)
Mumbai: Tata Motors' independent director Nusli Wadia, who will next week face shareholders' vote called by Tata Sons for his removal, today said he had differences with Ratan Tata over continuation of Nano which has proved to be a serious drain on the financial resources of the company.

In a letter to the shareholders of the homegrown auto major ahead of the EGM on 22 December, Wadia said the investment and losses on Nano have been in thousands of crore of rupees.

Giving reasons why he believed the small car should be closed, Wadia said: "The Nano, initially a car conceived to sell at Rs 1 lakh was launched in 2008 and has proved to be a serious drain on the financial resources of Tata Motors. Even at price Rs 2.25 lakh, the car neither sells nor is viable as every sale of the vehicle is at a substantial loss to the company."

He further said: "After its commercial failure, which became evident not too long after its launch, I differed strongly with its continued operations and funding. Huge

losses have been incurred over the years. The plan on which the investment was made was for 2.5 lakh cars while the production in 2015-16 was in the region of 20,000 cars and presently far less."

Cautioning against continuation of the car, he said: "The delay in closure if Nano is a serious drain on the finances of the company, in addition it has created very negative image on the passenger vehicles business of the company.

"The investment and losses on Nano have been in thousands of crore of rupees. Concerns have been raised not only by me but by several others regarding the continuing operations."

Wadia also said the "alleged reasons for seeking my removal do not even remotely relate to my performance or my conduct as an Independent Director of Tata Motors for 18

years."

He also denied allegations that his "actions may put Tata Motors and its future in grave jeopardy and impact the overall morale of the workers, employees and management who have joined a Tata company", saying it was "false and untrue and is conjecture".

Claiming that no worker, employee or manager or director of Tata Motors has ever complained of his conduct, Wadia said, "On the contrary, it is they who have sought my advice on several occasions outside the board meeting on many issues."

Wadia further said he has already sent notices for defamation to Tata Sons for "carrying on a personal vendetta against me for not toeing their line".

"I believe that it is Tata Sons and its interim Chairman who have vindictively issued this notice with malicious intent to remove me from the Board of Tata Motors. I believe that it is their actions, which lack bona fide and in fact are malafide," Wadia wrote in his letter to the shareholders seeking their support.

Tata Sons, which holds 26.51 per cent stake in Tata Motors, asked the auto major last month to convene an extra-ordinary general meeting of the company to consider its

resolution seeking removal of Cyrus Mistry and Wadia from its board.

Wadia said the passenger vehicles business (PVB) of Tata Motors over the years, from 2009-10 onwards, "for variety of reasons, be it design, product quality, execution, high cost, has had a serious negative financial impact on the company".

"The current capital employed in the PVB division is substantial, on which there is a serious level of loss impacting the overall financials of the company. These results have been linked to the manner in which the affairs of the company, with regard to its strategy was being formulated and centralised in the past," he said.

Lauding the leadership of Cyrus Mistry without naming him, Wadia said: "It is this issue that has been addressed since the last two years. A strategy has been evolved and present for the first time recently to bring the PBV to a level of international professionalism in terms of design, product cost, quality and viability."

Wadia also asked shareholders to note the various cross holdings that Tata Motors has in various Tata firm, including non-listed entities, the total value of which amounted to around Rs 8,800 crore.

"These cross holdings are being maintained in a debt ridden company only to indirectly keep the voting rights and control in Tata Sons," Wadia alleged.

He claimed that the figure across all the listed holdings in Tata Sons is "approximately 14 per cent of its capital to approximately Rs 70,000 crore" and "is being maintained only to share up the voting rights of Tata Trusts".

"It is for you the shareholders, who own around 70 percent of the company to decide as to whether it is in your best interest to hold shares worth Rs 8,800 crore with no return or disinvest and pay off an equivalent debt and save approximately Rs 800 crore, thereby improving profit of the company by the same amount," Wadia told the shareholders.

Alleging Ratan Tata of "galvanising" the union of Tata Motors to take an adverse stand against the management of the company, he said the actions of Tata Sons interim Chairman has put a question mark on whether a productivity linked settlement with the workers would be signed or not.

"These actions on the part of Mr Tata 'by galvanising' the union and 'acting prejudicially against the interest of your company may put the company and its future in great jeopardy and impact the overall moral of workers, employees and management of Tata Motors," Wadia said.

He further went to allege that Tata and the Board of Tata Sons "sought access to information and documents of Tata Steel, Tata Motors and other Tata companies", even after the notification of Insider Trading regulations on 15 January, 2015.

Lashing out at Tata Sons for intimidation and overstating role of promoter with regards to the Tata brand, Wadia said Tata Motors was incorporated as Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company in 1945 and in its certificate of incorporation was christened with the name Tata under the Chairmanship of JRD Tata.

"It is he who endowed Tata Motors with the name Tata. The products of the company have been sold since 1945 under the brand name Tata more than 50 years before any license agreement with Tata Sons was entered into by the company that too without payment of any fee," he said.

It is only from 1998 that Tata Motors have through this agreement, the validity of which needs to be examined and suitably addressed, paid royalty.

"To my knowledge no financial support has been given by Tata Sons to Tata Motors. No letters of comfort nor guarantees have been provided by Tata Sons to Tata Motors to my knowledge," Wadia wrote to the shareholders while seeking their support to vote against the move to remove him.
Oil major Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) said on Wednesday that President Darren Woods would become chief executive and chairman in January after the retirement of Rex Tillerson, who is U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state.Exxon said Tillerson, 64, will retire at the end of the year and Woods, 51, would take over as chairman and CEO, effective Jan. 1.Woods joined Exxon in 1992, and in January he was elected to the company's board and appointed president.Woods has held various senior positions at the company, including overseeing its refining, supply and transportation businesses and managing its specialty-chemical unit.Tillerson got his start as a production engineer at Exxon in 1975 and has worked there ever since, running business units in Yemen, Thailand and Russia before landing the top job in 2006.He was expected to retire next year, when he turned 65, the company's mandatory retirement age for its CEO.

The retirement date had been advanced due to "the significant requirements associated with the confirmation process," Exxon said.With his retirement, Exxon's board will have 12 directors.

The announcement of Exxon's change of leadership comes a day after Trump formally named Tillerson as his nomination to serve as secretary of state, citing his "tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics."He could face a rocky confirmation process, given concerns among both Democrats and Republicans about his ties to Russia.If Tillerson can overcome the scepticism of Republicans, he could win confirmation since their party will control a slim majority in the Senate when Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Tillerson earned about $24.3 million in 2016. He has a net worth of $150 million, plus a $70 million pension plan.Exxon's shares were down about 1.7 percent at $91, in line with the broader energy sector, which fell due to lower crude oil prices. (Reporting by Swetha Gopinath in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
WASHINGTON President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday named former Texas Governor Rick Perry to head the U.S. Department of Energy, handing the job to a climate change sceptic with close ties to the oil industry who once proposed abolishing the department.The choice adds to a list of drilling proponents who have been tapped for top jobs in Trump's administration. The selection of Perry was praised by the oil industry but viewed with worry by environmental groups concerned about the U.S. role in global climate change.Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has made energy policy a central issue in his agenda. He has promised to revive oil and gas drilling and coal mining by cutting back on federal regulations. He also has said he would pull the United States out of a global deal to curb emissions of carbon dioxide, which an overwhelming number of scientists say contribute to changes to the climate that are leading to sea level rise, droughts and more frequent violent storms.In a statement from Trump's transition team, the president-elect cited Perry's tenure leading Texas, the nation's second most populous state and a major producer of oil, gas and wind power, from 2000 until 2015. Trump said in the statement that Perry created "a business climate that produced millions of new jobs and lower energy prices in his state, and he will bring that same approach to our entire country as secretary of energy."Perry, a one-time presidential rival and critic of Trump who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in 2016 and 2012, welcomed the planned nomination, which requires Senate confirmation.Perry would replace Ernest Moniz, a physicist who was one of the chief negotiators in last year's Iran nuclear deal while energy secretary. The department is responsible for U.S. energy policy and oversees the nation's nuclear weapons program. On Tuesday, Trump named Rex Tillerson, chief executive of oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), as secretary of state. His pick for the Environmental Protection Agency is Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, an ardent opponent of Democratic President Barack Obama's measures to curb climate change.Jack Gerard, the president of the Washington-based oil lobby group the American Petroleum Institute, said he welcomed Perry's nomination, and called on him to support efforts to export U.S. natural gas overseas.

"As the former governor of Texas, Rick Perry knows the important impact that energy production has on our nation's economy. In his new role at the Energy Department, he has the opportunity to encourage increased exports of domestically produced natural gas."OIL TIES

After his tenure as Texas governor, Perry joined the board of directors of Energy Transfer Partners (ETP.N), a Texas-based company building the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota that has been stalled by protests by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and supporters.

Trump's team has said it would review after he takes office the U.S. government's decision to delay the pipeline's final completion.Perry has also said he believes the science around climate change is not yet settled, and has referred to himself as a climate change sceptic.Anthony Scaramucci, a member of the Trump transition team's executive committee, said the president-elect was focused on preserving the environment as well as boosting the nation's energy production. "Whether you believe in climate change or not, we want clean air, we want clean water for the American people. What we also want is energy independence," Scaramucci told CNN in an interview.

If Perry is confirmed, he would be in charge of a federal department he had proposed eliminating during his bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. During a November 2011 Republican candidate debate, Perry could not remember all of the three Cabinet-level departments he wanted to eliminate. After mentioning the departments of commerce and education, he said, "I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops." A few minutes later in the debate Perry said with a laugh, "By the way that was the Department of Energy I was reaching for a while ago." Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer, who backed Trump's Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election, said he hoped Perry's nomination would be blocked."Trump no longer has to abolish departments. He can dismantle them from within," Steyer said. "It's now up to the Senate to defend our health, our economy and our democracy by defeating this nomination." (Reporting by Susan Heavey and Steve Holland; Writing by Richard Valdmanis; editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Will Dunham)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Srinagar: A militant was killed on Wednesday in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag district while another ultra was trapped in a cordon in Sopore area of north Kashmir, police said here.

Militants opened fire on a patrol party of army at Beewra in Srigufwara area of Anantnag district this morning, a police official said. He said the army personnel retaliated, triggering a gunbattle.

ANI reported that top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Abu Bakr has been killed in Sopore district in Jammu and Kashmir by security forces.

Sopore encounter #UPDATE: top LeT commander Abu Bakr killed by security forces. Encounter ends  ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

One militant, identified as Basit Ahmad Dar, was killed in the encounter. Dar had recently joined Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit.

In another counter-insurgency operation, a militant --believed to be a foreigner -- was trapped in a house in Bomai area of Sopore in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, the official said.

He said further details of the incident were awaited.
Television actor Kamlesh Pandey, who played the role of a police officer in Crime Patrol, a show known for recreating real-life criminal cases through dramatisation, committed suicide on Tuesday night.

According to a DNA report, the actor, in a drunken frenzy, shot himself in the chest in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The reason behind the suicide is not known yet, but the report cites personal reasons behind the act.

According to Firstpost Hindi, Pandey got into an altercation with his family members before shooting himself.

When the police arrived after being contacted by Pandey's family, he was already dead, reports ABP. A police investigation is now underway.

Kamlesh is survived by his wife and two daughters.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sanction Rs 1,000 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund to the state for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction in the wake of the havoc wrought by cyclone Vardah.

In a letter to Modi, he also requested that a team be deputed to study the damage caused by the cyclone in Chennai and neighbouring districts of Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur.

"I request you to urgently sanction the release of an 'on account' payment of Rs 1,000 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund to the Government of Tamil Nadu to enable immediate relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction measures to proceed expeditiously," he said.

This request was being made as relief, rehabilitation and immediate reconstruction measures had to be undertaken by the government along with urban and rural local bodies in the area affected by the cyclone, which was beyond the funds available in the State Disaster Response Fund, he said.

He said the state government had swung into action and taken precautionary measures on receipt of information from the Meteorological department about cyclone Vardah, which had caused extensive damage to state infrastructure and property.

High level teams, comprising Ministers and senior IAS officers were deputed to the badly hit Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts to monitor relief operations.

Several teams of officials of various departments, including revenue, Police, Fire and Rescue services, PWD, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd, water supply and other local bodies were deployed to take up necessary interventions, he said.

Besides the services of National Disaster Response Force, Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard were "requisitioned", he said and thanked Modi for prompt response in dispatching the Central forces.

Stating that 16 people had died in rain related incidents linked to the cyclone, he said more than 15,000 people in low lying areas were evacuated to 104 relief camps and provided food, water and medical services.

Giving details of the damage, he said Vardah had uprooted more than 12,000 trees, damaged more than 10,000 electric poles and 800 transformers in the city and Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur districts, as also transmission lines, substations and distribution lines, badly affecting power supply.

The immediate priority was to restore power supply to affected areas, Panneerselvam said.

He said Government has taken up a detailed exercise to assess the damage and requirement of funds for relief works.

"State government will present a detailed memorandum (to the Centre) on the extensive damage suffered due to cyclone Vardah in next few days", he said.
By Sahil Kini

We are 17 days away from Prime Minister Narendra Modis 50-day deadline to end the worst effects of the scrapping of 86 percent by valueof Indias currency. In the chest-thumping, hand-wringing and controversy that has ensued since the announcement on November 8, 2016, there has been an absence of facts on the question of re-monetising India.

An extrapolation of 2016 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data on the capacity of Indian printing presses and currency distribution indicates that, at current rates, the Prime Ministers deadline will not be met. Getting adequate money to banks and ATMs nationwide will depend on how many bank notes the government wants to put back into circulation.

If the government wants to introduce Rs 9 lakh crore ($135 billion)or 35 percent less money than it pulled outit will take up to May 2017, and if it wants to reintroduce the entire Rs 14 lakh crore ($210 billion) that it withdrew, that could take up to August 2017.

The crux of the problem is change, specifically the Rs 500 note, which Indias presses cannot, currently, print in adequate number.

Here are the facts:

The RBI has four presses at: Dewas (Madhya Pradesh), Nashik (Maharashtra), Salboni (West Bengal), and Mysuru (Karnataka).

The printing capacity of these presses is roughly 2,670 crore (26.7 billion) notes a year, according to the RBIs 2016 annual report (page 90). Or roughly 7.4 crore (74 million) notes a day.

If the presses worked three shifts a day instead of two, their daily production capacity could be raised to 11.1 crore (111 million) notes a day.

However, less than half of the machines in the presses have the ability to print the security features required for high-value notes (Rs 500 and above).

This means that even if all the machines that print high-value notes in all four presses printed only Rs 500 rupee notes 24 hours a day, we would at best be able to print 5.56 crore (55.6 million) Rs 500 notes every day.

This translates to about Rs. 2,778 crore ($418 million) in value printed every day in Rs 500 notes.

Before the announcement of demonetisation, the government had already arranged for the printing of 200 crore (2 billion) Rs 2,000 notes, or roughly about Rs 4 lakh crore ($60 billion) in value. So, these were the first set of notes to be circulated. This is why there are so many pink notes in circulation.

Lets explore the time to disburse in the two scenarios we mentioned:

Scenario 1: Rs 9 lakh crore (or roughly two-thirds the total Rs 14 lakh crore that was demonetised) needs to be returned to the system.

Scenario 2: Rs 14 lakh crore (full amount) needs to be recirculated

For this amount to be liquid, a key condition needs to be met: Rs 2,000 notes can, at most, account for half the total amount to be circulated. The logic: If we do not have enough change, then the Rs 2,000 note will always be hard to break into smaller denominations, which is the situation nationwide today.

The other half needs to be available in lower-denomination notes. The total value of Rs 100, Rs 50, Rs 20, and Rs 10 notes is Rs 2.19 lakh crore ($33 billion), according to the RBIs annual report.

If we put this in a math equation where t is the total value of Rs 2,000 notes and f is the total value of Rs 500 notes, we end up with this equation:

total value of 2,000s (t) = total value of 500s (f) + total value of 100s and below

or

t = f + Rs 2.19 lakh crore

This means the requirement of Rs 500 notes is as follows:

In Scenario 1 (Rs 9 lakh crore disbursal):

t+f = Rs 9 lakh crore Solving for f, the value of Rs 500 notes needed is 681 crore (6.81 billion) notes X Rs 500 = Rs 3.405 lakh crore

Scenario 2 (Rs 14 lakh crore disbursal):

t+f = Rs 14 lakh crore Solving for f, the value of Rs 500 notes needed is 1,181 crore (11.81 billion) notes X Rs 500 = Rs 5.905 lakh crore

As on November 30, 2016, less than 10 crore (100 million) Rs 500 notes were printed and ready (or two days worth of printing), according to an RBI source, quoted in Mint.

We arrive at the crux of the problem: India needs to print at least 681 crore (6.81 billion) Rs 500 notes. In Scenario 2, the Rs 500 requirement is for 1,181 crore (11.81 billion) notes. However, the peak printing capacity of the presses is 5.56 crore (55.6 million) notes a dayor 0.8 percent of what it should be.

At this rate, we will take anywhere between 122 days and 212 days to print enough Rs 500 notes. Given the fact that the RBI started printing Rs 500 notes in earnest after November 30, 2016, printing all the required 500s will be completed only on March 10, 2017 (Scenario 1), or July 8, 2017 (Scenario 2).

Taking into account the time taken for cash transportation and the speed at which banks can push out the money, calculations indicate that complete disbursal of Rs 9 lakh crore can happen in early April 2017.

In Scenario 2 (Rs 14 lakh crore), it could take until mid-July for the cash to be fully disbursed.

(Kini, a B Tech from IIT Madras, is a Principal at Aspada, a venture capital firm that supports entrepreneurs building businesses for Indias underserved markets. He is also an active volunteer with the IndiaStack, where he helps frame policy, while evangelising its impact at various industry events.)
India is preparing to test its Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Agni-V is capable of reaching the northern parts of China, reported The Times of India. Agni's earlier versions, which have been inducted in the armed forces, can reach anywhere in Pakistan and parts of western China.

Reports suggest that testing of this missile is being done after a gap of few years. The missile was tested in 2012, 2013 and 2015 but was reported to have a technical glitch.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had announced a glitch in the missile technology earlier this year. When asked about the much-delayed fourth test of Agni-V, DRDO chief S Christopher had earlier said in July, "The problem is solvable and the next test-firing of Agni-V is expected by the year-end.

About the delay, he had said, "It has been delayed because of a technical snag. There is a problem with the battery."

There were also reports that the test was postponed due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US. Christopher had denied the reports, stating: "The reasons for delay are only technical" IANS had reported.

About the timeframe for the next test, the DRDO chief had said: "Our colleagues have said the issue can be resolved. We will do a test before the end of this year."

This missile is strategically important as it is expected to keep a watch on China, said the reports.

Reports say that India will be the fifth country to possess this missile after America, Russia, China, France and England.

"This will be the final test of the three-stage Agni-V, which will be tested for its full range, before the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) begins its user trials," a source told The Times Of India.

The Agni-V is the most advanced version of the indigenously built Agni, or Fire, series, part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) that started in the 1960s and was once overseen by APJ Abdul Kalam.

Agni-V is a three-stage missile designed to carry over one-tonne warhead. Its 5,000 km range gives it the farthest reach among all Indian missiles.

With inputs from IANS
New Delhi: The Delhi police have sought information from five countries to help them trace the group which hacked into the Twitter accounts of the Congress party and its vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

The hacking group 'Legion', which claimed responsibility for the act, is still a mystery for internet service providers. The Delhi police is probing the case after it received a complaint from Congress members.

Accounts of two journalists  Barkha Dutt and Ravish Mishra, both from the NDTV group  were also hacked, but their complaint was yet to be received by the cyber cell.

During its preliminary enquiry, the police could trace IP addresses from five countries  Sweden, Romania, the US, Canada and Thailand  in the hacking job. Investigators want to know if the hackers used the servers in these countries from somewhere else, or if they were physically present there while breaking into the microblogging sites.

"We have got the IP logs from Twitter. The details of IP logs were sent to the internet service providers in five countries after a thorough examination. We are yet to get the details of hacker's account and address," deputy commissioner of police (cyber cell) Anyesh Roy told IANS.

Asked if the act was done by Legion, Roy said the group "is itself taking responsibility for hacking these microblogging sites but we don't as yet have any information about the real hackers. The case is under investigation". He said the police was also taking help of Twitter officials in Bengaluru to identify those responsible.

The cyber cell is probing the case after two FIRs under Section 66(c) of the Information Technology Act were filed. Randeep Singh Surjewala, a senior Congress leader, had filed a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi police on 1 December after the two accounts were hacked and a string of abusive messages posted on their Twitter handles.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who underwent a kidney transplant three days ago, was shifted out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at AIIMS on Tuesday and was recovering well, reports said. The 64-year-old minister is likely to be discharged in another seven to ten days, senior hospital officials told PTI.

"The minister has been shifted out of the ICU to a private ward of the Cardio-Neuro Centre. Her post-surgery recovery is on the expected lines," AIIMS Director Dr M C Mishra was quoted as saying by PTI.

He said her recovery is being closely monitored by a team of transplant surgeons, physicians (endocrinologist, nephrologist, cardiologist and pulmonologist) and anaesthesist besides critical care expert, physiotherapist and transplant specialists. "She is likely to be discharged in another seven or 10 days," Mishra added.

Swaraj had undergone a kidney transplant on Saturday with the organ being harvested from a living unrelated donor. According to Mishra, the woman who donated her kidney to the minister is also in the process of being discharged.

"During transplant surgeries, the recipient is put on Immunosuppressants in order to lower the body's ability to reject a transplanted organ.

"That is the reason why the minister, after the transplant, was shifted to ICU and kept in isolation to avoid any infection," a senior doctor at AIIMS said.

Messages for Swaraj

The political fraternity and many eminent personalities wished speedy recovery to the external affairs minister. Considering Sushma's Twitter presence and her efforts to use the medium to do good, Twitter India made this video for Sushma:

Get well soon @SushmaSwaraj! Hope you recover soon. pic.twitter.com/kzCoU1JaVZ  Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) December 12, 2016

@SushmaSwaraj happy to know about successful kidney transplant, prayers and best wishes for speedy and complete recovery  President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) December 10, 2016

Wishing speedy recovery to @SushmaSwaraj Ji after successful surgery. Our prayers and best wishes.  Vijay Kumar Singh (@Gen_VKSingh) December 11, 2016

I pray Almighty to provide strength to adarniya @SushmaSwaraj ji & wish her a speedy recovery to continue her active service to the nation.  Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) December 10, 2016

Happy to know that Smt. @SushmaSwaraj ji's kidney transplant operation has been successful. I pray for her speedy recovery and good health.  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 10, 2016

My best wishes to @SushmaSwaraj ji for speedy recovery.  Manohar Parrikar (@manoharparrikar) December 10, 2016

AIIMS earlier had stated that the surgery of Swaraj was successful and uneventful.

Swaraj's nearly six-hour long surgery was performed by a team of 50 personnel led by Dr Mukut Minz, former head of the department of renal transplant surgery at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and Dr V K Bansal from AIIMS. Minz is currently with Fortis, Mohali. A team of transplant anesthesiologists, nurses, technicians and other support staff assisted them.

On 16 November, Swaraj herself had posted on Twitter that she was in AIIMS because of kidney failure. Swaraj, who has been in and out of the hospital for last few months, was admitted to AIIMS on 7 November. After Swaraj made her health conditions public on social media, several people had offered their kidneys to her.

With inputs from agencies
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who fashioned a novel brand of Twitter diplomacy, was named in the Global Thinkers List of 2016, compiled by Foreign Policy magazine. Swaraj was named in the "decision makers" category along with the Democratic Party's nominee for US presidential election Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, etc.

In a website posting, the magazine recalled how, when around 10,000 Indian workers in Saudi Arabia faced a "food crisis" earlier this year due to job losses, Swaraj tweeted about the issue to six million followers on the social media website.

"What followed was a weeks-long social media operation in which Swaraj posted information for migrants about rations provided by the Indian embassy, claims for unpaid wages, and government-organised transportation home," it said.

Saying that this was not the first time Sushma Swaraj used the internet to reach out to people abroad, the posting said, "From evacuating Indians from Yemen to helping replace lost passports, Swaraj has earned the nickname 'the common tweeple's leader' for her aggressive use of Twitter."

Swaraj, who is recovering from a kidney transplant in New Delhi's AIIMS, has resolved issues ranging from passport problems to rescuing overseas Indians trapped in conflict-prone conditions. Her popular perception was so positive that many came ahead to donate their kidneys for her transplant surgery. Swaraj has 6.8 million followers on Twitter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Swaraj upon being named in the Foreign Policy list.

Very proud to see our hardworking EAM @SushmaSwaraj part of the @ForeignPolicy Global Thinkers list 2016! Congrats. https://t.co/92H4a2drCI  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 14, 2016

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup also tweeted acknowledgement of the honour.

MEA proud to be led by EAM @SushmaSwaraj, who receives yet another recognition for her unique brand of diplomacy https://t.co/pv1T0zLZCC  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) December 14, 2016

Senior BJP leaaders, including Venkaiah Naidu and Suresh Prabhu, sent out congratulatory messages for Swaraj. President Pranab Mukherjee congratulated the minister as well.

@SushmaSwaraj happy to know about successful kidney transplant, prayers and best wishes for speedy and complete recovery  President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) December 10, 2016

Congratulations to @SushmaSwaraj ji on being part of the @ForeignPolicy Global Thinkers list 2016. https://t.co/Sw8SYptlk6  Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) December 14, 2016

Heartiest congratulations to @SushmaSwaraj ji on being named @ForeignPolicy Global Thinker of 2016.  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) December 14, 2016

Happy to know that my sister @SushmaSwaraj has been named in the Global Thinkers 2016 list compiled by d Foreign Policy magazine. Congrats.  M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) December 14, 2016

Congratulations @SushmaSwaraj ji for this esteemed recognition of your wonderful work.We all are proud of you! https://t.co/2tOONtxkjn  Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) December 14, 2016

The magazine complimented Swaraj "for fashioning a novel brand of Twitter diplomacy".

"From evacuating Indians from Yemen to helping replace lost passports, Swaraj has earned the nickname 'the common tweeple's leader' for her aggressive use of Twitter," the magazine noted.

With inputs from agencies
Whenever anyone criticises Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for either his intemperate remarks or his shabby sartorial inelegance and total lack of occasion there is invariably a group of people who rush to his rescue.

This is understandable because we are, as a nation, weaned on the equation that those who are simple (read sloppy) or disheveled and scruffy are good people at heart. This is integral to our categorisation of the human race and any effort to be smart or display a level of is indicative of a certain corruption of values. Simplicity becomes a cloak for laziness, sloth, even casual indifference.

The same sort of casual indifference that marks the attitude towards the announcement of the next Chief of the Army Staff. General Dalbir Singh Suhag, who himself, was appointed after much stress, retires at the end of the month and that is scarcely more than two weeks to go.

In a brilliant assessment of the subject of four-star appointments by Prakash Nanda in Firstpost on the inordinate delay, he has traced the frequent rocks strewn in the path of the handing over in all three services. The fact that the successor is announced at least 10 weeks before the date of retirement has been conveniently ignored because, of course, the defence ministry is clearly not cognizant of this fact. The thing is when the announcement is made automatically there is a shuffling at the Army Commander level and the domino principle kicks in. Immediately, the senior ranks know who the next leaders of their armies and Corps are going to be. The deck so to speak is reshuffled.

It is customary in India to give the fourth star to the seniormost army commander. After all, if his Annual Confidential Reports are without any negatives Indian convention follows the British model and it cannot find fault with that aspirant. After all, there is no further gauge to measure his caliber. In the US the president can appoint and leapfrog several Generals to announce a successor.

To keep the obvious choice in suspense is to inject politics into the issue and needlessly bring about speculation that is detrimental to the morale of the force and fuels rumours. At present Lt General Praveen Bakshi, GOC-in-C Eastern Command is the frontrunner and the automatic choice. The indication that since he is an Armoured Corps officer (tanks and missile regiments) there is uncertainty over his being the chief a position held usually by an infantry officer.

This is such balderdash it is unbelievable. We have had Signals officers who were Army Commanders. The Armoured Corps is not only held in the highest esteem it is an elite arm of the Service and has a history of over 250 years with regiments like Deccan Horse, Scinde Horse, Poona Horse, Hodsons Horse, the 3,7, 8 Cavalries and Central India Horse that can display medals of gallantry in battle way back to the early 18th century. The much-touted battle of Basantar, the biggest since Rommel, was an Armoured Corps affair and if he denied command over the Army on these grounds it will be a huge pity.

If Lt General Bakshi is denied his legitimate claim to the fourth star it will also be a bruising of the huge store held in the capabilities of our men in tanks.

The black berets are the best.

Honestly, this is so indicative of civilian ignorance of how the armed forces operate that they would play tiddlywinks with such a sensitive matter.

Even the infantry would be appalled if that was a reason applied to the Parrikar decision to bypass the Eastern Command chief while appointing the vice-chief.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis demonetisation move has led to a mad scramble among political parties to tap the impatience, resentment and growing anger of the common people who have been forced to queue up, often for days together, outside ATMs and banks to withdraw their own money to beat the crisis of liquid cash for day to day expenses.

The Congress is the largest party in Parliament with 44 MPs in the Lok Sabha  though it does not enjoy the official status of leader of opposition  and another 60 in the Rajya Sabha. This adds up to a hefty 104 MPs which is considerably more than the 50 of the AIADMK and the 46 of the Trinamool Congress, its immediate non-NDA opposition parties.

The 130-year-old party has been raising its voice against the tardy implementation of demonetisation by stalling the proceedings of the two houses of Parliament, protesting in front of the Gandhi statue in the complex and leading a delegation of opposition leaders to submit a memorandum to President Pranab Mukherjee. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi stood outside ATMs and banks in solidarity with the common people who were facing hardships in accessing their own money.

And even here he and the Congress have had to compete with parties like the Trinamool Congress whose chief Mamata Banerjee is leading her own charge against the Modi government by demanding a rollback of demonetisation  a demand articulated also by Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The Congress was overshadowed by her fiery presence and tough stand when on the opening day of the winter session of Parliament on November 16 she marched to Rashtrapati Bhavan, with the BJPs ally the Shiv Sena in tow, and later held a rally at Jantar Mantar with AAP and some other leaders.

It is easy for the Congress to register its protest in Parliament and capture the headlines or for Rahul to come out with quotable quotes like PayTM means Pay To Modi, demonetisation is the countrys biggest scam, notebandi was intended to help Modis corporate friends, there would be an "earthquake" if he is allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha or the country is tired of the PMs monologue .

All this has helped Rahul capture the headlines and acquire a profile. It has also given him a handle to chip away at Modis image.

So far, so good.

But what after the Parliament session?

The big question is what will the party do once the session gets over as scheduled on December 16? Will its hyperactivity fizzle out? Or will it take out street level campaigns to empathise with people hit hard by the withdrawal of the old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes and the non-availability of the new currency in adequate quantities? Will it commiserate with the farmers who have found sowing difficult in the rabi season? More pertinently, will Rahul, who led a 26-day Deoria to Delhi Kisan Yatra to make a pitch for the Congress in next years assembly polls in UP, traverse the countryside and the hinterland where the bulk of Indias voters reside?

Indeed, this is where the Congresss problems really lie.

The Congresss strength at the grassroots level has been rapidly depleting over the years. This is reflected in its electoral track record. The party was rejected by the electorate in 2014 because of the UPAs mega scams, its inability to check price rise and the paralysis in decision making in government. It got just 44 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and drew a blank in as many as 19 states and union territories. It could win just 261 seats of the last 2226 seats , including those for the Lok Sabha, for which elections were held.

The party presently rules just seven states  Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka (the biggest of the lot), Arunachal, Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya  and shares power in Bihar and Puducherry. Over the years, it has been systematically ejected from vast stretches across the country. In Tamil Nadu it was overrun by Dravidian parties 50 years back. Even in states like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where it once held sway, it has been dislodged by the BJP for almost a decade and a half now. Its place has been taken over time by the BJP, a host of regional outfits, region-based parties and new forces including the SP, BSP, JD-U, RJD, BJD, TRS, TDP and newbie AAP.

No leg to stand on

What hurts the Congress most perhaps is the fact that it does not have a social base to call its own. Its erstwhile coalition of upper castes-minorities-scheduled castes has been hijacked by other parties. Its success in 2004 and 2009 in bypassing the caste affiliations by winning over the poor, the middle classes and the aspirational youth through the combined appeal of Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi has long dissipated. With Sonia now poised to hand over the mantle of party president-ship to her son, Rahul will be confronted with the triple task of strengthening the organisation, building a social coalition for his party and improving his and his partys image, credibility and appeal if the Congress is to recapture the popular mind and vote.

It hopes to do this partially by its intensive campaign against Modis poorly -implemented and half-baked demonetisation drive. But then there are drags like charges of corruption in defence and other deals during the UPA tenure. The recent arrest of former Air Chief SP Tyagi for irregularities in the Rs 3600 crore AgustaWestland deal has not only stoked those memories but also threatens to widen the net as the former air force officer has alleged that the specifications of the helicopters were tweaked at the behest of the PMO, that is the office of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This in turn would drag the Gandhi family into the controversy. Until the people and the voters are able to forget or overlook the sins of omission and commission of the UPA regime, the Congress can only be an also-ran in the battle to extract political gains from Modis adventurism.

Parties which dominate their states will have the advantage of harnessing the anti-BJP sentiment arising out of demonetisation there. This would mean, for instance, Mamatas Trinamool in West Bengal, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadavs SP and Mayawatis BSP in Uttar Pradesh. Even parties that have not gone the whole hog in opposing Modis move  like the BJD or the AIADMK, which is grieving over the loss of its leader J Jayalalithaa  are unlikely to cede space to the Congress.

Indeed, in many of the states where the regional parties hold sway, the local sentiments for the home grown outfit would perhaps weigh more with the people than that of a 'national party' like the Congress which is notional at best given its present condition. The Congress however believes that since it is as an all India party with its footprint across the country it would automatically attract those who are disgruntled with or disillusioned by the BJP.

But this could turn out to be a pipe-dream unless the Congress manages to reconnect with the people, enhances its political profile and improves its performance in the elections. Voting will take place in 15 states before the country moves into another general election in 2019.

In 2017, there will be elections in seven states including SP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Akali-BJP ruled Punjab, BJP ruled Gujarat and Goa and Congress-ruled Manipur, Uttarakhand and Himachal. In 2018 votes will be cast in eight states: BJP- ruled Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and Congress-ruled Mizoram and Karnataka. Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland are the other three states.

It is a long road ahead for the party before it can re-emerge as an alternative.
While queues outside ATMs don't seem to be ending anytime soon, authorities have confiscated more than four crore rupees in new currency notes over the last 24 hours, raising questions on the effectiveness of demonetisation in in curbing black money and corruption.

Income Tax department seized Rs 2.25 crore in new currency notes in Bengaluru (Karnataka)  ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

Even though the government has taken several measures to curb the outflow of new currency notes, "the Income Tax Department seized new currency notes worth Rs 2.25 crores on Wednesday", an ANI tweet said.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra police said that it has seized more than one crore rupees in new currency notes and detained three persons in Thane on Tuesday evening, PTI said.

Joint Commissioner of Police Ashutosh Dumbre said that three persons were going to exchange the new Rs 2,000 notes totalling Rs one crore for the defunct Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes totalling Rs 1.20 crore, thus charging 20 percent commission. The police had previously confiscated Rs 9.76 lakhs from three people in Ulhasnagar in Thane.

Similar operations conducted by the authorities such as the Income Tax Department, Enforcement Directorate and local police across India have been conducted. According to several reports, the operations have resulted in several confiscations of new notes including Rs 7.92 lakh in new currency notes of Rs 2,000 denomination in Gurugram, Rs 4 lakh in new Rs 2,000 currency in Jaipur and Rs 24 lakh of new currency notes in Goa.

The police have also arrested a gang of dacoits with Rs 52 lakhs in 2000 notes in Hyderabad.

In similar arrests made in Chandigarh, according to DNA, the Enforcement Directorate has recovered Rs 2.18 crore in Chandigarh in both old and new notes. Of the seized amount, Rs 17.74 lakh were in new currency notes whereas Rs 52 lakh were in Rs 100 notes.

But that's not all. CBI investigations haves revealed several cases of involvement of bank officials. According to ANI, CBI has registered 10 cases involving bank officials and post offices in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, seizing Rs 17.36 crores in total.

#UPDATE CBI has registered 10 cases involving bank officials & post offices in Bengaluru & Hyderabad seizing 17.36 crores #DeMonetisation  ANI (@ANI_news) December 13, 2016

On Tuesday, former finance Minister P Chidambram had demanded a special investigation team to look into all the cases that have emerged of people carrying huge amounts of new currency notes, despite the ongoing limits in daily withdrawals. "I can't get a Rs 2000 note, yet crores in Rs 2000 notes found their way to individuals being raided all over the country. It is a major crime and there must be a criminal investigation into this," the senior Congress leader had said.

With inputs from PTI
As the Parliament Winter session reconvenes after a four-day break, it looks like the Opposition may finally get the debate on demonetisation it has been asking for, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to attend all the remaining parliamentary proceedings, reports said on Wednesday.

According to The Indian Express, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress has instructed their Member of Parliaments (MPs) to be present in both Houses for the rest of the session.

The news story, however, indicated that the government seems to have managed to convince the Opposition to forego its demand of a discussion under Rule 193, a primary demand of the Opposition  mostly Congress and Tirnamool Congress  that had lead to a deadlock in both the houses of Parliament since the beginning of the session. It will now be a no-rule discussion, it said.

As for the Opposition's second demand, which was that Prime Minister Modi should answer questions from the Opposition, CNN-News18 said that Modi is likely to attend the parliamentary proceedings. However, whether or not he will speak, remains unclear.

However, 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.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with key ministers before Parliament convenes this morning to decide their strategy," the report said.

The Opposition will discuss its strategy during the parliamentary proceedings on Wednesday in an Opposition party's meet at 9.30 am, CNN-News18 reported.

The Parliament's Winter Session has been facing a deadlock on demonetisation ever since it began on 16 November. While the Lok Sabha has managed to conduct two legislative actions  pass the Income Tax amendment bill and approve the Supplementary Demand for Grants  the Rajya Sabha, on the other hand, functioned normally only on the first sitting of the session when a debate on demonetisation took place for five hours.

While three bills related to Goods and Services Tax (GST), are unlikely to be cleared on Wednesday, the Indian Express said, "Rajya Sabha is likely to pass the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 in a brief remission of hostilities."

However, apart from the listed topics of business, the Parliamentary proceedings are likely to attract heated discussions on the arrest of former Air marshal, SP Tyagi, in relation to the AugustaWestland VIP chopper scam as well as BJP leader Kiren Rijiju's alleged corruption in the Arunachal Hydro Power project.
KABUL Afghanistan's First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum denied on Tuesday accusations that he had beaten and abducted a political rival and threatened him with sexual violence, in a case that sparked Western calls for a full and fair investigation.Dostum, a former warring faction commander with a fearsome reputation and a lingering power base in northern Afghanistan, was witnessed by hundreds of people, according to The New York Times, beating and then ordering his men to detain Ahmad Ishchi at a public sporting event in late November.Ishchi was once a member of the same political faction as Dostum but later fell out with him.Reuters has been unable to confirm independently the accusations made by Ishchi against Dostum."He (Ishchi) was detained by Afghan security forces for allegations of funding the opposition and having a hand in repeated security issues," a spokesperson for Dostum said in a statement, denying any physical or sexual abuse had taken place."For some time there has been a destructive movement by some unknown circles against the First Vice President," it added.Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's office promised a thorough investigation of Ishchi's accusations.While imprisoned by Dostum's men, Ishchi told Reuters he was repeatedly beaten, including by rifles, and threatened with sexual violence.

After being held by men loyal to Dostum for five days, Ishchi said he remained for another 10 days with security forces who provided medical aid."NOBODY IS ABOVE THE LAW"

Pledging an investigation into Ishchi's claims, Afghan presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansori said: "For the Afghan government nobody is above the law. Rule of law and accountability begins in the government itself and we are committed to it."

Western embassies in Kabul expressed concern over the accusations."The unlawful detention and reported mistreatment of Mr Ishchi by the First Vice President raises serious concerns," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement. "We would welcome the Afghan governments move to swiftly investigate these allegations."The European Union, Australia, Canada and Norway echoed its call.

Dostum joined Afghanistan's National Unity Government in 2014 in a bid by Ghani to attract the support of his mostly ethnic Uzbek constituency, but has been dogged by accusations of past human rights violations.Warring factions brought bloody chaos to Afghanistan after they forced the withdrawal of Soviet occupying forces in 1989.In the 1990s, many Afghans initially welcomed the rise of the Taliban who defeated and largely banished the "warlord" factions.But some old faction commanders have made a comeback to positions of influence since the Taliban were ousted in 2001, to the dismay of many ordinary Afghans. (Writing by Josh Smith,; Editing by Gareth Jones)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Kabul: Allegations that Afghanistan's first vice president and his guards sexually assaulted a political rival while holding him captive in his private compound prompted calls on Tuesday from the country's Western allies for a government investigation.

Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former warlord who has a catalogue of war crimes attached to his name, is accused of ordering his guards to seize Ahmad Ishchi last month in northern Jowzjan province during a game of buzkashi, or polo with a carcass.

Dostum allegedly kept Ishchi hostage in his private enclave for five days, where he was said to be tortured and sodomised.

"He told me 'I will throw you under the horses and do buzkashi on you'," Ishchi, a former Jowzjan governor, told local Tolo television on Tuesday.

"He (Dostum) said first I want to have sex with him. His men rolled up my clothes... Then Dostum told 10 of his men to sodomise me until my anus ruptures and bleeds."

Dostum's office dismissed the comments as a conspiracy to defame him.

But the United States joined a slew of Western governments to call for a thorough probe.

"The unlawful detention and reported mistreatment of Mr Ishchi by the First Vice President raises serious concerns," the US Embassy in Kabul said in a statement.

"We would welcome the Afghan government's move to swiftly investigate these allegations."

The European Union along with Australia and Canada also demanded a "fair and transparent investigation" into what it called "gross human rights violations and abuses against Ishchi".

The presidential palace in Kabul, under fire from human rights campaigners, said the government was committed to investigating the allegations.

The controversy has once again drawn attention to how warlords and strongmen throughout Afghanistan operate with impunity, hobbling Western-backed efforts to restore peace and rebuild the nation after decades of conflict.

Dostum, who has come under a storm of criticism for his alleged brutalities and war crimes in the past, joined the the country's National Unity Government in 2014 in a bid by President Ashraf Ghani to attract the support of his mostly ethnic Uzbek constituency.
By Laila Bassam, Lisa Barrington and John Davison

| ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT

ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT Plans to evacuate besieged rebel districts of Aleppo were under threat on Wednesday as renewed air strikes and shelling rocked the Syrian city in a bombardment the United Nations said "most likely constitutes war crimes".Iran, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main backers, imposed new conditions, saying it wanted the simultaneous evacuation of wounded from two villages besieged by rebel fighters, according to rebel and U.N. sources. There was no sign of that happening. Instead air strikes, shelling and gunfire erupted in Aleppo and Turkey accused government forces of breaking a truce agreed less than a day before. Syrian state television said rebel shelling killed six people.There were clashes on the ground later in the day, with rebels saying they launched an attack against government forces using suicide car bombs.A ceasefire brokered by Russia, Assad's most powerful ally, and Turkey was intended to end years of fighting in the city, giving the Syrian leader his biggest victory in more than five years of war. The evacuation of rebel-held areas was expected to start in the early hours of Wednesday, but did not materialise.The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, said he was appalled that the deal appeared to have collapsed."While the reasons for the breakdown in the ceasefire are disputed, the resumption of extremely heavy bombardment by the Syrian government forces and their allies on an area packed with civilians is almost certainly a violation of international law and most likely constitutes war crimes," he added.There was no immediate indication when the evacuation of civilians and rebel fighters might take place but a pro-opposition TV station said it could be delayed until Thursday. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call to make a joint effort to start the process, Turkish presidential sources said.There was no sign of Iran's conditions being met. Insurgents fired shells at the two majority-Shi'ite villages from which Tehran wanted wounded to be evacuated, Foua and Kefraya, in Idlib province west of Aleppo, causing some casualties, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov predicted that rebel resistance in Aleppo would last no more than two or three days. The defence ministry in Moscow said the rebels now controlled an enclave of only 2.5 square km (1 square mile).

RAPID ADVANCES

Nobody had left by dawn under the plan, according to a Reuters witness waiting at the departure point, where 20 buses stood with engines running but showed no sign of moving into rebel districts.People in eastern Aleppo had packed their bags and burned personal belongings, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed militia allies.Officials in the military alliance backing Assad could not be reached immediately for comment on why the evacuation had stalled.U.N. war crimes investigators said the Syrian government bore the main responsibility for preventing any attacks and reprisals in eastern Aleppo and that it must hold to account any troops or allied forces committing violations.In what appeared to be a separate development from the planned evacuation, the Russian defence ministry said 6,000 civilians and 366 fighters had left rebel-held districts over the past 24 hours.

A total of 15,000 people, including 4,000 rebel fighters, wanted to leave Aleppo, according to a media unit run by the Syrian government's ally Hezbollah. The evacuation plan was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire.By taking full control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia's air force and an array of Shi'ite militias from across the region. Rebels have been supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but the support they have enjoyed has fallen far short of the direct military backing given to Assad by Russia and Iran.Russia's decision to deploy its air force to Syria 18 months ago turned the war in Assad's favour after rebel advances across western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year.

The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria.FEAR STALKS STREETS

As the battle for Aleppo unfolded, global concern has risen over the plight of the 250,000 civilians who were thought to remain in its rebel-held eastern sector before the sudden army advance began at the end of November. The rout of rebels in Aleppo sparked a mass flight of terrified civilians and insurgents in bitter weather, a crisis the United Nations said was a "complete meltdown of humanity". There were food and water shortages in rebel areas, with all hospitals closed.On Tuesday, the United Nations voiced deep concern about reports it had received of Syrian soldiers and allied Iraqi fighters summarily shooting dead 82 people in recaptured east Aleppo districts. It accused them of "slaughter".The Syrian army has denied carrying out killings or torture among those captured, and Russia said on Tuesday rebels had "kept over 100,000 people in east Aleppo as human shields". Fear stalked the city's streets. Some survivors trudged in the rain past dead bodies to the government-held west or the few districts still in rebel hands. Others stayed in their homes and awaited the Syrian army's arrival."People are saying the troops have lists of families of fighters and are asking them if they had sons with the terrorists. (They are) then either left or shot and left to die," said Abu Malek al-Shamali in Seif al-Dawla, one of the last rebel-held districts. (Reporting by Laila Bassam in Aleppo and Tom Perry, John Davison and Lisa Barrington in Beirut; Writing by Angus McDowall in Beirut; Editing by Giles Elgood and Pravin Char)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Laila Bassam, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Tom Perry

| ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT

ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT An evacuation of rebel-held districts of Aleppo is back on track and expected to begin within hours, officials on both sides of the war said late on Wednesday, a retreat that would mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and end years of fighting.An initial deal that would have seen thousands of civilians and opposition fighters granted safe passage out of the city stalled on Wednesday and the planned exodus failed to materialise. Iran, one of Assad's main backers, had imposed new conditions, saying it wanted the simultaneous evacuation of wounded from two villages besieged by rebels, according to rebel and U.N. sources. But Abdul Salam Abdul Razak, a military spokesman for the Nour al-Din al Zinki rebel group, said late on Wednesday that a new agreement had been reached which included those villages in Idlib province. "Within the coming hours its implementation will begin," he told Reuters.An official in the Jabha Shamiya rebel group said implementation would begin around 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Thursday.An official in the pro-Damascus military alliance confirmed the truce deal was on, and said about 15,000 people would be evacuated from the majority Shi'ite villages, Foua and Kefraya, in return for the evacuation from Aleppo of "militants and their families and whoever wants to leave among civilians".He said those leaving Aleppo would head for Idlib province to the west of the city.The Jabha Shamiya official however denied that 15,000 people would leave the two villages and said only the wounded would be evacuated.It was not immediately clear how the deal had been reached.The original ceasefire was brokered by Russia, Assad's most powerful ally, and opposition backer Turkey on Tuesday. But the planned evacuation of rebel-held areas did not happen and instead shelling and gunfire erupted in the city on Wednesday, with Turkey accusing government forces of breaking the truce. Syrian state television said rebel shelling killed six people.The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, said the bombardment by Syrian government forces and their allies "most likely constitutes war crimes".Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call earlier in the day to make a joint effort to start the process, Turkish presidential sources said.

Shortly before the new deal was announced, clashes raged in Aleppo.Government forces made a new advance in Sukkari - one of just a handful of districts still held by rebels - and brought half of the neighbourhood under their control, the Observatory said. Rebels saying they launched an attack against government forces using suicide car bombs. The Russian defence ministry said - before the report of the government forces' advance in Sukkari - that the rebels controlled an enclave of only 2.5 square km (1 square mile). RAPID ADVANCES

At dawn on Wednesday nobody had left under the initial evacuation plan, according to a Reuters witness waiting at the departure point, where 20 buses stood with engines running but showed no sign of moving into rebel districts.People in eastern Aleppo had packed their bags and burned personal belongings, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed militia allies.

Officials in the military alliance backing Assad could not be reached immediately for comment on why the evacuation had stalled.U.N. war crimes investigators said the Syrian government bore the main responsibility for preventing any attacks and reprisals in eastern Aleppo and that it must hold to account any troops or allied forces committing violations.In what appeared to be a separate development from the planned evacuation, the Russian defence ministry said 6,000 civilians and 366 fighters had left rebel-held districts over the past 24 hours.A total of 15,000 people, including 4,000 rebel fighters, wanted to leave Aleppo, according to a media unit run by the Syrian government's ally Hezbollah. The evacuation plan was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire.By taking full control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia's air force and an array of Shi'ite militias from across the region.

Rebels have been supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but the support they have enjoyed has fallen far short of the direct military backing given to Assad by Russia and Iran.Russia's decision to deploy its air force to Syria 18 months ago turned the war in Assad's favour after rebel advances across western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year. The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria.FEAR STALKS STREETS

As the battle for Aleppo unfolded, global concern has risen over the plight of the 250,000 civilians who were thought to remain in its rebel-held eastern sector before the sudden army advance began at the end of November. The rout of rebels in Aleppo sparked a mass flight of terrified civilians and insurgents in bitter weather, a crisis the United Nations said was a "complete meltdown of humanity". There were food and water shortages in rebel areas, with all hospitals closed.On Tuesday, the United Nations voiced deep concern about reports it had received of Syrian soldiers and allied Iraqi fighters summarily shooting dead 82 people in recaptured east Aleppo districts. It accused them of "slaughter".The Syrian army has denied carrying out killings or torture among those captured, and Russia said on Tuesday rebels had "kept over 100,000 people in east Aleppo as human shields". Fear stalked the city's streets. Some survivors trudged in the rain past dead bodies to the government-held west or the few districts still in rebel hands. Others stayed in their homes and awaited the Syrian army's arrival. (Reporting by Laila Bassam in Aleppo and Tom Perry, John Davison and Lisa Barrington in Beirut; Writing by Angus McDowall in Beirut; Editing by Giles Elgood and Pravin Char)

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CAIRO The chairman of two independent Egyptian newspapers, including one of the country's only English-language papers, said on Wednesday that the company's assets were frozen for alleged ties to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, a charge he denied.The Muslim Brotherhood's activities were banned in 2013 after the army ousted President Mohamed Mursi of the Brotherhood following mass protests against his rule.The government formed a committee shortly thereafter to manage the Brotherhood's funds and properties. It has since seized the assets of many of the group's leaders.Mostafa Sakr, chairman of Business News -- the parent company of Al-Borsa, a widely read financial newspaper, and Daily News Egypt, a popular English-language paper -- denied any connection to the organisation.

"Our notebooks are open and our assets are clear and they have just one source, our advertisements and subscriptions," Sakr told Reuters."We did not receive any explanations or even warnings about this beforehand whatsoever, so we are extremely surprised by this decision," he said.

Human rights groups have accused Egyptian authorities of widespread violations that include rolling back press freedoms won in the 2011 uprising that toppled veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Sakr said the company has appealed the committee's decision and that the newspapers will continue to operate as usual. (Reporting by Eric Knecht and Haitham Ahmed, editing by Larry King)

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By David Brunnstrom

| WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON China appears to have installed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, on all seven of the artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea, a U.S. think tank reported on Wednesday, citing new satellite imagery.The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) said its findings come despite statements by the Chinese leadership that Beijing has no intention to militarize the islands in the strategic trade route, where territory is claimed by several countries.AMTI said it had been tracking construction of hexagonal structures on Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi reefs in the Spratly Islands since June and July. China has already built military length airstrips on these islands."It now seems that these structures are an evolution of point-defense fortifications already constructed at Chinas smaller facilities on Gaven, Hughes, Johnson, and Cuarteron reefs," it said citing images taken in November and made available to Reuters."This model has gone through another evolution at (the) much-larger bases on Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief reefs."Satellite images of Hughes and Gaven reefs showed what appeared to be anti-aircraft guns and what were likely to be close-in weapons systems (CIWS) to protect against cruise missile strikes, it said.Images from Fiery Cross Reef showed towers that likely contained targeting radar, it said.

AMTI said covers had been installed on the towers at Fiery Cross, but the size of platforms on these and the covers suggested they concealed defense systems similar to those at the smaller reefs."These gun and probable CIWS emplacements show that Beijing is serious about defense of its artificial islands in case of an armed contingency in the South China Sea," it said."Among other things, they would be the last line of defense against cruise missiles launched by the United States or others against these soon-to-be-operational air bases."

AMTI director Greg Poling said AMTI had spent months trying to figure out what the purposes of the structures was."This is the first time that we're confident in saying they are anti-aircraft and CIWS emplacements. We did not know that they had systems this big and this advanced there," he told Reuters. "This is militarization. The Chinese can argue that it's only for defensive purposes, but if you are building giant anti-aircraft gun and CIWS emplacements, it means that you are prepping for a future conflict."They keep saying they are not militarizing, but they could deploy fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles tomorrow if they wanted to," he said. "Now they have all the infrastructure in place for these interlocking rings of defense and power projection."The report said the installations would likely back up a defensive umbrella provided by a future deployment of mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) platforms like the HQ-9 system deployed to Woody Island in the Paracel Islands, farther to the north in the South China Sea.

It forecast that such a deployment could happen "at any time," noting a recent Fox News report that components for SAM systems have been spotted at the southeastern Chinese port of Jieyang, possibly destined for the South China Sea.China has said military construction on the islands will be limited to necessary defensive requirements.The United States has criticized what it called China's militarization of its maritime outposts and stressed the need for freedom of navigation by conducting periodic air and naval patrols near them that have angered Beijing. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has also criticized Chinese behavior in the South China Sea while signaling he may adopt a tougher approach to China's assertive behavior in the region than President Barack Obama. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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FRANKFURT Germany has carried out its first group deportation of Afghans whose asylum applications have been rejected, in line with an agreement reached with Kabul earlier this year.A charter plane carrying about 50 Afghans left Frankfurt on Wednesday, a Reuters journalist at the scene said.A spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Refugees said authorities were expecting a plane with 50 returnees from Germany to arrive on Thursday in Kabul.If the returnees need help to get back to their home provinces, the ministry will provide help, the spokesman said, adding around 10,000 Afghans had returned from Europe so far this year.More than a million migrants from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived in Germany since the beginning of 2015, prompting concerns about security and integration. The influx has boosted support for anti-immigrant groups such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.In 2016, Afghans were the second biggest group of asylum seekers in Germany after Syrians, according to data from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).

A spokeswoman for the German Interior Ministry said the deportations were taking place on the basis of an agreement made with the Afghan government in October.The Afghans are flown to Kabul and then ultimately sent back to their home regions if they are regarded as reasonably safe.

The next plane has been chartered for the beginning of January, according to German media reports.Germany has seen protests against the deportations in recent weeks and critics say much of Afghanistan is not safe and that returnees might face reprisals.Last week, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) toughened their tone on migrants and Deputy Finance Minister Jens Spahn said the legal barriers to deportation must be lowered.

The Western-backed government in Afghanistan is battling a number of Islamist militant groups, including the Taliban.Western military officials estimate that the Taliban control or contest nearly a third of the country. Civilian casualties have remained near record high levels, with thousands killed and injured in fighting every year. (Reporting by Tilmann Blasshofer in Frankfurt and Josh Smith in Kabul; Writing by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

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By Nita Bhalla

NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - If the war in Syria had taken place in Europe, the world would have reacted more quickly to foster peace and treated millions of refugees fleeing the protracted conflict more humanely, said Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein. Jordan has been overwhelmed by the influx of refugees since the conflict in neighbouring Syria began almost six years ago. Around one-fifth of Jordan's 10 million population are Syrian refugees - making it the largest host of refugees per capita."Jordan has the highest number of refugees in the world in relation to our population, and yet is the third poorest country in the world when it comes to water resources," Prince Ali told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview over the weekend. "It has been a burden to our economy, but we believe it is our moral duty and that is something we are very proud of. Had a war like this started in Europe, I think the world would have reacted much quicker than it has in the case of Syria."The war has uprooted nearly 9 million people inside Syria and forced nearly 5 million more to seek safety in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and beyond.

Over one million refugees, including Syrians, have crossed into Europe, according to the United Nations, yet only one-tenth have been granted asylum - 65 percent by Germany.Earlier this month, the European Union's executive said member states should be allowed to send some asylum seekers back to Greece from mid-March.

Prince Ali urged rich nations to do more and warned that closing borders was no answer to the migrant crisis."You cannot close borders and try and keep problems out in a world where there is global warming and war. There is about to be a mass movement of people that will destabilise the world, if it is not treated properly," he said on the sidelines of a child rights conference in the Indian capital."Even if the wealthiest nations in the world want to reject migrants and refugees into their countries, then go out and invest in poorer nations and help those in need help themselves."

Expenses to host the refugees - as well as regional instability, a slump in tourist revenue, the collapse of trade routes through Iraq, Turkey and Syria - have taken a toll on Jordan's economy.The country is facing increased unemployment and decreasing foreign investment, yet is spending more than $2.5 billion a year - 6 percent of the gross domestic product and 25 percent of national annual revenue - on the refugees, says the World Bank. (Reporting by Nita Bhalla. Editing by Katie Nguyen. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org)

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MANILA Ministers in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's cabinet on Wednesday said he was in good health, after the leader talked about ailments afflicting him and said he might not live to complete his six-year term.Duterte told a gathering of business leaders on Monday that he suffered from back pains, migraines and Buerger's disease, a cause of blockages in the blood vessels, associated with smoking in his youth.The 71-year-old president stirred further questions about his health by telling a crowd of a few thousand expatriate Filipinos in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, where he is on a visit, that he might not "be around" until the end of his term."He is doing very well," presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella told a news briefing in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, however."Whatever pains he's experiencing, is basically, as the doctors would say, 'Wear and tear'. So nothing to be afraid about, nothing to be concerned about. Hes doing fine."

Duterte, who will be 77 at the end of his term in 2022, is the oldest person to be elected president in the Philippines since the post-war period.He missed some events during meetings of the ASEAN grouping of South East Asian nations in Laos in September and last month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru, due to migraine attacks and a bad stomach.

Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello told the same media briefing he had difficulty keeping pace with Duterte's schedule, and did not know where the leader got his energy. "He is super-healthy," said Bello. "Whatever he is doing, I don't think somebody who is sick can do that. He must be in the pink of health."

The officials dismissed a suggestion by a lawmaker for the president's office to issue a regular bulletin on his health, saying it was not necessary. (Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Civilians and rebel fighters were to start evacuating from Syria's Aleppo "within hours" under a deal reached Tuesday that would end years of opposition resistance in the city.

Rebel officials, Russia and Turkey confirmed the agreement which, if implemented, would mark a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad over opposition forces who rose up against him in 2011.

Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said the Syrian military had stopped its operations in Aleppo under the agreement, adding: "The fighting around eastern Aleppo is over."

Green government buses gathered at the edges of the divided Salaheddin district late on Tuesday, with some entering briefly but returning empty and parking on the outskirts again, an AFP correspondent said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the evacuations were now expected to begin around 0300 GMT.

The agreement came amid mounting global outrage over reports of atrocities, including dozens of summary executions, as forces loyal to Assad closed in on the last pocket of rebel territory in Aleppo.

Officials from several rebel groups told AFP there was a deal to allow civilians and fighters to leave Aleppo for opposition-held territory to the west of the city.

"An agreement has been reached," said Yasser al-Youssef from the political office of the key Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group, adding that the deal had been "sponsored" by Russia and Turkey.

"The first stage will be the evacuation of civilians and wounded, within hours, and afterwards fighters will leave with their light weapons."

As the UN Security Council met in emergency session to discuss Aleppo, Churkin said: "There is indeed an arrangement achieved on the ground that the fighters are going to leave the city."

US calls for observers

Turkey said that under the agreement civilians would first evacuate, followed by a withdrawal of rebel groups.

"While we are pleased with today's step taken to secure a ceasefire, at the same time we must always be aware of the fragile situation in front of us and it is wise to be cautious," said foreign ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu.

US ambassador Samantha Power told the Security Council Washington wanted international observers in Aleppo to oversee the evacuation.

She raised concern for "people who wish to leave but who, justifiably, fear that if they try they will be shot in the street or carted off to one of Assad's gulags."

In east Aleppo, a spokesman for the White Helmets rescue group said the prospect of leaving the city was devastating.

"How can someone leave his city?" said Ibrahim Abu al-Leith.

"Don't think that we're very happy about leaving. No one who gets kicked out of their country is happy."

An AFP correspondent in west Aleppo said there had been no sounds of fighting or bombardment since around 3:00 pm (1300 GMT) Tuesday and the Observatory also said it was quiet.

The United Nations and aid agencies had been pleading for an agreement to allow for the evacuation of thousands of civilians trapped in rebel territory.

After weeks of heavy fighting, forces loyal to Assad were on the verge of taking all of the city, dealing the biggest blow to Syria's rebellion in more than five years of civil war.

Tormented goodbyes online

Before the ceasefire deal was announced, there were distress calls from doctors in underground shelters and morgues. Then residents under relentless bombardment in the few remaining blocks under rebel control in Aleppo began posting emotional goodbyes on social media and in widely circulated messages.

"Why is this silence? People are being eliminated," tweeted Abdulkafi Alhamdo, an English teacher who has been a vocal critic of President Bashar Assad's government. Then, he wrote: "The last (message). Thanks for Everything. We shared many moments. The last tweets were from an emotional father. Farewell #Aleppo."

the last massage. Thanks for everything. we shared many moments. The last tweets were from an emotiomal father. Farewell, #Aleppo  @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016

Alhamdo later went live on the video-streaming Periscope to say government troops were approaching. "I hope you can remember us," he said.

"There is a problem with this planet," said Monther Etaky, a 28-year old graphic designer. "This planet doesn't want people to live as free or to live as humans."

Hospitals were knocked out and civil defense vehicles were bombed. Thousands of residents fled to government areas, but thousands more, likely die-hard government opponents, squeezed with the rebels into the ever-shrinking enclave.

Etaky said the fast buckling of rebel defenses shocked him at first.

"But when I turned on my brain and thought about what is happening and the cause of what is happening, I knew," he said.

But most importantly, he said, "it was the world silence."

Final message - I am very sad no one is helping us in this world, no one is evacuating me & my daughter. Goodbye.- Fatemah #Aleppo  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 12, 2016

Perhaps my final message from E. Aleppo. Regime forces are closing in and bunker busters are raining down. pic.twitter.com/XgK0DSa08x  Bilal Abdul Kareem (@BilalKareem) December 12, 2016

Scenes of carnage

The United Nations said it had received credible reports of at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, being executed by pro-government forces in Aleppo in recent days.

In Geneva, UN rights office spokesman Rupert Colville said pro-government fighters had in some cases entered homes and killed those inside, and in others "caught and killed on the spot" fleeing civilians.

The UN was "filled with the deepest foreboding for those who remain in this last hellish corner of opposition-held eastern Aleppo," he said.

Witnesses in Aleppo described scenes of carnage in rebel areas, with bodies lying amid the rubble of city streets, as desperate residents sat on pavements with nowhere to shelter.

Syria's army has taken more than 90 percent of the territory once held by rebels in east Aleppo, after launching an all-out offensive last month to seize control of the entire city.

Aleppo, a cultural and economic hub in northern Syria second only to Damascus in importance, had been split between a rebel-controlled east and government-held west since 2012.

'Last chance'

It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, after an estimated 130,000 fled to other parts of Aleppo during the government advance.

Jan Egeland, head of the UN-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria, told AFP that thousands of civilians were in need of evacuation and safe passage, including hundreds of wounded.

"We need a pause in the fighting but we also need to get the people inside to help organise an evacuation," he said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said there was only a "last chance to save lives" in Aleppo.

The government assault has been backed by heavy artillery fire and air strikes, with at least 463 civilians, including 62 children, killed in east Aleppo since mid-November, according to the Observatory.

Another 130 people including 40 children have been killed in western districts by rebel rocket fire, the monitoring group says.

More than 310,000 people have been killed since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees.

With inputs from agencies
By Tom Perry, Laila Bassam, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Tom Miles

| BEIRUT/AMMAN/GENEVA

BEIRUT/AMMAN/GENEVA When rebel fighters launched a last desperate attempt to break the siege of Aleppo in October, they were beaten back - not by the Syrian army but by the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah fighting on its behalf, a senior official in the pro-government alliance said. In the build-up to the final battle for Syria's second city, scores of fighters from a single Iraqi Shi'ite militia were killed in just two days of combat this summer, said a commander of another group fighting for President Bashar al-Assad. Even in the last hours of fighting in Aleppo, allied Iraqi militia were at the vanguard. The U.N. human rights office said it had reports that the Syrian army and an allied Iraqi militia had killed at least 82 civilians in captured city districts - allegations denied by the army and militia in question.These episodes show how in the decisive battle of Syria's nearly six-year-old civil war, Assad drew heavily on foreign Shi'ite militias sponsored by Iran for his most important victory to date.Rebel sources say that among fighters taken prisoner by insurgents in the last months of Assad's campaign to retake Aleppo, there was not a single Syrian soldier.To be sure, Russian air strikes were the most important factor in Assad's triumph. They enabled his forces to press the siege of rebel-held eastern Aleppo to devastating effect and regain full control of what was Syria's biggest city and economic hub before the war.But on the ground, Shi'ite militias from as far afield as Afghanistan played an important role for Assad, a member of the minority Alawite sect which is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.Among these militias, which fought in and around Aleppo alongside the Tiger Force, an elite Syrian army unit lavishly backed by Russia, was the Ansar Allah al-Awfiya group. The rebels inflicted big losses on the militia's fighters by hitting them with a barrage of guided anti-tank missiles as they retreated in an area outside Aleppo, according to the militia commander, also an Iraqi. Reuters was unable to confirm the account with the group itself.But Hezbollah, battle-hardened by years of conflict with Israel, played an even more important role. It ensured the siege was not broken by helping thwart a series of suicide attacks, according to the official in the pro-Assad military alliance. "If they (the suicide attacks) had succeeded we would have been the ones under siege," he said.Asked about the role of Shi'ite militias in the battle for Aleppo, a Syrian military source said army statements always referred to the "allied forces" working with the army. Last year Assad publicly credited Hezbollah for its role. SUICIDE ATTACKS

Victory in Aleppo leaves Assad virtually unassailable by the rebels but he still faces great challenges in restoring the power of his state. While he controls the most important cities in western Syria and the coast, armed groups including Islamic State control swathes of territory elsewhere in Syria.Assad could face prolonged guerrilla warfare from forces including the Nusra Front, until recently affiliated with al Qaeda, the global jihadist network founded by Osama bin Laden.But victory in Aleppo shows how the direction of the civil war has shifted with the support of his allies.

"The course of events in Aleppo in the last few months ... has turned the tide in Syria's war in favour of the Syrian government and resistance movement," said Hossein Salami, the deputy head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which has also deployed forces in the protracted campaign for Aleppo.He was referring to a regional alliance grouping Hezbollah, Iran and Syria defined by hostility to Israel.Less than 18 months ago, Assad's forces had been losing ground across Syria and he had acknowledged there was a manpower problem in his army. Russia's decision to intervene militarily in September 2015 helped prop up Assad, while protecting its own interests in the region.Russian warplanes played a key role in imposing the siege, and in August launched some of their most powerful sorties yet to thwart a rebel attempt to break the siege from the south. The rebels' last attempt to break the siege came in late October, and was spearheaded by suicide car and truck bomb attacks on the western flank of government-held west Aleppo.Syrian army soldiers fled when the first trucks, protected by makeshift armour, careered towards their positions. But Hezbollah sharp shooters stood their ground and opened fire, blowing up the trucks before they could hit their targets.One Hezbollah fighter who destroyed one of the suicide truck bombs by hitting it from a distance of 200 metres (220 yards) was killed by the pressure of the blast."Hezbollah took a decision to halt the weapon of the car bomb regardless of how many martyrs it lost," said the senior official in the pro-Damascus alliance.The siege continued unbroken, and proved Assad's most effective weapon in the campaign for Aleppo. Applied steadily over several months, it culminated with the full encirclement of eastern Aleppo this summer.

From then on, rebel fighters faced a daily struggle to find food and fuel for their families, sapping morale. "WEIGHT" BEHIND PRO-GOVERNMENT FORCES

Hezbollah fighters have been in Syria since the early days of the civil war which grew out of protests against Assad and his government in 2011. Their role in the battle of Qusair in Homs province in 2013 was critical to stopping rebels splitting the Assad-held west in two.Other Shi'ite militia groups arrived steadily, their level of organisation growing under Iranian leadership.The Iraqi commander described foreign fighters as the "weight" behind the pro-government forces. "The Iranians manage all the factions, but Hezbollah is independent," he said.Like other sources interviewed for this story, he declined to be named as he was talking about military affairs which he was not formally allowed to discuss with the media.Shi'ite militias generally took on the role of holding frontlines after advances led by Hezbollah or the Tiger Force, said Rolf Holmboe, a research fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and a former Danish ambassador to Syria, Lebanon and Jordan who has deep knowledge of the battlefield.

Iran sees the Syrian government's survival as vital to its regional interests.With their support, pro-Assad forces consolidated their positions around Aleppo and in February severed the most direct supply route from Turkey. By June, air and artillery bombardment made what had been the only way into the rebel-held areas, the Castello Road, impassable.The Tiger Force would finally capture the road in July.Eastern Aleppo then had a population estimated at 275,000 by the U.N. and some 7,000 rebels. Opposition groups had stockpiled months of food. Yet rebel resistance collapsed more rapidly than expected. "COMPLETE FAILURE"

Warplanes unleashed bunker-busting bombs that left craters metres wide and brought down buildings. Hospitals were bombed out of service. Helicopters also dropped chlorine bombs, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, though the government denied this and other reported atrocities.Some rebels said cooperation on the battlefield was weakened by a lack of trust between groups in eastern Aleppo. Others said government spies has sewn discord among the rebels.Above all, rebel officials complain that their main allies -- the United States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- did not offer more military assistance when Russia began air strikes.Some rebel groups were armed with weapons including guided anti-tank missiles under a military aid programme overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. But Washington has ignored their pleas for anti-aircraft systems because of fears that they fall into the hands of more militant groups."It's like you are fighting modern warfare with a sword. Bravery can only take you so far," a Syrian opposition figure said. "It's a complete failure of whoever is interested in seeing us win." Link to graphic on Aleppo: tmsnrt.rs/2gfboV9 (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in Beirut, Writing by Tom Perry, Editing by Timothy Heritage)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By David Brunnstrom

| WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON Defence spending in Taiwan has not kept pace with the threat posed by China and should be increased, a senior U.S. defence official said on Tuesday, days after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump touched off a storm by questioning American policy over the island.Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Abraham Denmark said the Obama administration's "One China" policy remained unchanged, but he could not predict Trump's intentions when he takes office on Jan. 20.Trump set off a diplomatic firestorm over the weekend when he questioned why the United States should be bound by the long-standing policy under which Washington recognises Beijing rather than Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province.This followed an earlier Chinese protest over Trump's telephone conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Dec. 2, the first involving a U.S. President-elect or president since 1979.Some U.S. analysts warn that Trump could provoke a military confrontation if he presses the Taiwan issue too far.

Denmark told the Project 2049 Forum in Washington that the main focus of China's military modernization program was to achieve reunification with Taiwan, by force if necessary."This makes it incumbent on Taiwan to prepare and invest in capabilities to deter aggression and mount an effective defence if deterrence fails," he said."Defense resourcing is critical," he said. "Taiwans defence budget has not kept pace with the threat developments and should be increased."

The United States is the main political ally and sole arms supplier to diplomatically isolated Taiwan.Denmark said the administration had notified Congress of more than $14 billion of arms sales to Taiwan since 2010 but declined to say whether any further sales were possible before President Barack Obama leaves office.He said the United States was committed under the Taiwan Relations Act to ensuring it had the capability to defend Taiwan. But he stressed that any decision to do so was up to the resident and the primary responsibility remained with Taiwan itself.

Taiwan has been working to develop its own defence equipment and last year allocated an initial budget for a submarine program, but technology transfer is critical to the success of such projects and it has yet to receive key foreign technological support.Trump adviser and China hawk Peter Navarro, who has produced books and multipart television documentaries warning of the dangers of China's rise, has suggested stepped up engagement with Taiwan, including assistance with its submarine development program.The Obama administration notified Congress a year ago of a $1.83 billion arms sale package for Taiwan, including two frigates, antitank missiles, amphibious assault vehicles and other equipment, drawing an angry response from China. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
"I was terrified," the victim said after the sentencing. "I still am. I have no means to support myself and my children, but I was terrified Id end up dead if he came back ... I cant give up. I just cant. I want to. Trust me I cry every single day. I am scared and heartbroken for my kids. My sons cant grow up watching me be hit. My daughter cant watch me walk around with a black eye and me act like its okay."
After Twitter and Facebook, Google has released the list of top trending searches in India in 2016. The recap highlights all the biggest moments, major events and users interests based on trillions of searches made by Indians on Google this year.



Rio Olympics 2016 emerged as the top trending search query on Google in 2016 followed by Pokemon Go and Euro 2016. Donald Trump was the top most search in case of trending people followed by P V Sindhu and Sonam Gupta (Sonam Gupta bewafa hai fame). Meanwhile, in case of top trending movies, Sultan grabbed the top spot followed by Rajnikants Kabali at second spot and Udta Punjab at third. Sushant Singh Rajput was the top trending Bollywood male actor while Disha Patani was top trending Bollywood female actor. Rio Olymics 2016 was also the top trending news events followed by US elections and Brexit.

The 7th Pay commission, Demonetization, and the strategic surgical strike on terror groups caught everyones attention and generated a great deal of search curiosity among Indian users. Click here to see more information about Year in Search across the globe.
LG is all set to introduce new K-Series, X-Series and new Stylus smartphone at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 in Las Vegas, according to @evleaks. According to the report, the refreshed lineup has four K-Series smartphones  K3 2017, K4 2017, K8 2017, K10 2017, Two X-series smartphones  X power 2, X calibur and one Stylus phone  Stylus 3, which will be called the Stylo 3 plus in the U.S. The LG X power 2 will be announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 in Barcelona at the end of February.

Some specifications of the smartphones have surfaced, but the processor in these smartphones are still a mystery. @Onleaks revealed some renders of the LG LV5 last week. According to @evleaks the LG phone codenamed LV5 will be the K10 2017 and LV1 will be the K4 2017.

[HTML1]

Highlights of upcoming LG smartphones LG K3 2017  4.5-inch, 5MP rear and 2MP front-facing cams, 2100mAh battery

 4.5-inch, 5MP rear and 2MP front-facing cams, 2100mAh battery LG K4 2017  4.7-inch, 8MP rear and 5MP front-facing cams, 2500mAh battery

 4.7-inch, 8MP rear and 5MP front-facing cams, 2500mAh battery LG K8 2017  5.0-inch HD display, 13MP rear and 5MP front-facing cams, 2500mAh battery

 5.0-inch HD display, 13MP rear and 5MP front-facing cams, 2500mAh battery LG K10 2017  5.3-inch HD display, 2.5D glass on front and back, 5MP wide-angle, front-facing selfie cam, fingerprint reader, rear-mounted buttons

 5.3-inch HD display, 2.5D glass on front and back, 5MP wide-angle, front-facing selfie cam, fingerprint reader, rear-mounted buttons LG X power 2  5.5-inch HD display, 4500mAh battery, 13MP rear and wide-angle 5MP front-facing selfie cams

 5.5-inch HD display, 4500mAh battery, 13MP rear and wide-angle 5MP front-facing selfie cams LG X calibur  water/dust resistant (IP68), military-standard durability, 4100mAh battery

 water/dust resistant (IP68), military-standard durability, 4100mAh battery LG Stylus 3 (Stylo 3 plus)  5.7-inch, 32GB ROM, digital pen, 13MP rear and 5MP front-facing cams, front and rear flashes, 3200mAh battery, fingerprint reader, rear-mounted buttons

We should get more details about these smartphones soon.

Source 1, 2
Google is getting more serious about Internet of Things (IoT). The company has released developer preview of Android Things, a platform for IoT. Android developer can quickly build a smart device using Android APIs and Google services.

Google said it has taken feedback it had received from Project Brillo to include familiar tools such as Android Studio, the Android Software Development Kit (SDK), Google Play Services, and Google Cloud Platform. In coming months, Google will provide Developer Preview updates to offer the infrastructure for securely pushing regular OS patches, security fixes, and your own updates, as well as built-in Weave connectivity and more. Google has partnered with a number of hardware manufacturers to offer solutions based on Intel Edison, NXP Pico and the Raspberry Pi 3.

Google says that other major manufacturers like Belkin WeMo, LiFX, Honeywell, Wink, TP-Link, and First Alert will also back the platform. It is also updating the Weave platform to make it easier for all types of devices to connect to the cloud and interact with services like the Google Assistant.

Source
Global warming activists wont be satisfied until the Earth freezes over and nothing survives.

They relentlessly use obnoxious pictures of polar bears floating on melting sea ice to guilt people into believing were to blame. They chose the wrong animal as their poster child. Polar bears arent cuddly little snowballs who sip on colas all day and use a hunting rifle to compassionately put their prey out of misery when its snack time. Instead, polar bears use ambush tactics and sharp claws and teeth to feast on cute little seals they sometimes eat alive while kicking and screaming. They also snack on whales activists claim they want to save.

Watching former Vice President Al Gore waddle his way around Trump Tower the other day reminded me about how long this guiltings been going on. For decades now, weve been told that computer models predict that a catastrophic ice-free Arctic Ocean is around the bend. In 2009, Gore said some computer models suggest there is a 75 percent chance that the entire North Polar ice cap during some of the summer months could be completely ice-free within the next five to seven years.

Umm, didnt happen. It seems the computer models were 75 percent incorrect. Maybe they were the same ones used to predict Brexit and the 2016 presidential election. Whatever the case, were told its settled science. I thought scientists were skeptics who settled on the idea that true science is never settled.

Sure, the U.S. ended November on a warm note, but the crazy-cold minus 40 degrees weather my state just sent south will surely make this month a December to remember. Youre welcome.

Alarmists practically lose their minds when it warms in Alaska like it did this summer, but it wasnt bikini weather, considering in June, the Coast Guard had to rescue some walrus hunters from their skiff stuck in sea ice. Thankfully, it warmed enough to make the early June king salmon run one of the best runs in years, which, in turn, helped the bears.

The warmth helped our declining caribou population. Predation rates rise when caribou make it to spring looking like a bag of bones because their food source is scarce. Alarmists freak out over longer summers and shorter winters which give caribou extra time for easier eating. Biologists say the caribou they examined this fall looked fatter and healthier than previous years and calves were the heaviest theyve been in the eight years theyve been weighing them, which gives them a better chance of survival this winter, which is trending colder.

Oh, about those polar bears. An intriguing article, The truth about polar bears, in Canadian Geographic says theres been a slow but steady increase in the polar bear population since the 1970s. It says some thriving polar bears have experienced ice-free summers for thousands of years while others deal with pack ice so thick that its often impossible to hunt seals, so warming could potentially make hunting easier. In Davis Strait, where sea ice is declining dramatically, the polar bear population is an eye-popping 233 percent bigger than 40 years ago.

So, what gives?

What if man has no control over what happens on the planet but the God who created it does? I believe hes the one that causes occasional warming to help his animals survive. Maybe its time for alarmists to chill, stop guilting and trust God more.

Susan Stamper Brown lives in Alaska and writes about culture, politics and current events. Email her at writestamper@gmail.com.
Switzerland's Actelion Ltd said on Tuesday that it was in talks with an undisclosed suitor about a "strategic transaction," even as another potential acquirer, U.S. healthcare company Johnson & Johnson , ended talks.

The latest twist in Actelion's deal negotiations illustrate how its chief executive Jean-Paul Clozel is driving a hard bargain as bidders circle his company, which he founded in 1997 and turned into Europe's largest biotechnology drug marker.

Actelion did not name the company it was still in discussions with. It informed Johnson & Johnson that it was confident it could attract an offer significantly higher than the approximately 250 Swiss francs per share that the U.S. company had offered, according to a person familiar with the matter that requested anonymity because the negotiations were confidential. There were also disagreements about the structure of the deal, the person added.

Actelion shares ended trading at 208.50 Swiss francs in Zurich on Tuesday before Actelion gave the update on the talks, giving it a market capitalization of 22.5 billion Swiss francs ($22.2 billion).

Acquiring lung disease specialist Actelion would have boosted J&J's drug pipeline and given it more pricing power, at a time when its popular arthritis drug Remicade faces cheaper competition from Pfizer Inc .

Clozel and his wife, Chief Scientific Officer Martine Clozel, have built up a world-leading drug portfolio at Actelion to treat deadly pulmonary arterial hypertension. They aim to expand in drugs for multiple sclerosis and diarrhea-causing clostridium difficile, but regulatory approvals for those are years away.

The company is also counting on its new pulmonary arterial hypertension treatments Opsumit and Uptravi, which combined are forecast to bring in nearly 4.5 billion francs in annual sales by 2020, according to Reuters data.

Analysts have previously identified France's Sanofi as a potential buyer for Actelion, whose portfolio would supplement the French drugmaker's Genzyme rare disease unit. Sanofi did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ending deal negotiations without a sale would likely subject Clozel to new shareholder pressure. Five years ago, he successfully defended against an effort by activist hedge fund Elliott Management to put Actelion up for sale, questioning his strategy.

(Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Additional reporting by Ismail Shakil and Diptendu Lahiri in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr and Lisa Shumaker)
Image source: iStock/Thinkstock.

In the years since the financial crisis, banks have faced an overwhelming number of regulatory hurdles. Fortunately, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) and JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) are getting better at clearing them as they emerge.

A bank's last will and testament

The latest instance concerned the so-called living wills mandated by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act. These are filings that the nation's eight systemically important banks must submit to the Federal Reserve each year laying how their operations would be resolved, absent a government bailout, in the unlikely event of a bankruptcy.

These are not unlike a person's last will and testament that dispose of his or her property and possessions. But unlike the typical person, these banks are incredibly complicated organizations, with dozens of separate legal entities underneath their respective parent companies' umbrellas. Making things worse is the fact that many of these subsidiaries have interlocking operations and funding agreements.

This is where the concept of "too big to fail" comes from, as both the size and complexity of the nation's biggest banks made regulators reluctant to allow the largest among them to enter bankruptcy during the 2008 crisis. This was despite the fact that, at least in Bank of America and Citigroup's cases, they were almost certainly insolvent.

B of A and JPMorgan get a pass

When the Fed announced in April its assessment of this year's living wills, it found that five of the banks' plans were "not credible or would not facilitate an orderly resolution under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, the statutory standard established in the Dodd-Frank Act." This included Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, as well as Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), Bank of New York Mellon, and State Street.

The five banks were therefore required to resubmit new plans by October to remediate the deficiencies. If they failed to do so, the Fed threatened to subject them to "more stringent prudential requirements" -- in effect, stiffer oversight.

The good news for Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase shareholders, as well as for investors in Bank of New York Mellon and State Street, is that these four banks did indeed satisfy regulators on the second go-around. In Fed-speak, as the central bank noted in a press release Tuesday evening, they "adequately remediated deficiencies in their 2015 resolution plans." They thus needn't worry about facing added oversight.

Wells Fargowasn't so fortunate. Regulators concluded that it failed to fix two of three shortcomings that had been identified in its original submission. The net result is that Wells Fargo is, until further notice, prohibited from establishing new international bank entities or acquiring any non-bank subsidiary.

For Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, news that they cleared the latest hurdle is unlikely to have a material impact on their share prices, which have surged over the past month. In afterhours trading following the announcement, their share prices are essentially even with their respective closing prices from the normal trading session. Wells Fargo, by contrast, is down nearly a percent since the Fed's announcement.

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California Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday asked President Barack Obama to permanently ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in the state before he leaves office.

If Obama agrees, the edict would set up a potential showdown with the incoming administration of Donald Trump. Brown said he didn't know if Trump would have the authority to overturn a permanent prohibition.

"California is blessed with hundreds of miles of spectacular coastline, home to scenic state parks, beautiful beaches, abundant wildlife and thriving communities," Brown wrote to Obama. "Clearly, large new oil and gas reserves would be inconsistent with our overriding imperative to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat the devastating impacts of climate change."

Working to lock in environmental protections as the clock runs out on his presidency, Obama last month released a plan that bans any new oil drilling off the coasts of California, Oregon or Washington state until 2022.

The White House declined to comment on Brown's request to make the ban permanent.

Brown said he would invite fellow Democratic governors of Oregon and Washington to join the effort, which he announced at an event to launch a new organization to protect oceans. Those states also joined the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification, which includes the governments of France, Chile, the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Quebec, businesses and advocacy groups.

Many Democrats in California's congressional delegation, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, have urged Obama to use executive authority to permanently block oil and gas leasing on the West Coast. In 2014, Brown asked for a ban on Pacific offshore drilling through 2022, but climate activists have pushed him to ask for a permanent ban.

Skyli McAfee, national oceans director for the environmental advocacy group The Nature Conservancy, said she was "extremely pleased at how seriously (Brown) is taking the issue and his reliance on the academic community."

The Western States Petroleum Association, an industry group, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brown later joined the Western Governors Association's winter meeting, where he warned against expectations of major policy changes happening quickly under Trump. He said Congress and the judiciary serve as checks on the president and that differences tend to narrow over time.

"If the world ends, we're in deep trouble, but that hasn't happened yet," Brown said at a news conference, responding to a question about the consequences of overturning the Affordable Care Act.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, said he didn't expect significant changes under Trump toward states like his that have legalized recreational use of marijuana.

Hickenlooper said Democrats may find themselves in the unusual position of advocating for states' rights in a Trump administration, a stance more commonly associated with Republicans.

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, a Republican, wrapped his arm around Hickenlooper and said, "Welcome to the party."

___

Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer in San Francisco contributed to this report.
It's time for Wells Fargo to get up and brush itself off... again. Image source: iStock/Thinkstock.

When it comes to the relationship between Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) and bank industry regulators, things are going from bad to worse.

New sanctions on Wells Fargo

The Federal Reserve sanctioned the California-based bank on Tuesday for failing to remedy problems with its 2015 resolution plan, which is designed to map out how Wells Fargo would be resolved in the unlikely event that it goes bankrupt.

The bank's so-called living will, mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act, didn't adequately address two of three deficiencies the Fed identified in April, when it required Wells Fargo, along with four other banks, to resubmit their latest living wills because of shortcomings.

"The agencies jointly determined that Wells Fargo did not adequately remedy two of the firm's three deficiencies, specifically in the categories of 'legal entity rationalization' and 'shared services,'" states the Fed's press release. "The agencies also jointly determined that the firm did adequately remedy its deficiency in the 'governance' category."

Wells Fargo is now subject to a new set of sanctions. It's barred from "establishing international bank entities or acquiring any non-bank subsidiary" until the issues are resolved to the satisfaction of regulators.

After trading higher during the normal trading session on Tuesday, shares of Wells Fargo dropped in after-hours trading following the Fed's announcement.

Going from bad to worse...

The misstep is bad in and of itself, particularly since the other banks that resubmitted their plans didn't run into similar problems. What makes it worse, however, is that it comes on the heels of Wells Fargo's sales-practice scandal, disclosed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in early September, in which thousands of the bank's employees opened millions of fake accounts for customers in order to meet unreasonably high sales goals.

The initial fallout from the scandal seemed manageable -- Wells Fargo even went so far to say at the time that it was immaterial. It paid a $185 million fine, less than 4% of its quarterly earnings, and was required to hire an independent consultant to conduct a thorough review of its sales practices. Aside from the much more meaningful reputational damage suffered by Wells Fargo, these were little more than slaps on the wrist.

Two months later, however, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency doubled down by imposing sanctions related to the sales practices. Under the OCC's restrictions, which are presumably still in place, Wells Fargo must seek prior written notice of a change in directors and senior executive officers. The bank is also now limited in its ability to offer its executives golden parachute payments -- i.e., lump-sum payouts that kick-in if an executive is fired or in the event of a qualifying merger or acquisition.

None of the restrictions in either set of sanctions will bring Wells Fargo's otherwise highly profitable operations to a halt. However, for shareholders in the bank, the added damage to its reputation, and the seemingly thorny relationship with regulators, certainly aren't auspicious signs.

10 stocks we like better than Wells Fargo 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.*

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John Maxfield owns shares of Wells Fargo. The Motley Fool owns shares of Wells Fargo. 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.
Investing in dividend stocks is arguably the best way to predictably generate wealth over the long term. But not all dividend stocks are created equal. Whether it means avoiding businesses with unsustainable payouts or those operating in a faltering industry, buying and holding the wrong dividend stocks can have a devastating effect on the value of your portfolio.

So with the aim of offering a few concrete examples to that end, we asked three top Motley Fool contributors to each discuss a high-risk dividend stock investors should probably avoid. Read on to see why they chose Frontier Communications (NASDAQ: FTR), Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF), and Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A)(NYSE: RDS-B).

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES

Steve Symington (Frontier Communications): With Frontier Communications stock down nearly 40% over the past year as the telecommunications giant sheds subscribers -- the company ended last year with 91,000 fewer broadband subscribers, and 84,000 fewer video subscribers than it started in 2016 -- shares currently sport a huge annual dividend yield of 20%. That makes Frontier Communications seem enticing to value-seeking, dividend-hungry investors. But it also doesn't mean Frontier's share price can't continue to fall. And I don't expect its juicy yield to last much longer.

I'm not the only skeptic. Late last month, shares declined asGoldman Sachs analyst Brett Feldman downgraded Frontier stock to "sell," speculating that the company may choose to suspend its dividend starting this quarter in favor of shoring up its balance sheet to address upcoming debt maturities.To be fair, that would probably be the most fiscally responsible move Frontier Communications management could make right now. Freeing up the funds allocated to supporting its payout could also help position the company to more easily return to sustained growth and consistently creating shareohlder value over the long term. But in the near term, I wouldn't want to be holding shares of Frontier Communications when the company formalizes this tough decision. And as such, I think investors would be wise to avoid this high-risk stock.

A slumping fashion company

Keith Noonan(Abercrombie & Fitch): Valued at 25% of trailing sales and packing a 7% dividend yield, Abercrombie & Fitch stock might look like a tempting purchase, but the company's shaky fundamentals and apparent lack of a workable turnaround strategy mean your investment dollars would probably be put to better use elsewhere. Sales for the company's Abercrombie brand fell 11% last year, while sales for the Hollister brand were flat compared with the prior year. Overall sales fell 5% last year and are down more than 26% over the past five years.

With sales seemingly stuck in reverse, the company's main avenue to returning to profitability appears to be closing underperforming stores. Abercrombie shuttered 53 U.S. locations in 2016, and it has another 60 on the chopping block for this year. Closing lagging stores should improve margins, but it also underlines the likelihood that revenue erosion will continue.

Abercrombie's appeal has always hinged heavily on brand strength, and now that the company's apparel is falling out of fashion and losing pricing power, the business could wind up in a tailspin if some form of reinvention doesn't happen. Its trailing free cash flow has fallen roughly 87% over the past five years, and there's good reason to doubt whether the company's payout is sustainable at current levels. The cost of distributing its annual dividend is nearly 125% of free cash flow, and with strong signs that the company will need to experiment and reinvest in itself to return to growth, its payout could soon be cut.

The oil giant with a wobbly dividend

Travis Hoium (Royal Dutch Shell): Big oil companies are in a really tough position today. They have to balance their short-term profits with investment in future earnings and still keep investors happy with dividends. At the same time, the price of oil has plunged over the past three years, and there's concern that new technologies such as electric vehicles will make the oil business obsolete over time.

From a financial perspective, there's a reason I think investors should be very worried about Royal Dutch Shell's 7.22% dividend yield today. The first is that it's paying out more in dividends than it's making in net income or free cash flow. That means the dividend has to be funded by debt, putting leverage on an already struggling business.

RDS.A Total Dividends Paid (TTM) data by YCharts

The other challenge is more long-term in nature. If Royal Dutch Shell is adding debt to pay dividends, it means it's making choices on what it's not investing in. As oil gets more competition from electric vehicles, and as renewables and energy storage become more cost effective, Shell could be playing a leading role in the energy future. But it's stuck paying a dividend that investors have come to rely on. And given the long-term struggles I see ahead for oil and the short-term challenge of paying out more in dividends than it's bringing in, Royal Dutch Shell is a dividend stock I would avoid.

10 stocks we like better than Royal Dutch Shell (A Shares)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 Royal Dutch Shell (A Shares) wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

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*Stock Advisor returns as of April 3, 2017

Steve Symington has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Cigarettes are the bread and butter of Altria Group (NYSE: MO), and the company gets a huge portion of its overall revenue from sales of Marlboro and other key brands. But when it comes to segment performance and growth, smokeable products haven't been the leading area for Altria. Instead, Altria's fastest-growing segment has been smokeless tobacco products, and a huge part of the gains there have been due to the success of the other major brand in Altria's arsenal: Copenhagen.

Altria's U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company unit has a long history. Image source: Altria.

How smokeless tobacco is getting a growth boost

It's easy to understand why many Altria investors essentially ignore the tobacco giant's smokeless products segment. The unit produces less than a 10th of the revenue that the cigarette division brings in, and the vast majority of Altria's profit also comes from smokeable products.

However, when you look at results from the first nine months of 2016, Altria's smokeless unit has dramatically outperformed its rival segment. Revenue net of excise tax is up more than 10% from year-ago figures, and adjusted operating company income has climbed an even more impressive 13%. Compare that to corresponding figures of 2% revenue growth and a 6% rise in adjusted OCI for the cigarette business, and the extent of Altria's smokeless success is even clearer in context.

Part of the reason why Altria is excited about smokeless tobacco is that the segment has two financial advantages over the cigarette division. First, the amount of excise tax that Altria has to pay on smokeless products makes up a smaller fraction of its sales, at less than 7% so far in 2016 compared to 27% for the smokeable products division. In addition, Altria is able to hold onto more of its revenue in the form of operating profit for smokeless products, boasting an operating margin of 66% compared to 49% for the cigarette unit.

Operationally, gains for smokeless tobacco have been more significant as well. So far this year, shipment volumes for smokeless products have jumped by 6%, with Copenhagen leading the way with a nearly 12% boost compared to 2015 levels. That compares to a 1.6% decline in shipment volume for smokeable products, with the key Marlboro brand seeing shipments fall by almost 2%.

Copenhagen keeps leading the way

For Altria, smokeless tobacco success has been almost exclusively due to the strength of the Copenhagen brand. The brand's retail share climbed to 33.6% this year, up by more than 2 percentage points since last year. That helped drive overall share for Altria's smokeless tobacco division to 55.6%, and that's even better than roughly 51% market share that Altria cigarette brands command in the smokeable segment.

Indeed, were it not for Copenhagen, Altria's smokeless tobacco division would be in a much different place. Fellow snuff brand Skoal has seen shipment declines and market-share losses that have offset some of Copenhagen's gains, and the other products that Altria sells have also seen falling volume and share.

In response, Altria has put most of its efforts in smokeless tobacco toward promoting Copenhagen's popularity. Flavor concepts have been big winners for the company, and after the success of its Wintergreen product, the recent release of Copenhagen Mint has gone well. By identifying areas of the market where consumers have already demonstrated an interest, Copenhagen is tapping into already-existing demand and using the power of its brand loyalty to retain current Copenhagen users and to bring users of rival products into the Copenhagen fold.

Given the size of Altria's various business segments, many investors will never pay much attention to anything beyond its cigarette lines. But Altria has learned valuable lessons from its success with Copenhagen and the rest of its smokeless products, and those lessons could well filter into other parts of its business in the future.

10 stocks we like better than Altria Group 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 Altria Group wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

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*Stock Advisor returns as of Nov. 7, 2016

Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
By Ron Surz

US stocks had a phenomenal run in November, attributed to the Trump win.

Small cap value stocks ruled big time with a 13% gain.

In the spirit of sensationalism, a 13% monthly return is 333% annualized!

Gold Pummeled

Diversifying outside of US stocks was not smart, except for oil in the last few days of the month because OPEC seemed to reach a curtailment agreement.

Gold got hammered, losing 8% (-63% annualized).

A strengthening dollar response to the Trump win stripped off all the luster.

Photo Credit: Sheila Sund via Flickr Creative Commons

The post The small-cap bounce appeared first on Smarter InvestingCovestor Ltd. is a registered investment advisor. Covestor licenses investment strategies from its Model Managers to establish investment models. The commentary here is provided as general and impersonal information and should not be construed as recommendations or advice. Information from Model Managers and third-party sources deemed to be reliable but not guaranteed. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Transaction histories for Covestor models available upon request. Additional important disclosures available at http://site.covestor.com/help/disclosures.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has made no secret of his disdain for the titans of Silicon Valley, will host executives from top technology companies for a meeting at his Manhattan tower on Wednesday.

Tech luminaries, including Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg and Tesla Motors Executive Elon Musk, will seek to find common ground on economic issues at the roundtable even as much of the industry remains angered by the Republican president-elect's harsh rhetoric on illegal immigration, hostility to free trade and public broadsides against the industry.

The meeting, organized by Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and PayPal co-founder and Trump supporter Peter Thiel, is billed as an introductory session, four sources briefed on the talks said, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting.

Sources said Wednesday's meeting may skirt the numerous disagreements with the president-elect in favor of a focus on shared priorities.

"If he can reform the tax code, reduce regulation, and negotiate better trade deals, the U.S. technology community will be stronger and more competitive than ever," Oracle Chief Executive Safra Catz, who will attend the meeting, said in a statement.

Other expected participants include Alphabet Chief Executive Larry Page and Chairman Eric Schmidt, Amazon.com Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella, IBM Chief Executive Ginni Rometty and Oracle, sources said.

The CEOs of Airbnb and Uber - which are not publicly traded - were invited but are not attending. Uber's Travis Kalanick, will not attend because he will be traveling in India all week, according to a person familiar with his plans.

'SOME HESITATION'

Trump clashed with Silicon Valley on several issues during the campaign, including immigration, government surveillance and encryption, and his surprise victory last month alarmed many companies that feared he might follow through on his pledges.

Those concerns have not been assuaged in recent weeks as Trump has threatened to upset trade relationships with China and appoint officials who favor expanded surveillance programs.

"For some of the companies, there was some hesitation about whether to attend" because of sharp political and personal differences with Trump, one tech industry source said.

More than 200 employees of technology companies pledged in an open letter on Tuesday to refuse to help Trump's administration build a data registry to track people based on their religion or assist in mass deportations.

Silicon Valley enjoyed a warm rapport with Democratic President Barack Obama and heavily supported Democrat Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign.

Schmidt was photographed on election night at Clinton headquarters wearing a staff badge, and Musk said in interviews before the election that Trump's character reflected poorly on the United States.

From the employees of the 10 largest Fortune 500 tech companies, Trump raised just $179,400 from 982 campaign donors who contributed more than $200. Clinton raised $4.4 million from the employees of the same companies, with more than 20,400 donations, a Reuters review of contribution data found.

Trump publicly bashed the industry during the campaign. He urged his supporters to boycott Apple products over the company's refusal to help the FBI unlock an iPhone associated with last year's San Bernardino, California, shootings, threatened antitrust action against Amazon and demanded that tech companies build their products in the United States.

Trump has also been an opponent of the Obama administration's net neutrality rules barring internet service providers from obstructing or slowing consumer access to web content. Two advisers to his Federal Communications Commission transition team are opponents of the rules, as are the two Republicans on the FCC.

Last week, the two Republicans on the panel urged a quick reversal of many Obama policies and one, Commissioner Ajit Pai, said he believed that net neutrality's "days are numbered."

(Reporting by Dustin Volz and David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Grant Smith, Heather Somerville and Jim Finkle; Editing by Jonathan Weber and and Peter Cooney)
In selecting Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state, President-elect Donald Trump is making the same bet he asked voters to make on him: that a track record of business accomplishment will translate into success in government.

Indeed, Trump, the first billionaire businessman to win the White House, is broadly testing that proposition across his administration. He's tapped fast food executive Andy Puzder to lead the Labor Department, billionaire investor Wilbur Ross for Commerce, financier Steven Mnuchin as Treasury secretary and Goldman Sachs President Gary Cohn as his top economic adviser.

But he's taking perhaps his biggest chance on Tillerson, pulling an executive from the rough-and-tumble world of oil production into the delicate arena of international diplomacy. If confirmed by the Senate  and his deep ties to Russia make that no sure thing  Tillerson will be at the center of discussions over the Syrian civil war, the intractable pursuit of peace in the Middle East, and potential conflicts with China, given Trump's early questioning of longstanding U.S. policy toward Beijing.

To Trump, the deals Tillerson has struck around the world for Exxon, and the relationships he has built doing so, are ample preparation for the challenges he would face as the nation's top diplomat. While Tillerson's ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin are drawing scrutiny on Capitol Hill, Trump has had good things to say about Putin, too, and Tillerson's connection doesn't appear to have given him any pause.

"Rex knows how to manage a global enterprise, which is crucial to running a successful State Department, and his relationships with leaders all over the world are second to none," Trump said Tuesday.

He's been making a similar case about himself all year as he sought to persuade voters that a real estate mogul and political novice had the skills to serve as president. He spent little time trying to show voters that his skills extended beyond the boardroom. Instead, he argued that experience was plenty.

As Trump set about putting his administration together, people close to him say he was quickly drawn to the idea of elite business leaders filling the Cabinet, along with those who have had success in areas outside of politics. He's tapped three retired generals for top jobs: James Mattis to head the Pentagon, John Kelly for the Department of Homeland Security and Michael Flynn as his national security adviser.

While business leaders have served in Cabinet posts under both Republican and Democratic presidents, the scope of private sector influence in Trump's burgeoning team is a stark contrast to modern predecessors. Most of President Barack Obama's Cabinet secretaries had public sector backgrounds, though Interior Secretary Sally Jewell served as CEO of the retail company REI and Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald is the retired CEO of Procter & Gamble.

Some of Trump's picks have come from a more traditional mold. Among them will be former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has been asked by Trump to lead the Energy Department, according to people with knowledge of the decision. Trump has also selected a handful of congressional lawmakers for other top jobs.

But Trump is said to have been particularly intrigued by the prospect of breaking the mold with his choice for secretary of state, one of the most powerful and prominent positions and one that often goes to a diplomatic veteran.

Tillerson came to his attention several years ago when he beat back a motion supported by the Rockefellers  Exxon's founding family  that would have split the chairman and chief executive position into two different jobs. The president-elect was drawn to Tillerson's confidence and Texas swagger, according to people with knowledge of the decision.

"Rex Tillerson is a very Trumpian-inspired pick because it's somebody who, like Donald Trump, has a career outside of politics, and he's somebody who is accustomed to making big deals and translating that into big impact," said Kellyanne Conway, one of Trump's senior advisers.

But for some longtime foreign policy hands, Tillerson is an uncomfortable fit.

"Rex Tillerson has done a fantastic job for Exxon Mobil shareholders," said Michael McFaul, Obama's former ambassador to Russia. "I am not sure those same skills qualify him to be secretary of state."

A native of Wichita Falls, Texas, Tillerson came to Exxon Mobil Corp. as a production engineer straight out of the University of Texas in 1975 and never left. Groomed for an executive position, he has held posts in the company's central U.S., Yemen and Russia operations.

Early in the company's efforts to gain access to the Russian market, Tillerson cut a deal with state-owned Rosneft. The neglected post-Soviet company didn't have a tremendous amount to offer, but Exxon partnered with it "to be on the same side of the table," Tillerson said, according to "Private Empire," an investigative history of Exxon by Steve Coll.

___

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC
The latest intelligence revelations about Russias cyberpush for Donald Trump are so persuasive that even congressional Republican leaders have been compelled to take notice. There will indeed be investigations and hearings, in both chambers. It appears, for now anyway, that they actually view this unprecedented national security breach as nearly as important as Hillarys private server.

Assuming that Republicans dont try to spin the whole thing into oblivion, assuming that they really intend to demonstrate that theyre not being played for saps, and assuming that they do intend to fully probe the relationship between Trump and the ex-KGB thug, here are the big questions they might want to ask:

1. What did Trump know and when did he know it?

Prior to the election, intelligence briefers told Trump that Russia was interfering in our election, but he rejected the intel, claiming publicly that it might just be some 400-pound hacker somewhere. On what rational basis did he have reason to disbelieve the intelligence warnings? In other words, what did Trump know and why did he choose not to know it?

2. What are the full extent of Trumps financial ties to Russia?

As his son Donald Jr. said in 2008, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia. But we still dont know the full extent  there have long been suspicions that he owes money to Russian oligarchs  because Trump never provided a full accounting of his business interests. Will the Republicans finally demand that he fork over all his tax returns?

3. Why was Russia so motivated, via its hail of propaganda, to help get Trump elected?

Did Trump start echoing Russias positions  soften our NATO commitments; soften or end our economic sanctions  because he sincerely believes those positions, or because he has been steered by the Russian apologists in his circle?

4. And what about those apologists?

They include:

Michael Flynn, the incoming national security adviser, a regular contributor to Vladimir Putins RT propaganda network, and a paid speechmaking attendee at RTs 10th anniversary dinner last December

Carter Page, a backstage foreign policy adviser who has business dealings in Russia

Paul Manafort, the campaign manager who was jettisoned after he was outed as a paid advisor to a pro-Putin leader in Ukraine

Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state nominee, a foe of our anti-Putin sanctions, and winner of a Putin friendship award. Whats the current full extent of their financial ties to Russia? Will the Republicans subpoena their records?

5. Is there any evidence of pre-election collusion between Trump advisors and Kremlin officials?

If not, whats the substance of their post-election communications? Are major shifts in American policy in the works  stuff thats detrimental to American interests? Stuff we dont know about?

The latter questions may be the most important of all. Even if Russians pro-Trump cyberpush wasnt pivotal in getting Trump elected, Russia got the president it wanted. A president who (for all we know) may be financially or otherwise compromised to act in Russias interests at the expense of ours. As Eric Edelmen and David J. Kramer, two George W. Bush foreign policy officials, warn:

Without U.S. leadership keeping the Europeans united against Putin, Western resolve in the face of Russian aggression will crumble. Before even moving to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and gaining the authority to lift U.S. sanctions on Russia, Trump could produce a radical change in policy toward Moscow. Such a change, however, would not make America, the West or the world great again. But it could trigger the unraveling of the alliances and institutional structures that made the U.S. and its European partners great in the past.

All told, the pro-Republican columnist Jennifer Rubin said it best yesterday: You would think it would be obvious that Russian efforts to select Americas president through cyber-weaponized revelations may be the most important election story  ever. This is warfare of an entirely different sort, one aimed at the heart of democracy.

Which prompts my biggest question of all:

6. Do congressional Republicans have the fortitude and patriotism to take this probe wherever it leads?

Dick Polman is the national political columnist at NewsWorks/WHYY in Philadelphia (newsworks.org/polman) and a Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania. Email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com.
A Massachusetts man has been ordered to stay away from Ariana Grande after he pleaded guilty to harassing the pop star by sending her text messages and unwanted gifts.

The Sun reports a judge on Tuesday placed 31-year-old Timothy Normandin, of Lowell, on probation for three years after he pleaded guilty to criminal harassment.

In 2014, prosecutors say Normandin used text messages, social media and traveled to New York and Connecticut to try to talk to Grande.

Normandin is accused of sending Grande unwanted gifts including a 42-pound pumpkin, eight Yankee candles and a rock from the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

A court clinician has said Normandin has a number of mental health issues, including delusional disorder. The judge ordered Normandin to continue with counseling.
The family of a 13-year-old autistic girl claims she was threatened with legal action by HBO after she uploaded a Game of Thrones-inspired piece of artwork on the website RedBubble. However, HBO insists that is simply untrue.

A rep for HBO denied the network went after the young artist. Instead, they shifted the blame to RedBubble.



We love when fans are creative in their support of our programs. These works live online in many incarnations and in the past we have celebrated them by drawing attention to them. Many for-profit websites that sell products, such as RedBubble, take steps to avoid infringements as part of their standard operating procedure. To suggest a particular individual was targeted or that HBO threatened legal action against her is simply untrue.

Felicity Wilcox's family told The Sun she received a scary email from lawyers at HBO claiming her art breached copyright.

Wilcoxs artwork included the shows slogan Winter is coming above her design. Her father released a statement to The Sun about the alleged backlash from the network.

HBO should get a life... My daughter who happens to be autistic, was doing an art challenge called Huevember. It consisted of doing a piece of art based on a different color as you worked your way round a color wheel. She was uploading her pictures to a variety of sites and sharing them on Facebook. For this particular piece she decided to title it Winter is Coming.

Her artwork has since been republished without the slogan.
A 14-year-old cancer survivor was cast in her dream role this holiday season only a year after the disease had dashed her hopes to perform as Clara in the Christmas classic The Nutcracker. Caitlyn Feddock, who will perform the role at the San Diego Civic Theater until Christmas Eve, said she has wanted to dance as Clara since she was a little girl, NBC San Diego reported.

She had earned the role last Christmas season but was rushed to the hospital with severe stomach pains on the first night of dress rehearsal. While doctors initially detected a twisted ovary, the diagnosis later extended to ovarian cancer.

It was a very, very hard time, Feddock told NBC San Diego. But looking back at it, I can now really feel so blessed to have even been able to be here.

With her cancer now in remission, Feddock attributes her strength and determination to her family and friends at the ballet studio.

Just being able to dance on this beautiful stage is a huge accomplishment, she told the news outlet. Im just so excited and so happy.
There is plenty of speculation about what kind of legacy President-elect Donald Trump will leave, but judging by what I have seen from him already in his nominees for Cabinet positions, I feel confident in predicting that he will bolster health care for Medicaid patients around the country. In our current Medicaid system, reimbursement rates are so low for outpatient services that many doctors reject patients who are recipients of the federal health care program.

I dont fault the doctors for being reluctant in taking on these patients, because doing so means more paperwork for their staff and greater time commitment with little overall benefit for their practice. On the flip side, this means the Medicaid patient population is left with limited access to health care and is more likely to consult over-populated, poorly run clinics or not seek medical attention at all. Consider the difference between the care that a patient at a Manhattan walk-in clinic may receive versus one in rural Texas. I have seen the difference in care first-hand, and I can tell you its simply not fair. Our patients deserve more and under President Trump, they will get more.

I wrote glowingly about Trumps choice in Rep. Tom Price for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary, whose own plan called the Empowering Patients First Act includes provisions for people receiving Medicare, Medicaid or Tricare to opt out and get tax credits toward the cost of private coverage. That plan could help, but for more specifics I think its important we look at who Trump has chosen to run Medicare and Medicaid and her past involvement in health care reform to consider what we will see in the very near future. Trump chose Seema Verma, the CEO and founder of health care consulting firm SVC, to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. His trust in Verma should bode well for that the Medicaid patient population, who will benefit greatly from a more regulated system.

While at SVC, Verma worked closely with Vice President-elect Mike Pence when he was governor of Indiana to establish the Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0, the states Medicaid expansion under ObamaCare. The plan required patients receiving coverage through Medicaid to contribute a small payment for access to health insurance, and penalized those who missed payments by suspending coverage for six months. By having patients contribute to their own care funds, we slowly begin to move away from relying heavily on massive government funding for blanket, subpar coverage. The addition of a credit for patients who would rather pay for their own plan will also allow for greater access to patients who were previously denied care based on coverage type, as well as more doctors willing to see Medicaid patients because the patient population lightens.

Verma has also worked with Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin on a Medicaid expansion program similar to Indianas. Bevins proposal, which is still waiting for President Obamas approval, includes an employment requirement and a lockout period similar to Pences. It is no secret that Republicans will target Medicaid and Medicare as they look to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but in considering the work that Verma has already done, we can dispel the rumors that 20 million people will lose health care coverage.

In my opinion, it will be the responsibility of the state to decide how much funding is allocated to these health care programs, and who is qualified for receiving such coverage. However, I expect regulators to play a larger role in managing reimbursements for health care providers and practices. Much of the inflated costs can be attributed to government oversight and medical industry titans having free reign when it comes to deciding price models. Trump has already vowed to go after price-gougers, and choosing Price and Verma is a sign that he intends to follow through.

More than a month before Inauguration Day, we have already seen the needle start to move in the right direction on health care, which is why I believe in the short term the medical community will appreciate all the efforts Trump is making on reform. While it may take a few years for health care to open up for current Medicaid patients, any inch of freedom they see under Trump will be greater than the services they saw closed to them under Obama.
Fracking can affect drinking water supplies in certain circumstances, the Obama administration said in a long-awaited report issued Tuesday, leaving open the possibility of more widespread impacts that it says cant be determined with current data.

The report, written by Environmental Protection Agency scientists, includes findings that are more open-ended than those in a draft version last year, when the agency said fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, isnt having widespread, systematic impacts on drinking water.

The final report doesnt include that phrase because EPA scientists determined they couldnt back it up without comprehensive data on hydraulic fracturing across the U.S. and because it didn't really communicate the findings in the report, said Thomas Burke,deputy assistant administrator at EPA on a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

The report is one of a number of actions supported by environmentalists that the Obama administration has taken in its final weeks in office, including denying a permit for a stretch of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

In its draft report on fracking, the EPA said the cases of contamination it found were small compared to the large number of fracked wells in the nation. The final report says more broadly that the agency has scientific evidence that fracking activities can impact drinking water resources under some circumstances. When asked, Mr. Burke did reiterate the reports earlier findings that the EPA found only a small number of cases of contamination but stressed the lack of data.

Click for more from the Wall Street Journal.
Drones may be helping mass shooting and natural disaster victims in the near future. Medical experts from William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine and an aviation expert at Hinds Community College, also in Mississippi, teamed up to develop a medical drone that could be deployed before first responders arrive.

The Health Integrated Rescue Operations, (HiRO) Project uses a drone to deliver a medical kit containing emergency supplies and Google Glass for video conference capability. This allows first responders to instruct bystanders on how to assist those in need.

Co-developers Italo Subbarao and Guy Paul Cooper came up with the idea after an EF-4 tornado struck Hattiesburg, Miss. in 2013.

We were able to create somewhat [of] an ambulance drone to be able to go out to where theres a victim of an unfortunate event, Subbarao said.

The device cannot replace an ambulance but buys a victim much needed time before emergency personnel arrive on the scene. The medical kits were put together using recommendations from the Department of Homeland Securitys Stop the Bleed initiative. They include tourniquets and other items that slow the loss of blood.

Richard Patrick, senior advisor of first responder policy for the DHS, said more research needs to be done before the drones are deployed during a mass shooter incident, but there is a need.

Theres a definite utility not just in medical use in certain areas but in a broad spectrum of the first responder and homeland security responsibilities, Patrick said.

Current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations limit drone flights to below an altitude of 400 feet and the devices must be flown within the line of sight of the operator.

Thats very restrictive for us to be able to go out and deploy in disaster areas where we need to fly some distances to reach the people in need, said Dennis Lott, director of the Hinds Community College drone program, who assisted with the pairing of the medical kits and drones.

The FAA does make exceptions by granting government agencies such as fire departments and police stations the right to fly drones in U.S. airspace but approval could take hours, making it difficult to respond to emergency situations.

So far, the developers of the HiRO drone have received interest from state, local and national agencies. Subbarao said that he currently has four working prototypes and hopes to work with local governments first in the development and use of the HiRO drone.

It is just a matter of time before the drones are universally adopted for emergency and disaster response toolkits, Subbarao said.

The new technology shows promise but it may take some time to perfect. During a demonstration, a remote for one of the devices malfunctioned forcing the drone the land on its side rather than upright. Lott admitted that a newly paired remote for the drone was the main issue but hes optimistic about the benefits of the technology. The FAA doesnt plan on releasing an updated rule on drones and crash avoidance systems until sometime in 2017. The proposed rule would then be open for public comment, meaning it could be years before medical drones are in operation.
Two Wisconsin boys good deed for a disabled neighbor is going viral after their father shared a photo of them on Facebook.

Daniel Medina, of Milwaukee, posted a photo on Facebook showing his two sons, ages 10 and 6, helping a man, who was not identified, in a wheelchair shovel snow, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

Medina described that his sons spotted the man as they were driving down the road and asked their dad to pull over so they could lend a hand.

Proud dad moment, Medina wrote in the Facebook post, which had been shared more than 1,800 times and had garnered more than 3,000 likes as of Wednesday morning.
Its time once again when we pause, step back and assess who we are, what we have and how we got it. Upon some reflection, the answer seems clear-- we are Americans. We have freedom. We have it because we fought and died for it.

In a speech at Hickam Air Force Base in 1984, President Ronald Reagan, praising the bravery and valor of the American fighting man, quoted an Admiral who had asked the question, Where do we find such men? Then President Reagan continued on, We find them where we have always found them when we need them on the main streets and the farms of America.

Today, the Fourth of July is often associated with fireworks, barbeques and family get-togethers. Its also a time to reflect on what it means to be an American and the sacrifices made by those to secure the freedoms we have today. Fortunately for us, during Americas darkest hours, God has consistently blessed us with ordinary people who do extraordinary things, including making the ultimate sacrifice to secure and maintain our freedom.

While July 4, 1776 officially marks the day that we declared our independence from British rule, our independence and yes, our very freedom, was far from secure.

In fact, the infant republic was hanging on by a thread for several years thereafter. With our troops starving and freezing to death, it really wasnt until the Battle of Cowpens that things began to turn for the Americans.

At the Battle of Cowpens, rugged backwoods settlers, including many Scots-Irish, who had come to America seeking freedom, teamed up with General Daniel Morgans Continental regulars. The Americans turned the tide and defeated the British at Cowpens on January 17, 1781. Thus began the long retreat for British forces which culminated in Cornwallis surrender at the Battle of Yorktown later that year. The last British troops finally left America in 1783 and our freedom was finally secure, at least for a while.

With the White House smoldering and other federal buildings, such as the Treasury Department in ashes, the young Republic was challenged once again in the War of 1812. Over 286,000 young men answered Americas call to duty in the War of 1812. Their finest hour came serving under General Andrew Jackson, who defeated the British while outnumbered nearly 3 to 1, at the Battle of New Orleans.

Perhaps the young nations greatest challenge came in 1861 in the Civil War, which tore the country apart. Well over 600,000 men died, while another 400,000 plus were wounded. America was blessed to have extraordinary leadership at this time who understood the need to hold America together, no matter the cost.

Over the years, America has also been blessed to have men and women who understood the need to ensure that Americas freedoms and liberties are enjoyed by all of our citizens.

In the 20th century, the republic was once again challenged in conflicts including World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Literally millions of young Americans, willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country and to preserve freedom, answered their nations call. Hundreds of thousands of young Americans made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom in the 20th century.

With each military conflict, there have been remarkable stories of ordinary young Americans rising to the occasion in demonstrating heroic acts and selfless service. For example, who can forget the men who served under General Jimmy Doolittle in Doolittles Raid on Tokyo?

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, America needed a morale boost. Doolittles men took off in their B-25s from the USS Hornet, knowing that they did not have enough fuel to return.

And how about the heroics of the boys of Pointe du Hoc? Here at an imposing cliff-top location at Normandy between Utah Beach and Omaha Beach, the Germans had what seemed like an impenetrable location, with 155 MM guns pointing down on the Americans at the top of the cliff. The young American Rangers were given the task of taking out the German position at Pointe du Hoc on D-Day. Over one half of the American force at Pointe du Hoc was either killed or wounded climbing the seemingly impossible cliff, but in the end the mission was accomplished and an entire continent was saved.

As we entered the 21st century, America was presented with a new challenge to its freedoms and very way of lifethe rise of Islamic terrorism. We saw the heroics of Americas first responders on 9/11 and once again, too, we saw literally thousands and thousands of young Americans volunteer to serve their country and be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to preserve and maintain our freedoms.

President Reagan was right, young Americans have always answered the call of their country and any and all challenges. From the ill-clothed, half frozen militia men at Valley Forge, to the brave Marines on the sands of Iwo Jima, to our military heroes in Iraq and Afghanistan. The verdict is in-- freedom is more important than life itself.

Today, let us remember what we have, how we got it, and what it means to be an American.
Here is your Fox News Channel viewing guide for the 2012 Democratic National Convention from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Everything happening on the TV stage is bracketed by two stars, the Democratic titans  President Clinton and President Obama.

But between the Clinton and Obama speeches there are plots, sub-plots, characters and rivalries. Here is what to watch for as you tune into Fox for DNC coverage.

First, look for who you do not see at the convention.

Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill will be staying home. So will Montana Senate Candidate Jon Tester. In fact there will be a lot of Democrats from conservative leaning states and congressional districts who will be excusing themselves from Charlotte.



Another face you wont see is former Vice President Al Gore. You wont see former vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, either. Much as former Vice President Cheney was absent in Tampa, along with 08 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, the vice presidential class wont be on camera from this years conventions.

This brand of reality television comes once every four years.

As for what will be visible on the TV screen  the first speech worth watching will come from San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro.

The convention's Day One key note speaker will be the 37-year-old Castro. His goal is to extend President Obama's commanding lead with Latino voters. The President leads Romney by 35 points among Latino voters.

Castro will be compared with Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican of Cuban descent, who gave a rousing speech introducing Mitt Romney last week. Unlike Rubio, however, Castro is not well-known in national political circles. First impressions count and this is Mayor Castros moment.

Castro sets the stage for the big event of the first night. The big pay-off will come from First Lady Michelle Obama.

Her stated goal is to appeal to women voters  a critical vote in this years election. Winning support from all women but especially suburban women is the number one theme of the convention. It will continue on Day Two with a must-see TV speech from Sandra Fluke, the student who testified in Congress in favor of contraceptives being covered by health care plans, even those with religious affiliation.

Mrs. Obama also has a special power in black America with Chicago roots that make her much more familiar a character than her husband who grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia. When it comes to stirring the black vote she is second only to the president. Watch for signals.

On a personal level Mrs. Obama is very popular with most Americans. She has a 66 personal approval rating, according to Gallup.

In addition to Mrs. Obama, two other women who have been the targets for Republicans this past year will be on your TV on Wednesday.

First, will be Fluke. Obscured by the attacks on Ms. Fluke by Rush Limbaugh and others is her personal story. She saw a fellow student suffering from cancer denied the contraceptives she needed because religious institutions prohibited coverage of medicine that also has a birth control application. Ms. Fluke's friend nearly died and had to have one of her ovaries removed because she couldn't get the medicine she needed.

Fluke is a key symbol of what the Democrats call the "War on Women." It is not the strength of her words that count at the convention but whether she is able to moderate her message so as to win over women who may be pro-life.

The second female speaker to look out for is Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard professor who is running for US Senate against Republican Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts. Brown has mocked Warren as "Queen Elizabeth" and Republicans have criticized her as a critic of business and all capitalism.

Dont look to Warren for a moderate message. Her job is to throw red meat at the GOP for refusing to raise taxes on upper-income Americans.

Warren was one of the first national Democrats to raise income inequality and tax fairness as issues in the campaign. Polls show that most Americans agree with President Obama's proposal to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans to what they were during the Clinton administration.

Look for Bill Clinton to pick up where Warren leaves off in her critique.

But the main event at this convention will be the dynamic between Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

Obama defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primary but later appointed her as his Secretary of State. She presently enjoys higher favorability ratings than President Obama.

Dont forget that Bill Clinton came to Mitt Romney's defense earlier this summer over the attacks on his record at Bain Capital. Clinton said Romney had a "sterling business career" and even suggested extending the Bush tax cut in their entirety for a while longer.

Yet, Clinton has come to the President Obama's defense over the false charge made by Republicans in ads that President Obama wants to end the work requirements in Clintons welfare reform legislation.

Clinton has said this is a false claim.

Watch carefully to see how Clinton portrays Obama in his speech. Will he cast him as being like he was - a centrist who tried to move to the right in his second term to forge compromise with Republicans in Congress for the good of the country?

Or will he endorse Obama for making a different decision by becoming a populist opponent of the GOP - a tribune of the people fighting for the poor and working class against parasitic big business, banks, and insurance companies?

The convention will close with President Obama exercising his one great advantage over Mitt Romney -- his spectacular ability as a political orator.

Look for him to cast Romney as an agent of the failed policies of the Bush administration. Obama joked last week that the GOP convention might as well have been broadcast in Black and White television -- with the speakers dredging up old, discredited ideas from the past.

Also, look for Obama to do what Mitt Romney did not do -- praise the troops fighting overseas and discuss U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Expect him to talk about how his administration killed Usama bin Laden, escalated drone attacks in Afghanistan and ended the unpopular war in Iraq. He has to do this carefully or risk being accused of taking too much credit.

So, there you have it. This brand of reality television comes once every four years.
A study released earlier this year by the Pew Hispanic Center caught my attention, and its findings might require observers of U.S.-Mexico relations to recalibrate their thinking.

According to Pew data, immigration  legal and illegal  from Mexico to the United States has flat-lined. The reports writers found that in the five-year period of 2005-2010, 1.4 million Mexicans immigrated to the U.S., but thats the same number of Mexicans who immigrated from the U.S. to Mexico during that same period.

So far, the [Mexican] president-elect has made all the right moves, surrounding himself with a topnotch transition team and sending a message to multinational businesses  especially those in the U.S.  that Mexico is open for business.  Nelson Balido

Certainly the weak U.S. economy has played a role in the declining immigration numbers. After all, a struggling U.S. jobs picture combined with increased workplace enforcement measures, such as E-Verify, makes this country less attractive to the would-be immigrant worker.

But what cannot be discounted is the commitment and professionalism of the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol, whose enforcement strategies have resulted in a dramatic drop in apprehensions from a fiscal year 2000 high of 1.6 million to an FY 2011 low of 327,000. Leaders like David Aguilar, the most senior official at Customs and Border Protection and a former Border Patrol national chief, have made border security a top priority, and the proof is in the numbers. Crossing illegally into the U.S. from Mexico is just tougher than it has ever been.

The undocumented immigrant of today is now likely to be what is known in enforcement circles as an OTMs, or other than Mexicans. My conversations with agents in the field in South Texas confirm that theyre increasingly seeing immigrants from places like Central America, South America, India and even the Middle East who have used Mexico as jumping-off point into the U.S.

This is where Mexicos new presidential administration comes in.

Former State of Mexico Gov. Enrique Pena Nieto will be sworn in as Mexicos new president on December 1. So far, the president-elect has made all the right moves, surrounding himself with a topnotch transition team and sending a message to multinational businesses  especially those in the U.S.  that Mexico is open for business, as he even remains open to the idea of allowing increased foreign investment in such Mexican points of pride as its oil industry.

Ive been able to get to know some of the top transition leaders of Team Pena Nieto, all of who will have significant positions in the new administration, through my weekly contacts with them, and Ive been struck by their desire to increase Mexico competitiveness in the world economy, attract investment and grow jobs. Mexicos economy has, for the most part, weathered the worst of the economic downturn, meaning that more young Mexicans can reasonably seek and find work in their patria rather than heading north.

But with more Mexicans becoming part of the countrys growing middle class, the new president cannot forget that his country still needs to help quell northward illegal migration into the United States, even if its not Mexicans making that trek. When he takes office, President Pena Nieto must deploy a strategy to gain operational control of his border with Guatemala.

Assistant Secretary of International Affairs and former commissioner of CBP, Alan Bersin, acknowledged that Central America is the emerging new source of illegal immigration when he said in a speech last month, That is why we must work with Mexico to restore the rule of law to the Mexican-Guatemalan border over the next ten years.

This shift in migration patterns is occurring as many commentators are saying that 2013 could be the year for significant movement on U.S. immigration reform, after previous efforts fell apart due to intractable political differences.

Americans should be proud that our country, despite crawling out of this Great Recession, is still a country that people from all over the world want to build a life in. And the American business community is very aware that an economically healthy Mexico is good for the U.S., as it means a more competitive North America in the face of an Asia on the rise.

But I would counsel President-Elect Pena Nieto that the American goodwill that he will experience could quickly sour if U.S. public opinion begins to view him as an able, business-savvy leader, but as someone who doesnt understand his neighbor to the north and the pitched battles that have been waged over immigration.
NASA building robotic spacecraft to refuel, repair satellites in orbit

Published: December 14, 2016

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is building a robotic spacecraft dubbed as Restore-L Spacecraft to refuel, repair satellites currently in orbit.

In this regard, NASA has awarded a $127 million contract to California-based satellite company Space Systems/Loral to build Restore-L Spacecraft.

Space Systems/Loral will provide NASA with spacecraft bus, critical hardware and services for the Restore-L mission. This mission will be launched in 2020 to perform in-orbit satellite servicing in low-Earth orbit.

Key Facts

The robotic spacecraft (Restore-L Spacecraft) will be outfitted with the latest tools and technologies to repair, refuel or service satellites currently in orbit.

It will help in extending life of existing satellites and reduce operation costs. It can also be used for cleaning space debris or testing asteroid platforms.

The Restore-L Project is managed within NASAs Satellite Servicing Projects Division located Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2016

Topics: International  NASA  Restore L Mission  Science and Technology  Space Servicing  Space technology

Latest E-Books
In their second debate, the candidates for president talked finally about immigration, violence and women. What they did not talk about was violence against immigrant women and how our country's anti-immigrant laws make it worse for us and our children.

Too many immigrant women, forced into the shadows of society, have had to make the choice between protecting themselves or keeping their families together.

I have had to make that choice.



I endured abuse by my partner, while worrying constantly about my then three-year-old son. But, because of my immigration status, I feared what would happen if I contacted the authorities.

When I finally did make the decision to call, my fears turned out to be all too real.



Instead of helping us get away from my abusive partner, police arrested me. I spent five days in jail, separated from my son, before authorities moved me to immigration custody and began deportation proceedings.

Thankfully, by connecting with the nonprofit Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA), I secured a U visa. Provided for under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), these visas encourage immigrant victims of violence to come forward by offering them temporary legal status.

I know other women like me have not been so lucky.



President Obama did offer hope to more than a million young immigrants with his new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. But DACA will not help the mothers who raised them. He has vowed to create a roadmap to citizenship, but has also deported a record number of immigrants separating mothers from their children for minor infractions such as not wearing a seatbelt.

In the October 16 debate, Governor Romney again defended the heartless concept of self-deportation and missed yet another chance to condemn SB 1070, Arizonas inhumane anti-immigrant law.

(He also came shockingly close to blaming single mothers, rather than assault weapons and criminals, for violence.)

And on the topics of immigration and violence, neither candidate mentioned the fact that the Violence Against Women Act is now under attack, with some legislators working to push back the very protections for immigrant women that changed everything for me and my son.



Journalists  and, in the town hall debate, a young woman named Lorraine Osorio  have pushed both candidates for details on what they would change about American immigration policy. But the voices and experiences of immigrants like me, the women whose families and daily lives are most deeply affected, are often left out.

Thats why today I am an activist with MUA, working to change U.S. immigration policy so that other women in my situation receive protection, not jail time. Protection from violent abusers  and from the scariest threat of all: being deported, and separated from our children, possibly forever.



There is cause for hope. We saw it after the second debate on social media and in the news, and weve seen it growing throughout the presidential campaign: we are in the midst of a groundswell of support for immigrant women.

Millions have seen and signed on to global human rights group Breakthroughs #ImHere campaign to elevate respect for the real lives and rights of immigrant women. MUA has partnered with Breakthrough to help show just how many Americans of all stripes support commonsense immigration policy that recognizes the human rights of all.



Im a happy ending. My son and I are safe. I have work as a janitor. But too many other women, women who work hard and deserve to be safe, still live in fear. Harsh anti-immigrant policies, such as the Secure Communities Act under which I was nearly deported, and state laws like Arizonas SB 1070 and Georgias HB 87, continue to legitimize racism and racial profiling, scapegoat immigrants, and imprison women and families in their own homes.

We need to let our leaders and lawmakers know that we are here, we have human rights, and we have supporters and allies everywhere. No woman who fears being abused  or who is trying to protect a loved one  should be even more afraid to call for help.
Two candidates with two different objectives but one goal in mind came together at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida Monday night.

President Obama showed up determined to continue a narrative that has been eroding as of late: that Americas standing in the world has strengthened by sheer force of his personality and for having killed Osama Bin Laden.

Governor Romneys objective was to make the case we are far less safer today than we were four years ago, precisely because of President Obamas passivity on foreign affairs, which has led many to describe his approach as leading from behind.

The petulance and dismissive tone displayed by our sitting president these last two debates was what I found disturbing  Daniel Garza

Romney also had to make sure he was clear to dismiss early on any impressions that Americans might have he would be bellicose by delivering lines like, We don't want another Iraq, we don't want another Afghanistan. That's not the right course for us.

The Republican candidate would go on to make repeated overtures to the American people about the heightened dangers we face today while the Obama Administration merely looks from afar. I look at what's happening around the world, and I see Iran four years closer to a bomb. I see the Middle East with a rising tide of violence, chaos, tumult. He added I see Syria with 30,000 civilians dead, [Bashar Hafez al-Assad] still in power."

Gov. Romneys strongest critique came when he made references to President Obamas Apology Tour to the Middle East, and particularly when referring to the impression he made on Iran, They saw weakness where they had expected to find American strength.

The President shot back with a different version of the tour, but this entire repartee was effective for Romney. Although President Obama has taken on a firmer tone against nations that would do us harm since then, he did indeed offer up speeches with guilt-laden phrases about Americas past actions on that trip.

In April of 2009, he told a crowd in France America has shown arrogance, and been dismissive, and even derisive toward Europe. President Obama would go on to point out in a speech he gave in Egypt: "It led us to act contrary to our traditions and our ideals when referring to our actions after 9/11.

America doesn't 'dictate' to other countries, we liberate them, Romney would assert forcefully.

Even so, Governor Romney could have shown himself to be much more aggressive on recent foreign policy incidents such as Libya, which the Administration has mishandled, but chose not to. He showed restraint throughout the entire debate, choosing to allow the President to speak without interruption and looking stately as a result. He showed a demeanor and temperament that I felt gave a sense he will strike a balance between resolute firmness and wise diplomacy when it comes to foreign relations.

And although Governor Romney did express repeated agreement with President Barack Obama, he was not shy about outlining some clear distinctions throughout the night. President Obama had no response to the Governors sharp comment on Russia I'm not gonna wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to Russia or Mr. Putin and I'm certainly not gonna say to him I'll give you more flexibility after the election.

The President interrupted repeatedly, often spoke indignantly over Governor Romney's answers, and attacked his positions so often it provoked the governor to retort in one instance attacking me is not an agenda. Attacking me is not talking about how we're going to deal with the challenges that exist in the Middle East, and take advantage of the opportunity there, and stem the tide of this violence. It was a strong line, it was well delivered, and it did not sit well with President Obama - mission accomplished.

President Obamas typical self-assuredness was in full display in this debate, and in fact, seemed to grow in confidence each time Governor Romney agreed with him  which was often. President Obama showed fight of his own, was engaged, and his four years in office gave him a clear advantage when it came to displaying a deeper knowledge of current conflicts.

His line of the night came in response to Governor Romneys statement that the Navy was cutting back on warships. To which the President replied by explaining that just like modern warfare has made certain weaponry obsolete We also have fewer horses and bayonets because the nature of our military has changed.

It was a clever line dripping in disdain for the challenger that will be referenced ad nauseam for some time.

The Presidents repeated rude interferences and interruptions of Governor Romney came so often, they began to annoy by the end of the night  much like Bidens snide antics. It was a conduct that made gave him look petty, desperate and one that lacked decorum. It was, well, foreign to us.

The petulance and dismissive tone displayed by our sitting president these last two debates was what I found disturbing, and I think, many other Americans also found disturbing. Made especially true for a President famous for his steady calm and cool demeanor. It was a side of him Americans had not seen prior to these past two debates  a side that might ultimately turn them off.

In the end, the third and final debate changed nothing, and nothing that was said will prove as seismic as Romneys huge win in the first debate. Romney ran out the debate clock and now heads into the last two weeks of the election in a dead heat with President Obama.

While President Obama seemingly improved his performance in the second and third debate, overall Governor Romneys delivered three solid performances for a series win. Moreover, he proved himself presidential and more than a suitable alternative for undecided voters come November 6.
The presidential election is igniting once again the immigration reform debate and, with it, the continuing argument on how to describe a community of more than 11 million people who live and work in the United States.

Republican candidate Mitt Romney used the phrase "undocumented illegals" in the second debate when describing whats been dubbed as his "self-deportation" policy.

The New York Times and Associated Press have been criticized for defending their use of the term illegal immigrant. The New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan explains, It is clear and accurate; it gets its job done in two words that are easily understood.

The Associated Press deputy managing editor for standards and production, Tom Kent, supports the use of illegal immigrant because such people are here in violation of the law. Its simply a legal reality.

Pulitzer prize winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who last year described himself as undocumented, disputes the use of illegal as offensive and inaccurate because it criminalizes people rather than their actions.

In June, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) hosted a panel to discuss the use of the term illegal immigrants in Nevada.

Fatma Marouf, co-director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Nevada Boyd School of Law, was one of the guest panelists.

"'Illegal' is an adjective that describes an act, not a person," she said. "We don't call people who cheat on their taxes 'illegal taxpayers.'"

Marouf continues, Second, the term 'illegal immigrants' erroneously suggests that anyone in the United States without legal status is a criminal. Unlawful presence in the United States is not -- and never has been -- a crime.

NAHJ continues to condemn the use of the term "illegal immigrants," "illegal aliens" and "illegals" in describing people who are in this country without proper documentation.

Those demeaning titles are not only inaccurate and disrespectful, but a propaganda tool used to dehumanize a group of people and instill fear in the general population in order to establish policy.

It is easy to blame a group of vulnerable people for the social and economic ills that plague a nation.

The fear propaganda gives birth to ignorant armed militias who proudly vow they'll take matters into their own hands and hate crimes that often target victims for the color of their skin -- like the murder of fifth-generation American of Mexican descent, Juan Varela.

Its easy for someone to preach from behind an office desk about the proper meaning of words like illegal immigrant. It is irresponsible for them to think that those decisions do not have consequences; sometimes violent.

NAHJ has historically asked the media to use the term undocumented immigrants or undocumented worker. To use any other term when describing this group is an attempt to discredit them, question their motives for being in this country and silence their voice from the controversial immigration debate.

Human beings are not illegal.

Actions are illegal.

Most of the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States are hard-working mothers, fathers, sons and daughters whose only crime is to achieve the American dream: a better life for themselves and their families.

Hugo Balta is President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ).

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Spoiler alert: we got bin Laden.

This statement from the Commander-in-Chief was part of a light moment as President Obama and Governor Romney poked fun at themselves and each other during the traditional Alfred E. Smith dinner. But, it was also a glimpse into what has become this Administrations key talking point describing what they consider a successful national security and foreign policy. This was evident in Monday nights presidential debate.

Of course, Americans are grateful that Osama bin Laden is no longer able to plan additional acts of terrorism against us. It is a tremendous victory for our military and our nation. But the vast majority of Americans are sophisticated enough to understand the world is complicated, dangerous and in constant flux. And they know that Americas national security policy must reflect and be responsive to this ever-changing reality.

Consider the danger of a nuclear Iran, the resurgence of al Qaeda in Africa and parts of the Middle East, threats from Russia and China, and growing extremism around the world as evidence of just a few national security challenges. The President - our head of state, Commander-in-Chief, and leader of the executive branch - must be able to address a myriad of security challenges; and he must be willing to speak truthfully to the American public. Winning one battle - in this case killing bin Laden - does not mean we have won the war on terror. The death of bin Laden is not the death of al Qaeda.

Case in point is the failure to protect our Ambassador and other Americans serving our country in Libya.

Six weeks after extremists murdered four American diplomats in Benghazi, Libya, the Presidents stump speech continues to highlight the death of bin Laden and the withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Yet, he and his team have not told the American people what really happened in Benghazi.

The debate over whether or not the President labeled the Benghazi attack what it is - terrorism - the day after, is semantics. The fact remains that Ambassador Rice and other high-ranking officials in the Obama administration went out of their way to point out that the tragic events in Libya were in response to a now infamous YouTube video offensive to Muslims. For two weeks - two weeks - they placed blame for the attack on a widespread protest of the anti-Muslim video. The problem is that this rhetoric doesnt equate with reality.

There were warnings from our own diplomats. Newly released documents written by our Ambassador detailed the deteriorating security situation and underscored just how dangerous Libya had become. There were also repeated requests for increased security on the ground - with one document stating: "What we have seen are not random crimes of opportunity, but rather targeted and discriminate attacks."

And let us not forget the events leading up to the deadly attack. The American Consulate had been previously attacked twice. The British consulate in Benghazi was closed after the British ambassador was attacked, and the Red Cross was closed due to deteriorating security.

Then came September 11, 2012 - on the 11th anniversary of that terrible attack on U.S. soil. The assault lasted seven hours, with no land troops or other military reinforcements available. Witnesses called the storming of the compound a strong, multi-pronged and organized effort, with perpetrators wielding various weapons, including machine guns and RPGs.

Media reports now state that the CIA chief in Libya informed Washington within 24 hours that the attack was carried out by militants. Libyas President said that there is no doubt that this was terrorism.

Every day it is increasingly clear that, tragically, the deaths of four Americans in Libya were the result of a failure by our government. But who does the buck really stop with? The handling of the attack at best shows this Administration's incompetence in managing the basic responsibilities of protecting those on the front lines of our national security. At worse, it demonstrates a lackadaisical foreign policy approach. Those serving our country and representing America are deserving of much more.

Perhaps I am more sensitive to this outrage because I lived this reality. As a military wife, whose husband has selflessly sworn to defend America with his life, I dare not even imagine how his safety may not be as serious a consideration as it should be for his Commander-in-Chief.

I know my concern is shared by Pat Smith, whose son Sean was killed in Benghazi. My heart broke when I saw her being interviewed on television pleading with the President and his team saying, Just tell me the truth... I look at TV and I see bloody hand prints on walls, thinking, my god, is that my son's? I don't know if he was shot. I don't know. She and the other families deserve to know.

The campaign speeches will continue for the next two weeks, and chances are that the Benghazi story will continue to shift. As Americans follow this story, they must remember more than just one talking point about one battle that was won - important as it may be - for our national security. They need to remember that any President must be nimble enough to ensure the safety of those serving us while serving as head of state and the leader of our country. If one applies that test to President Obama, the results may be the real spoiler alert for him on Election Day.
The United States shares a nearly 2,000-mile long border with a country that has witnessed over 100,000 drug-related murders in the last six years alone. Mexican drug cartels are making tens of billions of dollars every year from the trafficking of illegal drugs across our southwest border, along with kidnapping, extortion, fuel theft and piracy.

American demand for illegal drugs has not wavered, and the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 90 percent of marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine consumed in the U.S. is supplied by Mexican cartels. Most disturbing of all is the fact they have a presence in almost 1,300 U.S. cities.

As if the butchery happening in Mexico every day werent ugly enough, airing opinions on drug war policy this close to Election Day seems to be an even uglier proposition.  Sylvia Longmire, Consultant

Neither the drug war in Mexico, nor border security challenges, nor Americas failed drug policies were mentioned once during the three presidential debates. The silence on these critical issues says one thing very loud and clear: none of them will be a top priority for either President Obama or Governor Romney in 2013.

Sadly, this omission from public political discourse has been typical in the last few years. On January 24th, 2012, President Obama delivered his fourth State of the Union address. The flailing American economy was the centerpiece of the speech, and for good reason.

However, when discussing foreign policy and external threats, the southwest border merited one sentence, Mexicos drug war was never mentioned, and the subject of immigration reform took up one tiny paragraph of space: I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That's why my Administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. That's why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took officeWe should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now.

These omissions from President Obamas annual address werent a first. There is no mention of Mexico, immigration or border security in the 2009 State of the Union address, and the drug war was in full swing particularly in Tijuana, where the murder rate was reaching record numbers in a turf battle between the Arellano Felix Organization and the Sinaloa Federation. The same goes for the 2010 speech.

In the 2011 State of the Union address, immigration and border security warranted a two-sentence mention: Now, I strongly believe that we should take on, once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration. And I am prepared to work with Republicans and Democrats to protect our borders, enforce our laws and address the millions of undocumented workers who are now living in the shadows. However, there was no reference to unprecedented cross-border cooperation, the increasing threat of transnational criminal organizations (better known as drug cartels), or the challenge of stopping southbound weapons trafficking.

There was a similar pattern in the rare mentions of border security during the GOP debates. On November 22, 2011, CNN hosted the National Security Debate between the seven Republican candidates at the time. They all discussed their views on how best to secure the border, but all the proposed solutions were vagueprobably because there is no standard idea for what a secure border means or would look like.

Texas Governor Rick Perrys strategy consisted of strategic fencing, with the boots on the ground, with the aviation assets, and then working with Mexico in particular. Congressman Ron Paul said, What I'm sort of tired of is all the money spent and lives lost worrying about the borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan and forgetting about our borders between the United States and Mexico. We should think more about, you know, what we do at home.

However, he moved straight into a discussion about illegal immigration without offering a specific border security strategy. Later on, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich mentioned controlling the border, and Governor Romney said, Certainly we have to secure the border. But neither offered a detailed explanation of what that might entail.

There is no doubt that America needs to be concerned about the threat of a nuclear Iran, a weakening Pakistan, and a job- and dollar-sucking China. But how can the two presidential candidates completely ignore during three debates the unprecedented levels of horrific violence happening right next door? How is a criminal insurgency fueled by insatiable American demand for illegal drugs not near the top of a national security concerns list for the next Administration?

Fortunately, the issue hasnt been completely ignored. In July 2011, the White House published its Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime, in which it clearly stated: the Administration has concluded that, in the intervening years, international or transnational organized crime has expanded dramatically in size, scope, and influence and that it poses a significant threat to national and international security. In 2009, the Justice Department called them the greatest organized crime threat to the United States. But if both the White House and the Justice Department have issued reports about the threat cartels pose to US security, why isnt a discussion about it debate-worthy?

For politicians, addressing Mexicos drug war head-on usually involves talking about three very messy subjects: immigration, gun control, and drug policy. Forget the annoying fact that neither candidate could adequately explain what a secure border looks like or how they would achieve it. No elected official wants to touch on the specifics of a strategy for immigration reform or a revision of gun or drug laws in an election year. As if the butchery happening in Mexico every dayand increasingly to innocent peoplewerent ugly enough, airing opinions on drug war policy this close to Election Day seems to be an even uglier proposition.

Tragically, the real losers from the omission of this debate mention are the Mexican and American people. Imagine how outgoing Mexican President Felipe Calderon views this repeated snub after years of sacrifice and criticism, and how incoming President Enrique Pena Nieto sees where his most important international relationship ranks on the totem pole of US security issues. Many Americans who dont live near the southwest border are already under the impression that Mexicos drug war isnt their problem, hearing the repeated mantra that our borders are safer than ever and not knowing that cartel tentacles extend into virtually every American community.

At this point, voters can only hope that the winner on November 6th gets the message that immediately and publicly addressing the criminal insurgency happening right now in Mexico is just as important as helping Americans understand the threat emanating from Iran, China, and Pakistan. Otherwise, the continued silence will keep sending the message to Americans, Mexico, and the world that were more concerned about a nebulous threat 8,000 miles away than we are about the carnage right next door that we help inspire.
At the Concordia Summit in Manhattan last moth, luminaries from the public and private sector met to discuss using public-private partnerships (PPPs) to aid developing nations, particularly Afghanistan.

PPPs combine the effectiveness and relative nimbleness of the private sector with the scope and reach of the public sector: theyre capitalism with a conscience.

It isnt a coincidence that the most successful post-war states  Germany, Japan, Poland -- all have robust private sectors.

Afghans are apprehensive about the future, and fear that a premature departure of coalition forces could lead to a power vacuum  David Laska, Spokesman for the NYS Republican Committee

PPPs have turned Georgia into one of the safest nations in the European Union, according to Philipp Dimitrov, the EU's ambassador to Georgia.

Addressing the summit via video, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili warned against dismissing cultures as inherently corrupt, an important caveat for many in America who are dubious about our chances for success in Afghanistan.

There is no such thing as a culture of corruption," Saakashvilli said. "No people are doomed to be corrupt. When government and business work together, we all win.

Poland developed the legal framework for PPPs in 2009, amid a fiscal crisis that left the government without enough money to provide many basic services.

The early returns have been astounding: privately owned charter schools have led to large-scale innovation in Polands public education system. As former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski bragged to the summit, Its only a matter of time before Poland joins the G20.

For Afghanistan, the role of the United States in facilitating PPP development and bolstering the fledgling Afghan economy is essential: 90 percent of the Afghan economy is based off of U.S. aid and assistance.

Such foreign aid is not just an issue of charity and the promotion of democracy: its an issue of national security.

When frustrated people have no room to grow, they risk becoming radicalized: economic crisis leads to social crisis and in turn to extremism. Its no coincidence that al-Qaida has the strongest presence in countries in which they can fill the vacuum left in the absence of a strong public and private sector.

But by publicly releasing a timeline for withdrawal, President Obama has created the perception among the United States enemies that they can wait us out. As a Taliban soldier told John McCain through prison bars, You have the watches, but we have the time.

The troop surge into Afghanistan has given stability a chance to take hold: attacks in Afghanistans volatile southern regions are down 50 percent, as Afghans gain faith in the coalition and begin working with PPPs like the U.S.-Afghanistan Womens Council.

Addressing the summit, members of the council discussed their legal training initiative, which has resulted in a Harvard-educated attorney opening a law firm in Kabul that employs young, female attorneys.

Women in the countryside are employed by Ralph Lauren and Liz Claiborne, making school uniforms for girls, and Kate Spade is training female artisans in the production of cashmere.

The real estate industry in Kabul is flush with capital and privately operated centers are providing support to raped and battered women.

Over 80,000 Afghan students are attending more than 90 universities nationwide. As the next generation of Afghans steps out of the shadow of the Taliban, they need our support.

While combat duty should be transferred to Afghan forces wherever possible, a residual coalition force is needed to guide Afghanistans fledgling military and police.

The modicum of security derived from this residual force will allow PPPs to continue to lay the foundation for future prosperity.

But under Obamas withdrawal plan, by 2015, 130,000 troops and 30,000 private contractors will have left Afghanistan. Our departure will cause a recession if not a depression.

Public-private partnerships can fill that void, but they need a secure environment to incentivize foreign investment. A firm, political departure date undermines the prospect for security in Afghanistan.

In Iraq, we are witnessing firsthand how a government unprepared for total sovereignty is deteriorating in the absence of a residual U.S. force.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is using Iraqi airspace to fly arms to Syrias Bashar al-Assad unmolested, and exiled Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi was just sentenced to death for murder in absentia.

Afghans are apprehensive about the future, and fear that a premature departure of coalition forces could lead to a power vacuum similar to the one in the 1990s that allowed the Taliban to seize power.

Many U.S. companies are understandably hesitant to invest money and human capital in the Middle East. Its up to the President of the United States to trumpet what success weve had and publicly and privately urge investment into the region.

When asked point blank whats next for Afghanistan, President Clinton, the keynote speaker at the Concordia Summit, took an uncomfortably long pause before candidly answering, I dont know.

If President Obama sticks to his public timeline for withdrawal and American forces leave behind an Afghanistan without the capacity to use PPPs to build a better future, the former presidents uncertainty is justified.

David Laska is a spokesman for the New York Republican State Committee.
A funny thing happened at the Obama-Romney foreign policy debate on last week. One of the candidates completely ignored a foreign policy issue of great concern to Americas Hispanics.

I am speaking of trade with Latin America. President Obama had nothing to say on the matter. It was Mitt Romney who, voluntarily and without being prompted by the moderator, spoke about the importance of having stronger trade relations with our neighbors to the South. And I like what I heard from the former Massachusetts governor. It is one of the reasons I am endorsing his quest for the White House.

Gov. Romney has spent most of his career in the private sector starting new businesses and helping to rescue failing ones. He understands commerce. He understands how jobs are created. At a moment when Hispanic Americans are suffering from an unemployment rate significantly higher than the national average, we need a President who will find effective ways to turn our economy around.

Thus, at the debate, it was Gov. Romney who took up the issue of trade with Latin America. He made the important observation that the combined countries of Latin America forms one of the worlds largest trading blocs. Yet while we talk endlessly of the problems besetting our trading relationship with Beijing, we ignore the potential for expanding trade with our neighbors to the south. The possibility for increasing commerce, and creating jobs from that commerce, is vast.

As Gov. Romney pointed out, U.S. trade increases by about 10 percent a year. Yet trade with Latin America is an area where the White House under Barack Obama has been derelict. Already, the volume of U.S. trade with Mexico is over $1.2 billion dollars daily and there is ample room to build on this foundation. The Presidents silence on this issue in the debate was thus not an accident. He has accomplished nothing in this area and has nothing to say.

Mitt Romney has a plan to reverse this neglect. In his first 100 days in office, he has promised to launch a trade promotion effort in the region that he calls the Campaign for Economic Opportunity in Latin America, which will build on the free trade agreements we have with Panama, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Mexico and the members of the Central American Free Trade Agreement. Its goal will be the creation of strong and mutually beneficial economic ties between the region and the United States. The days of ignoring our neighbors to the south will end.

Here at home, Mitt Romney understands that many of Americas Hispanics are either owners of small businesses or employed by a small business. He intends to stop burying them with taxes and regulations so that they can free up capital to grow, invest in the future, and hire workers. To that end, he is going to slash individual tax rates across the board by 20 percent. Such a step, long overdue, will help millions of Hispanic Americans keep more of their take-home pay, and help them secure their place in the middle class.

Hispanic Americans around the country deserve leadership that will take our concerns seriously. We are now the nations largest minority group. Our votes count. Many of us are veterans like myself who have proudly served our country in peace and war. We want and deserve a president in the White House who will offer us more than promises. That is the leadership Mitt Romney will provide.
Pundits, pollsters and future presidents may want to follow the ferocious congressional race taking place along the border, in South Texas, where Democrat Pete Gallegos threatens to unseat Republican congressman Francisco 'Quico' Canseco. How voters in TX Congressional District 23 (CD 23), one of the most Latino districts in the country, vote may preview the future of the Latino vote throughout the country.

The race will hinge on whether enough Latinos in CD23 say "No Somos Tontos" (we're not dumb) to incumbent Rep. Canseco, a Tea Party-backed candidate whose positions on key issues are diametrically opposed to those of most Latinos, including those in his district. In this sense, the the Texas race raises the question of whether Latinos in the western U.S. are willing to continue backing a candidate associated with the Tea Party, sponsors of most of the hateful, anti-immigrant, anti-Latino policies in Texas and across the United States.

How can he (Canseco) or any other candidate backed by the racist Tea Party represent us if he wants to do away with bilingual communication from public schools, transportation, public safety, medical clinics?  Arturo Carmona

Canseco's extremist policies are out of touch with Latino priorities. His strong ties to the Tea Party, now the primary driver of some of the worst, most racist immigration policies in the United States, according to numerous studies, are nothing less than an inexcusable abomination. For Canseco to accept support from a Tea Party in which, according to a University of Washington poll, only 44 percent of white supporters believe that Latinos are intelligent and even fewer (42 percent) believe Latinos to be trustworthy should cause more than a few of us to look more closely at the race in Texas-and at Canseco's positions.

Consider, for example, how, despite having recently engaged in a historic Spanish language debate with Gallego, Canseco is one of the original sponsors of English-only legislation that would prohibit bilingual communication in Spanish or other languages. More than half--a whopping 53 percent--of residents in his district speak Spanish at home. Canseco wants to take away their voice.

In a political climate that's so charged with anti-Latino sentiment, such positions raise the question, 'How can he (Canseco) or any other candidate backed by the racist Tea Party represent us (Latinos) if he wants to do away with bilingual communication from public schools, transportation, public safety, medical clinics? No somos tontos.

On the quintessentially Latino issue of immigration, Canseco's hard line position resembles more closely the positions of the overwhelmingly white (88 percent) Tea Party than it does that in his overwhelmingly Latino (66 percent) district. He applauded Senate votes against the DREAM Act, and even told Telemundo that the DREAM Act had "no support in the House." While polls show 91 percent of Latinos supporting the DREAM act and other relief for undocumented students, conservative Republican Canseco opposed President Obama's Deferred Action announcement. On immigration, no somos tontos.

Why does Canseco focus on dividing the Latino community with his extreme ideas when he should work to bring more good paying jobs that move us forward? He has blocked advances in clean energy technology that would generate the jobs of the future. Instead of working to improve the economy, access to public services, improvements in infrastructure, or quality education, he wants to alienate his Latino constituents that make up the majority of this district. We can't go down this dangerous road. On jobs and clean energy, no somos tontos.

The Tejano showdown is our opportunity to send a message to Canseco, to the Tea Party, to the GOP and to any others bent on playing with the politics of bigotry at the expense of inclusion and advancement of a more just society for all: no somos tontos. On November 6, Latinos across the country will be watching the race in Texas for signs of our-and the country's- future.

All signs indicate another tight race and a record voter turnout in Texas. In this age of highly contested and very close races, how the increasingly powerful Latino voter exercises her right may well determine which direction the country takes. We are watching, and we will make our voices heard on November 6, and we must say at the top of our voices, "No somos tontos!"
Abraham Lincolns election in 1860 led South Carolina to try to secede from the Union. Donald Trumps election last month has raised similar talk in California, known as the California Independence Campaign.

Billionaire activist Tom Steyer said in that aftermath of the election that, Its impossible to look at the Trump campaign and not see a direct threat to the civil liberties and dignity of California citizens.

The leftist anti-constitutionalist Jeff Rosen is also touting States Rights for the Left in a recent opinion piece.

California cant secede. The Civil War settled that. But there are other potential avenues by which the Golden State can leave the Union: unanimous consent, retrocession, and deannexation.

California might be able to exit theoretically  and certainly could practically  if nobody objected. Lincoln himself entertained this possibility in his first inaugural address. If the Union were but an association of States, in the nature of contract merely, he suggested, it could be peaceably unmade by unanimous consent of all the States.

Lincoln was speaking arguendo (for the sake of argument). He did not believe that the Union was a contract among the States. Even so, he recognized that he could not stop an illegal secession if his rightful masters, the American people, did not furnish the requisite means to stop secession.

Though President Obama would probably have held the door open had Texas tried to secede during his presidency, President-elect Trump is not likely to let California go in peace.

Another alternative is to let California go out the way she came in. The common historical view is that the United States conquered California (along with Texas and the rest of the Southwest) in the Mexican war of aggression of 1846-48. This is true as far as it goes, but incomplete.

Technically, we acquired California as part of the Mexican cession in the 1848 Treaty of Guadelupe-Hidalgo. The U.S. paid Mexico $15 million for this territory. In a similar way, the states of Maryland and Virginia ceded the territory that is now the District of Columbia to the United States. In 1846 the federal government retroceded the territory south of the Potomac back to Virginia.

So, why couldnt we cede California back for, say, $415 million (what $15 million in 1848 dollars is worth today)? Maybe thats what candidate Trump and Mexican President Nieto were talking about last summer. The proceeds would pay for the border wall after all. San Francisco wouldnt need to be a sanctuary city for Mexican illegals, it would be part of Mexico again.

While easier than unanimous consent, retrocession would be difficult if it required an old-fashioned treaty and ratification by two-thirds of the Senate. While President Obama would feel free to retrocede by executive agreement with his pen and phone, President-elect Trump would have proper constitutional scruples.

That leads us to a third scenario. California could go out the way that Texas came in.

The Texans (mostly illegal Anglo immigrants) won their independence from Mexico in 1836. Lincoln recognized the legitimacy of this exercise of the right to revolution (not secession). Any people, anywhere he said, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better.

The independent republic of Texas immediately applied to join the United States, but the U.S. did not want to offend its southern neighbor, nor aggravate the North-South division over slavery. In 1844 President John Tyler submitted a treaty to annex Texas to the Senate, but it was soundly rejected. Later that year Democratic nominee James K. Polk campaigned to annex Texas (and all of Oregon). When Polk won the election, Democrats took it as a mandate to annex, and did so by a simple majority in Congress rather than a Senate supermajority.

Donald Trump, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell might welcome a California exit by joint resolution. Indeed, they might want to initiate it and kick out California by joint resolution. While theyre at it, they might act on the Texas annexation provision that allows Texas to be divided into five states.

Down one California, plus four Texases  a new chapter for an updated edition of "The Art of the Deal."
Sore loser Democrats continue to push the idea that Russia helped President-elect Donald Trump win the election.

These alt-left liberals desperately keep playing up a narrative that Russian hacks helped Trump with his electoral victory over Hillary Clinton, despite conflicting views on the issue of intelligence from the CIA and the FBI. The left wing is running wild with reports saying the CIA, without any concrete or new evidence, somehow knows that Russian hackers influenced the election in favor of Trump. That's their conspiracy.

Democrats and the abusively biased alt-left mainstream media are pushing the CIA's assessment as an undeniable fact, but of course, it is not.

LAURA INGRAHAM: TRUMP SEEKS TO IMPROVE LIVES OF EVERDAY AMERICANS

The FBI has reached a much different conclusion than the CIA. It has not found conclusive evidence that Russia was trying to assist Donald Trump in any way. And Reuters reported that America's top spy agency, the office of the Director of National Intelligence, is not embracing the CIA's conclusions, either. Why? There's a lack of evidence.

Yet, instead of accepting the facts and telling the American people the truth, the left, led by President Obama, continue to repeat falsehoods. Why? To delegitimize President-elect Donald Trump.

President Obama has done a major flip-flop on the potential of the election in America being rigged or interfered with. Back in October, President Obama mocked Trump for raising concerns about fairness in an election.

The larger point that I want to emphasize here is that there is no serious person out there who would suggest somehow that you could even -- you could even rig America's elections, the president said three weeks before Election Day. And so I'd advise Mr. Trump to stop whining and go try to make his case to get votes.

Who's whining now that Donald Trump won? President Obama told The Daily Show this week that, yes, outside forces could have influenced the election.

Russia trying to influence or elections dates back to the Soviet Union, he said. What they did here, hacking some emails and releasing them, is not a particularly fancy brand of espionage or propaganda. We were, frankly, more concerned in the run-up to the election to the possibilities of vote tampering, which we did not see evidence of and were confident that we could guard against.

In the same interview, President Obama took the Russian hacking idea even further by alleging that President-elect Trump has direct ties to Russia.

You had what [were] very clear relationships between members of the president-elect's campaign team and Russians and a professed shared view on a bunch of issues, he said.

When it comes to working with the Russians, well, President Obama clearly has a pretty short memory. Remember when he was caught on a hot mike saying this to the prime minister, Dmitri Medvedev, back in 2012?

This is my last election, he said, when he thought no one else could hear. After my election, I have more flexibility.

I understand, Medvedev replied. I'll transmit this information to Vladimir.

The Obama administration knows a lot about interfering in foreign elections, too. A 2014 congressional investigation found an Israeli political group used a $300,000 Obama State Department grant to create a political apparatus to undermine Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus re-election bid.

President Obama pretends to be morally outraged over Russian hacking and influence, but he's done next to nothing on cybersecurity in the entire eight years he's been president. During his time in office, we have seen hacks of NASA, the Department of Energy, the FEC commission networks, the U.S. Postal Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the State Department, the Department of Defense, the IRS, the Office of Personnel Management and the White House itself!

If the White House ever addresses cybersecurity, itll be under the Trump administration. This president had his chance, and he failed to act.

Adapted from Sean Hannity's monologue on "Hannity," airing Dec. 13, 2016 on Fox News Channel
      :      8 ,        
As two crime victims rights advocates and law professors, we welcome the announcement that President-elect Trump will nominate Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to be the next attorney general of the United States.

Senator Sessions has a long and robust record of fighting for justice, and more specifically for enforceable victims rights. If confirmed by the Senate, he will undoubtedly be a powerful voice for crime victims as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States.

Our enthusiasm about Senator Sessions stems from the fact that he was an early supporter of amending the U.S. Constitution to protect rights for crime victims.

This idea was first proposed by a Task Force assembled by President Ronald Reagan and later endorsed by Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

The Victims Rights Amendment was first introduced in Congress in 1996 by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Jon Kyl. Senator Sessions strongly advocated for the amendment and will be the countrys first Attorney General to cast votes for amending the Constitution to give rights to crime victims.

In his support for the Amendment, much about the core of the man and his sense of justice is revealed. Senator Sessions strongly supported the Amendment because, as a Senate Judiciary Committee Report in which he joined, explained: It is time to extend Federal constitutional recognition to those who are too often forgotten by our criminal justice system  the innocent victims of crime.

It is no exaggeration to say that Senator Sessions voted to open the doors of the courtroom to the parents of a murdered child during the trial of the accused murderer. He voted to let a woman who has been brutalized by rape tell the court about the impact of the crime on her life. And he voted to give a voice to the victims of domestic violence before decisions are made about releasing those accused of perpetrating violence against them.

The Senators strong bipartisan record on behalf of crime victims does not end there. Senator Sessions crossed the aisle to work with Senator Feinstein to preserve restitution rights for crime victims and to provide stronger protections for victims of child abuse. He joined with the late-Senator Ted Kennedy to reduce sexual assaults in prison. He worked with Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin to address sentencing disparities in federal drug laws and increase penalties for the most serious drug traffickers. And in many other ways, he fought against weakening the federal criminal laws whenever they posed an undue risk of creating even more victims of crime.

More impressive still is his courage as a prosecutor to take up the cause of pursuing justice for crime victims through the prosecution of their attackers.

He stood against headwinds of the Old South to prosecute KKK criminals in Alabama. He prosecuted Klansman Henry Francis Hays, son of Alabama Klan leader Bennie Hays, for abducting and killing Michael Donald, a black teenager.

As a prosecutor, Senator Sessions established a record as aggressive, but fair. He remained focused on the ethical duty to do justice.

We are excited about the prospect of an attorney general who sees the need for expanding rights and services for crime victims, and who has demonstrated the heart, the courage, and the leadership to head a Department of Justice that will ensure justice is pursued for all, including and especially for the crime victim.
Senior Donald Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said Tuesday on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" the president-elect is forming a "tremendously conservative and sharp cabinet" while continuing to hold meetings at Trump Tower in New York with members of Congress and even rapper Kanye West.

Conway described the choice to nominate Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of state, as "a very Trumpian pick."

"The president-elect told me just today that when he met Rex Tillerson, they clicked immediately," she told Carlson. "I'm not surprised, they're both very successful accomplished people who employ tens of thousands of individuals, and that he just felt that he was in a very special league, someone who can negotiate deals, someone who already has relationships across the globe."

"Somebody, who frankly, has told Vladimir Putin, no," she added.

Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia who was in the running for secretary of energy, is someone Conway described as "very helpful and welcoming" to the president-elect and "not in the Democratic orthodoxy."

"We think we can rely upon him as a critical vote for some of these common-sense reforms that the president-elect has said he will put forward in the first 100 days," she said.
President-elect Donald Trump intends to pick Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke as secretary of the Interior, multiple sources confirmed Tuesday evening to Fox News.

Zinke is a first-term House member and a former Navy SEAL commander.

Neither the Trump transition team nor Zinke has made a public statement. But Zinke reportedly has accepted the offer.

He was purportedly in the running with Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who met at least twice with Trump, a fellow Republican, in recent days.

McMorris Rodgers has made no official statement either. But she posted a message late Tuesday on her Facebook page that suggested she will remain on Capitol Hill as part of House Speaker Paul Ryans leadership team.

It was an honor to be invited to spend time with the President-elect, and Im energized more than ever to continue leading in Congress as we think big, reimagine this government, and put people back at the center of it, McMorris Rodgers wrote.

Zinke was an early Trump supporter and serves on the Houses Natural Resources Committee. He met Monday with Trump in New York.

Fox News John Roberts contributed to this report.
Senate Democrats have been scrambling to prevent two of their members from taking a post in the Trump administration, trying to prevent any defection that could bolster Republicans control of the chamber.

They recently launched a full court press to retain Sens. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, and Heidi Heitkamp, of North Dakota, after each met with Republican President-elect Donald Trump, one senior Senate Democrat told Fox News.

Manchin now appears less likely to bolt -- after saying he wants to remain in the Senate and being passed over for Energy secretary -- which puts the focus squarely on Heitkamp.

The first-term lawmaker, who faces reelection in 2018 in a conservative state, still appears in the running for the Agriculture secretary post.

A Trump transition team source told Fox News the president-elect really wants her for the job.

Either departure would pose short- and long-term challenges for Senate Democrats.

If Heitkamp left, her seat could remain empty for months, meaning Democrats would have one less vote to stop any of Trumps first-100-day initiatives, which could including getting a Supreme Court nominee confirmed in the Senate or passing a tax overhaul.

The North Dakota legislature last year changed its laws so that a Senate seat remains vacant, without a place-holder senator, until it is filled in a special-election vote held within 95 days of a resignation.

In the longer-term, Senate Republicans would have a solid chance of winning Heitkamps seat in a special election and adding to their 52-48 member majority.

In West Virginia, the governor would under the law appoint a temporary replacement and hold a special election within 48 to 120 days to fill the seat for the remainder of the term which ends in 2017.

West Virginias Democratic governor likely would appoint a Democrat to fill the seat in the interim.

As a Democrat in an increasingly conservative state, Manchin initially had appeared at risk of leaving.

And his words and actions in recent weeks -- criticizing Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and risking a government shutdown over coal miner benefits -- suggested a willingness to depart the Senate, or at least prepare for a tough reelection fight in 2018 in a state that went for Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton 68-26 percent.

Manchin last month chastised Reid for calling Trump after his White House win a sexual predator, saying Reids remarks were an absolute embarrassment and needlessly  tearing this country apart.

Reid recently told CNN that Manchins comments were his way to get out the door.

Democrats, in an apparent effort to solidify their caucus, recently made Manchin part of their leadership team. And Trumps official decision Wednesday to pick former Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry for Energy secretary, for which Machin was being considered, settled the speculation for now.

I was humbled to be considered for the Secretary of Energy position, Manchin said in a statement. I have dedicated my life in public service to doing what is best for the people of West Virginia. Right now, I believe that I can best serve my state of West Virginia in the United States Senate.

Heitkamp and Manchin are among 10 Democrats in the chamber seeking reelection in 2018.

Trump has only three remaining Cabinet posts to fill -- Agriculture, Interior and Veterans Affairs.

FoxNews.com's Joseph Weber and Fox News' Bret Baier and John Roberts contributed to this report.
A push by restive electors for a briefing on alleged Russian interference in the U.S. election is growing after Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman poured fuel on the fire by endorsing the call  as some Donald Trump foes continue to hold out hope they can deny the president-elect the office he won.

John Podesta, whose emails were leaked to the front pages of news outlets across the country via WikiLeaks in the last months of the campaign, did not directly call on electors to flip their vote. He merely backed the demand by a handful of them for an intelligence briefing on Russia involvement.

Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed, he said in a statement Monday.

Since then, however, a total of 55 mostly Democratic electors have now signed onto the open letter to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

We further require a briefing on all investigative findings, as these matters directly impact the core factors in our deliberations of whether Mr. Trump is fit to serve as President of the United States, the letter says.

Those on the letter are not all necessarily part of an effort to get Republican electors to defect from Trump and back an alternative. The Electoral College is set to meet Monday to affirm Trump's Nov. 8 win, and attempts to deny the president-elect a formal victory at that time stand little chance of succeeding.

Still, the focus on Russia interference could serve to stir some drama on Dec. 19.

The call for an intelligence briefing is being led by Christine Pelosi, the daughter of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi -- who has been under fire over her party's poor showing in November, and who recently swatted off a leadership challenge.

MEDIA WARN TRUMP COULD EXPLOIT US 'PROPAGANDA' ARM -- UNDER BIPARTISAN LAW

The letter follows the The Washington Post reporting Friday that the CIA has high confidence the Russian government tried to help the Trump campaign. But so far, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has not embraced the CIA finding.

Even if the call for a briefing is successful, it would only be one step on a long and arduous path to denying Trump the 270 votes needed to take the White House.

Trump won 306 electoral votes, and his opponents would need to convince 37 Republican electors to defect. So far only one  Chris Suprun of Texas  has said he will do so. Suprun was the only Republican elector to sign on to the Pelosi letter.

Harvard constitutional law Professor Larry Lessig, who briefly ran as a candidate for the 2016 Democratic Party nomination and who has set up a legal group The Electors Trust to offer legal counsel to anti-Trump electors, told FoxNews.com he believes there are at least 20 GOP electors seriously considering changing their vote. He conceded he thinks most will only vote against Trump if they believe they have 37 Republican electors ready to jump ship.

Im confident there are about 20 ... seriously considering it, he said. There are some who will do it as a matter of principle; one has already said he will. But most will be in the situation where they wont make that sacrifice unless there a reason to sacrifice.

The plan, being pushed by a group calling themselves The Hamilton Electors, seeks to unite Republican and Democratic electors around a compromise Republican candidate and deny Trump 270 votes. Should no candidate hit 270, the vote would go to the House of Representatives in what is known as a contingent election. The Hamilton Electors hope that House Republicans would then pick the alternative Republican over Trump.

After reports that Ohio Gov. John Kasich was being considered as a third-way candidate, Kasich tweeted asking electors not to vote for him and declaring: The election is over.

Lessig acknowledges there is little chance of the effort succeeding, but says that things could change if the Russian narrative heats up.

This is a low probability event and I dont see anything right now that indicates a high chance that it will change immediately. But a lot is happening, he said.

Should the rogue electors deny Trump the votes, it would be an unprecedented moment in U.S. history. There have only been 157 instances of so-called faithless electors for president or vice president, and no faithless electors have ever changed the outcome of an election.

Trump also dismissed claims of Russian interference, telling Fox News Chris Wallace that Democrats are putting it out because they suffered one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country.

The White House has stayed well away from the Electoral College controversy, with White House press secretary Josh Earnest noting Tuesday that most electors will not have the necessary security clearance with which to access classified information.

The Electoral College is due to meet on Dec. 19, by state, in each capital. They will submit their certificates of votes, which Congress will tabulate in a Joint Session on Jan. 6.

Fox News Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
EXCLUSIVE: The IRS spent more than $1.4 million on long-term travel for just 27 employees in fiscal 2015, including on high-end car services and luxury apartment and hotel stays, a Senate report has found -- with one lawmaker blasting woefully insufficient efforts to reduce expenses at the agency.

The Senate Finance Committee report, obtained by FoxNews.com, found that while federal guidelines say employees must exercise the same care in incurring expenses as a prudent person traveling on personal business, IRS employees who traveled 125 business days or more racked up an average cost of over $52,000 a year.

The committee found more than half of the long-term travel time was spent in the Washington D.C., area. It found cases of five employees living in hotels, primarily in the capital, for months at a time without looking for lower-cost housing or having their per diem rates reduced as outlined in federal guidelines.

Further, the committee found the IRS does not routinely or actively seek to reduce per diem rates for employees on long-term travel.

The generous per diem rate allows employees traveling to Washington to spend up to $7,099 a month on lodging alone, despite the committee seeing virtually no circumstance in which an employee would need to spend that much on a month-to-month basis.

And yet some employees pushed the limits on the taxpayers' dime.

The report cites the case of one employee spending more than five months at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, racking up a $38,799 tab, while another stayed in a number of Washington hotels including the Ritz Carlton  Pentagon City in Northern Virginia to the tune of $72,544 for the fiscal year.

One employee rented a $1.07 million, four-bedroom townhouse in Arlington, Va., for a year, costing taxpayers $4,950 a month, while another stayed in a luxury apartment building in downtown Chicago overlooking the Chicago River at a price of $4,605 a month.

Also, despite the IRS own guidance to the contrary, the committee found evidence that some IRS executives are not geographically located where their primary job duties are, adding to the travel expenses.

The number of employees who travel more than half of the year and the cost at which they do so is simply unacceptable, the report said.

The report noted that such long-term travel led to other expenses also deemed excessive, including an employee charging $100 for black car service from Manhattan to LaGuardia Airport, and another employee charging the IRS for cab rides to dinner and the grocery store.

Committee Chair Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, in a letter to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, called the results of the report frustrating, noting what he called the lack of effort by employees to be prudent, which he said could be a direct violation of federal travel regulations.

And yet, Committee staff saw example after example of routine Amtrak Acela trips, black car service, and luxury apartment rentals when reviewing IRS employee travel vouchers, Hatch said. Furthermore, the IRS made woefully insufficient efforts to reduce expenses in ways that would still allow employees to travel comfortably.

The committee recommended the IRS significantly reduce per diem rates for long-term travel, as outlined by federal guidelines, and noted that the agency could see significant cost savings among all employees who travel for significant amounts of time during the year if it followed its own guidelines.

The IRS did not immediately return a request for comment from FoxNews.com.
Earlier this month, a small group of marijuana legalization activists snuck cannabis past U.S. Capitol Police and into the office of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the man who could soon enforce national drug laws as President-elect Donald Trumps nominee to be attorney general.

Sessions was not in his office Dec. 8 as the advocates asked Sessions staffers that their boss stand against marijuana prohibition and not, as D.C. Cannabis Campaign organizer Adam Eidinger put it, break down peoples doors as a federal policy, according to U.S. News & World Report. Eidingers comments echoed those of Jag Davies, the communications director for the Drug Policy Alliance, who called Sessions a drug war extremist with a career-long history of racist comments and actions.

But Sessions supporters argue his Justice Department policy on drugs wouldnt look much different from that of current Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

SESSIONS' CHOICE AS ATTORNEY GENERAL DRAWS APPLAUSE, ANGER

Sessions has not yet officially outlined what his policy toward states that have legalized marijuana might be, as his office is not speaking with reporters in advance of his confirmation hearing. So far, only a Justice Department memo has restrained the federal government from pursuing prosecutions in states that legalize marijuana. California, Nevada, Massachusetts and Maine recently approved the recreational use of marijuana, joining Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington; but federal law supersedes state law.

But Sessions future boss, Trump, has signaled  though warily  he may view the legalization battle as more of a states rights issue than a fight for the federal government to jump in to.

If they vote for it, they vote for it, Trump said at a conservative forum in February 2015.

Some have pointed to Sessions remark from an April Senate Judiciary hearing that good people dont smoke marijuana as a signal Sessions wont be a proponent of what Davies calls sensible drug policies. But Sessions made the remark in the context of preferable societal rhetoric  and rhetoric many Obama officials agree with.

I think the evidence is pretty clear that early use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana  often used together  significantly increases the probability that someone will develop a more significant addictive disorder later in their life, White House drug czar Michael Botticelli said during a House Oversight hearing in March.

The DEA and leading medical community associations have taken similar stances.

And some of those with a more personal stake in the war on drugs have already lined up behind Sessions. Ex-HP CEO Carly Fiorina, a former Republican primary rival of Trumps who was recently interviewed by Trump for a possible cabinet posting, issued a statement of support on Saturday.

My husband Frank and I lost a child to the demons of addiction  as have countless parents across our country  and Senator Sessions understands we can and must do more to support states that are taking an active role to combat this plague, Fiorina said.
As President-elect Donald Trump moves closer to his January inauguration, many at the United Nations could be excused for being worried given his critical pronouncements on the world body over the years.

Trump's views are at odds with the U.N. on a variety of issues  ranging from the Iran nuclear deal to the Paris climate treaty to the resettling of millions of refugees.

Well aware of those differences, outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent Trump a congratulatory note emphasizing that the U.N. will be counting on him "to strengthen the bonds of international cooperation as we strive together to uphold shared ideals, combat climate change, advance human rights, promote mutual understanding ... to achieve lives of peace, prosperity and dignity for all."

During the presidential campaign, Trump sent a strong and unequivocal message to the U.N. at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington, D.C.

"The United Nations is not a friend of democracy, it's not a friend to freedom, it's not a friend even to the United States of America where, as you know, it has its home, and it is surely not a friend to Israel," Trump said in March.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton told Fox News the U.N. could be bracing for a different relationship with the Trump White House.

"The overwhelming feeling among most members was Barack Obama was their kind of U.S president, so I do think it will be a different reception. The whole point of the idea of making America great again is to reassert ourselves especially in bodies like the United Nations," he said.

Bolton, who is rumored to be in consideration for a senior role in the Trump administration, predicts the president-elect will take a hard look at the world body. He believes that as the biggest contributor to the United Nations -- giving almost $3 billion a year  the U.S. has room for cuts.

"I think some of it is spent quite well, some of the specialist agencies do an excellent job, but much of it frankly is wasted on bureaucracy and peacekeeping operations that have outlived their usefulness on a range of programs that just exist from continuing inertia," he told Fox News. "So I think a good hard look at the U.N. budget is long overdue and I wouldn't be at all surprised if a President Trump once in office does pay particular attention to it."

Trumps U.N. concerns arent new. In a 2006 interview with Fox News Eric Shawn, Trump said the multi-billion dollar renovation of the world body's headquarters in Manhattan was "total insanity."

Trump's choice of Tea Party favorite Nikki Haley, the Republican governor of South Carolina, to be his ambassador to the United Nations could send shudders through the halls of the U.N., in part because Haley is known to be a stalwart ally of Israel -- a country many critics say has been regularly and unfairly singled out by the U.N. as the institution has routinely ignored some of the world's worst human rights offenders.

"I think there's a lot of day-to-day issues that she doesn't know about -- the problem Nikki Haley is going to face is that many of the other countries delegates are people who have been there for a very long time. Her counterpart from Russia has been there for 10 years. So I think hitting the ground running will be important," said Martin Edwards, a professor at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University.

Edwards is optimistic that Trump and the new secretary-general -- former Socialist Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Guterres -- will be able to work together.

"He expressed a desire to reform the U.N. and he expressed a desire to build trust between the U.N. and member states so I think there's a lot to look forward to actually in this honeymoon period," Edwards said.

Bolton, on the other hand, believes Trumps election victory presents a historic opening: "I think this is a huge opportunity for the incoming administration to make substantial changes at the U.N. [and] to pull back from the approaches from the Obama administration."

Fox News Eric Shawn contributed to this report.
The lushly forested nation of Guyana on Thursday joined a regional pact to protect jaguars, the elusive spotted cat that is the biggest land predator in the Americas but is vulnerable due to expanded agriculture and mining that carves away at their fragmented habitat.

Leaders of the government's environment ministry were signing an agreement with the New York-based conservation group Panthera, which is trying to establish a "jaguar corridor," a network of pathways that would link core jaguar populations from northern Argentina to Mexico. Guyana is pledging to ensure the protection of jaguars, the national animal that is a near-threatened species.

The South American nation with some of the region's least spoiled wilderness joins Colombia and nations in Central America in recognizing the corridor and agreeing to work towards the long-term conservation of jaguars, according to Esteban Payan, regional director for Panthera's northern South America jaguar program.

A network of cameras equipped with motion sensors and fixed to tree trunks has revealed tantalizing glimpses of sleek, solitary jaguars slinking through Guyana's dense rain forests and vast grasslands stretching to the country's border with Brazil.

Scientists reported finding a relatively healthy jaguar density of three to four animals per 161 miles in Guyana's southern Rupununi Savannah. That means that preserving grasslands are as important to conservation of jaguars as protecting the dense rain forests, they say.

Jaguars once roamed widely from the southwestern United States to Argentina, but have lost nearly half of their natural territory and have disappeared altogether from some countries. Heavy hunting for their spotted coats decimated their numbers in the 1960s and early 1970s until the pelt trade was largely halted. No one has any reliable estimates of how many jaguars are left in the wild, where they prey on peccaries, tapirs and, since they are powerful swimmers, river turtles.

Guyana, a country roughly the size of the U.S. state of Idaho where most of the roughly 756,000 inhabitants live along its Atlantic coastline, has been widely recognized for balancing progress with. In 2009, it began a low-carbon push aimed at maintaining very low rates of deforestation and combating climate change, while also promoting economic development. It could receive up to $250 million from Norway by 2015 as an incentive to protect its forests through sustainable mining, timber harvesting and other projects.

Alan Rabinowitz, Panthera's CEO and a zoologist whose research in Belize in the 1980s led to the creation of the world's first jaguar preserve, said Guyana's signing of the jaguar agreement "demonstrates the government's continued commitment to its legacy of conservation alongside economic progress and diversification."
The world's "highest significant wave height as measured by a buoy" was 62.3 feet, located in the (very) high seas between the UK and Iceland, and occurred in 2013, the World Meteorological Organization has confirmed.

The wave formed after a strong cold front passed through the remote area, which is home to "intense extra-tropical storms" sometimes called "bombs." Other waves have been reported to be taller, including tsunamis, rogue waves, and a 95-foot wave observed by a ship in the same waters in 2000, but this is the highest to be confirmed by a buoy, which is arguably the most exacting tool we have, reports USA Today.

Estimates by satellites and ships "are generally unverifiable, since there is no ground truth for the satellite, and the others tend to be from pitching and rolling platforms," one wave expert says.

The 62-footer is now part of the WMO's Global Weather & Climate Extremes Archive, reports the Guardian. The archive logged two other records earlier this year: the longest distance of a single lightning flash (in Oklahoma), and the longest duration of one (in southern France).

As for other waves, the Smithsonian reports that the tallest tsunami wave ever recorded (though not by a buoy) was a 100-foot wave that followed a landslide in 1958 in Alaska's Lituya Bay, which destroyed trees 1,700 feet upslope.

And the National Ocean Service and European Space Agency confirm that freakish rogue waves, once "dismissed as a nautical myth," do exist, though they've only been measured by the ships that suffer their wrath.

(A rogue wave killed a mom bodysurfing with her son in Hawaii.)

This article originally appeared on Newser: A Buoy Noticed a Wave in 2013 That Was 'Remarkable'

More From Newser
The mummy of a child discovered in a crypt beneath a Lithuanian church harbors the oldest sample found to date of the virus that causes smallpox, a new report said.

But the researchers' analysis of the virus, called the variola virus, suggests that smallpox first appeared in humans much more recently than thought, the researchers said. Scientists had thought that smallpox was an ancient disease that plagued humanity for millennia.

The researchers drew their conclusion by taking virus from the mummy of the child, who lived between 1643 and 1665, and comparing that strain against variola viruses that date to the mid-1900s. The differences, or mutations, that the researchers found suggest that the strains shared a common ancestor that first arose between 1588 and 1645, the researchers said. That time period was filled with human exploration, migration and colonization  activities that could have spread the virus worldwide, the researchers noted.

More studies are needed to confirm that the smallpox virus indeed arose that recently, but if it did, this would cast doubt on the previously suggested idea that people in ancient Egypt had smallpox. Although 3,000- to 4,000-year-old Egyptian mummies have pockmark scarring, a symptom of smallpox, these scars could have also come from measles or chickenpox, said the study's first author, Ana Duggan, a postdoctoral fellow at the McMaster University Ancient DNA Centre in Canada.

If smallpox had arisen thousands of years ago, the researchers would have seen a high degree of diversity between the viruses that they compared, Duggan said. "We don't see that," she told Live Science.

In addition, the researchers' analysis of the mummy's virus also suggests that the two known forms of the virus  variola major and variola minor  likely split from each other after the English doctor Edward Jenner famously developed the first smallpox vaccine, in the late 1700s, the researchers said.

The finding about the major-minor split is "by no means conclusive, but it opens the idea that maybe this split between the major and the less virulent, minor strain was an evolutionary response to the vaccine ," Duggan said.

Child mummy

Researchers have been studying several mummies found in the crypt of the Dominican Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, since the 1930s. But the authors of the new study are the first to figure out that one mummy, of a child between ages 2 and 4, contained the smallpox virus.

It's unclear whether the child was male or female, but the researchers did establish, through radiocarbon dating, that the child lived about 360 years ago. Smallpox outbreaks were happening across Europe at that time.

Smallpox once killed about three out of every 10 people who got it. The illness could also lead to disfigurement and blindness. Smallpox is the first and so far only human disease eradicated by vaccination, Duggan said.

The researchers' sample of the variola virus taken from the mummy was badly disintegrated, but the scientists rebuilt it by comparing it to existing variola sequences, and also using DNA sequences from the mummy's skin, the scientists said.

Smallpox origins

The scientists said they are hopeful that the findings will help virologists trace the background of smallpox and other viruses.

"We still don't know when smallpox first appeared in humans, and we don't know what animal it came from. And we don't know that because we don't have any older historical samples to work with" study co-author Edward Holmes, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Sydney in Australia, said in the statement.

The new study puts "a new perspective on this very important disease , but it's also showing us that our historical knowledge of viruses is just the tip of the iceberg," Holmes said.

The study was published online Dec. 8 in the journal Current Biology.

Original article on Live Science.
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An island a day keeps the therapist away, I discovered in Exuma, an archipelago of 365 named islands and cays in the southern Bahamas.

Whereas my workaday schedule does not allow me the luxury of visiting one cay a day for an entire year, I must have racked up seeing a good half of them on a recent four-day mission.

It began on Great Exuma Island, home to an international airport, capital George Town, and three-year-old Sandals Emerald Bay, which artfully remastered the original Four Seasons built there in 2003.

Sandals and George Town present opposite end of the spectrum Great Exuma experiences in more ways than geographic. Whereas Sandals, 10 minutes north of the centrally located airport, sequesters you in luxury and pampering, George Town and its inns, about 20 minutes in the other direction, plunge you full immersion into the center of local life.

Free of traffic lights, the easily walkable village feeds you in restaurants that adhere to true Bahamian staples such as cracked (pounded and fried) conch, fresh grouper, steaming johnnycake, and spiny lobster. The historic Club Peace & Plenty accommodates you with British class between downtown and the marvelous beaches of Stocking Island.

Besides its beach, Stocking Island is best known by boaters for its Chat N Chill bar and grill  the epitome of the colorful, ramshackle beach and yachter bars you find throughout the Bahamas. We met with owners Kwanza and Kenneth "KB," both as colorful as their establishment and warm as its beach, over a cold Kalik local beer.

Conch man A.J. chopped up a fresh bowl of conch salad, a ceviche-like delight. We fed gargantuan sting rays leftover bits of the conch, toasted the sunset, and headed back to the main island via a government ferry that runs regular service to the island.

Two islands down, 363 to go! Actually, I had already visited Little Exuma a few years back. Connected by a narrow bridge to Great Exumas south end, the time-stilled island is worth the drive to step over to the Tropic of Cancer and chew on actor Johnny Depps favorite conch fritters at Santanas Grill. Depp indulged often during "Pirates of the Caribbean" filming, Im told. He now owns an island of his own among the long string of cays north of Great Exuma.

We didnt see Depp or his quiet eco-hideaway during our island-hopping boat excursion this time around. But we did see David Copperfield. Or was that just an illusion?

The famed magician owns the entire Musha Cay, now an over-the-top luxury resort where a roll call of gold-plated celebs have come to escape. His home is front and center, easily visible from the water, and thats where we spotted him on the porch in a white robe. At least it looked like him from a distance through camera zooms, with jet black hair and slim physique. And so the 10 of us guests aboard agreed to agree that it indeed was he.

The mermaid lying next to a piano at the bottom of the sea was definitely not an illusion. Neither were the swimming pigs, friendly sharks, or endangered iguanas we encountered out there. We didnt see James Bond, but we dived through a cave opening to be flurried by tropical fish and become part of the scenery at a filming site from "Thunderball."

All of this true magic took place on an 8.5-hour tour aboard the 007 Thunderball Safari out of the north-end Great Exuma town of Barraterre. Native Bahamians Ray Lightbourne and son Justin know these waters and cays inside and out. Rays father, in fact, played one of the bad guys in "Thunderball," and Ray got to watch the filming. It takes some tricky maneuvering to get in and out of the cave, but the Lightbournes are expert sportsmen and teachers.

It was only one highlight of an adventure-filled trip. Other operators do similar tours, but you probably wont see the underwater metal mermaid sculpture that Copperfield had commissioned. Nor will you see other secret, hard-to-find spots such as a surreal sandbar in the middle of the sea.

People come to Exuma for an intimate experience, said Justin. Thats why we limit it to 10 guests, so we can get around to talk and know everyone personally. The pair told stories about the various islands as we whipped past, stopping in front of some for a better look and pictures.

Our first deboarding at White Point took us to one of a gazillion incredible beaches with waters in 50 shades of blue. Here we climbed a tall dune, ate sweet Exuma pineapple, and took picture after picture to try to capture the waters evanescent beauty.

We fed grapes on a stick to the Bahamian rock iguanas on Great Guana Cay. We ogled the private island home of country musicians Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. We swam with wild pigs at Big Majors Cay and nurse sharks and bonefish at funky Compass Cay. At Staniel Cay, we relished Goombay Smash rum punches and blackened grouper at the eponymous yacht clubs salty restaurant.

We marveled at every turn: yet another gorgeous green island with deserted white sand beaches in a sea of jewels. Sixty-five miles from Barraterre, and we still were only two-thirds the way up the 90-mile stretch of cays that reaches clear to Nassaus doorstep and beyond.

At the last stop, we devoured moist rum cake that Rays wife had made fresh, then headed for a flash ride back to the dock as the sun set on yet another perfect island experience that could surely cure any ailment of the spirit.
Lawyers for Dylann Roof, the man accused of killing nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church during a Bible study last year, rested their case without calling any witnesses Wednesday after a judge ruled they could not present evidence about his mental health.

NEWTOWN MARKS 4 YEARS AFTER SANDY HOOK MASSACRE

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel sent the jury home for the day just after noon. Closing arguments are set for Thursday.

If the jury decided Roof was guilty of federal hate crimes and obstruction of religion in connection with the June 2015 shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, those jurors would return next month and decide whether to sentence him to death or life in prison.

PREGNANT FLORIDA WOMAN SHOT, KILLED ANSWERING THE DOOR

Defense attorney David Bruck had aimed to call mental health experts and present job applications and academic records. But Gergel said that evidence was irrelevant to whether Roof was guilty of attacking the church.

Earlier Wednesday before resting their case, prosecutors played the 911 call a survivor made after they said Roof deliberately left her behind.

"I'm under the table. Yes he's a young 21 year old white dude. No I don't know, I don't know. He's reloading... I don't know there's so many. Help us Lord please help us..... that's another lady talking...I think they're dead," Polly Sheppard said in the call.

She testified about how Roof told her to shut up as she prayed aloud and that he would leave her alive to tell people he attacked the historic African-American church because he hated black people.

Also Wednesday, a medical examiner testified that it took her four days to finish examining all the bodies. Dr. Erin Presnell showed X-rays of each person killed and pictures of the bullets she removed. She said every victim was shot at least five times, and many of them had several wounds to their arms.

Some family members of the victims stayed out of the courtroom as Presnell testified.

Fox News Multimedia Reporter Terace Garnier in Charleston and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Iraqi war veteran David Brown was a combat soldier with the 82nd Airborne, 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 11 Bravo.

PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR, GREETER AT MEMORIAL DIES AT AGE 99

With 35 training jumps and three combat jumps, Brown was going to make a career out of the Airborne Infantry. A training injury at Fort Benning, Ga., ended those plans,

"I didn't want to be discharged. I wanted to go career," Brown said.

THREE MARINES FACE COURTS-MARTIAL IN HAZING INVESTIGATION

After a forced honorable discharge, Brown took up various jobs in the civilian world, but post-traumatic stress disorder and continuing health issues from his training injury became a tougher battle than the one he fought in Fallujah, Iraq.

Now Brown finds himself in a 1992 Winnebago motor home in the perimeter of the Highlands Ranch, Colo., Walmart.

A former battle buddy of Brown's posted on Facebook that her friend was in trouble, and needed some reinforcements. Within 24 hours, people responded.

Darla Rae, an independent film director and Highlands Ranch resident, was one of the people who helped out. She stopped by and gave Brown around $300 in cash. Brown was overwhelmed with emotion and gave Rae a big hug.

"He served our country and he had a need and that's what we're supposed to do. We're suppose to reach out and help," Rae said.

Click for more from Fox 31.
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An 80-year-old former associate of ex-Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger is due to be arraigned in the 1991 fatal shooting of an armored truck guard in Massachusetts.

Ralph DeMasi, of Amesbury, will be arraigned Wednesday in Worcester Superior Court on murder and robbery charges in the killing of Edward Morlock. Morlock was shot while carrying bags of money from a Shaw's Supermarket in Worcester (WUS'-tur).

Prosecutors say DeMasi and three others robbed Morlock and escaped in a waiting car. Authorities say the other men have since died.

DeMasi testified during Bulger's 2013 trial, shortly after being released following more than 21 years in prison for a different armored car robbery.

DeMasi could not be reached for comment while in custody. It was unclear if he has a lawyer.
Authorities say a man ran from a security guard and sprayed a fire extinguisher at him during a major fire at a northern Michigan ski resort.

The Petoskey News-Review (http://bit.ly/2hmvfG3 ) says David Soltysiak has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.

Twelve people were injured early Sunday in a fire at the main lodge at Boyne Highlands, including a man who remains in critical condition.

A police affidavit filed in Emmet County court says a guard was trying to evacuate people from the lodge when he encountered Soltysiak. Investigators say Soltysiak refused to put down a fire extinguisher and instead sprayed it at the guard.

Soltysiak was arrested Monday and was still in jail Wednesday. He's asked for a court-appointed lawyer.

___

Information from: Petoskey News-Review, http://www.petoskeynews.com
A convicted sex offender has been ordered to spend a year and three months in prison in the theft of a nearly life-sized carved clown that was the mascot of a closed Kansas amusement park.

Forty-one-year-old Damian Mayes was sentenced Tuesday in Sedgwick County, where he pleaded no contest in October to felony theft.

Louie the Clown and other items missing from the one-time Joyland Amusement Park in Wichita were found in February 2015 at Mayes' home. Mayes was an employee of the park who helped build and repair organs. He also helped restore the clown that played an automated organ near Joyland's entrance for decades before the park closed in 2006.

The clown statue disappeared from Joyland sometime in 2005 or 2006 and was officially reported stolen in 2010.
It might be a bit easier to avoid a traffic ticket in Bunker Hill, Indiana, these days.

The entire police force patrolling the small town resigned en masse Monday night, citing a lack of communication, insufficient gear and requests to do illegal, unethical and immoral things, Fox 59 reported.

MLB RELIEVER QUITS BASEBALL TO FIGHT CRIME

We have had issues with the town board and there are some activities there where I felt like they were serving their own agenda, said Michael Thomison, who served as Bunker Hill Town Marshal for four years.

Thomison and four reserve deputies  the full force  submitted their letters of resignation to the town council, listing a host of issues including being tasked by council members with running background checks on adversaries. The cops said if they declined, they were threatened.

Officers were also allegedly forced to share one set of body armor.

FALLEN POLICE OFFICERS HONORED WITH SPECIAL CHRISTMAS TREE

I did not want to send someone out there with bad body armor so I would take mine off and provide it to the other officers, Thomison said.

Council President Brock Speer said the council was blindsided by the resignations, but council members accepted the resignations with little comment.

Miami County Sheriff Tim Miller said county deputies will ensure residents are protected until a new marshal is hired. Deputies will patrol the town and respond to calls.

But Bunker Hill leaders are also battling other key resignations.

Citing personal reasons, Council Vice President Jim Panther submitted his resignation from the board, which will take effect at the end of the year, and Bunker Hill Building Commissioner Bill Gornto's resignation leaves the town without a building department.

Due to the actions of the current town council, I find myself unable to continue in this job, Gornto wrote in his resignation letter. This means you now have to notify the state building department that you no longer have a valid department.

Bunker Hill, located about 75 miles north of Indianapolis in Miami County, had a population of 888, according to the 2010 Census.

Click for more from Fox 59.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Poland's Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz says he's happy that the United States has decided to accelerate the deployment of deterrence troops to Poland.

The commander of U.S. land troops in Europe, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, says Wednesday that the troops will arrive in the German port of Bremenhaven on Jan. 6 and will be immediately deployed to Poland and the Baltic states. Hodges said the armored brigade and a battalion have already started moving out of their base in Colorado.

Poland and the Baltics have been uneasy about increased Russian military operations in the region.
Authorities in Orange County, Fla., are investigating the fatal shooting of a pregnant woman and the shooting of her brother, which has left him critically injured.

MISTRIAL IN MURDER-FOR-HIRE CASE FEATURED ON 'COPS'

The 24-year-old woman, who was not immediately identified, was shot and killed in front of her home on Long Peak Drive in Lockhart.

Detectives said the suspect showed up at the home and was banging on the front door. The woman, who was three-months pregnant, went to the door and was shot during a confrontation.

A spokesperson with the Orange County Sheriff's Office says a 26-year-old brother of the victim went outside to check on his sister after hearing shots fired. He too was shot and later transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.

The woman is described as a mother of two children, ages 5 and 7. She lived at the house with her parents and two brothers.

Investigators are looking for the suspect, who is known to the family, but his identity and a description were not released.

Click for more from Fox 35.
TJ Smith, 11, said he was playing outside his home in Wichita Falls, Texas, on Saturday when he saw a man snatch a little girl who was riding a scooter.

At first he thought the man was the girls uncle, but quickly noticed something was not right. TJ quickly ran to get some help before chasing the man down.

MEXICAN TOWNSFOLK KIDNAP DRUG BOSS' MOM, DEMAND LOVED ONES

His quick-thinking helped prevent a 7-year-old girl from being kidnapped, KAUZ reported.

The suspect was Raeshawn Perez, who told police that he wanted to have sex with the young victim before his plans were foiled by the quick-thinking 11-year-old and the neighbors who jumped into action to take him down.

NEW DNA TESTING PLANNED IN JONBENET RAMSEY MURDER CASE

For him to go by himself like that and chase a man. That was awesome, but also it was scary too. He could have got him too, but he is a hero, another neighbor, Pamela Brown, told KAUZ.

James Ware told reporters that he and other people in the neighborhood were able to track down Perez at a nearby vacant home. TJ was waiting for them.

He pointed behind the house, and said he went behind the house, he said. I pulled into the alley and threw (the car) in park. My wife yelled at him and told him to put the child down. He was about to put her in a window.

Perez let the girl go as Ware approached him, but took off running. Ware said he was able to catch Perez and hold him down until police showed up.

This incident right here was an eye-opener you know, because it could happen to anyone, he added.

These neighbors, and especially TJ, were praised as heroes.

The Wichita Falls Police Dept. made the 11-year-old an Honorary Police Member and gave him a badge to wear in school.

TJ said he was just doing the right thing and that he looks up to police officers and respects what they do.
It's the one story everyone wants to be a hoax.

A Tennessee newspaper that reported a boy died on Santa's lap -- complete with a heart-wrenching account of his final words -- said Wednesday it could no longer vouch for the veracity of the depressingly Dickensian Christmas story.

The News Sentinel published a story Sunday about a Campbell County Santa Claus actor, Eric Schmitt-Matzen, who said a terminally ill child had died in his arms. The story quickly went viral, with dozens of local and national news outlets interviewing Schmitt-Matzen about his emotional encounter with the unnamed 5-year-old boy.

But the paper said it cannot verify the account by Schmitt-Matzen, a 60-year-old mechanical engineer from Jacksboro, Tenn., who spends time volunteering as Santa Claus at a local hospital.

Still, Knoxville TV station WBIR reported that it did independently confirm many critical details of the story -- but would not go into further detail, citing privacy concerns.

I spent four years in the Army with the 75th Rangers, and Ive seen my share of [stuff], Schmitt-Matzen told the newspaper. But I ran by the nurses station bawling my head off. I know nurses and doctors see things like that every day, but I dont know how they can take it.

Schmitt-Matzen, a mechanical engineer and president of Packing Seals & Engineering in Jacksboro, Tenn., told news outlets he arrived at the unidentified hospital and met the boys mother and family members, who were also unidentified. A nurse had called with the special request and given him a toy to offer the child during his visit, the paper reported.

"When I walked in, he was laying there so weak, it looked like he was ready to fall asleep, Schmitt-Matzen told the news outlet. I sat down on his bed and asked, Say, whats this I hear about youre going to miss Christmas? Theres no way you can miss Christmas! Youre my No. 1 elf!

He looked up and said, I am? I said Sure.

Schmitt-Matzen told the News Sentinel that he watched him open the present and smile before he lay back down.

They say Im going to die, he told me. How can I tell when I get to where Im going? I said, Can you do me a big favor? He said Sure! 'When you get there, you tell them youre Santas No. 1 elf and I know theyll let you in. He said, They will? I said, Sure.

He kind of sat up, and gave me a big hug and asked one more question: Santa can you help me? I wrapped my arms around him. Before I could say anything, he died right there. I let him stay, just kept hugging and holding on to him, Schmitt-Matzen told the paper.

In a report Wednesday, the newspaper said: "Since publication, the News Sentinel has done additional investigation in an attempt to independently verify Schmitt-Matzens account."

"This has proven unsuccessful," the paper added. "Although facts about his background have checked out, his story of bringing a gift to a dying child remains unverified. The News Sentinel cannot establish that Schmitt-Matzens account is inaccurate, but more importantly, ongoing reporting cannot establish that it is accurate."

Click for more from the News Sentinel
The Bard is apparently too old school for English students at the University of Pennsylvania.

A portrait of William Shakespeare was removed from Fisher-Bennett Hall and replaced with a photo of Audre Lorde, a black female writer, it was reported Tuesday.

English Department Chair Jed Esty announced the switch in an email he sent to students and faculty last week, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported.

Students removed the Shakespeare portrait and delivered it to my office as a way of affirming their commitment to a more inclusive mission for the English department, he wrote.

The English Department had voted years ago to relocate and replace the classical writers portrait with something more modern and diverse, but apparently never got around to it.

Click here to read more at the New York Post.
Offshore oil exploration will be allowed off the Bahamas, the environmental minister said Sunday, adding that a voter referendum on whether to go forward with full production will be held only after it is determined whether the island chain has commercially viable reserves.

The exploratory drilling will not likely produce enough information to make a decision until late 2014 at the earliest and the referendum could be held the following year, Environmental Minister Kenred Dorsett said.

Offshore drilling is sensitive in the Bahamas, where many fear a spill could devastate the fishing and tourism industries. The previous Bahamian government had delayed issuing exploration permits. Prime Minister Perry Christie, who was voted back into office in May, has said he supported exploration.

Dorsett said the government would seek new regulations to protect the environment and cannot ignore the potential economic benefits of oil for a country that now imports fuel. "The discovery of oil in the Bahamas would almost certainly prove to be economically transformative for our nation for many generations to come," he said in a statement.

The announcement came after a delegation of Bahamian officials, including Dorsett, recently returned from neighboring Cuba, where he said they discussed that country's exploration efforts and the "need for enhanced environmental vigilance and protection," in an environmentally sensitive region just off the southeastern coast of the U.S.

Geologic surveys say 5 billion to 9 billion barrels of oil may lie off Cuba's coast. Three exploratory wells proved nonviable in 2012, a blow to a government eager for an injection of petrodollars to boost its struggling economy. In December, a Norwegian-owned platform arrived in waters off Cuba's north-central coast for exploratory drilling by the Russian oil company Zarubezhneft for operations expected to take six months.

Dorsett said the fact that Cuba is pursuing exploration so seriously suggests there are likely substantial reserves so the Bahamas must move quickly to decide whether it wants to pursue offshore oil and adopt the necessary regulations. The minister said the proposed new regulations are nearly finished and will be presented to the Cabinet soon.

He said it makes sense to have the regulations in place and to determine if there is indeed offshore oil before going to the public for a vote. "Obviously, we are not going to have a referendum on a hypothetical proposition," he said.

The private Bahamas Petroleum Company hopes to begin exploration in a block about 60 miles from (97 kilometers) from where the Russian company is drilling off Cuba, according to CEO Simon Potter. The company still needs to find a drilling partner but hopes to begin what will likely be a year-long exploration before the 2014 hurricane season.

"With today's announcement, we have been granted the opportunity to do precisely that. And for that opportunity, we are genuinely excited," Potter said.
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With pen and paper in hand, it took Assaad Chaftari five minutes at his home nestled in a cluster of pine trees in the mountains overlooking Beirut to write a public apology for his role in the atrocities committed during Lebanon's civil war.

Thirteen years later, he's still the sole senior figure from the slew of militias that prosecuted that bloody conflict to do so. That Chaftari alone has taken that bold step says as much about his own searing sense of remorse and desire to atone as it does about Lebanon and where it stands more than two decades after the country's 15-year bloodletting claimed the lives of an estimated 150,000 people.

Lebanon has veered toward the edge of communal conflict several times since then, but never more so than now as the civil war in neighboring Syria has inflamed sectarian hatreds. Several rounds of fighting between gunmen of various stripes  Sunni, Shiite, Alawite  have broken out. The latest, which erupted last month in the northern city of Tripoli, killed at least 17 people.

Lebanon's fragility stems in part from how it decided to deal with the wounds of its own war.

There has been no truth and reconciliation commission, like the one South Africa created to deal with the legacy of apartheid. Instead, the Lebanese opted for mass amnesty, deciding to try to forget and move on. A few individuals have attempted to make amends for their actions during the conflict, but none of the former warlords, many of whom are now political bosses and members of parliament, has publicly apologized.

The most prominent figure to do so remains Chaftari, who rose to become the deputy chief in the intelligence service of the Christians' feared Lebanese Forces militia. He published his apology in 2000 in a national newspaper, saying in his open letter that he hoped it would help cleanse souls of the grudges of the past and help bring about a genuine reconciliation.

It's a message that he's been trying to spread since then, speaking at high schools, universities and international forums, warning almost anyone who will listen not to tread down the dark path of sectarian hatred.

"It's a call to understand the risks of civil war. What is civil war  the aura of something great, the Arnold Schwarzenegger type?" Chaftari said recently over coffee and sweets at his apartment in the mountains overlooking Beirut. "No. It's death, it's blood, it's ugliness, it's destruction, it's loneliness  it's many things. And we need to be aware of the cycle of ignorance, hatred, violence."

Now nearing the age of 60 with a round face, sagging cheeks and large brown eyes that adopt an expression somewhere between disbelief and mourning when discussing the civil war, Chaftari has returned to the spotlight in Lebanon with the recent release of the documentary "Sleepless Nights." The Lebanese production follows the stories of Chaftari and the mother of a young fighter from the opposing side who disappeared during the conflict.

The war itself played out in several stages between 1975 and 1990. Over that time, Christians fought Palestinians, Lebanese Sunni and Shiite Muslims and Druse. At one point, Christian groups turned their guns on each other, in a nasty episode of fratricidal bloodshed later repeated by Shiite militias.

Society collapsed, and everyday people  students, teachers, mechanics, postal workers  became capable of killing, torturing and massacring civilians and fighters alike. Militias cleared villages of opposing sects. Fighting left Beirut a shattered and pockmarked hulk of its former glittering self.

"You saw Lebanon turn from a very sort of civil, urbane place very quickly to a very criminal, very beastly kind of place, and people like Chaftari, who probably were regular decent people, in this context turned very violent, very ugly," said Paul Salem, vice president of the Washington-based Middle East Institute, who himself is Lebanese.

Chaftari, who grew up in French-speaking home in Beirut's Christian neighborhood of Gemmayze, likes to say the civil war didn't begin for him in April 1975. Rather, it started with the prejudices he soaked up as a child in his community, or as he put it, raising his eyebrows in mock horror, "with the first joke that I heard about 'the others'  the Muslims  the way they live, bad things in general and the fact that we were better than them."

He joined the Phalange Party as a fourth-year engineering student in 1974  a year before the conflict broke out.

After receiving infantry and artillery training, he helped create the Christian militia's fledgling intelligence service. Still in his 20s, he rose to the organization's no. 2 post, serving as a deputy to Elie Hobeika, whose Israeli-backed gunmen were implicated in the notorious 1982 massacre of hundreds of Palestinian refugees at the Sabra and Chatilla camps.

By Chaftari's own account, he ran an organization that arrested, kidnapped, tortured and executed people  all in the name of preserving the cause of Christian Lebanon.

He recounted one episode when his outfit felt it had to avenge the deaths of Christians killed in a civilian area by targeting the civilian neighborhood of Hamra in Muslim west Beirut.

"So we called the movie theater and told them there is a bomb inside the theater so that the people would leave in a hurry and be in the street," he said. "And then (we fired) two or three shells in the direction of the theater."

After Chaftari found himself on the losing side of a power struggle within the Christian movement in 1986, he and his family fled to the town of Zahle in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley. It was there, he said, that his wife started meeting with a non-governmental organization called Initiatives of Change that prompted him to reconsider his life.

"They told me to compare my life to some moral values  honesty, purity, unselfishness and love," he recalled. "Thinking about love, I think, was the trigger, because you cannot love others and kill in the name of God."

That journey of self-reflection led him in 2000 to sit down at a desk at his home in the Christian town of Ein Saadeh and write his apology.

"I wrote it in less than five minutes. It came out in a burst. It had been cooking for maybe 12 years," he said.

"I knew that this will bring a lot of pressure on my family, but I do believe that for peace there is a price to pay," he added. "For me, the price to pay was myself, maybe. To let others know: take care, this is how I slipped from being the perfect Christian to a killer during a civil war."

His apology met with mixed reviews. Among some Christians, he said, he was "accused of being a traitor for the cause." Others told him he should have waited to let a Muslim apologize first so as to not make the Christian community look guilty or weak.

From Muslims, the response has been more positive, he said. "I felt that they were eager a long time ago to have a good Christian fellow citizen. And they were not able to have him because we were too fanatic."

His experience coming to terms with his past also has given him perspective on the current bloodshed in neighboring Syria  and the demons that those who survive will have to face.

In the end, his advice is simple: "You cannot annihilate one group or another. Tomorrow there will be both of you, so act accordingly."

___

Follow Ryan Lucas on Twitter at www.twitter.com/relucasz
A prominent jihadi preacher lashed out Friday against Islamic State militants for burning to death a Jordanian pilot, saying the action was, "not acceptable in any religion."

Abu Mohammed al-Maqdesi, considered a spiritual mentor for many al Qaeda militants, spoke a day after being released from more than three months in detention in Jordan.

His release and harsh criticism of the Islamic State group come at a time when the Jordanian government is trying to win broad popular backing for intensified airstrikes against the militants in response to the killing of the pilot.

In Amman, several thousand people -- including Jordan's Queen Rania -- marched in support of King Abdullah II after Muslim noon prayers. The crowd unfurled a large Jordanian flag and held up banners in support of the king's pledge of a tough military response to the killing of the pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh.

"We all stand united with the Hashemite leadership in facing terrorism," one banner read.

Earlier this week, Islamic State militants released a video showing the pilot being burned to death in a cage. The gruesome images have sparked widespread anger in Jordan and the region.

Jordan joined a U.S.-led military coalition against the militants in September, but said it would intensify air strikes in response to the killing of the pilot. On Thursday, dozens of fighter jets struck IS weapons depots and training sites, Jordan's military said.

In an interview with the Jordanian TV station Roya, al-Maqdesi said that the burning of the pilot "is not acceptable by any religion and by anyone."

The cleric indicated that he had been involved in back-channel talks to arrange a possible prisoner swap to win the release of the pilot, who was captured after his plane crashed over Syria in December.

Jordan offered last week to swap an al Qaeda prisoner for the pilot, but said after the release of the video that it became clear that the pilot had already been killed in early January.

Al-Maqdesi said he believed the militants were never serious about arranging a swap.

"During my communication, they lied and they were evasive," he said. "They acted like they were interested (in a swap), but in fact they were not interested."

He also criticized IS for declaring a caliphate last year in the areas under its control in Syria and Iraq. Al-Maqdesi said a caliphate, or state run according to Islamic law, is meant to bring Muslims together, but that the militants have been a divisive force.

A decade ago, al-Maqdesi was considered a mentor of the al Qaeda branch in Iraq, a precursor to the Islamic State group. However, the cleric fell out with his proteges over their methods, including attacks on fellow Muslims.

Jordan arrested the cleric in October, after he criticized Jordan's participation in a military strikes against Islamic State. Jordan, which borders Syria and Iraq, joined the coalition in September.
Prosecutors in Guatemala presented charges on Friday against a former soldier deported last week from the United States for his alleged involvement in the slaughter of more than 200 people more during his country's grueling civil war.

Victims' relatives hope Santos Lopez Alonzo will be held accountable for the onslaught that wiped out the small village of Las Dos Erres in 1982.

Guatemalan prosecutor Hilda Pineda said Lopez Alonzo was a truck driver for the elite Guatemalan army unit that carried out the killings in Las Dos Erres. She said he guarded women and children being held inside a church while other soldiers interrogated and killed the men, who were accused for stealing missing guns.

Pineda, who presented the charges before a judge, said Lopez Alonzo is accused of murder and crimes against humanity.

During the hearing, Lopez Alonso listened closely as they read out the names of the more than 200 people killed.

The now-64-year-old Lopez is among four former soldiers accused in the massacre who were arrested after heading to the United States. Two are now serving time in U.S. prisons for immigration crimes related to the killings and one was deported and sentenced to more than 6,000 years in prison. Five former soldiers have been sentenced in the case.

In an earlier interview at a California immigration detention facility, Lopez said he guarded women and children during the massacre but killed no one. He said he didn't fear Guatemala's investigation of the killings, but was afraid he would be tortured in his country as payback for assisting the U.S. government with its prosecution of one of his ex-comrades. He fought his deportation but a federal appeals court last month refused to block his return to Guatemala.

Authorities issued arrest warrants for 17 soldiers, including Lopez, but the cases languished for years.

In 2009, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights demanded Guatemala prosecute the perpetrators. The U.S. began arresting the former soldiers, including Lopez, the following year.

Lopez also acknowledged taking a 5-year-old boy from the village, claiming he saved him and raised him as a son.

Ramiro Osorio Cristales grew up to become a key voice for victims. He received asylum in Canada, testified against some of the soldiers about his memories of the killings and cut ties with Lopez, who Osorio says mistreated him for years.

At least 200,000 lives were lost in Guatemala's civil war before it ended in 1996.

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The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court accused the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday of failing to take "swift and concrete action" against countries refusing to arrest Sudan's president and others accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.

Fatou Bensouda told the council that President Omar al-Bashir has crossed international borders 131 times since March 2009, including 14 visits to ICC member countries that are required to carry out arrest warrants.

She said ICC judges have issued 13 decisions against Sudan and countries that are ICC members seeking U.N. action for the failure to arrest al-Bashir and four others.

Recently, Uganda and Djibouti were held in non-compliance and last week the court announced that a public hearing would be held on April 7 "in relation to a possible finding of non-compliance" for South Africa's failure to arrest al-Bashir, she said.

The Security Council's failure to act, Bensouda said, "not only severely undermines the council's credibility and that of the court" but erodes public confidence that the world's most serious crimes will be punished and that victims will receive justice.

At a minimum, the council should adopt a resolution addressing the 13 decisions by the ICC related to Darfur, she said.

The vast western region of Sudan has been gripped by bloodshed since 2003 when rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum, accusing it of discrimination and neglect. The United Nations says 300,000 people have died in the conflict and 2.7 million have fled their homes.

The court issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir in 2009 for crimes against humanity and war crimes for allegedly orchestrating atrocities in Darfur. The ICC added genocide to the charges against him in 2010.

Bensouda said the world knows al-Bashir's movements.

"There is ample opportunity for Mr. al-Bashir to be apprehended  if the political will exists among states, and indeed, this council," she said.

She said governments must also do more to apprehend the four others sought by the court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur  Abdel Hussein and Ahmad Harun, who hold high-ranking positions in the Sudanese government, Ali Kushayb, who remains active in government-aligned militias, and Abdallah Banda who "remains at large in Sudan."
The Norwegian Refugee Council says it is "deeply dismayed" that a second staff member in South Sudan has been ordered to leave the country in less than a week.

The refugee group's secretary-general, Jan Egeland, said Warrap State, its area manager in Alek, was told to leave South Sudan on Tuesday. He was expelled four days after country director Victor Moses was kicked out.

Egeland said the order "is unacceptable" and said aid organizations in South Sudan "must be permitted to operate without interference, intimidation or fear of expulsion."

He added Wednesday the refugee group "may have to reassess our ability to deliver assistance at scale in South Sudan."

The Oslo-based organization said in a statement it had "not received any formal explanation of the charges against these two individuals."
An official says a Palestinian court has sentenced a political foe of President Mahmoud Abbas to three years in prison for allegedly embezzling $16 million as a Cabinet minister.

The official says the decision was handed down Wednesday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case with the media.

The defendant, Mohammed Dahlan, has lived in exile since falling out with Abbas in 2010. He was sentenced in absentia.

Since the rift, Abbas has taken a series of steps to block Dahlan's possible return to a West Bank leadership position. Egypt and other Arab states urged Abbas to allow Dahlan's return.

Wednesday's ruling came after a constitutional court upheld Abbas' right to strip Dahlan and four of his allies of their parliamentary immunity.
A former Afghan governor on Tuesday claimed the country's ex-warlord vice president ordered his kidnapping before a team of thugs raped him with a Kalashnikov rifle.

WESTERN EUROPE CRACKS DOWN AMID FEARS OF HOLIDAY ATTACKS

Ahmad Eshchi said guards took him away on Nov. 24 after a game of buzkashi, in which players riding on horses trying to put the carcass of a goat in a goal, the BBC reported.

Eshchi told BBC Afghan that Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum, a political rival, pushed him to the ground and took him to the vice president's house in the northern province of Jowzjan.

GERMANY TO DEPORT 50 AFGHANS, PRO-REFUGEE GROUP SAYS

"He ordered his eight guards to undress me. They even [pulled] off my trousers," Eshchi said. He told The New York Times the guards beat him and raped him with the assult rifle, finally handing him over to local intelligence officers five days later. The officers freed him more than a week later, Eshchi claimed.

Dostum  a former warlord blamed for atrocities in Afghanistans civil war  denied the allegations, calling them a provocation.

A spokesperson for Dostum said Eshchi "was detained by Afghan security forces for allegations of funding the opposition and having a hand in repeated security issues."

Following calls from the European Union and the U.S., the office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani promised a complete investigation.

"The unlawful detention and reported mistreatment... raises serious concerns," the U.S. Embassy also said in a statement. "We would welcome the Afghan government's move to swiftly investigate these allegations."

Click for more from the BBC.
A total of 342 bodies from the Pacific resort city of Acapulco, Iguala and Chilpancingo are currently awaiting transfer to the state morgue in Guerrero because the ones in their cities have exceeded capacity, officials said.

The morgue of Guerrero, one of Mexico's most violent states, has received 58 bodies since Dec. 6 -- 19 from Acapulco, 19 from Iguala and 20 from Chilpancingo, the state capital.

The state morgue will gather DNA and other identifying information for a database used to find missing people, the Guerrero Attorney General's Office said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross provided advisory, training and other assistance to coroner's office personnel, the AG's office said.

Some of the bodies have been held for years at morgues in Guerrero, officials told EFE.

Parts of Guerrero have been the scene of brutal drug cartel slayings, often as part of turf battles between two local gags.

In addition to this, the state has seen several mass kidnappings in recent years.

Forty-three students disappeared in Guerreros city of Iguala in 2014, in an incident that prompted an international investigation and accusations of a cover-up.

The largely rural, impoverished state had 1,832 reported homicides in the first 10 months of 2016. If that rate continues unabated, Guerrero would be on track to have a homicide rate of about 60 per 100,000.

Based on information by the AP and EFE.
EXCLUSIVE: The family of a U.S pastor imprisoned in Turkey launched a campaign Wednesday for his release, saying the North Carolina native is being held on false terrorism-related charges and that his life is in danger.

Andrew Brunson, 48, pastor of a Protestant church in Izmir, was locked up Friday after first being detained in October. The government accuses him of having ties to an American-based cleric, Fetullah Gulen, who Ankara blames for a July coup attempt.

"The government of Turkey -- led by an Islamic party -- has begun increased crackdowns on Christians, and Pastor Andrew, if convicted, may face years in prison based on extremely serious -- and false -- charges," said Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice, which is representing Brunson's family.

Brunson and his wife, Norine -- originally from Black Mountain, N.C. -- have lived in Turkey for 23 years, running a Christian church with the full knowledge of local authorities, according to the ACLJ.

On Wednesday, after weeks of silence, the family called the charges against Brunson "unfounded" and "shocking" and demanded his immediate release.

"Andrews strong faith has always been at the center of his life and that has never been more evident than his pastorship in Turkey," his family said in a statement. "His love and concern for the people of Turkey is unmistakable, as he has dedicated 23 years of his life serving them."

Brunson was summoned to a local police station in Izmir on Oct. 7. According to the family, Brunson, a U.S. citizen, thought he would be receiving a long-awaited permanent residence card. Instead, Brunson was told he was being deported because he was a "threat to national security."

Brunson was arrested and fingerprinted while awaiting deportation. Officials confiscated personal items, including his phone, and denied him access to a Bible. They also prevented him from consulting an attorney and kept him in isolation for a period of time.

But Brunson's ordeal would soon take a dark turn.

On Friday, after 63 days in captivity, Brunson was taken to a counter-terrorism center in Izmir. After further questioning, he was charged with "membership in an armed terrorist organization," and a judge ordered he be imprisoned instead of deported.

Lawyers for the ACLJ told FoxNews.com Wednesday that the charging documents include no evidence to support claims the man broke any law. If convicted of such terrorism charges, Brunson could face years of imprisonment.

"We are launching a global campaign to call attention to his plight demanding that Turkey  a NATO member  release Pastor Andrew without delay," Sekulow said.

The family said the U.S. State Department as well as a member of Congress have been quietly negotiating his release over the last several weeks.

"We have seen reports of U.S. citizens in Turkey being detained and deported," a U.S. State Department official told FoxNews.com Tuesday, though the official did not mention Brunson by name, citing privacy concerns."

"The Department of State takes its obligation to assist U.S. citizens arrested abroad seriously. When a U.S. citizen is detained overseas, we seek to visit as soon as possible and to provide appropriate consular services," the official said.

The Brunsons, with help from the ACLJ, launched a global campaign Wednesday to raise awareness of the pastor's plight and pressure the U.S. government as well as the United Nations and NATO countries to act on his behalf. Turkey is a member of NATO. An online petition is also being circulated to help secure Brunson's release.

Brunson's 18-year-old daughter, Jacqueline, who grew up in Turkey and attends college in North Carolina, called her father's imprisonment "both troubling and disturbing."

"I grew up in Turkey and saw firsthand how much he loves Turkey and the Turkish people," Brunson said. "He has exhibited nothing but love, mercy and grace during his time there."

"The best Christmas present our family could receive this year is the release of my father," she said.

Cristina Corbin is a FoxNews.com reporter. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaCorbin.
The German defense minister has caused outrage in Saudi Arabia after she refused to wear a hijab during an official visit.

The Saudi general didn't seem to mind - German Defence Minister #VonderLeyen refused to adhere to #hijab during recent visit to #SaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/JqyMxqrsJX  DW | Politics (@dw_politics) December 14, 2016

GERMANY TO DEPORT 50 AFGHANS, PRO-REFUGEE GROUP SAYS

Ursula von der Leyen and her team did not wear the traditional veil which is worn by women or the full length Abaya garment even though she has claimed to respect the countrys customs.

Her decision not to wear a hijab during her meeting with the Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud, was not met warmly by Saudis who took to Twitter to express their anger, the Express has reported.

MERKEL'S CALL FOR BURQA BAN IN GERMANY DRAWS BACKLASH

One translated Tweet read: The German Defense Minister: not wearing the hijab in Saudi was deliberate. This is an insult to Saudi Arabia.

According to an Iranian newspaper, Von der Leyen said: No woman in my delegation will be required to wear the abaya, as the right to choose ones attire is the right shared by men and women equally.

The abaya is a loose robe-like dress, worn by women in Muslim countries, which covers the whole body except for the head, feet and hands.

The hijab is the word used to describe headscarves worn by Muslim women which cover their heads.

The news comes after German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a ban on the burqa in Germany.

The burqa is the most concealing of all Islamic veils - it is a one piece which covers the face and body, often having just a mesh screen to see through.

Speaking at a party conference last week, Merkel called to outlaw the burqa and niqab wherever possible.

She said: "With us, the rule is: show your face, that's why the full veil is not appropriate, it should be banned."

The CDU, the ruling party in Germany, wants to ban the full face veil in courts, schools and universities as well as in road traffic and during police checks.

Burqas are currently banned in France and earlier this year, three Muslim women who were caught wearing banned burkinis in Cannes were fined.

Click for more from The Sun.
With the over-saturation of media coverage regarding the United States presidential elections, and now the President-elect Trump transition, it is appropriate for OpsLens to re-focus and update its readership regarding American troops deployed to Iraq. The U.S. government (USG) has directed ~6000 U.S. troops, predominantly Special Operations Forces, to deploy to Iraq to advise and assist the government of Iraqs military coalition in fighting against the terrorist group, ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria).

ISIS MAY HAVE STOLEN SYRIAN MISSILE SYSTEM AFTER RETAKING PALMYRA

ISIS is a violent Islamic extremist terrorist organization that uses brutal terrorism tactics to further its political and religious objectives. ISIS is composed, largely, of radical Sunni Muslims of the Wahhabi sect. It has been reported widely in the Media, that Wahhabism is the reactionary branch of Islam said to be  the main source of global terrorism.

I will address how ISIS was started and evolved in subsequent articles. Also, I will write later about the impact of the intense friction between the Sunni vs. Shia sects of Islam. This is an important aspect of solving major problems with an emerging Nuclear Iran (Shia) versus ISIS (radical Sunni sect), that is quietly supported by the major Sunni-led countries of the Middle East (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Qatar, et al). All these factors contribute to an unstable environment in the Middle East for the next decade or more.

ISIS MANUFACTURING ARMS ON INDUSTRIAL SCALE, REPORT FINDS

By most official accounts, ISIS now has a foothold in 32 countries around the world. ISIS has declared war on, predominantly, western nations and selected nations in the Middle East. Whether the U.S. and Western nations acknowledge ISIS intended Caliphate (Holy War), or not, ISIS has already begun the preliminary combat phases of their War on the West.

ISIS has conducted real and horrific terrorist attacks throughout the various western nations, and some, around the world. The brutality and bloodshed have shocked the West in a growing list of cities, such as: Paris, Brussels, London, New York City, San Bernardino, and Orlando, just to name a few. ISIS active and horrific terrorism has created fear among the populations around the Worldbut, especially, in the West.

As many Americans already know, the USG agreed, on September 13, 2014, to assist the Iraqi government (GoI) in reclaiming large swaths of Iraqs sovereign territory from ISIS. ISIS invaded Iraq during the spring and summer of 2014. Since early 2016, ISIS has held major portions of Northern Iraq and Syria.

Essentially, President Obama committed a few thousand U.S. Special Operations Forces and Green Berets to Advise and Assist the Iraqi Army in defeating ISIS. Also, the USG contributed U.S. Air Force close air support and limited logistics support to the Iraqi Army and its coalition.

Over the past two years, the U.S. Militarys support mission for the Iraqi Army has crept, incrementally. First, in September 2014, the USG deployed the initial 350 troops to defend U.S. facilities in Iraq; then another 1500 troops were sent in November 2014 to train, advise and assist the Iraqi Army; later in June 2015, another 450 troops were deployed to assist the Iraqi Army; by June 2016, there were well over 3000 U.S. troops deployed to Iraq to assist the GoI and its coalition forces to attack ISIS and reclaim the city of Fallujah. The U.S. troops were key in enabling the Iraqi Army to re-capture from ISIS the Iraqi city of Fallujah (accomplished on June 26, 2016).

Shortly after the re-capture of Fallujah, the USG was asked, by the GoI to raise again its troop numbers in Iraq to the current 6000 troops. The GoI needed more U.S. troops to enable them to re-capture from ISIS the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, (originally, 2+ million people; now ~ 1 million), was over-run by ISIS during the period 5 through 25 June 2014. ISIS toppled Mosul without a serious fight. The Iraqi Army of 2014 was incapable of defending Mosul.

ISIS seemed to leap from a relatively unknown threat entity, characterized by President Obama in September 2014, as the JV team, to a mythical monster capable of defeating the Iraqi Army.

President Obama responded: The analogy we use around here sometimes, and I think is accurate, is if a jayvee team puts on Lakers uniforms that doesnt make them Kobe Bryant. (For the non-sports fan, JV stands for junior varsity, and it usually means a high school or colleges secondary team.)

Lt. General Mike Flynn, then, the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, contradicted the Obama Administrations notion that ISIS was not a threat to the United States. General Flynns honest, unfiltered, testimony to Congress would result in him being fired by the Obama Administration (a fact that General Flynn admitted during various interviews with the media).

Additionally, there were other indicators and allegations that the Obama Administration was sanitizing intelligence to down-play the real threat posed by ISIS is codified by multiple media reports in Wikipedia-Intelgate. This scandal became known as the Intel-Gate Scandal.

Mike Furlong is a Senior OpsLens Contributor, career Army Infantry Officer, Battalion Task Force Commander, Combat Veteran, and Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service, Retired.

Click for more from OpsLens.
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Up to a thousand people gathered Wednesday in Sarajevo  the Bosnian city that survived a brutal 44-month siege during the Balkan wars of the 1990s  to rally against the carnage in Syria.

Representatives of Bosnia's Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox Christian and Jewish communities said they felt a moral responsibility to voice outrage at the international failure to stop crimes against civilians in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria.

"Here in Sarajevo, we must do everything in our power to show to (Syrian) people that we understand them and to call on humanity to wake up and raise their voices against war," Eli Tauber, the leader of Bosnia's small Jewish community, said.

Participants recalled their own suffering and the sense of having been abandoned by the rest of the world during the 1992-95 interethnic war that left 100,000 people dead and another 2 million homeless.

"I was born during the war in Sarajevo in a hospital that was under mortar fire," said Smirna Kulenovic, 22, a Bosnian Muslim student. "I am here today to raise my voice against all war crimes, equally those that were committed here 20 years ago and those that are now being committed in Syria."
ISIS has taken possession of three Russian surface-to-air missile launchers outside of Palmyra, Syria after retaking the ancient city last weekend, two U.S. defense officials told Fox News Thursday.



ISIS REPORTEDLY MANUFACTURING ARMS ON INDUSTRIAL SCALE

The officials said the SA-3 launchers contain four missiles each. The 60s-era Soviet missile launcher has a maximum range of 15 miles and can strike aircraft flying at over 60,000 feet in the air. It was not immediately clear whether ISIS knew how to use the military technology.

ISIS retook Palmyra over the weekend after Syrian regime troops escaped in a hurry, leaving behind a trove of weapons. A spokesman for Russia's Ministry of Defense said Thursday that an insignificant number of weapons had been taken by the terror group.

"Anything they seized poses a threat to the coalition, Army Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend told reporters Wednesday.

ALEPPO CEASE-FIRE COLLAPSES, THREATENING EVACUATION PLANS

Townsend said ISIS took Palmyra when Russia and Syria took their eyes off the ball. He emphasized that if the Russians don't take out the weapons seized by ISIS, we will.

In the meantime, Townsend said he would let the Russians sort that out since Palmyra is in western Syria, where the Russians and Syrian regime routinely carry out strikes.

Townsend would not go into specifics about the possibility that ISIS had in its possession some air defense equipment.

He said complicating matters was that it was difficult to tell Syrian government and Russian forces from ISIS fighters there.

Townsend agreed with special envoy Brett McGurks estimation that 12,000-15,000 ISIS fighters remained in Iraq and Syria. Its ballpark close enough, he said.

The lieutenant general said ISIS fighters in Raqqa still have the ability to plot and cast into motion attacks on the West and thats a great concern to us. Townsend added that three ISIS leaders killed in a drone strike last week were actively plotting attacks against the West.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Kenyan court has ordered the deportation of two Iranian men who were accused of plotting an attack on the Israeli embassy in the capital, Nairobi.

A court order issued Wednesday said an agreement had been reached between prosecutors and the Iranian embassy leading to the termination of criminal charges and deportation.

The suspects, Sayed Nasrollah Ebrahim and Abdolhosein Gholi Safaee, had been in custody since Nov. 29, when they were arrested outside the Israeli embassy with video footage of the facility. They were charged with collecting information to facilitate a terrorist act.

Iranian agents have been suspected in attacks or thwarted attacks around the world in recent years, including in Azerbaijan, Thailand and India. Most of the plots had Israeli targets.
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The Latest on migration issues in Europe (all times local):

12 p.m.

A German pro-refugee group says that around 50 Afghans will be deported to their homeland after being rejected as asylum-seekers in Germany.

Pro Asyl said that the group of Afghans would be deported on Wednesday night from Frankfurt airport.

The German government has declined to confirm any upcoming deportations, saying that it never announces such measures.

So far, Germany has deported very few Afghan migrants. Instead, it has tried to convince them to go home on a voluntary basis by offering financial incentives upon their return.

Recently, however the government has said it would toughen its stance on rejected asylum-seekers and that more people would be deported.

Around 890,000 migrants arrived in Germany last year, with many coming from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

___

11:40 a.m.

Funded by Britain, a wall has been built to stop migrants from jumping onto trucks in the northern French city of Calais heading across the English Channel.

The threat, however, appears to have already receded.

Regional spokesman Steve Barbet says no migrants have been reported trying to hop a truck since French authorities dismantled Calais' refugee camp in October. He said Tuesday that police scouring the city and the surrounding area daily have found no new camps, though a handful of migrants still gather at the port.

He says the new 4 meter-high (13-foot-high) concrete wall along a Calais highway aims to deter future migrants.

Thousands of migrants from the Mideast and Africa, who had converged on Calais after fleeing conflict and poverty, have now been dispersed across France.
Wendy Manriquez still remembers the excitement every time a new factory opened in her hometown in the border state of Coahuila.

People would swarm to the factories, they meant work, she told Fox News. Everyone was excited.

Only a generation ago, Ramos Arizpe was but a sleepy town near Coahuila's capital city of Saltillo, some 250 miles from the border with Texas. Agriculture and small-scale commerce provided most of the jobs in the region. No longer. Over the past few decades, Ramos Arizpe has been transformed into one of the major industrial hubs of northern Mexico. On its outskirts,

huge swaths of land are now riddled with approximately 250 maquiladoras, assembly factories that produce everything from refrigerators to car parts.

Salaries are low, especially compared to the United States. Workers in the plants make, on average, just over $2 per hour and receive few benefits like pensions or vacation pay. Still, the plants pay approximately 25 percent more than the average wage across the country.

Manriquez, 26, knows some of the plants well. She and several other members of her family worked in the Whirlpool plant, a ten minute walk from her home. It's tough to work there, but the factories did mean new jobs for the region, she said.

"I do believe that we're entering a new era. The process of expanding international trade and globalization appears to be entering a process of reversal. We're only just starting to see the risks."  Carlos Mota

Whirlpool is but one of a number of U.S. companies that have settled in the outskirts of the city. General Motors, John Deere, Johnson Controls and Wix Filters also have factories in the area.

It was the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed by Mexico, the United States and Canada in 1994, that gave rise to these enormous industrial areas, spread out across Mexico, but especially in states bordering the United States. By sharply reducing or eliminating import tariffs, the treaty made it extremely attractive for American companies to move to Mexico, where lower wages and weak unions made production substantially cheaper. Moreover, Mexican border states such as Nuevo Leon and Coahuila also lured in companies by showering foreign investors with tax benefits.

An estimated 10 million jobs were created directly or indirectly in Mexico by the free trade agreement. In Ramos Arizpe alone, a city with less than 50,000 inhabitants now provides jobs to tens of thousands factory workers.

It's a very significant sector for our local economy, Ana Gabriela Perez, director of the Economic Development of the Ramos Arizpe

municipality, told Fox News. Over the past few decades, the maquiladora sector has grown to almost 60,000 jobs in the Ramos Arizpe area alone. Its a huge number, bigger than the entire population of the city proper; Ramos Arizpes manufacturing sector is now so large it attracts workers from across the country.

The question is how much longer that industrial bonanza will

last in Mexico. The election of Donald Trump has sent ripples of doubt and uncertainty across the border and through Mexico's vast assembly industry.

Trump's anti-trade rhetoric and promise to either re-negotiate NAFTA or unilaterally leave the agreement may have disastrous consequences for Mexico's trade-oriented economy and could potentially destroy millions of jobs, if acted upon by the president-elect.

It's hard to give exact figures on what might happen if

Trump actually delivers on his promises, but the consequences could potentially be severe for Mexico, Carlos Mota, a columnist for Mexico City's El Financiero newspaper who writes extensively on trade, told FNL. We'd be looking at an extended period, perhaps three years, during which Mexico's GDP would drop significantly. It would mean a recession.

Trade between the U.S. and its neighbors has more than

tripled since NAFTA was signed in 1994. Bilateral trade with Mexico was almost $600 billion last year, with the U.S. importing a whopping $316,4 billion, $50 billion more than it exported southwards. With such big numbers and a huge trade surplus currently in its favor, any changes Trump would make to NAFTA would hit Mexico much harder than the U.S.

Indeed, several recently published reports on the subject

suggest Mexico will suffer heavily from any significant changes to NAFTA or a complete collapse of the agreement. The Center of Economic Studies of the Private Sector (CEESP), a Mexico City-based think tank, says there are 6.156 companies in Mexico that export goods to the United States. Moreover, each company has up to ten secondary providers that also depend on bilateral trade.

All in all, Mexico could lose millions of jobs if NAFTA is changed.

Not everyone is overly pessimistic, however. Some analysts point out that, should the U.S. quit NAFTA altogether, trade tariffs between Mexico and the U.S. would then be determined by the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Indeed, Mexicos richest man, billionaire and telecom mogul

Carlos Slim, even believes his country might actually benefit from a change in the trade relationship with the United States. Early this month, while visiting New York City, Slim said it would be fantastic for Mexico if the president-elect succeeds and the U.S. economy grows, generating more trade and creating more jobs in the process.

It would be negative, but not catastrophic, Carlos Serrano, Chief Economist for BBVA Bancomer, a major bank, said in an interview in Mexico City newspaper El Universal in September. We think exports could drop by two percent.

It remains to be seen whether Trump will actually deliver on

his promises. Executive power gives him plenty of possibilities to do so, but the president-elect appeared to backtrack on some of his most important campaign pledges in the wake of his shocking November 8 victory.

Right now we don't know what's going to happen, El Financiero's Carlos Mota told FNL.

But I do believe that we're entering a new era. The process of expanding international trade and globalization appears to be entering a process of reversal. We're only just starting to see the risks.
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About 40 Syrian refugees from camps near Thessaloniki have protested peacefully outside the Russian consulate in the northern Greek port city against Russia's bombardment of Aleppo.

Refugees burnt a Russian flag and held up placards outside the building, which was heavily guarded by Greek police.

Rizan Ali Hasan, 24, said Wednesday's protest was prompted by high civilian casualties in Aleppo. "Many children were killed," he said.

Other protesters held up a banner showing a helicopter and a plane over Aleppo, and the phrase "Russia destroyed us."

Syrians make up the majority of the 62,000 refugees and other migrants stuck in Greece after a series of Balkan border closures and a European Union deal with Turkey to stop migrant flows.
Social media lit up Wednesday after a business leader presented an inflatable doll to Chilean Economy Minister Luis Felipe Cespedes at a formal dinner.

Roberto Fantuzzi, president of the Manufacturing Exporters Association (ASEXMA), made the guests at the year-end dinner laugh Tuesday night when he said that the economy, like women, needs to be "stimulated" to become more dynamic.

Over the years, Fantuzzi has made a name for himself for giving government officials "creative gifts" with some kind of allusion to the economic situation.

"Efforts to respect women have been a major principle in my two administrations," President Michelle Bachelet said in a Twitter post. "What happened at the ASEXMA dinner cannot be tolerated."

Former President Sebastian Pinera, a conservative who may seek another term at the La Moneda palace, tweeted that "the ASEXMA's gift to the economy minister: an inflatable doll to stimulate the economy shows unacceptable vulgarity and crudity."

Former President Ricardo Lagos, another possible future candidate, deemed the gift "disrespectful and offensive to all Chileans. Women's dignity was assaulted and that is not acceptable."

The main actors involved in the drama hurried Wednesday to apologize, but it was not enough for critics.

"We apologize. I have a wife, daughters and granddaughters," Fantuzzi said. "It was not the intention to promote violence against women."

Cespedes, for his part, said the gift surprised him but also apologized.

"What happened is not in line with respect for women's dignity," the minister said.

Sen. Carolina Goic, president of the Christian Democratic Party, said the gift was "in bad taste and of unacceptable male chauvinism."

"Women are persons, not objects," the senator said.

"We regret the present," Women's Affairs Minister Claudia Pascual said. "Yes, the economy must be boosted. But women cannot continue to be used as objects for male chauvinist jokes."
The U.S. Marine Corps announced Wednesday it would temporarily ground all Japan-based MV-22 Osprey aircraft after a crash Tuesday six miles off the coast of Okinawa.

RUSSIA, JAPAN COULD SOLVE 70-YEAR TERRITORIAL DISPUTE, PUTIN CLAIMS

The Osprey, which can take off like a helicopter and fly like a plane, was conducting a nighttime mid-air refueling operation over the Pacific when the rotor blades struck the refueling line, damaging the aircraft, Lt Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, the Commanding General of III Marine Expeditionary Force, said at a news conference.

"After the aircraft was unhooking, it was shaking violently," Nicholson said. "The pilot made a decision to not fly over Okinawan homes and families. He made a conscious decision to try to reach Camp Schwab and land in the shallow water to protect his crew and the people of Okinawa."

UNITED STATES, SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN VOW COOPERATION OVER NORTH KOREA SANCTIONS

All five crew members aboard were rescued but two remain in the hospital, Nicholson added. He said U.S. Marine Ospreys would return to the skies over Japan once he was "satisfied that we have reviewed our checklists and safety of flight procedures."

The crash came less than a week after a Marine Corps pilot died when his F/A-18 fighter jet crashed off western Japan. Marine Corps officials said another Osprey had a landing gear problem elsewhere on Okinawa during training Tuesday, although there were no injuries in that incident.

Tuesday's crash was the eighth such incident involving the Marine Corps in 2016 during a training operation. There were six Marine crash incidents in 2015 and three the previous year.

The Osprey was based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. The base, located in a crowded residential area in central Okinawa, is to be relocated to another site in Nago on the east coast of the island where residents oppose the plan.

More than half of the 50,000 American troops in Japan are stationed on Okinawa -- which has less than 1 percent Japan's land mass -- under a mutual security treaty.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters the crash was extremely regrettable, and said safety must be guaranteed.



Fox News' Leonard Balducci, Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Zimbabwe's ruling party says the country's 92-year-old president, Robert Mugabe, is certain to be endorsed as the party's presidential candidate for elections in 2018.

Ignatius Chombo, secretary for administration of the ZANU-PF party, said Wednesday that Mugabe will get the endorsement at the party's annual conference this week.

Chombo says Mugabe brings "wisdom and unity" to his leadership of Zimbabwe, which is struggling with a dire economic situation that has prompted periodic protests against the government.

Mugabe, who has ruled this southern African country since independence from white minority rule in 1980, won elections in 2013 despite allegations of voting irregularities. He turns 93 in February.

Mugabe previously said he wants to rule until he dies, although he said he is open to retirement if asked by his party.
Duck Donuts Franchising Company Announces Expansion to Knoxville, Tennessee: First Duck Donuts to Launch in Volunteer State

MECHANICSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA (PRWEB) December 14, 2016 - Russ DiGilio, founder and owner of Duck Donuts Franchising Company LLC, has announced the expansion of his nationally celebrated donut franchise to the college town of Knoxville, Tennessee. The Knoxville location is the first of several franchises slated to open in the Volunteer State.

Franchise owners - James and Sydney Cummings, Pat and Maria McLaughlin, and Baker and Megan Bell - are eager to introduce Knox County to the award-winning donut franchise that first opened in Duck, North Carolina in 2006. The Knoxville store is projected to open on January 6, 2017, at 6104 Kingston Pike, beside Tazikis Cafe. In addition to their warm, delicious & made to order donuts, the 1,200-square foot Duck Donuts will feature select retail items, indoor and outdoor seating with the franchises iconic beach theme, and a family-friendly atmosphere.

We are thrilled to kick off our venture in Knoxville and bring the Duck Donuts experience to college students, residents, visitors, and donut lovers, says Baker Bell. The Knoxville business community has welcomed us with open arms, and we are excited to support them with our Chamber membership and community investments like #QuackGivesBack.

Originally from North Carolina, we are familiar with Duck Donuts and are excited to bring it to Tennessee, says James Cummings.

We are proud to say that falling in love with our donuts at first bite is the most common path to owning a Duck Donuts franchise. People taste one of our donuts, love the donut-making experience, and decide to bring them to their hometowns. You cant ask for a more organic growth strategy, says founder and owner Russ DiGilio.

In 2016, readers of Travel & Leisure voted Knoxville a top 10 city on Americas Friendliest Cities list and on Americas Favorite Places list. Its a tourist destination and a perfect location to expand our family-friendly company, says DiGilio. A powerful part of our business is job creation, and were proud to bring 25 to 40 new jobs with each additional store. We are passionate about spreading our roots in the new communities we are fortunate to call home.

Situated at the crossroads of three interstates and surrounded by seven lakes, Knoxville is a major intersection for the state of Tennessee. It is home to the University of Tennessee, HGTV, over 20 museums, and seven historical houses. In 2015, Knoxville was named in the top five of the 10 Best Cities for Small Businesses by "CNN Money," in "Forbes" on their Best Places for Business and Careers list, and by Livability.com as a Top 100 Best Places to Live.

Donuts at this location will be made fresh to order 7 days a week: Monday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday-Saturday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit our Facebook page for updates and connect with us on the web at DuckDonuts.com.

About Duck Donuts

Duck Donuts was founded in 2006 by Russ DiGilio in Duck, North Carolina. His intention? To solve a family vacation problem: Our family wanted a place to buy warm, delicious & made to order! donuts, and when we couldnt find one, we decided to start our own.

By 2011, Duck Donuts had expanded to four Outer Banks locations and the donut business was so successful that DiGilio was continuously approached about franchise opportunities and by fans who begged for a Duck Donuts in their communities. The first franchise opened in Williamsburg, VA, in 2013, and there are now 30 open franchise locations and 126 signed contracts.

Duck Donuts store openings are scheduled for:

Columbus/Westerville, OH  December 2016

Greensboro, NC  January 2017

Fredericksburg, VA  January 2017

Hilton Head, SC  February 2017

Jacksonville, NC  February 2017

Stafford, VA  February 2017

Alexandria, VA  March 2017

Hershey, PA  March 2017

The Duck Donuts Experience

We discovered that the most powerful marketing advantage we have is the aroma of warm donuts wafting from every store. Our light vanilla cake donut is a little crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, made fresh right in front of you, hand-dipped in hot icing, and sprinkled with your choice of delicious toppings and drizzles. Its that simple, says DiGilio.

Children love to stand on the strategically placed step in the waiting area, allowing them to see the entire process, as the donut machine cooks and carries their donuts down the line, where they are dipped, topped, packaged, and served warm in the box. Duck Donuts serves its own signature coffee blends - Riptide Roast, Light House Blend, and Sunset Pier Decaf with new special seasonal flavors changing throughout the year - and offers breakfast options, as well as catering services. Indoor and outdoor seating is available at most locations.

The featured donut for this holiday season is Mint and is available as a single donut or as part of our Holiday Assortment.

To learn more or to share your Duck Donuts experience, Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, or send us a Tweet.

SOURCE Duck Donuts

Contact:

Anne Deeter Gallaher

Deeter Gallaher Group LLC

+1 717.525.8042

###

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Pollo Campero Inks Deal to Open First Franchise in Tennessee

Tennessee Company Set to Introduce Global Chicken Chain's Unique Latin Flavors to Nashville

DALLAS - Dec. 14, 2016 // PRNewswire // - Pollo Campero, the world's largest Latin Chicken restaurant brand, announced today it has inked a deal to open the first Pollo Campero restaurant in Tennessee. Campero has signed franchisee Sosa Properties, LLC, giving it the rights to open the first Pollo Campero franchise in the Nashville area.

Sosa Properties owner Alberto Sosa, who currently owns Nashville's Taqueria San Luis and Carniceria San Luis, had been searching for just the right franchise opportunity for some time. "Owning a restaurant franchise has been a dream of mine," said Sosa. "When I first tried Pollo Campero, it was clear it was something special. From the unique Latin flavors, to its long history and focus on staying true to its Latin roots, I knew immediately this was the right fit for me."

Slated to open in the first quarter of 2017, Pollo Campero Nashville will be located at 30 Harding Mall Drive, Nashville, TN 37211 and will feature Campero's new global brand image and world-famous Latin menu. At the heart of that menu is Campero's traditional fried and Citrus Peruvian grilled chicken. Both are made with fresh, never frozen, hormone-free chicken and prepared with Pollo Campero's proprietary blend of Latin herbs and spices  a world-famous recipe Campero has been using since it first opened its doors in Guatemala in 1971. Campero also offers a wide array of Latin side dishes, which include everything from its Campero rice and beans to Latin favorites, such as empanadas, plantains and yuca fries.

"We are so pleased to welcome Mr. Sosa to the Campero family," said Tim Pulido, President and CEO of Pollo Campero International. "With his extensive experience in the food industry and his knowledge of the market, we know he will be wonderful addition to the Pollo Campero brand."

As part of his franchising agreement, Sosa is also scheduled to open two restaurants in Nashville in 2017. "I cannot wait to introduce Pollo Campero to Nashville," Sosa added. "We have been overwhelmed with the support and excitement we've already received and I am honored to have the opportunity to bring jobs, community support, and most importantly, delicious food, to the Nashville area."

There are more than 350 Pollo Campero restaurants worldwide. The restaurant chain currently has in place a plan to double the number of restaurants within the next three years, with a special focus on Texas, California and the Washington, D.C. Metro area. For Pollo Campero franchise information, visit Campero.com/franchising.

About Pollo Campero

Pollo Campero, considered the home of Authentic Latin Chicken, is the largest Latin chicken restaurant brand in the world. It first opened its doors as a tiny, family-owned restaurant in Guatemala in 1971 with the goal of treating family and friends to its prized chicken recipe passed down from generation to generation. Today, as Pollo Campero marks its 45th anniversary, its focus on quality, and its mission to stay true to its Latin roots remain the same. Pollo Campero is committed to serving unique Latin recipes prepared by hand daily using high-quality and all-natural ingredients. At the heart of that commitment: the promise to use fresh, never frozen, hormone-free chicken paired with traditional Latin sides, drinks and desserts in a vibrant atmosphere. There are more than 350 Pollo Campero restaurants around the world and Campero is still growing. For franchise information, or to learn more about Pollo Campero, visit Campero.com. Follow the flavor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @CamperoUSA.

SOURCE Pollo Campero

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Iconic Fredericksburg eatery Sammy Ts will reopen by the end of January, according to the group of six business owners who are taking over the brand.

Married couples Al and Rena Littek, Ray and Laura Stoner and Frank and Ana Robinsonlocals who have known each other for yearshave come out of retirement to reopen the restaurant.

Littek remembers when the restaurant first opened, during the same time of year in 1981, and said back then, the community was excited because it was one of the few places opening in a downtown that stores had pulled out of in favor of malls.

Sammy Ts opened on Valentines Day 1981 after University of Mary Washington geography professor Samuel Thomas Emory Jr. and his wife, Sylvia Sibby Emory, bought and remodeled the building in 1980.

But now, Littek said the booming downtown scene feeds into the excitement of the reopening of the business, which he and his business partners want to be synonymous with fun.

The group plans to modernize the building and is in the midst of a complete renovation, putting in new equipment and updating the interior.

Ray Stoner operated another Fredericksburg restaurantArbuckles for years. Then he opened Fairview Beach Crabhouse with a group of restaurateurs. His wife, Laura, also has experience as a restaurant owner and chef, as does Ana Robinson, who owned a bistro in Brazil.

Laura Stoner said they want to have an updated bar with its own menu, bistro tables, happy hours and special events.

She said they have spoken with longtime customers and are keeping many of the favorite dishes on the menu but are adding new, upscale, fresh items.

Also retained for the revitalized restaurant is the phone booth that was used as a register for Sammy Ts and is a holdover from the original restaurant that occupied the building, Dugans.

The group is hiring for positions now.

Along with the groups restaurant experience, Frank Robinson is an architect and Al Littek is a contractor. Both are working on the renovation.

The group purchased the business, as well as the interior furnishings, and are leasing the space. The partners also leased the former Sammy Ts yogurt shop around the corner from the restaurant and are still floating ideas for that space.

We like a challenge, Littek said.

The 5,100-square-foot building at 801 Caroline St. sold for $810,000 to local doctor Kostas J. Constantine last month. Constantine sought a restaurateur who could reopen the restaurant.

The sellers, four cousins who inherited the property and business in 2010 after the death of Emorys son, Samuel Emory III, closed the restaurant in October.
Charges against two people accused of holding a man hostage for five days and forcing him to make multiple ATM withdrawals against his will were certified to a Stafford County grand jury Tuesday following a hearing that featured testimony about violence, sex and drugs and a profanity-laced tirade from one of the defendants.

Jamhal Blanks, 28, of Stafford and Brianna Archie, 18, of Woodbridge are charged with abduction with the intent to extort money and extortion by threat.

Judge Bruce Strickland certified the charges following a hearing in Stafford General District Court in which only one witness, the alleged victim, testified.

At the end of the hearing, Blanks exploded and shouted that he wanted to plead guilty if the prosecution would drop the charges against Archie.

He yelled that the court system had [expletive] up his life with all these [expletive] felony charges and said there was no need to do the same to Archie.

Blanks then used a homosexual slur to refer to the alleged victim, who he said is lying because hes not getting any more [sexual favors].

Strickland threatened the enraged defendant with being held in contempt of court and informed him that it was not the proper time to consider a guilty plea.

According to the evidence, Blanks and Archie were arrested Sept. 29 after Joseph ONeill told a patron at the BB&T at 760 Warrenton Road that he was being robbed.

The witness got the tag number of the vehicle the man left in, and a short time later deputies showed up at ONeills home on Cynthias Place. Blanks and Archie were arrested at the home and ONeill was taken to Mary Washington Hospital to be treated for injuries that included broken ribs.

ONeill testified Tuesday that his alleged assailants had shown up uninvited on Sept. 24 and forced their way into his home after knocking him to the floor. He said Blanks stood over him with a knife.

Over the next five days, ONeill said, Blanks forced him to make multiple trips to the same ATM and various stores. Prosecutor Tara Mooney said about $3,600 was spent from the victims account.

ONeill said that Blanks threatened to kill him and harm his family if he didnt comply with his commands. He said he was tied up from about 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night with Christmas lights and power cords and forced to sleep in the bathroom or in a closet.

In addition to making daily trips to the ATM, ONeill testified that he was forced to accompany the defendants to such places as Food Lion, Target, a beauty store, a clothing store and various fast-food places.

He said he complied with the numerous commands because, I never felt I could safely bring my situation to somebody elses attention.

During the ordeal, ONeill claimed he was whipped with belts and power cords, punched and thrown against a cabinet. He said he didnt understand why he was being abused because he did everything he was told to do.

But under cross-examination from defense attorneys Tim Barbrow and Glenn Wainer, ONeill admitted that hed had sexual relations with Blanks several times in the past after Blanks answered his Craigslist advertisement for sexual encounters. He also acknowledged that Blanks and Archie had stayed in his home on prior occasions and that they smoked marijuana together while watching television.

But ONeill insisted that there was no sex involving him during the five-day hostage situation and that Blanks and Archie were not welcome guests this time.

The defense attorneys also pointed out several times when they said ONeill did not take opportunities to try to escape. On the stand, ONeill acknowledged that he saw several police officers sitting in a Chipotles restaurant when he and the defendants were getting food, but he did not approach them.
A Stafford County woman faces numerous charges after the theft of a police SUV and a chase that ended with a crash in Alexandria during rush hour Tuesday.

The incident started in the afternoon when an officer with the District of Columbias Housing Authority police department arrested Jessica M. Pierce. The 26-year-old Stafford resident was charged with unlawful entry because she is barred from the authoritys property.

Pierce was handcuffed and alone in the back seat of a Ford Explorer police cruiser when she somehow got the cuffs in front of her and squeezed through a tiny opening in a security window, according to Lt. George Dixon with the housing authority police department.

Then she sped off, the lieutenant said.

Washington, D.C., police chased the Explorer into Alexandria. When the pursuit crossed into Virginia, the state police joined.

The chase ended on an Interstate 395 exit ramp in Alexandria at about 5:30 p.m.

State police say that the Ford Explorer left King Street and got onto the ramp to northbound I395, where the SUV rammed a marked Metro police cruiser.

The officer was able to pin the Explorer against the Jersey wall and Pierce was subsequently arrested. The suspect was taken to Fairfax Inova Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, according to state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller. No officers were injured in the chase.

Pierce faces charges of eluding police, unauthorized use of a vehicle, larceny, reckless driving and giving false information to police.
The Coast Guard has issued a warning to mariners after receiving several reports about a dead whale in Virginia waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

The first call came in late Saturday morning from a pilot escorting a ship through the Rappahannock Channel, a major shipping lane in the southern part of the bay.

The Coast Guard issued a 24-hour marine safety warning, but received no more calls. Then Wednesday afternoon, someone else called in a whale sighting.

This time it was approximately two miles north of Windmill Point, according to Coast Guard spokesman Nate Littlejohn. You can never really say exactly where the whale is because thats constantly changing with the tide and the weather.

Its likely the same dead whale, but because the corpse is moving and no one can stay with it, the Virginia Aquarium said it is unable to send out its Stranding Response Team. When the whale beaches is when the team would be able to identify the type of whale and possibly determine how it died.

Littlejohn did have some good news for whale watchers.

We did receive a report today of a live right whale not too far from the entrance of the Chesapeake Bay, said Littlejohn.

The Coast Guard will continue to issue marine safety warnings as reports come in and is asking mariners to be on the lookout for the whale.
A Culpeper County jury deliberated for two hours Tuesday before finding Daniel Akordor guilty of first-degree murder in the 2014 stabbing death of 19-year-old Corey Clanagan.

The jury recommended sentencing him to life in prison.

The 25-year-old Fredericksburg man stabbed the Culpeper teen 24 times around midnight on Nov. 1 outside of a Halloween party at a home on Cherry Hill Road after a fight broke out inside between a group of young people from the Fredericksburg area and party-goers from Culpeper.

Akordor, a reported three-star general with the Nine Trey Gangsters, did not know Clanagan, a recent Eastern View High School graduate who was popular and well-loved by his family.

God is good, said Coreys grandmother and parent Helen Clanagan after the verdict was read. I just thank God that the jury seen it for what it was. How do you kill someone that you dont even know? I feel like we can move on now and grieve and continue to celebrate Coreys life.

Akordor is the first of six Fredericksburg-area defendants to be convicted of murder in Clanagans death, while two othersDonell Easter and Tyrece Branchcombpreviously pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact in his death through agreements with the commonwealth, and are serving jail sentences. Per that agreement, both testified Tuesday as witnesses for the commonwealth and agreed that if they didnt tell the truth their suspended sentences could be enacted.

According to testimony, Akordor traveled to and from the Culpeper party as a front-seat passenger in Branchcombs car, positioning that would prove critical to proving his guilt since blood left behind on the door panel tested positive for containing Clanagans DNA.

Akordor later bragged about killing Clanagan to reported fellow gang member Tonie Jones also arrested in the crime and still awaiting resolution of his charges. Jones testified that the Fredericksburg group, traveling from the Culpeper party in different cars, met up at the McDonalds in Massaponax in the early morning hours of Nov. 2, 2014. He testified Akordor came up behind him at the fast food restaurant and made stabbing motions saying, This how I did it, Jones said.

Surveillance video of the McDonalds meeting, played Tuesday in the courtroom, showed the interaction between Jones and Akordor and the defendant moving his hand in a stabbing simulation.

Jones was one of four witnesses for the commonwealth appearing in court in prison garb and cuffs, a fact that did not seem to faze the jury of five women and seven men. He testified, in addition, that he saw two unidentified people wrestling outside the party in the bushes near the end of the driveway near where Clanagans lifeless body was found. Jones said one of the individuals had the other in a chokehold and was making stabbing motions.

The murder weapon was never recovered and no one testified during the two-day trial to actually seeing Akordor murder Clanagan, but the circumstantial evidence was abundant.

Branchcomb testified Akordor told another defendantRicardo PowellYoure not getting that knife back, that knife is gone, before holding his arm out the open car window en route to Fredericksburg after Clanagan was killed.

According to testimony and surveillance video, Akordor used the bathroom at both the 7-Eleven in Culpeper the night of the murder and at the McDonalds and made comments to his fellow passengers about needing napkins and having to wash his hands.

Easter, who claimed he was not part of the gang, testified that Akordor told him at the McDonalds that, He poked that [expletive] 16 times, and that he wanted Easter to, Rock with him, that is, join the Nine Trey Gangsters, a local set of the Bloods.

Following the lunch break, a mannequin the same size and height as Clanagan was brought in the courtroom for the jury to see. It was wearing the clothes in which the teen dieda blue Tommy Hilfiger shirt, jeans with a belt and sneakers. There was dead silence as the mannequin was displayed, a stationary reminder of the life that was lost.

Federal prisoner Robert Bates, serving time in a Petersburg prison on a gun charge, testified for the commonwealth Tuesday with the hope of getting his five-year sentence reduced. According to Culpeper County Commonwealths Attorney Paul Walther, Bates had a defense attorney who spoke last year to former commonwealths attorney Megan Frederick about getting him possible immunity in exchange for testimony in the Clanagan murder.

Bates testified about an incident in November 2014 at another gang members house during which Akordor admitted to stabbing Clanagan to death. As for why Akordor did what he did, Bates said, It just got out of handno other reason. They got in a fight and it was blown out of proportion.

On cross examination by defense attorney Michael Hallahan, Bates said it was the commonwealth who would have to file a reduction of time related to his prison sentence in exchange for his testimony.

If the story wasnt truthful, I couldnt get any time off, he said.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Constance DiAngelo testified that Clanagan was stabbed twice on the face, twice on the arm and 12 times to his chest and abdomen, piercing his heart and lungs, in addition to eight other wounds.

Other evidence put forth against Akordor included the fact that the mother of his three young children contacted Branchcomb after his arrest and asked Branchcomb to clean up their apartment, removing any drugs or gang-related items. Authorities also found pants with blood on them in their trash and empty packaging for a knife and receipt showing the item was purchased the day after the murder, supposedly to replace the knife that was tossed.

The commonwealth rested its case around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday on day two of what was planned as a four-day trial. The defense put on no evidence.

Hallahan unsuccessfully argued that there was insufficient evidence to convict his client.

Theres no witnesses to this crime. You have to rely on the word of a bunch of liars, the defense attorney said in closing. The blood on the car door panel doesnt mean anything either.

Deputy commonwealths attorney Russell Rabb, in closing, summarized the two days of evidence saying, How many people pointing to the defendant does it take to prove hes guilty?

Walther ended the day in dramatic fashion, simulating how Clanagan was killed.

Think of the amount of effort it took to stab someone 24 times, he said, reenacting it. What is the testimony when [Akordor] returns to the car? Hes breathing hard and hes sweaty.

Culpeper County Sheriffs Detective Justin Brown was the on-call investigator the night of Clanagans murder and led the investigation from the start. He was visibly relieved and gratified at receiving the guilty verdict Tuesday night and the life sentence just before 8 p.m.

The family had the motto, Justice for Corey. We were finally able to do that today, Brown said outside the courtroom. It was very emotional for me and I dont cry very often. We put a lot of hard work in ittwo years every day, weekends, holidays. It was a lot of time away from family.

Akordor will be formally sentenced by Judge Susan Whitlock on March 23 at 1:30 p.m.
Christmas morning is when many childhood memories are made. Memories of the excitement of gathering around the Christmas tree with family and friends to unwrap presents left by Santa Claus remain vivid for a lifetime.

But for foster children, the holidays can be a sad reminder of what they dont have.

Embrace Treatment Foster Care has put together a campaign to help foster children make good memories this Christmas. The campaign aims to raise $100 per child in the program, which will be used to purchase Christmas presents.

The campaign is accepting donations via the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe. By accepting donations, Embrace is able to choose presents suitable for each child in the program.

We have quite a few older children in our program, and they often get left out at Christmas, said Gretchen Rusden, recruitment coordinator at Embrace. Things like gift cards are great for them because they can use them for what they want. So this is the best way to make sure all the kids in the program are included and getting what they need.

The organizations goal is to raise $7,000, and the total raised so far is a little more than $2,900. The goal amount would cover every child in the program. Overall, there are about 70 children in the program, including 15 in the Fredericksburg area.

We want to make sure all the children in our program receive gifts, and we need to meet our goal to do that, Rusden said.

Embrace would like to reach its goal of $7,000 by Friday, so that staffers can begin to collect and distribute the gifts across the state. However, the GoFundMe page is up year-round, and there is no deadline for donating. Rusden explained that some people will visit the page throughout the year and donate monthly or whenever they can.

Embrace hopes that all of its children will have gifts waiting for them under the Christmas tree this year, but, even more importantly, officials are hoping to receive more interest from potential foster families during the holiday season. Rusden said there is a great need for foster homes in the area, and her office turns away 10 children on average a week because of lack of homes.

Rusdens Christmas wish is for more families to come forward to share their homes with Virginias foster care children.

Every child needs a place to call home, Rusden said.

Those interested in making a donation to the Christmas campaign or learning about becoming a foster parent should visit embracetfc.com/christmas.
THE REPORT presented a disconcerting situation. Virginia, more than any other state, turns students with disciplinary issues in school over to police rather than handling the situations administratively within the school system.

In an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data, the Center for Public Integrity study gave Virginia that dubious No. 1 distinctionthat its rate of nearly 16 referrals per 1,000 children not only led the nation but also was three times the national average.

It was an eye-opening report, because the spring 2015 study found that referring kids to the police sets them on a dismal track of being away from school and being labeledstigmatizedas a troublemaker. People took notice.

Those people included Fredericksburg-area resident Bryn Pavek, who learned after reading the report that students of color and students with disabilities were referred to police at a disproportionately higher rate than their percentage of the overall student population. That made a bad situation look even worse.

The report refers to the school-to-prison pipeline, and acknowledges that for those swept into the pipeline, a bright future becomes dimmer than it might otherwise be.

Pavek turned to Virginia Organizing, a statewide advocacy group with a Fredericksburg-area chapter. Focusing on the issue in Spotsylvania County schools, Pavek and the organization worked with school officials and the Spotsylvania Sheriffs Office on a new memorandum of understanding. Its the document that describes the arrangement between the schools and their School Resource Officers, and the SROs responsibilities.

They found the existing MOU to be inadequate in defining the SROs role. While state officials say theyll provide a model memorandum for school districts to use, it will be up to local officials to fine-tune it for their own use. In the meantime, thanks to Pavek, Virginia Organizing, School Superintendent Scott Baker and Sheriff Roger Harris, Spotsylvania is coming up with a model of its own.

The draft MOU, which is awaiting School Board approval, will, among other things, establish a job description for SROs and better define the circumstances under which a disciplinary issue rises to the level of overall school safety and security. Thats when law enforcement involvement kicks in.

The point here is that schools avoid using law enforcement as a crutch to solve discipline problems that really could be dealt with in-school. The alternative concept is restorative justice, which provides misbehaving students the opportunity to take responsibility for their actions by expressing remorse and contrition.

Make no mistake, gauging student behavior is hard to do, and school administrators could overreact when theyre responsible for a school full of children. Hopefully, even then police would be able to diffuse most situations and leave the student in administrators hands.

It was only about a month after the school-to-prison study was released that another study, this one by the Center for Public Integritys JustChildren program, looked at the implications of the large number of out-of-school suspensions in Virginia.

It found that during the 201415 school year, Virginia schools issued over 126,000 out-of-school suspensions to approximately 70,000 students. It cited a surprisingly high suspension rate for pre-K and elementary-age students, a questionable threshold of misbehavior warranting suspension and, again, a disproportionately large number of minority students and those with disabilities being affected.

The suspensions also mean students are away from school, and likely to get into more trouble in the future. If there is a way to keep more of these students in school, then lets pursue it.

Certainly, there is real-world exasperation for school administrators who need more options for dealing with problem students, not fewer. People need to empathize with that.

Right on cue, Optimal Health Enterprise has announced a Restorative Justice Training Workshop that it will hold at the Central Rappahannock Regional Librarys England Run branch in Stafford County. School district staff, administrators, teachers and central office staff are invited. The workshop will be held Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

We would urge more localities to take the Spotsylvania example of broader community involvement and communication to heart, and apply it close to home. It will not succeed in every case, but the more students for whom discipline does not include removal from school, the better.
If loyalty really matters to the president-elect, then maybe he should create a cabinet position for good-old Billy, which would be appropriate and in line with the wisdom of some of his other choices.
Wealth Management Market Global Growth, Share, Demand And Analysis Of Key Players Forecasts To 2021

Wealth Management -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities and analysis of Top Key Player Forecast to 2021

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Wealth Management Industry

Description

Wiseguyreports.Com Adds "Wealth Management -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities and analysis of Top Key Player Forecast to 2021" To Its Research Database

The economic crisis of 2008 significantly decreased client trust in wealth management firms, globally. This resulted in a shift towards safer products such as fixed income securities and other personalized services. However, the mass affluent offer high growth opportunities for the wealth management industry. The number of millionaires is expected to increase to more than 18 million, by 2018, despite slower global economic growth. The global wealth management industry is poised for growth at an estimated CAGR of XX.X% over the forecast period, from 2016 to 2021. The projected market value of the wealth management sector by 2021 is USD XXXX.XX million.

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Drivers

From 2008 till the end of 2013, the millionaire wealth had grown by 8.7%, annually, totalling at USD 51 trillion by the end of 2013. The growth in millionaire wealth has been immense after the economic crisis, and it has been driving the sector, globally. Moreover, high competition in the sector is another major driver. Private banks, independent broker-dealers (IBD's), wirehouses, independent advisors, etc., are putting their best efforts in customer acquisition strategies, as all of them compete to capture clients in the High Net Worth (HNW) and Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) segments.

Restraints and Challenges

Trust is one of the major issues as the recent economic crises significantly reduced the client trust in wealth management. Firms are opting for new operational models to compete effectively in the changing scenario and recover their losses instead of using traditional methods of wealth management. Competition is fierce and it might be very difficult for a new company to settle in the sector and make profits. Some people fear that the situation in the coming years will be like the one in 2008 and are satisfied with keeping their money in banks rather than risking them elsewhere.

Opportunities

The margins in wealth management are good and it helps private banks build more corporate connections. Hence, many banks are putting in more manpower into the wealth management division. Moreover, a large chunk of the millionaire population was born between 1945-1965 (baby boomer population), which is included in the mass affluent segment. This population is expected to require financial advice for retirement planning in the coming decade, having accumulated significant wealth, which will present further opportunities for wealth management. The start-up culture in Asia and the USA also leaves the investors with a lot of thinking to do, and wealth managers help these investors to pick the right amount for the right company.

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Key Developments

USD 35.1 trillion was the value of the North American wealth by AUM in 2009, of which the USA contributed about 90%-93%.

Wealth managers in India have now started focusing on Tier II and Tier III cities.

In China, despite all the ups and downs in 2015, data from the securities association for the year showed roughly USD 90 billion in industry operating income, a 121% increase year-on-year.

About the Market

PESTLE Analysis (Overview): Macro market factors pertinent to this region.

Market Definition: Main, as well as, associated/ancillary components constituting the market.

Key Findings of the Study: Top headlines about market trends & numbers.

Market Dynamics:

Drivers: What are the key factors driving growth in the market?

Restraints: Most relevant threats and restraints which hinder the growth of the market?

Opportunities: Sectors of high return or quick turn around on investment?

Market Concentration: Porter's 5 Forces Analysis quantified by a comprehensive list of parameters.

Chain Analysis:

Competition:

Market Share Analysis: Top players in the market (by value and volume).

Company Profiles: Pertinent details about leading, high growth, and innovation-motivated stakeholders with contact, operations, product/service offerings, financials and strategies & insights

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3D Printing Materials And Services Market Grow At CAGR Of 40.24% Forecast To 2020

3D Printing Materials and Services -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities and analysis of Top Key Player Forecast to 2021

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3D Printing Materials and Services Industry

Description

The global 3D printing materials and services market was estimated at USD 5.45 billion in 2015 and is projected to reach USD 29.56 billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 40.24% over the forecast period. This technology has been used by companies for prototyping purposes for decades and is slowly being integrated into final products. 3D printing materials come in varieties like plastic, metal, ceramic etc. to offer raw material solutions to various industries like automotive, aerospace, defense and others.

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Market Dynamics

The 3D printing materials and services market is driven by the growth of the 3D printing market and a vast array of upcoming applications. With the introduction of materials like graphene, new application sectors of 3D printed electronics and automotive have opened up. Judicial implementation of the technology offers opportunities to re-structure the entire supply chain for many industries. Recent technological advancements have brought down the cost of getting objects 3D printed while increasing the speed of the process. Considerable support is also being seen from some governments to promote R&D of the technology. The market is restrained by very high initial inventory investment and expensive materials to sustain growth.

Market Segmentation

The market segment by type is led by plastic, but metal is expected to grow owing to its increase in the number of applications. By form, the market is segmented into liquid, filament and powder. Application in the automotive sector is growing due to the introduction of 3D printed technology in manufacturing hybrid vehicles. Consumer goods like electronics and home appliances are high-potential sectors, as the cost of producing finished products go down.

Regional Analysis

Regionally, the US is the biggest market for 3D printing technology in the world. Germany contributes to approximately 33% of the total European market. Analyses indicate that China shall become the fastest growing 3D printing market in the world.

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Key Players in the Market

Some of the market players analyzed in this report are:

Envisiontec GmbH

Stratasys Ltd.

Arkema S.A.

Royal DSM N.V.

Arcam AB

3D Systems Group

CRP Group

LPW Technology Ltd.

ABB Group

Key Deliverables of the Study

Market analysis for the global 3D printing materials and services market, with region specific assessments and competition analysis on global and regional scales.

Market definition along with the identification of key drivers and restraints.

Identification of factors instrumental in changing the market scenarios, rising prospective opportunities, and identification of key companies that can influence this market on a global and regional scale.

Extensively researched competitive landscape section with profiles of major companies along with their market.

Identification and analysis of the macro and micro factors that affect the global 3D printing materials and services market on both global and regional scales.

A comprehensive list of key market players along with the analysis of their current strategic interests and key financial information.

A wide-ranging knowledge and insights into the major players in this industry and the key strategies adopted by them to sustain and grow in the studied market.

Insights into the major countries/regions in which this industry is growing and identifying the regions which are still untapped.

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Mascara Market Research Report 2016 Analysis And Forecast To 2021

The Global Mascara Sales 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Mascara market.

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Mascara Industry

Description

Wiseguyreports.Com Adds "Mascara -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities and analysis of Top Key Player Forecast to 2021" To Its Research Database

The Global Mascara Sales 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Mascara market.

The report provides a basic overview of the Mascara industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure.

Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.

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The report then analyzes the global Mascara market size (volume and value), and the sales segment market is also discussed by product type, application and region.

The major Mascara market (including USA, Europe, China, Japan, etc.) is analyzed, data including: market size, import and export, sale segment market by product type and application. Then we forecast the 2016-2021 market size of Mascara.

The report focuses on global major leading companies providing information such as company profiles, sales, sales revenue, market share and contact information. Then the Mascara production market status is discussed.

Finally the marketing, feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.

With 174 tables and figures the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.

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Table of Contents

1 Industry Overview

1.1 Definition and Specifications of Mascara

1.1.1 Definition of Mascara

1.1.2 Specifications of Mascara

1.2 Classification of Mascara

1.3 Applications of Mascara

1.4 Industry Chain Structure of Mascara

1.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of Mascara

1.5.1 Industry Overview of Mascara

1.5.2 Global Major Regions Status of Mascara

1.6 Industry Policy Analysis of Mascara

1.7 Industry News Analysis of Mascara

2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Mascara

2.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of Mascara

2.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis of Mascara

2.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Mascara

2.4 Other Costs Analysis of Mascara

2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Mascara

2.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Mascara

....

9 Major Mascara Companies Analysis

9.1 LOREAL Group

9.1.1 LOREAL Group Profile

9.1.2 2010-2016 LOREAL Group Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.1.3 Contact Information

9.2 Max Factor

9.2.1 Max Factor Profile

9.2.2 2010-2016 Max Factor Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.2.3 Contact Information

9.3 Estee Lauder

9.3.1 Estee Lauder Profile

9.3.2 2010-2016 Estee Lauder Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.3.3 Contact Information

9.4 Opera(PIAS)

9.4.1 Opera(PIAS) Profile

9.4.2 2010-2016 Opera(PIAS) Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.4.3 Contact Information

9.5 THEFACESHOP

9.5.1 THEFACESHOP Profile

9.5.2 2010-2016 THEFACESHOP Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.5.3 Contact Information

9.6 Benefit

9.6.1 Benefit Profile

9.6.2 2010-2016 Benefit Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.6.3 Contact Information

9.7 CHANEL

9.7.1 CHANEL Profile

9.7.2 2010-2016 CHANEL Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.7.3 Contact Information

9.8 LVMH

9.8.1 LVMH Profile

9.8.2 2010-2016 LVMH Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.8.3 Contact Information

9.9 DHC

9.9.1 DHC Profile

9.9.2 2010-2016 DHC Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.9.3 Contact Information

9.10 Shiseido

9.10.1 Shiseido Profile

9.10.2 2010-2016 Shiseido Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.10.3 Contact Information

9.11 Laneige

9.11.1 Laneige Profile

9.11.2 2010-2016 Laneige Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.11.3 Contact Information

9.12 Carslan

9.12.1 Carslan Profile

9.12.2 2010-2016 Carslan Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.12.3 Contact Information

9.13 FLAMINGO

9.13.1 FLAMINGO Profile

9.13.2 2010-2016 FLAMINGO Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.13.3 Contact Information

9.14 Marie Dalgar

9.14.1 Marie Dalgar Profile

9.14.2 2010-2016 Marie Dalgar Mascara Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis

9.14.3 Contact Information

10 Global Mascara Production Analysis

10.1 2010-2016 Global Mascara Production by Countries

10.2 2010-2016 Global Mascara Production Market Share

11 Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Mascara

11.1 Marketing Channels Status of Mascara

11.2 Traders or Distributors of Mascara with Contact Information

12 New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Mascara

12.1 New Project Michael Porter Five Forces Model Analysis

12.2 New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Mascara

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McKee Homes Receives 2016 Builder Of The Year Award

McKee Homes recently received the 2016 Builder of the Year award by the Home Builders Association of Fayetteville.

--

The 2016 Builder of the Year award was presented to Pat McKee, President of McKee Homes, at an awards luncheon hosted by the HBAF on November 15, 2016 at Highland Country Club in Fayetteville, NC.

One of the reasons McKee Homes received Fayetteville's 2016 Builder of the Year Award and a primary reason that McKee Homes stands out in the community is their involvement in numerous local and national charities. McKee Homes has been the presenting sponsor of the Fayetteville Walk to End Alzheimer's for the past six years which has raised approximately $350,000 to support Alzheimer's Association initiatives. The 2016 Walk was held on September 24 at the SwampDogs Stadium in Fayetteville and raised over $97,000 to date with a goal of $104,000 by the end of 2016.

"We are thrilled to be recognized by our peers in the Home Builders Association of Fayetteville as the 2016 Builder of the Year. This is a honor for our entire team and we are proud to be associated with such a great organization. This award is also in recognition of the incredible work that Julie Russo has done in working with the community in our charitable endeavors especially with the Alzheimer's Association of Eastern North Carolina. We are committed to be more than just a Home Builder in our community and Julie is the champion of those efforts," said Pat McKee.

Upon founding McKee Homes, Executive Officers Pat and Mike McKee established the Joe McKee Memorial Alzheimer's Fund in memory of their father whose dream of becoming a home builder was taken away by this devastating disease. A percentage of every new home sale goes into this fund to support Alzheimer awareness, care and research.

For more information about the 2016 Builder of the Year award, please visit http://www.mckeehomesnc.com/blog/2016-builder-of-the-year/

McKee Homes Ribbon Cutting

McKee Homes will have the official ribbon cutting event for their new office and design center sponsored by the Greater Fayetteville Chamber on December 14 at 10 am in the design studio at 109 Hay Street, Suite 101, Fayetteville, NC.

For information about this event, please visit http://www.faybiz.com/events/details/mckee-homes-ribbon-cutting-10169

About McKee Homes, LLC

Since its inception, McKee Homes has done more than build quality new homes at competitive prices. They give homebuyers the freedom to personalize their homes with custom options and special features to get the new home they truly desire. McKee Homes is one of the fastest growing new home builders in Eastern North Carolina with new homes located in some of the area's most desirable neighborhoods, offering comfort and convenience only a short drive from the Fort Bragg, Raleigh and Wilmington Metro Areas.

For more information, please visit http://www.mckeehomesnc.com/

Contact Info:

Name: John Rives

Organization: McKee Homes

Address: 109 Hay Street, Suite 301 Fayetteville, NC 28301

Phone: 910-475-7100

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Chandler Garage Door Service Offers Free Estimates and 24/7 Emergency Repairs

Mr Garage Door Repair, located in Arizona, has just announced the launch of two new services starting on December 15th 2016. They are introducing free estimates on all garage door repairs and adding 24 hour emergency repair service add no additional cost.

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Mr Garage Door Repair, in Chandler, Arizona, just announced the launch of two new services starting December 15th 2016. They are introducing free estimates on all garage door repairs and adding 24 hour emergency repair service add no additional cost.

Free estimates will be given on broken part replacement, torsion spring installation, garage door openers and basic garage door maintenance. This service is being offered to both residential and commercial property owners. Their licensed specialists will continue to provide same day service and full warranties on all parts and labor. Their warranties will now include free, 24/7 emergency repair service.

"This free upgrade to our warranties, marks our commitment to offering the highest garage door service standards in the Phoenix area" said Jim Durango, an executive of Mr Garage Door Repair. Durango believes "our free estimate service will allow our customers to rest assured there won't be any unexpected or hidden costs that have plagued the garage door industry in the past."

The service team at Mr Garage Door Repair is experienced and is made up of highly trained professionals with years of experience in the garage door repair industry. They specialize in replacing damaged parts and panels, custom garage doors and garage door opener installations, for both residential and commercial properties. From their office in Chandler, they provide overhead door service to the entire Phoenix metropolitan area with highly responsive technicians that are available 24/7 via mobile dispatch. Mr Durango further states that "our mobile dispatch system allows us to have some of the best response times in the business." Mr Garage Door Repair has earned their position as a proven industry leader and built their reputation on high quality repairs and excellent customer service standards.

For more information about Mr Garage Door Repair, contact Mr Jim Durango at (480) 360-4166, or visit their Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/mrgaragedooraz.

For more information, please visit http://mrgaragedoorrepair.com

Contact Info:

Name: Jim Durango

Organization: Mr Garage Door Repair

Address: 500 N 56th St #9 Chandler, AZ 85226 United States

Phone: +14803604166

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Commission Express Invests In the Future Of NVAR

Commission Express, a leader in real estate commission services, announces a new investment in the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors.

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Commission Express is pleased to announce their new commitment to the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors (NVAR). As the area's market continues to grow, the company is dedicated to making a commitment to realtors throughout this exciting region. That dedication begins with an investment in 2016's fundraising drive.

The company now proudly carries the distinction of being a Sterling investor in the NVAR's efforts throughout the real estate community. It's a title that Commission Express leaders don't take lightly. "We are ecstatic to be a part of this organization!" said National President John Stedman. "It's an investment in the future of real estate, we couldn't ask for more" Vice President Joseph Giovannelli said with a smile.

This unique partnership began with a common interest in the community. "Commission Express was founded here. We've discovered so much success and mutual respect working with this great team of professionals. It only stood to reason that we would be there for the NVRA when they needed us." Stedman added. Though their contribution, Commission Express is helping new agents as well as veteran sellers find their way in the market. The NVRA's programs, discounts, and presentations offer the latest insight into this rapidly changing industry.

As part of their status, the Commission Express will be featured at a range of NVAR events throughout the year. One of the first NVAR events to feature Commission Express was the 2016 NVAR Convention and Trade Show. This gathering of agents, brokers, and top realty related companies was held on the Annandale Campus of Northern Virginia Community College. As a registered investor, Commission Express was excited to reach out to our friends and neighbors through an Exhibitor Booth.

The continued partnership between these organizations is expected to directly benefit agents throughout Northern Virginia and surrounding states. Commission Express is in the process of planning promotional events that will capitalize on their newly minted status among NVRA members. Their focus hopes to be on recent additions to membership that may be unaware of the outstanding services Commission Express offers its clients.

Learn more about Commission Express' commitment to NVAR by visiting the Commission Express National Office official website.

About Commission Express:

For over 20 years, Commission Express has been providing fast and friendly commission advances to agents throughout the United States. This dedicated company was founded by brokers who understood the importance of steady revenue solutions to their industry. Today, the Commission Express franchises are locally-owned and -operated to better meet the needs of local agents. A friendly and knowledgeably team of professionals at every location continues to help the company reach new heights among real estate based financial services.

For more information about Commission Express, please visit www.commissionexpress.com.

For more information, please visit http://www.commissionexpress.com

Contact Info:

Name: Sarah Hess

Organization: Commission Express



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Global Healthcare IOT Security Market Key Players, Estimation, Share, Trend, Applications, Analysis And Forecast To 2022

The global healthcare IOT security market is expected to reach $ 48.18 billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 39.44% during the forecast period.

--

Healthcare IOT Security Market:

Report Description

In the process of enhancing healthcare outcomes of patients and minimize costs, healthcare providers have suffered from several troublesome problems, especially in terms of the infrequent interactions with their patients, giving them negligible understanding of the patient's activities which impact their overall health. Healthcare providers can make effective decisions if there is an automatic flow of information between patients and care givers which helps in the better analysis of the health information. Internet of Things (IOT) is making this possible in the healthcare sector.

The global healthcare IOT security market is expected to reach $ 48.18 billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 39.44% during the forecast period.

On the basis of IOT Security solutions, Endpoint Security is by far the fastest growing segment of global healthcare IOT security market and it is expected to reach $5.93 billion by 2022. .

Based on IOT Security services, risk assessment services commands largest market share of global healthcare IOT security market and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 39.69% during the period 2016 to 2022.

Globally, since the usage of mHealth applications and wearable is continuously increasing, IOT Security will play a crucial role in the protection of the big data (health information) collected and communicated from various smart devices to the care givers and patients.

North America is the region acquiring a major share in the healthcare IOT adoption; therefore, data security of the protected health information becomes pivotal. 53% physicians in Europe are concerned about security and privacy issues related to mHealth applications. APAC is becoming the global hub for clinical trials and comprises of 60% of the world population, moreover, healthcare IOT adoption is rapidly increasing and therefore, IOT security becomes crucial. 42% of the firms in Latin America are concerned about healthcare IOT Security threats.

North America is the region acquiring a major share 47.93% in the healthcare IOT Security because of the rapid adoption of healthcare IOT. APAC is expected to grow at a highest CAGR 46.24% as this region comprises 60% of the world population and with the raid healthcare IOT adoption for managing growing chronic illness, IOT security will become crucial in the near future.

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Key Players

The leading market players in the global healthcare IOT security market include; IBM Corporation (U.S.), Cisco Systems Inc. (U.S.), Intel Corporation (U.S.), Oracle Corporation (U.S.), Sophos Group Plc. (U.K.), Symantec Corporation (U.S.), Trend Micro Inc. (Japan), Kaspersky Labs (Russian Federation) and others.

Study Objectives of Healthcare IOT security Market Development and Demand Forecast to 2022 Market

 To provide insights about factors, influencing and affecting the market growth.

 To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to regional markets and their countries.

 To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments based on type of test, and type of sample for global healthcare IOT security market.

 To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their market share, core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market.

 To provide economic factors that influences the global healthcare IOT security market.

Target Audience

o M-health solutions & services providers

o Forensic laboratories

o Research Laboratories

o Hospitals & Clinics

o Service Suppliers

o Potential Investors

o Key executive (CEO and COO) and strategy growth manager

Key Findings

o The global market for healthcare IOT security is expected to grow at a CAGR of 39.44% during the period 2016 to 2022 to reach $48.18 billion by 2022.

o The Asian healthcare IOT security market is expected to grow rapidly during 2016 to 2022; whereas, North America will remain the largest market by 2022.

o By IOT security solutions, Endpoint Security segment is expected to witness highest CAGR of 40.52% during the period 2016 to 2022.

o Based on the IOT security services, risk assessment services segment commands the largest market share of global healthcare IOT security market; registered 27.5% share in 2015

o IBM Corporation (U.S.), Cisco Systems Inc. (U.S.), Intel Corporation (U.S.), Oracle Corporation (U.S.) are so far the leading market players for healthcare IOT security market globally

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Regional and Country Analysis of Healthcare IOT security Market Development and Demand Forecast to 2022 Market

As per the MRFR analysis, the Asia healthcare IOT security market is poised to reach $10.81 billion by 2022, to grow at a CAGR of around XX% during the forecasted period. European market was valued at $ 1.40 billion in 2015, and expected to reach at $ 13.71 billion by 2022. North America continues to be the leading region during the forecast period.

The reports also cover country level analysis:

o North America

o US

o Canada

o Europe

o Germany

o U.K.

o Italy

o Spain

o France

o Rest of Western Europe

o Eastern Europe

o Asia-Pacific

o Japan

o China

o India

o Republic of Korea

o Rest of Asia-Pacific

...CONTINUED

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Contact Info:

Name: NORAH TRENT

Email: sales@wiseguyreports.com

Organization: WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTD

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Phone: +91 841 198 5042

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Adelaide Pre Purchase Building Inspections Pest Termite Inspectors Site Launched

The Jims Building Inspections Adelaide announced the launch of a new website with detailed information on its leading range of comprehensive and thorough building inspection services to help home owners and buyers in Adelaide know they're making the best and most informed property investment decisions.

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The renowned Jims Building Inspections Adelaide announced the launch of a new website detailing its wide, leading and trusted range of building inspection services available for home owners and buyers in Adelaide.

More information is available at http://jimsbuildinginspectionsadelaide.com.au.

The Jims Building Inspections Adelaide is part of a nationally recognized and trusted company delivering the most comprehensive, thorough and reliable residential or commercial building inspections to help home owners or buyers in Adelaide save money and time while enjoying the peace of mind of knowing they're making the most informed property investment decisions.

The company announced the launch of a new website detailing its range of leading building inspection services which include complete pre-purchase inspections to reduce the risk of inheriting structural damages or defects and other costly problems as well as thorough termite, pest and asbestos inspections or dilapidation reports, pool compliance statements and industrial or commercial building inspections.

The newly launched website also provides extensive information on the renowned, vetted and experienced team of inspectors trained to thoroughly and effectively inspect every interior and exterior area of the property, including the roofing spaces and sub-flooring or the drainage, fencing and other structures on the site like garages, sheds or car ports, and more, to provide complete and understandable reports that can safeguard its client's property investments.

Appointments, quotes and inspection report samples along with more information on Jims Building Inspections and its the trusted range of services available for Adelaide property owners and buyers or its experienced, friendly team of inspectors committed to leading customer service can be requested at 131 546 or through its newly launched website at link provided above.

The Jims Building Inspections Adelaide team explains that "the decision to get a home inspected before buying or renovating, is one of the best decisions that can be made. It reduces the risk of inheriting structural damage, termites or even asbestos which could cost thousands to fix. We are aware that buying a house or a commercial property is a significant investment for our clients, one that none of them can afford to lose on, and our comprehensive inspections are a small cost to pay for the potentially huge savings and the peace of mind."

For more information, please visit http://jimsbuildinginspectionsadelaide.com.au/

Contact Info:

Name: Andrew Skinner

Organization: Jims Building Inspections Adelaide

Address: Adelaide SA 5000, Australia

Phone: 131546

Release ID: 154272

For more information visit r



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Gordon Thompson Launches DUI Lawyer Arizona YouTube Channel

Gordon Thompson Attorney launches a new YouTube Channel aimed at DUI and criminal defense clients that plans to cover topics about DUI Lawyers in Arizona. The channel and the extensive video content can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC838bHaozhAUTDQF5_TbM8A

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Gordon Thompson Attorney has today announced the launch of its new YouTube Channel, which plans to focus primarily on the subject of DUI lawyers and criminal defense case information for Phoenix, Arizona clients. The channel is aimed at prospective clients seeking more information in an easy to understand informal format. The infor in need of a good experienced DUI Lawyer in the hopes of educating current clients, prospective clients and their families.

So people online searching for the latest information on DUI lawyers for Phoenix, Arizona are invited to subscribe to the all-new YouTube channel by Gordon Thompson Attorney. The channel promises to provide expert guidance and information on DUI Criminal Defense cases for all of Maricopa County and the Phoenix, Arizona metro, on a regular basis.

Gordon Thompson Attorney already has several videos planned for airing:

DUI Lawyer Phoenix - DUI lawyer in Phoenix, Arizona Gordont Thompson has been helping clients with criminal defense and DUI cases for over 37 years. DUI Lawyer Mesa AZ - Rated in an online survey the top DUI lawyer Mesa in Mesa, AZ and the entire Phoenix, AZ metro area. Looking for help with a DUI case in Mesa, Chandler or Tempe, AZ? Give Gordon Thompson Attorney a call today and put his 37+ years of experience to work to win the case. Chandler AZ DUI lawyer - Chandler AZ DUI Lawyer Gordon Thompson has been successfully defending DUI and criminal cases in the Phoenix metro area now for over 37 years. If anyone needs help with a DUI attorney in Chandler, Scottsdale or Gilbert AZ get in touch with Gordon Thompson attorney today and put his experience to work to win the case.

After the YouTube Channel launched in 2016, now all videos are made public so viewers and subscribers can now subscribe and view all the latest videos here is one of the latest videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjTfoPi7ei8

Gordon Thompson, Owner at Gordon Thompson Attorney said: "This is a real opportunity to help educate clients, prospective clients and their families about Arizona DUI laws. There have been some important changes in those laws recently in how they affect my clients. Lastly and maybe most importantly is educating clients on their rights according to the state of Airzona and Maricopa County."

Fans and viewers are encouraged to watch the videos, subscribe to the channel for regular updates and help spread the word through social media. Those interested in DUI Criminal Defense for Phoenix, Arizona and current Gordon Thompson Attorney fans and supporters, can subscribe to the YouTube channel here

Alternatively, interested parties are able to learn more about Gordon Thompson Attorney directly at their website: http://gordonthompsonattorney.net

For more information, please visit http://gordonthompsonattorney.net

Contact Info:

Name: Gordon Thompson

Organization: Gordon Thompson Attorney

Address: 125 E Coronado Rd, Phoenix, 85004 United States

Phone: (602) 467-3680

Release ID: 154259

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Fiber Optic Market Growth Opportunities, Key Driving Factors, Major Companies Analysis and Forecast to 2022

Global Fiber Optic Market Information, by Components (Connectors, Couplers, Transmitters & Receivers, Amplifiers), by Application Verticals (Telecom & Broadband, Military/Aerospace, Utilities) - Forecast 2016-2022

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Market Highlights

Fiber Optic Market is mainly driven by the demand for high speed internet around the world as the traditional wires are not able to meet the expectation. Fiber Optic is mainly used for the transfer and exchange of data's digitally. Growing countries which are adopting the new technology for high speed internet is creating huge demand for the Fiber Optics.

Going ahead, currently North America is dominating the market of fiber optic due to the heavy technological development and deployment of various satellites into the space which will transmit the data with the very high speed. It is expected that adoption of new technologies such as 4g among other will drive the market of Fiber Optic in Asia-Pacific.

Industry News

o Recently, Intel Inc. announced that they have begun the shipping of 100-Gbps PSM4 QSFP28 optical transceivers which is an important comment of fiber optic.

o In August 2016, Infinera pairs with Lumentum's for DWDM platforms white box optical line system.

Get a Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample-request/global-fiber-optic-market-research-report-global-forecast-2022

Key players in Market

The prominent players in the market of Fiber Optic are-

o Optical Cable Corporation (U.S.)

o Sterlite Technologies (India)

o Fujikura Limited (Japan)

o Ofs Fitel, Llc (U.S.), Prysmian Spa (Italy)

o Infinera Corporation (U.S.)

o Corning INC. (U.S.)

o AFC Group (Australia)

o Finolex Cable Limited (India)

o Birla Furukawa Fibre Optics (India)

Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 60 market data tables and figures spread over 110 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on "Global Fiber Optic Market Research Report- Global Forecast 2022"

Access Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/global-fiber-optic-market-research-report-global-forecast-2022

Brief Table for Contents for Global Fiber Optic Market

1. Report Prologue

2. Introduction

2.1 Definition

2.2 Scope of the Study

2.2.1 Research Objective

2.2.2 Assumptions

2.2.3 Limitations

2.3 Market Structure

2.4. Market Segmentation

3. Research Methodology

3.1 Research Process

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

3.5 Forecast Model

4. Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.2 Restraints

4.3 Opportunities

4.4 Mega Trends

4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators

5. Market Factor Analysis

5.1 Value Chain Analysis

5.2 PORTERS Five Forces

5.3 demand & supply: gap analysis

5.4 Pricing Analysis

5.5 Investment Opportunity Analysis

5.6 Merger and Acquisition Landscape

5.7 UP-Coming trends in Global Fiber Optic Market

5.7.1 Market trends

5.7.2 Technological trends

5.7.3 Insurance & Regulations

5.7.4 Others

6. Global Fiber Optic Market by Components

7. Global Fiber Optic Market by Application Vertical

CONTINUED...

Get In-Depth Table of Contents with List of Figures @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/request-toc/global-fiber-optic-market-research-report-global-forecast-2022

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/reports/global-fiber-optic-market-research-report-global-forecast-2022

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/fiber-optic-market-growth-opportunities-key-driving-factors-major-companies-analysis-and-forecast-to-2022/154179

Release ID: 154179

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AffordableCopyMachines.com Launches Brand New Network

The site is helping business owners find the most affordable solutions to rent, lease, or buy copy machines, reports www.affordablecopymachines.com.

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AffordableCopyMachines.com recently announced the launch of their brand new network. The site is helping business owners in need of a copy machine find the most affordable solutions to rent, lease, or buy one from their nationwide network of leading providers. Whether a business owner is looking for California Copy Machine Leasing or does business in a different city in the U.S., they can visit the website to get started with finding a machine that meets their needs.

"Simply put, copy machines are an expensive investment for most businesses. Even the most basic business copiers can often cost thousands if bought directly from a manufacturer. Unfortunately, spending that kind of money can be unrealistic for a small business, and larger businesses often have other areas to which they need to allocate those funds. The good news is that our network can help them save both time and money on finding an affordable solution to this problem," said Brian Bigelow of AffordableCopyMachines.com.

Business owners using AffordableCopyMachines.com will find all of the top copy machine brands and copier types for sale, rent and lease. Business owners can save hundreds and sometimes even thousands of dollars on copiers when they use the site to compare prices. The AffordableCopyMachines.com team takes customer services seriously, only working with the top local companies to ensure that customers have a great experience every time.

For those looking to rent, lease, or purchase New York Small Business Copy Machines for their office, getting started with AffordableCopyMachines.com is as simple as logging on to their website to fill out a short form. Business owners just need to provide information about the type of commercial copier they're searching for, the number of copies they make each month, and their location information. The AffordableCopyMachines.com will take care of the rest, delivering information for providers that match their needs.

Bigelow further commented, "Copy machines are a necessity for many businesses that just can't afford to be without one. Fortunately, our network of trusted providers works to reduce the financial burden that purchasing a copier can present and puts the technology that business owners need within their reach. We are proud of the work we're doing in launching this website and are grateful for the opportunity to assist the business community in this way."

Visit affordablecopymachines.com to learn more about how the site can help business owners save time, money, and frustration in securing affordable copy machine leasing for their office.

About AffordableCopyMachines.com:

AffordableCopyMachines.com is a network of the most affordable solutions to lease or buy copy machines, digital copiers, color copiers and multi-functional copiers. Their team works with the most reputable and highest value service providers nationwide.

For more information, please visit http://www.affordablecopymachines.com

Contact Info:

Name: Brian Bigelow

Organization: AffordableCopyMachines.com

Address: Sacramento, CA 95691

Phone: (888) 552-4637

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/affordablecopymachines-com-launches-brand-new-network/154323

Release ID: 154323

For more information visit r



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SuperiorMaker Launches Latest Promotional Offers on Practical Housewares

A simple and affordable solution to a potentially costly issue helps make life a little easier, publishes superiormaker.com.

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Energy prices are set to continue on a long-running upward trend for the year to come. This forecast leaves Americans carrying on the search for more efficient home heating and cooling solutions, currently the leading factors in residential energy consumption. While appliance manufacturers continue to offer effective alternatives to aid in this effort, reports are pointing to airflow as a simple answer to the ongoing conundrum. With this in mind, Phillip Donaldson of SuperiorMaker has launched the company's latest promotional offers on a tool potentially able to foster this aspect.

Said Donaldson, "Airflow is a key component in heating and air conditioning efficiency. It's the very reason keeping filters changed and ducts and vents unobstructed is such an important part of routine maintenance. At the same time, simply keeping interior doors open to allow for better circulation could help reduce energy consumption by a certain margin and prevent those notorious hot and cold spots we often notice in our homes. Removing all the interior doors in a home isn't exactly a practical solution, but keeping them open is. Our superiormaker door stops could be an affordable and effective tool in the process."

Composed of flexible rubber, SuperiorMaker door stops offer a low profile tip designed to fit an array of clearance heights. This design is likewise said to accommodate a number of different flooring types. With no permanent installation required, the product may be removed as needed for privacy or other purposes. A non-skid bottom surface aids in withstanding strong drafts created when exterior doors are opened or closed.

SuperiorMaker door stops are available in packages of four with larger models available for heavier-than-average doors. The product comes with a lifetime guarantee as well as two complimentary home care ebooks. Further information is available at http://www.amazon.com/SuperiorMaker-Surfaces-Including-Carpet-Securely/dp/B00MC4NL7G.

Concluded Donaldson, "Our door stops were created to make everyday life a little easier, but they're capable of serving a number of purposes. Simply wedge them underneath interior doors to keep them open, and remove them as the need arises. They can also be used to keep stubborn doors closed to keep out drafts if need be. Our seasonal promo pricing helps make an easy and inexpensive solution even more affordable by lowering the price on a sturdy, long-lasting product carrying on the SuperiorMaker tradition of quality."

About SuperiorMaker:

A global design, manufacturing and sales company, SuperiorMaker is dedicated to putting its own spin on common household products, making them more practical, effective and efficient.

For more information, please visit http://www.amazon.com/SuperiorMaker-Surfaces-Including-Carpet-Securely/dp/B00MC4NL7G

Contact Info:

Name: Phillip Donaldson

Organization: SuperiorMaker

Address: Dallas, TX 75561

Phone: 241 982 7649

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/superiormaker-launches-latest-promotional-offers-on-practical-housewares/153882

Release ID: 153882

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Chiropractor Near Me will indexed location pages across the whole of the UK

ChiropractorNearMe is celebrating the launch of Page 1 of Local Google Results online by getting all of the location pages indexed into Google. Further information can be found at http://chiropractornearme.org.uk/ and http://chiropractornearme.org.uk/find-chiropractors/.

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In a unique and ahead of the competition change of pace, Chiropractic Directory "ChiropractorNearMe", will be celebrating the launch of its instant page 1 ranking for local chiropractors across the United Kingdom by getting all of the location pages indexed into Google. It's reported the event will take place on January 2017.

ChiropractorNearMe

In a space where most competitors simply don't help their clients by getting their website in front of customers searching online and fail to cause much of a stir, ChiropractorNearMe has opted to be a little more unique and ahead of the competition with it's Page 1 of Local Google Results launch.

Craig Riley, Founder at Rank Digital UK, says: "They wanted to be unique and ahead of the competition with their instant page 1 ranking for local chiropractors across the United Kingdom launch because they want to be the biggest chiropractic directory in the United Kingdom.

It should be really worthwhile and they're hoping it will bring local chiropractors in the UK joy in the search results.. It should go great unless The internet crashes!

ChiropractorNearMe 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 they are putting their optimisation skills to the test before a client pays any money, which they think is better than businesses who choose to do things the 'regular' way. This launch celebration is just one of the many ways ChiropractorNearMe achieves that goal.

When asked about Page 1 of Local Google Results, Craig Riley said: "They think it's going to be a real hit because Instant page 1 rankings for local chiropractors".

Page 1 of Local Google Results is set to launch January 2017. To find out more, it's possible to visit http://chiropractornearme.org.uk/find-chiropractor...

For further information about ChiropractorNearMe, all this can be discovered at http://chiropractornearme.org.uk/

For more information, please visit http://rankdigital.uk/

Contact Info:

Name: Craig Riley

Organization: Rank Digital UK

Address: Hitchens Close Murdishaw, Runcorn, WA7 6HY United Kingdom



Release ID: 154020

For more information visit r



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LIVE EXCLUSIVELY MIAMI COFOUNDER ANDREA MORGAN JOINS THE INSTITUTE FOR LUXURY HOME MARKETING

( December 14, 2016 ) Atlanta, GA -- Andrea Morgan recently completed the two-day training, which trains residential real estate professionals on selling and marketing to the affluent, covered topics such as: demographics of the affluent, lifestyle segmentation, trends and amenities in today's luxury home product, and creating a marketing plan for the multi million dollar property.

"Agents who take our intensive two-day training and become members of The Institute are professionals who are actively working to differentiate themselves within real estate by fine-tuning their expertise and competencies in the luxury niche," said Amanda Hammer, Director of Membership at The Institute. "Through training and membership within our organization, they are exemplifying their dedication to better understanding and serving the needs of the affluent buyer and seller and are dedicated to providing the exceptional service that the affluent have come to expect."

"Only current and active members of The Institute are eligible to earn the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) designation, a prestigious luxury-specific professional designation that reflects that the real estate professional has proven documented performance within the luxury residential market" added Hammer.

Andrea specializes in the Atlanta and Miami real estate markets working with Atlanta Intown Real Estate and Turnberry International Realty. "The training provided me new insights, helped me polish my skills, and provided valuable networking contacts with other agents in adjacent markets who specialize in luxury properties," said Morgan

For insights into the current state of the luxury market, contact Andrea Morgan at 404-803-4033 or email Andrea@LiveExclusively.com

About Live Exclusively Miami 45879:

Atlanta Intown Real Estate specializes in Atlanta's intown neighborhoods -- especially Midtown and all of the surrounding neighborhoods. They also represent clients and properties throughout the entire metropolitan region.

The Live Exclusively Miami is an iPhone app that provides accurate, easily accessible information about new and preconstruction properties throughout South Florida to buyers and real estate professionals. The Live Exclusively Miami team at Turnberry International Realty is a unique entity that offers clients high-end residential, commercial and investment real estate concierge services.

Turnberry International Realty is a premier boutique real estate agency that markets luxury properties in South Florida. Founded in 1978, Turnberry has assisted in the sale of billions of dollars in some of the most exclusive developments in South Florida, be it new construction, resale or commercial real estate.

For more information visit r



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Contentio launches its new Contentio Plugin to generate excellent content in a minute

Contentio is a software with high-quality features which allow marketers to get high authority content from YouTube videos, spin the content to make unlimited unique variations, post content and syndicate around the web.

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December 13, 2016: Contentio launches its unique technical tool in the form of WP Contentio to generate online content for marketing online products and garnering the required traffic. With need for online marketing of products increasing by leaps and bounds, the costs associated with producing quality content is also increasing.

With the help of this Contentio Plugin that has been launched by the group, generating quality content is reduced to a mere time span of 60 seconds.

Initially, Contentio too was a brand that was merely looking for quality content writers. However, with the associated costs increasing and quality deteriorating, this plugin was invented to be used on WP to generate original content and spin it, circulating it all over the web. This would surely help in garnering that targeted traffic for the concerned website.

Launching this Contentio Plugin, at the India Business Meet 2016, the Founder and Managing Director, Neil Napier stated, ''I was just too tired of hiring people from Britain and Philippines to help out in generating quality content.

My website was not getting that required traffic and costs associated with these content developers were escalating with every passing day. With help of this plugin, I can now generate quality content with help of YouTube videos in a span of 60 seconds. I have now extended this facility to others and confident of getting positive results.''

With the help of this WP Contentio product, content can be created in coordination with YouTube video Closed Caption system. After getting this content and spinning it to frame unique variations of this available topic, it can be extended to web sources in the same domain.

Naturally, this would generate a greater traffic for that specific website in a matter of minutes. The plugin is touted as a strong one with its head honchos promising a 200% return policy in case of any discrepancy.

Another important aspect associated with this is the series of bonuses attached to this primary product. Priced at a range within $150-$300, these include a webinar targeted at increasing content by Neil and Alvin, a manual on Guest Posting Secrets, manual on Affiliate Marketing and finally a trial run of Copy Funnels.

The Public Relations Officer associated with the Marketing Department stated that ''The prices for the initial packages are kept within a minimal range of $24-$27 for ranging from a single website to 100 websites, and with every purchase, we guarantee double payback guarantee.''

Targeting specifically those websites that are just starting up as well as those which have spent quite an amount behind getting advertisements for their websites, this Contentio Plugin can be used on WordPress platform of 3.4 or even higher. Also with developer rights upgrade, this can be installed in client website as well.

Mr. Jason Jackson, SEO marketing manager, has predicted quite a positive future of this plugin. He stated, "The manner in which this plugin takes help from YouTube videos to generate content and then makes use of YouTube thumbnails is truly notable. The limited time and the superior quality of content that has been generated with this plugin can surely ensure great amounts of cost cutting and precision in future establishments. Surely a superior marketing tool for online businesses!"

Contentio being a platform that has always been known for its quality and transparency, WP Contentio launched is surely worth checking out!

For more information, please visit http://beginnerdiary.com

Contact Info:

Name: Bejamin

Email: media@beginnerdiary.com

Organization: BeginnerDiary,. LTD

Address: 63 Wigley Street, Sturt SA 5047, Adelaide City, Australia.

Phone: +61 (08) 83691672

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/contentio-launches-its-new-contentio-plugin-to-generate-excellent-content-in-a-minute/154383

Release ID: 154383

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LiveViewGPS Launches Campaign To Help Consumers Protect Their Property

The company seeks to increase consumer awareness of the application of GPS technology to theft prevention, reports liveviewgps.com.

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Research shows a strong positive correlation between income inequality and crime rates, especially theft. As the income gap grows in many U.S. cities, property crimes are a serious concern. LiveViewGPS, a company that specializes in real-time GPS Tracking, is launching a campaign to help consumers better protect their most valuable items, reports www.liveviewgps.com.

"When people think of GPS trackers for crime prevention, they probably think about their car," said company spokesperson George Karonis. "It's one of the most valuable possessions we own, and also one of the most frequently stolen items. In fact, according to FBI crime statistics, a car is stolen in the U.S. approximately every 26 seconds. A LiveViewGPS auto theft recovery system can track the movement of a car in real time, making it virtually impossible for a car thief to get away with the crime."

A hidden GPS tracker can notify the owner as soon as a car alarm is activated. As the thief drives away, the vehicle is tracked by satellite. Its position is recorded so that the user can see both the current position of the vehicle and a history of its movement. With this information, the police can pinpoint the exact location and recover the vehicle quickly and easily.

GPS trackers are not just for cars, however. Many people are purchasing GPS devices to keep track of other valuable items, from motorcycles to bicycles to laptops. "One of our most popular trackers for theft protection is the Mobilelock GPS tracker," said Karonis. "It's a small device that comes with a built-in alarm that will alert the owner or owners (up to three people) when the item is moved or tampered with. In addition to the alarm, the device tracks the movement of the item in real time, making it easy to recover."

To get the word out, LiveViewGPS publishes a blog on their website with frequently updated articles about the role of GPS tracking in crime prevention and property recovery. A recently published blog post recounts the successful recovery of a stolen bicycle equipped with a GPS tracker. That theft took place on a college campus, a frequent location of property crimes. Another post offers practical advice on preventing car theft.

Concluded Karonis, "We hope to educate our website visitors about a variety of steps they can take to secure the safety of their most valued possessions. GPS tracking can play an important role in crime prevention, and we hope that more and more people will make use of it."

About LiveViewGPS Inc

LiveViewGPS specializes in real-time GPS tracking systems. These systems offer customers the ability to monitor and manage vehicles, assets, equipment, property, and persons. Whether customers' needs are personal or commercial-based, LiveViewGPS has a cost-effective GPS tracking solution. From any web-based computer, users will be able to locate vehicles, property, and people in real time and on demand, with the location pinpointed on LiveView's integrated map. Their GPS devices are the real deal; they have been tested and proven to work.

For more information, please visit http://www.liveviewgps.com

Contact Info:

Name: George Karonis

Organization: LiveViewGPS Inc

Address: Valencia, California 91355

Phone: 661-294-6805

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/liveviewgps-launches-campaign-to-help-consumers-protect-their-property/153901

Release ID: 153901

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Lanyards USA Reports the Exhibition Industry Continues to See Amazing Growth

Companies need to plan accordingly to ensure they can meet the needs of event attendees, announces LanyardsUSA.com.

--

The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry conducts a survey each year to determine the level of growth anticipated in the industry. This report, known as the Global Exhibition Barometer, found that North America continues to have a positive outlook for the exhibition industry, with more than 80 percent of companies expecting turnover to increase in 2016 and the first six months of 2017. Companies need to take this information into consideration and consider increasing their presence in events of this type.

"Lanyards USA works with clients to ensure they have the right conference supplies for these events. For example, a company may with to provide printed conference totes for attendees. The visitor then uses this tote to carry any materials they are provided at the event and can continue to use it for other purposes after the conference or trade show. The company receives additional visibility as a result," Rebecca Montrenes, spokesperson for Lanyards USA, explains.

Security remains of concern at events of this type, with The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry reporting that 23 percent of companies have noticed an increase in additional information for attendees on security. Thirty eight percent report there is additional screening for visitors and 15 percent report there is additional screening for exhibitors at the entrances of these events also. For this reason, many companies are turning to Lanyards USA to purchase additional items, such as badge holders and ID security passes for those working the event.

"Although security remains less of a concern in North America than in many other regions of the world, one cannot be too careful when attending a large event. Items such as badges and security passes provide a means of knowing who is at the event and what their function is during the conference or trade show. This allows those working the event to focus on making new connections and drawing in new customers, as opposed to worrying about their security," Montrenes continues.

Gross turnover is also expected to increase, as found by this organization. In fact, 70 to 90 percent of North American companies state they expect the turnover to increase for all of 2016 and the first half of 2017. Companies need to take this into consideration and plan accordingly for upcoming events.

"Visit the Lanyards USA home page today to see how we can be of help to you. Branding your company is of great importance at major events, and we have the products designed to help you achieve this goal. If you have any questions, we'll be happy to help you find those items that best reflect your company in a positive light," Montrenes states.

About Lanyards USA:

Founded in 2009, Lanyards USA remains committed to helping clients obtain promotional products and conference supplies that truly represent their organization and its offerings. The team of dedicated problem solvers works to ensure excellent service for all, and the low prices are sure to please those who choose to partner with this provider.

For more information, please visit http://www.lanyardsusa.com

Contact Info:

Name: Rebecca Montrenes

Organization: Lanyards USA

Address: Long Beach, California, 92647

Phone: 6572002030

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/lanyards-usa-reports-the-exhibition-industry-continues-to-see-amazing-growth/153896

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Adherence Compliance Now Offers SOPs for Marijuana Businesses Online

Adherence Compliance announced today the availability of its legally reviewed Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) templates for Marijuana Businesses are available for purchase directly via its newly designed website. Cannabis business operators may now select from SOP types specifically designed for the highly regulated marijuana industry.

--

Adherence Compliance announced today the availability of its legally reviewed Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) templates for Marijuana Businesses are available for purchase directly via its newly designed website. Cannabis business owners and operators may now select from six different Standard Operating Procedure types specifically designed for the highly regulated marijuana industry:

- Medical Marijuana Dispensary

- Medical Marijuana Cultivation Center

- Medical Marijuana Infused Producer

- Retail Marijuana Store

- Retail Marijuana Cultivation Center

- Retail Marijuana Infused Producer

At its core, a Standard Operating Procedure is a written method of controlling practices around the sale, manufacture or cultivation of marijuana, in accordance with predetermined specifications to achieve a desired outcome. SOPs are imperative for a marijuana business's survival. Adherence Compliance SOPs provide:

- Efficiency in Operations

- Quality Output

- Uniformity of Performance or Standardization

- Training Guide for Employees

SOPs assist in reducing miscommunication from internal teams and failure to compliant with industry regulations and standards. Working with and managing well-defined SOPs is a critical aspect of any marijuana facility. Adherence Compliance has been working within the emerging cannabis industry helping licensees and regulators manage the mountain of regulations and helping businesses stay compliant. During that time, they learned many lessons on some of the most important violations and how to fix them. Operating a business with proper documentation, employee training and education, and regular 3rd party assessments to ensure public safety is the foundation of maintaining a license that allows the privilege to work with cannabis.

Adherence SOPs, starting at $1499, are available for purchase at: https://adherence-corp.com/products/standard-operating-procedures-sops-cannabis-businesses/

About Adherence Compliance

Adherence Compliance is the global leader in cannabis compliance software and services. The Adherence SCORE App offers 10 compliance risk assessment types for marijuana businesses. Know your risk today. Adherence software supports owner/operators, regulatory agencies, attorneys, CPAs, banking and insurance providers, lessors and other stakeholders of cannabis operational risk. For more information, please go to https://adherence-corp.com, email info@adherence-corp.com or call 720-616-3900

For more information, please visit https://adherence-corp.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Steve Owens

Organization: Adherence Compliance

Address: 1001 16th Street Denver United States

Phone: +1 720 616 3900

Release ID: 153846

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Smart Electric Meter Market to grow USD 14.26 Billion by 2021,a CAGR of 10%

This growth can be attributed to the rising investments in smart grid projects and increasing upgradation of transmission & distribution infrastructure, triggered by the rising demand for energy.

--

The report "Smart Electric Meter Market by Communication Technology (RF, PLC, and Cellular), End-User (Residential, Commercial, Industrial), Phase (Single Phase and Three Phase) and by Region - Global Trends & Forecasts to 2021", The smart electric meter market is projected to grow from an estimated USD 8.84 Billion in 2016 to USD 14.26 Billion by 2021, registering a CAGR of 10% from 2016 to 2021. Factors such as growing investments in transmission & distribution infrastructure and renewable energy integration to smart grid are driving the global smart electric meter market.Browse 64 market data Tables and 46 Figures spread through 198 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Smart Electric Meter - Global Trends & Forecasts to 2021"

Browse 64 market data Tables and 46 Figures spread through 198 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Smart Electric Meter Market"

Make an Enquiry: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=244481146

Residential the key end-user of smart electric meters

Smart electric meters primarily find major end-users in residential facilities. In 2015, the residential end-user segment was the largest segment of the smart electric meter market, and accounted for the largest share of the total market. The meters measure the electricity consumption and communicate this to the central utility system. The installations of these devices in the residential sector helps in reducing CO2 emissions globally as a consumer's inclination towards peak time savings of energy would increase. The increasing residential construction activities and government mandates like EU 20-20-20 policy, which aims to convert 80% of the installed meter base to smart one, have ensured the growth in the demand for smart electric meters.

Growing inclination toward three phase smart electric meters

The report also segments the smart electric meter market on the basis of phase into single and three phase. Three phase smart electric meters have received widespread acceptance in the past few years due to the rapid industrialization and commercialization. The three-phase smart electric meter market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Single-phase meters are less expensive than three phase ones giving three phase meters an edge over them.

Asia-Pacific is expected to dominate the smart electric meter market

In this report, the smart electric meter market has been analyzed with respect to six regions, namely, Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. The Asia-Pacific is estimated to dominate the market, owing to factors such as industrialization, effective smart grid initiatives, high investments in the upgradation of transmission & distribution infrastructure, energy-efficiency measures, and renewable energy projects.

To enable an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes profiles of some of the leading players in the smart electric meter market including Itron (U.S.), Siemens AG (Germany), Aclara Technologies LLC (U.S.), Schneider Electric SE (France), and Wasion Group (China). These players are trying to penetrate developing economies and are adopting various methods to increase their market share.

The report includes competitive landscape analysis for key companies. The report helps market participants to identify high-growth segments and assists them in making key investment decisions.

Research Methodology

Analysis of key operational and upcoming smart grid awareness and installation projects across the globe, along with end-users and communication technology used

Analysis of country-wise installation projects for the past 3 years

Analysis of grid upgrades and integration across various regions

Analysis of power infrastructure projects and trends related to construction and industrial activities across various regions

Estimation of the installation cost of smart electric meters in various regions using cost variance models

Estimation of the total market size for smart electric meters using the market engineering process

Analysis of market trends in various regions/countries according to current power distribution spending in respective regions/countries

Overall market size values have been finalized using the supply-side data, which includes recent market developments and annual global sales of smart electric meters

After arriving at the overall market size, the total market has been split into several segments and sub-segments. The figure given below provides a breakdown of primaries conducted during the research study, on the basis of company type, designation, and region.

Buy Now: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=244481146

The Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of smart electric meters include Itron (U.S.), Toshiba Corporation (Japan), Aclara technologies LLC (U.S.), Schneider Electric SE (France), and Siemens AG (Germany).

Target Audience:

Smart electric meter manufacturers, dealers, and suppliers

Raw material providers

Consulting companies in the power sector

Government and research organizations

Government utility providers

Private utility providers

Private customers

Network operators

Metering companies

Venture capital firms

Investment banks

"The study answers several questions for stakeholders, primarily which market segments to focus on in the next 2-5 years for prioritizing efforts and investments".

Request for Customization: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomization.asp?id=244481146

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/smart-electric-meter-market-244481146.html

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Organization: MarketsandMarkets



Source: http://marketersmedia.com/smart-electric-meter-market-to-grow-usd-14-26-billion-by-2021a-cagr-of-10/154430

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US$ 17.5 Bn Automotive Washer System Market To Grow At 5.4% CAGR Through 2026

In terms of volume, global automotive washer system sales are expected to reach 1,453 million in 2016. Through 2026, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.5% in terms of volume.

--

Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers key insights on the global automotive washer system market in its latest report titled, "Automotive Washer System Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026". Global sales of automotive washer systems including headlamp and windshield washer systems is expected to reach US$ 17.5 Bn in 2016, witnessing a y-o-y growth of 4.2% over 2015. The long-term outlook on the global automotive washer systems market remains positive, with the market expected to register a 5.4% value CAGR during the forecast period 2016-2026. Passenger car segment will account for maximum share of the total sales, extending the market share to 76.7% in 2026 as compared to 74.5% in 2016.

In terms of volume, the global sales of automotive washer systems is expected to reach 1,453.4 Mn units in 2016 and is expected to expand at a CAGR 3.5% over the forecast period 2016-2026.

Increasing vehicle production and adoption of efficient wiper and washer technologies are primary factors bolstering the sales of washer systems globally. Moreover, high replacement rate of washer system components is expected to result in high sales in the aftermarket segment. The emergence of newer wiper blade and windshield cleaning technologies is resulting in higher cost of end products, which is a major factor restraining adoption of these products among consumers. High market penetration of relatively low-cost wiper and washer system alternatives restricts demand for wiper de-icer, nozzle integrated wipers and heated nozzle washer systems.

Request Report Sample with Table of Contents: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1081

Segmentation highlights

The global automotive washer system market is segmented on the basis of Component (Nozzles, Reservoirs, Hose & Connectors, Pumps, Windshield Wipers, Wiper Motor); Sales Channel (OEM, Aftermarket); Technology (Electric, Mechanical); Vehicle Type (Passenger Cars, Light Commercial Vehicles, Heavy Commercial Vehicles); and Application (Windshield Washer System, Headlamp Washer System).

Windshield wiper was the largest segment by component in 2015 and this will remain unchanged in 2016

Nozzle and hose & reservoir segments are expected to be the next large segment in terms of volume

By value, wiper motor segment is expected to remain dominant over the forecast period. The segment is expected to account for share of 45.9% in 2016 and is expected to maintain dominance over the forecast period

By product type, windshield washer segment was the largest segment in 2015, and this segment is anticipated to hold 72.3% of the market revenue by 2026. Advancements in wiper blade technology and nozzle design will support growth of the market over near future

Preview on Automotive Washer System Market Segmentation By Component - Nozzles, Reservoirs, Hose & Connectors, Pumps, Windshield, Wipers and Wiper Motor, By Sales Channel - OEM and Aftermarket, By Technology - Electric And Mechanical, By Vehicle Type - Passenger Cars, Light Commercial Vehicles and Heavy Commercial Vehicles, By Application - Windshield Washer System and Headlamp Washer System: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/automotive-washer-systems-market

Headlamp washer system segment is anticipated to witness a relatively high value CAGR than windshield washer system. Increasing sales of premium and luxury vehicle globally is anticipated to bolster the growth of headlamp washer system. Furthermore, automakers in the market are focussing on introducing value added features in their mid-range vehicles, so as to earn competitive edge in the market

Regional projections

The global automotive washer system market is segmented into the regions of North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, MEA, and Japan. Asia Pacific, the largest market for automotive washer systems is expected account for US$ 5.5 Bn revenue in 2016. Increasing adoption of headlamp washer systems in semi-luxury and mid-sized cars is major trend witnessed in the region. North America is expected to be the next big market, the region accounted for 21.1% of the total revenue share in 2015 and is anticipated to hold 20.7% in 2016. The recent relocation of automobile production facilities to developing nations such as Mexico will impact the OEM sales of washer systems in the region. Western Europe is expected to account for US$ 3.3 Bn revenue in 2016. The market for headlamp washer systems in the region is majorly driven by the existing stringent regulations to deploy these systems with high intensity headlamps.

Send An Enquiry: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-1081

Vendor insights

Robert Bosch GmbH, Denso Corporation, Valeo S.A., continental AG and Mitsuba Corporation are the top five players in the global automotive washer system market, accounting for about 30% market revenue share in 2015. The leading players in the market are focusing on acquisition, collaboration and partnerships of/with technology providers to increase their product portfolio and market presence. Furthermore, expansion of production facilities, particularly in developing nations, is the key strategy adopted by major players in the market.

For more information, please visit http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/automotive-washer-systems-market

Contact Info:

Name: Abhishek Budholiya

Email: press@futuremarketinsights.com

Organization: Future Market Insights

Address: 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,, Valley Cottage, NY 10989,, United States

Phone: +13479183531

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/us-17-5-bn-automotive-washer-system-market-to-grow-at-5-4-cagr-through-2026/154554

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Europe is mired in a shallow debate around GM technology while the rest of the world benefits from advances in farm technology, a new report has concluded.

The report, Cultivating the Future, was published by the Agricultural Biotechnology Council on Wednesday (14 December) to mark the 20th anniversary of the commercialisation of GM crops.

The series of essays, authored by leading plant scientists, academics, trade bodies and politicians, analyses numerous breakthroughs in plant technology and pioneering new approaches to food and farming over the past 20 years.

See also: GM warning shot over future trade deals

And it says agriculture is on the verge of a new range of tools developed from advances in genetic knowledge and technology.

But the report concludes that the prolonged and shallow debate around GM crops in Europe the last two decades is unsustainable  and risks imposing a great cost on farms and on the environment.

With consumers predicted to demand 70% more food by 2050, the authors warn that there is no time to waste.

The report, which was launched in Parliament on Wednesday at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Science & Technology in Agriculture, finds that agricultural production will need to grow at a faster rate over the next 20 years than at any time in history.

Rising population

This is due to the increasing pressures of rising population and income and the sustainable limits of global natural resources.

The report highlights the vital role that GM crops have played over the last 20 years in reducing waste and increasing yields and how crucial it is that farmers have access to technology in the future.

Acknowledging the UKs food and farming sector and our strong scientific community, the authors contend that the UK has many competitive advantages in this industry and should move beyond debate to encourage farmers to deploy the fruits of research and development in agriculture.

The findings are backed by the NFU, former UK chief scientist Sir John Beddington, the author of the critically acclaimed perfect storm of food shortages, scarce water and insufficient energy, Professor Huw D Jones, an expert in agricultural plant science and biotechnology at Aberystwyth University, Helen Munday, chief scientific officer at the Food and Drink Federation and Julie Girling MEP among others.

Soil Association

But Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil Association, branded the report as familiar, old propaganda.

He said: There is not a single voice from food retailers or caterers calling for GM food, even after the 20 glorious years that this report claims for this outdated and failing technology.

Indeed the last survey from the Food Standards Agency found public opposition to GM increasing. There is no doubt farmers are becoming ever more sceptical.

For example, NFU vice-president Guy Smith said recently that he has to grow what consumers want to eat and has to be very mindful of markets.
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Suits Season 7 Air Date, Spoilers, News & Updates: More Characters Leaving After Jessicas Exit? Last Season Of Series

Many speculations are flooding online that more characters with major roles in "Suits" series are going to leave. Accordingly, many are saying that the show will not possibly make it to "Suits" Season 7. Recently, Jessica (Gina Torres) left the show right after the summer finale episode of "Suits" Season 6. Many fans are saddened by Torres' exit of the show. Torres plays a big role in the series, being the mother-like figure of Mike (Patrick J. Adams).

While Torres is expected to be no longer a series regular in "Suits" Season 7, Aaron Korsh, "Suits" series executive producer is still hopeful that she will return to some future episodes in a guest-star capacity. "I don't think it is the last we'll see of Jessica," he says, adding, "If it were up to me, I would never say goodbye to Jessica until the end of the show."

Get your first look at the #Suits midseason premiere. Don't miss it Wednesday, January 25 at 10/9c on @USA_Network. https://t.co/IWRTWSSr4C  Suits (@Suits_USA) December 10, 2016

"Suits" Season 6 premiered on July 1, 2016 and is currently on its winter hiatus. In August 2016, the series was renewed for a 16-episode "Suits" Season 7, which is set to premiere in 2017. A lot of fans are really excited on what will happen next to the American legal TV Series.

From the beginning of "Suits" Season 7, fans initially thought that Mike (Patrick J. Adams) will stay in jail for long. Contrary to what fans anticipated, according to TVline, Mike is finally going out of jail and will be working again with Harvey (Gabriel Macht.)

Meanwhile, "Suits" Season 6 winter season episodes will focus on Donna and Harvey's romance. Despite the rumors of the cancellation of "Suits" Season 7, show creator Korsh confirms that the show will continue to the next season.

According to him in an interview with Collider, Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Sarah Rafferty, Rick Hoffman and Meghan Markle will return in "Suits" Season 7. However, Korsh implied in the same interview that "Suits" Season 7 might be the last season for the show.
Adidas Release Date, Specs & Latest Update: 3D-Printed Running Shoe Debuting; Limited Edition Costs $333

The 3D Runner shoe features an engineered 3D web structure with dense zones in high force areas and less dense zones in the low force areas, allowing for the optimum level of performance. It also features a 3D printed heel counter, which is integrated into the midsole and avoids the typical process of stitching or gluing.

Benefits include greater elasticity, compliancy and support. A black Primeknit upper like what you see on Yeezys or Ultra Boosts that guarantees high style, superior fit and performance.

Adidas 3D-Printed Running Shoes Is Just The Beginning

"This is merely the beginning. Crafting customized shoes based on a person's footprint- including their running style, foot shape, performance needs and personal preferences is a north star for the industry and adidas is leading with spearhead innovations." according to the Senior Director of Adidas Future team, Mikal Peveto.

As the shoe is named, the 3D Runner, features a similar design as the one Adidas gifted its medal-winning athletes during the 2016 Rio Olympics including Team GB heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill, Colombian BMX cyclist Mariana Pajon and USA swimmer Allison Schmitt, shares Competitor.com.

Adidas 3D Runner: Price And Availability

The German multinational corporation announced earlier that it will be selling a 3D-printed running shoe for the first time, although in limited-edition form with pricing set at $333. Sadly, these shoes will only be available in New York City, London, and Tokyo, for a limited number of customers who sign up on December 12 to 13 via the Adidas Confirmed app, which is available for iOS and Android.

Consumers can get their hands on the reserved pair at the Adidas NYC, the brand's new flagship store. The shoes can be picked up on December 15 the at 5th Avenue. A limited number of the shoes will also be made available on December 15 in London and Tokyo. Although the 3D Runner appears expensive, if fans miss out at launch, it'll end up on the resell market for hundreds of dollars above its original MSRP, writes Engadget.
Xbox One Scorpio News And Updates: Microsoft Planning To Buy Crytek And CryEngine?

Crytek, the studio behind FarCry and Crysis looks to be in serious trouble. According to an employee, the studio has paid their staff for six months without any clarification on the issue. If Crytek's issues with salary continue, expect the company to shut down unless a miracle happens and someone buys the studio. Microsoft could be possibility of saving the company.

The employee posted on reddit his grievances with the studio and is seeking for some legal advice regarding the matter. According to the employee, this is the longest the staff from Crytek have gone without pay. The frustrated employee is unsure whether the management is being paid or informed about the situation while the rest of the staff have been left in the dark. They were told that the wages will be paid soon but will always be delayed. The post also mentions that the salary affects all of Crytek's offices. Microsoft is in need of a first party developer and Crytek could fit the bill.

This isn't the first time Crytek had issues with their employees. Back in 2014, Crytek delayed their salary payment to keep the company afloat. The company was saved when they received funds from an unnamed benefactor. After that though, Crytek had to downsize the company from 900 to 700 employees and closed the US and UK offices. The closure also caused the cancellation of Ryse 2, the sequel to Xbox One launch game Ryse: Son of Rome. So it's safe to assume that the unnamed benefactor has stopped funding the studio which would explain the recent salary problems. But Microsoft could be the next benefactor if they are willing to do so.

Although Crytek hasn't released a hit game since Crysis 3, the CryEngine is an asset that makes them a valuable studio. Using the CryEngine, Crytek has produced the most technically demanding games that are universally praised for its graphics. Games that have been released years ago, are still being used to test benchmarks of recent graphic cards. Microsoft is developing the Xbox Scorpio that is said to be the most powerful. If Microsoft buys Crytek and gains access to their CryEngine, then that partnership would help both causes. Microsoft gains a new first party developer with a powerful engine that Microsoft can develop games with. While Crytek lives to fight for a another day. It's a win win situation for both Microsoft and Crytek.
Android Nokia Phone 2017 Release Date, Specs, News & Update: Nokia D1C Price Revealed; High-End Nokia Pixel Debuts At MWC 2017

Nokia is rumored to make a comeback and steal the spotlight in the mobile phone industry with a new Android phone. Having been acquired by HMD Global, the brand is set to compete with other top Android brands in the market and it is said that the phone will debut in March 2017.

Rumor has it that Nokia will release more than one Android phones in 2017 and one of them is called Nokia D1C. According to leaks, Nokia D1C will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor on board with a recorded speed of 1.4 GHz. It is said to be paired with an Adreno 505 GPU. Reportedly, this Nokia Android phone model will come in two variants: one with 2 GB RAM and the other with 3 GB RAM.

Other specs include a screen display measuring five inches and the other has 5.5-inches - both have full HD resolution. Both Nokia 1DC Android phones will have a 16 GB onboard storage capacity. The two variants of this particular model are also expected to have an 8 MP front camera, but each will differ on the main camera specs. One is said to have 13 megapixels while the other has 16 megapixels. The Nokia 1DC variants are also said to be Android Nougat-ready. Prices have also been revealed with one variant priced at $150 and the other at $200.

Meanwhile, specs of the other Nokia Android phone model, currently known as Pixel, have also made the rounds. It is believed that Nokia Pixel will be a high-end model from the company. The specs and features of the device were shared by a Chinese tipster and it was revealed that this model will either sport a 5.2-inch or 5.5-inch display.

Reportedly, Nokia Pixel will have a 2K Display, which gave the hind that this is the high-end Android Nokia phone. As for its internals, Pixel is rumored to sport a Snapdragon 820 processor. Other details have not been revealed but the camera is tipped to carry the Zeiss brand. More details about this Nokia Android phone should be revealed at the Mobile World Congress in 2017.
Airpods Latest News & Updates: Apple Stores Now Accepting Pre-Orders Online, Sets Pre-Christmas Delivery Dates!

Apple proved their critics wrong when they anticipated that Airpods could not make it in the holiday season. This after the Cupertino tech giant announced that the highly anticipated device is now ready for delivery just in time for the holiday season.

Online Apple Stores are now taking pre-orders for Airpods with selected areas available for free shipping. Delivery dates vary depending on the buyers' location. In the UK, the earliest estimated delivery date is on Monday, December 19, while other locations could take as long as four weeks. Airpods will also be available in brick-and-mortar Apple retail stores, Apple authorized resellers and select carriers starting next week.

The release of Airpods happened a week after Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted that the wireless device will come "over the next few weeks." Apple claimed that the architecture behind Airpods delivers extremely efficient wireless connection and improved sound quality, with the W1 chip managing battery life so well that users can listen to music for five hours on a single charge.

The Airpods were originally set for release last October but Apple failed to launch it after its W1 chips encountered connectivity problems. Last week, The Wall Street Journal quoted a person familiar with the development of Airpods saying that the Cupertino company faced severe architectural blunder on Airpods' design.

It said that the glitch started when the two W1 chips, designed to provide seamless wireless Bluetooth connection, failed to synchronized. The news led many to believe that it would be a bleak Christmas for Apple fans who waited for Airpods for three long months. Apple, however, has not issued any comment on the reported technical blunder.

But whether or not the reports are true, holiday shoppers can now include Airpods on their shopping list for Christmas. For loyal Apple fans, there could be no better news than knowing that Airpods are finally here. Watch the technology behind Airpods here:
PS4, Xbox One S Price Drop News: Sony & Microsoft Bringing Back Low-Priced Bundles from Black Friday Sale; Check Out Deals Here!

PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are getting price reductions this holiday. The sale is definitely an early Christmas gift for avid gamers who would like to buy new console units this season.

Prices of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were first reduced during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday grand sale events so this is actually the third event that the consoles are being sold at mark down rates. With the lower prices, then this is the best time for you to get your unit.

It was revealed that from Dec. 11 up to Dec. 24, the reduced price of PlayStation 4 will remain in the U.S. This means that gamers have exactly 13 days to grab their chance to own the console for less.

In a post on PlayStation Blog, Sony's VP of PlayStation Brand Marketing, John Koller addressed shoppers and said, "We've got great news for you. Starting Dec.11 through Dec. 24, you can pick up the Uncharted 4' PlayStation 4 Bundle at participating retailers for $249.99 in the U.S."

Koller added that for Canadians, they can get the same bundle for PS4 for CAD$329.99. This sale in Canada will be available until Dec. 29.

Further, the brand marketing VP said that the reason they brought back the sale deals for PS4, which was offered during Black Friday's, is because the event has been extremely successful in terms of PS4 sales. Due to the price drop of the bundles, the sale last month was said to be the best ever.

At any rate, Microsoft is also in for the sale event and it is offering Xbox One S for only $249. Buyers should take note that this is part of the limited time deal so buying it now is a good idea. Here are some other Xbox One S bundles to check out:

Xbox One S "Gears of War 4" 2TB special edition bundle for $399, "Battlefield 1" 1TB special edition bundle for $299, "Minecraft" 500 GB for $249, "Gears of War 4" 500 GB special edition for $249, "Madden NFL17" 1TB bundle for $299 and "FIFA17" 500 GB special edition for $249 also. Based on the original prices, these bundles will help you save $50.

Finally, for the complete list of choices for the Xbox One S bundles, go to Microsoft Store. Get your console now to enjoy big savings.
Apple Removes Wrong Time Remaining Battery Life Estimates From macOS; Issues 10.12.2 Sierra Update

After the recent complaints of Apple phone owners about battery issues, there were also problems with the 2016 MacBook Pros over wrong time remaining estimates of battery life in new machines. To address the problem, Apple removed the estimates from the macOS.

Among the complaints received by Apple were estimates lower than expected when the battery life status menu is checked on remaining battery life. Apple said the problem is not because of a hardware flaw but misunderstanding on how the feature works, 9To5Mac reports.

Shifting Between Tasks

Upon investigation, Apple found that the batteries in the new MacBook Pros were behaving as expected. It is how the low-power processors work when shifting between different tasks, such as between low-power and high-performance modes, which causes the wrong time remaining estimates. The result is battery level readings that are not reliable and erratic.

Another explanation is some features of the MacBook Pros rely on iCloud synching in MacOS Sierra. The features include Optimized Storage and Spotlight indexing and facial recognition in Photos which drain battery when indexing big photo collections.

10.12.2 Sierra Update

Apple issued on Tuesday the 10.12.2 Sierra, a macOS update that would offer an accurate prediction of battery life by showing the percentage of remaining juice similar to other iOS devices. An AppleInsider source, however, said it would still take a month of use for the battery life indicator in macOS or Windows to give a good time.

The source explained that percent measure which users see is based on battery circuitry which examines battery output and capacity. The result is reported to the OS what is left of the juice which provides a totally accurate and better level of reading with the new processor. Most of the complaints were sent to AppleCare and Genius Bar.
Suri Cruise 2016 News & Update: Katie Holmes To Give Daughter A Real Dad For Christmas? Tom Cruise Still MIA

After ending her marriage with Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes became a mother and a father to their daughter Suri Cruise. The Hollywood superstar has remained MIA in his daughter's life and a new report claims that Katie Holmes is finally giving Suri Cruise a father figure before the year ends.

Suri Cruise 2016 News & Update: Katie Holmes Finds New Daddy For Daughter, Tom Cruise Still MIA

Although Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx have never officially confirmed their relationship status, rumors about them tying the knot have been making its rounds on the Internet. According to Inquisitr, the sudden plan of a November wedding is because Katie Holmes wants Suri Cruise to have a family during Christmas time.

Just like any other Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx rumors, this has not been confirmed nor denied by either of their camps. Katie Holmes was previously thought to be pregnant of Jamie Foxx' baby when Star Magazine headlined back in June that the 37-year-old actress was pregnant and set to marry Jamie Foxx in a "paradise."

The tabloid noted that Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx are expecting a baby girl. The tabloid went on to say that Katie Holmes was three months along at the time they released the magazine.

Suri Cruise 2016 News & Update: Tom Cruise' Absence In Daughter's Life Too Much To Handle? Katie Holmes Finds New Dad Instead

There were also reports that Jamie Foxx may actually adopt Tom Cruise and Katie Holme's daughter, Suri Cruise But Gossip Cop quickly slammed the rumors of Jamie Foxx adopting Suri Cruise. The site shared that there is no truth in all these adoption rumors.

In fact, the site noted that a rep for Jamie Foxx have flatly denied the story of the 48-year-old actor adopting Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise daughter. "The reporting is completely false," the rep said.

For now, Katie Holmes is just focused to keep her daughter happy as Tom Cruise still MIA in her life. If Suri Cruise indeed wants a family this coming Christmas, we will definitely know about it in Katie Holmes' social media accounts.
NES Classic Edition Release Date, News & Update: See Where You Can Still Get the Platform This Holiday Season

After Nintendo announced that the NES Classic will be a limited edition, all orders went flying by, giving little opportunity for lte buyers to grab one. For those who are seeking high and low for the gaming platform, it might be too late to find one easily, but for your readings worth, we might be able to lead you to few stores that still offer them.

During its launching in November, the NES Classic Edition was made available on retail stores like Amazon, Best Buy, Gamestop, Target and Walmart. Now, it looks like the Nintendo has run out of stocks and it's up to these retail stores to make room for some very special requests, which we can't even imagine to categorize.

But if you're still on the hunt for the NES Classic Edition, here are your best your options. First, Amazon previously hinted an exciting announcement coming for the NES Classic. If only fans could hope for it, it will be the new surge of NES Classic Edition supply from Amazon. Despite the online retail store not disclosing what the exciting announcement is, fans are hopeful.

Meanwhile, Target Australia recently announced that they still have the NES Classic Edition, unfortunately available to Australian gamers only. The offer has been available since December 12; the announcement said "We've been bursting at the seams to give you more info on this! The item will be available approximately from 8am AEDST Monday 12/12.

This will be sold online only so make sure you're on your computer; set-up with a Target Online account and ready to make your purchase! Don't forget, the item is not secured until the payment is finalized. Good luck!"

According to Yahoo Tech! You can still snag the NES Classic Edition on Best Buy, but for $200 apiece, compared to its $59.99 regular price. Talk about business in the gaming world! For more news and update on the NES Classic edition, you can check us here on GaMeNGuide.
'Gotham City Sirens' Latest News & Update:Catwoman And Poison Ivy Joins Harley Quinn Spinoff; Margot Robbie To Produce The Film

"Suicide Squad" very own sexy jester, Harley Quinn is set to do her own spin-off movie together with other Gotham's female villains in the DC comics like Batman's love interest Catwoman and Poison Ivy. The Harley Quinn spin-off movie is entitled "Gotham City Sirens" that is inspired by the 2009 DC comic book series of the same title. The series will be directed by "Suicide Squad" sequel director David Ayer.

"Gotham City Sirens" will star Margot Robbie as she reprises her role as Harley Quinn and will also serve as a producer of the all-female lead movie. The top female writer, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, is set to write the screenplay of the "Suicide Squad" spin-off who is currently the writer of the upcoming films, "Tomb Raider" and "Sherlock Holmes 3" according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Aside from the "Gotham City Sirens", Margot Robbie is also involved in the Suicide Squad sequel which is in pre-production stage under Warner Bros. The movie will also be directed by David Ayer.

Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn was highly appreciated by fans for its characterization and comedic timing in the "Suicide Squad" which garnered more than $700 million surpassing Ryan Reynold's "Deadpool." Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Catwoman teams up together as they head to getting their selves into trouble at the same time to create a comradery between the female villain trios.

Polygon reports that the "Gotham City Sirens" was created by Paul Dini who also wrote for the "Batman: The Animated Series". There are still no reports on who will play Catwoman and Poison Ivy in the "Gotham City Sirens" and join Margot Robbie or details on when the movie will be released. GameNGuide will keep you updated on more news on "Gotham City Sirens".
Goku and Hit's battle will mark the end of 2016 and it is not a separate arc as speculated by fans before. Now, "Dragon Ball Super" Episodes 73 and 74 titles are out.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

"Dragon Ball Super" Episode 73 Title, Airdate and Spoilers

This episode titled "Gohan Gets Made Into a Movie?!" and "Dragon Ball Super" episode 73 airs Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017.

"Dragon Ball Super" Episode 74 Title, Airdate and Spoilers

The seventy-fourth episode is titled "For The Sake of the Which [He] Loves!" According to Herms98, it could be she due to the ambiguous nature of Japanese.

"Dragon Ball Super" episode 74 airs Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017.

"Dragon Ball Super" Schedule for December 2016, January and February 2017

Dec. 18, 2016: Hit arrives to kill Goku - Part 1 - In this episode, Hit has been enlisted to assassinate Goku by someone. He will arrive while Goku is doing is daily chores. The battle in this episode will trickle into the next episode.

Dec. 25, 2016: "Dragon Ball Super" Episode 72 - Will Hit be able to assassinate Goku in this two-part series?

January 1, 2017: No episode will be aired due New Years celebration.

January 8, 2017: "Dragon Ball Super" Episode 73 is scheduled to air.

January 15, 2017: "Dragon Ball Super" Episode 74 is scheduled to air on Fuji TV.

January 22, 2017: "Dragon Ball Super" Episode 75 is likely to be a filler.

January 29, 2017: "Dragon Ball Super" Episode 76 will also be a filler.

February 5, 2017: "Dragon Ball Super" Episode 77 might be the beginning of the multiverse tournament.

Stay tuned for more "Dragon Ball Super" news and updates on Game & Guide.
Zoey (Yara Shahidi) is ready to go to college and Dre (Anthony Anderson) decides to organize the best family Christmas ever. Watch "Black-ish" Season 3, Episode 10 online live stream, here.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Dre is ready to organize the best Christmas for the family as Zoey gets ready to go to college. Dre even invites Johan (Daveed Diggs) and Gigi (Tyra Banks). Elsewhere, Bow babysits the newborn of Gigi and remembers how tough it is to take care of a baby as a mother.

In other "Black-ish" news, The Hollywood Reporter talked to the "Black-ish" star Yara Shahidi and Xavier Burgin about #BlackGirlMagic and Michelle Obama.

Shahidi said that the hashtag celebrates the accomplishments of black women.

"That's what so important about the #BlackGirlMagic hashtag [originated by CaShawn Thompson]. It celebrates black women, whose accomplishments often get overlooked. But it's more than that, it also celebrates our existence and the fact that we still thrive and grow and move forward despite the odds. To me it's about saying, "Hey, little black girl, I see you. Hey, older woman, I see you what you're doing and I appreciate you, because your work or your just living in this world has made it easier for me to live."

She stated the Michelle Obama has impacted culturally and socially in a huge way. Shahidi recounted that Michelle's campaigns like Let Girls Learn to her being on Vogue's cover has been great.

"Black-ish" Season 3, Episode 10 airs Dec. 14 on ABC.
iPhone 8 Vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Comparison: Which Flagship Will Dominate In 2017? An All-Glass Chase For Apple & An AI Feature For Samsung; Full Specs Rundown

With 2016 nearly ending, all smartphone enthusiasts can think about is what handheld device will reign supreme next year, will it be Apple's iPhone 8 or the Samsung Galaxy S8? There are multiple reports and speculations surrounding both devices as of now and without further hesitation, let's look at some of the reports we know so far.

iPhone 8 & Samsung Galaxy S8 features & specs

According to reports, Apple will sport an OLED display screen for the iPhone 8, instead of the standard LCD display. A curved edge screen is also expected to be featured in the upcoming iPhone 8 to accommodate the OLED display screen, since the nature of the OLED display responds better with a curved edge device.

The iPhone 8 is also rumored to sport a full glass display, giving the Apple product an edge-to-edge display screen. The Cupertino-based company also reportedly decided to ditch the home button and placed a fingerprint scanner at the back of the device.

iPhone 8 will no longer have a charging port as a feature, instead the Apple flagship will feature wireless charging. Apple may also release a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch iPhone 8 flat screens for the company's 10th Anniversary in 2017 and then an additional flagship with a rounded display later on.

Meanwhile, Samsung Galaxy S8 will support 4K display that works perfectly in streaming videos and movies online. There are also rumors that Samsung Galaxy S8 will be powered by either the SnapDragon 830

A personal voice assistance will be featured in the Samsung Galaxy S8 in its release next year and the said feature also marks as a first for Samsung to be working on. Samsung will feature an advanced AI for the Samsung Galaxy S8 that comes with two personalities, including a male AI assistance named Bixby and a female AI named Kestra.

Samsung Galaxy S8 is rumored to have a 6GB of RAM along with a 256GB of internal storage. With that said, Samsung could even throw in a higher Samsung Galaxy S8 model or two models for the Samsung flagship, ranging from 4GB/6GB of RAM with 64GB/128GB of internal storage.
LEBANON  One of the goals of the Milken Educator Awards, often described as "the Oscars of teaching," is to inspire excellent teachers to stick with the job.

But Lisa Richard of Pioneer School insisted Tuesday she needs no national honor to stay in her classroom  even one that comes with $25,000 in cash.

"I love being here," she said. "Every day, these guys are the reason I get out of bed."

However, the cash is a pretty nice fringe benefit, she told her third-graders after Tuesday's surprise assembly. "I think there's going to be a really good field trip happening in third grade," she said.

Richard is the first Linn County teacher and the only one in Oregon this year to receive a Milken Educator Award. The award program is now in its 30th year.

Up to 35 Milken Educators will be recognized across the country for the 2016-17 school year. Recipients are sought out by the Milken Family Foundation and cannot apply or nominate someone for the honor.

Jane Foley, senior vice president of the Milken Educator Awards Milken Family Foundation, presented the award and check to Richard on Tuesday as students stood and cheered.

School officials had been told only they were to schedule a special assembly and that Oregon Department of Education officials and others would be on hand to discuss the school's college preparation program, AVID. Pupils wore AVID T-shirts in class colors as part of the assembly.

AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is an important factor in academic success, Foley told the audience. But just as important are the teachers who lead the classes.

"Educators have the most important job in the country," she said. "At the Milken Foundation, we don't think teachers get enough recognition. We don't say 'Thank you' enough."

The annual awards  which come with an all-expense-paid trip to New Orleans to a Milken gathering as well as the cash prize  are meant to give the message that teaching is valued and appreciated, Foley said, and to bring public attention to the good work happening there.

"There are many great educators and teachers in this country. You can believe me when I say that. I've been everywhere," Foley told the children. "But one of the best teachers in the entire country is here, in your school."

Richard, sitting with her third-graders, put her hands to her face in shock as her name was announced, then made her way slowly to the microphone.

"First of all, I'm blown away," she said. "I am only as good as I am because of the people I'm around, and you are the best staff ever."

Richard, 48, began pursuing a teaching career only after several years as a stay-at-home mom and day care operator.

She has been at Pioneer for all her 12 years in education to date, teaching both second and third grade, and said she plans to stay.

"It's so simple. I want to teach," she said. "It's my passion, and to be honored for it is mind-blowing."

In Richard's classroom, students have studied important figures in American history by dressing in costume, memorizing biographies and presenting their own living "wax museum." Classroom families gather for pizza parties in the summer.

For the Lebanon Community School District, Richard helps with new teacher induction and mentoring. She led a schoolwide digital portfolio project to help teachers document teaching practices and their effects on students, and also heads the district's grade-level team.

When Richard learned last year many of her students had never gone camping, she and her fellow second-grade teacher, Colleen Floro, organized parents and put on an end-of-year "camping" trip for an afternoon on the school lawn, complete with tents and s'mores.

"She's just the best," third-grader Josiah Borntrager said.

Added JoJo Reeves: "She was so happy she was crying. All of us were crying, too. We were all so happy that our teacher won."

Richard said she still can't quite believe it. "All I want to do is inspire, and somebody noticed."

Milken awards are meant to be inspiring for future generations, too, Foley said. She encouraged the children in the audience to tell their parents about the assembly and to find other teachers to thank.

"We know some of them will go home tonight and say, 'I'm going to be a teacher just like Miss Richard,'" Foley said.
Sept. 23, 1934  Dec. 11, 2016

Helen Elvina Farmer, 82, passed away peacefully at home Sunday evening, Dec. 11, with family gathered around her.

She was born to Ernest and Odellia Carlile in Staples, Minnesota. She was the oldest of five girls. The family moved to Dallas and then to Philomath in the mid-1940s. She attended school in Philomath and graduated in 1953.

She was a devoted wife and mother. She was married in Corvallis on May 6, 1954, to Lynn Farmer. They had four children, Beverly, Ronald, Donald, and Johnny, who died at birth. Helen was an active member in the Nazarene Church. She was a Sunday school teacher and superintendent for many years. In her early 20s she worked as a telephone operator and later at A&T Truck Repair as a bookkeeper. In the 1990s Helen worked for her best friend Linda Scott as the bookkeeper and the office manager of Cuts Unlimited. Helen retired in 1999.

Helen is preceded in death by her husband, Lynn Farmer, and her infant son, John.

She is survived by her three children, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

A visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at McHenry Funeral Home, 206 N.W. Fifth St., Corvallis, with a funeral service beginning at 11 a.m. followed by a graveside service at Oak Lawn Memorial Park, 2245 S.W. Whiteside Dr., Corvallis.

Donations in Helens name can be made to The Gathering Church.
The National Weather Service issued alerts Tuesday indicating its forecasters are increasingly confident that a winter storm will hit the mid-valley Wednesday.

In a message upgrading its winter storm watch to a winter weather advisory, the service said 1 to 4 inches of snow is possible in Corvallis and Albany and as much of a quarter of an inch of ice could accumulate on roads. The alert predicted the valley would experience a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain.

Matthew Cullen, a meteorologist with the service, said the services model predicts the storm will first hit in Eugene at around 6 a.m. and move north to Corvallis and Albany by around 8 or 9 a.m.

He said in Eugene the snow may not stick much because it will shift to rain during the day, but north of Corvallis the snow will likely stick.

Corvallis is near the transition point, he said.

Cullen added that anything that doesnt melt off during the day Wednesday would refreeze overnight, when lows will be around 27 degrees. However, he said, Thursday highs will be above freezing.

Youll likely see most of it melt away on Thursday, especially in the second half of the day, he said.

After that for the remainder of the week, temperatures will get colder, with lows in the lower 20s, Cullen said.

Cullen said the storm is the result of low pressure in southwestern Oregon pushing moisture north into the cold air already in the valley.

Josh Wheeler, Benton Countys Public Works director, said his crews are ready for the storm, with plows on their trucks and full loads of sand.

He added that since he joined Public Works in 2014, the department has organized annual meetings with the Oregon Department of Transportation and the public works departments in Albany, Corvallis and Philomath to coordinate their response to storms. Wheeler, who had previously worked in public works in suburban Chicago, said this was in part done in response to the unusually sever winter storm in 2013.

Wheeler said ODOT plows state highways, and the cities tackle their streets (although the county does assist some in Corvallis and Philomath). Wheeler said part of the coordination was to make sure that the various crews dont stop their work just because a road passes into an area where its someone elses responsibility.

At the end of the day, the public doesnt care whose road it is, they just want a clear road, he said.

Ryan Noss, Corvallis School Districts superintendent, said he and his staff are watching the weather in anticipation of having to make a decision on whether to close or delay school Wednesday morning.

First and foremost we are always considering student safety, he said. District officials also consult with their bus services provider and have people out driving some roads to check conditions.

Noss added the district also has to take into consideration the number of teenage drivers trying to get to high school and children waiting for buses along the sides of roads, where they might be in danger from an out-of-control car.

Noss added that he also stays in touch with other superintendents in the region, so hes aware of their decisions.

He said this year, the district has a new alert system that calls every parent in the district to let them know about cancellations and delays. The district tested the system for the first time last week, and then put it into action for the cancellation last Thursday.
Xiaomi Robot Descriptions



Main Features:

Easy control by special APP offers control of stick, gyroscope, path

When locked rotor happens, the motor can start the protection mode to stop the burn of robot

With 4 USB Type-C ports, support to connect sensors of infrared, ultrasound and color

Support RGB programming

Support mobile phone control



Specifications:

Battery: 1700mAh LiPo ( included )

Using time: 12 hours

CPU: STM32 ( max. frequency 72MHz )

Interface expansion sensor: support

Wireless extension sensor: support

Gyro sensor: built-in master

Infrared sensor: external ( not included )

Ultrasonic sensors: external ( not included )

Charging adapter: 12V / 5V output

Note: the base and the phone in the picture are not included.

Specification Custom Brand: Xiaomi General Brand: Xiaomi

Materials: Metal,Other

Completeness: Semi-finished Product

Theme: Robots

Gender: Unisex

Stem From: China Dimensions and Weight Product weight: 0.800 kg

Package weight: 2.520 kg Package Contents Package Contents: 1 x Robot Model Kit

Product Safety Disclaimer:

We do not accept any responsibility or liability for misuse of this or any other product. All our products are extensively tested to comply with rigorous and strict QC standards. For certain products (e.g. toys, knives, etc.), we recommend proper supervision as we cannot be held liable for misuse or accidents.

Disclaimer:

We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the incorrect purchase of our products. All of the products on the website are extensively tested to comply with rigorous and strict QC standards. For all of our clothing products, items and accessories, please take careful note of the precise measurements, mainly shown in centimeters (CM). As part of our company policy, we will not be able to accept returns or provide refunds for items which are the wrong size.

Note:

Product photography is for illustration only. The product sold may have minor physical differences depending on manufacturer specifications, production batch, etc. Customers should carefully consider this before purchase.
Robert and Michael visited the White House in 1953 in a failed

bid to get President Eisenhower to stop their parents executions.

More than 60 years after the execution of alleged spy Ethel Rosenberg, a former governor of Massachusetts has endorsed a campaign to exonerate her.





Rosenberg and her husband, Julius, of New York, were put to death by electric chair in 1953 for conspiring to pass secrets about the atomic bomb to the Soviets. Other alleged co-conspirators served prison sentences after cooperating with prosecutors.





The Rosenbergs' convictions and executions remain controversial, with supporters saying the evidence was weak and the Rosenbergs were victims of Cold War hysteria.





The couple's sons, Robert and Michael Meeropol, were 6 and 10 years old at the time. Now 69 and 73, they are asking the U.S. Department of Justice and President Obama to definitively state that their mother was innocent.





"An enormous body of evidence ... demonstrates that Ethel Rosenberg was not a spy, and that the government knew this at the time of her trial and execution," said Dukakis in offering his support. "The charges against Ethel and the threat of the death penalty were meant to intimidate her and use her, in the government's own words, as 'a lever' to force her husband to cooperate with the prosecution."





The cause has also earned endorsements from U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, filmmaker Michael Moore and 13 members of the New York City Council, along with 45,000 signatures on an online petition by the Rosenberg Fund for Children.





This effort is modeled on a proclamation Dukakis issued as governor in 1977, declaring that Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants and alleged anarchists executed for murder in 1927, were not guilty.





"Today, I urge President Obama to take similar action," said Dukakis, adding that a presidential proclamation would be in the service of "justice."





In an interview last month, Robert Meeropol said he does not want his mother pardoned "because she was not guilty. We're asking for a proclamation that she was wrongly convicted, and wrongly executed.





The brothers acknowledged in 2008 that their father was part of a conspiracy, but they insist he did not pass along nuclear secrets. Their change of heart about Julius Rosenberg came after co-defendant Morty Sobell confessed.

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Source: masslive.com, December 13, 2016
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
F***-up Nights : Applause for every bankruptcy

Bonn On so-called F***-up Nights, entrepreneurs talk about their setbacks, failures and mistakes. They want to establish a new culture in Germany where failure is acceptable. One entrepreneur wants to bring this new concept to Bonn.

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Failure can be so hip. Spotlights illuminate a stage, half-dark against a brick wall under a railway bridge. A sofa, a floor lamp and an armchair are standing there. The Wuppertal Band Bilstein & Dunkel play acoustic pop. Some hundred visitors sip beer, rocking to music and making small talk. The actual stars at the Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld are four founders who failed with their start-ups. On this Wednesday evening, they tell their stories of failure on the eighth Cologne F***-up-Night.

The night belongs to failed young entrepreneurs. Anna Yona tells of her start-up Wildling Shoes and her biggest mistake. She founded her start-up in May of 2015, collecting 75,000 euro through crowdfunding. Her idea was to manufacture a shoe that gave children the feeling they were walking barefoot. She received 1,500 orders in advance. Then came the shock. A material which had been inserted under the sole reacted after being mixed with the adhesive, resulting in blue feet and defective products worth 60,000 euros. She said it was as if The dream youve been working on is going up in smoke. At least she could sell some of the shoes at a discount.

Most people who fail with their start-ups are not keen to talk about it. Four years ago in Mexico, however, there were two young entrepreneurs who thought that this was a pity. The idea of F***-up Nights was born. Since then, the concept has spread rapidly and can be found in 150 cities worldwide. In Germany, there are events in Frankfurt, Leipzig, Hannover, Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg.

In Bonn, its not easy to find entrepreneurs who are willing to talk about their failures. Thats one of the reasons that Johannes Mirus wants to bring the concept to Bonn. He is still looking for a place to hold the evenings. He learned about the concept more than a year ago and found it charming. Its about encouraging people to dare to achieve - and to show that you are allowed to fail, he said. He personally experienced failure with a web agency he started in 2002, leaving him in a mountain of debt.

Nine out of ten start-ups go under in Germany. But only a quarter of those who fail are willing to go back to their old jobs. Most want to try again with a new venture.

Breaking the silence, cultivating a culture which accepts failure, and learning from the mistakes of others - these are the aims of F***-up Nights. The failure culture in the U.S. is regarded as a model. Joshua Cohen, who advises small start-ups and large companies as a consultant, knows the differences in handling mistakes on both sides of the Atlantic. The American commutes between the U.S. and Germany and has personally experienced a start-up failure during the dotcom bubble. "Germans are afraid of the risk and want to avoid it at all costs," he says. But setbacks are the rule. In America, entrepreneurs who fail are seen in a different light, they are people from whose experiences others could learn. "It goes like this. To avoid mistakes, you have to learn from mistakes - from your own or from others, says Cohen. "Fall down and get up again, life is like that," he adds.

For Johannes Mirus, it is clear that the Fehlerkultur is also needed in Bonn. Translated literally, the word Fehlerkultur would mean a culture of failure or mistakes, but the deeper meaning of the term is that failure should be expressed openly and receive acceptance from society. "A year ago in the start-up phase of my current project, I would not have dared to talk about my failure," said Mirus. He feared he would deter potential clients. "It is precisely this culture of secrecy that we have to break up," he says.
Dottendorf : Residents form initiative against cable car idea

Bonn Will there be a cable car service in Bonn? Plans are already being explored but a citizens initiative is against the idea and it already has 40 members.

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The idea of building a cableway up to Venusberg is being met with resistance from a group of residents in Dottendorf and the surrounding area. They say their group is currently 40 strong. Most of them would be directly affected by the plans. Thomas Blaschke of the initiative adds, however that we do not consider this cableway as useful for economic and environmental reasons.

Rolf Bohnke shared his perspective, "We have the feeling that the city definitely wants to build a cable car, and now it has to come." But he doesnt think such an investment would make sense in terms of planning or budget. He also believes it will not provide a real relief to traffic problems, but rather it would just shift them elsewhere.

The initiative calls for meaningful traffic relief through expansion of bicycle routes or an e-bus service up to Venusberg. They believe money would be better spent in this way, especially since the costs of the cableway - of which the city would have to pay at least ten percent - are still unknown.

Physicist Gundolf Reichert believes arguments that paint the cable car system as environmentally friendly are false. According to his calculations, the CO2 emissions of a cable car system would not only be higher than diesel buses, but even cars produce less carbon dioxide. "The cableway would run18 hours continuously. This is a CO2 killer," he says.

Bonn transportation planner Heiner Monheim, with his firm Raumkom, organized participation of residents on behalf of the city. Some are criticizing him as a cableway lobbyist. He responded that he was not only talking to cable car manufacturers, but also with the automobile industry, and that he was maintaining contacts and also publicizing ideas involving car-sharing, bicycles and public transportation.

In a dialogue with citizens at the beginning of October, the city responded to criticism of Monheim and put in a moderator. Citizen workshop groups will begin meeting at the start of the year.
Parking in Bonn : Tickets will also be issued on holidays

Bonn The City of Bonn is informing residents that they are not allowed to park on Munsterplatz or in the surrounding pedestrian zone on Christmas and New Years holidays.

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Its a known problem from previous years: On Christmas and New Years holidays, people park illegally on the Munsterplatz or in the pedestrian zone in Bonns inner city.

Even if the car owners are attending mass at the Munster Cathedral, their vehicles are still not allowed to park in the area. They will be ticketed or even towed away. Last year, 16 parking tickets were issued on New Years Day, causing anger amongst those who had parked in the prohibited areas.

Even if the city may have treated those tickets as more of a warning and didnt cashed in last year, there is no guarantee of the same happening this year.

Thats why the city is again reminding the public of the parking rules. In general, parking is prohibited on Munsterplatz and the pedestrian zone. Vehicles can only stand here while loading or unloading - but even that will not be allowed on the Christmas and New Years holidays.

Parking garages in the city will be open as follows

Marktgarage: open through the holidays. The other parking garages are closed on Dec. 24 at 4 pm.

Stadthausgarage opens again on Dec. 27 at 6 am, the other parking garages will open at 7 am. On New Years Eve and New Years Day, the garages all have regular opening hours, the Stadthaus garage and Marktgarage are open around the clock.

The Munsterplatz garage, the Beethoven garage and the Friedensplatz garage are open until 2:30 a.m. on New Years Eve and open again on New Years day at 9 am.

The central train station garage will be open until 1 am and again on New Years Day at 9 am.
On a ledge just inside the lip of the crater, Philipp Ruprecht was furiously digging a trench. A thousand-foot drop loomed yards away, and the wind was whipping the dust off his shovel. But Ruprecht was undaunted. Here, at the top of Chiles Quizapu, at an elevation of ten thousand feet, the scientist had found a spot topped with undisturbed layers of powdered rock that the volcano had vomited from the deep earth eighty-four years earlier. These were the samples hed been searching for.

In 1932, Quizapu (kee-SAH-poo), located about 150 miles south of Santiago in the Chilean Andes, produced one of South Americas largest recorded volcanic explosions, expelling a fiery plume of ash-to-boulder-sized material that instantly turned some four hundred square miles to desert. Today, the region is a volcanic wonderland: a barren landscape of hardened lava flows, hot springs, and pumice that has been left relatively undisturbed by human activity.

Ruprecht, an adjunct associate research scientist at Columbias Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory who also teaches at the University of Nevada, has been studying Quizapu for more than a decade. Earlier this year, he brought along six other American and Chilean scientists and a dozen students. The purpose of the weeklong expedition (supported by the Columbia Global Center in Santiago and the Presidents Global Innovation Fund) was to better understand the forces that drive Quizapu and other volcanoes in the region.

In recent years, scientists have become more adept at monitoring volcanoes to anticipate their eruptions. But they struggle to predict the type and intensity of these events, and there are plenty of false alarms. Quizapu is an interesting case study because it has erupted in different ways at different times. In 1932 it exploded with massive force, but in 1846 it simply bled out a river of relatively slow-moving lava.

If youre trying to decide how many people to evacuate from around a volcano, you really want to know what that eruption is going to be like, says Ruprecht, noting that while lava flows may destroy property and wildlife, they are rarely deadly. If you tell people to flee because the next big one is coming, and then only a minor eruption occurs, they may not believe you the next time you warn them.

By reconstructing Quizapus past eruptions, Ruprecht and his colleagues aim to more accurately interpret the volcanos seismic vibrations. They approach their work like forensics experts at a crime scene. By inspecting the mineral composition of lava deposits, for instance, they can determine the depth from which the magma originated, and the speed with which it ascended to the earths surface.

One of the things we look for is the presence of crystals that form very deep in the earth, says Ruprecht. This is a sign that the eruption was fueled, at least in part, by magma that came from miles underground.

On previous trips to Quizapu, Ruprecht made a surprising discovery: hardened lava from the relatively mellow 1846 eruption is chock-full of well-preserved remnants of this deep-earth magma. This was unexpected, because volcanologists have long assumed that whenever a large volume of magma shoots up from the earths mantle, an explosive eruption will occur. To explain the discrepancy, Ruprecht has come up with another theory. He suspects that if rapidly ascending magma encounters cooler pockets of magma on its way to the earths surface, it may release certain stored gases  thus giving the lava less explosive kick when it emerges.

A major factor in an explosive eruption is the buildup of gas pressure within the magma as it accumulates just below the earths surface, Ruprecht says. When the magma eventually bursts out as lava, its like soda spraying out of a shaken bottle. But if the magma has lost all its gas, it may just pour out in a benign fashion.

To test this theory, the members of Ruprechts expedition gathered dozens of lava samples, which are now being analyzed to determine their composition.

We want to see if the lava from the 1846 eruption had unusually low concentrations of gas, says Lucy Tweed, a Columbia graduate student in earth and environmental sciences who was a member of the expedition. This is tricky, because the new lava that shot up from deep within the earth mingled with lava that had been slowly accumulating for years right beneath the volcano. So we need to look very carefully at the crystallization signatures within the different magma flows.

During the trip, Einat Lev, an assistant research professor at Lamont-Doherty who studies the fluid dynamics of lava, and Elise Rumpf, a postdoctoral research scientist at Lamont, flew a drone over Quizapu to create the first comprehensive photographic survey of the lava deposits around the volcano. Lev says that their maps, together with her colleagues geochemical analysis, will provide insights into how lava flows produced by different types of volcanic eruptions behave on land.

Lava flows arent a huge concern around Quizapu, since the immediate area is sparsely populated, but there are dozens of other volcanoes in South America and in places like Japan, Hawaii, the Philippines, and Italy that threaten major towns and cities, Lev says. The people who live there need to know: if a big lava flow occurs, how fast will it come down? What direction is it likely to go in? Should we construct protective barriers in certain areas to redirect the flow? By piecing together how volcanoes have erupted in the past, were starting to be able to answer these questions.

Note: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Columbia University.
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.
Thailand's new king Maha Vajiralongkorn (center)

THAILANDs King Maha Vajiralongkorn has issued a decree granting pardons to certain prisoners in commemoration of his accession to the throne.





Under the decree in the Royal Gazette, which takes effect today, the new king granted full pardons to prisoners sentenced to no more than three months in jail for minor offences; prisoners released on parole; and prisoners who carry out community or public service instead of paying fines.





According to the Nation, the decree countersigned by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha will also grant pardons to prisoners who are disabled, blind and those suffering from mental disorders, cancer, leprosy, HIV and chronic kidney failure.





Prisoners above the age of 60 and have served over five years or at least one-third of their jail terms as well as those younger than 20 years of age who have served more than half their total jail term or have less than two years to serve will also be pardoned.





Under the royal decree, convicts who have been sentenced to death will also have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.





Thailand has been in a state of national mourning since Bhumibols death at age 88 and public reaction to the new king has so far been muted, although there were earlier concerns over the countrys stability in the wake of the former monarchs passing.





Thailand has been torn apart by decades of political strife and unrest and Bhumibol had been long regarded as the nations one true symbol of unity.





King Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne on Dec 1 after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, on Oct 13.





This is the first opportunity since his majestys ascension to show his mercy, the Royal Gazette said in a statement, announcing that 150,000 inmates could be eligible for release or to have sentences cut, under the pardon.





Officials do not have a figure for the number of inmates who will benefit from the pardon, with decisions to be made by different prisons depending on factors including the inmates age, how much of the sentence has been served and behaviour.





Prisoners jailed for insulting the monarchy and drug offences will be eligible, said Kobkiat Kasivivat, director general of the Department of Corrections.





Prisoners convicted of 112 and prisoners convicted of drug offences will be included for consideration for release or commuting of sentence, Kobkiat told Reuters, referring to the royal insult law by its article number in the criminal code.





The government has not released a figure for the number of people who are in jail for royal insult but there have been more than 80 prosecutions under the law since mid-2014, according to figures from the legal monitoring group iLaw.





The inmates will be looked at on a case by case basis at each individual corrections facility, Chanchao Chaiyanukit, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice, told Reuters.





Those convicted of murder and rape will not be eligible for release or to have sentences cut, officials said.





Thailands prison population has soared in recent years, largely because of tough drug laws.





Corrections Department figures for July showed a prison population of 321,347 in Thailand, with about 70 percent jailed for drugs offences.

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Sources: Asian Correspondent , Reuters, December 13, 2016
Lenovo K6 Note Launched in India at Just Rs. 13,999 News oi -Samden Sherpa Lenovo K6 Note will be available through offline stores across the country from December 17th.

Having launched the K6 Power smartphone in the country recently, Lenovo, the Chinese multinational technology company has just launched another K series smartphone in India.

Dubbed as the Lenovo K6 Note, the smartphone has finally arrived in India after being launched earlier in September at the IFA 2016 tech show.

SEE ALSO: Lenovo's K-Series Smartphones Get Reliance Jio 4G VoLTE Support via an Update

The smartphone will be available for purchase through various offline stores across the country from December 17 onwards, claims a FoneArena report.

As for the specifications of the device, Lenovo K6 Note is slightly bigger and looks more premium when compared to the Lenovo K6 and K6 Power. The smartphone features a 5.5-inch full-HD (1920x1080 pixels) IPS display. It comes in two RAM/ storage bundles - 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage and 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage. The storage can be further expanded up to 128GB using a microSD card.

The K6 Note smartphone is powered by a 64-bit Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor (4 x 1.2GHz Cortex-A53 + 4 x 1.5GHz Cortex-A53) with Adreno 505 GPU for graphics.

SEE ALSO: Did You Know You Can Do These Cool Things on Your Android Device

In addition, Lenovo K6 Note includes a 16-megapixel rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, and an 8-megapixel front facing camera. The smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, has an integrated fingerprint sensor, and supports dual-SIM slots. It is powered by a 4000mAh battery.

If you are looking to buy the Lenovo K6 Note, it comes in three color variants including dark gray, gold and silver colors. The device is priced at Rs. 13,999 for the 3GB RAM variant while the 4GB RAM variant costs Rs. 15,499.

Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals

Best Mobiles in India
Lenovos K-Series Smartphones Get Reliance Jio 4G VoLTE Support via an Update News oi -Prajith Lenovos most popular budget phones get Reliance Jio 4G VoLTE support.

Lenovo India, yesterday, announced that it is rolling out support for Reliance Jio 4G VoLTE to its popular K-series smartphones of 2016 via a software update. The Chinese tech giant took it to Twitter to announce the same. The addition comes as a happy welcome given the fact that Lenovos K-series smartphones are quite popular in the budget segment in India.

Its a widely known fact that Reliance Jio is offering free 4G services along with the ability to place free HD voice and video calls under its Happy New Year Offer. But, to make use of these free services, users would need a 4G VoLTE capable phone.

Also Read: Lenovo K6 Power First Impressions: A worthy Competitor in Sub Rs. 10,000 Price-Point

While most smartphones launched in the recent past offer support for 4G LTE out-of-the-box, a few miss out on the VoLTE support despite having the required hardware.

So is the case with the Lenovo K-series smartphones.

However, thanks to the new software update, K-series smartphones including Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus, Lenovo Vibe K5 Note, Lenovo Vibe K5 and the most recent Lenovo Vibe K6 Power will offer support for Reliance Jios free service including voice calling without any additional apps. For the unknown, before the update, K-series users would require the Jio4GVoice app to place and receive free HD voice calls.

Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals



Best Mobiles in India
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Top spy agency does not endorse CIA analysis on Russia hacks

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 1:32PM

The office overseeing all 17 US spy agencies has not embraced a CIA assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election to help Republican Donald Trump win the race.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has not endorsed the CIA's findings because of a lack of conclusive evidence that Russia carried out cyber attacks to boost Trump's chances against his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, three American officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The hacked emails were a regular source of embarrassment to the Clinton campaign during the presidential race.

"ODNI is not arguing that the agency (CIA) is wrong, only that they can't prove intent," one of the officials said. "Of course they can't, absent agents in on the decision-making in Moscow."

The position of the top spy agency will give Trump fresh ammunition to dispute the CIA assessment, which he has called "ridiculous."

The growing distrust between Trump and the intelligence community he will soon command marks the latest in a series of disputes over Russia's international conduct and its alleged ties with the president-elect.

The CIA has not made its analysis public, but The Washington Post reported on a "secret assessment" by the spy agency concluding that Russian intelligence hacked the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Clinton's campaign to help Trump win the White House.

James Clapper, the nation's top intelligence officer, told Congress last month that his agencies did not have "good insight" into a direct link between WikiLeaks and the Russian cyber operations.

"As far as the WikiLeaks connection, the evidence there is not as strong and we don't have good insight into the sequencing of the releases or when the data may have been provided. We don't have as good insight into that," the DNI said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has also declined to accept the CIA's assessment.

The divergent messages have angered congressional lawmakers who are demanding answers about the Kremlin's alleged role in the presidential race and its possible motives for the hacks.

In October, Washington formally accused Moscow of a campaign of cyber operations against American political organizations ahead of the November 8 election.

President Barack Obama last week ordered the intelligence community to fully review Russia's cyber attacks during the presidential campaign and wants a report before he leaves office in January.

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Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 13, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted eight strikes in Syria:

-- Near Ayn Isa, four strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units, destroyed a command and control node and damaged five supply routes.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed four oil wellheads and three oil tanker trucks.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack and fighter aircraft and rocket artillery conducted seven strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Beiji, a strike destroyed a homemade explosives factory and supply cache.

-- Near Kisik, a strike destroyed two front-end loaders and a vehicle bomb.

-- Near Mosul, five strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units; destroyed four ISIL vehicles, four mortar systems, four ISIL-held buildings, three rocket-propelled grenades, two vehicle bomb facilities, two front-end loaders, a tunnel, a land bridge and a supply cache; damaged 13 supply routes, a tunnel and bridge; and suppressed three ISIL tactical units.

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.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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Carter Confirms Deaths of Three Key ISIL Leaders

By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2016  During a talk today with airmen assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing stationed at Aviano Air Base in Italy, Defense Secretary Ash Carter confirmed the deaths of three key leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Raqqa, Syria, on Dec. 4.

The secretary told the airmen they were first to know about the confirmed deaths.

"We don't talk about these operations very much," he said, "but you're the first to know. I can confirm today that we took out three of ISIL's key leaders in the last couple of weeks [in] one strike. These were guys who were linked to plots right here in Europe, and I can't share all the details with you, but, for example, with the [2015] Paris attacks."

Coalition Airstrike

In a statement released shortly after Carter's troop talk, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said the three were killed by a coalition precision airstrike.

"Two of those targeted -- Salah Gourmat, and Sammy Djedou -- were involved in facilitating the Nov. 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris. Both were close associates of Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the ISIL external operations leader who died in an August coalition airstrike," Cook said.

The third ISIL leader killed in the strike, Walid Hamman, was a suicide attack planner convicted in absentia in Belgium for a terror plot disrupted in 2015, he added.

"All three were part of a network led by Boubaker al-Hakim, killed in another coalition airstrike on November 16. The three were working together to plot and facilitate attacks against Western targets at the time of the strike," Cook said.

Since mid-November the coalition has targeted and killed five top ISIL external plotters, he said, further disrupting ISIL's ability to carry out terrorist operations beyond Syria and Iraq.

European Reassurance

Carter also was scheduled to visit service members at Camp Ederle in Vicenza, headquarters of U.S. Army Africa and the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, but the visit was cancelled because of weather.

"I know I'm not going to get -- because of the fog -- to the 173rd over in Vicenza this afternoon but if any of them see this video, you're one of the brigades that is here that comprises the ground component, even as Aviano comprises part of the air component," the secretary said.

These service members and others stationed or serving on a persistent rotational basis in Europe are part of the European Reassurance Initiative.

In June 2014, President Barack Obama announced the ERI to increase U.S. force presence in Europe, expand exercises and training with NATO allies and partners and boost pre-positioned equipment for use in joint exercises.

In June 2015, the European activity set was announced. This included one U.S. armored brigade combat team's vehicles and associated equipment being pre-positioned on the territory of several NATO allies, including Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania, to support exercises and training throughout Europe.

Strategic History

The ERI budget request for 2016 was nearly $800 million and provided continued U.S. participation in assurance activities and more steps to build allies' and partners' resilience and capability.

The fiscal year 2017 request of $3.4 billion would put more Army pre-positioned stock in Europe. The extra combat vehicles and supplies will reduce force deployment times and enable a rapid response to potential contingencies, according to the fact sheet.

In Aviano, Carter mentioned the buildup in European nations, at sea, on land and in the air, noting, "[It is] a sad necessity of our time, but one that we need to do."

The secretary added, "Whether it is in Europe, whether it is in the Middle East, whether it is in Africa, all of the things you're doing here are necessary, they're extremely important, so you are right here right now at a critical time in our strategic history, and everything you do you're doing with excellence. I'm so proud of you."

Carter is on an around-the-world trip to thank deployed U.S. troops for their service over the holidays, meet with regional partners, and advance U.S. priorities, including the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region and the lasting defeat of ISIL. The trip has included visits to Japan, India, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Israel and Italy.

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Crew Members Rescued After Osprey Lands in Shallow Water Off Okinawa

By Terri Moon Cronk DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2016  A Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft with five crew members aboard landed in shallow water off the coastline of Camp Schwab Marine Corps Base in Okinawa, Japan, last night shortly before 10 p.m. Japan time, Pentagon press operations director Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said today.

Davis told reporters an Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk combat rescue helicopter from the 33rd Rescue Squadron at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa airlifted the five crew members and transported them to Okinawa Naval Hospital at Camp Foster, where they are being treated for injuries.

Investigation to Follow

The cause of the incident is not yet known, but Davis said a formal investigation will follow.

"[There] is obviously an important military capability that the Osprey provides," he said. "It contributes to the security of Japan and the region. We will absolutely get to the bottom of the cause of it and ensure we learn from it so it doesn't happen again. That's what we do."

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Enhanced bilateral decision-making just one goal of Yama Sakura

By C. Todd Lopez December 13, 2016

WASHINGTON (Army News Service) -- The bilateral command post exercise Yama Sakura 71 concluded Dec. 13 in Japan, where Soldiers with I Corps, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and Soldiers with the Japanese Western Army trained together to defeat a near-peer competitor.

Chief among the goals for I Corps during Yama Sakura, said its commander, Lt. Gen. Stephen Lanza, was enhancement of the bilateral decision-making process between Japanese and U.S. military partners.

"The Japanese have a different decision cycle than we do, they have a different way they make decisions than we do," Lanza said. Overcoming those differences and finding common ground there was a top priority, he said.

Also a priority, Lanza said, was looking into how assessments are made to arrive at those same decisions. The Japanese and Americans work differently there too, he said.

"The Japanese have a different methodology of doing assessments," he said, than the U.S. military. "But all of those assessments need to feed decision-making."

Finally, Lanza said, increasing interoperability was an I Corps priority at this Yama Sakura. One place that would be important, he said, is in building a common operating picture, "so both U.S. and Japanese forces have the same picture of what's going on from an operational perspective and an intelligence perspective. We're working through that with our systems and their systems."

This year's Yama Sakura -- a yearly exercise -- involves more than just the U.S. Army and Japan's Western Army, Lanza said. Under I Corps this year is also the 5th Air Force, the 7th Fleet, and the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force. Special Forces also played a role as well, he said. Jointness, he said, played a larger role in this iteration of Yama Sakura, adding "it's the first time that's happened to this scale."

Getting that kind of jointness on the Japanese side, Lanza said, has been a goal of the Japanese Army as well.

"What we've seen with the Japanese is that they have grown -- at least in the short time I've been in command -- in terms of not only their interoperability with U.S. forces, but their ability to apply joint resources to an Army operation."

He said that means that the Japanese Army has enhanced their ability to call on air power, amphibious operations, and their navy as well. "All of that has grown in the last couple of years, besides just the fact that our two armies can work together."

Increasing joint interoperability is "something their leadership wanted to do," he said. "It was really the vision of Gen. (Kiyohumi) Iwata who was their chief of staff who said we need to move in a different direction and break down the ability of services to work on their own and be able to do these joint operations. I really attribute it to Japanese leadership."

What's also grown for both the U.S. and Japanese military is development of a bilateral partnership -- which is of course the No. 1 goal of such exercises.

"Any time you have the opportunity to build that physical relationship, where you're actually doing it not just through meetings, but you're actually doing it where you are actually training together as a headquarters, that forces that relationship and trust with the organization," Lanza said.

Next year, Lanza said, he'll have moved on to a new leadership positon. But the new I Corps commander will get the opportunity to work with Japan's North Eastern Army as part of Yama Sakura 2017.

In addition to Yama Sakura, Lanza said that I Corps has also been involved in the ongoing series of Pacific Pathways exercise for going on three years now. With Pathways, he said, I Corps has deployed on multi-month tours of multiple countries to participate in not just one exercise, such as with Yama Sakura, but on multiple exercises in series.

"I think the key for Pathways is that we want it to be additive to our home-station training readiness. So as we train in other countries, as we go through the sustained readiness model, we're actually increasing more live-fire opportunities with Pacific Pathways," Lanza said.

Right now, Lanza said, Pathways involves the U.S. Army and a few other U.S. military partners as well, engaging with one country. He said he thinks in the future, these Pacific Pathways could be enhanced through the inclusion of even more nations.

"Perhaps there is an opportunities for multi-lateral pathways, where you have multiple countries working together," he said. "Right now it is just one country at a time, but could you combine different countries?"

Lanza said another enhancement to Pacific Pathways could be inclusion of multiple domains of battle, including air, space and cyber.

The Pacific Pathways experience, Lanza said, has not just increased readiness for American Soldiers, it has also enhanced the partnerships between the United States and the partner countries that participate, he said.

"The intrinsic value that we get, when you see the U.S. military operate in these different countries, is it enhances the professional militaries of these other countries as well, which then leads to better governance and better stability," he said. "We see a growth in their professionalism, in their ability to be a professional military: the growth of their NCO corps and the growth of their leaders, as well as ours."

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Government of Kuwait - Recapitalization of 218 M1A2 Tanks and Related Equipment and Support

Media/Public Contact: pm-cpa@state.gov

Transmittal No: 16-66

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2016 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Kuwait for recapitalization of 218 M1A2 tanks and related equipment, support, and training. The estimated cost is $1.7 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on December 12, 2016.

The Government of Kuwait has requested a possible sale in support of its recapitalization of 218 M1A2 tanks, to include two hundred and forty (240) .50 Cal M2A1 machine guns; four hundred and eighty (480) 7.62mm M240 machine guns; two hundred and forty (240) AN/VRC-92E SINCGARS radios; and one thousand and eight five (1,085) AN/PVS-7B Night Vision Goggles. Also included is the incorporation of cooling system/thermal management systems; Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station (CROWS) II  Low Profile Stabilized Weapon Stations; special armor; 120mm gun tubes; 2nd generation Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sights; embedded diagnostics; gunner's primary sights; Counter Sniper and Anti-Materiel Mount (CSAMM) hardware; upgrade/maintenance of engines and transmissions; depot level support; training devices; spare and repair parts; support equipment; tools and test equipment; technical data and publications; personnel training and training equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support. Total estimated program cost is $1.7 billion.

This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.

Kuwait intends to use this equipment to recapitalize its fleet of M1A2 full track tanks in order to modernize and extend the service of the tanks. Kuwait will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractors involved in this program are: General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, MI; Joint Services Manufacturing Center (JSMC), Lima, OH; Konsberg Defense Systems, Alexandria, VA, and Johnstown, PA; Raytheon, McKinney, TX; Meggitt Defense Systems, Irvine, CA; Palomar, Carlsbad, CA; Northrop Grumman, West Falls Church, VA; DRS Technologies, Arlington, VA; Lockheed Martin, Bethesda, MD; Honeywell, Morristown, NJ; Miltope, Hope Hull, AL. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connect with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale is estimated to require five to seven contractors and twenty-five to thirty U.S. Government representatives to Kuwait.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.

All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Bureau of Political Military Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, pm-cpa@state.gov.

-30-



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Carderock Answers Call to Protect Marine Life with Newly-Commissioned Ballast Water Research Laboratory

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS161213-16

Release Date: 12/13/2016 2:02:00 PM

By Daniel Daglis, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division Public Affairs

WEST BETHESDA, Md. (NNS) -- Traveling across the globe from port to port, the U.S. Navy fleet transports Sailors and Marines, aircraft, and supplies.

Unfortunately, ships can also unintentionally transport stowaways, small organisms which live in ballast water. Most people would not look at small organisms like mitten crabs or zebra mussels and think they are a major threat to the environment -- and in their natural habitats they pose no threat. But what happens when these organisms are introduced into a new ecosystem?

According to Rachel Jacobs, a chemical engineer in the Wastewater Management Branch at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, the results of introducing non-native species into a new environment can be disastrous for the ecosystem, for industry, and for the marine life which already inhabit that environment. These small creatures, as well as many other organisms, can be transported through a vessel's intake and release of ballast water from one body of water to another.

Ballast water is taken in by a ship to maintain its position in the water using sea valves or pumps. The ship's stability depends on ballast water being taken in or discharged when cargo is loaded or unloaded, when the ship is traveling into different depths of water, or to adjust trim or list for some other reason.

From an environmental standpoint, the problem with ballast water is it is a means to transport aquatic nuisance species. To address and study this issue, Carderock commissioned a new Ballast Water Research Laboratory Dec. 5 at the headquarters in West Bethesda, Maryland.

Through the use of the new lab, engineers and scientists at Carderock will be able to study ways to treat ballast water, so by the time ballast water is discharged at a ship's final destination, those organisms which lurk in the water will not be released to live and damage the ecosystem. The new lab gives researchers the capability to replicate the salinity and sediment profile of any body of water in the world. Jacobs is also looking forward to the addition of the nursery, which will give researchers the ability to grow and culture their own organisms.

"The issue of introducing non-indigenous species via ballast water has come more to the forefront internationally these days, due to the incredible environmental and economic repercussions that have occurred," Jacobs said. "Ships can transport a lot of organisms in ballast water because what you're doing is bringing in thousands -- sometimes millions -- of gallons of ballast water onto a ship, and you're delivering them to a new locale when you go to your next port of call."

"It's the sort of situation where you had power plants being horrendously impacted by zebra mussels, you had total biological ecosystems being devastated in California with mitten crabs, and in the Chesapeake Bay we've had the rapa whelk attacking oysters -- which are one of the big economic drivers for Maryland and the watermen," she added.

Jacobs, a graduate of the University of Maryland with degrees in chemical engineering and marine biology and a master's degree in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University, is a member of the team which facilitated the designing of the Ballast Water Research Lab. She and Toby Cole, a chemical engineer who was a team member and is now the deputy division head of Carderock's Environment and Energy Division, were the principal investigators for the project lab.

"There's been an incredible global push for years to reduce the introductions of aquatic nuisance species that has been headed up by the International Maritime Organization, and that's how parameters were developed for ballast water treatment," Jacobs said.

The Ballast Water Research Lab's setup spans two levels. Water is pumped from the salt-control tank and the sediment-control tanks on the ground floor to the mix tank on the mezzanine level. Eventually, the nursery tanks will be housed on the mezzanine level where organisms can be added in the mix tank and then fed into systems under evaluation. Engineers and scientists can then test the status of the organisms and other parameters in a sample tank on the ground floor.

"We are working with [Carderock's] Naval Architecture and Engineering Department using virtual computational fluid dynamics to actually see how water flows within specific ballast tanks in specific ship classes," Jacobs said. "We will be able to take that and then turn that into physical scaled models and test those models in the lab."

Carderock Director of Research Dr. Jack Price committed the funds for the laboratory -- which was four years in the making -- after a proposal modeled from a concept Jacobs and the Wastewater Management team were able to come up with in just over 24 hours. The need and enthusiasm for such a lab was evident, Price said.

"There was a lot of research that was involved in doing the computational fluid dynamics calculations by our hydrodynamics people," Price said. "There's also all the parts that wastewater management folks were bringing to bear in the knowledge of the types of species you're going to want to deal with, what their densities are, sizes and weights, etc. So it's a complicated problem, and I think we built a unique lab to appropriately simulate that."

"With the fact the lab consists of lightweight nalgene, or plastic tanks, you can set the lab up in new configurations if you have to so you can simulate the different configurations you might encounter in different ship classes," added Price. "That makes it an easy module-type approach so that we can do good, accurate testing."

Carderock Commanding Officer Capt. Mark Vandroff and Technical Director Dr. Tim Arcano commissioned the Ballast Water Research Lab in a ribbon-cutting ceremony by pouring water from the Chesapeake Bay into one of tanks.

"I am extremely proud to have a Ballast Water Research Lab here at Carderock because this is good for the environment," Vandroff said. "With our ships going all over the world, we have to be able to comply with such environmental demands or we're not going to have the access we need to fulfill our mission. The addition of this lab is really going to enhance our fleet."

According to Rita Schuh, the Ballast Water Management Technical Area Leader and environmental engineer in the Wastewater Management Branch, the new Ballast Water Research Lab will provide tools necessary to continue to study and innovate ways of treating ballast water and meeting various regulations.

"Unlike major commercial transport ships that have dedicated transit lanes, the U.S. Navy goes all over the ocean," Schuh said. "Navy vessels are not always going to be in the same kind of water in the same part of the world, and are not held to the same limitations. So we need to be able to ballast everywhere -- in all conditions, all salinities, and all temperatures. It is important to find a really robust treatment of ballast water that doesn't limit our operations."

According to Jacobs and Schuh, different treatment options have been tested in the past, but the goal is to come up with a way to ensure no live organisms are being dumped into bodies of water to interfere with the ecosystem of native species.

"Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is one set of treatment technology that has been tested, although there have been issues in terms of how effective it is at killing the organisms versus deactivating," Jacobs said. "The whole point of UV is to basically inactivate the DNA in the organism so it's unable to replicate. It's not an official kill as compared to an inactivation, but then we have to figure out how to test for that. There are other treatment technologies, in terms of chlorine dioxide and deoxygenation, and all sorts of different things that have the potentiality for use."

Schuh and Jacobs said they are glad to have a lab like the Ballast Water Research Lab which provides them the versatility to do proper testing of ballast water solutions, and they are enthusiastic about the opportunity to do their part to help protect the environment by solving problems associated with the transport of ballast water.

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, a part of Naval Sea Systems Command, leads the Navy in hull, mechanical, and electrical engineering. Headquartered in West Bethesda, Carderock Division employs approximately 2,000 scientists, engineers, technicians and support personnel and includes detachments in Norfolk (Little Creek); Port Canaveral, Florida; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Memphis, Tennessee; Bangor, Washington; Ketchikan, Alaska; and Bayview, Idaho.

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China, US hold joint military exercise under Rules for Unplanned Encounters at Sea

People's Daily Online

(People's Daily Online) 15:34, December 13, 2016

A joint military exercise was held on Dec. 9 (local time) at a port in San Diego, joined by Chinese naval ships and American Bunker Hill Cruise. The exercise was in accordance with the Rules for China-U.S. Unplanned Encounters at Sea, as well as the Safety Code of Conduct on China-U.S. Encounters at Sea and in Air.

The joint exercise was the outcome of a leaders' meeting between China and the U.S. earlier in 2016. Fleet communication, formation movement, formation aerial photography and joint search-and-rescue were the main components of the exercise, according to China's Ministry of Defense.

Rules for China-U.S. Unplanned Encounters at Sea include a set of normative operation procedures, aiming to minimize risks and lower the possibility of unintended maritime clashes. The Safety Code of Conduct on China-U.S. Encounters at Sea and in Air is one of the two "mutual-trust mechanisms" between the Chinese and American militaries.

The People's Liberation Army Navy commissioned ship formation, including Taihu, Daqing and Yancheng, all joined the friendly visit to the U.S. During the visit, Tyson, the commander of the U.S. Third Fleet, visited Yancheng and attended a deck reception on board. Controllers of the Chinese naval formation, including Huang Jianxing, paid a visit to senior officials such as Bynum, commander of the U.S. Carrier Strike Group.

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New Lithuanian cabinet sworn in amid defense, social fears

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 4:56PM

The cabinet of Lithuania's Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis has been sworn into office in the country's parliament following the surprise election victory of his Peasants and Green Union Party (LPGU) in October.

The new government secured a confidence vote on Tuesday with the backing of 86 lawmakers, with three no votes and 40 abstentions, as defense concerns and social woes topped the agenda in the eurozone country that is also a member of the NATO military alliance.

The 46-year-old premier, a former police chief and interior minister, leads an administration formed by his LPGU party and the junior Social Democrats after scoring a victory with the support of mainly rural voters and pledges of fighting the high levels of alcoholism and approving a child subsidy plan.

His cabinet has also vowed to battle social inequality and stop emigration to richer Western European nations.

"We want our social inequality index to reach the EU average at least," said Skvernelis while addressing the lawmakers, noting that Lithuania was third or fourth worst within the EU in this respect.

The migration from Lithuania  a lot of it to Britain  emerged as a major campaign issue in the election after the country's population declined from 3.5 million in 2001 to 2.9 million in 2015 amid concerns of even further reductions.

While Skvernelis led the LPGU list into the election, he has not joined the party. This is while many of his ministers are not party members either.

Meanwhile, political conservatives and liberals in the country who remain in opposition have accused Skvernelis of lacking a strategy to encourage much-needed investment in the newest eurozone member.

"The lack of ambition poses the threat that the Lithuanian economy will fall into the middle-income trap," said conservative ex-premier Andrius Kubilius.

Skvernelis has vowed to meet NATO's two-percent-of-GDP funding target by 2018.

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Iran, South Africa sign MoU to boost defense, military ties

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 4:35PM

Iran and South Africa have signed a memorandum of understanding to boost defense and military cooperation and promote regional and international peace and stability.

The agreement was signed by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan and South African Minister of Defense and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters after the signing of the MoU, the ministers said the two countries had agreed to make efforts to promote regional and international peace, stability and security and engage in a firm and all-out campaign against terrorism.

According to the agreement, the two countries would also bolster cooperation in the fields of marine security and organized crimes.

Heading a high-ranking defense-military delegation, Dehqan arrived in Pretoria on Tuesday at the official invitation of his South African counterpart. He is the first Iranian defense minister to visit South Africa after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Certain regional states' support for terrorism regrettable: Dehqan

Meanwhile, in his meeting with the South African minister of defense and military veterans, Dehqan expressed regret that some regional countries were supporting terrorism, saying the patronage has intensified war and crisis in the region.

The Iranian defense minister said all countries across the world must cooperate to root out terrorism.

"Had it not been for the resistance of countries such as Iran, Russia, Iraq and Syria, terrorists would have spilled over into other parts of the world after establishing and reinforcing their presence in this region," Dehqan added.

He urged friendly countries to reinforce their unity in words and deeds and boost their cooperation in order to counter crises and bring security and prosperity to their nations.

Mapisa-Nqakula, for her part, said South Africa would never forget Iran's influential support for her country in its fight against the apartheid regime.

She added that the implementation of the MoU signed earlier on Tuesday would lead to a great leap in bilateral defense and military cooperation.

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Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp on Wednesday asked President-elect Donald Trump to investigate the Department of Homeland Security's apparent attempt to hack his office's computer system.



In a letter to Trump, Kemp asked that the president-elect to act once he is sworn in to office in January.



Kemp said he is not satisfied with the response from current DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson.



"Since contacting DHS with these concerns, we have collaborated with the agency and provided extensive, additional information," Kemp wrote. "Last night I received a letter from Secretary Johnson which lacked any specific information as to the attacks' intent or origin despite the fact that many questions remain unanswered."



Kemp's office detected what he called a "large attack on our system" in November. His staff was able to trace the alleged attacker back to the Department of Homeland Security.



DHS has denied it tried to break through the state's computer firewall. An agency spokesman did not immediately return requests for comment Wednesday.



DHS has said previously that it believes an employee was legitimately using databases on the Secretary of State's website and that the employee's computer was configured incorrectly. That configuration mistakenly made it look like the employee was trying to hack into Kemp's systems.



In a letter to Kemp on Tuesday, Johnson blamed a Microsoft product for the error, but Kemp is not convinced.



"The scenario DHS has proposed has still not been verified by Microsoft," Kemp wrote Johnson late Tuesday. "There are still many questions regarding the origin and intent of this attack that remain unanswered."


Gambia forces raid office of electoral commission

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 4:29PM

Gambian military forces have taken over the office of the Independent Electoral Commission amid a dispute over the result of a recent presidential election.

Alieu Momarr Njai, the chairman of the commission, said on Tuesday that security forces had entered the commission's building.

"The military came to my office and said I am not to touch anything and told me to leave," Njai said, adding, "I am worried for my safety."

The raid comes amid increasing disagreement about the result of the recent presidential election. President Yahya Jammeh, who reportedly gained 208,487 votes or about 40 percent, had initially conceded defeat against Adama Barrow, who obtained 222,708 votes or over 43.3 percent. However, Jammeh later changed his mind after the commission revised some results.

Njai rejected Jammeh's worry about the validity of the revised outcome. He said Jammeh would go nowhere by challenging the outcome.

"The election results were correct, nothing will change that," Njai said, adding, "If it goes to court, we can prove every vote cast. The results are there for everyone to see."

Heads of state from several countries in the West African region began arriving in the Gambia on Tuesday in a bid to persuade Jammeh to relinquish power.

Marcel de Souza, the president of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), who leads the initiative to make Jammeh leave office, said ECOWAS may even be forced to send troops to the Gambia.

"We have done it in the past," he said, adding, "We currently have troops in Guinea-Bissau with the Ecomib mission. We have had troops in Mali. And therefore it is a possible solution."

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Famine may have killed 2,000 people in northeastern Nigeria: Report

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 3:13PM

More than 2,000 people may have died of famine this year across the militancy-riddled areas of northeastern Nigeria, a report says.

The US-based Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) said in a report on Tuesday that the deaths occurred in the town of Bama in Borno state.

The risk of famine in parts of northeastern Nigeria that are "inaccessible" by aid agencies due to the presence of Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists will remain high, the report said.

"The risk of famine in inaccessible areas of Borno state will remain high over the coming year," the report said, adding, "In a worst-case scenario, where conflict cuts off areas that are currently accessible and dependent on assistance, the likelihood of famine in these areas would be high."

About 4.7 million people are in need of emergency food aid in the states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe.

The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, said in September that famine threatens some 400,000 children in the three states. The UN agency warned that 75,000 of the kids could die of hunger within months.

Despite the government's fight against Boko Haram, the security situation remains volatile in Borno, specifically its capital, Maiduguri.

Boko Haram started its campaign of militancy in 2009 with the aim of toppling the central government in Nigeria. More than 20,000 people have so far been killed and over 2.7 million others have been forced from homes.

Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri terrorists operating mainly in Syria and Iraq.

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Trump Picks ExxonMobil CEO Tillerson As Secretary Of State Nominee

RFE/RL December 13, 2016

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has formally announced that ExxonMobil chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson is his nominee to serve as secretary of state, drawing support from prominent Republicans but also criticism from U.S. lawmakers over the oil executive's longstanding ties to Russia..

In a statement released by his transition team on December 13, Trump said that Tillerson's "tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him an excellent choice for Secretary of State."

"He will promote regional stability and focus on the core national security interests of the United States," the statement quoted Trump as saying.

Trump added on Twitter: "The thing I like best about Rex Tillerson is that he has vast experience at dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments."

In his own statement, Tillerson said he was "honored" by his selection and shares Trump's "vision for restoring the credibility of the United States' foreign relations and advancing our country's national security."

The pick is likely to set up a contentious confirmation process in the Senate, where both Republicans and Democrats are wary of Tillerson's close cooperation with the Kremlin on Exxon deals in Russia and his opposition to U.S. sanctions targeting Moscow over the Ukraine conflict.

Trump has pledged he would seek to repair battered bilateral ties with Russia as president, triggering bipartisan warnings that he could give President Vladimir Putin a free hand in countries on Russia's periphery and beyond.

Senator John McCain (Republican-Arizona), an influential foreign policy voice in Congress, said Tillerson's ties to Putin are "a matter of concern."

"Vladimir Putin is a thug, bully, and a murderer, and anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying," McCain said earlier this month.

ExxonMobil has extensive drilling interests in Russia, and Tillerson has criticized the U.S. sanctions, which have forced the company to abandon some projects.

Putin decorated Tillerson with a state Order of Friendship medal in 2013 for what the Kremlin called a "significant contribution to strengthening cooperation in the fuel and energy sector."

Benjamin Cardin (Democrat- Maryland), a leading member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on December 13 that he is "deeply troubled by Mr. Tillerson's vocal opposition to U.S. sanctions on Russia following its illegal invasion, occupation, and annexation of Crimea, Ukraine, and his close personal relationship with Vladimir Putin."

"Mr. Tillerson has demonstrated he knows the corporate world and can put his shareholders' interests first, but can he be a respected Secretary of State that puts the national security interests of the American people first? It remains to be seen," Cardin said in a statement.

Mounting Controversy

Tillerson's nomination comes amid a mounting controversy over claims that Russia used computer hackers to interfere in the U.S. election, with the CIA reportedly concluding that Moscow's aim was to help get Trump elected over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the November 8 vote. Trump and his transition team have rejected the allegations as ridiculous.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest took a thinly veiled swipe at Tillerson's warm interactions with Putin, telling reporters in Washington on December 13 that his nomination is not "particularly surprising" given Trump's stated desire to pursue rapprochement with Moscow.

"Throughout his campaign, the president-elect indicated his intent, if elected president, to pursue warmer relations with Russia. So what better way to do that than to choose somebody who's been awarded the Order of Friendship by Vladimir Putin to be your secretary of state?" Earnest said.

An unidentified member of Trump's transition team was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying that Trump settled on Tillerson, 64, after the Texan was backed by several influential Republicans including former Secretary of State James Baker, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and former Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Trump judged in making the pick that Tillerson could adequately address questions about his relations with Russia, another unidentified official said.

Other Republicans backed the selection as well. Representative Ed Royce (Republican-California), who is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Tillerson "has unique experience and comes highly recommended."

"I look forward to hearing from him on restoring U.S. leadership and countering threats to freedom and peace," Royce said in a statement.

However, Eliot Engel, a congressman from New York and the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that Tillerson was "not qualified" for the job.

"Aside from his utter lack of diplomatic experience, Mr. Tillerson's cozy ties to Vladimir Putin and Russia would represent an untenable conflict at the State Department," Engel said in a statement. "Especially in light of mounting evidence that Russia interfered in our election to aid President-elect Trump, it's unthinkable that Mr. Tillerson should become our top diplomat.

'Good Businesslike Relations'

Reacting to the announcement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed hope that the "pragmatism" he ascribed to Trump and Tillerson would help mend badly strained Russian-U.S. relations.

Trump and Tillerson "have never been opponents of the development of our interaction -- quite the contrary, in fact. These are pragmatic people," Lavrov told journalists in Serbia. "We are counting on this pragmatism to become a good basis to set up mutually beneficial relations -- mutually beneficial both from the point of view of Russian-American interaction and in terms of resolution of international issues."

Putin's senior foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, said shortly after Trump's announcement that Tillerson is "well known" to Russian officials as a result of "active business cooperation."

"Russian representatives, not only the president, have good businesslike relations" with Tillerson, Ushakov said, adding that the ExxonMobil CEO is seen by Russian officials as "a very solid figure" and "a big professional in his field."

Putin and Tillerson are reported to have first met in the 1990s when the oilman supervised an Exxon project on Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East.

Their ties were further cemented in 2011 when Exxon signed a deal with Russian energy giant Rosneft to explore and drill in the Arctic and Siberia.

The deal, which Rosneft originally said could entail more than $500 billion in total investments, was put on hold due to the sanctions.

China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing looked forward to working with the new secretary of state to, in the words of a spokesman, "push forward greater progress of the bilateral relationship on a new starting point."

Trump had interviewed several potential candidates for the top U.S. foreign policy job ahead of his inauguration January 20.

U.S. business groups welcomed Trump's selection of Tillerson. The National Association of Manufacturers said it was "pleased that Rex will bring a business perspective to the State Department."

Environmental and human rights groups, meanwhile, denounced the nomination, citing Exxon's environmental record under Tillerson's guidance and its dealings with an array of governments.

"This sets a very alarming path for the new administration," the international advocacy group Global Witness said in a statement.

Like Trump, Tillerson has no political experience, but has said he holds conservative views.

Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, Tillerson has spent his entire business career at Exxon, which he joined in 1975.

Among others, Trump had previously considered former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and 2012 Republican Party presidential nominee Mitt Romney for the post of secretary of state.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/us-trump-picks -tillerson-secretary-of-state-exxonmobil- russia-questions/28173721.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Serbia Says Russia To Provide Arms To Counter Alleged Threat From Croatia

December 13, 2016

Amid rising tensions between Serbia and Croatia, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has said that Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic will visit Moscow later this month to discuss the possible donation of four MiG-29 jets and other unspecified military equipment.

Dacic spoke after meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on December 12.

Media reports said the jets were decommissioned by the Russian Air Force and need major repairs.

Dacic said Serbia had to strengthen its armed forces in the wake of what he called NATO's arming of neighboring Croatia.

Lavrov confirmed the visit but did not disclose details of a possible agreement.

Croatia, a member of NATO and the European Union, blocked one of three negotiating chapters Serbia hoped to open by year's end in its bid to join the EU, prompting Vucic to leave Brussels in protest on December 12.

"If Croatia is the one to decide if Serbia will become an EU member, I have suddenly lost...interest," Dacic said.

Serbia wants to join the EU, but has refused to join Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its interference in Ukraine.

"Serbia will never become an anti-Russian state and we will never join sanctions against Russia," Dacic declared.

Based on reporting by AP and TASS

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-says -russia-provide-arms-counter-threat- nato-croatia-/28173046.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Islamic State's 'Battle Ready' Fighters Hit New Low

By Jeff Seldin December 13, 2016

Under pressure from unrelenting airstrikes and increasingly capable forces on the ground, the Islamic State terror group is having trouble mustering a fighting force capable of holding onto its self-declared caliphate.

New U.S. estimates put the number of IS "battle ready" fighters in Iraq and Syria at just 12,000 to 15,000, less than half of what the terror group was able to field at its height.

The latest intelligence puts the number of IS fighters "at the lowest point it's ever been," U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk told White House reporters Tuesday, adding the terror group "is unable to replenish its ranks."

Previous U.S. military and intelligence estimates, long considered by many experts to have been overly conservative, had put the size of the IS force at as many as 33,000. And bolstered by a steady influx of foreign fighters, for a time the group was able to replace fighters at the rate they were being killed.

But increased cooperation from Turkey and others has helped shut down many of the transit routes into Iraq and Syria, allowing the combination of more than 17,000 airstrikes and emboldened Iraqi, Kurdish and other Arab forces to take their toll.

Just last week, a senior U.S. military official said airstrikes alone had killed at least 50,000 IS fighters, saying the actual number was likely higher.

Still, many in the U.S. military and intelligence communities have urged caution when citing such numbers, explaining the strategies that made IS effective rarely relied on brute force.

"ISIL has integrated a range of asymmetrical tactics into its military strategy," a U.S. counterterrorism official told VOA, using an acronym for Islamic State.

Even IS's use of explosives, whether in the form of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) or in the form of bombs strapped to suicide attackers, has been designed to "instill fear and deter adversaries," rather than fight them head on, the official said.

Recent developments and other assessments are also stirring doubt that IS is nearing its end.

Despite having lost about 61 percent of the territory it once possessed in Iraq, IS still controls "huge swaths" of land, a U.S. official told VOA on condition of anonymity.

And even the ground campaign to retake the IS stronghold of Mosul has slowed as Iraqi forces have edged closer to the city center, encountering fierce resistance.

"By our calculations, we think we have killed or badly wounded over 2,000 [IS fighters]," the commander of Combined Joint Task Force Inherent Resolve, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, said earlier this week in Iraq.

But Iraqi forces have also taken heavy casualties, and Townsend admitted as many as 5,000 IS fighters remain in Mosul, roughly the same number thought to have been left to defend the city as the Iraqi-led operation got underway two months ago.

"I doubt all estimates of ISIS's manpower," said Thomas Joscelyn, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, using an acronym for the terror group. "The estimates have been quite clearly wrong going back to 2014 and even before. I have no reason to think the estimates are any better now."

Joscelyn's own estimates put the size of the Islamic State fighting force at its peak at possibly more than 50,000. Other analysts and diplomats suggested the numbers might have been higher.

Yet no matter what the IS fighter numbers are now, "just be careful about writing them off," Joscelyn warned. "They are clearly able to still muster for battle."

Perhaps the best illustration of that has been the IS offensive this week to capture the Syrian city of Palmyra, wresting it back Sunday from Syrian regime forces backed by Russian air power.

Subsequent video distributed on social media by IS's Amaq News Agency on Wednesday showed fighters taking control of the nearby Russian airbase, gaining access to munitions and other supplies.

"That should give us pause," said Jennifer Cafarella, a Syria expert at the Institute for the Study of War.

"The U.S. should be similarly concerned on the Iraq side of the border that our metrics for assessing ISIS's strength have been incorrect thus far."

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Gambian Ruling Party Asks Court to Void Election Results

By VOA News December 13, 2016

Members of Gambia's ruling party asked the supreme court Tuesday to void December 1 election results, following their leader's loss.

President Yahya Jammeh initially conceded defeat to election winner Adama Barrow but withdrew his concession Friday, saying "unacceptable errors" were found by election officials.

The appeal was made the same day that a delegation of West African leaders arrived in the capital city to urge Jammeh to concede the election after over two decades in office.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told Reuters that Jammeh had been "very receptive" to the delegation.

Earlier in the day, security forces entered the electoral commission office and instructed the chairman to leave. They have since blocked access to the building.

Jammeh, 51, has ruled the West African nation since taking power in a military coup in 1994. He won four subsequent elections that critics said were neither free nor fair, and supported a 2002 constitutional amendment that removed presidential term limits. He once said he could rule Gambia for "a billion years."

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Afghan Officials Probe Abuse Allegations Against Dostum

By Ayaz Gul December 13, 2016

The Afghan government announced late Tuesday that it had launched an investigation into allegations a former provincial governor was abducted, tortured and raped by security officials acting under the authority of First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum.

The announcement by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's office came after U.N., U.S. and European Union officials in Kabul condemned the alleged abuses and called for a swift investigation.

Hours earlier, the victim, Ahmad Ishchi, a political ally-turned-rival of Dostum and former governor of the northern province of Jawzjan, revealed details of the alleged atrocities in an interview with the local Tolo TV News.

Ishchi, 63, asserted he was illegally detained two weeks ago and sexually assaulted for five days at Dostum's compound in Jawzjan. He said he was then handed over to the local intelligence agency, where he spent 11 more days in detention before provincial elders negotiated his freedom.

Dostum's spokespeople rejected the charges as baseless and a conspiracy to defame him. They insisted Ishchi was arrested, not abducted, by security forces to probe his links to anti-government forces.

The U.N. office in Kabul said it was concerned about the allegations against Dostum and stressed the importance of due process and accountability.

"The unlawful detention and reported mistreatment of Mr. Ishchi by the first vice president raises serious concerns," said a U.S. Embassy statement.

"We would welcome the Afghan government's move to swiftly investigate these allegations," it added.

EU missions in Kabul expressed similar concerns.

Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek and former Afghan warlord, has been previously accused of atrocities against Taliban prisoners and other human rights violations.

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U.S., Coalition Continue Strikes Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 14, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Bomber and fighter aircraft conducted two strikes near Ayn Isa in Syria, engaging an ISIL tactical unit and damaging six supply routes.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack and fighter aircraft and rocket artillery conducted five strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Huwayjah, a strike destroyed a bridge.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units; destroyed three fighting positions, a supply cache, a bunker, a tunnel, a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher and a mortar system; suppressed two mortar systems and a bunker; and damaged six supply routes.

-- Near Rawah, a strike destroyed an ISIL-held building.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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Afghanistan Continues to Fume over Russia's Outreach to Taliban

By Ayaz Gul December 14, 2016

Officials and lawmakers in Afghanistan continue to question and denounce Russia's recent disclosure that it maintains "limited political" contacts with the Taliban.

The ongoing session of the Afghan parliament has witnessed a heated debate on the issue, with some lawmakers condemning Russia's outreach to the Islamist insurgency as "shameful" while others accusing Moscow of providing modern warfare to Taliban fighters.

Lawmakers also criticized neighboring Iran for backing the Taliban.

On Wednesday, the legislative lower house, or Wolasi Jirga, passed a resolution, urging President Ashraf Ghani's national unity government not to allow neighboring and regional countries to interfere in internal Afghan matters "on the pretext of supporting the Taliban to fight Islamic State."

Russian ambassador to Kabul, Alexander Mantytskiy, revealed last week his government maintains ties with the insurgent group but they are not "intensive."

"Yes, we do have contacts [with the Taliban] but they are aimed at ensuring safety of Russian nationals and encourage the Taliban to engage in peace talks [with Kabul]," Mantytskiy told the Afghan senate committee on international relations Saturday in unprecedented testimony.

He expressed annoyance at criticism of Russian ties to the Taliban, saying countries such as the United States, Britain, Italy, Qatar and Saudi Arabia all maintain relations with the insurgents.

The diplomat. however, dismissed allegations Moscow was backing the Taliban to prevent IS from reaching Russia and China through Afghanistan's neighboring Central Asian States.

Though Mantytskiy acknowledged Russia and the Taliban have shared interests in fighting IS in Afghanistan.

He reiterated Russian concerns that many of the fighters in IS ranks in Syria and Iraq belong to "our friendly Central Asian" neighboring states.

The Russian diplomat added it is possible that when they begin to disperse in the Middle Eastern region they would try to return to their native countries and Afghanistan to pose a serious threat.

Meanwhile, the Afghan foreign ministry also has warned that maintaining "any kind of support or contacts" with groups destabilizing Afghanistan would undermine regional stability as well. It also called for neighboring and regional countries to "adhere to principles of government-to-government" relations to effectively tackle common challenges facing the region.

The Taliban also insists on "political nature" of its relations with Moscow. Its spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told VOA the Taliban has neither received any cooperation nor has it asked for any help from foreign countries, including Russia.

But when asked whether Russians are seeking the Taliban's help in fighting the IS, Mujahid said.

"Our relations with all regional countries are meant to promote regional peace and steer our country out of the crisis. As for Russia's policy of maintaining ties with us, it is for them to explain, but there are many problems facing the region," insisted the Taliban spokesman.

Analysts, however, do not see Russia wanting to support the Taliban militarily because it would weaken the Afghan government, deepen the chaos, and could eventually encourage radical forces like IS to expand influence in the region.

"But if it [Russia's ties to Taliban] could further help the peace talks with the Taliban, I think it could have a positive outcome for both the Afghan government and the Taliban," says Kabul-based political observer, Haroun Mir.

Russian officials allege the U.S. military and its NATO allies have failed to achieve their security objectives in Afghanistan and contain IS activities there.

But U.S. commander of NATO'S Afghan mission, General John Nicholson, has dismissed Moscow's assertions and criticized Russia and Iran for giving "overt legitimacy" to the Taliban, saying it is not based on facts.

"Their [Russia's] narrative goes something like this: that the Taliban are the ones fighting Islamic State, not the Afghan government. And of course, the Afghan government and the U.S. counterterrorism effort are the ones achieving the greatest effect against Islamic State," Nicholson stated earlier this month.

The general added that Russia is using its public legitimacy to "essentially" undermine the Afghan government and the NATO effort, and "bolster the belligerents."

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S. China Sea Dispute Hangs on Philippine Leadership of ASEAN

By Ralph Jennings December 14, 2016

A bloc of 10 Southeast Asian nations has a chance to open tough discussions next year on how to handle China's contested expansion in the South China Sea as the Philippines, one of Beijing's chief maritime rivals, becomes the organization's chair with authority to set its 2017 agenda.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who will chair ASEAN for the Philippines, runs a country that got into spats so deep with China since 2012 that his predecessor took Beijing to a world court tribunal and got a ruling against it in July. But Duterte, who took office in June, has sought to make amends with a receptive China.

"The chair of ASEAN has the power to set the agenda. What [the chair] has been used for historically is to cut things out of the agenda, particularly the South China Sea," said Tim Johnston, Asia program director with the nongovernmental organization International Crisis Group. "And it will be very interesting to see whether the Duterte Administration puts it on the agenda, and I think it will open the door to other claimants to voice their thing."

Strong ASEAN movement on the South China Sea could prompt China to rethink its activities in waters contested by several bloc members. But inaction would give China confidence and possibly send a stand-down signal to the United States, an informal protector of smaller claimants facing China.

Careful approach

The 50-year-old group of countries comprising a population of about 625 million normally works as a trading bloc and source of economic development cooperation. ASEAN tackles the South China Sea dispute when led by the chair or based on proposals from other members. It has been slowly formulating a South China Sea code of conduct since 2002 to avoid any dangerous mishaps between rival claimants, but Beijing has not been eager to move quickly on the issue.

ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam make maritime claims that overlap those of Beijing, which says it has rights to about 95 percent of the 3.5 million-square-kilometer (1.4 million-square-mile) South China Sea stretching from Taiwan to Singapore. China periodically passes vessels through contested tracts of water. It has also reclaimed about 3,200 hectares worth of land to enlarge some of the disputed islets and militarized several of them.

Vietnam is frequently outspoken, but Brunei and Malaysia keep quiet due in part to reliance on Chinese trade and investment.

"It's always been and more so now that [there are] some members who are more tilted toward China than the rest, so I suppose finding that balance or a common stance is where the challenge would be," said Song Seng Wun, an economist in the private banking unit of CIMB in Singapore.

ASEAN chairs since 2013 have made it priority to unify members or avoid upsetting China, said Jonathan Spangler, director of the South China Sea Think Tank in Taipei. The chair rotates to a new Southeast Asian country every year.

ASEAN unity

Malaysia last year maintained an "ASEAN-centric" approach, he said. Chairs this year from Laos and in 2014 from Myanmar also avoided the maritime disputes due to risks of disunity and upsetting their own ties with Beijing, he added, while Brunei as 2013 chair, took a characteristically "low-profile" stance on the maritime dispute.

"It is likely that the Philippines will advocate a leadership role for ASEAN in managing the South China Sea disputes, but it will not sacrifice ASEAN unity to achieve those aims," Spangler said. "Only half of the ten-member regional grouping has South China Sea claims, so an iron-fisted ASEAN role is far less likely than one that cautiously balances the interests of all its members. For many countries, their relations with Beijing would be a greater priority."

Duterte sees "maritime security and cooperation" one of his six thematic priorities for 2017, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday on its website.

But at the East Asia Summit in September the president avoided criticizing China despite prepared remarks that would have brought up the dispute, according to the Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization.

The president, known for harsh language, instead lashed out at the United States over what he saw as hypocrisy over human rights. In October he visited China, which prefers to discuss maritime disputes one-on-one rather than via ASEAN or other groups, and received pledges of $24 billion in aid.

The Philippines had previously pressed ASEAN for "solidarity in the face of Chinese pressure" in the South China Sea, the foundation says.

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US Senate panel to hold hearing on Russia hacking in January

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 9:11PM

A panel in the US Senate is set to hold a hearing on allegations of Russian hacking in favor of GOP candidate Donald Trump in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.

It was announced Tuesday that the Foreign Relations Committee will hold a closed briefing and a public hearing on the issue when senators return from their year-end holiday just before Trump is set to take control of the White House on January 20th, 2017.

"The committee plans to systematically look at this issue and will begin with both a classified briefing and an open hearing in early January when the Senate returns," Micah Johnson, a spokeswoman for the panel's Republican chairman, Senator Bob Corker, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The announcement came as Trump's Russia problem deepened with top Republicans refusing to dismiss the matter as "ridiculous" as their president-elect has.

Trump's spokesman, Jason Miller, has described the assumption that the Russian government favored the New York billionaire's presidency as "clearly an attempt to delegitimize President-elect Trump's win. ... First there was the recount nonsense, then the discussion of the popular vote, now it's anonymous sources with conflicting information."

He was referring to a Washington Post recent report, which quoted anonymous intelligence officials as saying that they have identified "individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided WikiLeaks with thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others."

Following the report, US President Barack Obama ordered intelligence officials to perform a "full review" of election-related hacking.

In the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton as well as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) kept blaming Russia over support for the New York billionaire.

Ahead of the 2016 vote, transparency organization WikiLeaks released hacked information on the DNC and the Clinton campaign that undermined the Democrats' efforts, aimed at maintaining control of the White house.

Trump's pick for the secretary of state, the Russia-friendly CEO of ExxonMobil, Rex Tillerson, is also highlighting his pro-Moscow stance.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio tweeted Sunday that "a friend of [Russian President] Vladimir [Putin] is not an attribute I am hoping for from" the next secretary of state.

Moscow, however, has constantly denied the accusations, with the Russian president asserting that Russia "on a state level has never done this."

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U.S. Electors Demand Briefing On Russian-Meddling Claim Before Voting

RFE/RL December 13, 2016

Some of the U.S. electors who are charged with determining the next president in a vote next week have called for a briefing to detail evidence behind a finding that Russia intervened to help Donald Trump win the November 8 popular vote.

With support from defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign, 10 electors -- nine Democrats and one Republican -- said they needed the briefing to understand the strength of the evidence on Russia's hacking of Democratic e-mails before the 538-member Electoral College gathers to vote on December 19.

"The electors require to know from the intelligence community whether there are ongoing investigations into ties between Donald Trump, his campaign or associates, and Russian government interference in the election, the scope of those investigations, how far those investigations may have reached, and who was involved in those investigations," they said on December 12 in an open letter to U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

"We further require a briefing on all investigative findings, as these matters directly impact the core factors in our deliberations of whether Mr. Trump is fit to serve as president of the United States."

U.S. electors usually simply ratify the results of the state-by-state popular vote, but the U.S. Constitution gives them some discretion to take into account extraordinary factors that may throw those results into question.

The questions raised by the handful of electors came after media over the weekend reported that the Central Intelligence Agency had concluded that Moscow intended to help elect Trump with the hacking of Democratic Party e-mails and documents that were subsequently leaked to WikiLeaks and damaged Clinton's campaign.

Trump has branded that conclusion "ridiculous," but senior members of Congress are taking it seriously, and say they will launch investigations.

The Clinton campaign threw its weight behind the electors' request for a briefing, which was led by the daughter of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.

John Podesta, Clinton's campaign chairman whose private campaign e-mails were leaked by the hackers, said the electors' letter "raises very grave issues involving our national security."

"Electors have a solemn responsibility under the constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed," he said.

The Clinton campaign is also calling on the White House to declassify information in its intelligence assessment which found the Russian hackers' goal was to help elect Trump.

The U.S. Constitution dictates that the Electoral College ultimately decides the presidential election, not the popular vote.

Each U.S. state is given a number of electors that corresponds to the size of the state's population.

In the November 8 vote, Clinton bested Trump in the popular vote by two percentage points, but Trump captured more states and earned 306 electoral votes to Clinton's 232, giving him the White House victory.

Clay Pell, one of the electors who signed the letter, said it was "essential" to understand what happened before the electors meet to confirm the election result.

"It's absolutely the role of the Electoral College to consider that," he told AFP.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/us-electors- demand-briefing-russian-meddling-popular-vote- before-electoral-college-votes-december-19/28173000.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Calls for Probes Into Apparent Russian Cyber Meddling in US Election Cross Party Lines

By VOA News December 13, 2016

After years of political acrimony, some top U.S. Republican congressional leaders and President Barack Obama have finally agreed on how to approach a burgeoning issue confronting Washington: apparent Russian cyber meddling to influence the U.S. presidential election.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan Monday endorsed investigations into the election. "The Russians are not our friends," McConnell said.

Ryan said the House probe "should not cast doubt" on Trump's victory, but that foreign interference in a U.S. election is "entirely unacceptable" and Russian involvement is "especially problematic."

President Obama, in an appearance Monday night on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," explained why he has ordered a thorough review of the Russian cyber attacks. "The reason I have called for a review is really to just gather all the threads of the investigations, the intelligence work that has been done over many months so that the public and our elected representatives going forward can find ways to prevent this kind of interference from having an impact on the elections in the future," Obama said.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has concluded that Russia interfered in the final stretch of the presidential campaign to help Trump win the presidency, setting up a potential showdown with the president-elect, who has dismissed the CIA findings as "ridiculous." Experts say Russians hacked the Republican and Democratic National Committees' computer systems and disclosed embarrassing emails about the Democrats through WikiLeaks.

Congressional Democrats are also using the intelligence findings to make their own calls for an inquiry into the cyber attacks. Senators Benjamin Cardin, Dianne Feinstein and Patrick Leahy called Monday for the establishment of an independent panel to investigate the issue.

Trump has suggested that Democratic calls for investigations are nothing more than partisan political maneuvering. "Can you imagine if the election results were the opposite and WE tried to play the Russia/CIA card. It would be called conspiracy theory!" Trump said Monday on Twitter.

The president-elect has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, raising concerns in the U.S. intelligence community that he is disregarding potential threats to U.S. national security.

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Envoy: Iran has fully implemented its commitments under JCPOA

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New York, Dec 13, IRNA -- Iranian permanent ambassador to the United Nations says while the Islamic Republic of Iran has fully implemented its commitments, as verified by the IAEA and acknowledged by all JCPOA participants, other parties are also obliged to refrain from any action inconsistent with its letter, spirit, and intent.

Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Gholamali Khoshroo, addressing the 71st Session of the General Assembly, Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency in New York on Monday said the recent action by the United States in extending sanctions against Iran, clearly runs counter to its commitments under the JCPOA. Iran urge the U.S. administration to swiftly resolve concerns that the above-mentioned action has caused.

The following is the the full text of the ambassador's speech:

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Mr. President,

At the outset, I would like to thank the distinguished Director General of the IAEA for his report.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, once again, underlines the role and responsibility of the IAEA in facilitating the full realization of the inalienable right of all NPT States Parties to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, including their right to participate in the fullest possible exchange of equipment, materials and scientific and technological information for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Recalling the statutory functions and primary responsibility of the Agency to assist Member States in research on, and practical application of, nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and appreciating its related activities, Iran stresses the need for further enhancement of such activities, particularly to meet the expectations of developing Member States.

In this context, and taking into account the growing applications of nuclear energy and the role it plays in the socio-economic development of societies, Iran is determined to vigorously continue to exercise its inalienable right to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy, including development of a full national nuclear fuel cycle, for peaceful purposes.

In regard to the role and functions of the IAEA in implementing the safeguards agreements, Iran would like to stress that all such activities should be carried out in full conformity with the relevant legally-binding instruments, and take into account the concerns and interests of Member States, in particular, by strict observance of the principle of confidentiality.

Mr. President,

With regard to the IAEA's verification and monitoring activities in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the distinguished Director-General of the IAEA in all his past four reports to the Board of Governors in 2016 have certified Iran's full compliance with its Safeguards Agreement's obligations and the complete fulfillment of its commitments under the JCPOA.

While the Islamic Republic of Iran has fully implemented its commitments, as verified by the IAEA and acknowledged by all JCPOA participants, other parties are also obliged to genuinely carry out their commitments under the JCPOA and refrain from any action inconsistent with its letter, spirit and intent. The recent action by the United States in extending sanctions against Iran, clearly runs counter to its commitments under the JCPOA. We urge the U.S. administration to swiftly resolve concerns that the above-mentioned action has caused.

Iran has been and will remain fully committed to the JCPOA as a multilateral instrument. However, it is crystal clear that ensuring the continued viability of the JCPOA requires the full and timely fulfillment by ALL JCPOA participants, not just Iran, of their commitments. Indeed, it is in the interest of the international community and all JCPOA participants.

**1771

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President Rouhani commands Zarif, Salehi to pursue breach of JCPOA by US

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Tue / 13 December 2016 / 15:28

TEHRAN(ISNA)- Iran's President hassan Rouhnai commanded the foreign minister and the Atomic Energy Organization Head to legally pursu the breach of nucler agreement by the US.

In a reaction to the violation of nuclear agreement by the US, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani commanded the foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to apply the necessary measures to pursue the US anti-Iran bill which breaches the terms of an international nuclear deal Iran reached with world powers last year. He called on the minister to inform him of the result in a month.

In a separate letter to the head of Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi, President commanded him to pave the ground for designing and building nuclear propulsion for being used in Marine transportation.

He also commanded him to cooperate with the research center to study and design "fuel production" used for nuclear propulsion.

Salehi is supposed to inform the president of the result in three months.

End Item

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Iranian Army unveils new indigenous combat, reconnaissance drones

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 8:11AM

The Iranian Army's Ground Forces have unveiled two domestically-designed and -manufactured drones on the final day of major military exercises code-named Mohammad Rasoulallah IV (Mohammad, the Messenger of God IV) in southeastern Iran.

One of the two aircraft, code-named Oghab (Eagle), is a combat drone capable of carrying air-to-surface missiles.

The other, code-named Shahin (Falcon) and developed and manufactured under a project code-named Shahid Mohsen Ghotaslou, can collect information on the positions and movements of enemy forces on reconnaissance missions. It boasts a flight endurance of 24 hours.

General Seyyed Kamal Peyambari, the spokesman for the military drills, said the jamming and combat techniques of drones were also fully tested at various altitudes on Tuesday, with the participation of military commanders and defense experts.

Peyambari noted that sophisticated and innovative weapons such as super-caliber 107mm rocket launchers, optimized versions of the 62.5mm PSG-1 and Dragunov semi-automatic sniper rifles, a jammer with an effective range of 800 meters, drone jammers, and cellular satellite phone jammers were put to practice on the last day of the drills as well.

Various and extensive psychological war techniques such as drills using 122mm flyer-carrying rockets, tactical radios and directional sound systems were also put to the test for the first time.

The senior Iranian military figure further noted that hand-launched drones as well as land minelayers were also tried out.

Peyambari added that electronic warfare, armored, infantry, mechanized infantry, commando, and intelligence units present at the Mohammad Rasoulallah IV military exercise, which covered an area of 220,000 square kilometers, successfully carried out their operations on the third day of the drills.

Iran has conducted major military drills in recent years to enhance the defense capabilities of its Armed Forces and to test modern military tactics and state-of-the-art equipment. Each year, the country inaugurates a host of new projects and hardware developed with reliance on domestic capabilities.

The Islamic Republic maintains that its defense power is driven by deterrence and poses no threat to any other country.

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35k Iraqi kids flee Mosul in almost 2 months: UN

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 1:51PM

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that some 35,000 children have escaped from Mosul since mid-October, when the Iraqi army launched a major offensive to retake the northern city from Daesh terrorists.

"Children are the innocent victims of any conflict and in this conflict are the most innocent victims," Peter Hawkins, the UNICEF Representative in Iraq, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

He further expressed concern over the mental situation of the displaced Iraqi kids, saying that "they're not smiling, they're sad."

Once Daesh is forced out of Mosul, it will be important to "invest in children's services so this war doesn't continue," Hawkins added.

The official did not provide the exact number of the children killed, but he said some of them had been targeted by snipers.

"We know that children who have been queuing up for water have been targets," he said, noting, "I saw a photograph of a child this morning who's been shot by a sniper queuing up for water."

The 35,000 children are among some 93,500 people who have fled Mosul since October 17, when Iraqi army troops and allied fighters began an operation to retake Daesh's last major urban stronghold in the Arab country.

Mosul fell to Daesh in 2014, when the terror outfit began its campaign of death and destruction in parts of Iraq.

Iraqi forces advance against militants

Separately on Tuesday, Iraqi forces made gains against militants in Mosul and wrested control of two villages in western Tal Abtah and Tal Afar.

Iraq's War Media Cell also reported the liberation of the Sanaiyah district in eastern Mosul during clashes that killed 20 Takfiri elements.

Meanwhile, Daesh kidnapped 30 residents of an area in southwestern Nineveh Province, of which Mosul is the capital. An unnamed informed source said the captives were taken to an undisclosed location on charges of leaving the militant-held areas and helping civilians flee the provinces of Kirkuk and Salahuddin.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed Mosul's full recapture by year-end.

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UN human rights report urges end to 'unimaginable abuse' of migrants in Libya

13 December 2016  A joint report launched today by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) citied "unimaginable" human rights violations and abuses of migrants in Libya as a result of the breakdown in the crisis-riven country's justice system.

"People smuggled or trafficked into Libya face torture, forced labour and sexual exploitation along the route, and many while held in arbitrary detention," Martin Kobler, the Secretary General's Special Representative for Libya and Head of UNSMIL in a news release.

The report, entitled Detained and Dehumanised: Report on Human Rights Abuses against Migrants in Libya also stated that migrants were held in detention centres mostly run by the Department for Combatting Illegal Migration (DCIM), and had no access to lawyers or judicial authorities, no formal registration, and no legal process.

In addition, some migrants were held in "connection houses," on farms, in warehouses and inside apartments. They were forced to work and earn money for their onward transport. "We are called animals and are treated as animals," a 16-year-old boy from Eritrea had told UNSMIL.

The report also described armed men, allegedly from the Libyan Coast Guard, abusing migrants by bringing them to shore, beating, robbing, and taking them to detention centres.

"The list of violations and abuses faced by migrants in Libya is as long as it is horrific. This is, quite simply, a human rights crisis affecting tens of thousands of people," said Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The report also urged Libyan officials to immediately release the most vulnerable migrants, with a view to urgently ending all arbitrary detentions; reduce the number of detention centres; ensure women were held separately from men; improve conditions of detention and protect detainees from torture and all other forms of abuse; and, in the medium-term, decriminalize irregular migration and adopt an asylum law.

In addition, "the report lays bare the suffering endured by these migrants who have experienced unimaginable abuse and, in some cases, fallen victim to the despicable trade in human lives," stated High Commissioner Zeid, adding that the report "appeals to our compassion and our resolve that the rights of migrants should be fully protected and respected, whatever their status."

Irregular migration was against the law in Libya, which was why migrants were being detained. As a result, OHCHR urged the country to adopt a regular asylum law. UNSMIL also said that it has received reports indicating that some Libyan State employees or local officials may have been involved in the smuggling and trafficking process.

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Myanmar military behind torching of Rohingya villages: HRW

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 11:23AM

Human Rights Watch says evidence shows Myanmar's military is behind the torching of villages belonging to persecuted Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, urging the government to allow aid agencies and media into the troubled region.

On Tuesday, the New York-based rights body released Satellite imagery and interviews with witnesses, saying at least 1,500 buildings have been destroyed since October 2015 in Rakhine, home to a large number of Rohingya Muslims.

"The new findings refute the Myanmarese military and government's claims that Rohingya militants were responsible for burning down their own villages," said Brad Adams, Asia director at the rights group.

"The satellite imagery and eyewitness interviews clearly point the finger at the military for setting these buildings ablaze," he added.

The statement further said that the exact number of burnt houses could be higher as dense jungles in the region might have concealed some destroyed buildings, adding that the pattern of burnings suggests a "systematic building destruction" had been on Naypyidaw's agenda.

"It's difficult to believe that militants burned down over 300 buildings" in just one particular area over a one-month time span "while Myanmarese security forces stood there and watched," Adams noted, adding, "Myanmarese government officials have been caught out by this satellite imagery, and it's time they recognize their continued denials lack credibility."

On Monday, AFP cited an unnamed diplomat as saying that Myanmar had called for an emergency meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to find a solution for the Rohingya Muslims crisis.

Last week the United Nations' special adviser on Myanmar slammed Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi for her handling of the crisis, which had "caused frustration locally and disappointment internationally."

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has already denounced Suu Kyi for allowing "genocide" under her administration.

Rakhine has also been the scene of communal violence at the hands of Buddhist extremists since 2012. Hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands have been forced from homes and live in squalid camps in dire conditions in Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The minority has been particularly under a military lockdown since an alleged attack on the country's border guards on October 9, which left nine police officers dead. The government accused the Rohingya of being behind the assault. There have been reports of rape, murder, and arson against the Muslim population in the state.

Myanmar's government denies full citizenship to the 1.1 million-strong population, branding them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. However, many believe the Rohingya are a community of ancient lineage in Myanmar.

On Thursday, the UN called on Suu Kyi to take action to end the brutal military crackdown on Rohingyas in Rakhine, urging her to reassure civilians they will be protected by the government amid allegations that soldiers have raped Rohingya Muslim women, burnt houses and killed civilians.

The bloody crackdown on the Muslims by the military has now prompted an international outcry, posing the biggest challenge to Suu Kyi since her National League for Democracy party won elections last year.

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HRW: Myanmar Military Burned Hundreds of Rohingya Buildings

By VOA News December 13, 2016

The government and military of Myanmar are responsible for burning down hundreds of buildings in the Rakhine State during the past three months as retribution for militant attacks on security forces, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.

Since October 9, government forces are responsible for burning down at least 1,500 buildings, in some cases torching entire villages and forcing thousands of ethnic Rohingya Muslims from their homes.

Human Rights Watch Asia director Brad Adams said, "The new findings refute the Burmese military and government's claims that Rohingya militants were responsible for burning down their own villages. The satellite imagery and eyewitness interviews clearly point the finger at the military for setting these buildings ablaze."

The timing of multiple arson instances shows a systematic building destruction that coincides with the presence of military forces in the area. In several separate instances, fires started in villages just hours after government forces reported being attacked by militants in the area.

According to witness accounts in the report, soldiers used rocket launchers and gasoline to lay waste to large swaths of buildings at a time.

One witness, Abdul, from Kyet Yoe Pyin village tract, said he saw the army setting fire to his village and "aiming and firing at people," shortly before he fled on October 12.

Last week, more than a dozen diplomatic missions called on the Myanmar government to allow humanitarian aid into the Rakhine State, which has been virtually cut off since a military operation began two months ago.

The government has denied most journalists and aid access to Rakhine state since its counterinsurgency operation began two months ago, following the killing of nine border guards by unidentified attackers.

The government has stated multiple times their intention is to allow aid to be delivered to the area, where more than 80 people have died and more than 20,000 have fled to Bangladesh.

The U.S. Embassy in Myanmar on Monday asked all sides in the country to cease hostilities and allow peace efforts to move forward.

"Continued conflict undermines the trust necessary to achieve a durable peace, and disproportionately affects the lives of innocent civilians and the thousands of IDPs forced from their homes," the embassy said in a statement.

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Pakistan Forms Special Maritime Force to Secure Chinese-built Port, Projects

By Ayaz Gul December 13, 2016

Pakistan has inaugurated a special maritime force to ensure security of its new Chinese-built Gwadar port, which is central to a multi-billion dollar economic cooperation agreement between the two countries.

China is investing around $50 billion dollars in Pakistan to help build a network of roads, rails, communication and power projects that will eventually connect the western Chinese border region of Xinjiang to the deepwater port on the Arabian Sea.

The cooperation, dubbed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC, officials say, will turn Gwadar into a gateway for imports and exports from Xinjiang to international markets.

Top Pakistani civilian and military officials along with Chinese diplomats traveled to the port Tuesday to witness the inauguration of the "Task Force-88" raised by the Pakistan Navy.

"(It) is aimed at ensuring security of Gwadar port, its seaward approaches, as well as CPEC-related and other maritime projects,"Zafar Mehmood Abbasi, deputy chief of the naval staff operations told the ceremony.

The marine force would comprise "warships, (attack) helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), duly supported by shore-based sensors", he added.

The Pakistan military has already established a "Special Security Division" of around 20,000 personnel for the protection of Chinese workers and land routes being built under CPEC.

The Gwadar port is located in the insurgency-hit Baluchistan province, which also hosts a number of CPEC-related projects.

Pakistani officials allege rival India is funding Baloch separatists in the province in its bid to try to undermine the Corridor building efforts, a charge New Delhi denies. Islamabad also sees Afghanistan-based Islamic State affiliates a threat to CPEC.

Chinese officials say that CPEC is "the major and pilot project of the Belt and Road" initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping.

"We believe the Belt and Road initiative will serve the greatest interests of the international community and this region for common development and shared prosperity," says Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong.

He says 17 "early harvest" CPEC projects are already under "smooth" construction in Pakistan.

"There are more than 10,000 jobs that have been created for the local people with all these 17 projects.In the near future, we can see that CPEC projects will generate thousands of megawatts (of electricity) into the national grid of Pakistan."

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Trump won't rule out lifting Russia sanctions: Aide

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 6:59PM

An important member of the incoming Donald Trump administration says the United States might not keep sanctions against Russia in place under the new president.

Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus, who was named last month by Trump to be his White House chief of staff, made the remarks in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday morning.

Priebus said that he was "not prepared to outline our foreign policy" when asked if Trump intends to keep sanctions in place against Russia over its alleged support for anti-Kiev fighters in Ukraine and the 2014 reunification of the Crimean peninsula with the Russian mainland.

"Here's what I would tell you: If you are going to have sanctions in place, they need to be enforced. That I can tell you for sure is something he believes in, and as far as where that product goes next, you have to just wait and see," Priebus said.

"I mean, we are just getting our cabinet put together now, and as I think president-elect outlined many times over the last six weeks, sitting down with our generals, sitting down with our leadership, formulating our policy and revealing that to the American people will be the first order of business," he stated.

Priebus's indication that the incoming president might lift sanctions against Russia came as Trump announced plans to nominate ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state.

Tillerson has reportedly close business relations with Russia and was awarded "Order of Friendship" -- one of the country's most prestigious awards given to foreign nationals -- by the Russian government in 2013. He has often spoken out against sanctions in the past, calling them ineffective.

The sanctions were originally introduced against Moscow in March 2014, after Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea joined Russia.

Since then, the US and some other Western countries have imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia over accusations that Moscow has been involved in the deadly crisis in Ukraine, which broke out when Kiev launched military operations to crack down on pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine. The Kremlin, however, has strongly rejected the accusations.

The sanctions target the Russian energy, banking and military sectors. Moscow has also imposed tit-for-tat sanctions against the EU.

In September, the US Department of the Treasury expanded sanctions against Russia, targeting companies building a multi-billion dollar bridge to link Russia with Crimea, and also added dozens of people and companies to the list.

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Navalny Announces He Will Seek Russian Presidency

Tom Balmforth December 13, 2016

MOSCOW -- Prominent Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny has announced he intends to run for president in an election due in March 2018, potentially setting up a contest against longtime leader Vladimir Putin.

"I am running in the election and I am going to fight for victory," Navalny said in a video statement on December 13 on a new website dedicated to his Kremlin bid. "I am going to discuss the things that everyone is silent about, but have long needed saying."

"Russia should be a rich, free, strong country.... I am going into the election with a program to make Russia strong and modern. To curb corruption. To turn Russia's riches into prosperity for every family," Navalny said on the website.

The firebrand anticorruption campaigner and fierce Kremlin critic is the first politician to announce the intention to run in 2018. Putin, in power as prime minister or president since 1999, is eligible to seek a new six-year term and is widely expected to do so, but has not announced his candidacy.

In his statement, Navalny appeals to voters with promises to combat corruption and battle gaping social inequality that, he says, means 0.1 percent of the population owns 88 percent of the wealth in Russia.

"In this election, I want to be your voice, the voice of those tens of millions of people who work honestly, raise children, pay taxes, love their country, but whose voice the authorities do not hear. They are ignored, robbed, deprived of the dignified life they deserve," he says.

Navalny, 40, wore a suit and tie and sat beside a Russian tricolor flag and framed photographs of his family -- a stark change of image from the casual street style that accompanied his rise to prominence as a leader of major antigovernment protests in 2011-12.

Essentially blacklisted from Kremlin-controlled TV networks, Navalny carved out a following online, using social media to harry Putin with a series of detailed reports alleging corruption among high-level Russian officials.

Putin weathered the protests to return to the Kremlin for a third term in May 2012, cracking down on the opposition and bolstering his popularity with a conservative pivot at home and confrontation with the West abroad.

"The people in power have been there 17 years," he says. "They have stopped reacting to any criticism. Both the Kremlin and the government are concerned only with the resolution of their own financial issues. Therefore, they do not tolerate any criticism and they forbid it."

Navalny posted his campaign platform online, calling for an end to international "isolationism" and for money lost to corruption or spent on military action abroad -- a reference to Russia's involvement in wars in Syria and Ukraine -- to be channeled toward hospitals and education.

He also proposed devolving political power from Moscow to the regions, which would reverse a key policy underpinning Putin's centralized grip on power, and allowing taxes to be gathered and spent by local regional authorities.

Reinforcing a nationalist and populist streak that irks some in the liberal opposition, Navalny also called for a visa regime to be imposed on migrants from ex-Soviet Central Asia who travel to Russia in the hundreds of thousands for work.

Navalny could face an uphill battle just to get on the ballot, needing to clear bureaucratic hurdles that Kremlin critics say have been used extensively in the past to block opposition politicians from challenging Putin and the dominant, Kremlin-controlled United Russia party.

He has been convicted of financial crimes twice in trials he says were Kremlin-dictated revenge for his opposition activities, but the Supreme Court in November threw out the verdict in one of the cases, removing a legal restraint that had barred him from running for office.

If Navalny is convicted in the retrial now under way in Kirov, a provincial city east of Moscow, he would probably be prohibited from running in 2018.

Vladimir Solovey, a political analyst, told RFE/RL's Russian Service that Navalny's announcement serves a secondary tactical function as it makes it politically harder for the authorities to use the courts to bar him from the presidential ballot.

"He is showing [the Kremlin] and the world that the trial against him is exclusively political and politically motivated," Solovey said.

Most observers believe that Putin will ultimately decide whether to let Navalny get on the ballot. If he does, the Kremlin has many levers to try to turn voters against him, from the state TV networks that dominate the media and United Russia's strong influence nationwide.

Kremlin critics including Navalny say that elections held since Putin was first elected in 2000 have been marred by fraud employed to benefit the president and his allies.

Navalny challenged the Kremlin-backed incumbent in a Moscow mayoral election in 2013, coming in second with more than 27 percent of the vote.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/russia-navalny- president-election-2018/28173531.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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US cancels transfer of munitions to Saudi Arabia: Report

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 5:56PM

Washington has canceled the transfer of some arms to Saudi Arabia, amid worldwide criticism about civilian deaths and destruction from the Kingdom's military aggression in Yemen.

"We have made clear that US security cooperation is not a blank check," a senior administration official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"Consequently, we have decided to not move forward with some foreign military sales (FMS) cases for munitions," the source told the news agency.

"This reflects our continued, strong concerns with the flaws in the coalition's targeting practices and overall prosecution of the air campaign in Yemen."

At least 11,400 people have died as the result of the Saudi campaign in the kingdom's impoverished neighbor since March 2015, according to the latest tally by a Yemeni monitoring group.

The offensive was launched to undermine the Ansarullah movement and reinstate Yemen's former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.

The Pentagon has been providing logistic and surveillance support to Saudi Arabia in its military aggression against Yemen.

The administration of US President Barack Obama offered Riyadh $115 billion in arms sales back in September. The offer, which included weapons, military equipment and training, was the highest the US had offered in its 71-year alliance with the monarchy.

However, a bipartisan group of senators drafted a resolution in that month to block the sale. Additionally, 64 US lawmakers signed a letter decrying the sale of cluster munitions to the kingdom.

Arms control advocates were infuriated by a US Department of Defense announcement in August that it would be selling 1,300 cluster bombs to the Saudis, worth some $641 million.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has reportedly hired a powerful former congressman, former California Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, to lobby the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump on arms sales to Riyadh.

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US Halts Sale of Some Arms to Saudi Arabia

By VOA News December 13, 2016

The United States will halt the planned sale of precision-guided weapons to Saudi Arabia, a U.S. official said, in response to concerns over Saudi military practices in the Yemeni civil war, which has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians.

The official said President Barack Obama's administration canceled the sale of air-dropped precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally. "That's obviously a direct reflection of the concerns that we have about Saudi strikes that have resulted in civilian casualties," the official said.

In addition to canceling the sale of the precision-guided weapons, the U.S. will alter the way it trains Saudi air force personnel to improve their accuracy, a persistent source of concern in the Obama administration.

Air strikes are war crimes?

The decisions could further strain ties between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia at a time when the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump prepares to assume control of the executive branch of the U.S. government.

The United Nations human rights office said in August that the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen was responsible for about 60 percent of the 3,800 civilians killed since March 2015. Some rights groups have criticized the U.S. for supporting the Saudi war effort with weapons sales and refueling Saudi-led coalition jets. Some rights groups also say attacks by the Saudi-led coalition on clinics, factories, markets and schools amount to war crimes.

Saudi Arabia has either denied the attacks or said the presence of fighters in the targeted areas justified the strikes. Saudi Arabia has not yet responded to the latest decisions by the Obama administration.

Since Saudi-led coalition forces entered Yemen's civil war in March 2015, the coalition has launched thousands of airstrikes against the Houthi movement - which is allied with Iran.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the 20-month-old war in Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East. The war has sparked a humanitarian crisis, including chronic food shortages.

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Syria's offensive in Aleppo has ended: Russia UN envoy

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 8:15PM

Russia has announced that the Syrian government's military operations to free the city of Aleppo have come to an end.

"Over the last hour we have received information that the military activities in east Aleppo have stopped, it has stopped," said Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin during a UN Security Council meeting.

"The Syrian government has established control over east Aleppo, so the stage of practical humanitarian actions begins," he added.

He noted that the militants within the city will start to leave "within hours" and that there is no need for civilians to leave their homes.

"This very difficult chapter related to the situation in eastern Aleppo has ended," he said. "Let's hope that this, indeed, will be a pre-condition for establishing the political efforts, re-launching of negotiations," he added.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hailed the event, noting that the global body fully supports such efforts and stands ready to oversee an agreement.

"We remind all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law: to prioritize the safe passage of civilians out of eastern Aleppo and to ensure that those who have surrendered or been captured are treated humanely and in line with international law," he added.

Syria rejects targeting Aleppo civilians

During the session -- called by the US, France and Britain -- Ban said that the Syrian government, Russia and their allies are determined to end the war through a total military victory. However, Churkin dismissed such claims, stressing that they were all "propaganda, disinformation and psychological" warfare.

The US, Britain and France also claimed that the Syrian government targeted civilians in eastern Aleppo, with the US's UN Ambassador Samantha Power accusing Syrian forces of killing some 80 civilians in Aleppo over the past 24 hours.

Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Jaafari denied all the allegations and hailed the liberation of the city. "Aleppo has been liberated from terrorists and those who toyed with terrorism," he said. "Aleppo has returned to the nation," he added.

Less than a month ago, the Syrian army started a wholesale push to drive the militants out of their stronghold in the city's eastern side, making great strides in the process.

Since March 2011, Syria has been hit by militancy it blames on some Western states and their regional allies. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and UN have put the death toll from the Syria conflict at more than 300,000 and 400,000, respectively. This is while the UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.

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Syria says E Aleppo may be liberated 'at any moment'

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 4:31PM

The Syrian army says it can announce full recapture of the eastern part of Aleppo "at any moment" as the pro-government forces advance on the ground, tightening the noose around foreign-backed terrorists in the strategic northwestern city.

Speaking during a tour of recently retaken Aleppo districts on Tuesday, an unidentified military spokesman said the militants were currently holed up in just a handful of districts that would fall on Tuesday or Wednesday.

"The army continues to advance towards ... Sukkari, what remains of Seif al-Dawla, part of al-Amiriya and Tel al-Zarazir," the spokesman said.

After wresting control of the remaining neighborhoods, the Syrian military's "operation in the eastern areas of the city ... will be finished," he added.

The official further emphasized that the terrorists were rejecting calls to withdraw from the battered city.

Aleppo military operation to end within hours: Russia

In a related development, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held an emergency session on Tuesday to discuss the latest situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

The session was requested by France and Britain during which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also briefed the Security Council on the situation in Aleppo.

Addressing the United Nations Security Council session on Tuesday, Russia's UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said the Syrian army's military operation to liberate Aleppo would end "in the next few hours."

"All militants, together with members of their family and the injured, currently are going through agreed corridors in directions that they have chosen themselves voluntarily," he added.

Terrorists' warehouses discovered in Aleppo

Meanwhile, the Lebanese al-Mayadeen television channel released footage from terrorists' warehouses in Aleppo, where they had stored humanitarian aid and clothes and prevented people's access to the stuff.

The session was requested by France and Britain during which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also briefed the Security Council on the situation in Aleppo.

Addressing the United Nations Security Council session on Tuesday, Russia's UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said the Syrian army's military operation to liberate Aleppo would end "in the next few hours."

"All militants, together with members of their family and the injured, currently are going through agreed corridors in directions that they have chosen themselves voluntarily," he added.

Terrorists' warehouses discovered in Aleppo

Meanwhile, the Lebanese al-Mayadeen television channel released footage from terrorists' warehouses in Aleppo, where they had stored humanitarian aid and clothes and prevented people's access to the stuff.

One of the depots, which was situated at the al-Yarmuk School in eastern Aleppo, was held by Jaish al-Islam militants.

The Syrian army soldiers and their allies have dealt heavy blows to militants in Aleppo over the past few weeks, with Syrian state TV saying that the Damascus forces are now in control of 99 percent of the strategic city.

Russia: Deal reached to allow militants out of Aleppo

Later on Tuesday, Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said an "arrangement" had been "achieved on the ground" to allow militants to quit the war-wracked city.

"My latest information is that there is indeed an arrangement achieved on the ground that the fighters are going to leave the city," he added.

Churkin's announcement came after the Nureddin al-Zenki terror group said civilians and militants were to start evacuating the eastern part of Aleppo "within hours" under a deal reached with the Syrian government.

Yasser al-Youssef from the group's political office was quoted by the AFP as saying that the agreement was being "sponsored" by Russia and Turkey.

"The first stage will be the evacuation of civilians and wounded; within hours, and afterwards" militants will leave with their light weapons, Youssef added.

Those leaving will be allowed to travel to militant-held territory in western Aleppo Province or neighboring Idlib Province, he further pointed out.

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Syria establishing full control over Aleppo, Turkey wants safe evacuation of militants

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 10:48AM

As Syrian troops are about to reestablish full government control over Syria's second-largest city of Aleppo, Turkey has prepared a meeting with Russia to discuss the safe passage of the militants and out of the flashpoint city.

On Monday, Syrian soldiers forced the militants out of six of Aleppo's residential districts after seizing the key Sheikh Saeed neighborhood on the city's southeastern outskirts.

The Syrian military has said it is in the "final phase" of fully liberating the city. The liberation of the city will deal the worst blow to the foreign-backed militants since they took up arms in Syria in 2011.

Early on Tuesday, the troops were conducting searches in Bustan al-Qasr, Kalasseh, Fardaws, and the other neighborhoods they had captured around Aleppo's Old City a day earlier, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Locals have, meanwhile, been celebrating the city's imminent liberation on the streets. There have been reports that the remaining pockets of militants in Aleppo have set up checkpoints to stop civilians from leaving the city.

Also on Tuesday, a senior Turkish official told Reuters that Russian and Turkish officials would be holding a meeting on Wednesday in Turkey to discuss the possibility of opening a corridor to evacuate remaining militants and civilians from the city and set up of a ceasefire.

"Efforts are still underway to open a corridor for the rebels and civilians in Aleppo, and evacuate them from the region. There has been no agreement on this issue yet," the Turkish official said anonymously.

Turkey has been supporting anti-Damascus militants during the course of the Syrian conflict. It is accused of providing safe passage into and out of Syria for Daesh terrorists operating in the Arab country. However, in the wake of a failed coup in Turkey in July, Ankara has been tilting toward Moscow.

Later on Tuesday, it was reported that a group of Russian sappers had performed a mine clearance operation in one of the schools in a liberated eastern district of Aleppo.

According to the commander of the clearing detachment, Major Ivan Gromov, the school was "a stronghold" of the militants.

Gromov said that the premises were used because "the school is connected with the children" and the Syrian army would not attack the militants there because of that.

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US protecting Nusra terrorists to use them to topple Assad: Russia

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 10:28AM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the United States is seeking to protect the Takfiri al-Nusra Front terrorist group and use it as a tool to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"There is a slew of examples showing that al-Nusra Front somehow evaded the US-led coalition's actions," Lavrov said in the Serbian capital of Belgrade on Monday, referring to the coalition of countries bombarding alleged terrorist positions in Syria and Iraq.

"There were and are solid reasons to believe it (al-Nusra) was being protected as the most efficient and combat-capable anti-government force on the ground so that it could be used in the future to topple the legitimate leadership of Syria," Lavrov added.

Al-Nusra Front has recently renamed itself and claimed to have broken ranks with al-Qaeda, although there is general consensus that the moves are decoy attempts.

The US-led coalition has achieved little, if anything, to dislodge the terrorist groups it claims to be fighting.

Earlier, the Russian foreign minister had described the movement of Daesh terrorists from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul to neighboring Syria and a subsequent attack on the ancient city of Palmyra as a part of an orchestrated plan to salvage Takfiri militant groups in Syria's strategic northwestern city of Aleppo.

"It makes me think, and I hope I am wrong, that it is all orchestrated in order to give a respite to the bandits still in eastern Aleppo," Lavrov said.

Syrian and Russian militaries are engaged in the final phases of a large-scale operation to retake Aleppo from militants, including those of al-Nusra.

EU 'plans no sanctions against Russia'

Meanwhile, the European Union (EU)'s foreign policy chief has said the bloc does not intend to impose any sanctions on Russia over the nearly six-year-old conflict in Syria.

EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini made the announcement on Monday.

Prior to a recent meeting of EU foreign ministers, there had been speculation that the bloc may impose new sanctions on Moscow over the Syrian crisis. Russia has been helping the elected government of Syria fight off a foreign-backed militancy.

"No, we didn't discuss at all sanctions, and there was no member state asking for additional work on sanctions" against Russia, Mogherini said following the ministerial meeting.

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'We Are Being Killed': Desperate Calls From Aleppo As Assad Regime Closes In

Golnaz Esfandiari December 13, 2016

Some of the tens of thousands of citizens in eastern neighborhoods of the devastated northern Syrian city of Aleppo still controlled by rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad have been sharing "final messages" and calls for help on social media.

Reports are swirling that the Syrian government is poised to retake those regions -- with support from Russian air strikes -- after four years in the hands of Assad's enemies.

The United Nations' humanitarian adviser on Syria, Jan Egeland, has warned that "atrocities" are being committed in eastern Aleppo by Syrian government forces advancing into neighborhoods previously out of their control.

Humanitarian watchdog Amnesty International issued an "urgent plea" in connection with UN warnings of extrajudicial killings and said reports that residents "are being massacred in cold blood in their homes by Syrian government forces are deeply shocking but not unexpected."

Muhammad Shbib, a media activist based in Aleppo, told RFE/RL via WhatsApp on December 13 that many people are "terrified" of the Syrian regime taking control of the city.

He says he and many others are preparing themselves for the worst.

"We may be killed or imprisoned. We don't know," Shbib said. "There is no safe place [to hide]."

Elsewhere, on social media, another activist posted a video that said simply, "We are being killed."

"This may be my last video," another activist, Lina Shami, said in a video posted on Twitter.

Graphic designer Monther Etaki, also based in eastern Aleppo, said he didn't believe Assad forces could take full control of the city -- formerly Syria's largest with well over 2 million residents before civil war erupted in 2011 -- without committing "war crimes."

Etaki, speaking to RFE/RL via social media, said on December 13 that he was trying to keep his family, including an infant, safe. But he added that no one is completely safe in eastern Aleppo.

He described the situation facing residents as a "genocide" and talked of "mass executions" by Assad forces supported "from the sky" by Russian jets that have been attacking the city without "any mercy."

"It's like a prison where you can't get anything," Etaki added, saying the siege on eastern Aleppo has left its people in desperate need of basic necessities.

"I can see people carrying water gallons, people standing for a long time, waiting for bread," he said.

He said many people are without shelter to keep them warm.

"[There are] little boys [breaking up] furniture to burn it to keep warm," he said.

Etaki said his message for the international community was that it should feel responsible toward civilians and that "criminals" should be punished.

"I don't know how they can sleep at night..." he said.

The capture of Aleppo would mark the biggest military victory for Assad since the civil war erupted following a government crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/syria-aleppo-desperate- calls-for-help/28174218.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Monday kept Albany firefighters busy, so busy that crews from Tangent and Lebanon were called to assist and one fire remains under investigation by law enforcement.

Crews responded to three house fires between 4:15 and 6:38 p.m., with as many as 17 firefighters deploying to each call.

The 4:15 call, at 2066 54th Ave. S.E., involved smoke coming from a residential structure. A crew identified an overheated wire on a space heater as the cause. No injuries or damages were reported. Seventeen firefighters responded.

The next, reported at 6:31 at 740 N.W. Teak Loop, also involved a residential structure. The fire was under control in 20 minutes. Albany police are investigating the cause. Seventeen personnel responded.

Seven minutes later, an oven fire at 2706 S.E. Columbus St. drew 14 personnel, including personnel from the Tangent and Lebanon fire departments. That alarm was recalled, as the fire was out by the time crews arrived.
Russia Says Aleppo Battle Over, UN Says Civilians Being Executed

RFE/RL December 13, 2016

Russia's United Nations Ambassador Vitaly Churkin says the Syrian government military offensive in Aleppo, backed by Russia and Iran, is over and that an agreement has been struck for rebel fighters for the safe evacuation of the city.

Churkin told a UN Security Council meeting called by France and Britain on December 13 that civilians would be unharmed under the deal.

But the United States has described the violence in Aleppo as a "modern evil," and the United Nations, along with several Western governments, have raised accusations that Syrian government forces are intentionally killing civilians.

Churkin told the heated Security Council meeting that "the military activities in east Aleppo have stopped" and that the Syrian government on December 13 had "established control over east Aleppo."

Britain's UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told the 15-member Security Council that Syrian government forces had "gone from siege to slaughter" in formerly rebel-held neighborhoods of eastern Aleppo.

The United Nations says it has received reports of pro-government forces in Syria entering homes in eastern Aleppo and summarily shooting civilians dead "on the spot."

The UN human rights office said on December 13 that it has reliable evidence that in four neighborhoods 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, had been shot.

Spokesman Rupert Colville said the atrocities were committed in recent days, adding that there could be "many more" execution-style killings.

UN humanitarian spokesman Jens Laerke said it looked like "a complete meltdown of humanity in Aleppo."

Rebels who have held eastern Aleppo for four years are on the brink of defeat.

Thousands of civilians trapped in the remaining rebel-held neighborhoods "have literally nowhere safe to run," the International Committee of the Red Cross has said, urging the fighters to do all they can to protect and spare their lives.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ally, Russia, which has rejected calls for a humanitarian cease-fire in Aleppo, earlier said atrocities were "actually being committed by terrorist groups," meaning rebel forces.

But the UN humanitarian adviser on Syria, Jan Egeland, said on Twitter on December 12 that both the Syrian and Russian governments were "accountable for any and all atrocities that the victorious militias in Aleppo are now committing."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking to reporters in Serbia on December 13, said Moscow was "tired of hearing this whining from our American colleagues in the current administration that we need to immediately halt military action."

Lavrov also accused Washington of doing nothing to separate moderate rebels from "terrorists" in the city.

Russia has given Assad crucial military and diplomatic backing throughout the conflict in Syria, which began with a forceful government crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 2011 and erupted into a civil war that has killed more than 250,000 people.

Moscow helped turn the tide of the war in the government's favor with a major campaign of air strikes that began in September 2015 and which Western governments say has mainly targeted rebels rather than Islamic State militants.

With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, and TASS

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/syria- aleppo-un-says-civilians-shot -on-spot/28173709.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Russia, U.S. Trade Barbs After Syria Loses Palmyra To IS

December 13, 2016

Russia and the United States traded blame over Syria's loss of Palmyra to the Islamic State (IS) extremist group for a second time over the weekend.

Russia blamed a lack of cooperation from the United States in fighting IS.

"There still is a lack of coordinated action and real cooperation with other states -- with the United States first and foremost," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on December 12. "This cooperation could allow us to avoid such attacks by terrorists."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later suggested that, with IS fighters pouring into Palmyra as they flee a U.S.-backed Iraqi assault on Mosul, the development appeared orchestrated to distract Syrian forces from their battle to retake rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

"It makes me think, and I hope I am wrong, that it is all orchestrated...to give a respite to the bandits still in eastern Aleppo," Lavrov said.

But the Pentagon hit back, saying the Palmyra loss proved that Russia and Syria never gave any priority to battling IS extremists.

"It appears that Russia has failed to sustain the singular gain against ISIS they had achieved since their military intervention on behalf of the regime," Pentagon spokesman Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway told AFP.

"This is a further demonstration of why, as we have long advocated, Russia must change their focus."

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/russia-us-trade- barbs-after-syria-loses-palmyra-to-islamic state-second-time/28172994.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Rebels: Aleppo Evacuation Deal Reached With Syrian Regime

By Margaret Besheer December 13, 2016

Rebel fighters and the Syrian government have reached an agreement to allow the evacuation of civilians and opposition fighters from eastern Aleppo, as Russia says the Assad regime has ended its offensive against the city.

A spokesman for the Nour el-Din el-Zinki rebel group, Yasser al-Youssef, said Tuesday that the deal, which was mediated by Russia and Turkey, would take effect "within hours."

Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin confirmed the agreement to reporters prior to an emergency Security Council meeting on Aleppo called by France and Britain.

"My latest information is that there is indeed an arrangement achieved on the ground that the fighters are going to leave the city," Churkin said.

"Over the last hour, we have received information that military activities in east Aleppo have stopped," he added later in the meeting. He said the government had re-established control over that part of the city and there could now be large-scale humanitarian initiatives.

"This very difficult chapter related to the situation in eastern Aleppo has ended," Churkin said. "Let's hope this indeed will be a precondition for establishing political efforts, relaunching political negotiations."

Churkin said most of the fighters who are leaving eastern Aleppo are going to the town of Idlib.

U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura expressed concern that Idlib could become the next target of a Syrian offensive. But he, too, echoed hopes that this could be a turning point that sends the parties back to the negotiating table.

"This is actually the best moment to be insisting in a peace process being restarted," de Mistura told reporters. "In fact, we should be looking at this as tragic opportunity of accelerating, instead, the political process."

The cease-fire deal comes after the United Nations said Tuesday it has received reports of pro-government forces in Syria killing at least 82 civilians in four different neighborhoods in Aleppo, where the recapture of the last areas held by rebels is "imminent."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the organization supports these efforts and stands ready to help implement and oversee an agreement.

"We remind all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law, to prioritize the safe passage of civilians out of eastern Aleppo and to ensure that those who have surrendered or been captured are treated humanely and in line with international law," Ban told council members.

Failed Diplomacy

At the council session, Western members fiercely criticized Moscow for its ongoing support to the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the atrocities being committed in Aleppo.

"Are you truly incapable of shame? Is there literally nothing that can shame you?" U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power asked. "Is there no act of barbarism against civilians, no execution of a child that gets under your skin, that just creeps you out a little bit? Is there nothing you will not lie about or justify?"

Britain's envoy, Matthew Rycroft, echoed the words of Ban, saying the Security Council had failed.

"It's failed because Russia has used and abused its veto time and again, even to prevent a seven-day cease-fire," Rycroft said.

But Russian envoy Churkin dismissed Western criticism of Moscow's support for the Assad regime and reports of horrific atrocities from Aleppo as part of a "propaganda, disinformation and psychological" war.

He cited the phenomenon of the "spread of fake news," saying "for their fabrication people even stoop to using children" adding that they cover them "with dust to be presented as victims of bombings."

Atrocities

In Geneva, U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters that it is difficult to verify reports, and that it was not clear when exactly the killings were to have taken place.

"We hope profoundly that these reports are wrong or exaggerated," he said.

Colville called for the United Nations or another organization such as the International Committee of the Red Cross to be allowed to monitor the situation in Aleppo in order to alleviate concerns about potential rights abuses.

"Civilians have paid a brutal price during this conflict, and we're filled with the deepest foreboding for those who remain in this last hellish corner of opposition-held eastern Aleppo," he said.

The ICRC also warned Tuesday that thousands of civilians in eastern Aleppo "have literally nowhere safe to run" and urged those involved in fighting there to protect them.

The group said in a statement that time is running out to find a humanitarian solution, and that it is ready to help put in place any agreement that puts civilians first.

"We cannot urge this strongly enough: this must happen now," said Marianne Gasser, ICRC's head of delegation in Syria.

Rebels lose territory

The recapture of the last rebel-held areas would have major symbolic significance and leave the regime and its foreign backers, Russia and Iran, free to focus their military might on remaining rebel strongholds in the rest of western Syria.

Rebel commanders and opposition politicians insist the loss of Aleppo will not mark the end of the uprising.

However, few doubt battlefield fortunes have swung heavily against them and with the regime possibly hours away from seizing what is left of insurgent-controlled eastern Aleppo, the dynamic of resistance will have to change to guerrilla warfare to the keep the revolution alive.

VOA's Jamie Dettmer contributed to this report.

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Taiwan wants good relations with U.S., stable cross-strait ties

ROC Central News Agency

2016/12/13 17:29:35

Taipei, Dec. 13 (CNA) The goal of Taiwan's foreign policy is to build good relations with the international community and maintain a stable cross-Taiwan Strait relationship, the Presidential Office said Tuesday.

Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang () said the goal, which is clear, is to establish good relations with the international community, including the United States, so that Taiwan can more actively participate in, and contribute to, the international community.

The government is also committed to maintaining stable and good cross-strait relations, Huang said.

Taiwan's core interests will be to ensure the nation's freedom and democracy, as well as regional peace and stability, no matter what the changes may arise, he added.

Huang's comments came after President Tsai Ing-wen () spoke with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in a Dec. 2 telephone conversation, the first of its kind since the United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

Trump's departure from convention angered Beijing, but the U.S. president-elect has continued to be defiant.

He suggested during an interview with Fox News Sunday that adhering to the "One China" policy could be used as a bargaining chip on contentious issues like China's currency and its activity in the South China Sea.

"I don't know why we have to be bound by a 'One China' policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade," he said in the interview.

Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, rejected Trump's suggestion that American support for Taiwan is negotiable. "Taiwan is not a source of leverage," Earnest said Monday. "It's a close partner of the United States."

(By Lu Hsin-hui and Lilian Wu)

ENDITEM/J

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Taiwan to deal with Chinese aircraft encroachments 'fearlessly': MND

ROC Central News Agency

2016/12/13 15:59:35

Taipei, Dec. 13 (CNA) In the event that a Chinese military aircraft enters Taiwan's air space, the ROC military will handle the situation "fearlessly without evasion or weakness," a Ministry of National Defense (MND) official said on Tuesday.

The approach adopted by the military would vary depending on whether the aircraft was hostile or not, Chung Shu-ming (), director of the ministry's Joint Operations Division, said at a regular press briefing.

He was responding to a question on how the military would handle an encroachment by China, an issue that recently raised concern after Chinese military aircraft flew close to Taiwan's air defense identification zone twice in two weeks.

Chung said the ROC military monitors China's military maneuvers closely and was fully aware of the two operations.

Because in both instances Chinese aircraft did not enter Taiwan's air space, the military opted to deal with the situation in a way that would not provoke or escalate conflict, he said.

Also during the briefing, a question was raised on how the military would prevent China from accessing data on the parameters of its weapons if a Chinese military aircraft was allowed to make an emergency landing in Taiwan.

According to Wang Shao-hua (), director of the ministry's Defense Research Department, the military has measures in place designed to target aircraft with reconnaissance capabilities.

On Monday, Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan () said that in the event a Chinese military aircraft having to land in Taiwan because of mechanical failure, it would be allowed to do so based on humanitarian considerations.

(By Lu Hsin-hui and Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/AW

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No new chapters on Turkey's accession bid: EU

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 6:47PM

The European Union says it will not take up further policy areas - also called "chapters" - needed for Turkey's membership of the bloc due to concerns over the Ankara government's crackdown following an abortive military coup in July.

"Under the currently prevailing circumstances, no new chapters are considered for opening," the presidency of the Council of the EU said in a statement released on Tuesday.

The EU has opened 16 out of the 35 chapters required for Turkey to join the 28-nation bloc, but only one of them has so far been concluded.

Expediting accession talks are part of a deal struck between Turkey and the EU in March to limit the flow of refugees to Europe.

Under the agreement, Turkey vowed to back rejected asylum seekers and patrol borders. In return, Brussels pledged financial aid, visa-free travel for Turkish nationals and progress in Turkey's long-stalled EU membership talks. The bloc also promised to open new chapters in Turkey's membership bid at an "accelerated pace."

On Monday, however, Austria demanded a freeze on Turkey's accession talks, with Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz saying "it is wrong to continue accession negotiations as if nothing negative has happened in Turkey."

In a relevant development on Tuesday, EU leaders met in Brussels to discuss issues concerning Turkey.

Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said ministers were seeking to close the gap on Turkey during the talks.

"The positions are quite diverse. So the goal for today would be to find a common platform to arrive at a compromise," he said.

In November, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) approved a motion urging the European Commission and member states' governments to halt Turkey's EU membership negotiations in response to Ankara's post-coup purge.

In response to the non-binding vote, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted threatened to open his country's gates for refugees to stream into Europe.

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Turkish authorities detain two female pro-Kurdish lawmakers

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 13, 2016 4:41PM

Turkish authorities have arrested two pro-Kurdish lawmakers for alleged links to Kurdish militants.

Caglar Demirel, representing the largest Kurdish-populated city of Diyarbakir, and Besime Konca, from the city of Siirt, were arrested on Tuesday. They are both with the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, also known as the HDP.

In a message posted on Twitter, the HDP said, "Head of the party's parliamentary group, Caglar Demirel, and Siirt MP, Besime Konca, were unlawfully detained in front of our (Ankara) headquarters."

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said that two women were held as part of an anti-terror investigation.

The country's Dogan news agency said Konca was taken to court in the southeastern province of Batman, where she was released under "judicial control."

The agency said an investigation had been launched into the lawmaker after she allegedly spoke at the funeral of a man killed during security operations against Kurdish militants in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir.

Reacting to the latest arrests, Cabbar Leygara, who is the co-president of the HDP in Diyarbakir, said Kurdish people wanted to be a part of peaceful parliamentary politics, adding, "We want democracy to win in Turkey."

In May, the Turkish parliament adopted a bill that lifted immunity for dozens of lawmakers, which government critics feared would see HDP lawmakers face criminal prosecution and lose parliamentary seats.

On Monday, nearly 240 people were also arrested for similar charges.

Turkey's Interior Ministry said the detentions were made in 11 provinces, adding that the 235 people were held on charges of "spreading terror group propaganda" over social media and acting on behalf of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Among those arrested were nearly 120 officials of the HDP, the second-largest opposition party in the Turkish parliament.

The main leaders of the HDP have already been jailed pending trial over alleged ties to the PKK. Ankara accuses the HDP of acting as the PKK's political arm.

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Turkey Jails Record Number of Journalists in Post-coup Crackdown

By VOA News December 13, 2016

There are at least 81 journalists imprisoned in Turkey, which is more than are jailed in any other country, and accounts for almost one third of all imprisoned journalists worldwide.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the journalists jailed by the Turkish government in the aftermath of a failed July coup attempt sent the total number of jailed journalists soaring from 199 in 2015 to 259 now.

The 81 journalists imprisoned in Turkey have been accused of anti-state activity, according to a CPJ report released Tuesday. Anti-state activity makes up the vast majority of charges levelled against journalists jailed around the world.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cracked down on journalists, academics, the military, and civilian government employees, following the July coup attempt.

More than 100,000 people have been removed from their jobs since government forces blocked the coup attempt. More than 35,000 others, including military officers and opposition politicians, have been arrested for suspected collusion with the coup plotters.

China and Egypt follow Turkey on the list of most imprisoned journalists, with 38 jailed in China and 25 in Egypt.

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Savchenko Quits Ukrainian Party, But Plans To Continue Politics

RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service December 13, 2016

Ukraine's Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) Party said on December 13 that Ukrainian lawmaker Nadia Savchenko resigned from the political party at the end of October.

The announcement -- confirmed by Savchenko's spokesperson Tatyana Protorchenko -- came a day after the military aviator turned lawmaker confirmed that she had met in Minsk with eastern Ukraine's Russia-backed separatist leaders Aleksandr Zakharchenko and Igor Plotnitsky.

Protorchenko said Savchenko remains a member of Batkivshchyna's parliamentary faction for now, but will be concentrating her political activity on her own "civil platform" and will "soon start her career as an independent lawmaker."

Batkivshchyna leader Yulia Tymoshenko told Ukraine's 112 television channel on December 12 that Savchenko could be expelled from the party's faction when it meets on December 20.

She said Shavchenko had been called to that meeting "to talk and to take a decision."

Tymoshenko also said "Savchenko can plan her life and political activity however she likes. She has nothing in common with the Batkivshchyna Party."

Savchenko told RFE/RL on December 13 that she will continue her efforts to free Ukrainians held captive by Russia-backed separatists.

'Positive' Talks

Savchenko, who was jailed in Russia in 2014 and became a national symbol of resistance before her release in May, rejected reports that her talks with Zakharchenko and Plotnitsky were secret. She said there had been months of preparations.

She denied that her meeting was a step toward legalizing "terrorists," saying "nobody can legalize what is illegal."

Savchenko also said there are no grounds to expel her from the parliamentary National Defense Committee, as urged by some lawmakers, and that what Ukraine needs now is peace.

According to Savchenko, two Russian representatives responsible for humanitarian issues were present at the talks in Minsk.

She said a chief goal of the meeting was to outline the number of people held by both sides.

She said that a separatist claim that some 700 separatist fighters are in Kyiv's custody is far from the truth.

Savchenko described the talks as positive and said that they will continue, but that no specific date has been set for the next round.

With reporting by The Kyiv Post and Interfax

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-savchenko -rejects-criticism-for-meeting- separatists/28173875.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Dutch Court Rules Crimean Treasures Must Be Returned To Ukraine

RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service December 14, 2016

A Dutch court has ruled that a priceless collection of gold artifacts from Crimea that were on loan to a Dutch museum when Russia occupied the peninsula must be returned to Ukraine.

The Amsterdam district court said on December 14 that Crimea was not a sovereign country and so could not claim the treasures as cultural heritage.

The ruling drew a swift and angry reaction from Russia and praise from Ukraine, whose president said it means that "Crimea is ours, period."

Kyiv and four museums in Crimea have been wrangling over the fate of the archeological treasures, which range from pots to a Scythian helmet dating back more than 2,000 years, ever since Russia seized control of the Ukrainian peninsula in March 2014.

The Ukrainian government claimed that, as state property, they could not be returned to territory outside its control, while the Crimean museums argued the objects must be returned by the Netherlands to the institutions from which they were on loan.

The treasures, popularly known as Scythian gold, are in the Netherlands because they were borrowed from the four museums in Crimea and one in Kyiv for an exhibition in early 2014 at Amsterdam's Allard Pierson Museum.

"The court ruling is that the artifacts have to be brought back to the state of Ukraine as they form a part of the cultural heritage of the state of Ukraine," Illya Bilderbeek, a spokesman for the Amsterdam district court, said.

Shortly after the court issued its ruling, the Russian Culture Ministry said the decision "violates the principles of international exchanges between museums and the right of the people of the Crimea to have access to their own cultural heritage."

The ministry called the ruling an "extremely negative precedent" and said it contradicted "the norms of international law on the protection of cultural values."

'Pure Theft'

Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky had said earlier that a decision in favor of Kyiv would be "pure theft."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko welcomed the ruling in a post on his Facebook page.

"The decision by the district court in Amsterdam means that not only the Scythian gold is Ukrainian. Crimea is also Ukrainian, Crimea is ours, period," he said.

Kyiv had argued that the country of origin is Ukraine, not Russia.

"Crimea is part of Ukraine [and] it is only our national authorities that can decide to which museum [the artifacts] should return," Ukrainian Deputy Culture Minister Svitlana Fomenko told reporters at the courthouse on December 14.

"As you know, Crimea is occupied by Russian Federation and we have no access to Crimea," Fomenko said. "We cannot protect our cultural heritage in Crimea."

In testimony on December 12, the lawyer acting for Ukraine, Maarten Sanders, told the court that "in terms of UNESCO treaties on cultural heritage, the treasures have to go back to Kyiv for as long as the Crimea is occupied territory."

Meanwhile, the culture minister in the Russian-imposed government that administers Crimea, Arina Novoselskaya, said on December 14 that the museums will appeal the court's decision.

The four Crimean museums have previously described the treasures as belonging to the people of Crimea.

Andrei Malgin, director of the Tavrida Central Museum, told Dutch television on December 12 that "this is the cultural heritage of local tribes and peoples."

The almost 600 artifacts, including pots, gold leaf and other objects, date back more than 2,000 years.

Among the most valuable objects are a 2,400-year-old Scythian helmet, Han Dynasty lacquer boxes from the Silk Road, and a gilded scabbard.

'Sacred' To Russia

The treasures from the four Crimean museums, which were displayed in an exhibition titled The Crimea: Gold And Secrets From The Black Sea, have been in safe storage at the Dutch museum while awaiting the court's decision.

The German dpa news agency reports that the court on December 14 ordered Kyiv to pay 111,000 euros for the storage and security costs of the treasures.

If the Dutch legal system accepts appeals in the case, the treasures could remain in storage for months more pending a final decision.

The museum has already returned the pieces which belonged to a museum in Kyiv.

In ancient history, Crimea was a crossroads for trade between Greeks and Romans in the west and Scythians, Huns, and Tatars in the east.

The treasures unearthed in Crimea are popularly referred to as Scythian in reference to the tribes of various ethnicities which shared a seminomadic lifestyle and for centuries dominated a broad swath of Eurasia extending from the edge of western Europe to the eastern frontier of China.

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 after flooding the peninsula with troops to secure key facilities, taking control of the regional legislature, and staging a referendum denounced as illegitimate by Ukraine,. the United States, and a total of 100 UN member states.

In an address in December 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the peninsula was "sacred" to Russia.

With reporting by Reuters, TASS, and dpa

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-crimea-gold- dutch-court/28175712.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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December 2016 by NordVPN

It seems that in 2016 Internet privacy has experienced a string of shocks and abuses around the world - starting with Polish law that loosened spying restrictions for police, and ending the year with UKs controversial Investigatory Powers Bill, recent Rule 41 in the U.S. that gives FBI wide hacking powers and Belarus finally blocking TOR network.

Restricting Internet privacy and interfering with peoples lives by mass surveillance techniques brings fear to the society and dramatically increases the likelihood of criminal activity by giving new easy tools to access peoples data not only to governments, but to whoever is able to hack, intercept or otherwise manipulate the new surveillance systems.

Below is our review of the Year in Online Privacy, and some suggestions about how people can protect themselves online.

In Germany, new data retention act requires public telecommunication and internet providers to retain various call detail records (CDRs). These include phone numbers, the date and time of phone calls and texts, the content of text messages, andfor mobile callsthe locations of call participants. In addition, Internet providers are required to store user metadata such as IP addresses, port numbers, and the date and time of Internet access.

Polands law expands government access to digital data and loosens restrictions on police spying. Collected metadata will be kept for up to 2 years. One doesnt have to be an official suspect to be placed under surveillance for up to 18 months. In addition, the person being monitored will not be informed about it, compromising the protection of journalists sources and deterring potential whistleblowers.

On July 7, President Vladimir Putin of Russia signed into law several bills designed to help the government take measures against dissent online and demand unprecedented levels of data retention from the countrys telecom companies. For instance, the legislation warrants tougher sentencing for online commentary deemed as an incitement to hatred or a violation of human dignity. Such convictions now carry a minimum prison sentence of two years. The law requires service providers to monitor and store all calls, texts, chats and web browsing activity. The retained data can be accessed by several government agencies without a warrant.

The UKs Investigatory Powers Act received the royal assent on November 29, opening up the gate for a disturbingly intrusive surveillance system. Among other things, the so-called Snoopers Charter gives the state the ability to indiscriminately hack, intercept, record, and monitor the communications and Internet use of all of the UK population. The entire browsing history of every resident of the UK will be stored for one year. Almost 50 police forces and government departments, ranging from the Metropolitan Police Service and GCHQ to the Food Standards Agency are authorized to access the data

In the U.S., a new amendment to the Rule 41 of the US Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure quietly went into effect on December 1. It allows the FBI to secretly use malware to hack into thousands of computers with one warrant. There is no need to identify specific computers to be searched. That means FBI can hack into as many computers as they wish, whether their owners are suspected of some criminal activity or not.

New surveillance laws have also been passed and/or enacted in Belarus, China, Turkey, Ethiopia and elsewhere this year. For detailed information, visit our extensive coverage on those laws in our recent 2016 Privacy Review blog post. Dangers of Surveillance States Citizen control and surveillance, especially suspicionless surveillance, whether physical or digital, has not proved to be an effective way to control criminal activity  history tells us it has always turned out to be counter-productive, endangering lives and causing fear and insecurity.

For example, when the government opens a backdoor to citizens data, it means that this backdoor could potentially be used by anyone else, and can fall into the hands of hackers. Once the information is in the wrong hands, it can be used to steal peoples identities and rob them of their bank accounts, for example. Data can also get misplaced, systems can crash and everyone can get endangered.

Solution

There are solutions to bypass some of these restrictive laws, the most reliable being a VPN service. A VPN sends your data through a securely encrypted tunnel before accessing the Internet  this protects any sensitive information about your location by hiding your IP address.

Connecting through a VPN tunnel hides your online activity from your Internet service provider (ISP). The only information visible to the ISP is that you are connected to a VPN server, while all other information is encrypted by the VPNs protocol. This prevents ISPs from collecting potentially sensitive data and passing it onto any third parties.

Its also important to use a VPN service that does not store activity records to ensure your data is not logged and forwarded to any agencies. NordVPN has a strict no-log policy and could not supply any information on your online activities even if requested.

Besides VPNs, its also crucial to use anti-spyware software, to make sure to use a Firewall, not to install unapproved programs on the computer that might contain bugs, and to be generally vigilant about the kind of information one shares and opens online.
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.
Offering four-year degrees at community colleges, more pay for state employees and job creation through an I-73 compact are at the top of local legislators agendas for the upcoming General Assembly session.

Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville told business and government leaders during a speech Tuesday morning he and regional community college presidents in the area have been working on a study looking at offering four-year degrees at community colleges.

Marshall and state Sens. Frank Ruff and Bill Stanley spoke to community leaders during the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerces legislative breakfast on Tuesday morning at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.

The four-year degrees would focus on manufacturing to help industries locally, Marshall said. They would be an economic development tool to attract manufacturers to the region, he said.

Marshall reminded attendees they will elect a new governor in 2017, as well as a lieutenant governor and an attorney general.

Its time to lobby candidates to tell them what were trying to do here, Marshall said.

Marshall plans to propose a constitutional amendment that would allow circuit court judges to restore rights to felons. The state Constitution states only the governor can restore rights on a case-by-case basis.

Under Marshalls proposal, someone convicted of a crime in Richmond but living in Danville would have to apply to the local circuit court for restoration of rights.

Judges convict people, he said. We need to let them restore the rights.

The felon would have to go to the judge where he or she lives to get those rights restored, he said. That would prevent someone from going judge shopping for activist judges in other parts of the state, Marshall said.

The amendment would still allow the governor to restore rights.

For the proposed constitutional amendment to pass, it would first have to be approved by the General Assembly in 2017. Following a General Assembly election, it would have to pass both houses of the legislature again and then be voted on and passed by citizens.

Stanley touted the I-73 Corridor Compact bill, which he sponsored in 2015. The bill established a partnership among Virginia and several other states including North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio and Michigan to develop Interstate 73.

The project will bring 53,000 permanent jobs to the region, he said, adding that Southside Virginia needs access to ports.

If we work together with those other states, well make I-73 a reality, Stanley said.

Stanley also said he did not understand the mentality of Northern Virginia. He said he has asked his friends from that region to imagine what life is like in parts of Southside Virginia  with 15 percent unemployment and one of three children living at or below poverty level, with 98 percent of children at a school qualifying for free or reduced price lunches.

Stanley said that the North American Free Trade Agreement was to blame for the loss of jobs in Southside Virginia.

They dont seem to understand that we built Virginia, Stanley said of those in Northern Virginia. The main support for that part of the state is the federal government, with its $19 trillion in debt, he said.

The Southside regions children need access to the American Dream; one of three have to climb a 10-foot wall to see what it looks like, Stanley said.

We need to make sure we give opportunity for every child to achieve their dreams, Stanley said.

Also, law enforcement is being called too much to handle childrens discipline problems in school, he said. They are being put in handcuffs for minor incidents, he added.

Were just using handcuffs instead of our hearts to manage our public schools in this regard, Stanley said.

Children need to be engaged without the use of law enforcement, he said.

We could find another way of helping that child and at the same time having a punishment that fits whatever has happened, Stanley said.

Sheriffs deputies need raises, he said. Many have children and qualify for public assistance due to their meager pay, Stanley said. Their compensation compares poorly to that of the private sector, he said.

Theyre making us safe, he said. We need to make sure were rewarding them and keeping the best and the brightest as well.

Stanley said he would propose a bill that would create scholarships for children from leftover TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) money.

Ruff, R-Clarksville, said his biggest priority is the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, which helps the economy grow.

However, Ruff said he disagrees with McAuliffes proposal to make the secretary of commerce and trade the default chair of the VEDP.

It needs to be separate from the governors office, Ruff said of the position.

A new secretary/VEDP chair coming in with a new administration would be too political and not very productive, since the chair would spend their final year in the position looking for a new job, Ruff said.

He also wants to change the definition of small businesses in Virginia to match that defined by the federal government. An employer with 498 employees is considered a small business in the state, Ruff said.

Also, Ruff wants to try to have a pension plan available for smaller investors and smaller businesses. Too many people are using Social Security as their sole method of retirement, he said. Also, state employee pay must be part of the conversation, he said.

Pay for state employees has fallen behind that of the private sector, Ruff said.

Weve been so unfair to state employees, Ruff said.
Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - PPX Mining Corp. (the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has closed a non-brokered private placement consisting of 125,000,233 units (each a "Unit"), at a price of $0.06 per Unit, for gross proceeds of $7,500,014. Each Unit consists of a common share and  of a whole common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase a common share at a price of $0.085 on or before December 13, 2019.

In consideration for introducing certain subscribers to the private placement, the Company has paid a cash finders fee of 6% of the amount raised from those subscribers and has issued 7,137,014 warrants (the "Finder's Warrants") to arm's length finders, representing 6% of the total number of Units sold to subscribers introduced to the Company by the finders. Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder, on exercise thereof, to purchase one unit at a price of $0.06 per unit, such unit consisting of one common share and  of a whole common share purchase warrant. Each whole such warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional common share at a price of $0.085 for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance of the Finders Warrants.

Securities issued under the private placement will be subject to a four-month hold expiring on April 14, 2017, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the private placement for general working capital purposes.

Donald Smith Value Fund L.P. (the "Fund"), of New York, New York, USA, subscribed for 89,132,000 Units, comprised of 89,132,000 common shares and 44,566,000 Warrants of the Company, at a purchase price of $0.06 per Unit pursuant to the private placement. Prior to the private placement, the Fund and its associates had no direct or indirect holdings of the Company. Accordingly, the Fund's common shares of the Company represent 19.9% of the Company's issued and outstanding common shares, or 27.15% on a partially-diluted basis (assuming the exercise in full of the Warrants held by the Fund). The Company is advised by the Fund that the shares and Warrants were acquired for investment purposes. The Fund may in the future increase or decrease its ownership of securities of the Company from time to time depending on the business and prospects of the Company, as well as future market conditions. The Fund has undertaken not to exercise any Warrants if to do so would result in the Fund holding more than 20% of the Companys outstanding common shares, unless the Company has obtained all necessary approvals from the shareholders and the TSX Venture Exchange.

This portion of the news release is being included in accordance with National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues in connection with the Fund's filing of an early warning report in respect of the private placement, which will be filed by the Fund on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Review ("SEDAR") at www.sedar.com under the Company's issuer profile.

Kimberly Ann Arntson, PPX Mining Corp. CFO and VP  Corporate Development commented: The completion of this financing, coupled with our other two recently completed financings, leaves the Company with a strong balance sheet entering 2017. These funds will be used to accelerate the exploration program at Igor in order to fully drill evaluate all the prospective targets at the Project. The Company wishes to thank Medalist Capital Ltd. for their advisory services and assistance in completing this strategic financing with key institutional investors.

To obtain a copy of the early warning report filed by the Fund, please contact Donald Smith Value Fund, L.P., 152 West 57th St., 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10019, Tel: (212) 284-0990, Attn: Ann Hogan or refer to the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. 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, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, unless an exemption from such registration is available.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Brian J. Maher

President and Chief Executive Officer

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

PPX Mining Corp.

Kimberly Ann Arntson, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President - Corporate Development

Phone: 1-530-414-4400

Email: kimberly.ann@ppxmining.com

Website: www.ppxmining.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. Certain disclosure in this release, including statements regarding the terms of the private placement, the possible completion of the private placement and the intended use of proceeds from the private placement, may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities legislation. In making the forward-looking statements in this release, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable, including that the Company is able to obtain any required regulatory approvals to complete the Companys planned private placement, that the Company is able to complete the private placement, and that the Company will be able to use the proceeds from the private placement as intended. However, the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and risks are detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the appropriate securities commissions, and may include, among others, that the private placement will not complete, market conditions, and delays in obtaining or failure to obtain required regulatory approvals or financing. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/PPX12132016.pdfSource: PPX Mining Corp. , (TSX Venture:PPX)

To follow PPX Mining Corp., on your favorite social media platform or financial websites, please click on the icons below.

Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com

Copyright  2016 Filing Services Canada Inc.
Toronto, December 13, 2016 - Augustine Ventures Inc. (CSE: WAW) ("Augustine" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has completed a non-brokered private placement to raise $500,000 (the "Financing") by way of issuing 5,000,000 flow through units ("FT Units") at $0.100 per FT Unit, with each FT Unit consisting of one (1) common share of Augustine issued on a "flow-through" basis pursuant to the Income Tax Act (Canada) and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). One full Warrant allows the holder to acquire one non-flow-through common share of Augustine (a "Warrant Share") for a period of three (3) years at an exercise price of $0.130 per Warrant Share.The proceeds from this financing will be used for exploration purposes at Augustine's Wawa Gold Project.The securities issued pursuant to this offering are subject to a statutory four (4) month hold period from the closing date(s) and to any and all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals. Augustine Ventures Inc. is a junior gold exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Company's common shares trade on the CSE under the symbol "WAW".Augustine earned in a 30% interest in the Wawa Gold Project and entered into a Joint Venture Agreement ("JVA") with Citabar LLP and Red Pine Exploration Inc. The Wawa Gold Project is now owned by Citabar/Red Pine/Augustine in the ratio of 40%, 30% and 30%, respectively. The Joint Venture continues to explore and advance the current gold resource on the property.Augustine and Red Pine have entered into a definitive agreement (November 14, 2016) to consolidate their ownership of the Wawa Gold Project.Robert (Bob) Dodds, President & CEOTel: (416) 363 2528 x230Email: bdodds@augustineventures.com
VAL-D'OR, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Dec. 14, 2016) -

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. NEWS AGENCIES

Golden Valley Mines Ltd. ("Golden Valley") (TSX VENTURE:GZZ) and Uranium Valley Mines Ltd. ("Uranium Valley") (TSX VENTURE:VZZ.H) are pleased to announce that they have entered into an Mining Option Agreement (the "Option Agreement") made as of December 13, 2016, pursuant to which Golden Valley has granted to Uranium Valley an option to acquire a 100% interest in 62 of its grassroots properties (the "Properties").

Pursuant to the terms of the Option Agreement, Uranium Valley must incur $4,000,000 of expenditures with respect to exploration and other mining operations on the Properties before December 31, 2021 (with $500,000 to be incurred on or before December 31, 2018; $750,000 to be incurred on or before the December 31, 2019; $1,000,000 to be incurred on or before December 31, 2020 and $1,750,000 to be incurred on or before December 31, 2021).

As consideration for the option, Uranium Valley will issue 10,000,000 common shares to Golden Valley at a deemed price of $0.20 per share for an aggregate deemed value of $2 million (issuable as to 25% on or before each of December 31, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021). In addition, Uranium Valley has granted Golden Valley a royalty equal to 1% of the net smelter returns ("NSR") from the 62 Properties on the terms set out in the Option Agreement.

If Uranium Valley has issued the shares and incurred the expenditures provided for in the Option Agreement, it may exercise the option on or before December 31, 2021.

Golden Valley will retain 14 of its currently held properties and its interests in the various joint venture agreements it has entered into with third parties and will continue to meet the listing requirements to be a Tier 2 mining issuer on the TSX Venture Exchange. Uranium Valley is currently listed on NEX and in connection with this transaction will apply to be reactivated as a Tier 2 Mining Issuer under policy 2.6 of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Concurrently with the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Option Agreement, Uranium Valley will conduct a non-brokered private placement offering (the "Financing") of up to 4,600,000 units (the "Units") at a per Unit price of $0.15 for gross proceeds of up to $690,000, each Unit consisting of one common share in the capital of Uranium Valley and one-half of one non-transferable common share purchase warrant entitling the holder to purchase one common share in the capital of Uranium Valley at a per share price of $0.20 for 12 months from the date of issuance.

Immediately prior to closing of the Financing, Uranium Valley intends to change its name to Val-d'Or Mining Corporation, with no change to its stock trading symbol 'VZZ'.

The transactions contemplated by the Option Agreement and the Financing and proposed name change are subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange.

In accordance with applicable securities legislation, all securities to be issued under the Financing will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance. Uranium Valley may pay finder's fees in amounts yet to be determined to parties who introduce Uranium Valley to subscribers to the Financing.

Net proceeds from the sale of the Units under the Financing will be used by Uranium Valley for meeting its obligations under the Option Agreement and for general corporate purposes.

The transactions contemplated by Option Agreement will result in related party considerations pursuant to TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). Both Golden Valley and Uranium Valley intend to rely on the exemption from the formal valuation requirement contained in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101 as no securities of either Golden Valley or Uranium Valley are listed or quoted on specified markets. As both Golden Valley and Uranium Valley propose obtaining from a majority of their respective disinterested, minority shareholders written consent to the transactions contemplated by the Option Agreement, reliance on an exemption from the minority shareholder approval requirement of MI 61-101 will not be required.

Exploration Update for Golden Valley Mines Ltd.

Golden Valley has completed several focussed exploration programs on a number of its key properties in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The work included ground geophysical surveys on the Cook Lake Prospect (Au) located in the Kirkland Lake area, soil sampling at the Island 27 Prospect (Co-Ag-Ni) located between Kirkland Lake and Matachewan along the Larder Lake-Cadillac Fault Zone, and a prospecting program at the Bogside Prospect (Au) located just south of Agnico-Eagle Lapa mine near Cadillac Quebec.

Golden Valley has staked 19 new claims covering 1,088 hectares in the Val-d'Or Mining Camp, north of Val-D'Or, Quebec in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The target selection process was based on the results from the Ministere de l'Energie et des Ressources naturelles (MERN) publication release at their Quebec Mines 2016 Convention: "New Mineral Exploration Targets", in an area previously identified as prospective by the Company. Once the claim certificates are received, a property data compilation will be completed followed by a prospecting and sampling program during the up-coming field season, with the objective of defining surface mineralization for follow-up geological, geophysical and if warranted, drill testing. The property is prospective for Copper-Zinc-Silver (Cu-Zn-Ag) volcanogenic massive sulphide mineralization (VMS).

Lac Barry Gold Project: At the Lac Barry Gold Project (option with BonTerra Resources Inc.), a prospecting and till (results pending) sampling program have been completed as part of the first year, $250,000 work commitment. As announced in the Company's news release dated March 11, 2016, Golden Valley entered into an option agreement with BonTerra in the Lac Barry Prospect located in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, northeast of Val-D'Or, Quebec. In accordance to the option agreement, BonTerra must issue to Golden Valley such number of common shares in the capital of BonTerra, having an aggregate value of $200,000 based on the closing price of BonTerra's shares on the TSX Venture Exchange the day prior to the date that the TSX Venture Exchange issues its written acceptance of the option agreement and the transaction contemplated thereby; (ii) BonTerra must incur expenditures in an aggregate amount of $2,000,000 over a 3 year period. Upon the exercise of the option, Golden Valley shall retain a 15% free carried interest in the Lac Barry Prospect and a 3% net smelter royalty ("NSR"), with 1% of the NSR being subject to a buyback in favour of BonTerra for $1 million payable by BonTerra to Golden Valley Mines.

Cheechoo Gold Project: Sirios Resources Inc. announced on November 2 and 29, 2016 the resumption of diamond drilling on the property. This phase of the program will total approximately 3,000 metres that will complete the 10,000 metre program started last summer. For additional details with respect to the exploration and field work completed to date on the Cheechoo project, as well as for the details on the expenditures made to date by Sirios on the project, please refer to Sirios' continuous disclosure documents available for viewing by the public through the internet at the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com) by accessing Sirios' issuer profile or by visiting Sirios' website (www.sirios.com).

In 2012, Sirios concluded an agreement with Golden Valley regarding the ownership of Cheechoo that allowed it to, upon completion of certain obligations and counterparts, now fulfilled, increase its current interest to 100%. Golden Valley now owns 4,148,374 shares of Sirios, representing approximately 3.99% of the company. Golden Valley also holds a 4% net smelter royalty from all mineral products mined or removed from Cheechoo. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the royalty relevant to gold mineral products mined or removed from Cheechoo (the "Gold Portion") may be reduced as follows depending on the market price of Gold at the time of the payment of the Gold Portion:

1. If the price of Gold is less than $3,000 per ounce and higher than $2,400 per ounce, a 3.5% royalty on the Gold Portion shall be payable to Golden Valley;

2. If the price of Gold is less than $2,400 per ounce and higher than $1,200 per ounce, a 3% royalty on the Gold Portion shall be payable to Golden Valley; and

3. If the price of Gold is less than $1,200 per ounce, a 2.5% royalty on the Gold Portion shall be payable to Golden Valley.

Glenn J. Mullan, P. Geo., the President and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Valley, is a Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101, and is responsible for the technical content presented in this news release.

About Golden Valley Mines Ltd.

Golden Valley Mines Ltd. typically tests grassroots properties while owning a 100% interest therein and then seeks partners to continue exploration funding. This allows Golden Valley to carry on its early-stage exploration programs and systematic exploration efforts at other majority-owned grassroots projects. Golden Valley Mines Ltd. (together with its various subsidiaries) holds multiple property interests in gold, base-metal and energy mineral projects in Canada (Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan).

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Golden Valley and Uranium Valley believe the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or realities may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Golden Valley and Uranium Valley undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that respective management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

THIS PRESS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN IN THE UNITED STATES. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN, AND WILL NOT BE, REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM.
VANCOUVER, Dec. 14, 2016 /CNW/ - Sonoro Metals Corp., ("Sonoro" or the "Company") (TSXV: SMO), announces that through its wholly-owned Mexican subsidiary, Minera Mar de Plata, S.A. de C.V., it has entered into an assignment agreement (the "Agreement") with Agnico Sonora, S.A. de C.V. ("Agnico"), a subsidiary of Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd., for the sale to Agnico of Sonoro's Chipriona project in Mexico for $4 million plus a 1% net smelter returns royalty ("NSR"). The NSR may be purchased by Agnico at any time for $1.5 Million.

The Chipriona project is located in the Mulatos Mining District in Sonora State and is comprised of several concessions totaling 515 hectares, covering the Chipriona group of concessions, Los Pinos concession and private land near or adjacent to Agnico's La India gold mine. The Chipriona concessions account for approximately 4% of Sonoro's total exploration portfolio of 14,351 hectares.

Consideration for the Agreement is to be paid in four tranches by Agnico, with an initial installment of $650,000 payable upon execution of the Agreement. Three additional sequential installments of $650,000, $800,000 and $1,900,000 respectively are due and payable over the coming months following registration of title at Mexico's Public Registry of Mining, commencing with the registration of title from the original vendors through to final registration under Agnico.

"We are pleased with the significant value being realized by Sonoro's shareholders from the sale of the Chipriona project," said Kenneth MacLeod, President and CEO of Sonoro. "The $4 million cash injection into Sonoro's treasury without any resulting share dilution provides ample capital for the ongoing exploration of the Company's San Marcial project in Mexico and the Hilltop project in Alaska."

Sonoro's technical team is preparing the 2017 exploration program at the San Marcial gold/silver project, currently under option to purchase by the Company, located 20 km east of Timmins Gold's operating San Francisco Mine in the prolific Sonora-Mojave Megashear geologic structure of Sonora State. The San Marcial property includes the original mine workings of the San Marcial and Soledad mines that were developed during the early 1900s. Recent exploration by Sonoro has confirmed and expanded upon the presence of four anomalous zones within the 1,000 hectare concessions. Follow-up geological mapping and sampling are planned to commence in January 2017 within the 4 main large gold anomalies in addition to the investigation of three smaller gold anomalous areas. Further details may be found in a Sonoro news release dated March 4, 2016.

Sonoro is also earning a 60% interest in the 12,836 hectare Hilltop Gold Project in Alaska. An exploration program conducted at Hilltop in 2015 confirmed known gold mineralization there. Soils and trenching in an area of previous exploration exposed an emerging gold in soils footprint and included rock samples from new trenching with values to 19.45 g/t Au from continuous channel samples in flat lying arsenopyrite bearing quartz veins collected in Trench 5 from the 1.0 to 2.0 m interval in a zone that averaged 9.71 g/t Au from the interval 0.0 to 4.0 m as more fully described in the Company's news release dated August 10, 2015. Due diligence soil sampling at Hilltop South confirmed the anomalous nature of that area and expanded the footprint of anomalous gold in soils to 400m x 1,800m. Continuation of the exploration program is being planned for 2017.

Stephen Kenwood, P. Geo. is a director of the Company and a qualified person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 and has read and takes responsibility for this news release.

The Agreement is subject to review and acceptance for filing by the TSX Venture Exchange.

About Sonoro Metals Corp.

Sonoro Metals Corp. is a TSX Venture Exchange listed ("SMO-TSXV") exploration and development company with a portfolio of precious metals properties in Sonora, Mexico and Alaska, USA. Sonoro's skilled exploration team in Mexico is headed by Hermosillo-based Chief Geologist Melvin Herdrick, with 45 years of mine related experience, including 10 years as Chief Geologist for Phelps Dodge in Mexico followed by 7 years as Vice President, Exploration for Pediment Gold in Mexico until its takeover by Argonaut Gold in 2011. Sonoro's Chief Operating Officer is professional geologist Stephen Kenwood, with over 20 years of experience in mineral exploration and development.

On behalf of the Board of Sonoro Metals Corp.

Per: "Kenneth MacLeod"

KENNETH MACLEOD

President & CEO

Forward Looking Statement Cautions: This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, relating to, among other things, the exploration of the San Marcial project, located in Sonora State, Mexico and the Hilltop Project, located in Alaska. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include, possible accidents and other risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Sonoro Metals Corp.
The campaign for Ann Roe, who is running for Congress against Lyin' Bryan Steil has come out with the best one-liner of this cycle so far: I can't argue...

1 year ago
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There were many and varied reasons behind the election of Donald Trump as president, but certainly one argument, heard time and again, contributed to his appeal: that the federal government was such a mess that the solution was to run it "like a business" and that the way to accomplish that was to elect a successful corporate executive. Now that the presidential transition is upon us, many of the people being selected or mentioned as cabinet appointees have stronger ties to the private sector than the public sector.Trump is not the first politician, by any means, to benefit from this this claim. Numerous successful state and local candidates have made similar cases during their runs for office. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's argument in his successful gubernatorial campaign centered around his business success. Three decades before that, fast-food magnate John Y. Brown successfully argued that he should be elected governor of Kentucky so that he could run the state like he had run Kentucky Fried Chicken.This is not a 21st-century -- or even a 20th-century -- phenomenon. In a classic 1887 article, Woodrow Wilson, then a professor at Princeton University, maintained that there was a "science of administration" -- arguing, in effect, that there were principles of management that transcended the context in which they were applied. "The field of administration is a field of business," wrote Wilson. "It is removed from the hurry and strife of politics."Later observers and scholars of public administration thoroughly discredited this notion. The pithiest statement on the topic came from Wallace Sayre of Columbia University, who argued in 1958 that "public and private management [were] fundamentally alike in all unimportant respects." In 1979, Graham Allison, then dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, used Sayre's comment as a launching point from which to examine similarities and differences. He noted that both private firms and governments must set objectives, develop plans to achieve those objectives, hire people and direct them toward the achievement of objectives, and manage external environments. But he observed that thein which these things occur is often fundamentally different from one sector to another.Allison cited several examples of officials who went from high-level business careers to high-level government service and judged "public management different from private management -- and harder!" We could add to his list former Goldman Sachs executive and Clinton treasury secretary Robert Rubin, who observed that, compared to government, "the range of issues that you confront on Wall Street is really very narrow."Some consensus has developed among scholars about the fundamental ways that running a government is different from running a business. Here are a few: Government is about this thing called the "public interest." There is no such animal in the private sector. Private firms care about their stakeholders and customers; they do not generally care about people who do not invest in their businesses or buy things from them. Thus, accountability is by necessity much broader in government; it is much more difficult to ignore particular groups or people. Private-sector performance is measured by profitability, while performance measurement in government needs to focus on the achievement of outcomes. Compromise is fundamental to success in the public sector. No one owns a controlling share of the government. When Gov. Rauner and the state legislature refused to negotiate, it resulted in Illinois operating without a budget for a full year. The notion of a separation of powers can be anathema to effective private management. It is central to the design of government, at least in the United States. Government must constantly confront competing values. The most efficient solution may disadvantage certain groups or trample on individual or constitutional rights. In the private sector, efficiency is value number one; in government, it is just one of many values. Government has a shorter time horizon. In government, the long term may describe the period between now and the next election. Thus there is a strong incentive to show relatively immediate impact. Government actions take place in public, with much scrutiny from the press and the public. There is no equivalent of C-SPAN showing how decisions are made in the corporate boardroom. Corporate leaders do not find it necessary to explain their every decision to reporters.This partial list is intended simply to remind all of us that a government, particularly a large one such as a state or a big city or county, is an extremely complex enterprise to manage, much more so than any company. It remains to be seen, of course, how successful President-elect Trump and his appointees will be. To the extent that they are successful, however, it will not be because of their business experience but in spite of it.
While describing himself as a champion for the sanctity of life, Gov. John Kasich vetoed a bill Tuesday that would have forbidden abortions once a fetal heartbeat could be detected.The second-term Republican, however, did sign into law a second bill, a GOP-backed lame-duck measure banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy -- providing an exception for saving the mother's life but none for rape or incest.The Heartbeat Bill's foremost champion, Janet Porter of Faith2Action, immediately denounced Kasich's "betrayal of life" and promised a campaign to find the necessary votes in the House to override the governor's veto. The Senate's vote was veto-proof on what would have been the nation's most stringent abortion law.In his veto message, Kasich said the Heartbeat Bill, which would have forbid abortions at about six weeks into pregnancy, was clearly unconstitutional under U.S. Supreme Court rulings and would have resulted in an expensive -- and losing -- court battle."I agree with Ohio Right to Life and other leading, pro-life advocates that Senate Bill 127 (the 20-week ban) is the best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life," Kasich said. The new law forbids termination of "a human pregnancy of a pain-capable unborn child."Abortion-rights supporters objected to both bans, while Ohio Right to Life members, who opposed the Heartbeat ban, welcomed what they viewed as the more-reasonable and more-likely-to-be-upheld restriction.With the Heartbeat Bill folded into an unrelated measure, Kasich was able to use his line-item veto to remove the abortion language since it was accompanied by a $100,000 appropriation to create a task force. He signed the other portion of the bill, dealing with child-abuse reporting requirements, into law.With exceptions for rape, incest and the mother's life, current state law forbids all abortions after 24 weeks while abortions between 20 and 24 weeks require a medical finding that the fetus is not viable. Only 145 of the nearly 21,000 abortions performed in Ohio last year occurred after 20 weeks.The new abortion regulations, which will take effect in 90 days unless a court halts them, will make it a fourth-degree felony for a physician to perform an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy when the fetus is viable. The crime is punishable by up to 18 months in prison. A conviction also would result in the loss of a physician's medical license.Majority Republicans in the General Assembly passed both measures over Democratic objections during last week's lame-duck session, and Kasich acted within hours of the bills reaching his desk Tuesday.Ohio Right to Life President Michael Gonidakis supported Kasich's decision to veto the Heartbeat Bill, which the group opposed. "The 20-week ban was nationally designed to be the vehicle to end abortion in America. It challenges the current national abortion standard and properly moves the legal needle from viability to the baby's ability to feel pain," Gonidakis said.NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland said, "John Kasich is treating women's health care like a game. He thinks that by vetoing one abortion ban Ohioans will not notice that he has signed another ... Once a woman has made the decision to end a pregnancy, she needs access to safe and legal abortion care in her community. Kasich's actions today will fall hardest on low-income women, women of color, and young women."Iris Harvey, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, said Kasich and legislators who support abortion restrictions "are intent on taking that right away.""In his six years as governor, Kasich has systematically and incrementally enacted law after law to ban abortion in the state. ... Women are tired of politicians telling us what to do with our bodies."GOP legislative leaders held open the possibility of returning before the end of the year to deal with any Kasich vetoes of legislation.While the Heartbeat Bill cleared the Senate (21-10) by a veto-proof margin, it fell short in the House (56-39). Three-fifths or 60 lawmakers in the House would be needed to override a veto.Porter, who lobbied for a Heartbeat Bill for years, said. "It's not over. We are two votes away from overriding Gov. Kasich's betrayal of life" in the House. Porter said she believes two legislators not present for last week's vote would vote to override Kasich's veto, leaving her shopping for two more votes in the House.Franklin County Republican Reps. Mike Duffey of Worthington, Cheryl Grossman of Grove City and Stephanie Kunze of Hilliard voted against the Heartbeat Bill. Duffey, Grossman and Kunze also voted against the 20-week abortion ban. Rep. Anne Gonzales, R-Westerville, was not present for last week's vote, but she voted against a similar Heartbeat Bill passed by the House last year. Republican Reps. Terry Johnson of McDermott and Ron Maag of Lebanon were not present for last week's vote, but voted for the measure in 2015.John Fortney, spokesman for Senate President Keith Faber, R-Celina, said: "This is a House bill, so any override consideration would have to begin in that chamber. If the House chooses to act, we'll have a discussion with the senators about how they'd like to proceed." House Republican leaders did not comment. Mustering enough lawmakers to reconvene within days of Christmas represents a serious logistical obstacle.The Senate (23-8) and House (64-29) easily passed the ban on abortions after 20 weeks. Such a ban has been enacted by 13 states, but federal courts have declared such a law unconstitutional in two states.
Governors on both sides of the political divide expressed uncertainty on Tuesday about what lies ahead under President-elect Donald Trump, whose stances on issues from immigration to healthcare have shifted over the last year."What positions is he going to take back? What things did he say he's going to roll back on and what things is he going to push forward? That uncertainty, I think, causes anxiety," said Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper as he walked the manicured grounds of the spacious Hotel del Coronado, where the Western Governors' Assn. opened its winter meeting.New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican whom Trump mocked during the campaign as an ineffective leader for her state, said when it came to immigration she would like the administration to seek advice from the states. "We should make agreements together because we know our states the best," Martinez said.In interviews, many of the nine governors in attendance expressed their uneasiness about the unpredictability of the incoming administration. Many insisted that states' rights must be upheld and, in a symbolic gesture, issued a resolution noting that "state authority should be presumed sovereign."But with little more than a month until Trump is sworn in, Hickenlooper, a Democrat, is trying to remain optimistic that some of his state's more progressive efforts on, among other things, clean energy, will remain intact with the new administration.Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead, a Republican whose state is a leader in energy production, was cautiously optimistic that a Trump administration would help on energy projects."We certainly hope with the new administration there is a better opportunity to develop not only oil and gas, but energy projects in general," he said. "What we need is more certainty in the regulatory process and to be able to do it in a more timely basis. This isn't only important for oil and gas ... the new administration I hope will provide a permitting process for energy whether it's renewable or fossil fuels that provides more certainty at a less expense that we can get it done in a more timely fashion."Some Republican governors were hopeful that Trump would be more receptive to input from the states about what to do with federal land. Gov. Gary Herbert of Utah, where the federal government owns about 60% of the land, said Washington must heed more local input as to what should be done with federal land -- specifically as it pertains to oil and gas drilling.During the campaign, Trump expressed support for lifting moratoriums on energy production in federal areas that are both onshore and offshore."We're going to try and work with the new administration to find a balance point," Herbert said of new drilling in the state. "Some land will be developed ... but some will be put off-limits, because it's not wise and prudent to develop in some of those iconic areas."Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, a Republican who served as Trump's honorary campaign chairman in the deeply conservative state, said he was optimistic the new administration would have a more collaborate approach about federal land -- unlike, he says, the Obama administration."He's said we ought to be drilling for gas, we ought to be grazing cattle," Otter said, noting that he would be willing to be a "sharecropper for the public lands of Idaho.""We've suffered through some administrations where no activity is preferred to any activity, and that's just not right," he said.On Tuesday, ahead of the governors' meeting, California Gov. Jerry Brown penned an open letter to the Obama administration, urging it to make permanent the existing ban on new oil and gas drilling along the California coast. Democrats and environmentalists lauded the move ahead of Trump entering the White House, and Brown echoed those sentiments in remarks to reporters at the meeting."California has opposed offshore drilling since back into the Ford administration -- a long time," he said.Trump has said he will repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, but Democrats in Washington and nationwide fear the ramifications of millions of people losing healthcare coverage. Brown, along with Hickenlooper and Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana, a Democrat who last month won reelection in a state Trump carried by about 20 percentage points, vowed to stand up to any repeal efforts."In California, we're going to fight to defend our rights and the well-being of our citizens," Brown said.Of the governors in attendance on Tuesday, only Brown and Hickenlooper represented states where voters had approved measures legalizing marijuana for recreational use.Trump has said legal marijuana is a states' rights issue, but his pick to lead the Justice Department, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, has strongly opposed legal weed. He characterizes it as a "real danger," which has caused anxiety among supporters of legal marijuana nationwide.Hickenlooper said he would have liked to see the federal government have more influence back in 2012, when Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, but now that more states are passing similar laws, the federal government should allow the process to continue. He said he didn't expect things to change significantly on that front.
Civil rights activists are meeting with the police chief of Eastpointe after they issued a travel warning against the city for conditions described as too dangerous for Black Americans.The warning was issued after last years videotaped beating of Frankie Taylor by Eastpointe officers, in which he nearly lost an eye. The five officers involved have not yet been fired, and the beating is now the subject of a federal lawsuit.Activists Sam Riddle and Reverend W.J. Rideout will be meeting with Public Safety Director John McNeilance Wednesday afternoon. All hope that a candid discussion will take place regarding what the activists perceive is a pattern of behavior on the part of Eastpointe Police that indicates systemic racism.Rideout says the meeting is a step in the right direction, but still want the officers involved in the meeting to be fired.This is a hateful time in America where people of color are in a constant state of fear regarding inhumane treatment at the hands of racist officers with a badge and gun that are sworn to uphold not violate the law, Rideout said in a statement. You cant beat a dog in America and get away with it. Yet racist cops like the Eastpointe, Michigan police department have made beating Black Americans standard operating procedure with no consequences.Riddle says the travel warning that the city is too dangerous for Black Americans remains in effect.
The U.S. Justice Department will investigate the Hampton Roads Regional Jail, looking into potential violations of the constitutional rights of inmates who have mental or physical illness."All prisoners, including those with mental illness, have a constitutional right to receive necessary medical care, treatment and services," Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division, said in a statement Monday. "The Justice Department will conduct a thorough investigation, led by the facts and the law, to review conditions in the jail."The DOJ plans to examine whether the jail violates inmates' rights by secluding the mentally ill in prolonged isolation and whether it violates the Americans With Disabilities Act by denying services, programs and activities because of an inmate's disability."We will also offer to provide recommendations on ways to improve conditions at the Hampton Roads Regional Jail, when appropriate," reads a letter from DOJ to the jail.The probe will focus, in part, on potential violations of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, which is intended to protect the rights of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities in correctional facilities, nursing homes and mental health facilities."We expected to hear from DOJ and look forward to cooperating with the DOJ investigation going forward," said Norfolk Sheriff Bob McCabe, who is the jail's interim superintendent. Jail "staff has been working tirelessly to improve jail operations and delivery of services. We are confident that DOJ will recognize the positive efforts being made. We look forward to DOJ providing additional expert insight and recommendations during their investigation."Similar probes have been conducted into the Los Angeles County Jail and Orleans Parish Prison in New Orleans. DOJ concluded its investigation into the Orleans Parish Prison in June after reaching an agreement with the facility to install a court-appointed independent compliance director. DOJ's involvement with the jail dates back to a 2008 investigation.In April 2015, Jamycheal Mitchell, who had a history of mental health problems, was arrested and accused of stealing about $5 worth of snacks from a convenience store in Portsmouth. He died about three months later, alone in a Hampton Roads Regional Jail cell with feces on the walls and urine on the floor.Several inmates have since claimed that Mitchell was abused by guards, an accusation the jail denies.Attorney General Mark Herring called for an independent investigation into the jail following the August death of Henry Stewart, which was first reported in The Virginian-Pilot.Stewart, 60, was locked up for violating his probation on a shoplifting charge. His repeated requests begging for medical help were denied, according to a man incarcerated there at the time and a jail document provided by Stewart's family."This is an important development that should help provide some answers about the troubling recent deaths at the jail, as well as a broader picture of how medical and mental health care have been provided and what changes have been made under the jail's new leadership," Herring said in a statement.Several state and local advocacy groups -- including the Portsmouth branch of the NAACP, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Virginia -- had already requested that the Justice Department investigate."We are relieved and heartened that the DOJ is taking this issue seriously and has opened an investigation," said Mira Signer, executive director of NAMI Virginia. "The high number of people with mental illness in jails is symptomatic of a larger issue: inadequate capacity in the community to treat people before they enter a period of crisis, inadequate diversion programs, lack of housing, and more. We look forward to the coming weeks as the investigation gets underway.The jail has made a number of changes in how it treats mentally ill prisoners since McCabe became interim superintendent, including getting sentenced inmates out of the facility and into prison and getting mentally ill inmates in crisis transferred to a state hospital under a temporary detention order.ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Claire Guthrie Gustanaga said in a statement that the DOJ's investigation is encouraging."It is our belief that any mentally ill inmate at HJJR is at serious, imminent risk, and we appreciate the urgency with which the Justice Department is now pursuing answers and solutions to a mountain of troubling human, procedural and operational issues," she said.Mark Krudys, the lawyer for the Mitchell and Stewart families, says the investigation is a hopeful sign."It's a situatio that's been crying out for help for a long time," he said.
(TNS) -- GLENS FALLS -- Officials in New York's Glens Falls and Plattsburgh will explore the feasibility of partnering on a joint economic development grant application next year to demonstrate the potential of regional collaboration, said EDC Warren County President Edward Bartholomew.A specific project or scope has not yet been determined, but possibilities include identifying a common downtown development issue or a regional need such as broadband infrastructure, Bartholomew said."It's wide open," said Bartholomew, who mentioned the possibility at the Greater Glens Falls Local Development Corp. meeting on Thursday and elaborated in an interview after the meeting.If they come up with a concept, the two cities would jointly seek funding in the state's 2017 round of regional economic development council grants, he said.Bartholomew said he is scheduling a meeting with Plattsburgh Mayor-elect Colin Read to start the discussion."It's more of communicating about possibilities between the two communities," he said.Bartholomew said he and Garry Douglas, president and chief executive officer of Plattsburgh North Country Chamber of Commerce, have been discussing for several months that the two cities should look for ways to collaborate, in light of the state's new focus on economic development grants that incorporate multiple regions.Plattsburgh is part of the the North Country region and Glens Falls is part of the Capital Region in the state's regional economic development structure.The state selected both cities as Downtown Revitalization Initative winners this year.
(TNS)  Testing self-driving vehicles on public roads comes with some risk, but the potential benefits  especially in lives saved in traffic accidents  make well-regulated testing worth the effort.That was the conclusion Monday at separate state and federal forums on proposed policies to oversee the emerging technology. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials held a webinar to raise and answer questions about proposed policies released last week, and federal officials hosted a daylong forum in Arlington, Va., to discuss federal policy recommendations released in September.In the Pennsylvania forum, Transportation Secretary Leslie S. Richards said the state is extremely excited about the promise of self-driving vehicles, which she called the next safety step after seat belts and air bags. Statistics show human error was involved in 95 percent of the states more than 1,200 traffic deaths last year, Ms. Richards said, and there is reason to believe highly automated vehicles can sharply reduce the deaths.As a result, she considers allowing testing of self-driving vehicles the prudent thing to do.Kirk Myers, co-chairman of the task force that developed the recommendations and PennDOTs deputy secretary for driver and vehicle services, said the policy recommendations would allow innovation to occur safely.We are committed to making sure [safety and innovation] work together, Mr. Myers said. The PennDOT scale will always lean to public safety.Its important for developers such as Uber in Pittsburgh to test vehicles on active roadways  with a safety driver available to take over in an emergency  to fully test the technology in all road and weather conditions, Ms. Richards said. The proposed state rules would require testers to obtain permission and meet minimum vehicle standards for testing, record the number of miles and locations where vehicles are tested and report crashes.The state plans to submit the policies to the Legislature for enactment when lawmakers return in January.At the federal level, Mark R. Rosekind, chairman of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, cited similar rates of human error in accidents across the country.The federal guidelines, which include model state policies, show a government thats inspired by the safety potential of self-driving vehicles, as well as the mobility they could provide for people who are elderly or disabled, he said.But Steve Shladover, program manager for the California-based Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology, said there could be unavoidable bumps along the way.How do you ensure safety to the public? As far as I know, nobody knows how to do that, he said. The notion we can test our way to proving safety is a fallacious one.
Following the recommendation of a Blue Ribbon Panel and an Executive Order from Gov. Mary Fallin, Oklahoma officials are developing a Web portal that could speed up service delivery for thousands who may have waited years to learn whether they qualify for a medical waiver.One of many issues addressed in April 2015 by the Governors Blue Ribbon Panel for Developmental Disabilities was how to better serve thousands of Oklahomans seeking community services from the state Developmental Disabilities Services Division (DDSD) of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.Many residents on a wait list  that is approaching 7,500, according to one recent estimate  are seeking a Medicaid waiver, a funding mechanism that allows the state to offer community-based services to treat the developmentally disabled at home.Medicaid waivers are sought-after because they can provide thousands of dollars in medical care coverage for services like in-home skills lessons, occupational and speech therapy, and access ramps.But part of their funding comes from a state match to federal monies  which, the panel noted, has continued to be a limiting factor on approving waivers.Oklahoma officials are aware other states have waiting lists of people seeking Medicaid waivers too. But they want to make their process quicker and more intelligent for their residents.Last spring, panel members recommended establishing an executive council of heads of agencies providing support services to people with developmental disabilities.The panel also called for improving online access to information and/or creating a disability information portal to provide comprehensive information about services and resources in an easy-to-understand manner that is helpful to families who are navigating systems on their own.Melissa D. Fenrick, a health planning coordinator at the Center for Health Innovation and Effectiveness and a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel staff, said residents can spend years on the waiver waiting list only to learn they or a family member do not qualify. In other cases, residents who have applied for the waiver just need information, a referral to a support group or something the waiver may not provide  but are unable to find those resources elsewhere."Waiting eight to 10 years is not a good way for people to receive information and support," Fenrick said.The portal, described as a "first stop" by Wanda Felty, who works at the Center for Learning and Leadership at Oklahomas University Center for Excellence on Developmental Disabilities, aims for quicker resolutions.Fallin issued an Executive Order on March 27, 2015, creating the Executive Council on Developmental Disabilities and authorizing it to keep improving the range and quality of services available to the developmentally disabled.Her order also mandated improving the "ease-of-use and prominence of information" on state websites, "including the potential creation of a uniform disability information Web portal."In October, the Oklahoma Health and Human Services (HHS) Cabinet Committee, and the Deliver Interoperable Solution Components Utilizing Shared Services (DISCUSS) approved funding the portal.The portal projects total cost is projected to be $1.2 million, the chairman of the DISCUSS finance committee said. It will be funded by state and federal monies.The governor, who had said in her Executive Order that much important work would go unfinished when the Blue Ribbon Panel sunsetted on April 1, 2015, applauded the groups' efforts."We would like to work toward a system that empowers and supports families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as our aging population, so they can thrive at home and in their community," she said in a statement in October.Last month, state officials were selected to develop the portal and began in earnest. Oklahoma plans to have the portal's first phase up and running by the end of 2017, providing visitors with a list of health-care resources.Felty, who is vice chairwoman of the Advisory Committee to the Executive Council on Developmental Disabilities and a parent of an adult child with developmental disabilities, said in a statement that the portal's first phase should focus on providing day-to-day support. That's one of three types of help, including informational and emotional assistance, that families and individuals typically need."If you build it, everyone will come and thats okay too," she told, indicating the portal will likely also get clicks from Oklahoma residents seeking answer to other health-care questions.The portal's second and final phase, due by the end of 2018, should offer prescreening tools for Medicaid and Medicaid waivers.Family members of people with developmental disabilities have heard the state promise change before, Felty said, adding she is hopeful the portal will transform the process and connect families with others who have experienced what they're going through."What weve learned from experience, as well as [from] families, when theyve got a baby that just got a diagnosis  they dont need to worry about when their baby is 30 years old," she said. "They need to worry about, 'When I get out of this hospital, am I going to be okay?' A professional cant necessarily tell me that, but another family can."Nicole Prieto Johns, a program manager for DISCUSS, said the idea of the portal using available technology and leveraging resources Oklahoma already has is an example of the state working smarter, not harder.She said state officials, like the taxpayers they serve, are frustrated by the waiting list too."I have to tell you, the individuals who work in these agencies, its not just a job for them," she said. "Its a heart and a passion."
The city of Nashville has appointed a chief strategy officer (CSO) to head up the municipal governments delivery of high-level service and accountability initiatives.In a Dec. 12 press release , Mayor Megan Barry announced that Brian Kelsey, formerly of Civic Analytics, an economic research and planning firm based in Austin, Texas, would be stepping in as the citys first CSO.Brian Kelsey will be a great addition to our team in Metro [the Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson County], emphasizing bold, innovative strategies to operate a more transparent and effective government for the people of Nashville, Barry said in the release. While government isnt a business, we can seek out and adopt successful business tools that will improve our operations and lead to better outcomes for constituents.Kelsey will work with department heads throughout the city to better align local government priorities with the budget, according to the mayor's office.The creation of the chief strategist role follows recommendations from the Strategic Budgeting and Innovation Project Public Investment Plan earlier this year. The plan highlights the need for improved transparency and citizen-centric government in the coming fiscal year.Nashvillians should be confident that their tax dollars are being used efficiently to improve their quality of life in Davidson County, said Metro Finance Director Talia Lomax-Odneal. Brian Kelsey, with the leadership of Mayor Barry, will be a critical component of our strategy to ensure our budget priorities are meeting the needs of Nashville."
(TNS) -- WASHINGTON  Ohio Republicans say they support a congressional investigation into whether Russia meddled in Novembers presidential election  but some are skeptical of allegations that the country intervened on President-elect Donald Trump's behalf.Russia has clearly been involved in wreaking havoc among our allies around the world, said Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Genoa Township.I believe this matter needs to be looked into. I have full confidence in the House and Senate intelligence committees, as well as in the Armed Services and Homeland Security committees, to continue their bipartisan work to investigate foreign hacking and cyberattacks on our nation.Tiberis comments echoed those of House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who both indicated support Monday for investigations into cyberattacks.Any foreign intervention in our elections is entirely unacceptable, Ryan said, but added his support for an investigation should not cast doubt on the clear and decisive outcome of this election.Trump, however, dismissed reports that the Russians had attempted to intervene in the elections.Can you imagine if the election results were the opposite and WE tried to play the Russia/CIA card, Trump tweeted Monday. It would be called conspiracy theory!Rep. Jim Jordan also expressed skepticism, saying while Congress should investigate, "I will point out I think the intelligence agencies by and large do a great job, but they've been wrong before."During an interview on Cleveland radio, the Urbana Republican said, "Let's get to the bottom of it, let's have the hearings, but this idea that somehow Vladimir Putin would rather deal with Donald Trump than Hillary Clinton I think is sort of laughable on its face."Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy, also called the allegations serious, but said he wanted to review the evidence."What we do know, however, is that there is one election that was indisputably hacked  the Democratic Partys presidential primary," he said, referring to leaked emails indicating the Democrats' support of Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders. "I call upon the Federal Election Commission to investigate the impropriety of the Democratic National Committee immediately to ensure fair and open elections.Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, told MSNBC last week an investigation into whether Russia meddled in the election is warranted. Sure, Im supportive of it, he said.By contrast, Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown, of Ohio, supports not only the bipartisan investigation, but has called for a separate and fully independent commission to conduct an investigation free of any political influence.Fair and unobstructed elections are the foundation of our democracy, and I fully support the efforts of Sens. (John) McCain (R-Ariz.), (Jack) Reed (D-R.I.), (Charles) Schumer (D-N.Y.), and (Lindsey) Graham (R-S.C.) to fully investigate reports of Russias interference, he said.Its important that Republicans and Democrats continue to work together to defend our national security, but this is about more than politics, and a bipartisan committee isnt enough. We also need a fully independent commission that can conduct a rigorous investigation of Russias role in this election so we can expose any threats to Americas democratic institutions.
The SAE TIR J2954 provides guidance to ensure performance and safety of Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) Systems provided from one vendor as well as interoperability when parts of the system are provided from different vendors. For the first time, interoperability between the so-called Double D (DD) and Circular Topologies has been demonstrated between 3.7 to 7.7 kW with efficiencies exceeding 85-90% under aligned conditions.

SAE International is working to ensure that electric vehicle wireless power transfer systems from different manufacturers can interoperate seamlessly with each other to prepare for commercialization in 2020. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and TDK R&D Corporation, along with the US Department of Energy (DOE), automotive companies and suppliers have completed bench testing to support the SAE Technical Information Report (TIR) J2954. ( Earlier post .) SAE TIR J2954 is a guideline for the wireless charging of plug-in electric vehicles that was published by the SAE International (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers) earlier this year.

SAE J2954 standardization enables any compatible vehicle to pull into a wireless power space and have automated charging without doing anything except parking. Automated wireless charging can also be done in conjunction optionally with autonomous parking. Interoperability between power ratings (up to 7.7kW) and different topologies (DD and Circular) were tested at INL-TDK and proved possible even under extreme offset conditions. Idaho National Lab and TDK has provided invaluable bench data to validate SAE J2954 Wireless Power Transfer. Vehicle data along with autonomous parking and charging (up to 11kW) is needed before a J2954 standard can be published, and the national labs from the US DOE offer an ideal location to have this done. Jesse Schneider, chair of the SAE J2954 task force

INL researchers contributed to the SAE J2954 validation by testing wireless charging systems from three companiesToyota, WiTricity, and Qualcommin the summer and fall of 2016. The WiTricity systemsubmitted in cooperation with Nissanand the Qualcomm systemsubmitted in cooperation with Jaguar-Land Roverboth operated at up to 7.7 kW. The results of the INL tests will be reported to SAE International in December 2016 and SAE will publish the results with members of the test program in 2017.



INLs Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Laboratory, wireless charging testing system. Click to enlarge.

Engineers from Toyota, Nissan, WiTricity, and Qualcomm collaborated with both INL and TDK on site in a series of tests on the interoperability of their respective wireless charging systems. The tests allowed those engineers to adjust their companys systems in real time to improve interoperability performance.

Wireless charging systems work by using electricity from the grid to generate an oscillating magnetic field that reaches upwards from a charging pad on the floor of the garage or parking space to a power capture pad mounted to the undercarriage of the electric vehicle. This magnetic field transfers the energy from the ground pad to the vehicle, where it is converted to electric energy that charges the vehicle battery.

Idaho National Lab has successfully validated SAE TIR J2954 on the bench for test systems provided by the industry, which is an important milestone. This gives confidence in the interoperability, safety and performance values within this guideline. Richard Barney Carlson, an INL engineer who headed up the wireless charging tests.

The SAE TIR J2954 also has a significant part of its content dedicated to EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) and EMF (electromagnetic field) validation of WPT systems. The same companies that underwent testing at INL continued their testing at TDK R&D Corporations Texas based electromagnetics lab for this aspect of the evaluation. Tests on various configurations were carried out on an OATS (Open Area Test Site with metallic ground plane), on an OFTS (Open Field Test Site with real earth ground plane), and on an EMF planar scan range (for human exposure).

Developing EMC and EMF standards and measurement methodologies is accompanied by the implicit responsibility of protecting incumbent services with the target of establishing sustainable limits that allow coexistence and maintain safe exposure levels for humans and medical devices. Part of this strategy involved establishing a relationship between the SAE J2954 Taskforce and the American Association of Medical Instrumentation. To aid in this effort, TDK leveraged its broad expertise in high power, low frequency magnetic field EMC/EMF measurement experience along with the proper testing venues to accommodate the efficient collection of data across all of the participants WPT platforms. Robert Sutton (Senior VP TDK R&D), Co-Chair of the SAE J2954 EMC/EMF Team

The data will be used to further develop SAE J2954 guidelines which will ensure that wireless charging systems entering the market meet established requirements for safety, efficiency, performance under real world parking behavior, and interoperability. Interoperability is viewed by the industry to be essential to broad scale adoption of wireless charging, as drivers expect any vehicle to be able to charge at any charging station. The bench testing at INL and TDK will help SAE develop the next phase of standardization.
UQM Technologies announced the receipt of a purchase order release authorization from China customer ITL Efficient Energy Tech CO, Ltd (ITL), for 300 PowerPhasePro 135 e-drive propulsion systems for the China market. The order is the first production release received as part of the supply agreement between UQM and ITL for the China market. ( Earlier post .)

The UQM PowerPhase Pro 135 provides a peak torque of 340 Nm (251 lb-ft), peak power of 135 kW and 80 kW of continuous power.

ITL, based in Beijing, is responsible for supplying the electric drivetrain system for vehicles in the 6-8 meter light bus and commercial truck market. Due to the widespread interest in the UQM e-drive system, ITL is actively courting new customers in this rapidly growing new energy vehicle class that utilize the UQM PowerPhasePro 135 system.

It has been a long journey, and now that ITL is ramping up for production, this release order of 300 e-drive systems from UQM is just the beginning of new orders for the booming new energy vehicle market in China. Frank Lee, President of ITL

ITL is an independent e-drive system supplier to the entire China new energy vehicle market. Beyond the UQM supplied propulsion systems, ITL is responsible for the supply of transmissions, vehicle control units (VCUs), DC/DC converters and other related components along with vehicle system integration, application and certification support.
Every dog owner knows that their pet can be taught to understand rudimentary English, like "sit," "fetch" or "stop." But despite being called man's best friend, it's not often humans try to meet their pups half-way when crossing the inter-species language barrier - after all, dogs have their own language too.

According to The Whole Dog Journal, Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas identified more than 30 body gestures that dogs use to communicate with each other. Learning just a few might help dog owners have a better relationship with their pet, as well as help them understand when to pull their dogs out of risky situations with other canines.
GREENWICH  The Representative Town Meeting has sent a new labor contract between the town and the Teamsters Local 456 back to the bargaining table after rejecting the proposed agreement Monday night.

By a vote of 105 to 70 with four abstentions, the body blocked further progress of the three-year deal with the union, which represents 389 full-time and 93 part-time employees working for the Board of Education.

Employees work as school custodians and in town departments including The Nathaniel Witherell, Parks and Recreation and Fleet.

Opponents of the contract applauded after the vote.

We need to send a message that it isnt business as usual in the town, District 6 member George Sorenson said. We need to take a look at these contracts. If we reject this contract, it will give the negotiators a little bit more power behind their negotiations.

District 12 member Rob Perelli-Minetti added, If they exceed the amounts we want, we will reject the contracts. Without that kind of a precedent, we are in for years and years of excessive increases.

The agreement, which was reached through the use of a mediator, called for wage increases of 2.25 percent in each of the three years of the contract and would have moved the union members off of the towns health care plan and onto the states.

David Detjen, chairman of the RTMs Labor Contracts Committee, estimated the contract would have saved $1.8 million for the town. He also said 2.25 percent increases were below the statewide averages given in other contracts.

The union itself has not voted on the contract. The vote by the RTM was required by state statute, which gives a governmental body 44 days after an agreement is reached to consider it.

Since the Teamsters have not had a contract in place since June 30, any agreement will be retroactive.

The town will reenter negotiations with the Teamsters. If a new agreement is not reached, the union could ask for binding arbitration.

If we were to reject this contract and it were to go to arbitration, the arbitrators typically look at what the average rate is and it is, in fact, more than what we have on the table now, RTM District 3 member Michael Warner said. The likelihood, if we were to reject this contract, of getting a lower amount is very unlikely.

Town Labor Relations Director Al Cava said on Tuesday he expects to sit down with representatives from the union next week.

A bargaining session is likely for early in January, though Cava said it could come during the holidays if a date could be scheduled.

Cava said an arbitration process would take months.

Representatives from the Teamsters Local 456 did not return a call for comment.

RTM members who supported the contract pointed to several factors in its favor -- including moving the union to the states health care plan starting July 1, 2017, the beginning of the new fiscal year.

By missing the July 1 deadline, Detjen claimed the town would lose about $150,000 a month in savings because the union members would still be in the towns plan.

Warner said rejecting the contract and pushing back potential health care savings was like the town shooting itself in the foot.

Budget Overview Committee Lucia Jansen disagreed, saying the wage increases were above marketplace value in Fairfield County and would have a ripple impact to other contracts.

District 7 member John Dolan, who was against the contract, said the Teamsters move to the state health care plan would gain them benefits that arent in other contracts.

Another opponent of the contract, District 7 member Peg Freiberg, said shifting people to the state plan was a temporary benefit, as opposed to a pay increase.

At best we have minimization of the increase, but any increase that we approve on wages lasts forever and becomes increasingly compounded, as each year percentages get tacked onto the previous percentages, Freiberg said.

Moving the Teamsters to the state healthcare network was the most recent attempt to save money on town insurance costs.

In October, the RTM passed the Greenwich Municipal Employees Association contract that shifted those employees to the state health care plan.

Cava said negotiations are ongoing with Laborers International Union of North America Local 136 to do the same and with the 55 town employees designated as unrepresented by a union.

Collectively those four groups represent 77 percent of the town (employees), which means we meet the 75 percent threshold with the state for automatic acceptance to the states plan, Cava said.

If this is rejected and LIUNA meets the same fate in March, well still go in with GMEA but well have to submit claims to the state and they could be rejected, he said.

kborsuk@scni.com
This story originally appeared on Esquire.

While on tour in San Francisco, Anthony Bourdain was interrupted by a protester claiming he eats dog meat. For the record, Bourdain has repeatedly and publicly drawn the line at eating dog or cat meat on his travels, despite its culinary standing in certain parts of the world. Bourdain calmly denied the accusation, saying, "I like dogs. But how much worse can they be than, like, kale?" Fair question.

The protester continued protesting, however, and Bourdain ditched (relative) politeness to say, "One more second of this and I'm going out and shooting a puppy in the fing head." The crowd went wild, which likely makes Bourdain the only person on Earth able to get people cheering over shooting a puppy in the head.

After more hecklingmostly from the crowd directed at the protesterBourdain ended with: "Thank you for your sincerely expressed opinion... Would you be kind enough now to f off?" And she did, but mostly because security made her. For his part, Bourdain continued to publicly not eat dog meatjust as he has done for years.

This story originally appeared on Esquire.
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More than two weeks after Haitians went to the polls to elect a new president, 16 Senators and 25 Deputies, preliminary results from all races have finally been released. Presidential results have already been contested by the second, third and fourth place finishers while many legislative races will likely be contested as well. However, if the preliminary results are upheld, the Nov. 20 elections will have consolidated nearly unprecedented political power in the hands of PHTK [the Haitian Bald Headed Party], the party of former president Michel Martelly. While PHTK and its allies appear to have scored electoral victories at both the presidential and legislative level, their political success has occurred in a context of extremely low turnout, raising questions about the significance of their mandate to govern moving forward. Presidential Results At the presidential level, Jovenel Moise of PHTK came in first place with 55.67% of the vote. If these results hold, Moise will secure the presidency without having to compete in a second-round election. In second, third and fourth place were Jude Celestin of LAPEH with 19.52%, Jean-Charles Moise of the Platfom Pitit Dessalines (PPD) with 11.04%, and Maryse Narcisse of Fanmi Lavalas (FL) with 8.99%. While the top four vote getters in the 2016 election were exactly the same as in last years election, the results of which were thrown out due to widespread irregularities, the votes composition changed dramatically. Jovenel Moise, who was widely believed to have benefitted from fraud in the 2015 elections, was the only one of the four to increase their vote total over last year. This appears to largely stem from the far wider geographical support that Jovenel Moise received in 2016, coupled with the other top candidates losing substantial ground. As can be seen above, Jovenel Moise received over 50% of the vote in each department except for the Artibonite and the Sud Est. Similar to in 2015, the strongest areas of support were in the north, where he runs a banana export business. But perhaps the most surprising result this year was that he also received 50% of the vote in the Ouest department, home to some 40% of registered voters. In 2015, he received just over 20% of the vote in the Ouest. This accounts for nearly the entire increase in the total number of votes received by Jovenel Moise this year. Still, even with Jovenel Moise increasing his votes from 2015, the main reason why he was able to win in the first round was that all three other candidates lost significant numbers of votes. Celestin received 185,000 fewer votes, Jean-Charles 104,000, and Narcisse 14,000. If these candidates had simply received the same number of votes as last year, Jovenel Moise would not have been able to win in the first round. The long campaign, and the consolidation of private sector funding behind PHTK certainly helped in this regard. With more resources, PHTK was able to more actively campaign and build support throughout the last year. It takes significant money to have party staff across the entire country, an especially important factor in getting ones supporters to come out to vote on election day. As a result, PHTK had a wider national presence of representatives than other parties, according to local observer organizations. Another factor that contributed to the vastly different result was that many more voters were either unable or unwilling to participate in this years election. The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), announced that participation was just 21%, compared to 26.6% last year. However the rate announced by the CEP includes many thousands of votes that were not counted due to irregularities. If one looks just at valid votes, the participation in this years election drops to 17.3%. The 26.6% figure from last year was based on valid votes. Overall, there were nearly 500,000 fewer votes counted this year than last, despite there being 300,000 more registered voters. Even if one assumes that last years participation was artificially high due to the number of so-called zombie votes, this is still a significant drop. In each of Haitis ten departments, fewer votes were counted this year than last. As can be seen in the table above, if the preliminary results hold, Jovenel Moise would become president of Haiti with the support of just 9.6% of registered voters, or about 600,000 votes. While this is far more than any of his closest competitors, this raises significant questions about his ability to galvanize the country once in office. That someone could be elected Haitis president with the support of less than 10% of registered voters speaks to just how low participation has fallen in recent years. Though the length of the campaign and the impact of Hurricane Matthew has been blamed for the low turnout in this years election, by looking at participation from recent presidential elections one can see a clear trend of ever lower participation. The low participation is a far broader issue than anything specific to this years election. As can be seen in the table above, since the 2010 earthquake, participation in presidential elections has plummeted, with this year being the lowest in Haitis history. A lack of faith in the electoral system, voter apathy, and barriers to participation appear to all have contributed to this long-term decline. With participation so low, the political stability that elections were expected to bring will be difficult to ensure. The low turnout number in 2016 is partially because of the high number of tally sheets that were quarantined and not counted in the preliminary results due to irregularities. In 2015, just 3.6% of these sheets were quarantined and an additional 2.2% were never received. This year, 10.5% were quarantined and about 1% were never received. The higher number of quarantined votes could be the result of greater scrutiny applied after last years election. It could also, as some parties have alleged, be a sign that there were more problems than initially expected. Either way, as parties contest the results, a closer look at these excluded tally sheets, should be expected. Preliminary Legislative Results In the Nov. 20 election, first round races for ten Senate seats were held. In addition, second round elections were held for six Senate seats and 25 Deputy seats, these being the completion of last years aborted election. In the commune of Roseaux, the election for Deputy was unable to be held due to flooding and the inability to properly distribute voting materials. While results from the presidential election in 2015 were thrown out, in January 2016, 92 Deputies and 14 Senators elected in the same process were sworn in to office. Haiti had been without a functioning parliament since January 2015 after no elections were held during Martellys first four years in office. Over the last year, parliament has largely been split between political factions and unable to pass much in the way of legislation. When interim president Jocelerme Priverts 120 day mandate expired, Parliament was unable to hold a vote on replacing or extending him. As would be expected given the performance of Jovenel Moise at the presidential level, PHTK candidates for the Senate and Chamber of Deputies also performed well according to the preliminary results. In the 24 Deputy races, candidates representing 14 different political parties secured seats, bringing the total number represented in the Chamber of Deputies up to 25. PHTK led all parties by winning five seats, however together with close allies KID, AAA, Bouclier, and Consortium, the bloc picked up nine seats. Together, these parties now have at least 53 of the 116 members in the Chamber of Deputies. Though not an outright majority, with the rest of the political sphere split, it gives PHTK and its allies by far the largest voting bloc. Sixteen Senate seats were also up for grabs on Nov. 20. In those races, six of which were second round elections, PHTK secured an additional four seats, while allies Bouclier and Consortium each picked up one. In the eight departments where second round Senate elections will be held in January 2017, PHTK has five candidates while Bouclier, AAA, Consortium, and KID combine for an additional five. Perhaps most notable among the list above is the presence of Guy Philippe, elected to the Senate from the Grand Anse department. Philippe was a paramilitary leader that helped oust Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power in a 2004 coup, has been accused of extrajudicial killings while a police commander in the 1990s by Human Rights Watch, and more recently was allegedly involved in an armed raid on a police station in the southern city of Les Cayes. He is also a DEA most-wanted fugitive for his role in drug trafficking and money laundering. Philippe campaigned with Jovenel Moise over the last year. Also of note is former Senator Joseph Lambert, who ran and lost under the PHTK banner in last years election. He is now set to return to the Senate under the KONA party. With the election of six Senators, PHTK and its allies look poised to secure an absolute majority in the Senate. The bloc is guaranteed to pick up at least two additional seats in the second round Senate election in January, as candidates from allied parties compete against each other in the Centre and Artibonite departments. Overall, in the eight departments that will have second round elections, PHTK or allied parties came in first in seven. Participation of Women in Parliament The Nov. 20 election did see the first women elected to Parliament. Of the 106 Deputies and Senators that were sworn in last year none are women, despite women making up more than 50% of the population. Based on preliminary results however, four women have been elected to parliament, one in the Senate and three as Deputies. The electoral law mandated that at least 30% of candidates for office be women, however the actual number who registered and campaigned was far lower. There have also been many efforts to increase the participation of women in elections. Among the data published by the CEP in the preliminary results is a tally of the number of women who voted at each voting booth, which would allow for further analysis and improvement going forward. The original version of this article was published in the Haiti Relief and Reconstruction Watch blog on the website of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).




Haiti - Politics : Funeral of Francois Severin





On Tuesday, de facto President Jocelerme Privert, accompanied by Prime Minister Enex Jean-Charles, attended the official funeral of the former Minister of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineer Francois E. Severin, to the Church of Saint-Pierre of Petion-Ville.



In the presence of numerous personalities from the Haitian political sector, including former President Rene Preval, former Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis, former and current ministers and executives of public administration, parliamentarians, private sector, academia and civil society; Privert expressed his sympathies to friends, relatives, former collaborators and the family of the deceased, before praising the work that Francois Severin carried out during his lifetime. "The noblest words: patriot, compatriot, democracy activist, technocrate, striver, modest peasant, public servant, none of these words could suffice to testify to the excellent quality of the man whose departure we salute today."



Jocelerme Privert also asked the Severin family to receive, on behalf of the Haitian people and the Government, and in his own name, the National Order of Honor and Merit, awarded posthumously to Francois E. Severin, Grade Grand-Croix Silver plate, for its great contribution to the emergence of a new Haiti and for its permanent commitment to the development of agriculture.



Francois Severin was born at L'Anse-a-Veau on 11 December 1946 and died on 8 December on the eve of his 70th birthday. Former Minister, former Chief of Staff of former President Rene Preval, Minister on five occasions, whose the last position under the government of Jacques Edouard Alexis, from 2006 to 2008.



Engineer-agronomist, Francois Severin has written several important works in Creole on agriculture https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19476-haiti-agriculture-passing-of-francois-severin-a-great-loss-for-the-country.html



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19500-haiti-news-zapping-politics.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19476-haiti-agriculture-passing-of-francois-severin-a-great-loss-for-the-country.html



HL/ HaitLibre






















Haiti - justice : Mayor of Petion-Ville accused, claims his innocence





Tuesday, the mayor of Petion-Ville, Dominique Saint-Roc, accompanied by his two deputy mayors and his lawyers, went to the public prosecutor's office of Port-au-Prince to respond to accusations against him, about his possible intervention in the recent release of Jean Hilaire Ladouceur aka "Lele" a bandit suspected of involvement in the assassination of the police officer Rigaud Claude, Sunday 11 December https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19501-haiti-security-a-young-24-year-old-police-officer-savagely-assassinated.html



It is a Commission of 7 commissioners and substitutes commissioners of the government who heard behind closed doors Mayor Saint-Roc, indicated Jean Danton Leger at the end of the hearing, specifying that the police officers who were on duty at the police station of Petion-Ville on the release of "Lele" were also heard.



Commissioner Danton said that due to contradictions between the statements of the Mayor, the Commissioner of Police of Petion-Ville and those of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) linked to the arrest of "Lele", the case was transferred to the investigation office of Judge Jean Wilner Morin for a thorough investigation indicating that Mayor Saint-Roc is charged with at least three counts, including "complicity of assassination and criminal association [...]"



For his part, Dominique Saint-Roc continues to affirm that he has nothing to do with the recent release of Jean Hilaire Ladouceur "It is not worth getting lost in idle discussions. The name of any individual requesting the release of a suspected bandit is always recorded in a register, whether it be the President of the Republic or another. It is up to the judiciary to shed light on this issue. I have nothing to do either close or far with any bandit" claiming to be a victim of political lynching in the media and that he was wrongly accused.



The mayor of Petion-ville is expected to be heard again by Judge Jean Wilner Morin at the investigation office on Wednesday 14 November.



TB/ PI/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





Diaspora of Montreal, REMINDER Passport

The Consulate General of Haiti in Montreal, recalls that in order to facilitate the service of the passports, the photographs are makes on the spot at the Mission Consular since Thursday 1st December 2016.



Cholzer Chancy advocates compromise

Cholzer Chancy, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, said that the political actors must seek a compromise in order to get the country out of the crisis insisting that "[...] the leaders of political parties must respect the decisions of the electoral tribunals."



Digicel Santa Claus Caravan

Every year, the Digicel Foundation celebrates Christmas with hundreds of students from the schools it has built. Digicel employees are thus the first to contribute financially to the purchase of gifts for the benefit of the latter. Also, volunteer employees accompany a caravan to distribute presents to the children of the selected schools. The theme chosen this year is "Makes smile a child !"



Larie Margareth Fortune "Woman Model 2016"

Larie Margareth Fortune, Director General of the State Lottery of Haiti, received the adward "Woman Model 2016" from the leaders of "Platfom Kore Lavi" (PKL) for her courage and dynamism in the women's sector in Haiti.



MENFP Cooperation - IDB

On Monday, Jean Beauvois Dorsonne, the Minister of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP) met Kaldo Echeparria, the new representative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Haiti, to make advance the cooperation at the benefit of Haitian children. Cabinet Director Eliccel Paul and the IDB leadership in Haiti attended the meeting.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Recent resolutions from Hawaii State Ethics Commission:

Nov 21: State Ethics Commission resolves charge against Paul Nash, Professor of Art in Ceramics, Windward Community College

The Charge arose from Respondent Nashs actions as the instructor of a WCC noncredit ceramics class and the faculty advisor for the WCC Student Ceramics Club. The Charge alleged that Respondent Nash collected student lab fees for his noncredit ceramics classes, which he used for his personal benefit and other unauthorized purposes; sold clay to his students at an inflated price; and diverted lab fees and other monies to the Student Ceramics Club for his own personal benefit and other unauthorized uses. The Charge covered the time period of 2010 up to and including 2015.

Respondent Nash filed an answer to the Charge, dated August 8, 2015, generally denying the allegations against him. The Commission and Respondent Nash agreed to resolve the Charge with Respondent Nashs payment of $15,000 to the State of Hawaii and the publication of this Resolution of Charge.

* * * * *

Nov 21: State Ethics Commission resolves charge against Edward N. Chu, Chief Financial Officer, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation

On May 19, 2016, the Hawaii State Ethics Commission (Commission) issued a Charge against Respondent Edward N. Chu (Respondent Chu), the Chief Financial Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC) and Interim Chief Financial Officer of the HHSC Oahu Regional System (Charge No. COMPL-C-15-00650), for allegedly violating the State Ethics Code, Chapter 84, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS).

The Charge alleged that Respondent Chu violated the conflicts of interests section of the State Ethics Code, HRS section 84-14(a), by taking official action with respect to a supplemental agreement between HHSC and a business (Business X) that employed Respondent Chus spouse. Under the terms of a 2013 master agreement, Business X provided certain professional services to HHSC. The supplemental agreement, which was approved and executed by Respondent Chu in September 2015, expanded Business Xs scope of services to provide for a certain project. Business X hired Respondent Chus spouse to provide clerical support services for that project.

The Commission and Respondent Chu agreed to resolve the Charge without any further administrative proceedings, by Respondent Chus payment of $1,000 to the State of Hawaii and the publication of this Resolution of Charge.

* * * * *

Dec 7: State Ethics Commission resolves charge against Gordon Chong, State Engineer, Department of Agriculture

On September 15, 2016, the Hawaii State Ethics Commission (Commission) issued a Charge against Gordon Chong (Respondent Chong) for alleged violations of the State Ethics Code, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 84. At the time of the alleged actions that formed the basis of the Charge, Respondent Chong was employed by the Department of Agriculture (DOA) as an engineer with the Agriculture Resource Management Division (ARMD). The Charge alleged that Respondent Chong violated the fair treatment laws by assisting a state agricultural tenant on a DOA application for approval to construct a farm dwelling on state leased lands.

The Commission and Respondent Chong agreed to resolve the Charge with Respondents payment of an administrative penalty of $1,000 to the State of Hawaii and the publication of this Resolution of Charge.
I am a retired newspaperman. I am 69 and live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 45 years, Lou Ann. We grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather.

More on who I am is here.

Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com
State Ethics Commission resolves charge against Bernie Abella, Adult Corrections Officer, Department of Public Safety

From Hawaii State Ethics Commission, December 7, 2016

On April 15, 2015, the Hawaii State Ethics Commission (Commission) issued a Charge against Respondent Bernie Abella (Respondent Abella) for alleged violations of the State Ethics Code, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) chapter 84. Respondent Abella was employed by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) as an Adult Corrections Officer (ACO) at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center (HCCC) from approximately April 2007 through January 31, 2010.

The Commission and Respondent Abella agreed to resolve the Charge with Respondent Abellas payment of an administrative penalty of $1,500 to the State of Hawaii; restitution of $3,000 to a former inmate (Inmate) of HCCC; and the publication of this Resolution of Charge.

In or around November 2009, Respondent Abella and two other ACOs, ACO A and ACO B, planned to obtain money from Inmate. Respondent Abella planned to cause Inmate to execute a Power of Attorney appointing ACO A as Inmates attorney for the purpose of making a one-time withdrawal of $10,000 from Inmates bank account with the intent that the money be divided and distributed between the three ACOs. 

On November 18, 2009, Inmate executed a Power of Attorney, effective from November 20, 2009 to December 20, 2009, and witnessed by ACO B, giving ACO A Inmates power of attorney for the purpose of making a $10,000 withdrawal from Inmates bank account. On December 14, 2009, Respondent Abella, ACO A and ACO B drove from Hilo to the bank branch in Kailua-Kona where, using the Power of Attorney, ACO A withdrew $10,000 from Inmates account. ACO A was issued a cashiers check in his name for this amount. On December 22, 2009, ACO A deposited the $10,000 in his own bank account. Subsequently, on or around January 7, 2010, ACO A gave Respondent Abella and ACO B cashiers checks, drawn on ACO As bank account, in the amount of $3,000 each. On or about January 11, 2010, Respondent Abella cashed, or caused to have cashed, this check.

read  Ethics Report
Green Power Plant Hits Rivals With $450M Antitrust Suit

by Don Benedictis, Court House News, December 6, 2016

HONOLULU (CN)  The developers of a troubled green power plant in Hawaii say in a federal antitrust suit that the states major electric utility backed out of a deal to buy power from the half-completed, $200 million facility in order to increase the utilitys energy monopoly.

The lawsuit by Hu Honua Bioenergy accuses Hawaii Electric Light of refusing to agree to extensions when the proposed plant hit construction problems, and then terminating their power purchase contract when it decided to buy an existing fossil-fuel plant. The complaint was Courthouse News top download on Tuesday.

The suit also names Hawaii Electrics parent, Hawaiian Electric, and their holding company Hawaiian Electric Industries. Other defendants are Florida-based NextEra Energy, which is acquiring Hawaiian Electric, and Hu Honua competitor Hamakua Energy Partners.

HELCO [Hawaii Electric Light Co.] is engaged in an anticompetitive and exclusionary scheme, including by eliminating competition in the generation and dispatch of power in Hawaii by precluding competition in the relevant market, Hu Honua claims in its Nov. 30 lawsuit.

According to Hu Honua, its proposed power plant would produce about 10 percent of the electricity needed for the island of Hawaii by burning locally-produced biomass feedstock from existing tree plantations on a sustainable, rotational basis.

Besides helping achieve the states environmental goals of moving from fossil fuel to renewable fuel, the plant would create 150 jobs in an innovative agricultural forestry industry.

As of Dec. 22, 2015, the project was fully financed with over $100 million already invested and $125 million of committed capital to complete the project, the company states in its 76-page complaint.

The Hawaii Public Utility Commission approved the power purchase agreement between HELCO and Hu Honua on Dec. 20, 2013. The utility terminated the deal finally on March 1, 2016.

HELCO blamed missed deadlines caused by litigation between Hu Honua and its general contractor and by a labor union dispute.

Over the course of several more months, Hu Honua made several offers to cut its price for electricity in exchange for deadline extensions, but HELCO repeatedly stalled and made additional demands, according to the lawsuit.

In a statement, Hawaiian Electric said the lawsuit has no merit and blamed mismanagement of the project for its decision to terminate the deal.

Hu Honua is trying to shift the blame for its longstanding troubles onto Hawaii Electric Light and were confident we can demonstrate that we have acted in good faith and in the best interests of our customers, spokesman Jim Kelly wrote.

Hu Honua now estimates the project cost has more than doubled to over $200 million as a result of its own mistakes, which it now apparently expects Hawaii Electric Lights customers to pay for.

Attorney Rex Y. Fujichaku of Honolulus Bronster Fujichaku Robbins, who signed Hu Honuas complaint, could not be reached Tuesday.

But the lawsuit blamed the collapse of the deal on Hawaiian Electrics December 2014 merger with NextEra and HELCOs December 2015 deal to buy Hamakua Energys fossil fuel plant.

The merger had the purpose and effect of eliminating Hu Honua as a competitor in the electrical power generation, dispatch, and ancillary services markets on the island of Hawaii, Hu Honua says in its lawsuit. NextEra either ordered or signed off on the termination of the Hu Honua contract, it adds.

The Hamakua purchase would leave only one IPP [independent power producer] providing firm capacity on the Big Island, crushing IPP competition for energy generation and deterring the development of renewable energy generation, it says.

The purchase, which eliminates the need for Hu Honuas green power plant, will give HELCO more than 86 percent of the market for firm dispatchable power and constitute an abuse of its monopoly power in that market. Firm dispatchable power is electricity a utility can reliably call up any time.

Hu Honua represented a material competitive threat to HELCO and HEP, so less than a month after the acquisition was announced, HELCO canceled the Hu Honua power purchase agreement, the lawsuit says.

Although that agreement required 30 days notice to terminate, HELCO delivered its termination letter late on Friday, Jan 15, 2016, and required a response by Monday, Jan. 18, which was Martin Luther King Day.

Put simply, the letter was a loaded gun to the head, Hu Honua claims.

Interestingly, the lawsuit says that about the same time as HELCO was killing the Hu Honua biomass project, its parent company Hawaiian Electric terminated three power purchase agreements with solar power facilities on Oahu.

The complaint accuses the defendants of violations of the federal Sherman Act antitrust law and various forms of breach of contract and unfair competition. Hu Honua is seeking treble damages of the $120 million its sunk into half-completed facility already, plus lost profits of about $435 million.

---30---

PDF: Lawsuit
Following a three-month-long nationwide search, the Blowing Rock Town Council has selected Ed Evans to serve as the Town of Blowing Rocks next Town Manager; his first day with Blowing Rock will be Monday, Jan. 23, 2017. Evans was chosen after a national search that yielded 48 applicants from 13 states including Washington, Kansas, and Texas.

Evans comes to Blowing Rock from the Town of Beech Mountain where he has been the Town Manager since 2015. He will be replacing Scott Fogleman, who announced in September his decision to join his family in the private sector. Fogleman will stay on board through Evans first week to help provide background on current and upcoming key projects.

Ed Evans has been a Watauga County resident since receiving a scholarship to attend Appalachian State University following his service in the United States Marine Corps. He holds a Bachelors degree in Geography and Planning and a Masters degree in Public Administration, both from Appalachian State University. In addition to these degrees, Ed has continued his education in the field of local government development and administration by pursuing certification as a Certified Economic Developer, and completing a certification as Certified Zoning Official. He is currently enrolled in the University of North Carolina School of Government Municipal and County Administration Course.

On September 9 of this year, the High Country Council of Governments held its 42nd annual awards banquet to recognize outstanding achievements and contributions by elected officials, local government employees and advisory committee members. The High Country Council of Governments is a planning and development agency serving local governments in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties. Award winners were selected by elected and appointed officials from the seven-county region. Ed Evans was recognized by the regions managers, administrators, and local elected officials, as the years Outstanding Local Government Manager in the High Country region.

The award acknowledges the contributions a manager has made to local government through his/her professionalism, leadership, and accomplishments as manager or chief administrator. During the award presentation, it was mentioned that Evans is known for having the right kind of initiative required for good government, with an open door policy for staff and citizens. With his stewardship, Beech Mountain has been able to stay in stride with ongoing projects and plans while realizing new and innovative best-use business practices. Nominators went on to say Evans is constantly pushing himself toward excellence, meets challenges head on, and always advocates for the towns best interest.

As the former Town Manager for Seven Devils from 2009 until 2015 and current Town Manager of Beech Mountain, Ed has unique, hands-on experience managing resort towns and tourist destinations. He understands the numerous and unique challenges faced in mountain towns and has experienced and succeeded in many of the same roles he will experience in Blowing Rock. Ed has extensive involvement in areas such as public relations, grant writing, and project management. These strengths will be advantageous to Blowing Rock as the Town continues to implement its long-range Comprehensive Plan and works to achieve the goals of the Blowing Rock Town Council.

I consider my service to our country in the U.S. Marine Corps a life-changing call to leadership, and I look forward to continuing that theme while working for the Town of Blowing Rock, Evans said. Ed has demonstrated character and the ability to lead others through his distinguished service and his leadership at both Seven Devils and Beech Mountain. In these roles, Ed successfully cultivated productive working relationships with staff, elected officials, and the citizens which enabled each of the towns to move forward with improved services while maintaining sound fiscal policies.

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Working class voters who decided they wanted change enough to take a chance with Trump are getting the shitty end of the stick from extremist Republicans he seems unable or unwilling to stand up to. Aside from Ryan and the congressional Republicans, we're seeing ideological overreach on the state level as well. Take Ohio. Trump won the state's 18 electoral votes by a big margin-- 2,771,984 (52.1%) to 2,317,001 (43.5%). He won 81 of Ohio's 88 counties, including 9 won by Obama in 2012. Unless these 5 turnarounds were the result of Russian hacking, they are absolutely stunning:

 Ashtabula: Obama- 55%, Trump- 57%

 Trumbull: Obama- 60%, Trump- 51%

 Sandusky: Obama- 50%, Trump- 58%

 Erie: Obama- 55%, Trump- 53%

 Ottawa: Obama - 51%, Trump- 57%

Those are blue collar, pre-identity politics Democratic heartland counties. And at the same time the Democratic Party conservative Senate candidate-- forced on Democratic voters by Schumer and utterly clueless party elders-- Ted Strickland was just pulverized in a state where he not too long ago served as governor, losing to Rob Portman 3,048,467 (58.3%) to 1,929,873 (36.9%). He only won 4 counties-- and none very convincingly.





Wall Street Journal readers last week, the Of the 16 state Senate seats up, Democrats won 2 and the GOP won 14. The entire state House was contested and the Republicans won 66 seats, exactly double the Democrats 33, a 6 seat gain for the Republicans at the Democrats' expense. Trump didn't lead the party. Portman had 276,483 more votes than Trump and there were no Trump coattails anywhere. But Ohio Republicans feel empowered by the GOP sweep. They immediately passed an extremist and clearly unconstitutional anti-Choice bill . And, as Kris Maher reported forreaders last week, the GOP legislators went wild , passing a bill to block local governments from passing ordinances raising the minimum wage in their jurisdictions.





The Ohio Republicans claims minimum wage workers should be happy with the five cent an hour raise they're already getting January 1 when the state's minimum goes from $8.10/hour to $8.15/hour. That's right in line with the attitude of the virulently anti-minimum wage/anti-union/anti-worker slob that Trump picked yo be Secretary of Labor, Andy Puzder (an Ohio anti-Choice fanatic) who contributed $332,000 to Trump's election campaign.

An Ohio limit could have an immediate effect on Cleveland, where residents are set to vote in May on whether to increase the local minimum wage to $12 an hour in 2018, and to $15 an hour within three years after that.



Brad Miller, an Ohio House Republican spokesman, said lawmakers are confident that the governor will sign the measure. He said some lawmakers were concerned about the effects on businesses if Cleveland and other municipalities were to raise their minimum wages.



The concern is that if you increase costs on employers it makes it more difficult for them to create jobs and to help people in the long run, Mr. Miller said.



About 22 states have adopted wage pre-emption laws in recent years, according to the National Employment Law Project, which backs higher minimum wages. That has sparked legal challenges in Alabama and Missouri to block the limits on cities and local governments and ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage.



In November, voters in Arizona, Colorado and Maine approved minimum wage increases up to $12 an hour by 2020, and voters in Washington state approved a minimum-wage increase up to $13.50 an hour by 2020.



Ballot initiatives that raised the minimum wage received more votes than either of the presidential candidates, and many conservative-leaning counties voted for President-elect Trump but also to raise the minimum wage, said Paul Sonn, general counsel at the National Employment Law Project.



He said he believes that if the Ohio measure becomes law, advocates for a minimum-wage increase will try to put a statewide raise on the ballot in 2018.

Trump may not give a damn about the anti-choice legislation but bill aimed directly at making life harder for working families is something he may have to pay a little attention to. 2018 isn't that far away and even in one of the 3 or 4 most grotesquely gerrymandered states, there are half a dozen congressional seats that could swing back to the Democrats if voters start feeling betrayed by Trump. Forgetting for a moment that the DCCC will probably recruit useless conservative candidates with no message for working class voters, it would be possible for competitively-financed progressive Democrats to beat Steve Chabot, David Joyce, Jim Renacci, Pat Tiberi, Mike Turner and Bob Gibbs in a wave election year. But are the Democrats open to learning from their mistakes? That's a very open question.





House Dems voted to hold on to Pelosi and even though they technically forced her to give up the right to choose the DCCC chair, they voted for her incompetent loser choice anyway, Ben Ray Lujan who was carefully trained-- even programmed-- by Steve Israel to do everything required to lose, lose and lose some more. Keith Ellison, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus is running for the DNC chair on this platform: "Democrats win when we harness the power of everyday people and fight for the issues they care about. It is not enough for Democrats to ask for voters' support every two years. We must be with them through every lost paycheck, every tuition hike, and every time they are the victim of a hate crime. When voters know what Democrats stand for, we can improve the lives of all Americans."
There was a "then"!

God had worked history to bring about the right time for Jesus to come as the answer to his promise to Abraham, David, and his people, Israel.

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law (Galatians 4:4 NLT).

There was a "then"!

We've heard the story so many times that it gets caught up in the busyness and stress, gift-giving and child-like wonder, of Christmas. We sometimes forget that this is no fairy tale or children's story. Jesus' birth involved a series of events that happened in human history, our history.

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David (Luke 2:1-4).

There was a "then"!

We don't know the exact day or even the exact month that Jesus was born. But we do know where he was born, and we do know that Mary did the things with her new baby that other mothers in her time did with theirs.

While [Joseph and Mary] were there [in Bethlehem], the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them (Luke 2:6-7).

There was a then.

This "then" was the exact moment in human time when eternity paused, history held its breath, shepherds were amazed, and angels flooded the sky to rejoice and as the Creator entered the world he had made as baby Jesus.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;

he is the Messiah, the Lord.

This will be a sign to you:

You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:6-14).

There was a "then"!

God had signaled the birth of his Son, Jesus, into the world through a celestial event that star-watchers from far away could see. Even though their religion was false, God used it to invite them to come in search of his truth and his salvation. In anticipation of Jesus' last words to take his good news to all nations, those from far away saw God's sign and came to worship him.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him" (Matthew 2:1-2).

There was a "then"!

Being born into human time so bent by sin and evil ensured that some would not celebrate Jesus' birth as a glorious moment. Some grabbed hold of the time of Jesus' birth to use that date for their own evil intent. Those in power were determined to use the time of Jesus' birth against him for their own gain. The road that eventually led the Son of God to go to the cross and triumph over death through his resurrection was made clear at the time of his birth.

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ...[A]nd he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi (Matthew 2:3-7, 16).

There was a "then"!

And because of this specific time in history, we know the love that God has for us. This great love meant that the immortal and almighty God would become, for us, a tiny baby in a manger. Like any baby, Jesus was a tiny bundle of mortal flesh totally dependent upon human parents to raise and protect him.

When [the Magi] had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son" (Matthew 2:13-15).

This great love meant that the immortal and almighty God would become, for us, a tiny baby in a manger.

There was a "then"!

And because there was a "then," our now and our forever can be filled with the joyous and certain future in the presence of the one who came at just the right time to redeem us and make us God's precious children, too!

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children (Galatians 4:4-5 NLT).

There was a "then"!

This is part of a four-part Christmas series entitled: "Give Me Jesus":

Each has a YouTube video attached to add to their impact and blessing.
Petri Sarvamaa (NCP), a Member of the European Parliament, has voiced his delight with news that the transfers of asylum seekers are to be resumed gradually under the Dublin Regulation as of 15 March, 2017.

Greece has done a lot to fix its asylum system and bring migrant flows at the external borders of the EU under control, he states.

The European Commission recommended last week that the transfers of asylum seekers to Greece be resumed gradually due to the progress achieved by the country to put in place the essential institutional and legal structures for a properly functioning asylum system.

The situation at the external borders has also been mitigated by progress made in the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement and measures adopted in Greece and Italy, according to the European Commission.

The progress represents an important step towards a regularly functioning Dublin Regulation and Schengen Area, says Frans Timmermans, the First Vice-President of the European Commission. Our comprehensive European approach on migration is showing positive results. We can see this in the continued implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement and the dramatic decrease in the number of irregular migrants arriving in Greece, he says in a press release from the European Commission.

The implementation of the migrant-exchange agreement has already brought down the number of irregular crossings of the Aegean Sea from a high of 10,000 in October, 2015, to an average of 90 per day since last March, according to the press release.

The so-called Dublin transfers were suspended due to deficiencies in the asylum system of Greece in 2011.

Sarvamaa reminds that the registration of asylum seekers is the not only the foundation of the European asylum system but also a precondition for the proper functioning of the Schengen Area. European co-operation on immigration and migration policy is in the best interests of all of us, he reminds. It is sensible to help countries under severe pressure on the front-lines cope with the situation. Otherwise, the entire Europe could find itself in an uncontrollable state.

Greece has received a total of 352 million euros in emergency funding to cope with the refugee crisis since early 2015.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
Henderson County officials among tops in pay in WNC

Related Stories

People rarely, if ever, get into a career in public service to get rich, according to popular wisdom. As it turns out, some salaries are more generous than others.

Carolina Public Press recently requested records from each of the 19 counties in Western North Carolina to show what top officials make in each county. Comparing these records shows that some county government jobs and elected positions in the region are far more lucrative than others and not every county apportions its resources in a similar fashion.

In 12 of the states 19 westernmost counties, for instance, the county manager is the highest-paid public official, with salaries ranging from almost $250,000 per year in Buncombe County, the largest salary for a single public official in the region, to less than $55,000 per year for the county manager in Mitchell County.

Carolina Public Press submitted records requests for a summary of the salaries and benefits of the 10 highest paid employees in each county, as well as the compensation packages for elected officials employed by the counties. An analysis of those documents showed large disparities, in some cases, in how counties compensate their employees.

This article focuses on non-elected positions not connected to education. Upcoming articles will look at pay levels for county commissioners, sheriffs and other elected offices, as well as for school officials.



County managers are tops in pay

The county manager, whom county commissioners typically hire, is often the highest-profile unelected official in a countys government. The manager, according to North Carolina law, is responsible for preparing the county budget, hiring and firing county employees, supervising the operation of county departments and implementing the rulings passed down by commissioners. Every county in WNC operates under a county-manager plan.

The manager is the highest-paid public employee in 12 of the 19 WNC counties.

However, in Clay, Graham, Haywood and Madison counties, dentists employed by the county health department are the highest paid employees.

Jackson Countys finance director, Cherokee Countys attorney and Mitchell Countys human resources director are the highest paid employees in those counties.

In Buncombe County, County Manager Wanda Greene receives an annual salary of $241,791 per year  the highest salary for any public official in the region. Greene became the manager of Buncombe County, the regions most populous, in 1997.

Steve Wyatt, the manager of neighboring Henderson County, holds the second-highest salary for a county manager in the region at $185,000. Wyatts compensation package includes a $7,800 car allowance, a $700 phone allowance and more than $70,000 in bonuses.

In Henderson County, the 10 highest-paid public employees all make more than $100,000 a year. County Attorney Charles Burrell receives an annual salary of $152,000 per year and a $10,575 retention bonus. Assistant County Manager Amy Brantley makes $128,750 per year, in addition to a $3,900 car allowance, $772 phone allowance, $9,000 merit bonus and $3,553 retention bonus.

Burke County Manager Brian Steen receives a $158,100 per year salary and a $5,000 per year travel allowance. Haywood County Manager Ira Dove makes almost $145,000 per year and Jackson County manager Don Adams Jr. makes $125,010 per year. Macon Countys Derek Roland ($120,000), Rutherford Countys Steve Garrison ($105,806), Transylvania Countys Jaime Laughter ($100,023) and Watauga Countys Deron Geouque ($118,213) round out the county managers in the region making more than $100,000 per year.

On the lower end of the spectrum, Mitchell County Manager Charles Vines receives a salary of $54,446 per year, the lowest for a manager in the region and lower than that countys human resources director, DSS director, finance director and tax assessor. Yancey County Manager Nathan Bennett receives a $65,586 salary per year and Graham County Manager Mike Edwards receives a salary of $67,995 per year.

Several counties have assistant county managers who make almost as much as their bosses.

Talmadge Blevins is the Haywood County assistant manager and director of the Haywood Health and Human Services Agency and receives a yearly salary of $109,240. McDowell County Assistant County Manager Ronald Harmon makes $58,902 per year. Transylvania Countys assistant manager, David McNeill, makes $92,199 annually.

Buncombe Countys top-tier employees are, for the most part, the highest paid in the region. County health center physician director, Jennifer Mullendore, makes $195,944 per year. Budget Director Diane Price, Planning Director and Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton and Health and Human Services Director and Assistant County Manager Amanda Stone each make $173,000 per year. Tax Director Gary Roberts and Finance Director Timothy Flora make $156,432 per year. All of Buncombe Countys 10 highest-paid employees make more than $145,000 per year.

WNCs smallest counties by population, Clay, Graham and Swain, also have some of the lowest salaries in the region. Clay County dentist Ruth Lima ($117,062) and Graham County dentist Rory Frederick ($141,356) are the only public employees in those counties making more than $100,000 per year. Swain County Manager Kevin King receives an annual salary of $96,294, and also receives a $5,850 mileage allowance and has $6,000 worth of insurance paid by the county.

Yancey County, another of WNCs smaller counties, has four law enforcement officers among its 10 highest-paid public employees. Chief Deputy Shane Hilliard ($54,097 salary per year), Lt. John Robinson ($50,304), Lt. Ryan Higgins ($49,008) and Lt. Daniel Hughes ($49,008) each also have a take-home car, in addition to their annual salaries.

Other counties with law enforcement officers in their list of highest paid employees include Avery County Chief Deputy Troy Cook ($56,890) and Chief Jailer Trina Cook ($54,702), McDowell County Chief Deputy Rick Buchanan ($63,462), Rutherford County chief deputy Jeff Buchanan ($64,394) and Swain County chief deputy Jason Gardner ($47,476).




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Christmas celebration varies from each and every country, culture and religion. If you live in a Roman Catholic dominated country, pretty sure that you celebrate it by exchanging gifts, attending church mass or service and singing Christmas carols.

But did you know that in some countries, Christmas is celebrated in a very different way? In fact, theres some group of people who celebrates it by using the sauna on Christmas Eve! Crazy right?

There are some bizarre, odd and weird Christmas traditions around the globe. Some of the most popular ones are listed down below.

Czech Republic, Slovakia

If you wanted to get married soon and never spend another Christmas alone (single), then try this tradition from Slovakia. Stand with your back to the door and throw a shoe over your shoulders on Christmas day. If that shoe lands with the toe pointing to the door, then youll get hitched before next Christmas hits. If not, then you should try it again next Christmas.

India

Instead of fir or pine trees, Christians in India uses banana trees and mango trees as their Christmas tree. So instead of seeing pine trees inside an Indian (Christian) home, youll see banana or mango trees outside their home lit with bright lights and decors. They sometimes use leaves of banana to decorate their homes for the Christmas season.

Japan

If some people cook and eats turkey as part of their Christmas ritual or tradition, Japanese just order the finger lickin good KFC. KFC fried chicken is the main dish at Christmas for many Japanese homes. Because of the lack of turkeys and genius marketing done by KFC, their fried chicken become a traditional food during Christmas season. According to sources, there are more than 240,000 barrels of KFC chicken sold during Christmas, five to ten times its normal monthly sales. Japan Christmas = KFC Friend Chickens.

Finland

People in Finland visit the graves of their relatives and loved ones on Christmas Eve. They light candles and say some prayers in memory of the deceased. At home, they will leave some food on their tables and leave their beds to sleep on the floor so the dead can have a nice meal and a resting place when they decided to visit.

Venezuela

Personally, I find this tradition quite fun and exciting! Before young kids go to bed on Christmas Eve, they will tie one end of a string to their big toe and leave the other end hanging outside their bedroom window. And on Christmas day, before the Early Morning Mass, streets are off-limits to motorized vehicle until 8:00 am to give way to people roller-skating their way to the church. These people will then pull or tug any dangling strings outside a homes window to wake up the person at the other end of the string.

Ukraine

Christmas trees in Ukraine are decorated differently than the others. If yours are filled with colorful decors and accessories, Ukraines Christmas trees has artificial spiders and cobwebs. According to the local folklore, there was once a poor woman who cant afford to decorate their Christmas tree. One morning, her children saw their tree filled with spiders and cobwebs. And when the first sun light of Christmas morning touched their tree, the cobweb and spiders turned into gold and silver. This gave them great amount of luck thus changing their lives forever.

Britain

Christmas in Britain involves pudding, and lots of it. People here believe that stirring the pudding mix clockwise while making a wish can make it come true. Earlier version of this tradition include putting a coin the mix and whoever finds it (after pudding is serve) will have a great amount of luck.

Spain

In Catalonia, Spain, little statues of famous people defecating is a big part of their Christmas celebration and tradition. Dating way back the 18th century, locals will hide this little statues (caganers) in Christmas Nativity scenes and invite their friends to find it. This caganers symbolizes fertility and prosperity so whoever finds it will get great amount of luck for the coming year.

Via HongKiat, sfgate
What's the bottom line on Russian interference in the election on behalf of Putin's puppet candidate? Was it just propaganda aimed at an easily manipulated U.S. media coupled with fake news aimed at low-IQ voters? Or is there evidence that the Russians actually tampered with easily hackable voting machines in Outagamie Kenosha and Portage counties in Wisconsin, Macomb and Muskegon counties in Michigan and Luzerne and Erie counties in Pennsylvania. Trump's tiny margins in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania handed him the electoral college despite a tremendous loss among voters-- 65,759,248 (48.2%) for Hillary to just 62,915,886 (46.1%) to Trump-- a 2,844,362 popular vote victory for Clinton. These were the margins for Trump in the states where Russia may have been tampering:

 Wisconsin- 22,177

 Michigan- 10,704

 Pennsylvania- 44,292

Outagamie had a lot of voting machine problems but in the end Trump was credited with 51,579 votes (54.2%) to Clinton's 38,117 (40.1%). What makes that worth looking at is that in 2012, Obama and Romney were neck and neck, 47,294 (50%) for Romney and 45,565 (48%) for Obama-- a operation of just 1,729, not this year's 13,462 vote margin. Hillary did win Portage County-- narrowly-- but she lost over 3,500 voters who cast their ballots for Obama. That sounds like a stretch for a county dominated by voters from Democratic Steven's Point-- even if Rostov Veliky in Russia in the sister city. Meanwhile, Trump won Kenosha 36,025 (47.5%) to 35,770 (47.2%), a startling swing from 2012 when Obama won the county 44,838 (56%) to 34,942 (43%). So Trump picked up 1,083 votes over Romney's performance while Hillary lost 9,068 Obama voters.





Macomb County, Michigan gave Obama a 207,992 vote (52%) win over Romney's 191,896 (48%). This year Trump won the county 224,589 (53.6%) to 176,238 (42.1%). Hillary had 31,754 fewer votes than Obama and Trump had 32,693 more votes than Romney. Looks implausible. Hillary did win Muskegon County 36,640 (47.5%) to Trump's 35,962 (46.6%) but Obama's victory over Romney there was 44,436 (58%) to 30,882 (41%). In other words, Hillary lost 7,796 Obama voters while Trump out-performed Romney by 5,080 votes.





Erie County voters went for Obama 65,136 (58%) over Romney's 46,102 (41%). This year that flipped to a 57,168 (48.8%) to 54,820 (46.8%) narrow win for Trump, with Trump picking up over 11,000 more votes than Romney, while Hillary lost over 10,000 Obama voters. Across the state in blue Luzerne County, Obama had beaten Romney 63,974 (52%) to 57,969 (47%). This year Trump somehow managed to walk away with 77,508 votes (58.4%) to Hillary's 51,454 (38.8%), a mammoth swing towards Trump, who won over than 31,000 more votes than Romney and Hillary lost more than 12,500 Obama voters.





Now let me quickly segue to a press statement Ted Lieu (D-CA) just sent out: "Like so many Americans-- Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike-- I am profoundly disturbed that Americas intelligence professionals have concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. In the face of the dire seriousness of Russias actions, Congress has one choice and one choice only: to act. As a veteran who served on active duty and as an immigrant, the sanctity of our democracy is deeply personal to me. My family and I came to this country for the chance to live the American Dream. I chose to serve my nation in uniform to give back to America. Our nations free, open and safe elections are the guarantor of the American Dream and they must be protected at all times. As a result, I hope Speaker Ryan joins with Democrats and Republicans in Congress to call for a full investigation into Russias hacking of the 2016 election. Congress must investigate Russias actions, not for the sake of a political party, or a President-elect, but for the sake of each and every American proud to live in a nation forged in libertys name-- a nation whose democracy has been a shining beacon the world over."





OK, but that still doesn't answer the core question about the nature of what people keep referring to as "hacking." Did Russia actually tamper with the voting machines themselves? Monday, Paul Krugman's column, The Tainted Election , offered no definitive proof, just that it has been "obvious for months" and that the CIA, not exactly an institution anyone should ever take at face value on anything, "has now determined that hackers working for the Russian government worked to tilt the 2016 election to Donald Trump... It was not, as far as we can tell, stolen in the sense that votes were counted wrong, and the result wont be overturned. But the result was nonetheless illegitimate in important ways; the victor was rejected by the public, and won the Electoral College only thanks to foreign intervention and grotesquely inappropriate, partisan behavior on the part of domestic law enforcement."

Did the combination of Russian and F.B.I. intervention swing the election? Yes. Mrs. Clinton lost three states-- Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania-- by less than a percentage point, and Florida by only slightly more. If she had won any three of those states, she would be president-elect. Is there any reasonable doubt that Putin/Comey made the difference?

Robert Reich was writing, at the same time, about a dark cloud of illegitimacy hanging over the Trump presidency, pointing out, first and foremost that "the CIA has concluded that Russia intervened in the election in order to help Trump become president. The secret CIA assessment found that Russian operatives covertly interfered in the election campaign in an attempt to ensure the Republican candidates victory." He wants Trump to release his tax returns before the Electoral College votes next week. That's not going to happen. And he wants the CIA to share its secret intelligence on Russian hacking. And that's not going to happen either.













Clint Watts, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia and the Homeland Security Policy Institute at the George Washington University, and Andrew Weisburd, formerly executive officer of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, pubished a provocatively titled post at

,

. "You don't need security clearance," they assert, "to understand how Vladimir Putin does it. Just open your eyes... As analysts who have spent years studying Russias influence campaigns, were confident the spooks have it mostly right: The Kremlin ran a sophisticated, multilayered operation that aimed to sow chaos in the U.S. political system, if not to elect Trump outright." But they insist it was

by hacking voting machines or manipulating the results.

The Kremlins canny operatives didnt change votes; they won them, influencing voters to choose Russias preferred outcome by pushing stolen information at just the right time-- through slanted, or outright false stories on social media. As we detail in our recent report, based on 30 months of closely watching Russias online influence operations and monitoring some 7,000 accounts, the Kremlins troll army swarmed the web to spread disinformation and undermine trust in the electoral system.



And America was just the latest target. These active measures are techniques Moscow has honed for decades, continually adapting its formula to changing technology and new circumstances. All of it is in service of Putins grand strategy of breaking up the European Union and NATO from the inside out-- without even firing a shot.



Having shattered many Americans faith in their democracy, Russia now feels emboldened. And with major elections coming up in France, Germany and the Netherlands, you can bet that Putins work is not done. Heres how he does it:



1. Pick close contests: In both the British referendum and U.S. presidential votes, Russia happened upon an almost perfectly divided electorate. It took a nudge of just a few percentage points in each case to achieve victory.



The final Brexit tally came in at 51.9 percent Leave and 48.1 percent Remain-- so Russia needed only to turn or rally roughly 157,000 votes across the United Kingdom to deliver a major blow to the EU.



The U.S. election may consist of a far larger number of votes, but the system, we now know, can be gamed even more easily. Russian social media influence efforts needed to pump up Trump and tear down Clinton in just four key states. Trump won Wisconsin and Michigan by less than 1 percent and Florida and Pennsylvania by less than 1.5 percent. Could Russias hacks of Democrats and the resulting media storm cost the Clinton campaign seven to eight thousand swing votes or repress an equivalent turnout in Wisconsin? Many will immediately point out its impossible to prove Russia caused a Trump victory, and they are correct. But what if we find Russian influence correlated with preferable voting outcomes in Brexit, the U.S. and across up to more than a half dozen elections across Europe?



2. Know your audience: In 2008 and 2012, Barack Obamas strategists conducted a surgical influence effort, mapping key votes down to the neighborhood level. Russian operatives have borrowed from this playbook and targeted audiences vulnerable to their influence across the West-- largely supporters of the alt-right and others angered by the perceived effects of globalization, immigration, terrorism and economic hardship. In the U.S., Russias blending of semi-overt and covert social media accounts use common hashtags and phrases to create what appear to be conservative Trump supporters or alt-right cheerleaders. These social media personas, whose bios are littered with words like country, Christian, America and military, then push pro-Trump hashtags loaded with skewed and fake news at American audiences, helping generate organic Trump support and distrust of the U.S. government. These accounts tweet hashtags and keywords in unison at specified time intervals and carry odd follower relationships fitting inorganic, mathematical patterns. In one example from July, two Russian propaganda outlets pushed a fake news story claiming that Incirlik Air Base in Turkey-- a facility used by NATO-- was overrun by terrorists, using the hashtags #trumppence16 and #benghazi to attract a pro-Trump audience.



3. Start early and be persistent: As early as August 2015, Russian English-language outlets and their social media allies were promoting Trump-- at a time when the idea that he could actually win seemed a distant fantasy. And they kept going throughout the Republican primary, surging at key times. Put differently, Russia didnt just intervene in the general election against Hillary Clinton-- it helped him defeat his anti-Moscow GOP rivals, too...



4. Try everything. Stick with what works: Todays Russian propagandists borrow from the playbook of their Soviet forefathers. RT and Sputnik News push political, financial, social and calamitous messages stoking fear and conspiracy into the information environment of any democratic audience suspicious or outwardly hostile to Russia. Since the summer of 2015, weve observed Russian messaging pushed to groups across the spectrum, the left and the right politically. Anarchists, anti-capitalists, white supremacists and anti-government militias have all received Russian English-language directed propaganda through the targeted application of bots and person-to-person engagement from what appear to be fellow Americans with strong Russian leanings...



5. Hack and release: Russias synchronization of hacking and influence operations provides a one-two punch for manipulating democratic audiences. In the old days, Soviet Kompromat, or compromising materials, were used by KGB agents to encourage Western officials and public figures to speak and act in ways more amenable to Soviet objectives, via threats to expose criminality, corruption or sexual misbehavior. Today, Russias hacking teams, two of which security researchers have dubbed Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear, conduct wide-ranging kompromat hacking into thousands of current and former Western government officials, media personalities and national security experts. Russia then strategically releases true, manipulated true, and false information to data dumpsites such as WikiLeaks. These information nukes fuel Russian overt propaganda and supply dozens of fringe conspiratorial news sites. Russias cyber kompromat playbook appears to have a new target. Germany, the key remaining player in the EU, has already noted Russian hacks against its parliament in 2015, along with a sharp uptick in propaganda ahead of the countrys upcoming elections.



6. Use brute force to overwhelm adversaries: Soviet military doctrine employed the principle of mass to counter Western forcesemploying three to four times the artillery of their enemies. Once the Soviets found a break in enemy lines, theyd exploit the breach, occupy a position in the rear area of the enemy and then fight from a defensive position. Todays Russian social media influence operations employ a similar approach. After using hacked information to craft manipulated truths, Russia propagates and amplifies stories using automated bots. Series of accounts programmed to appear as members of the target audience comment, retweet and share breaking conspiracies at a dizzying pace, turning keyword hashtags into Twitter trends. When successful, this artificial volume entices mainstream media outlets to engage on the trending issue, further amplifying the Kremlins narrative. Even if the false or manipulated truth pushed by Russian bots is later proven false, the firehose of fake or manipulated news often drowns out the mainstream medias efforts to correct the record. The net result is an information world in which Western electorates cannot distinguish fact from fiction, eroding the integrity of democratic institutions and the voters trust.



7. Win even when you lose. Russia would prefer that its chosen candidates be victorious, but losing is almost as good: Putin and company are happy just to foment chaos, confusion and doubt. It doesnt even take much. The mere allegation that voter rolls in Illinois and Arizona had been hacked raised concerns of a rigged outcome, lending credibility to wild claims like those the Green Partys Jill Stein leveled in Wisconsin. Even the Electoral College, historically a rubber stamp, is becoming another partisan battlefield. And now, with many Americans embittered by the nastiest election in memory and squabbling over the very question of Russian meddling, Putin can sit back and admire his handiwork. Because either way, hes already won.

UPDATE: Of Course The Voting Machines Are Hackable




Actress Aoibheann McCaul at the European premiere of BIG the Musical at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre,Dublin.

Actress Aoibheann McCaul says she was never worried Fair City would be farmed out by RTE.

In the wake of the State broadcaster outsourcing its young people's programming to cut costs, there was speculation the long-running soap would be the next to leave Montrose.

However, the Malahide woman, who plays Caoimhe on the series, said Fair City makes far too much money for RTE to consider outsourcing.

Sorrow

"I wasn't worried in the

slightest. It was complete speculation with the young people's thing, so I wasn't worried.

"Fair City is doing really well and it's bringing money in so I can't understand why you would outsource it," she told the Herald.

The Dubliner expressed sorrow over the future of RTE's children's department and has her fingers crossed the presenters involved will land on their feet.

"It's very sad, and I'm not really sure what's going to happen. The young people's department was always fab. I actually started off there, I was on a show with Dustin the Turkey.

"It just depends what happens now. Do the same shows start up outside? I wouldn't like to see any of the hard-working presenters lose their jobs, but I don't know how it's going to work."

The TV star was speaking at the opening of Big: The Musical at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre last night.

It seems the fun musical was the perfect excuse for a family night for some.

TV star Baz Ashmawy and partner Tanya Evans stepped out with their family at the European premiere of the musical, while model Gail Kaneswaran was joined by her teenage daughter Kiva.

RTE presenter Marty Whelan meanwhile, enjoyed some down-time with his daughter Jessica.

Actress Caroline Morahan was happy to be home for the festive period after returning from LA.

Models Aoife Walsh, Teo Sutra and Brittany Mason and presenter Colm Hayes were also on hand at the premiere.

Former 2fm star Colm weighed in on Anton Savage's recent departure from Today FM, noting the exit seemed a "bitter" one.

"The way it happened was quite bizarre. He sent out a press release and then they came out with theirs."

The broadcaster noted that the Irish radio industry is quite small and "you don't want to burn bridges".
The trial of a doctor charged with manslaughter has heard how she "broke all the rules" when she gave too much sedative to her severely disabled daughter.

Bernadette Scully, of Emvale, Bachelor's Walk, Tullamore, Co Offaly, denies the manslaughter of 11-year-old Emily Barut by an act of gross negligence on September 15, 2012, involving the administration of a toxic level of the sedative chloral hydrate.

Closing statements for both sides were heard in the trial at the Central Criminal Court yesterday.

Tara Burns, prosecuting, told jurors they were not being asked to determine if Dr Scully was a good mother and said no one was questioning her love and care for her child over the years.

However, she claimed that, as a mother and a GP, the accused had a duty of care and would have known the safe level of chloral hydrate.

Emily had microcephaly, severe epilepsy and could not speak or move, and had been in pain for the last eight days of her life after the tube in her stomach, through which she received fluids and medication, was replaced.

Dr Scully said she administered chloral hydrate when Emily became upset at 2am and again at 6am. She said she had a massive fit after 11am and she administered more.

Ms Burns said that, by her own admission, Dr Scully had an "absolute rule" never to administer more than 20ml of chloral hydrate within a 24-hour period, which was in line with what experts said.

Conduct

However, on the date of Emily's death, "Ms Scully broke all those rules", administering 34ml by 11am. She said the prosecution did not have to prove the level of chloral hydrate was the only cause of death, but a substantial cause.

Ms Burns claimed Dr Scully's conduct after her daughter's death - two attempts to take her own life, failing to tell her partner that Emily was "dead in the bedroom" and the note she wrote - constituted evidence that she acc- epted she was responsible for Emily's death.

Ken Fogarty, defending, said it was "an eye-opener" that society could heap such responsibility on the shoulders of one woman and "when it goes wrong, turn around and say, 'You killed her'".

He said his client had looked after the child on her own while working as a GP with little support.

"In the human condition, people do make mistakes," he added.

He questioned why nobody had asked whether Emily had suffered a fatal seizure that day.

Mr Fogarty pointed out that the state pathologist said Emily could have died of a terminal seizure at any time.

"I believe in the coverage this case has got, that maybe there'll be a debate, depending on your decision," he concluded.

The jury is expected to begin its deliberations later today.
A man who flew from Argentina to Dublin with 34 cocaine pellets inside his body - giving him what he described as the "most painful ordeal of his life" - has been given a partially suspended sentence.

Samuel Templeman (36), an unemployed handyman from the UK, spent several days with drug dealers in Buenos Aires, where he was taught how to swallow the pellets, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

He was supposed to ingest 100 pellets but was only able to swallow 15 before he inserted another 17 in his body and placed two more between his buttocks, Gda John O'Reilly told prosecuting barrister Caroline Cummings.

He then boarded the 14-hour flight to Ireland, where he was picked up by customs officers on his arrival last May 8.

Templeman, with an address in Lynton Road, Surrey, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing cocaine for sale or supply at Dublin Airport. He has no previous convictions.

Vulnerable

Sentencing him to three years' imprisonment, with the final two-and-a-half years suspended, Judge Pauline Codd noted he was "vulnerable prey" to the drug dealers. He has since been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, the court heard.

The judge backdated the sentence to when he first went into custody, meaning he is now eligible for release.

Templeman told gardai he took up an offer from a friend to take a 10-day "holiday" to pick up the drugs after he lost his job and needed the money. He was paid 2,500 (3,000) for smuggling the cocaine, which had a street value of 23,870.

"The flight was the most uncomfortable and painful ordeal of his life," defence barrister Seamus Clarke said. "He was relieved when he met gardai."

The court heard Templeman made immediate admissions to officers.

Templeman started using cannabis and drinking at the age of 11. Despite this, he had an excellent work history, Mr Clarke said.

However, he fell into depression when he lost his job and his five-year marriage broke down.
An asylum-seeker who took a false identity to work in Ireland before claiming 50,000 in benefits when he lost his job has avoided going to prison.

Samba Sow claimed for Jobseeker's and rent allowance under the name Moussa Sow between 2011 and 2014.

His deception was spotted by the Department of Social Protection's facial recognition software when he became leg- itimate last year and tried to drop his false identity, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

Sow, of Kilakee Way, Fir- house, Dublin, admitted 18 counts of welfare theft at Phibsboro Post Office and AIB, Ballsbridge, between April 2011 and December 2014.

Handing him a suspended two-year sentence, Judge Catherine Murphy noted that although Sow claimed his entitlements under a bogus name, he never tried to claim double payments.

"As soon as he was given an alternative social welfare payment, he ceased claiming the first payment," she said.

Passport

Gda Nigel Daly told Dean Kelly, prosecuting, that Sow arrived in Ireland from Senegal in 2007 and claimed asylum. Based in Tralee, Co Kerry, he received 19 support a week.

He then paid 900 for a French passport with the name Moussa Sow which allowed him to work in Ireland. He acquired a PPS number under the false identity and worked in a pub in Dublin for the next four years. While working, Sow paid income tax and PRSI.

Mr Kelly said he was made redundant and began claiming benefits as Moussa - 50,006 in total over the next four years.

However, when granted permission to live in Ireland, he brought the claim under Moussa Sow to an end and made a legitimate claim in his real name, Mr Kelly said. He was detected and arrested. Sow has no previous convictions.

Paul McCarthy, defending, said Sow contacted the authorities and has so far paid back 1,000.

He continues to support his wife and two children in Africa and hopes to gain employment soon.
Revenues at the Irish arm of Gucci - one of the world's best-known luxury brands - tripled to 3.9m last year.

The sharp increase in revenues at Gucci Ireland Ltd comes on the back of a successful new store opening at the Kildare Village in July last year.

The 190pc rise in revenues saw the firm return to the black to record pre-tax profits of 41,336 in the 12 months to the end of February this year. This followed the company recording a pre-tax loss of 87,901 in the previous year.

However, the expansion of the business doesn't point to a soaring demand by Irish people for Gucci handbags and other Gucci goods.

The Gucci directors stated that "a significant proportion of our sales performance is linked to the level of tourism in Ireland".
The day will consist of a series of 6 high-level conferences addressing issues relating to renewable energy and just transition.
Afghanistan continues to enjoy extraordinary support from the international community. This support was reinforced at the Warsaw Summit in July, where the United States and its NATO allies and partners agreed to sustain the Resolute Support Mission beyond 2016 and to provide financial support for Afghan security forces through 2020.

In October, at the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan, the United States and over seventy other countries pledged to continue development assistance through 2020.

Earlier this month, representatives of Afghanistan and 13 other countries in the region met in Amritsar for the sixth annual Heart of Asia Conference. They were joined by over 20 other supporting organizations and countries, including the United States.

Speaking for the United States, Acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Laurel Miller explained that "[w]hile the support of the international community remains essential, what is just as important ... is the support and partnership of Afghanistans neighbors. Establishing enduring security and self-sustaining economic development within Afghanistan requires a common regional effort. By the same token, security and economic progress in Afghanistan will benefit the entire region."

"The threat of terrorism remains a serious concern in Afghanistan and throughout the region," said Ms. Miller. "In this second year since Afghan forces assumed full security responsibility for their country, they have performed admirably in combating a determined enemy," she said. In the coming year, it will be critical for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces to continue improving their capabilities.

It is also essential that the Afghan government continue to strive to create the conditions for a durable peace. An Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process is the surest way to end the conflict and bring stability to Afghanistan. The United States strongly supports such a process.

"We commend the Afghan government for concluding a peace agreement with Hizb-e Islami, and believe that successful implementation of the agreement can send an important message to other militant groups," said Ms. Miller.

Ms. Miller also welcomed the Afghan government's recent appointment of new elections commissioners and the successful prosecutions of officials for corruption.

The security, political stability, and economic prosperity of Afghanistan and the region are inextricably intertwined. That's why the U.S. remains resolute in its support of stronger regional cooperation and economic integration as the way forward for Afghanistan and the region.
ELKO  Smokey Chrisman recalls being a sophomore at Eureka High School in 1992 when she first realized she wanted to pursue medicine.

I was in a car accident that same year. After routine X-rays, doctors discovered there was a tumor on my left shoulder, said Chrisman, now 40, who is pursuing the biological sciences bachelors degree at Great Basin College.

After undergoing tests, all results said the tumor was benign.

The following year, Chrisman relocated to Washington State where she attended a vocational high school, receiving her certified nursing assistant credentials alongside her high school diploma.

After graduating from high school and giving birth to her first child she immediately enrolled in classes to continue her education.

I was a traditional student back then. There was no question if I would attend college and pursue medicine. I knew it was my destiny, Chrisman said.

While in her second semester of college, Chrisman began to feel pain in her left shoulder.

She learned the mass located in her shoulder had turned into a cancerous tumor during her pregnancy and it was beginning to spread rapidly.

Doctors speculated a hormone produced during pregnancy led the tumor in her shoulder to turn cancerous.

She was diagnosed with an osteosarcoma a rare form of bone cancer.

After undergoing her first surgery and chemotherapy, doctors said she had a 40 percent chance of survival. Chrisman spent the next 10 years in and out of doctor offices.

I underwent a total of nine surgeries in 10 years in-order to keep movement in my arm, Chrisman said.

In that time period, Chrisman continued to work in the medical field while battling and eventually overcoming the disease.

I started at the bottom of healthcare. After working as a CNA, I later became an EMT. I did that for many years. In-fact, I was an employed EMT-I when I was undergoing six of my nine surgeries, Chrisman explained.

After her ninth surgery, doctors decided she was well enough to go back to school.

In 2005, Smokey received her associate of applied science degree in medical assisting from Kaiser University online.

She then worked as a medical assistant in Elko for several years before deciding she wanted to pursue more education.

Being a medical assistant wasnt something I felt okay doing for the rest of my life. I wanted a bachelors degree that would allow me to pursue more in medicine. When the biology program came about, I said, sign me up, said Chrisman.

Today, Chrisman is three semesters away from graduating with her bachelors degree.

I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it all feels worth it, she said.

Her next goal is to become a physicians assistant.

Chrisman says she has researched quite a few physician assistant schools, however, the new physicians assistant program at the University of Nevada, Reno appeals to Chrisman for certain reasons.

The program is seeking rural Nevada women applicants. Not only rural applicants, but specifically applicants who want to return to practice in rural Nevada, like me, Chrisman said.

Chrisman is a dedicated student, spending about eight hours per day on-campus, where she also works as a biology tutor.

Shes a very hardworking student, said biology professor David Freistroffer. Our bio degree is very appropriate for students like Smokey who have experience in medicine and want to go into something similar to a physician assistant program, which often require extensive clinical work experience.

When Chrisman shares her story, she likes to remind others that going back to school is possible even for the most non-traditional students.

I am a mother, grandmother, cancer survivor and college student, said Chrisman. If my story can inspire even one person, its worth being told.

The Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences degree is available to students who are studying at the Elko and Pahrump campuses. For more information about the biological sciences degree program, contact David Freistroffer at david.freistroffer@gbcnv.edu.
Candidates with no legislative history not uncommon

Maryland's candidates for governor do not have long legislative records. Wes Moore has none at all. Analysis shows that is not uncommon.
ELKO  Operation Christmas Childs National Collection Week ended Nov. 21, during which Elko and surrounding area residents generously contributed to the record-breaking collection of more than 12,700 gift-filled shoeboxes for children in need.

This years gift collection from the Elko area is an increase over last years collection of 10,058 gifts. The Operation Christmas Child Northern Nevada Area Team is now thanking the Elko community for their gift donations already on their way to children in need worldwide.
WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., this week released the following statement in regard to four bipartisan initiatives, critical to Nevadas 2nd Congressional District, which were accomplished in the House during the final days of the 114th Congress:

Achieving just one of these measures before the end of the 114th was considered unlikely, said Amodei, so the fact that all four of these bills have been embraced by House Leadership and their Committees of Jurisdiction and also approved out of the House before Congress adjourned is tremendous news for Nevada in itself.

Specifically, Congress has sent to the Presidents desk S. 612, a bill recognizing Lake Tahoe as a national priority and H.R. 875, legislation to streamline international travel at the Reno-Tahoe Airport. Each of these bills is expected to be signed into law.

In addition, the House advanced H.R. 6303, which will create a new zip code for residents of Storey County, and Amodeis veterans affairs bill, H.R. 4298, to properly recognize a deserving group of veterans who account for nearly 10 percent of all Vietnam casualties.

The significance of House-passage is the basis for optimism and quick treatment next year, Amodei continued. I thank my colleagues for working hard to champion these Nevada-centric priorities through Congress. While there is still much work to be done, Im especially pleased to be going into 2017 knowing that several priorities important to Nevadans were able to become law. Come January, I plan to hit the ground running, wasting no time working on Nevadas behalf to move three lands bills requested by Washoe, Douglas, and Pershing Counties, as well as much needed work on healthcare, immigration, and jobs.
In what Harry Reid himself called my final speech this past week on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Nevadas senator for the past three decades and minority or majority leader of Senate Democrats for more than a decade rambled for 77 minutes in his customary monotone through a disjointed litany of accomplishments and a painfully personal autobiography of his ascent from poverty in Searchlight, where his mother did laundry for the brothels.

Reid retires from the Senate in January.

Toward the end of his speech, Reid, after chiding the press for focusing too much of late on scandals and fake news, said, I acknowledge the importance of the press. I admire what you do and understand the challenges ahead of you. But be vigilant because you have as much to do with our democracy as any branch of government. This is best understood by listening to what George Orwell had to say a long time ago, and I quote: Freedom of the press if it means anything at all means the freedom to criticize and oppose. So press, criticize and oppose, please do that.

That has not been his attitude in the past, as many longtime Nevada journalists can well attest, but consistency has never been Harrys strong point, and far be it from us to ignore his admonition.

For example, in his farewell speech Reid flatly stated, I have no problem with coal, even though in the past he has declared coal makes us sick. Seconds later he was bragging about his role in blocking construction of several new coal-fired power plants in Nevada and the shutting down the existing ones.

Thats a quicker than usual 180-degree turn even for Reid. In February, Reid called horror stories about ObamaCare tales, stories made up from whole cloth, lies distorted by the Republicans to grab headlines or make political advertisements.

One month later to the day, Reid flatly denied ever calling such ObamaCare stories lies. That is simply untrue, I have never come to the floor in my recollection, he said. I never said a word about any of the examples that Republicans have given regarding ObamaCare and how its not very good.

Sometimes it has taken years for Reid to reverse course. In 1993 he called for an end to birthright citizenship by which the children born here of illegal immigrations are declared citizens, saying, No sane country would do that. Now, he says the opposite.

He once called the spending of the Social Security trust fund embezzlement, but now says everything is just fine and nothing needs to be done.

Though Reid droned on at length in his speech about his impoverished upbringing, he hardly touched on the fact that, while spending most of his adult life drawing a public salary, he is a multimillionaire.

In 1998 Reid invested $400,000 in a parcel of land in Las Vegas, but transferred the land to another party three years later for the purchase price, according to records. Yet, when the land sold in 2004 he pocketed $1.1 million. Reid aides dismissed the earlier deal as a technical transfer.

Sometimes his efforts fell short. After Reid acquired 160 acres in Bullhead City, Ariz., the land was expected to increase in value after Reid passed a bill to spend $20 million to build a bridge over the Colorado River nearby, but the bridge was never built.

Then there was the time Reid interceded personally with immigration officials to reverse a decision to deny visas to Asian investors in a Las Vegas casino project that employed his sons law firm. Though he clearly violated Senate ethics rules, he said he would do it again.

It is not just what Harry does, it is how he does it. He has a well-earned reputation for being truculent, belligerent, rude, viciously vindictive, antagonistic and downright Machiavellian.

After being questioned about his lying about Mitt Romney not paying taxes for a decade, Reid shrugged, I dont regret that at all. Romney didnt win, did he?

His own former press aide once told a reporter Reid looks at a persons vulnerabilities to disarm, to endear, to threaten, but most of all to instill fear.

His former Senate colleague Richard Bryan said Reid has a memory like a political elephant. You cross him, hell never forget that. There will be a price to pay. Certainly there are people who paid the price. He declined to name names.

Consider this a criticism, Harry, and dont let the door hit you 
Spanish authorities have arrested a man who already served 18 years for participating in state-sponsored death squads in the 1980s, on the suspicion that he was now preparing an Islamist attack in Spain. The arrest took place in the province of Segovia.

A file photo of a jihadist arrest by the Spanish Civil Guard. Juan Barbosa

Daniel Fernandez Acena, 57, had previously been convicted for the 1984 murder of a French railway worker in the southern French town of Hendaye. That assassination was part of Spains dirty war against the Basque terrorist group ETA in the 1980s, carried out through an organization called GAL, which killed an estimated 23 ETA members.

According to the Interior Ministry, the Basque-born suspect is considered very dangerous and may have had access to firearms. He has been described by intelligence services as a lone wolf who chose to support the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) in recent times.

The suspect was ready to carry out indiscriminate suicide attacks against transportation networks

On social media, Fernandez Acena had recently manifested his determination to commit a terrorist attack in the name of ISIS. His Facebook contacts include many individuals professing the Muslim faith.

On Tuesday morning, investigators also questioned a resident of Valsain, a hamlet of 170 people in Segovia province, over his relationship with the alleged self-made jihadist.

Several locals consulted by the Efe news agency said that Daniel Fernandez Acena often visited his property in Valsain, where he and the man brought in for questioning were described as having a relationship.

The same sources said that this second suspect is odd and anti-social and that he has been arrested repeatedly in the past for drug possession.

Ex-policeman Michel Dominguez was a high-profile convict in the GAL case. EFE

The Spanish Civil Guard has also searched another home in La Granja (Segovia), where they were hoping to find clues as to potential attacks being planned by Fernandez Acena, and whether any third parties were helping him, either in Spain or elsewhere.

The detainee had indoctrinated himself into religious extremism of a jihadist nature, doing propaganda work for DAESH [the acronym for ISIS favored by security forces] and entertaining the determination to perpetrate a terrorist attack.

He had allegedly traveled to Afghanistan, Syria and Palestine, where he evidenced a desire to commit suicide attacks, given the chance.

Fernandez Acena was very active on social media, where he expressed support for jihadist organizations. He had become noticeably more radical since the summer, professing admiration for the terrorist actions perpetrated in Europe in recent months.

According to the Interior Ministry, the suspect had reached the point where he was ready to carry out indiscriminate suicide attacks against transportation networks.

In 1985, Daniel Fernandez Acena and an associate, Mariano Moraleda Munoz, were convicted to 30 years for participating in the murder of the French national Jean-Pierre Leiva as part of the Antiterrorist Liberation Groups (GAL). But the alleged mastermind behind the killing, a businessman named Victor Manuel Navascues Gil, was acquitted due to lack of evidence against him.

English version by Susana Urra.
NEWTON  Davie County has named Catawba County Social Services Director John Eller as county manager, according to a press release.

Eller will leave Catawba County Social Services on Jan. 9, 2017.

The Catawba County Social Services Board will likely appoint an interim director at its Dec. 20 meeting.

Eller has served as Social Services director of Catawba County since 2008.

As director, Eller oversaw the development of innovative and effective approaches to service delivery and community partnerships, according to the release.

Eller also advocated for the needs of Catawba County residents through leadership roles with the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, as president of the North Carolina Association of County Directors of Social Services, and with the United Way of North Carolina Executive Board, according to the release.

Social Services programs in North Carolina are as uncertain, complex, and ambiguous as ever, Catawba County Manager Mick Berry said via the release. John's leadership was very effective in navigating this ever-changing environment. We are grateful for his vision and advocacy on behalf of our residents and our staff, and we wish him continued success as he takes on his new role with Davie County.
Editor's Note: Photos accompanying this story were provided by the Town of Hildebran.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all the participants of the Hildebran Christmas parade that was held Dec. 3.

We had a wonderful turnout and we were blessed with good weather.

There are some people that deserve a special thank you: Steve Ohnesorge with Channel 3 for leading the parade with Christmas music; Burke County Sheriff, Steve Whisnant; District Attorney, Mr. David Learner, House Representative, Mr. Hugh Blackwell, and Mayor Gary McClure of Rutherford College.

The Town of Hildebran would like to express a special thank you for members of Burke County REACT who made this parade a big success by organizing the participants, assisting with road closures, and ensuring the safety of all citizens.

Since this is the first year the Town of Hildebran has hosted the parade, it was a wonderful opportunity for us to work with citizens, business owners, elected officials, fire departments, churches, youth organizations, and of course, Santa Claus.

Icard Township Fire and Rescue has hosted the Hildebran parade for the past 20+ years, and this year, the Ladies Auxiliary asked if the Town of Hildebran would be able to host the parade moving forward.

It has been our pleasure and a wonderful opportunity to accept their invitation to host the parade and continue this tradition. It is only because of the success of the Ladies Auxiliary and the Icard Township Fire Department that this event has taken place for so long.

The Town of Hildebran wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a very happy and prosperous new year.

Virginia Jennie Cook,

Mayor of Hildebran

Scrooge vs. Trump

Every year at Christmas I watch A Christmas Carol. The 30-year-old version with George C. Scott as Scrooge.

Every year it says something different to me; this year more than ever since the election of 2016. After all, the beloved tale is not really a Christmas story but a commentary about the social conditions of 19th century England.

Charles Dickens intended to enlighten his country about its mistreatment of the poor and about the wealthy class greed as the cause. So Scrooge afflicts poor Bob Cratchit with low wages, directly preventing good health care for his crippled son, Tiny Tim.

Mr. Trump goes a step further, manipulating the Bob Cratchits of our country by baiting and switching todays scared workers, acting like their savior with Carrier while ignoring another arm of Carrier, United Technologies, as it still outsources 1,300 jobs to Mexico.

He rails against the Affordable Care Act, threatening to eliminate it for 20 million while replacing it with health savings accounts, in effect, with nothing.

I wonder, Mr. Trump, what would Dickens do with you?

At least, Scrooges former partner, Jacob Marley returns in ghostly form to warn him about his bad behavior, a warning that appears through the visits of those three ghostsChristmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come.

But where is Jacob Marley in our time?

Well, presidents are our servants. They work for us. Not the other way around as Mr. Trump believes.

That is what unites us when the campaign is over, that, and nothing else.

It certainly is not an empty call for unity from a candidate who continues to tweet against any critic.

In fact, when a president becomes manipulative, deceptive or self-righteous, it is our right to warn him and to reject his poor service. That is not divisive. It is democracy, and it is America.

We are Jacob Marley to your Scrooge, Mr. Trump.

The news media are Dickens ghosts sent to convert Scrooge. They never accommodate him. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come finally gives the money miser only two choices change or lose yourself forever.

Someone else said it better: For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? (Matthew 16:26).

Mr. Trump, Dickens message remains the same, not just for Scrooge or England, but for you.

Richard Hites

Hickory
Inditex, the Spanish fashion retail group that owns Zara and Massimo Dutti, turned over 16.4 billion in the first nine months of this year, up 11% on the same period in 2015, with profits growing by 9% to 2.2 billion. The company founded by one of the worlds richest men, Amancio Ortega , and now run by Pablo Isla , opened 227 stores in 50 countries from February to October. At the end of September, Inditex had a total of 7,240 stores in 93 countries.

Zara's flagship store in Barcelona. Albert Gea (REUTERS)

The company, based in the small town of Arteixo, in Spains northwestern region of Galicia, presented its third-quarter results with the Spanish stock exchange commission on Wednesday morning, noting in a press release that it has created 9,245 jobs around the world, one in five of which  or 1,709 positions  were in Spain.

Inditex has been accused of avoiding paying taxes in Spain by locating units in low-tax jurisdictions

Inditex also said that it has introduced smartphone payment in its stores, as well as installing containers to collect used clothing in its Spanish outlets. This year saw the group open its first stores in Vietnam and New Zealand.

The company also forecast significant growth for November and December, as the Christmas shopping season begins. Sales in stores and online at fixed exchange rates have increased 16% for the period between November 1 and December 12, the company said in a statement.

Gross profit for the first nine months of the year was 9.49 billion, up 9% on the same period last year, making up 57.9% of sales. Operating costs grew by 10%, mainly as a result of opening new stores and the variable costs linked to sales growth, said the company. EBITDA was 2.8 billion, up 9% on the same period for last year.

At the end of October, the companys net sales were 5.7 billion, the highest of any Spanish company, and a record for the company. Inditexs debts are 60 million, offset by cash, equivalents and investments of 5.7 billion.

This year saw the group open its first Zara store in Vietnam

Last week, the Green Party presented a report to the European Parliament accusing Inditex of saving some 585 million in taxes between 2011 and 2014 by using units based in the Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland. Inditex has rejected the accusations, saying the report contains errors and is seriously wrong.

The Greens report, based on Inditexs own data, accuses the group of setting up units in the three countries specifically to take advantage of their low tax rates, a widespread and legal practice.

The Greens  who called their report a plea for greater transparency by large corporations  say that Inditex uses the Netherlands to reduce the tax bill on the royalties it pays to franchises, halving the 30% it would have paid in Spain, saving it 218 million. It accuses the company of using Switzerland to buy and sell goods at significantly lower tax rates than in Spain, while it reduces the tax on its online sales through its Irish unit.

English version by Nick Lyne.
Vibrant colours, and elaborately detailed artworks are what come to mind when you see Meher Junejas paintings. With the use of various mediums such as oil pastels, markers, charcoal, and brush pens, Junejas exhibition titled Life and Evolution aims at spreading love, peace and positivity through intricately detailed artworks.

I believe that positive energies do rebound into our life in some way or the other. I use painting as a medium of expression to spread encouraging and constructive thoughts to people, says Juneja.

Artist Meher Juneja feels that the world is a manifestation of a huge canvas.

The artist takes inspiration from life for her work. Everything around us is a palpable form of art. The world is a manifestation of a huge canvas in itself. This is the biggest source of inspiration for any creative person to take the field of art as a profession, she says.

Juneja whose love for art began at a young age, says, Real inspiration and creativity never begin from a specific point, it always has its roots unfurl from the start, and it so continues.

What: Life and Evolution

Where: Embassy of Hungary and Hungarian information & Cultural Centre, 1/A Janpath, Near Claridges Hotel

When: On till December 19

Timings:4pm onwards

Nearest Metro Station: Khan Market on the Purple Line

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The police detained two men with 15.40 lakh in new and existing banknotes in Maoist-affected Balaghat district on Tuesday.

The two, identified as grocery trader Amit Saware and finance company collection agent Abhishek Saraff, were nabbed from Balaghat towns Jagpur Ghat area following a specific tip-off. Primary grilling has revealed that they were converting demonetised 500 and 1000 banknotes up to 2 crores into new and existing currency by charging a 15% commission, Balaghat SP Amit Sanghi told Hindustan Times.

The two were detained with a scooter bearing no registration number. Checking the vehicle led to 15.40 lakh, of which 14.50 lakh was in 2000 notes and the remaining was in 100 notes. The cash and the two-wheeler have been seized, said Sanghi.

Weve informed the income tax department about the detention and seizure. A team of I-T sleuths will question them, he said.

While the police and I-T sleuths will try and extract from the two the source of such a large amount of new currency, early investigations suggest that Saware could be using multiple current accounts in banks to extract money. A collusion of banks in rendering him the major bulk of the new currency cannot be ruled out, sources said.

With Saraff being a collection agent of a finance company, the police are zeroing in on the possibility of him helping people replacing currency by showing demonetised banknotes as collection from small investors.

The disclosure assumes significance as there have been intelligence inputs about three groups of left wing extremists Malanjkhand Dalam, Tanda Dalam and Darre Khasa Dalam  trying to get demonetised banknotes replaced with new currency through middlemen and villagers.
Hoshangabad-based actor Rahul Chelani, who was detained by the police last week with 43 lakh in new currency, will soon be summoned by the income tax department for questioning in Bhopal.

Chelani was detained with his relative Kapil and their driver when the police found the money in their SUV during a routine inspection. According to a senior I-T department official in Bhopal, the cash seized has been taken over by the department.

Our personnel have quizzed the actor and his aides twice in Hoshangabad. Now he will be summoned to Bhopal for questioning to track the source of the unexplained cash, said the official.

On December 8, when questioned by Hoshangabad Kotwali police, the actor had claimed that the cash was generated through sale of a house in Itarsi. The cash was being taken to a relative in Hoshangabad town, he had said.

The Hoshangabad Kotwali police, however, had said that Chelanis SUV was en route to Bhopal and not Hoshangabad.

I-T surveys at two places in Raipur

The income tax department started surveys at the premises of a prominent car dealer and a hardware merchant in Raipur on Tuesday following intelligence information about the possibility of black money having been parked by them.
A Katni-based actor, who played the role of a police inspector in popular TV serial Crime Patrol, was shot dead under mysterious circumstances in Sanjeevani Nagar locality in Jabalpur on the intervening night of Monday-Tuesday.

While close relatives of 38-year-old Kamlesh Pandey claimed that he shot self in the chest, the Jabalpur police said the matter is still being investigated.

Pandey, a native of adjoining Katni district went to visit his sister-in-law in Jabalpurs Sanjeevani Nagar locality at around 1.30am on Tuesday.

City SP (Gorakhpur-Jabalpur) Anju Patle said his relatives told police that Kamlesh was drunk and fired two gunshots with a country-made gun he possessed.

His relatives claimed that one shot fired by him (Kamlesh Pandey) hit the roof of a room while the other injured him in his chest. Patle said

A preliminary investigation suggests that Kamlesh was unhappy with the engagement of one his sister-in-laws daughters without his prior consent, the CSP said.

Initially, his relatives refused to open doors but when Kamlesh rang his wife in Katni district asking her to tell her sister to open the doors of the house, they relented, the CSP said.

Pandey allegedly was a short-tempered person. The police have seized a pistol and a liquor bottle from the spot, she added.

The police are investigating whether the deceased received a bullet from the same pistol or some other weapon and if there was anyone else present at the site of the incident apart from his relatives.
Madhya Pradesh has registered 6,719 cases of unauthorised transportation of minerals this year alone.

Sources in the state mineral resources department came up with the astounding figure a day after chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that mining will be banned in the Amarkantak area, the source of the Narmada river.

Apart from this there were also 384 cases of illegal mining registered this year in the state, the sources revealed.

The state is also witnessing a surge in violence by mining mafia, which has created terror in many areas like Chambal, where even police is attacked by the mafia. Over 600 cases of illegal transportation of minerals were lodged in Chambal this year.

On Sunday, a 50-year-old farmer was brutally crushed under an excavator by illegal miners for trying to prevent them from taking boulders and rubble from his agricultural land in Chhatarpur districts Hama village.

It is not just mining in the river that is worrying environmentalists. In August inspection carried out jointly by officials of ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), central pollution control board (CPCB) and MP state pollution control board (MPSPCB) found that the discharges from mining activity at countrys largest copper mine in Balaghat was contaminating surrounding water bodies and ground water with heavy metals like lead, copper, chromium, nickel and iron, besides dissolved solids. The copper mine is located 20 km away from the Kanha National Park.

The illegal mining is also affecting the wildlife in the state. According to Nityanand Mishra, who has filed a case in the NGT, illegal sand mining along Son River was endangering the survival of the critically endangered Gharials in the Son Gharial Sanctuary in Sidhi district. Last month, the Green Panel directed the state government to take strong measures to check it.

The extent of the illegal mining in the state can be gauged by the fact that RD Prajapati, a BJP MLA from Chhatarpur district opened a front against illegal sand mining in his district in June this year going against his own-party led state government.

He even wrote a letter to Chouhan threatening to go on an indefinite hunger strike if the issue was not addressed.

Even the pits left behind after mining, especially in case of minor minerals like murram and stones, too are causing major problems. In September, seven children, aged 10 to 14, drowned while bathing in a rain water-filled stone quarry in Guna district. Overall over a dozen children have died drowning in such pits in last one year.

Environmentalists said state governments failure to check illegal mining would have a disastrous impact on the environment in the long run.

Even the central bench of the National Green Tribunal in Bhopal has repeatedly expressed its concern over rampant illegal mining in its various hearings and even lashed out at the state government for its failure to check it.

Environmentalist Subhash Pandey said illegal sand mining in the rivers reduces the holding capacity of rivers and this leads to more runoff and less seepage to ground water.

What the state government has to say?

Speaking to HT, director mineral resources department VK Austin said the state government has decided to take the advice of the experts on the issue of sand mining and its impact on the Narmada River.

He said CM has already announced a ban on mining activity in Amarkantak.

Senior officials and experts in our department are discussing the long term initiatives that need to be taken to check illegal mining activities in the state, he said.

He agreed violence committed by mining mafia in various parts of the state had created law and problems.

MAFIAS ACTS OF AGGRESSION

December 11: Farmer allegedly killed by illegal miners after he protested their operations on his agricultural land in Chhatarpur district

October 16: Illegal miners exchange fire with police in Bhind district, one labourer injured

Sand mafia gives death threat to police officer in Singrauli district after he seized their tractor June 1: Raisen district sub-divisional magistrate DK Singh gheroed by mining mafia when he tried to stop their operations

April 2: Mining mafia attacks forest guard in Shivpuri district for taking action against them

March 20: Sand mafia tries to mow down two forest officials in Tikamgarh district when they tried to stop their trolley carrying illegally mined sand

March 16: Burhanpur sub-divisional magistrate KR Badole attacked by sand mafia after he tried to stop mining in Tapti river

March 6: Forest guard killed in Gwalior while chasing illegal sand miners

Two warring mafias exchange n fire in Morena district over control of Jaur-Khurd area, teenage boy killed in crossfire.
The Bhopal and Habibganj railway stations have come under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), with a surprise check carried out by the agency revealing that the two stations in the state capital were helping convert demonetised 500 and 1000 banknotes between November 9 and December 7.

Three teams of the CBI and the WCR vigilance section conducted surprise checks at Bhopal, Habibganj and Itarsi railway stations on December 8, following specific intelligence information from Delhi. However, no foul play has been found by the investigators at Itarsi.

According to key sources at the Bhopal unit of CBI, a scrutiny of documents seized from the cash division of ticket counters and the parcel booking offices in Bhopal and Habibganj stations has revealed that railway employees posted at the cash section helped outsiders convert defunct currency notes into existing currency worth 5lakh and 6lakh respectively.

Based on the investigations, the agency on Monday registered a preliminary enquiry against unidentified employees of Western Central Railways at both stations. It will next start grilling 10-12 suspects believed to be key elements in the operation.

Employees who deposited the cash collections in the bank over the 29-day period could be the prime suspects.

If the conspiracy of these suspects is proved in the matter, the CBI would book them in a regular corruption case.

Similar surprise checks are likely at other railway stations in MP over the coming days.

When contacted, Jabalpur-based WCR chief public relations officer Surendra Yadav refused to comment. With the matter being investigated by the CBI, I cannot comment, he said.
Known mostly for her raunchy dance numbers, Katrina Kaif has shed her sexy item girl image to don a completely different avatar, that of the beautiful Indian bride, for the December-January issue of Harpers Bazaar.

The Baar Baar Dekho actor has turned muse for celebrity fashion designer Manish Malhotras interpretation of the modern Indian bride, who is chic, sensual, confident, and embraces the contemporary style without leaving traditional values behind.

Shot in various picturesque locations in the Maldives, Katrina lives up to the role and looks every bit the gorgeous diva that she is. And the scenic beaches provide the perfect backdrop to a photoshoot as exotic as this.

All the girls who are about to tie the knot or will be attending weddings this season, you have inspiration right here. Pick your look and dazzle the special occasion with your style.

So this is what happens when Manish Malthotra and Katrina Kaif team up: They burn the beach down. See it for yourself:

KATRINA IS SLAYING! #katrinakaif #katrinakaifdaily #harpersbazaar #harpersbazaarbrideindia #bollywood #slaying A photo posted by  KATRINA KAIF  (@katrinakaifdaily) on Dec 12, 2016 at 2:02pm PST

Another stunning shot from Harper's Bazaar Bridal Shoot. #katrinakaif #katrinakaifdaily #katrinaonsocial #harpersbazaarbrideindia #harpersbazaar #bollywood A photo posted by  KATRINA KAIF  (@katrinakaifdaily) on Dec 12, 2016 at 10:42am PST

The actor will next be seen alongside her ex-boyfriend, actor Ranbir Kapoor in Jagga Jasoos, which is slated to release next year. The two have previously worked together in films like Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009) and Rajneeti (2010).

Manish Malhotra turned 51 earlier this month (December 5) with much style and fanfare. The Bollywood brigade came out in full force to celebrate his big day.

Follow @htshowbiz for more.
Despite being a part of the industry for over six years now, actor Lisa Haydon still finds it difficult to pronounce some Hindi words. While working on her latest project, a web series titled The Trip, the actor found a good Hindi teacher in co-star Shweta Tripathi.

According to sources, Lisa couldnt get some of her dialogues right, and it was Shweta who came to her rescue. The film is based on four friends who go for a bachelorette party.

Lisa Haydon, who is born to an Australian mother and Tamilian father, has lived most of her life in the US and is fluent in French. (Yogen Shah)

Lisa is a very hardworking actor. She had the cutest pronunciations for some words and we would be in splits. And then wed continue to say that word till she got it right. This way, she got few words perfect in no time. It was a fun experience for all of us in the crew, says Tripathi, who has been part of films such as Trishna (2011), Masaan (2015) and Haramkhor (2015).

Lisa, who is born to an Australian mother and Tamilian father has lived most of her life in the United States and is also fluent in French. She made it a point to return the favour to Shweta.

There are times when even Lisa gives Shweta French lessons and they are bonding really well while teaching each other these languages. This was a fun exercise for the entire team, adds the source.

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A rare collection of fairytales handwritten by J.K. Rowling as a gift to her Harry Potter publisher sold for nearly 370,000 at a UK auction on Tuesday.

The copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard reached 368,750 ($467,000, 439,700 euros, Rs 3.15 crore) in the sale at Sothebys auction house in London.

The collection of fairytales was created within the Harry Potter series and helped the young wizard and his friends defeat his nemesis Lord Voldemort.

The copy auctioned this week was given in 2007 to publisher Barry Cunningham, who gave his backing to the first Harry Potter book and thus launched a global literary craze.

To Barry, the man who thought an overlong novel about a boy wizard in glasses might just sell... THANK YOU, Rowling wrote at the front of the book.

The collection is bejewelled with semi-precious stones and features a sterling silver mounted skull on the cover.

A copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, handwritten and illustrated by Harry Potter author JK Rowling, is displayed at Sotheby's auction house in London.

Rowling wrote a total of six copies of the tales by hand, which were given to those most closely connected to the Harry Potter series, while a seventh book was written for sale at a charity auction.

That copy raised 1.95 million (Rs 13 crore) at the Sothebys auction in 2007, which was donated to Rowlings childrens charity Lumos.

Intense interest in the wizarding world continues nearly two decades after Rowlings first of seven volumes, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, was published in 1997.

Earlier this year a 1930s-era oak chair on which Rowling sat while writing the first two Harry Potter books sold for $394,000 through Heritage Auctions.

A copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, handwritten and illustrated by Harry Potter author JK Rowling, is displayed at Sotheby's auction house in London. (REUTERS)

Rowling received the chair -- one of a mismatched set of four -- free when she was a young single mother living in subsidised housing in the Scottish city of Edinburgh.
Five members of a far-left Catalan party were released on Tuesday after refusing to answer a judges questions in a case involving the burning of photographs of Spains King Felipe VI. The pro-independence activists were being investigated for crimes against the crown after setting photographs of the Spanish monarch on fire on September 11, when Catalonia Day is observed in the northeastern region.

Roger Santacana, one of the detainees. Massimiliano Minocri

The suspects refused to testify by video-conference before Spains High Court on December 7, saying it was their deliberate intention to disobey the judge because they did not feel they had committed a crime.

Three were arrested on Monday and taken to Madrid to appear before Judge Fernando Andreu.

It is absurd in this day and age to see people arrested for crimes of opinion

Marcelo Exposito, Podemos

The other two were detained on Tuesday morning, the date of the new hearing, as they were traveling to Madrid on a bus full of supporters.

The hearing took place at the High Court at around 1pm, when all five detainees invoked their right to remain silent. Prosecutors did not request any further legal measures against them, and all five were released.

Persecution?

The activists have sought to portray the case as political persecution for their ideas.

We appeared before the judge to say that we will not testify in a court we do not recognize as legitimate, said one of the detained activists, Aitor Blanc, a councilor in Santa Coloma de Gramanet. This court is derived from the Public Order Court of the [dictator Francisco] Franco era. This is a political trial persecuting pro-independence and the sovereignty of the Catalan people.

CUP members burn a photo of King Felipe VI in Catalonia's Lleida province on Monday.

While the group was inside, around 30 sympathizers gathered outside the court to show their support. No king and no fear. We will disobey! read one sign.

Among the group of supporters was Anna Gabriel, a deputy in the regional Catalan assembly for CUP, a fringe group that espouses anti-capitalism, eco-feminism and Catalan sovereignty. The CUPs support was critical to Catalonias right wing Convergencia party (now renamed Catalan Democratic Party after a series of corruption scandals) following the inconclusive regional elections of September 2015.

Internal friction

But the case of the photo burning has created friction between CUP and more moderate separatists in power, particularly after the three original arrests were made by the Catalan regional police force, the Mossos dEsquadra, on behalf of the Spanish judiciary.

We are here because of the actions of the [Catalan] Interior Department, which decided to identify the colleagues who symbolically burnt images of the monarchy, said Gabriel, one of the CUPs most visible figures.

We appeared before the judge to say that we will not testify in a court we do not recognize as legitimate

Aitor Blanc, detained activist

This kind of burning has been done on many occasions, and so it is the [Catalan] department that decided that we should be here today, wasting our time in front of this tribunal de excepcion, she added, employing an out-of-use term for a special court associated with the Franco regime in Spain.

It is absurd in this day and age to see people arrested for crimes of opinion and for critical displays against the crown, said Marcelo Exposito, a deputy for the leftist party Podemos in Spanish Congress.

English version by Susana Urra.
A fifth of the non-promoter shareholders of TCS, one of the most profitable companies in the Tata group, voted against removing former group chairman Cyrus Mistry at the extraordinary general meeting on Tuesday, signaling marginal dissatisfaction with the ongoing leadership dispute at the conglomerate.

Of the total votes polled at the EGM accounting for about 87% of the companys shareholding  the remaining, including LIC abstained - 93.11% of those who voted on Tuesday were in favour of removing Mistry as director, while 6.89% voted against.

The result led Mistry to be removed as director of TCS. What is interesting is that of the 87% votes, 73.33% is owned by promoter Tata Sons and related companies. So the result of that vote block was pre-decided.

The focus is on the way 27% non-promoter voting shaped up. Tuesdays vote accounted for 14% of this non-promoter holding, with the results showing a clear split in the middle.

Expectedly, the Mistry camp is elated. It is a moral victory, said a statement from the office of Mistry. Almost 20% of shareholders of TCS that accounts for more than 70% of non promoter shareholders supported Cyrus by voting against the resolution or abstained (expressing their disapproval of the promoter actions), the statement added.

What is significant is the way this voting would influence forthcoming EGMs. The unlisted Tata Teleservices will hold its EGM on Wednesday, which will be followed by EGMs of key companies such as Indian Hotels, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Chemicals and Tata Power next week.

In Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power and Indian Hotels, promoter shareholding is between 25-30%. In the case of Tata Chemicals, principal shareholders Tata Sons and Tata Trusts together hold a little under 20%, while other Tata Group companies hold around 11%.

Tata Sons has already taken steps to bolster its shareholding in some of these companies. On Tuesday, Tata Sons acquired 50 million shares of Tata Motors in a bulk deal for Rs 2,431 crore, increasing its stake in the commercial vehicle maker to 28.71% from 26.98% earlier.

While overall, most analysts say that Tata Sons would retain its control over most companies, the quantum of dissent, mainly among foreign institutional investors and some minority shareholders, could likely prompt the Tatas to relook at issues that Mistry raised, since being ousted as group chairman on Oct 24.

Already, global shareholder advisory, the Boston-based Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), which holds weight with FIIs, had asked institutional members to vote against the resolution at the TCS EGM. ISS recommendation is typically followed by FIIs; they went by its advice and voted against a proposal to hike salaries of top executives at Tata Motors in 2015 and 2016.

This is what ISS had recommended for TCS institutional shareholders. neither Tata Sons as the proponent nor the board of TCS has provided unaffiliated shareholders with compelling evidence that the proposal to remove him will be beneficial for TCS, or that his continued presence is expected to have a material negative effect. Additionally, support for Mistry from several independent directors at different companies seems to indicate Mistry was operating on the basis of a healthy distance from undue pressure. On this basis, support for the proposal is not considered warranted.

ISS has also made detailed observations at individual companies. Overall, ISS observes there appears to be differences of opinion in terms of governance and strategic decisions between Mistry and Tata Sons, and it is obvious that Mistry doesnt represent the promoters thinking on operating company boards. The group can make its voice heard by nominating trusted representatives. While support for Mistry from independent directors doesnt follow that he should necessarily be chairman of these companies, Mistry seems to have balanced the power of the holding vs. the power of the operating companies boards.
A woman died allegedly after being given the wrong blood group at a government run hospital at Keonjhar in Odisha, triggering tension in the area and the dismissal of two employees on Wednesday.

Angry over the incident that took place on Tuesday night, family members and relatives of the woman and local residents staged a road blockade near the district headquarters hospital and demanded action against the guilty and adequate compensation.

Sukanti Nayak (45) of Hadabandhasahi locality in old town area was admitted to the medicine ward of the district headquarters hospital on Tuesday afternoon. According to hospital sources, doctors advised one unit of blood be pumped into Nayak.

The patients husband Birendra went to fetch a unit of O group blood from the blood bank in the hospital premises, but the laboratory technician allegedly handed over A group blood. The staff nurse conducted the transfusion, and a short while later, the patient died.

Chief district medical officer (CDMO), Kabindra Prasad Sahu, said laboratory technician Bharati Mahanta and staff nurse Hemangini Mahanta were dismissed for gross negligence as per instruction of the district Collector.

A recommendation has also been made for action against a doctor for dereliction of duty.

Sahu said the fatal mix-up happened due to two requisitions being made under the same name -- one from gynaecology and another from the medicine ward.

The blood meant for the patient in gynaecology ward was mistakenly handed over to Nayak who was admitted in the medicine ward, hospital sources said.
New Delhi

Anticipating heavy rush when they opened after three days on Tuesday, most banks catered to only home branch customers.

As a reason, several branches saw thin crowds and all the people could be accommodated inside the banks while those that had more customers still had long queues and several people had to return empty-handed.

The rule, however, caused inconvenience for a section of people, especially migrant labourers, students and people who do not have accounts in Delhi.

Ashfaq Ali, a resident of Old Delhi, said, I waited outside a State Bank of Indias branch but the guard there told me that they will not allow customer from non-home branch. I had opened my account in Kanpur and the transfer process will take time. This is not the time to have such rules.

Swet Muraraka, a resident of Mayur Vihar said, I need cash to pay rent. My bank here is not letting people from non-home branch to enter. I do not have Delhis identity proof to get my account opened.

Most bankers said that they will continue with the system of home branch for few more days as the situation was becoming uncontrollable.

A Corporation bank official in East Delhi said, We are catering only to people who have accounts in bank today. We have limited cash so we cannot give to all the people.

Read: SRCC students, teachers help Delhis slum dwellers use digital banking

Till afternoon hours, the bank had reached to a position where they had to give R 10,000 in the form of R 10 soiled notes to one of its customers.

Justifying the practice of catering to home branch an official from Central Bank said, We are mainly discouraging people who are coming from another branch as people were not going to their home branch and coming to those branches that had comparatively less crowd. This cannot be encouraged as banks that have less account also have less manpower or infrastructure to deal with people.

The people that have accounts in other cities are given money is they give genuine reason, he added.

The banks in areas like Mayur Vihar , Lakhsmi Nagar and other areas of East Delhi were visibly less crowded due to the new practice. However, banks in Old Delhi or several banks on Asaf Ali Road continued to see the rush.

In Chandni Chowk area that has a dozen of banks on both sides of the road, long queue extending more than 200 metre could be sighted outside each banks. Mohammad Arif, a trader in the area said, The banks in this area always remain crowded as it is a business hub and traders deals in running currency.

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Authorities in the national capital are mulling the use of a machinery disposal plant in Burari to crush and dismantle older, deregistered diesel vehicles, in compliance with the orders of the National Green Tribunal.

At a recent meeting attended by officials of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the Delhi police and civic body officials, a representative of the north corporation suggested using a plant under the Burari Transport Authority to dispose of impounded vehicles more than 15 years old.

The corporation will now file a report on this and discuss the possibility of its implementation with the Delhi police. Lack of land is a hurdle in scrapping old vehicles. A dismantling plant is the only way out, a senior DDA official told HT.

Delhi has more than eight million vehicles. Nearly 1.8 lakh private vehicles are older than 15 years. These are the biggest polluters, since they do not observe strict emission norms.

In November, the Delhi government began the process of scrapping vehicles older than 15 years. The traffic police, however, were in doubt about what to do with the impounded vehicles, as there were no clear guidelines about it.

At the moment, the traffic police have only eight pits with, a capacity to accommodate 8,000 abandoned vehicles. This, compared to the 8.9 million registered vehicles in Delhi, is a miniscule capacity.

The NGT has already asked the Centre to frame a policy regarding incentives for scrapping vehicles that are over 15 years old.

Pressurising government agencies to implement the ban, the National Green Tribunal had earlier asked agencies to identify sites to dump scrapped vehicles, as soon as possible.

After the Delhi Development Authority submitted that it has proposed two such sites, the bench headed by NGT chairperson justice Swatanter Kumar asked the agency to coordinate with the municipal corporations and identify more such spaces. It also directed the Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh governments to hold a meeting with Delhi chief secretary to identify land in border areas to park vehicles banned from plying in Delhi-NCR.

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On December 1, Arshad Khan, 31, reached the Mumbai airport well in time to board a plane for Delhi only to be told that his flight had been delayed due to bad weather.

After a long wait at the Mumbai airport, he boarded the flight and reached Delhi almost three hours after scheduled time as his aircraft hovered above Delhi for a long time before landing.

The same day, there were a thousand others whose flights were delayed and many had to land at a nearby airport as visibility was bad in Delhi. Dense fog had engulfed Delhi from November 30 and for four days, operations were affected badly.

But report submitted to aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) by the airport operator tells a different tale. The report says that 811 flights were affected because the airlines were not prepared and 97 were affected because of the weather at Delhi airport during the first three days of dense fog.

Airlines have been asked to strictly adhere to rules while flying to or from Delhi under low visibility conditions. Instances have come to our notice where flights had to be diverted as either the crew wasnt CAT III qualified or airlines were found using non-CAT III compliant planes for flights to Delhi, said a DGCA official.

The diversions, the official said, had taken place despite the visibility at runways not falling below 125 metres. Airlines have been asked to deploy only CAT III compliant aircraft during fog period along with CAT III qualified crew. Non-CAT III compliant aircrafts will have to be rescheduled between 10am and 8pm.

The DGCA had pulled up airlines last week for not following guidelines.

But airlines continue to claim that they have sufficient trained crew. A large part of our cockpit crew is CATIIIB trained. Only CATIIIB trained planes and planes, which are CATIII compliant, are being deployed on fog-hit routes, said a senior SpiceJet official.

Pilots, who are CAT III qualified, are of the view that better forecast can help in deploying trained pilots when the weather is bad.

If everything is according to forecast, airlines will deploy trained pilots. Most of the problem happens in the first day of fog as it comes suddenly. Most of the pilots are trained but they have to wait for the approval from DGCA, which takes a lot of time. Most of the delays are linked to weather and its prediction. Most of the time it is the intensity of fog, which affect operation as ground handling staff cant operate in low visibility. Airlines cant be blamed for everything, said Shakti Lumba, former chief of operations of Indigo.

While many passengers were stranded, the fog report revealed that major reasons for delay diversion cancellation were crew shortage, non-CAT compliance and technical issues with the aircraft.

Three runways at the IGI airport; 28, 29 and 11 are certified for CAT III B operations, which would allow landing of the compliant aircraft with visibility as low as 50 metres, Aircraft can take off with visibility of 125 metre. Most of the times, airlines or pilots were not equipped to operate in CAT III conditions, said an airport official.

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The Delhi government should have some powers to function, the Supreme Court observed on Wednesday, listing for final disposal the appeal of the AAP government against a high court verdict that held the lieutenant governor was the national capitals administrative head .

The matter needs to be decided fast, a bench of Justices AK Sikri and A M Sapre said, observing that without powers the government cannot function.

The bench listed the matter for final disposal on January 18, and said since it will hear the matter in detail, no interim orders will be passed on various interim applications as of now.

Senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam, appearing for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, said they are challenging the order of the high court, which has ruled that the LGs consent is needed in all administrative decisions.

He said the high court has held that the aid and advise of council of ministers are not binding upon the LG.

The elected government in Delhi cannot appoint the chief secretary or cannot even appoint a Class IV officer by itself, Subramaniam said, noting that under the constitutional scheme of things the council of ministers is required to give aid and advice to the LG.

He said that the Constitution mandates that when there is difference of opinion on any issue, then the matter could be referred to the President.

As an interim relief, the senior lawyer sought stay order from the court on the decision of the LG to appoint the three- member Shunglu committee to inspect 400 files of the AAP government after the Delhi high court verdict came.

The Shunglu committee, which has submitted its report last month, was formed by LG Najeeb Jung on August 30 to examine over 400 files on decisions taken by the AAP dispensation.

The committee was chaired by former CAG V K Shunglu with ex-chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami and ex-chief vigilance commissioner Pradeep Kumar as its members.

Stay should also be granted on compulsory reference to the LG on every decision taken by the government and the LG should be directed to strictly comply with the provisions of the NCT Act, he said.

Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar said that no notice has been issued and therefore no reply has been filed on the appeals of the Delhi government.
The demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes caused losses to businesses ranging from a grocery store dealing in few thousands rupees to a car company with turnover in crores. However, for some establishments the cash crunch had resulted in increased customers and profits.

Departmental stores

Several departmental stores in Delhi said that their business had increased after demonetization as the customers wanted to pay through credit or debit cards - a facility that the neighbourhood kirana stores did not have. A shopkeeper at Gourmet Fresco in Defence Colony market said, We now get several customers from the neighbouring Kotla area also as most of the shops there do not have swipe card facilities. The shopkeeper at Radha Krishna Store, a departmental store in Central Delhis Bengali Market said the only thing that has changed after demonetization is that while 80% of payments were earlier in cash, the equation has now reversed. The owner of a departmental store in Khan Market said that they now get customers even from areas like Safdarjung and Lajpat Nagar. For us it is a win-win situation as we are earning more than we did earlier, he said. Similarly, the owner of Soni Super Market in New Ashok Nagar said that since there are very few stores that have card facilities in the area, his shops sales haver gone up three times.

Aadhaar Enrolment Centres

Aadhaar Cards are made by Enrolment Centres under the guidance and rules laid by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Most enrolment centres in Delhi said that the demand has doubled since the demonetization was announced. Ashish Vijay, a resident of Sarita Vihar, who runs one such enrolment centre said, I recently had a camp in Saket where more than 250 people participated. Earlier, such camps saw not more than 150 people. Jitender, a resident of Mandawli, who runs an enrolment centre said, Earlier, we had to request people for space to set up a camp but now the RWAs are calling us to set up counters. This is primarily because people think that it will soon be mandatory for people to link with bank accounts with Aadhaar, he added.

Point of Sale (POS) or swipe machines

Most banks said that there has been an overwhelming demand for POS machines. A POS machine, loosely referred as a swipe machine, is used to make card payments and is installed in shops by private vendors in partnership with banks. Banks make an estimate of the sales and set the limit to which cash could be swiped. Banks also monitor the transactions. A banker with the Indian Bank in East Delhi said that since demonetisation he had received requests from 20 businessmen for the machines  far more that the requests received over six months. A State Bank of India official said that earlier the bank had to request businessmen to take swipe machines but now traders make repeated calls for the machine as the bank is struggling to meet the surge in demand.

Safal and Mother Dairy outlets

The governments rule that old 500 and 1,000 notes could be used at Mother Dairy and Safal stores increase the footfall at these shops. A Safal outlet owner in Defence Colony said that sales reached up to 2.5 lakh on some days after demonetization. We sold goods for around 30,000 on an average but for at least five days after demonetization was announced, the sales touched more than one lakh figure. Several goods were over and more than 50 people were in queue on some days. Another Safal shop owner in Mayur Vihar said his sales had increased more than thrice and people who never came to his shop were now visiting.

Petrol stations

Petrol stations became the most sought after place as the government allowed banned currency here till December 2. A petrol station owner in Safdarjung said that for a week after December 8  the day when demonetization was announced  the sales were at least three times more but people mostly paid in old currency. Another owner in Mayur Vihar said that though the station earned more than twice for a week after demonetization the business had seen a decline since December 2.

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As a part of an initiative to explore the oral history of different parts of the city through intangible cultural resources, the Centre for Community Knowledge (CCK) of Ambedkar University has teamed up with Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to organise a month-long event in Mehrauli next week.

INTACH Delhi chapter convenor Swapna Liddle said, This kind of initiative may help to achieve bigger goal  development of entire Mehrauli area. It encourages the community to participate in restoring oral and cultural heritage and ultimately the area.

This is the third edition of the Neighbourhood Museum series. The first one was held in Shadi Khampur, a Jat majority village, in 2012, followed by another one in Nizamuddin in 2015.

Surajit Sarkar, associate professor and coordinator at CCK, said the idea behind the whole exercise is to unearth stories of common man relevant to life within a community.

History is not only about kings, queens, lords, or riches. The people also make history. However, their narratives hardly find space in books or records. We dont know about the people of Delhi and their lifestyle. This neighbourhood museum or pop-up museum is an attempt to record and present the narratives, perspective, and voices of residents of our neighbourhood, he said.

The venue of the event can be in any premises in the colony like a haveli or a locality park. People are interviewed to know their stories, photographs and artefacts are collected and exhibited at the venue. The university ties up with a social organisation, community group, or an institution for better perspective.

It is like revisiting existing cultural knowledge by engaging communities and representing the diversity of lives and livelihood of the city through dialogues, photographs, or artefacts. It also presents the fascinating growth of a neighbourhood of Delhi, Sarkar added.

As part of the programme, exhibitions, discussions, workshops, and cultural events are organised in which locals participate and share their folklore, songs, customs, and stories are passed down from one generation to the next as there is none available in any written form.

As part of the programme, exhibitions, discussions, workshops, and cultural events are organised in which locals participate and share their folklore, songs, customs, and stories are passed down from one generation to the next as there is none available in any written form.

A plethora of information gathered through this concept is being archived in digital form. Its compilation would soon be available online. This may go a long way for history enthusiasts and research scholars, Sarkar said.

Lauding the efforts being made by the university, Liddle said the steps being taken by the university may pave the way for the city museum.

Community or city museum is common features in foreign cities but unfortunately Delhi has none. We have several museums and galleries in the city but there is no specific place where one can go and can find information about the city and its people, she said.

The information gathered at the event held in Shadi Khampur is being documented by the university.

Until 70 years ago, the women of the village used to make their own thread from fibres of semal seeds (red cotton silk tree) and get fabric woven from that yarn at Raigar Pura near Karol Bagh.

This was the usual practice followed as buying clothes from the city was a very expensive affair and, also, due to non-availability of convenient transport.

Jats in Shadi Khampur and other nearby villages have their own community songs for weddings and other social celebrations. Majority of the populace here was dependent on agriculture.

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Demonetisation of high value currency notes has added to the problems of several foreign nationals who are in India to medical treatment. They claim that they are facing difficulties in getting exchange for foreign currency and paying hospital, food and accommodation bills.

Most currency exchanges agree to change $100 dollars a day, which means I have to make several trips to get enough money to pay bills and rent, said Elizabeth Njeri Mukui, a Kenyan, who is in Delhi with her parents who are being treated for skin cancer (melanoma) and prostate cancer at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals.

The kindness of strangers helped Makui survive the worst of it. A week after I landed in India, the ban on Rs 500 and 1,000 notes was announced. A lot of the money that I had exchanged was in the scrapped notes. But, the hospital was helpful and accepted the money, she said.

Read More: Medical value tourism: The next jewel in Indias crown

Makui had rented a flat in East of Kailash for over R20,000 per month. There were days when she got bread and milk from a neighbourhood grocery store on promise that she would pay for it when she got new currency notes. I really respect the owner for trusting me. I dont think anyone in Kenya would have given things without money, she said.

The medical tourism industry in India is valued at $2 billion in 2015, with India issuing 1.3 lakh medical visas that year. Africa accounts for more than half the overseas patients (51.5%), followed by Asia and the Pacific (22.5%), and the Americas (15.7%), shows ministry of Tourism data.

Another woman from Tanzania, who is Delhi for her sons lukaemia treatment, said the forex agencies were giving them less value for a dollar than the official exchange rate. I have been travelling to India since 2007 for the treatment of my sons leukaemia (blood cancer) without any problem. This time, instead of the Rs 68 that I should get for every dollar according to the current rates, I am only getting Rs 60. This means my whole budget has gone for a toss, said the mother, who did not wish to be named.

Tylanni Wangchuk, who has come from Bhutan with her family for annual medical check-ups at Max Superspecialty Saket, has had to live on a budget. When we left Bhutan, we were allowed to exchange a limited amount of currency and now have to budget everything -- from food to accommodation. We cant exchange more money because the queues at currency exchanges are endless, she said.

Read More: India among worlds top 5 medical tourism hotspots

Aina Anniava from Russia, in Delhi for her mothers cancer treatment, is also struggling to change currency. My mother is in the cancer ward and I have to stay with her. I cant spend hours queuing up to change currency, says Anniava, who had arrived with some dollars and old notes. Can you help change some for me?

Private hospitals across the city are trying to help the international patients.

After demonetisation, our foreign patients are facing problems in getting new currency notes. For their medical needs, the hospital is accepting payments in various foreign currencies, via direct transfers to our bank accounts, cheques, and through mobile wallets like Paytm, authorities at Max Healthcare said.

However, the patients/ attendants are unable to meet their day-to-day expenses. Max Healthcare plans to tie-up with various hotels, guest houses and eating joints near our hospitals, which will allow our patients/attendants to use these services cashless, they said.

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Posing as policemen on the trail of illegal money hoarders, three men abducted a 50-year-old grocery store owner from east Delhis Karkardooma in a car and robbed him of Rs 12 lakh. They also extorted Rs 10 lakh by threatening to frame him in a case of stashing new banknotes.

Police said the money was in the denomination of Rs 100 and new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 banknotes. The incident took place on Saturday.

Omvir Singh, deputy commissioner of police (east), said, A case under relevant sections of the IPC has been registered against unknown persons.

The police are also probing the role of a nephew of a friend of the victim, Pramod Kumar Jain. The nephew had asked Jain for a loan of Rs 2 lakh.

Read More: Gujarat police seizes Rs 76 lakh in Rs 2000 notes from cars boot, 4 detained

A senior police officer said they were also questioning Jain as to how he managed to get Rs 10 lakh in new notes. Police suspect that the new notes were arranged through illegal means. The police have also not ruled out the role of some bank officials, who allegedly exchange old currency notes with new ones for a considerable commission for businessmen.

Jain, who also deals in real estate, told police that on Saturday, Aman Gupta -- nephew of his friend Pawan Gupta -- sought a loan of Rs 2 lakh. Around 7 pm, Jain asked Aman to come to his shop and collect the money. But Aman insisted that Jain should meet him at AGCR Enclave in Karkardooma.

Jain reached the spot on his scooter. Aman was there with three men. As soon as Jain took out the bag of money, the three men snatched the bag from him. Aman fled the spot and the three overpowered Jain. They told him that they were policemen, said the officer.

They dragged Jain into a Wagaon R car. They said they will him to the local police station because he got new currency notes from illegal means. They took Jain for a ride and on the way and told him that they will frame him, if they were not paid Rs 25 lakh. When Jain resisted, one of them pulled out a pistol and threatened to kill him, said the officer. Jain agreed to pay Rs 10 lakh.

Jain arranged Rs 10 lakh from his friend Bittu.

Bittu sent his staff with the money near the Vivek Vihar underpass. The accused took the money and left the place with Jain in the car. Jain was dropped near the Jagatpuri traffic signal, said police.
A Mexican senator and former Olympic medalist who was assaulted by four men on Sunday is asking witnesses who captured the attack on their cellphones to come forward. I urge whoever recorded it to make it public, so people will know how it happened, said Ana Gabriela Guevara at a conference on Tuesday in the Mexican Senate. Theres been enough violence.

Ana Gabriela Guevara shows her shattered cheekbone.

Guevara, 39, arrived in the upper house wearing a pink tracksuit and a bandage on her left hand. But photographers were pointing their cameras at her face. The representative of the left-wing Labor Party (PT) removed her sunglasses, exposing her swollen right eye.

Her right cheekbone was fractured in three places after one of her attackers kicked her in the face.

I want people to see me, said Guevara. This mark is a constant reminder that I will do whatever it takes to battle violence against women.

This is a cowardly act. I have always been a simple citizen, I dont have a chauffeur or bodyguards

Ana Gabriela Guevara, senator

Guevara explained that after exiting the Mexico-Toluca road at the Valle de Bravo junction on her motorcycle, she ran into a traffic jam. She weaved in and out of traffic and positioned herself in the fast lane. Then, a car with Mexico State plates suddenly rammed her, knocking the motorcycle to the ground, she said.

The politician got up and confronted the driver about the damage to her Harley Davidson. But the four passengers, all men, responded with insults. Two of them, a father and son, got out of the vehicle with the older man trying to hit Guevara.

There were two other individuals behind me. I fell to the ground and all four began to kick me, she said. The blow that shattered her cheekbone prompted her to curl up in the fetal position and use her helmet to protect her face. The assault lasted a little under a minute.

Senator Ana Gabriela Guevara in February. Diego Simon

This is a cowardly act, said Guevara, unable to hold back tears. I have always been a simple person, I dont have a chauffeur or bodyguards. I am always encouraging civic behavior among people. I believe in my country and this is where we have to do our work.

Guevara, known to Mexicans for earning a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Games in the 400-meter dash, said she did not identify herself as a senator while she was being attacked.

It was hard for them to identify me because I was wearing glasses and my helmet... I took every single blow they delivered.

Afterwards, Guevara got back on her motorcycle and drove until she found a police patrol. At that point, she could no longer see properly. She was taken to a hospital in Mexico City, and underwent surgery on Monday.

Thanks to everyone who enquired about me and my health, I am out of surgery, now it's time to recover.

The next day, Guevara walked into the Senate and asked for her attackers to be brought to justice. Authorities have already identified the vehicle, which is registered to the name of a woman in Coacalco, in Mexico State.

English version by Susana Urra.
Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijijus reactions following allegations of his cousins supposed wrongdoing show he is nervous about something in which there is no presumed case of guilt on his part. His own role in the case of disbursing payment to his cousin by a public sector hydro power company is that he had written to the power ministry, asking it to expedite the matter. Per se there is nothing wrong in this. But, probably out of jitters, the minister has used language and threatened violence, for which he deserves to be roundly criticised. If he is guilty of anything so far, it is this. Earlier too Mr Rijiju said things that were inappropriate. For example, he had once commented on North Indians propensity to break traffic rules. Recently, while referring to the jail break incident in Bhopal, he advised the people to believe the police on everything they do, which is a very strange position to take.

Read: Satish Verma, who accused Rijiju of Rs 450-cr scam, is not new to controversy

Conventionally in such situations it is common practice for a person occupying a high position, particularly elected offices, to resign. There have been many instances of this even in the previous UPA government, during whose tenure A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran were asked to quit their ministerial posts. So if the Congress asked for Mr Rijijus resignation, the demand is based on precedent and some traditions of democracy. But predictably, the BJP is defending its minister and insinuating that the chief vigilance officer of the public sector company, Satish Verma, the IPS officer who had concluded that Ishrat Jahan and three others had been killed in a fake encounter in 2004, is a Congress friend.

Read: Ambitious and flamboyant: A look at Kiren Rijiju, BJPs face in the northeast

Such innuendoes do no justice to the ruling party or to governance. As the BJP itself has been stressing, such charges should not be brought against people who, by their service conditions, cannot answer them. What the government should do now is to order a probe, judicial or departmental, into the matter. This is something that the people in power would have asked for when they were in the Opposition.

Read: The jury is out on Rijiju but violations rampant in Arunachal hydel projects

If someone, regardless of whether she or he is related to him, misuses Mr Rijijus name, as has been reported in the media, the person should be blacklisted and the minister should pull him up. But that does not constitute any act of misconduct on Mr Rijijus part. But if he does not act now, and allows things to fester, there might be worse in store for him because potential wrongdoers may feel encouraged to tread the same path. The ball is clearly in his court.
The Centre has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court proposing the setting up of Indias first sex offender registry. A registry like this has the potential to work at two levels. The police will have a list of likely suspects should a sex crime occur in the neighbourhood in which a registered offender lives. Also, parents will have access to information that can help them alert children to stay away from particular people. Government officials say names and details of offenders would be put up on the registry only after theyve been convicted. The details wont be made public if the cases are in trial and or in appeal in a higher court. The database is likely to include personal details of the convicted including address, fingerprints, DNA samples, and identity information such as the Aadhar card that contains biometric information.

Read: Maneka proposes national register for sex offenders, irrespective of age

The proposal to set up such a registry was first mooted by the UPA after the December 16 gang-rape case that triggered national outrage in 2012. In 2015, the government changed the law to reduce the age to 16 from 18 for young people to be tried as adults if they were accused of crimes such as rape and murder. The sex-offender registry will be on the lines of directories in the US, Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland, among other nations. But apart from the US, most other countries have restricted access to the registry to law-enforcement authorities.

Read: High time that MP brought out a list of sex offenders, cry activists

The US has a publicly accessible resource called the National Sex Offender Public Website. But in some cases, identifying convicted rapists has lead to vigilante attacks. Such a publicly accessible record of criminals appears to be a creditable idea. But it also has the potential of mistakes being made, even in countries where the diligence norms are strict. In India, where the norms are not as rigorous, the risk of mistakes occurring (or worse, the registries being used to defame or blackmail people) is enormous. The government should ensure due diligence before it names and shames sexual predators. Naming only those whove been convicted by a court is to be a step in that direction.
A direct attack on the Prime Minister  in the way Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of corruption  is something that has happened after more than two decades. In the nineties the then prime minister, PV Narasimha Rao, faced at least three corruption charges, including one from his friend Atal Bihari Vajpayee. After that there has not been accusation against any prime minister even though many governments, including the one that Manmohan Singh, a man respected for his probity, led have come under a cloud.

Read | Read my lips Ive information on PM Modis personal corruption: Rahul Gandhi

It is not as though Mr Modi has not been attacked. He has been, but many of them did not wash with the people. But the novelty this time round is that it has come from Mr Gandhi, and at a press conference in Parliament at that. Of course three years ago Mr Gandhi had called the BJP a party of thieves but there was no personal attack on anyone.

Mr Modi will no doubt respond to Mr Gandhis charges. He should, since his party over the past 30 years has brought charges against members of Mr Gandhis family. Most of them did not amount to anything because in 2004, the Delhi High Court acquitted Rajiv Gandhi, 13 years after his death, of any wrongdoing in the Bofors case.

It is also a fact that charges have been brought against clean people, such as Oommen Chandy, former chief minister of Kerala, who faced allegations of having caused a loss to the state exchequer in the solar panel scam. But the irony of it is that the charges came from a person who was accused in the case.

So its not enough to bring charges against a person. One must be able to substantiate them.

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Finland has made a revolutionary change in its education system through its newly-introduced curriculum reform. In its National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2016, Finland has emphasised the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to education and introduced the concept of phenomenon-based learning that aims at eliminating school subjects from the curriculum.

Phenomenon-based learning is letting go of the segregated subject-based approach and understanding a phenomenon, such as global warming, through different approaches, such as scientific, mathematical, historical, etc.

The concept of phenomenon-based learning was introduced to keep students engaged and involved in their studies by establishing a collaborative approach, where they are made to work in small groups. This way, they are able to solve problems in a constructive manner and improve their communication skills. Phenomenon-based teaching provides a multidisciplinary approach to education, where broader topics and concepts such as the European Union, technology, community, etc are discussed in a holistic manner.

This method accelerates the pace of learning and elevates it to a higher level providing multiple points of view for a particular concept. As a result, the observations made are not restricted to a single subject, which allows students to study holistically with different perspectives for a topic. This results in crossing the boundaries between subjects naturally and integrating different subjects and themes in a single class.

This new-age learning was introduced in all schools in Finland for students aged between 7 and 16 years incorporating at least a period for interdisciplinary learning in their programme. Finland has been implementing effective education reforms since the 1970s and their students have always stood apart from their peers on international assessments.

Education system in India

While the Indian education system has evolved from conventional learning methods to new technologies such as laptops, tablets and digital content, there is a lot of room for improvement on a conceptual level. In Indian schools, the focus is on textbook learning, syllabus coverage and performance in examinations.

What stands out in phenomenon-based teaching is that its the students who initiate the learning process by asking questions about various issues in and around the world or other concepts they might be interested in. Unlike rote learning, where learning is superficial, this method makes learning deeper and more natural.

To gain knowledge, one should have an inquisitive mind that can help seek answers. The textbook way of learning employed in Indian schools limit a childs ability to think, question and reflect upon what they have learnt. A textbook supplies ready-made answers to questions, and most of the times students are unaware of what to do with the responses except reproducing them during tests.

On the other hand, phenomenon-based teaching enables a child to think, question and ponder, thus helping them apply the knowledge they have acquired, where necessary. They dont have to learn theories and concepts by rote and they would not be assessed on their ability to memorise concepts and reproduce them on paper. In phenomenon-based learning, a child will have to apply a variety of skills, brainstorm and wear their thinking hats to get a clearer understanding of concepts. It also helps them relate a variety of problems to real-life situations, thus reducing a phenomenon to its most fundamental level to aid in its understanding.

The examination system adopted in most schools in India sends out a message that every student needs to toil hard to succeed as their future is entirely dependent on their performance in the myriad examinations they take. However, in this process, several relevant kinds of knowledge that a student should acquire are brushed aside as they are considered not worth examining academically. Students also start neglecting a topic or a subject when they are unable to make a connection with it. As a result, they get stuck and struggle to score good marks.

The phenomenon-based approach helps increase the authenticity of learning significantly and looks beyond the predictive text. In such a learning, understanding and studying the phenomenon go hand in hand. Therefore, adding value to all types of learning situations.

The phenomenon-based learning introduced in Finnish schools makes learning an interesting and organic process for students. They need not accept easy answers or believe what is written in textbooks blindly.

The Indian education system should soon give up on its obsession with textbooks and come out from the old-fashioned way of teaching students for an outcome-based education. Indian schools should be able to rethink and redesign their curriculum for the holistic development of students. They should, however, refrain from blindly copying these methods and develop a system that is best suited for the Indian education scenario.

(Beas Dev Ralhan is the CEO and co-founder of Next Education India Pvt Ltd. Views expressed are personal.)
Over the past fortnight, the Gurgaon police recovered 1 crore unaccounted cash in seven different cases. While no one has been arrested in any case so far, only one FIR has been registered, that too involving a bank official.

On November 28, 20 days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetisation move, the police started a drive against illegal hoarding of cash. About 15 lakh in scrapped currency was recovered from one Pramod Gupta, a resident of Subhash Nagar. On interrogation, Gupta disclosed that the money belonged to a property dealer from whom he got it on 30 percent commission for exchange. The case, the police said, was referred to income tax department for further inquiry.

In the six subsequent recoveries, police seized both scrapped and newly introduced notes. In all, 64 lakh in scrapped notes of 500 and 1,000 notes and 35 lakh in 2,000 notes was recovered, the police said. The money was either being transported to be exchanged or was already exchanged, the police said.

In all these cases, police have not lodged an FIR. The only incident in which a case has been lodged against four persons, including two employees of HDFC Bank, is the one in which 10 lakh of scrapped notes was exchanged for new ones, as disclosed during one of the money seizures.

The accused were charged with cheating, theft, dishonestly receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy at Civil Lines police station.

The police zeroed in on the two bank employees through one Sunil, who was arrested with 10.96 lakh in old notes during a routine check in Sanjay Gram area in Civil Lines on November 30, said a police spokesperson. The FIR was lodged in the case after directives from police headquarters to set a precedent.

We are questioning the accused. We will soon come to know how the money swapping is being done, said Amit Kuhar, deputy commissioner of police, crime, Gurgaon.

In all other cases, Kuhar said, police handed over the cash to income tax department that will probe them in accordance with the law.

We are inquiring the cases of undisclosed cash as per the requirement, an official said.

Box

Unaccounted money

Dec 13: 7.92 lakh in 2,000 notes seized from a person near Rajiv Chowk

Dec 12: 3.15 lakh in scrapped notes seized from a canter laden with capsicum near Pataudi.

Dec 8: 10 lakh in 2,000 notes and 100 notes recovered near Islampur village.

Dec 7: 17 lakh in 2,000 and 100 denominations seized from three persons travelling in a WagonR in DLF Phase 2 area.

Nov 30: 10.96 lakh cash in scrapped notes seized in Sanjay Gram

Nov 29: 35 lakh in scrapped 1,000 notes recovered from a Mercedes Benz sedan near Galleria Market

Nov 28: 15 lakh unaccounted cash in old notes seized from a person in New Colony.

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As many as 30 trees were chopped from a one-acre plot in Mangar forest area, 20 kilometres from the city, early on Wednesday. Tree felling is prohibited in the area under sections 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1990.

The plot is close to the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary. There were several instances of tree felling in the area and though a number of FIRs have been registered, the authorities have not taken any significant action yet, environmentalists said.

In the last one year, more than a dozen FIRs have been registered but tree felling continues in the area without any restriction, Vevik Kamboj, an environmentalist, said.

In addition to full grown trees, numerous shrub species native to the Aravallis such as zizyphus nummularia (Jhar Ber), flueggea leucopyrus (Dholiya), carissa spinarum (jungli karondha), capparis sepiaria (heesh), grewia tenax (ganger), justicia adhatoda (bosa), have been chopped and the land cleared, a forest guard said.

MD Sinha, conservator of forest, Gurgaon, said, It seems some violators have gradually trying to clear the land gradually since the last few months, removing trees and shrubs and then levelling covered areas. Two months ago, the same area was fenced but the forest department reclaimed the land.

The forest department will file a damage report of the sight soon, Sinha said.

Police have not registered an FIR on the incident. Hanif Qureshi, police commissioner, Faridabad, said, We are not aware of the situation yet. We will inform the forest department if we come across any such incident.

BOX

 In the past one year, large-scale tree felling has been reported at least 16 times from parts of southern Haryana.

 18 FIRs have been registered in the past year against offenders for cutting trees.

 After media reported the cutting of trees in Mangar, the activity shifted to the Mangar border.

 Two guards each are deployed during the day and night, to keep watch on the forest area and to report and stop any violations.

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Jails with extra space may soon be home to cow shelters in Haryana with the Manohar Lal Khattar government considering a proposal in this regard.

This is to enable the inmates to work in gaushalas and earn money, the chief minister said after presiding over monthly review meeting of the District Grievances Redressal Committee in Gurugram late last evening.

Khattar said the state government would frame rules under the Real Estate Regulatory Act being made by the Central Government to resolve the issues between builders and consumers, according to an official release.

On the issues related to cooperative housing societies, the Chief Minister directed the district administration, Gurugram, to prepare a list of all cooperative housing societies and promptly redress their grievances.

Names of members of all societies should be uploaded to enable the people check the list as and when required, he said.
Actors Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khans recently-released Dear Zindagi openly spoke about seeking therapy for mental well-being. And its not just in films, in real life, too, a lot of youngsters in the Capital are coming out to seek help from psychologists.

Talking about the trend, Nikita Jain, a psychotherapist at Ambedkar University says, The stigma of seeking therapy still exists among parents but youngsters are confidently approaching therapists for help. In fact, the number of youngsters seeking help for their mental issues has been rising so steadily that there arent enough therapists to cater to them, adds Jain.

A case in point is Sanya, 23, who decided to seek therapy when she realised she couldnt handle her anxiety and depression issues. My family has no idea that I am seeking therapy. It was my independent decision. I have been facing this problem for the last 2-3 years, she says. Sanya adds that she didnt want to go for therapy initially. For Chitra, 27, the decision to seek therapy was taken when she realised she wanted someone to understand her thoughts. For me, it was about having a shoulder to lean on emotionally, while I concentrated on my career, she says.

The most common issues that the young lot between the age group of 16 to 24 years faces are anxiety, low self esteem, depression, and relationship issues.

However, experts say youngsters face problems of financing the therapy sessions. Most of them depend on their parents to finance their therapy, who are still resistant towards the concept. Some youngsters pay out of their own pockets, says Pulkit Sharma, clinical psychologist.

(Some names have been changed)

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Chris Evans has been named the best-value Hollywood actor for the second year in a row.

The Captain America stars movies have made a huge $135.80 for every $1 he was paid, Forbes reports, making him the Best Actor for the Buck in the industry for 2016.

He was followed by Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt, who has generated $125.40 for every dollar, and Scarlett Johansson, who accounted for $88.60 per buck. Mila Kunis and Vin Diesel round out the top five, with rates of $49.50 and $32 respectively.

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The fate of the new Star Wars movie Rogue One seems to be unaffected since a boycott campaign, #DumpStarWars, gained steam on Twitter with claims that Rogue One contains scenes that are anti-US President-elect Donald Trump and portray the galactic Empire in Star Wars as a white supremacist organization.

Rogue One stars Felicity Jones at the head of a brand new cast and follows a group of rebels who band together to fight the evil Darth Vaders plans for intergalactic domination. It is a standalone prequel to the 1977 film A New Hope.

Asked about the social media claims, Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger told The Hollywood Reporter last weekend that there were no political statements in the movie.

Quite frankly, its silly, Iger said of #DumpStarWars. I have no reaction to (this) story at all.

Trump supporter Jack Posobiec, one of the people behind #DumpStarWars, said in a livestream on Periscope on Monday, Why would you give your money to people who hate you?... Why do you want to take your kids to something that will influence them in a way to hate the president?

LIVE on #Periscope: Star Wars Writers Say Rogue One is Anti Trump Film #DumpStarWars https://t.co/1dsdU3eDRA  Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) December 8, 2016

Here are some tweets, mostly mocking the entire fiasco:

SMH: It's pretty much unanimous. This is how the US looks to the rest of the galaxy: #DumpStarWars pic.twitter.com/utlT0FYoip  rootwoman123 (@rootwoman123) December 9, 2016

These #DumpStarWars detractors are weaker than the younglings I slaughtered at the Jedi Temple. Pathetic. https://t.co/IzZxmgojb4  Darth Vader (@DarthVader) December 11, 2016

#dumpstarwars is going to join #boycottkelloggs in the pantheon of dumb ideas pushed by dumb media outlets embraced by dumb people.  Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) December 9, 2016

reminder that STAR WARS is about a kid converting to a bearded foreigner's religion, joining insurgents, and blowing things up #dumpstarwars  Saladin Ahmed (@saladinahmed) December 9, 2016

We should all #DumpStarWars!

As this picture proves, it's full of anti-Trump propaganda. pic.twitter.com/OiBaCsdSxf  Donald Trump's Diary (@Donalds_Diary) December 9, 2016

Neo-Nazi Trumpsters want to #DumpStarWars because they found out Trump doesn't have any scenes in the #RogueOne pic.twitter.com/WA6ntWiLhs  #ShesOurPresident (@MrJamesonNeat) December 9, 2016

You all do understand that the bad guys' army have been called "storm troopers" since the 1970s, right? #DumpStarWars pic.twitter.com/cVFCD3mYJQ  Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) December 9, 2016

Trumpcakes are boycotting Star Wars which means your chance of getting shot in the movie theater just decreased by 97%. Enjoy! #DumpStarWars  #J20 (@Delo_Taylor) December 9, 2016

The #DumpStarWars Trump trolls also made it all the way thru the original trilogy without ever realizing Darth Vader was actually bad.  John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) December 9, 2016

White supremacists are boycotting Rogue One, I always thought Star Wars can't get any more awesome, guess I was wrong. #DumpStarWars  Mustapha Itani (@mustapha_itani) December 9, 2016

White supremacists boycotting Star Wars is a bonus for people who don't want to be in the same room with white supremacists. #DumpStarWars  Aanda (@GrnEyedMandy) December 9, 2016

So far since they won, the "we don't need safe spaces" party has boycotted a play, a cereal brand and a movie for being mean. #DumpStarWars  Andrew idell (@AndrewIdell) December 9, 2016

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The far-left, pro-Catalan independence fringe group Popular Unity Candidacy, better known as CUP , which holds the balance of power in the Catalan regional parliament, has been allowed to score another tiny victory in the struggle it is waging against what it sees as its principle enemy, the rest of Spain.

CUP supporters outside the High Court this week. P. Campos (EFE)

Burning or tearing up photographs of the Spanish monarch is nothing more than a minor act of vandalism, however CUP tries to present it: such provocations are certainly no threat to the stability of the Spanish state.

And in the face of such provocations, arresting members of CUP is simply fanning the flames of a very small fire. The authorities in this country need to stop hauling up before the High Court such provocateurs and thus deny them their five minutes of patriotic glory. It makes no sense to use the courts to pursue acts of vandalism as though they were attacks on our democracy. Parties such as CUP are no threat: our Constitution has withstood greater perils over the last 38 years. Quite simply, we must not allow our judicial system to be dragged by such people into a spiral of reaction and counter-reaction.

CUP is no threat: our Constitution has withstood greater perils over the last 38 years

Which is not to say that Spanish society as a whole should not condemn CUP for burning or tearing up photographs of King Felipe VI. In this regard, the head of the Catalan parliament has failed to live up to his responsibilities. Regional premier Carles Puigdemont has argued that nobody should be criminalized for burning a photograph or a flag, saying that this is a fundamental right of freedom of expression. What he fails to understand is that this isnt about denying the rights of CUP, but the way in which its members have expressed themselves, notably by tearing up photographs of the head of state in the Catalan regional parliament. Sadly, Carme Forcadell, the speaker of the Catalan parliament, has said nothing about this irresponsible behavior, despite the fact that it is a clear breach of the codes expected of elected representatives in public.

This latest brouhaha comes after the arrest earlier this week of three CUP activists by the Catalan regional police, the Mossos DEsquadra, on the orders of a judge, after they refused to appear at a hearing to face charges over the burning of photographs of the king at a pro-independence march in September.

The Catalan nationalist community is increasingly concerned about the behavior of its anti-capitalist partners. The sector represented by Puigdemont, made up of people who are generally polite and well mannered, may now find itself wondering whether it really wants to spend its time coming up with justifications for the assorted shenanigans staged by its more radical colleagues, unless of course what they are really concerned about is the fragility of the current Catalan government.

The minority views held by CUP would pass unnoticed were it not for the support of the Catalan regional government. Its weak-kneed response to CUPs provocations suggests that the administration headed by Puigdemont is under serious pressure from the radicals and that efforts by the central government in Madrid to initiate a dialogue with Barcelona will come to nothing.

What these latest incidents show is that the independence movement in Catalonia is not a single, powerful force, but one made up of several, and increasingly confused, strands.

English version by Nick Lyne.
Close to 150 terrorists were killed in 97 encounters between militants and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir this year, the Centre said on Tuesday.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, minister of state for home affairs, Hansraj G Ahir, said 146 terrorists were killed, 76 terrorists or suspects arrested, 60 security force personnel killed and 104 others injured in 97 incidents of encounters in Jammu and Kashmir this year (till December 2).

In 2015, 102 terrorists were killed and 67 arrested while 39 security personnel were killed and 58 injured in similar instances. In 2014, a total of 107 terrorists were killed and 70 arrested while 26 jawans were killed and 20 injured, the minister said.

In reply to another question, Ahir said a total of 13 fidayeen attacks have taken place on security forces between May 2014 and December 2016, in which 58 security personnel were killed.

Giving more details, Ahir said, seven fidayeen attacks have taken place till December 13 this year, in which 39 security personnel were killed.

While in 2015, four such attacks took place, in which five jawans were killed, in 2014 there were two such attacks and 14 security personnel died.

The minister said there had been six incidents of attack on military establishment in Jammu and Kashmir between November 2014 and 2016, in which 22 terrorists were killed.

Four terrorists were killed in an attack on Kathar Army camp and six in Mahora in Uri in 2014, while in two separate attacks on Army camps in 2015, two militants were killed in Samba and three in Tangdhar. Four militants were killed in an attack on Uri army camp while three in Nagrota camp, he said.

Ahir said there has been a spurt in infiltration bids by the militants from the Pakistan side in Jammu and Kashmir.

This year, till October, there had been 276 bids in which 109 militants successfully managed to enter India. Out of them, 29 militants were killed, 138 returned to Pakistan and two were arrested, he said.

In 2015, 33 militants entered the Indian side in 121 infiltration attempts, 46 were killed, 41 returned and one arrested or surrendered. In 2014, 222 attempts were made in which 65 militants managed to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir, out of them 46 were killed and 105 returned to the other side of the border, the minister added.
Junior home minister Kiren Rijiju is 45 and flamboyant with a liking for khadi. He also has a penchant for controversies.

It is no surprise that the clean-shaven and bespectacled politician has threatened to thrash the opposition parties with shoes after his name was linked to an alleged scam in his home state, Arunachal Pradesh.

For his colleagues in the BJP, Rijiju has always been the man who wears his heart on his sleeve and not shy of walking out on a party which he believes cannot fulfil his political ambitions.

Rijiju first entered parliament in 2004, then just 33, as a BJP lawmaker but left the party after losing the 2009 election. He returned in 2012 and eventually got a ministerial position after winning the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

Party leaders describe him as a man full of energy, always wanting to indulge in politics of patronage to build a constituency for himself beyond the limits of his Lok Sabha boundaries.

He walked out after realising that the BJP lacked organisation muscle in Arunachal to fulfil his chief ministerial ambition. He could not survive in the Congress either, said a party leader.

At the peak of negotiations with the BJP leadership in 2011, he had told the party to wake up to the reality of northeast politics and tune its strategy accordingly.

It is not lost on the party that the man seen as the flag-bearer of the Hindutva ideology in the northeast is a Buddhist himself.

The response from the BJP leadership was not encouraging but Rijiju, then an advisor to chief minister Dorjee Khandu, had few choices but return to the saffron party.

Between 2004 and 2009 -- his first stint as Lok Sabha MP -- Rijiju grabbed eyeballs in the BJP and the RSS with his nationalist stand, not a very common trait in people from the region. He was born in a village that came under Chinese occupation in the 1962 war.

BJP had won both Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal Pradesh in 2004 but Rijiju was far more flamboyant and extroverted than the other MP, Tapir Gao.

As an alumnus of Hansraj College in Delhi, he knew how to survive in the national capital.

Gao would often remain in the backdrop when Rijiju addressed the media on issues related to the northeast.

Gao was more committed to the party and the ideology. But Rijiju was a smart politician, another BJP leader said.

Rijiju was a favourite of LK Advani, then the leader of opposition, and Sushma Swaraj, but was never affiliated to any camps in the BJP. This helped him in 2014, too, when Modi decided to chose new faces for the ministries after a landslide victory.

Lady luck smiled on Rijiju as Gao lost the election. It would have been a difficult choice to choose between them for a ministerial job if both had won.

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday said pellet guns should not be used indiscriminately for controlling street protests in Jammu and Kashmir and be resorted to only after proper application of mind by the authorities.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur issued notices to the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government while seeking their replies on a plea alleging excessive use of pellet guns in the state.

The apex court also sought assistance of Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi on the issue and asked him to submit copy of the report submitted by the expert committee constituted for exploring other alternatives to pellet guns.

Read | Kashmirs pellet nightmare continues as 7 injured in clashes, 3 girls blinded

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi is requested to assist this xourt and to place on record a copy of the report, if any, submitted by the Expert Committee, constituted by the Government of India in terms of its Office Memorandum/Order dated July 26, 2016... Needful be done within six weeks from today, the bench also comprising Justice D Y Chandrachud said while posting the matter for hearing on January 30.

All that we want is an assurance that pellet guns will not be used indiscriminately or excessively in the state and will be resorted to after proper application of mind, the bench observed.

The court was hearing an appeal filed by Jammu and Kashmir high court bar association against the high court order seeking stay on use of pellet guns as a large number of people had been killed or injured due to its use.

Read | I will be back: Hope floats for Kashmirs pellet victims as pain lessens

The Jammu and Kashmir high court had on September 22 rejected the plea seeking a ban on use of pellet guns on the ground that the Centre had already constituted a committee of experts through its memorandum dated July 26, 2016 for exploring alternatives to pellet guns.

Taking note of the statement, the high court had disposed of the petition, saying that no further direction was required since the matter was being looked at by the Centre.

The High Court bar association challenged the order, contending that high court should not have disposed the petition and instead waited or called for the report of the expert committee.

The high court had also declined to accept the plea to prosecute the officers who ordered use of pellet guns and those who actually fired them.

It had also directed the authorities concerned to ensure that all the injured are extended adequate medical treatment by specialists for whatever injury they sustain.
Sitamarhi police have sealed an SBI ATM at Simra village in Dumara police station area after it allegedly dispensed a fake Rs 2,000 note on Sunday.

The matter came to light after Pankaj Kumar, 42, attempted to use the new rs 2,000 note he received from the ATM to buy groceries in the Dumra area. Kumar, a resident of Lagma village, was told by a shopkeeper that the note was a scanned copy of the new currency.

Kumar later lodged a written complaint with the bank official as well as Dumra police station in this regard.

Dumra police station SHO Bijay Bahadur Singh on Wednesday said Kumar filed a complaint but did not submit the fake note till date. He informed the police that he had handed over the fake currency to a bank official.

Currency worth Rs 14 lakh in the denomination of new Rs 2,000 notes was filled in the ATM at Simra by a private agency on December 6.

Sitamarhi SP Hari Prasath S said bank officials had sealed the ATM kiosk and were waiting for the contractor who deposited the cash.

SBIs AGM (PR) Mithlesh Kumar Singh, however, ruled out the possibility of the ATM dispensing fake notes. The currencies inside the bank and ATM vaults were checked by bank officials in the presence of staff from the agency that deposited the notes, but it did not find anything illegal, he said.

Police said bank officials assured that they would provide CCTV footage of the ATM.

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Unlike rest of Uttar Pradesh which is struggling to meet stiff excise revenue targets, Ballia district reported unprecedented liquor sales of Rs 10.64 crore against a target of Rs 10.61 crore post demonetisation in November.

Similarly, Kushinagar and Deoria, enjoying proximity with Bihar, too bucked the trend of sluggish sales and met stiff targets post demonetization. This, at a time when liquor sellers elsewhere in UP, cited 40% dip in sales after the November 8 currency ban.

Ballia was among the low performing districts last year, falling short of revenue target by a whopping 30%. Bihars liquor ban is the reason behind the turnaround in UPs border districts, admits CK Singh, Ballias district excise officer.

In October too Ballia had met the revenue target of Rs 10.19 crore, a trend noticed since May after Bihar imposed total prohibition in April.

Read | Worlds longest human chain to be formed in Bihar supporting liquor ban

SPILLOVER

Statistics since May show that guzzlers from Bihar have regularly crossed over to UP to beat the liquor ban making leaders of Bihars JD (U) angry.

UP is undoing the good work of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, whose liquor ban decision is being praised by women across the country, says Janata Dal (U) general secretary KC Tyagi.

But UPs excise department officials arent complaining. A regular flow of tipplers from Bihar have boosted liquor sale along the borders where the UP government plans to allot more shops.

UP is undoing the good work of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, whose liquor ban decision is being praised by women across the country.

Excise department officials say the Bihar government has stepped up vigil on the borders to check people from flouting ban. But people are regularly crossing over, says RS Upadhyaya, district excise officer of Kushinagar.

We too have achieved our monthly target. Bihar ban has a lot to do with it, says Mubarak Ali, district excise officer of Chandauli, which was among the five best performing districts.

BENEFIT BY DEFAULT

Last year, a bulk of UP districts had reported average decline of 17% in liquor sales, with some like Ballia even reporting a 30% fall. This forced the UP government to slash price of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), a move opposed by country made liquor (desi) sellers who cited heavy losses. The price cut led to a shift in consumption pattern.

Consumers of desi liquor realized that by paying around Rs 20 more they could have foreign liquor. UP government should have simultaneously reduced the MGQ, which didnt happen, says Kanhailal Maurya, general secretary of Lucknow Sharab Association.

In Bihars neighbouring districts, however, even this is not a concern as guzzlers are gulping everything up  from foreign to country made.

Deoria district sold 31.48 lakh litres of country made liquor in October against 27.81 lakh litres it sold in the same month last year. In contrast, its neighbouring district Maharajganj, which doesnt share its boundary with Bihar, is short of the November target by 20%.

Only districts that are neighbouring Bihar have benefitted, says BB Singh, Maharajganj district excise officer. Bihar may have stamped out alcohol in one fell swoop, but it is clearly giving unintended benefits to Uttar Pradesh.
The names of iconic high courts of Madras, Calcutta and Bombay might not be changed in the near future as a bill moved in this regard has run into trouble and the revised one has to be introduced in the Parliament.

The High Court (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 19 to allow the names of the Calcutta, Madras and Bombay high courts to be changed to Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai respectively.

But, now the Tamil Nadu government has asked the Centre to rename the Madras High Court as High Court of Tamil Nadu instead of High Court of Chennai as proposed in the bill.

While the West Bengal government wants the Calcutta High Court to be renamed as Kolkata High Court, the high court itself has not agreed for revised nomenclature.

Minister of state for law PP Chaudhary, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, said the old bill will have to be revised and a new bill will have to be introduced.

The central government has sought views from the state governments concerned and the respective high courts for finalising a fresh bill. No time frame can be fixed for finalising of the fresh bill and its introduction in the parliament, he said.

The Calcutta High Court has the distinction of being the first high court and one of the three chartered high courts to be set up in India, along with the high courts of Bombay and Madras. It was formally opened on July 1, 1862.

The Bombay High Court was inaugurated on August 14, 1862. The high court has three benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad and Goa. Bombay HC is one of a few institutions in Maharashtra that continue to carry the old name of the city. The state government renamed Bombay as Mumbai in 1995 and all institutions under it altered names accordingly.

The Madras High Court, which came into being around the same time, has one bench in Madurai.
A court in Delhi on Wednesday extended till December 17 the CBI custody of former Indian Air Force (IAF) chief SP Tyagi and two others in the Rs 3,767-crore AgustaWestland chopper deal case.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the probe agency to quiz Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and Delhi lawyer Gautam Khaitan for three more days after the central agency said the accused are required to be confronted with incriminating evidence that has emerged during investigation.

The trio was arrested on Friday. On Saturday, they were remanded in CBI custody till December 14.

Earlier on Wednesday, the CBI had sought seven-day extension in custody of Tyagi and others, saying their custodial interrogation is necessary in the interest of justice as it has yet to unearth the entire conspiracy.

The central agency said a confidential document of the Indian government was seized from the residence of alleged middleman and Italian national Guido Haschkes mother.

The CBI said the document regarding a proposal to amend the VVIP helicopters configuration was seized from Haschkes mothers house in Switzerland and it needed to be probed.

The document pertains to the proposal to reduce the service ceiling of the helicopters from 6,000 metres to 4,500 metres after which AgustaWestland became eligible to supply a dozen helicopters for VVIP flying duties.

Tyagi -- the first former chief of any wing of the Indian armed forces to be arrested -- and others were allegedly involved in irregularities in the procurement of 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters from Britain-based AgustaWestland.

In February 2005, senior officials of the Italy-based Finmeccanica and Britain-based AgustaWestland, which is a subsidiary of the former, met Tyagi and discussed issues related to the service ceiling of the VVIP helicopters, the CBI said.

Countering the CBIs submission, Tyagis counsel said the meeting was not illegal as they met at an event in February 2005.

The CBI alleged that between 2005 and 2007, Tyagi invested crores of rupees in property and his questioning will help reveal his source of income.

Tyagis counsel Menaka Guruswamy said the properties were bought legally from his hard-earned money.

Defence counsel accused the CBI of tarnishing the image and reputation of Tyagi, 71, a decorated war hero who served the nation in two wars in 1965 and 1971 and a winner of various military awards.

Senior lawyer Sidharth Luthra and lawyer Pramod Kumar Dubey defended Khaitan and said that the CBI had failed to disclose any new material for questioning their client as he had already disclosed the details of money transection before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which is probing a separate money laundering case.

The probe agency told the court that crucial information was collected from three countries -- Italy, Switzerland and Mauritius -- via Letters Rogatory and the accused are required to be confronted with it to unearth the larger conspiracy in the deal.

The CBI has alleged that the words at least twin engine were inserted in the amendment proposal in 2005 for procuring VVIP helicopters to bring AgustaWestland within the eligibility criteria. IT added that the changes were made deliberately as AgustaWestland helicopters had three engines and a service ceiling of 4,500 metres.

Claiming innocence in the case, the former IAF chief said that he had nothing to do with the deal.

The CBI alleged that a conspiracy was hatched by the accused persons to help AgustaWestland win the chopper contract by making changes in the operational requirements, and Italian nationals and middlemen Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke were in constant touch with Tyagis cousin to influence the bidding. They also accessed crucial information.

All the accused -- persons and companies included -- were booked for criminal conspiracy and cheating, and for violating the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Against the backdrop of his governments demonetisation exercise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that ridding the system of black money and corruption was very high on his agenda.

India is currently witnessing an economic transformation... We are now moving towards a digital and cashless economy, he said, addressing the Economic Times Asian Business Leaders Conclave 2016 in Kuala Lumpur via video conferencing along with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak.

Malaysias premier Razak, for his part, praised Modi for being a good reformist, saying he has attempted something that lesser mortals would not.

During a brief exchange through video conferencing, Razak praised Modi for the demonetisation move aimed at curbing black money.

Razak is expected to visit India next year as both countries continue to strengthen bilateral ties, following Modis visit to Malaysia last year.

Presently, cleaning the system from black money and corruption is very high on my agenda, Modi said, following the November 8 decision to scrap notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination.

Read: Read my lips Ive information on PM Modis personal corruption: Rahul Gandhi

He said the economic process in India was being geared towards activities which were vital for generating employment or self-employment opportunities.

The Prime Minister told the gathering that a number of steps had been taken to attract greater FDI and listed the various steps taken in this direction.

He mentioned that amendment to the Constitution to pave the way for Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will overhaul the indirect tax system in India, had been cleared by the Parliament and this is expected to be implemented in 2017.

We welcome those who are not in India... India is not only a good destination. Its always a good decision to be in India, Modi said.

We have opened up new sectors for FDI and enhanced caps for existing sectors, he said, adding the governments concerted efforts on major FDI policy reforms continue and conditions for investments have been simplified.

The total FDI inflows in the last two and a half years touched $130 billion, Modi said. The positive change in policy, regulatory and investment environment in India is recognised by both domestic and foreign investors.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday asked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to expose Prime Minister Narendra Modi if he has documents at his disposal, saying Congress and BJP indulge in such friendly match but do not make any disclosure.

If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modijis personal involvement in corruption, then why doesnt he expose it outside Parliament?

The chief minister was reacting to Rahuls remarks that he wants to present in the Lok Sabha detailed information about personal corruption by Modi but is not being allowed to do so by the PM.

On demonetisation, Kejriwal claimed the traders were miffed with BJP.

The traders of the country are saying BJP will take money from us, vote from us and call us thieves? The real thief dines with the PM, he tweeted.

AAP leader Ashish Khetan tweeted, If Rahul Gandhi is not allowed to speak inside the House, then he should speak outside and disclose the information he has about Modiji.

However, parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar rejected Rahuls allegation terming it false and baseless and very unfortunate.

The allegation was made out of desperation and he (Gandhi) should apologise to the nation, Kumar told reporters.
Khalistani Liberation Force (KLF) chief Harminder Singh Mintoos judicial custody was on Wednesday extended till December 26 by a Delhi Court after police said his presence outside may hamper the ongoing probe.

Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh extended the judicial custody of the accused after he was produced before the court on completion of his two days judicial custody in Tihar central jail.

The court had on November 28 sent Mintoo to Delhi Police custody for seven days which was later extended till December 12.

The Delhi Police had earlier submitted that they needed his custody to know about the role of insiders and outsiders who assisted him and five others in fleeing from Nabha jail in Patiala.

It had said that the role of Inter-Services Intelligence and some terror organisations was required to be probed in the case as he had also visited Pakistan.

According to Delhi Police, one loaded pistol and six live cartridges were recovered from his possession. He was earlier a member of Babbar Khalsa International and later floated his own group, they said.

Mintoo was nabbed from a Delhi railway station, a day after he escaped with five other inmates from the prison.

UP Police had on November 27 arrested the alleged mastermind of the daring daylight jailbreak, Parminder Singh, from Kairana in Uttar Pradeshs Shamli district when the getaway vehicle was stopped at a police picket.

Mintoo, who was wanted in 10 terror cases, was arrested by Punjab Police after he was deported from Thailand in November 2014.
Colombians look set to go to the polls again after the countrys senate on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for a plebiscite on proposed changes to the Constitution that would limit adoption to couples made up of a man and a woman.

An LGTB rights demonstration in Bogota in 2013. EITAN ABRAMOVICH AFP

More information Colombia aprueba celebrar un referendum para decidir si los gais pueden adoptar

Under the proposed constitutional changes to be voted on, homosexual couples, single people and widows would all be banned from adopting in the predominantly Catholic country.

The Colombian Senates decision to green-light the referendum, which is expected to receive a final sign-off from the countrys Congress in March, comes a year after a historic ruling granting same-sex couples full adoption rights. A year earlier, homosexuals had been given permission to adopt their partners biological children.

The plebiscite is the result of a concerted campaign by Christian senator Viviana Morales and her husband, the Evangelical Christian leader Carlos Alonso Lucio, who collected two million signatures as part of her push to have the 2015 decision overturned.

But human rights groups and LGTBQ activists have come out in protest against the plans.

The traditional values slogan of Christian senator Viviana Morales swayed senators

For several years now, single mothers and fathers, widows and divorcees have been able to vote and this referendum will end that option, classifying some people and families as first class, while others will be second class, said Senator Claudia Lopez, one of the chief opponents of the planned vote.

During a heated debate on the issue in the Senate, opponents argued the decision would further entrench a sexist ideology that devalues both women in general and single mothers in particular, a group that makes up 36% of all families in Colombia.

This referendum would enshrine an absurd situation where the same woman is suitable to be a biological mother but not fit to adopt, said Lopez, who added the proposed changes were fuel on the fire when it came to the countrys domestic violence problem, noting the 75,000 attacks on women and children in the country every year.

But the traditional values slogan of Senator Morales and her husband swayed senators, who backed the referendum.

The gay community in Colombia has made small steps in recent years for civil protection, such as inheritance and health rights and sharing their partners pensions.

The referendum will classify some people and familes as first class and others as second class Senator Claudia Lopez

In April, a landmark ruling saw Colombias Constitutional Court effectively approve same-sex marriage, making it the fourth country in Latin America to do so.

However, many elements of the country remain deeply conservative with observers noting that Colombias Evangelists played a key role in voter rejection of an October plebiscite on a peace deal with the guerilla group FARC.

Colombian media outlets noted that Gina Parody, who led the governments Yes campaign, stepped down as education minister following the failed plebiscite. Parody, a lesbian, has faced a sustained campaign from right-wing groups over her sexual orientation.

English version by George Mills.
Residents of Chennai and its neighbouring districts have been hit by a double whammy in the wake of Mondays largescale destruction wrought by cyclone Vardah.

For thousands already reeling under the November 8 demonetisation shocker, the storm has piled on the misery by disrupting power lines, internet and mobile services in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Thiruvalluvar districts.

We could deal with the (last Decembers) floods. Everyone banded together and helped each other out. But now no one has any money to help or even buy food or supplies for themselves, says Stephen S, an auto-driver.

The first major natural disaster in Tamil Nadu after the demonetisation drive has exposed the chinks in technology-driven payment modes.

Just when people were slowly getting used to making payments through debit and credit cards and a host of digitial payment modes like Paytm and the like, they woke up to rude shock on Tuesday with shops, restaurants and petrol pumps declining plastic money as internet services and mobile telephony remained knocked out.

Srinivasan Chitluri, a private sector employee in Mylapore, said the governments push for a cashless economy may be good in theory and intent, but on the ground the situation was different.

It is just something that no government can think of and provide for, countered college student S Vikram, convinced that it was a temporary setback and things would return to normal in couple of days.

In coastal Chennais Nochi Kuppam, when the first rumblings of Vardah were heard, fisherman Logesh S only thought of his boats.

All of us here were praying that our boats do not get destroyed, says the wiry 42-year-old, picking through the remains of the corrugated iron shack that was once his home.

This is something we can rebuild from, though it will cost a lot, he says, gesturing towards a group of men sorting through the wreckage. But earning the money to do so, especially now, is difficult.

Read| No electricity, no network, no money: Battered Tamil Nadu struggles post cyclone Vardah

People stand outside an Indian Bank ATM in Santhome, Chennai. (Aditya Iyer/HT Photo)

Its been a common complaint since Vardah left a trail of destruction and broken power lines in Chennai and its surrounding districts, killing 18 people and plunging thousands into darkness.

How am I supposed to manage? There has been no power or water in my building since Monday and I cannot withdraw any money to buy provisions says KS Bhanu, a retired civil engineer. Its a complete disaster, adds the 72-year-old.

Its a Catch-22 for many residents here: Either they find an ATM that has power but no cash, or you come across one thats in total darkness.

Networks are down so our cards are also useless, complains Preeti Soundararajan, a 34-year-old techie with TCS. Theres no electricity or water at home and now we cant even afford to buy food or supplies because none of us has change.

According to RBI data, Tamil Nadu has 23,728 ATMs, mainly concentrated in its cities.

Chennai has more than 3,200 ATMs, with the majority not working or unable to dispense smaller denominations that its residents have been clamouring for.

The issue also figured in the Lok Sabha, with former finance minister P Chidambaram demanding that the Centre provide financial aid to the state.

Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had on Tuesday written to the Prime Minister requesting Rs 1,000 crore in financial aid from the National Disaster Relief Fund.

Despite the state governments best efforts, on Wednesday parts of the city were still trying struggling with power outages and poor mobile and internet connectivity.

Read| Day after Cyclone Vardah: Chennai residents say December curse has struck again
Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said families cannot be considered the same as their militant relatives, a day after the Jammu and Kashmir government announced compensation for Khalid Wani, the brother of a Hizbul Mujahideen commander.

Urging that it was time to heal the wounds Kashmiris had suffered in the unrest, Mehbooba said, We need to differentiate between a militant and his family, his parents, siblings and children. Sab ko ek hi nazar se nahi dekh sakte (We cant view everyone through the same lens)... If a youngster is a stone-pelter, a habitual stone-pelter, then we need to differentiate between his relatives and him.

The state government announced ex gratia payments -- either Rs 4 lakh or a government job for the nearest kin -- for families of 17 people killed in militancy-related incidents, including Khalid who was killed in an encounter in April last year.

His brother Burhan Wani was a top commander with the Hizbul Mujahideen, and was even considered a hero among some of the locals. Burhan was killed in an encounter with security forces this July, leading to civic unrest and triggering Kashmirs longest continuous shutdown. More than 80 people died in the unrest, while thousands were injured, many from the government forces pellet guns which are classified as non-lethal.

Read | Ex gratia for slain militant Burhan Wanis brother might ruffle armys feathers

Mehbooba said that force had to be used by the police and security forces many a time during the turmoil for securing lives and property. But now that the situation is improving, the time had come to heal the wounds and "change our ways".

If there is an attack on your camp or police station, then I understand, but if someone throws stones at you, you should try to restrain yourselves till we find an alternative to pellet guns and ban them completely, she said while speaking at a police passing out parade at the Commando Training Centre in Lethpora, south Kashmirs Pulwama district.

She told the gathering that she hoped that the Valleys situation will become such that guns and pellet guns wont be used. Mehbooba also said that the Kashmirs situation could be improved by limiting strict laws, such as the Public Safety Act, only to criminals and not senior citizens or teenagers.

The governments stance also comes at a time Hizbul Mujahedeen militant Zakir, in a video message, warned state police against harassing their families or face consequences.

For passing-out cadets, a happy day

Despite the turmoil still simmering in the state, the newly recruited police personnel were happy to have passed the course, and are looking forward to joining the force.

Whenever a policeman is recruited he is ready take a bullet on the chest, not his back. We are ready, said Nisar Ahmed, one of the graduating police cadets.

Not very worried about the situations they might be thrust into, Adil Ahmad, a recruit from Srinagar, said, We need to see everything from a humanitarian point of view and take actions considering the same. Insaniyat is the most important principle now.

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Efforts are on to make Hindi as one of the official languages of the United Nations, the government informed Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The government continues its efforts in popularising Hindi worldwide and for the acceptance of Hindi as one of the UN official languages.

In this regard, one significant achievement has been the United Nations broadcasting its programmes on the UN Radio website in Hindi language also, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

Swaraj was not present in the House as she is undergoing medical treatment and has been away from action for the past few weeks.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan took up the question during Question Hour, amid noisy protests by Opposition members, including several who were in the Well. This was the first question in the list today and minister of state for external affairs V K Singh was present in the House, though nothing could be heard in the din.

In the written reply, Swaraj said on several occasions, Indian leaders have delivered statements at the UN in Hindi and added that to promote it as an international language, a World Hindi Secretariat was also set up in Mauritius in 2008.

Among others, the eighth World Hindi Conference was organised in New York in July 2007 and its inaugural session was held at the UN headquarters, she said in the written reply.
BSF troops handed over a former Pakistani army man to Pak Rangers at a flag meeting at a BoP along IB in Suchetgarh sector of Jammu district.

Earlier, on Wednesday in the morning, Pak Rangers contacted BSF via Flag Meeting and requested to handover to Mohd Baksh (70 years) son of Firozdin residen of village - Gandiyal, Tehsil - Pasroor, District- Sialkot (Pakistan), an ex-Pak Army man considering his old age and family commitments, on humanitarian ground a senior officer said.

Considering the old age and also on humanitarian ground the said individual was handed over, during a Commandant level meeting held in cordial atmosphere in Suchetgarh sector to Pak Rangers, he said.

Read more | J-K: Former Pakistan army man arrested in Samba
The government has declared the renewal order of foreign funding licenses of three ineligible NGOs - Sabrang Trust, Citizen for Peace and Justice (CJP) and Marwar Muslim Educational and Welfare Society - null and void after the union home ministry was left red-faced following a goof up that renewed their licenses.

In a similar goof-up the ministry renewed foreign funding license of Greenpeace India also which it had cancelled in September last year. When the ministry realised its mistake, Greenpeace was told last month that its funding license was being suspended. But now the ministry is looking at a protracted legal battle over the issues as Greenpeace has obtained a stay from the Madras high court on the suspension order.

Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi ordered the cancellation after the ministry in an embarrassing slip-up ordered renewal of foreign funding licenses of the ineligible NGOs for five years through an online automatic renewal process earlier this year.

A Greenpeace office bearer said the NGO had got a stay order from Madras HC on December 5.

Read | Over 11,000 NGOs lose licence for foreign funding

The ministry has also asked the cyber security authorities whether its online system was hacked to get such a renewal which should not have happened in normal course, said sources.

The foreign funding license of two among them  Greenpeace India and Sabrang Trust  had been cancelled by the ministry months back due to their alleged adverse activities. The CJP was in prior permission category where the NGOs get all foreign funds with the prior approval of ministry while Rajasthan-based Marwar Muslim Society was under the adverse notice due to its undesirable activities that would have increased sectarian tension among Muslims.

Mehrishi has also asked for a review of online renewal of all 14,000 NGOs in the past few months to see whether there are more such cases where ineligible NGOs slipped through the online system, a home ministry official told HT on condition of anonymity.

Greenpeace India is an environment advocacy NGO which had been in the crosshairs of the government for a long time while Sabrang and the CJP are run by Teesta Setalvad, a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier, the government had renewed the foreign funding license of Zakir Naiks NGO Islamic Research Foundation despite issuing it a show cause of notice for violation of funding norms.

The home secretary has asked the ministrys foreigners division which deals with FCRA matters, to introduce more stringent checks avoid such incidents in future.

Mehrishi has now issued new guidelines that all cases red-flagged by the software will go to joint secretary before change in status of the NGO concerned happens, said the source.

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Department of Telecom has asked six telecom companies - Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular, Reliance Group, Tata Teleservices, Aircel - to furnish reason for under-reporting revenues amounting to Rs 29,474 crore, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Department of Telecom has issued demand-cum-show cause notices to six private telecom companies on the basis of C&AG Report No 4 of 2016, for four financial years ie 2006-07 to 2009-10 for a total amount of Rs 29,474 crore on account of licence fee (LF), telecom minister Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

This includes Rs 6,490 crore of LF, Rs 13,751 crore in interest, Rs 3,178 crore of penalty and Rs 6,055 crore for interest on penalty from the six operators, he added.

The figure of Rs 6,490 crore is the revised LF demand which includes Rs 3,794 crore of LF demand already raised by DoT on account of Regular and Special Audit Demands, he said.

The notice has sought Rs 8,162 crore from Bharti Airtel, Rs 7,701 crore from Reliance Group, Rs 5,718 crore from Tata Teleservices, Rs 4,695 crore from Vodafone, Rs 2,708 crore from Idea Cellular and Rs 490 crore from Aircel.

The LF is calculated as a percentage of Adjusted Gross Revenue. The definition of AGR is under litigation since 2003. The matter is presently pending in the Supreme Court.

As per orders of the SC, DoT has been barred from taking any coercive step to recover the dues.

One of the telecom service providers ie Reliance Communications Ltd has challenged these demands in Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) vide petition no. 71 of 2016. Matter is pending in TDSAT, he said.
The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) that is probing the hacking of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis Twitter account has sought details from the party about those who had access to the handle.

Gandhis account was hacked a couple of weeks ago by a group of anonymous hackers who then hacked Congress official Twitter account and flooded the popular social networking site with a barrage of expletive-laden messages.

The same group, which calls Legion, also claimed to have hacked the Twitter accounts of controversial liquor baron Vijay Mallya and TV journalists Barkha Dutt and Ravish Kumar.

According to sources, the ministry has said that to verify the breach all details of the account will have to be examined.

After Gandhis account was compromised, the Delhi Police cyber cell was informed that the Twitter handle logs showed that tweets from Gandhis and Congress accounts were generated from Sweden, Romania, the US, Canada and Thailand.

Sources in the party, however, said they have not received any request from the ministry to share the details of Gandhis account.

After the accounts were hacked, the Congress party raised questions on the digital safety of all Indians and said it reflects disturbing insecurities of the prevalent fascist culture in the country.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala targeted the government for the lack of digital safety saying if it could not protect a private platform for conversation of crores of the people of India, how it could ever protect them from being hacked in terms of their financial money.

A Twitter account can be hacked in one or more ways. A hacker can either choose to download a tool from thousands of websites available online to hack a persons profile or use the sheer brute force of programming to get a password, change it and hijack the account.

Sources said the same protocol will be followed to verify the cases of hacking and the journalists too have been asked to submit login details to the ministry.

Twitter also has been asked to pay attention to unusual movement and increasing security.

In the wake of threats issued by Legion that their next data dump could be sansad.nic.in, the government has strengthened the MeitYs cyber security arm Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).

Sources said advisories have been issued to all payment platforms, banks, ATMS and digital wallets to report any suspicious movement.

There will be a review and hardening of security walls at all levels. Also, a review of IT act to make it more deterrent will be carried out. A closed group will be set up to reinforce the security architecture in consultation with the home ministry, a source pointed out.

With the government moving towards digital payments, a multi-agency audit of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will be carried out. While a central information security official will be deputed in all departments and ministries, a crack team has been established in CERT-In.
The government is expected to face a fresh opposition onslaught when Parliament reconvenes on Wednesday with the Congress sharpening its attack over demonetisation and an alleged corruption scandal involving junior home minister Kiren Rijiju.

With just three days remaining in the winter session, the Rijiju episode has cast a fresh shadow over the possibility of any business being transacted in both houses.

Bracing for a fresh showdown, both the BJP and Congress issued whips on Tuesday asking their members to be present for the remainder of the session.

The opposition party has issued the whip amid concerns the ruling side would rake up the AgustaWestland helicopter issue to target its top brass to divert attention from hardships facing people due to demonetisation, sources said.

Leaders of opposition parties will hold a meeting in the morning to decide their strategy in the House.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also meet key ministers to decide their strategy.

Sources said the Congress is undecided on whether to allow Parliament to function to enable Rahul Gandhi to speak on demonetisation or disrupt the proceedings over the alleged involvement of Rijiju in a Rs 450 crore power scam in Arunachal Pradesh.

Read More: Govt braces for trouble in Parliament as bank queues returned after long weekend

The broad thinking in the Congress is to corner the BJP-led NDA government on Rijiju and also let the Lok Sabha function briefly for Gandhi to speak on Modis November 8 move to ban Rs 1000 and Rs 500 banknotes. On Friday, Congress changed its stand and expressed readiness for a debate without a vote.

Gandhi has declared that there will be an earthquake if the government allows him to speak in the Lok Sabha.

The Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala sounded a warning on Tuesday, saying his party will vociferously raise the Arunachal Pradesh corruption issue.

But the government is unlikely to allow Gandhi to have a free run during the debate on demonetisation.

BJP members, in a role reversal, disrupted proceedings in the Lok Sabha on Friday when Gandhi came prepared for a speech.

Read More: In Parliament and Supreme Court, questions over demonetisation singe govt

Finance minister Arun Jaitley asked Congress and other rival parties to start a debate on demonetisation.

Information and broadcasting minister Venkaiah Naidu said the Prime Minister will be present in Parliament for the three remaining days and can participate in proceedings of either of the House depending on the need.

The winter session, which began on November 16, is scheduled to conclude on Friday, with indications that it could be a virtual washout.

Ever since the session began, the Lok Sabha has managed to conduct only two legislative actions -- passage of Income Tax amendment bill and approval of supplementary demand for grants -- that too amid din and without much debate.

The Rajya Sabha functioned normally only on the first day of the session when a debate on demonetisation was initiated and held for about 5 hours.

(With agency inputs)

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The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday temporarily banned kite-flying with manja, a thread coated in a sticky paste of ground-up glass or metal, in response to an outcry over injuries and deaths caused by the sharp string.

A bench headed by the green panels chairperson, Swatanter Kumar, imposed the nationwide ban until the next hearing on February 1, saying manja is dangerous for people, birds, animals, and the environment.

The ban applies to a variety of manja such as glass-coated nylon and cotton strings, as well as an array of lethal ones imported from China. Only traditional biodegradable fabric strings will be allowed.

The cheap, Chinese manjas are a preferred choice for kite-flyers during festivals such as Makar Sankranti and Independence Day when they indulge in aerial duels and try to bring down each others kites.

Every year, media report dozens of deaths and injuries caused by the high-flying duels, mainly of children and motorcyclists whose throats are sometimes cut by the string.

The tribunal directed the Manja Association of India to submit a report to the Central Pollution Control Board on the harmful effects of such kite strings.

The order follows a petition from the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which sought a ban on kite-flying with manja during Makar Sankranti in mid-January.

The animal rights group cited the Allahabad high courts November 2015 order in which the use of Chinese manja was banned in Uttar Pradesh.

The Delhi government too banned manja this August after stray strings killed during Independence Day holidays three people, including two toddlers, all of whom were left with slit throats by the razor-sharp custom-made fibre. Offenders will be put in jail for five years and fined Rs 1 lakh.

The deadly thread slit a three-year-olds windpipe when she insisted on looking out through the cars sunroof while returning with her parents from a movie. Another child died similarly, while a 22-year-old motorcyclist bled to death with a ripped throat.

To increase the chances of being able to cut as many kites as possible, kite strings are made deliberately sharp with churned glass, metals and other materials in order to make them razor sharp to cut through other persons kite strings, the PETA petition said.

PETA also pointed out how powdered metal on manjas has led to blackouts after the string came in contact with live overhead electric wires. Kite-flyers and passers-by could be electrocuted if they touched a severed manja strings stuck to power lines.

Besides, child labour is rampant in units manufacturing manja, where they are exposed to hazardous metal and glass dust that cause respiratory problems, the group said.

Kite-flying is a favourite pastime in the sub-continent, but restrictions were imposed in several countries.

In 2005, Pakistans supreme court banned kite-flying nationwide. Islamist groups also oppose kite-flying, branding it a Hindu festival. In the 1990s, the Afghan Taliban infamously banned kite-flying, a restriction that figured prominently in the popular novel and movie, The Kite Runner.

(with agency inputs)
Police seized counterfeit notes worth Rs 1.09 lakh in two separate cases across Gujarat on Wednesday.

In the first case, a man was detained by Surat railway police force (RPF) personnel with US $300 and Rs 50,000 in fake 500 rupee notes of the scrapped kind. Authorities said they took the man  Baddrudin Bohra (45)  into custody while he was alighting from the general compartment of a superfast train that arrived from Mumbai around 6 am.

They sent the Indian currency found in Bohras bag to a bank, which found it to be fake. Sources said police also recovered a Pakistani passport from his possession.

Sajjads movements after arriving at the Surat railway station raised suspicions. When RPF jawans checked his belongings, they found copies of the old 500 rupee note. We arrested Sajjad after he was handed over to us, said Surat government railway police sub-inspector MR Malek.

In the second instance, Kutch police detained two people with as many as 119 counterfeit 500 rupee notes of the new design  amounting to Rs 59,500. A colour printer and ink cartridges were also recovered from the duo, identified as Madhapur residents Chirag Chauhan (26) and Bhachubha Jadeja (32).

Read more | 3 arrested with Rs 42 lakh in fake Rs 2,000 notes in Mohali, were offering exchange at 30%
In a move that marks the latest salvo in the long-running battle between Madrid and Catalonia over a possible vote on self-rule for the region, Spains Constitutional Court on Wednesday annulled two resolutions approved in the Catalan regional parliament in October that would have paved the way for the staging of an independence referendum in 2017.

Catalan premier Carles Puigdemont. ALEJANDRO GARCIA (EFE)

Those resolutions were passed despite previous Constitutional Court rulings that the holding of such a vote was unconstitutional.

In its ruling, the Constitutional Court, presided over by Francisco Perez de los Cobos, also reminded the speaker of the Catalan parliament, Carme Forcadell, Catalan Premier Carles Puigdemont, and members of the regions Government Council that it was their duty to prevent or paralyze any initiative aimed at ignoring or getting around the decision to suspend the referendum.

Failure to do so would make them ultimately responsible and liable to possible legal action, the court said in its ruling.

The Catalan regional parliament now has 20 days to submit a report on the parliamentary actions that gave rise to the October resolutions to hold a referendum on the issue of independence in 2017.

In December 2015, Spains Constitutional Court annulled the independence declaration that had been approved by the Catalan parliament a month earlier on November 9.

The court warned politicians they face legal action if they fail to block moves towards an independence referendum

That independence declaration came exactly a year after the Catalan government held an informal, non-binding plebiscite on the issue. The majority of voters backed independence in the poll but turnout was relatively low and due to its nature, people who backed independence were more motivated to participate.

The then-regional premier Artur Mas now faces a 10-year ban from public office after being charged with gross disobedience and perversion of justice for holding the vote.

English version by George Mills.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday that he knew about personal corruption by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was terrified of the information, but he wasnt being allowed by the government to speak about it in Parliament.

Gandhi gave no detail, and a government minster sought to dismiss the charge as the biggest joke of the year.

Highlights Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said he had information that personally terrified Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi said he would reveal the details in the Lok Sabha, even as he said the Centre was not allowing him to speak. The BJP-led NDA called Gandhis claims as baseless, with minister for state for home, Kiren Rijiju, calling it the biggest joke of the year. AAP chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also joined the fray, calling the development a friendly match.

Read my lips. The Prime Minister is personally terrified with the information that I have. I have information on the personal corruption of (the) Prime Minister, Gandhi said at a press conference in the Parliament building.

I want to reveal in Lok Sabha The government is not allowing me to speak. PM is afraid that if he lets me speak then his balloon will burst.

Read | Oppn on offensive, BJP hits back: Who said what after Rahuls salvo at PM Modi

Gandhi has been sparring with Modi over the governments controversial recall of high-value banknotes, but its the first time he has cast aspersions on the integrity of the Prime Minister, who rode to power two years ago vowing to stamp out corruption.

Gandhis accusations are likely to worsen already tense ties between the government and the Opposition over the demonetisation of 500 and 1000-rupee bank bills, a tussle that has stalled Parliament. Gandhi had earlier said if he speaks in Parliament there would be an earthquake and Modi would not be able to sit.

The response from the government was swift. Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar dared Gandhi to provide proof. His allegations are totally baseless He has made himself a laughing stock, he said. Minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju called the allegations the biggest joke of the year.

In a sign that Gandhi could come under pressure to make public the information he has, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, a bitter rival to both the Congress and the BJP, termed the development a friendly match between the two parties.

He tweeted, If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modijis personal involvement in corruption then why doesnt he expose it outside Parl?

Read | Why doesnt Rahul Gandhi expose Modis corruption outside Parliament: Kejriwal

Gandhis allegations took even his party colleagues and allies by surprise. Trinamools Sudip Bandopadhyay, who sat next to him in the press conference, told HT, He only said he will target the PM for not allowing the Opposition to talk.

Prime Minister Modi has sought 50 days to tide over the cash crunch but that hasnt pacified the Opposition. Protests over the demonetisation move have virtually washed out the Winter session of Parliament, and little legislative business is expected in its remaining two days.

The belligerent opposition wants Modi to speak in the House on demonetisation, a surprise move that has left millions of people lining up at banks and ATM kiosks for more than a month. On his part, the Prime Minister has accused the Opposition of not allowing him to speak in the House, and has, instead, chosen to defend his decision at public rallies.

Later in the day, Gandhi reiterated his charge at the Congress headquarters that the demonetisation move had dealt a lethal blow to farmers.

Read: Rahul Gandhi must substantiate corruption charge against PM
French ambassador Alexandre Ziegler on Wednesday conferred the Officier de lOrdre National de la Legion dHonneur (Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour) on chairperson and editorial director of HT Media Ltd Shobhana Bhartia, who was also named this year on the Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women list.

Commending Mrs Bhartia during the investiture ceremony, Ziegler said, This award expresses Frances recognition of your outstanding contribution and dedication to the world of journalism. As the Chairperson and Editorial Director of HT Media Ltd., you have implemented your vision for it as a modern media house integrating innovation and technology, geared towards its public. You have also demonstrated an exemplary engagement with social causes, as borne out by your efforts to abolish child marriage. You have also demonstrated an exemplary engagement with social causes, as borne out by the fact that you introduced The Child Marriage (Abolition) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill, 2006, in Parliament. It is a great honour to confer on you the highest French distinction for your exceptional achievements.

Accepting the distinction, Mrs Bhartia said, Its an honour to receive the Legion dHonneur, which has been awarded to many distinguished people over the years. India and France share strong foundational values. The principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity form the basis of the French Republic and the Indian Constitution. I hope to contribute more to relations between the two countries in the coming years.

The Legion dHonneur, created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, la Legion dHonneur (the Legion of Honour) is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipients.
India on Wednesday said World Banks decision to temporarily halt two simultaneous processes to look into Indo-Pak dispute over Kishenganga and Ratle project confirms that pursuing the two concurrent processes could have rendered the Indus Water Treaty unworkable over time.

External affairs ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said India remains fully conscious of its international obligations and is ready to engage in further consultations on the matter of resolving current differences regarding these two projects.

The government had pointed out on 10 November, 2016 the legal untenability of the World Bank launching two simultaneous processes-- for appointment of a Neutral Expert as requested by India and establishment of a Court of Arbitration requested by Pakistan-- to adjudicate technical differences between India and a Pakistan on Kishenganga and Ralte projects.

By temporarily halting both the processes now, the Bank has confirmed that pursuing the two concurrent processes can render the Treaty unworkable over time, Swarup said.

The World Banks move to pause the process came nearly a month after India had strongly objected to the global bodys inexplicable decision, saying going ahead with two separate mechanisms was legally untenable.

Group President of World Bank Jim Yong Kim said,We are announcing this pause to protect the Indus Waters Treaty and to help India and Pakistan consider alternative approaches to resolving conflicting interests under the Treaty and its application to two hydroelectric power plants.

The pause was announced by Kim in letters to the finance ministers of India and Pakistan. It was also emphasised that the Bank was acting to safeguard the Treaty.

Under the Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan and also the World Bank in 1960, the World Bank has a specified role in the process of resolution of differences and disputes.
India has said it will contribute $500,000 to the United Nationss emergency response fund for the year 2016-17 as it stressed that the international response is falling significantly short of the challenges posed by humanitarian crises across the world.

Counsellor in Indias Permanent Mission to the UN Anjani Kumar said at the high-level Pledging Conference that the Government of India would be contributing $500,000 to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for the year 2016-17. Indias cumulative contribution to the fund so far has been $6 million.

Despite our own resource constraints, India has always been forthcoming within our ability and national circumstance in offering humanitarian assistance as per the needs and requests of our friends and partners, Kumar said.

Kumar added that the scale and instances of humanitarian crises around the world has been on the rise and the need for assistance to meet the challenges these crises pose has been unparalleled.

Kumar said the number of people requiring urgent humanitarian assistance worldwide has quadrupled over the past 10 years and the international humanitarian response is falling significantly short of the challenges posed.

Addressing these needs require immediate attention. Any delay in providing assistance can have long term consequences. There is a need for coordination and partnership to meet these challenges, Kumar said.

Kumar said India has assisted in relief efforts in countries such as Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Yemen in a number of situations of natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes and cyclone.

CERF pools contributions from donors - mainly governments, but also, foundations, companies, charities and individuals - into a single fund with a $450 million annual target.

This money is set aside for immediate use at the onset of emergencies, in rapidly deteriorating situations and in protracted crises that fail to attract sufficient resources.

In an average year, CERF allocates approximately $450 million to humanitarian operations in some 50 different countries. Since 2006, more than $3.7 billion has been allocated to help millions of people in 92 countries and territories across the world.
India has emerged as the most preferred destination for innovation in Asia and third biggest globally, with Silicon Valley of the east, Bengaluru leading the charge, says a research by global consulting major Capgemini.

Bengaluru, which saw the opening of three new centres between March and October this year and an announcement by Apple to establish a startup accelerator, leads the Indian challenge on innovation and is ranked 5th hub at global level.

Nine new innovation centres were opened in the country during the period, taking total number of innovation centres to 25. The US leads the list with 146 centres, followed by Britain with 29 and India is at third place with 24 centres.

The report said there has been noticeable activity in tier-II cities when it comes to innovation, and added that apart from Pune, which already existed on the global map, Jaipur has also entered the list with two new centres.

The research, done by Capgemini Consultings Digital Transformation Institute in collaboration with Fahrenheit 212 and in partnership with Brian Solis of Altimeter, said efforts taken by the government are the prime moving factor for emergence of the country in the list.

Jaipur, Pune and Hyderabad each welcomed two new centres involving partnerships with government during the March-October period, it said.

The number of active incubators in the country increased 40% to 140, with a bulk 66% of them in tier-II and tier-III centres.

Global names, including Cisco, Qualcomm Technologies, general Electric 3M and London-based Internet of things consortium Hypercat have presence in the country today, the report said.

The footprint in smaller cities was attributed to the IoT policy for 2016-2020 and the governments startup India initiative launched early this year.

With presence in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Pune, the country accounts for 27% of Asias new innovation centres and is home to a tenth of new global innovation centres.
Indian diplomatic missions have filed 182 mercy petitions in 12 countries, including the UAE and Oman, on behalf of Indians in foreign jails in the last three years, Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

The maximum number of petitions have been filed in the UAE (74), followed by Oman (57), Bahrain (14), Myanmar (12) and the US (5), minister of state for foreign affairs, V K Singh said in written reply to a question.

To another question, he said that since inception of the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) scheme in December 2005, 23,60,626 Persons of Indian Origin have been issued OCI cards till December 6, 2016.

Replying to yet another question, Singh said the External Affairs Ministry is implementing a Productivity Linked Incentive Scheme (PLIS) to enhance the efficiency in the functioning of the Passport office in the country.
In multiple raids that were carried out across the country by the Income Tax Department, Rs 2.25 crores has been seized in Bengaluru in new currency, while Rs. 68 lakh were seized in Panjim.

In Faridabad, four were arrested with new currency of over Rs 25 lakh in the new Rs. 2000 notes.

In another massive haul, ED seized Rs 2.18 crore in Chandigarh which included new currency worth Rs 17.74 lakhs.

Meanwhile, in Delhi, yet another raid was carried out at a hotel in Karol Bagh following which the massive amount of Rs 3. 25 crores was recovered in old notes.

Upon interrogation it was found that the money belongs to some Bombay based hawala operators, who have hired packaging specialists who pack these notes in such a manner that it was even undetectable by airport scanning machines.

These experts in packaging use a particular type of tape and wires which passes through X-ray also without being detected.

The IT Department has seized the cash and is analysing the mobile details which allegedly contain details of lot of other hawala operators.

Read| Cash crunch? Rs 242 crore in new currency seized after demonetisation

This recent raid comes in the wake of yet another raid carried out in the national capital, where in a joint raid conducted by the Income Tax Department and the Delhi Police, Rs 10 crores was recovered from a law firm in Greater Kailash area.

Acting on a tip-off, the police recovered Rs 2.5 crore in new currency notes and the balance Rs 7.5 crores in old currency notes from the T&T law firm owned by Rohit Tondon late on Saturday night.

Following the massive raids on the premises of three Chennai-based businessmen, the Income Tax Department last Saturday confirmed seizing Rs 24 crores in new currency notes in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.

During an investigation, the IT department found out that some cash was hidden in a car in Vellore, upon which it was discovered that all currency was in the form of Rs 2,000 notes in 12 boxes of Rs 2 crore each.

Upon interrogation of those detained in Chennai, a breakthrough was made in the recovery of this cash wherein the IT sleuths laid a trap for the person transporting Rs 24 crores in Vellore and subsequently seized the currency. Interrogation is currently underway of those who were detained in Chennai which could lead to further recoveries.

Following demonetisation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had carried out massive raids in 50 branches of 10 banks across the nation in an attempt to keep a tab on those account holders, who deposited huge amounts at one time.

Read| Assam: Rs 1.55 crore in new currency notes seized from elderly mans house
BJP has come to the defence of Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju over his alleged involvement in a Rs 450-crore hydro-electricity project scam with Prakash Javadekar and Piyush Goyal saying the lawmaker was clean and innocent.

Rijiju is clean and the scam happened during the tenure of Congress, Union human resource and development minister Prakash Javadekar said on Wednesday.

He also said BJP will expose the Congress party.

Rijiju, his distant cousin Goboi Rijiju who is a contractor in Arunachal Pradesh, and several other officials of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) have been accused of corruption in the construction of two dams for the 600 megawatt Kameng hydro-electric project, one of the biggest power projects in the northeastern state.

However, Rijiju has refuted all allegations of corruption against him, saying that the ones planting such news would be thrashed with shoesif they come to Arunachal Pradesh.

Echoing similar sentiments, Union minister of state for power Piyush Goyal said Rijiju was innocent and the payment was released on the orders of the Congress party and its government.

Payment was released on the orders of Congress official and now the concern party has to answer. Mr. Rijiju was not involved in it. Goyal added.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma has given notice under Rule 267 in the Rajya Sabha, for a discussion over the alleged involvement of Rijiju in the project.

Rijiju is being pilloried by the Congress party in the wake of a 129-page report prepared by Satish Verma, the chief vigilance officer of the North Eastern Electricity Power Corporation (NEEPCO), suggesting that he and his cousin Goboi were involved in the scam.

Read| Ambitious and flamboyant: A look at Kiren Rijiju, BJPs face in the northeast
Coal mining major Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) has prepared a comprehensive plan of packaged tours to monetise a fire zone area in Jharia that once destroyed many mines. The tours would also showcase mining operations.

A fire zone area is a place where underground fire rages in a coal mine which also renders the surface area unsafe. Once the fire dies, many of these areas are reclaimed through eco restoration work.

Initially it will be free of cost but depending on the response, it will be made chargeable, EVS Raju general manager, environment department who is working on the project, told HT. The charges would be to meet incidental costs only, he said .

Working on the advice of the chairman-cum-managing director of the company, we have chalked out four circuit tours, he said.

The tours would commence form Koyla Bhawan,the companys headquarters. The first tour would be a day-long site seeing trip of Lodna fire area and eco restoration works carried out by the company on reclaimed fire land.

Another tour would be on working of Moonidih mechanised mines, night visit of fire area with trained guides while the third and last tour will be a trip to see mining, loading and washaries operations to make people aware of the hard work done by coal miners.

The company also plans to have a separate circuit by tagging a religious location with the tour to attract people in cooperation with the district administration and tourism department, Raju said.

Initially, we have written to all schools of the district to send the school children for a visit to the fire area reclaimed and rehabilitated under the eco restoration project, Raju said.

This site in Lodna area of the fire hit Jharia coalfield was reclaimed under wet land eco system by developing ponds and parks. The BCCL has also developed green cover area at other fire locations too.

Last month, hundreds of school kids had visited this site and also saw mining operations in fire hit location, said Raju. We have received positive and encouraging feedback from the school students who had visited the spot, Raju said.

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Karnatakas excise minister, HY Meti, resigned on Wednesday after a video surfaced purportedly showing him engaged in a sexual act with a woman who had sought his favour.

The minister landed in trouble after RTI activist Rajashekar Mulali claimed that he was in possession of a CD containing Metis alleged indecent act.

The 71-year-old Meti said he was resigning so that the government did not face any problem.

I have resigned on my own volition to avoid any embarrassment to the government and the chief minister.. I have done nothing wrong, let the inquiry begin, Meti told reporters after he met chief minister Siddaramaiah.

Siddaramaiah said in a tweet that he had forwarded the resignation to governor Vajubhai Vala with a recommendation to accept it. Later, Siddaramaiah said he had ordered a probe by the CID.

However, Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said Siddaramaiah should have dismissed the minister earlier instead of seeking evidence.

The scandal involving Meti is the latest controversy to hit the Congress government in Karnataka.

Two government officials had been caught recently with Rs 4.7 crore in the new Rs 2000 denomination notes. One of the officials is said to be close to minister HC Mahadevappa.

Earlier, another minister, Tanvir Sait, was allegedly caught watching explicit images on his phone while attending a function to mark Tipu Jayanti, the birth anniversary celebration of Tipu Sultan. It later turned out that he was looking at photos of Melania Trump.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day amid noisy protests by Opposition and ruling party lawmakers on Wednesday, deepening fears of a total washout of Parliaments winter session.

Rajya Sabha was also adjourned till 2 pm after opposition members led by the Congress sought a discussion on demonetisation.

In the Lower House, the Congress and other opposition parties trained guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and junior home minister Kiran Rijiju over an alleged power scam. The BJP hit back, citing TV sting operations that allegedly showed four MPs negotiating on exchanging black money.

The sting operation shows that MPs are sitting to deal the money which PM Narendra Modi brought for the poor people of this country, parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said, amid noisy protests by opposition MPs.

Today they will be exposed. Today the Congress party is looking like commission agent. How will the SP and BSP show their faces? said senior BJP meber Jagdambika Pal.

Even as Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan assured that both sides will get a chance to speak, they continued to clash.

Just two days are left in this session of Parliament.

In the Rajya Sabha, chairman Hamid Ansari criticised the opposition for bringing up issues not listed on the agenda.

Dont introduce a Jekyll and Hyde personality in the House. Other issues will be taken up at other times. I do repeat that the House is showing propensity of a Jekyll and Hyde character. I fail to understand this, Ansari said.

Read| Parliament Live: Oppn not being allowed to speak in the House, says Rahul Gandhi

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On a September morning this year, about 2,000 people carrying sticks and sickles surrounded a sugarcane field on the periphery of Corbett tiger reserve in Uttarakhand to kill a tigress that mauled a woman the previous evening. The tigress, pushed out of Indias most densely-populated protected area for big cats by bigger, stronger predators, sneaked into Talla Kaniya village looking for prey when it attacked the woman. In a moment, the tigress became public enemy number one of the villagers, as well as the forest department.

The villagers wanted her blood at any cost and the state government obliged by declaring her as a man-eater. They gathered an army of hunters to kill her, but she remained elusive for weeks, even as the state forest department deployed a chopper and drones to track her down in the fully grown sugarcane fields where she was hiding.

Forty days later and after spending more than 1 crore, the big cat was finally gunned down, much to the joy of the villagers and the forest officials-- yet another casualty in the rising human-animal conflict in India.

Data presented in Parliament on November 29 showed that 1,360 people were killed by tigers and elephants in the last three years, higher than human fatalities in Maoist red zones.

This was about a 20-25% increase in human deaths by the two dominant species compared to the previous three years (2010-2013), as the conflict zone spread to new areas in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.

While conflict with tigers and elephants is restricted to smaller towns and villages, it is the leopards that reach the bigger cities faster. This year, they have been spotted in residential areas in Gurgaon, Mumbai, Nainital, Meerut and Bhopal, to name a few.

Ullas Karant, director of the Bangalore-based Centre for Wildlife Studies, said the spread of leopards is five times than that of tigers and that they live in closer human proximity. As most green areas around cities are vanishing, they have become the poster figure of the conflict. The government, however, does not maintain data on human conflict with leopards, estimated to be around 12,000 to 14,000 in India.

It is not that only people are getting killed. Animals, too, are at the receiving end of this conflict. Data shows that for every four people killed, an endangered animal is also lost. As many as 189 elephants and around 110 tigers were killed in man-conflict zones between 2012 and 2015, according to latest government data. Many animals were captured and summarily sentenced to a life inside enclosures, which animal activists say is the cruelest form of punishment to be given to animals born free.

The cause

The core issue for this rising conflict is the depleting forest cover and growing human presence, in around 650 wildlife zones in the country.

Reports by the Forest Survey of India since early 1990s indicate that around one-third of the dense forest cover has been lost and half the traditional wildlife corridors have disappeared, bringing animals and people dangerously close.

The inviolate tiger area --- where animals can move freely without human interference --- has shrunk to 31,207 sq km in 37 tiger reserves, as compared to over one lakh sq kms in 1970s, when Project Tiger was launched.

In order to maintain 20 breeding tigresses, a minimum space of 800-1,200 sq kms needs to be kept inviolate, as a core area with an exclusive agenda for tigers, said Rajesh Gopal, former member secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. That is becoming difficult with the rising tiger population.

The Tiger Estimation report, 2014, states that around 60% of 2,226 tigers reside outside the most protected core areas, bringing them in direct conflict with around 6,000 villages still in the reserves.

Official data also shows that around 14,000 of the 26,000 elephants in India live close to human habitats in West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Assam --- states that reported most deaths by elephants between 2013 and 2016.

Dipankar Ghose, a wildlife species specialist with an advocacy group, the World Wide Fund (WWF) for nature, said: The fault is not of the animals as they are in forest areas which were traditionally their habitats. But with then increasing population, many of these green corridors have now been occupied by people. This is a cause for (the) rising conflict.

Solutions

With the human-animal conflict turning into a political issue, states have came out with their own ways to deal with the problem, including relocating man-eating animals to new wildlife zones where the population is less.

One possible solution to the increasing tiger problem  relocation of tigers straying out  was implemented in Assam, where a man-eating tiger from Kaziranga was successfully rehabilitated in the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary.

If done scientifically, such relocation is possible elsewhere also, said Vivek Menon of the Wildlife Trust of India.

In Kerala, the forest department has constituted primary response teams of locals in all panchayats sharing forest boundaries. Each team is trained in wildlife monitoring, management of conflict situations and crowd control.

In the high-conflict zones of Karnataka, conservation efforts have helped reduce the problem. Karanth said re-developing corridors connecting habitat and sensitising people on how to deal with animals has helped.

Despite these proven examples of success, the government has often come up with weird ways to check the conflict. The Centre had allowed six states, including Bihar and Himachal, to declare notified wild animals such as blue bulls and monkeys as vermin, meaning people could hunt them freely in permitted areas.

Earlier this year, the West Bengal government dug a 10-km-long trench on its border with Jharkhand, to prevent elephants entering the neighbouring state during the May-July migration period. Maharashtra came up with solar-powered electric fence around fields to protect them from elephants.

Such measures normally fail, as the conflict can be tackled only through conservation, an environment ministry official said.

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A local militant was killed by government forces in south Kashmirs Anantnag died in north Kashmirs Sopore as a gunfight raged in the Valley on Wednesday.

In a separate gunfight in Sopore, a foreign militant of the Lashkar-e-Taiba was also killed.

Police said Basit Rasool Dar, a resident of Marhama in south Kashmir, was killed in his home district Anantnag after forces cordoned its Sirgufwara area on Wednesday morning.

Anantnag superintendent of police Zubair Ahmad Khan said, Forces offered him a chance to surrender, but he refused... He came out of the house in which he was hiding and opened fire on us. He kept shooting and running, which forced us to return the fire.

Twenty four-year-old Dar was pursuing civil engineering from the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) when he joined militancy after the death of Hizbul Mujahideen militant leader Burhan Wani.

In a blog, which he wrote before joining militancy, he described himself as one who likes painting, writing and exploring new things. The blog and his pictures posing with civil engineering equipment have been shared widely on social media.

His last post, Yes this is Kashmir, was on June 30, 2016, three weeks after Wanis death. The post was about an imaginary conversation of a Kashmiri with humanity. The blog touched the issues of identity, nationhood and blood of martyred innocent youth.

Khan said Dar joined militants roughly after a month of Wanis death.

Read | Burhan Wani: Better living than dead?

We talked to his father and uncle after he joined militants and told them that we dont want his talent to go waste. They tried to convince him but were unsuccessful, he added.

Thousands of people converged near Dars home to offer his funeral prayers. There were some protests and stone-pelting after the news of his death spread.
A 10-year-old girl who was set afire and thrown into a dry well for resisting rape last week in a Jharkhand village, succumbed to burn injuries here at the Tata Main Hospital (TMH).

Police said she died Monday night.

The victim, a class 4 student, was lured by two unknown youths with sweets and taken to a closed crusher unit near her home in Kandra area in Seriakela-Kharswan district in the morning of December 7. According to the statement of the victim and her mother, the assailants stripped her and tried to rape her. When the girl resisted and shouted for help, they set her afire after pouring kerosene on her, pushed her into a dry well and fled.

The police had raised a sum of about Rs 50,000 to pay for her treatment.

We are also writing to the government for suitable compensation. Although she was not raped and we will request the government for adequate compensation for attempt to rape and murder now, the SP said.

The police have filed an FIR under stringent Protection of Children against Sexual Offences POCSO Act in the case.

As per Central Victim Compensation Fund (CVCF) brought in October 2015, victims of rape and acid attacks are now entitled to get Rs 3 lakh in compensation and if the age of the victims is below 14 years, the compensation amount will be 50% more.

A suspect named Ramashankar Sharma was arrested by the police. But his family members have now claimed that the police mistakenly arrested him and that he was actually trying to save and bring the victim out from the well.

If they come to me or the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) in writing and with some evidence, we will certainly investigate their claim. As of now, the accused has been arrested on the basis of the prima facie report and evidences presented by the investigating officer and search is on to nab the second accused, Sanjeev Kumar, Seraikela-Kharsawan Superintendent of Police (SP) told HT on Wednesday.

According to the police, the girl, daughter of a daily wage labourer, lived in a rented accommodation for the last two years in Kandra area, with her siblings. The labourer is a native of Bankura district in West Bengal. The minor girl had suffered more than 50% burn injuries when she was taken out of the well and rushed to TMH.

Family members and neighbours of Ramashankar Sharma, however, claimed that police made a mistake in arresting him in a hurry. Sharmas wife Soni Devi, his father Sawalia Sharma and several neighbours have requested the SP for justice.

He actually reached the well with bucket and rope to pull the victim out of the well and also helped take her to hospital, said Soni Devi. Police, however, said Ramashankar has criminal past and came out of jail recently.

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The national anthem has perhaps never raised as much noise as now. The Supreme Courts ruling last month, making it mandatory for all movie theatres to play the song penned by Rabindranath Tagore before every show, has triggered a fierce debate and stoked passions.

Twelve persons were briefly arrested in Thiruvananthapuram earlier this week after they refused to stand up for the anthem. Eight people were assaulted in Chennai a day earlier for having done the same.

The highest courts order, intended to instill a feeling within one a sense of committed patriotism and nationalism was to be enforced across the country from December 10. HT reporters in several cities and towns went to the movies to get a reality check on how the order is being implemented.

Bolpur-Shantiniketan, West Bengal

We are not playing the anthem, said the owner of a theatre in the town where Tagore lived for much of his adult life and set up his dream Visva-Bharati, the seat of learning, which is now a university. We are yet to receive reels or spools of the rendition. There are several specifications about rendering the song, including its duration. We cannot just play any version of it, he added.

The audience trooped in and out of the two theatres, Chaitali and Gitanjali, without much fuss. None questioned why the anthem was not being played. They were too focused on the movies instead: Kahaani 2 in Gitanjali and Bengali flick Amar Prem in Chaitali.

KN Daga, vice-president of Eastern India Motion Picture Association (EIMPA), pleaded helplessness, saying only theatres that have the necessary technology are playing the anthem. It is, however, not possible for me to say how many halls are playing it or whether the audience is cooperating.

Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh

Mohammad Dilshad, one of the three gatekeepers at Prasad cinema hall, is the chief enforcer of patriotism. Do pairon pe khade ho jao, (stand up on your two legs), he shouts at the sparse audience that has trooped in for the John Abraham-starrer Force 2.

Most stand up, but some need further prodding. Pehli line main lal sweater, jaldi khade ho jao (First line red sweater, stand quickly), Dilshad tells a person in a red pullover who is somewhat tardy in getting up. The crowd takes the instructions sportingly, turning its gaze on a couple sitting at the rear. Mohabbat baad main kar lena, abhi desh ke liye khade ho jao (Keep the romance for later, stand for the country now), someone tells them and the rest laugh.

An elderly man reclining on his seat in the second row stayed motionless, refusing to get up. Buddha aadmi hun, so gaya thaa (I am old, I was sleeping), he sheepishly says later.

All three theatres in the town are playing the national anthem. Dilshad said he was doing his bit to enforce the court order. It is my work to make people stand, but I cannot fight if some one does not.

Tilda, Chhattisgarh

The mood is upbeat at Cineplex Raj, a theatre in the small town about 45 km from state capital Raipur. Minutes before a film in Chhattisgarhi dialect was to be screened, everyone stood up as an audio-visual rendition of Jana Gana Mana started.

Everyone kept quiet for the duration of the anthem. When it ended, a young boy broke the stillness, shouting Bharat Mata Ki Jai.

Theatre-owners in the BJP-ruled state say playing the national anthem has been the norm for the last several years. Long before the Supreme Court stepped in, the state government had instructed theatres to screen a specially-shot video of the anthem sung by local celebrities.

Everyone stands up. Sometimes some tribals from the interiors do not because they are not aware of the protocol, said Puran Verma, manager of Cineplex Raj. But we do not beat up anyone for not complying.

Indore, Madhya Pradesh

The moment the message, Please rise up for the nation anthem, flashed across the screen, everyone at Carnival Cinema in the citys Malhar Mega Mall stood up.

This is welcome, said Anjali Mishra, one of the many who had turned up for an early morning show of Befikre starring Ranveer Singh. After completing our education, the national anthem vanishes from our lives. This decision has brought old memories flooding back, she said, referring to the court ruling.

Aditya, a student agreed. I believe that most people stand up out of respect. Many of our generation are not very nationalist but narrow-minded. This reminds us that we are one country, he said.

Both Anjali and Aditya did their bit: Anjali stood still while Aditya sung the national anthem lustily as it played out.

Mumbai, Maharashtra

I have two grown up boys. I am all for it, said Shalini Gupta, a school teacher from Mumbai, where theatres have been playing the national anthem since 2003.

The Supreme Court order will expectedly reinforce the practice. Nowadays, only kids in school hear the national anthem. For adults, cinema halls can become the place we hear it. That will connect us as Indians, pointed out Dhruba Saha, a financial adviser.

However, the issue remains sensitive and enquiring about how well the court order is being enforced sent security guards at a theatre in a tizzy. She is asking about the national anthem, one of them told his superior on the phone.

It has spelt trouble as well at times. In January, Neeraj Pandey, a screenplay writer got thrown out of a suburban multiplex for not standing up to the anthem. Who were they to yell at me and call me a Pakistani? I had a hard day and I was not in a good frame of mind, so I chose not to stand. But I love my country he elaborated on the incident.

PV Sunil, CEO and director of Carnival Cinemas, said ushers are trained for any situation. With the help of relevant messages on the screen and proper assistance from cinema staff, patrons are giving due respect to the national anthem, he said.

(With inputs from Surojit Ghosh Hazra and Sreyasi Pal in West Bengal, Ritesh Mishra in Chhattisgarh, Kunal Borkhade and Winny Das in Madhya Pradesh, Chandan Kumar in Bareilly, Gayatri Belpathak and Alifya Poonawala in Mumbai)
Pakistan is wary of major world powers pressuring smaller countries to make exemptions for India to gain entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group, with officials expressing fears that such a move could affect stability in South Asia.

Islamabad applied to join the NSG soon after Indias bid. However, Indias application has been blocked by Pakistans close ally China, which has suggested a two-step approach for new admissions that involves developing criteria for non-NPT states and then inviting applications.

We are pretty confident that NSG countries would not go down the exemption way, but if they ultimately do so and give exemption to India, there would be serious repercussions not just for Pakistan, but also for other non-nuclear weapon states that may feel being unjustly denied their right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy, Kamran Akhtar, director general for disarmament in Pakistans Foreign Office, was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper.

Speaking at a workshop on Defence, Deterrence and Stability in South Asia that was organised by Islamabad-based Centre for International Strategic Studies and Londons International Institute for Strategic Studies, the officials said they were encouraged by growing support in the NSG for establishing criteria for membership of non-NPT countries.

There are a lot of countries that now recognise the need for a criteria-based approach rather than granting exemptions, but pressures are still being exerted on smaller countries, Akhtar said.

He warned strategic stability in South Asia would be undermined if Pakistans application was not treated equally with the Indian case.

The NSG failed to evolve consensus on Indias bid and the admission of non-NPT countries at two meetings this year, including one in Vienna last month.

Khalid Banuri, the director general of arms control and disarmament affairs in the Strategic Plans Division, said: Pakistan wants to deny India space for war and create a space for peace. Its (Pakistans) weapons are for maintaining peace in the region and for deterrence.

Tasneem Aslam, additional secretary in the Foreign Office, said the membership of non-NPT countries is deeply linked to strategic stability in the region.

Today, the NSG stands at crossroads, once again, as it considers membership for non-NPT states. An even-handed and non-discriminatory approach by the NSG at this juncture would be of far-reaching significance for strategic stability in South Asia and global non-proliferation efforts, she said.

Aslam also regretted the worlds silence on India-Pakistan tensions. Unfortunately in bilateral context Pakistan and India seem to be moving backwards, which is not a good sign, she said, warning that India was upping the ante through dangerous rhetoric and risky claims of surgical strikes.

The speakers at a session on Tensions with India agreed there had been a dangerous escalation in the region and political leadership on both sides need to show political resolve and vision to reduce tensions.

IISS senior fellow Brig (retired) Ben Barry talked about the influence of non-state actors and said, Further or more serious attacks by non-state actors in Kashmir or (mainland) India could produce a dynamic change of military escalation on both sides.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that he has personal information on corruption by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which he wants to reveal in the Lok Sabha. He was speaking during a joint press meet of the Opposition after Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day.

Earlier, Parliament met after four days, with the Congress sharpening its attack over demonetisation and an alleged corruption scandal involving junior home minister Kiren Rijiju. With just three days remaining in the winter session, the Rijiju episode has cast a fresh shadow over the possibility of any business being transacted in both houses.

The Rajya Sabha, however, presented a different picture, with the days proceedings functioning smoothly until late afternoon. All clauses of the disability rights bill was discussed and the bill was passed, as amended. The House had to be adjourned shortly afterwards protests over Rijijus alleged involvement in the scam stalled proceedings.

Ever since the session began on November 16, the Lok Sabha has managed to conduct only two legislative actions -- passage of Income Tax amendment bill and approval of supplementary demand for grants -- that too amid din and without much debate.

Read | To debate or disrupt? Thats the question for Congress as Parliament resumes

Here are the highlights:

2.50 pm: Kurien attempts to dismiss the discussion by pointing out that an allegation cannot be made against another member in the House unless the Chair has informed about it beforehand. His pleas fall on deaf ears, however, as both sides trade barbs.

Both sides are indulging in indiscipline, what can I do, says Kurien and adjourns the House for the day.

2.45 pm: Soon after the deputy chairman congratulates members of the House for a productive session, the familiar sounds of sloganeering begin again as Congress leader Anand Sharma brings up the notice he gave under rule 267 in Rajya Sabha for discussion on Kiren Rijijus alleged involvement in Arunachal hydro scam.

Arun Jaitley responds, The allegations made by the Congress party is completely false and fabricated.

Read | Javadekar, Goyal come to Rijijus defence in Rs 450 cr power project scam row

2.40 pm: After going through an exhaustive series of 120 clauses, the disabilities bill, as amended, is passed in the Rajya Sabha.

A visibly relieved deputy chairman PJ Kurien says after passing the bill, Why dont we have it like this everyday. Let us proceed like this. So nice it is. I am so happy today.

2.15 pm: Rajya Sabha resumes clause by clause examination of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 .

1.45 pm: Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan says the Opposition cant have it both ways, speaking to reporters outside Parliament. Both things cannot happen at the same time that you protest in the Well and also ask for discussion.

Read | Rahul Gandhi must substantiate corruption charge against PM

1.15 pm: BJP leaders respond to Rahul Gandhis comments. Ananth Kumar demands proof from him and says that the Congress vice-president is spreading wild allegations. From day one weve been saying that were ready for debate but unfortunately the Opposition is not allowing the House to function, he said.

If R Gandhi had info,he could have revealed it 20 days ago, bt till today he wasn't ready to make any earth-shattering revelations-A Kumar pic.twitter.com/1i6caf1WZb  ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

Venkaiah Naidu questions why the Congress and Rahul Gandhi has not allowed the Parliament to function and have a proper debate on demonetisation in the last 15 days.

Human resources minister Prakash Javadekar refers to Gandhis comments outside Parliament on Friday, when he promised an earthquake if he is allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha. He says there will be an earthquake when he speaks in the House. We are saying no earthquake will happen, only the ground beneath his feet will give way, Javadekar said.

Read | Lok Sabha adjourned amid Opposition protests over demonetisation, Kiren Rijiju

Talking to reporters outside Parliament, Kiren Rijiju says it is the Congress party, not PM Modi, which is very scared as it has to defend what the party vice president has said.

Everybody feels that it is the biggest joke of the year that Rahul Gandhi says Narendra Modi is scared of his oratory skill. I dont think anyone takes comments he makes seriously. Congress itself is very scared of when Rahul Gandhi speaks as the party has to defend his words. Thats the level of threat he poses to his own party, Rijiju said.

12.30 pm: PM is afraid that if he lets me speak then his balloon will burst. I have information on the personal corruption of the Prime Minister which I want to reveal in the Lok Sabha, but I am not being allowed to speak. Modi is terrified of the information I have, says Rahul Gandhi, during joint media briefing by Opposition parties.

    personal corruption  information           Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 14, 2016

We are ready for an unconditional debate but the government is not allowing me to speak. It is our right to speak. Modi has destroyed millions of lives, he says.

12.20 pm: The Lok Sabha is adjourned for the day to be reconvened again only on Thursday.

12.10 pm: Lok Sabha reconvenes but no business is being done as the Opposition accuses of MoS Home Kiren Rijiju of being involved in a Rs 450-crore scam in a hydropower project in his home state Arunachal Pradesh. Ruling front parties brings up Agusta Westland in response.

Its very sad day, leader of the Opposition is challenging the speaker, says parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar referring to Mallikarjun Kharge.Regarding note bandi, we are always ready for a discussion.There is more jugaad in the congress party, says Ananth Kumar.

Read | The jury is out on Rijiju but violations rampant in Arunachal hydel projects

12.00 pm: All clauses in the disabilities bill that came up before noon is adopted and the rest will be taken up at 2 pm, says Kurien as he is replaced by chairman Hamid Ansari for Question Hour session. As Opposition members start showing signs of protest and bringing up subjects not listed on the agenda, Ansari pleads with them to behave.

Dont introduce a Jekyll and Hyde personality in the House. Other issues will be taken up at other times. I do repeat that the House is showing propensity of a Jekyll and Hyde character. I fail to understand this, Ansari says.

He is forced to adjourn the Rajya Sabha till 2 pm.

11.30 am: The amendments of the disabilities bill is up for vote in the Rajya Sabha as the House tries to pass the bill before noon.

11.20 am: Discussion on Cyclone Vardah underway. Former finance minister P. Chidambaram says that the matter is quite serious. I compliment the government for positioning the NDRF in advance and for placing army columns in advance. But more needs to be done. Respond to Tamil Nadu governments request for aid. PM and the finance minister must consult and announce financial package.

Read | No electricity, no network, no money: Battered Tamil Nadu struggles post cyclone Vardah

He also stresses the importance of replenishing ATMS and bank branches in Tamil Nadu. FM Jaitley agrees and says all that is necessary will be done.

Govt shares concern,its a serious crisis moment,some anticipated action was taken in advance- FM Arun Jaitley in RS on #CycloneVardah  ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

11.15 am: Deputy chairman PJ Kurien expresses reservations over passing of the bill without any discussion at all.

I am very happy that there is a demand from all members that a bill should be passed but I am stuck by a procedural problem. It is listed for 2 pm therefore there should be absolute consensus for scheduling it for earlier, says Kurien. He also says that it is not fair to the members who moved amendments for the bill if it passed without discussion. .

11.10 am: The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 is brought up in the Rajya Sabha and all members are unanimous on passing the bill without discussion.

If we dont pass it today, it cant be passed in the other House, says leader of the opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad.

11.00 am: Pandemonium in the Lok Sabha right from the onset. Prime Minister Modi is present in the House but Speaker Sumitra Mahajan is forced to adjourn within minutes as loud protests persist.

10.55 am: I have come to speak; lets see if the government will let me or not, ANI quotes Rahul Gandhi as both Houses convene.

10.40 am: PM Modi chairs a meeting with senior ministers in his chamber in Parliament. Finance minister Arun Jaitley, parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar, defence minister Manohar Parrikar are among those present.

Read | Govt braces for trouble in Parliament as bank queues returned after long weekend

10.15 am: If Opposition will raise Kiren Rijijus issue in Parl, they may have to face a lot of embarrassment and theyll have to face a lot of truth, ANI quotes minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

The ruling side would rake up the AgustaWestland helicopter issue to target its top brass to divert attention from hardships facing people due to demonetisation, sources told HT.

10.00 am: ANI reports that Congress will raise Kiren Rijijus alleged involvement in Arunachal hydro scam issue in Rajya Sabha. Anand Sharma gives notice under rule 267 in Rajya Sabha for discussion on the subject.

9.50 am: Opposition parties meet ahead of Wednesdays Parliament session.

8.00 am: Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge said the party would bring up the vigilance report accusing minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju of influencing payments for a hydro project contract in Arunachal Pradesh.

Today, we will have a party meeting. We have two to three important issues to raise in Parliament like demonetisation, India foreign policy towards Pakistan, and of course, the issue involving Rijiju. We will discuss all these issues in the party meeting and accordingly raise our issues in parliament, Kharge told ANI.

(With agency inputs)

Read | PM Modis presence in Parliament will compel the Opposition to debate note ban
A local court in Haridwar has slapped Ramdevs Patanjali Ayurveds five production units with a fine of Rs 11 lakh for misbranding and putting up misleading advertisements of their products.

ADM Lalit Narayan Mishras court has asked the company to pay the fine within a month.

Patanjali Ayurved was found guilty of misbranding as the products being shown by the company as produced at its own units were in fact manufactured somewhere else, the court said.

A case had been filed in the court against the company in 2012 by the District Food Safety Department after samples of mustard oil, salt, pineapple jam, besan and honey produced by Patanjali had failed quality tests at Rudrapur laboratory.

The products were found to be in violation of sections 52-53 of Food Security norms and section 23.1 (5) of Food safety and Standard (packaging and labelling) regulation.
The Supreme Court asked the Centre on Wednesday to come up within four months a national action plan to tackle drugs and alcohol abuse among schoolchildren, saying kids are pushed to become drug peddlers once they get addicted.

Acting on a petition from Nobel Peace laureate Kailash Satyarthis child rights group, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, the top court asked the Centre to explore the possibility of including ill-effects of drug abuse in the school curriculum and conduct a nationwide survey within six months to see how widespread the problem is.

With government figures showing almost 20% of addicts in India are under 21, the court said more needed to be done to educate young people about the dangers of substance abuse.

This is a basic deficiency which the Union government must redress at the earliest, a bench of Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice DY Chandrachud said.

The Centre had said a national policy on curbing drugs abuse was being finalized, but admitted there was no authentic data.

Satyarthis NGO filed the petition in 2014, seeking a court order for a national action plan to tackle child drugs abuse through identification, investigation, recovery, counselling and rehabilitation.

Trafficking and drug abuse, inherently linked to each other, are the most prevalent forms of organised crime in the world, he said in response to the verdict.

This petition was filed to ensure that children are provided with a better, more healthy childhood.

The child rights group asked the court to order the government to create rehabilitation centres in each district of India, with a special wing for children.

Experts say peer pressure and academic stress are driving children to drugs, but there is scant data on the scale of the problem.

India is home to the largest child population in the world with over 44 crore children, according to the census of 2011. Among this, twenty-four crore are adolescents.

A 2013 report by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights estimated 40-70% of Indias 18 million homeless children were exposed to some form of substance abuse.

Many of them started taking drugs as young as five years old, the report found.

It estimated almost one in five of Indias drug and alcohol addicts in 2011 were under the age of 21.

A bench comprising chief Justice TS Thakur and DY Chandrachud also asked the Centre to conduct a national survey on the substance and alcohol abuse and use of psychotropic substances among children in schools across the country.

Issuing a slew of directions, the bench observed Children are encouraged to become drug peddlers once they are addicted (to drugs).

The bench also favoured a re-look on the curriculum to make school children aware about substance abuse and its ill-effects.

The directions were passed on a 2014 PIL filed by NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan of Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi.

The NGO, in its plea, had sought a direction to formulate a national action plan for children on drugs and substance abuse including all issues of identification, investigation, recovery, counselling and rehabilitation.

It had also sought creation of model syllabus on ill- effects of drugs and substance abuse.

The NGO, represented by senior advocate HS Phoolka, had sought setting up of rehabilitation and de-addiction centres in each district of the country with a special wing for children.
The Delhi Police have sought information from five countries to help it trace the group which hacked into the Twitter accounts of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and his party.

The hacking group Legion, which claimed responsibility for the act, is still a mystery for internet service providers. The Delhi Police are probing the case after it received a complaint from Congress members.

Accounts of two journalists -- Barkha Dutt and Ravish Mishra, both from the NDTV group -- were also hacked, but their complaint was yet to be received the cyber cell of the police.

During its preliminary enquiry, the police could trace IP addresses from five countries -- Sweden, Romania, the United States, Canada and Thailand -- in the hacking job.

Investigators want to know if the hackers used the servers in these countries from somewhere else or they were physically present there while breaking into the microblogging sites of Gandhi and his party.

We have got the IP logs from Twitter. The details of IP logs were sent to the internet service providers in five countries after a thorough examination. We are yet to get the details of hackers account and address, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) Anyesh Roy told IANS.

Read | If we release data, it will create chaos in India: Legion

Not like Legion: When movies made hackers look cool on screen

Asked if the act was done by Twitter hackers, Legion, Roy said: the group is itself taking responsibility for hacking these microblogging sites but we dont as yet have any information about the real hackers. The case is under investigation.

Roy said the police were also taking help of Twitter officials in Bengaluru to identify those responsible.

The Cyber Cell is probing the case after two First Information Reports under Section 66 (c) of the Information Technology Act were filed.

Randeep Singh Surjewala, a senior Congress leader, had filed a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police on December 1 after the two accounts were hacked and a string of abusive messages posted on their Twitter handles.
Pro-Azeri and Pro-Turkish Writers Denigrate Armenia and Diaspora

By Harut Sassounian Publisher, The California Courier www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com Turkish and Azeri circles were displeased with my latest column where I had analyzed Vice President-elect Mike Pences phone call to Armenias President Serzh Sargsyan. Azerbaijans Trend news agency published a ridiculous article by Elmira Tariverdiyeva, titled: Yerevans failed phone call or why Trump did not respond. She is the head of Trends Russian-language news service. The Azeri article is replete with nonsensical and false assertions. The author, who has a limited knowledge of American politics, calls the Pence-Sargsyan phone calls a disaster. She wrongly claims that Pence simply returned Sargsyans phone call. In fact, it was Vice President-elect Pence who made the call to Pres. Sargsyan. The real disaster is that the President of filthy rich Azerbaijan, Aliyev, would have been unable to talk to Pres.-elect Trump or Vice President-elect Pence without the assistance of highly-paid lobbyists in Washington! The Azeri journalist goes on to make bigger gaffes by claiming that Hillary Clintons defeat was a big disappointment for Yerevan. It is known that Clinton maintained fairly close relationships with an extensive Armenian diaspora in the US. Elmira does not seem to know much about either Armenia or the Diaspora. Contrary to her false assertion, most Armenians did not support Clinton! Tariverdiyeva also claims that Yerevan is frustrated because Trump is more familiar with Azerbaijan based on his investments in that country. In my opinion, it is too premature to make such self-serving and unwarranted assumptions. On the contrary, Pres. Trump has many reasons to be tough on Azerbaijan given its dictatorial regime, serious violations of human rights, and the participation of many Azeris in ranks of ISIS terrorists in Syria. It is ridiculous to claim that Pres. Trump would be more favorably inclined toward Azerbaijan because of his $323,150 licensing fee from the Baku Trump Tower, which he does not own! Another more sinister article was written by Alexander Murinson, who is neither Azeri nor Turk, but for some questionable reason, has written a series of anti-Armenian tirades over the years in various publications. In his LinkedIn page, Murinson describes himself as: Currently seeking new [job] opportunities. An expert on Azerbaijan-Turkish-Israeli cooperation. Considered a leading expert on Azerbaijani Jewry. Murinson serves on the faculty of an obscure school in Washington, D.C., BAU (Bahcheshehir) International University, recently founded by Turkish billionaire Enver Yucel. In an attempt to seek new job opportunities and ensure that his article titled, The Armenian Lobbys Tenuous Relations with President-elect Trump, is published, Murinson panders to the right-wing website The American Spectator, under the false premise that Armenians are anti-Trump, therefore, anti-conservative. I had planned to rebut point by point Murinsons statements, but decided to let his own words expose his faulty judgments. Here are some of his nonsensical gems: -- American Armenian lobbys agenda is largely contrary to U.S. national interests and, perhaps counter-intuitively, to the best interests of the Republic of Armenia. -- Turkey [is] a key and indispensable strategic ally of the U.S. in the Middle East. -- This may lay at the core of the deep concern and disappointment of the U.S. Armenian lobby with the election of Donald Trump as President. For observers of the region, the nasty anti-Trump campaign executed by Armenian-American activists is no secret. The online campaign proudly announced that Armenian pop stars Cher and Kim Kardashian are pulling all stops against Trump, while a noted pro-Armenian celebrity Amal Clooney, whose odd list of clients once included Armenias government and Julian Assange, led the anti-Trump effort along with her husband George. -- The Armenian concern seems to stem from the fact that Donald Trump is not beholden to Washingtons typical web of special interest groups. He might pursue a more clear-eyed approach to the region, basing it on Americas national interest rather than the interests of a particular lobby. He might even take a sober look at the oversold notion of Armenian political influence in the U.S. and notice its increasingly obvious irrelevance. -- The next Secretary of State should be different from the once pro-Armenian Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who favored his Armenian friends. In view of such persistent attacks, Armenian-American political organizations should forcefully counter all deceitful and defamatory articles written by the likes of Elmira Tariverdiyeva and Alexander Murinson. It is high time to establish an Armenian Anti-Defamation Committee!
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will embark on a nationwide tour against Prime Minister Narendra Modis demonetisation move, immediately after the winter session of Parliament ends on Friday.

The assessment within the Congress is that the note ban will hit the BJP hard as the people continue to face severe hardships due to cash crunch, more than a month after Modi announced the decision on November 8.

Congress managers are of the view that Modi and the BJP will not only face the wrath of the people in poll-bound states but other parts of the country as well, evident from the long and seemingly unending queues outside banks and ATMs.

At a party meeting on Wednesday evening, MP Shashi Tharoor asked Gandhi if he could share the information about personal corruption of the PM to enable them to go all out against Modi. Gandhi responded by saying that he would do so at the appropriate forum, which is Parliament.

If that does not happen, then we will explore alternative options, the Congress V-P said.

Though Gandhi will primarily focus on poll-bound states, he will also take the fight over demonetisation to people across the country.

Read | People tired of your monologues, face Parliament: Rahul Gandhi to Modi

As part of the plan, the Congress vice-president will start the first leg of his tour with a public meeting at Fatorda, Margao, in Goa on December 16, the day the winter session of Parliament is scheduled to end. From Goa, Gandhi will travel to Belagavi in Karnataka on December 17.

While he will address two public meetings in Uttar Pradesh at Jaunpur on December 19 and Bahraich on December 22, a rally has been planned at Mehsana in the Prime Ministers home state of Gujarat on December 21.

Uttar Pradesh and Goa are scheduled to go to polls along with Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur in February-March next year.

Rahul Gandhi will reflect on the pain and anguish of the people. He will highlight why people are not permitted to withdraw their own hard earned money, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

Are all those standing in bank and ATM queues black money hoarders as projected by the PM, his ministers and BJP chief ministers? he asked. Gandhi has been at the forefront of attacks on the Prime Minister over the scrapping of `1,000 and `500 currency notes.

On Wednesday, Gandhi addressed a news conference as the leader and speaker of the Opposition parties that comprised the Trinamool Congress and the Left, the two bitter rivals in West Bengal. The Congress plans to step up the accelerator after assessing the ground situation in the first week of January, given that the Prime Minister has set a deadline of 50 days for normalcy to return following the note ban.

At Gandhis meeting with senior party functionaries and MPs, it was decided that Congress workers and leaders will fan out across the country and speak against the move. The Congress is keen to tap the peoples anger by highlighting the alleged deaths  it claims that more than 100 people have died  and the sufferings of the people due to the PMs note ban decision.

Read more | Rahul wants to speak of Modis corruption in Lok Sabha: Why it wont be easy

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Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi claimed on Wednesday that he had personal information about corruption by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the ruling Bharatiya Janata Partys lawmakers were not allowing him to speak in the Lok Sabha.

Gandhi didnt give details, saying he first wanted to share the information in the House. Opposition parties too alleged that the ruling side was gagging the voices of protests.

But for Gandhi, things are not going to be easy.

Members of Parliament (MPs) have complete freedom to speak their mind in the House and cannot be hauled to court even if their statements are defamatory. This freedom, however, has to be exercised within the rules of procedure of the Lok Sabha.

And these rules, for one, do not allow MPs to spring surprises in such cases.

Before allegations can be levelled against anyone in the House, members have to give prior notice to the Speaker and the minister concerned about the charges.

This is to enable the minister to probe the allegation, according to the rules, for the purpose of a reply. And the Speaker retains the right to prohibit the member if the Chair concludes that the allegation is derogatory to the dignity of the House or doesnt serve public interest.

But the process to level an allegation against a minister became a little more difficult on April 9, 1981.

This was when Vatakara MP, KP Unnikrishnan, started out to attack the minister of state for science and technology, CPN Singh.

Highlights MPs have complete freedom to speak their mind in the House. This freedom, however, has to be exercised within the rules of procedure of the Lok Sabha The process to level an allegation against a minister became a little more difficult in 1981 If an MP tries to level an allegation without following the due procedure, the Chair would be well within its powers to expunge it from the records

Law minister P Shiv Shankar promptly objected, pointing to the rule that barred members from reflecting upon the conduct of persons in high authority unless the discussion was based on a substantive motion on this subject.

Deputy speaker G Lakshmanan concurred with the law ministers point of order and gave the ruling in his favour, former Lok Sabha secretary general PDT Achary told HT.

He said the motion would have to be drafted with the approval of the Speaker, who had the last word.

If an MP tries to level an allegation without following the due procedure, the Chair would be well within its powers to expunge it from the records, Achary, who was secretary general during the 14th and 15th Lok Sabha, said.

There is, however, just one little loophole.

MPs can talk about the allegation without explicitly naming the minister, or in this case, the Prime Minister. There have been members who are able to work around the rules. In such cases, the member has to be very tactful in formulating his statement, he said.

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When state-owned ONGC-Videsh had decided to go for equity participation by pumping in $2.7 billion in the inhospitable Sakhalin Island in Russian Far East in 2001 in a challenging off-shore project, many thought money would go down the drain.

The project was declared a success five years later when Vyacheslav I. Trubnikov, then Russian ambassador to India, handed over a decanter of crude oil from the Sakhalin-I project to then petroleum minister Murali Deora on December 2, 2006.

ExxonMobil was the operator of the Sakhalin-1 project and the chief executive officer of the firm, Rex Tillerson, will be the new US secretary of state, the topmost diplomat of the country. President elect Donald Trump choosing him for the sensitive job might have sparked debate in the US over his association with the Russians. But this connection made many Indians interact with him over the years.

It was Tillerson who had proposed to bring Russian giant Rosnef into the project in his capacity then as the lead executive of the firm in Moscow.

.Technologically, it is a marvel. Resources that were discovered in the 1970s had to wait for the technical and engineering solutions to commercialise them and add them to the global energy supply, Tillerson said about Sakhalin-1 project.

Investing that kind of money in Sakhalin-1 was very daring then. But it was Tillerson who made the project happen in many ways. So some of the Indian officials from the ONGC met and interacted with him over the years, said an Indian official.

Other than OVL, Exxon and Rosneft Japans SODECO was part of the project.

Sources said judging Tillerson by what he has earlier role as a CEO is not the way to make assessments about he as the future secretary of state.

A source said the India-US relationship for years now has enjoyed bi-partisan support and the next administration is likely to continue with the same trajectory.

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It is not the first time that Satish Verma, the chief vigilance officer of North-Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) whose report against junior home minister Kiren Rijiju has given the opposition a handle to attack the Centre, has grabbed headlines.

Verma, a 1986-batch Gujarat IPS officer, was part of the special investigation team and later assisted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe that concluded Ishrat Jahan was killed in a fake encounter by the Gujarat police in an Intelligence Bureau (IB)-led operation in June 2004. The 19-year-old was killed along with her alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) associates on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

It was for the first time the countrys domestic intelligence agency was being accused of being complicit in an extra-judicial killing.

By the time the CBI filed formal charges in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, Verma was no longer a part of the agencys team and the then IB chief Syed Asif Ibrahim objected to his presence in the probe team alleging bias on part of Verma against the then IB special director Rajinder Kumar.

Over Ibrahim and Kumars objections, Verma was taken off the probe team for the sake of fairness. But the IBs image had been dented by then.

Kumar headed the IB unit in Ahmedabad at the time of Ishrats encounter and the CBI finally charged sheeted him along with his three junior officers and more than a dozen Gujarat police officials in the case.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also strongly suspected that the CBIs probe into the Ishrat case was a vehicle to implicate the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and his right-hand man Amit Shah in the case.

Following the regime change in May 2014, the Union home ministry under BJPs Rajnath Singh didnt give sanction to prosecute Kumar and other IB officials, closing a chapter in the long-running Ishrat encounter case.

Verma was earlier accused by a former home ministry officer RVS Mani of torturing him  when he was questioned in the case. Mani, as a home ministry official, filed two affidavits in the Gujarat high court on behalf of the ministry in connection with the Ishrat case proceedings in 2009.

In the first affidavit, the home ministry said Ishrat was linked with the LeT but in the second the ministry omitted mention of Ishrats links with the Pakistan-based terror outfit.

Verma strongly refuted the charges of bias against Kumar or torturing Mani.

Verma was subsequently posted outside Gujarat on a central deputation by the NDA regime as NEEPCOs chief vigilance officer in Shillong. In a 129-page report to the CBI and the Union power ministry, Verma alleged corruption in the construction of two dams for the 600 MW Kameng hydroelectric project.

He alleged an elaborate conspiracy involving contractors, NEEPCO officials and the West Kameng district administration to defraud NEEPCO and the government of funds to the tune of Rs 450 crore. West Kameng, the site of the project, falls in Arunachal West which is the parliamentary constituency of Rijiju.

Verma was pulled up by NEEPCO, that comes under the power ministry, for unauthorised absence and transferred to the Central Reserve Police Force in Tripura soon after his report. Union home ministry has issued a show-cause notice to Verma seeking clarification on what it termed as unauthorised leave while in NEEPCO.

But now Verma has filed a petition in the central administrative tribunal in Guwahati saying he had flagged the payment scam in NEEPCO and thats why his tenure there was abruptly cut short. He pointed fingers at a contractor Goboi Rijiju, who allegedly claimed to be the cousin of Kiren Rijiju. The minister has denied that Goboi is related to him.

In between all this, Verma is still pursuing the Ishrat case. He approached the local court in Gujarat seeking a copy of the chargesheet filed by the CBI in the case. Verma alleged that an effort is being made to weaken the case against accused persons. But the Gujarat high court declined to entertain his plea saying he has no locus standi in the case.

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The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the polices Crime Branch to search every nook and cranny of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus with the help of sniffer dogs to find out missing student Najeeb Ahmed.

A division bench of Justice G.S. Sistani and Justice Vinod Goel asked police to search the entire campus of the university including classrooms, hostels etc. to trace Ahmed.

The court was hearing a habeas corpus plea filed by Fatima Nafees, Ahmeds mother that her son be produced by police and the Delhi government before the court.

Read | Missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmeds mother moves Delhi High Court

Ahmed, 27, a first year M.Sc. student, went missing from his Jawaharlal Nehru University hostel on the night of October 14-15, allegedly after a row with members of RSS student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

The ABVP has denied any involvement in his disappearance.

Police told the court that four students, suspected for beating up Ahmed, would undergo lie-detector tests in order to get clues about his disappearance.

The court had earlier said it was pained over the failure to trace missing JNU student Ahmed and said it wanted his anguished mother to get her son back.

The court now posted the matter for December 22.

Read more | Help me find my child, I want to see him once: Missing JNU students mother
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated external Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on being named in the Global Thinkers of 2016 list compiled by the Foreign Policy magazine.

Swaraj was named in the decision makers category along with the Democratic Party US presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon, German chancellor Angela Merkel and US attorney general Loretta Lynch among others.

Very proud to see our hardworking EAM @SushmaSwaraj part of the @ForeignPolicy Global Thinkers list 2016! Congrats, Modi tweeted.

The magazine recalled how, when around 10,000 Indian workers in Saudi Arabia faced a food crisis earlier this year due to job losses, Swaraj tweeted about the issue to six million followers on the social media website.

What followed was a week-long social media operation in which Swaraj posted information for migrants about rations provided by the Indian embassy, claims for unpaid wages and government-organised transportation home, it said.

Stating that this was not the first time that the minister used the internet to reach out to the people abroad, the online post by the magazine said: From evacuating Indians from Yemen to helping replace lost passports, Swaraj has earned the nickname the common tweeples leader for her aggressive use of Twitter.

Apart from Swaraj, who was also featured in Financial Times women of the year, the other Indians in the Foreign Policy list are immunologist Gursaram Prasad Talwar who has developed a vaccine for leprosy, and Anupama and Vineet Nayar, co-founders of Sampark Foundation for their work on improving Indias primary education system in rural areas.

Through their Sampark Foundation, the former HCL Technologies executive and his wife are on a mission to revamp rural Indias primary education system with low-tech teaching tools. Theyve created smart class kits, which include various frugal innovations, such as a plastic audio device that introduces English words and lasts 15 days without a charge, the Foreign Policy magazine said.

(With inputs from agencies)
Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam on Wednesday allocated Rs 500 crore for rehabilitation works in regions ravaged by Cyclone Vardah in the state.

Of the Rs 500 crore, Rs 350 crore would be allocated to Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), Rs 75 crore to Chennai Corporation, Rs 25 crore to Highways department while Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur district administration would each get Rs 10 crore, Panneerselvam said.

With the storm disrupting electrical lines, internet services and mobile telephony in Tamil Nadu districts, the breakdown added to the sufferings of thousands of people already reeling under the impact of demonetisation of high-value currency.

Various government departments have taken up restoration works on war footing, Panneerselvam said.

Earler, he chaired a review meeting at the Secretariat in which senior ministers, chief secretary, advisors to government, DGP and department secretaries, participated.

Based on discussions at the meeting, I have issued orders to allocate Rs 500 crore to provide relief assistance to people and to take up infrastructure works in the affected areas, he said.

Among others, he said Rs 10 crore would be given as financial assistance to fishermen community, Rs seven crore to public work department, Rs three crore to health department, Rs 50 lakh to repair dairy farms that were affected and Rs five crore to police department to restore traffic signals.

The government allocated Rs two crore to the transport department to renovate damaged buses and bus terminuses.

As several trees at the famous Anna Zoological Park also were uprooted, the government allocated Rs 2.50 crore to the Forest department to take up restoration works at Zoo and those parks that were affected.

I have issued orders to all departments to work cohesively and complete the task soon, he said.

On Tuesday, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Panneerselvam sought Rs 1,000 crore as immediate assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund to take up relief and rehabilitation works. He also requested Modi to depute a team to study the damage caused by Vardah.

Earlier, Panneerselvam inspected several affected areas including Aringnar Anna Zoological park at Vandalur in Kancheepuram district. He also disbursed Rs 13.94 lakh as financial assistance to 43 people at Mammallapuram Town Panchayat, a release said.
Twenty-year-old Shyamala has never been happier.

The daily wage worker in Ibrahimpur village of Telanganas Siddipet district says her husband Rajasekhar does not pester her every evening to part with her hard-earned money to buy alcohol.

I dont have even a single rupee with me now. All that I have now is this debit card. I earn Rs 200-Rs 250 a day and it is deposited in my Andhra Bank account. I dont give a penny to my husband now, Shyamala says.

Whenever I want to purchase anything  provisions or vegetables or even biscuits for my son, I go to the shop and swipe the card in the machine to pay the required amount, she adds.

Shyamala, a daily wage worker, who is now using debit card for transactions (HT photo)

Last week, the sleepy village about 125 km from Hyderabad officially became the first hamlet in south India to go cashless. Except for school-going children, about 1,200 villagers belonging 370 families - were given debit cards.

Ibrahimpur is represented by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Raos nephew and irrigation minister T Harish Rao.

There are no cash transactions in the village now. While 70% of them already have their bank accounts, in the last one month we have ensured that all the remaining families have opened their accounts in Andhra Bank branch at the nearby Nararayanraopet village, Kumbala Yella Reddy, son of sarpanch Kumbala Lakshmi, told Hindustan Times.

Read all demonetisation stories here

Prime Minister Narendra Modis November 8 surprise move to ban Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 banknotes resulted in an acute scarcity of cash, especially across the countryside and millions have had to stand in serpentine queues to withdraw money from banks and ATMs.

The demonetisation move, Modi said, was a part of his governments efforts to purge illegal money from the market and cull counterfeit currency. It is also aimed at fast-tracking the country towards a digital, cashless economy nudging more and more Indians to use internet and mobile banking and open bank accounts.

All the shops in the village, including provision stores, fertiliser shop, fair price shop, have been provided with point of sale (PoS) machines, where villagers can swipe their cards to buy goods for their daily requirements.

I dont accept cash now just to encourage the villagers to use their smart cards, Praveen, a grocery shop owner, says.

Most of the villagers own smartphones and have downloaded the Andhra Banks mobile wallet. We are now getting instant messages whenever we do any transaction, 50-year-old Ramulu, an agriculturist, says.

However, villagers say they sometimes face the problem of network connectivity and as a result, the swiping machines stop accepting the transactions.

But since it is all within the village and we all know one another, we are able to manage. Only for outsiders, it is a problem, Praveen says.

To overcome this problem, the village administration has decided to provide free wi-fi connectivity to the entire village shortly. Once we get wi-fi, we are going to be completely hi-tech and smart, Yella Reddy says.

K Yella Reddy, son of sarpanch Lakshmi (HT photo)

In spite of getting used to cashless transactions in the last one week, some villagers desperately need money. I do not know how to use the cards. I need money for the purchase of rice and vegetables, 75-year-old Muthava, who gets Rs 1,000 every month as old age pension, says.

Yella Reddy says that problem has also been taken care of.

The minister has asked bank authorities to make an arrangement to disburse cash to villagers in emergency situations by using debit cards, Reddy said.

The village also has a drinking water dispensing machine that can be used by swiping smart cards. All the villagers have been provided with Any Time Water (ATW) cards and all that they have to do is to swipe it in the equipment and they will get 20 litres of water at a time, Yella Reddy adds.

HT In-depth: Demonetisations ever-changing rules: a complete history

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Banking officials, many of whom are under the scanner for possible fraud involving new currency notes, accounted for more than 50% of public servants penalised by vigilance officers over the past five years.

In all, 3,100 of them were sacked and 5,600 demoted between 2011 and 2015. This means three public sector bank officials were sacked and six more demoted every two days.

We are ashamed of this, said CH Venkatachalam, general secretary of the All India Bank Employees Association. But the percentage of the number of employees sacked is a miniscule percentage of the total bank employees... There is, however, no justification for corruption and a corrupt officer should be taken to task, he added. Public sector banks have about eight lakh staffers on their rolls.

Bankers are at the heart of implementing the governments November 8 decision to scrub the economy clean of black money when it demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes. Bank notes in these two denominations made up for 86% of the Indian currency.

Bank officials had to exchange and receive deposits in old bank notes and ration the new currency notes. But seizures of new currency notes that started soon suggested that some bankers were letting down the government.

Read | RBI official arrested in Bengaluru for alleged role in banned notes exchange

As first reported by HT, finance minister Arun Jaitley acknowledged that the facility to exchange the old notes was withdrawn due to abuse of the relaxation. A probe into some of these cases later indicated bank officials were involved in quite a few instances. At the HT Leadership Summit on December 3, power minister Piyush Goyal too conceded the government had received reports of a nexus of certain professionals, certain bankers and possibly certain officials operating in parts of the country.

Venkatachalam said bankers may end up having to bear the brunt of everything that was going wrong in the system today. But if people are getting large amount of new currency notes, the onus should not be on the bankers alone. They probably are being used as scapegoats and someone such as the CBI needs to probe deeper, he said.
Taking a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Wednesday that whenever the opposition leader speaks, his own party gets exposed and it benefits the ruling side.

Rahulji, we want you to speak in the Lok Sabha..., Union human resource development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is involved in corruption. He said he wanted to reveal this in Parliament, but was prevented by the ruling majority from speaking there.

For his part, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said if the Congress vice-president actually has documents, he should expose the Prime Minister even if it happens to be outside Parliament.

If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modi jis personal involvement in corruption, then why doesnt he expose it outside Parl? Kejriwal tweeted.

For her part, BSP supremo Mayawati claimed the Modi government was not ready for the demonetisation exercise and the decision to recall Rs 500 and Rs 1000 banknotes was hasty. She also attacked the Prime Minister on the issue, saying he was speaking everywhere except for Parliament as he lacked strength to address the House.

Read | Rahul Gandhi must substantiate corruption charge against PM

Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said the entire parliamentary system was facing a threat as government was not allowing the House to function smoothly and the opposition to speak.

We cannot understand why so much arrogance on the part of the government. The voice of the opposition is being gagged, he said.

NCP leader Tariq Anwar too said it was for the first time that an atmosphere had been created where the opposition was not allowed to speak.

Read | Why doesnt Rahul Gandhi expose Modis corruption outside Parliament: Kejriwal

Javadekars salvo

Javadekar of the BJP leader criticised opposition parties for protesting the governments November 8 decision to scrap the old banknotes, a move the Modi said was aimed at rooting out corruption and black money.

When they were in power, they were involved in corruption. All the corruption cases, whether its 2G scam, Commonwealth scam or coal scam -- all happened during their time.

All these Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were involved (in those scams), Javdekar alleged.

And even now, when they are not in power, they are still involved in corruption -- they are now involved in converting black money into white, Javdekar said.

The BJP leaders remarks came a day after a TV channel in a series of stings revealed that many politicians in Delhi-NCR were allegedly laundering cash and converting black money into white at a hefty commission.

Leaders of various parties, including the Congress, NCP, Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party and the Janata Dal-United, were purportedly caught on camera at their party offices, negotiating terms of black money conversion in the sting operations aired by India Today TV channel on Tuesday night.

They (opposition leaders) are completely exposed now. The stings show they are demanding huge commission to convert black money into white, Javadekar said.

Making light of the protest of Opposition leaders against the demonetisation decision, Javadekar said: Their protests (in the name of peoples woes) are fake. They are protesting because it has hurt their businesses.

They must apologise to the nation, he demanded.

The HRD Minister also lashed out at the opposition party leaders for stalling Parliament and accused them of escaping from the debate.
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

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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

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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".

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Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

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Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh
The micro, small and medium (MSME) sector is worried over the central governments proposal to make it mandatory to pay salaries of factory workers through cheques or direct bank transfer.

Union labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya on Sunday said the Centre would soon amend the Payment of Wages Act to facilitate the move. The proposal comes a month after announcement of demonetisation, which, experts say, pushing the countrys cash-based economy towards cashless mode.

Industry experts, however, say many workers avoid going to bank and casual workers (daily wagers) expect to get paid by cash on a daily basis. The move is impractical, especially for the unorganised sector, Pithampur industry association president Gautam Kothari told HT.

While industrialists are encouraging their employees to open bank accounts, many workers are illiterate and so avoid going to bank. Moreover, casual workers, who work under sub-contractor, get paid daily and even if contractors are paid by cheque he will find it very difficult to distribute the amount, Kothari said.

Deepak Ratnani, who has a PVC pipe manufacturing unit in Sanwer Road industrial area, said they would have to spend many days training workers on how to carry out banking transactions.

Even then, there is no guarantee that workers will accept payment by cheque. They are used to getting paid weekly by cash and immediately settle their kirana store and other debts once they get paid.

Association of Industry, Madhya Pradesh, secretary Yogesh Mehta said: We are all for transparency but the problem will be in making payment to daily wagers.

Most of them dont have accounts and even if new accounts are opened, they will be reluctant to accept cheques or any other electronic transfer method. Then, they will also ask for some time off to visit banks to withdraw the amount. It will take them a long time to become comfortable with using debit cards and initially they will be also vulnerable to frauds.
The Bombay high court on Wednesday dismissed the bail plea and a habeas corpus petition filed by former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal challenging his detention over charges of money laundering.

A bench led by Justice Ranjit More read out the operative portion of the order saying that Bhujbals pleas were devoid of merit. The detailed order of the bench is likely to be made public by Wednesday evening.

Earlier last month, the bench had permitted Bhujbal to withdraw his petition challenging provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) under which he has been booked. Bhujbal had at the time sought liberty to file a fresh habeas corpus petition against his detention, claiming that his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate and subsequent detention were illegal.

Habeas corpus is a recourse in law whereby a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment before a court. Bhujbal was arrested on March 14 by ED on charges of money laundering.

After his arrest, he had approached the high court challenging the constitutional validity of Sections 19 and 45 of the PMLA. Section 19 empowers ED to arrest an accused based on evidence gathered by the agency against the individual, while section 45 deals with bail of the accused.

Read

JJ Hospital dean denies role in referring Chhagan Bhujbal to Bombay Hospital

My arrest and detention were illegal: Chhagan Bhujbal tells Bombay high court

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More than 35 days after demonetisation of high-value notes, none of the cash/coin operated Ticket Vending Machines (CoTVM) at Mumbais suburban stations are accepting the new currency.

This has forced scores of commuters to stand in serpentine queues at railway ticket windows, to buy train tickets or recharge their smart cards.

The reason is that the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), the information technology wing of the Indian Railways, has failed to recalibrate these machines, bought for reducing lines on ticket windows.

Installed at major stations like CST, Dadar, Kalyan, Virar, Borivli besides others, the number of CoTVMs on both Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) is 180. Of those 110 are on CR, while rest 70 are on WR.

Commuter groups are upset with the delay in recalibration of these machines and questioned why CRIS requires so much time when the banks completed the same process within a week after demonetisation announcement.

There is chaos across the country over demonetisation and Mumbai suburban commuters are also suffering due to it. Despite this, the CoTVM machines have not been updated. Are CRIS officials sleeping? asked Subhash Gupta, an activist.

Currently, the machines accept coins of Rs 5 and Rs 10 and notes of the denomination of Rs 5 to Rs 100 only. A senior CR official said the machines now do not accept old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000.

WR officials said they faced several issues due to lack of timely recalibration of CoTVM. Facing a similar problem, Mumbai division of WR had suspended operation of the machines for several days in last month.

Earlier this year, Indian Railways was forced to suspend operation of these machines for over 75 days for avoiding misuse of the machines, after a fraud using the machines was unearthed at Pune.

Meanwhile, CRIS officials in Mumbai are tight lipped over the issue and are pointing fingers at their headquarters in Delhi. A CRIS official said even they do not know when the CoTVM upgradation process will be completed as it is managed from Delhi.

Sources said the CRIS needs to change both software as well as hardware of the machines to make them accept the new notes.

On October 9, 2015, Prabhu had launched these ticketing kiosks. Unlike yellow-blue colour Automatic Ticket Vending Machines, popularly known as ATVM, the Silver-Blue touch screen CoVTM allows commuters to buy ticket using cash and coins, besides smart cards.

Besides booking unreserved card and season tickets, one could by platform tickets and recharge smart cards as well.

Each of these touch screen based machines is worth Rs 7.5 lakh. The machine has two-door-based security system for avoiding illegal access to cash and coins stored in it. It is capable of storing 25,000 notes and 3,000 coins, at a time. It does not accept soiled, torn, glued or damaged notes.

For buying tickets passengers need to insert exact amount of cash within 60 seconds, after selecting ticket details on the screen.

Using the machines passengers can purchase four unreserved card tickets at a time, while just one season ticket and platform ticket could be booked at a time. Commuters can load amount up to Rs 5,000 on the smart cards and they get 5 percent bonus on the recharged value.

Central Railway to get card swiping machines

The Central Railway (CR) will install around 600 credit and debit card swipe machines in phases to mitigate post demonetisation effect announced on November 8, this year. So far 34 swipe machines have been installed at 7 suburban stations, which include CST, Dadar, LTT, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Byculla and Chembur.

We are aiming to install 620 swipe machines across the suburban section in phases. In the first phase, swipe machines will be installed at all long distance ticket booking counters, whereas in the next phase it will be installed at suburban ticketing counters also, said Ravindra Goyal, divisional railway manager (DRM), Central Railway Mumbai division.

Read

Demonetisation effect? Mumbai railway police reports 50% drop in theft cases

48% increase in railway smart card sales after demonetisation

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After a break, the protests of the Maratha community demanding justice to a rape and murder victim in an incident in Ahmednagar as well as reservation for the Marathas in government jobs and education, will resume on Wednesday. The Maratha groups have planned to organise a massive protest march in Nagpur, the second capital of Maharashtra where currently the winter session of the state legislature is in progress. The silent protest march will start around 11 am.

Over five lakh Maratha community members from across the state, especially from Vidarbha region, are likely to participate in the peaceful march. Significantly, more than 150 Maratha legislators from all political parties are likely to participate in the protests on Wednesday.

The march will start from Yashwant Stadium in the city and will conclude at T-point near the State Legislature.

The Maratha protests were on the back-burner for quite some time after demonetisation and first phase of civic polls. The organisers are hoping to regain the momentum ahead of the final massive protests they have planned in state capital Mumbai.

Nagpur, otherwise a peaceful city, has turned into a police fortress since the session of the Legislature has begun and the police have increased deployment in view of the Maratha protests too. Nagpur police have taken elaborate security measures including monitoring the march through video cameras.

The Maratha protests have political significance. Maratha, a politically influential community, has been traditionally supporting the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party though it did vote for BJP and Shiv Sena in 2014 elections. However, attempts are being made by certain sections within the community to point out that it is no more a ruling community now unlike during the previous regimes when Marathas occupied chief ministership and prominent positions in power.

The decision of the previous Congress-NCP government to provide 16% reservation in government jobs and education to Marathas was put on hold by the Bombay High Court. The blame-game is on between the ruling and opposition parties over the responsibility of the same. The state BJP is wary that it could be painted anti-Maratha by the opposition parties and some Maratha community groups. The BJP could suffer political setback if the community goes against it. Elections to major civic bodies and district councils are due in next couple of months. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis camp is also aware of the fact that the BJP leadership changed the chief minister in neighbouring Gujarat following failure of the state government to handle massive protests by Patel community. Anandiben Patel was replaced by Vijay Rupani.

READ MORE

Sambhaji Brigade: Maratha protest organisers turn political party

The new wave of caste wars: Marathas feel their social order is under threat

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The ministry of human resource development has proposed to change the way schools assess the performance of their students. If the proposal is approved, schools will no longer be allowed to assess a students performance only by a simple pen-and-paper test, but also make use of learning outcome modules that will be introduced soon.

Put together by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the proposal aims to improve assessment tools that schools use to judge the performance of a student and to shift focus away from traditional rote-learning methods. The module will be applicable to all schools, irrespective of the education board.

While city schools have given the concept a thumbs-up, educationists are sceptical whether the rules will be implemented. The state board focuses too much on the theory part of the curricula, whereas such learning outcomes will do our students good. The government, however, should make sure the structure in place is very strong and easily adaptable, said Father Jude Fernandes, principal, St Marys School (SSC) in Mazgaon. He added that before implementation of the new methodology, government should also invest time on training teachers so that they are well-versed in the use of the new assessment tools.

One of the reasons why the government wants to change assessment tools is the widening gap between learning outcomes in rural and city schools. The move to bring into force a learning outcome stems from the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), by non-government organisation Pratham, which has, in annual studies, highlighted the poor learning levels in rural schools. The reports have highlighted the fact that many class V students in rural schools cannot do simple mathematics of class II level. The HRD ministry hopes to do away with the rote learning culture in schools by implementing the learning outcome methods.

While most schools have agreed that the plan will benefit students in the future, some are sceptical. Schools have often highlighted the need to introduce more activity-based learning modules for younger classes, instead of focusing on learning theory. Activity-based learning always attracts maximum students and weve noticed that they also understand the concepts better. Unless the basic curriculum doesnt undergo changes, such learning modules will not be of much help, said Seema Maindiratta, principal of DAV School, Kharghar.

Others doubted if uniform learning outcome parameters will be work considering that there are different school education boards in the country. Different boards, including CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE and the various state boards are currently running on different syllabus, and introducing uniform parameters to assess the performance of students from different boards will pose a problem, said a principal.

Instead, the government should focus on bringing about some uniformity in the syllabus of various state boards. A uniform tool to gauge performance of students from different boards, and parts of the country, will be a very big challenge, said Carl Laurie, principal, Christ Church School, Byculla

Principals said that if the proposal has to work it has to implemented from the very top. If it comes from the HRD ministry, schools will adapt. If theres enough support and guidance from the government resources, then even teachers will have no problem in following orders, said Avnita Bir, principal, RN Podar High School, Santacruz. She added that implementation should also involve hand-holding teachers through the nuances of the process in the beginning to ensure best results.

Farida Lambey, co-founder and director of Pratham told HT that while the intent in introducing such a concept is appreciated, the final execution is what matters. The parameters need to be made very clear, and then have assessment tools relevant to the content being taught. Keeping in mind the various education boards functioning in our country, it is important to have in place a learning outcome that includes everybody, and assesses students on the same parameters, she said.

Also read

NCERT proposes survey to test childrens learning skills

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The Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit filed a first information report (FIR) against four people, including BMC engineers, last week for allegedly destroying mangroves. While the engineers were served notices, the two others  a private contractor and a driver  were arrested. The Malwani police also arrested seven other people for dumping debris in violation of Bombay high court rules. The state mangrove cell announced this on Wednesday, following a 10-day probe at two separate wetland sites in Mumbai.

The mangrove conservation unit seized an excavator machine from Charkop, Kandivali, where an FIR was filed against four people  Madhav Shinde, BMC executive engineer, and Vinod Tirekar, BMC assistant engineer, both from R-South ward; Nikul Jain, a private contractor; and Pannelal Yadav, the driver of the excavator.

In the second case, officials from the mangrove cell and the Malwani police seized four dump trucks from Chikuwadi in Malwani, Malad (West), and arrested seven people, including contractors and drivers at the site. They were released on bail the same day.

The two BMC officers have applied for anticipatory bail at the Dindoshi court and their hearing is scheduled for December 19. The mangrove cell will oppose their bail pleas, said Makarand Ghodke, assistant conservator of forest, Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit. The violators had destroyed a thick patch of mangrove trees at both locations and were dumping debris to pave the way for illegal structures.

He added that they tracked down the violators after questioning the drivers of the vehicles. The violations were committed on reserved forest land at both locations under the jurisdiction of the state mangrove cell. This allowed us to speed up the probe and make arrests, said Ghodke.

BMC officals from R-South ward said they were aware about the FIRs but refused to comment.

Since the inception of the state mangrove cell in 2013, 11 such vehicles have been seized in Mumbai and surrounding areas, including the five during the recent 10-day probe.

Noting the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Bombay Environment Action Group, an NGO, in 2005, the Bombay high court banned the destruction of mangroves and construction within 50m them across the state. After Vanashakti filed another PIL, court banned all reclamation of and construction on wetlands in 2014.

Despite after courts orders, however, rampant destruction of mangroves continues. According to the Konkan divisional commissioners office, there have been 500 complaints about the destruction of mangroves against unidentified people in the Konkan region in the past year. There has been an enquiry into 335 of these cases. However, 165 cases remain pending with and there has not been a single conviction across the state in two years.

WHAT ARE MANGROVES

Mangroves are salt-tolerant plants, trees, shrubs or ground fern of tropical and subtropical intertidal regions of the world. The specific regions where these plants occur are termed as mangrove ecosystem. These are highly productive but extremely sensitive and fragile. Besides mangroves, the ecosystem also harbours other plant and animal species.

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Wetlands stabilise the coastline, control erosion and provide a habitat conducive for plant and animal species; they prevent floods and filter groundwater

Like other forests, mangroves absorb carbon dioxide from the air and store it as carbon in their biomass

Mangrove forests are valuable for fisheries because they are a spawning ground for marine species

These forests are a vibrant ecosystem that harbour animal life and migratory birds

They are also natural buffers against cyclones and tsunamis, absorbing the brunt of the force of waves

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In Mumbai: BJP MLA kin held for mangrove destruction

Kapil Sharma booked for destroying mangroves near his home

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The income tax department (I-T) has seized Rs10 crore, all in the new Rs2,000 notes, after it raided the lockers of a multi-national company at a branch of the Bank of Maharashtra in Pune on Tuesday, according to sources.

At the time of going to press, officials were yet to open five lockers, said the sources. Officials, present at the spot in Parvati, refused to divulge any details.

This is the first operation of the income tax department in Pune after the Centres decision to demonetise old notes of Rs500, Rs1,000 on November 8.

According to the sources, I-T officials swung into action after bank officials became suspicious about the operations of a few lockers during the post-demonetisation period. Top officials took note of the locker operations and informed the IT department.

I-T officials rushed to the Parvati branch of the bank, situated in a densely-populated area on Tuesday evening, and opened the lockers with help of bank officials.

Both bank and I-T officials refused to share any information, but the sources said the multi-national company has around ten lockers, which are being checked. According to preliminary information, I-T officials have opened five lockers and found the cash in new currency.

I-T officials are also investigating whether bank officials were involved in stashing the cash.

Sources in the I-T department said they may take some time to complete the operation and officials from the multi-national company were likey to be summoned any moment.

Meanwhile,a huge crowd gathered outside the bank. I-T officials have closed all the entrance and exit points of the bank.

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Rs 67 lakh cash seized from car in Pune

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After a break, the protests of the Maratha community demanding justice to a rape and murder victim in an incident in Ahmednagar as well as reservation for the Marathas in government jobs and education, will resume on Wednesday. The Maratha groups have planned to organise a massive protest march in Nagpur, the second capital of Maharashtra where currently the winter session of the State Legislature is in progress. The silent protest march will start around 11 am.

Over five lakh Maratha community members from across the state, especially from Vidarbha region, are likely to participate in the peaceful march. Significantly, more than 150 Maratha legislators from all political parties are likely to participate in the protests on Wednesday.

The march will start from Yashwant Stadium in the city and will conclude at T-point near the State Legislature.

The Maratha protests were on the back-burner for quite some time after demonetisation and first phase of civic polls. The organisers are hoping to regain the momentum ahead of the final massive protests they have planned in state capital Mumbai.

Nagpur, otherwise a peaceful city, has turned into a police fortress since the session of the Legislature has begun and the police have increased deployment in view of the Maratha protests too. Nagpur police have taken elaborate security measures including monitoring the march through video cameras.

The Maratha protests have political significance. Maratha, a politically influential community, has been traditionally supporting the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party though it did vote for BJP and Shiv Sena in 2014 elections. However, attempts are being made by certain sections within the community to point out that it is no more a ruling community now unlike during the previous regimes when Marathas occupied chief ministership and prominent positions in power.

The decision of the previous Congress-NCP government to provide 16% reservation in government jobs and education to Marathas was put on hold by the Bombay High Court. The blame-game is on between the ruling and opposition parties over the responsibility of the same. The state BJP is wary that it could be painted anti-Maratha by the opposition parties and some Maratha community groups. The BJP could suffer political setback if the community goes against it. Elections to major civic bodies and district councils are due in next couple of months. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis camp is also aware of the fact that the BJP leadership changed the chief minister in neighbouring Gujarat following failure of the state government to handle massive protests by Patel community. Anandiben Patel was replaced by Vijay Rupani.

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CM Devendra Fadnavis talks sops for agitating Marathas

Maratha reservation: Maha likely to constitute backward class panel

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In the corridors of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in Delhi, a decision was quietly reached at last week that will greatly impact Mumbais environmental future. The ministry excluded 1.65 square kilometre from the eco-sensitive zone of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and paved the way for the construction of the train depot of the ambitious Metro III project in the Aarey forest.

The 165 hectares of Aarey forest, which was eco-sensitive till last week was deemed non-eco-sensitive by re-drawing a few lines. In the pitched and layered battle between the Maharashtra government and environmental groups in the last two years, the former won. It is not a surprise that the union ministry backed the Devendra Fadnavis governments proposal for the train depot, also called the car shed, in the Aarey forest.

What is astonishing is the sheer intransigence of all those in-charge of the Metro III project, which when completed will run 33.5 kilometres from Colaba in south Mumbai to SEEPZ in suburban north, which adjoins the Aarey forest area, to listen to reason about the car shed location. Environmental societies and activists under the banner of Aarey Conservation Group (ACG) not only protested the location but have also suggested seven alternative sites for it in the last two years.

Fadnavis has made the metro network in Mumbai, besides the ill-advised Coastal Road, his flagship project. There are debates around the advisability of the metro grid in Mumbai with transport analysts suggesting low-cost alternatives. But lets accept, for a moment, that the Metro III is what the city needs. It still does not explain why the car shed cannot be at another location.

For decades, as the green cover across Mumbai was threatened and trounced by cement and concrete, Mumbais citizens believed that at least the Aarey forest was legally protected. Previous governments, against sane advice, had allowed some construction in the forest. The Fadnavis government need not  in fact, should not  have allowed more of it. Violations and transgressions in the past cannot be cited as justification for doing more.

And heres the nub: even assuming that car shed is only feasible in the Aarey forest area, why did it call for such a large clearing of the forest? The car shed was initially ear-marked to cover 30 hectares. This was reduced to 20.8 hectares after protests by environmental groups. But the state government ostensibly proposed some 62 hectares and, before anyone could ask why, the union ministry okayed 165 hectares. So, whats going on?

The environmentalists argument is simple: Nearly 2,300 trees of the deciduous forest will be cut down and only a fraction re-planted, 27 adivasi settlements will be displaced, and a rich, complex bio-diverse web of life will be permanently destroyed. As many as 77 species of birds, 34 species of wildflowers, 86 species of butterflies, 13 species of amphibians, 46 species of reptiles several of these listed under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, and 16 species of mammals have been documented in the Aarey forest, according to the environmental magazine, Down To Earth. Therefore, please locate the car shed elsewhere, the ACG has tirelessly appealed.

Given how the arguments stack up, it is fitting to ask why the Fadnavis government has been stubborn about locating the car shed in the Aarey forest. Does the government have plans that it is not declaring at this time, what is the hidden agenda, is this car shed the beginning of the end of the Aarey forest? If all it takes is a stroke of the pen to delete 165 hectares from the eco-sensitive zone, what prevents the Fadnavis government and the Union ministry  Constitutionally obliged to protect environment and conserve wildlife  from further invading into the green zone, opening up more of it to the avaricious builders lobby which has so fundamentally damaged the urban eco-system of Mumbai?

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Buffer zone around Sanjay Gandhi National Park can have homes and industries

How Mumbais forest lost its protective buffer

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Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said that the electorate will vote against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections due to the hardships caused by the demonetisation move.

He said that politicians harassing the public will get a befitting reply in the elections.

He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) wanted to make a smart move by scrapping the 500 and 1,000 notes. But, it backfired as he ended up troubling people for no good reason. Today, the entire country is in lines, facing difficulty in withdrawing their money. People will also stand in lines in 2017 assembly polls to teach them (BJP) a lesson, Yadav said, while inaugurating 21 infrastructure projects in Gautam Budh Nagar on Thursday.

He inaugurated the projects worth 4,357 crore through a videoconference from Lucknow.

Yadav said he will visit Noida only after winning the 2017 elections. I know there is money in Noida. Some people advised me to stay away from Noida due to which I made it a point not to visit the city. But, I fast tracked all developmental projects in Noida and Greater Noida as we want development in our state, Yadav said.

We have completed projects before time. We have set up metro, city bus service, cycle track and many other facilities for the public. I am sure Samajwadi Party will open its account in the 2017 assembly elections in Noida, as people have understood that we believe in development and executed projects, unlike our Opposition parties  Bahujan Samaj Party and Bharatiya Janata Party, Yadav said.

In the 2014 parliamentary elections, BSP votes were transferred to BJP because they had a pact. Now, since we have done work on the ground level, wave in UP is in our favour. After demonetization, BJP has suffered immensely, while Samajwadi party continued to work hard. We will easily win the 2017 polls because of our work and BJPs wrong policies, Yadav said.

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Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

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Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

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PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
A strange question is being heard in the political corridors these days: Who is responsible for running Parliament? Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he is not being allowed to speak in the House and so he is speaking outside. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also says he is not being allowed to speak in Parliament, otherwise he would have exposed the government. The Opposition is blaming the BJP and vice versa. In such a situation, the people are mute spectators.

Parliament not only passes legislation but is also the main platform for political parties to express their views in the public interest. The ruling party can take decisions according to its wishes, and also use the official channels to communicate with political stakeholders. Besides, the media also gives prominence to the governments side of the story. The Opposition does not have that advantage. In such a situation, they utilise Parliament to express their views.

Read: End to Parliament logjam soon? Oppn could say yes to demonetisation debate in LS

Agitation and pandemonium in Parliament are not new: I dont think a single session has passed without commotion. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi had unprecedented majorities in the House but that did not deter MPs such as Ram Manohar Lohia, Jyotirmoy Basu, Piloo Mody, AB Vajpayee, Mani Ram Bagri, Mahavir Tyagi and Bhupesh Gupta from attacking the government. Personal allegations were also levelled against Pandit Nehru and Indira Gandhi. Yet they attended Parliament and listened to the Opposition.

Inside Parliament, Lohia had once called Pandit Nehru a tabla player because of the clothes he was wearing. Indira Gandhi was dubbed as goongi gudiya by the Opposition. But they responded to such allegations with smiles and never ran away from Parliament. If they wanted, they could have curtailed the voice of the Opposition as there were only 20-30 MPs but they never resorted to such undemocratic tactics.

Read: Advani lashes out at Centre, Oppn over Parliament logjam

Those who believe in democracy must respect dissent. When Opposition leaders like Hiren Mukerjee spoke, Pandit Nehru used to rush to Parliament from Teen Murti Bhawan to listen to them. When Vajpayee became PM, he made it a point to remain in the House during important discussions and he tackled the Oppositions allegations with his characteristic smile, without taking them to heart. The beauty of Parliament lies in its discourse and Opposition is the gem of this august institution. Contrary to those days, political enmity rather than ideological differences is guiding decisions these days. This is not good for democracy.

When I was parliamentary affairs minister, I used to take directions from Pranab Mukherjee. He always said: You are parliamentary affairs minister but you should feel yourself sitting in the Opposition benches more than the ruling side. The key to a successful parliamentary affairs minister is his persuasive skills to take the Opposition along with him so that the agenda of the government can be passed in Parliament.

Read: Demonetisation debate likely in Lok Sabha today, could break Parliament logjam

It is not that the ruling side was not attacking the Opposition but as parliamentary affairs minister, I was advised by Mukherjee not to directly attack the Opposition. The reason: In the case of a deadlock, there must be someone who can help to break it. If a parliamentary affairs minister loses the confidence of the Opposition, who will bridge the difference? This formula was working excellently.

Because of my good rapport with the Opposition, I could manage to get passed more than 20 laws per session. It is the responsibility of the Centre to find a way out to break the logjam, if any, between the government and the Opposition. The onus of running the House is on the government; the Opposition comes next.

Read: Narendra Modi | Not allowed to speak in Lok Sabha so I am speaking at Jan Sabha

We had the advantage of having leaders like Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee who were more than willing to engage with the Opposition as and when the situation warranted. I remember how Parliament was stalled during the Anna Hazare agitation but then there was a weeklong sustained dialogue with the Opposition, after which it was decided that a draft proposal will be placed before Parliament and it was done. The draft was passed unanimously and then Parliament functioned smoothly. At that time, I was told by Pranab-babu to get the draft prepared by the then leaders of Opposition Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj. This led to political consensus on the path forward.

Both the government and the Opposition were unanimous on the draft after a meeting in the office of the PM. The Opposition was given due space in the House to raise their issues during the first half of the day and then the governments legislative agenda was pushed after mutual discussion. This was to ensure that both the government and the Opposition raise their issues inside Parliament. I am not saying I was always successful but out of 10 cases, I could succeed in at least seven.

Now, the government is blaming the Opposition for the parliamentary logjam. Recently, I heard a senior leader saying in the Central Hall of Parliament that the BJP does not know how to run a government.

The means and expression of agitation, which the Congress leaders are showing in Parliament these days, were learnt from the BJP during the 10 years of the UPA government. BJP leaders may blame the Congress now but if they introspect they will recall that daily adjournments, slogan shouting in the well of the House and wasting sessions after sessions are their legacy.

Then a senior BJP leader who is now a Union minister had said disruption is a right way of opposing in a democracy.

Given the situation, if the government sits with the Opposition and discusses the issues with an open mind and the PM is present in the House and listens to the Opposition like Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi and AB Vajpayee, then certainly there will be a way out.

Rajeev Shukla is an MP and former Union minister

The views expressed are personal
In due course of time, we will know the veracity or otherwise of the alleged scam in the construction of the 600 MW Kameng hydroelectric project involving Union Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju. However, away from the national glare, the state of Arunachal Pradesh has been no stranger to controversies, legal violations and conflict-of-interest in hydropower development, as it unfolds an ambitious plan to become a hydroelectric powerhouse for the country.

As of May 2016, the state has signed Memoranda of Agreement (MoAs) for 143 hydropower projects, large and small, for a cumulative installed capacity of 46,442 MW. In February 2011, the BJP released a fact-finding report of a three-member committee on alleged scams in the Northeast by Congress governments including allegations of massive corruption and kickbacks in the signing of 137 MoAs for hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh. They alleged that the MoAs for projects worth 4 lakh crore rupees involved kickbacks worth 20,000 crore.

Read: SC asks Centre to clarify on Uttarakhand power plants

In April 2016, Lama Lobsang Gyatso, an opponent of hydropower projects in Tawang which are likely to destroy critical wildlife habitats and Buddhist cultural sites, was arrested. The police fired upon protestors demanding his release, resulting in the death of two people on May 2. Importantly, these series of events began with Lama Gyatso joining a group of people from Gongkhar village protesting the re-construction of the spillway in the under construction 6 MW Mukto Shakangchu hydroelectric project. The spillway had collapsed within three months of construction and locals blamed sub-standard construction and corruption allegedly involving sub-contractors and local politicians. Earlier, on April 7, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) responding to an Appeal by Lama Gyatsos Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF) suspended the environmental clearance of the 780-MW Nyamjang Chhu hydroelectric project.The developers, in their Environment Impact Assessment report, had concealed the fact that the project site is a critical wintering ground of the Black-necked crane, a bird protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protect Act and considered sacred by locals.

Read: Ticking time bomb: The catastrophe that awaits Uttarakhand

SMRF had earlier exposed the illegal construction of the 7.5 MW Khangteng and 3.0 MW Shyaro Nala projects in dense forest areas, being built to provide construction power to the 780 MW Nyamjang Chhu project, without any clearances under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. Over the years, violations of forest and environment laws have also been recorded either by the state government or the Environment Ministry in several projects under construction in the state, including the 2000 MW Lower Subansiri project coming up on the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border and the project embroiled in the current controversy, the 600 MW Kameng hydroelectric project. Although alignments of both the Bichom and Tenga dams as well as the Kimi powerhouse site in the 600 MW Kameng project were changed after environment clearance, mandatory fresh clearances have not been sought from the Environment Ministry to date.

The most under-reported but serious case of conflict-of-interest with respect to an Arunachal hydropower project was the 1750-MW Demwe Lower proposed to come up at cultural heritage site Parshuram Kund on the Lohit River. Former Power Secretary, Mr. P. Abraham, then a director of one of the project promoters, PTC India Ltd., chaired several meetings of an Environment Ministry committee which examined the Demwe Lower project for the vital Scoping clearance under the EIA notification 2006. He did not disclose being on the board of directors of the project promoters. Shockingly, the Abraham committee took a decision to delink the environment clearance of the Demwe Lower and Demwe Upper project, both promoted by the same developers, from the results of the Lohit river basin study which was to look at the cumulative impacts of the multiple projects coming up in the Lohit river basin. This was a selective de-linking of the environmental clearance of only these two projects, not the others.

Read: A dam big scandal

When this conflict-of-interest was brought to the notice of the then Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, he asked Abraham to resign. But he refused to review the conflict-ridden decisions taken by Abraham as demanded by many groups, including from the North East. When local groups from the North East challenged the environment clearance, the NGT arrived at a strange finding in its judgement absolving Abraham of conflict-of-interest: As a non-executive director of PTC India Ltd. which was to supply certain materials to the project proponent in this case, it is not understood as to how Mr. P. Abraham can be said to sit in judgement over his case. Admittedly he is not connected with Demwe Lower HEP 1750 MW project

The Tribunal got its facts wrong in concluding that the project promoter company in question was only to supply certain materials to the project proponent. But even if that was the case, it is a case of blatant conflict-of-interest for the director of such a supplier to chair an environment ministry panel examining the same project. Unfortunately, the NGT dismissed the review application without a hearing on merits. Subsequently, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur also dismissed an appeal without any hearing on the merits which included critical issues such as the Abraham conflict-of-interest.

Neeraj Vagholikar works on environment, energy and water policy issues. He is a member of Kalpavriksh. The views expressed are personal.
A supreme irony in United States president-elect Donald Trumps Cabinet appointments is that he is choosing the very kind of corporate honchos whom he accused Hillary Clinton of supporting during the campaign. He called for draining the swamp.

In October he said: Weve seen this first-hand in the WikiLeaks documents in which Hillary Clinton meets in secret with international banks to plot the destruction of US sovereignty in order to enrich these global financial powers, her special interest friends and her donors.

In choosing Rex Tillerson to be his secretary of state, Trump couldnt have chosen someone who better represents a special interest. As CEO of ExxonMobil, he headed the biggest oil and gas company in the world, the fifth-largest publicly traded company by market capitalisation. In 2014, Forbes listed it as the second most profitable company in the world out of 500.

Read | Trump picks Tillerson as top diplomat, sets up messy confirmation fight

His net worth of $150 million is overshadowed by that of his cabinet colleague, Betsy DeVos, who is worth $5.1 billion. The combined net worth of the Cabinet is estimated to be around $14.5 billion, most of whom have no experience in government. Trump has brandished as hubris what was camouflaged in Washington: Every US government is beholden to corporate interests, who also fund their campaigns, but he has gone much further by putting plutocrats directly in power.

There are two concerns regarding Tillerson. First, will he be able to divorce his business dealings from his diplomacy? Trump referred to his deep understanding of geopolitics as a qualification for his key post. ExxonMobil operates in 50 countries and is in many ways a State in its own right. It is economically larger than many countries and has its own foreign policy and contracted security forces. Can what is good for corporations be good for the US?

Second, Tillerson has been far too close to Russia President Vladimir Putin and his company has extensive dealings with Russia. In 2011, he brokered a deal whereby ExxonMobil gained access to the enormous resources beneath the Russian Arctic, in exchange for which Russias State-owned oil company, Rosneft, was able to invest in the US goliaths operations overseas. Tillerson is not only friendly with Putin but also counts Igor Sechin, Rosnefts executive chairman and a former deputy prime minister who has been described the second-most important man in Russia, as a personal buddy.

Read | Trumps pick for top US diplomat has close ties to Russia

Potentially, Tillerson faces a direct conflict of interest. The 2011 Exxon-Rosneft deal was frozen by the US in 2014 when it imposed sanctions on Russia following its annexation of Crimea and military incursion into Ukraine. This had cost the company $1 billion and Tillerson asserted that decision-makers should be aware of the collateral damage in imposing sanctions. Since he has to formulate foreign policy, will he turn a blind eye to the depredations of countries, some of which have a dubious record in their oil and gas industries?

At the best of times, business and diplomacy make strange bedfellows. In Tillersons case, the situation in even more complicated by the fact that the CIA has accused Russia of hacking emails to embarrass Hillary Clinton before the election and US President Barack Obama has ordered an enquiry into this extraordinary allegation. This is a true-life plot that belittles any fiction conjured up by scriptwriters of American political TV serials.

Tillersons appointment has to be gauged against one vital yardstick: How he deals with climate change issues at home and in international negotiations. It is undoubtedly the single-most vital issue that confronts the world, since it threatens every nation. Unlike his president, he is not an agnostic. He has referred to the catastrophic consequences if left unchecked. He is obviously in favour of continuing to use fossil fuels, which cause global warming, but isnt necessarily against a carbon tax.

Read | Critics ask if Rex Tillerson can turn from corporate to national interest

However, this may well be instance of double-speak, since Exxon has earlier lobbied against the scientific acceptance of climate change. And deeds speak louder than words: It dragged its feet in cleaning up the spillage in Alaska in 1989 from its oil tanker, Exxon Valdez, considered one of the worst in history. While courts originally slapped damages of $5 billion, this was substantially reduced later.

As secretary of state, Tillerson will determine US policy in implementing the UNs 2015 Paris agreement, which it has ratified. His president and several Cabinet colleagues will be less than enthusiastic in doing so. The US has only voluntarily agreed to reduce its emissions by 26-28% from 2005 levels by 2025 and make best efforts to reduce them by 28%. This is extremely modest and pales by comparison with the EU, which sets reductions on 1990 levels, as well as China.

Read | Why a US-China war cannot be ruled out under Donald Trumps leadership

He will be abetted by Scott Pruitt, Oklahomas former attorney-general, who now heads the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Pruitt has the dubious distinction of unsuccessfully suing the EPA several times. Obama had to bypass the Republican-controlled Congress by introducing the Clean Power Act through an EPA promulgation. While Trump declared the law a war on coal, Pruitt has challenged it in 27 states, arguing that it violates states rights. He is also alleged to have close ties to coal and gas companies.

Make no mistake. The US is undergoing a fundamental change, with corporate interests openly gaining ascendancy and short-term objectives overruling strategic national and international interests. Will it begin to resemble Russia, a country with unscrupulous oligarchs, and forfeit its claim to being a leading democracy?

Darryl DMonte is chairperson, Forum of Environmental Journalists of India

The views expressed are personal
What extent can you go to for a Congress ticket? In case of Punjab, partys ticket hopefuls have not only found two voters per booth, paid Rs 10,000 for general seats and Rs 5,000 for reserved seats and signed a loyalty pledge that they would not rebel against the candidate announced by the party.

That was just for the preliminary round. Two back-to-back poll drubbings in Punjab have not dented the partys appeal among contenders. As the contest enters the final round at Delhi where the party high command takes a final call, the Punjab Bhawan in the national capital has become a shared dormitory with some rooms having more than six occupants, admit Congress leaders.

And it is not just first-timers or defeated candidates who are lobbying for tickets. Congress sitting MLAs too have been spending sleepless nights at the Punjab Bhawan fearing they may be dropped as per surveys of Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh. The Captain has also set the pulse of many political dynasties and senior leaders racing by bringing in one family, one ticket rule, advocating Hindu faces should be fielded from Hindu-majority seats, ruling out seat swaps for MLAs from general seats and announcing at least 30 seats for youth and fair representation for women. Not to forget, all candidates need to be winnable too!

Read | CEC Zaidi talks tough against biased officials and halqa in-charges ahead of Punjab polls

Among those not worried is MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra, who is busy campaigning in his constituency, Fatehgarh Sahib. I was also there at Punjab Bhawan in Delhi. But the situation had changed from sharing rooms to sharing even towels, he quips.

AMARINDER AMUSED

It also seems to be one of the pressures on the party to release the list. Amarinder too is amused. The whole of Punjab is sitting here. In the army, eight people shared a tent. Probably, the Akalis cannot find a place to stay. In that case, they too can pitch tents outside the Congress Bhawan. But how can they serve eviction notice or charge penalty from Congressmen who are paying the rent? he says.

The Bhawan authorities, when contacted, admitted that the government has asked them to take action against illegal occupants and get them evicted. But none of the officials agreed to be quoted.

Read | In Congress, you are as young as you think: For poll tickets in Punjab, age is just a number

The Punjab Bhawan sees such footfall of Congress ticket contenders every five years when the state heads to polls. Located in the heart of Delhi near the Congress office, the Bhawan has four categories of rooms and the rent starts from an unbelievable Rs 30 to Rs 800 for ordinary suites while the ministers suite is available for Rs 30 in category I and Rs 930 in category IV. The penalty? It is Rs 1,530 for both ordinary and ministers suites. Thats too not much considering each candidate has shelled out Rs 10,000 for applying for a ticket.

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The Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (MGMCH) has moved the Medical Council of India (MCI) seeking approval for starting postgraduate courses and allotment of 50 seats for the same.

The medical college is also contemplating to urge the MCI to increase its MBBS seats from existing 100 to 150.

The move is perceived as a significant turnaround for the college which has been still recently facing the threat of de-recognition and losing 50 of its MBBS seats for lack of faculty and infrastructure.

We have applied for the recognition of the PG degree and allotment of 50 PG seats as infrastructure in our college as well as hospital has been revamped as per MCI guidelines, Dr AC Akhauri, principal MGM College, told HT on Wednesday.

He said first round of inspection too had been done and that they are quite confident of getting positive response from the MCI.

MGMHs superintendent Dr Vijay Shankar Das told HT over phone from Delhi that the new five-storey building in the hospital premises was completed and they are expecting it to be handed over to the hospital authorities by the builder by the end of this month.

The building will house a critical operation theatre (OT), a critical care unit (CCU), an intensive care unit (ICU) and department-wise wards, OPDs etc, said Dr Das.

Sources in the MGMCH said departments and OPDs of medicine, surgery, gynaecology and dermatology would be shifted to the new building.

The new building also has ramps for senior citizens, women patients and physically challenged people. It will also have separate wings for neurology, cardiology, urology and gastroenteritis. The critical OT, CCU and ICU will be equipped with advanced technology. Number of beds will also be increased significantly, a senior doctor said.

Presently, various departments and OPDs are placed in different wings of the hospital. Orthopedics, surgery, ophthalmology and ENT departments are located in one wing of the hospital without any critical OT, CCU or ICU. The second building houses the obstetrics and gynaecology department, medicine and paediatrics departments while OPDs are in yet another building, causing much harassment to the patients.

Faculty strength in the MGMCH, however, still remained a cause of concern with the MCI inspection on October 6 and 7 this year finding promotion given to almost all teaching doctors to the post of associate professors and professors by the state government between June and September last year unacceptable.

The council was satisfied with the promotion of only one doctor in the surgery department.

In an attempt to avert de-recognition of the states two premier medical colleges and slashing of 50 seats each, the Jharkhand government on June 26 last year promoted 30 assistant professors to associate professors in the MGMCH and the Patliputra Medical College Hospital (PMCH), Dhanbad.

On September 5 last year, it again promoted another 33 assistant professors (14 in MGMCH and 19 in PMCH) to the post of associate professors and 15 (eight in MGMCH and seven in PMCH) were promoted to the rank of professors, some getting double promotion at one go.

The state government had also promoted 46 tutors/residents to the posts of assistant professors on September 5 last year.

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Recently, it was reported that a man in Uttar Pradesh cut off his genitals because his wife refused him sex for more than a decade. Though sexual rejection is rarely spoken about, it is something that affects men adversely. And there is data to prove it.

Last month, it was reported that Sarah Hunter Murray, a relationship therapist with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, had conducted a study to find out how sexual rejection affected men. Murray interviewed men who were in relationships for an average of 14 years.

Her study found out that men who were rejected sex regularly construed this as their partners not wanting them. The report said that a separate study  conducted earlier by Amy Muise, assistant professor of the department of psychology at York University, Canada  supported Murrays findings.

However, irrespective of a persons gender, sex is an important part of a relationship. But, the way both genders feel about it may differ. For women, sex is a way of expressing their feelings or love, says Riddhish Maru, consultant psychiatrist, sexologist and counsellor. He added, Men channel their need for love, intimacy, soothing, care and comfort through sex. So depriving someone of this necessity can surely have its effects.



So, how can rejecting sex affect men? Says Maru, Rejection of sex means rejection of the male ego, and when done regularly, this may lead to irritation, frustration and loss of trust, leading to suspiciousness and loss of interest the partner. Rejection of sex regularly can also lead to men looking for sex outside a relationship.

Finding reasons

Rather than blaming their partner for sexual rejection, men should first find out the reasons for it. Dr Ajish Mangot, onvener, membership subcommittee, Indian Psychiatric Society says there could be multiple factors at play here.

He says, Women often avoid sex when the relationship appears to lack intimacy, when they are stressed or depressed, if they are suffering from medical illnesses and if they have negative past experiences. In young and naive partners, a lack of knowledge about physical intimacy is a very common cause. Problems with male partners such as unacceptable sexual preferences and sexual dysfunction may be responsible for sexual rejection.

He adds, Also, frequency of rejection is subjective as couples may not always share identical levels of sexual interest. So what seems like regular rejection to one partner may not be seen as out of ordinary by the other.

So, even if a man is not looking for extramarital affairs because of regular rejection of sex by his partner, it can affect a marriage adversely.

Effect on women

Sexual rejection affects women as well, and not only men. Any kind of rejection hurts because the human brain reacts in a way that is very similar to physical pain, which is true for women as well. It could give rise to myriad emotions among women such as guilt, anger, frustration, confusion and fear. Their confidence and self-image could take a severe beating too, like in men.

But, instead of getting rejected, both men and women can also talk to their partner if they want to get intimate and are ready for sex. Says Mangot, There are subtle signs that can tell whether your partner is ready for sex. These include not wanting to cuddle, missing the passion, avoiding non sexual physical contact and irritability. If you observe any of these, it may be a good idea to take cognisance and talk it out with your partner at an appropriate time.

Mangot says that a frank discussion and timely professional help are the keys to making sure that your partner doesnt reject sex regularly.

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Actor Mohnish Bahl who will be seen hosting crime series Hoshiyaar... Sahi Waqt, Sahi Kadam, says it is difficult to do such shows as they are emotionally draining. Mohnish returns to television after a long hiatus as a Sutradhaar (narrator) for the crime series, which will be aired on &TV.

Its not easy as whole day you are subjected to negative emotions and crime. Its difficult to do a show like this. When we talk about negativity through crime it has an effect on me. Its not a comedy show that I am enjoying myself, said Mohnish.

But the purpose of the show is to avert the crime and change things in a better way. I think if you dont feel empathy for what happens your performance wont come true as a host. The audience should believe what you are saying, he said.

The concept of the show appealed to the 55-year-old actor who thinks the show addresses day to day issues in a positive manner and emphasizes on the preventive measures rather than glorifying the crime.

This is the first time I have come across a show that deals with events leading up to the crime, averts the crime than showing what happens post the crime. My job is to convey the content of the show to the best of my ability, he adds.

The Hum Saath Saath Hain actor is aware of the crime that happens in our society and he feels saddened about it.

I think as society we tend to desensitise and its sad. Its a fact. Like female infanticide, sex determination test and all is done even today and its unfortunate. We need to fight and I think shows like this would help, Mohnish said.
Every time one watches a film on water war, one is reminded of the Indian director, Shekar Kapoors Paani -- which he announced with a lot of fanfare at Cannes some years ago. The next war will be on water, and my work will fictionally explore how the have-nots living in the lower deck of a city have to fight for this precious liquid of life, while the haves on the plush upper deck have an abundance of it. Of course, true to Kapoors movie being Indian, he had planned to insert into his narrative a love story between a poor boy and a rich girl. But, of course.

That Kapoors idea is yet to travel from the writing board to the shooting floor is a sad reality, and with the two Indian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu fighting over the Cauvery river water, Paani appears more and more relevant. But when will it finally emerge?

Interestingly, Ali F Mostfas third feature, The Worthy -- which was just screened at the ongoing Dubai International Film Festival -- is about a bitter, bloody conflict over water. In Arabic, Mostafas work is a post-Apocalyptic thriller -- a subject that also assumes a high degree of connectedness in the kind of nuclear charged world that we happen to live in. A drama of sheer survival and with a touch of the Middle-eastern flavour, The Worthy, set to open in the region this coming February, is certainly not for the weak hearted. There is one horribly gruesome scene in which the wounded leg of a man is sawed out!

From his feel good From A To B -- where three friends travel from Abu Dhabi to Beirut -- The Worthy is one long jump into a terrifying abyss. Here a group of survivors, led by a truck driver, takes refuge in a ruined building that has the only known source of fresh water. When the driver lets in two strangers, a man and a woman -- all hell breaks loose, and in a scary vicious cat-and-mouse game, the men and women are forced to prove who among them is the worthy of the lot.

What is admirable about the movie is the way Mostafa introduces an element of compassion -- when the driver allows the two strangers to enter his precious abode. But human nature being what it is, the inter-play of greed and oneupmanship creeps in to wreck havoc.

Behnam Behzadis latest outing, Inversion, a quietly dramatic tale. (Dubai International Film Festival)

Oneupmanship can also be seen in the Iranian work, Behnam Behzadis latest outing, Inversion, a quietly dramatic tale of a Tehran woman, Nilofer -- whose goodness is taken advantage of by her brother. Her view that she is liberated and independent comes crashing down when he tries to force her out of the city where she runs a tailoring outfit and has just found new love.

When Tehran is engulfed in poisonous smog and her old mother falls ills, the doctor suggests that she move out of the city. Nilofers two siblings -- her older sister and brother -- cannot accompany their mother to a countryside home with clean air. At least, they feel they cannot, and so they make plans for the old lady to be moved out along with Nilofer. She is not even consulted. This is when Nilofer begins to feel that her life is being run by others, and her idea of a single woman living a life of freedom appears to come crashing down.

Behzadi must be lauded for the kind of control he exerts over the script, making sure that his actors perform with restraint. The film could have so easily slipped into melodrama and mayhem. And, a highly explosive subject of difficult brother-sister relationship turns out to be a great watch. The emotions are underplayed, no howling, no river of tears flowing down the face. A marvellous effort, indeed.

(Gautaman Bhaskaran is covering the Dubai International Film Festival.)

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Union of Informed Citizens: Who does Russia Bomb while the IS Retakes Palmyra?

On December 11 in Syria the Islamic State retook the ancient city of Palmyra from Syrian government troops, the liberation of which was considered Russia's greatest achievement during the Syrian conflict. Islamists commenced their attack on 8 December and in fact, took Palmyra in three days, while in March 2016 it had required enormous efforts from Russia and Syria to recapture the historic city. This development, however, gives rise to a number of assumptions that may clarify the picture of the Syrian conflict. Where were the Russian Forces? In particular, it is worth mentioning that the recapture of Palmyra by IS took place at a time when the Syrian army was waging fierce battles with the moderate opposition and taking control of new districts in Aleppo. In other words, the Syrian troops were mainly concentrated in Aleppo, which can explain the fact why Islamists did not meet a serious resistance near Palmyra. Russia's role in this process, however, is another question. As is known, Moscow has been supporting the Assad regime in Syria, at the same time, its officially announced that Russia's priority target in Syrian conflict are the terrorist groups, IS in particular. Thus, it can be said that the Russian Air Force, as well as the Syrian army, "are working" towards Aleppo, where fighting against moderate opposition was taking place. The opposition is the Target These facts prove that despite official statements that Moscow's top priority is the fight against terrorism, in reality the Russian forces firstly show support to the Syrian government troops, including delivering air strikes on moderate Syrian opposition, while the main actions carried out against the greatest threat to world security, IS, is coordinated and implemented by the United States and the US-led international coalition. In case of the US coalition, since September 2014, more than 16700 airstrikes were delivered on the terrorists positions, 6000 of which on Syrian territory, and the rest in Iraq. In early September of 2015, when Russia became involved in Syrian conflict, only 20% of their airstrikes were directed towards IS positions. It is therefore not surprising that Palmyra, the liberation of which was presented by the Russian military action in Syria as an achievement, was occupied by the IS in three days. Moreover, the UN Special Envoy for Syria yesterday announced that in recent days "82 civilians were killed in their homes by the Syrian troops in Aleppo. That is, while the Islamists were retaking Palmyra full of Syrian armys military warehouses, the Syrian army itself (not without Russian support) was busy with taking care of Aleppos opposition. The fail of Palmyra propaganda Lets note yet another fact: The IS has been able to record progress on the Syrian front, when in Mosul in Iraq, where its home is, it was raging fierce wars against Iraqi and Kurdish troops that took the city under seige, so in fact it has its forces accumulated there. This means that the capture of Palmyra not only lasted three days, but that it was carried out by limited resources of Islamists. This, in turn, has fueled speculation that Islamists, launching the Palmyra offensive, clearly realized that the Russian and Syrian troops are engaged in fighting against moderate opposition. Speaking of Palmyras significance for Russia, for the record, it was covered by Russian media as the greatest feat of the war. Since March 2016, when the Syrian army, with the help of Russian troops and Hezbollah, took control of Palmyra, the Russians organized a classical concert in Palmyra ancient amphitheater, led by conductor Valery Gergiev, who was later rewarded the by "For the liberation of Palmyra " order by Russian president Putin. Vahe Ghukasyan Union of Informed Citizens NGO
Nearly a half million children will face starvation in northeastern Nigeria next year and 80,000 will die if they dont get treatment in the humanitarian crisis created by Boko Harams Islamic uprising, the UN Childrens Agency warned Tuesday.

What is already a crisis can become a catastrophe, UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake said.

His statement said the 400,000 children at risk of starvation represent just a fraction of the suffering among some 2.6 million refugees in the seven-year insurgency that has killed more than 20,000 people.

The violent conflict in northeast #Nigeria has left 400k children severely malnourished and at risk of death https://t.co/7yOFi3nH2m pic.twitter.com/a2ajoLf7eR  UNICEF (@UNICEF) December 13, 2016

If they do not receive the treatment they need, one in five of these children will die, Lake said.

Large areas of Borno state are completely inaccessible to any kind of humanitarian assistance. We are extremely concerned about the children trapped in these areas, he added.

Boko Haram attacked a military-escorted humanitarian convoy in July about 70 kilometers (45 miles) from Maiduguri, the birthplace of the insurgency, wounding a UNICEF worker, two other aid workers and two soldiers.

A rocket-propelled grenade slammed into the windshield of a bullet-proof vehicle, one that Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has accused the agency of buying instead of spending money on people in need. UNICEF said the vehicle was a donation.

Lake spoke just days after Buhari accused the UN and private international aid agencies of exaggerating the crisis to seek donations. Buhari declared that Boko Haram was technically defeated a year ago and appears fixed on maintaining that fiction.

While soldiers from a multinational force of Nigeria and neighbouring countries have pushed the extremists out of towns and many villages they occupied, attacks on military outposts and suicide bombings of soft targets continue.

The Associated Press has reported since September that children already are dying of starvation in Maiduguri, the biggest city in Nigerias northeast that is easily accessible. Doctors Without Borders said in November that thousands of kids already have died, including 10 percent to 25 percent of children admitted to its 110-bed Maiduguri emergency treatment center.

Nigerias Senate is investigating allegations that government agencies are diverting food aid that could help prevent those deaths.

Buhari was elected in March 2015 on a platform that pledged to finish off Boko Haram and halt endemic corruption.
Allegations that Afghanistans first vice president and his guards sexually assaulted a political rival while holding him captive in his private compound prompted calls on Tuesday from the countrys Western allies for a government investigation.

Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former warlord who has a catalogue of war crimes attached to his name, is accused of ordering his guards to seize Ahmad Ishchi last month in northern Jowzjan province during a game of buzkashi, or polo with a carcass.

Dostum allegedly kept Ishchi hostage in his private enclave for five days, where he was said to be tortured and sodomised.

He told me I will throw you under the horses and do buzkashi on you, Ishchi, a former Jowzjan governor, told local Tolo television Tuesday.

He (Dostum) said first I want to have sex with him. His men rolled up my clothes... Then Dostum told 10 of his men to sodomise me until my anus ruptures and bleeds.

Dostums office dismissed the comments as a conspiracy to defame him.

But the United States joined a slew of Western governments to call for a thorough probe.

The unlawful detention and reported mistreatment of Mr Ishchi by the First Vice President raises serious concerns, the US Embassy in Kabul said in a statement.

We would welcome the Afghan governments move to swiftly investigate these allegations.

The European Union along with Australia and Canada also demanded a fair and transparent investigation into what it called gross human rights violations and abuses against Ishchi.

The presidential palace in Kabul, under fire from human rights campaigners, said the government was committed to investigating the allegations.

The controversy has once again drawn attention to how warlords and strongmen throughout Afghanistan operate with impunity, hobbling Western-backed efforts to restore peace and rebuild the nation after decades of conflict.

Dostum, who has come under a storm of criticism for his alleged brutalities and war crimes in the past, joined the the countrys National Unity Government in 2014 in a bid by President Ashraf Ghani to attract the support of his mostly ethnic Uzbek constituency.
Shelling and air strikes sent terrified residents running through the streets of Aleppo on Wednesday as a deal to evacuate rebel districts of the city was in danger of falling apart.

The agreement reached Tuesday was meant to pave the way for thousands of civilians and rebel fighters to evacuate Syrias second city, scene of some of the worst fighting in more than five years of war.

But cold and hungry civilians who had gathered before dawn to evacuate were instead plunged back into a familiar nightmare.

Bombing is ongoing, no one can move. Everyone is hiding and terrified, activist Mohammad al-Khatib told AFP from inside the city.

The wounded and dead are lying in the street. No one dares to try and retrieve the bodies.

A man pushes a woman on a cart as they flee deeper with others into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria. (REUTERS)

The evacuation, agreed under a deal brokered by Russia and Turkey, had been due to begin at 5:00 am (0300 GMT) but was delayed, with buses parked outside rebel-held areas left waiting.

Following several hours of quiet, fighting then erupted anew in the ravaged city, with Syrias regime, the rebels and their foreign allies trading accusations of blame.

Also the UNs Commission of Inquiry for Syria (COI) said it had received reports that opposition fighters were blocking civilians from fleeing Aleppo and using them as human shields.It specifically implicated Al-Qaedas former affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, and the powerful Ahrar al-Sham rebel group.

As booms of air strikes and artillery fire rang out, an AFP correspondent in rebel areas saw panicked civilians running in the streets to find shelter, some hiding in the doorframes of damaged buildings.

The remains of a shell are pictured outside Aleppo's historic citadel, during a media tour, Syria. (REUTERS)

Erdogan to call Putin

The correspondent saw several wounded civilians, as well as a regime tank turning its cannon towards opposition-held districts and opening fire.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported very intense clashes on every front line and said at least two people had been killed in rebel areas.

State television said rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas had also resumed, killing at least seven people.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would speak with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later in bid to rescue the deal.

The situation on the ground is very fragile and complicated, he said.

Moscow, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad, said Damascus resumed its assault on Aleppo after rebels violated the ceasefire.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow expected rebel resistance in the city to end in the next two to three days.

Rebels and a source close to the regime told AFP that the evacuation had been suspended after objections from the Syrian government.

The source said Damascus objected to the number of people leaving, claiming rebels had sought to raise it from 2,000 to 10,000.

But Yasser al-Youssef, a political official from the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group, said the regime and its ally Iran were trying to add new conditions to the agreement.

They want to link this deal to other issues, including the areas of Fuaa and Kafraya, he added, referring to two government-held Shiite-majority villages in northwestern Syria that are under rebel siege.

Children walk together as they flee deeper into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria. (Reuters)

Civilians as shields

In a statement, the COI said it had allegations of opposition groups... preventing civilians from leaving as well as opposition fighters embedding themselves within the civilian population, thus heightening the risk to civilians of being killed or injured.

The COI, an independent investigative body set up by the UN in 2011, collects evidence on human rights law violations committed during Syrias civil war.

In October, the UN human rights council mandated the COI to launch a special investigation into the Aleppo crisis.

The COI also noted the grave allegations levelled against pro-government forces in Aleppo, including summary executions, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and forced conscription.

The commission said Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government was now in effective control of eastern Aleppo, a former rebel stronghold, and therefore had primary responsibility for ensuring that violations in the city are stopped.

A bus driver waits to evacuate people from a rebel pocket in Aleppo, in the government-controlled al-Hamadaniah Stadium of Aleppo, Syria. (Reuters)

Call for observers

Turkey too accused Assads regime and its supporters of blocking the deal.

French President Francois Hollande joined Washingtons call for international observers to be sent in to oversee the evacuation.

Hollande said those trapped by the fighting should be evacuated in a dignified and safe manner, under the supervision of international observers and in the presence of humanitarian organisations.

Before the fighting resumed, crowds of civilians could be seen gathered in the streets of rebel areas from the early hours, some clutching bags of belongings, to await evacuation.

Some had slept in the open, despite the cold and a fierce storm that brought heavy rain and high winds.

Many were hungry, after weeks without regular meals because of dwindling food supplies caused by the armys siege.

The evacuation deal was announced a month into an army operation that has seen the government take more than 90 percent of the former rebel stronghold in east Aleppo.

Turkey, which has backed the opposition, said those leaving would be taken to Idlib province, which is controlled by a powerful rebel alliance that includes Al-Qaedas former affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

The agreement came amid international concern about the plight of civilians in the city, and as the UN said it had reports of atrocities being committed by advancing government forces.

A Turkish student cries during a protest to show solidarity with trapped citizens of Aleppo, Syria, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (REUTERS)

- Iran hails liberation -

The UN has expressed concern over allegations that men have gone missing after crossing to government areas, and on Tuesday said it had credible reports of at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, being executed in recent days.

Aleppo, a cultural and economic hub second only to Damascus in importance, had been split between a rebel-controlled east and government-held west since 2012.

It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, after an estimated 130,000 fled to other parts of Aleppo during the government advance.

More than 465 civilians, including 62 children, have died in east Aleppo during the assault, the Observatory said Wednesday in a new toll.

Another 142 civilians, among them 42 children, have been killed by rebel rocket fire on government-held zones in the same period, the monitor said.

More than 310,000 people have been killed since the Syrian conflict began, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees.

Assads regime has enjoyed strong support from Iran as well as Russia and on Wednesday officials in Tehran hailed the liberation of Aleppo.

Yahya Safavi, top foreign policy adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said impending victory in Aleppo showed that Iran is the leading power in the region.
The evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo was delayed on Wednesday and, while a war monitor said the reason was unclear, an opposition official blamed Shiite militias allied to President Bashar al-Assad for the hold up.

A ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia, Assads most powerful ally, and Turkey ended years of fighting in the city and has given Assad his biggest victory yet after more than five years of war.

Officials in the military alliance fighting in support of Assad could not be reached immediately for comment on why the evacuation was delayed.

Sources on Tuesday had given different expected start times for the evacuation. A military official in the pro-Assad alliance had said the evacuation was due to start at 5 a.m. (0300 GMT), while opposition officials had been expecting a first group of wounded people to leave earlier.

However, none had left by dawn, said a Reuters witness waiting at the agreed point of departure. Twenty buses were waiting there with their engines running but showed no sign of moving into Aleppos rebel-held eastern districts.

There is certainly a delay, said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory, a war monitor.

Officials with Aleppo-based rebel groups accused Shiite militias backed by Iran of obstructing implementation of the Russian-brokered deal. The pro-opposition Orient TV cited the negotiation committee in eastern Aleppo as saying there was no clear reason why the wounded had yet to be evacuated.

Read| Aleppo battle over: Civilians, rebels to evacuate as Syrian army takes control

Assad has been backed by an array of Shiite militias from across the region in his campaign for Aleppo.

Rapid Advances

The evacuation was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire.

By taking full control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russias air force and the Shiite militias.

Rebels groups have been supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but the support they have enjoyed has fallen far short of the direct military backing given to Assad by Russia and Iran.

Russias decision to deploy its air force to Syria 18 months ago turned the war in Assads favour after rebel advances across key areas of western Syria.

In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year.

Read| Get us out of here: Desperate Aleppo citizens fear arrest, death as siege ends

However, Assad is far from taking back all of Syria. Wide areas of the country remain in the hands of armed groups including Islamic State, which this week managed to retake the desert city of Palmyra from Syrias army.

Russia regards the fall of Aleppo as a major victory against terrorists, as it and Assad characterise all the rebel groups, both Islamist and nationalist, fighting to oust him.

But at the United Nations, the United States said the violence in the city, besieged and bombarded for months, represented modern evil.

The once-flourishing economic centre with its renowned ancient sites has been pulverised during the war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, created the worlds worst refugee crisis and allowed for the rise of Islamic State.

As the battle for Aleppo unfolded, global concern has risen over the plight of the 250,000 civilians who were thought to remain in its rebel-held eastern sector before the sudden army advance began at the end of November.

Tens of thousands of them fled to parts of the city held by the government or by a Kurdish militia, and tens of thousands more retreated further into the rebel enclave as it rapidly shrank under the armys lightning advance.

The rout of rebels from their shrinking territory in Aleppo sparked a mass flight of terrified civilians and insurgents in bitter weather, a crisis the United Nations said was a complete meltdown of humanity. There were food and water shortages in rebel areas, with all hospitals closed.

Shot in their homes

On Tuesday, the United Nations voiced deep concern about reports it had received of Syrian soldiers and allied Iraqi fighters summarily shooting dead 82 people in recaptured east Aleppo districts. It accused them of slaughter.

The reports we had are of people being shot in the street trying to flee and shot in their homes, said Rupert Colville, a U.N. spokesman. There could be many more.

The Syrian army has denied carrying out killings or torture among those captured, and Russia said on Tuesday rebels had kept over 100,000 people in east Aleppo as human shields.

Read| UN calls for immediate access to Aleppo

Fear stalked the citys streets. Some survivors trudged in the rain past dead bodies to the government-held west or the few districts still in rebel hands. Others stayed in their homes and awaited the Syrian armys arrival.

For all of them, fear of arrest, conscription or summary execution added to the daily terror of bombardment.

People are saying the troops have lists of families of fighters and are asking them if they had sons with the terrorists. (They are) then either left or shot and left to die, said Abu Malek al-Shamali in Seif al-Dawla, one of the last rebel-held districts.

Terrible conditions were described by city residents. Abu Malek al-Shamali, a resident in the rebel area, said dead bodies lay in the streets. There are many corpses in Fardous and Bustan al-Qasr with no one to bury them, he said.
The evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo due to start at dawn has been delayed, perhaps until Thursday, with an opposition official blaming Iran and its Shia militias allied to President Bashar al-Assad for the hold-up.

A ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia, Assads most powerful ally, and Turkey ended years of fighting in the city and has given the Syrian leader his biggest victory yet after more than five years of war.

Officials in the military alliance fighting in support of Assad could not be reached immediately for comment on why the evacuation was delayed.

Rebel sources said the ceasefire remained in place despite the delay in the evacuation plan.

What is stopping the agreement presently is Iranian obstinacy. But the deal still stands, the ceasefire stands until now, said a commander with the rebel Nour al-Din al-Zinki group, speaking in a voice message to Reuters from eastern Aleppo.

Sources on Tuesday had given different expected start times for the evacuation. A military official in the pro-Assad alliance had said the evacuation was due to start at 5 a.m. (0300 GMT), while opposition officials had been expecting a first group of wounded people to leave earlier.

However, none had left by dawn, according to a Reuters witness waiting at the agreed point of departure. Twenty buses were waiting there with their engines running but showed no sign of moving into Aleppos rebel-held eastern districts.

Smoke and flames rise after air strikes on rebel-controlled besieged area of Aleppo, as seen from a government-held side, in Syria. (REUTERS)

There is certainly a delay, said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory, a war monitor.

Officials with Aleppo-based rebel groups accused Shiite militias backed by Iran of obstructing the Russian-brokered deal. The pro-opposition Orient TV cited its correspondent as saying the plan may be delayed until Thursday.

People in eastern Aleppo have been packing their bags and burning personal possessions as they prepare to leave, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed militia allies when they restore control.

In what appeared to be a separate development from the planned evacuation, Russian defence ministry said 6,000 civilians and 366 fighters had left rebel-held districts of Aleppo over the past 24 hours.

Rapid advances

The evacuation was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire.

By taking full control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russias air force and an array of Shiite militias from across the region.

Rebels groups have been supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but the support they have enjoyed has fallen far short of the direct military backing given to Assad by Russia and Iran.

Russias decision to deploy its air force to Syria 18 months ago turned the war in Assads favour after rebel advances across key areas of western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year.

The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria.

Russia regards the fall of Aleppo as a major victory against terrorists, as it and Assad characterise all the rebel groups, both Islamist and nationalist, fighting to oust him.

But at the United Nations, the United States said the violence in the city, besieged and bombarded for months, represented modern evil.

A member of forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad attempts to erect the Syrian national flag inside the Umayyad mosque, in the government-controlled area of Aleppo.

The once-flourishing economic centre with its renowned ancient sites has been pulverised during the war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, created the worlds worst refugee crisis and allowed the rise of Islamic State.

As the battle for Aleppo unfolded, global concern has risen over the plight of the 250,000 civilians who were thought to remain in its rebel-held eastern sector before the sudden army advance began at the end of November.

Tens of thousands of them fled to parts of the city held by the government or by a Kurdish militia, and tens of thousands more retreated further into the rebel enclave as it rapidly shrank under the armys lightning advance.

The rout of rebels from their shrinking territory in Aleppo sparked a mass flight of terrified civilians and insurgents in bitter weather, a crisis the United Nations said was a complete meltdown of humanity. There were food and water shortages in rebel areas, with all hospitals closed.

Shot in their homes

On Tuesday, the United Nations voiced deep concern about reports it had received of Syrian soldiers and allied Iraqi fighters summarily shooting dead 82 people in recaptured east Aleppo districts. It accused them of slaughter.

The reports we had are of people being shot in the street trying to flee and shot in their homes, said Rupert Colville, a U.N. spokesman. There could be many more.

Map locating districts of the Syrian city of Aleppo retaken from rebels by the regime. (AFP)

The Syrian army has denied carrying out killings or torture among those captured, and Russia said on Tuesday rebels had kept over 100,000 people in east Aleppo as human shields.

Fear stalked the citys streets. Some survivors trudged in the rain past dead bodies to the government-held west or the few districts still in rebel hands. Others stayed in their homes and awaited the Syrian armys arrival.

For all of them, fear of arrest, conscription or summary execution added to the daily terror of bombardment.

People are saying the troops have lists of families of fighters and are asking them if they had sons with the terrorists. (They are) then either left or shot and left to die, said Abu Malek al-Shamali in Seif al-Dawla, one of the last rebel-held districts.

Terrible conditions were described by city residents. Abu Malek al-Shamali, a resident in the rebel area, said dead bodies lay in the streets. There are many corpses in Fardous and Bustan al-Qasr with no one to bury them, he said.
Factories churning out tens of thousands of munitions and an entire street turned into a conveyor belt for car bombs: Advances by Iraqi forces around Mosul have laid bare the scale of the Islamic State groups arms industry.

In the more than two years since it seized control over swathes of the country, IS established a sprawling and highly organised system that experts say no other insurgent group has matched.

The capability has seriously boosted the threat from the group as it battles ferociously to cling to territory in Iraq and Syria -- and the fresh intelligence could now prove vital in countering its plots to carry out attacks on the West.

Iraqi army deminer Hashim Ali picked his way carefully through the rubble as he explained how IS transformed Mart Shmony street in Qaraqosh, some 16 kilometres southeast of Mosul, into a production line of death after seizing the town in 2014 and forcing the mainly Christian population to flee.

Once it was a bustling thoroughfare of car workshops and stores selling Turkish furniture, but for the jihadists it offered all they needed to make the armoured car bombs they use to blow up civilians and slow advancing Iraqi troops.

Read: ISIS leadership dwindling, territory shrinking, says US

In one building they stripped the vehicles, in the neighbouring one they cut the metal plates for armour. A few doors down they made the explosives. Just up the road they loaded the bombs into the car.

These people are not stupid, they are very well organised, Ali told AFP. If you give them more time then they always find ways to surprise you.

Nearby the remnants of a pickup truck with a metal plate welded to its front stood inside a former furniture shop devastated by an air strike from the US-led coalition backing Iraqi troops.

In towns, villages and districts retaken from IS, the pattern was repeated.

Shiite fighters from the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary units enter the village of Shwah on Tuesday. (AFP photo)

AFP visited a number of sites where the group cannibalised existing infrastructure to create their own improvised arms factories.

In a former cement plant in the town of Areej the lathes in a cavernous hall had been put to work manufacturing mortars and rockets. Moulds for shells lay on tables and unfinished casings littered the floor.

At another location nearby, part of an abandoned gas storage facility was strewn with the deadly improvised explosive devices IS produced there.

The white powder of homemade explosives spilled out of large bombs that the group had not had time to lay in the path of the advancing Iraqi troops.

Something else

In terms of scale, planning, centralised command and control and the precision to which they are manufacturing, this is something else, James Bevan, director of Conflict Armament Research, a UK-based group which investigates arms flows around the globe, told AFP.

I cant name another armed group that manufactures on such a scale and with such a degree of coordination.

Bevan and teams from his organisation have been on the ground in Iraq cataloguing the extent of IS arms production.

Their findings, detailed in a report released Wednesday, show a sophisticated system that pours out tens of thousands of standardised mortars, rockets and explosives on an unprecedented scale and under strict quality controls.

Shiite fighters show the victory sign as they advance further into Mosul. (AFP photo)

While the raw materials for shell casings and missiles come from scrap metal and spare parts in the cities that IS have captured, the explosives and propellant are made from precursors mostly procured in bulk from the open market in Turkey and diverted through Syria.

As proof of their high standards the final IS products are often painted a military green, branded with the groups logo and packed into specially made crates to be dispatched to the various fronts it is fighting on.

Lessons for West?

On the battlefield the weapons they manufacture themselves have proven an important way for IS to supplement their flow of factory-made arms seized from government forces or rebel groups in Iraq and Syria.

Commanded by former Iraqi military and intelligence officers, the group has fought conventional campaigns with the help of its own improvised weaponry.

But now, as the group faces increasing fragmentation with the territories it controls under pressure from various offensives, the intelligence being gleaned could prove invaluable for countering its threat beyond its shrinking heartland.

This will be critical for future efforts to counter the spread of this group, said arms expert Bevan.

From France and Belgium to Egypt and Turkey the group and its affiliates have already carried out bloody terror attacks in a string of countries across the globe.

A Shiite fighter from the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary unit sits next to weapons on the western outskirts of Mosul. (AFP photo)

Earlier this month the Europol police agency warned that IS were evolving their tactics to attack soft targets in Europe and could use the deadly car bombs they have employed to devastating effect in Iraq and Syria.

If you look at the Iraq and Syria theatre as a hotbed for the development of more and more sophisticated improvised devices then it is probably unparalleled, Bevan said.

If and when Islamic State is pushed out of Mosul and pushed out of large parts of Syria its fighters will disperse and that means its bomb-makers will disperse too.
US President-elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his administration will follow the policy of buy American and hire Americans, claiming that the treaties the United States has signed with other countries suggest that it has been putting interests of others ahead of itself.

My administration will follow two simple rules. Buy American and hire Americans, right? Were going to do it. Because from now on its going to be America first, America first, Trump said at a Thank You Tour rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

At an impressive rally  his first in this key State after his electoral victory  Trump alleged that previous leaders while striking deals with other countries did not put the countrys interest on top.

Highlights Trump says his administration will follow two simple policies --- buy American and hire Americans Trump says America has lost one-third of its manufacturing jobs since the North American Free Trade Agreement The US President-elect had earlier said he would not allow Americans to be replaced by foreign workers

Read: US foreign policy lacked clarity, will ensure were not taken advantage of: Trump

I look at some of these deals we make and some of the treaties and some of everything and I say, I think these people were thinking about the other nations. I honestly do. I say its impossible for this to happen either that or campaign contributions were magnificent for people. But they are so bad the deals are so bad, so disgraceful that I actually think they are putting other countries ahead of our own, he said.

On trade, were now running a nearly $800 billion annual trade deficit. I say who makes these deals? Who, now think of it. I have friends in here who are business people. Who makes these deals? Eight hundred billion dollars, he asked.

Trump said America has lost one-third of its manufacturing jobs since NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement).

We have lost 70,000 factories. Think of it 70,000. It like doesnt even sound like its possible. And I know its right because I have said it for the last month and a half and they never corrected me. So it has to be, he said.

Trump had said earlier that he would not allow Americans to be replaced by foreign workers, in an apparent reference to cases like that of Disney World and other American companies wherein people hired on H-1B visas, including Indians, displaced US workers.

Read: Peace tops the agenda as Silicon Valley executives meet PEOTUS Donald Trump
China warned Taiwan that declaring independence would be a dead end, state media said Wednesday, after the islands democratically elected president phoned Donald Trump in a precedent-breaking move.

Beijings stance of opposing and blocking Taiwan independence splittism is firm and unmovable, Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman An Fengshan said at a briefing Wednesday, according to state-owned China News.

We have unshakable willpower, ample confidence, and sufficient capability, he said. Facts will show those people that Taiwan independence is a dead end.

The comments came after Trump, the US president-elect, shocked the diplomatic establishment and angered Beijing by speaking directly with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen after his election victory.

After fierce criticism of the move, he upped the ante, taking to Twitter to ask why he should not be allowed to speak to Tsai, then attacking Chinese foreign and economic policy.

On Sunday, the billionaire businessman went a step further and suggested he could jettison Washingtons decades-old One China policy -- a compromise allowing the US to do business with both China and Taiwan while only recognising Beijing diplomatically.

The remarks were a step too far for Beijing, which had initially seemed resigned to taking a wait-and-see approach to the president-elect.

On Monday, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi warned Trump that anyone who challenges Beijings interests on the island will lift a rock only to crush his own toes.

China sees Taiwan, which has not been ruled by Beijing for more than 60 years, as a rogue province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

Cross-strait relations have deteriorated since Tsai, the islands first female president, took office in May after her China-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party won a landslide victory.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed on Wednesday in a phone call that violations of a ceasefire deal agreed for the Syrian city of Aleppo should stop, Turkish presidential sources said.

In the phone call, they stressed that the ceasefire agreement secured yesterday (Tuesday) night should be put into practice (and) the violations of the deal must be stopped, the sources said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed to RIA Novosti state news agency that the call took place.

Turkey, Russia and Syrian rebel groups on Tuesday confirmed an agreement had been reached for civilians and opposition fighters to leave Aleppo.

Read | Aleppo battle over: Civilians, rebels to evacuate as Syrian army takes control

If implemented, the deal would mark the end of opposition resistance in Syrias second city after years of fighting, and a major victory for Moscow ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

But the deal appeared to be in danger of falling apart after shelling and air strikes resumed in Aleppo on Wednesday.

Read | Air strikes hit Aleppo as rescue deal on hold, reports of human shields emerge

During the call, the presidents reaffirmed their commitment to start the evacuation of civilians and rebels via safe corridors as soon as possible, the Turkish sources said.

Erdogan told Putin that Ankara was ready to take all necessary measures to provide humanitarian aid and temporary housing following the opening of safe corridors, the sources added.

Also read | Syrias Aleppo: A historic city is key to Assad regimes victory
A global watchdog raised fears Tuesday that chemical weapons may have been used in air strikes by Syrian regime loyalists near Palmyra, in an area controlled by the Islamic State group.

The allegations regarding the use of chemical weapons in the area of (Oqayrabat), in the Hama governorate in Syria, reported by the media recently are of serious concern, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in a statement.

At least 53 civilians, including 16 children, were killed Monday in air strikes targeting IS-held Oqayrabat and a string of villages nearby, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said there were cases of suffocation but could not confirm accusations of a chemical attack.

The strikes came a day after IS took back control of the ancient desert city of Palmyra, in the neighbouring province of Homs.

Read: Syrians tweet last message to the world in final moments of Aleppo battle

Abdel Rahman said he could not confirm if the strikes on the east of Hama province were carried out by Syrian or Russian warplanes.

The OPCW through its ongoing Fact-Finding Mission continues to examine any credible reports it receives including pertinent information that might be shared by States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, the group said.

A panel set up by the United Nations, known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism, has determined during a year-long probe that Syrian government forces carried out three chlorine gas attacks on villages in 2014 and 2015.

It also found that IS -- which seized a large swathe of Iraq and Syria in 2014 -- was behind a mustard gas attack in Syria in August 2015.

Oqayrabat lies northwest of Palmyra. Syrian government forces, backed by their Russian ally, had driven IS from Palmyra in May.

The war raging in Syria erupted in March 2011 with anti-government protests demanding the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

But it has since morphed into a multi-front conflict that has drawn in world powers and witnessed the rise of jihadist groups.

More than 300,000 people have been killed and millions have been forced to flee their homes.

Read: Mass killing reported in Aleppo as Syria troops near victory
Germany will deport about 50 Afghans on Wednesday after their asylum bids were rejected, a pro-refugee group said, as the government seeks to reduce the number of migrants allowed to remain.

After allowing in 890,000 migrants last year, Germany has sought to manage the influx by speeding up the asylum process for those most likely to receive it, like Syrians fleeing civil war. In turn, authorities have accelerated the expulsion of unlikely candidates for asylum like people seeking to escape poverty in the Balkans.

Afghans have fallen somewhere in the middle, with some areas of the country considered safe and some not. But few have been deported because Germany lacked a proper agreement with Afghanistan. Instead, many have been convinced to go home voluntarily with financial incentives.

But the German and Afghan governments have just signed a memorandum of understanding on deportations a few weeks ago, paving the way for about 50 to be sent home from Frankfurt on Wednesday night.

The deportations were announced by refugee aid organization ProAsyl. The German government says it will confirm deportations when they happen.

Petra Haubner, a lawyer from the Bavarian city of Passau, told The Associated Press that her 20-year-old Afghan client was detained by police at his shelter and on his way to Frankfurt to be deported.

More than 12,500 Afghans have received orders to leave the country, but havent yet been deported.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has said in recent weeks that Germany needs to toughen its stance and ensure that migrants who are refused asylum leave the country.

We need a national effort to return those who are rejected  that is undisputed and we are working on that at present with great vigor, Merkel told a conference of her conservative blocs youth wing in October.

Critics say that its not safe to deport people to Afghanistan because of Taliban control in some parts of the country and frequent suicide bombings. The German government claims that migrants will only be returned to safe regions.

Read more | In Germany, some Muslim refugees undergo baptism, convert to Christianity
Hindus beat every other religious group in educational attainment in the US  and by a wide margin  but came last, at the bottom of the table, in a worldwide count, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center.

They pushed Jews, who were on top of the global list, to the second position in the US 96% to 75% in a count of those with higher education, and beat all others, Muslims, Buddhists, the unaffiliated and Christians, who finished in that order.

The worldwide count was another matter. Hindus were at the bottom of the table, tied with Muslims with 5.6 average years of formal education. Jews topped with 13.4; Christians were next with 9.3; unaffiliated 8.8 and Buddhists 7.9.

In fact, Hindus in north America, Europe, the Caribbeans, sub-Saharan Africa and anywhere outside Hindu-majority India were found to have more education than in the country that is home to the religion, according to the study published on Tuesday.

As dismal as that might look, there is a good story in these numbers: the share of Hindus with at least some formal schooling rose by 28 points, from 43% among the oldest Hindus in the study to 71% among the youngest.

There is progress also on gender gap, though it remains high: among the oldest Hindus, 72% of women and 41% of men had no formal schooling. But the gap is smaller among the youngest, 38% of women and 20% of men have no formal schooling.

For the purpose of the study, Pew focussed on educational attainment in terms of number of years of schooling, and not on the quality of education or any related parameters, saying educational systems differ across the world.

The findings, the report said, were kept descriptive, without assigning reasons to them, but it did note that education levels are affected by many factors other than religion, including socioeconomic conditions, government resources and migration policies, the presence or absence of armed conflict and the prevalence of child labour and marriage.

In other words, religion was not the determining factor. Why else would Hindus in the US beat every other religious grouping, and then come last in the worldwide count? Also, Muslims, who came third in the US list.

Could income be a factor? Hindus have the second highest annual household income among religious groups in the US, after Jews, according to another study by Pew, which noted, there was a strong correlation between education and income.

Nearly all Hindus in North America, Europe and the Latin America-Caribbean region and 93% in sub-Saharan Africa (which includes Hindu-majority Mauritius) have received at least some schooling, compared to 59% of Hindus in India.

Hindus in India average 5.5 years of schooling, and 3.9 and 4.6 respectively in Nepal and Bangladesh, the next two countries with the largest populations of Hindus.

Hindus in the United States have 15.7 years of schooling, on average, a full year more than the next most highly educated US religious group (Jews) the study noted. Hindus in Europe also are also doing much better, averaging 13.9 years of schooling.
Human Rights Watch on Wednesday called on Nigeria to end a crackdown on Shia Islamic movement and obey a court ruling ordering its leaders release.

Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) leader Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife have spent more than a year in prison following three days of clashes between his followers and soldiers in the northern city of Zaria in December last year.

Nigerian authorities should hold accountable anyone who has committed crimes against Islamic Movement members, and take immediate steps to comply with a federal court order mandating the release of... Zakzaky and his wife, said Human Rights Watch in a statement.

The global rights watchdog said its intervention followed a report of a judicial commission of inquiry which found that the army used excessive force against IMN members during the December 12-14, 2015 clashes.

The involvement of soldiers in the Zaria incidents, and subsequent police actions against the Islamic Movement raises major questions about Nigerias commitment to military reform, said Mausi Segun, senior Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The Kaduna state governments continued repression of the group without holding the attackers responsible turns justice on its head.

Apart from banning the IMN in October, the government last week called for Zakzakys prosecution for his groups alleged lawlessness over the past 30 years.

The government accused the IMN of allegiance to a foreign power, an apparent reference to Iran.

Trouble started on December 12 when Zakzakys supporters refused to allow the chief of army staffs convoy to pass through the northern city of Zaria, sparking violent fighting that left some 350 people dead.

Zakzaky was shot and injured, leaving him partly paralysed and blinded in one eye while his home and several religious centres were demolished.

In April, Amnesty International accused the military of shooting dead some 350 Shia Muslims, burying them in mass graves and destroying evidence of the crime.

Zakzaky has previously been imprisoned for calling for an Iranian-style revolution to create a Shia Islamic state in the countrys north.

Last month, at least 10 people were killed and several injured when police opened fire in clashes with the IMN during a religious procession.

Read more | Nigerian Shiites say army plans attacks on holy day of Arbaeen
Islamic State fighters possibly seized air-defence weapons when they recaptured the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, a US general said Wednesday, adding a potential complication to the coalitions air war.

Lieutenant general Stephen Townsend, who commands the US-led coalition bombing IS in Iraq and Syria, said jihadists seized a trove of gear when they retook the desert city from Russia-backed Syrian regime troops on Sunday.

We believe that includes some armoured vehicles and various guns and other heavy weapons, possibly some air-defence equipment, Townsend said in a video briefing from Baghdad.

The US-coalition that has been bombing IS since 2014 has enjoyed near-total air superiority across Iraq and Syria, sustaining only limited small-arms damage to a couple of aircraft.

Basically, anything they (IS) seize poses a threat to the coalition, but we can manage those threats and we will, Townsend said.

I anticipate that well have opportunities to strike that equipment and kill the ISIL thats operating it soon.

Townsend did not describe whether the air-defence weapons were anti-aircraft guns or missiles.

IS overran Palmyra on Sunday, nine months after being expelled by Russian air strikes and forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad.

IS had initially seized Palmyra in May 2015 and went on to blow up UNESCO-listed Roman-era temples and loot ancient relics.

Townsend said the coalition would, at least initially, defer to the Russians to try to retake Palmyra.

If they dont, we will do what we need to do to defend ourselves and well de-conflict those actions with the Russians.

The Pentagon and coalition partners have accused Moscow and Damascus of taking their eyes off Palmyra to focus on bombing the former rebel bastion of Aleppo.

The US-led coalition, which is narrowly focused on fighting the IS group, has not had an active role in Aleppo, and Townsend said the regimes recapture of the city would have only a relatively moderate effect on coalition actions in Syria.

Because I think the regime and the opposition forces that are fighting their war adjacent to ours will take their fight elsewhere, he said without giving details.
Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni has won a second vote of confidence in Parliament, paving the way for his government to lead Italy until new elections, after his predecessor was humiliated at the polls over proposed reforms.

The Senate voted 169-99 Wednesday, a day after the confidence measure easily passed parliaments lower chamber.

Gentiloni now heads to the first major international meeting of his premiership  Thursdays European Council summit  with Parliaments backing and his government in place.

That completed a required parliamentary approval process that was boycotted by some opposition parties which claim the government has no legitimacy in light of the referendum defeat.

Gentiloni has been slammed for naming a new line-up that is virtually a carbon copy of the team that served Renzi.

Italys biggest opposition party, the populist Five Star Movement (M5S), led the boycott

Gentiloni has said his priorities are to spur economic growth in Italys south, rebuild Italys earthquake-devastated center, and help lawmakers craft a new electoral law quoted as saying by La Repubblica.

Business as usual

Gentiloni, 62, whose measured, softly-spoken manner is in sharp contrast to Renzis more frenetic style, is due to attend a summit of EU leaders on Thursday.

He has said he will use the Brussels meeting to reiterate Italys demands for more support on dealing with the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants on its southern shores and for greater leeway on the application of budget rules.

The new leader has reshuffled Renzis cabinet slightly with former interior minister Angelino Alfano taking over as foreign minister and created a new ministry to promote the economic development of the relatively impoverished south of the country.

Otherwise, it is business as usual on domestic matters: to the delight of the opposition.
Agitating Madhes-based parties of Nepal said on Wednesday they would obstruct elections to local bodies if they are held before the government addresses their demands.

The warning came a day after Nepals three major political parties - the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN- Maoist Center - agreed to hold polls to locla bodies by the end of April next year.

Concluding that elections cannot take place under in cloudy political circumstances, a meeting of the Samuktya Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha, an alliance of seven Madhes- based parties protesting against the new Constitution, urged the government to address its demands before holding the elections.

The government has registered a constitutional amendment bill in Parliament to address the demands of the agitating parties.

But top leaders of the three major parties decided on Tuesday to put the bill on hold and to conduct the elections first. This was done without consulting the Madhes-based parties. The major parties said it was mandatory to hold the elections to implement the new Constitution and to preserve the achievements of the last decade after Nepal agreed to a peace process with Maoist rebels in 2006.

They also said the polls could end the political standoff and usher in stability.

Miffed by the move, the Madhes-based parties stated the decision to put on hold the constitutional amendment bill will aggravate the crisisand will push Nepal towards a state of uncertainty. In such a situation, they said, holding elections will be a "suicidal act politically.

A total of 59 people were killed in Nepals southern plains during protests against the new Constitution, which was adopted in September last year. Successive governments have largely failed to address the demands of the Madhesi parties such as citizenship, demarcation of new provinces, and making the Constitution more inclusive

Nepals politicians are divided over the constitutional amendment bill and the main opposition CPN-UML has obstructed proceedings in Parliament.

Madhesi leaders are expected to meet Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba on Thursday discuss the amendment bill and the local body elections.
The UK wants to make London as Indias destination of choice for raising offshore finance, an Indian-origin British minister has said.

Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi wants to Make in India. We say: Make in India, finance in the UK, Alok Sharma, minster in charge of Asia, said in an address to the UK India Business Council on the Future of the UK-India Relationship in London.

As well as seeking to expand its role as a manufacturer and innovator, India is also rightly addressing its future infrastructure and energy needs. Many of you know the staggering amounts of capital this will require -- 2.8 trillion dollars needed by 2040 to invest in energy, according to the International Energy Agency and over 1 trillion dollars in other infrastructure, he said.

The parliamentary under-secretary in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on Monday said the Theresa May-led government wants the City of London to become Indias destination of choice for raising international funds.

We want Indian companies and public sector entities to see the City of London as the natural home for raising offshore finance -- for quasi-sovereigns as well as corporates.

The minister also sought to clear up what he described as mis-perceptions and misconceptions around the issue of visas.

First of all, there is no cap on the number of international students studying at recognised institutions in the UK. Secondly, we continue to welcome students from India  in the year to March 2016, we approved 89 per cent of Indian student visa applications, he said.

Moreover, Indian citizens enjoy greater access to application centres than anyone else and India is the only country where applicants can obtain a same-day visa.

We naturally want our visa regime to be as simple and efficient as possible. But we must also ensure that people return to their country of origin once their visa has expired.

To ensure that the visa regime does not hinder the commercial relationship, he said the British government wants India to be the first country to be offered the Registered Traveller Scheme, giving business travellers expedited clearance at the UK border.

He highlighted that Mays visit to India last month was no coincidence that it was her first overseas bilateral visit outside the European Union as PM.

It signalled the immense value we place on our existing partnership with India and the potential we see to enhance this unique relationship in the future, he said.

The Conservative Party MP pointed to the UK as Indias largest major investor, responsible for employing one in every 20 Indians and India as the UKs third-largest investor and second largest international employment generator  responsible for over 110,000 jobs in the UK.
Mexicos Senate voted overwhelmingly in favour of legalising medical marijuana on Tuesday after a national debate on narcotics policy in a country mired in brutal drug violence.

In a major policy shift, President Enrique Pena Nieto proposed legalising medical marijuana in April after his government organized forums to discuss changes to the laws.

Senators voted 98-7 for the legislation, moving Mexico closer to joining several US states and other nations in Latin America in allowing cannabis for medical uses.

The bill -- which now moves to the lower chamber of deputies -- falls short of demands among some lawmakers and civil groups who argue that a wider legalisation of marijuana use can help the country reduce drug-related violence.

But proponents said it is a major step that will address Mexicans need of an alternative medical treatment.

The bill authorizes the health ministry to design regulations for the use, import and production of pharmaceutical products made from cannabis or marijuana, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the plants main psychoactive ingredient. Products with one percent concentration of THC would be allowed.

The cultivation of marijuana for medical and scientific purposes will not be punishable.

Senator Cristina Diaz, of Pena Nietos centrist Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), said the legislation was a historic move that will lay the foundation to establish in our country an industry for the national production of medicine with cannabis.

Senator Angelica de la Pena Gomez, of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), said there was consensus to do something different in drug policy because prohibition has generated high levels of violence, more than 100,000 deaths and the systematic violation of human rights.

Tiny step

But Senator Miguel Barbosa, of the PRD, lamented that the legislation was well below the expectations of society regarding reforms of marijuana laws.

Senator Armando Rios Piter voted against what he called a tiny step to resolve a failed policy in the battle against organized crime and called for a discussion on regulating opium poppy production, a source of violence in Guerrero state.

A family in northern Mexico became a symbol of the push to legalise medical marijuana last year when the parents of a young epileptic girl won a court battle to import a cannabis-based treatment to stop her daily seizures.

The girls father, Raul Elizalde, told AFP that the legislation represented great progress but that it should make it easier for patients to acquire THC by letting them buy it without a prescription.

In a separate major case in November 2015, the Supreme Court authorized four individuals to grow and smoke pot for recreational purposes.

Pena Nieto is opposed to a broader legalisation of marijuana but he has proposed increasing the amount of the drug that can legally be possessed for personal consumption from 28 grams (one ounce) from five grams.

The Senate will draft separate legislation on raising the possession limit.

For Elizalde, a broader legalisation of marijuana is still a long way off in Mexico.
A report released by the office of Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda on his assets surprised many, especially those who believe he has lived a lavish life since he came overground in 2006.

According to the report, Pracahnda owns just one katha (338.57 square metres) of land and three tolas (approximately 34 grams) of gold.

The land is registered in the name of his wife, Sita Dahal, at Chitwan in Bharatpur, and is described as ancestral property. The gold too was shown as ancestral property.

Prachanda does not have any cash in his bank account or in hand, and he doesnt own a vehicle or shares in any company, according to the report.

Earlier, former premier Sushil Koirala had hit headlines around the world by disclosing that he owned only two mobile phones and no other assets.

Though Prachanda draws Rs 77,000 ($750) as his monthly salary and has other perks, including a daily allowance during foreign visits, the report did not disclose them. Prachanda has made two visits to India since he assumed office this year.

Some of the ministers in Prachandas cabinet are multi-millionaires but his deputy, finance minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, does not have many assets.

Mahara owns a two-storey house and a shed in Ropla district. The house is being used by a local cooperative. Mahara has owned a small piece of land in Rolpa that largely remains barren. He does not have a bank account but had Rs 80,000 in hand that was derived from his salary.

Nepal has made it mandatory for members of the cabinet to disclose their assets after a new government is sworn in.
The One-China policy is the political foundation for developing relations between Beijing and Washington and also the cornerstone for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday .

Healthy and steady development of China-US ties will be out of the question if the basis of sticking to the One-China principle is disturbed or damaged, An Fengshan, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, told a news briefing on Wednesday.

Ans strong statement was the latest from China following, first, US president-elect Donald Trumps unprecedented phone conversation with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and his questioning of Washingtons policy, which basically means the US sees Taiwan as part of China.

China, which claims Taiwan and sees it as a breakaway region, has been angered by the remarks.

A majority of countries, including India, follow the One-China policy but maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan through proxies.

An was quoted by official Xinhua news agency as saying that the Taiwan issue is about China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as China's core interests; breach of the principle will have a serious impact on peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

He stressed there is only one China, and the Chinese mainland and Taiwan belong to one China, which is based irrefutably in law and facts, as well as recognised by the international community.

Facts will tell these people that Taiwan independence is a dead end, An said.

Reiterating the Chinese mainland's stance against Taiwans independence, An said Beijings position is steadfast and we are determined, confident and capable of containing Taiwan independence.

Trumps surprising statements triggered a chain of reactions from the Chinese government though official comments have been calm and controlled. The state media has published a series of comment pieces warning Trump of consequences.

As a veteran businessman who prides himself on his ability to make deals, US president-elect Donald Trump should be well familiar with the phrase deal-breaker. Let's try to make this issue crystal clear for the coming new administration of the United States: any deviation from the one-China policy will be a deal-breaker, Xinhua said in a commentary.

Taiwan sits in the center of China's core interests. It is difficult to overstate how serious an affront to Beijing it would be if the incoming US administration recklessly shook the foundations of bilateral ties.

The commentary added: The president-elect has vowed to make America great again and we wish him well in that regard, but we see no benefit for the United States if he unilaterally and single-handedly puts the world's two largest economies on a collision course.
Levon Zurabyan: Let them try and find mismatch between Levon Ter-Petrosyan's income and property (video)

The author of the law criminalizing illicit enrichment is the Armenian National Congress (HAK). From the very beginning, we announced that this is one of the best tools to stop looting in our country. Why?  because people see everything. Our high-ranking officials build palaces, drive luxury cars, buy summer houses and have property overseas but they have received low salaries all their lives, and that striking discrepancy should offer more basis for worry to our law enforcement agencies, Levon Zurabyan, Head of the HAK parliamentary faction, said on December 14. He says the law criminalizing illicit enrichment should have a retroactive effect and the mechanism was to have been applied for all officials since 1991. I declare on behalf of Levon Ter Petrosyan that he is ready to be the first to pass the inspection. Let them try and find mismatch between his income and property. Surely, they cannot find anything, Zurabyan added. The opposition lawmaker announced that the HAK should announce that one of its top priorities is to find such a mechanism.
The first diplomatic consultations between Pakistan and Russia on regional issues were held at the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Wednesday, the latest in a flurry of engagements between the two sides after years of frosty ties.

A statement issued by the Foreign Office said the two sides held talks on a range of regional issues and key areas of mutual interest, including economic cooperation and connectivity.

The two sides exchanged views on important global and regional developments. It was also decided that the next round of consultations will be convened in Moscow in 2017, the statement said.

The Pakistani side was led by Ahmad Hussain Dayo, director general (West Asia) in the foreign ministry, and the Russian delegation was led by Alexander V Sternik, head of the Third CIS Department of the foreign ministry.

The Pakistan government portrayed the meeting as another indicator of the improving ties with Russia. In September, the two countries held their first joint military drills for two weeks in Pakistan. The manoeuvres were seen as another move towards increased military-to-military cooperation, indicating a steady growth in bilateral ties.

On November 20, the Pakistani media quoted the Foreign Office spokesman as saying that Russia will host the first trilateral talks involving Pakistan and China on the situation in Afghanistan. Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said the initiative was aimed at ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.

The military exercise angered India as it was held days after the terror attack on an army camp in Uri that was blamed on Pakistan-backed militants.

Russia lifted a long-standing arms embargo and signed a landmark military cooperation agreement with Pakistan in 2014. Last year, the two sides finalised a deal for four Mi-35 attack helicopters  another move that angered India.
The Pakistan Army on Wednesday successfully test-fired an enhanced version of an indigenously-designed cruise missile that can hit targets at 700 kms with all kinds of warheads, bringing many Indian cities within its range.

Called Babur after Mughal invader and founder of the dynasty of same name, the missile is part of Babur Weapon System version- 2 and is an enhanced version of the earlier missile.

The army said in a statement that it incorporates advanced aerodynamics and avionics that can strike targets both at land and sea with high accuracy.

It is a low flying, terrain hugging missile, which carries certain stealth features and is capable of carrying various types of warheads, it said.

Pakistan conducts successful test of Babur cruise missile @defencepk pic.twitter.com/cyKubrJoc6  Emerging Pakistan (@dev9_) December 14, 2016

The missile is equipped with state-of-the-art navigational technologies of Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) and all time Digital Scene Matching & Area Co-relation (DSMAC), which enables it to engage various type of targets with pinpoint accuracy even in the absence of GPS navigation.

Babur Weapon System is an important force multiplier for Pakistans strategic defence, it said.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff committee, General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, senior officers from strategic plans division, strategic forces, scientists and engineers of strategic organisations were present at the launch.

Hayat congratulated the scientists and engineers on achieving yet another milestone of great value and significance. He appreciated the technical prowess, dedication and commitment of scientists who contributed to the success of this launch.

Expressing his full confidence over the strategic command and control system and the strategic forces operational preparedness, General Zubair said that this test further strengthens Pakistans deterrence capability.

The President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan also congratulated the scientists and engineers on successful conduct of the missile test.
A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli policeman with a screwdriver in annexed east Jerusalems Old City before being shot dead on Wednesday, police said.

The attacker produced a screwdriver and stabbed a policeman in the head, lightly injuring him, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement.

Security forces neutralised the terrorist.

She later confirmed he had died of his injuries after being taken to a local hospital.

The assailant struck in the heart of the Old City, a major draw for foreign tourists and pilgrims but the site of several attacks over the past year.

Samri said in a later statement the Palestinian was a 21-year-old and from Beit Surik village near Ramallah in the northern West Bank.

A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks erupted last year, but the violence has greatly subsided in recent months.

Since October 2015, 243 Palestinians, 36 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed, according to an AFP count.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.

Others were shot dead during protests or clashes, while some died in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he personally killed suspected criminals when he was mayor of a southern city to set an example for police.

Duterte made the comments in a speech late on Monday night to businessmen as he discussed his campaign to eradicate illegal drugs, that has seen police and unknown assailants kill thousands of people since he became president on June 30.

After speaking about police killing suspects during the current crime war, Duterte said he led similar efforts when he was mayor of Davao, the major southern city that he ruled for most of the previous 20 years.

In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys (police) that if I can do it why cant you, Duterte said in his speech at the presidential palace.

And Id go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also. I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill.

Duterte also responded to criticism from human rights groups and US President Barack Obama about his brutal anti-crime tactics, vowing to continue his crackdown.

If they say that I am afraid to stop (the campaign) because of the human rights and guys from including Obama: Sorry, I am not about to do that, he said in English.

Rights groups have previously accused Duterte of running vigilante death squads in Davao that killed more than 1,000 suspected criminals.

Duterte has variously denied and acknowledged his involvement in the death squads.

Similarly, Duterte as president has called on ordinary Filipinos as well as security forces to kill drug users and traffickers. But he has also said that he and his security forces would not break the law.

In October, Duterte compared himself to Adolf Hitler and said he would be happy to slaughter three million drug addicts.

He later apologised for the Hitler reference but said he was emphatic about wanting to kill the millions of addicts.

Since his election, police have reported killing 2,086 people in anti-drug operations. More than 3,000 others have been killed in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures.

Often masked assailants break into shanty homes and kill people who have been tagged as drug traffickers or drug users. Rights groups have warned of a breakdown in the rule of law with police and hired assassins operating with complete impunity.

Duterte has insisted that police are only killing in self-defence and gangsters are murdering the other victims.

But he has also said he will not allow any police to go to jail if they are found guilty of murder in prosecuting his crime war.
In a message to US President-elect Donald Trump, the National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden said government surveillance programmes will create vulnerabilities for social media users.

The same technologies that are being used to connect us, to tie us together, to let you listen to this right now, are also being used to make records about your activity. Recording the activities of someone creates vulnerabilities for them, Snowden said during a question-and-answer session with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey CEO on the live video app Periscope owned by the micro-blogging site.

According to Re/Code, Trump had called for enhanced digital surveillance as well as a federal registry of Muslim-Americans.

While other major tech companies have refused to comment about whether they plan to participate if asked to hand over data to build a database specifically profiling Muslim-Americans, Twitter said it definitely would not, the report said.

Pardon Snowden, a campaign launched in September by major civil rights groups working to win official forgiveness for the whistleblower who is currently in exile in Russia, had announced the Periscope session watched by over 150,000 people.

Read: Twitter CEO to interview Edward Snowden, users can submit questions

Snowden also spoke about the prevalence of fake news on social media platforms.

The answer to bad speech is not censorship. The answer to bad speech is more speech. We have to exercise and spread the idea that critical thinking matters now more than ever given the fact that lies seem to be getting very popular, Snowden said.

On Wednesday, several top-notch tech executives are set to meet Trump at Trump Tower in New York City.

Among them are Indian-born Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Alphabet CEO Larry Page, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and Oracle CEO Safra Catz. However, Twitter CEO Dorsey was reportedly not invited for the tech summit.

The tech giants may discuss issues ranging from immigration reform, encryption and social concerns.
An end to a war is never celebratory, the aftermath is actually more grotesque. As the Syrian Army began its final step towards retaking Aleppo from the rebels, trapped civilians in the besieged city are bracing for the worst. Syrian Army took over the city after relentless bombardments by Russian airstrikes over the last few days.

On Tuesday night, a ceasefire deal was struck between the Syrian Army and the rebels, allowing the rebels fighters and their families to move to western part of the city but it did not mention other civilians evacuations.. A Syrian military source said the evacuation of fighters for the rebel-controlled western Aleppo countryside would start at 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Wednesday.

According to the latest UN briefing, more than 82 civilians have been killed by the Bashar Al Assad forces. While millions have fled Syria since the beginning of the civil war, some 5,000 fled Aleppo in past 48 hours and however still thousands of civilians are trapped with the fear of either being made Prisoners of War (POW) or brutally massacred. The threat largely looms over Aleppo residents as they post their final messages on social media.

To everyone who can hear me, Syrian activist Lina al-Shami said in a video message, tweeted from Aleppo Monday. We are here exposed to a genocide in the besieged city of Aleppo. This may be my last video.

Perhaps my final message from E. Aleppo. Regime forces are closing in and bunker busters are raining down. pic.twitter.com/XgK0DSa08x  Bilal Abdul Kareem (@BilalKareem) December 12, 2016

this is a call and might be the last call.

Save Aleppo people. Save my daughter and other children. #StandWithAleppo  @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016

My name is Bana, I'm 7 years old. I am talking to the world now live from East #Aleppo. This is my last moment to either live or die. - Bana  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 13, 2016

U guess it's goodbye..

Thanks all who stand for us and pay for us.

But it's almost over and they are just hours away of killing us  Rami Zien (@Rami_Zien) December 12, 2016

Lamar is beginning me to hold her up.

Will I see her for another day? pic.twitter.com/nQ3lvsoBC1  @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016

+100,000 civilians are packed into a tiny area. Bombing + shelling relentless. Casualties unimaginable. Bodies lie where they fell.  The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) December 13, 2016

I would like to thank all the humans whose stood for the humanity with our case, i will never forget you if we passed to the other life  Monther Etaky (@montheretaky) December 12, 2016

Today I feel like a failure. Nearly 25 years reporting war crimes has added up to nothing. We said "never again." What happened? #Aleppo  Janine di Giovanni (@janinedigi) December 13, 2016

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Technology leaders are about to come face-to-face with President-elect Donald Trump after fiercely opposing his candidacy, fearful that he would stifle innovation, curb the hiring of computer-savvy immigrants and infringe on consumers digital privacy.

On Wednesday, Silicon Valley luminaries and other technology leaders are headed to Trump Tower in New York to make their peace  or press their case  with Trump and his advisers. The CEOs planning to attend include Apples Tim Cook, Alphabets Larry Page, Microsofts Satya Nadella, Amazons Jeff Bezos, Intels Brian Krzanich, IBMs Ginni Rometty, Oracles Safra Catz and Cisco Systems Chuck Robbins.

Facebooks chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, will be on hand instead of its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, who was one of many tech executives to express misgivings about Trumps pledge to deport millions of immigrants.

Tech vs Trump

It could be a prickly meeting.

No other industry was more open in its contempt for Trump during the campaign. In an open letter published in July, more than 140 technology executives, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists skewered Trump as a disaster for innovation.

And Trumps denigration of Mexicans, his pledge to deport millions of immigrants now living in the U.S. illegally, and his crude remarks about women were widely viewed as racist, authoritarian and sexist by an industry that prides itself on its tolerance.

Trump, in turn, sometimes lashed out at the industry and its leaders.

He lambasted Bezos for the campaign coverage of his newspaper, The Washington Post, and suggested that Amazon could face antitrust scrutiny if he was elected.

Trump also rebuked Cook for fighting a government order requiring Apple to unlock an encrypted iPhone used by a shooter in last years terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California.

And Trumps repeated screeds against immigrants raised fears that he might dismantle programs that have enabled tech companies to hire tens of thousands of foreign workers with the skills to write computer programs, design web pages and build mobile apps.

The industry is also worried that Trump might try to undermine net neutrality, a regulation requiring internet service providers to offer equal access to all online services. Trumps harsh characterization of the media as dishonest and unfair has raised other fears that he might even try to restrict free speech online.

Out of strife, peace?

Some in Silicon Valley think the industrys best move would be to keep its distance until Trump changes his tone. Former Google executive Chris Sacca, now a tech investor, argues that industry leaders should steer clear of the meeting altogether.

Sitting down with the president-elect would only make sense after Trump has given public assurances he wont encourage censorship, will stop exploiting fake news, will promote net neutrality, denounce hate crimes, and embrace science, Sacca said. If and until then, tech figures who visit are being used to whitewash an authoritarian bully who threatens not just our industry, but our entire democracy.

Most of the companies with executives attending Wednesdays meeting declined to comment ahead of the gathering. But Oracles Catz said in a statement that she plans to tell Trump that we are with him and are here to help in any way we can. If he can reform the tax code, reduce regulation, and negotiate better trade deals, the U.S. technology community will be stronger and more competitive than ever.

Other tech institutions are also signaling an end to the animosity.

The Internet Association, a trade group whose members include Google, Facebook and Amazon, praised Trump in an open letter last month for his use of Twitter and other digital tools to help him get elected. The letter also appealed to Trumps emphasis on the economy, citing statistics estimating that the internet sector accounted for nearly $1 trillion of the countrys gross domestic product.

Some conservatives say theyre actually worried that Trump might get too friendly with tech. Peter Flaherty, the president of the National Legal and Policy Center, charges that big technology companies exploited their close relationship with President Obama to feather their nests and push for policies that benefit them at the expense of the American worker.

Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said by email that the president-elect looks forward to meeting with this important group of industry leaders and true innovators.

Common ground: Tax cuts

The technology industry already supports one of Trumps ideas. He has promised to temporarily reduce the corporate tax on foreign profits from the current 35 percent to 10 percent to give U.S. companies an incentive to bring their overseas cash back home.

Its a cut that Cook has been pushing Congress to make because Apple has $216 billion, or 91 percent of its total cash, in overseas accounts. Other tech companies in line to benefit the most from a tax reduction include Microsoft, Cisco, Microsoft and Googles corporate parent, Alphabet.

But Trump might not be doing many other favors for technology companies given his history of holding grudges against his opponents, said Larry Irving, a former government affairs executive for Hewlett-Packard who now runs a consulting firm.

Everything Trump has done so far suggests that he rewards loyalty and punishes disloyalty, Irving said. The tech industry better have some pontoons ready.
From the outside, Samy el-Goarany seemed to have it all.

The son of a successful real estate broker, he lived in a big house with an indoor swimming pool on two acres in New Yorks bucolic Hudson Valley. As a teenager, he got into a good college in Manhattan and seemed set to follow his father into real estate.

Then he went off to Syria and joined the Islamic State group.

When he was killed in fighting a year ago, his father told friends his son had died in a car crash, his body so badly burned it couldnt be recovered. But the true story of el-Goaranys death remained a secret until October, when federal prosecutors revealed details in a criminal case against an Arizona man accused of aiding IS by recruiting American fighters.

Shocked childhood friends were unable to explain why the skinny, studious history buff they once knew walked away from a promising future to die in the Middle East around the time he would have turned 25.

I had been close to this guy for the past 10 years, and I honestly wouldnt have suspected him of joining this deplorable group, one friend, Peter Kwon, wrote on Facebook. To find out about this is sad, infuriating, and quite frankly, disturbing.

In a brief interview outside his home in Greenville, New York, el-Goaranys father, Mohamed, said his son had been manipulated into travelling to Syria by Ahmed Mohammed el-Gammal, the Avondale, Arizona, man now scheduled to go to trial next month in New York.

He made him go over there, Mohamed el-Goarany said.

Federal prosecutors said el-Goarany traveled through Turkey to Islamic State-controlled territory inside Syria in January 2015.

He made the trip, they claim, after communicating online for several months with el-Gammal, who also visited the Queens apartment el-Goarany shared with a younger brother.

Lawyers for el-Gammal suggest he did so willingly.

The governments own court documents indicate that el-Goarany was a sophisticated, strong-willed young man who formed his own beliefs and arranged and financed his own travel, said el-Gammals attorney, Sabrina Shroff.

After federal agents arrested el-Gammal the following August, el-Goarany appeared in a YouTube video wearing military fatigues and sitting on a mat in a sparsely decorated room to declare that he had come to Syria out of my own will and without any assistance. El-Gammal has pleaded not guilty.

Former friends of el-Goarany were reluctant to speak about him, but those who did said they were stunned to learn of the turn his life had taken.

Born in the U.S., el-Goarany was the son of an Egyptian civil engineer who became a developer and real estate broker in New York after emigrating to the U.S. in the 1980s. He lived in a town of fewer than 5,000 people about a 90-minute drive north of New York City.

Friends at Goshen High School knew Samy was a Muslim, but he was not a proselytizer. Classmate Sean Larkin said the two frequently talked about Islam, Christianity, Judaism and other religions before they graduated in 2008.

Samy was never shoving Islam down anyones throat, he said.

The family is warm and outgoing, said Quazi Al-Tariq, past chairman of the Middletown Islamic Center, located just miles from the el-Goarany family home. But since news of their sons fate was made public, they have felt ashamed and helpless.

After the news broke, Samys younger brother tearfully told Al-Tariq that his brother had been reading a lot of literature about Islam and politics.

He attended Baruch College in New York City from 2009 to 2013, according to a LinkedIn profile, though a college spokeswoman refused to confirm his enrollment there, citing privacy rules.

How and why el-Goaranys beliefs hardened is unclear.

Reviewing almost 44,000 pages from his Facebook account, the FBI determined that el-Goarany had received both religious instruction and training from the Islamic State after travelling overseas, prosecutors said in a court filing.

Last fall, someone contacted el-Goaranys younger brother to tell him that his older sibling was killed in Syria, prosecutors said. That person sent photos of a four-page, handwritten letter in which the elder el-Goarany advised his brother to listen to the lectures of the radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

You see how my life changed for the better when I came to the Land of Islam, he wrote. You are a witness to my transformation.
American scientific institutions are uncertain about the continuation of high funding for climate change projects, which got a push under President Barack Obama, when his successor Donald Trump takes over at the White House in January.

Heads of at least four scientific departments in the United States told Hindustan Times in unequivocal terms that they were jittery about future funding for clean energy projects as Trump has declared there is nothing like climate change and made it clear he will withdraw from the Paris climate deal.

After his election, Trump softened his stand on the Paris deal and said he was open to reviewing his earlier stand of withdrawing from the accord.

However, the scientists did not rule out the possibility of the federal government under Trump downsizing funding as the president-elect has not done much to allay the fears of the world community, which believes that the US withdrawing from the Paris Accord would be the biggest setback to plans for a zero net emission world by 2100.

If the US withdraws, it will impact the work of scientific institutions engaged in solar power, offshore wind energy, hydrogen fuel cells and next generation high storage ion-lithium batteries, and scientists believe Trumps pro-fossil fuel stand will also hit funding from the private sector.

In the US, the federal or state governments provide base funding for clean energy projects to institutions which are required to arrange the rest of the funds from the private sector. The deal is that once the innovation is marketable, the private player will have sole propriety over it. These institutions are also engaged in research and testing super energy efficient appliances for homes and high energy intensive sectors for companies.

To be candid enough, I am getting goose bumps as years of our research and work is at stake, said Habib Joseph Dagher, executive director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine, the northern state with a vast coastline and with 90% of its land under forest cover.

For Dagher, the worry is greater as his center developed the USs first floating offshore wind turbine, for which the two Obama administrations provided $40 million, with another $250 million expected in the coming years to upscale the innovation in which US faces competition from France, Norway and Japan.

In the clean energy space, offshore wind farms with the capacity to generate up to 500 MW are said to be next big thing. The US has made huge strides in a short duration in this sector. In 2015, the US became the world leader with the highest wind energy generation, leaving behind European countries that led the race for decades.

Professor Hemant Pendse of the universitys Forest Research Center, which has developed crude oil from forest waste, hoped politics would not mire ongoing research by the university and other scientific institutions across the US.

Politics should not take over the scientific work of years, he told Hindustan Times, while showing a 2,000 square feet waste-to-oil laboratory in the freezing temperatures of Maine last week. Dagher hoped his work would continue as he took journalists around a laboratory where a floating offshore wind turbine was being tested for 50 years of high waves.

At the National Renewable Energy Lab at Denver in Colorado in the mid-west, scientists were unwilling to speak on record about Trumps denial of climate change. But, off the record, they said industry was developing cold feet over new clean energy research projects as there may not be many takers for such innovations within the US, the first market place before clean technologies can be marketed across the world.

The laboratory funded by the federal department of energy has a big basket of clean energy projects, ranging from hydrogen fuel cars that can run up to 500 km with one fill, batteries that run high data use mobile phones for days, heat capture and heating system for buildings, and highly efficient solar panels for which it gets millions of dollars from the federal government.

Lets wait and watch, a top scientist at the laboratory said, two days after the Nobel Prize winner for climate change and former vice-president Al Gore met Trump in New York. The feelers from Trumps camp so far have not been good but I think there will be no cuts. But the sector will not get the boost as Obama gave it, he said, adding that the fossil fuel lobby is still very strong in the US.

Obama started the Asia-Pacific clean energy forum, stationed in the department of energy, to sell US clean energy innovations across the world, including India and China, and ensured world leaders agreed to the comprehensive Paris climate deal in 2015.

Within the US, he introduced new emission norms for energy intensive sectors such as power and cement and enhanced funding for clean energy projects. With Trump set to take over in less than a month, all that can soon be history.

The US state department spokesperson refused to comment on Trumps climate stand.

(The authors trip to America was sponsored by the US foreign office)

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Having unnerved the foreign policy establishment with some of the key steps that he has taken, US President-elect Donald Trump has said that Americas foreign policy lacked a clarity on the threats the country faces.

Americas foreign policy has lacked a clear vision, a clear goal, and a clear understanding of the threats and the threats are immense, Trump told his supporters in Wisconsin.

Instead of jumping recklessly from one intervention to another, my administration will build a long-term strategy for stability, prosperity, peace, and rebuilding our own country, folks, he said amidst applause from the audience.

Were going to rebuild our country. We need it. That strategy will be guided by our values, our principles and our patriotism. We will see goodwill among nations. A strengthening of vital alliances and the pursuit of shared goals when interests align and we will not be taken advantage of by other countries, he asserted.

We will not be. No more. No more. We will get along great with other countries. We will not be taken advantage of. Our goal is not to build new nations in far off lands that most of have you never even heard of. But to crush ISIS, we have no choice. And to defeat radical Islamic terrorism, he said.

Trump said his administration will also rebuild the badly depleted military and take care of the great veterans the way they should have been taken care of for a long time.

We are building up this great military power in the hope that we never have to use it; we believe strongly in peace through strength. Our military is going to be modern and powerful again. Believe me, he said.

Referring to his decision to nominate Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state, Trump said he is one of the greatest and most skilled global business leaders of this time.

Made some of the greatest deals ever made in the oil industry or any industry; a great diplomat. A man who has already earned an avalanche of endorsements and growing praise from our nations top leaders, including Condoleezza Rice, Bob Gates, James Baker, Dick Cheney, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and so many more, he said.

People are looking at this resume and honestly they have never seen a resume like this before. Rex will be a fierce advocate for Americas interests around the world and has the insight and talents necessary to help reverse years of foreign policy blunders and disasters, Trump said.

Rex is friendly with many of the leaders in the world that we dont get along with. And some people dont like that. They dont want him to be friendly. Thats why Im doing the deal with Rex. Because I like what this is all about. And were going to have somebody that is going to be very special. America has been caught in a cycle of failed interventions that have weakened our security and undermined, totally our stability, he said.
Officers had to drag a woman off of a Delta flight at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after authorities say she didnt follow the proper boarding procedures and refused the officers requests to disembark.

The airport says in a news release that the incident happened Monday on a Delta Air Lines flight. It says the woman didnt follow boarding and baggage check procedures at the terminal gate, but it didnt elaborate.

A video posted online shows uniformed officers dragging the woman down the aisle as seated passengers watched.

Airport officials say charges are pending against the woman, whose name wasnt released. Wayne County prosecutors office spokeswoman Maria Miller said on Wednesday that the case is being reviewed by the city attorney in Romulus, the suburb where the airport is located.
The leader of Yemens rebel Houthi government on Wednesday accused Britain of war crimes by supplying weapons that Saudi-led forces were using to bomb the people.

Abdel Aziz bin Habtoor said Britain had sold cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia that it knew would be dropped on Shiite Huthi rebels fighting the internationally-recognised, Saudi-backed administration of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

I dont think they are guilty of war crimes, I believe so, he told broadcaster Sky News. They are participating in the bombing of Yemen people.

In response to a parliamentary question about the allegations, Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs that Britain had a very strict regime for export licences in relation to weapons.

Read | Yemen funeral death toll exceeds 140, US warns coalition to review support

We exercise that very carefully, and in recent years we have indeed refused export licences in relation to arms, including to Yemen and Saudi Arabia, she added.

Where there are allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law, then we require those to be properly investigated.

The United States on Tuesday blocked the transfer of precision munitions to ally Saudi Arabia, amid anger about the civilian death toll from the kingdoms bombing campaign in Yemen.

This reflects our continued, strong concerns with the flaws in the coalitions targeting practices and overall prosecution of the air campaign in Yemen, said the White House.

Saudi Arabia has been a long-term ally of the US and Britain in the Middle East, but British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson last week was rebuked by his government after accusing the country of backing proxy wars in the region.

In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against Iran-supported Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies after the rebels overran much of Yemen.

Since then, the rebels have been pushed out of much of Yemens south, but they still control nearly all of the countrys Red Sea coast as well as swathes of territory around the capital Sanaa.

More than 7,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations. Millions of others are dependent on food aid, with nearly 2.2 million children acutely malnourished due to the near-collapse of the health system during the conflict.

Read more | The war in Yemen will intensify, bringing shame upon all the protagonists
Spy, Nurse, Cook, Commander

ON JANUARY 5 a bronze bust honoring Harriet Tubmans daring feats was installed at the governors mansion in Annapolis. The Maryland native is famous for helping some 300 slaves escape the antebellum South, but her Union Army service as not only nurse and cook but as spy, scout and commander is less well known. In 1863, after she led African-American soldiers in a successful raid in South Carolina, General Rufus Saxton reported to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, Tis is the only military command in American history wherein a woman, black or white, led the raid and under whose inspiration it was originated and conducted.

Yet Tubman was paid only $200 during the Civil War and was not considered eligible for a veterans pension. In 1890 she collected $8 a month as a veterans widow following the death of her second husband, Nelson Davis, a soldier in the United States Colored Troops. When Tubman, who could neither read nor write, pursued a pension based on her own service, she was granted, in 1899, a monthly pension of $25, which was later reduced to $20. She received that amount until her death in 1913, when she was buried with military honors.

Tubman is, at last, being celebrated as a national hero. Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park on Marylands Eastern Shore is slated for completion in 2016. Tat land is part of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument, created in 2013, which includes additional sites pertinent to Tubmans life. And December 2014 marked the signing of legislation creating two national parks devoted to Tubman, one in Maryland, which will encompass the national monument and nearby sites, and one in Auburn, N.Y., where she lived from 1857 until her death. Yet another tribute is the Quilt Byway project, a 125-mile route in eastern Maryland marking stages in Tubmans life. Each site displays a symbol that can be purchased as a quilt square to create a Tubman commemorative quilt. For more information on the byway project, visit www.fberartscenter.com/quilt-trail/

Artifacts From an Assassination

A LOCK OF LINCOLNS HAIR. A bit of bloodstained linen. The military warrant for John Wilkes Booths arrest. No artifact of the Lincoln assassination failed to capture the interest of Donald P. Dow, who amassed one of the worlds largest holdings of Lincoln assassination related artifacts. Dow, who died in 2009, began his collection in 1963, and the 302 items drew more than $803,000 in a recent sale by Heritage Auctions. The bit of hair went for $25,000 and the warrant for Booths arrest for $21,250. But the items that brought the top bids, $30,000 each, were a framed set of images of and autographs by Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth and Boston Corbett, the Army sergeant who shot Booth; a 1907 publication alleging that Booth had escaped death; and an 1861 Booth letter to a friend. Booth artifacts are extremely rare because of the animosity toward him after the assassination.

Spirit of St. Louis Up Close

IN 1927 Charles Lindbergh had been flying for only five years when at age 25 he completed the first non-stop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in a plane he had helped design. The lightweight plane carried 450 gallons of fuel, loaded in such a way that the pilot could see straight ahead only by using a periscope. Lindberghs plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, has been on view at the Smithsonian since he donated it in 1928, but it usually hangs high above the floor of the Air and Space Museum. The historic aircraft its steel and wood frame covered in silver-painted linen and its nose decorated with fags of the countries he visited on subsequent fights to South Americahas been lowered and will be on view up close until September while workers deal with restoring the fragile structure.

Lindbergh, an air mail pilot with no experience flying over an ocean, undertook the 3,600-mile feat after six well-known aviators had died trying to collect the $25,000 winners purse for the Orteig Prize, sponsored by hotelier Raymond Orteig and the Aero Club of America. When Lindbergh landed safely in Paris after a 33-hour fight, a crowd of some 100,000 people awaited, making him a celebrity worldwide.

Brilliant Quilt Records U.S. Story

DEPICTING the 200-plus-year history of the United States in embroidery isnt a small task, but Camille Nixdorf Phelan liked a challenge. She had taken five years to make a quilt documenting the history of Oklahoma (now owned by the Oklahoma Historical Society) and started work on a quilt about American history. The 6-foot-by-5-foot result, completed in 1937, includes the 50 states and their state flowers, notable Americans (ranging from Susan B. Anthony to Bing Crosby), dinosaurs, trains, national landmarks like the Empire State Building and Niagara Falls, and a self-portrait of the artist, all portrayed with surprisingly recognizable detail in an impossibly thick and vibrant thread. The quilt sold at a Cowans auction in February for $19,200.

The World the Civil War Made

THE CIVIL WAR remade America socially, economically and technologically. A recent paper by Zorina Khan of the National Bureau of Economic Research tallied the number of patents fled between 1855 and 1870 and found that, unsurprisingly, patents for military-related items and prosthetics soared during the war. Surprisingly, the number of applications by women also surged; one invention described a chemical fare that the U.S. Navy quickly adopted. Sustained innovation, however, came after the war: While patent applications hovered between 3,000 and 4,000 per year during the war, by 1867 the number had climbed to more than 12,000.

The U.S. Constitution, created in 1787, was the first document in the world to recognize the importance of innovation to economic growth and award patent rights to inventors. Unfortunately, firms today buy technology-related patents in order to sue others for patent infringement. The proliferation of these patent trolls has come to be regarded by some commentators as an impediment to innovation.

Coming to a Bookshelf Near You

HARPER LEES second novel (but really her first) will be published on July 14, with a print run of 2 million. The frail and reclusive 88-year-old author of To Kill a Mockingbird had apparently submitted a manuscript titled Go Set a Watchman, which featured many of the characters who would appear in Mockingbird, to a publisher in the 1950s. The editor who read it then was so struck with passages describing memories of the authors childhood that she suggested the fledgling writer take up a second book focusing on that storyline. That project became the story of Scout, Dill and Boo Radley, and Lee never wrote another novel. According to the New York Times, the unpublished manuscript had come to the attention of Tonja Carter, who had recently taken over as Lees attorney.

Less mysterybut perhaps more amazementsurrounds the publication of Laura Ingalls Wilders Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography. Wilders memoir was rejected by publishers in 1930 and, at the urging of daughter Rose Wilder Lane, Wilder turned the story into the Little House on the Prairie series for young readers, which became an American literary treasure.

Pioneer Girl frankly recounts Wilders childhood yearsincluding scenes of drunkenness and domestic violence. Commentary by Wilder biographer Pamela Smith Hill explores parallels to the Little House series. The books initial print run of 15,000 sold out, putting it atop Amazons bestseller list and prompting the South Dakota Historical Society Press to print two more runs.

Parks Papers Open at Library of Congress

THE PAPERS of civil rights activist Rosa Parks will be available for research at the Library of Congress for the next 10 years under an agreement with Howard Buffett, the new owner of the collection. Buffett acquired the papers for $4.5 million after learning that the boxes were collecting dust in a storeroom while Parks heirs and the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, the school she founded in Detroit, were arguing over the rights. The collection includes 7,500 papers and 2,500 photographs.

Parks, a seamstress who served as the secretary for the Montgomery, Ala., chapter of the NAACP, had a career as a civil rights activist long before she refused on December 1, 1955, to obey a bus drivers order that she give up her seat to a white passenger. Her arrest sparked the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott, led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., that focused attention on segregation and resulted in a 1956 Supreme Court ruling that banned segregated seating on buses as unconstitutional. Both Parks and her husband, however, lost their jobs because of their activism.

Several items from the collection will be on view through September 12 in the Library of Congress exhibition The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom.

Uncle Sam Wants Your Savings Account

IN 1911 the United States Postal Service offered savings accounts to customers too pooror too suspiciousto bank elsewhere. The innovation followed the stock market collapse and a run on banks in 1907. Immigrants flocked to the accounts: In 1917 some 70 percent of postal savings accounts were opened by newcomers, although those groups made up only 14 percent of the population. By 1966, however, the service was terminated because of a gradual decline in popularity and competition from traditional banks.

A January report by the USPS inspector general proposed bringing postal banking back as a way to solve two problems: Shore up the independent agencys fragile finances as well as provide banking services in communities that are notoriously under-served by the financial sector. The report says that some 34 million householdsa quarter of all American familiesdo not have a bank account, and the average household in this group spends $2,412 a year on interest and fees when using other financial services. The Postal Service already processes money orders, debit card transactions and international wire transfers.

The majority of post offices59 percentare in zip codes with zero or one bank branch, and post offices are positioned to fill the gap: They are widespread, underutilized and could offer services without the high fees that traditional banks charge for low-balance accounts. The inspector general concludes that postal banking could bring in an estimated $8.9 billion a year. Options range beyond savings accounts to include prepaid debit cards and small loans. The report, Providing Non-Bank Financial Services for the Underserved, is available at www.uspsoig.gov.

Originally published in the June 2015 issue of American History. To subscribe, click here.
Maternity is the young womans battlefield, wrote Mary Breckinridge in 1927. It is more dangerous, more painful, more mutilating than war, and as inexorable as all the laws of God. Breckinridges theater of operations was Leslie County, Ky., deep in the heart of the Cumberland Mountains. There were no paved roads in the county then, and no railroads. The Middle Fork of the Kentucky River and its branches snaked through tiny communities with names like Cutshin, Hell for Certain and Tousandsticks. Logging and subsistence farming kept body and soul together for most folks. The coal boom that was transforming neighboring counties had not reached Leslie, where the only town of any size was the county seat of Hyden, population 300 or so. In this most unlikely place, Mary Breckinridge made her stand for maternal and child healthcare in rural America by founding the Frontier Nursing Service in 1925.

For every 1,000 live births in the United States in the early 20th century, approximately 100 babies died within the first year. The maternal mortality rate was the highest in the developed world, nearly twice that recorded in England at the time. In rural areas like Leslie Countydescribed by Appalachian chronicler Harry Caudill as the most primitive in the Cumberland Plateauthe numbers tended to be higher.

Professional medical care was practically nonexistent in eastern Kentuckys hills and hollows. Our parents learned very early in life how to doctor their children, remembered Leslie County resident Laura Day Hogg in a 1979 interview. My mother used to go out and gather a lot of herbsand have them to make teas in the winter, cough syrupsand things to break up colds with. Most births were attended by midwives, granny women whod learned the trade from their mothers and grandmothers or by hard experience. Tough they had little formal education and were often illiterate, midwives were respected members of their communities and their home remedies were familiar parts of the birthing process. Catnip, ginger and pepper teas were used to ease labor pain. If the new mother started to hemorrhage, the midwife might administer tea made from bark taken from the north side of a black gum tree steeped with bark from a sweet apple tree. An ax placed under the bed with the blade up was thought to stem the flow. If all else failed, divine intervention could be called on by reciting Bible verses, particularly Ezekiel 16:6: And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto theeLive. Newborns were often dosed with castor oil and catnip tea, their navels greased with lard or castor oil and dressed with a scorched rag.

Mary Breckinridges genteel background was worlds away from impoverished Appalachia. Born in Memphis in 1881, she was the granddaughter of Kentuckys own John C. Breckinridgevice president to James Buchanan, 1860 presidential contender, Confederate general and secretary of war to Jefferson Davis. Her father, Clifton, was a Confederate veteran who later represented Arkansas in the U.S. House before being appointed minister to St. Petersburg. Mary grew up in privilege, attending boarding schools in Switzerland and Connecticut and traveling often among her extended family in the South. But she also knew her share of sorrow. Her first husband died of appendicitis, and Breckinridge resolved to become a nurse, graduating from the prestigious St. Luke Hospital School of Nursing in New York in 1910. An unhappy second marriage ended in divorce after the deaths of her two childrena daughter who died in 1916 just hours after her birth and a son who died in 1918 at age 4.

Mournful but determined, Breckinridge headed overseas and joined the American Committee for Devastated France, a group of volunteers organized by Anne Morgan, daughter of financier J.P. Morgan, to help French refugees of World War I. Breckinridge was deeply touched by the children whose lives had been upended by brutality and want, but she longed to return home to work for the welfare of American children. When she learned of a British program that trained women as nurse-midwives to provide vital medical care in areas where doctors and hospitals were scarce, Breckinridge found what she called the logical response to the needs of the young child in rural America. After studying midwifery at the British Hospital for Mothers and Babies and spending time in Scotland observing the work of the Highlands and Islands Medical and Nursing Service, Breckinridge was ready to implement a similar healthcare delivery system in the remote mountains of eastern Kentucky. If her idea worked there, she reasoned, it could work anywhere in the world.

The Kentucky mountaineer has been written up and talked about as though he were a special kind of Homo sapiens. Breckinridge wrote in her 1952 autobiography, Wide Neighborhoods. The picture that people from beyond the mountains hold of [him] is uniform. They see a lean man with a gun tending his moonshine still, while his wife and fifteen children clutter his one-room log cabin by night and plow his hillside by day. If he speaks at all before shooting, it will be in words too archaic for comprehension.

There was some truth to this notion of Appalachians as our contemporary ancestorsa phrase coined by William Goodell Frost in his 1899 book about the distinct culture of the Southern mountains. Folkways and language dating back to the earliest mountain settlers, many of them immigrants from the British Isles, had been preserved by the regions isolation. When industrial logging and coal mining began making inroads in the late 19th century, outsiders often looked on Appalachians as quaint throwbacks to some purer time.

Breckinridge regularly made reference to this old American stock, descendants of ancient Anglo-Saxons who have only recently emerged from pioneer days, in her publicity and fundraising efforts for the Frontier Nursing Service. In an age of rapid social change, with an influx of millions of immigrants and a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, potential donors responded to the idea that they were helping worthy Americans in need. This nativist attitude was common to Progressive reformers often upper-class, white Protestant womenof the time, and in Leslie County, the numbers largely backed up Breckinridges claims: The 1920 census recorded 9,998 of the countys 10,097 residents as native-born whites.

In 1925 Breckinridge won the support of the state health commissioner to bring modern healthcare to Leslie County. She recruited two New York nurses whod received midwifery training in England, Freda Caffin and Edna Rockstroh, to join her in Hyden, and she put her money where her mouth was. I promised to underwrite the work for the first three years and meet whatever deficits were incurred, Breckinridge recalled. I didnt want to do this, because it would have to be done out of my capital and I liked having an independent income. But [there was] no other way to get started. . . .It was just one of those things. They set up a hospital, the countys first, in the only vacant house in Hyden. This was a two-story dwelling in bad repairbut there was room for a dispensary and a barn for the horses. We had no plumbing but the outside conveniences were decent, and we had a clean well. By 1930 the Frontier Nursing Service had established nine county districts and set up six satellite clinics. Two nurses were assigned to each district, the idea being that care should never be more than an hour away by horseback.

Some mountaineers initially distrusted the newcomers. Because no training program for nurse-midwives existed in the United States, Breckinridge recruited nurses from England and Scotland. Nellie Asher, whose first child was the first baby delivered by a Frontier Nurse in September 1925, remembered hearing gossip that the nurses from England would kill the little babies. British nurse Betty Lester, who arrived in Hyden in 1928, attributed the rumors to fear of the unknown. The nurses were strangers, she said, young, unmarried women who had no children of their own. What could they possibly know about birthing babies in hardscrabble Kentucky? In time the rumors died down as word began to circulate of the nurses success in delivering healthy babies in difficult circumstances. A local advisory committee of prominent county residentsincluding the sheriff, a pastor, the school superintendent, the editor of the county newspaper and a bonafide war hero, Willie Sandlin, whose exploits in Europe rivaled those of fellow Kentuckian Alvin Yorkalso helped legitimize the nursing service.

The Frontier Nurses made regular rounds, introducing themselves and their services. Sherman Wooten, one of dozens of participants in a University of Kentucky oral history project that documented the impact of the Frontier Nursing Service, remembered the impression the nurses made. Wooten, born on Cutshin Creek in 1910, said, There was a couple of public health nurses in Leslie. We never did see any of them anyway on Hell for Certain or Bull Creek or anywhere down in there. . . .After Miss Breckinridge was here for a short period of time, she put these centers out in parts of the county. . . .The community would get together and build up a small little house to serve as a clinic.

Frontier Nurses encouraged expectant mothers to get regular prenatal checkups, an idea just then gaining traction in professional medicine and one that had been unheard of in the mountains. Breckinridge said that the midwife never leaves her patient [once labor begins]staying 2 days and nights in the home if need be. Because we have been trained in midwifery, we are able to see the normal cases through and also to recognize the abnormal and get medical aidcarrying on with courage until it comes. And to proveto the medical community and to outside supporters of the programthat this level of care made a significant difference, Breckinridge insisted on meticulous record-keeping. No mothers died in the first 1,000 live births attended by Frontier Nurses; the national maternal death rate was 5.2 per thousand. In 1932 the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company reviewed the nursing service records and concluded that its work safeguards the life of mother and babe. If such a service were available to the women of the country generally, there would be a saving of 10,000 mothers lives a year30,000 less stillbirths and 30,000 children alive at the end of the first month of life.

For their services, the Frontier Nurses charged $5 for prenatal care, delivery and 10 days of postpartum care. A fee of $1 per family per year paid for general medical care and vaccinations against outbreaks of such deadly diseases as typhoid and diphtheria. With little cash on handthe average yearly family income in 1932 was $416.50, with less than half of that received in cashmountaineers often paid their bills with produce, hay for the horses or manual labor.

By the mid-1930s, nurses on horseback were a familiar sight, dressed in blue-gray uniform coats, breeches, white shirts, ties, caps and knee-high riding boots, their saddlebags packed full of supplies for almost any medical emergency. When mountain children asked where babies came from they were told, The nurses bring them in their saddlebags. It was an image that Breckinridge used to great effect in the publicity campaigns she engineered to attract both donations and staff. If some county residents bristled at national press that portrayed their home as a backward backwater, they largely spared Breckinridge and the nurses. We dont like to see the worst possible conditions that can be described and exaggerated peddled upon as the fruits and products of Leslie County, wrote one resident to the local newspaper, but wehonor Mrs. Breckinridge for her work in our behalf. A 1937 Life story praised the scope of that work: 3,000 babies delivered with no maternal deaths; 90,000 inoculations and vaccines administered; wells chlorinated across a 700-square-mile area; $1 million raised from private donors.

There was something romantic about the notion of a woman riding alone through the hills, delivering babies and hope. Any hour may come the call, wrote Breckinridge in the American Journal of Public Health in 1927, from a man sent to fetch help for his laboring wife: Hey, woman, my woman is needing you, and the nurse-midwifegets her lantern and rides of. But the work of the nursing service depended on more than just medical staff. A sense of adventure and a promise of usefulness drove many young women from privileged backgrounds to join the service as couriers. Couriers cared for the horses (there were no veterinarians nearby), kept the riding tack in good repair, delivered supplies to the outlying clinics and sometimes accompanied the nurses on their rounds. Dorothy Caldwell, a doctors daughter from Cincinnati, became a courier in 1935. It was a way of life that most young women just out of school could never imagine. We were going into strange territory with the use of nothing but a map, Caldwell said in 1979. We had a map of the county that showed the creeks, and the creeks were the roads. Anytime you met somebody, which was very seldom, you questioned them about where you were, were you on the right road. Everybody was always very helpful very friendly. These horse-riding debutantes, as one historian described them, were also walking recruiting posters for the Frontier Nursing Service, spreading the word to their affluent communities back home.

Breckinridge was a masterful networker. As a nurse with the American Committee for Devastated France in 1920, she wrote to her mother about the lack of milk for the refugees. If I could give right now a goat to every family that has a baby, I think we could go far toward saving many that are dying. . . . I wish I had a thousand goats right now. I wish I had fifty. Her mother, Katherine, organized donations from family and friends across the country, and before long, the first shipment of goats arrived in France. Breckinridge called on similar connections to set up regional committees for the Frontier Nursing Service in cities such as New York, Detroit and Chicago. The committees, which included the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt and Clara Ford, wife of the automobile titan Henry Ford, provided a relatively steady income for the service. A cousin, Mary Marvin Breckinridge, was an accomplished photographer who shot many of the services early publicity images and even made a documentary film, The Forgotten Frontier, in 1931. (Marvin Breckinridge, as she chose to be called to distinguish herself from cousin Mary, went on to cover the London Blitz with Edward R. Murrow in November 1939, the first female reporter for the CBS World News Roundup.)

Always hands-on, Mary Breckinridge directed the Frontier Nursing Service until her death in 1965. In those 40 years, Frontier Nurses delivered 14,500 babies with only 11 maternal deaths and treated some 58,000 patients overall. If Breckinridge played up the romanticism, she never underestimated the difficulty of the work. And if she was sometimes hard to deal withopinionated and headstrong, some of her colleagues called herthat was understandable. I dont guess she had time to be foolish, Leslie County native Ed Morgan explained in 1978. She was a person that wanted to get the job done.

By almost any standard, the service was an unqualified success in bringing effective healthcare to an under-served area, and Breckinridges lasting contribution to public health was the establishment in 1939 of the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery in Hyden, the first school of its kind in the United States. The school has remained in operation for 76 years and, as the Frontier Nursing University, it has trained thousands of nurses to provide midwifery and family care in remote areas around the world. The Frontier Nursing Service no longer makes house calls on horseback, but its work continues in the Mary Breckinridge Appalachian Regional Healthcare Hospital in Hyden, a small, critical access hospital designed to meet the immediate medical needs of rural residents. Ironically, its maternity ward closed in 2010, part of a national trend that critics complained severely limited healthcare options for rural Americans.

The spirit of the service, however, is alive and well as home births are once again on the rise. The Centers for Disease Control reported that the number of home births in the United States increased by 59 percent between 2004 and 2012, though its still an extremely small number of total births. The need for skilled nurse-midwives is likewise expected to increase for the foreseeable future. Thats exactly what Mary Breckinridge had in mind. The work that began in eastern Kentucky, she said in 1932, was a training field for the extension of such work in other such communities. . . .Of on the lonely farmsteadthe young mother faces her agony, that the hope of [her] nation may come into life. . . .For her we need the Frontier Nurses new pioneers on old frontiers.

Originally published in the June 2015 issue of American History. To subscribe, click here.
IT MUST HAVE BEEN AN ODD SIGHT. Former president James Madison83 years old, hobbled with rheumatism and half deaf sprawled across an easy chair in a black silk dressing gown, his cold arthritic hands encased in gray gloves, his head propped on a pillow and topped with a warm white cap. Meanwhile, his visitorHarriet Martineau, 32, a British writer who was herself half deafsat by the arm of his chair, pointing her ear trumpet toward his lips so she could catch every word uttered by the father of the Constitution.

A strange scene, no doubt, but somehow it worked, and Madison and Martineau conversed happily for the better part of three days, discussing politics, literature, religion, the founders and the vexing issue of slavery. After she departed, Martineau recorded her memories of Madison in a witty and entertaining book with a deadly dull title: Retrospect of Western Travel.

Among the most influential British writers of her day, Harriet Martineau made her name in the early 1830s by performing a seemingly impossible feat: For two years, she wrote a book a month, each one explaining the ideas of a political or economic philosopherTomas Malthus, David Ricardo, Jeremy Bentham, Adam Smithand the books became so popular that they made her widely famous and comfortably affluent. A reformer, a feminist and an abolitionist, she sailed to America in 1834 to make a sociological study of the young republic.

Martineau arrived in New York, traveled through the state and then headed south, charmed by the sweet temper and kindly manners of Americans. In Philadelphia she toured schools and a prison. In Washington she watched debates in Congress and met Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and John Calhoun. She dined at the White House, where President Andrew Jackson was entertaining congressmen who, she noted, all had surnames beginning with J, K or L, and she concluded that Jackson was working his way through Congress alphabetically. A few days later, she attended a funeral in the Capitol, where a lunatic tried to shoot Jackson and failed only because his pistol misfired.

While she was in Washington, Martineau received a letter from James and Dolley Madison inviting her to visit Montpelier, their Virginia plantation. She accepted eagerly Madison was a man whose political philosophy I deeply venerated, she wroteand she arrived at his home with her traveling companion, Louisa Jeffrey, on February 18, 1835.

It was a sweet day of early spring, she recalled, and Montpelier was neat and even handsome, with a beautiful view of the Blue Ridge. Dolley Madison welcomed the visitors warmly. Still vivacious at 6617 years younger than her husband Dolley impressed Martineau. She is a strong-minded woman, fully capable of entering into her husbands occupations and cares and there is little doubt that he owed much to her intellectual companionship.

Dolley escorted Martineau to the sitting room where her husband spent his days. Suffering from severe arthritis, the former president was also tormented by financial woes. In 1817 hed left the White House poorer than when hed arrived. Mismanaged by Madisons stepson, Montpelier was losing money, and Madison kept it going by selling land and slaves. But he still possessed a brilliant mind and delighted in good conversation.

His voice was clear and strong, and his manner of speaking particularly lively, often playful, Martineau wrote. His relish for conversation could never have been keener.

They talked all day and long into the night, and the next day they arose and did it again. They discussed politics, of course, and Madison told stories of the founding fathers, recalling the aged Benjamin Franklin being carried into the Constitutional Convention in a sedan chair but still managing to express his views. With regard to literature, Madison predicted that American writing would thrive because the country possessed an immense number of educated sons of men of small property who will have things to say. On the topic of church and state, Madison said he was perfectly satisfied that his country had proven that religion could thrive without the support of government. Of education, Madison said he believed that women should have the same schooling as men, and he quoted an acquaintance who told him that well-educated women in his settlement turned with ease and pleasure from playing the harp to milking the cows.

One subject kept coming up slavery. He talked more on the subject of slavery than any other, Martineau wrote, acknowledging without limitation or hesitation, all the evils with which it has ever been charged.

Madison had owned slaves all his life108 in 1802but hed sold many of them in recent years, including a dozen the week before Martineaus arrival. Like his friend and fellow Virginian Tomas Jefferson, Madison found slavery incompatible with democratic ideals, but also like Jefferson, he neither freed his own slaves nor worked to end the peculiar institution.

He observed that the whole Bible is against negro slavery, Martineau wrote. Madison supported the American Colonization Society, which shipped black people to Liberia to establish their own free colony there, although he admitted to Martineau that his slaves had no desire to make the trip. The black population was increasing faster than the white, he lamented, and so the negroes must go somewhere.

An abolitionist disgusted by what shed seen of American slavery, Martineau found Madisons belief in colonization illogical. He did not assign any reason why [slaves] should not remain where they are when freed.

It must have been an awkward conversation because several slaves constantly hovered in the room, attending to their owners needs, and they were no doubt listening. Martineau did not reveal whether she argued with Madison about slavery. Probably not. She was his houseguest, after all, and she deeply admired the man and the republican government hed done so much to design.

And he was a delightfully charming host. On the afternoon of her second day at Montpelier, the mail arrived with its assortment of letters and newspapers. He gayly threw them aside, saying he could read the newspapers every day and must make the most of his time with us, she recalled. He asked me, smiling, if I thought it too vast and anti-republican a privilege for the ex-presidents to have their letters and newspapers free, considering that this was the only earthly benefit they carried away from their office.

The next morning, Madison arose in fine spirits and joked with Martineau about strangers who came to visit him, saying that some were taxes and others bounties. Apparently, Martineau was a bounty: They talked for another couple of hours, discussing Americas troubled relations with France and England, before she departed for an appointment in Richmond.

As she left, Madison invited her to visit again but she never got the chance. She returned to England and Madison died in June 1836.

She wrote of him fondly, describing him as a virtuous statesman and a wonderful man of eighty-three with an uncommonly pleasant countenance. Madison withstood the pains and indignities of old age, she theorized, because of his strong faith that the democratic system hed helped create would last forever. Madison reposed cheerfully, gayly, to the last, on his faith in the peoples power of wise self-government.

Originally published in the June 2015 issue of American History. To subscribe, click here.
Harriet Tubman helped plan a South Carolina river raid that freed hundreds of slaves.

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen the Civil War began, Harriet Tubman had already been a freedom fighter for more than a decade. As a renowned abolitionist and intrepid Underground Railroad conductor who went into slave territory to lead refugees to safety in the North and Canada, she had undertaken numerous clandestine and dangerous rescues. Tubman wasnt afraid of assisting her escaped brothers and sisters either. In 1860 she helped liberate runaway slave Charles Nalle from a slave catcher in Troy, N.Y. Shortly after Abraham Lincolns call to arms in April 1861, Tubman realized that joining forces with the Federal military would increase her effectiveness in the fight against slavery, and she volunteered for duty. She enrolled first as a nurse, and then expanded her efforts to serve as a scout and spy for the Union in occupied South Carolina. Her role as an American patriot is undisputed, but her service as a war hero was challenged at the time. Over the years scholars and schoolchildren have begun to recognize her significant contributions to guaranteeing Union victory in the Civil War.

Born in 1825 to enslaved parents on Marylands Eastern Shore, the young Araminta, her birth name, was severely challenged. Tubman later lamented: I grew up like a neglected weed,ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it. In 1849, when she heard a rumor that her owner was planning to sell her down the river, as siblings before her had been exiled to the Deep South, she decided to escape, to make her own journey to freedom. In doing so, she was leaving her brother, sisters and parents behind, and also deserting her husband John, a free black, who refused to leave with her. Before she undertook the journey, she assumed her mothers name, Harriet, and her husbands last name, Tubman.

The rechristened and self-liberated Harriet Tubman arrived in Philadelphia unharmed and launched an illustrious career as a member of the Underground Railroad. By all rights, in legend and deed, Tubman was the Great Emancipator, leading scores of escaping African Americans to freedom, often all the way to Canada. She built up a network of supporters and admirers, including abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison and William Seward, to name but two who lauded her efforts.

When the slave power extended its tentacles into the North with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, Tubman relocated to Canada along with thousands of other black refugees. Tubman risked her freedom again and again, not just by returning to the North, but also with missions into the Slave South. Her activities became even more notorious when Tubman became a staunch supporter of John Brown, who called her General Tubman long before Lincoln began handing out commissions.

Early in the war, Tubman informally attached herself to the military. Benjamin Butler, a Democrat, had been a member of the Massachusetts delegation to Congress and made a name for himself in the Union Army. A tough opportunist, Butler was often underestimated until his bully tactics began to pay off. Commissioned a brigadier general, Butler led his men into Maryland, where he threatened to arrest any legislator who attempted to vote for secession.

Trailing along with Butlers all-white troops in May 1861, Tubman arrived at the camps near Fort Monroe, Virginia. The large fort and the nearby tent city of troops soon became a major magnet for escaped slaves. Tubman found herself in familiar territory.

BY MARCH 1862, the Union had conquered enough territory that Secretary of War Edwin Stanton designated Georgia, Florida and South Carolina as the Department of the South. Massachusetts Governor John Andrew, a staunch abolitionist, asked Tubman to join the contingent of his states volunteers heading for South Carolina, and promised his sponsorship. Andrew also obtained military passage for Tubman on USS Atlantic.

The Union troops along the coast of South Carolina were in a precarious position. They were essentially encircled, with Confederates on three sides and the ocean on the fourth. Nevertheless, Maj. Gen. David Hunter, the newly appointed Union commander of the region, had ambitious ideas about how to expand Northern control.

In November 1862, Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson arrived with the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, and Colonel James Montgomery and the 2nd South Carolina were in the area by early 1863. Escaped slaves filled both regiments, and Higginson and Montgomery both knew Tubman from before the war. In those men, both abolitionists, Tubman had gained influential friends and advocates, and they suggested that a spy network be established in the region.

Tubman had spent 10 months as a nurse ministering to the sick of those regiments, and by early 1863 she was ready for a more active role. She was given the authority to line up a roster of scouts, to infiltrate and map out the interior. Several were trusted boat pilots, like Solomon Gregory, who knew the local waterways very well and could travel on them undetected. Her closely knit band included men named Mott Blake, Peter Burns, Gabriel Cahern, George Chisholm, Isaac Hayward, Walter Plowden, Charles Simmons and Sandy Suffum, and they became an official scouting service for the Department of the South.

Tubmans espionage operation was under the direction of Stanton, who considered her the commander of her men. Tubman passed along information directly to either Hunter or Brig. Gen. Rufus Saxton. In March 1863, Saxton wrote confidently to Stanton concerning a planned assault on Jacksonville, Fla.: I have reliable information that there are large numbers of able bodied Negroes in that vicinity who are watching for an opportunity to join us. Based on the information procured by Tubmans agents, Colonel Montgomery led a successful expedition to capture the town. Tubmans crucial intelligence and Montgomerys bravado convinced commanders that other extensive guerrilla operations were feasible.

Their confidence led to the Combahee River Raid in June 1863a military operation that marked a turning point in Tubmans career. Until then, all of her attacks upon the Confederacy had been purposefully clandestine. But she did not remain anonymous with her prominent role in that military operation.

SOUTH CAROLINAS LOWCOUNTRY rice plantations sat alongside tidal rivers that fanned inland from the Atlantic and that had some of the Souths richest land and largest slave populations. Federal commanders wanted to move up the rivers to destroy plantations and liberate slaves in order to recruit more black regiments.

The raid up the Combahee River, a twisting waterway approximately 10 miles north of Beaufort where Tubman and her comrades were stationed, commenced when the Federal gunboats Harriet A. Weed and John Adams steamed into the river shortly before midnight on the evening of June 2, 1863. Tubman accompanied 150 African-American troops from the 2nd South Carolina Infantry and their white officers aboard John Adams. The black soldiers were particularly relieved that their lives had been entrusted not only to Colonel Montgomery but also to the famed Moses.

Tubman had been informed of the location of Rebel torpedoesfloating mines planted below the surface of the waterin the river and served as a lookout for the Union pilots, allowing them to guide their boats around the explosives unharmed. By 3 a.m., the expedition had reached Fields Point, and Montgomery sent a squad ashore to drive off Confederate pickets, who withdrew but sent comrades to warn fellow troops at Chisholmville, 10 miles upriver.

Meanwhile, a company of the 2nd South Carolina under Captain Carver landed and deployed at Tar Bluff, two miles north of Fields Point. The two ships steamed upriver to the Nichols Plantation, where Harriet A. Weed anchored. She also guided the boats and men to designated shoreline spots where scores of fugitive slaves were hiding out. Once the all clear was given, the slaves scrambled onto the vessels.

I never saw such a sight, Tubman described of the scene. Sometimes the women would come with twins hanging around their necks; it appears I never saw so many twins in my life; bags on their shoulders, baskets on their heads, and young ones tagging along behind, all loaded; pigs squealing, chickens screaming, young ones squealing.

According to one Confederate onlooker, [Tubman] passed safely the point where the torpedoes were placed and finally reached theferry, which they immediately commenced cutting way, landed to all appearances a group at Mr. Middletons and in a few minutes his buildings were in flames.

Robbing warehouses and torching planter homes was an added bonus for the black troops, striking hard and deep at the proud master class. The horror of this attack on the prestigious Middleton estate drove the point home. Dixie might fall at the hands of their former slaves. The Confederates reportedly stopped only one lone slave from escapingshooting her in flight.

Hard charging to the waters edge, the Confederate commander could catch only a glimpse of escaping gunboats, pale in the morning light. In a fury, Confederate Major William P. Emmanuel pushed his men into pursuitand got trapped between the riverbank and Union snipers. In the heat of skirmish,

Emmanuels gunners were able to fire off only four rounds, booming shots that plunked harmlessly into the water. Frustrated, the Confederate commander cut his losses after one of his men was wounded and ordered his troops to pull back. More than 750 slaves would be freed in the overnight operation on the Combahee.

The Union invaders had despoiled the estates of the Heywards, the Middletons, the Lowndes, and other South Carolina dynasties. Tubmans plan was successful. The official Confederate report concluded: The enemy seems to have been well posted as to the character and capacity of our troops and their small chance of encountering opposition, and to have been well guided by persons thoroughly acquainted with the river and country.

Robbing the Cradle of Secession was a grand theatrical gesture, a headline-grabbing strategy that won plaudits from government, military and civilian leaders throughout the North. After the Combahee River Raid, critics North and South could no longer pretend that blacks were unfit for military service, as this was a well-executed, spectacularly successful operation. Flushed with triumph, Hunter wrote jubilantly to Secretary of War Stanton on June 3, boasting that Combahee was only the beginning. He also wrote to Governor Andrew, promising that Union operations would desolate Confederate slaveholders by carrying away their slaves, thus rapidly filling up the South Carolina regiments of which there are now four. Andrew had been a champion of black soldiers, a steadfast supporter of Hunters campaign to put ex-slaves in uniform.

The Confederacy discovered overnight what it took the Unions Department of the South over a year to find outHarriet Tubman was a formidable secret weapon whose gifts should never be underestimated. Federal commanders came to depend on her, but kept her name out of official military documents. As a black and a woman she became doubly invisible. This invisibility aided her when Union commanders sent her as far south as Fernandina, Fla., to assist Union soldiers dropping like flies from fevers and fatigue.

TUBMANS OWN HEALTH faltered during the summer of 1864, and she returned north for a furlough. She was making her way back South in early 1865 when peace intervened, so she returned to Auburn, where she had settled her parents, and made a home. Postwar, Tubman often lived hand to mouth, doing odd jobs and domestic service to earn her living, but she also collected money for charity. She sought patrons to realize her dream of establishing a home for blacks in her hometownfor the indigent, the disabled, the veteran and the homeless.

It seems strange that one who has done so much for her country and been in the thick of the battles with shots falling all about her, should never have had recognition from the Government in a substantial way chided the writers of a July 1896 article in The Chautauquan. Tubman echoed that lament: You wouldnt think that after I served the flag so faithfully I should come to want under its folds.

In 1897 a petition requesting that Congressman Sereno E. Payne of New York bring up the matter [of Tubmans military pension] again and press it to a final and successful termination was circulated and endorsed by Auburns most influential citizens. Paynes new bill proposed that Congress grant Tubman a military pension of $25 per monththe exact amount received by surviving soldiers. A National Archives staffer who later conducted research on this claim suggested there was no extant evidence in government records to support Tubmans claim that she had been working under the direction of the secretary of war. Some on the committee believed that Tubmans service as a spy and scout, supported by valid documentation, justified such a pension. Others suggested that the matter of a soldiers pension should be dropped, as she could more legitimately be pensioned as a nurse.

One member of the committee, W. Jasper Talbert of South Carolina, possibly blocked Tubmans pension vindictivelyit was a point of honor to this white Southern statesman that a black woman not be given her due.

Regardless, a compromise was finally achieved, decades after she had first applied for a pension based on her service. In 1888, Tubman had been granted a widows pension of $8 a month, based on the death of her second husband, USCT veteran Nelson Davis. The compromise granted an increase on account of special circumstances. The House authorized raising the amount to $25 (the exact amount for surviving soldiers), while the Senate amended with an increase to only $20which was finally passed by both houses.

President William McKinley signed the pension into law in February 1899. After 30 years of struggle, Tubmans sense of victory was tremendous. Not only would the money secure her an income and allow her to continue her philanthropic activities, her military role was finally validated. Details of Tubmans wartime service became part of the Congressional Record, with the recognition that in view of her personal services to the Government, Congress is amply justified in increasing that pension.

Tubmans heroic role in the Civil War is finally being highlighted and appreciated for what it was, part of a long life of struggling for freedom, risking personal liberty for patriotic sacrifice.

Civil War Times advisory board member Catherine Clinton holds the Denman Chair in American History at the University of Texas in San Antonio. She is the author of Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom, among many other volumes on the Civil War.
Acoustic shadows bedeviled commanders on both sides during the war.

I received with astonishment the intelligence of the severe fighting that commenced at 2 oclock. Not a musket shot had been heard nor did the sound of artillery indicate anything like a battle. So said Union Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell when he appeared before a military commission investigating his conduct during the October 8, 1862, Battle of Perryville. Buell had to admit sheepishly that for hours during the battle he had been deaf to the fighting, the victim of an atmospheric anomaly known as an acoustic shadow. He was not alone. During the war, several engagements would be influenced by the inability of critical military personnel to hear the sounds of battle involving their troops.

In his defense, Buell contended that his inability to hear the sound of battle was probably caused by the configuration of the ground which broke the sound, and by the heavy wind, which it appears blew from the right to the left during the day. This explanation, unbeknownst to him, was scientifically correct. According to Charles Ross, a physics professor at Longwood College in Virginia and the recognized expert on Civil War acoustic shadows, the zone of silence that hung over the Perryville area was temperature-induced refraction, combined with the effects of terrain. The weather had been hot for weeks, and heated air near the ground pushed the sounds of battle upward. That, combined with the rugged terrain surrounding the battlefield, buffered the sound waves that might have otherwise alerted Buell to the battle taking place less than three miles from his Dorsey Farm headquarters. Also, the wind direction kept the smoke and sounds of the fighting from wafting over the grove where he was enjoying a leisurely afternoon lunch.

Major General Charles C. Gilbert, commander of the armys III Corps, was also dining with Buell. After the war, he corroborated Buells testimony. Owing to the conformation of the ground and to the limited use of artillery on both sides, no sound of the battle had been heard at General Buells headquarters Lieutenant Colonel J. Montgomery Wright, assistant adjutant general serving as a courier for Buell, also heard nothing until he stumbled upon Maj. Gen. Alexander McCooks I Corps at about 5 p.m. By then, McCooks beleaguered men had been fully engaged with most of the Confederate army for nearly three hours. After the war, Wright reported that up to this time I had heard no sound of battle; I had heard no artillery in front of me, and no heavy infantry firing.

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]erryville was the largest battle fought in Kentucky and one of the wars fiercest. Union casualties exceeded 4,200 killed, wounded, and missing. Confederate losses are estimated at nearly 3,400. Most historians consider the battle a Pyrrhic victory for the Confederates. After learning that only a fraction of Buells army had been engaged in the fighting that first day, General Braxton Bragg chose to withdraw from the field rather than resume the fight the next day. The best chance for the Confederacy to control the strategic state of Kentucky probably had been lost.

Eight months earlier, an acoustic shadow had almost derailed the career of budding star Ulysses S. Grant. Fortunately for Federal fortunes, General Grant overcame the shroud of silence that kept him from hearing the Confederate attack launched against his troops during the February 1862 Siege of Fort Donelson in Tennessee.

Fort Donelson was the key to opening the Cumberland River to Union naval traffic. But from February 6, when Union Commodore Andrew Footes flotilla swarmed up the Tennessee River and conquered Fort Henry, and the opening of Grants siege on nearby Donelson, the weather changed from spring-like warmth to arctic cold. Sporadic skirmishing on February 13-14 proved inconclusive. Then the temperature dropped, the wind began to blow, the ground froze, and the underbrush-choked ravines around the fort thickened with layers of snow and ice. Brigadier General Lew Wallace, bringing a corps off river transports to join Grants besiegers, later noted: The wind whisked suddenly around to the north and struck both armies with a storm of mixed rain, snow, and sleet. Conditions became ripe for poor acoustics.

While the storm howled, a council of war convinced Confederate commander Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd to break the siege by attacking the Unions right wing on the morning of the 15th. At 2 a.m., 10,000 men began moving from their rifle pits for a dawn attack. Opposing Floyds line was Brig. Gen. John A. McClernands inexperienced 1st Division, which reportedly heard no enemy movement. After the war, Wallace wrote: It seems incomprehensible that columns mixed of all armscould have engaged in simultaneous movement, and not have been heard by some listener outside. That incomprehensible silence was broken at first light when the woods beyond the Union pickets roared to life with a man-made storm of artillery and small-arms fire. Wallace characterized the sound as if a million men were beating empty barrels with iron hammers.

While his beleaguered soldiers fought for their lives, Grant was also on the move, though he was heading away from the fighting. As the Confederates began to redeploy, Grant received a request from Commodore Foote asking for a morning meeting. Since Foote had been injured the day before, Grant felt obligated to meet his comrade on the Union flagship St. Louis, anchored five miles downstream. At dawn, Grant mounted his horse and began a slow journey down a badly rutted, frozen road along the river.

Could Grant have been oblivious to the sounds of battle exploding just a few miles away? Lieutenant Colonel Manning F. Force, bringing the 20th Ohio Infantry up the same road, maintains that he could have. Following the war, Force remembered that there was nothing in the sound that came through several miles of intervening forest to indicate anything more than McClernands previous assaults. Grant expected no offensive movement from the forts defenders and had left orders that no attack be made while he was away. So, if he heard anything, he probably attributed it to more long-range pot-shots fired by skirmishers.

Grant emerged from his conference with Foote at about noon. By then, the battle had raged for nearly four hours. Just as he stepped on dry land, one of his aides, Captain William S. Hillyer, galloped up with the startling news. Together, the two men raced up the river road, arriving on the battlefield about 1 p.m. By that time, the initial Confederate advance had been stemmed, thanks largely to the initiative shown by Wallace who, without orders, moved some of his command to support the reeling McClernand. But Grant, unlike Buell at Perryville, quickly assessed the situation, issued clear and decisive orders, and prepared to retake the ground he had lost. By the end of the day, Union forces reoccupied the earthworks they had held in the morning and a disheartened Confederate high command pondered both escape and surrender.

The next morning, Grant issued his famous unconditional surrender demand. His prewar friend, Brig. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner, prepared to hand over the fort and about 12,000 of its defenders. Floyd and fellow brigadier Gideon Pillow had slinked off during the night and a bellicose gray cavalry colonel, Nathan Bedford Forrest, defiantly led about 500 troopers along a frozen creek bed to safety. Grants steadfast determination and calm decision making in the face of unexpected conditions, both natural and man-made, contrasted markedly with Buells obliviousness, indecision, and fault-finding. Grant became an overnight hero, yet acoustic shadows continued to dog his trail and would affect his command decisions at another battle seven months later.

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]coustic shadows played a prominent role throughout the war. At Iuka, Miss., in September 1862, the phenomenon disrupted a planned attack by Grant and Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, resulting in a stalemate. A loss would have seriously threatened Confederate prospects in northern Mississippi.

On August 10, 1861, an acoustic shadow cost Confederates at the Battle of Wilsons Creek in Missouri, forcing Generals Benjamin McCulloch and Sterling Price to react quickly to defeat Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyons Federals. And during the Peninsula Campaign in Virginia, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston ran afoul of an acoustic shadow at Seven Pines on May 31, 1862, a battle that cost him his command and almost his life. In that clash, Johnston did not learn of the fighting until about 4 p.m. General Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis had just arrived at Johnstons headquarters and were dumbfounded to find the general still waiting for news.

The historian for the Army of the Potomacs XI Corps noted that at Chancellorsville, Va., on May 2, 1863, the sounds of the distant conflict were not heard, or were too confused and indistinct to awaken suspicion. The noise of the battle did not seem to extend far. Major General Daniel Sickles, III Corps commander, did not hear a sound of the fight which wrecked the Eleventh Corps, allowing Stonewall Jacksons men to complete their epic Flank March by rolling through Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howards unsuspecting corps from the flank and rear. Historian Stephen Sears has noted that Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker, commanding the Army of the Potomac, never heard the sound of Jacksons attack even though he was only a few miles away. By some fluke of acoustics, Sears writes, the roar of Jacksons assault did not immediately reach Federal headquarters at the Chancellor house. In the judgment of physicist Ross, the poor acoustics associated with the Battle of Chancellorsville must have been due to the thick foliage in the region.

On the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Maj. Gen. Henry Slocum, commander of the Union XII Corps, claimed that atmospheric conditions and topographic features prevented him from hearing sounds of the fighting occurring only a few miles away. As such, his decision to take a lunch break at Two Taverns delayed him in coming to the aid of the beleaguered I Corps and might have undone what could have been a convincing Union victory on the first day. It did earn the earnest general the sobriquet of Slow Come that dogged him for the rest of his career.

At the critical Battle of Five Forks, Va., on April 1, 1865, Confederate commanders George Pickett and William Rooney Lee were enjoying the hospitality of Maj. Gen. Thomas Rosser at a shad bake only a few miles from the battlefield. They never heard Union Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridans troops overrunning their leaderless soldiers until it was too late to affect the course of the battle. The Union victory finally broke the Siege of Petersburg and led to the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia eight days later.

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ince the Civil War, battlefield communications have, no surprise, improved vastly. But weather, in all its forms, and varying terrain continue to influence the ability of soldiers on the ground to implement even the best-laid strategy and execute the tactical maneuvers designed to achieve victory on the field of battlejust as the phenomenon of acoustic shadows had bedeviled commanders on both sides during the Civil War.

What Causes Acoustic Shadows?

Acoustic shadows occur when a particular combination of air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, and terrain prevent certain sounds from reaching listeners even only a short distance away. Sound moves away from its source in waves, like ripples on a pond. Basically, three things can make it change direction, an effect known as refraction. At ground level, the two most common causes of sound waves traveling in unexpected ways are wind direction and sound absorption. A person downwind from the sound source can hear it better than someone upwind. Therefore, wind blowing away from listeners will make it harder for them to hear the sound than if it were blowing toward them. Obstacles between the source and listeners also absorb sound; obstacles on the ground like undulating terrain, dense trees and leaves, and buildings, and obstacles in the air like dense fog or heavy snow. The same atmospheric anomalies can also amplify the sounds at locations far from

their source.

Reading Civil War after-action reports shows how important sound was to a commander directing his troops. Battlefields were usually too large for a commander to scan in their entirety. The sounds of fighting, therefore, helped determine where to deploy troops or send reinforcements. At times, attacking troops were told to move only when they heard the firing from other,

possibly unseen, attackers. But what if a commander unknowingly found himself in a seemingly preternatural zone of silence? Clearly, his command and control ability would be significantly compromised and thats exactly what happened to the hapless Buell at Perryville.

Gordon Berg, a retired civil servant, is a regular contributor to Americas Civil War.
Dear Editor: Our Coastside Farmers Market is on its winter hiatus now, and I want to take th
Nokia prepares itself for its eventual return to the mobile phone market with Nokie D1C. The company previously ruled as king and now, several rumors have revealed details on the possible products that might be introduced by the company next year.

For the past several months, several details have allegedly been leaked which includes the specs and design for the company's new smartphone. Now, new reports have revealed the possible price points for the new Nokia device. It looks like the company may not be directly competing with other high-end mobile phone manufacturers as expected.

The report indicates that the company may be launching a new phone that will be aimed at mid-range mobile phone consumers this time around. HMD Global, the company in charge of manufacturing the new smartphones, had previously declared that the brand itself will be catering to a wide range of consumers. This will include not just high-end buyers but also mid to low-end consumer who they will aim to attract with their competitive prices.

The CEO of HMD Global, Arto Nummela, previously stated in an interview with an Indian publication that the company aims to take advantage of the brand, which has always been known to be "everyone's brand." He explains the brand allows them to have an extremely wide portfolio, which they plan to exploit.

According to previous reports from industry insiders, the first true Nokia-brand smartphone that will be released will be called the Nokia D1C. The mid-range Android smartphone will reportedly be equipped with decent specs that may include a full HD 5.5-inch display, a possible Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor, and a 16 megapixel rear main shooter.

The new Nokia D1C smartphone is expected to make its debut during the upcoming 2017 Mobile World Congress to be held in February next year. The phone will reportedly be offered in two distinct variants that will cost $150 for the low-end model and $200 for the top-end model.

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A new concept phone design, created by designer Metti Farhang, called the Sony Xperia Edge has now surfaced online. The concept design showcases what a Sony smartphone would look like if it had a triple bezel-less display.

Ever since Xiaomi launched their proof-of-concept smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi Mix, other smartphone manufacturers quickly came out with their own take on the bezel-less smartphone design. Xiaomi's concept device, which was eventually made commercially available in China, was the first of its kind to feature a screen to body ratio that surpassed 90 percent.

According to Gizmochina, the concept design has actually not been officially sanctioned by Sony themselves, but the renders that were released for the concept phone certainly looks to be an interesting showcase of a possible Sony product. The overall screen layout is quite similar to the concept that was recently unveiled by Sharp, called the Sharp Concept R, wherein all three sides of the phone's display are curved towards the rear.

Aside from Sharp, the Chinese handset manufacturer Meizu had also unveiled their own concept smartphone which featured a bezel-less display. However, unlike both companies, Huawei is taking the concept more seriously within their own line-up as they are actually now planning to launch a new bezel-less smartphone, called the Huawei Honor Magic, that will reportedly be making its debut this week, on Dec. 16, in China.

As for the Sony Xperia Edge concept, there still remains to be a small bezel on the bottom part of the device that looks to house the phone's front facing camera. Based on the current design trends, the bottom bezel may soon also disappear in future smartphones as companies continue to strive for more screen real estate. Samsung and Apple have yet to reveal any plans for adapting the bezel-less design, but seeing as that there have been mostly positive reviews for Xiaomi's product, consumers may soon be seeing a bezel-less Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S smartphones in the coming years.

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According to recent rumors, numerous UFO sightings have been reported from all across the globe, indicating that Nostradamus may have been accurate about his predictions. The self-proclaimed physicist and seer prophesied that an alien invasion in 2017 may change the world as we know it.

Nostradamus' didn't stop at that, his predictions also claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the anti-Christ who will bring an end to the world by initiating the Third World War.

According to the prophecies, Putin's final battle will be with the Alien army, that he will eventually conquer to take over the world. This drama is slated to unfold between 2017 and 2020, as reported by Movie News Guide.

While Alien invasion may seem far-fetched, even though there have been reports of regular sightings, World War 3 seems to be a possibility, given the current situation. An international conflict is brewing that is speculated to trigger the most devastating war this planet has ever seen.

Recent reports indicate that everything, between Russian territory and the places where Russian missiles are on-guard, is a battlefield. Experts also claim that should there be a war, it will start in Europe. Based on latest observations, it is anybody's guess that the area that is suspected to go through massive destruction due to war will be one of NATO member states, according to Aussie Network News.

With Russia's counter defensive move to deploy military equipment at UK seas, it is a clear indication that the country has Europe in its cross-hairs. With recent events such as rising tension between Russia and NATO states, doubtful statements by USA President-elect to honor the NATO alliance in case an attack on Baltic states, and the influx of Syrian refugees in European continent has impacted not only the security but also the economy of the continent.

These reasons and more have led the conspiracy theorists and experts to believe that Nostradamus' predictions about World War 3 may even be true.

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One UFO "the size of a transit van" dropped down in Devon in order to abduct some animals. John Mooner, a ufologist who captured the shots of the aliens, was certain that ETs from the UFO wanted to harvest the genetic material of the animals.

John Mooner is the chief photographer of World UFO Photos, and shot the strange encounter in Dawlish Warren, Devon, last month.

Cattle abdications and mutilations of its body parts have been often "reported". The surmise is that aliens tend to use DNA material from animals in order to create alien hybrids.

John Mooner said: "I was watching a train pass by in the distance, when I spotted a black object slowly moving along the tree line and at first I thought it was a helicopter. I could only hear the passing train and thought to myself that's strange - it can't be a helicopter there's no sound of the rotors. I estimated that the object must of been the size of a large transit van. I watched as the object began to slowly descend into a field. Once it had landed the black object just sat there as if waiting for something to arrive. To my amazement the black object then went completely invisible.

"I wanted to go over there to investigate but it was to0 far away and I did not have a boat to get across the water. My guess is that the object was waiting for the farmer to bring his livestock into the field so they could abduct some of the poor animals to kill for genetic material.

"The farmer would not have seen this large object and would of [sic] left the field thinking his animals were safe. But the aliens were there all along waiting for the opportunity to strike and take their pickings. Spooky."

Mooner claims that he has seen a number of extra-terrestrial spaceships over decades. He narrated his spottings recently to the media.

However, there are many cynics who dismiss Mooner's "spottings". Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigations Manual, said: "At the distance the object was photographed it is hard to guess its size and could have been a model aircraft, drone or a helicopter. It is just plain speculation that it was landing to abduct cattle or other livestock in the area."

He added: "Surely by now the aliens have collected enough genetic material from our planet to create an army of hybrids."

A forensic UFO investigator, Scott Brando is convinced that blurred images like Mooner's could be merely birds or insects caught out of focus.

Watch the video below to see an abduction in 1973. John Mooner wasn't there, though!

YouTube/tico1977

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It's been a week since Google has released the December security patch for numerous Android phones. Actually, smartphone companies have started to implement the fixes in the update to some of their flagships. And one of the smartphone that will start receiving the December security patch is the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.

Samsung is one of the companies to release the update. However, the South Korean company has a habit to make these updates available to other smartphones increasingly during a month.

According to a tweet, the December security patch is now available to download for the Galaxy S7 edge users in Australia. Samsung's December security update is in the firmware version named G935FXXU1BPJG.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge owners who have been accepted in the beta program have already received three Android Nougat beta builds that contained lots of new features.

However, since there's no official change log available yet on the December security patch then there is no telling on what other improvements. Actually, nobody knows still if the handset maker has added any of these things.

Android users now see these monthly updates as the top priority and given that it ensures the device's security and safety. Amongst the vulnerabilities fixed is the notification display error of shade locked state. This bug also showed notifications or private information on locked screen even if that is supposed to stay hidden.

Once you have the notification, you can download and install this update on your smartphone. Do not forget that it is the last security maintenance update of Samsung Galaxy S7 for 2016.

Mobile Hotspot vulnerability by unprotected intent, heap overflow in sensor driver, notification display error of shade locked state, BootReceiver security issue patch and heap overflow in "OTP" service are some of these issues patched

As these updates always go, you will receive a notification saying that your phone has received an update over-the-air (OTA) when it's ready to download and install. Though, if you want to check sooner than you can head to your phone's settings and manually look for the update that way. You can also check for the update manually by heading to Settings / about phone / Update software.

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It is likely that Stephen Hawking's plan to send a spacecraft to Alpha Centauri will come to fruition. As of late, the popular physicist will be collaborating with NASA to propel a nano-vessel that will travel at one-fifth the speed of light.

Last April, during the 55th anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's trip that made him the first man in space, the program named 'StarChip' has been declared as a vital segment of the Breakthrough Starshot project. Noted sponsors include Russian billionaire Yuri Milner and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

The group is currently searching for answers that will sustain the capability of the spacecraft to reach the targeted star. Considering the harsh interstellar radiation, the main concern is how to complete the proposed 20-year journey to the closest star system from planet Earth.

Studies have shown that silicon chips can be the piece that will solve the puzzle. It is perceived that this kind of material will withstand the extreme radioactive emission along the way.

The distance that will be covered heading to Alpha Centauri is approximately 25 trillion miles or 4.37 light years. An essential objective of the nano-craft is to search for alien life.

Experts believe that extra-terrestrial presence is possible in the three-star system's sphere. The chance of locating livable planets like the Earth is quite feasible.

Due to radiation, a couple of problems have been cited to deter the space vessel's probable travel. Finding other pathways will only add years to the journey. Next, putting on a protective mechanism will add weight to the tiny craft.

Together with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), NASA thinks that two factors will favor the integration of self-healing silicon materials into the 'StarChip' project. Based on the tiny structure's 20-nanometer measurement, the light mass and the rigid layer allow the silicon body to deter radiation.

Considering the characteristics of the material, it is likely that this equipment can be utilized for longer periods of time. This also mean that the nano-space vessel can be exposed to 20 years of space expedition.

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Kate Middleton has been at the receiving end of developments in the royal family of late. From Meghan Markle to Queen Elizabeth, everyone seems to be making life difficult for her. Even husband Prince William is opposing her and now it has taken a severe toll over the Duchess of Cambridge.

It is said that Kate Middleton had a miscarriage. The Duchess was reportedly carrying twin daughters but she reportedly had a miscarriage, reports Game & Guide. The incident is said to have affected her deeply and she is depressed after the incident. Though she tries her best to look normal and smiles for the shutterbugs, insiders claim that a broken spirit resides behind that radiant exterior.

Notably, gossip mills have been keeping abuzz with speculations of Kate Middleton's third pregnancy and it was said that the royal couple would give the good news to their followers during Christmas. However, the bad news is all that has come up and what has made things worse for Kate is the fact that she does not have anyone in the royal family she can confide in. Queen Elizabeth is allegedly angry with Kate Middleton and Prince William and once the Duchess even walked out of their room crying, claims National Enquirer.

In fact, Prince William's rude behavior is also another reason behind her miscarriage. It is alleged that she was under a lot of stress. The crumbling relationship with her husband and the pressure to keep up with the royal duties were proving too much. To add salt to her injuries, Prince Harry's girlfriend. Meghan Markle entered the scene, as a contender for the throne.

The girlfriend of her brother-in-law made things even worse for Kate with her charities and humanitarian works, earning a place in the good books of Queen Elizabeth. What is more, even Prince William supported his brother's stance when Prince Harry issued a statement in defense of his girlfriend and lambasted the media for trolling her.

Well, Kate Middleton is truly having it tough inside the royal interiors. With a sulking Prince William, an angry Queen Elizabeth, a rude Camilla and a competitive Meghan Markle, is it any wonder the Duchess is depressed?

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
HMD Global Oy has announced the launch of Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual Sim mobile phones, generating interest in the world of mobile phones which the brand had ruled once.

The launch comes just weeks after HMD, headquartered in Finland, entered the market as the new home of Nokia mobiles. The new generation of the phones will see the Nokia feature phones portfolio comprising renowned models like Nokia 150, Nokia 216 and Nokia 230 stronger, an HMD press release said.

"To ensure users can stay connected for longer, the phones have outstanding battery life, with talk time lasting up to 22 hours, and standby times of up to 31 days for the Single SIM and 25 days for the Dual SIM variant. The phones charge with a standard micro-USB charger and come with a LED torchlight," it said.

The new feature phone named Nokia 150 is similar to Nokia 216 which was launched by Microsoft in September. The device, which belongs to Series 30+, would be sold in the first quarter of the coming year.

Both Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual Sim have identical functional features. In fact, they take us back to the old days with features like MP3 player, Bluetooth, Nokia's SLAM sharing technology, VGA camera with LED flash and all these for $26. The new models will also have Snake Xenzia, the trademark Nokia game.

According to a report in The Tech Portal, the phones' distribution will begin with selected markets like APAC, IMEA and also Europe. The phones will be made by Foxconn subsidiary FIH.

But Nokia's comeback may not excite many since the phones neither have internet access nor a touchscreen - things that are trendier for mobile users in current times. Even the camera is not high powered and neither does it have an app store. It could be at best a second budget device but how many smart users will be satisfied with the dumb devices?

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Le Spa at Four Seasons Resort Marrakech and Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca has appointed Pedro Manuel Folha Catarino as the new director of spa for the Morocco Collection. Catarino will lead a team of therapists between both properties, and will oversee the menu of services including massages, treatments, fitness, yoga experiences, bespoke Moroccan rituals as well as other seasonal programmes. He was most recently director of wellness at SHA Wellness Clinic in Alicante, Spain where he managed 48 therapists developing new treatments and a tailored menu. Previously director of spa at Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita for three years, Catarino introduced new spa brands and played an instrumental role in the resorts wellness programme. A graduate of Superior Institute of Espinho in Hotel Management, he began his career as a swimming instructor before taking on various health and wellness roles. He has completed certificates in a number of practices including aromatherapy, acupuncture, mesotherapy and shiatsu massage among many others.
Child brings 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Huddersfield in England. He began his career at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. serving in food and beverage as well as sales management positions.

Bethesda Marriott welcomed David Child to the position of General Manager on Nov. 12, 2016. This premier Bethesda hotel prides itself on the expertise and community involvement of its team, exemplified by the addition of Child.

Child brings 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Huddersfield in England. He began his career at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. serving in food and beverage as well as sales management positions. Child went on to become the Director of Food and Beverage Management at the Renaissance Westchester Hotel in West Harrison, New York, eventually rising to the position of Director of Operations.

Child's accomplished career continued when he moved back to Washington, D.C., as Director of Food and Beverage at the Renaissance Washington, D.C., Dupont Circle and the Hotel Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. During his time at The Ritz-Carlton, Child became a cultural ambassador for The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center and increased customer satisfaction ratings for the property. Most recently, Child returned to the Renaissance Washington, D.C., Dupont Circle where he set profit and revenue records as the General Manager. In addition to his years of professional service to the D.C. Metro area, Child gives back to his community as a member of the Board of Directors for Boys Town.
Hotel Arriva Express Guadalajara Plaza Del Sol

Deutsche Bank Mexico, S.A., Banking institution, Trust Division F/1616 or Fibra Inn (BMV: FINN13, ADR OTC: DFBRY) announced that it will invest in the rebranding of the Arriva Express Guadalajara Plaza del Sol Hotel to the international brand, AC Hotels by Marriott; therefore the new hotel will be called the AC Hotels by Marriott Guadalajara Expo.

Deutsche Bank Mexico, S.A., Banking institution, Trust Division F/1616 or Fibra Inn (BMV: FINN13, ADR OTC: DFBRY) announced that it will invest in the rebranding of the Arriva Express Guadalajara Plaza del Sol Hotel to the international brand, AC Hotels by Marriott; therefore the new hotel will be called the AC Hotels by Marriott Guadalajara Expo.

In August 2015, Fibra Inn paid Ps. 275.0 million for the acquisition of the Arriva Express and Staybridge Suites hotels. The Company decided to include the AC Hotels by Marriott global brand in its portfolio, which is a Lifestyle Premium offering, and will allow Fibra Inn to maximize its benefit from the hotel location via the use of a global brand, as it had previously done in other hotels in the portfolio that were also strategically located. With this investment, Fibra Inn expects to reach an average room rate increase of over 70% during the first year of operations. The Company expects to invest Ps. 176.8 million in this project and this investment would reach a marginal cap rate of 10.6% for 2019. Considering both properties, the combined total cap rate for 2019 is estimated in 11.0%.

Renovations began in December 2016 and this hotel is expected to initiate operations during the second quarter of 2017. Grupo Hotelero Prisma, a Fibra Inn related company, will be in charge of the hotel operations. The property will operate in the select-service segment with 178 rooms.

Oscar Calvillo, Fibra Inns Chief Executive Officer, stated: The inclusion of the AC Hotels by Marriott represents the 15th global brand in Fibra Inns portfolio. This property, together with Staybridge hotel were acquired at a reasonable price, which together with the rebranding investment, results in value generation. Now we will have a completely renovated property that will offer our guests premium services and will contribute to higher profitability, operating under the highly performing Marriott brand and with a hotel management that has a proven track record adhering to Fibra Inns high standards.

To date, Fibra Inn has a total portfolio of 43 properties in operation. The total is 7,113 rooms, of which 6,713 are rooms in operation and 400 are under construction. Additionally, Fibra Inn has minority participation with third parties in the Strategic Hotel Acquisition Pipeline model, which represents 430 rooms.
The hotel industry is in the midst of a dramatic change. However, knowing there is a need for change is not enough. Real change or transformation is the most daunting task facing organizations & individuals in todays fast paced and innovative world.

Following the 2008 global financial crisis, one Chinese businessman observed, With the best and brightest from the top business schools and advice from top consulting firms, the Western companies still didnt see the crash coming. Actually, some did, but simply knowing makes no difference. Those who suspected the looming financial disaster took no action. Knowledge is meaningless if no action occurs as a result of knowing. A good example is when, in mid-career, employees earn MBA degrees with honors for career advancement. It makes no tangible difference and adds no real value to the company if those graduates return to business as usual principles.

The way we work, as corporate leaders, utilizes a winning formula we developed early in our careers. In hospitality management, this may include exercising authority, giving instructions, follow-up, and having an eye for detail. This management positioning will get things done, get you noticed and promoted, and that formula for success seems to be the way to climb the career ladder as a valued company executive.

Toward the top of the hierarchy within a hotel company, things change. Now, the manager needs to get things done through and with people who are not subordinates; they are business partners, owners, suppliers, and competitors who need more than authoritarian guidance. With the wrong leadership tactics, youll discover your peers may respond negatively, making a collaboration more like a confrontation. Youve seen owner-operator relationships deteriorate when one or the other crosses the line into aggression or bullying. Authoritarian hierarchies  and theyre found in every company  do not encourage change, innovation or even management ideas from younger, newer executives. The righteousness of authority suppresses input from below.

Sebastien Bazin, CEO of AccorHotels knows all this and more. He was the keynote speaker at HICAP (Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific) 2016, and said his job within his company of more than 240,000 hoteliers with 4,100 sites is to awaken a sleeping giant. If you missed his speech, you can view the 10-minute YouTube presentation that captures his insights.



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Harvards Rosabeth Moss Kanter analysed the mega-corporate environment in her book, When Giants Learn to Dance. As early as 1989, she suggested large corporate giants should look to replace their bureaucratic environments with faster, focused, friendlier, and flexible business plans.

Almost three decades later, Sebastien Bazin says the giants of the hospitality industry are not yet dancing; they are asleep. However, he seems to be in step with the music. He offers a perspective from the 1960s to 2000, a period when a handful of global hotel companies competed with each other in an industry with a steady demand at 5% and a supply growth of 2%.

By the millennium, the music had changed. Digital innovators and OTAs (online travel agents) targeted a piece of the hotel pie. Next came the metasearch (internet searches that use another search engines data to produce their own results) innovators such as Trip Adviser, followed by the introductions of service apartments like Airbnb, that created a new service niche and effectively closed the gap between supply and demand.

Online innovators have grabbed a massive 25% of the hotel industry, and Bazin predicts that this will rise to 45% in 5-7 years. How could they do this right under the noses of the hotel industry? Did someone notice  and do nothing? The explanation, according to Bazin, includes certain dynamics:

 Most of the creators are under 35 years of age.

 They create from scratch, without a legacy holding them back.

 They utilize newer, better technology and invested more resources.

 They see their audience as global first; they dont start small and grow.

 Their organizational structure is flat and therefore unlike the tiered, pyramid organization charts of the hotel industry.

 The digital players hold their clients up-close and personal, with weekly  even daily  communication and follow-up; hotels are brand- and product-centric with touch points focused on the guests inside the hotel.

Knowing Change is Needed - and Doing it

AccorHotels noticed the problem and are now taking action. They have created a shadow board of directors from the companys best and brightest 25-30 year-olds. They have the same access to information as the real board of directors and now, corporate decisions are made after the shadow board reviews proposals.

Sebastian Bazin asserts that breakthroughs in the hotel industry come from newcomers, upstarts who disrupt the status quo. That kind of dramatic innovation rarely comes from long-timers in established companies. Many companies seek talent that will fit in. Those new managers settle into a comfort zone of safe tweaks and modest growth, so they survive and perform predictably within a status-quo culture.

How can these well-established companies create performance breakthroughs, or are such innovations forever the exclusive domain of outsiders and newcomers? How can established companies achieve dramatic and exciting top- and bottom-line growth? These days it seems many flagship companies avoid confronting the issues, and in doing so become ripe for acquisition. In the changing of ownership, they do transform but only in order to fit in with the culture of the new parent company.

You Can Change Your Name - or Change the Game

Your company can realize a transformation without the trauma of an ownership change. However, you must be prepared to go through an equally daunting transformation of the corporate culture. This requires the transformation of every employee in order to give up the collective deference to legacy, outdated values and self-imposed constraints that are the barriers to innovation and dramatic growth. Because the transformation of a company depends on the transformation of every employee it is a challenge few companies have the courage to undertake. Individual mindsets need to change in order to develop a new strategy for business operations. Without it, your business plans design will be limited to the horizon limits of your own corporate culture  that same mindset that is losing ground in a competitive market.

Its understandable: Within the company, management leaders individual winning formulas got them where they are today; they are reluctant to change what worked for them. Be warned: Some managers may sabotage, discredit, and undermine new notions before theyre explored.

If you put a plan in place for a new corporate direction  a new company strategy  without change at every level of operation, youll realize what business philosopher Peter Drucker once observed: Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Your giant will yawn, roll over, and go back to sleep.

About Mark Keith

Mark Keith is Managing Director of HVS Executive Search in Hong Kong and oversees search assignments throughout the Asian region where Mark has lived since 1982. His early hotel experiences included London, Nigeria, Iran, Lesotho, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates; and he has held senior executive appointments with Hilton International, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Holiday Inn Worldwide and the Peninsula Group. Mark is a recognized authority on strategic Human Capital Management in the hospitality industry, hotel openings and the cross-cultural implications for management and service. He was commissioned at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst; he has a Master of Science degree from the University of Leicester and is a fellow of the Hotel, Catering International Management Association (FHCIMA). A selection of clients he has served include Jumeirah, Mandarin Oriental, Jin Jiang Inn, Hilton International, Serena, Rosewood and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. For further information, please contact: mkeith@hvs.com

www.hvs.com
AccorHotels' newly created Luxury Brands structure, which includes the Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, MGallery, Pullman and Swissotel brands, has announced the appointment of Andrew Gibson as Vice-President, Well-Being, Luxury Brands.

In his new role, Gibson is responsible for driving the development and execution of the spa and overall wellness strategies for AccorHotels' luxury brands. This includes refining, developing and revitalizing the direction of the well-being platforms for each luxury brand, encompassing areas such as design and concepts, as well as the creation of facilities and programs. Gibson will also oversee the creation and implementation of wellness standards globally.

Also recently appointed to support Gibson in leading the international Well-Being activities are Lindsay Madden-Nadeau, Director of Well-Being for Raffles, Fairmont and MGallery, and Aldina Duarte Ramos, Director of Well-Being for Sofitel, Swissotel and Pullman. They will assist Gibson in overseeing and directing the innovation and implementation of concepts for well-being within their respective brands.

"My goal is to establish AccorHotels as 'the' leader in the luxury segment; to do this, we need innovators with proven expertise to drive our key business areas, like the increasingly important wellness sector," said Chris Cahill, AccorHotels' Chief Executive Officer, Luxury Brands. "Andrew is a visionary and leading voice in the area of wellness and he brings a track record of success. Under his experienced guidance, we look forward to exceeding the expectations of our discerning guests seeking well-being experiences."

Gibson brings more than 30 years of international hospitality experience in the fields of spa, wellness and leisure to his new position. He most recently served as Vice President, Spa and Wellness for FRHI Hotels & Resorts.

Madden-Nadeau's most recent role was Global Director of Spa Operations and Integrations for FRHI, where she focused on strategy and driving performance. Responsibilities included supporting spas globally, brand identity, new openings, and consistency of spa operations worldwide.

As Director of Well-Being for Sofitel, Swissotel and Pullman, Duarte Ramos is recognized as a visionary and leader in the wellness sector. Based in Paris, she brings more than 20 years of cross-cultural experience to her new role, particularly as it relates to the creation and implementation of new concepts in the luxury sector.
Courtyard by Marriott Bonaire Hotel Opens

Courtyard by Marriott Bonaire has announced its opening, marking the first international hotel brand to have a presence on the island. The 140-room property, conveniently located less than a quarter mile from the island's airport and five minutes from Downtown Kralendijk, opens with rates from $159.00 and a Marriott Rewards member offer of 10% off plus 2,000 bonus reward points.

The Courtyard by Marriott Bonaire will cater to leisure consumers as well as the business traveler with three meeting spaces totaling just over 2,700 square feet. Additional guest amenities include a state-of-the-art fitness center, infinity pool, and BLT Grille - an American steakhouse, with an onsite dive center scheduled to open in early 2017. Also featured is Courtyard by Marriott's signature state-of-the-art lobby flexible space, free Wi-Fi and easy access to the latest news, weather and airport conditions via GoBoard technology.

"The Courtyard now provides an accommodation option that complements the experience to be found in Bonaire. The appeal of this island is in its natural beauty. The untouched beaches, pristine and world-renowned diving, land and water adventures, and its position outside the hurricane belt are just the first few highlights that come to my mind," said General Manager Koen Hietbrink. "Bonaire is often overlooked, but those who are in the know will find an affordable and one-of-a-kind Caribbean escape."

Building design for the hotel was lead by Coleman Partners Architects LLC, who have extensive experience working with Marriott brands, including the Ritz Carlton in both Aruba and New Orleans, Renaissance Curacao and more. Rooms, designed in neutral shades with pops of color pulled from a spectrum of blues, offer Courtyard's CYnergy design and decor.

"By providing a unique design, and both recreational activities and business capabilities, the Courtyard by Marriott Bonaire is a perfect spot to work and ideal launch point for play," Hietbrink added.

With non-stop flights out of Newark, Houston and Atlanta, the destination is easily accessible, located less than a hundred miles off the north coast of South America.
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BJ the Chicago Kid celebrated three Grammy nominations last week by releasing a sultry Marvin Gaye tribute Uncle Marvin. As it turns out, that song is quite old. BJ discovered it on a missing hard drive that hed long since lost and forgotten about. This morning, BJ surprised fans by releasing The Lost Files: Cuffing Season, a full 9-track mixtape of tracks recovered from that hard drive.

BJ spoke on The Lost Files at length in a new interview with Saint Heron. Its his first project since he released In My Mind in February. Give it a listen and share your thoughts in the comments.
The X Factor-birthed girl group Fifth Harmony, known for smash hits like Work from Home, is set to perform in Brazil tonight at Vevos Fun Pop Festival, though only four of the five members were able to make the trip, as 20-year-old Lauren Jauregui was arrested at the airport for marijuana possession, reports TMZ. According to law enforcement sources, Jauregui was stopped at security on Tuesday night and forced to submit to a secondary search, whereupon a TSA staff member found a bag of marijuana in her carry-on luggage.

Cops were called to the scene and Jauregui was promptly arrested, while in the company of the rest of Fifth Harmony. She was later released on a summons, as confirmed to PEOPLE by a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokeswoman. It is currently unclear how Jaureguis ability to travel with her group will be affected by last nights arrest. Neither Jauregui nor Fifth Harmony have spoken on the incident.

Lauren Jauregui
Marvel Comics continues to make its presence felt in the hip hop world with regular adaptations of iconic hip hop covers. This week the superhero brand has partnered with artists to create three new covers, featuring Kanye West, Jay Z and Vic Mensa. Swipe through the gallery above to see them all in both .gif and static format.

Kanye Wests latest release The Life Of Pablo gets turned into a Mighty Captain Marvel cover, created by Jenny Frison. Jay Zs American Gangster cover gets turned into an Elektra cover, created by Keron Grant. Finally, Vic Mensas Theres A Lot Going On gets turned into a Bullseye cover, with the nice little touch of changing the title to Theres A Lot Being Thrown, created by Tim Bradstreet.

Which artists should be the next creations of Marves crack team of illustrators? We had a few ideas, but there are plenty of iconic covers to choose from.

MarvelCoversDecember16
The Midnight Navy Air Jordan XVI, thats Air Jordan 16 for those who arent roman numeral experts, is making a return 15 years after the original release, but they wont come cheap.

The bizarre looking Air Jordans, complete with the tumbled leather, removable shroud, will reportedly retail for $250, similar to the way the Copper Air Jordan 17s were priced. Many sneakerheads will agree that the Air Jordan line fell off after the 14s, but theres still plenty of folks who will be happy to see this cult classic returning- even if its with an increased price tag.

A release date has been pegged for next Thursday, December 22nd. You can check out official images of what to expect from the Midnight Navy Air Jordan XVI in the gallery above.

Would you like to see Jordan Brand keep going with the 16s and bring back colorways like the Ginger and Black/Varsity Red or should they shut it down after this release?

Air Jordan 16
Nicki Minaj turned 34 last Thursday (Dec. 8), and shes still celebrating in Turks & Caicos. Its costing her a pretty penny to keep the party going, as shes staying in an estate worth a reported $35 million. She and her crew are occupying three oceanside villas on the property, which shes renting via Airbnb for $10K per night, reports TMZ. This luxury estate, which is surrounded by pristine swimming pools and lush greenery, is a notable island destination for the Hollywood elite, as it was the site of Kylie Jenners 19th birthday party in August.

Nicki is currently staying there with several friends as well as her mother. Meek Mill was there at the start of the trip, though he has vacated the island. On her birthday, Meek had posted a pic of Nicki looking utterly delectable on the beach, but a couple of days later, he deleted his Instagram. His page is now back up, but the state of his relationship with Nicki is still uncertain. Two days ago, Nicki shared a picture of some Chanel flip-flops  the same one Meek had promised to get her a couple of days before  and in the caption, she included Beyonce lyrics that strongly hinted at some sort of breakup.

No matter Meeks whereabouts, Nicki is still showing off her beach bod on the gram and looking badder than ever. Shes still rocking the same flip-flops, too. Take a look at the scintillating pics below and get a look at the residence that has, thus far, set Nicki back $70K.

Nicki Minaj
Outgoing US President Barack Obama has said that he will not be afraid to air his views when Donald Trump is in the White House.

It's not my intention to be the old man at the bar who's just kind of hanging on. But I don't anticipate that I'll suddenly vanish, President Obama said yesterday during a 20-minute TV interview with Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show.

Normally, its an unspoken rule that former US Presidents do not openly criticise their successor in public. But two-term President Obama says he wont be afraid to raise his voice if there was any type of attack on the rights of Muslim Americans that would violate the Constitution and that he would be keeping an eagle eye on Trumps controversial deportation plans.

President Obama said he would not stand idly by if, in the hypothetical situation, any Dream Act beneficiaries  which are young people who immigrated to the US as children  are rounded up for deportation.

He pointed out that such a controversial scenario  if it did happen  would be contrary to who we are as a nation of laws and of immigrants.

Obama said that he warned Trump  whom he doesnt see eye-to-eye on many issues, such as climate change, immigration, and health care, to name just a few  not to make an rash decisions or ignore problems.

I said to [Trump], You can find different approaches to deal with problems. What you can't do is pretend they're not problems, President Obama said.

President Obama also added that he wouldnt be surprised if Donald Trump does a volte-face on any of his pre-election promises.

"The president-elect may say one thing and do another once he is here because the truth of the thing is, it's a big complicated world, it doesn't matter how smart you are, you have to have the best possible information to make the best decision possible," he stated.
The statement reads:

The Human Rights Committee of The Bar of Ireland wishes to express its concern about the ongoing detention without trial of Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa.

Mr. Halawa was arrested and detained, as a minor, in Egypt in August 2013. Since his arrest and detention, Mr. Halawas trial for the offences of which he has been accused, has been adjourned 17 times. His trial was adjourned again yesterday, his 21st birthday, and is re-listed for the 17th of January 2017. This means that that he will have been in pre-trial detention for almost three and a half years in breach of his right to a trial without undue delay in accordance with international human rights norms and conventions. The Committee also has concerns as to the vindication of his right to a fair trial in circumstances where it is understood that he is to be tried concurrently with several hundred other accused.
Halawa, from Firhouse in Dublin, has been held in an Egyptian jail since his arrest during demonstrations against the ousting of president Mohammed Morsi in August 2013.

Amnesty International confirmed this afternoon that Ibrahim - who is facing a mass trial with 493 other defendants - will be back in court on January 17.

Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan says he regrets the further adjournment but welcomes progress made "in respect of the completion of a technical review of evidence'".
The first three acts heading to Mitchelstown in August have been announced this morning.

Manic Street Preachers, The Coronas, and drum and bass DJs Sigma will be just some of the headline acts making their way to Cork between August 4-6.

More acts will be announced within the coming weeks.

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The Irish atmosfolk duo released the video for their new single 'Tin Man' this afternoon.

Widely regarded as one of the hottest prospects in Irish music, Morgan MacIntyre and Gemma Doherty released their debut EP Madrid a year ago and have been performed numerous showstopping live efforts in the last 12 months.

John Dunne and the The Wizard of Oz serve as the inspirations for this song, which drapes metaphors and allegories about love ('Tin Man' is looking for a heart...) about over ambient rhythms.

The video, which premiered on Best Fit, features Dorothy travelling through sepia-soaked countryside before falling off her bike and into a dreamy '50s Blind Date world featuring the Lion, the Scarecrow the Tin Man himself.

Watch the video below:

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"Tin Man / Corpses" will be released on 7" vinyl via Communion Singles Club this Friday, 16 December. The band are currently working on writing and recording their debut album in the New Year.
Exxon Mobil Corp. likely has already picked chief executive Rex Tillerson's successor, the mark of a company known for its orderly - and intensely competitive - leadership changes.

Last year, well before President-elect Donald Trump chose Tillerson as his secretary of state, Exxon Mobil brass promoted refining chief Darren W. Woods from senior vice president to president, signaling their intentions to eventually ask Woods to take the helm.

Exxon Mobil al-

ways promotes from within, said Brian Youngberg, an analyst at Edward Jones.

"Historically, whoever gets promoted to president gets the next CEO role," he said.

In 2004, Tillerson, a senior vice president over oil and gas development, was elected president.

He was picked as CEO the following year.

Tillerson, 64, made his impression on the company largely in Russia, analysts said.

He oversaw the development of large projects, navigated a thorny new Russian government, and persuaded local residents to work with Exxon Mobil.

Woods, 51, joined the company in 1992 as a planning analyst.

He worked through several domestic and international assignments for its chemical and refining branches.

In 2005, the board appointed Woods vice president of the company's chemical arm in Houston.

Three years later, he moved to Brussels to work as director of refining for Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

He was appointed president of the Exxon Mobil Refining and Supply Company in 2012.

In 2014, Woods and development vice president Jack P. Williams, 53, were both elected senior vice presidents.

Insiders saw the moves as a competition for the company's top spot.

That next year, the board elected Woods president effective Jan. 1, 2016, ending debate over the company's next heir.

"There's an intense selection process that goes on," said Craig Pirrong, finance professor at the University of Houston.

"It's a very organized, systematic company. They tend to choose the best available athlete."

Woods and Tillerson are now the only executives who sit on the board.

The Senate may not confirm Tillerson as secretary of state.

His work in Russia and ties to President Vladimir Putin have drawn the scrutiny of multiple senators, including Republicans.

Still, Tillerson turns 65 in March, and will run into Exxon Mobil's mandatory retirement policy. Analysts expect that Woods will take the helm then.
Houston-based Patterson-UTI Energy is positioning itself as one of the nation's largest drilling and hydraulic fracturing companies at the beginning of the potential oil recovery.

Patterson-UTI will pay $1.42 billion to buy Oklahoma's Seventy Seven Energy, which exited bankruptcy in August. The combined onshore drilling company would own well more than 200 drilling rigs and add Seventy Seven's hydraulic fracturing and rental tools businesses.

The deal expands Patterson-UTI's national presence and gives it a big footprint in the burgeoning Mid-Continent oil region, especially Oklahoma, in addition to existing strongholds in Texas and the Northeast.

"The combined company will be one of the most active drillers in the Lower 48," Patterson-UTI CEO Andy Hendricks said Tuesday.

The merged Patterson-UTI plans to take advantage of slowly rising oil prices and the ongoing return to drilling activity in North America. The all-stock purchase, expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, also would have Patterson-UTI assume $336 million in Seventy Seven's outstanding debt.

Unlike some competitors who let their equipment rust during the two-year oil bust, Patterson-UTI took a financial hit to keep ready for the return to activity that slowly began months ago.

"You don't cannibalize your equipment during the downturn," Patterson-UTI Chairman Mark Siegel said. "You maintain it and keep it field-ready."

Yet Byron Pope, an energy analyst at Houston investment bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co., said there's an argument to be made that Patterson-UTI is overpaying and was better off growing organically with its existing, best-in-class rigs.

The deal boosts Patterson-UTI in fracking and in Oklahoma, but Pope said the Seventy Seven rigs aren't as high quality.

Siegel disputed that, arguing that it is acquiring top-notch drilling rigs.

"You can buy a lot of assets for cheap prices, but you can't necessarily buy great assets at cheap prices," Siegel said.

Negotiations began in August right after Seventy Seven's emergence from bankruptcy, he said.

Scale particularly matters as the company increases its fracking business, Hendricks said, due to the logistics involving the massive amounts of sand, water and injection chemicals needed to coax more oil and gas out of the ground through hydraulic fracturing.

Seventy Seven split off from parent company Chesapeake Energy in 2014, at the beginning of the oil bust. Seventy Seven had to reduce its workforce by two-thirds, to fewer than 1,500 people, as it filed for bankruptcy protection this year. Patterson-UTI employs roughly 3,000 people.

The Seventy Seven name comes from Oklahoma's 77 counties. Patterson and UTI merged 15 years ago.

Patterson-UTI sees itself potentially in good position to focus on U.S. onshore shale drilling, the first part of the industry to recover.

The company was still losing money in the third quarter of the year, but a smaller Patterson-UTI was suddenly seeing a lot more work, especially in West Texas, after a two-year downturn.

"We had to turn down a few jobs just because we couldn't get them in the calendar with the active equipment we had," Hendricks said in October.

The all-stock deal assumes the issuance of 49.6 million shares of Patterson-UTI common stock at Monday's closing price of $28.67.

To close the deal, Patterson-UTI said it reached a voting agreement with three Seventy Seven shareholders - BlueMountain Capital Management, Axar Capital Management and Mudrick Capital Management - that collectively represent more than 50 percent of the outstanding shares.

Patterson-UTI also is moving out of its Greenspoint offices for a larger headquarters in the new Remington Square II office park in northwest Houston.
Oil giant BP is moving its U.S. onshore oil and gas headquarters from Houston to Denver, and taking about 200 of its 4,500 local employees with it. The new Colorado office, the company said on Wednesday, will be closer to its operations in the Rocky Mountains, "an important energy hub of the future."

Two-thirds of BP's oil and gas production and proved reserves are in the Rockies, the company said. It still has operations in east and south Texas, but it sold most of its land in west Texas' prolific Permian Basin about five years ago.

Meanwhile, the company has added acreage in Wyoming and in the San Juan Basin, which stretches from southern Colorado to northern New Mexico.

"We have a vast, vast position in the Rockies," said David Lawler, CEO of BP Lower 48. He called Denver a logical and strategic fit for the business, and lauded the new headquarters' proximity to world-class universities, industry expertise and Rocky Mountain operations.

The move is part of a shift in BP strategy. In the late 2000s, smaller, independent drillers began discovering vast volumes of oil and gas in U.S. shale fields like south Texas' Eagle Ford and Fort Worth's Barnett. But the big oil companies, like Exxon and BP, were slow to adapt and struggled to pick up good acreage in key fields.

RELATED: BP plans $9 billion investment in Gulf of Mexico

In 2010, BP even sold 10 fields and two gas processing plants in the Permian Basin to Houston-based Apache Corp. for $7 billion, part of an effort to help pay cleanup costs and damages from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

By 2014, BP executives knew they had to operate their exploration and production division differently. They hired Lawler away from independent Oklahoma City oil and gas production company Sandridge Energy, separated U.S. Lower 48 operations as a stand-alone business, and embraced new shale drilling and well completion techniques.

In 2015, BP bought all of Oklahoma City explorer Devon Energy's assets in the San Juan Basin, adding nearly 15,000 net acres to its portfolio. That year, it completed its first San Juan "multilateral" well, which digs multiple horizontal shafts connected to a single vertical wellbore, accessing more oil and gas via fewer drilling sites.

BP's U.S. Lower 48 onshore operations now span five states  Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming  and 6 million net acres, an area roughly the size of Vermont, with 7.5 billion barrels of oil and gas in the ground. The division pumps about 300,000 barrels of oil equivalent each day.

About 30 percent of the unit's production comes from the San Juan. The company's operations in the basin are based out of Durango, Colo., and Farmington, N.M.

BP has leased office space is in the Lower Highlands district near downtown Denver. The company anticipates the office will open with at least 200 employees, largely from Houston, including the CEO and executive leadership team, with more staff to be added later.

BP's onshore oil and gas division has about 450 workers in Houston now. Houston also houses about 4,000 additional BP employees in the company's Gulf of Mexico, natural gas, wind, and upstream technology groups. BP has about 15,000 employees stationed in various U.S. locations, from Texas wind farms to an Indiana refinery to Alaskan oil fields.

"Houston will remain a large and important center for our business, and we have no plans to change that," Lawler said. Those being transferred to Denver are already doing a significant amount of their work there. Their absence won't affect Houston much, he said, and should save BP commuting time and money.

The division's move isn't about Texas oil fields, Lawler said. "This is a step to get closer to the assets we have," he said. "This was a portfolio decision for us."

BP expects the Denver office to open in the first quarter of 2018.
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Amazon is building warehouses across the United States to develop its own delivery infrastructure to guarantee next-day delivery.

So why have state and local governments given Amazon $241 million to build facilities that they couldn't build anywhere else? Why did Houston give $7 million for a warehouse that had to be here anyway?

That's the question taxpayers should be asking, says Greg LeRoy, the executive director of Good Jobs First, a group that opposes corporate welfare and collected the tax incentive data.

I have long opposed elected officials giving tax incentives to individual companies because it encourages bad behavior. Companies like Tesla travel around the country, seeing who will cut the best deal with little regard for the reduction in police, fire and medical services that inevitably comes to pay for the tax cuts.

None of these deals ever produces the economic shot-in-the-arm that proponents promise. But what makes Amazon's incentives so infuriating is that they follow years of Amazon not collecting local sales taxes. That helped destroy brick-and-mortar retail stores and cripple local governments that have seen sales tax receipts drop.

Now that Amazon is getting into the delivery business, it must collect sales tax. So now, Amazon is demanding property tax breaks.

The mind-boggling question is why would a local official give Amazon anything? It's not as if Amazon can make next-day deliveries to Houston from Louisiana. These warehouses must be in these communities to provide the service that Amazon is offering.

"Some public officials have figured Amazon out," LeRoy said. "Now it's time for all of them to say no more deals."

This is not a liberal position, by the way, but a conservative one. Conservatives believe that government should not interfere in the private market place, or pick winners and losers.

Also, these tax breaks are not free. When local governments cut taxes on a few companies, they are making every other company pay more. If local officials have too much money on their hands, they should cut taxes on all businesses, not just a few.

The best way a community can attract a responsible business is to offer safe housing, educated workers, good roads and public safety. Imagine what our nation would be like if governments concentrated on those priorities rather than seeing who can give away the most money to an individual corporation.
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As talk turns to Keith Richards, Bob Cavnar strums the riff from "Wicked as It Seems."

The choice of song is telling, as it's not one of the iconic bits of music from one of the Rolling Stones' ubiquitous hits. Instead, it appeared on one of the under-appreciated solo albums from the Stones' guitarist. Cavnar's affinity for Richards runs deep. He has his Fender Telecasters set up as Richards does: five strings in an open G tuning.

"I guess I'd have to say he's my favorite guitarist," Cavnar says. But the walls of his Museum District home suggest Cavnar has affinity for plenty of other players.

The Billy-Bo always commands attention: The bright-red guitar is a modernized version of the midcentury Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird, a fusion of the design ethos of blues great Bo Diddley and Houston music legend Billy Gibbons.

"I always admired Bo Diddley," Cavnar says. "And Billy Gibbons is one of my favorites. So I had to get one of the first of those that they made."

Cavnar has about 40 guitars in his collection, as well as a few ukuleles (a 1955 Martin, a custom-made Kamaka), a sitar, bagpipes and a rare 1948 Martin Committee trumpet.

Before his career in oil and gas, and doing business turnarounds and start-ups, Cavnar steered toward music, including a stint playing in the Tijuana Brass.

"What I really loved, though, was playing rock 'n' roll," he says. As a young man, Cavnar sported shoulder-length hair and played guitar in a band for a few years before going back to Southern Methodist University for his MBA.

He worked and traveled before coming back to Texas and settling in Houston in 1996. Here, Cavnar began expanding his collection. Most of his instruments were bought locally, at Rockin' Robin and Fuller's Guitar. A few were bought for him by his wife, Gracie.

"This is a good part of it," he says of his wall of guitars. He keeps a few at a home in Vermont.

The collection is impressive, including a Martin O-18 acoustic guitar from the 1920s, a 1954 Martin D-18 acoustic and a custom-built Olson. Jim Olson's work is highly regarded among luthiers and guitarists, with James Taylor being his best-known client. Instead of Taylor's trademark doves inlaid on the fretboard, Cavnar's custom has silhouettes of Texas.

A second Olson, bought used, bears a few distress marks from one of Cavnar's dogs.

One sentimental favorite is a solid-body guitar with an almost upsetting asymmetrical shape made by Ted Newman-Jones. Newman-Jones died this summer, but he's a legend in guitar circles. He worked as Richards' guitar tech in the '70s. Newman-Jones also famously put together Eric Clapton's best-known Stratocaster, "Blackie."

Cavnar's Newman-Jones guitar carries a little mystery with it.

He hasn't been able to trace the lineage of the instrument, which came with a turtle sticker affixed to it.

"When I bought it, there were rumors Keith had played it, but I can't prove that," Cavnar says. "But I don't want to peel the sticker off because it could help me find out more about who had it before.

"It's part of the story."
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I didnt know Independence Heights was the first African-American incorporated community in Texas until I was 40," says Tanya Debose, "even though I have family living in the community, and I grew up in the church in Independence Heights.

These days, Debose is executive director of the Independent Heights Redevelopment Council  and part of a national movement supporting historic preservation for communities of color. In most people's imaginations, preservationists busy themselves saving classical buildings fronted by columns with Corinthian capitals.

The reality has always been more complex  but the fact is, historic preservation of non-white history is rare. For example, fewer than one percent of National Historic Landmarks are connected to Latino history.

Last month, Debose was a lead organizer of the Preserving Communities of Color Workshop, a national gathering and weeklong series in Houston. The four-day event attracted more than 150 participants.

I dont think our ancestors were trying to make history, says Debose. They were trying to make a home and they went through a lot of stress. My drive comes from wanting to build on those legacies.

THE DRIVE to preserve communities of color resonates across the United States and the African diaspora. Its not just about the buildings, said Suzanne Yowell of Partners for Sacred Spaces. Its about preserving the community, its people. The means going beyond the built fabric and into the community: neighborhood churches saved by asset mapping (see Partners for Sacred Spaces), economic empowerment wrought by reciprocal business relationships (see Black Wall Street), creative place-making to attract people to the neighborhood (see Fifth Ward CRC).

It is our responsibility as African-American preservationists to preserve our identity, author and preservationist Brent Leggs said in the conference's keynote address.

The movement benefits from decades of work by Everett Fly, a San Antonio-based architect and landscape architect.

When Orange County, Florida, was planning to put a four-lane thoroughfare through the small town Eatonville, the initial survey found nothing of significance in the town's history. But Fly did.

"I did my usual search for records," Fly told Cite in a phone interview. "I found a map from the 1850s. The road through Eatonville was marked as an indigenous or Native American trail. The light bulb went off in my head. Zora Neale Hurston wrote about the role of the road in the cultural life of Eatonville. It is like Walden Pond."

In Dust Tracks on a Road, Hurston depicts her childhood in Eatonville  the first all-Black incorporated town in the U.S. That connection not only stopped the road widening, it helped residents of Eatonville recognize and celebrate their own cultural landscape. The town's ZORA! Festival now draws more than 125,000 people a year.

Tanya Debose sees Eatonville as a possible model for Houston neighborhoods like Fifth Ward, Independence Heights, and Borderville. The preservation and celebration of history, she argues, can go hand-in-hand with development that includes rather than displaces long-time residents. Managing change, she says, starts with memory.

ACROSS TEXAS, more than 500 historic black settlements are threatened, according to workshop presenters. These sites include Freedmens Town near downtown Houston and Riceville off Gessner.

Andrea Roberts, who calls herself an "activist researcher," explained that communities like Riceville werent necessarily platted, with boundaries on a map. They were the product of post-Civil War squatting by recently freed African-Americans. These early settlers could claim ownership if they farmed the land. Local records, however, often did not reflect their ownership claims, because city courthouses in the late 1800s didn't welcome African-Americans' ownership claims.

The undocumented land of these historical, unincorporated Freedom Colonies was often annexed by larger cities. Black land ownership declined precipitously.

Houston's new focus on preserving communities of color has been tested recently by the displacing of historic bricks from Andrews Street in Freedmen's Town. It's believed that the bricks date to the settlement of the area by freed slaves after the Civil War. Residents of the "freedom colony" financed their own streets.

More than a century later, with few of Freedmen's Town's original structures remaining and much of the African-American community displaced, Andrews Street itself has become highly contested: One activist placed her own body in the way of construction crews removing bricks.

Mayor Sylvester Turner recently announced plans to create a cultural district in Freedmen's Town, but even some supporters of the idea wonder whether it's too late to preserve much of significance.

Historic black communities such as Fifth Ward and Independence Heights remain more intact, though, and have begun implementing plans to prevent displacement as investment comes to places like Lyons Avenue and North Main Street.

And there, some signs are promising. Houston's own version of ZORA! Festival is the Lyons Avenue Renaissance Festival, which will take place April 8, 2017. Along North Main, Rebuilding Together is partnering with the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council to carry out repairs and maintenance on 17 homes, a welcome center, a food pantry, and more in the historic center as part of the Superbowl Kickoff to Rebuild program.

The interest is there," says Fly. "The interest is real and authentic. People are not coming [to the Preserving Communities of Color workshop] just for the sake of nostalgia. People are coming to learn practical tools, ways to see and understand the places they live, and how to protect them. It is a major sign. The shift isnt coming. It is already here.

Cheryl Joseph is a recent graduate of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design at the University of Houston.

Raj Mankad is editor of Cite: The Architecture + Design Review of Houston, a publication of the Rice Design Alliance. A version of this essay first appeared in OffCite.org, the RDA's blog.

Bookmark Gray Matters. It is like Walden Pond.
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No one expected that the eye-bending digital art and ear-bending music of the first Day for Night Festival last year might be upstaged by a rug.

But it happened. And it turned into a "rocket-ship, runaway juggernaut hit," as Day for Night's Dutch Small describes it.

Made of thousands of squares of carpet tiles, the rug began as a practical consideration in front of the main stage, which was set up in a muddy field near the Silver Street Studios complex. "This is a laced-up event. We didn't want people sitting on bare plywood, and certainly not on dirt," Small said.

He asked frequent collaborator Jeannie Wu, a senior associate in the Houston office of the global architecture, design and planning firm Gensler, to come up with a solution for covering the plywood. (Wu has designed VIP spaces for Small's Free Press Houston events for about five years.)

Wu contacted Interface, the parent company of Flor (which has a retail store at West Ave), and snagged thousands of 2x2-foot carpet tiles that were being removed from a commercial project to be recycled at a mill in Atlanta.

Wu was horrified when she saw the red, black and ochre tiles that were sent, she said. "It looked like a Las Vegas casino floor."

She was as surprised as everyone else when the carpet created such a buzz it gave the festival a signature visual  or as she calls it now, "a happy, branded experience."

So this year, even though the festival has moved to the old Barbara Jordan Post Office downtown and the main stage sits on concrete, the carpet will be back. A different one, of course, to give festival-goers a new backdrop for their selfies.

Covering more than 45,000 square feet, this year's carpet  installed by the company Architectural Floors  will be designed using a pattern called "Glitched." It's what was available, as last year, on the way to being recycled.

Conceivably, the squares could be laid in a checkered pattern. Wu had a better idea, though: She has created a massive design that looks like a colorful, undulating sound wave with digital pixelation  perfectly on theme with the festival's attractions.

You probably won't have to look hard to see it, but it will be in front of the Red Stage, where Aphex Twin, ODESZA, Kaskade, Nick Murphy (Chet Faker), Little Dragon and Squarepusher will perform Friday-Sunday.

Bookmark Gray Matters. It looks like a Las Vegas casino floor.
Oyster-fishing businesses have brought their battle with a Galveston Bay navigation district to federal court, alleging that the governmental body violated their constitutional rights by issuing a 23,000-acre oyster-bed lease to a single fishing company.

"It was nothing but a corrupt power play to corner the oyster market," said Cristen D. Feldman, whose firm represents four oyster companies that own overlapping state-issued leases to the reefs.

Those companies - Hannah Reef; Shrimps R Us; Michael Ivic, the owner of Misho's Oyster Co.; and Ivo Slabic, the owner of Duba Seafood - say the Chambers-Liberty Counties Navigation District and five commissioners denied them equal protection and violated their rights.

The lawsuit, at least the third in a dispute that has raged since 2014, alleges the district issued the lease for the underwater oyster beds to one company and failed to give other oyster companies notice or an opportunity to compete.

Navigation district officials and their lawyers at the Lloyd Gosselink firm in Austin declined comment.

The navigation district's role is to raise money to improve and administer waterways and commerce, but it doesn't normally oversee the cultivation and harvesting of oysters, mussels and clams in state waters, Feldman said. That authority falls to the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, which had issued the leases for the reefs.

The federal lawsuit accuses district commissioners of holding closed-door meetings and brokering a "novel" deal in 2014 with Ben Nelson, owner of Jeri's Seafood, and his son-in-law, Chambers County Justice of the Peace Tracy Woody.

Nelson died of heart failure in April, and Woody now has control of the company they jointly created, Sustainable Oysters Resource Management (STORM).

Woody objected to Feldman's portrayal, saying that if his lease were executed in violation of the state's open meetings act, why did the group of fishermen withdraw their open-meetings lawsuit?

Oyster-reef bed leases in Galveston Bay are valued at $40,000 to $70,000 per acre, said Raz Halili, a co-owner of Hannah Reef. But STORM bought each acre from the navigation district for $1.50, according to Halili's lawyers.

STORM fishermen began issuing "trespassing" notices to boats that crossed into its waters, depriving the other companies of access to their own leases, they say.

STORM owners attempted unsuccessfully to persuade state legislators last session to pass a bill authorizing navigation districts to take over Texas Parks and Wildlife's authority to regulate oyster beds.

Woody portrayed himself as a protector of the oyster beds and small oyster fishermen against the companies suing the navigation district.

He said the lease for his company, STORM, does not create a monopoly. He disputed the price per acre, saying it is $1.50 while the oysters are cultivating and will go up to $3 per acre once they're ready to harvest.

In September, state District Judge Lonnie Cox in Galveston invalidated the navigation district's 23,000-acre lease to STORM, which the oyster fishing companies said illegally monopolized the industry and kept a valuable part of the bay from other oystermen. The case is awaiting a trial that will decide damages.

A state appellate court already has ruled in a separate case that the navigation district lacks authority to lease oyster beds.

Harvey Rice contributed to this report.
I have only one regret about not having been born a man, and it concerns plumbing, namely how easy it is for men to eliminate liquid waste, whether by avoiding long bathroom lines or being able to relieve themselves discreetly when no facility is available. My male envy grew after I contracted poison ivy on unmentionable parts when nature called during a hike in the woods.

Urination has long been a vexing problem for women. In a recent online questionnaire of 1,666 women age 18 and older living in the 50 states (conducted for Astellas Pharma U.S., which makes drugs for bladder control), 87 percent admitted to peeing somewhere other than in a bathroom, and more than half said they'd used a men's room when the women's line was too long.

Another tactic with which I can identify: 46 percent of those surveyed said they'd purchased something from a store or restaurant, and 25 percent posed as a hotel or restaurant guest, to gain access to a restroom.

Now imagine the extent of distress among the approximately 51 million adults in this country with an overactive bladder, who face frequent, sudden urges to urinate, or who have urinary incontinence and cannot delay urination when an urge occurs.

Those with an overactive bladder usually must urinate eight or more times a day, often awakening two or more times a night to use the bathroom.

(Still others are plagued with stress incontinence; they leak urine involuntarily when they cough, sneeze, laugh or exert themselves physically.)

Of course, women are not the only ones with life-disrupting urinary concerns. Men are susceptible to many of the same conditions that increase a woman's risk of bladder problems, and older men who develop an enlarged prostate (60 percent of men in their 60s, rising to 90 percent by age 80) are especially at risk of urinary urgency and incontinence.

The National Overactive Bladder Evaluation, a study that assessed the prevalence of this problem in the United States among 5,204 representative adults, found in 2003 that it caused incontinence in 16 percent of men and 16.9 percent of women.

As disturbing as the symptoms of overactive bladder and urinary incontinence can be, Dr. Ekene Enemchukwu, a urologist at Stanford University Medical Center, told me that, on average, men wait four years and women wait 6 1/2 years before consulting a doctor about difficulties in getting to the bathroom in time.

Even when an underlying disorder is not present, the risk of developing an overactive bladder increases with age for reasons medical science has yet to determine, Enemchukwu said. However, she added, just because you're getting older or your mother had the same problem doesn't mean you have to put up with it. There is a host of remedies that diminish the risk and often eliminate it entirely.

The American Urological Association says effective treatment should start with a thorough evaluation to help pinpoint the exact nature of the problem and factors that contribute to it. Before consulting a doctor, the Mayo Clinic recommends keeping a bladder diary for a few days, "recording when, how much and what kinds of fluids you consume, when you urinate, whether you feel an urge to urinate, and whether you experience incontinence."

Also, make a list of the medications and supplements you take and be prepared to relate any and all underlying medical conditions, like diabetes, and prior pelvic surgeries.

Possible tests include measuring the amount and speed of voiding and pressure in and around the bladder as it fills. If the doctor suspects incomplete emptying of the bladder, an ultrasound scan may be done to measure residual urine after you void.

Whatever the cause, it is best to start with behavioral remedies, experts say. Strengthening pelvic floor muscles by regularly doing Kegel exercises, which may benefit women and men, can reduce involuntary contraction of bladder muscles, though it can take up to two months to notice the benefit. If you are obese and have stress incontinence, losing weight may eliminate this problem.

When, what and how much you drink is of major importance. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and artificial sweeteners, which can be bladder irritants. Consume most fluids earlier in the day, drinking little in the evening to reduce nighttime voiding needs. If incomplete bladder emptying may be a cause, try voiding twice: Wait a few minutes after urinating, then try again to empty your bladder.

Many find it helpful to void on a schedule rather than wait for an irrepressible urge. For example, you might urinate every two to four hours at the same times each day. You might also try to gradually extend the time between voidings to increase your bladder's capacity and ability to control an urge.

There are also more than half a dozen medications that help to reduce urge incontinence. As with all drugs, they can have side effects, most commonly dry eyes and mouth and constipation. Severe cases of incontinence may be treated with injections of Botox to partially paralyze bladder muscles.
At a forum before federal education officials in Edinburg Tuesday night, Maricruz Cantu said she asked the guidance counselor at her daughter's school in Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District for help after her 7-year-old daughter started hitting herself on the head and crying at night because he couldn't read.

"It was killing her," said Cantu, a technician with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

But they didn't test her, she said.

"It was just excuse after excuse," she said, and dragged on for months, until she threatened to sue them if they didn't evaluate her.

After about three months, she said, her daughter was evaluated and diagnosed with dyslexia.

For about a month-and-a-half at the end of her first grade year, her mother said, the school pulled her out of her regular class for reading assistance.

But, she said, that stopped and no one notified her.

She's now in second grade and struggling with both reading and writing, she said. Cantu said she asked her daughter's teacher why she wasn't getting individual assistance with reading, and was told there was no funding.

She's still not getting services? a federal official asked.

She's getting a computer program, her mother said. "How is that supposed to help her build a foundation?"

Her daughter, she said, tries so hard, and her teachers love her.

She started to cry. "I refuse to have my child's spirit broken. It's not right."

The federal official had come to Texas for a series of "listening sessions" as part of their investigation into the Texas Education Agency's 8.5 percent "benchmark" for special education enrollments at 1,200 school districts. Since it was imposed in 2004, Texas' special education rate has decline sharply from just below the national average to precisely 8.5 percent, the lowest in America.
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An Amtrak passenger train struck and killed a Kashmere High School educator crossing the tracks in north Houston.

The victim is Johnnie Harris, a 69-year-old special-education teaching assistant, her son Frank Harris told reporters on the scene at Lockwood and Bennington.

Houston ISD confirmed Harris' identity in a news release, adding that she was struck by the train while walking on Lockwood Street early Tuesday afternoon. She had worked for HISD since 1991 and spent the past 10 years at Kashmere High School.

"Ms. Harris was a treasured member of the Kashmere family," principal Nancy Blackwell said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ms. Harris' family. She will be deeply missed."

Frank Harris said his mother sometimes walked to work and sometimes got a ride. He said he hadn't heard much yet from police.

Houston ISD Police joined HPD officers on the scene of the collision, which was reported to Houston police just after 1 p.m.

The safety gates that come down to block vehicles from entering the rail crossing appear not to block the sidewalks at the intersection of Lockwood and Bennington, where Harris may have been walking.

Student Jeremiah Johnson said he was traumatized after seeing Harris, whom he was close with, hit by a train on Tuesday afternoon.

The 11th grader at Kashmere High School said he saw Harris' body flip as the train struck her.

He said that he and others tried to yell at her to stop walking, as they watched the train come towards her, but they were too late.

Johnson didn't have Harris as a teacher but said sometimes he would talk with her during school. He described her as a giving and loving person. "If you needed anything, she made sure to give it you." Johnson said.

Empty bottles and other trash were strewn around the tracks where Harris was hit. Students from Kashmere High gathered after school talking about what happened. They said Harris was a well known instuctor.

The students said it's common for people to cross the train tracks, but had never heard of any other accidents in the area.

Anthony Ford, 16, said he and other students help Harris with the special education students every morning during breakfast time at school. "We sit around opening doors for all the kids and shaking their hands, " Ford said.

Brooke Lewis, Karen Warren and Dug Begley contributed to this report.

Check back for updates on this developing story.
The doctor at MD Anderson Cancer Center had told Randy Smith to get his affairs in order: The cancer in his liver was too pervasive, Smith recalls him saying. He probably wouldn't survive much longer than a year.

That night he lay awake in bed and prayed: "God, I'm ready to die," he remembers thinking, "but my wife and son are not ready to handle life without me. I want to live."

A year later, in August, his prayer was answered.

Smith, 65, received a transplant at Houston Methodist Hospital as part of a nationwide clinical trial. The replacement liver didn't come to Smith packed in ice, as typical, but instead inside a new machine that keeps the liver warm and pumping with oxygenated blood and antibiotics during transport, cleansing it of toxins and possibly making a marginal, fatty liver safe for transplant.

"This thing may have saved my life," Smith said at his home in Houston, a few months after recovering from the August surgery.

His transplant operation, the first of its kind in Houston, was one of just eight nationwide testing the safety of transporting livers inside the Portable Organ Care System. The device, developed by the Massachusetts-based TransMedics company, has already been proven safe in clinical trials for use with hearts and lungs and is awaiting approval by the Food and Drug Administration for commercial use.

The system is the size of a beverage cart, small enough to be flown to wherever an organ is being harvested. The liver goes inside a heated plastic box attached to the device, where blood and nutrients are pumped into the organ, bringing it to life by simulating the environment inside the body. Sensors attached to the liver relay information to doctors about how well it's functioning.

That last part is key, said Dr. Ashish Saharia, the Methodist transplant surgeon who did Smith's operation. Livers are considered perhaps the riskiest of organs to transplant, he said, because they often come to surgeons too fatty, making them prone to failure.

When a marginal liver arrives on ice, there's no way of knowing how a patient's body will respond, he said, putting them at risk of post-surgery complications. Deciding which livers are good enough is often a gut call for surgeons.

"We're in this gray zone, and you have to go with your best estimate," Saharia said. "Afterward, you have a five- or seven-day window, and by then the liver should be able to support you. And if it does not, if you were wrong, the patient will die."

When Smith's liver arrived inside the portable organ system, the Houston surgeon was confident it would work. He could look through glass and see the liver had "a good color" while immersed in warm fluids. After a few hours in the system, it was already producing bile, a good sign.

"With the machine, my best guess is now much better," Saharia said. "That's the immediate benefit."

What's not yet known, and what researchers hope to study next, is whether the device can deliver on its promise to cleanse and revive marginal organs, potentially expanding the number available for transplant.

About 31,000 organs were transplanted in the U.S. last year, including more than 7,000 livers. But the gap between demand and supply has grown over the years, leaving thousands of people on waiting lists. Roughly 21 people die every day waiting for transplants.

Kevin Myer, president of LifeGift, the Houston area's organ procurement organization, said the TransMedics system and others like it have great potential.

"It's another way to use organs that otherwise might be discarded," Myer said. "If it's your loved one waiting or you're waiting for a transplant, and there's an opportunity through this technology to help get that organ transplanted ... that's a great thing."

Smith's liver problems started 16 years ago when he was first diagnosed with liver disease. He didn't have symptoms, so he did nothing. He became ill a couple years ago and finally went to a specialist. An MRI revealed three cancerous lesions. Next came the grim prognosis from his first oncologist.

At Methodist, he qualified as a transplant recipient and signed up for the clinical trial. He could have received a liver on ice as part of a control group or through the experimental procedure that uses the organ care system. He was randomly selected for the latter.

He awoke from the operation on Aug. 6 full of hope. Months later, his new liver is functioning well, he said, with no signs of complications. He'd prayed for a miracle, and he believes his doctors - and the new device - delivered it.

"It's not just a coincidence to me."
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With a brief comment made in a federal court room about a string of armored car heists in Houston, an FBI agent on Tuesday revealed a crucial piece of information about the still unsolved 2015 slaying of the prominent owner of a Houston car dealership.

While FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Coughlin was being questioned by attorneys representing five men facing federal robbery and abetting a crime of violence charges, he mentioned that Redrick Batiste, 37 - their accused ringleader who was killed by police last week in a foiled robbery in north Houston - was under investigation in the recent killings of two money couriers as well as "another homicide."

"The homicide of who?" asked Peter Bray, an assistant federal defender.

"Joseph Stewart, the owner of the Stewart Cadillac dealership," Coughlin said.

Bray pressed Coughlin about the circumstances of Stewart's killing, but U.S. District Magistrate Judge Stephen William Smith shut down the line of questioning after an objection from Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Hanes.

In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Bridget Stewart - Joseph Stewart's former wife - was stunned to learn that there have apparently been some developments in the case.

"My heart is pounding out of my chest," Bridget Stewart said from Colorado, where she now lives. "It's been a long time."

The slaying of Stewart, 55, attracted widespread attention.

Stewart was shot to death about 11:30 p.m. on May 7, 2015, outside his home in the 500 block of West Bell near Stanford - just west of downtown Houston.

Police said one of Stewart's neighbors called 911 to report hearing gunfire. When officers arrived home, they found a man - later identified as Stewart - lying in his garage near his 2013 black Cadillac Escalade. Houston Police said the garage door was open.

Investigators said Stewart was attacked after he pulled into his driveway. He had apparently just returned home from a nearby bar where he had last been seen. The attacker, who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt with his face concealed, approached Stewart and began firing. He was struck "several times," police said.

The caller who reported hearing gunfire told the 911 operator that a man was seen running across the street after the shooting.

On Tuesday, Bridget Stewart said she had always hoped that her ex-husband's murder would not be consigned to some "cold case" file. "I would just be so pleased to have justice for Joe," she said.

Although the FBI agent's comment indicates investigators identified Batiste as at least a suspect in his death, Bridget Stewart said she hopes the case will remain open. A few weeks before he was killed, Stewart filed a police report of an attempted robbery at his home. He had just pulled into his garage when a white Jeep Grand Cherokee pulled in behind him. HPD said three men wearing hoodies - including two who were armed with pistols - approached and tried to force Stewart into his house. When they began arguing, Stewart was able to push past them and run down the street. The attackers fled the scene.

At the time of his death, Houston Police were trying to determine whether the incidents were connected.

"My hope is that they would continue investigating the case and find those other two suspects," Stewart said.

Authorities said Batiste recruited and managed five other men who were arrested following the attempted hold-up on Dec. 7 outside an Amegy Bank. He also is linked to two fatal money-truck heists this year that took the lives of Loomis courier Melvin Moore in May and David Guzman in August. The robbers got away with $120,000 in the later heist. No one has been charged in those murders.

After reviewing the evidence provided during the three-hour hearing, Smith said he was convinced that Batiste was the mastermind of the robbery crew, identified as Marc Anthony Hill, Nelson Alexander Polk, John Edward Scott, Trayvees Duncan-Bush and Bennie Charles Phillips Jr.

Smith decided that the government provided enough evidence to detain Hill, Polk, Duncan-Bush and Phillips until trial because they could be flight risks or dangers to the community. Phillips and Duncan-Bush were on state parole during last week's attempted heist, the judge revealed in open court.

Scott's detention hearing will be continued on Friday morning.
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Houston homicide detectives are asking for the public's help in identifying a woman killed in 1980 based on a newly released composite sketch.

On Dec. 10, 1980, the woman was found strangled and partially clothed along railroad tracks in north Houston, HPD Officer D. Shorten reported then.
Hunter S. Thompson once observed that "myths and legends die hard in America. We love them for the extra dimension they provide  to erase the narrow confines of  reality." Indeed, repetition transforms fiction into reality, and if we repeat unfounded statements often enough, we believe them. "U.S. health care is the best in the world" is one such enduring myth, despite multiple objective studies that rank the United States low in health care among advanced nations.

In Texas, everything is bigger, including our myths. It is true that the Texas Medical Center is the largest medical facility in the world, with 21 renowned hospitals - including M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the No. 1 cancer center - three medical schools, two universities, eight academic and research institutions, etc. It handles 7.2 million visits annually, employs 106,000 people and is home to 21,000 physicians and scientists. So even if one argues that health care in the U.S. is not the best, then surely it is exceptional in Texas. Right? Not quite so.

Availability does not translate into access, and this drags measures of quality of health care in Texas far below the national average. Texans who have proper insurance and resources may have the best health care in the world. But other Texans do not, particularly with the recent trend of insurers shifting the costs of health care and drugs to patients.

Here are three examples why health care in Texas may be the worst in the U.S.:

Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the rate of uninsured Americans decreased from 19 percent to 8.6 percent in 2016, the lowest rate ever recorded. This improved the rate and number of insured Texans, but Texas still ranks last among the states - more than 4.3 million still lack insurance. Texans without insurance have a far worse outcome: They often receive no care, or suboptimal care in emergency settings, where they are patched up and sent away without definitive treatments. This shortens their lives and costs significantly more. This problem persists because Texas is among 19 states that chose not to expand Medicaid, even though it could mean saving an estimated 90,000 lives every year. Accepting expansion would have increased federal payments to the state by $90 billion over the next 10 years (cost to Texas would be $15.6 billion), boosted the Texas economic output by $270 billion, created 20,000 jobs and insured 1.2 million more citizens.

Secondly, maternal mortality rates in the U.S. appear to be rising. The estimated rate per 100,000 live births increased from 18.8 in 2000 to 23.8 in 2014. The rates are lower in Europe, 4 to 6.7 per 100,000 live births, because of the availability of universal health care. In Texas, the situation is worse. After 2010, the maternal mortality rates doubled in a two-year period to levels not seen in any other state, from 18 to an astounding 35.8 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2014. While politicians and experts argue about the causes and solutions, this coincided with Texas lawmakers sharply reducing funding of women's health care in 2011, in an effort to eliminate support of Planned Parenthood. These maternal mortality rates are a disaster for Texas.

Finally, a new study from Georgetown University showed that Texas ranks as the second-worst in the nation for uninsured children. Even though the rate decreased from 16.6 percent in 2009 to 9.5 percent in 2015 (with the ACA), it is almost double the national average of 4.8 percent. Nearly 1 in 5 uninsured children in the U.S. live in Texas. Only Alaska ranks worse.

These three measures cast a long moral shadow over the state. Are our elected representatives more interested in pursuing legislations to improve the health of Texans who elected them, or in following the ideological herd, no matter the cost?

The solutions are straightforward:

First, the Texas Legislature should act quickly to accept the expansion of Medicaid or, if the ACA is repealed, to propose concrete remedies for Medicaid coverage to vulnerable Texans. This would provide coverage to approximately 1.2 million Texans, including 600,000 children, and would reduce the amount of uncompensated care provided by hospitals to indigent patients and paid for by tax dollars.

Second, the Legislature should reinstate funding for reproductive health care programs for women that were suppressed in 2011 and led to the closure of 82 family-planning clinics because of ideological opposition to contraception and abortion.

The state of health care in the U.S. may be mediocre, but in Texas, it is deplorable. In a nation deeply split over ideological fault lines, our state Legislature has an opportunity to bridge the divide by starting the process of healing our broken health care system. Thousands of lives depend on it.

Hagop M. Kantarjian, MD, is chairman of the Leukemia Department at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a Baker Institute Special Fellow for Health Policies at Rice University.Vivian Ho, Ph.D., is the James A Baker III Institute chair in Health Economics, director of the Center for Health and Biosciences, a professor in the Department of Economics at Rice University, and a professor in the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
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When a man with the U.S. Department of Education announced, regretfully, that the rare "listening session" was over, that the last 20-or-so parents and children who had waited for hours on a school night to speak would not get their chance, he was quickly corrected.

One by one, people seated around long tables at a large conference center in northwest Houston stood up, raised cards denoting their place in line and began to blurt out their struggles to get special education services in Texas schools.

"I didn't drive 150 miles to be here today for you not to listen to me or my son!" one mother yelled on Monday night.

Another woman demanded to speak for foster children often denied services because they have no advocate in navigating the special education gauntlet.

"This is a city of 5 million people," yet another woman told the panel of education officials running the meeting. "Two hours on one day is not enough."

The room erupted in applause.

Near me in the back, a father seated with his wife and three children, including the youngest who slept most of the night in his chair, called out that his 8-year-old son with Asperger's and ADHD was being verbally and physically assaulted by unqualified staff at a local elementary school.

"Stand up in the chair, baby," he told the boy a few moments later over the objections of his wife. He hoped the panel would see the kid with glasses and a wide smile, call on him, and let him tell how a teacher's aide tried to choke him.

And they did. The boy was heard. So was nearly everybody else.

For one night, someone listened. It seemed an informative, even therapeutic, exercise for many who attended. They told painful stories, lodged complaints, and called for change.

But will they get the courtesy of a response?

That's the question we're still asking, months after an investigation by the Chronicle's Brian Rosenthal exposed an arbitrary limit the Texas Education Agency had quietly imposed on the percentage of students who could be identified for special education services.

The agency has halted the use of what it calls an 8.5 percent "goal." And now the federal education agency is visiting, in several cities, and taking notes.

Good signs. But real reform requires much more. Essentially, it requires a culture change - not just at TEA, but across all agencies - in the way we here in the state of Texas view children, how we prioritize their education and health.

Year after year, Texas ranks among the worst on national surveys in child well-being. And we tolerate it.

We can be moved by the distraught parents who spoke at the special education session the other night. In the end, it takes more than that. It takes investment. It takes cold, hard cash.

One brave soul at the session uttered the dreaded term "income tax." Nobody wants to hear that. But maybe we need to start considering the unthinkable. Texas pays for education with property taxes, and we've got top officials calling for property tax relief. How long can we balance the budget on the backs of our children's futures?

One refrain at the session was pay now or pay later. If we don't educate our children, and equip them with the tools and services they need to learn, we're not only robbing them of their potential. We're prescribing a worst-case scenario for their futures that could include prison or a lifetime of dependency on federal assistance programs.

Surely, Gov. Greg Abbott and the state's other leaders understand what's at stake if we fund the education and protection of our children on the cheap. I can't help but wish Abbott would give these children the priority he places on those yet to be born.

One of the governor's recent goals, which has already drawn a lawsuit, is requiring aborted fetuses, including the vast majority terminated in the first months of pregnancy, to be cremated or buried.

Abbott has written in a fundraising appeal obtained by the Texas Tribune that the policy would ensure "human dignity." He went on to say that "Texans' basic rights and dignities are NOT a burden" and that he will continue to do everything in his power to protect them.

And what of the special needs children, governor? What of those with autism, dyslexia, cerebral palsy, deafness and many other learning difficulties who are denied services, relegated to waiting lists, or provided substandard therapies lasting only minutes per week?

Aren't they also deserving of dignity? Is education not a basic right? Won't you do everything in your power to protect it as well?

After three hours waiting to speak at the Houston session, Carlos Flores stood up in the back of the room to talk about his 9-year-old autistic son.

"Nobody helps us. Nobody understands us," said Flores, a network technician who says he's been fighting to get his son adequate services in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. "My alternative is private schooling. I don't think so. It's 50 grand a year. I don't have that. I barely make that much."

All he wants, he told me, is for the state of Texas to stop treating a child with disabilities as "a second-class citizen." He was glad he got to say his peace, but he wasn't sure it would change anything.

It's time for action. Our statewide elected officials, our senators, our state representatives must put their money and their priorities where their hearts should be: with our children.

And, my dear reader, we can't let up on them until they do.
An eyewitness identified accused killer Chad Holley - the Houston man once at the center of a police brutality case - at the scene of a September robbery and murder, prosecutors said in court Tuesday.

But community activist Quanell X called the witness's reliability into question and pointed out that the 22-year-old Holley was wearing an ankle monitor ordered by probation at the time of the killing.

"All they got to do is check the ankle monitor - the GPS location will determine whether he was there or not," Quanell told reporters outside the court room.

"An eyewitness is one thing, but sometimes eyewitness testimony can be very unreliable."

Run-ins with the law

Holley was already behind bars for unrelated misdemeanor theft and trespassing charges when he was hit with the capital murder charge Sunday in the fatal shooting of David Trejo-Gonzalez, 42, on Sept. 21.

Trejo-Gonzalez was approached by a man as he walked from the parking lot of his apartment in the 100 block of East Crosstimbers about 9:30 p.m., according to court records.

The man demanded money, and Trejo-Gonzalez was shot once in the chest in the course of the robbery, prosecutors said.

In December, an eyewitness - who claimed to be a drug customer of Holley's - identified Holley as one of two suspects seen fleeing the scene, the prosecutor said in court. As he ran, Holley tossed a gun into a dumpster behind a nearby check cashing business, the witness claimed.

Then, he came over and told the witness he'd just killed someone over a drug debt and asked the witness to provide an alibi if police started investigating, prosecutors said in court.

Less than a week after the killing, Holley was accused of stealing a woman's cellphone. Then on Oct. 9 he was picked up for trespassing.

Holley had already received deferred adjudication for a 2012 burglary - a form of probation in which no conviction would have remained on his record if he completed the probationary term without incident. Prosecutors are already seeking to proceed with getting a conviction.

One of the conditions of his deferred adjudication was seven years of electronic monitoring, but prosecutors declined to comment on whether he was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the murder.

The court Tuesday found probable cause to proceed with the capital murder charge, but Quanell said Holley maintains he didn't do it.

"Chad Holley says he's innocent," said Quanell, who connected with Holley in the aftermath of the 2010 beating at the hands of Houston police.

Police brutality case

At the time of the beating, Holley was a 15-year-old sophomore at Elsik High School. His case gained national attention when surveillance video surfaced showing Houston police officers kicking and punching the unarmed teen on the ground after he fled during a burglary arrest.

Afterward, a dozen officers were disciplined and four were indicted on misdemeanor charges.

Raad Hassan and Phil Bryan pleaded no contest in 2013 and were sentenced to two years of probation. Andrew Blomberg was found not guilty after a trial, while his partner Drew Ryser was convicted on a misdemeanor oppression charge.

After Holley's initial court appearance Tuesday, Quanell spoke up in his defense.

"The Chad Holley I do know for years, you might put some petty theft charge on him, but to turn him out to be a cold-blooded killer that's not the Chad Holley I know," Quanell said.

If he is convicted, Holley could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty, if prosecutors decide to pursue capital punishment in the case.

Brian Rogers contributed to this report.
A Fort Worth man accused of trafficking a teenage runaway from Houston is in jail after evading arrest from police.

Marquist Fulcher, 27, is charged with compelling prostitution, sexual assault of a child and trafficking a person under the age of 18.

CRACKDOWN: 2 women arrested in Spring massage parlor prostitution bust

Fort Worth Police Department spokesman Daniel Segura said police started investigating Fulcher in October after the victim identified him to police. The victim told police she met Fulcher after running away from home in Houston. She said Fulcher forced her into prostitution starting at age 14.

Sgt. John Phillips told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Fulcher did not allow the victim to keep any money she made.

Fulcher used Backpage.com and other websites to meet with clients in Fort Worth. Phillips added investigators are attempting to identify other potential victims and suspects who know Fulcher.

FROM HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Crackdown forces closures of illicit massage parlors, spas

Fulcher was lodged in Tarrant County Jail on Monday, according to the Star-Telegram. His bail is more than $700,000, with $500,000 of the bail coming from a probation violation warrant from Dallas County.

Fulcher's criminal past includes theft of an ATM, burglary, criminal trespassing, evading arrest and failure to identify, according to the newspaper.

He was scheduled to appear in Tarrant County court on Tuesday for theft of property and evading arrest charges, according to county records. Fulcher has a Dec. 22 court date for the trafficking and prostitution charges.
WASHINGTON - Donald Trump is inviting a clash in the narrowly divided Senate by choosing Rex Tillerson for secretary of state in the face of well-publicized concerns from several GOP senators over the oil exec's ties to Russia.

The likely confirmation fight could be an early test of Trump's sway over Congress and demonstrate how much appetite there is among Republicans to stand up to their president.

For now, three Republican senators have publicly voiced concerns about the Tillerson nomination: Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida. All have cited the Exxon Mobil executive's history of making deals in Russia and his close ties with Vladimir Putin, which include opposing sanctions sought by the U.S. and Europe against Russia after it invaded Crimea.

'Serious concerns'

However, none of the three has said thus far that he will oppose Tillerson. And only Rubio sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which will hold a confirmation hearing in early January.

"While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns about his nomination. The next secretary of state must be someone who views the world with moral clarity, is free of potential conflicts of interest, has a clear sense of America's interests, and will be a forceful advocate for America's foreign policy goals," Rubio said.

The committee currently has 10 Republican and nine Democratic members, meaning Tillerson needs support from every Republican to get a successful committee vote, presuming Democrats all oppose him. Yet even if the panel rejects him, there is precedent for the full Senate to take up his nomination.

The last time the Senate rejected a presidential Cabinet pick was in 1989 when it voted down John Tower as George H.W. Bush's defense secretary after he had already been rejected by the Armed Services committee. More frequently, nominees have withdrawn from consideration when opposition built, as happened in 2009 with Tom Daschle, President Barack Obama's first pick for Health and Human Services secretary.

Brawl or skirmish?

It was unclear Tuesday whether the fight over Tillerson would turn into a major brawl in the Senate or just a minor skirmish. One question is how hard Democrats, who've made clear they want to focus on economic issues, will fight. Several issued statements Tuesday angrily denouncing the nomination, but the Democrats' incoming leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, pointed to Tillerson's Russia ties while calling for a thorough confirmation hearing "given these serious concerns."

Tillerson immediately picked up support from the top two Senate Republicans, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas. McConnell praised Tillerson's "decades of experience."

The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Corker of Tennessee, who was himself passed over for the job at State, also issued a favorable statement, though without saying how he planned to vote. Several other GOP committee members issued statements praising Tillerson or sounding open to his nomination.
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City Council on Wednesday designated 22 rental houses in Freedmen's Town as protected landmarks, a label with little immediate impact since their owner, the Houston Housing Authority, already is subject to preservation rules.

The homes - now public housing - were built in the early twentieth century, according to the city, and are historic icons in a neighborhood settled by freed slaves.

The resolution passed unanimously and without discussion.

Mayor Sylvester Turner was traveling in Bahrain but applauded the move from afar.

"We said a couple of weeks ago that we were going to take steps to establish a historic cultural district in Freedmen's Town, Fourth Ward, and, quite frankly, this was the first step in that direction," Turner said in a voice recording.

Freedmen's Town already is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but that classification does not place any restrictions on property owners.

The homes' new protected landmark status means the Texas Historical Commission will have to sign off on repairs, housing authority president Tory Gunsolley said. That is nothing new for the agency, whose federal funding already requires it to follow preservation rules when seeking to renovate older structures.

However, the designation ensures the homes still would be protected if the housing authority sells them.

"They are historic properties, and having them designated will ensure that they are protected, regardless of whether the housing authority owns them or not," Gunsolley said, noting that the housing authority does not have plans to sell. "It just offers protection for the character of that neighborhood, and we felt that was an appropriate thing to do because there are so few historic properties in Houston  to protect the ones that we do have."

Community leaders have been fighting for several years to protect the neighborhood's bricks streets, which were laid by freed slaves and their descendants when city leaders refused to repair them.

Longtime Freedmen's Town resident Gladys House questioned why just 22 of the neighborhood's historic homes received protected landmark status.

"All of the housing is significant to the history of Freedmen's Town and the historic district," she said.
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AUSTIN -- Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that despite a tight budget forecast, he still would like to see tax cuts approved by the Legislature next spring that could shrink revenues even more.

In a wide-ranging interview with reporters, Abbott specifically said he would like to see the business franchise tax and the energy margins tax dropped "by as much as I can get," and supports a review of property tax relief, as well.
WASHINGTON  Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who famously forgot he wanted to abolish the Energy Department, was hailed Tuesday by conservatives and industry groups as President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the $28 billion agency on the cutting edge of energy research and nuclear security.

Democrats and environmental groups, meanwhile, chafed at what they see as an oil industry champion who, though a long-time governor, brings little technical expertise to the debates on climate change  which he questions  and the department's core mission of securing nuclear stockpiles, including the nation's nuclear weapons.

Although the nomination remains unofficial, industry sources and Texas Republicans close to the transition team made clear Tuesday that they expect Trump to nominate Perry, who presided over a Texas oil and gas boom in his 15 years as governor.

Even as the President-elect's team in Trump Tower held off on a formal announcement  a pattern that has held up for several of Trump's cabinet picks  his aides laid out the case for Perry, if not for his plan to dismantle the agency.

"We're big fans of Governor Perry as somebody who did a fantastic job with the state of Texas," said Trump spokesman Jason Miller. "As you talk about Texas' economic revival, a lot of that had to do with the energy sector."

Miller and other Trump aides, however, steered clear of Perry's outspoken aim to abolish the Department of Energy, which some conservatives see as a relic of the Carter administration and the 1970s Arab oil embargo.

"It's (Trump's) agenda that's being implemented," said Trump spokesman Sean Spicer, "not somebody else's."

Added Miller, "Obviously, we talk about streamlining and reducing the size of government. There are a number of approaches and ideas that (will) come forward after the President-elect is sworn in."

If confirmed by the Senate, Perry's Energy Department will be expected to take a sharp turn toward traditional forms of fossil fuel extraction, in contrast to the Obama administration under current Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, a nuclear physicist. It also would represent a break from the academic slant of the department under Obama. Moniz's predecessor, Steven Chu, was a Nobel laureate who directed the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

Tom Smith, Texas director of Public Citizen, which opposed Perry on a number of ethics and environmental issues while he was governor, worried about an infusion of "donor-driven politics" in the department.

"Perry has never been the brightest bulb in the chandelier, and he's generally been short on details and long on retail politics," Smith said. "We fear he will bring those same things to the Department of Energy."

The cabinet-level agency Perry is slated to head is called the Energy Department. But its portfolio is far broader, with missions to oversee the nation's nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production and storage of atomic waste. The department also manages 17 national laboratories. One of agency's facilities is the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, the nation's only site where nuclear weapons are assembled and where about 300 weapons are disassembled yearly.

The appointment would mark a reversal of political fortunes for Perry, Texas' longest-serving governor, who twice ran unsuccessfully for president. Before dropping out of the presidential race earlier this year to back Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Perry had denounced Trump as a "cancer on conservatism" and a "barking carnival act."

Unlike Cruz, though, Perry came on board the Trump campaign at the Republican National Convention in July, when he first publicly expressed interest in an administration post. At various times he has been seen as a candidate for defense secretary or head of the Veterans Affairs, based on his background as an Air Force pilot.

A number of Texas Republicans and energy groups praised Perry's experience in oil-rich Texas. Some argued that while he has questioned the scientific consensus on global climate change, he does not deny that it is real. Perry also launched ambitious wind power projects as governor. The state remains the national leader in wind-generated power.

"Perry possesses a very strong energy background and has a track record of proven executive leadership," said U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis and a former Texas A&M classmate who worked on Perry's 2016 presidential bid.

"Representing an energy-heavy state like Texas, including Houston, the global capital of energy production, gives him a unique level of expertise," said U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land.

Gov. Greg Abbott, who succeed Perry, applauded the Texas stamp on the Trump administration that will be brought by Perry and Exxon Mobil Chief Rex Tillerson, Trump's pick for secretary of state. "They carry values that Texans think are important  less regulation, more opportunity," he said.

To Perry's critics, his selection to head the Energy Department recalls his 2011 presidential debate gaffe, when he was unable to name it as one of three of the government agencies he proposed to eliminate. The failure became known as his "oops" moment," which, like his turn on Dancing with the Stars, likely will be brought up by opponents who say he is not up to the job.

"Rick Perry might be uniquely unqualified to run the Department of Energy," said Benjamin Schreiber, climate and energy director for Friends of the Earth, one of several activist groups that plan to oppose his nomination.

The Democratic National Committee urged the Senate to reject Perry's nomination, noting that it could be a setback for solar and wind energy, conservation programs, and the implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal, in which Moniz played a leading role, and which Trump ardently opposes.

Perry also is likely to face questions as an unapologetic champion of Texas' nation-leading oil industry, as well as his business ties to the Dallas company behind the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, which has sparked bitter protests by Native American groups in North Dakota.

The nomination also could put Perry in the center of the debate on climate change, which Trump has called a Chinese hoax.

Some say Perry could be a moderating force in the Trump administration, however. Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, energy secretary in the Clinton administration, described Perry as "a sensible choice compared to some of the other cabinet appointees. You need a big political presence and somebody with a megaphone in that department because of all the missions and its vast, sprawling bureaucracies."

Richardson knows Perry well: He was governor for eight years while Perry was governor of Texas. Like Perry, Richardson ran for his party's presidential nomination, losing out in 2008 when Barack Obama won the White House.

While praising Perry as "a compromiser and dealmaker," Richardson said he worries about the former Texas governor's ties to the oil and gas industry and his penchant for disparaging climate scientists.

Richardson said Perry could swiftly boost his standing at the Energy Department by pushing back against Trump transition team members' requests for details from federal agencies on employees involved in climate research. The Energy Department has refused thus far to comply.

"He should just stop that in its tracks," Richardson said. "This sounds to me like a witch hunt that is going to raise havoc with the nonpolitical bureaucracy at DOE that Rick is going to need to run that department."

Perry also would inherit the decades-long problem of storing highly radioactive nuclear waste from reactors, 70,000 tons of which have accumulated over the years at the sites of 99 operating and decommissioned nuclear reactors.

Nevada's Yucca Mountain has been favored for decades by the nuclear industry, and by 1998 the government was to have begun storing spent fuel 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas under legislation passed by Congress 11 years earlier.

The storage has remained blocked amid dozens of studies, ongoing litigation and staunch opposition from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who is retiring.

Trump has yet to take a public position on Yucca Mountain, telling an audience in battleground Nevada just before the election that he is "going to take a look at it." His business-friendly administration will be pressed by the nuclear industry to revive the project.

At the same time, many supporters of Yucca Mountain storage are pushing to establish a temporary site for spent fuel storage like the one proposed in Andrews County, Texas.

As governor, Perry pressed to win support for high-level nuclear waste storage in West Texas, writing in a 2014 letter to then Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Speaker Joe Straus that "it is time for Texas to act, particularly since New Mexico is seeking to be federally designated for high level waste disposal."

Perry backers say that just like Texas, there is more to Perry than meets the eye. "It's good for Texas to have somebody in this dynamic industry," said Ted Delisi, a Republican strategist in Austin who has worked on Perry's campaigns. "People don't really understand that Texas has a very strong record of renewables, particularly wind. People from other states just think of the oil business. But Perry passed one of the most sweeping wind bills when he was governor. So, I think you're got someone with a few more gears than people would know."

Reporter Mike Ward contributed to this story.
For a parent to receive a phone call that reports the death of a child thought to be in a safe environment for psychiatric treatment is to experience not only unbelievable pain but also betrayal by those entrusted with that child's care. The same goes for children of a parent placed in the best psychiatric facility they can find, only to also receive word that he is dead.

Such is the case with at least three families whose loved ones were admitted to the famed Menninger Clinic near the Texas Medical Center, considered one of the nation's best psychiatric facilities, where those loved ones reportedly reached such a point of personal crises that they took their own lives.

The frustrating effort to resolve questions behind those suicides, and the missteps the families accuse The Menninger Clinic of taking, is presented in a troubling investigative report by the Chronicle's Mike Hixenbaugh ("Family looks for answers after son's suicide," Page A1, Dec. 4).

There are two stunning revelations in Hixenbaugh's report that should concern Texas lawmakers, among others, as they prepare for the 2017 legislative session come January. The first revelation is, there's no way of knowing how many patients have harmed themselves at Menninger or any other hospital because no agency tracks that information. And second, Hixenbaugh found that The Menninger Clinic's safety record has been protected by Texas laws, particularly one passed in 1999, that prevent the public from learning about lapses at hospitals. The Department of State Health Services has the authority to investigate hospitals, but the 1999 state law, authored by former Rep. Patricia Gray, D-Galveston, also requires that the agency keep its findings secret, even from families and their lawyers.

There is no rationale or ethical justification for state investigations to be kept secret. As a San Antonio malpractice lawyer who has fought DSHS to release the results of its investigations told Hixenbaugh, "The policy exists for no other reason than to protect the reputations of hospitals."

Take the case of a 25-year-old man who killed himself in the Galleria area on Nov. 21, 2015, after walking away from a group outing with The Menninger Clinic. His parents' efforts to peel back the layers of protection that kept them from finding answers about their son's death after being stonewalled by Menninger, as they described to Hixenbaugh, included: submitting a formal complaint to DSHS; filing a records request for past sanctions against the hospital; and trying to find other families whose loved ones had committed suicide while patients at Menninger. They even reported their son's death to the Joint Commission, a nonprofit that accredits hospitals nationwide, without getting satisfactory answers to their questions.

Menninger Clinic officials declined to answer questions for Hixenbaugh's report, citing privacy laws that prevent providers from talking about individuals cases. But as Hixenbaugh pointed out, Gray, the former lawmaker, said she didn't intend for her legislation to cloak state investigations in secrecy. The amendment requiring confidentiality was added late in the process at the request of the Texas Hospital Association; she told Hixenbaugh she didn't have a clear understanding of the consequences. The secrecy law remains in place and unchanged.

For 18 years this law not only has prevented families from getting information about loved ones from hospitals, but it also has engendered feelings of distrust in a setting were trust is key and, more important, where dangerous practices can be hidden. Keeping the law in place is not in the public interest, and if that's something lawmakers care about, they'll do away with it.
Former Mayor Bill White, a self-proclaimed Houston Texans fan, mentioned Tuesday morning in a conversation about President-elect Donald Trump's recent Cabinet picks that he'll always root for Texans, even if it's the Cowboys and not THE Texans that are the last team standing. A similar Lone Star State pride is one reason, perhaps, to applaud President-elect Donald Trump's choice of two Texans to head major Cabinet posts - former Gov. Rick Perry at Energy and Exxon-Mobil chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson at State. Unlike several of Trump's choices, both men are plausible candidates for the positions they're slated to hold, although both bring to their respective positions potential problems as glaring as Cowboys' receiver Dez Bryant's critical fumble in the final minutes of his team's Sunday-night loss to the Giants.

Perry, who'll head the agency he proposed to kill during his own 2012 presidential campaign, at least has experience in government. As a Texan, he's certainly familiar with energy issues. Even though he rarely showed much interest in environmental concerns, he did encourage renewable energy. During his long tenure in the governor's office, Texas became the nation's leader in renewable energy, particularly wind power. We hope he'll be able and willing to stand up to a president whose campaign approach to energy policy was basically "drill, baby, drill," and who has given blustering lip service to a miraculous revival of coal power.

Here's another backbone issue: Is Perry willing to back Energy Department officials who are being pressured by the Trump transition team? In the nefarious tradition of Joe McCarthy, Trump's people are demanding a list of employees and contractors who "had attended any United Nations climate conferences" and "worked on domestic efforts to limit carbon emissions." So far, DOE officials have refused to name names. During his confirmation hearings, Perry should proudly stand with them.

Our misgivings about our former governor as Energy secretary have to do with the shallowness of his experience. He wrote a book called "Fed Up," his 2011 screed against Washington, but the self-proclaimed "little ol' animal-science major from A&M," has never shown much interest in scientific research, an integral part of the agency he'll be heading, or in the arcane issues that arise from the agency's other crucial responsibility: safeguarding the nation's nuclear arsenal. There's good reason why the last two Energy secretaries - former MIT professor Ernest Moniz and Nobel Prize-winner Steven Chu - are scientists who think deeply about energy issues, including nuclear.

White, who served as Deputy Secretary of Energy under President Bill Clinton, noted Tuesday that Energy is a vast and varied agency requiring uncommon management skills. We're confident that Perry will at least be familiar with the agency he couldn't remember during his excruciatingly painful presidential debate. Whether his experience as a Texas governor equips him to run the agency is an open question.

The other Texan Trump has tapped certainly has experience running a vast organization; whether that experience equips him to become the nation's top diplomat is also an open question. Like the president he'll be serving, Tillerson has no government experience whatsoever. As Steve Coll, writing in the New Yorker, has pointed out, the world's largest energy company does run a State Department-like team of analysts charged with predicting which countries will be stable enough to ensure profitable investment. Exxon-Mobil's interests, however, are not invariably this nation's interests.

Tillerson's international experience should be an asset, but in a Trump administration this energy executive's business dealings in Russia and his ties to Vladimir Putin raise ever more questions. Following CIA allegations of Russian hacking to benefit Trump during the presidential campaign, he'll have to explain those ties to senators considering his confirmation. In fact, this man with a blank government-service slate needs to be questioned closely not only about potential conflicts of interest but also a whole range of foreign-policy issues: Cuba, Syria policy, North Korea, banning Muslims, Iran. the list goes on.

Tillerson needs to address one more issue that also ought to interest a would-be Energy secretary: How does he explain his company's alleged decades-long climate-change cover-up? Exxon Mobil is facing numerous investigations into whether its executives lied to investors and committed fraud by covering up evidence confirming the risks of climate change. As the planet warms and the oceans rise, climate change eventually will be the necessary preoccupation of every nation, even one headed by a notorious climate-change denier. That's not Tillerson, but he needs to be clear and forthcoming about the ever-more-insistent crisis.

Despite our reservations, we have to admit that Trump has made worse choices. That's a low bar, but anticipating a presidential administration that's likely to be the most bizarre in living memory, we have to be grateful for small things.
Kindness year-round

Regarding "'To defend humanity, you need education'" (Page F1, Sunday), Rabbi Barry Gelman, an Orthodox Jew, gave a sermon that relates how we should live. You do not even have be Jewish to understand what he is saying. His words: "We have an obligation to speak up and act out in the face of injustice."

We must stamp out those who are racist or deny the LGBT community a right to live a normal life. We must strive to be a better person today than we were yesterday.

Concern for your fellow man elevates you spiritually, no matter what religion you practice. In this concern, do not leave out kindness. We never know what a person is going through.

Noel Foreman, Houston

Needs of working people

Regarding "Trump moves vex nation's labor leaders" (Page B6, Dec. 9), President-elect Trump just selected Andrew Puzder as his nominee for Secretary of Labor. Unfortunately, as the CEO of Hardee's and Carl's Jr., Puzder holds a record of opposing the economic agenda demanded by a majority of the American public.

On Election Day alone, voters overwhelmingly supported minimum wage raises and paid sick leave in all four states where the issue was on the ballot. Yet the potential head of the Labor Department has opposed minimum wage increases at the federal, state and local level, and rallied against an increase in overtime pay. Puzder's views are in direct contradiction with millions of voters and the actions taken to boost wages in dozens of cities and states.

We need someone at the Department of Labor who understands the needs of working people and supports the rallying cries from the electorate.

Ana Pape, Tomball

Making Cabinet picks

Regarding "Trump's choices" (Page A35, Sunday), the editorial mentions candidate Donald Trump's contempt for government. Perhaps the real contempt among so many of us who voted for Trump is those in government. Very few of us marvel at the efficiency of the government agencies we must deal with.

What interests and annoys me most about all of these similar articles is that they make it sound like our career politicians are somehow virtuous. When will investigative reporters start addressing how politicians "serve" and their net worth subsequently becomes exponentially greater? Or how politicians exempt themselves from various laws?

These types of things are why some of us find Trump's cabinet choices refreshing. To my way of thinking, "career politician" is exactly what our Founding Fathers wanted to avoid and for good reason.

Mike Donnelly, Pearland

Intelligence agencies

Regarding "CIA: Russia backed Trump" (Page A1, Saturday), the fact that the entire intelligence community believes that Russia was trying to influence the presidential election continues to be in the news is not a surprise. The stories quoting our 17 intelligence agencies are everywhere.

What does surprise me is that no one is questioning why we have 17 intelligence agencies and why they all need to be checking the same thing.

Ted Mandel, Kingwood

Down on plastic bags

Regarding "Galveston at front of bag-ban battle" (Page A3, Monday), I am very proud of the City Council of Galveston doing what's right to protect the Gulf Coast region by banning plastic bags. This is a first step in reducing the ridiculous and damaging pollution we create daily. The City Council must look at the big picture to make decisions that support the overall community and the coastline beauty and function.

I hope the Council continues to stand up to the plastic-bag industry. If our local governments don't protect and support human and animal life, who will?

Carol Burrus, Houston
Maybe it will all turn out OK. If it does, put me down as promising to applaud.

But my fellow Americans, whatever mix of motives led us to create an Electoral College majority for Donald Trump to become president - and overlook his lack of preparation, his record of indecent personal behavior, his madcap midnight tweeting, his casual lying about issues like "millions" of people casting illegal votes in this election, the purveying of fake news by his national security adviser, his readiness to appoint climate change deniers without even getting a single briefing from the world's greatest climate scientists in the government he'll soon lead, and his cavalier dismissal of the CIA's conclusions about Russian hacking of our election - have no doubt about one thing: We as a country have just done something incredibly reckless.

There is actually something "prehistoric" about the Cabinet that Trump is putting together. It is totally dominated by people who have spent their adult lives drilling for, or advocating for, fossil fuels - oil, gas and coal.

You would never know that what has actually made America great is our ability to attract the world's smartest and most energetic immigrants and our ability "to develop technology and to nurture our human capital" - not just drill for coal and oil, remarked Edward Goldberg, who teaches at NYU's Center for Global Affairs and is the author of "The Joint Ventured Nation: Why America Needs a New Foreign Policy."

Don't misunderstand me: It is excusable to raise questions about climate change. But it is inexcusable not to sit down with our own government experts at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for a briefing before you appoint flagrant climate deniers with no scientific background to every senior environmental position.

It is excusable to question if Russia really hacked our election. But it is inexcusable to dismiss the possibility without first getting a briefing from the CIA, some of whose agents risked their lives for that intelligence.

That is reckless behavior - totally unbecoming a president, a professional or just a serious adult.

It's not that all of Trump's goals are wrongheaded or crazy. If he can unlock barriers to innovation, infrastructure investment and entrepreneurship, that will be a very good thing. And I am not against working more closely with Russia on global issues or getting more tough-minded on trade with China.

But growth that is heedless of environmental impacts, collaboration with Russia that is heedless of Vladimir Putin's malevolence, and greater aggressiveness toward China that is heedless of the carefully crafted security balance among the U.S., China and Taiwan - which has produced prosperity and stability in Asia for over four decades - is reckless.

For an administration that lost the popular vote by such a large margin to suddenly take the country to such extreme positions on energy, environment and foreign policy - unbalanced inside by any moderate voices - is asking for trouble, and it will produce a backlash.

Already, some Republican lawmakers who love our country more than they fear Trump's tweets - like Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain - are insisting that Russia's apparent cyberhacking to help Trump win election be investigated by Congress. If Congress affirms what the intelligence community believes - that Russia intervened in our democratic process - that is an act of war. And it calls for the severest economic sanctions.

At the same time, Trump's readiness to dismiss the entire intelligence community because its conclusions contradict his instincts and interests could really haunt him down the road.

Let's imagine that in six months the CIA concludes that North Korea is about to perfect a nuclear missile that can reach our West Coast and President Trump orders a pre-emptive strike, one that unleashes a lot of instability in Asia. And then the next day Trump and his national security adviser, Mike Flynn, the purveyor of fake news about Hillary Clinton, defend themselves by saying, "We acted on the 'high confidence' assessment of the CIA." Who's going to believe them after they just trashed the CIA?

Finally, Trump has demonstrated a breathtaking naivete toward Putin. Putin wanted Trump to win because he thinks that he'll be a chaos president, who will weaken America's influence in the world by weakening its commitment to liberal values and will weaken America's ability to lead a Western coalition to confront Putin's aggression in Europe. Putin is out to erode democracy wherever he can. Trump needs to send Putin a blunt message today: "I am not your chump."

As Stanford University democracy expert Larry Diamond noted in an essay on Atlantic.com last week: "The most urgent foreign-policy question now is how America will respond to the mounting threat that Putin's Russia poses to freedom and its most important anchor, the Western alliance. Nothing will more profoundly shape the kind of world we live in than how the Trump administration responds to that challenge."
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If you like 007 or Mission Impossible movies like I do, then youve seen biometrics at work  at least the Hollywood version of biometrics. Eye scanners, fingerprint readers, and facial-recognition systems are Ethan Hunts best friend, helping him ID friend and foe at every turn. However, Hollywood applications dont apply to your business, right? Or do they? In recent years, technologies have dramatically evolved, making devices more prevalent and inexpensive to deploy. Today, its almost commonplace for businesses to use a variety of electronic scanning devices  especially for security purposes. A short list of these devices includes:  Fingerprint, thumbprint and handprint scanners  Voice recognition recorders  Software that recognizes keyboard keystroke dynamics (primarily for login details and passwords)  Retinal scanners, and  Facial recognition systems. In February 2014, technology research firm Gartner estimated that 30 percent of companies will use biometric authentication on mobile devices used by employees by 2016. I believe that estimate is on the low side. One innovative use of biometric technology that makes sense for business is that of time and attendance tracking. Traditional paper time sheets and even old-school punch clock time keeping gives way to rounding errors and inefficiencies that can easily cost organizations thousands of dollars. However, with bio...
companies across Europe, a 30- or 35-hour workweek is far from anomalousbut the concept of a shorter workweek (or even a 40-hour workweek) is foreign to most American employers. In fact, according to ABC News , Americans work more hours on average than anyone else in the industrialized world.But do longer hours really equal more productivity? The short answer is no. Sweden is the most recent country to hop on the shorter workday trend, instituting an experimental program in which workers across a variety of industries work reduced hours for the same pay. While the jurys still out on the fate of these programs, one things is clearwhen downgraded to a six-hour workday, employees are less likely to take sick days, and they become more productive , creative, and optimistic during working hours.In an attempt to improve the work-life balance of its citizens, the Swedish government recently instituted a study shortening work hours at selected institutions, like the Svartedalens nursing home in Gothenburg, Sweden. During this year-long experiment, employees worked six-hour days, without a reduction in their compensation.The result? According to the New York Times , residents at the nursing home reported that the standard of care rose significantly after just one week. At the Sahlgrenska University Hospital, employers noticed similar resultsemployees rarely got sick, were more efficient, and most importantly, were much happier to be at work. For years, weve been told that an eight-hour workday is optimal, said Anders Hyltander, the executive director of the hospital. But I think we should let ourselves challenge that view and say, Yes thats the way it is now, but if you want to increase productivity, be open to new ideas.Since the average American works 38.6 hours per week (according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ), a six-hour workday seems like an impossible dream. "The Swedish model will not be easily accepted in the U.S., quotes Bloomberg , because we are a nation of workaholics.Even still, companies in the U.S. can certainly learn a thing or two from Swedens famous experimentwhile maintaining overall productivity and company profits, of course.The truth is, the experiment conducted in Sweden isnt the first to suggest that total hours worked doesnt correlate to employee productivity. As the Economist reminds us, Stanford recently published a study suggesting that higher working hours actually result in decreased labor output. So perhaps, rather than continuing to work at a breakneck pace, it would be wise to take a breather and reconsider the way the American work week is structured.So what can a conscientious employer do? Instituting flextimea system wherein employees get to choose when their workday starts and finishesis one way to improve productivity. Although theyre working the same number of hours, employees are likely to be more productive under this system because they feel as though they have increased autonomy over their schedules. Similarly, compressed workweeks, wherein employees work the same number of hours but over four days instead of five, increase the opportunity for productive relaxation by giving employees larger blocks of time to spend outside the office.In addition to changing the structure of the work week, employers might want to consider the efficiency with which theyre currently running their offices. According to Maria Brathwho founded a startup that participated in Swedens experimentsince employees worked fewer hours, they were able to optimize the time they did spend in the office. As one of her employees told the New York Times, We dont send unnecessary emails or tie ourselves up in meetings. If you have only six hours to work, you dont waste your time or other peoples time.Bio: Ken Sterling is the Executive Vice President and Chief Learning Officer at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau  the leading keynote and business speakers bureau in the world. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California and a MBA from Babson College. Ken teaches Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Strategy at UC Santa Barbara. He is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker, business consultant and sales and marketing expert. For press interviews, contact [email protected]
istmas close-downs may be popular with most employees but theres always someone who complains about taking involuntary time off  so is there any weight to their annual complaints? Here, one employment lawyer explains the legalities behind the controversial end-of-year custom.The Holidays Act 2003 specifically provides for annual closedowns, which are a traditional practice for many New Zealand employers, particularly during the Christmas period, says Andy Bell , a principal at Wellington-based law firm Bell & Co Employers may implement such a closure once a year provided they give affected employees 14 days notice before the closedown commences, he continues.According to Bell, the Act doesnt specify a maximum or minimum period of closedown and employers can implement one across the entire business or have different closedown periods for separate parts of the businessSo what about workers who dont have enough annual leave to cover the holidays or simply dont want to take the time off? According to Bell, theyll just have to come around to the idea.If an employer has an annual closedown, employees are required to take time off even if they dont have any annual leave, he says. If an employee doesnt have enough annual holidays to cover the entire closedown, they must take all of their available annual holidays and then either take annual holidays in advance, if the employer agrees, or take unpaid leave.When it comes to employees who are yet to reach the 12 month mark and therefore arent entitled to annual leave, Bell says there are two options for employers to choose from.The employer must pay the employee eight per cent of their gross earnings since they started working for the employer, minus any annual leave taken in advance or holiday pay paid with their ordinary pay, he tells HRM.The payment of eight per cent at the commencement of a closedown period effectively cancels previous service for the purpose of calculating entitlements to annual leave, he explains. The next year of the employees employment is deemed to commence on the date on which the premises are closed or the work is discontinued.Alternatively, the employer can choose to let the employee take paid annual leave in advance of entitlement, in which case, they would not receive the eight per cent but rather simply have the leave in advance noted in the employers payroll system.So, employers are well within their rights to implement annual Christmas close-downs but that doesnt mean they shouldnt take the time to explain the knock-on effects, says Bell.If an employer is going to have a closedown period, best practice is for them to tell employees in writing about when the business will close and reopen and that employees will need to take annual holidays, he says. If specific employees do not have sufficient holiday entitlements, the employer should send them a personal letter explaining the options.
UPDATE: Mexico Citys Constitutional Assembly approved in plenary session today the inclusion of an article on animal welfare in the constitution the city will adopt in February! HSI/Mexico applauds the decision.

Humane Society International applauds the Rights Commission of Mexico Citys Constitutional Assembly for approving an article on animal welfare to be included in the constitution the city will adopt in February.

The article acknowledges animals as sentient beings whose welfare will be protected under the new federal entitys constitution. HSI now urges legislators to vote in favor of the animal welfare article in the plenary session.

Anton Aguilar, HSI/Mexico director, said: We are one step closer to ensuring that animal protection is guaranteed in the new constitution of Mexico City. We applaud the Rights Commission for acknowledging the importance of providing protections to animals as sentient beings in the new constitution. We urge Mexican legislators to make the city a model of animal protection in Mexico, and throughout the region, by maintaining the article in place as the new constitution is officially adopted in the coming months.

HSI has worked with legislators in Mexico City throughout the process of creating a new constitution to ensure it enshrines animal welfare. In September, HSI, along with constitution-drafting legislators and the citys Environment General Attorney, organized a forum at the House of Representatives there to discuss the importance of including language to protect animals in the new constitution. The article on animal welfare passed by the Rights Commission this week reflected much of the constitutional text discussed during that forum.

Support HSIs efforts to prevent cruelty and save lives.

Media contact: Raul Arce-Contreras, rcontreras@humanesociety.org, +1 301-721-6440
Hotel Industry Leading Indicator - HIL - Report on Future Business Activity

Future business activity in U.S. hotels rose in October according to the latest reading of the Hotels' future business conditions (HIL) indicator. eforecasting.com's HIL, a composite indicator that gauges future monthly overall business conditions in the U.S. hotel industry, increased by 0.4% in October to 130.7, following an increase of 0.5% in September. The index is set to equal 100 in 2010.

"The probability of the hotel industry entering into recession in the near-term, which is detected in real-time from HIL with the help of sophisticated statistical techniques, registered 5.1% in October, down from 7.1% in September," said Maria Sogard, CEO at eforecasting.com. "When this gauge of the risk for an upcoming recession passes the threshold probability of 50% for a more than three months, the U.S. hotel industry will enter a recession phase in its business cycle," Maria added.

Seven of the forward looking indicators of business activity that comprise Hotel Industry Leading (HIL) Indicator had a positive contribution to its change in October: Jobs Market; Hotel Worker Hours; Hotel Profitability; Foreign Demand; Yield Curve; Housing Activity and Vacation Barometer. Two indicators of future business activity had a negative or zero contribution to HIL's change in October: New Orders and Oil Prices.

"The six month annualized smoothed growth rate of HIL, a long-range growth predictive analytic which confirms the underlying cyclical business trend for US hoteliers, posted a positive rate of 3.3% in October, compared to a 30-year average annual growth rate of 2%," said Evangelos Simos, professor of economics at the University of New Hampshire and series editor for predictive analytics databases at e-forecasting .com."When the six month growth in HIL enters a near zero to negative range for 2-4 consecutive months, the industry will go to recession," Evangelos added.

About e-forecasting.com

e-forecasting.com, an international economic research and consulting firm, offers forecasts of the economic environment using proprietary, real-time economic indicators to produce customized solutions for whats next. eforecasting.com collaborates with domestic and international clients and publications to provide timely economic content for use as predictive intelligence to strengthen its clients competitive advantage.

The US hotel industry leading indicator, or U.S.-HIL for short, is a monthly leading indicator for the industry. Building off the tracking success of HIP, the real-time indicator for the U.S. hotel industry, U.S.-HIL was built as a composite indicator that uses nine different components that, on average, when put together have led the industry four to five months in advance of a change in direction in the industry business cycle. U.S.-HIL provides useful information about the future direction of the U.S. hotel industry. Monthly HIL indicators and predictive analytics are also available for the following countries: Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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 2022 Hospitality Trends
A day after admitting to being lobbied at private Liberal fundraisers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeatedly told his rivals that the only thing he talks about at such events are ways to help the middle class.

Unfortunately for the prime minister, opposition parties arent buying it.

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Trudeau faced a barrage of questions from interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose and NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair over his admission that government business does surface at events where donors pay up to $1,500 to rub shoulders with him.

The prime minister told reporters Monday that while he listens broadly to donors, he doesnt grant them special influence and makes decisions on what is best for Canadians.

Ambrose kicked off question period Tuesday by accusing Trudeau of bragging about being the target of illegal lobbying activities that are beneath the dignity of his office.

Trudeau responded that Canadians can be assured that wherever he goes, hes talking about making things better for the middle class. Namely, how his government raised taxes on the wealthiest Canadians to lower them for middle-income earners and how Liberals stopped sending child benefit cheques to richer families so that they could give more to those earning less.

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'What happened?'

Ambrose sparked some chuckles by saying it appeared Trudeau had changed his talking points about following the rules.

For weeks, Trudeau and Government House Leader Bardish Chagger have tried to deflect questions about so-called cash-for-access events by pointing out that they dont run afoul of fundraising laws.

Ambrose charged that the prime ministers own ethics guidelines have become a joke.

What happened? When did money become more important than the integrity of his office? she asked.

Canadians know that I say the same thing in any given context, Trudeau replied, sparking some jeers.

"Canadians know that I say the same thing in any given context."  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Again, the prime minister said hes always talking about his governments middle class priorities, including raising taxes on the wealthiest one percent and beefing up child benefits for middle class families.

Trudeau gave much the same answer, moments later, when Ambrose asked if he understood why the fundraisers needed to stop.

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Canadians now think the prime minister can be bought and hes already done enough damage to his office, Ambrose said. So, when is he going to stop this cash for access fundraising? Today?

Canadians well know that we raised taxes on the wealthiest one percent so we could lower them for the middle class, Trudeau responded, accusing Tories voted against that effort to protect their friends.

"'Just watch me' has become 'just trust me'"

Things didnt get any easier when Mulcair stepped up.

The NDP leader pointed out how Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc had earlier told the House of Commons that government business was not discussed at such events  a remark that Trudeau contradicted this week.

The prime minister again defaulted to his talking point about raising taxes on the rich and stripping their child benefits.

Those are our priorities and we talk about them in every given context, Trudeau said.

It seems that just watch me has become just trust me, and on this, Canadians just dont, Mulcair shot back, referencing the famous words of the prime ministers father.

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"The problem with saying that he listens but isnt influenced is that it reminds people of someone who said that he smoked pot and didnt inhale."  NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair

Mulcair even compared Trudeaus responses to another famous politician  Bill Clinton.

The problem with saying that he listens but isnt influenced is that it reminds people of someone who said that he smoked pot and didnt inhale, Mulcair said. Nobody believes it.

Also on HuffPost
Aleppo's residents may be fleeing for their lives, but many are still taking a few minutes to make sure the world knows exactly what is happening to them.

A ceasefire collapsed Wednesday as pro-government forces bombed the last rebel-held portions of Aleppo, threatening the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.

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Activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens are tweeting updates from the besieged Syrian city. Many shared videos of themselves amid the destruction.

Activist Lina Shamy posted a video announcing the ceasefire had been broken.

Assad & Iranians broke the ceasefire. the genocide still ongoing! No one could leave the city#StandWithAleppo#Aleppopic.twitter.com/rKencmZ3eN  Lina shamy (@Linashamy) December 14, 2016

Bana Alabed and her mom Fatemah, who have been regularly posting updates about the conflict, tweeted about the bombing over the past few days.

Dear world, there's intense bombing right now. Why are you silent? Why? Why? Why? Fear is killing me & my kids. - Fatemah #Aleppo  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 14, 2016

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My name is Bana, I'm 7 years old. I am talking to the world now live from East #Aleppo. This is my last moment to either live or die. - Bana  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 13, 2016

My dad is injured now. I am crying.-Bana #Aleppo  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 12, 2016

Aleppo resident Salah Ashkar tweeted updates while fleeing his building.

A missile just fell on the roof of my building Now the people who were waiting the buses have to run back for their lives again find shelter pic.twitter.com/WGGfc1BEdX  salah ashkar (@SalahAshkar) December 14, 2016

Journalists and filmmakers also showed glimpses of the destruction.

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After an agreement was reached last night, regime forces are intensely shelling the Aleppo. People must stay engaged! Retweet! pic.twitter.com/NURBUXVGkN  Bilal Abdul Kareem (@BilalKareem) December 14, 2016

On Wednesday, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said the Syrian government, Russia, and Iran are responsible for placing a "noose" around residents.

In a security council address, she asked the three nations, "Is there no execution of a child that gets under your skin? Is there literally nothing that shames you?"

Eastern Aleppo head of forensics Mohammed Abu Jaafar told The Associated Press government forces had started to target areas where civilians had gathered to evacuate.

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Amber Heard refuses to stay silent about her experience with domestic abuse.

The 30-year-old actress, who is close to finalizing her divorce from Johnny Depp, wrote a powerful essay in Porter magazines December issue addressing her silent sisters everywhere who have also experienced similar situations.

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Amber Heard arrives at the Glamour Women Of The Year 2016 at NeueHouse Hollywood on November 14, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

In the essay, the "Aquaman" star explains the challenges many women face when they report or make their experiences with domestic violence public.

"Lets start with the truth  the cold, hard truth," Heard writes. "When a woman comes forward to speak out about injustice or her suffering, instead of aid, respect and support, she will be met with hostility, skepticism and shame. Her motives will be questioned and her truth ignored."

Although Heard doesn't name her soon-to-be-ex-husband in the essay, she doesn't have to.

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Amber Heard and Johnny Depp on January 9, 2016 in Culver City, California. (Photo by C Flanigan/Getty Images)

In a sworn declaration, Heard said Depp threw her cellphone at her during a fight, striking her cheek and eye.

Amber Heard submitted this photo as evidence for her domestic violence restraining order https://t.co/sA3BZc3D6fpic.twitter.com/VjHxoobna6  People Magazine (@people) May 27, 2016

In her court filing, she accused the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor of domestic violence and said "there was one other severe incident in December 2015 when I truly feared for my life."

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In August, a video of Depp fighting with his estranged wife surfaced online, showing him kicking cupboards, slamming doors and throwing a wine bottle and glass in a kitchen while yelling at Heard.

In the Porter essay, "The Danish Girl" star also writes about why she doesn't like being labelled a "victim."

I was raised to be independent and self-reliant. I was never given nor wanted the burden of dependency, she writes. I never felt like anyone would or could rescue me, so naturally I resented the label of 'victim.'"

She continues, "You, like me, see yourself not as a victim but rather as a member of a growing class of women, daughters of a generation of equality. We have inherited far too much to be resigned to accept injustice and together we are much too strong to excuse it any longer."

Heard concludes the essay with a message of support and hope.

"As I write this today, I can promise every woman who is suffering in silence, you are not alone. You may not see us, but we are there."

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The essay comes just weeks after she starred in an emotional PSA on domestic violence for the #GirlGaze Project.

Heard and Depp reached a divorce settlement in August, with the "Alice in Wonderland" star agreeing to pay the actress $7 million, with which Heard pledged to donate in full to charity.

However, according to the Daily Mail, Depp is refusing to pay Heard the settlement because he's "furious" over comments she's made about domestic violence in the past few weeks.

Heard has stated she will give the full amount of the settlement to the American Civil Liberties Union for their work to stop violence against women and the Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

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Canadian hospitals are starting to offer moms "gentle" or "family centred" C-sections to help parents feel more part of the whole birth process.

Gentle caesareans include: less sedation, being able to see the delivery, having skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth and not being strapped down to the operating table.

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"A gentle C-section is a change in the attitudes toward C-sections, where the care team [the obstetrician, anesthesiologist, and nurses] aims to make the C-section experience in the operating room as similar as possible to the labour and delivery room," explains Dr. David Garfinkel, who is based in New Jersey, in an interview with Fit Pregnancy.

And one simple element of family centred deliveries is revolutionizing the whole process: clear drapes.





In a traditional C-section, moms can't (and sometimes don't want to see) the doctor making the incision and their baby being born. Their view is blocked by surgery drapes. But with clear drapes, parents can see their child's delivery.

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"It was the most amazing and grace-filled experience to finally have that moment of having my baby be placed on my chest," mom-of-three Kristen Caminiti told NPR about delivering her son via gentle C-section. "He was screaming and then I remember that when I started to talk to him he stopped. It was awesome."

Clear drapes are amazing and should be available to any mama who wants them. #birth #birthphotography #birthphotographer #cesarean #gentlecsection #denverborn A photo posted by Monet Nicole (@monetnicolebirths) on Jul 17, 2016 at 7:50pm PDT





C-sections are on the rise in North America. In Canada, the rate "has rocketed from 19 per cent in 1997 to 27 per cent in 2013," according to Today's Parent magazine.

But there's still a lot of stigma and shame for moms around not delivering vaginally.

"It took me a long time even to be able to say that I gave birth to Avery," Valerie Echo Duckett told NPR about delivering her son. "I felt like I didn't earn the right to say I gave birth to him, like it was taken from me somehow, like I hadn't done what I was supposed to do."

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These small tweaks to the C-section experience, and being able to actually see their babies entering this world, is a big step for moms.

"By offering this more emotional experience, we are not looking to increase the number of C-sections, but as a physician, it is my goal to ensure women don't look at having a C-section as a failure," says Dr. Garfinkel. From his point-of-view, a gentle C-section, "allows a woman to be almost as involved as if her birth was happening vaginally and I believe all women should be given the opportunity to be as much part of a part of their births as they want."

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NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair believes support for his party will grow as more scrutiny is raised over the Liberal governments ethics and broken promises of real change.

Yet Mulcair is suggesting he might not be around to see the party rebound, opening the door Wednesday to stepping down as a member of Parliament once his successor is chosen next October.

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In a year-end press conference in Ottawa, Mulcair blasted Liberals as a curious mixture of incompetence and arrogance.

He criticized the governments recent approval of the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion, bad plays on the electoral reform file, and an attempt last spring to restrict the power of opposition parties to hold the government to account.

But Mulcair suggested it's the controversial, private Liberal fundraisers that have really exposed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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Trudeau, he said, promised to be a whole different type of politician. While his mandate letters to ministers urged them to avoid even the appearance of conflicts of interest, Mulcair said Trudeau has backpedaled when it comes to so-called cash-for-access events.

Canadians pay attention to that sort of thing.

'Canadians are capable of remembering the answers'

Mulcair said there have been changing narratives on the fundraisers, where donors pay up to $1,500 to meet with Trudeau or other senior ministers. While Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc told the House of Commons that government business is not discussed at the events, Trudeau conceded this week he is indeed lobbied at the fundraisers.

Mulcair said the prime minister was just admitting what everybody knew already.

Canadians are capable of remembering the answers from one day to the next, he said.

The NDP leader said Government House Leader Bardish Chagger is now reduced to robotically repeating the same inane phrases on the controversy each day in the House.

Do you find that invigorating? Do you find that illuminating for the Canadian public? This is supposed to be a place of serious debate, Mulcair said. There are serious questions about the ethics of the Liberals.

Mulcair 'prepared to step down' next fall

When asked if he wished he could stick around longer as leader, Mulcair said his focus was keeping the party in ship-shape before handing the reins to whoever New Democrats pick to replace him.

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Mulcair said he would think about whether hell stay on as an MP once the race is over, but conceded he was prepared to step down and open his Quebec riding to someone else.

I love what I do, perhaps youve noticed, he said.

A little later, Mulcair was back at it again in question period, mocking Trudeaus earlier claim that his presence at private fundraisers is really about promoting the middle class.

Do they really think that exclusive fundraisers with canapes and cocktails are a Christmas gift to the middle class? he asked.

Chagger responded by pointing out how Liberals lowered taxes for middle-income earners and beefed up their child benefit cheques.

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Trudeau was not in attendance.

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If there's one thing we know to be true, it's this: the more mascara the better.

And like most of you beauty junkies out there, we too have been on the never-ending journey to find the perfect makeup product to give us those long, fluttery, looks-like-eyelash-extensions-but-actually-they're-my-real-lashes lashes.

But what if we told you your search could be over? What if we told you the days of entering "world's best mascara" into Google are done? Believe it, friends, the answer to your constant Google search is here.

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And here's a hint: the most popular mascara in the entire universe right now is better than sex.

"What?!" you scream.

"Yup," we scream back.

Cross our hearts, it doesn't get better than this.  #betterthansex #toofaced #regram @iamcharmaynex A photo posted by Too Faced Cosmetics (@toofaced) on Nov 25, 2016 at 4:31pm PST

Praised for its voluminous powers and intensely black formula, the mascara is "inspired by the curves of a woman's body." More specifically, Marilyn Monroe's curves. Filled with collagen and peptides, Better Than Sex catches every single lash and instantly lifts them without all that clumping.

Our dreams of being a snow princess just came true.  @denitslava is looking gorgeous in our Better Than Sex mascara and Chocolate Bar palette. #betterthansex #chocolatebarpalette #regram @denitslava A photo posted by Too Faced Cosmetics (@toofaced) on Nov 30, 2016 at 7:31am PST

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Reviewed over 7,700 times on Sephora's website, the mascara has a 3.8 out of five star rating. The reviews range from "people ask if I'm wearing fake lases," to "not worth it."

Too Faced's Better Than Sex is available for $30 CAD at Sephora.

A girl's best friend. #betterthansex #toofaced #regram @lamakeupebella A photo posted by Too Faced Cosmetics (@toofaced) on Dec 10, 2016 at 7:53am PST

Too expensive for your makeup bag? Don't worry. Some of Canada's best editors have you covered with their top drugstore mascara picks.

Have you tried Better Than Sex mascara before? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!

And for more mascara must-knows, check out the slideshow below!

Best Mascaras See Gallery

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Getty 'Colorful Fireworks at illuminated Niagara Falls at Night. Niagara Falls,Canada.'

Despite Facebook photos of smiling faces and carefully decorated cookies, many holiday celebrations are riddled with family feuds and boring traditions. That's not the case for New Year's Eve. This celebration of a new beginning is something everyone can agree on -- it's time to have some fun. These four Canadian destinations are places where you can celebrate 2017 in an unforgettable way.

Niagara Falls, Ontario

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Photo credit: HiEtec

Niagara Falls always goes above and beyond when entertaining visitors, and New Year's Eve is no exception. Aptly named "The Biggest Bash," the party includes an all-Canadian lineup of free musical performances at Queen Victoria Park. The concert kicks off at 8 p.m., and the celebration will include tasty local food vendors, beverages, an outdoor licensed drink area, and an extravagant midnight fireworks show from the Niagara Gorge.

Ottawa, Ontario

Prepare for a memorable night out by the Ottawa River if you'll be heading to the capital city this holiday season. The Canada 150 celebration, to celebrate the Confederation's 150th anniversary, is set to take place at 19 urban centres across the country this year. But there's arguably no better place to celebrate the Canada 150 than at Parliament Hill in picture-perfect Ottawa. The free event will take place at 7 p.m., on both sides of the river with live music and an over-the-top pyromusical fireworks display. The first fireworks show will take place at 8:17 p.m. (20:17), and another display will be launched for the night owls at midnight.

Iqaluit, Nunavut

Photo credit: US Embassy Canada

Travelers seeking an otherworldly New Year's Eve experience should head to the largest and least populated Canadian territory of Nunavut. Iqaluit is one of the 19 cities celebrating the Canada 150, but none of the others will be celebrating it with this small city's unique Arctic flare. The family friendly party will include local performances provided by the Alianait Arts Festival, outdoor activities, a festive countdown, and a sea-ice fireworks display at 8:17 p.m. The full day of family fun kicks off at 11 a.m., in snow-covered downtown Iqaluit.

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Quebec City, Quebec

Quebec City's Old World feel is even more fairytale-like when dusted with snow and sprinkled with holiday decorations. New Year's Eve is a five-day-long celebration in "La Vieille Capitale," which will take place from Dec. 27 through 31, this year. The Grande Allee is redesigned with heated outdoor bars, live music, a ferris wheel, ziplines, and plenty of opportunities for kids and adults to continue the excitement of the holidays. December 31, is the biggest night of all with a grand musical pyrotechnic show, celebrating Canada's 150th anniversary, at 20:17 and midnight. This year's events are expected to be bigger than ever, and the festivities will spread from the Hotel Le Concorde to Parliament Building.
Photo Credit: Canadian Youth Delegation

I recently returned home from COP 22, an international conference in Marrakesh to address the threat of the climate crisis. Heading into this conference I must admit I was a bit giddy with excitement. I was excited to witness the shift in conversation from trying to reach a global climate agreement to implementing global climate action.

Justin Trudeau, who champions himself as the Minister of Youth, combined with Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna's commitment to climate leadership and youth voices was a welcome change after a decade of Harper. Canada finally had leadership in place that recognized the urgency of a warming planet and the role we must play as a developed nation to do our fair share.

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More than anyone, I wanted to return from COP and affirm that Canada committed to ambitious action. This was after all the "action COP. "

But I would be kidding myself and you if I told you Canada finally showed up the way the world needed us to.

Leading up to and throughout the climate conference, it became clear Canada is doing a climate action tango. Canada took steps forward when they pushed for the inclusion of 1.5 degrees celsius in the historic Paris agreement and ratified the agreement before Marrakesh. Further, Canada committed to a national carbon price and climate action plan for the first time in history.

However, Canada took steps back when it submitted an international target, 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, that's widely considered inadequate. Further, Canada continues to subsidize the fossil fuel industry every year to the tune of $3.3 billion dollars, approve major greenhouse gas emitting projects, and failed to commit to complete decarbonization by mid-century.

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Environment Minister Catherine McKenna is shown at the COP22 conference in Marrakech, Morocco on Nov. 16, 2016. (Photo: Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP via CP)

I hoped my party badge would give me and fellow youth delegates some clout and face time with the government to push them to walk their talk. Instead, all my badge did was give the Liberal PR machine the photo ops and tick marks they needed to meet their mandate of youth inclusion.

Our elected officials invited us to a Youth Circle, a half hour event dedicated to listening to youth. Minister McKenna posed for photos, gave her address then jetted off before youth had the opportunity to speak. She had time to sit on panels with Big Oil but couldn't stay more than ten minutes to listen to us.

Wanting to give our minister the benefit of the doubt, I followed her around like a wounded puppy at the Canadian reception later that week. I patiently waited my turn in line, recognizing that as someone with a government issued badge, I would be among the queue of people who got to speak with her.

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Anytime I got to the front of the line, her staff redirected her to deep-pocketed influencers and oil lobbyists. One lobbyist barreled right between me and McKenna, stepping on my foot, and snatched at her hand to introduce himself. I stood in silence, stunned and humiliated as they chatted just centimeters away.

The climate crisis is too real for people who are already suffering from a warming planet.

It's fitting that in an attempt for youth to meet with our elected officials, Big Oil and deep pockets would trample over us to secure their seat alongside our representatives.

During her address at the reception, she droned on about collaborating with diverse voices on ambitious climate action and patted her government on the back for including five youth, myself included, in her delegation.

I'll give you a moment to let that sink in. Now take a deep breath. But don't let it go.

As I unpack the violence and heartache I witnessed at COP I turn to Harry Potter, the beloved children's story, for comfort. As Harry and his friends painfully encountered the flaws of the people and powers in place to protect them, we face similar challenges. Our elected officials didn't see us and they certainly didn't hear us. Their actions to address the challenge of our generation is inadequate yet they tell the world and themselves otherwise.

I live on unceded Coast Salish territory where the Liberal government recently approved the Kinder Morgan pipeline, bulldozing over local community opposition and Indigenous land rights. Back in my family's homeland of Punjab, India the heat waves are so intense that crops are drying up. Farmers are taking their lives in the hundreds every year because they cannot provide for their people.

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Talking about action is no longer good enough. The climate crisis is too real for people who are already suffering from a warming planet. It is too real for those whose soil is being degraded, whose water is being poisoned, whose air is being polluted and those people who are dying because of it.

There is no path forward where Canada can continue to approve fossil fuel projects and remain committed to its legal and moral international obligations. We live in a time where the U.S. president-elect is a climate change denier, and Canada copped out of leadership when the world needed us to do better. If Canada continues down this dangerous road, they demonstrate to the global community and the people they represent that they not only have no concept of global equity, but that they never cared to be a part of the solution in the first place.

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Feng Yu via Getty Images concept of business success

I'm old enough to remember a time when it was considered a good idea, in southwestern Ontario in the late 1980s and early 1990s, for my schoolmates to leave high school early and take a job in one of the factories feeding car parts to the auto plants on both sides of the border.

I'm also old enough to have seen my former schoolmates lose those jobs as, one by one, the plants closed and shipped their equipment where labour was cheaper. For me, the defining site of my home region of Chatham-Kent is the 40 acre empty space where the Navistar truck plant used to stand, employing more than 2,000 people in a city of 40,000.

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Economic revolution, policy status quo

There was no food bank in my home town of Dresden, Ontario (pop. 2,800) in the 1980s. There is one now, and there are food banks in many of the surrounding communities as well. Across the country, organizations like these provide food to more than 860,000 people each and every month -- a truly staggering number of people.

How many of us have seen food banks open their doors in our home towns? The reasons may differ by region -- the decline of manufacturing in Ontario and Quebec, fisheries in Atlantic Canada, farming in the prairies, forestry in the northwest -- but the overall reality is similar across the country. The economic landscape is fundamentally changed.

With such revolutionary change, how is it that government policy and programs seem to have changed so little -- seem, in fact, like faded versions of something from a slightly better past? For example, an Employment Insurance system that covers fewer people and offers a smaller benefit; welfare programs that force people to open up every aspect of their lives to an invasive government bureaucracy, just to access below-poverty level benefits.

The 1980s are long past, and it makes no sense to rely on government programs that were designed for that decade. We need to fundamentally change the way we address economic vulnerability and poverty in Canada. While we have seen welcome changes at both federal and provincial levels, these have been incremental: slight increases to child benefits, small bumps in pensions for low income seniors, minor additions to welfare benefits.

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A clear need for change

In the 2016 HungerCount report, we call on governments to make large-scale changes to the way they address poverty and food insecurity: the abandonment of a failed and broken welfare system; real steps toward a basic liveable income; a real commitment to helping northern Canadians break out of a cycle of low income and high living costs.

In the history of the annual HungerCount study, which dates to 1999, food bank use has never been this high for this long: more than 830,000 people have accessed a food bank each month since 2010. This is a clarion call for change -- to make Canada into a country whose anti-poverty efforts, rather than its food bank network, is a model for the rest of the world.

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The five things you need to know on Wednesday, December 14

1) BOZZ N FIZZ

Its the last PMQs before Christmas and both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn will want to send their troops away happy for the break. Blank pages may feature, I suspect: the PM must be tempted to ridicule the Labour leader over the leak of his near empty diary in the Sun; Corbyn may want to counter that the real blank page is the Governments lack of a Brexit plan. Jezza could go off piste to raise Labours new pledge to wipe out homelessness, but the PM is sure to raise his links to rail unions (and maybe Corbyn's own MPs threatening a 'work to rule', as we revealed this week).

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Corbyn may not want to risk the sexism accusations that could follow a leather trousers joke. No such worries afflicted Boris Johnsons festive reception for ambassadors last night where he provided us hacks present with some winter cheer: not just a party, but a story.

After weeks of being ridiculed by May and Hammond (that Autumn Statement jibe about rugby balls still jars with Bojos pals) the Foreign Secretary hit back in style, with a string of barbs. He couldnt resist saying our wonderful Prime Minister actually wears lederhosen! - a reference to the PMs 995 leather trews. Amid the guffawing, Boris suggested hed got No10 permission for that gentle mockery: They asked for no surprises in this speech, we cleared that one already. As the wine flowed, it was all part of a rumbustious celebration of Brexit: We are so cosmopolitan that we drink more champagne, more prosecco, buy more German cars than anyone else!.

Despite the laughter, its worth noting that there was a method to Boriss apparent madness in ridiculing his bosss fashion choices (can you imagine one of Thatchers ministers daring to do so?). His more barbed line was actually on keeping students out of the migration target: We welcome foreign students and international investors in this country and Im confident that that ratio will persist.

But coming so soon after the Aleppo debate (in which George Osborne delivered an impressively fluent speech), Labour MPs werent in the mood for jokes. Boris had prefaced his speech with sombre words about Aleppo, describing it what must rank as one of the biggest global failures of diplomacy of our times. Yet Dan Jarvis and Alison McGovern said his focus should be on Syria not on cracking gags.

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2) GRINDING NI-MO

Nicky Morgan has had a right old kicking of late. Things are so bad that shes even pulled out of an appearance on Have I Got News For You that was planned for this week - due to unforeseen circumstances.

And today it looks like she will be absent from a meeting between the PM and Tory soft Brexiteers (in the PMs Commons office rather than No.10 - perhaps to get round the trousergate text from May aide Fiona Hill?). Bob Neill, Johnny Mercer, Claire Perry and Anna Soubry are all part of the informal grouping. Lets see if anything emerges later.

But Morgan - dubbed Ni-Mo by special advisers when she was in Government - is clearly unhappy at the backlash over her backlash on those leather pants. Allies say she was upset about claims she cried when she was sacked and claims that she was a traitor. Its not just wrong, its reckless and it needs to be called out, no matter how powerful the people briefing it, said one close ally tells the Guardian.

Of course, what really, really upset some close to the PM was that Morgans fingerprints were all over a story recently that May had wanted in the Coalition to put children of illegal migrants at the bottom of the school waiting lists. And never forget that Morgan made the fatal error of backing Michael Goves leadership bid. In a clear bid to remove any trace of poison (not least given Boriss elevation) not a single one of those backers - from talented ministers like Ed Vaizey to Dom Raab - was allowed to stay.

3) THE BREXIT DOUR

You cant escape Brexit, not even during the Aleppo debate. Ben Bradshaw claimed it was highly probable that Russia had interfered in the EU referendum, and was plotting to skew the French and German elections just as it tried in the US. I dont think we have even begin to wake up to what Russia is doing when it comes to cyber warfare, he said. Ben Mad-Shaw is how the Sun dubs him, and the PMs spokesman told us he had not seen any evidence of Kremlin tactics influencing the Brexit vote. Talk of UKIP's links to the Russians has swirled in Whitehall and think tanks for months before the referendum, but evidence is another thing.

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On the substance of what Brexit will look like, daily warnings seem to veer from the dire to the dour (despite Boris's festive cheer). The Guardian has a leak of tomorrows Lords committee finding that tens of thousands of banking jobs will be lost if the UK fails to get a transitional deal for single market access. Still, Tory Eurosceps and arch Euro-federalists seem to agree that such a deal cannot become a permanent temporary arrangement. Guy Verhofstadt told WATO that an eternal, a definitive, agreement should be avoided.

And heres where the soft Brexiteers - from Philip Hammond to Keir Starmer - risk getting squeezed. Neither the EU nor the clean Brexiteers in Cabinet want a messy, open-ended transition deal that allows cake-and-eating-cake. Former WTO former deputy director Roderick Abbott told MPs yesterday that politicians could come up with a quick deal by exiting the customs union, during the Article 50 process. Liam Fox must have licked his lips in satisfaction at that.

Labour still seems muddled over immigration. the most ear-catching line in Starmers Bloomberg speech was that our new relationship with the EU has to go beyond an economic argument and protecting our ability to trade in goods and services  vital though they are. That sounded like the migration elephant in the room.

Meanwhile, the Lords justice committee has today urged the PM to give EU citizens automatic rights immediately after Brexit. Its chairman Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws has blogged for us on our moral obligation and why a unilateral offer from the UK will stimulate reciprocal commitments.

David Davis makes his Brexit Select Committee debut today. Will he be asked about this ministerial quote to the Times' Sam Coates about a recent meeting of the Cabinet Brexit sub-committee? "Philip Hammond is the only one that makes sense. All the rest spent a good deal of time praising the secretary of state for DexEU [DD] for his frankly poor quality [Cabinet committee] papers or the Brexiteers saying its going to be a success.

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BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR

Trump may be cosying up to the Kremlin but Obamas outgoing UN ambassador Samantha Power let rip at the Russians over Syria yesterday. No wonder its going viral.

4) ON THE FEAST OF STEVENS

NHS chief Simon Stevens just cant help being interesting. In a forthright evidence session before the Lords NHS Sustainability Committee yesterday, he called for an immediate injection of cash for social care.

Hours earlier, the Cabinet discussed exactly this topic, with a clear signal from No.10 that Sajid Javids local government settlement tomorrow would address the issue of some areas being under threat (a fascinating choice of phrase for Downing Street) from a social care funding gap. It sounds like only some councils will get the money, possibly by meeting criteria for either a council tax precept rise or some other funding formula change.

But Stevens wasnt just pleading for more dosh. He suggested that the triple lock guaranteeing pensions rises should be replaced by a triple guarantee on income, housing and care. The message was clear: favourable funding for the elderly should be used for their social care. I think everybody should be contributing to the fruit punch, is how he put it.

Jeremy Hunt later told the peers that We are going to have to find a way of devoting a greater share of our national resources into health and social care without doubt - and that taxation was the main way to do it. But the Health Sec suggested that young people not the old, should be the focus: We need to get into the habit of saving when were younger like we do for our pensions. In a nutshell we need as a country to start saving for our social care costs as we save for our pension. It needs to be a normal and automatic a thing to do for everyone to do. Brace yourselves, Millennials.

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Stevens is before the CLG Select Committee today to talk more about adult social care.

5) FEAR STALKING

Some movement is afoot on the issue of maximum sentencing for stalking. After the Government defeat on Monday night, when peers passed Jan Royalls amendment to double the jail term to 10 years, something interesting happened: neither ministers nor No.10 followed the usual ritual of vowing to overturn the result in the Commons.

Instead, the PMs spokesman told me that maximum sentences for offences are kept under reviewIn terms of this amendment we will set out our response to that when the Bill comes back in front of the Commons. And Tory MPs Alex Chalk and Richard Graham, who have been pushing hard for the change following a horrific case of stalking of a local GP in Gloucestershire, tell me they have been having constructive discussions with the Government. See my story HERE.

Downing Street is more than aware that 16 Tory MPs signed up to the Chalk/Graham private members bill on this topic, before it was enshrined in the Royall amendment. Theres no doubt the whips are not amused at the idea of starting the New Year with a Commons rebellion when the bill returns before MPs in January. But with the PMs own record at the Home Office in making womens safety a priority, maybe she will relent and deliver the tougher sentencing many have long demanded.

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Tim E White via Getty Images

It was a regular Saturday afternoon but, with the holidays inching closer, Euston Square looked far busier than usual.

Across the street from the station, hundreds of doctors, health professionals and medical students had been attending a two day conference organised by Medact, exploring the interconnections between a healthy planet and human well-being.

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At 1:00 pm, when the attendees of the conference should have been taking a much needed lunch break from back to back events and sessions, they started emerging in swarms from their venue and crossed the busy road to step into a little green patch next to the bus station. First, it looked like a crowd of about thirty, but it grew fast and more and more people crossed the street in groups. In the park, a few people started giving out face masks. The crowd put on their white coats. Someone unfurled a bright banner with big black letters that read: Doctors Against Diesel. There were about a hundred people there now, holding up the banner, wearing white coats and face masks. And their message was clear: we need to get rid of diesel to prevent health impacts owing to air pollution.

Doctors and health professionals are right to take this seriously. Air pollution in the UK has been described as a public health emergency. Research shows that nitrogen and its oxides are emitted from diesel vehicles, are toxic to human health. And London has one of the highest levels of NO2 in Europe. Its impacts fall especially hard on children, the elderly and people with existing lung diseases such as asthma and COPD. And people who work or exercise outside are susceptible to adverse effects such as damage to lung tissue and reduction in lung function

We also know from available data that London has some of the highest levels of NO2 in Europe. In fact, the European Environment Agency (EEA) found that more people have their lives cut short by diesel pollution in Britain than in any other European country apart from Italy. That's 12,000 premature deaths a year owing to pollution from diesel.

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Doctors and health professionals are witnessing this first hand. They have started to advise their most vulnerable patients about avoiding air pollution, but they know this is not enough. Avoiding busy roads or not going out when the air quality is bad is only a sticking plaster.

But improving air quality is possible and solutions do exist.

Data modelling shows that if London has to meet its NOx limits, it will have to commit to phasing diesel vehicles out by 2025. This is not only necessary, but also politically possible as the Mayors of Paris, Athens, Madrid and Mexico City have already shown us.

It will not be a decision devoid of challenges-- businesses and public transport run on diesel and will need incentives and encouragement to make the transition. Global auto manufacturers will have to move away from diesel and provide cleaner alternatives--the technology already exists. And they will have to do it within the next decade.

In addition, the national government will have to work in tandem with the city governments to get rid of dirty diesel. Nine in ten new diesel cars being sold in the UK right now, are emitting up to 15 times legal limits of NOx. That is inexcusable.

In the longer term, governments must legislate to force the car companies to make a shift so that all new vehicles run on clean fuel.

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A recent High Court case has forced the national government to review their inadequate plans to tackle air pollution in the UK, and take into account the additional air pollution caused by hundreds of thousands of mis-sold diesel cars on our roads that are breaking NOx limits. It is critical that citizens, campaigners and politicians, and key stakeholders like doctors, hold the government to account and make sure their next set of proposals are good enough to deal with this crisis.

All in all, ambitious action is needed at the global, national, city and local level. Getting rid of diesel vehicles is one step toward cleaning up our air. Sadiq Khan has already shown serious intention to deal with air quality in London; he can lead the way to a diesel free London and eventually push the national government towards a diesel free UK.
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Differences are often seen as reasons, justifications to not integrate or co-exist with others because of a difference on beliefs, faiths or sexual orientation, but rarely as a reason to make a concerted effort to be-friend one another, perhaps even more so given recent and continued divisive world to events such as the American presidential election, Brexit and the war on terror, with the recent Casey Review stating that segregation and social exclusion are at "worrying levels" within the U.K.

Over the last few weeks a group of charities and volunteers in my local community have been working together to help welcome several Syrian refugee families as they move into the local area of Stratford Upon-Avon. These families are part of the 20,000 refugees that the U.K Government have pledged to re-settle within the U.K. As part of this re-settlement the families are provided with a list of necessities such as a house, furniture, food package and a support worker to name just a few. However, many things are not included within this grant such as a television, children's clothes, toiletries, bedding and so on, many of the everyday essentials that we would deem as being necessities, especially for families with children.

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The group of volunteers consists of volunteers of all ages, religions and social backgrounds, including and not exclusively of Quackers, Christians, Muslims and Athiests, working together with the local councils and charities to not only help provide the families with the lists of items that were not deemed as being necessities, but with the long term support and integration of these families into the local community, by organising events such as tea parties, events with other local children, travel support to name just a few.

Despite the challenges that these families have been through over the last few months the gratitude, humility and relief that they have is plain to see, despite the language barrier. On the several visits that I have been fortunate enough to make to one of the families new homes, their insistence on freeing up a sofa for the volunteers, providing each of us with drinks, despite only having enough for themselves are just two of the examples demonstrating their gratitude.

This small but powerful example demonstrates that differences between us, are no reason or excuse for us to not only co-exist and integrate, but to collaborate, to help improve the levels of integration within the local communities that we live in.

As we get into the festive season and time of goodwill, it's easy to overlook and take for granted the everyday matters that we are fortunate to have, that give us a level of comfort and safety that others around the world, even within the U.K aren't as fortunate to have. But let's not forget that each of us have the oppourtunity to help those around us, whether through a charitable donation, spending time with those who may not have local family or friends or even spreading the feeling of good will with a small token of appreciation to those around.

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With the veritable "shocks" of 2016 still fresh in our collective memory - Brexit, Trump, animal fat in the new 5 notes - 2017 is set to be an interesting year.

Firstly, and obviously, flexible working will become a bigger business, but not for obvious reasons. The 2017 debate will steer away from whether to allow flexible working or not, and focus purely on how to implement it. The best employers in the UK have cottoned on to this and are doing amazing things. But what about those companies who have yet to pull their heads out of the sand? Well, in 2017 and beyond, they're likely to go the way of the dinosaurs as the battle for talent will be won or lost under the standard of flexible working.

Secondly, there were some serious wins for gender diverse leadership in 2016 - Theresa May and Emma Walmsley to name but two - but these headlines are unlikely to grace our papers in 2017, for a number of reasons:

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The Davies Review has been replaced by the Hampton-Alexander Review - rather than focussing on female directors on FTSE boards - which could be seen as a bit easy and a bit meaningless - the Hampton-Alexander's targets focus on executive directors and senior managers in the FTSE 350. These new targets will prove more difficult to achieve, even if they are a more scalable and admirable targets than their predecessor.

Ethnicity and socioeconomics will overtake gender - don't let this make you think gender diversity isn't an important issue, it is, but with half of the workforce being female, the focus will shift to ensuring the work populace is more ethnically and socioeconomically diverse. An equally important goal.

Society needs to do its fair share of changing - the pressure on companies to diversify their workforce has been steadily increasing and gaining some ground, but this has failed to catch on to the same degree in general society. Firstly, let's see a sharp increase in male childcarers and female engineers before counting 2017 as a win for gender diversity.

Thirdly, technology will come on in leaps and bounds, making the lives of working parents and carers a whole host more manageable. We've already developed our new backup care booking app so parents can book emergency care at the touch of a button when their usual care breaks down. From its launch, we've already seen 10% of our bookings come via the app, and this is set to jump up in 2017.

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Likewise, talent retention will become more of a digital business. Retaining all those valuable parents going on parental leave will be made easier for employees as online platforms dominate the leave, during and return phases. It'll become a normal part of the HR infrastructure and will give a whole new generation of parents the power to control their leave and the sureness of a confident return.

And lastly, childcare. 2016 was a fairly miserable year when considering the laughably shambolic 30 hours of free childcare. It fell on its face, and for very good reasons. 2017 will be different, however.
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When I was little, I used to lie awake at night thinking where I would hide when the Gestapo came. It was ridiculous and historically inaccurate - the war had ended thirty years earlier. But my ears had been filled with stories of my parents' wartime childhood, of bullets whizzing past, of partisans hiding in a cupboard, of hunger and cold. I read Anne Frank's Diary before going to sleep and asked myself how long could I lie still if they came looking for me.

Recently, I had a dream that took me right back to those years. Except that this time it is not the Gestapo but men with tattooed arms and very short haircuts who break into my home, throw my clothes on the street and tell me never to come back. The dream is so obvious - and stereotypical - that I'm embarrassed by it. Yet it tells me that I am an EU citizen in the UK in the year 2016, and my subconscious thinks I'm Anne Frank in 1940s Amsterdam.

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My family is multi-national, a three-passport concoction, a mini-EU. I'm Italian, of Greek-Italian parentage; my husband is Dutch, our daughter is gloriously, incongruously British; or as she puts it, 'half-Dutch, a quarter Italian, a quarter Greek - and a 100% English'. My husband and I met here, in England, in 1990, when I came as an Erasmus student. We married here, our daughter was born here. English is the lingua franca in our family: we fight in it, swear in it, love (in) it, dream in it. There is for us no other country where we all belong, in subtly different and yet roughly equivalent ways (I know because we tried).

Until June, we had plans; now everything is on hold. We bought a house earlier this year, which I don't dare to furnish in case we have to leave. I have stopped unpacking the boxes. My husband needs to start applying for a renewal of the grant that funds his programme of research right now. But should he? Or should he consider a position elsewhere? We don't know.

I look at my daughter sleeping and wonder if our family will be split up, how I'd cope with being a Skype mummy, how would we explain it to her. She is a citizen of the country that might want to expel her parents, of a country that refuses to guarantee her parents' right to stay. How devastating would that be for her sense of her place in the world? At best she would have to leave with us - losing her school, her friends, her world. We try to shield her as much as possible. But one day she comes home with a form asking for her nationality and language. It's for the school census; there is a campaign to boycott it. I agonise whether I should too, feeling vulnerable and exposed whichever way I choose.

On a good day, I believe the guarantees cannot but come, soon, and we will then be able to resume our suspended lives, to make plans, to become normal citizens again. It is impossible to return to a world where countries are only made up of one nationality (which the UK never was anyway) and national identities are simple and uncomplicated, unless by an act of violence. How would you separate the different components of our family, of my daughter's identity, of my lingering affection for this beautiful country, of my husband's contribution to its scientific reputation?

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On a bad day, like today, like yesterday, I look at the pictures coming out of Aleppo, and realise how little human lives matter in high-stake politics. I lie awake at night again, holding my breath, listening to the sounds outside. Looking for signs, reading the runes.

In the meantime, we wait.
BBC

A gay Muslim, a non-practising Muslim, a Salafi convert to Islam and a Syrian refugee who happens to be Muslim. These were the variety of voices, lifestyles and belief patterns of Muslims, which were held together by prayer and belief in the Prophethood of Muhammad. 'Muslims Like Us' was testament to the super diversity that make up Muslim communities, though at points it seemed to focus on Abdul Haq and his pre-occupation with brittle and extreme views of what it meant to be a Muslim. Yet, even the documentary managed to portray a human side to him which is the reality of life, the fact that some of the most misguided in society are in fact human beings with emotions, vulnerabilities and feelings, which is not to support their views but to observe a variety of elements within a human being which may draw in others.

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What is of use within this 'fly on the wall' documentary is not so much how the group interacted. Of greater significance is the fact that it shows the pluralism within Muslim communities and it also led to a melt-down in the minds of anti-Muslim bigots who think and portray Muslims as a single mass of people, who think and act the same. In fact, this very notion is the cornerstone of much of the anti-Muslim bigotry that is thrown around in social media and in the real world, as though Muslims think, act and work in tandem for some kind of 'Sharia take-over' of this tiny island we all call home.

The project therefore challenged this and what was telling was the way that Twitter accounts of the likes of Tommy Robinson went into meltdown as the programme challenged his world view of Muslims being threatening. To tail it off, who could feel threatened seeing males hugging and calling each other 'bears' with a care and affection that drew us all in. You see, by challenging pre-conceived notions of Muslims being uniform in their belief and practice in Islam and in highlighting huge differences in what it meant to be a Muslim, social constructs around anti-Muslim bigotry seemed to fall like the walls of Jericho as the programme progressed.

For us within Tell MAMA, anything that challenges stereotypical and lazy views about Muslims is to be welcomed. This not only challenges the views of anti-Muslim bigots, it also challenges those who hold views similar to Abdul Haq and who believe that Islam and Muslims must behave and act in a specific manner or they are not deemed to be Muslim. In both the former and the latter, authoritarian constructs and power dynamics mean that they are probably driven by brittle and black and white views of life, when we all know that life is mostly lived in the 'grey zone' of trial, error, happiness or sorrow or just more indifference.
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Libraries have a long tradition of transforming lives. They are places of education for everyone, providing hope, inspiration and resiliency. They're also a place of refuge. But in my local library they do a lot more than just feed a healthy appetite for knowledge. They often make the difference between youngsters having a meal or going without.

As a Rochdale councillor, my library is situated in one of the most deprived places in Greater Manchester. A regular user, I often noticed a high number of children using the library during the summer holidays. Some went to read, some to socialise and others because they had nowhere else to go. Many of the latter group never picked up a book and would stay there all day without leaving for lunch.

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Through observing these youngsters over a long period of time, I realized there was an opportunity for the library to fill a unique policy need - and promote literacy at the same time as making sure children were guaranteed a healthy meal.

This situation is by no means unique to Rochdale; it's a snapshot of breadline Britain where the zero-hours contract economy means children are often struggling to get enough attention from their parents. Working hours are no longer regular and often in the school holidays children are no longer getting three meals a day. For many, their school lunch is their only substantial meal.

This has not come about because parents are so destitute they are busy queuing at the food bank. It tends to be because there is nobody home to feed them - they are too busy working. I believe families in this type of situation are growing in number and already exist in greater volumes than those who use food banks.

My solution to this problem was to introduce the 'Read and Feed' scheme. Children that went to the library and read for one hour were given a packed lunch. The concept is simple, cheap and was an instant success. The number of children completing the summer reading challenge rose by 500% and scores of lunches were handed out. Many youngsters were introduced to the joy of reading for the first time as a result. Nowhere else in the Borough saw increased numbers on this scale. Children in Smallbridge were learning and getting a healthy meal at the same time.

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We thought it may suffer from self selection, envisaging a wave of middle class children sent by their parents who want their children reading would be the only beneficiaries. This didn't happen. The scheme genuinely reached out across communities, attracting many people who'd never been to the library before.

The Leader of Rochdale Council has subsequently promised me this scheme will be rolled out to five libraries in the Borough trying to reach communities with the highest levels of need.

However, I don't want to stop there. I'm hopeful that the next mayor of Greater Manchester will encourage all Boroughs across Greater Manchester to have food available in libraries introducing children to books by the next summer holidays. I need to raise as much awareness as possible to get this on their radar.

In other countries like the U.S, schemes like this are far more commonplace - and libraries are seen as community problem solvers. That view has yet to translate properly to the UK and, at a time when their very existence is threatened, libraries desperately need to break out of a traditional strait jacket and assume a much bigger role.

That way, libraries will not only begin to remove barriers to attendance and reach new audiences, but go beyond building collections and services to reach their real potential, which has always been in building communities.

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Councillor John Blundell is a Labour councillor for Smallbridge and Firgrove in Rochdale and is Chairman of the Pennines Township
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With Rogue One hitting British screens tomorrow, YouGov reveals the UK's Star Wars preferences

The much-anticipated Star Wars Rogue One hits British cinema screens tomorrow. The film, the first of a series of stand-alone films set in the Star Wars universe but not connected to the main 'Episodes', is expected to rake in $280million-$350million worldwide in its first five days.

The British public are very fond of the Star Wars series. Nearly half say they either "love" or "like" Star Wars movies, whilst as many as one in four Brits (24%) would describe themselves as Star Wars fans. Overall, more than a third of people intend to watch Rogue One - 19% at the cinema and a further 15% some other way.

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Given the popularity of the franchise, we at YouGov decided to use the launch of Rogue One to explore the nation's Star Wars preferences.

Han Solo is Britain's most beloved Star Wars character, with 21% of those who have ever watched a Star Wars film saying that he was their favourite. Han is even more favoured by those who consider themselves Star Wars fans, at 28%. It is clear that Brits will have been upset with the plot of Episode VII, which sees Solo killed at the end of the movie by his own son.

Other popular characters were Yoda on 12% and R2-D2 and Chewbacca (both on 9%). Rey and Finn, the protagonists of Episode VII, have yet to make much of an impression on the public, with both characters the favourites of just 1% of people - less popular than even the heinous Jar Jar Binks.

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Younger people do have somewhat different character preferences compared to their older peers. They are much less enamoured with Yoda and Han Solo, and are more likely to prefer Obi-Wan Kenobi, R2-D2 and Anakin Skywalker. It is notable that younger people's favourite characters are prominent in the prequels, whilst those favoured by older people got more screen-time in the original trilogy (except R2-D2, who was prominent in both trilogies).

One of the most iconic visuals of the Star Wars films are the lightsaber battles. Many a child (or child at heart) has been observed swinging around an imaginary blade and imitating the distinctive nyuuuung sound effects. Given the chance to have their own lightsaber, Brits are most likely to opt for a blue-bladed model at 23%.

Green, the other mainstay Jedi colour, is favoured by 12%. Purple lightsabers like the one wielded by Samuel L. Jackson's Mace Windu in the prequel trilogy are also popular at 22%, whilst the red lightsabers favoured by the evil Sith come in at 11%.

Finally, when asked to choose which side of the Force they would rather join, the people of Britain overwhelming opt to join the forces of good on the light side (64%), whilst just 14% would succumb to temptations of the dark side. But beware, the UK's younglings - those aged 18-24 - are the most likely of any demographic group to say they would rather join the dark side, at 25%.

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I'm not writing this blog post to get anyone's back up or to debate which way of feeding is better. Both breastfeeding and formula have their places in society and we are lucky enough that we can make an informed choice on which way we plan to nourish our babies. For me I had planned to breastfeed before I had even got pregnant. My own mother had breastfed me and she always described it as such a wonderful thing to do that I knew I wanted to at least try it and hope that I could do it.

I understand many woman cannot breastfeed through inadequate milk supply, medication, latch problems, lack of support or wrong advice given. Some ladies decide they don't want to do it and again that is completely your choice to make and not something anyone should ever make you feel guilty about. What upsets me most is so many people I know who have tried to breastfeed have not been given the right advice and have been told something different every time they have seen a different midwife. Lots of people fall into the top up trap and find milk supply dwindles further and late diagnosis of tongue and lip tie are stopping ladies from being able to sustain a good breastfeeding relationship that will subsequently end too soon. In the UK we have one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world and I think us ladies are being let down with support that we need.

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Like many other new mums I struggled at first to breastfeed my daughter Miss J, she latched fine but I was in agony with cracked and bleeding nipples and spent a few days pumping on one side and even did the occasional top-up of formula until my milk had properly come in. I spent a lot of time crying and unsure how long our journey would last. I was lucky to have done the NCT antenatal course and had been given great advice on breastfeeding. I phoned up the helpline when I needed support and was lucky enough to be helped out and encouraged.

Mr T had problems with reflux and was forever being sick and choking so I took him to the doctor at six weeks old and because he was gaining weight well they weren't worried about him and the doctor advised me he was a piggy baby and I needed to limit his feed time and the space between feeds, which is appalling advice to give an exclusively breastfed baby. For one he would have been in distress and screaming, secondly it would have effected my milk supply and thirdly it wouldn't have fixed the reflux. I had told the doctor I wouldn't take his advice and was spoken to like a foolish idiot and reluctantly given a prescription of infant gaviscon. Anyone else has tried to give a breastfed baby gaviscon will know what a pain it is to do with each feed as you can't just slip it into a bottle. I did my best and gave it a go but unfortunately it made things worse as he was now choking on his now thickened sick and I realised we needed to see another doctor quickly. Second time around I got to see a lovely lady doctor who prescribed us something that actually did work. He was still sick a lot, but it was little and often and he was no longer screaming in pain. Mr T's reflux has only really now gone and he ended up in hospital at 12 months old after going blue from his reflux.

I exclusively breastfed Miss J until she was six months old and then went to combination feeding until she was a year old and I returned to work. I didn't realise at the time that there were also so many amazing breastfeeding groups on Facebook, with mums who have gone through any kind of issue you can imagine and if I knew then what I know now I would have continued to breastfeed when I went back to work.

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I felt insecure about feeding Miss J in public and would often sit in smelly changing rooms feeding her, sitting in my car or even go home so I didn't have to. When Mr T came along and I already had a three-year old with me, everything had to change and I fed where ever and whenever I needed to. For me it was easier to feed than to make a bottle and I often fed one-handed whilst making Miss J's lunch out and about in the baby carrier. I wish I would have had the confidence to do the same with Miss J and not worry about someone else's opinion. I have only had a couple of comments from people when feeding and have had a fair few stares, but have also had some lovely words of encouragement from strangers.

A few times I have thought my breastfeeding journey would have to come to an end after being prescribed antidepressants and then antipsychotics, but I have luckily been given information to show my doctors to show them that I can still breastfeed and take these drugs. Please check with the Breastfeeding Network if your doctor has told you that you need to stop feeding.

For me I have loved both my breastfeeding journeys and am still continuing to feed Mr T at morning and night at 19 months old. I have loved seeing Mr T's rolls grow knowing that I had made them myself like some kind of super hero. I'm not a morning person and I don't do well being woken in the night so for me being able to feed my baby with little interruption has been so perfect for us. I would scoop Mr T out of his cot and lay back on my side and feed him whilst my darling husband would be none the wiser. I didn't have the worry of disturbing my husband's or daughter's sleep and didn't have to go downstairs to get a bottle in the night. I've found it great when they have been sick and wanted extra milk or when they have gone through a growth spurt after previously sleeping through the night. I love the fact I have it on tap whenever and wherever. I have still had nights out drinking and have even gone away overnight on hen parties, so I really haven't found it constricting. I have pumped my boobs a few times when being a little worse for wear.

One thing I didn't enjoy with Miss J was finding nursing clothes that I liked, but when Mr T came along I found an amazing Facebook page for breastfeeding mums sharing their high street, breastfeeding friendly clothes ideas, they now have a fantastic website too. It really was a god send and I wish I had known about it earlier. Second time around I've also found having a decent breast pump so important. With Miss J I struggled to ever pump much and hated sitting there for up to an hour doing it, but with Mr T I invested in a medela swing pump and was pumping so much that I managed to donate over 100 oz's of milk to Oxford hospital milk bank.

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For me breastfeeding has really been amazing and something I am so thankful I have been able to continue. I cherish mine and Mr T's time every morning and night where I give him his milkies and he snuggles in close to me. One day he will no longer need me and I'll accept that and let him go, but for now I still nourish him and he still needs me.
BBC

Like most viewers, I was gripped by the BBC's Muslims Like Us. Ten British Muslims were put in one house Big Brother-style. Within the first few minutes, most of them had taken against the notorious Islamist Anthony Small, who now calls himself Abdul Haqq.

That gave the programme makers exactly what they wanted. A sharp contrast between thoroughly westernised Muslims who didn't mind going to a karaoke bar and having a drink or two versus the dogmatic Haqq with his hang ups about segregation and women's dress.

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But this is a false dichotomy. Haqq isn't just a socially conservative Muslim who believes women should cover up and that gays are un-Islamic. He's a bit more than that. Haqq has been an associate of the now imprisoned extremist Anjem Choudary and has expressed repugnant opinions about those killed in cold blood by Daesh.

The programme failed to represent those who find it difficult to accept homosexuality and western ideas of gender equality but are in no way sympathetic to violence in the name of Islam. This a sizeable constituency of Muslims who abhor terrorism but wish to follow a very strict form of our faith. This doesn't make them figures of fun or dangerous - but it places them in a zone between extremists and liberals that Muslims Like Us ignored.

Of course, we want Muslims to respect the British values that poll after poll shows we do indeed support. This includes things like the rule of law, free speech and accepting the religious views of your neighbours. It means rejecting the idea of a violently established caliphate and playing a part in our democracy.

However, don't force Muslims into a wholesale rejection of everything they hold dear in order to fit in. If a woman chooses to wear the niqab, for example, don't make her feel she's now a member of Anthony Small's gang. I suspect most Muslim women, regardless of how they dress, have no wish to wait hand and foot on the kitchen avoiding Islamists.

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Socially conservative Muslims will have laughed along with the rest of us at Small's infantile take on the words of the Prophet. They will have groaned at his crass references to scripture. But they might also have felt uncomfortable at the lifestyle choices of others in the house. The way Muslims Like Us was framed, it seemed that unless you were a card carrying liberal, then you had to stand on Small's side of the house. But that's just not the way it should be.

Pluralism means accepting a very wide range of views while drawing red lines around what all of us agree is completely unacceptable. Opinions that lead to attacks on person and property or encourage hate speech against any section of society must be outlawed. But religious conservatism is something we should be strong enough as a society to both represent and tolerate.

If the BBC makes another series of Muslims Like Us - please give us the religious conservatives. They might avoid the karaoke bar - but they'll also put a fool like Small in his place.

Mustafa Field MBE @mustafafield

Strengthening Faith Institutions Programme Director @sfitogether
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Donald Trump's election as President and the expected warming of American relations with Russia is seen by many as the final straw that sees Bashar Al-Assad win the civil war he started and remain in power. The truth, however, is that Bashar effectively won the war three years ago when the free world stuttered in enforcing Obama's red line regarding Assad's use of chemical weapons.

The House of Commons vote in August 2013 to authorise airstrikes against the Assad regime's chemical weapon stockpile was the only time British foreign policy could have unilaterally changed the course of the war. If that vote had been won, the last three years would have played out very differently.

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It is worth bearing in mind that Russia was then not lending Assad a hand obliterating the opposition in Syria then. ISIS was not yet a powerful, unified entity. It was just one of many jihadi groups fighting for power. The Free Syrian Army, composed of those who initially protested Assad's rule and the soldiers who mutinied rather than shoot unarmed civilians, held a third of the country, including Aleppo and large swathes of the suburbs of Damascus and had anywhere between 30-100,000 men under arms. The Syrian National Council was created as an inclusive alternative to Assad was comprised of Kurds, Shias, Sunnis and Christians.

It is highly likely Assad would have chosen a negotiated peace with the Free Syrian Army in response to western airstrikes. The failed parliamentary vote emboldened Assad and Putin and contributed significantly to the growth of ISIS, the demoralisation and collapse of much of the Free Syrian Army, and to Russia annexing Ukraine. This view has become increasingly more apparent to a wide ranging number of MPs. Only this week, when debating aid to Aleppo, many remarked of the folly of not intervening when the political terrain was simpler.

Looking back many maintain that there simply was no appetite for intervention, the country was still reeling over foreign policy failures in Iraq and Afghanistan. While this is true, the vote could and should have been won.

The Prime Minister of the day inevitably has much to answer for. David Cameron bungled the case for war. The timing wreaked havoc as MPs rushed back from holiday. The timetable for intervention wasn't clear: on the one hand the Prime Minister urged imminent action but on the other hand No.10 briefed that there would be a second vote, making the first irrelevant. The parliamentary motion itself was edited and edited again. The whipping was poor. Key Government ministers missed the vote, despite being on the Parliamentary estate, and in total 45 Government MPs were absent. The Foreign Secretary was side-lined in favour of the Deputy Prime Minister. The ghost of Iraq loomed large and Cameron did little to dispel it. In fact he invoked it throughout his speech and even more so in the way he presented the intelligence surrounding the attack. His cardinal sin was accepting the finality of the result and ruling out a second vote on intervention.

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Ed Miliband and his advisors should not be allowed to abdicate responsibility. Playing politics with foreign policy is playing with fire and in this instance everyone got burnt. No doubt he thought the vote would pass and his advisors assured him that his last minute opposition to the vote would shore up his anti-war credentials- and position him to stand in the General Election as a potential "post-Iraq Prime Minister". However his last minute opposition defeated the Government, whether truly his intention or not and prevented perhaps the only serious opportunity to intervene in Syria and save millions of lives. As President Obama has confirmed, the UK vote was a primary factor in his decision to withdraw plans for military airstrikes against the Assad regime.

Game: The vote in 2013 allowed Assad to continue his wicked game, one he set in motion in 2011 when he emptied his jail cells of convicted Islamists who make up most of ISIS's and the Nusra Front's current leadership. He then left them unscathed focusing his military might on moderate rebels, allowing ISIS to cross into Iraq and break out the rest of their leadership from jail, in addition to indirectly buying oil from them to help them finance and grow. His aim was to create his own devilish enemy and force the world into making the tried and tested 'choice' between a secular dictator and extremist jihadism.

Set: With superior arms from Russia, support from Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and using every weapon at his disposal from tanks, airplanes, to barrel bombs and chemical weapons he broke and radicalised any moderate rebels left and deterred any Western intervention or support for them.

Match: Victory both political and militarily, with ISIS now considered the main if not only substantial rebel group in town, Assad has cemented the perception that it is a choice between a secular dictator and Islamic extremists. With the entry of Russia into the civil war and its air support, Assad has increasingly taken more territory from both ISIS and, more importantly, the last enclaves of moderate rebels left in Aleppo, leaving the other actors i.e. the West to sweep up the remnants of ISIS.

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The military victory for Assad is now pretty much assured. The election of Trump will turn the US position on Assad from ambivalence to open support, ensuring a political victory as well. The sad reality is the new warmth in US/Russian relations will be consummated with Assad's victory against his own people.
BBC

As a Muslim who does not consider herself overly religious, I looked forward to watching BBC2 documentary Muslims Like Us with great interest. The programme was described, very accurately, I thought, by many as a Big Brother for Muslims. It aired over two nights, Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 December. The first part focused on Islam, while the second part was just about as Big Brother-like as a programme can get without actually being Big Brother, thanks to an argument in the kitchen over a bag of food bought from Sainsburys.

The most positive thing about the programme for me was that the housemates came from all walks of life and from all cultures. From lifelong Muslim Mehreen, whose three favourite words were "like a submarine" when introducing herself, to convert Saba, 76, who was born Hilary, everyone brought their own personalities, and their own interpretations of Islam and levels of practising their religion, to the group.

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It is no secret that before the first episode even aired, everyone was talking about Muslims Like Us. This was mainly because of the extreme personal views of housemate Abdul Haqq. He came into the house with a leaflet explaining why Muslim men and women should be segregated, even wanting the housemates to sit on opposite sides of the room, by gender, for their first group discussion. He even refused to shake hands with the female housemates.

As a woman, I strongly disagree with Abdul Haqq's views on gender within Islam. As a liberal Muslim, I strongly disagree with his extremely strict interpretation of the religion, especially considering that he was born Anthony Small and converted from Christianity. However, as a journalist, I fully understand why the BBC chose to include him in the programme. They had to include all sides of opinion.

I started out slightly worried that all the housemates would have similar opinions to Abdul Haqq. I started out slightly worried that the programme would leave non-Muslims thinking that all Muslims have similar opinions to Abdul Haqq. I started out slightly worried that the programme wouldn't represent Muslims like me.

I had nothing to worry about. I instantly liked Mehreen and Naila, who described themselves in the second programme as the 'liberal group.' As Mehreen says in the first programme, the "average, normal, British Muslim person" is in the majority, but "our voice is the least heard." Until Muslims Like Us aired, in the media, that was, sadly, very true.

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However, Muslims Like Us made every effort to hear our voice. No housemate agreed with the opinions of Abdul Haqq. No housemate really liked Abdul Haqq. As an average, liberal, British Muslim woman, I sincerely hope that any non-Muslims who watched the programme will realise, after seeing this, that very few Muslims are anything like Abdul Haqq. If the programme achieves this, then the BBC will deserve praise, not criticism, for including Abdul Haqq.

Personally, I was also pleased that the programme included Ferhan Khan, who told the housemates that he is gay. He revealed his opinion, in the first programme, that "being gay and being Muslim are not mutually exclusive." Being gay is against Islam, as it is against all religions, so Ferhan did not get much agreement from the housemates.

However, personally, I see being gay as a difference that cannot be helped. It is a difference that the Asian community, in particular, views very negatively. Muslims Like Us is only the second programme I can remember seeing which has included a gay, Asian Muslim. The programme should be praised for making what might be seen as a brave move, raising awareness of the fact that Muslims can be gay, too.
I sometimes fool myself into believing that I am a prototypical refugee; if there is any such thing. More than two thirds of my life, I have happened to identify myself as one. First as the infant victim of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and its subsequent backlash by traditionalist Muslims backed by their neo-liberal allies and then recently, as a silent observer of chaos springing out of absolute hatred coated in shameful traditions shielded by the misinterpreted sanctity of ancient texts. To put it short, I have lived almost eighteen years of these thirty two years in Pakistan and for the past two and a half years, I have once again taken refuge, this time in the UK.

The experience of asylum seeking has been a mixed bag but it has given me an outlook on humanity for which I can only be grateful. Its greatest gift to me has been the opportunity to enjoy the graciousness and compassion of people beyond geopolitical borders lending me the humility of acknowledgement and thankfulness. This firsthand experience of being a refugee has helped me explore a few themes which I find worthy of sharing with others.

I owe my life and happiness to my mother, a widow of war who stitched people's clothes in order to send me to an English-medium school in Quetta, the city which harbours the greatest number of fundamentalist Taliban to this day. I was shielded by her courage from the radiant waves of a possible painful life. I can't claim the childhood of a typical refugee because I luckily happened to be well fed, well dressed and was provided with the best education available.

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As I was growing up, I couldn't help but observe my fellow Afghans flocking out to unknown lands in search of vague notions of prosperity and wellbeing. Even in my nascent brain, I could easily categorise those people moving out into two distinct categories. The bulky, well-fed and rather unhappy dwellers of the Gulf States and the young, optimistic and somewhat broke adventurers who either went on the suicide sea trips across the Indian Ocean to Australia or the crazy ones who dared the violent border forces of Iran, Turkey and Macedonia to reach the promised land of Europe. What was clear from the onset was that Europe was no place to make money, whatever you might make would eventually be spent on rent, food and the unnameable vices of pleasure, whereas, the Gulf especially Saudi Arabia was where by our society's standards of wealth, you could get rich. Saudi Arabia was rich in oil wealth and needed millions of workers from the poorer countries to fuel its booming economy. If one went to work in Saudi Arabia, returning home they had pockets full of riyals and the bonus title of Haji (a pilgrim of Mecca) along with the unuttered acknowledgement of the pious who considered them unpolluted by the great vices of the day such as gambling, alcohol and adultery.

Europe was no Saudi Arabia; it had a lot of negative tags attached to it, some probably true. A lot of young people who went to Europe couldn't really make the best of their potential, hundreds were killed by the uncompromising bullets of the Turkish and Iranian border guards. Yet it continued to attract millions of people, so many that today what is left of this individualistic pilgrimage of the brave is nothing but a living marquee of human misery and suffering. So what triggered this interest in Europe? Why did people risk their lives to reach this assumed land of milk and honey?

It is impossible for me to separate my personal bias from this narrative but I can confidently state my true observation that large numbers of those young people consciously or unconsciously chose Europe over safe and prosperous Gulf States not for material but abstract reasons. They like me had seen through the crushed souls of the well-paid labourers returning from the Gulf. They had heard and observed afar the tales of inhumane treatment of the workers, the lack of respect for foreigners, the intolerance of beliefs and the frequent episodes of racism and misogyny. They might have been tempted to follow the path and become the seemingly respected members of society, yet they chose not to.

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I am not saying we all came here to enjoy the human rights of Europe. Indeed living in Europe had and still has its physical attractions and glitter too but what made it truly stand out compared to the rest of the world was its soft power; its values based on the ideals of enlightenment polished and perfected through centuries of trial and error. Yes, European countries including UK sheltered millions of penniless human beings providing them accommodation and food, education and health services but its greater gift came in form of the values it espoused and delivered upon; the values of equality, justice and freedom for all human beings regardless of race, belief, culture, sexuality or socio-political views.

The rise of alt-right movements and the growing hatred towards immigrants is a cause of concern for all who believe in progress and tolerance, yet my understanding is that although the ideological core of those movements is fuelled by dogmatic hatred, the crust is more colourful and diverse. I happen to believe quite optimistically that the straight-talking middle class people whose anti-immigrant motivations are spread across a broad spectrum from the preservation of cultural integrity to defending their economic rights and privileges at the end of the day will not back away from upholding the European and to be specific British values of liberty, tolerance and lawfulness.
Blend Images - Dave and Les Jacobs via Getty Images

An extraordinary second Monday in December may have heralded long-awaited government action to tackle the care crisis.

With more than a million older people not getting the help they need and cash-strapped local authorities squeezing fees to fragile care businesses, the care system seems close to collapse.

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Now all eyes are on the government's funding settlement for councils later this week. Will it simply allow councils to raise council tax to fund care or will it offer something more fundamental?

If it's the former, it will be too little and it will increase the postcode lottery care.

In the meantime older people and their families are paying the price for the lack of action on care in the government's autumn statement last month.

One of the great unfairnesses in the care system for older people has recently been exposed, revealing the 'sharp practices' that many older people and their families face when paying for a place at a care home.

The main injustice relates to the fee that these 'self-funders' pay. Typically self-funders pay an average weekly bill between 603 and 867, depending on the area of the country. Some fees in London and the south east are well in excess of 1000 a week, according to Age UK.

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This weekly fee is at least 200 a week more than local councils pay for the same rooms for older people who have savings/assets worth less than 23,250.

In total a self-funding older person may be paying more than 10,000 a year extra to help cross-subsidise those residents whose place is paid for by their council.

Because of the squeeze on council budgets, particularly since 2010, the amount of the cross-subsidy has increased rapidly in the last few years. Councils have restricted the fee increases paid to care home providers and care homes have faced rapid growth in costs, not least paying staff the national living wage introduced in April 2016.

The result is inevitable. Self-funders are paying an extra tax to cover the state's lack of funding. This stealth tax on the middle classes is hiding the full extent of the care crisis in the country.

With more older people needing care as our population ages and as the spending on care is squeezed further, this situation will get worse as self-funders are expected to cross-subsidise more and more those residents who are state-funded.

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Care homes feel they have no choice to charge the differential rates just to help their business survive. In addition some homes suddenly implement fee increases in mid-year and charge for hidden extras.

The unfairness is not just restricted to families using residential care. Older people needing care in their own home and paying for it themselves often pay at least 50% more to a home care provider than the council does for the same service. The UK Home Care Association has revealed how the underfunding of homecare providers is affecting older and disabled people.

And of course there are millions of families who provide care directly themselves to their loved ones who are saving the state huge amounts of money - the latest estimate is that family carers save the NHS and social care some 132 billion a year.

Is there anything older people and families can do about this? Of course, but it does require more effort to ensure they make the right choice of care in the first place. Choosing a care home for example can be a very stressful, and often rushed, decision but families need to spend time visiting the home, talking with residents, families and staff, and reading the small print very carefully.

If families have complaints, they should raise them with the home manager/owner in the first instance. But if they feel nothing is being done, then I recommend they contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman which looks into complaints from self-funders about private care providers and the regulator, the Care Quality Commission. The Competition and Markets Authority has also announced a review of care homes' fees and conditions.

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But ultimately the stealth tax scandal won't go away until the government increases funding for care and reforms the way the care system works. One instant change they could make which would be fairer for families on low to middle incomes would be to increase the capital threshold to 250,000 (the price of an average home) from 23,250. This could be a step to funding care in the same way as the NHS.

We wait to see what, if anything, the government does this week to address the unfairnesses in the care system and make care more sustainable for our ageing population.
Abdalrhman Ismail / Reuters

Why should innocent Syrian civilians have to pay the price for violence that has been prevalent in the country since the uprising against Bashar al Assad? This is a question I have asked throughout many years of reporting on human rights issues in the Middle East.

The humanitarian crisis in Syria has escalated beyond belief showing both the Syrian regime and Russia as expressing a complete breakdown in compassion to humanity.

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The UN has reported that Syrian pro-government forces in eastern Aleppo have been killing people, including women and children, on the spot in their homes and on the street.

Thousands of innocent civilians including children are reportedly trapped in the last remaining neighbourhoods which are facing disturbing bombardment.

Not surprisingly, Russia, has rejected calls for a humanitarian truce and are blaming the atrocities on "terrorist groups".

The fact that innocent lives are being taken, devalued in a bloody war that has been ongoing is one that the UN needs to counteract. People around the world are appalled at the inhumane scenes that are emerging on social media of innocent civilians being attacked and killed.

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In an heartbreaking statement, Bana Alabed, a 7-year old-child in Aleppo, said "I am talking to the world now live from East #Aleppo. This is my last moment to either live or die."

Political leaders around the world need to take decisive action in order for innocent victims of the crisis to be given the justice they deserve and the appropriate humanitarian assistance. It is unjustifiable to allow civilians as young as newborn babies to undergo this suffering.

The atrocities taking place in Syria have heightened due to the fact that Russia need to be held accountable for the violation of human rights.

The International Criminal Court can therefore provide a means of investigating and prosecuting those held responsible for the crisis in Syria and give innocent civilians the justice that they deserve.

There are many obstacles that we need to overcome in order to expose the intolerances of governments and the many accounts of human rights violations that remain in the world today.

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For most of us, the traditional notion of the "American Dream" - and what it symbolizes in countries around the world - begins with hard work and education and leads to opportunity and a flourishing future. However, in our ever-evolving global economy, the opportunities my generation had are so much more elusive for today's college-age students and young professionals, many of whom are saddled with debt and ill-equipped to launch careers to set themselves up for a successful future.

At the same time, according to Career Builder, about 50% of employers say they have job vacancies, but can't find qualified candidates to fill them. And, for in-demand jobs, considered the best in America, such as data scientist, there are even more job openings and even fewer qualified candidates. This demand for people with key knowledge and professional skills will keep rising as economies and jobs grow more sophisticated. What's more, in the fast-paced world of constant tech innovation, there are new jobs emerging that didn't even exist a decade ago, such as data scientist and today is considered one of the best. We have to keep up with our ever-changing, digitally-driven workplace.

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We are not close to meeting the critical demands of today's learners, employees and employers. Educational institutions are struggling to keep pace in the face of escalating marketplace changes and companies cannot train workers fast or cost-effectively enough to grow and remain competitive.

Lots of problems. And it's easy to make headlines about what's wrong.

But, I want to offer a new approach that we have developed along with our university partners. A practical, flexible solution that builds on massive open online courses (MOOCs) - educating millions of learners for free - and leverages the vision and talents of the best learning institutions and companies in the world.

We must face the reality that younger generations do not learn, think or behave in the same way as their predecessors. The very way in which young people learn and communicate has evolved more in the last 15 years than in the previous 570 years, as the The International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity reports. And, it's an untenably high price for today's learners to even step onto the career ladder today - much less ascend it - which means we need to create multiple pathways to do so.

That is why we recently launched MicroMasters programs on edX - the next evolution in our mission to expand access to world-class higher education at a fraction of the price. Along with our university partners, we have created an entirely new category of fully-online Master's-level credentials to advance careers in the most in-demand fields, from artificial intelligence to global business management to user experience (UX) design and Android development, while also offering a new pathway to advanced study. And we are doing so affordably and at scale.

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MicroMasters was originally conceived by MIT as a pilot program on edX. As hinted by the name, MicroMasters comprises about 25% to 50% of the work of a traditional Master's, and at around $1000 is a few percent of the cost. The pilot program's success demonstrates the innovative power of MicroMasters to expand access to higher education at a truly massive scale. To put this in perspective, more than 3,500 students are pursuing the MITx's Supply Chain Management MicroMasters on edX (with 27,000 students enrolled in its first course) compared to the 40 students who are admitted every year to the traditional #1 ranked residential Master's program at MIT.

It's clear that with innovative online education programs like these, more people globally are exposed to high-quality, career-relevant education that will improve their lives.

If we want the American Dream to live on, we need your help:

Employers , invest in your talent to offer the best, most cutting-edge professional education available and start validating nontraditional microcredentials to enable greater entry into, and advancement within, your companies;

, invest in your talent to offer the best, most cutting-edge professional education available and start validating nontraditional microcredentials to enable greater entry into, and advancement within, your companies; Universitie s, embrace open online learning as a great democratizer that brings more people - regardless of socioeconomic status or background - into the educational system;

s, embrace open online learning as a great democratizer that brings more people - regardless of socioeconomic status or background - into the educational system; Learners , pursue education as a lifelong journey. Challenge yourselves to consistently learn, grow and advance;

, pursue education as a lifelong journey. Challenge yourselves to consistently learn, grow and advance; Policymakers, support common-sense education policy that invests in technology-based learning, alternative education credentials, and the reduction of student debt.

The future of our students and workforce depends on it. The American dream depends on it. Our country depends on it.


Three kinds of lies; Image designed by Bernard Starr

When I taught research methods and statistics to graduate students at Brooklyn College, if a student submitted a project like the daily and weekly political polls featured during the recent presidential campaign, the student would receive a low grade or fail the course. I would explain to the student that at best his or her poll was what is called a pilot investigation--a work in progress--to identify the issues and obstacles for designing a valid piece of research.



The same can be said about many of the political polls.Their primary flaw was in the critical first link in the chain: the sampling, which refers to how the pollsters selected the people they queried and how many participants were in the final samples from which conclusions were drawn.

If the purpose of a poll was to assess preferences or intentions to vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in a particular state, the sample should have had a sufficient number that included the diversity of the voting population--by age, religion, ethnicity, political affiliation, education, and income. Many samples did not. For example, according to the Independent Voter Network (IVN), the CNN polls did not have adequate representation of 18-34 year old voters, a demographic of 75 million, the largest living U.S. generation; and Fox News polls notably under-sampled independent voters.

A striking example of inadequate sampling was the Nevada Suffolk University poll conducted in August 2016. It surveyed "500 likely voters" on a variety of issues, including who they intended to vote for among the five candidates on the Nevada ballot--pus two additional choices: "none of these candidates" and "undecided." The results of this flawed poll was boldly headlined by CNN: "Nevada Poll: Clinton and Trump Neck and Neck."

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Despite faulty sampling and other possible deficiencies some polls did correctly predict the winner in many states and nationally. But this is not a vindication of the polls or necessarily something to cheer about. After all, there were only two viable candidates. Place the name Donald Trump on one piece of paper and Hillary Clinton on another and put the papers in a hat. Then ask a few thousand people to pick the winner out of the hat. In line with probability about 50 percent of the picks will be correct. Similarly, place different narrow margins of victory for one or the other candidate (which historically is usually the outcome) in the hat. Many of the picks will be correct, some will be close to correct, and the ones that miss by a few points could be interpreted as close when margin of error is factored in. But these outcomes can only be determined after the fact. For legitimate discussion about an ongoing political race during the campaign it is essential to have trusted assessments based on valid research.

The average size of poll samples is 1,000, says polling report.com. Obviously, as few as 500, as in the Nevada poll, is not sufficient to predict a trend for the population of an entire state. For predicting a national trend even a sample of 1,700 (as in several Pew polls) may be inadequate.

When looked at from a scientific perspective, is it any wonder that most of the polls missed the mark?

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The Washington Post reported that an analysis of 145 national and 14 state polls conducted during the week before the election "consistently overestimated Clinton's vote margin against Trump." Jon Krosnick, Professor of Political Science at Stanford university, told the Washington Post that he wasn't surprised at the inaccuracy of state polls because of flawed sampling; he added, "most state polls are not scientific."

And these polls look even murkier when their faulty sampling is probed further.

Polls typically use the highly respected technique of "random sampling." But none of the 2016 political polls actually accomplished random sampling, despite what may have been the intention of the pollsters. In random sampling a population for study is identified, such as all the registered voters in a state, or for a national poll all registered voters in the nation. The researcher then selects at random, let's say, every 20th person in a list or telephone directory for that entire population. The assumption is that the random selection is highly likely to include the range of diversity within the population, thus resulting in an unbiased and inclusive sample.

A key factor that defines a truly random sample is that the researcher or pollster picks the sample, as in selecting every 20th person. All well and good. But what the polling reports don't tell you is that when pollsters call or canvass every 20th person by telephone, most hang up, don't answer, or refuse to participate.

The American Association for Public Opinion Research reports that people are increasingly unwilling to participate in surveys. Wired Magazine has reported a dramatic decline in response to telephone polls from 72 percent response rate in 1980 to 0.9 percent in 2016 (Pew reported a low of 8 percent by 2014). Wired traces the sharp decline over the last decade to the widespread use of cell phones. Pollsters favor robo-dialing to landlines. But "By 2014, 60 percent of Americans used cell phones either most or all of the time, making it difficult or impossible for polling firms to reach three out of five Americans."



Decline in response rates to phone polls by Wired

So samples with low response rates were not random. The pollsters didn't select the samples, the samples selected the pollsters.

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The rejection rate raises serious questions of possible bias. Who were the ones who agreed to participate? How do they differ from those who refused to participate? How many of the responders will actually vote? In the 2016 presidential election, 90 million eligible voters didn't cast a ballot. Do the ones who participated in the poll represent a particular bias that doesn't speak for the population as a whole? We don't know--nor do the pollsters. Such a sample is not random. It's biased--but we don't know in what ways it's biased. Therefore, no valid conclusions can be drawn about the choices or preferences of the population as a whole.

A national poll would obviously require a larger sample than a state or city poll, since it includes greater diversity in addition to a larger target population. While there is no fixed rule for how large is large enough, it should be large enough to include the diversity of factors in the population under study.

Pollsters aim for a plus or minus 3 percent or less margin of error. Translated into election results, a poll showing support of 47 percent for a candidate with a 3 percent margin of error means that that actual support lies between 44 and 50 percent. The larger the sample the greater the probability of achieving a smaller error figure. Many polls claim a 3 percent margin of error. But to genuinely achieve a low margin of error for state populations--and surely for national surveys--many thousands of participants would be required. Even then, the inclusiveness or not of diversity within the sample would affect sampling error.

Pollsters apply the statistical technique of weighting, to correct or compensate for small samples in which some groups may be under-represented. But each layer of artificial corrective procedure increases the margin of error and lowers the probability of reliable results.

Why did the cable networks give so much airtime to worthless--or at best highly questionable-- polls? Did the anchors and panels that riffed on them really believe they were offering "breaking news"?

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More likely, networks were desperate for something--anything--"new" to fill the hours of news that the public craves and has come to expect. Every "new" poll--"Hillary is up a point," "Trump is now tied," "Trump just surged ahead two points," "Hillary is gaining in Texas"--enabled newscasters to assemble panels of "experts" to analyze the latest overnight poll.

So how should the public--not to mention the media--assess poll information? The National Council on Public Polls (NCPP) lists twenty questions journalists should ask.

A good rule of thumb for everyone: Don't pay attention to a poll unless it reports the size of the sample, the participation or rejection rate, how the sample was drawn, and evidence that the pool from which the sample was drawn included the diversity within the target population as a whole. With that information you can then decide if the poll should be taken seriously. If they are like many of the ones rolled out during the 2016 campaign you will likely conclude that their reported results are unscientific and fatally flawed.

Perhaps there is a better way to get quick assessments. But let's not call it science. Call it observation and intuition.

Months before the 2016 presidential election filmmaker and political advocate Michael Moore predicted a Trump victory. I, like many others, thought he was saying that to scare millennials into voting. But it turns out that not only was Moore correct about the outcome of the election, he meant what he said. His observations and intuition were on the mark.

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Moore comes from the Midwest. He sensed the mood of factory workers and shoppers in supermarkets, malls, and elsewhere in the community where ordinary folks gather. He grasped their pain, anger, and fear about being left out. He sensed that despite all their distaste for Trump's behavior they would vote for him as a protest against the establishment. Trump seemed to know them, they felt. In his rallies and media appearances he gave them hope that he would deliver on his promises to bring back manufacturing and boost the economy for disenfranchised workers.

With Michael Moore in mind, we might do well to throw out the polls and instead talk to hairdressers, bartenders, waiters, and others--like cops and cabdrivers--close to people in the trenches of daily living.

In the next election cycle, let's have a face-off between a panel of these community intuitives and panels of cable network commentators, basing their predictions and analyses on political polls.

Who would Las Vegas odds-makers favor?


Tourist checks out copper vase in Santa Clara del Cobre.



Enter the good guy: It was a long, bumpy ride across the Atlantic from Spain to New Spain (Mexico) in 1531, so cleric Vasco de Quiroga had plenty of time to wade through Thomas More's epic best-seller of the day, Utopia. In it, More created a paradise on earth full of commune-like craft villages in which everyone pitched in to make different kinds of goods and shared the rewards of their labors.

Enter the SOB: It's not known what Nuno de Guzman did (other than sharpening his sword for optimum slashing) on the Atlantic crossing two years before Quiroga's trip. But the history books tell us Guzman - the son of a big wheel in the Inquisition - was sent to Mexico by Spain's King Charles V to keep an eye on the country's conqueror, Hernan Cortes.

As things turned out after the conquest, the king didn't trust Cortes, and Cortes didn't like the king. Cortes didn't think much of Guzman, either, so he sent him out to conquer some unruly lands in western Mexico (surely there was an Indian archer there with a great aim).

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Cathedral of Morelia, capital of Michoacan, was finished in 1744.

Fast-forward a few years, and Guzman is busily slaughtering Indians around the state of modern-day Michoacan and sending others down to the Caribbean to work as slaves on plantations there.

Quiroga the Peacemaker: Known as a champion of the peasants during his early years in Spain, Quiroga quickly earned a similar rep in Mexico City. So it was no surprise that in 1535 he was named bishop of the newly formed diocese of Michoacan about 150 miles west of Mexico City - with the mission of making peace with a tribe of rebellious Indians.

A whole lot of peacemaking was needed, because the Indians, the Purepecha, had been butchered by Guzman along with thousands more living as far west as the coastal states of Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima (the home states of today's resorts at Mazatlan, The Riviera Nayarit, Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo).



Las Hadas by Brisas resort in Manzanillo was in the movie "10."

Utopia in Mexico: Quiroga's strategy to turn the Purepecha into a bunch of happy campers - borrowed in large part from Thomas More - was to set up craft villages in which everyone would pitch in to make a town specialty, such as pottery, woven goods, baskets or carved wooden figures (while at the same time converting to Christianity).

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His first success was at the little village of Santa Clara del Cobre, where coppersmithing had been the town's claim to fame for centuries. Here, Quiroga sweetened the pot by granting the villagers the exclusive right to produce the country's widely popular copper casos (doubled-handled cooking bowls). Some 400 copper shops are now scattered around the city selling everything from broaches to bathtubs.



Mazatlan's main hotel strip is called the Zona Dorada (Golden Zone).



The bishop went on to teach craft skills in the surrounding villages. Family units in Quiroga's Eden were tasked with making pottery, baskets, chairs and the like under the supervision of Purepecha bosses, who in turn (again, a la More) reported to a prince-like super-boss appointed by the top brass in Mexico City.

Legacy of Quiroga: You can see Quiroga's heritage today during tours of the region. Heading south from the state capital at Morelia, the tours typically make a beeline to the copper shops at Santa Clara. Along the way, lacquerware fans can load up at Uruapan. Pottery lovers can buy all kinds of colorful bowls and plates at Tzintzuntzan. Looking for furniture? You'll get great deals at Cuanajo. How about a guitar? Elvis would have loved Paracho.

A tip to tourists: Save more than a few pesos for yet another stop on your tour at Patzcuaro, the region's main marketplace and home of the Plaza Vasco de Quiroga.



Mexico City's Metropolitan Cathedral is the largest cathedral in the Americas.

The Demise of de Guzman: He was so brutal, according to historian Jaime Capulli, that the top chronicler of the era had this to say about him: "In all the provinces of New Spain there is no other man more foul and evil than (Guzman)." Another report said Guzman "was the most depraved man to ever set foot in New Spain." His biographer charged him with "cruelty of the highest order, ambition without limit and great immorality."

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It took a while, but King Charles finally got fed up with his man in Mexico (possibly with some urging by Cortes and by church heavyweights such as de Quiroga). Guzman was arrested in 1536, held in prison for a couple of years, put on trial - where de Quiroga was one of the judges - and then dragged back to Spain in chains. He died in 1558, a broken man.

Quiroga died seven years later, still the champion of the little guys.
Whatever his voters intended, we can abandon the notion that President Trump is a right-wing populist. Right-wing, yes. Authoritarian, probably. Demagogue, certainly.

But his cabinet gives the lie to populism as part of his character. Wall Street may have paid Hilary Clinton hundreds of thousands of dollars to make speeches; but it is Trump who has given Wall Street four cabinet slots, three of them to Goldman-Sachs alumni. (Imagine the outcry if a President Clinton had done that.) There's a clutch of corporate CEOs -- State, Labor, Small Business; a retired military trio -- National Security Advisor, Defense and Homeland Security; Republican Senators, Governors and Congressmen make up the remainder, plus Ben Carson, who had conceded he was not qualified for such a post. So far, we have four billionaires.

Based on his choices Trump doesn't like or respect Hispanics, but admires Russia greatly.

Trump himself just explained that he wanted a cabinet of "people that made a fortune!" His argument -- making a fortune is proof that someone is a great negotiator, and that's the job of the cabinet. This is hardly the stuff of populism, right or left. His choices reveal some other traits. He leans toward inside financial manipulators, military brass, and the businesses that dominated the American economy of his youth -- fossil fuels, manufacturing and real estate. He has no interest in the major drivers of the economy of the future -- technology, communications, services other than finance. The American "Greatness" he aspires to, as many said during the campaign, is the world as it existed before 1970. This is pure reaction, nostalgia as politics, memory as vision.

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Steve Bannon's choice as Senior Counselor is clearly the most outrageous. For a while it was hard to decide which of the choices ranked as the second most appalling -- was it a Labor Secretary who wants to drive down wages for working Americans, an EPA Administrator who believes that the cornerstone of the Agency's mission -- clean air and pure water for every American -- is outrageous federal overreach, or an Interior Secretary who wants to turn America's public lands over to commercial interests?

Sadly, those have all been, in the pun of the moment, "trumped" by the choice of Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. Tillerson has a rock-solid record of putting the interests of the oil and gas industry ahead of those of the United States. He never repeated, but also never retracted, the explicit statement by his predecessor, Lee Raymond, that Exxon-Mobil was not an American company and did not make its decisions based on "what's good for" the United States.



He should be asked in his confirmation hearings whether he ran the company as an American, or rogue, enterprise. The evidence is fairly clear. Exxon-Mobil was the first oil company to challenge US foreign policy on channeling the oil wealth of Iraq through its central government, signing an oil exploration agreement with the Kurdish Authority. More ominously, when the U.S. was imposing sanctions on Russia, Tillerson maneuvered to complete an Exxon well drilling project in the Arctic Ocean even after the U.S. imposed sanctions. Exxon's completion of the well enabled Putin to prove to the world that Russia's Arctic reserves were a reality, strengthening his hand is withstanding the pressure of sanctions. It also established Exxon as a reliable friend of the Russian autocrat, insuring Exxon's billion dollar joint ventures from hostile Russian action while they remained suspended by sanctions. But Exxon-Mobil went further, negotiating new deals with Russian oil companies already slated for sanctions by the West at that summer's St. Petersburg Economic Forum. One observer commented that "By defying the White House, the oil majors salvaged what would have otherwise been an embarrassing event for the Kremlin."

Tillerson openly boasted of lobbying against, and evading the impact, of the sanctions, boasting that "Our views are being heard at the highest levels... There has been no impact on any of our business activities in Russia to this point, nor has there been any discernible impact on the relationship" with Rosneft, one of the sanctioned Russian oil companies closest to Putin. Later sanctions bit. The company has reported that it has lost a billion dollars to the final Western crackdown on investing in Russia.

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Raymond's view that Exxon is not an American company, which Tillerson clearly shared, is not surprising. Exxon-Mobil's reserves are predominantly -- 70% -- foreign. (Canadian tar sands are the largest single portion of those foreign reserves.) So, relationships with the governments of places like Russia, Nigeria and Qatar are extremely important to Exxon and Tillerson.

But Russia, after Canada, is uniquely important to Exxon, (and Tillerson's pension which is tied to the company's stock price.) Exxon's deals position it, once sanctions are gone to exploit, the country's Arctic shelf, estimated to contain 105 billion barrels of oil and gas, more than the US and Canadian Arctic combined. Putin's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavroy, has publicly endorsed the choice of Tillerson as a "pragmatist."

Media coverage of Tillerson's Putin connections have focused on one aspect of the U.S. conflict with Russia -- Putin's aspirations to recover influence and perhaps actual control over areas on Russia's borders which were formerly part of the Soviet Empire -- particularly the Ukraine and the Baltic.



But there are looming and more immediate threats to American interests. Over the last four months, Russia has constructed a new partnership with OPEC to manipulate global oil markets, limit supply and raise prices. Under the unprecedented agreement signed in Vienna side by side with OPEC, Russia along with Oman, Azerbaijan and the Sudan, agreed to cooperate with OPEC and coordinate cuts in production. Markets responded to these events by raising oil prices by 12%. Russia has now joined Saudi Arabia and Iran in declaring war not only on climate protection, and the long term survival of the planet, but on the core short term economic interests of US, Japanese, Indian, Chinese and European drivers, shippers and economies -- affordable fuel. Global economic growth is once again threatened by manipulated oil markets.

Exxon is a key beneficiary if producers win this economic war. And Exxon's CEO has just been nominated to govern the U.S. response to this war. It's as if AFTER Pearl Harbor Franklin Roosevelt had nominated a key Japanese industrialist to mobilize American industry to win the war.

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From options that you cook yourself to ones that require nothing more than heating and eating, you've got lots of choices this year.
Forbes Danckwerts, a leader in the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN) and an elephant advocate, is working on strategies to help save the lives of elephants by targeting the ivory markets. Forbes reminds us that at this rate, elephants will be extinct within nine years unless we actively combat the underlying market for poaching. I know Forbes through Watson University, a partner of the GlobalMindED conference that is held annually in Denver and will take place this year from June 21-23.

What are some ways that you are developing the poaching-dense areas?

Elephant conservation in Southern Africa is complicated because of conflicting opinions within conservation circles. Southern Africa has some of the largest elephant populations in the world, and compared to East, West, and Central Africa, it would seem that Southern Africa's populations are relatively stable. However, in the context of the bigger picture, this is misleading.

The numbers speak for themselves. In just the last three years, more than 100,000 elephants have been slaughtered across the African continent. It is estimated that an elephant is killed every 15 minutes, and at the current rate, with a total population of just 400,000 individuals left, elephants could be extinct within nine years. It is a scary thought, because if you consider those who are in third grade today, when they graduate high-school, elephants may be gone from this Earth forever.

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In the Sebungwe region of Zimbabwe, more than 75% of the population has been wiped out in just the last 10 years. Sebungwe is home to one of Zimbabwe's most prestigious national parks, Matusadona. Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with Henry McIlwaine who leads the Matusadona anti-poaching project (MAPP). Through various discussions it became clear, that and in a country like Zimbabwe, it is going to be increasingly difficult to secure a future for Southern Africa's elephant populations.

I am currently working with Black Mamba anti-poaching operation in the hope of developing innovative technology that identifies where the major ivory-trading routes are in Southern Africa and who the major stakeholders are in the industry. This is a unique approach, because it is offensive by nature. I believe that if we are able to intricately understand the ivory trade, we will be able to disrupt elephant poaching in Southern Africa and potentially secure a future for these remarkable beings.

What were your initial steps in implementing your plan?

My mother founded the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN) in 2013 as a response to increased poaching activities around Zimbabwe. The nursery is a specialized care center for orphaned elephant calves and is currently in the process of rehabilitating five young elephants. Once deemed ready, the elephants will be released back into the wild. It is through my experience working with my mother on this project that I have been inspired to look for innovative ways to tackle elephant poaching.

I am currently working for ZEN as Fundraising and Public Relations director, and I founded Our Roots Trust in 2016 in order to develop innovative technological solutions to major challenges facing conservation. Currently we are working on a device that would allow us to track elephant tusks as they move through the market. We hope to identify major stakeholders in the industry and get insight into ivory-trading hubs through Southern Africa.

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Have you found that communities around the world are supporting your work? If so, in what ways are they involving themselves?

In general people are fascinated by the work I do. I think that we as human beings have a special connection to elephants. Unfortunately, the situation on the ground is deeply misunderstood, making it very difficult to receive support from international communities.

To date, ZEN has had tremendous difficulty securing funding. ZEN is focused on the welfare of the individual animal and believes that every individual has a role to play in the bigger picture. Our philosophy is based on an ancient African proverb, "little by little, a little becomes a lot...". We are actively seeking international support.

What has been your most memorable experience in your work?

In January 2015, my brother and I tracked an elephant. After nearly two full days under the scorching African sun, we finally caught up to the animal. We were met with one of the most brutal sights we had ever seen. An elephant bull, nearly 50 years old, slaughtered. Its face sawn off by a chainsaw, its tusks removed, and we counted over 20 bullet holes inside of the bloody carcass.

Over the course of your lifetime, how would you like to make the biggest difference with your unique gifts and talents?

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I would like my children, and their children, to be able to experience elephants in the wild. In my heart of hearts, I believe a large-scale collaborative effort from various entities and individuals will be important in ensuring that elephants have a chance.

I have grown up in Zimbabwe, and now I have an opportunity to study in Boulder, Colorado. Because of this, I am in a unique position to act as a voice for elephants and spread the message far and wide that elephants are at risk of extinction. I am committed to playing my part in ensuring a future for elephant populations and will continue to work at ZEN, as well as seeking out innovative technology to disrupt elephant poaching.

Forbes' work is necessary and urgent, but sometimes gets overlooked and underappreciated. Elephants are some of the most intelligent, interesting animals on the planet, and deserve our compassion, respect and protection. Seeing what Forbes is doing can make us ask, what are we doing to help those who are defenseless?
It gives me great pleasure to introduce writer/poet, Neil Spirtas, to our Huffington Post Community. In his essay, Neil muses about publishing the Poet in today's literary climate.

Published works of art are few and far between compared to the percent of rejection letters one receives. Humbled are we, us writers, because it is no easy task to sweat and toil, spending hours alone at our computers and desks, to subsequently receive a bevy of rejection letters in the mail.

A friend of mine who loves to write has refused to venture into getting his work published. We have discussed this issue at length over coffee with me prompting him to share his work on a larger scale than at readings where a dozen to fifteen show up. Not to belittle community readings, for they and community events ... "are essential credentials and a witnessing and reporting from the frontlines of humanity," as St. Leo College English instructor, editor and mentor, Gianna Russo has said. But this gentleman's writing is a gift to the world that should be shared with more than family, business associates and friends listening in the corner of some bookstore. He counters with why should he submit to the astronomical numbers faced by others such as The Diary of Anne Frank being rejected 10 times, William Golding's Lord of the Flies rejected 20 times and Stephen King's first novel, Carrie rejected many, many times? Besides, poets' works get published at even smaller percentages. I pointed out to him that yes, he is correct, but since Doubleday published the diary after WWII it has sold more than 20 million copies in more than 40 countries and Carrie sold over one million in one year alone.

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Recently, I participated as a panelist for The Other Words Conference in St. Augustine, Florida. This year's theme was "The Literary Art of Writing Funny". Topics and sponsored readings varied, for example, "Literary Rock and Roll", "Engaging an Audience by Making Literature Weird", "Crying So Hard We're Laughing" and "How Far is Far Enough?" Those presenting included a few Poet Laureates, Harvard professors, Pushcart Prize winners and Fulbright Scholarship Award lecturers/winners.

Secondary to my assignment of 'getting published or not' ... was to make observations about this conference sponsored by the Florida Literary Arts Coalition, held at the historically-rich Flagler College in America's oldest city, coincidentally and literarily adjacent to the first school house built in the St. George Street historic district. These literary conferences are the breeding ground for great artists and their works to be shared. Writers, editors, publishers attend from all over the country. Poet and New York University writing teacher Kenneth Hart purported that ... "these events are important for a writer - to be connected, to get one's work out there and on rare occasions, upon hearing a poet read, he might solicit work from the reader." Participants socialize over wine and cheese receptions, can be seen observing the City's annual Pirate invasion or peering at the eagles near the bell tower just above The Solarium Room (at Flagler College).

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Some of the presenters/writers I admire the most were queried for my research on this article. Upon one celebrated writer, May Swanson Award winner and Volusia County's (Daytona Beach, Fl. area) Poet Laureate M.B. McLatchey's advice, I went straight to the wonderful book Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke for wisdom and inspiration. My philosophy is that writing is an art form at its best and a gift to the world. What if the great sculptors never displayed their work or performers of the stage shied away from the great theatres? Maybe we are talking too grand of a scale for most artists. That being said, several presenters shared that your poetry/writings find you. Too esoteric? Better explained by Rilke, "Perhaps it will become apparent to you that you are indeed called to be a writer. Then accept that fate; bear its burden, and its grandeur; without asking for the reward, which might possibly come from without." McLatchey also warned that publishing is a natural consequence of powerful writing, but it should never be the explicit motivation for writing. She illustrated with poet Milosz's wisdom that it is a transformative act whereby through deeply individual and solitary work, "we commune most powerfully with human kind." Writers find some solace that when they are experiencing disruption and obstacles in their life, is when their most vivid writing occurs. Hemingway said; "Everyone is broken by life but afterwards many are stronger in the broken places." Finding a home for one's writing is as important as finding the writer's place in the universe (and a community of writers). I've found this at St. Augustine's gem of a conference.

Here are a few tips for aspiring writers:

Ken Hart's advice; "Don't be discouraged over rejections. Literary journals get thousands of submissions each year, and can only publicize a hundred. So keep trying. Familiarize yourself with that journal and what they're looking for."

After surveying several successfully published poets -- all had chapbook/collection series published - the average rejection rate was around 88 percent. They received, on average, almost nine rejections before any poem or any piece of prose was accepted. And from what I've heard, this rate was pretty good!

In The Fault in Our Stars movie there is a famous quote, "If you want the rainbow, you have to deal with the rain." Publishing and writing are the same.

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After many more coffees, my friend has decided to send his poetry to publishers. I hope I had something to do with his change of mind. Anecdotally in my own plight, I am somewhat literarily homeless, searching for the publishing home of my first Chapbook. Within the community of writers, it is my hope that we both get out of the rain and find our place to shine.

Neil Spirtas is a native of Belleville, Illinois; born in St.Louis, Missouri ... currently he resides in Bradenton, on the west coast of Florida. Neil earned a Bachelor of Science in Special Education and a Master of Science in Community Development both from the University of Missouri. He also received graduate certification from Stanford University - Institute for Organization Management and University of Oklahoma - Institute for Economic Development. Neil had the privilege of working for the award-winning Manatee Chamber of Commerce, the largest chamber in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area and the National Chamber of the Year (2007) as a Senior Vice President.

With a successful career at the land-grant institutions of Penn State University and the University of Florida before his chamber stint, Neil helped formulate community forums in rural America on phosphate mining in the

Osceola National Forest, a leadership skills series, co-found two chambers of commerce and secure millions of dollars in grants for economic development and natural resources.

While at the Manatee Chamber he was instrumental in helping to form two successful transportation groups - one a statewide safety organization (Stop on Red Coalition) and STARTUPS, which advanced and advocated over $50 million for primarily regional projects. Legislatively, most noteworthy was the passage of statewide formula change in technical college funding resulting in $2 million annually to the local school district.

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Mr. Spirtas retired from the Chamber to pursue personal goals, philanthropic and writing endeavors. Having served on numerous boards, he is Essay Contest Lead Judge - Manatee and Sarasota - for the International Consular Corps of Tampa Bay and Board member for Better Futures for White Buses Foundation. He works part-time for the University of South Florida, Sarasota Manatee in Employer Development.

His writing has evolved from statewide and national papers on water conservation and public policy formation to poems found in The Roam, Poetica, Free Expression (forthcoming in January) and Current magazines.
It's possible you've visited the Lower East Side of Manhattan multiple times and marveled at the buildings there without really knowing the story behind them. The Tenement Museum offers a series of tours to curious patrons. I recently embarked on the museum's two-hour "Building on the Lower East Side" walking tour, and afterward Senior Education Associate Brendan Murphy was kind enough to respond to my questions via email.



Q: The Lower East Side is clearly under transformation and redevelopment. Why is it so important, in your opinion, to have a deep appreciation for the past 200 years of these buildings in this area?



Murphy: Buildings tell stories and root those stories in the present, even when they happened decades or even centuries ago. So often we walk past an old building and ask ourselves, "What's the deal with that one?" When the buildings disappear, the link between past and present is so often severed. Preserving the old alongside the new allows the stories to be in conversation with one another, and the conversations are all the richer for it.



Q: What's your favorite building on the tour, and what's its backstory?



Murphy: My favorite building is IS 25, a Brutalist school building at Stanton and Suffolk. As the structure was designed in a rather foreboding style - Brutalism comes from the French for "raw concrete" - this building often gives visitors a visceral reaction, and quite often a negative one. However, when we put this building in context, we're presented with a different story.

Opening in 1977, this school came to the neighborhood during a tumultuous period for the Lower East Side and for New York City as a whole. Crime and drugs were prevalent; thus the building was built with safety in mind. What might it have felt like to fear for your child as they walked to school, then be presented with this brand new school designed to keep your students safe? Today, some think it an eyesore. In the 1970s, in many ways this building represented the hopes of a community. IS 25 helps us redefine what it means to be significant, which is a really powerful conversation to have during this period of rapid neighborhood change.



Q: Some buildings on the tour were handed over to different groups of immigrants at different periods. Can you talk a little about how one building can reflect multiple stories?



Murphy: During the urban renewal period of the mid-twentieth century, houses of worship tended to survive where tenements did not. It's actually fairly rare to find a historic church or synagogue in the neighborhood that still serves its original congregation. Saint Mary's on Grand Street, built for an Irish Catholic congregation in 1833, today houses a vibrant Spanish speaking community and has since the 1960s. Even though the stories of Irish immigrants and Puerto Rican migrants are clearly different, there are some resonant similarities. Both groups used the structure to root themselves in the neighborhood and foster a community in a new land. The languages are different, but the stories surely rhyme nonetheless.



Q: Public housing programs can conflict with other needs to honor heritages. How can cities do more to represent a community's past while also enriching its future?



Murphy: I don't think that public housing programs and honoring heritage need to be mutually exclusive. Admittedly, New York's relationship with its public housing is different than that of many other large cities, as ours remains large, occupied, and one of the more successful housing experiments (up for debate, but that's a different tour). In the early 1970s, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission recognized that the First Houses, located in the East Village, were a vital part of the history of urban housing. Thus, the First Houses were landmarked in 1974.

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Historians and city planners can and should work together to experiment with creative reuse and find ways to celebrate the stories of cities, both past and present. The current occupants of public housing have a story to tell, and their experiences should be equally as valid as those who lived in the tenements on which those public houses sit.

Q: Real estate developers have done more than act in accordance with zoning laws, they've embraced the culture of the area. Rowhouses, for instance, were built this century to honor the old tradition. Is that blend of the old and the new at the heart to the mission of the Tenement Museum?



Murphy: Some real estate developers have indeed utilized the culture of their area in their designs. On the other hand, some have chosen to look forward, eschewing the past and present for a subjectively idealized future. That future often excludes low income and minority residents, immigrant and native-born alike. A blend of the old and the new is central to the mission of the Museum, but our "new" is an inclusive one. Glass towers sit alongside small, immigrant-run hat stores and perfume shops. Immigrants from China are currently beginning their American stories in the Lower East Side like so many have before.

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Crowd of business people in huddle reaching for globe

When thinking of community-building, there is often one missing link: civil dialogue. Civil dialogue lays the foundation for fostering interconnectedness and building common ground. It also brings people together in order to strategize on how to make a difference while being intentional in leaving the world a better place than how they found it. In my interview on WCCO Radio News and Views with Roshini Rajkumar, I highlighted three practical ways for promoting civil dialogue by beginning with simply starting a conversation, embracing diversity and inclusion, and redefining leadership.



#1: Start a conversation

The purpose of civil dialogue is to bring people together to think, create, and build community. This is a requirement that does not get exhausted enough. We cannot see progress with our communities unless we start having intentional conversations with one another. This is about bridge-building and relationship-building.

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During my 2007 trip to South Africa, I was introduced to a concept called "Ubuntu." Ubuntu is a simple but profound notion that a person is a person through others. It defines our shared humanity and common destiny. The very essence of Ubuntu challenges us to come together across difference and unknown barriers in order to lay the foundation for community-building.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu describes Ubuntu as embracing "hospitality, caring about others, and being able to go the extra mile for the sake of others. "My passion for justice is informed by the very essence of Ubuntu. Each day, I go the extra mile in the fight for education and criminal justice reform in order to better the lives of generations to come. What are you willing to go the extra mile for? How do you work in partnership with others who share the same passion to go the extra mile together?

When we come together, a certain level of hope for the future starts to develop amongst those participating that may have been void before. A perfect example of this is the Highlander Folk School, a place where leaders came together during the Civil Rights Movement in order to increase civic engagement. Myles Horton, founder of Highlander Folk School discussed why civil dialogue is important when he stated: "get the people together and trust solutions will arise from them." Highlander Folk School was also beneficial in teaching people the skills to needed to become leaders and change agents in their communities. Skills such as: reflective listening, coalition building, and strategic planning were developed. Highlander also created a public space where learning, cultural exchanges, and strategic partnerships could naturally flourish. As the people came together, they developed solutions for some of the most pressing social issues of the 20th Century related to ending de facto segregation, eradicating marginalization, and addressing oppression.

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We can draw upon Ubuntu and the Highlander model today to foster relationships and build bridges across difference. These same type of relationships can be built anywhere and everywhere whether it be in professional associations, faith communities, schools, colleges, or any place where people gather. It begins by first looking introspectively and exploring questions like: Who am I? What are my values? What are my hopes for the future? What is in my hands to make a difference in the world?

The next steps is building relationships with others by exploring these questions together: Who are we as a society? What are our values? What are our hopes for the future? What can we build together?



#2: Embrace Diversity & Inclusion as Key Assets

#3: Redefine Leadership

Everyone can make a difference by building stronger communities. This is a call to leadership. Leadership in the 21st century must move beyond a title or position to exploring how everyday people can use their influence. I launched the Leadership for Social Justice Project as a call to action. I continue to challenge 10,000 leaders to join me in planting seeds of social change with hope of reaping a harvest of strong communities. For instance, a third grader made a commitment to help others in his classroom with their homework. While, a college student in Tanzania is leading change by promoting effective communication in the political process. A grandmother is planting seeds of social change by serving in community. These are just a few examples of the many ways people around the world are committed to leading change in their communities, no matter their title or position. The purpose of the project is to connect people around the globe with a common goal: to build better communities.

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Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt at his office in Oklahoma City, July 29, 2014. Picture taken July 29, 2014. REUTERS/Nick Oxford

President-elect Donald Trump is well on his way to perverting the mission of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The federal unit was expressly established to be the government advocate, not apologist for protection of the public's health and surrounding environment.

Trump has set the EPA on a course at odds with its original designation as the only voice in the executive branch exclusively dedicated to championing environmental concerns. As his initial move in aiming to mollify industrial polluters, Trump has nominated a fossil fuel-oriented, climate change-denier to head the agency. The nominee's marching orders are to emasculate the very agency he is supposed to lead, not exactly a ringing endorsement for Senate confirmation.

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President-elect Trump alleges that EPA has engaged in regulatory overkill that is undermining the economy. His directive to his nominee, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, is to roll back a host of environmental regulations, supposedly to spur job creation and energy productivity.

It is all a scam. Industry is shedding crocodile tears when it complains that environmental regulations are harming the economy. As Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., pointed out on the floor of Congress, air pollution has declined 72 percent since the 1970 enactment of the Clean Air Act, while America's gross national product has risen more than 200 percent.

Those Trump supporters who are applauding his demonization of the EPA have thus been misled. Environmental regulations are rarely responsible for job loss or plant closures. Marketplace competition, outdated equipment, and automation almost always are.

In the executive branch, the Commerce Department's basic mission is to cater to the interests of business, the Agriculture Department to focus primarily on the concerns of farmers, and the Defense Department to represent first and foremost the priorities of the military.

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As for the EPA, although it routinely considers the economic impacts of its regulations (pollution abatement does have costs), health concerns are supposed to be dominant.

Trump's road map would dispense with EPA's original calling as a firewall to protect public health. Instead, he wants Pruitt to dramatically slash the size and scope of the agency.

EPA downsizing at the behest of industry has been tried before (by President Reagan) and it ended badly. Reagan's anointed EPA administrator, Anne Gorsuch, was directed to shrink the agency and delegate most of its enforcement duties to the states. She was so intent on her assignment that she neglected the agency's fundamental obligation to protect the public against pollution threats. Public outrage ensued, and Reagan was forced to fire her and abandon his ideological crusade against the agency. The public chose not to blame Reagan for his subordinate's failings. Whether Trump would also share Reagan's "teflon" trait if his EPA machinations backfired remains to be seen.

In any event, time is of the essence in combatting climate change. Sadly, EPA under Trump is headed in the wrong direction by promoting fossil fuel instead of a gradual transition to a carbon-free economy.

Ever defiant, Trump repeatedly insists he is for crystal clear water and a pollution-free atmosphere, but given his inclinations, he is just spouting a lot of hot air.
People take part in a rally marking a 24-hours general strike in Athens on December 8, 2016. Greece's leading unions launched a general strike that shut down several key sectors in protest over planned new pay cuts and taxes called for by international creditors. Civil servants, bank staff, merchant seamen, railway workers and state-employed doctors were among professionals taking part in the 24-hour stoppage against the measures, which are scheduled to be approved by lawmakers at the weekend. / AFP / LOUISA GOULIAMAKI (Photo credit should read LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images)

The results of the Italian referendum earlier this month confirms that the European Union is facing a perpetual stress test and that the future of Europe as a social project is at stake. If Europe wants to keep right-wing populism at bay, it needs to deal with its problems head-on rather than postponing them until it's too late. The year 2008 may now be, in part, behind us, but it has led to serious political polarization both in Europe and across the globe. The explosion of social inequalities is at the foundation of this ongoing polarization -- one that is challenging traditional political forces and elites almost everywhere.

The slogan "We are the 99%" sheds some light on what is still at stake. It challenges the prevailing political discourse that suggests that the economic crisis evolved because the working population "lived beyond its means," thereby implying that workers should now learn to live with less. This conclusion goes beyond the issue of wages and extends to other areas of life: fewer rights, fewer dreams, less dignity. Greece may no longer dominate the headlines, but right now, in this country, a crucial battle is taking place for the future of the European social model. This battle concerns collective bargaining.

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If Europe wants to keep right-wing populism at bay, it needs to deal with its problems head-on.

Since 2010, several reforms in the area of collective bargaining have been introduced. The goal of these reforms was to limit the role of industry level bargaining and to create a system of decentralized bargaining by promoting collective agreements at the firm level. The adopted policy measures succeeded in the former objective but failed in the latter. The number of sectoral collective agreements dropped substantially, while the bargaining-coordination index decreased from 4.0 to 1.8. However, the number of firm level agreements signed annually did not increase and the coverage of employees by collective agreements has dropped from 80 percent to less than 40 percent. Overall, individual contracts set the employment conditions for the largest part of the working population. Collective bargaining in Greece is practically non-existent. Through a tough negotiation, the Greek government managed to include the issue of collective bargaining in the agenda of the second evaluation of its program of financial assistance. On this issue, the agreement signed by the Greek government and the European institutions clearly provide that the former is expected to bring collective bargaining in line with best practice in the EU. In an attempt to identify "best practices" with regards to employment relations, the Greek government, in cooperation with the European institutions, launched a consultation process led by a group of independent experts. In the report they submitted, one can clearly see that the two pillars of a stable bargaining system are the extension of collective agreements and the principle of favorability -- both of which are widely enforced by EU countries.

Indeed in most EU countries, industry level bargaining plays a very important role in the determination of employment relations.
Overcoming fear is essential to freedom, and in eastern Congo there is plenty to be frightened about. Millions have died in conflict over the region's vast mineral wealth. Control of mines and the slaves who work them has turned the region into one of the world's most dangerous places.

That's why anti-slavery activist Janvier Murairi Bakihanaye of the FTS partner organization ASSODIP was awarded the Roger Baldwin Medal of Liberty today in Washington by the group Human Rights First. The medal, named after the founder of the American Civil Liberties Union and the International League for Human Rights, honors "outstanding contributions to the protection and promotion of human rights around the world."

"We in the social justice sector in the United States often say that each organization has its own role to play - direct action, some do advocacy, some do education - Janvier and his colleagues do all of it, and they do it with extremely few resources in difficult and dangerous circumstances. So we have great respect for you," said Human Rights First President and CEO Elisa Massimino.

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Janvier is "a champion of human dignity," actor Josh Charles noted in a video introducing him to the 2016 Human Rights Summit. "His courageous work against slavery and other forms of exploitation has enabled people in rural communities to assert their human rights."

Janvier's group has helped FTS document widespread slavery in mining communities in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - including forced labor, child labor, sex slavery, forced marriage and child soldiering (see research reports here). ASSODIP employs the FTS Community Based Model for Fighting Slavery to help rescue people from bondage and change the economic, political and societal conditions that allow slavery to persist.

"Freeing a person from slavery is good, but the ideal is to find ways to permit them to permanently resist slavery without any vulnerabilities," Janvier told the summit when accepting his award. He called for people to join in solidarity to help end trafficking worldwide. "Anti-slavery work is a long-term task that requires a commitment on the part of all mankind. Each of us has a leading role to play in the eradication of this old, degrading and dehumanizing practice," he said.

See Janvier's group in action in the FTS short films: Slavery in Your Pocket and The Economics of Freedom.

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Janvier said he would use part of the $25,000 Baldwin Award prize to help rehabilitate and reintegrate child slavery survivors into their home communities in the town of Rubaya.

Earlier in the day, Janvier visited FTS to express gratitude for the support we've been able to provide to his group. He said he is confident that slavery will end, in no small part because we believe that ending slavery is possible.

"It is the sincere hope of Human Rights First and of the [award selection] jury that this award will afford Janvier some measure of protection, shine a spotlight on the important work that he is doing, and help engender additional support for an important cause," said attorney Daryl Libow, who chaired this year's Baldwin award selection process.

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HOAs Gone Haywire, Part III: The 411 On Everything You Need to Know About HOA and COA Board Elections



Last May, two Pike County, Pennsylvania men were convicted of HOA Board election fraud after being found guilty on numerous charges related to a scheme to fix an election in a Delaware Township private community.



Hundreds of complaints were submitted in 2015 by condo owners in Miami-Dade and Broward to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) alleging, among other things, electoral fraud in condominiums, including the discovery of at least 84 fraudulent signatures on ballots for the Board of Directors.



Reports of collusion among Board members and unscrupulous management companies to rig elections are not as rare as they should be.



While these examples seem like a script taken from a bad Lifetime movie that takes place in a gated community, problems with HOA and COA elections are common and cause all kinds of theatrics that you didn't have in mind when you first eyed that dream house.

66 million Americans and climbing currently live in common interest communities such as Homeowners' Associations, Condominium Associations, retirement communities, vacation timeshares, and gated subdivisions. Due to these rising numbers, both the benefits -- enhanced control over their environment and property values -- and the problems -- bureaucracy, legal imbroglios, unexpected expenditures, and fines for everything you can imagine -- have become a part of the American way of life.

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66 million Americans and climbing currently live in common interest communities such as Homeowners' Associations, Condominium Associations, retirement communities, vacation timeshares, and gated subdivisions. As a result, both the benefits and the problems have become a part of the American way of life.



When a common interest community, such as a gated subdivision, is built, the developer is in control of the HOA or COA -- which handles management of the neighborhood -- until 90% of the houses are closed. Then the Association is turned over to the residents, who, at that time, elect a Board of Directors whose raison d'etre is to enact and enforce provisions that protect the homeowners' investments.



Over the last two decades as the head of The Melrose Management Partnership, I have managed, on behalf of well over a thousand Associations, over 200,000 dwellings of all shapes and sizes, as well as overseen Melrose franchisees who manage numerous communities. And I can tell you the Board electoral process is vital to the ongoing stability -- not to mention the sanity -- of the Association and the neighborhood as a whole.



As I attest to in part one and two of my HOAs Gone Haywire series -- When Homeowners Association Living Goes Haywire: How To Prevent The Common Problems Of Living Under An HOA or COA and HOAs Gone Haywire, Part II: How To Avoid The Most Common Pitfalls Of HOA And COA Management -- a more informed homeowner can prevent most Association-related conflicts, imbroglios and disappointments. Just a basic understanding that, to a degree, you have to give up being king or queen of your domicile in exchange for being part of your neighborhood democracy can take you far.



The same goes for the basics of the HOA and COA electoral processes. Unfortunately, election disputes are not reserved for the national stage. But homeowners who are informed about how a healthy HOA or COA election process works can prevent most of the polarizing divisiveness, dirty politics, and downright malfeasance that mar the domestic serenity and stability that Association-managed neighborhoods are there to offer in the first place.



With that in mind, here is the 411 on how HOA and COA elections run (and are run right, rather than run into the ground):



 If you move into a neighborhood still under developer control, your vote won't count for diddly squat at first: HOAs and COAs are democracies... but not while the neighborhood is still under development. While the developer is still in control of the Association, they will have several votes per lot to the homeowners' one vote. During that period, the developer will de facto appoint the Board -- usually with his own employees -- in an effort to safeguard their investment. The process differs from state to state: in Florida, for instance, when 50% of the homes are sold, a homeowner must be placed on the Board and voted for only by other residents. This helps to facilitate the ultimate transition to a fully homeowner-run Board. When homeowner votes outnumber the developer's votes, the first democratic election by homeowners for the HOA or COA Board will take place. For HOAs in the state of Florida, this transition is required 90 days after 90% of the lots are sold.



When homeowner votes outnumber the developer's votes, the first democratic election by homeowners for the HOA or COA Board will take place.

 To run for the Board, you only need to appoint yourself: At the time of an election, the management company or Board representative will mail out notices seeking candidates for a Board position. Ultimately an odd number such as three, five or seven members sit on a Board to prevent electoral gridlock. Anyone who wants to run simply mails in their resume and bio. Note: check the CC&Rs in your community before you throw your hat in the ring -- many times only someone whose name is on the deed can run, so if that's your spouse, you're S.O.L. Also, make sure you're paid up on your fees -- if you're not in good standing the only thing you're allowed to run for is the mail box to pick up your late fee and attorney notices.

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 If you want to win, make a case: Very often the only thing your neighbors know about you will come from your resume. Focus on how your job or previous positions would translate well to serving on the Board. For example, the head of HR at a large corporation ran in a community we manage and explained how he could apply skills used in his professional life (listening to both sides of a story) to the Board and thus help resolve resident disputes.

 Run on a platform that affects everyone, not on your need to have a pool put in your front yard: The most effective candidates and Board members are those who run on their ability to make the best decisions on issues that have a positive impact on everyone's quality of life, finances, and property values. Running because you want to change a bylaw to suit your personal needs or to get back at a neighbor you have beef with turns Association-governed neighborhoods into banana republics with nothing but suburban turf wars, cliques and lawsuits.

 You don't run for a position such as President -- you run for the Board: It's often an automatic response for a homeowner to plan to run for President of the Board. One little problem with that -- offices aren't selected that way. Rather, the elections are for the director positions themselves. A meeting immediately following the election determines which director will be in which office, meaning that Board members vote amongst themselves for the individual positions.

 A Board election on the up and up follows very strict rules: Usually a management company or Board representative will send out written ballots and proxies ahead of an election with the names of those individuals that have been nominated for the Board. (A written ballot contains the homeowner's name and is used in lieu of a live vote at the meeting, while a proxy allows someone the ability to vote on the homeowner's behalf should they wish to defer their voting power.) The election itself will take place at a duly called election meeting via a ballot with the names of nominated homeowners. You also have the option to nominate yourself from the floor at the meeting. That's how it should go. Period. So keep an eye out: I once witnessed a ballot box literally being stolen by someone running for the Board, if you can believe it. Improperly held elections are serious business and should be brought to the Board's attention immediately. Should these concerns fall on "deaf ears", legal remedies are available. Remember, elections are governed by the individual community documents and by state law, so use both as a guideline.



Usually a management company or Board representative will send out written ballots and proxies ahead of an election with the names of those individuals that have been nominated for the Board.

 Board terms are usually only one year, so don't get too comfortable: Annual elections allow for change when it's needed. As in a pure democracy, if the majority is not happy with the direction of the Board, change is and should be inevitable. Sometimes Board positions are staggered to prevent complete turnover, sometimes not. Either way, an HOA or COA Board is not a dictatorship and everyone is put up on the chopping block every 12 to 24 months.
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More fake and satirical news found every day on The Political Garbage Chute.

PALUMBO, MISSISSIPPI -- Rufus Cornelius Maxwell celebrated what he called a "very special milestone" today. It was four years ago that Adam Lanza, a 20-year-old mentally disturbed man, broke into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 26 people, 20 of whom were first graders. The nation was shocked and mourned for several days while Congress even flirted with the idea of breaking their "do nothing" policy on gun violence before ultimately deciding that policy was where the country needed to be heading. Or at least that's the story Rufus says the "lamestream, liberal, fake news media" wants us all to believe.

"Today marks four years since I've been a Sandy Hook truther," Rufus told reporters at a press conference outside his Mississippi single-wide trailer home, "and that's four solid years of knowing the truth, the whole truth, and being brave enough to be labeled a douchebag for it."

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Mr. Maxwell says that he believes the Sandy Hook massacre was actually a "false flag" perpetrated by "nefarious government agent" in order to scare Americans into giving up their firearms. Maxwell claims to have seen "several convincing photos on the Internet" and "several even more convincing photoshops on 4Chan and Stormfront" that indicate many of the people claiming to have lost their children in the grotesque and savage attack on the school are "just fakers and crisis actors."

"There was that one woman crying her eyes out, everyone knows that picture," Rufus said, "but how come she was all balling her eyes out on that day, but then the never next day another woman was photographed all smiling and shit? That seems fishy. Sure, the pictures were taken in two different states, but both women have hair and boobies. So I'd say the burden of proof is on you to prove to me they're NOT the same women."

Over the course of the four years since the Sandy Hook attack, or "alleged attack" as he puts it, Rufus said that he'd been called a "douchebag" or some form of it "at least a couple hundred times."

"As soon as someone finds out I don't believe Sandy Hook was a real shooting," Rufus said, "outcomes the douchebag word. I've been called some variation of a douchebag at least a couple hundred times. The most common variant is of course, 'you fucking scumbag asshole douchbag.' That's probably my favorite."

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Some reporters asked Rufus if there was any evidence he could potentially see that would change his mind. Autopsy photos of the young victims were suggested, or perhaps crime scene photos. Mr. Maxwell shook his head emphatically.

"Nothing, nothing at all will change my mind," Rufus said, "I believe what I believe and it's my God given right to believe it no matter how many so-called facts are presented to me otherwise. All this talk of fake news? Well, there's a whole big group of us that considers anything we don't believe fake, and for me it all started that fateful day four years ago when our country's government decided to perpetrate a false flag attack on our sacred right to own pew-pew shooters."

As he was leaving to go back inside, one of Maxwell's neighbors saw him, recognized him, and shouted out to him.

"Good morning, Rufus, you fucking scumbag asshole douchebag! When are you going to move," the man asked.
Would longtime Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson make the most inappropriate Secretary of State in American history?

Make no mistake. T-Rex would have one key mission: rescue the oil industry from near extinction following rising global awareness of climate change.

In 2012, Vladimir Putin was quoted saying to Tillerson, "Mr. Tillerson, I am very happy to see you... This is already our second meeting in a short span of time and there is a good explanation for this: increasingly close relations are being forged between your company and Russian market players." (Bloomberg News)

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It would be unprecedented to have a US Secretary of State who is in the same social circle as and a former business partner of Russian oligarchs.

Mr. Trump would do well to acknowledge that what distinguishes America from the Russian oligarchy is the absence of oligarchs in the highest offices in the nation. Like Trump, Putin was elected. Putin's appointment of oligarchs to government posts consolidated the oligarchy.

Mr Tillerson's appointment as the face of America abroad and fourth in line for the presidency threatens to turn America into a Russian-style oligarchy over night. That's why it's doubtful Senator John McCain and his allies in the US Senate will allow Tillerson to take office.

Tillerson holds about $240 million in Exxon stock. He must divest to participate in decisions, since Exxon's interests are impacted by almost all foreign policy. But in the Trump Age who knows if Tillerson will.

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With a $69 milllion pension, as well, Tillerson cannot truly extricate himself from his former employer.

Tillerson is the global oil executive with the longest tenure, 40 years. My nonprofit consumer group, Consumer Watchdog, has run into him time and again.

He's famously denied climate change pubicly and propogandized against it, while secretly telling shareholders the company would prepare for its ravages, such as moving refineries out of flood zones.

Exxon has been a world wide oil villain under T-Rex's reign from its misconduct following the Exxon Valdez spill to the recent failures at its Torrance refinery that led to a massive explosion and 18 months of downtime resulting in a $10 billion profit-taking from California drivers. Exxon has ignored federal subpoenas in the Torrance explosion, and its mismanagement and lack of cooperation is noted by federal regulators and US Congressional Representative Ted Lieu. Exxon kept a tanker with California gasoline idle in Singapore, which artificially inflated California gas prices.

Tillerson opposed President Obama's sanctions against Russia following the annexation of Crimea because it scuttled a $1 billion deal Exxon had with Russia's oil company.

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The symbol Tillerson's confirmation would send to the world is that an oil industry once in danger of extinction due to global consciousness about climate change will be set for a revival. US foreign policy is likely to follow geological opportunities for oil drilling expansion rather than the principles of a peaceful and stable world that has largely guided US foreign policy since World War II and the birth of the United Nations.
In a ironic twist, a billboard promoting atheism has prompted a Colorado Springs radio host to attack the religion of Islam.

Demonstrating the same brazen bigotry of KNUS host Peter Boyles, not to mention Trump, KVOR 740-AM host Richard Randall said Thursday that if atheists have a "problem with religion," they should after Islam.

Without acknowledging how un-Christian he was sounding, Randall said he'd respect atheists a "whole heck of a lot more" if they put up a billboard saying, "skip Ramadan this time of year," and telling Muslims "they should abandon their religion."

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Christians, he said, are "a great bunch of people to pick on. Why? Because they are Christians."

"Why would our religion [Christianity] irritate somebody?" asked Randall on air, suggesting that the atheists should have spotlighted Islam instead of a Christian holiday. "We're not the religion throwing people off of buildings if they are gay. We're not beheading people."

"If they have a problem with religion, why don't they start there [with Islam]?" Randall asked, failing to note any distinction between Islamic militants and the vast majority of people who practice the religion of Islam.

A caller said atheists spotlight Christmas because they aren't "familiar with the Muslim religion [sic]"

The billboard, sponsored by the American Atheists and located along I25 in CO Springs, reads, "Atheist Christmas, The More the Merrier." It also features a series of texts, made to appear like they were sent by teenagers, stating:

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"U going to church this Xmas?" "LoL. No way. I don't believe that stuff anymore." "What'll your parents say??" "They'll get over it. :-P"

A caller suggested the billboard, which is protected by free speech, should be removed by the government because it's distracting drivers. It's a safety issue, she said.

The bigotry of talk radio hosts would be bad enough if we didn't have a bigot president-elect who's proposed creating a Muslim registry. But since we do, we need to be ready to respond if Randall, Boyles, Trump, or anyone else in these hateful times goes after our Muslim neighbors.
The skills gap is a significant hurdle to growth for most businesses in the United States. And while this gap is well documented in sectors like manufacturing, which had 353,000 open jobs per month on average in 2016 (through August), it is not as well known that small employers face a similar shortage of well-qualified workers.

As with many economic challenges, the dearth of workers with adequate credentialing and training disproportionately hurts small businesses, which don't have the same resources as large corporations when it comes to spending on recruitment. This problem also significantly impacts our economy; small businesses are responsible for about two-thirds of all new jobs. Small employers with fewer than 50 workers created 37,000 jobs in November 2016 alone--up from a steady 34,000 in both September and October. As our nation's job creators, if small businesses can't find the right candidates to open positions, this hurts our workforce and our economy overall.

A new scientific poll of small business owners from Small Business Majority shows the extent to which the skills gap is a problem for small firms. The survey found that 29 percent of small business owners say their employees have insufficient credentials. As a result, these under-credentialed workers are not promoted, which can cause them to lose interest in their jobs. And when asked about hiring new employees, more than one-third of small business owners say finding candidates with the right qualifications is a problem for their business.

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Addressing the skills gap is a major undertaking, but one that small business owners are unafraid to tackle. Some small employers already offer their employees opportunities for additional education, training or certification outside their businesses, while others say they offer their employees chances to bolster their credentials within their businesses.

Small business owners also want to create better training opportunities by teaming up with schools--most say they are in favor of partnering with organizations that coordinate with educational institutions or other organizations in order to provide job training and placement. The majority of small employers also say they support working within their industry to develop local training programs.

Taking these sorts of steps has paid dividends for many small business owners.

"After years of finding that employment candidates who looked great on paper often lacked the skills needed to succeed in my business, I started offering a training program," said Ted Milner, owner of Executive Temps in Burbank, Calif. "These programs are critical to small businesses in the long run. When you hammer home a particular skill set, employees feel more confident in their work and have a better understanding of the job they need to do, which improves your bottom line."

A vast 81 percent of small business owners who offer credentialing opportunities to their employees say these programs are good for their bottom line. It should come as no surprise, then, that a majority of business owners say they allow their employees to work flexible schedules in order to accommodate additional training. But that isn't the only incentive some employers support in order to increase employee credentialing: more than half of small business owners say they're willing to subsidize worker training themselves, while two-thirds say they're willing to reward employees who gain new skills or certifications through pay increases or promotions.



Addressing the skills gap is vital to our economy, and small businesses are a big part of the solution. Small employers already support the steps needed to make a difference, such as apprenticeships, on-the-job training programs and more.

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For any company active in the global trade in timber products, soy, palm oil, or cattle products, deforestation is a critical business issue - whether they know it or not. The production of these forest-risk commodities can contribute to habitat loss, greenhouse gas emissions and social conflict - resulting in direct and supply chain exposures for traders and customers alike.

Companies too are slowly, but surely, moving to recognize deforestation-risk as a business priority. CDP's forests program asks companies on an annual basis to detail information about their efforts to understand, assess and manage deforestation-related business risks.

This year we had responses from over 200 companies, up from 180 in 2015, including Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge and Cargill (who make up three of the four so-called 'ABCD' global commodity trading giants), the three largest slaughterhouses in Brazil and big-name brands from Nestle to Starbucks.

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Our role at CDP is to hold up the mirror for the private sector so we can reflect back to the market data that will guide decision-making. To that end, we analyzed the wealth of data from this year's disclosures with one overarching question in mind: Will companies whose business activities continue to drive deforestation be commercially viable in future?

CDP's data suggests that no, companies can no longer afford to keep buying and selling products that continue to contribute to the destruction of the world's forests. Here are five reasons why:

1.Revenue is at risk

CDP's data shows that a substantial share of annual corporate turnover is dependent on commodities responsible for deforestation. Companies report that, on average nearly a quarter of company revenues (24%) depend upon the four agricultural commodities they reported on. We estimate that up to US$906 billion in annual turnover could be at risk for publicly listed companies. Companies rely on this income to drive future growth. However, by failing to address deforestation-risks within their supply chains, companies will be leaving a significant tranche of their revenue at risk from supply chain shocks.

2.Impacts can ripple through supply chains

Supply chains are like rows of dominoes: if unsustainable commodities enter the top of a supply chain, the effects can cascade throughout. As Associated British Foods Plc notes in its disclosure to CDP, "In the commodity world, segregated supply chains are physically challenging and become commercially challenging when the next supply chain player has a slow awareness of the issues at play."

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Conversely, failures downstream in terms of weak procurement or lax standards can have ripple effects higher up the supply chain, by removing incentives for producers, processors and traders to ensure the sustainability of their operations or immediate suppliers. As Dunkin' Brands group Inc. says, "by requiring our palm oil suppliers to comply with our sustainable palm oil sourcing guidelines, we are helping influence the market and demand for sustainable palm oil."

3.Investors are putting companies under the spotlight

A growing number of investors want to know what companies are doing to address deforestation within the supply chain, in order to reduce risk in their portfolios. This year, 365 investors, over a fifth more than in 2015, with a total of US$22 trillion in assets asked companies to disclose this information via CDP.

Through shareholder resolutions, investors are also calling for reporting on deforestation management practices. In 2016, global commodity traders ADM and Bunge have disclosed through CDP's forests program after two were filed against them by the Investor Network on Climate Change a year ago.

Investors also continue to drop companies linked to deforestation. Earlier in March, Norway's Government Pension Fund Global, the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, divested from 11 companies over deforestation concerns .

And don't expect investor action to slow down: Our We Mean Business coalition partners Ceres have joined forces with the UN Principles for Responsible Investment to help mobilize institutional investor action on this critical financial challenge. This new investor group seeks to engage with food and timber companies in particular to ensure they are eliminating deforestation.

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The Global Canopy Programme's new Forest 500 results also provide evidence that investor policies are moving to recognize deforestation risk. Nearly a quarter of financial institutions in its sample of forests 'powerbrokers' have policies that apply to one or more forest-risk commodities. Overall, the Forest 500 report concludes that strong policies from a small number of leading financial institutions are yet to be matched by their peers and client/investee companies. This is certainly one part of the wider challenge that must be addressed if the private sector is to get its act together in time to end deforestation.



4.The stigma around deforestation can impact brand value

Deforestation risk within commodity supply chains is real, and the lack of its management is influencing the perceptions customers have of global companies. Sourcing from suppliers breaching agreements to halt deforestation or having illegal material entering supply chains can damage brand value through knock-on reputational impacts, manifesting themselves as consumer boycotts, community opposition, and increased regulatory scrutiny.

For example, towards the end of 2013/beginning of 2014, a Greenpeace campaign was launched against Delhaize Group pressuring the company to commit to deforestation-free palm oil beyond sourcing RSPO certified material. This was picked up by a significant number of media channels, resulting in damage to the Group's brand value - according to their disclosure to CDP's forests program. Additionally, a number of companies including Colgate-Palmolive, Croda International and Golden Agri-Resources, cite a potential reduction in revenue as a result of company brand damage. Danone reports 'the unsustainable sourcing of timber could be associated with deforestation in some regions. This association can damage brand value and drive consumer purchasing decisions."

5.Companies who fail to embrace sustainability risk being left behind

In the last 18 months, two crucial international agreements have sketched out the framework for a global economy that is more environmentally and socially sustainable: The Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. As a result, business has an increasingly crucial role to play in addressing the sustainability challenges the world faces to align with these initiatives.

Companies that do not take action, will not be able to seize on the opportunities that producing or sourcing sustainable commodities represents. Take for example manufacturers and retailers that do not work with their suppliers - they are able to recognize 59% less opportunities than those who do. Similarly, companies that do not have board level oversight are able to recognize 19% less opportunities than those who do.

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The North Pole: Goodyear Satire Co.--

Continuing a string of inexplicable appointments to important positions, Donald Trump today hired the Easter Bunny to replace Santa Claus as the symbol of Christmas cheer.

"Santa Claus has been Santa for far too long," explained President-Elect Donald Trump. "He's gained a massive amount of weight, and the constant "Ho Ho Ho-ing' is just too much. 'Santa... you're fired!'"

Santa won't be the same with floppy ears instead of a fluffy beard but Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kellyanne Conway promises kids will have fun anyway. "They'll be able to ask the Christmas Bunny for gifts their parents can't afford, just like always," she said sweetly. "That's the real meaning of Christmas."

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This latest odd Trump choice follows several other unusual cabinet selections by the billionaire businessman. Oil executives are heading the Energy and State Departments, and a climate change denier has been appointed Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency.

"And now this," said Santa. "I had all sorts of toys for girls and boys that taught them about renewable energy, and climate change and how we could stop it," he said, "But now none of those toys will be delivered."

Santa is headed to northern California. "The thing I'll miss most is tending my vegetable garden," said Santa. "All sorts of things grow here now because of all the runoff from the melting polar ice cap. Its only melting because of climate change."

"And they've gone and appointed a rabbit to be in charge of my carrots and lettuce. It's like they've got some ulterior motive," he said through his full beard. "It's almost like Donald Trump didn't win the election, Big Oil did."

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The former Mrs. Claus is generally pleased with the change. "The downside is that all this new oil drilling under the Arctic ocean has the reindeer spooked," she said."Its not just ExxonMobil, its the Russians, and Trump Oil, and Trump Drillers, and the new Trump Motel 6 and all the other companies that are staking their claims."

"And there are pictures of Vladimir Putin everywhere, but all you see of Donald Trump is his name on everything," she said. "Its like Putin is the leader of the leader of the free world."

"The upside to all this is the bunny," Mrs. Claus said, "Get him in the sack, and he just doesn't stop."

This fable has been updated.
Corroded pipelines, used for land reclamation, on a beach. Holland

As we prepare to say goodbye to President Obama during his final few months left in office, I ask you, Mister President, what will your legacy be?

Will history remember you as the president who promised to "have the backs" of the Native America People, and kept his word? A president who saved our water from being poisoned that made a final stand to put our citizens before corporate profit? Will you be remembered as a great defender of the American people and justice?

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Or will you be remembered in history as the man who could have stood up and said something, done something--when it was not only morally imperative, but your responsibility--and chose not to?

President Obama, you MUST go and make a stand for the people of Standing Rock; immediately.

You must speak up. You must show up.

You must for the people who are out there right now, in sub zero temperatures fighting to keep our water clean and protect sacred earth. You Must make a stand for every American who values clean drinking water; not only for themselves, but for their children. And you Must make a stand against the human rights violations, and violent atrocities that are happening right under your nose, to your American people, by our own police...on your watch.

Your silence is deafening; the shame and disgrace that hovers over you and stains this country, is growing by the minute.

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Mr. Obama, the people are watching...the world is watching, and quite frankly, we are getting tired of waiting.

While our brave citizens, most of whom are Native Americans--were being sprayed with fire hoses in sub zero temperatures, shot in the face with rubber bullets, pepper sprayed, dragged, beaten and arrested for peaceful prayer and protest; we watched as you smiled for cameras and pardoned two turkeys on Thanksgiving Day.

I watched some video footage of the White House Christmas party you hosted a day ago, with your beautiful family, which would be really heartwarming, if we didn't know that there were people being strip searched, battered and beaten, freezing who could possibly die, just on the other side of the country. No amount of gingerbread or Christmas lights will distract us from the stench of shame and injustice that hovers over our nation at the moment, and I am not feeling very festive. We will not look away.

This peaceful assembly has been going on for over eight months now. The people have been fighting to protect our water, which is something that you should be doing.

Remember Flint, Michigan? I do. So do the parents whose children drank our poisoned water.

We really don't want our kids drinking poisoned water, so, I think it's a pretty good idea to try to have stuff like that not keep happening. Perhaps you weren't aware of the fact that in the last five years, our country has experienced over 3,300 pipeline "incidents" of leakage into our waters and soil. http://www.foreffectivegov.org/blog/map-displays-five-years-oil-pipeline-spillsThis happened on your watch.

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Is leaving behind a legacy of toxic water for our children, something you're cool with? Because, that is what people will remember. We will remember that you had a choice: our children, our people, what little sacred land our Native Americans have left that wasn't stolen from them--or corporate greed. That should not be a difficult decision.

This has gone far beyond an environmental issue, this is a humanitarian and moral crisis, one which requires immediate leadership, from our president, to intervene and end.

Mr. Obama, at one point, I believed that perhaps moving some oil around in the United States might be better than the sinister relationship we have with the Middle East. Imagine my dismay when I learned that although Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, has said that this oil will "support 100% domestic consumption" I find it troubling that they also lobbied Congress to to have a 40 year ban on crude oil exports lifted last December...and won. We do not have history on our side that corporations will put people before profits, and so we look to you, to stand for us...because our policy makers simply have not.

It seems very much, as evidenced by ETP 10k filings and notes that are public record, https://theintercept.com/2016/09/01/dakota-access-export/ that this pipeline will not serve the public interest, yet we will suffer the consequences and pay the price for generations to come as our water is compromised, and our children get sick. Who is protecting us? Who is protecting our Native Americans, who have been pushed around, slaughtered, stolen from, and denied basic civil rights? Our government has failed us, again.

Where are you, Mr. Obama? What do you stand for and who do you stand with? You are either on the side of justice and truth, or you are on the side of corporate greed. Plain and simple.

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I know that admitting the latter sounds shameful, but as time passes, the people will come to their own conclusion and the truth always finds its way. I urge you not to leave behind this disgrace of a legacy. We will not forget.

Americans are opening their wallets and hearts to try to help keep these peaceful warriors warm and help with basic survival needs, while our government does nothing. Millions of Americans are speaking out and taking a stand, while our government sits in cowardly and complicit silence. Our brave veterans, have organized by the thousands to self deploy and stand with our protesters; to stand up to a militarized police, and the horrific injustice of nothing short of using unnecessary excessive force, violence and assault, on peaceful unarmed Native Americans and citizens. Our government is even trying to block journalists from reporting the TRUTH, under the guise of "protection from the elements" a "state of emergency evacuation".

Is that some kind of joke? The Native Americans have braved the elements for centuries, it is the people they have to worry about...not snow. Journalists report from war torn countries, I don't think they need your "snow protection". What needs protection is free speech, the right to peaceful protest, and their lives from the thugs in police uniforms and riot gear out there with guns aimed at them...all in the name of "protection".

This is all happening on your watch. How can you look away?

I ask, how, on any level, is this even partially acceptable to you? How can you sleep at night seeing the images coming out of Standing Rock? Is your heart not brave enough, your moral sense not strong enough, to in these final hours of your presidency, STAND UP and SPEAK UP for what is right, and denounce what is wrong? How can you, not only as our leader, but as an American, a father and a human being, live with yourself for not doing or saying...anything?

In 2008, I stood up for you. I stood out in the freezing rain in New York, seven months pregnant, for eight hours at a time, asking people on the streets to vote for you. I stood up and drove to Pennsylvania while I was nursing a newborn, to knock on doors asking people to vote for you. I was a maxed out donor. I made videos asking people to vote for you, while my little brother served in Iraq. I did this, because when you used the word "Hope" I thought that you meant it, and I believed in you. I believed you when you said that you would fight for us.

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You are not the man I stood up for right now; but you can be. You can stop this.

We all know the history of General Custer and his "last stand" in the Battle of Little Big Horn against the Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne Indians. It is a shameful stain on the history of the United States, and as we know, it did not end well for General Custer. What a great opportunity this is, to add a new chapter to our history, by seeing our President make a last stand--with dignity, strength and moral purpose. As a protector, not a thief...as a hero, not a coward. A new "last Stand" for the people of the United States, for our Native Americans, and for justice.

I am pleading with you, Mister President, to show the world, during these dark days, that the United States of America protects its people, protects sacred land, and protects its resources. To show the world that the United States finds the abuse of power and violence against peaceful protest not only unacceptable...but morally reprehensible.

I am urging you, Mr. Obama, to save yourself from the disgrace

and shame of letting even one more minute of this atrocity, happen on your watch while you sit in silence. Please show the world, and show our country, that we still stand for things that matter. We need it now, more than ever.

Or perhaps you will be remembered as fondly as General Custer, which is to say, not fondly at all.
Twice in less than two decades the majority vote in a presidential election was overruled by the math of the Electoral College. The Founding Fathers created the electoral college to make sure that voters in concentrated urban areas would not be able to neglect the concerns of the rural population. But many people believe that the concept of democracy is undermined when a President is put into office without gaining majority support from the voters.

A group called National Popular Vote has a proposed National Popular Vote bill that would guarantee the presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. And it does not require a Constitutional Amendment. Steve Silberstein, a successful businessman, co-founder of the computer software company Innovative Interfaces Inc. (one of the world's largest suppliers of computer systems to libraries), and Board member of National Popular Vote, answered my questions about their proposal.

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What was the problem the electoral college was intended to fix?

The Founding Fathers did not want the Congress to choose the President (they did not want a Parliamentary system), so they asked the state legislatures to do so. The electoral college turns over the selection of the President to the individual state legislators, who appoint electors that they think represent the interests of their individual states.

Do any other countries have a similar system?



Not that I am aware of. And no state or City or County in this country has a similar system, i.e. where, for example, the winner of the vote in each individual county forces ALL the votes in that county to be counted for just one candidate.

Who are the electors? Are they legally or morally obligated to vote according to the results in their state?

Electors are appointed who the legislature thinks represent the interests of their state. I think the laws are different in each state as to how committed the electors are to do what they indicated they would do when they were selected for appointment.

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What is your proposal and how much progress have you made?

The irony is that appointing electors who vote for the winner of that state's popular vote for President is that the President does not pay any attention whatsoever to the interests of that state, except in the case of the few battleground states (chiefly Ohio and Florida). This is because for most states the outcome of the popular vote is well known even before the candidates start their campaign. The way to make the Presidential candidates pay attention to the state is to make them campaign for every vote in every state, not just the votes of the citizens of Ohio and Florida. The state can accomplish this goal by awarding its electoral votes to the candidate who gets the most votes in the country, not the person who gets the most votes in that state.

Eleven states, with a total of 165 Electoral College votes have realized this, and passed a law to give their votes to the national winner (as soon as a few more states do so, so that the total of 270 electoral college votes are committed to do so), and in this way they are forcing the candidates and the President to pay attention to the needs of, and campaign in, their state, instead of the candidates spending all their time and attention on the few battleground states, i.e. mostly Ohio and Florida.

Why should electors vote contrary to the voters they represent?



They should vote in the interests of the voters in their state, which as explained above, is done when they (ironically) vote for the national winner.

Should we amend the Constitution to eliminate the electoral college?

Absolutely not. The point of the electoral college is to have the states choose the President in the manner that they decide is in their best interests. The Electoral College allows them to do so, It does not require that the state vote for the person who got the most votes in the state if it is decided that there is a better way to get the President to pay attention to the interests of their state, which is what happens (ironically) when the state votes for the national winner. Voting for the national winner forces the candidates to campaign all over, just like

How is your proposal better than a Constitutional amendment?

It preserves state sovereignty, the intentions of the Founders, and if for some reason it turns out there needs to be an adjustment, a state can easily change its law. If it were done with a constitutional amendment it would be locked into stone.

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If the President is selected by nationwide popular vote, won't the rural states suffer the neglect that the non-battleground states face today?

Rural states are NOW neglected by the system. Candidates simply don't go there or pay any attention to them.

Which states are likely to agree to your proposal before the next Presidential election

Any state among the 40 or 45 non-battleground states could easily agree to this before the next Presidential election.

Is this a partisan issue?
I'm trying to recall when I first heard the term Girl Boss.

Certainly it reached the heights of popularity when Sophia Amoruso published her book two years ago. At the time, I lined up to buy it like every other self-respecting, self-taught female entrepreneur. Reading her story was inspiring and motivational and I honestly, didn't give much thought to the title because I was so fired up to read what was inside.

But then I started to see the term (and subsequent off-shoots) everywhere... #GirlBoss #BossBabe #EntrepreneHER. Women of every age and background picked up the moniker and ran with it. It became a popular trend on social media that still hasn't died down. It's part of the vernacular now it's tossed around conferences; a title that young women in entrepreneurial studies program aspire to.

And it makes my blood boil.

I want to stand on a soap box and rant, but instead, I start by asking a question. When I speak in their classrooms or keynote their conferences I ask those young women this. I ask them if they know what it means to qualify something. Not because I'm trying to impress them with my business acumen (if anything the very fact that they're attending a college course at all means they're likely better prepared for this work than I am). I ask because when I was younger, I don't think I would have stopped to consider this pet name for women like me. I would never have questioned what a hashtag might say about women in business as a whole. In one class and conference after another only a handful of people respond in the affirmative. And so I read the definition aloud:



qualify (kwol-fi)

v. qualified, qualifying, qualifies

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a. To modify, limit, or restrict, as by listing exceptions or reservations

b. To make less harsh or severe; moderate

My husband is a high-level executive at one of the largest media companies on the planet. He leads a worldwide team of more people than I can keep track of. He worked his way up from an assistant with drive and determination. He is a badass in business, ask anyone who knows him. He's also never --not one single time-- had someone give him a label for the work he does based on his gender.

To qualify the term boss by adding girl or babe or honey or pink or whatever other ridiculous, antiquated-gender role assignment the media thinks is cute this month, is at the least disrespectful and at the worst, damaging to the way young women view themselves and our fight for equality in the business world. And the worst part is? WOMEN ARE THE ONES WHO ARE PERPETRATING THIS! Women are the ones who are stamping this label on stationary and t-shirts and pinnable quotes, all under the guise that it's helpful and inspiring to a younger generation.

You're right, owning or running a company or a team is inspiring to a younger generation and if our daughters have the courage and grit to pick up that baton, don't belittle their efforts by saying it's pretty good, for a girl. We don't call them, "Girl Doctors" or "Girl Lawyers" or "Girl democratic nominee for President of the United States of America." Those positions were hard-fought to achieve and they demand respect... so does this.

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Also, while we're here, if we're going to choose a term, why, why would we choose the term girl?? We couldn't even go with woman? We had to choose something small and childish and immature? Ugh! Come on you guys, we can do better.

Being a boss has been one of the greatest privileges and challenges and of my life. Being a boss takes guts and tenacity. Being a boss takes hustle and strength. Getting to the level of boss takes hard work --often times, harder than our male counterpoint because in many industries we're fighting our way into a boys club. You might call that kind of person a rebel, a rogue, a leader but there's nothing girly about it.
In 2015 CVA introduced the Veterans Independence Act that would, in their words, turn VA into an "independent, government-chartered nonprofit corporation." Much of the plan relies on increasing the ability of veterans to use private hospitals and then tacking on co-pays and deductibles for that choice.

Essentially, the Veterans Health Administration, one of the largest health care networks in the country, would be split into two organizations: one that deals with health insurance and another--an independent nonprofit government corporation separate from Veterans Affairs--that oversees VA health facilities.



Veterans enrolled in the VA health-care system would still be eligible for free VA health care, but would also have the option of choosing private health care with co-pays and deductibles. Future veterans would have to use the new system and be subject to cost-sharing depending on their level of disability or financial need, but lowest-need veterans would not be included in the program. According to reputable Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs), such a system would create even further obstacles.



These VSOs who, unlike CVA, represent millions of our nation's veterans, have repeatedly warned that these proposals would decimate veterans' health care and create unnecessary financial burdens on veterans. "The protections veterans now have in the VA system, particularly when health care goes awry, do not exist in the private sector," explained Paralyzed Veterans of America deputy executive director Sherman Gillums Jr. "Privatizing health care for veterans will create a cottage industry for ambulance chasers who will be the only available option for veterans with medical malpractices cases."



VA Secretary McDonald, a proven business leader and true agent of change, added his voice to the dissent saying, "There is an important role for outside care in the veteran health model to supplement VA's own care, but that role should not diminish or obscure the importance of VA's health care system. Reforming VA health care cannot be achieved by dismantling it and preventing veterans from receiving the specialized care and services that can only be provided by VA."



CVA was successful in turning their plan into legislation in June 2016 by convincing Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers to introduce the cleverly-titled Caring for Our Heroes in the 21st Century Act. The proposal was met with fierce opposition from the VSOs. The American Legion said the plan would "spawn a host of billion-dollar federal contractors, private medical enterprises, and cottage-industry opportunists," and The Veterans of Foreign Wars proclaimed in an action alert that "politicians, pundits, and politically-motivated organizations are using the national crisis in access to care at the Department of Veterans Affairs as justification to dismantle and privatize the VA health care system...the VFW says no!"



It has become very clear that CVA neither speaks for the nations' veterans nor accepts the massive transformation that VA is undergoing. Streamlined systems, updated technology, more doctors and nurses, and a push for transparency and accessibility are real, measurable successes in the current VA. But despite all this--not to mention their various claims to the contrary--CVA has made privatization of VA the top priority of their communications firm.



President Elect Trump will send a clear signal when he selects his nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs. My ask of the President Elect is simple: Will you listen to the millions of veteran voices that real VSOs actually represent, or will you be suckered by a few well-paid "mouthpieces" of a communications firm on the leash of the very special interests you promised to reject in your campaign?



The VA is making irrefutable progress, and we owe it to our veterans to continue to build upon that progress. That means saying no to the likes of CVA.
By Crystal Grant and Rachel Osman for ShermansTravel

How does a $49 flight to the Caribbean sound? Or a $99 flight to Europe? These ultra-affordable fares are available as part of Norwegian Air Shuttle's recently-launched holiday sale. All flights offered are non-stop.

Fly from Baltimore, Boston, and Fort Lauderdale to the French Caribbean destinations of Martinique and Guadeloupe for just $49. Other departure cities including New York are available from just $20 more. Flights departing from JFK airport to Oslo start at just $99. Other options include Boston to London for $96, San Francisco to Stockholm for $139, and Los Angeles to Paris for $175.

So what's the catch? These rock-bottom fares only apply to the first leg of the trip. The return flight costs more. So, for example, if you're flying from Boston to Martinique in January, your departure flight will cost $49, but your returning flight will cost $129. This raises the total, round-trip fare to $178 -- still an amazing deal for a flight to the Caribbean, for sure, but it's something you should be aware of when you book.

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Also, keep in mind that budget-focused Norwegian Air Shuttle keeps ticket prices low by charging extra for baggage, reserved seats, and food. So make sure you do the math to make sure you're really getting a great deal.

This sale ends on December 15, and fares are subject to availability.
By Stuart H. Shapiro and LeRoy Goldman

The most important question facing Donald Trump is whether he has the vision and the courage to serve as president of all Americans, as he proclaimed during his victory speech, or whether he will take the path of both his immediate predecessors and serve only the half of America that elected him. That choice is monumentally difficult. You only have to look at the recent protests across America to witness the fear, anger, and dismay of those who won't accept the result of a free election that dealt them a surprising and profound loss.

What Trump chooses to do right out of the gate will set the tone for all that comes after. If he's going to go big, as he likes to do, then he's got to start big - and nothing is bigger than Obamacare.

President Obama chose, unwisely, at the outset of his administration to embark upon health-care reform. By jamming a bill through the House and Senate without careful consideration of the specifics of the legislation, he and the Democrats in Congress were both naive and unwise, and they paid dearly for it. Their tunnel vision cost them the House in 2010 and the Senate in 2014. Since then, Obamacare has torn the nation in half. It has become a rallying cry for the right and a symbol of progressivism for the left. On Nov. 8, its chickens came home to roost on the White House lawn.

The Obama administration's assumptions about its costs and enrollment in Obamacare have been wildly wrong. The legislation is named the Affordable Care Act, and it's anything but that for those who have to pay for it. Today, it teeters on the brink of collapse as premiums skyrocket and insurance companies flee its marketplace.

The Republicans, for their part, have been just as unwise and bullheaded. The House has voted symbolically more than 25 times to repeal Obamacare, all to no avail. The Senate expended considerable energy and used the arcane budget reconciliation procedure to get a repeal bill on Obama's desk, knowing full well that he would veto it.

Now, with the election of Trump, most Republicans are licking their chops for revenge wanting to light a bonfire fueled by the thousands of pages of Obamacare. If Trump buys into that mean-spirited strategy, he will sacrifice his chance to be a transformational president. He must chart a different and better course.

What is to be done? Here are the essential elements that Trump and Tom Price, the nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, must make part of a of a bipartisan solution: Terminate the Obamacare mandate that forces Americans to enroll in it. Terminate the program's tax penalties. Abolish the crumbling exchanges. Authorize insurance companies to sell policies across state lines. Expand health savings accounts. Enact tort reform. Allow young people up to age 26 to remain on their parents' policies. Don't let insurance companies deny coverage to people with preexisting conditions. Deem eligible for Medicaid anyone now covered under Obamacare if they cannot find or afford coverage in the private marketplace. These policies would hold harmless the 21 million people now covered by Obamacare.

After developing the broad outlines of this plan, Trump needs to explain it to the nation in a prime time address. Then he must take congressional leaders and key committee chairmen, from both sides, to Camp David. He and Price can present their plan, say they are open to improvements, stressing the need for bipartisanship, and make clear that the helicopters back to Capitol Hill will not be available until a deal has been reached. That was the bipartisan way the legislative process worked when each of us led the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Health, and how it needs to work today.

If the new president does that, a new day dawns in Washington, one that is long overdue, and one that will be welcomed by the vast majority of the American people, no matter whom they voted for on Election Day. Indeed, if successful, Trump would prove that he is a master deal maker in the league with Lyndon Johnson, Tip O'Neill, Ronald Reagan, and Ted Kennedy.

Stuart H. Shapiro is a former Philadelphia health commissioner. shapirostu@gmail.com

LeRoy Goldman is a former associate director at the National Institutes of Health. tks12no12@gmail.com

Both served as leaders of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Health
This piece was co-authored with Sachin Maini, a research fellow at Day One Insights

On July 6 of this year, Minnesota resident Philando Castile was pulled over for a broken tail light in what should have been a routine traffic stop. In the front passenger seat was his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds. As the officer approached Mr. Castile from the driver side, something went horribly awry. He was shot four times in the arms and side.

With an astonishing presence of mind, Ms. Reynolds took out her phone and began to broadcast the harrowing moments that followed via Facebook Live in a 10-minute stream, which quickly went viral. By noon the next day the video had been viewed over 3.2 million times on her page with Mr. Castile having died, the officer being charged for manslaughter, and the nation reeling in shock.

The Philando Castile shooting was not unprecedented as an event on its own. Similar incidents have happened before, without national attention. A familiar pattern tends to emerge in the aftermath, with two differing narratives on what happened relayed to an indifferent public, a grieving family caught in the inefficient machinery of the legal system, and a return to business as usual.

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The intensity of the public's reaction to the shooting, on the other hand, was unprecedented. It was one of the most emotionally evocative moments for our country in a year that was already awash with emotive shootings. This incident stood out because of the way it was transmitted. Watching Mr. Castile take his final breaths (in real time) was so compelling, the raw footage so unforgettable, and Ms. Reynold's pain and terror so palpable, that the unjust death of a single citizen was transformed from a local tragedy into a national moment of reflection.

And this, in a nutshell, is the power of Facebook's new live-streaming platform: Facebook Live. Facebook Live allows users to "go live" whenever they want, easily and conveniently. They don't need anyone's permission, nor do they need special equipment to start broadcasting. All they do need is their phone and internet connection. With no technical knowledge whatsoever, users can share their surroundings in high-definition to the most relevant people in their lives.

This is a powerful combination, and Facebook is betting their future that it will revive flagging user engagement. That may prove to be a wise gambit if Facebook can bring to bear its most powerful resource: the depth of their social graph, a vast network of users that includes a huge chunk of the planet's population. But although this is a powerful advantage over other platforms, they'll face stiff competition from a crowded field.

There is nothing inherently new about live streaming technologies. What's different now is their ease of access and the recent rise of social media. Ustream and Livestream are two broadcasting platforms that have been around since 2007. They found early success by enabling American soldiers to broadcast from their laptops to their loved ones back home. Occasionally, single events would drive serious traffic for these early platforms - like the Decorah Eagles' eggs hatching in 2011 that attracted 100 million watchers - but there was no regular audience. These platforms had no mainstream relevance and certainly did not move news cycles.

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Then, in January 2016, Facebook Live became accessible to Facebook's 1.5 billion users, causing Google's YouTube to follow suit with a full live-streaming integration. In other words, by mid-2016, the largest social media companies had each given users the ability to "go live" in a seamless, elegant way with a single tap.

When it debuted, the most high-profile use cases for livestreaming were in politics. A Periscope livestream of a sit-in by congressional Democrats received major attention when they were able to bypass the official communication channels. Around the same time, the drive-by shooting of Antonio Perkins, inadvertently broadcast live via Facebook, went viral amidst renewed public scrutiny of gang violence. A summer of protests and police encounters led to live stream broadcasts becoming a regular fixture of cable news, which continues to this day. Much like Twitter after the Arab Spring, live streaming came of age in the domestic turbulence of the United States in 2016.

It turns out there is a pattern to live streaming engagement: a user broadcasts something compelling, it goes viral as friends and followers share it to their extended networks, traditional media channels soon takes notice. Before long, the footage ends up in front of a global audience. This is possible because social media companies have allowed people to reach a viewing audience without having to build one - the distribution is already taken care of. When a user uploads a live video to Facebook, it automatically appears in their friends' News Feeds.

But although early engagement looks promising, whether or not live-streaming will translate into real profits remains to be seen. For Facebook and other live streaming platforms, what has made livestreaming attractive so far hasn't been the total volume of traffic to livestreaming videos so much as it has been capturing user attention over time: people aren't just watching a single stream and then not coming back, they're sticking around to see what comes next.

One of the largest advantages that the social media giants have is the network effects working in their favor. The reason that we continue to use Facebook and Twitter is that everyone we know uses Facebook and Twitter. And the more users share and engage, the more valuable the platforms become, which has a compounding effect. This can be extended to livestreaming as well.

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When users tune in to the latest broadcasts, it's to watch the present unfold. It's like watching a 24-hour news channel devoted to your own little corner of the universe, peopled by a cast of characters from your immediate network of personal friends and acquaintances. That's why Facebook is walking a careful line in trying to adapt to our new ways of sharing while, at the same time, trying to encourage the creation of a new social behavior. They want "going live" to be as culturally ubiquitous as taking a selfie -- and they're willing to invest what it takes to make that happen.

This article originally appeared on Forbes - Disruption and Democracy.

Check out my upcoming book, Identified.
Our 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, is often misquoted as opining flat out that "the business of America is business." The man who presided over the heart of the boom of the "Roaring Twenties" was indeed a classically conservative small-town Republican with strong pro-business leanings. In fact, his quote was, as we say nowadays, more "nuanced" in that the context was remarks supporting a free--but commercial--press that, because of its profit motive, could more accurately reflect the realities of the business world.

Donald Trump has far lesser regard for the "free media," although his campaign cleverly exploited their profit motive--particularly CNN's. President Coolidge's misquoted remark, however, has been associated with Republican administrations from Hoover to Ike on through Nixon, Reagan and Bush. The ascendance of Trump, first to the GOP nomination for the presidency and then to his stunning election to the Oval Office, appeared to many--including incumbent and erstwhile Republican office holders, media commentators and even his own voters--to offer a more a "populist" move away from Republican pro-business orthodoxy. His direct and personal challenge to punish companies that have moved or plan to move U.S. manufacturing jobs offshore to gain the benefits of globalization, in terms of lower factory wages and super-efficient supply chains, seemed totally out of step with GOP "Chamber of Commerce" pro-business orthodoxy.

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Trump, on the other hand, emphasized how working- class Americans would be victimized by the TPP as he said they had been by the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Democratic President Clinton had accomplished in the 1990s but largely with GOP votes. Trump said he would repudiate NAFTA as well as TPP if it passed, and take action to stop the further exodus of manufacturing jobs from the U.S., which in fact has been going on since the 1970s and was accelerated during the recent Great Recession.

And so he did, soon after his election (or so it seemed), in the case of Carrier, a remaining American manufacturer of air conditioners and a subsidiary of United Technologies (UTX), an industrial conglomerate with substantial contracts with the Defense Department. In his very first public appearance since election night, Trump proclaimed that he had convinced the companies involved to save "over one thousand" manufacturing jobs slated to be moved to a new factory in Mexico (which would pay workers $6 per hour instead of the $26 on average at the factory in Indiana).

We came to find out, however, that the "fine print" of the deal involved a $7-million tax benefit "job ransom" from the State of Indiana, arranged through its sitting Governor and Vice president-elect Mike Pence. Since it also turns out that, according to the whistle-blowing union head at the Carrier plant, only round 800 jobs would in fact be retained in Indiana under the Trump/Pence ransom payment, it would work out to a bit less than $100,000 of what can only be called "corporate welfare" per job! In turn, that adds up to years of taxpayer subsidy to Carrier for the additional wages each worker will get on average because the saved Indiana jobs stay at the $20-per-hour higher wages that Carrier will have to pay to save UTX's place in the Pentagon contract line.

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What are the odds that this job-saving agreement lasts just past the 2018 midterms? As Trump himself might say, it's a "win-win"--for Trump and for UTX Carrier: the losers being American consumers of air conditioners, not to mention GOP advocates of "free-market" economic policies who, if Obama had done this deal for a solar panel manufacturer threatening to move production to China, would have howled at the moon in condemnation. But don't ever expect consistency from politicians!

The innards of the UTX/Carrier deal are just the tip of the iceberg that will hit Trump voters among the working class as they begin to grasp the makeup of the incoming Trump Administration in terms of pro-business, anti-labor and anti-union policies. Trump couldn't help himself from signaling this bait-and-switch when he vociferously attacked the head of the Carrier plant union after that official called Trump out on his 25 percent overstatement of the number of saved jobs, fuming that the union head had done a poor job for his membership. Surely Trump was not arguing that the union should have accepted Carrier's proposed illegal $5-per-hour wage offer to keep the jobs in Indiana. But maybe Trump did think that $5 would have been a good deal, since he did argue during the campaign that U.S. factory jobs were leaving because our wages have been "too high."

Trump's nominee for secretary of labor, Andy Puzder, is literally on the same page with Trump on that "overpaid" score, and not surprisingly opposes proposed increases in the minimum wage (he is a fast food conglomerate CEO). Puzder has been an outspoken advocate of replacing as many human jobs as possible with machines: "They're always polite, they always upsell, they never take a vacation, they never show up late, there's never a slip-and-fall, or an age, sex or race discrimination case," he said of his favorite kind of "working class." This is the fellow who will be supervising the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission--while he de-commissions President Obama's extension of overtime pay benefits.

Secretary of Commerce nominee Wilbur Ross, a very successful New York City "vulture investor" (he likes the name) in bankruptcy situations, is right there with Puzder when it comes to his regard for laboring folks, especially the coal miners Trump has promised to put back to work in the mines. Hopefully, it won't be in any mines owned by Wilbur Ross--one in West Virginia cost 12 miners their lives, let alone their jobs.

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President-elect Trump's nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, Representative Tom Price, is well known for his opposition to ObamaCare and all its mandates, including those that compel companies both large and small to offer health insurance policies for their full-time workforce. Representative Price, a medical doctor, has been the prime author of GOP attempts to repeal (without replacing) the Affordable Care Act in the present Congress. Trump voters that manage to keep their factory jobs can expect to lose their health insurance policies, whether under ObamaCare exchanges or those their companies may be free to abandon without federal consequences.

Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin's closest contact with the working class is probably the janitorial staff at Goldman Sachs, and he is clearly not inclined to give them an income tax cut nearly as generous as the planned reduction in the top rate for his Goldman colleagues (not to mention his boss, the president-elect). He has stated that the top taxpayers will not actually be getting an overall tax cut because of marginal rate and capital gains reductions due to new limits on deductions for things such as mortgage interest and charitable contributions.

Congress will love the rate cuts but fight tooth and nail against the deduction cuts! And of course the Trump-promised elimination of the estate tax doesn't do much for the working class. Nor will the forthcoming Trump Treasury's currency-manipulator charges and tariff trade war with China (more on the country below), which does reflect GOP pro-business policy--circa 1930--and the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which presaged massive Great Depression unemployment for the American working man and woman.

All in all, the Trumpenomics Team's domestic game plan and starting lineup look like a pretty tough opponent for the working class. As the Midwestern native Garrison Keillor observed: "Alas for the Trump voters, the disasters he will bring on this country will fall more heavily on them than anyone else. The uneducated white males who elected him are the vulnerable ones, and they will not like what happens next."

Referring to Trump's anti-China language and focus on branding that country an economic arch-villain, one observer--ironically from the financial industry--best summarized the situation facing Trump's working class voters' dilemma going forward: "Is Donald Trump looking for a foreign enemy to redirect the attention of his supporters as he implements a plutocratic fiscal agenda with his plutocratic cabinet?" said Gary Greenberg, head of emerging markets at Hermes Investment Management.

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By Alula Eshete, Harvard Business School, Class of 2017 & Harbus CEO



"If you were the CEO of an airline, could you be as engaging with the baggage handlers as you are in the boardroom?" - Larry Culp

The case method, which is used across all HBS classes, places students in the tough position of the decision maker. Often operating from the perspective of the CEO, students challenge each other in debates about how to best solve the real business and government challenges posed by the cases. In LEAD (Leadership and Organization Behavior), one of the HBS courses that makes up the school's "required curriculum", students set aside quantitative metrics to examine the human side of business leadership and the role it plays in designing effective enterprises, aligning organizations with visions, and motivating people amidst growth and change.

This fall, first year students in Section H have had the privilege of peeling back these layers of leadership and change management under the direction of one of the top CEOs in the world, Lawrence "Larry" Culp (HBS '90). Prior to joining HBS's faculty, Larry spent 14 years as the CEO of Danaher Corporation. Under his leadership, Danaher's revenues and market capitalization increased approximately five-fold to nearly $20 billion and $50 billion, respectively, while at the same time shareholder returns grew five times that of the S&P 500 Index. Despite Danaher's continued success, Larry decided in 2014 to hang up his jersey and make room for the next chapter in his life.

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"I knew I wouldn't figure out all that I wanted to do while I was CEO," Larry told The Harbus, "but I did make one commitment, to be the Board Chair at Washington College, my alma mater". After taking a break to spend time with his wife and three children, fish in exotic locations and weigh his options, Larry found himself drawn to the world of academia. The opportunity to help mold the next generation of leaders was "hard to resist," Larry says, given that "one of the major challenges we have as a country, and the world for that matter, is the state of our leadership, broadly defined". So, 25 years after his graduation, Larry was back on the HBS campus. Only this time he would be the one dishing out the cold calls. What made this return even more special is that Larry was being welcomed back to campus by his own LEAD Professor, a freshly minted PhD at the time, who is better known today as the Dean of Harvard Business School, Nitin Nohria.

Student Life at HBS

"Don't be afraid of opposition or to be alone in your convictions. If you believe it, actively pursue it!" - Larry Culp

As Larry sat in his office chair, he began to reflect on his experience as an HBS student. "I can remember very vividly getting that letter," he reminisced, "back in the day when it was a letter." Larry had left behind a technology consulting career at Arthur Andersen - now known as Accenture - in pursuit of something closer to General Management. "I wanted to be closer to a traditional business where we had customers and not clients, where we had a real sense of daily competition," he explained. This transitional period, however, was no rosy picture. "Make no mistake - for me HBS was challenging," he admits, thinking back to the torrent of cases in the first year, "I was nobody's Baker Scholar".

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Despite the academic rigor and competing priorities at HBS, Larry remained intentional about sticking to his career objectives. In an environment, much like today's, in which "there was a heavy banking and consulting presence," as Larry described it, he chose to spend his summer doing a manufacturing project in Racine, WI for Case Corporation. Working in a big factory where tractors and construction equipment were built was a stark contrast to anything he had previously experienced. Larry opened up about his motivations: "the Japanese model and German model of manufacturing were seen as the future and there were very few people who felt that US manufacturing had a future, which made it even more interesting. Perhaps it was the contrarian in me."

Larry returned in his second year confident in his decision to pivot careers, but he continued recruiting in search of a firm with a leadership team and operating model he felt could to compete with the foreign firms he admired. With this in mind, Larry set forth on a robust independent search, eventually cold-calling George Sherman, just 10 days after Sherman's appointment as Danaher's CEO. Following an invitation out to D.C. the two met in person and ended up hitting it off. During their engagement Larry learned more about Sherman's vision to bring about world-class manufacturing and innovation, which Larry found so compelling that he accepted an offer from the firm. Inspired by a leadership opportunity that wouldn't pigeon-hole him - geographically or functionally - he took the offer not knowing what he would be doing or where he would be going. This was a chance Larry felt he could take coming out of HBS.

Early Life at Danaher

"You never know when an interviewer is trying to find your competency or your future potential. Be ready for both." - Larry Culp

In 1990, Danaher was a public company, but still a fragmented collection of primarily domestic original equipment manufacturer (OEM) oriented businesses, with under $800 million in annual revenue. Larry began his career under the obscure title of Marketing Projects Coordinator, overseeing a product launch at a recently acquired company. His instructions were clear: "don't screw it up". Larry managed to follow those instructions and the product launch remains one of the most successful in Danaher history. That marketing role taught him valuable lessons he couldn't learn through cases alone.

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Larry recalled that HBS stressed the importance of being able to bring people along in a corporate setting, but that executing on that was a blind spot for him early in his career. "It's not about being the smartest person in the room. It's not about having a Harvard MBA," Larry says, "it's about bringing everybody around a particular objective or goal, having them feel good about it and catalyzing around that action." It was clear to him that this is what leadership entailed, but he acknowledges that he was far from being good it at. There are no two ways about it, Larry says, "it takes reps; it takes practice. You have to practice."

The learning curve was steep, but Danaher's culture of winning and continuous improvement fit his competitive spirit. Larry describes a culture where "folks who were delivering and compatible with the culture were recognized and rewarded," and how it was quite the opposite for those exhibiting "anything close to political behavior," as he describes it. Over the next decade, as Larry continued to deliver results, he was granted hands-on exposure to international expansions, innovations across operating companies as well as Mergers & Acquisitions. In fact, he happily never had to turn down an opportunity presented to him within Danaher.

One of his greatest challenges came in 1998 when Larry was tapped to run his first large P&L after Danaher purchased Fluke Corp. Based in Connecticut at the time, Larry described being "dropped off in Everett [WA]" to lead a 1,500-person local workforce, despite not having been part of the diligence team. As Fluke's President, he spent the next 18 months commuting from Hartford to Seattle. Each role came with its own set of challenges, but a healthy dose of humility allowed him to weather the storms. New acquisitions such as this were as much about learning as they were about teaching their Danaher Business System (DBS) model.

A homegrown version of the world-renowned Toyota Production System, DBS has been a core component of Danaher's continued success. DBS exposes management to an array of continuous improvement tools, which they then apply during week-long visits to team meetings, factories and labs. No company acquired by Danaher is exempt from applying DBS tools. The Fluke acquisition, however, was a prime example of how the learning process is a two-way street. Fluke's unique positioning in China, Larry says, "taught Danaher how to go-to-market in China as well as how to market and sell both direct and through distribution". Using the DBS methodology, Danaher was able to leverage these market insights across its portfolio.

Life as Danaher CEO

"Fortune favors the bold judgement calls" - Larry Culp

Following the successful integration of Fluke into the Danaher family and his eventual appointment to Danaher's Executive team, Larry found himself in the position of Chief Operating Officer. He would enjoy a brief stint as COO until Sherman announced he would be retiring and that Larry would be his successor as the CEO of Danaher. "I didn't leave HBS thinking I would be a CEO," Larry says, "HBS was that humbling for me". Yet, at the age of 37, he was faced with what he describes as the fun and difficult challenges of leading a Fortune 500 company. Balancing the short-term and long-term is one of those challenges, Larry explained, "CEOs are paid to have the longest time horizon of anybody on the team, but CEOs are often the ones who get fired when you miss a couple of quarters".

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Assuming CEO responsibilities in 2001, amidst infamous corporate scandals, Larry saw the self-destructive nature of hubris among his peers. Enron's scandal, which took place under the leadership of another HBS alum, was an example of corporate "innovation" and growth that Danaher did not want to be associated with. Instead, Larry and Danaher would make headlines for different reasons.

During Larry's tenure as CEO, he deployed nearly $25 billion to continue their proven acquisition and DBS deployment strategy. Danaher increased international sales from 40% to 60%, which included growing sales in China from $300 million to $3 billion, building on the early insights gained from the Fluke acquisition. The firm's success landed Larry a top 50 ranking among the best-performing CEOs in the world and earned Danaher recognition as a top performing company. Over his last 5 years as CEO, Danaher reached a peak 50% gross margin and outperformed the S&P 500 by a margin of 5%.



Danaher remained a well-oiled machine, but the company's success didn't come without taking risks. Larry points to the $6.8 billion acquisition of Beckman Coulter in 2011 as the biggest risk of his career. A once highly coveted company, Beckman Coulter was a vastly oversold stock, facing severe regulatory challenges and the sudden resignation of their CEO. "Many people", Larry says, "felt it was too risky, particularly at that size, for anyone to take on". Since this was Danaher's largest acquisition to date, "the Beckman Coulter decision would take me to retirement, one way or the other," Larry joked. Fortunately for Larry, it would prove a success.

Life Back at HBS

"Trust doesn't follow you. You have to earn it everywhere you go." - Larry Culp

And just like that, Larry found himself back at HBS, his old stomping grounds. Working for HBS - only his second employer post-graduation - has been an exciting cross-industry transition for him, but make no mistake Larry says, "learning to teach is no small challenge." Although part of a CEOs responsibilities involves developing talent, Larry says, "just because I was the CEO of a highly successful company doesn't mean I waltz into the classroom and magic happens. There's work to do!" A mindset like this would likely benefit the many career-switchers in business school who will be venturing into new roles, riding the waves of past successes and impressive credentials.

While Larry may not possess decades of teaching experience, his past career speaks to the material that sits at the core of LEAD. In fact, his contributions are already being recognized by his peers. Professor Joshua Margolis, the course-head of LEAD, describes Larry as a voracious, open-learner and "someone who makes all around him better". Larry's insights, Professor Margolis says, have led to the adaptation and expansion of core course concepts for better application in difficult practical situations. Professor Margolis also had this to say: "he picks up key nuances in cases and conveys to the teaching team how those nuances matter in the decisions leaders face and the actions they take."

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Larry has also been pushing his students to take classroom discussions to the next level. He has placed an emphasis on closing the gap between the divergent conversations of the what (strategy) and the how (action plan). Great leaders, Larry says, do more than just entertain both, they ensure that these are one conversation. "It's easy for us, in the rarefied air of an HBS classroom, to talk about the 'what'. A lot of us aspire to do that post-graduation, but it's in the 'how' where you win or lose, it's the 'how' that determines whether or not you create value," Larry added.

This transition from the what to the how - a blind spot early in his own career - is what Larry continues to improve with Section H, who he describes as "the best section at HBS". Of course, this endorsement will be contested by the other nine sections. When asked about change management, Larry says that they are "moving beyond 'communication' and 'aligning incentives' to broaden their repertoire," adding that "there's a lot more in the messy day-to-day reality of leading and driving change and performance than the bully pulpit and carrots and sticks".

Larry's teaching style has been well-received by members of Section H, whose critical mid-semester feedback for him was that he wasn't sharing enough leadership anecdotes from his time Danaher. In response, Larry made an effort to weave relevant first-hand accounts into his different case wrap-ups. After a semester of LEAD and the many first-hand leadership stories, Nathan Bruschi, a former Intelligence Officer, says that Larry has inspired him to pursue general management for the summer. Nathan's classmate, Emmanuel Forlemu added that a semester with Larry left him with the impression that "[Larry] was the type of leader who really cared about his team and people".

Outside of faculty meetings and classroom discussions, Larry also manages to carve out personal time for students. During one-on-one meetings and group lunch discussions, Larry takes time to field student questions about their careers, a pressing topic for MBA students this time of year. On top of juggling cases, networking functions and final exams, students must also confront critical decisions about their career paths. A common set of questions Larry has encountered have come from students with ambitions of one-day running businesses. To Larry's dismay, he says, "some folks think there are better routes to real leadership roles than roles that actually allow you to practice real leadership." To Larry, one can only study swimming for so long before having to actually swim.

Many students, Larry says, have proposed "getting exposure" for a few more years after school, to which Larry says he's "not convinced that that's all that more helpful if your objective is to run a business. I'm a big believer in getting real reps in real leadership situations as being the best preparation for ultimately being a general manager, or otherwise, running a business." He later added, "through the course of two years at HBS you get a lot of exposure to different companies, different industries, different topics, but at some point you have to jump in the pool".

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What Next?

"When your kids give your eulogy, will they express regret over the things you did not do?" - Larry Culp

Before wrapping up the interview, The Harbus asked Larry what type of opportunity it would take for him to put his jersey back on. "I'm in a good place, personally", says Larry, who continues to receive flattering offers, but doesn't see himself returning to the corporate world in a full-time capacity. Though Larry also serves on the T. Rowe Price board in addition to Washington College and Wake Forest University while advising and investing in a number of businesses, he remains content with this flavor of busy that's on his own time table. At a youthful 53 years of age, there is plenty of time for Larry's plans to take a detour. In the meantime, however, he remains an invaluable resource to students and faculty on the HBS campus.

Thank you to Anja Anliker for sharing the Larry Culp quotes, placed at the beginning of each section. These are some of the statements Larry made in class that she kept note of throughout the semester.

Alula Eshete (HBS '17) is a first-generation Ethiopian-American and CEO of The Harbus. Prior to HBS, he spent 4 years working across several divisions of Abbott before joining GE's Global Growth & Operations group in Ethiopia. He enjoys exploring the world, making people laugh, and advocating for the voiceless.
Such a privilege to have wonderment - to be able to experience life, make ironic jokes about first world problems, separate ourselves from the troubles of the world, and to ignore that which makes us uncomfortable. Because we can decide to do so.

We have the luxury to decide.

How much in this life have even the most considerate of Americans taken for granted? Clean drinking water; the sanctity of burial grounds; the general understanding of the differences between fact, fiction, and opinion; the faith that, differences of opinion aside, your nation is moving forward and not backward; the trust that even if you don't agree with certain policies, your basic human rights will always be protected because you're an American, and damn it, that's what this country was built upon...kind of.

We're a compassionate race, but we're victims of the greed and lust that have overcome our leaders. This is nothing new, but just because it's the way things have always been, doesn't mean it should be allowed to continue.

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But we can't start from scratch. We don't get a do-over. We have to fix the situation that we ourselves have created. We cannot blame leaders or factions or religion...we are all personally responsible for the lives we lead. Only by first understanding and assuming that responsibility can we start to fix anything.

The situation in Aleppo has left many of us feeling helpless, myself included. Many of us want to help, but don't know how or where to start. Some of us have donated to relief funds without knowing if our money will ever get to the people who need it. Others have attempted to spread awareness of the issue through social shares and word-of-mouth. But many of us also were so full of misplaced fear that just months earlier, we fought to keep these refugees out of our own country on the grounds that one of them might be a terrorist.

Our fear of a what-if situation overshadowed the atrocities of a very real, active, and deadly situation on the other side of the world.

So, where do we go from here? How can we prevent this from happening again?

Fixing this is, by no means, a simple undertaking. With each passing generation, the struggle grows exponentially more difficult. Today, the hatred that we're fighting against goes back to the beginning of civilization. The wars we're losing lives to are based on historical vendettas, and are driven by opportunistic and egotistical world leaders and corporations.The problems we're trying to solve feel like uphill battles because at every turn, we're upsetting or alienating a new group.

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In our own country, the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests at Standing Rock are prime examples of this. These people have risen up because their grievances were never adequately addressed by the people who spent decades oppressing them. The problem with this is that the "oppressors," those who enslaved Africans or killed the Native Americans, are long gone. However, the impact of their actions are still felt today, albeit systematically, i.e. less obviously to the general public.

I know it's hard to put any of this into perspective. With mass loss of life, there will always be an emotional separation. It's almost a survival instinct - we wouldn't be able to function with the weight of the world sitting on our shoulders. It's easier to find solace in something mindless. It's more relatable for us to complain about our own petty and inconsequential grievances while we sit in our air-conditioned office buildings. Just this morning, my biggest frustration was that the tracking number for my Kylie Jenner lip kit wasn't working properly. There's a reason that same Kylie is currently trending on Facebook for an outfit she wore, and her sister is trending for maybe, possibly, but probably not cheating on her husband.

But in the words of Kourtney Kardashian, "There's people that are dying."

Now, we're inundated with news and articles that fail to inform, don't help the situation, and even actively hurt it. Journalistic integrity isn't a thing worth being concerned over anymore. Fake news sites are allowed to thrive and spread damaging untruths in the name of getting clicks to their websites. Readers today don't know how or care to fact-check anything they read or hear - they instead choose to simply react.

It's easy to say that raising awareness for an issue is a cop-out, that you're not really doing, accomplishing, or helping anything. I disagree, though. What if for every hate-filled voice overtaking the internet, there was one of positivity? For all the diversity in the world, or even in this country, if we would all stop and listen to someone's perspective - or if we at least had access to it - we could change the narrative.

And the narrative matters.



The narrative is all we have. The stories we tell today are the ones that will define our generation. The wave of anger, dissatisfaction, ignorance, and stubbornness that we've all grown accustomed to is breaking us down as a nation. The words we say impact those around us. The perspectives we share will enlighten and save us. It's not naive to think that words can impact real change - it's a good place to start.

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It's not about America or Syria. It's not about Trump or Putin or Assad or Obama. It's not about Muslims or the Pope or the Jews or terrorists.
Reno Commission puts liquor by drink without food sales on 2023 ballot

Hutchinson board acts quickly to respond to brewery's dilemma, but vote is more than a year away.
How Audiotree Used Streaming To Grow The Fanbase Of Two Iconic Chicago Music Venues

In order to draw more fans to a sold out show, the people at Audiotree are working to use live streaming as a way to grow their online fanbase and attract sponsors.

_______________________

Guest post by Rachel Grate of Eventbrite

Sold-out shows are a blessing  and, in a way, a curse. Because even for your most in-demand shows, you cant adjust supply to attract more fans.

As a music club owner, once you sell out a show, you cant sell any more tickets, says Adam Thurston, the Director of Operations at Audiotree, which owns iconic Chicago venues Lincoln Hall and Schubas Tavern. Theres a ceiling to how many people can enjoy a band live in that room.

His solution? Livestreaming their shows to a global fanbase online.

Building an online fanbase

Thurston and his co-founders started Audiotree back in 2010. The production company hosted Audiotree Live, a popular video series of live performances from more than 750 bands in their studio. From the moment Audiotree took ownership of Lincoln Hall and Schubas Tavern in 2015, they wanted to tap into Audiotrees online presence to make shows accessible to a broader audience.

We wanted to use Audiotree production skills to stream live, Thurston says. Streaming those shows around the world gets more eyeballs, and those big metrics keep bands interested.

And its working  Audiotrees YouTube channel has 180,000 subscribers, which Thurston says is climbing by about 5,000 each month. In the process, theyre attracting new fans (and sponsors) to their venues.

Were streaming to bring these shows to life and help us get the word out, Thurston says. People are consuming the media were putting out, and its allowed us to create a worldwide fan base. As videos from Lincoln Hall get spread around social media, more people get curious about the venue, which is a combo that feeds off each other to build our brand.

Attracting sponsors through streaming

As theyve built their online fanbase, Thurston has partnered with big-name brands including Lagunitas, New Belgium, and Lyft.

Were getting eyeballs from all over the world, in their target demographic, Thurston says. Their online and live audience is mostly 21-35 year olds, who are in high demand from sponsors.

With 137,000 tickets sold last year, Thurston has also experimented with sponsorship activations at the shows themselves. Theyve featured products in their venues, and offered reduced rates for Lyft trips to and from the shows.

By combining in-person and online streaming experiences  from the performance to the sponsors  Audiotree has been able to build their audience even further.

Its a great way for us to get their brand recognition, Thurston says.

Want to learn more about Thurstons other strategies to expand his venues audience?

Read the full interview here.

Share on:
Insurtech firm One, Inc. has raised fresh capital from a Series B funding round, with AXA Strategic Ventures as the main source of the $20 million fund injection. MassMutual Ventures and H&Q Asia Pacific also contributed to the fund.This second round builds on the initial $16.7 million raised by the firm to start up its SaaS operating system.Christopher W. Ewing, One, Inc. president and chief executive told Insurance Business in an email exchange that the company has experienced rapid growth in the past three years, with revenue growing 300% annually, and its subscriber base quadrupling over the past two years.The firm provides cloud based software, both an insurance specific operating system and applications to support the core functions of insurance carriers and general agencies. These include policy administration, billing, rating, agency management, customer relationship management, e-signature, and others.With the additional capital, the company will roll out products to enable payment, data and communications applications, Ewing added.This round of funding will allow us to invest further in the (product) suite to expand our lines of business and the extensibility of our products, he further noted.One, Inc is also investing in beefing up its partner network.We see partners as an important part of our eco-system and an important partner to help carriers transition to our software platform, Ewing explained. We plan to build out our partner network with training and the education they need in order to have a deep understanding and the rapid implementation services around our SaaS platform.As it undertakes further expansion activities, Ewing said that the company is firming up its presence in North America.But we are examining opportunities all over the globe, including Europe, Asia and South America, he concluded.




Haiti - Security : Two people shot down in Carrefour





Tuesday in the morning, at Cote Plage 16 (Carrefour) unidentified individuals on motorcycle opened fire on two people for an unknown reason before fleeing. The two Tuesday in the morning, at Cote Plage 16 (Carrefour) unidentified individuals on motorcycle opened fire on two people for an unknown reason before fleeing. The two victims fatally injured died on site.



The police, accompanied by a Justice of Peace, went quickly to the scene of the crime to gather the first testimonies and establish the legal statement. The bodies of the two victims were transported to the morgue. The identity of the victims was not disclosed.



PI/ iciHaiti


















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Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one of the most widely read Latin American authors in the world. His novels One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera are among many peoples favourite books. But, despite loving his books, many of his readers have found it difficult to understand his political views  especially his support and friendship for the recently deceased former President of Cuba, Fidel Castro.

The relationship between the two Latin American legends makes for compelling reading. It began a few years before the triumph of the Cuban revolution, when Garcia Marquez (Gabo) met the Cuban poet Nicolas Guillen in Paris. Guillen, who told him about a young law student, Fidel Castro, who might be the person capable of overthrowing Fulgencio Batistas regime. Gabo met Castro for the first time in 1959 after the 'triumph' of the revolution  when the Cuban leader invited journalists from around the world to cover Operacion Verdad  his plan to prosecute Batistas former collaborators. They exchanged a few sentences at that time but not much more.

The triumph of the revolution and the implementation of a socialist society corresponded with Garcia Marquezs hopes for a better future for Latin America, and he joined other Latin American intellectuals offering public support to Castros revolution. But this romantic journey was interrupted in 1968 by the outbreak of the Padilla affair, which represented the end of the freedom of expression and opinion in Cuba. The arrest and show trial of Heberto Padilla, a poet who had been critical of Castros revolution, was greeted by dismay by many of Castros formerly steadfast supporters  including the Peruvian Nobel Prize-winning writer Mario Vargas Llosa  himself at that time a close friend of Garcia Marquez. Gabo himself however, continued to support Castro  to the surprise of many.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez meeting Fidel Castro during the 1990s (Rex)

At this stage Garcia Marquez was not particularly close to Castro  he had yet to convince the Cuban leader of his commitment towards the revolution. And, despite several unsuccessful attempts to get to know Castro in person, it wasnt until 1977  after reading several articles written by Garcia Marquez about Cuba  that Castro decided to approach the Colombian writer in person.

Castro was due to give interviews to journalists from Agence France Press and Reuters, but instead he suddenly appeared at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, where Gabo was staying, and asked to talk to him. They first discussed Garcia Marquezs latest trip to Angola and issues related to his stay in the African country, such as the food. Gabo later said he had never met anyone that knew more about seafood than Castro. This first personal encounter between the two achieved an instant connection. Castros interview with the waiting journalists was cancelled and Castro instead accompanied Gabo to Havana airport to see him off.

Over the years, this first encounter developed into a true friendship. Garcia Marquez always said it was a friendship based on their common interest in literature. Gabo spent prolonged periods in Havana with his wife Mercedes  and Castro was a frequent visitor at his house in Havana (which was a gift from Castro) and would appear at any time of the day or night. He described Castro as an avid reader, who would begin a book in the evening and comment on it on the following day.

The author said he never understood how Castro managed to find the time to read so much and so thoroughly. One day, discussing Garcia Marquezs book The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor, Castro said that there was a miscalculation in the speed of a boat. The Cuban leaders eye for detail led to Gabo asking Castro to read his manuscripts before submitting them  and there were several instances where Castros observations led to factual corrections in Garcia Marquezs books. Gabo even said that he wouldnt publish a book anymore without having had Fidel proofread it.

At the same time, Gabo also had some measure of influence on the Cuban leader. Critics point to the fact that Garcia Marquez never publicly talked negatively about the way Castro was governing Cuba. However, it has to be noted that several of his close friends Angel Esteban and I talked to when researching for our book  Fidel and Gabo: A portrait of the legendary friendship between Fidel Castro and Gabriel Garcia Marquez  all said the same: if there was one person that wasnt afraid to criticise Castro, it was Garcia Marquez.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez at his home in Mexico City on his 87th birthday in March 2014 (Getty)

It seemed the author preferred to discuss any criticisms of Castro with the Cuban leader himself. We were told of some profound differences of opinion  for example, in the case of former Cuban general Arnaldo Ochoa and colonel Tony de la Guardia, who were executed for drug smuggling and treason in 1989. The generals daughter told us Garcia Marquez tried to intervene to change Castros mind, but to no avail. The authors influence was important, however, in the decision to free several high-profile political prisoners, including Padilla, Norberto Fuentes and Armando Valladares.

On 17 April 2014  the day of Garcia Marquezs death  the Cuban newspaper Granma published an article by the author about Castro in which one is immediately struck by Gabos affection towards his lifelong friend. As he said: This is the Fidel Castro that I believe I know. A man of austere habits and insatiable illusions, with an old-fashioned formal education of cautious words and subdued tones, and incapable of conceiving any idea that is not colossal.

Many commented on the fact that Fidel didnt say anything publicly about Garcia Marquezs passing  but only sent a wreath with the words to my endearing friend. He could as easily have called him an enduring friend  a fitting reference to a close relationship that lasted nearly four decades and informed both of their lives and their work.

Stephanie Panichelli-Batalla is lecturer in Spanish and Latin American studies at Aston University. This article was originally published on The Conversation
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Star Wars fans have turned their knuckles white awaiting in eager anticipation of this year's franchise offering.

Yet, not without a touch of trepidation; as Rogue One marks the first of Disney's ambitious set of spin-off anthology films, this first entry following a wayward band of Rebel fighters brought together for one improbable mission: steal the plans for the Death Star.

It's been something of a risk for the studio, with the film's self-advertised gritty, war film tone an important step outside of what's come before; a crucial move in expanding the possibilities of what a Star Wars film can be ahead of the likes of the upcoming young Han Solo spin-off.

And it looks as if the studio has (largely) pulled it off; with critics jumping onboard the film's new tone, locations, and characters - though Gareth Edwards' visually stunning world may lack in the emotional impact delivered by last year's The Force Awakens.

Read what the critics thought below.

The Independent - Christopher Hooton - 2/5

Dont get me wrong, its all entertaining enough, but I sincerely hope the talented directors the Star Wars franchise has lined up for its next instalments are given room to really add to the saga rather than just repeatedly force-feed us what we already love about it.

The Guardian - Peter Bradshaw - 4/5

Rogue One doesnt really go rogue at any stage, and it isnt a pop culture event like The Force Awakens, in whose slipstream this appears; part of its charm resides in the eerie, almost dreamlike effect of continually producing familiar elements, reshuffled and reconfigured, a reaching back to the past and hinting at a preordained future.

Time - Stephanie Zacharek

Theres nothing in Rogue One that would damage or scare most little children, as long as theyre prepared for an on-screen onslaught of the Pantone colors known as Oatmeal and Soot. And while some Donald Trump supporters have vowed to boycott the filmbelieving, for some tinfoil-helmet reason known only to themselves, that the ending was reshot post-election to incorporate some subliminal, anti-Trump sentimentlooking to Rogue One for any subversive political statement is a fools errand. Its politics are numbingly multi-purpose.

 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Exclusive Launch Event Report

The New Yorker - Richard Brody

Lobotomized and depersonalized, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the latest entry in the film franchise, is a pure and perfect product that makes last years flavor, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, feel like an exemplar of hands-on humanistic warmth and dramatic intimacy.

The Daily Beast - Jen Yamato

Rogue One, more so than The Force Awakens, is a Star Wars fanatics wet dream. Contained yet expansive, nostalgic yet new, it introduces striking heroes and villains and fills its two hours and 13 minutes with a narrative that fits snugly into canon. But where The Force Awakens leaned on a family-friendly appeal with its innocent do-gooder leads and tantrum-throwing baddie, Rogue One satisfies a darker itch. Its stakes are higher, soaring on the bombastic score of Michael Giacchino, which turns iconic themes into hard-charging new arrangements; its battles are more violent and militaristic.

The Telegraph - Robbie Collin - 4/5

Until now, the good-evil split in Star Wars has been as cleanly cut as well-carved turkey meat: light and dark tidily arranged on opposite sides of the plate. Rogue One gets stuck into the giblets. This is the first in a potentially endless series of "Star Wars Stories" spun off from the franchises humming fulcrum, and it sides with the Rebellion, which is exactly as youd expect. This time, though, the good guys arent tousled rascals but a covert cell of self-described spies, saboteurs and assassins, staining their hands and consciences in the struggle.

Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown Show all 7 1 /7 Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown Finally, Mads Mikkelsen's Galen Erso has turned up in a trailer; confirming previous hints that he'd be somehow responsible for the Death Star's construction. However, this new trailer reveals why daughter Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) has become such a rebellious misfit; with Galen having been seized by the Empire when she was a young girl. Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown Which, in turn, illuminates us as to why the Rebellion is so interested in Jyn in the first place; revealing that it's the Empire itself that first arrests her in the film, only to be freed by rebel Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown This final trailer takes a surprising focus on Galen, who many previously thought would only appear in a minor role. It's interesting to see him here in some kind of Empire garb, which presumes that he may not be an entirely unwillingly prisoner in this situation. Is there a chance Jyn will recover her father, only to discover he's turned to the Dark side? There's definitely a sense in these trailers that Jyn will face some kind of moral struggle in her journey. Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown "They are requesting a call sign." "It's, um, Rogue. Rogue One." OH, THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THAT. Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown We've already seen Jyn in her TIE fighter pilot uniform, but this shot at least gives us a better idea of how she got to wearing it. "They've no idea we're coming," Jyn says; as she, Cassian, and K-2SO (an ex-Imperial droid reprogrammed by Cassian) infiltrate enemy territory. Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown Looks like we'll be getting another big space battle. The question is - will this be the film's big finale action sequence? And is this the Death Star under construction? Obviously, we know the Death Star isn't entirely destroyed in the film; but this could somehow connect to the shot from the previous trailer of Jyn coming face-to-face with a TIE fighter. Rogue One final trailer: A shot-by-shot breakdown And, here's some more Darth Vader; now in epic striding mode. Looks like he'll be doing a lot of plotting with Ben Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic.



Rolling Stone - Peter Travers - 4.5/5

Taking place just before the events of the first released Star Wars movie in 1977, this spin-off/prequel has the same primitive, lived-in, emotional, loopy, let's-put-on-a-show spirit that made us fall in love with the original trilogy. It's the first stand-alone chapter in the franchise, and not the bridge between then and now that J.J. Abrams cleverly constructed last year with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As a movie, it can feel alternately slow and rushed, cobbled together out of spare parts, and in need of more time on the drawing board. But the damn thing is alive and bursting with the euphoric joy of discovery that caught us up in the adventurous fun nearly four decades ago.

Digital Spy - Rosie Fletcher - 5/5

After all  if you're dealing with a new set of characters that definitely don't appear in episodes IV  VII, you can do what you like with them without worrying about merchandising or treading on someone else's sequel. What results is a poignant, powerful paean to the Star Wars Universe, set in a world where the best thing you can hope for is hope itself. It's a perfect and complete standalone, but it changes everything. Watching A New Hope will never feel the same again.
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Whether you like them or not, trailers must - in some small way - affect your film-watching experience, especially in a time when fans scrupulously analyse every still in a bid to discover some key information about a film that's more than likely over six months away (we did it with Baywatch).

There's yet to be a trailer for Star Wars: Episode VIII - and one of the film's stars believes it should stay that way.

In an interview with CinemaBlend, Adam Driver agreed that Disney should groundbreakingly refuse to release a trailer in a bid to preserve the film's secrets.

He said: "I think thatd be bold. Id love it, yeah. Then no one would know anything. The less people know, I feel like, the more exciting the more of an event it is."

Driver - who'll next be seen in Scorsese film Silence - appears in Episode VII: The Force Awakens as villain Kylo Ren; while the film didn't exactly suffer from having trailers - it stands up as a great entry into the Star Wars canon - you do spend the majority of its opening half for the Millennium Falcon as well as Han and Chewie to show up.

The reviews for Rogue One have just been released, with many deeming the first of LucasFilms' three planned anthology films to be a flawed yet great example of what the franchise can offer. It's released this coming Thursday (16 December).

Episode VIII - directed by Rian Johnson - will be released December 2017.
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The latest instalment in the Star Wars saga is reassuringly familiar  yet another story from a galaxy far, far away in which the plucky Alliance rebels tussle with the big, bad Empire apparatchiks. It hits all the notes that fans will expect and its British director Gareth Edwards ensures that it moves along at a very rapid clip. Rogue One features stirring action scenes, vivid characterisation and one or two truly eye-popping explosions.

Nonetheless, what it lacks is any real originality. It seems more an act of homage to its predecessors than a film with a mind of its own. Whereas JJ Abramss The Force Awakens managed to break new ground (in spite of featuring many of the original characters), Rogue One feels like a formulaic retread. Its rousing and entertaining but the force isnt really with it. You cant escape the dispiriting feeling that weve seen it all before.

The film begins promisingly enough. Brilliant scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) is tracked down to the remote rural outpost where he is living modestly with his family. The Empire wants him back, to finish designing the Death Star, the ultimate weapon of destruction. The stand-off between Galen and his old colleague Orson Crennic (Ben Mendelsohn) plays like something out of a Sergio Leone western. Crennic and his thugs are ready to kill women and children to get their way. Mendelsohn gives a memorably lupine and sinister performance as Crennic. Youre confusing peace with terror, Galen warns him of his plans to use the Death Star to keep the rest of the galaxy cowed. Well, you have to start somewhere, Crennic purrs.

We are then whisked into the future. Galens daughter Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is now an adult. Like Daisy Ridleys Rey in The Force Awakens, shes a fiery and rebellious character. Jones plays her with plenty of gumption. Jyn learnt her survival skills from Saw Gerrara (Forest Whitaker), a wheezing, limping rebel commander.

There are multiple changes of location.Well be in Wobani Imperial Labor Camp one moment and on the desert moon of Jedha the next. Were taken from planet Eadu to Sacrif, where the Death Star is being built. New characters are introduced all the time. The ensemble includes blind warrior-monk called Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), who chants the force is with me and I am one with the force as if it is a religious mantra, Baze Malbus (Jiang Wien), a ferocious and shaggy haired rebel with a passing resemblance to Oliver Reed in The Three Musketeers, and K-2SO, the lovable droid that every Star Wars film needs. Diego Luna plays the dashing but lethal rebel captain Cassian Andor, who disapproves of Jyrn Erso but cant help being attracted to her. He has a distinct Spanish brogue while Felicity Joness Jyn speaks in best BBC English. (The range of dialects and accents across the Star Wars universe is never explained.)

In spite of all the changes of locations and the many different protagonists, the plot itself is relatively straightforward. A missing cargo pilot (Riz Ahmed) has smuggled out news about a potential flaw in the Death Star (a weakness deep within the system that will cause it to self-destruct.) Jyn is desperate to rescue her father. The Rebels, though, arent sure that Galen can be trusted. After all, he is one of the chief architects of the Death Star. The film culminates, as every self-respecting Star Wars movie should, with a prolonged action sequence in which rebel spaceships attack an Empire outpost.

Sometimes, characters here utter lines that sound as if they come from some Flash Gordon-style B movie. Tell me you have a back up plan! we hear someone exclaim when a mission goes wrong. K-2SOs polite, dryly humorous interventions (congratulations, you are being rescued - please do not resist) soon become a little grating. There is tussling between Crennic and rival villain Grand Moff Tarkin (played by an actor who looks uncannily like the late Peter Cushing) over who should claim credit for The Death Star.) They both speak in very portentous fashion, taunting each other with lines like be careful not to choke on your aspirations.

Rogue One is nothing if not lively. There are very few moments of repose. Michael Giacchinos orchestral score is every bit as rousing as the music that John Williams wrote for the earlier Star Wars films and it sometimes seems as if the characters here are scrambling to keep up with the tempo Giacchino strikes. The film has many of the hallmarks not only of its predecessors but of old fashioned Hollywood swashbucklers. Alongside the scenes of spaceships whizzing through the galaxy, there are lots of chase sequences and plenty of hand to hand combat. The actual Death Star explosion is eerily beautiful, rekindling memories of footage of nuclear blasts. Director Edwards generates maximum tension from the race in the final reel to find the 'master switch' and for the rebel pilots to get to their destination in time before the 'window' to the planet is closed on them. Hi-tech and low-tech are thrown together. The most precious information is on a computer file that must be kept away from Darth Vader at all costs.

Although some familiar faces from earlier episodes are seen here, there is a feeling that this isnt the Star Wars A-team and that the series is in a holding pattern, before the big names return for Star Wars: Episode VIII next year. Rogue One is entertaining enough in its own right but seems a little anti-climactic after the revitalising triumph of The Force Awakens.
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A job at Google.

It's career heaven, right? How could a gig at the biggest, most ambitious tech company on the planet possibly be bad?

Well, take a look at this Quora thread, which is being constantly updated by current and former Google employees to dish the dirt on working for the search giant.

Turns out that working at Google isn't all free food and bike rides around campus.

 Google Allo released, letting people chat while being watched by its robots

Take their complaints with a grain of salt. These are the complainers, after all. But we've heard many of these same things from our own sources. 

"You are given everything you could ever want, but it costs you the only things that actually matter in the end."

(Google (Google)

Joe Cannella, former senior account manager: "Basically, you end up spending the majority of your life eating Google food, with Google coworkers, wearing Google gear, talking in Google acronyms, sending Google emails on Google phones, and you eventually start to lose sight of what it's like to be independent of the big G, and every corner of your life is set up to reinforce the idea that you would be absolutely insane to want to be anywhere else."

"To which the majority of folks will say 'boo-hoo, poor spoiled Googler'. But that's sort of the point. You are given everything you could ever want, but it costs you the only things that actually matter in the end."

It's hard to be honest with your colleagues.

Vlad Patryshev, former software engineer: "It is really hard to discuss any issue unless it is your friend you are talking to ... Objective discussions are pretty rare, since everybody's territorial, and not interested in opinions of other people unless those people are Important Gods."

No one believes you if you say it isn't awesome.

Katy Levinson, Former software engineer, Infrastructure: "People feel justified asking you why you left or if you still work there, and insist that everything must be perfect. They don't want to hear anything less than total enthusiasm for your luck getting into Google, and how much you want to stay. If you left or have anything other than rainbows and ponies to talk about, nearly everybody from my mother to my cab driver pretty much demands you explain why you'd be anything less than thrilled to work at Google."

They can hire the very best people  so *everyone* is overqualified.

Anonymous: "There are students from top 10 colleges who are providing tech support for Google's ads products, or manually taking down flagged content from YouTube, or writing basic code to A|B test the color of a button on a site."

Middle management is dangerously political.

Anonymous: "The most obvious areas that this political nature manifests itself is in performance management and recruiting. The amount of horse-trading and manipulation that a manager needs to do to be able to manage their team within the system as it was (I understand that it's recently changed somewhat) is morale-breaking. To promote someone, you need to start making a case about a year in advance, and because of the curve, that means you can't really give as much credit to other people on your team."

There are too few "bozos."

"There are enough talented people that being talented won't guarantee you an inside track on good projects, because there are thousands of equally smart people ahead in the queue and equally underutilised, but there are just enough bozos that you have to prove that you're not one of them," said a former engineer.

You can work there for eight years and never get a promotion.

Anonymous: "You can fall through the cracks, and you can fall hard. I know people who have been SWE's for 8+ years, still L4, have never been promoted."

Google staff are so outstanding that there's an internal joke about it.

Anonymous: "I used to joke with my colleagues that Larry & Sergey go out on their yachts  tie them together, sit back on the same recliners you'll find on their jumbo jet, each on his own yacht/set of yachts, smoke cigars, and put up pictures of Googlers with little snippets like 'was a GM at multi-national telecomm company, got a Harvard MBA and is now answering Orkut tickets.' and then they would erupt in laughter and clink their cigars & Scotch together in celebration. This, of course, is highly unlikely given neither of them would ever smoke a cigar or drink Scotch. Remainder is plausible."

Google is so big it can hire you by mistake.

Waiters catering a reception at the Google stand, work in front of a logo of the US search engine giant, at the Frankfurt Book Fair 21 October 2005. Google is trying to convince the publishing world to participate in its new Google print search engine which allows users to search within books online. (John MacDougal/AFP/GEtty)

Anonymous: "I was approached by Google to take on a management position. At the same time I was hired, another person with the same name was hired. Somewhere, HR got things horribly mixed up and when I started I was in a very different, very junior position instead which would have been appropriate for the other candidate of the same name. The employment contract was ambiguous and the relevant HR staff had long since left to work for another company so no-one could clear it up."

"Ultimately Google paid for my household belongings to be shipped across the world and then immediately back home again for no good reason other than "this does not compute, error, error, error".

The company only cares about measurable improvements.

Katy Levinson: "Any improvement not based on a hard metric was flatly not a respected use of time," said a former Google software engineer. "Usability? Number of bugs? Nobody cared. If you couldn't measure it, nobody was interested in it."

Projects get can cancelled arbitrarily all the time.

Anonymous: "The biggest negative, by far, for me has been seemingly arbitrary project cancellations," said an anonymous commenter. "To add insult to injury, people who worked on canceled projects have promotion applications denied for failing to have made an impact."

"In the Bay Area the cost of living is insane."

Adrian Carballo, former Software Engineer: "In the Bay Area the cost of living is insane, and if you work off of the MTV campus there isn't even that much to do other than working or hanging out with your coworkers. Lame. You do have free food available all the time, and many cafes, gyms, laundry rooms, etc. but over time as you start using all these perks (because it's just too convenient) you spend more and more of your time at the office. You start making the same choices day in and day out. You hang out more and more with the same people you work with."

"I ended up deciding it was time to move on to more freedom. ... even if I have to pay for it."

"PS. I'm also leaving the Bay Area really soon."

"There is a layer of intelligent individuals who are horrible managers and leaders."

"People are promoted into management positions  not because they actually know how to lead/manage, but because they happen to be smart or because there is no other path to grow into," said a former technical program manager. "So there is a layer of intelligent individuals who are horrible managers and leaders."

"Jealous friends who hate on your job because they didn't get in."

Anonymous: "The spotlight. Quora questions, jealous friends who hate on your job because they didn't get in, suspicious media articles claiming every move by the company ties into some centralised advertising master plan, etc. This gets old. Nobody will just let you have your job."

"I met 100 triathletes in my three years at Google. Only a handful of them were interesting people."

"They hire the same person over and over again," said an anonymous commenter. "Same background, same 10 schools, same worldview, same interests. It's no exaggeration to say that I met 100 triathletes in my three years at Google. Only a handful of them were interesting people."

"The worst part of working at Google ... [was] feeling under-utilised."

John L. Miller, former Staff Software Engineer: "The worst part of working at Google for me was, as for many others, feeling under-utilised. As someone with ~25 years of programming, management, and architecture experience, I wasn't doing anything that a good college hire with ~2 years of experience couldn't do faster and just as well. That's a depressing situation."

"Get EVERYTHING in writing."

"If you are in the process of gaining employment with Google, negotiate hard, be demanding, and make sure to get EVERYTHING in writing. Google makes lots of vague promises, and seems to not deliver."

Don't believe the hype.

Jeff Nelson, invented Google Chrome: "A very large fraction of what you hear about Google - from outside Google - is bullshit. Often, this bullshit is propagated by Googlers, because it helps the company's reputation. When someone comes up with a really good piece of bullshit, they may even earn some respect among the other Google engineers. It's considered 'Googley' to make Google sound like an amazing place to work, even if the statement is largely bullshit."

Not working at HQ is "career suicide."

Brandon lives in this 2006 Ford, which cost him $10,000 (Brandon)

Anonymous: "Obviously one can always opt to work at remote offices, but that is a career suicide longterm-wise."

Your office space can be too small.

Anne K. Halsall, product designer: "[I]f you have to work in one of the four main campus buildings, you will most likely be extremely cramped. It's not uncommon to see 3-4 employees in a single cube, or several managers sharing an office. With all the open areas for food, games, TV, tech talks, etc, it can be surprisingly hard to find a quiet, private place to think."

Google is so big you can't have any impact on it.

"I worked at Google for 3 years and it was very difficult to leave but there was one major factor that helped me make the decision  the impact I could ever have on the business as an individual was minimal. As noted in many answers below, Google is an incredible machine that prints money thanks to AdWords. Unless you are an amazingly talented engineer who gets to create something new, chances are you're simply a guy/girl with an oil can greasing the cogs of that machine."

Middle management is mediocre.

"I'd say the relentless daily mediocre thinking of middle management types who are completely focused on metrics to the exclusion of all other factors. They don't want to rock the boat, they don't know how to inspire their workforce, and they rely far too much on the Google name and reputation to do that for them."

Googlers can get caught up in trivia.

"In Zurich there is a quiet room where people go to relax, or take a nap. There are very nice looking fish tanks there and you can waste as much of your work time there, watching the fish do fishy things. There was a 100+ emails thread about removing the massage chairs from that room because some people allegedly were being kept from sleeping because the massage chairs were too noisy."

The culture is immature.

"It's like never-never land  people never grow up. They drink at all hours, socialize constantly, play games, and do little to no work."

You can't work remotely.

Dimitar Bojantchev, freelance: "The killer to me was the inability to work remotely, which I have been doing successfully for the past 5-6 years."

Staff are rewarded for dreaming up new things even when new things aren't needed.

Katy Levinson: "This lead to imaginative unmaintained nightmares, frequently based on discarded shells of other platforms nobody maintained. We had four internal-only official JavaScript libraries. Why? Because writing an innovative JavaScript library could get you a promotion!"

"I was genuinely out of my league."

Paul Buttery, senior product analyst: "My first week was more intimidating than anticipated. I fell for whats commonly referred to as imposter syndrome. The members of my new team were insanely smart and accomplished. Not I got straight As in college smart. More like I created Google Mars and published a dozen patents before I was of legal drinking age smart."

"Most had worked with Sebastian Thrun (self-driving cars, Udacity) at Stanford or on Maps. How was I going to provide value here? In hindsight, I was genuinely out of my league."

"Stepford engineers."

Nathan Yospe, former engineer: "The engineers Google hires fit the mold of generalist system types. They are good at algorithms, database concepts, transaction processing, scaling, etc. They generally do not have domain expertise in product areas. The culture rewards engineers who solve knotty technical problems and leaves behind those who enjoy the harder part of product development, moving a product from version 1 to a truly great version 3 by smoothing out the rough edges and adding functionality based on customer feedback, and by maintaining and debugging a product."

Bad managers can make a career there.

Nathan Yospe: "I worked at one of the larger non-MV campuses, and the only intellectual stimulation I encountered in my time there was the interview process. Not that I met that many brilliant people, but I did meet a lot of fairly mediocre people that were convinced they were brilliant, and I saw a lot of political ass kissing. I worked under a team lead who hadn't touched code in over two years, and had been incompetent as a programmer when she was one, with a tech lead who was okay at UX, but not much else."

Read more:

 This chart is easy to interpret: It says we're screwed

 How Uber became the world's most valuable startup

 These 4 things could trigger the next crisis in Europe

Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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A little tent moves in the wind, under a harsh sky. That cartoon tent depicts perhaps one of the most important and dangerous places anyone has ever slept.

Googles Doodle celebrates the work of Roald Amundsen shows his camp at the South Pole, where he pitched his tent after becoming the first human ever to reach it.

The tent was the temporary home of the pioneering crew who pitched the first ever tent  or anything else  at the South Pole. And after that it served as short respite for the crew of Captain Scotts expedition to the South Pole  a journey that they would die attempting to return from.

6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Show all 6 1 /6 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Getty Images 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Getty Images 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Getty Images 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Getty Images 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Getty Images 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Getty Images

It was Scotts crew that took the last ever picture of the camp, and who saw it for the last ever time. Since they left, 105 years ago, the tent hasnt ever been seen  and probably wont be seen ever again.

Working out where the tent actually was left is tough work  and work that might never actually be able to happen. It involves not only working out exactly where Amundsen left his tent, but also offsetting the changes in the flow of ice and the burial by snow that has fallen since.

Scientist Olav Orheim published a paper in 2011 arguing that he had found the location of the tent, with a roughly 0.3km amount of uncertainty. He said that the tent was between 1.8 and 2.5km from the South Pole, and that it was buried 17-metres below the surface.

The tent and the camp surrounding it were given the name Polheim, or Home at the Pole, by Amundsen. It was pitched on 14 December 1911, as close to the South Pole as the men could work out they could be.

Working that out was tough, and required a range of calculations. But those were very important, because Amundsen was worried that there might be a dispute over whether he actually had reached the South Pole  so making sure was key, given the huge rush to actually get there.

Planting the flag at that same point, Amundsen declared So we plant you, dear flag, on the South Pole, and give the plain on which it lies the name King Haakon VII's Plateau.

In that same tent, Amundsen and his crew left equipment and messages for Scott. He would eventually get there and pick them up  but not make his way safely back, dying on his return.

Scotts crew would take the last ever picture seen of the tent.

An Amundsen camp does live on at the South Pole, and is among the most visible things there. The AmundsenScott South Pole Station is a US-run research station right near the South Pole.

The first of ten was but in 1956, and it became the first permanent human structure at the South Pole, setting down some of the first human presence on the entire continent. The original station has been demolished and upgraded a number of times in those last 60 years, but it has retained its name as a tribute to the men who raced to reach the place it now stands.

Work there for the 50 to 200 people who do so might be easier than it was for Amundsen and his men, but not by much. Those living and working on the station have the sun continuously up for six months of the year and then for the other six, and temperatures that move around just as extremely.
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Sustained happiness in older age is linked to a longer life, a study has found.

The report, by the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) at University College, London (UCL), claims that over-50s who experience feelings of satisfaction about their life are more likely to live to an older age.

The findings, published in the British Medical Journal, contradict those of a major study released a year ago, which found no link between happiness and long life.

At the time, Sir Richard Peto, of the University of Oxford, said that happiness and unhappiness do not themselves have any direct effect on death rates.

But the Director of the ELSA, Professor Andrew Steptoe, is confident in their results, and says the study is different from previous efforts because it examines a person's happiness over time, not just at one point in time, when the results could be dependent on all sorts of circumstances.

Older studies, he said, used a very basic measure of happiness - how happy are you? - on one occasion.

To really understand how happiness affects you in your old age, he said, you need these more detailed measures, focused on issues around wellbeing.

The ELSA report asked four questions across a range of topics, on three separate occasions between 2002 and 2006. The questions covered a participants family life, social circle and their working life. It found the more participants claimed to have experienced sustained wellbeing over time, the lower their risk of death.

A quarter of participants in the study said that they experienced no high levels of enjoyment of life any of the three times they were asked. These people never enjoy the things they do, or they rarely enjoy them, Mr Steptoe said.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said: Its good news that maintaining a positive outlook can help us live longer, but it's sad that this report shows nearly a quarter of older people feel they have no enjoyment in their day to day life. We know that a chronic lack of social care support is making life a misery for millions of older people and more than 1.2 million older people are lonely. These issues have a major impact on peoples life expectancy as well as their happiness."

The worst jobs for your health Show all 10 1 /10 The worst jobs for your health The worst jobs for your health 10. Surgical and medical assistants, technologists, and technicians Overall unhealthiness score: 57.3 What they do: Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel and perform medical laboratory tests. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to disease and infections: 88 2. Exposure to contaminants: 80 3. Exposure to hazardous conditions: 69 The worst jobs for your health 9. Stationary engineers and boiler operators Overall unhealthiness score: 57.7 What they do: Operate or maintain stationary engines, boilers, or other mechanical equipment to provide utilities for buildings or industrial processes. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to contaminants: 99 2. Exposure to hazardous conditions: 89 3. Exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings: 84 The worst jobs for your health 8. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators Overall unhealthiness score: 58.2 What they do: Operate or control an entire process or system of machines, often through the use of control boards, to transfer or treat water or wastewater. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to contaminants: 97 2. Exposure to hazardous conditions: 80 3. Exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings: 74 The worst jobs for your health 7. Histotechnologists and histologic technicians Overall unhealthiness score: 59.0 What they do: Prepare histologic slides from tissue sections for microscopic examination and diagnosis by pathologists. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to hazardous conditions: 88 2. Exposure to contaminants: 76 3. Exposure to disease and infections: 75 The worst jobs for your health 6. Immigration and customs inspectors Overall unhealthiness score: 59.3 What they do: Investigate and inspect people, common carriers, goods, and merchandise, arriving in or departing from the US or between states to detect violations of immigration and customs laws and regulations. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to contaminants: 78 2. Exposure to disease and infections: 63 3. Exposure to radiation: 62 The worst jobs for your health 5. Podiatrists Overall unhealthiness score: 60.2 What they do: Diagnose and treat diseases and deformities of the human foot. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to disease and infections: 87 2. Exposure to radiation: 69 3. Exposure to contaminants: 67 The worst jobs for your health 4. Veterinarians, veterinary assistants, and laboratory animal caretakers and veterinary technologists and technicians What they do: Diagnose, treat, or research diseases and injuries of animals and perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to disease and infections: 81 2. Exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings: 75 3. Exposure to contaminants: 74 The worst jobs for your health 3. Anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, and anesthesiologist assistants Overall unhealthiness score: 62.3 What they do: Administer anesthetics or sedatives during medical procedures, and help patients in recovering from anesthesia. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to disease and infections: 94 2. Exposure to contaminants: 80 3. Exposure to radiation: 74 The worst jobs for your health 2. Flight attendants What they do: Provide personal services to ensure the safety, security, and comfort of airline passengers during flight. Greet passengers, verify tickets, explain use of safety equipment, and serve food or beverages. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to contaminants: 88 2. Exposure to disease and infections: 77 3. Exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings: 69 The worst jobs for your health 1. Dentists, dental surgeons, and dental assistants Overall unhealthiness score: 65.4 What they do: Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting oral hygiene and retention of teeth. May fit dental appliances or provide preventive care. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to contaminants: 84 2. Exposure to disease and infections: 75 3. Time spent sitting: 67

The study involved 9,365 participants, 1,310 of whom died during the studys follow-up period. Compared with those who said they experience no levels of high enjoyment, there was a 17% reduction in overall mortality for those who said they experienced two such levels of satisfaction over the four years, and a 24% reduction for those who said they experienced three.
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America is closer than a lot of folks think to ending cancer, Barack Obama has revealed.

The US President made the announcement after signing into law a new bill that aims to end cancer as we know it by investing billions of dollars in cancer treatments.

Mr Obama said: Like many of you, I believe that the United States of America should be the country that ends cancer once and for all.

Were already closer than a lot of folks think, and this bill will bring us even closer, investing in promising new therapies, developing vaccines, and improving cancer detection and prevention.

"We are bringing to reality the possibility of new breakthroughs to some of the biggest health challenges of our time.

The 21st Century Cures Act was developed in conjunction with Vice President Joe Biden, whose son, Beau, died from brain cancer last year.

The Act will inject a total of $6.3 billion (5 billion) into cancer research, drug addiction recovery programmes and mental health services.

$1.8 billion (1.4 billion) from the fund will be used specifically for researching cures for cancer and making treatments for the disease accessible to more patients.

Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Show all 10 1 /10 Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Tom Hanks Barack Obama smiles before presenting actor Tom Hanks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Cicely Tyson President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to actress Cicely Tyson Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Michael Jordan Michael Jordan waits to receive his medal Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Melinda and Bill Gates Melinda and Bill Gates receive their medals Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Ellen DeGeneres and Robert De Niro Robert De Niro comforts Ellen DeGeneres after she becomes emotional accepting her medal Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Eduardo Padron President Barack Obama awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to higher education advocate and Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padron Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Diana Ross Diana Ross and President Obama Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Robert De Niro Obama awards Robert De Niro the Presidential Medal of Freedom Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Barack Obama congratulates National Basketball Association all-time leading scorer and social justice advocate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Ellen DeGeneres Comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres wipes away tears as her citation is read before being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Barack Obama Getty

Mr Biden and his wife, Jill, joined the President on stage for the signing ceremony, together with David Grubb, a former West Virginia senator whose daughter, Jessie, died in March from an opioid overdose.

The Vice President said the Act would help millions of people.

He said: This bill will literally, not figuratively, save lives.

Just this mere signing today, Mr. President, as you know better than I do, gives millions of Americans hope

The 21st Century Cures Act is going to harness America's best minds of science, medicine and technology to tackle some of our biggest and most complex health challenges of today."

It was a bittersweet day, Mr Obama added, acknowledging its not easy for the Bidens and Grubbs to talk about their losses. Mr Obama's mother also died from cancer, at the age of 52.

The Act, which had the support of Democrats and Republicans, is likely to be the last signed by President Obama before he hands the presidency to Donald Trump on 20 January.

Mr Obama had initially announced the creation of a Cancer Moonshot during his State of the Union address in January. A task force was also set up to advise on where the Cancer Moonshots resources and efforts should be focused.
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British Airways cabin crew have voted in favour of strikes which could severely impact flights at Heathrow airport over Christmas.

The ballot began last month over a pay dispute involving about 4,000 staff who have joined the airline since 2010 on "Mixed Fleet" contracts.

More than 2,000 workers were balloted about the action, which will take place at Heathrow Airport after December 21, Unite union has confirmed.

Tunout in the ballot was 60 per cent. The union will meet in the coming days to finalise dates.

Tensions have been running high this year among the mixed fleet staff who claim they were promised far higher rates when they joined BA.

 British Airways battling with Norwegian over US destinations

The union claimed earnings were advertised between 21,000 and 25,000 but in reality started at just over 12,000 plus 3 an hour flying pay.

Matt Smith, regional officer for Unite, said British Airways' pay rate are "indefensible" and the crew are at a "breaking point"

He said: "Not only are the pay rates indefensible but, in aviation, low pay is a safety issue. Thirty per cent of the Mixed Fleet crew have been with the company for just under a year.

"Crew simply can't afford to stay. Inexperience, fatigue, and the fact that BA recently cut the length of crew training courses means Unite is genuinely concerned about the potential repercussions.

"We urge British Airways to avoid this dispute and do the right thing by both the frontline staff and the travelling public, by engaging with Unite to negotiate a genuinely meaningful way forward."

A spokesman for BA said the company was "extremely disappointed" that the union is creating uncertainty for the airline's customers.

Biggest business scandals in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Biggest business scandals in pictures Biggest business scandals in pictures Volkswagen emissions scandal VW admitted to rigging its US emission tests so that diesel-powered cars would looks like they were emitting less nitrous oxide, which can damage the ozone layer and contribute to respiratory diseases. Around 11 million cars worldwide were affected. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Martin Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals Martin Shkreli became known as the most hated man in the world after his drug company, Turing, increased the price of a 62-year-old drug that treated HIV patients by 5,000% to $750 a pill. He was charged with illegally taking stock from Retrophin, a biotechnology firm he started in 2011, and using it pay off debts from unrelated business dealings. Shkreli, who maintains he is innocent, and says there is little evidence of fraud because his investors didn't lose money. 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"Mixed Fleet Unite represents about 15% of our cabin crew. We remain focused on resolving this issue as quickly as possible without any disruption to customers.

"We have proposed a fair and reasonable pay increase to Mixed Fleet cabin crew which is in line with that accepted by other British Airways colleagues and which will ensure their reward levels remain in line with cabin crew at our airline competitors."

The announcement comes as the UK remains in the grip of a walkout by Southern Rail workers that has caused chaos for hundreds of thousands of passengers.
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Scandal-hit SeaWorld has announced plans to open its first park without any orcas in Abu Dhabi.

Trained orcas have long been the signature feature of the company, appearing in their logos and being pushed to tourists as the parks main attraction.

However, faced with growing criticism from animal rights groups, SeaWorld slowly phased out its emphasis on killer whales.

After attendance was hit by negative attention surrounding the documentary BlackFish, SeaWorld said it would stop using the animals in its theatrical trick shows and no longer mate them.

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi will be the first new SeaWorld without orcas, and will integrate up-close animal experiences, mega attractions and a world class aquarium, bringing the latest technology in visitor engagement, the company said in a statement,

The Abu Dhabi location will mostly focus on ocean conservation education and will include an animal research, rescue and rehabilitation centre.

This project presents an opportunity for collaboration and greater understanding of how species have adapted to the regions unique marine environment, and to inspire the next generation of visitors, conservationists and animal care experts, Joel Manby, president and chief executive officer of SeaWorld, said.

However, Jason Blaker, vice president of international campaign for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), blamed Abu Dhabi and the UAEs tourism industry for taking a step backwards.

He said: In a country with a state-of-the-art Formula One racetrack, the worlds fastest roller coaster, and buildings that push the limits of architectural imagination, tiny tanks filled with miserable animals couldnt look more out of date or out of place.

Biggest business scandals in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Biggest business scandals in pictures Biggest business scandals in pictures Volkswagen emissions scandal VW admitted to rigging its US emission tests so that diesel-powered cars would looks like they were emitting less nitrous oxide, which can damage the ozone layer and contribute to respiratory diseases. Around 11 million cars worldwide were affected. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Martin Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals Martin Shkreli became known as the most hated man in the world after his drug company, Turing, increased the price of a 62-year-old drug that treated HIV patients by 5,000% to $750 a pill. He was charged with illegally taking stock from Retrophin, a biotechnology firm he started in 2011, and using it pay off debts from unrelated business dealings. Shkreli, who maintains he is innocent, and says there is little evidence of fraud because his investors didn't lose money. Biggest business scandals in pictures Panama Papers: Millions of leaked documents expose how worlds rich and powerful hid money - April 2016 Millions of confidential documents have been leaked from one of the worlds most secretive law firms, exposing how the rich and powerful have hidden their money. Dictators and other heads of state have been accused of laundering money, avoiding sanctions and evading tax, according to the unprecedented cache of papers that show the inner workings of the law firm Mossack Fonseca, which is based in Panama. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Google's tax avoidance Google reached a deal with the HM Revenue and Customs to pay back 130 million in so-called back-taxes that have been due since 2005. George Osborne championed the deal as a major success. But European MEPs have since called for the Chancellor to appear in front of the committee on tax rulings to explain the tax deal. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Rogue trader A French court cut the damages owed by rogue trader Jerome Kerviel from 4.9bn (4.2bn) to just 1m (860,000). The court ruled on that Kerviel was partly responsible for massive losses suffered in 2008 by his former employer Societe Generale through his reckless trades. Kerviel has consistently maintained that bosses at the French bank knew what he was doing all along. AP Biggest business scandals in pictures Barclays CEO under investigation for trying to identify whistleblower - Monday Paril 10 Authorities have launched an investigation into Barclays chief executive officer Jes Staley for trying to identify a whistleblower, the bank said on Monday. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) are both investigating Mr Staley after the bank notified them that Mr Staley had tried to identify the author of two anonymous letters, which were sent to the board and a senior executive in June 2016. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures UK to crack down on bank money laundering after reports of 65bn Russian scam, City minister says - March 2017 The Economic Secretary to the Treasury has vowed that the Government will crack down on money laundering practices, after several of the UK's biggest banks were accused of processing money from a Russian scam, believed to involve up to $80bn (65bn). Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Former HBOS bankers convicted of bribery and fraud over 245m loan scam - February 2017 Two former HBOS bankers were among six people found guilty of bribery and fraud that cost customers and shareholders hundreds of millions of pounds, the BBC reports. Lynden Scourfield, 54, a manager at HBOS, forced struggling clients to use the services of his friends David Mills, 60, and Michael Bancroft, 73. In return, the two businessmen arranged sex parties, cash and lavish gifts. On Monday, the three were convicted at Southwark Crown Court on accounts including bribery, fraud and money laundering. Mark Dobson, another manager at HBOS, Alison Mills, and John Cartwright were also convicted. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Lloyds chief apologises for damage caused by affair allegations - August 2016 Antonio Horta-Osorio, the chief executive of Lloyds Bank, has broken his silence over allegations about his private life admitting he regrets any "damage done to the group's reputation". In a message sent to the bank's 75,000 employees, the banker said that anyone can make mistakes while insisting that staff had to maintain the highest professional standards. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Christine Lagarde faces court over 340m Bernard Tapie payment - July 2016 The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, must stand trial in France over a payment of 403 million (now 340m, then 290m) to tycoon Bernard Tapie, a France's highest appeals court has ruled. The court rejected Ms Lagarde's appeal against a judge's order in December for her to stand trial over allegations of negligence in her handling of the affair. Ms Lagarde could risk a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros if convicted. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures HSBC senior manager arrested in FX rigging investigation at JFK airport in New York - July 2016 A senior executive at HSBC has been arrested at New York's JFK airport for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to rig currency benchmarks, according to reports. Mark Johnson, global head of foreign exchange cash trading in London, was reportedly arrested on Tuesday. He will appear before a federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, Bloomberg said. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Former PwC employees found guilty in 'Luxleaks' tax scandal - June 2016 Two ex- PricewaterhouseCoopers staffers were found guilty in Luxembourg of stealing confidential tax files that helped unleash a global scandal over generous fiscal deals for hundreds of international companies. Antoine Deltour and Raphael Halet face suspended sentences of 12 months and 9 months and were ordered to pay fines of 1,500 (1,230) and 1,000 (822) for their role in the so-called LuxLeaks scandal. Despite the minimal sentences, the ruling was described by Deltours lawyer as shocking and a terrible anomaly. The ruling puts on guard future whistle-blowers, Deltour told reporters.The LuxLeaks revelations sped beyond Luxembourg, causing European Union regulators to expand a tax-subsidy probe and propose new laws to fight corporate tax dodging, while EU lawmakers created a special committee to probe fiscal deals across the 28-nation bloc. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Goldman Sachs dealmakers lavished Libyan officials with prostitutes to win contract - June 2016 A former Goldman Sachs dealmaker trying to persuade Gadaffi-era Libya to invest $1 billion with the investment bank procured prostitutes and invited Libyan officials to lavish parties in the hope of winning the business, the High Court heard on Monday June 13.The Libyan Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund is suing Goldman Sachs for inappropriately coercing its naive staff into giving its sovereign wealth fund cash to the bank to invest in products they did not understand. The products were designed to generate big profits for Goldman, the LIA claims.Goldman denies wrongdoing and says the LIA was treated as an arms-length customer Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Former boss of BHS said his life was threatened - June 2016 Darren Topp, the former boss of BHS, has said former owner Dominic Chappell threatened to kill him when he challenged him over a 1.5 million transfer out of the business. MPs on the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee asked Mr Topp about a 1.5 million transfer Mr Chappell made from BHS to a company called BHS Sweden. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley admits paying workers below the minimum wage - June 2016 Mike Ashley admitted paying Sports Direct employees below the minimum wage at a hearing in front of MPs. The company founder said that workers were paid less than the statutory minimum because of bottlenecks at security in an admission that could result in sanctions from HMRC. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Mitsubishi admits improper fuel tests - April 2016 Mitsubishi has admitted to using false fuel methods dating back to 1991. The scale of the scandal is only just coming to light after it was revealed in April that data was falsified in the testing of four types of cars, including two Nissan cars. AP Biggest business scandals in pictures Quindell, the scandal-ridden insurance firm Quindell was once a darling of AIM but its share price fell in April 2014 when its accounting practices were attacked in a stinging research note by US short seller Gotham City. In August the group was forced to disclose that the 107 million pre-tax profit it had reported for 2013 was incorrect, and it had in fact suffered a 64million loss. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Toshiba Accounting Scandal The boss of Toshiba, the Japanese technology giant, resigned in disgrace in the wake of one of the countrys biggest ever accounting scandals. His exit came two months after the company revealed that it was investigating accounting irregularities. An independent investigatory panel said that Toshibas management had inflated its reported profits by up to 152 billion yen (780m) between 2008 and 2014. Biggest business scandals in pictures FIFA Corruption Scandal Fifa, football's world governing body, has been engulfed by claims of widespread corruption since the summer of 2015, when the US Department of Justice indicted several top executives. It has now claimed the careers of two of the most powerful men in football, Fifa President Sepp Blatter and Uefa President Michel Platini, after they were banned for eight years from all football-related activities by Fifa's ethics committee. A Swiss criminal investigation into the pair is ongoing. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Libor fraudster City trader Tom Hayes, 35, has become the first person to be convicted of rigging Libor rates following a trial at London's Southwark Crown Court. Hayes worked as a trader in yen derivatives at UBS before joining the American bank Citigroup in Tokyo. He was fired from Citigroup following an investigation into his trading methods. He returned to the UK in December 2012 and was arrested following a two-and-a-half year criminal investigation by the SFO. Getty

Animals incarcerated in SeaWorlds deplorable displays endure a life of misery, deprived of their families and the freedom to swim vast distances, hunt, or do anything else that is natural and important to them.

The park is being developed by Abu Dhabi government-backed developer Miral Asset Management.

It is expected to open in 2022 in the UAE citys Yas Island.

Mohamed Al Zaabi, the chief executive officer of Miral, said: As Abu Dhabis developer of unique and exciting destinations, the opportunity to design a next generation marine life themed park in partnership with SeaWorld is bold and ambitious.
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Pope Francis has written a letter to the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appealing to him to respect humanitarian laws as shelling resumed in eastern Aleppo.

A fragile ceasefire began to crumble on Wednesday morning as a deal to evacuate rebel fighters and civilians trapped in the besieged city fell apart.

Ahead of the ceasefire, the pontiff sent a letter through Cardinal Mario Zenari addressed to Assad and the international community calling for an end to the violence inflicted on the people of Syria.

The Holy See press office said Pope Francis expressed again his appeal to President Bashar al-Assad and to the international community for an end to the violence, and the peaceful resolution of hostilities, condemning all forms of extremism and terrorism from whatever quarter they may come, and appealing to the President to ensure that international humanitarian law is fully respected with regard to the protection of the civilians and access to humanitarian aid.

Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Show all 12 1 /12 Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man crosses a street in Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A vendor sits inside an antique shop in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors walk inside Aleppo's Umayyad mosque, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk inside the Khan al-Shounah market, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man walks past shops in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk along an alley in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors tour Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A general view shows the Old City of Aleppo as seen from Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk near Aleppo's Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower, Syria October 6, 2010 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man stands inside Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters

Government troops have launched an offensive to regain the city. Thousands of civilians remain in the few neighbourhoods still held by rebels and a ceasefire was brokered to allow rebel fighters and civilians to withdraw from eastern Aleppo.

Reuters reports at least 15,000 are waiting to be evacuated from eastern Aleppo. Many families gathered in the early hours of the morning to be taken out of besieged areas but evacuations were delayed. Hours later, reports of fierce fighting began trickling in.

The United Nations has received reports of civilians being summarily executed by pro-government fighters. On Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the United Nations Security Council: We have seen shocking videos of a body burning in the street, ostensibly after aerial bombardment, [the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights] has received reports of civilians, including women and children, in four neighbourhoods being rounded up and executed.

AFP has quoted sources from the regime and rebel fighters as claiming the evacuations were stalled after objections from the Syrian Government.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Elon Musk has joined Donald Trumps advisory council despite having dismissed Mr Trump as not the right man for the job during the election.

The President-elects transition team announced the appointment of the Tesla executive alongside Travis Kalanick, the chief executive of Uber, on Wednesday.

Musks appointment comes weeks after he warned the election is not the finest moment in our democracy in general.

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He was unconcerned about how the billionaire business magnates ascension to the White House would affect Tesla, but told CNBC he believed Hillary Clintons economic and environmental policies were the right ones. Mr Trump was elected four days later.

I feel a bit stronger that he is not the right guy, he said later. He doesn't seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States.

Musk and a number of Silicon Valley elites will meet with Mr Trump today to discuss how his administration will affect technology companies.

Kalanick, who joked about moving to China if Mr Trump did win the election, will not be in attendance because he is travelling. The session was co-organised by Mr Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Leading figures such as Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg are expected to attend the meeting at Trump Towers in New York. Ms Clinton enjoyed widespread support from Silicon Valley during her campaign, as did President Obama before her, and members have rallied against Mr Trump's anti-immigration comments.

More than 580 employees from technology companies including Twitter and Google have signed an open letter pledging not to help build the Muslim registry posited by Mr Trump during his campaign.

Their letter reads: We are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administrations proposed data collection policies. We refuse to build a database of people based on their Constitutionally-protected religious beliefs. We refuse to facilitate mass deportations of people the government believes to be undesirable.
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While equal pay is an issue which is routinely discussed and railed against by female actors in the hills of Hollywood, it is rarer for men to come out and brazenly castigate the gender pay gap. But William H Macey is one of the exceptions.

The actor, who is known for his roles in Shameless and Fargo, did not mince his words when asked for his opinion of the pay standoff his co-star Emmy Rossum is currently locked in.

Rossum, who has played a lead role in Shameless since it debuted in 2011, is reported to have been offered salary parity but sources said she is asking to be paid more per episode than Macy earns to make up for past seasons where she was making radically less than him. The dispute is said to be holding up a potential eighth season of the popular Showtime programme.

It is clear Macey is behind Rossum, providing a simultaneously succinct and articulate analysis of the problem. Cornered by a TMZ reporter, Macey was asked for his opinion of the matter.

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. 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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. 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So your co-star Emmy Rossum is locked in a contract dispute with Warner Brothers demanding equal pay. Im curious when do you think the studios are going to get with it and understand, the reporter asks.

They wrote the Equal Rights Amendment in 1927, it didnt get passed by both houses of congress until 1972. It still hasnt been approved by all the states," he replied.

Its about f*cking time, dont you think? Macy concludes.

After the reporter plays devils advocate and points out that while she is a big part of the show, he is a Hollywood veteran, Macy chips in, saying: "She works as hard as I do, she deserves everything.

The only thing Ive got over Emmy Rossum is Im better looking he quips before politely waving goodbye to the camera.

A representative for Warner Brothers did not immediately respond to request for comment about the pay dispute but Warner Brothers and Showtime have declined to comment to other publications.
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Last week, nearly everyone online criticized Young Thug for his mistreatment of Alaskan Airline employees and the insults he hurled at them in a viral video. Now, it seems like his biggest critic, his mother, has forced him to apologize for his disparaging behavior.

When your mama make u go to the airport and apologize," , the rapper wrote on his Instagram account Tuesday, "sorry love ones."

The incident took place when Thug arrived late to the airport and missed his flight to Seattle. He then proceeded to berate several female employees by calling them ants, bum ass hoes, nappy, peasants, and telling them they look African. He also tried offering them a measly $15,000 to quit their jobs.

In a now-deleted Instagram post, Thug defended his actions. THIS IS Y I RIDE SIGNATURE JETS, he wrote. THEY TRYIN TO MAKE ME MISS MY SHOW!!!

When people online criticized the rapper, and the apparent anti-blackness of some of this comments, he responded by saying that all black lives matter and that he respects women, just not the airline employees denying him access to his flight.
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Google is celebrating 105 years since Roald Amundsen arrived at the South Pole, on a pioneering mission that tested the limits of human endurance. But relatively little is known about the man, who would go on to be painted as a cheat and a liar in the wake of Robert Falcon Scott's failed attempt to reach the same point.

Here are five facts about the man whose risky and death-defying trip landed him in the record books  and who would go on to disappear in mysterious circumstances years later.

Nobody knows where the tent and flags from the Google Doodle are

The camp is the centre of Googles commemorative Doodle. But nobody actually knows where it is. (People have had a good guess, and you can find out about that here.)

Amundsen never really wanted to go to the South Pole at all

All of his planning had in fact focused on being the first to get to the North Pole. Amundsen had confirmed use of a ship, named the Fram, and had raised money on the promise that he would make it through the Arctic.

But that was scuppered when two American explorers  Frederick Cook and Robert E Peary  announced that theyd made it to the North Pole themselves.

6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Show all 6 1 /6 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Getty Images 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Getty Images 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Getty Images 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Getty Images 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Getty Images 6 pictures that show how terrifying Amundsen's expedition was Getty Images

That led Amundsen to switch and start planning, as he did meticulously, for his journey to the South Pole instead. He kept that plan secret to avoid putting off his supporters and backers, and didnt even reveal it to his crew until their ship had left its last port of call, bound for the South Pole.

For all his reputation for planning and ruthlessness, Amundsens first attempt to get to the South Pole didnt go to plan at all

Rushing to get to the goal before Scott did, Amundsen arrived in the Antarctic and rushed into the harsh landscape before the arrival of springtime, when the weather is more manageable. His dogs died and his men caught frostbite, which forced them back to base.

Amundsen was criticised by the men he had taken with him. He would end up dropping colleagues who behaved badly during that retreat.

Amundsen has been praised for his ability to know when to turn back, and to plan in the face of his mistakes. But the retreat also bursts a myth that surrounds him  that he was so methodical that he would never slip up, and that nothing would ever go wrong around him.

Amundsens expedition was ignored by many in Britain

Recommended 5 facts about the man who led the first expedition to the South Pole

Scott found out, like everyone else, fairly late on that Amundsen was headed for the South Pole. While Scott was docked in Australia, he received a telegram from his Norwegian rival  indicating that he was proceeding to Antarctic, and beginning the race that would lead to tragedy for Scott.

The two of them rushed to the pole. But when Scott arrived there on 17 January 1911, they found the black flags that had been left there by Amundsen and his team, and realised that they had lost the important race.

Scotts mission would go on to end in tragedy, and he and his whole team died on the way back because of the terrible conditions.

But he would go on to become a hero in his home country, at the height of a British empire that was convinced that it was Scotts right to become the first person at the South Pole. Many were unable to accept that loss, and Scott became a hero that overshadowed Amundsens success.

And he was vilified by others

The intensely negative reaction to Amundsens achievement meant that he would go on to be hated by some in Britain, and that his success was seen as cheating. Scott was hailed as an honourable and fair man, while Amundsen was seen as a glory-hunter.

Amundsen was criticised by people who believed he hadnt revealed his true intentions about going to the South Pole. And yet others criticised the way hed got there  arguing that by using dogs that he later ate for food, he was less honest than Scott whose team hauled themselves there.

Scotts reputation would falter over the years until he became to be seen as a bungler who made mistakes, a misconception that in itself would later be cleared up.

Amundsens reputation changed with it, bringing a gradual realisation that he had won at least partly through good planning and cautiousness.
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A Californian man has been arrested for murdering a young British couple as they travelled the world almost 40 years ago.

Former sailor Silas Duane Boston, now 75, allegedly beat and tied up two young passengers before pushing them overboard attached to heavy machine parts off the coast of Guatemala in 1978.

The bodies of medicial graduate Christopher Farmer, 25, and law graduate Peta Frampton, 24, both from Greater Manchester, were discovered on 8 July 1978, 200 metres from the coast near Punta De Manabique.

Investigations carried out at the time by UK and US officials had amounted to nothing, but the victim's families succeeded in persuading Greater Manchester Police to revisit the murder case last year.

The forces cold case unit obtained records of the case from the retired detective who had originally investigated the murder, which led them to Mr Bostons two sons, who had long been estranged from their American father and each other.

Mr Farmer and Ms Frampton had travelled to Australia and the Americas as part of a round-the-world trip to celebrate after their graduation.

The young couple had reportedly written to their parents saying they had met an American skipper called Dwayne who had offered to take them from Belize to Mexico.

Ms Framptons final letter, dated 18 July 1978, reportedly ended with the words: Enough of the future. I dont think theres any more news - nothing much happens on a boat. Lots of love Peta.

Two badly decomposed bodies of a man and a woman were later found floating in the sea around 200 metres from the beach off the small peninsula Punta De Manabique.

The mans body was reportedly attached to a shock block  part of a car engine  by a 15m length of string, with a "bullet hole in his right leg and signs of torture", according to the volunteer fire fighters who recovered the bodies.

The fire fighters are also reported to have said the body of the woman had been bound and was also attached to a car engine part, which was resting on the bottom of the sea.

Both bodies were buried in Guatemala but were only identified using dental records a year later.

Mr Boston had reportedly denied murdering the couple when contacted by the UK consulate general in San Francisco, claiming the pair had disembarked because his boat had required repairs.

According to the court documents, Mr Farmers father Charles also managed to speak to Mr Boston in a phone call, during which the skipper said he didnt know what had happened to the couple, saying: Let me know if you hear anything about them.

But Mr Bostons own sons now say they witnessed their father murder the couple.

Vince Boston, aged 13 at the time, alleged his father struck Mr Farmer to the back of the head with a wooden billy club as the young man is said to have cried: Whats your game? Whats your game?

When his girlfriend emerged from the galley, Mr Boston is alleged to have threatened to shoot her with a spear gun, according to the criminal complaint lodged in the US.

Mr Boston tried to stab the medic in the chest with a fillet knife but the blade broke and his father then bound his two passengers with ropes, according to his son.

The skipper then hog-tied his passengers at the rear of the boat and put plastic bags over their heads before pushing first Mr Farmer and then Ms Frampton overboard, followed closely by the machine parts to which they were attached by a length of rope, it was claimed.

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 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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

Mr Boston was arrested at his home in Paradise, California, and now faces trial in the US.

A spokeswoman for GMP said: Greater Manchester Police Cold Case Unit have been working with the families of Christopher Farmer and Peta Frampton for over a year since relatives asked us to reinvestigate these tragic events.

Since that time, we have worked closely with Interpol, Sacramento Police Department, the FBI and the U.S. District Attorneys office.

The families of both Chris and Peta now await the outcome of a trial and would ask for privacy in the meantime.
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A woman who was the subject of an Internet meme mocking her appearance has recieved a flood of support after making a public plea for people to "think before they tweet".

Lizzie Velasquez, an activist who suffers from a rare, inherited condition that means her body is unable to store fat, recently became the subject of a meme that featured a photograph of her smiling, along with the words: "Michael said he would meet me behind this tree for a bit of fun.

Recommended Lizzie Velasquez explains how she copes with online bullying

"He's running late, would someone pleased tag him and tell him I'm still waiting?"

Ms Velasquez, from Texas, shared the meme on her Instagram account, along with a long message in which she asked people to think more carefully before they share a viral meme of a stranger.

She wrote: I'm writing this post not as someone who is a victim but as someone who is using their voice. No matter what we look like or what size we are, at the end of the day we are all human.

The post garnered more than 28,000 'likes' and thousands of Instagram users commented showing their support.

Ms Velasquez later posted a video message thanking people for their support, and emphasising that people should "think before they tweet". She said: "When you see something online, remember that there is a human who is being affected by it.

"It might be funny at the time, but there's probably someone who's not feeling that it's that funny. So just think before you tweet, think before you share, think before you like, because we just want to be accepted, and that's it."

At the age of 17, Ms Velasquez discovered a video of herself entitled Worlds Ugliest Woman on YouTube.

The video had been viewed more than four million times and garnered hundreds of cruel comments, including one telling her parents to kill it with fire and another asking why they chose not to abort her.

She responded by launching an anti-bullying campaign, which she summarised in an inspiring TED talk in 2013. Her full speech has been viewed over seven million times.
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Boris Johnsons mayoral administration spent 1,000 fitting stereos and CD players to armoured water cannons purchased by the then London mayor, it has emerged.

Details of the mounting costs of the units, which will never be used in the UK, were made public by the office of Mr Johnsons successor Sadiq Khan on Wednesday.

Mr Johnson bought the cannons second hand from the German police in 2014 while he was mayor of the capital, but was blocked from using them by Theresa May, who was at the time Home Secretary.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) now hopes to recoup at least 35,000 by selling the cannons on again. In total the cannons cost taxpayers 323,000, according to figures released by the GLA.

Mr Khan said: It beggars belief that such a huge amount of taxpayers money has been wasted on paying to store these redundant machines.

Weve been left in this position by the previous mayor who rashly purchased them before he even had permission to use them, and now its my job to claw back as much of London taxpayers money as I can.

The cannons were retrofitted to operate in the capitals low emission zone, costing 32,004, and were repainted at a cost of 19,035.

They were also equipped with 3,109.20 of signage and were fitted with 970.50 worth of radios and CD players.

It is understood that the radios were fitted so that officers operating the cannons could listen to news broadcasts during times of unrest, and that they came equipped with CD players as standard.

In the summer of 2014 Stephen Greenhalgh, then Mr Johnsons deputy mayor for policing and crime, told members of the London Assembly that police and crime commissioners from around the country had advocated the use of ultraviolet dye in the crowd control weapon.

So-called SmartWater is usually used to invisibly mark valuable belongings  and would permanently mark the clothes of people involved in a public order situation.
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Brexit and the election of Donald Trump as US President only happened because moderate and sane people fell asleep and ignored populist politicians intent on undermining the values of liberal democracy, former Conservative Environment Secretary John Gummer has claimed.

Writing in a blog for the Green Alliance, Lord Deben described the referendum vote to leave the European Union and the imminent arrival of climate science denier Mr Trump in the White House as two terrible examples of what happens when the obviously sensible is taken for granted.

He also urged environmentalists to stop behaving as if they were in the minority and explain the reasons why global warming must be addressed in a way that was relevant to the public.

After serving as Environment Secretary under John Major, Lord Deben now chairs the UKs independent Committee on Climate Change, which was set up to advise the Government.

In the blog, he issued what was essentially a rallying call to defend what many regard as the essence of British values  liberal democracy.

Weve just had two terrible examples of what happens when the obviously sensible is taken for granted and small groups of well-funded individuals are allowed to seize the agenda and destroy the consensus, he said.

Brexit and Trump only happened because the moderate, sane, and considered had fallen asleep on the job, ignoring the constant undermining by press and populist politicians of the standards and values of a liberal democracy.

The current attack in the UK on the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law shows just how far we have fallen and how we have allowed the few to undermine the accepted standards of all decent people.

After High Court judges decided that under the law, Theresa May could not use the Royal Prerogative to begin the process of leaving the US by triggering Article 50 and needed parliamentary approval, the judges were declared Enemies of the People by some in the right-wing press. This is an infamous phrase used by Stalin and other despots over the ages to demonise their critics.

And Lord Deben expressed concern that Rupert Murdoch, whose business empire includes The Sun and The Times, could gain more power if US media giant Fox, another of his companies, takes over UK broadcaster Sky.

The timing of the attempt of Rupert Murdoch to extend his already over-mighty influence is a warning to all of us that that battle is by no means over, Lord Deben said.

Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Show all 13 1 /13 Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Supreme Court Brexit Challenge People wait to enter the public gallery outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Gina Miller, co-founder of investment fund SCM Private arrives at the Supreme court in London on the first day of a four-day hearing Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A man waves the EU flag in front of the Supreme Court Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Satirical artist Kaya Mar poses with two of his paintings in front of the Supreme Court Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Pro-Europe protestors dressed as Supreme Court Justices stand outside the Supreme Court ahead of the first day of a hearing into whether Parliament's consent is required before the Brexit process can begin. The eleven Supreme Court Justices will hear the government's appeal, following the High Court's recent decision that only Parliament can trigger Article 50 Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge The eleven Supreme Court Justices will hear the government's appeal, following the High Court's recent decision that only Parliament can trigger Article 50 Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Businesswoman Gina Miller arrives at the Supreme Court ahead of the first day of a hearing into whether Parliament's consent is required before the Brexit process can begin Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Attorney General Jeremy Wright arrives at the Supreme Court in London EPA Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Protesters outside the Supreme Court in London, where the Government is appealing against a ruling that the Prime Minister must seek MPs' approval to trigger the process of taking Britain out of the European Union PA wire Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A protesters wearing a judge's wigs and robes stands outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A protester holds up a placard outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Pro-Europe protestors dressed as Supreme Court Justices stand outside the Supreme Court Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A man waiting to enter the public gallery waves a European Union flag outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters

He said it was clear that environmentalists had won the argument over climate change.

But he also added: Its certain sure that the world hasnt grasped the urgency of climate change or of the loss of biodiversity.

Persuading the general public required a change of tack by campaigners who spent years on the losing side of the argument before the science became effectively certain.

We environmentalists  have spent too much time trying to make missionary converts, Lord Deben said.

Instead, we should be concentrating on concepts and language which makes sense in their own lives. Thats why clean air and cheaper heating are so much more important than climate change and energy efficiency.

Women go on strike against Donald Trump Show all 7 1 /7 Women go on strike against Donald Trump Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

We must stop being utterly theological and become much more practical. If the Pope can do it so can we.

Now that our aims are aligned with societys aims, how do we help business and government achieve them.

The war is won but, unless we knuckle down to the practical issues, we could easily lose the peace.
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An international alliance of over 100 MPs from 34 different countries have written to the worlds stock exchanges calling on them to factor in the financial risks of climate change.

The message, coordinated by Labours shadow international climate change secretary Barry Gardiner, follows a warning by the Bank of England governor that firms were not paying enough attention to such risks.

Mark Carney said today that investors currently dont have the information to respond to these developments.

Recommended Carney says business must be more honest about climate change risks

Mr Gardiner said disclosure procedures had to be updated so that financial markets would respond properly to such environmental risks.

The risks climate change poses to our financial systems are clearer than ever. The worlds financial systems are only just beginning to focus on the threat to pension funds and other investors from stranded assets and supply chain risks, the shadow minister said.

Financial institutions must respond responsibly to the work of the FSB Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures.

That is why I and over a hundred and forty other parliamentarians from around the world are calling on stock exchanges and regulators to commit to proper reporting and transparency as part of their disclosure procedures.

The Paris Agreement has firmly set the trajectory towards a low-carbon world. We must now build a global financial system that helps us transition smoothly to that future.

The letter calls on the stock markets to promote the adoption of climate-related reporting guidance and disclosure for all listed companies under your jurisdiction and to commit to implement best international practice in reporting requirements for sustainability and climate-related risks.

Climate change protests around the world Show all 25 1 /25 Climate change protests around the world Climate change protests around the world People rally to promote climate protection in Rome, Italy Climate change protests around the world Hundreds of demonstrators gather in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world People hold hands to form a human chain during a gathering called by ecologist organisations in Marseille, southern France, to protest against global warming a day ahead of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21) held in Paris Climate change protests around the world Demonstrators clash with French riot police during protests on Place de la Republique, ahead of the COP21 World Climate Change Conference 2015 in Paris, France Climate change protests around the world Demonstrators clash with French riot police during a protest on Place de la Republique ahead of the COP21 World Climate Change Conference 2015 in Paris, France Climate change protests around the world A group of people perform during a rally to promote climate protection in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Climate change protests around the world A protester sits next to his sign that reads 'Monsanto the Devil Incorporated ' as he joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Environmentalists dance during a protest near the Place de la Republique after the cancellation of a planned climate march following shootings in the French capital, ahead of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21), in Paris, France Reuters Climate change protests around the world People protest next to characters dressed as wild animals during a march against climate change near the Monument to the Revolution, in Mexico City AP Climate change protests around the world Protesters carries a banner while they take part in a protest about climate change at New York City Hall steps in lower Manhattan, New York Reuters Climate change protests around the world People take part in a protest about climate change around New York City Hall at lower Manhattan, New York Reuters Climate change protests around the world People rally to promote climate protection in Piazza Castello, Turin, Italy Climate change protests around the world A woman holds a globe during a protest for the global climate day in Lugano, Switzerland Climate change protests around the world Yemenis hold banners as they participate in the Global March for Climate in the old city of Sanaia, Yemen Climate change protests around the world Protesters dressed as Santa Claus take part in a protest about climate change at New York City Hall steps in lower Manhattan, New York Reuters Climate change protests around the world People gather at the Legislative Palace in Montevideo, during the Global Climate March to demand action on climate change telling world leaders on the eve of a crunch UN summit that there is "no planet B". From Sydney to London, humid Rio to chilly New York, at least 683,000 hit the streets in 2,300 events across 175 countries at the weekend, co-organiser and campaign group Avaaz said, calling it the largest number of people to protest over climate change all at once Getty Images Climate change protests around the world Climate change protests around the world Demonstrators participate in the Global March for Climate in Athens, Greece Climate change protests around the world A man wearing a Bernie Sanders mask leads hundreds of demonstrators who marched near City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Patricia Hauser joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California Climate change protests around the world A woman holds a poster of a sick Earth as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Hundreds of demonstrators march around City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world A demonstrator holds cut-out of US Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world George Patten holds a sign that reads 'No Fracking Ever!' as he joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Gabrielle Sosa wears 'Rising Sea Levels' sign as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA

It also asks that the institutions Ensure that progress in reporting by companies listed on your exchange is transparently monitored and easily accessible to all stakeholders.

Other UK parliamentarians on the list include Green co-leader Caroline Lucas, former Labour leader Ed Miliband, shadow frontbencher Clive Lewis and former climate change secretary Caroline Flint. In total it is signed by 140 legislators.

The letter is also signed by parliamentarians from Cameroon, Brazil, Bangladesh, Chile, Ethiopia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Senegal, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda, and the United States.
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David Davis has become the first cabinet minister to indicate that Brexit could be stopped by the Government even after Article 50 is triggered.

The Brexit Secretary admitted he did not know whether Article 50 could be reversed, despite the Government having fought a case at the Supreme Court on the basis that it could not be.

The surprising admission will give a boost to political opponents and critics who may want to pressure ministers into backing down on Article 50 after it has been invoked.

Speaking at a select committee, Mr Davis also set himself up for a clash with Philip Hammond by saying a transitional deal favoured by the Chancellor to ease the pain of Brexit should only be accepted if necessary.

He said immigration would not form part of the UKs negotiating agenda in Brexit talks, cementing one of the Governments few known positions  that it will refuse to accept freedom of movement. The statement does raise questions, however, about Theresa Mays commitment to securing good access to the single market.

 David Davis does not rule out a transitional Brexit in Committee hearing

In the wide-ranging hearing, Mr Davis went on to rule out publishing Ms Mays promised plan for Brexit in January  telling MPs it would take longer to draw up.

Campaigners who recently took the Government to court to force Ms May give Parliament a say on triggering Article 50 argued that once it was invoked the process was irreversible, something Government lawyers decided not to refute.

Up to now senior figures in Europe have said the UK could draw back from Article 50 once it is triggered if it wanted to, but Downing Street has stuck doggedly to the line that it would not reverse it, choosing not to engage with the question over whether it is legally possible or not.

But addressing MPs in the Brexit Select Committee Mr Davis went further. After initially repeating Ms Mays pledge that Britain does not intend to halt the two-year Article 50 process, he provoked surprise by adding: It may not be revocable  I dont know.

 Labour MP claims it's 'highly probable' Russia interfered with Brexit referendum

At another committee this week, Mr Hammond said thoughtful politicians recognised that a transition deal would be generally helpful to avoid the shock of a sudden cliff-edge to new arrangements post-withdrawal, and suggested further negotiations may go on during the period. It was seen as a challenge to hardliners in his own party calling for a hard and fast Brexit.

Hitting back, Mr Davis said: A transitional arrangement means many things to different people. An implementation phase? If it is necessary and only if it is necessary.

But the British people want this done with some degree of expedition, they want it done properly and soon and that is what we are trying to do.

The Brexit Secretary said he believed Mr Hammond's comments on politicians related to those in other EU states, adding wryly: I hope you can classify me as a thoughtful politician.

 Will you be able to remain an EU citizen after Brexit?

In a move that will cheer sections of the media, Mr Davis said immigration and the Governments stance of refusing to accept free movement would not form part of the UKs negotiating position.

The statement all but rules out the UK having full access to the single market, although ministers have always indicated that they are aiming for best possible access, suggesting they may gun for partial access for certain sectors.

Mr Davis told the committee: Broadly speaking, we are sticking to the overarching aim: maximum possible access, services, goods, networks, and so on.

On the spectrum of possible outcomes being considered by the Government, he said: The four I have in mind are inside the customs union, a partially inside Turkish model, outside with a free trade agreement and a customs arrangement, and completely outside.

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

MPs voted last week for the plan to be made public before the triggering of two-year withdrawal talks under Article 50, which Ms May has said she will evoke by the end of March.

But Mr Davis refused to commit to publishing a detailed White Paper on the plan, saying it would depend on the content, before revealing the Government's plan will not be published before February.

Asked when it would come he said: As soon as we can, once all of the research and policy is completed. It won't be next month. The policy work is still under way, there are quite a few decisions still to be made.

 Theresa May aims for 'red, white and blue Brexit'

Asked whether the Government was considering a special arrangement to allow Northern Ireland to remain in the customs union, in order to ensure that its border with the Republic remains open, Mr Davis said: That's not one of the options we have been looking at  so far, anyway.

He said ministers were determined to maintain that as an open border, suggesting it might be possible to replicate arrangements on the border between Norway, which is outside the Customs Union, and Sweden, which is a member.

The Brexit Secretary told MPs that he expected his department to be wound up within about two and a half years.
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Theresa May must act now to guarantee the rights of EU citizens in the UK post-Brexit, an influential Lords committee has said.

In a report the peers argued the Government should give a "unilateral" pledge to guarantee their rights as it was the "morally right thing to do".

It comes after another report from a think tank also called on the Prime Minister to make the move, suggesting it was "morally" wrong not to.

So far Ms May has said that she expects to take the step, but only as a part of a deal that would see the rights of British citizens confirmed in other EU states.

Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, chairman of the House of Lords EU Justice Sub-Committee, said: "The Government is under a moral obligation to give a unilateral declaration immediately to safeguard the EU citizenship rights of all EU nationals in the UK when the UK withdraws from the EU.

"I also believe that such a gesture will stimulate reciprocal commitments from the other EU countries where UK citizens are currently living."

Baroness Kennedy said that for the last six months the lives of EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in Europe had been "shrouded in anxiety" and they had no idea how to plan their futures.

 Theresa May on immigration in conference speech

She added: "Most shockingly the rise in xenophobic behaviour since the referendum has now meant that EU citizens who have contributed to the UK economy for years no longer feel welcome in the country they call home. We find that unacceptable."

Their report set out how the rights of an EU citizen to live and work in any member state, and to gain a permanent right of residence in that country after five years, are some of the most fundamental in EU law.

In the absence of a negotiated settlement the consequences of the loss of EU citizenship rights will be severe, according to their paper.

It highlighted "deep anxiety" among EU nationals, including Polish, Romanian and French people, in the UK as well as UK nationals living and working on the continent.

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

Even if the Government refuses to give a unilateral undertaking ahead of the negotiations, there is a strong case for agreeing EU citizenship rights as a preliminary and separate element of the negotiations as soon as Article 50 is triggered, the report said.

Earlier this week think tank British Future called for the Prime Minister to demonstrate "goodwill" and "make the first move" in giving EU citizens in the UK before Brexit the right to stay here permanently.

Meanwhile, the European Parliaments chief negotiator Guy Verhofstadt has backed a plan to offer British citizens "associate citizenship" after Brexit.
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Labour has unveiled a plan aimed at eradicating rough sleeping, arguing that the UK is too decent and too well off to put up with people sleeping on our streets.

The number of people sleeping rough has nearly doubled in the last six years, government figures show, while the number of homeless households rose to 60,000 this year, according to John Healey, the shadow housing minister. Children, too, have been hit hard by the housing crisis, with more than 100,000 without a permanent home for Christmas, the Labour MP said.

Writing for The Independent, Mr Healey said Theresa Mays pledge to create a country that works for everyone means that she should not tolerate this rising level of deprivation.

Mr Healey said affordable housing supply and accessibility is the key to solving the problem and that he would double the capacity of a housing scheme reserved for people with a history of sleeping rough.

Labours plan would see 4,000 additional housing association homes earmarked for rough sleepers.

The party said it would rejuvenate the Rough Sleepers Initiative (RSI), started by housing minister Sir George Young in the 1990s. The RSI, later consolidated into the Rough Sleepers Unit (RSU) by the New Labour government, used street outreach teams to find rough sleepers and refer them to 4,000 units of accommodation originally constructed for the programme.

In the 1990s this programme was considered highly effective at reducing rough sleeping.

The call came amid The Independents Christmas campaign to raise money for the charity Centrepoints Young and Homeless helpline.

Many may remember the mass homelessness of the 1980s and 1990s, with tent cities in central London, the shadow minister wrote.

But in one of its biggest forgotten successes the last Labour government reduced rough sleeping by around three-quarters. We set out a comprehensive intervention plan, ground-breaking legislation, fresh investment, and a target to cut rough sleeping by two-thirds  delivered a year early.

Mr Healey has challenged the Prime Minister to match Labours policy and also to meet and exceed her target of building affordable homes.

John Healey says Labour will rejuvenate the Rough Sleepers Initiative (PA)

He added: Homelessness can and should be a cross-party commitment, with a new national will to solve the growing problem.

The causes of homelessness Show all 7 1 /7 The causes of homelessness The causes of homelessness Family Breakdown Relationship breakdown, usually between young people and their parents or step-parents, is a major cause of youth homelessness. Around six in ten young people who come to Centrepoint say they had to leave home because of arguments, relationship breakdown or being told to leave. Many have experienced long-term problems at home, often involving violence, leaving them without the family support networks that most of us take for granted The causes of homelessness Complex needs Young people who come to Centrepoint face a range of different and complex problems. More than a third have a mental health issue, such as depression and anxiety, another third need to tackle issues with substance misuse. A similar proportion also need to improve their physical health. These problems often overlap, making it more difficult for young people to access help and increasing the chances of them becoming homeless Getty/iStock The causes of homelessness Deprivation Young people's chances of having to leave home are higher in areas of high deprivation and poor prospects for employment and education. Many of those who experience long spells of poverty can get into problem debt, which makes it harder for them to access housing Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Gang Crime Homeless young people are often affected by gang-related problems. In some cases, it becomes too dangerous to stay in their local area meaning they can end up homeless. One in six young people at Centrepoint have been involved in or affected by gang crime Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Exclusion From School Not being in education can make it much more difficult for young people to access help with problems at home or health problems. Missing out on formal education can also make it more difficult for them to move into work Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Leaving Care Almost a quarter of young people at Centrepoint have been in care. They often have little choice but to deal with the challenges and responsibilities of living independently at a young age. Traumas faced in their early lives make care leavers some of the most vulnerable young people in our communities, with higher chances of poor outcomes in education, employment and housing. Their additional needs mean they require a higher level of support to maintain their accommodation Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Refugees Around 13 per cent of young people at Centrepoint are refugees or have leave to remain, meaning it isn't safe to return home. This includes young people who come to the UK as unaccompanied minors, fleeing violence or persecution in their own country. After being granted asylum, young people sometimes find themselves with nowhere to go and can end up homeless Getty Images/iStockphoto

Projections released by the Office for Budget Responsibility in the Autumn Statement showed that government policies would slightly slow the rate of affordable housebuilding  despite housebuilding currently being nowhere near the rate required to meet Theresa Mays target of building a million homes by 2020.

Even that target is considered inadequate with 300,000 a year often quoted as the benchmark level required to stop costs from continuing to rise in the housing market.
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Jeremy Corbyn today blamed a staggering 4.6bn of cuts for the social care crisis  describing it as made in Downing Street.

In one of his best Prime Ministers Questions performances, the Labour leader traced the alarming care failures to harsh austerity since 2010.

Mr Corbyn asked Theresa May if she knew the scale of the cuts imposed on local authority social are services since the start of the decade  but received no answer.

He then said: The Prime Minister does not seem to be aware that 4.6bn was cut from the social care budget in the last Parliament.

Not mentioned in the autumn statement, underfunded and many elderly people left in isolation and increasing risk because of the lack of Government funding.

Mr Corbyn also said: This is social care system thats deep in crisis. The crisis is made in Downing Street by this Government, and he added: Get a grip and fund it properly.

In reply, Ms May said she recognised there are "immediate" pressures on social care - which would be addressed by the precept on council tax bills, to raise extra funds.

But she also said: "The difference between the worst-performing council in relation to delayed discharges and the best is a 20-fold difference.

"That's not about the difference of funding, it's about the difference of delivery."

She blamed some Labour councils  naming Ealing, in London  for a worse performance, because they had not raised the precept.

The Prime Minister also pledged to find a long-term solution, insisting she would not duck the need to reform social care funding, as Labour had for 13 years.

However, the Conservatives are hugely vulnerable on the issue, having twice shelved long-term proposals to overhaul social care, both in 2012 and last year.

At the 2015 election, the party pledged a 72,000 cap on how much people have to pay before the state steps in, to ensure "no one has to sell their home".

But it was delayed until 2020, because the 6bn cost was deemed an unaffordable expensive new commitment at a time of austerity.

Furthermore, David Cameron was believed to be ready to set up a cross-party commission to find a long-term solution before he left office  but the idea appears to have been dropped.

The clash came as The Independent was told that council tax bills will be allowed to rise by three per cent next year and the year after, to fund better social care.

The social care precept will be higher, in both 2017-18 and 2018-19, than the two per cent announced last year, by former Chancellor George Osborne.

A three per cent increase to the average Band D property bill of 1,530 will be 45.80 a year  and a rise of more than 91 in 2018-19, compared with this year.

But Mr Corbyn called that a con  because it will raise more money in richer areas  repeating his call for corporation tax cuts to be axed instead.
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Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn will go head to head at Prime Minister's Questions for the final time of 2016.

The latest political stories are:

 Handful of MPs turn up for urgent Aleppo debate

 Labour unveils plan to end rough sleeping

 Lords say May should guarantee EU citizens' rights

 Women suffer 86 per cent of Tory benefit cuts

This week's Prime Minister's Questions is the first time in two weeks the pair have met as the Prime Minister was attending the Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain last week.

It comes a day ahead of Ms May's visit to a key EU summit in Brussels.

The issue of Aleppo is sure to be raised at the PMQs session as the Syrian civil war reaches its most bloody point yet.

At a sparsely-attended emergency debate MPs discussed the emergency action they believed should be taken, while some blamed Ed Miliband blocking intervention in 2013 for the slaughter.
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The Prime Minister has rejected a call for the UK to stop selling weapons to Saudi Arabia  following the USs decision to restrict arms sales to the autocracy.

The US yesterday announced it would stop a shipment of precision-guided munitions to the country following evidence of systematic, endemic problems in Saudi Arabias targeting.

There are reports of the countrys forces hitting schools, hospitals and wedding parties as it intervenes against Houthi rebels on behalf of Yemens beleaguered internationally recognised government.

Recommended Boris Johnson braced for embarrassing trip to Saudi Arabia

Despite the Americans change of heart the UK has continued to supply similar weapons to Saudi Arabia, fuelling its campaign.

Civilians have suffered grievously with the bombing of hospitals, of schools, of markets. The UN believes 60 per cent of civilian casualties are caused by air strikes, the SNPs Westminster group leader Angus Robertson asked at Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday.

In the last 24 hours the United States has stopped the supply of precision guided munitions to Saudi Arabia to bomb Yemen. When will the UK follow suit?

Ms May said the UKs regime was very strict. As the right honourable gentleman knows we do have a very strict regime of export licences in relation to weapons here in the United Kingdom, she replied. We exercise that very carefully and in recent years we have indeed refused export licences in relations to arms including to Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Mr Robertson, however, hit back: The US government has just said, and I quote, that systematic, endemic problems in Saudi Arabias targeting drove the US decision to halt a future weapons sale sale involving precision-guided munitions.

The Saudis have UK-supplied precision guided Paveway IV missiles  theyre made in Scotland. The UK has licenced 3.3bn worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the bombing campaign. What will it take for the UK to adopt an ethical foreign policy when it comes to Yemen.

Ms May said: As the right honourable gentleman knows the intervention in Yemen is a UN-backed intervention. As Ive said previously, where there are allegations international humanitarian law then we require those to be properly investigated.

SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson (screengrab)

We do have a relationship with Saudi Arabia  the security of the Gulf is important to us. I would remind the RHG that the intelligence and counter-terrorism links we have with Saudi Arabia has saved potentially hundreds of lives here in the UK.

Since Saudia Arabias campaign started in March 2015 the UK has licensed around 3bn worth of arms including 2.2bn of so-called ML10 licence  aircraft and drones, 1.1bn ML4 licences, which include bombs and missiles, and 430,000 ML6 licences, which includes armoured vehicles and tanks.

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

Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade said: Like the US, the UK has licensed billions of pounds worth of arms to Saudi forces. Like their US counterparts, UK arms companies have fuelled and profited from the destruction taking place.

If even the US is questioning its support for Saudi Arabia, then why is the UK Government pulling out all stops to support them? Why are human rights regarded as less important than arms company profits?"
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A wealthy central London council is being accused of social cleansing over plans to move some of the areas poorest residents miles out of the borough.

Conservative-controlled Westminster City Council has approved plans to buy 24 new one- and two-bed flats 11 miles away in Hounslow town centre despite the protests of its Labour-controlled local authority.

The council, which has seen several luxury developments spring up to cater to the demands of rich elites wanting a central London postcode, plans to move some of the estimated 4,400 households on its waiting list to the small flats miles from their families, schools and places of work on the edge of London.

Westminster has refused to reveal how much they paid developer Galliard Homes for the flats, saying the information was commercially sensitive, but a source told The Independent it was a significant amount of money.

Hounslow Council is furious at the decision and claims Westminster has gone behind its back to push its housing problems onto it.

Hounslow Councils leader Steve Curran told The Independent he had only been informed of the deal when he was contacted by a member of Westminster Councils Labour opposition group last week.

Cllr Curran said he had been approached by Westminster several years ago and asked if he would be willing to allow the council to build homes for their tenants in the borough but had refused.

He said: Weve got our own housing crisis; we dont need to deal with anyone elses. What we are concerned about is the pressure it puts on our other services, such as schools and the health service, as we havent got a clue who they are going to send here.

The first I knew about this purchase was when I received the cabinet decision.

I have written to the leader of Westminster raising my concerns, but there is nothing we can do legally to stop it.

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. 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He said Westminster Council and Galliard had relied on a new planning law introduced by the Coalition government in 2013.

This gave developers permitted development rights to convert offices into homes without going through the councils usual planning system.

But Westminster Council claimed it had discussed the purchase of these properties in Lampford Road with Hounslow Council on an open and ongoing basis.

Ruth Cadbury, the shadow housing minister and MP for Brentford and Isleworth where the development is taking place, accused Westminster Council of passing the buck for its own housing problems.

She said: For some years now London authorities have had a cross-party agreement not to push housing problems from one borough to the next. Westminster seems to be in complete contravention of that.

I think they are trying to pass the buck, they are trying to cleanse central London of people on low incomes  which is an issue for those communities but also for the central London economy  and then they are imposing more pressures on outer London.

Guillard Homes got around the usual planning rules for the development as it was converting a disused office building (Google Maps)

It is unacceptable that they are not dealing with their own problems and pressures on their own patch. They have the assets, they should be considering of their own residents first.

She said it demonstrated the failure of the national Governments housing policy and said local authorities should be getting the financial powers to be able to build homes for its own people where they are and not make them move.

Ms Cadbury said Westminsters actions violated an agreement brokered by London Councils, a local government association that represents all 33 of the capitals councils, where councils agreed not to house homeless families in each others boroughs.

But a spokesman for Westminster Council said they had not violated the agreement because it only applied to homeless families who needed temporary accommodation.

He said it was a choice-based scheme and no-one would be forced to move but it would not compensate Hounslow for the increased burden on its services.

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The spokesman said the people who were likely to move would be council tax payers and therefore be entitled to use Hounslows services.

Westminster Councils Labour opposition leader, Adam Hug, denounced the worrying move, saying it further encouraged the creeping social cleansing of Westminster through both local and national Tory policies.

He added: The council should invest that money in creating new council homes in Westminster rather than allowing thousands of luxury flats to be built in the borough while pushing out our council tenants to Zone 5.

It means families uprooting their lives in order to take advantage of this.

If it is families, and they may well be doing that, what do people do about their kids in school? Theres a lack of clarity about what happens if theyre getting any support from Westminster in terms of adult social care or childrens social care.

The number of poorer families being forced out of London has risen dramatically over the past few years

He dismissed Westminsters claim that council tenants will be able to travel from Hounslow Central to Hyde Park Corner in just 35 minutes on the London Underground, saying most council tenants cannot afford to use the Tube and instead rely on buses which would mean a two-hour journey at peak times.

It follows figures revealed by The Independent last year that showed nearly 50,000 families were moved out their home borough in just three years  leading to claims that central London was being hollowed out by development.

Daniel Astaire, Westminster Councils cabinet member for Housing who approved the decision, said: Westminster is continuing to facilitate, purchase and build as many affordable homes as possible inside the borough.

Despite this, it is not always possible to house everyone in Westminster; people can wait for 10 years or more for social housing here. Purchasing 24 high-quality new homes in Hounslow is an innovative way of meeting this demand and providing people with a stable home more quickly.

These homes are in a location with excellent local amenities and nearby transport facilities so that households who need to travel into Westminster for work, education or social reasons can do so quickly and at reasonable cost.

Galliard Homes declined to comment when contacted by The Independent.
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Victims of atrocities during British colonial rule in Kenya have called for a boycott of next years general election until billions of pounds of reparations are paid by the UK.

Veterans who fought against white settlers and the British Army during the fight for Kenyas independence say they have never been compensated for the persecution they suffered.

In 2013, the British government agreed to pay out 20 million in reparations to a group of more than 5,000 survivors of the Mau Mau rebellion.

The agreement saw the then-Foreign Secretary William Hague recognise on behalf of the UK, for the first time, that Kenyans were subject to torture and other forms of ill-treatment at the hands of the colonial administration. The British government sincerely regrets that these abuses took place, he said.

Recommended 5 of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire

And the UK also agreed to finance a memorial to the Mau Mau conflict which was unveiled in central Nairobis Uhuru Park in September 2015.

But for members of the Mau Mau Original lobby group, which represents veterans of the conflict, these measures do not go nearly far enough.

They have said they believe every Kenyan deserves a share of the reparations for the damage colonial rule did to the country.

Figures like the 20 million sum were calculated based on census data from the 1940s, they argue, and so do not reflect the fact that the countrys population is now much greater.

The groups national chairman, Field Marshall Ngacha Karani, says the Kenyan government should be demanding 400 trillion shillings - or 4 trillion. Thats about 1 trillion more than Britains total annual GDP.

According to a report on Wednesday by Kenyas Citizen TV, Mr Ngacha told a meeting of the Mau Mau Original that the group must travel throughout the country in order to mobilise Kenyans to boycott the election due to be held on 8 August 2017.

And he questioned why it was that successive Kenyan governments have failed to do more to pressurise Britain into giving more.

Mr Ngacha was not the only Mau Mau veteran to speak this week against his own government on the matter.

In an interview with Kenya's Standard newspaper, 90-year-old freedom fighter Faith Wanjiru Wachira recalled how she risked her life to help feed and clothe Mau Mau rebels deep inside the Mount Kenya forest.

She said that one year after independence, the new Kenyan government rounded up people like her living in areas worst-hit by the rebellion and rehomed them in cramped temporary holding grounds. The new administration of Jomo Kenyatta feared they could rise up again if they were unhappy with post-colonial rule.

More than 52 years later, she lives in that same 50-by-100 ft plot of land with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She told the Standard: It pains me that I fought for land, but I ended up without any. I am hopeful that one day, the government will consider my struggle in ensuring that Kenya attained independence and reward me with land.

The suppression of the Mau Mau rebellion remains one of the darkest episodes of Britain's imperial era.

The 5 of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire Show all 5 1 /5 The 5 of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire The 5 of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire 1. Boer concentration camps During the Second Boer War (1899-1902), the British rounded up around a sixth of the Boer population - mainly women and children - and detained them in camps, which were overcrowded and prone to outbreaks of disease, with scant food rations. Of the 107,000 people interned in the camps, 27,927 Boers died, along with an unknown number of black Africans Hulton Archive/Getty Images The 5 of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire 2. Amritsar massacre When peaceful protesters defied a government order and demonstrated against British colonial rule in Amritsar, India, on 13 April 1919, they were blocked inside the walled Jallianwala Gardens and fired upon by Gurkha soldiers. The soldiers, under the orders of Brigadier Reginald Dyer, kept firing until they ran out of ammunition, killing between 379 and 1,000 protesters and injuring another 1,100 within 10 minutes. Brigadier Dyer was later lauded a hero by the British public, who raised 26,000 for him as a thank you The 5 of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire 3. Partitioning of India In 1947, Cyril Radcliffe was tasked with drawing the border between India and the newly created state of Pakistan over the course of a single lunch. After Cyril Radcliffe split the subcontinent along religious lines, uprooting over 10 million people, Hindus in Pakistan and Muslims in India were forced to escape their homes as the situation quickly descended into violence. Some estimates suggest up to one million people lost their lives in sectarian killings The 5 of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire 4. Mau Mau Uprising Thousands of elderly Kenyans, who claim British colonial forces mistreated, raped and tortured them during the Mau Mau Uprising (1951-1960), have launched a 200m damages claim against the UK Government. Members of the Kikuyu tribe were detained in camps, since described as "Britain's gulags" or concentration camps, where they allege they were systematically tortured and suffered serious sexual assault. Estimates of the deaths vary widely: historian David Anderson estimates there were 20,000, whereas Caroline Elkins believes up to 100,000 could have died The 5 of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire 5. Famines in India Between 12 and 29 million Indians died of starvation while it was under the control of the British Empire, as millions of tons of wheat were exported to Britain as famine raged in India. In 1943, up to four million Bengalis starved to death when Winston Churchill diverted food to British soldiers and countries such as Greece while a deadly famine swept through Bengal. Talking about the Bengal famine in 1943, Churchill said: I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion. The famine was their own fault for breeding like rabbits

It saw thousands of mainly ethnic Kikuyu rise up against British rule, fed up with the economic deprivation that came from being forced from their rich agricultural homelands north of Nairobi.

In an effort to divide and isolate rebels, London and the Kenyan authorities declared a state of emergency in 1952, rounding up more than a million Kikuyu into camps and protected villages. Most historians now see these as essentially concentration camps, designed to punish the ethnic group as a whole.

Though the 2013 settlement came out of court, another class action involving more than 8,000 additional claimants is still making its way through the British court system.

The High Court is being asked to rule on the claim for damages of around 200 million, though the British government is resisting the case, and the Kenyan government has declined to take up the matter on a government-to-government basis.
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The last 24 hours in Aleppo have been the worst in the bitter fight for the city, a UN representative has said, as the Syrian government closes in on the last pockets of rebel resistance.

Aid organisations have renewed desperate pleas to reinstate a ceasefire in order to evacuate the estimated 50,000 - 100,000 civilians that remain in what a World Food Programme spokesperson described as the citys slow descent into hell.

Many activists and residents The Independent has spoken with in recent months have blamed Western politicians for not doing more to end months of intense Russian-backed air strikes.

A Turkey and Russia brokered ceasefire agreement which went into effect Tuesday night was ruptured Wednesday morning after claims of violations on both sides, cruelling dashing the last hopes of those who had been promised evacuations. "We want to leave, we don't want more massacres, let us leave," one activist said in a Whatsapp message on Wednesday.

Families have already been ripped apart by violence inflicted by both the regime and rebels, and anyone accused of helping the opposition now awaits possible detention or execution by regime forces. For many people inside east Aleppo, help will come too late.

Although regaining control of the city will amount to a huge victory for President Bashar al-Assad, the war is far from over. Many more civilians all over the country will suffer before the complex conflict ends.

 Syria conflict: Aleppo civilians post 'goodbye' videos

To help end the bloodshed caused by the Syrian crisis, you can:

1. Join demonstrations where you live

In London, protesters are meeting outside 10 Downing Street at 8.30pm, outside the Syrian Embassy at 9pm, and at other events scheduled in Liverpool and Manchester on Tuesday 13th December. Use the hashtag #StandWithAleppo to find demonstrations in your area - and if there isnt one, organise one.

2. Call and email your MP and MEP

Let them know you want the government to do more than condemn the violence. Petition them to start aid drops for Aleppo and other starving areas of Syria, and ask them to consider measures such as sanctions or diplomatic repercussions for the Syrian and Russian governments.

The EU has taken discussion of sanctions on Russia over its actions in Aleppo - first proposed in October - off the agenda for a summit in Brussels on Thursday.

3. Donate to relief efforts

The Syrian government has blocked UN aid shipments from entering Aleppo since the siege barricades went up in July. A list of trustworthy local and international NGOs working on the ground in Syria can be found here.

4. If you have a specific skill set, volunteer your time

Medical professionals have helped saved innumerable lives by assisting the beleaguered doctors and nurses in Aleppo by giving advice via Skype. Get in touch with US-based SAMS, a medical charity that operates all over Syria, for how to get involved.

If you speak Arabic and can offer translation services for aid organisations, contact your local branch.

In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Show all 30 1 /30 In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian family arrives at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian woman, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, reacts as she stands with her children in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past resident fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood , after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past residents fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-regime fighter speaks with a child, as residents flee violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood. Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops AFP/Getty Images In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Smoke rises as seen from a governement-held area of Aleppo, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers targeting rebels-held areas in the eastern neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria. According to media reports, the army is now holding on 99 percent of Aleppois eastern neighborhoods EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-government forces patrol Aleppo's eastern al-Salihin neighbourhood after troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers rest following the battle at al-Sheik Saeed neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-government fighter walking past closed shops in the Bab al-Nasr district of Aleppo's Old City. Once renowned for its bustling souks, grand citadel and historic gates, Aleppo's Old City has been rendered virtually unrecognisable by some of the worst violence of Syria's war Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The crucial battle for Aleppo entered its 'final phase' after Syrian rebels retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The retreat leaves opposition fighters confined to just a handful of neighbourhoods in southeast Aleppo, the largest of them Sukkari and Mashhad Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilans arrive at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods. Syria's government has retaken at least 85 percent of east Aleppo, which fell to rebels in 2012, since beginning its operation Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilians flee the Sukkari neighbourhood towards safer rebel-held areas in southeastern Aleppo Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since Syria's conflict began in 2011, and leave the government in control of the country's five major cities Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee Aliya inside the tent where she lives with her husband and ten children in a camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee women and children outside the entrance to their tents in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee woman outside the entrance to the tent where her family live, in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A vehicle drives past a mosque at night in Idlib, Syria. Picture taken with a long exposure Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The night sky is seen through damaged windows in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria Reuters

5. Support the global refugee effort

Refugee resettlement in the UK is done on a voluntary basis by constituency. Tell your Local Government Association if you would be willing to foster an unaccompanied refugee child, and that refugee families are welcome in your area.

Tell your local council and MP that you want the UK to agree to take in more refugees. Jordan and Lebanon - Syrias neighbours - are currently home to almost three million Syrians. The UK has agreed to resettle 20,000 by 2020, and is currently not on track to reach that target.
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President Barack Obama has warned Donald Trump that "it doesn't matter how smart you are" when it comes to briefings from US intelligence agencies.

Mr Trump said earlier this week that he was "like a smart person" who did not need "the same thing in the same words every single day" when asked why he received only one briefing per week

"I get it when I need it," the President-elect told Fox News. "These are very good people that are giving me the briefings. And I say, 'If something should change from this point, immediately call me. I'm available on one minute's notice.'"

But Mr Obama warned his successor that it "doesn't matter how smart you are if you have to have the best information possible to make the best decisions possible."

"My experience with our intelligence agencies is that they are not perfect, they'd be the first to acknowledge that, but they are full of extraordinarily hard-working, patriotic and knowledgeable experts," he told The Daily Show's, Trevor Noah. "And if you're not getting their perspective - their detailed perspective - then you are flying blind."

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Recalling how Mr Trump invited the Russians to hack Hillary Clinton's emails to "confirm conspiracy theories", President Obama also pointed to the relationships between the tycoon's new team and senior figures both close to Vladimir Putin's government.

"You had what were very clear relationships between members of the president-elects campaign team and Russians, and a professed shared view on a bunch of issues," he said. "Going forward, I worry that we dont spend enough time on self-reflection about how our democracys working, how our campaigns working, and how all of us have to do a better job at talking about whats at stake."

Mr Trump's transition team has dismissed the CIAs reported findings that Russia intervened in the US election in an attempt to ensure his victory, comparing them to investigations into Iraqs non-existence weapons of mass destruction.
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Donald Trump can be "blackmailed" by foreign countries because of his global interests, it has been claimed.

The President-elect and his family have on-going property projects, directly influenced by governments in the Philippines, Taiwan, Turkey, Japan and Argentina.

The network of operations worldwide renders the 70-year-old property tycoon and his administration open to corruption, according to an investigation by Newsweek magazine.

Already, there is a situation in which the president of the United States could be blackmailed by a foreign power through pressure related to his familys business entanglements, the article states.

It adds: Given the extraordinary power Donald Trump now wields, its obvious that foreign governments and corporations can easily curry favour."

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

Turkey

The article alleges that a leading businessman has been arrested in Turkey after the President-elect mentioned him in a conversation with the countrys president, Recep Tayip Erdogan.

Barbaros Muratoglu, a senior executive at Dogan Holding was detained on 1 December on threadbare allegations the magazine states.

One of the top industrial conglomerates in Turkey, operating in the energy, media, industry, trade, insurance and tourism industries, Dogan Holding built a pair of buildings, Trump Towers in Istanbul.

Mr Trumps company has been paid up to $10 million by the developers since 2014 to affix his name atop of the buildings, one of which is residential and the other offices.

The article claims that Turkey plans to use Mr Muratoglus detention as leverage in a deal that would see the US extradite the Imam, Fethullah Gulen, who Mr Erdogan has blamed for masterminding an attempted coup in the country earlier this year  a charge he denies.

The one time ally of Mr Erdogan is currently living in the US which has refused to extradite him to Turkey despite repeated requests.

Philippines

Written by veteran investigative journalist Kurt Eichenwald, the article claims Mr Trump has enormous financial interest in keeping the recently elected president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, happy.

An estimated 4,500 people to have been killed between 1 July and 5 September after he took power and declared a bloody war on drugs - a death rate of around 38 people per day.

Mr Duterte also recently admitted to killing suspected criminals and shooting a bully.

Trump Tower in capital Manila is reportedly on the verge of completion and buyers have apparently placed deposits on at least 94 per cent of its apartments.

During the campaign, Mr Trumps sons Donald Jr. and Eric attended a celebratory ceremony there, and the building's website promotes Ivanka Trumps jewellery line.

Donald Trump's empire has long-standing business interests in the Philippines Getty (Getty)

Trump Tower under construction in Manila in July 2015 Getty (Getty)

The head of the buildings developers, Jose E.B. Antonio of Century Properties, whose firm reportedly pay millions to use Trump branding, is Mr Dutertes special government envoy to the US.

Mr Duterte claimed Mr Trump wished him success with his drug war campaign, which has killed an estimated 5,000 people, during their phone call on 2 December.

 Kanye West meets with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower

Of the total overseas Filipino population, 34.5 per cent are in the US, fuelling speculation that Mr Trump may tweak his immigration policy to satisfy Mr Duterte.

China, which Mr Trump has blamed for manipulating currencies and pedalling global warming lies, is also one of the top two export destinations for the Philippines.

If the President-elect raises tariffs on Chinese exports, it will, like toppling dominoes, hurt Mr Duterte and Trump Tower in Century City, the article suggests.

Taiwan

Mr Trump's decision to take an official telephone call from Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen has also enraged leaders in China, and effectively broken with nearly four decades of US policy.

The 10-minute call was the first by a US president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of One China.

Cheng Wen-tsan, mayor of Taoyuan in Taiwan, told The China Times that a Trump representative visited to express the familys interest in building near the citys airport.

 Turkey issues arrest warrant against US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen

Japan

The government-owned Development Bank of Japan is the largest shareholder of Sanei International, which is responsible for the licensing of Ivankas clothing company.

The mother-of-three sat in on Prime Minister Shinzo Abes meeting in her fathers gold-platted Manhattan apartment.

The Trump project in Buenos Aires has been green-lighted Getty (Joe Raedle/Getty)

Argentina

The article reports that, for years, Mr Trump has been trying to secure government permits for an office project in capital Buenos Aires.

Respected Argentine journalist Jorge Latnata said in president Mauricio Macris call with the future president on 14 November, Mr Trump asked him to deal with problems holding up the project.

News agency Reuters also claimed Ivanka was on the call.

Three days later, Argentine daily La Nacion reported that the project had been green-lighted.

Blind trust

While his yet to address the specific allegations made in Newsweek Mr Trump has previously said he will shift his business empire and assets into a blind trust, owned by his children - before the Electoral College rubber stamp his presidency on 19 December - to resolve the conflict of interests.

But the article claims this would not eliminate the conflicts, given that the money generated would still go to his family.
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Donald Trump could be a similar president to John F Kennedy, according to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

The billionaire entrepreneur said the President-elect embraced innovation in the same way as JFK, who served as US President for almost three years before being assassinated in 1963..

Mr Gates told CNBC: A lot of his message has been about ... where he sees things not as good as he'd like.

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But in the same way that President Kennedy talked about the space mission and got the country behind that, I think whether it's education or stopping epidemics ... [or] in this energy space, there can be a very upbeat message that [Mr Trump's] administration [is] going to organise things, get rid of regulatory barriers, and have American leadership through innovation be one of the things that he gets behind.

Mr Gates confirmed reports he had held a phone conversation with Mr Trump.

He said: I had the opportunity to talk to him about innovation. Of course, my whole career has been along those lines. And he was interested in listening to that. And I'm sure there will be further conversations.

The Microsoft co-founder was later pictured meeting Mr Trump at Trump Tower, shortly after the President-elect met with rapper Kanye West.

Mr Gates had previously hinted he was supporting Hillary Clinton in the 8 November election but said his charitable foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, would approach any administration with a positive open mind.

The entrepreneur gave money to three Democratic congressmen this year but has previously donated to Republican politicians.

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

John F Kennedy spoke publicly during his presidency about his belief in the importance of science and technology. He made it a US national goal to land a man on the moon  something that was achieved by Neil Armstrong six years after JFK was shot dead in Dallas, Texas.

Mr Trump has faced criticism for rejecting scientific evidence on a number of issues. Despite strong evidence to the contrary, he has insisted climate change is not real and is instead a hoax invented by the Chinese to damage American interests.

The President-elect also claimed vaccines cause autism, said environmentally-friendly light bulbs cause cancer, and suggested fracking poses zero health risks but wind farms are bad for peoples health.

Scientific American magazine published an editorial the week before the election calling Mr Trumps views on science shockingly ignorant and claiming he showed a disregard for science that is alarming in a candidate for high office.

It comes as President Obama signed into law a new bill that will see $6.3 billion (5 billion) invested in scientific research to cure cancer, as well as help treat people with drug addictions and mental health problems.

The 21st Century Cures Act is likely to be the last law introduced by Mr Obama before he hands over to Mr Trump on 20 July.
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Uncovered Army documents have revealed that former General Michael Flynn, the man tapped to be Donald Trump's national security adviser, "inappropriately shared" classified information without permission.

A secret military investigation conducted in 2010 determined that the retired Army general had shared the secrets with foreign officers in Afghanistan while serving as US military intelligence chief. But Mr Flynn did not suffer any consquences for the action.

According to the documents, which were obtained by the Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act, the investigation found that Mr Flynn did not act "knowingly" and "there was no actual potential damage to national security as a result".

Mr Flynn had previously criticised Mr Trump's rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while speaking at the Republican Convention in July, leading the crowd in chants of "lock her up" over her use of a private email server while in the Obama administration.

He accused Ms Clinton of placing "our nation's security at extremely high risk with her careless use of a private email server," which was the focus of an FBI investigation that found no criminal wrongdoing.

"If I, a guy who knows this business," he added, "if I did a tenth, a tenth of what she did, I would be in jail today."

US officials familiar with the investigation told the Post that the case focused on presentation slides that contained information about CIA operations in Afghanistan.

"It was a general intelligence briefing that included stuff that shouldn't have been on those slides" and included "stuff the intelligence community was doing that had a much higher level of classification," said one official.

Mr Flynn acknowledged the investigation, chalking it up to "that's what the government does". But he asserted that he had proper permissions.

"The investigation on me was for sharing intelligence with the Brits and Australians in combat, and I'm proud of that one," he said. "That was substantiated because actually I did it. But I did it with the right permissions when you dig into the investigation. I'm proud of that one.

"Accuse me of sharing intelligence with our closest allies, please."

Mr Flynn's treatment of information had caused some concern after Mr Trump announced his appointment to the top national security role.

An examination of Mr Flynn's use of social media showed he regularly disseminated misinformation and baseless conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and their associates.

In a 3 November tweet, that has since been deleted, Mr Flynn linked Ms Clinton to what is now known as "Pizzagate".

"U decide," he wrote. "NYPD Blows Whistle on New Hillary on Hillary Emails: Money Laundering, Sex Crimes w Children, etc...MUST READ!"
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It was vulnerable territory for Paul Ryan to be mocked, in his home state of Wisconsin. As the house speaker stood offstage, watching his former foe Donald Trump speak, the attention suddenly turned to him.

"Speaker Paul Ryan, Ive really come to appreciate him," said Mr Trump, and the crowd burst into loud boos.

Mr Trump raised his hands. "Oh no, Ive come to appreciate him."

Mr Trump turned to look for him offstage.

"Where is the house speaker? Where is he?" Mr Trump said, pointing to him.

"Hes terrific. Honestly, hes like a fine wine. Every day goes by, I get to appreciate his genius more and more. Now, if he ever goes against me Im not going to say that, ok?"

Mr Trump smiled widely, and listed off the issues he would work on in partnership with Mr Ryan. One voice called out from the crowd about the wall between the US-Mexico border.

"Were going to work on the wall, Paul," Mr Trump said, nodding.

The house speaker had openly criticised Mr Trump until one month before the election, when a leaked video from 2005 showed the president-elect bragging about grabbing womens genitals. Mr Ryan said he would not withdraw his endorsement of Mr Trump but could no longer "defend" him.

Mr Trump kept coming back to his former critic during his "thank you" speech.

 US House Speaker Paul Ryan not ready to back Trump

"Were going to win so much, youre going to go to Paul Ryan, youre going to go, Mr Speaker, please, please, we cant stand winning this much, we cant take it," said Mr Trump. "And hes going to come to see me and say, 'Mr President, the people of Wisconsin are tired of winning so much."

Their relationship took a turn for the better once Mr Trump was elected.

Mr Ryan spoke briefly on the stage before the president-elect spoke to the crowd.

"Is this not so cool? Is this not incredible? It was before I had my driving licence that Wisconsin went Republican," he shouted over mixed cheers and boos from the crowd.

Mr Trump took the opportunity at his "thank you" tour to also call out Green Party presidential candidate Jill Steins effort to recount the vote in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. The recount in Wisconsin led to Mr Trumps team gaining an extra 131 extra votes.

"She got less than 1 per cent [of the vote] but she thought she was going to catch us," he laughed.

He also polled the crowd as to whether they would prefer TIME Magazine having a "Man of the Year" or "Person of the Year" award. The crowd cheered loudly for the former.

"These guys are so politically correct," Mr Trump pointed to his allies offstage. "Ill tell you what, Ive done it three times and Person of the Year' is not doing well."

The president-elect promised to "take a look" at people who burned the American flag.

He spoke of his recent appointments like General "Mad Dog" Mattis as defense secretary and secretary of state Rex Tillerson.

He assured the crowd that his cabinet had the "highest IQ ever".
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Donald Trump has reportedly threatened members of his own Republican party with "political reprisal" if they rebel and refuse to vote him in as president.

"The Donald Trump campaign is putting pressure on Republican electors to vote for him based on future political outcomes," an anonymous member of the US Electoral College told Salon.

Electors are voted in by people in their state who are supporting the candidate they want to become president. This process is called the "Electoral College".

There are 538 members and they are expected to vote in line with the majority of voters in their state. Throughout history more than 99 per cent of electors have done so, according to US government figures.

 Harvard law professor says '30' GOP electors ready to block Trump win

But a group dubbing themselves the "Hamilton Electors" are urging them to ignore their mandates and vote for a candidate other than Mr Trump. It is thought John Kasich, the Ohio governor who has twice made unsuccessful bids for the presidency might be considered as an alternative.

To date, eight "faithless electors" have come forward and said they will vote against their nominee for an alternative candidate. However, only one was from Mr Trump's Republican Party.

The other seven are Democrats, casting their votes elsewhere as a form of protest.

"Electors of conscience can still do the right thing for the good of the country," said the lone Republican dissenter Christopher Suprun, as the former firefighter and 9/11 responder announced his intention to rebel in the New York Times.

Mr Suprun suggested that several other electors were mulling a rebellion, and Harvard Law professor and former Democratic elector Larry Lessig has claimed that "at least 20" are willing to cast their votes elsewhere.

The threats reportedly being issued by the Trump camp are therefore likely intended to head off any remote possibility of a late shock.

Women go on strike against Donald Trump Show all 7 1 /7 Women go on strike against Donald Trump Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Other Republican electors have stepped down in protest, or been forced to resign after declaring their intention to vote against the president-elect.

The Hamilton Electors need to win the support of 37 Republican electors to deny Trump the 270 votes he needs to secure the presidency.

If that happens by the time votes are cast on Monday 19 December, the election will be decided by the House of Representatives. It's happened twice before  but not since 1824.

The breakaway group is named in honour of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, who wrote that electors had to ensure 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.
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Donald Trump has offered the role of interior secretary to retired Navy Seal commander and Montana congressman Ryan Zinke.

Mr Zinke has not officially accepted the role. The appointment would hand responsibility over agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service.

He was a big supporter of the president-elect, joining him on the campaign trail alongside his wife, Lola, and who are both members of the transition team dealing with military veterans issues.

Recommended Kanye West says he spoke with Donald Trump about multicultural issues

When asked on CNN about whether he supported the use of waterboarding on a potential suspect, he replied it was "a balancing act".

"But if theres an individual that has knowledge that would save, say, New York City from destruction - the entire city - personally theres nothing I wouldnt do to make sure I had that information if I knew that information the individual had it. So its a balancing act."

Mr Zinke is being discussed as a possible 2018 candidate for the states senate, a seat that is currently held by Democrat senator Jon Tester.

 Donald Trump's controversial cabinet

He recently defended Mr Trumps selection of James "Mad Dog" Mattis as defense secretary, who was accused several years ago of saying it was "fun" to shoot people. Mr Zinke served alongside Mr Mattis in Fallujah in 2004.

"He's the most reluctant to go to war, but knows that if you go to war, you go to war to win," he said to CNN.

Mr Zinke has also spoken about fighting the epidemic of meth in his state. He said the way to fight the issue was to strengthen southern border security, joining Mr Trumps view that Mexico was the main culprit in the fight against drugs.

"Mexico is where the proponents of where the drugs are coming from," he told congress in September.

"We know how we can stop it, we can shut it down and we can secure our southern border."
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Donald Trump must give up his stake in the Washington-based Trump International Hotel before Inauguration Day, or face breach in government contract.

Mr Trumps election has stoked concerns of potential conflicts of interest as he intends to hold a stake in much of his company. He had said he planned to hold a press conference  the first since July  to outline how he intends to separate himself from the Trump Organisation, but that meeting was postponed. Mr Trump tweeted that he pushed back the announcement to focus full time on the presidency.

But the Trump hotels Pennsylvania Avenue location could mean trouble for the President-elect if he fails to fully divest himself from the business before taking his seat in the Oval Office in January.

 White House suggests Trump benefited from Russia hacking

The hotel is leased in a government-owned site, the Old Post Office. But the General Services Administration (GSA), who leased out the building to Mr Trumps company, says that the contract contains a provision that prohibits any elected official from holding the lease, BuzzFeed reported.

Women go on strike against Donald Trump Show all 7 1 /7 Women go on strike against Donald Trump Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Democratic lawmakers addressed a letter to the GSAs administrator, bringing to attention the potential conflict apparently mentioned to them by a member of that agency.

[T]he Deputy Commission informed our staff that the GSA assesses that Mr Trump will be in breach of the lease agreement the moment he takes office on 20 January 2017, unless he fully divests himself of all financial interests in the lease for the Washington DC hotel, states the letter, signed by senior Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee, Elijah Cummings, and others.

The Deputy Commissioner made clear that Mr Trump must divest himself not only of managerial control, but of all ownership interest as well.

The letter added that the GSA had not received any communication from Mr Trump since he won the Republican primaries, nor since he became President-elect, when it became clear that potential breach of this lease agreement was imminent.

One particular point of concern for the four Democrats who wrote the letter was Ivanka Trumps role in Trump Organisation, as well as the transition team. According to the letter, Ms Trump was the primary point of contact in lease negotiations with the GSA, and her role on the transition team further complicates how the agency will proceed with handling the potential breach of contract.

In other words, Ms Trump is all of the following  the President-elects daughter, a top presidential transition team official, a lessee under the contract GSA oversees, and the primary contact for GSA on the lease, the letter said.

The conflicts of interest are obvious."

However, GSA issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon that seemed to go against what the letter from Democrats had said.

"GSA does not have a position that the lease provision requires the President-elect to divest of his financial interests," they said. "We can make no definitive statement at this time about what would constitute a breach of the agreement, and to do so now would be premature."

Mr Cummings responded to GSA's statement Wednesday afternoon reaffirming the position taken in the letter.

"We understand GSA's position that this breach not yet occurred, will not occur until Donald Trump is sworn in as president, and is officially viewed as a 'hypothetical' issue until that time," he said. "We also share GSA's hope that the agency will not have to address this issue if President-elect Trump divests his ownership in the lease before then.

"But the simple fact is that GSA informed our staffs that they interpret this lease provision as prohibiting any elected official from having any ownership interest in the lease, and we stand 100 per cent behind our letter."
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Police arrested an 86-year-old who was once a notorious jewel thief in the 1970s after she allegedly pocketed a $2,000 diamond necklace at at Atlanta-area department store.

Doris Payne now faces shoplifting charges related to the attempted theft at the Von Maur department store on Tuesday. According to Dunwoody police spokesperson, she was caught trying to slip the expensive accoutrement into her back pocket on her way out of the retailer.

Ms Payne was the subject of the 2013 documentary The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne, which chronicled her decades-long career of alleged thefts. Her criminal record dates back to 1952, with successful heists from San Diego to Monte Carlo, Las Vegas to Paris.

"Theres never been a day that I went to steal that I did not get what I went to do," she said in the film.

Court documents made reference to numerous alleged thefts over dating back to 1999  including one incident last year when she was accused of stealing a pair of earrings valuing $690 from a Saks Fifth Avenue at an upscale shopping centre in Atlanta.

Ms Payne popped up on the radars of the industry trade group Jewelers Security Alliance in the 1970s when they began issuing bulletin warnings about her.

Ms Payne began stealing high-end jewelry in her 20s. She said she realised she could support herself by performing the lifts. Ms Payne also realised as a child that she could simply walk out of the store with an expensive item after a clerk let her try on watches and forgot.

I dont dictate what happens when I walk in the store. The people in charge dictate what happens with me when I walk in the store, she said. I dont tell a person in the store I want to see something that costs $10,000.

They make those decisions based on how I present myself and how I look."
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Nearly one in four democratic members of the Electoral College have now signed a letter requesting more information from intelligence officials on the relationship between President-elect Donald Trump and Russia.

Ten democratic electors signed the open letter to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Monday, and 44 have now added their signatures, bringing the total to 54.

They are joined by one Republican: Christopher Suprun from Texas, who has pledged not to vote for Mr Trump.

The CIA concluded that Russia conducted hacks against the Democratic National Committee and other associated officials in order to help Mr Trump win the election.

President Barack Obama had earlier called for a "full review" of intelligence on Russia's involvement in the hacks.

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In an open letter to Mr Clapper, the electors called for the release of information "to investigate, discuss, and deliberate with our colleagues about whom to vote for in the electoral college".

"The electors require to know from the intelligence community whether there are ongoing investigations into ties between Donald Trump, his campaign or associates, and Russian government interference in the election, the scope of those investigations, how far those investigations may have reached, and who was involved in those investigations," they wrote.

"We further require a briefing on all investigative findings, as these matters directly impact the core factors in our deliberations of whether Mr Trump is fit to serve as President of the United States."

The electors also said they found Mr Trump's transition team's dismissal of the CIA's findings concerning.

"These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," his transition team said in a statement.

The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest electoral college victories in history. Its now time to move on and Make America Great Again.

The electors point out that during the election, Mr Trump called on the Russian government to release tens of thousands of private emails from Hillary Clinton.

Russia, if youre listening, I hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing, he said at a press conference in Florida. They probably have them. Id like to have them released.
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A teenager who shot herself in front of her family after cyberbullies made fun of her weight is still being mocked by fake Facebook profiles.

Fake profiles showing Brandy Vela's face superimposed onto a pig and Photoshopped alongside guns have been shared with the Texas City Police Department.

"I thought this was all behind us but it's not over," her father Raul told KHOU. "I know what she was going through now. It's not that easy just to shut it off and let it go."

Brandy, 18, killed herself on Tuesday 29 November, placing a gun to her chest in her bedroom in front of her parents and grandparents.

Speaking in the days after her death, the family told local news source Click2Houston that anonymous messages sent through encrypted apps and fake Facebook profiles mocked their daughter's weight.

Her sister Jacqueline, 22, said: "They would put her picture and lie about her age and say she is giving herself up for sex for free.... [The authorities] always say the same thing: they can't do anything about it."

 Facebook apologises to LGBTQ community over naming policy

The attacks were reported to the police, but the messages could not be traced. The recently-created Facebook profiles have since been removed by the social media company, following complaints registered by friends, family and supporters.

Following Brandy's suicide, the Texas City Police Department said in a statement that it was investigating the cyber-bullying attacks. No arrests have yet been made.

Brandy's final text message reportedly ran: "I love you so much just remember that please and I'm so sorry for everything."
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Vice News is suing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over its refusal to release documents relating to its conduct during the US presidential election.

The news website says the Bureau turned down 50 of its requests, made under the Freedom of Information Act, for files on the FBIs discussions about Donald Trump.

The requests were made in an attempt to shed light on the FBI's decision, a week before polling day, to make public new information relating to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

The FBI used a previously inactive Twitter account to release files about Mr Clintons controversial pardon of Marc Rich, a hedge fund manager who was charged with tax evasion and making business deals with Iran, in 2001.

The Vice lawsuit, filed in conjunction with Ryan Shapiro, a research affiliate at Harvard University, states: [Vice News] seeks public disclosure of specified government records to make sense of the pivotal role of the FBI, as well as of other agencies, in perhaps the most controversial presidential election in modern US history.

Despite subsequent disclosures of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, since its inception, the FBI staunchly maintained it was a purely apolitical entity.

However, numerous leading political and news media figures from across the political spectrum explicitly assert the FBI repeatedly and with significant impact affected the outcome of the 2016 US Presidential election.

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

Vice is seeking information on FBI discussions about its investigations into Mrs Clintons use of a private email server, alleged leaks by FBI officials to the media and political operatives, and all FBI communications with several prominent Republican figures.

It has also asked for documents showing all communications between the Bureau and far-right website Breitbart News, including its former executive chairman, Steve Bannon, who is now Mr Trumps chief strategist.

Vice News and Mr Shapiro have filed three previous lawsuits seeking information from US law enforcement agencies relating to the 2016 presidential election and Mr Trumps financial dealings.

The FBI's release of documents relating to President Clintons pardon of Mr Rich came four days after it controversially announced it was investigating new emails as part of its probe into Mrs Clintons use of a private email server during her time as US Secretary of State.

That announcement, 11 days before polling day, was met with a barrage of condemnation from former Justice Department officials, Democrat politicians and other commentators.

FBI Director James Comey faced accusations he was attempting to influence the outcome of the election but said it was simply his duty to inform Congress of the new enquiries.

 Hillary Clinton's campaign respond after FBI gives her the all clear

The FBI announced the day before polls opened that it had found nothing in the new emails to warrant further investigation of Mrs Clinton.

Earlier this week, election analyst Nate Silver said the FBI announcing of its new enquiries had cost Hillary Clinton the election.

Mr Silver said: Comey had a large, measurable impact on the raceLace-deciding voters broke strongly against Clinton in swing states, enough to cost her Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania.
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When 88-year-old Angie Tyma was evicted from her home, neighbours rallied to help.

One in particular went the extra mile. Danielle Calder shelled out $167,500 to buy the property and give it back to Ms Tyma on her 89th birthday.

"Its beautiful!" said Ms Tyma when she saw the fresh paint on the house, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times. "Im happy Im home."

She said normally a neighbor would bake her a birthday cake, but this time she was greeted with a house and the media outside.

Until her birthday, the Hudson, Florida resident lived in a local hotel for three weeks.

"I went through hell and back," she told USA Today. "I've lived in this house for 35 years."

After her husband died about 20 years ago, a family friend who lives in Europe brought the house, but stopped paying the mortgage and the lender foreclosed on the property. It was sold at auction to an investment company.

Ms Tyma was informed of the sale on 16 November - the same day the new owner turned up at the property and told her to leave.

Her belongings were packed put on the pavement outside, and the front door was locked.

Pasco County Human Services and to help her to get medicine and dentures, the newspaper reported.

Neighbors all came out to help: taking in her belongings and moving the rest into storage at the local Boys & Girls club. Her two dogs, Pepper and Ralph, went to a motel where a neighbour worked.

Ms Tyma asked Ms Calder to buy the house and rent it back to her.

Ms Calder, who splits her time between Boston and Floridas west coast, said she did not need another house but said she "needed" Ms Tyma, who she described as the "fabric of the neighborhood".

She contacted the company who bought the property and purchased it back. She now rents it to Ms Tyma for an undisclosed amount.

"It was worth it. Im blessed to be able to help her," she said.
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Two parents have reportedly been arrested over the "worst case of child abuse" nurses had ever seen.

Kevin Fowler, 25, and Aisyln Miller, 24, were charged after Oklahoma police reportedly found their twin children with maggots crawling out of their wounds, faeces in their ears and skeletal, malnourished bodies.

The pair took their children to an urgent care centre in the Tulsa satellite town of Owassa, where police were called when the seriousness of their condition became apparent, according Tulsa World.

Getting away with murder: Britain's most notorious unsolved crimes Show all 3 1 /3 Getting away with murder: Britain's most notorious unsolved crimes Getting away with murder: Britain's most notorious unsolved crimes 240917.bin PA Getting away with murder: Britain's most notorious unsolved crimes 240918.bin PA Getting away with murder: Britain's most notorious unsolved crimes 240919.bin PA

Nurses and a doctor descibed the infants' condition as "the worst case of child abuse they had seen", according to KJRH.

Both children had bed sores and severe nappy rash and one also had an infected wound on their finger.

After the family were transferred to Tulsa Hospital for emergency treatment, the parents were interviewed by police, arrested and transferred to the city jail.

 Child abuse going 'undetected'

Miller reportedly told police that she and Fowler were "new parents" who were aware of the problems their children faced but were too inexperienced to do any better.

She also said the babies were born two weeks premature, and that she and her partner were too poor to afford health insurance.

They pair were reportedly being held in Tulsa Jail on $100,000 bail.

Poverty in Oklahoma is at a 10-year high.
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A pick up artist has been convicted of raping a woman and blogging about the attack, it has been reported. The woman was so drunk at the time she had passed out in her own vomit when he committed the offence.

Alex Smith, 27, taught men rejection-proof techniques for seducing women as an instructor at a company called Efficient Pickup, DailyBeast reports. He and a pick up colleague met two women on a night out in San Diego and invited them to a flat where a third man, one of their students was waiting.

When one of the women passed out, Smith reportedly raped her and asked the student to do so as well. The second woman entered the room to find her friend naked, face down in her own vomit and surrounded by the two men who were naked. They reportedly informed her we just tag-teamed your friend before ejecting both women from the apartment.

The woman who had been assaulted contacted San Diego police but they reportedly did not attend the scene or question the men. She later investigated the men by searching online and found pick up forums in which they discussed committing the attack against her. After she submitted the accounts to police, the men were questioned and arrested.

When sentencing Smith, San Diego Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Fraser praised the womans amazing work to investigate the men and bring them to justice. He sentenced him to 8 years in prison, telling the court: The one term that is very appropriate for this particular trial is misogyny. The defendant did treat the victim in this case not as a human being but simply as an object.

And Ive got to tell you, having sat up here for 18 years, theres a lot of people that have sat in that [the accuseds] chair and I cant recall- murderers, rapists, kidnappers- I dont know if Ive seen one that has been as mean and cruel as you have been.

Judge Fraser added: This is not a hard decision at all. In fact, if I could give you more time, I would. But the law only allows me to give you a certain amount of time.

The man who allegedly also took part in the incident as Smiths student is due to be sentenced in February.

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

In a statement submitted to the Daily Beast following the verdict, the victim said: My hope is that these men within the pickup artist community with notions of women as disposable sexual objects only to be controlled, used, and shared amongst each other, will see that their actions are considered criminal and will not go unpunished.

Furthermore, I hope this will encourage other rape victims, especially those cases that are difficult to prove  involving unconsciousness, alcohol, or drugs  to feel confident in the justice system once again."
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Russia's alleged hacking of the US election in favour of Donald Trump was "the political equivalent of 9/11", according to the former acting director of the CIA.

The spy agency said on Friday it had evidence that showed a link between the hacking of Hillary Clinton's emails and Russia, while officials from multiple agencies found connections between the Kremlin and Wikileaks.

Mr Trump and his transition team have dismissed the CIA's findings, while John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the UN, even claimed the hack might have been a false-flag operation.

According to Politico, former CIA acting director Michael Morell spoke out about the hack and said: "A foreign government messing around in our elections is, I think, an existential threat to our way of life. To me, and this is to me not an overstatement, this is the political equivalent of 9/11."

He added: "In a world with so many threats and challenges facing the United States and in a city where politics and policy disputes colour so many views, a president, if theyre going to be able to protect the country, they need someone to provide them with an objective, unbiased view of whats going on in the world, and why it matters to them, and why it matters to the country.

"That job falls to the intelligence community led by the CIA, and thats why the relationship between a president and the intelligence community and the CIA is so special.

"Right now that special relationship is being undermined."

Mr Morell was outspoken in supporting Hillary Clinton's candidacy, Politico said.

On Sunday a bipartisan group of senators, including former presidential candidate John McCain, said "the stakes are too high for our country" to allow evidence of the hack uncovered by the CIA to become a party-political issue, and that the American public must be kept better informed.

They said: "Recent reports of Russian interference in our election should alarm every American."
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Hundreds of technology workers from Silicon Valley and beyond have pledged not to help build a registry of Muslims living in the United States under a Donald Trump presidency.

Employees of Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple and more have signed the neveragain.tech promise to "refuse to build a database of people based on their constitutionally-protected religious beliefs" and have said they "are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administrations proposed data collection policies".

Speculation had swirled that Mr Trump backed creating a registry after he gave vague answers to questions about the idea but Reince Priebus, his incoming chief of staff, later said one was not in the works - though he declined to "rule out anything".

Signatories include software engineers, developers and managers. They have promised to advocate inside their companies for as little data as possible to be collected if it could potentially help target sections of the population, and even to call for "high-risk" datasets to be deleted.

They say they will also blow the whistle on unethical or illegal uses of data, and resign if forced to participate in those activities.

In November Kris Kobach, the secretary of state for Kansas, said the President-elects advisers were looking at how to implement a proposal suggested by the billionaire businessman that would force immigrants from Muslim countries to register on a database.

Recommended Scientists frantically copying climate data to protect it from Trump

He was photographed carrying files recommending the updating and reintroduction of a national immigration registry that was created following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

On Wednesday technology leaders including Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg were due to meet Mr Trump in New York.

Also on Wednesday, Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk joined Mr Trump's advisory council. The billionaire announced earlier this year he was launching a Mars colonisation project.
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The US Department of Energy (DOE) has refused to answer questions issued to them by Donald Trumps transition team.

The President-elects team asked officials to name department employees who had worked on securing international climate deals and domestic efforts to cut carbon emissions, prompting fears of a "witch hunt" given Mr Trump's claims that global warming is a "hoax".

One of the 74 questions included which programmes within the Department of Energy are essential to meeting the goals of President Obamas Climate Action Plan?, the Washington Post reported.

Officials at the Department of Energy described the questions as intrusive and suggested Mr Trumps team might be looking to target individual people.

It is a remarkably aggressive and antagonistic tone to take with an agency that youre about to try to manage, a current employee told Politico.

Another staffer said: Some [of the questions] are harassment, some are naive, some are legitimate."

And a third DOE employee told the Washington Post: With some of these questions, it feels more like an Inquisition than a question, in terms of going after career employees who have been here through the Bush years to Clinton, and up to now."

Jeff Eagan, president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) chapter at DOEs headquarters, said: There is major concern amongst my members.

"I have received lots of calls, emails, messages expressing shock and dismay.

Eben Burnham-Snyder, a DOE spokesman, also said some of the questions had left many of the workforce unsettled.

Our career workforce, including our contractors and employees at our labs, comprise the backbone of [the] Department of Energy and the important work our department does to benefit the American people," he said.

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

"We are going to respect the professional and scientific integrity and independence of our employees at our labs and across our department.

We will be forthcoming with all publically available information with the transition team. We will not be providing any individual names to the transition team.
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Kanye West and Donald Trump love tweeting.

As always, both men declined to answer direct questions from the press following their Tuesday morning meeting outside Trump tower, but in signature fashion, West shared a few details on Twitter and suggesting that he would postpone his own presidential campaign until 2024.

"I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues," West wrote in one tweet. In another, he wrote: "These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago. I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change."

I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change.

Women go on strike against Donald Trump Show all 7 1 /7 Women go on strike against Donald Trump Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Immediately following the closed-door meeting, the president-elect called West a good man and said theyve been friends for a long time."

E! News, whose parent company produces his wifes show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, reports that West was speaking with the president-elect about a potential role in the Trump administration. The role is rumored to be an "ambassador of sorts," a source close to the rapper-turned-fashion designer told the outlet. They said Trump is very interested in appointing West to an "entrepreneurial leadership role."
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Twelve people have been arrested at an international film festival in India for not standing while the national anthem was played.

The arrests follow a ruling by India's Supreme Court last month which said the anthem must be played and national flag shown before every film screening in the country, and that audiences must stand.

The group were arrested in two separate showings at the film festival, Anil Kumar, inspector of police in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala state, told the Associated Press.

Although they were released on bail, police have started an investigation into whether they breached the Supreme Court ruling.

If they are found guilty, they could be punished with a fine and up to three years in prison.

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 Supreme Court said the ruling was aimed at instilling a sense of patriotism.

Vineesh Kumar, one of the detainees, told The Indian Express there was a scramble for seats at the open air theatre where the film was being shown.

"If we did not sit on the chairs, I thought we would lose the seats," he said. He said he had stood during the anthem before films shown earlier in the day.

On Sunday, eight people were beaten by right-wing activists for not standing while the national anthem was being played at a cinema in the southern city of Chennai, police said.

They were later charged for allegedly showing disrespect to the national anthem.
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Rodrigo Duterte has said he used to patrol streets as a city mayor looking for a confrontation so I could kill.

The Philippine President said he personally killed drug suspects when he was mayor of Davao, a major city in the south of the archipelago nation.

He killed them because he wanted to show police officers if I can do it, why cant you, Mr Duterte told a meeting of business leaders.

In Davao I used to do it personally, said the 71-year-old world leader, according to AFP news agency.

Id go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also. I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill.

Mr Duterte, who became president in June after a landslide election victory, was discussing his deadly war on drugs in which thousands of people have been killed by police and vigilantes.

There have been 5,927 deaths linked to Mr Dutertes extreme crackdown on drug dealers and users since 1 July, reported CNN.

 Rodrigo Duterte says he 'doesn't give a s*** about human rights' as 3,500 killed in war on drugs

When he was elected after promising to fix what he called a broken country, the outspoken President pledged to bring back the death penalty and shoot to kill powers to the Philippines.

Mr Duterte is often openly hostile towards the United States, erupting with anger over its concerns about human rights abuses under his watch.

In October, he declared the Phillipines' "separation" from the US and said economic parternship with China was the country's "only hope" as his relations with the US cooled.

And during his speech late on Monday night, he promised to continue his brutal anti-crime measures, reported AFP.

If they say that I am afraid to stop because of the human rights and guys [] including Obama: sorry, I am not about to do that, he said.

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

However, following Donald Trumps victory, he said he and the US President-elect were alike because they both swore frequently.

Long live Mr Trump! We both curse at the slightest reason. We are alike, he said during a visit to Malaysia.

Before he was elected President, Mr Duterte was mayor of Davao for most of the last 20 years, where his ruthless approach to crime led Time magazine to name him The Punisher in 2002.
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Angela Merkel has called for sanctions against Russia to be extended over continued fighting in eastern Ukraine following a failed ceasefire.

Germany and France have led efforts to implement a peace deal agreed in Minsk but there has been no end to the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists, which has killed more than 10,000 people since it erupted in 2014.

Successive rounds of EU and US sanctions have been imposed on Russia over the conflict and its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in March 2014, with the most recent batch to expire in January.

 Boris Johnson flies in to address Ukraine crisis but is left sidelined

Ms Merkel and Francois Hollande say they want to extend the measures due to very sluggish process on the ceasefire deal.

It will be necessary to extend the sanctions against Russia again - although we would have wished for better progress in the implementation of this process, Ms Merkel said during a conference on Tuesday.

Mr Hollande agreed, adding: We must continue to apply the terms of the Minsk agreement and when they are not carried out, we must continue with sanctions.

EU leaders are due to discuss extending sanctions, which include restricting access to international financing and curbs on defence and energy cooperation with Russia, on Thursday.

The Russian government has denied stoking the unrest in the face of evidence by Nato and monitors claiming to show its troops and weapons in rebel-controlled areas of the country.

Ukraine put its troops on combat alert Thursday along the country's de-facto borders with Crimea and separatist rebels in the east (AP)

Hacked emails seen by the BBC appear to show Vladislav Surkov, one of Vladimir Putins closest aides, detailing budgets for pro-Russian republics in eastern Ukraine, as well as a plan for Moscow to provide fuel for the separatists during shortages.

International investigators also concluded that rebels shot down a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane using a missile system supplied from Russia, killing all 298 people on board.

Peace talks ended last month without a breakthrough, with Russia and the Ukrainian government exchanging accusations for breaking temporary truces and violating the Minsk deal.

The Kremlin has additionally retaliated with a wave of counter-sanctions against the EU.

Russia's deputy foreign minister, Grigory Karasin, labelled the comments by Ms Merkel and Mr Hollande cynical and counterproductive, Interfax news agency reported.

Russia is doing its utmost to restart the process of implementing the Minsk accords, which is currently stalled by the Kiev authorities, he added.

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

Mr Putin phoned Ms Merkel to warn of a threat to the gas supplies Russia sends to Europe via Ukraine on Tuesday.

The Russian President told his counterpart Ukraine has been reluctant to sign a contract on Russian gas supplies for the coming winter and that it threatens transit to Europe", his office said.

A pipeline through Ukraine is a major conduit for gas exports to Europe and past disputes between Russia and Ukraine have led to cutoffs, including a 2009 standoff that caused serious disruptions in winter supplies.

The Kiev government signed a memorandum of understanding on energy with the EU in November, looking to increase cooperation and facilitate market integration in the future.

The deal also made progress towards a visa-free travel regime for Ukrainians visiting EU nations.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government has been using its ties with Europe and Nato in efforts to modernise its infrastructure and military, while distancing itself from Russia.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said the launch of numerous missiles near Crimea forced a strong Russian reaction last month, prompting Ukraine to shift the tests further inland.

Additional reporting by agencies
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An Iraqi refugee who was convicted of raping a 10-year-old boy in a swimming pool in Vienna has been handed an even greater jail sentence after his legal team won the right to a retrial.

Austrias Supreme Court overturned an initial six-year prison sentence in October, ruling that the lower court had failed to establish whether or not the refugee, identified only as Amir A, knew his victim did not consent.

The court did not dispute the watertight evidence that some form of sexual abuse had taken place during the incident in a toilet cubicle at the Theresienbad pool in December 2015. But in Austrian law, prosecutors must prove that an attacker is fully aware the act is nonconsensual for a more severe rape conviction to hold.

Hearing the case again on Tuesday, the Vienna court found that the conditions defining rape had indeed been fulfilled, the Kronen Zeitung reported.

And upon resentencing Amir, the court decided to hand down a longer prison sentence of seven years. A figure of 4,700 to be paid in damages to the victims family was also increased, to 5,000.

Now 21 years old, Amir was a taxi driver in Iraq before travelling through Europe to arrive in Austria in September 2015. As a relatively newly-arrived refugee, the trip to the swimming pool was organised as part of public integration efforts.

The court heard how Amir dragged his victim into the cubicle, locked the door and raped him. The child reported the attack to a lifeguard, and when police arrived they found Amir had returned to the pool and was playing on a diving board, making no attempt to flee.

According to reports, Amir confessed to the attack in initial police questioning, telling them it had been a sexual emergency because he had not had sex for four months.

In its initial sentencing, the court heard how the 10-year-old victim had suffered both physical and mental injuries in the attack which amounted to serious bodily harm. The boy continues to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, his mother told the court.

But in mitigation, judges cited Amirs own young age at just 20 when the crime was committed, his previous lack of convictions and his confession of responsibility.

After the new sentence was handed down, defence lawyer Roland Kier asked for three days for his client to consider launching a fresh appeal, according to Kronen Zeitung.

Amir was initially convicted of the attack in June 2016, and outrage over the case came amid a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment in Austria.

In January, one month after the attack was reported, the government introduced a controversial cap on refugees to be allowed into the country.

It set the bar at 37,500, fewer than half the number who arrived in 2015. But with the number of new arrivals dropping dramatically in 2016, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday it will not see the cap breached.

It avoids a potential confrontation with the wider EU. Brussels had warned that a limit on numbers of asylum seekers would break the blocs rules, as well as pandering to the rise of the far-right.

Tougher restrictions brought in after a breach in the cap would have seen unsuccessful applicants turned away at the border, breaching EU rules on asylum and free movement.

"Breaking EU law openly would have been a huge embarrassment for Austria," said a spokesman for Austria's Catholic Caritas charity, which works with refugees and asylum seekers.
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Angela Merkels defence minister refused to wear traditional Muslim attire during her official visit in Saudi Arabia.

Ursula von der Leyen shunned the abaya, the black full length dress that covers the entire body but not the face, during her diplomatic engagement in Riyadh.

The Christian Democratic Union politician, the first woman in German history to hold the defence portfolio, was meeting Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman al Saud.

Of course, I respect the customs and customs of a country, said Ms Leyen, as quoted in German tabloid Bild.

I strive to comply with such rules. But for me there are limits to the way I adapt to the country.

I do not put on a headscarf and I wear trousers.

No woman in my delegation has to wear the abaya. Being able to choose your own clothes is a right for both men and women alike.

It annoys me, when women travelling with women are pressured into wearing the abaya.

Ms Leyen is seen in pictures wearing a dark blue suit and her bright blonde hair combed back.

The German embassy in Riyadh reportedly distributed abayas after the 58-year-old and her entourage arrived on Wednesday last week.

Her move immediately followed Angela Merkel calling for a burqa ban.

Iraq pharmacist Hussam al-Mosawi tweeted that Ms Leyens decision was an insult to Saudi Arabia".

But her decision has caused very little controversy. Female politicians are often excused from covering their hair.

First Lady Michelle Obama, Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton, Condoleeza Rice and former First Lady Laura Bush have all done the same.

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

Ms Leyen and her 31-year-old Saudi counterpart, who has hit headlines worldwide for his extravagant personal spending and his austerity measures, discussed the training of Saudi officers in the European Union.

At a security conference on Saturday, the medicine graduate Ms Leyen said we have to dominate the internet and create economic opportunity to defeat Isis.

Under Saudi law, women cannot travel without permission from their male guardians and cannot swim in public pools.

The oil-rich country is frequently criticised for its human rights record, having executed more than 150 people last year according to Amnesty International.

 Boris Johnson: Saudi Arabia is playing proxy wars

Boris Johnson branded Saudi Arabias intervention in Yemen a proxy war last week.

The Independent has contacted Ms Leyens Federal Ministry of Defence for comment.
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Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar are supporting extremist Islamic groups in Germany, according to a leaked intelligence report.

A brief seen by the Suddeutsche Zeitung and broadcasters NDR and WDR raised concern over a reported increase in support for fundamentalist Salafism in Germany, warning that the ideology already has 10,000 followers and is growing.

The report, by Germanys BfV domestic intelligence agency and Federal Intelligence Service (BND) reportedly accused Gulf groups of funding mosques, religious schools, hardline preachers and conversion or dawah groups to spread the ideology.

 Angela Merkel calls for burqa ban 'wherever legally possible' in Germany

Missionary movements were part of a long-running strategy to exert influence by the three states, it found, naming the Saudi Muslim World League, Sheikh Eid Bin Mohammad al-Thani Charitable Association and Kuwaiti Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS), which has been banned by the US and Russia for allegedly supporting al-Qaeda.

The report said all three organisations were closely connected with government offices in their home countries.

The BND and BfV have not confirmed the accuracy of leaked excerpts but sources told Deutsche Welle that some members of the security community believe it was internally leaked to pressure the German government into stopping controversial arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

The countrys ambassador to Germany, Awwas Alawwad, rejected accusations of supporting Salafism, saying his government does not build mosques or export imams and has no connection with German Salafism.

He added that the Muslim World League was not a Saudi government organisation and discontinued activities in Germany in 2013.

The Sheikh Eid association and RIHS have also denied connections to jihadi terrorism in the past.

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

The report comes weeks after the German government banned an Islamist missionary group linked to more than 140 Isis fighters following raids on mosques, offices and homes across the country.

Die Wahre Religion (DWR), meaning The True Religion, started in 2005 and claimed to spread Islam in Germany in a modern form and with the help of new media.

The Salafist group gained prominence with a Quran distribution campaign called Lies!, meaning Read!, which has since spread to countries including the UK, France, Bahrain and Brazil.

But officials said the initiative was bringing jihadi Islamists together across the nation under the pretext of preaching Islam while spreading hate and conspiracy theories.

Thomas de Maiziere, the German interior minister, said that the prohibition of DWR aimed to stop the abuse of a religion by people, who under the pretext of spreading Islam are propagating extremist ideologies and supporting terrorist organisations.

Police officers stand in front of the Al-Taqwa Mosque during a search in Hamburg, Germany, 15 November 2016. (EPA)

By banning this organisation, a major source of radicalisation has been eradicated nationwide, he added.

A terror network radicalising young Muslims and sending them to fight for Isis in Syria was also dismantled by authorities last month.

Germany has been on high alert since it was hit by two terror attacks carried out by Isis supporters in July, with other plots subsequently uncovered amid warnings that attempts to attack Europe will continue.

Jaber al-Bakr, a suspected Isis supporter detained on suspicion of planning to attack a Berlin airport with homemade explosives, killed himself in prison days after being arrested in October.

According to figures released in May by intelligence services, 820 jihadis have left Germany for Syria and Iraq, with a third known to have returned, 140 killed and 420 remaining abroad.

Tensions have risen following the arrival of almost 900,000 refugees in the country last year, driving support for right-wing groups and a national debate on Islam and integration.

The issue sparked Angela Merkel's call for a burqa ban earlier this month, as she seeks a fourth term in office.
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Syrian rebels have said a deal to evacuate rebel-held parts of Aleppo is back on track, 12 hours after it collapsed.

Rebel officials said the ceasefire would go into effect later on Wednesday night and evacuations from the opposition-held east of the city would begin early on Thursday, according to reports.

An official in the pro-Damascus military alliance confirmed to Reuters the truce deal was on, and said around 15,000 people would be evacuated from the majority Shia villages Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province in return for the evacuation from Aleppo of militants and their families and whoever wants to leave among civilians.

He said those leaving Aleppo would head for rebel-controlled Idlib, to the west of the city. Much confusion remains over the deal: one rebel official denied late on Wednesday that 15,000 people would leave the two loyalist villages and said only the wounded would be evacuated.

An official with the Jabha Shamiya rebel group however said implementation would begin around 6am (4am GMT) on Thursday. He said around 1,000 wounded people would be the first to leave eastern Aleppo, and the entire evacuation should be complete within three days.

It was not immediately clear how a deal had been reached, and it was soon thrown in doubt by the military media unit run by Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed Shia group allied to the Damascus government.

The negotiations are seeing big complications, in light of tension and operations on the front lines, it said.

The evacuation from the last slivers of territory the rebels still hold in east Aleppo was supposed to begin early on Wednesday morning, but shelling quickly resumed after both sides accused the other of violating the peace.

The original Turkish and Russian brokered ceasefire agreement - which did not include the Syrian government or UN in consultations - reportedly ran into trouble after Shia militias added fresh demands to the deal, such as the evacuation of injured pro-government forces from the loyalist villags in Idlib.

It was supposed to include the evacuation of up to 5,000 people from Aleppo to Idlib.

Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Show all 12 1 /12 Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man crosses a street in Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A vendor sits inside an antique shop in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors walk inside Aleppo's Umayyad mosque, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk inside the Khan al-Shounah market, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man walks past shops in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk along an alley in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors tour Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A general view shows the Old City of Aleppo as seen from Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk near Aleppo's Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower, Syria October 6, 2010 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man stands inside Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters

But Hezbollah's al-Manar TV broadcast footage showed the Syrian government's green buses leaving the agreed checkpoint without any passengers, indicating the evacuations would be futher delayed and that the short-lived promise of a ceasefire was over.

Many in east Aleppo didn't sleep on Tuesday night as they awaited the start of the arranged passage out of the city. Monitors reported that rebel fighters had prevented civilians who wanted to leave from doing so.

Activists sent audio recordings of planes overhead and explosions as the news broke on Wednesday that the ceasefire had completely failed. We want to leave... we don't want more massacres, let us leave, what is happening, one said in a Whatsapp message.

Russia's Interfax news agency said that pro-government forces would continue the operation to quash resistance in the last opposition neighbourhoods. Russia also said that 366 fighters and 6,000 civlians had fled overnight from fighting in what appeared to be a separate development to the planned evacuations.

Recommended We all have blood on our hands over Aleppo

While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was working with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to resurrect the deal, any ceasefire deal would only save terrorists, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said.

Between 50,000 and 100,000 people are thought to still be trapped in the last pockets of rebel territory in east Aleppo after the Syrian army and Iran-backed militas captured all but a few remaining neighbourhoods in the divided city on Monday.

Reports of the executions of 82 civilians, including women and children, by pro-government militias, have alarmed rights groups and the international community,as has the destruction and death caused by incessant bombing and a collapse of medical aid.

In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Show all 30 1 /30 In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian family arrives at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian woman, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, reacts as she stands with her children in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past resident fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood , after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past residents fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-regime fighter speaks with a child, as residents flee violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood. Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops AFP/Getty Images In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Smoke rises as seen from a governement-held area of Aleppo, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers targeting rebels-held areas in the eastern neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria. According to media reports, the army is now holding on 99 percent of Aleppois eastern neighborhoods EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-government forces patrol Aleppo's eastern al-Salihin neighbourhood after troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers rest following the battle at al-Sheik Saeed neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-government fighter walking past closed shops in the Bab al-Nasr district of Aleppo's Old City. Once renowned for its bustling souks, grand citadel and historic gates, Aleppo's Old City has been rendered virtually unrecognisable by some of the worst violence of Syria's war Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The crucial battle for Aleppo entered its 'final phase' after Syrian rebels retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The retreat leaves opposition fighters confined to just a handful of neighbourhoods in southeast Aleppo, the largest of them Sukkari and Mashhad Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilans arrive at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods. Syria's government has retaken at least 85 percent of east Aleppo, which fell to rebels in 2012, since beginning its operation Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilians flee the Sukkari neighbourhood towards safer rebel-held areas in southeastern Aleppo Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since Syria's conflict began in 2011, and leave the government in control of the country's five major cities Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee Aliya inside the tent where she lives with her husband and ten children in a camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee women and children outside the entrance to their tents in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee woman outside the entrance to the tent where her family live, in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A vehicle drives past a mosque at night in Idlib, Syria. Picture taken with a long exposure Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The night sky is seen through damaged windows in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria Reuters

Rebels in Idlib retaliated for the collapse of the deal by targeting two government-controlled villages in the area with rockets.

Fighting in Aleppo may not continue for much longer, however. President Assad's forces have all but retaken the city, which after four years of fierce fighting has become the epicentre of Syria's bloody civil war.

Rebel supply lines were cut off in July, and an intense Russian-backed bombing campaign since September has killed hundreds, decimated medical infrastructure, and brought the last urban rebel stronghold in Syria to its knees.
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The fall of Aleppo will have great resonance in Syrias savage civil war. Apart from its symbolic value, it will mean that the regime now controls what was once the countrys largest city and commercial centre. It will broadcast the potency of Russian military power and the abject failure of Western policy in this crisis. It will mean that Bashar al-Assad has the enemy he has always wanted. But it will not mean that the bloodshed is going to end anytime soon.

As the regimes forces continued to clear the last corners of what the opposition calls Free Aleppo the House of Commons in London held an emergency debate on Tuesday. Amid much hand-wringing George Osborne acknowledged this tragedy was created by a vacuum of Western leadership, of American leadership, British leadership.

The West does, indeed, bear a heavy responsibility for what has happened. Having encouraged the Syrian people to rise up against the Assad regime it did little to help the moderate opposition, allowing Islamist extremists of al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra funded by the Gulf states, to become predominant. David Cameron with his mantra of Assad must go was among those who dismissed compromise deals which might, just, have helped stem the conflict.



What is unfolding in Aleppo will have an effect outside Syria. Reports of Shia militias and regime troops carrying out executions of Sunnis, whether civilian or fighters, on the streets and at homes; of assaults and mass arrests with Sunni youths and young men is likely to further fuel the violent sectarian strife in the region.

It was not surprising that the death throes of Aleppo were accompanied by brutality. This was to be expected in a conflict where there has been little pity. A conflict in which a rebel fighter some of us thought we knew well appeared in a video eating the heart of a dead soldier: where a Western backed group smiled to the cameras before murdering a 12-year-old boy; where journalists, some of them our friends, and aid workers have been beheaded by Isis. This was also the conflict where we have found the bodies of doctors who had been arrested by the regimes security service dumped on the streets of Aleppo with their eyes gouged out and in which women activists have talked of their gang-rape in President Assads prisons.

The siege of Aleppo had been well documented: repeated international conferences and ceasefires being organised and then falling apart: accusations and recriminations among world powers  a ghastly danse macabre taking place in a once beautiful and civilised city being destroyed by barrel bombs and missile strikes.

In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Show all 30 1 /30 In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian family arrives at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian woman, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, reacts as she stands with her children in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past resident fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood , after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past residents fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-regime fighter speaks with a child, as residents flee violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood. Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops AFP/Getty Images In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Smoke rises as seen from a governement-held area of Aleppo, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers targeting rebels-held areas in the eastern neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria. According to media reports, the army is now holding on 99 percent of Aleppois eastern neighborhoods EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-government forces patrol Aleppo's eastern al-Salihin neighbourhood after troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers rest following the battle at al-Sheik Saeed neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-government fighter walking past closed shops in the Bab al-Nasr district of Aleppo's Old City. Once renowned for its bustling souks, grand citadel and historic gates, Aleppo's Old City has been rendered virtually unrecognisable by some of the worst violence of Syria's war Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The crucial battle for Aleppo entered its 'final phase' after Syrian rebels retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The retreat leaves opposition fighters confined to just a handful of neighbourhoods in southeast Aleppo, the largest of them Sukkari and Mashhad Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilans arrive at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods. Syria's government has retaken at least 85 percent of east Aleppo, which fell to rebels in 2012, since beginning its operation Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilians flee the Sukkari neighbourhood towards safer rebel-held areas in southeastern Aleppo Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since Syria's conflict began in 2011, and leave the government in control of the country's five major cities Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee Aliya inside the tent where she lives with her husband and ten children in a camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee women and children outside the entrance to their tents in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee woman outside the entrance to the tent where her family live, in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A vehicle drives past a mosque at night in Idlib, Syria. Picture taken with a long exposure Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The night sky is seen through damaged windows in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria Reuters

The fall of Aleppo is going to be a body blow to the Frees Syrian Army (FSA) a loose coalition of groups, some backed by the West, which had been fighting the regime, Isis, against and alongside Jabhat al-Nusra at different times, as well as each other.

American aid to these groups was already under threat since the victory of Donald Trump. The president-Elect has professed his admiration for Vladimir Putin and sees Russia as an ally against Islamist terrorism. The fall of Aleppo is likely to reinforce the desire of the incoming administration in Washington to cut their losses with what remains of the moderate opposition groups.

These FSA members, angry and disillusioned, are likely to head for neighbouring Idlib where Jabhat al-Nusra, has set up base. Some of the fighters who had managed to escape from Aleppo are already there, joining a stream from others from areas where the regime has made gains.

 Toddler weeps for dead father in harrowing footage from Aleppo

Al-Nusra had recently sought to rebrand itself, changing the name to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, claiming to have cut links with al-Qaeda. But it remains designated as a terrorist organisation by the US and the Kremlin has declared that they will face the next offensive after Aleppo.

Having the bulk of what is left of the armed opposition to him fighting under the black flag of al-Nusra will suit the Assad regimes narrative that they have been fighting terrorists all along. It is not just the Trump administration which is likely to be receptive to this but also some governments in Europe, especially if hard-right parties get to the levers of power.

But there is no guarantee of total victory for President Assad. Isis may be fighting desperately to cling on to Mosul, its remaining stronghold in Iraq and it faces an impending attack on Raqaa, the capital of its caliphate, in Syria, but its recapture of Palmyra showed that it retains the ability to fight and carry out counter-offensives.

Recommended There is more than one truth to tell in the terrible story of Aleppo

Isis had overrun Palmyra in May last year after a mass retreat by regime forces and destroyed much of the priceless heritage of the historic city. It was recaptured ten months later by the regime with the help of intense Russian air-strikes. The jihadis came back and took over again this week with relative ease, demonstrating that President Assads army remains vulnerable in other areas while undertaking a major mission like the one in Aleppo and when it does not have immediate Russian and Iranian support.

Syria, in the course of this five-year long conflict, has become the arena for both internal and regional rivalry. The Turks have established a deep security zone in the north of the country with thousands of troops, armour and aircraft, backing rebel groups it supports and as part of its war against the Kurds. They are not about to give up this strategic advantage.

The Kurdish YPG and the Syrian Defence Forces (SDF) a mixed Arab and Kurdish group, are seen by Washington as the most effective allies on the ground against Isis and receive American military support. They have made substantial territorial gains and they are trying to expand the area under their control.

The Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia and Qatar have heavily funded the Sunni rebellion against the Assad regime. They are unlikely to sit back and simply let Shia Iran spread its influence further in an Alawite run Syria. A vicious proxy war is taking place in Yemen with the Iranian backed Houthi militia fighting a Saudi led Sunni coalition. More such violence, spreading instability and misery, may well be the bitter harvest of Aleppo.
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Approximately 93 civilians have been killed and 300 more injured in Isis-held Syria in what appears to be a chemical weapons attack, monitors and a medical charity have said.

The deaths occurred after heavy airstrikes around dawn in Hama province near the ancient city of Palmyra on Monday, the non-partisan Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations (UOSSM) said, which hit a cluster of five villages.

Many of the dead were children who died quickly after inhaling gas and experienced symptoms including convulsions, suffocation, vomiting, dilated pupils, coughing blood and foaming at the mouth, medics at the scene said.

The gas was colourless and odourless, suggesting sarin, rather than chlorine, which has a distinct smell.

Pictures reportedly from the scene showed the bodies of dead children lined up on the ground, with discolouration around the eyes and some with foaming of the mouth. None of the graphic pictures indicated the victims had any other physical injuries.

The death toll was so high, UOSSM said, because local paramedics lacked training in how to deal with chemical attacks.

In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Show all 30 1 /30 In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian family arrives at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian woman, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, reacts as she stands with her children in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past resident fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood , after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past residents fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-regime fighter speaks with a child, as residents flee violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood. Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops AFP/Getty Images In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Smoke rises as seen from a governement-held area of Aleppo, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers targeting rebels-held areas in the eastern neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria. According to media reports, the army is now holding on 99 percent of Aleppois eastern neighborhoods EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-government forces patrol Aleppo's eastern al-Salihin neighbourhood after troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers rest following the battle at al-Sheik Saeed neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-government fighter walking past closed shops in the Bab al-Nasr district of Aleppo's Old City. Once renowned for its bustling souks, grand citadel and historic gates, Aleppo's Old City has been rendered virtually unrecognisable by some of the worst violence of Syria's war Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The crucial battle for Aleppo entered its 'final phase' after Syrian rebels retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The retreat leaves opposition fighters confined to just a handful of neighbourhoods in southeast Aleppo, the largest of them Sukkari and Mashhad Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilans arrive at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods. Syria's government has retaken at least 85 percent of east Aleppo, which fell to rebels in 2012, since beginning its operation Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilians flee the Sukkari neighbourhood towards safer rebel-held areas in southeastern Aleppo Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since Syria's conflict began in 2011, and leave the government in control of the country's five major cities Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee Aliya inside the tent where she lives with her husband and ten children in a camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee women and children outside the entrance to their tents in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee woman outside the entrance to the tent where her family live, in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A vehicle drives past a mosque at night in Idlib, Syria. Picture taken with a long exposure Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The night sky is seen through damaged windows in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria Reuters

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was aware that deaths had occurred in the area through suffocation, but could not confirm whether the attack used chemical agents, or whether Syrian or Russian warplanes were responsible.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said it was treating the reports of the gas attack as a matter of serious concern.

"We cannot stand one more day of horrors. Every day a new sadistic action is taken against the people of Syria as the world looks on dumbly, Dr Anas Al Kassem, an Ontario-based surgeon and Chair of UOSSM Canada, said in a statement, referring to both the Hama attacks and the escalating crisis in Aleppo.

 Palmyra before ISIS

Try and imagine the pain and suffering the people go through for every moment without peace, he added.

Isis recaptured the Roman city of Palmyra in a surprise assault last week after Russian and foreign Shia forces pulled out, monitors said. The group was ousted from the archaeologically important site with the help of heavy Russian bombing in March this year.

Damascus has sent reinforcements to the area which have succeeded in retaking a key military outpost from the jihadists on Wednesday, state media reported.
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Bashar al-Assads focus on Aleppo allowed Isis to re-capture the ancient city of Palmyra and could pave the way or more gains by the terrorist group, experts have warned.

Militants entered their former stronghold on Saturday after a surprise offensive lasting just two days, nine months after being driven out by government forces backed by Russian air strikes.

That victory was hailed as an important achievement by Assad and celebrated by Vladimir Putin, who addressed a celebratory concert at Palmyras famous amphitheatre in May.

 Playing for Palmyra  Russia holds a concert in the ruins

But now the allies have a new target  crushing opposition-held areas of Aleppo  and monitors say Palmyras residents have paid the price for the Syrian regimes focus on the divided city.

The Palmyra Coordination Committee (PCC) said the Russian military withdrew alongside allied Iranian and Afghan militias days before Isis overran the city for the second time.

The anti-Isis activists placed the biggest blame on the Syrian government for encouraging civilians to return to their homes after militants were originally driven out, then failing to protect them.

These dogs were the first deserters of the city, leaving the rest of the poor to an unknown fate, a statement said.

The issue was brought up in an emergency debate on Syria in the House of Commons, when an MP questioned Assads real priorities.

Mike Gapes, the Labour and Cooperative MP for Ilford South, said: Is it not clear that the Assad regime and the Russians have focused all their resources on destroying eastern Aleppo and allowed [Isis] to retake Palmyra?

Dr Jean-Marc Rickli, a research fellow at King's College London and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, said huge deployments in Aleppo have left the Syrian regimes limited supply of troops short in other areas.

Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Show all 10 1 /10 Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Graffiti on the ancient stones reads in Arabic Shooting without the permission of the chief is prohibited Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Damaged artefacts lay inside the museum of the historic city of Palmyra Reuters Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Syrian pro-government forces rest by Palmyra Citadel as they take control of the city from the hands of Isis Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces The UNESCO world heritage site appears surprisingly intact after its recapture from the militant group Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Many had feared the ancient city would be destroyed following its capture by Isis in May Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Smoke billows from the Palmyra Citadel as Assads forces drive the Jihadist group from the city Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Palmyra is one of the most important cultural centers of the world Unesco says Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Pro-government forces play football in the streets following the recapture of the city Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces The extent of the destruction caused by Isis 10 month occupation of the city has yet to be fully realised Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces The City Council of Palmyra building in ruins Reuters

Definitely these two events  Aleppo and Palmyra - are not isolated, he told The Independent.

Aleppo is very symbolic for the regime and very strategic. When the Syrians decided to re-take the city, they had to draw on as many ground forces as possible and that meant taking them from other cities. Palmyra was one of them.

Palmyra is also a hugely symbolic target for Isis, which used the backdrop of its famed ruins as a setting for gory executions and propaganda videos showing the destruction of its cultural heritage.

The recapture of Palmyra is the groups most significant military victory in 18 months, following the loss of major strongholds including Fallujah and Jarablus, and the ongoing assaults on Mosul and Raqqa.

Despite being driven out in March, Isis retained control over large areas of the surrounding Homs province, allowing commanders to bide their time until a chink appeared in the Syrian regimes armour. The Aleppo offensive provided the perfect opportunity.

Christopher Kozak, a Syria research analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, said some of the forces used to defeat Isis in Palmyra had been transferred from Aleppo Governorate, and were gradually pulled back over recent months to prepare for the final advance.

He told The Independent that mainly ill-trained conscripts and militiamen were left to defend Palmyra, which he predicts Isis will hold until Assad decides to move it to the top of his priority list  currently dominated by Aleppo and Idlib.

The ancient city of Palmyra shown in an Isis propaganda video after the group recaptured the city on 10 December

The fall of a city does not mean the war is over, Mr Kozak added. Isis will have a lot of opportunities to threaten parts of Damascus, Homs and Hama."

Over the border in Iraq, the Popular Mobilisation Units have attempted to seal off routes for Isis fighters to pour into Syria as they flee Mosul, but the offensive has raised the risk of bolstering the groups ranks elsewhere.

Isis has further capitalised on its victory in Palmyra to seize tanks, armoured vehicles, missiles, weapons, ammunition and equipment abandoned by Russian and Syrian forces.

Propaganda footage showed militants plundering a Russian airbase on the outskirts of the ancient city, a Unesco world heritage site, and commandeering abandoned Syrian tanks for continuing advances towards the T4 (Tiyas) Airbase between Palmyra and Homs.

Inside Palmyra, fighters rounded up young men and boys in rubble-strewn streets as jihadis mounted Isis black flag on official buildings.

The PCC reported the disappearance of an unknown number of families, saying some were believed to have been taken to Isis de-facto capital of Raqqa. Telecommunications and the electricity supply were reportedly cut, while civilians were fleeing the jihadis' advance on the town of al-Qaryatayn.

Isis fighters advancing towards the T4 air base near Palmyra in a Syrian tank on 13 December

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported dozens of deaths among regime forces and militias, as well as Isis militants being killed in battles.

In an interview with the state-controlled broadcaster Russia Today, Assad agreed that the seizure of Palmyra was related directly to Aleppo, but claimed it was due to the US lifting an embargo on supplying weapons to Syria.

After accusing American forces of supporting Isis, he claimed the group wanted to undermine the victory in Aleppo and distract Syrian forces.

Russia also blamed America for Isis victory, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov citing a lack of coordinated action and real cooperation with other states.

There is no indication of an Isis presence in Aleppo city, where opposition areas were controlled by enemy moderate and Islamist rebel groups.

The US Central Command has reported a series of air strikes near Palmyra in recent days, including one that destroyed 168 Isis oil tankers and others targeting Isis vehicles and tactical units.

Dr Rickli said the citys capture is a significant moment following Isis territorial losses and the killing of figureheads including Omar al-Shishani and Abu Muhammad al-Adnani in air strikes.

Everybody knows Palmyra now, he added. Isis has sent a signal that theyre not dead.

The ability for Isis to retake Palmyra shows they are still a major actor in Syria.
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Air strikes have resumed in the Syrian city of Aleppo after what the Russian Defence Ministry said was a dawn rebel infringement of the fragile ceasefire.

Rebel officials and a source close to the regime told AFP on Wednesday that the deal was on hold after government shelling hit a rebel neighbourhood, dashing the hopes of trapped civilians for a truce.

A rebel official later said the truce deal was to be re-implemented, saying it would begin "within hours"

Syrian state TV reported six deaths in the recently recaptured area of Bustan al-Quassr after rebel shelling, and more than 40 had been injured in opposition neighbourhoods in heavy clashes, a White Helmets defence service representative said.

A Turkey and Russia-brokered ceasefire deal to bring peace to what a UN representative described as a "meltdown of humanity" had gone into effect on Tuesday evening. It was supposed to include the evacuation of up to 5,000 people to the neighbouring, rebel-held Idlib province.

However, Hizbollah's al-Manar TV broadcast footage showing the Syrian government's green buses leaving the agreed checkpoint without any passengers, indicating the evacuations will be futher delayed and the short-lived promise of a ceasefire is over.

Many in east Aleppo didn't sleep last night as they awaited the start of the arranged passage out of the city to Idlib. Monitors reported that rebel fighters had prevented civilians who wanted to leave from doing so.

Activists sent audio recordings of planes overhead and explosions as the news broke on Wednesday that the ceasefire had completely failed. "We want to leave... we don't want more massacres, let us leave, what is happening," one said in a Whatsapp message.

Russia's Interfax news agency said that pro-government forces would continue the operation to quash resistance in the last opposition neighbourhoods. Russia also said that 366 fighters and 6,000 civlians had fled overnight from fighting in what appeared to be a separate development to the planned evacuations.

While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was working with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to resurrect the deal, any ceasefire deal would only save "terrorists", Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said.

 Syria conflict: Aleppo civilians post 'goodbye' videos

Between 50,000 and 100,000 people are thought to still be trapped in the last slivers of rebel territory in east Aleppo after the Syrian army and Iran-backed militas captured all but a few remaining neighbourhoods in the divided city on Monday.

Reports of the executions of 82 civilians, including women and children, by pro-government militias, have alarmed rights groups and the international community,as has the destruction and death caused by incessant bombing and a collapse of medical aid.

The ceasefire agreement - which did not include the Syrian government or UN in consultations - reportedly ran into trouble after Shia militias added fresh demands to the deal, such as the evacuation of injured pro-government forces from the north of the country.

Rebels in Idlib retaliated for the collapse of the deal by targeting two government-controlled villages in the area with rockets.

Fighting in Aleppo may not continue for much longer, however. President Assad's forces have all but retaken the city, which after four years of fierce fighting has become the epicentre of Syria's bloody civil war.

Rebel supply lines were cut off in July, and an intense Russian-backed bombing campaign since September has killed hundreds, decimated medical infrastructure, and brought the last urban rebel stronghold in Syria to its knees.

In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Show all 30 1 /30 In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian family arrives at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian woman, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, reacts as she stands with her children in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past resident fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood , after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past residents fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-regime fighter speaks with a child, as residents flee violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood. Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops AFP/Getty Images In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Smoke rises as seen from a governement-held area of Aleppo, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers targeting rebels-held areas in the eastern neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria. According to media reports, the army is now holding on 99 percent of Aleppois eastern neighborhoods EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-government forces patrol Aleppo's eastern al-Salihin neighbourhood after troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers rest following the battle at al-Sheik Saeed neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-government fighter walking past closed shops in the Bab al-Nasr district of Aleppo's Old City. Once renowned for its bustling souks, grand citadel and historic gates, Aleppo's Old City has been rendered virtually unrecognisable by some of the worst violence of Syria's war Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The crucial battle for Aleppo entered its 'final phase' after Syrian rebels retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The retreat leaves opposition fighters confined to just a handful of neighbourhoods in southeast Aleppo, the largest of them Sukkari and Mashhad Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilans arrive at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods. Syria's government has retaken at least 85 percent of east Aleppo, which fell to rebels in 2012, since beginning its operation Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilians flee the Sukkari neighbourhood towards safer rebel-held areas in southeastern Aleppo Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since Syria's conflict began in 2011, and leave the government in control of the country's five major cities Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee Aliya inside the tent where she lives with her husband and ten children in a camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee women and children outside the entrance to their tents in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee woman outside the entrance to the tent where her family live, in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A vehicle drives past a mosque at night in Idlib, Syria. Picture taken with a long exposure Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The night sky is seen through damaged windows in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria Reuters

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that he expected all rebel resistance to crumble within the next two to three days.

Residents and activists  including humanitarian workers, doctors and teachers  in the rebel-controlled parts of the city have expressed fears that they will be detained, tortured and killed for resistance to the regime.

"Anyone who knows anything about the Assad regime should know what to expect. Death will be a wish for those captured and deemed [to be] opposition, weather [sic] military or civil," one wrote in a Whatsapp message to journalists.

Recapturing Aleppo will be Mr Assad's biggest victory yet in the six-year-old war  but with two-thirds of Syria still controlled by the US-backed Free Syrian Army umbrella of rebel factions, extremist groups and the Kurds in the north, the complex conflict is far from over.

To date more than 400,000 people have lost their lives and half of Syria's population displaced from their homes by fighting, the UN says.
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The US Ambassador to the United Nations has accused the Syrian regime, Russia and Iran of carrying out barbaric "crimes" in Aleppo.

Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Samantha Power said: "To the Assad regime, Russia and Iran, your forces and proxies are carrying out these crimes, your barrel bombs and mortars and air strikes have allowed the militia in Aleppo to encircle tens of thousands of civilians in your ever-tightening noose.

"It is your noose. Three member states of the UN contributing to a noose around civilians. It should shame you.

"Instead, by all appearances it is emboldening you. You are plotting your next assault."

Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Show all 12 1 /12 Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man crosses a street in Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A vendor sits inside an antique shop in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors walk inside Aleppo's Umayyad mosque, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk inside the Khan al-Shounah market, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man walks past shops in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk along an alley in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors tour Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A general view shows the Old City of Aleppo as seen from Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk near Aleppo's Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower, Syria October 6, 2010 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man stands inside Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters

She added: "Are you truly incapable of shame? Is there literally nothing that can shame you?

"Is there no act of barbarism against civilians, no execution of a child that gets under your skin? That just creeps you out a little bit? It there nothing you will not lie about, or justify?"

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the emergency meeting he had received "credible reports" of civilians killed by pro-government forces as they swept into the last rebel areas in Aleppo.

The head of the UN's human rights office, Rupert Colville, had previously said that six different sources had confirmed 82 non-combatants were shot in four different neighbourhoods overnight on Monday.

A building with more than 100 children trapped inside was also allegedly attacked by pro-regime forces.

Shelling resumed in the remaining rebel part of eastern Aleppo on Wednesday morning, despite a ceasefire deal intended to allow for the evacuation of rebel fighters and tens of thousands of civilians.

The Syrian army will resume its military opperations in the city, the Russian Defence Ministry said, blaming the rebels for infringing the fragile ceasefire.

Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syria's ambassador to the UN, denied any mass executions or revenge attacks, but said it was Syria's "constitutional right" to go after "terrorists," a reference to all opposition fighters.

"Aleppo has been liberated from terrorists and those who toyed with terrorism," he said. "Aleppo has returned to the nation."
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The Syrian envoy to the United Nations has condemned what he said is endemic fake news reporting around the current battle for Aleppo - but undermined his argument by using a photograph from Iraq to show what he said is the current situation in the Syrian city.

During an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday to discuss action on the escalating humanitarian crisis in Aleppo, Bashar Jaafari described the operation which has left hundreds dead as a liberation.

The actions we've taken in Aleppo have had the overarching goal of protecting civilians. Allow me at this stage show you some photos that I have. This is what the Syrian army is doing in Aleppo, Mr Jaafari said, holding up a picture he said was of a soldier helping an elderly woman leave the last rebel enclaves in east Aleppo.

It was quickly noticed, however, that the picture was actually of a member of the Iraqi Shia militia known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces, helping a civilian after the city of Fallujah was freed from Isis in June.

It had been widely published by Arabic-language news outlets at the time.

Russian Envoy Vitaly Churkin echoed Mr Jaafari's sentiments, saying that the atrocities reportedly being perpetrated in Aleppo were faked by opposition forces, whom the Syrian government regards as terrorists. Activists intent on deceiving western media covered children in dust and claimed they were bombing victims, he said.

Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Show all 12 1 /12 Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man crosses a street in Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A vendor sits inside an antique shop in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors walk inside Aleppo's Umayyad mosque, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk inside the Khan al-Shounah market, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man walks past shops in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk along an alley in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors tour Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A general view shows the Old City of Aleppo as seen from Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk near Aleppo's Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower, Syria October 6, 2010 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man stands inside Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters

Rebel-held east Aleppo, already bought to its knees by months of Russian-backed bombing, is on the brink of total collapse after a last-minute ceasefire deal broke down on Wednesday morning.

The Syrian army and allied militias is in control of all but tiny pockets of the city after huge advances on Monday and Tuesday.

Human rights monitors reported slaughter on the ground as pro-government forces advanced. At least 82 civilians - among them women and children - were shot in their homes by Iraqi militias, several sources have said.

Air strikes had resumed on the last rebel neighbourhoods on Wednesday, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov predicting the opposition will crumble within the next two to three days.
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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said President-elect Donald Trump will be a "natural ally" to Russia.

As Syrian regime forces, backed by Iran and Russia, were on the verge of recapturing rebel held Aleppo, Russian media broadcast an interview with Mr Assad in which he doubled down on comments he made in the wake of Mr Trump's election victory.

Speaking a week after Mr Trump's election, he said the President-elect would be "natural ally" of the Syrian regime if he fulfils his pledge to "fight the terrorists".

 Syria conflict: Aleppo civilians post 'goodbye' videos

"We cannot tell anything about what he's going to do, but if... he is going to fight the terrorists, of course we are going to be ally, natural ally in that regard with the Russian, with the Iranian, with many other countries," he told Portugal's RTP state television.

When asked about his remarks in an interview with Russia 24 and NTV, he said: "Trumps statements were clear during his campaign in relation to fighting terrorism, non-intervention against states in order to depose governments, as the United States has been doing for decades.

"This is good, but this depends on Trumps will to carry on with this approach, and his ability to do that."

He added: "We know that there are powerful lobbies in the United States which stood against Trump and they will exert their utmost pressure, when he is in office, to push him towards retracting what he said in this area and in other areas as well.

"Otherwise, he will have a confrontation with these lobbies in the Congress, in the Senate, in the media, and in the industrial lobbies which gain from wars, like what happened in Iraq and Yemen recently."

He told his Russian interviewers: "Thats why if Trump was able to overcome all these obstacles and really act against terrorism, I believe that he will be our natural ally and your natural ally."

Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Show all 12 1 /12 Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man crosses a street in Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A vendor sits inside an antique shop in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors walk inside Aleppo's Umayyad mosque, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk inside the Khan al-Shounah market, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man walks past shops in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk along an alley in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors tour Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A general view shows the Old City of Aleppo as seen from Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk near Aleppo's Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower, Syria October 6, 2010 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man stands inside Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters

Mr Trump has previously said the US' main objective should be to assist the Syrian government in fighting against Isis.

Ive had an opposite view of many people regarding Syria. My attitude was youre fighting Syria, Syria is fighting Isis, and you have to get rid of Isis, he told The Wall Street Journal.

When Mr Trump made similar remarks during the second presidential debate, Syrian activists from Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS) fact-checked Mr Trump's position and accused him of being a liar.

The Assad regime has mostly focused its efforts on combating Syrian opposition groups, some of which are supported by the US, rather than fighting Isis.

The fight against Isis is predominantly being waged by a US-led coalition, with help from Turkey, by training, advising and equipping Syrian Arab and Kurdish fighters.
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Dog slaughter and butchering is being abolished at South Koreas largest dog meat market in a move being described by welfare campaigners as a step toward a nationwide ban.

Slaughter facilities at Moran Market in Seongnam will be confiscated from its 22 dog meat dealers as early as next week.

The legitimacy of the countrys dog meat industry is a grey area.

It is simultaneously legalised, and illegalised, in two different pieces of South Korean law.

A legal grey area surrounds dog slaughtering in South Korea Getty (Getty)

"Seongnam city took a big step toward changing the dog meat industry here, said Korean Animal Welfare Association official Jang In-young.

But we will have to constantly monitor dog meat shops in the market to see if they really stop slaughtering dogs and change their business.

The city government will also need to keep pushing the idea to ultimately ban the sales of dog meat here.

The market sold an estimated 80,000 dogs, dead or alive, each year Getty (Getty)

Moran Market, which opened in the 1960s and sells all sorts including antiques and live animals, sees an estimated 80,000 pooches sold dead or alive each year.

The notorious spot supplies an estimated one third of all dog meat consumed in the country and live dogs are kept in cages for customers to pick out.

Seongnam city official Kang Won-gu told The Korea Herald he wanted to ultimately stop the dog meat trade at the market.

City mayor Lee Jae-myung said: This may be the beginning of [a long path toward] solving issues surrounding dog meat consumption.

This will hopefully eradicate the negative image of Moran Market.

Seongnam city will take the initiative to transform South Koreas image since the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

 Animal rights activist saves dogs from Yulin festival

The countrys Livestock Industry Act classifies dogs as livestock, so therefore can be killed for consumption, but says they cannot be killed inhumanly.

The Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act however does not define dogs as livestock or animals for consumption.

South Koreas Animal Protection Act of 2007 states that killing in a cruel way such as hanging and killing in an open area is illegal.

China is believed to consume more dog meat than any other country, and around 10,000 dogs were killed at its annual Yulin festival this year.
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Dubbing Riga the Baltic Berlin isnt as crazy as it sounds: Latvias hip little capital is awash with art and music at the moment. Its acres of abandoned Soviet-era warehouses are the natural location for the first Riga Biennial of Contemporary Art (RIBOCA), a huge art festival running daily until 28 October 2018.

What to do in Riga

Hit the (Old) Town

Rigas handsome and historic Hanseatic Old Town is normally the first stop for visitors. The city walls, warehouses, houses and churches here have been renovated since the fall of communism  it all feels like a giant, living museum.

Rigas Old Town feels like a living museum (Getty/iStock) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Park life

Bastejkalna Park, in the middle of Riga, is where locals go to eat lunch, jog, play chess or chill out after work. A pretty canal runs through the middle and the Opera House is a must-see.

Art of the matter

Rigas newest gallery, Zuzeum, is a reconfigured warehouse founded by the rich Zuzans family. Its a work in progress, due to be completed in 2019, but it looks pretty good already. Its one of the many great city venues for RIBOCA. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

The striking National Library of Latvia building (Getty) (Getty Images)

Brought to book

The arresting sight of Latvias new National Library, by Latvian architect Gunnar Birkerts, assaults your eyes as you cross the river Daugava from Rigas Old Town. Its odd exterior and huge interior spaces are a must-see; open Monday to Friday 9am-8pm, weekends 10am-5pm.

Where to stay in Riga

The arty Pullman has a pool and gym tucked up in its attic and low-lit, tasteful decor throughout. The healthy breakfast buffet is a stand-out. Doubles from 80 (70), B&B

There are a mind-boggling four different Radisson hotels in this small city. The Elizabete does a great breakfast packed with local cuisine, including smoked fish, pork fat, rye bread, ham, cottage cheese and pickles. Doubles from 84, B&B

The Grand Poet is a brand new hotel (Grand Poet)

Grand Poet is a brand new hotel with a classy feel and a spacious and relaxing basement spa, complete with a big pool and several saunas. Doubles from 92, B&B

Where to eat

Pagalms is a beguiling little eatery that is pure class. A small menu with several vegetarian and vegan choices, low-lighting, tiled walls, cool clientele and a pop-up feel are enough to make you think youre in east London or Berlin. Its basically a wooden hut next to the tennis club, boasting cheap prices to boot.

The Catch serves up fresh sushi (The Catch)

Rigas brand new Japanese restaurant The Catch has been winning a lot of admirers since it opened earlier this year. Try the chicken ramen and tempura broccoli, or splurge on the sushi.

Where to drink

A lot of Rigas boozing options are concentrated in the Old Town. Try I Love You for a cheap local beer and indie tunes on the jukebox.

Kanepes Cultural Centre is where Rigas musicians, DJs, artists and students hang out. A former music school in a shabby house where they pour craft suds and put on live gigs at weekends, the name means Cannabis Cultural Centre  but dont bother asking for that.

Dance the night away at One One (One One)

One One plays electro, techno, house and minimal music. Its party central every Friday and Saturday night; post-industrial chic and a powerful sound system set things off.

Where to shop

Randoms is Rigas coolest little record shop where you can experience the vinyl record renaissance currently at play in Riga (there are several new vinyl pressing plants, vinyl-only record labels and vinyl markets all thriving in the city). Randoms sells a slew of 12 inch albums by big-hitting local bands like Carnival Youth, as well as those by international rock and dance acts. It also stocks trainers and T-shirts.

Have a record trawl at Randoms (Randoms)

Kalnciema Ielas hip Slow Food Market dishes up local flavours and international favourites like veggie burgers as well as traditional Latvian baking, cheese, jars of pickles and jams and smoked fish in an atmospheric former woodworks. Theres also a cafe and wine shop where you can buy a bottle.

Architectural highlight

Rigas jugendstil architecture, a type of art nouveau, is renowned as the best collection of buildings from the turn of the 20th Century in the world. Riga was flourishing at this time and there are dozens of fantastically ornate buildings inspired by the shapes of trees and flowers dotting the central district.

Riga has outstanding Jugendstil architecture (Getty) (Getty Images)

Nuts and bolts

What currency do I need?

Euros.

What language do they speak?

Latvian. English widely spoken.

How much should I tip?

10 per cent.

Whats the time difference?

GMT +2

Whats the average flight time from the UK?

Two and a half hours.

Public transport

Rigas trolleybuses are very cheap and easy to manage, but you can also walk the entire city very easily.

Best view

Head up to the Skyline Bar on the 26th floor of one of the citys tallest buildings for a glass of fizz with a sunset view.

Insider tip

Keep an eye out for ad hoc Berlin-style club nights and hip electronic music festivals like Kontaktor, which regularly take over some of the citys huge and empty old USSR-era factories in the suburbs.

The writer flew with Air Baltic, which flies direct daily to Riga from London Gatwick (and during summer from Aberdeen).
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Youve got more chance of dying in a car accident than a plane crash, you know....

Anyone whos voiced a fear of flying will have heard this response countless times, but it doesnt make taking to the skies any easier.

Fear of flying, or aviophobia, is extremely common, affecting around 30 per cent of the population. And were travelling by air more and more, which for many of us will mean sleepless nights before departure, greasy palms on take-off and having to apologise for grabbing a strangers hand.

But help is at hand; here are a few tools and coping mechanisms to help get you through the personal trauma of flying.

Self-help books and apps

Self-help books are available for just about everything, from quitting smoking to getting rich, and fear of flying is no exception.

Try Soar: The Breakthrough Treatment for Fear of Flying. Its writen by a pilot, Captain Tom Bunn, who worked on Pan Ams first Fear Of Flying programme and aims to help you permanently control your flying anxiety through simple exercises.

Alternatively, you could use your smartphone  the app SkyGuru uses your phones sensors to give you technical information usually only available to pilots. By downloading key flight information before take-off, the app can give a real-time explanation of what is happening, even in flight mode. The idea is that the app makes you feel like youre sitting next to a pilot who is talking you through your ups and downs as the flight progresses, preventing a nervous mind from running through everything that could conceivably go wrong.

SkyGuru takes you through the 'ups and downs' of the journey

Fear-of-flying courses

In a bid to get you into their planes, many of the major airlines  including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and easyJet  offer courses to help alleviate the crippling anxieties of the aviophobe.

BAs one-day Flying with Confidence programme includes an explanation of the technicalities of flying and a session on dealing with anxiety, culminating in a 45-minute flight aboard a real aircraft. This is when you can practice your new techniques as the plane goes through taxi, take-off, a short circular flight and landing.

Pilots and psychologists are on hand to guide you through the day, which the airline claims to have a 98 per cent success rate. You can take the course at Heathrow, Gatwick or Edinburgh for between 229 and 325 or opt for one-to-one instruction for the hefty sum of 2,950.

Drugs

Generally, advice will tell you that turning to medication should be avoided where possible, but if your doctor deems it helpful they may prescribe a tranquiliser like diazepam (Valium) to calm your nerves during flight. Valium is a psychoactive drug with sedative, anti-anxiety and muscle relaxing effects and is recommended only for short-term use.

One thing is clear  mixing drugs with alcohol is not a good idea. As tempting as it may be to render your fear (and yourself) unconscious with a left-hook of Valium and a haymaker of gin and tonic, your body will not thank you and youre likely to make things worse.

Avoid booze if you're taking medication on a flight (Stuart Bailey/British Airways)

Flying lessons

It sounds extreme, but there is anecdotal evidence that having a go at flying a plane is an effective way of getting used to being a passenger in one. Many aviophobes attribute their fear to a lack of control, so taking some back could have merit.

You can try your hand at flying at most aerodromes in the UK, with no previous experience necessary. If taking the controls of a plane is one step too far, you can also have a go in a flight simulator and keep your feet firmly on the ground. iPilot in Hammersmith, London, will give you the full flying experience in a state-of-the-art simulator for 309.

Emotional support animals

In 2014 a pig, brought onto a US Airways flight as an emotional support animal, was kicked off for being disruptive. Part of a growing trend, particularly in the US, of cute critters being used to calm flight anxiety  emotional support animals are allowed under the countrys transport rules.

Dogs, cats and even monkeys have reportedly been taken on planes, but dont get your hopes up if you fancy having a pooch on your lap on your next flight from the UK. According to Assistance Dogs UK, emotional support dogs dont have the same public access rights in the UK that apply to assistance dogs and the organisation says this includes airline travel.
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Ceasefires in Syria are difficult to arrange and particularly likely to collapse because their successful implementation involves so many parties inside and outside the country who hate and would like to kill each other. All of these powers have their own agendas that may have little to do with the wellbeing of those who want to leave a besieged enclave in safety.

The planned evacuation of fighters and civilians in Aleppo arranged between Turkey and Russia and due to take place on Wednesday morning predictably failed to occur. Street fighting resumed and it will be difficult for either side to exercise the degree of operational control necessary to get this to stop.

Furthermore, the Syrian government wants as part of an agreement the full or partial evacuation of two pro-government Shia towns, Fua and Kefraya, west of Aleppo that have a population of 20,000 and have been long besieged by the armed opposition. There is also disagreements about the exact numbers to be brought to safety in buses to the rebel-held province of Idlib. By Wednesday night, opposition groups spoke of another agreement being reached, but there was scepticism from some allies of Damascus, such as Hezbollah.

Recommended We all have blood on our hands over Aleppo

The situation is dangerous for everybody inside the much reduced rebel enclave in Aleppo and the UN says that it has evidence that 82 civilians have been summarily executed by pro-government forces. It believes that many more are dead. But comparisons by the US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, with the Rwanda genocide of 1994 and the Srebrenica massacre in 1995 are wholly out of proportion. The most likely outcome is an evacuation of fighters and their families along with thousands of others who, for very good reasons, believe they are in danger from the Syrian security services.

The reason for believing that a ceasefire could hold if implemented and an evacuation are possible is that they have happened before and are in the interests of both the trapped rebel leadership inside east Aleppo and the government. The rebels military position has collapsed and they do not look as if they are able to stage a last stand. They may as well save their remaining fighters, families and supporters while they still can. At the same time, Jabhat al-Nusra, which has declared it is no longer an al-Qaeda affiliate, said to make up about 30 per cent of 1,500 fighters to be evacuated  according to the UN  and to be in operational command in east Aleppo, has usually been the last of the armed opposition groups to agree to ceasefires that are close to surrenders.

Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Show all 12 1 /12 Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man crosses a street in Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A vendor sits inside an antique shop in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors walk inside Aleppo's Umayyad mosque, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk inside the Khan al-Shounah market, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man walks past shops in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk along an alley in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors tour Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A general view shows the Old City of Aleppo as seen from Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk near Aleppo's Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower, Syria October 6, 2010 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man stands inside Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters

The Syrian government has an interest in a ceasefire and an evacuation  as has happened previously in and around Damascus  because a massacre would mean that other besieged rebel areas would have no alternative but to fight to the end. There are probably about thirty such enclaves left. The most important of these is eastern Ghouta, a large urban and agricultural area east of Damascus, where over 250,000 people have been blockaded for four years.

The severity of the sieges varies greatly with shortages but no starvation in eastern Ghouta in contrast to Madaya, a town west of Damascus where 43,000 people have been starving and even those with money can find no food to buy. In Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria some 110,000 people are besieged by Isis in a Syrian government-held enclave, but are receiving supplies dropped from Russian aircraft.

The figures for those besieged in Syria  excluding east Aleppo  was 590,000 in September according to the UN. The numbers are only roughly accurate because those inside an enclave have an interest in inflating them in order to get the maximum amount of aid. The UN has previously then made its own estimates of the real numbers and tried to persuade the Syrian government to allow in aid convoys with sufficient food to feed them.

 Video shows Syrian Army taking Aleppo

The figures for fighters and civilians in east Aleppo differ widely and this may be one reason for the delayed evacuation. The UN used to estimate 250,000 to 275,000 people lived in east Aleppo and 1.5 million in government held West Aleppo (where many also receive aid) but now appears to have reduced this to 140,000 in the east. The number of fighters had originally been estimated at between 8,000 and 10,000, which may have been too high, but many may have been killed or have already surrendered.

A final reason for the government to want to bring the battle for Aleppo to a close as quickly as possible is that Isis has recaptured Palmyra and is threatening an important Syrian air base in the region. The government will want to transfer its best combat troops south to the Palmyra front as will their Russian allies, who highlighted their role in the recapture of the ancient city last March and are humiliated by its loss.

Of course, the fact that a ceasefire and an evacuation of east Aleppo is in the interests of government and armed opposition does not mean it is going to happen.
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For Syrian civilians in Aleppo, caught in a brutal civil war since 2011 with relentless shelling, barrel bombs and sniper fire, everything feels like hell.

US and UK-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan turned the Middle East into a ticking time bomb, generating refugee flows last seen during WW2 and sparking aggressive Cold War-esque military posturing over plans to isolate Syria from Iran and Russia.

If the human tragedy unfolding in Syria teaches us one thing, its that western military intervention is too often the cause of humanitarian crises, rather than the solution to it.

With the UN impotent, political leadership has never been more needed. Yet free market fundamentalism by governments is causing paralysing and inaction.

It is within the context of neoliberal economics that Theresa Mays signal to slash UK foreign aid should be examined.

Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Show all 12 1 /12 Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man crosses a street in Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A vendor sits inside an antique shop in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors walk inside Aleppo's Umayyad mosque, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk inside the Khan al-Shounah market, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man walks past shops in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk along an alley in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors tour Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A general view shows the Old City of Aleppo as seen from Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk near Aleppo's Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower, Syria October 6, 2010 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man stands inside Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters

While I wholeheartedly support the principle of generous humanitarian aid to those in need, I resent what British foreign aid has become: that is, an arms-length slush fund for private finance and British corporations.

I recall a time when international aid stood for humanitarian support, access to emergency medical care, food, clean water and sanitation.

Foreign aid in the neoliberal era dictates if we give to deserving foreigners, the sick, starving, or those affected by war, we do so for financial return. Aid as a market-led, quid-pro-quo arrangement for British corporations. All pretence of compassion, care and solidarity gone.

British aid policy run by the FCO and DFiD is now a shop front for the UK corporate interests former US President Dwight D Eisenhower called the Military Industrial Complex: banks, oil companies, and arms manufacturers like Barclays, British Petroleum (BP) and BAE Systems.

Foreign aid is a bargaining chip with developing countries, securing contracts for British oil, finance, infrastructure and military contractors, often structured via British tax havens, from the City of London.

The military tail wagging the parliamentary dog was never more obvious than in January 2016, when a debate on expanding RAF bombing into Syria was reduced to a PR marketing exercise for BAE/MBDA Brimstone Missiles tested in Syria and Libya, then sold to human rights-abusing Saudis.

 Syria conflict: Aleppo civilians post 'goodbye' videos

There is a win-win alternative to UK militarism.

First, we need to spend more on research and development for renewable technologies, making improvements to domestic mass transportation and manufacturing. This decouples UK economic and foreign policy from militarism and reliance on rogue oil states.

By incubating low-carbon jobs, we can promote solutions to the triple crises of unemployment, ecological debasement and dependency on dirty energy which traps us in a cycle of foreign conflicts and resource wars.

Second, public procurement and pension funds can be repurposed to support UK based low-carbon technologies, creating jobs while allowing defence firms to transition to civilian production  like the Lucas Aerospace Plan did 40 years ago.

Military transition demands industrial policies to train workers, build alternative markets, and help defence firms finance civilian projects. This is what Marianna Mazzucato calls the Entrepreneurial State  informed Government, acting independently and leading the market.

Third, UK-based research and manufacturing tied to low-carbon industries can provide a foundation for a new kind of foreign aid. Aid that helps developing nations like Syria and Iraq become more self-sufficient, stable and integrated. Economic transition and integration can facilitate alternatives to civil conflict, terrorism and political authoritarianism that are socially and ecologically sustainable.

The UK should continue to face outward to the world and generously offer aid, solidarity and resources to those in Syria at a time of desperate need.

But lets have an honest debate about foreign aid and not pretend that our corporatised, finance-led system supporting UK militarism is something its not.
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Is it just too Blair-hatingly mad to blame Tony Blair for the appalling humanitarian disaster in Aleppo, and the rest of Syria for that matter? A man who has been out of power for a decade and who has spent the last decade or so devoted to finding peace in the Middle East?

You dont have to believe that Blair was some bloodthirsty lunatic or slavish poodle of George W Bush to see that there are three good reasons to trace the tragedy that has befallen the people of Syria, including the greatest refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War, right back to Blairs policies.

First; the rise of Isis. Blair admitted last year that there are "elements of truth" in the theory that the invasion of Iraq, and the mess that followed, helped feed the rise of Isis. Thats good enough for me.

Without rehearsing yet again the arguments that have been thoroughly examined in the Chilcot and the other reports on the 2003 attack on Saddam Hussein, there is little doubt that  whether the war was legal, illegal, morally justified or morally outrageous  it has led us to where we are now. It is difficult to imagine Isis thriving under Saddam. It is hard to imagine it arming and staffing itself with the sizeable remnants of Saddam's army had the US occupiers not decided to disband the old Iraqi army and proceed with de-ba'athification.

 Tony Blair could be returning to British politics

The rise of Isis was certainly unpredictable, and took many by surprise  until our correspondent Patrick Cockburn warned the world that this new force of mediaeval barbarism was about to pile more agony on already fractured and wounded nations. No matter; it would very likely not have happened with anything like the ferocity it did were it not seeded in the conditions of chaos in Iraq.

Second: intervention. The mess in Iraq (and Afghanistan, a far more justified and legal intervention than the later one), persuaded public opinion in the West that such interventions are necessarily disastrous and to be avoided at all costs. That was the principal argument used by Labour, for example, in the debates on UK intervention in 2013.

No matter how heart-breaking the stories coming out of Syria were, and no matter how pitiful the flood of refugees, the public was turned off the idea of muscular humanitarian intervention of the kind Blair used to champion. They were not interested in nation saving, nor in nation building. Wed shed enough blood and spent enough money on these futile campaigns. The failure in Iraq taught us a lesson we wouldnt forget. But that may have been the wrong lesson, for a war in Syria could have been more justified and more legally founded than the invasion of Iraq. That is certainly a possibility.

Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Show all 12 1 /12 Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man crosses a street in Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A vendor sits inside an antique shop in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors walk inside Aleppo's Umayyad mosque, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk inside the Khan al-Shounah market, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man walks past shops in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk along an alley in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors tour Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A general view shows the Old City of Aleppo as seen from Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk near Aleppo's Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower, Syria October 6, 2010 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man stands inside Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters

Its true that will never know if a more determined Western action in Syria could have changed the course of the war. There is a perfectly valid counter-case for believing that earlier and stronger intervention by the West, including by the RAF and British forces on the ground, could have done no more than make matters worse, turning yet another Middle Eastern people against us. We might now be in roughly a mirror image position to Russia, grinding the Assad forces and Isis into the ground while the Free Syrian Army and other opposition groups take it out on their enemies.

Or, alternatively, it might have tamed Assad and led to the formation of a stable new regime in the country, one where Isis could in turn be attacked with the will and support of the whole people of Syria. To admit of the possibility is to admit that the Iraq adventure badly warped our judgement for years after.

Third, Blair so alienated our allies in Europe over the Iraq invasion that there was little prospect of them supporting a broad-based international coalition, with the single exception of France. That was part of a wider international failure, focused on the United Nations.

One legacy of Blair and President George W Bush was to leave the UN totally useless in the face of the aggression of the Assad government, Isis, and other extremist groups. For the same reasons that they alienated western public opinion they also undermined international support for a legal intervention in Syria  which would always have been a very difficult diplomatic challenge.

What should have happened is this: the UN would have led a truly international force under an appropriate resolution to bring stability to Syria and isolate the factions fighting for control. Maybe that could never have happened with Russia, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia following their own agendas, but, again, it was at least a possibility if the toxic legacy of Iraq had not poisoned so many relationships.

I am not a Blair-hater, and do not regard him as a war criminal. However I do think, as he himself admits, there were mistakes over Iraq and we have not felt the last of the consequences yet.

You dont have to have willed something to happen  assuredly Mr Blair did not wish for this catastrophe  to bear some culpability for it.
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Something must be done!" is one of the politicians favourite cries. But rarely has the West been so impotent to do anything than during the horrific siege and fall of Aleppo.

Now there is a new maxim  Something could have been done, as George Osborne told the Commons on Tuesday in a powerful speech accepting his share of responsibility for failing to act in Syria. The former Chancellor joined Boris Johnson and some Labour MPs in pointing a finger at Ed Miliband, who dismayed David Cameron in 2013 by pulling the plug on military action against Syrias President Bashar al-Assad after he used chemical weapons against his own people. Thirty Tories also opposed intervention and Camerons crushing Commons defeat led Barack Obama to pause US action in Syria  though whether Congress would have approved it is another matter.

Some MPs hope that Aleppo will mark the end of the UKs non-interventionist phase since the Iraq disaster in 2003. The lesson, as Osborne argued, is that not intervening also has a price. That is painfully true in Syria. But Libya, which he didnt mention, again proved the price of intervention. Although Cameron claimed that the lessons of Iraq had been learnt, the Libya episode was still disastrous.

Some MPs who believe the pendulum might now swing back in favour of intervention hope that Brexit will help. They argue that the UK will want to prove it is not retreating to isolationism, and so will take a more proactive role and bolster Nato. They will be disappointed; rhetoric wont save lives in the next Aleppo or trump realpolitik.

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

Brexit will mean UK foreign policy being driven more by economics and less by liberal values. A trade deal with the United States will be the primary goal of UK-US relations, even if it means tolerating Donald Trumps lukewarm attitude to Nato or a rash, dangerous response to a foreign policy crisis. And would the UK really stand up to a resurgent Russia when Vladimir Putin has Trump in the White House and another friendly leader, either Francois Fillon or Marine Le Pen, in France?

Downing Streets slapdown of Johnson for accusing Saudi Arabia of fighting proxy wars in the Middle East tells us a lot about Theresa Mays approach to foreign policy. It will be a trade policy. True, Johnsons timing was awful, just as May wooed the Saudis on a visit to the Gulf. But he was right to speak the truth in public, instead of the usual thing of doing it in private.

There is another way for the UK: the outgoing Obama administration has halted the sale of precision-guided weapons to Saudi Arabia because of civilian deaths caused by its bombing in Yemen. Britain should follow suit. But it wont: arms sales to the Saudis were worth 4bn in the past five years and more lucrative trade deals will be needed with the Gulf states after Brexit.

Parliament might be about to make it easier to sell arms to regimes that violate human rights. The job of monitoring arms exports is likely to go the new select committee that oversees Liam Foxs Department for International Trade. At present, it is shared by four select committees meeting jointly. But when two of them, Business and International Development, wanted to call for a ban on arms sales to the Saudis, it was squashed by the Foreign Affairs Committee.

 Syria conflict: Aleppo civilians post 'goodbye' videos

Angus Brendan MacNeil, the SNP MP who chairs the new International Trade Committee, insists that human rights will not be downgraded when it discusses arms deals. But six of its 11 members are Conservatives, and they may not want to rock the Governments boat.

Another sign that Brexit could mean a shift away from an ethical foreign policy was Philip Hammonds confirmation that the UKs landmark pledge to spend 0.7 per cent of gross national income on international aid will form part of a Government-wide spending review of what the nation can afford in the next parliament. Enshrining this into law was one of Camerons biggest achievements. Scrapping it would send the wrong signal to the world; May should resist the temptation to throw a bone to right-wing MPs and newspapers.

In her first foreign policy speech last month, the Prime Minister outlined her goal for the UK to be the true global champion of free trade and avoided the intervention issue. The biggest clue to her thinking came from Nick Timothy, her joint chief of staff. Writing on Conservative.Home last year, he said the lesson from Iraq was not to make foreign policy part of an ideological crusade or to try to recreate the world in your own image.

He added: Do not [use] a dictators abuse of human rights...as a pretext for regime change. Always act on the basis of the national interest. Above all, understand the risk involved when things change in complex and volatile states.

Mays foreign policy will be determined by Brexit and little else. Her mantra that government can and should be a force for good seems to apply only on the domestic front.
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Big oil is back. It is back in two quite different ways. It is back in the US, with several appointments to Donald Trumps new administration having energy connections. And it is back in the world at large with the Opec production-capping agreement now backed by a similar accord among major non-Opec producers, notably Russia. These two forces may, however, be pulled in different directions.

Trumps first. There are three particularly significant appointments. One is Rick Perry as his nominee for energy secretary. He is a former governor of Texas, a leading oil producer, and during his failed bid for the presidency in 2011 he proposed to eliminate the Energy Department, which oversees US policy on this issue.

The second nominee is Rex Tillerson as secretary of state. He is chief executive of Exxon Mobil, and has close ties to the Russian government  in 2013, he was awarded Russias Order of Friendship by Vladimir Putin.

And third, he is seeking to appoint the Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Pruitt has been a strong opponent of President Barack Obamas regulations to curb climate change, and his nomination seems particularly incendiary, as these recent remarks by Scott Pruitt show.

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall  and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

The American people, he said, are tired of seeing billions of dollars drained from our economy due to unnecessary EPA regulations, and I intend to run this agency in a way that fosters both responsible protection of the environment and freedom for American businesses.

These appointments have to be cleared by Congress, part of the checks and balances of the American system, but the working assumption we ought to make is that the Trump administration will be much more favourable to the fossil fuel lobby and much less concerned about carbon emissions than its predecessor.

If this is alarming to many people, there is however the prospect of a countervailing force: higher oil and gas prices.

Before the recent Opec meeting, the idea that there might be an agreement on production curbs was dismissed as idealistic. Many think even now that it will not hold. But the support from Nopec  the non-Opec producers  seems to have bolted it down. The oil price has responded, with Brent climbing to around $55 a barrel. No one should take forecasts or oil (or indeed any financial forecasts) too seriously, but the market is now talking about a trading range of $60-80 a barrel next year.

This is encouraging for it makes alternative sources of energy close to being competitive without subsidies. The cost of alternatives, in particular solar power in sunny states such as Arizona, is just about there already. As the price of panels falls further, you can see a crossover point within a couple of years.

And the good thing here is that in the hot states of the US, power is needed during sunlight hours to run air-conditioning. The pattern of use is quite the opposite of northern climes, where the greatest power need is during the winter. Of course solar only runs during the day but the cost of battery storage is falling fast too. The idea that households in sunny areas can use solar and batteries to go off-grid, producing all the power they need, carries a powerful attraction for the more libertarian-minded citizens of America.

 Kanye West meets with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower

There is a further twist. Oil use for road transport in the US has probably peaked. A combination of more fuel-efficient vehicles and the spread of pure electric cars has put a cap on demand. This peak has not yet been reached worldwide, with oil and gas demand in China, India and, increasingly, Africa rising fast. But what the US does, the rest of the world tends to follow.

So there is a tug-of-war. On the one hand, the US is going to ease up on restrictions on the use of fossil fuels, certainly gas and oil, maybe also coal. On the other hand, market forces will push the country towards a shift to renewables.

Big oil is back in political terms, and the recovery in the oil price is good news for the oil producers. But the market is encouraging the shift away from fossil fuels, so in environmental terms the impact of looser regulation may not be as damaging as at first sight would appear.
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The election of Donald Trump as the next American President is causing anxiety about domestic climate change policy in the United States. But there are reasons why the most pessimistic predictions might be wrong. The best option is to keep calm and carry on.

Trump told The New York Times that he has "an open mind on climate change, including on the historic Paris Agreement, but it is clear from his other statements that he does not have a good grasp of climate science and he seems to be surrounding himself with people who reject the evidence and deny the risks. This may mean that some of the Obama administrations policies will be reversed. In particular, Trump seems likely to scrap the Clean Power Plan, designed to phase out coal-fired power stations.

But, despite Trumps campaign promises to revive the coal industry, it will be very difficult for him to make it economically competitive against cheaper forms of power from natural gas and renewables. Similarly, his threat to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency would make it more difficult for him to keep the one pledge he does make  for clean air and clean water.

While federal policies on climate change will probably be weak during Trumps presidency, many states, cities and businesses in the US will continue to act on climate change.

 Climate change: It's "game over" for planet earth

A number of states, including Texas, have significant and growing renewable energy industries, providing many thousands of jobs and cheap power. California is implementing a comprehensive programme to achieve its target of cutting annual emissions to their 1990 level by 2020.

Leadership on climate change is also being demonstrated in many American cities. Earlier this month, mayors from across the US urged Trump to recognise the risks of unmanaged climate change and the opportunities from the transition to low-carbon growth. They pointed out that cities can deliver a substantial part of the emissions cuts pledged by the US as part of the Paris Agreement.

Alongside mayors, business leaders are also likely to show that they will not be held back by Trumps election. At the United Nations climate change summit in Marrakech, Morocco, last month, 365 business heads and investors made a joint call for political leaders in the US to help implement the Paris Agreement.

Supporting the call, Paul Polman, the admirable chief executive of Unilever, wrote: Companies that fail to cut emissions are undermining their own business models, from a growth, risk and cost perspective.

Many American companies are already opting to ensure that they are powered by clean energy. Last month, for example, Google announced that all of its data centres and offices around the world will be using 100 per cent renewable power by the end of next year. Meanwhile, Bill Gates and other corporate leaders announced this week that they are launching a new $1bn fund that will invest in innovative companies to deliver the next generation of reliable, affordable, and emissions-free energy, agriculture, and goods to people around the world.

And Mike Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, will later this week launch his new report, commissioned by Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, on how companies across the world should disclose more information about how their business plans take into account action on climate change.

Women go on strike against Donald Trump Show all 7 1 /7 Women go on strike against Donald Trump Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

American businesses will, of course, be seeking clarity from Trump about his policies on climate change and energy. In particular, they will want to know that his plans to boost infrastructure will incorporate sustainability. Businesses know that any efforts to reinvigorate city centres, as Trump has promised to do, must include the modernisation of energy and transport infrastructure, in order to reduce pollution and congestion. Clean and efficient cities, where people can move and breathe, will attract the talented workers so vital to the success of businesses.

Trump may not yet recognise the importance of the low-carbon economy to Americas future prosperity and wellbeing  but there are many communities, businesses and local policymakers who do.

Bob Ward is policy and communications director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science
David Davis told MPs he did not see such a move as the solution

The imposition of border controls between Britain and the island of Ireland has not been ruled out by the UK's Brexit Secretary David Davis.

Mr Davis told MPs he did not see such a move as the solution to concerns over a possible post-Brexit "hard border" between Northern Ireland and the Republic, but stopped short of killing off the idea.

Giving evidence to the Commons Exiting the EU Committee, the Minister was asked to specifically rule out Irish Sea border controls by the DUP's Sammy Wilson.

Mr Davis replied: "I don't know, Mr Wilson, at the moment. My view here is, I don't see that would be the solution, to be honest.

"The primary concern for me, the reason I'm hesitating, is the primary concern for me is to make sure that we don't have that hard border. And there are various technical ways of resolving that.

"We haven't finished that process, we are doing it in consultation with the Irish government, or we are making progress with the Irish government. We may not have a solution to it in the next few months.

"I can see the issue, absolutely see the issue, and I can see why that's a very second best solution. I think we can find a better one, but I won't make a promise today."

Earlier in the exchanges, Mr Davis said he was "optimistic" about maintaining an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

But he said he did not envisage a special arrangement which might keep Northern Ireland inside the EU's Customs Union, as part of the Brexit deal.

Mr Davis told MPs the Government was "determined" to keep an open border, with no fences and no checkpoints, dismissing suggestions that this would create a route into the UK for people trying to evade post-Brexit immigration controls.

He said the European Commission's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and the Dublin government shared this goal, making an agreement likely.

One possible model for the future border was the very lightly-controlled border between Norway - which is outside the EU and the European Customs Union but part of the Single Market - and EU member Sweden, he told the cross-party committee.

Mr Davis said the open border allowing easy passage of people and goods between the Republic and the North was "a very important part" of the peace agreement to end the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

He added: "We are determined to maintain that as an open border.

"I am optimistic that the EU will be helpful to us on this. Michel Barnier is also very seized of this. When I saw him, we didn't talk about the negotiation but he did raise out of nowhere his involvement in it and his commitment to it. It gave me a degree of comfort that we should be able to do this in some way."

He added: "When I went to Dublin, they were equally keen to maintain this. We may have discussions with them about their own incoming security, so we have got at least some watch-list there, but that's for them to decide, not me."

The UK and Irish Common Travel Area was already recognised in the EU's Amsterdam Treaty, he pointed out.

The prospect of people using the Irish route to get in the UK was "not a big issue", he said, adding: "People say 'Won't Ireland be a route into Britain?' There are 50 million people landing at British airports every year. It's a very long-winded way to get into the UK to come via Dublin.

"If you want to get in, you come as a tourist and stay. That's what happens. I don't see a circumstance where we are going to stop tourists at all. We are going to have loads of people coming in and out of Britain."
Ireland's meat exports to Britain could fall by 80pc and dairy sales by 60pc unless a special deal can be done, IFA president Joe Healy has warned.

Mr Healy told the Oireachtas agriculture committee that his organisation was already lobbying via the farmer unions across the EU for the best possible deal for Irish farming.

But economist Jim Power warned the committee, drawing parallels with the experience of the banks' bailout, that we cannot rely on goodwill from our EU partners to give Ireland special treatment.

"We were hung out to dry on the whole bank bailout and I would expect the same treatment on Brexit," he warned.

Mr Power also said that in case of a so-called "hard Brexit", where the UK leaves the EU Single Market and the customs union, he could not envisage the avoidance of the Border with the North.

The IFA leader said that if Britain severed ties with the EU, there would be huge implications for farmers on both sides of the Border. He said up to a billion litres of milk were brought from the North each year for processing in the Republic and later exported as higher-value products.

Mr Healy said some 350,000 lambs were brought from the Republic each year while some half a million pigs were sent North for processing there. He said, in the absence of EU rules, the World Trade Organisation tariff regimes would be applied between the two jurisdictions.

The IFA leader said these averaged 15pc - but were much higher for some products. A 30pc rate applied for dairy products and in the case of some meat products there was a 50pc rate.

Prices

Mr Healy said that their first objective was to lobby for the UK keeping full EU Single Market membership. Failing that, there must be a bid for an EU-UK free trade deal.

Mr Power said that Ireland could relatively easily substitute some of the 3.8bn food imports from the UK. On exports, the branded products sold into the UK had the best chance of keeping British shoppers' loyalty in spite of rising prices.

But Mr Power warned that too many of Ireland's UK food exports were unbranded commodities. He said in that case, with tariffs and a weak sterling, it would be hard to hold market share.

In the medium term, Ireland needed to develop new markets and make the economy as efficient as possible, he said. The priority must be a high-tech economy with a skilled and educated workforce.
City girl, Eavaun Carmody decided to upsticks and move her young family from the centre of Dublin to the middle of the country and into a centuries old castle in 2009

Hand in hand with a massive restoration project, she also ventured into beef farming, and on a grand scale.

Eavaun is now building up an impressive herd of rare breed Dexters in the very parish in which they were originally bred.

Not only is Eavaun using the meat from the Dexters, but she uses every part of them - from their horns, to their hooves.

On tonight's Ear to the Ground, Helen Carroll went to visit Eavaun at Killenure Castle, just outside Cashel in Co. Tipperary and find out more about their entrepreneurial farmer.

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Meanwhile, Darragh McCullough met Leitrim native Conor McHugh has been driving a horse carriage on the streets of New York for over 30 years. He is just one of many Irish horse lovers engaged in that iconic tourist trade.

The carriage drivers have just seen off a political threat to their livelihood a New York mayor Bill de Blasio sought to deliver on a campaign promise to ban the carriages from the city streets.

However, a wave of support from the public left city councillors with no option but to leave the carriages and their drivers work away.

Darragh McCullough spent a day with Conor and visited the 100 year's old co-operative owned stables where the horses sleep upstairs.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Secretary of the Central Military Commission

Nguyen Phu Trong addresses the conference (Photo: VNA)



Addressing the event, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Secretary of the Central Military Commission Nguyen Phu Trong lauded the Central Military Commission and Defence Ministrys operation and completion of all assigned tasks over the past year.

He clarified that 2017 will be the second year of conducting the resolutions of the 12th Party Congress and the 10th Military Party Organisation Congress, urging the whole army to focus on making good performance in five key areas, including better forecast and strategic consultations of possible circumstances to avoid unexpected situation.

He stressed the need to continue strengthening people-based defence, building armed forces of purity and comprehensive strength, as well as the combination of defence-security and economic development in socio-economic plans, strategies and policies.

He also asked for stronger connection between defence-security and external relations expansion in line with the Party and State orientations.

The Party leader also underlined the importance of building strong and uncorrupted Party organisation, preventing self-evolution and self-transformation among Party members.

Lieut. Gen. Deputy Minister of Defence Phan Van Giang delivered a report on the 2016 military and defence work and tasks for the next year.

He said along with effective advice to the Party, Government and localities on defence matters, the military has been the major forces in safeguarding the countrys sovereignty territorial integrity and security, fixing damages caused by natural disasters, and conducting search and rescue operations and mine clearance.

The whole army has stayed firm in keeping absolute trust in the Partys leadership, while standing ready for all tasks, he added.

Giang underscored that in 2017, the army should continue implementing the Central Military Commissions Resolution 756 on improving training quality, strengthening the building of regular order and discipline, and realising the education and training development strategy in armed forces in the 2016-2020 period.

It is crucial to make comprehensive reform and basic change in the quality and effectiveness of education, training and science research in military schools, and pay more attention to the monitor of the implementation of political tasks and party building, he said./.
Thousands of cabin crew at British Airways could go on strike as early as next week, scuppering the plans of travellers over Christmas.

Over 2,500 staff members who crew long and short-haul flights with the airline, part of the IAG group that also owns Aer Lingus, have rejected a 2pc pay offer from the carrier.

In a ballot, 79pc of those that took part voted in favour of strike action.

Trade union Unite said the workers could engage in industrial action after December 21.

The action would only be taken by BAs so-called mixed-fleet crew that operates out of London Heathrow. The ballot did not include BA cabin crew at other locations.

It appears that none of the destinations operated by the mixed-crew at Heathrow include routes to Ireland.

BA advertises average earnings of between 21,000 and 25,000 a year for its Heathrow-based mixed fleet crew members. That comprises a starting salary of 12,192 per annum, an hourly payment when flying, bonuses for achieving performance targets, and commission for inflight retail sales.

Unite regional officer Matt Smith claimed the pay rates are indefensible and that cabin crew are at breaking point.

Mixed fleet crew earn just over the minimum wage and below the national average, he said.

Significant numbers of crew are taking on second jobs, many go to work unfit to fly because they cant afford to be sick, he insisted.
French car rental giant Europcar has bought its Irish franchise from local management in a deal reckoned to be worth around 26m.

The Irish franchisee is one of the Europe-wide chain's biggest in terms of revenue, but had been controlled by Irish investors including main investor and chief executive Colm Menton and Eugene O'Reilly, who is also the executive chairman at Hyundai Cars Ireland.

Mr Menton is expected to remain with the business following the sale. The Irish rental company has shifted from being largely reliant on tourism into corporate rentals and set up the car-sharing service Go Car, which is included in the sale.

In 2016, Europcar Ireland is expected to generate revenues of approximately 50m.

Buying the Irish business outright extends Europcar's direct network from nine to 10 countries, and boosts its presence in the emerging car-sharing market.

Europcar Ireland operates from 19 locations for both cars and vans, including all of the country's main airports, with an average fleet of around 5,000 vehicles.

GoCar was launched in 2012 and operates a fleet of around 150 cars and vans in Dublin and Cork, with plans to role the service out nationwide.

GoCar is used mainly for short journeys by members who pay a flat fee plus usage charges and pick up cars parked in locations around cities.

The companies declined to say how much the deal was worth, but analysts at Deutsche Bank estimated the value of the deal at 26m based on comparable transactions elsewhere.

"We are very excited to become part of the Europcar Group and believe this offers us a strong competitive advantage to continue our growth in Ireland and increase our market share," said Mr Menton.

"This will also be of tremendous benefit to our staff and today's announcement is testament to their hard work and dedication.

"We have huge admiration for what the Europcar Group has achieved and joining the global operation marks the next chapter of our growth and development."

The deal is the second of its kind since Europcar was listed on the Paris stock exchange in 2015.

Caroline Parot, ceo of Europcar Group, said: "We are delighted with this acquisition as it demonstrates our ability to accelerate and execute our planned acquisition program.

"We are confident that Colm Menton, who will remain in the company, and his management team, will further accelerate the growth of Europcar Ireland.

"This is also a great opportunity for us to strengthen our leadership in our core European market," she said.

In its statement, Europcar said that its Irish business should generate revenues of approximately 50m a year.

Deutsche Bank said it believes the Irish unit is "a high -performing franchisee, and for the purposes of our modelling use an assumption of EBITDA margins close to 13pc."

It said on the basis of greater saving as a result of joining the group structure, that earnings of 6.5m could rise to 7.5m after the deal.

On the downside, analysts noted the risk of a potential more competitive landscape, rising fleet costs and potential unexpected demand weakness in Europe as a result of Brexit, among the factors to watch.
The liquidators of IBRC will make a payout to creditors, including the State, in the next two weeks, worth 25pc of what is owed.

The biggest payment of around 275m will be to taxpayers. Others in line to claw something back include ordinary suppliers who were left out of pocket when the bank was placed into liquidation in February 2013.

So-called junior bondholders, who refused to take a smaller payout when most of their peers were 'burned', are not in line for the current payout.

The Joint Special Liquidators of Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Limited (In Special Liquidation), Mr Kieran Wallace and Mr Eamonn Richardson of KPMG Dublin, said earlier this year that around 2.2bn had been raised from the sale of the bank's loans.

Junior bondholders will only be paid once all other classes of unsecured creditor are paid in full.
In September Labour TD Willie Penrose brought some of Irelands best-known musicians to Leinster House to discuss proposed legislation to guarantee more airtime for music of Irish origin on the airwaves. Joining a session outside Leinster House were John Sheahan, trad group Moxie, Phil Coulter, Tony Allen and Johnny Duhan. Photo: Tom Burke

A new Bill calling for a 40 per cent minimum quota for the amount of music produced by Irish artists to be played on radio stations will be debated in the Dail this evening.

The Bill is being pushed by Labour Westmeath TD Willie Penrose who has called on TDs from across the board to "support Irish music".

Musicians Union of Ireland (MUI) has voiced its support in a statement released today.

MUI Organiser, Graham Macken, said: The Bill proposed by Labour TD Willie Penrose seeks to amend the Broadcasting Act 2009, so that a minimum quota of airtime is allotted by stations for the broadcast of Irish music of all genres.

It's believed that without this quota, a new generation of Irish musicians will struggle to make a living and there is a risk that the indigenous Irish music scene will be diminished without the necessary support.

Other countries, including France, Canada and South Africa, have successfully introduced national music quotas on their broadcasters and our members believe there is no reason that Ireland, with its rich musical tradition, cannot do likewise.

He added: The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has introduced a recommendation that a percentage of Irish music has to be played on Irish radio but that edict has been ignored and it is clear a legal basis for such a quota is needed. Members of MUI, which is an affiliate of SIPTU, will work with all parties and politicians who wish to assist in making this proposal a reality.
Ambassador Doan Xuan Hung speaking at the meeting (Photo: vov.vn)

At the meeting, Ambassador Doan Xuan Hung talked about plans to welcome Tet for overseas Vietnamese. According to him, it will not pay much attention to cuisine but give more attachment to exchange with overseas Vietnamese and enjoy a special art program, which will create pleasure when Tet and new spring come, and connect Vietnams representative agencies to overseas Vietnamese.

The program will be organized on January 24th, 2017, including two parts. The first part is to exchange with the community, and organizations and associations will perform their art items. The second part is to enjoy an art program performed by a professional troupe from Vietnam.

The Ambassador hopes that more and more organizations, associations and overseas Vietnamese will attend the program, and he also called upon organizations, associations and overseas Vietnamese to join hands with the embassy to hold the event.

The participants at the meeting endorsed the above initiative and contributed many practical ideas.

An organizing board includes five sub-committees will led by the Ambassador./.
The BBC are reportedly keen to enlist David Attenborough to present a third series of Planet Earth before he turns 100.

Despite the national treasure still having 10 years before he reaches the landmark birthday, the second series of the nature programme took a decade to produce.

The massive success of the most recent season of the show prompted BBC bosses to start talking about a third series, and Britain's Daily Star newspaper reports executives are keen to get started on production as soon as possible.

Producer Mike Gunton told the publication that it is going to take some time to put together a third series, but he is hopeful it will happen.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The brave little stars of the first episode. Pic: BBC Planet Earth II Wild horses, or mustang, in Planet Earth II Credit: BBC Sunday night's Planet Earth captured the first ever recorded sighting of snow leopards mating in the wild. Wild horses battle for the watering hole and their pick of females. Pic: Planet Earth 2 The 'Medusa' snakes. Pic: BBC Planet Earth II The chase is on. Planet Earth 2 A young Nubian Ibex prepares to head down a steep cliff in search of water. Pic: BBC Planet Earth II The waterhole: planet Earth II Credit: BBC A glass frog fights off a wasp to protect his tadpoles. Pic: BBC Planet Earth II A sand grouse chick: Planet Earth II Credit: BBC A billion locusts: Planet Earth II Credit: BBC Horror hawks: Planet Earth II Credit: BBC Horror hawks: Planet Earth II Credit: BBC The desert chase on Planet Earth II Credit: BBC A lioness and a giraffe go head-to-head. Pic: Planet Earth 2 A leopard is caught on camera in the city streets of Mumbai. Pic: BBC Planet Earth II The Hawksbill baby turtles in Planet Earth II. Pic: BBC Stolen hearts. Pic: BBC Planet Earth II Murmuration of starlings over Rome. Pic: BBC Planet Earth II Raccoons are learning how to adapt to city life. Pic: BBC Planet Earth II Spotted hyenas prowl the streets of Harar. Pic: BBC Planet Earth II Cheeky langur. Pic: BBC Planet Earth II / Facebook

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"We'd also be crazy to say it will be here in three years or even five years' time," he said. "We love working with Sir David and I think he loves working with us, and we want that to last as long as possible."

Gunton also said the programme would likely come to a natural end if Attenborough ever decided to step down as host. The television legend has become synonymous with the show, with Gunton admitting they would fail to find a replacement that could fill his shoes.

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"When he decides he doesn't want to do any more, we will have to rethink how we make these programmes," he said. "You can't replace him - it's pointless trying."

The second series of Planet Earth came to an end on Monday night, with Attenborough making an emotional plea for people to do more to save nature and look after our world in his sign-off.

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Speaking to the camera as he stood atop a London skyscraper, Attenborough said: "Looking down on this great metropolis, the ingenuity with which we continue to reshape the surface of our planet is very striking. And it's also sobering. It reminds me of just how easy it is for us to lose our connection with the natural world. Yet it's on this connection that the future of both humanity and the natural world will depend.

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"It's surely our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on Earth."
Tributes have been paid to a county councillor who passed away suddenly.

Councillor Claire Cullinane, an Independent who represented Cobh on Cork county council died "unexpectedly".

Cllr Cullinane was elected to the council in 2014 and was known for her stance on helping those in need or who were under pressure from banks.

She ran a modelling agency Illusive and was well known on the public speaking circuit.

The Independent group on the council issued a statement today.

"Claire was a wonderful fun loving character and had a great love for her community, in particular Cobh and East Cork. Her stamp and energy, her good humour and positiveness are written all over the work she did as a local representative since her election in May 2014.

"Claire was well known for her stance on the side of the people, be it in developing the movement for democracy in Ireland, or in assisting people in need who are under pressure from banks and other financial institutions," they said.

Declan Hurley, the leader of the Independent group on the council, paid tribute to her on C103 radio and said the last time he saw her she was in "fantastic form".

Her death was a "complete shock" he added. He told listeners about Cllr Cullinane's passion for Cobh.

"She was a community person at heart," he said.

The Mayor of County Cork, Seamus McGrath also paid tribute to her this morning describing the news as devestating.

"Devastating news this morning about the sad & untimely passing of our colleague Cllr Claire Cullinane. May She Rest In Peace," he said.
This Christmas a government minister is warning that a spaceman might actually come travelling.

John Halligans festive cards are known to be on the quirky side and this year he has adopted the theme of We are not alone.

The Independent Alliance TD, who has responsibility for Irelands role in Europes space mission, believes there is life on other planets.

His self-funded card features the silhouette of a man standing alone on a shoreline staring into the horizon. The minister said it is intended to send a double message to recipients.

The line inside reads Remember, you are not alone, We are not alone and its a reminder that nobody is alone in this world but also that we may not be alone in the universe, said Mr Halligan.

As a committed atheist, Minister for State for Training, Skills and Innovations sends a non-religious Christmas cards each year.

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A huge number of scientists would agree with me on this: in the billions of solar systems out there, there is a very distinct possibility that other life forms exist somewhere, he said.

My Christmas cards are, I suppose, a slightly tongue-in-cheek reminder of this.

Mr Halligan added that he has a life-long interest in space exploration and science.

Last month I travelled to Lucerne in Switzerland to represent Ireland at the Ministerial meeting of the European Space Agency (ESA), which is the intergovernmental Space Agency for all of Europe.

It was heartening to witness leading edge Irish technology at the heart of Europes space mission, from the production of telecommunications satellites, navigation and remote sensing satellites to a range of scientific missions, he said.

Mr Halligan said it is in our interests to promote space exploration and science because who knows the out-of-this-world discoveries it may us to, some day!
A judge has been appointed to deal with pre-trial matters in the case of former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive David Drumm.

The President of the Circuit Court, Judge Raymond Groarke, has appointed Judge Karen OConnor to decide on issues, including disclosure of evidence.

The former bank executive is scheduled to go on trial next April on two charges of conspiring to defraud depositors and investors at Anglo by dishonestly creating the impression that deposits in 2008 were 7.2bn larger than they were.

At a brief pre-trial hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Melanie Greally informed Mr Drumms legal team of Judge OConnors appointment.

Mr Drumms solicitor Michael Staines said he intended to make an application in relation to certain matters, but it was indicated he would have do so before Judge OConnor.

Mr Staines has previously indicated there is likely to be a huge amount of disclosure involved in the trial, which is expected to last 12 weeks.

The former banker (50), with an address in Skerries, Co Dublin, was not present in court as he had been excused from attending.

He has also been excused from attending the next pre-trial hearing.

As well as next Aprils trial, he is facing a further one in January 2018 on 31 other charges, mainly relating to the so-called Maple 10 share support scheme.

Mr Drumm is accused of unlawful lending to members of the Quinn family and the Maple 10 investors to unwind a secret 28pc shareholding in Anglo built up by tycoon Sean Quinn.

The second trial will also deal with allegations he was privy to the falsifying of documents and that he created false documents.
A 50-year-old jobless lorry driver today failed in a 60,000 damages claim for personal injuries arising from a road traffic accident, less than an hour after he had settled a similar road traffic injury claim against his wife.

After Judge Jacqueline Linnane threw out Ireneusz Laruss second claim, barrister Frank Martin, counsel for the defendants, told the Circuit Civil Court he would be seeking to seize the earlier award of 12,500 to meet his clients legal costs.

Mr Larus has the fixed address of Crumlin Road, Crumlin, Dublin 12.

Judge Linnane, accepting an undertaking from Laruss solicitors that they would hold on to any cheque payable to him to settle the earlier case, said the cost of false claims was one of the reasons insurance companies put forward for insurance premiums going up.

Mr Martin, who appeared with Tormeys Solicitors, for lorry-driver Brendan Downey and his employer Dpf consultants Limited, trading as Alltrans, told the court Larus had presented false and misleading evidence on oath about the accident and his health.

Larus had also sued his wife Barbara (Barita) Larus for up to 60,000 in another Circuit Civil Court appearance on Wednesday morning and had told Circuit Court President, Mr Justice Raymond Groarke, the case had been settled in his favour together with his legal costs.

Less than an hour later Larus told Mr Martin in Judge Linnanes court that he had settled the case against his wife for 12,500 with costs. He said he had been a passenger in his wifes car when she had to swerve to avoid a cyclist.

Her foot had slipped off the brake onto the accelerator and they had crashed at 40 kilometres an hour into a stone wall. In the second accident he said he had been driving along Dolphins Barn, Dublin, when Downey had swerved into his lane, causing him to swerve against a kerb in order to avoid a collision.

And you claim that after the arrival of an ambulance, two fire tenders and two garda cars you were taken on a stretcher by ambulance to St Jamess Hospital, Mr Martin said.

Mr Martin said the defence would call evidence that his car was not damaged nor even the tyres scuffed despite Mr Larus seeking to recover 3,324 for repairs to his car four months after he had sold it allegedly as an unsafe vehicle because of inner damage to the chassis.

Judge Linnane told Mr Martin she would accede to his request to have Mr Laruss case dismissed on the basis there had been false and misleading evidence given to the court.

She said Mr Larus had sought in a sworn affidavit to back up his 3,324 repairs claim despite the car never having been repaired. He had sworn in evidence to the court that he had no physiotherapy despite having told two doctors he did have.

I have found he has given false and misleading information and I have dismissed his case with costs against him and I am refusing a stay to facilitate consideration of an appeal, Judge Linnane said.

When Mr Martin applied for leave to bring a motion for the appointment of a receiver over the 12,500 settlement against his wife, Judge Linnane accepted the undertaking by Laruss solicitors to hold on to any money forwarded to them until further order of the court.
A 24-year-old has been found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter for killing a drug dealer during an argument over a 100 debt.

William Gilsenan had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Edward Fitzgerald (29) in a car park outside the killer's home at The Green, Larch Hill, Oscar Traynor Road, Santry, Dublin 17.

The jury of seven women and five men took two hours and 35 minutes to come to their unanimous verdict, following a ten day trial at the Central Criminal Court.

Defence counsel Caroline Biggs SC asked that Gilsenan be granted bail on the grounds that he has no previous history of violence and has always answered his bail during the trial process. Justice Paul Butler said there would have to be "extraordinary circumstances" to grant bail following a conviction for manslaughter. He remanded Gilsenan in custody until January 12 when a sentencing hearing will take place.

He also thanked the jury for their hard work, and exempted them from further jury duty for ten years. As Gilsenan was led away by prison guards he blew a kiss towards members of his family who have been with him throughout the ten-day trial.

Members of Mr Fitzgerald's family cried and hugged one another.

Evidence in the trial

The trial heard that Mr Gilsenan owed Mr Fitzgerald 100. Witnesses Dillon Mahady and Charles Brodigan said it was a drug debt but in interviews with gardai, Mr Gilsenan said the debt was for cash, although he had bought drugs off Mr Fitzgerald in the past.

Matters came to a head on October 17, 2014 when Mr Fitzgerald drove to Gilsenan's home and confronted him in the car park, demanding his money. The two men argued, with Gilsenan saying Mr Fitzgerald threatened him and threatened to smash up his house and his mother's house.

That argument ended without any physical confrontation as Mr Gilsenan went to his apartment. Mr Brodigan told the trial that they wanted to smoke a joint but they couldn't find any cigarette papers so they decided to go to a friend nearby. Gilsenan told gardai that he picked up a knife before leaving his apartment, but that he did not intend to use it. He told gardai that his intention was just to show it to Mr Fitzgerald and scare him away if he threatened him again.

When he went outside Mr Fitzgerald was still in his car and started shouting again, making further threats. One neighbour, Judith Commisky, said she overheard the argument and was "petrified" by what she heard. Gilsenan approached the car and argued with Mr Fitzgerald through the open passenger side window but then, according to Gilsenan's interviews with gardai, the deceased struck him in the face. Gilsenan then went to the driver's side door and a scuffle began with Mr Fitzgerald still in the car kicking Gilsenan and Gilsenan holding onto his legs.

After a few seconds of struggle Gilsenan produced the knife and stabbed Mr Fitzgerald twice. One wound went through his leg, the other pierced his heart and caused his death.

Before beginning their deliberations Justice Paul Butler told the jury that they had three possible verdicts open to them. They could find him guilty of murder, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty.

He said that the not guilty verdict could only apply if they believed Gilsenan was acting in self defence and used only the force necessary to protect himself.

A manslaughter verdict could apply in three scenarios; if he was defending himself but used excessive force; if he did not intend to kill or cause serious injury but intended to cause an injury that is less than serious but more than trivial, or if he was provoked by Mr Fitzgerald to the point where he lost self control.

He told them that to come to a murder verdict they would have to conclude that the the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that none of those scenarios applied.

Prosecution counsel Orla Crowe SC said members of Mr Fitzgerald's family would like to make a statement to the court prior to sentencing on January 12.
A High Court judge has refused to grant Denis O'Brien orders directing Red Flag Consulting to discover documents that would disclose the identity of its client for a dossier about the businessman.

Mr Justice Colm MacEochaidh, on the basis of his finding Mr O'Brien had not adduced enough facts to show "publication" of the dossier, also refused to order Red Flag discover documents in relation to publication of the dossier.

He noted his previous finding that the court had not heard the "full story" about the "mysterious appearance" of the dossier at Mr O'Brien's offices in October 2015 on a memory stick. He said he would not order discovery of documents in relation to publication because of the absence of pleaded material in relation to that issue.

Mr O'Brien's side had argued he was entitled to such evidence of publication "without which his case would fail". But if that were true, so too was every plaintiff who believes they have a good case "but lacks the evidence to prove it", the judge said.

If that were possible, litigants would "flood the courts with unsubstantiated writs".

The judge ruled Mr O'Brien was entitled to discovery of documents relating to communications between Red Flag and its client for the dossier. Those communications must concern the dossier only and the client's name could be redacted.

He was giving judgment on applications by Mr O'Brien's lawyers for documents as part of preparations for the full hearing of his case against Red Flag and various staff alleging defamation and conspiracy.

The businessman claims Red Flag was involved in preparing, for an unidentified client, a dossier of material about him which he alleges is mostly unfavourable. The dossier was on a USB stick sent anonymously to his offices in October 2015.

Red Flag, which denies defamation or conspiracy, previously confirmed the dossier included its documents, said there were significant issues concerning how Mr O'Brien got that material.

The matter has been adjourned to next month.

A spokesperson for Denis O'Brien said he intended to appeal the ruling.
An oncologist who prescribed more than twice the correct dose of a potentially dangerous drug to a cancer sufferer has been censured by the Medical Council.

The patient, Sinead Ni Dhulaing Johnson, was an RTE producer who later died as a result of the disease.

The doctor, who can only be identified as Dr A, works as a consultant at the Beacon hospital in south Dublin. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the doctor agreed to be censured and promised not to repeat the behaviour that led to the Medical Council inquiry into the treatment of Ms Ni Dhulaing Johnson.

Eileen Barrington, legal counsel for Dr A, told the inquiry that Dr A was "a competent, well qualified and very well regarded medical oncologist", and that there was no suggestion that Dr A's mistake caused or hastened Ms Ni Dhulaing Johnson's death.

The hearing, which began in September of this year, heard that Ms Ni Dhulaing Johnson, from Dundrum, Dublin, died from a brain tumour on November 25, 2010, at the age of 44, surrounded by family. Prior to her illness, she produced children's television shows for the national broadcaster.

As part of the inquiry, it was alleged that she was given more than twice the correct dose of chemotherapy drug Temozolomide, which she took for 16 days in August and September 2008 before the error was discovered.

As a result, Ms Ni Dhulaing Johnson became extremely unwell and required hospitalisation until November of that year.

The inquiry heard that Dr A admitted to the mistake of the incorrect dosage, and by September 15, 2008, had put in place a series of precautions in the hospital to ensure that this type of mistake would not happen again.

In 2000, at the age of 33, Ms Ni Dhulaing Johnson was diagnosed with a brain tumour. At the inquiry sitting in September of this year, Eddie Johnson praised his wife, saying: "Sinead was a very positive person."

Dr John Alan Green, an expert witness called by the Medical Council, told the inquiry that Temozolomide was a drug that was not used very often.

Ms Ni Dhulaing Johnson's case was the first time in Ireland that this medication was used in conjunction with IMRT, an advanced type of radiotherapy.
A six day old baby whom social workers planned to take into care died a day after he was discharged from hospital.

The baby boy was born at the Rotunda Hospital in 2015 where he was closely monitored for withdrawal symptoms for five days following his birth.

Dublin Coroners Court heard his mother had been through a detox programme and was being prescribed methadone. Her urine samples throughout pregnancy were clean apart from one sample that tested positive for opiates a week before the birth.

The baby displayed no symptoms of withdrawal and neonatal ward staff reported to social workers that both were doing well.

She was doing really well in caring for the baby and there were no concerns, her principle social worker told the court.

Two social workers involved in the case met the mother in hospital the day before mother and baby were discharged to inform her of the intention to seek an interim care order. There was no immediate concern for the babys wellbeing, the court heard, but there were long term concerns regarding environments the mother might find herself in.

At the meeting with social workers, the mother went quiet and began to cry, the court heard.

Advised that if the interim care order was refused, Tusla would seek a supervisory care order, the mother became 'angry.'

She said we were taking her baby and not giving her a chance, a social worker told the court.

After five days in hospital, mother and baby were discharged and returned to the womans home, where preparations for the arrival of the baby had been made and checked by social workers.

Daily visits from the social care team formed part of the immediate care plan. The mother, who was taking 80mls of methadone daily along with an anti-depressive sleeping tablet took a taxi home with the baby around 4pm.

That evening she fed and changed her baby as normal.

He was drinking his bottles and seemed fine, she said. Around 3am she fed the infant for the last time.

He fell asleep in my arms. I put him into is Moses basket and put it beside my bed. I had my hand resting on his little blanket, she said.

When she woke up the next day the childs colour was blue and she phoned for an ambulance. Dublin Fire Brigade logged the call at 2.15pm. A public health nurse arrived at the door at the same time as paramedics. Resuscitation attempts failed and the baby was pronounced dead at the scene.

The time and cause of death was undetermined, according to an autopsy carried out by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis. The post mortem revealed subtle changes in the brain that can be associated with a predisposition to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the court heard.

Consultant Neonatologist Dr David Corcoran said the preferred feeding time for a newborn baby is every three to four hours and the interim should not exceed six hours.

That would put the baby at risk of a fall in blood sugar. Glucose is needed to maintain consciousness and brain function. The infant would become agitated and lethargic, Dr Corcoran said. Pathological findings of brain changes associated with SIDS were not inconsistent with hypoglycemia, the court heard.

The delay in between feeding times would be a serious concern, Dr Corcoran said.

Asked if a trace of methadone found in the babys system had any clinical significance, Dr Corcoran replied 'no.'

The jury returned a narrative verdict setting out the facts of the case and Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane expressed her sympathies to the mother, who is pregnant and to the infant's wider family.
Gardai have denied reports that suspects have been identified in the vicious assault of an 18-year-old student and reissued their appeal for witnesses.

Ms Owens (18) remains seriously hurt in Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown after suffering severe facial injuries in the assault in Co Kildare.

She was attacked at the entrance to the Moyglare Abbey Estate after travelling from her home town near Castleblayney in Co Monaghan on a private bus on Sunday, November 20.

Sources have told Independent.ie that a group of young women are being investigated in relation to the horrific attack.

However a garda spokesman has now insisted that there are no suspects.

The spokesman said: "We have not identified any suspects in this investigation."

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Gardai have this evening renewed their appeal for any witnesses who were in the area on November 20 to come forward.

Gardai expect to progress this line of enquiry in coming days.

A team of detectives have painstakingly taken 200 statements and trawled though hours of CCTV footage in an attempt to identify who was behind the attack.

Last week a senior officer said gardai would like to speak to some of more than 200 people who have already made statements in case anyone had "forgotten" to tell officers anything.

"They can come back to gardai in full confidence, they will not be in trouble or anything like that. Their information could be crucial," the source said.

Kym suffered horrific injuries in the violent attack  including broken eye sockets, a broken jaw and a broken nose. She also lost several teeth.

Officers from Leixlip Garda Station are investigating the serious assault  but a garda spokesperson said that no arrests have yet been made.

Independent.ie previously revealed that gardai are extremely concerned that Kym may not remember anything about the attack.

Read More

She was viciously beaten in Maynooth on her way to her college accommodation.

She had just got off a private bus and was set upon while walking to her digs at the Moyglare Abbey Estate.

The investigation has already been hampered by poor-quality CCTV because of fog.

In an information appeal a week after the attack, gardai encouraged people to provide any information they might have, regardless of how unimportant it may seem.

As part of their inquiries gardai have also interviewed 52 people who travelled on the same bus as Kym from her hometown in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan.

A number of fundraising events were held by local businesses in the area for the assault victim.

One establishment, The Roost Maynooth, which is a popular venue for local students, managed to raise over 11,000 after holding a fundraiser.

Gardai have asked anybody with information to contact the investigation headquarters at Leixlip station, on 01 6667800.
Three-year-old Emily Duffy from Celbridge, Co Kildare was diagnosed with cancer

A family is battling their worst nightmare as they watch their three-year-old princess battle with stage 4 high-risk cancer.

Emily Duffy from Celbridge, Co Kildare was diagnosed with high-risk Neuroblastoma on November 2, sending her whole family into shock and disbelief.

The rare aggressive childhood cancer of the nervous system which affects 1 in 100,000 children in Ireland.

Emily was a healthy, happy, fun-loving child until six weeks ago when they got the devastating diagnosis, family friend Kellie Whelan told Independent.ie.

Expand Close Family and friends have rallied around Emilys parents, Gillian and Robert, who also have a baby boy Luke / Facebook

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Whatsapp Family and friends have rallied around Emilys parents, Gillian and Robert, who also have a baby boy Luke

Unfortunately the relapse rate for this type of cancer is 70pc, so when Emily does recover, its likely the cancer may come back.

Kellie said family and friends have rallied around Emilys parents, Gillian and Robert.

Theyre a young family, Gillian and Robert have a 12-month-old baby boy Luke too so its very hard for them.

It was traumatising for the family to hear Emilys diagnosis. Emily just started creche and it was all very sudden. Emily showed no signs of being unwell in the lead up to her diagnosis and had been to her GP on three separate occasions for a fall she had and it was not detected during the visits.

Kellie said the family are finding it hard to cope with the sudden diagnosis and everyone is trying their best to raise vital funds for little Emily.

In the first 48 hours of fundraising we raised over 20,000. We have received amazing support and are now over the 50k mark. Were all trying to give Emily the best chance at beating this.

Expand Close A fundraising campaign has been launched to help Emily's treatment plan / Facebook

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The family need to raise over 300,000 to fund vital treatment in the US for Emily.

"The harsh reality is we are fundraising to try and raise over 300,000 as we may need to send Emily to the US to take part in a clinical trial treatment to prevent relapse."

Emily who is undergoing a two-year treatment plan at Crumlin has had four chemotherapy sessions and a blood transfusion.

"Emily is only three and the treatment is very aggressive so you can only imagine how this feels for her parents to sit and watch feeling helpless.

Kellie said that Emily only wears princess dresses and loves Disneys Frozen.

She loves everything princess, our friends got pink wristbands with 'A Princess Called Emily' printed on them to help raise awareness.

Its very tough for the family going to visit her when she is in hospital suffering instead of seeing their active, happy three-year-old running around in her princess dresses.

To donate to Emily's treatment fund you can donate here
Post-operative patients are welcomed back to consciousness with two freshly made slices of toast. Stock Image

A study by medics has found what we long suspected to be the case - 'hospital toast' tastes better than toast from anywhere else.

In the new edition of the Irish Medical Journal (IMJ), a study by medics in Northern Ireland has found that 92pc of medical staff who responded to a multi-dimensional survey stated that 'hospital toast' tasted better than toast outside hospital.

In the study, the paper's authors from Ulster Hospital in Belfast state that anecdotal evidence has suggested that toast made in hospital tastes better than that made at home, or anywhere else for that matter.

They point out that post-operative patients are welcomed back to consciousness with two freshly made slices of toast.

They asked that "is it only the patients who swear by the delicious taste of hospital toast"?

In order to answer that question, the medics carried out a survey of hospital staff and looked at patterns of toast consumption, the type of toast and accompaniments preferred as well as the opinions of staff on factors affecting toast consumption and its effect on staff morale.

The study was carried out across two hospital trusts in Northern Ireland: The Belfast Trust and South Eastern Trust.

Participants in the study included a variety of doctors from different specialities, physiotherapists, nursing staff, porters and hospital managers. In the result, 96pc of staff surveyed admitted to eating and enjoying hospital toast while at work.
Lily Dolan (4) supports her mother Fionnuala as they walk the picket line at Cavan General Hospital yesterday afternoon. Photo: Lorraine Teevan

Hospitals are facing even more chaos next month as the result of a nurses' ballot due this week is expected to see an overwhelming vote in favour of industrial action.

The members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) have been balloting since November as part of their campaign against understaffing in hospitals.

If the action goes ahead in mid-to-late January it will result in a work-to-rule with nurses refusing to be redeployed.

They are also to insist that beds be closed if there are not enough nurses on a ward to properly care for patients. The action will lead to one-day stoppages if it is allowed to escalate.

The HSE said it was offering 1,000 nursing jobs and a full-time post to all graduates.

The first stirrings of discontent came yesterday as nurses staged a lunchtime protest at Mayo General Hospital, the local hospital of Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

They also protested at Cavan General Hospital over staff shortages.

Nurses in Mayo have already unanimously balloted in favour of industrial action, up to and including a full withdrawal of labour, due to staff shortages.

A work-to-rule by the midwives has been postponed pending a hearing at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on January 19.

They said the action is being taken over understaffing, lack of key specialist roles and inadquate governance structures within the maternity section of the hospital.

They are demanding an independent review of staffing in the maternity unit, the appointment of a director and assistant director of midwifery and several other senior posts.

Industrial relations officer Anne Burke said: "It is of significant concern to frontline midwives that the ongoing clinical risks at the hospital due to a shortage of staff are left unaddressed."

Meanwhile, nurses in Cavan said the lack of staff is "pervasive across the hospital" and is impacting on patient care.

Industrial relations officer Tony Fitzpatrick said: "There is a clear requirement on management to ensure that there are sufficient staff on duty to provide safe care to patients and they are not fulfilling this obligation at present.

"There are significant deficits throughout the hospital including areas such as theatre, maternity, surgical, medical and the emergency department.

"Our members are extremely concerned about patient safety and are frustrated and disappointed at management's inadequate response to the issue."
The funeral of Mark Desmond arriving at St Catherine's Church in the Liberties.

The funeral of Mark Desmond arriving at St Catherine's Church in the Liberties.

The funeral of Mark Desmond leaving St Catherine's Church in the Liberties.

The funeral of Mark Desmond leaving St Catherine's Church in the Liberties.

The funeral of Mark Desmond arriving at St Catherine's Church in the Liberties.

Notorious gangster Mark the Guinea Pig Desmond was laid to rest in front of fewer than 50 mourners in the capital this morning.

Friends and relatives of the Guinea Pig  who was shot dead in Lucan less than a fortnight ago  turned up wearing red ties as a sign of respect.

The funeral took place at the Saint Catherine of Alexandria Church on Meath Street, Dublin 8.

Around half a dozen gardai, some plain clothed were spotted in and around the church to ensure that the ceremony went off without any security issues  an armed support car was also on patrol.

It is understood there were fears the funeral would be disrupted by his killers who gardai suspected may attend.

The congregation of family members followed Desmonds hearse from his sisters flat nearby to the Meath Street church.

In his homily, Fr Niall Coughlan described Desmond as well read and very into his politics.

"We dont expect to be in a church celebrating a funeral mass for someone who is 41.

Its not part of our normal experience.

He added: Mark Desmond has completed his pilgrimage early.

The priest remarked that Desmond was baptised in the same church in 1975.

In his homily, Fr Coghlan said: Pain, loss, tears knit you together this morning.

We look for whatever light we can find. That light can be found by looking back.

Not so much at the Mark in the coffin, but the Mark you knew.

You had specific memories of him. Memories of the little things.

Recall Mark as he was, the Mark that meant so much to each of you.

Following the ceremony, the gangsters body was taken by horse-drawn carriage to Esker Cemetery in Lucan.
A university has been forced to issue a warning to all students after an outbreak of Gonorrhoea and Chlamydia on campus.

University of Limerick took the unusual step of issuing an email to all students this morning warning them of the potential dangers.

The mail, seen by Independent.ie, reads: "The Student Health Centre has been notified that there is an outbreak of Gonorrhoea and Chlamydia on campus. These are sexually transmitted diseases as a result of unprotected anal, vaginal or oral sex.

"It is possible to have these conditions without having any type of symptoms.

The email, sent by Dr Ronan Ryder, warns: "If you have had unprotected sex or have any concerns we would strongly advise you to contact the Student Health Centre or your G.P."

The Student Health Centre confirmed it will provide investigations and treatment on site.

In a statement the University confirmed that they are working closely with the HSE following the identification of an increase in the number of students presenting with gonorrhoea and/or chlamydia to the UL Student Health Centre

"As is best practice, UL has rolled out an awareness campaign contacting every student directly. In accordance with HSE protocols students are being urged to present to the STI and/or the GP clinics run by the UL Student Health Centre should they have concerns with regard to any element of their health and to get the necessary treatment.

"All students who present are currently being seen with or without an appointment and UL will continue to work closely with the HSE to ensure all awareness and treatment protocols are fully adhered to."

Independent.ie understands that around 10 cases have been reported on campus in the last two weeks. This constitutes an outbreak under HSE guidelines.

Dr Bernadette Walsh, Director of Student Services at UL, said this year, the Student Health Centre had been proactively screening for STIs and this may account for the increased levels of detection.

"According to the most up-to-date figures that we have access to, there have been 97 cases of gonorrhoea in counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary during 2016. 14 of these are associated with this campus, which consists of approximately 15,000 students.

"We have taken the proactive step, working closely with the HSE, of sending out a strongly-worded message to our student community alerting them to this public health issue because we take the wellbeing of our students very seriously.

"The health of all students is paramount. Therefore, we would advise any student who may have a concern about any element of their mental or physical health to seek appropriate medical treatment.
The Criminal Assets Bureau and local gardai have raided 11 premises as part of an investigation into a Limerick crime gang.

The raids were in relation to a CAB investigation, Operation Oakleaf, into an organised crime gang in Rathkeale. The traveller gang, known as the Rathkeale Rovers, have been linked to international crime including the theft of Rhino horns.

The searches on seven private residences and four premises in the Limerick area were carried out on foot of search warrants today. During the course of this operation Gardai seized a large sum of cash, in the region of 150,000.

Two males, aged 26 and 47, were arrested for Public Order Offences and conveyed to Newcastle West Garda station.

They were charged and brought to Newcastle West District Ct and bailed to appear in court again on the 3rd January 2017 at Newcastle West District Ct at 10.30am.

In a statement gardai confirmed that CAB Officers seized a significant amount of cash as well as a large volume of documents and other evidence related to assets.

This evidence will be further examined by specialist Bureau Officers.

A statement confirmed: "The CAB investigation relates to suspected criminal activity by an organised crime gang in Ireland, the UK and Europe.
The family and friends of Sophie Toscan du Plantier will not stage a public memorial in Ireland or France this month to mark the 20th anniversary of her brutal murder.

A private family Mass will be attended in Paris by Sophie's family as the Association for the Truth of the Murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier (ASSOPH) said her best memorial will be a criminal trial staged in France next year.

ASSOPH was set up by Sophie's friends when it became clear no prosecution would take place in Ireland.

ASSOPH spokesman Jean-Antoine Bloc confirmed friends and family will not visit the Toormore murder site outside Schull in west Cork, on December 23.

"Our association does not intend to celebrate publicly the 20th anniversary of Sophie, neither in Ireland nor in France," he said.

"We are now focused on the outcome of the indictment and the new European Arrest Warrant issued by Judge Nathalie Turquey."

Alain Spilliaert, Sophie's family solicitor, said they are focused on the French legal process.

"The family and ASSOPH wish that such a trial [before the Paris Cour d'Assises] can be scheduled during next year," he said.

Ms du Plantier was found battered to death in a Toormore lane way.

Despite one of the biggest murder investigations ever mounted by gardai, no one has ever been charged.

Manchester-born freelance journalist Ian Bailey (59) was twice arrested for questioning, but was released without charge on both occasions.

Mr Bailey claimed efforts had been made to frame him for the crime.

In 2008, the French launched a separate investigation under Judge Patrick Gachon into the killing.

Under French law, Mr Bailey can be tried in absentia.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has said he has "no intention" of running for president, but denies it is because he fears questions about his past would arise on the campaign trail.

Meanwhile, he is still refusing to pass on to gardai the name of an IRA man who looked into the murder of prison officer Brian Stack.

Mr Adams was speaking after a Sinn Fein protest at Leinster House over a delay in extending voting rights in presidential elections to Irish citizens in the North and overseas.

He denied that his party was pressing the issue in a bid to benefit from a likely electoral boost if voters in its northern power base could cast a ballot in the next Aras race, which could come as early as 2018.

He said rather it was "to do with the rights of people in the North" and because it was a measure recommended during the constitutional convention.

Asked about his own potential ambitions to run, he told the Irish Independent: "I have no intention of standing for a presidential election."

He dismissed the suggestion this was due to fears that questions about his past could arise, or because he could be confronted by the families of IRA victims - like Brian Stack's son Austin - during the campaign.

"No, no. That's never been a consideration for me," he said, repeating that he had "no intention" of seeking election to the presidency.

Mr Adams was last week confronted at a press conference by Austin Stack, who asked Mr Adams to tell gardai the identity of the IRA man he and his brother were brought to meet in a blacked-out van in 2013.

Pressure

However, Mr Adams has refused to name the individual who confirmed to the Stack brothers that Provisional IRA members carried out the murder of their father.

Mr Adams has come under pressure on the matter from Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Fianna Fail's Micheal Martin, but has not reconsidered his decision not to pass on the name.

Read more: Comment: Adams and Sinn Fein trying to have it both ways on the continuing Troubles legacy

"I've set my position out very clearly in the Dail and I stand over all of that," he said.

Senators who turned out for the protest about voting rights backed Mr Adams's decision.

Niall O Donnghaile claimed Mr Adams had "gone beyond the call of duty" in trying to help families who have lost loved ones. Separately, he criticised Fianna Fail and Fine Gael for blocking a Sinn Fein Seanad bill to extend voting rights to citizens in the North and the diaspora, accusing them of "long-fingering" the issue.

"They pay lip-service by saying they're committed to it, but they don't appear to be doing anything to enact it," Mr O Donnghaile said.

A Fianna Fail spokesman said the party was supportive of the Sinn Fein motion, but said it was "premature" in the absence of detailed work on implementation.

"We agree that it has taken too long... but we have made it clear to Fine Gael that this needs to be prioritised," he said.

In the Dail, Mr Kenny told Mr Adams he expected an update on the matter next month.

Mr Adams referred to President Higgins as "Michael D" in his contribution. Mr Kenny said he believed the President would like to be referred to by his title Uachtaran na hEireann.
After two years in Australia Fionnuala Cullen (26) aka 'Noodles' told her mammy a white lie, that she had been sponsored in Australia and wouldn't be coming home.

For a Christmas surprise, Fionnuala returned home and gave her mum Mary the surprise of her life.

Oh my God, Mary repeatedly exclaims as she hugs her daughter.

Fionnuala tells her mum shes home for good as her mum looks on in disbelief.

Brilliant! Look at the cut of me. I cant believe it love."

Fionnuala's friend Lisa Donnelly sent on the clip and said Mary was 'the cutest Irish mum ever'.

Watch Mary's reaction.
In 1995 Natascha McElhone, 24 and not long out of drama school, was spotted in a production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by film director James Ivory, who cast her opposite Anthony Hopkins in 'Surviving Picasso'. A successful career on screens, both large and small, soon followed. The actress, born in England to Irish parents, married her childhood sweetheart, the eminent plastic surgeon Martin Kelly, and gave birth to their elder two sons. Theo is now 16; Otis 13. Hers appeared to be a charmed life.

And then tragedy struck. In May 2008, her "superfit" 42-year-old husband had just returned to their 2.5m London home when he was felled by a heart attack. Martin, feted for his work as a plastic surgeon rebuilding the faces of disfigured Third World children, could not be saved. Natascha, filming in LA, was five months' pregnant with their third child, a son called Rex, now eight.

She was, she says, "utterly devastated". She muddled through as best she could, partially dealing with her loss by writing letters to Martin in the two years following his death. Eventually, they were published in a book she called 'After You'. "It was important to me," she says, "to have my own narrative of what happened to counter some of the inaccurate things written by people who didn't know him. But I've never looked at it again. I think I'd wince if I did - which isn't to say there's any remorse or regret about writing (it). It also seems to have helped a few other people, and that is obviously an added bonus."

Natascha's latest film role is in 'London Town', set against the backdrop of punk band The Clash's popularity in the late 70s. She plays irresponsible Sandrine, a mother who abandons her two children and husband and moves into a squat with her grungy boyfriend. Our own Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Joe Strummer.

Expand Close Natascha McElhone with 'Designated Survivor' co-star Kiefer Sutherland / Facebook

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"It's the polar opposite of my life," she says, "but that was one of the reasons I liked it. I love playing against type." She finds Sandrine's behaviour almost incomprehensible. "Motherhood means you become the frame, not the picture," she says, simply.

Modern parenting has changed out of all recognition, Natascha believes. Her Irish mother, Noreen Taylor, was a rock journalist. "The idea that she'd be interested in what I or my brother, Damon, were doing didn't really occur to her. I don't blame her. She was a perfectly good mother. But there wasn't the social pressure back then to overly involve yourself with your children.

"These days, it's all about helicopter parenting, hovering above your children from dawn to dusk. Back then, children lived parallel lives to their parents."

Natascha's parents separated when she was two. Noreen moved with the children to Brighton and later married journalist and media commentator Roy Greenslade. "I love my stepfather," she says. "He and my blood father, Michael, were of equal status in my life. Roy was incredibly engaging and enthusiastic and playful, like a kid in many ways." Michael, deputy editor of the 'Manchester Daily Mirror', died a couple of years ago. He was an alcoholic. It was booze, says Natascha, that, she believes, induced the Alzheimer's in his 50s which subsequently killed him.

"It was a very gradual process but, for at least the last 10 years of his life, he had no idea who I was. I'd look at him and think: 'You've got wet brain.'

"He'd been very loving, though, and he provided for us financially. He adored me and Damon and the two sons he had with his Swedish second wife. But he lost control of his life. He was blameless in that alcoholism is an illness, although you'd have to say that Roy saved the day, completely."

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Natascha is a good actress, with a distinctive, angular beauty, but she cannot have foreseen her impressive career. She says of her role in 1996's 'Surviving Picasso': "I was all of 26; an absurd opportunity and gift starring opposite Anthony Hopkins, one of my drama school icons." She was later in a huge hit, 'The Truman Show', with Jim Carrey ("and who knew how prophetic that film was going to be?"); 'Ronin' with the "drily witty" Robert De Niro; and 'Solaris' with George Clooney. "It's no accident these guys are where they are. They're magnetic, charismatic people."

She only accepted a leading role in the 2007 TV series 'Californication', with David Duchovny, because it was shot over three months in the summer in LA so she could take her children with her. In the end, she and her sons returned to California for seven summers to film each successive series. For the other nine months of the year, she was back in the UK, "doing school drop-offs, pick-ups, lunch boxes, homework, all the usual domestic things".

It looks like it's a pattern that's going to repeat - this time in Toronto - with her new hit TV series 'Designated Survivor', in which she plays the First Lady opposite Kiefer Sutherland, after a bomb takes out the president and most of the cabinet. It's already pulling in 20 million viewers in the US, a further 22 episodes have been ordered and it's available here on the streaming service Netflix.

There has been no significant man in her life since she lost Martin. "But the truth is that I probably wouldn't talk about it even if there were. At the moment, though, it's just me and the boys. But yes, that could change, absolutely. I'm lucky. I'm good at finding happiness. I look forward with hope."

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Brian ODriscoll and wife Amy Huberman pictured at the launch of Newbridge Silverwares Luna Collection by Amy

Amy Huberman has opened up about her husband Brian O'Driscoll, saying he "cries more" than she does.

The actress and best-selling author was speaking on RTE 2fm's Breakfast Republic, and joked that her husband Brian O'Driscoll often sheds a few tears.

"I cry at anything," said the mother-of-two, before adding, "Brian cries more than me!"

When asked whether the former Ireland captain is her best friend, she said: "He is my best friend. He's one of my best friends. He's listening to the radio on the way to the airport now, so..."

Expand Close Amy Huberman. Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall ireland. / Facebook

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The Can't Cope Won't Cope star confirmed that she, Brian and their two children, Sadie (three) and Billy (two) will be moving to Ranelagh in the new year.

"We will be moving to Ranelagh, but it won't be for a little while because it needs a bit of work," she said.

2017 is set to be a busy year for Amy (37) as her latest project, legal drama Striking Out, is scheduled to air on New Years Day.

She takes on the part of Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty who is left distraught when she finds out on her hen night that her fiance has been cheating on her with a colleague.

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The discovery prompts the petite lawyer to strike out on her own to make a fresh life for herself in the legal world.

While Can't Cope Won't Cope hasn't yet been confirmed for a second season, Amy said that she hopes the show will return.

Video of the Day

"I hope that it comes back but I don't know where it would go because of the way the last series ended. But it did so well for them, so it would be great to see it back," she previously told the Herald.
Len Goodman's last stint on the show is coming up (BBC/PA)

Strictly Come Dancing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have not yet accepted that Len Goodman is leaving the BBC series.

This weekend's live final of the celebrity dancing programme will be Goodman's last stint as head judge, after appearing on the panel since its inception in 2004.

He will also appear in the pre-recorded Christmas special, which will air on Christmas Day.

Strictly hosts Daly and Winkleman appeared on companion show It Takes Two opposite Zoe Ball for the first time and confessed to being "in denial" over Goodman's impending exit.

Daly said: "We're in denial... I hang on his every word.

Winkleman said: "I love him. And also when I was (hosting It Takes Two) we would do a masterclass, and I was chronically bad, and I would just weep. It was my favourite part of it.

"He's the king. I keep on thinking maybe it's a joke and I'm like, 'Len, see you in August?', and he goes 'no, I'm really not coming' and I'm like 'yes you will be'."

She said: "I think it will be horrible."

Daly added: "I can't imagine him not there."

Ball said that Goodman is "irreplaceable" and Daly agreed, saying: "He's the daddy of the panel."

Video of the Day

Daly, who - like Goodman - has appeared on the show since it began, and Winkleman were full of praise for each other and said that they have formed a "telepathic" bond over the years of working together.

Winkleman has appeared as a co-host on Strictly since 2014 when she replaced previous presenter Sir Bruce Forsyth.

Daly said of Winkleman: "She just makes me die laughing all the time."

Winkleman said: "W e have a proper laugh when we're doing rehearsals. We become like baboons, not in a bad way. We're telepathic. I look at (Daly) and I play with (her) hair."

Daly said: "We can say things when we're mic'd up telepathically that we can't say on the mic. We communicate that way."

Danny Mac, Ore Oduba and Louise Redknapp will take to the dancefloor with three routines each in order to compete for the glitterball trophy this weekend.

They will perform their favourite dance, the judges' choice, and a spectacular show dance, in a bid to win the viewers' votes.

Fans will also be treated to group performances, musical moments and surprises as the series draws to a close.
President-elect Donald Trump and Kanye West pose for a picture in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. (AP)

A newly blond Kanye West has visited Donald Trump, and the two men posed for photos but did not say much about their discussion.

Mr Trump said the two were "just friends" and called the musician a "good man".

The president-elect said they discussed "life". The two did not answer questions about whether West would perform at the Inauguration.

West stood silently next to Mr Trump for photos in the lobby of Trump Tower. Asked why he was not speaking, he said, "I just want to take a picture right now."

West entered the building shortly after 9am with a large entourage. He was not accompanied by wife Kim Kardashian West.

The 39-year-old recently spent over a week in Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles for stress and exhaustion.

Days before his hospitalisation, he abruptly cancelled his US concert tour.

West did not stop to talk to reporters gathered in the lobby.

Last month, during a concert in San Jose, California, West said he did not vote for president, but if he had, he would have cast a ballot for Mr Trump.

He also praised the president-elect's "method of communication" as "very futuristic" and spoke about his plans to run for that office in 2020, saying that he will become "a different kind of president".

Mr Trump also was shown in a video for West's single "Famous", released last year. It also featured Rihanna, former President George W Bush, Anna Wintour and Bill Cosby.

AP
This frame grab from a video, shows damaged buildings near the ancient Umayyad Mosque, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria.

Syrian rebels say a ceasefire deal for the evacuation of fighters and civilians from eastern Aleppo is back on, hours after it collapsed.

Spokesmen for three rebel groups said the ceasefire would come into effect later on Wednesday night and implementation of the deal would begin early on Thursday.

The evacuation from a sliver of territory the rebels still hold in eastern Aleppo was supposed to begin at dawn on Wednesday, but shelling resumed in the morning hours.

Rebels accused the Syrian government and its allies of derailing the deal by placing new conditions.

Ahmed Karali, spokesman for the Ahrar Sham rebel group, said on Wednesday that the deal was then salvaged.

He added that the first group of wounded people and civilians would begin leaving early on Thursday morning. Two other rebel spokesmen confirmed.

AP
It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the
A Dutch court has ruled that a trove of historical artefacts that is being held by an Amsterdam museum must be returned to Ukraine. (Allard Pierson Museum/AP)

A trove of historical artefacts being held by an Amsterdam museum must be returned to Ukraine and not to four museums in Crimea that loaned them out for a 2014 exhibition.

The ruling from a Dutch court goes a long way to resolving a cultural tug-of-war triggered by Russia's annexation of Crimea.

While the Amsterdam court's decision was a clear victory for Ukraine, the court said that the treasures should remain in storage in Amsterdam pending the outcome of a possible appeal.

Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea left the treasures in a legal limbo as both the Crimean museums and Ukraine demanded their return by Amsterdam's Allard Pierson Museum, which had borrowed them for a 2014 exhibition that opened a month before the annexation.

In a statement, the court said that the claim that the artefacts are "part of the cultural heritage of Crimea or of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was incorrect, as neither is a sovereign state".

Authorities in Crimea quickly condemned the ruling.

"This is yet another politicised, wrong decision which contradicts the laws," Russian news agency Tass quoted Crimean Culture Minister Arina Novoselskaya as saying.

"Crimea will appeal to defend its claim to get the collection back to Crimea."

The court did not rule on the actual ownership of the approximately 300 artefacts, saying that the issue must be resolved by a Ukrainian court.

Valentina Mordvintseva, the Crimean curator of the exhibition, said the ruling would drive a wedge between Crimea and Ukraine.

She said it would make residents in Crimea feel "even more united, but divided from Ukraine. Such things, they bring cultural break".

Ukraine's deputy culture minister, Svetlana Fomenko, welcomed the decision, saying it supported efforts by her country to protect its national treasures.

"Crimea is occupied by the Russian Federation and we have no access to Crimea," she said.

"We cannot protect our cultural heritage in Crimea."

AP
The Prime Minister and her "uppity" staff must learn there are gentler ways of dealing with wayward ministers like "blond bombshell" Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, than merely slapping them down according to Margaret Thatcher's press secretary.

Mr Johnson was recently rebuked publicly by Number 10 for taking Iran and Saudi Arabia to task over the Yemeni civil war.

Sir Bernard Ingham, who was Margaret Thatcher's press secretary, said: "That has needed saying for too long. It is about time more senior statesman began to try to get Iran and Saudi Arabia to face up to their responsibilities.

"Just because they are rolling in oil does not mean we should not tell them where to get off."

He added: "No 10 needs to learn how better to handle the blond bombshell. Mrs May - and certainly her apparatchiks - are acquiring an early reputation for slapping down wayward ministers when there are gentler ways of coping with their deviation from the straight and narrow.

"Perhaps Johnson has for too long led a relatively carefree existence as a journalist, backbencher and Mayor of London - not to mention campaigning for the Tory leadership - to hold himself in check in central government.

"If so, he had better soon accept he is now only a cog - though a big one - in a wider machine. Otherwise, things could get awkward."

Sir Bernard, writing in the Yorkshire Post, describing Mr Johnson as "our unforgettable Foreign Secretary", said: "He is undoubtedly an intelligent and learned man. His - and Theresa May's - problem is his DNA.

"He is over-endowed with the flamboyant thespian gene and under-supplied with that which promotes restraint. He cannot help making waves."

Sir Bernard added: "Mrs May takes life seriously but she and her uppity staff need not always show it. The public does not like to see a government in an edgy state within itself."

He said the Prime Minister should calm down "and Boris should remember that timing and tact are all - both at home and abroad. It is called diplomacy".
Syrians leave a rebel-held area of Aleppo towards the government-held side during an operation by Syrian government forces to retake the embattled city (Photo: AFP)

Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters.

A member of the Syrian pro-government forces walks in eastern Aleppo's al-Kalasseh neighbourhood on December 13, 2016 (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Syrian opposition fighters fire towards positions held by Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in al-Bab on the northeastern outskirts of the northern embattled city of Aleppo on December 13, (Photo: AFP PHOTO)

Syrians leave a rebel-held area of Aleppo towards the government-held side on December 13 (photo: AFP)

A ceasefire in Syria has collapsed just hours after a truce was called.

Heavy clashes including shelling and gunfire raged in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Wednesday after a truce deal meant to halt fighting between government forces and rebels stalled, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"The clashes are violent and bombardment is very heavy ... it seems as though everything (the ceasefire) is finished," Rami Abdulrahman, director of the British-based monitoring group, said.

Officials with two Syrian rebel groups and a United Nations official said that Iran had introduced new conditions to the ceasefire and evacuation deal negotiated by Russia and Turkey.

One of the rebel officials and the U.N. official said Iran, which backs some powerful militias fighting in Aleppo on the government side, wanted a simultaneous evacuation of wounded from the villages of Foua and Kefraya that are besieged by rebels.

Earlier, Moscow and Ankara had reached an "understanding" on Tuesday on organizing the evacuation of people from rebel-held areas of the Syrian city of Aleppo, Sergei Ryabkov, Russian deputy foreign minister, was quoted as saying on Wednesday by Interfax news agency.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Children walk together as they flee deeper into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY A Syrian army soldier places a Syrian national flag during a battle with rebel fighters at the Ramouseh front line, east of Aleppo, Syria, Monday, Dec. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) A Syrian man carries his sister who was wounded after a government airstrike hit the neighborhood of Ansari, in Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Abdullah al-Yassin, File) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) Smoke rises following a Syrian government air strike on rebel positions, in eastern Aleppo, Syria, Monday, Dec. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File) In this image from video, people march toward the Russian consulate in Istanbul Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016 to protest against Russia's involvement in the Syrian government's push to retake rebel-held areas of the city of Aleppo. (DHA via AP) A general view shows the damage inside the Umayyad mosque, in the government-controlled area of Aleppo, during a media tour, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki Boys stand amid the damage in the government-held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, during a media tour, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad walk inside Aleppo's historic citadel, during a media tour, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad stand inside the Umayyad mosque, in the government-controlled area of Aleppo, during a media tour, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Children walk together as they flee deeper into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Meanwhile, witnesses reported a short bout of shelling, hours after a ceasefire was declared.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdulrahman said: "The sound of an explosion was heard in areas controlled by (rebel) factions ... it is believed to have been caused by a artillery shell fired by regime forces on the area."

A civilian witness said the attack lasted about half an hour then stopped.

Meanwhile, Russia has also said talks with the US on Syria are a "fruitless talking shop".

Expand Close Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppos Fardos neighbourhood yesterday, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters (Photo: AFP/Getty) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppos Fardos neighbourhood yesterday, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters (Photo: AFP/Getty)

A planned evacuation as part of the Aleppo ceasefire has been delayed and may not take place until tomorrow, according to reports.

The evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo may be delayed until Thursday, the pro-Syrian opposition Orient TV reported, citing its correspondent.

Expand Close This frame grab from a video, shows damaged buildings near the ancient Umayyad Mosque, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria. / Facebook

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Whatsapp This frame grab from a video, shows damaged buildings near the ancient Umayyad Mosque, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria.

The evacuation was expected to have started by dawn on Wednesday. On Tuesday, sources had given different expected start times for the evacuation.

Opposition officials said they had expected a first group of wounded people to leave on Tuesday evening. A military official in the alliance supporting Syrian President Bashir al-Assad had said the evacuation was due to start at 5 a.m. (0300 GMT).

Expand Close Civilians and rebel fighters were to start evacuating from Syria's Aleppo "within hours" under a deal reached that would end years of opposition resistance in the city (Photo: AFP PHOTO) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Civilians and rebel fighters were to start evacuating from Syria's Aleppo "within hours" under a deal reached that would end years of opposition resistance in the city (Photo: AFP PHOTO)

However, none had left by dawn, said a Reuters witness waiting at the agreed point of departure. Twenty buses were waiting there with their engines running but showed no sign of moving into Aleppo's rebel-held eastern districts.

Russia's defence ministry has now claimed 6,000 civilians have left rebel held areas over the past 24 hours.

The UN has said it is not involved in evacuation plans but stands ready to facilitate evacuation.

Looting

People have been packing their bags and burning personal possessions as they prepare to evacuate the area, a witness said, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iran-backed allied militias when they restore control.

Eastern Aleppo residents were seen burning things they could not take with them, such as pictures, books, clothes and even a car, a Reuters witness said, since an evacuation deal was announced late on Tuesday.

The ceasefire and evacuation agreement brokered by Russia, Syrian President Bashir al-Assad's most powerful ally, and Turkey ended years of fighting in the city and has given Assad his biggest victory yet after more than five years of war.

A ceasefire "surrender deal" allowing civilians and opposition fighters to be evacuated from eastern Aleppo has begun as Russia declared all military action had stopped and the Syrian government assumed control of the former rebel enclave.

The dramatic developments, which appeared to restore the remainder of what was once Syria's largest city to President Bashar Assad's forces after months of heavy fighting and a crippling siege, followed reports of mass killings by government forces closing in on the final few streets still held by the rebels.

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Damascus confirmed the evacuation deal and the United Nations envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who was at the Security Council where an emergency meeting for Aleppo was under way, called for immediate access to confirm the end of military operations and oversee the safe departure of tens of thousands of civilians and opposition fighters.

Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin took to the floor near the end of the session to announce fighting had ended.

"According to the latest information that we received ... military actions in eastern Aleppo are over," he said. "The Syrian government has re-established control over eastern Aleppo."

Minutes earlier, he said "all militants" and members of their families, as well as those wounded in the fighting, were being evacuated through "agreed corridors in directions that they have chosen voluntarily", including the rebel stronghold of Idlib province.

As word spread of the deal, celebrations broke out in the government-controlled western sector of Aleppo, with convoys of cars driving around honking their cars and waving Syrian flags from the windows.

Retaking Aleppo, which has been split between rebel and government control since 2012, would be Assad's biggest victory yet in the civil war.

Aleppo, the country's former commercial powerhouse, has long been regarded as a major gateway between Turkey and Syria and the biggest prize in the conflict.

The agreement came after world leaders and aid agencies issued dramatic appeals on behalf of trapped residents and the UN human rights office said pro-government forces reportedly killed 82 civilians as they closed in on the last remaining rebel areas.

That and other reports of mass killings, which could not be independently confirmed, reinforced fears of atrocities in the final hours of the battle for the city.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon told the emergency meeting he had received "credible reports" of civilians killed by intense bombing and summary executions by pro-government forces.

"To the Assad regime, Russia and Iran - three member states behind the conquest of and carnage in Aleppo - you bear responsibility for these atrocities," said US ambassador Samantha Power.

UN humanitarian spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters the situation appeared to be "a complete meltdown of humanity" according to Sky News.

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In Turkey, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul, chanting against Russia's involvement in the push to retake rebel-held areas of Aleppo.

Several residents and opposition activists in Syria said government forces carried out summary killings of rebels in neighbourhoods captured on Monday, but the Syrian military denied the claim, saying such allegations were "a desperate attempt" to gain international sympathy.

None of the residents witnessed the alleged killings and the reports came amid deepening chaos in the remaining rebel-held areas. Mohammed Abu Rajab, the administrator of the last remaining clinic in rebel-held parts of the city, said the dead and wounded were being left in the streets.

Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syria's ambassador to the UN, denied any mass executions or revenge attacks, but added it was Syria's "constitutional right" to go after "terrorists", a reference to all opposition fighters.

"Aleppo has been liberated from terrorists and those who toyed with terrorism," he said. "Aleppo has returned to the nation."

Meanwhile the UN children's agency said it had received a report of more than 100 unaccompanied children trapped in a building under fire in eastern Aleppo.

Unicef was concerned over reports of "extrajudicial killings of civilians, including children", said the agency's regional director Geert Cappalaere.

The UN human rights office said it had received reports of pro-government forces killing at least 82 civilians in four neighbourhoods of the rapidly-shrinking rebel enclave, including 11 women and 13 children.

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Spokesman Rupert Colville said the reports described pro-government forces entering homes and killing civilians "on the spot".

Rami Abdurrahman of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said hundreds of bodies were still under the rubble.

There were conflicting reports about the timing and route of the rebel withdrawal.

Syria's military media said the gunmen would be evacuated through the Ramouseh crossing and from there to rebel-controlled areas of northern Idlib province.

"Aleppo will be declared a secure and liberated city within the coming hours," it said on its Telegram channel.

Osama Abu Zayd, a Turkey-based legal adviser for an umbrella group of rebel factions known as the Free Syrian Army, said the ceasefire went into effect Tuesday evening and that the first groups of rebel fighters would begin evacuating later that day.

Yasser al-Youssef, a rebel spokesman, confirmed the deal, and another spokesman, Ahmed Karali, said those leaving the city would head to rural areas in western Aleppo province, then head north.
A general view shows the damage inside the Umayyad mosque, in the government-controlled area of Aleppo, during a media tour, Syria December 13, 2016. Photo: Reuters

Boys stand amid the damage in the government-held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, during a media tour, Syria December 13, 2016. Photo: Reuters

Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching through the streets of east Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, December 13, 2016. Photo: SANA via AP

A general view shows the damage in the government-held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, during a media tour, Syria December 13, 2016. Photo: Reuters

Damaged buildings are seen in the government-held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, during a media tour, Syria December 13, 2016. Photo: Reuters

People carry their belongings as they flee deeper into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria December 13, 2016. The Arabic words read, "No to monopolizing commodities and raising prices under the siege". Photo: Reuters

A man pushes a cart with belongings as he flees deeper with another man into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria December 13, 2016. Photo: Reuters

Children walk together as they flee deeper into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria December 13, 2016. Photo: Reuters

People carry their belongings as they flee deeper into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria December 13, 2016. Photo: Reuters

A Syrian child cooks in the street in a rebel-held area of Aleppo, on December 13, 2016, during an operation by Syrian government forces to retake the embattled city. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Syrian opposition fighters fire towards positions held by Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in al-Bab on the northeastern outskirts of the northern embattled city of Aleppo on December 13, 2016. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

A general view shows Syrian pro-government forces walking in the ancient Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo on December 13, 2016, after they captured the area. After weeks of heavy fighting, regime forces were poised to take full control of Aleppo, dealing the biggest blow to Syria's rebellion in more than five years of civil war. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Syrian pro-government forces walk in Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood after they captured the area in the eastern part of the war torn city on December 13, 2016. After weeks of heavy fighting, regime forces were poised to take full control of Aleppo, dealing the biggest blow to Syria's rebellion in more than five years of civil war. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

A member of the Syrian pro-government forces stands next to a tank in the old city of Aleppo on December 13, 2016, after they recaptured the area. After weeks of heavy fighting, regime forces were poised to take full control of Aleppo, dealing the biggest blow to Syria's rebellion in more than five years of civil war. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Syrians leave a rebel-held area of Aleppo towards the government-held side on December 13, 2016 during an operation by Syrian government forces to retake the embattled city. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Syrians leave a rebel-held area of Aleppo towards the government-held side on December 13, 2016 during an operation by Syrian government forces to retake the embattled city. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters.

Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad gesture as they ride on a pick-up truck in the government held Sheikh Saeed district of Aleppo, during a media tour, Syria December 12, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki

Syrians leave a rebel-held area of Aleppo towards the government-held side during an operation by Syrian government forces to retake the embattled city (Photo: AFP)

In Pictures: Fighting comes to an end in East Aleppo Close

ALL day yesterday, White Helmets rescuer Ibrahim Abu al-Leith heard the cries of women and children from under the rubble of their flattened homes, with no one able to reach them.

There were no longer any ambulances, working hospitals or medics in the one-square-mile pocket of east Aleppo to treat them even if they could.

"We hear their moans but we cannot save them because of the constant heavy shelling," said Mr Leith. "The bodies of the dead are filling the streets."

The battle for the Syrian city of Aleppo ended in victory for Bashar al-Assad's government last night after the last-remaining rebels agreed to surrender.

Rebel officials said fighting would end yesterday evening and insurgents and the civilians in east Aleppo would leave the city for opposition-held areas of the countryside to the west.

After months of bombardment, brutal siege and near starvation, they could fight no more. The United Nations described the scenes in Aleppo yesterday as "a complete meltdown of humanity".

In an impossibly small enclave, tens of thousands of tired and hungry residents had been squatting in abandoned and bombed-out buildings as the rain poured down.

One by one, each of our contacts inside Aleppo has gone silent in recent days. Messages to their phones are no longer answered. The hope is that they are safe in regime areas, but many had expressed fears before their disappearance that they would be punished for their rebellion.

Among those is seven-year-old Bana al-Abed and her family, whose fate is unknown. "My name is Bana, I'm 7 years old," her last tweet read yesterday afternoon. "I am talking to the world now live from east Aleppo. This is my last moment to either live or die - Bana."

Her mother had been afraid that if they ended up in regime hands they would be arrested, tortured, or worse.

People's fears of revenge attacks appeared to have become a reality. The UN reported that more than 80 civilians had been killed by pro-government forces in the last 48 hours.

Syrian troops and allied Iraqi militias had entered homes after recapturing them and had executed residents "on the spot".

"The reports we had are of people being shot in the street trying to flee and shot in their homes," said Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the UN human rights office. "We're filled with the deepest foreboding for those who remain in this last hellish corner."

Some 11 women and 13 children were killed in four different neighbourhoods. One family of eight was reportedly executed in their home in the Bustan al-Qasr district after refusing to leave.

Mr Colville said he had been told that others had been burnt alive, and that it had received reports of women committing suicide, in order not to be raped by marauding soldiers.

"All these reports evoke the darkest days of the history of the United Nations," Mr Colville said.

Read more:

More than 6,000 men and boys have been reported missing since mid-November, after crossing from east Aleppo into the government-held western side of the city.

The brother of one, an NGO worker, said last week he was taken away by secret service officers after his name was checked against a list.

The regime denied the claims, instead accusing the rebels of holding the population of east Aleppo as human shields. The UN has pushed the Syrian government to allow monitoring of its treatment of fleeing civilians, including those detained.

Screening by Syrian government forces of people leaving the city must itself be monitored, Mr Colville urged.

"It needs international eyes on the situation if the fears of the worst kinds of things happening - summary executions, torture, etc - are to be allayed," he said.

Matthew Rycroft, the UK's representative at the UN, said: "Assad's forces, propped up by Russia and Iran, have once again redefined horror. They have gone from siege to slaughter. This is a dark day for the people of Aleppo, surely the darkest of the past five years."

But his words were too little too late for the hold-outs of the rebellion. Many had long been pleading for foreign governments to intervene, and yesterday accused their allies of abandoning them to their fate.

"In other massacres and in other wars, like Srebrenica, they can perhaps claim they did not know," said activist Monther Eatky. "They cannot claim that here. We have documented every war crime, every chemical attack. This was happening in front of the eyes of the world. But still they did nothing."

The US, which has spent the last five years calling for Assad's removal, had been reduced to negotiating with Russia over how to evacuate remaining civilians out of opposition territory.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Soldiers with Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces secure houses and streets during fighting against Islamic State militants to regain control of the eastern neighborhoods of Mosul, Iraq. Photo: AP

Iraqi Shi'ite forces fighting Isil west of Mosul aim to clear a large strip of land on the border with Syria to prevent the militants melting into the remote desert region and using it as a base for counter attacks, a spokesman said.

The Popular Mobilisation fighters - mainly Shi'ite, Iranian-backed paramilitary groups who form part of a wider Iraqi force waging the eight-week Mosul campaign - deployed west of the city to cut the route to Isil-held territory in Syria.

They had taken an air base south of the town of Tal Afar, about 60km west of Mosul, and linked up with Kurdish peshmerga fighters to seal off the town's western flank.

Jafaar Hussaini said the Kata'ib Hezbollah, one of the Shi'ite armed groups, would advance further west to clear the border region where he said the militants had hidden weapons stores.

"The key objective is to . . . make sure that the terrorists lose the ability to regroup and launch counter attacks against advancing forces," Mr Hussaini said.

Kata'ib Hezbollah is one of the two main Shi'ite groups fighting west of Mosul. A spokesman for the Badr militia, the other group, said it was targeting villages around Tal Afar to "surround Daesh [Isil] and tighten the noose around them".

While the army advanced in east Mosul, where soldiers had been constrained by street-by-street fighting and a built-up urban battlefield, Mr Hussaini said progress in the western region was slow because the Popular Mobilisation forces had to clear dozens of villages scattered over a wide area.

Forces were still 60km from the frontier with Syria, he said.

Since the Popular Mobilisation forces closed off Mosul from Syria, residents in Isil-held districts of the city said fresh food had become scarce and prices had soared. Fuel prices had also risen, leading aid groups to warn of increasing hardship for the million residents.

One trader said no fresh fruit or vegetables other than potatoes and onions had reached the city in the past week.
US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power has delivered a powerful speech about the shameful atrocities being carried out in Syria.

Ms Power, an Irish American, spoke as the events in the past 72 hours in Aleppo have been described as a meltdown of humanity.

Addressing the UN Security Council, Ms power who was born in London and lived in Dublin until she was nine, she said:

Are you truly incapable of shame? Is there nothing that can shame you? Is there no act of barbarism against civilians, no execution of a child that gets under your skin? That creeps you out just a little bit?

Is there nothing you will not lie about of justify?

Ms Power, who has received praise worldwide for her words, recounted some of the horrific incidents of this week and appeals made by desperate Syrians on social media.

"A doctor named Mohammad Abu Rajab left a voice message: 'This is a final distress call to the world. Save the lives of these children and women and old men. Save them. Nobody is left. You might not hear our voice after this.'

"A photographer named Ameen Al-Halabi wrote on Facebook: 'I am waiting to die or be captured by the Assad regime. Pray for me and always remember us.'

"A teacher named Abdulkafi Al-Hamdo said: 'I can tweet now but I might not do it forever. Please save my daughters life and others. This is a call from a father'," she said.

Read More:

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Children walk together as they flee deeper into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY A Syrian army soldier places a Syrian national flag during a battle with rebel fighters at the Ramouseh front line, east of Aleppo, Syria, Monday, Dec. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) A Syrian man carries his sister who was wounded after a government airstrike hit the neighborhood of Ansari, in Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Abdullah al-Yassin, File) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) Smoke rises following a Syrian government air strike on rebel positions, in eastern Aleppo, Syria, Monday, Dec. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File) In this image from video, people march toward the Russian consulate in Istanbul Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016 to protest against Russia's involvement in the Syrian government's push to retake rebel-held areas of the city of Aleppo. (DHA via AP) A general view shows the damage inside the Umayyad mosque, in the government-controlled area of Aleppo, during a media tour, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki Boys stand amid the damage in the government-held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, during a media tour, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad walk inside Aleppo's historic citadel, during a media tour, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad stand inside the Umayyad mosque, in the government-controlled area of Aleppo, during a media tour, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching walk inside the destroyed Grand Umayyad mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Children walk together as they flee deeper into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

"Another doctor told a journalist: 'Remember that there was a city called Aleppo that the world erased from the map and history'."

She warned those behind the atrocities, and other Governments, would not be able to pretend they did not know what is going on or for the events to be concealed.

"It would be easy for independent investigators to get in along with food, health workers, and others; but instead, the perpetrators are hiding their brutal assault from the world willfully.

"But consider the accounts that have made it out  so many of them  first responders describing childrens voices from beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings.

"There are no first responders or equipment left to dig them out, and no doctors left to treat them. Bodies lying in the streets of eastern Aleppo, but no one dares collect them, for fear of getting bombed or shot to death in the process," she said.

"Up to a hundred children are reportedly trapped right now, in a building under heavy fire.

"Terrorists. Clearly  young children  they must be terrorists because everybody being executed, everybody being barrel bombed, everybody whos been chlorine attacked, youre going to be told they are all terrorists  every last one of them, even the infants."

The devastation wreaked on civilians will become a defining moment she told the council.

"Aleppo will join the ranks of those events in world history that define modern evil, that stain our conscience decades later. Halabja, Rwanda, Srebrenica, and, now, Aleppo, she said.

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"To the Assad regime, Russia, and Iran, your forces and proxies are carrying out these crimes. Your barrel bombs and mortars and airstrikes have allowed the militia in Aleppo to encircle tens of thousands of civilians in your ever-tightening noose. It is your noose.

"Three Member States of the UN contributing to a noose around civilians. It should shame you. Instead, by all appearances, it is emboldening you. You are plotting your next assault. Are you truly incapable of shame?

Russia's ambassador, Vitaly Churkin responded angrily to the speech, saying she should remember her "own country's track record".
Irish workers in Canada will be celebrating the end of the 4-in-4-out rule as the Government has scrapped the restrictions on migrant workers.

The rule meant that migrant workers on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program had to leave the country after four years.

It was put in place in 2011 and has now been removed with immediate effect.

In many ways, the four-year rule put a great deal of uncertainty and instability on both temporary workers and employers. We had the sense that it was an unnecessary burden on applicants and employers, and also on officers who process applications, Canadas Immigration Minister John McCallum said

We believe this important recommendation . . . requires rapid action, which we are taking today.

The rule will provide more flexibility for Irish people who travel to Canada temporarily with the hope of securing permanent residence.

The Government has said they are committed to developing pathways to permanent residencies for eligible applicants.

Between April 2015 and April 2016 3,900 people moved to Canada from Ireland.
Billionaire media mogul Sumner Redstone once gave $18m (16.9m) to a flight attendant on a private jet - then slept with her sister and gave another $6m (5.6m) to her, according to legal documents filed by one of his ex-girlfriends.

Mr Redstone (93), whose $5bn fortune comes from television company CBS, media network Viacom and cinema chain National Amusements, has been caught up in a long-running legal battle over his health, sanity and fortune.

And his daughter Shari Redston (62) - with whom he has had a tempestuous relationship - has been engaged in a courtroom battle with two of his numerous girlfriends, Sydney Holland (45) and Manuela Herzer (51).

Twice divorced, since 2009 he has been famous for his conveyor belt of women.

Ms Holland and Ms Herzer, however, were with him for long periods of time and were in line to be the principal beneficiaries of his personal estate - grossing them around $75m (70m) each, it has been claimed.

But the pair fell out of favour, and Ms Redstone was reinstated in the will.

In October 2015 he filed a case, accusing Ms Holland and Ms Herzer of manipulating and emotionally abusing him into giving them more than $150m worth of gifts over five years.

Now, in the latest chapter in the legal battle, Ms Holland claimed in the court documents filed that the women were just two of many whom Mr Redstone showered with money, and that excluding them from the inheritance was unjust.

"Redstone gave tens of millions of dollars to various other women - who he had no intention of marrying and was not in love with - at the time he was engaged to marry Sydney," wrote Ms Holland in the filing. "Women who did nothing more than provide sexual favours.

"That the complaint only names Ms Sydney and Ms Herzer as defendants, when Mr Redstone knows that there were (and possibly still are) many other women who he gave tens of millions of dollars to (during this same time-period that he alleges Ms Sydney and Ms Herzer had 'total control' of his life) makes no sense."

But Mr Redstone's lawyers have strongly denied the claims, accusing her of propagating a "narcissistic false narrative".

"Ms Holland's cross-complaint is a work of fiction punctuated by not-so-subtle threats of extortion and an overwhelming stench of greed," they said in a statement.

"The critical witnesses will not be Mr Redstone's 'celebrity friends' but instead the nurses and household staff members who, unlike Ms Holland, were by his side day and night.

"It will be for the jury to weigh the contemporaneous notes and trial testimony of those disinterested witnesses against Ms Holland's narcissistic false narrative.

"In the end, we are confident that justice will be done." ( Daily Telegraph London)
President-elect Donald Trump announced ExxonMobil boss Rex Tillerson as his choice for secretary of state yesterday, praising the business leader as a successful international dealmaker who has led a global operation.

Mr Tillerson's experience in diplomacy stems from making deals with foreign countries for the world's largest energy company, although questions have been raised about the oil executive's relations with Russia.

"He will be a forceful and clear-eyed advocate for America's vital national interests, and help reverse years of misguided foreign policies and actions that have weakened America's security and standing in the world," Mr Trump said.

Mr Tillerson said he shared Mr Trump's "vision for restoring the credibility of the United States' foreign relations and advancing our country's national security".

Mr Trump picked Mr Tillerson (64) after the Texan was backed by several Republican establishment figures including former secretaries of state James Baker and Condoleeza Rice and former defence secretary Robert Gates, a transition official said.

Their support is seen as key to helping him get past a possibly contentious Senate confirmation battle likely to focus on his relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

In 2013, Mr Putin bestowed a Russian state honour, the Order of Friendship, on Mr Tillerson, citing his work "strengthening cooperation in the energy sector".

Mr Trump judged in making the selection that Mr Tillerson could adequately address questions about his relations with Russia, an official said.

Lawmakers from both major parties have raised questions about Mr Tillerson (pictured) and former UN Ambassador John Bolton, who has been mentioned as a possible No. 2 State Department official and who has voiced hawkish views on Iraq and Iran.

Separately, it is understood Mr Trump has chosen former Texas Governor Rick Perry as his nominee for energy secretary. Mr Perry met Mr Trump on Monday at Trump Tower in New York.

Republicans and Democrats said that Mr Tillerson would be asked about his contacts with Russia, having met Mr Putin several times.

He won fresh praise from Moscow this week.

"I have concerns. It's very well known that he has a very close relationship with Vladimir Putin," Senator John McCain, a leading foreign policy voice and the 2008 Republican candidate for president, said.

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There has been controversy over the role alleged Russian cyber hacking may have had on the outcome of the November 8 presidential election.

Mr Tillerson has close ties to Russia through years of deal-making that will serve as valuable experience - but also raise concerns.

He claimed to have a "very close relationship" with Mr Putin and would have deep knowledge of the country's power structure, having led ExxonMobil into a rare oil exploration deal with Russia's state-owned energy company.

His ties, however, could cast a shadow over important decisions on relations with Russia, from whether to extend sanctions to the handling of intelligence reports that Russia interfered with the US presidential election to help Trump.

The oil executive had previously argued against sanctions that the US and European allies imposed on Russia after it annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Experts said that if they remained in the long term, the sanctions could affect Exxon's joint venture with Russia's state oil company.

Mr Tillerson is a career Exxon employee, having joined the company after graduating from the University of Texas in 1975 with an engineering degree. Groomed for an executive position, he spent years in the rough-and-tumble world of oil production, working in Exxon's central US, Yemen and Russian operations.

By the 1990s, he was overseeing many of Exxon's foreign operations.

Mr Tillerson became Exxon's CEO on January 1, 2006, and is expected to retire next year.

In 2015, Exxon valued his compensation at $27.3m (25.6m), most of it in stock.

At the end of 2015, he held awards that had not yet vested worth $149.2m (140.2m).

As secretary of state he would be required to either sell his Exxon shares and stock options or recuse himself from government matters that had a "direct and predictable" effect on his financial interests, Richard Painter, a corporate law professor, said.
Single-digit reduction in NBS rates The revised NBS rates for ensuing Rabi season have been announced by the Government of India. New rates have not seen much steeper cuts as was widely anticipated; therefore, positive for complex (NPKs) fertilizer companies. This brings much comfort to the domestic complex fertilizer companies as a steeper cut would have entailed higher inventory losses. 03 Nov 2022 11:10 AM

October 2022 auto sales: PV and CV segments continue to impress Underlying demand trend has stayed strong for PV and CV segments. Analysts at IIFL Securities estimate October 2022 wholesale dispatches in PV, MHCV and LCV segments to have grown 30%, 24% and 14% YoY, respectively. They expect the above segments to clock 25-35% volume growth in FY23. 02 Nov 2022 11:43 AM

Initial signs of moderation in API cost pressures: IIFL Securities High raw-material inflation, elevated freight expenses, and normalization in marketing spends have impacted margins of Indian pharma players over the past 12 months. However, some of these API/RM cost pressures have started abating in Q3CY22. Cipla, Sun, JB Pharma and Torrent remain IIFL Securities top-picks in the pharma sector owing to lowest risk to IIFL Securities margin and earnings estimates for these companies. 01 Nov 2022 10:53 AM
If you desire a dining experience that exemplifies class and refinement, look no further than Harry & Izzys.

Harry & Izzys is an independent, upscale American grill with three locations in Indianapolis. The downtown location recently hosted a dining experience with Rob Samuels, COO of Makers Mark Distillery. Makers Mark is a small-batch bourbon whiskey that is distilled in Kentucky. At this event, I tasted their newest creation, Makers 46, alongside a delicious four-course meal prepared by Harry and Izzys.

I had never been to Harry & Izzys, but I had heard great things. The restaurant has won various awards, including Peoples Choice Best New Restaurant and Best Hamburger.

The service was top notch, and the food was phenomenal. I decided to be adventurous and tried roasted octopus for the first time. It was served with pork cream sauce and sweet and spicy oil. The dish was delicious, and this is coming from someone who is not typically a seafood fan. They paired it with a Redhead Martini that combined Makers 46, lemon juice, demerara syrup and red zinfandel. Despite each portion of this four-course dinner being served with a signature drink, the Redhead Martini remained my favorite through the night.

The menu at Harry & Izzys is varied enough to accommodate any taste. If you love seafood, you can try South African lobster tail or organic grilled salmon. If you want a sandwich, they have options ranging from a club sandwich to a prime steakburger. For my main entree, I had the pleasure of trying the ribeye cap. This cut of meat is known for being tastier than any other part of the steak, and it did not disappoint. I have never tasted a cut of beef so tender.

While I was at Harry & Izzys, I noticed a couple of organizations using the restaurant to network with peers. Harry and Izzys is a great place for businesses to meet up outside of their typical corporate environment, as the space allows for large group accommodations. Our group was accommodated quite nicely in a second-floor room overlooking the diners below.

For a limited time, Harry & Izzys is adding the Redhead Martini to its drink menu in celebration Makers 46. The cocktail is $12 and will be available at the Harry & Izzys until Dec. 19. And while you are there, grab a bite to eat and enjoy the experience of dining at one of Indianapoliss most praised restaurants. You wont be disappointed.

Harry and Izzys

Downtown Indianapolis

153 S. Illinois St., Indianapolis IN 46225

(317) 635-9594

Indianapolis Airport

7800 Col. Weir Cook Memorial Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46241

(317) 241-0533

North side Indianapolis

4050 E. 82nd St., Indianapolis, IN 46250

(317) 915-8045

harryandizzys.com
Indianapolis mother Tracie Nelson has faced several obstacles in her effort to regain custody of her daughter since August of 2007.

That year a custody struggle began between Nelson and her ex-boyfriend over guardianship of their daughter Kay (this is not her real name; the Recorder does not publish the names of minors involved in court cases).

The custody case was assigned to the paternity court of Judge Alicia Gooden.

Nelson said she lost custody of Kay in Goodens court due to conflict of interest. Kim Bacon, the fathers attorney is a pro tempore judge in Goodens court, and Nelson alleges Bacon is the girlfriend of the fathers best friend.

We never stood a chance in getting the help we need, Nelson said. She filed a complaint against Bacon with the Indianapolis Bar Association, and against Gooden and two other judges with the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications, which investigates complaints against state and local judges.

Adrienne Meiring, a staff attorney and spokeswoman for the commission, confirmed that a case like Nelsons complaint is under review, but it cannot be discussed publicly.

Admission and Discipline Rule 25 prevents us from discussing a case before formal charges are made against someone, unless there is a threat against an individual or the public, said Meiring. Until a complaint is verified or dismissed the details and course of investigation are confidential.

At Recorder press time Gooden had not responded to an attempt to reach her for comment. Bacon has stated that neither she nor Kays father will comment on the case.

Nelsons attorney, Dana Childress-Jones, successfully filed a request for change of venue (or change of judge) and the custody dispute was transferred to the civil court of Judge Gary Miller in the fall of 2007.

Nelson said Miller appeared to be fair, granting her request to appoint a Guardian Ad Litem (impartial child advocate) for Kay. After a March, 2008 meeting with Gooden, however, Miller changed course and made rulings throughout 2008 that upheld the custody rights of Kays father, dismissed a child in need of services (CHINS) investigation on the father, held Nelson in contempt of court and suspended her visits with Kay (although in August he did authorize paid supervised visits).

Millers rulings against Nelson occurred despite police and Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations against the father for abuse, as well as a document filed with the court that included the statements of a forensic investigator, and Jim Dalton, a local psychologist hired by CPS, who supported the validity of Kays detailed claim of being touched by her father.

Its like no one is looking out for the best interest of my baby, said Nelson.

Millers term as a county judge expired at the end of December, and he was unavailable for comment.

Since Nelson went public with her case, several parents have expressed similar frustrations with select judges and attorneys.

One of them, Tamara Davis (not real name), has spent nearly $30,000 in legal fees to keep custody of her daughter from an ex-husband who has not yet received court ordered treatment for alcoholism.

The Marion County Court system is a disaster and I also think it is biased against Black mothers, Davis said. Im in the process of preparing for a custody fight with a man that the same court will only allow to have supervised visits with my daughter once a month. It doesnt make sense.

Davis said the court has allowed her ex-husbands attorney to lie for clients and use contempt proceedings to extort money from mothers in custody cases.

The court has the mentality that if a Black father is interested in his child, even if he has shown no interest previously, that it is such a unique situation that the mother must be wrongfully interfering, said Davis. I am a licensed attorney, and I have never seen the level of incompetence displayed in the family law cases of this county. These things dont happen in other counties.

Meiring said complaints about judges filed with the commission are definitely not uncommon.

We generally receive in the neighborhood of at least 300 complaints each year, Meiring said.

If a complaint is upheld, the offense will be reviewd by a court that will decide what kind of action should be taken, from a simple censure to the suspension of a law license.

We get different complaints, but they are usually from people who are simply unhappy with the judges ruling, said Meiring. Most of these complaints are dismissed because there is lack of substantiation that the judge acted in a prejudicial manner.

In part 3: Nelson, Kay and the child welfare system.
Recently, media outlets across the country rushed out reports about the election of Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows as the 11th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis.

They proclaimed the historic significance of her election, which makes her the first African-American woman to lead an Episcopal diocese. She will also become only the second woman to head the Indianapolis diocese when she succeeds current Bishop Catherine Waynick, who will retire in April.

However, Episcopal leaders in Indianapolis are excited about the arrival of Baskerville-Burrows for other reasons. They see remarkable potential in her ability to lead the diocese to new heights.

Rev. Suzanne Wille, the rector at All Saints Episcopal Church in Indianapolis, said she was super excited and overjoyed when she found out Baskerville-Burrows would be the new bishop of the local diocese.

She has real authenticity and is great at bringing people together, Wille said. She is also very thoughtful, and I have been very impressed by her work.

Baskerville-Burrows, who is from New York, currently serves as director of networking for the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, where she oversees community partnerships and connections that facilitate church revitalization.

A graduate of Smith College, Cornell University and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Baskerville-Burrows is known among clergy for her expertise in historic preservation. She also has become well-respected for her dedication to addressing issues including gun violence, social justice and racial and class reconciliation.

All of this, local Episcopal leaders say, makes her an ideal fit for the Indianapolis diocese. In recent years, the organization has placed a stronger focus on issues such as social justice, mass incarceration, fighting homelessness, interfaith cooperation and increasing diversity by carving out more leadership roles for women, racial minorities and young people.

Rev. Bruce Gray, canon ordinary for the Indianapolis diocese, believes Baskerville-Burrows is well-suited to lead the diocese in its mission to spread the love of Jesus Christ and help bring positive changes to the community.

She has a strong resume and a good track record, Gray said. She is also a person of deep faith and a great communicator. It is important for a bishop to communicate well with both God and the people.

The Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis traces its history to 1835 and represents Anglican churches across central and southern Indiana. It includes 49 congregations in a diverse set of communities and is a partner of several overseas ministries.

Baskerville-Burrows was elected bishop on the second ballot during a gathering of Episcopal officials on Oct. 28 at Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis. She was among five high-ranking Episcopal leaders who represented various cities and were nominated to be considered by a standing committee.

That committee was charged with finding a new bishop when Waynick announced her upcoming retirement. The election culminated a nearly two-year search process by the diocese at its 179th Diocesan Convention.

We had a strong and diverse slate of nominees, said Rev. Mary Slenski, president of the standing committee. However, (Baskerville-Burrows) was so clearly elected. I went into the election hoping we would have answers guided by the spirit, clarity and compassion in our ministry. That is exactly what happened.

At press time, Baskerville-Burrows had said little about her election and had been focusing on making a smooth transition from her current job in Chicago to her new leadership role in Indiana.

However, in recent comments provided to the local diocese, she expressed appreciation for her 19 years in ministry, the last five of which have been in Chicago.

Ive supported communities of transformation, communicated a vision of hope and gathered and networked Gods people across distance and difference, she said. I believe these experiences have prepared me to lead and serve in the particular place that is the Diocese of Indianapolis.

Baskerville-Burrows, who was ordained in New York, sometimes discusses what she calls the defining moment of her ministry, which occurred during the infamous morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

She was near the World Trade Center when the terrorist attacks occurred, and while being in a fearful situation and seeking shelter alongside other people gained a renewed perspective on the concept of faith vanquishing fear.

My relationship with Christ, which I found in The Episcopal Church, teaches me that the world is filled with incredible beauty and unspeakable pain and that God is deeply in the midst of it all, loving us fiercely, she said. So each day, nourished by the sacraments and stories of our faith, the beauty of our liturgical tradition, the wide embrace of this Christian community, I learn over and over again how to live without fear.

The election of Baskerville-Burrows as bishop of Indianapolis comes at a time when the national Episcopal Church is led by an African-American, Bishop Michael Curry. Some see their rise in leadership as examples of how the denomination has been making stronger efforts to reach out to more African-Americans.

However, although Gray, Slenski and Wille all appreciate Baskerville-Burrows attributes as an African-American and a woman, they agree that it is her qualities as an individual and a leader that make her stand out above all.

During the election process for the new bishop, nominees were invited to come to Indianapolis and participate in walkabouts to meet local clergy and congregation members. Baskerville-Burrows excelled at the interpersonal process, Slenski said.

They felt a connection with her, Slenski observed. Her ability to connect with people is what makes the difference.

Note: Baskerville-Burrows will be ordained and consecrated as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis on Saturday, April 29, 2017, at 11 a.m. at Clowes Memorial Hall on the campus of Butler University.
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe council member Chad Harrison, third from left, meets with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) in Washington, D.C, on December 9, 2016. Also pictured, from left, are Faith Spotted Eagle, an elder from the Yankton Sioux Tribe; Robert Wayne Flying Hawk, chairman of the Yankton Sioux Tribe; and Harold Frazier, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Photo courtesy Chad Harrison



With their costly project in limbo, the wealthy backers of the Dakota Access Pipeline are seeking to dismiss an appeal filed by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

The tribe filed the appeal after a federal judge, back on September 9, refused to halt construction of the controversial project. The decision was a setback for the #NoDAPL movement but it set the stage for the denial of an easement for the final portion of the pipeline in North Dakota.

The appeal also led to a temporary injunction on September 16 that prevented work near Lake Oahe, where the final portion is located. But after the order was lifted on November 9 , Dakota Access quickly resumed construction with the hopes of completing the pipeline.

As a result, Dakota Access believes the tribe's appeal is "moot." Since the pipeline is all but complete except for the crossing at Lake Oahe , there's nothing left for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to resolve, the firm's attorneys argue.

"The tribe concedes that this 'appeal from the denial of preliminary injunctive relief' has been 'mooted,'" a response filed on Monday reads.

The tribe's attorneys indeed conceded that point in a filing dated December 2 , before the announcement on the easement two days later. But they are asking the D.C. Circuit to vacate, or erase from the record, the September 9 decision that sparked the appeal because they say Dakota Access shouldn't have kept working on the pipeline.

"DAPLs unilateral actions have deprived the tribe of the opportunity to test the district courts legal findings," the filing stated.

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on YouTube: Hearing on the Human Rights Situation of Indigenous Persons in the Context of Projects and Extractive Industries in the United States



Dakota Access, unsurprisingly opposes the tribe's request. But the Obama administration doesn't think the September 9 decision should be vacated either.

However, all three parties agree on one big point -- the construction at issue in the case has been completed. "Therefore, no relief left for the court to grant, and the tribes motion and this appeal are moot," attorney James A. Maysonett of the Department of Justice wrote in a December 8 filing

In a footnote, Maysonett noted that the easement for the crossing at Lake Oahe was denied on December 4. But he said the "decision has no bearing on this appeal because the tribe sought to enjoin construction that is now complete and thus cannot be affected by the Armys decision."

The mutual agreement on a key issue could convince the D.C. Circuit to dismiss the case without further action. The court in fact anticipated going that route by closing the door on additional briefs, including ones that other tribes and Indian organizations were hoping to submit as part of a "strong and unified voice."

But now that the Obama administration heeded Indian Country's call to deny the easement and conduct a new and more thorough environmental review, tribes are focusing their attention on that effort, especially due to uncertainty surrounding the incoming administration of Republican president-elect Donald Trump

"We've denied the easement for the crossing for DAPL. We're going to start the NEPA process soon," Charles "Chip" Smith, the Assistant for Environment, Tribal and Regulatory Affairs from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, told the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights at a hearing last Friday . He was referring to the National Environmental Policy Act , the federal law that will guide the upcoming review.

The D.C. Circuit heard arguments in the #NoDAPL lawsuit on October 5 , which was an unusual move in and of itself. The temporary order against construction was unprecedented for an Indian law case.

Despite lacking the easement at Lake Oahe, Dakota Access is asking a lower court judge to authorize work at the site. A hearing is anticipated in early February , later than the firm was seeking.

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Being an old city, Delhi has developed a unique ethos. As you travel from one part of the city to another, you will be surprised to see the spectacular changes in the landscape and the cultural variation which it offers. We, therefore, decided to explore the hidden treasures of Delhi and definitely the city is best discovered on foot! There were various places that caught our attention but we zeroed in on Mehrauli, one of the seven cities that formed ancient Delhi.

OPPO

Situated in the southern part of Delhi, Mehrauli is a quaint treasure house of history which is dotted with monuments and historical landmarks of the bygone era. Mehrauli was the capital city of many rulers and was pretty significant during the Slave Dynasty. Most of Mehrauli's historical spots are now in ruins, except for the magnificent Qutub Minar which continues to draw tourists from all over the world even today. While on the other hand, music concerts, designer boutiques, and posh restaurants add a hint of modern charm to this place.

The place is best visited at night when the moon is high in the sky. This is the place to be for a romantic date or some introspective solitary time.

Curious Delhi blogger Ajay took off on a walking trail at sundown to experience Mehrauli in its most surreal form. Ajay was on a major selfie-clicking roll during the escapade and heres what he shares from his travel diary:

#1 The travel to Mehrauli.

OPPO

To reach Mehrauli via metro, you will have to get down at the Qutub Minar station. The station is close to the entrance of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park but if you want to go to the Qutub Minar, simply take a rickshaw to reach Mehrauli in 15-20 minutes.

#2 Enjoying the serenity of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park.

OPPO

This place is home to many old monuments like the Tomb of Balban, Jamali Kamali Mosque, Jamali Kamboh, Rajaon Ki Baoli, Gandhak ki Baoli and Quli Khan's Tomb. If you are in a mood to bask in history or want to relax after a long, tiring day, this is the place for you. One can capture great pictures of the Qutab Minar from this place.

#3 Into the majestic ruins.

OPPO

This complex houses the majestic arches of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in the Qutub Minar complex which is best known for its tower of victory, celebrating the Muslim conquest of India. One should also check out the Ashoka Iron Pillar which is also known as the victory pillar and predates the Qutub Minar. The historic place is surely a photographer's delight.

#4 The tower that looks over Delhi.

OPPO

Standing tall since the 13th century, world-famous minaret Qutub Minar, quietly watches over the whole of present-day Delhi! Take out some time to read the stories engraved on the stones. You will surely be mesmerized.

#5 Getting lost is so much fun.

OPPO

The Bhool Bhulaiya monument in Mehrauli village is right behind the Qutub Minar, next to the Mehrauli bus stand. This octagonal shaped monument is around 5 meters high, and is supposedly a maze where you can actually get lost (and there are records of people getting lost too), hence the name. However, the maze part of the monument is not open to the public. The place is also rumored to be haunted. Some adventure in the night, huh?

#6 Ah! Some bliss to satisfy the soul.

OPPO

OPPO

This place has many designer boutiques and fancy restaurants which provide an outdoor view of the Qutub Minar. The place is best visited after nightfall for an awesome dose of live music and cultural performances. It is indeed a perfect spot for a romantic date or a night out with friends, or even a quiet evening by yourself.

OPPO

Before you finally head to Mehrauli, here's a tip we would like to give you because it proved to be handy for Ajay! Make sure that you take along the Selfie Expert OPPO F1s to capture some gorgeous pictures and selfies, just like Ajay did! Thanks to the 16MP front camera, you can capture crystal clear selfies even in the dark. Cool, isn't it? Plus, it also comes with the latest beautify feature-Beautify 4.0 with various filters and seven beautify levels, two skin tone modes. With all these, the F1s can capture selfies with bright, clear skin, vivid eyes and striking features.

So, make sure you head to Mehrauli on a lazy weekend to experience the unexplored history of this place! Don't forget to capture some amazing selfies for your social media check-ins.

Explore more stories on #SelfieExpert
2016 saw India and Pakistan at loggerheads wherever the two neighbours met each other. Be it the Indian army's surgical strikes in response to the cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, or Indian envoy ripping apart Pakistan's false claims at the UN General Assembly, the tussle made it to the headlines throughout the year.

AFP

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2016 witnessed repeated counter attacks from India's side which left Pakistan isolated. Be it the rhetoric of Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif in his speech at UNGA or Pakistan's permanent representative at UN, Maheela Lodhi's allegations on India, Indian diplomats and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj left no stone unturned to take Pakistan to the cleaners.

Other Indian diplomats including India's permanent representative at UN, Syed Akbarrudin and the first secretary at the Permanent Mission Enaam Gambhir - all made it clear that India would not let Pakistan misuse international fora for its propaganda.

Here are the top four speeches from India in the UNGA

1. Syed Akbaruddin leaving Pakistan gasping

India's Permanent Representative, Syed Akbaruddin's speech at UN indicated towards a paradigm shift in India's policy to deal with Pakistan at the UN. Earlier, India would work on merely 'condemning' state-sponsored terrorism, which was the main source of disturbance in India, particularly in Kashmir.

But by Akbaruddin's speech, India launched a full-frontal attack.

Speaking in reply to Pakistan's attempt to raise Kashmir issue in the UN, Akbarrudin countered Pakistan's charges with strong words. He warned Pakistan that its tactic of gaining international support through the UN would be countered.

PTI

"Regrettably, earlier today we have seen an attempt to misuse the UN platform. The attempt came from Pakistan, a country that covets the territory of others, that uses terrorism as state policy. Pakistan is the same country whose track record has failed to convince the international community to gain membership of the Human Rights Council in this very session of the UNGA. The international community has long seen through such designs. Cynical attempts, like the one this morning, therefore, find no resonance in this forum or elsewhere in the UN," said Akbaruddin.

2) When Sushma Swaraj silenced Pakistan

In reply to Nawaz Sharif's speech in UNGA where he tried to malign India's image. Speaking a few days earlier in UNGA, Pakistan PM Sharif had raised the issue of Kashmir and had accused India of committing human rights violation. During his speech he also called the slain terrorist Burhan Wani as "young leader of Kashmir". In reply to his charges, External Affairs Minister, SUshma Swaraj, highlighted Pakistan's own human-rights violations in Balochinstan  a wholly new dimension in India's stance against Pakistan.

AFP

Sushma tore apart Sharif's allegation and showed that world the real face of Pakistan and its double faced rhetoric. Sushma Swaraj slammed Pakistan for being double headed when it comes to terrorism. On one hand, Pakistan claims to be the biggest victim of terrorism, and on the other, it funds and guards the terror outfits against India.

"There are nations that still speak the language of terrorism, that nurture it and export it. Pakistan's PM used this podium to make baseless allegations about human rights violations in India. Those who live behind glass walls should not throw stones at others. The brutality against the Baloch people represents the worst form of state oppression in Pakistan. Pakistan's PM also said India has placed pre-conditions for talks which are not acceptable to him.

"What pre-conditions? Did we impose any pre-condition before extending an invitation for the oath-taking ceremony? PM Modi touched down in Lahore before returning home from Afghanistan! And what did we get in return? Pathankot, Bahadur Ali, and Uri. Bahadur Ali is a terrorist in our custody, whose confession is a living proof of Pakistan's complicity in cross-border terror. Pakistan persists in the belief that such attacks will enable it to obtain the territory it covets. My firm advice to Pakistan is to abandon the Kashmir dream. J&K is an integral part of India and will always remain so" said Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs minister.

When young Enaam Gambhir taught Pakistan a lesson

While answering Maheeha Lodhi, Pakistan's representative at UN who tried to sabotage India credibility at UN by accusing India of violation of human rights. India's young diplomat Enaam Gambhir exposed Pakistan's claims and let the world know who was right.

AFP

"What my country and our other neighbours are facing today is Pakistan's long-standing policy of sponsoring terrorism, the consequences of which have spread well beyond our region. The land of Taxila, one of the greatest learning centres of ancient times, is now host to the Ivy League of terrorism. It attracts aspirants and apprentices from all over the world.

What we see in Pakistan is a terrorist state which channelises billions of dollars, much of it diverted from international aid, to training, financing and supporting terrorist groups. Terrorist entities and their leaders, including many designated by the UN, continue to roam its streets freely and operate with state support. Even today we have heard support by the Prime Minister of Pakistan for a self-acknowledged commander [Burhan Wani] of a known terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen," Enaam Gambhir, India's First Secretary at the Permanent Mission to the UN.

4) When Akbaruddin again highlighted Pakistan's territorial greed

Akbaruddin not only highlighted Pakistan's territorial greed but also indicated to the UN how Pakistan tries to shift its focus away from terrorism even when it has no concrete support in that forum.

AFP

"We look away [on terrorism] as some amongst us [Pakistan] stall our collective efforts, as they use terrorists as proxies in their territorial quests. Just less than 10 days ago the General Assembly debate witnessed a singular lack of support for Pakistan's baseless claims. Need one say more? Abandon your futile quest. J&K is an integral part of India and will remain so. No amount of misuse of international fora by Pakistan will change that reality. he sell-by-date of Pakistan's anachronistic approach is over," said Syed Akbaruddin, India's permanent representative at the UN
Whether it was in 2013 when the Indian Army needed to look for survivors in submerged areas of Uttarakhand or more recently in 2016, when the Army commandos wanted essential intelligence on the positions of the Lakshar-e-Taiba militants holed up in a government building in Pampore, it was ideaForge's UAVs which acted as the Indian commandos' eyes.

BCCL

Developing drones for the Indian defence establishments and other government organisations is what ideaForge has been doing since 2008 - the year when India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) spotted the talented team of the three founders rubbing shoulders with the students of MIT USA.

"We had just tied up for the first place in the MAV 2008 competition (held by the Indian Army and the Department of Defense, USA) with MIT USA in a hovering competition. This opened the eyes of the DRDO to the fact that there is a team in India that can develop technology from first principles and actually make it work. They started approaching us to deliver a lot of products for them. Till then we were just making avionics for UAVs," shares Ankit Mehta, Cofounder and CEO of ideaForge Technology.

In 2009, the startup came out with the world's smallest and lightest autopilot UAV (only 10gm) and then soon after that developed the country's first fully autonomous vertical take-off and landing UAV. The team has not looked back since then. While refusing to divulge its revenue figures, Mehta says the company has gained sufficient market strength based on that initial traction.

AFP

Currently, the company has developed two categories of UAVs - NETRA, VTOL UAV and SKYBOX Fixed-Wing - and delivers this technology specifically to India's defence organisations and other government bodies.

"Serving government contracts evolved naturally for us. After the success of NETRA; a product we developed with DRDO, ideaForge Technology and the NETRA family of UAVs have become synonymous with the defence and the government sector," says Mehta.

The company also provides training for its use, but the products are easy-to-use. Mehta assures that there are middle school educated jawans operating the platforms with minimal training.

The drones are used by the organisations for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance of moving and fixed targets. There are many missions wherein ideaForge's drones have played a primary role including Pathankot attack (2016), the 2014 Beas River tragedy and recently to close the 44-day hunt for a man-eater tigress in Uttarakhand. "Many," says Mehta "are classified and cannot be divulged."

AFP

For the three founders, it was in 2004 when they had their first brush with drones after they built their first Quad-Rotor - a multi-rotor helicopter lifted and propelled by four rotors.

"That was the genesis of our story, the story of getting into developing UAVs. We felt like there is nothing else we would rather do, nothing else that will give us the same kind of satisfaction. It was almost like an obligation we felt towards what we have already achieved independently. We were also very fortunate in finding a team in college itself with common interests and passion," says Mehta.

The team has built a healthy reputation for itself and a pipeline of orders from government organisations that gives it the freedom to not engage the private sector - something which would bring its own set of tangles given the tight regulations in India regarding selling drone technology for private use.

"There are certain regulations in place, but they do not cover the entire spectrum of UAV usage. For example, the temporary regulations prevent the import of drones into the country without prior permission from the government. Additionally, civilian usage of drones is prohibited by law and is punishable. So while these rules have definitely impacted the Industry, our company has been less affected by them, mainly due to the fact that we cater to the armed forces," says Mehta.

The plan for the future is to further consolidate ideaForge's position in the Armed Forces market and become the lead provider of industrial and agricultural UAV solutions which, Mehta says, will also lead the company towards underserved international markets.
MGM School in Maharashtra's Nerul is living through a storm after parents alleged that the management continued to employ a teacher accused 18 times of sexually assaulting students. The outraged parents protested vehemently outside the institute.

The school roused from its criminal apathy only after a first information report was lodged, but even the police investigation was declared insufficient by court on December 7. The accused, Harishankar Shukla, is on the loose.

Wikipedia

Parents have alleged that as many as 18 cases had been reported to the school about the teacher, but action followed only after parents of a 13-year-old girl, impregnated after Shukla allegedly assaulted her many times over five months, lodged an FIR on September 29. The family also approached Bombay High Court, which ordered the zonal deputy police commissioner to submit a report.

On Tuesday, the school premises in sector 8 resembled a riot scene as some 15 policemen tried to keep the remonstrating parents  joined by residents of the neighbourhood, political workers and activists numbering over 100  on the other side of a cordon. We need to protest against this misdeed now, said Hariom Potdar, a resident of the area.

Twitter

In September, a 13-year-old from Std VII of the school was found to be four-weeks pregnant after she was hospitalised with bouts of nausea. She told us her teacher, Shukla, had raped her many times between April and August, her father, who works in Pune, said. The first assault took place when all her classmates had stepped out for a PT workshop but she had to stay back as she was unwell. Thats when Shukla allegedly raped her.

He allegedly continued assailing her till August, after which the family found out and complained to the school before filing an FIR. But by the time the late-rising cops got to Shuklas Koparkhairne house, he had already fled. His place is under lock.
People in Latin American country Venezuela are battling for their survival during the current economic crisis, which has brought the economy on verge of collapse. The situation in Venezuela is so severe that women are selling their hair to make their ends meet. According to observers.france24.com, for the past three months, hundreds of Venezuelan women have been lining up at the border to sell their hair illegally in neighbouring Colombia.

Cucuta online

Most of these women use the pesos they earn to buy necessities like food and medicine. It has been almost a year since Venezuelans have been living in dire financial crisis as their country's economy is getting from bad to worse each day.

People can be seen scavenging food from trash cans and many can be seen lined up hours hours in front of store to buy things.

The new illegal trade of selling hair has sprung up in the border state of Tachira since September. Every day, hundreds of Venezuelan women cross the border into Colombia to sacrifice their hair for a little money.

France 24's observer, Nestor Solano is the general coordinator for the movement Voluntario Tachirense por el Cambio [Tachira volunteers for change], a group that unites local activists opposed to Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

Solano broke the development of the illegal cross-border hair trade to the attention of local media.

Cucuta Online

"I often travel between the two countries and, for the past three months, Ive noticed a huge increase in the illegal hair trade. Every day, women arrive by bus -- some of them from other states in Venezuela -- and cross the border into Colombia. There, they get their hair cut by one of the many hairdressers whove set up shop on the sidewalks or in parks. The hairdressers also estimate how much the hair is worth, which depends on its length, its volume and if the hair is natural or has been dyed," Somano was quoted in observers.france24.com.

After getting their hair cut, women sell them for up to 70,000 Colombian pesos (about 20 euros) which is more than a months salary at minimum wage in Venezuela. The smugglers who buy the hair then sell it to wig-making businesses in the centre of the country.

AFP

Hawkers can be seen roaming in the streets and crying out We buy hair! There is a huge concentration of them in the Colombian border town Cucuta. The money women get after selling their hair get spents for basic needs such as food.
On a visit to Saudi Arabia, Germany's Defense Minister refused to wear a hijab. However, she said that: "of course [she] respect[s] the customs and traditions of the country"conservative German newspaper Bild reported.

"No woman in my delegation will be required to wear the abaya, as the [right] to choose one's attire is a right shared by men and women equally," she added.

'The right to choose your own clothing is a right shared by men and women alike. It annoys me, when women women are to be pushed into the Abaya', she added.

She was in Riyadh to meet Mohammad bin Salman al Saud, the Deputy Crown Prince. On the agnda was Germany's support to train Saudi officers who will live and study in the EU in 2017.

The Prince wore traditional Saudi attire, and Leyen wore a dark blue suit. Arabic media noted her wardrobe, earning her condemnation from some Saudis on Twitter.

Last year, American First Lady Michelle Obama also refused to wear a hijab on a Saudi visit with her husband. Recently, Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel called to ban the burqa, statign that 'full veil is not appropriate' in Germany. Merkel laid out her case for a fourth term as German chancellor, seeking to energise her conservatives with a call to ban full-face Muslim veils and the promise of a tougher stance on immigration after a record influx of refugees.a

Trouble For Immigrants Mounts In Germany As Chancellor Angela Merkel Tightens Noose, Calls For Burqa Ban
Residents of Aleppo have been posting final messages on Twitter, fearing that the Bashar Assad Forces will capture their city and death is just waiting for them around the corner. While the situation is perverse for everyone living in the country, women, however, have the worse end of the bargain.

It has been reported that women in Aleppo are committing suicide in order to avoid rape.

Representative image/Reuters

A Syrian nurse living in Aleppo published a letter stating that she intends to commit suicide to avoid being raped when her city falls. She added that she does not care what the ramifications of her suicide will mean because its forbidden in Islam.

The women, not named, wrote, I am committing suicide for no reason other than not wanting several members of the Assad regime to savour raping me, while just yesterday they were afraid to say the word 'Aleppo'.

Representative image/Reuters

She begins the letter by addressing Muslim scholars and opposition leaders and explains why she will choose suicide over rape, even though that means going against her religion.

I am committing suicide..and I don't care if you say I am in hellfire!"

I will conclude by saying that your fatwas (verdicts) have become meaningless to me, so save it for yourself and your family..

The letter, it must be noted, has not been verified completely for legitimacy yet. It was published on Jaboubia, a Shia Lebanese website, which wrote that the nurse committed suicide after she witnessed two other colleagues being raped in front of her.

The full letter reads as follows:
Kim Jong Un can afford to be drunk on the world's finest alcohols. He can also afford to be drunk on power - ridiculously drunk, that is.

The North Korean dictator summoned NK military leaders to his summer villa. Under the influence of some potent booze, he scolded the army top brass so firmly, they started crying out of fear that they would be deported, or worse, executed.

Reuters

Kim is known to be trigger-happy, having had his own defense minister publicly executed by bombing him with an anti-aircraft gun in May last year.

Also read: North Korea Executes Kim Jong-un's 'Traitor' Uncle

He then ordered them to confess their failures in writing.

"None of you were able to produce not even one military satellite is a misconduct that is commensurate to treason," said the North Korean leader. The next morning. he didn't remember a thing. They were still around him, terrified, possibly.

"Why are you gathered here?" Mr. Kim allegedly said, before adding: "Be careful about your health because you are all old,"

Also read: The USA Blacklists North Korea's Kim Jong Un For Violating Human Rights And Torturing His People

SHOCKING: Kim Jong-un Made Starving Dogs Eat Naked Uncle Alive In Cage
En-route Lala Musa on a 70 km rail journey, two Pakistan Railways drivers stopped their train - to eat pakoras.

Both the drivers, Abdul Majid and his assistant Muhammad Saqib may soon be suspended after Minister Pakistan Railways Saad Rafique and PR CEO Javed Anwar Bobak acted against the 'hungry employees.'

They will face inquiry now.

According to a Pakistan Railways press release, they pulled up their locomotive after spotting pakora and nan being cooked at a small dhaba. The incident could have caused a collision with any other scheduled trains on the track.
The waves of Mediterranean sea not only brought the body of 3-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi to the shores of Turkey, they also brought along a message grief and helplessness from the streets of neighboring Syria. People mourned Aylan's death, shared photos of his body lying by the sea, shed a few tears for a couple of days and then probably forgot everything. Disaster does not befall as singularity of misfortune. It counts no numbers; it hits the most and haunts the rest.

A few months later, once again, the world came together after the picture of Syrian boy, Omar Daqneesh, covered in blood and dust and sitting stunned in an ambulance chair. But once again, people moved on, after shedding a few desolate tears.

aleppo

Human history has witnessed and recorded numerous innocent deaths, where many of the deceased are young kids. In the 'modern world', where concepts like all-encompassing 'Human Rights' are bought and sold as the mark of civilisation, children still fall prey to the monstrous war games played by the regimes across the world. To put it simply, theyre robbed of their innocence and childhood  they are robbed off the opportunity to foster and experience life.

For large blocks of the world, 2016 has been far from the sun shining, flowers blooming, moon beaming and children frolicking in the playground. December marks the 70th anniversary of UNICEF, an organisation mandated to protect childrens rights, and according to its latest figures, an estimated number of 535 million children  or one in four worldwide  are living in regions affected by conflict or disaster.

The UN estimates that nearly half of the 65 million people displaced worldwide are children.

Omar

Sitting across the world from Syria to Afghanistan, Yemen to Sudan, where children are dying every day, you probably feel a menagerie of emotions from helpless to frustrated to hopeless and wonder, But what can I possibly do? And you give up not because you do not want to help, but because you dont know how.

However, when governments are seemingly against their own people, then people no matter how close or far must join hands to save lives. Children around the globe are suffering, they are dying and you can help. Heres how:

1. Syria

Reuters

The Syrian civil war, which is in its sixth year now, is one that everyone worldwide knows about, may be because its led to the second biggest refugee crisis the world has ever seen. In fact, so bloody the war has become that residents of Aleppo have been posting final messages of goodbye fearing that death will be theirs any moment now.

According to I Am Syria, 50,000 children have died so far in the Middle Eastern country. Some kids, including Bana, the 7-year-old girl, whos been tweeting from Aleppo about her experiences of living through a war, is still alive, but living dangerously. You can help the plight of Syrians living in the country by supporting a homegrown search and rescue force, The White Helmets.

It is led by Raed Al-Saleh operates in parts of rebel-controlled Syria, including Aleppo, which fell to Assad forces yesterday. Till date they have saved around 22,000 Syrians caught in the crossfire, as well as raising funds for children and families suffering from injuries.

Another one of the few organisations directly providing help on the ground, including food, water, shelter, clothing and medical assistance is Hand in Hand for Syria that helps people to stay in the country rather than just fleeing. They accept donations via their page on JustGiving.com.

2. Afghanistan

Reuters

Afghanistan has been engaged in one or the other sort of war for almost four decades now. First, the Soviet invasion destroyed parts of the country, then infighting between the warlords and finally the US's so called 'War on Terror' following the September 11, 2001, attacks. Here kids were either dragged into conflicts or were left dead due to it. Some, however, were able to find refuge in peaceful areas.

One of the regional directors of UNICEF, Daniel Toole, said, Afghanistan today is without a doubt the most dangerous places to be born.

In 2015, the war in the country became the worlds longest running armed conflict and the number of civilian casualties and displacement not only increased but are still continuing. One in four civilian casualties in Afghanistan that year were children. Aschiana is a social organisation in the war-torn country that strives to provide a safe haven for children to learn basic and vocational skills, as well as nourish and keep them off the streets.

You can help a child living in Afghanistan in many ways through this organisation by either sponsoring a child or through donations.

3. Yemen

Reuters

A conflict, as harrowing as the Syrian civil war, has been ensuing in Yemen for 20 months now with close to daily air strikes by Saudi air force, which has killed at least 10,000 people according to UN estimates. UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Jamie McGoldrick, called the situation in Yemen tragic. Not only are people dying from bombs and strikes, but they are also dying from severe malnutrition.

Nearly a third of deaths caused by the Yemeni civil war have been of children with an estimated number of 3,000 deaths of children alone. With so many children and women at the risk of suffering from malnutrition - in March 2016, UNICEF said 320,000 children in Yemen were at the risk of life-threatening malnutrition  you can help by donating to the World Food Program, which delivers food to malnourished children, pregnant women and nursing mothers; provides emergency food assistance and helps humanitarian aid by transporting fuel into the country.

4. Kashmir

Reuters

In two decades of the Kashmir conflict, 40,000 people have died. In the most recent conflict, where Indian forces were condemned for using pellet guns, almost 100 people lost their lives including women and children. Education was disrupted as schools were targeted and infrastructure was damaged allegedly by the terror groups. Amidst this chaos, the Haji Public School continues to provide education no matter the political environment. Due to a lack of funds and support from the government, however, disrupts the schools functioning so support from the public, in the form of funds and volunteering, is always welcome. Kashmiri children are the future not only for the state, but of the conflict as well, if they are educated and allowed to live in a peaceful environment, they can be an asset for the country.

5. Iraq

Reuters

Since the collapse of Iraqs state in 2003, the country, which has suffered more terrorist attacks than any other state in the world, has only slipped further into misery and despondency. Since January 2014 Iraqi civilians have become victims of violence from the Islamic State (IS), the Iraqi government army and militias, and coalition bombing. According to statistics from the Iraqi government, around 4.5 million children have lost one or both parents, that is almost 1 in 3, and approximately 600,000 children are living on the streets.

Also, at an age where children are supposed to go to school and play with mud, in Iraq 15 per cent of children under the age of 14 now working. Keep a child off the streets in Iraq by donating to the International Rescue Committee that has been responding to humanitarian crisis around in the world for more than 80 years. In Iraq, the organisation provides internally displaced children and residents with shelter, water and hygiene resources as well as providing them with education and legal services.

6. Palestine

Reuters

The Israel-Palestine conflict in 2014 impacted children the most  more than 500 killed, 3,374 were injured, almost a third of whom are now suffering from a permanent disability, and more than 1,500 were left orphaned. Of course, these numbers are not counting the hundreds and thousands others who were left in trauma. The Israeli attack also severely damaged the already fragile Palestinian infrastructure  during the 51 day conflict, 258 schools were damaged, which means that hundreds of kids were forced to abandon schooling. Defense for Children International Palestine, established in 1991, supports and advocates for children in Palestine by providing services, from access to basic rights to legal rights, to children in urgent need. You can help them in their task to promote and protect childrens rights in accordance with international standards through donations.

7. South Sudan

Reuters

The East-Central African country has been suffering from a violent conflict for almost three years now that has killed tens of thousands and driven more than 2.2 million people from their homes. Almost half of the 1.6 million displaced people in the country are children. Also, more than 13,000 children are either missing or have been separated from their families. To add to injury, half of the countrys children are out-of-school, making it the highest proportion of out-of-school children in the world. Another 25,000 children are suffering from severe malnutrition.

Children in south Sudan are missing out on the innocence of life just by the sheer coincidence of being born in that country. You can help just by sponsoring a life through SOS Childrens Village that will give her/him access to basic rights of life such as food, clothing, shelter and education.

8. Mali

Reuters

The West African country has been wracked with violence since 2012 after a military coup to overthrow then President, which has caused the displacement of 75,000 people in a country of 15 million. Like other conflicts, this one too has affected children. Four years later, more than 380,000 children between the ages 7-15 are still out of school, according to UNICEF. One in six schools is in conflict-hit areas in the northern part of the country and almost 300 schools are closed because of infrastructure damage.

There isnt much awareness about this conflict so the easiest thing you can do to help is first not only read up on the conflict but also spread the message. Malnutrition is the second leading cause of death of children under the age of five in the country so you can save ones life by donating to Action Against Hunger, which works towards saving children from dying of severe hunger.

9. Somalia

Reuters

One of the ten poorest countries in the world, 43% of Somalias population lives in extreme poverty and more than 300,000 children under the age of five are malnourished, and another 1.7 million children are out of school. The country has been battling with conflict for more than 20 years now, which, apart from separating people from a normal life, has destroyed infrastructure, economy and institutions.

Action Against Hunger also works towards saving lives in Somalia, which is suffering from a chronic food shortage. Apart from spreading awareness about the plight of Somalias children and people, you can also donate on their website.

10. Mexico

Reuters

A different kind of war is taking place in this Central American country and its one that involves drugs and arms. Last year, 43 Mexican students from Guerrero disappeared and it was later found out they were all killed. However, Mexicos drug war has affected its children on a deeper level than perhaps death would  children know more about the history of drug commerce than the actual history of Mexico, Mr. Quezada told Al Jazeera. Mexicos children need more than just monetary assistance. You can help the countrys children by spreading awareness on the consequences of drug abuse. The internet is as good a place as any to not only show that you care for them, but also want them to prosper.

They say, people hate more strongly than love. If we want a world that is more united and peaceful, then we must lend a strong hand to those drowning in deep waters and especially children because without them, our future is not only bleak but it is also lacking beautiful innocence.
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MSM Create #Fakenews Storm As Rebel Aleppo Vanishes

By Moon Of Alabama

December 14, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Moon Of Alabama " - I have not ever experienced a #fakenews onslaught as today. Every mainstream media and agency seems to have lost all inhibitions and is reporting any rumor claim regarding the liberation of east-Aleppo as fact.

Consider this BBC headline and opener:

Aleppo battle: UN says 82 civilians shot on the spot

Syrian pro-government forces have been entering homes in eastern Aleppo and killing those inside, including women and children, the UN says. The UN's human rights office said it had reliable evidence that in four areas 82 civilians were shot on sight.

1. A UN human rights office does not exists. What the BBC means is the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR). That commissioner is the Jordanian Prince Zeid Raad Al Hussein, a Hashemite educated in the UK and U.S. and a relative of the Jordanian dictator king. That is relevant to note as Jordan is heavily involved in the supporting the "rebels" against the Syrian government.

2. The office has not "said" that "82 civilians were shot" or other such gruesome stuff. It said that there were "sources" that have "reports" that such happened. From its press statement today:

Multiple sources have reports that tens of civilians were shot dead yesterday in al-Ahrar Square in al-Kallaseh neighbourhood, and also in Bustan al-Qasr, by Government forces and their allies, including allegedly the Iraqi al-Nujabaa armed group.

The OHCHR claiming that "multiple sources have reports" of XYZ, without revealing neither the "sources" nor the provenance of the alleged "reports" of XYZ, certainly does not translate into "The UN said XYZ happened."

I find it irresponsible that the OHCHR even mentions such unverified stuff in its press conferences. But it is even more irresponsible that the BBC then uses a "UN says ..." headline and intro about such rumors especially without any further qualification in the rest of its "reporting".

There is also this recent report that cats were killed in Aleppo.

#BREAKING - Activists: All residents and guests of last cat shelter in Aleppo killed in Hezbollah gas attack.

The spokesman of the OHCHR has been notified of the above report. We are now awaiting the BBC headline: "UN says Hezbollah gassed last cats in Aleppo".

The BBC is not the only #fakenews outlet in this. Indeed it seems that news agencies seek "safety in the pack" by all reporting the same nonsense through each and every channel.

Again - the UN only says that it knows of such reports. It does not verify or vouches for these. Still the usual "humanitarian" influence operations, like Amnesty International, then join in on the "UN Says ..." falsehoods. Thousands of news outlets and websites copy from the fake agency reports and "humanitarian" outlets and try to sensationalize their take even further. Its a total disinformation mess.

But there are also the wonders of Aleppo.

Cont. reading: MSM Create #Fakenews Storm As Rebel Aleppo Vanishes

December 12, 2016

#Fakenews Alert: "China Flies Nuclear Bomber In Response To Trump's Call ..."

A few recent headlines of #fakenews:

The above is #fakenews because China does not currently deploy any airlaunched nuclear weapons. It is not known or thought to have nuclear bombs. All its estimated 260 nuclear warheads (the U.S. and Russia each have more than 7,000) are presumably for its land and sea based missiles.

China is believed to work on a short- to medium-range, airlaunched cruise missiles that potentially could be nuclear armed. So far the U.S. Air Force does not believe that any of these are deployed and does not list them as part of a potential enemy force.

The relevant regular paper for such facts is Chinese nuclear forces, 2016 (pdf) by Hans M. Kristensen and Robert S. Norris published by the Bulletin of Nuclear Scientists:

[T]he 2016 Pentagon report includes for the first time a discussion of a potential nuclear role for Chinas bombers. It says the PLA air force was assigned a strategic deterrence mission in 2012, although that could also reflect the introduction of conventional land-attack cruise missiles on the modified H-6K bomber. But the Pentagon report states that Chinese media reports and writings "suggest China might eventually develop a nuclear bomber capability. [...] (US Defense Department 2016, 38).

[,..]

We do not believe that China's bombers currently have an active nuclear mission.

For historic and deeper background of the non-existence of operational Chinese airlaunched nukes see this tweet stream by ArmsControlWonk Jeffrey Lewis.

China may fly some medium range Hongzha-6 bombers around its nearby ocean. These birds are an updated version of a Russian type developed in the late 1950s(!). Flying is what military pilots do to train. But those bombers are not likely to have anything to do with nuclear whatever. What does "nuclear capable" bomber actually mean when one has nothing "nuclear" to put on those bombers? Are we to believe that the U.S. will provide the nukes for these?

According to Fox News and NBC, China flew such bomber on November 25 (Dec 5, 6 reps above), well BEFORE the Trump phone call. It also flew the bombers AFTER (Dec 9 rep) the Trump's phone call with the Taiwanese government. Indeed it regularly flies these bombers. The sightseeing flight had thereby nothing at all to do with any Trump call. Correlating the call with those flights is bogus spin.

The headlines above are all nonsense. There is nothing "nuclear" and the flights of outdated bombers have nothing to do with any Trump call to wherever. They are #fakenews just as most of the other news we get is:

News is fake. The higher the stakes for the ruling classes, the more you can be certain the mainstream news about it will be as fake as fuck and conversely, reports deemed fake by those same fakers should be duly considered on their merits. Propaganda war? MSM paints grim picture of Aleppo as residents celebrate their liberation While residents of Aleppo are celebrating the liberation of their city, the mainstream media has been painting the opposite picture with sensational headlines decrying alleged atrocities and a meltdown of humanity they claim is happening there.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has said that among short-term risks for financial stability is the probable non-observation of the capitalization program by some large banks after stress tests.

"If the risks were seen, it would require urgent coordinated steps by the NBU and the government. Solving the problems of capital shortage at large banks is required to provide for stability of the financial sector in the long-term outlook," the central bank said in a second report on financial stability published on Tuesday.

The likelihood of escalation of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, the low pace of structural reforms in Ukraine, the slow in growth of economies of Ukraine's trade partners and a delay in cooperation with international financial institutions (IFIs), first of all with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) remain the key risks for medium-term outlook.

As for the risk of escalation of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine the NBU also pointed out the loss of the position in the conflict in Donbas due to the arrival of politicians who support lifting sanctions from Russia to power.

The NBU said that cooperation with the IMF is a crucially important precondition for Ukraine's financial stability. The full implementation of the IMF program must be the key task for all branches of power.
Operation Condor Files Show CIA Terror, Torture in Argentina By Telesur December 14, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " teleSur " - The administration of Barack Obama released Monday a CIA report on Operation Condor, the 1970s covert efforts to rid U.S.-backed dictatorships of progressive opponents or to topple progressive governments outright in South America. According to a press release announcing the documents, the National Security Archive  an independent non-governmental research institute and library in Washington, D.C.  said the CIA disclosures are among 500 pages on repression in Argentina during the military dictatorship in that country beginning in 1976. According to the archive, Another proposal under study included the collection of material on the membership, location, and political activities of human rights groups in order to identify and expose their socialist and Marxist connections. Similar data reportedly are to be collected on church and third-world groups, the documents state. Amnesty International was one of the groups named in the documents. One of the documents highlighted by the archive was a National Security Council summary of the torture of Argentinas Alfredo Bravo, president of the Permanent Assembly for Human Rights. President Jimmy Carters National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski received the report from his top aide for Latin America, Robert Pastor, detailing the torture by the military of Bravo. In the 1978 document, Pastor recounted that Bravo was subjected to a bucket treatment where his feet were held in a bucket of ice water until thoroughly chilled and then shoved into a bucket of boiling water. He also admitted that Bravo had been given electric shock treatments and subjected to the submarine  repeatedly being held under water until almost drowned. According to the archive, Brzezinski reportedly hand-wrote on the documents margin: a compelling, powerful report. The State Departments Bureau of Intelligence and Research reported that six Southern Cone nations which were participants in a counterterrorist network codenamed Condor have agreed to undertake the liquidation of Latin American targets living in France, noted the archive in its statement. Dispatching teams to London was also under consideration. The first round of declassified documents was released in August 2016, followed by todays drop by the Department of National Intelligence on their website. According to the archive, more files will be released as they are declassified even after Obama leaves office. Carlos Osorio, director of the Southern Cone documentation project at the National Security Archive said, With the release of this revealing documentation, President Obama has advanced the cause of human rights in Argentina and elsewhere. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
The Conspiracy to Shut Down Truth, Donald Trump, and The American People By Paul Craig Roberts December 14, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - There is circumstantial evidence that the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the rest of the presstitute media are part of a conspiracy with the oligarchs, the military/security complex, the Hillary Democrats, and neoconized Republicans to shut down the dissident Internet alternative media and to deny Donald Trump the presidency. Consider the brand new website PropOrNot and its fake news list of 200 Internet Russian agents. PropOrNot is a website hidden behind multiple screens as would be an offshore tax avoidance scheme. In other words, no known, responsible entity is behind the site, which has libeled 200 other websites, or if it is, it is too ashamed of what it is doing to be associated with it publicly. Consider the expertise and money required to shield the identity of an organization, whether tax avoidance or website. This is not something that just anyone can do. This type of Klingon cloaking requires real money or the CIA. As long as it pretends to be a newspaper, the Washington Post is subject to journalistic ethics. But the PropOrNot story by Craig Timberg violated journalistic ethics. Unsupported accusations were leveled against 200 websites, a McCarthyism record. How did a story, which would have been instantly quashed by editors in my day as a Wall Street Journal editor get past Timbergs editor? That is the question. Here we have the Post committing libel against 200 websites, all of whom can sue for damages. There go Bezos billions. Would a Washington Post editor of any intelligence have published such a libel-inviting story unless the owner, Bezos, gave the OK or the order? How can the Washington Post feel secure in an act of libel? Is it because Bezos is protected by his reported membership on a US government committee, along with the Google CEO, that is believed to conspire against the privacy of the American people? PropOrNot would have amounted to nothing except for the Washington Post. Craig Timbergs story was written as if PropOrNot was the real goods. Yet, Timberg does not reveal who is behind PropOrNot. Add to this picture the hyping by the Washington Post, New York Times, and TV presstitutes of the unattributed CIA charge that Russia hacked the Hillary emails and used them to elect Trump with the help of Russian agent websites. This fake news charge is challenged by Wikileaks and by a number of experts who asked why unattributed allegations are accepted in the place of evidence, and the charge is not supported by the FBI. How do we know that the alleged unattributed CIA charges are actually made by the CIA or whether there is consensus within the agency? How can the presstitutes, such as the NYT and Washington Post give us all these claims without a shred of evidence or any attribution to the CIA officials allegedly reporting the story? What kind of journalism is this? The conspiracy against truth and against president-elect Trump is real. The oligarchs and their presstitutes, rogue elements of the CIA and the neocon establishment hope to drag alternative media before McCarthyite congressional hearings run by the American hegemonists who want power over the world. Whatever you think of Trump, clearly the oligarchs who rule us fear him. The oligarchs are trying to keep Trump out of the presidency, and they are trying to associate truthful reporting with foreign influence. Who wins this war determines the fate of America. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order . The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
Street Celebrations in Aleppo As Syrian Army Liberate City

Video



Aleppo streets have erupted in celebrations with people waving flags and shooting in the air as reports said the Syrian Army has taken control of the last militant-held areas in eastern part of the city, RTs Lizzie Phelan reports from the ground.



While an official statement on the situation is yet to emerge from Damascus, a source close to Syrian Army headquarters told RIA Novosti that the army is on the brink of liberating the city.

Posted December 14, 2016





Propaganda war? MSM paints grim picture of Aleppo as residents celebrate their liberation

While residents of Aleppo are celebrating the liberation of their city, the mainstream media has been painting the opposite picture with sensational headlines decrying alleged atrocities and a meltdown of humanity they claim is happening there.
Former Texas Governor To Be Trumps Energy Secretary By Patrick Martin December 14, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " WSWS " - In nominating former Texas Governor Rick Perry as secretary of energy, President-elect Donald Trump is continuing the pattern of selecting enemies of consumer protection and regulation of business to run the federal agencies charged with these responsibilities. Perry is on record as a supporter of the complete elimination of the Department of Energy. It was the third of three federal departments he called for abolishing during a Republican presidential debate in 2011, the one whose name he forgot, leading to the widely ridiculed Oops moment that helped torpedo his campaign for the 2012 nomination. The Department of Energy has two major functions: regulatory oversight of energy industries, including fossil fuel, wind, solar and nuclear; and production, storage and replenishment of the US nuclear weapons stockpile. The latter function, including massive cleanup costs involved in disposing of nuclear waste, accounts for two-thirds of the departments budget. When Perry and other right-wing Republicans and think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation call for the abolition of the Department of Energy, they have in mind its regulatory functions and programs for promoting non-fossil-fuel energy sources such as wind and solar, not its nuclear weapons operations, which would be transferred to the Pentagon. The direction that Trump intends for the Department of Energy was indicated by a questionnaire sent by Trumps transition team to the agency, which sought, among other things, a list of all Department of Energy employees or contractors who have attended certain meetings related to climate change. Energy Department officials declined to provide such a list, but the request led to widespread complaints from workers in the agency that the incoming administration was preparing a witch-hunt against those who upheld the scientific case for the dangers of global warming. Perrys signing on with the government of Donald Trump is a remarkable act of political cynicism on both sides. During the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, Perry made some of the most scathing comments as Trump began to emerge as the frontrunner. Perry described Trump as a cancer on conservatism whose campaign was a toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and nonsense that will lead the Republican Party to perdition if pursued. Now this cancerous demagogue has offered Perry a position of considerable power, commanding a department with 100,000 employees and contractors and a $30 billion budget, with influence over policies critical to the business interests Perry has long represented politically, and Perry has leapt at the chance. As the governor for 14 years of the state with the highest oil and gas production, Perry has the closest ties to the industry, invariably taking its side on issues such as antipollution regulation, legally required cleanup efforts and workers safety. After the BP oil spill polluted much of the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the worst environmental disaster in US history, the Texas governor alibied for the giant corporation even as tar balls were washing up on Texas beaches. He called the explosion on the Deep Horizon oil platform an act of God. BP was also responsible for one of the worst industrial disasters on land, which occurred during Perrys governorship. This was the May 2005 Texas City refinery explosion, which killed 15 workers and injured 170 others. After leaving office, Perry immediately signed on as a shill for the oil and gas industry. He is currently on the board of directors of Energy Transfer Partners, the company that is building the Dakota Access Pipeline, the target of mass protests by Native Americans and environmentalists near the Standing Rock Reservation. Perry is an adamant opponent of climate science, going even beyond Trump. While the president-elect has alternately denounced climate change as a hoax perpetrated by China and declared that he has an open mind on the subject, the former Texas governor has claimed that climate change is a scam by a substantial number of scientists who have manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling into their projects. As energy secretary, Perry will be in charge of major nuclear weapons facilities, including Hanford, Washington; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Savannah, Georgia. At all of these facilities there are pressing issues of worker safety and the safety of the populations living near the sites. One of the most important issues for the next energy secretary will be the ongoing preparations for a permanent storage site for nuclear waste generated by the military and the civilian nuclear power industry. The facility is to be built at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Its completion was long blocked by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Copyright  1998-2016 World Socialist Web Site The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
President al-Assad: Mainstream Media are Suffering From Moral Decay By President al-Assad - Video and Transcript Posted December 14, 2016 President Assad: Youre most welcome in Damascus. Question 1: We start with Aleppo, of course. Aleppo is now seeing what is perhaps the most fierce fighting since the war started almost six years ago here in Syria, but the Western politicians and Western media have been largely negative about your armys advance. Why you think this is happening? Do they take it as their own defeat? President Assad: Actually, after they failed in Damascus, because the whole narrative was about liberating Damascus from the state during the first three years. When they failed, they moved to Homs, when they failed in Homs, they moved to Aleppo, they focused on Aleppo during the last three years, and for them this is the last most important card they could have played on the Syrian battlefield. Of course, they still have terrorists in different areas in Syria, but its not like talking about Aleppo as the second largest city which has the political, military, economic, and even moral sense when their terrorists are defeated. So, for them the defeat of the terrorists is the defeating of their proxies, to talk bluntly. These are their proxies, and for them the defeat of these terrorists is the defeat of the countries that supervised them, whether regional countries or Western countries like United States, first of all United States, and France, and UK. Question 2: So, you think they take it as their own defeat, right? President Assad: Exactly, thats what I mean. The defeat of the terrorists, this is their own defeat because these are their real army on the ground. They didnt interfere in Syria, or intervened, directly; they have intervened through these proxies. So, thats how we have to look at it if we want to be realistic, regardless of their statements, of course. Question 3: Palmyra is another troubled region now, and its now taken by ISIS or ISIL, but we dont hear a lot of condemnation about it. Is that because of the same reason? President Assad: Exactly, because if it was captured by the government, they will be worried about the heritage. If we liberate Aleppo from the terrorists, they would be  I mean, the Western officials and the mainstream media  theyre going to be worried about the civilians. Theyre not worried when the opposite happens, when the terrorists are killing those civilians or attacking Palmyra and started destroying the human heritage, not only the Syrian heritage. Exactly, you are right, because ISIS, if you look at the timing of the attack, its related to whats happening in Aleppo. This is the response to whats happening in Aleppo, the advancement of the Syrian Arab Army, and they wanted to make this or lets say, to undermine the victory in Aleppo, and at the same time to distract the Syrian Army from Aleppo, to make it move toward Palmyra and stop the advancement, but of course it didnt work. Question 4: We also hear reports that Palmyra siege was not only related to Aleppo battle, but also to what was happening in Iraq, and there are reports that the US-led coalition  which is almost 70 countries  allowed ISIL fighters in Mosul in Iraq to leave, and that strengthened ISIL here in Syria. Do you think it could be the case? President Assad: It could be, but this is only to wash the hand of the American politicians from their responsibility on the attack, when they say just because of Mosul, of course, the Iraqi army attacked Mosul, and ISIS left Mosul to Syria. Thats not the case. Why? Because they came with different and huge manpower and firepower that ISIS never had before during this attack, and they attacked on a huge front, tens of kilometers that could be a front of armies. ISIS could only have done that with the support of states. Not state; states. They came with different machineguns, cannons, artillery, everything is different. So, it could only happen when they come in this desert with the supervision of the American alliance thats supposed to attack them in al-Raqqa and Mosul and Deir Ezzor, but it didnt happen; they either turned a blind eye on what ISIS is going to do, and, or  and thats what I believe  they pushed toward Palmyra. So, its not about Mosul. We dont have to fall in that trap. Its about al-Raqqa and Deir Ezzor. They are very close, only a few hundred kilometers, they could come under the supervision of the American satellites and the American drones and the American support. Question 5: How strong ISIS is today? President Assad: As strong as the support that they get from the West and regional powers. Actually, theyre not strong for if you talk isolated case, ISIS as isolated case, theyre not strong, because they dont have the natural social incubator. Without it, terrorists cannot be strong enough. But the real support they have, the money, the oil field investment, the support of the American allies aircrafts, thats why they are strong. So, they are as strong as their supporters, or as their supervisors.

Question 6: In Aleppo, we heard that you allowed some of these terrorists to leave freely the battleground. Why would you do that? Its clear that they can go back to, lets say, Idleb, and get arms and get ready for further attacks, then maybe attack those liberating Aleppo. President Assad: Exactly, exactly, thats correct, and thats been happening for the last few years, but you always have things to lose and things to gain, and when the gain is more than what you lose, you go for that gain. In that case, our priority is to protect the area from being destroyed because of the war, to protect the civilians who live there, to give the chance for those civilians to leave through the open gates, to leave that area to the areas under the control of the government, and to give the chance to those terrorists to change their minds, to join the government, to go back to their normal life, and to get amnesty. When they dont, they can leave with their armaments, with the disadvantage that you mentioned, but this is not our priority, because if you fight them in any other area outside the city, youre going to have less destruction and less civilian casualties, thats why. Question 7: I feel that you call them terrorists, but at the same time you treat them as human beings, you tell them you have a chance to go back to your normal life. President Assad: Exactly. They are terrorists because they are holding machineguns, they kill, they destroy, they commit vandalism, and so on, and thats natural, everywhere in the world thats called as terrorism. But at the same time, they are humans who committed terrorism. They could be something else. They joined the terrorists for different reasons, either out of fear, for the money, sometimes for the ideology. So, if you can bring them back to their normal life, to be natural citizens, thats your job as a government. Its not enough to say were going to fight terrorists. Fighting terrorists is like a videogame; you can destroy your enemy in the videogame, but the videogame will generate and regenerate thousands of enemies, so you cannot deal with it on the American way: just killing, just killing! This is not our goal; this is the last option you have. If you can change, this is a good option, and it succeeded. It succeeded because many of those terrorists, when you change their position, some of them living normal lives, and some of them joined the Syrian Army, they fought with the Syrian Army against the other terrorists. This is success, from our point of view. Qestion 8: Mr. President, you just said that you gain and you lose. Do you feel youve done enough to minimize civilian casualties during this conflict? President Assad: We do our utmost. Whats enough, this is subjective; each one could look at it in his own way. At the end, whats enough is what you can do; my ability as a person, the ability of the government, the ability of Syria as a small country to face a war thats been supported by tens of countries, mainstream medias hundreds of channels, and other machines working against you. So, it depends on the definition of enough, so this is, as I said, very subjective, but Im sure that we are doing our best. Nothing is enough at the end, and the human practice is always full of correct and flows, or mistakes, lets say, and thats the natural thing. Question 9: We hear Western powers asking Russia and Iran repeatedly to put pressure on you to, as they put it, stop the violence, and just recently, six Western nations, in an unprecedented message, they asked Russia and Iran again to put pressure on you, asking for a ceasefire in Aleppo. President Assad: Yeah. Journalist: Will you go for it? At the time when your army was progressing, they were asking for a ceasefire. President Assad: Exactly. Its always important in politics to read between the lines, not to be literal. It doesnt matter what they ask; the translation of their statement is for Russia: please stop the advancement of the Syrian Army against the terrorists. Thats the meaning of that statement, forget about the rest. You went too far in defeating the terrorists, that shouldnt happen. You should tell the Syrians to stop this, we have to keep the terrorists and to save them. This is in brief. Second, Russia never  these days, I mean, during this war, before that war, during the Soviet Union  never tried to interfere in our decision. Whenever they had opinion or advice, doesnt matter how we can look at it, they say at the end this is your country, you know what the best decision you want to take. This is how we see it, but if you see it in a different way, you know, you are the Syrian. They are realistic, and they respect our sovereignty, and they always defend the sovereignty thats based on the international law and the Charter of the United Nations. So, it never happened that they made any pressure, and they will never do it. This is not their methodology. Question 10: How strong is the Syrian Army today? President Assad: Its about the comparison, to two things: first of all, the war itself; second, to the size of Syria. Syria is not a great country, so it cannot have a great army in the numerical sense. The support of our allies was very important; mainly Russia, and Iran. After six years, or nearly six years of the war, which is longer than the first World War and the second World War, its definitely and self-evident that the Syrian Army is not to be as strong as it was before that. But what we have is determination to defend our country. This is the most important thing. We lost so many lives in our army, we have so many martyrs, so many disabled soldiers. Numerically, we lost a lot, but we still have this determination, and I can tell you this determination is much stronger than before the war. But of course, we cannot ignore the support from Russia, we cannot ignore the support from Iran, that make this determination more effective and efficient. Question 11: President Obama has lifted a ban on arming some Syrian rebels just recently. What impact you think could it have on the situation on the ground, and could it directly or indirectly provide a boost to terrorists? President Assad: Were not sure that he lifted that embargo when he announced it. Maybe he lifted it before, but announced it later just to give it the political legitimacy, lets say. This is first. The second point, which is very important: the timing of the announcement and the timing of attacking Palmyra. Theres a direct link between these two, so the question is to whom those armaments are going to? In the hands of who? In the hands of ISIS and al-Nusra, and theres coordination between ISIS and al-Nusra. So, the announcement of this lifting of that embargo is related directly to the attack on Palmyra and to the support of other terrorists outside Aleppo, because when they are defeated in Aleppo, the United States and the West, they need to support their proxies somewhere else, because they dont have any interest in solving the conflict in Syria. So, the crux of that announcement is to create more chaos, because the United States creates chaos in order to manage this chaos, and when they manage it, they want to use the different factors in that chaos in order to exploit the different parties of the conflict, whether they are internal parties or external parties. Question 12: Mr. President, how do you feel about being a small country in the middle of this tornado of countries not interested in ending the war here? President Assad: Exactly. Its something weve always felt before this war, but we felt it more of course today, because small countries feel safer when theres international balance, and we felt the same, what you just mentioned, after the collapse of the Soviet Union when there was only American hegemony, and they wanted to implement whatever they want and to dictate all their policies on everyone. Small countries suffer the most. So, we feel it today, but at the same time, today theres more balance with the Russian role. Thats why I think we always believe the more Russia is stronger  Im not only talking about Syria, Im talking about every small country in the world  whenever the stronger Russia, more rising China, we feel more secure. Its painful, I would say its very painful, this situation that weve been living, on every level; humanitarian level, the feeling, the loss, everything. But at the end, its not about losing and winning; its about either winning or losing your country. Its existential threat for Syria. Its not about government losing against other government or army against army; either the country will win, or the country will disappear. Thats how we look at it. Thats why you dont have time to feel that pain; you only have time to fight and defend and do something on the ground. Question 13: Lets talk about medias role in this conflict. President Assad: Yeah. Journalist: All sides during this war have been accused of civilian casualties, but the Western media has been almost completely silent about the atrocities committed by the rebels what role is the media playing here? President Assad: First of all, the mainstream media with their fellow politicians, they are suffering during the last few decades from moral decay. So, they have no morals. Whatever they talk about, whatever they mention or they use as mask, human rights, civilians, children; they use all these just for their own political agenda in order to provoke the feelings of their public opinion to support them in their intervention in this region, whether militarily or politically. So, they dont have any credibility regarding this. If you want to look at whats happening in the United States is rebellion against the mainstream media, because theyve been lying and they kept lying on their audiences. We can tell that, those, lets say, the public opinion or the people in the West doesnt know the real story in our region, but at least they know that the mainstream media and their politicians were laying to them for their own vested interests agenda and vested interests politicians. Thats why I dont think the mainstream media could sell their stories anymore and thats why they are fighting for their existence in the West, although they have huge experience and huge support and money and resources, but they dont have something very important for them to survive, which is the credibility. They dont have it, they lost it. They dont have the transparency, thats why they dont have credibility. Thats why they are very coward today, they are afraid from your channel, from any statement that could tell the truth because its going to debunk their talks. Thats why. Question 14: Reuters news agency have been quoting Amaq, ISILs mouthpiece, regarding the siege of Palmyra. Do you think they give legitimacy to extremists in such a way? Theyre quoting their media. President Assad: Even if they dont mention their news agencies, they adopt their narrative anyway. But if you look at the technical side of the way ISIS presented itself from the very beginning through the videos and the news and the media in general and the PR, they use Western technique. Look at it, its very sophisticated. How could somebody whos under siege, whos despised all over the world, whos under attack from the airplanes, who the whole world wants to liberate every city from him, could be that sophisticated unless he is not relaxed and has all the support? So, I dont think it is about Amaq; its about the West adopting their stories, sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. Question 15: Donald Trump takes over as US President in a few weeks. You mentioned America many times today. What do you expect from Americas new administration? President Assad: His rhetoric during the campaign were positive regarding the terrorism, which is our priority today. Anything else is not priority, so, I wouldnt focus on anything else, the rest is American, lets say, internal matters, I wouldnt worry about. But the question whether Trump have the will or the ability to implement what he just mentioned. You know that most of the mainstream media and big corporate, the lobbies, the congress, even some in his party were against him; they want to have more hegemony, more conflict with Russia, more interference in different countries, toppling governments, and so on. He said something in the other direction. Could he sustain against all those after he started next month? Thats the question. If he could, I think the world will be in a different place, because the most important thing is the relation between Russia and the Unites States. If he goes towards that relation, most of the tension around the world will be pacified. Thats very important for us in Syria, but I dont think anyone has the answer to that. He wasnt a politician, so, we dont have any reference to judge him, first. Second, nobody can tell what kind of pattern is it going to be next month and after. Question 16: The humanitarian situation in Syria is a disaster, and we hear from EU foreign policy chief, Madam Mogherini, that EU is the only entity to deliver humanitarian aid to Syria. Is that true? President Assad: Actually, all the aid that any Western country sent was to the terrorists, to be very clear, blunt and very transparent. They never cared about a single Syrian human life. We have so many cities in Syria till today surrounded by and besieged by the terrorists; they prevented anything to reach them, food, water, anything, all the basic needs of life. Of course, they attack them on daily basis by mortars and try to kill them. What did the EU send to those? If they are worried about the human life, if they talk about the humanitarian aspect, because when you talk about the humanitarian aspect or issue, you dont discriminate. All the Syrians are humans, all the people are humans. They dont do that. So, this is the double standard, this is the lie that they keep telling, and its becoming a disgusting lie, no-one is selling their stories anymore. Thats not true, what she mentioned, not true. Question 17: Some suggestions say that for Syria, the best solution would to split into separate countries governed by Sunni, Shia, Kurds. Is it any way possible? President Assad: This is the Western  with some regional countries  hope or dream, and this is not new, not related to this war; that was before the war, and you have maps for this division and disintegration. But actually, if you look at the society today, the Syrian society is more unified than before the war. This is reality. Im not saying anything to raise the morale of anyone, Im not talking to Syrian audience anyway now, Im talking about the reality. Because of the lessons of the war, the society became more realistic and pragmatic and many Syrians knew that being fanatic doesnt help, being extreme in any idea, Im not only talking about extremism in the religious meaning; politically, socially, culturally, doesnt help Syria. Only when we accept each other, when we respect each other, we can live with each other and we can have one country. So, regarding the disintegration of Syria, if you dont have this real disintegration among the society and different shades and spectrum of the Syrian society, Syrian fabric, you cannot have division. Its not a map you draw, I mean, even if you have one country while the people are divided, you have disintegration. Look at Iraq, its one country, but it is disintegrated in reality. So, no, Im not worried about this. Theres no way that Syrians will accept that. Im talking now about the vast majority of the Syrians, because this is not new, this is not the subject of the last few weeks or the last few months. This is the subject of this war. So, after nearly six years, I can tell you the majority of the Syrians wouldnt accept anything related to disintegration, they are going to live as one Syria. Question 18: As a mother, I feel the pain of all Syrian mothers. Im speaking about children in Syria, what does the future hold for them? President Assad: This is the most dangerous aspect of our problem, not only in Syria; wherever you talk about this dark Wahhabi ideology, because many of those children who became young during the last decade, or more than one decade, who joined the terrorists on ideological basis, not for the like of money or anything else, or hope, lets say, they came from open-minded families, educated families, intellectual families. So, you can imagine how strong the terrorism is. Journalist: So, that happened because of their propaganda? President Assad: Exactly, because the ideology is very dangerous; it knows no borders, no political borders, and the network, the worldwide web has helped those terrorists using fast and inexpensive tools in order to promote their ideology, and they could infiltrate any family anywhere in the world, whether in Europe, in your country, in my country, anywhere. You have secular society, I have secular society, but it didnt protect the society from being infiltrated. Question 19: Do you have any counter ideology for this? President Assad: Exactly, because they built their ideology on the Islam, you have to use the same ideology, using the real Islam, the real moderate Islam, in order to counter their ideology. This is the fast way. If we want to talk about the mid-term and long-term, its about how much can you upgrade the society, the way the people analyze and think, because this ideology can only work when you cannot analyze, when you dont think properly. So, its about the algorithm of the mind, if you have natural or healthy operating system, if you want to draw an analogy to the IT, if you have good operating systems in our mind, they cannot infiltrate it like a virus. So, its about the education, media and policy because sometimes when you have a cause, a national cause, and people lose hope, you can push those people towards being extremists, and this is one of the influences in our region since the seventies, after the war between the Arabs and the Israelis, and the peace failed in every aspect to recapture the land, to give the land and the rights to its people, you have more desperation, and that played into the hand of the extremists, and this is where the Wahhabi find fertile soil to promote its ideology. Journalist: Mr. President, thank you very much for your time, and I wish your country peace and prosperity, and as soon as possible. President Assad: Thank you very much for coming. Journalist: This time has been very tough for you, so I wish its going to end soon. President Assad: Thank you very much for coming to Syria. Im very glad to receive you. Journalist: Thank you. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
Russias Churkin Snubs US Powers Speech at UNSC By Ruptly TV



"To the Assad regime, Russia and Iran, 3 member states behind the conquest of and carnage in Aleppo, you bear responsibility for these atrocities" Russias UN envoy Vitaly Churkin hit back at his US counterpart, Samantha Power, at a UN Security Council meeting, saying that she was not Mother Teresa and represents a country with a long record of violations.



Power and Churkin both spoke at a UN Security Council meeting on Aleppo in New York City on Monday. Power began by accusing Russia, the Assad government of Syria, and Iran of conquest and carnage in Aleppo. Posted December 14, 2014 Syria - Sovereignty and Peace. Press Conference, United Nations, 9 Dec Canadian journalist Eva Bartlett The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
Congress Votes To Give Jihadists Anti-aircraft Missiles By Mike Whitney December 14, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - On Thursday, the Senate passed a bill that puts every American who travels by plane at risk. It is among the stupidest pieces of legislation ever written and it explains-- to a great extent-- why the US Congress has a public approval rating of 13 percent and is among the most loathed institutions in America.

The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the House last Friday in a 375-34 vote. On Thursday, it cleared the senate with a 92 to 7 margin. The bill will now be sent to Obama where it is expected to be signed into law. According to an article on SOFREP titled "Congress authorizes anti-aircraft missiles for Syrian opposition":

"Congress for the first time authorized the Department of Defense to provide vetted-Syrian rebels with anti-aircraft missiles. The provision is contained within the $619 billion Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the Senate on Dec. 8 and the House on Dec. 2.

Under the bill, the Secretaries of Defense and State must submit a report to Congress explaining why they determined Syrian groups need man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS)."

SOFREP: Trusted News and Intelligence From Spec Ops Veterans, "Congress authorizes anti-aircraft missiles for Syrian opposition")

You read that right, Congress just passed a bill that will provide shoulder-launched ground-to-air missiles to lunatic jihadists who will undoubtedly use them to take down American or Israeli jetliners. The argument that these Islamic militants are fully vetted is complete nonsense as both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have repeatedly shown. According to a recent article in the New York Times, rebel groups supported by the USG "have entered into battlefield alliances with the affiliate of al Qaida in Syria formerly known as al Nusra." The Wall Street Journal reports that rebel groups are "doubling-down on their alliance with al Qaida. This alliance has rendered the phrase 'moderate rebels' meaningless."

Everyone who has followed developments on the ground in Syria knows that the distinction between the "good" terrorists and the "bad" terrorists is pure bunkum. The various militias are merely the many heads of the same homicidal anti-government hydra that has killed over 400,000 Syrians and decimated a large part of the country. The CIA should not be assisting any of these madmen let alone providing them with lethal state-of the-art weapons that will inevitably be used to take down US aircraft. Here's more from the same article:

"The inclusion of the provision represents a departure from previous versions of the NDAA. The original House bill specifically prohibited the transfer of MANPADS to any entity in Syria, while the Senate bill did not address it."

So, the original bill forbid "the transfer of MANPADS" to Syrian militants because it was considered too dangerous. But now that Obama's proxy-army is getting pulverized in Aleppo, Congress has taken off the gloves and gone into full-revenge mode. Isn't that what's really going on?



And it looks like Obama has already given this crazy policy a big thumbs up. Check out this "Presidential Determination and Waiver ....on the Arms Export Control Act to Support U.S. Special Operations to Combat Terrorism in Syria" that the White House issued late Thursday:



"By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 2249a of title 10, United States Code, sections 40 and 40A of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) (22 U.S.C. 2780 and 2781), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby:

determine that the transaction, encompassing the provision of defense articles and services to foreign forces, irregular forces, groups, or individuals engaged in supporting or facilitating ongoing U.S. military operations to counter terrorism in Syria, is essential to the national security interests of the United States." ( Presidential Determination and Waiver) It looks to me like our Nobel prize-winning president just gave Congress's idiot plan his ringing endorsement.

Fortunately, there's one member of congress who has spoken out forcefully against the NDAA . Representative Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii released the following statement following the voting on December 2:

This bill contains the same deeply concerning and dangerous Syria train and equip measures that Ive fought against since the programs inception.

First, it creates the potential for dangerous ground-to-air missiles getting in the hands of ISIS, al-Qaeda, and other terrorist groups . ....

Second, the bill reauthorizes and extends the Syria train and equip program for two years. When the Department of Defense brought this program to Congress two years ago, I strongly opposed it due to a weak vetting process,...instead of fighting against ISIS, al-Qaeda, or other terrorist groups(the vetted militants) ended up joining these terrorist groups in their battle to overthrow the Syrian government.

Over the past 2 years, the Department of Defense has made several improvements to the vetting process and clarified the programs objectives. These improvements have helped to ensure that we work solely with forces that share our common goal of defeating ISIS. However, the bill that passed today leaves out all of these improvements, allowing these authorizing provisions to be used once again to further the illegal, counterproductive regime change war against the Syrian government. If successful, this war will strengthen groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda, worsen the humanitarian crisis, and cause even greater destruction and suffering in Syria. I will continue to do all I can to end this devastating war, focus our resources on nation building here at home, and defeat terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS who threaten the American people. ("Rep. Gabbard votes against Defense Authorization Bill", Hawaii 24/7)

Rep. Gabbard has authored a "Stop Arming Terrorists bill" that "prohibits U.S. government funds from being used to support al-Qaeda, ISIS or other terrorist groups. ... It would also prohibit the Federal government from funding assistance to countries that are directly or indirectly supporting those terrorist groups." ("Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Introduces Legislation to Stop Arming Terrorists", Tulsi Gabbard)



Booyah, Tulsi. You are the lone voice of sanity in a country that has gone stark raving mad. Mike lives in Washington state. He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com. www.mikewhitneysgraspingatstraws.blogspot.com The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
Will Trump Defy McCain & Marco?

By Pat Buchanan

December 14, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Unz Review " - When word leaked that Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, a holder of the Order of Friendship award in Putins Russia, was Donald Trumps choice for secretary of state, John McCain had this thoughtful response:

Vladimir Putin is a thug, a bully, and a murderer and anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying.

Yet, Putin is something else, the leader of the largest nation on earth, a great power with enough nuclear weapons to wipe the United States off the face of the earth. And we have to deal with him.

McCain was echoed by the senior Democrat on foreign relations, Bob Menendez, who said naming Tillerson secretary of state would be alarming and absurd  guaranteeing Russia has a willing accomplice in the (Trump) Cabinet guiding our nations foreign policy.

Sen Marco Rubio chimed in: Being a friend of Vladimir is not an attribute I am hoping for from a Secretary of State.

If just three GOP senators vote no on Tillerson, and Democrats vote as a bloc against him, his nomination would go down. President Trump would sustain a major and humiliating defeat.

Who is Tillerson? A corporate titan, he has traveled the world, represented Exxon in 60 countries, is on a first-name basis with countless leaders, and is endorsed by Condi Rice and Robert Gates.

Dr. Samuel Johnsons observation  A man is seldom more innocently occupied than when he is engaged in making money  may be a bit of a stretch when it comes to OPEC and the global oil market.

Yet there is truth to it. Most businessmen are interested in doing deals, making money, and, if the terms are not met, walking away, not starting a war.

And here is the heart of the objection to Tillerson. He wants to end sanctions and partner with Putins Russia, as does Trump. But among many in the mainstream media, think tanks, websites, and on the Hill, this is craven appeasement. For such as these, the Cold War is never over.

The attacks on Tillerson coincide with new attacks on Russia, based on CIA sources, alleging that not only did Moscow hack into the Democratic Party and Clinton campaign, and leak what it found to hurt Hillary Clinton, but Russia was trying to help elect Trump, and succeeded.

Why would Moscow do this?

Mondays editorial in The New York Times explains: In Mr. Trump, the Russians had reason to see a malleable political novice, one who had surrounded himself with Kremlin lackeys.

Backed by Democratic leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, McCain has announced an investigation. The goal, said the Times, is to determine whether anyone within Trumps inner circle coordinated with the Kremlin and whether Moscow spread fake news to hurt Mrs. Clinton.

What is going on here? More than meets the eye.

The people who most indignantly condemned Trumps questioning of Obamas birth certificate as a scurrilous scheme to delegitimize his presidency, now seek to delegitimize Trumps presidency.

The Times editorial spoke of a darkening cloud already over the Trump presidency, and warned that a failure to investigate and discover the full truth of Russias hacking could only feed suspicion among millions of Americans that  (t)he election was indeed rigged.

Behind the effort to smear Tillerson and delegitimize Trump lies a larger motive. Trump has antagonists in both parties who alarmed at his triumph because it imperils the foreign policy agenda that is their raison detre, their reason for being.

These people do not want to lift sanctions on Moscow. They do not want an end to the confrontation with Russia. As is seen by their bringing in tiny Montenegro, they want to enlarge NATO to encompass Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.

They have in mind the permanent U.S. encirclement of Russia.

They want to provide offensive weapons to Kiev to reignite the civil war in the Donbass and enable Ukraine to move on Crimea. This would mean a war with Russia that Ukraine would lose and we and our NATO allies would be called upon to intervene in and fight.

Their goal is to bring down Putin and bring about regime change in Moscow.

In the campaign, Trump said he wanted to get along with Russia, to support all the forces inside Syria and Iraq fighting to wipe out ISIS and al-Qaida, and to stay out of any new Middle East wars  like the disaster in Iraq  that have cost us six trillion dollars.

This is what America voted for when it voted for Trump  to put America First and make America great again. But War Party agitators are already beating the drums for confrontation with Iran.

Early in his presidency, if not before, Trump is going to have to impose his foreign policy upon his own party and, indeed, upon his own government. Or his presidency will be broken, as was Lyndon Johnsons.

A good place to begin is by accepting the McCain-Marco challenge and nominating Rex Tillerson for secretary of state. Lets get it on.

Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of the new book The Greatest Comeback: How Richard Nixon Rose From Defeat to Create the New Majority.
Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter The Slam Dunk That Isnt

The CIA, Russia And The Hacking Of The 2016 Election By Scott Ritter December 14, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Huffington Post " - The American public has been presented with a spectacle the likes of which is unprecedented in the history of modern presidential elections  the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has (according to anonymous sources) authored a report that concludes that Russia actively intervened in the American electoral process for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election in favor of Donald Trump. In response, Donald Trump has questioned the competency of the CIA to make such a call. These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, a statement issued by the president-elects transition team noted. Not since Ronald Reagan used alternative analysis to undermine the CIAs arms control assessments in the lead up to the 1980 presidential election has a president-elect had such a poisonous relationship with the intelligence agency that serves as a direct extension of presidential power and prestige. Even in those dark days, however, the CIA did not either question the legitimacy of Reagans victory in the election, or suggest that Reagans victory was facilitated through foreign intervention. Regardless of how this incident unfolds, the high-profile nature of the rift between the CIA and Donald Trump has done real damage to the credibility of that agency in the eyes of the president-elect that will continue into a Trump administration. Upon closer examination, this may not be such a bad thing. As someone who took a leading role in challenging the veracity of the CIAs flawed intelligence about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, I have some insights into the validity of any comparison of that intelligence failure and the CIAs current assessment on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. These insights are furthered by my own background as an intelligence officer specializing in Russian issues that included a two-year tour of duty in the Soviet Union as a weapons inspector during the height of Perestroika and Glasnost. My work there garnered two classified commendations from the Director of the CIA for my analysis of Soviet missile production. It also put me at odds with those in the intelligence community who disputed my analysis, since my numbers regarding Soviet missile production were significantly lower than theirs, and as such impacted a defense budget based upon the perception of a massive Soviet threat. It wasnt the first time my personal analysis would clash with a larger intelligence community consensus; I was ultimately proven to be correct, but by that time the Soviet Union was no more, and the issue had become moot. The sad fact is more often than not an analyst ends up seeing what he or she was programed to see. The failure of the CIA to predict the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 is considered to be one of the greatest intelligence failures of the past century. This wasnt from a lack of resources or trying  the Office of Soviet Analysis (SOVA) was the premier analytical arm of the CIAs Directorate for Intelligence, staffed with the best and the brightest the agency had to offer. The same could be said of the other CIA directorates and offices involved with the Soviet target. Moscow Station, for example, was home to the elite of the agencys clandestine service, while the Office of Imagery Analysis provided unmatched expertise when it came to analyzing overhead imagery of remote locations throughout the expanse of the Soviet hinterland. The problem was in the mindset of the agency; after years of building up the Soviet threat, the CIA was blind to the rot that existed beneath the veneer of power. The main problem was, as the CIA has admitted in its own after-action report concerning its analytical shortcomings regarding the Soviet Union (CIA and the Fall of the Soviet Union: The Politics of Getting it Right, written in 1994), the overly politicized environment that existed in the CIA during the Reagan administration. The CIAs political bosses wanted reports that emphasized the Evil Empire nature of the Soviet threat. Exaggerated assessments that linked the Soviet Union to the assassination attempt on the Pope, or over-hyped Soviet intentions in Central America and Iran, were preferred to more sober analysis about Soviet plans to withdraw from Afghanistan (the issue was largely ignored by the CIA), or the sad state of affairs of the Soviet economy. The CIAs track record in the post-Soviet era was even worse. Analytical resources that had been recruited and trained over the course of the Cold War were retired or transferred in the name of achieving a peace dividend, and the new streamlined CIA was the worse for it. As one of the senior intelligence coordinators working for the United Nations to disarm Iraq in the 1990s, I had a very close working relationship with the CIA. The Cold War-era analysts who had accumulated decades of institutional knowledge were gone, replaced instead by a new generation of intelligence specialists specifically trained to be a jack-of-all-trades, and a master of none. The quality of the CIAs intelligence briefings on the Iraqi target were uniformly poor; as had been the case in the Soviet Union, inspectors had far more perspective and insight into ground truth than the unseasoned analyst who rotated between assignments every six months. Moreover, as had been the case regarding the collapse of the Soviet Union, the CIA had developed a mindset where its analysis was corrupted by pre-ordained conclusions dictated by desired political outcomes, as opposed to reality. The end result was a slam dunk (to quote CIA Director George Tenets claim to President George W. Bush that there were WMD in Iraq) that was anything but. The CIAs ability to provide accurate analysis on post-Cold War Russia has atrophied over the years. Russia simply didnt factor as a threat worthy of the kind of intelligence resources and focus the Soviet Union had once inspired. A CIA assessment, Global Trends 2015, published in 2000 to help guide the perspectives of national security policymakers, spoke of Moscows dramatically reduced resources that would leave Russia internally weak in the decades to come, a threat to regional stability, but nothing more. This was before 9/11, and the absolute refocusing of the CIA on countering terrorism and fighting wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. Russia was placed on the analytical back burner, and the results speak for themselves. The CIA was taken by surprise by the Russian move against the Ukraine in 2014, and the Russian intervention in Syria the following year. There can be little doubt that there is a culture of Russian demonization today within the U.S. intelligence community, and the CIA in particular. The issue wasnt a problem of intelligence collection, but rather poor analysis. SOVA was no more, initially replaced by an office initially renamed Slavic and Eurasian Analysis, and later Russian and European Analysis (OREA), where Russia was not the single focus of effort. To respond to this new Russian threat, the CIA transferred analytical resources from other divisions who lacked the kind of training and experience on Russian matters that would lead to strong, independent analysis, and as such are prone to suggestion from their supervisors and the prevalent political anti-Moscow animus that exists in America today (pressure very similar to that which SOVA was subjected to in the 1980s). The end result was a mindset within the CIA and the American government writ large that projected Cold War-era Soviet capability and intent into a much reduced present-day Russian host (it also inflated the KGB resume of Vladimir Putin, who left the KGB as a junior Lieutenant Colonel with limited experience; the notion that Putins KGB background was the driver of everything the Russian President does or thinks overlooks the more formative period spent as a close associate of the Mayor of Saint Petersburg in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and misses the point that much of what Putin does is driven by economic issues, and not KGB nostalgia.) When the job is to try and connect disparate dots of information into a quantifiable picture, the sad fact is more often than not an analyst ends up seeing what he or she was programed to see, especially when the political environment the analyst operates in is predisposed to a given conclusion, as seems to be the case here. There can be little doubt that there is a culture of Russian demonization today within the U.S. intelligence community, and the CIA in particular. The former acting CIA Director, Mike Morrell, is an openly pro-Hillary partisan who has called Donald Trump an agent of Russia. The current Director, John Brennan, is likewise no fan of the president-elect. Some CIA veterans have openly said the leaking of conclusions from a CIA report that has not been formally released (or acknowledged) smacks of politicization. Any CIA assessment which seeks to infer Russian intent void of any hard intelligence must be considered in this light. The CIAs assessment that Russia is behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and that Russias intent was to tilt the election in favor of Donald Trump, is flawed on several levels. First and foremost, there is no direct evidence linking Russia to the hacks; assumptions were made on the basis of an earlier German security service assessment of a prior hack of its parliament that linked Russian intelligence services to tradecraft later used against the DNC. But the Germans admit that they have no hard proof of Russian involvement, and that their conclusions were simple conjecture. This is not the strongest analytical basis upon which to build an assessment possessing the gravitas of the CIAs report on the 2016 presidential election. Moreover, the notion that a professional state-run intelligence service like Russias would use compromised hacking tools for high-profile hacks such as the DNC is laughable. In the intelligence world, deniability is everything, something any seasoned intelligence analyst would have factored into their assessment. The case against Russia is far from being a slam dunk. As Stella Rimington, the former head of Britains MI-5 Security Service, told NPR about the hacks, But then there are many people who could have hacked into those files, not only the Russian intelligence service. So you have to remember that, you know, there are many people with that capacity and many reasons for leaking. I very much doubt that its all as straightforward as it might appear. Nothing ever is  something President-elect Trump would do well to remember as he enters his term in office, pushing a policy of reconciliation with Russia that the CIA neither supports, nor is equipped to effectively advise him on. Scott Ritter served as an intelligence officer in the US Marines from 1984-1995, specializing in arms control and disarmament in both the former Soviet Union and Iraq. He is the author of numerous books, including the Deal of the Century: How Iran Blocked the Wests Road to War, to be published inMarch 2017 by Clarity Press. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section.
There is More Than One Truth To Tell In The Awful Story of Aleppo



Our political masters are in league with the Syrian rebels, and for the same reason as the rebels kidnap their victims  money



By Robert Fisk December 14, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " The Independent " - Western politicians, experts and journalists are going to have to reboot their stories over the next few days now that Bashar al-Assads army has retaken control of eastern Aleppo. Were going to find out if the 250,000 civilians trapped in the city were indeed that numerous. Were going to hear far more about why they were not able to leave when the Syrian government and Russian air force staged their ferocious bombardment of the eastern part of the city. And were going to learn a lot more about the rebels whom we in the West  the US, Britain and our head-chopping mates in the Gulf  have been supporting. They did, after all, include al-Qaeda (alias Jabhat al-Nusra, alias Jabhat Fateh al-Sham), the folk  as George W Bush called them  who committed the crimes against humanity in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on 11 September 2001. Remember the War on Terror? Remember the pure evil of al-Qaeda. Remember all the warnings from our beloved security services in the UK about how al-Qaeda can still strike terror in London? Not when the rebels, including al-Qaeda, were bravely defending east Aleppo, we didnt  because a powerful tale of heroism, democracy and suffering was being woven for us, a narrative of good guys versus bad guys as explosive and dishonest as weapons of mass destruction. Back in the days of Saddam Hussein  when a few of us argued that the illegal invasion of Iraq would lead to catastrophe and untold suffering, and that Tony Blair and George Bush were taking us down the path to perdition  it was incumbent upon us, always, to profess our repugnance of Saddam and his regime. We had to remind readers, constantly, that Saddam was one of the Triple Pillars of the Axis of Evil. So here goes the usual mantra again, which we must repeat ad nauseam to avoid the usual hate mail and abuse that will today be cast at anyone veering away from the approved and deeply flawed version of the Syrian tragedy. Yes, Bashar al-Assad has brutally destroyed vast tracts of his cities in his battle against those who wish to overthrow his regime. Yes, that regime has a multitude of sins to its name: torture, executions, secret prisons, the killing of civilians, and  if we include the Syrian militia thugs under nominal control of the regime  a frightening version of ethnic cleansing. Yes, we should fear for the lives of the courageous doctors of eastern Aleppo and the people for whom they have been caring. Anyone who saw the footage of the young man taken out of the line of refugees fleeing Aleppo last week by the regimes intelligence men should fear for all those who have not been permitted to cross the government lines. And lets remember how the UN grimly reported it had been told of 82 civilians massacred in their homes in the last 24 hours. But its time to tell the other truth: that many of the rebels whom we in the West have been supporting  and which our preposterous Prime Minister Theresa May indirectly blessed when she grovelled to the Gulf head-choppers last week  are among the cruellest and most ruthless of fighters in the Middle East. And while we have been tut-tutting at the frightfulness of Isis during the siege of Mosul (an event all too similar to Aleppo, although you wouldnt think so from reading our narrative of the story), we have been willfully ignoring the behaviour of the rebels of Aleppo. Only a few weeks ago, I interviewed one of the very first Muslim families to flee eastern Aleppo during a ceasefire. The father had just been told that his brother was to be executed by the rebels because he crossed the frontline with his wife and son. He condemned the rebels for closing the schools and putting weapons close to hospitals. And he was no pro-regime stooge; he even admired Isis for their good behaviour in the early days of the siege. Around the same time, Syrian soldiers were privately expressing their belief to me that the Americans would allow Isis to leave Mosul to again attack the regime in Syria. An American general had actually expressed his fear that Iraqi Shiite militiamen might prevent Isis from fleeing across the Iraqi border to Syria. Well, so it came to pass. In three vast columns of suicide trucks and thousands of armed supporters, Isis has just swarmed across the desert from Mosul in Iraq, and from Raqqa and Deir ez-Zour in eastern Syria to seize the beautiful city of Palmyra all over again. It is highly instructive to look at our reporting of these two parallel events. Almost every headline today speaks of the fall of Aleppo to the Syrian army  when in any other circumstances, we would have surely said that the army had recaptured it from the rebels  while Isis was reported to have recaptured Palmyra when (given their own murderous behaviour) we should surely have announced that the Roman city had fallen once more under their grotesque rule. Words matter. These are the men  our chaps, I suppose, if we keep to the current jihadi narrative  who after their first occupation of the city last year beheaded the 82-year-old scholar who tried to protect the Roman treasures and then placed his spectacles back on his decapitated head. By their own admission, the Russians flew 64 bombing sorties against the Isis attackers outside Palmyra. But given the huge columns of dust thrown up by the Isis convoys, why didnt the American air force join in the bombardment of their greatest enemy? But no: for some reason, the US satellites and drones and intelligence just didnt spot them  any more than they did when Isis drove identical convoys of suicide trucks to seize Palmyra when they first took the city in May 2015. Theres no doubting what a setback Palmyra represents for both the Syrian army and the Russians  however symbolic rather than military. Syrian officers told me in Palmyra earlier this year that Isis would never be allowed to return. There was a Russian military base in the city. Russian aircraft flew overhead. A Russian orchestra had just played in the Roman ruins to celebrate Palmyras liberation. So what happened? Most likely is that the Syrian military simply didnt have the manpower to defend Palmyra while closing in on eastern Aleppo. They will have to take Palmyra back  quickly. But for Bashar al-Assad, the end of the Aleppo siege means that Isis, al-Nusra, al-Qaeda and all the other Salafist groups and their allies can no longer claim a base, or create a capital, in the long line of great cities that form the spine of Syria: Damascus, Homs, Hama and Aleppo. Back to Aleppo. The familiar and now tired political-journalistic narrative is in need of refreshing. The evidence has been clear for some days. After months of condemning the iniquities of the Syrian regime while obscuring the identity and brutality of its opponents in Aleppo, the human rights organisations  sniffing defeat for the rebels  began only a few days ago to spread their criticism to include the defenders of eastern Aleppo. Take the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. After last week running through its usual  and perfectly understandable  fears for the civilian population of eastern Aleppo and their medical workers, and for civilians subject to government reprisals and for hundreds of men who may have gone missing after crossing the frontlines, the UN suddenly expressed other concerns. During the last two weeks, Fatah al-Sham Front [in other words, al-Qaeda] and the Abu Amara Battalion are alleged to have abducted and killed an unknown number of civilians who requested the armed groups to leave their neighbourhoods, to spare the lives of civilians..., it stated. We have also received reports that between 30 November and 1 December, armed opposition groups fired on civilians attempting to leave. Furthermore, indiscriminate attacks had been conducted on heavily civilian areas of government-held western as well as rebel eastern Aleppo. I suspect we shall be hearing more of this in the coming days. Next month, we shall also be reading a frightening new book, Merchants of Men, by Italian journalist Loretta Napoleoni, on the funding of the war in Syria. She catalogues kidnapping-for-cash by both government and rebel forces in Syria, but also has harsh words for our own profession of journalism. Reporters who were kidnapped by armed groups in eastern Syria, she writes, fell victim to a sort of Hemingway syndrome: war correspondents supporting the insurgency trust the rebels and place their lives in their hands because they are in league with them. But, the insurgency is just a variation of criminal jihadism, a modern phenomenon that has only one loyalty: money. Is this too harsh on my profession? Are we really in league with the rebels? Certainly our political masters are  and for the same reason as the rebels kidnap their victims: money. Hence the disgrace of Brexit May and her buffoonerie of ministers who last week prostrated themselves to the Sunni autocrats who fund the jihadis of Syria in the hope of winning billions of pounds in post-Brexit arms sales to the Gulf. In a few hours, the British parliament is to debate the plight of the doctors, nurses, wounded children and civilians of Aleppo and other areas of Syria. The grotesque behaviour of the UK Government has ensured that neither the Syrians nor the Russians will pay the slightest attention to our pitiful wails. That, too, must become part of the story. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
Stress tests of Ukrainian banks again revealed inadequate reflection of the real quality of their credit portfolios, according to a December report on financial stability published by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).

"After stress tests of 40 banks, the share of non-performing loans (NPL) grew from 19% declared by banks to 43%," the NBU said.

The central bank recalled that after stress tests of 20 largest banks, in 2016 stress tests for next 40 banks was finished: the share of total assets of these banks was 9.5% of the banking system. In general, banks having over 98% of the sector assets passed stress tests in 2015 and 2016.

The NBU said that the NPL in 40 banks is less than in 20 largest banks (53%). The largest discrepancy between declared NPL and assessed NPL after stress tests was for the loans issued to companies in the national currency  the share grew by 31 percentage points.

The central bank said that the situation with the quality of the loan portfolio has stabilized  in 2017 the NBU expects that NPL share will gradually fall.

According to the report, the NBU will introduce new rules for assessing credit risk (resolution No. 351) starting early 2017 to remove the flaws of the current regulation and make banks to publish realistic figures.

The NBU said that the introduction of the new rule would not require attracting additional capital almost for all banks that expanded their capital after stress tests.

Small banks that have not passed stress tests and do not have the approved capitalization programs would have a transition period to finish additional capitalization if it is required.

According to preliminary assessments of the NBU, the credit risk of 60 largest banks calculated under the new resolution (No. 351) is UAH 497 billion, and this is UAH 23 billion or 5% more than the credit risk set after stress tests and UAH 172 billion or 53% more than the banks' reserves under international financial reporting standards (IFRS) and their uncovered credit risk under the current rules.

Credit risks of largest banks with Ukrainian capital assessed using the new rules totaled UAH 176 billion (reserves under IFRS and uncovered credit risk is UAH 44 billion), banks with foreign capital  UAH 197 billion (UAH 171 billion of reserves), state-run banks  UAH 11 billion (UAH 103 billion of reserves) and banks of the second group  UAH 13 billion (UAH 7 billion of reserves).

The NBU believes that the peak figures for the NPL share in the banks' portfolios have been passed: macroeconomic stabilization and gradual restoration of revenue and profit of companies give preconditions for gradual restoration of the quality of banks' credit portfolios.

It is likely that the major part of NPL would not be returned to the category of quality credits and the level of their return in the future would be symbolic.
Philippines' Duterte Admits Personally Killing Suspects By BBC Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted he personally killed criminal suspects as mayor of Davao. It is the first such admission he has made since becoming president in June, but echoes comments he made in 2015. He ran the southern city for two decades, earning a reputation for cutting crime, and criticism for allegedly supporting death squads. Mr Duterte was speaking to business leaders at the presidential palace on Monday, before an overseas trip. It is the latest in a series of controversial and sometimes contradictory comments by Mr Duterte. 'Blood on his hands' "In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys [police] that if I can do it why can't you," he said. "And I'd go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also. I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill." In 2015, he admitted killing at least three men suspected of kidnapping and rape in Davao. The comments have been condemned by human rights group Amnesty International, which has called on him to put an immediate end to the killings. "The climate of impunity in the Philippines has intensified even further since President Duterte began his brutal crackdown on suspected drug users and dealers in July, with a wave of unlawful killings claiming more than 5,000 lives across the country," said Rafendi Djamin, the group's director for South East Asia and the Pacific. "By boasting about the blood on his own hands, President Duterte will further embolden police and vigilantes to blatantly violate laws and carry out more extrajudicial executions without fear of being held to account." But just hours before Mr Duterte's latest remarks, he insisted "I am not a killer", in a speech for The Outstanding Filipino Awards 2016. He has also previously both acknowledged and denied being involved with death squads. In September a Senate inquiry heard testimony from a self-confessed former death squad member that Mr Duterte had, while serving as Davao mayor, shot dead a justice department agent with an Uzi submachine gun. Nearly 6,000 people are said to have been killed by police, vigilantes and mercenaries since Mr Duterte launched his drug war after being elected in May. He has expressed few regrets about the policy, once saying: "Hitler massacred three million Jews... There's three million drug addicts. I'd be happy to slaughter them." Mr Duterte has repeatedly said he does not care about human rights and has suggested that lawyers defending drug suspects might also be targeted in his campaign, says the BBC's Jonathan Head. Some human rights lawyers believe the outspoken president's open support for a shoot-to-kill policy by the police could make him vulnerable to prosecution for crimes against humanity at the international court. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
Bondholders of Mriya agroholding have filed a claim to Ternopil business court asking to collect the debt on the bonds from sureties, Mriya has said in a press release.

According to the document, BNY Mellon Corporate Trustee Services Limited, the trust company acting in the interests of all holders, filed the claim.

The claim relates to the surety obligations of the 68 Mriya group companies for the overdue debt obligations of Mriya Agro Holding Plc (Cyprus) of $573 million (approximately UAH 15 billion), which consists of the outstanding principal amount and interest due since August 2014 when the company defaulted under the eurobonds by not paying contractual interest.

The claim was filed in Ternopil since the defenders with the largest assets are located there.

The court hearing is scheduled for December 16, 2016.

"Most corporate eurobond issuances by Ukrainian companies are structured in the same way as Mriya's, with the non-resident holding company as the issuer of the eurobonds, a large bank acting as trustee for the bondholders and the issuers Ukrainian group operating companies as sureties for the non-resident holding companys obligations. As a result, the above court case will create a precedent for all investors in Ukrainian corporate eurobonds since the decision on BNY Mellons claim against Mriya's Ukrainian group companies will test the attitude of the Ukrainian judiciary to the eurobond structure supported by the sureties from the issuer's Ukrainian operating companies," the company said.

Mriyas current management believes that the claim is justified and will not influence the on-going process of restructuring $1.1 billion of debt.

"We see the bondholders claim as an effort to level out conditions for all parties in the restructuring since most of our creditor banks have already secured similar court decisions," Mriya's CEO Simon Cherniavsky said.

Mriya Agro Holding is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding company founded in 1992.
If youve been concerned aboutor bitten bythe dropped internet connection bug that flared up a week ago, take solace: The latest Windows 10 version 1607 (Anniversary Update) cumulative update appears to fix the problem. If you install KB 3206632, the Dec. 13 cumulative update for Windows 10 1607 that was released yesterday, and bring your build number up to 14393.576, that bug disappears.

Thats the good news. Unfortunately, a few niggling problems remain.

[ The essentials for Windows 10 installation: Download the Windows 10 Installation Superguide today. | Stay up on key Microsoft technologies with the Windows Report newsletter. ]

First, the bug heard round the world: Theres been an enormous amount of fake news floating around about this bug. Feel free to pepper your favorite mistaken blogger with these facts:

Dropped internet connections are nothing new in Windows. This particular problem suddenly, spontaneously, turned Win10 1607 systems IP addresses to 169.x.x.x, thus breaking internet and all other network connections. Reports of the bug started pouring in on Dec. 7.

In spite of what you may have read, the bug was not brought on by the KB 3201845 cumulative update, which was released on Dec. 9. Quite the contrary, Microsofts John Wink says:

We had an issue where some users were losing IP connectivity (getting APIPA addresses) and Fridays (Dec. 9) release was a mitigation step to help with that problem.

Wink goes on to explain the source of the problem:

[A] service crash that broke DHCP. The correct mitigation was/is a restart (not shutdown/reboot, but start - power - restart). Fridays (Dec. 9) update mitigated by triggering such a restart, but todays update (Dec. 13) has the actual fix.

The aberrant, fixed component of Win10 is called the Connected Devices Platform Service (CDPSvc).

Microsoft issued a statement about the patch, but its confusingat least to me:

We released an update on December 13 that will automatically install and resolve connectivity difficulties reported by some customers. To receive the update, customers may need to first restart their PCs by selecting Start on the taskbar, clicking the Power button, and choosing Restart (not Shut down). Additional guidance can be found on our support forum here.

Not surprising, that link takes you to a nearly identical message in a locked thread, where you couldnt ask a question if you had to.

Heres what the statement should say: If you arent connected to the internet, you can get reconnected temporarily by clicking Start > Power > Restart. To permanently fix the problem, install KB 3206632.

Now, those niggling problems.

KB 3206632 reintroduces (or at least it doesnt fix) the absurd 3.99TB Windows Update Cleanup file bug. It looks like the 3.99TB cleanup file appears on 64-bit Win10 installations, but not on 32-bit. Go figure.

It also doesnt fix the long-standing version 1607 problem where creating a new folder or renaming a folder triggers a completely bogus message, An unexpected error is keeping you from renaming the folder [...] Error 0x8007003B: An unexpected network error occurred.

The current version 1607 still wont generate a valid windowsupdate.logfollow the instructions and you get a windowsupdate.log file full of gibberish.

The 100 percent system disk usage bug introduced in last Fridays cumulative update, KB 3201845, is gone. The Win10 DiagTrack service got a bit pushy, but its been tamed.

My test machines took an extraordinarily long time to install the KB 3206632 update. I have no idea why, but KB 3206632 is definitely a two-latte patch.

If you have problems installing KB 3206632, do yourself (and the rest of us!) a favor and post a description of the problem on the Reddit forum. Microsoft now has three employees monitoring that forum. They not only provide help from the horses mouth, they log and follow up on any sufficiently well-described problem. Thats good for you and for everybody else who uses Windows 10.

One tantalizing prospect: On the Reddit forum, theziofede commented:

It would be ok with me if they allowed to schedule downloads and install like you can currently do with restarts...

And Softie johnwinkmsft responded with this:

Some improvements coming in the future for this. We heard you. :-)

Hope springs eternal.

Im seeing some reports of problems with KB 3206632, so dont be in any rush to install it. As usual, I suggest you wait a week or two to allow time for the problems to shake out.

The discussion continues on AskWoody.com.
Soybean Thursday Forecast Kolhanov.com - 3 minutes ago The uptrend may be expected to continue, while market is trading above support level 1423.2, which will be followed by reaching resistance level 1495.

Updated Yield Estimates, Export Sales, and More Blue Line Futures - 3 minutes ago StoneX, one of the FCM's we do business with, released their updated yield estimates for corn and soybeans. They have their corn yield at 174.5 bushels per acre, up from 173.9 bushels last month. That...

Corn Thursday Forecast Kolhanov.com - 4 minutes ago The downtrend may be expected to continue, while market is trading below resistance level 689.6, which will be followed by reaching support level 674 and if it keeps on moving down below that level, we...

Wheat Thursday Forecast Kolhanov.com - 7 minutes ago The uptrend may be expected to continue, while market is trading above support level 819.2, which will be followed by reaching resistance level 862  872

Natural gas Thursday Forecast Kolhanov.com - 8 minutes ago The downtrend may be expected to continue, while market is trading below resistance level 6.281, which will be followed by reaching support level 5.599.

Crude oil Thursday Forecast Kolhanov.com - 9 minutes ago The downtrend may be expected to continue, while market is trading below resistance level 88.80, which will be followed by reaching support level 87.72 and if it keeps on moving down below that level,...

Russel 2000 Thursday Forecast Kolhanov.com - 11 minutes ago The downtrend may be expected to continue, while market is trading below resistance level 1794.4, which will be followed by reaching support level 1746.3 and if it keeps on moving down below that level,...

S&P 500 Thursday Forecast Kolhanov.com - 12 minutes ago The downtrend may be expected to continue, while market is trading below resistance level 3757.50, which will be followed by reaching support level 3639.

GOLD Thursday Forecast Kolhanov.com - 14 minutes ago The downtrend may be expected to continue, while market is trading below resistance level 1633.6, which will be followed by reaching support level 1613.3 and 1566.2.
Real estate developer SJM Partners Inc. has filed plans to build a six-story self-storage facility on the Upper East Side of New York City. If approved, the building on East 92nd Street would be 85 feet tall and comprise 44,432 square feet of floor space, with 35,790 square feet zoned for commercial use, according to the source. All levels will be entirely dedicated to self-storage except the first floor, which will also include a loading dock, lobby, offices and two parking spaces.

A two-story parking garage operated by Farrells Leasing Co. and Farrells Limousine Service currently stands at the site, which is between 1st and York Avenues. Plans to demolish the structure havent been filed with the city, the source reported. Stephen McBride, managing principal at SJM, is listed as the property owner.

McBride and SJM President Stephen J. Garchik are partners in the Miami City Self Storage LLC joint venture, which has been actively pursuing developments in South Florida and other select high-growth cities, according to the company website.

Based in Reston, Va., SJM has more than 35 years of experience in real estate development including construction, design, leasing and management. It has ownership in 41 properties primarily in Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Washington, D.C., according to its website. The company lists storage operators American Stor-All Storage and Self Storage Zone as affiliated real estate partners.
@prishow #PRI Indianapolis, IN (December 13, 2016)- Race industry professionals from throughout the world gathered last week in Indianapolis, Indiana, for the three biggest business days in racing, also known as the 2016 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show. Featuring thousands of manufacturers, new products and industry announcements, the annual trade event was a resounding success, as Showgoers left prepared and eager for more business heading into the 2017 racing season.

From the pre-Show seminars and special events, to the Grand Opening Breakfast with Rick Mears and Jeff Gordon, and the product debuts and unveilings on the Show floor, the race industrys premier Trade Show was filled with education, networking and sales.

This years show has been awesome, said Bryce Mulvey of CP-Carillo in Irvine, California. CP-Carillo was among the more than 1,200 companies exhibiting at the 2016 PRI Show. Theres been more foot traffic than ever, said Mulvey. Its great to see all of our customers, and we look forward to the show every single year.

Ashley Garrett of U.S. Legend Cars International in Harrisburg, North Carolina, agreed. Its been a great show. The attendance has been off the charts  even from last year, which was great. We had a lot of traffic and a lot of success. We had more domestic customers this year, while in the past its been more of the overseas market.

Nonetheless, Garret noted, We also had some of our foreign dealers from Japan, England and Ireland here that we dont typically see during the year.

International attendees, in fact, make up a significant group at the annual event. Attendees, who come from more than 70 countries, are often drawn to the world-renowned conferences that take place in conjunction with the Show.

Phil Pagen from Track Sport Engines in New Zealand, for example, attends PRI primarily for the two-day Advanced Engineering Technology Conference (AETC), which is held just prior to the PRI Shows official opening day.

Were here (at AETC) just to get some ideas and hear what people have to say, said Pagen. The presentations are good, and there are a lot of interesting questions. Theres no place else for us to go and meet these types of people and make these contacts. This is another level for us.

Pagen and the Track Sport Engines team stays for the PRI Show afterward, meeting with exhibitors and looking for new products. Its a big week for us, he said.

In addition to brisk business on the Trade Show floor, the 2016 PRI Show featured:

RPM Update: The SEMA government affairs team updated attendees on the status of the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act. The bill was introduced in Congress in 2016 to clarify that it is legal under federal law to modify the emissions system of a street vehicle for exclusive racing purposes. While optimistic about working with the incoming administration and the new Congress, the SEMA team nonetheless urged racing professionals  especially business owners  to continue reaching out to lawmakers when the bill is reintroduced for consideration in 2017.

Hot Rodders of Tomorrow (HROT) Engine Challenge: Showgoers watched in awe throughout the week as students from all over the country competed for the quickest time disassembling and reassembling a small block Chevy engine. As they twisted, turned and bolted, Team Comp Cams, led by instructor Chris Overfelt, bested the competition with the fastest average time of 17 minutes and 43.3 seconds. Also of note was Team Fragola, which placed third and received the fastest perfect engine run time.

Seminars: Complimentary seminars featuring numerous industry experts took place throughout the Show. Many were technical in nature and touched on engines and performance, while others were more general and focused on digital marketing and eCommerce. Among the most popular sessions was Corey Perlmans seminar titled Social Media Overdrive. Attendee Stephanie Leonard of Southsidemachine.com in Akron, Ohio, found several helpful pointers from the seminar that she planned to implement when she returns to her business. As a small company trying to use social media to get our products out there, its really made sense to use social media to drive customers to our website instead of just showing new products or describing what we have going on, but go here to buy them, she said.

Additional recaps from the 2016 PRI Show, including a photo gallery, can be found at www.performanceracing.com/tradeshow.

Showgoers and organizers are now looking ahead to the 2017 PRI Show, set for December 79 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Ukraine will launch a dialogue with the European Union in 2017 to promote the development of the country's industry, Deputy Minister of Economic Development - Trade Representative of Ukraine Natalia Mykolska has said.

"In 2017, we started the industrial dialogue with the European Commission to stimulate the Ukrainian industry," she wrote on her Twitter account after speaking at the German-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Kyiv on December 13.

Mykolska also expressed the hope that the European Parliament approves the granting of trade preferences to Ukraine to promote Ukrainian exports.

The trade representative also pointed out that Germany is the second country, whose potential as a trade partner of Ukraine has been fully realized, she said. "Next year, Ukraine's Export Promotion Office will focus on trade with Germany," Mykolska said.

As reported, the EU criticized Ukraine's decision to ban export of round timber, refusing to provide EUR 600 million in the second tranche of macro-financial assistance until the decision on round timber export is revised.
A Wood Buffalo charity has seen a surge in demand from uninsured and underinsured homeowners hit by the Fort McMurray wildfires earlier this year, highlighting the critical need for home insurance as Canada increasingly faces extreme weather events.Habitat for Humanity Wood Buffalo has seen 120 applications for its services since the wildfires, compared to its normal average of 15 to 20 per year, CBC News reports.The demand is so high that the charity has joined forces with three other organizations  the Mennonite Disaster Service, Samaritans Purse and FuseSocial  to form a group called NGOs Supporting Uninsured and Underinsured Residents (NSUR).The charities are helping residents whose properties were destroyed in the wildfires, providing assistance with rebuilding their homes.A home currently being built by Habitat for Humanity in the subdivision of Waterways, the area hardest hit by the wildfires, might be the first in the community to go back up when construction is complete in January.NSUR also provides free or discounted materials labour in some cases where it wont rebuild the home, the report says.The status of home ownership is so crucial to so many things stability wise, said Crystal Lewis-Wilton, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Wood Buffalo. We really felt that it was necessary to help these families rather than going back into a rental market or potentially going into bankruptcy.With the underinsured, our focus is helping to connect those people with someone third party consulting-wise, who can review their policy, help them understand if theres anything else they can potentially get out of their policy, Lewis-Wilton added.The wildfires that swept Fort McMurray in May destroyed over 2,400 homes, but many more that werent completely wiped out were damaged by heat, smoke and water.
The provincial government of New Brunswick is recommending the use of winter tires but carefully chooses not to make them mandatory.Im always saying, if you drive in the snow, drive slow, said New Brunswick Public Safety Minister Denis Landry. You have to be careful when youre driving. Im not saying it wouldnt be a good thing, but at the same time were not planning to make winter tires mandatory here in New Brunswick.Landry pointed out that even though winter tires are mandatory in Quebec, it did not stop automobiles from sliding around. A video that captured buses, a police cruiser, and even a snow plow skidding down an incline in Montreal went viral last week.Other provinces are straightforward in their enforcement of winter tire usage. Winter tires are mandatory in Quebec between December 15 and March 15. In British Columbia, certain mountain routes require cars to use winter tires by law. In Ontario, insurance companies are required to give a discount or benefit to drivers who use winter tires.The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) endorses the use of winter tires across the country, but is not calling on all provincial governments to make them compulsory.Kristine DArbelles, a spokesperson for CAA, said that it is more important for motorists to learn how to slow down and adjust their driving to the weather and road conditions.Winter tires, on their own, are not a solution, and thats why were not out there banging on every single door saying that they have to be law everywhere, DArbelles told CityNews. We want to encourage drivers to use them as much as possible. Whether or not it needs to be law is still up for debate, and thats why we leave that to the provincial governments. They know their territories much better than we do.The Tire and Rubber Association of Canada clarified that winter tires provide a better grip than other types once road conditions reach below 7 C.
Authorities city say they will seek funding for rapid repairs following the collapse of a section of a creek flood wall in a northeastern Pennsylvania city.

Wilkes-Barre city administrator Ted Wampole says a 40-foot section of the Solomon Creek channel wall in South Wilkes-Barre collapsed into the creek bed Friday night.

Wampole says crews have been working to shore up the area near the fallen wall, placing sandbags wherever possible and erecting barricades. Engineers are to inspect the site to determine how to best make permanent repairs.

Wampole said he was also concerned about floods damaging stormwater, gas, water and communication lines that run below the creek.

The collapse happened three weeks after council members approved emergency repairs for a 16-foot section that officials feared could collapse at any time.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Flood Pennsylvania
Vermonts 911 emergency calling system  and state oversight of it  are coming under scrutiny after at least four outages in less than two years.

Outages in November 2014, January of this year and two this past summer are raising concerns about the reliability of a system that can mean life or death.

Its literally sheer luck that somebody hasnt died or been permanently maimed during these outages, said Stephen Whitaker, a resident who has followed closely the states investments in communications technology. Youre playing Russian roulette with the systems reliability.

Meanwhile, officials in the Public Service Department are resisting calls from some quarters to open up a comprehensive investigation of what has been ailing the 911 system. The department is asking the Public Service Board to limit its review to an outage on Jan. 5. It maintains the one in 2014 has been resolved and the two from the summer are the jurisdiction of the Enhanced 911 Board which oversees the 911 system.

We are investigating what we believe the law allows us to investigate, and its our understanding the 911 board is in the process of hiring an expert to investigate the summer outages, James Porter, the departments director of telecommunications and connectivity, said in an interview.

He explained that the 2014 and January outages had involved the underlying telephone network operated by FairPoint Communications, Vermonts main landline phone company, which is subject to the jurisdiction of the department and the Public Service Board. The summer outages occurred within the 911 system that is attached to but separate from the underlying phone network, Porter said.

As it happens, FairPoint is the vendor on the 911 system as well. Vermont entered into a 5-year, $11.2 million contract with FairPoint to manage the system in late 2014.

FairPoint spokeswoman Angelynne Beaudry said in an email the company had worked to resolve the outages and to prevent more. We want Vermonters to know that we are committed to providing excellent, reliable E-9-1-1 service and continue to work closely with the state to deliver it, she wrote.

Whitaker has joined with Charles Larkin, a retired telecommunications engineer formerly with Porters department, and two lawmakers to call for a broader investigation by the Public Service Board of the overall operations of the 911 system.

Reps. Kathleen Keenan, a Democrat, and Mike Marcotte, a Republican, wrote to Porters boss, Public Service Commissioner Christopher Recchia, to request a broader review. They said they were aware of the departments jurisdictional concerns, but after listing concerns about the 911 system, said they should be addressed in one comprehensive investigation to the fullest extent possible.

The Public Service Board now has opened two cases: the one requested by the department looking at the Jan. 5 outage, and another looking at all the outages and the systems underlying reliability.

As the state and FairPoint were working to finalize their contract in late 2014, Whitaker and Larkin began urging that the Enhanced 911 Board hire an engineering consultant to vet what FairPoint was offering, according to minutes from a December 2014 meeting of the board and legislative testimony. The board is in the process of hiring an outside engineering consultant now.

It is our opinion that all state requirements related to the issuance of the (request for proposal), evaluation of the proposals and the review of the resulting contract were met prior to contract signing, Barb Neal, executive director of the Enhanced 911 Board, said in an email.

Following the summer outages, the board feels it is practicing due diligence by hiring an expert consultant to ensure the system is meeting all contractual requirements and industry best practices, she added.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Vermont
A fire official says the investigation into a marina fire in Henrico County that destroyed around a dozen boats will take days or weeks to complete.

Henrico fire Capt. Taylor Goodman tells the Richmond Times-Dispatch it is too early to speculate about whether the fire that broke out Friday morning at the Richmond Yacht Basin was arson. He says Henrico fire marshals will lead the investigation.

TV station WRIC reports hazmat crews were monitoring the James River to ensure no fuel was spilled. The station says property owners were to be allowed to access the marina at noon Saturday.

A neighbor reported the fire around 7 a.m. Friday and alerted people who were staying on their boats.

Some of the burning vessels drifted down the river and some sunk.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Virginia
Assicurazioni Generalis board of directors has appointed Marco Sesana as country manager of Italy. He will also retain the position of chief executive officer of Generali Italia.

Marco Sesana joined Generali Italia in 2013 as chief operating officer and was tasked with integrating its Italian insurance companies, successfully concluding this initiative in 2015.

Sesana subsequently took over responsibility for the insurance business  including life, non-life and claims management  before becoming chief executive officer of Generali Italia in May 2016.

Sesana will oversee the next phase in the development of Generalis Italian business, which will focus on better customer experience, stronger distribution networks, and innovation, the company said in a statement.

The board of directors has also appointed Timothy Ryan as group chief investment officer (CIO), effective Jan. 9, 2017. Ryan, 47, is a citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom, and holds a degree in International Banking and Finance. He has experience in asset management, having held leading roles in AXA Investment Managers and AllianceBernstein, with posts in France, Japan and the UK. Banca Generali is also included within the area of organizational responsibility of the CIO.

Sesana and Ryan will join the Group Management Commitee in January 2017.

The current group CIO, Nikhil Srinivasan, will leave the group in January to pursue new professional opportunities in investment management.

Source: Generali

Topics Generali Life Assurance (Thailand) Plc.
Changing marijuana laws arent necessarily making weed more welcome in the workplace.

For now, many employers appear to be sticking with their drug testing and personal conduct policies, even in states where recreational marijuana use is now permitted. Others are keeping a close eye on the still evolving legal, regulatory and political environment.

Voters in California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada voted Nov. 8 to approve the use of recreational marijuana, joining Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, where it had previously been legalized. (A recount of Maines close result is scheduled.) More than two dozen states have medical marijuana programs.

But the drug is still against federal law.

A closer look at what it all means for workers and businesses:

CAN MY EMPLOYER STILL TEST ME FOR POT?

Bottom line: You cant come to work high. You can still be drug tested. And you can still be fired  or not hired  for failing a drug test even if youre not the least bit impaired at work.

All the states with legalized recreational pot have exemptions for workplace drug policies.

In Massachusetts, for example, the law includes language stating that the authority of employers to enact and enforce workplace policies restricting the consumption of marijuana by employees is not changed.

Yes, you may be able to have (marijuana) at home, but that doesnt mean its OK in the workplace, said Edward Yost, an HR specialist with the Society for Human Resources Management.

WHAT ABOUT WORKPLACE SAFETY?

Advocates for marijuana legalization said it was never their intention to compromise safety, a central reason offered by employers for drug testing.

We dont want anyone to come to work impaired on any drugs, said David Boyer, campaign manager for the ballot initiative in Maine.

A 2013 survey by the employee screening firm HireRight found 78 percent of employers conducted drug tests either randomly, as a condition of employment, after accidents or for some combination of those reasons.

The federal government requires drug testing for some workers, including truck drivers and others in transportation.

Quest Diagnostics, which performed nearly 11 million laboratory-based drug tests for employers in 2015, said the percentage of tests coming back positive has shown a modest increase in recent years. Nearly half of all positive tests showed evidence of marijuana use.

CAN I GET FIRED EVEN IF IM NOT HIGH?

THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis, can stay in a persons system for days or even weeks, experts say  long after the buzz has subsided.

Its the equivalent of firing somebody who drank a glass of wine on Friday evening and then came to work on Monday, said Tamar Todd, legal director for the Drug Policy Alliance, who believes employers should reconsider zero-tolerance policies in light of changing laws and attitudes.

A number of efforts are underway to develop an accurate method, akin to the Breathalyzer for alcohol, to measure actual marijuana impairment. Such a test might be useful not only for employers, but also for police and prosecutors trying to determine what constitutes driving under the influence of marijuana in states where recreational pot is legal.

WHAT SHOULD COMPANIES DO?

At a minimum, companies should review their current polices, make sure their managers are trained and make clear to employees that marijuana use on or off the job can still land them in trouble, said James Reidy, a New Hampshire-based attorney who advises clients around the country on drug testing issues.

Tina Sharby, chief human resources officer for an Easter Seals affiliate with about 1,700 employees in New England, said the organization, which provides services for people with special needs, is monitoring the evolving legal and regulatory environment but is sticking with its drug testing protocols for now.

We have a drug-free workplace policy, and we believe that the current policy we have is effective, Sharby said.

But drug testing and zero-tolerance rules can also make it difficult for businesses with a need to recruit young professionals who may harbor more liberal attitudes toward pot.

We have ski industries out here, and if they really took a hard line on marijuana use, they would have to shut down, said Curtis Graves, information resource manager for the Colorado-based Mountain States Employers Council.

After Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012, surveys showed an uptick in workplace drug testing, Graves said, but that trend has begun to shift in the other direction.

Employers who have a zero-tolerance policy maybe shouldnt apply that to non-safety sensitive workers, because if they do testing on them, they run the risk of inviting an invasion of privacy claim, suggested Amanda Baer, a Boston-area attorney who specializes in labor and employment issues.

WHAT DO THE COURTS SAY?

Adding to the uncertainty is the scarcity of legal precedent in states that have legalized recreational marijuana. But several cases involving employees with permits to use medical marijuana have reached the courts, and most have been decided in employers favor.

The most widely cited case is a 2015 Colorado Supreme Court that upheld Dish Networks firing of a disabled man who used medical marijuana and failed a drug test. The court ruled that a state law barring employers from firing workers for off-duty behavior that is legal did not apply because pot remains illegal under federal law.

Similar rulings have been issued in other states including California, Montana and Washington.

As medical marijuana programs become more common even in states where recreational pot remains outlawed, some companies have begun to weigh accommodations for workers with permission to use marijuana for an existing health condition.

Invitation to Comment: Do you think employee marijuana use will become a serious workplace issue?

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Commercial Lines Business Insurance Cannabis Colorado Maine Drugs Human Resources
In September, Hurricane Hermine broke Floridas hurricane drought that had lasted since 2005. The category 1 storm hit the Florida Panhandle, bringing significant storm surge to the Tampa Bay area before slowly traveling up the Eastern Seaboard.

The storm weakened to a tropical storm as it moved inland in Florida, with winds topping 70 miles per hour, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, but it was still enough to cause widespread damage and power outages. Toppled trees in Tallahassee left some residents without power for a week.

This was a very typical CAT 1 hurricane, said Karen Clark, CEO of catastrophe risk management firm Karen Clark & Co. (KCC). The biggest losses [were] from trees falling on houses. There was a lot of damage in Tallahassee  there were some commercial losses, but really, the wind speeds werent enough to create structural damage unless a tree fell.

Cat modeling firms, such as KCC, pegged the damage in the $1 billion range and said the claims from the storm were nothing insurers couldnt handle.

Then in October, Hurricane Matthew hit. The storm was classified as a category 3 with winds of 120 miles per hour.

The consensus from the insurance industry was this storm also could have been a lot worse and that the state had dodged a bullet, as the destruction left behind by Matthew wasnt as bad as what was originally anticipated. Storm experts say thats because the storm didnt hit land as the category 4 hurricane that impacted Haiti just a few days earlier.

When Matthew was nearing Florida, there was a large amount of uncertainty of whether there would be more wind and storm surge or less so because the storm was paralleling so close to the coast, said Tom Sabbatelli, RMS Hurricane Risk Expert based in the UK.

Sabbatelli said since Matthew stayed about 50 miles off the coast and the hurricane force winds remained around the center of eye the state was spared from extreme devastation. Florida avoided the strongest of the winds, he said.

Cat modeling firms have estimated Matthew damage at $10 billion, but, there isnt any concern of [Matthew] affecting the stability of the marketplace, said William Stander, executive director for the Florida Property & Casualty Association (FPCA).

CEO and Executive Director of Citizens, Barry Gilway, said the company had more than 10 years to prepare and its efforts paid off when it came to responding to these events.

The 2016 hurricanes, Hermine and Matthew, were a real test for Citizens and for many of the new untested companies in Florida, Gilway said. My view is that our claims organization responded very effectively but more importantly the feedback we received from our customers and our agents was all very positive.

Furthermore, he said, it addressed concerns as to whether Florida take-out companies, which had not experienced an event such as Matthew, could handle a large influx of claims.

Those questions were answered with a resounding Yes,' Gilway said. These companies all performed exceptionally well, clearly showing their customers they were more than prepared.

Florida CFO Jeff Atwater and Commissioner David Altmaier hosted an Insurance Roundtable on Dec. 2 to mark the end of the 2016 hurricane season. Representatives from 25 different insurance companies operating in Florida were in attendance, as well as officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to discuss storm-related claims with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

This was a hurricane season that I think we all knew was coming, Altmaier told attendees. There is no illusion, certainly in this room, that well go another 11 years without hurricane activity.

Altmaier praised the insurance industry for its work with OIR in the days before and after the storms, saying there wasnt a single insurance company I wasnt able to get in touch with in a short period of time.

The responsiveness I witnessed with respect to our outreach to you and the Offices outreach was just superb, Altmaier told industry representatives.

OIR reported there have been more than 112,000 insurance claims totaling $729 million in losses as a result of Hurricane Matthew and 18,000 insurance claims totaling $95 million as a result of Hurricane Hermine. Altmaier said neither storm raised concerns that insurers wouldnt be able to pay claims and it isnt expected that either event will impact the Florida Hurricane Cat Fund.

As these insurance claims are processed, paid and closed, Atwater and Altmaier have closely followed the insurance industrys claims-paying practices to ensure that Floridians are treated fairly and their claims are handled appropriately, OIR said in a statement.

Commissioner Altmaier said after the event that he has been encouraged by the responsiveness of the insurance industry in handling claims relating to the storms.

We will not accept anything less than the best and most efficient effort from every single insurance company operating in the state of Florida, said Atwater. Commissioner Altmaier and I are pleased with what weve seen thus far, but we will continue to meet with residents until Floridians concerns have been addressed.

The hurricanes, while not as destructive as they could have been, did serve to remind residents of the perils the catastrophic- prone state faces.

Florida had two hurricanes this year  but from a purely technical perspective, they didnt make landfall in Florida though they came close, Sabbatelli said. But, from a technical perspective Florida still hasnt had a major hurricane since 2005. There is definitely the potential for worse.

Each top Florida insurance topic of 2016 will be highlighted this week. Check back Thursday for the story of Floridas new insurance commissioner and his priorities for 2017.

Related:

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Florida Claims Hurricane Market
More than two dozen people were treated by paramedics after showing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning at the River Ridge Tap House restaurant in Clemmons, N.C.

Forsyth County EMS tells local media that about 30 people who visited the restaurant Saturday night experienced headaches, nausea and vomiting. Fourteen people were taken to the hospital, and the rest were treated and released from the scene.

Lewisville Fire Department Assistant Chief Steve Williams says the gas started leaking because of a malfunction in the restaurants heating system.

Williams says an off-duty firefighter who happened to be at the restaurant noticed that people were becoming ill, so he called the fire department.

Fire officials at the scene confirmed the level of carbon monoxide was six times the normal amount.

Stephanie Miner and some friends were in the restaurant.

What is happening to me? Did I get infected by that much? Whats going to happen, Miner told WFMY-TV. It was not fun!

Im just glad its over and we are all standing here. Physically standing here, said Miner. Thats good!

Jenna Edwards with the River Ridge Taproom says they called their heating technician and the problem was fixed that night.

We deeply regret what happened! I feel sorry for everybody that was back here, said Edwards. My biggest concern was for the children that were back here.

Firefighters say the gas is no longer leaking and there is no threat to the restaurant.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas so none who worked at the restaurant knew what was happening.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics North Carolina
Saranno 1,4 milioni i rifugiati che arriveranno in Europa secondo le stime dellUnchr. Per il 2015 si prevede che saranno almeno 700.000 persone in cerca di sicurezza che cercheranno di varcare le frontiere europee e per il 2016 i dati sono simili anche se ci potrebbe essere un numero maggiore di arrivi rispetto a questanno. Inoltre nel report, lo Special Mediterranean Initiative June 2015  December 2016, le stime per questanno sono state riviste al rialzo di 350.000 migranti rispetto ai valori iniziali. Nonostante laumento dei controlli e dei pattugliamenti navali, soprattutto nel corridoio centrale del Mediterraneo, sono oltre 2.900 le persone che sono morte o disperse in mare nel 2015, aggiunge il rapporto, confermando cifre gia circolate nelle scorse settimane.

In mancanza di vie legali per raggiungere lEuropa, i rifugiati hanno continuato a muoversi al fianco dei migranti, con gli stessi percorsi e mezzi e di fronte a rischi e pericoli simili, si precisa sottolineando che tra i fattori alla base del maggiore movimento verso lEuropa, i rifugiati hanno indicato la perdita di speranza, gli alti costi della vita che conducono alla poverta, opportunita di sostentamento limitate e carenze di aiuto. Di fronte a misure di controllo alle frontiere sempre piu restrittive e imprevedibili nelle regioni di origine e transito, molti inoltre cadono preda di trafficanti, ricorda il rapporto. Alla luce della situazione in rapida evoluzione in Europa, e alla necessita di spostare risorse da un luogo ad un altro, in risposta al flusso di persone attualmente in cerca di protezione internazionale nella regione, lUnhcr lancia un appello ai donatori per fornire i contributi che possono essere allocati il piu flessibilmente possibile in tutta la regione.
Acting head of the State Automobile Roads Agency of Ukraine (Ukravtodor) Slawomir Nowak has said that Poland's experience in reforming the road sector would suit Ukraine.

"I would back on my experience in Poland. I think the 'copy-paste' policy would work here," he said at a meeting at the American Chamber of Commerce in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Asked how much time it would take to conduct the reform, Nowak said that mainly this depends on red tape.

"In all European countries red tape is strong: many things depend on political will. I would cope with reform if I would have support of politicians. I see it from the infrastructure minister, prime minister and even president now. I was a politician in the past. I know how politics works. I hope that next year we will see some progress in the sector," he said.

As reported, Nowak was appointed acting head of Ukravtodor in October 2016.
We recommend the best products through an independent review process, and advertisers do not influence our picks. We may receive compensation if you visit partners we recommend. Read our advertiser disclosure for more info.

There are four parts of Medicare: Part A, Part B, Part C, and Part D. In general, the four Medicare parts cover different services, so it's essential that you understand the options so you can pick your Medicare coverage carefully.

Key Takeaways Medicare is the national health insurance program available to people age 65 or older, younger people with disabilities, and people with end-stage renal disease.

There are four parts to Medicare: A, B, C, and D.

Part A is automatic and includes payments for treatment in a medical facility.

Part B is automatic if you do not have other healthcare coverage, such as through an employer or spouse.

Part C, called Medicare Advantage, is a private-sector alternative to traditional Medicare.

Part D covers prescription drug benefits.

If you qualify for Medicare and don't know where to start, eHealth Medicare, an independent insurance broker and partner of Investopedia, has licensed insurance agents at 1-855-267-0952 who can help enroll you in Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement Insurance, and Prescription Drug Part D plans.

Maybe you're getting close to the age of 65 or simply want to understand how Medicare works so you can help a family member or friend. While some people who sign up for Medicare are retired, others are still working. Whatever your situation, you become eligible for Medicare when you reach 65. In fact, if you are already receiving Social Security, you'll be enrolled in Medicare automatically the month you turn 65. The card will arrive in the mail.

In 2020, there were more than 62 million people enrolled in Medicare.

"Anyone who has been approved and has received Social Security disability income benefits for two years qualifies for Medicare Parts A and B," says Chris Cooper, CFP, ChFC, EA, MSFS, president, Chris Cooper & Company, San Diego, Calif.

Medicare has evolved over the years and now has four parts. While some are mandatory, others are optional.
"Why do I need a lawyer?" many a do-it-yourself-oriented homebuyer often asks. "Can't real estate agents see me through?" Well, they can in most states. That doesn't necessarily mean that they should. Although using an attorney can cost thousands of dollars, it is often money well spent. Read on to find out how a real estate lawyer will help you close the deal and avoid the pitfalls.

Key Takeaways It's often worth it to spend money on a real estate attorney, but it is not legally required in most states.

Attorneys make sure all paperwork is properly drawn up and filed with the authorities.

Attorneys do title searches and can negotiate should a search uncover a problem.

Ideally, buyers and sellers in a real estate deal should be represented by lawyers to safeguard their rights and watch their interests.

While lawyers can help if you face discrimination when buying a home, there are also less expensive options.

Contracts

Most individuals can negotiate face-to-face with another party. However, the terms of the deal must be properly recorded in a contract for them to be legally binding. Attorneys can negotiate on your behalf and also make sure that the contract adheres to all state laws. Furthermore, they can address any specific issues that might affect the future use of the property.

In many states, the buyer and the seller have three days to review a real estate contract before it becomes legally binding. Some buyers and sellers aren't aware of this. A lawyer will make the client aware of it, review the contract for legal glitches, make necessary changes, and insert useful contingencies.

Title Searches

Another vital service that attorneys perform is called a title search. Its purpose is to ensure that the property is free of any encumbrances, such as liens or judgments. The title search is essential because it reveals whether the seller has the legal right to sell the property. Although anyone can do a title search, an attorney will be able to do it faster and better. If they don't do it themselves, they'll often have working relationships with title search companies specializing in this service.

If the search uncovers something problematic, your attorney can counsel you on how to proceed. Suppose a title search reveals that the sellers must pay a lien or outstanding court judgment before selling their home. A lawyer might negotiate a price reduction on the property to compensate you for the delay. The lawyer may also provide the seller with suggestions or sources for financing so that they can satisfy claims.



Furthermore, attorneys can secure proof that judgments or liens have been resolved. That is important if you ever plan to obtain a mortgage or loan against the property.

Property Transfers

When one or more parties are corporations, trusts, or partnerships, the contract preparation and the ensuing negotiations are complicated. An attorney understands these different types of business arrangements and their legal boundaries within your state's law. The attorney will ensure that the contract is consistent with the law and the partnership's, trust's, or corporation's charter agreements.

Filings

Real estate deeds often need to be filed at the county and state levels. An attorney will be able to do this quickly and efficiently. In some cases, the transaction might involve property in an area where certain types of construction are not allowed. If that happens, an attorney will be able to navigate the maze of state regulations so that you can complete the transaction.

If the transaction revolves around commercial property, securing an attorney is even more critical. The attorney will be able to cut through government red tape to establish your corporation or sole proprietorship as a valid business entity for state tax purposes. An attorney can also secure your actual business license through the municipality.

Failing to file the appropriate documents at the state or the county level may result in dire consequences, such as:

If a deed is not transferred correctly, it could lead to income or estate taxes for buyers and sellers.

If building permits are not filed on wetlands, certain structures may have to be rebuilt, or owners may incur fines.

If it is a commercial transaction, and the business is not correctly registered at the state level, the business might be forced to close.

Sellers Need Attorneys Too

If you're selling a property, having an attorney represent your interests isn't a legal requirement in most states. However, not having one increases your chances of being sued by the opposing party for failure to disclose certain information. That is because an attorney must review the home inspection and disclose relevant facts about the property to the other party.

Suppose the other party is a corporation or a partnership, and the transaction is improperly completed. Then, they might sue you for not clearing the title to the property, failing to disclose certain defects, violating a corporate charter, or something else. While having a lawyer will not insulate you entirely from such litigation, obtaining legal counsel will certainly reduce your risk. An attorney will be much more likely to secure a clear title and make the appropriate disclosures.

Mortgage lending discrimination is illegal. If you think you've been discriminated against based on race, religion, sex, marital status, use of public assistance, national origin, disability, or age, there are steps you can take. One such step is to file a report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Dealing With Discrimination

Lawyers can certainly help if you face discrimination during the home buying process. Even though most real estate lawyers do not specialize in that area, they will probably know an attorney who does. However, don't let anyone convince you that you need to have lots of money or a high-priced legal team to respond to discrimination. Laws exist to protect everyone, regardless of income.

Do I Need a Lawyer to Buy a House? Buying a house isn't as simple as handing over your credit card and taking home your purchase. Homebuying (and selling for that matter) are complicated legal transactions subject to state and local regulations. An experienced real estate lawyer can guide you through the step-by-step process of closing on your home. You could do all the complex paperwork yourself, but it will be extremely time-consuming and if you don't file various permits and financial documents properly, it could cost you the sale.

What Does a Real Estate Lawyer Do? When you hire a real estate lawyer, their job is to make sure the process of legally transferring the property occurs from seller to the homebuyer. Their tasks may be varied, depending on the deal, but they must adhere to all state (and sometimes local) laws. Typically they prepare and review documents, oversee the transfer of funds and hold them in an escrow account, and make themselves available to answer questions. A real estate lawyer often negotiates with the seller/buyer's lawyer in lieu of the seller/buyer speaking directly to one another, during what can be an emotional process.

How Much Does a Real Estate Attorney Cost? How much a real estate attorney will cost you depends on the job and the attorney. Some attorneys charge an hourly rate, which may vary ($150 to $350 or more) on where you live and the attorney, themselves. Some attorneys may simply charge you for each service they provide, like a home closing, or a double-checking a title search.





The Bottom Line

Having legal counsel makes good business sense because of the complexities that come with real estate transactions. Experienced real estate attorneys can help to protect your interests. They ensure that your transaction adheres to the applicable rules of your state and municipality. That way, the closing process can work to the satisfaction of all involved.
What Is Regulation T?

Regulation T is a collection of provisions that govern investors' cash accounts and the amount of credit that brokerage firms and dealers may extend to customers for the purchase of securities. According to Regulation T, an investor may borrow up to 50% of the purchase price of securities that can be bought using a loan from a broker or dealer. The remaining 50% of the price must be funded with cash.

Key Takeaways Regulation T governs cash accounts and the amount of credit that broker-dealers can extend to investors for the purchase of securities.

Investors who want to purchase securities using broker-dealer credit need to apply for a margin account.

Reg T mandates that investors can borrow no more than 50% of the purchase price while the remaining balance must be paid in cash.

1:40 Regulation T (Reg T)

Understanding Regulation T (Reg T)

Buying securities with borrowed money is commonly referred to as buying on margin, which refers to assets that an investor must deposit with a broker-dealer to obtain a loan. Additionally, Regulation T promulgates payment rules on certain securities transactions made through cash accounts.

Regulation T, or Reg T, was established by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to provide rules for extensions of credit by brokers and dealers and to regulate cash accounts. An investor who has a cash account cannot borrow funds from a broker-dealer and must pay the purchase price of securities with cash.

Margin accounts, on the other hand, allow investors to obtain credit to fund a portion of their securities purchase. Because buying securities on credit can expose investors to sudden losses of a much larger magnitude compared to the same purchase using only cash, the Federal Reserve Board stepped in and promulgated a rule that limited the borrowing to be no greater than 50% of the securities purchase price.

The 50% requirement is called the initial margin because it establishes a minimum borrowing level at the time of purchase. Certain brokers may have stricter requirements, with levels above 50%.

Regulation T limits the amount of credit an investor can get from their broker to buy securities on margin.

Special Considerations

While the primary goal of Regulation T was to govern margin, it also introduced transaction rules for cash accounts. Because it takes up to two days for securities transactions to settle and the cash proceeds to be delivered to the seller of securities, a situation can arise when an investor buys and sells the same securities before paying for them from the cash account. This is called freeriding, and it is prohibited by Reg T.

In such cases, the investor's broker must freeze the cash account for 90 days, requiring the investor to fund their securities purchases with cash on the date of the trade.

Example of Reg T

An investor who wishes to purchase securities using broker-dealer credit must apply for a margin account that grants borrowing privileges. When investors borrow money in their margin account, they must pay interest based on the rate schedule established by the broker-dealer.

Suppose an investor wishes to obtain a loan from a brokerage firm to purchase 10 shares of a certain company with a price per share of $100, resulting in a total purchase of $1,000. Regulation T states that the investor can borrow no more than 50% of the purchase price, or $500, from the broker, while the remaining balance must be paid in cash.
HSE director general Tony OBrien and Health Minister Simon Harris will launch the document this morning alongside a separate Government plan to potentially use income from private patients, hospital car parks and other areas to fund breakthrough drugs like Orkambi.

The HSEs service plan will include:

A 14bn overall budget;

4.4bn spent on acute hospitals;

3.8bn on primary care services;

3.3bn for disability and elderly care;

853m for mental health;

155m for the national ambulance service.

It will also detail on an 8% child home-care packages rise, a 50c cut in prescription charges for over-70s medical card holders, and plans to being new GP contract talks early next year.

However, Mr OBrien is expected today to note that the funding may still not be enough to meet the existing needs of the service.
Google says Irish people wanted to know more about Euro 2016 than anything else this year.

It has topped the list of most trending searches and is followed by Pokemon Go and the death of David Bowie.
Ukravtodor's debts to contractors for works finished in 2012 is nonsense

Acting head of the State Automobile Roads Agency of Ukraine (Ukravtodor) Slawomir Nowak has said debts of around UAH 1 billion to contractors for works finished earlier are nonsense.

"It was a large surprise for me that the debts for works finished in 2012 have not yet been settled. There remain UAH 1 billion in debts to contractors, many court hearings. This is a large problem," he said at a meeting at the American Chamber of Commerce in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Foreign debts on Ukravtodor's liabilities are in second place.

"Debts to international financial institutions are government's liabilities. The problem for me is the debt to private companies for earlier finished works," he said.
The Philippine justice secretary says President Rodrigo Duterte often exaggerates killings of criminals he supposedly carried out in order to send a chilling warning to lawbreakers.

Vitaliano Aguirre II told reporters that Mr Duterte may have been resorting to hyperbole when he suggested in a recent speech that he used to go around his southern city as mayor on a big motorcycle to look for criminals to kill so policemen would emulate him.

Mr Aguirre said the president often uses hyperbole to put his message across.

President Duterte, who took office in June, has been the target of criticism for his brutal crackdown on illegal drugs, which has led to the deaths of more than 2,000 drug suspects in gunbattles with police.

About 3,000 other drug-related killings are being investigated by authorities.

Mr Duterte said in a speech to business executives at the presidential palace on Monday that he used to hunt down criminals himself to set an example.

"In Davao, I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys that, if I can do it why can't you?" he said.

"I go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around and I would just patrol the streets and looking for trouble also. I was really looking for an encounter to be able to kill."

Mr Duterte, however, has repeatedly said that drug suspects were only killed under his anti-drug crackdown as mayor - and now as president, when they fought back and threatened law enforcers.

AP
The Irish-Swiss baked goods group started the programme by issuing 386m worth of fixed and floating rate debt, at an attractive initial yield of 1.65%.

This is part of a larger refinancing schedule, to be completed by the group over the course of fiscal year 2017. Following [yesterdays] announcement, Aryzta remains on track to meet guidance, said Davy Stockbrokers Jack Gorman.

However, investors were slow to react. While it pared its losses, Aryztas share price  down around 15% since the start of the year and over 50% in the past 18 months was down by over 1% for most of yesterday.

Meanwhile, at the groups agm in Zurich yesterday, Gary McGanns appointment as chairperson was approved by 80.5% of shareholders.

The former Smurfit Kappa Group and Aer Lingus chief was nominated as chair earlier this year (and is due to take up the role next month). However, investor advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services opposed his recommendation.

All other Aryzta directors  including chief executive Owen Killian  were re-elected with shareholder approval rates of more than 98%.

Mr Killian has also been criticised for his performance in recent months and saw his near 1m performance-related bonus, for last year, withheld pending improvement in the groups annual earnings.

Last month Aryzta reported a 3.3% drop in first quarter revenues, blaming subdued conditions in Europe and the loss of long-term contract renewals in North America.
University College Cork economist Seamus Coffey, who is also a member of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council watchdog, told TDs and senators plans by president-elect Donald Trump to reform the US tax system was less of a threat than Brussels so-called Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base - CCCTB.

With the Government collecting a large chunk of Irelands corporation taxes from exporters, Mr Coffey said Ireland could lose up to 50% of its current corporation tax base if the CCCTB was introduced.

Under Brussels CCCTB, there would likely be further knock-on consequences as companies adapted to the new pan-EU tax regime.

At present, as well as around 3bn of corporation tax, US companies in Ireland pay 6bn of salary costs, undertake an average of 3bn of in fixed capital investment and buy around 3bn of goods and services from Irish suppliers, he said.

Mr Coffey said that this amounted to a 15bn boost to the Irish economy each year. It is hard to imagine any reform  even unilateral US tax reform  posing a greater threat to huge gains of Irelands most successful economic policy than the CCCTB.

The Commission announced in October it was looking at overhauling the way in which companies are taxed in the Single Market, saying it wanted to deliver a growth-friendly and fair corporate tax system.

It said the CCCTB would create a level-playing field for multinationals in Europe by closing off avenues used for tax avoidance. The CCCTB would look to introduce a single rate, meaning Irelands 12.5% rate would be streamlined.

The Economic and Social Research Institute - ESRI -has said Irish corporation tax revenues would fall by about 5.5% if the CCCTB was implemented across the EU. Its report last week also estimated the CCCTB would eliminate 1.5% from Irelands economic output.

France, the ESRI report said, would be the biggest beneficiary if the CCCTB was introduced, increasing its corporation tax revenues by 6%.

Finance committee deputy chair Senator Gerry Horkan asked Mr Coffey if the proposed CCCTB was merely a profit grab by bigger countries over smaller countries. Mr Coffey replied he would not dispute that assertion.

Labour TD Sean Sherlock said he had serious concerns about the potential loss of sovereignty and that Ireland could not afford to do anything to compromise the ability to attract foreign direct investment.

Separately, the Oireachtas Budgetary Oversight Committee heard from the chairman of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, Professor John McHale, on the threats facing the Irish economy.

He said a big increase in expenditure and tax reductions by the Government went beyond what the watchdog had deemed prudent. It left Ireland more exposed to risks. He warned there was little room for any major increases such as public pay restoration and Irelands high gross debt needed to be brought down to safe levels.

He said: The economy has seen recovery but fragilities remain.
The GLAS scheme requires development and implementation of a Commonage Management Plan (CMP) which must be prepared and completed by a professional, approved, trained and qualified Agricultural Advisor.

Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, said the advisor is paid by the farmer, and is not working for his Department. The price paid is a matter for the farmer and the advisor, he said.

My Department did not set any rules or guidelines for professional fees involved in joining GLAS, he said.

Under GLAS, payment to farmers in respect of commonages was increased from 79/hectare in the previous agri-environment measure to 120/ha a year for five years to take account of potential additional costs to the farmer.

The average annual payment to farmers across the first two phases of GLAS is 4,600, but participants can earn up to 7,000. Almost 15,000 farmers nationally have shares of commonage; 6,578 have been approved into the first two phases of GLAS  a voluntary agri-environment scheme.

Farmers with commonage have priority access to GLAS, and commonage advisors have been assigned to prepare CMPs for over 2,700 commonages. However, it has proved difficult for some to secure the services of commonage advisors. For 255 commonages, shared by 571 GLAS participants, planners were assigned and subsequently reassigned.

Minister Creed said that nearly 80 commonages are being reassessed in GLAS, where the commonage advisor initially assigned is no longer in a position to complete the work, and 35 commonages have had no advisor assigned.

Some 6,600 farmers have declared 13,000 commonage shares as part of their GLAS applications, of which about 300 have declared shares on the 115 commonages for which the assignment of a commonage advisor is yet to be finalised.

Mr Creed said his Department is finalising arrangements to assign an advisor to these commonages, and to put in place a procedure to ensure that GLAS participants on these commonages will have their 2016 GLAS payment processed at the same time as all other GLAS 1 and 2 participants.

In the Dail, Sligo-Leitrim Sinn Fein TD Martin Kenny has alleged that farmers within GLAS are expected to inform on their non-GLAS commonage neighbours with regard to stocking density, or be penalised.

In reply, Minister Creed said the goal of the CMP is to ensure farming activity on commonages is carried out sustainably, to prevent under and over grazing, and if necessary, set out collective actions such as controlled burning. He said stocking level ranges are set for each commonage and each shareholder, whether the shareholder is a GLAS applicant or not.

This info should be sufficient in most cases for the advisor preparing the CMP, unless it is evident from the vegetation that the stocking level figure needs adjustment.

It is in the interests of all farmers using the commonage that the total grazing compliment be established, said the Minister, noting that if the commonage is not maintained in an eligible condition, EU payments could be affected, to the detriment of all shareholders.

The date for completion of commonage CMPs is now put out to September 1, 2017, to facilitate inclusion of farmers in GLAS 3, applications for which are now being accepted.

Meanwhile, to speed up processing of 2016 GLAS payments for GLAS 1 and GLAS 2 participants, interim CMP arrangements are in place which confirm that CMPs are under way, and that commonage farmers have committed to meeting their minimum stocking density by the end of 2016.
Gardai recently accepted a Labour Court Recommendation which will see them earn an extra 3,000 from January 1.

When the deal was first announced last month, Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Paschal Donohoe refused to rule out cuts to frontline services and a freezing of USC rates to fund the pay increases.

Any change of agreement that we have in relation to the Lansdowne Road Agreement has consequences for everything else that Government wants to do, he said.

However, after talks with Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald, it was decided taht the deal will be paid for by burden-sharing across Government departments.

However, Ms Fitzgerald still has to find 25m for the Justice Vote Group.

A spokesman for the Tanaiste said the department is committed to ensuring the additional budgetary cost will not impact on the provision of crucial services.

A comprehensive spending review will now be carried out across all departments to come up with other 25m.

Mr Donohoe is due to publish the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) on Thursday, which will give a further detailed breakdown of proposed allocations from the budget.

The spokeswoman confirmed that the REV includes an additional exchequer allocation of 25m to part cover the cost of the Labour Court recommendation.
Health watchdog Hiqa found that even though the service provider at the St John of God North East Services in Greenmount began a financial review into the matter in August 2015, there was still evidence of inappropriate practices as recently as May 2016.

The inspection by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) was one of 25 reports on residential centres for people with disabilities published yesterday.

There were 22 residents at the centre in Greenmount at the time of the inspection, which was also the subject of two inspections last year. It found good practice in many areas and praised staff interaction with residents but raised serious concerns over the inappropriate charging of people living there.

Hiqa received unsolicited information regarding the management of residents finances which was a factor that triggered this unannounced inspection, read. the report. The information alleged that residents were being charged substantial sums of money for furniture, medical aids and medical appointments. This inspection found evidence that validated these concerns and found that safeguarding arrangements were not adequate to protect residents from financial abuse.

For example, between 2012 and 2016, a number of residents were charged 2,300 each for the cost of specialised armchairs, while another was charged 2,499 for an armchair and a dexa scan. Another resident who was assessed as needing a body brace was charged 552 for this specialist medical appliance. Residents or their representatives were not adequately consulted in relation to these charges.

It said the providers own investigation showed that poor practice occurred in the management of residents finances and that residents were inappropriately charged for items such as basic medical aids and equipment. The service provider decided that residents were to be reimbursed for items of furniture, medical aids and equipment which they had purchased from their own funds between 2012 and 2016. The provider also pledged to take other measures to ensure best practice.

According to the report: As a result of concerns raised during this inspection the provider was formally requested by Hiqa to take action and to address this matter in all centres operated by the provider nationally.

Good practice was noted in many reports including at Grange Apartments, SonasResidential Service in Dublin 15, operated by the Daughters of Charity Disability Support Services Ltd, but inspectors found that, due to the secure nature of their apartment, residents were observed having to wait for staff to respond to them knocking on their door or their verbal calling.
Cork Education and Training Board (ETB) reported the theft to the gardai when it became apparent last year that the amount of money lodged in the school safe did not tally with expected receipts.

However, nobody has been prosecuted or disciplined as a result of the scam, in which not all the money paid to use facilities outside school hours was handed over for safe keeping to be lodged later in a school or ETB account.

A number of staff members were interviewed by management and gardai, but their inquiries were unable to determine who was responsible.

It is believed the theft happened over a period of one or two years, and a total of 5,438 was estimated to have been taken.

All the right things were done, as the principal informed the ETB and the gardai, and it was also reported to the Comptroller and Auditor General, said Sheila Quill, Cork ETBs director of organisation, support, and development.

The gardai interviewed quite a number of people who could have had any involvement but the investigation proved inconclusive.

Cork ETB manages 24 second-level schools and two primary schools, and operates nine colleges and centres of further education in the city and county. It has more than 3,800 staff across administration, teaching, and ancillary grades.

In a note on internal controls in its 2015 accounts, Cork ETB chairman Patrick Gerard Murphy, also a county councillor, said that new controls and procedures have been put in place and will continue to be reviewed at all schools to mitigate against a repeat of the theft elsewhere.

Almost 2m was collected last year by Cork ETB schools and head office from students, parents, and other sources other than the Department of Education and public bodies.

While most big charges like course fees can be paid online for many years, arrangements to make online payments for school trips or hiring school facilities are now also being offered.

Were rolling out an online payment system where cash is not paid to schools at all, but parents or community groups or clubs can pay directly online, said Ms Quill. Its a work in progress but it will be available at all schools.

The Cork ETB accounts also show that internal audits in 2014 and 2015 in the areas of receipts, adult literacy, and community education found adequate systems of internal controls.

The theft from the school was discovered by local school management, rather than during any of the examinations by the unit which conducts internal audits for all ETBs.

As was reported by the Irish Examiner last month, the Laois-Offaly ETB was hit for at least 50,000 by a phishing scam in 2014 but it did not end up out of pocket. Most of the money was recovered from the fraudsters bank to which money had been transferred, and the balance of more than 24,000 was covered in a gesture from the boards insurance company.

The Department of Educations 2015 accounts showed that two schools were found to have misused 40,000 of public funding.
The programme will allow gardai to quickly respond and advise local residents on safety and security issues and matters related to incidents that occur in the community.

The pilot scheme will piggyback on the existing FreeText service already in place and run by Limerick City and County Council at its Southill local office in the Roxboro Shopping Centre.

Gardai will provide information by text to each registered community contact.

Inspector Oliver Kennedy, Roxboro Rd station, said: The text alert initiative is designed to facilitate immediate and cost effective communication from An Garda Siochana to the public.

This will be achieved in a structured and consistent way in conjunction with existing community crime prevention programmes including, community alert and neighbourhood watch.

Anne Cahill of Limerick City and County Councils regeneration section said: We found the text alert system was very efficient and very quick to get the message out.

Insp Kennedy said on seeing how well the text alert system worked, they viewed it as an opportunity to get on board.

It will allow us to get information out to the public in a very timely and efficient manner, he said.

He also thanked Limerick City and County Council for allowing gardai to link in to the system.

We will be sending out alerts on issues such as appeal for information, and crime prevention.

The officers have already formulated their first alert which is: Gardai at Roxboro warn of recent distraction burglaries on the southside, please be vigilant of all types of workman ID badges and a reminder that if its too good to be true, it probably is.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has revealed that its domestic and international officials attended classes in 35 languages in the period.

These included Indonesian, Arabic, Cantonese, Bulgarian, Slovak, Norwegian, Vietnamese, Latvian, and Korean.

From January to September this year, expenditure of more than 146,000 was recorded for language training bills at the department, which has 320 employees working abroad.

A department spokesman said staff assigned to missions overseas would often need to interact with government officials such as police, coroners, public health officials, local NGOs, and the media.

An operational knowledge of the local language is highly desirable, especially in countries where there is a heavy consular workload or where Irish Aid programmes are in operation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had 1,470 employees in total in September and does not have an in-house language service, it said.

A number of Irish schools and tutors have been hired for public servants at the department, while language classes for staff worldwide are provided by local instructors.

Last year, the department spent 254,000 on global language training for staff, according to data released under freedom of information.

The department also stated it provides employees with general comprehensive pre-posting training before beginning their duties in other territories.

This programme includes modules on personal and mission security, communications skills, management training, negotiations skills, and training on passport and consular services.

Defence Forces and Garda personnel also give security briefings to employees, and their partners, regarding potential terrorist attacks.

Meanwhile, the department also confirmed it spent 1,880 on gifts for international dignitaries that were exchanged during various meetings with Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan.

Items given by Mr Flanagan since he was appointed in July 2014 included carriage clocks, crystal glasses, and literary works from Joyce and Heaney.

The most expensive official present was a framed piece of Mountmellick lace worth 350 given to Britains Prince Charles. The former US senator, George Mitchell, was given a pair of DesignYard silver square cufflinks, worth 120, in April.

Separately, Mr Flanagan submitted travel expenses totalling 45,734 from January 2014 to July 2016, according to the FoI response received from his department. The expenses included 34,896 on mileage and 10,838 on subsistence.

Languages include Swahili, Hebrew, Chinese, Arabic, Cantonese, Norwegian, Latvian, and Korean
Board Chairman of national joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy Andriy Kobolev has assessed the Ukrainian gas transport system at $30 billion.

"We assess it [the gas transport system] at the figure close to $30 billion," he said on 24 Channel late on Tuesday.

Kobolev recalled that Trunk Gas Pipelines of Ukraine created during restructuring of Naftogaz is to start operating in Q3 2017 when the final decision of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce in lawsuit between Naftogaz Ukrainy and Russia's Gazprom takes effect.

He also said that if Naftogaz loses to Gazprom in the gas sale and purchase contract dispute, $38 billion the Russian company would demand under the take or pay condition would be unsustainable for Naftogaz. Kobolev said that Ukraine is not a guarantor in the commercial dispute between Naftogaz and Gazprom.

He said that he is optimistic about the outcome of the dispute.
Inspector Brian ODonovan said the man was walking home by Cattlemarket Avenue, off Blarney St in Cork, when he was hit from behind and knocked unconscious.

Nobody was ever charged with this assault but in the follow-up investigation, it was found that Shane Justice, of 91 Gerald Griffin St, Cork, had the mans phone.

Justice pleaded guilty at Cork District Court to stealing the phone at 2.30am on August 14.

Judge Con OLeary said that to go through a mans pockets and steal his phone as he lay unconscious was akin to grave-robbing.

Shane Collins-Daly, defending, said Justice insisted this was not how it occurred on the morning in question.

Justice addressed Judge OLeary directly yesterday. He said he came across the victim of the assault and waited with him until the ambulance arrived. He said the phone had fallen out of his pocket and was on the ground beside him when Justice arrived.

He said he picked up the phone and that when the victim regained consciousness, he did not want anything to do with the ambulance crew or anyone present and he walked off. Justice said this was how he ended up holding the phone. He said he only went over to help the man.

The phone was never recovered but Justice pleaded guilty to stealing it. Mr Collins-Daly described it as an opportunistic offence.

Insp ODonovan outlined details of another offence where Justice was shouting and roaring after midnight on May 26 on Gerald Griffin St, waking neighbours. He shouted, fuck you all. Insp ODonovan said it was verbals more than anything else. Judge OLeary said the other incident was definitely more serious.

Mr Collins-Daly said Justice had issues with anxiety, depression, and isolation.

Judge OLeary imposed a six-month suspended sentence on Justice for stealing the phone and nominal fines for being drunk and threatening during the other incident. Justice had no previous convictions.
The new measure, contained in the Governments new strategy for the rental sector will first apply only to the four Dublin local authority areas and the Cork City Council areas.

The average rent in Dublin, as of the third quarter in 2016, was 1,545, peaking in the south of the county at 1,801, while the same Daft.ie rent report showed the average in Cork City was 1,087, which is up 14.4% in a year.

Some organisations said problem areas such as Galway City and the commuter counties around Dublin need to come under the same rent pressure zone mechanism. That was borne out by the latest data published by the Residential Tenancies Board earlier this month.

The RTB Quarterly Rent Index showed rents outside Dublin were rapidly catching up with those in the capital. Up to the third quarter last year, the pace of growth in rents outside Dublin was slower than in the capital, it said.

However, the speed of growth in annual rents outside Dublin has overtaken Dublin in the past year, and continues to rise at a faster pace. This now means the difference between rents outside Dublin and rents in Dublin has fallen from a gap of 15.5%, at the peak of the difference in the third quarter of 2015, to 7.3% in the third quarter this year.

The faster growth in rents outside of Dublin reflects similar trends in house prices, where regional prices have exhibited stronger growth than those in the capital since the second quarter last year.

A Department of Housing spokesman yesterday said any expansion of rent pressure zones could take place within weeks if required.

There was also some criticism for the exemptions to the rules, which still have to go through the Oireachtas before they come into force. Rental properties within a rent pressure zone will be exempt if they are new to the rental market or have been substantially refurbished in the last two years.

The Peter McVerry Trust tweeted that the new rental strategy allows landlords delivering new supply free to charge what they want.

Property Industry Ireland, the Ibec group that represents businesses in the property and construction sector, said the introduction of further rent regulation was undermining confidence in the market.

The report includes measures to boost the powers of the RTB and encourages long-term letting.

www.housing.gov.ie/strategy-for-the-rental-sector
However, the body which represents private landlords said the new measures signalled the death knell of the private rental sector and warned that it could prompt many landlords, and particularly those with properties in the areas affected by the rent pressure zones, to walk away.

Among those giving a guarded welcome to the Governments plan was the Simon Communities in Ireland. Its national spokesperson, Niamh Randall, said she welcomed rent predictability limits in Cork and Dublin but warned that other parts of the country could not afford to be ignored.

Rent predictability in Dublin and Cork are very much welcomed and the ministers determination to limit rents in these areas must be acknowledged, she said. However, rents have been increasing continuously right around the country. Third-quarter 2016 average rent increases included 13.2% in Limerick, 15.8% in Meath, 13.6% in Portlaoise, 13.4% in Kildare, 15.2% in Louth and our concern is rents will continue to increase at these rates, placing people under huge pressure and pushing some people out of their homes.

We launched our strategy for the rental sector as part of our Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness today. More: https://t.co/AZWWOe4TBA pic.twitter.com/YbwlXG6GWA  Fine Gael (@FineGael) December 13, 2016

Ms Randall said there was particular concern for people at the lower end of the market, many of whom are dependent on rent supplement/housing assistance payments, and she said those state payments must keep pace with market rents.

Threshold also welcomed the publication of the strategy but echoed the view that other areas, such as the greater Cork City area, Galway City and in the commuter counties around Dublin, should also be included in rent pressure zones.

Focus Ireland said it was worried that the rent control seems to only apply to existing tenancies which could see landlords shift all the price pressure to new leases.

Its director of advocacy, Mike Allen, said the problem could have been avoided by including re-lets in the proposed legislation, which would have improved access to the rental market.

However, the Irish Property Owners Association (IPOA) said 40,000 landlords had left the sector in the past four years and others were likely to follow.

If its unattractive, landlords leave, then theres less accommodation, said an IPOA spokesperson.

IPOA chairman Stephen Faughnan said: Short-term interference causes long-term difficulties undermining the confidence of prospective investors.
The man was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury of 23 counts of sexually abusing his sister at homes the family lived in between 1991 and 1997. He initially faced trial on a 43 count indictment but was acquitted of the remaining counts.

Mr Justice Paul Carney sentenced him to five years imprisonment, with the final year suspended, on October 29, 2014. He had an appeal against sentence dismissed yesterday, with the Court of Appeal unable to find any error in principle in his sentence. Giving judgment, Mr Justice John Edwards
The taxi driver denied racism and asked how he could say such a thing when he, too, was a foreigner in a foreign land.

Atif Akbar told Cork District Cork that, on February 12, 2015, when he pulled in to let the taxi driver pass, he thought the driver was going to thank him, but instead the motorist rolled down his window and said: You fucking Paki, go back to your country.

Coincidentally, the pizza delivery man saw the same taxi driver on February 19 at Washington St, and followed him to the front gates of University College Cork, where he said there was verbal abuse of a similar nature when he confronted him about the first incident.

That was the evidence from Mr Akbar yesterday in the case against Osara Aruebose, of 25 Brooklodge Square, Glanmire, Co Cork.

Aruebose denied even encountering the other motorist at Gilabbey St. He said the first time he met him was when the gentleman approached him and said he would have his taxi licence taken off him within three days. He said he never racially abused him.

Why should I call him a Paki and say go back to your own country? I am from Nigeria. Just like him, I am a foreigner in a foreign land here, said Aruebose.

Judge Grainne ONeill said she was sorry to say the defendant had not created any reasonable doubt and convicted him on both counts of using the abusive or insulting words. She fined him 200 on the first count and 300 for the same offence a week later.

Emmet Boyle, defending, said Aruebose had been in Ireland for 15 years, the last nine of those working as a taxi driver without a single conviction of any kind.

Inspector Gary McPolin accused Aruebose of using smoke and mirrors to avoid answering questions about the incidents. Aruebose denied being racist: I am a foreigner in a foreign land. How can I tell him a racist word? It cannot happen.
Vanessa Sheehan, of 25 City View Mews, Banduff, Cork, pleaded guilty yesterday at Cork District Court to charges of being drunk and a source of danger, and engaging in threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour.

Inspector Brian ODonovan outlined the incident, which occurred on March 25. Gardai responded to a call to the Courtown Park area that night because of a disturbance caused by Sheehan.
Where would you be without your family at Christmas time? In Lanzarote, probably, having a ball. Unfortunately, I find myself stuck at home, in a house without enough seats, sitting around a fire that my mother has set to volcano. The only good thing is that everyone has a smartphone now, so no one has said a word to each other in three days.

Still, I never miss a trip back to the folks over Christmas. Particularly since I heard a rumour that Dad might have changed his will. (I never take a risk on that front.) The most important thing is to have a night out and leave off a bit of steam. In Cork this usually starts with one or two, and ends with a sneaky puke on the Grand Parade at half three in the morning.

Still, it beats staying in, watching Birds of a Feather half-perched on the arm of the sofa because Im the youngest child. At the age of 44. Or 28, if youre that French guy I scored with in Crane Lane on Friday night. (I have your socks Pierre, or was it Didier?) My main outlet is meeting up with old friends from college (UCC, obvs) and realising that they havent changed a bit. Which is a shame really, because I hung around with a group of guys from Clonmel. Youd think someone would give them a bar of soap for Christmas. Although youd be talking a lot of Imperial Leather to cover up the bang of Tipperary off of them.

Decorations

How do know if your neighbour is a norry? At Christmas time, his house is visible from the moon. Because if your neighbour has a giant illuminated Santa on his roof, you know what hes getting for Christmas. A six pack of white socks from Heatons. (How bad?) Posh Cork doesnt put up Christmas lights. Their houses are lit all year round, in case they get robbed by people who didnt do Medicine in UCC. They dont put up decorations around the house either, because thats what the au pair is for. (Along with polishing Kens Bentley. Its a car, dont be so smutty.) According to my posh cousin, the blue-blood women in Douglas and Blackrock never bother with a tree.

I asked where do they put their Christmas presents? She said you cant put a set of fake boobs under a tree. I said you should have gone to my hen party. (That was one of the mildest things that happened.) She said its still a big deal for Posh Cork to go out into the country and bring back some holly. (Most Blackrock women bring a Taser in case they meet an actual culchie.) I asked why would they bother with a country walk in this weather. She said its the only way to show off their Hunter Wellies with Swarovski crystals. These ladies are relentless!

Hospitality

Christmas on Leeside is all about spiced beef. And spiced beef is all about reminding people that Cork is like heaven on earth. Here is how it works. 1: Put spiced beef on a slow simmer, no later than November 25. 2: Wait until your house smells like a giant bag of clove rocks. 3: Greet everyone who comes to door with, You wouldnt get a smell like that above in Dublin! If the caller is in fact from Dublin, force the spiced beef down their throat until they start to dial for an ambulance. (If the caller is from Limerick, hide your valuables.) Thats Cork hospitality for you.

As for drink, Id recommend it. (I view it more as an anaesthetic, particularly when my Conors sister calls with her kids. I know theyre gifted. I just wish they could be gifted to someone else.) If you are offering wine to a southsider, youll need to know something about it. (Other than it cost 4.99 in Lidl and tastes slightly better than toilet duck.) A good option here is to offer a drop of the red we brought back from our second trip to Tuscany last summer; This will soften the cough of most southsiders, except from the posh end of the Douglas Road, where holidaying in Tuscany means you couldnt afford Crookhaven. (Hardly anyone can these days.)

Present Value

A voucher says so much. Such as, I barely had time to buy this on Christmas Eve before meeting my cousin in the Imperial for four bottles of Prosecco. And I want to make it clear I spent more on you, than you did on me.

You need to careful about the money-value of your gift this year. It was perfectly acceptable during the recession to put a 20 limit on presents. Particularly since that was slightly more than the value of your house. However, now that half of Cork are property millionaires again (I call them southsiders), it might be time to revise that 20 upwards. I have strong evidence that people are back up around 40 again, even in Glounthaune. (Theyre like Cavan people with knobs on.)

Its still a minefield, giving presents to someone who is better off than yourself. My posh cousin views Christmas as a time for giving. As in giving me no option but to admit she is richer than me. (All because she married some landowner from Glanmire.) The downside is I feel inadequate for half an hour. The upside is I got a gleaming new Lexus off her last year. The downside is my neighbours in Ballinlough think Ive started dealing drugs. Theyre forever knocking on my door saying theyve run out of sugar. This area is on the slide. It wont be long before were like Bishopstown.

The Big Day

Most people still refer to Christmas as The Big Day. Thats because it seems to go on for ages. Particularly if you started with a tin of Roses at 6 am while trying to show your four-year-old the rules of Grand Theft Auto V. (There arent any, but you need to exert some control on her moral compass.) There is still an air of mystery around Christmas Day. Particularly in Ireland, where nobody seems sure of the time you can have your first drink without someone saying youre an alcoholic. The good news is people seem to think sparkling wine doesnt count, so feel free to replace your Cornflakes with a glass of Prosecco. The bad news is youll probably fall asleep during Fair City. (If you really think thats bad news, I feel sorry for you.) We dont have Thanksgiving here. But most Irish families have a special Christmas-Day tradition, to show how grateful they are for what they have.

My posh uncle from Blackrock used to drive around the northside saying Im glad I dont live here. His wife still visits his grave every Christmas Day, to make sure hes still dead. (She cant believe her luck!)

Drinks

Its considered acceptable now to invite your neighbours in for Christmas drinks. This used to be called a drink in the past, but we were only fooling ourselves. This is particularly popular in Posh Cork, where the residents enjoying sharing good will and tips on tax-efficient off-shore banking arrangements. (I hear the Revenue has another name for it.) Its perfectly acceptable to use waiting staff at these events, particularly if you can find a maids uniform to fit your au pair.

There is every chance youll be offered food at one of these events. The chances are this is a tray of party food just out of the oven, unless the hosts are using the occasion to ram their wealth down other peoples throats (hello Sundays Well!). Its not unusual to eat 17 samosas at these things and find yourself constipated until Patricks Day. So keep an eye on that one.

Youll be expected to bring a bottle of wine. Anything from the bottom two shelves in the off-licence is a sign that youre tight. (Or your people are from Bandon, which is effectively the same thing.) Anything from the top shelf will be kept by the hosts and drunk later themselves. (Particularly on the Douglas Road. That crowd didnt get rich by serving quality wine to strangers.) So go for the second shelf from the top, and make sure to drink more than you brought. Otherwise, whats the point?

The Real Meaning

Its so easy to lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas. Particularly when youre half blind from sauvignon blanc. (Sure, its only once a year.) For a lot of us, its about meeting family members home from Australia. And trying to stop yourself from screaming I get it, the weather is fantastic and everyone goes around in shorts. Thanks for flying half way around the world to ask me how I can bear to live in Cork.

From what Ive heard, the locals in Australia would make Limerick look like a city of culture and learning. (Imagine!) Christmas is of course a time to pause and think about people who are less fortunate. (You cant ignore the Norries all year around.)

I know the charity shops around town are stuffed with never-worn designer gear at this time of year. Mainly because Monicas husband, Ken, in Blackrock, said she wasnt allowed to have a fourth wardrobe. (I hear she has her own toilet in Brown Thomas.) And then theres religion. I love to see the churches full of young people at Christmas, unsure of whether they should kneel or stand after the Holy, Holy, Holy, so they just stay sitting down, Snapchatting the hot Italian fella from marketing. That, for me, is what Christmas is all about.

Shopping

I tend to steer clear of town in the run-up to Christmas. Its full of people from Kerry asking wheres a good place for lunch. At least I think thats what theyre saying. I might have a better chance of understanding them if I stood closer, but then you have to deal with the smell. (No offence, obviously, if youre from Kerry. And thanks for spending a small bit of money in Cork, rather than piling it all into giant houses on the road into Killarney. And I thought we were the snobby ones.) I try to keep away from supermarkets in December. I had to get a series of tests done due to a dicky stomach last year, on Christmas Eve.

The doctor said my blood was 31% Roses, and the rest was mainly Celebrations. I said Ive a lot to celebrate, sure amnt I from Cork. He said would you mind undoing your top. I said you could at least buy me a drink. He said Hi B, 8pm. I didnt get home until New Years Eve. My Conor was devastated.

Dinner

You have to have a turkey. Otherwise people might form the impression that Christmas is about enjoying yourself. (I find turkey about as tasty as licking the Grand Parade on a Sunday morning.)

It worse if youre Polish, and you have to eat carp. If thats what Poles eat for Christmas, can you imagine what they put themselves through during Lent? (Serves their women right for being gorgeous.) I know people say that cranberry sauce is a must, but I think thats mainly a British tradition. Which explains why its such a big hit in Kinsale. (Second only to wife-swapping, according to my sources on the ground.)

An alternative these days is the three-bird roast. Which is now a six-bird roast in Sundays Well, because you know how competitive they can get north of the Shaky Bridge.

There is something not right about having that for dinner. To be honest, I havent seen a crazier collection of birds since lady captains prize at Douglas Golf Club.
In recent years we have told ourselves that the Syrian war is too complex and multifaceted for side-taking. Terrorist groups are fighting on both sides we are told, atrocities committed by all - who is really in the right?

Assads regime has actively promoted and carefully nurtured this moral ambiguity since the beginning of the war.

It has been reported that he tried to seed the opposition ranks with extremists by releasing Jihadist prisoners in order to bring the rebels legitimacy into question and it was the moderate rebels who suffered most from this blurring of the lines.

Allies of the uprising, as Qatars foreign minister discussed yesterday with Al Jazeera, are afraid to give the rebels anti-aircraft missiles in case they fall into the hands of extremist groups.

As well intentioned states hummed and hawed in the dace of this moral ambiguity the Syrian regime squeezed moderate rebels to the point of desperation in the hopes that they would look to terrorist groups for assistance and thus confirm the worlds worst fears.

Meanwhile, Russia and Iran freely armed and financed the regime while maintaining the charade of diplomacy by attending UN Security Council meetings and feigning interest in a political solution.

They negotiate, only to repeatedly veto ceasefire proposals as soon as they come to the table.

The west entertained this performance because it was easier than facing the truth - that we were enabling a massacre. It was far, far easier to believe that we were negotiating with reasonable people. Lies are comforting.

This week, and especially since Tuesday, those lies have finally become untenable. The gloves are finally off.

As Assads regime forces closed in on the last remaining rebel territories in east Aleppo this week, they dropped all pretence of diplomacy, shelling the neighbourhoods into oblivion, burying dozens of families in the rubble - alive or dead, we still dont know.

UN proposals for the peaceful evacuation of the remaining rebels and civilians were flatly refused. The proposals were very reasonable, including provisions that the rebels must leave behind all heavy artillery, etc. They did not want to regroup, they simply wanted to escape with their lives. Assad and the Russians finally showed their stony faces - they were unmoved, merciless.

The regimes certain victory is not enough for Assad - he wants to obliterate his opponents, and all those who have aligned with them or even sheltered with them.

All the negotiations were just precautionary measures in case they lost the battle on the ground. But Assad never wanted a political solution. He wanted to wipe is opponents out. He wanted a massacre, and today he is getting one.

When the regime and its allies finally consented to a ceasefire Tuesday, they did so only once their military victory was absolutely assured, only once they had pushed the rebels to the brink, only once worldwide protests and condemnation reached fever pitch, and only once they had summarily executed civilians.

Too little, too late.

This ceasefire was simply cosmetic damage control, a half-hearted, last minute attempt to redeem the unforgivable.

It was a very clever attempt by Assad to once again to promote moral ambiguity, to capitalise on our moral vacillation, and our willingness to abdicate responsibility.

We cannot forget that Russia has vetoed ceasefire proposals repeatedly for weeks, right up until the rebels were confined into a few blocks. We cannot forget that yesterday we watched in horror as reports flooded in of regime forces going door to door, murdering civilians, burning them alive, and lining them up for summary execution.

Assad has simply been laying the groundwork for his reclamation of authority in Aleppo. He was determined to terrorise the civilian population while he still had the chaos of war as partial cover. The aim has always been terror, so that when he reclaims the city, there will be less chance of opposition from a cowering population.

This last minute change of tack is simply superficial, so that the records will show that the regime agreed to a ceasefire and tried to minimise loss of life. It is imperative that we do not allow this false memory to enter our collective consciousness. We must remember the atrocities of Tuesday the 13th, because they show who Assad truly is. We cannot allow him to rewrite history.

This morning, shelling resumed on Aleppo - the regime lazily claiming that the rebels broke the ceasefire. As if it makes any difference now that they are battered into almost complete capitulation. The point of the ceasefire was to spare as many lives as possible - but as the shells fall again, its clear Assad just does not care.

Tuesdays concession was simply an effort at saving face - a small nod toward politics and diplomacy, maybe in the hopes of avoiding charges for war crimes by the international community. Maybe he hopes the international community just turn a blind eye to all he has done and let him take back power peacefully.

Whats most terrifying is that we might let this happen. Weve constructed moral ambiguity where it has not existed for a long time, so whats to stop us from doing it again? Whats to stop us from convincing ourselves that Assad aint so bad, he agreed to that ceasefire after all??

If we accept this lie, we are disgracing the Syrian people, allowing five years of war and bloodshed and sacrifice to be for nothing.

It is easy to forget the origins of this war, as its narrative twists and turns in real time. Over the last five years, we have seen focus shift from the regime to the rebels to ISIS to Russia to the US and back again. It is hard to keep track of who is fighting whom, and to what end.

Perhaps that is why its so easy to feign ignorance.

But clear it all away and the story is simple. This war started with a clear and noble aim.

The people of Syria wanted freedom from a brutal dictator, and when their peaceful protests were violently suppressed, they did the only thing they could and took up arms in the name of democratic freedom.

Things got messy after that as many different groups tried to take advantage of the vulnerable country for their own ends: ISIS and other terrorist groups exploited the unrest to make terrifying territorial advances, while Russia and the US co-opted the struggle into their own proxy war, as they both vye for influence in the Middle East.

But at the heart of it, this has remained a struggle for freedom, for democracy and for self- determination.

The people of Syria have kept fighting, have kept sacrificing their people and their cities, because they have a noble cause to strive for. That is the most fundamental aspect of this war, and yet it is continually obscured by the chaos of other competing interests.

There are no moral grey areas in Syria today, as we witness Assads forces violate the ceasefire and resume indiscriminate shelling on Aleppo. A huge chapter in this war may be about to effectively end, as the rebels concede their last urban stronghold. But there is nothing to celebrate about that. The wrong people are winning.

With an Assad victory, there will never be an end to violence. The only thing we have to look forward to under Assads rule is further suppression, further censorship, and further misery for the Syrian people. He has always been and always will be a terrorist, and no matter how much we want to stay neutral, we cannot. We cannot hide behind moral ambiguity.

The last five years of bloodshed and death will only be worth something if Assad is ousted.

The moderate rebels are the ones we must back, are the only ones we must look to for hope of eventual democratic rule.

The terrorists are winning in Syria today. The question is, will the world let them?

Brian O'Flynn has written extensively for Attitude Magazine, the Irish Examiner and Idolator. He is a student of politics in Trinity College Dublin.
Burma Defense Ministry Gets Lions Share of Supplementary Budget

Members attend a meeting at the Lower House of Burmas parliament earlier this year. / Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters

NAYPYIDAW  The Union Parliament has approved an increased budget proposed by the Ministry of Defense for the 2016-17 fiscal year.

The additional funds were approved to provide rations and pay salaries to Burma Army soldiers, as well as to operate factories and procure items under the military-owned Myanmar Economic Corporation, said U Aung Min, vice chairman-2 of the joint public accounts committee.

Nothing was cut from the proposed budget in exchange for the additional expenditures, said U Aung Min, who is also a Lower House lawmaker representing Zalun Township.

The additional budget proposed by all ministries for 2016-17 fiscal year amounted to more than 1.3 trillion kyats (almost US$1 billion), but the Union Parliament cut about 69 billion kyats (US$52 million) before final approval.

The Ministry of Defense was the only ministry that saw no reduction in its proposed budget, while the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Central Bank of Myanmar saw their budgets slashed.

In January, the Union Parliamentthen dominated by the outgoing Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)approved a $17.5 billion budget for 2016-17 fiscal year.

The Defense Ministry received more than 14 percent of the total budget, and the recent parliamentary approval will mean an additional nearly $75 million for it to spend before the end of March.

Lawmakers have criticized slashing the Home Affairs budget, which is largely responsible for the police force and correctional system.

The Union Parliament approved a budget for renovation and new construction of additional prisons under the home affairs ministry as per the recommendation of the Myanmar Human Rights Commission but did not approve additional projects that could not be completed during the current fiscal year, according to the joint public accounts committee.

We have to reduce the budget wherever possible. If proposed spending can wait, we ask the ministries to wait until the next fiscal year. Were only allowing spending that cannot be put off, U Aung Min told The Irrawaddy.

The home affairs ministry asked for more than $27 million and Parliament cut almost $7 million, while the Central Bank of Myanmar saw $40 million cut from its proposed $98 million budget.

The Presidents Office, State Counselors Office and Ethnic Affairs Ministry did not request additional funds.

The joint public accounts committee takes a number of factors into consideration such as if the projects to be carried out under the additional budget can be completed within the current fiscal year, if the proposed expenditures are realistic, and if the projects will benefit the people.

As for reviewing the budget proposals, two committees responsible for inspecting construction and procurement review the proposals and then a team led by the vice-president 1 checks the budget for the Union government and another team led by the vice-president 2 checks the budget for divisional governments. A financial commission led by the President does a final check on all budget proposals before submitting them to Parliament.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko
Naftogaz could see UAH 21 bln of net profit in 2016

Board Chairman of national joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy Andriy Kobolev has said that the company could see UAH 21 billion of net profit in 2016.

"Around UAH 21 billion," he said on 24 Channel late on Tuesday.

Naftogaz Ukrainy unites oil and gas production assets in Ukraine, and is the country's gas transit, underground gas storage, and oil pipeline transportation monopoly.
Burma Environmental Advocates Push for More Renewable Energy in Burma

Authorities in Mon State visit a Thai cement factory was built without informing locals or the authorities.

Environmental activists have urged the government to increase its focus on renewable energy and cleaner alternatives to planned coal and hydropower plants objected to by locals.

On Tuesday, over 420 civil society groups and environmental NGOs called for a complete halt to coal power plants and mega hydropower dams located in conflict-torn areas such as Shan, Kachin, Chin, Mon and Karenni states and Tenasserim Division. They emphasized how these projects have long been rejected by affected communities over environmental, social and cultural concerns.

At the Green Energy Forum in Rangoon, they also demanded that the National League for Democracy-led (NLD) government be transparent about the future of the proposed coal power plants and hydropower dams in Myanmar and quickly inform the public about its energy plans to avoid repeating the mistakes of the last government.

The organizations urged the government to deliver promises set out in its election manifesto, including an NLD commitment to generate electricity from existing hydropower projects, tackle pollution and protect the environment.

An estimated one third of Burmas 52 million people live off the grid, accessing electricity by creating their own solutions, which include solar panels for household use, and utilizing bioenergyalso known as biomassfor small-scale businesses.

Saw Tha Poe, an advocate working with the Karen Rivers Watch, explained that moving forward with planned coal and hydropower projects in order to generate electricity would be a wrong move.

Renewable energy like solar power and biomass can be expanded with the help of the technology and it would bring less harm to the people than mega power plant projects, he said.

The governments energy plan from 2012-2030 aimed to generate more electricity from coal power plantsup to 30 percentand solar powerup to five percentwhile trying to reduce reliance on hydropower and gas.

The use of renewable energy for self-sufficiency has yet to be systematically surveyed, said U Aung Myint, director of the Renewable Energy Association Myanmar.

As the public does not approve of the use of coal power and mega hydropower projects, the government must consider alternative energy strategically, he said, adding that coal power has both high costs of investment and environmental and social impacts.

Burma does not yet generate energy from wind, despite having 1,385 miles of coastline (2,228 km) in the countrys south and southwest.

Wind energy is a high investment scheme too, but it has less environmental impact than coal, so our current policymakers should consider it, added U Aung Myint.

The government has now halted all planned coal plants, following protests against the construction of coal-fired power plants in local communities.

Therefore, we have been replacing the gas engines for our energy needs, which adds to our expenses from the national budget, said U Htein Lwin, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Electrical Power and Energy.

As our people object to these coal projects, we cannot reach our set goals for energy each year, he told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. We could not do anything, even at the already-established Tigyit coal plant [in southern Shan State], as the local people objected to re-opening it. The plant was opened in 2004 and halted in 2014.

The Shan State government allowed a test run of the Tigyit coal plant in September, which brought further demonstrations to the area.

When asked whether the government would resume these projects in 2017, U Htein Lwin said it would totally depend on the people.
Burma KNU Criticized for Lack of Transparency in Development Projects

KNU chairman Saw Mutu Say Poe (third from right) and Ngwe Soe (second from left) pose with business leaders in Dawei, December 13, 2016. / Ngwe Soe / Facebook

CHIANG MAI, Thailand  Civil society organizations criticized the Karen National Union (KNU), Burmas oldest ethnic armed organization, on Wednesday for its lack of transparency when signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with multiple trading companies.

At least 17 Karen civil society organizations released a joint statement condemning the MOU on Wednesday, and over 300 additional civil society groups endorsed it. They said that KNU chairman Saw Mutu Say Poe and other KNU leaders failed to inform Karen civilians of the signing of the MOU, which will allow several companies to build new development and business projects in Tenasserim Division in southern Burma.

On Tuesday, the KNU chairman and representatives of Burmese and Chinese companies attended a signing ceremony for the MOU which will cover two major projectsthe Mae Tha Mee Khee industrial project and the Tanintharyi renewable energy project, which will construct a dam on the Tanintharyi Riverand several smaller related projects, including a small port and new roads in Myeik and Dawei townships.

We are greatly disappointed that the KNU chairman rushed to attend the signing ceremony, and we do not accept the MOU signed for these projects because the signing goes against the will of the Karen people, read the statement released by the civil society organizations.

Investment in large-scale infrastructure projects must not come before sustainable peace and political dialogue, said the statement.

Companies that signed the MOU included Noble Prince Co., Sun and Rainbow Co., and Power China International Group. U Ngwe Soe, managing director at Sun and Rainbow Co., also attended the meeting.

Civil society organizations, however, said they were never informed about the industrial projects and expressed concern that these projects will cause more harm than good. The KNU and industrial companies also didnt consult with the local Karen communities about the two major projects.

Other ongoing projects in Myeik and Dawei townships have drawn recent complaints too. Local Karen communities are concerned about the negative impacts from a palm oil project at Myanmar Stark Prestige Plantation (MSPP) and from the Ban Chaung coal mine.

Although KNU chairman Saw Mutu Say Poe attended the MOU signing, not all of the KNU central committee members were aware of the MOU, and it remains unclear what the KNUs involvement is with these projects.

KNU vice-chairperson Naw Zipporah Sein told The Irrawaddy that she and other leaders dont know anything about the MOU.

We were not aware of it, she said. We never talked about the KNU signing an MOU with those companies. I dont know what business and development they are going to carry out. Some concerned KNU leaders or leaders in Dawei Township may know more about the projects.

Naw Zipporah Sein said the KNU leadership should have discussed the MOU and how it would benefit local Karen communities. She said the KNU economic committee also had not discussed the projects in Dawei Township.

We dont know how big or small the projects are, said Naw Zipporah Sein. And if they are producing energy, mega-projects, or mining, we dont know how the energy will be delivered. We also dont know if it will benefit local communities. We already decided in the past that these mega-projects should not be carried out before our political problems are resolved and before we establish a lasting peace.

The 17 Karen civil society organizations also urged the KNU to listen to the Karen people and to not proceed with more business projects that will harm the environment or human rights.

One activist said the KNU chairmans lack of transparency was undemocratic.

The KNU are not acting in a way that is transparent and accountable to their own Karen people, said Saw Alex Htoo, deputy director of the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network. It is not a democratic act, what the KNU chairman is doing. How will these projects benefit the Karen people or the KNU as an organization?

Saw Alex Htoo also opposed development projects in Karen State or other ethnic states which serve to strengthen centralized government over federal and decentralized structures.

The civil society organizations urged that new development projects in Tenasserim Division not move forward without a public consultation process that involves civil society groups and local communities.
Burma UNFC Criticizes Government for Bashing Ethnic Groups, Not Pushing for Peace

Leaders and representatives of the UNFC attend a three-day meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, November 2016. / UNFC / Facebook

RANGOON  The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) strongly criticized Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) government on Tuesday for failing to stand up for peace in the country, according to a statement the group released.

The UNFC, a coalition of seven ethnic armed groups, expressed its frustration with the State Counselor and her government offices, which recently denounced the ethnic armed groups who are fighting in northern Shan State and lauded the actions of Burmese Army. The UNFC blames the ongoing conflict in Shan State on aggression by the Burma Army, the statement read.

It is incredible to see and is unbefitting a government seeking peace. It is not only petty-minded, but also responding to the problem one-sidedly, and it lacks an understanding of the plight of the people, said the UNFC statement.

Four ethnic armed groups, dubbed the Northern Alliance, have engaged in a joint offensive against the Burma Army in northern Shan State since Nov. 20. The alliance includes the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Arakan Army (AA). None of the four groups have signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA).

Before the Northern Alliance started fighting on Nov. 20, the Burma Army had launched a three-month-long military offensive in Kachin State, and it also attacked some TNLA positions, the UNFC statement said.

The Burma Army engages in a policy known as the Four Cuts, one of which is blocking the delivery of aid to civilian internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kachin and northern Shan State, the UNFC statement said. The UNFC said that it is unhappy about the State Counselors silence on this issue.

The UNFC accused the Burma Army of discrimination, saying that the army did not actually desire to bring the TNLA, AA, MNDAA, and KIA into political talks or to sign a ceasefire agreement with them. The UNFC demanded that the government negotiate with all parties, that all of the ethnic armed groups be invited to future peace conferences, and that there be no time limits on signing the NCA, the statement read.

Apparently, even if all ethnic groups cannot participate, the government will try to realize peace with only the organizations that can attend. This indicates that the government is not moving toward nationwide peace and stability, said the UNFC statement.

During the election campaign, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi promised to stand alongside ethnic people in the pursuit of peace if the NLD came to power. Groups like the Pa-O did support the State Counselor then, but she has so far failed to keep her promise, said the UNFC statement.

The government has the power to correct these errors, which we the UNFC are also trying to fix, in the interest of a nationwide sustainable peace, said the statement.
News Government Sets Spending Priorities for Foreign Aid Money

The DACU and CPG hold their first meeting in Naypyidaw, December 12, 2016. / MOI / Facebook

RANGOON  The National League for Democracy (NLD) government has identified a shortlist of the most urgent development projects across Burma that could be financed with international aid money, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said in Naypyidaw on Monday.

Her announcement came after she chaired the first meetings of the governments new Development Assistance Coordination Unit (DACU) and Cooperation Partners Group (CPG) on Monday.

Many countries have offered assistance to Burma since the NLD government took charge in April, the State Counselor said. The DACU and CPG groups are tasked with managing where and how to apply that international aid, in accordance with the countrys new economic policy that was released in October.

At the first meeting, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi told the groups to seek out projects that would boost job creation, agriculture, and rural development in Burma.

Infrastructure development projects are the major issue that the country needs right now, said Dr. Maung Maung Lay, vice chairman of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry. These projects impact all sectors of the economy. If we can just cut transaction costs here, then everything will happen more smoothly, and our commodity prices will decrease.

He argued that the aid money should be prioritized for power, energy, and transportation projects.

Also, these government projects must be more transparent to the public, said Dr. Maung Maung Lay.

The newly formed DACUs primary responsibilities are to identify priority sectors and projects for future development assistance, based on consultations across government. The board will also draw up a national policy for development assistance.

However, one item the State Counselor did not mention was which areas will be targeted first for development projects.

U Khine Maung Yi, a former Upper House lawmaker from the National Democratic Force party, thinks the government must be more transparent about how much international assistance is coming in and where those areas are that require the most urgent aid.

Government ministries should be able to perform their functions with only the money allocated in their regular state budgets, he said. The international aid money is different. That should be spent in the least developed areas, especially in border areas where the people are suffering from internal conflicts.

DACU members will play a critical role by prioritizing the countrys infrastructure requirements, and it will coordinate with government agencies, the private sector, and aid donors, the state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar reported.

Since the NLD government came to power, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has visited four major economic powers: the US, Japan, China, and India. During those visits, the State Counselor received pledges of aid and official assistance loans.

Following her visit, the US said it would end economic sanctions against Burma. Japan pledged to provide US$7.73 billion in aid. In China, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi received loan pledges from the president of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which she plans to spend constructing a gas power plant. During her visit to India, she signed a memorandum of understanding to enable closer cooperation in the banking, power, and insurance sectors.
News Govt Investigation Committee Concludes Maungdaw Trip

Arakan State Investigation Committee member Dr. Aung Htun Thet speaks with Muslim villagers. / State Counsellor Office Information Committee / Facebook

RANGOON  Muslims in northern Arakan State have demanded the release of family members detained for questioning by security forces if they have not yet been charged with a crime, according to a statement released on Wednesday by the State Counselors Office Information Committee.

The call comes after a three-day visit by the Arakan State Investigation Committeeled by the military-appointed Vice President U Myint Sweto villages in northern Maungdaw Township, which ended on Tuesday.

Wednesdays statement indicated that commission members reportedly told villagers in the area that the government had released 49 detainees since clashes with militants had begun, but the death toll of local civilians and of detainees remains unknown.

According to official government statistics, 10 border police and seven soldiers were killed during attacks which began in the region in October. The Burma Army reports having killed 70 militants during the manhunt that followed and says it has detained 575 suspects. Among them, 88 people have been sentenced to prison terms and 470 are still being investigated.

Muslims from Nga Khu Ra village reported to commission members that their bazaar was burned down during the conflict. Ongoing clearance operations by security forces have also halted trade flow to their village, creating challenges in meeting basic needs.

Villagers said that aid, including food, had been insufficient. They also asked that schools be re-opened.

Last week, 14 foreign embassies in Burmaincluding Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United Statesissued a joint statement urging the government to resume all aid to northern Arakan State.

In its Wednesday statement, the State Counselors Office Information Committee said that aid organizations had been providing food for many Muslims in the area. However, northern Maungdaw villagers told The Irrawaddy international relief organizations have not been allowed to freely provide humanitarian assistance to Muslim communities.

A Muslim resident of Nga Khu Ra village, Ko Sonny, spoke with The Irrawaddy over the phone on Tuesday, said that he and other men from the village had fled the area during Vice President U Myint Swes visit as they feared being detained by security forces. After the security forces had left, he returned.

Because of this, Ko Sonny was not able to speak with the commission members about his experience of the conflict. He claimed that five men from Nga Khu Ra were gunned down by security forces during clearance operations when the villagers attempted to run. While he said that he had not witnessed sexual violence being carried out by the armed forces in his village, he said that he had heard that in neighboring villages, rapes of Muslim women had occurred.

Men ran into the forest when the army came. Women and children were left in the village. The soldiers chose the beautiful women and took them to the forest and raped them, one after the other. Thats what the victims told me, Ko Sonny said.

The Irrawaddy has not been able to carry out an independent investigation into these allegations.

International organizations like Human Rights Watch (HRW) have reported evidence of widespread abuses in Arakan State, which government representatives have rejected.

The U Myint Swe-led investigation commission visited eight villages in northern Maungdaw where it has been alleged that government security forces committed rapes, extrajudicial killings and had set fire to homes during clearance operations.

In the village of Kyet Yoe Pyin, HRW analysis of satellite imagery showed the destruction of buildings, and allegations of sexual violence have since been put forward.

But in Wednesdays statement, the commission claimed that during their visit, Kyet Yoe Pyin villagers had denied that such rights violations had occurred.

The Irrawaddy phoned commission member Dr. Aung Htun Thet, a former economic advisor to ex-president U Thein Sein, as well as Maungdaw district administrator U Ye Htut and the Arakan State social affairs minister Dr. Chan Tha, to provide comment on the trip and subsequent statement, but none of the individuals could be reached at the time of publication.

President U Htin Kyaw formed the 13-member Arakan State Investigation Committee in early December, not to be confused with the Kofi Annan-led Arakan State Advisory Commission. The task of the committee is to investigate the series of militant attacks on security forces that occurred on Oct. 9 and Nov. 12 and 13.

The commission will deliver its findings to the Union government in January.
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers postpones making decisions regarding the issue raised by the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) until the operations of the fund are audited, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said at a government meeting on Wednesday.

"I propose to postpone deciding on all issues related to SPF until we receive the public report on the fund's operations. I think that we should create a serious group that would check how and what property SPF manages and how effectively the fund does it. Here is the comprehensive proposal. Stop all other issues regarding the transfer of assets and other things," he said.

Groysman ordered First Deputy Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv to prepare a mechanism for checking the fund by late December.

"Let's even attract international audit companies  I would find the funds," he said.

Earlier Groysman criticized the SPF over a failure to hold the repeated tender to sell Odesa Port-Side Plant.
Wednesday, December 14th, 2016 (8:20 am) - Score 630

The Governments National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has today warned that Mobile Broadband and Mobile Voice connectivity in the United Kingdom is languishing in the digital slow lane and that there are still too many digital deserts and partial not spots with 4G coverage.

In fairness most of the major mobile network operators (EE / BT, Three UK, Vodafone and O2) have either already achieved 98% population coverage of the United Kingdom or theyre only a few percentage points off achieving that goal by the end of 2017 as planned, although the situation for geographic coverage (landmass) is much more challenging.

For example, EE benefited from a head-start on their 4G deployment and as a result their population coverage has already hit 98%, but this drops to just 70% for geographic coverage. On the upside the operator aims to improve geographic coverage to 92% by September 2017, followed by 95% by the end of December 2020 and thats better than most, but even then some gaps will remain.

Despite this on-going work the NIC warns that availability of 4G networks in the UK is worse than many countries including Albania, Panama and Peru and they want the Government and Ofcom to ensure that essential outdoor mobile services  such as basic talk, text and data  are available wherever we live, work and travel.

Coverage is the main issue here, but network speed and performance is also described by the new report as languishing in the digital slow lane. On the other hand Akamais State of the Internet report for Q2 2016 (here) claimed that we actually had the fastest Mobile Broadband speeds in Europe and a recent study from Ookla also returned some good scores (here).

At this point its all too easy to forget that todays report was actually setup to examine the future of ultra-fast (20Gbps capable) 5G Mobile connectivity, which is currently still in the research phase and isnt expected to be rolled out until around 2020.

Lord Adonis, Chair of the Commission, said: 5G is the future  ultra-fast, and ultra-reliable it has the potential to change our lives and our economy in ways we cannot even imagine today. But the UK is currently languishing in the digital slow lane. Britain is 54th in the world for 4G coverage, and the typical user can only access 4G barely half the time. Our 4G network is worse than Romania and Albania, Panama and Peru. Our roads and railways can feel like digital deserts and even our city centres are plagued by not spots where connectivity is impossible. That isnt just frustrating, it is increasingly holding British business back as more and more of our economy requires a connected workforce. 5G offers us a chance to start again and get ahead. If government acts now we can ensure our major transport networks and urban centres are 5G ready in time to give British industry every chance to lead the world in exploiting its applications. But none of this will matter unless we bring our mobile network up to speed. The existing system does not provide the level of coverage we will need in our connected future. We need a new universal service obligation which ensures that the mobile essentials  like text, talk and data  are available to us wherever we need them. From connected vehicles to the internet of things, 5G will support a whole new way of communicating and doing business. The UK must not be left behind.

As ever there will be many challenges involved in achieving the universal level of coverage (i.e. Universal Service Obligation for mobile) that todays report appears to be seeking, not least of which will be the issue of actually being able to build the necessary infrastructure in the first place.

Getting planning permission to build new masts and accessing the necessary data capacity or power supply is rarely an easy or cheap task and often meets local opposition, as well as unenthusiastic land owners who demand high rental prices or restrict access. Not to mention the challenge of getting mobile operators to agree on the distribution of radio spectrum and related matters.

The Digital Economy Bill 2016-17 hopes to produce some solutions for this and todays report includes a variety of additional proposals, but its debatable whether all of this can be delivered by the NICs proposed deadline of 2025; particularly as we dont yet have the full and final picture for what 5G will actually look like.

Meanwhile Conservative MP Grant Shapps, who recently published a scathing report into UK mobile coverage that attracted the support of 90 cross-part MPs (here), has criticised the Government for believing too much of what telecoms operators tell them. Over the years, ministers have been far too easy on the glib promises given by the telecoms providers and I think that has been combined with ineffective and weak regulation from Ofcom, said Shapps.
10 Bad Habits that Should Be Banned from the Workplace

For as long as Ive been covering the IT industry, I dont recall meeting a single IT pro who was anxiously anticipating the annual office holiday party. But according to one leadership development expert who knows about these things, those occasions can be excellent opportunities not just to practice the career-enhancing art of conversation, but to connect with executives who may not know you even exist.

That expert is Susan Scott, founder and CEO of Fierce Inc., a leadership development and training company in Seattle, and author of the book, Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time. In an interview earlier this week, Scott acknowledged that engaging in a conversation at an office holiday party doesnt come naturally to a lot of IT pros.

The conversation we often have with IT professionals is trying to help them understand the importance and role of conversations in their lives, Scott said. I remember doing some work with a team at Microsoft years ago, and they were so funny. They said, We dont want to talk to people. We like to work in the dark. Well, if you still want to be programming in the dark 30 years from now, then theres no need for you to have a conversation.

According to Scott, whatever conversations were having with people who are important to our success shape the relationship we have with them. During the holidays, heres a marvelous opportunity to get some good work done in that area, she said, to really enrich a relationship, or start a relationship with somebody who doesnt even know you exist.

Scott said shes a card-carrying introvert, so she can empathize with IT pros who think of themselves as introverts.

But its not that hard to go up to a senior executive and say something like, Thank you so much for hosting this party, she said. And then you can ask them a question, like What do you hope never changes about our companys culture?

Scott has encapsulated her advice in a list of what to do, and what not to do, at the office holiday party. Heres what she said you should do:

Get to know your executives. Office parties provide some of the greatest opportunities to make an impression on your boss, or even your bosss boss. Take the time to approach executives, remind them of your role (if appropriate), and try to get to know them better. Keep the conversation casual, and brief. If you monopolize their time, any goodwill created in the conversation could diminish, and then some.

Office parties provide some of the greatest opportunities to make an impression on your boss, or even your bosss boss. Take the time to approach executives, remind them of your role (if appropriate), and try to get to know them better. Keep the conversation casual, and brief. If you monopolize their time, any goodwill created in the conversation could diminish, and then some. Network. Beyond the leadership team, there are likely people from other areas within the company that you dont yet know. Introduce yourself, and use the time to learn more about them and what they do (without dragging on about work). You never know when you may be looking for a change within the organization, and having a relationship established, even on some small level, can be beneficial if and when the time comes.

Beyond the leadership team, there are likely people from other areas within the company that you dont yet know. Introduce yourself, and use the time to learn more about them and what they do (without dragging on about work). You never know when you may be looking for a change within the organization, and having a relationship established, even on some small level, can be beneficial if and when the time comes. Have fun! You go the office each and every day, and work hard. The office party is meant to celebrate that work. Take advantage of this, and try to enjoy yourself.

And heres what she said you shouldnt do:

Dont talk shop. No one wants to leave the office only to turn around and talk about work again. Sure, this can be hard, but try to focus on things outside of the decisions and tasks you address in meetings. Engage with your co-workers and learn more about what you may have in common outside of the office. It will make coming to work day in and day out that much sweeter.

No one wants to leave the office only to turn around and talk about work again. Sure, this can be hard, but try to focus on things outside of the decisions and tasks you address in meetings. Engage with your co-workers and learn more about what you may have in common outside of the office. It will make coming to work day in and day out that much sweeter. Dont ask for a raise/promotion. Its true the office party is a great chance to get in front of higher-level employees. This does not mean, however, that it is appropriate to bring up work-related requests with them. If this is on your mind, schedule time with them either before or after the party, and do the leg work. An off-the-cuff request at the wrong time would in most cases do more harm than good.

Its true the office party is a great chance to get in front of higher-level employees. This does not mean, however, that it is appropriate to bring up work-related requests with them. If this is on your mind, schedule time with them either before or after the party, and do the leg work. An off-the-cuff request at the wrong time would in most cases do more harm than good. Remember where you are. Its true that most holiday parties involve alcohol. This does not give you an excuse to act any less professional than you do at the office. You may think no one will notice you flirting with the married partner or complaining about your office mate more candidly than you have in the past. Trust us, they will notice. Dont do anything you wouldnt want your boss to be aware of, because whether you like it or not, he or she most likely will be.

A contributing writer on IT management and career topics with IT Business Edge since 2009, Don Tennant began his technology journalism career in 1990 in Hong Kong, where he served as editor of the Hong Kong edition of Computerworld. After returning to the U.S. in 2000, he became Editor in Chief of the U.S. edition of Computerworld, and later assumed the editorial directorship of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Don was presented with the 2007 Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity by American Business Media, and he is a recipient of the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for editorial excellence in news coverage. Follow him on Twitter @dontennant.
If you think you know a lot of things about the red planet, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have yet again recently revealed just how alien the red planet can be. NASA explains that the image has shown the coldest part of the red planet, where circular pits are created in dry ice to form strange patterns.

The Frozen South Poles Of Mars: What Does It Indicate?

According to reports revealed by Daily Mail, NASA explains that a lot of the Martian landscapes contain features that are familiar to ones we find on Earth, like river valleys, cliffs, glaciers and volcanoes. However, even Mars has an exotic side too, with landscapes that are unusual to Earthlings, which NASA experts believe to be located at the South Pole region of the red planet. It was found that the recent images that NASA has revealed are the polar caps made from carbon dioxide or dry ice, which is noted for being not naturally occurring on the Earth.

Furthermore, Phys Org reports that from the comfort of home, the volunteers have been exploring the surface of Mars by reviewing images from the Context Camera (CTX) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and identifying certain types of seasonal terrains near Mars' south pole. These efforts by volunteers using the "Planet Four: Terrains" website have aided scientists who plan observations with the same orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. HiRISE photographs much less ground but in much greater detail than CTX.

It was found that the said images were taken by the Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph (Iuvs) on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission (Maven). Meanwhile, Nick Schneider of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder has explained that Maven has obtained hundreds of such images in recent months, giving some of the best high-resolution ultraviolet coverage of Mars ever obtained.

Ultimately, Schneider is believed to be presenting the results at the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences meeting in Pasadena, California, which is being held jointly with the European Planetary Science Congress.
Suzuki Motor Corporation recently released their newest full hybrid vehicles, the 2017 Suzuki Solio and the Suzuki Bandit. Both cars have hybrid engines that use both petrol and an electric motor. The two cars offer fuel mileage that is far better than most, if not all, tall multi-purpose vehicles or MPV in the market today.

Both The Solio And Bandit Can Run Just On Batteries

Unlike other hybrids, the 2017 Suzuki Solio is capable of running with both the petrol and the electric motor or just through its batteries. It can run on electricity for about three minutes and can reach speeds of 40 kilometers per hour. The Solio compact vehicle can go as far as two kilometers just by using its lithium-ion battery when fully charged. On petrol, the 2017 Suzuki Solio gets a fuel economy rating of 32 kilometers per liter, which is better than the current models rating of only 27.8 kilometers per liter.

Difference In Exterior Style

The second vehicle, the Suzuki Bandit, has the same powertrain and hybrid options but comes in a sportier looking exterior. Unfortunately, there are no all wheel drive options for both the Solio and the Bandit and will have power transmitted only to the front wheels. Both cars still have the same 1.2liter Dualjet petrol engine that is capable of hitting around 90horse power and 118 Newton meters of torque. A CVT version is no longer available and has been replaced with a five-speed AGS/AMT or semi-automatic gearbox.

The interior of both the 2017 Suzuki Solio and the Suzuki Bandit is still identical to the units that are currently being sold. The measurements for both vehicles are 3,710 mm long, 1.625 wide, and 1,745 mm high. The cars sit on a lightweight platform equipped with a TECT structure. The Suzuki Bandit differs in style with its LED headlamps and LED daytime running lights, clear lens taillights and aero bumper.
A new study carried out by researchers from Belgium and the Netherlands has recently revealed that the ice shelf in the eastern peninsula of Antarctica is not as stable or pristine as what has been previously thought. In the latest findings, a mysterious huge 2-kilometer-wide circle was spotted during a routine flight over an Antarctic ice shelf in 2014. Consequently, the sighting has had scientists scratching their heads ever since as to what might have caused it.

The Mysterious Lake In East Antarctica, What's The Reason For This?

According to reports revealed by New Scientist, during the time when scientists have visited the circle on foot for the first time in January 2016, they found a 3-meter-deep depression with raised edges and, in the center, three moulins draining two meltwater streams. Experts believe that the features point to the crater having once been a meltwater lake, which subsequently drained into the ice shelf.

Jan Lenaerts, a researcher at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and lead author of the study, has also claimed that the research has shown that East Antarctica is also vulnerable to climate change.

On the other hand, as per Phys Org, recent studies have suggested that climate change may already have condemned large chunks of its ice sheet to disintegration, whether on a time scale of centuries or millennia. The floating, cliff-like ice shelves straddling land and ocean that prevent inland ice from slipping into the sea, it was thought, were solidly anchored. Previously, it was believed that the crater was due to a meteorite impact. However, since Lenaerts and his team has started studying the mysterious lake, they found out that the water-filled cavity had other origins.

Ultimately, Martin Siegert of Imperial College London who was not involved in the study has commented that the findings suggest that it was previously in East Antarctica which basically implies that further warming may potentially amplify the risk of ice shelf collapse. It was found that the findings were published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
If you were thinking about a great Christmas gift, the Sony Xperia X Compact can now be purchased for just $299 via Best Buy and Amazon, since both retailers are selling this amazing smartphone for $200 off. Naturally, this represents an incredible discount, since the mobile device was officially released in the U.S. in September for $499.99.

An Affordable Smartphone With Great Features

According to Phone Arena, Amazon is still listing the Blue version of the Xperia X Compact at $399.99, which is the phones price from November, and is still a great deal if you wanted this great handset at a lower price. The best detail about this outstanding offer is that a free standard shipping and U.S. warranty are included.

At a price of $299, the features of the Xperia X Compact are quite attractive for any user no matter the phone sizes issue, since it is included a 23 MP rear camera, up to two days of battery life under a normal use, 3 GB of RAM, Snapdragon 650 processor and 32 GB of expandable internal memory. Although 4.6-inch 720 display could be quite small for many users, there are others who wouldn't mind owning a smartphone of this size, as long as it is equipped with this kind of features and have this affordable price.

The Android 7 Nougat Update Will Arrive Soon For The Xperia X Compact

As it was reported by Recombu, the fans of this outstanding handset will also have the opportunity to increase the quality of the phone, considering that an update to Android 7 Nougat will arrive the coming months. Of course, this will make the Sony Xperia X Compact to having better features, so it would be a clever move to buy it while the price cut still exists.

These Android updates will be sent Over The Air (OTA) by your carrier, and in addition to the Sony Xperia X Compact, other phones from the same company as the Xperia XZ, and X performance will also have the Android 7 Nougat. It looks like Christmas will be greater than ever for Sonys fans.
Rex Tillerson is Donald Trumps nominee for Secretary of State. He is also the CEO and chairman of ExxonMobil Corporation. Tillerson has had a complicated relationship with the issue of climate change and global warming. On one hand, Tillerson supported a carbon-tax-backing, but has also suggested that environmentalists are overreacting and that risks of burning fossil fuels are manageable.

Who Is Rex Tillerson?

Rex Wayne Tillerson, born March 23, 1952, is a well-known American engineer and a businessman. Tillerson is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Exxon Mobil Corporation, the world's 6th largest company in 2016. Tillerson was the National president of the Boy Scouts of America from 2010 to 2012. On December 13, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump announced that Tillerson would be his nominee for Secretary of State.

One of the many political views of Tillerson is his opposition to sanctions. Tillerson has stated that "We do not support sanctions, generally, because we don't find them to be effective unless they are very well implemented comprehensively and that's a very hard thing to do." Another political view of Tillerson is regarding climate change and carbon taxing. In 2010, Tillerson said that "The world is going to have to continue using fossil fuels, whether they like it or not."

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Is A Carbon-Tax-Backing Climate Change Believer

According to Heavy News, Rex Tillerson is the CEO and chairman of ExxonMobil Corporation which is under investigation by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for allegedly lying to investors and the public about the impact of climate change. The allegation is that Exxon knew about the dangers of climate change even as it backed dubious research about climate change.

As reported by The Guardian, environmentalists have sounded the alarm over Tillersons position on climate change. Addressing an event hosted by the Council of Foreign Relations in 2012, Tillerson downplayed the threat posed by global warming. Its an engineering problem, and it has engineering solutions, Tillerson said. The fear factor that people want to throw out there to say we just have to stop this, I do not accept.

Tillersons backing of a carbon tax in 2009 has been cited by Exxon Mobil Corporation as evidence of its efforts to join the fight against climate change. The company also signalled its support for the Paris climate accord signed by the Obama administration, which Trump has vowed to repeal as president. But attorney generals in several states are investigating whether Exxon withheld research from its shareholders and the public while denying the risks associated with climate change.
Microsoft fans must love the holiday seasons as the company always manages to release generous offers on some of its products. If you are always waiting for a good Microsoft deal or any good tech deal in general, you'd be happy to know that the company has some good-deal items. Here are some of the best ones right now.

Xbox One S Bundles Get A $50 Cut

As per Neowin, Microsoft gives away a $50 price cut on its Xbox One and Xbox One S consoles up until December 24. This means that you can get the company's latest console for as low as $249. For a console with HDR and 4K video support, this seems like a good deal. This promo is available from the Microsoft Store as well as external retailers like Amazon, GameStop, Walmart and Target.

Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Deals

Right now, you can snag the 256 GB Intel Core i5 8 GB RAM Surface Pro 4 for $1099 (from $1299). You can also get the 256 GB Core i7 8 GB RAM variant for $1399 instead of the regular $1599. The Microsoft Store also offers the 128 GB Core i5 4 GB RAM for $849 instead of $999 and the 256 GB Core i7 16 GB RAM variant for $1599 instead of $1799.

Microsoft Surface Book Deals

This 4-star rated Microsoft Store product is a pretty good deal this holiday season. The Surface Book variant with 128 GB storage, Core i5 processor and 8 GB RAM is sold for $1299 instead of $1499. The 256 GB Core i5 8 GB RAM dGPU variant on the other hand is sold for $1649 instead of $1899.

These are just some of the best Microsoft deals this season. Know that the company is also holding a "12 Days of Deals" event that gives away great discounts for a variety of products. For its day-9 deal, you can get a free $100 gift code with an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive.
The decision by Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee (AMCU) to fine Russian Gazprom UAH 172 billion will not affect transit of Russian gas to Europe, Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Ihor Nassalyk told journalists in Kyiv on Wednesday.

"It is technically impossible to take the transit gas. Apparently, the AMCU will seek other ways to enforce its decision. Although this is even more the powers of the executive services, not AMCU," he said.

It was reported earlier that Kyiv Economic Court ruled in favor of AMCU's lawsuit seeking enforcement of a fine against Gazprom totaling UAH 172 billion.

The official exchange rate on December 14 was UAH 26.1/$1.
Unfortunately for Samsung, its Note 7 controversy is still far from over. Apparently, the recall process of the said device is still a headline about three months after it all started. The problem with the said recall is that not everyone participated and there are still a number of units out there in the wild. With that said, Samsung has to do something to encourage these users to return their devices once and for all. As what has been making headlines recently, Samsung's upcoming Note 7 updates will render the units useless.

Galaxy Note 7 Bricking Update

Samsung has already released a Note 7 battery-limiting update a couple of months ago. However, it looks like that step isn't enough to get every Note 7 owners to participate in the recall. With that, the company will be pushing a new update in Europe to give the device a 30 percent charging cap, as per GSM Arena. This is on top of the connection-limiting updates that will disallow the phablets to connect to Bluetooth, WiFi, and data. 911 calls are still allowed nonetheless.

US carriers except Verizon are also participating in the said update roll out. Nevertheless, they will be rolling out a more heartless update where the Note 7 will not charge at all. This update will basically make the device useless, and in a word - a brick. With that said, Note 7 users whose phones are bound to be disconnected from all wired and wireless connections, now may be the best time to accept defeat. Unless you want to keep your Note 7 as a souvenir of probably the most talked-about recall in the smartphone world, then returning your phone for a fair amount of replacement and refund should be your next step.

Should You Return Your Galaxy Note 7?

Everyone has a right to do what they want unless the law says otherwise. In the case of the Note 7 recall, it looks like Samsung can only do so much in convincing people to return their units. At this point in time, it's almost certain that these Note 7 keepers' phones aren't the "exploding type" which may be enough of a point to let them keep it. However, it looks like Samsung isn't taking any risks. These units may seem safe but they can also be just some units that got saved by the battery limiting update or units that are lucky enough to get a careful owner. It's actually hard to blame Samsung for implementing the bricking update for the remaining Note 7 if they only want to be a hundred percent sure of their users' safety. So as a whole, you may or may not return your Note 7 but Samsung's got to do what it's got to do.

How To Return Your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 - December 2016 Update

Samsung has published a web page that caters to all concerns regarding the returns and replacements of the Galaxy Note 7. The company also lays out its compensation plans for Note 7 returners and they also shared their hotline number in case users want to speak with an actual representative. Note that you can have your Note 7 replaced with a different smartphone (Samsung and non-Samsung phones allowed) or get a refund.
Much to the fans' excitement, the titles for the upcoming arc of "Naruto Shippuden" in 2017 has been revealed, and its alleged storyline has also been leaked. The upcoming arc is set to be released sometime in the first few months of next year.

New Arc For "Naruto Shippuden To Be Released On January 2017; To Feature Shikamaru's Story

There are two new arcs revealed that is bound to happen next year. One of which is entitled "Shikamaru's Story: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness" which is set to be released by January. The upcoming arc will feature the story of Shikamaru and how he gained Naruto's trust, thus then proving his loyalty to the latter. The said arc will be set after the Fourth Shinobi World War when Kakashi was a hokage. Shikamaru will be sent into the Land of Silence, wherein he will meet a lot of the Enlightened Ones.

Shikamaru will encounter Gengo in this arc, someone whom the Enlightened Ones are set to believe in all times. Thus, Shikamaru comes face to face with this person but the encounter does not go as well as anyone would have wanted to. Shikamaru will start to doubt the world that Naruto is trying to create as his thoughts suddenly start to fade away along with his ideals and beliefs. This then creates an issue between him and Naruto.

Naruto's Wedding With Hinata To Be Featured In Second Arc Of 2017

On the next arc, to be entitled "Hidden Leaf's Village Story: The Perfect Day for a Wedding" is going to be released in February, after the arc on Shikamaru and his history with Naruto. The upcoming arc is speculated to be released on Valentine's Day, which will feature the wedding of Naruto and Hinata. Kakashi will then have the responsibility of making the wedding perfect, especially since he is the hokage. That is if the anime series is to follow the events of the manga series. Everyone will then be set to attend the most-awaited wedding.
Google signed a new agreement with the government of Cuba on Monday. The deal includes granting Internet users on the Communist-run island quicker access to its branded content. The deal will not expand access to the internet in Cuba, but Google services will load much faster.

Google Strikes A Deal To Cuba's Telecommunications Monopoly For Faster Internet Access

Eric Schmidt, chairman of Googles parent company Alphabet, signed the deal with Mayra Arevich Marin, president of state telecommunications monopoly ETECSA. It grants Cubans speedy access to the Google Global Cache network, which stores content from sites like Gmail and YouTube on servers located closer to end users. In a country where public Internet access is limited to slow and expensive Wi-Fi hot spots, it was not clear how the deal would actually impact service in the short term.

This deal allows ETECSA to use our technology to reduce latency by caching some of our most popular high-bandwidth content like YouTube videos at a local level, a Google statement said according to Fortune. This may improve reception of cached materials, but not for example email which depends on local bandwidth, a local telecommunications technician said, requesting anonymity for fear of losing his job.

How Is This Possible?

Aljazeera reported that U.S. has had virtually no economic ties with Cuba for more than five decades owing to Washington-imposed trade sanctions. But hopes of better relations have been revived since 2015 when President Barack Obama re-established diplomatic ties between the two countries.

According to Engadget, as part of the deal, Google will install servers on the island, allowing ETECSA to locally cache and serve the most popular high-bandwidth content, like YouTube videos. This reduces latency, giving Cubans who already have access to the internet a better quality of service.

"Cubans who already have access to the internet and want to use our services can expect to see an improvement," said Marian Croak, vice president of access strategy and emerging markets, and Brett Perlmutter, head of strategy and operations at Google Cuba, in a blog post. Alphabet Chairman Eric Schmidt signed the deal with ETECSA, Cuba's state-run telecommunications provider, in Havana on Monday.
Are you saying that the best year of Apple company is 2016? Maybe not after you reading this article. Many Apple fans are expecting for a blast from the company next year. To name a few are the iPhone 8, new iPads, new wireless AirPods and everything else you should expect from 2017 could be possible.

Is 2017 The Biggest Year For Apple?

According to CNET, 2016 and the past few year, it was a largely time for Apple's refinements, not entirely new markets. But next year could be a completely different story. If all the rumors about the company's product lineups are consistently true, 2017 could be Apple's biggest year ever. Think radically redesigned iPhones, revamped iPads, and new more product categories. And 2017 could be a big year for software and services, too.

CNBC reported that Apple shares can rally in 2017 for five reasons which reiterated its buy rating on the company. Apple shares are underperforming the market in 2016 up 7.6 percent, compared to a 10.4 percent gain for the S&P 500. Suva reiterated his Apple price target of $130, representing 15 percent upside from Monday's close.

Analyst Jim Suva gave the following list in a note to clients Tuesday:

"iPhone 8 Super Upgrade Cycle driven by newer form factors driving a stronger upgrade relative to the prior 2 cycles" "Tax reform benefit from reduction in corporate taxes and cash repatriation" "Sticky user base which drives continued services revenue growth" "Enterprise push mid term, Applewood longer term" "Attractive valuation  Shares trade at a slight discount to their 4-year median multiples despite improving fundamentals ahead"

Apple Predictions For 2017

The year 2017 marks the 10th anniversary of Apple's iPhone, so many are expecting from the company to pull out all the stops and release something quite special. According to MacWorld, here are the predictions we can come up from Apple on 2017.

iPhone SE 2 iPhone 7S or iPhone 8 iPad Air 3 iPad Mini 5 iPad Pro 2 Apple TV Apple Mac Pro Apple 12-inch MacBook Air Apple MacBook Pro Update Mac Mini iMacs iOS Updates WatchOS 4 MacOS Updates tvOS Updates

Whoo! Many things to be seen on 2017, indeed a great year for Apple. But do not expect, Apple remains silent until now. Sure to inform you once there are update you need to know.
With another year almost in the books for the IBM i community, we thought it was time to reminisce on the top stories of 2016. Security vulnerabilities, hacked AS/400s, blockbuster acquisitions, new releases of the operating system, and major conferences all garnered their share of digital ink. Heres a rundown on the top IBM i-related stories making news this year.

It started innocently enough, way back in. . .

January

. . .When we asked what should you do with your spare CPWs? After all, you cant take em with you. But with so much processing oomph on those brawny Power8 chips, theres more than enough for the average IBM i shop. We asked that question in January and the response was not surprising. While IBM would be tickled pink if you ran some big data analytics on your Power Systems box, maybe a little Linux or something collaborative, IBM i customers just yawned.

HelpSystems, which like the IBM midrange server dropped the / from its name, ran another IBM i Marketplace Study to find out what IBM i customers are up to these days. Timothy Pricket Morgan, IT Jungle editor, publisher, brewer, and writer/analyst extraordinaire sliced and diced the numbers to find out where the customers work. Summary: The fraction of IBM i shops in the manufacturing biz has dropped by nearly half over 20 years, while those in financial services and real estate has more than doubled. When you consider where the American economy has headed, its not suspiring.

February

The first of a series of security patches, or emergency PTFs, for IBM i implementations of open source security protocols landed on February 1. While this round of patches targeted flaws with OpenSSH, IBM would go on to issue several patches over the year for flaws in SSL/TSL, Java, 3DES, and others. The reverberations of the 2014 revelation of the Heartbleed vulnerability in OpenSSL continued in 2016, and will likely carry over into 2017.

Security has become an area of concern for IBM i shops.



After analyzing the types of businesses that use IBM i, TPM used the slower early days of the year to a look at the people who work on the platform, and who make the platform work. Based on data provided by HelpSystems in its IBM i Marketplace Study, TPM surmised there were about 1.2 million people around the world engaged on the platform, including 305,000 administrators and more than 880,000 programmers. Later in the month, TPM looked at salaries of IBM i professionals with help from Bob Langieris Excel Technical Services. While IBM i types typically make between $80,000 and $140,000, they lag their non-IBM i colleagues by sometimes considerable margins.

Also in February, IT Jungles Dan Burger shocked (shocked!) the IBM i world when he outed iNext as IBM i 7.3. Big Blue, which is usually so good at keeping confidential data from nosy press-types, apparently neglected to use its top-secret codename for the next release of the operating system when updating its website with information about the forthcoming release. Whoops.

March

In March, we told you how Syrian hackers compromised a water districts AS/400 and actually caused chemicals to flow into the drinking water supply. The hackers signed onto the AS/400 after exploiting a compromised X86-based customer portal that was connected to the AS/400 (which itself was connected to the Internet). It sounded like the plot to a Michael Crichton thriller, but this was no fiction. Luckily, nobody was injured, according to Verizon, which shared the story in its popular Data Breach Digest.

While still being coy about the name of the new OS, IBM was quite clear about one thing: There would absolutely, irrefutably, unequivocally be no Java 6 running on it. The aged programming language, which first debuted back in 2006, was no longer supported by Oracle, so only Java 7 and 8 will run on the new OS. If youre a Java user, you should have been moving forward, IBM i Chief Architect Steve Will told us.

Hackers compromised an AS/400 at a water district and released chemicals into the drinking water supply, we learned in March.



The bull market turned seven years old in March, making it the second longest bull market in American history. And it might surprise you to know that the IBM i server has had a good run lately, with super-powerful Power8 systems selling, if not like hotcakes, then respectfully well. In fact, channel sales were up 25 percent at the beginning of 2016. This is the longest running growth period that the channel has seen in decades on this platform, said Richard Martinez, a business executive at master Power reseller Avnet.

April

Many Americans dread April 15, which is Tax Day here in the United States. But IBM i types around the world rejoiced on April 15, 2016, because thats the day that IBM started shipping IBM i version 7.3 . With new features like temporal support in DB2 for i, online analytical processing (OLAP) features in SQL, and a new security authority collection, IBM i 7.3 figures to be securely powering business workloads for many years to comeor at least until the next IBM i Next.

Have you thanked IBM lately? We know that Larry Ellison, John Chambers, Bill Gates, Gordon Moore, and Steve Jobs owe a debt of gratitude. In fact, Big Blue critic Brian Kelly argues that so many tech millionaires and billionaires have benefited so greatly from IBMs business blunders over the years that its no wonder Armonk has anything left. Applauded by Wall Street for cutting the fat, Kelly asserts bumbling IBM bureaucrats actually hacked off their own bone, muscle, and sinew by letting competitors win with products IBM invented, from disk drives and databases to computer networking and PC operating systems. Love him or hate him, Kelly exemplifies the love-hate relationship with IBM thats so pervasive in the IBM i community.

IBM shared a five-year roadmap for its Power processor in early April at the OpenPower Summit, and IT Jungle was there. The gist of Power9 and beyond, per TPM: IBM wants to drive down the cost of Power chips to compete with Intel and it wants drive up the use of all kinds of accelerators to give a collection of Power, FPGA, GPU, and flash accelerators a performance edge over the Xeon-based systems that dominate the datacenter these days. Sounds great, but its likely overkill for the average RPG shop with oodles of spare CPWs on Power8 already.

May

The annual IBM i security smackdown, i.e. the State of IBM i Security Study from PowerTech, was published in May. The net? Security practices at typical IBM i shops are still quite poor, with unprotected exit points, excessive authority levels, and default passwords leading the way. That wont surprise anybody whos paying attentionincluding Russian hackers, we learned later in the year.

Stefani Chiras from IBM giving the keynote at COMMON. (Photo courtesy of COMMONs Tony Rose).



The yearly IBM i love-fest that is the COMMON Annual Meeting and Expo kicked off in the Big Easy in May. More than 1,100 IBM i fans descended upon the Hilton Riverside hotel in downtown New Orleans for four days of education, training, and commiserating. One memorable keynote was delivered by IBM vice president Stephanie Chiras, who urged IBM i shops to consider OpenPower and Linux because of the potential of what it can deliver tomorrow and the choice that it will bring.

An era ended in May, when we learned IBM had plans to sell two-thirds of its massive Rochester Laboratory. The news wasnt a shock, partly because IBM had already moved Power Systems manufacturing of out of the southern Minnesota city where the AS/400 was created to one of its factories in Guadalajara, Mexico, back in March 2013. But the news was still depressing for those who have fond memories of the AS/400 and its better times.

June

HelpSystems bought Linoma Software in June, and in so doing, finally got its hands on a critical security capability that it had lacked despite buying multiple IBM i security software companies over the years: Encryption. Linomas Crypto Complete is one of a handful of native, third-party IBM i encryption tools on the market. While HelpSystems didnt lose sales over the lack of encryption, it was definitely on the to-do list, CEO Chris Heim told us.

IBM announced plans to sell two-thirds of its massive Rochester Labs in May.



The AS/400 turned 28 years young on June 21, which got TPM thinking and that is always fun. While IBM i for Business on Power Systems (oh, that name!) is often derided as a washed-up legacy system, the fact that it contains so many forward-looking attributeslike single-level storage, an integrated database, and a gaggle of co-processorsproves that its actually more advanced than many other systems. But to keep the platform relevant, it needs to support the new era of applications making their way into data centers. As TPM pointed out, IBM has to figure out a way to move Spark, Hadoop, and other workloads on to the IBM i platform itself. Maybe 2017 will bring us such surprises.

July

A lack of IBM i skills, and in particular a shortage of RPG programming expertise, was identified in a survey as the number one barrier to digital transformation in IBM i shops. The survey, which was conducted by SoftLanding Systems, lent credence to the emerging view that a decline in native IBM i skills poses a real risk to the platform, a notion that some in the industry vehemently disagree with.

Some fairly significant security flaws in Java were patched this month, which was fairly quiet on the IBM i news front. IBM issued 13 patches to fix the problems in the Java Development Kit (JDK) for IBM i versions 6.1 to 7.3. Securityincluding the existence of vulnerabilities in open source software, the wide-open nature of IBM i server configurations, and increased attention by hackerswas a recurring theme all year.

August

When TPM attended the annual Hot Chips conference in August, he came away with some good news: delivery of the first Power9 servers was about a year away. Whats somewhat surprising about the Power9 development is that IBM is juggling no fewer than four variants of the processor to tackle various workloads, from traditional business workloads that IBM i customers run to public cloud workloads running in massive data centers. No longer intent on scaling up with massive symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) machines that IBM i shops are accustomed to, IBM is taking a cue from Intel and scaling out horizontally, too.

In August, IBM i Chief Architect Steve Will shared plans to overhaul the requirements process. The new IBM i requirements process would borrow heavily from the Request For Enhancement (RFE) process that IBM Software Group has used for years. One of the key improvements that the new RFE process would have over existing ways of communicating with IBM would be the introduction of a social media tracking element. However, so far, we havent seen the new RFE.

September

Most IBM i servers are sold through the channel, which for years was dominated by two master resellers, Avnet and Arrow Electronics. But in September, Avnet decided to sell its Technology Solutions division (the one that sells IBM i servers) to Tech Data, a $26-billion tech giant. Next up: a deal that sees Arrow joining Ingram Micro, the other major server peddler? Only time will tell.

In October, former IBMer Richard Diedrich shared with COMMON attendees his story of being the DOJs expert witness in the trial of Bernie Madoffs RPG programmers.



Its hard to forget Bernie Madoff, the perpetrator of the decades-long Ponzi scheme that imploded during the early days of the Great Recession. But since Madoff ran his fraud on an AS/400, it presents a possible lesson on ethics in IT. In September, we caught up with IBMer Richard Diedrich, who was the Department of Justices expert witness during the trial of Madoffs RPG programmers. Now retired from IBM, Diedrich is free to share his story.

October

Like it does nearly every year, IBM made a second series of major announcements this October. The major enhancements brought with IBM i 7.3 TR1 and IBM i 7.2 TR5 include better support for JSON and support for Perl, a popular scripting language. We also got a glimpse of IBMs new cloud-based backup offering for IBM i, which offers an intriguing (if somewhat limited) option to store backups and archives.

Well, nothing lasts forever. That was the takeaway from IBMs third quarter financial report, which showed IBM hardware sales dropping. While the company doesnt break out sales by platformor even disambiguate cloud or cognitive sales from Power Systems or System z mainframe sales, for that matterits clear Power sales dipped by about 25 percent, which is to be expected as Power8 gets long in the tooth and customers start salivating for new Power9 servers in the second half of 2017.

November

IBM doesnt wheel and deal with offers and promotions as much as it used to. But Big Blue brought a little of that deal-making back in November, when we learned about the Double Up Core and Memory offerings, which bring fairly significant pricing cuts on entry-level systems. (IBM actually made the announcement back in September, but never told anybody but business partners.)

Does making America great again include a 35 percent tariff on Power Systems imported from Mexico? (Photo by Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia)



Well have to wait a little longer for an IPO from a target=new href=http://www.infor.com>Infor, as the ERP giant instead accepted about $2.5 billion in financing from everybodys favorite corporate conglomerate, Koch Industries. It turns out that the Koch brothers own companies that need to modernize their ERP systems, and some of them run ERP systems from Infor. That makes it a surprisingly practical purchase.

December

What will Donald Trumps presidency mean for IBM, and specifically for the Power Systems business and IBM i customers? Its not such an abstract a question as you might think, considering that Trump has come down hard on American manufacturers who want to move factory jobs overseas. Trump in fact called IBM out for moving jobs to India during a campaign speech near IBMs Rochester Lab before the election. If Trump follows through and institutes a 35 percent tariff on goods imported from Mexico, then your next Power Systems serverwhich will be manufactured in Guadalajara, Mexico, where IBM now builds all Power Systems boxes destined to customers in the Americaswill get a lot more expensive.

As the year wore on, it became clear that the bull run in Power server sales was over. In fact, all server sales were down. IDC pegged the third-quarter slowdown in total global server sales at 4.6 percent, and 7 percent by revenue. Gartner said there were about 38 percent fewer non-X86 RISC/Itanium machines shipped during the quarter, which spurred a 41 percent drop in revenue. TPM theorizes that IBM could be in for a couple of long quarters before Power9 servers start shipping.
Be wary around random, but legitimate-looking emails popping up in your inbox. A foreign government may be using them to try to hack you.

That may sound far-fetched, but Russian cyberspies allegedly stole sensitive files from Democratic groups and figures using this very tactic. In some cases, the spoofed emails pretended to be from Google and managed to trick victims into giving up their login details, paving the way for a series of high-profile hacks that rocked this years presidential election.

But even as the presidential race is over, cybersecurity experts warn that state-sponsored hackers remain a dangerous threat. Political organizations, businesses, and universities all should be on guard -- youre probably already in their crosshairs.

A persistent threat

Russian cyberspies gained particular notoriety this year. U.S. intelligence agencies have blamed them for allegedly carrying out hacks meant to influence Novembers election. Among their methods: breaking into the personal email accounts and networks of their victims and then leaking the stolen documents online.

I do think the Russian campaign has been very successful in accomplishing its objective of weakening American democracy, said Dmitri Alperovitch, CTO of security firm Crowdstrike.

The suspected Russian cyberspies also have no reason to stop. Since the presidential election, theyve been found going after U.S. think tanks and even the German government with the consistent use of email attacks designed for espionage.

However, Alperovitch said potential targets of state-sponsored hackers can still fend off the threat. His company is among those providing a security product that goes beyond monitoring for computer viruses and can track for any unusual activity occurring on a system. This can be particularly useful in detecting hacking tools Russian cyberspies tend to favor, which often masquerade as legitimate computer processes secretly tasked to steal files.

I think the problem is people are relying on legacy technologies to stop these attacks, he said. These tools are clearly failing.

Fancy Bear Russian hackers have been blamed for targeting U.S. political targets.

Struggling to keep up

Although suspected Russian cyberspies became a major topic in this years U.S. election, state-sponsored hackers have been around for years, often times stealing sensitive data or intellectual property from businesses and government agencies. In addition to Russia, China, Iran, and the U.S. National Security Agency have all been implicated in various cyberespionage incidents.

So why do the hackers keep on succeeding? Some of that blame can go to the victims, many of whom dont fully understand how to deal with the threat, said Peter Firstbrook, an analyst with research firm Gartner.

Customers are looking for a magical button to stop all these threats, he said. Businesses will then buy the tools and assume theyre safe, when in reality they arent properly being used.

For example, many businesses often fail to install security patches with their IT products -- including the antivirus software -- exposing them to hacks that otherwise could have been prevented. They may also ignore the warnings that pop up from security software, believing them to be a false positive. Or theyll even forget to turn the software on.

However, in other cases, the businesses had limited expertise on staff to deal with the cyberthreats the security tools encountered.

If you buy the tools without hiring the right people, you are not going to solve your nation-state hacking problem, Firstbrook said.

The need for vigilance

For businesses and institutions struggling to recruit security talent, they can consider outsourcing that role to a company like Dell SecureWorks. It is among the vendors that can step in and manage or consult an organizations IT security.

Phil Burdette, a researcher with the company, noted that foreign government hackers arent necessarily using state-of-the-art hacking techniques. Russian cyberspies, for instance, keep resorting to sending phishing emails as a way to steal a users password login information.

Theres always a lot of emphasis on zero-day exploits and the attackers using the most sophisticated methods, he said. But in reality, state-sponsored hackers tend to use the path of least resistance.

To prevent data breaches, users and business should consider implementing two-factor authentication with their email accounts and online services, Burdette said. In that way, the hackers cant break in with only a stolen password.

He also recommends that organizations partner with specialists who routinely investigate state-sponsored hackers. Often times, a business with less cybersecurity experience will assume it has foiled an attack only to realize the hackers were just getting started.

He also warned that no organization should assume they havent already been attacked. Security researchers are continually finding new evidence to suggest state-sponsored hackers were successful years before their intrusions were spotted -- the initial attack simply went undetected.

We are getting better at learning how bad we are losing, Burdette said.
For most businesses, IT has traditionally operated separately from the rest of the business  employees knew to submit a ticket when something wasnt working, but for the most part, IT worked behind the scenes.

Now, technology is in the hands of every employee, which means IT can no longer control all the hardware, software and apps coming through the door. With more departments relying on technology, it will require more collaboration with IT to help find the best products and to educate workers on security risks.

But this demand for collaboration has also caused a shift in the skills employers value in IT workers. Businesses are looking to hire candidates with soft skills, who are versatile and willing to collaborate with each other to solve problems as a team, rather than as individual experts, says Patric Palm, CEO and co-founder of Favro, a company that offers project management and collaboration tools.

[ Related story: Empower your employees by embracing shadow IT ]

T-shaped employees

The skills needed in IT change so frequently that businesses are more interested in finding qualified candidates with strong soft skills  workers who can grow and adapt in a quickly changing landscape, says Palm. Qualified workers can always take a course or complete training in areas where they need more knowledge, but its not as easy to teach someone how to be collaborative or to communicate effectively.

Palm says hes seen an increase in applicants that fit this t-shaped personality, which means an individual has a broad set of skills, but only a few areas where the skillset goes deep. T-shaped workers are the type of employees who are agile and able to rapidly adapt to new changes, he says. They constantly adjust to new and uncharted territory, learn new skills as needed and stay up to date on emerging trends.

These types of employees will better understand that there isnt a single solution for everything, says Topher Wren, senior vice president of enterprise technology at the telecommunications services provider, West Corporation. Instead, IT workers will need to be able to identify a suite of preferred solutions so departments can choose based upon their application.

Communicating policies and procedures

Its not just IT workers who have to adjust to increasing collaboration. Every department needs to start recognizing IT as an integral part of the business, says Wren. Depending on how IT spending is divided up in the company, some departments outside have IT purchasing power, but that doesnt mean theyre consulting with IT before making decisions.

Leaders within departments will need to vet communication tools with their IT teams before adopting new technologies. Before embracing something new, its important that IT can assess how the new tool will impact the organizations operations and security protocols, says Wren.

Oftentimes, department heads will go through the process of implementing new software, without consulting IT. Wren says that IT can not only help departments find the right tools, but also identify which ones work best with networks and systems already in place. Or, they might even know of a similar tool that is already in use and licensed by the company, which can save everyone money. But IT needs to instill a culture where employees know they should check in first before installing new apps.

Though technology preferences and habits differ across departments, its still important for IT to establish standard solutions and policies for all employees to use and abide by. And the teams job doesnt stop at implementation, says Wren.

[ Related story: As CMOs start to outspend CIOs, collaboration remains key ]

Opening the lines of communication

Wren says its important for IT to build its relationship with the rest of the company  especially with remote workers. The first step is to ensure everyone has an easy, simple way to get in touch with IT if they need help or advice  whether its an internal platform or a more popular service, like Slack. Departments can even establish a point person to work with IT to communicate their needs, but its up to IT to make the first move.

Employees must see IT as a partner to solving their challenges. To that end, IT leaders must be easily accessible to all employees, says Wren.

Opening communication is one of the best ways to get more insight into  and to avoid  shadow IT, says Wren. Shadow IT might sound sinister, but its usually something as simple as an employee innocently skirting an IT-approved app or service to use one that they like better. But, if employees are participating in shadow IT, it suggests that its never been properly communicated to them that they should check in with IT first.

Palm says that it takes time to build this rapport between IT and employees, but there are steps to help make the transition easier. He suggests taking it one step at a time, to unify everyone under a common goal and then have management over-see cross-collaborative projects until everyone finds their groove.

One mistake many businesses make is throwing employees in the water, so to speak, and hoping they will automatically self-organize. Especially with employees working across departments, this presents a lot of risk, says Palm.

Communicating cybersecurity threats

Collaboration is going to become especially important moving forward at concerns around cybersecurity increase around the globe. Employees are often the biggest security threat at any company, as demonstrated by shadow or rogue IT, so leaders need to figure out ways to educate workers on security protocol in the company, says Wren.

Technology is forcing IT to change and adapt to a business model that now relies on technology  a growing number of workers can do their job with just a mobile device and a Wi-Fi connection. IT can no longer control every device or app that comes in the doors, so the last hope is to educate workers so that they understand the implications, and use best practices.

Under this system, IT has the authority to set policy but also the obligation to authorize users and manage conduct. In turn, users have the obligation to adhere to policy and conduct interactions responsibly, says Wren.

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Head of Kharkiv Regional State Administration Yulia Svetlychna and EU Ambassador to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli have opened for assistance to small and medium enterprises in Kharkiv, created with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction Development (EBRD).

There is a preliminary agreement for the issue of EUR 40 million credit lines for Kharkiv businessmen.

"We provide advice on decentralization so that Kharkiv region could get maximum benefit from this reform. We also try to develop close partnership between research centers and universities in Kharkiv region and the European Union," the ambassador said at a meeting with Svetlychna.

According to Svetlychna, the EBRD office will provide services for lending to small, medium and large businesses.

"From now on, businesses will be able to directly cooperate with European financial institutions directly in Kharkiv. There is a preliminary agreement on a credit line of EUR 40 million," she said.
Microsofts Cortana virtual assistant is getting a lot smarter. On Tuesday, the company announced a set of developer tools aimed at bringing it into the internet of things, and adding support for developers to build new functionality for it.

The makers of IoT devices like speakers and cars will be able to use a Microsoft software development kit to integrate Cortana into their products. In addition, developers will be able to build custom integrations that add capabilities to Microsofts virtual assistant.

Microsoft is also launching a new service designed to help users simplify the process of scheduling meetings. Cortana will help find openings on a users calendar and work with meeting participants to find a time that works for everyone.

The new features are part of the companys continuing investment in its virtual assistant. Microsoft is competing heavily against Google, Amazon, Apple and other companies to become the company that provides users with an intelligent assistant.

Amazons popular Alexa virtual assistant, which is best known as part of the Echo speaker, can also be integrated into IoT devices and built to work with external services. Google recently announced that its assistant will also be able to integrate with other companies data as well.

Microsoft is working with Harman Kardon to create a premium home speaker with Cortana built in, coming to the market in 2017. That speaker should help Microsoft better compete with Google Home and Amazon Echo.

Microsoft is also working on integrating Cortana into connected cars, said Marcus Ash, partner group program manager for Cortana. More announcements about Cortana integration are forthcoming, but Ash said those will be driven by Microsofts hardware partners.

Capital One will be one of Microsofts launch partners for the Cortana Skills Kit, which will let companies integrate their services with the virtual assistant. The financial company already offers a skill for Alexa, and the Cortana functionality will let users manage their money by doing things like checking their balance, paying bills, and seeing how much money they spent at particular merchants.

Increasingly our customers demand access to their money 24/7, both information about it and the actual money, Ken Dodelin, vice president for digital product development at Capital One, said in an interview. This is just another place where were trying to meet our customers where they are.

The Microsoft calendar.help service is designed to make it easier for people to schedule meetings. Users can copy Cortana on an email sent to set up an appointment, and the virtual assistant will help pick out a time that works for everyone.

Its a move by the company to make its virtual assistant available through email, a new medium for Cortana. That may help Microsoft reach new users with its virtual assistant.

Right now, were still in the early days for the virtual assistant space. Microsoft is constantly updating Cortana with new functionality, including announcing tweaks to the assistants Android app that change the way it looks and feels.
In todays competitive war for talent, employers are using substantial benefits packages to give them an edge when recruiting and retaining talent, according a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey report.

The report, which surveyed 738 randomly selected HR professionals, showed that 95 percent rated healthcare as one of the three most important benefits to employees; 71 percent say retirement savings and planning are top-rated employee benefits and 50 percent say leave is an important benefit.

And while 19 percent of respondents in all industries say they had altered their benefits programs to aid in employee retention over the last 12 month, that number increases to 25 percent when focused exclusively on the IT industry, according to the report.

[ Related story: How to improve your odds of landing great talent ]

High value

Healthcare, retirement and leave benefits are all highly valued by employees, so bolstering these benefits could go a long way in recruiting new employees and retaining existing ones. These benefits often are rated on par or of even greater importance than compensation, says Evren Esen, director of data analytics, SHRM.

That could be because of the relative scarcity of raises; employees are looking at modest increases year-over-year, and might prefer a beefed-up benefits package instead, says Brian Kropp, HR practice leader at CEB.

Many employees in the U.S. are expecting raises of 1 percent or 1.5 percent this year, which doesnt make much of a difference in terms of performance or retention. So, companies are doing two things: first, rethinking compensation structures like doing away with annual raises, introducing spot bonuses or even allowing workers to make choices about how theyre compensated; whether through stock options or a bonus. Second, they are exploring different benefits packages. Many are increasing parental leave, for example, or adding more flexible work arrangements. The belief is that these benefits will have a bigger impact than small raises, Kropp says.

[ Related story: Do you need a digital brand manager? ]

Major investment

Benefits are an area in which employers make significant investments; often the value of a benefits package can add about 30 percent more value to an employees compensation, Esen says. But thats something many workers dont understand as well as they should, and its up to HR pros to help them understand the value of these offerings, she says.

As the war for talent wages on, employers will need not only to ensure that they are strategically utilizing benefits to secure talent, but that employees understand the value of their benefits package, Esen says. According to the research, just 14 percent of HR professionals indicated that employees are very knowledgeable about employer-sponsored benefits; about two-thirds (69 percent) said employees are somewhat knowledgeable. And just 27 percent of respondents indicated their focus was ensuring employees understood the value of their benefits package.

Healthcare is still one of the most common and popular offerings, but the rising cost of healthcare adds complexity for companies and for employees, says Esen. About three-quarters (74 percent) of companies have not considered providing subsidies to purchase health care insurance through a private exchange, according to the research. And 73 percent of organizations anticipated an increase in their companys total health care costs between the 2015 and 2016 plan years; one-third anticipated an increase of over 10 percent.

Even with the affordable care act and the options for companies to shift responsibility to the private exchange or other areas, we didnt see a major push from companies to stop offering healthcare. These are really popular with employees, and its also a way for companies to say, We care about our talent and we want to enhance your life and wellness and make sure youre healthy,' she says.

Companies also are offering comprehensive wellness plans to help lower healthcare costs and improve engagement, according to the research. About three-fourths (74 percent) of organizations that had wellness initiatives in place say they were somewhat or very effective in improving overall engagement of employees, and almost half (48 percent) of respondents say their wellness initiatives decreased health care costs. Respondents also say the initiatives decreased unplanned absences (42 percent) and increased productivity (30 percent).

Flexible work is another standard benefit; according to the survey, 56 percent of employers offer the option to use flexible work arrangements and in technology that number rises to 76 percent of organizations who offer flexible work arrangements.

The benefit that actually delivers the highest return in terms of improving employee engagement is giving employees the gift of time. For todays workforce, the most important thing is creating the most flexible working environment that you can in order to improve the work-life balance of employees. Focusing on this aspect will deliver a higher return than most other benefits offerings, says Kropp.

[ Related story: How recruiters are adapting to an evolving job market ]

Looking ahead

Where should organizations focus in 2017? Its less about offering specific benefits over and above the classics  like healthcare, flexible work, retirement savings and planning and paid leave  and more about tailoring your benefits plan to meet the unique needs of your workforce, says Laura Kerekes, chief knowledge officer at ThinkHR.

You dont want it to become an arms race, but you do want to include interesting and voluntary benefits so that you are appealing to every aspect of your workforce. When youre thinking about this, look at the demographics of your workforce. We are seeing all kinds of thing like critical care and long-term care insurance for Boomers, identity theft insurance, pet insurance and student loan repayment benefits for millennials  these make employees feel valued, and like the company cares about their overall well-being, says Kerekes.

Another major area of focus should be around professional and career development, says SHRMs Esen. When asked whats most important in terms of benefits over the next three to five years, survey respondents say career development will be a critical part of any comprehensive benefits strategy going forward.

Companies are telling us these development programs are going to be just as important as leave benefits and flexible work arrangements. Employers realize they have to upskill and train their workforce to keep them engaged and motivated, and employees value these programs, too, she says.

When it comes to attracting and retaining talent, the available components of your benefits packages make a huge difference, says Kropp. Its well worth your while to make sure you have a robust set of benefits that will support your most valuable asset  your people.

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President-elect Donald Trumps nominee for energy secretary, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, will also have charge of the nations largest supercomputers. These systems are used to investigate national challenges, which includes climate change. But Perry is a climate change skeptic, as is Trump, and believes the science is unsettled.

Perrys skepticism about the science of climate change may be a problem for the department he's been tapped to run; the Department of Energy (DOE) considers climate a major research focus.

[To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page.]

DOE plays an important role in climate change research -- a very large role, said Cliff Mass, a professor of meteorology at the University of Washington.

Perry believes the U.S. would be better off without DOE. At a debate in 2011, he said that he wanted to eliminate the department, along with the Commerce and Education departments, too.

Eliminating the department may be impossible. Its need for the most powerful supercomputers imaginable is a result of its primary mission: Safeguarding the nations nuclear stockpile.

With the end of underground testing of nuclear weapons in 1992, that meant you had to do simulation and modeling much more -- you couldnt go to Nevada and set off a [bomb], Paul Messina, a computer scientist and distinguished fellow at Argonne National Labs who heads the U.S. Exascale Computing Project, said in an interview last month.

In response, the U.S. created the Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (ASCI) to spur vendors to build bigger and better supercomputers, said Messina. He ran the project in 1999 and 2000, when it had a budget of about $650 million a year. The U.S. now tests nuclear weapons virtually, thanks to improving computing power.

The nations three Energy Department weapons labs -- Livermore, Los Alamos and Sandia -- use supercomputers to model and simulate, for instance, materials under certain pressures and temperatures. This supercomputing capability for nuclear weapons research also has wide applicability for industry and science.

The DOE has made compute time available to firms such as Goodyear, Boeing and Siemens Energy, which use these systems to virtually test how products work as designs and materials change. The U.S. has broadly opened this computing capability to any firm that can boost American competitiveness.

DOE supercomputers are hugely important to the basic sciences -- in many cases, they are the only tools we have to examine really hard problems and explore really fundamental questions, said Peter Harsha, director of government affairs at the Computing Research Association.

Supercomputers are important in every scientific field and gaining access to these systems is highly competitive, said Harsha. The research DOE supports to develop these leading edge machines helps drive innovations throughout the IT sector, pushing the boundaries of whats possible in hardware and software."

Perry may be unable to wipe out the work of the Energy Department, but he could erase publicly accessible data hosted on energy websites.

Theres already an effort under way to save environmental data in danger of disappearing during the Trump administration.

Just who is Perry? He graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in animal science. Although not all previous DOE secretaries have been scientists, President Barack Obamas two appointments were: Ernest Moniz, the current secretary, was a professor of physics and engineering systems at MIT. He succeeded Steven Chu, who won the Nobel Prize in physics. One of President George W. Bush's two appointments to the post, Samuel Bodman, earned a doctorate in chemical engineering from MIT.

In 2007, on release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, Bodman said: "The Administration welcomes the ... report, which was developed through thousands of hours of research by leading U.S. and international scientists and informed by significant U.S. investments in advancing climate science research.

But in 2009, Perry challenged the report and Environmental Protection Agency efforts to limit carbon emissions, alleging the study was built on falsified data and with uncertain and highly questionable science.

Perry has supported renewable energy and his state ranks first in wind energy production, another area studied by researchers on supercomputers. He has supported supercomputer use in storm prediction, and has praised NASA, a big employer in his state, for its role in technological advancement.

Supercomputing's role in American competitiveness will be an issue for Perry to address. China plans to have an exascale system ready by 2020, about three years before the U.S. Europe and Japan are also at work on their own systems.

But it remains unclear how Trump, Perry or Congress will approach science funding generally, and whether their skepticism will lead to cuts.

The demand for supercomputing -- the ability to test prototypes in virtual environments -- is growing, as is the need for scientists involved in supercomputer development. The DOE is a major employer of this research talent, talent that the private sector would like to hire.
Docker is releasing Containerd (pronounced container-dee), a set of basic components designed to run containers, as part of an open source project.

Containerd includes supervisor and executor components that work together to function as the core container runtime that underpins the company's Docker Engine software. It's designed to allow companies to build their own software for managing containers while using a consistent foundation.

As the name implies, containers provide applications with a lightweight, constrained environment that makes them easy to migrate, scale up and scale down across different hardware. They've had increasing use over the past year, in part because they make it easier for developers to have a consistent environment for their software.

Containerd, announced Wednesday, is a move by Docker to further its work on open-sourcing key parts of container software. The company has already open-sourced its SwarmKit tools for container orchestration and InfraKit tools for infrastructure management.

Docker, which helped kick off the container revolution by releasing its popular software tools, isn't going it alone. Alibaba, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and IBM have all said that some of their employees will spend time contributing to the project.

The project doesn't include other key features of Docker Engine, including the Docker API, command line interface, Compose and Build features. For that reason, the company thinks that it's still likely its customers will use Engine, as opposed to a different software package that could be built on top of containerd.

There are a number of benefits to making this open-source move. All of the products that rely on containerd, including Docker Engine, will be able to benefit from the improvements made by other companies. The container runtime will also be further divorced from Docker as a company, meaning that competitors might be more likely to contribute to the container runtime to benefit the community.

Next year, Docker plans to release containerd to a neutral foundation.
Today

Wind driven rain showers early then sunny by the afternoon. High 69F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 46F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunshine and some clouds. High 72F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Ukraine expects that Stockholm arbitrage in the dispute between national joint-stock company Naftogaz and Russia's PJSC Gazprom will make a decision in favor of Kyiv in March 2017, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has said.

"We expect that in March, Ukraine will win the arbitral tribunal in Stockholm," Poroshenko said, taking part in the launch of the enterprise for the production of spare parts of imported cars Sumitomo Electric Bordnetze (SE Bordnetze) in the town of Chortkiv (Ternopil region) On Wednesday.

According to him, Ukraine expects that it will be able to cancel the "predatory contract" with Gazprom after such a legal decision. "It has been proved that Gazprom supplied gas to us at inflated prices. We will reduce these prices and lower tariffs," the president said.
More Than 50,000 To Unite Under One Roof At Passion 2017, Returning To Atlanta's Georgia Dome January 2-4

One of largest gatherings of college students to be held in US, conference among final events at Georgia Dome

prior to planned 2017 demolition

December 14, 2016
Sumitomo Electric Bordnetze-Ukraine (Ternopil region), a manufacturer of cable products for Volkswagen Concern, and 100% in which is owned by Japan's Sumitomo Electric Bordnetze, has opened the first stage of a new production site in Chortkiv (Ternopil region) with the participation of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.

"When it was decided that the new production will be in Chortkiv and there was nothing, nobody believed that in December the plant will be launched and 500 new jobs will be created, and in 2018 their number will exceed 2,000. In March [the investor] was transferred Agromash plant, and there was only wind here, there were no walls, only ruins, and those who come here, including Audi representatives, thought nothing will happen. But the uniting of the potential of Ukrainian, German and Japanese investments have done their job," the president said at the opening ceremony.

He said there is an agreement with the investor regarding increasing wages to the employees.

"We discussed with the investor what wage will be. First we talked about UAH 3,800-4,000. But no, it will be up to UAH 6,000! And we agreed that by the end of the year we'll raise it by another 15% - and this will be a gift from the president," Poroshenko said.

He said the investor is ready to continue investment in Ukraine.

Sumitomo Group is one of the largest Japanese corporations. The group consists of companies working in the financial sector, engineering industry, electrical industry, ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy, and many others.
The Cabinet of Ministers has supported the draft law on state regulation in the field of satellite navigation, developed by the State Space Agency of Ukraine.

The government made the corresponding decision under the procedure without discussion at a meeting in Kyiv on December 14.

Prior to submission to the Cabinet, the draft law was approved at a meeting of the government committee.

According to the State Space Agency, the development and adoption of the law on state regulation in satellite navigation are aimed at providing the development of the domestic market of navigational information services; attracting investments and intensifying production activities in the field of satellite navigation with the use of public-private partnership; improving the safety and reliability of the transport and logistics complex and its infrastructure; ensuring measures in the interest of national defense and security.

The draft law on state regulation in the field of satellite navigation meets EU standards in this area.
The House of Commons of Canada has supported the ratification of a free trade area (FTA) agreement with Ukraine, according to the Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Ukraine's Trade Representative Natalia Mykolska.

"The lower house of the parliament of Canada unanimously supported the ratification of the FTA agreement between Ukraine and Canada," she wrote on her Facebook page.

Mykolska noted now this legislative initiative must now be ratified by the upper house of the parliament of Canada  the Senate.

"We are working very closely with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the issue of ratification," the official said.
As many of the critics are calling a totally disaster for Prince Charles' new Christmas card photo with Camilla Parker-Bowles In fact, some sources say that it's one of the worst photos taken of the royal couple.

Was it necessary for Prince Charles to discharge his PR team?

At the Cultural Heritage Festival in Osijek, Croatia where the photo was taken. Both are standing next to a local folklore group called the Osijek 1862 in their traditional national costume. And the inside of the Christmas card is decorated with emblem of the Prince's and Camilla's cipher along with a simple message that says, "Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year."

Critics are utterly daunted. But some fans, however finds this most festive Christmas card ever for Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles'. The couple shared a simpler photo of the two of them smiling and embracing one another, just last year. Prior to that, handlers of Charles and Camilla say that the royal couple chose this photo simply because they loved it and have fond memories of the official tour they took earlier this year from the western Balkans and Croatia.

The future King, Prince Charles, should be in the forefront of the photo and that Camilla Parker-Bowles should have worn something softer for the photo, like a beige coat to match her husband's, criticts stated a judgement to the photo. Added to that, many critics also point out that there is one folk dancer that looked completely enamored with Prince Charles.

Many of the critics are making a point with Charles even has his hands in his pockets. Reason why a lot of sources say that Prince Charles is in urgent need of better PR as his handlers aren't making the right choices for him.

And that wasn't enough, some critics think that Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles shouldn't be exposing a Christmas card at all. According to Royal insiders, Camilla thinks that whatever Kate Middleton and Prince William can do, she can do way better than them, of course. But that's just not the case.

As of now, Buckingham Palace are not making any comments about the criticism yet. And it might be have very little chance that they will comment, too.
"Star Wars Rebels" episode 11 marked the end of 3rd season's first half with a big revelation and intense story. However, the series will be taking a short break and is set to resume in 2017. Fans need not worry though as the premiere episodes of the second half are going to present a new much interesting storyline.

One of the biggest and unforgettable revelations in season 3 episode 11, aside from Ezra's newly-found information about Obi-wan Kenobi, was Darth Maul's comeback after being absent since episode 3 "The Holocrons of Fate". Episode 11 was more focused on Ezra and Maul having visions about each other and on how they joined their minds which later led them to find the next steps to their paths. For the next seasons, however, there is going to be a much more interesting story that will present both mystery and revelations.

Episode 12 & 13 "Ghost of Geonosis" As The New Plot

iTech Post has revealed some possible twists and turns beginning the second half of season 3. According to the source, there are two possible synopses for the new plot.

Firstly, the crew revisits the Geonosis on a rescue mission for a missing rebel team who was sent to do an investigation of the suspicious activities held on the planet. Upon the rescue, the team found out something surprising. Secondly, the Ghost crew finds out another surprise in the planet and the story continues as they hide it from the Imperial forces.

The new plot is definitely going to cause hype in "Star Wars" universe as Geonosis becomes the new main setting for the premiere episodes of 3rd season's second half. Continuation of the mid-season shall commence on January 7, 2017.

Meanwhile, on another "Star Wars" news, "Rogue One" premiere receives sundry reviews from its fans after writers Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz went political on their tweets, targeting Donald Trump. Their tweets angered many fans and some called to dump star wars. Check out a report by Jobs & Hire.
Last week on Vikings Season 4, Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) went all over Kattegat to ask his people to accompany him to England. As the once-great leaders reputation has been soiled, many chose to stay behind, knowing that the trip to Wessex is a suicide mission. Only the old and infirm rallied behind their former King, and in a surprising twist, Ragnars crippled son, Ivar (Alex Hogh Andersen) chose to accompany his father on his vengeance voyage.

But towards the tail end of the hour, Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland) had a vision of Ivar being drowned while en route to England with his father. The Queen sees Ragnar tying Ivar to the mast before the boat capsizes, and he tries to free his son while both of them are struggling underwater. Will Aslaugs vision come to pass in "Vikings" Season 4 Episode 13?

According to the description of this weeks episode of "Vikings" titled Two Journeys, Ragnar and Ivar deal with an issue involving their crew, and it appears that the duo will have more things to worry about apart from the perils of the long journey. But it looks like Ivar will survive the trip as Andersen told TVGuide about what will happen once the pair sets foot in England.

Its just a father and son trying to pick up the pieces that theyve lost and put them back together to become what they are: father and son, said Andersen. The actor added that the scene was outstanding to shoot and that viewers will surely enjoy the upcoming episode.

Of the journey, Andersen said that his character has been waiting for this moment all of his life and that being with Ragnar has given Ivar hope. However, years of bullying and being misunderstood will cause Ivar to go on a violent streak in the future as he resorts to killing Christians in upcoming "Vikings" episodes.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ivar eventually becomes one of the most powerful Vikings of all time due to his sheer cunning. He also becomes known for his savage nature and wins more territory than any other Viking leader.

Despite Aslaugs vision, it looks like fans will get to see more of Ivar in future episodes and seasons of "Vikings" series. While Andersens character will still be around, Fimmel wont be staying long in the show as Jobs & Hire previously reported that Ragnar will eventually die in the current season.

Vikings airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on History.
Tom Cruise has straightened things out for Scientology. The Hollywood star has built his own den where he can perform his religious practices.

Even after a lot of destructive comments from friends, family, and fans who are "non-believers", the three-time Academy award nominee has faithfully stood by the belief system of Scientology. As he continues to make films that still earn reasonable worth, Tom Cruise doesn't forget to spend the time to establish what he considers a "religion's name".

Inquisitr.com announced recently that the actor's lair is already under construction after reports have revealed the building's blueprints. Sources also said that although it is fairly a low-budget construction, it is still being built as intricately as per the request of Cruise. The source said it "needs to be perfect or else they would have to rebuild it."

Cruise has been a firm believer of the cult for more than 30 years, and it seems he is nowhere near giving up on it. The blueprints allegedly show that the multi-level den contains bedrooms.

Now a lot of questions have arisen. Could he have sold his $40-million home in Beverly Hills and $11-million home in Hollywood Hills for the construction of this "new home"? Previous news has also reported that he sold his apartment in New York and is now about to sell his ranch in Colorado as well.

With this new development comes another set of reactions from Cruise's detractors. After everything he's been through, especially in his married life, who wouldn't remember all the other "crazy" things he has done for Scientology?

Nikki Swift reminds us of those ground-breaking news the actor has been involved in for the past years, including his break-up with former wife Nicole Kidman who was declared to be the "suppressive person in the religion's vernacular."

Now that he is building what seems to be a "hideout", what could Tom Cruise's fans expect in his way of living?
Galaxy Note 7 owners can expect their units to turn useless by Dec. 19. Samsung is releasing an update on Dec. 15 that will permanently disable the problematic model. This update will prevent the unit from charging - a situation identified with instances of the model exploding.

Samsung had previously recalled all units of the Galaxy Note 7 after many reported instances of exploding phones. Owners were given a chance to return their phones in exchange for a refund earlier this year, but many are still out there. So far only 93% has been returned, leaving Samsung with the choice to release this update.

Due to safety concerns, various steps have been taken to curb the problem of overheating in the model. Tech Times reports that Samsung Canada had already announced that the Galaxy Note 7 will be disconnected from networks. Airlines had issued warnings for owners to keep their units off during flights. Warnings have already gone out telling owners of the dangers of using the unit.

CNN Money reported that Samsung had already issued a recall of the model twice, once to be replaced with another unit of the same model (September 2016) and the second time to be replaced by another model (October 2016). The second recall was made because even the replacement phone had reports of them catching fire or exploding. Samsung had already announced a total halt of the production of the unit.

With the rollout of the update, major carriers in the United States have pledged support, except for Verizon. Verizon's Vice President for global corporate communications, Jeffrey Nelson, said the carrier is concerned that users may not have an alternate unit to use especially during the holiday season. Nelson, however, emphasized the call for owners to take advantage of the recall policy instead.

Hardware engineers are warning unit owners whose phones have not yet exploded that their Galaxy Note 7 may still explode or, if they're lucky, have the battery expand or balloon.

The release of the update comes on the heels of Samsung announcing to completely shut down the model. This was announced recently by Co-CEO Kwon Oh-hyun. Users in the United States have reported receiving this message, being advised that the update would be released on Dec. 15.
Ukrainian army positions in Donbas came under 15 attacks over the past day, the anti-terrorist operations (ATO) staff said on Facebook on Wednesday.

The hostiles fired 120mm and 82mm mortars on the village of Krymske in the Luhansk sector, while grenade launchers and small arms were used against Stanytsia Luhanska, it said.

In the Donetsk sector, 82mm mortars bombarded Luhanske and Novooleksandrivka, and various types of grenade launchers, heavy machineguns and small arms were used against Avdiyivka and Verkhnotoretske. Sniper activity was observed in Luhanske, the staff said.

Ukrainian army positions came under attack from 152mm artillery near Borodinske and 122mm artillery in Shyrokyne. Grenade launchers, heavy machineguns and small arms were fired on Mariinka and Talakivka in the Mariupol sector, the staff said.
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The Donbas hostilities are damaging civilian infrastructure, and this brings about the suffering of people on both sides of the contact line, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (OSCE SMM) quoted Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug as saying.

"We are entering the third winter in this conflict, and it's not normal that we see the cases when civilian infrastructure is affected by the fighting. It is the infrastructure that provides heating, water for civilians on both sides of the contact line," he said.

The Donetsk water filtration station is located between Avdiyivka and Yasynuvata and supplies water to around 400,000 people in the area. The work of the water filtration station is often interrupted because of shelling that causes water shortages in Avdiyivka, Yasynuvata and parts of Donetsk city, the report said.

"It is often the case that infrastructure is damaged due to ongoing fighting from positions that are too close to each other," he said.

"It's the sides that need to stop fighting; it's the sides that need to disengage; it's the sides that need to put the end to this conflict and bring normality to the people of Donbas. The OSCE SMM will monitor sides' adherence to agreements that have been signed," Hug said.
MOCKSVILLE  The makeup of the Davie County Board of Education has changed, but the leadership on the board will remain the same for the next two years.

Newcomers W.G. Dub Potts and Terry Hales were sworn in to their new seats on the board at the Dec. 6 school board meeting. They replace Carol Livengood and Steve Ridenhour, each of whom chose not to run for re-election.

Paul Drechsler and Wendy Horne, both incumbents, were also sworn in.

Livengood is retiring after 12 years on the board, and Ridenhour after 6 years.

During his tenure on the board, Ridenhour said he came to understand that serving on the board is about more than educating children.

Its also about hearts. If you educate them but lose their hearts, what have you gained? he said.

Livengood said she was proud to be part of the effort for a new Davie County High School, which will open in August, 2017.

The issue of the high school brought out some divisiveness within the board over the years, with Ridenhour pushing against the sale of bonds to pay for the high school, a position that put him at odds with most of his fellow board members.

Ridenhour said dissension within boards is a positive sign.

Once a decision is made, you have to move forward, he said.

Chad Fuller was unanimously chosen to be chairman of the board, with Clint Junker getting a unanimous vote to be vice chairman.
Over a four-year period, Robert Keller Leonard, a former lawyer disbarred 10 years ago partly for mishandling a clients money, embezzled at least $300,000 from a trust account for a 61-year-old man who had survived cancer and needs oxygen to live, a prosecutor said Tuesday in Forsyth Superior Court.

A bounced check from the trust account to buy oxygen for the man led to a lawsuit and eventually a criminal investigation. A Forsyth County grand jury indicted Leonard on Monday on three counts of embezzlement and one count of obtaining property by false pretenses. The indictments said the alleged crimes happened between 2011 and 2015.

On Tuesday, Leonard, 72, of Park Ridge Lane pleaded guilty in Forsyth Superior Court to those same charges. Under the plea arrangement, Judge Susan Bray of Forsyth Superior Court consolidated the charges into one and sentenced Leonard to four years and 10 months to six years and 10 months in prison. He also was ordered to pay $300,000, which was made into a civil judgment against him. Its unlikely that Leonard will ever be able to pay the entire $300,000, but his Social Security benefits will be garnished when he is released from prison.

Robert Graysons father, Theodore R. Grayson set up a trust account for his son on Jan. 28, 2003, according to Scott Harkey, a financial-crimes prosecutor with the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys. When Theodore Grayson died, Leonard became the trustee of the trust account, Harkey said. The account was so that Grayson could pay for his basic living expenses and medical needs.

Leonard established a trust account at Raymond James Bank. He opened a personal checking account at what was then known as TriStone Community Bank (the bank has since merged with First Community Bank). Harkey said Leonard changed his TriStone checking account from personal to another kind of account to more easily transfer money from the trust account.

Leonard illegally spent hundreds of thousands of dollars from the trust account, which had $604,000 when it was first established, Harkey said. Leonard used that money for his own benefit, including to pay bills. He also cashed checks back into the trust account to cover his tracks, Harkey said.

Leonard also used $139,336 in the trust account to buy 3,495 silver coins, Harkey said. He kept the silver coins in a safe deposit box at TriStone Community Bank, Harkey said.

Ron Ingle, civil attorney for Robert Grayson, said Leonard told Grayson that the silver coins were bought on behalf of the trust account. The idea would be to sell the coins to provide money into the trust account, but Ingle said Leonard instead sold the coins to coin shops in town and pocketed the profits of the sales for himself.

The safe deposit box was in Leonards name but Grayson, as beneficiary of the trust account, had access to the box. On Dec. 12, 2014, Grayson and Ingle went to inspect the safe deposit box.

All they found was a metal screw inside. All the coins were gone.

Harkey said in court that investigators have recovered or accounted for only a handful of the coins out of the more than 3,000 silver coins Leonard bought.

In September 2011, Leonard used the trust account to buy a house in the 4100 block of Briarcliff Road for $175,000, Harkey said. Leonard told Grayson that he bought the house as an investment and that he would rent the house out, which could bring more money to the trust account.

That never happened, Harkey said. Instead, Leonard moved into the house, deeded the house into his name and then sought a home-equity line of credit from State Employees Credit Union, which was worth $105,246. He falsely told the credit union that he had a clean title to the house.

More than a decade ago, Leonard was accused of mishandling a clients money, which in part led to his getting disbarred in 2005. According to court documents, he represented a woman on a personal injury claim and won a $52,000 settlement without filing a lawsuit. He put the money into a trust account. Leonard was accused of writing a number of checks from that account to himself. He also used the money for his benefit and the benefit of other clients, the court papers said.

Court papers also linked him to an illegal scheme to exploit families trying to get their relatives out of prison. He worked with a man named Richard Mears, who was convicted in 2004 of charges connected to the illegal scheme. There was never any evidence that Leonard participated in the scheme, but he also did not report Mears to law-enforcement, according to the court papers.

Mark Jones, Leonards attorney, said in court that the plea was the best way to resolve the case. He also asked Bray to recommend work-release for Leonard.

Bray declined.
RALEIGH  For all the speculation of a Republican wave of controversial bills surfacing at the third special session, the only substantive legislation introduced Tuesday came from House Democrats.

When Gov. Pat McCrory issued Friday his proclamation for the special session, with a goal of approving $200.9 million in disaster relief funding, it included potential action for any other matters the General Assembly elects to consider.

According to elected officials, constitutional and court-system experts and advocates, that terminology opened the door to other legislation that could include adding up to two conservative-leaning justices to the nonpartisan state Supreme Court.

Three additional bills were filed by the 5 p.m. Tuesday House submission deadline. The two substantive ones came from Rep. Larry Hall, D-Durham.

House Bill 5 would restore the hours and days to the early voting period that were removed by the voter identification law. House Bill 6 would create a nonpartisan redistricting committee and process, to be in place by Feb. 15, 2021.

Although those bills were sent to the House Elections committee, it is not on the calendar to meet today or Thursday, which likely means the bills will go nowhere.

The full House is set to meet at 11 a.m. today, to be in position to receive the disaster relief bill back from the Senate.

Senators have until noon today to submit bills for the session. No bill had been submitted by the time the Senate recessed Tuesday.

Democratic legislative leaders and left-leaning advocates said Tuesday they remained cautious about what bills could be submitted in the Senate.

Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, said Republicans could put any rumors of other potential legislation to rest by definitively saying there are no plans for other bills.

The Republicans have been more than happy to let the rumor mill keep churning, churning and burning, Blue said.

Ive asked and nobody has said theyre going to do it; nobody has said theyre not going to do it; some have said were looking at it.

Opponents of the potential changes to the Supreme Court point to the passing of House Bill 2, known nationally as the transgendered restroom bill, as a reason for their concern.

The bill was acted upon and signed into law by McCrory, all on March 23.

Democratic challenger Roy Cooper begins his term Jan. 1  a full week ahead of tradition  to be in position to react to any court-packing legislation.

Even though the contested governors race caught most of the post-election attention, the configuration of the Supreme Court may be more pivotal politically.

The victory of Mike Morgan, a registered Democrat endorsed by President Barack Obama, over incumbent justice Bob Edmunds, a registered Republican, gave the court a pending 4-3 tilt to the left.

The Cooper and Morgan victories represent two potential checks and balances on bills introduced by Republicans ,who hold a super-majority in both chambers.

Speculation about potential court-packing  adding two right-leaning members nominated by McCrory in the waning days of his administration  surfaced shortly after Morgans Nov. 8 win.

On Tuesday, Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the state GOP Party, attempted to chide Democratic legislators and supporters, as well as the media, for promoting the court-packing speculation. He said it was rumored by Democrats and fed by Democrats.

However, left-leaning advocates cited that the right-leaning Carolina Partnership for Reform offered Monday its 12 recommendations for legislative reform.

Number six is add new Supreme Court justices to prevent an activist court from usurping power from elected representatives. Number three is a constitutional amendment on school choice to protect it from a liberal state Supreme Court, while number 12 would divide the board of elections equally between parties.

The majority of members of the State Board of Elections, as well as county boards, are appointed by the party of the governor. It is currently 2-1 Republican at the county board level and 3-2 Republican on the state board.

The state constitution calls for a chief justice and six associate justices but allows for two more members. New members would be up for re-election in November 2017 as part of the special legislative election required to address redistricting issues.

House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, repeated Tuesday that he believes the legislature can act on anything it chooses once it has convened.

This session is about disaster relief and taking care of critical business facing the state, Moore said.

Woodhouse stressed that the rumor mill spun with no evidence, no written bill, no Republican endorsement and no off-the-record comments that it was possibly coming.

He said any reporting that Republicans back off court expansion ... will have accused us of doing something that we were never doing.

The Rev. William Barber II, leader of the state NAACP and the Forward Together moral movement, led at least two gatherings Tuesday at the General Assembly of several hundred individuals who spoke out against any potential court-packing legislation. The group has threatened to sue if any court-packing legislation is approved.

The presence of hundreds of North Carolinians in the galleries of the House and Senate will help insure the General Assembly does not take it upon themselves to unconstitutionally add two additional judges to the N.C. Supreme Court, thereby negating the massive electoral victory of Judge Mike Morgan, Barber said.
Carbon monoxide levels spiked to six times the normal amount at the River Ridge Taphouse in Clemmons on Saturday night, officials say.

A faulty heating unit in the special events room of the restaurant caused the leak that sent 14 to the hospital.

Thirty-one of the restaurants diners were treated after showing symptoms of poisoning, such as vomiting.

While restaurant staff believed a disconnected pipe in another room was at fault, further investigation revealed the heating unit was the source of the leak, Lewisville Fire Department Assistant Chief Steve Williams said.

We are extremely confident that was the main source of the leak, Williams said. The heating unit for that room malfunctioned and stopped burning cleanly, which can happen to any of those units.

The leak was fixed by a technician and the restaurant opened for business Sunday morning, restaurant manager Dawn Vanorden said.

Everythings good, we fixed it that night, she said. Everyones safe.

Attempts to reach John Edwards, the restaurants owner, were unsuccessful. Vanorden said Edwards would be back at the restaurant later in the week.

An off-duty firefighter, Lonnie Wimmer, was attending a birthday party in the special events room of the restaurant, at 1480 River Ridge Drive, when he noticed that people were starting to feel sick. He began feeling nauseous as well and notified the fire department and emergency personnel. The restaurant was evacuated.

Now that the issue is fixed, it does not pose a danger, Vanorden said.

The restaurant did not have a carbon monoxide detector, Williams said, which is not unusual for businesses. Carbon monoxide detectors are not required by law.

Residential laws are different. North Carolina requires landlords to put a carbon monoxide detector on each floor of a rental unit.

The Forsyth County Department of Public Health does not have a role in monitoring carbon monoxide levels, said Sheryl Emory, environmental health supervisor.

We have no way to monitor it and there are no regulations even addressed in the state rules and regulations for food service, she said.

Large-scale carbon monoxide leaks in restaurants are uncommon, Forsyth County EMS Logistics Officer MA Barker said.

The Forsyth County EMS treated 31 people on the scene Saturday with varying symptoms, 14 of whom opted to go to the hospital, he said.

Because carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas, it is hard to detect. Early symptoms of poisoning  headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting  can often be written off as flu-related, but health risks can escalate if the problem goes unchecked.

It can be fatal, Barker said. The best thing to do is install carbon monoxide detectors in your home or business, especially if you have open flames and heat with gas stoves instead of electric.
Amsterdam District Administrative Court on Wednesday ruled that the Crimean museums exhibits from the "Crimea - the golden island in the Black Sea" collection (the so-called "Scythian gold") should be given back to Ukraine, the Culture Ministry of Ukraine has reported.

"This is official! The District Administrative Court of Amsterdam has just ruled to return the Crimean museum exhibits from the "Crimea - the golden island in the Black Sea" collection to the territory of Ukraine," the Culture Ministry said in a statement on its Facebook page.

Media reported this ruling doesn't mean the exhibits will be immediately returned to Ukraine. The judges have ruled that the gold will stay in the Allard Pierson Museum for another three months, the time when the opposite side may file an appeal.

As reported, the exhibition, entitled "Crimea: the golden island in the Black Sea" at the Allard Pierson Museum, was formed from the collections of five museums, one of them in Kyiv and the other four in Crimea. Since the Netherlands have not recognized Crimea's reunification with Russia, which took place after the exhibition opened, a question arose as to who the collection should be returned to.

On September 10, 2014, the Russian Culture Ministry said the Scythian gold items from Kyiv museums had been returned to Kyiv, the items from Crimean museums remained in Holland after the joint exhibition at the Amsterdam museum.

Kyiv insists that the items "should be handed over directly to the Ukrainian state."

On December 7, the Kyiv Pechersky District Court arrested the museum exhibits of the "Crimea - the golden island in the Black Sea" exhibition, which are in the Allard Pierson Museum (the Netherlands), submitted documents to Interpol to put the arrested property on the international wanted list.
As temperatures dipped into the 30s Sunday night, Marvin Wardlow went shirtless, shoeless, his erratic path leading to the apartment of a family he knew: Michelle McCray and her two small sons, both tucked in their two-deck bunk bed.

Wardlow was going to be the best man in her wedding, McCray said Tuesday.

Sunday night, around 8 p.m., he was lying face down, unresponsive, foam running from his mouth in a common patio area at the Lincoln Manor Apartments, on the 1600 block of Lincoln Avenue, about a block west of Kimberley Park Elementary School.

About four hours later, shortly after midnight, Wardlow, 36, of Motor Road, died of an apparent drug overdose at a local hospital.

He looked like he was scared.

He looked like he was mad.

He was saying, They killed my brother. Theyre trying to kill me, McCray said.

Nobody was trying to kill him. Nobody had killed his brother.

He was just on a rampage, she said.

Cocaine was found in Wardlows clothes, according to the Winston-Salem Police Department.

Paramedics and city police officers tried to keep him alive as they rushed him to a local hospital, according to police, at one point giving him the drug naxalone, which can reverse the effects of an opiate (not cocaine) by blocking the brains opioid receptors. Its harmless to people not experiencing an opioid overdose.

Before police officers had arrived, a little after 7:40 p.m., Wardlow broke into another apartment close by, gashing the landlords face, according to McCray and police.

Then he tore through McCrays house.

Wardlow ran through her back door, knocked down the Christmas tree in her living room and bolted through her front door before running back into the apartment and darting straight for her sons room, knocking her out of the way.

He leaped headfirst onto the bottom bunk, landing on top of her 3-year-old son, Javon McCray-Nelson, putting him in a bear hug, she said.

Wardlow was a big man. If he could knock her over, she said, there was no telling what he could do to her small child: In my mind, he was going to break my babys bones.

As Wardlow lay on top of the 3-year-old, her 6-year-old son, Tymeer Nelson, climbed down from his top bunk and jumped on Wardlows back. The bottom bunk broke, spilling all three onto the floor. McCray grabbed Javons arms to pull him away while her fiance, Raymond Crosson, tried to pull Wardlow away.

Crosson jumped on Wardlows back.

Wardlows brother, who earlier had been trying to control Wardlow, chasing him around the apartment complex, also jumped on his back.

When police arrived, they handcuffed and then dragged Wardlow out of the apartment by the pits of his arms because he would not walk, McCray said. As the police officers laid him on the ground, in the back patio between apartment buildings, Wardlow was responsive but became unresponsive when paramedics got there, she said.

He died at the hospital.

The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation will review the case, under standard operating procedure.

It had been a year since McCray first met Wardlow, her fiances friend, after moving into the apartments. Now, the fractured bunk beds are propped up by a 10-pound barbell.

Were OK. My 6-year-old thinks hes a hero. My 3-year-old thinks hes a fighter, McCray said.
Add them to the annals of No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: works of art calling attention to racism in Americas past  and its persistence in Americas present  targeted by educational censorship campaigns for being too racist.

Four such works were challenged in the past month, in fact.

This fall, Salem State University put out an open call for an exhibition titled State of the Union. Artists were asked to submit work that addresses concerns and hopes for our future, such as environmental issues, social inequities, income inequality and education.

Garry Harley, an artist in nearby Lowell, Mass., saw the notice and knew immediately what to submit: two digital paintings, both inspired by campaign rhetoric he found frightening. One was based on a photo of Ku Klux Klan members in full, menacing regalia; the other, Warsaw Jews being rounded up during World War II.

Both were accepted.

The exhibition opened the day after Election Day. And when it did, Harleys work  in particular the KKK picture  caused an uproar. Students complained that the art was insensitive, racist, upsetting, offensive.

The school held a tense public forum. Harley, who says he wanted to raise awareness but not offense, attended in the hopes of a teaching moment. He arrived with handouts: copies of Francisco Goyas The Third of May 1808 and Pablo Picassos Guernica, masterpieces that had committed traumatic events to canvas and, by extension, to public memory.

The next day, administrators sent an apology to the campus community and announced they were temporarily shuttering the exhibit. Then a couple of weeks ago, after a second meeting, which Harley did not attend, the exhibit was reopened  with some modifications.

Among them: The KKK painting, and only that work, was curtained off, peep-show-style. This way the viewing will be clearly intentional on the part of the observer, according to a statement from President Patricia Maguire Meservey.

Harley, for his part, called it an elegant solution. It grants the students another layer of security, he told me. Plus, he said, it has added interest to the work.

Indeed, the school says this exhibition has attracted much more traffic than previous ones; everyone wants to see whats behind the curtain, it seems.

Down the Eastern Seaboard, two older works addressing American bigotry found themselves in similar crosshairs.

Last month, Accomack County, Va., public schools temporarily pulled To Kill a Mockingbird and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from classrooms and libraries because a parent complained about the racial slurs they contain. After a local uproar and a formal review, the novels were reinstated Tuesday.

Meanwhile, South Carolinas Winthrop University is threatening to expel a student who created a deeply hurtful and threatening anti-lynching art installation.

These are hardly the only recent instances of anti-racist works being targeted by anti-racists for being insufficiently anti-racist.

Mockingbird and Huck Finn are frequently challenged. More recent works, lacking the protection afforded by generations of fans, are more vulnerable. Last year, students in an Alabama high school history club were forbidden from seeing the film Selma because of its use of slurs.

To be clear, calls for censorship are hardly unique to the left. But real threats to the safety and rights of people of color do seem to have led to heightened policing of the correct way to condemn bigotry and tell more diverse stories, says Joan Bertin, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship.

Works depicting historical events are often the casualties. The problem, alas, is that history is inevitably laden with upsetting details. Needless to say, such details are precisely why we must face our own history and protect the art that helps us process it.

Believe it or not, there are ways to prepare impressionable students for such challenges that dont involve sanitizing art, curtaining off its more difficult aspects or otherwise signaling that it might be dangerous and worth avoiding.

Coincidentally, the Maryland Institute College of Art has a gallery show opening Friday that also features Klan-related imagery: an exhibition of work by the late chronicler of rural poverty and racism William A. Christenberry. It includes the rarely shown Klan Room Tableau, a multimedia piece featuring KKK iconography and G.I. Joe dolls in white robes.

Aware of the nature of the installation, instructors had students set it up themselves. In a workshop setting, students handled the objects and discussed their artistic and historical context.

It was, in a way, a sort of cleverly preemptive exposure therapy  to art, to history and to the frightening lessons both have to offer.
Ukrainian investigation identifies some 100 people responsible for MH17 crash; their role, status not determined yet

The Ukrainian investigation has identified about 100 people responsible in one way or another for the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) downing in the summer of 2014, Ukrainian First Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Storozhuk said.

"The investigation has identified about a hundred people related to the tragedy," Storozhuk said at a news briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

"We are not saying today who is a suspect or a witness, because the role of each person hasn't yet been determined," he said.
Ukraine will support the initiative on the consideration of the criminal case on MH17 crash, which occurred in the summer of 2014 in Donetsk region, in the Netherlands, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine reported.

"At the moment, we consider several options. The Ukrainian side naturally supports consideration of the case in a national court of the Netherlands," First Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Dmytro Storozhuk said at a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

According to him, this is the option that is discussed today.

"Any judicial consideration in Ukraine will be politicized, there will be constant accusations of bias, as Ukraine is a party to an armed conflict on our territory," he added.
Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
Lets talk about offbeat news: We humans get ourselves into some interesting situations, to put it mildly. The first one made me laugh out loud. I felt bad for the cop, but lol. Read moreSmith Says: Deputy uses taser on K9 unit that attacked cow
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

the left-leaning Lebanese newspaper al-Safir [Ambassador] reports that the armed resistance to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in the East Aleppo pocket is finished. Reports from Wednesday morning say that the ceasefire that Russia and the regime signed onto in hopes that the few hundred hold-outs among the guerrillas would leave has now broken down amid heavy fire. Civilians also continue to flee the areas under rebel control, though the humanitarian corridors promised by Russia appear never to have materialized. The plan had been to allow some rebels to flee to Idlib, where the rebels led by al-Qaeda have a perch. Nevertheless, hundreds of rebels attempted to flee East Aleppo, as did noncombatants.

The Russian victory in Syria against fundamentalist Sunni Arab militias was made possible in part by Iran. Russian fighter jets simply bombing from on high would have been useless. It was Iran that directed the Lebanese Hizbullah and the Iraqi Shiite militias to join the fight, backing up the some 35,000 to 50,000 Syrian soldiers who remain and have not defected. The Russians gave these forces air support, bombing rebel positions until the Shiite militias and the remnants of the Syrian Arab Army could over-run them.

BBC Monitoring translated a Russian television discussion among experts, broadcast on Dec. 12, on a show called Majority, on the Gazprom-owned NTV channel. (How refreshing that in Russia, the natural gas industry has its own television channel; sort of like the future US State Department under Trump).

In the course of the discussion, a member of the Russian parliaments defense and security committee, Andrei Kondratyev, boasted of Russias increasing influence in Asia, where Moscow allows Iran and Pakistan no longer to be treated as pariah states. He said that after the speaker of the Russian parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, visited Iran, a number of Russian investment projects were agreed upon. He also praised Iran for reducing the terrorist threat in Central Asia, including Afghanistan.

(Iran as a Shiite state opposes al-Qaeda, ISIL and the Taliban. Central Asia is largely Sunni, and Afghanistan is probably 78% Sunni. Likewise, most Russian Muslims, who comprise as much as 15 percent of the population, are Sunnis, and it is to them that radicals attempt to appeal. Kondratyev is appreciating Iran for fighting radical Sunni Chechens in Syria, fighting Daesh/ISIL in Iraq, and for opposing Sunni radicalism in Afghanistan and the Central Asian stans. This stance of Iran in opposing Sunni radicals, he is implying, makes it a natural ally of the Russian Federation.)

Veronika Krasheninnikova, a journalist who works for Zvezda TV (which is owned by the Russian Ministry of Defense!), argued that the US and NATO were likely to zero in on Iran as enemy number 1. They would do this, she said, because Iran is Russias ally in defeating terrorism in Syria. She thought it likely that NATO will demand that Russia abandon its Iran alliance.

Clearly, these Russian commentators are unwilling to let the Islamic Republic of Iran go as Russias most important strategic partner against al-Qaeda and ISIL, as the Syria campaign showed. it remains to be seen if the Iran hawks in the new administration of Donald Trump can over-rule their boss, who has said he wanted less US military intervention in the Middle East.



Related video

AP Raw: Syrian Troops Poised to Take Eastern Aleppo
Colombias Constitutional Court [official website, in Spanish] on Tuesday approved [press release, PDF] the governments plan to expedite a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) [BBC backgrounder]. The court ruled 8-1 to allow President Juan Manuel Santos to seek expedited congressional approval for the laws and constitutional changes needed for the peace agreement to take effect. Santos had argued that the peace deal could fall through if delayed by debates during the traditional legislative process. Tuesdays ruling eliminates certain legislative sessions and minimizes changes lawmakers can make to the agreement.

The Colombian government and the FARC reached a peace agreement [JURIST report] last month to end the guerrilla warfare that has been plaguing the country for more than five decades. Colombian voters in October narrowly rejected [JURIST report] the previous peace deal negotiated between Santos and Timoleon Jimenez, the leader of the FARC. The Colombian government and the FARC signed a ceasefire [JURIST report] in June, marking an end to more than 50 years of armed conflict between the two groups.
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit [official website] on Tuesday affirmed [opinion, PDF] a lower court ruling that upheld Virginias voter identification law. The plaintiffs challenged SB 1256 [materials], which requires that voters have a valid form of ID either before voting or within three days after voting, alleging that it inhibits equal participation by protected classes in the electoral process and is discriminatory. A judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia [official website] rejected that argument [JURIST report] in May, finding Virginias voter ID law constitutional. In upholding that ruling Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit concluded: In sum, not only does the substance of SB 1256 not impose an undue burden on minority voting, there was no evidence to suggest racially discriminatory intent in the laws enactment.

Voter ID laws remain popular yet controversial. In November Missouri voters approved an amendment [JURIST report] to require voters to present photo ID at the polls. In August the US Supreme Court [official website] denied a motion to reinstate [JURIST report] North Carolinas recently overturned law that limited early voting to 10 days and required voters to present approved ID cards. The Fourth Circuit had struck down [JURIST report] portions of that law in July upon finding discriminatory intent primarily concerning black state residents.
The decision of the court in Amsterdam on the 'Scythian gold' is justified because the objects belonged to Ukraine, Kremlin Museums director Yelena Gagarina told reporters on Wednesday.

"It is very important to understand that the entire museum collection is a property of the state, not a property of a certain museum or other cultural institution. In this case when the items were taken out of Ukraine and belonged to Ukraine as a state, I find this decision fully justified," the director said.

She said that all issues pertaining to belonging of museum items to a specific museum should be resolved after the items return to their owner.

"The provisions of international law which govern the international exhibition activity of the Kremlin Museums, like other museums, exist. The Russian Culture Ministry issues permission to bring any item abroad on the grounds of the state guarantees which are given by the host party," Gagarina said.

"If we do not receive such guarantees, no item from the museum collections leaves the territory of the Russian Federation," she said.

"I am confident that respect for international law norms and observance of them by all interested parties are what makes further cultural exchange between the countries possible," Gagarina said.

Earlier on Wednesday Amsterdam's court rendered a decision that the Scythian gold from the Crimean museums belongs to Ukraine and should be returned to Kyiv.
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In the latest of its monthly columns on just-food, FMCG market research giant IRI surveys the main issues food manufacturers and retailers will have to consider as they market and sell to consumers in 2017.

Remembering the importance of bricks and mortar

The shopper experience is changing  not just in way people shop, but how they feel about it. Food manufacturers and retailers will have to work together build a true multi-channel experience and learn to engage with customers via digital channels. Traditional stores have taken steps towards the demand for online grocery shopping and in developing a mix of online, offline, and a hybrid of both, with click and collect for example. With more people than ever shopping online  record sales of tablets and smartphones with larger screens are increasing the propensity for mobile commerce, and click-and-collect purchases becoming more popular  we will see more developments in this area.

But stores are not going anywhere soon, and even pure-play e-commerce sites are seeing the benefit of engaging with shoppers face-to-face by opening bricks and mortar stores. Amazon shocked the grocery sector this year by announcing plans to move into fresh food, and now has plans to open physical stores to stock more perishable items like meat and milk.

Pleasure is a priority when shopping and its not just the physical experience of going into a store to look and buy, shoppers also want to try new products  to taste, smell and see them. Unfortunately, too many retailers today fail to offer this in a one-one situation, with less staff available to service customers, offer tastings and demonstrations. It is a sad fact that, while shoppers claim to have less time, the response is to get them in and out of a store as quickly and conveniently as possible.

2017 could be the year when we see a classic balance of offline and online shopping for todays multi-channel shopper, while manufacturers and retailers work better together to bring stores back to life and excite the shopper once again.

Data, data everywhere

While technology will play an increasingly vital role for enhancing the shopping experience  online and offline  and digital technologies become increasingly embedded, a challenge will be turning an ocean of data into smart information.

Most manufacturers and retailers are struggling to cope with the sheer volumes of data available within their organisations and making sense of it. For food manufacturers understanding this wealth of data  a goldmine of information  will become crucial to understand the path to purchase and in helping develop the next innovation to create an edge over the competition and to grow their business. Manufacturers will miss growth opportunities if they are unable to speak the language of data.

With more computing power available through the cloud and more powerful analytics capabilities, we expect to see manufacturers and retailers use big data for predictive and prescriptive purposes to develop effective price, promotion and media strategies, according to customer profiling and behaviour, and help drive sales and deliver growth.

Premiumisation will be the way to differentiation

New product development is widely regarded as the lifeblood of FMCG, but we can see the number of new branded products being launched is falling. Some manufacturers do continue to innovate, but according to IRI data for the number of products launched in the UK between 2013 and 2015, launches fell by 13%.

However, in 2017, food manufacturers will have to differentiate themselves better than ever before. Part of this will be through premiumisation  better quality products with a higher price point.

With the broad FMCG sector in a phase of no-to-slow growth across Europe, we are seeing certain brands in certain countries growing at the expense of others. They are selling more in value than in volume, which suggests consumers are looking for quality and selecting premium products. In France, for example, organic brands are growing, while local products, such as cheese, ham and olive oil, where provenance is important, are more attractive to shoppers looking for something different.

Manufacturers with a single brand in a single category will be forced to differentiate in order to make their brand stand out, and we predict this will be largely through premiumisation. Digital media will help brands engage shoppers

Brands need to connect with shoppers on their path to purchase before they even enter a store. With the latest figures suggesting young people spend more time online now than watching TV, it is clear digital media is becoming more and more important to reach potential customers.

With more opportunities through paid search, video on-demand, social media and display advertising, digital media can provide the perfect marketing scenario of right product at the right time to the right audience, with the benefit of providing additional content and details of promotional offers.

While 2017 will not see global brand owners throwing out the baby with the bathwater by abandoning more traditional forms of engagement, we will see them push more of their budget into digital marketing and customer engagement particularly around mobile. Whatever their budget, brands will also have to get the marketing mix right by integrating media impact analysis with other data, including point-of-sale, promotion and price, to find paths for growth.

Pressure on promotions

IRIs latest data on promotions has shown the first real decline in the use of price discounts by European FMCG manufacturers and retailers since 2012. While a fall of 0.8 percentage points may not appear significant, it suggests that a pattern will emerge with further decline in 2017.

Price promotions are particularly well used by food manufacturers in the UK, where half of all food products are sold in deal. However, suppliers are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of promotions as marketing budgets come under pressure to show the offers are working. We are already seeing manufacturers in France, Germany and the UK reduce volumes of goods sold on promotion and this is set to continue.

Offers like multi-buys, which have become less popular due to concerns over waste and healthy eating, will also continue to fall out of favour, while marketers will assess the impact of BOGOFs and other promotional offers on their brand equity.

Over the coming year we will see more food brands move marketing spend from promotion to activities that communicate brand benefits such as advertising, as well as NPD. The use of advanced predictive analytics will help manufacturers decide which promotions are most effective at driving sales growth. Collaboration

Price will remain a major talking point between suppliers and retailers (it was ever thus) but now, with better access to technology and big data by retailers, we will see these discussions move to a more collaborative approach.

For retailers who have a collaborative portal, for example, it means manufacturers can speak the same language and become category captains for the benefit of both parties. The price war in some countries, like the UK and France, will continue into 2017, but manufacturers will find opportunities for growth by working much closer with their retailers. In 2017, we will see many more retailers move to a more collaborative model and winning manufacturers will benefit from this. Heres to a happy and growth-delivered 2017!
Poult, the France-based private-label biscuit maker, has attracted investment from local fund CM-CIC Investissements.

The investment firm is putting EUR25m into Poult and joining a pool of investors led by Qualium Investissement, the majority shareholder in the business. CM-CIC said it wanted to support the creation of Europes leading private label biscuit producer..

In June, Poult acquired Dutch counterpart Banketgroep. The combined group generates EUR300m of annual revenue of which exports account for 45%.

We were attracted by the quality of the management team and the excellent fit between the two companies [Poult and Banketgroep], CM-CIC said. They complement each other very well in geographical locations, because they address different countries, and in product terms, because they operate in distinct categories in which each of them has a dominant position. There is major scope for generating synergies, in terms of commercial strategy and sharing expertise, which means it can enter new segments of the European market, such as gluten-free and organic products.

Qualium Investissements director, Guillaume Peroz, added: The group is already a leading player in the European private label biscuit market, and CM-CICs Investments support will help with its sector consolidation strategy.

Peroz said Poult is considering acquisitions in other European countries, and also in the promising new healthy biscuits segment.
Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'Results of the elections to the new merged territorial communities'

On Thursday, December 15, at 10.30, the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency's press center will host a press conference "Results of the Elections to the New Merged Territorial Communities." The participants will include expert at Gardarika strategic consulting corporation Kostiantyn Matviyenko and director of the Ukrainian Barometer sociological service Viktor Nebozhenko (8/5a Reitarska Street). Admission requires press accreditation.
KYIV. Dec 14 (Interfax-Ukraine)  The State Farmers Support Fund of Ukraine cannot receive funds from the State Treasury Service for its programs to finance farmers.

"Today there is a story about the alleged 'hacker's attack' at the State Treasury Service. We have signed all papers we can. I have large doubts that the money will be paid before New Year," Director General of State Farmers Support Fund of Ukraine Ivan Slobodianyk said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

He said that this year the fund used as transparent as possible system for distributing budget funds among farmers using online broadcasting of the commission's meeting to select the companies that would receive the assistance.

UAH 15 million was provided from the national budget for the operation of the fund. A total of 68 farms were selected to receive this assistance.

"We preferred production of berries, niche food, cattle breeding and cooperatives for provision of funds," he said.

He said that "we demanded to change the approach to support farms and wanted to increase this support. The new farmers support system is nowhere near ready for next year."

He believes that today the minister remains politically motivated and dependable on the distribution of political forces in het Verkhovna Rada.

Slobodianyk said that he wrote an application to resign from the post of the director of the fund.

"I have decided to resign from the post I am running now and join the team of new forces of Mikheil Saakashvili. Now it has been decided to create an agrarian platform on the basis of this political force," he said.

The task of the agrarian platform is the presentation of the clear vision of Ukraine's agrarian future in developing rural areas, creating a team that would be ready to realize it. The main goal of the new political force is reloading of parliament.
(Xinhua) 19:07, December 13, 2016

SHANGHAI, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Although China's market economy status is yet to be recognized by some of the world's major economies, executives of multinationals and China's domestic companies attribute their rapid growth to China's market reform.

French cosmetics manufacturer L'Oreal has been a witness to the country's economic transformation from a centrally-planned to a free market economy in the past 15 years as China became a WTO member.

"In the next 15 years, L'Oreal will strive to tap deeper into China's huge market to let every Chinese woman have a lipstick," said Stephane Rinderknech, L'Oreal China CEO.

Rinderknech said the company has benefitted as China's economy opened up, and the country slashed its import tariffs.

The company acquired two Chinese cosmetic firms in 2014, a Shenzhen-based firm producing local skincare brand "Mininurse" and Magic Holdings International, a Hong Kong-listed Chinese facial care company.

Rinderknech said that since entering China in 1997, L'Oreal has witnessed rapid growth. China surpassed France to become the second largest market for the brand in 2015.

China has been a favored destination for foreign investment since entering the WTO 15 years ago.

In 2015, foreign capital in China reached 126.3 billion U.S. dollars, 2.7 times greater than 2001. During the first ten months of this year, foreign capital reached 666.3 billion yuan in China, year-on-year growth of 4.2 percent, amid a sluggish global economy.

Alongside attracting foreign money, China's WTO entry has also helped Chinese products go global.

Mei Xinyu, a researcher with the Ministry of Commerce, said that China's cargo trade export volume was 266.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2001, accounting for 4.3 percent of the global volume. While in 2015, the figure exceeded 2.27 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for 13.8 percent of the global volume.

Mei said that China has fully stood by its WTO commitments in such terms as tariff-reduction and the opening of the service trade sector. China has lowered its tariff from 15.3 percent to 9.8 percent.

The Newland Group based in eastern China's Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province, is an export-oriented firm founded in 1994.

Xu Han, manager of international business department of Newland's computer subsidiary, said the company started by doing processing trade for German-made chips in the 1990s. In 2001 the business earned the company 8 million U.S. dollars, making the company an important exporter in Fujian."As an IT exporter, Newland used to enjoy the country's support policies, including export subsidies in the form of a tax rebate. However, five years after the country entered the WTO, the government called off the protection measures to push domestic firms and confront global market competition," Xu said.

In 2001, China granted zero tariffs to imports of IT parts such as computer chips. This has benefitted both foreign producers and Chinese firms like Newland.

"About 30 percent of components in our electronic products depended on the imports of foreign products. The zero-tariff lowered our production cost," Xu said.

He said Chinese firms today are fully aware that "no towering trees can grow in a greenhouse environment."

"China's experience tells the world that trade protection only creates a greenhouse in which people cannot learn to adjust their clothes as the temperature changes," Xu said.

From assembling and processing products for foreign companies to developing its own products, Newland has become China's leading exporter of POS machines, and is the third largest POS machine supplier in Europe.
According to the China Meteorological Administration, China is set to launch its first satellite to monitor the distribution of carbon dioxide around the globe.

The satellite, to be launched in late December, will offer a means of measuring carbon dioxide on a global scale, and improving peoples knowledge about global carbon cycles. It will also provide reliable and stable predictions about climate change.

The satellites launch will not only prove Chinas progress in greenhouse gas monitoring, it will also lift China's international discourse.

An employee from the Chinese Academy of Sciences explained that atmospheric carbon dioxide molecules can present characteristics of spectrum absorption for solar radiation, and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will be inverted after the satellite measures spectral absorption lines.

The satellite will conduct an overall examination of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere every 16 days. Data from that analysis will be transmitted to the ground station, and an examination report on carbon dioxide emissions in different seasons and regions will then be produced.
(Xinhua) 20:30, December 13, 2016

DENVER, the United States, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- With Shinzo Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor two weeks away, American pundits kept suspicion to see if the Japanese prime minister would apologize directly to China for the barbaric atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers against Chinese civilians in World War II (WWII).

That direct apology has never happened since the end of the war.

Abe's historic meeting with U.S. President Barack Obamascheduled for Dec. 26, to commemorate Japan's Dec. 6, 1941 surprise bombing raid that left 2,500 Americans dead will be the first visit by a Japanese leader to the site since the attack.

Abe was expected to be apologetic in his remarks, especially to his American hosts, and recently named countries attacked by Japan in WWII, saying "We must never repeat the atrocities of war."

"This is a great opportunity for Japan to come clean -- to apologize to both the USA and China for their WWII atrocities," said retired Denver history professor John Yee, 95.

According to Yee, Japan's atrocities in the war were considered some of the most barbaric acts in world history, with the Nanjing Massacre in which more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers were killed by Japanese invaders between Dec. 13, 1937 to Jan. 1938, called the worst.

"They (the Japanese aggressor troops) had contests flipping Chinese babies in the air and bayoneting them on the way down; at knife-point they forced fathers to rape daughters and sons to rape mothers; and they had contests to see how many Chinese heads they could cut off," Yee said.

Iris Chang, the best-selling, Princeton-educated journalist who wrote the "Rape of Nanking" in 1997, killed herself in 2004 from depression triggered by writing the book, Yee cited.

"Germans have been much more transparent about their WWII role; and there are museums dedicated to the Holocaust in Germany, while Japan has done no such thing," said Denver political analyst James Ryder.

Japanese media and teachers still denied the historical data of the Nanjing massacre, Ryder told Xinhua Monday, and Japan held back its UNESCO (the United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) funding after the organization's decision to inscribe documents related to the Nanjing massacre in its Memory of the World register.

"Japan's failure to acknowledge what the rest of the world knows to be true is really beneath the modern, sophisticated Japanese state," said Seattle attorney and former Washington foreign policy analyst Dave Richardson.

"Everyone knows it happened, Japan knows it happened. I don't know what Japan thinks it is achieving by its failure to recognize history," said Richardson. "It should step up to the plate, acknowledge what happened, and apologize to each country individually, especially China."

Last week, regarding opinions in Japan that Abe should visit the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said that if the Japanese side wishes to reflect on its history and offer a sincere apology, there are many places in China for them to do so.

Abe had a chance to start the healing process, Richardson thinks.
The 8th edition of Istanbuls Which Human Rights Film Festival (WHRFF) was launched on December 9th, on the eve of the International Human Rights Day. The opening ceremony was a tribute to the citys iconic Emek Movie Theatre, demolished in 2013 to make place for a shopping mall.

Three years after the unsuccessful attempt to defend the heart of the citys cinema scene, which also paved the way to the Gezi resistance movement, hundreds of viewers gathered at Sisli Urban Cultural Centre for the premiere of the documentary Audience Emancipated: The Struggle for the Emek Movie Theater.

The premiere coincided with the opening of a cinema multiplex under the name of Emek Hall at the Grand Pera shopping mall that was constructed on the original site.

The Cinema

The original Emek Movie Theatre was as old as Turkish cinema itself. Located in the historical building of Cercle dOrient (built 1884) the cinema opened its doors to public in 1924. It was originally called Melek Sinemas or Angel Cinema as a reference to the Art Nouveau angel sculptures at the entrance of the former structure, and was the oldest cinema hall in Republican Turkey.

The building was originally constructed for purposes other than film screenings. Among others, it used to serve as a theatre hall and as the gathering place for Istanbuls cultural life. Its giant hall and the lounge, which could welcome hundreds, was ultimately found suitable for film festivals.

Located on Istiklal, one of the most crowded avenues in Europe, the hall had been the home of Istanbul Film Festival for decades and the most popular cinema hall in the country for almost a century. It had left a deep mark in the social memory of the city.

Writing about a cinema-goer, Yusuf Atlgan, an early republican Turkish novelist, argues of the importance of being able to walk out into the city after watching a film and to be part of the society in order to digest what she or he had just watched.

Yesilcam (Green Pine) Street, at which Emeks entrance was located, gave the name to Turkish Cinematosphere. For Turkey, Green Pine is what Hollywood is for the US.

Emek cinema was not just any other movie theatre screening expensive international productions with profit-oriented mentality but a social space, which allowed young directors and independent films to find a screen and flourish.

The Film

At the opening of the WHRFF, the Cultural Center was filled with activists, architects, directors, researchers, students, labourers, former managers of Emek and many other people. They arrived well ahead of the screening to be united around the memory of the lost movie theatre and the ongoing struggles for presence in the city.

The famous banner of Emek was placed in the hall, reading Emek is Ours, Istanbul is Ours. Many old friends met once again under this banner, the excitement was palpable.

Audience Emancipated captures the activism for the right to the city in Istanbul, such as the Emek is Ours Platform and their years-long struggle against demolition or neglect of cultural spaces, low-income residential neighbourhoods and parks.

The 48-minute-long documentary summarizes the stages of demolition and resistance against it, stating the significance of this building for the cultural life of the city and the lure of profits for the investors, despite the court decisions marking the structure for preservation and other court decisions dictating a halt on demolition/construction works.

However, experts, architects, the judiciary and even internationally renowned directors, such as Costa Gavras, stated opinions against demolition of the structure. And even though there were given many official decisions by courts to stop demolition, none of these were heard by the government, municipality, investors and construction companies went ahead with their plans.

Now, a shopping mall enchants the luxurious consumers of Istanbul in the increasingly de-cultured and profiteering atmosphere of Istiklal Avenue.

In the film, the mayor and construction company experts explain to the media how the Emek Hall will be preserved, not at the street level on ground floor but, thanks to the modern preservation technique called moving, it will be dragged to the eight floor of the new shopping mall, exactly as it is. This statement caused an uproar of laughter during the screening.

After the screening, there was a period of discussion, quite emotional moments as the two former operators of Emek cinema came up on the stage. They had avoided the construction site in order not to see the demolition three years ago; and they had seen it for the first time, on screen. Their hands were shaking as they held onto the microphone and spoke about the times when they thought theyd be running Emek for their whole lives.

Right after them, Master Architect Mucella Yapc, the general secretary of the Turkish Union of Architecture and Engineering Chambers, Istanbul Metropolitan Branch, took the stage and emphasized the significance of reclaiming the city and social memory. She drew attention to the destructive populism wave of demolishing urban spaces and living areas for humans and animals, as well as trees in the city. As a final remark she reiterated the importance of not giving in and losing morality in the face of this expanding threat. We must continue putting things on top of each other, building up culture and future, she added.

In the discussion after the screening, there was a consensus to boycott the shopping malls and unsocial profit spaces that destroy and demolish the memory of the city without even asking the people suffering the consequences or living there.

The trailer of Audience Emancipated:
Yokahama China Town is said to be Japans largest. There are others in Nagasaki and Kobe  all three were among the first Japanese ports to open to foreign trade and many Chinese traders settled there in the years to follow.

Nagasaki is the oldest of the three, established in the 17th century, and is said to retain more of an authentic Chinese character. I hope to visit next time we travel to Kyushu on a future trip.

Yokahama didnt open to foreign traders until 1859 but grew to cover a larger area. Today there are around 250 shops and restaurants in the district, mostly catering to the tourist trade.



Choyo-mon gate and the streets just beyond

There are four tall and attractive gates at the entrances to Yokahama China Town, and a few more within the area. We entered via the East Gate, Choyo-mon.



The main roads in Yokahama China Town

The main thoroughfares are reasonably wide, and thronged with visitors.



Side streets in Yokahama China Town

These are crossed by much narrower streets that are far less busy.

Most of the buildings contain restaurants, cafes, fast food outlets, grocery and kitchen equipment stores, Chinese medicine specialists and souvenir shops.



Panda-shaped steamed buns

Some of the street food snacks are very cute  panda-shaped steamed buns, anyone?

Pandas are also a popular theme for souvenir shops and even local murals.

My favourite snack was the jian dui (known in Japan as goma dango), served piping hot in a little paper cone. I love these chewy hollow balls coated in sesame seeds and with a pellet of sweet red bean paste inside and this was a really tasty one.



Kanteibyo Temple

There are two main temples in China Town  Mazu Miao, a large and rather grand new temple that opened in 2006, and Kanteibyo, closer to the centre of the neighbourhood. The original Kanteibyo temple was built in the 1870s but has been rebuilt multiple times since then after being destroyed by the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923 and by two fires in the 1980s.

These Chinese temples are very different in style and decoration to most of the Japanese Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines we have visited, much more ornate and colourful.

Our hotel was in Bashamichi, just a couple of quick stops on the metro from Motomachi-Chukagai Station, at the eastern edge of China Town. We love taking public transport in Japan; its so wonderfully efficient and well run. We also enjoy the different designs of train carriages, local advertising posters, and even listening to the Japanese announcements that we cant understand.

Of course, the port area of Yokahama is fairly small so you could easily walk to and from other tourist sites such as the Ramen Museum, Landmark Tower and Cosmoworld amusement park.

You may like to check out previous posts about my travels to Japan.
(Xinhua) 20:31, December 13, 2016

XI'AN, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Eighteen people have been arrested for the illegal production and storage of explosives after 14 people died in an explosion in the northwestern province of Shaanxi on Oct. 24.

According to Fugu County Procuratorate on Tuesday, the suspects had been using five prefab houses in Xinmin Township to secretly produce explosives since August.

Fourteen people died and 147 sustained injuries in the explosion, which also completely destroyed the five prefab houses, and damaged 58 other houses and 63 cars.

The procuratorate also urged the police locate the remaining suspects.
A publicly traded Michigan company agreed Tuesday to purchase Smeal Fire Apparatus of Snyder, Nebraska, for $36.3 million, a transaction that could affect Smeals 400 employees in Nebraska, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

About 230 people work at the companys headquarters in Snyder, and Smeal also has operations in Neligh, Nebraska.

Spartan Motors of Charlotte, Michigan, said the purchase is due to close in January, subject to standard closing conditions.

Spartan has about 1,800 employees at 13 facilities and has supplied firetruck chassis to Smeal for about 30 years, said Samara Hamilton, marketing director for Spartan.

Hamilton said Spartan will look at synergies that would result from the purchase to determine what would happen to Smeals manufacturing locations and employees. She said combining the companies is expected to increase the overall business so there would be more production and the need for more employees.

While Smeal specializes in firetrucks, Spartans product line also includes buses and military, recreational and emergency vehicles. The firetruck business has been consolidating in recent years as orders for new trucks have declined.

Smeal, which also has manufacturing locations in Delavan, Wisconsin, and Ephrata, Pennsylvania, adds hoses, electrical systems and other specialty equipment for sale to fire departments around the country.

Smeal Fire Apparatus Co., founded in 1963 by the late Donald Smeal, is owned by 50 Smeal family stakeholders. Smeal and his wife, Ardath, raised nine children.

Smeal buys about $30 million worth of chassis annually from Spartan and would add about $70 million to Spartans annual revenue, Spartan said in a press release. The sale terms include forgiveness of money Smeal owes to Spartan for recent chassis purchases.

In the press release, Smeal Chairman Rod Cerny said Spartan is the perfect fit for Smeal, our customers, our employees and our operational leadership team, as we combine with a proven ally and industry leader to help solidify our future and preserve the legacy of the Smeal organization.

As part of a larger publicly traded company, Cerny said, we will have the working capital necessary to ensure continued investment in product development and make sure the Smeal brand is able to deliver the exceptional products and service our dealers, departments and municipality customers have come to expect.

Daryl Adams, president and chief executive officer of Spartan Motors, said the acquisition is a logical next step in the long-standing relationship between the two companies.

He said the purchase would enhance Spartans emergency vehicle product line and expand the geographic reach of its dealers.

With orders for new trucks declining due to municipal budget cuts, longtime manufacturers like Smeal have been consolidating to increase their market share.

In 2014 Smeal announced that it would acquire an aerial ladder company in Pennsylvania and a tanker company in Wisconsin, making it among the 10 largest fire apparatus companies. The combination with Spartan would move it into the top four.

Smeal President Mark Huber joined the company in 2013. He was a co-founder of an Omaha-based health care payment management company, Payflex Holdings Inc., which was sold for $202 million to insurance giant Aetna in 2011.

Huber later joined a mergers and acquisitions company, Corporate Ventures Inc. of Omaha, and advised the Smeal family when it sold a separate manufacturing company in early 2013 to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
SENEGAL, AFRICA  Whitney Jenkins is preparing to move away from the only home shes known for the last two years, a little village in the country of Senegal in Africa. She has been a Peace Corps volunteer there since she arrived on Sept. 1, 2011.

She has lived in a mud hut with a thatch roof, taken baths each day from the two buckets of water that she draws from the well outside her host familys compound and read by candlelight after the sun goes down. Every meal consists of either rice or a pounded millet or corn, like couscous, with a leaf sauce or peanut sauce.

The village she lives in, Sinchurio Samba Foula, is picturesque and exactly what one might typically think an African village looks like, she said. Roosters and donkeys run through the family compound, mango trees are abundant and the villagers make their living primarily as farmers. Their main crops include peanuts, corn, millet, sorghum, rice, cotton and cashews.

Her primary assignment has been working as an agroforestry volunteer. In that position, she partnered with local farmers who are interested in learning and applying modern tree propagation and care techniques to use in their own fields and trees.

Now, as she is about to complete her second year and is nearing the end of her 27-month Peace Corps contract, she is working with eight farmers on tree programs that primarily include mangoes, cashews, citrus species and acacia. Acacia is a thorny species used for a technique known as live fencing.

Jenkins helps train farmers who are interested in the entire process from the tree nursery to out-planting, including increasing germination rates in seeds, producing compost with local materials, proper tree care and maintenance, proper planting techniques that will increase orchard survival, and grafting mango and citrus trees with varieties that have a higher marketability.

Jenkins said she has gotten exactly what she wanted out of her Peace Corp experience.

Because of modernization in much of the world, the majority of Peace Corps volunteers across the world live with running water and electricity as well as easy access to the Internet, she said. Because Peace Corps selected me to be an agricultural volunteer, and I had requested Africa as my first-choice location, I had a greater chance of being placed in remote, rural Africa. I guess I got what I asked for.

Jenkins is not the most isolated Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, but she lives in a small village of 300 people in the southern part of the country about 20 kilometers south of the Gambia border.

You cannot find my village on a map, she said. The town she often bikes to for the local market, Manda Douane, is a crossroads for those traveling into Guinea, the country south of Senegal.

Jenkins graduated from Callaway High School in 2007, and from Creighton University in 2011. She knew she wanted to join the Peace Corps since her junior year in college.

I was nervous about getting in and assumed that if I did get in, I would be serving in the English education sector since I was an English major in college, she said.

Much to her surprise, when she learned in June 2011 that she had been accepted to the Peace Corps, she also found out she had been put into the agricultural sector because she grew up on a rural cattle ranch in Nebraska. She is the daughter of Jim and Julianna Jenkins of Callaway.

When she got to Senegal in September 2011, she and 54 other Americans who are now some of her closest friends, went through cultural, technical and language training for two months. The training was to prepare them for their two-year experience working as agricultural volunteers in Senegal.

Not only was she learning new technical skills, such as how to graft a mango tree, but she was also learning the dialect of the second-most-common language in Senegal and adjusting to the Senegalese culture, which is drastically different from the one shed known.

Now almost two years later, I cant believe how much I have learned from living here. It has definitely been the most challenging thing I have done thus far in my life, yet I would never take it back, Jenkins said.

She has decided to extend her Peace Corps service in Senegal for another year, although she will receive a month of paid home leave between Thanksgiving and Christmas. She has taken a position working as a liaison between expatriates living in the capital city of Dakar and the rest of Senegal.

Other components of her job will include working with Worldwise, a school program that connects American classrooms with volunteers living in Senegal so students can learn firsthand about Senegal and the culture.

She also will be putting together a creative literary magazine that highlights the beauty and wonder of Senegal; writing content for and editing cultural videos that help people understand the Senegalese culture, working with an organization that records local artists, sells the music in America and then sends the profit back to the community in which is originated; and training new volunteers.

It will be much different than my agricultural work, but Im excited for the change, Jenkins said.

She hasnt been home to America in two years, so she is excited and a little bit nervous about returning for the first time. She was able to vacation for 10 days in May 2012 to Portugal and that has been her only time in the developed world.

While most Peace Corp volunteers spend some of the 48 allotted vacation days visiting their homes, Jenkins chose to travel instead to places shed never been. In addition to Portugal, she went to Guinea, Gambia and Cape Verde, which is an island country off the coast of West Africa.

She was lucky to have several visitors at her village in the last two years. Her brother Peter, her cousin Kimberley and her parents have been able to bring a taste of home to her there.

Its great to be able to show people that love you how you live because its such a hard thing to understand, she said.

As for leaving her village and her host family, Jenkins thinks the blow is going to be softened by her move to Dakar for the next year. She plans on visiting the village at least a few times while shes there.

But moving her belongings away from the village is going to be very difficult.

These days, I am kind of an emotional wreck, she said. Its hard to look at these kids that Ive basically helped raise for the last two years and tell them I am not going to live with them anymore.

Some of the younger ones dont even remember a time she wasnt there. It will be most difficult for her to leave behind her five host siblings.

I adore them, and thats an understatement. I think for the first time in my life, Ive felt a tiny glimpse into motherhood and why its worthwhile. Its amazing to see the way Kumba, my youngest baby sister, age 4, has changed and grown, both physically and mentally. She is absolutely my baby girl. She is the one I feel closest to. I am most nervous for her reaction when I leave. Ive explained it to the boys, but she is too young to really understand until she actually sees my room with all the stuff gone.

Jenkins said in the Senegalese culture, people are very blunt with their comments. She said they say things like, Oh Mari (the name she goes by), when you leave, everyone is going to cry so much. You are throwing us away.

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FILE - This April 19, 2010 file photo shows a Wells Fargo Bank in Palo Alto, Calif. On Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, federal regulators slapped restrictions on the company, finding that the big bank failed to adequately plug holes in the plan it would deploy if it fell into bankruptcy. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
A citizen rides a public bicycle in Linfen, north China's Shanxi Province, Nov. 16, 2016. To save energy and reduce carbon emission, cities of China took measures such as building public bicycle rental system or paving more bicycle lanes to encourage people to commute by bicycle. (Xinhua/Li Huwei)
Terry Robertson, left, and Wayne Broughton, right, speak to the media Tuesday outside the office of Kelowna-Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr on St. Paul Street in Kelowna. Seventeen protesters took part in a noon-hour rally to urge the federal Liberals to follow through on their promise of electoral reform.
(Xinhua) 20:37, December 13, 2016

BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng on Tuesday met with a visiting delegation from the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce.

Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, called on them to carry on the tradition of loving the country and Hong Kong, and firm up their commitment and confidence in the "one country, two systems" policy.

"No one, no organization or political Party should be allowed to rip out any part of Chinese territory at any time or in any form," Yu said, adding that this is a unifying belief of all 1.3-billion Chinese including compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Acknowledging the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce's contributions in the past century, Yu said he hoped the chamber would continue to contribute to the development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).

The top political advisor encouraged the chamber of commerce to support the SAR government, boost the SAR's economic prosperity, and promote stability by developing the economy.

Yu called on its members to grasp the opportunity of the mainland's structural supply-side reform to promote development of both their own businesses and the mainland.
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MEXICO CITY, Dec. 12 -- Mexico and China have forged an "increasingly successful" relationship, Mexico's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos de Icaza Gonzalez said in an article published on Monday.

"The government of President Enrique Pena Nieto has succeeded in building a close relationship marked by results with the People's Republic of China," Icaza wrote in an editorial in the daily Excelsior headlined "Mexico and China: An increasingly successful strategic partnership."

Since the two countries agreed to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership, during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Mexico in June 2013, "economic and tourism exchange, and scientific, educational and cultural cooperation have expanded, and high-level visits have intensified," Icaza stated.

The two nations have had "unprecedented political dialogue," which was further bolstered by a meeting Monday between Mexico's Foreign Affairs Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu and Yang Jiechi, China's state councilor.

"China is today Mexico's second trade partner worldwide and the third destination globally for our exports," said the minister, noting trade exchange has gone from 300 million dollars in 2005 to 74.88 billion dollars in 2015.

"Mexico has consolidated its position as the leading Latin American supplier of vehicles and autoparts for the country (China), which is now the fourth destination for Mexican automotive exports," said Icaza.

"Emblematic Mexican products are increasingly popular in China," where Mexican beer sales nearly tripled from 2012 to 2015 and avocado sales grew twelve-fold from 2013 to 2015, while tequila exports surpassed half a million liters, according to the official.

Thanks to "the Mexico-China comprehensive strategic partnership, we have generated agreements that have allowed us to improve our access to the Chinese market," said Icaza.

Mexican dairy products, corn, beef and tobacco are currently exported to China, and negotiations are underway to add bananas and blueberries to the list.

The comprehensive strategic partnership, said Icaza, has also led to another "notable achievement," namely, the creation of a China-Mexico Binational Investment Fund.

The fund, he added, is set to "substantially increase the flow of productive investment in infrastructure, industry, tourism and energy," among other sectors.

"There are almost 1,000 Chinese-funded companies in Mexico ... participating, for example, in new hydroelectric and renewable energy projects of great importance to our country and venturing into new sectors, such as energy and automobiles," said Icaza.

"What's more, the Chinese market is increasingly more important for Mexico and (its) global companies," Icaza added, naming breadmaker Bimbo, cornflour and tortilla manufacturer Gruma, conglomerate Grupo Kuo, autoparts maker Metalsa, IT provider Softtek, aluminum autoparts producer Nemak and ceramic tile manufacturer Interceramic as firms that "are consolidating their presence in that Asian market."

"Our friendship has also been reflected" in a dynamic cultural exchange that has seen landmark Mexican exhibits travel to the major Chinese cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, said Icaza.

"We are similarly pleased by a significant increase in Chinese visitors," he said, citing tourism from China grew 30 percent from 2014 to 2015 to reach nearly 100,000 arrivals.

"But above all, we celebrate the degree of cooperation and maturity that our ties have reached, as we are partners in forums such as the United Nations, the G20 Group and APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation), where we have worked closely, with matching views, to defend and promote free trade, spur innovation and back the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, among many other matters," concluded Icaza.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 13 -- A Chinese envoy on Tuesday told the UN Security Council that it was high time for the international community to seek a political settlement to the Syrian crisis since current situation there is complex and sensitive.

Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the appeal at a Security Council emergency meeting to address crisis in Syria's war-torn city of Aleppo.

Wu said a host of factors in multiple dimensions and their interplay had led to the current situation in Syria

"The international community should ponder in-depth the underlying causes of the current situation and adopt integrated measures in search of comprehensive, fair and proper solution," said Wu.

"Given the complexity and sensitivity of current circumstances, it is all the more important for the international community to stay on the course without wavering towards our overarching goal--to seek a political settlement," he added.

Wu said the international community should work together to move the Syrian issue back to track through dialogue and consultation, and find a solution to the war and chaos as soon as possible.

"Any effort by the international community should be conducive to the work on all four tracks, namely resumption of ceasefire, political talks, joint counter-terrorism and humanitarian assistance," he said.

Wu said "China remains deeply concerned with the situation in some parts of Syria including Aleppo and expresses our profound sympathy for the Syrian people who have suffered abysmal misery brought on by the Syrian conflict."

"China is ready to work with the international community to jointly push for a political solution to the Syrian issue at an early date," he added.
(Global Times) 08:26, December 14, 2016

US firms in China fear retribution as US President-elect Donald Trumpchallenges China on trade and Taiwan, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The president-elect seems immature when it comes to handling relations between the US and China, one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. At the very least, Trump will shake the foundation of US firms doing business in China if the US walks away from its long-standing position that the Chinese mainland and Taiwan belong to one China.

The two nations have a close economic relationship and a host of American companies have operations across China. In the past two decades, exports from the US to China expanded by almost 300 percent and numerous jobs were created for American workers. However, the origins of this relationship trace back to the 1970s and the 1980s when the US and China normalized relations and signed three joint communiques in which Washington acknowledged that "there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China." Sino-US ties will suffer a fatal blow if the Trump administration destroys this foundation for bilateral relations.

US coffee giant Starbucks has nearly 2,500 stores in the Chinese mainland, which is also a crucial market for other established American brands. In an unexpected scenario, Starbucks may perhaps have to watch its competitor, the UK's Costa, seize market shares in the mainland if American brands suffer in the fallout spurred by Trump.

As can be seen, business for some Japanese firms started to shrink in 2012 when the Sino-Japanese relationship was damaged over a territorial dispute for the Diaoyu Islands. US firms doing business in China are likely to suffer a heavier loss if Washington questions the One China policy.

However, US companies are not looking for an unneeded economic conflict with China. James Zimmerman, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, stressed that "American business operating in Asia needs certainty and stability."

In addition, many Asian countries like Japan and South Korea that are involved in international industrial chains linking China and the US will also feel the chill from an economic conflict between the two powers. Trump's challenges to China will cause complaints from those countries if their companies suffer losses. Global industrial chains cannot be changed overnight and the president-elect will be seen as a madman if he tries to disrupt the existing global economic order.
(Xinhua) 08:57, December 14, 2016

The White Housesaid on Tuesday U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state showed he wanted to pursue "warmer relations" with Russia.

"I think what I would say generally is that throughout his campaign, the president-elect indicated his intent, if elected president, to pursue warmer relations with Russia," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a daily briefing.

"So what better way to do that than to choose someone who's been awarded the Order of Friendship by (Russian President) Vladimir Putinto be your secretary of state?" said Earnest.

Calling Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson "one of the truly great business leaders of the world," Trump announced Tuesday morning his pick for U.S. secretary of state, moving past 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, a choice favored by the party establishment.

"The thing I like best about Rex Tillerson is that he has vast experience at dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments," Trump wrote on Twitter.

Tillerson, 64, is the Texas-based oil company's CEO since 2006. Like Trump, he has no government experience and so far little is known of Tillerson's views about foreign affairs.

However, as Exxon's CEO, Tillerson oversees business operations in over 50 countries and has known Russian President Vladimir Putin since 1990s when they first met.

Tillerson was awarded Russia's Order of Friendship in 2013, a state decoration to reward foreign nationals whose work is aimed at the betterment of relations with Russia.
Between playing with his band and continuously reinventing himself - pushing the boundaries of his own seemingly infinitesimal abilities, it's hard to know where Blaise Smith gets the time.

The Dungarvan village based artist has just completed another seminal piece of work - Part of the Accenture Women on Walls campaign.

His portrait, part of the campaign, is of a group portrait of eight female scientists, who are recipients of the European Research Council Starter Grants 2012  2015 and have been chosen as representatives of a generation of outstanding young female scientists working in Ireland today.

One is Kilkenny woman, Aoife Gowen, an Associate Professor in the UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering - She's the one holding a rainbow in the painting.

Their areas of expertise include light and solar panels, genetics, human aging, immunology and bio medical engineering among others.

Tanaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald TD unveiled the portraits at an event hosted in Academy House, where the academics and family members of all the portrait subjects gathered to celebrate.
Donald Trump, a Kilkenny cardiologist, Dr Michael Conway and the homeless are an unlikely combination?

Dr Conway, who runs, the famous Hole in the Wall establishment on High Street, Kilkenny felt that if a man (Trump) could employ 400 people at peak season in the wilds of west Clare he was a serious consideration for the Oval Office.

However because it was a guilt bet, he decided to donate the winnings (if successful) to the homeless.

It became evident that Trump had figured out how to get the media to give him the required wall-to-wall headlines - as he focussed on hoovering up the attention of the backwoods folk of West Virginia, Dr Conway said.

The likelihood of a win increased when Kellyanne Conway (nee Fitzpatrick) was taken on as campaign manager by Trump. And yet the possibility of a wipeout surfaced in equal measure as the various scandals surfaced, he said.

Wagering a bet for the first time with Ladbrokes was a bit of an experience for the medic. In February, Trump was at 5 to 2 and Dr Conway placed the bet.

However, he lost the betting slip and thought his bet was gone with it. He was told, but didn't really believe, that Ladbrokes would honour the bet and he went to their office on High Street where, against the odds, a copy of the bet was located.

On hearing about the superb work at Bru na bhFiann in Smithfield, Dublin where volunteers help homeless ex-soldiers of the Irish Defence Forces, Dr Conway thought that donating to the cause would ease his guilt about voting for Trump.

As a result, the 50 winnings (topped up) are on their way to Bru.

Dr Conway said that the story of Bru is instructive because it offers a method whereby individuals can channel funds to help less fortunate individuals. And while gambling on Trump is not to be condoned, sometimes the outcome can be heart warming, especially as we enter the festive season, he said.

And whats the link between the Hole in the Wall and the White House? Well, both were built by Kilkenny men in centuries past - the former by Martin Archer (1582) and the latter by James Hoban (1792).

Almost every therapeutic decision we take as medics is a gamble of sorts. Usually better than 5 to 2 in respect of a therapy or procedure working, though, said Dr Conway.
It was another big year for the Butts Community Savings Bank in the cente of the city as nearly 300 members, many of them children, cashed in their year savings for Christmas time on Friday night.

The volunteer operated Savings Bank runs from the Fr. McGrath Family Resource Centre on St. Josephs Road every Friday night for 48 weeks of the year  no matter the weather.

It was established to encourage and make it easier for local families to save and to give the savings habit to children from their youngest years.

Originally set up by the Fr. McGrath Centre to give families an alternative to very high interest charging loan companies ten years ago there are now Savings Banks in Newpark Close and Droichead (Callan) family resouece centres and in several other city and county locations.

Chairperson of the Fr. McGrath Centre Pat Brennan thanked the key volunteers who provided this invaluable savings scheme for local families. He pointed out that the considerable six figure sum saved by families this year will be spent locally and help support Kilkenny jobs.

Young children are a big target group for the community project and incentive schemes and weekly tokens are used to encourage children to save a little each week throughout the year.

The original Butts Savings Bank run from the Neighbourhood Hall from the early 1960s ran for many years and was a forerunner to the St. Canices Credit Union set up around the same time in a house on the Butts Green.

Former and current Credit Union members Teasie Brennan, Michael Landers, Michael Walsh and Marius Cassidy have played a key role in re starting the Savings Banks in Kilkenny.

Chairperson Pat Brennan, singled out the volunteer tellers David Barry, Teasie Brennan, Michelle McEvoy Byrne, Irene and Trish King, Pat McAuley, Joe O Grady and Anne Marie Clifford for all their efforts throughout the year.

The Butts and Newpark Close Family Resource Centres Savings Banks will re-open on Friday, January 5 2017.

New members are always welcome.
The 7,500 people living close to the Waterford/Kilkenny border will not be used as pawns in any potential attempt by Minister Simon Coveney and others to resolve Waterford City and County Councils mounting debt crisis, Fine Gael TD and resident of the area, John Paul Phelan, has vowed.

The Ferrybank resident was speaking in the wake of growing speculation that Waterford may be gifted a large chunk of valuable land right on the border in what Deputy Phelan described as a cynical effort by Simon Coveney to resolve Waterford local authoritys debts at the stroke of a pen.

A detailed and very scientifically-based submission from Kilkenny County Council shows that the county could lose as much as 110 million to Waterford over 10 years if this threatened boundary change goes ahead. This figure includes rates, property tax and what I believe is a conservative estimate of lost revenue from future development in this area.

And while there is also rumblings about Waterford compensating Kilkenny for a number of years, my view and the view of my party colleagues, my neighbours and constituents is that once this money is gone, it will be gone for good. And future generations will lose out.

There are some people in high office, many of them in my own party, who would be delighted to be able to wipe out Waterford City and County Councils debts without impacting on the government balance sheet in what we as residents of the area see as tantamount to a debt management scam.

I for one will not be standing for this. I will be standing strong with my neighbours in Ferrybank and other areas in dispute and I will not be allowing this to progress. This time last year 20,100 submissions were made to the Boundary Commission on this issue  the overwhelming number of them from irate Kilkenny people. This boundary change cannot happen. It will not happen. We will not allow it to happen.
From the very outset of this debate, the Kilkenny Chamber has been clear and outspoken about its opposition to the proposed boundary changes and we have made detailed submissions to the Commission outlining very clearly why the proposed changes should not proceed.

The negative financial implications involving the loss of Commercial Rates and Property Taxes running to millions of Euro annually would seriously erode Kilkennys ability to continue its ongoing investment in infrastructural projects that are essential to the county going forward. Looking at the bigger picture, the proposition would result in significant income streams being taken from Kilkenny and given to Waterford but with no overall benefit whatsoever for the wider South East region.

The financial benefit to Ireland Inc. would be nil yet it would be left with significant inter community challenges and disharmony that currently dont exist at all.

As CEO of Kilkenny Chamber I am concerned about the negative effects a boundary change would have on businesses in Kilkenny. But I am also Chairman of the South East Region Chamber Co which has a wider regional remit and in that context I have grave reservations about the horrendous effect such changes would have on the dynamic of cooperation that has existed for years between businesses and communities in the region.

One obvious example is the fantastic collaboration that was evidenced in the regions bid for European Capital of Culture earlier this year and there are many other instances of cooperation happening daily between businesses and communities in the different counties.

It is utterly bizarre to suggest that people, many of whom have lived in Kilkenny for generations, should be expected to accept a change to their address, their neighbourhood, their identity whereby they finish one day as Kilkenny people and start the following day as Waterford people. The psychological implications of such a massive shift are immense  and totally unnecessary.

The people and communities in the area will not benefit and do not want changes that impact on the identity, heritage and culture of individual counties.

Their commitment to their area revolves around family, history, sporting activity and culture and the proposed boundary alteration would be very damaging in this context.

County boundaries are invisible to business, regional and national development. The South East Region has many ongoing challenges which can best be dealt with by adopting an approach of cooperation and pooling of resources between all the people of Kilkenny and Waterford and the South East in general. Changing the boundary is not a solution and instead would be divisive, disruptive and costly.

The overwhelming view of the people and businesses located in the area is one of absolute opposition to the proposed boundary changes.

No boundary change  not now, not ever.
My name is Jim Freeman. I live in Bishops Grove, Ferrybank.

I am in the unique position as the boundary runs through my house. As a result of this I am in a position to give an update on the type of service which Waterford City Council provides to our area.

I am Treasurer of the Residents Association and I wish to outline some of the issues which we have had over the last number of years. In doing so I am speaking in a personal capacity .

The shores on the estate have only been cleaned once since 1987 and this was only done following requests by myself .

Tree Pruning on the estate despite several requests to have this work carried out by the City Council (who took over responsibility for the upkeep of the estate many years ago) was not done and lack of funding was the reason given as to why this work could not be done resulting in the residents having to carry out this work and finance it from their own funds .

A small portion of road within the estate is in a bad state of repair. Despite several requests to have this issue dealt with and an acceptance of the fact that this work needs to be carried out the only action which has taken place is that we have been told that we are on a list to have this work done. It is six years o since we were informed of this and to date nothing has happened .

On the Friday week prior to the General Election I received a visit from a City Council Engineer who requested that I take him around the estate and highlight the various issues which we were experiencing.

I showed him the affected areas and highlighted two additional issues - A large amount of rubbish which had been left in an area for several months and trees which need pruning as they are an impediment to people walking on the footpath. He took photographs of both and said that he would report the issues to the relevant departments in Waterford City Council. No action has been taken .

When I pointed out the issue of the section of road which all agree needs to be repaired he said and I quote if a similar issue existed within Waterford City it would get precedent over your area. He also said that the City Council neither had the finance or the manpower to deal with such issues.

Having heard this I asked him if the City Council was not in a position to deal with these matters in the Ferrybank area which is currently under the jurisdiction of Waterford City Council an area comprising of 400 houses how did they propose to service the area which was the subject of the Boundary Commission Review should the commission find in their favour. He just shrugged his shoulders.

In the past few months I have heard a view expressed by a Waterford City Councillor as to why the proposed Boundary Extension should occur and her logic was based on the fact that a large number of Waterford People reside in the catchment area in the proposed change and therefore it made sense and is only right that this should happen and that Waterford City Council provide for these people .

The Waterford people who decided to move into South Kilkenny did so by choice. If this proposal is forced trough the Kilkenny people who reside in the area will not have a choice .

Have no doubt that this proposal is based solely on Financial Reasons and it is no coincidence that Belview Port is included in the proposed area .

Paudie Coffey saw this as an opportunity for him to regain lost ground should this Boundary Commission Proposal be successful and he found an alloy in Alan Kelly who has set his sights on similar Boundary Commission Reviews in other areas .

This cannot be allowed happen for a number of reasons .

The Kilkenny people who reside in the area will lose their identity .

The people of Kilkenny both City and County will be impacted upon due to the loss of revenue which they currently benefit from within the effected area .

It is very important that every Kilkenny person is aware of the implications of this move ( I am not so sure that everyone is . ) and therefore it is imperative that every Kilkenny person get on board and play their part to ensure that this does not happen .

This is not like previous attempts to change the Boundary this is the first time that a Boundary Commission Review has been put in place to deal with this issue .

The Arbitrary Drafting of Boundaries is not the way forward .

The interest of both counties would be better served by all concerned working together for the benefit of both counties.
U.S. Military required to suspend Osprey flights in Japan's Okinawa following accident

(Xinhua) 10:55, December 14, 2016

Japanhas asked the U.S. military to suspend its Osprey flights in Okinawa following a major accident Tuesday night, said the Japanese government.

Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said on Wednesday that she has asked the U.S. military to suspend Osprey flights until the cause of the accident is known and safety is ensured.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abewas quoted by local media as saying that the Osprey accident was "very deplorable."

A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft belonging to the Futenma base in the city of Ginowan made a water crash-landing off Okinawa Tuesday night.

The five crew members aboard were ejected out of the aircraft and were rescued and sent to a U.S. naval hospital.

The Japanese and U.S. governments have been seeking to move the Futenma base from Ginowan to the less-populated Henoko coastal area of Nago.

The people of Okinawa, however, have been demanding the Futenma base to be relocated outside the prefecture.
Speaking to the Kilkenny People regarding the controversial land grab, Deputy John McGuinness said it was his intention to oppose the ridiculous plan to extend the Waterford boundary. The position of FF in the confidence and supply arrangement with the Government means that the opposition will have an input, he said.

The message from Kilkenny is not an inch and all of our citizens stand behind this position. I will deliver that message to Dail Eireann.

While I appreciate the recent statement from Deputy John Paul Phelan, he must be encouraged to make the Minister see sense. After all, it was Fine Gael who started this madness!

It is outrageous that at a time when people living in this State are homeless or queuing for services, that are under huge strain, that a Government would spend 87,500 on an issue that is just folly.

The Waterford extension proposal must be resisted by all right minded people. The integrity and economy of County Kilkenny cannot be undermined by what is a blatant effort to enhance Waterford County at the expense of its neighbouring County, concluded Deputy John McGuinness.
Opening Ceremony (Photo: Manuel Balzer, KIT)

High-performance materials for future energy supply, e.g. for batteries and organic solar cells, are in the focus of research that is to be conducted by the Material Research Center for Energy Systems (MZE) of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). In its direct vicinity, the Microtribology Center TC of the Fraunhofer Society will study scientific aspects of friction and wear processes. Today, the opening ceremony for both buildings took place on Campus South of KIT in the presence of Baden-Wurttemberg Minister of Science Theresia Bauer, State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance of Baden-Wurttemberg Gisela Splett, the President of KIT Professor Holger Hanselka, and the Member of the Executive Board of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Professor Alfred Gossner.

The new MZE building will accommodate 150 researchers of chemistry, physics, materials sciences, electrical engineering, and process technology. (Photo: Manuel Balzer, KIT)

Materials research is the basis for future innovations, because new materials lead to new technologies. In the areas of energy conversion and energy storage, for instance, we are facing major challenges relating to materials technology. Here, the MZE with its interdisciplinary research can make an important contribution to the energy transition, underlined Minister of Science of Baden-Wurttemberg Theresia Bauer. In the opinion of Bauer, the new Microtribology Center even strengthens Karlsruhe as a location of cutting-edge research and KIT extends its collaboration with the Fraunhofer Society in the area of applied research.

Materials research is a topic of high relevance to many research activities at KIT. In particular, it is needed to address the technological challenges faced in connection with the energiewende. The MZE will contribute to finding solutions by the development of new battery materials and printable solar cells. KIT researchers of several disciplines already cooperate closely. I am very pleased that the MZE will now enhance their collaboration and decisively push the development of innovative material concepts, the President of KIT, Professor Holger Hanselka, said.

Reduction of friction and wear, which is in the focus of the Microtribiology Center, is an economically and industrially relevant topic. Smart solutions will help save costs. Progress requires cooperation of disciplines, such as physics, chemistry, and mechanics. Hence, this topic is predestined for being studied at such a place and for being pushed for the benefit of industry and society. We are very pleased to help create the prerequisites for a successful combination of KITs fundamental research with applied research and development of the Fraunhofer Society, the Member of the Fraunhofer Executive Board, Professor Alfred Gossner, pointed out.



Research at MZE focuses on printable, organic solar cells and rechargeable battery systems. (Photo: Manuel Balzer, KIT)

Innovative Materials for Future Energy Supply: The Material Research Center for Energy Systems of KIT

Research of the MZE will focus on innovative materials for efficient energy conversion and storage. The MZE will pursue a highly interdisciplinary approach. About 150 scientists of chemistry, physics, materials sciences, electrical engineering, and process technology will work here. They will study the complete process chain from the molecule to the component, including process technology, characterization, modeling, and simulation of new materials for energy systems. Work of the MZE will concentrate on printable, organic solar cells and rechargeable battery systems. These systems are to have high energy and power densities for use in electric mobility, very long service lives with low costs per energy stored, and a charge / discharge cycle for stationary storage systems. In addition, the scientists will develop new processes for the economically efficient large-scale production of these innovative materials and their use in energy systems, MZE Coordinator, Professor Michael Hoffmann, explains.

The new building near the Audimax on Campus South of KIT covers an area of 4300 m. The building concept is specially tailored to the interdisciplinary approach pursued. Communication of the working groups and, hence, their cooperation is promoted by the design. The MZE is equipped with modern facilities and devices for the production and characterization of the newly developed materials, including a high-resolution computer tomograph and a novel focused ion beam / scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM).

Building owner of the MZE is the State of Baden-Wurttemberg, represented by the Karlsruhe Office of Assets and Construction in Baden-Wurttemberg. Construction costs amounted to EUR 27.4 million. They are shared at an equal ratio by the State of Baden-Wurttemberg and the Federal Republic of Germany. The funds were granted in a competition launched by the Baden-Wurttemberg Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts to strengthen innovative future technologies in the state. The building was designed by the architectural office Valentyn Architekten in Cologne. Under the Art in Construction program, the work of art Big Mutter by Erwin Wurm found its home in the MZE building: The overdimensioned, shining red hot water bottle at the building entrance represents the original form of an energy storage system.

The MZE will cooperate with the adjacent Microtribology Center TC in various areas, in particular in modeling and simulation.

More information on MZE: www.mze.kit.edu/english/index.php

The Microtribology Center TC of Fraunhofer Society



The Microtribology Center TC of Fraunhofer Society focuses on research into and investigation of friction and wear processes in technical systems. Scientists of the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM and the KIT Institute for Applied Materials jointly work on solutions to reduce or adjust wear and friction in e.g. mechanical engineering, vehicle construction, or energy production. This work is aimed at reducing the consumption of resources, increasing efficiency, and improving the reliability of technical systems.

The costs of the new building in the amount of EUR 6.5 million were financed by the State of Baden-Wurttemberg and the Federal Republic of Germany at a 50:50 ratio. It accommodates 40 office workplaces as well as laboratories and rooms for experimental facilities.

More about the Microtribology Center TC: www.mikrotribologiecentrum.de (in German only)

Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.
TOKYO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan's decision to increase buying of super-long government bonds in regular market operations on Wednesday reflected a recent rapid rise in yields, a senior central bank official said.

"The move was aimed at steering the yield curve towards an appropriate shape ... taking into account recent sharp rises in super-long bond yields and concern over the possibility of further volatility," the BOJ official told Reuters on Wednesday.

Yields in the super-long zone have risen to multi-month highs in recent sessions.

Under its current monetary policy framework unveiled in September, the BOJ aims to guide the 10-year JGB yield to around zero percent.

(Reporting by Sumio Ito, writing by Leika Kihara; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)
MANILA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The Philippines' state grains agency has approved permits for local rice traders to import 641,080 tonnes of the staple grain from Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan and India, it said in a notice posted on its website on Wednesday.

The approved imports, which must be brought in by Feb. 28, 2017, account for 80 percent of the maximum volume of 805,200 tonnes that private traders are allowed to bring in under an annual country-specific quota scheme. Private traders will import 284,780 tonnes of rice from Thailand; 294,020 tonnes from Vietnam; 56,140 tonnes from Pakistan; and 6,140 tonnes from India, the National Food Authority (NFA) said after evaluating all applications.

The shipments will boost the rice supply in the country, which has remained ample this year thanks to the NFA's rice imports in 2015 and in recent months.

The NFA has a stand-by authority to import another 250,000 tonnes of rice in addition to the 250,000 tonnes it bought in August from Vietnam and Thailand. Fresh demand from the Philippines, one of the world's biggest rice buyers, could underpin export prices particularly in Vietnam and Thailand, traditionally its main suppliers.

Rice export prices in India and Vietnam weakened last week on thin demand, but still failed to attract buyers, while prices rose slightly in Thailand amid a slowing harvest. (Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
HANOI, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official market and indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi at 0119 GMT.

Dec 14 Dec 13 USD/VND mid-point 22,124 22,120

USD/VND interbank 22,655/22,665 22,640/22,660 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.00/36.52 36.10/36.62

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 14 (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 0422 GMT.

Dec 14 Dec 13 USD/VND mid-point 22,124 22,120 USD/VND interbank 22,725/22,730 22,640/22,660 USD/VND unofficial 23,230/23,270 23,230/23,270 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.03/36.55 36.10/36.62

Interbank offered rates Overnight 4.7-5.4 4.7-5.3

1 week 4.7-5.4 4.9-5.3

1 month 5.0-5.4 5.0-5.2

3 months 5.0-5.3 5.0-5.3

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)
Wells Fargo would damage financial markets if it were pushed to bankruptcy, U.S. regulators said on Tuesday as they imposed restrictions on the bank's business.

The nation's largest banks must offer regulators 'living wills' that outline how they would be unwound in an orderly way. Wells Fargo was one of five banks to fail an initial assessment in April.

On Tuesday, regulators determined that Wells Fargo's living will still fell short and that the San Francisco-based bank would be sanctioned, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said in a statement.

Specifically, the bank may not establish international bank entities or acquire non-bank subsidiaries, the FDIC said.

Wells Fargo may submit an amended living will by March 31 and regulators may lift restrictions then.

"We believe we will be able to address the concerns raised today in the March 2017 revised submission," the bank said in a statement.

Four other banks passed muster after failing the initial assessment of living wills in April. Those banks are JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N), Bank of America (BAC.N), State Street Corp (STT.N) and Bank of New York Mellon [BKNYK.UL].

'Living wills' were conceived in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis when the downfall of several Wall Street banks sent shockwaves through global markets.

U.S. taxpayers had to prop up banks that were deemed 'too big to fail' and Congress vowed that such a rescue would not happen again in the future.

Now that it has failed to satisfy regulators, Wells Fargo is on a regulatory path that could end with the bank being ordered to shrink in two years.

Though the lender will have several chances to harden its business in the meantime and avoid such a measure.

(Reporting by Dan Freed in New York and Patrick Rucker in Washington. Editing by Richard Chang and Alan Crosby)
People celebrate the Fairy's Day at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Dec. 13, 2016. The Fairy's Day falls on the 15th day of the 10th month of the Tibetan calendar. On that day, Tibetans celebrate the day to commemorate Buddha Aleanterre Brahm. (Photo/Xinhua)
VIENNA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Austria plans to hold its borrowing steady next year and keep the amount of government bonds issued at around two thirds of the total, the country's Federal Financing Agency said on Wednesday.

The total amount of borrowing will be 30 billion euros to 33 billion euros ($32 billion to $35 billion), the same as its latest prediction for this year, the agency said in its funding outlook for 2017.

"It is really identical to the forecast for this year," the head of the agency, Markus Stix, told Reuters by telephone.

The agency increased its forecast for this year in October due to extra costs of up to 9.3 billion euros linked to a settlement with creditors of "bad bank" Heta Asset Resolution . As a sweetener to that deal, Heta creditors had the option of receiving a bond issued by the province of Carinthia and guaranteed by Austria. They can sell those top-up bonds back to Carinthia within a 180-day window that started on Dec. 1, with Austria lending Carinthia the money to cover that buyback.

Because that window stretches into next year, Stix said he could not give a more accurate prediction for borrowing in 2016. The remaining buybacks are being funded as they occur, through treasury bills and short-term loans, he said.

"We cannot say anything yet on the final amount (of borrowing) for this year as we have buybacks every day," Stix said, sticking to the October forecast of 30 billion to 33 billion euros.

He also declined to give any indication of the amount of buybacks that have taken place so far.

The amount of government bonds issued in 2016 was, however, clear, since the last auction has been held. The total for this year is 22.9 billion euros, the outlook said, adding that next year's total would be 20 billion to 22 billion euros.

The agency also plans to hold one or two syndicated debt issues next year, Stix added. ($1 = 0.9384 euros)

(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Alison Williams)
* Graphic: sterling and gilt yields * Graphic: World FX rates in 2016 By Jemima Kelly

LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Sterling strengthened on Wednesday as all eyes turned to a policy decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve, with comments from Britain's Brexit Minister bolstering expectations that Britain will keep access to the single market when it leaves the EU.

The pound appeared largely unmoved by data released earlier on Wednesday that showed the first decline in the number of people in work in Britain in over a year, suggesting a slowing in the labour market after June's vote for Brexit .

It climbed to as high as $1.2721 in afternoon trade as Brexit Minister David Davis spoke to a committee of lawmakers in parliament. By 1700 GMT it has eased to around $1.2716, still leaving it up around half a percent on the day.

Davis said government would do all it could to make sure business gets the maximum access to the European Union's single market while minimising disruption to business in its talks with the bloc. He also did not rule out the possibility of a "transitional arrangement" to help businesses avoid a cliff edge after two years of talks .

"It's quite surprising not to see sterling lower after that labour market data, especially as it was what we've been waiting for - the first real signs of a slowdown in the UK real economy," said ING currency strategist Viraj Patel.

"There seems to be a sense of optimism in sterling markets right now... and the reason is that there have recently been steps towards a softer Brexit. Davis's comments reaffirm that - there was nothing new and there were a lot of ifs and buts ... but markets see less probability of a hard Brexit and that's keeping sterling supported."

The numbers from the Office for National Statistics suggested a six-year expansion in the labour market may be ending, though wage growth accelerated modestly and a measure that excludes bonuses rose at its fastest since August 2015.

"I take (today's data) as another reason to think that the UK economy is going to run out of steam over the course of 2017, so my bias is to go short cable (sterling/dollar)," said Societe Generale macro strategist Kit Juckes. "I'm not going to get super-excited about data showing ex-bonus wage growth."

The Fed is seen as all but certain to raise its main rate by a quarter point to 0.50-0.75 percent, in an announcement due at 1900 GMT.

(Editing by Larry King)
ZURICH, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The following are some of the main factors expected to affect Swiss stocks on Wednesday.

ACTELION The Swiss biotechnology drug maker said that it was in talks with an undisclosed suitor about a "strategic transaction," after another potential acquirer, U.S. healthcare company Johnson & Johnson , ended talks. For more news click on CREDIT SUISSE The bank confirmed that it has shuttered its alternative trading system known as Light Pool on Nov. 18 after a strategic review of its algorithmic trading offerings. For more news click on COMPANY STATEMENTS * Flughafen Zuerich AG said for the full year 2016, total passenger volume is now expected to grow by approximately 5 percent, up from a previous estimate of 4 percent. It said net profit will adjust accordingly. * Temenos Group AG said Commerce Bank signed an agreement in which Temenos will provide its core deposit banking system. * GAM Holding said Scott Sullivan will step down from his role as group general counsel and from the group management board and become group vice chairman. * Aventron said it has acquired the 10 megawatt wind park Ballendaux in Fontenai sur Orne, France. The company said its installed capacity rises to 350 megawatts and its 2017 revenues are likely to increase 50 percent over the previous year. * Alpine Select published details of its share buy-back, which will run from December 15 to December 29. The company wants to buy back around 25 percent of its registered shares, at a price of 17 Swiss francs each. * Swissgrid said Doris Barnert has been appointed its new chief financial officer and head of the business unit Corporate Services, effective April 1, 2017. * Basler Kantonalbank said Adrian Bult had been elected the new president of its supervisory board for the next four years, effective April 2017, and Christine Hehli Hidber as vice president. ECONOMY The Swiss Federal Statistics offices releases producer/import price figures for November at 0815 GMT.

The ZEW Investor Sentiment index is due to be released at 1000 GMT.

(Reporting by Zurich newsroom)

Daily Swiss stock market report in German................ All SMI constituent stocks............................ News on major Swiss stock price moves.................. FTSE Eurotop 300 index................................ DJ STOXX index........................................ Top 10 STOXX sectors............................. Top 10 EUROSTOXX sectors........................ Top 10 Eurotop 300 sectors....................... Top 25 European pct gainers... , losers... Swiss mid-cap index SMI futures Swiss all-share index Market statistics Swiss market digest Sector overview All Swiss news Swiss research news All equity news INTERNET ADDRESSES: Swiss Exchange / Eurex STOXX Ltd SPEED GUIDES: ))

Keywords: MARKETS SWISS STOCKS/
Vietnam posts $243 mln trade deficit in November - customs

HANOI, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Vietnam posted a trade deficit of $243 million in November, compared with the previous month's deficit of $445 million, the customs department said on Wednesday. November exports advanced 4.7 percent from the previous month to $16.1 billion, and imports rose 3.3 percent from October to $16.4 billion, the Finance Ministry-run Vietnam Customs said on its website. Vietnam exported $159.9 billion of goods in the first 11 months of this year, up 7.8 percent from a year ago, while imports edged up 3.7 percent in the same period to $156.96 billion, leaving a surplus of $2.9 billion, the report said.

(Reporting by My Pham)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

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China is flooding Silicon Valley with cash, as 26 percent of U.S. unicorns are currently backed by investors from Greater China, while venture capital investment in U.S. companies is down, according to a report.

Among the 32 investors that have backed U.S. startups, Chinese internet giants like Alibaba and Tencent, as well as Chinese venture capitalists, are dominant, noted CB Insights, a New York-based investment research firm. Chinese investors have participated in over 40 American tech deals per quarter since 2014, and joined in major 2015 financing deals with the likes of Uber, Lyft and AirBnB among others, involving nearly $10 billion in U.S. tech funding for 2015 alone.

Start-up fundraising in Silicon Valley wouldnt function without Chinese money. It has changed the landscape, said Chris Nicholson, the CEO of Skymind, a deep learning startup, in an interview with the Washington Post.

Meanwhile, venture capital investors in the U.S. have taken a more cautious approach as overall investment deal levels drop. Whats more, the flood of crossover investment from mutual funds and hedge funds into private technology startups in the U.S. has fallen drastically.

According to the report, the global ambitions of Chinese internet giants, the rise of wealth creation and a dearth of investment opportunities in China are the primary motivations for Chinese investors looking to the U.S.
[File photo]

Educational authorities in China have designed special learning standards for disabled students in an effort to improve the teaching quality and conditions available to students with disabilities.

On Dec. 13, the Ministry of Education issued three guidelines for the standardization of education for the disabled. This is the first time that any such standards have been set in China. The ministry is already working on textbooks specially designed for schools for the blind, deaf and mentally disabled, which will be put into use in 2017.

The new standards cover 42 subjects, ranging from the primary-school level to the middle-school level. According to the Beijing Times, the learning standards are basically the same as those for non-disabled students in terms of content, but offer a special emphasis on helping disabled students to improve their quality of life, as well as to integrate into mainstream society.

Though the Chinese government ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008, calling for inclusive education at all levels, disabled kids still face difficulties when it comes to mainstream education. According to a report from Caixin in September, two-thirds of Chinese parents said they would be concerned if mainstream schools allowed disabled children to study alongside non-disabled students.

Bullying, discrimination and a lack of support facilities in mainstream schools have led to disabled children being shut out of mainstream education. Though inclusive education should be encouraged, special-needs schools and facilities should also be a priority to ensure disabled students rights to a decent education, Zhang Yuan, a Beijing-based human rights activist, told Peoples Daily Online.

The establishment of new learning standards will improve education conditions for disabled kids, helping them to get a better education and learn necessary life skills, Zhang added.
Texas attorney files wrongful death lawsuit in Chattanooga school bus incident



CHATTANOOGA  Texas attorney Mo Aziz of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Aziz is representing the parents of 10-year old Zyanna Harris who was killed on November 21, 2016, when her school bus crashed in Chattanooga. Troy Pradia and Jonathan Cox of the Cox Pradia Law Firm and Luke Neder of Dale Buchanan & Associates are also part of the familys legal team.



On November 21, 2016, Zyanna Harris was a passenger in a school bus when it rolled over and collided with a tree. Zyanna died from blunt force trauma.



Johnthony Walker, who had received his commercial drivers license in April of 2016, had been in another accident while driving for Durham School Services, L.P. and National Express, LLC in September. In the past 24 months, Durham School Services has been involved in 346 crashes.



The attorneys have also filed suit against Thomas Built Buses, Inc., a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America, LLC, for the defective design of the bus. The bus in question was defectively designed because it did not include seat belts. Additionally, the bus contained a window system that failed to prevent contact between the window glass and the roadway and failed to minimize the possibility of occupant ejection in foreseeable overturn/slide events.



The negligence case against Mr. Walker and Durham School Services is clear. We also know that the bus manufacturer could have delivered a safer product into the stream of commerce by equipping this bus with seat-belts and glazed shatter-resistant windows. The real question is whether those features would have lessened the harm to these innocent school children in this crash? Thats what I have been hired to determine, said Aziz.



Aziz served on the Plaintiffs Steering Committee in the In Re: Hurricane Rita Evacuation Bus Fire, where he played a lead role in the $88 million settlement of the Hurricane Rita evacuation bus fire disaster, in which 23 elderly citizens perished. He has also served on the Plaintiffs Steering Committee in the Victoria Bus Litigation, where he represented 37 claimants from a single bus rollover accident near Victoria, Texas and resulted in a global settlement of $10.8 million.


Experts in both the U.S. and China gave credit to China for initiating WTO dispute settlement proceedings against the surrogate country approach used by the EU and U.S. to calculate anti-dumping measures. Experts argued that the move was constructive, representing an important step in solving the dispute.

Charlene Barshefsky, a former trade representative who played a role in Chinas accession to the WTO, said at a seminar that it is the right choice for China since the proceedings can head off escalation of trade conflicts and promote a final resolution. She added that the panel of experts will make its final decision independently, and all parties involved must enact the results.

Yang Guohua, a professor at Tsinghua University School of Law, expressed confidence in winning the proceedings, given that the provisions in Article 15 of the Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of China to the WTO make it clear that in any event, surrogate country system shall expire 15 years after the date of accession. The provision means that, starting from Dec. 11, 2016, any future anti-dumping cases against China should be compared with prices in China.

Matthew Yeo, a partner at Washington-headquartered Steptoe & Johnson LLP, agreed with Yangs views. Many interpretations of the article were fabricated in recent years, Yeo said, adding that the dispute filed by China was of critical importance since the issue will finally be resolved under the framework.

China on Monday requested consultations with the United States and the European Union regarding the surrogate country approach when calculating anti-dumping measures against Chinese exports under the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute-settlement mechanism, the Ministry of Commerce said.
By Park Si-soo



Croatian beer brand Ozujsko is now available in Korea. Ozujsko is the top-selling beer in the European country with 40 percent market share, according to CKB, a liquor importer.

Four types of Ozujsko are on sale -- two lagers and two fruit-flavored ones (lemon and grapefruit), the importer said.

The lager-style Ozujsko has 5 percent alcohol content and the fruit-flavored type 2 percent.

A 330-mililiter bottle will cost 2,300 won and a 550-mililiter can 2,500 won at big malls across the country.
Construction of a new icebreaker will be initiated from the end of this year, to be completed in the next two years, Wang Hong, director general of the State Oceanic Administration, said at a national conference on Dec. 13. Upon completion, it will be Chinas first independently designed icebreaker for polar scientific expeditions.

The new vessel will have a displacement of 13,000 tons, and the capability to work in frigid, icy waters. The bow and the stern will be able to break even ice thicker than 1.5 meters. It will feature advanced equipment and a GPS system, and will be able to cruise for 60 days without stopping.

Together with Snow Dragon, a commissioned research vessel, the new machine will contribute to polar exploration and research in China. The Polar Research Institute of China has signed a contract with Jiangnan Shipyard Group; the vessel will be delivered in 28 months.
Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, fourth from left, poses with Diversity Committee members at the Way of Women Forum in downtown Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Lotte Group



By Park Jae-hyuk



Lotte Group will be the first conglomerate to mandate paternity leave for all employees next year, guaranteeing 100 percent of their salary for a month, the company said Wednesday.

Male workers in Korea have been able to get paternity leave since 2007, but most of them have not applied, as the government only gives a maximum of 1 million won ($853) a month to them.

Lotte promised to make up the difference in ordinary pay so that male workers can care for their children without financial burden for at least a month.

The group will also extend maternity leave for female workers from a year to two years and guarantee their ordinary pay for at least a month.

The plan was announced during the Lotte Way of Women Forum, attended by Chairman Shin Dong-bin and about 500 female employees.

According to Statistics Korea, less than 5,000 men applied for paternity leave last year, while more than 80,000 women applied for maternity leave.
By Kim Tae-gyu



To put an end to the craze of Apple's new iPhone 7 in Korea, what Samsung Electronics needed to do was merely add new colors to the Galaxy S7.



According to the country's three wireless operators, the iPhone 7 is selling around 7,000 a day, which is less than a fourth of its first-week daily average of 30,000 after its introduction on Oct. 21, this year.



By contrast, daily sales of the Galaxy S7 that was introduced this March has reached 15,000 over the past weeks to top the podium in the domestic market.



In particular, the Korean tech giant enhanced the popularity of the model by releasing its sixth and seventh colors of the Galaxy S7 edge  blue coral and black pearl  in early November and December, respectively.



The two new versions, which shimmer as if they are illuminated from inside the gadget's glass surface, have been fascinating customers to the extent that concerns on the fallout from Galaxy Note 7 have eased.



Dealing a blow to Samsung, the large-screen smartphone went through global recalls over the past months due to its faulty batteries, some of which burst into flames during charging.



Originally, most experts projected the iPhone 7 would benefit greatly from the Note 7 debacle and its overall first-week sales of 200,000 here appeared to support those expectations.



However, the enthusiasm for the newfangled Apple devices soon fizzled out, which observers point out is because the iPhone 7 failed to adopt many new features compared to its predecessors.



In addition, the recent battery issues of some iPhones, which reportedly exploded or unexpectedly shut down, appeared to have prompted safety-sensitive users to avoid the brand.



This problem raised the ire of Koreans more because of Apple's inappropriate measure of posting its battery replacement programs in English on a Korean-language website.



In the face of rampant public uproar, Apple Korea came up with a Korean-language announcement days later but the step was too late to soothe angry customers, who have complained about the firm's user-unfriendly policies and high-handed attitudes.



Watchers say that it remains to be seen whether Apple's AirPods would enable the iPhone 7 to attract customers again as the U.S. behemoth has just started to get orders for its ear-buds.



AirPods are a key accessory of the iPhone 7, which doesn't have a headphone jack. Disclosed early September, they were scheduled to hit the shelves in October but the introduction was delayed for unknown reasons.



The price of the wireless ear-buds, which will connect through Bluetooth and deliver five hours of listening on one charge, is 219,000 won in Korea and $159 in the United States. That means that the price of the accessory is approximately 10 percent higher here than in the United States.




By Jhoo Dong-chan



Korea's shipping industry, which once boasted the world's fifth-largest market share, is still struggling despite efforts from financial firms to salvage it.



Hanjin Shipping, once the nation's largest container line, is likely to face liquidation, while another shipping giant, Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), failed to become a full-fledged member of global shipping alliance 2M.



According to a report Samil PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) submitted to the Seoul Central District Court, Tuesday, liquidating Hanjin Shipping is a better option than letting it continue doing business. The court had been handling Hanjin Shipping's insolvency measures and appointed Samil PwC in September to assess the ailing container line's financial status after it filed for court receivership in August.



The court will soon make a final decision based on Samil PwC's assessment.



An industry insider said the fall of the world's former seventh-largest shipping company has signaled a crisis in Korea's shipping industry.



"Hanjin Shipping's court receivership caused a massive logistics disturbance in the global shipping network with more than half of its ships stranded at sea out of fears they may be seized by creditors. It was a huge blow to the credibility of the nation's shipping industry," he said.



"Shippers now do not want to take such risks anymore. This was the prime reason why 2M did not accept HMM's membership request."



HMM has put its utmost efforts over the last six months into joining 2M as a full-fledged member. Joining a global shipping alliance was one of the key conditions set by its creditors for its rehabilitation program and debt rescheduling.



Maersk Line, the world's largest container line under the 2M alliance, said Sunday, however, that it and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) have instead entered into a strategic cooperative agreement with HMM, a cooperation "outside the scope of MSC and Maersk Line's 2M vessel-sharing agreement through membership in the alliance."



Due to HMM's high market shares on Asia-to-North America shipping routes, Maersk Line and MSC had considered grant HMM membership in the alliance, but shifted their position as they have already increased market shares on the routes after the fall of Hanjin Shipping.



According to Busan Port Authority, Hanjin Shipping's market share in the Asia-to-North America route was 7.78 percent in October 2015 but plunged to 1.1 percent in the same month this year. Likewise, its share in the North America-to-Asia route has nosedived from 8 percent to 0.01 percent over the same period. The government had counted on HMM to fill the gap, but HMM was outbid in purchasing the assets of Hanjin Shipping's Asia-North America route, as well as its stake in a California terminal by mid-size bulk shipping operator Korea Lines.



In the meantime, 2M's market share in the Asia-to-North America route increased by 3.5 percent to 17.5 percent while its share in the North America-to-Asia route rose by 7.8 percent to 24.16 percent.




MUJI cleaning kit



By Yun Suh-young

MUJI President Masaaki Kanai / Courtesy of Prain





If there's a brand whose seeming lack of design shocks people at first sight, it's MUJI. But in fact, that is its intended design.

Japanese lifestyle brand MUJI has a clear and distinct character  it is monochrome, minimal and simple to the core. Its products have no patterns or illustrations. It has no verbose marketing explanations. It's just there and it works.

MUJI's minimalistic design comes from an awareness of nature. And that's MUJI's big strategy which serves as the brand's philosophy.

"Our brand strategy is to be helpful. We try to think of how we could be helpful in different aspects. For instance, the regeneration of damaged earth, depletion of energy, water and food, global warming, urban traffic, industrial and living waste... These are all problems we face and they're human problems," said MUJI President Masaaki Kanai, during a lecture at the Design Seminar held as part of the Seoul Design Festival's programs which ran from Dec. 7 to 11.

"I believe if our lives become beautiful, society will become better. So if there's one skill that is MUJI's strength, I'd say it's creativity to reduce and minimize based on consciousness.

"We started imagining building a product with 20 percent less material and concluded it would still be the same product. It would simply be reduced from 100 to 80 in terms of size or content. For instance, a toilet roll can be thinner in width, a container can be thinner in thickness, a tape can be shorter. We also created cookies using leftover bread crusts. They sold really well."

MUJI observes not the product but the unconscious behaviors of humans, he says.

"That's why we came up with dyeing products using the stems of roses. We also created towels embedded with lines to cut because people use them as rags after the towels are worn out. Interestingly, we noticed designs of household appliances becoming rounder as they are used closer to humans."

MUJI not only designs products but also spaces and even culture.

Last April, it participated in a design project for Narita Airport's Terminal 3. Since the terminal was for low-cost carriers, the budget for creating the space was limited. A huge inconvenience followed for passengers, who had to walk 1.5 kilometers to get to the gate.

"So the question was, how can we get people walk that distance without complaining?" said Kanai. "We couldn't build a moving walkway or escalator due to the low budget. Then we thought of the gym concept. We added phrases like 'work out for free' on the floors. It was met with positive reviews."

MUJI also holds a vision for agriculture and hopes to create a culture that invigorates farming and coexistence with nature. It believes in a future that stems from the local.

"What we think is important is agricultural life. We want people to appreciate labor and respect it, but also enjoy it. We hope to create a community which coexists with nature. Somehow the world has come to devalue blue-collar workers. But the work of white-collar workers will soon be replaced by artificial intelligence. The problem is there is no one to inherit farming. We need to change this by building a local-oriented platform," said Kanai.

"That's why we will be building an office in a rural area in January or February next year. It will be designed as a leveled paddy field. Only once a week will employees come to the office and the rest of the time they will spend in the fields. We also plan to build a house for them."

He said business management styles will also need to change for the future.

"It won't work like it has in the past," he said. "We need to think of what we can do to help the locals, which is why our activities are focused on localization. We want to suggest a happy, healthy lifestyle. That's why we want to build facilities close to the environment, including our new office."

He added Muji has plans to build a hotel next year.
The date of Korea's next presidential election hinges on the Constitutional Court's decision on whether  and when  to pass the impeachment motion parliament adopted on Dec. 9. The poll could be just four months away. / Korea Times file



By Ko Dong-hwan

Thousands of people in front of the National Assembly building cheered on Dec. 9 when parliament passed an impeachment motion against scandal-ridden President Park Geun-hye. It was a historical moment for Korea as the nationwide anti-Park candlelight demonstration that lasted seven weeks realized its goal.

Now people are turning their thoughts to a presidential election that  unless the Constitutional Court dismisses the impeachment motion  will come before the end of Park's five-year term in December 2017. Depending on the court's ruling, the election could be held in just four months.

The court must release its decision within 180 days of accepting the letter informing it of Dec. 9's parliamentary vote, which makes Jun. 6, 2017, the deadline.

If the court's decision comes then, the election  which should be held within 60 days of the ruling  will be before Aug. 4.
Jeong Ki-taek, former president of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, tells a National Assembly hearing Wednesday that Cheong Wa Dae pressured him to resign as he had been against its order to support the overseas business expansion of a poorly performing company owned by an acquaintance of Choi Soon-sil, the scandal-ridden confidant of President Park Geun-hye. / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun



By Kim Bo-eun

The former chief of a government agency promoting the Korea's health industry said he faced pressure from Cheong Wa Dae to step down after refusing to support the overseas expansion attempt of a poorly-performing company affiliated with a plastic surgery clinic run by an acquaintance of President Park Geun-hye's confidant Choi Soon-sil.

The remarks by Jeong Ki-taek, former president of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), came during the National Assembly investigation into the scandal surrounding Choi.

"An official in charge of personnel at the Ministry of Health and Welfare came to me and said, Prepare to step down, as it is an order from the top,'" Jeong said during the hearing, Wednesday.

When asked who "the top" meant, he answered he was told it was Cheong Wa Dae.

The government had been pushing to support the overseas expansion of a medical appliances company owned by Park Chae-yoon, the wife of Kim Young-jae, a cosmetic surgeon who ran a clinic frequented by Choi. It attempted to help the company expand in the Middle East.

The company's sales, however, only amounted to 24 million won per year while its losses totaled 1.7 billion won at the time, and Jeong said he could not approve government funding for overseas expansion for the company.












By Yi Whan-woo

The acting president, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, said Wednesday he will actively communicate with lawmakers amid the opposition parties' criticism that he is excessively intervening in state affairs despite his temporary position.

In a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun, Hwang also said he would run the government in accordance with the people's wishes in the aftermath of President Park Geun-hye's impeachment.

"It's really tough to bear a heavy responsibility when the political situation is so extreme and severe," he said in Chung's office at the National Assembly. "I will work closely to consult with Mr. Chung as well as other lawmakers to stabilize state affairs. I will also firmly uphold the people's wishes and work to implement them in state affairs in a comprehensive manner."

This was Hwang's first visit to the Assembly since he took the interim job, Friday.

Hwang offered to meet Chung amid the opposition bloc's demand that he consult the opposition-led parliament in advance before making decisions on government affairs.












The road of Gangneung in Gangwon Province is covered in snow as a heavy-snow alert hit the province on Wednesday. / Yonhap



By Hong Dam-young

Snow covered most parts of Korea's Gangwon Province on Wednesday, with mountainous regions getting as much as 30 centimeters.

The state weather agency issued a heavy-snow alert Wednesday morning for Gosung, Sokcho, PyeongChang, Gangneung and Hongcheon within the province, warning that some cities could have as much as 20 centimeters of snow overnight.





Children play with snow in Sokcho, Gangwon Province. / Yonhap



The alert also covered Pocheon, Gapyeong and Yangpyeong in Gyeonggi Province; Bongwha, Uljin and Yeongyang in North Gyeongsang Province, and Ulleungdo and the Dokdo islands off the east coast.

Nationwide, snowfalls are expected to ease during Wednesday night.

Seoul and surrounding areas also saw sporadic snowfalls Wednesday, which could continue through to noon Thursday, according to the agency.

"We advise drivers to take extra caution in snow and on icy roads," an agency official said.




Former Saenuri Party floor leader Rep. Yoo Seong-min, left, talks with fellow lawmaker Na Kyung-won during a meeting of Saenuri lawmakers aligned against President Park Geun-hye, at the National Assembly, Wednesday. / Yonhap



They are shameless, lunatic, critics say



By Kim Hyo-jin

Rival factions of the Saenuri Party clashed, Wednesday, for control of the ruling party reeling from a deepening power struggle following the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.

Park loyalists and her rivals criticized each other at the party's first general meeting held since the impeachment vote last Friday.

The anti-Park faction denounced the loyalist leadership for unilaterally filling the party's ethics committee with members of their own group.

On Tuesday, the party leadership abruptly appointed on additional eight members to the committee, putting the brakes on its deliberation on potential disciplinary action against Park.

The move brought a severe backlash from the seven existing members including committee head Lee Jin-gon. They resigned en masse in protest later in the day.

"The appointments should be withdrawn," Park dissenter Rep. Lee Eun-jae shouted.

Chung Jin-suk, the party's floor leader unaffiliated with the feuding factions, also lashed out at the loyalists, saying people call it a "lunatic" move.

Rep. Cho Won-jin, a decision-making Supreme Council party member, refused the calls but, conscious of criticism, added that the matter will be discussed again when a new leadership is formed.

The Saenuri Party is scheduled to hold a party convention to elect a chairman on Jan. 21 as Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, a diehard supporter of Park, earlier pledged to step down on Dec. 21 to take responsibility for Park's impeachment.












By Jung Min-ho

The government is looking into a chicken farm in Sejong over allegations that it sold chickens and eggs possibly infected with avian influenza to other parts of Korea.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Wednesday, the owner of the farm sent at least 100,000 chickens to Paju in Gyeonggi Province and Yeosu in South Jeolla Province two days before reporting suspected bird flu cases to health authorities, Nov. 26.

About 700,000 chickens were slaughtered later on the farm after many of them were confirmed to have been infected with the H5N6 avian influenza virus.

The ministry has confirmed that some 2 million eggs were also delivered to markets across the country just before the report.












[File photo]

Chinese military experts believe that Japans recent interference in PLA Air Force training over the Western Pacific was a deliberate provocation, intended to collect intelligence about the military's combat capabilities.

The assessment came after Japans Self-Defense Force (JSDF) scrambled two F-15 fighter jets to interfere with Chinese military aircraft that were flying over the Miyako Strait during a routine training exercise on Dec. 10. Chinas Defense Ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun accused JSDF on Dec. 11 of launching jamming shells, which endangered the safety of Chinese aircraft and crew. Yang denounced JSDFs conduct as dangerous and unprofessional.

This is not the first time that Japanese warplanes have interfered with their Chinese counterparts. On June 17, two Japanese F-15 jets locked their fire control radars onto two Chinese su-30 jets during an encounter over the East China Sea.

The recent interference might be different from the one in June. Japan may want to provoke Chinese military planes to turn on their radars or missile guides so that it can work with the U.S. to acquire Chinese military information, argued Yin Zhuo, a Chinese military expert, during a CCTV segment.

Echoing Yin, Teng Jianqun, another military expert, told CCTV that this was clearly a plan by the U.S. and Japan to spy on Chinas warplanes, which will help them to face Chinas air force in the future.
By Choi Ha-young

Civic groups have urged the government to file a damages suit against President Park Geun-hye and her associates for the losses that the National Pension Service (NPS) sustained after facilitating a merger of two Samsung Group subsidiaries allegedly on Park's order.

Members of the Public Pension for All and the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy collected signatures from some 13,000 citizens for the petition and submitted them to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Wednesday, demanding the ministry seek compensation from the people involved in the merger decision.

These include President Park, her confidant Choi Soon-sil, Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, former NPS Chief Information Officer Hong Wan-seon and former Health Minister Moon Hyung-pyo.

The petition followed allegations that Cheong Wa Dae had Moon order the NPS, which held stakes in the two subsidiaries _ Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries _ to vote for their merger. The merger was allegedly intended to help Vice Chairman Lee increase his shares in the group to facilitate a power transfer from his father. With the "yes" vote, the NPS suffered about 70 billion won ($59.7 million) in losses. It was alleged that Samsung offered funds for Choi's daughter Chung Yoo-ra in return for the NPS vote.

The civic groups said Park, Choi, Hong and Moon helped Samsung with the power transfer at the cost of people's retirement savings.

"President Park misused her political power and forced Moon and Hong to help Lee take over management rights through the merger," the groups said at a press conference in front of the Government Complex in Seoul.

"Those in charge of protecting and managing the national pension committed illegal activities for the conglomerate's benefit."

The groups claimed the ministry should seek 500 billion won in compensation from the involved figures.
This photo taken on May 13, 2015, shows a bruise on President Park Geun-hye's face, raising suspicions she had a filler treatment to remove wrinkles around her lips. / Korea Times file



By Kim Se-jeong

Photos of President Park Geun-hye showed she had a bruise on her face in what appeared to be a side-effect of cosmetic treatment.

This bolsters suspicions that her inaction during the day of the Sewol ferry disaster on April 16, 2014 was due to her receiving the treatment during the first seven hours of the sinking.

According to the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, a photo from May 13, 2014, less than one month after the disaster, showed that the President had a visible dark bruise on the right corner of her mouth and chin when she was holding a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae.

The paper quoted medical experts as saying that the bruise "appeared to be an aftereffect of filler treatment," raising suspicions that she could have had cosmetic treatment a couple of days before the meeting.

"Filling" is an anti-wrinkle treatment done by injecting absorbable materials under the skin. A bruise appears when a needle breaks blood vessels. Filler injections are a popular cosmetic treatment, but due to the pain involved some patients are given propofol to induce sleep.

While there's nothing wrong with the President receiving such treatment she may have received it when the whole nation was watching the Sewol disaster unfold.












An estimated 164 North Korean members of the Workers' Party of Korea have been executed since Kim Jong-un's rise to power in 2011. / Courtesy of Twitter



By Lee Han-soo

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's drunken rage  followed by a total blackout  has caused fear and tears among high-ranking North Korean military officials, according to Tokyo Shimbun, a Japanese daily, Tuesday.

Citing an unidentified source, the outlet reported that last September Kim summoned the military officials after getting drunk, calling them "traitor's of the nation" for not being able to develop a military satellite.

"Not being able to develop one military satellite is the same as committing treason," Kim allegedly said during his drunken rant.

Afterward, he forced the officials to write letters of apology all night.

But when Kim woke the next morning, he was totally unaware of his outburst.

"Why are you all gathered here?" Kim said to the military officials. "All of you are old and should look after yourselves."

After hearing Kim's morning greeting, the officials allegedly cried and Kim left satisfied, believing they were touched by his kindness, the report said.

"The military officials probably cried because of the sudden release of tension of being executed," said the anonymous North Korean source. "Everyone is showing loyalty out of fear of being executed and no one dares speak against Kim."
Calling himself a "child of the United Nations," outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivered a farewell address to the U.N. General Assembly expressing appreciation for the honor to serve the global organization.



"As some of you said, I am a child of the United Nations. After the Korean War, U.N. aid fed us. U.N. textbooks taught us. U.N. global solidarity showed us we were not alone. For me, the power of the United Nations was never abstract or academic," Ban said in the address during a U.N. General Assembly meeting.



"This profound appreciation grew even stronger every day during my service with the United Nations. For the past ten years, I have been honoured to serve alongside the many courageous, dedicated and talented women and men of the United Nations," he said.



In Monday's meeting, Ban's successor, Antonio Guterres, also took the oath of office.



Ban said his heart is "greatly comforted knowing that I am passing the baton to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, a man of integrity and principle."



"I have no doubt that he, with his passion and compassion, will successfully navigate many complex challenges and steer the O



organization to new and higher heights," Ban said.



He also expressed gratitude for support his home country South Korea has provided him with.



"I would also like to express my most profound appreciation to my home country, the Korean people and the government.



Their wholehearted support for the past ten years has been a great source of encouragement in working proudly for peace, development and human rights across the world," he said.



Ban's term ends at the end of this month.



Ban, who has long been talked about as a potential candidate for South Korean president, has said he will go back to the country in mid-January and think about what he can do for the future of South Korea.



Ban has refused to discuss the possibility of running for president, but he has never ruled it out, either. (Yonhap)




A group of South Korea's ruling party members supporting President Park Geun-hye are set to launch their alliance Tuesday to cope with challenges from increasingly vocal anti-Park rivals.





A factional feud has been escalating inside the Saenuri Party over a corruption scandal involving Park, with each demanding the other leave the party.





The pro-Park members, reeling from the fallout from the scandal, began to regroup after the National Assembly overwhelmingly passed the impeachment motion against the president last Friday.





Around 50 lawmakers are estimated to have joined the group, to be co-chaired by three senior politicians -- former deputy parliamentary speaker Rep. Jeong Kab-yoon, former six-term lawmaker Rhee In-je and North Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kwan-yong.





A alliance of anti-Park politicians, led by former party head Rep. Kim Moo-sung and former floor leader Rep. Yoo Seong-min, has demanded the resignation of the party leadership, dominated by Park allies.





On Tuesday, the ad-hoc group declared its disbandment to establish a new organization.









Kim said he is seriously considering leaving Saenuri and starting a new party. In a news conference, Kim condemned Park loyalists saying they are the slaves, not political partners, of the president. (Yonhap)





South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Tuesday redoubled calls for robust cyberdefense against North Korea, saying cyberwarfare with the provocative state has already begun.




By Robin Rhee

Once upon a time there were politicians so honest they were never investigated. That might be how some fairy tales begin. It is not what happens in the real world.

What sort of individual decides to become a career politician? One answer might be he has a very big ego and a hunger for power. Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "Politics...excites all that is selfish and ambitious in man."

When a politician begins a campaign for office the tangled webs of deceit start. Campaigns are expensive so donations to fill his war chest are necessary.

A majority of supporters give small amounts but wealthy individuals and corporations can afford to donate mega-money. These donations come with the tacit understanding that when you are in a high position and I need a favor  well you get the picture. You can help me get an important contract, stand by me if I'm under investigation. These are just a few examples.

As the war chest grows, the phrase "Follow the money," gains importance. Slush funds may be started. False name bank accounts might be opened and all sorts of investments can be made under the table.

When the campaign begins, all dignified and courteous behavior seems to vanish. Opponents are the targets of nasty name calling and alleged criminal accusations. It is often said that if the statements politicians make against each other are true then neither of them is fit for office.

Modern technology, the internet and social media, allows false news to be planted which within minutes circles the world. Scurrilous accusations, even if later are proven false, plant the seeds of distrust. Furthermore, hacking into an opponent's accounts is a distinct possibility.

Candidates will make promises they know they can't deliver. Bombastic rhetoric will fill the days before the election. Groups of sycophants and cronies will grow with the hope that a successful candidate will name some of them as his assistants and secretaries. Others may harbor the hope they will become secret confidants.

A skillful politician can stand up and rock the boat, then convince you he's the only one who can save you; however, too many politicians are more concerned about winning an election than how to effectively do their jobs after they are elected.

Before citizens cast their votes it would serve them well to determine where a candidate really stands and who or what is backing him.

Beware of those politicians who refuse to answer questions which might eliminate them from being elected to office. Politicians make headlines when they run for something or try to run away from something.

When elections are over and winners are declared, there will be both joy and disappointment from both the winners' and losers' camps.

Unfortunately, as terms in office play out, citizens can depend on new rounds of investigations and allegations of corruption. Some politicians will try to get investigations started. Others will try to get them stopped.

People are not against political jokes  they just wonder how they keep getting elected!

The writer is a former weekly columnist for The Korea Times and currently resides in Centerville, Write to RRKORAM@aol.com.
Washington is in an uproar over reported findings by U.S. intelligence agencies that the Russian government used secret cyberattacks to help Donald Trump's presidential campaign.



Trump called the charge "ridiculous," while deriding the agencies for their errors before the Iraq War. But Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., demanded a full investigation, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., wants the Senate Intelligence Committee to take it on. President Barack Obama has ordered Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to undertake a review and report back before Obama leaves office Jan 20.



Judging what to believe here is difficult, though, because little information is available. News stories have been based on accounts of a secret CIA report, as revealed to reporters by anonymous government sources. One "senior U.S. official" told The Washington Post, "It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia's goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected."



Yet other intel officials familiar with the same raw information evidently disagree with the CIA's conclusions about it: The Post also reports that, several days ago, a senior FBI official's briefing for lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee was, in comparison with the CIA's certitude, "fuzzy" and "ambiguous," suggesting to those in attendance that the bureau and the agency weren't on the same page. "For the Democrats in the room," the Post reports, "the FBI's response was frustrating _ even shocking."



If the CIA's view is true, it demands responsive action. But there is no way for the rest of us to know, because the people overseeing the CIA and FBI have not come forward with public statements. They should _ and right away. Calls for congressional investigations may be de rigueur, and certainly make all of us feel that our government is on the case. But remember: Such probes (most recently of American deaths in Benghazi, Libya) can drag on interminably.



If there is firm evidence that Vladimir Putin had Russians hack the email accounts of the Democratic National Committee and others to get material to transmit to WikiLeaks in an attempt to change the outcome of our presidential election, the American people should see that information. How better to keep such intrusions from occurring again? But House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, a member of Trump's transition team, told The Post that "there is no clear evidence _ even now. There's a lot of innuendo, lots of circumstantial evidence, that's it."



The opaque nature of all this leaves the American people buffeted between troubling speculation and the self-assured pronouncements of U.S. officials and politicians who may or may not have hard evidence supporting them. Among those doing the pronouncing is the president-elect, who has taken the unusual step of dismissing the work of intel analysts he'll soon oversee.



Did Moscow in fact deploy spycraft in an attempt to rig a U.S. presidential election? Only the agencies that investigated the matter have the information needed to assess the competing claims. Most of the time, these agencies have an understandable preference for secrecy. But this is one of those occasions when greater transparency is essential.



Clapper, who oversees the 17 government units that collect and analyze intelligence data, is the logical person to step out and shine a light on what is known  and what is not. Obama can help by declassifying any relevant documents that can be safely published.



There are limits to such openness, of course. The agencies don't want to compromise human sources or reveal spying methods that would help our enemies figure out how to evade detection in the future. But if people in the executive branch can talk about these things with reporters, on the condition of anonymity, it's safe to assume the people running our intelligence agencies can address the controversy before TV cameras without doing harm.



The House and Senate intelligence committees may want to invite public testimony from Clapper, CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey and others. But the reveal shouldn't have to wait until Congress is ready.



As things stand, President-elect Trump is beset by suspicions he benefited from the surreptitious efforts of a longtime U.S. rival  suspicions that he can't dispel and his detractors can't prove. When the stakes are this high, the public deserves to know more, and the sooner the better.



This editorial appeared on the Chicago Tribune and was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




Trump forces Korea to reset Washington diplomacy



The designation of Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil CEO, as U.S. secretary of state, has sent Korea, both at the government and private level, scrambling to search for friends of Tillerson. This was the second such search in a month. So far, there are few emerging among Koreans and their allies in Washington who know him well enough.



When Donald Trump was elected as president in early November, Seoul drew a blank in its search for Trump's friends and associates.



Trump's election was a surprise and so was Tillerson's designation. Both are outsiders of the Washington establishment. But it can is a must for Korea, lacking a human network, to reach leaders-to-be in the partner nation in its most important alliance, and influence their thinking about Korea-related policy during a formative period.



Our situation strikes a stark contrast to Japan, whose prime minister, Shinzo Abe, met Trump Nov. 17, a week after his Nov. 8 election as the first foreign leader to meet the U.S. president-elect.



Despite the urgent agenda of North Korea's nuclear brinkmanship, among others, Korea settled for the visit by a delegation, led by Cho Tae-yong, deputy chief of the presidential national security office. Cho met Michael Flynn, Trump's national security advisor.



Abe got to know Trump firsthand during his New York trip, while Cho extracted the symbolic affirmation of the two countries' alliance. The difference could translate into a wider gap in effectiveness in the two countries' attempt to influence Trump's policy related to Seoul and Tokyo, once his government takes office, Jan. 20.



The Trump challenge is forcing a reset of the country's usual way of managing its U.S. alliance. First, putting all eggs in the same basket should be avoided. It's no secret that the government bet on the victory of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate. Even after Trump proved to be strong, the government has made few efforts to reach out to his side. This is a mistake.



Second, in order to strengthen networks in the U.S., U.S. institutes that have ties with Korea should be realigned. For instance, the Korea Society has been led by retired U.S. ambassadors to Korea. Tom Byrne, former Moody's official, was appointed for a change and has led it since last year. But its effectiveness as a tool for a Korean lobby has yet to be evaluated. Also, the community of Korean Americans, now reaching millions in its size and advancing into mainstream society, has been underutilized, requiring the government to get more actively engaged with it.




By Lee Min-hyung

iPhone 6S / Yonhap

Apple Korea may face an investigation from the country's quality safety regulator for consumer goods over reported battery problems in its iPhone 6S devices.

The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) said Wednesday that it recently requested Apple to submit documents regarding possible safety threats involving the iPhone 6S. This comes in the wake of continuing reports of spontaneous battery shutdowns.

The agency is considering launching an in-depth investigation, but declined to comment on any exact timeline.

"We are in talks with Apple Korea to check if the battery problems come with any potential safety threats to its users," said a KATS spokesman.

"The agency will decide to begin an official investigation if we find any evidence that the problem may pose a safety threat to customers," he said. "We have yet to receive any response from Apple Korea."

The local subsidiary of the U.S.-based smartphone manufacturer said in a statement that the unexpected battery shutdown of some iPhone 6Ss had no potential safety threats.

"As there have been no reports of injuries here, it remains to be seen whether we will launch a probe into the firm and the problematic devices," said the official.

The controversy came about two months after the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone made global headlines over battery fires while charging.

"At that time, we launched an investigation into Samsung Electronics, as safety concerns had been confirmed regarding the Note 7," he said. "But specific links between the problematic iPhone 6S and customer safety have yet to be proven. Upon Apple Korea's response, we are going to decide whether to push for any regulatory measures or not."

The controversy erupted in November when Apple Korea posted a belated English announcement over how iPhone 6S users here can exchange problematic batteries for new ones.

This was in contrast to its active apologies to its Chinese customers earlier last month. When similar problems were reported in China, its Chinese subsidiary apologized for the faulty batteries and notified users of its responsive measures in Chinese.

This has raised complaints from the Korean customers. Amid the increasing backlash here, Apple Korea re-posted a Korean language notice on its website.

This was the latest in a series of controversies surrounding Apple Korea over its business operations here.

This June, the nation's antitrust watchdog, the Fair Trade Commission (FTS), investigated the company over its alleged unfair corporate business practices. This was in response to reports that the company was suspected of pressing mobile carriers into paying fees for a minimum volume of promotional iPhones and sharing costs for repairs.
Pangolin-Robot, the largest catering robot manufacturer in China, will soon spread to Japan by cooperating with the University of Electro-Communications, Japans Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported.

Kunshan-based Pangolin-Robot will set up an agency in Japan for marketing and sales as early as this month. In April 2017, the company will establish a research and development center at the university. CampusCreate, an institute affiliated with the University of Electro-Communications, will provide technological assistance for the project.

Huis Ten Bosch, a theme park in Nagasaki, Japan, is considering introducing such food service robots in the park, according to the report. The park's dining area has previously introduced greeting and cooking robots. The food service robot will be sold for 500,000 Japanese yen (about 30,000 RMB).

Pangolin-Robot accounts for roughly 70 percent of the catering robot market share, thanks to its sales network around China. It has also signed a cooperation memorandum with Hikuchi, which specializes in model-making and the robot business.

China emphasized the development of its robotics industry in a mid-term plan to upgrade manufacturing in 2015. As China has gradually put more effort into its robotics industry, Chinese enterprises are becoming more competent and competitive.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.14

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The meeting of the energy subcommittee between Azerbaijan and the EU will be held Jan.26-27, 2017 in Baku, a diplomatic source told Trend.

Earlier, it was reported that the meeting will be held Dec.14.

The event will focus on cooperation in energy, transportation, as well as a number of regional transportation projects.



Earlier, Malena Mard, head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, told reporters in Baku that she is confident of achieving concrete results in various fields at the meeting of the energy subcommittee.



Currently, bilateral relations between the EU and Azerbaijan are regulated on the basis of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (1996), which came into force in 1999.



The new agreement envisages bringing Azerbaijan's legislation and procedures closer to the most important international and trade standards of the EU. This process is meant to improve the access of Azerbaijani products to the EU markets.
Here's the latest on Bill Cosby's latest court appearance in his sexual assault case (all times local):

12:15 p.m.

Bill Cosby's lawyers say prosecutors are trying the 79-year-old comedian for an alleged 2004 sexual assault only so that "a bandwagon" of women can vindicate old claims that he drugged and assaulted them.

Lawyer Brian McMonagle asked a judge Wednesday to prevent prosecutors from calling 13 of Cosby's other accusers as witnesses at next year's trial. He says uncertainty about where and when some of the encounters occurred made them impossible to rebut.

Prosecutors say the women will show that a sexual encounter at Cosby's suburban Philadelphia home was part of a signature criminal pattern.

McMonagle argued that the women went public at the urging of "clever, cunning lawyers who had the agenda of bringing down an American icon."

___

10:45 a.m.

A prosecutor is arguing that 13 women who accuse Bill Cosby of sexual assault should be allowed to testify at his upcoming trial because their stories are so similar that they show the "handiwork of the same perpetrator."

The 79-year-old comedian is in court near Philadelphia for a second day of pretrial arguments on the key question of how many accusers can testify to bolster the prosecution case.

Cosby faces charges over a 2004 encounter at his home. Prosecutors say Cosby drugged and molested her in a manner strikingly similar to his encounters with 13 other women they hope to call.

The defense says the accusers' decades-old memories are hazy and unreliable. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele told the judge that Cosby shouldn't be rewarded for incapacitating his victims.

___

10:15 a.m.

Bill Cosby is back in court for a second day of a crucial pretrial hearing in his Pennsylvania sexual assault case.

The 79-year-old entertainer returned to court Wednesday. He is facing charges from a 2004 encounter with a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home.

Prosecutors are asking a judge to permit testimony from 13 other women who also accuse Cosby of sexual assault. Prosecutors want to show that Cosby had a history of drugging and molesting women.

Cosby's lawyers say the women should be barred from taking the stand at his spring trial. They're expected to attack the accusers' credibility at Wednesday's hearing.

___

12:15 a.m.

Bill Cosby's lawyers say the 79-year-old actor has vision and memory problems that leave him unable to help defend himself in his upcoming sexual assault trial.

But the actor seemed mentally fit on Tuesday in a suburban Philadelphia courtroom as he shouted out answers to questions meant for the prosecutor.

Prosecutors were trying to recall where one alleged assault took place, when Cosby helpfully announced that the hotel was in Chicago.

At another point, Cosby told the judge, who was trying to figure out his age, that he was born in 1937. On July 12th.

The judge at this week's pretrial hearing must decide if other accusers can testify that they were drugged and molested in the same way as trial accuser Andrea Constand.

The hearing resumes Wednesday.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Anakhanum Hidayatova  Trend:

The hostilities on the line of contact between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in April 2016 resulted in many casualties and demonstrated that there can be no military solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, James Warlick, US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, told Trend Dec. 14.

Warlick said that since then, the ceasefire has generally been respected by the sides and there are proposals on the table that can lead to a settlement.

In 2016, we have seen a renewed effort to make progress in negotiations, particularly at the summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg, and we hope the sides will engage constructively to find a way forward, Warlick said.

I wish I could see into the crystal ball, the diplomat said regarding further developments on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement during the presidency of Donald Trump.

I have no doubt, however, that the U.S. government will remain committed to a peaceful settlement through the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, he said.

In view of my decision to step down on December 31, an interim Co-Chair will be announced in the near future, he 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.
A fire that damaged an academic building at Missouri University of Science and Technology last week was accidental. Fire investigators believe it started near a circuit junction box that powered an electric motor attached to the cooling station.

The fire started about 12:40 p.m. on Dec. 8 in Emerson Hall, which houses classrooms, offices and laboratories for the Electrical Engineering Department. Firefighters took a couple of hours to put out the fire. Emerson Hall is not being used because of fire, water and smoke damage. Final exams scheduled in the building were moved to other buildings.

Investigators from the State Fire Marshals Office and an insurance

company worked together to determine the cause. Rolla Fire Chief Ron Smith says the investigation is closed.
The Missouri Department of Transportation wants the public's help in identifying bridges built before 1945 that are associated with historical events or people who were important to a community. It's part of a review of about 1,550 bridges and culverts.

MoDOT is developing a programmatic agreement for common concrete and steel bridges constructed before 1945. It wants to streamline the review process for bridges under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which requires agencies to take into account the effects of their undertakings on historic properties.

You can

to view photographs of the bridges being studied as well as basic engineering information about each bridge, including its age. An on-line comment form can be completed for bridges identified by the public with space to submit reasons why the bridge is locally important.

Public input is requested by February 15, 2017. The history and engineering of bridges identified will be studied and recommendations will be made about whether each bridge is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The public will be able to see the results of the study on the website.

The programmatic agreement will study more than 700 common concrete slab and beam bridges, steel girder bridges and 850 culverts. For National Register-eligible bridges that may be removed by a future project, preservation options and mitigation measures will be identified.

For more information on the Pre-1945 Common Bridge Programmatic Agreement, you can contact Karen Daniels, a senior historic preservation specialist, at karen.daniels@modot.mo.gov or by telephone at (573) 526-7346.
City police spent a few hours on Tuesday at a home on Kansas Expressway near Nichols Street after someone smelled something that suggested a methamphetamine lab might be inside. The caller also thought people might have been in the home without authorization.

The home was at 823 N. Kansas. A Springfield Police Department spokeswoman says someone went there shortly after noon to clean the house after renters had been evicted. The caller thought people were inside and smelled an overpowering odor.

Several police officers, including narcotics officers, went to the home. For a time, they thought they had a standoff on their hands. A Springfield fire engine and crew stood by near the scene in case they were needed.

Officers entered the home after 4 p.m., according to the police department spokeswoman. They found neither people nor meth lab components in the home. The chemical odor baffled them and police continue to investigate.
The Gambian ambassador to the US, Sheikh Omar Faye, is the latest to jump from the sinking Jammeh ship calling on him to step down.

In a letter addressed to the brutal despot in Banjul, Mr Faye enunciated that the recent announcement annulling the results after initial concession had come as a huge disappointment to him.

He then added:  I am supporting the will of Gambian people by recognizing Mr Adama Barrow as the president elect of The Gambia out of my personal decision and desire to safeguard the peace and social cohesion of our beloved country.

The Gambias chief diplomat in Washington maintained that he did not discuss his decision with any member of the coalition, noting that it was indicted purely by national rather than personal interest.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Germanys defence minister has sparked fury in Saudi Arabia after she willingly refused to wear a hijab during an official visit to the Kingdom.

Ursula von der Leyen and her entourage did not wear the hijab head coverings or the full length Abaya garment during her visit, despite adamantly claiming that she respected the countrys customs and traditions.

According to an Iranian newspaper, Von der Leyen said: No woman in my delegation will be required to wear the abaya, as the right to choose ones attire is a right shared by men and women equally.

Shortly after her meeting with the Deputy Crown Prince Mohnammed bin Salman al Saud, Saudis took to twitter to express their disdain for her actions.



One translated tweet said: The German Defence Minister: not wearing the hijab in Saudi was deliberate. This is an insult to Saudi Arabia!

A similar angry reaction on twitter occurred after First Lady Michelle Obama did not wear a hijab last year.

Der Leyen wore a dark blue suit while donning the traditional ghutrah head covering.

Michael Ohnmacht, a German Embassy official, quickly tried to change the focus on the debate.

He said: The talks between Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed and the German minister focused on ways and means to beef up Saudi German cooperation in different areas, including high-level exchanges, personally education and training, defence, mutual visits and security affairs.

Her disrespect towards the Arabian Gulf state comes days after Angela Merkel, Germanys Chancellor, called for a ban on the burqa in Germany.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

Trend:

The ninth meeting of the Azerbaijan-Turkey military high-level dialogue is being held in Ankara, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told Trend Dec. 14.

The joint actions for 2017 will be coordinated during the meeting, the ministry said.

A wide range of issues on the current state and prospects of developing military cooperation, security issues in the region, strengthening of friendly relations between the armed forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey will be also discussed during the meeting, the ministry said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent congratulatory letters to the presidents-elect of Austria and Switzerland.

I hope we will make efforts to further contribute to strengthening Azerbaijan-Austria friendship and cooperation and deepening our relations in all areas, said President Aliyev in his message to President-elect of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen.

We attach great importance to development of relations between Azerbaijan and Switzerland. I hope that we will make joint efforts to expand the ties of friendship and cooperation and expand relations between our countries, noted the Azerbaijani president in his congratulatory message to Swiss President-elect Doris Leuthard.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

Trend:

Azerbaijan has imposed a temporary restriction on import of poultry products from several regions of Russia, the State Veterinary Control Service under Azerbaijans Ministry of Agriculture said in a message Dec. 14.

A corresponding order on this was signed in connection with the information spread by the World Organization for Animal Health on Nov. 24 and Dec. 9 that highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5) is spread among poultry in two settlements of Yashaltinsky district of the Republic of Kalmykia and in one settlement of Kharabalinsky district of the Astrakhan province of the Russian Federation.
Historic ties of north Meck span throughout region Though the north Mecklenburg area didnt see significant population growth until a few decades ago, its rich history dates back to the Revolutionary War. That was the basis of...

An easier-than-expected first mammogram experience HUNTERSVILLE  Scheduling a cancer screening probably ranks somewhere on your to-do list between "clean out the garage" and "donate those clothes that don't fit." Sure, you'll get to it at...
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

The importance of Southern Gas Corridor project, initiated by Azerbaijan and initially envisaging the Caspian gas supplies to Europe today is not realized only by people who are not well-informed and have no interest in the issue.

The significance of the project has been recently stressed as part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus visit to Baku.

In his statement for the press, Netanyahu openly pointed to the possibility of using the Southern Gas Corridor for Israeli gas export to Europe as well.

"We are talking about Israeli gas supply via a large pipeline from Azerbaijan to Turkey, which is being constructed, Netanyahu added. Of course, this direction can strengthen the economy of both countries. I think that it will become an even more important merit. Energy is just one of the areas, in which we closely work."

Why is it so important? While working on several different segments of the project in different countries, Azerbaijan is constructing vast and efficient infrastructure to provide Europe with gas and not only with its own.

The project is being implemented in such a way that it will be possible to supply gas from Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Cyprus via a system of pipelines and shunt pipes. And Israel also voiced its particular interest in this project.

How is this possible? Israel can export the gas produced by it to Europe through the Turkish segment of the Southern Gas Corridor project via the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP). Israel has huge reserves of gas and in the future, this figure could reach 2.5 trillion cubic meters. Israeli gas through the gas pipeline system will go to TANAP, and from there to TAP (Trans Adriatic Pipeline), and then delivered to customers.

Netanyahu himself said in 2013 that Israel intends to supply 40 percent of natural gas to the world market from fields being commissioned on the shelf of the Mediterranean Sea. However, Israel still needs to build the infrastructure in the form of a pipeline to Turkey.

Will TANAP have the necessary capacity? Within the first stage of the TANAP project, the pipeline will pump 16 billion cubic meters of gas annually. However, the project is being constructed in such a way that it will be possible to double its capacities in the future. TANAPs capacity may reach 31 billion cubic meters of gas and TAPs capacity may amount to 20 billion cubic meters of gas, which solves the capacity problem.

Israel has long been intensively seeking ways to export its gas to Europe, which agreed to buy Israeli gas within the framework of diversification of the supply sources.

Thus, the Southern Gas Corridor project has once again demonstrated its importance for a large number of countries and entire regions.
The price of LITRO gas cylinders would be further reduced in the first week of November in accordance with the

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The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:

Commercial production of Euro-5 fuel has been launched in Western Kazakhstan, Development Bank of Kazakhstan, which finance the project, reported.

The refining facility worth over 26 billion tenge (330.24 tenge = $1) has a capacity of more than 200,000 tons of gasoline per year and will help cover the needs of the western regions of Kazakhstan in qualitatively high-octane gasoline. Moreover some oil products such as gas oil and tar will be exported.

By the end of the year, the Condensate Company, which implements the project, plans to launch a vacuum distillation section, which will allow to increase the share of light oil products output to 90 percent.

The total cost of the refinery is 56.5 billion tenge. The Development Bank of Kazakhstan has provided 70 percent of the required funding for 11 years.

In 2017 Condensate company plans to produce 487,301 tons of oil products, including 139,517 tons of AI-92 gasoline, 26,836 tons of AI-95 gasoline, 23,224 tons of diesel fuel, 157,115 tons of straight-run fraction gas oil, 68,443 tons of vacuum gas oil, 16,076 tons of tar and 14,591 tons of fuel oil.

The design capacity of Euro-5 high-octane gasoline production will hit 200,000 tons per year including 114,000 tons of A-92, 86,000 tons of AI-95.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
PRESS RELEASE

Ex-FBI Agent Highlights Why Saudis Fear JASTA

Dec. 13, 2016 (EIRNS)On yesterday's RT broadcaster evening news show "Watching the Hawks," Sean Stone interviewed former FBI agent Mark Rossini, who was assigned to the CIAs Bin Laden Task Force ("Alec Station") prior to the 9/11 attacks. Rossini explained precisely why the Saudis and elements of the U.S. Government are terrified of the implications of JASTA.

Rossini and another FBI agent, Doug Miller, were blocked from alerting the FBI to the arrival in the United States of two of the key hijackers, Al-Mihdhar and Al-Hazmi, who came to Los Angeles directly from the planning meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the 9/11 plan was activated. FBI agent Miller, according to Rossini, wrote a memo about the pending arrival of the two known terrorists, but the memo was blocked from being passed to the FBI by the deputy chief of the Alec Station. Rossini insisted that, had the information been passed along to the FBI, the two terrorists would have been either arrested on their arrival at Los Angeles International Airport, or they would have been placed under round-the-clock surveillance to sweep up the larger network. In either case, Rossini told Stone, 9/11 would have been prevented.

Rossini emphasized that the Joint Congressional Inquiry and the 9/11 Commission both failed to pursue the question of why the Doug Miller memo was suppressed. Rossini told Stone that he suspects that the Saudis and the CIA may have hoped to recruit the terrorists as informants, but whatever the motive, a full law suit before a Federal Judge, with full discovery, now made possible by the passage of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), will, for the first time, open that question up. Rossini suggested that a law suit, brought under JASTAs allowing of the Saudi government and Royals to be sued, could include the U.S. Government as co-defendants. He suggested that every Central Intelligence Report filed from 1999 onward, asking for FBI surveillance and investigative support, could be subpoenaed and would add further significance to the failure to allow the FBI to be alerted to Al-Mihdhar and Al-Hazmis arrival.

Rossini suggested that the Saudis would have been gravely damaged by the timely unearthing of what came to be the San Diego 9/11 cell, and the US has a policy of defending Saudi Arabia and Israel at all costs as the cornerstone of U.S. regional policy.
PRESS RELEASE

Schellnhuber Presents Decarbonization for Germanys G20 Agenda; Merkel Government Make Fools of Themselves

Dec. 13, 2016 (EIRNS)The rabid genocidalist John Schellnhuber has been placed in a position to plan the German policies at the G-20 meeting scheduled for Hamburg in July. Barbara Hendricks, German Environment Minister, and Johanna Wanka, Science and Technology Minister, teamed up with Schellnhuber and Dirk Messner of the WBGU (scientific advisory council for global environmental change) at a press conference in Berlin on Dec. 13. Building on the "successes" of the Paris climate-change conference agreement of 2015 and the UNs 2030 agenda for "sustainable development goals" (read: zero growth), the German government, which has assumed the 2017 presidency of the G20, think they can now "decarbonize" the G20 country economies by 2050, under the guise of saving the planet from overheating from carbon emissions created by mans burning fossil fuels (read: zero population growth).

This "great transformation" has to be initiated immediately, the trio said, because the "carbon dioxide budget" of Earths atmosphere will be used up in less than 20 years. There is "no doubt," Schellnhuber said, that man was tweaking the climate. Therefore the production of automobiles that use fossil fuel engines has to be stopped by 2030, and human meat consumption has to be limited to one day per week!

In order to force this monstrosity, Germanys public funds would have to be heavily invested. The problem is, the panel agreed, that many people had "lost their love for globalization." Therefore, we would have to make a new offer to the people, or in the words of Messner, "create a new, more modern narrative": it would have to be advertised as a jobs engine, a project of modernization, stability, justice and peace.

"You cannot negotiate with the laws of nature," said Schellnhuber. "If we do not transform voluntarily, we will be transformed."

The ministerial representatives uttered not even a little resistance. The execution of the decarbonization will be a high priority on their policy agendas. Hendricks said we would exit coal, oil, and fossil gas. Schellnhuber wants to make saving humanity in the name of the climate a mandatory law. This brave new world scheme has to be fully swallowed and embraced by the G20. Messner said he has already had talks with the G20 sherpas recently. A new WBGU "special report" called "Development and Justice by Transformation" were handed out to journalists, who had not a single critical question to raise.

Schellnhuber, who was personally made a Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth in 2004, played a major role in attempting to get developing countries to forgo developmentand cut their populationsto "stop global warming " at the UN Copenhagen climate conference in December 2009; and after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, convinced Angela Merkel to shut down Germanys nuclear power, as part of his "decarbonization" mania.
PRESS RELEASE

Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity on U.S. Election: All Signs Point to Leaking, Not Traceable Hacking

Dec. 13, 2016 (EIRNS)The claims of the CIA and others who charge that Russian President Putin and others "hacked" the U.S. election with the goal of defeating Hillary Clinton are "evidence-free," the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) show in a Memorandum released today.

It states:

"We draw on decades of senior-level experience with emphasis on cyber-intelligence and securityto cut through uninformed, largely partisan fog. "We have gone through the various claims about hacking. For us, it is childs play to dismiss them. The email disclosures in question are the result of a leak, not a hack. Here is the difference between leaking and hacking: "Leak When someone physically takes data out of an organization and gives it to some other person or organization, as Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning did. "Hack When someone in a remote location electronically penetrates operating systems, firewalls, or any other cyber-protection system and then extracts date. "All signs point to leaking, not hacking. If hacking were involved, the National Security Agency would know itand know both the sender and the recipient. "In short, leaking requires physically removing dataon a thumb drive, for examplethe only way such data can be copied and removed, with no electronic trace of what has left the server via a physical storage device."

When hacking is involved, "the NSA is able to identify both the sender and the recipient involved." Because of the Snowden releases, the VIPS

"can provide a full picture of NSAs extensive domestic data-collection network... which include at least 30 companies in the U.S. operating the fiber networks that carry Public Switched Telephone Network as well as the World Wide Web. This gives NSA unparalleled access to data flowing within the U.S. and data going out to the rest of the world, as well as data transiting the U.S." "In other words, any data that is passed from the servers of the Democratic National Committee or of Hillary Rodham Clintonor any other server in the U.S.is collected by the NSA. These data transfers are broken down into smaller segments called packets, which enable the transfer to be traced and followed through the network...." "All the packets that form a message are assigned an identifying number that enables the receiving end to collect them for reassembly. Moreover, each packet carries the originator and ultimate receiver internet protocol number (either IPV4 or IPV6) that enables the network to route data. When these email packets leave the U.S. the other Five Eyes countries (the U.K,., Canada, Australia and New Zealand) and the seven or eight other countries participating with the U.S. in the bulk-collection of everything on the planet would also have a record of where the email packets went after leaving the U.S. "These collection resources are extensive; they include hundreds of trace route programs that trace the path of packets going across the network and tens of thousands of hardware and software implants in switches and servers that manage the network. "The bottom line is that the NSA would know where and how any hacked emails from the DNC, HRC or any other servers were routed through the network."

The VIPS point out that the statements of the anonymous intelligence agency spokesmen are "equivocating"they say things like "our best guess" or "our opinion," etc. that show that the emails alleged to have been "hacked" cannot be traced across the network. Given the NSAs extensive trace capability, we conclude that the DNC and HRC servers ... were not hacked. The evidence that should be there is absent; otherwise, it would surely be brought forward, since this could be done without any danger to sources and methods. Thus, we conclude that the emails were leaked by an insideras was the case with Edward Snowden or Chelsea Manning. Such an insider could be anyone in a government department with access to NSA databases, or perhaps someone within the DNC."

The VIPS point out that media statements about what the CIA believes are misleading because "the CIA is almost totally dependent on the NSA for ground truth in the communications area. ... It beggars belief that the NSA would be unable to indentify anyoneRussian or notattempting to interfere in a U.S. election by hacking."

For the Steering Group, VIPS
Charles Dickens tale of a holiday change of heart has endured as a Christmas classic for more than 200 years. Now, its getting a fresh translation  into emoji.

Hold your bah, humbug. Kristina Semenova, the woman doing the translating, is turning books like A Christmas Carol into puzzles for kids to solve and enjoy through her company, Vaikon.

The books are rebuses: They combine normally written words with emojis that substitute for words or parts of words. So the classic opening paragraph that opens with, Marley was dead: to begin with becomes this:

Advertisement

One emoji can serve many purposes: The same symbol could indicate different nouns, verbs or adjectives, depending on the context. For instance, the trophy emoji () could stand in for the words win, prize, success, glory, or trophy.

She says she got the idea from seeing how emoji use has grown and evolved in past few years. It reminded her of reading childrens magazines when she was young: Stories that used symbols in place of words to help guide and engage newer readers. Shes a member of the Unicode Consortium, which approves and encodes emojis and other symbols so that they can be read on computers.

When she started translating the books, she only used existing emojis. She quickly realized that the emoji library, while vast, lacks some words, particularly ones that indicate thought, memory, trust and imagination. So the books use traditional emojis as well as more than 600 new symbols Semenova designed for the books.

A Christmas Carol, Alices Adventures in Wonderland, The Call of the Wild, Around the World in Eighty Days and Black Beauty are all available in emoji translations for $2.99 to $3.99. Two free stories by Hans Christian Andersen, The Elderbush and The Old House, were released Wednesday.

In addition to the standard emoji versions, there are also versions where the face emojis are cats, candy and superheroes.

At the back of each book, a rebus dictionary offers a translation for each emoji and its meaning. As of right now, there are almost 1,100 symbols with 9,600 different meanings.

The emoji translations are envisioned as a way to get newer readers more involved with what theyre reading, as well as a way for adults to enjoy their favorite classics in a new way. As of right now, the books are available as digital downloads on the Vaikon website as well as Teachers Pay Teachers and as Kindle books on Amazon. Semenova says theyre best read on tablets, but work on e-readers and phones as well.

In the next year, she hopes to adapt more fairy tales into emoji, as well as three new full-length books: Treasure Island, Robin Hood and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

Standard & Poors (S&P) Global Ratings affirmed its BB corporate credit rating on the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR).

The outlook remains negative, said the S&P Dec. 14.

SOCAR has a critical role in Azerbaijans most strategic energy sector, and the company is one of the countrys largest taxpayers and employers, according to S&P experts.

According to S&P, SOCAR needs big capital investments for several projects, including the expansion of the countrys Shah Deniz gas field, construction of pipelines in order to bring new gas volumes to the markets of Turkey and Southern Europe, as well as investments in Turkey.

Historically, the government has provided equity financing and loans from state-owned banks to SOCAR. We expect the government will continue ongoing support for SOCARs capex, notably on Shah Deniz-2, which is strategic for the country, said the S&P.

A contract for development of the Shah Deniz offshore field was signed on June 4, 1996.

The fields reserve is estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas.

As part of the Shah Deniz-2, annual gas output will reach 16 billion cubic meters. The second phase of Shah Deniz fields development is estimated to cost $25 billion. As part of the project, the first gas is planned to be obtained in 2018 that will be the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor.

Gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets through the expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline and construction of the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
Whoever said Everythings bigger in Texas clearly never ate in Las Vegas. The city boasts several decadent dishes that could easily be shared but are typically meant for just one person. Next time youre starving in Sin City, try curing your hunger pangs with one of these gluttonous creations.

Breakfast

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, why not start off your morning with something thats both flavorful and filling? Hash House A Go Go, with five Las Vegas locations, including inside the Linq Hotel & Casino, inside Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and downtown at Plaza Hotel & Casino, is a popular breakfast spot with tourists, locals and celebrities alike thanks to its oversized portions of twisted farm food. In fact, Andys Sage Fried Chicken Benedict ($18)  fresh spinach, hardwood smoked bacon, market tomato, griddled mozzarella, chipotle cream and scrambled eggs served on a fresh split biscuit with a side of griddled mashed potatoes  is a favorite of Man v. Food host Adam Richman.

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For something thats a bit more Vegas-y, head over to Mr. Luckys Cafe inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for The King Pancakes ($23.99). A scrumptious spin on Elvis Presleys favorite sandwich, the delicious dish consists of a tower of 14 banana and bacon pancakes topped with Nutella, whipped cream and powdered sugar and served with a side of sliced strawberries and syrup.

Lunch/dinner

While there are plenty of filling favorites visitors can dig in to for lunch and dinner (did someone say Tomahawk steak?), some mouthwatering menu items are so massive they have their own eating challenge!

At PBR Rock Bar & Grill inside Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, guests can sign up for the PBR Challenge to see if they can finish a 2-pound beef burger topped with a half-pound of cheddar cheese and a half-pound of chili served on a giant bun garnished with four fried pickles, along with a pound of French fries and a 24-ounce milkshake, within 30 minutes or less. Those who succeed not only receive the $48 meal for free but also $50 in PBR bucks and a T-shirt.

Rockhouse inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian and the Palazzo has a similar eating contest: its Rock Out with Your Guac Out Challenge. Guests who finish its 4-pound steak burrito loaded with carne asada, pico de gallo, sauteed onions, green chilies, cheddar cheese, fries and lettuce and wrapped in three 12-inch flour tortillas topped with sour cream and guacamole in 20 minutes or less receive the succulent $45 burrito for free, $50 in Rockhouse bucks and a T-shirt.

For those not up to an individual eating challenge, Beer Park at Paris Las Vegas has a 5-pound sausage eating contest that contestants can either brave by themselves and have an hour to complete or pair up to conquer in 30 minutes or less. The savory sausage is served on a pretzel bun and brought out by waitresses on tricycles, who outfit competitors with fun capes to wear during the challenge. Those who succeed will save themselves the cost of the sausage ($50) plus receive a free T-shirt and complimentary Budweiser for the remainder of the day.

Dessert

When its time for dessert, head on over to RM seafood inside the Shoppes at Mandalay Place for Ricks Tasting Game ($18). Guests are given 16 flavors of ice cream and sorbet, like Guinness and raspberry mint, and must try to correctly guess each flavor. Its the citys coolest eating challenge!

 Heather Wadowski-Turk, L.A. Times Content Solutions
The eclectic collection of bars, restaurants and shops on L.A.s hipster street Abbot Kinney serves as the inspiration for Chef Shawn McClains third Las Vegas opening, Libertine Social in Mandalay Bay.

After two successful ventures at Aria  including the fine-dining Sage, which opened in 2009, and pizzeria Five50, which debuted in 2013  McClain arrives at Mandalay Bay with a free-spirited culinary adventure, where the star is a fictitious character named Kyle from whom the story of Libertine Social unfolds. What would Kyle eat and drink? How does he play? Whats in his record collection? Who are his friends?

McClain and mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim (the duo met on Iron Chef; they won), along with interior designer Alessandro Munge, sculpt the ultimate night out in Kyles domain. Eating, drinking and revelry unfold throughout the diverse space made up of five experiences: the Voyeur lounge, the chefs table, the outdoor patio, the main dining room and the Arcade Bar.

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Heres how to dive into Libertine Social.

First order of business: Stop for a selfie. Street artist Alex Diaz transformed the existing exterior of the restaurant with a stunning large-scale mural of a jackalope  the mythical figure is the mascot of Libertine Social.

Kick off the night at the Arcade Bar with its own craft cocktail menu, illustrated by artist Fab Ciraolo. It [has] Tonys signature cocktails and a barman whos spending a few extra minutes on every drink, McClain said. The menu is divided into Cocktails, Daises and Fixes, Cobblers and Cups, Juleps and Smashes, and Punches.

We really looked at Mandalay Bay as a property and tried to complement their portfolio, but also have some great points of difference, McClain said. Beverage became a rising part of that. It was important to bring in a craftsman [like] Tony. We really wanted it to play to a diverse crowd in both food and drink. We wanted a place where people could define their own experience.

After warming up with some cocktails, choose where you want to eat. Dinner is served in all locations, so the choice is really based on mood.

After making all the tough calls, the easiest part of the night might be the ordering. The only guidelines are to have as much fun eating as McClain had creating. Start with parmesan churros and ahi tuna cones, and then transition into grilled and chilled prawns with horseradish emulsion and heirloom tomato  a play on Las Vegas legendary shrimp cocktail. While an entire meal can be made of the small plates, the whole fried Petaluma chicken is some of the best in Vegas and the branzino earns rave reviews from even the most discerning diners.

We felt that, in the market, there was a bar/lounge option and a dinner option. We felt [the] in-between encompassed a really big field for us to play in, McClain said. If its a group of six from a convention and they want to come in and have a cocktail and great bites ... or, if its a couple of people who want to experience [the] culinary [side] of what we do, I feel the menu expresses a wide range.

So the question begs to be asked: What does Kyle have to say about all this?

My wife asks if [he] is a real person, McClain said. If I was [Kyle], what would I like? The Libertine spirit is a little bit left of center, so we want people to let loose and explore. Whether its the art or progressive music, it will take you in some unexpected directions sometimes. The food is always based in reality, based on great products. [But lets] explore fun ways to be creative with food. We dont want it to be too complicated, but it has to be visually fun and stimulating.

 Jae Alexander, LA Times Custom Publishing
In October, fans of Chef Masaharu Morimoto had the opportunity to experience his newest restaurant concept Morimoto in Las Vegas. Morimotos MGM Grand Location includes a diverse set of experiences from fine dining teppan to sushi and more. The restaurant even boasts a glass encaced Kobe Room.

Morimoto spoke to the Vegas Guide via email about his newest venture.

Please explain a little about your new restaurant concept. What can diners expect to experience?

The basic concept is the same with my other locations but the local culture is reflected in the restaurants ambience, menu and overall vibe. Morimoto Las Vegas has my first Teppan table and the menu is filled with creativity. Please try it. My team is going to give everything it has to compete with the energy of Las Vegas.

For longtime fans of your cuisine, will there be any favorites featured on the menu?

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I consider our sushi the best in Las Vegas. We care deeply about the quality of fish we receive. We also polish our rice in-house every day, so well have the freshest and tastiest rice to match the highest quality of fish. Morimoto Las Vegas also features more meat compared to my other restaurants, so I recommend that our guests try some of the meat dishes as well.

From where did you draw your inspiration for this menu and restaurant design?

I dont say much about restaurant designs  I like to leave that to the experts  but I did request a powerful architectural style that is inspired by Japanese shrines and temples.

What are some key design features within the restaurant?

Design elements that are inspired by shrines and temples in Kyoto, Nara and Kamakura.

What is the best response youve received from someone who has eaten your food for the first time?

When guests say Ill be back and are satisfied not only with the food but with the whole experience as a result of our successful teamwork. That is hard to beat!

 Lesley Nickus, LA Times Custom Publishing
For half a decade, U.S. Atty. Debra Wong Yang was the last person corporations would want to hear from if they were operating at the edge of the law.

Now, shes the first person they might call to defend that kind of accusation, as top crisis manager for one of the premiere corporate litigation firms in the country, the Los Angeles-based Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.



For the record: An earlier version of this article stated that Debra Wong Yang was appointed in 2002 to Californias Central District court. She was appointed to the U.S. attorneys office for the Central District of California.

That experience on both sides of the regulatory fence has reportedly vaulted her onto the short list to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission at a time when President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to loosen post-recession financial regulations enacted during the Obama administration.

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Yang, a fourth-generation Angeleno who grew up in Chinatown, would replace Mary Jo White, who oversaw implementation of the landmark Dodd-Frank Act, signed by President Obama in 2010.

The financial reform law has been credited with protecting consumers from predatory lending practices and adding resilience to the banking sector after the 2006 implosion of the mortgage financing market. Critics, including Trump, have said the regulations imposed expensive burdens that have thwarted lending and investment, dampening the economic recovery.

Appointed to Californias sprawling Central District of the U.S. attorneys office in 2002  the first Asian American woman to rise to that federal prosecutor post  Yang quickly demonstrated an appetite for prosecuting corporate fraud, at one point filing more cases than the New York district that includes Wall Street, and winning several billion dollars in settlements.

In 2003, Yang helped obtain guilty pleas, and one of the largest monetary settlements at the time, in the diplomatically sensitive case against French bank Credit Lyonnais, over its attempts to hide foreign ownership of the defunct Executive Life Insurance Co., whose assets had been seized and sold off by the California Department of Insurance.

Yangs office also prosecuted Boeing over alleged improprieties in competition to secure launch contracts worth billions of dollars from NASA and the U.S. Air Force  a case that ended in a $615-million civil and criminal settlement in 2006. That same year, Yangs office secured a $900-million settlement with hospital chain Tenet Healthcare Corp. over alleged unlawful billing practices.

Shes very well respected, said former U.S. Atty. Thomas P. OBrien, a partner at the Paul Hasting law firm who led the criminal division during Yangs tenure, then succeeded her. She has deep experience working with corporate litigation cases. She has led from the bench. She led a massive staff at the U.S. attorneys office  she is a terrific choice for the SEC.

Yang has since specialized in the defense side at Gibson Dunn, where she chairs the firms prestigious crisis management and white collar defense and investigation practice groups.

Yangs teams defended Hewlett-Packard subsidiaries accused of paying bribes for contracts in Russia, Poland and Mexico, reaching separate settlements with $100 million in penalties.

More recently, she helped Uber Technologies survive a serious challenge to its contractor-dependent business model, reaching a $100-million settlement with drivers who argued they should be categorized as employees, entitling them to benefits and reimbursement of expenses.

Yang also was part of a team from Gibson Dunn that investigated whether former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie helped engineer a massive traffic jam in 2013 at the George Washington Bridge, as political retaliation against the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J. The case came to be known as Bridgegate.

The report exonerated Christie, a longtime friend of Yangs from his days as a fellow federal prosecutor.

Gibson Dunns legal bills to the state of New Jersey have topped $8 million, according to published reports.

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During the ensuing trial that eventually led to convictions against two Christie political appointees, U.S. District Court Judge Susan D. Wigenton accused Gibson Dunn of opacity and gamesmanship, calling the firms practice of over-writing interview notes related to the Bridgegate report a clever tactic that had the same effect as shredding documents.

Yang donated $2,700 last year to Christies presidential campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records. She also hosted a $2,700-per-plate fundraiser this year in Los Angeles.

Gibson Dunn donated $10,000 to the Republican Governors Assn. while Christie chaired that group, according to those records. An analysis of contributions by NJ Advance Media suggests that Gibson Dunn employees donated more than $65,000 to Christies presidential campaign in 2015.

Yangs hiring by Gibson Dunn, with a reported bonus of $1.5 million, came just two months before the controversial firing of eight other U.S. attorneys by President George W. Bushs administration, at a time when several of those prosecutors were investigating GOP congressmen.

Yangs office had been investigating powerful House Republican Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) over his dealings with lobbyists and contractors while he was chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Lewis was being defended by Gibson Dunn at the time.

Media reports at the time said Harriet Miers, counsel to President George W. Bush, had asked a Department of Justice official if Yang could be forced to resign.

A spokeswoman for the firm said Yang had distanced herself from the Lewis probe at the time, and her departure was not part of the investigations that found hiring and firing at the Department of Justice had become politicized. She declined further comment.

Yang did not respond to requests for an interview.

In 2009, Yang was tapped to fill the term of a departing Los Angeles Police Commission member. By the time she stepped down in 2012, she had missed a quarter of the panels meetings. She defended her record at the time, saying she limited her participation to selected issues on the commission where I felt like I could most assist LAPD in a unique way based on my background  terrorism matters and risk assessment over ongoing civil suits.

Former Police Commission President Richard Drooyan, an attorney at Scheper, Kim & Harris who also worked with Yang at the U.S. attorneys office, said Yang worked tirelessly while on the commission.

Ive never seen anyone work so hard, Drooyan said. She was stretched pretty thin, traveling all over the world, and at the same time she was raising her daughters by herself.

In 2014, Yang chaired a special committee to investigate charges of sexual misconduct by a former English teacher at the all-girl Marlborough School in Hancock Park, which led to the resignation of its chief administrator, Barbara Wagner.

In an article published by Vanity Fair last year, the attorney for former students at the center of the scandal criticized the investigation for pulling punches, laying blame on Wagner while glossing over any potential responsibility by the board.

A Pitzer College graduate who got her law degree from Boston College, Yang served as a law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Ronald S.W. Lew before she became an assistant U.S. attorney. She was appointed to the bench of the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1997, moving over to the Superior Court three years later, according to her biography on the Gibson Dunn website.

geoffrey.mohan@latimes.com

Follow me: @LATgeoffmohan

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YouTube has blocked North Koreas state television channel, which broadcast news on everything from nuclear tests to Kim Jong Uns outings, to avoid breaching American sanctions against the regime.

The action apparently was taken not because of the content in the channel but because the North Korean regime could earn money from it through advertising.

This account has been terminated for violating YouTubes Community Guidelines, a message on the Korean Central Television channels page reads.

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YouTubes community guidelines ban videos that include violent, sexual or harmful content or that breach copyright. Mountain View, Calif.-based Google, YouTubes parent company, also asks users to flag content that may violate the law.

We dont comment on individual videos or channels, said Taj Meadows, Googles head of communications in Asia, but we do disable accounts that violate our terms of service or community guidelines, and when we are required by law to do so.

Under sanctions imposed in March, the Treasury Department designated North Koreas Propaganda and Agitation Department for sanctions for engaging in censorship on behalf of the North Korean authorities. The measures ban any American company or person from doing business with the department.

Joshua Stanton, a lawyer and proponent of sanctions who writes the One Free Korea blog, said YouTube and Google probably realized there was a problem with money changing hands.

Having reviewed the sanctions in March, they would have said that this is risky, we are potentially in violation, he said. Its good that they have done this, although its a fairly small piece of the picture.

Bruce Klingner, an Asia expert at the Heritage Foundation, said North Korea had other options. The Propaganda and Agitation Department is perfectly free to post the videos without making money on them, or have one of their many supporters do it, he said. Or they could stop censoring free expression inside North Korea.

The channel used to show North Koreas evening news broadcasts and other propaganda programs, and at times featured breaking news. After a January nuclear test, Korean Central Television went live on YouTube, with the announcer declaring that the state had tested a hydrogen bomb, although this was disputed by scientists.

The decision to block the channel has disappointed analysts who used it for insights into one of the most impenetrable of states.

While it provided daily news shows on events the regime wanted shown countrywide, it also helped give context to structures I would normally only see via satellite image, said David Schmerler, a researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

Using this account for image collection, along with other sources, enabled North Korea watchers to build a much fuller sense of how something unfolded, Schmerler said.

This led to a better understanding of an event, even if the North Koreans tried to hide or spin a particular event as being a success when it may not have been, he said.

Although there are other YouTube channels that broadcast North Koreas news bulletins, the affected channel was the fastest and one of the most reliable sources of images. The channels termination also means the archive of videos that analysts pored over has disappeared.

Because the channel has been shut down, its not possible to see how many views the clips had and to use that information to work out how much money the channel was making from ad revenue through YouTube. But analysts said the amount was probably minimal.

Fifield writes for the Washington Post.
When asked a year ago on the campaign trail whether he thought that the United States should create a database of Muslims in the country, Donald Trump said in an interview with NBC News: Oh, I would certainly implement that  absolutely.

On Tuesday, hundreds of members of the technology industry weighed in on whether they would help build such a database. The answer? Absolutely not.

By Wednesday afternoon more than 640 software engineers, designers, business executives and data processing personnel from U.S. firms such as Google, Twitter, Microsoft, Mozilla and Palantir Technologies had signed a pledge choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administrations proposed data collection policies.

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As part of the pledge, the individuals promised, among other things, to:

Refuse to participate in the creation of databases that would allow the government to target individuals based on race, religion or national origin

Advocate within their organizations to minimize data collection that would facilitate ethnic or religious targeting

Responsibly destroy high-risk data sets and backups

Resign from their organization if ordered to build such a database

With the signing of the pledge  reportedly a grass-roots initiative led by engineers at Wave and Slack  the tech industry is drawing battle lines, said Kresta Daly, a civil rights and criminal defense attorney based in Sacramento.

When employers see that their workers are openly unwilling to cooperate, it makes it difficult for a process like that to move forward, she said.

Its unclear whether the incoming government will lean on the tech sector to build such databases, or if it will even make good on its promise to bar Muslims from entering the country.

In the weeks following Trumps victory, the president-elects team backtracked on his earlier statements, saying that he had never advocated for any registry or system that tracks individuals based on their religion. However, Trumps website is still calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States  a proposal that, if implemented, could rely on such a database.

The U.S. government has been known to pressure the technology industry for help  whether it was asking Microsoft to help the National Security Agency circumvent encryption on Outlook.com Web chats or the FBI demanding that Apple help unlock the iPhone of one of the shooters in the San Bernardino terrorist attack (Microsoft complied; Apple refused).

Daly believes that building any such database would need the help of popular social networks, which collect troves of user data. Those signing the pledge hope to hedge against that.

Whether such a pledge will have material effect on the creation of a Muslim database is still unknown, though. The signatories represent only a tiny fraction of the number of people who work for big tech firms (Google alone has nearly 60,000 employees), and most tech executives have stayed mum on the topic.

The only high-profile tech firm to have spoken out against working with the government to surveil its users is Twitter, with its general manager of data and solutions writing on Nov. 22: We prohibit developers from allowing law enforcement  or any other entity  to use Twitter data for surveillance purposes. Period.

Facebook, which initially declined to comment, issued a statement Wednesday saying it had not been asked to build a Muslim registry, and of course we would not do so.

Twitter won kudos from civil rights activists for being the first to speak up on its position, but its outright refusal to work on a Muslim database may have cost the company some standing with the Trump administration. Trump invited tech executives such as Facebooks Sheryl Sandberg, Alphabets Larry Page, Teslas Elon Musk and Microsofts Satya Nadella to join him on Wednesday in New York for a technology summit, but Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey was absent, despite the president-elect being an avid user of the platform.

Politico attributes the snub to Twitters refusal to allow the Trump campaign to disseminate a #CrookedHillary emoji. Republican National Committee communications director Sean Spicer told MSNBC said Twitters omission was because the conference table was only so big. In his conversation with tech leaders, Trump suggested that PayPal co-founder and transition team advisor Peter Thiel helped cull the list of invitees by rejecting firms that were too small.

Pledge signatories are hoping that the noise theyre now making will make keep their company leaders from agreeing to create such a database if the Trump administration requests one.

I believe the indirect effects of this pledge may be even more powerful than the direct effects, Valerie Aurora, a programmer who signed the pledge, said in a blog post on her website. In my experience, tech company executives will pay close attention to any cause powerful enough to get tech workers to pledge solidarity with each other and with the most vulnerable in society.

tracey.lien@latimes.com

Twitter: @traceylien

melissa.etehad@latimes.com

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3:50 p.m. This article was updated with additional details. It was originally published at 1:10 p.m.
Brett Steele, director of the Architectural Assn. School of Architecture in London since 2005, has been named dean of the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh announced the appointment, effective August 2017, on Wednesday morning.

As dean, Steele will take on a wide-ranging portfolio, overseeing UCLAs programs in art, architecture, design and dance as well as the universitys two museums, the Fowler and the Hammer, and its Center for the Art of Performance.

He succeeds David Rousseve, interim dean since July 2015. Rousseve followed Christopher Waterman, who served as dean for 12 years.

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Steele, 58, is an American-born, naturalized British citizen who grew up in Oregon and Idaho. He received his diploma in architecture from the AA and also studied at the University of Oregon and the San Francisco Art Institute.

What got my attention and interested me is the nature of the role at UCLA and the composition of the school, Steele said in a phone interview from London. I think we live in a time when the ability to assemble and invent audiences is as crucial to schools as all of the attention that most of them give to individual artists and performers and architects and designers. Its in my view two sides of the same coin. There are a few very special places in the world where thats built into the DNA and UCLA is simply one of those places.

That is true, he added, in the sense of not just the faculties themselves, which at UCLA are very much oriented toward engagement with the world in different forms, but in the public venues themselves, the Hammer and the Fowler and the Center for the Art of Performance. Thats a really rare quality to find in a school and certainly what attracted my attention -- the ability for the school to leverage that, to become not just a gateway across the university but indeed connecting the university to a larger community in Los Angeles.

Steele joins a school that is taking on some ambitious new projects even as it has been reconstituting itself. Earlier this year UCLA established the Herb Alpert School of Music as an institution separate from the School of the Arts and Architecture, where it had been based since 2007. Under the direction of Ann Philbin, meanwhile, the Hammer is pursuing an expansion and redesign with the L.A. firm Michael Maltzan Architecture. UCLA is working to build graduate art studios in a new Culver City facility designed by architecture firm Johnston Marklee.

Steele also takes over a department of architecture and urban design that is without a permanent chair. Architect Neil Denari, former director of the Southern California Institute of Architecture, is leading the department on an interim basis, following a nine-year stint as chair by Hitoshi Abe.

Steele said there was no rush to name a permanent replacement.

From whats been emphasized to me, yes, the dean is going to have an opportunity to look in broad ways across the whole school, but my first work is going to be getting to know the school well, he said. One doesnt want to parachute in with ideas and plans until one really gets to know all of the talent and ideas and agendas that are driving the place.

Early in Steeles tenure the AA had a reputation as a center for computer-driven parametric design, which is to say a reputation for being interested in form-making and at least to a degree detached from debates about public policy, urban design and social equity. The school offered a prominent platform to Patrik Schumacher, longtime design partner to the late Zaha Hadid, in whose office Steele once worked. Steele and Schumacher together founded the AAs Design Research Laboratory.

Schumacher has not only been a controversial figure in the field, making recent statements about the folly of building public housing that were incendiary enough to draw a repudiation from his own colleagues at Zaha Hadid Architects, but also has defended a form-driven, insular approach to architectural practice that is at odds with the sort of public engagement Steele said Wednesday he wants to emphasize at UCLA.

In recent years the AA has far been less tied to any particular point of view, parametric or otherwise.

Schumacher, Steele said, is one of something like 250 members of our academic staff here, all of whom approach questions of engagement, contemporary politics and the politics of the city in unique ways. Patriks views are Patriks views.

He added, We happen to live in a time when I dont think schools  and I believe this very deeply  can pursue monolithic institutional views about what might be right or wrong in the world today.

Dana Cuff, professor of architecture and urban design at UCLA and a member of the 14-member search committee for new dean, was enthusiastic about the choice, calling Steele the best dean of architecture over the last 10 years in the English-speaking world.

She said that under Steele the AA had examined a range of ways in which technology was transforming architectural practice, and not just in the parametric sense.

Adam Nathaniel Furman, a 2008 graduate of the AA who has taught at the school and now runs a research group there, echoed that view. Brett was 100% a neutral figure fostering debate, he recalled. He gave a platform to a huge diversity of people. Im damn annoyed to lose him to you guys.

Chaired by Patricia A. Turner, dean and vice provost for undergraduate education at UCLA, the search committee also included Catherine Opie, Center for the Art of Performance head Kristy Edmunds and Chon A. Noriega, professor in the universitys department of film, television and digital media.

Los Angeles is undergoing a spectacular moment in the wild ride that is the history of that city, Steele said. Theres the transformation at the street level of increased development costs and the political complications of rapid change, which is part of the larger meta-narrative of most cities today.

At the same time, he said, to sit back and look at Los Angeles specifically, one of its most striking features is the way it sits between two very different kinds of east coasts. Its no longer a discussion between the east coast of America and a counterculture, freewheeling west coast, which is frankly where I come from. Los Angeles is now a mediating point between that east coast that we know and whats emerging on the east coast of Asia.

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UPDATES:

10:49 a.m.: This article was updated to include additional quotes from Brett Steele and Dana Cuff.

2:05 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Adam Nathaniel Furman.

This article was originally published at 9:45 a.m.

christopher.hawthorne@latimes.com

Twitter: @HawthorneLAT

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Picture this: A communist Chilean poet who served as a senator and diplomat and later went on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Now picture something else: Communist Chilean Poet: The Movie.

It was certainly not the sort of project Chilean director Pablo Larrain had in mind when his brother and producer, Juan de Dios Larrain, nudged him, roughly a decade ago, to make a film about 20th century literary icon Pablo Neruda.

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Pablo Larrain rolls his eyes recalling the moment. A movie with everybody talking loud and serious, he says with a groan. It could have been that.

Except Larrain isnt the type of director who seems capable of churning out an earnest biopic.

Neruda, which opens in Los Angeles Friday, is funny and ribald  a police caper disguised as a biopic that offers an engaging meditation on one mans commitment to political ideals as well as the very nature of movie-making.

In his films, there is no redemption. He looks at life, at his characters, without judgment.  Alfredo Castro, actor

In the lead, a limber Gael Garcia Bernal channels his finest film noir police inspector, chasing down the poet, who is on the lam amid a communist crackdown.

Ive told people that if you are seeing this film to get to know Neruda, then you may have a problem, says Chilean actor Luis Gnecco, who plays the title role. Its a film about fiction, how fiction can save you, how fiction can shape things.

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar hailed it as the best movie I have seen this year at the New York Film Festival this fall. On Monday, it was nominated for a Golden Globe in the foreign language film category. (Neruda was shot in Spanish.) Last week, it raked in four prizes at the Fenix Awards in Mexico City, which honors films from Ibero American countries. The picture is also Chiles submission for the foreign language Oscar.

Neruda lands amid a shower of critical acclaim for Larrains other, more high-profile film, Jackie, which also hit theaters this month. It stars Natalie Portman, who received a Golden Globe nomination on Monday for her portrayal of a shell-shocked Jacqueline Kennedy in the days following the presidents assassination.

The back-to-back releases signify that Larrain could become the rare director to have two films in two languages vying for Oscars in February  an impressive feat for an artist who is barely 40 and who, until the release of Jackie, had never made a movie in English. He is doing this with a pair of films that unravel the psyches of two towering historical figures of the 20th century.

Jackie takes an event that is etched into the collective American unconscious and makes it visceral. Neruda transforms an icon of Latin American letters, a poet who is practically a popular saint in Chile, into a flesh-and-blood human being full of frailties and charisma.

If you go in thinking you are trying to make a movie about Pablo Neruda, it can be very frightening, the director says as he fiddles with a cup of tea at a Century City hotel. But once you realize he can never be yours, you can be free. You realize that this is a man, who is sweating, who has desires, who wants to change things and who is in complete and constant crisis.

Director Darren Aronofsky, who served as a producer on Jackie and tapped Larrain to direct the film, first became enthralled by the Chilean filmmakers work after seeing his 2015 feature, El Club, at the Berlinale in Germany.

A brooding film about a remote home inhabited by law-breaking priests, El Club is the dark, Latin American antithesis to Spotlight. Where Spotlight was about the heroics of a team of reporters uncovering the abuses of the Catholic Church, El Club was a devastating parable about preserving the status quo.

Its unfamiliar characters who are, on the surface, so unlikable, yet you are completely sucked into their world and you empathize with them, says Aronofsky of the morally corrupt individuals in El Club. Thats an incredibly difficult thing to pull off.

In the new films, Larrains powers of storytelling remain equally astute.

If you are seeing this film to get to know Neruda, then you may have a problem.  Luis Gnecco, actor

Like Jackie, Neruda does away with the clunky cradle-to-grave biopic format and focuses instead on a key period in the late poets life: A roughly yearlong stretch in the late 1940s when Neruda was forced into hiding after communism was outlawed in Chile. It was an episode so formative that the poet recounted it at length in his Nobel acceptance speech in 1971.

But while Jackie is about contending with the trauma of death, Neruda is about the joy of creation  and of living. It contains impassioned poetic recitations, bohemian revelry and some bawdy visits to a bordello. The film opens with Neruda and a group of fellow parliamentarians engaged in fierce political oratory as they inhale drinks and take whizzes inside the congressional john.

While Larrain is hailed as an important filmmaker in his native country, this warts-and-all portrayal hasnt necessarily endeared him to every sector of the Chilean public.

Everything you could possibly say about the film, its been said, he notes of the critical reaction in Chile. From conspiracy theories to people who are fascinated with the film. It creates many things, but it doesnt create indifference.

Like any overnight success, Larrain has been hard at work for a long time.

The director, slim and sleepy-eyed, first came to international attention in 2008 when his second feature, Tony Manero, which he co-wrote, was screened during the Directors Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

The film tells the story of Raul Peralta (played by Chilean actor Alfredo Castro), a working-class sadsack who is obsessed with John Travoltas character in Saturday Night Fever.

Set in the late 1970s, with the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet as backdrop, the narrative grows increasingly savage as the story plays out. Peraltas obsession comes with a body count. And the repressive forces of the dictatorship, a distant reality at the beginning of the movie, reveal themselves with greater force by the end.

I wanted to express myself with a voice that would leave a stain, says Larrain of the film. If Neruda is like a broken mirror that provides multiple reflections of one man, with this one I wanted to have a dirty mirror. I wanted to look at a mirror that had a very distorted view.

Castro, a veteran stage actor who regularly appears in Larrains films, says the director is drawn to material that deals with impunity, often in narratives that feature ambivalent outcomes.

Chilean society is very Catholic, very much formed by the Christian idea of redemption, Castro says via telephone from Mexico City. Chilean art plays very much with the idea that the prostitute becomes a saint, that the thief becomes a good man.

That is what is so good about Pablo, he adds. In his films, there is no redemption. And he looks at life, at his characters, without judgment.

Larrain has a sympathetic view of the lonely, depraved individuals who often find their way into his work.

I have compassion for my characters, he says. My films are love stories.

Tony Manero was followed by two other movies  part of a trilogy  that also used Chiles dictatorship as a setting in which to explore the lives of individuals in extreme conditions. In Post Mortem, from 2010, a Santiago morgue attendant finds himself in the crosshairs of history when the military stages a coup. No, released two years later, starred Garcia Bernal as an ad executive who works for the opposition during the plebiscite of 1988  a referendum to decide whether Pinochet would remain in office. (He did not.)

No blends historic Chilean television footage from the late-1980s into the narrative of Garcia Bernals invented ad man. Larrain shot the movie using an old U-matic camera so that his film would match the flat texture of 1980s video  making the real and the unreal into one.

He employs a similar device in Jackie, inserting Portman into the black-and-white broadcast recordings of the first ladys 1962 televised tour of the White House.

But his history isnt strictly by the books.

Larrain imagines the human moments that elude the historical record  such as the conversation in the bathroom that opens Neruda. And in Jackie, he envisions the agony of the 6-minute dash that the presidential caravan made to the hospital after John F. Kennedy was shot.

Those 6 minutes have never been expressed in any type of movies, Larrain says. There are no photographs, just a few testimonies. But what happened in that car, those 6 minutes, was a century of life.

In the film, Larrain cuts from the first ladys point of view  speeding into the concrete forms of a nearby freeway underpass  to wider shots that show her cradling her dying husband.

She must think, What is going on here? Where did that bullet come from? Will I talk to him again? Is he dying? he says. And finally, the most pure and essential thing of every human, of I am just so alone. And that aloneness is something we all understand and share.

Larrains productions are often a close-knit affair. His movies are released by his production company, Fabula, which he runs with Juan de Dios. Castro has appeared in all of Larrains films except Jackie. Gnecco is in several key projects.

The actors describe an atmosphere on set of profound trust on  not insignificant, because Larrain is known for asking performers to improvise new ideas.

If you read the shooting script for Neruda and you watch the film, its another story, says Juan de Dios. He changes every movie all the time.

We get together, we read, we get to know the story, says Gnecco. But none of that is definitive. So you learn your scene. But then you get there to the set  and that is when the work begins.

Castro says that the requests are never impulsive. Larrain is simply committed to rounding out a character, enriching a plot, furthering a story.

On one level, the story of Neruda is of a hapless policeman trying to capture a sybaritic poet, but it is also a story of that poet in the process of his own myth-making  a story about a story.

Its an existential western, says Larrain of his creation.

Whatever it is, its never just one thing.

Pablo Larrain, right, with his brother and producer, Juan de Dios Larrain, at the premiere of Jackie in Hollywood. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times )

Neruda

Opens Friday.

MPAA rating: R

Running time: 1 hour, 48 minutes

Playing: Laemmle Royal Theatre, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. West L.A., (310) 478-3836.

Sign up for our weekly Essential Arts & Culture newsletter 

Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.

ALSO

REVIEW: Natalie Portman and director Pablo Larrain team for Jackie, a transporting, transfixing biopic

The Chilean way to pronounce Pablo Larrain and more essential info about the Neruda and Jackie director

Natalie Portman on getting into the mind-set of the widow Kennedy for Jackie
Eleven months ago, a small independent film premiered at a major Park City, Utah, film festival to thunderous applause, rave reviews and standing ovations. Written, produced and directed by Nate Parker, a black man, with a mostly black cast, The Birth of a Nation  a retelling of Nat Turners 1831 slave rebellion  was immediately labeled a front-runner for Hollywoods top prize a whole year in advance, the perfect antidote to #OscarsSoWhite. Months later, however, stories resurfaced about a rape charge filed against Parker while he was a student, for which he was eventually acquitted. Many considered Parkers response far too self-involved and the fast-track expectations for Birth of a Nation came to a screeching halt.

When the film opened in October, it was met with mixed reviews and a $7 million weekend  definitely not what Fox Searchlight was hoping for when it spent $17.5 million to buy the film out of Sundance. It has been ignored at the regional critics awards and absent from most best of 2016 lists.

But all hope of awards season glory was not lost; on Tuesday, The Birth of a Nation got six NAACP Image Award nominations. The day before it was also named the sixth-best film of the year by the African American Film Critics Assn. Though the likelihood of the movie receiving any other honors remains slim, nods from these two groups highlight both the films fall from grace and a long-standing difference of opinion between mainstream Hollywood institutions and those that specifically support and encourage diverse representations on screen.

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While the film may have been viewed as a pariah by the mainstream community, I think [the recognitions] are saying loud and clear that we are going to determine what we find acceptable and not acceptable, said Gil Robertson, AAFCAs president and a member of the NAACPs nominating committee. I am so thrilled that the members voted to have this film recognized.

Births debut at Sundance in January was dubbed magical. Taking home the coveted audience and grand jury awards, it starred the multi-hyphenate Parker as Turner, the real-life slave minister who, inspired by the gospel he taught, led a violent and historic rebellion in Southampton County, Va. In the age of #BlackLivesMatter and the calls for diversity that followed the second year of an all-white slate of Oscar acting nominees, the film featured strong performances from Aja Naomi King, Colman Domingo, Gabrielle Union and Aunjanue Ellis, among others.

When, following an intense bidding war, 20th Century Foxs specialty division Fox Searchlight bought the rights for that record sum, what had just been industry chatter about an awards season contender solidified.

And then, out of the shadows, came renewed attention to a 1999 case in which Parker was accused of sexually assaulting a female student while at Penn State University. Parker was acquitted in 2001 and maintained that the sex was consensual, telling Anderson Cooper in a September 60 Minutes interview, I dont feel guilty. Parkers college roommate, Jean McGianni Celestin, who co-wrote the film, also was accused in the assault. He successfully appealed his conviction. The mens accuser committed suicide in 2012.

News of the womans suicide resurfaced in the wake of Parkers success, and subsequent attention to the case led many to reevaluate their judgment of the film  a move Robertson, as a critic, called embarrassing. Its Oscar prospects began to dim. As one Hollywood insider told The Times on the films opening weekend in October, I think its going to fall off a cliff [in the Oscar race], especially as it looks like its going to lose money for the company that overspent on it to begin with.

The film grossed only $15.8 million, and Fox Searchlight had already begun toning down its hopes for the film, said Frank Rodriguez, the studios senior vice president of domestic distribution, in an Oct. 9 interview. By the time a decision was made to not release Birth of a Nation overseas, its Oscars prospects, and commercial appeal, were completely shattered.

Parkers representatives did not respond to request for comment on the Image Awards nominations, which feel like a moment of saving grace. The Birth of a Nation will compete against Fences, Hidden Figures, Loving and Moonlight for best picture of the year. Its also in the running for best independent film, opposite Lion, Loving, Miles Ahead and Moonlight. Parker, who had placed his acting career on hold after 2014s Beyond the Lights to produce the biopic he started writing in 2009, is nominated for best actor, writer and director. These are signs, Robertson said, that at minimum some people in the black community can separate the art from the artist.

That other communities couldnt seem to separate the two is disturbing, he said.

Get your life! Follow me on Twitter: @TrevellAnderson.
Oil major Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) said President Darren Woods would become chief executive in January after the retirement of Rex Tillerson, who is U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state, Reuters reported.

Exxon said Tillerson, 64, will retire at the end of the year and Woods, 51, would take over as chairman and CEO, effective Jan. 1.

Tillerson got his start as a production engineer at Exxon in 1975 and has worked there ever since, running business units in Yemen, Thailand and Russia before landing the top job in 2006.

He was expected to retire next year, when he turned 65, the company's mandatory retirement age for its CEO.

The retirement date had been advanced due to "the significant requirements associated with the confirmation process," Exxon said.

Trump on Tuesday formally announced Tillerson as his nomination to serve as secretary of state, citing his "tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics."
Filmmaker Steven Spielberg and the USC Shoah Foundation honored filmmaker George Lucas and his investment executive-wife, Mellody Hobson, for their commitment to education, diversity and humanitarian efforts during the Ambassadors for Humanity Gala at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at the Hollywood & Highland center in Hollywood.

Presented by the Walt Disney Co., the Dec. 8 dinner raised $3.5 million for the foundation, also known as the Institute for Visual History and Education.

Gala host James Corden, star of CBS The Late Late Show, came onstage after a welcome by Scandal star Kerry Washington and remarks by Shoah Foundation executive director Stephen D. Smith, USC President C.L. Max Nikias and other guest speakers.

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This is really some heart-wrenching stuff that Im following tonight, said Corden before explaining his mission to tell jokes after hearing about the institutes work to archive testimonies from survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and other global genocides.

Dont worry, Im up to it, Corden said. I had to tell jokes the night after Donald Trump was elected.

He also preceded a stirring musical performance by composer and conductor John Williams and the Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles.

Although the affair presented a somber look at the world today, by the time dessert arrived the night ended on a note of hope. Here are several quotes of note from four of the nights speakers.

Harrison Ford speaks during the Ambassadors for Humanity Gala. (Michael Kovac / Getty Images )

1.) Were living in a world where the definition of freedom will often find its expression in targeting others, said actor Harrison Ford. Freedom is not the right to do what we want, when we want, say what we want. In fact freedom is not a right. Its a personal responsibility, a responsibility to choose what is right and refuse what is wrong.

2.) On taking the podium, Spielberg first thanked the speakers, telling Ford, In friendship, Harrison, youre my biggest hero, and commending Washington for the the way you deftly handle a political crisis on your hit series Scandal, [which] reminds us that being relevant while being entertained is one of the most effective ways to have impact.

He called Corden the smartest man in the room because he figured out a way to monetize something we all do, which is singing in the car, referring to Carpool Karaoke, the late-night shows recurring skit.

Spielberg then explained how the foundation grew out of his Oscar-winning film, Schindlers List, which ended with Oskar Schindler realizing that he could have done more.

This is where we are today, proud of how far weve come, but knowing that we have not come far enough because the world keeps reminding us of that, he said. Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia are again on the rise in America and Europe.  And our politics have become embroiled in discouraging racial rhetoric.

Spielberg then talk about a young Muslim woman who was attacked on a New York subway as others watched and no one came to her aid. Now more than ever, we need to teach the next generation to take a stand and speak their conscience when bigotry is happening right in our faces, because we are part of the solution, because there can be no more bystanders.

3.) For his part, Lucas said his speech would be short, as he hadnt written anything out. Im going to Trump it, said the Star Wars creator, before talking about the importance of education and truth.

Now the truth is being victimized in a way that its going to be very hard for us to get it back, Lucas said. And the only way we can get it back is through education, a good robust education that tells the truth.

4.) Later, Hobson said to the audience, Right now I feel like we are all frozen in a moment. We are all bracing ourselves for a full frontal assault on our freedoms, but added in closing, that despite her sadness she has real hope in the greatness of this country and the goodness of our people.

image@latimes.com
Traveling is an exploration of places, food, beverages and people. But sometimes you want familiar flavors that make you feel at home. Luckily for weekend warriors from Southern California, Las Vegas has become more palate friendly with the addition of bites from across the state line.

If youve never had an Eggslut sandwich, the concept of lining up for one might seem ridiculous. But they are that good. Founded in 2011 by Alvin Cailan, the concept is egg first, transcending breakfast and appealing to all types of eaters. Plus, the name is fun. The Las Vegas location opened in spring at the Cosmopolitan. In addition to its morning and early evening hours, nightlife revelers can rejoice by hitting the Slut post-clubbing with extended weekend hours from midnight to 7 a.m. The menu is well edited with only a few items, but the Fairfax is a dont-miss, with soft scrambled eggs, chives, sharp cheddar, sweet caramelized onions and an addictive slather of Sriracha mayo, all buried in a brioche bun.

The Canters Deli that was inside Treasure Island for a few years flew under most visitors radar. But when the doors swing open at Canters new location at the Linq Promenade in January, the past will be a distant memory  and deli lovers will rejoice. Canters at the Linq Promenade, like the original in Los Angeles Fairfax district, will be known for its 24-hour service, piled-high hot pastrami and that matzo ball soup.

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A large majority of our guests are familiar with the L.A. brands, said Shaun Swanger, vice president and general manager of the Linq Promenade & High Roller. Canters Deli saw the unique blend of tenants [at the Linq] and Gary Canter personally visited the property and picked out their new location. Hes been intimately involved with the decor, layout, menu and the feel of the space.

No newcomer to Las Vegas, In-N-Out, which has been infiltrating the valley over the past decade, will be making its first splash on the Strip in December. The Linq Promenade is a prime location for the legendary golden-state burger joint because of the insane amount of foot traffic  tends of thousands  that passes by daily.

This iconic brand offers a Vegas must-do dining experience that wont be found anywhere else on the Strip, Swanger said. Our vision for [the Linq] is to focus on experiences that are one-of-a-kind, creating an urgency to visit. And while we can all be pretty certain what the marquee will offer, theres always that secret menu to hack. Just Google it.

Dont miss these other L.A. faves in Vegas:

Bruxie

The Park, 3782 Las Vegas Blvd. South, bruxie.com

CPK

The Park, 3786 Las Vegas Blvd. South, cpk.com

Sprinkles Cupcakes

The Linq, 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. South, sprinkles.com

 Jae Alexander, LA Times Custom Publishing
California wants to update its standardized tests in science. But for the second time, federal officials have nixed the states rollout plans.

State officials say that disapproval wont stop them.

Students have been taking the same science tests in California since 1998. The new tests are supposed to be more hands-on.

Theyre in keeping with the Next Generation Science Standards, a set of goals the state recently adopted to focus science learning more on experiments than on listening to teachers give lectures.

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California education officials had planned to administer a pilot test this year to students in grades 5, 8, 10, 11 and 12, and then do a field test the following year before fully switching to the new test the year after that. Field tests and pilot tests are different methods for trying out new tests and fixing their flaws before they count.

The officials requested a waiver from federal testing requirements, in part, so students wouldnt have to take both the pilot tests and the old standardized tests in the same year.

But on Tuesday, Ann Whalen, senior advisor to U.S. Secretary of Education John King Jr., wrote that the waiver had been denied.

It just doesnt make sense, said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, a former high school science teacher. Why force California to spend millions of dollars on an antiquated test that were not teaching to?

California planned to spend the two years trying out the new tests to make sure they accurately reflected student learning and were statistically sound. The plan, Whalen wrote, was not to report those trial scores to schools, parents or taxpayers.

Not seeing such scores was a problem, Whalen wrote. So was that the pilot tests would not measure the full depth and breadth of the states academic content standards.

This is the second time the federal government has denied the states requests to transition to the new science tests. In late September, the government denied a similar request and gave the state 60 days to try again.

That first denial letter offered some suggestions for how the pilot tests could be made to work with regulations, including by shrinking the size of the sample or embedding new test questions within the old tests.

The state submitted a new request. But in the December letter, Whalen said the plan hadnt changed enough. The state has until Dec. 29 to state its case at a hearing with federal officials.

Torlakson said his department is deciding whether or not to do so  but expects to move ahead with its plan.

After all, he said, Washington is about to have a changing of the guard, and the current administration is leaving in a few weeks.

Click here for a Spanish version of this story

You can reach Joy Resmovits on Twitter @Joy_Resmovits and by email at Joy.Resmovits@LATimes.com.

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The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday ordered Santa Monica to halt the evictions of two aviation companies at its municipal airport until the agency can finish an investigation into the citys effort to shut down the facility.

FAA officials issued an interim cease-and-desist order to stop the ouster of Atlantic Aviation and American Flyers, two major providers of aircraft services, including fuel, flight instruction, hangars and amenities for charter operators.

The move to evict the companies is part of the citys strategy to force out aviation tenants, reduce aircraft flights and shut down the oldest operating airport in Los Angeles County by July 2018.

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If the evictions go forward, the city plans to replace Atlantic and American Flyers with its own municipal aviation company and sell bio-fuel for jets and unleaded gas for propeller planes to reduce aircraft emissions. Federal law allows governments that operate airports to provide services themselves instead of relying on private companies.

We are pleased that the FAA has recognized our clients federally protected right to be at the airport.  R. Christopher Harshman, an attorney for American Flyer

The city sent the first notices to evict in mid-September and filed lawsuits against both tenants in November to regain possession of the property.

While we are disappointed but not surprised that the FAA has decided to issue this interim order on the pending evictions of Atlantic and American Flyer, we remain committed to replacing private fixed-based operations with public services, Mayor Tony Vasquez said.

The cease-and-desist order states that Santa Monicas unremitting effort to remove critical aeronautical services and its hostility to the sale of leaded fuel still needed by many aircraft is a clear contravention of law.

The order notes that general aviation aircraft, business jets and turboprop aircraft cannot operate using the fuels approved by the City Council. It further states that the city has no desire to provide all the services offered by the companies, such as flight training.

Under agreements with the federal government, the city must make the airport available for public use and benefit. It cannot discriminate against aircraft types or uses and must make space available for aviation tenants on reasonable terms based on good faith negotiations.

. . . We remain committed to replacing private fixed-based operations with public services.  Santa Monica Mayor, Tony Vasquez

The city has failed to grant any aeronautical leases since 2015 and is alleged to have negotiated in bad faith while seeking onerous and unreasonable terms, according to the cease-and-desist order, which later states that the leasing policy for the airport fails to include aviation.

We are pleased that the FAA has recognized our clients federally protected right to be at the airport, said R. Christopher Harshman, an attorney for American Flyers.

In a separate action, Atlantic Aviation and American Flyers have asked a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge to halt the evictions. A hearing is set for Jan. 3.

Santa Monica officials say they are working in good faith to provide the services and fuel required by federal regulations. They have 30 days to respond to the FAAs cease-and-desist order.

In late September, the FAA opened a wide-ranging investigation to determine whether the citys so-called starvation strategy for the airport violates its federal obligations that date back to the late 1940s.

The 227-acre airport has about 270 aircraft and averages 452 takeoffs and landings per day. Supporters say it is an economic benefit for the region, provides a base of operations for major emergencies and helps relieve crowded airspace at Los Angeles International Airport.

Opponents contend the airport should be closed because of noise pollution, potentially harmful emissions from aircraft engines and the risk of a serious crash in surrounding neighborhoods.

dan.weikel@latimes.com

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Charlotte Coles killer took her life but left everything else behind.

The 50-year-old woman was not sexually assaulted, and the assailant didnt snatch her purse, cash or credit cards.

Found Sept. 1, 2001, in her car behind an Arcadia restaurant, her body had more than 20 stab wounds. Prosecutors said the killer had one goal: death.

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It took investigators more than a decade to build a strong enough case to file a murder charge against her husband, Richard Keith Cole, a community college instructor.

After years of hurdles, a trial was scheduled for early 2017. But the case came to an abrupt halt on Dec. 6 when Richard Cole died at the age of 76. No foul play in his death is suspected.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Suzette Clover dismissed the pending murder charge.

I am very disappointed. I feel very badly that we werent able to get this done, Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lewin told The Times in a telephone interview.

Lewin, a prosecutor specializing in circumstantial evidence, helped revive the investigation into Charlotte Coles death and worked on the case since around 2006.

When you commit a crime like this, your legacy should be that you are branded and designated a killer, Lewin said. It bothers me that a jury was never able to come back with that determination.

From the outset, Richard Cole was considered a person of interest in his wifes death, L.A. County sheriffs Lt. Wes Sutton said in a statement.

But the case grew cold. Arcadia police announced a reward, and then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also offered up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Charlotte Coles killer.

Meanwhile, detectives scoured the prior investigations course and searched Richard Coles home. Lewin said they built a case that was overwhelmingly circumstantial, but strong enough to file a murder charge on Oct. 30, 2012.

The evidence included a stain from inside Richard Coles car, which DNA analysis indicated was a mixture of blood from him and his wife. Yet investigators learned that Charlotte Cole was almost never inside the car, Lewin said.

When police responded to Richard Coles home after the killing, they saw his car race down the road and speed into the driveway, Lewin said. Police forced their way into the home and found him showering  although his two children told authorities he never took showers after returning home.

Other parts of his account didnt add up, prosecutors said. On the day of the killing, he told police he was cleaning the house  but his kids said he rarely did so. He recounted his errands but left a roughly four-hour gap, and later said he was working at Mount San Antonio College.

Yet his daughter found it laughable that her father visited campus over the Labor Day weekend, telling police she had graded his papers in high school. Weekend visits were out of the question.

He didnt care enough about his job to go to school, Lewin added.

Richard Cole also had injuries but told police that scabs on his prior wounds had reopened. However, a nurse who previously treated him said the wounds were new, Lewin said.

The clincher in the investigation was a stroke of luck. One night in 2012, a detective approached a woman at a bar while a football game played on TV.

The detective introduced himself, and the woman informed him she taught at Mount SAC. He asked whether she knew Richard Cole. She did  she had shared an office with him and was traveling abroad around the time of the slaying.

But she revealed an anecdote from another professor that proved pivotal. Around the time Charlotte Cole was killed, a colleague walked into the faculty restroom and spotted the signature shoes and briefcase of Richard Cole.

Not knowing another person was listening, Richard Cole said words to the effect of, You did it. They will never know. You fooled them.

The professor interpreted it as a confession and told at least two others about the incident. Investigators were stunned when they caught wind of the account, more than a decade after the killing, and moved quickly to interview the professor and those who listened to his account.

We had never heard this before, Lewin said of the bathroom eavesdrop. When you add all that stuff up, it was an overwhelming case.

Richard Cole had pleaded not guilty and was released after posting $1 million bail. If convicted, Cole would have faced 26 years to life in state prison.

His attorney, Anthony Robusto, said he was uncertain about how his client died but stated that the case against him was thin and built mostly on circumstantial evidence.

Lewin said he was sorry he could not put Richard Cole on trial and acknowledged conflicting sentiments over the untimely ending of a tedious, years-long effort by Arcadia police and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

The upside: Charlotte Coles two children were spared the burden of giving damaging testimony about their father, Lewin said.

On the other hand, the victims sister pushed this case from the start and really wanted to see justice done, Lewin added. I feel terrible that we werent able to make it happen.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno.

UPDATES:

Dec. 15, 7:55 a.m.: This article was updated throughout with additional details and comments from Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lewin.

This article was originally published at 10:30 p.m. Dec. 14.
An Encino doctor has been charged with sexually assaulting two female patients during exams in his office, authorities said.

Michael Howard Popkin, 67, faces two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery, one felony count of sexual battery by restraint and a felony count of sexual exploitation of a patient by a physician, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court criminal complaint. The incidents occurred between June 2014 and July 2016.

Popkin, who was arrested on Dec. 5 and later released, is expected to be arraigned Dec. 30 in Van Nuys.

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When reached at his office Tuesday afternoon, Popkin told the Los Angeles Times that the allegations are not true.

I am restrained by my attorney to go into details, he said. All I can say is that I have treated thousands of women in my nearly 40 years of practice. I think my patients are very fond of me, both men and women.

Los Angeles police detectives with the West Valley Sex Crimes Unit suspect Popkin has assaulted more female patients.

Shortly after police released details about the doctors arrest Tuesday, LAPD Det. Edward Moreno said he received calls from other women.

Popkin, who has been practicing internal medicine for nearly 40 years in California, is accused of inappropriately touching and sexually assaulting two women during medical examinations in his Encino office, Moreno said.

Moreno said two complaints of sexual battery were made to the Medical Board of California in 2001 and 2003. The outcome of those complaints was unclear Tuesday.

Cassandra Hockenson, the boards spokeswoman, said the state agency doesnt release information about complaints because they are confidential. She said the board is working with investigators.

The board, she said, is preparing to take appropriate action regarding Popkins license. A judge can either order that his license be suspended at his arraignment or the board can issue an interim suspension order if it doesnt happen in court, Hockenson said.

She said the board is well aware of Popkins case.

Popkin, who is also a surgeon, was reprimanded in 2005 and placed on probation for three years after he was accused of gross negligence and incompetence, according to documents filed with the medical board. He was accused of failing to maintain adequate records for his patients and prescribing medications without exams.

In one instance, Popkin was treating a 29-year-old woman who had chronic back pain as a result of a crash. He was accused of failing to document her pain, psychological status and the dates he had prescribed powerful opiates, according to the documents. His notes also failed to include information about her addiction to opiates as well as details about her physical condition, according to the documents.

According to the board, Popkin had engaged in an extreme departure from the standard of practice of care and treatment for the patient.

On Tuesday, Popkin said the accusations of sexual battery were the result of difficulties with two to three people. He described the incidents as all different circumstances. One of the incidents you can laugh at and the other two involved different personalities, he said.

Popkin said he was arrested in his medical office and carried away in handcuffs in front of his office staff.

It was humiliating, he said. Obviously, news travels fast.

Popkin said he asked for the public to wait for the trial before you make any judgment.

Anyone with details about Popkin is urged to call Moreno at (818) 374-7714 or Det. Ninette Toosbuy at (818) 374-7718.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

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UPDATES:

3:50 p.m.: This article was updated to include comments from physician Michael Popkin.

This article was originally published at 3:10 p.m.
Doris Payne, a notorious octogenarian jewel thief with a long rap sheet in Southern California, has been arrested yet again on larceny charges in an Atlanta suburb.

Payne, 86, was arrested Tuesday for trying to steal a $2,000 diamond necklace from a Von Maur department store in the Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, Ga., the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Payne allegedly slipped the necklace into her back pocket and tried to leave the store, Dunwoody police told the newspaper.

Paynes decades of theft were chronicled in a 2013 documentary called The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne. The Jewelers Security Alliance, an industry trade group, sent out bulletins as early as the 1970s warning about her, according to the Associated Press.

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In November 2013, she swiped a $22,500 diamond-and-white-gold ring from El Paseo Jewelers in Palm Desert. She pleaded guilty to one felony count each of burglary and grand theft and was sentenced to four years in custody  two in county jail, two under mandatory supervision.

A Riverside County judge ordered her to stay away from all jewelry stores during that time. A district attorneys spokesman at the time said the D.A. objected to the sentence and argued for a maximum of six years in custody.

The judge tempered punishment with compassion about her age, one of her attorneys, Gretchen von Helms, said at the time. He took into account the taxpayers pocketbook. And do we really need to incarcerate a nonviolent offender  yes, a repeat offender, thats true  whos ill, who has emphysema, whos elderly?

She was previously convicted in 2011 for stealing a ring in San Diego and another in Santa Monica. She was released from prison roughly three months before the Palm Desert theft.

Last October, Payne was arrested in Atlanta after she allegedly stole a pair of $690 Christian Dior earrings from a Saks Fifth Avenue department store in a mall, according to the Journal-Constitution.

Police received a call about this weeks alleged theft just before 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, the Journal-Constitution reported.

Online records from the DeKalb County, Ga., jail show that Payne was arrested on suspicion of theft by shoplifting but do not provide bond information. A spokesman for the DeKalb County district attorneys office said Tuesday morning that she had not yet been charged.

I have no idea why she would go out and do this, Sonjia Williams, a spokeswoman for Payne, told NBC News. She knows better.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson

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A 27-year-old woman was charged Tuesday with driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and crashing into an Orange police officer, who remains hospitalized with serious injuries, authorities said.

The crash occurred about 3 a.m. Saturday, when three Orange Police Department officers responded to a call in the 500 block of North Cambridge Street.

There, one of the officers stood at the rear of his patrol car and collected paperwork.

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Ashley Bertolino of Tustin was driving along Cambridge Street at 40 mph in a 25-mph zone and her car drifted toward the curb, crashing into the police officer, according to the Orange County district attorneys office.

The officer was trapped under Bertolinos car, but officers eventually rescued him. He was taken to a hospital with major injuries, prosecutors said.

A spokesman for the Orange Police Department told the Orange County Register that Officer Sharif Muzayen suffered serious injuries below his waist.

Hes definitely not out of the woods when it comes to his injuries, Lt. Fred Lopez told the newspaper. He has a very long road ahead of him.

Muzayen, a father of two children who fought in Afghanistan with the U.S. Marines, has been with Oranges police force for about three years, the paper reported. An online fundraiser had collected more than $28,000 for Muzayens family.

Bertolino is accused of having a blood alcohol level of .13% and being under the influence of drugs, prosecutors said. She was taken to a hospital but was later booked at county jail. Bertolino was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to jail records.

Prosecutors charged her with three felonies: driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs causing bodily injury; driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury; and driving with a blood alcohol level over .08% and causing bodily injury.

If convicted of all the charges, she faces up to six years in state prison. Shes scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 6. An attorney for Bertolino could not be reached for comment.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno.
A 36-year-old man who was shot after leading Redondo Beach police officers on a chase that spilled into Los Angeles has been charged with assaulting a peace officer, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Thomas Dallaire of Walnut is accused of driving his car at an officer shortly before he was shot Saturday, according to a statement issued by the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.

Dallaire was suspected of car theft when police began chasing him shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday, authorities said. During the pursuit, prosecutors say, Dallaire struck another vehicle, then drove in the direction of a police officer.

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The officer opened fire, wounding Dallaire. The chase ended a short time later when Dallaires car malfunctioned at South Leland and West 17th streets near San Pedro High School, prosecutors said.

Dallaire is also charged with evasion, taking a vehicle without consent and being involved in a hit-and-run crash, prosecutors said. He has previous convictions for burglary and grand theft, prosecutors said.

No officers were injured in the chase, according to a Redondo Beach police spokesman.

james.queally@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.
The family of an unarmed 73-year-old man who was killed by a Bakersfield police officer is demanding state and federal investigations into the shooting.

It is difficult to accept that our dads life end so brutally, abruptly and with such excessive violence, a family statement said. We felt our dad was stolen from us at a time our family should be celebrating the holidays, birthdays and making happy family memories. Instead, our dad was murdered by BPD.  Our dad was treated like a criminal and we feel he was left die alone without his family by his side.

Mondays killing of Francisco Serna, who was in the early stages of dementia, has sparked anger and grief in the San Joaquin Valley and raised questions about how the department handles police shootings.

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A lone officer fired seven rounds at Serna after he was spotted outside his home just after midnight and refused to take his hands out of his pockets when ordered to do so by police. The shooting stemmed from a neighbors 911 call saying that a man had menaced her with a gun. When police searched Sernas body and the scene however, they did not find a weapon. Instead, officers found a dark, faux wood crucifix.

Our dad was treated like a criminal and we feel he was left die alone without his family by his side.  Serna family statement

At a vigil Tuesday night, family spokeswoman Cyndi Imperial said Sernas relatives have requested an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. They have also asked the California attorney general to appoint an independent investigator in the matter.

Reading from the familys statement, she said the Bakersfield Police Departments own investigation has confirmed that Francisco Serna was not armed.

The family and members of the grassroots community group Faith in the Valley plan to hold a news conference Wednesday outside City Hall, where they are expected call for better police training, greater transparency and broader diversity in the department.

On Tuesday, newly named police chief Lyle Martin disclosed details of the shooting and acknowledged that the community has been deeply affected by Sernas death.

This is a very tragic incident for their family, for this community as a whole and for the police department, he said.

The episode began at 12:35 a.m., when a woman arrived at her home in the 7900 block of Silver Birch Avenue  the same block where Serna lived  and began removing items from a friends vehicle, the chief said.

Serna approached the woman, stood behind her and questioned her about living in the neighborhood. She told police he was acting strange. He then asked her if he could get inside her vehicle, the chief said.

During the exchange Serna had one hand in his pocket, Martin said. The woman told police that she saw a black- or brown-handled object in his jacket and that she believed it was a firearm.

Her friend opened the cars back door and allowed Serna to look inside. As the woman ran inside her home and told her husband to call police, her friend drove off. The husband told a 911 dispatcher that a man outside had a revolver and had brandished the weapon, the chief said.

Two police officers responded just after 12:40 a.m. As officers and the couple stood outside, the woman spotted Serna exiting his home across the street.

Martin said she pointed toward Serna, and said, Thats him.

The couple rushed inside their home and closed their doors. The officers took cover. Serna kept both hands in his jacket and continued walking toward police as they ordered him to stop and show his hands, Martin said.

Serna ignored the officers commands and walked toward Officer Reagan Selman. When Serna was 15 to 20 feet away, Selman fired seven rounds at Serna, he said.

Martin said Selman made that decision as Serna moved toward him.

Serna was struck and fell in the driveway. It is unclear how many rounds struck Serna.

No lower levels of force were attempted by any officer, Martin said.

Serna never lunged or threatened officers, he said.

Martin said 20 to 30 seconds had elapsed between the woman identifying Serna and the officer firing the first shot. By then, five more officers had responded and saw the shooting. None of the other officers fired any rounds, Martin said.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Sernas family was prevented from seeing and comforting their mother for 14 hours as police investigated the shooting, according to Imperial.

Family who asked to see their mother was told by BPD that if they crossed the police line they would be arrested, she said.

The family said police prevented Sernas wife and daughter from checking on him even when they asked to be allowed to be next to him just to hold his hand.

Details were withheld from the Serna family and they learned from social media and the 5 oclock news that their dad had passed away, Imperial said.

Selman and the six other officers were placed on routine administrative leave. Selman joined the force in July 2015. It was his first police shooting.

Bakersfield police had visited Sernas home at least twice before because he would become confused and activate a medical alarm, son Rogelio Serna told The Times. A police spokesman confirmed that officers had visited Francisco Sernas home, but could not provide any details.

Francisco Serna had shown signs of dementia since 2015 and occasionally experienced delusions, his son said. His symptoms seemed more pronounced in the last month, his son said.

About eight hours before the shooting, a neighbor told police that Serna was banging on the neighbors door and windows, authorities said. The man said Serna grabbed his hand, then tried to drag him outside and challenged him to a fight, police said.

The neighbor said Serna also kept a hand in his pocket and acted as though he had a gun, although he never saw one, police said.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

ALSO

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Kazakhstan and Israel signed several documents on cooperation during the official visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Astana, Kazakh presidential press service reported Dec. 14.

The governments of the two countries signed an agreement on cooperation in agriculture.

Moreover, the sides signed a joint declaration of intent for waiver of visa requirements for holders of national biometric passports.

The aeronautical authorities of the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding.

Kazakh National Agency for Technological Development and Israeli Industry Center for Research & Development MATIMOP signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation.

Kazakh Agency for Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption and Israeli Civil Service Commission also signed a memorandum of cooperation.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
The warehouse where 36 people died earlier this month is just 500 feet from Oakland Fire Station No. 13.

Yet despite much community grumbling in recent years about the grim conditions of the building, Oakland fire officials said Tuesday that they had received no complaints in their records about the warehouse and that fire officials had never been dispatched there in the last 12 years

The revelations increase scrutiny on officials over why the warehouse was able to operate as an illegal housing complex for artists without inspections or action from the city.

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Last week, officials said building code enforcement inspectors had not been inside the warehouse in at least 30 years despite the fact that the property had been the focus of nearly two dozen building code complaints or other city actions.

Neighbors and former residents have told The Times that they had contacted the city about trash and debris piled outside the warehouse as well as other concerns about unsafe conditions inside.

Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed said a review of city records showed that the Fire Department never had any triggers to inspect the property because it never received any complaints.

A source in city government told The Times on Thursday that the address for the warehouse was not in the Fire Departments database of buildings requiring inspections.

The citys Fire Prevention Bureau is required to conduct annual inspections of all commercial buildings and multi-family residences, according to city ordinance. Officials have yet to release any fire inspection reports regarding the warehouse.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that some firefighters in the area knew the building had problems because of incidents they responded to nearby. But as far as the source knew, no firefighter had ever had reason to go inside. When the fire broke out, some firefighters alerted fellow first responders that the warehouse was dangerous, the source added.

The Times tried to speak to firefighters at Fire Station No. 13 on Tuesday but go no response at the front door.

Victims of the Oakland warehouse fire: Who they were 

Oakland City Administrator Sabrina Landreth said city officials are still gathering and reviewing Police Department records for any officer calls to the structure in recent years.

Its becoming increasingly clear that there is some kind of disconnect between city officials and some residents over the warehouses problems. Several former tenants as well as neighbors have said they complained to various city agencies about filthy conditions as well as unsafe structural and electrical systems. Its unclear why these complaints did not prompt more aggressive action.

At the time of the fire, Oakland building officials had an open investigation of the warehouse. They said an inspector attempted to examine the interior of the building but could not get in.

Questions about the competence of Oaklands building inspection agency arose five years ago. An Alameda County Grand Jury in 2011 released a scathing reportaccusing the citys building services division of mismanagement and having haphazard policies about conducting building inspections.

The grand jury found that agency was riddled with poor management, lack of leadership, and ambiguous policies and procedures. It added that the agency had inconsistent standards on code violations and that the violation notices sent to property owners were late and hard to understand. In addition, inspectors treated property owners in an unprofessional, retaliatory and intimidating manner, the grand jury report said.

Federal investigators on Tuesday said they are still working to determine the cause of the deadly fire.

Jill Snyder, special agent in charge of the San Francisco office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, said no final determination of the cause of the fire has been made. Snyder said the buildings electrical system is part of the analysis. Investigators have focused on the rear of the 1st floor as the potential initiation point. Snyder said all findings will be given to the Alameda County District Attorneys office.

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UPDATES:

7:10 p.m.: This story was updated with background and new details.
Wells Fargo & Co. was sanctioned Tuesday by federal regulators who determined the bank has not done enough to ensure it could continue operating smoothly and without a taxpayer bailout after a bankruptcy.

In the wake of the financial crisis, regulators required the nations largest banks to come up with detailed bankruptcy plans  also called living wills  in case they fail, hoping to avoid the chaos caused by the collapse of investment bank Lehman Bros. in 2008.

The Federal Reserve Board and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Tuesday signed off on the living wills of JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and other big banks. But it said Wells Fargo  which is still grappling with fallout from its fake-accounts scandal  fell short.

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That decision did not reflect the current financial health of the $1.9-trillion institution, which is well-capitalized and reaped a third-quarter profit of $5.6 billion. But it was rather a determination that if the economy were to go into a sharp decline and Wells Fargo were to go bankrupt, its operations could not quickly or easily be broken up or sold off.

In a letter to Wells Fargo Chief Executive Tim Sloan, regulators said the banks plan did not do enough to simplify the companys legal structure in the event of a bankruptcy and did not address how different parts of the bank could function independently if the parent company did not exist and was not able to provide support services.

Regulators chided the bank for failing to provide enough detail and noted that in one case the bank promised only to do additional research and further assessment. The company operates more than 80 subsidiaries and funds in the United States and in at least eight foreign countries, according to FactSet.

The bank must submit a revised plan by March 31. Until then, Wells Fargo has been prohibited from establishing new international banking businesses or buying any nonbank subsidiaries, a category that includes various entities such as wealth advisory firms. If it does not submit a revised plan by the new deadline, or if its revised plan does not pass muster, the bank could face additional sanctions, including caps on the size of some of its businesses.

In a statement, the bank said it would work with regulators to address their concerns.

While we are disappointed with the determination issued by the agencies, we continue to be dedicated to sound resolution planning and preparedness, the bank said. We believe we will be able to address the concerns raised today in the March 2017 revised submission.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, said the sanctions against Wells Fargo show the necessity of rules aimed at reining in big banks. He and other Democrats are concerned that the incoming administration will make good on President-elect Donald Trumps pledge to dismantle much of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, the law that calls for banks to prepare living wills.

Even one too-big-to-fail bank is too many, and we need watchdogs that will continue to impose tough rules and strong penalties to make banks simpler and safer, not the opposite, Brown said.

Regulators in April had rejected the living wills of most of the nations big banks, including Wells Fargo. This time around, though, Wells Fargo stands alone, which is notable because of Wells Fargos reputation as being a plain-vanilla bank compared with its peers, said Jaret Seiberg, an analyst with investment firm Cowen & Co.

This failure is likely to garner attention in Washington because Wells Fargo is generally seen as one of the less complex of the mega banks, Seiberg wrote in a note to investors Tuesday. Yet all the other mega banks were able to devise plans to simplify their structure that were able to win supervisory approval.

For the last three months, the bank has been gripped by a still-growing scandal over revelations that its employees, motivated by poorly structured incentives, opened as many as 2 million bank and credit card accounts for customers without authorization. Those practices, first uncovered by a 2013 Times investigation, led to a $185 million settlement with regulators in September.

The settlement sparked outrage from lawmakers and has led a handful of state and city agencies to cut business ties to the bank. It also led to the resignation of CEO John Stumpf, who retired in October and was replaced by Sloan.

As the bank prepares to amend its living will yet again, it is still dealing with a slew of investigations from federal and state agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Labor and the California Department of Justice.

On Monday, state insurance officials in California and New Jersey said they, too, would investigate the bank after New Jersey insurer Prudential said it would stop selling life insurance policies through Wells Fargo over concerns that bank workers might have opened policies for unsuspecting consumers just as they opened unauthorized accounts.

The bank is also under increasing regulatory pressure.The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency last month added a level of regulatory oversight for the bank, requiring it to seek the agencys approval for certain executive hires and other business decisions.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is also reportedly mulling a downgrade of the banks Community Reinvestment Act rating, which judges how well banks serve poor and minority communities. A rating downgrade could further harm the banks reputation and make acquisitions difficult.

Seiberg of Cowen said although the living will and other regulatory issues are not directly related to Wells Fargos account-sales scandal, the furor makes it more likely that regulators will take a hard line with the bank.

This result is indicative of what we expect Wells Fargo to face in Washington over the coming year, he wrote. The pressure is to be tough on Wells Fargo and not let anything fall through the cracks.

The living-will announcement came after markets closed Tuesday. Wells Fargo shares were down less than 1% at $55.49 in after-hours trading.

james.koren@latimes.com

jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com

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UPDATES:

5:55 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from investment analyst Jaret Seiberg and more details on the Wells Fargo scandal involving unauthorized accounts.

3:30 p.m.: This article was updated with more details about the sanctions, a comment from Wells Fargo and additional background.

This article was originally published at 2:10 p.m.
Long before Ryan Zinke trained elite Navy Seals, served in Congress or became Donald Trumps choice for secretary of Interior, he was a boy who swam and caught crayfish in the Whitefish River in his native Montana.

When it came time to choose his Eagle Scout project, he stopped playing in the river and started studying it.

It was the first time I ever looked at the environment with a critical eye, he wrote in his memoir, published last month, American Commander.

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The project I chose was to follow the banks of the river and look at the sources of any pollution or runoff. I took pictures of the railroads oil holding ponds and looked at how the ponds of oil would overflow into the river. I looked at the storm drains dumping in the river, took soil samples, and proposed solutions to the degree a young student could.

When an old logger downstream was mowing his lawn and caused a spark, which caused the river to catch on fire, I knew the source. The project promoted a lifetime of conservation values.

Yet the depth of those conservation values has come into serious question since Zinke, a former Montana state lawmaker serving his first term in the House, entered politics. This week, environmental groups have expressed alarm at the prospect of him presiding over Interior, an agency with powerful sway over the fate of Americas public lands, at a time when Trump has said he plans to roll back regulations in order to unleash a wave of fossil-fuel energy production.

In an interview on Wednesday, the day before his appointment was announced, Zinke discussed changes he wanted to see in the management of public lands as well as his view that climate change science is unsettled.

When youre asked by the president to serve, its awfully hard to say no, and Im loyal, Zinke said.

Under the current secretary, Sally Jewell, Interior has been at the center of President Obamas efforts to combat climate change. The agency employs 70,000 people and manages millions of acres of federal land, most of them in the West. It includes the National Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees management of the drought-stricken Colorado River and the nations largest reservoir, Lake Mead. The role of secretary has traditionally been filled by Westerners versed in the regions heated debates over land use.

Zinke says he believes in multiple uses for public lands and preserving them for posterity, yet what he has said and how he has voted have been hard to reconcile at times, according to many conservation groups.

Rep. Ryan Zinke speaks with a supporter in Billings, Mont., as he campaigns in October for reelection as the states sole representative in the U.S. House. (Matt Brown / Associated Press )

Congressman Ryan Zinke has been all over the map on public lands, Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Western Priorities, wrote Tuesday.

Rokala cited a pledge Zinke signed in 2012 to legally and administratively oppose federal agencies and restore the rightful powers over the land to the state and private ownership, an idea fiercely opposed by conservationists.

This year, she noted, Zinke voted for a bill that would have transferred control of millions of acres of national forest lands to states. However, he also resigned as a delegate to the Republican National Convention because the party platform supported transferring some public lands to states.

The League of Conservation Voters has given Zinke a 3% lifetime score.

While Zinke has supported preserving the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is viewed as sacrosanct by many conservationists, he has also opposed a new rule to reduce the emission of the greenhouse gas methane during energy production on public land and a moratorium on new coal leasing. He praised a preliminary federal study that said hydraulic fracturing to produce oil and gas did not cause systemic damage to drinking water  but that finding was reversed in a final report this week.

In his memoir, co-written with Scott McEwen, who also co-wrote the bestselling American Sniper, Zinke, 55, praised Theodore Roosevelt for setting aside land under the Antiquities Act and wrestling 230 million acres away from timber and railroad interests and placing the land under federal protection.

But Zinke also wrote that Roosevelt has been misrepresented over the last century, saying that multiple use has come under fire as special interest groups have misused policy to successfully block resource management, reduce public access, and even lock out local communities from being part of the land use process. He has been critical of certain logging restrictions, road closures and bans on mountain biking in some areas.

Zinke, who received an undergraduate degree in geology from the University of Oregon in 1984, has questioned the broad scientific consensus that climate change is happening and that humans are largely the cause of it.

In the interview on Wednesday, he said, The climate is changing, I dont think you can deny that. But climate has always changed.

Describing himself as a former geologist, he first said, I dont think theres any question that man has had an influence on climate change. Later, he said that influence was likely, but that what that influence is, exactly, is still under scrutiny.

He was critical of Obama administration policies that require projects on public lands to be assessed for their potential climate impacts.

In this next administration, there will be a review of job-killing regulation that is not based on sound science, he said.

Zinke said that he supported the National Environmental Policy Act, which some conservatives criticize as too restrictive, and that he wanted to see major improvements in infrastructure and employee morale in the National Park Service. He said he wanted to make sure that our parks are world class.

After college, Zinke spent 23 years in the Navy SEALs, rising to become a commander before leaving the service in 2008. He was elected to the state Senate in 2008 and to Congress in 2014. The front of his campaign bus featured the symbol of the Navy SEALs. The logo on his congressional website calls him Commander, not Congressman. His policies shifted rightward as he moved from the state legislature to Congress. In his 2014 campaign for Congress, he called Hillary Clinton the real enemy and the Antichrist.

A lot of what a military officer does is not just leading troops in combat, Zinke told The Times that year. Its also doing budgets. Its solving complex problems. If you can sit down with warlords, you can certainly sit down with different parties and folks with different interests and come out with an amenable solution.

UPDATES:

10:00 a.m. Dec. 15: This article has been updated with Zinkes appointment.

This article was originally posted at 3 p.m. on Dec. 14.
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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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How some electors have reacted to all the mail from voters Facebook

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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

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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

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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 
When Lilly Cassirer inherited a Camille Pissarro painting of a rainy Paris streetscape in 1926, she hung the Impressionist gem on the wall of her parlor in Berlin. Thirteen years later, Cassirer, who was Jewish, was forced to give up Rue Saint-Honore, Apres Midi, Effet de Pluie to a Nazi art appraiser in exchange for visas for her and her husband to flee Nazi Germany.

Cassirer survived and, like thousands of Jews who were forced by the Nazis to give up their belongings, she sought to get her painting back through the restitution courts in postwar Germany. All agreed that her claim was legitimate and that the painting had been stolen from her. However, no one could find it. She settled in 1958 for compensation of $13,000.

But she and her family members, according to their lawyers, never stopped trying to find the painting. For years, Claude Cassirer, her grandson and heir, told friends and clients about the lost artwork. Finally, someone spotted the painting in a publication in 1999 and told Claude Cassirer, who had settled in La Mesa, Calif. The painting was in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid.

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No matter what the appeals court rules, the honorable thing for the museum to do would be to return the Pissarro.

The Cassirer family has been battling with the museum and the Spanish government ever since. Claude, who died in 2010, has been replaced by his children, David and Ava, and the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County as the plaintiffs. Their lawyer, David Boies, argued their appeal on Dec. 6 before the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The painting has had a long journey. It surfaced in the U.S., passing from a collector in L.A. in 1951 to another in St. Louis in 1952. In 1976, a New York gallery dealer sold it to Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, who put it in his extensive art collection in Lugano, Switzerland. He sold the collection to the Spanish government to house in Madrid. The painting has been on display there since 1992.

A tangle of legal issues is in play here. A federal judge ruled last year that the museum is the rightful owner of the painting under Spanish law because it had held the painting publicly for more than 20 years. The Cassirer family argues that the court should have found the museum an accessory to the theft  which would invalidate its claim to the painting  since the museum either knew or should have known that the artwork was stolen.

The museum argues that its lawyers scrutinized the history of the painting and found no claims on it, and that the Cassirers didnt look diligently enough for the painting. It also contends that the payment Lilly Cassirer received in 1958 was full compensation for her loss. The Cassirers lawyers argue that it was anything but. And even the federal judge, in his decision, noted that Lilly Cassirer did not waive her right to seek restitution or return of the painting.

Heres the bottom line: This painting  which would probably sell for more than $30 million today  was tragically stolen from Lilly Cassirer by the Nazis. The museum should do the right thing and return it to the Cassirer family.

Frankly, it seems odd that museum professionals didnt question the provenance of the painting. The barons receipt from the New York art dealer said virtually nothing about the paintings history of ownership. That alone should have been a red flag. And torn labels on the back of the painting indicated it had been in Berlin. Art that could have been in circulation during the Nazi era generally requires greater scrutiny because so much art was looted during that period.

The Cassirers case comes after a decade or more of pressure on museums to return to countries and private owners art that was stolen. The Getty Museum has returned numerous antiquities to Greece and Rome. The Austrian government finally returned to Maria Altmann, a Jewish refugee, five works by Gustav Klimt that had been seized by the Nazis.

Even the judge who ruled in favor of the Spanish museum urged its officials to pause, reflect and consider a mutually agreeable resolution in light of Spains acceptance of international accords that seek to identify stolen artworks and find rightful owners. In this case, the Cassirer family found the museum. No matter what the appeals court rules, the honorable thing for the museum to do would be to return the Pissarro that should never have been taken from Lilly Cassirer more than seven decades ago.

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With the official announcement that he will nominate Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson as secretary of State  and reports that he will soon tap former Gov. Rick Perry of Texas as Energy secretary  Donald Trump has all but completed the assembly of his proposed Cabinet. Proposed is an important qualifier because several of those selections  including Tillerson  cry out for more than usual scrutiny by the Senate.

So how should we characterize the Trump team? The president-elect campaigned as a political outsider, and several of his Cabinet choices are faithful to that vision  if you consider Wall Street financiers, corporate executives, state government officials and military leaders to be outsiders simply because theyre not Washington bureaucrats or professional politicians. By that standard, Tillerson is an outsider even though hes a fantastically wealthy corporate chieftain who has spent decades as a leader in the oil and gas industry. So is recently retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, Trumps unconventional choice to serve in the civilian position of secretary of Defense.

Almost every one of Trumps picks will head a department that he or she has sued, fought or sought to undermine.

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But Trump sounded populist, anti-Wall Street themes during the campaign, and in that sense these appointments break faith with his rhetoric. For example, Trump savaged Sen. Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton for connections to Goldman Sachs; yet his choice for secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, is an alumnus of the much-demonized investment banking firm (as is his top economic advisor).

Trump nominees are worrisomely extreme in some cases, but much of the governing philosophy of the new administration seems likely to be consistent with that of conservative House Republicans, particularly on domestic issues, and with the sort of policies that would have been promoted by some of Trumps rivals in the Republican primaries had they been nominated and elected. That doesnt make their stances on the environment, healthcare, civil rights and tax policy any less noxious; it just means theyre familiar.

Although this page didnt support Trump (to put it mildly), he is, like any president, entitled to deference from the Senate in forming his administration. But senators must also insist that Cabinet officials are qualified for their positions and that they will enforce laws passed by Congress. Some of Trumps nominations raise one or both of those concerns.

The qualifications issue is especially acute with Tillerson. As Trump prepares to take office, both the international order established after World War II and the adjustment of those arrangements after the Cold War are under strain. The Middle East is still coping with the after-effects of the war in Iraq and the Arab Spring. China is flexing its military muscle.

Yet a new president with no experience in foreign policy  or in government service of any kind  has tapped as chief foreign policy advisor a businessman whose resume is similarly bereft of such credentials. Tillerson does have experience in negotiating complex business deals, including in Russia. But even if those skills are transferable to political diplomacy, he would face a dizzyingly steep learning curve.

(The Senate also needs to press Tillerson about whether his business contacts with Russia might influence the advice he would give about matters such as the continuation of economic sanctions imposed on Moscow for its interference in Ukraine. The fact that Tillerson did business with Russia  and even formed a friendship with Vladimir Putin  isnt automatically disqualifying, but it should set the stage for rigorous confirmation hearings.)

With other nominees, the questions involve their commitment to enforce laws that they  and their president  may not agree with. Almost every one of Trumps picks will head a department that he or she has sued, fought or sought to undermine. A good example is Perry, who pledged as a presidential candidate in 2008 to eliminate the department he has reportedly been picked to lead. If the Senate concludes that one or more of them arent committed to the basic mission Congress entrusted to the agencies they seek to head, it should reject them and require Trump to submit other candidates.

Insiders or outsiders, Trumps Cabinet nominees will change the way Washington works and in many cases upend policies passionately pursued by the Obama administration. That they will be doing so at the direction of a candidate who lost the popular vote will add to the indignation of many Americans who didnt support his candidacy. Having won the presidency, Trump has the right to his team, but the Senate has a duty to ensure that his choices are up to the tasks they face  and that they can be trusted to carry them out.

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Just as the busiest shopping period of the year got underway, the U.S. Department of Labor released a bombshell report that might make you suspicious of clothing thats Made in the USA. After a three-year comprehensive study, the Labor Department confirmed what workers rights advocates like me have long contended: Worker abuse and wage theft is rampant in the U.S. garment industry.

The report revealed that 85% of garment industry employers studied were violating federal minimum wage and record-keeping laws. More than 660 investigations involving 5,158 workers over three years documented $8,098,988 in stolen wages.

Los Angeles has the highest concentration of garment industry workers in the country. Largely located south and east of downtown, some 2,000 manufacturers employ more than 40,000 people  mostly immigrant women  who spend 10 to 12 hours a day cutting, sewing and dyeing clothing that includes designer jeans and runway knock-offs. Even as California leads the way in protecting workers rights and raising the minimum wage, thousands of Angelenos are being cheated by these employers.

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These brands ... willfully ignore complaints about violations of the most basic wage and working hour laws.

At the 77 Southern California factories investigated, garments from a dozen clothing brands were identified, but three appeared far more frequently than the rest: Ross Dress for Less, TJ Maxx and Forever 21.

The idea that Made in America could mean made for $3 an hour might come as a shock in 2016. But it does not surprise me and it cannot possibly surprise executives at those three retailers.

These brands claim that they arent responsible for the working conditions at their suppliers factories. And yet they willfully ignore complaints about violations of the most basic wage and working hour laws. At the legal nonprofit where I work, weve documented 10- and 12-hour shifts without breaks or overtime. Weve seen hundreds of workers taking home less than $5 an hour  half of Californias current minimum wage. We have repeatedly sought Ross, TJ Maxx and Forever 21s help in addressing wage violations committed by their suppliers  but they have chosen instead to fight us in court, withhold information about their suppliers, and do all they can to keep industry labor practices hidden.

They are unabashed by the latest Labor Department report. In response, they released statements saying they take the findings seriously. There was no condemnation of their contractors. No change in business practice. For these retailers, responding to these reports and fighting an occasional subpoena are just a cost of doing business.

For garment workers, filing a wage theft claim with the states labor commissioner or in Superior Court represents a terrifying risk. They will almost certainly experience retaliation: firing, threats of violence or deportation, blacklisting from future employment.

Leticia Molinas story is typical: She used a single-needle sewing machine to stitch shirtsleeves, sew buttons, attach zippers and cuff pant legs in Los Angeles factories for 20 years. She worked 55-hour weeks and took extra pieces home on the weekend. For this she was paid 6 cents to 12 cents per item, which amounted to less than $250 per week. At 53, she was still the primary wage earner for her household when she filed a claim with the California Labor Commission. She knew, however, that repetitive stress injuries to her hands were slowing her down and that she would almost certainly be fired eventually. Remaining silent was unsustainable as her rent went up and her pay per piece went down.

After more than a year of litigation, Molina won a judgment for more than $40,000 in unpaid wages and penalties. But the contractor she worked for lacked the funds to pay her full judgment. Rather than litigate further, Molina accepted a reduced recovery from the states Garment Workers Fund. None of the retailers who benefited from her work were held accountable.

Ross, TJ Maxx and Forever 21 would rather sell $5 T-shirts than pay their suppliers enough to cover a minimum wage for workers. Systemic change will require reversing the economic incentives for this gross misconduct. Holiday shoppers can start by voting with their wallets and refusing to purchase questionably produced apparel. Let these companies know that Made in America means nothing if it does not first mean Made without Abuse.

Jessie Kornberg is CEO of the public interest law firm Bet Tzedek, which provides legal aid to garment workers in Los Angeles.

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Trumps team: Outsiders, maybe; populists, no

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A Spanish museum may have the legal right to keep art stolen by the Nazis. That doesnt mean it should
Vladimir Putin must feel as if hes won the lottery.

His government made a modest investment in cyberespionage against Hillary Clinton, a candidate he roundly disliked, and it paid off, big league.

Never mind the flap over whether the Russian president aimed to put Donald Trump in the White House; U.S. intelligence agencies agree unanimously that Russia wanted to disrupt the campaign  and succeeded.

Now the incoming president of the United States says he yearns for a friendlier relationship with Putin and dismisses the evidence of cyberespionage as partisan whining.

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His nominee for secretary of State, Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, is an oilman who lobbied the Obama administration to relax economic sanctions against Russia (understandably, since they were costing his company millions) and was awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin.

When it comes to Russia [Trumps] not negotiating very hard. Indeed, hes taken positions Republicans would criticize if he were a Democrat.

This is a fantastic team, Sergei Markov, a Putin advisor, told Bloomerg News this week. These are people that Russia can do business with.

Id say Russia has eaten our lunch, Fiona Hill, a Russia expert at the Brookings Institution, told me. From their standpoint, it sounds as if theyre getting a lot of what they want.

And what does Putin want? Hill ticked off a list:

First, he wants recognition as the leader of a great power and a resumption of summit meetings between the two presidents. According to the Kremlin, Trump has already agreed to a meeting.

Second, NATO: Putin wants the United States to reduce its military presence in the NATO countries on Russias western border, including the three Baltic states. President Obama has increased troop deployments there; Trump said he might cut them if NATO countries dont spend more on defense.

Third, Ukraine: Putin wants the West to revoke the sanctions imposed after his 2014 invasion of Ukraine and to recognize Russias annexation of Crimea. Well be looking at that, Trump said in July  a noncommittal answer that opened the door to a big concession. (It would be easy, too; the executive order on sanctions comes up for renewal by the president in March.)

Fourth, Syria: Putin wants the U.S. to support his efforts to bolster Syrian President Bashar Assads corrupt, autocratic regime. Trump says he wants a U.S.-Russian-Assad alliance to fight jointly against Islamic State.

Fifth, missile defense: Putin wants the U.S. to cancel plans for a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, including bases in Romania and Poland. Trumps position on the issue isnt known.

Sixth, ironically, Russia wants talks about cyberwarfare. The Russians think weve been doing it to them all the time, Hill said. The Russian-sponsored hacking of the Democratic National Committee may have begun as retaliation for U.S. cyberespionage in Russia, she said. Theyre telling us to knock it off, she added.

The danger isnt that Trump will seek a warmer, more cooperative relationship with Russia; that would be a good thing.

But even before his inauguration, Trump has already moved the starting point of any reset partway toward Putins position, with nothing offered in exchange.

The Russians would love to get rid of NATO, Hill noted. For them, nothing could be better than if the U.S. walks away from it.

And on hacking, Trump is doing the work of the Russian government for them, she said. Hes pushing back against the CIA, so they dont have to.

All this by the guy who wrote The Art of the Deal.

Trump has long claimed he will bargain more aggressively than the Obama administration, but when it comes to Russia hes not negotiating very hard. Indeed, hes taken positions Republicans would criticize if he were a Democrat.

And some Republicans are pushing back. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said this week that he wants a serious, bipartisan investigation into Russian hacking. Sens. John McCain and Marco Rubio and others said they plan to question Tillerson closely before they decide how to vote on his nomination.

Their point isnt to relitigate the presidential election; thats over. Instead, theyre warning Trump that he cant cozy up to Russia without creating serious trouble in his own party. Its to make clear that a foreign government cant meddle in a U.S. election without penalty, no matter who benefits. And its to remind the president-elect that in high-stakes negotiations, a president should rarely give anything away for nothing  a rule Donald Trump, of all people, ought to endorse.

doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com

Twitter: @DoyleMcManus

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Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 14

By Demir Azizov Trend:

Tashkent hosted the inauguration ceremony of Uzbek President-elect Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Trends correspondent reported from the ceremony.

Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Uzbekistan Mirza-Ulugbek Abdusalomov at a joint meeting of the Legislative Chamber and the Senate - upper and lower houses of the Uzbek Parliament, congratulated Mirziyoyev on his being elected the countrys president.

The Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took the Oath of Allegiance to the people of the country.

Members of the government of Uzbekistan and the CEC, heads of ministries and departments, as well as heads of diplomatic missions of foreign states and international organizations accredited in the country took part in the inauguration ceremony.

It was earlier reported that candidates from four political parties of Uzbekistan participated in the presidential election on Dec. 4.

More than 15.9 million voters, or 88.61 percent of all voters who participated in the voting, cast their ballots for Mirziyoyev.

The country held early presidential election Dec. 4 in connection with the death of the first Uzbek President Islam Karimov, who passed away after suffering a stroke on Sept. 2.
California has one of the highest recidivism rates in the country: Fifty-eight percent of individuals released from prison end up back in the system within three years, compared with the national average of 40% when excluding California, according to a 2011 study by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Although there are a host of reasons for this unfortunate distinction, one is that the Golden State government makes it unusually difficult for its struggling residents to find jobs.

All states have occupational licensing laws that require individuals to complete various steps before they can enter certain professions. Mandates may include hours, months or even years of training, expensive fees and tests. Over the past several decades, occupational licensing laws in California  and across the country  have grown dramatically. In the 1950s about 5% of occupations were licensed nationwide. Today, roughly 25% of occupations require a state license, many for poor and middle-income professions, according to a recent White House study.



For the record: This article originally attributed a 2011 study on recidivism to Pew Research. The study was actually conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance Project.

The Golden States occupational licensing laws are stricter than most. In fact, the Institute for Justice ranks California as the second-most broadly and onerously licensed state. California is one of seven states to license tree trimmers, one of 10 to license landscape workers, one of two to license still machine setters, one of two to license funeral attendants, and one of nine to license farm labor contractors.

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[In California,] a tree trimmer must complete 1,460 hours of training, pass two exams, and pay $851 in fees.

All told, 62 of 102 low- and moderate-income occupations are licensed, more than any state except Louisiana and Arizona.

On average, Californians seeking an occupational license will pay $300 in fees, lose 549 days to training requirements and have to take an exam. Thats just the average. Some of the burdens are far more cumbersome. For instance, a tree trimmer must complete 1,460 hours of training, pass two exams, and pay $851 in fees; a mobile home installer must also complete 1,460 hours, compared to the national average of 245; and a pharmacy technician must complete 730 hours in addition to meeting educational requirements, a bar thats only as high in three other states.

Unlike some states, which have enacted outright bans on licensing individuals with a record, California does have some protections for ex-convicts. The state allows agencies to deny individuals a license based only on substantially related convictions. In most cases, agencies cannot deny an individual solely on the basis of his or her past convictions.

Whatever the states intentions, however, its onerous licensing laws have the effect of keeping ex-convicts out of licensed occupations. After years behind bars, they dont have the savings needed to enroll in training programs, much less pay licensing fees. To become a licensed security alarm installer, for instance, an individual must complete 933 hours of training, which can easily cost upwards of $1,200. Many of the training programs, moreover, require a high school degree, which two in five inmates nationwide never obtained, according to a 2003 U.S. Department of Justice study.

To stay out of prison, ex-convicts need a way to provide for themselves legally. With so many barriers to employment, its no wonder that states with abundant licensing laws experience a higher recidivism rate.

Analysis of data from the Institute for Justice, the Pew Center on the States and the National Employment Law Project reveals that states with the most burdensome licensing laws saw an average 9% increase in recidivism from 1997 to 2007. On the other hand, the states that had the lowest licensing burdens and no provisions excluding ex-convicts saw an average decline in recidivism by nearly 2.5%.

In other words, the greater the licensing barriers, the higher the chances that ex-prisoners will be shut out of the job market and return to crime.

In theory, states license occupations for public health and safety reasons. But the proliferation of such laws in recent decades doesnt appear to be motivated  or justified  by such causes. After examining empirical research, the White House study concluded, licensed professions degree of political influence is one of the most important factors in determining whether states regulate an occupation.

Whats more, of the 12 major studies the White House analyzed, only two found that more stringent licensing laws were actually associated with improved service.

Even when safety may be a reasonable concern, the requirements often dont match the occupation: For instance, while a California landscaper must complete 1,460 days of training, an emergency medical technician is only required to train for 28 days. If safety was the priority, shouldnt it be the reverse?

California is regulating individuals out of good-paying jobs, and it hurts those just getting on their feet.

State lawmakers dedicated to criminal justice reform will make lasting changes if they break the cycle of recidivism. They could start by removing the government barriers to employment. Thats a sure way to improve  rather than hold back  the lives of those seeking a second chance.

Stephen Slivinski is a senior research fellow at Arizona State Universitys Center for the Study of Economic Liberty.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
To the editor: Donald Trump has tapped Rex Tillerson, the chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp., for secretary of State. Tillerson has no government or diplomatic experience, has disturbingly close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and has enriched himself by selling an environmentally destructive product while lying about how destructive it really is. (Trump chooses oil tycoon and Russia friend Rex Tillerson to head State Department,

In other words, he is a perfect fit for Trumps Cabinet.

Trumps Education secretary wants to dismantle public education. Trumps attorney general opposes the Voting Rights Act. Trumps Housing secretary opposes the Fair Housing Act. Trumps Health and Human Services secretary wants to dismantle Medicare. Trumps Labor secretary opposes raising the minimum wage and wants to replace workers with robots. And Trumps Environmental Protection Agency chief is a climate change denier who has fought the very agency he was appointed to lead.

You cant make this stuff up. Choosing Tillerson for State should cause a scandal. But it wont. We have come to expect nothing less (and nothing more) from Trump.

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Wes Henricksen, Orlando, Fla.

..

To the editor: First, we have Trump scoffing at our intelligence agencies high confidence that we have had an attack against America and our democratic institutions from Russia.

Next, Trump is nominating Tillerson to be secretary of State. Tillerson is in bed with Russia.

Where is the Republican outrage? Do they not care about America anymore, but only their own power? Only Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) can speak out for American sovereignty?

Noelle De Vita, Valencia

..

To the editor: As a person that always tries to find the silver lining in difficult times, I would like to offer a list of the positives associated with Trumps Cabinet choices thus far:

1. He hasnt selected Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani or Newt Gingrich for any positions.

2. Well, I guess thats it.

Steve Fisher, Studio City

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Its like the plot of a fantastical political thriller.

Russian hackers attempt to subvert the American presidential election. The CIA uncovers the malign meddling, but when the Russians favored candidate wins the presidency, that candidate dismisses the findings of the intelligence community as ridiculous and disparages the work of his own countrys spy agencies. Not only that, but the president-elect names as his national security advisor a retired general with warm feelings for the Russians and picks as his secretary of State a man who received Russias highest friendship medal.

An outrageous scenario, right? Unfortunately, it is not a book or a movie  it is current reality.

If it had been Hillary Clinton who openly invited the Russians to hack her opponent, who denigrated the CIA, who discounted evidence that Russians were guilty of undermining American democracy and appointed pro-Russian individuals to her cabinet, Republican politicians would be accusing her of treason, appointing a special prosecutor and putting their investigative committees to work. Instead, because it is Donald Trump who has done all those things, most Republicans are acting as if the hacking attack is nothing worse than a juvenile prank.

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1 / 51 la-1491523602-y7ephyarj1-snap-image (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 51 la-1491368625-0bgh58ihw8-snap-image (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los angeles Times) 6 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 51 Trump inspires millions to take to the streets -- to oppose him. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 51 Cartoon caption contest winner at the DENT conference in Sun Valley, Idaho: Jon Duval, executive director of the Ketchum Community Development Corporation. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 51 Old radicals and big media descend on Selma (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 51 Horsey imagined the creation of the Ann Coulter phenomenon in this cartoon from 2007. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 51 This David Horsey drawing is a reconfiguration of a cartoon he first published in 2006. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 51 Donald Sterling, owner of the L.A. Clippers, should give Cliven Bundy a call. After Sterling loses his NBA franchise and the deadbeat Nevada rancher loses his cattle, the two old racists will both need a buddy. Maybe they can team up together and open an all-white rodeo. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 51 Besides sending a chill up the spine of the international community, Vladimir Putin has accomplished one other thing by seizing Crimea and threatening the rest of Ukraine: Putin has brought back the bear. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 51 The right-wing insurrection at the Bundy ranch in Bunkerville, Nev., has taken another weird turn with new revelations about the family history of Cliven Bundy. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 51 David Horsey / Los Angeles Times (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times)

To his great credit, Arizona Sen. John McCain, a man who has sacrificed for his country in ways the soft-bellied careerists in his party cannot even imagine, is agitating for a select committee to look into the Russian cyberattack. To make that happen, he needs to get support within his own caucus, which may or may not be forthcoming. In the meantime, he has said he will ask his friend South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham to chair a subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee to look into the facts the intelligence agencies have uncovered.

Its clear the Russians interfered, McCain said on the CBS Sunday news program Face the Nation. Now, whether they intended to interfere to the degree that they were trying to elect a certain candidate, I think thats a subject of investigation.

In stark contrast with the patriotic McCain, Trump and his surrogate hit squads have been attempting to twist the story to imply that the CIA is in cahoots with Democrats who want to delegitimize Trumps victory over Clinton. The president-elect tapped out a series of nonsensical tweets on the subject. In one, he said it is impossible to know who is perpetrating a cyberattack unless the hacker is caught in the act, an assertion that is demonstrably untrue. He then asked, Why wasnt this brought up before the election? That query was especially bizarre since Trump himself raised the topic in tweets as early as July, and Clinton talked about it in the third presidential debate.

What Trumps reaction reveals is that he is far quicker to defend himself when he imagines he is being attacked than he is to rise to the defense of his country. It is scandalous that his knee-jerk, self-centered response to the hacking revelations was to unleash his sycophants to slander the intelligence community upon which the security of the United States depends.

Trumps willingness to believe Russian denials rather than CIA evidence has enhanced concerns about his choice of ExxonMobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson to be secretary of State. Since 1999, Tillerson has had multiple friendly encounters with Russian President Vladimir Putin as he negotiated multibillion-dollar oil deals with Moscow. In 2012, Putin gave Tillerson a medal at an economic forum in St. Petersburg. The next year, Putin awarded Tillerson a second medal, the Order of Friendship, the highest honor for foreign citizens who have been of service to Russia.

As secretary of State, Tillerson would have a major influence over whether to lift economic sanctions imposed on Russia after Russias seizure of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine. As ExxonMobils top man, he has criticized those penalties. The oil corporations stock value would increase if sanctions are dropped, making Tillerson an even richer man, given that he now reportedly holds $151 million in ExxonMobil shares.

McCain wants to put some hard questions to Tillerson, as he should. We will see how many of his Republican colleagues show similar spine. My guess is that most of them will acquiesce to their new presidents dangerous flirtation with a ruthless Russian regime  a regime that considers an American election a target of opportunity.

David.Horsey@latimes.com

Follow me at @davidhorsey on Twitter

MORE FROM HORSEY:

Trumps Cabinet will serve corporate interests, not the chumps who voted for him

Untutored Trump faces profound shifts in the international order

California has good reasons to secede, but a noble reason to stay
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.
Governors on both sides of the political divide expressed uncertainty on Tuesday about what lies ahead under President-elect Donald Trump, whose stances on issues from immigration to healthcare have shifted over the last year.

What positions is he going to take back? What things did he say hes going to roll back on and what things is he going to push forward? That uncertainty, I think, causes anxiety, said Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper as he walked the manicured grounds of the spacious Hotel del Coronado, where the Western Governors Assn. opened its winter meeting.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican whom Trump mocked during the campaign as an ineffective leader for her state, said when it came to immigration she would like the administration to seek advice from the states. We should make agreements together because we know our states the best, Martinez said.

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In interviews, many of the nine governors in attendance expressed their uneasiness about the unpredictability of the incoming administration. Many insisted that states rights must be upheld and, in a symbolic gesture, issued a resolution noting that state authority should be presumed sovereign.

But with little more than a month until Trump is sworn in, Hickenlooper, a Democrat, is trying to remain optimistic that some of his states more progressive efforts on, among other things, clean energy, will remain intact with the new administration.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead, a Republican whose state is a leader in energy production, was cautiously optimistic that a Trump administration would help on energy projects.

We certainly hope with the new administration there is a better opportunity to develop not only oil and gas, but energy projects in general, he said. What we need is more certainty in the regulatory process and to be able to do it in a more timely basis. This isnt only important for oil and gas  the new administration I hope will provide a permitting process for energy whether its renewable or fossil fuels that provides more certainty at a less expense that we can get it done in a more timely fashion.

Some Republican governors were hopeful that Trump would be more receptive to input from the states about what to do with federal land. Gov. Gary Herbert of Utah, where the federal government owns about 60% of the land, said Washington must heed more local input as to what should be done with federal land  specifically as it pertains to oil and gas drilling.

During the campaign, Trump expressed support for lifting moratoriums on energy production in federal areas that are both onshore and offshore.

Were going to try and work with the new administration to find a balance point, Herbert said of new drilling in the state. Some land will be developed  but some will be put off-limits, because its not wise and prudent to develop in some of those iconic areas.

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, a Republican who served as Trumps honorary campaign chairman in the deeply conservative state, said he was optimistic the new administration would have a more collaborative approach about federal land  unlike, he says, the Obama administration.

Hes said we ought to be drilling for gas, we ought to be grazing cattle, Otter said, noting that he would be willing to be a sharecropper for the public lands of Idaho.

Weve suffered through some administrations where no activity is preferred to any activity, and thats just not right, he said.

On Tuesday, ahead of the governors meeting, California Gov. Jerry Brown penned an open letter to the Obama administration, urging it to make permanent the existing ban on new oil and gas drilling along the California coast. Democrats and environmentalists lauded the move ahead of Trump entering the White House, and Brown echoed those sentiments in remarks to reporters at the meeting.

California has opposed offshore drilling since back into the Ford administration  a long time, he said.

Trump has said he will repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, but Democrats in Washington and nationwide fear the ramifications of millions of people losing healthcare coverage. Brown, along with Hickenlooper and Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana, a Democrat who last month won reelection in a state Trump carried by about 20 percentage points, vowed to stand up to any repeal efforts.

In California, were going to fight to defend our rights and the well-being of our citizens, Brown said.

Of the governors in attendance on Tuesday, only Brown and Hickenlooper represented states where voters had approved measures legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

Trump has said legal marijuana is a states rights issue, but his pick to lead the Justice Department, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, has strongly opposed legal weed. He characterizes it as a real danger, which has caused anxiety among supporters of legal marijuana nationwide.

Hickenlooper said he would have liked to see the federal government have more influence back in 2012, when Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, but now that more states are passing similar laws, the federal government should allow the process to continue. He said he didnt expect things to change significantly on that front.

For more political news follow @kurtisalee

kurtis.lee@latimes.com
Rick Perry loves to poke fun at California. When he was Texas governor, he swung through the state on publicity tours to mock its liberal policies and try to lure businesses away.

One time the Republican politician arrived in a California-made Tesla sedan and told reporters hed like it more if it had a Made in Texas bumper sticker.

The jabs were part of a long-running economic rivalry between the states, but now Perry could have a new perch from which to pester California  President-elect Donald Trump chose him to lead the Department of Energy on Wednesday morning.

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If he were confirmed by the U.S. Senate, much of Perrys responsibilities would involve ensuring the security of the countrys aging nuclear weapons stockpile and figuring out how to safely dispose of radioactive waste.

But there are other areas where he could have an effect on California, which has pledged to push forward with stringent environmental programs no matter what happens in Washington.

Our best hope is @GovernorPerry forgets to show up for work just as he forgot @ENERGY Dept existed, tweeted Senate Leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), a jab referencing Perrys inability to recall the name of the department during a 2011 debate.

For starters, there are four national laboratories in California that depend on funding from the Department of Energy, and scientists use some of that money to examine climate change. Perry has denied the scientific consensus that the planet is becoming hotter because of human activity, most recently during the Republican presidential primary when he was a candidate. Trump has also expressed doubts about whether its possible to be certain about global warming and its causes.

We have seen the federal government as a partner in research and development, said Timothy OConnor, who works on climate policies in California at the Environmental Defense Fund. This may mean we have to do more of it ourselves.

A sign of possible hostility to climate policy came when Trumps transition team sparked concern by requesting the names of Energy Department employees who worked on the issue. Federal officials have refused to provide the information, according to the Associated Press.

Under President Obama, the department has also been a source of financial support for renewable energy in California, including a $1.2-billion loan guarantee in 2011 to develop a San Bernardino County solar plant.

Its unclear how Perry would handle the issue as energy secretary. Hes best known for his support of the oil and gas industry in Texas, but he also promoted wind power. At the same time, hes opposed federal subsidies for renewable energy.

The Department of Energy plays a role in energy efficiency efforts as well, a responsibility that traces its roots back to California.

State legislation signed by Ronald Reagan when he was governor in 1974 created what is now known as the California Energy Commission, which develops efficiency standards for appliances and buildings.

Later as president, Reagan signed national legislation in 1987 creating federal rules for some appliances.

Theres a bipartisan tradition for efficiency standards, said Ralph Cavanagh, co-director of the energy program at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

If Trumps Department of Energy loosened the pressure to increase efficiency, he said, California can be expected to look for every opportunity to maintain momentum.

The state also receives some money from the department to pay for staff working on efficiency standards. This year, its $2.57 million.

chris.megerian@latimes.com

Twitter: @chrismegerian

ALSO

Rick Perry wanted to eliminate the Department of Energy  now he is said to be Trumps pick to run it

Californias new legislative session begins with a message: Were ready to fight Trump

Texas was Obamas chief antagonist. In Trumps America, California is eager for the part

UPDATES:

3:35 a.m.: This article was updated with Trumps announcement about his secretary of Energy pick.

This article was originally published at 12:05 a.m.
The nascent administration of President-elect Donald Trump has come into much sharper view in the first two days of the week, and one things for certain.

If you loved/hated the first picks, youre going to love/hate the most recent ones too.

Good morning from the state capital. Im Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers, and we have a new glimpse of Gov. Jerry Browns approach to the incoming administration by midweek.

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But first, lets talk about the Trump Cabinet.

THE TEXAS CONNECTION FOR STATE, ENERGY DEPARTMENTS

As expected, Trump selected Exxon Mobil Rex Tillerson as secretary of State. Or as our Times headline called him on Tuesday, oil tycoon and Russia friend.

Tillerson presents a challenge for the president-elect with some members of his own party in the potential message being sent about the Trump administrations view of Russia. And it seems clear, writes Cathleen Decker, that the 45th president is digging in his heels on the issue.

Then theres the $240 million in Exxon Mobil stock that the incoming secretary will have to sell, and the sense among some watchers that he could even have to recuse himself from decisions made by the State Department.

A far different set of questions faces the president-elects expected choice for secretary of Energy: Why does he want a job leading an agency he once vowed to shutter?

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Trumps pick, is another friend of the oil industry and climate change skeptic. And yes, there was that time in a GOP presidential debate that he couldnt remember the Department of Energy as one of the three government agencies he wanted to eliminate.

Perry would present a unique challenge for California, a state he loved to needle while in the governors mansion in Texas. Some believe Californias clean energy efforts would have to become more self sufficient with a Perry-led federal agency.

FOR INTERIOR, LOOK TO MONTANA

On Tuesday, it appeared that President-elect Trump had landed on Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) as Interior secretary.

Zinkes environmental record will no doubt get a full public vetting in the weeks to come, a record that includes support for preserving land for recreational purposes but more conservative approaches in most other areas.

Theres also that time he said (jokingly, he later said) that Hillary Clinton was the anti-Christ.

GOV. JERRY BROWN: HELP US, OBAMA

Weve been closely watching the relatively muted reaction from Gov. Jerry Brown to the coming era of Trump in Washington, D.C. And weve long suspected that environmental issues would be a key focus.

On Tuesday, Brown joined other prominent Californians in urging President Obama to make permanent an existing ban on oil and gas drilling in federally controlled waters off the California coast.

Whether the president could actually chisel something in stone that couldnt be undone by Trump remains to be seen. Nonetheless, the governors letter made clear that he views the issue through a coming battle over fossil fuels and climate change.

Clearly, large new oil and gas reserves would be inconsistent with our overriding imperative to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat the devastating impacts of climate change, Brown wrote.

The governors comments came just before he joined other governors from western states for an environmental event in San Diego. And many of those governors offered their own concerns about the incoming administration in Washington, D.C.

THE TRAVAILS OF LIBBY SCHAAF

A protege of Brown, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf finds herself confronting major challenges these days  none more painful, perhaps, than the anger and accusations after the citys fatal warehouse fire nearly two weeks ago.

As Chris Megerian and Javier Panzar report, its been a tough road for the Democrat elected in 2014. The fire comes after a major police department scandal, numerous protests and the saga of a new stadium for the NFLs Oakland Raiders.

There is hardly a day that goes by as mayor of Oakland that Im not met with some unpredictable challenge, Schaaf said in an interview.

CALIFORNIAS WATER WAR IN WASHINGTON

This weeks end of the lame-duck session of Congress had two particularly interesting story lines wrapped into the same debate over water being pumped through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

One was the fact that there had been bipartisan compromise. The other was a messy final chapter in the two-decade relationship between Californias U.S. senators.

As Sarah Wire writes, both stories involve Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The veteran politician struck a deal with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, but also angered Sen. Barbara Boxer, who was co-author of legislation into which the water agreement was tucked.

Feinstein sounded a note of realism when asked about the last-minute wrangling to work with Republicans. We are not in charge, she said, and I knew I had to get Republicans in both Houses to support this.

TODAYS ESSENTIALS

-- The titans of tech, many of whom bad-mouthed Trump during the campaign season, are visiting the president-elect today in New York.

-- Whats in a news story? The Trump team promotes an Associated Press story about the pick for secretary of State. Well, they promoted the parts that they liked.

-- The race to replace Los Angeles Rep. Xavier Becerra is already getting crowded.

-- There was sharp criticism from two prominent Democrats on Tuesday for an effort to allow the states largest public pension plan to fully invest in the tobacco industry.

-- A taxpayer group has filed a lawsuit against Brown that seeks to invalidate a new law allowing public funds to be used for political campaigning.

-- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti talked Trump on Chelsea Handlers Netflix show, in particular his recent phone conversation with the president-elect.

-- Federal agencies dont do enough to track and justify their use of live animals for research, several members of Congress wrote in a letter asking the U.S. Government Accountability Office to examine the issue.

-- A former leader of Republicans in the state Assembly is the new vice-chair of the California Republican Party.

LOGISTICS  AND SOME CHANGES

You may have noticed weve shifted to a Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule. It will be the same great newsletter, just not every day. You can keep up with breaking news on our politics page throughout the day for the latest and greatest. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics?

Miss Mondays newsletter? Here you go.

Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com.

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john.myers@latimes.com

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The weird and mysterious seahorse just got its first genetic close-up.

A team of international researchers has sequenced the full genome of a tiger tail seahorse. It is the first seahorse genome to be sequenced.

The authors of the new work, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, say the genome could reveal clues that can help explain why these bony fish are so unique.

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As a seahorse biologist, it is terrifically exciting, said Tony Wilson, a professor at Brooklyn College in New York who was not involved in the work. It brings the field into the 21st century.

Yes, seahorses are fish, but youd be forgiven for thinking they are something else entirely. They dont look like most fish, and they dont act like most fish either.

Their body orientation is vertical instead of horizontal, and instead of having scales, they are covered in bony plates that protect them from predators.

They dont have pelvic fins  in the fish world thats akin to not having hind legs. Instead they flutter their dorsal fins as many as 30 times a second to help them move around in the water. They also have a specialized tail, kind of like a monkeys tail, that allows them to cling to a piece of grass (or a lucky divers finger).

And perhaps most intriguing, seahorses are the only known vertebrates on the planet to exhibit true male pregnancy.

Seahorse mating rituals begin with an elaborate courting dance that can last up to three or four days. Eventually, the female seahorse transfers up to 1,500 eggs to the males brooding pouch via a special organ specifically designed for the task.

The male quickly fertilizes the eggs and provides the developing embryos safety, food and oxygen inside his growing pouch.

This male pregnancy appears to end on just as physical a note as many female pregnancies.

When he is ready to give birth he has contractions, Wilson said. He is actively pushing out the embryos.

After the birth, the baby seahorses receive no more parental care, and the mom and dad start the mating process again almost immediately.

No rest for the weary papa.

The seahorse lineage first diverged from other bony fishes over 100 million years ago in the Cretaceous period, and scientists have long wondered about the origins of the seahorses distinct morphology and mating behaviors. Now that they have a full genome sequence, they may be able to better understand when these traits developed as well as how they are being expressed on the genetic level, Wilson said.

The new work was led by Byrappa Venkatesh, a researcher at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Singapore, whose lab has sequenced the genomes of several other unusual fish including puffer fish, mudskippers and sunfish.

There are 47 known species of seahorse, and they are found all over the world, including off the coast of California and in the waters off New York City. However, the area with the most diversity of seahorses is in the Pacific, north of Australia.

Venkatesh said the group chose to sequence the tiger tail seahorse because it is native to Singapore and abundant there.

Although the analysis of the seahorse genome is still in its early stages, the authors were able to tease out a few intriguing hints of the genetics behind a few of the seahorses unique traits.

For example, they found that the seahorse genome is lacking a set of genes that primarily code for enamel. This might explain why these suction feeders have no teeth in their tube-shaped mouths.

Also missing from seahorse DNA is a gene that regulates the growth of pelvic fins. To see if this could be related to the lack of pelvic fins in these species, the authors knocked out the same set of genes in a zebrafish. Indeed, the zebrafish with the missing genes displayed no pelvic fin, although otherwise they were perfectly healthy.

The researchers also discovered that a family of genes associated with pregnancy was expanded in the seahorse genome compared with the genomes of its closest relatives, such as pipefish and seadragons. In addition, they found that genes typically involved in breaking down the membrane surrounding the eggs in female fish are expressed by male seahorses in their brood pouches.

Finally, the authors found evidence that seahorse proteins and DNA have evolved faster than those of their closest cousins, although the authors cant say yet why that might be.

Wilson said the work represents an important step in seahorse science, but he said this first sequenced genome cant answer scientists questions on its own.

Most of what they report is a correlation; you cant say for sure thats what causes it, he said.

Wilson said that the questions the paper addresses will now need to be looked at in more detail.

For example, comparing the tiger tail genome to those from other seahorse species, as well as some of the seahorses closest relatives, would also provide a better understanding of how the strange, idiosyncratic and almost magical seahorse came to be.

deborah.netburn@latimes.com

Do you love science? I do! Follow me @DeborahNetburn and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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With Metro moving forward with its project to build a Metrolink station on the north side of Hollywood Burbank Airport, Burbank City Council directed the city manager to negotiate with the transportation agency to draft an operations-and-maintenance agreement for the new facility.

Council members unanimously voted during a meeting Tuesday to have City Manager Ron Davis start talks with Metro, the Southern California Regional Rail Authority  known as Metrolink  and the city of Los Angeles to figure out which agency will be in charge of operating and maintaining the estimated $15-million station on San Fernando Boulevard west of Hollywood Way.

About $12.3 million from Measure R and a $2.7 million grant from the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority will fund the project.

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The new Metrolink station, with construction expected to begin in February and completion slated for the following December, is aimed at providing those living in and around the Antelope Valley a stop at the recently approved replacement terminal on the airports northeast quadrant, known as the B-6 parcel.

We will truly provide a truly transit-oriented development with the newly [voter-approved] adjacent terminal, as well as the future B-6 development, said Jeanet Owens, senior executive officer of program management and regional rail for Metro.

David Kriske, assistant community development director of transportation, told council members that he estimates annual maintenance costs for the station will be about $80,000, which includes cleaning, lighting, utilities and graffiti removal.

The city of Los Angeles has agreed to pay for a third of the costs, while Burbank will pick up the rest, which Kriske estimates will be about $53,000 per year.

To possibly offset those costs, Kriske said that the city could modify the Empire-to-downtown BurbankBus route, which could save the city $80,000 annually.

Councilman David Gordon, who was hesitant to approve the item, asked whether Metro was planning to put in a second train track in that corridor, and if so, why not wait until the track is put in and build a platform in the middle of the two tracks.

Kriske said that Metro does have plans for two tracks in that corridor and they are currently in the design phase. However, he added that the Measure R funds allocated to this project need to be used within a certain amount of time. If not, the money will be allocated to another Metro project.

In my opinion, based upon my experience, I would seize this opportunity to get this station constructed and funded by an outside entity, Kriske said. If youve decided that thats a valuable thing to the city, I wouldnt wait for the perfect, opportune way to build the facility.

--

Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
Hollywood Burbank Airport continues to see an increase in the number of passengers traveling through its terminals this year, reporting a 9.3% jump in October compared to the previous year.

The airport reported 375,456 passengers in October, which was 31,948 more than in 2015 and 28,369 more than what officials had budgeted, said Mark Hardyment, the airports director of governmental and environmental affairs during a meeting of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority on Monday.

Airport spokeswoman Lucy Burghdorf said that a combination of new flight services, airlines updating their planes and a recovering economy have contributed to the hike in passengers traveling through Hollywood Burbank.

Its a combination and a variety of factors, and the most important are the new services and change of equipment that the airlines have instituted at Burbank, she said. Its meant that theyre meeting the demand and filling their planes up.

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It is the sixth consecutive month that passenger tallies have bested figures from the previous year and what officials had projected.

The airfields strong statistics in October follow its best showing so far this year in September, when officials reported an 11.5% increase over the previous year.

Southwest Airlines, the airports largest airline, reported 286,650 passengers in October, or 33,261 more than in 2015. United Airlines also had a positive month, with 24,448 passengers, 4,963 more than last year.

Delta Air Lines had 8,141 passengers fly with it during the month, which was a 996 bump over the previous year. JetBlue Airways also saw a modest boost, reporting 8,072 passengers in October, 326 more than in 2015.

American Airlines saw the largest decline during October, recording 13,727 passengers for the month, 4,466 less than last year. Alaska Airlines also had a drop in passengers, with 34,418 people, 1,994 fewer than the previous year.

Though passenger numbers continue to surpass the expectations of officials, the same cannot be said about parking revenues for October.

After a strong month in September, parking revenue generated in October was relatively flat. The airport made roughly $1.77 million, about $5,200 less than in 2015, said Mary Tromp, the authoritys parking manager.

October marked the first month that the airport started tracking the number of drop-offs and pick-ups made by ride-sharing drivers. During the month, there were 25,347 drop-offs and 21,384 pick-ups, Tromp said.

--

Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 14

By Demir Azizov Trend:

The new Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev called building democratic dynamically developing society, improving the efficiency of democratic reforms the most important tasks on the way of Uzbekistans further development.

Mirziyoyev made the remarks at a joint meeting of the Legislative Chamber and the Senate - upper and lower houses of the Uzbek Parliament, where he was sworn in and took office as president of Uzbekistan.

In his speech, Mirziyoyev stressed that the main goal for him is to continue large scale reforms implemented under the leadership of first Uzbek President Islam Karimov.

Mirziyoyev noted that he attaches great importance to the development of private entrepreneurship, reduction of the level of state presence in the Uzbek economy.

The new Uzbek president also stressed the need to evaluate the work of state bodies of different levels according to the effectiveness of their interaction with the population, and so that heads of state power report directly to the people.

We are open to further development of cooperation with foreign countries and companies, and we are willing to create new, broader conditions and possibilities for this, he said.

It was earlier reported that candidates from four political parties of Uzbekistan participated in the presidential election on Dec. 4.

More than 15.9 million voters, or 88.61 percent of all voters who participated in the voting, cast their ballots for Mirziyoyev.

The country held early presidential election Dec. 4 in connection with the death of the first Uzbek President Islam Karimov, who passed away after suffering a stroke on Sept. 2.
Marriott International will not supply Bibles or other religious texts at its new millennial-oriented hotels, Moxy and Edition, Hugo Martin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Its because the religious books dont fit the personality of the brands, Marriott spokeswoman Felicia Farrar McLemore said.

Marriott, the worlds largest hotel company, supplies a copy of the Bible and Book of Mormon in rooms at every other hotel in its franchise.

Most major hotel companies allow individual owners and managers to decide whether to supply religious texts. A recent survey conducted by STR, a hospitality analytics company, found that in the last decade, the number of hotels offering Scriptures has dropped significantly  95% in 2006 to 79% this year.

According to industry experts, the practice has declined due to a need to appeal to younger, less devout, American travelers and to avoid offending travelers of different religions.

And then there is this practical issue: Many newer hotel brands install shelves rather than nightstands with drawers next to the bed, making it difficult to be discreet about offering a Bible, Martin reports.

Q. What do you think of Marriott Internationals decision and the larger trend?

I am sorry to hear about Marriott not wanting to put Bibles in peoples rooms, but I understand somewhat the companys reasoning.

I have an idea. All new hotels that I have been in have TV sets in their rooms, and most, if not all, have a channel dealing with the facilities that are available for the guests.

Perhaps the Marriott could offer a second channel that would have scriptures of all the major faiths. The remote control could scroll down until the necessary scripture was found, Hebrew Scriptures, Christian Scriptures, Koran or Gita, for example, and then the patron could locate the book or sura or passage. After the initial cyber expense, there would be no further expense. An added advantage would be to make this program audio-friendly for the visually impaired.

God and the 21st century, peace on Earth and good will toward all.

Shalom and happy holidays,

Rabbi Mark Sobel

Temple Beth Emet

Burbank

..

Marriott Internationals corporate decision is illustrative of the personal decision every one of us must make regarding the Bible, which is the eternally standing, revealed word of God. Will we promote it or will we be ashamed of it and try to conceal it? Will we publicly live out its principles, or will we let public opinion be our moral guide? If the presence of the Bible threatens some perceived profit or pleasure, which will I reject and which will I choose to keep? We all must decide these things.

On the surface it may appear that the Marriott company has made a pragmatic, profit-driven decision that will (it hopes) appeal to its target customers. But in reality Marriott has made a moral decision, especially in light of the fact that it has purposely discontinued its long-standing practice of providing religious texts in two of its new brands. The company has made a conscious, deliberate decision to reject the Bible. In my opinion this is a foolish and self-destructive choice that speaks poorly of its leaderships moral judgment and distances itself from Gods blessings. It also presupposes a negative view of its desired customers, that they would be so biased as to reject patronage of the hotel simply because there happened to be a Bible in the room. I do not believe the rising generation is that bigoted and narrow-minded.

Regardless of the financial impact of the Marriott companys decision, there is a more serious consequence, which those who believe the Bible take seriously (and those who reject it dont). Jesus said: Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the son of man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:26). Some decisions have serious, eternal consequences.

Pastor Jon Barta

Burbank

..

Our older daughter delighted in hotels at an early age because her dad and I are avid travelers, and she would immediately toddle over to the nightstand and look for a Bible. Because we discussed beliefs openly with her she already knew that some families embraced supernatural deities, just as her atheist parents deeply believed in peace, justice and rationality. Once she discovered a book entitled The Life Of Buddha in the drawer instead, and we all enjoyed an age-appropriate discussion of comparative religion.

Consider this statement from James McKnight, pastor at the Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship in Los Angeles: I do not expect the owner of a hotel to have the responsibility to give me a sacred text, going on to say that Christian travelers who regularly read the Bible would probably have a print or digital copy with them.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has weighed in as well, last year having asked 15 major hotel chains to refrain from providing Bibles in hotel room. Much as I respect this group and support its efforts to keep religion out of our constitutionally secular government, I dont think that Bibles in hotel rooms violate the separation of church and state. As with porn on the TV channels available to hotel guests, no one is forced to partake.

I also dont think much of the foundations providing members with stickers to place on hotel Bibles which say Warning: Literal belief in this book may endanger your health and life. That may be true, but it is also defacing hotel property and may show up on your bill like a stolen towel or broken lamp.

Hotels are being silly to think that a Bible discretely slipped in a drawer is fine but one on an open shelf is making too pronounced a statement. Whatever Marriott and other chains decide, they should stand behind their action.

It would be better for hoteliers to think deeper and recognize that hotel stays are not fun jaunts for all guests, and that beliefs vary widely. Travelers can be lonely, bored, grieving, struggling with addiction, worried sick about work, or even suicidal. Why not provide a book gathering a range of inspirational or consoling material, from biblical and other sources, along with a help-line number to call for human contact and perhaps intervention?

Roberta Medford

Atheist

Montrose

..

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. No other book has had such a positive impact on the world, and Western Civilization wouldnt be what it is had there been no Bible. Is it important? Yes. If you had to choose one book to offer someone seeking guidance, comfort, or purpose this is the volume you lay out. Its been the one that thousands of hotels worldwide have included as part of the furniture in their rooms so that travelers may have ready access. And theres a reason weve come to expect a Bible in a drawer or on a shelf in the places we briefly stay, its because the Gideons have been putting them there for more than a century, to the tune of two billion and counting. It hasnt been the inns themselves that supply the Bibles or foot the expense, it has been the good Christian Gideons who daily donate their own time and money so that people like you and me may count on this one positive constant. If youve ever heard a Gideon speak at a church, you know they have endless stories of people who went to Hotels to commit suicide, only to change their minds by the hopeful words of Scripture. And it doesnt stop there; so many lives have been changed, families saved, and even pastors like me were made by having encountered a Gideon Bible. Taking away such a human advantage as this book can only be considered callous and soulless. How does a book fail to fit a brand personality anyway? Should its cover be modernized? The Gideons would do it.

As for Christian travelers, I would advise that when at all possible, choose a different place to stay, not to particularly punish Marriott or because its sinful, but to support Christian faith-affirming businesses and do good especially to those who belong to our family in the faith (Galatians 6:10).

Rev. Bryan A. Griem

Tujunga
Thurston Middle School students took a break from classes Monday to spread some holiday cheer.

Seventeen students from Thurstons Peer Assistance Leadership, or PAL, program sang Christmas carols and gave gifts to children at the La Playa Center, a free English-as-a-second-language school. PAL focuses on service to the community while also aiming to teach students leadership skills.

The visit ended a morning tour that included stops at the Laguna Food Pantry and the Alternative Sleeping Location, the citys overnight emergency shelter.

At the pantry, students delivered and sorted canned goods they had collected during a schoolwide food drive. Students then received a tour of the ASL, which provides meals and sleeping space for 45 people per night.

Students then boarded a bus and made the short trip along Laguna Canyon Road to the La Playa Center, which is housed in the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach. Parents can drop off their kids at child care, which then frees them to attend English-learning classes taught by volunteer teachers.

The Laguna Beach-based nonprofit South County Crosscultural Council operates La Playa and the Laguna Day Worker Center  which aims to match workers with contractors and homeowners for landscaping, home repairs and other work. It also set up a nearby day worker site where the people looking for a days labor can congregate.

Thurston classes have taken gifts to toddlers at the La Playa Center for several years, but the experience can be a real eye-opener for students who are new to PAL.

A lot of them dont see these types of [places] that are in Laguna, said Thurston Spanish teacher Jeff Dippel, who co-leads the PAL program with history teacher Darci Anderson.

Dippel and Anderson chaperoned the students Monday.

Inside the La Playa Center, students stood in a straight line while facing children and their mothers and sang Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and other seasonal tunes.

One mother, with a child on her lap, filmed the performance on her cellphone.

At one point, a couple of students broke into a little dance, apparently moved by the celebration.

After a few songs, it was time for gifts. Parents and students helped kids tear the wrapping to get to dolls, miniature toy cars and other delights.

For some parents, the students generosity carried particular significance.

I feel happy for my kid; he doesnt receive anything for Christmas, said Rancho Santa Margarita resident Maribel Lopez, whose 18-month-old son, Andres Lam, held a plastic toy truck.

Through a translator, Laguna Beach resident Ariane Cardona said she felt blessed by the giving. Cardona has a 3-year-old daughter.

Its fun hanging out with them even though it takes away from school time, said Thurston student Kidd Stablein, 14. I feel like were doing something good and paying attention to what is going on in the world.

Students in PAL meet once a week during a class period that other students use for tutoring help or making up tests.

Its a big sacrifice on their part, Dippel said in an earlier phone interview. They might have to make up work before or after school or during lunch.

Hopefully they end up doing community service later on.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce
Pressure is mounting to stop construction of a proposed six-lane highway through a Nigerian rainforest that is home to hundreds of thousands of people and vulnerable wildlife.

The road, locally referred to as a superhighway, is planned in southeastern Nigerias Cross River state and would be 162 miles long with six miles of cleared land on either side.

Conservationists say the construction would displace at least 180 indigenous communities and slice through a national park and adjoining forest reserves that provide habitats for some of the countrys most beleaguered species, including the endangered Cross River gorilla, chimpanzees, forest elephants and pangolins  the worlds most poached mammal, whose scales are prized in traditional medicine.

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The project pits advocates for environmental and cultural habitat preservation against those who believe the region could benefit from much-needed infrastructure improvement, and spotlights the often contentious global development issue of conservation versus growth.

The so-called Cross River Superhighway, the brainchild of the states governor, Ben Ayade, would stretch from northern Nigeria to a proposed deep seaport in the south, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. It is expected to include modern facilities such as Wi-Fi, according to information from the governors office published in the Nigerian press.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari gave the project the green light more than a year ago, praising it as a significant milestone toward transforming the economic agenda of the state, according to local media.

Conservationists fight back

But conservationists and many local communities are mobilizing against the highway, which they say would have a devastating effect on the rainforest habitat of animals, and the thousands of people who risk being displaced.

As now planned, the road would cut through several protected areas such as the Cross River National Park, Ukpon River Forest Reserve, Cross River South Forest Reserve, Afi River Forest Reserve and Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary. These sites are home to various threatened species, including Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees, drills, Preusss red colobus monkeys, slender-snouted crocodiles and African gray parrots, among many others.

Survival of the worlds rarest great ape, the Cross River gorilla, which numbers fewer than 300, is also at risk if its habitat is disrupted and impaired, wildlife officials said.

Owai, a male drill, is seen in 2002 at the Drill Ranch in Calabar, a key city in Nigerias southeastern Cross River state. The state plans to build a 162-mile superhighway. (Boris Heger / Associated Press )

It is very troubling and worrisome for us that the great work that Nigeria has done to create these areas and protect them could be undermined by this [highway] development, said John Calvelli, executive vice president of the Wildlife Conservation Societys public affairs division.

Seeking to persuade Nigerian authorities to halt the project, reroute it away from protected areas and community forests along the border area with Cameroon, or rehabilitate existing highways, the Wildlife Conservation Society has launched an international campaign. As of Tuesday, it had generated 100,081 petition signatures, according to officials from the organization.

The process of clearing a corridor for the project had begun but was temporarily stopped after protests from local communities and groups including the Ekuri Initiative, a forest stewardship organization run by one of the indigenous communities in the path of the proposed expressway.

A public notice issued by the Cross River state government and published in the local press in January said there would be a 656-foot offset on either side of the center line of the roadway and a further six miles of buffer. The land was being revoked for overriding public purpose, the notice said.

Conservationists questioned why the buffer abutting the road needed to be so wide, when the buffer on Nigerias federal highways is typically about 165 feet. Nigerian officials have been unclear about the need for such a large swath.

Many of the activists have accused the government of staging a land grab. They have helped initiate an environmental impact assessment and have delivered about 253,000 signatures to the federal government urging President Buhari to protect their ancestral forests, Calvelli said.

Were particularly concerned about the communities, Calvelli said. Without those communities, we are not going to have good stewards of our natural world.

There is also concern that the road would provide easy access to wildlife traffickers.

Building a highway of that size through a natural park will only bring poachers closer to the wildlife, Calvelli said.

In this file photo, a baby chimpanzee is displayed for sale by a roadside animal trader in Abuja, Nigeria. The West African nation is often used as the transit point for the illegal trade of great apes, according to wildlife officials. (Saurabh Das / Associated Press )

Support for the project

Backers of the project insist that the superhighway would provide a much-needed boost to the regions infrastructure and economy. They cite the benefits of being able to easily transport goods to and from the proposed seaport, and the jobs the construction project would create, among other advantages.

Ayade, the regions governor, has rejected suggestions the new highway would significantly harm wildlife, and dubbed opposition to the project a campaign of lies concocted by a couple of disgruntled officials, according to Nigerian media.

Despite the public notice to the contrary, the governor has insisted that only a corridor of about 115 feet to 280 feet would be cleared to accommodate the highway. And communities affected by the road would be compensated, he has said.

All you need to construct a road of this nature is balancing between the development and environment, the website Cross River Watch quoted Ayade as saying. Environment does not forbid development. And that is what we teach students in the university, development must come.

In this file photo, a gamekeeper at the Drill Ranch in Calabar, southeastern Nigeria, feeds mangos to young drills. One of Africas most endangered primate species, drills are found only in parts of Nigeria, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. (Boris Heger / Associated Press )

Nigerias minister of environment, Amina Mohammed, has also lauded the project as crucial for the development of the state and its people, according to Cross River Watch.

Everyone here is in agreement that infrastructure is the bedrock [on] which we build sustainable development and this project will touch everybody particularly those at the grass roots, she said this year, according to the website CD Blog.

The road ahead

Calvelli said he was hopeful that further dialogue between Nigerian authorities and conservationists could lead to a mutually agreeable resolution. On Tuesday, he met with the charge daffaires of the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and delivered a thumb drive containing the more than 100,000 petition signatures opposing construction of the highway under the current plan.

Calvelli said that the tone of the meeting was positive and cordial and that the diplomat promised to share the information with Nigerian state and federal officials.

We are not anti-development, Calvelli said. We firmly believe that development done effectively with nature in mind is in the best interest of the long-term growth of the nation.

ann.simmons@latimes.com

For more on global development news, see our Global Development Watch page, and follow me @AMSimmons1 on Twitter
The evacuation of Syrian rebels bunkered in their last remaining holdouts in the beleaguered city of Aleppo has been delayed, rebels and activists said Wednesday, as an 11th-hour cease-fire forged by Russia and Turkey broke down after only a few hours of calm.

The agreement, which called for a cease-fire to take effect late Tuesday night and have rebels leave their bastion early Wednesday, came as the government took near total control of the rebels enclave in eastern Aleppo. It represents the most significant achievement by the government of President Bashar Assad in the almost six-year civil war ravaging the country.

The deal would have allowed opposition fighters to exit from Aleppos southwestern flank toward countryside areas still in rebel hands, taking their personal weapons  a major point of contention that may have contributed to the scuttling of the arrangement.

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On Tuesday, before the cease-fire went into effect, the United Nations said at least 82 civilians had been killed in fighting.

Late that day, the green buses used to shuttle opposition fighters out were reported to have arrived in Aleppo, according to pro-government groups. But they had remained empty, and residents from within rebel areas said there had been no evacuations.

Instead, the sounds of intense artillery and mortar shelling as well as sporadic gunfire could be heard once more after hours of calm overnight.

I dont know if you can hear it, but there are artillery and mortar strikes on the besieged areas, Mahmoud Raslan, a pro-opposition activist, said via the WhatsApp messaging service on Wednesday. He said he was in Salah Al Din, a neighborhood at the very edge of the Syrian governments advance.

Minutes later, he sent an audio recording of loud explosions in the area.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitoring group with a network of activists in Syria, said at least 10 people had been killed in the barrage hitting eastern Aleppo.

Everything has collapsed, said Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Observatory.

Late Wednesday, Ahmad Qurah Ali, the spokesman for the hard-line Islamist group Ahrar Al Sham, said in a statement on social media that a cease-fire would start at midnight Damascus time.

The first group of the wounded and civilians would leave early Thursday morning, he said.

Activists and residents contacted in eastern Aleppo confirmed a significant reduction of hostilities in the wee hours of Thursday morning, but that there were still occasional sounds of gunfire.

One resident, Dr. Ghaith Suleiman, said in a Whatsapp message that he received word the evacuation would go through in the morning under supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Damascus and Moscow have yet to confirm any arrangement. Meanwhile, the Hezbollah-affiliated Central Combat Media outlet issued a report late Wednesday saying that all rumors regarding a cease-fire and the exit of the gunmen were completely untrue.

It was unclear why Tuesdays deal had broken down.

The Russian Reconciliation Center, the Russian armys monitoring body in Syria, blamed the rebels for the delay and the subsequent breakdown of the fragile truce, saying in a statement on Wednesday that when the [buses] arrived at the agreed boarding site the militants opened fire on the column.

Russia has been Assads closest ally, and its air power, deployed on behalf of the Syrian forces, effectively turned the tide of the battle in Aleppo.

The Reconciliation Center added that the militants had taken advantage of the cease-fire to regroup  and resume combat operations, but the terrorists were rolled back. The statement employed the Russian and Syrian governments standard description for the rebels arrayed against the rule of Assad.

The Syrian army went ahead with the operation to retake eastern Aleppos quarters from the militants, the Russian statement continued.

Zakaria Malahifji, spokesman for Fastaqim Kama Umert, an opposition faction fighting inside Aleppo, blamed the Syrian government and its Iranian allies for the breakdown, saying they had been displeased that the deal had been imposed on Damascus by Russia without consultation.

The Observatory for Human Rights said the issue was that the rebels had been all but defeated and that the regime had gotten nothing in return for this agreement.

Mayadeen, a Lebanese news channel that is close to the Assad government, said government and Iranian officials had insisted on evacuating the wounded in Fuah and Kefraya, two villages in the opposition-controlled province of Idlib that have been besieged for almost two years, and that vital humanitarian aid be allowed in.

In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest sharply criticized both Russia and Syria, as well as Iran, another Assad ally. He said the United States was working diligently through a variety of diplomatic channels to resolve the situation.

We continue to be deeply concerned about the situation in Aleppo, he said at the daily White House press briefing. We are seeing the same reports that you are, that innocent people are being slaughtered in the streets at the hands of the Assad regime, aided and abetted by the Russians and the Iranians. And it raises deep concerns. And its a deeply tragic situation. And these atrocities have to come to an end.

Among those holding out in eastern Aleppo was Monther Etaky, 28, and his family  his wife, Walaa, 25, and their newborn son, Yazid.

We will be slaughtered by them, he said, speaking of the Syrian government forces. We prefer to fight them and die like a tree, standing, not be annihilated.

Etaky, speaking via WhatsApp late Tuesday, said he and his family had been forced in recent months to relocate to an abandoned apartment and live without running water and only sporadic electricity. But they had refused to leave, even after he watched his friends die in airstrikes and bombings and even when he had to spend his days hunting for food.

There was too much history for him to leave, he said, too many ghosts. The criminal regime killed my friends, he said.

Then the cease-fire was announced, and Etaky realized he might finally have to depart. No way to stay in the city at all, he said. We just need to evacuate.

But, he said, Its not good.

Bulos is a special correspondent. Times staff writer Molly Hennessy-Fiske in Irbil, Iraq, contributed to this report.

MORE WORLD NEWS

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UPDATES:

3:15 p.m.: This article was updated to include reports of a possible new cease-fire deal.

2:25 p.m.: This article was updated with White House reaction and comments from an Aleppo resident.

4:20 a.m.: This article was updated with Times reporting.

2:40 a.m.: This article was updated with new details on the resumed fighting in Aleppo.

This article was originally published at 1 a.m.
In a significant break with past policy, U.S.-led forces in Iraq have started arming and training hundreds of fighters belonging to Shiite militias historically known for having ties to Iran.

The sectarian militias are being trained for the operation to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul. While Mosuls future remains uncertain, the cooperative effort is expected to strengthen the Shiite forces both militarily and politically.

The U.S.-led coalition has provided hundreds of guns and training to the fighters in recent weeks, indicating a new level of cooperation, although U.S. military officials quickly moved to downplay it, saying the fighters being trained have no ties to the Iranian-backed groups that targeted Americans in the past.

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In response to The Times reporting, Col. John Dorrian, the U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, insisted that U.S. policy on this matter has not changed.

We only train forces we can vet, Dorrian said. You assess to make sure they dont have association with terrorist groups, or groups associated with the government of Iran. They must be with groups that promote respect for human rights and rule of law.

U.S. and coalition special forces started training new recruits for Hashd al Shaabi militias this month at a facility about 55 miles south of Mosul. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times )

Dorrian acknowledged that some militias are still classified as terrorists by the U.S., but insisted those being trained had no ties to groups that have American blood on their hands.

But U.S. officials acknowledged the difficulty in fully vetting all members of the militias. And the senior leadership of the Shiite forces includes individuals who have been deemed terrorists by the United States.

After successfully fighting Islamic State elsewhere in Iraq, the militias received the governments blessing to take part in offensives, including the one to reclaim Mosul, which was launched Oct. 17.

Experts estimated there are at least 40 of the militias with a combined 80,000 to 100,000 active members.

Mosul is Iraqs second-largest city, with a diverse populace of more than a million people, and has been the biggest prize captured by Islamic State in its drive to create a caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

Its population is mostly Sunni Muslim, the sect that Islamic State claims to represent, and some human rights groups feared that allowing Shiite fighters to join the offensive would spark sectarian conflict.

But the Shiite militias  which have brought some Sunnis and other sects into their ranks  have promised to follow orders from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi. Last month, the Iraqi parliament passed a law that made the militias a legal military corps. Their leaders resent being called militias, noting they have government backing.

Coalition forces are screening Shiite militia commanders using U.S. and allies law enforcement and intelligence databases to weed out those with ties to terrorist groups or to Shiite militias backed by Iran, according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to speak publicly about the training.

Were going to go through and vet all the leaders, one official said.

But the U.S. will not be able to screen all of the militias foot soldiers, the officials said. And others noted that there still are leaders associated with the militias who fall outside U.S. guidelines for acceptable allies.

Among the most powerful is Hadi Ameri, the head of the Badr Organization, the military wing of a Shiite political party. Ameri recently defended his long-standing ties to Iran while visiting militia fighters on the front lines. His groups role in the offensive is expected to help his party in next years elections.

Its a mistake, said Michael Pregent, a former Army paratrooper who served in Iraq and is now an Iraq expert at the Washington-based Hudson Institute. The Shiite militias, he said, were directly involved in killing Americans. Theyre sectarian.

Haitham Mayahi, senior political advisor to Ameri, said the militia leaders agreed to have up to 900 new fighters trained to help expand their ranks and hold cities once they are cleared of Islamic State militants.

The Shiite militias have been accused by the U.S.-led military coalition of committing sectarian-driven crimes against Sunni populations in the areas under their control.

The U.S. refused to provide air support to the militias during an offensive last year in Tikrit, after photos appeared online of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of Irans elite Quds special forces and an ally of the militias leaders, drinking tea outside the city. His role in the battle unsettled U.S. officials, who declared Soleimani (nicknamed the Shadow Commander) a terrorist and accused him of directing deadly attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq a decade ago.

The militias tried to recapture Tikrit from Islamic State, but were ordered to withdraw when their monthlong offensive stalled. Only after the Iraqi army took over did U.S. warplanes support the operation, which eventually ousted the militants.

The Popular Mobilization Forces, known in Arabic as Hashd al Shaabi, were later accused of destroying hundreds of homes and businesses during the offensive, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

In October, Amnesty International documented allegations the militias had abused and killed Sunnis during the spring offensive to recapture the city of Fallujah.

Last month, during the Mosul offensive, Human Rights Watch reported that some Popular Mobilization Forces detained and beat shepherds from a village near Mosul whom they suspected of being Islamic State militants.

After the Iraqi parliament passed the law legalizing the militias, U.S. and coalition special forces began training 500 of the new recruits, many of them Sunni, at multiple sites outside Mosul on Dec. 4, Dorrian said.

He said the recruits come from areas outside Mosul held by Islamic State. Once towns surrounding Mosul are recaptured, the new fighters will help secure them. They were provided with Kalashnikov rifles, 10 days of training and the promise of monthly salaries of $500 to $600, commanders said.

Brett McGurk, the State Departments special envoy in the fight against Islamic State, said many of the Shiite militias operate outside the command and control of the Iraqi government, which is a significant problem.

But under their umbrella, he said, are local forces invaluable for holding ground in areas familiar to them. We cannot do that only with the Iraqi security forces, he said. We needed the tribes to be mobilized.

Pentagon officials stressed that the militias commanders will be screened and recruits must abide by the federal Leahy Law, named for Vermont Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, which bars the Pentagon from providing military assistance to foreign fighters who violate human rights.

U.S. and coalition trainers stood beside militia recruits on a firing range at a former Iraqi army facility south of Mosul on Sunday, offering tips on how to reload their rifles. The trainers said they have also been teaching the citizen soldiers how to stop battlefield bleeding and how to avoid and defuse bombs.

U.S. and coalition special forces train Shiite militia recruits this month at a facility about 55 miles south of Mosul. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times )

A U.S. special forces trainer in unmarked camouflage fatigues, who asked not to be identified because of security concerns, said he felt he was helping to save the lives of the fighters, many of them untrained civilians: taxi drivers, carpenters and waiters.

He said some had never handled a gun, but that they were enthusiastic students, more so than local forces he had trained in Afghanistan and Yemen.

Many of the recruits were Sunnis Arabs, but there were also Christians, Kurds, Turkmen, Yazidis and Shiites, commanders said. While many were untrained, some were former police and soldiers, including a few who had fought U.S. forces as part of former Iraqi leader Saddam Husseins army.

We were enemies. Now we are friends, said Usmat Mohamed, 47, a former soldier from a Sunni tribe.

Gahzi Abar, a commander with the militia who is a Sunni Turkmen, said the reason that we became Hashd al Shaabi is that it is now an organized and legalized force.

Our affiliation is to our country and not to any neighboring countries, he said.

Some experts said it was wise for the U.S. to make inroads with Shiite militias now, before Mosul is recaptured and a sectarian struggle for control begins in earnest.

The more they get involved with them, the better understanding and avoidance of misconception and misapprehension between the two, said Mowaffak Rubaie, Iraqs former national security advisor, now a member of parliament who supported legalizing the militias.

One thing thats been realized by U.S. officials is that in Iraq, if you pull out, you leave a lot for Iran to influence, said Renad Mansour, a fellow specializing in Iraq at the London-based think tank Chatham House.

Others warned that the training could backfire on the U.S.

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) urged Abadi this year to rein in the militias. Royce said this week that it was still risky for the U.S. to become involved with the groups.

Shia paramilitary forces  many of them funded, armed and even directed by Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps  have been responsible for horrific human rights abuses, he said. The Obama administration is playing with fire.

Hennessy-Fiske reported from Kalah Sur and Hennigan from Washington.

ALSO

Islamic State may be losing ground, but its recapture of Palmyra in Syria shows it is still a threat

Pentagon says human errors led to mistaken bombing of Syrian-backed forces

Islamic State is killing civilians, but these Mosul residents still wont flee

UPDATES:

Dec. 14, 10:25 a.m.: This article has been updated with further response from the U.S. military.

This article was originally published at 4:45 p.m. Dec. 13.
Treatments for Alzheimers Proving Elusive: Other Ways To Control The Disease? See Updates Here!

staff@latinoshealth.com By Aboki Basira Dec 14, 2016 01:08 AM EST

Finding a treatment plan to reverse or stop Alzheimer's disease is proving elusive. The success rate for Alzheimer's drugs is still stuck on .5%.

No new drug has been approved in the United States since Memantine which was approved in 2003. That drug aims to help symptoms such as memory problems but cannot stop the long-term progression of the disease.

Presently, the much needed solution, is a drug that will attack the underlying cause of the degenerative brain disorder, according to the Conolly Norman professor of old age Psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin, Brian Lawlor, MD, along with other researchers in the field.

Research has shown that the disease affects up to 5 million Americans and is also the sixth leading cause of death in the US.

He says the Alzheimer's research community is currently where cancer research was 20-30 years ago. Lawlor added that if a person is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, it seems like the kiss of death as there is no available treatment plan.

He was among the 1,200 researchers and other health care professionals who gathered at an international conference to share the latest results on medication that is tested for the disease.

StatesNews reported that, before the conference even started, the Alzheimer's community got an update that the drug (solanezumab), which was in the final stage of testing, did not slow the declines in memory degeneration. Solanezumab was created to target a substance in the Brain called amyloid, which is present in people with the disease.

Drugs created to treats amyloid have all been a failure.

Other potential treatment plan that was discussed at the conference includes: Aducanuma,it is another drug that targets amyloid. Samantha Budd, PhD, the vice president of clinical development at Biogen said, it reduces the sticky plaques better in the brains of patients who got the drug than in those who got a Placebo over 54 weeks.

She also said that people taking the drug shows less decline on mental tests at 52 weeks. The drug making company has launched phase III trials, which is the final phase before seeking approval, to confirm that the drug works and is safe.

LMTM is a drug that attacks tau protein, a substance that forms tangles in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. Lon Schneider, MD, professor of psychiatry, neurology, and gerontology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine stated that, patients with mild Alzheimer's who took LMTM did not show any difference in mental decline, in comparison to placebo after 18 months.

He added that future study could focus on the regimen as the drug showed some promise in a small group of patient who took a lower dose without combining with other Alzheimer's drugs.

The beta secretase cleaving enzyme (BACE) works by blocking the formation of amyloid Protein. According to John Sims, MD, senior medical director at Eli Lilly' Two phase III trials of a drug known as AZD3293 will be conducted, with plans to enroll more than 4,000 patients. The study will not be conducted until 2019, According to Webmd.

Nilvadipine, a blood pressure drug is still under study in a European trial that includes more than 500 patients with mild and moderate Alzheimer's. Some high blood pressure medications may have a protective role not just for stroke, but also for Alzheimer's disease, by decreasing inflammation and reducing amyloid.

The study was completed in October 2016, but however, the results are expected by spring 2017.

John Didsbury, PhD, the CEO of T3D Therapeutics said that the deterioration seen in Alzheimer's may be linked to problems in how the brain make use of blood sugars and fats, similar to type II diabetes.

He added that, testing T3D-959, aims to improve how the brain does this function in 32 patients. The phase II study found improvement in memory and thinking after 2 weeks, but the drug is under further testing.

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Google is always up to unveil something new for easing the technical needs. Now it has taken the initiative to drive iOS users to Google platforms for their essential works. Mobile platform switching is regarded by many as a tough task. But the new inclusion of Google drive on iOS will surely make it easier.

According to The Verge, this new addition made by Google will allow the users of Apple devices to store and save their important data, to do list, pictures, calendar, contacts, tasks etc. on the superlative cloud network of Google Drive App on iOS platforms. The new option is found in the settings menu under "backup."

As per 9 to 5 Mac, the latest version of Google Drive App makes storage functionality much easier and it's built-in stuff make transferring of data and essentials more comprehensive. It follows a simple three step process, primarily, a to avail the support a user of iOS device needs to download Google Drive from the App Store.

Then he/she needs to sign in with the primary Google account using any other Android device. In the next and last step, the user will require to go to his/her Google Drive app's main surface and then go to Menu > Settings > Backup to start the process of backing up all the important data.

However, before starting the process of backup, users require ensuring a reliable and flawless data or Wi-fi connection. A sudden stop may impact and interrupt the whole process. Users also need to switch off the iMessage App on their iOS-equipped device before beginning the process.

Apple authorities have also stated that the transferring process may take some hours.This depends on the strength of the connection. Therefore, whenever beginning the back process, one must have a good amount of time in his/her hands before the whole thing ends.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S table was launched by the Korean tech giant at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 held in Las Vegas, Nevada in January this year. Subsequently it was regarded by techno-critics as basically a Microsoft Surface clone.

Its the first Windows 10-based hybrid tablet launched by Samsung, the Galaxy Tab Pro S eight month ago. Its received some great reviews from experts around the world. Some experts found it to be better than the Microsoft Surface Pro.

Samsung is working on its second Windows 10 tablets, the Galaxy Tab Pro S2, according to SamMobile. The site says there will be four models, SM-W728, SM-W727, SM-W723, and SM-W720, but doesn't provide a lot more detail.

The Galaxy Tab Pro S2 could sport a 12-inches Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2160x1440 pixels, which gives a impressive experience of gaming and movies, and the latest Intel Core M series processor also Intel Core m3-6Y30 processor featuring Turbo Boost Technology, Intel HD Graphics 515, 4GB of DDR3L RAM, and 128GB of a solid-state drive for storage. We currently don't have information about a possible time frame for the launching of this upcoming Windows 10 tablets.

And just like its predecessor, the tablet shall maintain its ultra-light and compact form as well as its high-quality build, excellent screen, and powerful internal components.

There are also speculations saying that the different models may be hardware specifications of the device in different geographical locations.

There are no details about the specifications of each model but reports, rumors, and speculations going around online about the device appear to focus on one model alone.

If you're interested in Samsung's second-gen Surface Pro competitor, stick around. Chances are good for the tablet to make its way online through unofficial channels before the actual unveiling.
It was really devastating for South Korea's Samsung to have such a great loss in the recent Galaxy Note 7 battery issues. This is the main reason why the company is really gearing up for its next line up of amazing products next year.

According to Ecumenical News, various rumors have been buzzing around about the upcoming devices of Samsung. Well, rumors are insisting that the next device will be having a dual-screen. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will reportedly have a screen on the front and rear part of the device. Also, the smartphone is said to be a foldable device with an OLED display.

Additionally, reports say that the tech giant Samsung will launch few dual-screen smartphones, in this case, they will look into the market's response for such design. The company is expected to introduce the foldable smartphones as they will gain positive feedbacks from their consumers. Japan Display Inc. will supply displays for the dual-screen phones.

"In-foldable smartphone is seen as a first type of a foldable smartphone. Out-foldable smartphone is the next step of in-foldable smartphone," said an expert in the industry.

There are also lots of reports which say Samsug has been working to manufacture a great foldable phone in the history for a long time already. Samsung is a company that loves to experiment and explore new things. In 2013, it introduced a new display called the Galaxy Round curved smartphone.

Meanwhile, according to International Business Times, this South Korean company is set to have geared up for the launching of dual-screen smartphone with two displays and another smartphone with a foldable display.These are some of the revelations for Samsung's line up in 2017, as reported in IB Times.

Dual-screen, foldable smartphone

It also said that one model will have a rectangular design which will feature a flexible, foldable OLED display. However, the second model will be the size of a tablet, with screens at its front and back. Both screens can be used as a smartphone.

Out-foldable smartphone

An out-foldable smartphone has panels that are also bendable. This means that OLED panels are installed in the front and the back. Both will be functioning.

So stay tuned for more updates!
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 14

By Demir Azizov  Trend:

The Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov was appointed prime minister during a joint session of the Uzbek Parliaments Senate and Legislative Chamber Dec. 14.

According to the Uzbek Constitution, the prime ministerial candidate is proposed to the president by the political party with the biggest number of seats in the Legislative Chamber.

The Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (UzLiDeP) nominated Aripov.

The candidacy of a prime minister nominee is considered approved if it garners more than half of the votes of the members of the Legislative Chamber and the Senate of the Uzbek Parliament.

Eighty-three out of 92 Senate members as well as 124 of 142 members of the Legislative Chamber voted in favour of Abdulla Aripov electing him the Uzbek prime minister.
Tehran, Iran, Dec. 14

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

Iran and Russia have finalized their cooperation over a remote sensing satellite project, ICT Minister Mahmoud Vaezi told Trend.

He said Iran and Russia are improving their cooperation in the field of ICT as well as in other areas.

"Last week 17 Russian companies came here and worked over their cooperation with Iranian companies," he said.

Elsewhere, Vaezi said President Hassan Rouhani has accepted an invitation by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to visit Moscow.

"On his last visit to Tehran, Mr. Putin invited Rouhani to Moscow. Dr. Rouhani has accepted the invitation. The two countries foreign ministries are to decide a date for the trip," Vaezi stated.

Following several round of meetings between Iranian and Russian delegations, the two sides on Dec. 13 inked 10 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in various areas, including energy, banking, insurance and industry.

Iran and Russia plan to increase their annual volume of trade turnover to $10 billion in future.

According to customs statistics, Iran-Russia annual trade plunged from $4 billion in 2011 to $1 billion in 2013 due to the sanctions on Iran, but rose to $1.7 billion in 2014. The figure increased by 30 percent in 2015, and during 9 months of 2016, the trade turnover between Iran and Russia increased by 70 percent year-on-year.
Tehran, Iran, Dec. 13

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

About 63,000 Iranian tourists visited Russia during 2016, about 14,000 more than in 2015, Russias Ambassador to Tehran Levan Jagarian said during a conference held in Tehran Dec. 13.

He added that tourism relations between the two countries indicate a rapid growth, Trends correspondent reported from the event.

Addressing the conference, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei said that currently 20 flights are carried out between Tehran and Russian regions.

In 2015, the number of visas issued by Russia for Iranians doubled, year-on-year, reaching 49,000.
By Dalga Khatinoglu

Iran and Russias Gazprom Neft signed a memorandum of understanding Dec.13 on two oil fields, bringing the total field number, delivered to Russian companies to be studied to 7.

Six of them are brown, while only Dehloran is a green field (non-operational).

The most important issue for Iran is increasing the recovery rate of these fields, which contain 43 billion barrels of medium and heavy oil in-situ reserves with 6-17 percent recovery rate on average.

All of the mentioned fields, located in central and western regions of Iran, are among the 49 fields which Iran offered to foreigners based on the newly designed model contracts, called the Iran Petroleum Contract or IPC.

Oil fields Oil in-situ (billion barrels) Current production (Thousand b/d) API Russian company Mansouri 15.142 60 20-25 Lukoil Ab Teymour 15.258 60 22-22.5 Lukoil Aban 0.138 9 21 Zarubezhneft West Paydar 0.952 28 18-20 Zarubezhneft Cheshmeh Khosh 3.74 72 20-29 Gazprom Neft Changouleh 2.367 0 24 Gazprom Neft Dehloran 5.184 24 30 Tatneft

Both Lukoil and Gazprom had contracts with Iran to develop the oil fields in 2000s, but withdrew due to sanctions. However, regarding signed 17 MoUs between Iran and foreign companies during the last months, the big share of Russian companies shows both sides have opened a new chapter in their energy relations.

Gazprom, which left Irans Azar oil field, offered Iran to participate in mid/downstream projects as well on December 13.

Mid/downstream sector

The deputy chairman of the companys management committee, Alexander Medvedev said that we can develop Irans liquefied gas projects, get involved in Iran-India subsea gas pipeline as well as some upstream sectors like exploration, gas production.

National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC) has been negotiating to lay a $4.5-billion worth undersea gas pipeline from Iranian coast via Oman Sea to Gujarat, India.

Iran plans to increase gas export from the current level of 10 billion cubic meters per year (bcm/y) to 60-80 bcm/y by 2021. Currently, Turkey is Irans only customer.

Iran also has a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, developed by 50 percent, which needs a $8-11 billion investment to produce 10.4 million tons per year (14 bcm/y) of LNG.

Iran also plans to construct several mini-LNG plants with about 150,000 tons per year of capacity and the talks with Gazprom have been going on since last year.

The other major sphere for cooperation is the underground gas storage (UGS) facilities.

Irans housing gas demand triples in winters, leading to gas shortage in cold season. Iran has two UGS facilities, Shourijeh and Serajeh, with below 3 billion cubic meters capacity, to help the country to re-extract 20 mcm/d of gas from the storage during winter. But the volume is very low, comparing to gas demand growth in winter. Irans housing sector consumed about 91 bcm of totally produced 192 bcm of sweet gas during the last Iranian fiscal year (ended on March 20).

Without expanding the storage capacity, there is no perspective for Iran to become a major gas exporter in the future. The country plans to increase its gas output from the current 750 mcm/d to 1,250 mcm/d by 2021.

Gazprom has very good experience in this sphere, owning 22 UGS facilities at 26 gas storages in Russia: 17  in depleted gas fields, 8  in aquifers and 1  in salt caverns.

According to Gazproms website, by the 20162017 autumn/winter period, working gas inventories in the UGS facilities amounted to 72.098 bcm, while their maximum potential daily deliverability reached by the start of the period a record 801.3 mcm, which was 11.4 mcm higher than last year.

The company has UGS facilities abroad as well. In 2015, Gazproms gas storage capacities in Europe (including those under lease contracts) amounted to 5 bcm and their daily deliverability was 61.5 mcm/d.

Gas-to-power projects

Iran and Russia also inked a $1.6 billion agreement on building a 1,400 megawatt (MW) gas-fired power plant in the southern province of Hormozgan Province, close to the giant South Pars gas field, which shares 60 percent of Irans gas production. Iran plans to increase gas output capacity of field from the current 465 mcm/d to above 800 mcm/d by 2021.

Irans power generation capacity stands at 75,912 MW, expected to reach about 100,000 MW by 2021 and 125,000 MW by 2025.

Dalga Khatinoglu is the head of Trend Agency's Iran news service, follow him on Twitter: @dalgakhatinoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Iran and Belarus discussed cooperation in oil trade and manufacturing oil equipment, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, Irans oil minister, said.

Zanganeh made the remarks after a meeting with Belarus Industry Minister Vitaly Vovk in Tehran, IRNA news agency reported Dec. 14.

Zanganeh said that Tehran is interested to develop ties with Belarus in various fields including manufacturing the oil industry equipment as well as oil and oil products trade.

Iran is ready to sign cooperation documents with Belarus which can guarantee the two sides' long-standing interests, Zanganeh added.

Vovk also met with Iranian First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri.

During the meeting, he said that Belarus is willing to increase cooperation with Iran in the post-sanctions era, especially in oil refining and petrochemical exports.

Vovk also pointed to the lack of political barriers in bilateral ties and strong will of the two countries' officials to expand relations as important incentives for improving the level of mutual transactions.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14



By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:



Iran has called for forming joint energy ventures with Russia in a bid to expand bilateral cooperation in oil and gas spheres.



Mohammadreza Nematzadeh, Iran's Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, has proposed to organize oil and gas joint ventures between the two countries, SHANA news agency reported.



Speaking at a meeting with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, the Iranian minister noted that the level of Irans exports to Russia has been halved over the last year, while Russia has doubled its exports to Iran.



Nematzadeh further called for creating a proper balance in the level of exports between the two countries through increasing Irans exports to Russia in the fields of raw materials, agricultural products, automobiles and automotive parts, medicinal drugs as well as equipment.



The Iranian minister also urged for cooperation between the two countries in helicopter and vehicle manufacturing.



In turn, the Russian minister vowed to make efforts aimed at increasing Irans exports to his country. Novak expressed Russia's interest in cooperation with Iran in vehicle manufacturing.



A Russian company is also expected to launch a plant in Iran for producing agricultural equipment, Novak added.



Over the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year (starting March 20), the Islamic Republic exported $86.5 million worth of goods to Russia.



In the meantime, Iran imported $106.6 million worth of goods from Russia.



Novak headed a 600-member Russian delegation during his Tehran visit discussing the ways for broadening trade ties between the two countries.
Irish Water says Portarlington's sewerage treatment will will be upgraded by next year while it is also carrying out a drainage area plan for Portlaoise.

In a recent statement following the publication of a report by the Environmental Protection Agency, the State-owned company said it is addressing wastewater challenges by investing 2 million to upgrade the Portarlington Wastewater Treatment plant.

"The works are underway on site and will be complete and compliant by August 2017," he said.

The company is also carrying out a Drainage Area Plan for the Portlaoise wastewater network.

"The initial stage of the plan has been completed. Survey works are currently being procured by Irish Water and the surveys are expected to commence in Q2 2017 and concluded in Q4 2017. Once the surveys have concluded and recommendations reviewed Irish Water will provide an update on any upgrades that may be required," he said.

Irish Water said it has a plan to address all of the issues and concerns, including those in Laois raised by the Environmental Protection Agency and is already making progress.
A nationwide poll of feeder schools to third level colleges has placed Mountmellick Community School top of Laois' nine secondary schools, with 95 percent of their 78 Leaving Cert students going on to college.

The survey also confirms that Carlow IT is by far the favourite college for the 784 Laois Leaving Certs of 2016, with 99 starting courses at what is the nearest Institute of Technology.

The favourite university was University of Limerick, with 70 starting degree courses there, while the school with the highest rate of students starting at university, 57 percent, was Scoil Chriost Ri in Portlaoise.

Mountmellick CS Principal Larry Curtin was delighted at the rating, which he notes is better than some fee paying schools in Ireland.

We are really pleased to see this recognition of the excellent work that has been taking place in our school over the past number of years. It reflects very well on the commitment and care to our students as demonstrated by staff members, management and Board of Management, he told the Leinster Express.

The school took a fall in enrolments in recent years which is being reversed since Mr Curtin took on his role.

The manner in which our enrolment numbers in first year has increased by 50% in recent years also indicated the level of improvement which has been taking place in our school, Mr Curtin said, thanking his staff for their contribution to the success.

While we recognise that these league tables do not give a full picture of all aspects of education in schools, including our own, nonetheless we welcome the recognition of significant recent improvement in academic standards in our school, he said.

One third, 25 of their students, went to universities, 18 went to IT Carlow, and 31 to other colleges.

Mountrath CS was second in the overall poll, with 82 percent of its 114 Leaving Certs going to college. Over half, 50 students, went to universities, 15 to Carlow IT, 28 to other ITs, and 5 to teaching.

Third was Colaiste Iosagain, Portarlington at 81 percent of its 129 Leaving Cert student. The favourite was Maynooth University for 19 students. 52 students went to universities, and 50 to ITs or others, with Carlow again the favourite IT at 16 students.

Clonaslee College had 45 students, of which 80 percent went to college, with 9 to university, 27 to ITs and four to teaching college.

Heywood CS in Ballinakill had 77 percent of their 118 Leaving Certs go to college, with 40 students heading to universities, and 35 to Carlow or Waterford ITs.

St Fergal's College Rathdowney had 76 percent of their 45 Leaving Certs go to college, with 10 to universities, 24 to ITs, and three to teaching college.

Scoil Chriost Ri Portlaoise had 73 percent of their 99 Leaving Certs go to college, with over half, 42 girls, going to universities, 23 to ITs, and five to teaching college.

St Mary's CBS Portlaoise had 71 percent of their 102 Leaving Certs go to third level, with again over half, 46 boys, going to universities, 23 to IT colleges and three to teaching college.

Portlaoise College had the lowest percentage in Laois, with 46 percent of its 54 Leaving Certs going on to third level college. Six went to universities, nine to Carlow, and 10 to other ITs.

Knockbeg College near the Carlow border which takes many Laois students, topped the list in Carlow, with 92 percent of its 64 Leaving Certs going to college. Two thirds, 39 students, went to university and 20 to IT colleges.

The survey by the Irish Independent does not include PLC courses, which many students use as a stepping stone to third level college, or colleges abroad.

It shows that non fee-paying schools are catching up on fee paying schools, with 58 of public schools reaching a 100 percent college entry success rate around Ireland, up from 11 schools since 2006. See the table below.
Laois' biggest credit union branch is to seek the green light from its members for an expansion into Kildare.

The People First Credit Union has begun the work of merging with Athy Credit Union. Approval for the process to proceed further is to be sought at the People First AGM in Portlaoise next Monday night, December 19. The move would push membership to some 35,000 people.

Clive Davis is chairman of the People First Credit Union which covers Portlaoise and last year expanded in Laois. He asks membership for the goahead in his report to members.

"Building no the success of the merger between Abbeyleix and Portlaoise in 2016, the board of the People First Credit Union are now seeking your approval for our next proposed merger, this time between Athy Credit Union and People First Credit Union," he said.

Mr Davis said this merger will allow People First Credit Union to build and expand its Common Bond which, it is claimed, will bring substantial benefits to both organisations. He said it would also increase the prospect of a debit card service for both.

He said the merger with Abbeyleix brought benefits and he hopes that the Laois membership will back the move at the AGM.

Athy Credit Union was set up in 1967. Its website says that in 2014 its savings amounted to 24,016,659 with a membership of 9,037. To date 125,151,282 has been granted in loans to members. The number of People First registered members as of 30th September 2016 was 25,765. Its draws membership from Portlaoise, Abbeyleix, Stradbally, Ballinakill and surrounding areas.

This is the latest in the list of significant restructuring of the Credit Union movement in Laois. Alongside the Portlaoise Abbeyleix merger, over the past two years Mountrath, Rathdowney and Durrow Credit Unions have joined with St Canice's Credit Union in Kilkenny.

Portarlington and Mountmellick Credit Unions remain independent. Before the merging process began there was a loose alliance of credit unions in Laois but no formal ties.
Laois TDs were given less than six minutes to raise the future of Portlaoise hospital in the Dail this week and the Minister for Health was not present to answer their questions.

Fianna Fail TD Sean Fleming and Sinn Fein's Brian Stanley were given two minutes each to raise the issue and a further minute each to discuss the issue which was the subject of a major report from the health wathdog HIQA.

Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, repeated previous answers on Portlaoise but agreed with points made by the TDs that there should be consultation locally before change and that the Minister for Health Simon Harris should meet local stakeholders such as the family doctors.

Deputy Fleming thanked Minister McGrath for standing in for the Fine Gael Minister but he said Minister Harris should be present.

"I am saying clearly on the record of the House that I need to speak to the Minister, Deputy Harris, directly on this issue. Any plans by the Department of Health will go nowhere until such time as we have proper consultation with the Minister on the matter.

"The recent HIQA report contained nothing that was a surprise to me. Essentially, the report says that progress is being made in the maternity unit at Portlaoise hospital but that investment is required in the medical and intensive care unit in order to bring them up to standard. This has been known for quite some time but the HSE has not yet taken action. It should get a move on and do so immediately.

"The main issue highlighted in the HIQA report relates to the difficulties in the accident and emergency department. The problem is that there are a large number of patients - over 36,000 - attending the emergency department in Portlaoise each year. There is not the appropriate number of consultant staff to deal with these patients and neither is there a named emergency consultant available on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"The answer is very simple. We have to take the necessary steps to ensure that we have enough consultants and medical and nursing staff available in the emergency department at Portlaoise hospital to deal with the patients who arrive there. Remarkably, the HSE's response to this problem is to consider cutting the number of hours the emergency department is open, thereby reducing the numbers attending to match the number of staff it wants to employ. This attitude by the HSE is totally wrong and if it represents the ethos of the HSE at national level, it has to be fundamentally changed.

Deputy Stanley said the future of the hospital is at stake and he wanted to know if the HIQA report would be used to downgrade.

"The issue arising from the HIQA report is very important and the question for the Independent-Fine Gael Government is whether it will use it as an excuse to downgrade services and close the hospital or whether it will use the report to improve services.

"The HIQA report said the hospital was at a critical juncture and that, to function as a model 3 hospital, it must be adequately and sustainably resourced. It said that services were being sustained through a reliance on agency staff which is costly and not good practice from the perspective of service sustainability. It stated that the ongoing reliance on agency staff had significant financial implications for the hospital," he said.

The Sinn Fein TD said none of the past four Governments has put forward a clear, long-term strategic plan for Portlaoise. HIQA said the remaining risks will only be fully addressed through the formulation and enactment of a clear strategic plan.

"Last year, almost 37,000 patients attended the emergency department in Portlaoise. There is a problem with capacity across the State and every Deputy in this House knows it. If the emergency department in Portlaoise is closed, where can patients be sent? They cannot be sent to Naas and they cannot be sent to Tallaght or Tullamore because they are already out the door. The report, which is now in the Government's hands, was headed up by Dr. Susan O'Reilly . She is determined to plough on," he said.

Minister of State McGrath welcomed this HIQA report, which he said found that significant progress had been made at the hospital in relation to governance, patient safety and quality, and shows how much services have improved for the women using maternity services at the hospital.

He said there has been considerable investment in Portlaoise in recent years. Hospital funding has increased by 15% since 2012 and staffing levels have risen by 18%. Additional funding is to be provided to facilitate the opening of the new medical assessment unit at Portlaoise in 2017.

"The most important issue in relation to any changes at Portlaoise hospital is that patient safety and outcomes must come first. Any changes to services at Portlaoise, once approved, will be undertaken in a planned and orderly manner to further improve services for patients at the hospital and will take account of existing patient flows and demands in other hospitals, as well as the need to develop particular services at Portlaoise in the context of the overall service configuration in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group," he said.

Minister McGrath said it is important that we also acknowledge the fact that since 2012, there has been an 18% increase in staffing levels across maternity services, paediatric medicine and the emergency services, and a 15% increase in funding in 2016

"However, there remain real issues of concern. I am aware of them in my local hospital, Beaumont Hospital. We have difficulty recruiting staff and we then find ourselves spending extra money on emergency agency staff. I take that point because I have experienced this in the disability sector.

"Deputy Brian Stanley mentioned the 69 medical professionals who have been lobbying local Deputies. This is very important. Their voices must be heard. I will absolutely bring Deputy Stanley's concerns to the Minister's attention.

"To follow up on Deputy Sean Fleming's point, the Minister should meet him to discuss the issue raised," concluded the Minister of State.

During the debate on Wednesday, Acting Chairman, Eugene Murphy imposed strict time limits on how long the TDs could speak on the hospital. They were given six minutes in total.
The Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge is to get a massive 80k investment from the Arts Council.

The government agency for leading the development of the arts in Ireland, today announced the funding allocatoin for 2017.

Riverbank Arts Centre is a local authority owned venue, which opened in 2001, with a 180-seat theatre, a gallery and workshop spaces.

It is an arts resource for Newbridge and Kildare with a focus on work for children. It produces work with network partners and hosts touring multi-disciplinary productions. It manages a programme of arts engagement with the community, particularly with young people.

Arts Council Director Orlaith McBride said: In our investment approach, we have focused in particular on broadening the reach of the arts in Ireland. We will work with a range of partners, in local, community, educational, youth and other settings, to ensure that people experience the best of the arts over the next 12 months.

Todays announcement forms part of the Arts Councils planned investment of 65.1 million for 2017. The total investment represents an increase of 5m, or 8.6%, on the 2016 amount.
The long-term impact of the recession on the Irish population is evident in new research from Aviva which shows that nearly half of the workforce is worried about job security and many fear their pay may be cut.

The first edition of Aviva Irelands new Family Finances Report, which was carried out by RED C, provides a snapshot of the financial well-being of Irish households and gives an insight into the financial concerns of the Irish families.

Despite projections of continued growth in GDP and the sustained downward trend in the unemployment rate, the Aviva survey found considerable uncertainty and a lack of confidence about the economy among families.

In particular, confidence in job security was fragile:

 45% said they still worried about losing their jobs while 39% said they felt more secure about work.

 On pay expectations, 40% expected a bonus or salary increase while the same percentage said they expected pay cuts.

 Half of respondents said their work-life balance was worse now than a few years ago

 55% reported feeling more stressed in their jobs than in the past.

The survey of a representative sample of 1,280 adults was carried out in the second week of October against a backdrop of threatened public sector strike action in pursuit of pay restoration and increases.

Commenting on the Report, Ann OKeeffe, Actuary at Aviva Life and Pensions, said: Given that unemployment has fallen steadily over the last four years and is now at its lowest level since late 2008, it is surprising that our survey found that more workers were worried about losing their jobs than felt secure in them. It is also remarkable that respondents had such a pessimistic view of their job and pay prospects at a time when other workers were pointing to our economic recovery as justification for their pay demands.

The uncertainty and insecurity emerging from the Report about attitudes to work is reflected in the findings about how families perceive the economic recovery. Even though headline macroeconomic indicators point to a strengthening recovery, there is considerable scepticism among households.

The 55 to 64 year old age group emerged as the most unconvinced about the recovery:

 Overall, 44% agreed that a recovery was underway with 18 to 24 year olds (57%) expressing the highest level of optimism.

 But asked if they had benefitted personally from the upturn, a majority (55%) disagreed while just 19% agreed.

 Belief in the recovery was strongest in Dublin and Leinster and, by social demographic grouping, stronger among the more affluent ABC1s (23%) than among their counterparts in C2DEs category (16%).

 Only 9% of 55 to 64 year olds said they were experiencing the recovery compared to 26% of 18 to 44 year olds.

The survey also confirmed recent data on increased household savings. Delving into the reasons for this increased propensity to save:

 58% agreed that fear about an uncertain future had made them more likely to save, with the younger age groups expressing the strongest level of agreement.

 Nine out of ten had at least one form of savings or investment with most putting money aside every month.

 Excluding pensions, the survey found households were saving on average 4,800 per annum.

 Over half said they were in control of their finances.

 78% said they would usually save rather than borrow for an expensive purchase;.

 Over half (54%) said they were already saving for events will into the future.

Taken together, these findings suggest one positive legacy of the boom and bust has been a more rational and precautionary approach by families to their personal finances. 

In the Reports Spotlight section on home ownership, the survey found nine out of ten would prefer to own their own home rather than rent and 40% of those who do not currently own a home said they were planning to buy in the next five years. From these findings, Aviva estimates that indicative demand for houses among first time buyers could be as high as 220,000 or up to 44,000 per annum for the next five years.

Only 20% of existing home owners said they planned to move house over the next five years with slightly more planning to trade up than want to downsize. Given the Governments target of 25,000 new home completions per annum by 2020, the housing problem looks set to endure well into the next decade.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Emil Ilgar  Trend:

Iran says its gas export to Turkey remains unchanged, SHANA reported.

Reacting to a report published by Reuters, Majid Boujarzadeh, the spokesman of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), said Iran is exporting 30 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) of gas to Turkey based on agreement.

Reuters quoted a Turkish industry source Dec. 14 that the flow of natural gas from Iran to Turkey has fallen by one-third due to harsh winter weather conditions.

Turkish state pipeline operator Botas was to halve its natural gas supply to the private sector and state-owned power plants from Wednesday morning to meet rising demand from households due to cold weather, Reuters reported citing energy sources.
The Arts Council, the government agency for leading the development of the arts in Ireland, today announced funding of 439,000 for Leitrim in 2017. A total of four local centres and organisations have been awarded funding by the arts agency.

The Leitrim-based arts organisations that have successfully been awarded funding include the following:

- The Glens Centre (39k) is an independent multi-disciplinary venue in Manorhamilton. Opened in 1991, it has a 140 seat theatre, a recording studio and accommodation for visiting artists, either for performance or as residents. It is a resource for artists in Leitrim through the provision of facilities, studio space and residencies. It also promotes touring work and hosts a youth theatre group.



- The Dock (75k) is a multi-disciplinary, local authority-owned venue in Carrick-on-Shannon, opened in 2005. It is a refurbished courthouse with an emphasis on gallery space and contains visual arts studios, a 90 seat auditorium and cafe while incorporating the Leitrim Design House within the building.



- The Leitrim Sculpture Centre (160k) has a large sculpture workspace, studio spaces and print facilities in the centre of Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim. It mainly provides workspace and studios to professional visual artists, but there is also a large gallery. It is one of only three large sculpture workshops in Ireland that facilitate artists to work on a exceptionally large scale. In addition, the gallery provides a unique 'lab' type space where artists can exhibit new work.



- Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre (165k) is an artist-led company that creates contemporary dance, whose imagery is strongly rooted in the Irish midlands where the company is based. This award-winning company presents high quality work on a consistent basis and has achieved a strong national and international profile.
Roger Roberts is pressing the government on the future of European citizenship this afternoon in a question in the House of Lords.

In an article for Politics Home, he sets out the issues at stake:

Our citizenship as members of the EU, is totally dependent upon the United Kingdom remaining a member of the EU. Once that is lost we, also, are denied that citizenship. There is a move in the EU Parliament to make citizenship available on an individual basis. We apply, pay our fee, and are granted a form of EU citizenship. The problem is that there can be few advantages  how does one person enjoy EU laws on Climate change and his neighbour not? How does one member of the family enjoy freedom of travel whilst the rest are left standing at the airport?

Over half the UKs population were born after the UK joined the Union in January 1973. They were born as citizens of the EU  a birth right. The rest of us, already born, acquired that citizenship. Now that status risks being torn away from us. That is why I am raising this with the Government today. There is much that is still unclear about the Governments plans for Brexit but they should clarify the position of the millions of people born 1973 that have always been European.

In the June referendum over 18 million voted to Leave  nowhere near 50% of the United Kingdoms population of 65 or so million. So a minority are denying the rest of us our citizenship in the EU. I am Welsh, British and European and I would not deny it to any one of my UK colleagues, now the Government has to make clear whether they will make the same commitment.
Malta assumes the presidency of the EU at the start of 2017. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, in setting out his priorities, has said the Irish Border Issue must be settled before Brexit talks can begin in earnest, injecting some urgency given that talks are expected to get underway in April next year.

Helpfully, the House of Lords EU select committee published a report this week titled Brexit: UK-Irish Relations. The report notes the special ties between the UK and Ireland and the friendship that has developed as the Northern Ireland peace process has advanced. Also noting that Irelands common membership of the EU has been one of the foundations of this close relationship.

The report draws attention to: the serious economic implications of Brexit for Ireland, North and South; the consequences for the Irish land border of potential restrictions to the free movement of goods and people; the

implications for the Common Travel Area (CTA) and for the special status of UK and Irish citizens in each others countries, including the right of people born in Northern Ireland to Irish (and therefore EU) citizenship; the potential impact on political stability in Northern Ireland; and the challenge to the

institutional structure for North-South cooperation on the island of Ireland, and East-West relations between the UK and Ireland, established under the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

The Lords recommend the negotiation of a bilateral agreement to be agreed by EU partners. Key objectives of any bilateral negotiation should include: maintenance of the current open land border between the UK and Ireland, as well as of the ease of movement across the sea boundary between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK; maintenance of the current Common Travel Area arrangements, and the right of free movement of UK and Irish citizens between the jurisdictions; maintenance of the right of UK and Irish citizens to reside and work in each others countries; the retention of rights to Irish (and therefore EU) citizenship for the people of Northern Ireland; in the event that the UK leaves the customs union, a customs and trade arrangement between the two countries, subject to the agreement of the EU institutions and Member States; acceptance of the Northern Ireland Executives right to exercise devolved powers in making decisions about the free movement of EU workers within its jurisdiction; reaffirmation by both governments of their commitment to the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements, including continued support for existing cross-border cooperation; and continued eligibility for cross-border projects to EU funding programmes.

The Irish border issue has been raised at Prime Ministers questions and the Northern Ireland Executives First Minister Arlene Foster attempted to address the issue in a recent BBC hardtalk interview. The NI secretary, James Brokenshire, has floated a suggestion of moving UK immigration checks to Dublin, but there appears to be little progress as of yet in addressing the practicalities if withdrawal from the Customs Union. If the Malta PM stands by his position, then our government ministers will need to get cracking with resolving the position on these issues.

* Joe Bourke is an accountant and university lecturer, Chair of ALTER, and Chair of Hounslow Liberal Democrats.
A LIMERICK scientist has explained the Christmas magic of Santa Claus, using real science to back up his claims.

Dr Barry Fitzgerald, from Mungret, who now lives in the Netherlands, has released a book on the topic, called Secret Science of Santa Claus, which gives details into the scientific validity of Santas round the world journey.

I always had a lot of questions when I was younger about the possibilities of having superpowers when I look back, and I used to ask very difficult questions of my parents and they would answer about how Santa Claus does it, he said.

This is the second science book for the past pupil of Crescent Comprehensive, who released Secrets of Superhero Science earlier this year.

When I was older, I started to look at it from a scientific point of view because Im a scientist, and I thought well, in actual fact, theres a lot of great science behind how Santa Claus actually does it, said Barry, a researcher at Delft University of Technology.

I wanted to basically see what science is out there at the moment that could actually help him out, and how far ahead of us is Santa Claus, technologically speaking.

Although written for children of 10 or 11 years old, Barry says that the book is being read by adults too. Many of his friends are reading it to their younger children, which he hopes will spark an interest in science for families.

I know a lot of parents will probably look at it and think I dont want to be putting a scientific explanation on this, if you say that he does it because of magic or whatever reason, he said.

But another reason for writing the book is that if you get parents talking about science with their children in relation to somebody like Santa Claus, whos so important to children when theyre younger, that when theyre older, when they look back and wonder when they were inspired to become interested in science, theyll think oh yeah, it was when I started talking about Santa Claus.

Santa Claus is a platform, he added.

The text, available in OMahonys and Crescent Bookshop, also has plenty of popular culture references sprinkled among its pages.
PATIENTS are still being treated in isolation at University Hospital Limerick, following an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug last week.

Last Wednesday, visiting restrictions were put in place at UHL and particularly in the acute psychiatric ward 5B after the norovirus outbreak.

And after six days of precautionary measures being enforced at 5B, a spokesperson for the HSE informed the Limerick Leader the ward was opened up to visitors and admissions on Tuesday afternoon.

The remaining affected patients are isolated in a separate ward area. All infection control measures are in place, he added.

As of this Wednesday morning, the UL Hospitals Group was still reviewing its restrictions at UHL. It is expected that these will be lifted soon.

There is one patient showing symptoms, but not confirmed with the virus at St John's Hospital, so as a precaution, visiting restrictions are in place. The hope is that this will be lifted within 24 hours.

On Monday afternoon, two patients at UHL were confirmed with the norovirus, with a further three patients showing symptoms. A spokesperson for the UL Hospitals Group also confirmed that a handful of staff were on sick leave, after reporting gastrointestinal symptoms.

On Monday, the HSE confirmed that nearly 40% of patients in 5B were showing symptoms of the vomiting bug. In total, 12 of the 32 patients are showing symptoms of the norovirus. Three cases have been confirmed. Symptoms of the norovirus include short-lasting outbreaks of abdominal pain and nausea followed by diarrhoea and/or vomiting.

A spokesperson for the UL Hospitals said that people experiencing these symptoms should avoid presenting at the emergency department, and are advised to contact their GP.

Cautioning the public on Monday, the spokesperson said: As norovirus is also currently present in the community and can be carried into the hospital by patients or visitors, it is necessary to restrict visiting at UHL to critically unwell patients. Parents visiting children are unaffected by the restrictions but are advised not to bring siblings.

All infection control measures are in place and every effort is being made to manage and contain the spread of the virus. Patients are being isolated and cohorted as appropriate and a number of beds have been closed to admissions in accordance with IP&C protocols.
Gardai from the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) seized around 150,000 in cash and a large volume of documents during in a series of planned searches in West Limerick this Wednesday morning.

Seven private homes and a number of business premises  mainly in the Rathkeale area - were searched as part of Operation Oakleaf.

It is understood the offices of at least one solicitor were searched during the operation which also involved uniformed gardai from the Limerick division.

They arrived just before 9 oclock and they were around for a couple of hours, there must have been at least 40 of them, one man told the Limerick Leader on condition on anonymity.

Gardai have confirmed the searches were carried out as part of an operation which is targeting the activities of an organised crime gang which is operating in Rathkeale.

CAB officers seized a significant amount of cash as well as a large volume of documents and other evidence related to assets. This evidence will be further examined by specialist Bureau Officers, said a spokesperson for the Garda Press Office.

A photograph issued by the Garda Press Office suggests the money seized included various denominations of notes in both Euro and Sterling .Several designer watches, including at least one Rolex, were also seized.

The CAB investigation relates to suspected criminal activity by an organised crime gang which has operations in Ireland, the UK and Europe.

Throughout the morning, officers wearing jackets with CAB emblazoned on the back could be seen speaking with local residents near a number of premises in the town.

In addition to searching homes and businesses, CAB officers were also seen searching cars in a car park which is located just off Main Street.

At one point, a vehicle from the armed Regional Support Unit was seen passing through the town.

One of the houses which was searched enjoys a spacious driveway to the front.

A caravan and several large vehicles were parked there this Wednesday as CAB officers milled around the large metal gates on the roadside. Gardai have confirmed that during the course of the searches at two houses in Rathkeale two men were arrested.

They were taken to Newcastle West garda station where they were subsequently charged with minor public order offences.

The men, who are aged 26 and 47, were released on bail this Wednesday afternoon and are due to appear before a sitting of Newcastle West District Court early in the new year.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Indonesia will import liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from Iran in the near feature, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in Tehran.

He made the remarks during a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani, the state-run IRINN TV reported Dec. 14.

Widodo said the two parties agreed on purchase of over 500,000 tons of LPG from Iran.

Indonesias state energy company Pertamina earlier announced that it may sign a deal to import Iranian LPG in 2017 when Indonesia's president visits Tehran.

The LPG imports may total 528,000 tons during next year, the company said, adding that Pertamina plans to import up to 12 cargoes, each containing 44,000 tons of LPG, in 2017.

The Indonesian president also said that another topic which was discussed during his meeting with Rouhani was the issue of investment plan for refinery construction by Iran in Java Island of Indonesia.

Last month, it was announced that the Indonesian government has called on Iran to invest in Indonesias oil refinery projects.

"Another topic was construction of power plants and also the Iranian sides raising our power generation capacity by up to 5,000 megawatts," Widodo said.

"We also discussed participation of state oil company of Indonesia in boosting the production capacity of Iran's Ab Teymour and Mansouri oil fields," he added.

Earlier in August 2016, Pertamina and National Iranian Oil Company signed a memorandum of understanding to carry out a preliminary study on Iran's Ab Teymour and Mansouri oil fields, which contain over 5 billion barrels of oil reserves.

Elsewhere in his remarks Widodo said that 60 businessmen from Indonesias private sector, accompanying him in the visit, are expected to discuss mutual cooperation with Iranian counterparts.

He expressed hope that his visit to Tehran will open a new chapter in Indonesia-Iran ties.

Indonesian president, heading a high ranking politico-economic delegation, arrived in Tehran on December 13 to confer with Iranian senior officials.

The trip is aimed at boosting cooperation in oil and gas sector.

Indonesian president is to meet with Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani as well.
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Tehran, Iran, December 14

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

The export of cereals to Iran fell in 2016 due to a number of factors, including the dwindling quality of grains, General Director of Inpex, a Russian cereals company, Victor Hlirnyuk told Trend December 13.

We have four years of experience exporting cereals of all kinds to Iran. Our export to the country was over 100,000 tons last year, but this year it fell dramatically, he said.

He added that legal restrictions from the Iranian side as well as the US dollar exchange rate fluctuations have negatively influenced his companys export to Iran as well.

However, we are here in Tehran to learn new things and talk with partners with the hope to boost our business, he said.

Year on year trade between Russia and Iran has risen significantly, up by 80 percent, latest reports said on the same day.
Tehran, Iran, December 14

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Many agreements have been made between Iran and Russia to improve mutual trade, but steps are yet needed to turn them into action, an Iran-Russia trade official told Trend December 13.

Currently the two governments enjoy close ties, but the trade turnover is not keeping up. We need to operationalize agreements that have been made between the two countries, Hadi Tizhoosh Taban, deputy chairman of the Iran-Russia Chamber of Commerce said.

Problems still exist, especially regarding visa and tariffs, he underlined.

We hope to be able to meet each other more and introduce our capacities and available services that we can offer.

There are two issued running simultaneously. One is Irans joining the Eurasian Economic Union, which Russia says is making efforts to make possible. The other is the so-called green corridor by which Russia is going to give tariff discounts, Taban said.

However, he added, We have not seen these turn operational. For example, it was said that protein and dairy products exports were going to be permitted, but nothing has happened in action.

Trade turnover between Tehran and Moscow jumped by 80 percent in 2016. According to Iranian sources, in the first seven months of the current Iranian year (since March 20), Iran exported worth $86.5 million goods to Russia.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the Tehran-Jakarta mutual ties in the field of energy are strategic.

He made the remarks during a joint press conference with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, the state-run IRINN TV reported Dec. 14.

Iran will meet the needs of Indonesia in terms of crude oil, liquefied gas and petrochemical products, Rouhani said.

He added that there is a good potential for boosting mutual economic cooperation, in particular in engineering and technical services.

Rouhani expressed Irans readiness for construction of power plants, dams and water and waste water treatment plants, adding that Indonesia is also ready to undertake oil and gas projects in Iran.

Iran and Indonesia cooperation will benefit both countries and will contribute to stability and security in the region as well as the Islamic world, Rouhani said.

Iran and Indonesia have boosted ties in all fields after years-long hiatus, the Iranian president said, adding that the bilateral ties have witnessed improvement since his 2015 visit to Indonesia and following the conclusion of nuclear agreement between Tehran and six world powers that year.

Iran and Indonesia will deepen ties in technology sector as well, in particular in nanotechnology, Rouhani said.

Indonesian president, heading a high ranking politico-economic delegation, arrived in Tehran on December 13 to confer with Iranian senior officials.

The trip is aimed at boosting cooperation in oil and gas sector.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is to meet with Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani as well.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

South Korean car manufacturer SsangYong Motor exported 6,823 sedans to Iran during the first 11 months of 2016, the company announced.

The figure which indicates a sevenfold increase year-on-year is expected to reach 8,000 units this year.

In particular, the exports of Tivoli models to the Iranian market were at 1,337 units, showing a huge rise of 94.7 percent over November 2015.

These figures indicate the largest ever monthly sales of SsangYong Tivoli cars to a single market.

SsangYong Motor is the fourth largest South Korea-based automobile manufacturer. It is a subsidiary of Indian multinational Mahindra & Mahindra Limited.

Iran imported over 41,597 sedans, worth $1.086 billion during the first eight months of the current fiscal year (March 20-Nov. 21, 2016), indicating a rise by 56 percent year-on-year in terms of volume.

Tehran imported 93 percent of total sedan cars from five countries  the UAE (30,474), South Korea (5,559), Spain (1,057), Germany (959) and Turkey (883).
Charles Kuen Kao: Bringing broadband to the masses

1933-2018

Born in Shanghai, Kao later moved to England, completing an electrical engineering doctorate at the University of London in 1965. (Image credit: Getty Images )

Known as the father of fiber-optic communication, Charles Kuen Kao revolutionized the way we communicate.

In the mid-1960s, Kao proposed a way to deliver information, in the form of light, through fiber-optic cables. The cables consisted of long, glass pipes along which light beams would be fired. To prevent light from leaking out the sides, Kao used purified glass in which the walls of the pipe acted as a mirror for the photons, or light particles, forcing them to bounce within the pipe and continue traveling down the pipe  a phenomenon called total internal reflection, according to the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings .

Thanks to this innovation, light information can be transmitted across large distances, which is perfect for telecommunications. In 2009, Kao won the Nobel Prize in Physics for the groundbreaking achievement.

Patricia Bath: Zapping cataracts with lasers

1942-2019

Patricia Bath was the first African American to complete a residency in ophthalmology  the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. (Image credit: Getty Images )

As we grow older, our ability to see can become compromised. One common age-related ailment is the development of cataracts . At the front of each eye, a glass-like lens focuses images of the outside world onto light-sensing cells at the back of the eye. As we age, the proteins that make up that lens can slowly break down and turn a once-crystal-clear lens cloudy, according to the U.K.'s National Eye Institute (NEI). In extreme cases, images can be shrouded in darkness.

As Live Science previously reported, more than 90% of Americans have at least one cataract by the age of 65. Half of people between the ages of 75 and 85 have lost some vision because of the condition, according to the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center .

Various treatments for cataracts have been around since the fifth century B.C., according to a 2016 article in the journal Missouri Medicine . One of these treatments, called "couching," used a needle to dislodge the cataract away from the visual axis of the eye, enabling the patient to regain their sight, albeit only temporarily.

However, over the centuries, the methods of removing, replacing and obliterating the cloudy buildup have evolved, and a major medical breakthrough occurred in 1986, when Patricia Bath invented the Laserphaco Probe, according to MIT .

Before Bath's pioneering technique was introduced, ophthalmologists would insert a needle into the eye to reach the lens and then use an ultrasound probe to break apart the cloudy cataract. Bath's method replaced ultrasound with lasers, giving doctors the ability to conduct the surgery with greater accuracy and better results.

Two years after inventing the Laserphaco Probe, Bath received a patent for her creation, becoming the first African American female doctor to receive a medical patent, according to The Washington Post .

Flossie Wong-Staal: Cracking HIV's genetic code

1946-2020

The work of virologist Flossie Wong-Staal not only advanced our understanding of HIV but created the first blood test for the virus. (Image credit: Wiki Commons/Public domain )

Flossie Wong-Staal, a virologist who left Hong Kong for the U.S. in 1964, played a pivotal role in AIDS research. Wong-Staal was working at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, Maryland, when the AIDS epidemic exploded in the U.S. She was part of the team that first identified the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the cause of AIDS, according to an obituary in The Lancet . Additionally, Wong-Staal and her colleague Robert Gallo cloned HIV and figured out how it hides from the immune system, according to The Lancet. While at NCI, Wong-Staal also devised a blood test to detect HIV.

Christine Darden: Revealing the secret of sonic booms

1942-present

Juggling a full-time job, doctorate degree and raising three children, Darden still managed to pioneer supersonic flight. (Image credit: NASA)

In 1955, at the dawn of the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, NASA employed a team of " human computers " to calculate flight trajectories, propulsion and rocket dynamics. One of these human computers was Christine Darden, who joined NASA's ranks in 1967. Eight years later, Darden started a position at Langley Research Center as one of a handful of female engineers, according to NASA .

Darden's first assignment was to design computer programs to calculate the effects of sonic booms, the incredibly loud noises produced when planes travel faster than the speed of sound. This phenomenon occurs because a hypersonic plane shoves air molecules together, creating a cone of pressurized air that then radiates back and down to the ground in waves, according to NASA .

How It Works (Image credit: Future) This article is brought to you by How It Works. How It Works is the action-packed magazine that's bursting with exciting information about the latest advances in science and technology, featuring everything you need to know about how the world around you  and the universe  works.

While working on the project full time, Darden earned a doctorate in 1983 from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. For her dissertation, she used her work at NASA to explore the environmental impacts of supersonic transport. An object, such as a plane, that travels faster than the speed of sound creates a shock wave of pressurized air, which can be heard as a sonic boom. The thunderous noise of a sonic boom is caused by the sudden change in air pressure around the plane, according to NASA.

Teams of NASA scientists replicated the booms using wind tunnels and model planes, while Darden used computer models to calculate the effects of the booms. Darden's simulation results matched the wind tunnel outcomes, although Darden's method proved cheaper and more efficient than building a scale model, according to "Distinguished African American Scientists of the 20th Century" (Oryx Press, 1996).

Charles Drew: Invention of the blood bank

1904-1950

Drews work helped save countless lives of British soldiers during World War II. (Image credit: Getty Images )

Charles Drew is often referred to as the father of modern-day blood banks. Drew was born in 1904 and graduated from the McGill University Faculty of Medicine in Montreal in 1933. In 1935, he became chief surgical resident at Freedmen's Hospital (now Howard University Hospital) in Washington, D.C., before studying at Columbia University, where he won a fellowship to train at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.

Afterward, Drew was assigned to work under John Scudder, who had been granted funds to work on the first-ever blood bank. Having studied blood chemistry, fluid replacement, transfusion and storage, Drew became a leading expert on all things to do with blood.

As the casualties mounted in Europe during World War II, so did the need for blood transfusions . In 1940, the U.S. formed the Blood for Britain project, with the aim of shipping blood overseas, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine . Drew was appointed head of the project, and he and Scudder devised a way to separate plasma from blood.

Untreated blood needs to be refrigerated to remain viable, but the electrolyte-carrying plasma within the blood does not. If plasma were extracted from the blood and mixed in a saline solution, it could be shipped abroad to Allied troops without refrigeration and remain viable for transfusions. Plasma could also be used regardless of the blood type of the patient receiving it.

By the time the project concluded in 1941, itt had collected 14,556 blood donations and shipped more than 1,300 gallons (5,000 liters) of plasma to the U.K., according to the U.S National Library of Medicine .

The techniques pioneered by Drew were adopted elsewhere, such as by the American Red Cross, and helped to shape modern blood bank drives.

Drew's method of separation

George Carruthers: World's first lunar telescope

1939-2020

Carruthers (right) examines the ultraviolet camera/spectrograph that became the first moon-based observatory. (Image credit: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory)

In 1972, scientist George Carruthers opened humanity's eyes to the universe through the lens of his Lunar Surface Ultraviolet Camera (also called the Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph), according to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum . The camera was designed to observe Earth's atmosphere from a perch on the moon and to detect the radiation from stars and nebulas. The camera was shipped aboard Apollo 16 and placed on the lunar surface. While there, it took more than 550 ultraviolet images of stars, nebulas and galaxies across the cosmos. Carruthers' creation also collected data on Earth's atmosphere, including the concentration of pollutants, helping to expand our knowledge of our planet.

Alice Ball: Treating leprosy

1892-1916

Alice Ball pioneered a new treatment for leprosy but sadly died before seeing the success of her work. (Image credit: Public domain)

Long before Alice Ball was born, leprosy caused nerve damage and skin lesions in millions of people around the world. In 1873, Norwegian physician Dr. Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen discovered that a bacterium called Mycobacterium leprae was the culprit, according to the Journal of Skin and Sexually Transmitted Diseases .

The first modestly successful treatment for the condition used oil from a chaulmoogra nut, which was applied topically, ingested or even injected. Although patients who underwent this treatment sometimes improved, it caused abscesses and nausea, according to the journal Pharmacy History .

In 1915, Ball developed a new method to extract the beneficial compounds from the chaulmoogra nut. At the time, Ball was working toward a master's degree in chemistry, focused on the chemical makeup of the herb kava (Piper methysticum), Live Science previously reported. This work brought her to the attention of Dr. Harry Hollmann, an assistant surgeon at Kalihi Hospital, which was then a treatment center for leprosy patients. While working with Hollmann, Ball developed a new way to isolate the active ingredient in chaulmoogra nut oil. Ball then engineered a water-soluble injection of this extract as an alternative treatment.

By 1918, 78 people who received treatment using Ball's method, were free of lesions and discharged from hospital care, according to New Scientist. (opens in new tab) This injection became the standard leprosy treatment for decades.
The fossilized giant teeth of extinct megalodon sharks have also been found in sacred caches buried at several ancient Maya sites.

Giant fossilized teeth from extinct megalodon sharks may have inspired portrayals of a primordial sea monster in Mesoamerican creation myths, according to a new study of the concepts of sharks in ancient Mayan society.

The study looked at how the Maya combined a practical, prescientific knowledge of sharks with their traditional understanding of the world around them as the creation of gods and monsters.

In the research paper, titled "Sharks in the Jungle: real and imagined sea monsters of the Maya," published online Nov. 21 in the journal Antiquity, Sarah Newman, an archaeologist at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, wrote that fossilized teeth from the extinct shark species Carcharodon megalodon were used in sacred offerings at several ancient Mayan sites, such as Palenque in southern Mexico, where archaeologists have found 13 megalodon teeth. [See Photos of Megalodon Sharks and How They Inspired Mayan Myths]

Giant megalodon sharks were apex predators of the world's oceans from around 23 million years ago until 2.6 million years ago. Their teeth, jaws and vertebrae have been found at many sites in Central America.

Newman said ancient Mayan depictions of a sea monster named "Sipak"  also known as Cipactli(which translates to "Spiny One")to the Aztecs of central Mexico  have a single giant tooth that bears a strong resemblance to the fossilized megalodon teeth from sacred offerings found at Mayan sites.

"Mayan iconography is notoriously difficult to piece out, but you can see [the monster] is a fairly realistic representation of a shark with a bifurcated tail, and it has jagged jaws  but it does have that one central tooth," Newman told Live Science. "And the tooth has the same mark on it that the Maya used to indicate materials like jade  so it's telling you that it's hard and shiny, the way that a fossil would be also."

Sea monster myths

In some Mayan creation myths, the shark-like sea monster Sipak is killed by a god or mythical hero who forms the land from its carcass, Newman said. The motif of a single giant tooth also appears in portrayals of other Mayan gods, including a depiction of the sun god at El Zotz, in the Mayan heartlands of the Peten Basin, now in northern Guatemala.

The Mayan word for sharks and other fearsome sea monsters, "xook," was also adopted by several Mayan kings and queens  for example, Yax Ehb Xook ("First Step Shark"), the first-century founder of the city of Tikal in Peten, and Ix K'abal Xook ("Lady Shark Fin"), an eighth-century queen of Yaxchilan, now in Mexico's Chiapas state, Newman said.

Newman started her study of the Mayan concepts of sharks after analyzing a cache of sacred objects, including 47 teeth from a requiem shark (a family that includes spinner and blacktip sharks) that were buried inside two "lip-to-lip" ceramic bowls used as an offering at a Mayan pyramid at El Zotz between A.D. 725 and 800.

Marine items such as shark teeth, seashells, stingray spines and coral were often used to represent the oceans of the world in a ceremonial model of the Mayan cosmos within the offering bowls, Newman said.

"There's an understanding that a kind of microcosm is recreated in those enclosed spaces, so they're often put in along the center lines of temples and houses, to imbue those spaces with vitality," she said.

After noticing that the cache contained only the serrated upper teeth of what was probably a single requiem shark, Newman started to wonder how and why the shark remains had been transported or traded from the coast into inland Mayan cities such as El Zotz. "And then I started thinking about how those people in the interior would have made sense of these things that are coming in from the coast, which they might not have seen themselves," she said. [Image Gallery: Ancient Monsters of the Sea]

Ancient shark science

For the ancient Maya of the Yucatan Peninsula, with oceans on three sides, "the sea marked the limits of the land in all directions, a fabled home to supernatural deities and energies," Newman wrote in the study. "Sharks were associated with blood, pain and danger worthy of consideration and depiction, but from a safe distance."

The Mayan concept of the "xook" sea monster was the result of prescientific efforts to explain their practical knowledge about sharks in terms of their established cultural understandings of the world around them, Newman said.

"The argument in the paper is that the Maya are doing a version of our own ideas about natural history, where they are combining physical evidence that they find with myths that they also [regard as] true, and making sense of the world that way," she said.

Newman's research also examines the extent to which shark remains and cultural concepts about sharks were shared over a large area of ancient Mesoamerica for many centuries.

"One of the things that this study and other recent studies show is that they're trading things back and forth, and that there's a lot of interaction going on across long distances," she said. "So now we're getting a really good picture of just how connected people were  much more mobile and connected than I think we tend to assume."

Original article on Live Science.
The ancient relative of humanity dubbed "Lucy" may have been one of a harem of gals who mated with a single male, according to research that suggests her species was polygynous.

Among the earliest known relatives of humanity whose skeletons were made for walking upright was Australopithecus afarensis, the species that included the famed 3.2-million-year-old Lucy. Members of the Australopithecus lineage, known as australopithecines, are among the leading candidates for direct ancestors of the human lineage, living about 2.9 million to 3.8 million years ago in East Africa. [Photos: New Human Ancestor Species Discovered]

To learn more about Lucy's species, researchers investigated the area of Laetoli in northern Tanzania, which previously yielded the earliest known footprints belonging to hominins humans and related species dating back to the split from the chimpanzee lineage. Those footprints, which date to 3.66 million years ago, were excavated in 1978 at a place dubbed "site G." They are thought to belong to three members of A. afarensis walking in the same direction across wet volcanic ash.

Now, a team of researchers from institutions in Italy and Tanzania has discovered new 3.66-million-year-old tracks at Laetoli that they suggest also belonged to A. afarensis.

The footprints belonging to Australopithecus afarensis were found at Laetoli, in Tanzania. (Image credit: Raffaello Pellizzon)

"It is amazing that, almost four decades after the original discovery, we have new footprints from the very same sediments," said William Jungers, a paleoanthropologist at Stony Brook University in New York who did not take part in this research. "They could have been made on the same day millions of years ago."

These footprints  a kind of ichnofossil, or trace fossil  reveal that this extinct species may have had major differences in sizes between the sexes. This difference, in turn, suggests that the species might have been polygynous, where males have multiple female mates, the researchers said. Previous research suggested the fact that polygyny leads to a few males monopolizing all females leads to intense competition between males, which favors the evolution of larger males that can better deal with their rivals. [10 Greatest Mysteries of the First Humans]

"For me, the most important implication is that the area might harbor more ichnofossils knowledge that could be used to solve many problems regarding different aspects of hominins," said lead study author Fidelis Masao, a palaeolithic archaeologist at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

The new sets of footprints belong to two individuals, and were discovered at a place now dubbed "site S," located about 490 feet (150 meters) south of the prints discovered in 1978. Surrounded by dozens of other animal footprints  such as those belonging to a rhino, a giraffe, some horses and guinea fowl  along with raindrop impressions, the new tracks were apparently made on the same surface at the same time, and went in the same direction and at a similar speed as the A. afarensis prints found in 1978. Back when this ancient hominin was alive, the landscape was a bit like it is today  a mix of bushland, woodland and grassland with a nearby forest along the river.

Masao said that, after they had discovered the new footprints, one of the local Maasai workers said to him,"in not too good Swahili, 'Masao umepata choo.'" The worker meant to say, "Masao, you have become famous," but the Swahili word for "famous"is "cheo," not "choo," Masao explained.

"The latter means 'toilet' or 'poop,'" Masao said.

Judging by the impressions each foot made in the earth and the distance between each track, the researchers could estimate the size and weight of the individuals who made each set of prints. One individual was likely male, about 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall and 98.5 lbs. (44.7 kilograms). The other was likely female, about 4 feet 10 inches (1.46 m) tall and 87 lbs. (39.5 kg), the researchers said. [In Photos: 'Little Foot' Human Ancestor Walked With Lucy]

The estimates from the new male exceed the estimated height and weight of the tallest previous specimen from Laetoli by more than 7.8 inches (20 cm) and 13.2 lbs. (6 kg). Indeed, the estimated size of the new male individual "makes him the largest Australopithecus afarensis specimen identified so far," said senior study author Giorgio Manzi, a paleoanthropologist at Sapienza University in Rome.

Study co-author Marco Cherin, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Perugia in Italy, noted that he and some of the other researchers walked barefoot at the site to avoid damaging the tracks. "We realized that the feet of many of us fit well with the footprints," Cherin told Live Science.

Similarly, the new female is an estimated 1.2 to 1.6 inches (3 to 4 cm) taller than previous female specimens from Laetoli, the researchers said. This new female is also more than 11.8 inches (30 cm) taller than Lucy.

When these new prints are considered together with the prints discovered in 1978, it suggests "several early bipedal hominids moving as a group through the landscape, after a volcanic eruption and a subsequent rainfall," Manzi told Live Science.

One tentative conclusion from these findings is that the group might have consisted of "one male, two or three females, and one or two juveniles," Manzi said. This idea, in turn, potentially suggests that this male  and, therefore, other males in the species  may have had more than one female mate, Cherin said. However, Cherin did caution that "the inferences on sexual dimorphism [differences between the sexes] and on social structure need to be evaluated carefully."

These findings suggest that sexual dimorphism may have been much more pronounced and certain in A. afarensis than scientists had thought. Prior work found that high sexual dimorphism is linked with polygyny  for example, in gorillas. In contrast, humans and their closest living relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, are only moderately sexually dimorphic.

Scientists have hotly debated the level of sexual dimorphism in A. afarensis for nearly 40 years, "with some researchers supporting the notion of an only moderate degree of dimorphism, not too different from Homo sapiens, while the rest of the world supports the idea of marked sexual dimorphism," Cherin said. Their findings are "strong evidence that this fossil hominin was characterized by a strong variation in size."

Future research will aim to excavate more tracks from Laetoli to learn more about how these ancient relatives of humanity walked, Cherin said.

The authors of this new study "should be applauded for their efforts and the exciting but preliminary results," Jungers told Live Science. "There is much more analytical work to be done. I'm sure the authors would agree and look forward to the 'next steps' in their research program."

Masao, Cherin, Manzi and their colleagues detailed their findings online Dec. 14 in the journal eLife.

Original article on Live Science.
The Hintereisferner Glacier in Austria in 2006. The glacier's edge has retreated up the valley by 1.75 miles (2.8 kilometers) since 1880.

The lifetime of a glacier  an enormous slow-moving river of ice  can span many thousands of years. And while glaciers are dynamic, changes to their length and volume happen at an extremely sluggish pace.

However, over the last century a number of glaciers in mountain regions around the world dwindled significantly, diminishing in size and abandoning their farthest recorded boundaries (where they attach to land).

And a new study found with 99 percent certainty that climate change is driving their retreat, or shrinkage, with the likelihood of any other factor causing such dramatic change estimated at 1 in 100,000, the researchers found. This is the first analysis to connect individual glacier retreat to the effects of recent, global climate change. [Photos of Melt: Glaciers Before and After]

The scientists investigated 37 glaciers representing five geographic regions: Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, North America and the Southern Hemisphere. They delved into 130 years of records that documented glacier length and mass; how far the glaciers had advanced, or grew, in the past; and how much they retreated. The researchers also noted patterns in local precipitation and temperature that might have affected a glacier's size and movements.

"The big thing that we focused on was the natural fluctuations of glaciers that would have happened even without climate change," study co-author Gerard Roe, a professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, told Live Science.

Roe and his colleagues applied their data to a statistical ratio known as "signal-to-noise," defining the "signal" as fluctuations driven by climate change, and "noise" as the more abundant weather-sensitive fluctuations that a glacier would normally undergo from year to year. This allowed the researchers to predict if each glacier's current state of reduced ice would have happened even without climate change.

Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand retreated 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) in the last 130 years. The likelihood of natural variations explaining this dramatic shift is less than 1 percent. (Image credit: GOC53/Flickr)

They found that glaciers lost far more ice than could be explained by normal conditions. In some cases, glaciers retreated 10 to 15 times the distance that they would have, were climate change not a factor.

"This is an extraordinarily large departure from what these glaciers would be doing in a constant climate," Roe told Live Science.

For example, Austria's Hintereisferner glacier retreated a distance of 1.75 miles (2.8 kilometers) since 1880. According to the study, the probability that natural variations are responsible is less than 0.001 percent  1 in 100,000.

"I was actually shocked at how far out of equilibrium these glaciers are," he said.

The study's findings represent the largest signal-to-noise ratio ever documented for global warming  "the purest signal of climate change," according to Roe. Alongside the data, the visual impact of vanishing glaciers  visible in photo comparisons that span decades  offers sobering testimony to the impact rapidly rising temperatures can have on Earth.

"These landscapes are changing before our eyes," Roe said. "I hope this is a big upgrade to our understanding of the relationship between glacier retreats and climate change."

The findings were published online Monday (Dec. 12) in the journal Nature Geoscience (opens in new tab).

Original article on Live Science.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Iran and Indonesia signed four documents to boost mutual cooperation, the state-run IRINN TV reported Dec. 14.

The deals were signed on the sidelines of a meeting between Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Tehran.

The signed documents include four MoUs for cooperation in electricity and renewable energy and investment encourage as well as judicial cooperation.

The sides are scheduled to sign eight more cooperation documents.

Indonesian President heading a high ranking politico-economic delegation arrived in Tehran on December 13 to confer with Iranian senior officials.

The trip aims at boosting cooperation in oil and gas management and investment in Iran's refineries.

Indonesian president is to meet with Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani as well.
This image shows a region between Nepal and Sikkim, India, as it existed in 2007. Josh Maurer created it using data collected by NASA's Terra satellite in 2007.

SAN FRANCISCO  The Cold War may have ended decades ago, but spy satellites' data from that era are now being used for a new mission: tracking environmental change in the Himalayas.

Using declassified spy satellite data, researchers have created 3D images of glaciers across the Himalayas, scientists said. These maps provide the first consistent look at 40 years of glacier change across Asia's high-mountain region. Early results from these models were presented here Monday (Dec. 12) at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

The new 3D maps revealed how the Himalayas' glaciers have behaved in a changing climate. For instance, the first results covering 21 glaciers in just the Bhutan region showed that the glaciers have been losing more ice than they have been gaining, the researchers said. [Photos of Melt: Glaciers Before and After]

By comparing the spy satellite images from 1974 with images taken in 2006 using the ASTER imaging instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite, the scientists estimated annual average mass loss (if melted to water) to be at least 7 inches (0.18 meters) lost over the entire surface of each glacier.

"Life depends on water, so changing the amount or timing of how that water reaches a community or an ecosystem is going to have an impact," said lead researcher Josh Maurer, a graduate student at Columbia Universitys Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York City.

The researchers said that about 20 percent of the world's population relies on the Himalayan glaciers' seasonal meltwater. Along with monsoon rain and snowfall, the glacial water sources are a source of drinking water, agriculture and hydropower energy.

A comparison of images taken in 1975 and 2007 of the same region along the border between Nepal and Sikkim, India, reveal changes in the elevation of the regions glaciers. (Image credit: Ali Corley)

The new 3D-mapping tool is helping scientists more consistently quantify glacier change, said co-author Summer Rupper, a scientist at the University of Utah who has conducted many expeditions to measure changing glacier mass.

"A glacier may be losing mass for two reasons  it may be from melt or it may be getting less snow," Rupper said. "Remote sensing can give you the net change but not the cause. The power is when you can couple that with on-the-ground information to put that [net change] into perspective."

Satellites, including the Earth-monitoring Landsat 8 satellite, can provide scientists with detailed views of glacier change from orbit. However, knowledge of historical change  particularly in the Himalayan region  has been limited, the researchers said.

Scientists gathered the images used to create the new 3D historical maps of Himalayan glaciers from a U.S. spy-satellite program code-named Hexagon, which operated from 1971 to 1986. During the Cold War, Hexagon's 20 satellites orbited Earth, capturing overlapping images. Those pictures allowed researchers in the new study to construct 3D views.

However, when the U.S. government first declassified the spy satellite data in 2011, scientists manually built 3D elevation models by matching landmarks between images and calculating the satellite angle  a time-consuming process with inconsistent results.

Maurer and his colleagues developed an automated process that creates consistent 3D models of glaciers as they appeared over time.

"It can take years for a glacier to fully respond to a change in climate, so looking back several decades gives us a better signal," Maurer said in a statement. "While we have volume changes over the last decade or so from more modern remote-sensing platforms, glacier response times can be longer than that. The declassified spy-satellite data allows for [finding] actual ice-volume changes over those longer time scales."

nepal-sikkim in 1975 (opens in new tab) by glaciers (opens in new tab) on Sketchfab (opens in new tab)

Original article on Live Science.
Partnership with Austrias Rail Cargo Group offers alternative to road haulage between Romania and Sweden  and beyond

Samskip and the Rail Cargo Group are to link their multimodal transport networks by launching a rail connection between Curtici in Romania and major logistics centres in Sweden, opening up a new end-to-end intermodal connection between Turkey and Scandinavia.

A Samskip spokeswoman confirmed to Lloyds Loading List that this was the first significant partnership between Samskip and the Rail Cargo Group, which is part of the Austrian Federal Railways, OBB. The partnership will run from 1 January 2017, with the launch of seamless rail freight services connecting Romania and Sweden.

The new service will effectively join two existing, fully operational routes to form the first unified rail connection between the Romania and Scandinavia, taking advantage of Samskips rail hub in Duisburg, Germany. Lying on the western border of Romania, Curtici is a major junction in a central European rail network that connects to the countrys capital Bucharest.

Until now, shippers wanting to transport shipments between the two regions have had little choice but to use road haulage, running the risk of road congestion, delays, and unpredictable delivery times, said Frank Gielen, rail development manager at Samskip Van Dieren Multimodal. The rail connection offers shippers a more reliable alternative, as well as achieving substantially lower emissions per unit load.

Max Kindler, manager of Rail Cargo Group Intermodal, commented: The two companies will be the first to offer an end-to-end connection between Turkey and Scandinavia, combining Rail Cargo Group connections between Turkey and Romania, and Romania and Germany with Samskips network from Duisburg to various destinations in Scandinavia.

He said the new offer to the market offered high frequency, very competitive transit times, at attractive price levels. He said Rail Cargo Operator, as the operating division of the Rail Cargo Group, connected European economic centres with technically mature intermodal logistics designs, system trains, and a wide choice of train products.

The partners said the new multimodal freight service would offer competitive transit times compared to road, allowing shippers to transport cargo from Curtici to Stockholm in four to five working days.

Freight rail services in Romania have developed considerably in recent years, with investments including a new international link to Bulgaria across the Danube as part of the Pan-European Corridor IV, and the reconstruction of the line linking Constanta Seaport with Bucharest. Curtici offers a turntable for central and eastern Europe hinterland transport and is a vital gateway to western Europe, the companies said in a joint statement announcing the partnership.

Initially the Duisburg-Curtici shuttle has a scheduled four round trips per week but, by providing a more attractive option to road haulage, the partners are confident that the new route will stimulate an increased flow of goods between the two regions. Samskip and RCO envisage ramping up frequency to five weekly roundtrips later in the year.

Shippers will benefit from a seamless terminal-to-terminal service, with a single Samskip point of contact dealing with the entire transit across the rail network via the Duisburg hub, Samskip said. In addition, Samskip provides shippers with a user-friendly online portal to manage bookings and monitor the progress of shipments through the network. The system also generates automatic departure and arrival notifications to provide reassurance to customers.

The new route from Curtici extends the penetration of Samskips intermodal network in central and eastern Europe through its fully owned terminal in Germany, connecting Sweden and Denmark in the north to Italy and Turkey in the south, the company added.

Samskip offers pan-European combined transport services via shortsea, road, rail, and inland waterway routes. High-frequency services connect destinations across Europe, the Baltic States, Russia and Central Asia, both door-to-door and quay-to-quay.

Rail Cargo Operator claims it is helping to strengthen the importance of rail as a freight transport mode, especially for heavy goods over long distances, where it claims to offer attractive, high-frequency, long-distance connections to the business centres of northwestern and southeastern Europe.

Image: Shutterstock.com
Leading refrigerated road transport group acquires Dutch counterpart Vers-Express and boosts Netherlands presence further with stake in Netko

Frances and Europes leading refrigerated road transport group STEF has strengthened its presence in the Netherlands with the acquisition of counterpart Vers-Express and the purchase of a minority stake in another company operating in the sector, Netko.

STEF acquired another Dutch company, Speksnijder, in 2014 and now operates from three sites in the Netherlands that offer combined refrigerated warehousing totalling 16,000sqm.

Deputy CEO, Serge Capitaine, said the group was now in a position to cover the whole of the Netherlands for its two business lines, temperature-controlled transport and logistics services for food products.

Operating an integrated groupage network covering seven European countries  France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and Italy  STEF launched a single service brand for international flows, STEF Europe, on 1 December.

In October, the group announced a partnership in the frozen-food logistics sector with German counterpart and domestic market leader Nordfrost, with the aim of creating a unique pan-European transport and storage network.

STEF operates from more than 200 platforms and warehouses in Europe, served by a fleet of 1,900 vehicles and 1,950 refrigerated trailers. Group income in 2015 totalled just over 2.8 billion.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

A high-ranking member of Irans Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has reportedly been killed in recent clashes in Syria.

Brigadier General Hassan Akbari was killed in clashes with terrorists in the Syrian city of Palmyra (Tadmur), Fars news agency reported Dec. 14.

According to the report, he commanded a special battalion in the ancient city.

Earlier on Dec. 13, Iranian media reports said that another IRGC member, Ahmad Jalalinasab, was killed in the same city.

While the Syrian army and allies are advancing through the city of Aleppo, the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh) terrorist group has reportedly recaptured Palmyra in central Syria.

According to official announcements by the Islamic Republic of Iran, over the past couple of years more than 1,000 Iranian servicemen deployed to Syria to back President Bashar Assads government have been killed in the Arab country.
Children of school going age are being enticed into carrying and hiding drugs on behalf of rival crime gangs in Co Longford.

Investigations are also underway into the presence of seemingly legitimate businesses that gardai believe may be the fruits of laundered proceeds drawn from the sale of illegal drugs.

Details of the main players and instigators spearheading Longford's drug industry comes amid a new drive by senior gardai to tackle crime from the grassroots level up through the launch of a Crime Ambassador Programme.

This initiative, together with a host of other innovative anti-crime measures, is aimed at continuing the noteworthy results which were gained through the initiation of the Text Alert programme in Granard five years ago.

Despite increasing detection rates and the presence of a dedicated Divisional Drugs Unit, a small number of families continue to jockey for the control of Longford's drug trade.

It is believed that these families have foot soldiers working in towns and villages throughout the county.

The Leader has discovered that one of those of families has as many as three generations involved in the local drug trade.

One of the main protagonists behind the gang pays 50 a day to small-time dealers in Longford town as part of the group's overall operation.

It is believed that a seemingly legitimate business is being used by associates of this gang in a bid to launder monies raised through drug dealing.

At one stage, the leader of Longford's drugs trade paid a former Real IRA leader 60,000 in so-called 'protection money' to continue dealing which enabled the Longford-based gang to expand into the heroin market.

One source, who has been at the coalface in the battle to curb drug crime in the area said: "It's a myth to suggest dealers operate in a vacuum as in all these cases fathers, mothers and siblings all help out directly."

The competition for control of Longford's drugs market has also led to interest from Eastern European outfits intent on cashing in on Ireland's growing cannabis industry.

At one point, Longford accounted for more growhouses than counties Westmeath, Leitrim, Roscommon and Cavan combined.

The growing proliferation of cannabis cultivation has prompted other crime gangs to try and cash in on the drug's lucrative profits.

That competition between opposing gangs has led to increases in the levels of intimidation with pipe bombs being found at some locations and shots allegedly fired at houses.

The increased presence of specialised drugs officers has, however reversed that trend in more recent times, a trend Supt Jim Delaney stressed gardai remained committed to.

In referencing recent comments made by Chief Supt Padraig Rattigan at a public meeting of the longford Joint Policing Committee over the sustained maintenance of garda resources at a local level, Supt Delaney said there would be no let up in confronting headline crime and those suspected of leading it's charge.

"At times when resources were quite stretched that commitment to the district of Longford and to resourcing the (Divisional) Drugs Unit was maintained.

"And that, for me, speaks volumes about our (Gardai's) commitment in tackling drugs and organised crime activity," he said.
Since last Wednesdays march for Orkambi, which was organised by Longfords Jillian McNulty, talks have reopened between Vertex and the Health Service Executive (HSE) with regards to negotiating a price for the drug.

Ms McNulty says that Orkambi has saved her life and she now remains hopeful that the drug could soon be made available to CF sufferers in Ireland.

Orkambi means hope, she said.

It means I know I will be alive in four or five years time; without Orkambi I would not be here.

Orkambi equals life.

Meanwhile, in a statement to the Leader, Vertex said it welcomed the opportunity to meet with decision-makers at the HSE in an effort to reach an agreement, so that people with CF in Ireland could access Orkambi.

Over the past year, as we have been working toward an agreement with the HSE, we have come to know many of these people with CF, said a spokesperson from the company.

With each passing day, they are progressively getting sicker and losing lung function.

We share their sense of urgency to join the thousands of people around the world who already have access to Orkambi.

The company went on to say that it and the HSE had a shared goal - to help people in Ireland get Orkambi as soon as possible.

As such, we are calling on the HSE to ensure that our next meeting results in a definitive resolution to a process that has already taken too long, the statement continued.

To achieve this resolution, Vertex believes it is critical that this meeting happens with the right people around the table, including the senior decision makers from both Vertex and the HSE.

During last weeks march for Orkambi, thousands turned out in support of an event that could now see the lives of CF sufferers in Ireland changed for the better - and sooner rather than later.

Local TD, Deputy Eugene Murphy met with Ms McNulty outside the Dail on Wednesday last.

He said that as a country with one of the highest rates of CF per head of population, Ireland should be at the forefront of new technologies and strategies to deal with the illness.

I want to commend Jillian, a Longford woman, and indeed a former colleague of mine in Shannonside Radio who has been a fantastic leader on this important issue, he added.

There was an amazing turnout of over 2,000 people and great praise is due to Jillian and all the other campaigners who have been working hard on this issue.

Deputy Murphy went on to say that he was pleased to see so many of his Fianna Fail colleagues attending the protest and pointed out that he would continue to support Ms McNultys campaign to get Orkambi available as soon as possible.

Orkambi has been described as a game changer in the treatment of CF, he added.

It can lengthen life; can improve quality of life and could effectively reduce the number of hospital admissions for CF patients by 40%.

There have been numerous testimonies from patients about the life-changing effect that Orkambi has had on them, and given the fact that CF is so prevalent in Ireland, it is drugs like this one that should be prioritised for funding.
A Bill that will allow for breweries and distilleries to sell their product on site, which currently is not allowed under Irish licensing law, would give a particular boost to Longford, according to Longford/Westmeath Fine Gael Deputy Peter Burke.

Labour Deputy Alan Kelly is putting forward a Private Members Bill - Intoxicating Liquor (Breweries and Distilleries) Bill 2016 and Deputy Burke has rowed in behind this.

Speaking on the Bill, Deputy Burke stated that in light of the current brewery in St Mels and now the proposals for Lanesboro, this Bill could open up a niche market in the county.

He explained, I have been in touch with Eoin Tynan from St Mels Brewing Company and the Clancy family, who have an exciting distillery planned for Lanesboro, as I feel this initiative could maximise their business and tourist potential.

As things stand, people can visit and tour breweries and distilleries, but cannot sample or buy the product. This is a complete waste in my eyes - can you imagine touring a French vineyard and not be given the opportunity to buy any of the produce at the end of the tour?

Deputy Burke continued, I will be supporting this Bill and will be working hard to ensure that Fine Gael and the Government agree to back the legislation when it is introduced into the Dail and Seanad. If the Bill is enacted, it gives a real chance for tourism in Longford to be given a boost and to open up a niche market to attract more people to the county.

St Mels Brewing Company produce extremely high calibre of beers, and Longford would benefit if this quality could be available on site. Similarly, Lough Ree Distillery plan to build a large visitor centre and attract up to 20,000 visitors a year. This extra income has huge potential to breathe life into the local economy and community.

In the 1860s, Ireland produced 60% of the worlds whiskey. We need to continue to progress indigenous industry, especially in rural Ireland, and small changes such as those proposed in this Bill can have huge long-term impact. I plan to work with Deputy Kelly, along with Eoin Tynan and Sheila, Peter and Mike Clancy to ensure Longford takes advantage of this opportunity.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

A senior Iranian official has said the Syrian city of Aleppo was liberated as a result of the formation of a military coalition between Iran, Russia, Syria and Lebanons Hezbollah, adding that the Iraqi city of Mosul will also be recaptured soon.

Coalition between Iran, Russia, Syria and Lebanons Hezbollah led to the liberation of Aleppo and we will soon liberate Mosul as well, ISNA news agency quoted Major General Yahya Safavi, a senior advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as saying at a conference in Tehran.

He added that the Americans nowadays realize that Iran is the first power in the region.

The US president-elect [Donald Trump] also needs to consider Irans power, he added.

Syrian army backed by Russian air strikes alongside with other allies has recently launched a massive assault to recapture the militant-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo.

Rebels took control of eastern parts of Aleppo in 2012. The latest media reports suggest that Syrian army has advanced through the rebel-held areas, though the rebels reportedly continued to resist in some parts of the city.

In the meantime, Iraqi government forces have launched an offensive to retake the control over Mosul, the last stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Iraq.
Music, Movies & Entertainment, Local News, National & World News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 14 2016

The GEICO Skytypers Airshow Team received the coveted Art Scholl Showmanship Award, the highest award presented to airshow performers.

Las Vegas, NV - December 13, 2016 - The GEICO Skytypers Airshow Team received the coveted Art Scholl Showmanship Award, the highest award presented to airshow performers. The award was presented on December 8th at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas during the Chairmans Banquet for the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) annual convention.

More than 2000 ICAS members from all disciplines of the airshow industry from promoters to operations specialists to performers attended the annual conference.

Receiving this award was an unexpected surprise, said Larry Arken, the GEICO Skytypers Squadron commander and flight lead. My father purchased our aircraft and began skytyping messages over 40 years ago. He later started flying air shows performing a basic routine that has now developed into a high-energy, precision-flying demonstration. He was the consummate showman and would have been very honored by this recognition.

Each year, the International Council of Air Shows presents the Art Scholl Showmanship Award to the air show act or performer that best exemplifies the qualities of showmanship demonstrated by Art Scholl. Scholl was a long-time and active ICAS member, a renowned aerobatic pilot, and the ultimate air show performer.

Aside from the teams 18-minute air show demonstration, the GEICO team regularly participates in community events with local schools, youth organizations, veterans groups, and hospitals. The organization seeks to promote careers in aviation and share the importance of education, personal commitment, and discipline. During these events, participants in the various air show communities have an opportunity to interact one-on-one with the performers and are frequently able to climb aboard one of the teams six WWII-era aircraft to experience a piece of aviation history up close.

The GEICO Skytypers also support the air shows through a comprehensive media program designed to promote the teams appearances through print, online, television, and social media channels. The teams signature skytyped messages are often typed prior to their air show demonstration seeking to create stronger awareness for the air show, sponsors and to show support for the US Armed Forces.

During the award presentation, Arken said there were many people to thank, especially the teams sponsor, GEICO.

I cant say enough about how supportive our sponsor, GEICO Insurance, has been during our ten-year partnership, shared Arken. There are so many that contribute to our day-to-day operations including our ground support and maintenance crew, the team pilots, and also our families. Without their support, we wouldnt be able to travel 15-16 weekends each year.

The Art Scholl Award is the airshow industrys highest recognition for showmanship, said John Cudahy, President of the International Council of Airshows. In addition to their showmanship, the GEICO Skytypers Air Show Team has become industry leaders through contributions to industry standards for performance, safety and professionalism by a civilian airshow team. Past award winners include Bob Hoover, the Canadian Snowbirds, Sean Tucker, Michael Goulian, and Rob Holland.

For more information, videos, or photographs of the air show team, visit the GEICO Skytypers website  www.geicoskytypers.com.

About GEICO

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the second-largest private passenger auto insurance company in the United States. GEICO provides millions of auto insurance quotes to U.S. drivers annually. The company is pleased to serve more than 12 million private passenger customers and insures more than 20 million vehicles (auto & cycle). GEICO's online service center helps policyholders take care of policy sales, policy changes, claims reporting and printing insurance ID cards.

GEICO also provides quotes on motorcycle insurance, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), travel trailers and motorhomes (RVs). Coverage for boats, life, homes and apartments is written by non-affiliated insurance companies and is secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency. Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection are also available. For more information, go to www.geico.com.
Local News, Crime, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 14 2016

Emergency Interfaith Summit held to discuss recent bias, anti-Semitic, and hate crime incidents that have occurred at Nassau Community College and across Long Island.

Lynbrook, NY - December 13, 2016 - Today, Senator Todd Kaminsky convened a round table of more than 50 religious and civic leaders for an Emergency Interfaith Summit to discuss recent bias, anti-Semitic, and hate crime incidents that have occurred at Nassau Community College and across Long Island.



Photo courtesy of Office of Senator Todd Kaminsky.

Held at Temple Am Echad in Lynbrook, the meeting lasted an hour and leaders agreed to stand united against crimes motivated by racial and religious prejudice. They also discussed how they can be most effective in tackling the recent spike and pervasiveness of these bias hate crimes in our community. Participants agreed to continue their conversation and expand their dialogue to their various congregations and communities so as to expand the fight against hate crimes on Long Island.

Today, we came together to reaffirm our commitment to fighting these vicious, deplorable hate crimes, and renewed our mutual respect for our communities, said Kaminsky. We denounce these recent bias and anti-Semitic crimes that have occurred at Nassau Community College and across Long Island, and any and all hate crimes which seek to terrorize an individuals right to live freely and peacefully. The South Shore will not be frightened. We stand for the right of all to worship and live without fear of intimidation or bias, always.



Photo courtesy of Office of Senator Todd Kaminsky.

Kaminsky continued, It is astonishing, yet true, that there is less dialogue between leaders of different faiths than you might think. Fostering such cross-religious dialogue is important for understanding, and I was glad that we initiated that today.

Kaminsky also announced the formation of an ongoing interfaith working group which will meet continuously to discuss pertinent community and faith-based matters.

Sen. Kaminsky added: The fight against hate-crimes must be multi-dimensional. It requires aggressive police, strong prosecutions, and consistent discussion, learning, and understanding. I look forward to continuing an inclusive dialogue with the interfaith working group.



Photo courtesy of Office of Senator Todd Kaminsky.

Temple Am Echad is truly honored to host such a significant gathering of community and interfaith leaders coming together to take a stand against hatred and bigotry, said Rabbi Sandra M. Bellush of Temple Am Echad. Not only must we speak out against all acts of violence and intolerance, it is incumbent upon us as clergy to teach by example and make welcome into our community all people of every race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression. We must speak out and not stand silently by when others act out of ignorance and hate.

Rev. Mark Lukens of Bethany Congregational Church said, I am very grateful to Senator Kaminsky for putting together this forum and launching an affirmative movement. This is the essence of what our faith as all about  people working together, knowing that we are strengthened and empowered by our diversity. We will not stand still for any acts of violence against any human being.

There are winds of hate blowing across America, said Rob Solomon of the Jewish Community Relations Council. This is the start of blowing back against those winds. We all stand together and the JCRC is proud to be part of the Summit that was put together by Senator Todd Kaminsky.

Todays event was a great event that brought together many different people of many different backgrounds, said Karim Mozawalla of Hamza Masjid. This is just the beginning of a long battle in culture and society which is being changed slowly. We need to get together and get to know each other, thats the first step in combating this culture of hate, of division. We need to get back to a culture of unity and oneness and equal rights for all. Thats the greatest part of America and what it really stands for.

I thank Senator Todd Kaminsky for putting this event together, said Pastor Emmanuel Asse, Gateway Christian Center. I believe that today sent a message that we have a vision and a goal. And this is not just about today, but we must promote justice everday. We wont allow division in our community. We wont allow anyone to come in and destroy our community. We look forward to continuing to work with Senator Kaminsky and everybody here today to promote justice and peace.
School & Education, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 14 2016

PSEG Long Island has partnered with The National Theatre for Children (NTC) to bring energy efficiency education to elementary schools throughout Long Island.

Uniondale, NY - December 13, 2016 - PSEG Long Island has partnered with The National Theatre for Children (NTC) to bring energy efficiency education to elementary schools throughout Long Island.

Energy efficiency makes economic sense and is an imperative when combatting greenhouse gas emissions, said Michael Voltz, Director of Energy Efficiency and Renewables, PSEG Long Island. The Energized Guyz brings energy efficiency concepts to life in a fun and educational way. Even the youngest of students can understand that they have energy choices and the earlier they learn, the more likely they will incorporate these concepts into their lives.

NTCs actor educators will visit 10 schools throughout Long Island on behalf of PSEG Long Island. This innovative program provides students and teachers the opportunity to learn energy conservation. The educational and entertaining program will focus on:

What energy is

The uses of energy

How energy is wasted

Ways to conserve energy

The 25-minute, interactive comedy for Kindergarten through sixth grade students, features a junior superhero Nikki Neutron who is on a mission to stop energy from being wasted all over town. Along the way, Nikki and the students learn important energy efficiency lessons and even convince the crafty villain, the Sneaker, to join the cause.

PSEG Long Island sponsors the performances at each school, making it a cost-free supplement to lessons in science and the arts. In addition to the live performances, the program includes student playbooks, teacher guides, classroom posters, e-books, and digital games and activities that align with the important concepts outlined in the live show.

The tour opened December 12, 2016 and will visit schools in Albertson, Amityville, Bay Shore, Central Islip, East Northport, Hempstead, Huntington Station, Miller Place, Ridge and Roosevelt.

PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authoritys transmission and distribution system under a 12-year contract. PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (NYSE:PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company with annual revenues of approximately $10.4 billion.

About NTC

NTC is an award-winning educational content provider whose methods include theatrical all-school assemblies, print and digital curriculum, professional development, extracurricular events and volunteers-in-the-schools. NTC has developed the art of teaching through educational story-telling into a science of its own, and is an international company with operations in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. www.ntccorporate.com
UPDATE - 16-Year-Old Boy Shot in the Head, Police Searching for Two Male Suspects

Crime, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 14 2016

The First Squad reports the details of an Assault which occurred on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 at 11:27 p.m. in Uniondale.

Pictured is Jeustin David Maldonado, 17, of Uniondale who was arrested in connection to the incident.

Update - January 18, 2017 - Homicide Squad detectives report the arrest of Jeustin David Maldonado, 17, of Uniondale for his involvement in connection with the incident.



He is charged with Attempted Murder 2nd Degree, Conspiracy 2nd Degree and Criminal Facilitation 2nd Degree.



He is also charged with Possession of a Dangerous Weapon 4th Degree and Menacing 3rd Degree from a prior domestic incident with his brother that occurred on Saturday, January 7, 2017. Maldonado will be arraigned in First District Court, Hempstead on 1/18/2017.



The investigation regarding the Uniondale shooting continues.



The original press release and earlier updates are below.

Update - December 19, 2016 - Crime Stopers Information Wanted Post releases:

An earlier update and the original press release is below.

Update - December 16, 2016 - Homicide Squad reports the above victim, Alexon Moya, 16, of Uniondale succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced at 7:00pm on December 16, 2016 by a staff physician at Nassau University Medical Center. The investigation is ongoing.

Detectives ask anyone with information to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.

The original press release is below.

Uniondale, NY - December 14, 2016 - The First Squad reports the details of an Assault which occurred on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 at 11:27 p.m. in Uniondale.

According to detectives, a male Hispanic, 16 years of age, was shot in the head while standing on Fenimore Avenue. Two suspects, described as male Hispanic, fled the scene on bicycles in an unknown direction. The victim was transported to an area hospital where he is listed in critical condition.

Detectives ask anyone with information to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Allison Gayne Published: December 14 2016

LI water commissioners gather to celebrate Nassau Suffolk Water Commissioners' (NSWCA) 35 Years of Service to LI water consumers.

At NSWCA's 35th Anniversary Celebration Party: (L to R): former NSWCA Presidents John Hirt of South Farmingdale WD and Pasquale Eliseo of Locust Valley WD with current NSWCA Pres. Raymond J. Averna of Massapequa WD, and former NSWCA Presidents Ralph Pugliese of Franklin Square WD, Robert McEvoy of Oyster Bay WD, Howard Abbondondelo of Albertson WD, and Gary Brosnan of South Farmingdale WD.

Franklin Square, NY - December 14, 2016 - The Nassau Suffolk Water Commissioners Association (NSWCA) is celebrating its 35th Anniversary of service to residents of Long Island. Organized and chartered in 1981, the NSWCA membership is comprised of elected water commissioners from 21 Nassau County and Suffolk County water districts. Commemorating this milestone, the organization recently held a special anniversary party at Filomenas Italian Restaurant in Franklin Square, NY, of which past NSWCA presidents joined current NSWCA President Raymond Averna of Massapequa Water District and current NSWCA members.

Among NSWCA past presidents who participated in the celebration were John Hirt and Gary Brosnan of South Farmingdale Water District, Pasquale Eliseo of Locust Valley Water District, Ralph Pugliese of Franklin Square Water District, Robert McEvoy of Oyster Bay Water District, Howard Abbondondelo of Albertson Water District, and Karl Schweitzer of Hicksville Water District.

NSWCA was originally formed to provide a forum for important topics not normally addressed by other water industry organizations. As a result, the organizations vision is regional and island-wide while its hands on, day-to-day management of member districts is hyper-local.

We have supported conservation and sustainability through education, training and legislative advocacy for 35 years, said Averna. He added, The NSWCAs information and educational forum has been crucial to the effectiveness and management of Long Island water districts and the safe, affordable delivery of water to our districts constituents. Our mission has three important components. One is resource sustainability of Long Islands natural aquifer groundwater supply, second is to foster the economic sustainability to support system operating and capital needs while maintaining affordable water rates, and lastly is organizational sustainability for providing exceptional value to the communities we serve.

2007 NSWCA President Schweitzer commented, The NSWCA values service and representation of residents from each district. The importance of local control, where district neighbors have a direct voice in how services are provided and how local taxes are used, can never be underestimated. NSWCA is as grass roots as you can get, and thereby ensures that the people have a forum and a choice.

One governing characteristic of the NSWCA is proactivity, 2015 NSWCA President Hand said. He continued, The organization provides in depth training, technology, along with relevant regional, local and industry news as well as a major forum for member districts to reduce costs by sharing diverse ideas. Its important to know that 100% of the tax dollars that come into our member water districts are dedicated to a safe, efficient and cost effective water delivery system.

NSWCA embraced modern communications technology in my presidency with the same zeal that our member districts embrace water production and safeguarding technology, said 2014 NSWCA President Abbondondelo. He added, We modernized our organization for increasing public outreach through the latest communications vehicles to raise consciousness with the constituents who elected us and fulfill NSWCAs mission to the fullest extent.

Organized and chartered in 1981, Nassau Suffolk Water Commissioners Association (NSWCA) is comprised of water commissioners from 21 Nassau and Suffolk County water districts. The NSWCA is dedicated to promoting environmental excellence and best practices as well as maintaining the highest standards of water quality and supply. NSWCA sponsors regular educational meetings on topics that include the environment, security, economics, rules and regulations, among other related issues.
Crime, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 14 2016

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Southampton Town Police detectives are asking for the publics assistance in identifying and locating two individuals.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800- 220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

Southampton, NY - December 13, 2016 - Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Southampton Town Police detectives are asking for the publics assistance in identifying and locating two individuals being sought in connection to numerous larcenies.



Southampton Town Police Detectives are investigating a series of larcenies and are seeking information in an attempt to identify the two individuals, a male and a female, who are known to have been traveling in a grey or silver, Toyota four-door sedan.



The Toyota is missing a rear drivers side hubcap, has a non-working rear passenger-side taillight and does not have a front license plate.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800- 220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.




Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com

Columnists Press Releases
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14



By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:



A group of Iranian parliamentarians are drafting a new bill restricting underage marriage in the Islamic Republic.



Fatemeh Zolqadr, MP for Tehran and a member of parliaments cultural commission, has said that the new bill proposes revoking the existing two articles allowing marriages under the legal age in the Islamic Republic, Mehr news agency reported.



She added that the new bill will repeal the articles legalizing marriage of girls below 13 year-old and boys below 15 under parental consent and court permissions.



The current law has set the legal marriage age for girls at 13 and boys at 15, according to the Sharia.



She further noted that the MPs are in talks with prominent religious leaders to obtain their advices on the law change.



Iran's National Organization for Civil Registration earlier suggested that at least 17 percent of females who marry in Iran's capital city of Tehran are under 18 years of age.



About 419,488 girls under age of 15 and 484,885 boys under the age of 20 got married between 2004 and 2014 in Iran, the organization has said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14



By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:



A city council official has expressed concerns over the growing population and declining water resources in the Iranian capital, Tehran.



Mehdi Chamran, the chairman of Tehran City Council, has said that the capital city suffers from water shortage while the officials are incapable of addressing the needs of the citizens, Iran's Young Journalists Club website reported.



The population of Tehran City has already reached 14 million, he added.



The official described issuing permissions for construction of new buildings in the largest Iranian city as well as migration from rural areas to the capital city as the main reasons for the emerging trouble in Tehran.



He further said that a parliamentary committee is expected to be set up to discuss the urban issue.



Air pollution is another threat to Tehran as it is among the most polluted cities across the globe.
The Department of Defense announced today that three Islamic State external attack operatives were killed in a precision airstrike in Raqqa, Syria on Dec. 4.

All three were part of a network led by Boubaker Al-Hakim, a French-Tunisian jihadi who was killed in another airstrike on Nov. 26. Al-Hakim was a notorious veteran of the jihad who first fought alongside Abu Musab al Zarqawi during the Iraq war. He had extensive ties to jihadi networks in both Europe and North Africa and admittedly helped assassinate a prominent Tunisian politician in 2013.

[For more on Boubaker al-Hakim, see FDDs Long War Journal report: US confirms death of high-profile Tunisian Islamic State assassin.]

The Pentagon says that al-Hakims three comrades were plotting against the West when they were struck down earlier this month.

Two of the three targeted, Salah Gourmet and Sammy Djedou, helped facilitate the Nov. 13, 2015 attacks in Paris, according to a statement released by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook. A team of terrorists dispatched by the so-called caliphate killed 130 people and wounded dozens more during that multi-pronged assault on the French capital.

Both Gourmet and Djedou were close associates of Abu Muhammad al Adnani, who served as both the Islamic States chief spokesman and external operations leader. Adnani met his demise in a US airstrike in the Aleppo province in August.

Cook identified the third jihadist killed in the airstrike as Walid Hamman, a suicide attack planner who was convicted in absentia in Belgium for a terror plot disrupted in 2015.

All three Islamic State leaders were directly involved in facilitating external terror operations and recruiting foreign fighters, according to Cook.

The Defense Department also connected the successful airstrike to actionable intelligence acquired on the battlefield.

Our recent efforts have been aided by the rapid exploitation of intelligence material collected in territory formerly held by ISIL [Islamic State] and by close coordination within the international coalition and with our local partners, Cook said in his statement.

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter made a similar point during a press conference on Oct. 23. Carter said at the time that preventing external operations, meaning plots targeting the West, is our highest priority. He said the assault on Mosul, Iraq would lead to more intelligence, more information about how theyre operating and therefore get new opportunities to attack external plotters.

Repeatedly targeting the Islamic States external attack planners

The US and its allies have repeatedly targeted the Islamic States external operations arm in Iraq and Syria. Members of this wing of the so-called caliphate are responsible for training operatives and planning traditional terrorist attacks, as well as directing remote-controlled plots online.

In mid-2015, both the US and UK systematically targeted British nationals believed to be instigating terror in the West. Reyaad Khan and Junaid Hussain, both of whom were allegedly plotting terror, were killed in Aug. 2015. Hussain, in particular, had developed a widespread network of contacts in the West, including inside the US.

In Dec. 2015, Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) announced that 10 Islamic State leadership figures had been targeted in the preceding weeks. Several of them were external attack planners and some of these jihadis had ties to the Paris attack. One of them was Charaffe al Mouadan, who was killed on Dec. 24 and had multiple ties to the Paris assault team. Abdul Qader Hakim, an expert in document forgery who had his own connections to the Paris attack network, was bombed two days later, on Dec. 26.

In March, the US announced that Abu Ali al Anbari, one of the Islamic States most senior leaders, had been killed. According to US officials, Al Anbari had a hand in the groups external operations, in addition to his many other roles. The US military has stressed that there is an overlap between the Islamic States leadership in Mosul and Raqqa and its external operations arm.

Abu Isa Al Amriki, an Islamic State recruiter and external attack planner who was communicating online with would-be jihadis in the West, was killed in an airstrike near Al Bab, Syria on Apr. 22, 2016. Abu Isas wife, an Australian national known as Umm Isa Amriki, was also involved in recruiting efforts and perished in the bombing. The Pentagon accused the couple of seeking to inspire attacks against Western interests.

In August, the US carried out the aforementioned airstrike that killed Abu Muhammad al Adnani.

Last month, Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) spokesman Colonel John Dorrian announced the death of an Iraqi national known as Abd al-Basit al-Iraqi. According to Dorrian, al-Iraqi was the emir of the Islamic States Middle East external networks, which are involved in plotting against American, Turkish and European targets.

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in his statement that five top Islamic State external plotters have been killed since mid-November. Although he didnt list them, Cook may have meant al-Iraqi, al-Hakim and the three jihadis whose deaths were announced today: Gourmet, Djedou and Hamman.

The US military has warned that Abu Bakr al Baghdadis men continue to plot attacks in the West even while they are embroiled in heavy fighting.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 14

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

The effect of the oil output cut deal reached between OPEC and non-OPEC countries last week on the market will depend on several critical factors, Dr. Michael Tanchum, a fellow at the Energy Policies Research Center at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, believes.

Right now, the markets are reacting to the news, rumors, and perceptions. Verifiable strict compliance over the long term is the key to a stable supply-demand balance, Tanchum told Trend.

Last weekend OPEC and non-OPEC producers reached their first deal since 2001 to curtail oil output jointly and ease a global glut after more than two years of low prices. Non-OPEC oil producers such as Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, Sudan, and South Sudan agreed to reduce output by 558,000 bpd starting from Jan. 1, 2017 for six months, extendable for another six months, to take into account prevailing market conditions and prospects.

Earlier OPEC agreed to slash the output by 1.2 million barrels per day from Jan. 1, with top exporter Saudi Arabia cutting as much as 486,000 bpd.

Tanchum noted that production cuts in some of the signatory countries will be more politically symbolic than anything else. For example Omans pledge of a production cut of 40,000 bpd is equivalent to one supertanker load per month. Mexicos reduction pledge does not seems to be a real production cut but simply counting an expected natural decline in production as a supply cut, the analyst said adding that the same seems to hold true for Azerbaijan.

Russias reduction pledge likewise does not constitute a cut in current production, according to expert. He noted that Moscow planned to increase production in 2017 by 200,000 bpd to reach 11.48 million bpd, according the International Energy Agency.

Moscow joined the OPEC reduction pledge by agreeing to freeze planned production increases. Through shrewd diplomacy, Russia is now receiving more revenue without cutting actual production, Tanchum said.

The expert also noted that it will take many months before there is sufficiently reliable data to evaluate the actual level of compliance, adding that the rate of storage among the major producers is crucial to understanding whether and to what extent compliance is actually taking place.

Russia and Iran are two key countries to watch carefully when determining the level of long term compliance, he said.

Tanchum, who is also the author of the A Post Sanctions Iran and the Eurasian Energy Architecture published by the Atlantic Council, believes that Iran may choose to put a portion of its output into storage without really cutting production to appear to comply with the OPEC pledge. Russia may opt for this approach as well, especially as oil prices rise, according to the expert.

The expert also noted that storage may also have a self-reinforcing effect.

If storage provides a false impression that there is strict production cut compliance, then buyers will also increase the level of storage. If widespread, such misjudgment would have disastrous consequences for the oil market, he said.

Tanchum noted that if very large crude carriers rates increase, then it may be a sign that some producers may be putting oil into storage, cutting exports rather than actual production, whereas if very large crude carriers rates decline, it means less oil is being exported.

The analyst also noted that the anticipated reset in U.S.-Russia relations under Donald Trump, especially if sanctions enforcement is eased, may have unintended consequences on the OPEC reduction pledge as Saudi Arabia may re-assess its position, adding that perhaps even more consequential for Riyadh is the possibility of a rapid increase of drilling in the shale basins in the U.S. South west.

If Saudi Arabia perceives the market not to be balancing it will intervene, he said.

Tanchum expects that if the oil price climb well above $50, several producers will begin to less strictly comply with the production/export reductions, Riyadh will threaten to reduce the price through expanded production to reinforce compliance among backsliding nations.

This would cause wobble in the market, but if managed well, the overall trend would be upward, he said.

However, a ramp-up of U.S. shale production would likely cause a Saudi rethink and possibly Riyadhs rapid intervention to reduce oil prices in order to stymy the development of additional U.S. shale production capacity, according to Tanchum.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

Turkish Armed Forces detained 16 foreigners suspected of having ties with the Islamic State (aka IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) terrorist group, the website of the General Staff of Turkeys Armed Forces reported Dec. 14.

The foreigners were detained during the anti-terrorist operation in the province of Sanliurfa.

On Dec. 13, the police conducted a large scale operation in Turkeys eastern province of Van against the IS, which resulted in detention of 12 members of the terrorist group.

The Turkish police periodically conduct operations in the country against the IS.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Ankara, Turkey, Dec. 14

By Atilla Caner  Trend:

Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will visit Turkey on Dec. 18, Turkish presidential administration told Trend Dec. 14.

As part of the visit, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will also visit Turkeys northeastern province of Trabzon, where he will meet the countrys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the administration.

During the visit, the sides will discuss regional issues, as well as the development of economic relations.

Earlier, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said that Turkey and Qatar intend to sign an agreement on free trade.

Simsek noted that this issue is on the two countries agenda.

Qatar and Turkey have big potential for increasing the trade turnover and the agreement on free trade will give a momentum to the development of economic relations between the two countries, added the deputy prime minister.

According to Turkish Statistical Institute, trade turnover between Turkey and Qatar amounted to $5.6 billion in the 3Q2016.
I didnt know that I wasnt that Jewish until a boy named Eli got to stand before our parochial schools second grade class and tell us about Hanukkah. Here we were in a room of however many Catholic-raised kids  29? 30?; two Jews under four feet tall, one discussing the holidays symbolic use of candles, setting himself apart from all of the other students as special and unique, the other (me) having a small epiphany.

Without giving you the whole spiel, I am what is called Jewish on the wrong side. My dad is Jewish and my mom is not. Neither are religious and I grew up celebrating both teams major holidays. When my parents divorced and my mom and I moved to San Francisco, I was put into a Catholic school because of its proximity to our home and good educational program. I was baptized that same year because I wanted to copy my two best friends, thus returning Eli to his place as the sole Jewish Kid. Later, in seventh grade, Id opt to get confirmed in the Catholic church, again for the sake of adolescent conformity and also because of post-church doughnuts.

Until I graduated from eighth grade, Sunday mass was part of the weekly family routine for my mom, stepdad and me. We celebrated Christmas and Easter, and whenever I went back to the East Coast to visit my dad and his side of the family, we did Hanukkah, Passover and the occasional Shabbat dinner.

In high school, another Catholic set-up, I revealed that I was half Jewish and instantly became the Jewish One among my new friends. To them, I was full Barbra Streisand, if Barbra Streisand had former alter-girl experience and also took Communion. It wasnt until college, at a Franciscan University, that I told someone I was half and half and he responded that I couldnt be.

That doesnt make any sense, he said. Its totally contradictory.

From the technical standpoint of either belief system, it has to be one or the other. Black or white. These are faiths that steady the worlds of so many. But as an individual, growing up half Jewish, half Catholic didnt mean I believed in both religions, it meant I shared identities. It was about the things I did with my family.

At Christmas, that meant a trip to Ghirardelli Square followed by midnight mass where my old grade school acted out the Nativity scene. It meant decorating every surface with tinsel, holding search parties for ever-missing stockings, eating pancakes, opening presents, the smell of fire and being allowed chocolate in the morning. It meant Joni Mitchells River alternating with Bing Crosby. Mom would always read Yes, Virginia out loud. She still does.

It meant flights from San Francisco to New Jersey where, when I was younger, my dad always had a tree waiting for me. Hed put red and green M&Ms on a tea tray in the dining room, light candles in the windows, buy me a Breyer horse ornament and hang a wreath. He still does.

Hanukkah meant driving down to Philadelphia the next day to see my aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents. It meant brisket, latkes, matzoh brei and matzo with margarine. (Were year-round matzo fans, regardless of occasion.) It meant exciting boxes to unwrap and envelopes of money. Because Hannukkah doesnt fall on the same date each year and stretches out for eight, it sometimes meant celebrating the holiday later and in a more compact manner (i.e. all at once) than most. It meant saying the prayer and lighting the candles that Eli told my second-grade class about.

All of it  the Christmas and the Hannukkah stuff  has always been about our own sometimes unorthodox customs. Its about the getting together, the long-distance calls with passed around phones when someone cant make it, the food, the smells, the banter. I dont consider myself of any religion now, but Im very much a part of the people who I came from.

The best way I can think to explain the wobbly logic of being raised half Catholic, half Jewish, especially on separate coasts by divorced parents, is to think about a pair of pinking shears: scissors that cut fabric in such a way that its raw edges are less likely to fray. The blades are serrated and leave behind a repetitive triangle pattern instead of a straight line. To me, it looks like a row of tidy mountains.

I picture my life as one long ribbon that was clipped in two by a pair of pinking sheers. On the left is one holiday, one family, one set of traditions. On the right, another family, another holiday, another side of the country. Its not clean across, its jagged. Threads still pop regardless of the mountain peaks that were put in place to hold things steady. But now I have two ribbons, both of which are perfect for tying bows over all sorts of presents.

Illustrations by Maria Jia Ling Pitt; follow her on Instagram @heysuperstar.

Going home for the holidays? We slacked about it. Join the convo. Heres some plaid to wear either way.
Over the last 20 years, Sens Asia Travel has provided travelers with unique experiences that offer exclusive insight into destinations across Asia. Each experience is enhanced through our five senses: Scent (smell), Sight, Sound, Touch, Taste and Heart (giving back). Sens Asia has recently introduced its first full immersion package for Laos, named Get to Know the Locals, through a 3D/2N Luang Prabang experience where travelers will be paired with local families for the full authentic experience that includes ancient customs and traditions like Tak Bat.

Through an up-close view of the citys scents, sights, sounds, and splendors, travelers will immerse themselves into Laos and its culture. The three-day Laotian experience is designed with experiential touchpoints to see, smell, hear, feel, and taste one of Asias most attractive UNESCO World Heritage sites, and also breathe in the surrounding natural landscapes from carefully selected viewpoints to create a journey as inspiring as the destination itself.

For decades, the Tak Bat ritual has been an important cultural and religious event for the local people in Luang Prabang. Tak Bat is the Buddhist monks daily morning routine where they walk the streets of Laos and locals offer prayers and place flowers or food in their bowls. Upsurge of tourism in Laos has increasingly endangered the ceremony due to misunderstandings. Sens Asia combines sustainability, environmentally-friendly and a community-centered approach to tourism to reignite a sense of wonder, curiosity and discovery. By educating travelers on how important the Tak Bat ritual is to local people, Sens Asia contributes to preserving this beautiful cultural event.

Travelers will also have the opportunity to participate in traditional Hmong Batik classes, take part in a friendly game of Petanque, enjoy a traditional dance show, and experience a Garavek performance  the stage interpretation of the esoteric Laotian art of storytelling. At the morning and night markets, travelers can explore various textiles, locally sourced products and enjoy the Laotian street foods with locals. A Laotian cooking lesson is also available for travelers who are fond of the local cuisine.

We invite travelers to not only explore a new destination, but also give them the chance to reconnect with themselves and delve deeper into travel experiences with a sense of local authenticity. Some visitors may be familiar with Luang Prabang, but our itinerary is designed to offer deeper insights into the culture by awakening the five senses through the local people they meet, according to Linh Bui, managing director of Sens Asia Travel.

But Sens Asia doesnt just take travelers to beautiful places, it also aims to work closely with local communities to maintain and preserve the artistry behind the visual magic. This is what makes Sens Asias tours unique.

The three-day, two-night Get to Know the Locals journey to Luang Prabang is priced at USD375 per person for the one with shortage of time; travelers can also extend the trip for USD54 per night. Visit sensasia.com for more details.
Microsoft Corp co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates said he and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump had a good conversation about "the power of innovation" on a variety of issues, including health and education, Reuters reported.

"We had a good conversation about innovation, how it can help in health, education, impact of foreign aide and energy," Gates, who runs one of the largest private charities in the world, told reporters as he left Trump Tower in New York City after their talk.
Last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi went on television with a surprise announcement: 500- and 1000-rupee notes[i] would soon no longer be legal tender, leaving folks with 50 days to swap them for new 1000- and 2000-rupee notes.[ii] As an effort to smoke out criminals and tax evaders, it seemed promising enough, but the chaotic rollout brought much of the country to a standstill, hitting Indian stocks. When weird shocks like this happen, it's easy for investors to jump the gun and overlook positive long-term drivers, like India's fast-growing economy and continued reform progress. But this is often a behavioral error. For global investors, the lesson applies whether or not you own Indian or Emerging Markets stocks: Shock events can cause short-term wiggles or even corrections (sharp, sentiment-driven drops exceeding -10%), but if they don't alter a country's long-term fundamentals, staying cool is usually the right move.

India's cash-heavy economy has long been tax officials' scourge. Some estimates put the public's cash holdings at about 12% of GDP, far higher than the 4% average among Emerging Markets. Most savers stash bills at home, and less than half of India's population has a bank account. This is partly because rural areas are underbanked, and partly because Indian banks don't enjoy much public trust-the biggest are state-run, bloated, shaky and often linked to corruption. Credit cards and debit cards are rare, making it easy to keep transactions under the table. Because India's tax system used to be heavily decentralized and impossible to navigate, citizens had a big incentive to deal in cash and stay off the books. As a result, massive quantities of cash transactions go unreported. This "black economy" reportedly ranges from 20 - 50% of GDP.

This summer, Parliament passed a landmark Goods and Services Tax (or GST) aimed at streamlining tax collection-thus ending that decentralized morass-and combating evasion. But successful implementation requires getting black money out of the shadows and on the books. Substituting new notes for old theoretically forces everyone to declare and exchange their stashes, either revealing illicit funds (thereby subjecting them to taxation and potentially investigation) or rendering them worthless.

This move should be beneficial in the long run, provided further reforms address the reasons Indians hold so much cash, along with corruption's causes. Indian stocks initially outperformed on the announcement, perhaps seeing it as another win for Modi's administration. But fear soon took over as the implementation stumbled. Indian stocks tumbled, both on an absolute basis and relative to Emerging Markets. By November 21, the MSCI India Index was down -10.1% since Modi announced the reform on November 8-a textbook correction.[iii]

Exhibit 1: Indian Stocks' Relative Returns

Source: FactSet, as of 12/12/2016. MSCI Emerging Markets and MSCI India Index returns with net dividends, indexed to 1 at 10/31/2016.

It is easy to see why the fallout whacked sentiment. People stood in hours-long lines to exchange their old currency. Not just sheepish tax evaders and money launderers, but millions of ordinary people, all of whom needed cash to go about their daily routines as consumers or merchants. However, there weren't enough new bills to go around, and ATMs had to be retrofitted to handle the new bills, which were slightly smaller than the old-a lengthy, labor-intensive process ATM providers got no advance notice of. Sellers demanded payment in new currency customers didn't yet have, and companies couldn't pay workers, so business staggered. Almost 90% of India's trucks were stuck for days at gas stations, toll booths and delivery locations, unable to pay with old banknotes. The aftermath echoes a sudden money supply contraction, which tends to cause a negative economic shock if severe enough.

Complete data won't be out until January, but preliminary evidence suggests India's economy took a hit: November manufacturing and services surveys both slowed, the latter into contractionary territory. Yet stocks have already begun rebounding: Even as more problems came to light and data started trickling in, Indian stocks are up 6.5% since November 21. It appears markets are getting over the shock and moving on. This seems rational to us: Despite the botched rollout, India has many strengths. GDP grew 7.3% y/y in Q3, the fastest among major economies. Modi's reforms are starting to bear fruit. Challenges remain, but India's longer-term outlook appears plenty positive. As Ben Graham said: Stocks act like voting machines in the short term, but in the long run, they're weighing machines.

This is the latest example of a seemingly chaotic political event roiling stocks and unnerving investors, only for markets to rebound, rewarding the patient-an object lesson for all investors. Consider, for example, China's surprise yuan revaluation in August 2015. Folks feared a currency war, a long-awaited Chinese hard landing or worse. Global stocks had been faltering since May, and the news sent them down sharply while Chinese markets plunged-but the bull market continued. Stocks clawed back most of their losses, only for another Chinese currency move and the botched rollout of China's bizarrely constructed stock trading circuit breakers-which had the opposite of their intended effect-to knock markets anew in early January. But that double-dip correction ended February 11, and world stocks have since rallied to new all-time highs. Most recently, South Korean stocks tumbled after an influence peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye came to light, but they soon turned the corner and rallied as the legislature voted to impeach her.

It's normal to be nervous about headline-grabbing political events, whether scandals or seemingly odd reforms. When markets react, it can feel like fundamentals radically shifted overnight. You can point to a tangible reason. But short-term events rarely alter a country's long-term course, as these examples show. Remember this the next time something weird happens and it feels like the rug was pulled out: Stay cool, don't make hasty moves, and think critically about whether recent events will still be going concerns in 12 to 18 months.

[i] That's about $7.40 and $14.80, respectively.
China's Unfinished Trade Revolution

Dec. 11 marks the 15th anniversary of China's accession to the World Trade Organization. Measured by its impact on the Chinese economy, which has grown almost tenfold since 2001, accession to the WTO was no less momentous than the epochal changes ushered in by the start of "Reform and Opening" in 1978 or the fiscal and political recentralization that followed the 1989 Tiananmen crisis. In the scale and speed of changes it wrought on Chinese society and politics, WTO accession was hardly less revolutionary than the Great Leap Forward of 1958-1961 or the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976. And in terms of their import for the structure of the global economy, few events in recent memory equal China's entry into the organization. By virtually any indicator, Dec. 11, 2001, was an inflection point not only for China's economy but also for much of the world's. But the anniversary also highlights how Chinese integration into the global economy remains incomplete.

On Sunday, a key provision contained in Article 15 of China's WTO accession protocols will expire. At issue is what countries must do to make the case that China is subsidizing exports as a way to undercut competition abroad. The provision stipulates that unless producers in China can "clearly show that market conditions prevail" in a given sector, WTO members importing Chinese goods from that sector can use a different methodology for assessing whether to impose anti-dumping measures. Rather than compare Chinese domestic and export prices for a good (the standard procedure for market economies), the provision allows WTO members to compare Chinese prices with rates for the same good in countries with similar levels of development. In practice, this provision makes it much easier to launch anti-dumping investigations in the WTO and to impose protective tariffs on Chinese imports than if China were recognized as a market economy.

The expiration of the provision will leave open the question of how WTO members should now assess under what conditions to impose anti-dumping measures against China. For Beijing, the answer is clear: Because the provision is the only mention in the accession protocols of a procedure for judging Chinese trade practices differently than those of market economies, its expiration should make China, by default, a market economy. Therefore, Beijing argues, WTO members must treat China the same as they would other market economies: by comparing Chinese domestic and export prices. For key industrial goods such as steel, which China produces far more than it consumes and thus exports in large volumes and at low prices, this would make it much more difficult for countries to impose anti-dumping measures on China, at least by WTO regulations. After all, though Chinese steel exporters may undercut their U.S. and European competitors, the prices are not systematically or artificially lower than what they charge at home.

But while the accession protocols nowhere clarify that on Sunday China will not automatically be granted market economy status, neither do they state that other WTO members will be required to regard it as such. And therein lies the rub. Not all WTO members agree with Beijing. The United States and Japan, driven both by domestic protectionism and a rising sense of strategic competition with China, have indicated that they do not yet regard China as a market economy and thus will not use market economy-based measures to judge China's dumping practices. It is unclear whether other major WTO players such as Canada, India and Mexico will follow suit.

Against this backdrop, the question of whether the European Union will grant China market economy status has drawn considerable attention. Initially, an EU decision on China's status was expected by midyear. And with the strong backing of the United Kingdom and the modest support of Germany, the prospects of an affirmative vote looked promising. Brexit upended both expectations. The United Kingdom, which has heavily courted Chinese investment in recent years, was perhaps the strongest EU proponent for granting China market economy status. But with London's negotiating power now substantially diluted, the calls of countries strongly opposed to rendering China a market economy  and thus to loosening controls on imports of Chinese industrial goods  will undoubtedly grow louder.

Italy, home to a long-struggling steel sector, leads the opposition, followed by Spain and much of Southern Europe. Germany, with advanced steel and industrial sectors that are less vulnerable to cheap Chinese imports, is unlikely to actively block an affirmative decision. But whether it has the will or interest to actively champion China's market economy claim at a time of rising protectionism at home, across Europe and globally is another matter. Whatever Europe's decision regarding the extent of China's market orientation, the expiration of the provision will likely require some reformulation of EU laws regarding Chinese dumping practices.

China has threatened to take its case to the WTO for arbitration. In the meantime, Beijing will do what it can to secure an at least partial relaxation of existing tariffs on European imports of China steel and other industrial goods. This endeavor is becoming more urgent given U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pledge to ramp up U.S. duties on imports of Chinese goods, particularly steel. Though Beijing will continue its long-running efforts to consolidate its steel and other heavy and construction-related industries in 2017, its overriding imperative to maintain stable economic growth  all the more pointed in light of President Xi Jinping's push to consolidate his power ahead of the 2017 Party Congress  means those efforts will likely bear only limited fruit next year.

Measured in terms of gross domestic product, trade, energy consumption and any number of other economic indicators, WTO accession revolutionized the Chinese economy. But the very fact that Beijing and its WTO counterparts are still haggling over the meaning of Article 15 points to the incompleteness of that revolution. In all likelihood, the provision's vagueness on the matter of China's status reflects the fact that in 2001, neither China's leaders nor those of other WTO members imagined that come Sunday China would not be, clearly and for all to see, a market-driven economy. One need look no further than its state-dominated financial system to see how China has fallen short. Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, who drove China's arduous WTO accession process, envisioned membership as a means to force his country out of its cycles of inwardness and irreversibly into the world. In some ways, his vision was quickly realized. In others, it remains a dream deferred.

"China's Unfinished Trade Revolution is republished with permission of Stratfor."

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US Congress Votes To Give Jihadists Anti-aircraft Missiles

On Thursday, the Senate passed a bill that puts every American who travels by plane at risk. It is among the stupidest pieces of legislation ever written and it explains-- to a great extent-- why the US Congress has a public approval rating of 13 percent and is among the most loathed institutions in America.

On Thursday, the Senate passed a bill that puts every American who travels by plane at risk. It is among the stupidest pieces of legislation ever written and it explains-- to a great extent-- why the US Congress has a public approval rating of 13 percent and is among the most loathed institutions in America.

The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the House last Friday in a 375-34 vote. On Thursday, it cleared the senate with a 92 to 7 margin. The bill will now be sent to Obama where it is expected to be signed into law. According to an article on SOFREP titled "Congress authorizes anti-aircraft missiles for Syrian opposition":



"Congress for the first time authorized the Department of Defense to provide vetted-Syrian rebels with anti-aircraft missiles. The provision is contained within the $619 billion Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the Senate on Dec. 8 and the House on Dec. 2.





(

Under the bill, the Secretaries of Defense and State must submit a report to Congress explaining why they determined Syrian groups need man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS)." SOFREP: Trusted News and Intelligence From Spec Ops Veterans, "Congress authorizes anti-aircraft missiles for Syrian opposition ")

You read that right, Congress just passed a bill that will provide shoulder-launched ground-to-air missiles to lunatic jihadists who will undoubtedly use them to take down American or Israeli jetliners. The argument that these Islamic militants are fully vetted is complete nonsense as both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have repeatedly shown. According to a recent article in the New York Times, rebel groups supported by the USG "have entered into battlefield alliances with the affiliate of al Qaida in Syria formerly known as al Nusra." The Wall Street Journal reports that rebel groups are "doubling-down on their alliance with al Qaida. This alliance has rendered the phrase 'moderate rebels' meaningless."



Everyone who has followed developments on the ground in Syria knows that the distinction between the "good" terrorists and the "bad" terrorists is pure bunkum. The various militias are merely the many heads of the same homicidal anti-government hydra that has killed over 400,000 Syrians and decimated a large part of the country. The CIA should not be assisting any of these madmen let alone providing them with lethal state-of the-art weapons that will inevitably be used to take down US aircraft. Here's more from the same article:



"The inclusion of the provision represents a departure from previous versions of the NDAA. The original House bill specifically prohibited the transfer of MANPADS to any entity in Syria, while the Senate bill did not address it."



determine that the transaction, encompassing the provision of defense articles and services to foreign forces, irregular forces, groups, or individuals engaged in supporting or facilitating ongoing U.S. military operations to counter terrorism in Syria, is essential to the national security interests of the United States." (Presidential Determination and Waiver)

It looks to me like our Nobel prize-winning president just gave Congress's idiot plan his ringing endorsement.



Fortunately, there's one member of congress who has spoken out forcefully against the NDAA . Representative Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii released the following statement following the voting on December 2:



This bill contains the same deeply concerning and dangerous Syria train and equip measures that Ive fought against since the programs inception.



First, it creates the potential for dangerous ground-to-air missiles getting in the hands of ISIS, al-Qaeda, and other terrorist groups. ....



Second, the bill reauthorizes and extends the Syria train and equip program for two years. When the Department of Defense brought this program to Congress two years ago, I strongly opposed it due to a weak vetting process,...instead of fighting against ISIS, al-Qaeda, or other terrorist groups(the vetted militants) ended up joining these terrorist groups in their battle to overthrow the Syrian government.





Over the past 2 years, the Department of Defense has made several improvements to the vetting process and clarified the programs objectives. These improvements have helped to ensure that we work solely with forces that share our common goal of defeating ISIS. However, the bill that passed today leaves out all of these improvements, allowing these authorizing provisions to be used once again to further the illegal, counterproductive regime change war against the Syrian government. If successful, this war will strengthen groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda, worsen the humanitarian crisis, and cause even greater destruction and suffering in Syria. I will continue to do all I can to end this devastating war, focus our resources on nation building here at home, and defeat terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS who threaten the American people. ("Rep. Gabbard votes against Defense Authorization Bill", Hawaii 24/7)





Booyah, Tulsi. You are the lone voice of sanity in a country that has gone stark raving mad. Rep. Gabbard has authored a "Stop Arming Terrorists bill" that "prohibits U.S. government funds from being used to support al-Qaeda, ISIS or other terrorist groups. ... It would also prohibit the Federal government from funding assistance to countries that are directly or indirectly supporting those terrorist groups." ( "Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Introduces Legislation to Stop Arming Terrorists", Tulsi Gabbard) Booyah, Tulsi. You are the lone voice of sanity in a country that has gone stark raving mad.

So, the original bill forbid "the transfer of MANPADS" to Syrian militants because it was considered too dangerous. But now that Obama's proxy-army is getting pulverized in Aleppo, Congress has taken off the gloves and gone into full-revenge mode. Isn't that what's really going on?And it looks like Obama has already given this crazy policy a big thumbs up. Check out this "Presidential Determination and Waiver ....on the Arms Export Control Act to Support U.S. Special Operations to Combat Terrorism in Syria" that the White House issued late Thursday:"By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 2249a of title 10, United States Code, sections 40 and 40A of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) (22 U.S.C. 2780 and 2781), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby:

By Mike Whitney

Email: fergiewhitney@msn.com

Mike Whitney lives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Hopeless is also available in a Kindle edition. He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com.

 2016 Copyright Mike Whitney - 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.

Mike Whitney Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a suicide bombing at a Cairo church two days earlier that killed 25 people, highlighting a new escalation of violence in Egypt against civilians and Christians in particular, AP reported.

In a statement circulated online, it said the bomber had killed and injured 80 people, vowing "to continue war against apostates." The Egyptian government had earlier released footage showing images said to be that of the alleged suicide attacker.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Monday identified the bomber as 22-year-old Mahmoud Shafiq Mohammed Mustafa in the attack, which killed mainly women. IS named the bomber by what appeared to be a nom de guerre, Abu Abdullah al-Masri.

The video was a recording of CCTV footage from outside a chapel adjacent to St. Mark's Cathedral, seat of Egypt's ancient Coptic Orthodox Church. It shows a dark figure crossing the street and walking through the gates of the church. Moments later, the blast sends clouds of dust and debris through the windows.

It was among the deadliest attacks in recent memory to target Egypt's Coptic minority, which makes up around 10 percent of the population and was largely supportive of the military overthrow of a freely elected Islamist president in 2013. El-Sissi led the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, a senior figure in the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Since then, Islamic militants have carried out scores of attacks, mainly targeting the security forces, while the government has waged a wide-scale crackdown on dissent.

Small protests were held outside the church in the aftermath of the attack, as Christians accused the government of failing to protect them, a complaint that goes back many years.

Officials and government supporters have touted the quick identification of the suspected bomber as proof of the efficiency of the security bodies, but Christian activist Nader Shokry said more could have been done to prevent the attack.

"How did all this planning take place without the security knowing about it?" he said. "You are saying that this person belongs to a terror group and has been previously arrested ... So you should have kept a close eye on him."

The Interior Ministry said late Monday that the attacker belonged to a terror cell founded by an Egyptian doctor and funded by Muslim Brotherhood leaders living in exile in Qatar. It said the cell was tasked with staging attacks that would stir sectarian strife.

Three men and a woman were arrested in connection with Sunday's attack and other suspects were on the run, el-Sissi said.

The Brotherhood condemned the bombing.
COLLINSVILLE-Henry County will be the site of Novatech Groups first U.S. manufacturing facility. Gov. Terry McAuliffe made the announcement Tuesday, as he spoke at the Henry County Administration Building.

This announcement is a testament to the Commonwealths global competitiveness and Southsides outstanding workforce, McAuliffe said. At the end of the day, you cannot recruit businesses unless you can guarantee to a business that they are going to have a good workforce for many years to come.

The Quebec-based company, which builds doors and doorglass, will invest $3 million to create the facility, which will provide 50 jobs when its up and running. The facility will be located at a 100,000 square foot site at 108 Textile Drive in Ridgeway. The facility has been unoccupied for five years, McAuliffe said.

The Quebec company started in 1982 and manufactures custom doorglass, steel doors, patio doors, door frames, retractable screens and insulated doors with or without blinds. Novatech operates more than 12 plants in Canada and Europe and distributes its products internationally.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Henry County to secure the project for Virginia. McAuliffe approved a $100,000 grant from the Commonwealths Opportunity Fund to assist Henry County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved $130,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds. The company is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Funding and services to support the companys employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

Henry County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jim Adams presented Savard with the $100,000 check from the Commonwealths Opportunity Fund, while Delegate Danny Marshall, a Commissioner of the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, presented Savard with the check from the Tobacco Commission. Mark Heath, President and CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation, also spoke at the event, as the EDC was instrumental in bringing Novatech to Henry County.

Adams mentioned that there have been six major economic development announcements in Henry County just this year, including Novatech, StarSprings, Drake Extrusion, Alcoa and Solid Stone Fabrics. Those announcements, Adams said, add up to 209 jobs and $26.2 million in investments.

Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore, who joined McAuliffe at the event,

argued that the McAuliffe administrations push for a diversified Virginia economy has seen a great deal of success.

Weve had 845 economic development announcements in the last 36 months, Haymore said. Weve had a record 14.2 billion dollars in capital expenditures coming in over those last 36 months. That is about five billion dollars more than any other gubernatorial term in history in the first 36 months.

He pointed out that 182,000 net new jobs have been created in the Commonwealth over the last 36 months, helping unemployment drop from 5.4 percent in January of 2014 down to 4.2 percent last month.

According to a Novatech statement, the companys first priority will be to hire a plant manager, a quality control and mechanical technician, a production supervisor and customer service representative. Once those positions are filled, Novatech will begin to fill other positions, including production workers.

Salaries will differ based on position and experience, the release continued, but will average $14 per hour plus health benefits. Production workers will require a high school diploma or equivalent, and manufacturing experience is a plus.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

Trend:

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday he cannot consider it possible to dream that the Russian-US dialogue on Syria will improve immediately as soon as Rex Tillerson takes office as the US Secretary of State, TASS agency reported Dec. 14.



It is absolutely illogical to make any forecasts for the future, and moreover to dream that everything will change at once and everything what foot-dragged and was complicated will suddenly start developing under a fascinating successful scenario, Peskov said.



Russia has the right to expect a far more constructive dialogue with the United States over Syria, Peskov told media, adding that Moscow by no means turned its back on negotiations.

We believe we are entitled to at least more constructive contacts with each other and better synchronization of positions of different agencies at a time when discussions are in progress, Peskov said.

Asked if Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovs remark the talks with the US over Syria were fruitless get-togethers heralded a change in Moscows policies Peskov answered in the negative.

Lavrovs expression was not a figure of speech. Its content was exhaustive enough, Peskov said, adding that there had not occurred a change of priorities by any means.

Russia has never refused to have a dialogue (with the United States over Syria). Moreover, we have invariably favored a further dialog on Syria, he said.

It goes without saying that we would like that dialog to be constructive and not fruitless, Peskov said.

Peskov also said that he has no information on possible talks between any official representatives of Russia and Turkey in the near future.

No, I dont have any such information, he said.

Earlier some media cited their sources saying that Russia had been holding talks with the leaders of the Syrian armed opposition on a cessation of hostilities in the opposition-hold districts of Aleppo. According to media reports, Turkey has been facilitating the talks while the US was not informed.
Aleppo has fallen. After four years of bloody war of attrition, the pre-civil war commercial hub and Syrias largest city is once again under the complete control of the Assad regime. For the rebels and their foreign backers this represents a humiliating blow which will have major consequences internationally and domestically.

Aleppo Citadel - Photo: Public DomainThe price of these four years of war has been thousands of dead, tens of thousands maimed, and hundreds of thousands driven out of their homes. Aleppo sums up the tragedy of the Syrian civil war. An ancient city, with a modern people, rich with culture, turned into bloody piles of rubble and dust. The effect of the crimes committed here will be felt by generations to come.

Since August, the rebel stronghold of Eastern Aleppo has been de facto under siege. For the past month, a meticulously planned operation led by Syrian, Iranian, Lebanese, Iraqi and Palestinian militias has advanced steadily, with close air support from Syrian and Russian jets and bombers.

Day in and day out we are constantly told that the Russians and the Syrians are commiting war crimes. Of course we have no illusions either in Assad or in Putin. They act out of self-interest with no regard to the interests of the Syrian people. But there is a deafening silence concerning the barbaric conduct of the socalled rebels and their American, British, Saudi and Turkish backers.

A history of atrocities and hypocrisy

To find the truth about this reactionary war one has to dig through a mountain of lies, deception and stinking hypocrisy. The leaders of the so-called free world are all in tears, with the mass media pouring scorn on the brutal Russian and Syrian forces that have fought in Aleppo. They condemn Putin and Assad for bombing, shooting and killing people (in a war!). Yet they have no problems with their own moderate militias doing exactly the same, and in no more humane ways than those of Putin. While the media have been flooded with stories about the bombing of the last hospital of Aleppo every week for the past year or so, no mention has been made of the constant and indiscriminate shelling of Western Aleppo or the Kurdish neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsood. One can only imagine the scale of horror and destruction had the opposition militias themselves had an air force. Murder seems only to be a crime when it is carried out by Western ruling classes opponents.

The war crimes of Western imperialism throughout history are endless: the killing of hundreds of thousands in Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the bombing of the civilian population of Dresden in WWII, with almost 4000 tons of bombs killing more than 25,000 people; the murderous Operation Rolling Thunder bombing campaign which killed hundreds of thousands of civilians in Vietnam. These are hushed up - or even glorified - in the history books.

The behaviour of these ladies and gentlemen in modern times in the Middle East is no any better. A 2015 investigation by Physicians for Social Responsibility concludes that, the wars have, directly or indirectly, killed around 1 million people in Iraq, 220,000 in Afghanistan and 80,000 in Pakistan, i.e . a total of around 1.3 million. (...) The total number of deaths in the three countries named above could also be in excess of 2 million, whereas a figure below 1 million is extremely unlikely. Put together, the murderous deeds of Assad, Putin and even of ISIS would not reach the levels or destruction unleashed by Western imperialism in the Middle East.

The criminal war in Iraq, meanwhile, completely destabilised the country and the region and unleashed the most backward and reactionary forces. The tragedy goes far beyond the mere numbers - albeit huge - of killed.

Even today, the siege and indiscriminate bombing of Yemen by Saudi planes, closely supported by US and British forces, has left more than half of the 28 million population at risk of starvation. And yet this humanitarian disaster and tragedy is conveniently ignored by politicians and the press in the West. A UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen said that the war is "probably one of the biggest crises in the world but it's like a silent crisis, a silent situation and a forgotten war."

At least one child dies every 10 minutes in #Yemen because of preventable diseases such as diarrhoea, malnutrition & respiratory infections. pic.twitter.com/k56a1SmVGd  UNICEF Yemen (@UNICEF_Yemen) December 12, 2016

Likewise nothing is mentioned of the civilian casualties caused by the siege and onslaught on the city of Mosul, which holds far more civilians than eastern Aleppo. Ironically, some of the same groups in Aleppo that are being criticised by the West have been hired to do the dirty work in Mosul with Western air-cover.

Our dear leaders are full of concern for the plight of their Syrian people. But their actions tell a different story. A recent internal UN report leaked by The Intercept characterises Western sanctions on Syria as some of the most complicated and far-reaching sanctions regimes ever imposed. They report that the U.S. sanctions are exceptionally cruel regarding provision of humanitarian aid [our emphasis]. Another UN leak in the same publication names sanctions as a principal factor in the degradation of the healthcare system.

In addition, it is deeply ironic that these peace-loving gentlemen and women have now promised to pour more arms and money into Syria following the fall of Aleppo.

Yes, our dear democratic friends are quick to point fingers. But they are equally quick to forget the terror and barbarism they have unleashed and continue to support throughout the region.

Syria

In Aleppo itself, the latest atrocities could have been avoided had the US agreed to a ceasefire deal with Russia and the Assad regime only one month ago. The deal fell after the US planes bombed and killed up to 100 Syrian regime troops fighting against ISIS in the besieged enclave of Deir Ezzor. According to the Middle East Eye, a recent report by the US central command clearly shows that senior US Air Force officers at the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at al-Udeid Airbase in Qatar, who were responsible for the decision to carry out the September airstrike at Deir Ezzor:

misled the Russians about where the US intended to strike so Russia could not warn that it was targeting Syrian troops;

ignored information and intelligence analysis warning that the positions to be struck were Syrian government rather than Islamic State;

shifted abruptly from a deliberate targeting process to an immediate strike in violation of normal Air Force procedures

The result of this strike was not only to break the ceasefire in Aleppo, but also to act as a major blow to Syrian forces who have been besieged by ISIS for more than two years.

Following the collapsed ceasefire, the Russian and Syrian aerial bombing campaign over Aleppo was halted for a three-week period, during which eight exit routes were created for civilians and militants to leave Eastern Aleppo and be transported either to regime areas, where rebels would be granted amnesty upon laying down arms, or to rebel controlled areas in Idlib along with their light arms(!). But the response of the moderate friends of the West in Aleppo was to shoot and shell anyone who tried to leave the area. In effect, the opposition militias took the whole of East Aleppo as hostages and turned them into human shields.

Yet Western media continues to support these moderate rebels, portraying them as freedom fighters who represent the people against the Assad regime. But who are these moderate groups? They are not directly mentioned anywhere by name. But looking at the groups in Aleppo, the strongest ones have been: Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham (JFS), the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda originally set up by what is now ISIS; Ahrar Al-Sham (AAS), which has been running the whole of Idlib governorate along with JFS for several years, and which almost fused with it a few years ago; and finally, the Nour al-din al-zinki group, which is an Islamist group with close ties to the US. Last summer the Zinki group gained international fame for beheading a 14 year old boy. In one the many videos of the execution, the Zinki men are heard saying we are worse than ISIS. So, yes, these men might be moderate - but in relation to what?

The fact is that the rebels, as in many other urban areas in Syria, never enjoyed much support within the city of Aleppo. Aleppo only fell into opposition hands initially after an attack coming from the countryside. The Guardian, reported in August 2012:

Opposition fighters  around 3,000 of them  are almost the only people moving around the eastern half that the Free Syrian Army now controls. The small numbers of non-fighters who remain seem to pay them little heed. Few seem openly welcoming. Yes it's true, said Sheikh Tawfik Abu Sleiman, a rebel commander sitting on the ground floor of his fourth new headquarters  the other three were bombed. Around 70% of Aleppo city is with the regime. It has always been that way. The countryside is with us and the city is with them. We are saying that we will only be here as long as it takes to get the job done, to get rid of the Assads. After that, we will leave and they can build the city that they want.

In fact, once the initial revolution began to disintegrate into a sectarian conflict dominated by Islamist groups, the vast majority of the population, many of whom were sympathetic to the initial movement, swung back behind the regime.

Seeing the revolution destabilising the Assad regime in 2011, Western imperialism and their allies - Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan and the Gulf states - began funnelling billions of dollars into Islamist groups in Syria. One revealing report by the Defence Intelligence Agency - the intelligence agency of the Pentagon - in 2012 stated: Internally, events are clearly taking a sectarian direction (...) The Salafist, the Muslim Brotherhood, and AQI [Al Qaeda in Iraq and precursor to JFS and ISIS] are the major forces driving the insurgency in Syria. The West, Gulf countries, and Turkey support the opposition; while Russia, China, and Iran support the regime.(...) There is the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in eastern Syria (Hasaka and Deir Ezzor), and this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want, in order to isolate the Syrian regime

Instability

This is the real reason behind the hue and cry raised by the West. All of their plots for the country have fallen apart. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a seasoned diplomat who measures his words, told journalists that he was "tired of hearing this whining from our American colleagues.

The fall of Aleppo is a complete humiliation for Western imperialism. While the annexation of Crimea - in itself a big humiliation for US imperialism - was in the neighbourhood of Russia, in Aleppo you have the public humiliation and crushing of US proxies in the middle of what the US has traditionally seen as its domain. As was evident in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, US imperialism has always thought that it could do whatever it wanted in the Middle East. But in Aleppo the limitations of US imperialism have been openly on display. It is no coincidence that the most serious negotiations surrounding Aleppo have been between Russia and Turkey, without US participation.

When the Pentagon disrupted the ceasefire in October, it was from a position of arrogance and defiance towards Russia. But then Russia, Iran and Syria proceeded to crush the US proxies - right in front of US (and Turkish) armed forces who were literally stationed a few dozen miles away...and the US was impotent to do anything about it. The West and its allies, who are used to calling the shots, have been reduced to mere spectators in Aleppo.

Not only did they invest a great deal in Aleppo itself, but the fall of the city means that the rebels have now been pushed out of all major urban areas in Syria. While the civil war could drag on for years to come, it is clear that the threat to the Assad regime has been shattered. The following collapse of morale amongst the rebels will add to this consolidation of power. All the plans of the interventionist powers are in ruins. This will have serious consequences.

The public display the US impotence means that it will come under pressure from a number of lesser powers internationally, who will test the limits of US imperialism and the US dominated world order. These allies and enemies will begin to assume a role that will be more independent from the US and its interests. This in turn will lead to even greater instability internationally.

In Turkey, the fall of Aleppo is a major blow to Erdogans neo-Ottoman plans of dominating the Middle East, seriously damaging his prestige, and coming just at a time when the Turkish economy could be headed for a serious crisis, which in turn could see an explosive development in the class struggle. In Syria, Erdogan is only aided slightly by the fact that Russia has allowed Turkey a certain presence in the northern Aleppo countryside - although even this pocket might come under pressure in the next period. In effect, all that is left from Erdogans policy in Syria is the utopian aim of defeating the Kurdish enclave of Rojava. But this itself could at a certain point backfire and lead to the breakup of Turkey.

The largest blow, however, was dealt to Saudi Arabia, which is rapidly seeing its international position decline. The reactionary kingdom no longer has any significant bargaining chip in Syria, with most of its proxies confined to their Islamic emirate in the Idlib governorate where they do not pose a threat to anyone. The failure of the Saudi interventions in Syria and Iraq, and the coming defeat in Yemen, will have major ramifications inside the kingdom, which is entangled in a web of social, economic and political crises.

What is to be done?

Many people are justifiably disgusted by the tragedy in Aleppo. What can we do?, those with genuine concern ask. Some propose that a no-fly zone should be imposed, as if a war without bombers is somehow more humane. But in real practical terms, the demand for a no-fly zone is just another way of calling for an aerial campaign by the West in support of the rebels and against the Assad regime. Far from being more humane, it would mean giving air cover to some of the most reactionary forces on the planet. Such an intervention would also prop up support for the Assad regime amongst the Syrian population.

Western intervention would not lead to anything progressive in the Middle East. In fact, it is at the root of all of the barbarism which we witness in the region today. As the history of Western intervention outlined earlier shows, these governments do not take action out of humanitarian concerns, but for their own narrow imperialist interests. They curse the crimes of Putin and Assad, crying crocodile tears over the tragedy in Aleppo; and yet, at the same time, they sweep their own war crimes in Yemen and elsewhere under the carpet.

The interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen have not led to democracy and freedom, but have completely destroyed the foundations of civilised life in those countries. This should be a clear indication of what we could expect from any Western intervention in Syria.

If we want to do something; if we want to effect any kind of change, the first thing would be to begin a serious struggle against our own capitalist and imperialist ruling classes - which have committed the greatest crimes in the history of the Middle East.

Lenin once commented that capitalism is horror without end. Behind this aphorism there is a profound truth. War and instability are an inherent part of capitalism - a system that is based on anarchic self-interest, competition, and profit motives, and over which no-one exerts any real control.

In a period of crisis - when the class struggle is sharpened, the world economy is destabilised, and competition between the various nation states increases - internal conflicts and the general instability intensifies. The fact is that all the powers with interests in the Middle East want stability in the region - but only on their own terms, which are always in antagonism to and to the detriment of the other powers. To defend their own positions and narrow interests, they are willing to drown the whole region in a sea of blood.

The war in Syria, however tragic it is, will not be the last war of this nature. Capitalism will continue to produce more such wars until the day it is overthrown by the working masses. The only real thing to do is to prepare a revolutionary force that can hasten the downfall of this rotten system internationally.
SPRINGFIELD -- Shoppers streaming through the recently renovated Big Y World Class Market at 300 Cooley St. were not seeing things.

Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito was behind the counter making pizzas.

Polito, in charge of the Bay State with Gov. Charlie Baker out of the country on a trade mission to Israel, said she wanted to recognize Springfield-based and family-owned Big Y for its contribution to the economy and for the work the stores do fighting hunger.

"We're excited to be here," Polito said. "They are an important part of our economy. They do a lot for the community."

She also took time to speak with shoppers on a variety of topics, making sure many of them will get followup contact from Michael Knapik, the former state senator from Westfield who now heads up Western Massachusetts operations for the Baker-Polito administration.

Claire D'Amour-Daley, vice president of corporate communications at Big Y, said the chain is now in the midst of its annual "Sack Hunger" program, where customers spend $10 on a Sack Hunger card and Big Y donates the amount to five local food pantries.

Big Y put the Cooley Street store through a $5.4 million renovation, she said. Work was completed this fall. The store has about 200 employees.

Polito asked store director Sam Chevalier how he finds workers and how Big Y trains them, especially for skilled positions such as bakers, pizza-makers and the like.

Food service manager Tracey Holden showed Polito how to make a few different types of pizzas.

Chevalier and Matt D'Amour, Big Y vice president of real estate and store development, showed Polito the local products on sale, including Billy C's Raw Honey from New England Apiaries in Westfield, maple syrup from the North Hadley Sugar Shack and Manny's Olive Oil.

Big Y has 79 stores throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts with more than 11,000 employees. The chain was founded in 1936 by brothers Paul and Gerald D'Amour.

It's been on a growth spurt, adding eight former Hannaford stores in Eastern Massachusetts this year.
BOSTON  Two men were arraigned in Quincy District Court on Friday, on charges that they assaulted a disabled man who was entrusted to their care, according to The Boston Globe.

36-year-old Mohamed Tarawally, of Dorchester, and 24-year-old Claude S. Guerrier, of Brockton, both pleaded guilty to multiple charges of assault and battery on a disabled person.

Both men formerly worked for the Judge Rotenberg Center--a residential school in Randolph that provides treatment and services for people with emotional and developmental problems. It was at the Rotenberg Center that the suspects were entrusted to provide care for the victim.

Both Tarawally and Guerrier are accused of assaulting the disabled victim multiple times over the course of October and November.

Both men have been ordered to have no contact with the victim or the Judge Rotenberg Center.

They are scheduled to have a pre-trial hearing on March 2.
Chicken wing guru Harold Tramazzo -- owner of Hangar Pub and Grill and the Wings Over franchise -- has submitted an offer to buy a former Pittsfield nightclub, where he intends to open a new bar and restaurant.

Tramazzo called the 4,300-square-foot space, located at 1350 East St. and formerly Chameleons, "a great spot."

"I made an offer on the building and I'd love for it to go through," Tramazzo told MassLive on Tuesday. "It would be a full Hangar Pub and Grill."

He added, "It's no secret, I've been saying for years I wanted to open up a spot (in the Berkshires)."

A search of the Massachusetts Corporations Division reveals Tramazzo filed articles of organization papers on Nov. 23 for a business called "Hangar of Pittsfield."

Best Of Mass: A walk through The Hangar Pub & Grill in Amherst (photos)



Voted among America's best college bars by BuzzFeed's readers in October, Hangar Pub and Grill features aviation-themed decorations and a "Flight School" where customers can select and pour their own beers from among a wall of 16 different styles.



"We didn't realize how popular until we put the wall in," Hangar Manager Mike Stone told MassLive. "The range of ages from people who just turned 21 to, really, grandparents."

Over the summer, Tramazzo opened a Hangar Pub and Grill and Wings Over in Greenfield. There's a third Hangar location in Westfield and Tramazzo manages Amherst Brewing Company as well.

Tramazzo, of Westfield, has been in the food business many years. He opened Hangar Pub and Grill and Wings Over Amherst with his partner Patrick Daly in 1999.

The business proliferated, opening "Wings Over" locations in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and eight more states -- a total of three dozen locations. Its chief innovation was delivering chicken wings to people's doorsteps. Tramazzo now operates the business alone.

Chameleons closed in May 2014 after the Pittsfield Licensing Board responded to an April 5 parking lot shooting by stripping its liquor license, dressing down the owner and manager for not having having her "act together," according to The Berkshire Eagle.



The building has been vacant since then. Owner Pamela Rice originally sought another tenant for the space but put it on the market when no promising applicants presented themselves.



Rice's attorney, Anthony Doyle of Pittsfield, said the building has "been on the market for about a year."



"(Rice) is glad," Doyle said on Tuesday. "It's been a drain, an empty building for a year-and-a-half and it's nice to see it finally turning around to become a productive space again."



Tramazzo goes before the Pittsfield Licensing Board at 3:30 p.m. next Monday seeking a liquor license for the business.



Doyle said he expects to close on the sale of the building soon after Tramazzo obtains the license.



"If it goes through -- and I have no doubt it will -- we're looking at completing the sale of the property by Feb. 1," he said.
AMHERST -- The two men charged in connection with the shooting death of Jose "Joselito" Rodriguez in October will be arraigned Friday in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown.

Soknang Chham, 33, and Soksot Chham, 35, both of New Salem, are being extradited from Flagstaff, Arizona, where they had been held after their arrest there Oct. 25.

The two waived extradition but had been held until their release to U.S. marshals last month.

According to an email from Mary Carey, spokeswoman for the Northwestern district attorney's office, the brothers are expected to return to the state in time for their 2 p.m. arraignment.

Soknang Chham faces one count of murder and one count of armed assault with intent to murder in connection with the Oct. 15 shooting death of Rodriguez, 31, at the Southpoint Apartments in Amherst. A second man was also shot but survived.

Soksot Chham is charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder.

Police have not yet revealed a motive for the shootings.

The two were arrested by U.S. marshals after investigators learned that they had left Massachusetts on a bus bound for Phoenix.

The Amherst Police Department and the state police detective unit attached to the DA's office continue to investigate.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14

Trend:

French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have been urging EU countries to extend sanctions against Russia at the summit set to be held on December 15, a high-level EU official told reporters in Brussels on Dec. 14, TASS agency reported.

I believe that EU countries will receive recommendations from Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande that economic sanctions imposed over Russias aggression against Ukraine should be extended, the source said noting that the extension of anti-Russian sanctions was on the EU summit agenda.

The United States and the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia over the situation in Ukraine. Some of the Russian officials were barred from entering EU counties and the US, their assets were frozen. Besides that, trade, financial and military restrictions were also introduced. Sanctions have been repeatedly extended and expanded.
Ankara, Turkey, Dec. 14

By Atilla Caner  Trend:

Turkey and Iran will discuss regional issues during the visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to the Islamic Republic, which will take place at the end of this week, a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Trend.

The source noted that the Syrian crisis, as well as the development of Turkish-Iranian relations, will be mainly discussed during the visit.

Currently the work is underway on the preparation of Cavusoglus visit to Iran, said the source.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday he expects the UN to hold an extraordinary meeting on the Syrian city of Aleppo, Anadolu reported.

Erdogan spoke via telephone with UN Secretary-General-elect Antonio Guterres and made the remark while stressing the importance UN action because of recent developments in the city.

Erdogan also congratulated Guterres on his new post that will begin Jan. 1, according to the presidential source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restriction on talking to media.

Syrian opposition forces in eastern Aleppo reached a cease-fire deal Tuesday with President Bashar al-Assads forces to evacuate civilians from the city.

More than 1,071 civilians have been killed in eastern Aleppo in attacks by Syrian regime and Russian warplanes since mid-November, according to local sources.

Fierce bombardments have forced most of the citys hospitals to halt operations, while most academic activities have been indefinitely suspended.

In recent days the Russia-backed Assad regime has reestablished control over parts of Aleppo captured four years ago by armed opposition groups.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which had erupted as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed by the conflict and millions more displaced.
Missoula City Council members passed a resolution Monday night to create a fund providing city property tax relief for qualified city residents.

Council member Julie Armstrong, who represents Ward 5, said they want to use the tax relief fund to support the most disproportionately affected citizens of Missoula.

That group includes people who are living with disabilities, veterans, and on fixed incomes. The resolution has two goals. One is to increase awareness of tax credits that are already available.

By Augusta McDonnell

Full Story: http://www.kpax.com/story/34036190/tax-relief-fund-to-begin-collecting-donations-soon
On Monday night city commissioners went over the citys goals for the upcoming legislature and lined up what the commission believes are their priorities.

With Mayor Carson Taylor and Deputy Mayor Cyndi Andrus both gone from the city commission meeting, all three city commissioners approved the goals for the upcoming legislative session.

"The schools have a tremendous demand being placed on them, regardless of the option they take its going to be fairly expensive," said Bozeman City Commissioner Chris Mehl. "And the public is telling us, loud and clear, that they are looking for property tax relief and there is a vehicle out there to provide that property tax relief thats already working in many cities."

By Morgan McKay

Full Story: http://www.kbzk.com/story/34039343/bozeman-eyes-local-sales-tax-to-tap-tourist-dollars
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday that officials from Turkey, Russia and Iran will meet in Moscow on December 27 to discuss the situation in war-torn Syria, Anadolu reported.

The sides are determined to resume negotiations on settlement of Syrian crisis.

"We are doing everything possible to resume talks on political settlement and ceasefire in Syria.In that respect, we will hold a meeting on December 27 in Moscow involving officials from Turkey, Russia, and Iran," the Anadolu news agency cited Cavusoglu as saying. According to the news outlet, Cavusoglu did not disclose details of the meeting.
The Montana Healthcare Foundation http://www.mthcf.org/ on Tuesday announced more than a half million dollar investment to address American Indian health challenges involving substance abuse.

The organization said in a press release that more than $600,000 in grants would benefit Native Americans, who are at an elevated risk of heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses.

The median age of death for Native American in Montana is 50, according to state vital statistics, which is about 20 years younger than non-Indian Montanans.

By Aja Goare  MTN News

Full Story: http://www.kbzk.com/story/34042824/montana-healthcare-foundation-invests-600000-into-improving-native-american-health
Following latest reports from the meteorological services about cyclone Batsirai, Air Mauritius wishes to inform the public that the following flights have been postponed.

News Release- 02 February 2022- Flight disruptions due to thepassage of Cyclone Batsirai Bulletin 3



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Pravind Jugnauth a repondu aux question du Dr Arvind Boolell en ouverture de la seance parlementaire du 11 juin 2020 sur le scandale denonce il y a quelques jours par lAfrican Development Bank concernant un projet a Saint Louis par la CEB.

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Moment de memoire de laction de tribun qua ete SAJ pendant plus de 60 ans de carriere dans le monde parlementaire depuis la fin des annees 1950 jusqua sa retraite en 2019.

Il est question que son fils, Pravind Jugnauth, actuel Premier Ministre et Leader of the House, prenne la parole, suivi du Leader de lOpposition Xavier-Luc Duval, puis Paul Berenger, Leader du MMM, qui la cotoye pendant des annees comme partenaire ou adversaire, Ivan Collendaveloo, Steven Obeegadoo et Alan Ganoo.

Une seance speciale qui naura que cet hommage selon lagenda, la prochaine aura lieu le 11 juin 2021 et va concerner le budget 2021-2022

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (L) shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R). (Photo : Getty Images)

China offered firearms and weapons to the Philippine security forces to further boost its relationship with the Duterte administration, despite the territorial dispute between them over the West Philippine Sea.



This was disclosed by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte last Sunday on a talk, and said that he will accept China's offer under concessional terms.



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During the disclosure, Duterte didn't give any clear information on the type of firearms the Philippines would acquire from China. He just said that he instructed Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to send military personnel from the Philippines to China for the formal reception of the firearms.



Duterte said: China is pressing me. The firearms are already available for me to receive. They are really prodding me. We dont need to ask from others because theyre willing to give it. This isnt free, but its actually a grant payable in 25 years, thats practically giving."



The Philippine government under Duterte's predecessor strained relationship with China after Benigno Aquino III, former Philippine President, brought territorial disputes to international arbitration.



President Duterte reached out both to China and Russia after taking office in July.



Raymundo Elefante, the Undersecretary for Finance, Munitions, Installations and Material, said that the Department of National Defense will still have to determine which offer was best.



The Philippines has heavily depended on the U.S. for firearms, ships and aircraft for years, but after the hostile stance with the Obama administration, the Southeast Asian country turned to other countries for defense equipment.



Lorenzana said that the military was considering purchasing rifles from Russia. Last week, he visited Russia on President Duterte's order and met with defense officials to see whether a deal could be done.



He said: "If their sniper rifles are superior as they claim, we may decide to acquire. The army and marines will conduct tests and determine how many they may require."



Elefante and the DND both said that there is no timetable yet for the acquisition of firearms from China.


Alibaba founder Jack Ma speaks during A Conversation on Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Globalization at the foreign ministry in Bangkok on Oct. 11, 2016. (Photo : Getty Images)

Within one year, Alibaba Holdings, one of the eCommerce giants of China, has managed to build a footprint all over Southeast Asian countries. The company is eyeing the regions approximately 620 million population, 250 million of which are smartphone users and technology-savvy.



Jack Ma, the Executive Chariman of Alibaba, just recently signed an agreement with Somkid Jatusripitak, the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, to help the countrys small and medium-sized enterprises succeed in online e-commerce. This fulfills the request of Prime Minster Prayut Chan-o-cha to Ma in the G20 Summit back in September in Hangzhou.



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The agreement promises training approximately 30,000 small and medium-sized enterprises as well as 10,000 entrepreneurs from China, with digital technology and eCommerce. This was a result of over three months of discussions.



Ant Financial, an online payment services provider affiliate of Alibaba, invested in Thailands Ascend Money last month. Ascend Money offers electronic payment services and micro-loans to customers who are under-served by Thailands big financial firms



A study by Bain & Company, a global management consulting firm, indicates that Southeast Asia is lacking a solid regional payment and logistic infrastructure, both of which have been the main factors for Chinas astounding growth in online retail.



Alibaba made a $1 billion investment deal to Lazada, a privately owned e-commerce company, that operates in six of Southeast Asias biggest e-commerce markets. This includes Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. This is said to be their largest overseas investment up to date.



Alibaba will need to go through the challenge of diverse cultures and languages of Southeast Asia before they can achieve the same level of success that they have done in mainland China.



Marie Sun, an analyst at Morningstar Inc, an investment research and management firm, said: "Southeast Asia region includes several countries with different government and culture, which could make Amazon's direct sales business model facing more challenge.



"Comparing Amazon to Alibaba, I think Alibaba's marketplace business model may be more suitable to Southeast Asia market, which is more fragmented and in early growth stage.


'Boruto: Naruto the Movie' is a 2015 Japanese animated action adventure film directed by Hiroyuki Yamashita in his directorial debut. (Photo : YouTube/Shonen Jump)

Things will start to get interesting in Mikeo Ikomoto's Boruto: Naruto Next Generation next year, with the series' villain Kawaki expected to make appearance tentatively after the Boruto: Naruto the Movie recap.



Since its debut last May, the Boruto manga series hasn't received much rave from readers and critics alike, largely because it's just the re-telling of the events that happened in the Boruto movie. Other than the revelation that Gaara adopted one of the new Sona Trio (Shinki), there isn't much new stuff that happened through the first seven chapters of the series.



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However, everything is about to change this coming Spring, with the start of new story arc for Boruto: Naruto Next Gen. The questions and mysteries left unanswered in the movie and the manga adaptation will be finally unraveled one by one.



What to Expect in the upcoming Arc

--The story will take place after Boruto Movie in Konoha. There, Boruto, Sarada and Mitsuki will be meeting someone the same age as them. His name is Kawaki and he has one purpose - the destruction of the ninja world and its history.



-Metal Lee's mother will be finally unveiled. Tenten is the prime candidate to be the mother of Konoha's newest hot-blooded shinobi. Nothing is confirmed yet, but if you can just analyze the scene in Naruto Ninja Storm, it would suggest that Rock Lee and Tenten had something special going on at that time.







-Mitsuki's Sage power. No one had perfected the Snake Sage Mode, not even Orochimaru or his student Kabuto. However, In Masashi Kishimoto's last one-shot manga Naruto: The Path the Waxing Moon Illuminates, it was revealed that Oro's son, Mitsuki, has perfected the sage mode at a tender age, making him arguably the most strongest shinobi among his peers in Ninja Academy.



The new chapter could finally reveal this immense power of Mitsuki and the reason why Orochimaru had to create this overpowered shinobi.



Boroto OVA Anime Series:

Naruto Shippuden will continue to provide episodes covering the stories after chapter 66 of the original Naruto series. According to Naruto Reddit, Naruto Shippuden will likely air episodes of Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring around Spring 2017.


'Marco Polo' New York Series Premiere (Photo : Getty Images)

The journey of Marco Polo on Netflix just ended after it cancelled season 3 on Tuesday. Netflix Vice President of Original Content Cindy Holland thanked the cast and crew of the period drama based on the few years of Marco Polo in Kublai Khans court, but she did not give a reason for the cancellation.



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Netflix launched the drama series on the 13th century merchant and traveler in 2014 as the first Netflix original series developed in the U.S. for the international market. The John Fusco creation had high viewer numbers in season 1 but suffered from lesser viewers in season 2 which premiered in July, Deadline reported.



We want to thank and are grateful to our partners on Marco Polo from the actors, whose performances were enthralling and top-notch; to the committed producers, including John Fusco, Dan Minahan, Patrick Macmanus, and their crew, who poured their hearts into the series; and of course Harvey, David and our friends at TWC, who were great collaborators from start to finish, Holland said.



Weinstein Co. and Electus produced Marco Polo with a high budget of $90 million for season 1. To produce season 1, Weinstein hired 400 workers for construction work and another 160 for the series art department, Variety noted.



Marco Polo, which starred Lorenzo Richelmy as the Italian explorer and Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan, joins Bloodline, Hemlock Grove and Lillyhhammer as one of the few original series cancelled by Netflix. Variety reviewer Brian Lowry pointed out in 2014 that despite the shows scope, scale and show of flesh, Marco Polo showed only a sporadic pulse. It was fun on its own terms, but lacking in qualities which makes a series worth bingeing which are hallmarks of Netflix shows streamed.



Despite the cancellation, Fusco, also the executive producer of Marco Polo, said he and Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of Weinstein Co., are working on an idea in a similar space. Would Marco Polo resurface in another streaming site?






Indian Army Increasing to 22 from 2 the Number of Pinaka Rocket Regiments

Pinaka MBRLs. (Photo : Indian Army)

The Indian Army is set to increase by over 10 times the number of regiments operating the Indian-made Pinaka Multi-barreled Rocket Launcher (MBRL) system that proved its worth against the Pakistan Army during the Kargil War of 1999.



The army said it plans to add eight more Pinaka regiments by 2022 in addition to the two operational regiments. It intends to have 22 Pinaka regiments by 2026.



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Pinaka's fearsome battlefield reputation comes from its ability to saturate a target with massive fire. Each regiment consists of three batteries of six Pinaka launchers mounted on Tatra trucks. Each of these truck-mounted launchers is capable of firing 12 rockets in 44 seconds.



A Pinaka battery of six launchers can saturate an area with a size of 1,000 meters  800 meters.



This means each regiment can deliver 216 Mark-I rockets, each with a 250 kg high-explosive warhead, at any one target 40 km away. The Mark-II extended range version of the new rockets that will arm 12 of the new regiments has a range of 70 km.



All 22 Pinaka regiments will, therefore, deploy 4,752 rockets between them. Since 2014, Indian arms factories have been producing 5,000 rockets annually.



During the Kargil War, Pinaka MBRL's played a yeoman role in destroying Pakistan Army fighting positions on mountain tops.



The Indian Cabinet has approved $441 million for raising the third and fourth Pinaka regiments. The Defense Acquisition Council in November cleared a Request for Proposal for six more regiments at a cost of $2.2 billion.



The Pinaka system was designed and developed by Tata and Larsen and Toubro (L&T) in cooperation with the Armament Research and Development Establishment of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).



Pinaka is a complete MBRL system. Apart from the six launcher vehicles, there are six loader-replenishment vehicles; three replenishment vehicles; two Command Post vehicles with Fire Control computers and the DIGICORA MET radar.


Yuebao, an investment product of Alibaba's online payments platform Alipay, is used by more than 100 million users, who poured in more than $90 billion into its investment fund. (Photo : Getty Images)

A rising number of middle-class Chinese investors are moving money to invest overseas as international financiers of small projects, the New York Times reported.



Some of these investments are real property development projects which include building new homes and apartment buildings, the report said.



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While some wealthy Chinese bought property across the world, technology has opened the door for small investors.



In Brooklyn, developers turn an old three-storey house into a new dream home with money from small international financiers. Adam Dahill, a mortgage broker, said the funding came from middle-class Chinese investors.



"I don't discriminate if someone wants to finance the property we developed," Dahill was quoted as saying. "Chinese? Great. American? Fine. I don't care as long as they're interested."



According to the report, this was made possible through an informal lending network, using smartphone apps and online lending platforms that enable small investors to move funds for overseas projects.



The network has also allowed them to bypass banks and other traditional sources of funds and bring the money to places where they want to invest.



However, according to some people, the value and prices of property have risen to new heights due to foreign investors.



The report said this digital transfer of money is part of the movement of wealth from Chinese looking to diversify their investment overseas as the economy is slowing.



The Chinese government has restricted the movement of money out of the country but with the new technology, some people were able to bring them out to invest overseas.



Xiaochen Zhang, a co-founder of the advocacy group CrowdFund China Society, said that new financial platforms often hire good lawyers. "This is still a gray area, so lawyers play a big role," he added.



Last month, China intensified actions to prevent the outflows by further scrutinizing big foreign deals and requiring clearance for transfers that exceed $5 million.



Despite this, the new investment channels were not affected. Investors continue to buy and sell foreign stocks using their smartphones through mobile apps such as Niuniu, Jimubox and Tiger Stocks. They were also able to pool their money to buy real estate overseas or fund buyers using online investment portals.



The online investment services are often rated for ordinary people. "Robo-adviser" app Micai, for instance, has only an investment limit of $5,000, while Wealth Migrate, a South African crowdfunding platform has $100 real estate investment products.



Another platform Haitou360, collects investments from clients to buy loan packages from well-known American crowdfunding platforms such as RealtyMogul and Patch of Land.



Since individuals are not allowed to transfer more than $50,000 currency a year, Haitou360 has structured its investments to have a legal entity represent individual investor to sidestep the restrictions.



The returns for investors depend on the period of investment, which from 30 days to five years. For long-term investments, the average returns is from 9 to 11 percent. An upfront fee is collected by the company which is equal to a certain percentage of the investment. The returns are often received by investors in foreign currency, more often in dollars.


by Sara Guaglione , December 13, 2016

Nylon Media has announced the revival of its men's fashion title, slated to return to print next year.

It will first appear as a supplement to Nylon magazines March, June/July and September issues. In 2018, Nylon Guys will roll out as a standalone, bimonthly publication.

The first Nylon Guys supplement issue will be in the annual Spring Fashion issue of Nylon, which hits newsstands Feb. 21.

Nylon Guys originally launched in 2004, but shuttered in May 2015. Nylon Media said in a statement that at the time, it wanted to focus its efforts on its core young female audience.

However, over the last few years, a huge consolidation of the mens fashion and lifestyle print business has created a void in reaching this key demo with relevant editorial, the company added.

"We recognized a dearth in the media landscape of the kind of content Nylon Guys did bestsmart but unstuffy storytelling and style for the coolest guys on the planet, stated Melissa Giannini, editor-in-chief of Nylon.

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Nylon magazines readership is 20% male, Giannini added, and ironically, Nylon Guys has a significant female audience, perhaps due to its cheeky tagline: Not for Girls.

The idea of a magazine coming back to print may be surprising, considering we have recently reported the closing down of print titles like Complex and Self. However, publishers like Hearst have announced the creation of a few new titles as well, such as The Pioneer Woman and The Magnolia Journal.

Nylon president Jamie Elden added that despite large publishers consolidating print and digital platforms, Nylon has seen "significant rise in its print business, as part of its explosive growth in its own digital, social, and content platforms in the last year.

Nylon Guys will also relaunch cross-platform.

Last year, Giannini took over as top editor when Michelle Lee left to become the editor-in-chief of Allure. In November, Nylon Media formed a creative content studio to produce sponsored content, including live events, custom experiential activations, video, original content and influencer marketing for brand partners.
by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, December 14, 2016

Beaconing is getting a boost.

The small transmitters that can activate certain apps in smartphones have been installed by the thousands in many retail locations over the last few years.

But beacons are but one piece of Internet of Things puzzle, especially when installed in retail stores that may not have the best Wi-Fi signal or any other communication capabilities.

A new collaboration of suppliers now is attempting to resolve that by linking the capabilities of various companies together to provide a Wi-Fi and wireless store system to provide high accuracy indoor location services.

The promise of the new system is that brands and marketers will be able to more effectively reach consumers on-the-go with more targeted messages and services based on where they are.

The Mist Bluetooth Low Energy Alliance comprises eight companies, each adding a different component to the end-to-end approach.

Any regular user of Wi-Fi in a large store or mall knows that service can be sketchy, at best. The idea here is that Mist, the company behind the alliance, would provide the basic wireless platform using high-grade Wi-Fi and BLE together and then other companies would add their particular service onto that platform.

Mist is backed by heavy-duty investors, including GV (formerly Google Ventures) and Cisco.

The technology allows the creation of virtual beacons in a store, so that a beacon signal can be sent to just about any location in that store.

Swirl, the Boston-based beacon marketing pioneer, is a member of the alliance.

We are the marketing platform, Rob Murphy, Swirl, vice president of marketing, told me. This is all about the location signal.

In addition to using battery-powered beacons in multiple locations, Swirls ad platform now can tap into the virtual beacons provided via the alliance.

The other companies in the alliance are Connexient, Entappia, Jibestream, Micello, Phunware, Rifiniti and RoamingAround.

The location platform also can track consumer visits, dwell time and various other location analytics.

Beaconing is growing up.
by Thom Forbes @tforbes, December 14, 2016

Googles self-driving car initiative hit the road yesterday as an autonomous subsidiary of Alphabet, Inc. called Waymo, which stands for a new way forward in mobility. For seven years, the initiative has accumulated more than two million miles of self-driving experience as one of Googles X labs projects.

It's an indication of the maturity of our technology, Waymo CEO John Krafcik said at a press conference in San Francisco. We can imagine our self-driving tech being used in all sorts of areas.

The move shows confidence that we are close to bringing this (technology) to a lot of people, Krafcik, who came to Google from Hyundai USA 15 months ago, said. We've sort of reached an inflection point, reports Reuters Alexandria Sage.

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That came in October 2015, when one of the company's self-driving cars gave the first fully autonomous ride in Austin, Texas, to a blind man with no one else in the car. Normally during testing, an engineer sits in the passenger seat to monitor the technology, Sage continues.

Waymo's transition from experiment to full-fledged company marks another step in an effort to revolutionize the way people get around, writes the Associated Press Michael Liedtke. Instead of driving themselves and having to find a place to park, people will be chauffeured in robot-controlled vehicles if Waymo, automakers and Uber realize their vision.

It also means that the technology developed by the tech giant will need to start earning its spending money.

Google has struggled to find a way to come to market, Roger Lanctot, an associate director at research firm Strategy Analytics, tells the New York Times Daisuke Wakabayashi. Weve come to the point where Google needs a return.

The challenge for Google is to devise a successful strategy for making money from self-driving cars. Unlike Uber, it doesnt have a ride-hailing service that can generate fares  at least not yet. And unlike Tesla or other automakers, it doesnt have an auto manufacturing background to build cars or a network to sell them, Wakabayashi writes.

Alphabet has advocated cars without traditional controls, arguing that eliminating the option of human control is safer than requiring people to take control if the car encounters a situation it doesnt understand, write Jack Nicas and Tim Higgins for the Wall Street Journal.

Waymo has tested prototype vehicles that lack a steering wheel and brake pedals, and Krafcik said the company is lobbying regulators to allow cars without such controls. Meanwhile, he said Waymo likely would install its technology in conventional vehicles as federal rules require controls such as steering wheels, they continue.

Earlier this year, Waymo's precursor licensed its self-driving technology to Fiat Chrysler for 100 Pacifica minivans currently in production. Financial terms of that deal have not been disclosed, the APs Liedtke reminds us.

As for where the business is headed under the new Waymo brand, Krafcik spoke of a range of potential opportunities, write Darrell Etherington and Lora Kolodny for TechCrunch.

We can imagine this [technology] in ride-sharing, in transportation, trucking, logistics even personal use vehicles and licensing with automakers, public transport and solving the last mile, he said. Self-driving technology is awesome in all these categories.

That may be so, but the current regulatory climate in the U.S. around autonomous vehicles is quite hazy, with the federal government committing to figuring out its rules for testing and integrating self-driving cars as soon as it can, and many states are currently vying to be the most permissive to autonomous tests, Mike Murphy writes on Quartz. There are those, however, who believe that self-driving cars, even after very public demonstrations like Googles  and Ubers  are very far away from being safe enough to bring to U.S. roads, let alone have humans sit in them as guinea pigs, he cautions.

In a blog post on Medium, Dmitri Dolgov, head of Googles self-driving technology, writes: When we first started the project 7.5 years ago, we saw the potential of this technology to help millions of people, making roads safer and improving quality of life. Today, our team is more confident than ever of a fully self-driving future. With every passing milestone  driving the curves of Lombard Street, navigating rain and dust in four U.S. cities, building three generations of self-driving cars (with a fourth on the way)  were even more committed to building that future.

As Waymo, as Firestone used to say, the rubber meets the road.
by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, December 14, 2016

The pushback against law enforcement monitoring of social media continued this week with an open letter from civil rights groups and privacy to the city government of Boston, urging officials to cancel plans to acquire social media analytics software with a seven-figure price tag, which would enable the Boston Police Department to track citizens online activity.

The letter, signed by groups including the ACLU of Massachusetts and the Boston Student Advisory Council, states: We believe it would be unwise and counterproductive for the city to spend $1.4 million for social media surveillance software for use by our police department.

The groups noted that present good intentions cant guarantee social media monitoring capabilities wont be abused later, warning: We are concerned that social media surveillance software will be unfairly focused on people of color, Muslims, and dissidents  if not today, then under future mayors and different police commissioners.

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In fact, they point out, the Boston police have a track record of doing precisely that: BPD documents obtained in 2012 through public records requests show that police intelligence officials working for the Boston Regional Intelligence Center compiled dossiers on peaceful activists from groups like Veterans for Peace and Codepink. People were subjected to surveillance on the basis of their First Amendment-protected expression. Their opinions, associations and political ideas were observed and noted, recorded and databanked, and may have been shared with other government offices.

Efforts by law enforcement officials to monitor social media also face pushback from social media platforms themselves. As noted in previous posts, Twitter recently blocked access to user data by a number of social media analytics companies due to concerns over the information being used for police surveillance of protesters.

The list of companies blocked from accessing Twitter user data includes Media Sonar, Geofeedia, and Snaptrends.
Once users install the extension and connect it to their Facebook accounts, a red banner will appear over articles in their feed that has been identified as fake news.

says the extension uses a combination of crowdsourcing and editorial curation to identify articles in users Facebook feeds that are spreading misinformation, which are then verified by a team ofmoderators.

This isnt the first Chrome extension to try to reduce the spread of misleading news. A "Fake News Alert" Chrome extension was created by New York magazine journalist Brian Feldman, which has a pop-up appear to warn readers when they arrive at a site known to produce fake news. A B.S. Detector Chrome extension flags articles on Facebook that are from a "questionable source."

But the This Is Fake" extension is different because it provides a link to an article from a reputable source that debunks the story it flagged, then suggests users share the debunking link as a comment on the offending post. This is the anti-viral functionality of the extension, which relies on Facebook users participation.

Users are also able to flag made-up stories to Slates moderators.

In addition, the tool can distinguish between individual stories and entire sites that are false.

Readers have a hard time identifying fake news, especially when it confirms their pre-existing beliefs, stated Slate Group vice chairman Dan Check. This Is Fake is like anti-virus software for fake news. It makes detecting and responding to fake stories easy. We hope readers will use it to help stop the spread of fake news on social media.

Slate is looking to partner with other media organizations to help with the editorial curation for This Is Fake, and likely wants it to be a stand-alone tool. The extension lives on at its own URL, outside of Slate.com

Fake news -- and its consequences -- cannot be ignored. A false story perpetuated a conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton was at the center of a child sex slave ring; it inspired an armed man to open fire inside a Washington, D.C., pizzeria earlier this month.

It may be hard to describe the difference between fake and real news these days, but Slateexplains what it would not flag: We would not count as fake news a story whose core claims are a matter of genuine dispute, with evidence on both sides. Nor would we count as fake news an opinion column that makes a prediction that turned out to be false, a news story that contains factual errors peripheral to its main point, or a work of analysis or commentary that uses hyperbole to advance a controversial argument.

Facebook is looking to tackle bogus news articles. The company has suggested it is working on its own products for the platform, including better technical systems to detect fake posts and labeling such content.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, December 14, 2016

Web sites circulating fake news continued to use the Google AdSense online advertising service as of December 12 -- nearly one month after the Mountain View, California company announced it would implement a ban disallowing them from using its advertising platform to generate revenue, according to analysis released Wednesday.

The analysis, from Media Matters, found Google-hosted ads on at least 24 Web sites known to publish fake news. The site is running a list of those sites, which includes America's Freedom Fighters, The Angry Patriot, and Tell Me Now.

The ads are marked as "AdChoices" that hyperlink readers to Google's information page about its advertising services, the report explains.

Google told The Wall Street Journal on December 8 that it was in the process of making changes to its ad-serving procedures after the media agency ran an article on how big brands were funding the Web sites. Were in the process of implementing the new policy and these early stages have demanded increased human review," a Google spokesperson told the WSJ.

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In late November, Sharethrough CEO Dan Greenberg published a call to advertisers suggesting they play their part by making sure their ads don't run on these sites.

Easier said than done, apparently. Fiat Chrysler told the WSJ that it uses software to block ads from appearing on Web sites with hate speech or adult content, but it has no "truth filter" to ensure ads do not end up on fake news sites.
by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, December 14, 2016

There are many reasons why the 2016 election turned out as it did. One reason, voter suppression, played a particularly central role in the outcome on November 8. It is no coincidence that numerous state legislatures have implemented laws that make it harder to vote, aided by a Supreme Court ruling that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The main ways in which state legislatures have achieved this, according to the ACLU, are by reducing the ability to vote early, implementing stricter voter ID laws and purging of voter rolls.

Several states also reduced the number of polling locations, making it difficult for certain voters to cast their ballots. In Arizonas Maricopa County, officials reduced polling locations open in 2012 by 70%.

According to a poll conducted in late November by Rad Campaign and Lincoln Park Strategies, commissioned by the Craig Newmark Foundation, restrictions on voting had a significant impact on turnout and disproportionately affected younger voters and minorities.

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Key findings, after polling 3,050 people online and 450 by phone in North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin and Arizona, showed that 31% of all voters said they were not able to get time off from work to vote. That was especially the case with blacks (41%) and Hispanics (34%).

Hispanic voters faced more significant voter suppression problems than other groups -- being twice as likely than whites to wait in lines for longer than 30 to 60 minutes, and 14% said their voting eligibility was questioned by voting officials, the same percentage as white and black voters combined.

Some 47% of Hispanics wanted to vote, but were unable for various reasons. Among black voters who didnt cast a ballot, 42% wanted to, but were unable and 29% of white voters didnt cast a ballot despite wanting to.

"We need to invest in our critical election infrastructure, said Wendy Weiser, director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, commenting on the survey.

New voting machines should be a top priority to boost security and reduce congestion at the polls. Automatic voter registration would help streamline our elections, adding millions to the rolls and increasing accuracy."

There are a number of digital approaches to address growing voter suppression. Rock the Vote and Project Vote are being joined by apps like Phone2Action, which helps educate voters on polling locations, as well as explaining choices on the ballot itself.

Beyond voter suppression, there is a need to reignite an interest in policy and in civic engagement. Making it easier to vote is one important step, but finding novel ways to engage with voters at scale is crucial.
How Will Nanotechnology Revolutionize Medicine? (Photo : YouTube/ DNews )

HIV and AIDS are among the most dreaded diseases that have long puzzled the medical science for its definitive cure. However, with the recent discovery made in Nigeria using nanotechnology, such disease may soon be eradicated.



Extensive and categorical cure for HIV/AIDS might have already been discovered by a team of Nigerian researchers, headed by Prof. Maduike Ezeibe. Such cure is unique in itself, for it utilizes nanotechnology to create a so-called nanomedication. With the use of Medicinal Synthetic Aluminium-magnesium Silicate (MSAMS) Ezeibe and his team managed to attract global experts, which led their proposed cure to be published in the prestigious British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research.



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Based on the research, Ezeibe highlighted the importance of size in order to fully combat HIV and AIDS. Nigerian national newspaper, This Day, reported that HIV could be as small as 110nm that is why it may easily cross physiological barriers. The nanoparticles of HIV makes it easier for the infection to hide in cells of the brain, bone marrow and testes. Having such case, existing antiretroviral medicines with bigger molecules are having a hard time reaching such portion of the body where HIV nanoparticles particles may hide.



Under such circumstances, Ezeibe thought of a method to capture HIV particles in such a critical area of the body. Thus, Aluminum-magnesium Silicate (AMS) was created, which are smaller (0.96nm) than the human immunodeficiency virus particles, the one which could easily cross physiological barriers.



"We are using medicine that is so small that wherever HIV goes it can get there, catch it and destroy it," This Day quoted Ezeibe as saying.



With the newly presented discovery coming from Nigeria, interest among the medical doctors and experts worldwide was arouse. This research breakthrough is seen as a great potential stop of the mortality of HIV and AIDS, which according to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) statistical data already took 1.1 million lives in 2015.



Guess we would just have to wait and see for further updates and more clinical trials before the so-called nanomedicine for HIV/AIDS hit the market.






by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, December 14, 2016

Ashley Madison has agreed to pay $1.6 million to settle charges that it failed to adequately secure users' personal information and that it duped users into paying for memberships by showing them fake profiles of women, the Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday.

The settlement comes 17 months after the extramarital dating site experienced a security breach that resulted in the names, email addresses and usernames of 36 million customers being posted online.

This case represents one of the largest data breaches that the FTC has investigated to date," Chairwoman Edith Ramirez stated Wednesday. The global settlement requires AshleyMadison.com to implement a range of more robust data security practices that will better protect its users personal information from criminal hackers going forward.

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The FTC alleged in a complaint unveiled Wednesday that Ashley Madison falsely represented that it took "reasonable steps" to secure users' information.

While the data breach drew worldwide headlines, the FTC also alleged that the company engaged in deceptive practices beyond a failure to use reasonable security. According to the agency, Ashley Madison lured people into signing up for memberships by showing them fake female profiles -- which Ashley Madison called "engager profiles."

In 2014, the site contained more than 28,400 fake female profiles, according to the FTC. Until August 2014, the site used those fake profiles to persuade 19 million Americans to pay for memberships, which enabled people to use features like online chatting.

In addition, the FTC alleged that Ashley Madison duped around 125,000 users by charging them $19 to delete their profiles, but retaining information about those people for up to 12 months.

Ashley Madison, operated by the Canadian-based company Ruby Corp, also settled charges brought by 13 state attorneys general.

The total settlement amount is for $8.75 million, but Ashley Madison will only pay a total of $1.65 million, with half going to the FTC and the other half to be divided between 13 states -- Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Vermont. The remaining $7.1 million of the judgment is suspended.

The company still faces a potential class-action lawsuit in the Eastern District of Missouri.
by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, December 14, 2016

Following his defenestration as boss of Fox News, due to sexual harassment accusations, Roger Ailes is surrendering a rather smaller media property as well  a local newspaper he acquired back in 2008 and has since treated as a microcosm of Fox News. He has used it to espouse conservative political views, albeit at a more parochial level.

Ailes and his wife, Elizabeth, sold the Putnam County News and Recorder in Cold Spring, NY, along with another community newspaper, the Putnam County Courier, to the editor of the former, Doug Cunningham.

Neither party disclosed the value of the transaction, but Ailes had reportedly offered to sell the News and Recorder to its employees for $100,000 before Cunningham bought it.

The former Fox News chief is also selling the building where the newspapers are housed, but not to the new publisher; the newspaper can stay in their current location for the time being, but may have to find new digs.

Ailes was forced to resign as chairman of Fox News in July, following a spate of high-profile accusations of sexual harassment by current and former Fox News employees, including news anchor Gretchen Carlson. She sued her former boss for sexual harassment and wrongful termination.

Fox eventually paid $20 million to settle Carlsons lawsuit, but dozens of other women subsequently came forward with their own stories of sexual harassment by Ailes.

After his resignation, Ailes was temporarily replaced by 21st Century Fox executive chairman Rupert Murdoch, who launched Fox News together with Ailes in 1996.

Fresh allegations of sexual harassment surfaced this week, with new claims by Lidia Curanaj, detailing inappropriate remarks by Ailes as part of a larger lawsuit accusing New York Fox TV station WNYW of discrimination, based on gender, age, race, and pregnancy status.
Sundowners syndrome can affect a person with dementia. The person may experience increasing episodes of confusion, agitation, and activity as night approaches. The agitation and personality changes that occur with sundowners syndrome can cause anxiety and pose other challenges for the individual and their caregiver. Sundowners syndrome has links to dementia, which is a condition that affects memory, personality, and the ability to reason. It is also known as sundown syndrome or sundowning. Some lifestyle strategies and medications can help manage the symptoms and enhance the persons ability to sleep. Treatment aims to ensure the person does not experience fear or accidentally injure themselves. In this article, find out what sundowning involves and get some tips on managing it.

Symptoms Share on Pinterest Justin Paget/Getty Images Older research from 2011 suggests symptoms of sundowners syndrome typically occur late in the afternoon, in the evening, and at night. They include changes in behavior and thinking, such as: confusion, including about where they are and who other people are

reduced attention levels

agitation and restlessness

anxiety

pacing and wandering

disorientation

shouting

sleep disturbances

paranoia and suspiciousness

auditory and visual hallucinations

mood changes

being unusually demanding Sundowners syndrome will usually occur alongside some form of dementia, such as Alzheimers disease. But not everyone with Alzheimers disease or dementia will have sundowners syndrome. Some 2011 research suggests sundowners syndrome may speed up the mental decline of a person with Alzheimers disease. Is it sundowners or delirium? It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between sundowners syndrome and delirium that results from another condition. Possible causes of delirium include: a urinary tract infection (UTI)

a stroke

low blood sugar

some drugs

a head injury

carbon monoxide poisoning

lung or heart problems The symptoms can be similar to those of sundowners syndrome, but delirium usually starts suddenly, is temporary, and does not occur at specific hours. Sundowners syndrome is ongoing and becomes more pronounced in the afternoon and evening. Some experts argue that people who develop sundowners syndrome may already have some degree of delirium. When to see a doctor Regardless of the cause, if a person starts to show new signs of confusion or agitation, someone should seek medical advice. They may have a condition that needs urgent medical attention. If they are experiencing sundowners syndrome, a doctor and other professionals can provide medication and support.

Causes Various factors may contribute to sundowning and sleep problems, according to the United States Alzheimers Association and the United Kingdoms Alzheimers Society. They include: mental and physical exhaustion due to the pressures of trying to navigate an environment that feels unfamiliar and confusing

changes in melatonin levels affecting the internal body clock and the boundaries between day and night

affecting the internal body clock and the boundaries between day and night reduced lighting affecting how a person sees things

too much or too little light

other peoples verbal or nonverbal communication, which may be hard to interpret

a reduced need for sleep, which is common as people get older

sleep disturbances, such as too little sleep or disturbed sleep

difficulty distinguishing dreams from reality when sleeping

a loss of routine

reduced sight and hearing

background noise

prescription medication wearing off toward the end of the day One small study of 36 people found that 53% experienced irritability, 47.4% had unusual nighttime behavior, and 42.1% showed aggressiveness. Participants in the study also showed: hallucinations (40%)

unusual movements (37%)

apathy (37%)

a loss of inhibition (26.3%)

anxiety (24%)

delusions (18%)

euphoria (16%)

changes in eating patterns (16%)

Risk factors Factors that may increase the risk of having sundowners syndrome include: having dementia, for example, Alzheimers disease

older age, as the risk of dementia increases and melatonin levels tend to fall with age

having specific genetic features, notably the APOE4 allele

having rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and A 2019 study of 104 people with Alzheimers found that almost 28% had sundowners syndrome, and it was more common among those with the APOE4 allele and RBD.

Lifestyle tips Sundowners syndrome can be challenging for both the individual and their caregivers, but some strategies can help manage the situation. Here are some suggestions that may help: Help the person do something they find relaxing and enjoyable at this time of day.

Take an evening walk to reduce restlessness.

Schedule less enjoyable activities earlier in the day when the person finds it easier to cope with them.

Consider whether hunger, fatigue, pain, or other factors may be contributing to symptoms.

Encourage a regular routine of eating, sleeping, and other daily tasks.

Consider discouraging daytime naps, unless they appear to help.

Ensure the lighting is not too bright or too dark.

Try to minimize noise and other environmental triggers that could increase agitation and confusion.

Keep a note of behavior changes and possible triggers.

Avoid restraining the person, as this can increase agitation.

Allow the person to pace if they need to.

Consider limiting the persons use of alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco.

Avoid arguing, but speak calmly and reassure the person that everything is OK.

Gently remind the person of the time, if necessary.

Monitor screen viewing, as violent or aggressive scenes may be disturbing.

Create a relaxing environment by playing music they enjoy, sitting quietly, and possibly holding hands.

Discuss any concerns with a doctor and ask for advice on medications. Caregivers may benefit from the support of a local or online community. Get some more tips on how to care for someone with Alzheimers disease here.

Natural remedies Some non-drug remedies that may help are: light therapy that involves controlled exposure to daylight or artificial light

music therapy, such as listening to music, playing instruments, and dancing

listening to music, playing instruments, and dancing aromatherapy, or exposure to fragrant oils, such as lemon balm, lavender, and cedar

multisensory stimulation, in which the person engages in activities such as painting and music therapy

simulated presence therapy, which involves playing a video or recording of a loved one to help calm the person In most cases, more research is needed to confirm that these can help.

Medications If lifestyle measures do not help, a doctor may suggest medications. It is worth noting that these are not guaranteed to help manage sundowners syndrome, and some may have adverse effects. Options include : cholinesterase inhibitors, such as donepezil (Aricept), which aim to reduce cognitive decline in people with Alzheimers disease

cognitive decline in people with Alzheimers disease NMDA receptor agonists, such as memantine hydrochloride (Namenda), which aim to slow the brain damage responsible for Alzheimers symptoms

melatonin supplements or light therapy to help balance the sleep-wake cycle

antipsychotic medications to manage delusions and hallucinations A caregiver should work with a doctor to decide on a suitable treatment plan. If symptoms change or worsen, it may be necessary to adjust the plan or discontinue a medication. A person should not use any medication or supplement without first checking with a doctor. Get some tips on caring for someone with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic here.
An exciting X-ray imaging technology has been successfully developed to the point where it is now ready for translation into all kinds of beneficial applications, including potentially life-saving uses in security and healthcare.

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), a major five-year project led by UCL (University College London) has achieved this breakthrough. The work also involved dozens of industrial, academic and research partners in the UK and worldwide.

Compared with conventional X-rays, the technology can, for example, identify tumours in living tissue earlier and spot smaller cracks and defects in materials. This is because it excels at determining different shapes and different types of matter - a capability that conventional X-rays could only match by using prohibitively high doses of radiation.

The technique at the heart of the advance is called phase-contrast X-ray imaging. Instead of measuring the extent to which tissue or materials absorb radiation - as in conventional X-ray imaging - it measures the physical effect that passing through different types of tissue or material has on the speed of the X-ray itself.

Professor Alessandro Olivo, who led the project team, says: "The technique has been around for decades but it's been limited to large-scale synchrotron facilities such as Oxfordshire's Diamond Light Source. We've now advanced this embryonic technology to make it viable for day-to-day use in medicine, security applications, industrial production lines, materials science, non-destructive testing, the archaeology and heritage sector, and a whole range of other fields."

This vast potential is already beginning to be explored. For example:

Under licence, Nikon Metrology UK has incorporated the technology into a prototype security scanner. This is currently being tested and further developed to provide enhanced threat detection against weapons and explosives concealed, for example, in baggage.

Building on the EPSRC-funded work, a new three-year project supported by the Wellcome Trust will see the Nikon Metrology/UCL team develop a prototype scanner for use during breast cancer surgery in collaboration with Barts Heath and Queen Mary University of London. The aim is to help surgeons determine the exact extent of the malignancy and to reduce the need to recall patients for further operations, resulting in more effective breast conservation surgery, less need for full mastectomies and more rapid treatment.

The technology can even detect some tissue types invisible to conventional X-ray machines, such as cartilage, and plans are proceeding to set up a spinout company to take this aspect towards commercialisation.

Professor Olivo says: "This has the potential to be incredibly versatile, game-changing technology. We're currently negotiating with a number of companies to explore how it could be put to practical use. There's really no limit to the benefits this technique could deliver."
A small, preliminary study has found an abnormality involving the retina that may account for altered vision in regular cannabis users. The results are published online by JAMA Ophthalmology.

Vincent Laprevote, M.D., Ph.D., of the Pole Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie du Grand Nancy, Laxou, France, and colleagues examined whether the regular use of cannabis could alter the function of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which are the last and most integrated stage of retinal processing and the first retinal stage providing visual information in the form of action potentials, such as is found in the brain. Because cannabis is known to act on central neurotransmission, studying the retinal ganglion cells in individuals who regularly use cannabis is of interest.

To verify if cannabis disturbs RGC function in humans, the researchers used a standard electrophysiological measurement called pattern electroretinography (PERG), which involved averaging a high number of responses, thereby ensuring reproducibility of the results. With PERG, the best marker of RGC function is a negative wave- the N95 wave - 2 parameters of which are usually known as the amplitude and the implicit time, which denotes the time needed to reach the maximal amplitude of N95.

Twenty-eight of the 52 study participants were regular cannabis users, and the remaining 24 were controls. After adjustment for the number of years of education and alcohol use, there was a significant increase for cannabis users of the N95 implicit time on results of pattern electroretinography (median, 98.6 milliseconds, compared with controls, 88.4 milliseconds).

"This finding provides evidence for a delay of approximately 10 milliseconds in the transmission of action potentials evoked by the RGCs. As this signal is transmitted along the visual pathway via the optic nerve and lateral geniculate nucleus [a relay center in the thalamus for the visual pathway] to the visual cortex, this anomaly might account for altered vision in regular cannabis users," the authors write. "Our findings may be important from a public health perspective since they could highlight the neurotoxic effects of cannabis use on the central nervous system as a result of how it affects retinal processing."

"Independent of debates about its legalization, it is necessary to gain more knowledge about the different effects of cannabis so that the public can be informed. Future studies may shed light on the potential consequences of these retinal dysfunctions for visual cortical processing and whether these dysfunctions are permanent or disappear after cannabis withdrawal."

Article: Association Between Regular Cannabis Use and Ganglion Cell Dysfunction , Thomas Schwitzer, MD, Raymund Schwan, MD, PhD, Eliane Albuisson, MD, PhD, Anne Giersch, MD, PhD, Laurence Lalanne, MD, PhD, Karine Angioi-Duprez, MD, PhD, Vincent Laprevote, MD, PhD,JAMA Ophthalmology, doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2016.4761, published online 8 December 2016.

This study was supported by a grant from the French National Research Agency and by the French Mission Interministerielle contre les Drogues et les Conduites Addictives. All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and no disclosures were reported.

Commentary: Retinal Ganglion Cell Dysfunction in Regular Cannabis Users

"This article addresses an important and neglected issue, namely the possible toxic effects of cannabis, with all its implications for the many users of this ubiquitous drug. Addressing this issue through the visual system, as the authors have done, is an elegant concept. Any deleterious effect on the visual system would also have implications for driving, work, and other activities and thus warrants further study," write Christopher J. Lyons, M.D., F.R.C.S.C., of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and Anthony G. Robson, Ph.D., of Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, in an accompanying commentary.

"Electrophysiology can provide reliable and reproducible measurements of retinal and visual pathway function and is useful in the investigation and localization of dysfunction, including that caused by toxicity. However, the conclusion that cannabis causes retinal ganglion cell dysfunction cannot be made with any degree of certainty based on the evidence provided in the current study. This question should be re-examined with some urgency, using a degree of scientific rigor, which may be challenging in jurisdictions where cannabis consumption is illegal."
Shisha tobacco smoking is increasing among university students in the UK and worldwide with many feeling it's more socially acceptable and less harmful than cigarette smoking - according to a study presented at the British Thoracic Society (BTS) Winter Meeting on Friday 9th December 2016.

However a review of evidence indicates that the habit can cause significant harm to health, aligning with a recent World Health Organisation (WHO) warning that it could be as harmful as smoking cigarettes. Studies show that:

During a typical water pipe tobacco smoking session, the user can potentially draw on large doses of toxic substances (which can be equivalent to smoking between one and around ten cigarettes). These have been linked to addiction, heart and lung diseases, and cancer.

During the past five years, significant evidence has become available for an association between water pipe tobacco smoking and respiratory disease, mainly chronic bronchitis.

Its use is also significantly associated Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and lung cancer.

It is also associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Adam Arshad, Jaideep Matharoo, Simardeep Sadhra and Rosemary Norton-Wangford, a team of students from the University of Birmingham Medical School, alongside Dr Mohammed Jawad at Imperial College London decided to investigate existing evidence on knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes towards shisha tobacco use amongst students.

According to a study across six UK universities, two thirds (66%) of students had smoked shisha tobacco. And amongst medical students at one London University, when asked if they had ever used shisha tobacco, 51.7% admitted they had, compared to 16.8% who had ever used a cigarette.

The main findings of the review, which analysed both national and international studies, were as follows:

Shisha tobacco smoking is often perceived as 'safer' than cigarette smoking i.e. less harmful and addictive

Many students believe quitting shisha tobacco is 'easy'; yet few are able to do so successfully

Social factors and peer influence are the main contributors in students to start shisha tobacco use

Shisha tobacco smoking 'addiction' has two components - physiological and social

Adam Arshad a medical student at the University of Birmingham who helped lead the research team, said:

"There are many reasons why university students get involved in shisha tobacco smoking - it's often seen as fun, sociable and less harmful than smoking cigarettes.

However our research has laid bare the incorrect perceptions and addictive nature of shisha tobacco, and we need an educational campaign to dispel the misconceptions of shisha tobacco being a 'safer' activity. It isn't.

We really need to reverse this upsurge in use amongst university students by de-glamorising the habit and highlighting its harmful effects."

Fellow student and researcher, Jaideep Matharoo, points to studies where students who undertake shisha tobacco smoking state they believe it provides an effective filtration method for the toxins in tobacco. However, evidence highlights that the inhaled smoke still contains high levels of carcinogens and heavy metals despite having passed through water, and there is additional evidence to suggest that 95% of the nicotine is still inhaled.

Dr Sanjay Agrawal, consultant lung specialist and Chair of the British Thoracic Society's Tobacco Group, said:

"Over many years shisha tobacco smoking has been increasing - and the harms are mostly under the public radar.

The habit can be addictive and its use is associated with real harms to lung health. Students, and other users of shisha tobacco, need to be aware of the facts and the real risks involved.

Universities and public health teams need to do more to alert students to the risks."
Trials conducted under very specific conditions and design flawed in many cases, say researchers.

There is insufficient evidence to support the use of homeopathy in food producing animals as a way to prevent or treat infectious diseases, reveal findings from a comprehensive review published online in Veterinary Record.

While some clinical trials have shown effectiveness, the authors of the review question the reliability of the evidence, because all studies have a range of limitations.

All clinical trials were conducted under very specific conditions, for example, and none were repeated under comparable conditions. Therefore, the authors say the findings cannot be be used to recommend homeopathy.

Homeopathy is widely used in livestock, especially to replace or reduce the use of antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases, although its use is often seen as controversial. For organic agriculture, homeopathy is even promoted.

In this comprehensive review, Dr Caroline Doehring and Professor Albert Sundrum from the University of Kassel, Germany, assessed peer-reviewed studies on the efficacy of homeopathy in cattle, pigs and poultry published between 1981 and 2014.

They analysed 48 publications on homeopathic remedies, which have been suggested to replace or prevent the use of antibiotics or promote growth in food producing animals. This included 52 clinical trials, 34 with cattle, 12 with pigs and six with poultry.

Overall, 28 trials were in favour of homeopathy, 26 showed significantly higher efficacy in comparison to a control group, while 22 demonstrated no effect.

Only 10 trials provided information on cure rates for the treatments. These varied to a high degree, while the remedy used did not seem to make a big difference.

Trials on pigs were frequently efficacious, while studies with cattle or poultry had a similar distribution of efficacious and non-efficacious treatment.

Double-blind randomised controlled trials reported efficacy of the homeopathic treatment almost as often as they reported lack of it.

Meanwhile, single-blind and non-blind randomised controlled trials, and observational trials were more likely to present evidence of efficacy, suggesting that positive outcomes may be due to bias.

Other study limitations, such as potential conflict of interests, low sample size, risk for selective reporting and bias, were found in the majority of trials.

"A considerable number of studies demonstrated a significantly higher efficacy for homeopathic remedies than for a control group," explain the authors, "therefore, the potential medical efficacy of homeopathy under certain conditions cannot be ruled out."

However, they caution that "all studies included were conducted under very specific conditions, but no trial was repeated in a comparable manner. A certain remedy which proved efficacious in a scientific trial may not be effective under farm conditions.

"The current evidence of studies providing evidence in favour of homeopathy lacks reproducibility and therefore cannot claim to have sufficient prognostic validity."

They explain that evidence of efficacy can only be proven by reproducing results through randomised controlled trials, the gold standard for evaluating the efficacy of interventions, and in various farm management conditions.

They stress the importance of applying the most effective treatment or remedy to prevent unnecessary suffering of the diseased animal, and say that due to the unknown level of effectiveness of on-farm homeopathy, this can only be established through the appropriate control and monitoring of treatment success on farms.

Article: Efficacy of homeopathy in livestock according to peer-reviewed publications from 1981 to 2014, C. Doehring, DVM and A. Sundrum, PhD, DVM, Veterinary Record, doi:10.1136/vr.103779, published online 12 December 2016.
20 to 40 percent of the patients with multiple myeloma - a type of leukaemia - have a defect in the ribosome, the protein factory of the cell. These patients have a poorer prognosis than patients with intact ribosomes. At the same time, they respond better to a drug that already exists. These are the findings of a study by the Laboratory for Disease Mechanisms in Cancer at KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Belgium.

Multiple myeloma (MM, also known as Kahler's disease) is a blood cancer whereby the plasma cells in the bone marrow start proliferating malignantly. MM cannot be cured and is most common among older people. Various treatments exist to temporarily suppress the disease, but the challenge is determining to which treatment the patient will respond best.

Doctoral student Isabel Hofman (KU Leuven) discovered defects in the ribosome of MM patients. "The ribosome is the protein factory of a cell. In MM patients, one part of the ribosome is produced less in 20 to 40 percent of the patients, depending on how aggressive the cancer is. We suspect that their cells are still producing protein, but that the balance is somewhat disrupted. In any case, we found that these people have a poorer prognosis than MM patients with an intact ribosome," explains Professor Kim De Keersmaecker, head of the KU Leuven Laboratory for Disease Mechanisms in Cancer.

One possible treatment for MM is the use of proteasome inhibitors. "The proteasome is the protein demolition machine in a cell. There's a type of drugs, including Bortezomib, that inhibits its functioning. How the defects in the ribosome influence the proteasome is not quite clear yet. But we discovered that patients with a defective ribosome respond better to Bortezomib. In other words, their poorer prognosis can be offset by this treatment. On the basis of these findings, we can now develop tests to identify defects in the ribosome and thus determine which therapy will have most effect in a specific patient."

The notion that cancer is related to ribosome defects is a relatively new concept in science. "A few years ago, we discovered defects in the ribosome of patients with acute lymphatic leukaemia. Now we know that the same applies to MM. In all likelihood, this will also hold true for other types of cancer. Our next research goal is finding out for which cancers this is the case, how the link between ribosome and proteasome works, and what the possibilities are of drugs that target the ribosome itself."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Maci (autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane) for the repair of symptomatic, full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee in adult patients. Maci is the first FDA-approved product that applies the process of tissue engineering to grow cells on scaffolds using healthy cartilage tissue from the patient's own knee.

Knee problems are common, and occur in people of all ages. Cartilage defects in the knee can result from an injury, straining the knee beyond its normal motion, or can be caused by overuse, muscle weakness, and general wear and tear.

"Different cartilage defects require different treatments, so therapy must be tailored to the patient," said Celia Witten, Ph.D., M.D., deputy director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. "The introduction of Maci provides surgeons with an additional option for treatment."

Maci is composed of a patient's own (autologous) cells that are expanded and placed onto a bio-resorbable (can be broken down by the body) porcine-derived collagen membrane that is implanted over the area where the defective or damaged tissue was removed. Administration should be performed by a surgeon specifically trained in the use of Maci.

Each Maci implant consists of a small cellular sheet containing 500,000 to 1,000,000 cells per cm2 (about 0.16 square inches). The amount of Maci administered depends on the size of the cartilage defect, and is trimmed to ensure that the damaged area is completely covered. Multiple implants may be used if there is more than one defect.

The safety and efficacy of Maci were shown in a two-year clinical trial designed to demonstrate reduced pain and improved function in comparison to microfracture, an alternative surgical procedure for cartilage repair. The trial included 144 patients (72 in each treatment group). A majority of the patients who completed the two-year clinical trial also participated in a three year follow-up study. Overall efficacy data support a long-term clinical benefit from the use of the Maci implant in patients with cartilage defects.

The most common side effect reported by people who received Maci were: joint pain, common cold-like symptoms, headache and back pain.

Maci is manufactured by Vericel Corporation, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Duterte wants to restore death penalty by hanging. (Photo : YouTube/ CNN Philippines)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been very vocal on his stand for the restoration of the death penalty. However, local entities including the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines or CBCP opposed such idea.



Death penalty is one of the highly scrutinized issues in the Philippines right now apart from the alleged extrajudicial killings being attributed to the current administration. Under those circumstances, the Philippine Catholic Church calls to block the restoration of the death penalty as it would encourage the proliferation of the so-called culture of death in the country.



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To show their stand against the plan of Duterte to restore the death penalty, the Catholic groups and leaders created a prayer and organized some peace protest in the different areas of the country.



"There is in our land a cry for vengeance and a move to fill up death rows and kill offenders but disguised as a call for justice. Let true and lasting justice spring forth," Reuters quoted part of the prayer Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Manila's archbishop.



Meanwhile, Bishop Patricio Buzon of the Diocese of Bacolod asked lay faithful of his diocese to join the Church to rally against the re-imposition of death penalty. The bishop viewed such move as a step-backward, and expressed pity for the super majority of the Congress, which he claims to be aligned with Duterte's administration.



"The whole of humanity is moving forward already and is awakened to the appreciation of the value of human life. Before, there was a death penalty because maybe there's no other way stopping the criminals. But now, conditions have changed. The condition no longer warrants the death penalty," SunStar Philippines quoted Bp. Buzon as saying.



Armed only with their faith and prayers, Catholic leaders in the Philippines, call to lobby with those in power to convince them not to approve the reimposition of death penalty. However, it seems like the plan of the current administration to restore the death penalty may have already gained its momentum, for last week the House justice committee approved the measure which seeks to restore the capital punishment in the Philippines, according to Sunstar.



Guess we would just have to wait and see how things will turn for Duterte's plan to restore the death penalty in the Philippines and the move of Catholic bishops to stop its reimposition.






Rolls-Royce gave the world a glimpse of its first ever SUV. The premium automaker released pictures of the camouflaged vehicle that is still in for a few rounds of gruelling testing before its expected 2018 launch.

The 4x4 SUV, which has been given a development name of 'Project Cullinan', retains some of the most prominent visual elements atop which the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy figurine usually threatens to take flight.

The official photos show the Cullinan with bold prominent rectangular headlights and the characteristically mammoth radiator grille. And, there's a large bonnet with a pronounced nose.

 Official Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub

While a number of automakers are trying to categorize their latest offerings as some or the other form of an SUV, Rolls-Royce has taken a completely different approach and distinguished Cullinan as a 'all-terrain, high-sided vehicle'.

With Cullinan, the automaker will also test the aluminium architecture which will support all Rolls-Royce vehicles from 2018 onwards.

 Official Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub

Named after the Cullinan Diamond, one of the largest diamonds ever found by man, the car is to be put through testing in some of the gruelling conditions on the planet. The Rolls-Royce Cullinan will also be tested at the Arctic Circle later this month to undergo cold weather durability and traction testing. Early in 2017, it will be tested in West Asia, to endure high temperatures and challenging desert conditions.

(This article originally appeared in the Times of India)
Its one thing to feel patriotic and brimming with national pride, but tagging others as anti-nationals for some lame reason does not really make your love for your country stronger. Thats exactly what happened with badminton player Saina Nehwal who was called anti-national by some people on Facebook for posting a picture with her Honor 8 smartphone.

Sainas post read My new Honor 8 phone..love the phone and colour. It was funny how some people can interpret anything and everything in a negative manner and as expected, people got upset because she was promoting a Chinese smartphone brand. Technically Facebook wasnt started by any Indian, so whats the next step,stop using social media lest you want to be called out as someone who does not love his or her country enough? We just dont have words for these people who were once her die-hard fans are now criticizing her and not for her professional skills but for a smartphone.

Clearly, her achievements, trophies, prestigious titles and medals hold no merit and do not stand as a parameter for being patriotic. Honor is Huaweis sub brand and Nehwal has been roped in as the Honor Indias brand ambassador. Everyone has the right to express their opinion, but lashing out at others for something this irrelevant is bizarre. We are sure there are many people who use iPhones and other Android smartphones which are not manufactured in India, so will you disown them as well? If you think that makes you less patriotic, wait till Patanjali comes out with its own range of smartphones.

However there were some sane minds who understood the situation and supported the player as well.

Source: The Indian Express
7-year-old Bana Alabed resides with her family in Aleppo (Photo : Twitter/Bana Alabed)

As Russia declared that pro-Syrian government has reportedly taken control of Aleppo after four years of fierce battle against rebel forces, evacuation of innocent victims of war is underway, but it is a difficult process as reports claimed that military is gunning down people on street, including women and children.



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People move among empty buildings for they will be found by either forces and will become another casualty of the ongoing bloody civil war. With the recent victory, a deal to evacuate the people has been reached, but the United Nations claimed that civilians were being gunned down by pro-government forces for any record of insurgency. However, some people fear that mistaken identity will be at play and they will be executed right then.



People cry for help via social media saying that they may die today. Bana Alabed's Twitter account has become the front and center of trending tweets. The account claims that she is seven years old. The description in the account stated that the account is managed by Bana's mom, Fatemah, and most of the tweets were penned by her. The mother and daughter shared their day-to-day situation amidst the war in Aleppo. They sometimes share photos and updates on the bombings at their doorstep.



However, there were speculations that the account is fake and there are allegations that Bana's mom is associated with the rebels. However, after an interview with CNN, "blasts" can be heard in the background and it proved that they are in the midst of the battlefield.



"We are sure that the world listen to us, the world listen to the kids," Alabed said. "I am still here. I am real. I am still fighting for my children's life. We are not propaganda. We are real people. We are -- we are Aleppo's people."



The New York Times also spoke with Fatemah and reported last week that anti-Assad government activists and doctors who are presently in Eastern Aleppo confirmed the identity of the mother and daughter. Twitter has also verified the account.



My name is Bana, I'm 7 years old. I am talking to the world now live from East #Aleppo. This is my last moment to either live or die. - Bana

 Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 13, 2016







Under attack. Nowhere to go, every minute feels like death. Pray for us. Goodbye - Fatemah #Aleppo  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 5, 2016





This is our house, My beloved dolls died in the bombing of our house. I am very sad but happy to be alive.- Bana pic.twitter.com/9i0xxJrQtD

 Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) November 29, 2016






Man and child trying to escape Aleppo crackdown (Photo : Twitter)

Russia announced that pro-Syrian government has reportedly taken control of Aleppo after four years of fierce battle against rebel forces.



Our Facebook newsfeeds and Twitter feeds were once dominated by the photo of five-year-old Syrian kid covered in dust with blood and tears trickling down his cheeks after he was found under the rubble following an airstrike in the city. He has become the face of many children cowering in fear in empty houses in the city.



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With the recent victory at hand, a deal to evacuate the people has been reached, but the United Nations claimed that there were credible reports saying that civilians were being gunned down by pro-government forces for any record of insurgency. However, some people fear that mistaken identity will be at play and they will be executed right then. The report added that most of the victims include women and children.



Meanwhile, refugees are posting their dying messages on Twitter seeking for help to escape the city thinking that they will not see the daylight due to the crackdown. Below are some of the heart breaking tweets of people about #Aleppo.







My name is Bana, I'm 7 years old. I am talking to the world now live from East #Aleppo. This is my last moment to either live or die. - Bana  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 13, 2016





Don't let #Aleppo be just a trend that we follow. Do something to benefit them. Share & donate to help these people:https://t.co/agVPXCAPzl pic.twitter.com/92TaCUdx5G

   (@BirdsOfJannah) December 13, 2016







You don't have to be Syrian to feel their pain, you have to be human. Raise your voice for Aleppo. #prayforaleppo #Aleppo  Mousa (@last_moose) December 14, 2016




Playing games with China (Photo : Getty Images)

China strongly objects to United States President-elect Donald Trump playing games to renegotiate U.S.-China relations by saying he doesn't feel "bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade."



In objecting to Trump's brand of reality show gamesmanship, Beijing said it's "gravely concerned" about Trump's latest remarks indicating he might be seriously reconsidering the One China policy. As can be expected, China expects Trump's administration to support to the policy that's been in place for close to four decades.



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"The One China policy is the political foundation of China-U.S. ties," said Geng Shuang, Foreign Ministry spokesperson.



Geng said the stable and healthy development of China-U.S. ties and cooperation in major areas will be severely affected if this foundation was undermined.



The foreign ministry was reacting to a statement made by Trump where he said he doesn't feel "bound by a one-China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade."



China also urged Trump to tread lightly on the Taiwan issue, saying this issue strikes at the heart of China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and involves China's core interests.



"We urge the new U.S. leader and the government to fully recognize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue, continue to stick to the one-China policy and the three Joint Communiques between China and the United States, and discreetly deal with Taiwan-related issues so as to prevent China-U.S. relations from being severely disturbed and damaged," said Geng.



Last Dec. 2, Trump spoke on the phone to Republic of China (Taiwan) President Tsai Ing-wen, a phone call last made four decades ago before the U.S. severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979 to enforce the One China Policy adopted in 1972.



Trump's phone conversation with Ms Tsai, which the White House said was made by Ms Tsai, is the first between a U.S. president or president-elect and a Taiwanese president in over three decades.



Trump administration officials confirmed the president-elect did speak with Ms Tsai. They said Trump "noted the close economic, political, and security ties" between Taiwan and the United States.



Trump later tweeted: "The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!



"Interesting how the US sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call."



Trump said it was hypocritical for Washington to provide Taipei with weapons but prevent the U.S. and Taiwanese leaders from communicating.



Taiwanese officials said President Tsai did congratulate Trump on his election victory, and also shared her ideas on other matters such as Taiwan's domestic economy and national defense. The U.S. is legally bound by treaties to defend Taiwan in the event of war with China.



"The two briefly exchanged views on affairs in Asia," said the office of Ms Tsai in a statement.



"President Tsai hopes to step up bilateral interactions and connections and to establish closer co-operative relations."


Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso in 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' (Photo : YouTube/ StarWars)

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" has just released and early reviews are already quite positive, with the film garnering an 84 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. Despite its success, Disney and Lucasfilm have confirmed that there will be no sequels.



According to a report from Bustle, the only sequel for "Rogue One" is the original 1977 "Star Wars: A New Hope" movie directed by George Lucas. This is reportedly evident in the opening crawl for "A New Hope" in which a summation of the events in "Rogue One" is detailed.



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The opening crawl details a band of rebels that fought against the Galactic Empire and stole the Death Star plans. These plans were then delivered to Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and by the beginning of "A New Hope" she was taking those plans to Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guiness) on Tattooine.



This would make "A New Hope" tie directly to the events of "Rogue One" and no other sequel for the latter is necessary. This point was also stated by director Gareth Edwards, who told Empire Magazine (via /Film) if there would be a follow-up "that sequel will be directed by George Lucas."



Edwards' statement was supported by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and visual effects icon John Knoll. Both told the magazine that "Rogue One" was a stand-alone film that set up the events that take place in "A New Hope."



It should be noted that "A New Hope" does not feature the rebel heroes from "Rogue One." Instead focuses on the adventures of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) as he and Leia try to put the stolen Death Star plans to good use. The only recurring characters between both films are the villains Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) and Darth Vader.



"Rogue One" is currently out in theatres. A separate spin-off film, the untitled Han Solo movie, is scheduled to release on May 2018 and will be followed by "Star Wars Episode VIII" on Dec. 15, 2017.






Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias stated the following at a press conference, on 13 December 2016, within the framework of the proceedings of the EU Foreign and General Affairs Councils (FAC/GAC) held in Brussels:

"As you know, I was also here in Brussels a few days ago, because we had the two-day NATO meeting. Then we had the OSCE, and yesterday and today we had the Foreign and General Affairs Councils. The latter is normally attended by Mr. Katrougalos, but it included issues within my competency; that is, EU enlargement and the negotiations with candidate countries for EU membership. Yesterday, at the Foreign Affairs Council, we dealt with Congo, Syria, Africa and the migration issue -- but from the perspective it is seen by the Foreign Affairs Council. Today we had the countries that are candidates for EU membership; that is, the countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey.

With regard to Bosnia-Herzegovina, there was a discussion between Croatia and the European Commission regarding the adaptation of the election law and the constitutional framework in general, because in Bosnia-Herzegovina the 1995 Constitution has a problem: it refers to three ethnic groups and, as a result, anyone who does not self-determine as belonging to one of these is de facto outside the constitutional system for certain legal situations. For this reason, an adjustment is needed -- it is an issue in which Croatia has a special interest.

Regarding our friendly country to the north, as I call it -- that is, FYROM -- there was no discussion. A working breakfast was held yesterday, organized by three countries and participated in by two others, Malta and Finland. From the time when there were 18 member-friends of FYROM, they then fell to 11, and yesterday only five Ministers. No serious discussion took place. In general, there were some who hoped for a clear victory of the governing party on the part of the Slavomacedonians. This didn't come to pass. The final result was 51 to 49 seats; that is, a very small difference. Moreover, the new Albanian party, Dvizenje Besa, came between the other two. But, in essence, there was no discussion.

In the draft conclusions on FYROM, correctly, I think, the positive role of the confidence-building measures is stressed. How well these are progressing is shown by the fact that they have forgotten who initiated them. I remember that in June 2015, when I went to Skopje the first time and talked to them at the Luxembourg Council about the confidence-building measures, they didn't believe me because they didn't think they would have any result. They are very intensive, as you know. The Bitola-Florina rail line is being rebuilt now. A natural gas line from Thessaloniki to Skopje is being built. There was an old one that carried oil and that has to be cleaned. In the context of cross-border cooperation, collaborations have been created in the sectors of tourism, exchange of information and fire-fighting, as well as in the research sector, with collaborations between research centres and universities. There is recognition of this role in the EU texts. Also underscored is the role of the political crisis in FYROM and the need, of course, as always, for the name issue to be resolved. My personal assessment is that there will be many deliberations for the forming of a new government, and there are perhaps those -- not me, certainly, and I underscore this -- who are thinking they might hold elections again in the spring, if a majority is not achieved. The majority is 61 seats, I remind you. DUI, the Albanian party, has 10, Gruevski 51. This makes 61 seats, but it is the precise minimum of parliamentary seats with which a majority is formed.

The two countries Turkey and Albania were of greater interest. With regard to Albania, the draft conclusions contained nine paragraphs (47-55). I have to say that I am satisfied, because all of the Greek proposals were accepted with regard to the Commissions report, as well, which didn't have them set out in this way. The one issue with Albania is that there are five priorities that have been set for it. Certain countries wanted to limit the discussion to only that priority which concerns justice. The law they created on judges is interesting. I don't know whether you know that many of the judges in Albania do not even have a degree -- it's like when we had the "practitioner" doctors in rural areas of Greece. So these are "practitioner" judges -- that is, without formal qualifications -- that have to be replaced.

Paragraph 48 stated that these five priorities must be implemented before negotiations open for Albania's accession to the EU. There were some countries -- and Italy reiterated it today -- that wanted to have an accession date, an orientation date. On this, there was agreement at the COREPER and in the Council that they won't get the date, and they didn't get it. Moreover, in paragraph 49, which refers to the court system, the fight against corruption and organized crime had been incorporated. Some tried to play down this element initially, but the degree to which one is ready to join the EU is linked with the way one deals with organized crime, which, as I have said, supplies funds in many, many directions.

The fight against corruption and organized crime had been included in paragraph 50, as well as the trafficking issue; that is, trafficking in human organs, which is an issue they asked me persistently to raise in Parliament, particularly on behalf of the women's movement. Also included was the problem of money laundering, which, in our opinion, is serious.

In paragraph 51, reference was made to an issue that we have been raising since last year. Last year, for the first time, a relevant reference was made, and this year it is stated more clearly. The issue concerns Albania's obligation to recognize minority rights throughout its territory. This is an essential reversal of the Hoxha policy on minority zones. You know that in the past, in Albania, when one left a minority zone, one ceased to have minority rights, to speak, for instance, one's language in court. Additionally, areas like Himara were not recognized as minority areas, with the well-known incidents we have witnessed from time to time. So I think it is a great success for us -- apart from our managing to have five, rather than one, issues included -- that the need for recognition of minority rights throughout Albania's territory was reconfirmed. Also on this, in the very phrase that concerns minorities, the implementation and inclusion of the property rights of these minorities in all of the actions of the Albanian state is mentioned. These are two initiatives -- one we added last year and had reconfirmed this year and extended to property rights issues as well. It is a new issue that has been raised by Greek foreign policy -- or rather in the new way we raised it -- and was incorporated in the texts of the EU.

Also, paragraph 52 included the barring from public office of people who stand accused of criminal activity. Paragraphs 53 and 54 concern the reform of the electoral system, on which everyone agrees, and the better climate for investments. This point is of interest to us, because there are Greek investments in Albania that are not always respected.

Finally, included in paragraph 55 is something we promote very systematically: the importance of good neighbourly relations, with whatever this entails for Greece. So there wasn't an issue that we wanted that wasn't included in the draft conclusions. We have new issues raised for the first time in the Council conclusions, and we think that they will help us protect the rights of the Greek National Minority, like the property rights.

But I would like to say that these pending issues with Albania are part of a framework of good will on the part of our country towards Albania. We want Albania to join Europe. In our estimation, steps have been taken towards the reconstruction of Albania. But we don't accept two things: First, the shaping of client relations by third European states with candidate countries, with these EU countries evaluating these countries based on clientism and interests. Second, supplementary to the first, that there be an a la carte process; that is, instead of all the principles that are in effect to date remain in effect for accession to the EU, suddenly they are not being in effect for one country or the other.

We want Albania in the EU, and we believe this will be a significant gain for geographical and economic reasons, but also for reasons of good neighbourliness. Albania's accession to the EU is therefore in the interest of Greece and of the stability of the Western Balkans. But accession must happen in a European manner, with European assessment, based on European values and principles, and not based on some other expediency. And we have told Albania that we are willing to provide and open to providing them with anything they need of our know-how, our expertise. Because, as you know, with Albania we are also open to negotiation on a number of issues, which we have told them we should continue.

The main subject of discussion today was Turkey. You can see that right now, due to its policy, Turkey is not the most popular or influential country with many member states of Europe. We came out against the coup from the very outset. I have always underscored at the EU Council that it is of great importance for you to be against coups, to defend democracy and the institutions. This is why it is important, when you are against coups, from which point of view you fight against them -- from a point of view that gives you authoritarian and personal power, or from a point of view of defending democracy and the institutions or the effort to further democratize these institutions. Whatever I said regarding Albania is even truer with regard to Turkey; that is, that we want its Europeanization and further democratization, perhaps more than any other country. We have a strategic outlook that it is good for the region and for the region's stability for Turkey to become a European country. However, as we always underscore and underscored today, this depends first of all on Turkey itself. My personal position and that of the government is that we are not the ones that will exclude Turkey from the European Union. Rather, it will be Turkey itself that decides whether it wants to be Europeanized or wants to leave itself outside the EU.

The second issue that we underscored today was that any decision we take must be made understood to Turkish public opinion and to the Turkish elite, as well as be read in the right way. Following the bombing and terrorist attacks it suffered in recent days, Turkey would read a policy of its exclusion from the European process as vindictive on the part of the EU, while the issue of whether or not it is excluded depends on the degree to which Turkey itself is willing to be Europeanized and democratized. From this perspective, we are in favour of maintaining all channels of communication on a European level. We are doing the same thing on a national level with Turkey, and we do not agree with proposals for "freezing" EU-Turkey relations.

As there are many who are saying that, because the Cyprus issue is being resolved, there should be good relations with Turkey, I took the opportunity to say that Turkey, among the other issues that Europe sees, should not appear restless. Turkey is discernible for a certain restlessness and it shouldn't conduct itself as a revisionist power; that is, raise issues like the Treaty of Lausanne, or regarding islands that, as the Turkish opposition says, are supposedly occupied by Greece. I always explain to the Europeans that we are talking even about islands that are inhabited, like Gavdos, the most southern and remote point in the country.

The discussion within the framework of the EU Council was good in general, as most of the participating Ministers accepted that we have to keep the channels of communication open, along with Turkey's European perspective, but at the same time many colleagues noted the major problems with freedom of the press, handling of the opposition, arrests and so on".
Tesla Motors has reportedly reached agreement with unsatisfied Norwegian customers over Model S P85D. (Photo : Getty Images/Sjoerd van der Wal)

After receiving flak from consumers who claimed their purchased cars did not performed as advertised, electric car giant Tesla Motors Inc. has reportedly come to an out-of-court settlement with 126 Norwegian consumers who were unsatisfied with the cars they bought.



According to Reuters, Tesla Motors Inc. lawyer Kaspar Nygaard Thommessen of Oslo-based law firm Wikborg Rein told the Oslo District Court that they wanted to withdraw the case which was due starting last Monday, saying that the company and other involved parties have already reached an agreement and the case has already been resolved.



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Dagens Naeringsliv, a Norwegian business newspaper, reported last Sunday that Tesla agreed to pay $7700 to each of the 126 unsatisfied consumers, which is only half of what the consumers demanded. Other than that, the company is willing to provide another option like car upgrades.



Despite reaching a settlement, the tech giant said that it did not mislead buyers after consumers claimed that Tesla's Model S P85D ran in a lower horsepower that was advertised by the company.



According to Car and Driver, Tesla claimed that the Model S P85D can reach 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, 1.4 seconds faster from the P85 it replaced, but it looks like the car did not perform as marketed in Norway. The Model S P85D is no longer available in the country.



The P85D had a base price of $105,670 while other Tesla models range from $95,000 to $135,000.



In other news, Tesla chief executive office Elon Musk said that he is going to take action for people for park their cars in Supercharger stations who are preventing other Tesla electric cars which are in need for charging. Consumers will not get free unlimited charging for new purchases, and this decision might help decrease people from crowding and parking in Supercharger stations even if they are not charging.






USAF F-22 Raptors to Patrol South China Sea from Australia in New Challenge to China

RAAF bases in Australia. (Photo : RAAF)

The U.S. Air Force will begin flying long-range patrols of its Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor stealth air superiority jet fighters over the South China Sea from bases of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in northern Australia beginning 2017.



The revelation adds more pressure on China to abide by international norms and to relinquish its claim to own the South China Sea. The patrols will also be conducted to show American strength and deter Chinese aggression in Asia, said U.S. Navy Admiral Harry Harris, Jr., Commander, United States Pacific Command (CDRUSPACOM), based in Hawaii.



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Admiral Harris pledged the U.S. will remain a major player in Asia, saying its "enduring interests" won't "change on January 20th" -- referring to the day Donald Trump becomes U.S. President.



He said he signed an agreement for Australia to host U.S. military forces -- including the Raptors, which are regarded as the best fighter planes in the world. The Raptors will send a powerful signal to China about the U.S.' military presence in Asia.



"I think that's positive," said Admiral Harris.



He emphasized there was "no room for subtlety" in convincing potential aggressors like China their actions will be deterred. He said the U.S. maintaining a "credible combat power" was vital, along with having the resolve to use it and signaling that resolve.



"I'll be blunt in saying that the global operating system that created the Indo-Asia-Pacific economic miracle is coming under pressure from revisionist powers," he said in a veiled reference to both China and Russia.



Admiral Harris said he would like to see other countries such as Australia carry out freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea to challenge China's island-building and claim to own this body of water.



"Should others signal in this way in freedom-of-navigation operations? I think so, but it's up to each individual country to make that decision."



He also said the U.S. and Australia were "exploring greater integration of fifth-generation fighter deployments to Australia."



While the F-22 and its "cousin," the Northrop Grumman F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, are both stealth aircraft, the F-22 was designed unequivocally as an air-to-air fighter. The F-35 can combat other aircraft but can also attack ground targets, something the F-22 isn't designed for.



The F-22 is regarded as superior in air-to-air combat to the newer F-35 despite having original technologies developed a decade ago.



In simulated dogfights, the F-22 accumulated unbelievable kill ratios against legacy fourth generation fighters such as the Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and the Boeing F-15 Eagle.



Simulated combat exercises in June 2006 saw 12 F-22s of the 94th Fighter Squadron shooting down 108 adversaries with no losses. An exercise in 2008 saw Raptors shoot down 221 "enemy" aircraft for no losses.



Northern Australia is an ideal staging area for the Raptors because it's mostly out of range of China's ballistic missiles and is the location for a number of large RAAF airbases that can accommodate the F-22.



Among these airbases are RAAF Base Curtin, RAAF Base Darwin and RAAF Base Tindal.


President Xi Jinping visits an exhibition on China's science and technology achievements in June 2016. (Photo : Xinhua)

The Chinese government has designated May 30 of each year "Sci-Tech Workers' Day" to honor the country's 81 million science and technology (S&T) workers.



The State Council, China's Cabinet, agreed to hold the first Sci-Tech Workers' Day in 2017, according to a statement from the China Association for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology.



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May 30 was chosen because the national conference on S&T; the biennial conference of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and the national congress of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) were held on May 30, 2016.



China's communist leadership set the target of China becoming a world S&T power by the middle of this century.



State-owned media said Sci-Tech Workers' Day will encourage all sci-tech workers to remember their mission; serve the country; play their roles in innovation and support the country's development to achieve the aim of building China into a world-leading S&T power.



Last June, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for greater confidence and perseverance from China's S&T workers to make China the vanguard of innovation-driven development.



The exhibition was held one day after the conclusion of the 9th National Congress of China Association for Science and Technology. Over 800 items were displayed in 10 exhibition areas, showing the best of China's major S&T achievements over the last five years.



The items included intelligent driving; deep-sea diving; robot surgeons; the Tianhe-2 supercomputer and the Beidou navigation system.



Other senior leaders including Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan and Wang Qishan, also visited the exhibition.


Motorola logo (Photo : Reuters)

Recently, a mysterious smartphone of Motorola codenamed as Cedric was spotted on FCC (Federal Communications Commission) list for approval. Its specs and variants have surfaced already.



Motorola's upcoming smartphone codenamed as Moto Cedric is said to be the Motorola's first device of 2017 to come with Android 7.0 Nougat OS out-of-the-box.



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According to FCC listing, Moto Cedric has different model numbers such as XT1670, XT1671, XT1672, XT1675, XT1676 and XT1677. These are said to be the variants of Moto Cedric smartphone, Times News UK.reported.



Moto Cedric Specifications

Earlier, leakster Ronald Quandt had revealed specs of Moto Cedric on his Twitter account and the same details have been confirmed through its FCC listing. According to the leaked information, Moto Cedric will be spotting 5-inch screen. Its dimension are 144 X 72 mm. The thickness of the device is not known yet.



It is likely to receive power from Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset. The XT1670, XT1671, XT1672 variant will be having native storage of 32 GB and 2 GB of RAM.



The Motorola Cedric XT1675 and XT1676 variants are likely to come with 16 GB internal storage and 2 GB of RAM. The XT1677 variant is expected to have 3 GB RAM with in-built storage capacity of 16 GB.



The XT1675 variant will be a single SIM model that is rumored to release in Middle East, Africa and Europe countries, whereas Australia will receive dual SIM Moto Cedric with model number XT1676.



All the variants are expected to come pre-installed with Android's latest 7.0 Nougat OS. It may come equipped with a single rear facing camera with an LED flash similar to Moto Z models.



It will be carrying 2,800 mAh removable battery to keep the lights on. Sources add that the company will be manufacturing two versions of smartphones based on the country requirements.



Motorola Moto Cedric is not the only device that will run on Android's latest OS but also the high-end devices that are already in the US market like Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid are upgraded to Android 7.0 Nougat in last month.



Lenovo has not yet revealed anything about its upcoming Motorola smartphones that will arrive in 2017 but all the forthcoming devices are expected to feature Android Nougat OS.



Here is a rumor roundup of Moto Cedric:






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.
BlackRock, Inc. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. It also provides global risk management and advisory services. The firm manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. It also launches and manages open-end and closed-end mutual funds, offshore funds, unit trusts, and alternative investment vehicles including structured funds. The firm launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and real estate mutual funds. It also launches equity, fixed income, balanced, currency, commodity, and multi-asset exchange traded funds. The firm also launches and manages hedge funds. It invests in the public equity, fixed income, real estate, currency, commodity, and alternative markets across the globe. The firm primarily invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, SMID-cap, large-cap, and multi-cap companies. It also invests in dividend-paying equity securities. The firm invests in investment grade municipal securities, government securities including securities issued or guaranteed by a government or a government agency or instrumentality, corporate bonds, and asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. It employs fundamental and quantitative analysis with a focus on bottom-up and top-down approach to make its investments. The firm employs liquidity, asset allocation, balanced, real estate, and alternative strategies to make its investments. In real estate sector, it seeks to invest in Poland and Germany. The firm benchmarks the performance of its portfolios against various S&P, Russell, Barclays, MSCI, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch indices. BlackRock, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in New York City with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts; London, United Kingdom; Gurgaon, India; Hong Kong; Greenwich, Connecticut; Princeton, New Jersey; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Sydney, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; Singapore; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, District of Columbia; Toronto, Canada; Wilmington, Delaware; and San Francisco, California.
National Grid plc transmits and distributes electricity and gas. The company operates through UK Electricity Transmission, UK Electricity Distribution, UK Electricity System Operator, New England, and New York segments. The UK Electricity Transmission segment provides electricity transmission and construction work services in England and Wales. The UK Electricity Distribution segment offers electricity distribution services in Midlands, and South West of England and South Wales. The UK Electricity System Operator segment provides balancing services for supply and demand of electricity on Great Britain's electricity transmission system; and acts as an agent on behalf of transmission operators. The New England segment offers electricity and gas distribution, and electricity transmission services in New England. The New York segment provides electricity and gas distribution, and electricity transmission services in New York. It also engages in the provision of transmission services through electricity interconnectors and LNG importation at the Isle of Grain; sale of renewables projects; and leasing and sale of commercial property, as well as insurance activities in the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Abbott Health Products LLC, Abbott Healthcare (Puerto Rico) Ltd., Abbott Healthcare B.V., Abbott Healthcare Costa Rica S.A., Abbott Healthcare LLC, Abbott Healthcare Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Healthcare Private Limited, Abbott Healthcare Products B.V., Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd, Abbott Holding (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding GmbH, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited Luxembourg S.C.S., Abbott Holdings B.V., Abbott Holdings LLC, Abbott Holdings Limited, Abbott Holdings Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Iberian Investments (2) Limited, Abbott Iberian Investments Limited, Abbott India Limited, Abbott Informatics Asia Pacific Limited, Abbott Informatics Canada Inc, Abbott Informatics Corporation, Abbott Informatics Europe Limited, Abbott Informatics France, Abbott Informatics Germany GmbH, Abbott Informatics Netherlands B.V., Abbott Informatics Singapore Pte. Limited, Abbott Informatics Spain S.A., Abbott Informatics Technologies Ltd, Abbott International Corporation, Abbott International Enterprises Ltd., Abbott International Holdings Limited, Abbott International LLC, Abbott International Luxembourg S.ar.l., Abbott Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Ireland, Abbott Ireland Financing Designated Activity Company, Abbott Ireland Limited, Abbott Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Abbott Knoll Investments B.V., Abbott Korea Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Bangladesh) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco (Dos) SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Laboratories (Mozambique) Limitada, Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Philippines), Abbott Laboratories (Puerto Rico) Incorporated, Abbott Laboratories (Singapore) Private Limited, Abbott Laboratories A/S, Abbott Laboratories Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Abbott Laboratories B.V., Abbott Laboratories C.A., Abbott Laboratories Finance B.V., Abbott Laboratories GmbH, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Abbott Laboratories International LLC, Abbott Laboratories Ireland Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited - Laboratoires Abbott Limitee, Abbott Laboratories NZ Limited, Abbott Laboratories Pacific Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Laboratories Products B.V., Abbott Laboratories Residential Development Fund Inc., Abbott Laboratories S.A., Abbott Laboratories SA, Abbott Laboratories Services Corp., Abbott Laboratories Slovakia s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trustee Company Limited, Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A., Abbott Laboratories Vascular Enterprises, Abbott Laboratories d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories de Chile Limitada, Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A., Abbott Laboratories de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Abbott Laboratories druzba za farmacijo in diagnostiko d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories(Hellas) Societe Anonyme, Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios del Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Abbott Laboratuarlari Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Ltd.Sti, Abbott Laboratorios Lda, Abbott Laboratorios do Brasil Ltda., Abbott Limited Egypt LLC, Abbott Logistics B.V., Abbott Management GmbH, Abbott Management LLC, Abbott Manufacturing Singapore Private Limited, Abbott Mature Products International Unlimited Company, Abbott Mature Products Management Limited, Abbott Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Abbott Medical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Medical (Portugal) Distribuicao de Produtos Medicos Lda, Abbott Medical (Schweiz) AG, Abbott Medical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Australia Pty. Ltd., Abbott Medical Austria Ges.m.b.H., Abbott Medical Balkan d.o.o. Beograd (Novi Beograd), Abbott Medical Belgium, Abbott Medical Canada Inc./ Medicale Abbott Canada Inc., Abbott Medical Danmark A/S, Abbott Medical Devices Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Espana S.A., Abbott Medical Estonia OU, Abbott Medical Finland Oy, Abbott Medical France SAS, Abbott Medical GmbH, Abbott Medical Hellas Limited Liability Trading Company, Abbott Medical Ireland Limited, Abbott Medical Italia S.p.A., Abbott Medical Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc.,      ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics.

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Community Bank System, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Community Bank, N.A. that provides various banking and other financial services to retail, commercial, and municipal customers. It operates through three segments: Banking, Employee Benefit Services, and All Other. The company offers various deposits products, such as checking, savings, and money market deposit accounts, as well as time deposits. It also provides loans, including consumer mortgages; general purpose commercial and industrial loans, and mortgages on commercial properties; paycheck protection program loans; installment loans that are originated through selected dealerships and are secured by automobiles, marine, and other recreational vehicles; personal installment loans and lines of credit for consumers; and home equity products. In addition, the company offers broker-dealer and investment advisory; cash management, investment, and treasury services; asset management; and employee benefit services, as well as operates as a full-service insurance agency that offers personal and commercial lines of insurance, and other risk management products and services. Further, it provides contribution plan administration, employee benefit trust, collective investment fund, retirement plan administration, fund administration, transfer agency, actuarial and benefit consulting, VEBA/HRA, and health and welfare consulting services. Additionally, the company offers wealth management, retirement planning, higher educational planning, fiduciary, risk management, trust, and personal financial planning services; and investment alternatives, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and advisory products, as well as master recordkeeping services. As of January 24, 2022, it operated approximately 215 customer facilities across Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Western Massachusetts. Community Bank System, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in DeWitt, New York.
Phillips 66 operates as an energy manufacturing and logistics company. It operates through four segments: Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, and Marketing and Specialties (M&S). The Midstream segment transports crude oil and other feedstocks; delivers refined petroleum products to market; provides terminaling and storage services for crude oil and refined petroleum products; transports, stores, fractionates, exports, and markets natural gas liquids; provides other fee-based processing services; and gathers, processes, transports, and markets natural gas. The Chemicals segment produces and markets ethylene and other olefin products; aromatics and styrenics products, such as benzene, cyclohexane, styrene, and polystyrene; and various specialty chemical products, including organosulfur chemicals, solvents, catalysts, and chemicals used in drilling and mining. The Refining segment refines crude oil and other feedstocks into petroleum products, such as gasolines, distillates, aviation, and renewable fuels at 12 refineries in the United States and Europe. The M&S segment purchases for resale and markets refined petroleum products, including gasolines, distillates, and aviation fuels primarily in the United States and Europe. This segment also manufactures and markets specialty products, such as base oils and lubricants. The company was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. operates as a diversified financial services company in the United States. The company's Retail Banking segment offers checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, auto loans, credit cards, education loans, and personal and small business loans and lines of credit; and brokerage, insurance, and investment and cash management services. This segment serves consumer and small business customers through a network of branches, ATMs, call centers, and online and mobile banking channels. Its Corporate & Institutional Banking segment provides secured and unsecured loans, letters of credit, and equipment leases; cash and investment management services, receivables and disbursement management services, funds transfer services, international payment services, and access to online/mobile information management and reporting; foreign exchange, derivatives, fixed income, securities underwriting, loan syndications, and mergers and acquisitions and equity capital markets advisory related services; and commercial loan servicing and technology solutions. It serves mid-sized and large corporations, and government and not-for-profit entities. The company's Asset Management Group segment offers investment and retirement planning, customized investment management, credit and cash management solutions, and trust management and administration services for high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals, and their families; and multi-generational family planning services for ultra high net worth individuals and their families. It also provides outsourced chief investment officer, custody, private real estate, cash and fixed income client solutions, and fiduciary retirement advisory services for institutional clients. The company has 2,591 branches and 9,502 ATMs. The company was founded in 1852 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Three Marines and former drill instructors will stand trial on charges of hazing and mistreating recruits at Parris Island, South Carolina, and a fourth may also face charges, Marine officials announced Tuesday.

Staff Sgts. Matthew Bacchus and Jose Lucena-Martinez and Sgt. Riley Gress face charges of violation of a lawful general order and false official statement. Bacchus and Gress were also charged with cruelty and maltreatment. They all will receive special courts-martial, an intermediate-level trial for those facing sentences of 12 months' confinement or less.

Another staff sergeant, who has not been named, faces an Article 32 investigative hearing for alleged false official statement, cruelty and maltreatment, and failure to obey a lawful order. The result of that hearing will determine whether he will face charges. The news was first reported Tuesday by Marine Corps Times.

The charges for the three Marines are the result of a year-long probe revealing a pattern of hazing and abuse at 3rd Recruit Training Battalion that ultimately was found to have contributed to the March suicide death of 20-year-old recruit Raheel Siddiqui.

Marine Corps Training and Education Command spokesman Capt. Joshua Pena said in a release Tuesday that the charges and allegations against the four Marines were not associated with Siddiqui's death, however. This may indicate that more charges have yet to be finalized; in all, 20 Marine drill instructors and officers with oversight of 3rd Recruit Training Battalion were identified for possible legal and administrative action in light of the hazing.

The investigation into Siddiqui's death led to more investigations, revealing, among other things, that a drill instructor had hazed another Muslim recruit by repeatedly throwing him into an industrial dryer and turning it on; and that drill instructors had attempted to cover up recruits' hazing-related cases of muscle breakdown, or rhabdomyolysis, which forced them to drop out of training.

Service records for the three Marines being charged show they were all experienced and decorated troops.

Bacchus, a fixed-wing aircraft mechanic by trade, had previously deployed to Afghanistan and had earned a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and three Good Conduct Medals.

Lucena-Martinez, a food service specialist, had deployed with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and participated in the relief effort for the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. He had also received a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and three Good Conduct Medals.

Gress, a motor vehicle operator, deployed twice to Afghanistan in 2013 and 2014, and also had been awarded a NAM and two Good Conduct Medals, according to his records.

"From the beginning, we have taken these allegations of misconduct very seriously," Maj. Gen. James W. Lukeman, commanding general of Training and Education Command, said in a statement.

"As proceedings move forward, we will continue to maintain the integrity of the legal process while remaining transparent," Lukeman added. "The Marine Corps Recruit Depots Parris Island and San Diego transform the best of our nation's young men and women into U.S. Marines. The safety of our recruits and the integrity of the Marine Corps recruit training program remain our priority."

To date, no hearings or arraignments for the Marines have been scheduled, officials said.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck.
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...
An accidental throttle rotation led to a malfunction and subsequent engine stall that contributed to an Air Force Thunderbirds jet crash after a flyover at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation on June 2, according to a new report.

The F-16CM, piloted by Maj. Alex Turner, was returning to Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, after the graduation flyover -- attended by President Barack Obama -- when it crashed in a nearby field.

Turner, of the the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, was flying the Thunderbirds No. 6 jet in the demonstration team's six-ship formation.

"After beginning landing procedures, the pilot inadvertently rotated the throttle, placing it into an engine cut-off position. Normally, this full rotation cannot occur unless a throttle trigger is affirmatively actuated or pressed," states an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report released Wednesday.

The throttle trigger became stuck in the position, due to "debris accumulation in the throttle trigger, combined with wear on the trigger assembly," the report said. Without the throttle, the engine cut off and immediately lost thrust, it said.

Maj. A.J. Schrag, a spokesman for the command, described the debris build-up as a "maintenance issue."

While a preflight inspection of the aircraft occurred two days before the flight and didn't raise any red flags, the throttle trigger sticking "has happened before," he said. The service is reviewing a possible update to maintenance procedures -- as it stands now, pilots aren't instructed to swab the trigger before each flight -- and considering a hardware or mechanical change in the future, he said.

As the pilot descended, Turner attempted to restart the engine, but officials said it was "impossible" at such a low altitude.

Air Combat Command on Wednesday tweeted: "Fuel levels were not ID'd as a cause or contributing factor." Analysts and aviation enthusiasts previously speculated Turner had simply run out of gas.

"The aircraft had 900 lbs. of fuel at the time of the mishap," ACC said. The F-16 can hold 7,000 pounds of jet fuel; the Thunderbirds' F-16s are considered to be "clean jets," without the capacity to carry missiles or bombs, and harboring only an internal fuel system, according to the Air Force.

Turner brought the plane down into an unpopulated field, delaying his ejection. When he did eject, he sustained minor injuries. He was recovered by local first responders.

The loss of the aircraft cost $29 million, with no additional damage to civilian property.

Turner met Obama, who gave the commencement speech at the graduation, shortly after the mishap.

"The pilot seemed in fine form, saluted POTUS as he approached and then shook his outstretched hand. The two had a brief chat," according to a White House press pool report at the time.

"The president thanked the pilot for his service to the country and expressed his relief that the pilot was not seriously injured. The president also thanked the first responders who acted quickly to tend to the pilot," the press report said.

Turner had more than 1,200 hours flying the F-16 and a total flight time of 1,447 hours, according to the Thunderbirds' website. He resumed flying with the team shortly after the incident, the report said.

The investigation's release comes two months after the Navy released its investigation into the Blue Angels crash, which occurred on the same day. Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss died in the F/A-18 Hornet crash.

The Navy's investigation found the crash was the result of pilot error, an improper transition from a climb maneuver during pre-air show training.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
The Veterans Affairs Department beginning next month will allow certain nurse practitioners to treat veterans without the supervision of doctors across the agency for the first time.

The move is designed in part to shorten wait times for patients who are seeking treatment in underserved areas with physician shortages, according to a rule published Wednesday in the Federal Register.

The regulatory change permits three types of nurse practitioners -- certified nurse practitioner (CNP), clinical nurse specialist (CNS), and certified nurse-midwife (CNM) -- "to practice to the full extent of their education, training and certification, without the clinical supervision or mandatory collaboration of physicians," it states.

While 21 states and the District of Columbia already grant nurse practitioners so-called "full practice authority," the rule marks the first time the VA established a nationwide framework for such specialists to provide direct care to vets throughout its system.

More than 5,000 nurse practitioners already provide clinical assessments, order and interpret diagnostic tests, make diagnoses and provide other treatments at VA facilities, according to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

As it stands now, though, many states require NPs to work under a "collaborative agreement" with a physician, meaning nurses working at VA facilities without "full practice authority" don't enjoy direct access to patients.

The rule, slated to take effect Jan. 13, "permits VA to use its health care resources more effectively and in a manner that is consistent with the role of APRNs in the non-VA health care sector, while maintaining the patient-centered, safe, high-quality health care that veterans receive from VA," it states.

Organizations representing nurses and veterans welcomed the decision, while a group representing doctors opposed it.

"This is a great day for veterans and an important step forward for VA health care," Mark A. Stevenson, chief operating officer of the Air Force Sergeants Association, told Military.com. "This rule will ensure veterans high quality access to the health care they need and deserve."

Dr. Cindy Cooke, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and a proponent of the regulatory change, celebrated it as a win for both nurses and veterans.

"We are pleased the VA will move forward with allowing veterans throughout the country to have direct access to nurse practitioner provided health care," Cooke said in a statement. "We trust that in the near future, the VA will propose a plan to include Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists in this provision."

The new provision doesn't cover certified registered nurse anesthetists because the VA doesn't currently face a shortage of anesthesiologists, according to the rule. But the department is requesting comment "on whether there are access issues or other unconsidered circumstances that might warrant their inclusion in a future rulemaking," it states.

The American Medical Association, the nation's largest association of physicians, opposed the amendment in its entirety, including the exclusion of certified registered nurse anesthetists.

Dr. Andrew Gurman told Forbes on Tuesday the provision sets the clock back on physician-centric care. "We are disappointed by the VA's decision today to allow most advanced practice nurses within the VA to practice independently of a physician's clinical oversight, regardless of individual state law," he said, according to the article.

The regulatory change will take effect after a month of public commenting.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
The commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force has ordered a stop to all MV-22 Osprey flight operations in Japan until safety procedures can be reviewed after one of the tiltrotor aircraft was forced to make an emergency shallow-water landing off the coast of Okinawa on Tuesday.

In a press conference in Okinawa following the incident, Lt. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson said the aircraft had been conducting aerial refueling operations over water when the rotor blades hit the refueling line, causing damage to the aircraft.

"After the aircraft was unhooking, it was shaking violently," Nicholson said, according to a III MEF news release. "The pilot made a decision to not fly over Okinawan homes and families. He made a conscious decision to try to reach Camp Schwab  and land in the shallow water to protect his crew and the people of Okinawa."

All five Marine crew members aboard the Osprey were rescued from the aircraft and taken to the naval hospital at Camp Foster for treatment following the crash. According to the release, three have been released, and two remain under observation. Their current condition was not described.

III MEF officials said a salvage survey is being conducted to determine how best to recover the damaged Osprey safely, while protecting the environment. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

During the press conference, Nicholson thanked the Japan Coast Guard and the Okinawan police for their assistance in responding to the crash.

"I regret that this incident took place," Nicholson said. "We are thankful for all the thoughts and prayers the people of Okinawa gave to our injured crew."

The Marines' use of the Osprey on Okinawa has long been a point of contention among residents, many of whom fear that the aircraft might be especially prone to crashes given its history of deadly incidents in its early days. When additional Ospreys arrived at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in 2012, locals held protests to oppose the move.

This is the second time in four months that Nicholson has ordered an operational pause for aircraft in Japan. In September, he ordered AV-8B Harriers in the region to temporarily halt operations after one of the aircraft crashed off of Okinawa.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck.
Syrian regime forces backed by Russia were so focused on attacking Aleppo that they were routed from the historic town of Palmyra 200 miles to the southeast, a U.S. military spokesman said Tuesday.

Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, began attacking Palmyra, a World Heritage Site for its Roman ruins, last week but were beaten back initially by Russian airstrikes.

ISIS renewed the attack Sunday, and the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled, leaving behind armor and artillery, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.

"They failed to watch their six, they were focusing so much on Aleppo," Davis said, referring to the Syrian and Russian onslaught against rebels clinging to eastern Aleppo that has caused yet another humanitarian crisis in Syria's five-year-old civil war.

Davis said the Syrian forces -- a mix of Syrian Alawite; Shiite Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon; and foreign fighters from Iran, Afghanistan and Chechnya -- were regrouping at a nearby airfield.

Assad had boasted of taking Palmyra from ISIS last May as a sign of the resurgence of his regime, and a Russian symphony orchestra played a concert there to demonstrate Assad's control.

Assad's government-run SANA news agency acknowledged the defeat, saying the Syrian troops retreated as an estimated 4,000 ISIS fighters attacked from multiple directions.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group, also confirmed that Palmyra had fallen to ISIS. Despite Russian air bombardment, the militant group "retook all of Palmyra after the Syrian army withdrew south of the city," the Observatory said.

A New Front Against Raqqa

Davis said that the Syrian Democratic forces, a mix of Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters backed by the U.S., had opened a new front in their advance on Raqqa, the self-proclaimed ISIS capital about 105 miles north of Palmyra.

Elements of the SDF had crossed over the Euphrates River at the Tishrin Dam and were pressing south on a new avenue of approach to Raqqa against mixed resistance, Davis said.

In Aleppo, there were reports of a cease-fire following the takeover of the remaining rebel-held areas by the Syrians. Military action ceased with the fall of what had been Syria's largest city, said Vitaly Churkin, Russia's United Nations ambassador.

U.N. officials said there were reports of summary executions of survivors of the months-long siege of the city that now lay in ruins.

In another joint statement condemning the failure of the Obama administration to take action, Sens. John McCain, an Arizona Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and member of the committee, said reports of a cease-fire were "not a cause to celebrate, but a sure sign of the fate that awaits other Syrian cities."

The senators' joint statement said, "The Assad regime will use the cease-fire to reset its war machine and prepare to slaughter its way to victory across the rest of the country, which will undermine U.S. national security interests and increase the risk to U.S. troops serving in Syria."

Carter Visits Qayyarah West

In Iraq, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter visited the Qayyarah West airfield, the logistics hub for the offensive against Mosul, where he met with U.S. troops and joined Iraqi Chief of Staff Gen. Othman al-Ghanimi in awarding medals to members of the Iraqi Security Forces.

"This hasn't been an easy fight, won't be an easy fight" in Mosul, Carter said, adding that he had discussed the Mosul campaign with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. "We agreed it's playing out pretty much according to the plan that he and I have been discussing together for these many months," Carter said.

At the Pentagon, Davis said Iraqi forces have retaken about 15 to 20 percent of the northwestern city since the Mosul campaign began on Oct. 17.

Since the drive on Mosul began, U.S. and coalition aircraft have dropped 6,602 munitions to back the Iraqi Security Forces, Davis said.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
The Dodgers wrapped up their five-year agreement with Kenley Jansen yesterday and are nearing the completion of a four-year deal with Justin Turner  both ESPNs Jim Bowden and FanRags Jon Heyman have reported today that just small details remain to be worked out  but Doug Padilla of ESPN.com reports that the impending re-signing of Turner doesnt close the door on a trade for Minnesotas Brian Dozier. Per Padilla, a trade package for the Twins slugging second baseman might have to center around right-hander Jose De Leon or a similar asset, but the Dodgers are reluctant to part with De Leon. A reunion with 2016 second baseman Chase Utley hasnt been entirely ruled out either, according to Padilla. Utley delivered a solid season on a one-year deal with the Dodgers last year, hitting .252/.319/.396 with 14 homers, but Utley logged a dismal .154/.206/.264 slash in 97 plate appearances against lefties. The Dodgers greatest weakness in 2016 may have been their struggles against southpaws  an area where Dozier could provide a significant boost (.282/.353/.613 in 2016, .270/.343/.512 in his career).

A few more notes regarding the offseason trade and free-agent markets
Neither the Yankees nor the Giants are seriously pursuing veteran slugger Jose Bautista, Jon Morosi of MLB Network writes. Morosi goes on to discuss the remaining market for the 36-year-old, who will require draft compensation from a signing team since he turned down a qualifying offer from the Blue Jays.

Both New York and San Francisco seemed at least to be decent hypothetical matches, particularly the latter. All said, the news doesnt improve the outlook for Bautista. As Morosi notes, organizations such as the White Sox and Phillies could have a theoretical need in the corner outfield, but will probably be loath to part with a draft choice and spend big on an aging player at this stage of their respective rebuilding efforts.

Several AL East teams make some sense, at least on paper, beyond the Yankees and incumbent Jays. But the Orioles have shot down any such notions, citing Bautistas poor reputation among the Baltimore faithful. (The same, presumably, is true of the Rangers.) We have also heard some suggestion that the Rays could have some interest in Bautista  or, at least, a theoretical player of his ilk  but that would likely be more as an opportunistic landing spot than as a dedicated pursuit. The Red Sox appear to have been of interest to Bautista, but it seems that the organization doesnt feel theres a fit (in part, at least, due to salary considerations).

Id add, speculatively, that there are a few other teams that could conceivably enter the picture. The Mariners could stand to add a bat and have some positional flexibility with which to work, though they do have several right-handed-hitting pieces in the corner outfield/first base/DH areas already, its possible to imagine a fit. Its a similar situation for the Mets, who have been rumored to have at least some interest in the past. If you squint hard enough, or imagine a trade to open space, its still possible to see a match with the Astros despite the addition of Carlos Beltran. And the Nationals did surprisingly pursue Bautista at the 2016 trade deadline, though the acquisition of Adam Eaton makes a move on him now a tough proposition. Most intriguingly, perhaps, the Rockies could stand to plug Bautistas bat in at first base, if they were to move an outfield piece and shift the just-inked Ian Desmond to the grass.

Given the overall market setting, Morosi argues that the most sensible outcome at this point is for Bautista to end up back with the Blue Jays. For Toronto, theres still an evident need to add offense, particularly in the outfield. In a multi-year scenario, at least, Bautista could slide in at first base at some point down the line. While the team would stand to sacrifice the chance to recoup a compensatory draft pick, adding Bautista wouldnt hurt as much in the draft department as it would many other organizations. (Under the new CBA, no organization will be able to make Bautista a qualifying offer in the future.) Plus, theres obviously a special connection between this particular team and player.

Its worth emphasizing that the level of interest on the Jays side remains somewhat unclear. The club is said to be in touch with Bautistas representatives, but theres little doubt that Toronto will prefer to minimize its commitment in any arrangement. While Bautista was still a productive player last year, and maintained his excellent plate discipline, he wasnt quite himself in the power department (22 home runs, .452 slugging percentage). With the obvious issue of age and declining glovework in the outfield  not to mention the fact that the Jays already locked into a three-year commitment at DH with Kendrys Morales  theres good reason for the organization to be wary of a lengthy entanglement.
1:46pm: Philadelphia has announced the signing, noting that lefty David Rollins was designated for assignment to clear roster space. Rollins continues to traverse the majors via the waiver wire this winter; he has already moved from the Mariners to the Cubs, then on to the Rangers, before landing in Philadelphia.

12:54pm: The Phillies have agreed to a one-year, $3MM to bring back utility infielder Andres Blanco, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter). Blanco, 32, has spent the past three seasons in the Philadelphia organization.

[RELATED: Updated Phillies Depth Chart]

The veteran utilityman has revived his career since landing with the Phils as a minor-league free agent. While he wasnt a big part of the 2014 team, he made his way back to the majors for the first time since 2011.

Blanco ended up returning on another minors pact in the ensuing offseason, cracking the roster out of camp. Nobody foresaw the career-year that ensued. Ultimately, Blanco slashed a robust .292/.360/.502 with seven home runs over 261 plate appearances in 2015.

That surprise performance led the Phils to tender Blanco, which netted him a $1.45MM payday. While he wasnt quite able to keep up the offensive output in 2016, he still provided a sturdy .253/.316/.405 batting line in his ninety games.

Blancos new contract recognizes both his useful bat and his defensive versatility. While metrics were more favorably inclined toward his glove earlier in his career, Blanco remains capable of playing anywhere in the infield and has been trusted with spot duty in the corner outfield as well.
ANN ARBOR, MI - The latest venture of Detroit-based Avalon International Breads is opening this week in downtown Ann Arbor.

Avalon Hearth and Soul Cafe and Kitchen is officially opening its doors at 7 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 15. The 5,200-square-foot cafe is the latest addition for the Detroit-based bakery Avalon International Breads, known for using 100 percent organic flour in its baked goods.

Jackie Victor is a founder and the chief executive officer of Avalon International Breads and said she is excited for the Ann Arbor community to see the cafe, which includes a coffee bar and dining room that serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch.

"This is so fun, so exciting," Victor said during a sneak preview of the cafe Wednesday, Dec. 14.

From the recycled metal signage throughout the business, to the display case made of reclaimed wood now stuffed full of Avalon products, the Hearth and Soul Cafe and Kitchen serves as a reminder of the company's triple bottom line, Victor said: earth, community and employees.

It is also a bridge between Ann Arbor and Detroit, and between Victor's roots as a University of Michigan alum and her continued leadership of Avalon International Breads.

"It strengthens that connection," Victor said, adding she couldn't have done it alone. "The truth is I have some amazing partners. It's more gratitude than pride."

Avalon International Breads opened its first location in June 1997 at 422 W. Willis St. in Detroit, and has since expanded with 50,000-sqaure-foot bakery outlet where hundreds of loaves of breads and assorted pastries are made fresh daily and transported around southeastern Michigan.

The company now operates a coffee shop at the Detroit Metro Airport and there are is plan in the works to open a cafe concept similar to the new Ann Arbor location in Detroit in spring 2017.

Walking into the new location in Ann Arbor, customers will see a long coffee bar stocked with Avalon baked goods and a refrigerated case with grab-and-go items like the Green Goddess Cobb salad and bottled beverages. A variety of spirits are lined up next to a beer tap system featuring Michigan breweries.

At the coffee bar, baristas serve up specially-created lattes or cups of a special blend called Hearth and Soul created especially for the cafe by Mighty Good Coffee. The Ann-Arbor based coffee business also created Avalon's Willis Street Blend and customized an espresso machine personalized for Avalon Hearth and Soul Cafe and Kitchen.

David Myers is one of the founders of Mighty Good Coffee and said the partnership with Avalon has been a lot of fun. Coffee beans used in the Hearth and Soul blend come from Jardin, Colombia, Myers said, "a town surrounded by coffee."

"It's darker, with molasses notes," said Myers, describing the blend. "It's a hearty deep roast that goes well with the pastries."

Customers can choose to sit in a lounge area filled with salvaged vintage furniture pieces and a Christmas tree alight with snowflake ornament and pinecones or at high-top tables across from a mini bar with a view of the kitchen.

Stockings personalized with employee names hang from a nearby wall, and glistening snowflakes hang from the ceiling and light fixtures throughout the space. A display is set up near the entrance with themed gift boxes and Avalon merchandise just in time for the upcoming holiday.

"It feels wonderful," said Joanne Bower, general manager of Avalon Hearth and Soul Cafe and Kitchen, about finally opening the space in the former Mezzevino Mediterranean Kitchen and Bar. "We feel like we're back in our element again."

The cafe hosted friends and family as part of a test run, Bower said, and people have been stopping in off the street to check out the cafe and learn when it opens.

"The community has been phenomenal, letting us know they're excited we're here in Ann Arbor," Bower said.

Dark-stained chairs and tables fill the dining room, with a bench lining one wall and burlap hangings draped from the ceiling to give the space a "warm and cozy feel," Bower said.

That feeling also extends to the food, which Executive Chef Cory Beattie described as "modern American." Something he is proud of are the locally-sourced ingredients featured throughout the menu from Guernsey Farms Dairy products, Gus & Grey jams, Reilly Craft Creamery ice cream and Seeley Farm vegetables.

"A lot of the stuff in the menu is simple, that's all it needs to be," Beattie said.

As soon as she tasted the trout from Indian River Trout Farm in Jackson, Maggie Long knew it had to be on the menu. Long is in charge of "special ops," she jokes, and has been working to develop the menu for the past year and a half.

She refers to the menu as "really comfortable and very approachable," with rotating soup specials and menus specifically made for both the dining room and to-go items.

Breakfast and brunch items include a fried egg, avocado and bacon sandwich on tasted Farnsworth Family Farm Bread for $11 and brioche French toast served with two eggs, any style, for $13. The lunch menu includes a mixture of salads, sandwiches and burgers ranging from $11 to $13.

Some lunch items are also offered for dinner, alongside entrees like fried chicken served with gravy atop a buttermilk biscuit for $21 and a slow-roasted Berkshire pork shoulder with farro risotto for $22.

Many of the products come from family businesses and companies that she works with on a regular basis and calls friends.

Locally-sourced food isn't a trend or a fad for Long, but a way of life, she said.

"It matters what they do," Long said. "That's how I honor them."

Beattie and Long worked alongside each other to finalize the menu and prepare kitchen staff for the opening of Avalon Hearth and Soul Cafe and Kitchen. Long wanted to help create a space where families could share a meal, and patrons feel a sense of community, and said she feels she has succeeded with Avalon Hearth and Soul Cafe and Kitchen.

"We want to make sure they're getting the best we can give them," Long said. "When you walk in here, we want it to feel like a community."

Avalon Hearth and Soul Cafe and Kitchen is located at 129 E. Liberty Street in Ann Arbor. It is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to midnight Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- NxGen MDx, a company that specializes in genetic carrier screening, announced it plans to add 37 new jobs and invest $2.8 million over the next three years at its laboratory at 801 Broadway Avenue NW.

The company, which currently employs 35 workers, was formed in 2014 in the Cook-DeVos Center at Grand Valley State University. NxGen MDx is now headquartered in the American Seating Office Park on the city's West Side.

"We chose to launch NxGen in Grand Rapids back in 2014 within its prestigious medical corridor to offer our patients the very best and brightest of the genetics field," said NxGen MDx Chief Financial Officer Kristin Sherman in a statement on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

NxGen MDx offers its clients a variety of genetic screening tests for inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy, and fragile X syndrome.

The 37 new jobs will include 22 professional positions that pay an average of $31.22 an hour and 15 clerical and customer service positions that pay an average of $15.50 per hour, plus benefits, according to the Grand Rapids Economic Development office.

To assist the company in recruiting and attracting employees, the company was awarded a $250,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. Michigan was chosen over a competing site in Florida, according to a news release from the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

The Right Place Inc. also assisted NxGen in gaining the incentives. The city of Grand Rapids has offered support to the project in the form of property tax abatement.

"Grand Rapids' life sciences cluster continues to see significant growth, and NxGen is yet the latest example of that growth," said Eric Icard, a senior business development manager for The Right Place and project lead on the expansion.

"Companies like NxGen are not only great for our community in terms of new jobs, but they also raise national awareness of West Michigan within the industry," Icard said.

"This project is exciting growth for a graduate of the Grand Rapids SmartZone life science incubator," said Kara Wood, managing director of Economic Development Services for the city of Grand Rapids.

"NxGen MDx began as a tenant, graduated from our incubator in 2014 and has been experiencing growth since making their location decision within the City of Grand Rapids. The City looks forward to the continued success of this company, as they provide good paying jobs for local talent and support the growth of Grand Rapids' life science industry cluster," Wood said.

"The expert support provided by The Right Place, combined with the collaborative resources of Grand Rapids' Medical Mile, made the decision easy on where the next chapter of our growth would take place," Sherman said.
The One Wyoming 1 on 1 mentoring program is kicking off the New Year by offering two meetings for new mentors.

The meetings are set for 6 p.m. Jan. 4 and 11 a.m. Jan. 7 at the Wyoming branch of the Kent District Library, located at 3350 Michael Ave. SW.

Through the program, mentors are paired with a mentee and spend one hour a week with the student, serving in the role of a supporting adult. Mentors can help by attending the child's school activities, giving class and resume guidance or providing a listening ear.

The mentors meet with students in kindergarten through 12th grade in Godwin Heights, Godfrey-Lee, Kelloggsville, Wyoming and Vanguard Charter Academy schools.

Program officials said they hope to reach 580 mentors by 2018.

For more information on becoming a mentor, visit the One Wyoming 1 on 1 website at onewyoming1on1.org.
Kirk Heinze welcomes Dianne Byrum, Doug Buhler and Marc Schupan to Greening of the Great Lakes for the program's annual sustainability roundtable discussion to share their expertise and insights on some of the key economic, environmental and social issues facing Michigan, the Great Lakes region and the United States.

Byrum is partner and co-founder of Byrum & Fisk Advocacy Communications and a recently re-elected member of the MSU Board of Trustees. Schupan is CEO of Schupan & Sons. And Buhler is assistant vice president for research and graduate studies at MSU and director of MSU AgBioResearch.

The panel shares its views on what went right on the sustainability front during the Obama administration's eight years in office. And they opine on what they think could have gone better and the challenges that remain.

And they speculate on how a Trump administration will impact the important environmental issues facing the country and the world.

Byrum says she expects companies and organizations to continue to develop more renewable energy to power them and that advances in battery storage capabilities in the next five years will be a "game changer" in how America powers itself.

The processes and programs "that are eventually going to go are those that make both economic and environmental sense," says Buhler. "When the two of those link, then it doesn't really matter what your view of the world is. Then it makes sense for everybody. We have to do the right things that do both."

Trade and immigration are important topics for all of us to keep in mind, too, says the panel.

"I believe in free trade, but I also believe in fair trade," says Schupan. "It's one world for all of us. And the more we trade, the better our political relationships become. We're a nation of immigrants, and we should be open to the point where there are opportunities."

"I think we're all trying to respond and address the immigration issue from different angles because it's not a simple problem," Buhler says.

Protecting Michigan's precious water resources will continue to be an important issue in 2017.

"I don't think there's anybody who doesn't want to protect the water, and as long as we do it in ways that make common sense I'm 100 percent there," Schupan says. "Unfortunately, I think the Flint situation may be the canary in the coal mine as we look at infrastructure challenges across the country. Hopefully we can correct some things before they become a problem."

"This is a very interesting time to be alive," says Buhler. "We try to hire people who have strong skills in their fundamental discipline. And as a public research institution, it's our job to respond to the challenges and the needs of the society. As some of those things change, we need to be looking at how we reposition ourselves.

"How can someone for example who is a world class plant geneticist apply those skills in something different?"

"You have to be like Wayne Gretzky and go where the puck's going to be, not where it is, and you have to be nimble" says Schupan. "We're going to try to do that so we're sustainable for the future. What areas can you grow in and add value to your customers and to your communities? We're certainly going to try to use that as our direction."

"These are clearly interesting times, and the speed of change is very fast," says Byrum. "I'm positive and upbeat about the future. I think there are going to be a lot of opportunities. And from my agricultural perspective, it's still going to be all about transportation, energy, water and how we continue to produce high-quality food with fewer resources."

Please click here to hear the sustainability roundtable conversation.

Greening of the Great Lakes airs every Sunday evening at 7:00 on News/Talk 760 WJR and around the state each weekend via the Michigan Talk Network.
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A group of Eastern Michigan University students sit outside of Ford Hall during a rally on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016. The rally, which was attended by a few hundred students and faculty, was in response to an incident of racist vandalism that was found on Oct. 31 outside Ford Hall. Matt Weigand | The Ann Arbor News

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note Michael Wood is a member, not the president, of the EMU Black Student Union.

YPSILANTI, MI - Eastern Michigan University is refuting some internet headlines claiming the university is building a course on black studies into the curriculum of every major.

The headlines are based on a recent news release from the university that EMU faculty administrators are working with black student leaders "to explore curricular options to further this goal."

EMU Spokesman Geoff Larcom said that the headlines have misinterpreted the release, which he said instead points out challenges associated with requiring that course in fulfilling a number of specific majors.

"There are well-understood challenges in attempting to incorporate Black studies into every major. For example, it may be difficult to incorporate Black studies into certain natural science majors, and doing so across all majors will require revisions to many courses," the release states.

The university already requires that students take a diversity class as part of the general education requirement.

The university has been looking at the issue after several instances of racist vandalism were discovered on campus in the fall, leading to student protests.

A student group drafted a 10-point plan it presented in November 2015 at an Institutional Racism Forum hosted at EMU. The plan is referenced in the EMU press release that discusses what the university has done in relation to the 10 points.

"It offers you what the situation is as it stands now, and how can the university widen the goals of the plan to open it up and articulate the challenges," Larcom said. "It does not say what other publications have said -- that this is what the university is doing -- rather than encompasses where things stand now."

The release noted that EMU Associate VP for Student Affair Calvin Phillips and Leigh Greden, adviser to President Jim Smith, addressed progress the university had made toward addressing goals within the 10-point plan during a presentation to the Black Student Union on Dec. 6.

EMU's Faculty Senate has approved a resolution authored by Professor Ronald Woods, Department of Africology & African American Studies, endorsing the "framework" of the plan as a starting point for conversations to improve the campus climate, and referring the plan to the President's new Diversity and Inclusion Commission for specific recommendations.

Black Student Union member Michael Wood acknowledged that while he had met with EMU administration regarding the progress of the 10-point plan, many of the recommendations provided were "not what we asked for."

Regarding the potential requirement of building a course on black studies into the curriculum of every major, Wood said the Black Student Union envisioned a general course prerequisite course all incoming freshmen would need to take related to recognizing racism and bias.

"We had a specific course that we thought might be able to fit into the curriculum, or if not, to create it," said Wood.

In addition to the potential change in course requirements for students, EMU noted several of the other points are being addressed, including increasing the number of black faculty. Several initiatives are underway in this area.

"Beginning this semester, all academic Department Heads and academic search committee chairs must undergo training designed to prevent bias in search processes," the release stated. "The training will be expanded to individuals who chair non-academic search committees."

Another point, demanding "all students will take a general course on race, ethnicity and racism" already has been addressed, with all undergraduate students required to take one course in "U.S. Diversity" as part of the General Education requirement. Some examples of courses that meet this requirement include Interracial/Interethnic Communication, Civil Rights and Liberties in a Diverse U.S., Introduction to American Indian History, and African American Literature.

The release noted, however, that the president of the Black Student Union had an initial meeting with the General Education Committee to discuss possible revisions to these requirements to ensure that students are more broadly exposed to issues related to bias and privilege. Additional meetings are expected to occur.

Wood pointed out that one of the points EMU claimed to have already addressed -- creating a designated space where marginalized students can gather safely and learn about financial and academic resources available to black students -- was not what the BSU had asked for.

EMU said "The Intersection," -- a lounge in the EMU Student Center for under-represented and under-privileged students -- was planned over the summer, built with donor funds and opened earlier this semester.

"The Intersection does not fill what we spoke about, as it is a space for everyone," Wood said. "We didn't ask for a space for everyone -- there are already spaces for everyone on campus. We asked for (black students)."
The Pickle Recipe.jpg

"The Pickle Recipe" starts Jon Dore and Lynn Cohen.

(Courtesy photo)

ANN ARBOR, MI -- University of Michigan graduate Sheldon Cohn says he always wanted to make a full-length movie, even though his day job consists of making "mini movies."

As a creative director for a commercial advertising agency, Cohn has spent the last three decades creating campaigns for various TV and internet campaigns.

One night, while sitting with his creative partner Gary Wolfson, Cohn says the duo began discussing Wolfson's grandmother and her famous pickle recipe. Soon, the two realized the idea of trying to get the recipe could be the basis of a feel-good comedy.

And with that "The Pickle Recipe" was born.

Written and produced by Cohn and Wolfson, "The Pickle Recipe" will play at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor from Dec. 16 through Dec. 22.

The film stars Jon Dore, Lynn Cohen and another U-M grad, Academy Award nominee David Paymer. "The Pickle Recipe" centers around the idea of family members trying to secure a secret pickle recipe from Cohen's character.

Cohn, who graduated from U-M in 1977, says several crew members had ties to the university, including some of the wardrobe crew and cinematographer. Knowing his film will play in Ann Arbor is special to Cohn because of how much the university shaped him.

"This program inspired me to go into advertising and to make a movie. It's very gratifying to have it playing in my college hometown," Cohn said.

Further deepening the film's ties to Michigan, the movie is set in Detroit with the entirety of it shot in the Detroit area.

"We knew that Detroit had the neighborhoods that this movie deserved that aren't the neighborhoods that people from out of state see," Cohn said. "It was a really rewarding experience."

Following the screenings at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, a question and answer session will be held with filmmakers. Cohn says the Q &A will also feature stories about making the movie.

"It's not very often that you get to watch a film and then have the filmmaker talk about it," Cohn said. "I think it enhances the experience."

For more information on showings at the Michigan Theater, visit the theater's website.
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Clio Areas School District faces Michigan Open Carry Inc. for oral arguments in the Michigan Court of Appeals on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

(Darcie Moran | The Ann Arbor News)

DETROIT, MI - Two Michigan gun rights advocate groups argued their case for being allowed to openly carry guns on school property in front of a three-judge Michigan Court of Appeals panel on Tuesday, Dec. 13, in Detroit.

Michigan Open Carry Inc. and Michigan Gun Owners Inc. faced off against Clio Area School District and Ann Arbor Public Schools, respectively, in two similar cases front of Court of Appeals Judges Kirsten Kelly, Elizabeth Gleicher and Douglas Shapiro.

Both cases stem from the school districts' attempts to effectively ban guns from school property. The Court of Appeals now seeks to answer whether the schools had the authority to do so after the two cases received differing decisions from lower courts.

In August 2015, Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Archie Hayman ruled to allow Kenneth Herman, a concealed pistol license holder, to legally open carry his pistol inside of his daughter's Clio area elementary school, despite the district declaring its properties to be weapon-free zones and banning him from doing so.

Then, in September 2015, Washtenaw County Circuit Court Judge Carol Kuhnke dismissed a case filed by Michigan Gun Owners against Ann Arbor public schools for enacting policies that effectively ban guns.

State law allows individuals with concealed pistol licenses to openly carry their firearms in schools. Read more about the law here.

The oral arguments began Tuesday with the attorney for the Clio Schools, Timothy Mullins, who immediately addressed the gun rights advocates argument that state laws already in place prevent the schools from regulating firearm possession on their property, because local governments are prohibited from enacting regulations on firearms where it is not already specified by the state.

Mullins compared schools to courtrooms, where guns aren't allowed, and pointed to a difference with a 2012 Michigan Court of Appeals decision cited by the advocates that disallowed a Lansing library from banning the open carrying of firearms on their properties.

Kelly noted that libraries and schools differ in that libraries are owned and operated by municipalities and schools fall under the purview of the state board of education.

"The statute defines local government and expressly does not include school boards, so why is this not a no-brainer?" Kelly asked of Mullins.

Mullins agreed that the issue shouldn't need to be argued, as did the opposing attorney in the Clio case, Dean Greenblatt, though for different reason.

Greenblatt, who fielded questions from the judges for the longest duration, argued that schools are a lesser unit of government than the state legislature and he and Jim Makowski, the attorney for Michigan Gun Owners Inc., both claimed in their separate oral arguments that the 2012 decision proved that field preemption - in which upper level government regulations have comprehensively addressed a subject, such that no other regulations need be enacted - applied in the matter.

Kelly and Gleicher, the latter of whom handled the 2012 case, both took issue with the comparison to the library.

Kelly said the library was municipally owned and operated while the state school board falls under the purview of the state board of education - therefore not a local government - and Gleicher questioned whether the same thought process could eventually allow guns in courtrooms, something the courts don't want, she said. She and Shapiro also questioned why open carrying gun owners would bring a gun into school, how administrators could deem a gun-carrying individual's intention and what would stop the school from following its policy and calling police.

Kelly said the final comments made by Makowski regarding the definition of local government however, was the compelling argument.

"I don't think it excludes school districts, I think it doesn't enumerate school districts," Makowski said.

Following the legal arguments, Kenneth Herman, who is a party along with Michigan Open Carry Inc. in the Clio Area Schools case, said he believes it's clear who the ruling might favor at the appellate level, based on the reactions of the judges.

"As soon as they sat down, it was pretty clear they had their minds made up to reverse the Genesee County case," Herman said.

Herman, as well as Tom Lambert, president of open carry advocacy group Michigan Open Carry Inc., both said the judges seemed to make it personal when discussing not wanting to have guns in the courtroom and the gun-carrying individual's intentions.

Tom Lambert, president of open carry advocacy group Michigan Open Carry Inc.

"Personal feelings have no merit in this case, this is a matter of law," Lambert said.

However, Pioneer High School student Sarah Lewis, 15, attended the hearing and said she agreed with what she heard from the judges in court Tuesday. Her mother, Dr. Sonya Lewis, is a member of Physicians for Prevention of Gun Violence.

She said she was alarmed when while at her school's choir concert in 2015, Joshua Wade openly carried a gun a few seats away from her, before Ann Arbor Public Schools put their policies in place. She also said that with the shooting death of Pioneer student Jordan Klee, which did not occur on school property, gun regulations are an important topic for her community.

"They said that in the courtroom, that there is no way to tell if someone has good intentions or bad intentions and what they want to do - if they want to keep people safe or if they are trying to harm people," she said. "There just no way to tell and so the only way to keep bad people out is to just have no guns."

Greenblatt said while he is remaining open-minded about the outcome, he feels the judge's questions were one-sided against the gun rights advocates.

"I wasn't able to get them to focus on the issue of field preemption," he said.

"The court of appeals is being asked to overturn the decision or box it into a corner to the extent that it doesn't have any meaning anymore," he said, in regards to the interpretation of the 2012 case.

Greenblatt and Makowski both said they would appeal the decision to the Michigan Supreme Court if it wasn't decided in favor of the gun rights advocates. A decision may not come for several months.

Spears, of Clio Area Schools, and Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education president Deb Mexicotte said they were cautiously optimistic about the outcome.

Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Jeanice Swift said she heard both sides cite student safety as their main concern and a mandate for the schools.

"This is our second stop along this court appellate journey and it may not be our last, but what I think the board and I are clear about is our commitment to holding the value of student safety as sacred," Swift said.

The importance of keeping students safe is one thing everyone can agree on, Mukowski said. The difference is gun advocates feel making a school a gun-free zone is not a way to keep a school safe, but simply "sticking your head in the sand," he said.
Unconfirmed reports in Egyptian media say the man accused of killing 24 in the attack on a church near the Coptic cathedral, was once arrested in 2014 on violence charges, and has since joined Islamist militants in North Sinai



On Monday afternoon, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said that the 22-year-old Mostafa was the suicide bomber behind the bomb attack that targeted a Coptic church in Cairo a day earlier.

Speaking at the state funeral for the 24 victims of the bombing, El-Sisi said "Mostafa sneaked into the church and detonated an explosive belt on Sunday.'

Shortly after the president's announcement, Al-Watan newspaper said it had published in March 2014 a news report of two men apprehended in Fayoum governorate, one of whom was the man the president identified as the bomber.



Al-Watan's 15 March 2014 report said the two men were arrested for participating in a march that attacked members of the anti-Muslim Brotherhood Tamarod movement in Fayoum governorate earlier that day.

The report said authorities found the two men with firearms in their possession.



Meanwhile, Al-Masry Al-Youm news website quoted on Monday security sources who said Mostafa has been residing in Sinai for the past two years.

The sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm Mostafa had joined the Sinai-based Islamist militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, which has been carrying deadly attacks on security forces in parts of North Sinai in the last three years.

Al-Ahram Arabic news website published an image of a reported government document, revealing that Mostafa was born in Sonoras village in Fayoum governorate on 10 October 1994.

The document stated that Mostafa militant code name is "Abu Degana El-Kinany."

According to Al Youm Al-Sabea news website, Mostafa's mother told the website her son last called her last week and said he would not be returning home since he was wanted by the authorities.

"He didnt tell me any details about his life; all I know is that he was arrested once and released on bail," Mostafa's mother said.

She confirmed to Al-Youm Al-Sabea Mostafa graduated from the Faculty of Science at Fayoum University.

Sunday's bombing was the deadliest attack on Egyptian Christians in years.

In 2011, at least 21 Coptic Christians were killed in a suicide attack which targeted a New Year's Eve mass at the Two Saints Church in Alexandria.

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Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal also said that the constitution could be amended if necessary to help Egypt foil terrorist acts

Around 100 Egyptian MPs proposed on Monday that the Criminal Procedures Law, issued in 1950, be changed to help the country overcome terrorism.

The proposal, submitted by parliament deputy speaker and Wafdist MP Soliman Wahdan, suggests that 1950's criminal procedure law and 2014's presidential decree on protection of public property, be amended to allow all terrorism-related crimes to be referred to military courts.

Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal also said that the constitution could be amended if necessary to help Egypt foil terrorist acts.

The MPs proposal came one day after a bombing attack on a church attached to St. Mark's Coptic Cathedral in Cairo left 24 dead and more than 40 injured.

After attending funeral services for the victims in east Cairo's district of Nasr City on Monday, MPs returned to parliament with differing perspectives.

Speaker Abdel-Aal told MPs in a plenary session that parliament is determined to uproot terrorism and obliterate "dark forces" in Egypt, even if this requires amending the country's 2014 constitution.

"Let me repeat, if it has become necessary that the constitution be amended to allow terrorism cases to be referred to military courts, parliament will not hesitate to ask for it," said Abdel-Aal.

The parliament speaker said one Western European country is currently debating an amendment to its constitution that would allow those convicted of terrorism crimes to be stripped of their nationality.

"This change to the constitution was presented in this country under the title of 'the Protection of the Nation Amendment," said Abdel-Aal.

Wahdan's proposal calls for "a new article by the name of 231 article to be added to 1950's law on criminal procedures require that 'all terrorism-related crimes be referred to military justice."

The proposal also states that article one of 2014's decree be amended to read: "without affecting the main role of the armed forces in safeguarding the nation and maintaining the integrity of its land and security, the military in full cooperation with police forces will participate in safeguarding vital public property, including electricity stations and pylons, gas and oil pipelines, railway tracks, networks of roads and bridges, and all other forms of public assets.

"Places of worship will be also considered public places and all of these will be classified as military installations as long as they are under the guard and protection of the military and those who attack these installations will be automatically referred to trial before military courts."

In a different proposal, Bahaaeddin Abu Shokka, head of parliament's legislative and constitutional affairs committee and secretary-general of Egypt's Al-Wafd party, proposed that the terrorism law (no.94 of 2015) be amended to designate certain judicial court circuits for the sole review of terrorism-related crimes.

"These circuits, which would be attached to appeal courts, will be asked to issue rulings on terrorism-related crimes within one week, and defendants will have the right to contest verdicts only one time," Abu Shokka proposed.

He added that "Parliament needs trials to be simultaneously fair and quick, with strict observance of the constitution and legislation," Abu Shokka stressed.

Joining forces with Abdel-Aal, the pro-government parliamentary bloc "Support Egypt", proposed Monday that all terrorism-related legislation should be amended to "stand up to recent, dangerous developments in terrorism crimes."

"Terrorists should face quick trials, and if existing laws do not allow this, the constitution itself should be amended to pave the way for this," said head of the bloc Mohamed El-Sewedi.

El-Sewedi, however, supported Wahdan's proposal that the existing criminal procedure law be amended to more easily refer terrorism cases to "quick and firm trials."

Speaker Abdel-Aal told MPs that "Terrorism aims to kill all Egyptians without discrimination between Muslims and Christians, saying the most lowly terrorist acts are the ones which aim to blow up mosques and churches."

"The message after the explosion in the Coptic cathedral yesterday is that terrorism targets all Egyptians  Muslims and Christians  but I am sure that Egyptians will not bow to this terrorism," said Abdel-Al, adding that "parliament will use all means possible to foil terrorist acts and make sure that terrorists fail to drive a wedge between Muslim and Christian Egyptians."

Abdel-Aal urged that all churches in Egypt be provided with "electronic closed-circuit cameras ahead of Christmas celebrations," adding that "this is an urgent measure to safeguard churches against acts of terrorism.'

Abdel-Aal concluded that "if we fail to stand firm against terrorism, there will be no economy, no politics and no state in Egypt."

The parliament speaker praised Egyptian Christians, saying that they have paid a dear price in the form of hundreds of victims.

After Monday's funeral services, deputy speaker Mahmoud El-Sherif told reporters that "parliament will give priority to amending the criminal procedures law."

"We hope within a few days that parliament's legislative and constitutional affairs committee, in cooperation with the minister of parliamentary affairs Magdy El-Agati, will be able to finish amending this law in order to make terrorists face quick and firm trials before a court," said El-Sherif.

El-Sherif indicated that parliament could go as far as approving the imposition of the emergency law to help foil terrorist attacks.

"Please note that countries like France resorted to implementing emergency law after a flurry of terrorist attacks hit the country this year," he said.

El-Sherif said the proposal that terrorism-related crimes be referred to military courts needs some review by parliament's constitutional and legislative affairs committee.

"We have to see first whether this proposal does not contravene the constitution," said El-Sherif, adding that "I agree that if the constitution itself needs amending in order to refer terrorism-related crimes to military courts, parliament will not hesitate to support this."

El-Sherif said the imposition of military tribunals in the 1990s was highly effective in stemming the tide of terrorist crimes in Egypt at the time.

El-Agati told MPs that he prefers amending the criminal procedure law to help expedite trials of terrorist suspects.

"Let me insist that there is no problem with the existing penalties for terrorist crimes; the problem lies with the long time these trials take without justification," said El-Agati.

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Several MP's said in Tuesday's session that a proposed new version of the criminal procedures law must help the country overcome terrorism and speed up trials

The cabinet has been given a 30-day deadline to present a new version of the Criminal Procedures Law before the parliament to speed up trial procedures in terrorism cases, the head of Egypt's House of Representatives legislative and constitutional affairs' committee was quoted as saying by state-news agency MENA on Tuesday.

"The cabinet will be committed to presenting a new version of the law before the parliament during the 30 days, and if it fails to do so, the parliament has the right to act upon article 101 of the house organisational regulations and present its own version of the law, if it is approved by 10 percent of MPs (60 seats)," Bahaa Abu Shoka said.

Abu Shoka affirmed that MPs are aiming to create a "legislative revolution" in both the criminal procedures law and penal code, which will be followed by a large conference gathering judiciary experts and veterans within days to discuss the new law.

Around 100 Egyptian MPs proposed on Monday that the Criminal Procedures Law, issued in 1950, be changed to help the country overcome terrorism.

Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal affirmed the house is determined to uproot terrorism and obliterate "dark forces" in Egypt, even if this requires amending the country's 2014 constitution.

After attending on Monday a state funeral for 23 Coptic Christians killed in the St Peter and St Paul church bombing a day earlier, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said that the judiciarys hands are chained" by old laws amid an imminent threat from terrorism.

President El-Sisi's call to amend laws is not the first time he has done so. Following the assassination of Prosecutor-General Hisham Barakat in June 2015, he urged the need to implement harsher counter-terrorism laws.

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The conference underscored preserving Libyan territory, supporting institutions, sovereignty and the maintenance of a civil state

Egypt's government concluded on Wednesday a conference with Libyan officials and representatives from the country's numerous factions, issuing a declaration of principles and five proposed amendments to an agreement, brokered by the UN in 2015, which aimed to create a unity government in the war-torn North African state.

Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry and Army Chief of Staff Mahmoud Hegazy attended the two-day conference in Cairo, along with a range of Libyan representatives.

The conference concluded by underscoring four main principles to be respected in Libya's transition: the preservation of a united Libyan territory, support for national institutions, non-interference by foreign bodies, and the maintenance of a civil state.

After discussing political developments in Libya since 2014, participants in the conference concluded by proposing five amendments to the UN-brokered 2015 agreement, to guarantee its success in ending the violence and ongoing state of political, economic and humanitarian insecurity in the country.

The proposed amendments are as follows:

First, amend representation inside the Libyan National Dialogue Commission in a way that balances all national factions in the country.

Second, amend the authorities of the Libyan army chief commander outlined in the 8th article of the 2015 agreement.

Third, Guarantee the independence of the Libyan Army as a non-partisan, non-political force in the country.

Fourth, reform the Libyan State Council to include members of the Libyan General National Congressa legislative body elected to a two-year mandate in 2012 and replaced by Libya's current House of Representatives in August, 2014 .

Fifth, re-structure the Libyan Presidential Council and its system of decision-making.

Concluding the conference, the Libyan participants called on the Libyan National Dialogue Commission and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya to hold a meeting within two weeks to discuss the conference proposals and possible solutions to end the crisis.

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business See further uptick in orders; hike in crude beneficial: Artson Post the current order, the book now stands at Rs 180 crore plus, said Nikhil Naniwadekar, Chief Operating Officer Artson Engineering.
The Egypt Can convention, a gathering of foreign-based Egyptian scientists at the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, started its first session on Wednesday in attendance of Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail.

The convention, which will continue for two days, is attended by prominent Egyptian scientists including Farouk El-Baz as well as and world-renowned surgeon Magdi Yacoub.

The opening session started with a moment of silence for the 25 victims of last Sundays Cairo church bombing, with the Prime Minister saying that such attacks will only increase the nation's determination to eliminate terrorism.

The PM conveyed President's Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's regards to the attendees, stressing Egypt's need for the scientific expertise and efforts of all its sons to overcome the threats and obstacles faced by the country.

Ismail also stated that Egypt's youth are the key factor in combating extremism and violent ideologies in the country, and stressed the government's commitment to working on boosting the employment rate in the upcoming period.

Ismail also talked of the mega projects undertaken by the government, such as the Suez Canal Axis development project, which aims to create thousands of job opportunities for Egyptian youth and improve living standards for Egyptians.

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The burka (burqa) is a garment worn by women in Islamic tradition to cover their bodies. Its a part of the Muslim belief system that requires women to dress modestly in public.

For centuries no one had a problem with the burka. But for some reason  you can probably figure out why  the burka has recently become a symbol for Western hatred of the East.

Maybe it all started on that fateful day in September, 2001. Maybe it bubbled and brewed during the horrific attacks in Madrid in 2004 or London on July 5th, 2005. Maybe it all came to a head in November in Paris just over a year ago.

Maybe the Western view symbolising the burka as a reason for hatred goes all the way back to the 30s and 40s, when the Americans and British pillaged the Middle East for oil.

It matters little. What is of importance is how one traditional, religious item of clothing could bring down an entire union  the European Union.

Isolation, protectionism, patriotism, and the end of the EU

France was the first European country to ban the burka. In April 2011, they put a ban on the clothing. Wearers face a 30,000 fine.

Not too far behind, the Belgians also passed a law banning the burka in 2011. And in December 2015, Lombardy (a region in Italy) put a ban in force also.

But its been 2016 that other parts of Europe have really gone full force at the burka.

Bulgaria implemented a ban in September this year. Switzerland also put a ban into full force this year. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) has been calling for a ban on the burka for years. And with the UK leaving the EU there are renewed calls to ban the burka.

The Dutch have tried to pass a complete ban on the burka. That didnt pass. But another version banning the full veil in schools, hospitals and public transport made it through just last month.

These changing attitudes and growing disdain towards what is essentially just a piece of clothing is astonishing. But the pressure to ban the burka has mainly come from the right and far-right political parties across Europe.

As mentioned above, UKIP has been a big supporter of banning the burka. In France the increasingly popular leader of far-right party, National Front, Marine Le Pen want to ban it. She also wants to ban all religious symbols including headscarves, veils and kippas.

But while most of the shift towards banning the burka has been from the right something astonishing just happened.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a ban on the burka.

Dont underestimate the significance of this move. This is a leader who decided to accept over one million refugees in 2015. A leader of Europes largest economy. A leader whose party, the CDU, is liberal-conservative.

The significance of this move is because next year Germany goes to the polls. Merkels position is on the line, and her move to ban the burka is clearly from the growing popularism of far-right parties.

The BBC explains,

Mrs Merkel was re-elected CDU leader but faces a tough challenge by the right-wing anti-immigration AfD party in next years polls. She has seen her approval ratings slip since her decision to allow about a million asylum seekers into Germany during last years Europe-wide migrant crisis.

If Merkel is worried enough about the right that shell ban the burka, what hope does the EU have?

The most important year in the history of the EU

German isnt the only country in Europe thats showing signs of pressure from the right.

Austria narrowly saw far-right party leader Norbet Hofer concede defeat just a week ago. While he lost, it was close (again). And they still polled around 2.2 million votes.

Marine Le Pen is also a growing voice of opposition to the ruling elite in France. Her Front National Party will run for office next year as France decides on a new leader.

Many of the early polls suggest that conservative leader, Francois Fillion will crush Le Pen. But we all know how accurate polls are these days, dont we?

And lets also not forget that Italy just voted against constitutional change, with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi stood down after defeat. Now theres a caretaker Prime Minister, and far-right populist parties are calling for a new election.

Theres a good chance Italy too will head to the polls next year.

That means 2017 is shaping up to be perhaps the most important year in the history of the European Union.

It is quite likely 2017 will shape up exactly like 2016. Full of shock and surprise. It will likely end up much like the situation in the US.

And its these European far-right parties making the most noise and growing the most support.

They want to curb immigration and bring back economic strength to their country. They want to bring back jobs, look after the little guy and disrupt the political elites.

Thats exactly how Trump got into office. Thats exactly why Britain is leaving the EU. Its exactly what will be the downfall of the European Union.

If the dominos fall, kiss the EU goodbye

Imagine what will happen if the dominos fall the way they did this year

If Italys MS5 gets into power you can almost be sure of an Italian referendum on leaving the EU. That would almost certainly bring back the Lira.

If Le Pen and Front National Gets into power, expect the French to head the same way. And welcome back the Franc.

And if the worried CDU in Germany loses more powerwell. You would think Germany too will test their membership to the EU. And we might once again see the Deutsche Mark.

The right and their views on protectionism, isolation and patriotism spell one thing for Europe. The end of the EU and a return to multiple currencies.

I dont think the EU will see out the current decade. By the time 2020 rolls around, the British will look across the pond at the mess in Europe and thank their lucky stars they got out when they did.

And for the rest of Europe? Well maybe disbanding the EU will do wonders for the region. It wont be the end of the single market. It probably wont see the end of free movement (assuming you were born in Europe). But it will give each country back control of their economies and currencies. And it will enable them to adapt to changing conditions.

That might actually be a better situation than currently exists. After all, it cant get much worsecan it?

Banning the burka is a sign of current political pressures. Its a symbol of the troubles in Europe. But it might also, ironically, be the thing that leads Europe to a better place, long term for everyone.

Regards,

Sam
Related Egyptian activists call for vigil to mourn victims of Cairo church bombing

It was a public holiday marking Prophet Mohammeds birth. And it was a Sunday. Magdi Ramzi, 59, took his wife, daughter and son, their spouses and his grandchildren to mass at the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Coptic Church in Abassiya, east Cairo.

There was no security outside the early 20th century church tucked in the corner of the grounds of St Marks Cathedral, seat of the Coptic Orthodox pope.

Dozens of Coptic families thronged the chapel, as they always do, for Sunday mass.

Inside the chapel the two rows of wooden pews on the right which are reserved for women were almost full. Ramzi and his son took their seats in the mens section on the left. Exhausted by his dialyses treatment, Ramzi was looking forward to a family lunch following the service.

A little before 10am a terrifying sound knocked him off his seat. He couldnt see anything because of the thick clouds of dust. The dust covered his face and body. He heard his son, still next to him, shouting above the screams that he was going to search for his wife and kids.

I realised from the shrieks, the many people running around me and those crying out in pain, that it was an explosion, he said. I thought I was going to die, that it was the end of the world.

Twenty-four Coptic worshipers, the majority of them women, were killed. Of the 49 injured many remain in a critical condition. It was the deadliest attack on Egypts Copts  who make up 10 per cent of the population  in years, and the first on the premises of the Cathedral.

Though the Cathedral and the church are separate both are encompassed by the same outer walls. But while the Cathedral is well protected security around the church was slipshod. It was the weak link in the security chain around the Cathedral, an irresistible opening for any terrorist seeking to target the seat of the Coptic pope.

This wasnt the usual attack on police or military targets, the latest of which occurred two days earlier in Giza where six policemen were killed. Nor was it like the attacks in North Sinai where a media black-out serves only to amplify the geographic and emotional distance of such violence from those who live in mainland Egypt.

This attack was closer  far too close  to home. It happened in the heart of Cairo, inside a packed chapel. A bomb was placed in an enclosed space where dozens of women  mothers, daughters, sisters, wives  were praying. The intention was to blow them to pieces. Hours later when the press was allowed entry into the chapel, it still smelled of blood.

On Tuesday evening, the Islamic State group claimed responsbility for the attack in a statement circulated on social media. The group identified the culprit by the nom de guerre of Abu Abdallah El-Masri, vowing to continue attacks against "apostates" in Egypt and elsewhere.

A day earlier, during Mondays funeral procession for the victims, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi revealed the name of the suspected bomber: Mahmoud Shafik Mohamed Mustafa, 22 years old. He was wearing a suicide vest. Four people, including a woman, were also detained in connection to the attack and police were searching for two more, he said.

The Ministry of Interior said Mustafa was a member of a Muslim Brotherhood terrorist cell managed by an Egyptian fugitive doctor in Qatar identified as Mohab Mustafa Al-Sayed Kassem.

According to the Ministry of Interiors statement, the cell which recruited the suicide bomber was told by their Brotherhood leader, the doctor, to make contact with Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis (ABM) the Sinai-based jihadist group that pledged allegiance to IS and changed its name to Wilayet Sinai. It was ABM, said the statement, which trained members of the cell in the use of explosives.

The interior ministrys statement offered a plethora of details in support of an official narrative positing a Brotherhood and a Qatari connection and placing the bombing within the pattern of the Islamist insurgency ongoing since Mohamed Morsi was removed from power in 2013. Yet of all the details, it is the story of the suicide bomber that is receiving the most attention.

It contrasts with a more credible version, repeated as rumour or out of conviction and shared by many at the scene of the atrocity, including survivors of the bombing, that the culprit was a woman who placed the bag of explosives among the pews of the chapels womens section.

None of the eyewitnesses and survivors who spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly said they saw the culprit. Many of them believe, though, that only a woman could have passed unnoticed in the crowd.

Khalil Farag, 80, was still searching for his wife an hour after the attack. He said it was impossible to see anything through the smoke and dust billowing around him. I felt my head was going to explode, I ran out with difficulty and still cant find my wife. It was impossible to see anything.

In a side street leading to Al-Demerdash Hospital Ramzi, who had taken his entire family to the morning Sunday mass, was sitting on the sidewalk leaning on a parked pick-up truck. His daughter in law put her arm on his shoulder as he wept, his face swollen and red. Shes probably dead, she must be dead. Oh God! We were just praying! he cried.

Two of his grandchildren, aged three and one, sat next to him and watched in silence. The one-year-olds white sweater and jacket were stained with blood. It was their mothers. She was injured but alive, receiving treatment in the hospital.

Ramzi said no one searched them or requested to see their IDs as they entered the church. Theres never any security because this is a small church. Its not the Cathedral.

And then he excused himself. I cant talk right now. Im hurting inside.

Inside Al-Demerdash Hospital shocked-looking doctors and hospital staff stood in the narrow corridors which were filled with people. Amid the chaos sounds of anguish could be heard, punctuated by the cries of someone who had just received news of the death of a loved one.

Earlier, Al-Thawra Brigades and Hasm, two terror groups linked to former Brotherhood members which target the police and military, had issued statements disassociating themselves from the attack. The Muslim Brotherhood issued a statement condemning the bombing.

Even before any official announcements had been made experts on jihadist groups were saying the bombing carried all the hallmarks of IS-affiliated groups operating in mainland Egypt. Establishing a connection with Wilayet Sinai, the jihadist group in North Sinai, though, is unlikely to be straightforward.

Mokhtar Awad, research fellow at The Program on Extremism at George Washington University, says that while IS Egypts mainland operation is in contact with and cooperates closely with Wilayet Sinai the operational planning for their attacks seldom originates in Sinai.

There has always been a separate chain of command, at least in the division of labour, between the mainland and the Sinai operation, he told the Weekly.

IS mainland has claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks since 2013, including the attempted assassination of former interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim in east Cairo and the bombings of the Security Directorate in Shubra Al-Kheima and the Italian Consulate in downtown Cairo.

This time there is a more ominous dimension. Egyptian civilians are now a legitimate target. This is a turning point, says Awad.

On Sunday hundreds of people poured into the street outside the cordoned-off Cathedral. They were angry. By the afternoon the small protest had picked up steam and an increasingly anti-government tenor. Chants borrowed from the 2011 uprising were raised  Either we avenge them or die like them  or else modified for the occasion, Raise your head high, youre a Copt. The people demand the downfall of the regime was also chanted, though not for long.

The anger persisted. When four celebrity TV hosts perceived as pro-regime tried to walk through the crowd into the church they were quickly turned away, in one case far from gently.

The anger shouldnt come as a surprise, says Ishak Ibrahim, a researcher on religious freedoms and faith at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR). EIPR documented 45 incidents of sectarian violence against Copts between 2011 and 2014. In 2016 alone there have been 21 cases, according to Ishak.

There is an accumulation of anger, of the feeling that state institutions have nothing to offer in terms of equal citizenship rights, he says.

Sentiments are also running high in other directions, with calls to amend the constitution to allow for the automatic referral of civilians implicated in terror attacks to military tribunals.

Mohamed Abu Hamid, in whose constituency the Cathedral lies, says such measures will deter jihadists.

Terrorists are being protected by the constitution, we havent seen any executions and that must change, he told the Weekly.

Civil rights activists fear such measures will backfire. They warn that further mass arrests will lead to the radicalisation of people serving long prison terms based on little more than suspicion.

The story of Mustafa, the suspected suicide bomber, is a case in point. Yasmine Hossameddin, a lawyer who represented him in 2014 after he was detained and charged with illegal possession of a weapon and membership of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, says he was tortured in prison. He was subsequently released after all charges against him, apart from taking part in an unlicensed protest, were dropped.

Mustafa then left Egypt and his lawyer lost touch with him. Her testimony, published in newspapers and on her Facebook page, clearly implied he was radicalised as a result of his prison experience.

Mustafas story remains opaque and Hossameddins version has raised more warning signs than it has won sympathy. The full consequences of the bombing have yet to be seen.

In Dar Al-Shifaa Hospital, less than a kilometre away from the Cathedral, Ramzi finally found his wife, Sabah, late on Sunday afternoon. He sat on a chair, sobbing, his head resting on a cane next to where she lay in the morgue.

*This article was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly (14 December, 2016)

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Rabbis installation at Keneseth Israel will get a boost of student creativity
Letter to editor: Voting is necessary to protect democracy
WASHINGTON (AP)  A man who stormed into a pizza restaurant in the nation's capital and fired an assault weapon as he tried to "self-investigate" an internet conspiracy theory sought to recruit others in what he called a raid that could involve killing people, court documents released Tuesday say.

Prosecutors announced Tuesday that Edgar Maddison Welch now faces a federal charge of interstate transportation of a firearm with intent to commit a crime, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties.

At a brief hearing Tuesday morning, prosecutors dismissed local charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and other weapons offenses. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia declined to comment, citing the pending investigation.

Welch, 28, of Salisbury, North Carolina, has been in jail since the Dec. 4 shooting at Comet Ping Pong, which has been targeted by purveyors and consumers of fake news who spread false rumors that it's the site of a child sex trafficking ring run by prominent Democrats.

Welch told police "he had read online that the Comet restaurant was harboring child sex slaves and that he wanted to see for himself if they were there," and that "he was armed to help rescue them," according to previously released court documents.

A federal court document made public Tuesday says evidence obtained from Welch's cellphone shows he "had been contemplating a violent confrontation at the restaurant since at least" Dec. 1.

The document details a series of text messages Welch exchanged with two unnamed friends. He asked one friend if his Army buddy might be "down for the cause?" which he described as "Raiding a pedo ring, possibly sacraficing (sic) the lives of a few for the lives of many," and standing up against "a corrupt system that kidnaps, tortures and rapes babies and children in our own backyard."

The document suggests the three friends met, but doesn't say anything about them joining Welch for his trip to Washington. One friend texted encouragement as Welch drove. The document also says Welch recorded a video on his phone on the day of the shooting, telling his family members that he loved them and expressing hopes that he would be able to tell them that again.

"And if not," he said, "don't ever forget it."

Welch walked into the Comet Ping Pong restaurant carrying a .38 revolver in a holster on his hip and the AR-15 assault weapon across his chest "in a manner that instilled fear in everyone who saw him," the document said. Customers and employees fled, and when one worker unwittingly walked in through a rear door, Welch pointed his weapon at that employee, who also fled, the document says.

The federal document says Welch said he fired at a locked door as he "searched for evidence of hidden rooms or tunnels or child sex-trafficking of any kind. An earlier document, supporting the now-dismissed local charges, said Welch fired repeatedly, striking the walls, one door and a desktop computer.

Welch "surrendered peacefully when he found no evidence that underage children were being harbored in the restaurant," court documents have said. No one was hurt.

His parents, Terri Welch and Harry Welch Jr., were in court on Tuesday, but declined to speak to an Associated Press reporter.

They did speak with The Washington Post (http://wapo.st/2hxFSql) at their son's public defender's office on Monday, saying he shifted from energetic and outgoing to melancholy and quiet after he hit a 13-year-old pedestrian with his car in October. He began having nightmares, but did not to seek help, they said.

No charges were filed in the crash, but Harry Welch said his son felt guilty and worried about the long-term impact on the child, who had to be airlifted to a hospital with broken bones and a head injury.

"He was very traumatized. We feel that accident changed him," Harry Welch said, and his wife said they have wondered whether it could have been a catalyst for the gun violence. The couple had not spoken with their son since the shooting.

Edgar Welch's parents described him as loving and responsible, an affectionate father to two young girls, and so religious that he has two Bible verses, Isaiah 40:30-31, tattooed across his back. After Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake, he spent weeks there building houses with a church.
Egypt's Minister of Defence Sobhi Sedky visited Sundays Cairo church bombing injured survivors, who are receiving treatment at El-Galaa military hospital in the capital, the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesperson announced on his Facebook page.

Sedky told the survivors said that the Egyptian army and police will continue in their mission to eradicate radicalism and terrorism.

Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mahmoud Hegazy accompanied the minister on the visit.

At least 25 people were killed and 49 were injured in the suicide bomb attack, which took place inside the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, which is attached to the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo's Abbasiya district.

The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

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The publication's parent company has denied wrongdoing and vowed to challenge the decision in court

The government committee tasked with seizing the assets of members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood announced on Wednesday that it froze the assets of a number of businessmen including Mostafa Sakr, the publisher of the English-language newspaper Daily News Egypt and the Arabic-language Boursa News.

Sakr, whose assets were frozen for allegedly belonging to the Brotherhood, is the chairman of the Business News company, which owns the two aforementioned publications.

Business News issued a statement on Wednesday denying any affiliation with any political or religious group and vowed to challenge the committees decision in court.

The company has been working in the press and media field since 2008, and neither it nor any of its employees or founders belong to any partisan, political or religious groups, the company said.

The company added that it has never expressed any bias towards a particular group, while its editorial line is of a liberal nature.

The statement also pointed out that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi had published two op-eds in Daily News Egypt [in 2014 and 2015] on the countrys economic strategies during the annual Euromoney Egypt Conference.

Daily News Egypt has been a media sponsor of the Euromoney Egypt for several years.

The publication was launched in 2005 as Egypt's first independent English-language daily newspaper.

The paper briefly shut down in April 2012 but was re-launched in May of that year after it was acquired by Boursa News.

The committee to seize the assets of members ofthe Brotherhood was formed shortly after the group was designated as a terrorist organisation in late 2013.

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South Sudan has over the past week ordered two senior employees of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) to leave the country, without explanation, the aid organisation said Wednesday.

The expulsions follow the deportation of an American journalist from the war-torn country and come as alarm rises over spreading violence, with UN human rights experts warning "ethnic cleansing" was underway.

The NRC's country director was asked to leave last Friday after being held by security services for more than a day, and its area manager for the northern Warrap state was told to leave on Tuesday.

"NRC has not received any formal explanation of the charges against these two individuals," the organisation said in a statement.

"The order for a second senior staff member to leave is unacceptable," said Jan Egeland, NRC's Secretary General.

"Without assurances from the authorities that we will be able to operate without interference, NRC may have to reassess our ability to deliver assistance at scale in South Sudan," added Egeland.

The aid organisation has been present in South Sudan since 2004, and the first eight months of this year alone provided assistance to over 658,000 people across the country.

South Sudan on Thursday marks three years since civil war broke out, dashing hopes for the world's youngest nation just two years after a hard-won independence from Sudan.

Internal rivalries erupted as President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup, leading to violence that has left tens of thousands dead and more than 2.5 million people displaced.

An August 2015 peace deal was left in tatters when fighting broke out in Juba in July, with violence spreading throughout the country and no prospects for peace in sight.

UN human rights experts warned two weeks ago of a nation on the brink of catastrophe, saying "ethnic cleansing" was underway in several areas of the country as well as "mindboggling" levels of sexual violence.

The NRC estimates that over six million people - more than half the population - need humanitarian assistance.

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Turkey on Wednesday accused the regime in Damascus and its supporters of hampering the implementation of a ceasefire deal that would allow civilians and fighters to leave Aleppo -- Syria's second city.

"We now see that the (Syrian) regime and some separate groups are trying to prevent this (agreement)," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara. "The evacuation could not take place in the full sense."

Rebel officials, Russia and Turkey confirmed on Tuesday that a ceasefire agreement had been reached for civilians and opposition fighters to evacuate from Aleppo.

If implemented, the deal would mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over opposition forces who rose up against him in 2011.

An AFP correspondent in Aleppo said the evacuations had been delayed by several hours after they were expected to begin at 0300 GMT.

"There's Russia here, Iran, powers backed by Iran, and of course the regime. We expect nobody should blame each other on such a humanitarian issue," the Turkish foreign minister said.

"There is an agreement that needs to be implemented," he said.

Cavusoglu said he would speak on the phone on Wednesday with Iranian and Russian counterparts, Mohammad Javad Zarif and Sergei Lavrov.

"I hope everyone will stick to (the agreement), so that the brutality and oppression come to an end," he added.

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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.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has vowed to prevent other nations from intervening in neighboring Yemen, where it has been at war with Iranian-backed Shia rebels since March 2015.

The televised speech at the start of a meeting of his top advisory council on Wednesday included no major policy changes despite regional upheaval and the economic challenge poses by low oil prices.

Salman says Saudi Arabia remains committed to diversifying its economy based on the Vision 2030 roadmap, which includes slashing public spending, reducing reliance on oil revenue and boosting employment in the private sector.

Saudi Arabia views Iran as its main regional rival, and the two support opposite sides in the wars in Yemen and Syria.

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In its report released last week, Transparency International revealed that the Canadian government currently has no knowledge of what entities or individuals actually own nearly half of the 100 priciest residential properties in Vancouver.The anti-corruption NGO noted that the untraceability of the 46 homeswhich have a combined value of over $1 billionstems from the existing regulations governing the ownership of trusts and companies, The Huffington Post Canada reported.Only in Kenya and a select few U.S. states is it easier to set up an untraceable company than it is in Canada, Transparency International said.In Canada, more rigorous identity checks are done for individuals getting library cards than for those setting up companies.The homes in question purportedly belong to shell companies, trusts, and nominees (which pertain to those who dont actually own the property).British Columbia Green Party MLA Andrew Weaver said that the voluntary nature of the disclosure of ownership allows unscrupulous individuals to park their money in high-end real estate.What really needs to be done is to track where the money is coming from, more efficiently, Weaver suggested.Its a getaway car with tinted windows really, and they can stick a chauffeur in there  a nominee  who drives the car but might not even know who the owner is and what theyre using it for, according to Adam Ross, author of the report.Transparency International recommended that the government compel all trusts and companies based in Canada to divulge their beneficial owners, the ones who actually own specific properties (which might not even be the names on their respective property titles).Related Stories:
The leader of Yemen's rebel Houthi government on Wednesday accused Britain of war crimes by supplying weapons that Saudi-led forces were using to "bomb the people".

Abdel Aziz bin Habtoor said Britain had "sold cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia" that it knew would be dropped on Shiite Huthi rebels fighting the internationally-recognised, Saudi-backed administration of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

"I don't think they are guilty of war crimes, I believe so," he told broadcaster Sky News. "They are participating in the bombing of Yemen people."

In response to a parliamentary question about the allegations, Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs that Britain had a "very strict regime for export licences in relation to weapons".

"We exercise that very carefully, and in recent years we have indeed refused export licences in relation to arms, including to Yemen and Saudi Arabia," she added.

"Where there are allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law, then we require those to be properly investigated."

The United States on Tuesday blocked the transfer of precision munitions to ally Saudi Arabia, amid anger about the civilian death toll from the kingdom's bombing campaign in Yemen.

"This reflects our continued, strong concerns with the flaws in the coalition's targeting practices and overall prosecution of the air campaign in Yemen," said the White House.

Saudi Arabia has been a long-term ally of the US and Britain in the Middle East, but British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson last week was rebuked by his government after accusing the country of backing "proxy wars" in the region.

In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against Iran-supported Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies after the rebels overran much of Yemen.

Since then, the rebels have been pushed out of much of Yemen's south, but they still control nearly all of the country's Red Sea coast as well as swathes of territory around the capital Sanaa.

More than 7,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations. Millions of others are dependent on food aid, with nearly 2.2 million children acutely malnourished due to the near-collapse of the health system during the conflict.

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Tuesday was red-letter day in Midland as the city of Midland and Pioneer Natural Resources signed a historic water deal.

The agreement, heralded by those at the Scott Sheffield Courtyard inside the Pioneer Natural Resources complex in Midland, is expected to give Pioneer Natural Resources tens of billions of gallons of treated wastewater over at least a 28-year period to use for hydraulic fracturing operations across the Permian Basin.

In return, the city of Midland will receive $110 million for improvements at an aging water treatment facility at Interstate 20 and Farm-to-Market Road 307 and as much as $2.5 million annually for the reclaimed wastewater.

It is a private-public partnership that is virtually unprecedented in Midlands history.

More Information What the city gets - $110 million for improvements at its water treatment plant. - As much as $2.5 million annually for sale of reclaimed water. What Pioneer gets - 28 years worth of water, up to 84 billion gallons at a discounted price (91 cents per 1,000 gallons). - Options to buy water for the next 20 years at higher rates. - The right of first refusal for any and all reclaimed water. What Pioneer will also invest - A 7-mile pipeline expected to cost $28 million to carry water to areas south of Midland that will help reduce water truck traffic inside the city See More Collapse

This is the ultimate win-win of using a product that is otherwise unusable, and having the city be the beneficiary of an upgrade that otherwise would require taxing the citizens of the city of Midland to get the project done, Pioneer President and COO Tim Dove said.

The Midland City Council unanimously approved the deal during its morning meeting. Dove and Midland Mayor Jerry Morales signed the contracts at a ceremony Tuesday afternoon.

This deal is Pioneers second with a Permian Basin city. Pioneers $117 million deal with Odessa started producing effluent water in January.

Dove said the contract with Midland is twice the size of the Odessa contract. For Midlanders, the deal represents another significant contribution Pioneer has made with the community.

In 2014, Pioneer opened the doors on a six-story, 260,000-square-foot complex on Big Spring Street. The $76 million building and parking garage followed investments of $60 million in its field offices along East Highway 80 and in Midkiff, according to previous Reporter-Telegram articles.

Fitch Ratings reported this year that Pioneer has remained the countys top taxpayer for more than 10 years.

State Rep. Tom Craddick said Pioneer has always been a great corporate citizen. Pioneer came into existence when Parker & Parsley Petroleum merged with Mesa Inc. in 1997, and while the companys headquarters moved to Irving, there was always a presence in Midland.

Thank you for coming back to your roots and where it all started, Craddick said. We have a lot of great partners in this city  Midland has been built by corporate partners that helped build this city  but there is none better than Pioneer.

The city of Midland has achieved another success story on the water front.

In 2013, the city celebrated a $200 million, 67-mile pipeline project that carries water from the T-Bar Ranch area in Winkler County. That project and subsequent $30 million Clearwater project helped guarantee 70 years of water supply to the city, according to a 2015 Reporter-Telegram article.

Robert Patrick, assistant city manager with the city of Midland, previously told the Reporter-Telegram that the need to improve its water treatment operations was certain to happen because Midlands current water treatment facility is aging and because Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regulations have become more stringent.

This landmark deal will help achieve the improvements the city seeks. The city, according to the discussion in Tuesdays council meeting, has millions of gallons of wastewater that it currently sends to acreage in the Spraberry area. Pioneer is set to make use that water, which otherwise will be sent down Midland Draw and south of the community.

We understand being without water that our city cant survive and cant thrive economically, Mayor Jerry Morales said.

City Manager Courtney Sharp in a press release stated: This is a perfect example of how public and private entities can maximize their resources by working together.

Both sides were complimentary of the deal in that Pioneer pipelines south of Midland  another $28 million investment  will transport that water across the region so its water trucks wont tear up city and county roads.

State Sen. Kel Seliger also credited Pioneer for being a leader in water reuse and is doing environmentally friendly projects like the ones with the cities of Midland and Odessa without a law requiring it to be done.

How many cities get $100 million water plants for Christmas? Seliger quipped.

Indeed, it appears Christmas came early for the city, its residents and Pioneer.
If a dog or cat is picked up by the city of Midland twice in a three-year period, it will have to be spayed or neutered before being released back to its owner.

That is what the Midland City Council has determined, passing the first reading of an ordinance designed to help reduce the number of stray animals inside the city and reduce the number of animals euthanized.

Paul ONeill, outgoing director of Animal Services, told the Reporter-Telegram that about 2,400 animal were euthanized last fiscal year. He added so far this fiscal year, which includes October and November, 434 animals have been euthanized, an increase from 315 during the same period last year.

He said the new ordinance will help a pet population that is increasing to the point where animals are having to be euthanized. According to council agenda documents, neutering an animal has been proven to reduce their instinct to roam.

For example, ONeill said, male dogs can smell a female in heat 3 miles to 4 miles away. If that dog is neutered or the female is spayed, there wont be the urge to respond. This keeps unwanted pet breeding down and fewer pets for the Animal Services to respond to.

In a lot of situations, (spaying or neutering) calms pet down, as well, ONeill said.

The ordinance, if passed on second reading, will allow for a blank slate for pet owners after the ordinance goes into effect. If Animal Services captures a stray pet, thats strike one, and the pet can be released back to the owner without a spay or neutering requirement. However, if that pet becomes a stray and is caught by Animal Services within three years of the first time it was taken in, thats strike two. Animal Services then will require the spay or neutering of an animal.

Animal Services officials will contact the owner and arrange for the spay or neutering to take place with a veterinarian before being released back to the owner.

We want the animal back with owner, ONeill said.

The ordinance came before the council without a time restriction. Council members, however, said there was no need to punish the typically responsible pet owner whose animal was loose less frequently. Still, the preference appeared to have an ordinance that was clear that a second strike would mean an animal would have to be fixed. As one official said, An unaltered animal is a huge responsibility.

Animal Services officials said pet owners whose animals are licensed or microchipped are likely to be returned home because officials would rather return the animal than bring them to the shelter.

This ordinance is a second step being taken by the city of Midland in its call for responsible pet ownership. ONeill called the city voucher program, which can used to help pay for the spaying or neutering of a pet, one of the best in the state. The program has also been called a reason for the drop in the number of animal euthanized (from 4,286 FY 2007-08 to 2,400 last year).

The Midland Humane Coalition worked with the city of Midland to help draft the ordinance.

Fee increase: A second ordinance passed Tuesday raises the fee to claim an unaltered animal from $80 to $100. City officials hope this become an incentive to use the voucher program currently in place and get the animal spayed or neutered at the time of first impoundment.

Animal Services, according to the city, picks up about 6,682 loose animals each year. If 20 percent are released back to their owner with the $20 increase, the fiscal impact would be about $26,700, according to the city.

ONeill heads to Denton: ONeill announced Tuesday that his last day with the city would be Dec. 23. He accepted a position with the city of Denton. ONeill has been with the city of Midland since June of 2007, he said.
Hundreds of Kuwaitis protested outside the Russian embassy on Wednesday to condemn Moscow's support for the Syrian regime besieging rebel-held Aleppo.

Carrying banners saying "Stop crimes" and "Save Aleppo," around 2,000 demonstrators marched on the diplomatic compound housing the embassy in Kuwait City.

Speakers called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "criminal" and urged the government to expel Russia's ambassador.

"Today, the Syrian people are at war with Russia... dead bodies are in the streets of Aleppo," Islamist lawmaker Jamaan al-Harbash told the crowd.

"We call on Turkey and the Gulf states to expel Russian envoys and sever diplomatic ties with Moscow," he said.

Speakers also condemned Iran and Shiite militias, accusing them of indiscriminate killings of civilians in Aleppo.

MP Thamer al-Suwait called the war in Syria a "genocide".

Former lawmaker Ahmad al-Shuhumi condemned what he labelled "a dirty sectarian war led by Iran against the Sunni Muslims."

Protesters then marched towards the fence of the compound, shouting: "The people want the expulsion of the ambassador".

Police watched the demonstration closely but it ended peacefully.

Kuwait's parliament is set to hold a special debate on Aleppo on December 28, speaker Marzouk al-Ghanem said Wednesday.

Kuwait has also called on the Arab League to hold an emergency meeting Monday to discuss Aleppo.

Opposition MPs urged Gulf Cooperation Council nations Tuesday to expel Russian ambassadors over what they called Moscow's role in "genocide" in Aleppo.

Kuwaiti charities and the Kuwait Red Crescent Society have launched fund-raising campaigns for victims of the fighting in Aleppo.

During a weeks-long regime assault to retake rebel-held parts of Aleppo, the city has seen some of the worst fighting in Syria's five-year war.

More than 310,000 people have been killed since the Syrian conflict began, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees.

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Lady Gaga has clapped back at Piers Morgan after he questioned her PTSD from being raped at the age of 19. Following his accusations, the two are reportedly setting up an interview where Gaga will defend her diagnosis.

Gaga recently revealed that she struggles with PTSD during a visit to the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBTQ youth in New York City. Her visit was aired on the Today show. She also posted an open letter to her Born This Way Foundation website to educate others on PTSD, which is a very real and legitimate illness not just limited to soldiers.

In Morgans opinion Gagas diagnosis is vain-glorious nonsense and he claims that the star is simply using it to promote herself. He further claims that he comes from a big military family and insinuating the PTSD was limited to soldiers. Morgan also claims that Gagas rape is simply an allegation since no police report was filed.

No, soldiers returning from battlefields do.

Enough of this vain-glorious nonsense. https://t.co/WR2ODolv8v  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 10, 2016

I come from a big military family. It angers me when celebrities start claiming 'PTSD' about everything to promote themselves. https://t.co/IeSiGQkOjb  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 10, 2016

No.

Lady Gaga & Madonna have both made ALLEGATIONS of rape many years after the event.

No police complaint, no charges, no court case. https://t.co/N8oWjcMKAC  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 10, 2016

I don't think all claims of rape should be necessarily accepted as fact without proper criminal investigation, do you? https://t.co/ogFjSUmgTU  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 10, 2016

I wouldn't automatically believe anything either Madonna or Lady Gaga claimed about their lives. https://t.co/4JJcP17cjp  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 12, 2016

But Gaga handled the situation with class, respectfully offering to do an interview in order to educate his viewers on the difficulties of women reporting rape and why PTSD is not just a military disorder.

@piersmorgan I've work w/ our VP Joe Biden on helping educate people about why women don't report, would love to share it w/ you some time.  xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) December 13, 2016

OK, you're on.

Let's do an interview about this & you can tell me why I'm wrong to be sceptical. https://t.co/CFLOL06Emq  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 13, 2016

@piersmorgan would also love to talk with you about PTSD, that it's not just a "military" disorder. There is a mental health youth epidemic.  xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) December 13, 2016

@piersmorgan if anyone in your family suffers from it, I pray they have more good days than bad. It has affected me & my whole family.  xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) December 13, 2016

I know numerous soldiers with PTSD, it's a very serious thing. I also know people who claim to have it but clearly don't. Let's talk... https://t.co/ZTk5mSZLBt  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 13, 2016

I'm both.

This interview would air worldwide.

Reckon you can handle me @ladygaga ? https://t.co/tedWugyXHi  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 13, 2016

@piersmorgan Let's do that & yes Mr. Morgan, I can handle u. Suprised you would question that. Was that the 1st question of our interview?  xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) December 13, 2016

Yes!

OK @ladygaga, we have a deal.

I'll get my people to contact your people.

It's an important debate. https://t.co/WY2mmVZDFT  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 13, 2016

@piersmorgan if you continue to shame me in the process of kindly agreeing to interview w/ u I'll happily do the interview with someone else  xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) December 13, 2016

As of yet, no official interview has been announced.

 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
President Salva Kiir called Wednesday for a "national dialogue" to end the three-year-long civil war in South Sudan.

In a speech to parliament, Kiir, whose wrangling for power with his former deputy Riek Machar plunged the world's newest nation into a brutal, destructive and ongoing civil war in December 2013, said the dialogue would "consolidate peace" in South Sudan.

Kiir said a panel of "eminent personalities and people of consensus" would guide the national dialogue which would involve "all the people of South Sudan" but did not say who the panel members would be.

The ambitious aims of the initiative, he said, are to "save the country from disintegration and usher in a new era of peace, stability and prosperity."

"As long as I am your president, I will not allow the suffering of our people to continue and I will not also allow this country to fall apart," Kiir said.

Kiir's troops and allied militia have been accused of ethnic massacres, rape and sexual slavery, looting, pillage and the forced recruitment of child soldiers. Rebels have perpetrated similar crimes.

In recent weeks fresh ethnic killings -- most allegedly carried out by Kiir's forces -- in and around the southern town of Yei have triggered genocide warnings from the UN.

In his speech Kiir asked forgiveness "for any mistakes I might have committed" but did not specify what they might be.

Neither was there any mention of justice for crimes committed, nor of his arch enemy Machar who is currently in exile in South Africa after being chased from the country during battles that raged in the capital Juba in July.

Nevertheless, Kiir issued a directive to both government and rebel forces "to immediately cease hostilities, protect their fellow citizens and prepare the ground for a more peaceful, secure and joyous Christmas and New Year."

Kiir's call comes at the start of the traditional fighting season, after the rains have stopped, and on the eve of the civil war's third anniversary.

In Geneva, the UN human rights council held a special session on South Sudan on Wednesday, passing a resolution that called on Kiir's government to put an end to widespread atrocities and bring the perpetrators of past violations to justice.

The head of the UN's human rights commission for South Sudan, Yasmin Sooka, also reissued her warning that the country risked plunging into a crisis similar to the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda.

"South Sudan stands on the brink of an all-out ethnic civil war, which could destabilize the entire region," she told the council.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed Wednesday in a phone call that violations of a ceasefire deal agreed for the Syrian city of Aleppo should stop, Turkish presidential sources said.

"In the phone call, they stressed that the ceasefire agreement secured yesterday night should be put into practice (and) the violations of the deal must be stopped," the sources said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed only to RIA Novosti state news agency that the call took place.

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Human Rights Watch on Wednesday called on Nigeria to end a crackdown on a pro-Iran Shia Islamic movement and obey a court ruling ordering its leader's release.

Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) leader Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife have spent more than a year in prison following three days of clashes between his followers and soldiers in the northern city of Zaria in December last year.

"Nigerian authorities should hold accountable anyone who has committed crimes against Islamic Movement members, and take immediate steps to comply with a federal court order mandating the release of... Zakzaky and his wife," said Human Rights Watch in a statement.

The global rights watchdog said its intervention followed a report of a judicial commission of inquiry which found that the army used "excessive force" against IMN members during the December 12-14, 2015 clashes.

"The involvement of soldiers in the Zaria incidents, and subsequent police actions against the Islamic Movement raises major questions about Nigeria's commitment to military reform," said Mausi Segun, senior Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"The Kaduna state government's continued repression of the group without holding the attackers responsible turns justice on its head."

Apart from banning the IMN in October, the government last week called for Zakzaky's prosecution for his group's alleged "lawlessness" over the past 30 years.

The government accused the IMN of "allegiance to a foreign power", an apparent reference to Iran.

Trouble started on December 12 when Zakzaky's supporters refused to allow the chief of army staff's convoy to pass through the northern city of Zaria, sparking violent fighting that left some 350 people dead.

Zakzaky was shot and injured, leaving him partly paralysed and blinded in one eye while his home and several religious centres were demolished.

In April, Amnesty International accused the military of shooting dead some 350 Shia Muslims, burying them in mass graves and destroying evidence of the crime.

Zakzaky has previously been imprisoned for calling for an Iranian-style revolution to create a Shiite Islamic state in the country's north.

Last month, at least 10 people were killed and several injured when police opened fire in clashes with the IMN during a religious procession.

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New members inducted into Institute of ...
One of China's most popular online community for Muslims has been shuttered after posting a petition asking Chinese President Xi Jinping to stop his "brutal suppression" of activists, the letter's authors told AFP Wednesday.

Since 2003, the "Zhongmu Wang" website, or 2muslim.com, functioned as an "online network of Muslims sharing Islam", according to archived descriptions.

But as of Wednesday the site was inaccessible, showing only a message stating it was "under maintenance".

Two of its affiliated social media accounts were also unavailable, displaying messages that declared one account "abnormal" and the other "in violation of required guidelines".

China officially has more than 23 million Muslims, though some independent estimates say there may be as many as 50 million -- which would put China among the world's top 10 Muslim nations.

While China's constitution enshrines freedom of religious belief, authorities keep strict limits on it, recognising only five belief systems and seeking to control their messages.

The closure came after the posting of an open letter to Xi calling for a halt to the "brutal suppression" of activists and the immediate release of those still detained by the state, according to students who wrote the petition.

The letter criticised Xi for overseeing a crackdown on dissent since coming to power in 2012, with hundreds of lawyers, activists and academics detained and dozens jailed.

"You are not responsible for all of the crimes of the totalitarian system, but as the totalitarian system's head and its commander-in-chief of repression, you must take responsibility for the blood and tears which now flow," it said.

"In the next spring of China's new Jasmine Revolution, who will drive your tanks to crush us, the new generation of students after 1989?"

Yi Sulaiman Gu, a Muslim student studying in the US at the University of Georgia, told AFP the website shut the day after he posted the letter to a forum that had previously hosted sensitive discussions on issues such as China's persecution of Muslim dissidents.

"We believed it would be safe for Zhongmu to post it there," Gu said.

Phone calls to the website's owner went unanswered.

But the letter gained attention when screenshots of it were reposted to China's Twitter-like Weibo by opinion leader Xi Wuyi, a professor of Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who said it proved the site supported Xinjiang separatists.

Violence in Xinjiang, the homeland of China's 10-million strong Uighur ethnic minority, has killed hundreds, with Beijing attributing it to Islamic extremism and foreign influence.

"The Chinese government is very unfriendly to the Muslims inside China, especially the Muslims in Xinjiang," Anthony Chang, a co-author of the letter completing his bachelor's degree at the University of Queensland in Australia, told AFP.

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Italy's parliament on Wednesday endorsed a new government tipped to be so short-lived that its inauguration was seen as the start of battle for the next election.

Incoming Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni's new line-up, appointed after Matteo Renzi quit a week ago following a crushing referendum defeat, was approved by 169 votes for to 99 against in the Senate.

That completed a required parliamentary approval process that was boycotted by some opposition parties which claim the government has no legitimacy in light of the referendum defeat.

Gentiloni has been slammed for naming a new line-up that is virtually a carbon copy of the team that served Renzi.

Italy's biggest opposition party, the populist Five Star Movement (M5S), led the boycott.

Comedian Beppe Grillo's party is betting that a wave of street protests will serve it better as it seeks to displace Renzi's Democratic Party as the country's biggest political force in the countdown to the election.

Opinion polls currently point to them being neck-and-neck, each able to count on the backing of around 30 percent of voters.

With all the opposition parties pounding away at it, the 'photocopy' or 'puppet' government issue has played well on social media with the new premier accused of being a #RenziCloni or heading up a #Genticlone government.

So far, it does not seem to have helped the opposition significantly.

But the issue is reportedly causing concern among some Democratic Party officials who fear the longer the Gentiloni administration goes on, the stronger M5S will get.

Gentiloni said Tuesday his government would continue as long as it could command a majority in parliament, suggesting he would like to continue until the end of the current parliament in February 2018.

But centre-left daily La Repubblica said that would be a "nightmare" scenario for Renzi, who is planning to be the PD's candidate for a return to his old job, and is said to prefer a June election.

Luigi Di Maio, the sharp-suited 30-year-old tipped to be M5S's candidate, claimed that every single day of a Gentiloni administration would be a bonus for his party.

"They are digging their grave with their own hands," he said.

Renzi meanwhile said he was not short of offers of employment after nearly three years as premier.

But he indicated he would be concentrating on his comeback in between doing the school run and getting stuck in traffic around his home town of Pontassieve in Tuscany.

"I know I have a responsibility to all the people who believe in the PD and I can't just say I'm dropping everything," Renzi was quoted as saying by La Repubblica.

The 41-year-old ex-premier is widely seen as having ensured grey-suited Gentiloni took over because he is unlikely to emerge as a serious rival for the party leadership.

Gentiloni, 62, whose measured, softly-spoken manner is in sharp contrast to Renzi's more frenetic style, is due to attend a summit of EU leaders on Thursday.

He has said he will use the Brussels meeting to reiterate Italy's demands for more support on dealing with the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants on its southern shores and for greater leeway on the application of budget rules.

The new leader has reshuffled Renzi's cabinet slightly with former interior minister Angelino Alfano taking over as foreign minister and created a new ministry to promote the economic development of the relatively impoverished south of the country.

Otherwise, it is business as usual on domestic matters: to the delight of the opposition.

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Columbia College Logo View Photos

Columbia, CA  35 Columbia College Fire Academy students will receive their graduation certificates at a ceremony Friday, December 16.

The certificates will be awarded based on the completion of the academic and manipulative training as mandated for a California Level One Firefighter. In addition to the routine fire training classes, specialized training was delivered involving Auto Extrication, Low Angle Rope Rescue Training, Incident Command System, Hazardous Materials Training, Seasonal Wildland Firefighting classes, Confined Space, Basic Power Saw Safety, and live fire suppression training, which was conducted at the Twain Hartes Fire Department Training Center.

Before applying to the state for official certification, students must still complete six months of full-time or one year of part-time field experience. Chief Shane Warner, Columbia College Fire Technology Program Coordinator and professor says, Some of the graduates will apply or continue with reserve, intern and volunteer positions at local or state-wide fire departments since entering the academy. Many of the students will pursue associate degrees in fire technology at Columbia College. Instructor Andy Van Hoogmoed says, Some of the students are already applying for seasonal employment with CAL Fire, Forest Service, and local fire agencies

Speakers at the ceremony will include College President Dr. Angela Fairchilds, Mike Marcucci CAL Fire Battalion Chief, and Erick Vanderveer Captain with Hayward Fire Department.

The open to the public ceremony at the Oak Pavilion will start at 6pm.

The 2016 graduates include:

Colin Arendse

Connor Bailey-Gates

Robert Bebernes

Austin Blagg

Joshua Boykin

Johnathan Corona

Brendan Danicourt

Garrett Davis

Coleton Fields-Richardson

Kelley Figley

Erik Findley

Tanner Hagstrom

Christian Johnson

Magnus Johnson

Clay Kassahn

Tyler Love

Mitchell Lubenko

Blake Marcus

Sterling Mayberry

Justin McCready

Thomas McIntyre

Myranda Miller

Meghan Myers

Randy Ogden

Alex Saenz

Cheraya Serpa

Bradley Smith

Dylan Souza

Justin Taylor

Frisco Townzen

Nathaniel Ulvevadet
Golden Age Of Aviation View Photos

The first passenger airplane, built in 1928, will be at the Pine Mountain Lake Airport this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Ed and Janet Gregory were Wednesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Ed is the President of the Northern Yosemite Chapter of the EAA (Chapter 1337).

EAA, the Experimental Aircraft Association, is an international aviation membership association founded in 1953 and headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. EAA is also a 501(c)(3) organization.

The Northern Yosemite Chapter of the EAA serves the Tuolumne County airports of Columbia and Pine Mountan Lake.

The public is invited to the Pine Mountain Lake Airport in Groveland this Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 AM to 5 PM to see the historic Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT-B. Rides will also be available. There are only five Ford Tri-Motors airplanes left in the world that are still capable of flying.

Liberty Aviation Museums 1928 Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT-B, serial No. 8, flew its first flight on December 1, 1928. It was sold to Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT, the logo that graces the aircrafts fuselage today) in January 1929 where it became NC9645 and was named City of Wichita. It inaugurated westbound transcontinental commercial air service on July 7, 1929, with sister ship City of Columbus.

In April 1931, ownership of the aircraft was transferred to Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA). Here the aircraft helped in the development of TWAs route system.

Eugene Frank of Caldwell, Idaho, acquired the aircraft in 1955, where it remained in storage until July 1964, when it was purchased by Nevadas William F. Harrah of Harrahs Hotel and Casinos. Harrah began an extensive seven-year renovation, bringing the aircraft back to airworthy status and restoring the corrugated skin. The former smooth-skin Ford had its first post-restoration flight in 1971 and flew in Reno several times before being moved to static display as part of Harrahs impressive automobile collection . After Harrahs death, parts of his collection, including NC9645, were auctioned off in June 1986 to high bidder Gary Norton of Athol, Idaho.

In February 1990, the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, acquired the aircraft. It remained in storage there until 1996 when another restoration of the aircraft started, returning it to flying condition once again.

In 2014, the aircraft was acquired by Ed Patrick and the Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton, Ohio. After further maintenance to ensure the aircraft was tour-ready, Liberty entered into a lease agreement with EAA, working together to showcase the historic aircraft around the country.

EAA sponsors many aviation education programs including the EAA Young Eagles program. More than 160,000 people currently belong to EAA, with local Chapters located in all 50 states and many countries.

Members are aviation enthusiasts of every age group, including many airline and commercial pilots, engineers, business people and even astronauts. Members enjoy all types of airplanes, including experimental aircraft, those aircraft built by individual craftsmen, rather than in a factory.

Experimental refers to the category of aircraft designed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for these types of airplanes. Similar to standard category aircraft, Experimental aircraft are inspected and certified airworthy by FAA.

The EAA is dedicated to making flying more fun for everyone involved. Each chapter reaches out to people of all ages, beginning with the youth ages 8 through 17 years, whom they call Young Eagles, through adults of all ages. The EAA offers something for everyone from building aircraft to flying. Chapter activities include: BBQ/potlucks, builder clinics, safety seminars, tours, poker runs (fund raisers), and Young Eagle rallies.

For information regarding EAA Chapter 1337, call (209) 962-5061. The website for information regarding the Ford Tri-Motor is www.flytheford.org

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Tuolumne County Planning Commission View Photos

Sonora, CA  The Tuolumne County Planning Commission will review a proposed ordinance next week that would ban the commercial sale of marijuana in the unincorporated areas of the county.

The action comes following the passage of Proposition 64, which legalizes the use of recreational marijuana in California, and the ability to grow up to six personal plants. Tuolumne Countys ordinance would make it illegal to grow marijuana that is not for personal use, and outlaw the sale of marijuana from one person to another.

The commission will give a recommendation on the ordinance, and the Board of Supervisors will have the final say at a future meeting.

The ordinance is considered to be at the least a short-term solution. The supervisors are creating a marijuana working group to review a broad range of issues related to cannabis, and that group could bring forward more long-term solutions at a later time. The Supervisors indicated at a recent meeting they at least want to have an interim plan in place while more information is being collected and reviewed.

The ban would only impact the unincorporated areas of the county as the City of Sonora is in charge of rules in regulations in its jurisdiction. The city has not yet taken up any legislation to this point following the passage of Proposition 64.
In four solo exhibitions, Egyptian artists Chadi Adib Salama, Tamer Shahin, Bassam Al-Zoghby and Tarek Radi explore the intangible, from knowledge and spirituality to loneliness

Four solo exhibitions are currently on show in rooms of the Saad Zaghloul Centre. They share a common undertone of tapping into emotion-based values, each in their own way. The exhibitions opened 6 December and will continue until 19 December.

In independent displays, four artists  Chadi Adib Salama, Tamer Shahin, Bassam Al-Zoghby and Tarek Radi  use a variety of medium (drawing, painting on leather, and photography) to explore spirituality, motion and the intangible.

The first hall lures visitors in with Chadi Adib Salamas golden leather pieces, pinned on the wall, titled The Holy Knowledge.

Salamas pieces are part of a larger work by the artist on The Reproduction of Knowledge that he began five years ago, based on the idea that the response to knowledge is knowledge itself, according to the works description at Saad Zaghloul Centre. The artist links the pursuit of knowledge with a spiritual journey.

Salama painted leather hides in bright gold, a classic colour choice evoking material worth. The pieces fill the walls without a frame, in this case a statement on raw value.

For some pieces the shape of the hide is left organically irregular, but the material itself is, in contrast, heavily worked with Arabic calligraphy and lettering  a mixture of large text that can be read from a distance, and smaller text to be seen up close.

One of the irregularly shaped pieces reads in large Kufic letters the word Eqraa (Read), the first word the Prophet Mohammad received from God in the Qurans text. The word is a nod to readings direct relationship with knowledge, and evokes a spiritual value alongside the material value of the gold leather.

Displayed on one of the walls are leather pieces cut in circles, also similarly adorned with text, but in those the artist layered some parts with additional leather pieces, making the overall texture uneven and intentionally unrefined.

The work of Tamer Shahin takes up the next hall, with his digital photography project Fi Hadret Mawlana (In the Presence of Mawlana).

The photographs depict scenes of people at a moulid (festival) for Zein Al-Abidin.

Zayn Al-Abidin is the name of Ali Ibn Al-Husayn, also known as the Fourth Imam, a descendant of the Prophet Mohammad who to this day is celebrated within both Shia and Sufi circles, and has around four texts on asceticism and religious practice attributed to him.

Shahin has written some words to accompany the images, citing a conversation with a woman he met at the moulid whom, he discovers, works as a house-cleaning lady but holds a doctoral degree in geology.

All of us here are like this, regardless of our different background. From all governorates we come here to serve and Im fully devoted to this now and have left behind me all the worlds burdens and problems and ask nothing from it, the woman tells Shahin. He describes her and other moulid attendees as answering the call to divine love.

The images are intense, packed and layered. Text verses of prayers are superimposed over portraits of moulid attendees resulting in scenes as busy as the artist describes them in his text.

Eight large photographic prints by Bassam Al-Zoghby are displayed in the centre's central hall.



Under the title Solo, Al-Zoghby visually explores the subject of loneliness.

The feeling of loneliness is not related to sitting alone; it could be not being in tune with people around you, feeling disconnected or that everyone is distracted from you in their own world, El-Zoghby tells Ahram Online.

This project was about a more personal subject, he tells Ahram Online.

I cant remember the first time I felt loneliness. I was young and only aware of the frustrating discomfort of this feeling  as the years went by, despite involvement in various social circles, this feeling still overcomes me, Al-Zoghby writes in his description.

The works are thematically different than Al-Zoghbys journalistic photos for Al-Ahram, for which he covers arts and culture events.

Yet visually, Al-Zoghby stays true to his love for capturing movement, which makes even his journalistic photographs artistic.

In his previous exhibitions, Al-Zoghbys colours were vibrant and not largely black.

All in black and white, with a flash of scarlet red, each frame contains a sole figure in twirling movements, captured with exaggerated motion through long exposure.

This time black is dominant, the figures appear to exist in a dark vacuum, or an empty stage, as if dancing when no one is looking, twirling in vigorous circles repeatedly, each self-contained in a frame, solo. The camera catches their sweeping body movements like a canvas catches paint from a brushstroke.

I like to leave it open for people to interpret as they wish. But for me this movement could be someone trying to escape the loneliness, but who remains trapped  someone who is not at peace, he says.

In the last display hall, Tarek Radis pieces entail a different type of approach to what is intangible, with a body of drawings and hand prints titled 'Serendipity.'

Using print making on paper, his choice of medium is less complex than the other artists exhibiting in parallel at the centre.

Radis work can be seen as meditative, not through spirituality but in his long-term approach of comprehensively observing and dissecting scenes in Egyptian society.

The works were produced as part of a long term project over the last two years, as a result of research, observation and experimentation on scenes and experiences in various environments, Radi writes describing his project.

He captures social rhythm on paper, through abstracted figures and objects that float nowhere specific. His technique brings to mind childrens stamping exercise, but with more mature and deliberate compositions.

Looking at tens of his pieces lined up, the artist seems to have lost himself in his own world. Its as if you can see him spending long quiet hours producing them from scenes in his memory.

Programme:

The exhibition opens on Tuesday, 6 December at 7pm, and will run until 19 December

Open from 10 am to 2 pm, and 5pm to 9pm daily, except Fridays.

Saad Zaghloul Cultural Centre, 2 Saad Zaghloul Street, El-Mounira, Cairo



For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Every year, people flock to a tiny Orange County town to share a little bit of real Christmas spirit.

Christmas, Florida post office has special holiday stamps

The stamps attract customers from all over Florida with Christmas cards



HAPPY HOLIDAYS: Stories | Holiday Homes | Holiday Events | Holiday Travel Tips

John Clark and stepdaughter Cassie made the short driver down State Road 50 from Titusville Tuesday.

We've been making this an annual tradition, Clark said.

The Clarks head for the post office in the town of Christmas, in east Orange County. There they mail Christmas cards to family members across the country  with a special touch.

There, guests can use stamps to add a special touch to the mail  from several snowmen, to Kris Kringle himself, surrounded by the phrase, "It's Always Christmas in Christmas, Florida.

Local postal workers then take all the mail to Orlando for the commemorative official post office seal.

It's not just for locals, people come from all around to get the special postmark.

Catherine Haight is here for the first time and drove a hundred miles from Brooksville in Hernando County.

I was like, I'm off today, I'm going! Haight said.

The post office is flooded with patrons each day, trying to get those special cards and letters off in time for Christmas.

This post office was established back in 1892.

If you go, bring your driver's license inside to borrow a stamper. Unfortunately, over the years thieves have swiped the stamps.
The 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) took place between 7 and 14 December

Egyptian actor Ali Sobhy won the Muhr feature award for Best Actor in Ali, the Goat, and Ibrahim (Ali, Mea'za And Ibrahim) at the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), while Egyptian director Mohamed Hammad won the Best Director award for Withered Green (Akhdar Yabes).

Ali, The Goat, And Ibrahim had its world premiere at DIFF alongside eight other Egyptian films.

Directed by Sherif El-Bendary, Ali, The Goat And Ibrahim was written by Ahmed Amer and is based on the story by Ibrahim El-Batout.

The film was produced by Mohamed Hefzy's Fortress Film Clinic and Hossam Elouans Transit Films.

Ali, The Goat, And Ibrahim tells the story of a man who believes that his dead girlfriend has been reincarnated as a goat that he names Nada.

At the healers clinic, Ali meets Ibrahim, and they are both diagnosed as being cursed.

When the healer prescribes a solution to break the spell, it sets them off on an adventure that takes them to the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Nile.

The film also stars Ahmed Magdy, Salwa Mohamed Ali and Nahed El-Sebaee.

During its production phase, the film won three financial awards at the Final Cut Venice workshop and the ARTE prize in Dubai.

Hammad's Withered Green, an Egyptian-French production, had its MENA premiere at DIFF.

The film first screened at Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur (FIFF), which ran between 30 September and 6 October.

The film tells the story of traditional and conservative Iman, who had to take care of Noha, her younger sister, after the death of their parents.

When Noha receives a marriage proposal, Iman is required to ask their uncles to meet the groom and his family as per custom in Arab societies, but instead she ignores tradition.

Withered Green, Hammad's first feature film, also participated in the Locarno Film Festival in August.

Between 2006 and 2012, Hammad, now 36, wrote and directed a number of short films, including El-Geneh El-Khames (The Fifth Pound), Central (2008) and Ahmar Bahet (Faded Red, 2010).

The films selected for the Muhr Short category are an exceptional collection of contemporary cinema which grants a true audience experience by entering into the Arab world and capturing the essence of its dynamic community," Masoud Amralla, DIFFs artistic director, had described this year's selection in the festivals press release.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Rather than delay a decision until all members were present, the Plainview City Council on Tuesday voted 5-0 to adopt and implement a new Classification and Compensation Plan for employees, effective Jan. 9.

By starting it in January instead of waiting until April 3 or after the start of the next fiscal year in October, the action adds $253,000 in expenses to the current budget. Over a full year, the increased payroll cost will be $337,560.

The comprehensive look at employee job duties, salaries and benefits as compared with peer communities in the region and state and the private sector began in February by Public Sector Personnel Consultants. Its the first in depth study for the city in 20 years.

The plan, approved Tuesday on first reading, adds about 5.33 percent to overall payroll costs and changes the citys current six-step advancement structure to a nine-step plan. It found that base pay for 52 civilian employees was below Step 1 for their job classifications. Bringing them up to step level will cost about $84,000. Bringing salaries up for those who are between steps will cost another $31,000.

For police and fire, the adjustments will cost $195,000 and result in a 5 percent base pay adjustment for all certified police and fire personnel. The starting base pay in each department will go from $34,952 to $36,704 with a goal of $38,000 to $40,000 starting pay in the future.

We are striving to reach a mid-point across the board, explained City Manager Jeffrey Snyder. But we are having to take an incremental approach over a two- to three-year period because of the impact it will have on the budget.

During the councils pre-session, Mayor Wendell Dunlap offered council members the option of putting off a vote until the next meeting since Council Members Charles Starnes, John Gatica and Oliver Aldape were absent. However the council opted to move forward with Tuesdays vote. A second and final vote will be taken when the council next meets in a couple of weeks.

We have prolonged this long enough, explained Teressa King. I hate to drag it out any longer.

Harrison Hart, vice president of the Plainview Professional Firefighters Union, told the council his group approves of the action while encouraging them to continue working toward bringing salaries to comparable levels with other cities.

Hart explained that according to the pay study conducted by Public Sector Personnel Consultants, "we are 25 to 30 percent below the market average now. The current 5 percent raise moves us to 20-25 percent below the market average."

He told the council Tuesday that his group has a goal to reach at least a total of 15 percent over the next several years and reaching that goal would move the local compensation to 10 percent below the market average.

Each member of the council expressed admiration and support for Plainviews police and firefighters. I still personally feel yall are underpaid since youre risking you lives every day for about $15 per hour, King said. Larry Williams added, Were on your side 100 percent. Who knows, I might even need you tonight. I want to make sure we take the moves necessary to put this into place for future councils so it will be as permanent as possible.

Referring to the reality of having to adopt a deficit budget again this year, Council Member Norma Juarez said, If it was up to us, you would be getting all of it now instead of have to wait two or three years.

Susan Blackerby who made the original motion to implement the compensation plan in January thanked firefighters and police for their service to the community. Dunlap complemented the large number of firefighters and others attending Tuesday nights meeting for taking part in your city government.

In addition to adopting the compensation plan, the council established a new economic development program under Chapter 380 of the Local Government Code. That program establishes incentives for companies involved in renewable energy and electrical generation which otherwise do not qualify for tax abatements.

Following a 30-minute executive session, the council used the newly-approved incentive program to offer General Electric up to 65 percent reimbursement of taxes assessed and paid for wind turbine components. The economic development agreement, effective immediately, is for the next five years.

On Monday, the Hale County Commissioners Court approved a similar incentive package which calls for 60 percent reimbursement of taxes. Neither are retroactive.

On Jan. 1, 2016, GE was assessed more than a $1 million in property taxes by local entities for wind turbine components stored at the BNSF Logistics Center on East Fifth Street, while awaiting shipment to various construction sites. Project delays along with the massive winter storm Goliath which hit Dec. 25-26 were factors in delaying shipment which triggered the tax assessments under provisions of the states goods in transit regulations.

The council Tuesday also accepted bid from Caldwell Country Chevrolet for four 2017 Chevrolet Tahoes for the police department. Cost is $125,960 or $31,490 per vehicle. That represents a 12 percent savings from what the city paid for the same model vehicles last year. They will replace four patrol units being retired from the police fleet.
With his passion for quality healthcare and dedication to the people of the South Plains, there couldnt have been a better fit for Covenant Health Plainview than in the hospitals newest nurse practitioner, Michael Garcia, FNP.

Im really happy to be here in Plainview, said Garcia, who recently started working in the clinic offices of the Covenant Healthcare Center, 2222 W. 24th St.

I love rural healthcare and living in West Texas. I enjoy caring for people and working to meet their medical needs.

A native to the South Plains, Garcia was born and raised in Brownfield.

Citing an early desire to help make the world a better place, Garcia said he chose to pursue a career in nursing.

After earning nursing prerequisites at South Plains College, Garcia graduated Magna Cum Laude and received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Texas Tech University in 2009.

From there, Garcia worked as an emergency department nurse at Lubbocks University Medical Center, a level-one trauma center.

In 2011, Garcia joined UMCs Trauma and Surgical ICU teams as well as became a Rapid Response RN.

During his duration as a trauma nurse, Garcia decided to take his training to the next level; and in August 2016 earned his Master of Science in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner from Texas Techs Health Sciences Center.

Shortly after, an opening for a health provider became available at Plainviews Covenant Healthcare Center.

Garcia said he was very familiar with Plainview since his aunt had attended Wayland Baptist University, and at one point he considered attending the university as well.

I chose to work in Plainview because its one of the only adjacent communities around Lubbock that actually has a hospital and has a real clinic presence in the town, Garcia said.

Garcia is currently working side-by-side with Covenant Health Plainview physician David Wright, D.O.

Michael comes with extensive experience, especially with his experience in emergency and critical care. He has been working well with all the providers and patients here and is a welcomed member of our team, said Wright.

Hes very energetic and well received by his patients.

Garcia will specialize in caring for walk-in patients as well as providing care on Saturdays.

Garcia also is a member of the Texas Military Department, an augment of the Texas National Guard. As a Military Emergency Management Specialist, Garcia has commanded medical support for disaster relief and humanitarian projects.

For 2 1/2 years, Garcia also served as a faculty associate and nurse educator at Texas Tech University.
Palmyra may just have fallen yet again to the Islamic State group, but a new "immersive" 3D show in Paris lets you walk through the Syrian city's classical colonnades as they were before the jihadists blew them to bits.

The "Eternal Sites" exhibition uses high-definition images often shot by drones to allow the public to visit four of the most threatened heritage sites in the world in war-torn Syria and Iraq.

The eighth-century Umayyad Mosque in Damascus -- regarded by many as the fourth holiest place in Islam -- and the Krak des Chevaliers Crusader castle near the ravaged city of Homs have also been virtually recreated under the dome of the Grand Palais in Paris.

The show, which has been organised with the nearby Louvre museum, is part of a global push to digitalise spectacular archaeological sites that are at risk.

The remains of the ancient Iraqi city of Khorsabad, which dates from the 7th century BC, has also been recreated using images captured by French company Iconem.

Like the other three sites, the 3D images are matched with real artefacts from the city from the Louvre's collections.

The museum's director Jean-Luc Martinez, who curated the show, said that they wanted to "show sites that are no longer accessible and the beauty of their art."

Palmyra fell for a second time to the jihadists at the weekend despite heavy Russian bombing to prevent the extremists entering the city.

Islamic State fighters ravaged the Roman-era ruins during the 10 months it held the ancient oasis city from May 2015 to March 2016, systematically blowing up temples and columns in attacks that provoked worldwide outrage.

Photogrammetric technology developed by Iconem has also been used to record the Roman theatre in the Syrian coastal city of Jableh and the Phoenician site in the ancient port of Ugarit, where evidence of the world's oldest alphabet was found.

Its technicians have also been working alongside 15 specialists from the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) to digitalise some of the country's major museum collections.

Hundreds of important heritage sites have been sacked or destroyed during the five-year conflict, with the destruction of the first-century temples of Bel and Baalshamin in Palmyra making most headlines.

IS has made a point of razing ancient shrines and statues it considers as idolatry and is also suspected of involvement in the illegal sale of antiquities.

Work on the "Syrian Heritage" database, the biggest 3D record of the country's monuments and treasures, began last December and includes a large number of

Ottoman-era buildings in Damascus as well as its 11th-century citadel, which looms over the city.

The head of DGAM, Maamoun Abdulkarim, said the operation was essential to "avoid an irreplaceable loss to humanity" given "the dramatic situation in our country".

The drive, carried out with the help of the French grande ecole ENS and the research institute INRIA, is one of a number trying to catalogue sites in danger of falling into the line of fire.

The Institute for Digital Archaeology, created by Oxford and Harvard universities and Dubai's Museum of the Future, is also compiling a record of many vulnerable sites in Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

It has handed out 5,000 low-cost 3D cameras to archaeologists and NGOs with the hope of gathering a million images of threatened sites.

A two-thirds scale replica of Palmyra's destroyed triumphal arch was unveiled in New York's Times Square and London's Trafalgar Square in April before being displayed in Dubai.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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My deepest condolences go out to the families of those murdered in the heinous act of terrorism which last Sunday targeted the Church of St. Peter, worshippers, and all of Egypt.

I wish the injured a speedy recovery and all Egyptians peace, harmony, and the capacity to overcome this tribulation.

This is a truly taxing time, with much pain and serious consequences. But if the goal of Black Sundays crime is to fracture the unity of the Egyptian people, spur domestic turmoil, and inflame sectarian strife, this goal will not be realised. In fact, it has become even more unattainable.

Neither this crime nor another can cut the bonds of national unity forged over thousands of years of history and shared existence, nor shake the foundation of a society whose members are used to bearing the good and bad side by side.

The youth who expressed anger and vented their rage at media commentators, politicians, officials, and the state can be excused by the shock, pain, and injury.

But this isnt the time for blame, reckless accusations, or scapegoating, nor for scoring political and media points at the expense of the victims. Its time to band together and overcome this trial, and to devote ourselves to the injured and the families of the victims.

There is a time for blame, accountability, and punishment, and it will come, but first we must discover the truth; we must know what happened, who did the killing and who helped, who incited to it, who laid the groundwork, and who was derelict in their duty.

That the attack took place in the church during the Sunday service made it all the more shocking. In this sense, its a sectarian crime, targeting Egyptian Christians with the goal of breaking national ranks and inflaming strife.

But though the motive of the crime was sectarian, all of us EgyptiansMuslims and Christiansmust refuse to see it as such. Instead, we should see it as a crime against all Egyptians, regardless of sect or community, an assault on the freedom of belief guaranteed to all citizens, the destruction of a unique historical site in our shared civilisation, and the indiscriminate terrorising of citizens in this nation.

If we insist on thisthat we all have a stake herewe will have succeeded in thwarting the goal of the terrorist plot and protecting our national unity. And let's remember that terrorism makes no distinctions of religion, faith, or culture; its victims come not from one confession or class.

It has touched everyone, most recently the victims in three terrorist incidents last week alone. They are all martyrs. All gave their lives to the nation and all deserve respect and prayers for mercy.

We also cannot be content with watching, mourning, and being angry. Each of us can take a practical, positive stance to express our feelings. Solidarity means not only being present at the hospital or giving blood.

Its demonstrated in dozens of initiatives and actions, even symbolic. A phone call is a positive act. So is checking up on friends and relatives and offering assistance and moral support, and so is every kind of communication, even phone and electronic messages.

These arent secondary or meaningless. Their value lies in the sense of solidarity and fraternity they carry, which we need in these difficult days.

By the same token, impassioned, but fleeting feeling is inadequate. We must cling unfailingly to the values of citizenship, equality, and respect for others freedom, faith, and houses of worship. We must continue to strive for a more just, merciful, and cohesive society and act to uproot violence, terrorism, and economic, social, and cultural extremismnot only deal with its repercussion while ignoring the causes.

I have had numerous opportunities to visit the Cathedral Complex in Abbasiya, especially the St. Marks Cathedral, at times for personal and family matters and often on public occasions, on Christmas and Easter, at the funeral of the Maspero martyrs, under the Brotherhood, twice when the president was in attendance, and at the funeral of Pope Shenouda III and the seating of Pope Tawadros II.

Each time, I felt that my and others presence was appreciated and welcomed. It was a source of pride for us and those who welcomed us so warmly.

Last year, I attended the funerals of two distinguished Egyptians at the adjacent, smaller Church of St. Peter, which was the target of the terror attack, the first for diplomat and jurist Dr. Botros Ghali and the second for businessman and public figure Dr. Makram Mehanny. I remembered them and recalled the beauty of this small church while following the rescue mission on television.

This ancient, historical church will never be a symbol of the victory of terrorism or the division of the Egyptian people. It will instead be a symbol of everything we dream of for this country: freedom, justice, equality, and an unshakable unity.

*The writer holds a PhD in financial law from the London School of Economics. He is former deputy prime minister, former chairman of the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority and former chairman of the General Authority for Investment.

A version of this article was published in Arabic in El-Shorouq newspaper on Monday, 12 December.

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Stoves. Tents. Bedding. Clothing. A Mothers Day gift.

People cited those items as examples of what Caltrans has confiscated and thrown away during sweeps of homeless encampments under freeways in the East Bay.

Now, those who lost property during encampment raids are fighting back.

Numerous Bay Area civil rights groups filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday asking for a permanent statewide injunction against Caltrans for confiscating and destroying peoples property during sweeps of homeless encampments.

The lawsuit calls for punitive damages for a number of people who experienced sweeps in the last two years and lost a significant amount of their property in Berkeley, Oakland and Emeryville.

The state and federal constitutions protect all of us, whether we live in a mansion or a tent, from seizures and destruction of our property by our government, said Michael Risher, the senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, adding that Caltrans is violating its own policies by throwing away peoples personal property.

The complaint, filed by the ACLU of Northern California, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, East Bay Community Law Center and the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, also alleges that Caltrans workers also pry peoples property out of their hands before trashing it.

The injunction would require Caltrans to give proper notice of raids and prohibits them from damaging or confiscating property across the state.

We have a lot of homeless people living under and around freeways and those are areas that Caltrans controls and are an issue in our suit, Risher said.

A Caltrans representative declined to answer questions about the case, saying in a statement, being an active lawsuit, the department will not be able to comment on this litigation.

The Caltrans Maintenance Manual states a person who finds property shall inform the owner within a reasonable time and return the property to the owner.

One of the most crowded encampments in the East Bay is under the Gilman underpass in Berkeley, which became inundated with people after the closure of a landfill, called the Bulb, by Albany police.

Pattie Wall, the executive director of the Homeless Action Center, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said that Caltrans officials schedule regular sweeps of the Gilman underpass and post announcements in the area in advance. However, they either do or dont come, Wall said, adding that the irregularity of sweeps and disposal of personal property can be crazy devastating for people.

That property includes prescription medication, California identification cards and clothing. Replacing the confiscated items can sometimes take weeks, Wall added.

If people had a place to safely keep their things that was not in a tent or in a backpack, they would. But, they dont, Wall said.

The Homeless Action Centers office in Berkeley helps people who have lost property during encampment sweeps on a daily basis, Wall said.

The statewide injunction requested in the lawsuit would require Caltrans to follow a uniform rule that people can rely on so their property isnt destroyed, she added.

Risher emphasized that the lawsuit isnt about prohibiting cleanups of encampments. Its about giving the proper notice and respecting peoples property, he added.

This is far from being a solution to homelessness, it is something that makes homelessness worse, Risher said.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
Spanish food processor Ebro Foods will merge its three U.S. subsidiary businesses into one combined company headquartered in Houston.

The merger includes rice and pasta companies Riviana Foods, American Rice and New World Pasta. Ebro will combine the businesses under the Riviana Foods' name on Jan. 1 with a base in Houston and a satellite office in Harrisburg, Pa., according to an Ebro statement.
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The MV Grande Sierra Leone recently unloaded the first shipment of automobiles at Port Houston's former Bayport Cruise Terminal, which has been converted for other use after failing to catch on as a port of choice for travelers.

The ship, which belongs to the Grimaldi shipping line, delivered 428 Fiat 500X vehicles Nov. 30. Auto Warehousing, which has signed a three-year lease with the port for use of the terminal, handled the shipment, according to Port Houston.
File photo

San Antonio businessman Sardar Biglari and his Maxim magazine have lost a legal battle to keep court documents in two related cases from prying eyes.

A New York appellate court on Tuesday ruled in favor of the parent companies of the San Antonio Express-News and the New York Daily News by overturning lower court rulings that sealed the entire court record in one case and allowed documents to be redacted in another case involving Biglari and Maxim.
As Saudi Arabia goes on a shock and awe attack to curb a global oil glut, its also playing defense to hold on to its most prized customers.

The kingdom is largely sparing Asia from reductions in crude sales, at least for now. Thats amid the threat of more U.S. and European supply coming to the worlds biggest market, as Saudi-led production cuts have boosted the Middle East oil benchmark relative to other regions.

Also, crudes surge risks reviving shale output while American shipments are already making their way to countries including Thailand, Japan and South Korea.

While OPECs biggest member could yet curb some volumes to Asia in coming months, its unlikely to completely abandon the battle for market share even as it changes tack from its pump-at-will policy of the past two years. Its counting on regional refiners inability to completely switch over to rival supply, as their plants are geared to process sour sulfurous crudes like those produced by Saudi Arabia rather than sweet shale or North Sea oil. It can afford to cut sales more significantly in other places that arent as valuable as Asia.

Now that Saudi Arabia has committed to such large production cuts, its important for them to retain market share in the region where they see the most growth potential, said Peter Lee, a Singapore-based analyst at BMI Research, a unit of Fitch Group. In Asia, we still have India and China where Saudi Arabia is vying for market share. It makes sense for them to concentrate on the region and try to keep buyers happy.

The worlds biggest crude exporter was last week said to have started telling customers it will reduce crude shipments from January, with the curbs focused on Europe and North America. By contrast, at least five refiners in Asia said they have been told they will receive normal volumes under long-term contracts next month. Three of them were told they would receive extra supply they requested. State-run producer Saudi Aramco had also cut pricing for oil sales to Asia for the month.

On Saturday, the Middle East kingdom signaled its ready to cut oil production more than expected, in a move described as shock and awe by Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at industry consultant Energy Aspects.

With Aramco now trying to bring an IPO to the stock market, I think this is what they needed and if they have higher revenues, it will stabilize their financial situation at least for some time, said Ehsan Ul-Haq, an analyst at KBC Advanced Technologies. The market will take some time to stabilize but balancing of the market will result in gradual recovery.

The planned reductions have strengthened benchmark Dubai crude against U.S. marker West Texas Intermediate, with Middle Eastern producers pledging the majority of the output cuts. WTI was just 12 cents a barrel more than Dubai earlier in December, compared with an average premium of $1.35 over the past two months.

The Brent-Dubai exchange for swaps, a measure of the difference in prices between the two benchmark crudes, averaged $2.11 a barrel in November, the smallest in more than a year, enhancing the affordability of African and Mediterranean grades that are typically priced off the North Sea marker. Even before producers announced the planned reductions, the attractiveness of crude linked to WTI and Brent have prompted shipments to Asia.

I dont think the Saudis can afford to cut volumes to their biggest customers, said Mukesh Kumar Surana, chairman of state-run Indian refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp. There is dependence on both the sides. The Saudis need us as much as we need them.

The Asia Pacific region will use 32.88 million barrels a day of oil this year, accounting for more than a third of global consumption, data from the International Energy Agency show. Daily demand is forecast to expand to 33.7 million barrels in 2017. In the Americas and Europe, oil use is seen staying flat next year, according to the Paris-based IEA.

Saudi Arabias energy minister, Khalid al-Falih, said on Saturday he didnt expect a big supply response from American shale producers in 2017. Goldman Sachs disagrees. U.S. producers can achieve 800,000 barrels a day of annual production growth at a price of $55 a barrel for WTI, it said in a report.

What the Saudis want to do is to ensure that they dont get flows from secondary suppliers coming in from other markets into Asia, said John Driscoll, the chief strategist at JTD Energy Services, who has spent more than 30 years trading crude and petroleum in Singapore. This is probably why they have reportedly curtailed sales into the U.S. so that the U.S. marginal barrel stays in the country, rather than get exported.
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Technology industry leaders including Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg and Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos met with Donald Trump on Wednesday, seeking to persuade a man whose presidential bid many of them opposed to avoid policies they believe would hurt their companies.

"I'm here to help you folks do well," Trump told the executives as the meeting began.

Trump has a prickly relationship with the industry. He differs with many tech CEOs on immigration, internet security and regulation, and government investment. This summer, more than 140 tech industry executives published an open letter denouncing his candidacy and declaring that he "would be a disaster for innovation."

Oracle co-CEO Safra Catz, who like most other CEOs at the Trump Tower meeting did not sign the letter, said trade would be at the top of the agenda. Trump has promised to unwind the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement President Barack Obama negotiated with 11 other Pacific Rim nations. He's also said he would seek to renegotiate the North America Free Trade Agreement.

"This is a very important meeting," Catz said before hand. "Better trade deals are tremendously important to us. We are net exporters. Over 60 percent of our sales are overseas. So better trade deals are very much in our interest."

Trump told the executives at the meeting that he would make "fair trade deals. We're going to make it a lot easier for you to trade across borders."

The meeting also included Alphabet's Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Cisco Systems CEO Chuck Robbins, Apple's Tim Cook, Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp and IBM CEO Ginni Rometty. Rometty also serves on a panel of CEOs advising Trump on business and economic matters. Bezos is Amazon's CEO; Sandberg is Facebook's chief operating officer.

Campaign donations

Employees of internet companies donated more than ten times as much money to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign than to Trump -- $5.6 million compared with $54,472, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based group that tracks money in politics.

Before Wednesday's meeting, some technologists debated whether invitees should even attend. A few top industry executives that were invited, including Uber Technologies's Travis Kalanick and Airbnb's Brian Chesky, didn't go. Both companies said their CEOs had conflicting travel. Trump announced Wednesday that Kalanick and Elon Musk would both join Rometty on his advisory panel, the President's Strategic and Policy Forum.

Despite any reservations, most corporate executives would jump at the chance to press their agendas with the new leader of the world's largest economy. And there are areas of common ground. The largest U.S. technology companies hold hundreds of billions of dollars overseas and would like to bring that money back at a favorable tax rate. Trump has called for tax reform to allow such repatriation and has said revenue from the move could fund improvements to U.S. infrastructure.

Trump noted that the U.S. stock market has enjoyed a "bounce" since his election -- the Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up about 5.7 percent since Nov. 8. "

"They're all talking about the bounce so everybody in this room has to like me at least a little bit," he said.

Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Technology Association, said most of the disagreement between Trump and the tech industry has been over social issues rather than business.

"Trump is in a transition from running for office to serving in office. He will want Apple and other major tech companies to succeed," Shapiro said before the meeting.

Trump's three oldest children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, all participated in the meeting, as well as Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner, venture capitalist Peter Thiel and Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Trump has said that Donald Jr. and Eric will take over leadership of his business while he is president; their dual roles as influential advisers to their father has raised conflict-of-interest concerns.

Trump sat at a long conference room table with Pence to his right, followed by Sandberg, Page and Bezos. To his immediate left sat Thiel, followed by Cook and Catz. Schmidt was among tech executives across the table.

Trump thanked Thiel, perhaps his strongest supporter in Silicon Valley, for helping to organize the meeting, calling him "terrific and so outstanding."

Job moves

During his campaign, Trump criticized U.S. corporations for moving jobs to other countries, and since his election, he has threatened "consequences" for companies that send work offshore. Earlier in the year, he said that he'd aim to get Apple to make its products in the U.S. Apple has suppliers make most of its products in China; moving that work to the U.S. would likely increase the cost of iPhones and iPads.

Some big technology companies made what appeared to be pre-emptive moves ahead of the meeting with Trump. IBM's Rometty unveiled a plan to hire about 25,000 people in the U.S. over the next four years. Apple may back a $100 billion technology fund that aims to invest about half the money in the U.S. and has pledged to create 50,000 new domestic jobs.

Hours before the meeting, Bezos announced Amazon's first delivery of a consumer product by drone to a customer. The test was conducted in England because Amazon says the U.K.'s regulations are less restrictive. Trump has vowed to ease regulations across the government.
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San Antonio's own Shawn Michaels has joined #TeamTomi, the emerging fan base in support of controversial conservative commentator Tomi Lahren.

The Heartbreak Kid met up with Lahren, one of TheBlaze's personalities, on Tuesday at the Dallas studios, based off social media posts by both.

RELATED: Meet Tomi Lahren, a controversial conservative starlet based in Texas

"WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels played on #TeamTomi today," the 24-year-old show host posted on Instagram. "Oh and I smackdown some liberals on 'final thoughts' tonight."

In a tweet, the wrestler thanked Lahren and TheBlaze for discussing "The Resurrection of Gavin Stone," a movie he stars in, which is set to be released on Jan. 20.

RELATED: Garth Brooks says he would sing at Donald Trump's inauguration if asked

WWE Studios announced in September that they had acquired the rights to the "faith-based" movie. Michaels plays an ex-convict named Doug, according to the WWE website.

Comedian and Taco Cabana commercial actress Anjelah Johnson also stars in the film, according to the site.

RELATED: Gregg Popovich uncensored: Full transcript of thoughts on Donald Trump

Michaels is busy touring Dallas-based media outlets to promote the movie, according to his most recent trail of tweets.

Lahren on the other hand, will soon star in her own segment on Nightline, according to her social media updates. Her blistering shows on TheBlaze gained popularity and criticism throughout the presidential election. She recently grabbed headlines and Twitter talks when she was a guest on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

mmendoza@mysa.com

Twitter: @MaddySkye
Fifth Tier Baking Studio in Albany opens

Fifth Tier Baking Studio in downtown Albany had its grand opening earlier this week. The shop, which specializes in confections, scones, pastries and other baked goods, is at 54 Columbia St., near the corner of North Pearl Street.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday; after the holidays, Sunday hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. will be added. The website is www.fifthtierbakingstudio.com

The two-year delay between the original announcement of the business and the opening was a result of serious injuries sustained by owner Lyle Houston when he was hit by a car.

Pre-New Year's evening at University Club

The University Club in Albany will host an evening of a buffet dinner and three short plays performed by the same pair of actors starting at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30. The plays, all by local writers and all set on New Year's Eve, take place in 1900, 1950 and 1999. Dessert and champagne toast are included.

The production, called "Timeline," co-stars Meigg Jupin and Steve Maggio. It is produced by the Albany-based theater collective Creative License.

Tickets, at $60 per person, are available by calling 463-1151 or emailing ellen@universityclubalbany.com.

Four restaurants opening in Albany, Troy

A roundup of four restaurants expected to open in the coming weeks or months:

 Timmy's Chinese Cuisine is "coming soon," according to a sign in the window at 456 Madison Ave. in Albany, former longtime home of Debbie's Kitchen. The menu is large and seems largely predictable, though its surprises include two scrambled-egg dishes: with tomato, and a spicy version with pepper and sour cabbage. The lunch special  $6.95 for choice of seven entrees, rice and soup  looks like a good value. The telephone number is 426-8888; the website, www.timmyscuisine.com

 After months of delays, the curiously spelled Gigi's Italian Restaurante is being readied for an early 2017 opening next to the Madison Theater in Albany. The cinema, adjoining Tierra Farm store and restaurant space, at 1034-38 Madison Ave., are all owned by Tierra Farm in Columbia Country, which makes dried fruits, nuts and other snacks. A store employee said final permits are being issued for the restaurant, and a January opening is likely. A Tierra Farm representative has said in the past that Gigi's will be a fine-dining Italian restaurant. It takes over what was a Tierra Farm cafe, which was consolidated over the summer into the retail space.

 A restaurant called Cinco de Mayo, promising "authentic Mexican" food, is being developed at 809 Madison Ave., former home to the bakery Bread in Honey, which closed in February after two years in business. A building permit in Cinco de Mayo's front window lists the owner as Vincente Martinez. There does not yet seem to be an online presence for the restaurant, and the owner could not be immediately located for comment.

 A restaurant called Unagi Sushi is under development at 118 Fourth St. in downtown Troy, in a strip alongside the Flying Chicken and Star Bartenders Institute. A Facebook post from Nov. 19 says, "We are still shooting for mid-December soft launch," though it's unclear from the state of the interior recently whether that is likely or even feasible. The restaurant's website, www.unagi.restaurant, at the moment has only a form to complete to be notified of updates.

Feast of the Seven Fishes at Campagna

Campagna Restaurant in Malta will offer a Feast of the Seven Fishes menu from 3 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday. The price is $55 per person, plus tax and tip. See the menu here: www.campagna.restaurant/events/feast-of-the-seven-fish

Call 289-5693 for reservations. The restaurant is at 2452 Route 9.

All-New York at New World Home Cooking

New World Home Cooking in Saugerties is having an all-New York food and wine event starting at 7 p.m. Friday. The dozen-plus food items will be brought around on carts, and wines will be poured in flights of three.

The price is $75 per person, plus tax and tip, and reservations are required; call 845-246-0900.

The restaurant is located at 1411 Route 212.

Albany Dog House adding second location

Albany Dog House, a quick-stop eatery that opened 10 months ago at 848 Madison Ave., in Albany's student neighborhood, is adding a second location, also in Albany. It is taking over the former Dolan's on the Avenue, at 75 Central Ave., which closed the day before Thanksgiving, according to Dolan's owner Peter Hitchcock, who also owns the neighboring bar/nightclub Rocks.

Dolan's was open for 14 months. Hitchcock said he sold because Albany Dog House owner Ted LeCette made him an appealing offer, and, Hitchcock said, he discovered that a restaurant is much more difficult to manage successfully than a bar/nightclub.

Compiled by Steve Barnes. Items for publication must be submitted to sbarnes@timesunion.com.
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STAMFORD  In the 10 years since Mary Maarbjerg retired from her corporate job to focus full time on volunteer work, she has donated her time to different agencies and causes  but theres one place where her impact is unmeasurable.

Its through Neighbors Link Stamford, which she co-founded, that the city resident has helped numerous immigrant families file taxes, enroll their children in school, find jobs, secure housing and integrate into the community.

Shes a crusader, said Catalina Horak, the nonprofits executive director.

On Wednesday, Maarbjerg, 73, was recognized for her decade of volunteering when AARPs Connecticut chapter presented her with its 2016 Andrus Award for Community Service.

During a ceremony at the Neighbors Link facility, Horak praised her colleagues discipline and dedication.

When you work with Mary, you need to dot every i and cross every t, Horak said.

The women were part of a small team that began meeting in 2008 to discuss launching a Neighbors Link Network affiliate in Stamford. The nonprofit opened in 2011 and has continued to grow ever since  reaching a $1.5 million annual budget for next year.

The AARP award recognizes an outstanding Connecticut volunteer age 50 or older who shares their experience, talent and skills to enrich the lives of community members. It is named after AARP founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus.

In addition to the award, the association donated $3,000 to Neighbors Link, the nonprofit of her choice.

Maarbjerg worked at Pitney Bowes for almost three decades before she retired from a vice presidents post in 2006. Since that year, she has been volunteering with numerous organizations, including AARP and Person-to-Person.

The Neighbors Link board member said she decided to become a full-time volunteer to help people get what theyre entitled to, whether its tax deductions, medical subsidies, housing assistance or other benefits.

It still makes me crazy that there are a lot of benefits out there that people dont know how to get to, she said.

A fighter

Horak remembers when Maarbjerg went out of her way to help a Neighbors Link client who had been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. The immigrant woman was eligible for Medicare, but didnt know how to navigate the system.

You wouldve thought that it was Mary who was diagnosed with cancer, Horak said. Nothing was going to stop Mary from getting this woman into Medicare and making sure every single medical bill was going to be covered.

Horak said the woman eventually had a successful surgery and ended up with very low medical bills.

Mayor David Martin called Maarbjerg is a symbol of how strong Stamfords nonprofit organizations are. He said the award is overdue.

You are the manifestation of so much goodness we have in this community, Martin told her.

Maarbjerg said its a tremendous privilege to volunteer at Neighbors Link.

Ive had both the joy and satisfaction of changing peoples lives, and for that Im very, very grateful, she said. What you give as a volunteer is greatly outweighed by what you get.

noliveira@hearstmediact.com, 203-964-2265, @olivnelson
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GREENWICH  Footprints in the snow and a partly buried child's sled led rescuers to two boys who were buried in a snow pile Tuesday when a work crew clearing village sidewalks dumped a load on top of them.

Joshua J. Demarest, a 13-year-old Greenwich school district seventh-grader, was the first child the rescuers pulled from the snow. But he was in poor condition and died later Tuesday night at Saratoga Hospital.

When the second child was found rescuers bowed their heads again, fearing the worst.

Someone screamed, "He's alive," Greenwich-Cambridge Police Chief George Bell told reporters Wednesday morning.

"He started talking to the officers," Bell said. "They scooped him out of the snowbanks."

Tyler J. Day, a 12-year-old and seventh-grader, was able to talk to rescuers. Treated at the hospital Tuesday night, the boy was home sleeping by Wednesday morning, Bell said.

Bell said Tyler told them he and Joshua went to the snow pile to play after school Tuesday. They dug forts in the snow and burrowed into the pile when they heard snow removal equipment pull into the lot the village uses to dump cleared snow.

When the boys didn't return home by dark, a relative called police. Deputies, police, state troopers and park rangers hunted for the boys. Footprints leading to the snow pile were found in the backyard of a nearby home and a State Police dog caught a scent, Bell said.

Rescuers were told the boys took sleds with them Tuesday and someone spotted a partly buried sled in the snow pile. They started digging through the packed and heavy snow and ice.

"They moved an enormous amount of snow," Bell said. "By hand, shovel, snow rake ... to recover those boys."

Bell said the boy who survived explained they didn't worry when the heavy machinery pulled into the lot. Instead, they kept playing and dug further into the pile. The road crew worked on the other side of the pile and the boys went unnoticed.

"This is a true tragedy. It's an accident," Bell said.

State Police Senior Investigator Bob Stampfli called the rescue of Tyler a miracle but he and the others said the other boy's death blunted any sense of satisfaction.

Joshua's death wasn't the only pain for his family: At about 3 p.m. Tuesday, his grandmother died in New Jersey, Bell said. His mother was in New Jersey when she got word about what happened in Greenwich.

"He loved sports. All kinds of sports," Greenwich Superintendent Mark Fish said, recalling that Joshua played soccer. "I found out he was in the French club as well. He also loved the outdoors."

The district was preparing to counsel grieving students, he said. Grief counselors will remain at the district as long as necessary.

Chai Stark, who manages the Youth Center, said both Joshua and Tyler were regulars at the center.

"They were so close, just like brothers," Stark said.

The center is a popular place for local teens and the police stopped there as the search was getting underway, she said. She mentioned the snow pile as one of the places where Joshua and Tyler like to spend time.

Bell said he believes the two boys started playing in the snowbank around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. The mound is in a private lot on Rock Street used by village public works trucks to dump snow.

The surviving boy said he heard the backup alarms of the dump trucks nearing the snow piles, Bell said earlier Wednesday.

"Then it just went dark," Bell said.

Bell said that the village workers "are a mess" over the tragedy. The two workers who dumped the pile of snow as well as other public works employees are also talking to grief counselors.

"They are devastated," said Leo Flynn, superintendent of public works.

Bell said it was truly an accident.

"There's no way anyone could have known what was happening," he said.

Greenwich is a small community in mostly rural Washington County.

"Everybody knows each other," Bell said. "It affects us all in a real way."

Joshua's Gofundme site is located at

https://www.gofundme.com/funeral-expenses-and-supporting-fam
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BRIDGEPORT - A Superior Court judge has thrown out the discrimination lawsuit a former city school principal filed against the Board of Education after she was suspended without pay for dragging young children along school corridors.

Judge Michael Kamp granted a motion by the school board to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Carmen Perez-Dickson after ruling that the issues had already been decided by a federal judge.

Acting Superintendent of Schools Fran Rabinowitz said she could not comment on the facts of the case because they occurred before her tenure, but she but added she is happy the case is over.

Im grateful we dont have additional attorneys fees, because our resources are already very low, Rabinowicz said.

Perez-Dicksons lawyer, Josephine Smalls Miller, said she plans to file additional motions in the case, but would not comment further.

In November 2013, Perez-Dickson, who was caught on video dragging children along the hallways at Jettie S. Tisdale School where she was principal, was suspended without pay for six months by the Board of Education amid calls from outraged parents to fire her. The suspension was followed by six months probation in a role other than principal.

In March of this year the state Board of Education voted not to renew Perez-Dicksons teaching license, based on the dragging incident. She was forced to retire from the school system.

In her lawsuit, Perez-Dickson, who is African-American, claims the boards actions were discriminatory. She states that when she returned to work in April 2014, she was not granted the rights and privileges of other school administrators and was not assigned a regular work site. She has consistently characterized her handling of the kindergarten students at Tisdale as sliding, not dragging, and suggested one of the students asked her to do it.

The lawsuit was transferred to U.S. District Court, where it was dismissed in January. Smalls Miller then refiled it in Superior Court here.

The plaintiff had a full and fair opportunity to litigate the material issues which the District Court resolved and the plaintiff seeks to relitigate, Kamp stated in dismissing the case.
Albany

Claiming that newly enacted disclosure requirements are burdensome and chilling to free speech, the good government group Citizens Union has sued the state.

The federal lawsuit, filed late Monday night, names as defendants Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, the members of the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics and its Executive Director Seth Agata.

At issue are disclosures required by legislation passed by the state Senate and Assembly in June, in the wee hours of the final day of the most recent legislative session.

The previous law exempted charitable tax-exempt groups  designated as 501(c)3s for tax purposes  from disclosing donors to their lobbying spending. More political social welfare groups, categorized as 501(c)4s, that spent more than $50,000 annually on lobbying in New York had to disclose donors of more than $5,000.

The new law lowered the threshold for 501(c)4 disclosure to $15,000 in annual lobbying spending; donors who give $2,500 or more are subject to disclosure. Many nonprofits that engage in lobbying in New York do so through overlapping charitable and political nonprofit arms. The first of the semiannual reports required by the new law is due at the end of January to JCOPE.

The suit says the new disclosure requirements "chill speech by forcing both donors and the organizations to make choices between exercising speech and association rights and subjecting themselves to burdensome obligations and public disclosures."

Citizens Union, represented by the firm of Gibson Dunn, is seeking to have the nonprofit disclosure provisions struck down.

Cuomo spokeswoman Dani Lever said in a brief statement, "Everyone is all for transparency, except when it comes to them. We are just surprised to learn that applies to self-appointed good-government groups, too."

In an interview, CU Executive Director Dick Dadey made a distinction between the group's comprehensive reporting on those who donate to its lobbying efforts though its 501(c)4 and the educational efforts conducted by its 501(c)3, the Citizens Union Foundation.

Dadey rejected the idea that the lawsuit might be seen as an effort to impede transparency of its own donors after making transparency for politicians its overarching cause. State law makes a clear distinction, he said, between the level of disclosure required of educational nonprofits and those dedicated to lobbying or other political efforts.

As to the likelihood  borne out by Lever's statement  that Cuomo will attempt to make Citizens Union look like hypocrites for fighting expanded transparency, "The law will be on our side and he will be the one with egg on his face," said Dadey.

A spokesman for Schneiderman, who had nothing to do with the bill's preparation or speedy passage, declined to comment.

cseiler@timesunion.com  518-454-5619  @CaseySeiler
Albany

Four Capital Region school districts won a slice of $10 million in state money Tuesday to build or support programs aimed at keeping boys and young men of color in school and on the path to college or careers.

The funds were awarded as part of the state's My Brother's Keeper program, which was modeled after the federal initiative launched by President Barack Obama in 2014. That initiative called on cities, tribal nations, towns and counties to develop and execute plans that would address opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color.

Late last year, New York became the first state to heed the call following a push by the state Board of Regents and Education Department, and will be recognized at the White House on Wednesday for this effort. Regents on Tuesday said they will work to continue the program, regardless of the coming turnover in the White House.

The Capital District received nearly $479,000 in grant money from the program, including $346,226 for Albany schools, $57,384 for Troy schools, $48,602 for Schenectady schools and $26,574 for Gloversville schools. Districts are required to come up with a 15 percent match for their grant, either from their own resources or from private or other sources.

Each district must use the funds to develop "cradle-to-career" strategies designed to improve life outcomes for boys and young men of color, and better engage families in their local communities. Depending on how much money they got, districts had to pick one or two milestones to try to hit with the grant funds.

Albany, Troy and Gloversville will use their funds to try to get more students reading at grade level by third grade, said state Education Department spokeswoman Emily DeSantis. This is an important milestone in the education world, as studies show that students who are behind at this grade level are far less likely to graduate than their peers.

Schenectady and Troy will also use part of their funds for programs designed to cut down on school suspensions and behavior-related referral  two actions researchers say often precede a student's entrance into the juvenile and criminal justice system.

Schenectady and Gloversville will use some of their funds to support initiatives aimed at boosting graduation rates. Albany will use any of its remaining funds to expand access to pre-kindergarten.

In addition, $3 million in Teacher Opportunity Corp II grants was awarded Tuesday to 16 colleges and universities with teacher education programs. The institutions must use the money on retention efforts aimed at getting teachers who value diversity into high-need schools across the state, especially those with frequent teacher shortages.

bbump@timesunion.com - 518-454-5387 - @bethanybump
Albany

Put down your pencils: For the first time ever, New York students in grades 3-8 will have an opportunity to take state reading and math exams via computer this spring.

Under a plan approved by the state Board of Regents this week, school districts across the state can choose whether to administer the tests  which last three days per subject  by computer or by paper and pencil. They can also decide to administer computerized tests just by subject or grade level.

The decision is part of the State Education Department's ongoing effort to transition schools to computer-based testing, which it contends is more efficient for scoring purposes but also less fatiguing for students  especially on the essay sections of the state English Language Arts exam.

To test their readiness for the transition, the state encouraged districts to administer computerized field tests in at least one of their schools last spring. About 800 schools and 60,000 students participated, providing mostly positive feedback, officials said.

"We as a district decided that we would do computer-based field testing, knowing that this is the future and that we wanted to get our feet wet, make our mistakes, have students make their mistakes," said Matthew Conrick, principal at Tanglewood Elementary School in South Glens Falls, in a video promoting the transition. "For us I think, as adults, it is a harder switch than it is for the students. But I expect over time that this will become a very normal way to take a test."

South Glens Falls students described the testing as faster and more effective, and particularly enjoyed not having to fret over shading in bubbles perfectly on an answer sheet.

"I think it's much better to get used to having tests on computer, because nowadays you see that we are doing more stuff online," said Jason, an eighth grader in the district. "So I think it'd be better to have everything online."

Prior to field testing last year, there was concern that rural districts in out-of-the-way areas of the state may not have the infrastructure or bandwidth possible to administer the tests. The state has been working to provide technical assistance to these schools, and has also made online tools available for districts to test their technological readiness ahead of testing.

"We have learned from experience that we can't rush important transitions," said state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. "We have put in place a long-term process to move from paper-and-pencil testing to computer-based testing, making sure that districts have time to gather every tool they need, from infrastructure to technology, along the way."

The test-administration window will be extended to six days this spring for schools that choose computerized testing, in order to ensure enough testing time for districts that are working with a limited number of devices, officials said.

After the field tests last spring, the Education Department and testing vendor Questar held regional forums to gather feedback. They were attended by teachers, administrators, IT staff and representatives from regional information centers, BOCES and the Big Five City School Districts, who offered ideas for improving the experience in 2017.

The department will also conduct a series of regional training sessions over the next month, and host a series of webinar trainings, to help school officials prepare to administer and score the tests.

More information will be posted at SED's website.
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A fiery Rev. Al Sharpton urged a local church congregation Tuesday to stand up for their rights during the upcoming Donald Trump presidency.

We are challenged in these times unlike weve been challenged in a long time, Sharpton said at the Union Baptist Church in Stamford, where he went to promote a Jan. 14 march in Washington, D.C.

If the people of faith dont stand up, whos going to stand up? he said.

Sharpton, 62, is scheduled to lead the We Shall Not Be Moved protest six days before Trumps inauguration.

Were going to Washington because we need to give people a sense of direction, Sharpton said.

During his Stamford visit, the civil rights leader and other church members discussed the potential impact of a Trump administration on minorities.

We have great concerns, said the Rev. Boise Kimber, a past president of the Connecticut State Missionary Baptist Convention, who noted that minorities are worried about health care coverage, civil rights and police brutality.

At least 100 people attended the event. Among them was Stamford NAACP President Jack Bryant, who echoed the feeling of many of those in the building.

A lot of people woke up on the morning of Nov. 9 with a lot of disappointment, he said, referring to the day after Trump was elected president.

Trumps victory  which was largely driven by white, working-class voters  sparked anxiety among many African Americans and other minority groups, such as Muslims and Latinos.

Sharpton, noting that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes, accused Trump of encouraging voter suppression and intimidation throughout the country.

The Baptist minister also asked the Stamford crowd to stay true to their values and faith.

When you fight a fight on moral grounds, you may lose a battle or two, but you will win the war, Sharpton said.

Bryant urged citizens to maintain the nations longtime tradition of a peaceful transition of power. At the same time, he said, Americans should get in his face and make sure the president-elect is reminded of the progress thats been made in the past eight years.

We dont want to go backwards, Bryant said.

The Rev. Lindsay Curtis, president of the Connecticut State Missionary Baptist Convention, said this is not a time to be silent.

Everything we thought we gained is at stake, he said. The election is over, but our advocacy and activism must begin.

The pre-inauguration march also aims to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.s birthday.

Sharpton, who is also a TV and radio show host, called on Trump and Congress to protect voting and civil rights, access to quality health care and police reform.

He asked the Stamford congregation not to give up hope, and to remain politically active in the next four years.

noliveira@hearstmediact.com
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Washington

After days of previews, President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday formally nominated ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state, a controversial choice that is likely to turn on whether he's grown too cozy with Vladimir Putin in his pursuit of energy deals in Russia.

But in the environmental world and the office of New York's Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Tillerson is best known for the oil and gas giant's granite resistance to subpoenas aimed at nailing down what ExxonMobil knew about the science surrounding climate change, and when it knew it.

"Our investigation is going full-speed ahead," said Eric Soufer, spokesman for Schneiderman. He declined to comment on Tillerson's nomination as secretary of state because of the ongoing investigation.

"These are investigations of a company, not an individual," said Ken Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, which supports Schneiderman and a similar legal effort by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. "Those investigations will continue and his nomination doesn't change that."

In nominating Tillerson, a company employee since 1975 with no government experience, Trump hailed the 64-year-old Texan's "vast experience at dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments" and praised him as one of the great "international dealmakers in the world."

Senate reaction to Tillerson was mixed, with some Republicans like Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., questioning whether his role as the nation's top diplomat would conflict with close relations to Putin and opposition to sanctions called after Russia's seizure of Crimea.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., expressed support for Tillerson, saying he looks "forward to supporting his nomination."

Incoming Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., offered faint praise of Tillerson by alluding to the possibility that Trump might have nominated neoconservative true-believer John Bolton, whom he described as "dangerously interventionist."

But given concerns about Tillerson, "the members of the (Senate) Foreign Relations Committee, both Democrat and Republican, should be given ample time to study Mr. Tillerson's entire record and worldview and then ask several rounds of extensive questions," Schumer said.

New York's junior Democrat, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, "has very serious concerns about Rex Tillerson's nomination and will be looking to hear those concerns addressed during his confirmation hearings," her spokesman Marc Brumer said.

At its heart, the Schneiderman probe of ExxonMobil is a fraud case, an exploration of whether the company reassured investors by minimizing the threat of global warming while its own scientists were telling executives precisely the opposite.

Schneiderman announced the probe in November 2015. Earlier this year, a New York state Supreme Court judge in Manhattan directed the company to comply with Schneiderman's subpoena. ExxonMobil turned over more than a million pages of documents.

But in October, the company went to federal court in Texas to quash the probe. Exxon Mobil called it an attempt "to further a political agenda for financial gain." The judge's decision is pending.

ExxonMobil picked up an ally earlier this year when Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, chair of the House Science, Space & Technology Committee, opened his own probe of Schneiderman and Healey, and the attorneys general's efforts to coordinate their investigations with environmental groups.

Smith, a Republican, issued subpoenas to Schneiderman, Healey and eight environmental groups backing the AG probes. He said such investigations would undermine scientists' freedom to exchange views in a candid fashion, a right protected under the First Amendment.

While ExxonMobil continues to fight the attorneys general and environmental groups, Tillerson's own record on climate change has been a bit more nuanced.

ExxonMobil has expressed support for the Paris climate agreement, which Trump and his anti-climate-change allies have roundly criticized.

The company's website states that "the risk of climate change is clear and the risk warrants action."

In 2012, Tillerson said climate is "an engineering problem and it has engineering solutions."

To his environmental critics, the remark is proof Tillerson misses the underlying point about global warming.

"That kind of statement diverts attention from the task at hand, which is conversion to a clean-energy economy," said Kimmell of Union of Concerned Scientists. "It moves us away from the direction we need to go in, and it's designed to help ExxonMobil sell as much gas and oil as it can."

dan@hearstdc.com
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Two Washington state electors have filed a lawsuit in an effort to keep Donald Trump from becoming the next U.S. president.

P. Bret Chiafalo and Levi Guerra filed the suit in Federal Court on Dec. 8, hoping to overturn a state law that forces them to vote for the candidate who won the state's popular vote.

The suit names Washington Governor Jay Inslee, State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, and even the President-elect.

"Donald Trump is unfit for office due to, among other factors, his myriad conflicts of interests; his foreign business dealings; his scientifically baseless belief that climate change and global warming are a 'hoax,'" argues the suit.

"Article II of the U.S. Constitution, as amended by the Twelfth Amendment provides that that the presidential electors are to be a deliberative and independent body free to cast votes for whomever they deem the most fit and qualified candidates," the suit continues. "Yet many states, including Washington, statutorily require their presidential electors to vote consistent with the popular vote in the state."

Washington state law penalizes presidential electors who support candidates that did not win the popular vote.

Chiafalo and Guerra are part of the so-called "Hamilton Electors," a group trying to convince Republican members of the Electoral College to reject Trump and instead select a more moderate candidate. The group needs at least 37 Republic electors in order to bar Trump from winning the Electoral College.

The move would send the election to the House of Representatives.

A judge in Colorado rejected a similar lawsuit on Monday, calling it a "political stunt."

A hearing is set for Federal Court in Seattle at 1 pm.
1 Pizza shooting: A North Carolina man who acted on an Internet conspiracy theory by firing an assault weapon multiple times inside a pizza restaurant in the nations capital now faces a federal gun charge, prosecutors said Tuesday. Edgar Maddison Welch of Salisbury, N.C., is charged with interstate transportation of a firearm with intent to commit a crime, and local charges including assault with a dangerous weapon and property destruction have been dropped. The federal charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties. The 28-year-old Welch has been in jail since the Dec. 4 shooting at Comet Ping Pong, which was targeted by purveyors of fake news and falsely rumored to be the site of a child sex trafficking ring run by prominent Democrats.

2 Roof trial: Prosecutors could soon wrap up their case against the man accused of slaying nine black worshippers during a Bible study at a South Carolina church. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson says he has about a dozen more witnesses to call in the prosecution of Dylann Roof. Roof faces 33 federal charges including hate crimes in the June 2015 shootings at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. His attorneys say Roof would be willing to plead guilty if prosecutors dropped their pursuit of the death penalty.
Approximately 835 New Caney ISD elementary school students will be affected by attendance zone boundary changes for the 2017-2018 school year.

The New Caney Independent School District Board of Trustees approved new elementary attendance zones for the 2017-2018 school year during the regular board meeting Monday, Dec. 12 at Texan Drive Stadium.

New attendance zones are necessary due to the imminent opening of a new elementary school on the site where the former Aikin Elementary School campus was located on Dogwood Lane in Roman Forest.

The district closed Aikin Elementary School at the end of the 2014-2015 school year because it determined that Aikin could not accommodate district growth and no longer met the quality standard for a district campus. Building a new elementary school to replace Aikin was deemed more time and cost efficient than updating the old campus.

Students that would have previously attended Aikin began attending the new Tavola Elementary School campus, which opened in time for the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year.

Construction began on another new elementary school at the former Aikin site after the demolition of Aikin Elementary in April and May 2016.

During the regular board meeting Nov. 11, the school board approved the name Dogwood Elementary for the new school, which had previously been referred to as Elementary #10 in the 2015 bond.

The construction of Dogwood Elementary is approximately 30 percent complete as of the November school board meeting and the school is set to open for the 2017-2018 school year.

The addition of a new elementary school requires new elementary school attendance zones for the district.

Jim Grant, New Caney ISD executive director of operations, presented the attendance zone boundary changes to the school board at the December meeting.

"We moved some kids from New Caney Elementary to Tavola; we moved the Tavola kids to Dogwood and we moved some kids off of FM 1485 that are at Oakley to Dogwood so that the bus ride wouldn't be so far," Grant said. "We worked with student services and we worked with transportation on making sure the routes fit."

The boundary changes will affect approximately 835 students. Approximately 631 students will be moved from Tavola Elementary to Dogwood Elementary. Additionally, approximately 115 students from New Caney Elementary and 89 students from Oakley Elementary will be moved to Tavola Elementary.

According to Grant, student enrollment projections for the 2017-2018 school year for Dogwood Elementary School is 807, whereas the projection for Tavola Elementary is 536.

"The reason for that disparity is that Tavola is going to grow," Grant said. "They're going to grow into that number and probably by the time school is over with at the end of next year, they'll have (approximately) 650 to 700 kids."

With the level of projected growth in the area around Tavola Elementary School, Grant explained that the new attendance zones are intended to prevent the unnecessary transfer of students during their elementary school career by planning for expected growth.

"Our goal in the district is to never move a student more than once in their elementary career," Grant said. "We've stuck by that all but about two times. We balance attendance zones like that. We balance school sizes by that. That's how we've managed our schools for the past 15 years."

Parents of the students that will be impacted by the attendance zone shift will be sent notification letters in January 2017.

For more information about New Caney ISD visit www.newcaneyisd.org.
A picture of 51-year-old Connelly Wirth was displayed on the electronic billboard in Humble, signaling the newest campaign to bring missing people back home.

The Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery Team, a nonprofit organization that spearheads recovery efforts for lost and missing people, launched a new partnership with the Texas outdoor advertising industry, including the Outdoor Advertising Association of Texas and OUTFRONT Media, with the unveiling of the missing person's message in Humble on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

The outdoor advertising companies will provide donated messages on digital billboards across the state, including the one in Humble along U.S. Highway 59 South, for cases involving missing persons.

"These digital billboards are able to get the message to residents quickly, such as Amber Alerts like we do with emergency messages, and hopefully will be a good tool for Texas EquuSearch," said Lee Vela, Clear Channel vice president of public affairs.

The partnership between Texas EquuSearch and the outdoor advertising industry will include the periodic display of donated messages relating to missing persons' cases throughout the state on digital billboards.

"As a victim's advocate and working closely with those who have a loved one who is missing, I can only tell you the grief is intensified when justice is lacking," said Andy Kahan, the city of Houston Crime Victims Assistance. "Thousands of people go missing every year and the family has to search for answers, which can be agonizing, emotional and consuming. Community involvement is the key as you can see with the electronic billboard; the eyes and ears will help get these people home and find out what happened to them. Time and time again, we see these cases that are solved by one tip, one time; sometimes, that's all it takes. Take a look at the billboard because you never know when it will hit home."

According to Houston Police Officer Darrin Buse, assigned to the missing person squad, "This will be a wonderful tool for law enforcement to use to get the word out to the community for those who are missing to get them home and reunited with their families. We work on 8,500-10,000 cases a year, so this will be great."

Houston City-at-Large Councilman Michael Kubosh was instrumental in developing the program with Texas EquuSearch and the outdoor advertising industry.

"This is a tool; we can have these digital billboards in Houston when someone is missing or a disaster," Kubosh said. "Having these messages on digital billboards throughout the area and in Texas will be a key in solving so many of these cases. We need to expand the coverage of digital billboards in our area."

The first case for the new partnership features Wirth, who was last seen Nov. 24 in Houston. Wirth was recently in an automobile accident, suffered a head injury and is in need of medication.

"We're working on 100 cases a year ourselves and one the things the family always wants and needs is to get their loved ones picture out there for people to see it," said Tim Miller, the founder of Texas EquuSearch. "We will now have millions of people see information about missing persons on these digital billboards. We know that the sooner a missing persons' picture is put out there, it is a better opportunity they will be found safe. The exposure these digital billboard messages will give to cases like Connelly's is valuable to the success of finding missing persons."

Miller stated Texas EquuSearch has worked for two weeks to find Wirth and requested any help from the Houston area in case someone saw anything, like what Wirth was wearing the day he went missing or what direction he may have left.

Texas EquuSearch, a charitable organization funded solely by donations, was founded by Tim Miller as a dedication to the memory of Laura Miller, his daughter. Laura was abducted and murdered in north Galveston County in 1984. Currently, EquuSearch has approximately 600 members and conducts searches throughout the United States and worldwide for missing people.

Anyone who has seen Connelly Wirth since his disappearance, knows of his current whereabouts or has any information concerning his disappearance is asked to contact the Houston Police Department at 832-394-1840 or call Texas EquuSearch at 281-309-9500.
Conroe ISD has approved a plan to allow the option of an earlier school year start date.

By statute Conroe ISD is not allowed to begin the new school year before the fourth Monday in August, which next year falls on Aug. 28.

However, by including a flexible school calendar item on a District of Innovation plan approved Tuesday night, the board has the option to approve a calendar that would have the district start at an earlier date.

"It's not something we would be mandated to do, but that would give you (the Board) the option to do that if you chose to do so," Deputy Superintendent Dr. Curtis Null said.

The, authorized by law, allows traditional schools like Conroe ISD to access many of the same flexibilities allowed in Texas open enrollment charter schools. As a district of innovation, the board could give final approval on waiver items instead of sending it to the state level.

The law is designed to provide a school district with more local control," information from Conroe ISD stated.

While a district may pursue specific innovations in the areas of curriculum, instruction, governance, school calendar, budgeting, gain exemptions from certain requirements under the Texas education in code, Conroe ISD's plan only addresses the school calendar. During the November Board meeting Dr. Don Stockton clarified the intention of the district following public feedback regarding the District of Innovation model.

The District of Innovation plan has been the topic of discussion since October when the board passed a resolution which allowed the appointment of a committee to research the option.

The discussion included some skepticism during previous board meetings for potential unintended consequences by allowing the altercation of specific provisions.

"I think it sounds good," trustee Jessica Powell said. "I think it is a real slippery slope and it opens up to possible future issues when different boards, opinions, agendas start to come into play.  There are a lot of reasons to be considered a dangerous plan to adopt. I think there is a lot of research out there that shows it can be positive, but it also can turn into a nightmare for school districts, teachers and communities."

Since the resolution passed, the committee has been researching the option.

"That group worked very diligently had great input from community members, teachers, parents  to develop a plan throughout the process," Null said.
BAD AXE  The Huron County Board of Commissioners approved a wind overlay district for Sherman and Sigel townships Tuesday morning.

The entire project, Huron Wind LLC, proposes turbines in Sand Beach and Delaware townships, which are self zoned.

After a 5-2 vote, some commissioners stated that they approved the district in hopes that it would ultimately go to referendum so that the people can decide.

Under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, the only way to allow for a referendum would be if the board approves the district, after which enough valid signatures must be collected.

If the board voted against it, there would be no public recourse, and the county may be open to litigation on the part of wind developers, Corporate Counsel Steve Allen said.

Commissioner Ron Wruble said that the law falls short in only allowing a referendum challenge to a yes vote.

Commissioner David G. Peruski said he did not vote for the district because he liked the project proposed by NextEra Energy Resources, but because he would like to see the issue go before the people.

Commissioners John Bodis, Rich Swartzendruber and Clark Elftman joined them in support of the district, with Commissioners Sami Khoury and John A. Nugent voting against it.

The board also approved an amendment to the resolution creating the overlay district, in which NextEra agreed to pay a host community fee so that revenue generated from the wind turbines would equal the figures set by the Michigan Renewable Energy Collaborative (MREC) table.

NextEra officials promised to pay this amount at a recent Sherman Township meeting on wind energy, and repeated the vow in a letter of intent to the board.

The MREC figures are higher than the amount set by the Michigan Tax Tribunal, and would apply to all jurisdictions, and include township, county and school taxes.

In his letter to the board, project manager Ryan Pumford also offered to apply to the Federal Aviation Administration to pursue technology that will allow the flashing red lights of the turbines to appear only while aircraft are overhead.

This was included in the amendment as well.

The board accepted NextEras correspondence to amend the resolution by a 6-1 vote.

There was lengthy discussion among commissioners and Allen about how upcoming referendums would affect the state of wind development in the county.

Sherman and Lincoln townships are both county zoned and also will hold the majority of turbines in separate upcoming development projects.

NextEras Huron Wind LLC proposal consists of 65 turbines, 45 of which would be located in Sherman Township.

It is expected to produce 150 megawatts.

The DTE overlay district includes approximately 25,500 acres of land with DTE wind energy agreements across the four townships.

Approximate acres in the overlay district include 16,900 in Lincoln, 4,100 in Sigel, 2,000 in Dwight, and 2,500 in Bloomfield.

DTE expects the project to produce between 100 and 150 megawatts and include 50 to 70 wind turbines.

It is expected that all county-zoned townships will vote in a May referendum on the boards decision to approve the DTE overlay district.

Lincoln Township also faces a May referendum protesting its Board of Trustees decision to form its own planning commission and become self-zoned.

It would not be surprising if a referendum came about in Sherman Township because its board recently passed a resolution to start its own planning commission  a move officials say is an attempt to limit wind development.

Regarding the overlay district protest referendums, Wruble said its unfortunate that all 16 county-zoned townships could decide the fate of two townships  Sherman and Lincoln.

Self-zoned Sand Beach Township will also have a referendum challenging recent sound limits imposed on its wind ordinance.

NextEra officials have called the Sand Beach ordinance changes exclusionary for wind turbines.

And the county is currently considering a five-year moratorium on wind development, which will prohibit licensing, permitting and construction of turbines for five years.

If thats approved by the board, and enough valid signatures are collected on a petition challenging the decision, a referendum on that could take place.

Allen told the Tribune that he would recommend that the DTE and NextEra projects be carved out as exceptions to the moratorium, since they have been applied for, and significant work has been done on them.

Representatives of the wind companies say project benefits include tax revenue, landowner payments, job creation and clean energy.
Several years ago I found a perfect, lighted star to hang over our outdoor nativity display. It was a special memory-making moment for me each December to climb the ladder and hang the star from a tree limb above Mary, Joseph and the Christ child. Much to my disappointment, this year the star failed to light. After a diligent search of several stores, I discovered a very suitable replacement that not only lighted but twinkled!

What would Christmas be without a star? The star that led the wise men to Bethlehem has become a significant feature of our Christmas tradition, along with the manger, shepherds and angels.

Scholars through the years have discussed this heavenly phenomenon and offered their explanations  Halleys comet, a supernovae, an unusual configuration of the planets. However, no explanation within nature satisfies the description that Matthew gives in his account. Really, the only explanation we need is that of the wise men: We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him. (Matthew 2:2 NIV, emphasis mine) It was simply his star; no other explanation needed. Could not the God of the universe, who created all the stars, have made this special star for the express purpose of guiding the wise men to the Christ child?

This sign, a star in the heavens, was uniquely appropriate for these eastern wise men who, among other things, studied the heavens. They would have detected immediately when a new star appeared. How exactly they knew that the appearance of this star heralded the birth of the king of the Jews, we do not know, but it is certain that they had learned of the expectation of the Jewish messiah from exiles like Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah. Undoubtedly the wise men were men of faith in God who not only studied the stars but also the Holy Scriptures. What could have driven their long journey and search other than a deep faith in God?

The star of Bethlehem was no ordinary star. It appeared in the east to herald the birth of Jesus, and then was not seen again by the wise men until it reappeared as they journeyed from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Matthew says that as they went on their way, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was, and then he adds, when they saw the star, they were overjoyed. (Matthew 2:9-10) Literally, the word is they had mega joy. The star, having accomplished its divine mission, disappeared.

But in a sense it continues to reappear to this very day on countless Christmas trees, over nativity scenes, on Christmas cards, and in our hearts. The Apostle Peter speaks of the morning star that rises in our hearts (2 Peter 1:19), and Jesus described Himself as the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. (Revelation 22:16)

My joy at seeing the star at Christmas may not be as exuberant as that of the wise men as it guided them to the exact location of the Christ child; nevertheless, because He now lives in my heart, it always inspires a deep, inner peace, and yes, even a quiet joy. And that is enough.
The Maryville Board of Trustees unanimously approved an ordinance increasing the sewer rates it charges customers at the last regular meeting of the village board.

The ordinance will increase rates to only those citizens who utilize the villages sewer system.

I want to make it clear that this does not affect water usage, said Trustee Rod Schmidt. This is only for rates associated with sewer usage.

The ordinance increases the sewer rates to $6.10 per each 1,000 gallons. A minimum charge of $12.20 a month will be applied to users whose water consumption does not exceed 2,000 gallons monthly.

Currently rates for sewage are $4.80 per 1,000 gallons.

The ordinance states, It is in the best interest of the Village of Maryville, Illinois, to ensure that adequate revenues exist to provide high quality materials and services to the sanitary sewer customers of the Village.

The last time the village raised the sewage rates was in January, 2013.

Mayor Larry Gulledge said the sewer fund had been in the red for the last two years.

We couldnt continue down this road and a lot of the increase is based on the fact that our sewage is treated at the treatment plant in Collinsville, he said. Many communities are going through this as costs to treat sewage are becoming very expensive.

Gulledge said it was decided in committee to not pass the extra expense on to all water users.

We have residents who use our water system, but dont use the sewer system, he said. We felt it wasnt fair to pass the costs onto those residents who dont use the sewer system.

The mayor said the Public Service Committee raised the rates just high enough to operate in the black.

This increase is just large enough so we will be in the black by $25,000 - $30,000, he said. This money has to be in there in case there are needed repairs or something unexpected comes up.

Village Clerk Jolene Henry said the increases will take effect in January 2017, but residents will not see them on the bills until February.
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While Orange County Commissioner Jody Crump isn't unhappy to hear that a business expansion could bring in more than $3 million in economic benefits, he would prefer that it be done far away from the Bessie Heights Marsh, and with an approved lease from the state.

Utah-based Savage Inland Marine bought part of a local barge fleeting and towing company in May. The company's proposed expansion, if approved by the Texas General Land Office, would essentially provide a parking lot for barges in an oxbow just south of the marsh's entrance.

The company has been operating the fleet at the site since the spring, even though it does not have a lease for that part of the river.

In a statement Tuesday, Savage Inland said it is "in full compliance" with state rules "pending approval of its surface lease application."

That application, which the GLO received in mid-October, is "still under consideration," according to press secretary Brittany Eck, who added it will likely not be decided on until "after the holidays."

Crump reaffirmed his opposition to what he called the "non-permitted fleet" at a news conference Tuesday, held in conjunction with the Citizens for the Preservation of Bessie Heights Marsh.

While Crump stressed that he is not opposed to bringing more business to Orange County - a frequent topic of public comment at Commissioner's Court meetings - he said he is concerned that the barges are parked in the river without the GLO's approval.

"We would like for them to move their facility and go through the legal process," he said.

Crump raised concerns that opponents of the project have repeated over the last several months, including the possibility of chemical leaks into the area and damage to the shoreline.

Crump cited the millions of federal, state and local dollars that have gone to the restoration of the marsh, which he said is not only a valued fishing and hunting area, but also important protection against flooding along the river.

Beaumont attorney Michael Truncale, who represents Savage Inland, asked Crump if the money and jobs the operation could potentially generate "matter to (him)," citing an economic impact study the company released on Dec. 2. That study, created by Austin-based Impact DataSource, indicates that over the first 10 years, the barge fleeting business and other Savage Inland expansions, including a new crew-change headquarters, would result in $3.8 million in net benefits to Orange County, Bridge City, Bridge City ISD, and the Orange County Drainage and Navigation and Port Districts.

"The company intends to hire 86 workers over the first seven years, with initial average salaries of $104,600," the report said. The project, according to the study, would in time create 306 "permanent direct and indirect jobs."

The company's GLO application indicates that all barges will be kept at least 30 feet from the shore.

Savage Inland has rebutted claims that the fleeting operation would be any riskier to the marsh than regular barge traffic on the river, and said the barges will act as a buffer and protect the shoreline from further erosion.

That land bordering the water in the oxbow and throughout much of the coastal marsh is owned by private landowners who have signed leases with Savage Inland. Many of those landowners lauded the project at the Tuesday news conference.

Molly Brown, who said she owns land bordering the oxbow that has been in her family for generations, said leasing with Savage Inland would ensure a company is responsible for protecting the land.

"Barges were parking there illegally," she said, but with a formal permitted operation in place, "it is controlled and they are looking after it."

Paul Gerecht, who Savage Inland also leases land from, said at a meeting last week on the project that the only way to protect the land from illegal barges is "sleeping on a boat with a shotgun" and enforcing it himself.

At the meeting last week, a company representative cited two studies indicating that local industries need increased barge fleeting to meet production needs, and said without their operation, more barges will park illegally along the shore.

While the landowners who have leased the property said Savage Inland is acting in both their own economic interest and for the protection of the land, Crump emphasized that a June resolution from the Commissioners Court raising concerns about the project still stands.

LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/LizTeitz
Washington

A man inspired by an internet conspiracy theory to fire an assault weapon inside a pizza restaurant warned friends that his "raid" could involve killing people, according to court documents made public Tuesday.

Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, of Salisbury, N.C., has been in jail since the Dec. 4 shooting at Comet Ping Pong, which has been targeted by purveyors and consumers of fake news who spread false rumors that it's the site of a child sex trafficking ring run by prominent Democrats.

Prosecutors announced Tuesday that Welch now faces a federal charge of interstate transportation of a firearm with intent to commit a crime, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Welch appeared in local and federal court Tuesday answering just a few brief questions, including his name and his ability to pay a lawyer. He was appointed a federal public defender, and a hearing in federal court was scheduled for Friday.

Welch told police "he had read online that the Comet restaurant was harboring child sex slaves and that he wanted to see for himself if they were there," and that "he was armed to help rescue them," according to previously released court documents. A federal court document made public Tuesday says evidence obtained from Welch's cellphone shows he "had been contemplating a violent confrontation at the restaurant since at least" Dec. 1.

The document details a series of text messages Welch exchanged with two unnamed friends. He asked one friend if he had any Army buddies who might be "down for the cause?" which he described as "Raiding a pedo ring, possibly sacraficing (sic) the lives of a few for the lives of many."
Plainview school trustees at Thursdays session will be asked to adopt a resolution to initiate the process for PISD to become a District of Innovation under provisions of House Bill 1842, adopted in 2015. If trustees agree, the board will then hold a public hearing for citizen input on the action and set up a Strategic Planning Committee to study the proposal and possibly draft a plan to proceed.

During the past year, 30 to 35 districts across the state have moved forward with becoming Districts of Innovation, including Big Spring, Friona, Nazareth and Memphis, and many more have taken preliminary steps to explore that designation, including Amarillo and Canyon, explains Greg Brown, PISD director of administrative services.

There was a reluctance initially because it looked too good to be true  it gives a district a lot more local control with making decisions that truly fit us, Brown notes. We were all waiting to see what was on the other foot. We were waiting to see if there was a down side, and it doesnt appear to be one. Now its time to move forward before the Legislature convenes so we can be grandfathered under the current provisions.

According to the Texas Association of School Boards, the District of Innovation designation allows traditional independent school districts to access most of the flexibilities available to Texas open enrollment charter schools.

Greater independence is the chief attraction for this option.

A local school district may want to pursue specific innovations in curriculum, instruction, governance, parent or community involvement, school calendar, budgeting or other ideas, TASB explains. An innovation plan also allows a school district to gain exemption from many Texas Education Code requirements.

TASB says districts can seek exemptions for such provisions as:

--Site-based decision making processes

--Uniform school start date

--Class size ratio

--The 90 percent attendance rule (compulsory attendance still applies)

--School discipline provisions (exceptions include a required code of conduct and restrictions on restraint and seclusion)

--Teacher certification (except as required by federal law)

--Teacher contracts

--Teacher benefits, including state minimum salary schedule, duty-free lunch and planning periods

--Teacher appraisal system

They still must adhere to other statues, including being governed by an elected board of trustees; maintaining the powers and duties of school boards, superintendents and principals; PEIMS (Public Education Information Management System); bilingual education; special education; kindergarten; academic accountability, including student assessments; financial accountability; open meetings and public records; public purchasing; nepotism and other state and federal laws outside the Texas Education Code.

It would give our district, if we so choose, more flexibility with the school calendar, Brown explains, as well as teacher certification, particularly in the areas of Career & Technology. As it stands, our instructors most have industrial experience as well as teacher certification in their specific fields. Its difficult to find people with both in some of those area.

Although there has been concerns voiced by at least one professional educators group statewide over the possible loss of duty-free lunches and planning periods for teachers, Brown said those issues can be addressed by each districts implementation plan.

Approval of the resolution by the board Thursday would simply start a process to investigate and appoint a committee to look into the possible adoption of an innovation plan thats tailored specifically by and for each district, he says.

If implemented, the innovation plan may have a term of up to five years, and may be amended, rescinded or renewed by majority vote of the District-Level Advisory Committee and the districts board of trustees.

According to TASB, if a District of Innovation receives unacceptable academic and/or financial performance ratings for two consecutive years, the state commission of education may terminate the innovation plan or require the district to amend its plan. However, the Texas Education Agency does not have the authority to approve or disapprove a districts innovation plan.
TUSCOLA COUNTY - There has been a break in the alleged ethnic intimidation case in southern Tuscola County.

"The detectives conducted many interviews and were able to obtain good information to complete the investigation," according to Sheriff-Elect Glen Skrent.

Tuscola Sheriff County Deputy Steve Roland responded to the complaint Nov. 12 at a residence on Smith Road in Koylton Township where a family of Mexican descent lives. There were several boxes with graffiti taped together blocking the driveway like a wall. The wording on the boxes was about Donald Trump taking back America and Mexicans suck. Also, a doll made of balloons was hanging nearby and vulgar graffiti spray painted on their driveway.

After Roland completed his initial investigation, he was assisted by Detectives Scott Jones and Robert Baxter. From the evidence collected, the detectives were able to identify suspects, Skrent said.

Their report has been turned over to Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene for review.

The sheriff's office was assisted by Federal Bureau of Investigation special agents because ethnic intimidation is a federal offense.

Koylton Township boarders Sanilac and Lapeer counties.
Dear Toni:

I have retired effective Jan. 1 and now my wife and I are going to travel the US in the new Winnebago that is sitting in my driveway. I am having a hard time trying to sign up for Medicare since I turn 65 in February and really do not know what my address will be since I will be traveling at different times of the year.

I am an insulin dependent diabetic and will need easy access to a pharmacy while traveling, plus if I have an emergency I do want access to decent medical care anywhere in the U.S.

Please give me your thoughts on my situation and what would be the best option for me and my wife  Thanks, Joseph from Cypress

Well, Joseph:

Planning your Medicare is an important part of planning your retirement because one wrong move can cause you thousands of your hard-earned retirement dollars.

Many new to Medicare miss a special window of opportunity when they first enroll in Medicare Part B. This special time is called the Medigap/Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment period and lasts for six months beginning the first day of the month in which you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During this special period, an insurance company can't use medical underwriting because of any health problems.

Joseph, if you enroll in the special six-month window, being an insulin dependent diabetic will not affect you enrolling in a Medicare Supplement.

Touring the U.S. may be another reason to choose a Medicare Supplement because there is not a network and if the healthcare provider or facility is accepting Medicare, then you can receive your care there.

Also, you will want to take time when picking your Medicare Part D plan because you will want access to a nationwide pharmacy that is not only in your Cypress, TX area, but also in other parts of the country.

Another option for both healthcare and prescription drugs is a Medicare Advantage (Part D) plan which may or may not offer the flexibility of easy access to healthcare providers in various areas of the country.

Below are some of the differences between a Medicare Supplement and a Medicare Advantage Plan:

1) Medicare Supplement:

A Medicare Supplement works directly with "Original Medicare".

You chose which doctor, hospital, home health agency, skilled nursing facility, etc. that accepts Medicare assignment for your healthcare.

There is a monthly premium that may increase the premium each year.

You may enroll and will pay separately for a "Stand alone" Medicare (Part D) Prescription drug plan.

2) Medicare Advantage Plan:

To qualify for the plan: a) You must be enrolled in both Medicare Parts A & B. b) Live in the service area 6 months out of a year or change when you are out of the areac) Not have end stage renal disease (kidney dialysis).

Check with your doctors/hospitals to be sure they are in the plan's network before you enroll.

You must use your Medicare Advantage insurance card, not your Medicare (red, white, and blue) card.

A Medicare Advantage Plan must provide all your Part A and Part B benefits and some Medicare Advantage Plans have Part D prescription drug plans included.

A Medicare Advantage Plan may have a zero to low dollar premiums.

With a Medicare Advantage plan, you may have different co pays, co-insurances or deductibles to pay and have maximum out of pocket expenses to meet.

Toni King, author of the Medicare Survival Guide offers a "Thank You, Houston" $5 discount available for Houston Chronicle/HCN readers at http://tonisays.com/reader-special. Medicare consultations are available at the Toni Says office info@tonisays.com or call 832/519-TONI (8664).
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Lizzie Velasquez knows a thing or two about appearance-based hate, but she knows more about putting up a fight against this hate.

The anti-bullying activist spoke out against memes featuring herself and real people. The 27-year-old woman, who lives with a neonatal progeroid syndrome which prevents her from accumulating body fat, bravely posted a meme featuring herself and subtext that suggests she is undesirable because of how she looks.

BULLYING NATIONWIDE: Video of Alabama student being bullied goes viral

In response, the Austin-native fights back against the harmful words in the meme with a challenge to the meme creators and community.

"I've seen a ton of memes like this all over @facebook recently. I'm writing this post not as someone who is a victim but as someone who is using their voice," Velasquez writes in her Instagram caption. "Yes, it's very late at night as I type this but I do so as a reminder that the innocent people that are being put in these memes are probably up just as late scrolling through Facebook and feeling something that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

"No matter what we look like or what size we are, at the end of the day, we are all human. I ask that you keep that in mind the next time you see a viral meme of a random stranger. At the time you might find it hilarious but the human in the photo is probably feeling the exact opposite. Spread love not hurtful words via a screen."

STOP BULLYING: Texas City teen's death may be linked to cyber-bullying, police say

This isn't the first time the motivational speaker and anti-bully activist has used her experience and voice to speak out against the haters. She has published a multitude of self-help books ("Dare to be Kind" and "Be Beautiful, Be You") and has starred in her own documentary film "A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story," which was featured at SXSW Film Festival in 2015.

Chron.com has reached out to Velasquez for a comment and will update this post when we hear back.
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Texas can be a wild place, and you don't always need to go to a zoo for proof.

However, some counties can be wilder than others.

Texas allows people to privately own wild animals, so long as the creatures are registered with the Texas Department of State Health Services.

WILD IN CONROE: Police release 911 call that alerted authorities to loose tiger

The department says there are currently 139 dangerous wild animals registered to owners around Texas, with the bulk - 66 - in Collin County. That figure more than doubles the county with the next highest total - Travis County, with 26 registered animals.

Collin County is home to a large, well-established cat rescue group, which accounts for the number of big felines there, said Christine Mann, a spokeswoman for the department.

These aren't house cats and show dogs, either. Lions, tigers and bears - oh my! - have taken up residence around Texas.

HERDING CATS: South Texas county hopes to save ocelot population

Feeding a live bear isn't your thing? Well, for some folks, it's just the right pet.

Click through the slideshow to see which wild animals are registered with the state and the counties they are located.

Watch the video above to see how Conroe residents reacted when a live tiger was spotted on the street.
A 5-year-old boy was found alone in a Stockton motel room with drugs, and officers are searching for the child's father, police said.

Stockton police found the boy in the motel just before 3:30 p.m. Monday in the 600 block of North Center Street.
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San Antonio Independent School District officials enforced a new policy at Highlands High School Wednesday, increasing the amount of time students have between lunch periods, after four students were arrested following a massive fight on campus Tuesday.

Several students were involved in a number of fights Tuesday, culminating in a final fight in the school's gym by afternoon, said SAISD spokeswoman Leslie Price. Students first confronted each other behind the school at 8 a.m., she said.

RELATED: 9 students arrested for lunchtime brawl at Burbank High School

After the fight, pictured in the slideshow above, Price said the school implemented a controlled dismissal so students would not be released from class all at once. She said the campus was "calm" Wednesday.

Highlands is livin' in the hype today pic.twitter.com/QlxIJLpF6Z  savage jerm (@ogjermz_) December 13, 2016

Julian Estrada, 17, was arrested and charged with assaulting a school administrator and Ronaldo Ayala, 18, was arrested and charged with assault of a police officer, Price said. The names and charges of the other two students could not be released as they are minors.

Names and booking photos for the students arrested were not immediately available from district or local police.

"This is not the norm," Price said of the fight.

RELATED: Video: 3 women brawl at H-E-B in San Antonio

In a video posted to YouTube, which garnered thousands of views and has since been deleted, two students are seen punching and shoving one another. Eventually the two students remove their shirts and move across the gym before at least four other students begin to hit and shove one another.

Portions of the video have been posted on other social media outlets including Twitter raking in more than 100 retweets and likes.

Additional district officers were called to campus to deal with fight, Price said.

She said three administrators and one district officer sustained minor injuries from the incident.

At Highlands High Wednesday, school officials implemented longer transition times in between lunch periods to "keep a large group of students from passing each other at a time," Price said.

Officials are investigating what led to the incident, she said.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
Anne Bunting liked to tell friends that President Barack Obama saved her life.

Last month, the Houston native decided to pen a letter telling him so, explaining how his signature health care law had allowed her to get a life-saving heart transplant in 2014.

"I tell everyone that you saved my life and I truly believe that," she wrote.

That, she thought, would be that.

Then last Friday she got a reply: "Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to share your moving story with me. It's clear you have faced tremendous challenges over the last few years, and I am glad to hear the Affordable Care Act helped you."

It was signed with the president's characteristic signature, with a giant B and a giant O.

"I was surprised and I was thrilled," said Bunting, 66, a retired contract worker living in the city's Museum District. "I've never done anything like this before."

Her letter, she said, was prompted by the roiling debate over Obamacare, which Republicans, now led by President-elect Donald Trump, have vowed to repeal. Though she voted for Obama twice, she considers herself an independent.

"He seemed to be under siege, and I wanted him to know that what he did for me," said Bunting, the mother of two grown-up daughters. She spoke to the Chronicle on Wednesday, on the eve of Thursday's deadline for signing up for coverage through healthcare.gov.

As a self-employed contractor, she had an insurance policy that would not cover her heart transplant. Instead, doctors implanted ventricular assist devices  essentially two pumps run by computers and batteries which were attached to her at all times. Bunting lived with that for nine months, until Obamacare abolished restrictions on pre-existing conditions, opening the way for her to get insurance that covered her heart transplant.

"I wanted him to know that," she said.
Chip Somodevilla/Staff

WASHINGTON  Texas U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady of The Woodlands, who has emerged as the point man on House GOP efforts to undo Obamacare, called in all the Republican members of his tax-writing panel Wednesday for a rare, recess conference.

Brady, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, brought the lawmakers back to Washington during the holiday break to ready a GOP plan on taxes and health care in advance of the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Starting a young marrieds group at Coker United Methodist Church in the late 1970s, Dora S. Hayden guided a generation of women, starting when they were young wives and mothers and continuing as their lives progressed.

She was the mentor and we were the younger ones, said her friend Nancy Nazzaro, who was part of the group for many years. Wed talk about how to raise children and  Christian marriage.

As the years passed, Hayden continued to lead the group, adjusting the topics as their lives changed.

We evolved, said Nazzaro. We were the middle-aged people, then older people struggling with aging parents; its been over our lifetime.

Volunteering in other areas of the church, Hayden was also active with United Methodist Women, and served in various administrative positions on the board.

She was truly a pillar of this community, said longtime friend Gail Hatcher.

Hayden died Dec. 7 at 95.

The oldest of nine children raised on a Central Texas cotton farm in the 1920s and 30s, Hayden realized early on the importance of education.

More Information Dora S. Hayden Born: Jan. 4, 1921, Copperas Cove Died: Dec. 7, 2016, San Antonio Preceded by: Husband Edgar Hayden; two sisters and two brothers. Survived by: Daughter Betsy Quesenbery; sons Carl Hayden and Tim Hayden; four sisters, and a brother. Services: Visitation from 4-7 p.m. today at Mission Park North, 3401 Cherryridge; memorial at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Coker United Methodist Church, 231 E. North Loop Road, followed by a reception. See More Collapse

Though raised speaking German, it never held her back.

Telling her father she wanted to go to college, he replied that she could go only if she graduated from high school as class valedictorian, which she did before attending what was then North Texas State Teachers College.

Teaching in Bartlett after graduating with a bachelors degree in physical education, Hayden was later teaching in Illinois when she met her future husband, an electrical engineer, through mutual friends. The couple married in 1951.

Enrolling at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Hayden received a masters in education before the family moved to Boulder, Colorado, where she became a stay-at-home mom to their three children.

Hayden once again returned to college after being accepted into the masters program at the University of Colorado Boulder to work on a second graduate degree in education.

She was looking at getting back into teaching  wanted to be a counselor, her son Tim Hayden said.

Moving to San Antonio in 1973 after her husband was offered a position at Southwest Research Institute, Hayden directed her teaching ability toward Coker, developing the program she led for so many years.

Mother was quite an advocate for Christian education, Tim Hayden said.

mheidbrink@express-news.net
May I offer another point of view regarding your front page article Dec. 4, Freedom Caravan.

As a college student attending The College of Mount St Vincent in New York City during Castros revolution in Cuba, there was much anticipated joy for his success in overthrowing Battista. Our campus had many Cuban students and a wonderful Professor of Spanish who came from Cuba, Dr. Edita MasLopez. They held high hopes for the future of their beloved country.

Jubilation turned to utter despair as the Castro regime quickly confiscated the homes and personal belongings of the upper-class citizens of Cuba. Our professors family not only lost everything, but many of them were imprisoned as well.

Also on our campus were the true Freedom Fighters, men and women with university degrees who had escaped Hungary and were happy to be in a free country. Our college officials, the Sisters of Charity, provided them with shelter and jobs on campus until they were able to assimilate into the ways of our country.

Antoinette Bria Fodor

Norwalk
Trump: Drain the swamp

Trumps cabinet picks and other appointments seem very far from Draining the Swamp. Rather, the appointments of and for novices, hacks and cronies with little experience and background for the jobs. Is it Draining the Swamp, or just adding more debris and stagnant water? Caveat emptor!
The CIA, according to the Washington Post, has now determined that hackers working for the Russian government worked to tilt the 2016 election to Donald Trump. This has actually been obvious for months, but the agency was reluctant to state that conclusion before the election out of fear that it would be seen as taking a political role.

Meanwhile, the FBI went public 10 days before the election, dominating headlines and TV coverage across the country with a letter strongly implying that it might be about to find damning new evidence against Hillary Clinton  when it turned out, literally, to have found nothing at all.

Did the combination of Russian and FBI intervention swing the election? Yes. Clinton lost three states  Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania  by less than a percentage point, and Florida by only slightly more. If she had won any three of those states, she would be president-elect. Is there any reasonable doubt that Putin/Comey made the difference?

And it wouldnt have been seen as a marginal victory, either. Even as it was, Clinton received almost 3 million more votes than her opponent, giving her a popular margin close to that of George W. Bush in 2004.

So this was a tainted election. It was not, as far as we can tell, stolen in the sense that votes were counted wrong, and the result wont be overturned. But the result was nonetheless illegitimate in important ways; the victor was rejected by the public, and won the electoral college only thanks to foreign intervention and grotesquely inappropriate, partisan behavior on the part of domestic law enforcement.

The question now is what to do with that horrifying knowledge in the months and years ahead.

One could, I suppose, appeal to the president-elect to act as a healer, to conduct himself in a way that respects the majority of Americans who voted against him and the fragility of his electoral college victory. Yeah, right. What were actually getting are wild claims that millions of people voted illegally, false assertions of a landslide, and denigration of the intelligence agencies.

Another course of action, which youll see many in the news media taking, is to normalize the incoming administration, basically to pretend that everything is OK. This might  might  be justified if there were any prospect of responsible, restrained behavior on the part of the next president. In reality, however, its clear that Trump  whose personal conflicts of interest are unprecedented, and quite possibly unconstitutional  intends to move U.S. policy radically away from the preferences of most Americans, including a pronounced pro-Russian shift in foreign policy.

In other words, nothing that happened on Election Day or is happening now is normal. Democratic norms have been and continue to be violated, and anyone who refuses to acknowledge this reality is, in effect, complicit in the degradation of our republic. This president will have a lot of legal authority, which must be respected. But beyond that, nothing: he doesnt deserve deference, he doesnt deserve the benefit of the doubt.

And when, as you know will happen, the administration begins treating criticism as unpatriotic, the answer should be: You have to be kidding. Trump is, by all indications, the Siberian candidate, installed with the help of and remarkably deferential to a hostile foreign power. And his critics are the people who lack patriotism?

Will acknowledging the taint on the incoming administration do any good? Maybe it will stir the consciences of at least a few Republicans. Remember, many, though not all, of the things Trump will try to do can be blocked by just three Republican senators.

Politics being what it is, moral backbones on Capitol Hill will be stiffened if there are clear signs that the public is outraged by what is happening. And there will be a chance to make that outrage felt directly in two years  not just in congressional elections, but in votes that will determine control of many state governments.

But we ought to be able to look both forward and back, to criticize both the way Trump gained power and the way he uses it. . This election was an outrage, and we should never forget it.

Paul Krugman is a New York Times columnist.
President Barack Obama is being pressured by immigration activists to pardon hundreds of thousands of undocumented young people so that Donald Trump cant deport them.

Democratic Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Lucille Roybal-Allard of California and Luis Gutierrez of Illinois recently sent a letter to Obama asking him to use his authority to forgive the past and future civil immigration offenses of the more than 740,000 so-called Dreamers who benefit from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

White House officials quickly nixed the idea, insisting that such a pardon would be the equivalent of granting permanent legal status. As they noted, the president has no such authority.

No surprise there. Obama doesnt listen to immigration activists, as he has shown by ignoring their pleas to curb deportations.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, shouldnt we stop and ask whether deporting Dreamers is something that President-elect Trump even wants to do in the first place? It doesnt appear so.

Granted, Trump did say that those who are in the country illegally would have to leave. He also threatened to reverse Obamas executive actions, including DACA, which allows the young and undocumented to apply for a two-year work permit and temporary reprieve from deportation.

But Trumps chest-thumping on immigration could be nothing more than theatrics. This is the kind of stuff Republicans do when theyre trying to get elected. Now that he has been elected, it doesnt appear that Trump has the stomach for following through on much of his tough talk.

After Time named Trump its Person of the Year, the billionaire told the magazine this when asked about his plans for the Dreamers:

Were going to work something out thats going to make people happy and proud. They got brought here at a very young age, theyve worked here, theyve gone to school here. Some were good students. Some have wonderful jobs. And theyre in never-never land because they dont know whats going to happen.

That doesnt seem so harsh, does it? Hard-line restrictionists who want to see the Dreamers tossed out by the only country theyve ever known should brace for disappointment. And those left-wing organizations that are asking for money to stop Trump from deporting a group of people that he doesnt seem so interested in getting rid of should find a new scare tactic for fundraising.

Its the immigration two-step. Republicans act tough when campaigning but go soft once theyre in office to help big business. Democrats act soft on the campaign trail, but drop the hammer once theyre in office to please organized labor. Everyone gets deceived. Nothing gets done.

Nevertheless, the White House was right to throw cold water on the whole idea of Obama issuing a mass pardon to Dreamers.

What makes Dreamers special is the same thing that makes them appear so sympathetic to many Americans. Its the fact that  since they were brought here as children by their parents  they did not make a conscious decision to break our immigration laws.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently seized on that point when he delivered to Trump a letter co-signed by 15 other municipal leaders from around the country vouching for DACA students. Emanuel, a one-time immigration hard-liner who is undergoing an extreme makeover as a savior for the undocumented, told reporters that he informed Trump that these young people should be able to remain in the United States because its no fault of their own their parents came here.

That makes sense. For these young people, coming to the United States was no more a voluntary act than the time your parents dragged you to Yellowstone Park for summer vacation.

So how do you forgive wrongdoing by a group of people who did nothing wrong?

ruben@rubennavarrette.com
The city of San Antonio has formally banned the box for would-be job applicants.

The box is the question at the bottom of many job applications about a persons criminal history. The box has long been framed as an obstacle for job seekers who have made mistakes in the past.

The concern is that stigma from the box cuts two ways. Would-be employers overlook qualifications once they see an applicant has a criminal history. And would-be applicants might not bother to apply because of their histories.

Banning the box is not the same as doing away with background checks. It just means the city wont do those background checks until after a person has been offered a position. Its a way to judge a person fairly on qualifications before taking mistakes of the past under consideration.

For the last two years, the city of San Antonio hasnt looked at criminal history until after a job has been offered. But this is only part of the equation. The box has remained on applications, potentially dissuading people from applying for jobs. City Councils passage of District 4 City Councilman Rey SaldanasFair Chance Housing ordinance gets rid of the box and codifies good policy.

It is important to note that criminal backgrounds still matter and will still disqualify people from certain positions  such as working with children at Pre-K 4 SA, for example. Likewise, applicants for police and fire positions also must pass background checks during the application process.

But in broad strokes, fair chance hiring policy makes sense. Its hard to see how anyone benefits from keeping people with criminal backgrounds out of the workforce. When people have jobs, good things tend to follow.
STAMFORD  A city man whose drunk driving nearly killed a Cove teenager and probably caused him life-long memory problems, was sentenced to seven years in jail on Tuesday.

Ramon Martinez-Urbina, 30, was behind the wheel of a Chrysler minivan driving down Willowbrook Avenue on March 9, 2015 when he sped up and struck 17-year-old Tommy Grullon while he was riding his skateboard.

Grullon nearly broke through the windshield and was carried on the hood before being thrown off onto the sidewalk.

Martinez-Urbina tried to flee before he ran into stone wall and then tried to sprint away with his passenger.

According to attorney Matthew Maddox, Grullon will never be the same.

Maddox said his client spent the better part of a week in a coma, with the doctors warning his parents that he may die. He remained five weeks in the hospital after being moved to Yale New Haven Hospital and now has $352,000 in medical bills that in part went to treat multiple facial fractures and internal injuries, Maddox said.

On the bright side, Maddox said, looking at Grullon walking down the street, you would never guess what happened to him.

But, Maddox said Grullon has profound memory problems.

He really cannot be left alone anymore. If he is alone and walks out of the house he may not remember how to get back home, Maddox said. So he has suffered some terribly serious cognitive problems.

Maddox said the parents would have liked to have seen Martinez-Urbina receive a larger jail sentence, but they also understand that plea-bargains are part of the system.

Throughout, Maddox said Grullon and his family have been a remarkably gracious and forgiving group of people.

While Martinez-Urbina declined to say anything at the sentencing after pleading guilty to second-degree assault with a motor vehicle, drunk driving and unrelated charges of second-degree larceny and first-degree assault, his attorney David Bothwell, said his clients problems began at an early age.

Bothwell said that Martinez-Urbina was orphaned at an early age and suffered tremendous physical and sexual abuse in his native Honduras.

He had a horrible, horrible existence that he was unable to overcome, Bothwell said.

JNICKERSON@SCNI.COM;
Gov. Jerry Brown directly challenged the incoming Trump administration on climate change Wednesday, promising that California will fight any attempt to roll back progress on the environment, including possibly launching its own damn satellite to track global warming.

Weve got a lot of firepower, Brown told more than 3,000 climate scientists attending the American Geophysical Union conference at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Not only is California the worlds sixth-largest economy, weve got the scientists, weve got the universities, weve got the national labs and we have the political clout for the battle. And we will persevere, have no doubt about that.

Brown said that if Trump attempts to mess with research at the University of California labs like the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which is funded by the Department of Energy, Im going to say Keep your hands off.

As long as the University of California manages those labs, were not going to have political interference, Brown said. Were going to have honest, independent science. Brown is also president of the UC Board of Regents.

Scientists attending the conference this week said they are terrified not only by Trumps rhetoric on climate change, but by some of the early moves by his transition team.

Trump has erroneously called climate change a hoax propagated by China to make American manufacturing less competitive and said nobody really knows whether it is real. He is considering withdrawing from the landmark international climate accords reached last year in Paris and has nominated several climate-change deniers to his Cabinet.

Trump transition staff members have asked the Department of Energy for the names of anyone who has worked on climate change there  the department responded by saying it will not release any names. Many scientists there are furiously trying to preserve their research data for fear that it will be destroyed. Trump nominated former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to head the department  Perry has long called for eliminating the agency.

Trump nominated Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency, even though Pruitt sued the agency to stop emission curbing regulations.

A senior Trump campaign adviser suggested eliminating funding for NASAs climate research program, including for a satellite program that has been gathering information on how the Earths atmosphere is changing.

Brown recalled that in 1978, during his second term as governor, he proposed that California launch its own communications satellite.

So if Trump turns off the satellites, California will launch its own damn satellite, he said.

They called me Gov. Moonbeam for that, Brown said Tuesday. I didnt get that moniker for nothing.

Brown pointed out that California signed on to a memorandum of understanding with more than 200 countries, states and regions, called the Under 2 MOU, to limit greenhouse gases to 2 metric tons per capita annually. He said he spoke to the Canadian ambassador Tuesday to reassure him that California would not be backing out of that or any other climate agreements.

Browns 14-minute address Wednesday was part rallying cry for climate scientists to continue to be fearless truth-tellers and the foot soldiers of change and understanding in this post-fact era. He cautioned that this is not a battle of one day or one election. This is a long-term slog into the future.

He said he hoped that the ascendance of a climate denier like Trump to the White House would jolt into action those who had been tepid about climate change.

Some people need a heart attack to quit smoking. Maybe we just got our heart attack, Brown said. We should start doing the work that it takes to really do what it takes to reduce our climate emissions.

He urged the scientists to ignore the miasma of social media and not just publish their findings but work to promote them.

It takes some boldness, some risk-taking, but most of all, truth telling and truth seeking. The power of truth is profoundly more effective than the power of rhetoric, Brown said.

He took a shot at Breitbart News  the conservative website that formerly was directed by Trumps chief strategist in the White House, Steve Bannon.

Brown said that when he signed a measure reducing methane gas emissions, Breitbart and the other clowns talked about cow farts. Everything is reduced from seriousness to a joke. Its not a joke. This is not about Twitter and 140 characters and the instant proliferation of meaningless news bits. This is about real life. Real people. Real science  and youre the custodians of that aspect of our lives.

Brown also ripped what may be the nations next secretary of energy  his longtime rival, Rick Perry. The Texan made several high-profile trips west while he was governor of oil-industry dependent Texas to try to poach jobs from California, the hub of renewable energy.

Well, Rick, Ive got some news for you  California is growing a hell of a lot faster (4.1 percent in 2015) than Texas (3.8 percent in 2015), Brown said. And we got more sun than you have oil.

The audience responded to Browns speech with a 45-second standing ovation. Afterward, many said it was important to hear a major politician support them in the wake of the rumblings of anti-science rhetoric they have been hearing from the incoming Trump administration.

Im uplifted, said Deb Vane, who works at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. We really needed someone to rally us after what weve been hearing.

After Brown spoke, Secretary of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell took up the theme, warning that a sea of change in the landscape of science is coming.

Thousands of American Geophysical Union members depend on federal research funds for their work. But scientists working for government agencies like the Department of Energy or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration already fear that even their research data may be corrupted or destroyed in a new administration.

Push back against those guys, Jewell told the researchers, urging them to enlist Congress and the public and to make the case in a really visceral way.

Jewell, 60, has been an oil industry engineer, and before she joined the Obama administration she was CEO of REI, the billion-dollar recreation equipment retailer cooperative. She is also an avid hiker, skier and mountaineer.

The publics investment in your work is critical, she told the scientists as she reminded them that even a hostile new administration must recognize that ongoing research in every field is crucial to industry and agriculture.

Stay the course, she said.

Joe Garofoli and David Perlman are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com, dperlman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli, @daveperlman
Wells Fargo has repeatedly promised to take steps to compensate customers who had accounts opened in their names without their knowledge. But four months after admitting to the sham accounts, the San Francisco bank still refuses to say how many of its hometown customers were victims.

On Tuesday, City Treasurer Jose Cisneros sent a letter to Wells Fargo demanding it disclose how many San Francisco residents had credit card and bank accounts opened without their knowledge  information Cisneros said he first asked for in September. He also wants to know what the bank will do to repay those customers, some of whom were charged fees by Wells Fargo on the accounts they didnt know they had.

In addition, Cisneros demanded that the bank disclose how many low-level employees in San Francisco were fired for opening the accounts under what he called great pressure to do whatever it took to meet aggressive sales goals, and how the bank will repair the damage to their careers.

Wells Fargo has the answers to all of this. ... They certainly know where those people live, Cisneros said in an interview. You kind of got to fess up for us to start to build trust again, and to the degree that you dont come out with the whole truth, how can I know when its time to trust again?

The treasurer is the banker, tax collector, collection agent and investment officer for the city, and he wields some control over how much business San Francisco does with Wells Fargo. Cisneros terminated the banks brokerage dealings with the city shortly after the scandal broke in September and also kicked Wells Fargo out of the citys Bank On program, which helps low-income residents start bank accounts.

But the city could take further steps, such as refusing to let Wells Fargo underwrite any of its bonds, which are worth billions of dollars.

Ruben Pulido, a spokesman for Wells Fargo, said, Stakeholders are asking us many legitimate questions, but that unfortunately, we cannot answer some questions at this time due to an ongoing internal review.

Regulators say Wells Fargo opened about 2 million unauthorized accounts nationwide. Pulido said the bank has refunded $2.6 million to customers nationally.

Cisneros isnt the only San Francisco official losing patience with Wells Fargo. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution urging the district attorney to investigate Wells Fargo executives and calling on the San Francisco Retirement Board to terminate all financial dealings with the bank. It also endorsed the city controllers decision to pull $4.5 million in city funds from Wells Fargo short-term checking accounts, among other measures.

There were several connections the board didnt touch, however, and those illustrate how hard it would be for the city to disentangle itself from Wells Fargo completely. For example, the bank will continue to serve as a credit provider for about $200 million worth of bonds issued by San Francisco International Airport, a $160 million issue for the Transbay Transit Center project and $75 million for the city Public Utilities Commission.

They have their tendrils in all parts of our society, including the city and county of San Francisco, so in a way we are tied to their success or failure, said Supervisor John Avalos, who sponsored the resolution.

But even if San Franciscos actions are more symbolic than a financial threat to a bank with more than $1.7 trillion in assets, its incumbent on the city to do what it can, Avalos said.

If we dont practice our power as a city to force better behavior and standards of business, then what good are we doing to protect the public? he said.

Edward Mills, a financial policy analyst at FBR Capital Markets in Washington, D.C., said government agencies have to balance competing interests if they want to punish banks with which they do business.

Thats the challenge  the desire to inflict some sort of penalty with the desire to still have a functioning banking system that we use to operate our daily lives, Mills said. The worst way you can take out your animus toward one of the big banks is causing higher financing costs that cause you to cut the position of a fireman or a teacher.

He said there is little San Francisco could do to hurt Wells Fargos bottom line. Youre not going to impact their revenue. Youre going to impact the way Wall Street views their stock price. And that affects the value of their company, Mills said.

But Peter Conti-Brown, an assistant professor of legal studies and business ethics at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School, questioned the citys decision not to sever more ties with the bank.

Its not enough to say its cheaper to do business with Wells Fargo, because that includes the cost of linking the citys reputation with an organization that has admitted to defrauding its customers, Conti-Brown said. How do you quantify the cost of that reputational uncertainty?

In recent days, Wells Fargos sales scandal has widened to include revelations that bank employees may have opened Prudential life insurance policies for customers who didnt ask for them. A whistle-blower lawsuit filed by three former Prudential employees said the bank opened many such accounts for customers who didnt speak English.

Wells Fargo has sought to squelch customer lawsuits over sham accounts by forcing the plaintiffs into arbitration  a venue that plaintiffs lawyers say can be tilted toward corporate defendants. The bank has argued that although the accounts were unauthorized, the victimized customers agreed to submit any disputes to arbitration when they opened legitimate accounts.

Thats the definition of chutzpah as far as legal procedures go, Conti-Brown said. One reason (Wells Fargo) hasnt come fully clean and released a top-to-bottom investigation of this is they face real liability risk if they do so.

In going to war with Wells Fargo, the city could also jeopardize bank support for civic institutions. The bank is one of the citys largest donors, giving about $30 million to San Francisco organizations from 2013 to 2015. Since 2000, it has donated more than $4 million to Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in the Tenderloin and $2 million to San Francisco General Hospital, according to the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council, a public policy group representing many of the regions largest companies, expressed support for the bank.

Were not apologists for Wells Fargo, nor would we ever condone the types of illegal banking activities in which the bank engaged, he said. But we do think its only fair that people also have some awareness of how much good Wells Fargo has done for San Francisco, residents, businesses, public agencies and the region.

Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen
A hotly contested plan to build a low-income apartment complex in Ingram Hills passed through Planning Commission, again, after the city overturned its previous approval in October due to administrative error.

The commission voted 7-3 to change Ingram Hills neighborhood plan to allow for the 288-unit complex despite concerns that it will create overcrowding and lower property values and set a precedent for other neighborhood plans to be overturned at a time when San Antonio is growing fast.
According to Lehigh Valley Live, a construction worker at a new FedEx site was killed after being stuck in machinery in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Friday afternoon.

Details of the Workplace Accident

The fatal industrial accident occurred at a construction site for a new FedEx distribution hub off of Willowbrook Road at around 1:45 p.m. local time. A construction worker, 39, became trapped in an auger, a machine used for digging, at the work site.

According to Lehigh Valley Live, the man died in the accident. The identity of the man is being withheld until family is notified. The workplace accident is being investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Northampton County Coroners office.

Workplace Injury Statistics

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),

In 2014, 4,821 workers died on the job.

oOn average, more than 92 workers died every week.

Out of 4,386 worker fatalities in the private industry in 2014, 899 died in construction accidents.

o39 out of the 899 (4.3%) deaths were due to a worker being caught-in/between equipment or an object.

The leading cause of private sector worker deaths in the construction industry is falls (39.9%).

Contact an Experienced Workplace Accident Attorney

Thomas J. Henry Injury Attorneys fight to protect the rights of workplace injury victims. If you or someone you love has been injured or killed on the job, contact Thomas J. Henry Injury Attorneys. The goal of our offices is to not only protect your rights, but to send a message so the same tragedy does not happen again. We represent clients/victims all over the country.

Editors Note: This content is made possible by Thomas J. Henry Personal Injury Law. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com.
According to Fox News, a recent research study found that baby teethers may be exposing children to harmful chemicals that can cause a litany of health issues including cancer and obesity.

Chemical Alternatives Equally Toxic to BPA

Research published in the Environmental Science & Technology journal suggests certain baby teethers could be leaking endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as BPA, BPS, or BPF. In many products, BPA has been replaced with BPS or BPF. Fox News reports that BPA has been linked to obesity, cancer, and childhood anxiety.

However, experts say the chemical alternatives, which were wrongly believed to not leak like BPA, cause issues of their own. For example, according to Fox News, BPS has been found to cause developmental issues in fish embryos.

Also found in the analyzed baby teethers were parabens, triclosan, and triclocarban. Parabens are most commonly used in water or gel-filled teethers to prevent microorganism growth. In September, the United States Food and Drug Administration banned certain hand sanitizers and body washes due to the triclosan and triclocarban contents. The FDA believes these chemicals can cause long-term harm to the body, including bacterial resistance and hormonal effects.

Plastics industries claim the amount of BPA in child and baby products does not pose a health risk. However, the author of the study refutes that claim, stating it may only take a nanogram or microgram amount of the chemical to present a health risk.

According to Fox News, the FDA previously banned BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups in 2012. The FDA has not determined a definite answer to at what dose do these harmful chemicals pose a risk, which is why regulation has not been all that widespread or strict.

Many of the teethers in the study were labeled as non-toxic or BPA-free, reports Fox News.

Defective and Unsafe Toys

With manufacturers constantly coming out with new childrens toys, it is important to pay attention to new recalls and warnings. Many dangerous and defective toys are widely available and often times the danger is unknown until it is too late.

We must be aware that sometimes the seemingly most harmless objects cause irreversible damage. Toxic chemicals in toys pose a highly dangerous risk to children of all ages.

Contact an Experienced Child Safety Recall Attorney

Thomas J. Henry Injury Attorneys are leaders in the area of product liability litigation. Our Defective Drug and Products Division has extensive knowledge and resources in both product liability litigation and child injury. If your child has been the victim of a serious injury due to a recalled product, contact our offices. We are available 24/7, nights and weekends, and we represent clients/victims all over the country.

Editors Note: This content is made possible by Thomas J. Henry Personal Injury Law. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com.
1 Gambia unrest: Gambias ruling party pressed for a fresh presidential election Tuesday as regional mediators intervened to try to resolve a mounting political crisis in the tiny country that voted its leader of 22 years from power less than two weeks ago. A petition signed by the secretary-general of President Yahya Jammehs party on Tuesday demanded a new vote, claiming the election was not conducted fairly. The West African regional bloc has warned that the tiny nation of 1.9 million could be plunged into violence if Jammeh doesnt respect a peaceful transition.

2 Genocide trial: Gen. Ratko Mladics defense team called on U.N. judges Tuesday to acquit the former Bosnian Serb military chief, arguing that prosecutors at The Hague, Netherlands, failed to prove he orchestrated atrocities by Serb forces under his command during the 1992-95 Bosnian War. Defense lawyer Dragan Ivetic told the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia that prosecutors at Mladics long-running trial wanted to make the 74-year-old former general the symbolic sacrificial lamb for the perceived guilt of Serbs during the war that left 100,000 dead. Mladic is facing life in prison
Our attorney Jim Moody sent Daniel Sieradski, who operates The Self Agency, a letter last Friday demaning that Sieradski, among other things, remove Naked Capitalism from B.S. Detector, a Chrome browser extension he had developed to identify fake news sites. Even though Sieradski had been alerted to the fact that the browser extension falsely included sites such as Shadowproof, Truthout, Truthdig, and Naked Capitalism, and Sieradski had acknowledged that those should never have been included, he made another browser release without correcting the error. Moodys letter, among other things, also asked Sieradski to issue a prominent apology, send it to news outlets that had reported on B.S. Detector, most importantly CBS News, and inform all those who had downloaded B.S. Detector of the erroneous inclusion of Naked Capitalism.

Sieradski put up a long note on his website the next day, a Saturday, titled Naked Capitalism and the B.S. Detector. It includes a short letter from his attorney to Jim Moody at the end.

While we appreciate that Sieradski apologized quickly, he has not taken any of the other steps we requested. We must note that a substantial amount of Sieradskis note consists of self-justification and an effort to depict himself as victimized. He also mischaracterized some of the elements of Moodys letter. Moody correctly pointed out areas of potential legal exposure for Sieradski, given that he has stated that his team of 20 developers is entirely volunteers. Unless Sieraski has extensive prior work experience with all these individuals, it is unlikely that he knows their full backgrounds or the complete scope of their recent activities. The nature of having volunteers is you dont scare them off by asking lots of pointed questions.

Even more troubling is that Sieradski apparently sincerely views the steps he has taken to date as reasonable and transparent, despite the fact that calling websites B.S., which is the express intent of his browser extension, and fake news which is what anyone downloading the tool is told it does, is destructive to any business so targeted. In the view of my attorney, who has spend a considerable amount of his career litigating First Amendment and defamation cases, including ones that set important legal precedents, those designations are per se defamatory.

Yet Sieradski appears to have convinced himself that he is merely offering helpful input, when the products brand name and marketing strategy (the use of fake news in its product description and that Sieradski has repeatedly retweeted tweets that pick up on his fake news description) say otherwise. The term bullshit specifically indicates that the author is either a deliberate liar (see the Urban Dictionarys definition as an example), or per Harry Frankfurters classic essay, On Bullshit, that the writer has an utter lack of interest in whether what he is saying is truthful or not.

Given the commercial damage that the fake news designation can do to any site incorrectly targeted, it is irresponsible not to contact site owners, present them with Sieradskis evidence that they warrant inclusion, and give them the opportunity to dispute it in advance. Ex post facto remedies are not adequate. Yet he is still apparently unwilling to do that despite the damage that inclusion does.

Research on cognitive biases has shown repeatedly that initial impressions are almost impossible to dislodge. Someone who is concerned enough about the fake news issue to have downloaded Sieradksis tool is certain to take any warning on a site they view the first time seriously. Moreover, psychological research has also shown that people are strongly subject to the halo effect bias, of seeing individuals and organizations as all good or all bad.

It is also not at all clear if Naked Capitalism and other sites are still being incorrectly tagged as false news sites when those who have downloaded Sieradskis tool roam around the Internet. His note says that Naked Capitalism has been removed from the database. If the browser is set up so that it goes to a cloud-based database every time it visits a site to check if that site gets a warning, then the removal would stop the damage from continuing. However, if the database is downloaded by users with the software and updated only when users themselves obtain updates to the database, there is no assurance that users have or will update their tool (I personally rarely update software and I wont belabor the reasons why, so I know from personal experience that this does occur. Update: a reader looked at the code and says our fears were correct. Readers who have not updated their software will indeed still see Naked Capitalism as a tainted site).

Moreover, it is perverse to read Sieradski assert repeatedly that his process has been transparent when it has been anything but. If you want to look at what transparency looks like, even though we have criticized it repeatedly for falling short of its transparency obligations, start with CalPERS. All of its important decisions are taken in public view, with the meetings recorded and available on line for years afterwards. The documents supporting those decisions are made available prior to the public meetings and again are accessible to the public for years afterwards. All the responsible parties, both members of the board and the relevant CalPERS officials, are named, with their roles clearly defined, and have their biographies available on line. Members of the public have the right to speak to inform any decision made by CalPERS board before the vote is taken, and those public speakers are required to say who they are. The public also had the right to obtain records from CalPERS under the California Public Records Act, the California version of FOIA, and the carve-outs are comparatively limited.

Now you may say that this standard is unreasonable. But this is what transparency looks like. Sieradskis process isnt in the same universe.

And the reason that Sieradski feels compelled to claim his process is transparent is that, like it or not, he and entire fake news campaign is McCarthyite, but this version proposes to use private, faux-reasonable approaches as a substitute for government information control. This is a witch hunt, and Sieradski needs to take responsibility for what he is actually doing.

For instance, he describes the process he put in place after the browser tool was released. We have no idea who was involved in the original determination. Sieradski denies that PropOrNot was the reason that Naked Capitalism was included in his initial list of targeted sites and offers his justification instead: This data was compiled from established lists of questionable news sources. We are unaware of Naked Capitalism being on any list of that sort and we challenge Siedaski to publish all of these established lists.

Similarly, Sieradski seems to regard it as adequate to post a general description of a methodology provided by Melissa Zimdarsi and set up a chat room. We still do not know who Sieradskis volunteers are and whether they have commercial agendas or personal biases that amount to conflicts of interest. We do not know what if any protocols he has put in place to assure that the methodology is actually being followed in a rigorous manner. Anyone who has lived in Corporate America knows that there are entire departments dedicated to creating policy manuals that are not followed in practice to give senior management a liability shield. Sieradski may very well have strict, hard-coded procedures to assure compliance with Professor Zimdarsis methodology. But his process is sufficiently opaque that we have no way to know.

This is how Sieradski justifies keeping the identity of other key participants secret:

The reason we have not published a list of our anonymous supposed experts, as Naked Capitalism deems them, is because of the harassment to which I and Prof. Zimdars have been subjected since we began to tackle the issue of so-called fake news. Nonetheless, anyone who chooses to join our public chat can see who is participating in the review process.

Sieradski wants to have influence, whether he admits to it or not, through playing a role in the fake news campaign. The proper exercise of power carries responsibilities, including accepting criticism, which Sieradski mislabels as harassment. He and his colleagues were the ones who went on a campaign against publishers. Public officials, journalists, and columnists are on the receiving end of far more disapproval than I anticipate he has received. Hes surprised and wounded that some have taken exception not just to being targeted, but to the entire fake news enterprise as a soft form of censorship? If you dont like the heat, stay out of the kitchen.

Finally, Sieradski denies having a commercial motive for releasing B.S. Detector. But even though he is not obtaining revenue from this project, he features it regularly on his Twitter feed, and his handle, @selfagency, is consistent with that feed being about the promotion of his business, and not a venue for expressing personal views.

Again, while we appreciate Sieradskis speedy response, the failure to recognize the damage projects like his are doing to legitimate sites is deeply troubling. He seems to think it is reasonable to put defamatory information out into the wild and act as if the harm done can be remedied later. That is simply not the case, particularly given how rapidly information propagates across the Web. The time to be vigilant is ex ante above all, yet Sieradski appears unwilling to change his procedures to do that.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday finally released the final version of a long-anticipated reportinitially requested by Congress in 2010- on the impact of fracking on drinking water supplies. In this latest, final report, the EPA walked back earlier findings from a preliminary report issued last year, when the agency concluded that hydraulic fracturing more widely known as fracking was not having widespread, systematic impacts on drinking water.

The New York Times described yesterdays report as the largest and most comprehensive of its kind to date on the effects of fracking on water supply while the Wall Street Journal noted:

EPAs initial draft misled the public about the pollution risks of unconventional oil and gas development, said Mark Brownstein, vice president for climate and energy at the Environmental Defense Fund. The revised assessment puts an end to the false narrative of risk-free fracking that has been widely promoted by industry.

What the EPA Report Says

That EPA report: :

provides scientific evidence that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact drinking water resources in the United States under some circumstances. As part of the report, EPA identified conditions under which impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities can be more frequent or severe. The report also identifies uncertainties and data gaps. These uncertainties and data gaps limited EPAs ability to fully assess impacts to drinking water resources both locally and nationally. These final conclusions are based upon review of over 1,200 cited scientific sources; feedback from an independent peer review conducted by EPAs Science Advisory Board; input from engaged stakeholders; and new research conducted as part of the study.

To summarize, as per DeSmogBlog:

The EPAs conclusions were clear: fracking can harm water. And its not the the hydraulic fracturing process itself that poses risks  problems have emerged at every stage of the water cycle associated with fracking, at times making peoples drinking water supplies unusable.

The EPA press release issued to accompany release of the final report provides further specifics:

The report is organized around activities in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle and their potential to impact drinking water resources. The stages include: (1) acquiring water to be used for hydraulic fracturing (Water Acquisition), (2) mixing the water with chemical additives to make hydraulic fracturing fluids (Chemical Mixing), (3) injecting hydraulic fracturing fluids into the production well to create and grow fractures in the targeted production zone (Well Injection), (4) collecting the wastewater that returns through the well after injection (Produced Water Handling), and (5) managing the wastewater through disposal or reuse methods (Wastewater Disposal and Reuse). EPA identified cases of impacts on drinking water at each stage in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle. Impacts cited in the report generally occurred near hydraulically fractured oil and gas production wells and ranged in severity, from temporary changes in water quality, to contamination that made private drinking water wells unusable.

The EPA adumbrated six specific conditions under which the impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities can be more frequent or severe, including:

Water withdrawals for hydraulic fracturing in times or areas of low water availability, particularly in areas with limited or declining groundwater resources;

Spills during the management of hydraulic fracturing fluids and chemicals or produced water that result in large volumes or high concentrations of chemicals reaching groundwater resources;

Injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids into wells with inadequate mechanical integrity, allowing gases or liquids to move to groundwater resources;

Injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids directly into groundwater resources;

Discharge of inadequately treated hydraulic fracturing wastewater to surface water resources; and Disposal or storage of hydraulic fracturing wastewater in unlined pits, resulting in contamination of groundwater resources.

Despite the EPAs assessment of the environmental consequences associated with the technique, fracking thus far has only been subject to light federal regulations, according to The New York Times. To date, the agency has only promulgated a single rule (during the Obama administration) intended to protect water from fracking waste. That rule only applies to fracking on public lands, which account for approximately 10 percent of all fracking in the United States. Most fracking occurs on state or private land, and is accordingly subject to state and local regulations only.

The appropriate scope of fracking regulations is in dispute. As per the Wall Street Journals assessment of the latest EPA report:

Energy industry executives and other supporters of fracking say the industry has developed effective ways of treating and disposing of the wastewater. Industry leaders criticized the EPA for changing its conclusion shortly before Mr. Obama leaves office. It is beyond absurd for the administration to reverse course on its way out the door, said Erik Milito, upstream director at the American Petroleum Institute, the U.S.s biggest oil and natural gas trade group.

Environmentalists, however, praised the EPA for excising the more sweeping earlier conclusion that fracking doesnt have a systematic impact on drinking water supplies.

DeSmogBlog elaborates further:

Still environmental groups cited the studys findings as long-awaited vindication. The EPA has confirmed what weve known all along: fracking can and does contaminate drinking water, Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch, said in a statement. We are pleased that the agency has acted on the recommendations of its Science Advisory Board and chosen be frank about the inherent harms and hazards of fracking. Those risks appear to be numerous. A review by DeSmog of the fine print of the study draft that was released last year noted that the EPA had found evidence of numerous problems related to fracking, including groundwater contamination in states from North Dakota to Texas to Pennsylvania, the fact that hundreds or thousands of chemical or wastewater spills can be expected annually, and an average spill is over 400 gallons (picture eight 50-gallon drums), EPA found, despite limited reporting, and the fact that [r]oughly 3 percent of fracked wells in one part of North Dakota  in other words, hundreds of wells per year  were deliberately built short on the well casings that are designed to protect drinking water supplies. And without enough casing, the risk of contamination spikes 1,000- fold, EPA noted (p. 39).[Jerri-Lynn here: I have omitted the links in this passage.[ In light of the EPAs conclusions and the wide range of problems that the EPA identified, some environmental groups pressed for a national ban on hydraulic fracturing. The science shows that fracking pollution has contaminated water supplies in many places across the country, said Hollin Kretzmann of the Center for Biological Diversity. To protect the millions of Americans living near fracked wells, we have to ban this toxic technique.

President-elect Trumps nominee for EPA administrator, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, has actively opposed previous EPA climate change initiatives. If his appointment is confirmed, he is unlikely to spearhead adoption of regulations to attempt to mitigate the impact of fracking on water quality.
Jerri-Lynn here: In this Real News Network interview, DeSmogBlogs Steve Horn discusses the fossil-fuel friendly history of President-elect Trumps choices for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator and Secretary of State. Note that although the interview aired before the formal announcement of President-elect Trumps selection of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his nominee for Secretary of State, Horn anticipated that Trump would make that choice, and described some implications of that decision.

This post reiterates some points that were also made in this December 8 post, Trump EPA Pick: Scott Pruitt as EPA Head Signals Agency Will Ignore Climate Change, which also discussed Pruitts legal efforts as Oklahomas Attorney General to thwart the Clean Power Plan and the EPAs methane emissions caps. Interested readers might also want to look at Horns original article for DeSmogBlog, The Billionaire Energy Investor Who Vetted Trumps EPA Pick Has Long List of EPA Violations, which sparked this Real News network interview.

I should also mention that I quibble with Horns throwaway comment about possible Russian intervention in the US election but not enough to prevent me from crossposting this interview, which contains sufficient useful information not so well collected elsewhere to offset my concern about Horn giving excessive credence to that claim.

KIM BROWN: Welcome to The Real News Network in Baltimore. Im Kim Brown. With new key appointments to his upcoming Cabinet, President-elect Donald Trump appears to be moving fossil fuel interests front and center in his upcoming administration. Seen here with a backdrop of Virginian miners, Trump demonstrates his support for fossil fuels and the coal industry during his presidential campaign.

DONALD TRUMP: Were gonna put the miners back to work. Were gonna put the miners back to work. Were gonna get those mines open. Oh coal country!

KIM BROWN: So, after the election, Trump said that he would keep a open mind on the issue of climate change. But on Sunday, in an interview on Fox News Sunday, Donald Trump told Chris Wallace, Nobody really knows if climate change is real.

With us to discuss what these new appointments mean for the United States energy and climate policy, were joined by Steve Horn. Steve is a Research Fellow for DeSmogBlog and hes also a freelance investigative journalist whose work is featured in The Guardian, The Nation and Truthout. He joins us today from Indianapolis. Steve, thank you so much for being here.

STEVE HORN: Good to be back. Thanks for having me.

KIM BROWN: Steve, theres a lot to unpack here. But, first, talk to us about Scott Pruitt  who he is and what does it mean for him to be head of the Environmental Protection Agency?

STEVE HORN: Well, a good place to start with Scott Pruitt is that he basically has the same exact climate change position as Donald Trump basically put forward in his Fox News interview, and that is that theres still a lot to be learned about climate change and whether or not humans caused it, therefore its not too much to worry about and, you know, the climate scientists, what they say is probably exaggerated and so everything is okay. We should just move forward with producing as much fossil fuel as possible in the United States and around the world.

So, Scott Pruitt is sort of symbolic of who Donald Trump has surrounded himself with, both on the campaign trail for his climate and energy team and now, after being elected President, who he has surrounded himself with for his transition team. And so, its been people you know, you have to look at who helped pick Scott Pruitt, and that is people like Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who is a well-known climate change denier. CEI  was funded by Koch Industries; Donors Trust, which is just a dark money trust fund that is funded by the likes of, again, Koch Industries. Used to be funded by Exxon Mobil, etcetera. So, Myron Ebell has been the head of the EPA transition team, picking was instrumental in picking Scott Pruitt.

Scott Pruitt himself, someone who sued the EPA on behalf of his state  hes an Attorney General  in the Obama-era(?) EPA for its coal regulations and for its methane regulations. So hes someone who went unopposed in 2014 running for Attorney General, still ended up raising over $300,000 from the energy industry, even though he didnt have an opponent. So, I think his allegiances are clear: he considered himself someone who worked for the oil and gas industry as the Attorney General of Oklahoma. Thats sort of a central hub of fracking and of oil and gas in the United States, historically, and at present. So thats sort of what were looking at with Scott Pruitt. Someone who has no background in science, someone who has no background in working for any environmental protection agency at all, someone who used to be a state level Senator in Oklahoma, then became Attorney General, and now he is the Head of EPA of the United States if he gets it through by Congress.

KIM BROWN: Yeah, his selection definitely makes me wonder how can someone be tapped to head the Environmental Protection Agency if they themselves are not interested in actually protecting the environment. So, Steve, talk to us about what the vetting process is for this pick because, as you wrote about in your article, The Billionaire Energy Investor Who Vetted Trumps EPA Pick?, has a long list of EPA violations. So how did we get Scott Pruitt to head the agency designated to protect the environment, when thats not really seemingly his thing?

STEVE HORN: Right. So, I mentioned Myron Ebell, and thats obviously crucial, but I think that the part of the story thats been lost, that has really only been reported on by the business press is that in actuality, the 26th richest man on the planet and a long-time business partner of Donald Trump, Carl Icahn, who helped him when he went bankrupt at the Trump Taj Mahal Hotel in Atlantic City. Carl Icahn was actually doing interviews of all of the finalists for the EPA position. That was reported on by CNBC, that was reported on by The Wall Street Journal. CNBC actually reported that he did four interviews with Scott Pruitt and interviewed all of the finalists, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

And, as you said, he has business ties nationally, looking at what his investments are in for Icahn Enterprises, and entities such as Cheniere, which is a gas exporting company, has terminals on the Gulf Coast, Sabine Pass LNG, for example, which was approved by the Obama Administration in 2012. He formerly or he still owns a small stake in Transocean, which was partially responsible for the BP oil spill back in 2010. And, importantly, in this case, actually has business stakes in Oklahoma, going back to Pruitt connection, owns another company through the Icahn Enterprises holding company known as CVR Energy, which also has a subsidiary called CVR Refining. And through that they own a big refinery in Oklahoma which does refining of oil and gas products including tar sands from Alberta, including tar sands that flow through the original Keystone I Pipeline that was approved by the Bush Administration in 2008.

So, and looking at that actual refinery in Oklahoma, it has been tagged with several EPA violations. If you look at EPA data as very high levels of carbon emissions, the equivalent of one quarter of the year of an average coal-fired power plant. And then looking at its methane emissions, also very high levels, plus several other carcinogens.

And so, also through another company that he still owns a stake in  4.5%, Chesapeake Energy, which is also based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Thats another company that was actually tagged with one of the highest amounts looking at the monetary level, for an EPA violation several years ago, for water contamination in West Virginia, for one of Chesapeake Energys subsidiaries, Chesapeake-Appalachia. So, this is a guy who was doing the actual interview of Scott Pruitt, who himself has been tagged with lots of EPA violations, and said when Pruitt was hired, went on Bloomberg, and said, sort of in this ironic twist, said the hiring of Pruitt is a breath of fresh air. So looking very ironic given what goes on at his refineries and at his various holdings throughout the United States. So thats the guy who interviewed the head of the EPA. Hes a long-time Trump business partner and one of the richest men on the planet.

KIM BROWN: Im sure it was the most fabulous, most amazing vetting ever.

STEVE HORN: Yeah. As Trump would put it, yes.

KIM BROWN: But, Steve, you know there has been some discussion of people associated with the Koch brothers as you just mentioned. Koch brothers-founded groups moving to be featured prominently within the Trump Administration. Tell us about one of those groups, the Heritage Foundation, and the event last week.

STEVE HORN: Yeah. The Heritage Foundation, basically had what amounted to a celebration event. They didnt it wasnt planned, they didnt know who was going to win the presidency, but after Trump won, and so its a month after the election, and some of the biggest names in the climate denial space  whether thats Senator James Inhofe, whether thats several others. I could go on and on, the list is in the article I wrote. But all of the most prominent climate change deniers in the United States, more or less, were there, and basically did a victory lap about the fact that Trump had won and so now this is a triumph of skepticism around climate science, more or less. Everyone talked about how it would be to the benefit of either the coal industry, the oil and gas industry or to the benefit of being more skeptical of climate change and scientific institutions such as the EPA. So it was almost a I watched it all day live streamed, and it was kind of a frightening event to watch. Because its one of those things that its not on the fringe anymore. These are the people who have now a lot of influence over President Trump and his administration both in the picks over who will consist of that administration, but also going forward in the policy that the administration makes starting on January 20th.

KIM BROWN: So now theres talk about Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson being chosen as Secretary of State. Now, could this become a clear relationship of one petro-state working with another, because theres been a lot of reporting, at least recently, about Rex Tillersons relationship, not only to Russia, but other petro-states around the world. What should we make of Rex Tillerson as the Secretary of State?

STEVE HORN: Well, if he is actually picked, which is still a little bit up in the air, although there have been a couple of sources that did tell NBC News, and then it became big news nationally, that he is the pick. The Trump Administration still hasnt officially announced, but yeah, he is the CEO of Exxon Mobil who has immense business relations with Russia that have been put on hold due to the sanctions that were placed on Russia because of the incursion in Crimea by Russia, and so were looking at  Exxon actually owns four times the amount of land acreage  it doesnt own, but they lease four times the amount of land acreage in Russia as compared to what they hold in the United States, and they have immense holdings in the United States through a subsidiary XTO, which is the biggest producer of oil and gas in the United States through fracking. So were talking about a lot of oil and gas, both onshore in Siberia and then offshore in the Arctic as a joint venture with Rosneft that was announced several years ago in which Rex Tillerson signed the documents and stuff alongside President Vladimir Putin. So, thats going on, the political story there, with all the tensions with Russia and the speculation that may have intervened in the US election, which is still yet to be determined, and its being investigated by Congress and other agencies. But thats one piece of it.

Then the other piece, of course, that Exxon Mobil is the very biggest oil and gas producer in the world, and they have not only holdings in Russia, but basically with every country that the State Department has relations, more or less, Exxon probably touches more than any country that has oil and gas, Exxon has close contact with. So thats almost the bigger story here, plus the fact that if all that oil and gas was tapped into thatd be frightening from a climate change perspective. Plus, lets not forget that the State Department is the agency that does show up at the United Nations Climate Change Conventions. Now that could be overseen by a guy like Rex Tillerson whose company has a long track record of funding climate change denial, although the company has sort of become a little bit more friendly towards talking about climate change and doesnt have an overt position of denial, still, more or less, doesnt really matter what they say about climate change. Theyre producing a whole heck of a lot of carbon that is, of course, leading to a potential climate disaster. So thats sort of whats at stake here. Its still unclear whether or not hell be chosen. But even if he is not, the fact that hes met several times with Donald Trump means that his company now has an extremely good relationship with the Trump Administration going forward and will have a lot of influence over the decisions they make.

KIM BROWN: Donald Trump has vowed to make America great again. The Earth? Not so much. Well see how that goes. Weve been speaking with Steve Horn. Steve is a Research Fellow for DeSmogBlog. Hes also a freelance investigative journalist. His work has been featured in The Guardian, The Nation and Truthout. Steve, we appreciate you joining us today. Thank you.

STEVE HORN: Great to be back on. Thanks for having me.

KIM BROWN: All right. And thanks for watching The Real News Network.
A new way to trap dangerous gases with metal organic frameworks (Nanowerk News) A team of researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas has developed a novel method for trapping potentially harmful gases within microscopic organo-metallic structures.

These metal organic frameworks, or MOFs, are made of different building blocks composed of metal ion centers and organic linker molecules. Together they form a honeycomb-like structure that can trap gases within each comb, or pore.

The tiny nanoscale structures also have the potential to trap various emissions from things as immense as coal factories and as small as cars and trucks. However, there are some molecules that are simply too weakly adsorbed to remain contained within the MOF scaffolding. Adsorption describes how an extremely thin layer of molecules (as of gases, solutes or liquids) can cling to the surfaces of solid bodies or liquids.

"These structures have the ability to store gases, but some gases are too weakly bound and cannot be trapped for any substantial length of time," said Dr. Kui Tan, a research scientist in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UT Dallas and lead author of the study published online Dec. 13 in Nature Communications ("Trapping gases in metal-organic frameworks with a selective surface molecular barrier layer").

Dr. Kui Tan, a research scientist at UT Dallas, recently published a study in the journal Nature Communications that explained a process he discovered that traps potentially harmful emissions within microscopic structures called MOFs.

After studying this problem, Tan decided to try to introduce a molecule that can cap the outer surface of each MOF crystal in the same way bees seal their honeycombs with wax to keep the honey from spilling out.

Sealing metal organic frameworks with a monolayer molecular barrier

In this case, Tan introduced vapors of a molecule called ethylenediamine, or EDA, that created a monolayer, effectively sealing the MOF "honeycomb" and trapping gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide within.

This monolayer is less than 1 nanometer in thickness, or less than half the size of a single strand of DNA.

To quantify how much gas was trapped and remained in the EDA-capped MOF structures, Tan and his team used time-resolved, in-situ infrared spectroscopy, testing the efficiency of this molecular "cork" to trap weakly adsorbed gases.

The presence of the gas molecules adsorbed in the MOF was displayed on a nearby computer screen as inverted peaks, which revealed that EDA vapor was able to effectively retain the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide for up to a day.

"Potential applications of this finding could include storage and release of hydrogen or natural gas to run your car, or in industrial uses where the frameworks could trap and separate dangerous gases to keep them from entering the atmosphere," Tan said.

As an added discovery, Tan found that a mild exposure to water vapor would disrupt the monolayer, penetrate the framework and fully release the entrapped vapors at room temperature. Such selectivity of the EDA membrane opens up new options for managing gas emissions, he said.
New cheap and simple mass production technique for graphene (Nanowerk News) A team of engineers from Exeters Centre for Graphene Science have developed a new method for creating entire device arrays directly on the copper substrates used for the commercial manufacture of graphene. Complete and fully-functional devices can then be transferred to a substrate of choice, such as silicon, plastics or even textiles (2D Materials, "A simple process for the fabrication of large-area CVD graphene based devices vie selective in situ functionalization and patterning").

Professor David Wright, from Exeters Engineering department and one of the authors said: The conventional way of producing devices using graphene can be time-consuming, intricate and expensive and involves many process steps including graphene growth, film transfer, lithographic patterning and metal contact deposition. Our new approach is much simpler and has the very real potential to open up the use of cheap-to-produce graphene devices for a host of important applications from gas and bio-medical sensors to touch-screen displays.

To demonstrate the new process, the team have produced a flexible and completely transparent graphene-oxide based humidity sensor that would cost pennies to produce using common wafer-scale or roll-to-roll manufacturing techniques, yet can outperform currently available commercial sensors.

Professor Monica Craciun, also from Exeters engineering department and co-author added: The University of Exeter is one of the worlds leading authorities on graphene, and this new research is just the latest step in our vision to help create a graphene-driven industrial revolution. High-quality, low cost graphene devices are an integral part of making this a reality, and our latest work is a truly significant advance that could unlock graphenes true potential.
Find the newest releases to watch from National Geographic on Disney+, including favourite documentary series and films Free Solo, The Rescue, Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
South Tipperary General Hospital in Clonmel has been praised for offering car parking concessions to cancer patients, which sees them pay 10 for a two-day ticket.

The hospital is highlighted in the Irish Cancer Societys Park the Charges report as being an example of good practice for its car-parking policy for cancer patients.

In 2015 South Tipperary General Hospital raised 360,000 in revenue through parking charges.

According to the report cancer patients throughout the country could be paying up to 63 a week in parking charges. The report highlights the financial burden of car parking on patients and their families.

The Irish Cancer Society says that the HSE needs to issue guidelines to hospitals so that all people undergoing cancer treatment receive free car parking. One cancer patient told the society that his family had spent 1,200 on car parking charges while he was in hospital.

Donal Buggy, Head of Services and Advocacy at the Irish Cancer Society said car parking charges represent a huge cost for many cancer patients, at a time of not just physical and psychological stress, but financial pressure.

People undergoing treatment are facing real hardship in having to deal with additional costs and large drops in income, and high car parking charges only add to this. We have proposed a set of guidelines for hospitals to the HSE, that, if put in place, would make a big difference to cancer patients".

He said the report showed that people receiving treatment close to urban centres were facing the highest parking costs.

"This is a problem for cancer patients, as many have to visit the eight designated cancer centres for individual cancer types in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Galway and Limerick. The average cost of parking at these hospitals is 8 for a four-hour stay.

The Irish Cancer Society also runs a Volunteer Driver Service that provides transport for cancer patients to and from their hospital chemotherapy treatments, which currently operates at 21 different hospitals nationwide.

Volunteer drivers in Tipperary accounted for almost than one in ten of every kilometre driven across the country this year, with 51 drivers covering a staggering 98,000km in 1,198 appointments made by patients in Tipperary.
The Minister for Jobs Innovation and Enterprise Mary Mitchell OConnor has met with the Mid West Action Plan for Jobs Implementation Committee to discuss the future of the plan to deliver more jobs for the entire region.

A half-day workshop has taken place in Limerick with representatives of the states development agencies (IDA and Enterprise Ireland), local authorities (Clare County Council, Limerick City and County Council, Tipperary County Council), Education Bodies (Limerick Clare ETB, LIT, MIC, UL), the Limerick and Shannon Chambers of Commerce, and industry representatives from the Manufacturing, IT, Financial Services, Agrifood and Tourism sectors all taking part.

Attracta Lyons Economic Development Officer from Tipperary County Council said: This meeting was a welcome opportunity for all involved - entrepreneurs, enterprise agencies, educational organisations, and local authorities - to update Minister Mitchell O' Connor on progress with the various actions being undertaken under the Mid West Regional Action Plan for Jobs. Tipperary County Council looks forward to continued collaboration with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and our partners to enable further job creation in the region.

The governments Action Plan for Jobs is an initiative where government and industry collaborate to improve the environment for enterprise to grow, and jobs to be created.

The purpose of the half-day workshop was to to review achievements to date and to explore options for future initiatives.

Chairperson of the Implementation Committee Barry O'Sullivan from Johnson & Johnson outlined that the groups priorities were to focus on issues within their control such as: skills pool within the region and up-skilling of existing workforce; creating opportunities for all elements of the workforce; increasing female participation; enhancing rural enterprise and assisting in the provision of infrastructure such as office accommodation and quality broadband availability.

New opportunities in the areas of manufacturing, the internet of things, aviation, home working were discussed.

The Minister congratulated all parties on their achievements as part of the plan to date. Minister Mitchell OConnor pointed out that the Mid West:

 The fastest growing region in the country outside of Dublin.

 Unemployment levels are at 7.4% (below the national average) down from over 16% in 2012.

 Close to 14,000 jobs have been created in the region since 2012.

 The Mid West Local Enterprise Offices (LOEs) have assisted in the creation of 731 jobs in the past year.

 The collaborative approach adopted in the Mid West is now seen as the template for growth for the other regions. The high prioritisation of development of skills for business has been the bedrock of the success to date.

Addressing the Committee, Minister Mitchell OConnor said: As a Government, we want to see that all regions, all cities and towns, all communities in the country, are facilitated in achieving their economic and social potential. I am delighted to witness here first hand the outstanding progress that is being made to grow employment in the Mid West, which really showcases what can be achieved through dedication and productive collaboration.

The Mid West Action Plan for Jobs set a target of creating 23,000 extra jobs in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary by 2020. Its fair to say that this region is already well on the way to achieving that target, with nearly 14,000 jobs created since the start of 2015.

These recent positive employment trends for the region are a credit to those in both the private and public sector, in small and large organisations, who are making it their business to improve the job environment in their local communities.

She praised the work of the Committee and the commitment of people in the region, in making the Mid West a magnet for business investment, talent and tourism and providing people with the opportunity to stay and work in the region.
Former Kentz executive Noel Kelly has landed a major international contract with his new company Anam Technologies.

The Clonmel man, previously head of Kentz operations in the Middle East, is CEO of Anam.

At the Presidential Palace, in Hanoi and in the presence of President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, and the President of Vietnam, Tran ai Quang, Anam Technologies Limited signed a contract with Ericsson to renew its Short Message Service Centre Support for a further three years.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charles Flanagan TD, was also in attendance at the signing ceremony which was organised by the Embassy of Ireland in Hanoi and Enterprise Ireland.

Signing for Anam and Ericsson were Pham Nhat Minh, Anam Country Representative Vietnam and Jan Wassenius, President of Ericsson in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

Also present was Dr Pham Ngoc Lang, Chairman of Hanoi Telecom, co-owner with Hutchison of Vietnamobile, Anams and Ericssons customer.

Welcoming the announcement, Minister Flanagan said - Im delighted that Anam, one of the foremost companies in the security and monetization of SMS messaging, is strengthening its presence here.

Key partnerships such as we have witnessed today are vital to the companys growth and to its plans to focus on the Asian markets. Anam Technologies is a great example of the type of ambitious and innovative company Enterprise Ireland is working with in the ASEAN region and I wish them continued success for the future.

In May 2015, Anam co-hosted with Vietnams Ministry of Information and Communications a workshop with mobile network operators to discuss tackling SMS SPAM in Vietnam.

Anam CEO, Dr Noel Kelly said - The requirement for SMS Anti-SPAM solutions is immediate in Vietnam and we can tackle it successfully with our Firewall-based and monitoring approach that not only filters out SPAM but also delivers new revenue to the Operator.

 We found at the GSMA WAS#4 summit which we just hosted in Dublin that there is a real interest from Mobile Operators, not just in Vietnam, but right across Asia in our solutions.

Anam is the fastest growing independent A2P SMS Monetisation service provider in the world, filtering billions of messages for Mobile Operators in over 60 countries. Anams team of Industry leading A2P consultants leverage firewall technology to enable Mobile Operators to generate new revenues from A2P SMS traffic on their networks whilst also eliminating SMS SPAM.
Within hours of taking the reins at Wells Fargo, new chief Tim Sloan pledged to finish the reforms begun by his predecessor, John Stumpf, who stepped aside Wednesday in an attempt to quiet the phony-accounts scandal that has rocked the company.

"It's about fixing what's problematic," Sloan said in a brief interview. Though he acknowledged that Stumpf's early retirement does not address all the concerns about Wells, he stopped short of a bold call for change. Sloan's vision was more of a steady-as-she-goes, with some tweaks.

"The changes we've made are all in motion right now," Sloan said. "It's all about executing on the plan we have in place."

But will that plan, and the hasty exit of Stumpf, be enough for the bank's many critics?

Wall Street analysts were divided on how much the changing of the guard would help, while the response from Capitol Hill was an emphatic "no."

Indeed, no sooner had Wells announced Stumpf's retirement than Democratic lawmakers issued emails calling for more accountability. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said Stumpf and Sloan were both responsible for the roughly 2 million bogus accounts opened by thousands of employees.

"I remain concerned that incoming CEO Tim Sloan is also culpable in the recent scandal, serving in a central role in the chain of command that ought to have stopped this misconduct from happening," Waters, the ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, said in a news release.

Marty Mosby, the director of banking and equity strategies at Vining Sparks, said promoting Sloan will initially take some of the heat off Wells that has come from the investment community. Though Sloan is a 29-year veteran of Wells, his primary background is on the commercial banking side of the company and not retail, where the problems occurred, and that will give him some credibility, Mosby said.

Yet in the eyes of Washington, "he will be looked at as the same embodiment of the management team that was in place when all this happened," Mosby said. "They still have a lot of heavy lifting to do from a regulatory and political standpoint."

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said in a press release that Stumpf's retirement does not answer the many questions that remain.

"There must be accountability to fix the culture within Wells Fargo that encouraged cheating and left senior executives either unwilling or unable to stop it for far too long," Brown said. "We are still waiting for answers as to how Wells Fargo plans to right its wrongs against customers and the low-paid employees who weren't given the benefit of a retirement package when they were fired for refusing to cheat."

Wells has struggled to contain the fallout from the scandal. But executives have stuck to the same script, saying that 5,300 former employees acted on their own in creating unauthorized accounts that customers never wanted. The company has reimbursed customers, eliminated sales goals and added email alerts for new account openings.

In an interview, Sloan praised Stumpf for making "a really important decision" for the benefit of the company.

"He put the company before himself and decided to retire," Sloan said. "One of the reasons why he did that is he felt there was too much focus on him and it was a negative for the company."

Sloan said that in hindsight, he would have moved quicker to address the problems of phony accounts. But he also deferred to his predecessor.

"I agree with John's description that we should have moved more quickly and made changes more quickly, but we didn't make enough of them and should have made them faster," Sloan said. "We should have remediated our customers sooner. It shouldn't have taken that long to do that."

That slow reaction is part of Wells Fargo's problem, according to one analyst.

"Their DNA is to protect the brand," said Paul Miller, a managing director and head of financial institutions research at FBR Capital Markets. "They think they can get around this by moving people around, but there is a systematic failure of compliance over sales inside the retail bank. It's gone on for years, and you can't change it by changing the CEO."

On Friday, Wells is scheduled to report third-quarter results, and Sloan likely will be asked why the bank tapped an insider to fix the problems with illegal sales practices.

"He is likely to get lingering questions about whether it's appropriate to elevate someone from inside," said Scott Siefers, a principal and analyst at Sandler O'Neill. "But at least Tim represents sort of a clean break at the top, so he'll get a fair shake to articulate his strategy and thoughts about how the company looks past this issue."

Wells paid a $190 million in a settlement with regulators on Sept. 8, which Mosby said had already been budgeted for in previous quarters.

Sloan did not propose any radical changes Wednesday.

"The vision of the company is to satisfy our customers' needs  that has not changed," Sloan said while answering questions about his plans. "We're going to continue to execute on that vision."

Discussion about whether Wells' executive shake-up is enough, and what the company needs to do next, will pick up in coming days.

Khalid Taha, a former Wells personal banker and a member of the Committee for Better Banks, said Stumpf's resignation shows the bank is finally holding someone accountable.

"For three years, bank workers like me warned Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf about how the high-pressure sales goals at Wells Fargo were spiraling out of control  but he didn't listen," Taha said in a press release.

Paulina Gonzalez, the executive director of the California Reinvestment Coalition, called for Sloan to drop forced arbitration clauses requiring former employees and customers who were harmed by the phony accounts to go into mediation rather than file class actions. Wells has refused to do so, saying mediation is an appropriate remedy.

Gonzalez also renewed a call for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to downgrade Wells' Community Reinvestment Act rating and to release current exam results.

Others said Stumpf's retirement at least eliminated uncertainty. Wells announced Stumpf's departure after the markets closed, and its shares rose nearly 2%, to $46.10 a share, in after-hours trading.

All agree that the rapid developments involving Wells in the last five weeks have been breathtaking.

"The departure of one of the most respected CEOs in the industry would have been unthinkable a month ago," Siefers said.

Kristin Broughton and Alan Kline contributed to this article.
WASHINGTON  The mortgage interest deduction has been a pillar of U.S. housing policy for more than a century, but Congress appears ready to consider significant changes to it that some industry players worry could effectively render it pointless.

With Republican control of Congress secure and the White House soon to be in GOP hands, lawmakers are optimistic they can pass a bill that lowers tax rates and reduces a number of deductions. That includes the mortgage interest deduction, which under the current House plan would technically remain, but be effectively moot for nearly 95% of homeowners.

The House Republican Blueprint, which was unveiled June 24, calls for doubling the standard deduction that tax payers receive, which would mean that most people would have no need to take the mortgage interest deduction.

That is already drawing the ire of some in the mortgage industry, who argue it will reduce incentives for home ownership.

"We will oppose any attempt to devalue or reduce the mortgage deduction," said Jerry Howard, the chief executive of the National Association of Home Builders. "We believe the tax code should be used to encourage homeownership."

The Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Realtors and other groups are also alarmed about this "indirect attack" on the mortgage interest deduction.

"Because it is not a direct rollback of the mortgage tax deduction, I think there will be some concern in the housing industry that it will be harder to get legislators to focus on it," said Scott Olson, executive director of the Community Home Lenders Association.

At a Realtors conference last week, Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., said he expects the Republican tax writers will likely use a budget reconciliation to pass a tax reform bill. Reconciliation clears the way for tax and spending cut bills without allowing filibusters in the Senate. As a result, the bill would need just a simple majority of senators.

The Oklahoma lawmaker warned the Realtors that they have should be concerned about the mortgage interest deduction. "I would say your concerns about the tax code are legit," Lucas said.

There are indications that the Senate Finance Committee would prefer to find a bipartisan solution, according to a source with knowledge of the process, but any compromise might not be acceptable to House Republicans.

"So reconciliation may be the only option," the source said.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., who also spoke at the NAR conference, said he expects President-elect Donald Trump will defend the mortgage industry deduction.

"I think Donald Trump is caught between right wing think tanks and the economic needs of the people who elected him in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin," Sherman said. "And I think he will pick Wisconsin voters over ideological think tanks. I think he will protect the 30-year fixed mortgage and mortgage interest deduction."

But there are signs that Trump's team already has the deduction in its sights. In a recent CNBC interview, Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin backed a separate effort that would cap the mortgage interest deduction while not getting rid of it entirely.

The current standard deduction is $12,600 for a married couple filing jointly and $6,300 for single payers. If its doubled to $25,200, only the very wealthy with lots of charitable contributions could take advantage of the mortgage deduction, especially if the tax writers succeed in eliminating the deduction for state and local taxes too.

For most taxpayers, the proposed tax reform will simplify their taxes. But the mortgage deduction has been a big tax incentive for buying a home as opposed to renting. Industry officials are concerned a devaluation of the mortgage interest deduction will reduce home buying activity.

"Right now housing has a huge potential for growth. Don't mess with the recovery in housing. Even a discussion of mortgage interest deduction is counterproductive right now," said Lawrence Yun, the chief economist of NAR.

He also noted that young homebuyers generally benefit the most from the mortgage interest deduction. It becomes less valuable for older homeowners the longer they stay in their homes.

Other industry players are also concerned.

"It would be a mistake to do anything that has the potential to hurt homeowners and the housing market that contributes so much to the national economy," wrote David Stevens, the president and chief executive of MBA, in a recent blog.

But Stevens has publicly said he would support some change to the mortgage interest deduction, so long as it was part of comprehensive tax reform.

"If the entire tax code were to be looked at through a formal process and it was thorough and the mortgage interest deduction then became part of that dialogue, we certainly would support that," Stevens said in August.

But Lucas warned that the economy is not on the "firmest footing" right now and reducing the impact of the deduction could "turn off construction." The Oklahoma Republican also warned that passing tax reform is easier said than done.

"There is a lot of bravado as we begin this administration. But when we get into the tax issues, we will see why the last big tax reform bill was 1986 and before that 1954," he said.
The Wells Fargo phony-accounts scandal is barely five weeks old, but it felt like John Stumpf had been hanging on for five years.

The ax finally fell Wednesday, when the company put out a news release after the markets had closed saying that Stumpf had retired as chairman and chief executive effective immediately.

His exit marks the rare case of a major U.S. bank CEO stepping aside amid accusations of company misconduct. It also caps a remarkable change in fortune for a bank that, following the financial crisis, was regarded as a marquee brand.

Perhaps there had been worse scandals in recent memory, or ones costlier to the bottom line like JPMorgan's London Whale controversy, but few were as understandable to the general public as the Wells fiasco. The fact that it had occurred in the homestretch of a highly polarized presidential election made Stumpf even more of a target.

In the end he had to step aside amid mounting anger from investors and policymakers over the creation of fraudulent customer accounts.

Stumpf, 63, has left his post after nearly a decade as CEO. He will be succeeded by Tim Sloan, 56, who currently serves as president and chief operating officer. Sloan keeps the title of president and has joined the board of directors, too.

The new chairman is Stephen Sanger, who had been lead director. Independent director Elizabeth Duke, a former Federal Reserve Board governor, has been elevated to serve as vice chair.

Sloan's tough challenge will be to try to repair the tattered image of Wells Fargo.

"It's a great privilege to have the opportunity to lead one of America's most storied companies at a critical juncture in its history," Sloan was quoted as saying in the release. "My immediate and highest priority is to restore trust in Wells Fargo. It's a tremendous responsibility, one which I look forward to taking on."

Calls for Stumpf's resignation had escalated in recent weeks after the San Francisco company said on Sept. 8 it would pay nearly $190 million to settle charges that employees created roughly 2 million fake accounts to meet sales goals and collect bonuses.

More than 5,300 employees across the country were fired between 2011 and 2014 for creating the unlawful accounts.

Shortly after the settlement was disclosed, Wells Fargo said it would eliminate incentive packages that reward branch employees for cross-selling and hitting sales targets.

Still, Wells has struggled to contain the fallout from the cross-selling scandal  and, in the meantime, the company's once-sterling reputation has taken a significant hit.

Adding to the furor was a disastrous appearance by Stumpf in front of the Senate Banking Committee on Sept. 20. During his testimony, Stumpf fumbled basic questions such as when exactly the company uncovered the pervasive fraud.

Stumpf also provided confusing answers about whether senior executives have been held responsible for the scandal  and if they would be subject to clawbacks in pay. Eventually, Wells clawed back $41 million of Stumpf's pay and $19 million of unvested stock awards from former retail banking head Carrie Tolstedt.

But those punishments weren't enough to satisfy the bank's many critics.

"While I have been deeply committed and focused on managing the company through this period, I have decided it is best for the company that I step aside," Stumpf was quoted as saying in the release.

Stumpf was named CEO of Wells Fargo in June 2007, succeeding longtime executive Richard Kovacevich. Stumpf added the title of chairman nearly three years later, in January 2010.

In his first few months on the job, Stumpf oversaw one of the biggest deals in banking history, when Wells Fargo agreed in late 2008 to buy the $510 billion-asset Wachovia, which was on the brink of collapse.

Stumpf spent more than three decades at Wells Fargo and its predecessor companies. He joined Minneapolis-based Norwest Corp. in 1982 and quickly worked his way up the ranks. When Wells Fargo merged with Norwest in 1998, Stumpf took over as head of banking operations in the Southwest.

In 2002, Stumpf was named executive vice president and head of community banking. He was promoted to the roles of president and chief operating officer three years later.

In the lead-up to the announcement Wednesday, Sloan was widely viewed as the heir apparent. Still, some analysts had called on Wells to consider external candidates, arguing that an outsider was necessary to change company culture.

Sloan has been with Wells Fargo for 29 years. He was named president and chief operating officer in November 2015.

"The board of directors has great confidence in Tim Sloan," the new chairman, Sanger, said in the release. "He is a proven leader who knows Wells Fargo's operations deeply, holds the respect of its stakeholders, and is ready to lead the company into the future."
WASHINGTON  It is going take some time before it comes to fruition, but the Federal Housing Finance Agency got the ball rolling Tuesday on pushing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to begin purchasing manufactured housing loans.

The agency finalized its rule to mandate a "duty to serve" for the government-sponsored enterprises that includes incentives to enter that market, creating a pilot program under which they receive credit for purchasing manufactured homes secured by real estate.

Manufactured housing advocates welcomed the move, which they hope will increase the availability of so-called chattel loans, which industry players argue is a big problem at present.

"Anything the agencies can do toward the purchase of manufactured housing loans, including chattel loans, will do a great deal to help solve that crisis," said Richard Ernst, chairman of the financial services division of the Manufactured Housing Institute.

The group had hoped FHFA might move faster, but said the pilot program was a good start.

"We recognize that the GSEs need time to work through risk and operational issues," said Lesli Gooch, the group's senior vice president for government affairs. The rule "accomplishes the goal of encouraging the GSEs into the chattel lending market and allows for the development of a full and robust secondary market for chattel loans in the near future."

Community groups were also pleased, noting that the final rule gives the GSEs credit for their research and development efforts on chattel lending for manufactured housing loans that are not titled as real estate loans. Nearly 70% of such homes are financed with chattel loans.

"That was one of our suggestions. It gives them an incentive to start and get out of the gate right away," said Doug Ryan, executive director of the Center for Economic Development.

The final rule also allows the GSEs to purchase mortgages secured by manufactured housing communities that are also known as "blanket loans." Up until now, the GSEs have generally financed high-end manufactured housing communities that cater to retired persons.

Soon they will be encouraged to finance mortgages of such communities that are owned by the residents or mission-driven organizations such as nonprofits and public housing authorities.

Ryan expects Fannie and Freddie will be able to purchase blanket loans sooner than chattel loans. "Blanket loans could take off faster," Ryan said in an interview. "This would help residents buy their properties and preserve affordable housing."

The rule also gives the GSEs credit for supporting the preservation of affordable rental housing and affordable homeownership opportunities, such as shared equity homeownership programs. Additionally, Fannie and Freddie will receive credit for supporting housing in high-needs rural regions.

The duty to serve rule also encourages Fannie and Freddie to invest in low-income housing tax credits again, something they have not done since they were placed in conservatorship in 2008.

That drew the ire of the American Bankers Association, which said there's no reason to allow the GSEs back into the market.

The market is "a vibrant, fully subscribed market," said Joseph Pigg, a senior vice president for the ABA. "Allowing the GSEs back into the market will likely be disruptive and will drive smaller players from the field  and we do not see how that serves to further the goals of expanding affordable housing, especially in underserved areas."

The FHFA noted that the GSEs will be limited to rural areas eligible for duty to serve credit under the final rule.

In addition, FHFA will also be reviewing and approving Fannie and Freddie's low-income housing tax credit equity investments.

Fannie and Freddie are expected to submit plans to FHFA on how they will meet the requirements of the duty to serve rule. Once approved, the GSEs will receive points based on their follow-through in implementing the plans.

The FHFA will annually evaluate, rate and report to Congress each GSE's compliance with the rule. The assessment has three parts: a quantitative evaluation, qualitative assessment and a grade for extra-credit-eligible activities, including those that promote residential economic diversity. They will also be judged based on the impact of their activities.

The agency plans to host "public listening sessions" to obtain input on the GSE's Underserved Markets Plans. The first session is scheduled for Jan. 25 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

The rule becomes effective 30 days after its publication in the Federal Register.
PROVO, Utah, Dec. 13, 2016  Simplifile, a leading provider of real estate document collaboration and recording technologies for lenders, settlement agents, and counties, today announced the addition of eight Georgia counties and four Louisiana parishes to its e-recording network, the nations largest.

We are excited to see steady growth of e-recording adoption across Georgia and Louisiana, and we will continue to work with recording offices in these states to make e-recording available to more citizens, said Paul Clifford, president of Simplifile. The first Georgia county joined Simplifiles e-recording network in February 2013; Louisianas first e-recording parish joined Simplifiles network in August 2014. Its our hope that one day, every jurisdiction will enjoy the benefits of a more efficient e-recording workflow as well as the savings that come with paperless recording and payment processing.

The new jurisdictions are:

Bartow County, Ga.

Bleckley County, Ga.

Cherokee County, Ga.

Dawson County, Ga.

Echols County, Ga.

Madison County, Ga.

Polk County, Ga.

Talbot County, Ga.

Assumption Parish, La.

Evangeline Parish, La.

Iberia Parish, La.

Sabine Parish, La.

Settlement agents need only a computer with high-speed internet access and a scanner to begin submitting documents electronically in these counties.

Simplifiles online e-recording service enables settlement agents to scan and submit land records directly to any of 1,546 participating county recording offices nationwide. In just minutes, the county recorder can review, stamp, record, and return documents to the settlement agent electronically. In addition, recording fees and associated payments can be processed directly through Simplifiles secure service, eliminating the expense of payment errors and check-writing costs for settlement agents and county recorders.

For a complete list of county recording offices using Simplifile to e-record deeds, mortgages, and other documents, visit https://simplifile.com/e-recording-counties/.

About Simplifile

Simplifile, the nations largest e-recording network, was founded in 2000 to connect settlement agents and county recorders via its e-recording service. Today Simplifile has broadened its services to include collaboration tools and post-closing visibility for mortgage lenders and settlement agents working together on real estate documents. Through Simplifile, users can securely record, share, and track documents, data, and fees with ease.

To learn more, visit https://simplifile.com or call 800.460.5657.


In Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are among the main causes of military and civilian casualties. To counter this type of threat, France has created a counter-IED analysis laboratory.

On 13 December 2016, over 100 counter-IED experts from NATO member and partner countries attended a demonstration of the French Counter-IED Exploitation Laboratory (CIEL) at NATO Headquarters.

The laboratory is the kind of equipment that could plug a capability gap for the member and partner countries in the short term by providing means of analysing the threat and thereby supporting national forces.

"The CIEL laboratory is unique and meets the needs of those in the field perfectly," says Jamie Shea, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges. "It's easy to deploy, flexible and modular. This type of capability will help give the armed forces a technological edge and better meet the challenges we face."

Identifying and defeating networks

An IED is an unconventional explosive weapon that can take any shape and be activated in various ways. Their adaptability to almost any situation makes them hard to detect and neutralise.

IEDs are also increasingly sophisticated, while remaining easy to obtain and cheap. Most of their components can either be bought on the open market (such as electronic components and chemical fertilisers) or are easy to obtain through smuggling, criminal networks or corruption.

"That's why countering this threat involves not just neutralising the explosive device but above all identifying and defeating the networks that make, procure and plant IEDs," explains Francoise Perret, who is dealing with NATO's Defence Against Terrorism work programme in the Counter-Terrorism Section of the Emerging Security Challenges Division. To achieve that end, intelligence and information analysis are crucial.

A compact and rapidly deployable laboratory



CIEL during its first deployment in Mali

"The CIEL laboratory was designed with the dual objective of protecting forces by adapting our tactics through analysis of evidence found in operational searches or of IED remnants after an explosion, and attacking the networks by identifying those who made and planted the device, through forensic analysis and DNA sampling," explains Lieutenant-Colonel Charles, Director of Research, Analysis and Information Management, Joint Munitions and Explosive Device (MUNEX) Threat Processing Unit, French Ministry of Defence.

CIEL consists of five specialists who each conduct investigations in their area of expertise: chemistry, electronics, forensics and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD). It also has hi-tech, light and transportable analysis equipment designed to be deployable at very short notice if needed in an external theatre of operations. "The laboratory takes up only 1 m3, or the equivalent of eight boxes, weighs only 300 kg and can be deployed in under an hour," adds Lieutenant-Colonel Charles.

An interoperable database accessible in real time

The laboratory is supported by a unique database containing over 60,000 events, i.e. devices that have already exploded or have been discovered in the field. "One of the functions that really interests our NATO partners is the software's ability to predict events that could occur in the future," says Lieutenant-Colonel Charles. "It can identify places where a threat may arise. We have been able to test it successfully in Mali," he adds. The database meets NATO interoperability standards and can be shared and enriched by NATO member states, in real time.

CIEL is a product of France's experience in Afghanistan and was successfully deployed in Mali in 2015. It was also tested during exercise Citadel Kleber 2015" with a view to NATO certification of the French Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Headquarters, which will enable France to lead the NATO Response Force (Land Component) in 2017. Similar developments are underway in the maritime domain.
(Natural News) An Australian philanthropist has donated $3 million to fund medical marijuana research at the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The 70-year-old Barry Lambert earned a substantial fortune as the founder of Count Financial, Australias biggest accounting firm support network. He has a history of donating generously to various causes, but in this case, Lamberts motivation is rather personal.

His 5-year-old granddaughter Katelyn, who suffers from a rare form of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome, displayed miraculous improvement after being treated with cannabis oil. After witnessing such dramatic relief from the seizures and other symptoms associated with the condition, Lambert became interested in backing cannabis research.

Its about doing the right thing

The Aussie businessman says he has had no previous experience with marijuana, but believes in its promise in treating a number of illnesses.

Its about doing the right thing, Lambert told the Australian Financial Review. There are all these uses for cannabis but, because its illegal, its never been researched.

In fact, Lambert has already contributed $34 million to the University of Sydney to fund a program called the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics:

The Lambert Initiative has been established with a wide mission to investigate a range of possible applications: epilepsy; stimulating appetite in chemotherapy patients; tremors from multiple sclerosis; pain relief for the terminally ill; treatment of addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Lambert and his wife Joys decision to also fund cannabis research at Thomas Jefferson University was inspired by Jeffersons rapid progress in the field of medicinal cannabis research and innovative approach to exploring all avenues for new therapies to include using hemp-derived cannabinoids, he said in a press release.

Joy Lambert played a key role in the familys decision to explore cannabis as a possible treatment for her granddaughters condition. The Financial Review reports that at first Lambert himself took a rather fatalistic stance regarding Katelyns illness.

But when Katelyns father Michael began researching cannabis as a treatment option, Joy supported his efforts. Before Katelyn began her cannabis oil therapy, she was barely able to speak, and suffered from frequent and painful seizures.

Its like watching your child being electrocuted to death, said Michael.

Shortly after a trial and error phase when Michael first began administering cannabis oil to Katelyn, the child began showing a marked improvement, with her seizures becoming far less frequent and shorter in duration.

Katelyn began regaining her ability to speak, and in many respects, now leads a normal life.

She is a person now, Michael said. She is well.

A fortuitous encounter

In 2014, soon after Katelyn began her cannabis treatments, Michael attended an Australian medicinal marijuana conference where he happened to meet Dave Allsop, one member of a two-man cannabis research team from the University of Sydney.

When Allsop later received a call from Michael Lambert saying that his father might be interested in funding their research efforts, he and his colleague Iain McGregor thought it was a joke.

My dads loaded and I reckon I can get him to fund your research, Michael said. I reckon he might give you five or six million.

After Googling Lamberts name, Allsop realized that the call was not a prank:

This was where Lambert came into his own, arranging the structure of the donation. Barry and Michael Lambert held a series of meetings with Allsop, McGregor and Sydney Universitys philanthropy team.

The Lamberts decided to up the ante and instead of the $6 million their son had suggested they ended up contributing $34 million.

With millions invested in marijuana research, Barry Lambert has single-handedly performed a great deed for humanity. Medicinal marijuana research may benefit millions of people in the future, thanks to the vision and generosity of Lambert and others who are determined to do the right thing.

Sources:

Philly.com

AFR.com

OCCNewspaper.com
Wednesday, December 14, 2016 by: JD Heyes Tags: depression , medical school , Students , suicide This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) Its very difficult to get through medical school  which involves brutal, long hours of studying and doing residency work  which is why there is not an over-abundance of doctors walking around. Its so tough, in fact, that a new study has uncovered an alarming statistic: Around a quarter of students in med school are depressed.

In addition, as reported by CNN, about one in 10 report being suicidal at some point during their education, according to a recent analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

In fact, researchers found, depression is really just an open secret within the profession, according to Dr. Douglas Mata, co-principle author, and a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School.

Co-principle author Dr. Srijan Sen noted that the calculations cited in the study are not merely numbers.

It hit home

When I was a medical student, a couple of people just a little bit older than me really suffered with depression and had serious suicide attempts, and one of them completed suicide, said Sen, a professor of depression and neurosciences at the University of Michigan.

It hit home to me and made me realize how big a problem this was and was part of the reason why I got involved in this research.

The two physicians and academics, as well their colleagues, examined databases for published studies reporting incidences of depression prevalence among medical students. All the studies they found, save one, relied on surveys in which the students self-reported their own symptoms.

Mata said that the researchers found several hundred individual studies of smaller groups of students, though each one alone is not that impactful. His hypothesis was that if they combined everything and did a meta-analysis of the data, that would give them something north of 120,000 people to examine.

In the end, the team determined that med school depression was universal around the world, which kind of underscores how serious this is.

CNN noted that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines major depressive disorder as one based on nine specific symptoms that can be identified and diagnosed during an in-person interview. Speaking technically, the surveys  which seek to identify the symptoms based on a standardized methodology  cannot in and of themselves diagnose depression, Mata noted. However, every survey had been validated in previous studies and demonstrated to be in sync with diagnoses that are based on interviews.

Thats why we trust the data that we were able to put together, said Mata, adding that the surveys also provide the benefit of anonymity to the participant.

And since there is still some stigma associated with mental and mood disorders, medical students are much more likely to be up front about their symptoms if they know they wont have to worry about their attending physician or a medical board discovering their responses. Mata noted that he was motivated by the need to produce data for policymakers to be made fully aware of just how pervasive the problem has become among the worlds future physicians, so that they can develop policies to ease mental strain.

Painting a full picture of the problem

In their study, the researchers measure the prevalence of depression or depressive symptoms as almost 26.7 percent, with 37,933 of the 122,356 participants reporting them. A subset of 24 studies from 15 different countries analyzed suicidal thoughts, and in that instance, the prevalence was 11 percent, or 2,043 of 21,002 participants, the research team said.

While there was some variation across regions, it was determined by the team that medical students are between two and five times more likely to become depressed than the general population of the United States.

Perhaps more alarming, is that the research team discovered that the percentage of students who see a physician about their depression is very low, at only 15.7 percent.

In 2015, Mata, Sen and colleagues published a related paper that focused on depression in medical residents.

Taken together, these two papers paint a full picture of the life cycle of mood disorder and wellness from the beginning of medical school to the end of residency. The two studies in combination serve as an impetus for educators and policy-makers to take this problem seriously, Mata said. What is it about the medical school environment that is leading to these adverse outcomes?

Sources:

CNN.com

JAMANetwork.com

Science.NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A North Dakota pipeline spill has released many tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into a nearby creek, just two and a half hours away from Cannon Ball, ND, where activists have been protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline for months.

Members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, their allies and environmentalists from around the country, have been speaking out against the pipeline. They have rallied together to fight against it on the grounds that it crosses under a lake that provides drinking water to Native Americans. Activists maintain that routing the pipeline under Lake Oahe puts the water source in jeopardy and could destroy sacred land. This latest incident is surely not going to inspire any confidence among the pipelines detractors.

Officials from the state of North Dakota say that an estimated 176,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from the Belle Fourche pipeline and into Ash Coulee Creek. Bill Suess, a state environmental scientist, says the spill was discovered near the city of Belfield on December 5 by a landowner. Belfield is approximately 150 miles from the core of the Dakota Access Pipeline protest camps.

Wendy Owen, a spokeswoman for Casper, Wyoming-based True Companies, which operates the Belle Fourche pipeline, told CNBC that they had the spill contained within just a matter of hours. Owen also told the Associated Press that it was not yet clear why the electronic monitoring equipment failed to detect the spill.

Owen says that the pipeline was shut down as soon as the spill was discovered, and suggested that their current number-one theory is that the hillside sloughed and inevitably caused the pipeline to rupture. She notes that there are several other plausible theories and that the investigation is still ongoing.

The spill has contaminated 5.4 miles of land surrounding Ash Coulee Creek, but Suess says that it does not appear that the spill reached the Little Missouri River. Of the approximately 4,200 barrels of oil spilled, only about 983 barrels (or 41,286 gallons) had been recovered as of Monday. In other words, theyve still got a lot of cleaning up to do.

Following the death of two cows, crews have been assisting in moving cattle away from the contaminated creek and have been trucking in clean water. Wendy Owens noted that both privately owned land and land owned by the US National Forest Service was affected by the spill.

Sixty clean-up workers were on-site cleaning up the disaster on Monday. According to Suess, they are cleaning up about 100 yards of land per day. While the creek was free-flowing when the spill was discovered, it has since frozen over. Oil remains trapped in the frozen creek.

When the spill started, and how long it went on for before being discovered, are not yet known. Kevin Connors, pipelines program supervisor for the North Dakota Oil and Gas Division, maintains that the pipeline, which was built sometime in the 1980s, was outfitted with pressure gauges and meters to monitor for leaks. It appears that there was some kind of failure in the monitoring system, as the leak went unnoticed until being discovered by the landowner. According to Connors, the company does aerial inspections twice a month.

True Companies reportedly operates at least three pipeline companies in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming. The company has a history of spills. Just last year, in January 2015, one of their pipelines broke and spilled 30,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River. The spill temporarily shut down the water supply for the downstream community of Glendive, Montana, after oil was detected in the towns water treatment system.

In just 10 years, the subsidiaries of True Companies have reported a staggering 36 oil spills that add up to 320,000 gallons of product released. Most of it was never recovered. If we were to average this, that means the company spills between 8,000 and 10,667 gallons of oil every three to four months.

Sources:

CNBC.com

TwinCities.com
A federal judge on Tuesday, Dec. 13 sentenced a subsidiary of ConAgra Foods Inc. to pay the largest fine ever in a food-safety case, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced. The sentence was handed down about a decade after an outbreak of salmonellosis in 47 states was traced to the companys Peter Pan peanut butter, as well as a private label Great Value peanut butter shipped from a manufacturing plant in Sylvester, Georgia.

After ConAgra Grocery Products LLC pleaded guilty Tuesday to a criminal misdemeanor charge, the company was sentenced to pay an $8 million criminal fine and forfeit $3.2 million in assets, DOJ said in a new release. In pleading guilty to violating the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (FDCA), the company admitted it introduced into interstate commerce peanut butter contaminated with Salmonella.

The outbreak that began in 2006 and ended in 2007 was eventually linked to more than 700 cases of salmonellosis, DOJ said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated thousands of related cases were not reported, according to the DOJ news release.

As part of the plea agreement, ConAgras subsidiary admitted it was previously aware of some risk of Salmonella contamination in peanut butter, the agency said. Whats more, the company admitted employees who were responsible for analyzing finished product tests at the Sylvester plant neglected to detect Salmonella in the peanut butter, and the company was unaware some employees did not know how to properly interpret the tests results, DOJ added.

This case demonstrates companiesboth large and smallmust be vigilant about food safety," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Departments Civil Division, in a statement. We rely every day on food processors and handlers to meet the high standards required to keep our food free of harmful contamination."

Pursuant to an agreement filed last year in federal district court in the Middle District of Georgia, the company on Tuesday pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor violation of the FDCA. Federal judge W. Louis Sands accepted the guilty plea and imposed the sentence proposed in the plea agreement.

Daniel Hare, a ConAgra spokesman, said the company was pleased to resolve the matter.

Nothing is more important to us than the safety and quality of the food we make," he said in an emailed statement. We regret the incident and how it impacted our customers and consumers. The investments weve made in our facilities, employees and programs over the past nine years have allowed us to make quality peanut butter ever since and we are confident that we will continue to offer Peter Pan as a safe, wholesome food in the years to come."
Going Online: Perspectives on Digital Learning Robert Ubell Routledge: 2016. 9781138025318 | ISBN: 978-1-1380-2531-8

In 1993, educational technologist Seymour Papert suggested that a teacher from the nineteenth century transported into the mid-1990s would feel at home in the classroom. Twenty years on, this is no longer true. A university lecturer being filmed for a learning website. Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images

Teachers in much of the developed world now use smartboards, tablets and student-centred, collaborative and project-based learning. Universities are adopting flipped teaching: students learn online, then solve problems in the classroom. Some can access remote lab equipment and telescopes. Some institutions  such as the University of Waterloo in Canada and Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand  blend online and campus teaching. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) involve people around the world in study and conversation. The continuing change is provoking existential dread among some faculty members, who envision teachers replaced with computer-based tutors and universities moving to online-only courses in the next decade.

Those shifts can also foster an excitement that Robert Ubell's Going Online captures. The book is the view from the control room of the New York University Tandon School of Engineering, where Ubell heads the digital-education unit. He starts by observing that traditional university education has failed to engage students in active learning. The more accomplished the lecture, for instance, the more it may give a false impression that all the students have absorbed the material.

Ubell's proposition is that online learning lets students process information in their own time. They can take part in online discussions and ask questions anonymously, without losing face. This demands a new pedagogy  teaching, learning and assessment for active learning communities. Academics must work with web designers and educational technologists to create conditions that let students control the pace and delivery of learning, yet continually share and respond to others' ideas.

Ubell is right that anonymity can help students who are less confident, or not fluent in the language. But an important part of university is learning to challenge and debate. Some MOOC platforms, such as FutureLearn, promote constructive discussion, with thousands of learners bringing global perspectives to hotly debated topics such as climate change.

Going Online shows there are many ways to migrate education to the Internet. All require institutions to commit to opening up instruction, moving from a professional relationship between a teacher and students to a corporate process. It involves decisions about the online learning environment (be it Moodle, Blackboard or Canvas), whether to use a MOOC provider, how to negotiate intellectual-property rights and how to compensate staff. In offering students autonomy and activity, the online university may sacrifice humanity.

The way back from the mass corporate online instruction offered by some for-profit universities, such as the University of Phoenix in Arizona, is through blended learning. Students study the curriculum online from material provided by sources including MOOCs, web pages and interactive science simulations. They are encouraged to use social media to share knowledge. The classroom becomes a site for exploring a topic in depth by solving problems, debating and taking tests. In science, students can get hands-on experience with lab equipment, and then book remote access and analyse data online. Blended learning works equally well for apprenticeships and professional development. The Swiss government's DUAL-T online vocational-learning initiative, for example, bridges the gap between classroom and workplace.

An academic who has spent a career lecturing may be uncomfortable with the shift to facilitating learning, but new teachers have grown up with online learning and social media. Many will have used collaboration tools like Slack, and professional communities such as LinkedIn and Stack Exchange.

At the centre of the book is a 2000 study by Ubell and his colleague Hosein Fallah that compares two graduate classes  identical in content and instructor, but with one delivered through lectures and the other online. The numbers are small (just 7 students online and 12 on campus), and the results inconclusive. A better demonstration is a metastudy led by educational psychologist Barbara Means (mentioned briefly in the book) that analysed more than 1,000 empirical studies. It found that, on average, students engaged in online learning did better than those who had solely face-to-face instruction. The advantage was bigger for blended learning (B. E. Means et al. Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning ; US Department of Education, 2009).

As Ubell says, critics of online learning generally point to training systems and MOOCs that deliver canned lectures. Success in digital education comes from social-networked learning, with global access to online materials, high-quality open courses and vibrant peer discussions. The flipped classroom can work in both New Delhi and New York City. It requires a decentred perspective to create communities of education providers and learners, welcoming differing cultural perspectives and pedagogies. The pioneers are universities committed to global open education, such as the Open University in Milton Keynes, UK; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge; Canada's Athabasca University; and the University of Cape Town in South Africa. The most traditional universities are finding this step the hardest.
NASA has a long-standing flair for the mainstream movie industry because merging science and fiction helps promote space exploration to the public. The agency is as it again as it collaborated with Sony Pictures for its "Passengers" movie where stars Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence.

Pratt and Lawrence's movie, in turn, will be shown in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The agency had openly supported and injected real-life scientific facts to movies such as "The Martian" and "Star Trek".

The collaboration was in the form of a PSA where both actors were filmed promoting NASA's search for the next habitable exoplanet. The film discusses space explorations and space flight to another planet. Despite being an entirely fictional film, the PSA released by NASA with the participation of the "Passengers" actors aims to encourage moviegoers to learn more about science and space explorations.

"Scientists believe there may be there may be at least one potentially habitable planet revolving around every star we see in the sky," Passenger lead actor Chris Pratt said in the video released by NASA.

Real-life scientists and space explorers are already looking at Proxima B, believed to be a habitable planet, in Earth's neighborhood star system Alpha Centauri. "NASA is exploring our solar system, and far beyond, to look for what one day could be a new home away from earth," Oscar-winning actress and "Passengers" female lead said in the same video.

But that's not where the partnership ends; NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) scientists Tiffany Kataria will speak at a movie press conference to promote space explorations, according to a report. Just like any other movie supported by the agency, NASA representatives, usually astronauts are expected to walk the red carpet during the premiere night to support the film.

The collaboration works best for both, as NASA will benefit from having Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence as its space exploration ambassadors, while the movie gets to be promoted by a premier government agency. Not to mention, astronauts aboard the International Space Station will also get to see the out-of-this-world sci-fi flick, in space.
Scientists in China have appeared to have uncovered a biotechnology breakthrough. They have just successfully implanted 3D-bioprinted stem cell grafts in monkeys and were able to promote vascular tissue regeneration.



According to Mirror, the 3D-printed vessels just took seven days to merge with the organic aorta.This appears to be proof that 3D bioprinting has become one of the most exciting areas of biotechnology today. Unlike plastic and metal 3D printers, 3D bioprinters can be used to fabricate human tissue and organs from stem cells.



According to 3Ders, the "perfection" of this technique could help transplant these into human bodies that can replace defective livers, kidneys, and hearts without waiting for actual donors.



However, at present, most researchers in 3D bioprinting have been realistic about the timescale required to 3D print organs. A lot appear to be on the way, but some believe it could take decades before they become fully functional. Others hopeful of seeing 3D printed transplantable organs have to understand that the relevant authorities will also have to approve their procedures.



According to CCTV News, this is because 3D bioprinting still holds a high-risk nature on organ transplants. These organs may more or less end up in pharmaceutical labs than the operating room as 3D-bioprinted tissue can also be used to simulate the equivalent parts of the body.



This means they can be used ex vivo to test the effects of new drugs on the body. Despite their usefulness, however, these fabricated parts still lack a lot of attributes of natural human organs, which means they may be more or less unfit for transplant.



Regardless, it is a major shock in the field to have heard that these researchers from China have made this massive breakthrough. The announcement from Y. James Kang, chief scientific officer and chief executive officer of Revotek and director of the Regenerative Medicine Research Center of West China Hospital at Sichuan University, proves there is more to the research than meets the eye.



According to him, researchers used biologically active blood vessels that were printed from a Revotek 3D blood vessel bioprinter. They were printed from a "biosynsphere" or a stem cell bioink, which was prepared from cells from monkeys. They were used to replace a two-centimeter segment of the monkey's abdominal aorta.



Kang said that five days after the surgery, the cells transformed into endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and other forms of vascular tissues. Two days later, the blood vessels began to merge with the rhesus monkey's own abdominal aorta.



The astounding factor is that this method was just completed in a single month. After close monitoring, it was also revealed that the blood vessels act the same way as the original aorta and that no further treatments were needed afterward.



This presents an exciting prospect on the development of treatments for human subjects, as a lot of people in the world also suffer from cardiovascular diseases.
It looks like SpaceX is not wrapping 2016 in a good way. First, its "Return to Flight" originally set to launch in mid-December was moved to January 2017. Now, the commercial crew flight to the International Space Station (ISS) supposed to launch next year was moved to 2018.

This means astronauts won't be flying aboard SpaceX to the ISS in 2017 despite a SpaceX announcement earlier this year that the company is still on track for the 2017 launch. Boeing's Starliner already moved its manned flight to 2018 leaving SpaceX ahead of the competition. However, recent developments revealed that SpaceX won't be carrying astronauts to the ISS in 2017 as well.

Boeing and SpaceX won contracts from NASA to build the next generation crew capsule since the agency's Space Shuttle retired in 2011. Both companies are now nearing completion of their own next generation spacecraft but it looks like no one knows for sure who is going to fly to the ISS first. NASA heavily relies on Russian rockets to send humans to space since 2011.

"NASA's Commercial Crew Program will return human spaceflight launches to U.S. soil, providing reliable and cost-effective access to low-Earth orbit on systems that meet our safety and mission requirements," a NASA official said in a blog post.

Based on NASA's report, SpaceX will perform a demonstration mission on November 2017 and another demonstration mission in May 2018. The Dragon crew test launch that will bring a crew on board was moved to the said May 2018 schedule, according to a report. SpaceX will have to pass the manned test on May 2018 in order to be given the green light to send astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

Both Boeing and SpaceX are competing to become the American company to bring astronauts to the ISS, replacing Roscosmos. NASA officials have deliberately expressed their preference for a U.S.-based company to transport astronauts to space. "I don't ever want to have to write another check to Roscosmos," NASA's administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement.

The question now is, between the two companies, who will finish their new breed of space capsules in order to bring astronauts to the ISS aboard an American-made space shuttle.




With only days away before the new president takes one of the most important seats of power in the United States, scientists scramble to save whatever climate data that they can from government servers to public servers. These are done in hopes of preserving whatever government data has been collected through the years in the fear that this crucial information will slowly vanish under the new administration.

In an event popularly known as "guerrilla archiving," scientists from all over the United States have gathered their abilities and connections to 'save' environmental data from the new president. The University of Toronto has released an advertisement to any possible volunteers who would wish to help with the mission.

Earlier this month, there had been reports that Trump plans on fully closing down NASA Earth Science, one of the largest government bodies that collect environmental data. As it closes down, there is a question as to where the data will go.

The new President along with many of the members of his administration are known "deniers" of climate change. There had been numerous protests about many of the controversial statements that he has released through the previous year, especially during his electoral campaign.

Important persons of the scientific community including former Vice President Al Gore and Bill Nye has expressed their professional advice to President-elect Trump. The latter has even written in his book that politicians will eventually be forced to not only acknowledge climate change but to address it.

Though there had not been any indications so far as to what the fate of the data will be, scientists have claimed that it would be best to be a step ahead than worry about the consequences of data loss when it already happens. A report from Washington Post states though many may think that this is an act of paranoia, for many members of the scientific community it is nothing more than just being prepared for the worst.
The wireless communication system that connects astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to people on the ground is called the Space Network. New reports claim it is set to get an upgrade that will double data rates.

Right now, astronauts at the ISS are limited to 300 megabits per second, which is surprisingly twice the speed in home WiFi networks.

"Fundamentally, this upgrade of both the onboard and ground data communications systems enables an increase in the scientific output from the space station," said Mark Severance, the network director of human spaceflight at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, adding, "Increasing the data downlink rates from the station will allow the manifestation of new experiments and technology demonstrations that have higher data-rate requirements than could previously be accommodated."

The Space Network is composed of a constellation of relay satellites that circle the earth in a geosynchronous orbit. NASA's spacecrafts beam the date to the nearest satellite, then data is related from the satellite to a terminal on the ground which in the end heads to one of the space agency's data centers.

This wireless communication data gives NASA the power to download scientific data from the instruments installed on the spacecraft. It also allows astronauts aboard the ISS to conduct audio conversations and video interviews.

40 NASA missions currently rely on the Space Network, which also includes the Hubble Space Telescope. Approximately 28 terabytes of information is transmitted across the Space Network each day.

"The project is committed to evolving the Space Network to enable new mission concepts by simplifying customer interfaces, increasing customer data rates, and enabling new concepts of operations," stated project manager Ted Sobchak.

In addition, ground terminals in Guam, New Mexico, and White Sands will also receive hardware upgrades that will double the download speed. By 2017, a new craft will be added to the fleet of Tracking and Data Relay Satellites which would further boost the capabilities of the Space Network system.
After completing the final milestone required for launch on December 12, startup Rocket Lab announced that its small satellite launch vehicle, Electron, is ready to commence test flights by 2017.

Passing the qualification and acceptance stages at an undisclosed testing facility outside Auckland, reports say Electron will now be sent to Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 on the remote Mahia Peninsula to be assembled.

A two-stage rocket worth $4.9 million, Electron boasts of a revolutionary design that features: a maximum payload of 225 kilogram to a 500 kilometer orbit; custom cryogenic valves and helium pressurization systems for ultimate efficiency and reliability; high-performance miniature avionics and flight computer systems; and 12 Rutherford engines, an oxygen/kerosene pump fed engine specifically designed in-house for Electron using an entirely new propulsion cycle.

Originally, Rocket Lab wanted Electron to take off before Christmas of this year, but pushed it back to early next year for various reasons. "Mahia Township experiences a considerable population spike through the summer and, in order to minimize any disruptions to local residents and visitors, our preference is to conduct the first test launch after the holidays," Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Technical Officer, and Founder Peter Beck told NewsHub.

"You know we will fly when we are ready, but we had certainly hoped to get one away this year, but also our team has worked pretty incredible hours this year so we thought it was unfair to push through Christmas," he added.

Electron will start to undergo series of full vehicle testing in 2017, or as soon as international launch licensing is finalized. Rocket Lab spokesperson Catherine Moreau-Hammond told SpaceNews the company needs to obtain licenses both from the United States and New Zealand. Rocket Lab is an American aerospace corporation launching out of New Zealand.

Founded in 2006 by Peter Beck, a notable scientist and engineer with the Meritorious Medal from the Royal Aeronautical Society for service of an exceptional nature and the Cooper Medal by the Royal Society (NZ) under his belt, Rocket Lab's mission, according to their website, is to remove the barriers to commercial space by providing frequent and dedicated launch opportunities. Khosla Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Lockheed Martin, and K1W1 are some of Rocket Lab's major investors.

Rocket Labs Rutherford Engine Qualified for Flight from Rocket Lab on Vimeo.
After taking off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan last Friday, Dec. 9, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Kounotori H-II Transfer Vehicle-6 (HTV-6) arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) Tuesday, Dec. 13.

The Japanese cargo spacecraft was successfully captured by Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency). The ISS crew used the station's robotic arm, Canadarm2, from the station's cupola to reach out and grapple the 12-ton spacecraft and install it on the Earth-facing side of the Harmony module, where it will stay for more than five weeks.

The space station was reportedly flying 50 miles over southern Chile at the time of capture. Robotic ground controllers, on the other hand, have installed the resupply vehicle around 8:57 a.m.

The unpiloted cargo spacecraft from Japan went through a four-day journey to the International Space Station, and is carrying more than 4.5 tons of supplies, water, spare parts, and experiment hardware for the six-person station crew.

The White Stork also delivered six new lithium-ion batteries and adapter plates that will replace the nickel-hydrogen batteries currently used on the station to store electrical energy generated by the station's solar arrays, Space Daily reports. These lithium ion batteries are scheduled to be fitted during a series of robotic operations and spacewalks sometime late December and January next year.

Other than that, according to NASA, "The spacecraft is also bringing the Technology Education (TechEdSat-5) nanosatellite, which includes the Exo-Brake technology demonstration mission. The Exo-Brake technology is a tension-based, flexible braking device that could help bring small payloads back through Earth's atmosphere unharmed, accurately de-orbiting through a series of adjustments to modulate drag. Exo-Brake deployment is targeted for early 2017."

NASA TV covered the entire mission of JAXA's Kounotori 6 from launch, arrival to ISS, and berthing.
In an unfortunate turn of events, NASA was left with no other choice but to abort the launch of its CYGNSS mission once more. The space agency has experienced quite a bumpy week, rescheduling the launch two times in a row in a single week.

Originally scheduled for Monday (December 12), the launch, which will send eight small satellites into space on a Pegasus XL rocket, has been postponed because of a faulty hydraulic pump issue. In its official blog NASA stated:

"Monday's launch was aborted due to an issue with the launch vehicle release system on the L-1011 Stargazer. A hydraulic system operates the mechanism that releases the Pegasus rocket from the carrier aircraft. The hydraulic system functioned properly during the pre-flight checks of the airplane.

The current targeted Wednesday launch time will allow for a replacement L-1011 carrier aircraft component to arrive from Mojave, California, and be installed, as well as support the required crew rest requirements."

On Wednesday, however, the rescheduled launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, has been called off again, The Verge reports. This time, it's because of a software glitch.

"The CYGNSS launch planned for Wednesday, Dec. 14 is being delayed due to an issue with flight parameter data used by spacecraft software. The issue was discovered during routine testing Tuesday. The new flight parameter data have undergone verification testing on the engineering model, and will be uploaded to the spacecraft on Wednesday. The uploading of new flight data is a very routine procedure, and is expected correct the issue. The next launch attempt will be determined pending the results of ongoing tests," the space agency's blog wrote.

NASA has not yet announced a new launch date as of late.

Flying in formation about 316 miles above the Earth's surface, NASA's eight CYGNSS microsatellites is expected to focus on the tropics, study wind speeds and intensification of tropical cyclones, such as hurricanes. Providing a closer monitoring system of cyclones and storms, the fleet of CYGNSS satellites will help scientists understand how and why these natural phenomena occur.

Know more about NASA's CYGNSS mission by watching this video.
The Millennium Tower may be San Francisco's most famous tilting and sinking structure, but it is not the citys only sinking problem.

Many streets in the citys new Mission Bay neighborhood have started to sink, prompting worried officials to say that they will inspect the area as soon as next month, an NBC Bay Area investigation has found. They say the problem is more than an eyesore because people can trip over cracked, uneven sidwalks.

A brick monument that marks the entrance to the University of California, San Francisco's Medical Center is also symbolic of the bizarre phenomenon that is plaguing this newly constructed high-tech community  the streets and sidewalks are sinking around its gleaming structures.

At the base of the campus monument sign, it is evident that yellow bricks have sunk around the structure, which itself is supported by piles driven into the soft soil.

Other walkways are buckling nearby, some breaking away from the steel, glass and concrete structures that line the streets.

But Larry Karp, a veteran geotechnical engineer, has deemed the headache perfectly predictable.

Its going to go on and on and on  its not going to stop, Karp says, explaining that it is a product of the weight of the streets and paved areas pressing down on soft, settling soil.

The problem is that the new Mission Bay community, comprising homes and a high-tech campus, sits atop land that was once known as Mission Swamp.

That swamp first became clogged by mining silt that washed down from the Gold Rush, Karp told us. It was topped with sand and debris from the 1906 earthquake so it could serve as a giant rail yard.

Today, as the reclaimed swamp is settling and giving way, crews are forced to make constant repairs at the UCSF campus and elsewhere.

Perhaps the most glaring evidence of the settlement is on the 1200 block of Fourth Street, where a residential and commercial building is supported on foundation piles, but the sidewalk around it has sunk as much as six inches.

City officials, alerted to the problem by NBC Bay Areas investigative unit, recently marked the problem areas with white paint and gave the owner 30 days to come up with a fix.

The sidewalk is not up to standard now because it is separating from the building itself, said Jerry Sanguinetti, the chief of street use for San Franciscos Department of Public Works.

Sanguinetti said the sinking was to be expected because of the soft, moist ground. Thats why the buildings are supported on piles driven into dense sand. He said the developers should have made sure the sidewalks were reinforced as well.

While merchants were reluctant to go on camera to talk about the problem, no one can escape the evidence of the problem.

The owner of a cafe on Fourth Street has marked the sagging sidewalk with yellow warning tape. Inspectors have flagged the hazard by spray-painting dots onto the fractured cement.

Across the street, a furniture store owner has to rely on a makeshift ramp so customers can safely access his showroom.

The ramp was put in three years ago. Already, the sinking means the structure needs to be raised.

One day after being approached by NBC Bay Area, officials with the Department of Public Works inspected both the cafe and furniture store.

"We found out because of this inquiry, so we decided that we should go out and treat your inquiry as a potential trip and fall hazard," and so they did, Sanguinetti said.

As a result, the city issued a 30-day repair notice to the owner of the furniture store building.

The building owner representative declined to comment.

According to Sanguinetti, the owner had already applied for approval on a plan to fix the problem when the notice was issued.

I understand it was in parallel, he said. So as we were going out, they were already applying for a permit. ... My engineering staff was working on plans with them on how to mitigate the issue.

Sanguinetti said the building's developer should have accounted for the potential of sinking during the planning phase of the project.

What they need do is go in and basically re-structure those sidewalks to build them up to the standard that they should have done initially, he said.

The builder of the community, Mission Bay Development Group, did not respond to NBC Bay Area's requests for comment.

Meanwhile, San Francisco officials plan to inspect 16 blocks of the development early next year, hoping that owners will act quickly to fix the problems.

We cant have people, you know, lollygagging, when we need to get this done, Sanguinetti said.

But, Karp said that often trying to cure the sinking can make matters worse.

Layering concrete atop sagging pavement, just adds weight and contributes to more sinking, he said.

They keep patching it, and it keeps adding to the load and it keeps going down, he told us. So, its part of life. You could live in Kansas  if you wanted to.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story reported that the buildings are supported on piles driven into rock. Geotechnical experts have since clarified that the buildings are supported on piles driven into dense sand. We have changed the story accordingly.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to subpoena a reluctant UC Berkeley structural engineering professor to testify early next year about his role in assessing the now sinking Millennium Towers foundation.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin has long sought the testimony of Jack Moehle at hearings he has convened about the tower that is now sinking and leaning to the north and west. On Tuesday, with no discussion, the board gave him the power to summon Moehle to a hearing slated for next month.

Moehle was hired by the engineers on the Millennium project in June 2004 to serve as a peer adviser on the project and later vouched for the foundation in documents submitted on the project.

Peskin has stressed that at that time, Moehle was also a city peer adviser on the nearby 80 Natoma St. project. The Natoma project as a tower that had a similar foundation to the Millennium. Experts warned city officials it could sink dramatically and the Natoma project was ultimately scrapped.

For his part, Moehle has told NBC Bay Area that he was surprised there was no geotechnical review of the Millennium project but has not responded to further requests for comment.

NBC Bay Area has reported that Hardip Pannu, Moehles colleague on the Millennium peer review, wrote a letter in 2006 in which he stressed that no one sought the peer review to account for the Transbay transit project slated to be built next door to the Millennium.

It is that transit project that Millennium blames for destabilizing its foundation. Transbay has faulted the Millennium foundation for not being tied to bedrock.

Moehle has apologized for not being able to attend earlier Millennium hearings and told Peskin that certain contractual matters had restrained him from appearing absent a subpoena. He did not elaborate.

he had not able to attend at earlier hearings on the Millennium project.

Peskin has struggled with what contract provisions related to his peer review role for the city that might have precluded Moehle from cooperating.

Last week, Moehle told Peskin that he will testify if commanded to do so, but he will be unavailable for nearly all of next month as he will be attending a seismic conference in Chile. That gathering is set for Jan 9-13 and Peskins subpoena orders that Moehle appear on Jan. 12.
Two women in San Francisco seated inside a car while their friend pulled money from a nearby ATM were kidnapped by an adult male suspect late Tuesday.

The snatching happened just before 11:30 p.m. when the suspect hopped in the vehicle's driver seat and sped off with the two female victims still trapped inside, police said. After hearing screams, the other woman standing at the ATM promptly called authorities when the suspect fled the scene.

San Francisco police alerted local departments about the kidnapping, and the suspect was arrested by Daly City authorities less than one hour after the heist, police said.

The two female victims were not injured, police said.

The male suspect remains in custody Tuesday, police said. He faces kidnapping charges.
Hours before the sun rose on a quiet corner of South San Francisco, thousands gathered for a 12-mile walk for the Our Lady of Guadalupe observance in the Bay Area.

The "Cruzada Guadalupana" faith walk on Saturday included more than 40 Catholic parishes unifying in prayer for the health of the sick, immigration reform, peace and global justice, organizers said.

Founders of the local observance, Pedro and Martha Garcia, began at All Souls Church, located at 315 Walnut Ave., where the procession held a short service.

Old and young gathered together with umbrellas, ponchos and bags filled with water preparing for the long walk.

In the early morning, just a few porch lights flickered on. A handful of households came to their porches, greeted by the sight of a massive line singing quietly and chanting in unison.

By 8:30 a.m., as Banda music was added to the procession, the mood brightened, voices grew louder and laughter began filling the air.

With each stop at Catholic parishes along the way, the crowd grew larger, even as rain pounded harder and faster on the procession.

By the fourth stop in San Francisco, tens of thousands had filled the street.

"As you go along the way, people start adding and adding," Pedro Garcia said.

He remembered 23 years ago, the first procession had just 80 people beginning, and 240 people joining in by the end.

The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco, California, fills as tens of thousands finish the annual "Our Lady of Guadalupe" 12-mile walk. - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

After arriving to the steps of Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco, the crowds celebrated mass with Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone.
A homeless woman who gave birth in Golden Gate Park says Child Protective Services is stepping in to take her baby.

The development comes after 33-year-old Melina Berman discussed with NBC Bay Area her future plans as a homeless mother.

Berman and her boyfriend, Jack Stroube, both said they planned to get a home in Santa Cruz. The couple planned to pay for it relying on donations from strangers.

"Based on what I've heard from the people who are interested in the fundraising that flipping burgers is not going to be a requirement," Stroube said.

Paramedics before midnight Sunday rushed to Golden Gate Park, near Stanyon Street, and found Berman lying under a tarp with her newborn. Berman said she was in labor for five hours, lying on the ground and believing she could do it herself.

"I just pushed and pulled my baby out," Berman said.

Paramedics brought the mother and child to California Pacific Medical Center.

Tami Gaines, a case manager with Hamilton Families said there are resources available for homeless pregnant women and families with newborns.

"I think what it takes is for someone to find the right organization that's going to be able to assist them in terms of finding the right resources," Gaines said.

Hamilton Families, a homeless families service provider, has a hotline for services at 415-614-9060.
President-elect Donald Trump has hinted about the thought of a Muslim registry in the past, but Silicon Valley tech employees vowed to never create such a database that would target people based on their religion.

Laborers representing companies such as Google, Twitter, Uber and IBM were just a handful of people to sign a document stating that promise. In addition to not helping construct identifying databases from this moment forward, dozens of employees who signed the digital pledge committed to "scale back" the practice of retaining data that describes a person's ethnic or religious background. Signees also plan to fight back against any perceived misuses of data collection should the method arise in the future.

"We are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administrations proposed data collection policies," the signed document reads. "We refuse to build a database of people based on their Constitutionally-protected religious beliefs. We refuse to facilitate mass deportations of people the government believes to be undesirable."

Those behind the pledge include "engineers, designers, business executives, and others whose jobs include managing or processing data about people," according to the statement.

Reince Priebus, Trump's Chief of Staff, said that a Muslim registry is not in the works, but he wouldn't kill the idea entirely.

"Look I'm not going to rule out anything," Priebus told NBC's "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd. "We're not going to have a registry based on a religion. But what I think what we're trying to do is say that there are some people, certainly not all people...there are some people that are radicalized. And there are some people that have to be prevented from coming into this country."

Priebus would go on to say that Trump's primary objective is to create a system that can better manage the influx of people coming into the United States "from a place or an area around the world that harbors and trains terrorists."
San Francisco leaders on Tuesday signed off on building a memorial for Alex Nieto, who was gunned down during an encounter with police.

The Board of Supervisors voted 9-1 in favor of an ordinance requiring a memorial be built in Alex Nieto's honor. The proposed memorial will now be up for a vote at a city Art Commission meeting.

"We can honor the men and women of the police department and the dangers that they face and we can honor the men and women of our community who are tragically killed, these are not exclusive things," Supervisor Aaron Peskin said.

The shooting death of Nieto in 2014 sparked outrage among some in the community, but a federal jury found the officers involved did not use excessive force. Police said they fired when Nieto pointed a Taser that looked like a gun at officers and refused to drop it.

Family members and supporters disagree with the verdict, but said a tribute would help begin a healing process.

"This would be a positive step for our community and all of San Francisco to repair ties," Benjamin Bac-Sierra, a spokesperson for the Justice for Alex Nieto Coalition, previously said to NBC Bay Area.

Nieto's parents said through a translator it's a personal victory.

"This means everything because on that hill we celebrate his birthday and his death," Nieto's father said.

Supervisor Mark Farrell, the lone vote against the memorial, argued that approving the memorial sent a message to police officers that Nieto's life was more important than theirs.

"We don't recognize the police officers killed or injured protecting residents," Farrell said. "Somehow we've forgotten the debt we owe these men and women and someone needs to stand up for them."

Martin Halloran, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, provided the following statement Tuesday in response to the vote:

"We believe that we as a city should instead be honoring real heroes, the first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting our community from harm. Heroes worthy of our civic recognition include San Francisco Fire Lieutenant Vincent Perez, Firefighter and Paramedic Anthony Valerio, and San Francisco Police Officer Nick Birco just to name a few. Many have fallen protecting our great City and its residents - far too many to offer up an individual memorial to each of them."

NBC Bay Area's Jean Elle and Bay City News contributed to this report.
President-elect Donald Trump announced his selection of former campaign rival Rick Perry to be the country's next secretary of energy.

In a statement early Wednesday on his decision, Trump said, As the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry created a business climate that produced millions of new jobs and lower energy prices in his state, and he will bring that same approach to our entire country as Secretary of Energy. Rick Perry is going to do an amazing job.

Perry, who supported the oil industry as governor and is now a board member of the company building the Dakota Access Pipeline, said in a statement, "It is a tremendous honor to be selected," Perry said in a statement. "I am deeply humbled by his trust in me."

Perry added that he looks forward to "promoting an American energy policy that creates jobs and puts America first."

Before running for president against Trump in 2016, Perry also ran in 2012. During a GOP debate in Nov. 2011, Perry stumbled when listing three federal departments he'd eliminate if he were elected. However, in a gaffe now known as Perry's "oops" moment, he couldn't remember the Energy Department  the agency Trump now wants him to lead.

Perry's current roles as board director at Energy Transfer Partners LP and also at Sunoco Logistics Partners LP, which jointly developed the controversial pipeline project, is a strong indicator of the pro-oil industry sentiment that will likely take root at the Energy Department under his oversight. Perry is close to Texas energy industry executives, and his political campaigns, including two aborted presidential campaigns, benefited substantially from their donations.

The former Texas governor would not have authority to intervene directly after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' decision last month to delay the pipeline to allow talks with the Standing Rock Sioux and other project opponents. The Army will decide whether to grant an easement near the Sioux reservation in North Dakota, and the departments of Energy, Interior and Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency have had lesser supporting roles.

Perry's close relations with energy executives and his long-time dependence on them for political contributions signal an abrupt change of course at the Energy Department. Perry is expected to welcome the four-state pipeline and similar projects, set an open-door policy for oil industry interests and possibly tear down the department altogether.

During his unsuccessful 2012 run for the presidency, Perry proposed eliminating the Energy Department. As secretary, he would be involved in policy decisions on increasing the nation's domestic supply of oil and investments in oil exploration research and technology.

The department plays a major regulatory role in overseeing nuclear power and natural gas. It also manages 17 national labs charged with developing science and technology to further the nation's energy sector and conduct research to spur innovation. It also maintains and secures U.S. nuclear weapons.

Soon after stepping down as Texas governor, Perry joined Energy Transfer Partners in February 2015, and its general partner, Sunoco Logistics, one month later. Energy Transfer Partners is owned by Kelcy Warren, a Dallas billionaire who has been a loyal Perry donor during his gubernatorial and presidential runs.

During the 2016 campaign, Warren donated $500,000 to the Opportunity and Freedom super political action committee backing Perry's run for the White House. Warren also gave nearly $250,000 to Republican candidates and committees. The oil and gas industry was the dominant sector behind Perry's 2016 presidential effort, donating more than $1.6 million.

Energy Transfer's 2016 annual report showed that Perry owned $154,000 worth of partnership units. At Sunoco Logistics, Perry was awarded units worth about $101,000, according to the firm's 2015 annual report.

Perry's wife, Anita, also owned up to $15,000 in shares in Warren's flagship firm, Energy Transfer Equity LP, and a similar amount in Sunoco Logistics, according to her husband's 2015 presidential financial disclosure. Perry and his wife also reported owning several other energy-related investments including between $50,000 and $100,000 in the Dallas-based Grey Rock Energy Fund and between $15,000 and $50,000 in holdings in QR Energy LP.

The incoming Trump administration has said it plans to approve the controversial pipeline project, which was stalled in recent months by defiant protests by Native American and environmental opponents. The Army Corps ruled last month that it was delaying a decision on an easement for the project near the Sioux reservation in North Dakota. The decision quickly spurred legal complaints against the Army Corps by the pipeline project's developers.

Emails and phone calls to the Trump transition team and Energy Transfer Partners for comment were not returned. A spokesman for Sunoco Logistics referred questions to Energy Transfer Partners, saying that the partner firm appoints the Sunoco Logistics board.

Perry's net worth of about $3 million does not compare to the multimillion dollar fortunes of President-elect Donald Trump and other corporate leaders named to Cabinet positions in his administration. But the former Texas governor could face similar questions about potential ethics conflicts unless he divests his assets into a government-approved blind trust.

His most recent presidential financial disclosure, filed in 2015, showed that a sizable portion of his wealth in recent years has come from energy investments and consulting work for a Texas equipment firm that provides heavy machinery for oil exploration work.

Perry's 2015 disclosure reported $250,000 in income during that period from Holt Texas Ltd., an equipment firm headed by Peter Holt, a long-time political donor to Perry's campaigns. Holt's San Antonio firm, known as Holt Cat, sells and rents Caterpillar equipment, including heavy-duty engines for oil exploration.

Holt, who also owns the San Antonio Spurs, has donated more than $600,000 to Perry's campaigns since 2000. Perry had at least 11 telephone conversations with Holt's company dating back to 2008, according to a review of the governor's phone records provided previously to The Associated Press under Texas public-information laws.

Perry might also face questions about his 2014 indictment by a grand jury in Travis County, Texas, for corruption-related charges. Perry was cleared of the charges in 2015, but not before he had to defend himself in a messy public case that shadowed his 2016 presidential run.

He was indicted in August 2014 following an investigation by a special prosecutor into several actions he took as Texas governor. Perry was accused on two felony charges  threatening to veto $7.5 million in funding to the state Public Integrity Unit and pressing for the resignation of the Travis County district attorney after she was convicted on drunk-driving charges.

Both charges were dismissed by Texas state appeals courts.
Chicago Ald. Willie Cochran has been indicted on federal criminal charges, including allegations of bribery, wire fraud and extortion.

Cochran, 64, faces a total of 15 counts, including 11 counts of wire fraud, two counts of federal program bribery and two counts of extortion, according to the indictment.

Cochran is accused of using money from the 20th Ward Activities Fund to pay $5,000 towards his daughters college tuition and finance gambling expenses. According to the indictment, Cochran withdrew roughly $25,000 from an ATM in or near casinos where he gambled. In addition, he used money from the fund to purchase items for his home.

According to the indictment, Cochran misled donors, claiming contributions to the fund would be used for charitable endeavors to help families and children living in his ward.

Cochran was also charged with soliciting and demanding $1,500 from an attorney who represented real estate developers in Cochrans ward. The embattled alderman allegedly solicited and obtained the money for his aldermanic support of future developments, including property developed under the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program, according to the indictment.

Additionally, Cochran was charged with soliciting and demanding payment from a liquor store owner in his ward who sought an amendment to the citys municipal code to allow package goods licenses on the stores side of South Cottage Grove Avenue. After soliciting the payment, Cochran sponsored an amendment in 2015 that allowed for the issuance of the licenses on the block, the indictment claims.

Cochran told the Chicago Tribune in a statement he will work with the U.S. Attorney to "provide the clearity [sic] that is needed to get this matter resolved." He said he is "confident this will be resolved" and he will continue serving the 20th Ward.

Cochran, a former Chicago police sergeant, was first elected alderman in 2007, defeating Arenda Troutman, who ultimately pleaded guilty to two federal charges in 2008 after admitting to taking bribes as the 20th Ward alderman. She was sentenced to four years in prison.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports Cochran reportedly paid himself over $115,000 from his campaign over a three-year period, disclosing some of the payments more than two years after he should have. The alderman has submitted amended campaign disclosure reports over the past year to correct omissions. The report states Cochran has denied any wrongdoing.

It's unclear whether Cochran will have to appear in court. An arraignment date has not yet been set, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.

When an elected official uses public power for personal gain, the average citizen pays and our democratic system suffers, U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon, who announced the indictment Wednesday, said in a statement. We will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute any elected official who attempts to use their office to enrich themselves."

Despite the indictment, Cochran was seen at Wednesdays City Council meeting, the final of the year.

When asked Wednesday why he amended his campaign finance reports numerous times, Cochran replied "because the law allows it."

Following Wednesday's City Council meeting, Mayor Rahm Emanuel briefly commented on Cochran's indictment.

"I believe in public service," Emanuel told reporters. "You have to uphold the public trust. It is important for all of us to uphold that public trust and execute it."
There are at least 81 journalists imprisoned in Turkey, which is more than are jailed in any other country, and accounts for almost one third of all imprisoned journalists worldwide.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the journalists jailed by the Turkish government in the aftermath of a failed July coup attempt sent the total number of jailed journalists soaring from 199 in 2015 to 259 now.

The 81 journalists imprisoned in Turkey have been accused of anti-state activity, according to a CPJ report released Tuesday. Anti-state activity makes up the vast majority of charges levelled against journalists jailed around the world.
Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Mike Quigley joined a growing list of American lawmakers pushing for investigations into the extent of Russian state intervention in the recent presidential election.

Durbin joined a group of Democratic senators Tuesday who urged U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to issue a formal assessment of the cyber-intrusions, requesting additional information and investigations into the alleged Russian hacks.

The group, which includes Sens. Patrick Leahy, Ben Cardin, Al Franken, Brian Schatz, Gary Peters, Bob Casey, Tom Udall, and Ed Markey, also urged U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to publicly confirm that Justice Department officials are simultaneously conducting a criminal investigation into the intrusions.

Direct and deliberate interference in our election is an unprecedented breach and threat to U.S. democracy and national security  it is absolutely critical that information about these matter be disclosed to the public and to Congress, the group wrote. We strongly support calls for bipartisan investigations by Congress  this issue requires the full attention and executive and legislative branches alike, and a conclusive, public national intelligence estimate will lay out the facts for the American people.

The public also needs transparency and reassurance that federal law enforcement is actively investigation these matters and that, if the investigation finds evidence that Russian officials perpetrated or directed such acts, appropriate criminal charges will be announced, the group added.

Rep. Quigley, who serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, also issued a statement Monday calling for a timely Congressional investigation into the attacks.

The recent findings of Russian interference in our presidential election should concern every American, regardless of political affiliation, Quigley said in a statement. a thorough, bipartisan, bicameral investigation should be convened as soon as possible to provide the American people with the facts and answers they deserve in regards to the scope and timing of this alleged involvement.

As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I believe that it is time for us to come together and put our country first by fulfilling our responsibility to uphold the democratic foundation on which our nation was built, he added. Congresss response to this incident could have major foreign policy implications in the weeks, months, and years to come. The world is watching and we must do all we can to deter future intrusions into our institutions, from Russia or any other actors who wish us harm."

In October, the U.S. intelligence community officially accused Moscow of attempting to interfere with the American electoral process through hacking US "political organizations. Although it wasnt clearly specified, the statement was seemingly in reference to cyber-intrusions into the Democratic National Committee and other Democratic groups and individuals.

The Central Intelligence Agency concluded in a secret assessment last week that Russian intervention looked to aid the candidacy of President-elect Donald Trump, rather than simply undermine confidence in the countrys electoral system, the Washington Post reports.

However, some Republicans, including Trump, have questioned the CIAs evidence.

I think its ridiculous, Trump told Fox News Sunday. "I think its just another excuse. I dont believe it."
A Cook County judge on Wednesday vacated the 2006 conviction and dropped all charges against a man who was convicted at the hands of a disgraced Chicago police officer and his team.

Lionel White was sentenced ten years ago to five years in prison under a plea deal he said he reluctantly accepted while facing a series of false charges.

Its been a long time that Ive been trying to bring somebodys attention to what happened to me, he said today. And finally, it happened.

According to the Exoneration Project at the University of Chicago, White was beaten by a member of Sergent Ronald Watts tactical team to the point where he required hospitalization in 2006. White claims that in an attempt to cover-up the beating, Watts and his partner planted 100 bags of heroin on him.

While facing the possibility of a mandatory life sentence, White accepted a one-time only plea deal for reduced charges and a five-year sentence. Still, even after accepting the offer White maintained his innocence, telling the judge [The police] was in my house beating me. This is wrong. I am pleading guilty because Im scared.

White later reported the police misconduct but said his claims were ignored. He ultimately spent two years in prison and was released in 2008.

Earlier this year, Whites case was given a second look after other residents of the same housing projects, Ben Baker and Clarissa Glenn, had their three convictions at the hands of Watts overturned. Baker went to prison for 10 years, all the while insisting he had been set up by Watts and his crew.

Watts and a second officer, Kallat Mohammed, both went to jail themselves for their alleged misdeeds. But two whistleblowing officers alleged that Watts entire tactical team was corrupt. And residents accused the officers of running their own drug operation and shaking down and framing other drug dealers in the neighborhood.

Yes, it was common knowledge, White said. But everybody ignored it.

After Watts conviction, Baker was eventually set free.

This month, both the Cook County States Attorneys office and the City of Chicago Law Department said they would not oppose the appointment of a so-called Special Master to investigate potential wrongdoing by Watts and his crew.

The development has the potential to open up hundreds, if not thousands of cases, exposing the city to potential liability for wrongful prosecutions, and allegations of criminal activity by officers who are still on the street.

I think people are finally waking up to what was going on and how much damage was done in this community for a decade plus, said Joshua Tepfer, Whites attorney. This is the fourth conviction that has been overturned in the last year, based on the conduct of these officers over a ten year period.

The proposed Special Master, if approved by a Cook County judge, would be tasked with identifying other potential victims.
Police are searching for a fake Uber driver that they say is stealing money from customers by asking for a credit card after claiming there is something wrong with the passengers payment.

Police say a Mount Prospect resident was picked up by someone who looked like an Uber driver in Chicago near Clark and Ontario streets. The victim was taken all the way back to Mount Prospect when the driver claimed her payment wouldnt go through the app. He then demanded she pay with her debit card and required the victim to enter her pin number on his phone, police say. The victim told police a few days later her bank account was short $1,200.

Mount Prospect Police said they are looking for the alleged scammer.

Everybody needs money for the holidays and some people dont care how they get it, said Det. Dirk Ollech. This victim saw an Uber sticker in the vehicle but those obviously can be obtained through other means.

Katie Lawson, an Uber customer, said she was upset after hearing about the crime.

I would be very worried if I were put in that position, she told NBC 5. Im not sure what I would do, but I wouldnt necessarily hand it over and think that would be OK.

Since October, Chicago Police have reported several similar incidents, adding up to thousands of dollars from victims. Uber says it offers safety tips for riders to followbut the police say using common sense is key.

It seems like maybe people are becoming a little bit too trusting," Ollech said. Just not following the safety steps.

A decal on the window isnt enough to go by, police say. Uber encourages riders to check the license plate against the one shown in the app, to make sure the driver matches the photo in the app and to ask for the drivers nameand to never accept solicitations.

Mount Prospect and Chicago police are working together in an ongoing investigation.
The Illinois Republican Party launched robocalls Tuesday tying prospective Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker to incarcerated former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

The robocall claims Pritzker wanted Blagojevich to appoint him to the President Barack Obama's former Senate seat in exchange for millions of dollars in fundraising. The recorded message includes a portion of an FBI-recorded phone call from 2008 wherein Blagojevich discusses his options with aide Doug Scofield.

I bet you J.B. can raise me money like that, Blagojevich was recorded saying. If I can get J.B. to do something like that, is it worth giving him the Senate seat? Incidentally, he asked me for it. Dont repeat that."

However, the robocall doesn't include the portion of the conversation where Blagojevich agrees with Scofield that "that's a hard one to do."

"Yeah, you're darn right that's hard," Blagojevich said on the tape. "But you have an organization that, you know, you go out and advocate and, and he'll help fund it by getting some of his billionaire friends to, to invest in it."

Pritzker, whose connections to Blagojevich were subpoenaed by a Federal Grand Jury, raised money for the disgraced former governor during his political career. The billionaire responded to the GOP attacks Tuesday, slamming Gov. Bruce Rauner, his prospective opponent in 2018.

You would think a governor who has failed to pass a budget for two years and has allowed human services to be decimated would have better things to do with his time than dredge up delusional rantings of Rod Blagojevich, a Pritzker spokesperson said in a statement.

The Illinois Republican Party has also worked to link Pritzker and another prospective Democratic candidate, businessman Chris Kennedy, to House Speaker Michael Madigan. The Illinois GOP claims the Leading Illinois For Tomorrow political action committee, which is led by Democratic state Sen. Daniel Biss, is actually a front group for Madigans political activities.

Its clear that both Chris Kennedy and J.B. Pritzker will do whatever Mike Madigan wants, Illinois GOP spokesman Steven Yaffe said in a statement last week. Pritzker and Kennedy combined to give to a failed Madigan front group $950,000 and thousands more to Madigans House candidates."

Last week, the Illinois Republican Party added Kennedy to their "Boss Madigan" blog, which attacks the speaker's "web of influence" over members of his party.
After meeting with Donald Trump on Tuesday, rapper Kanye West sent a flurry of tweets indicating that he wanted to discuss "multi-cultural issues," including violence in Chicago, with the president-elect. [[406374785, C]]

"I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues," West tweeted, followed by, "These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago."

"I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change," he added.

West, who made headlines after promising to run for president in 2020 at the 2015 Video Music Awards, also alluded to his own campaign  albeit delayed, tweeting "#2024" [[406374815, C]]

The tweets were the first time West has taken to social media since October, while the meeting was one of his first public appearances since abruptly canceling his Saint Pablo tour and spending more than a week in the hospital for sleep deprivation and exhaustion in late November.

The hospitalization came just days after West told fans in a 15-minute tirade at a concert that he did not vote, but if he had, he would have voted for Trump.

"[Voting for Trump] don't mean that I don't think that black lives matter, that don't mean I don't believe in women's rights, that don't mean that I don't believe in gay marriage," West said.

Trump addressed violence in Chicago several times on the campaign trail, comparing the city to a "war-torn country" during the first presidential debate, and calling multiple times for the use of "stop-and-frisk" police tactics, which were ruled unconstitutional in New York in 2013.

The president-elect also drew harsh criticism for tweeting in August that the murder of Nykea Aldridge, a mother of four and the cousin of Bulls player Dwyane Wade, was an example of why black voters would support him.

That assertion came just days after Trump claimed that he met with a "top" Chicago officer who believed the city's violence could be stopped within a week using "tough police tactics."

The Chicago Police Department refuted that claim, as a spokesperson said in a statement that "no one in the senior command at CPD has ever met with Donald Trump or a member of his campaign."

"If you have a magic bullet to stop the violence anywhere, not just in Chicago, but in America, then please share it with us," Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson later said when asked about Trump's remarks. "Wed be glad to take that information and stop this violence." [[401746386, C]]

Following their appearance together on Tuesday, Trump said he and West were meeting as "just friends" and talking about "life."

"He's doing well, he's a good man," Trump said, adding that the two have "been friends for a long time."

The meeting came the same day that Trump announced that he was picking ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who has connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin, to be his secretary of state.

Trump's spokesperson Hope Hicks also announced Tuesday that the president-elect's first press conference, scheduled for Thursday, was being postponed until January.
During a Facebook Live event Tuesday, Gov. Bruce Rauner claimed House Speaker Michael Madigan and Illinois Democrats are stalling budget negotiations to create a statewide crisis in order to force another stopgap funding compromise without reforms.

My sense is, theyre delaying, theyre stalling, theyre using tactics to get into January, February and create a crisis, meltdown of our human services and our important social service agencies and then try to force a stopgap plan or a tax hike with no reforms, Rauner said.

That would be a tragic failure and a mistake, he added. They should be here negotiating a balanced budget with reforms.

Rauner continued to push for a series of reforms to grow jobs, bring down property taxes, create better schools, and institute term limits on state elected officials. The governor claimed Madigan wont negotiate with him on those demands.

Last week, Rauner announced that he wouldnt schedule any future leaders meetings until Madigan and state Democratic leaders are ready to present a budget proposal. A proposal has not been put forth and meetings have yet to resume. The states current stopgap spending plan expires at the end of the calendar year, at which point the state's spending authority for important services, like health and human services and higher education, will expire.

You cant get an agreement unless both sides want an agreement, Rauner said. Speaker Madigan said a year ago that what he wanted to do was raise our income tax back up to at least five percent and go up from there. Hes stopped talking about that and now what hes pushing is just to do a stopgap, temporary, incomplete budget. And thats all he wants with no reforms.

And that would be a tragedy," he added. "That would be a failure. That will cause a crisis later and a bigger tax hike later and it will force a tax hike without reforms down the road."

Rauner also made it clear Tuesday that he would only consider a stopgap compromise if it includes elements of his turnaround agenda, like a property tax freeze and term limits. He faulted Madigan for allegedly being inaccessible and unwilling to negotiate on reforms.

For his part, Madigan has repeatedly pushed to use the framework from seven successful budgets over the past two years.

Dont use the word stopgap budget, Madigan told reporters earlier this month. The first time that stopgap budget was used was by Governor Rauner at the end of May when he requested the stopgap budget. The word stopgap was never used in the prior six budget-makings."

Madigan took shots at Rauner during a press conference last week, accusing the governor of holding the state budget hostage to help his wealthy friends and corporations. However, he refused to expound on the claim after being prompted by reporters. There hasnt been another leaders meeting since the speaker made the allegation.

During the same press conference, the speaker pushed to reestablish working groups for a series of non-budget issues, including education, pensions, workers compensation, local government consolidation and the elimination of mandates on local governments. He also pushed for rank-and-file members of the legislature to aid in the states negotiations with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31.

The speaker claimed House Democrats are full participants in attempting to resolve those issues.

Speaker Madigans office did not immediately respond to Ward Rooms request for comment.
When a safety recall was issued on their 2015 Jeep Cherokee, a Grant Park, Illinois couple said they heard that news from a strange source: a local Chevrolet dealer.

Bob and Cindy Crowley say they were in the midst of trying to trade in their car last summer, and had not received any word about the safety defect from Jeep or its parent company, FCA.

The fact that their Cherokee was subject to a potentially dangerous defect was bad enough, the couple told NBC5 Responds, but then the salesman told them they wouldnt be able to trade in the vehicle because of it.

He came back and said, Maam, Im sorry. Ive got bad news for you. Its a beautiful vehicle but its really worth nothing to us, because it has a safety recall on it, Cindy Crowley says. He said it was worth zero money.

The Crowleys had planned to trade in the Cherokee, which they say had only 11,000 miles on it and still retained that "new car smell." When the recall news scuttled any trade-in deal, Bob Crowley says he questioned why he didn't hear about it directly from FCA, Jeep's parent company.

A few days later, the Crowleys say official notice of the recall landed in their mailbox- and the news went from bad to worse.

I said, Do you have a fix for this? and they wouldnt answer that, Bob Crowley said. It clearly states in their recall that it possibly could cause an accidentThats kind of an unbelievable thing that that they have a recall out without a remedy.

With no fix available, the Crowleys say they were stunned, and stuck. Legally, owners of used cars under recall are permitted to sell them, but it's a hard sell. Many dealers also decline to take them for trade-ins until after a remedy has been issued. While there is no law against dealerships selling used cars under recall, recently proposed legislation called for such a law.

Too nervous to drive their Cherokee and still paying on it every month, the Crowleys said they didn't know which way to turn-- until one day in October when Cindy Crowley turned on NBC5 and saw our report on complaints regarding the 2014-15 Cherokee fleet.

The report detailed the concerns of hundreds of drivers, who complained to regulators about hard-shifting and lurching problems in their 2014 and 2015 Cherokees. While that problem is not related to the recall on the Crowleys Jeep, they say it is one they've also experienced.

After seeing the report, Cindy Crowley reached out to NBC5 Responds looking for answers. A spokesperson for FCA looked into the case and reported back that a remedy was, in fact, immediately available. FCA says it instructed the Crowleys dealership to reach out to them to schedule the repair.

We were getting nowhere with FCA until you got involved, Bob Crowley said. Last time I contacted FCA they said early next year. You contacted them and I got a call the next week and a week later they released the remedy.

A spokesperson for FCA says the timing here was coincidental, and that the Crowleys would have received the repair on a similar timeline. FCA also pointed out there is no recall related to the hard-shifting problem, but the company has addressed it with software upgrades.
A survivor of the Charleston church slayings called 911 shortly after Dylann Roof opened fire and killed nine of her friends during a Bible study. Polly Sheppard's call, played for jurors on Wednesday, starts with a prayer and a plea for help: "Please answer. Oh, God."

When the recording ended, Sheppard staggered from the witness stand and several family members rushed to help her down the aisle and out of the courtroom as she stared blankly ahead.

Prosecutors rested their case in Roof's federal death penalty trial and his lawyers called no witnesses after the judge ruled that mental health experts, job applications and his academic record were irrelevant to whether Roof is guilty of attacking the church. Roof's attorneys have largely conceded there is no disputing the facts of the case and have instead tried to focus on whether he should face the death penalty or life in prison.

Roof, who is white, is charged with hate crimes in what prosecutors say was a racially motivated attack on nine black worshippers at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Jurors will hear closing arguments Thursday.

In her testimony, Sheppard remembered something about each of the nine victims  how the Rev. Daniel Simmons was nicknamed "Dapper Dan" because of his fine hats and shiny shoes or how the bathrooms at the church didn't have the same shine since Ethel Lance, who kept them tidy, was killed. There was a catch in her voice each time assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson asked her to identify a dead friend and fellow worshipper.

Sheppard recalled what happened June 17, 2015, when Roof came into Wednesday night Bible study, took the lesson from the church's pastor, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, and sat down beside him quietly for 45 minutes. Her voice filled with sadness, unlike the prosecution's opening witness  the only other adult survivor Felicia Sanders  whose voice had both sorrow and anger as she ended her testimony saying Roof deserved to be in the pit of hell.

Sheppard said she dove under a table when the first shots were fired. She heard boom after boom and watched shells fall to the floor as Roof's black boots inched closer and closer. She prayed out loud. Roof stopped, pointed his .45-calibur Glock at her and told her to shut up, she said.

Roof asked if he had shot her yet. Sheppard said no. Roof said he wanted to leave her alive to tell the world why he attacked a historic African-American church.

"I have to. I have to," Sheppard recalled Roof telling her. "You're raping our women and taking over the nation."

Roof then moved away. Sheppard grabbed Lance's cellphone that tumbled near her and called 911. In between telling the operator what she knew, Sheppard prayed. "Help us, Lord. Please help us, Lord. Please Jesus, help us."

Sheppard's 911 call was the final evidence jurors heard before closing arguments Thursday morning.

If they find Roof guilty, those same jurors will return Jan. 3 to decide if he is put to death or gets life in prison.

Roof's defense lawyers wanted to tell jurors about a hodgepodge of records that they said would define Roof's mental state before the shootings. But U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel said since Roof was not judged insane at the time of the crime, his mental state had nothing to do with whether he was guilty.

Gergel said the defense was welcome to introduce that evidence in the penalty phase. But it's not clear if jurors will hear it because Roof has indicated he will be his own lawyer during that phase of the trial.

Earlier Wednesday, a medical examiner showed jurors X-rays of each person killed, with black spots the size of a penny showing the bullets that remained inside of them.

Dr. Erin Presnell said many of the victims had several wounds to their arms. Several times, Presnell stepped down from the stand to show how someone with their arms pulled up tight against them could end up having a bullet enter and exit their bodies several times.

Other victims had shots closely clustered together as if the victims were still. Earlier, witnesses testified that some of the wounded tried to play dead.
Walmart has removed a mug from its website after numerous shoppers reported it as appalling and offensive.

The black and white coffee mug was posted to the retail giants site with the message Got Retard? on it.

After numerous complaints, and a Change.org petition asking the company to stop selling the mug, Walmart said it had the item from a third-party seller removed from the site as soon as we were informed.

This item violated our policy and we quickly removed it, Walmart said in a statement on Twitter. Its unacceptable a seller put it on our Marketplace.

This item violated our policy and we quickly removed it. Its unacceptable for a seller put it on our Marketplace. -Katz  Walmart (@Walmart) December 12, 2016

A similar version of the mug also appeared on Amazon.com, but has since been removed from the site as well. Amazon said in a statement Tuesday the item is "not listed for sale on Amazon."

The National Down Syndrome Society thanked the retailers for discontinuing sales immediately.

Upon learning of the offensive language used in products sold by Walmart and Amazon, NDSS reached out to both retailers to discuss the offensive items being sold on their websites and asked that they immediately disconitnue the sale of those products, which they both have done, the group said in a statement. NDSS strongly condemns the use of the r word. As the leading human rights organization for all people with Down syndrome, we maintain a zero tolerance policy for this type of mockery and offense.

GiGis Playhouse Inc. in suburban Chicago, a group dedicated to increasing positive awareness of Down syndrome, also thanked the companies for removing the product.

Walmart, we would like to thank you for taking down your product, the despicable, offensive mug with the R-word prominently displayed on it, but not before many people were hurt, the group wrote on Facebook.

Still, the group has asked both Walmart and Amazon.com What can we do to ensure this doesnt happen again?

Walmart describes its Marketplace program on its website as a way for "strategic business partners" to sell products alongside Walmart products.

"Our sellers are selected based on reputation, sales projections and alignment with Walmart's values," Walmart's website says.

A request for comment on how the mug made it onto the company's marketplace was not immediately answered.

Amazon also did not respond to a request for comment about how the mug was listed on the site. According to the company's website, registered sellers can list their products to the Amazon Marketplace catalog.
Both of Connecticuts U.S. Senators said Tuesday they intend to fight against President-Elect Donald Trumps pick to lead the State Department.

The strongest rebuke came in a statement from Sen. Chris Murphy, who provided what he viewed as a list of disqualifying traits of Rex Tillerson, the current CEO of ExxonMobil.

Considering his entire career has been spent in the oil industry, Murphy said of diplomatic matters he will be unable to separate his business interests. Its fantasy to think he will magically change his stripes once in office.

Most concerning to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, are Tillersons ties to Russia and the reports that he has a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Im concerned and the concerns are bipartisan on the Tillerson nomination because of his close, personal ties to the Russians, Blumenthal said.

Murphy added, For years, Ive listened to my Republican colleagues in the Senate eviscerate President Obama for being too weak on Russia. No Republican who has called for a tougher line against Russia should ever be taken seriously again if they vote to put a Putin ally at the top of the State Department.

Blumenthal said he will vote against Tillerson when his nomination comes up for a vote. Murphy did not say which way he would vote but he did say, The people of Connecticut deserve better.
It was thought Trump would be compelled to select someone else, such as former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, because the requisite Republican support in the Senate for Tillerson appears shaky.

"His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him an excellent choice for secretary of state," Trump said in a statement released by his transition team. "He will promote regional stability and focus on the core national security interests of the United States."

Trump said Tuesday Tillerson's knowledge of running a global company is crucial to successfully leading the State Department.

Tillerson, friendly with Russias president, has spent his 41-year career at the same oil company.

There is mixed reaction to President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state, with some current and former officials praising ExxonMobil Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson, while others are expressing concern over his ties to Russia.

 Concern

Tillerson's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin "is a matter of concern," Senator John McCain, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said Sunday.

Another Republican senator, Marco Rubio said Tuesday that "While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns about his nomination."

Senator Bob Corker called Tillerson "a very impressive individual" and said the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on his nomination in early January. His statement indicated the hearing would be held before Trump's inauguration on January 20.

 Ties with Russia

Speaking earlier this year at the University of Texas, Tillerson acknowledged, "I have a very close relationship with him," having known Putin for more than 15 years.

Putin in 2013 awarded Russia's Order of Friendship to Tillerson, who has guided huge ExxonMobil deals with Russian companies for exploration and production of oil and gas and has opposed U.S. sanctions on Moscow.

The Kremlin has praised Tillerson, calling him "highly professional."

 Other Reactions

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry congratulated Tillerson on his nomination and said the State Department will continue to provide full support for a smooth transition. Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice called Tillerson an "excellent choice."

Amnesty International said the nomination was "deeply concerning."

"We know that Tillerson has been successful in safeguarding the interests of a massive oil company -- will he be as invested in safeguarding human rights abroad?" Eric Ferrero, director of communications for Amnesty International USA said in a statement. "The U.S. must have a Secretary of State that will hold all countries accountable for human rights violations  even countries that have profited from his business."

Richard Samuels, professor of political science and director of the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told VOA that Tillerson's role as Exxon's CEO has him well-prepared to take on the role of the top U.S. diplomat.

"Any oil major CEO is responsible for a full palette of critical tasks, from strategic planning to investing in developing fields upstream, transport, refining, and retail sales -- all on a global scale. This also per force involves a heavy dose of diplomatic functions," he said.

But Thomas Wright, a fellow and director of the Project on International Order and Strategy, told VOA: "I worry that Rex Tillerson will be a pragmatist who helps Donald Trump cut a deal with America's adversaries at the expense of its allies. American foreign policy is not about cutting deals. He needs to show he understands and supports America's exceptional role as the leader of a liberal international order."

 Confirmation Could Be Tough

Amid reports the CIA concluded that Russia interfered in the U.S. election in favor of Trump, a secretary of state with deep Russian ties would face significant scrutiny in confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill.

There is a bipartisan push for a thorough investigation of the alleged Russian involvement in the U.S. electoral process.

Based on the current composition of the Senate, if all Democrats vote in unison against any nominee and more than two Republicans join them, the next president's choice would be rejected.

Democrat Ed Markey, a clean energy advocate, predicts the Trump administration will face "a major battle if Tillerson is nominated," asserting "we cannot allow oil to replace diplomacy as the currency of the U.S. Department of State."

On climate change matters, "Tillerson or any other nominee will do Trump's bidding," said Bob Tippee, editor of Oil & Gas Journal. "The selection of Tillerson would further inflame climate activists, which might be the point."

Tillerson, who is due to leave his company next year when he reaches its mandatory retirement age of 65, met with Trump earlier this month and again on Saturday.
Local faith-based leaders are calling on Mayor Toni Harp to appoint Acting Chief Anthony Campbell as the next full-time New Haven Police Chief.

The news press conference at City Hall organized by the Greater New Haven Clergy Association, along with the New Haven Guardians and Civil Shields, came the day after the department announced Assistant Chief Luiz Casanova will serve a one day suspension without pay following an internal investigation.

Donald Morris, the executive director of the Christian Community Commission, said he has spoken with the patrol officer involved in the verbal altercation with Assistant Chief Casanova.

He said that he was hurt, Morris said. He felt intimated by the mere fact that one of his superiors would speak to him in that manner.

A police source tells NBC Connecticut recruits in the department are trained to refrain from using the phrase that got Casanova in trouble. Speakers at the news conference raised concerns about the assistant chiefs choice of words because he is in charge of professional standards and training.

We want to commend Chief Campbell for acting swiftly to resolve and put this matter behind us, Rev. Boise Kimber of the First Cavalry Baptist Church said.

The National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers is joining New Haven clergy in endorsing interim Chief Campbell.

We strongly encourage Mayor Harp to suspend the current search process and formally name Anthony Campbell as the next chief of the New Haven Police Department, said Ret. Lt. Charles Wilson with the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers.

But after meeting with the group gathered Tuesday afternoon at City Hall, Mayor Toni Harp said she intends to continue the process of selecting a new chief with a search committee.

"I basically said to them that I accepted their recommendation as something that they made," she said. "But that whoever becomes chief needs to go through this process and that whoever that person is will be strengthened by it."

A rally in support of Casanova is planned for Wednesday afternoon on the steps of City Hall.

In a blog post, Casanovas attorney Norm Pattis called this situation a "character assassination."

"The accusation is ridiculous," Pattis told NBC Connecticut Monday night. "The discipline is preposterous."
A New Jersey state trooper has been accused of covering up an alleged habit of pulling over women to ask them on dates.

The New Jersey Attorney General's Office said Tuesday that Marquice Prather, 37, had been arrested Friday Dec. 9 and suspended from his job.

The Linden man has been accused of tampering with or falsifying records to cover up the fact he was stopping female drivers in order to ask them on dates or ask for their phone numbers.

Several women between 20 and 30 years old told authorities that Prather pulled them over to ask them to go on dates or give them his phone number.

Prather also allegedly turned off his microphone during the pick-ups and saying it malfunctioned, and falsely reported the gender of the drivers he pulled over to disguise the fact he stopped a high number of women, according to authorities.

Prather was charged with of third-degree tampering with public records or information and fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records.

He was released without bail after being processed on the charges, prosecutors said.

The charges will be presented to a state grand jury for potential indictment.
West Haven police will have an increased presence at schools today as a precaution to alleviate some fears on the anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown four years ago.

Police said students might see extra officers inside the schools or just see officers more frequently throughout the day.

Police assure that there have been no threats against any school.

If one child, one parent, or staff member feels comfort knowing a police officer is there our mission is complete, West Haven police said on Facebook.
State regulators have approved a rate change for United Illuminating that is expected to give customers more control over how much they spend on electricity by using less of it.

UIs fixed charge, which every customer pays regardless of how much power they use, will decrease from $17 to just under $10, but the delivery rate itself will increase.

Officials from the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority said this will give customers an incentive to use less electricity.

UI filed a request in July that would have increased rates around 5 percent in each of the next three years, as of January 2017, but officials from PURA estimate that customers will instead see a 3.25 percent increase in 2017.

"PURA's ruling strikes an appropriate balance between UI's need for revenue to maintain a reliable, safe system with customer expectations for fair and reasonable rates," PURA Vice Chairman John Betkoski, III, the lead commissioner in the UI proceeding, said in a statement.

United Illuminating was looking for approval to increase revenue by $98 million, but PURA approved a $43 million increase this year, followed by an $11.5 million increase in 2018 and a $2.9 million increase in 2019.

After PURA announced the rate change, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) called on state regulators to reduce fixed charges by setting limits on what electric utility companies can charge as part of the fixed charges portion of the bill.

The fixed charges that electric companies are forcing Connecticut residents to pay are outrageous, Looney said in a statement. Senate Democrats stood up for consumers in 2015 by passing a law that limits what electric companies could charge under the fixed portion of electric bills. United Illuminatings current fixed charge of $17.25 is nearly three times as high as Eversources current charge in Western Massachusetts. Even relative to the highest of these out-of-state charges, United Illuminatings charge is still 33 percent greater.

He said the existing fixed rates hinder low-income customers from decreasing their bills by using less electricity and reduce the financial incentive for customers of all incomes to conserve energy.
A 24-year-old man is dead after a shooting outside Ryans Pub in Groton over the weekend and police say the "armed and dangerous" suspect has been detained at the Canadian border.

Police had a warrant for the arrest of Dante Hughes, 30, for his connection to a fatal shooting.

On Sunday, police said they were called to the business at 112 Fort Hill Road around 1:35 a.m. When they arrived they found the victim, identified as Joseph Gingerella, of Groton, in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds.

Gingerella was taken to L&M Hospital in New London where he was pronounced dead.

No other details were immediately available.
Retired Army Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, who is President-elect Donald Trump's pick for national security adviser, "inappropriately shared" classified information with foreign governments, a 2010 military investigation concluded.

The finding, first reported by The Washington Post, contradicts Flynn's previous account of the incident, in which he told the newspaper in August that he had permission to share the material related to CIA activities.

The documents, obtained by the Post under the Freedom of Information Act, do not describe what exactly Flynn shared or with whom while he was the top military intelligence officer in Afghanistan.

Flynn told the Post he did nothing wrong but the Army documents say the investigation determined that Flynn did not have permission to share the secrets.

During the presidential campaign Flynn frequently attacked Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton, for mishandling classified material.
Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana made no secret of his ambitions to join a Donald Trump Cabinet, and yet his nomination as interior secretary is in some ways an unlikely fit for the retired U.S. Navy SEAL.

Zinke, 55, was an early supporter of the president-elect and publicly expressed his interest in a Cabinet post when Trump visited Montana in May.

Like other Western states, Montana's wide-open, rugged landscape has a huge federal presence. The Interior Department and other U.S. agencies control almost a third of its land and even more of the underground "mineral estate" that holds vast amounts of coal, oil and natural gas.

As with several other Trump Cabinet nominees, Zinke has advocated for increased energy drilling and mining on those lands and expressed skepticism about the urgency of climate change.

The Republican lawmaker, who describes himself as a "Teddy Roosevelt Republican," also has been a vocal supporter of keeping public lands in the government's hands. That's a central political issue in Montana, where hunting and fishing access is considered sacrosanct.

The president-elect's son Donald Jr. is an avid hunter and was in Montana on a hunting trip last month, during which Sen. Steve Daines recommended Zinke for Interior. That and Zinke's stance on public lands may have given him an advantage over another lawmaker Trump was said to have considered for the post, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. She wrote on Facebook Tuesday that it had been an "honor" to be invited to meet with Trump.

Zinke was offered the job after meeting Monday with Trump in New York, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. A person close to Zinke confirmed the offer. All three spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the transition process publicly.

Zinke had not yet announced Wednesday whether he would accept.

Energy development, land management and hunting fall under the Interior Department's jurisdiction. However, those were second-tier issues for Zinke during his successful re-election campaign this fall against Democrat Denise Juneau.

In interviews with The Associated Press during that campaign, Zinke repeatedly identified his top priorities as national security, more thorough vetting of refugees to screen out terrorists, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and improving the U.S. economy.

Only after listing those did he list his desire to increase coal mining and oil and gas exploration, protect public lands and provide more resources for American Indian tribes, another Interior responsibility.

News of his selection was welcomed by Montana's Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and at least one conservation group, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. The president of the Missoula, Montana-based hunting group, Land Tawney, called Zinke a "potential ally" in the effort to balance energy development with preservation.

"There are places too important for drilling, and in other places we can do phased development. Mr. Zinke understands that," Tawney said.

Other groups slammed the selection. The Northern Plains Resource Council accused Zinke of "shortchanging the public" with his opposition to pending Obama administration moves to reform the federal energy leasing program.

Replacing Zinke will require a special election be held 85 to 100 days after he's confirmed by the Senate, Montana Republican Party Chairman Jeff Essman said. State law says Montana's governor could make an interim appointment from a list of three nominees, but Essman said that's superseded by a provision in the U.S. Constitution that requires an election.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Steve Bullock said he "will be taking a close look at the law when he returns" from a meeting of the Western Governors Association.

Zinke spent 23 years as a Navy SEAL, serving in Iraq, Kosovo and elsewhere. He was awarded two Bronze Stars for combat missions in Iraq. He currently serves on the House Natural Resources and Armed Services committees and describes himself as "a steadfast advocate for Montana veterans and military personnel and families."

He made an unsuccessful 2012 run for Montana lieutenant governor before shifting his ambitions to Congress when former Rep. Denny Rehberg decided to take on Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat. Zinke had been considering his own challenge to Tester in 2018.

Tester congratulated Zinke in a statement Wednesday and said he was pleased someone from the West was chosen for the post.

Zinke has raised doubts about climate change as "unsettled science." But he's also said that "something's going on" with the climate and that an energy strategy that includes renewable sources such as wind and solar would be prudent.

Montana boasts the largest coal reserves in the nation. Zinke has warned environmentalists and the Obama administration that to take coal out of the energy mix would be "a disaster."

"I don't agree with keeping it in the ground," he said in a debate before his re-election.

Democrats have attempted to label Zinke as a radical who would sell off federal lands to private interests or transfer them to state control. Zinke has adamantly denied the charge, which was based on a pledge Democrats say he signed in 2012. Zinke has said he can't remember signing the pledge.
The bus contractor for the Dallas County Independent School District says the district is welcome to consider other bus companies. Dallas County Schools (DCS) says it's ready to prove it is still the best transportation provider for Dallas ISD students.

Dallas ISD's board is set to consider a policy change Wednesday that could pave the way for more competition, after trustees expressed concerns about service and safety at DCS.

In a statement Tuesday, DCS Board President Larry Duncan said, "It's good public policy to look at all options, and we encourage accountability and transparency. We believe DCS will prove itself again as an excellent partner with DISD."

Duncan's statement says DCS has one of the strongest safety records in Texas, adding that every DCS school bus is equipped with seat belts.

But it is unsafe driving by some DCS drivers that has some Dallas ISD board members concerned.

An NBC 5 investigation found hundreds of DCS school bus drivers ran red lights, and DCS used $80,000 of taxpayer money to pay the tickets for them. Drivers were not disciplined until NBC 5 Investigates asked why. DCS then fired 13 drivers and suspended 229 more.

Just last week DCS announced it would put more drivers under closer watch after those drivers received numerous citizen complaints of reckless driving.

Meanwhile, parents have complained about buses making students late for school.

Dallas ISD board members will vote Wednesday on whether to essentially strip DCS of its preferred-provider status.

Right now DCS is the only vendor of any kind mentioned by name in Dallas ISD policy. A policy proposal on the table would strike the Dallas County Schools name from the transportation policy in a largely symbolic move that could pave the way for the district to consider other bus providers.

"This current policy we have is a barrier to competition, and I think that barrier has created bad behavior on the part of a long-time vendor, and I think we need to remove that obstacle to competition," said Dallas ISD Trustee Dustin Marshall, who introduced the proposed policy change.

In an editorial Tuesday, The Dallas Morning News urges Dallas ISD board members to put DCS "on notice" at Wednesday night's meeting, by passing that policy change.

The editorial board writes that the current issues "will only be solved by finding the right set of carrots and sticks to ensure that (Dallas ISD's) contractor improves sharply."

Tuesday's DCS statement also says "Channel 5 has done reports that are replete with errors and incorrect analysis. It's our job to correct the record and we will do that."

The statement does not detail what DCS alleges is wrong with the reports. NBC 5 continues to stand by its reporting.

In recent days DCS has said it wants to correct the number of bus accidents it reported to the Texas Education Agency.

The official records, which NBC 5 reported, show 405 incidents last year. More recently DCS provided new records revising the number to 345. Now DCS says its staffers should have only reported three cases to the TEA.

The TEA allows bus operations wide discretion on whether or not to report cases where no citation was issued to drivers involved.

In a statement sent to NBC 5 on Dec. 6, DCS spokeswoman Carey Marin said, "After investigation, it appears DCS incorrectly filled in the blanks incorrectly in the yearly reports. They gave more information than required and therefore the numbers were wrong and inflated."

However, the TEA says the official DCS numbers on file with the state will remain and cannot be changed.

For weeks NBC 5 Investigates has asked DCS to release its complete crash records, but so far the agency has not released them in response to an open records request.
Police say three students at a North Texas high school have been arrested after one of them was caught with a loaded gun.

Arlington police Sgt. VaNessa Harrison said the weapon was recovered without incident Tuesday.

Police at Sam Houston High School had received a tip that a student had a gun.

Harrison said that an officer found the gun, and three students were arrested because "they were all involved" in bringing the gun to school.

The students were arrested for possession of a firearm in a prohibited place.

Harrison says a fourth student involved fled the scene.
Fred Couch, the father of "affluenza" teen Ethan Couch, will serve a year of probation after being found guilty of impersonating a police officer.

Couch, 51, was charged in September 2014 with falsely identifying himself as a reserve Lakeside police officer after he told a North Richland Hills police officer responding to a disturbance that he witnessed, "I have my Lakeside police stuff in the truck." He then displayed a shield-style badge.

In a dashcam video shown to jurors, Couch is seen telling North Richland Hills police officers responding to a disturbance two years ago that he is a reserve officer.

Defense attorney Scott Brown argued to a jury this week that Couch, who carried a badge bearing the words "search and rescue" and "Lakeside police," never asserted authority with it.

Couch was sentenced Wednesday to 120 days in county jail, probated for one year, and a $260 fine plus court costs. The probated sentence means he will only serve the time behind bars if he is found guilty of another charge or if he violates the terms of his probation. Couch faced up to 180 days in jail and/or a $2,000 fine for the charge.

According to Keith Capo, Couch was armed with a gun when he showed up at his doorstep with a neighbor in August 2014 to discuss a squabble that took place days before.

When officers from the North Richland Hills Police Department arrived, Capo told NBC 5 that he told police he wanted to press charges but that they tried to talk him out of it after they talked with Couch.

Capo believed Couch presented himself as an officer and received special treatment from the police, a claim the North Richland Hills Police Department has denied.

Couch was later charged with impersonating a police officer, a Class B misdemeanor.

Since 2013, the family has been embroiled in one legal drama after another.

Couch's son, Ethan, was initially given probation in a 2013 drunken driving crash that killed four people after defense attorney's invoked the oft-referenced "affluenza" defense -- a claim that Ethan grew up spoiled and with a lack of good parenting.

Ethan is now serving nearly two years in a North Texas jail for the crash after his case was moved from juvenile court to adult court in early 2016. In September, his lawyers argued in a court filing that he should be released over a jurisdictional matter.

Tonya Couch, Ethan's 49-year-old mother and Fred's ex-wife, has been free on bond since being charged with hindering apprehension of a felon and money laundering for fleeing to Mexico with a large amount of cash and her son while he was on probation for the 2013 crash.
Japan's Sharp has told Samsung it will no longer be supplying LCD panels for televisions after it was taken over by Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry.

Samsung has turned instead to rival LG Display. "Sharp informed Samsung's TV division last week that it will stop supplying LCD panels next year," an industry insider said on Tuesday.

Samsung executives in an emergency meeting decided to turn to LG, which is considering the proposal, the insider added.

Sharp supplied Samsung with 4 to 5 million LCD panels a year, almost half of its entire output and meeting about 10 percent of the Korean giant's demand.

But industry sources said Hon Hai now wants to use Sharp to make its own TVs on a massive scale and could emerge as a formidable rival to Samsung. Hon Hai beat Samsung to the buyout of Sharp in April and also owns iPhone consignment manufacturer Foxconn.

It is unprecedented for Samsung to turn to LG for help since the two family-owned conglomerates have been archrivals for decades and made it a policy not to use each other's products.
What to Know Teen disappeared in 1987; body found four days later in rural Parker County.

Weatherford continued to investigate the cold case for decades; involved Texas Rangers, Secret Service in renewed investigation this year.

Arrest made Wednesday morning, nearly 30 years after woman's death. Police say more arrests are possible.

Police made an arrest Wednesday morning in the decades-old murder of a North Texas teenager whose body was found days after she disappeared while visiting an area lake.

Wendy Kae Robinson, 19, was sunbathing at "The Wall," a popular location at Lake Weatherford, when she was last seen alive on the afternoon of July 8, 1987.

Though her car was found near the lake the following day, her body was not discovered until four days later outside a gated Parker County ranch along the 500 block of Savage Lane -- about seven miles from where her car was located.

Police said Wednesday that since Robinson's body was discovered nearly three decades ago, her death has been investigated as a homicide and that detectives continued to follow-up on leads and tips over the last 29 years.

NBC 5 News

On Wednesday, nearly 30 years after Robinson was killed, Weatherford police announced they had arrested 59-year-old Ricky Lee Adkins at about 10 a.m. at his residence in Ranger and that he was being held in the Parker County Jail on a capital murder charge.

Investigators have not revealed what evidence led them to Adkins and said the investigation is ongoing and that more arrests may be forthcoming.

What police did say however was that the cold case was reviewed again by detectives in January 2016 and that investigators from the Weatherford/Parker County Special Crimes Unit assisted in bringing forth new theories in the investigation.

"After developing a new strategy based off old leads, detectives sought the assistance of the Texas Rangers and the United States Secret Service," Weatherford police said Wednesday in a statement.

After months of renewed investigation, reviewing case reports, taking new statements and interviewing multiple individuals, police said the Parker County District Attorneys office presented the case to the Parker County Grand Jury who handed down an indictment for Adkins in the teen's murder.

Adkins' arrest comes just one day after police said detectives were looking at new clues in the 29-year-old murder. NBC 5 has learned he is a registered sex offender with a long criminal record and that court records show Weatherford police arrested him in 1987 for forgery just a few weeks after Robinsons murder. Adkins would have turned 30 years old just two days before Robinson disappeared.

Speaking with NBC 5 earlier this week, Robinson's father pleaded for anyone with information to come forward.

"It was a horrible experience," her father, Jim Robinson, said. "We didn't know what to think. And the more time that passed by, the worse we felt like the situation was."

Robinson's father said she was a student at Weatherford Junior College and planned to be a teacher.

Anyone with information related to this case is asked to call the Weatherford Police Department at 817-598-4300. Individuals can also submit information through the Texas Rangers Cold Case website or by contacting the Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 1-800-346-3243. A $5,000 reward for information is being offered by Crime Stoppers for information leading to the arrest of anyone else responsible for Robinson's death.
Deputies were forced to use spike strips to stop a chase in Dallas County late Tuesday night.

The chase began after a Dallas County sheriff's deputy flagged a driver for not using headlights.

The driver continued on until his tires were spiked, forcing the vehicle to a halt near the 5500 block of Gregg Street at about 11:45 p.m.

The driver had an active warrant out of Kansas and was arrested, deputies said.
A former University of Texas student from Mexico sought in the 1983 slaying of a cleaning woman in Austin has been added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

The FBI on Tuesday offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of 51-year-old Robert Van Wisse.

The case involves the September 1983 strangling of 22-year-old Laurie Stout in an office building where she worked a night shift.

Authorities say Van Wisse, who was 18 at the time, had been in the building registering for a course.

Officials believe Van Wisse, born in Guadalajara, fled Austin after learning he possibly was a suspect.

Van Wisse has been charged with a violent and brutal murder which took a young woman from her family and deprived a baby girl of her mothers love forever, Christopher Combs, Special Agent in Charge, of the FBIs San Antonio Field Office said in a statement. While the FBI and our partner agencies have worked very hard on this case for many years, we are all deeply committed to pursuing every new lead and conducting a thorough investigation. We will never forget, and will not rest until Robert Van Wisse is located, captured, and brought to justice.

A Texas murder warrant was issued in 1996.

A U.S. warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued in 1997.

The FBI says Van Wisse should be considered armed and dangerous.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading directly to the arrest of Van Wisse.

Anyone with information concerning Van Wisse should take no action themselves, but should immediately contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

Tips can also be submitted online by clicking here. All information can remain anonymous and confidentiality is guaranteed.

Individuals calling from outside of the United States should contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
Police said a driver ran away after crashing into a pedestrian, an SUV and a tree in Uptown Dallas early Wednesday morning.

At about 2:15 a.m., the driver struck a woman near the intersection of Howell Street and Boll Street, police said. The driver continued on, striking an SUV shortly after, according to police.

The driver then crashed her car into a tree near Allen Street and McKinney Avenue and fled on foot.

Paramedics transported the pedestrian who was struck to a hospital. Her condition is unclear.

No further information was released.
Of all the Texans mentioned to become members of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet, Rex Tillerson wasn't on the list.

Trump has tapped the Exxon-Mobil CEO as Secretary of State.

Exxon-Mobil is the largest oil company in the world. It operates in dozens of countries, including Russia, where Tillerson has met with Vladimir Putin.

That face-to-face encounter and eventual business deals negotiated in Russia, could make Tillerson's confirmation hearings heated.



"They will look into the life and character of Rex Tillerson and find that he's every bit the qualified individual that he's presented to be," said Republican Texas Congressman Michael Burgess.



Tillerson is a constituent in Burgess' North Texas Congressional District.



"He is the genuine article and people can tell that when they visit with him," Burgess said.



Tillerson is another Washington outsider. He has no government experience, but he's negotiated a number of foreign business deals.



"He has been all over the world," Burgess added. "Exxon is a far flung corporation, but one of the things that's impressed me the most with Mr. Tillerson is he's kept the company offices in the United States of America."
A unanimous 15-0 vote of the City Council Wednesday will bring Tacoma, Washington City Manager T.C. Broadnax to Dallas February 1.

Broadnax worked other jobs in municipal government in Pompano Beach, Florida and San Antonio prior to Washington State.

In Tacoma this week, he told NBC 5 that he has dreamed of a job with the City of Dallas ever since receiving a Masters in Public Administration degree from the University of North Texas at Denton in the early 1990s.

"I am just excited to get there," Broadnax said. "This is my opportunity."

His starting salary will be $375,000, just under the $400,000 retiring City Manager A.C. Gonzalez is paid.

Gonzalez steps down in late January.

The new manager will also receive up to $35,000 for relocation expenses, a $700 monthly car allowance, a city laptop computer and cell phone and other city employee benefits.

Broadnax will oversee more than 13,000 Dallas employees and an annual budget of $3.1 billion. He will face a huge public safety pension crisis and big expectations for improving Dallas streets and neighborhoods.

He received praise in Tacoma this week from community leaders for his accomplishments there, but declined to state personal expectations for achievements Dallas.

I will not be making any promises at this point, Broadnax said. I want to get on the ground in Dallas. I want to sit with the mayor and the city council, as well as the broader community, the various stakeholders to really get my arms around what some of those pent up needs are.

On his Dallas job interview visit last week, Broadnax visited several neighborhoods on his own, including Joppa, once inhabited by former slaves.

"It kind of gave me some hope that we are on the map like we have anticipated for years," said Joppa Community activist Claudia Fowler. "We have gotten some things done, but for him to take a personal interest, take a tour of the Joppa community, that really lightens my heart. It really does."

T.C. Broadnax's Contract:
President-elect Donald Trump is singing House Speaker Paul Ryan's praises in Wisconsin.

At a rally Tuesday in West Allis, Trump praised the Wisconsin politicians in the room. When Ryan drew boos, Trump said he was "like a fine wine. Every day that goes by I get to appreciate his genius more and more."

Trump and Ryan have not always been so cozy. Ryan disinvited Trump from a rally in the fall, saying he was "sickened" by past profane comments from the presidential candidate. But they started mended fences leading up to Election Day.

Ryan was just one of the speakers who opened for Trump Tuesday. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Trump's pick for chief of staff, Reince Priebus, also spoke.

The president-elect won Wisconsin by roughly 22,000 votes in November, becoming the first Republican to win the state since 1984. The visit came one day after Trump's victory in Wisconsin was reaffirmed following a presidential recount that showed him defeating Hillary Clinton by more than 22,000 votes.

Trump picked up a net 162 votes as a result of the recount that the Wisconsin Elections Commission certified Monday. Green Party candidate Jill Stein requested and paid for the recount that began Dec. 1.

Trump will also attend a Thursday rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania and a Friday rally in Orlando, Florida. Trump will also headline a Saturday rally in Mobile, Alabama. The Republican won all three states in November.

A federal judge denied Stein's request for a recount in Pennsyvlania Monday, according to AP. Additionally, a federal judge halted Michigan's recount of presidential votes last week after only three days. That recount was also requested by Stein.
Police in South Jersey came to the rescue after four "unruly donkeys" escaped from an enclosure and from responding officers.

The Mount Laurel Police Department posted video to Facebook that shows part of the pursuit from the 200 block of Mount Laurel Road toward Memorial Field around 9 a.m. Saturday. [[406507135, C]]

The video shows officers driving alongside the donkeys. "Come on guys, there you go," one officer can be heard saying as the donkey meander across a field.

"After a long (slow) chase the gang of burros were ultimately corralled and temporarily detained," said police. "While in custody, the donkeys refused to provide their names and addresses, but a thorough investigation revealed where they reside."



Police managed to return the donkeys home, calling the entire incident, "Just another day in the life of a Mount Laurel Police Officer." [[211053881, C]]
California Gov. Jerry Brown wants President Barack Obama to permanently ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in the state.

We meet today at a time of real change  political as well as climatic, Brown said in Coronado Tuesday. What is not slowing down in any way is the change in the atmosphere, in the oceans, in the weather, in the climate.

In a letter sent Tuesday to the president, Brown said allowing new drilling would be inconsistent with goals of reducing reliance on fossil fuels and combating climate change. A temporary ban in California, Oregon and Washington expires in 2022.

We dont need to spoil or put at risk the beautiful beaches or waters that are adjacent to our coast, Brown said.

Obama has the authority through the Outer Continental Shelf Lands act to permanently withdraw federal waters from offshore oil and gas drilling, Brown said.

Brown says he doesn't know if President-elect Donald Trump would have authority to overturn a permanent ban.

Trump has selected Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental groups denounced the choice last week. The Sierra Club likened Pruitt's selection as EPA administrator to "putting an arsonist in charge of fighting fires."

Pruitt has been a vocal public denier of the science showing that the Earth is warming and that man-made carbon emissions are to blame.

Brown spoke with urgency and used terms like battle and catastrophic risk when he talked about searching for partners and allies to combat climate change despite the policies of an incoming administration in Washington, D.C.

The politics is various, Brown said. The science is pretty nearly unanimous.

The governor announced his proposal in Coronado, near San Diego, at an event to launch a new organization to protect oceans. Oregon and Washington also joined the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification. The governor plans to ask the governors of those states if they want to join the effort.

We have to take action wherever we are, he said. We are taking whatever steps we can to find allies and partners to forestall the catastrophic changes that are occurring in the air, in the water, to our lands, to our habitats.

California Governor Jerry Brown said the state of California must work with allies and partners to save the environment regardless of the political climate in Washington, D.C. This is part of his statement made Tuesday in Coronado, California.
A caller threatened to drop off a bomb at an Orange County mosque and police are trying to figure out if the call is tied to similar crimes in the area.



Detectives came to investigate Tuesday meeting with mosque officials at the DarulFalah Islamic Center behind closed doors. There are no suspects.



The threat comes only weeks after six California mosques received the same hand-written letter claiming that President-elect Trump would "Do to Muslims what Hitler did to the Jews."



The Council on American Islamic Relations says the recent incidents have left their community more than concerned.



"If someone is intent on causing harm, unfortunately all you can do is reduce the chances but you can't prevent that," said Hussam Ayloush, the executive director of CAIR-LA.



In Tustin the mosque director showed cards of support that have arrived from strangers, all wanting to ensure the neighborhood is protected.



There are cameras inside the building and soon there will be more outside.



Muslims say they will remain strong in their faith and hope that something positive comes from the negative threat.
A Newport Coast woman was charged Wednesday with several misdemeanors for allegedly dumping her ailing golden retriever with a 42-pound tumor at an animal hospital as a stray.

Sherri Haughton was charged with life-endangering animal neglect, failure to care for an animal, animal abandonment and interfering with the duties of an animal control officer, all misdemeanors, according to Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Malone. Haughton, who could face up to two years in jail if convicted at trial, was scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 13.

Prosecutors and animal control agents said Wednesday that the owner had options to get Henry the medical care he required, which would have avoided the animal cruelty case. Newport Beach police, animal control officers, Malone, the Orange County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Supervisor Michelle Steel urged owners of ailing pets at a news conference to turn their animals over to authorities if they cannot afford veterinary care.

It would have cost Haughton $81 to turn the dog over to Newport Beach's animal control officers, who would have foot the bill for the surgery, Malone said.

Instead, the Newport Coast woman is facing criminal charges.

"No animal should be subjected to needless pain and suffering," Malone said.

On May 12, Haughton went to AAA Animal Hospital in Huntington Beach and told veterinarians that she found a stray on the beach, Malone said. Her dog, Henry, was having trouble walking and couldn't lift his leg to urinate because of the heavy tumor, Malone said.

Haughton allegedly was told by a veterinarian earlier that the dog needed care for the tumor, but Malone declined comment on why she failed to seek medical treatment or why she took the dog to the animal hospital and allegedly claimed it was not her pet.

Henry now is living with a foster family in Orange County, Malone said. The dog had the tumor surgically removed nearly a week after he was dropped off at the animal hospital, Malone said.

"As of right now, Henry's a happy dog," said Animal Control Officer Nick Ott.

Haughton is scheduled to appear in court in January. It was not immediately clear whether she has an attorney.
Even as a trailblazing animal rescue team is profiled in an acclaimed new documentary, the team's future in Los Angeles will be discussed Wednesday by an LA City Council committee.

In the past eight years, the Specialized Mobile Animal Rescue Team, known as SMART, has responded to more than a thousand calls, extricating cats from trees, horses from creek beds, cows from an overturned trailer, even ziplining a stranded dog to safety.

Last year, the team located and monitored a mountain lion sheltered beneath a Los Feliz home. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife was called in, and a day later, the lion, already tagged P22, voluntarily returned to the wild.

The documentary, entitled "SMART: Specialized Mobile Animal Rescue Team" was three years in shooting. After screenings at film festivals, the documentary has been released on DVD and online VOD.

"They are out there doing super-heroic stuff," said producer/director Justin Zimmerman. Based in Portland, Oregon, he learned of the team when its liberation of a bird trapped in a chimney was described to him, he said.

SMART has been likened to an urban search and rescue team for animals, and responds to situations every other day, on average, said Los Angeles Animal Services Officer Armando Navarette, who advocated for the establishment of the rescue unit and serves as team leader.

"I like to tell people we specialize in re-uniting families," Navarette said.

Both Navarette and Zimmerman hope the film will inspire other cities to set up specialized animal rescue teams. Zimmerman hopes viewers will find another takeaway: that everyone can do something to benefit animal welfare, if not by performing daring rescues, then by adopting homeless rescues, or simply getting pets spayed or neutered, and having chips implanted for identification.

The Department of Animal Services is scheduled to make a presentation regarding Small Animal Rescue Teams, an element of SMART, during Wednesday's special meeting of the City Council's Personnel and Animal Welfare Committee.

Rumors have swirled in Los Angeles City Hall that SMART might be dismantled or disbanded. An aide to Committee chair Paul Koretz said those rumors would be "quashed" at the meeting.
Police announced Wednesday that a man has been arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a 50-year-old woman last month.

Iris Davis died after someone ran her down on Adams Boulevard at Vineyard Avenue on Nov. 12, according to LAPD traffic detectives.

Weeks later, police arrested Zachary Labov, 23, on Dec. 7, who admitted he was driving at the time of the crash while he was interrogated by authorities, said Det. Sandra Smith of the Los Angeles Police Department's South Traffic Division.

Authorities held a news conference on Nov. 22 seeking the public's help to identify the driver and offered a reward. About a week later, police received a phone call and an anonymous caller told police Labov's name and the type of car he was driving, Smith said.

Detectives recanvassed the area and tracked down Labov and his car before his arrest, Smith said.

Labov was arrested without incident and was booked for felony hit-and-run. After he admitted his involvement to authorities, he told them he fled the scene because he was afraid, Smith revealed.

At the news conference Wednesday, Davis's mother, Vivian Gibson, thanked whomever provided clues to authorities, and thanked police officers who helped with her daughter's case.

"I would just like to thank the community, and the police department for ... all their help in ending this as fast as they did," Gibson said. "It's like a heavy weight has been lifted off my chest."

At the news conference, Capt. Leland Sands of the LAPD Southwest Division spoke about the issue of hit-and-run crashes, and urged drivers not to drive away if they are involved in an accident.

"This person would not be facing charges at this point right now if he had stopped," Sands said. "It would have been an accident. The fact that he decided to make the decision to run, get in his vehicle and leave, that one becomes a problem."

Labov was released from jail on Dec. 8 on $50,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Charges against Labov were pending.
A man locked in a cross-border dispute with his former flame over possession of a small dog won a round in court Tuesday when a judge ruled that he can move forward with all of the allegations in his lawsuit against the woman.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Teresa Beaudet said lawyers for Toronto advertising executive Paul Wallace had presented enough details to support their client's claims for deceit and intentional infliction of emotional distress in his lawsuit against Alexandra Wells. The judge also ruled that Wallace can seek punitive damages.

Wallace is vying with Wells for permanent custody of "Berryhill Thinkingmans Crumpet," the name given to the smooth-coated Brussels Griffon that Wallace bought in July 2011 for $1,237 from a well-known Canadian breeder.

Wallace posted the female pooch's face on Instagram, and the canine has made numerous other appearances on social media.

Wallace started the litigation by suing Wells, of Los Angeles, in June 2015. He says Wells paid him $650 for her interest in the pet, but later relinquished her ownership claim. The Brussels Griffon breed, also known as Griffon Bruxellois, is a stock of toy dog named for Brussels, Belgium.

Wallace and Wells dated from August 2008 until May 2013 and lived together in Toronto, according to his suit. In April 2012, Wells said she was temporarily moving to Los Angeles for five months, but would return, while Crumpet remained in Toronto with Wallace, his court papers say.

But Wells did not return, and in May 2013 told Wallace that she would remain in Los Angeles, but missed Crumpet and asked that she be allowed to have the pet for a while in the Southland, according to his suit.

Wallace says he declined the visitation, but later that year agreed to Wells' request that Crumpet spend time with her for two months while he would be traveling. The parties agreed the dog could stay with Wells until February 2014, then be returned to Wallace in Toronto, but that never happened, according to his lawsuit.

Wallace's suit also alleges theft, but that allegation was not challenged in the defense motion.

The judge said Wallace's fraud allegation was clearly laid out in the complaint.

"Here, the allegations of the complaint establish that Wells intended to defraud Wallace when she convinced Wallace to allow Crumpet to visit her in Los Angeles, but failed to disclose that she would not be returning Crumpet,'' the judge wrote.

Beaudet also said Wallace's allegation of intentional infliction of emotional distress was demonstrated by Wells' knowledge that Wallace "cared for Crumpet and that Wallace would suffer harm if Crumpet was taken from him."

Wells countersued in July 2015, alleging assault, battery, domestic violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and stalking. According to the countersuit, Wallace and another man grabbed Crumpet from Wells' grasp in May 2015 in Sherman Oaks. She alleges that Wallace twisted her arms and wrists and banged her body against a wall, leaving her with bruises and scratches, and also shouted profanities at her before he and the other man left with the dog.

Less than two weeks later, Wells obtained a stay-away order against Wallace, who was ordered to return the dog to her, according to her suit. The dog has remained with her ever since.
The Pomona Police Department's K-9 Sarge has received a bullet and stab protective vest, thanks to a donation from the nonprofit Vested Interests in K-9s, Inc.

The nonprofit in Massachusetts, whose mission is to protect dogs in law enforcement and other related agencies, donated the body armor on Monday.

The Pomona Police Department applied for the program in August and found out they were approved to receive the potentially life-saving body armor, Sgt. Manny Ramos said.

As a patrol dog, Sarge enters "high-risk situations" along with other officers and the vest is needed for those situations, he added.

Sarge's vest is custom-made and embroidered with the sentiment, "In memory of K-9 Rocco Pittsburgh Bureau of Police." Pittsburgh Police dog Rocco, an 8-year-old German shepherd, was killed when he was stabbed by a suspect in Dec. 2014.

The dog, known as Officer Rocco, was stabbed in the back, damaging muscles and a spinal bone and lacerating a kidney. He survived surgery but developed pneumonia and died two days later.

Sarge, of the Pomona Police Department, is a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois. He is certified in Patrol Operations and Explosives Detection and is partnered with Officer Joe Hernandez.

The pair work Gang Enforcement and SWAT, the department said.

Sarge has aided officers in capturing violent felons and is often deployed during high risk warrants.

Vested Interest in K-9s has been outfitting four-legged K-9 officers with body armor since 2009.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Police in Mountain View were close to wrapping up a more than three-month investigation into high school students allegedly sharing sexually explicit images of minors using an online storage account.

The investigation began in the summer after the principal at Mountain View High School alerted authorities to a Dropbox account containing the explicit pictures of students from multiple high schools in the area, according to police spokeswoman Katie Nelson.

"Back in August, we received a call that there was a Dropbox account being shared that had images of minors that were sexually explicit in nature," Nelson said.

Mountain View police froze the account, and officers began looking for the students behind it, an investigation that led them to other area schools, Nelson said.

"With social media and technology, with how accessible it is, this stuff happens so frequently, and I think its extremely sad," parent Dana Blatz said.

Now, investigators said they are poised to turn over the case to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, which will decide whether to press charges against the students.

Because the photos are of minors, the teens that posted them could face criminal charges, legal analyst Steven Clark said.

"Absolutely, they could face child porn charges," he said.

But, Clark added, the more likely scenario is using the incident to educate students.

"It's unlikely they will pursue felonies," Clark said of prosecutors. "They don't want a generation of sex offenders. This is too prevalent."

Parents were frustrated that school administrators never told them about the Dropbox account or the investigation. They said they should have been made aware that inappropriate photos of their kids may have been posted online.

The Mountain View High principal declined to comment, and the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District superintendent did not respond to requests for comment.

At school, teachers reminded students about the risks of using social media.

"She said a lot of people are posting inappropriate things on social media, and we need to be more respectful of each other," senior Sarah Ottenbreit said of her teacher's remarks.

Another senior, Sinai Fatafehi, said she wasn't surprised by the allegations and blames it on easy access.

"It's hard to see; people my age or even younger are just sending pictures," she said. "It's demeaning of themselves. I dont know if theyre doing it out of money or if they need help ..."

Police did not say how many people may have viewed the photos before the account was frozen.

NBC Bay Area's Cheryl Hurd contributed to this report.
A wife dealing with the death of her husband was moving back home to Southern California when thieves stole the U-Haul full of all her possessions - including her beloved spouse's ashes.

Cathy Fiddler said she is simply devastated. She doesn't even care about the other items that were stolen; she just wants that urn back.

"Oh, he was a great man," Fiddler said of her late husband Bart. "Great father, great friend. Everybody loved him."

And no one loved Bart Fiddler more than his wife.

"His friends would call him a poet and a rock star because he had a lot to teach the world about kindness and generosity," she said.

Bart worked as a computer technician for companies like Boeing. He and Cathy had four children, ages 26 to 12.

But a few years ago, the family got devastating news: Bart had lung cancer.

"He fought for two years and he just -- it caught up with him," Cathy said.

That was this past July, Bart was only 50 years old and his ashes were placed in this urn.

"We all miss him very much," Cathy said.

After spending time with her parents in Iowa for emotional support, Cathy and her family got a U-Haul and began traveling back to their home in Santa Clarita.

On Sunday, they stopped at a motel in Barstow.

But the next morning, the U-Haul was gone.

"I took it pretty hard realizing that Bart was gone and that's all I really care about," Cathy said.

Barstow police found the U-Haul abandoned about four miles away, but it was pretty much cleaned out.

"A detective is in contact with the Sleep Inn trying to get surveillance video so we can identify the suspects that did this," Barstow police Capt. Andrew Espinoza said.

Late Tuesday afternoon, investigators shared a picture of the suspected thief's vehicle: it's a light colored, possibly silver crossover vehicle.

Cathy is hoping someone will recognize it, because losing the urn is like losing her husband for a second time.

"I just wish and hope that if anybody sees it report it to the Barstow police so we can get him back," she said.
A woman doused in gasoline and lit on fire will not get to testify Tuesday against her ex-boyfriend in court.

But the Gahanna, Ohio, woman had a message for her ex from her hospital bed after he changed his plea to avoid getting jail time, as NBC affiliate WCMH reports.

She'd rather serve his 11 years in jail than endure the constant pain of her horrific burns, WCMH reported.

"I never knew that a human being could be so evil," Malinowski told WCMH.

Prosecutors said Michael Slager soaked Malinowski in gasoline in a parking lot and set her on fire in August of 2015.

Monday, he changed his plea to no contest, getting 11 years in jail as a maximum sentence. That way, he avoided a trial, and Malinowski never got a chance to testify. She awaits her 52nd surgery.

"He got off easy," Malinowski told WCMH.

Now, Malinowski tells WCMH that she never got a chance to tell the court how hard she is fighting to live.

"She wants everyone to know, she's keeps telling me, 'Mom, tell them verbal abuse is the start of physical abuse,'" said Bonnie Bowes, the victim's mother.

Read more at WCMH.
A man found dead inside a Sunset Cliffs home was identified Tuesday as the founder of CorePower Yoga and business entrepreneur Trevor Tice.

Tice, 48, was found dead Monday inside a multi-million dollar home along the coast west of downtown San Diego, according to homicide investigators.

In a statement, a spokesperson said the company was deeply saddened by the news.

"Our community is grieving this tragic loss and honoring Trevors tremendous legacy," CorePower Yoga spokesperson Christine Turner said.

SDPD officers were called to the home on Cornish Drive as part of a welfare check, homicide investigators confirmed.

Due to suspicious circumstances surrounding Tice's death, homicide detectives were called to the scene and are investigating the incident.

Tice founded CorePower Yoga in 2002 starting with just a few studios and growing it into a company which now includes more than 160 yoga studios across the U.S.

He reportedly removed himself from day-to-day operations within the company earlier this year.

"CorePower is a manifestation of the best Trevor brought to the world: boundless energy, an electric smile, an immutable desire to improve," CEO Eric Kufel said in an email to employees.

"I believe Trevor contributed more to the world than most dare to dream-- and the world will forever be a more joyful, more peaceful, and fundamentally better place because Trevor Tice was part of it," Kufel said.

NBC 7 spoke with one of Tice's students who told us she has been going to the Point Loma location since it opened.

Ori Ostrowiak says Tice built the buisness from scratch but it wasn't without a struggle.

"In 2008, I did the teacher training and I could see he was under a lot of stress. He was running a yoga business but he was stressed out from the business standpoint. Then all of a sudden, it just mushroomed and took off," Ostrowiak said of the business.

"One day I brought my two little daughters in, Audrey and Maxine, they were about 5 and 6, and he let them use his computer," she added. "They were struggling with it for a little bit and he stopped what he was doing and tried to help them. You would never know he was the big shot in the business. He was so sweet to my daughters, and I thought he was a really good guy. He was very, very charismatic."

Ostrowiak says she is still in shock after learning of his death.

Tice graduated with a degree in Business from the University of Colorado and was a yoga practitioner and teacher, according to a CorePower Yoga media kit.

The Sunset Cliffs home was purchased in January 2016 for $3 million. Neighbors told NBC 7 there has been a lot of activity at the home recently with people appearing to be doing work on the home.
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A Miami-Dade Police officer and a road ranger helping a car involved in an accident on I-95 Tuesday were also involved in a hit and run.

Florida Highway Patrol said the road ranger was assisting the scene of a crash on the northbound express lanes near the 103rd Street exit.

A police officer pulled up to also help with the accident. That's when another car hit the police cruiser and the road ranger's vehicle.

The suspects in that car bailed out and fled on foot.

No one was injured in the second accident. There were injuries reported in the initial crash.
The suspect captured on camera robbing a home in Key Biscayne has been arrested.

Police said the man behind the crime, 23-year-old Vincent Todd Johnson, Jr, turned himself in to South Miami Police overnight and was booked into jail.

Johnson faces mutliple charges, including robbery and kidnapping with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery and armed burglary. He's currently being held on no bond.

On Dec. 2nd, detectives say Johnson broke into a home on Woodcrest Lane and confronted the housekeeper, Blanca Vargas. Surveillance video showed the suspect rummaging inside the home.

The crook tied up the housekeeper with plastic ties and demanded cash. Detectives say he got away with some personal items. The housekeeper suffered minor injuries.
A cease-fire deal between rebels and the Syrian government in the city of Aleppo effectively collapsed on Wednesday, with fighter jets resuming deadly air raids over the opposition's densely crowded enclave in the east of the city.

The attacks threatened to scuttle plans to evacuate rebels and tens of thousands of civilians out of harm's way, in what would seal the opposition's surrender of the city.

The evacuation was supposed to begin at dawn but shelling resumed in the morning hours and buses meant to be used in the pullout of rebels and civilians returned to their depots empty. Activists and fighters trapped in the opposition's last sliver of territory in Aleppo said pro-government forces had struck their district with dozens of rockets since mid-morning.

They said aircraft resumed bombing shortly after noon. Some shells fell near and around the one remaining hospital in the one-square mile enclave. It was nearly impossible for the rescuers to account for the dead because of the continued bombings, they said.

"They began to strike as if there's no such thing as a 'cease-fire' or 'civilian evacuation,'" said media activist Mahmoud Raslan.

It was not clear whether the planes were Syrian or Russian. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported at least six people had been killed.

Syrian President Bashar Assad, speaking in an interview with Russia Today, said the cease-fire was designed stop his government's advance in the city and "keep the terrorists and save them."

In excerpts of the interview aired Wednesday, Assad said western countries pressured Russia for the cease-fire when rebels appeared to be on the verge of losing the territory they have held since 2012.

A legal adviser to the rebels accused Iran of foiling the Russia- and Turkey-brokered deal by imposing new conditions on the rebels. Along with Russia, Iran backs President Bashar Assad's government and has committed advisers and elite Revolutionary Guard forces to the government's war. Turkey backs some of the rebel groups fighting to topple Assad.

Osama Abo Zayd, the adviser, said Iran demanded the remains of Iranians killed in Aleppo be returned and that Iranian hostages held in rebel-controlled Idlib province be released. He said the conditions were "exclusively sectarian and crippling."

The Syrian government, meanwhile, withdrew its green-colored buses from the evacuation point at the edge of the city's opposition enclave. The Lebanese al-Manar TV channel, the media arm of the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah fighting alongside Assad's forces, broadcast footage of the buses leaving the evacuation point empty and said government forces had resumed fighting with rebels in the city.

Mohammed Abu Jaafar, head of forensics in eastern Aleppo, said residents there felt "duped."

"People have left their shelters .... to be ready for the evacuation. I can't describe it," Abu Jaafar said. "Since the morning, they started to target the areas where people have gathered ... these people were walking to the crossings designated for exit."

Mohammed Khandaqani, who runs a medical center and is a resident of eastern Aleppo, said his cousin was killed a day earlier and they still can't locate his body because of the resumption of shelling. As they searched for his body, shells and missiles fell around the hospital, the only functioning clinic in the enclave.

"I am in a pitiful state. I am going through the hardest times of my life," Khandaqani said. "We still can't find his body. His father is going to die. As we searched for him, the shelling and bombing restarted, in and around the remaining hospital."

Activists in eastern Aleppo blamed the violence on pro-government forces, saying they started shooting first. Raslan said he was reporting for a Turkish agency when a rocket crashed nearby at around 10:15 a.m. He was unharmed.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the rebels "resumed the hostilities" at dawn, trying to break through Syrian government positions to the north-west. Government state media reported casualties.

By late afternoon, the Observatory said rebels intensely shelled Foua and Kfraya, two pro-government towns they besieged in the nearby Idlib province.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the Syrian government and its allies of trying to scuttle the deal. "We see now that the regime and other groups are trying to obstruct this (deal)," he said in remarks published by the state-run Anadolu Agency. "This includes Russia, Iran, forces supported by Iran and the regime."

The surrender of Aleppo's remaining opposition-run neighborhoods to government control would be a turning point in Syria's civil war.

The last-minute deal was mediated by Ankara and Moscow as the rebel enclave rapidly dissolved and ceded more and more territory in the face of the brutal advance by Syrian forces, backed by Russia and assisted by Shiite militias from Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Late Tuesday night, the U.N. envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, called for immediate access to the former rebel enclave to confirm the end of military operations and to oversee the safe departure of tens of thousands of civilians and opposition fighters. De Mistura was at the Security Council where an emergency meeting for Aleppo was held.

Brita Haj Hassan, a Syrian opposition official living in exile, said from Luxemburg that there were 800 sick and wounded people requiring immediate medical evacuation from eastern Aleppo. He said the U.N. and others had informed the opposition the evacuation had been delayed until Thursday but there was no comment from the Syrian government, the United Nations or aid groups on the ground.

The dramatic developments surrounding Aleppo  which would restore the remainder of what was once Syria's largest city to Assad's forces after months of heavy fighting and a crippling siege  followed reports of mass killings by government forces closing in on the final few blocks still held by the rebels.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the emergency meeting late Tuesday that he had received "credible reports" of civilians killed by pro-government forces as they swept into the last rebel areas in Aleppo.

Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syria's U.N. ambassador, denied any mass killings or revenge attacks, but added it was Syria's "constitutional right" to go after "terrorists," a blanket government reference to all opposition fighters.

"Aleppo has been liberated from terrorists and those who toyed with terrorism," he said. "Aleppo has returned to the nation."
What to Know Menendez is accused of accepting gifts in exchange for political influence

In July, a federal appeals court ruled against the Democrat and his lawyers, saying the corruption case should go forward

Both Menendez and the friend, Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, have pleaded not guilty to bribery and fraud charges

Sen. Robert Menendez urged the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday to throw out the federal corruption case pending against him.

Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, was accused last year of using his office to help a Florida eye doctor and big political donor, Salomon Melgen, who was under federal investigation over Medicare billing.

Abbe Lowell, a Washington, D.C., lawyer representing Menendez, said in the Supreme Court filing that the Constitution's "speech or debate" clause forbids federal prosecutors from challenging the motives of legislators engaged in official business.

"Agents of the executive branch may not hale members of Congress into court simply to impugn or even inquire into the motives underlying their official acts," Lowell wrote.

Senators such as Menendez cannot be required "to forfeit their immunity in the process of trying to claim it," the filing said.

Prosecutors accused Menendez of urging federal officials to adopt reimbursement policies that would benefit Melgen, to honor a Dominican port security contract with a company in which Melgen was an investor and to get visas for Melgen's girlfriends.

In return, the charges said, Melgen gave thousands in campaign contributions to Menendez and treated him to luxury Dominican vacations and private jet flights.

A federal appeals court in July ruled that the actions of Menendez could be considered lobbying and therefore outside the bounds of constitutional protection for legislative business. Menendez, the court said, had not met his burden of showing that his motives were purely official.

Lowell said other federal courts have concluded that "courts may never interrogate a legislator's motive to determine whether his acts are protected."

Menendez has been close friends with Melgen for more than two decades, traveling together, celebrating holidays, exchanging gifts and consoling each other at times of loss, Lowell said.

In contrast to the federal case against former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell, which the Supreme Court tossed out in June, "this case does not involve cash or Rolexes from a stranger, but campaign contributions and hospitality from a long-time friend."

The Supreme Court will decide early next year whether to hear the case, after the Justice Department has responded to the Menendez filing.
If one of your New Year's resolutions for 2017 is to cut back on spending (you're not alone) why not start when the clock strikes 12? There are plenty of free events going on in New York City and New Jersey on New Year's Eve.



From free entry at bars to family friendly fireworks and midnight fitness parties, here's your guide to celebrating NYE without breaking the bank.

Fireworks at Prospect Park | Family Friendly

The entire family can enjoy a free evening of fireworks and live music at Prospect Park. People can view the fireworks from three locations:

1. Grand Army Plaza

2. Prospect Park's West Drive

3. Along Prospect Park West between Grand Army Plaza & Ninth Street.

The fireworks go off at midnight, but live music begins at 11 p.m. Just a tip: dress warm, bring extra layers (gloves, hats, scarves) and lots of blankets! RSVP and find out more info here.

NYE in Times Square | Family Friendly

Thousands of determined people will take over Times Square on December 31 to watch the ball drop live. If you think you can handle the chaos, get there early in the afternoon or even in the morning to secure a spot. Live performances from pop's biggest stars begin at 6 p.m. Keep in mind there are no public restrooms and bundle up! For more on NYE in Times Square, click here.

NYRR Midnight Run | Family Friendly

Know somebody running in the NYRR Midnight Run at Central Park this year? While runners pay to run, they can bring a guest for free. The 4-mile run begins at midnight, but celebrations start at 10 p.m. with a dance party and face painting. Runners and guests can also opt for the Tavern on the Green NYE package to celebrate with food and drink before, during and after the midnight run. For more info, click here.

Fireworks from the Staten Island Ferry | Family Friendly

So it may not be an official event, but if you hop on the Staten Island Ferry just before midnight, you'll get a spectacular view of fireworks going off in Brooklyn, Manhattan and New Jersey. Dress cozy and warm. Ferry schedules and more here.

Time's Up 19th Annual NYE Bike Ride | Family Friendly

Start your 2017 fitness goals early with an NYE bike ride and outdoor after-party in Central Park. Riders can start biking from three different locations:

1. Williamsburg Bridge (Brooklyn side) at 9:45 p.m.

2. Washington Square Park arch at 10 p.m.

3. Madison Square Park (23rd St. & Broadway, Flatiron side) 10:20 p.m.

The final destination is Belvedere Castle in Central Park. Music, dancing and fireworks will all be free, but participants should bring their own food and drink. If you want to party but don't want to ride, meet at the Belvedere Castle at 11:45 p.m. Details on the event can be found here.

New Year's Eve Watchnight Service | Family Friendly

For a quiet celebration, join the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine with a special late-night service. The event runs from 11 p.m. on NYE until 1 a.m. on New Year's Day. The cathedral is located at Amsterdam Avenue and 112th Street. There is also a NYE Concert for Peace prior to the late-night service (7 p.m. - 9 p.m.) with tickets starting at $40. For details on the free NYE late-night service and also on the Concert for Peace, click here.

Zeppelin Hall Biergarten, Jersey City | 21+

It's not easy finding free entry to a bar or club on NYE, but the Biergarten in JC has you covered. The German bar and restaurant has no cover charge, lots of beer, a DJ and dancing to really ring in 2017 with a bang. Hats and noisemakers will also be handed out. Find out more here.
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 Picks Perry for Energy Dept.

In an official statement early Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump announced his pick of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to lead the Department of Energy. Perry, who supported the oil industry as governor, responded to the nomination. "It is a tremendous honor to be selected," Perry said in a statement. "I am deeply humbled by his trust in me." Perry famously couldnt remember the name of the department during a GOP debate in 2011. Meanwhile, Trump tapped Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, for secretary of the interior, a top transition source told NBC News. Zinke was an early and consistent supporter of Trump's presidential campaign. As Trump forms his potential cabinet, heres how the confirmation process works.

Trump Meets Tech Leaders in NYC

Silicon Valley leaders were among Donald Trump's most outspoken opponents during the presidential campaign. On Wednesday, though, many of them will come face-to-face with the president-elect for the first time since the election at a tech summit at Trump Tower. The CEOs planning to attend include Apple's Tim Cook, Alphabet's Larry Page, Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Intel's Brian Krzanich, IBM's Ginni Rometty, Oracle's Safra Catz and Cisco Systems' Chuck Robbins. Facebook's chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, will be on hand instead of its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, who was one of many tech executives to express misgivings about Trump's pledge to deport millions of immigrants. No industry expressed so much contempt for Trump and the meeting will likely be a prickly one.

Obama Signs Cancer Moonshot Bill

On a "bittersweet day" that brought back memories of loved ones lost, President Barack Obama signed into law legislation that makes new investments in cancer research and battling drug abuse. The 21st Century Cures Act invests $1.8 billion for a cancer research "moonshot" that is strongly supported by Vice President Joe Biden, whose son, Beau, died of brain cancer in 2015. Obamas mother died of cancer in her early 50s. The bill also authorizes giving states $1 billion over two years to prevent and treat the abuse of heroin and other opioids and addictive drugs.

State's Damning Report on ACS

The city's child welfare agency, the Administration for Children's Services, has come under fire in a state report that has censured its handling of the case of a Harlem boy who was beaten to death. The child fatality report of Zymere Perkins reads like an encyclopedia of red flags: dozens upon dozens of missed warning signs and chances to save 6-year-old Zymere from continual, brutal, painful, and ultimately fatal, beatings. Zymere died Sept. 26 after what prosecutors say was months of abuse by his mother and her boyfriend in their Harlem apartment. Officials will meet in Manhattan on Wednesday to talk about how the ACS can do more to prevent future tragedies. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that he is appointing an independent monitor to oversee the ACS.

Slashed Detective: Id Do It Again

A NYPD detective slashed by a man with a meat cleaver revealed harrowing new details about the attack near Penn Station  and how a hero officer saved his life. "Im grateful. For some reason I was saved. I dont know why," Detective Brian ODonnell told NBC 4 New York in an exclusive interview, his first since the Sept. 15 attack in which the entire side of his face was cut. ODonnell was off duty when he jumped into action, tackling a suspect who was being chased by uniformed officers  with guns drawn  amid the rush hour crowds. The suspect, Akram Joudeh, had been fleeing cops after they caught him trying to remove a boot from his car

Bernie Sanders on Late Night

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders joined Seth Meyers for a talk about politics and why Americans make him hopeful for the future of the country. Sanders has not been shy about his disdain for Donald Trump, who he has called a pathological liar.
What to Know Karina Vetrano's beaten body was found Aug. 2 in a marshy park in Queens

A new profile suggests the killer was a parkgoer who stopped visiting the area after he strangled Vetrano

Investigators developed a DNA profile based on samples under her fingernails and on her neck, but found no match in law enforcement database

The person who strangled a woman who went on a run in a Queens park earlier this year likely would have "given any variety of excuses for his appearance" after the killing, according to a profile obtained by Newsday.

The criminal profile assembled for the NYPD in the Aug. 2 killing of Karina Vetrano revealed that her killer -- likely a man -- is thought to still be at large and may have been a frequent visitor at Spring Creek Park before the 30-year-old's body was found there that evening.

But he probably stopped visiting the area near Jamaica Bay and could have even moved following the killing, possibly telling friends that he was avoiding the area due to the "danger" at the park, the newspaper reports. He may have even changed his appearance and habits following the killing.

The killer was likely to have suffered scratches and cuts in a struggle with Vetrano, who NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said fought "ferociously" with the attacker. The profile suggests that the killer probably gave friends excuses for his appearance. He also probably kept a close eye on media reports about Vetrano and the investigation.

The profile comes a day after the woman's father, Phil Vetrano, appeared on the "Dr. Oz" show, telling the host he had a "bad feeling" not long after she left for her run.

"I knew something was wrong," he told the talk show host, adding "I knew she was in trouble."

Phil Vetrano and his family, who have raised more than $285,000 for a reward for information leading to an arrest in the case, have also been campaigning to have investigators use a technique known as familial DNA searching, which uses DNA found at the scene to look for the killer's relatives.

Prosecutors and police have also asked state forensics officials to allow the technique, saying that other investigative techniques have been exhausted.

State officials intend to discuss the topic at a meeting Friday. It's not clear when or what they'll decide, Janine Kava, a spokeswoman for the state Commission on Forensic Science, said Thursday they'll continue working to provide law enforcement with "cutting-edge tools" to solve crimes "without compromising individual protections."

Vetrano's death isn't the only unsolved killing of a New York City runner this year. Five days after Vetrano's body was found, Google employee Vanessa Marcotte's body was found in the woods near her mother's Massachusetts home after leaving for an afternoon jog.
Not only is Santa still taking wish lists, he is also taking calls.



The SantaPhone Project from tech company Twilio allows parents to set up an automated phone call so their kids can chat with one of Santa Claus elfin helpers in the North Pole.

Submit your full name, email address, phone number, country code and time zone to SantaPhone. Best of all, you can input the exact date and time to receive a special call from one of Santas little helpers when your little one is around.

The automated phone call will ask your kid, What do you want for Christmas? followed by, What do you want to tell Santa? with a big Merry Christmas! from Mr. Claus himself. Then, a downloadable recording of the phone call will be automatically emailed to you.

You can forward it to family or keep the recording for sweet memories. SantaPhone is also a great way to simply find out what your tiny ones want for Christmas while keeping the magic of Christmas alive.
What to Know Yasmin Seweid, 18, was charged with filing a false report after she told police three men called her a terrorist and chanted "Donald Trump"

She addressed the alleged harassment in a Facebook post and spoke with media outlets about the ordeal

The Baruch College Student also went missing after the alleged harassment, but was found over the weekend.

UPDATE: Sister of Muslim Woman in Lying Case Blasts Police, Media



A New York college student who said she was harassed on a subway train earlier this month has been arrested, law enforcement sources told NBC 4 New York.

Yasmin Seweid, 18, was charged with filing a false report after she told authorities three men called her a terrorist and chanted "Donald Trump" at her aboard the 23rd Street 4/5/6 subway station on Dec. 1.

Now police sources have told NBC 4 New York that Seweid allegedly admitted to them she had been out drinking with friends, and made up the attack to distract her angry father.

She was arraigned at Manhattan Criminal Court and released Thursday morning. She appeared in court with a fresh buzz cut after her Muslim parents allegedly forced her to shave her head over the incident, the Daily News reports.

The Baruch College student originally said she told police she was approached by three men and told to "get out of this country," was called a terrorist aboard the train and told to "get the f****** hijab off your head!" She also alleged that one of the men grabbed her bag and broke the strap.

Seweid posted to Facebook about the attack on Dec. 2, saying that "it breaks my heart that so many individuals chose to be bystanders while watching me get harassed verbally and physically by these disgusting pigs."

She called the incident "traumatizing" and spoke with multiple news organizations about it.

After Seweid made the allegations, she went missing from her home in New Hyde Park the following week. Her parents filed a missing persons report, but she turned up at her sister's house in Fishkill on Dec. 10, police sources said.

The student was also charged with obstructing government administration, meaning it is alleged police were kept from doing their work through investigating a potentially bogus crime.

Reacting to the news on Wednesday night, New Hyde Park resident Emily O'Hagan said people were upset to hear Seweid may have lied.

"Everyone's really feisty and angry about the Trump situation and everything he's done, and to make something up like that is just riling people up more for no reason," she said.

Attorney information for the woman wasn't immediately available.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced he is appointing an independent monitor to oversee the Administration for Children's Services.

New York City's child welfare agency had come under fire in a state report that slams its handling of the case of a 6-year-old Harlem boy who was beaten to death.

The state Office of Children and Family Services detailed multiple failings by the Administration for Children's Services and ordered Mayor Bill de Blasio to appoint an independent monitor to oversee the agency.

On Tuesday, the mayor said he would appoint a monitor.

The move comes one day after the agency's commissioner Gladys Carrion resigned. The mayor also said three ACS officials had been fired.

The appointment of an independent monitor came as a surprise to the mayor's investigations commissioner Mark Peters who said he's already investigating the ACS.

Sources close to Carrion told NBC 4 New York the ongoing investigations into her agency's every move had been a source of tension in a job that was wearing on her.

On Wednesday de Blasio spoke directly of Carrion's performance, and did not criticize her.

"I think the fact is it's really tough subject matter, I push people very hard."

Zymere Perkins died Sept. 26 after what prosecutors say was months of abuse by his mother and her boyfriend in their Harlem apartment. Both were arrested on charges of endangering the welfare of a child.
What to Know Crime lab testing of Robert Scheuerer's blood found he had a blood alcohol level of 0.17, more than twice the legal limit, after the crash

A grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday alleges the officer had 10 beers and a margarita over five hours at a bar before the accident

He is charged with aggravated vehicular homicide in the Sept. 27 crash that killed 37-year-old Brian Fusaro of Bay Shore

The off-duty Suffolk County cop who drove the wrong way on Sunrise Highway, hitting and killing another driver in a fiery collision earlier this year, had 10 pints of beer and a margarita while hanging with other officers at a bar in the hours prior to the accident, according to a grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday.



The officer, 24-year-old Robert Scheuerer, pleaded not guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and manslaughter at his arraignment.

Authorities say Scheuerer was driving his 2000 Nissan Pathfinder in the wrong direction on the westbound side of the highway Sept. 27 when he crashed into a Ford van between exits 39 and 40 in West Islip shortly before 5 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27. The van caught fire, and the driver of the van, 37-year-old Brian Fusaro, died at the scene.

Fusaro, a cabinet-maker on his way to work, was burned beyond recognition. His boss told NBC 4 New York that Fusaro was a good guy with a big heart and a talent for his craft.



Prosecutors have said Scheuerer had a blood alcohol level more than two times the legal limit at the time of the crash.

Scheuerer, who was hospitalized with serious injuries following the crash, was suspended from duty without pay and is free on $150,000 bail.

His attorney William Petrillo told NBC 4 New York his client would be vindicated.



"We have uncovered credible evidence that will unfold later as the case progresses which will demonstrate that his being on the wrong side of the road had nothing to do with alcohol consumption," Petrillo said.

Suffolk police say he has been suspended without pay.
Oklahoma plans to force hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants and public schools to post signs inside public restrooms directing pregnant women where to receive services as part of an effort to reduce abortions in the state.

The State Board of Health will consider regulations for the signs on Tuesday. Businesses and other organizations will have to pay an estimated $2.3 million to put up the signs because the Legislature didn't approve any money for them.

The provision for the signs was tucked into a law that the Legislature passed this year that requires the state to develop informational material "for the purpose of achieving an abortion-free society." The signs must be posted by January 2018.

Groups representing hospitals and restaurants are among those complaining that the new requirements are an expensive, unfunded mandate from the Legislature.

"We don't have any concern about the information they're trying to get out to women about their babies and their pregnancy. This is just the wrong way to do it," said Jim Hooper, president of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association. "It's just another mandate on small businesses. It's not just restaurants. It includes hospitals, nursing homes. It just doesn't make sense."

The anti-abortion group Oklahomans for Life requested the bill. The sponsor, Sen. A.J. Griffin, said she may revise the measure in the upcoming legislative session to more narrowly target it to exclude some facilities.

"I do see how it is going to need to be tempered a tad," said Griffin, a Republican from Guthrie. "We need to make sure we have something that's reasonable and still effective."

Under the law, the signs would state: "There are many public and private agencies willing and able to help you carry your child to term and assist you and your child after your child is born, whether you choose to keep your child or to place him or her for adoption. The State of Oklahoma strongly urges you to contact them if you are pregnant." The signs would also include a link to the Health Department's website.

In written comments provided to the Health Department, the Tulsa Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy called the proposed regulations "completely unnecessary and unwanted" and said they would provide a significant financial burden on already stressed state agencies, including the departments of Health and Education.

Don Maisch, an attorney for the State Department of Health who has worked on the rules, said the signage requirements apply to public restrooms of any entity that is regulated by the agency, including hospitals, hotels and motels, nursing homes, residential care facilities and most public schools.

"There is definitely a cost involved in moving forward with this," Maisch said.

The Oklahoma Hospital Association projected it would cost at least $225,000 for signage at the state's 140 licensed hospitals, with the fiscal impact on other licensed industries estimated at about $2.1 million.

Tony Lauinger, executive director of Oklahomans for Life, said the group's intent was for the Health Department to produce the signage, but only if the Legislature appropriated funds to do so.
Bill Cosby's lawyers on Wednesday attacked what they called "vague, remote and often inconsistent" allegations from a slew of women whom prosecutors are seeking to call as witnesses at his sexual-assault trial next year.

Lawyers for the 79-year-old actor and comedian asked a judge to block 13 accusers from taking the witness stand, saying uncertainty about where and when some of the sexual encounters took place made them impossible to defend against.

Cosby, who was known as America's Dad for his top-rated family sitcom, "The Cosby Show," which ran from 1984 to 1992, is charged with molesting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

Prosecutors are seeking testimony from the other accusers to show Cosby had a long history of knocking out women with drugs and drinks and sexually assaulting them. Cosby has pleaded not guilty.

At a hearing, the defense portrayed the potential prosecution witnesses as "bandwagon" accusers who came forward because they sought to cash in on Cosby's fame and wealth.

The women went public at the urging of "clever, cunning lawyers who had the agenda of bringing down an American icon," Cosby lawyer Brian McMonagle told Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill, who must determine whether some or all of the accusers will be permitted to take the witness stand.

The two-day hearing closed without a decision, with the judge saying he'd take some time before ruling.

McMonagle argued prosecutors dredged up unsubstantiated assault allegations dating to the 1960s to try to breathe life into a weak case, and he urged the judge to "follow the money" when examining the motives of the accusers.

"There's no good reason in this world for these uncorroborated, unconfirmed, unreported, ancient allegations to be brought into this courtroom or any courtroom in this country," he said afterward.

Cosby is charged with assaulting Andrea Constand, then a Temple University employee. She filed a police complaint against Cosby, a long-married father of five and her friend and mentor, but a prosecutor at the time declined to file charges.

Authorities reopened the investigation last year after scores of women raised similar accusations and after Cosby's damaging deposition testimony from Constand's lawsuit became public.

The judge ruled last week the deposition may be used at Cosby's criminal trial, arming prosecutors with Cosby's testimony about his affairs with young women, his use of quaaludes as a seduction tool and his version of the sexual encounter with Constand.

Cosby's attorney said Constand has offered shifting accounts of the encounter, making comparisons with the other accusers impossible. Under state law, prosecutors must demonstrate substantial similarities in the accusers' accounts to be able to call them to the witness stand.

Prosecutors have argued sexual-assault victims often recall more details in subsequent interviews, and they say the discrepancies in Constand's accounts aren't material to the case.

The other women should be allowed to testify, District Attorney Kevin Steele argued, because their stories are so similar they show the "handiwork of the same perpetrator."

Cosby befriended women who saw him as a mentor, incapacitated them out with pills and drinks and molested them, Steele said.

"This is a lifetime of sexual assault on young women," Steele told the judge.

Cosby's lawyers said the women's stories aren't similar enough to warrant their testimony. They pointed to differences in the locations and manners of the alleged assaults and the accusers' levels of education and lines of work.

"You cannot ignore the differences," defense lawyer Angela Agrusa said.

She said most of the potential prosecution witnesses are represented by famed civil lawyer Gloria Allred and have held news conferences and given dozens of interviews. She said one accuser shopped a book deal for her life story a few years ago.

Allred "duped" the district attorney's office, Agrusa argued.

"She executed a plan, and she got the DA's office to be her bag man," Agrusa said.

Allred, who attended Wednesday's hearing, has argued her clients have a duty to testify if the court wants to hear from them.

The Associated Press doesn't typically identify people who say they're victims of sexual assault unless they've come forward publicly, as Constand has done.[[238427591, C]]
In the small boroughs and rural townships that make up Upper Perkiomen School District in northwest Montgomery County, a debate rages over the proposal for a $58 million middle school.

The student population in these communities on the fringe of the Philadelphia region has grown each year this decade and is forecast to continue growing into the next.

Now, three weeks until a hearing on the new building, some residents are growing anxious at the prospect of higher taxes that would come along with the cost of a new school.

The school board, after debating new construction versus expansion of existing buildings earlier this year, chose to invest in a new middle school.

Superintendent Alexis McGloin said taxes would go up $484 over the next four years on properties assessed at $200,000. She said that represents a 8.6 percent increase.

"We havent had a project like this in a long time," she said. "Its something very valuable to the school district."

But a local business owner and her son have calculated that taxes would go up as much as 34 percent in four years.

Melanie Cunningham, owner of Titanium Finishing Co. in East Greenville, said the estimate was based on her son's Hereford Township home.

"I just dont think this area can be saddled with this debt," said Cunningham, who lives in Upper Hanover and owns 10 properties in the regional district. "By the time the public gets up to speed on this, it'll be approved."

McGloin disagrees with Cunningham's figures, and added that she's confident future budgets will stay under state-mandated caps on annual tax increases -- even with the added cost of a new school.

The regional district serves seven municipalities: East Greenville, Green Lane, Pennsburg, Red Hill, Marlborough and Upper Hanover in Montgomery County, and Hereford in Berks County.

Next year, the district's only middle school, at Fifth and Jefferson streets in East Greenville, will turn 70 years old. It has had five additions built onto it since its construction in 1947.

"The feasibility study shows that the building enrollment is currently exceeding the functional capacity of approximately 768 students," a report on the proposed new school said.

Originally, the building was the East Greenville High School, and became a middle school in 1966.

"The District does not believe it would be prudent to once again expand an aging building," the report said, adding that the building is "currently in fair condition."

It would be converted into a school for fourth and fifth graders under the proposal.

The current middle school is already over capacity and there is "clearly" a need to improve infrastructure, according to a recent district report.

The public hearing is Jan. 4 and is required by the state Department of Education for districts seeking new construction.

Cunningham hopes the school board re-evaluates renovations versus a new building after hearing from residents next month. Growing enrollment, she said, is an abstract notion.

"That's like this convoluted answer they give when you ask, 'Why do we need a new middle school?'" she said. "It's because they want a new middle school."
A trigger-happy gunman was caught on surveillance video shooting deli workers in two separate robberies.

Police say the suspect first targeted a deli on the 4900 block of Rosehill Street shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday. Surveillance video shows the masked gunman entering the store and pointing his weapon at a 63-year-old clerk behind the counter. The gunman demanded money and then fired one shot striking the clerk in the right hip. He then went behind the counter, stepped over the victim and grabbed an unknown amount of money and lottery tickets before fleeing on foot.

The clerk was taken to Einstein Hospital where he is currently in stable condition.

Investigators believe the same gunman targeted a mini market on the 5000 block of Gransback Street Sunday. Surveillance video captured the suspect entering the store at 9:23 p.m. Police say he once again pointed his gun at employees and demanded money. He then fired one shot and struck a 56-year-old employee in the left leg. He then demanded money from the register and took an unknown amount of cash before fleeing the scene. The victim was taken to Temple University Hospital where he was treated for his injuries.

If you see the suspect do not approach him. Instead call 911 immediately.




What to Know Police released two new photographs that appear to be of a black leather belt, which is seemingly inscribed with the initials HM or WH

Investigators previously said they believe the belt was used by the suspect responsible for the killings

Both at the time of the announcement and on Monday, Suffolk County Police refused to elaborate any more on the belt, including its size

Police on Monday released two new photographs of articles recovered in relation to the investigation into the bodies of 10 victims found near a stretch of highway near Gilgo Beach.

The photos appear to be of a black leather belt, which is seemingly inscribed with the initials HM or WH, that investigators believe was used by the suspect responsible for the killings.

Suffolk County Police did not share where exactly the belt was located, or when it was found. Investigators previously said they believe the belt was handled by the killer and did not belong to any of the women whose bodies were found mutilated along the stretch of highway off the south shore of Long Island.

Stay informed about local news, politics and weather. Get the NBC10 Philadelphia app for iOS or Android and pick your alerts.

Police refused to elaborate any more on the belt at the time of their initial announcement, declining to answer a question about the size of it.

The investigation had been dormant for years, at least publicly. It wasn't until January of this year, nearly a decade after the bodies were found, that Suffolk County police launched a website dedicated to the ongoing investigation. Soon after, they held a press conference to share what they described at the time as a "previously undisclosed piece of evidence" (referring to the belt, and releasing photos showing the initials) in their quest for answers. Officers also offered a new commitment to share information with the public on their continuing investigation into the years-long mystery of those finds on Ocean Parkway.

The latest photos of the belt come months after Suffolk County police released the name of a previously unidentified victim linked to the notorious killings. After announcing they had unearthed the identity of the woman previously referred to as "Jane Doe #6," cops revealed her to the public as Valerie Mack in late May.

Mack was 24 when she was last seen; she was working as an escort in the Philadelphia area at the time of her disappearance. Family members last saw her in the spring/summer of 2000 near Port Republic, New Jersey. Mack, who also used the name Melissa Taylor, was never reported missing. She is survived by family members, whose identity will be kept confidential, officials said.

Mack's dismembered remains were located in separate locations over an 11-year span. Her torso was found in Manorville in 2000, not long after she was last seen. In 2011, her head, hands and right foot were found by Gilgo Beach.

Handout

"Valerie Macks identification is a giant leap forward in the investigation," Suffolk Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said in a statement at the time. "As detectives relentlessly pursue leads related to her murder, we ask members of the public, friends, family, and associates of Valerie Mack to provide whatever information they have about her and the circumstances leading to her death."

Mack's Gilgo remains were discovered by authorities investigating a separate case, the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert, a sex worker from New Jersey.

Gilbert vanished after going to meet a client on Long Island's Oak Beach in 2010. The search for her would yield the grisly discoveries of 10 bodies along a stretch of highway near Gilgo Beach; four of them were sex workers who were found strangled and dumped in burlap sacks less than a mile apart.

No arrests were made in any of their deaths. Gilbert was later found dead in a swampy marsh not far from where she had last been seen. The autopsy results were inconclusive, and Suffolk County officials maintain she drowned or succumbed to the elements. They have consistently refused to link her death to the other women, despite independent autopsy results commissioned by Gilbert's mother that experts said indicated she too may have been strangled.

Search for Missing Woman Leads to Hunt for a Possible Serial Killer

Gilbert's body was found in a swampy marsh about a year and a half after she disappeared. She had called 911 from Oak Beach and said someone was trying to kill her; that call lasted about 22 minutes. There were three other calls. Despite efforts from the attorney of her now-deceased mother Mari Gilbert to have the calls released -- and a court order to do so -- they have never been made public.

The search for the missing 24-year-old sex worker led law enforcement to the grisly discoveries of 10 separate sets of remains, most of whom were also believed to be sex workers.

On Dec. 11, 2010, an officer found the body of Melissa Barthelemy, a call girl who had vanished in 2007. Two days later, officers discovered the remains of three other missing prostitutes -- Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello and Maureen Brainard-Barnes, all of whom advertised their sex services on Craigslist. Those four bodies had been dumped within a quarter-mile span, about 500 feet apart. All of the victims were in their 20s -- Brainard-Barnes from Connecticut, Waterman of Maine, Costello of North Babylon.

The following April, authorities found a partially dismembered woman, later identified as another prostitute, Jessica Taylor (no relation to the alias used by Valerie Mack), an unidentified Asian man, two unidentified women and an unidentified female toddler. The toddler was determined, through DNA testing, to be the daughter of the woman discovered about 7 miles away (see map above). They have not been identified.

Police revealed evidence in one of Suffolk County's most notorious criminal cases that they've been holding onto for nine years. Police believe initials were embossed on a black belt found at the crime scene, but offered no details on where it was found or how it may have been used. NBC New Yorks Pei-Sze Cheng reports.

Authorities said they were the victims of homicides -- and of a possible serial killer. No suspects have ever been publicly named in any of the cases.

On Dec. 13, 2011, investigators eventually discovered Gilbert's body about a half-mile from where she was last seen. She was found in a swamp rampant with thorny brush and police said they believed Gilbert drowned by accident.

Later, an independent autopsy by the renowned forensic pathologist Michael Baden found Gilbert had suffered injuries consistent with homicidal strangulation. Police have said consistently they do not believe her death is linked to the others.

Gilbert's mother, Mari, refused to let the case drop out of the public eye and pressed law enforcement for a homicide investigation that never matured. Mari Gilbert died in July 2016, allegedly stabbed to death by her other daughter, Sarra, who suffers from schizophrenia.
Following a recent pay raise for all teachers and most staff, the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) is facing a $117 million budget hole for the 2017-2018 school year. But board members said Tuesday the situation was not as pressing as it appeared.

At the district's board meeting, Patricia Koch, interim CFO of SDUSD urged board members to take the budget shortfall seriously.

Meanwhile, the board said early budget plan does not include money they may get from the state.

"This is incredibly early in the process. These numbers don't even take into account the latest figures from the LAO in Sacramento," said SDUSD Board Member Kevin Beiser, speaking of the Legislative Analyst's Office.

According to the board, Governor Jerry Brown will release information regarding any money for their school district in January.

But some teachers say the situation is still scary.

colleen andrews /teacher

>>> 50:53 we dont have the materials we need the staff we need . we have hit bottom in my opinion.

"We don't have the materials, we don't have the staff we need. We have hit bottom in my opinion," said teacher Colleen Andrews.

School board officials said on Tuesday that if they do make cuts, they will start as far away from the classroom as possible.

If layoffs are deemed necessary, the district must send notices to employees by March 15, 2017.
A local high school student has raised nearly $3,000 to donate to children in Syria, and it all began as part of a school project.

Katie Meitchik said her interest in Syria first started because of a routine school assignment.

We always start off class with local news and global news, she said.

She tells NBC 7 that hearing about war-torn Syria prompted her to act.

I just had to ask 'what can I do to help,'" said Meitchik. That's just kind of where my mind goes.

The school helped Meitchik connect with Syrian artist, Massa Abujeib. The two decided to put on an art auction to raise money for homeless refugee children in Syria.

By the time the last piece sold, they had raised more than $2,700.

It was nowhere near what I was expecting, Meitchik said.  I wasn't even expecting as many people to come as they did.

Meitchik believes the money certainly helps, but the conversations the auction started are just as valuable.

A bunch of my classmates came. Its not like theyre going to be able to spend a lot of money on artwork, she said. I think that was really impactful and just a way to raise awareness is doing things like this.

Katie received seed money through a program at her school. Her classmates and even a teacher have now hopped on board. She said they will continue to raise money for the people of Syria.
The San Diego City Council unanimously voted Tuesday in favor of a temporary ban on recreational marijuana businesses.

The temporary prohibition will allow city officials time to come up with policies regulating recreational marijuana in the city of San Diego.

In November, California voters approved state Proposition 64.

Under the law, Californians over 21 years of age can now use marijuana privately, and can have up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and up to 8 grams of concentrated marijuana, such as hash, in their possession, according to the Official Voter Information Guide for the proposition.

People who do not have a medical marijuana card may not be able to legally purchase weed from dispensaries until another part of Proposition 64 goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2018.

The state has until that date to set up a system for dispensaries to apply for licenses, which will allow them to legally sell marijuana for recreational use.

San Diegos Planning Commission will meet Thursday to review proposed changes to zoning and land use regulations in anticipation of the new industry.

Under the proposal, there would be four so-called Marijuana Outlets per district within the City of San Diego. That would set the limit for the outlets at 36 within city limits.

But a local attorney who represents commercial cannabis businesses said several districts do not meet zoning restrictions so the number of outlets would actually be less than 36.

"Whether 24 medical marijuana dispensaries and outlets for recreational marijuana are sufficient, for the entire city of San Diego, I think will remain to be seen," said attorney Lance Rogers.

Businesses would need to apply for five-year permits to operate the outlets and must set up a security system and guard.

The businesses would operate seven days a week under the proposal but hours would be limited to 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

"I think there's a requirement for an armed security guard to be there almost 24-7, and this is extremely expensive and might not be necessary," Rogers said.

Scott Chipman leads San Diegans for Safe Neighborhoods, a group opposing the commercialization of Marijuana.

Chipman claims that there have been 600 complaints against pot dispensaries over the last three years but many of them were ignored.

"We've got more kids thinking marijuana is okay because the adults are okay with it," Chipman said. "So this is really a disaster for public health and safety."

As part of the proposed zoning rules, the city would prohibit growing marijuana unless in a secured outdoor greenhouse.

Read a fact sheet released by city officials here.

The City Council will meet in the future to vote on final approval.

It is still illegal to smoke weed while driving a car, in a public place, or in any location where smoking tobacco is not allowed.
A neighbor says the suspect arrested for allegedly punching two officers in the face during a standoff in Clairemont had always been a good neighbor.

Rob Agnew and his wife live just across the street from where the standoff occurred on Monday night.

San Diego Police (SDPD) responded to reports of a domestic disturbance on Mount St. Helens Drive just after 9:30 p.m. When officers arrived on scene, the suspect, identified to be 33-year old Hayden Gerson did not comply.

According to police, Gerson punched two officers in the face and attempted to choke another.

Officers retreated and called for backup, leading to a hours long standoff with Gerson.

Multiple shots were fired while officers surrounded the home, police said.

Officers also fired approximately 15 rounds in the direction of gunfire coming from inside the home.

Dozens of homes in the area were evacuated during the standoff.

But Agnew said since his home was not in the line of fire, he and his family were able to stay inside.

He says he watched the incident unfold from across the street in their living room, along with his wife.

"I didn't get the impression the police were expecting that. I thought...I don't want to say they were caught off guard because they were definitely in position," Agnew said.

He told NBC 7 that he watched in amazement as Gerson later walked out of his house, without a scratch and still wanting to fight with police.

"He was yelling at them violently with his hands up. You could see nothing was in his hands and police did not shoot. I was happy to see he wasn't killed," Agnew said.

When officers used other non-lethal weapons and a K-9, Gerson fought with the K-9 and attempted to choke the police dog.

Agnew told NBC 7 that Gerson races motorcycles and participates in mixed martial arts. He also owns part of a San Diego-based solar company.

He added that for the past 18 months, Gerson has lived peacefully among his neighbors.

"He was a good neighbor and it was shocking for us," Agnew said.

Gerson was taken into custody and transported to a hospital to be treated for his injuries.

He faces three counts of attempted murder of a police officer, according to SDPD.

Two officers were also taken to the hospital for injuries but were expected to recover. The K-9 is also expected to be okay.
Police just outside Atlanta say a notorious 86-year-old jewel thief has struck again.

Doris Payne was arrested Tuesday at a Von Maur department store, according to police in the town of Dunwoody, Georgia.

Payne put a $2,000 necklace in her back pocket and tried to leave the store, according to the police report.

By her own admission, Payne has been stealing jewelry from high-end stores around the world for six decades. Payne once faced charges in San Diego and Palm Desert.

In January 2011, Payne was sentenced to five years in prison for stealing a $8,900 diamond ring from the Macys in San Diegos Fashion Valley.

Just last year, she was arrested on suspicion of stealing a $690 pair of earrings from a Saks Fifth Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia.

She was the subject of a 2013 documentary, "The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne."

When asked about her exploits in an interview with The Associated Press earlier this year, she said simply: "I was a thief."

Online jail records did not show any bond information, and it wasn't immediately clear whether Payne had an attorney who could comment.

Raised in West Virginia, Payne chose her profession at the age of 23. Her arrest record is longer than she can remember. Payne has served time in California, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Colorado and Wisconsin.
Arizona officials have confirmed that a wild jaguar spotted on a southern Arizona trail camera is new to the area.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department said on Wednesday it has completed the analysis of the jaguar in the Huachuca Mountains near Fort Huachuca southeast of Tucson.

Five scientists analyzed the jaguar's spots to determine this animal has not been photographed before, according to Jim deVos, Assistant Director for Wildlife Management.

Animal conservationists have hailed the new jaguar as a sign that the giant cat could repopulate here in the future after disappearing from the area decades ago.

But Game and Fish says the jaguar is a solitary male and the closest breeding population is about 130 miles away. A female jaguar hasn't been spotted in Arizona in decades.

Jaguars are a unique component of this states wildlife diversity and it is exciting to document a new visitor. However, in the absence of female jaguars and with the irregularity with which we document any jaguar presence in Arizona, this sighting in early December is important, but not an indicator of an establishing population in the state, deVos said in a department news release.

Another jaguar, dubbed "El Jefe" by conservationists, was spotted on camera in a different mountain range in that region last year but hasn't been seen since.

The San Diego Zoos Elephant Odyssey habitat has three jaguars as part of the exhibit. Zoo researchers are working with partners to determine the size of a jaguars territory and how it spends its days in an effort to save the species.

According to Stacey Johnson, Director of Collections at San Diego Zoo Global, jaguar's spread out based on the availability of prey. He says the jaguar population disappeared in the 1920 in the United States and the animals were spotted sporadically in Arizona since 1996.

If you have jaguars, because they are the apex predator, you probably have a pretty healthy ecosystem. If theres not enough food to be had, theyre not going to be there," Johnson said.

Johnson added that he is excited to learn of the new addition to the population the Arizona Game and Fish Department have been observing.

Its just interesting and exciting to see Americas big cat making an appearance in North America again," he said.

Hopefully people will see this as an exciting thing and not a threat," he added.

The market for a jaguars coat, even though this type of fur trade is now illegal around the world, has taken a toll on the number of jaguars in the world. Its estimated there are approximately 10,000 left in the wild.

[G] San Diego's Cutest Critters
The San Diego Superior Court issued a warning to the public Tuesday about a well-rehearsed scammer posing as law enforcement, threatening to arrest people if they dont give him money.

According to court officials, the unknown mans scam works like this: pretending hes a member of the San Diego County Sheriffs Department (SDSO), the scammer calls a potential victim and tells them a warrant is out for their arrest for failing to show up in court as a witness to a traffic accident.

To make his ruse more believable, officials said the scammer uses actual court locations and the names of judges when speaking to possible victims. He tells them that if they give him a cash payment, he will make the charges go away.

Michael Roddy, executive officer for the San Diego Superior Court, said these types of scammers surface every once in a while.

Sometimes they tell people there are charges for failing to show up for jury services or charges for clearing up arrest warrants, Roddy explained. We want the public to know the Court or law enforcement will not call you with this type of issue and the Court will never demand cash as the way to make charges go away.

As of Tuesday, no arrests had been made in this alleged scam case.

For now, officials said anyone who receives a call like this should hang up on the scammer or call authorities if the scammer gets aggressive.
The University of California San Diego plans to open a hub in downtowns East Village that will serve as a center for educational programs and arts events  and even include a restaurant.

The university announced Monday its Innovative Cultural and Education Hub at the corner of Park Boulevard and Market Street in downtown San Diego, with aims to expand the reach of UC San Diegos programs to diverse urban communities.

The 66,000-square-foot center will be managed by UC San Diego Extension and will be located near the trolleys UC San Diego Blue Line, which runs from San Ysidro to University City.

The Holland Partner Group is developing the site as part of a larger residential project in the East Village, UC San Diego officials said. That project includes 341 market-rate apartments, 85 affordable housing apartments and the preservation of the Remmen House. The Holland Partner Groups development will be reviewed Tuesday by the San Diego City Council.

Right now, construction is set to begin in summer 2017; the project will be completed in 2020.

UC San Diego said the space will house a 3,000-square-foot restaurant, plus an outdoor amphitheater. There's no word yet on what type of eatery that will be.

The center plans to offer academic and outreach programs for middle and school students, entrepreneurship resources for those working in the community and workshops and seminars relevant to downtowns workforce.

It will also serve as a venue for cultural programs including arts events and exhibits. In a press release, UC San Diego said the space will be a hub for civic engagement, including applied research and volunteer opportunities.

Funding for the center will be managed by UC San Diego Extension and those funds will come from a combination of program underwriting, contracts and grants, fees for services and lease revenues, the university said.

In a press release, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla said the new facility will support economic development downtown while delivering new educational opportunities for our students, faculty and staff.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said this project has been long in the works.

Landing a university presence in downtown San Diego is a game changer, he said in a press release. This new project will continue the revitalization of the East Village neighborhood and, with UC San Diegos top-notch reputation, provide countless opportunities for collaboration as we prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow.
Authorities stopped a stolen police car involved in a slow speed chase along Route 7 in Alexandria, Virginia.

A woman, 26, from Stafford, Virginia, who was in custody of the D.C. Housing Authority somehow gained control of a marked police car in Washington, according to police sources. The woman was arrested for violating a judicial order to stay away from the Garfield Terrace Housing Complex.

Richard White, director of the Office of Public Affairs and Communication for the D.C. Housing Authority, said in a series of tweets the woman was arrested in the 2300 block of 11th Street, Northwest, by a DCHA officer.

He said the officer secured the woman in handcuffs and placed her in the rear of the cruiser. As the officer was outside of the cruiser, the woman climbed through a small partition window, made her way to the driver's seat and fled with the vehicle.

Police said the cruiser fled through the 3rd Street tunnel, striking about 10 other vehicles. The woman drove the cruiser into Virginia, along I-395 to Route 7.

Police were able to stop the cruiser on the 395 ramp to Route 7 (King Street) along the Arlington/Alexandria line and regain control of the woman and the car.

At the site of the initial arrest, police said the woman told officers she was pregnant. They said a small amount of suspected narcotics were also found during a search.

D.C. police and Virginia State Police were involved in the chase.
What to Know Larry Dawson, 66, of Tennessee, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday

Dawson was charged in the March 28 incident at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in which police say he took out what looked like a gun

Dawson faces more than 50 years in prison

A man who pulled a weapon at a security checkpoint while entering the Capitol Visitor Center in March pleaded guilty to a federal offense stemming from the confrontation in which he was shot by an officer.

Larry Russell Dawson, 67, of Antioch, Tennessee, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to a charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers while using a deadly or dangerous weapon, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said in a statement that under federal sentencing guidelines, the charge carries a likely range of eight to 14 months in prison and a fine of up to $40,000. Sentencing is set for Feb. 24.

Dawson was shot March 28 after he pulled out a BB gun that looked like a handgun at the checkpoint, authorities said.
A Maryland high school teacher has been disciplined after encouraging students to "have fun'' writing a slave song for an assignment as part of a lesson on abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

Howard County Superintendent Renee Foose tells The Baltimore Sun that she put the Mount Hebron High School English teacher on leave for four days last week after learning of the incident.

Principal Andrew Cockley wrote in an email to parents Dec. 7 that the assignment was linked to a lesson on the "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.''

Cockley says the activity was culturally insensitive.

Foose apologized for the activity and called the teacher "inexperienced'' and the assignment "outrageous'' and offensive.

The teacher returned to the classroom Tuesday following an investigation
Charged with drunken driving, the chairman of the Prince George's County liquor license board will step down from his role as chairman after being asked to do so by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, the governor's office said.

Charles Caldwell III agreed to step down, Shareese DeLeaver Churchill, a spokeswoman for the governor, said Tuesday evening.

Under these circumstances, the governor does not have the authority to remove Mr. Caldwell from the board. However, the governor is very concerned and disappointed in this situation and has asked Mr. Caldwell to step down from his role as chairman, which he has agreed to do," she said in a statement.

Caldwell, 72, was arrested and charged with DUI early Friday after he crashed into two cars as he left the grand opening celebration at MGM National Harbor casino and resort.

Police said he repeatedly reminded them of his job and also asked if officials could make the arrest "go away."

Caldwell did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

Caldwell, who administers and enforces Maryland alcohol laws, strongly smelled of alcohol when an officer responded to the crash at Monument and National avenues about 11:45 p.m. Thursday, a police report says.

An officer asked him if he had been drinking, and Caldwell reportedly replied, "Yes, I had one drink." He said he had "balance issues" but that no medical problems would impair his ability to take a field sobriety test.

Caldwell agreed to the test and stepped out of his black BMW. He wobbled as he walked and nearly fell multiple times, police said. His speech was described as slurred, slow, mumbled and confused.

He said multiple times that he was chairman of the liquor board, according to police.

Caldwell was arrested and taken to the Oxon Hill police station to take a breath test. There, he was "very uncooperative" and refused to follow officers' orders, such as sitting on a bench in the breath-testing room, police said.

The blood alcohol test was administered at 12:40 a.m. Friday, police said. The results were not included in the police report.

After Caldwell finished the test, police said he asked, "Is there a way we can make this go away?"

Officers charged Caldwell with driving under the influence and drove him home.

Caldwell told News4 he was unsteady because of his age, and he should have called an Uber car to head home.

The vice chairman of the board Caldwell headed will take on leadership duties on an interim basis, Hogan's spokeswoman said.
Protests are an American right.

Sometimes they get out of hand, or are violent, illegally formed or disruptively executed.

But the right to protest peaceably is not something that easily can be dismissed by authorities or curbed to the point of ineffectiveness.

This is a major issue right now with the looming inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump less than six weeks away. You, your friends and your family may be planning to attend the peaceful transfer of power. Or, you may be spitting mad that Trump won and you wont be caught within sight of the U.S. Capitol. Its your choice, even your constitutional right to go or stay away.

Thats the main issue for 20 protest groups.

As of Monday, none of the groups had received a National Park Service permit to stage a gathering of any sort. And it was not clear when or if they ever would get an assigned space.

It turns out the Park Service a year ago routinely reserved all the public land at and even near the inaugural site for the official Presidential Inaugural Committee, a private group whose members are selected by the winning candidate. (Hillary Clinton would have had the same opportunity.)

Until Trumps committee decides what sites it will use for its inaugural events, none of the land is available to be assigned to protesters. And, surprisingly, there is no deadline. If the official committee doesnt release any of the reserved spots, the protesters are all out of luck. Thats the official Park Service policy that it says has been in place since 2008. Protest groups, naturally, are outraged.

That really goes to the heart of the problem, said Mara Verheyden-Hilliard in an interview with NBC4. The [U.S.] Constitution simply cannot tolerate what the Park Service is doing here. It violates the First Amendment. People have the right speak out. This is the nations capital.

Verheyden-Hilliard is executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice. That group sued the D.C. government several years ago over its handling and arrests of anti-war protesters. It won more than $10 million in the case, and the District radically changed how it responds to protests.

The Partnership is in federal court right now seeking an injunction to force the Park Service to assign reasonable space for what may be tens of thousands of demonstrators against Trump. The Park Service declined to comment on the suit, but told NBC4 it is following its 2008 policy that governed the subsequent Barack Obama inaugurals in 2009 and 2013. But Trump is generating far more requests for protests than Obama did.

The Trump inaugural committee  a private organization, not government  has told the media it is deciding as quickly as possible which lands it will use for the inaugural week. But it doesnt have to release federal lands to anyone.

Once those applications are submitted on [the committees] behalf, said Park Service spokesperson Michael Litterst, they essentially have permits for those areas unless they choose to relinquish areas they may not use. And there is not a deadline for them to make that decision.

So bottom line, all the protest groups are left hanging. They cant advise participants when to come to D.C., where to go or what to bring. That  at its base  is illegal, according to the Partnership. It says the Park Service is supposed to be neutral, not an agent for one side or the other.

Groups are planning to come to Washington, D.C., to engage in free speech activities; and they are being told by the government that there is no ground under their feet on which they can stand, Verheyden-Hilliard said.

Another protest organizer said the federal government is creating potentially a more dangerous situation. He said the inaugural will attract thousands of protesters regardless of permits. If there is no legal management of them, he said, who knows what they might do to be heard and seen?

 More than protests to watch. The D.C. police department is considered one of the best in handling public protests, organized and permitted or not. But now police and federal officials have to be aware of another problem  the growing hints and evidence of violence sparked by social media.

A good example is the recent situation at Comet Ping Pong. A man traveled to the District and fired a rifle. He said he had been inspired by a story on social media  patently false  that the pizza joint harbored child sex slaves.

Thats scary, interim D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said of the Dec. 4 incident on the WAMU Politics Hour last Friday. Were going to be scouring the social media as well as our federal partners for any potential threats that could occur for the inauguration.

 Betting on the media. A different media story was playing out in suburban Maryland where Prince Georges County was welcoming the new MGM Casino. For weeks leading up to the official opening, the casino welcomed all sorts of media inside and out on its property to help feed the buzz. After the opening activities, several news organizations were taken aback when MGM declined to let their reporters on the property for follow-ups. Some said the casino was just managing the big crowds, while others thought the reams of free publicity apparently had served its purpose.

Tom Sherwood, a Southwest resident, is a political reporter for News 4.
When a Virginia couple rebooked plans to travel to Peru for their sons wedding, they thought thats what their travel insurance was for, but instead, the rescheduled wedding almost cost them $900.

Two of Gloria and Ron Pryors three sons got married in 2016, with one planning a June wedding in his brides native Peru, where they met.

They had a civil ceremony in the United States but then learned the bride couldnt leave the country and return to her homeland for the big wedding without proper documentation, which took months.

So they had to cancel the wedding, which meant all of us had to cancel our plane reservations, Gloria Pryor said.

The airline gave the couple credit for the unused tickets, but when they tried to use the credit to schedule a new flight, they were told there was a $300 fee for each of the three tickets, including one for one of their sons.

We were planning on doing a little traveling when we were down there, and that was going to definitely be out, Gloria Pryor said.

NBC4 Responds contacted the airline to see if the Pryors bad luck warranted any help, and the airline immediately waived the $300 fees.

We were so looking forward to it and now we can do it again so we cant thank you enough for that, Gloria Pryor said. Its going to be a great time with our family.

The couple's son and his bride are planning their Peru wedding for September.
Fairfax County, Virginia, police said a man poured a flammable liquid on a woman and tried to set her on fire Tuesday morning.

Police said a woman went to the home of Lamar Thomas, 26, of Alexandria, Virginia, to drop off a 1-year-old child. Thomas is the father of the child and was supposed to watch the child while the woman went to work.

The woman told police when she arrived, Thomas jumped in her car and started an argument. During the argument, Thomas allegedly poured a flammable liquid on her and attempted to set the liquid on fire.

Police said the victim jumped out of the car and ran away, screaming. She was not injured.

Thomas was located by police at his home, and he was arrested. He was charged with attempted malicious wounding and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The 1-year old child remained inside the car during the incident and was not injured.
Whole Foods supermarkets said it has fired nine store managers in the mid-Atlantic region for manipulating a bonus program to their benefit.

Brooke Buchanan, a spokeswoman for Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market Inc., said they were dismissed in recent weeks after a company-wide investigation.

The store found nine managers at stores in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia engaged in a policy infraction allowing them to benefit from a profit-sharing program at the expense of store employees.

Whole Foods is still investigating exactly how much money is involved and plans to ensure that employees at the affected stores are compensated properly, Buchanan said.

The amounts involved, though, will not be material to the company's quarterly earnings.
Boulder, Colorado, police and prosecutors are looking at new DNA testing technology that they hope will further the investigation of the unsolved 1996 murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey.

The move comes after an investigation by the Boulder Daily Camera and KUSA-TV in Denver that the news organizations say uncovered flaws in the interpretation of previous DNA testing.

Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett and Boulder police Chief Greg Testa confirmed Tuesday that they have discussed the issue with Colorado Bureau of Investigation administrators, who are about to unveil more sophisticated DNA tests.

The tests also would tap into an FBI database that includes genetic profiles from more than 15.1 million known offenders and arrestees.

JonBenet was found dead in the basement of the Ramsey home the day after Christmas in 1996.
South Korea's conservative ruling party is on the verge of a split following President Park Geun-hye's parliamentary impeachment last week.

Kim Moo-sung, leader of anti-Park lawmakers in the Saenuri Party, on Tuesday called Park loyalists her "political slaves" in an escalation of harsh rhetoric between rival factions in the largest political party in South Korea.

He told a televised conference that he and fellow lawmakers are considering leaving the party to create a new political group.

The feuding has intensified after dozens of Saenuri Party lawmakers aligned with a coalition of liberal opposition lawmakers to impeach Park on Friday because of a scandal involving her longtime, shadowy confidante.

Park supporters in the party criticized anti-Park members for betraying the embattled leader and told them to leave the party.

"It's really hard to tolerate the fact that some people, who had enjoyed all the benefits and political conveniences under the big 'Park Geun-hye' roof, took the initiative in the impeachment in a harsher manner than opposition parties," Choi Kyung Kwan, a senior party member who served as Park's finance minister, said on his Facebook page Monday.

But Kim said it was Park who betrayed the public and the party, describing her ties with her loyalists as similar to those of "gangsters."

Park's presidency will formally end if the Constitutional Court approves the impeachment. That would lead to an election to pick her successor.

If that happens, then the anti-Park lawmakers could try to establish a new political party involving outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and some liberal opposition politicians. Ban has not said if he would run for president, but opinion polls put him in second place behind Moon Jae-in, a former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, to replace Park.

The scandal resolves around allegations that Park allowed her friend of 40 years, Choi Soon-sil, to manipulate government affairs and extort money from businesses. Choi and several top presidential and government officials have been indicted over their alleged roles with the scandal. Park has avoided prosecutors' questioning because she has immunity from prosecution while in office.
Opponents of a proposed bag fee in Boston are pushing back.

"I just think it's a big imposition," Jim Farrow of the city's Mission Hill neighborhood said.

The city council is debating a bill that would reduce the use of plastic bags in city limits by requiring stores to charge five cents at checkout for every bag used.

"[Plastic bags] are everywhere," said Aileen Kelley, who lives in Boston. "I've actually had them hit me as I'm walking down the street."

Tuesday afternoon, the bill was debated in a public hearing in the City Council chamber amongst environmental experts and residents.

"There are much, much greater things we need to do right now," said Lawrence Wedgeworth, who lives in Roxbury.

One major question being asked is whether the fee is fair for lower income families.

"At this time, we do not support the proposed ordinance," said Commissioner Carl Spector of Boston's Environment Department. "Recognizing that some of our municipal neighbors and other cities across the country have adopted similar proposals, we remain concerned about their impact, especially on lower-income households and smaller stores."

Erica Mattison, the legislative director of the Environmental League of Massachusetts, is in favor of the bill.

"I think anytime you're going to have some change, you're going to have some opposition to it," she said.

The bill is sponsored by Council President Michelle Wu and Councilman Matt O'Malley.

"There's no doubt that even a penny or five cents is going to be impactful," said O'Malley. "I'm not doubting that. One thing this ordinance seeks to do is really encourage businesses to offer a five-cent rebate if someone brings a reusable bag. We cannot mandate that in the ordinance. We can encourage."

Some groups like Mather Elementary School Girl Scouts have started collecting reusable bags in the city and handing them out for free. Mary Grady is one of their leaders and says they have handed out hundreds of bags.

"We're distributing these reusable bags at the farmer's markets in Codman Square as well as Ashmont and the response has been wonderful," said Grady.

As for why the city wants to do this, proponents cite concerns over pollution.

"I'm so tired of picking up plastic bags that are dropped maybe half a block from the store from where the item was bought," said Rosemary Jones of Jamaica Plain.

There is no deadline to get the bill approved.

The next step is to get it out of committee, where the council could then vote on it. If they pass it, the bill would then go to Mayor Marty Walsh's desk.
Five people aboard a U.S. Marine Osprey were rescued Monday when the aircraft landed in shallow water off Okinawa, military officials reported.

The emergency landing was reported at 10 p.m. on December 13, 1st Lt. Joseph Butterfield, a spokesman at Marine Corps Base Camp Butler saidMarine Corps Base Camp Butler said. The cause of the incident was under investigation.

The MV-22 Osprey crew is part of Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.

They were taken to a U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa aboard Camp Foster where theyre being treated for injuries, Butterfield said in a written statement.

Ten days ago, in a separate incident, an MV-22 Osprey made a precautionary emergency landing east of San Diego, near Mount Laguna.

The unplanned landing happened during routine training while the crew was flying approximately 30 miles east of the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

In this incident, the Osprey landed in an open field in the Cleveland National Forest. There were no reports of injuries or damage to the aircraft.
Two separate crashes created major delays on Interstate 93 north in Boston on Wednesday morning.

One crash was at the entrance to ONeill Tunnel, while another inside the tunnel involving a dump truck, a flatbed truck and two cars blocked the two left lanes.

State police reported large pieces of metal that were being carried by the flatbed all over the road in what they described as a "heavy wrecker."

Injuries were reported, but the number and extent is not yet known.

Traffic was backed up all the way to Braintree at one point, making for a messy morning commute.

As of 10 a.m., all lanes in the O'Neill Tunnel had reopened.
New York-based Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced plans to shut down several of its facilities, including one in Wallingford, according to a news release.

The company, which employs about 700 people in Wallingford, also scrapped plans to build a new development site in Connecticut.

This all comes as part of an announcement about the future of the bio-pharmaceutical company. Last summer the company had announced they were moving research and development operations out of Connecticut, but stopped short of saying they would no longer have a presence in the state.

Gov. Dannel Malloy said that while he's not pleased with the company's decision, it might be a sign of the times.

"This announcement is more of an iteration of what they had previously announced with respect to consolidation to other facilities. A lot of that has taken place and were going to be on the winning side of some of that and were going to be on the losing side of some of that. On the other hand of that, whats gratifying to see if the growth of the overall industry in Connecticut," Malloy said.

Malloy said that over the last year the state had been in talks with the company to try to keep some jobs in Connecticut, but those talks were unsuccessful.

Bristol-Myers Squibb will also close a facility in Hopewell, N.J. by mid-2020 and it will not renew its lease at a plant in Seattle, Washington in 2019.

The company said it intends to transition many impacted employees to other U.S. locations around the company. However, the company did not say how many Connecticut employees would be impacted or if anyone would be laid off.

In October 2015, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced 78 layoffs in Wallingford between Dec. 31, 2015 and March 1, 2016.

The company said the changes are part of a larger plan to change its geographic footprint and that it intends to build up facilities in central New Jersey, the San Francisco Bay Area and Cambridge, Mass.

These important changes to our U.S. geographic footprint will ensure we have the structural, operational and financial flexibility to deliver as effectively as possible on our mission for patients, said Giovanni Caforio, M.D, chief executive officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, in a release Tuesday. Todays announcement underscores our commitment to make the right investments to continue to deliver on the promise of our pipeline and to bring transformational medicines to patients, today and in the future.

Bristol Myers-Squibb said the Wallingford facility will close by the end of 2018.

Wallingford businesses are concerned about what this will mean for them.

"It's going to impact our business like any other business," Stefano Panno, of Half Moon on North Main Streetm said. "I am sure it's going to impact lots of families. Those incomes are very important."

Residents are concerned about taxes increasing.

"The impact on the toen is not going to be good," John Dichello said. "Taxes are going to go up. It's not good."

After a career in research at Yale, Wallingford resident Roberta Clouet said it's time for Wallingford to think about its next big thing, whether it is enticing tech companies or something else no one has thought of yet.

"It will give Wallingford an opportunity to rethink its next venture," she said.
Federal officials say there have been at least seven reports of lasers being pointed at aircraft in Massachusetts overnight and early Wednesday morning.

The FAA says it received reports from United 389, UPS 1012, United 670, Spirit Airlines 103, Spirit Airlines 640 and two Medflight helicopter flights about lasers near Boston Logan Airport.

Earlier, police in Cambridge, Massachusetts, confirmed they were investigating three reports of lasers being pointed at aircraft overnight and early Wednesday morning.

The first reported incident happened before 2 a.m. near MIT, while the second incident happened around 5:15 a.m. at First and Binney streets, while the third happened at 5:47 a.m. near Lambert Street.

Cambridge police say officers found nothing when they checked the area, adding they're not sure what the source is at this stage in their investigation.

In the last 200 feet or so of the flight, you have to be looking out the window at the runway, said flight instructor and former Delta pilot Philip Greenspun, who tells necn a laser can be disorienting for a pilot if theyre hit in the eye. Youd call it temporary blindness but mostly it would just be like losing your night vision.

Lasers can be especially problematic for a helicopter crew relying more on the view rather than instruments.

Helicopters tend to be flown low and by reference to just looking out the window, they can be pretty dangerous at night, said Greenspun.

The FAA says lasers can make it impossible to safely land a plane, and has made it a federal crime to shine a laser at an aircraft cockpit.

Losing their night vision is going to put the passengers at risk, said Greenspun.

Police in Cambridge checked out reports that the lasers may have originated near the campus of MIT, but they couldnt find anyone responsible for the crime.

The FAA says Massachusetts state police have been notified and that they will also investigate.
Authorities are searching for an inmate who escaped from a transitional housing unit in Manchester.

State police say 36-year-old Dennis Holland ran away from corrections officers at the Calumet Transitional Housing Unit Tuesday night.

State police and Manchester police responded and used a K-9 unit to try and track him.

He's described as 5 feet 8 inches tall, 177 lbs. with brown hair and brown eyes. He was reportedly wearing jeans and a mickey mouse shirt when he escaped.

Holland is currently serving time for robbery, criminal mischief and theft by unauthorized taking. His earliest release date would have been July 2017.
A Massachusetts student is currently being held without bail after allegedly making threats against his high school via social media.

Police in Franklin said school resource officers at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School notified them Tuesday morning that the student had made the threats.

Following an investigation, police arrested Julius Willis, 18, of North Attleboro, on school property. Police said there was no information that any weapons were ever brought onto school property.

Willis was charged with disturbing a school assembly, threat of serious disruption of school, threats to commit a crime, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct.

Willis pled not guilty to all five charges in Wrentham District Court Wednesday morning.
We are between two weather systems on Wednesday afternoon, a storm developing at sea is pulling away and a front in Canada is moving toward us. Those two systems will merge and create quite a cold windy day Thursday, so let's enjoy this afternoon.

It will be mostly sunny on Wednesday afternoon, with temperatures near 40 degrees. Snow showers and flurries are scattered overnight as the first push of cold arrives, with low temperature in the 20s south and 10s north.

The first front pushes offshore in the morning, leaving a mix of sun and clouds, a few snow flurries, and high temperature in the 20s south and 10s north. Winds Thursday will be from the northwest gusting past 35 mph.

Thursday night likely ends up as one of the coldest nights of winter - windy and dry with a low temperature near 0 degrees and wind sustained 20 to 30 mph with higher gusts.

It is a frigid Friday sunrise, with the wind continuing to gust, creating chills well below zero. It will be cold enough for some dead car batteries.

Ellen Mayhew

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is urging residents to take precautions during the extreme cold, including wearing layers if you must go outside.

We will have sun mixed with clouds on Friday, with high temperatures only in the 10s south and single numbers north. Wind continues from the northwest 20 to 30 mph, diminishing late in the day. As warmer air pushes in over the weekend, a battle zone of snow and rain will be developing.

Snow arrives after sunset Friday, becoming heavy at times early on Saturday, with several inches of accumulation, before changing over to rain in the afternoon.

Showers, fog, and drizzle likely Saturday night with temperatures remaining mostly above freezing.

Colder air pushes in on Sunday with continued rain showers, perhaps changing to snow before ending. The high temperature will be near 50 degrees Sunday morning before dramatic cooling in the afternoon and overnight. Cold and dry weather should return for Monday.
Christian addiction charity Teen Challenge London is planning to turn Drayton Hall near Norwich into its headquarters and a rehabilitation centre for men, after it was gifted the freehold of the hall by its owner, the Lind Trust.

Christian addiction charity Teen Challenge London is planning to turn Drayton Hall near Norwich into its headquarters and a rehabilitation centre for men, after it was gifted the freehold of the hall by its owner, the Lind Trust.

The power of positive protest Philip Young encourages us to take a stand for what we believe, and has just written to Therese Coffey regarding climate change and the forthcoming COP 27. He explains why we should be prepared to protest. Read more

Norwich church celebrates with cribs and trees Rosebery Road Methodist Church in Norwich will be holding its annual Cribs and Trees Festival in December. Read more

Transforming Norwich lunch offers ministry tips Ex-Brighton vicar, Rev Phil Moon, will offer tips on how to keep going in ministry to the Transforming Norwich leaders lunch on Wednesday November 16. Read more

Quiet Waters in Bungay offers healing retreat Quiet Waters Christian Retreat in Bungay is holding a gentle day retreat exploring healing in the Kingdom of God. Read more

Latest Norfolk Christian community events Events of interest to the Norwich and Norfolk Christian community happening over the next few weeks are listed. Read more

Norfolk ministry coaching duo are guest speakers Former church leaders and now freelance ministry coaches, Jonathan and Paige Squirrell, are the guest speakers at the next dinner of Norwich FGB on Monday, November 21. Read more

Bringing light to Halloween Anna Price encourages Christians to engage positively with Halloween rather than hide away, on what many see as the darkest night of the year. Read more

First service takes place at Norwich church site SOUL Church hosted around 400 people for a special service on the site of their new building on Heartsease Lane. Read more

Dereham draws up list of warm places for winter As rising energy prices make it harder to heat homes, churches in Dereham are leading the way in creating warm spaces where people can go. Read more

South Norfolk church scoops national award A medieval Anglican church in a tiny hamlet in South Norfolk has won a national award and a 10,000 boost. Read more

Dereham churches help people to help themselves A group of churches in Dereham have launched an ambitious project which aims to meet needs in the town, including the provision of food and skills training. Read more

Executive assistant and nursery manager jobs SOUL Church is a vibrant, welcoming and growing church in Norwich. They are seeking an organised and versatile Executive Assistant to provide key support to the churchs Senior Pastors, as well as a qualified Nursery Manager to head up SOUL Nursery. Read more

Halloween light in Gorleston church On Halloween this year, St Mary Magdalene Church in Gorleston will be preparing to welcome around 200 families to experience their Light on a Dark Night event. Read more

An opportunity for Norwich to pray for the nation Rev Nigel Fox, who has served as a Methodist Minister for 15 years in Norwich, shares an open invitation to pray for the nation at a crucial moment. Read more

Norwich church seeks musicians Kingdom Ambassadors International Church is appealing for instrumentlists, keyboardists and guitarists to be part of their worship experience. Read more

Please keep Rishi in your prayers Andy Bryant urges us to pray for our political leaders, especially the new Prime Minister, and avoid unhelpful judgementalism. Read more

Emilys art boosts growing Yarmouth foodbank A pupil at a primary school in Bradwell has been selling her pictures in order to raise money for the Yarmouth and Magdalen Foodbank, which is expanding its capacity and is seeking more volunteers. Read more
Norwich church cookbook flying off the shelves



People are paying up to 250 for a cookbook published by a Norwich church, which will support hundreds of Ebola orphans in Sierra Leone.
Theres been a whole bunch of conversation in the database world in recent years around what the best type of database is for modern applications. Over the past couple of years this has mainly centered around the SQL verses NoSQL wars.

On the one hand are the traditional SQL-based databases, which all follow a traditional row and column format. These are the databases that have existed since pretty much year dot and have proved themselves to be good all-around tools.

+ Also on Network World: IT wants (but struggles) to operationalize big data +

With the advent of social media and the need for database approaches that worked well within the unstructured data landscape that these properties work within has led to the rise of the NoSQL databases. These databases dont follow, or at least dont only follow, the standard tabular approach towards data. Hence storage and retrieval of data doesnt follow the rigid row and column, tabular approach.

However, in recent times, we have seen the SQL versus NoSQL discussion broaden somewhat, and people are looking to the actual usage patterns for the database and thinking about particular requirements.

An example of this is the CrateDB open-source distributed database developed by Crate.io. CrateDB promises to offer the scalability and performance of NoSQL with the power and ease of standard SQL. But in terms of usage focus, CrateDB was designed specifically to support IoT and machine data applications, and in another nod to more modern ways of doing things, Crate is optimized for containerized environments.

Crate.io announced the general availability of CrateDB today, and with the release, it hopes developers of machine data applicationsformerly forced to work within a SQL worldwill now have the opportunity to use SQL constructs, but within the context of machine data developments.

The growth of machine data and the opportunities that businesses have to capitalize on it are outstripping the ability of their data management infrastructure to act on it, said Jason Stamper, analyst, Data Platforms and Analytics, at 451 Research. CrateDBs power lies in its ability to enable users to collect and analyze vast amounts of data in real time, using SQL commands they already know.

CrateDB, despite becoming generally available just now, has seen some real traction thus far. Since its creation back in 2014, CrateDB has been downloaded more than 1 million times.

CrateDB's key differentiators

To the obvious questions around what the differentiation for developers is, Crate.io suggests that CrateDBs unique capabilities are enabled by the following innovations:

Distributed SQL query engine for faster JOINs, aggregations and ad hoc queries: Columnar field caches and a fully distributed query planner enable CrateDB to perform complex queries in real time and overcome many of the performance and flexibility limitations of first-generation distributed SQL databases.





Columnar field caches and a fully distributed query planner enable CrateDB to perform complex queries in real time and overcome many of the performance and flexibility limitations of first-generation distributed SQL databases. SQL with integrated search for data and query versatility: CrateDB is a unique combination of SQL and search technology, which enables a wide range of analytics, including machine learning and predictive analytics, on time series, full text, JSON, geospatial, and other structured and unstructured datawithout having to use different database engines to do so.





CrateDB is a unique combination of SQL and search technology, which enables a wide range of analytics, including machine learning and predictive analytics, on time series, full text, JSON, geospatial, and other structured and unstructured datawithout having to use different database engines to do so. Container architecture and automatic data sharding for simple scaling: Database scalability is vital for handling variations in machine data volume, but this is normally difficult to do. CrateDB can run as a cluster of containers, which enables it to be scaled easily with Docker, Kubernetes or Mesos container platforms. In addition, CrateDB automatically shards and redistributes data across the cluster as it changes size to optimize performance and high availability.

When we founded Crate.io, we set out to reinvent SQL for the machine data era. Today, 75 percent of our customers use CrateDB to manage machine and IoT data because of its superior ease of use, performance and versatility, said Christian Lutz, CEO of Crate.io. The general availability of the product and our expansion to San Francisco mark a new phase in our growth, and we look forward to driving further innovation of the platform both internally and by extension through the open source community.

CrateDB seems to have some good pick-up from some top-shelf vendors. A good example is Skyhigh Networks, a cloud access security brokers (CASB) that has seen lots of enterprise adoption and, hence, would be unlikely to trust any part of its operation on an unproven offering.

Says Sekhar Sarukkai, co-founder, chief scientist and vice president of engineering, at Skyhigh Networks:

More than 40 percent of the Fortune 500 customers depend on Skyhigh to help address their cloud security needs. CrateDB is an important part of our data stack, giving us the performance and horizontal scalability to meet our rapidly growing business needs.

CrateDB looks like a valuable and interesting addition to the ever-increasing list of database tools out there.
In his 1997 book, The Innovators Dilemma, Clayton Christensen examined why large organizations often fail to innovate and leave themselves open to disruption from faster, more nimble competitors. And this was before the current generation of technology companies unleashed their onslaught of disruptive technologies.

Its fair to say that in the nearly 20 years since the books release, the stakes have grown exponentially greater. Yet for many enterprise organizations, the struggle to create a truly innovative culture continues. The vast majority of corporate executives fully expect new tech startups to disrupt their organizations, yet still have trouble overcoming the innovators dilemma.

Some universities, however, are testing new approaches that may offer strategies to finally break down these walls of innovation.

A new model for innovation

A little less than two years ago, the University of California, Irvine (UCI) launched what they call UCI Applied Innovation, and a unique space called The Cove. Their stated objective is to serve as the front door enabling collaboration between UCI and industry. And what theyve created may act as a model for enterprise organizations looking to accelerate innovation.

I recently sat down with Carolyn Stephens, the centers Associate Director and Chief of Staff, and Matt Bailey, the Director of Applied Innovations Collaborative Venturing Group, to understand how they work and how it might apply to enterprises seeking to harness greater levels of innovation.

Bailey explained, While most universities have an innovation center of some sort, the mix of private start-ups, the focus on external investment and The Cove make us unique.

Every university seeks to commercialize their research. There is nothing unusual in that. But how UCIs Applied Innovation center approaches it is what sets them apart  and why they may prove to be a model for large enterprise organizations.

Rather than only seeking to license their research and IP, Applied Innovation established The Cove  which they designed to act as a hub of activity and community between the university and the business community surrounding it. Under its roof, start-ups, angel investors and related support organizations happily co-habitate.

Within The Cove, start-ups collaborate, make investor pitches (including to the centers privately funded, $5M+ seed fund) and participate in a wide range of mostly-free, educational and community events.

Part incubator, part mentor, part community outreach organization, UCIs Applied Innovation and The Cove has created a safe environment in which the university can partner with the business community to develop, fund and bring exciting new ideas to market.

A new model for collaboration

UCI is solving a problem that is very similar to what faces enterprises as they make the transition to the digital era: organizations must free the wealth of ideas and innovation within them to stay relevant.

Applied Innovation is a recognition that traditional approaches are not sufficient. The university realized that they needed a way to collaborate with the startup and investor communities to harness the value of their IP and increase the velocity of innovation. Enterprise organizations must do the same.

A virtual army of would-be entrepreneurs and innovators populates most organizations. Their rich pool of talent, depth of market expertise and extensive customer knowledge provides it with invaluable insights on potential innovations and industry disruptions  yet they are mostly left untapped.

As Christensen described, enterprise organizations are not disrupted because they lack the insights. They are disrupted because they lack the ability to break through the corporate inertia to give those insights and the would-be entrepreneurs within their ranks room to explore and commercialize them.

But what would happen if enterprise organizations adopted UCIs approach and created their own Coves of Innovation?

Breaking free of corporate inertia

Completing the transition from an industrial-era organization into a digital enterprise demands that leaders break down the barriers to innovation. Thats much easier said than done. And in most cases, it cannot be done within the confines of the traditional enterprise.

UCIs Applied Innovation is both unique and successful in two important respects. First, they report directly to the Chancellor of the University, giving them a unique degree of control and autonomy. Second, they operate as a sort of private-public joint venture, with one-third of their funding coming from the community.

Both of these factors give them the ability to innovate rapidly, experiment and fund ideas that would almost certainly be impossible within the confines of the larger university. The same is true within large enterprise organizations.

What would happen if they established similar innovation centers that were operated semi-independently and in partnership with their respective community or industry ecosystems? If they also gave their most innovative and entrepreneurial-minded employees the opportunity to pursue their ideas within such an environment, what might happen?

Overcoming the Innovators Dilemma

History is still writing the story of the digital era. Technology startups are continuing to disrupt virtually every industry. That part of the story will continue. But we have not relegated industrial age enterprise organizations to the sidelines to await their inevitable demise.

Every organization can overcome the innovators dilemma and transform themselves into a digital enterprise. But doing so will require that they break free of their limiting, traditional approaches and embrace the innovation communities already taking shape within and around their organizations.
Intels plan to spin out its security business under the McAfee name could run into rough weather with security expert John McAfee asking a court in New York to order an injunction on the deal until a dispute over the use of his personal name for another company is resolved.

In a court filing on Tuesday, John McAfee and MGT Capital Investments claimed that there is a high likelihood that Intel intends to sell the rights to the use of his full name to the new venture. Should the sale go forward any judgment awarded to Plaintiffs will be ineffectual, it added.

John McAfee and MGT informed the court that they will be seeking a preliminary injunction that would prevent Intel from selling, trading, assigning, leasing or otherwise transferring any alleged rights, in whole or in part, relating to any marks, names, trade names, or entities containing the word McAfee until the resolution of the dispute.

By allowing Intel to go ahead with the transaction before judicial resolution of the issues surrounding the use of John McAfees personal name, the litigious issues and costs associated with the underlying claim will be compounded, according to the filing.

The chip company said in September that it had signed an agreement with TPG to spin out its Intel Security business as a separate cybersecurity company, called McAfee. Intel shareholders would hold 49 percent of the equity with the balance held by the investment firm, while Intel would also receive US$3.1 billion in cash.

An injunction would prevent the company from completing the deal and spinning out the new venture under the McAfee name.

MGT had announced in May it was teaming with John McAfee to set up a security company that would be named John McAfee Global Technologies, Inc, and would have him as the CEO and executive chairman.

In June, Intel sent a letter to MGT warning it of legal action if it changed its name to one that includes the MCAFEE trademark or otherwise use the MCAFEE name as a trademark. John McAfee does not have the right to use the McAfee name for security related goods and services, Intel added.

Intels move prompted John McAfee and MGT to file a suit in the New York court to seek a judgment that their use of or reference to the personal name of John McAfee and/or McAfee in their business, including in the renaming of MGT, does not infringe on Intels trademark rights or breach any agreement between the parties.

Intel acquired McAfee Inc. in 2011 and uses and promotes the McAfee mark for security products, services, and publications for consumers and businesses. John McAfee has said he had entered in 1991 into an agreement with McAfee Associates, a predecessor to McAfee Inc., to transfer certain assets to it in exchange for stock and a promissory note.

In the filing Tuesday by John McAfee and MGT, it is pointed out that the maverick entrepreneur had at no point in the agreement assigned the rights to his personal name through an assignment of trademark or otherwise, or agreed to restrict his right to do business using his own name. The agreement did not also have any non-compete provisions. John McAfee also claims that at the time of the agreement he had not filed for or registered any trademark for his full name, surname or any other iteration of it.

In a filing in October, Intel has said it does not object to John D. McAfees use of his personal name or personal reputation in connection with his business ventures. The company goes on to say elsewhere in the filing that John McAfee did not forfeit the right to use his name as a personal name, which Intel has never challenged. But the chip company objects to the use by the entrepreneur of the McAfee trade name and trademark in a way that could confuse or deceive consumers or dilute the brand.

Intel could not be immediately reached for comment on the latest filing.
For the last Patch Tuesday of 2016, Microsoft issued 12 security bulletins, half of which are rated critical due to remote code execution vulnerabilities. Get ready for restarts. Please do not delay deploying patches since three do address vulnerabilities which had been publicly disclosed.

Rated critical

MS16-144 pertains to patching a plethora of bugs in Internet Explorer: two scripting engine memory corruption vulnerabilities, two memory corruption vulnerabilities, a security feature bypass bug, and two information disclosure flaws and one Windows hyperlink object library information disclosure vulnerability.

Three of the flaws have been publicly disclosed: CVE-2016-7282  a Microsoft browser information disclosure vulnerability, CVE-2016-7281  the Microsoft browser security feature bypass bug  and CVE-2016-7202  a scripting engine memory corruption vulnerability, have been publicly disclosed. Microsoft said they are not being exploited.

MS16-145 is the cumulative fix for the Edge browser; it resolves five scripting engine memory corruption bugs, two memory corruption flaws, three information disclosure vulnerabilities and a security feature bypass. Like the IE patch, three of the Edge vulnerabilities have been publicly disclosed but Microsoft said they are not being exploited.

MS16-146 is the monthly security patch for Microsoft graphics components, specifically aimed at addressing two RCE holes in Windows graphics components as well as a Windows GDI information disclosure flaw.

MS16-147 is something we dont typically see every month; it is a fix for a remote code execution flaw in Microsoft Uniscribe since it mishandles objects in memory.

MS16-148 is the monthly patch for a boatload of flaws in Microsoft Office, some of which could result in RCE. Those 16 vulnerabilities include four memory corruption vulnerabilities, an Office OLE DLL side-loading flaw, three security feature bypass bugs, one GDI information disclosure issue, six Microsoft Office information disclosure holes, and an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU). None of which had been publicly disclosed.

MS16-154 is for Adobe Flash. That breakdown includes seven use-after-free flaws that could lead to RCE, four buffer overflow bugs, five memory corruption vulnerabilities that could result in RCE and one security bypass flaw.

Rated important

MS16-149 resolves two holes in Windows, specifically a Windows crypto information disclosure flaw and a Windows installer elevation of privilege vulnerability.

MS16-150 addresses an elevation of privilege bug in Windows secure kernel mode due to mishandling objects in memory.

MS16-151 is to fix for two elevation of privilege vulnerabilities in Windows kernel mode drivers. One of the Win32k EoP flaws is due to Windows kernel mode driver failing to properly handle objects in memory; the other is due to Windows graphics component mangling objects in memory.

MS16-152 is a security update for Windows kernel as it improperly handles page fault system calls and could lead to information disclosure.

MS16-153 resolves an information disclosure bug in Windows by updating the common log file system driver.

MS16-155 is the fix for .NET framework; Microsoft noted that the information disclosure vulnerability has been publicly disclosed but is not being exploited.

MS16-143 was missing in action, considering the patches for November ended with MS16-142 and December began with MS16-144

Congratulations! You made it through another year of faithfully applying security updates to Windows. For the last time in 2016, I wish you happy patching!
IBM will hire 25,000 workers in the U.S. over the next four years, the company's CEO said Tuesday on the eve of a meeting between technology industry leaders and President-Elect Donald Trump. The pledge comes just over a month after Trump criticized IBM for moving some jobs out of the country, an allegation IBM denied.

Domestic job creation is likely to be a major topic at the meeting. Trump has called for U.S. corporations to keep jobs in the country and last month asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to build iPhones in the U.S.

Ginni Rometty, who is on Trump's business advisory team, made the promise in a commentary for USA Today and didnt say whether the hiring plans represented a change in strategy. She did say IBM would hire 6,000 out of the total number by the end of 2017. The company has thousands of open positions at any moment, she said.

IBM will also invest US$1 billion in training and development for U.S. employees over the next four years, she said. IBM was not immediately able to confirm whether the hiring or investment plans were new.

Tech investment pledges in the wake of Trumps election last month may not necessarily represent the boost in domestic spending that he has promised to deliver. Earlier this month, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, whose company owns Sprint, said he would create 50,000 jobs through a $50 billion investment in U.S. startups. But that money reportedly will come out of a previously announced $100 billion investment Softbank had set up with Saudi Arabia.

IBM had 377,757 employees worldwide at the end of last year and earned just over $13 billion in net income that year. The company sold its PC business to Chinas Lenovo in 2004 and its x86 server business to the same company in 2014.

Romettys article highlighted new collar jobs she said could be filled by people without advanced degrees. Those jobs, like cloud computing technicians and services delivery specialists, are being created as the economy is transformed by data science and cloud computing, and they're hard to fill, she said.

IBM supports new approaches to education to help fill such jobs in the future. It designed a new educational model with a six-year high school that combines traditional subjects with skills training from community colleges, mentoring and real-world job experience, Rometty said. A school on that model, Pathways in Technology Early College High School, or P-TECH, opened five years ago in Brooklyn.

Rometty also called for an update to the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act on federal support for vocational education, and for collaboration between companies, schools and government. We will not always agree, but progress in job creation will come from open discussion and engagement, she wrote.
Cyber incidents dominated headlines this year, from Russias hacking of Democrat emails to internet cameras and DVRs launching DDoS attacks, leaving the impression among many that nothing should be entrusted to the internet.

These incidents reveal technical flaws that can be addressed and failure to employ best practices that might have prevented some of them from happening.

+More on Network World: Gartner Top 10 technology trends you should know for 2017+

The most important lesson is that cybersecurity is a perpetual battle in which neither side gets the upper hand for long and that requires constant incident post-mortems to discover the next measures to keep data and communications safe.

Here is a look at seven such incidents and what lessons they afford.

DNC hack

The theft of emails from the Democratic National Committee not only revealed information that turned many away from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, it also showed that Russia was trying to influence the election in favor of Republican Donald Trump.

U.S. intelligence services say the hack was likely the work of Russian hackers with possible ties to top Kremlin officials, although the opinion is not unanimous. Trump disputes even that Russia was involved at all. President Barack Obama has called for a report on the incident before he leaves office next month, but its likely the true nature and impact of the breach wont be known for long after that, if ever.

The case points up the general difficulty of attributing attacks to particular actors with incontrovertible evidence. Researchers at security vendors have attributed this compromise to Russian groups Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear based on its tactics and methods, but that doesnt link it conclusively to the Russian government.

What the incident does show is that politically motivated attacks can be effective and can be carried out without leaving a smoking gun.

The attack exposes the influence foreign states can have over any countrys elections. More narrowly, candidates and their parties need to pay more attention to better network security if they hope to avoid this type of attack in the future, regardless of who the perpetrator is.

Dyn DDoS attack

This massive DDoS attack against major DNS service Dyn had more spectacular results than the perpetrators likely hoped for.

It was noteworthy for enlisting tens of thousands of internet of things (IoT) devices into a botnet that carried out much of the attack. Three waves of traffic hit Dyn Oct. 21, focusing on different Dyn data centers.

+More on Network World: +

The attack was made more potent because when Dyns servers became flooded, DNS requests went unanswered long enough so the requesting machines  legitimate ones and bots - sent follow-up requests, compounding the traffic flood.

Because Dyn served major customers - Amazon, Etsy, GitHub, Shopify, Twitter  addresses for traffic headed their way couldnt be resolved. Because these victims are so high-profile, it seemed to some that the internet was broken.

The lesson for enterprises is doubling or tripling up on their DNS providers so if one goes down, theres a backup. They should look at lowering the time-to-life settings on their DNS servers so when attacks like this do occur they can redirect traffic faster to the backup DNS providers.

Panama Papers

Thieves stole 2.6 TB of data from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonesca, making this a major breach based on the volume of stolen information alone. Add to the mix that the data included details about how 70 past and current world political figures hid income from revenue officials in offshore accounts and the importance is even bigger.

The prime minister of Iceland was forced to step down due to the scandal, while officials in the U.K., France, Austria, South Korea and Pakistan faced public outcry.

+More on Network World: Your robot doctor overlords will see you now+

The culprit is unknown, but researchers probing the law firms network found multiple applications and plugins that werent kept up to date and contained vulnerabilities. Network architects didnt employ least privilege for administrators, so hacking just one set of credentials would expose more systems than it might have if admins had access to the minimum number of systems needed to do their jobs.

Yahoo hack

When Yahoo announced Sept. 22 that half a billion of its accounts had been hacked, it was the largest ever hack of its kind. Then it came out that the actual compromise happened in 2014, elevating the incident into the realm of the incredible.

Beyond the uncountable effects of that many accounts being vulnerable for that long of a time, the breach threw the $4.8 billion sale of Yahoo to Verizon into turmoil. It still hasnt gone through, with speculation being that Verizon wants to trim $1 billion from the price because the hack affects Yahoos value.

The entire fiasco holds lessons for consumers: use strong, unique passwords for all accounts and change them regularly.

It also is an object lesson for businesses and other entities that might some day have to explain a breach  get out in front of the problem and be open with facts about how it happened and whats being done to fix it. Also  and this is difficult to specify - they should employ detection platforms that expose such breaches more quickly.

NSA Shadow Brokers leak

Shadow Brokers, a hacking group of uncertain membership, tried to sell what it described as hacking tools stolen from an equally mysterious organization called Equation Group.

The importance is that Equation Group may have links to the NSA and Shadow Brokers may have links to Russia. One theory goes that Russia exposed the alleged NSA tools as a way to embarrass the NSA and weaken whatever response the U.S. might initiate against Russia for its alleged hack of the Democrat National Committee.

The advertised sale of the tools may have been a ploy to give the story wider attention and so a greater impact against the NSA.

It turns out the tools work against specific devices made by specific vendors were years old, and the tools may have been lifted from a single NSA server on which careless operatives had left them.

The importance is that it seems a Russian group hacked an NSA server to capture cyber spy tools.

$65 million bitcoin hack

Bitfinex, the bitcon trading platform, was hacked for nearly 120,000 bitcoin Aug. 2, an attack that undermined the companys three-tiered and purportedly impregnable key-exchange architecture.

The hack was the third largest bitcoin heist, but Bitfinex is the largest platform for converting bitcoin to U.S. dollars so it resonated widely. Bitfinex spread the loss across all its customers accounts  36% of each accounts value.

Beyond that, the exchange was using a complex authentication that required two factors, one held by Bitfinex and one by its security partner BitGo. It was supposed to be highly secure. Compromising both companies would be required if thieves wanted to steal funds, the company said when it set up the scheme. BitGo says its system wasnt compromised.

The lesson is that even the most sophisticated bitcoin exchanges are still susceptible to hacks and individuals and organizations using them should take steps to minimize their exposure.

Ransomware v. healthcare

Dozens of ransomware incidents this year were carried out against health care institutions, revealing how easy and lucrative has become as a business as well as how low criminals will stoop when choosing victims.

Many healthcare providers who were hit didnt have backups or other means to recover quickly from the attacks and so they paid the ransom. More than one that paid was hit again by the same actor coming back for a second bite of the apple.

These incidents are likely to continue as long as its relatively simple to infect a victim and extort payment. Ransomware as a service is cropping up in the internet underworld, making it a threat to consumers as well as giant corporations.

The prevalence of these attacks should serve as warning that businesses in any field should have reliable, secure backups that can recover machines that have been encrypted by ransomware. And they should have systems that detect these infections early so they can be isolated to minimize the damage they do.
In today's competitive war for talent, employers are using substantial benefits packages to give them an edge when recruiting and retaining talent, according a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey report.

The report, which surveyed 738 randomly selected HR professionals, showed that 95 percent rated healthcare as one of the three most important benefits to employees; 71 percent say retirement savings and planning are top-rated employee benefits and 50 percent say leave is an important benefit.

And while 19 percent of respondents in all industries say they had altered their benefits programs to aid in employee retention over the last 12 month, that number increases to 25 percent when focused exclusively on the IT industry, according to the report.

[ Related story: How to improve your odds of landing great talent ]

High value

"Healthcare, retirement and leave benefits are all highly valued by employees, so bolstering these benefits could go a long way in recruiting new employees and retaining existing ones. These benefits often are rated on par or of even greater importance than compensation," says Evren Esen, director of data analytics, SHRM.

That could be because of the relative scarcity of raises; employees are looking at modest increases year-over-year, and might prefer a beefed-up benefits package instead, says Brian Kropp, HR practice leader at CEB.

"Many employees in the U.S. are expecting raises of 1 percent or 1.5 percent this year, which doesn't make much of a difference in terms of performance or retention. So, companies are doing two things: first, rethinking compensation structures like doing away with annual raises, introducing spot bonuses or even allowing workers to make choices about how they're compensated; whether through stock options or a bonus. Second, they are exploring different benefits packages. Many are increasing parental leave, for example, or adding more flexible work arrangements. The belief is that these benefits will have a bigger impact than small raises," Kropp says.

[ Related story: Do you need a digital brand manager? ]

Major investment

Benefits are an area in which employers make significant investments; often the value of a benefits package can add about 30 percent more value to an employee's compensation, Esen says. But that's something many workers don't understand as well as they should, and it's up to HR pros to help them understand the value of these offerings, she says.

"As the war for talent wages on, employers will need not only to ensure that they are strategically utilizing benefits to secure talent, but that employees understand the value of their benefits package," Esen says. According to the research, just 14 percent of HR professionals indicated that employees are "very knowledgeable" about employer-sponsored benefits; about two-thirds (69 percent) said employees are "somewhat knowledgeable." And just 27 percent of respondents indicated their focus was ensuring employees understood the value of their benefits package.

Healthcare is still one of the most common and popular offerings, but the rising cost of healthcare adds complexity for companies and for employees, says Esen. About three-quarters (74 percent) of companies have not considered providing subsidies to purchase health care insurance through a private exchange, according to the research. And 73 percent of organizations anticipated an increase in their company's total health care costs between the 2015 and 2016 plan years; one-third anticipated an increase of over 10 percent.

"Even with the affordable care act and the options for companies to shift responsibility to the private exchange or other areas, we didn't see a major push from companies to stop offering healthcare. These are really popular with employees, and it's also a way for companies to say, 'We care about our talent and we want to enhance your life and wellness and make sure you're healthy,'" she says.

Companies also are offering comprehensive wellness plans to help lower healthcare costs and improve engagement, according to the research. About three-fourths (74 percent) of organizations that had wellness initiatives in place say they were "somewhat" or "very effective" in improving overall engagement of employees, and almost half (48 percent) of respondents say their wellness initiatives decreased health care costs. Respondents also say the initiatives decreased unplanned absences (42 percent) and increased productivity (30 percent).

Flexible work is another standard benefit; according to the survey, 56 percent of employers offer the option to use flexible work arrangements and in technology that number rises to 76 percent of organizations who offer flexible work arrangements.

"The benefit that actually delivers the highest return in terms of improving employee engagement is giving employees the gift of time. For today's workforce, the most important thing is creating the most flexible working environment that you can in order to improve the work-life balance of employees. Focusing on this aspect will deliver a higher return than most other benefits offerings," says Kropp.

[ Related story: How recruiters are adapting to an evolving job market ]

Looking ahead

Where should organizations focus in 2017? It's less about offering specific benefits over and above the classics -- like healthcare, flexible work, retirement savings and planning and paid leave -- and more about tailoring your benefits plan to meet the unique needs of your workforce, says Laura Kerekes, chief knowledge officer at ThinkHR.

"You don't want it to become an arms race, but you do want to include interesting and voluntary benefits so that you are appealing to every aspect of your workforce. When you're thinking about this, look at the demographics of your workforce. We are seeing all kinds of thing like critical care and long-term care insurance for Boomers, identity theft insurance, pet insurance and student loan repayment benefits for millennials -- these make employees feel valued, and like the company cares about their overall well-being," says Kerekes.

Another major area of focus should be around professional and career development, says SHRM's Esen. When asked what's most important in terms of benefits over the next three to five years, survey respondents say career development will be a critical part of any comprehensive benefits strategy going forward.

"Companies are telling us these development programs are going to be just as important as leave benefits and flexible work arrangements. Employers realize they have to upskill and train their workforce to keep them engaged and motivated, and employees value these programs, too," she says.

When it comes to attracting and retaining talent, the available components of your benefits packages make a huge difference, says Kropp. It's well worth your while to make sure you have a robust set of benefits that will support your most valuable asset -- your people.

Related Video

This story, "How to tweak your benefits package to find and retain talent" was originally published by CIO .
For most businesses, IT has traditionally operated separately from the rest of the business -- employees knew to submit a ticket when something wasn't working, but for the most part, IT worked behind the scenes.

Now, technology is in the hands of every employee, which means IT can no longer control all the hardware, software and apps coming through the door. With more departments relying on technology, it will require more collaboration with IT to help find the best products and to educate workers on security risks.

But this demand for collaboration has also caused a shift in the skills employers value in IT workers. Businesses are looking to hire candidates with soft skills, who are "versatile and willing to collaborate with each other to solve problems as a team, rather than as individual experts," says Patric Palm, CEO and co-founder of Favro, a company that offers project management and collaboration tools.

[ Related story: Empower your employees by embracing shadow IT ]

"T-shaped" employees

The skills needed in IT change so frequently that businesses are more interested in finding qualified candidates with strong soft skills -- workers who can grow and adapt in a quickly changing landscape, says Palm. Qualified workers can always take a course or complete training in areas where they need more knowledge, but it's not as easy to teach someone how to be collaborative or to communicate effectively.

Palm says she's seen an increase in applicants that fit this "t-shaped personality," which means "an individual has a broad set of skills, but only a few areas where the skillset goes deep." T-shaped workers are the type of employees who are "agile and able to rapidly adapt to new changes," she says. They constantly adjust to new and uncharted territory, learn new skills as needed and stay up to date on emerging trends.

These types of employees will better understand that there isn't a "single solution for everything," says Topher Wren, senior vice president of enterprise technology at the telecommunications services provider, West Corporation. Instead, IT workers will need to be able to identify "a suite of preferred solutions so departments can choose based upon their application."

Communicating policies and procedures

It's not just IT workers who have to adjust to increasing collaboration. Every department needs to start recognizing IT as an integral part of the business, says Wren. Depending on how IT spending is divided up in the company, some departments outside have IT purchasing power, but that doesn't mean they're consulting with IT before making decisions.

"Leaders within departments will need to vet communication tools with their IT teams before adopting new technologies. Before embracing something new, it's important that IT can assess how the new tool will impact the organization's operations and security protocols," says Wren.

Oftentimes, department heads will go through the process of implementing new software, without consulting IT. Wren says that IT can not only help departments find the right tools, but also identify which ones work best with networks and systems already in place. Or, they might even know of a similar tool that is already in use and licensed by the company, which can save everyone money. But IT needs to instill a culture where employees know they should check in first before installing new apps.

"Though technology preferences and habits differ across departments, it's still important for IT to establish standard solutions and policies for all employees to use and abide by. And the team's job doesn't stop at implementation," says Wren.

[ Related story: As CMOs start to outspend CIOs, collaboration remains key ]

Opening the lines of communication

Wren says it's important for IT to build its relationship with the rest of the company -- especially with remote workers. The first step is to ensure everyone has an easy, simple way to get in touch with IT if they need help or advice -- whether it's an internal platform or a more popular service, like Slack. Departments can even establish a point person to work with IT to communicate their needs, but it's up to IT to make the first move.

"Employees must see IT as a partner to solving their challenges. To that end, IT leaders must be easily accessible to all employees," says Wren.

Opening communication is one of the best ways to get more insight into -- and to avoid -- "shadow IT," says Wren. Shadow IT might sound sinister, but it's usually something as simple as an employee innocently skirting an IT-approved app or service to use one that they like better. But, if employees are participating in shadow IT, it suggests that it's never been properly communicated to them that they should check in with IT first.

Palm says that it takes time to build this rapport between IT and employees, but there are steps to help make the transition easier. She suggests taking it one step at a time, to unify everyone under a common goal and then have management over-see cross-collaborative projects until everyone finds their groove.

"One mistake many businesses make is throwing employees in the water, so to speak, and hoping they will automatically self-organize. Especially with employees working across departments, this presents a lot of risk," says Palm.

Communicating cybersecurity threats

Collaboration is going to become especially important moving forward at concerns around cybersecurity increase around the globe. Employees are often the biggest security threat at any company, as demonstrated by shadow or rogue IT, so leaders need to figure out ways to educate workers on security protocol in the company, says Wren.

Technology is forcing IT to change and adapt to a business model that now relies on technology -- a growing number of workers can do their job with just a mobile device and a Wi-Fi connection. IT can no longer control every device or app that comes in the doors, so the last hope is to educate workers so that they understand the implications, and use best practices.

"Under this system, IT has the authority to set policy but also the obligation to authorize users and manage conduct. In turn, users have the obligation to adhere to policy and conduct interactions responsibly," says Wren.

Related Video

This story, "Businesses looking to hire candidates willing to collaborate" was originally published by CIO .
Motive for burly man's assault remains a mystery

A BURLY man who smashed a defenceless woman to the ground on a Newbury pub dance floor was told he will not be punished.

The tall attacker gave no explanation for his brutal onslaught and his motive remains a mystery.

But after the court case one witness expressed astonishment at the sentence imposed on 39-year-old Sarapata Wojciech of Redfield Court, Newbury.

Zainab Mohamed, prosecuting at Reading Magistrates Court on Thursday, December 1, said victim Tanya Silva had been enjoying a night out with friends at the Canal Bar in Market Place and began dancing with a woman friend.

Mr Wojciech appeared to want to stop the women dancing together, the court heard, and tried to pull Miss Silva away.

Ms Mohamed said: He returned a couple of minutes later to find them still dancing.

He hit Miss Silva with a clenched fist to the side of the head.

Her head snapped back from the punch, the court heard, before another devastating blow to the face sent her crashing to the floor.

Ms Mohamed said the victim curled into a ball to protect herself, pleading where has this come from? as doormen dragged her attacker away to be arrested.

She added: The aggrieved does not know this man and does not know what she has done to provoke such an attack.

Handing magistrates photos of Miss Silvas injuries, she said: The police pointed out the injury to her head... you can assess [from the images] the amount of force the defendant has used.

In interview, Wojciech replied no comment to all questions, the court heard.

He admitted one charge of assault by beating, committed on Friday night, October 28.

In court, he was asked through an interpreter, whether he had anything he wished to say.

Looking straight ahead, he replied: Nothing.

When pressed by magistrates, he added it should not have happened  although he did not specify to what he was referring.

Magistrates ordered Mr Wojciech to pay Miss Silva 250 compensation.

They also ordered him to pay 85 costs plus a statutory victim services surcharge of 20.

But they imposed a six-month conditional discharge and explained that this meant he was not being punished for the offence before the court that day.

Instead, they told him, the offence would be taken into consideration should he re-offend within six months.

One man who witnessed the incident, who asked not be named, said after the sentencing: It was absolutely brutal, what he did.

No one could quite believe it happened.

Everyone was enjoying themselves and suddenly this huge bloke just punched this poor woman right in the face, twice.

The door staff were very efficient and took him out straight away.

I cant see hes got much of a punishment, if at all.
Swathi Nair By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Mythology doesn't excite me", declared Padma Shri Astad Deboo as he sat across a hall that is decked with paintings showcasing human interaction. Astad then added how he would love to wear "the kathakali make up and do an abstract from Othello" someday. Imagination took flight and transcended into mudras with Astad.

In a chat that went from discussing the conventions of comtemporary Indian dance to Astad breaking into an impromptu theatrical performance depicting a portrait coming to life, the artist talked about his first solo 'Eternal Embrace' in over 10 years in Bengaluru. The piece was commissioned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met, New York), and premiered in New York in 2015.

The pioneer of contemporary Indian dance, collaborated with New York-based Japanese musician Yukio Tsuji for the performance. The piece is inspired by 'Maati', a poem by Sufi poet Hazrat Bulleh Shah explores. The Met museum in a blog describes his performance as one that explores the tensions between annihilation and infinity, the ephemeral and the material worlds. Yukio's musical accompaniment on zither, shakuhachi flute, and percussion is an original work of his, composed specifically for the performance. "The New York show was a 46-minute performance.

The one I am doing here will be a 60-minute solo. The music too will be different," explains Astad. The decision to change the musical composition for the piece was solely Yukio's. "I called up Yukio, informing about performing the piece in India. I was like let's do it again. Same setting? He was like 'No'! We need new music," narrates Astad. As an artist, one gets bored of a composition pretty soon, he adds. Astad describes his new performance as a meditative one that involves a sense of stillness that breaks into a war later and has bits of joy and playfulness.

"I take the audience along with me on this journey on a motorbike," he says. Talking about the evolution of contemporary Indian dance, Astad laments how millennials have failed to contribute to its evolution and hopes for "better institution" to take the dance form forward. With a career spanning almost 50 years, Astad has performed in 70 countries, collaborated with Pink Floyd and worked with the Government of India to celebrate the coronation of the King of Bhutan.

For the last two decades, he has worked extensively with disabled artists, and opened the 25th Deaf Olympics Cultural Festival with his Deaf Group'. Ask him about his collaboration with Pink Floyd and he chuckles. "That was 1969, in London.

You weren't even born then," he laughs. He then narrates the tale of how he left India with a backpack and met a girl, who was hitchhiking with him then. "I worked with her and in one of the performances Winston Churchill's daughter took note of my work and asked me if I'll be willing to stage a performance for a charity concert with Pink Flyod. It was an impromptu performance. They played and I danced," he recalls.

BENGALURU: Mythology doesn't excite me", declared Padma Shri Astad Deboo as he sat across a hall that is decked with paintings showcasing human interaction. Astad then added how he would love to wear "the kathakali make up and do an abstract from Othello" someday. Imagination took flight and transcended into mudras with Astad. In a chat that went from discussing the conventions of comtemporary Indian dance to Astad breaking into an impromptu theatrical performance depicting a portrait coming to life, the artist talked about his first solo 'Eternal Embrace' in over 10 years in Bengaluru. The piece was commissioned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met, New York), and premiered in New York in 2015. The pioneer of contemporary Indian dance, collaborated with New York-based Japanese musician Yukio Tsuji for the performance. The piece is inspired by 'Maati', a poem by Sufi poet Hazrat Bulleh Shah explores. The Met museum in a blog describes his performance as one that explores the tensions between annihilation and infinity, the ephemeral and the material worlds. Yukio's musical accompaniment on zither, shakuhachi flute, and percussion is an original work of his, composed specifically for the performance. "The New York show was a 46-minute performance. The one I am doing here will be a 60-minute solo. The music too will be different," explains Astad. The decision to change the musical composition for the piece was solely Yukio's. "I called up Yukio, informing about performing the piece in India. I was like let's do it again. Same setting? He was like 'No'! We need new music," narrates Astad. As an artist, one gets bored of a composition pretty soon, he adds. Astad describes his new performance as a meditative one that involves a sense of stillness that breaks into a war later and has bits of joy and playfulness. "I take the audience along with me on this journey on a motorbike," he says. Talking about the evolution of contemporary Indian dance, Astad laments how millennials have failed to contribute to its evolution and hopes for "better institution" to take the dance form forward. With a career spanning almost 50 years, Astad has performed in 70 countries, collaborated with Pink Floyd and worked with the Government of India to celebrate the coronation of the King of Bhutan. For the last two decades, he has worked extensively with disabled artists, and opened the 25th Deaf Olympics Cultural Festival with his Deaf Group'. Ask him about his collaboration with Pink Floyd and he chuckles. "That was 1969, in London. You weren't even born then," he laughs. He then narrates the tale of how he left India with a backpack and met a girl, who was hitchhiking with him then. "I worked with her and in one of the performances Winston Churchill's daughter took note of my work and asked me if I'll be willing to stage a performance for a charity concert with Pink Flyod. It was an impromptu performance. They played and I danced," he recalls.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Karnataka Administrative Service officer Bheema Nayak has confessed that he helped former minister Janardhan Reddy convert demonetised currency ahead of his daughters wedding, said highly placed sources in the Criminal Investigation Department. The suspended KAS officer is currently in CID custody.

Sources said the officer, however, claimed that it was not Rs 100 crore as alleged in the suicide note by Ramesh. Nayaks driver Ramesh had committed suicide on December 6 and left behind a note accusing him of helping Reddy convert the money.

During interrogation by CID, Nayak said there was a dispute between Ramesh and him over financial issues. But he did not threaten to kill him. Based on the information given by Nayak, CID will question bank officials who helped him in converting old cash. However, Nayak told CID that he had a gang of men who helped him covert the black money and after the conversion they would transfer it to the accounts of his close associates. And later, he would collect the cash from those accounts, sources said.

Once we get enough evidences we will question Janaradhan Reddy, Sriramulu and builders, businessmen, his family and relatives. Nayak was in constant touch with people who are mentioned in the suicide note, a senior officer said.

BENGALURU: Karnataka Administrative Service officer Bheema Nayak has confessed that he helped former minister Janardhan Reddy convert demonetised currency ahead of his daughters wedding, said highly placed sources in the Criminal Investigation Department. The suspended KAS officer is currently in CID custody. Sources said the officer, however, claimed that it was not Rs 100 crore as alleged in the suicide note by Ramesh. Nayaks driver Ramesh had committed suicide on December 6 and left behind a note accusing him of helping Reddy convert the money. During interrogation by CID, Nayak said there was a dispute between Ramesh and him over financial issues. But he did not threaten to kill him. Based on the information given by Nayak, CID will question bank officials who helped him in converting old cash. However, Nayak told CID that he had a gang of men who helped him covert the black money and after the conversion they would transfer it to the accounts of his close associates. And later, he would collect the cash from those accounts, sources said. Once we get enough evidences we will question Janaradhan Reddy, Sriramulu and builders, businessmen, his family and relatives. Nayak was in constant touch with people who are mentioned in the suicide note, a senior officer said.
By ANI

NEW DELHI: Following a tip off, a joint action of the Income Tax and the Delhi Crime Branch was conducted in a hotel in Karol Bagh here, upon which the massive amount of Rs. 3.25 crores was recovered in old notes. Soon after the seizure, five were detained in the IT Department & Crime Branch's joint operation from the hotel.

Upon interrogation it was found that the money belongs to some Bombay based hawala operators, who have hired packaging specialists who pack these notes in such a manner that it was even undetectable by airport scanning machines.

These experts in packaging use a particular type of tape and wires which passes through X-ray also without being detected.

Meanwhile, the I-T Department has seized the cash and is analyzing the mobile details which allegedly contain details of lot of other hawala operators.

The Hotel Taksh Inn was raided on upon the search of Room No. 202 and 206, five persons were caught.



Ansari Abuzar, Fazal khan, Ansari Affan from Mumbai, Ladu Ram from Rajasthan and Mahaveer Singh from Jodhpur were held.

The recovered amount was kept in different suitcases and a card board box and upon counting the amount, the total amount came up to Rs. 3.25 crores in demonetised currency notes.

This recent raid comes in the wake of yet another raid carried out in the national capital, where in a joint raid conducted by the Income Tax Department and the Delhi Police, Rs. 10 crores was recovered from a law firm in Greater Kailash area.

Acting on a tip-off, the police recovered Rs. 2.5 crore in new currency notes and the balance Rs.7.5 crores in old currency notes from the T&T law firm owned by Rohit Tondon late on Saturday night.

"We received information which we shared with the Income Tax department and jointly raided this place. Till now, we have seized around Rs. 10 crore rupees out of which Rs. 2.5 crore are new currencies and Rs. 7.5 crores in old currency," Assistant Commissioner of Police, Inter-State Cell Sanjay Sehrawat told media.

The police said the currencies were kept in various bags and stored in a cupboard in a separate room.

Following the massive raids on the premises of three Chennai-based businessmen, the Income Tax Department last Saturday confirmed seizing Rs 24 crores in new currency notes in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.

The latest haul is the highest number in cash recovery that has been retrieved so far in the form of new currency.

During an investigation, the I-T department found out that some cash was hidden in a car in Vellore, upon which it was discovered that all currency was in the form of Rs 2,000 notes in 12 boxes of Rs 2 crore each.

Upon interrogation of those detained in Chennai, a breakthrough was made in the recovery of this cash wherein the I-T sleuths laid a trap for the person transporting Rs 24 crores in Vellore and subsequently seized the currency. Interrogation is currently underway of those who were detained in Chennai which could lead to further recoveries.

Following demonetisation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had carried out massive raids in 50 branches of 10 banks across the nation in an attempt to keep a tab on those account holders, who deposited huge amounts at one time.

According to sources, the ED also received a strong tip off that several account holders post demonetisation deposited money and changed their black money into white through banks nationwide.

The officials also turned their attention on those accounts that have suspicious transaction post demonetisation and shining bright on their radar are those banks and branches, where maximum amount of cash in old currency has been deposited.

NEW DELHI: Following a tip off, a joint action of the Income Tax and the Delhi Crime Branch was conducted in a hotel in Karol Bagh here, upon which the massive amount of Rs. 3.25 crores was recovered in old notes. Soon after the seizure, five were detained in the IT Department & Crime Branch's joint operation from the hotel. Upon interrogation it was found that the money belongs to some Bombay based hawala operators, who have hired packaging specialists who pack these notes in such a manner that it was even undetectable by airport scanning machines. These experts in packaging use a particular type of tape and wires which passes through X-ray also without being detected. Meanwhile, the I-T Department has seized the cash and is analyzing the mobile details which allegedly contain details of lot of other hawala operators. The Hotel Taksh Inn was raided on upon the search of Room No. 202 and 206, five persons were caught. Ansari Abuzar, Fazal khan, Ansari Affan from Mumbai, Ladu Ram from Rajasthan and Mahaveer Singh from Jodhpur were held. The recovered amount was kept in different suitcases and a card board box and upon counting the amount, the total amount came up to Rs. 3.25 crores in demonetised currency notes. This recent raid comes in the wake of yet another raid carried out in the national capital, where in a joint raid conducted by the Income Tax Department and the Delhi Police, Rs. 10 crores was recovered from a law firm in Greater Kailash area. Acting on a tip-off, the police recovered Rs. 2.5 crore in new currency notes and the balance Rs.7.5 crores in old currency notes from the T&T law firm owned by Rohit Tondon late on Saturday night. "We received information which we shared with the Income Tax department and jointly raided this place. Till now, we have seized around Rs. 10 crore rupees out of which Rs. 2.5 crore are new currencies and Rs. 7.5 crores in old currency," Assistant Commissioner of Police, Inter-State Cell Sanjay Sehrawat told media. The police said the currencies were kept in various bags and stored in a cupboard in a separate room. Following the massive raids on the premises of three Chennai-based businessmen, the Income Tax Department last Saturday confirmed seizing Rs 24 crores in new currency notes in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. The latest haul is the highest number in cash recovery that has been retrieved so far in the form of new currency. During an investigation, the I-T department found out that some cash was hidden in a car in Vellore, upon which it was discovered that all currency was in the form of Rs 2,000 notes in 12 boxes of Rs 2 crore each. Upon interrogation of those detained in Chennai, a breakthrough was made in the recovery of this cash wherein the I-T sleuths laid a trap for the person transporting Rs 24 crores in Vellore and subsequently seized the currency. Interrogation is currently underway of those who were detained in Chennai which could lead to further recoveries. Following demonetisation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had carried out massive raids in 50 branches of 10 banks across the nation in an attempt to keep a tab on those account holders, who deposited huge amounts at one time. According to sources, the ED also received a strong tip off that several account holders post demonetisation deposited money and changed their black money into white through banks nationwide. The officials also turned their attention on those accounts that have suspicious transaction post demonetisation and shining bright on their radar are those banks and branches, where maximum amount of cash in old currency has been deposited.
A Sharadhaa By

Express News Service

Sruthi Hariharan has a varied repertoire. The actress has worked with different directors and on diverse subjects.

While she stays rooted in Sandalwood, Sruthi does not miss any opportunity to work in other languages, especially if it gives her a chance to work with a good director.

Sruthi Hariharan



The actress, who recently completed shoot for Uppi Matte Hutti Ba-Inti Prema, had a wonderful 2016 with plenty of projects. Her 2017 looks equally exciting.



While she is to play opposite Darshan in Prakash Jayarams directorial, set to go on floors from Febuary, Sruthi is upbeat about her Tamil film with Rajiv Menon. In it, she will be playing the lead opposite GV Prakash. This yet-to-be titled film, she says, will go on floors from January.



My last film in Tamil was with Arjun Sarja, she says, It was a bilingual in Kannada and Tamil and was shot in the beginning of last year.



The actor admits that the Tamil film industry was hard to get a break into, despite her fluency in the language.

I have been busy with projects in Kannada, but its not been as easy in Kollywood, she says.

I have been part of a Balaji Sakthivel film, which is taking its own time, and we have to go with the flow.



Meanwhile Rajiv Menons project is something I am looking forward to. He was one director in my wish list. I am a huge fan of his films, Kandukondain Kandukondain and Minsara Kanavu, which I have grown up watching. Forget working with him, I would be excited even if I am with him on the sets.

Sruthi is also excited about working with GV Prakash.



We know the kind of stories GV Prakash gravitates to, the combination of the director and actor will be

riveting. It is a commercial film and will be made in sync sound, another interesting challenge for me, she says.

Sruthi Hariharan has a varied repertoire. The actress has worked with different directors and on diverse subjects. While she stays rooted in Sandalwood, Sruthi does not miss any opportunity to work in other languages, especially if it gives her a chance to work with a good director. Sruthi Hariharan The actress, who recently completed shoot for Uppi Matte Hutti Ba-Inti Prema, had a wonderful 2016 with plenty of projects. Her 2017 looks equally exciting. While she is to play opposite Darshan in Prakash Jayarams directorial, set to go on floors from Febuary, Sruthi is upbeat about her Tamil film with Rajiv Menon. In it, she will be playing the lead opposite GV Prakash. This yet-to-be titled film, she says, will go on floors from January. My last film in Tamil was with Arjun Sarja, she says, It was a bilingual in Kannada and Tamil and was shot in the beginning of last year. The actor admits that the Tamil film industry was hard to get a break into, despite her fluency in the language. I have been busy with projects in Kannada, but its not been as easy in Kollywood, she says. I have been part of a Balaji Sakthivel film, which is taking its own time, and we have to go with the flow. Meanwhile Rajiv Menons project is something I am looking forward to. He was one director in my wish list. I am a huge fan of his films, Kandukondain Kandukondain and Minsara Kanavu, which I have grown up watching. Forget working with him, I would be excited even if I am with him on the sets. Sruthi is also excited about working with GV Prakash. We know the kind of stories GV Prakash gravitates to, the combination of the director and actor will be riveting. It is a commercial film and will be made in sync sound, another interesting challenge for me, she says.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved revised Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Nigeria that will give both the countries all the rights for the promotion and commercially utilizing air services.

According to a official press statement issued after the Cabinet meeting, both the countries have agreed to operate any number of all cargo services between each other's territory with any type of aircraft with full 3rd, 4th and 5th freedom traffic rights, which means that both the countries would have complete freedom to fly in each other countries. The 5th freedom gives right to fly between two foreign countries on a flight originating or ending in one's own country.

The earlier agreement was signed between the two countries on January 31, 1978. The updation of the agreement is as per latest International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) template keeping in view of latest developments in civil aviation sector and with an objective to improve the air connectivity between the two countries, an official statement said.

The Cabinet also approved replacement of Major Port Trusts Act, 1963 with the Major Port Trust Authorities Bill, 2016. This will empower the major ports to perform with greater efficiency on account of full autonomy in decision making and by modernizing the Institutional structure of major ports, the statement said.

The Bill is aimed at reorienting the governance model in central ports to landlord port model in line with the successful global practice. This will also help in bringing transparency in operations of major ports, the government said in a statement.

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved revised Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Nigeria that will give both the countries all the rights for the promotion and commercially utilizing air services. According to a official press statement issued after the Cabinet meeting, both the countries have agreed to operate any number of all cargo services between each other's territory with any type of aircraft with full 3rd, 4th and 5th freedom traffic rights, which means that both the countries would have complete freedom to fly in each other countries. The 5th freedom gives right to fly between two foreign countries on a flight originating or ending in one's own country. The earlier agreement was signed between the two countries on January 31, 1978. The updation of the agreement is as per latest International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) template keeping in view of latest developments in civil aviation sector and with an objective to improve the air connectivity between the two countries, an official statement said. The Cabinet also approved replacement of Major Port Trusts Act, 1963 with the Major Port Trust Authorities Bill, 2016. This will empower the major ports to perform with greater efficiency on account of full autonomy in decision making and by modernizing the Institutional structure of major ports, the statement said. The Bill is aimed at reorienting the governance model in central ports to landlord port model in line with the successful global practice. This will also help in bringing transparency in operations of major ports, the government said in a statement.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: Admitting that excessive force was used to deal with the situation during five months of unrest in the Valley, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday told police to differentiate between militants and their families and asked the cops not to use pellet guns.

People of Kashmir suffered during the five months of unrest. There were lot of casualties and hundreds of civilians and security men were injured, Mehbooba said while addressing the passing-out parade of police at Commando Training Centre, Awantipora in South Kashmirs Pulwama district.

She admitted that during the unrest, the government had to use excessive force to deal with the situation and maintain law and order.

I have no hesitation in telling the truth that we had to use excessive force to secure life and property of people of J&K. Had we not used the force, there would have been more casualties and injuries, the CM said.

At least 94 people were killed, more than 13000 including over 5000 security men injured and over 8000 people arrested in Valley during five months of unrest triggered by killing of 21-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8.

Mehbooba said now that situation is improving, it is time to heal the wounds of people. We have to change our approach and keep focus on the youth.

She said police needs to change the strategy and approach while dealing with the law and order situation as the situation has improved in Valley. We need to heal the wounds of the people, who suffered during last five months.

The CM asked police to differentiate between militants and their families and a regular stone-pelter and his family members.

All youth can't be seen with suspicious eyes. We cant look at everybody with the same prism, she said and urged police to help the State government in normalising the situation.

Police, she said, needs to reach out to elderly, youth and the injured and differentiate between the general masses and the disruptive elements besides undertaking community policing.

Mehboobas statement comes after her government cleared ex-gratia relief for the family of slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani over killing of his elder brother Khalid Muzaffar in security forces firing in April last year.

Asserting that there is no other option than reconciliation, Mehbooba said, Time has come to take some bold reconciliatory decisions to get J&K people much needed healing and relief which they have been craving for too long.

I am of strong belief that there is no way forward except reconciliation, dialogue, discourse and minimizing the differences between regions and people, she said.

Maintaining that Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and PSA are temporary, Mehbooba said, We had army and security forces in the State before as well, but when militancy erupted, AFSPA had to be imposed. I want police and public to help the State government in creating an atmosphere, where a time will come when AFPSA is gradually revoked and PSA used only against criminals, drug addicts and timber smugglers and not against 80-year-old persons or youth.

Police should help the State government in normalising the situation so that they don't have to book elderly persons and youth under PSA, she said.

On use of pellet guns, Mehbooba said she wants there should be no use of gun or pellet gun.

She said security personnel should avoid using the pellet gun against protestors. They should exercise restraint from using the pellet guns till some alternative is found.

Mehbooba again praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his initiatives to normalize ties with Pakistan and demonetisation.

PM took the bold decision of visiting Lahore to minimize the differences, she said and expressed hope that PM would again take such bold decisions to get the people of the State out of the quagmire of present times.

We have to pick up the threads from where Atal Bihari Vajpayee left during his tenure as Prime Minister which ensured not only a decade long peace on borders but also opened minds and channels of communication on the two sides of the divide, she added.

SRINAGAR: Admitting that excessive force was used to deal with the situation during five months of unrest in the Valley, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday told police to differentiate between militants and their families and asked the cops not to use pellet guns. People of Kashmir suffered during the five months of unrest. There were lot of casualties and hundreds of civilians and security men were injured, Mehbooba said while addressing the passing-out parade of police at Commando Training Centre, Awantipora in South Kashmirs Pulwama district. She admitted that during the unrest, the government had to use excessive force to deal with the situation and maintain law and order. I have no hesitation in telling the truth that we had to use excessive force to secure life and property of people of J&K. Had we not used the force, there would have been more casualties and injuries, the CM said. At least 94 people were killed, more than 13000 including over 5000 security men injured and over 8000 people arrested in Valley during five months of unrest triggered by killing of 21-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8. Mehbooba said now that situation is improving, it is time to heal the wounds of people. We have to change our approach and keep focus on the youth. She said police needs to change the strategy and approach while dealing with the law and order situation as the situation has improved in Valley. We need to heal the wounds of the people, who suffered during last five months. The CM asked police to differentiate between militants and their families and a regular stone-pelter and his family members. All youth can't be seen with suspicious eyes. We cant look at everybody with the same prism, she said and urged police to help the State government in normalising the situation. Police, she said, needs to reach out to elderly, youth and the injured and differentiate between the general masses and the disruptive elements besides undertaking community policing. Mehboobas statement comes after her government cleared ex-gratia relief for the family of slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani over killing of his elder brother Khalid Muzaffar in security forces firing in April last year. Asserting that there is no other option than reconciliation, Mehbooba said, Time has come to take some bold reconciliatory decisions to get J&K people much needed healing and relief which they have been craving for too long. I am of strong belief that there is no way forward except reconciliation, dialogue, discourse and minimizing the differences between regions and people, she said. Maintaining that Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and PSA are temporary, Mehbooba said, We had army and security forces in the State before as well, but when militancy erupted, AFSPA had to be imposed. I want police and public to help the State government in creating an atmosphere, where a time will come when AFPSA is gradually revoked and PSA used only against criminals, drug addicts and timber smugglers and not against 80-year-old persons or youth. Police should help the State government in normalising the situation so that they don't have to book elderly persons and youth under PSA, she said. On use of pellet guns, Mehbooba said she wants there should be no use of gun or pellet gun. She said security personnel should avoid using the pellet gun against protestors. They should exercise restraint from using the pellet guns till some alternative is found. Mehbooba again praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his initiatives to normalize ties with Pakistan and demonetisation. PM took the bold decision of visiting Lahore to minimize the differences, she said and expressed hope that PM would again take such bold decisions to get the people of the State out of the quagmire of present times. We have to pick up the threads from where Atal Bihari Vajpayee left during his tenure as Prime Minister which ensured not only a decade long peace on borders but also opened minds and channels of communication on the two sides of the divide, she added.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: Former Jharkhand minister Harinarayan Rai was on Wednesday sentenced to five years in jail by a special CBI court in a disproportionate assets case. His wife and brother also each got five years in jail in the same case.

Rai, who was a minister from 2005 to 2009 in three governments led by BJPs Arjun Munda, independent Madhu Koda and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren despite having been an independent

MLA, was convicted of amassing wealth of around Rs 1.5 crore more than his known sources of income. In 2006, Rai had played a crucial role in toppling the BJP government led by Arjun Munda and then facilitating formation of the government led by Madhu Koda, who was an independent MLA.

CBI special court judge BK Tiwari also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on Rai, his wife Sushila Devi and his brother Sanjay Rai. The three convicts were taken back to Birsa Munda Central Jail in Jharkhand capital Ranchi soon after the sentence was pronounced.

When the defence lawyer tried to lessen the jail term of Sushila Devi, the judge said that one of the vows a woman makes during her wedding says that she must prevent her husband from committing unfair and wrong acts, said court sources. In this case, the wife of the convict wilfully collaborated in his acts of wrong, the judge was quoted to have said.

When Rai was a minister, a case of corruption and disproportionate asset was lodged against him at a vigilance court and a case was then registered by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) under the courts

direction in 2009. Rai, who absconded for months, surrendered before the court on August 17, 2009. Jharkhand High Court handed investigation of

the case against him to CBI in 2010. CBI had attached his properties in 2012.

In another unrelated incident, Saryu Rai, Jharkhands minister for parliamentary affairs, food and civil supply, was on Wednesday acquitted by a local court in a case of poll code violation.

PATNA: Former Jharkhand minister Harinarayan Rai was on Wednesday sentenced to five years in jail by a special CBI court in a disproportionate assets case. His wife and brother also each got five years in jail in the same case. Rai, who was a minister from 2005 to 2009 in three governments led by BJPs Arjun Munda, independent Madhu Koda and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren despite having been an independent MLA, was convicted of amassing wealth of around Rs 1.5 crore more than his known sources of income. In 2006, Rai had played a crucial role in toppling the BJP government led by Arjun Munda and then facilitating formation of the government led by Madhu Koda, who was an independent MLA. CBI special court judge BK Tiwari also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on Rai, his wife Sushila Devi and his brother Sanjay Rai. The three convicts were taken back to Birsa Munda Central Jail in Jharkhand capital Ranchi soon after the sentence was pronounced. When the defence lawyer tried to lessen the jail term of Sushila Devi, the judge said that one of the vows a woman makes during her wedding says that she must prevent her husband from committing unfair and wrong acts, said court sources. In this case, the wife of the convict wilfully collaborated in his acts of wrong, the judge was quoted to have said. When Rai was a minister, a case of corruption and disproportionate asset was lodged against him at a vigilance court and a case was then registered by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) under the courts direction in 2009. Rai, who absconded for months, surrendered before the court on August 17, 2009. Jharkhand High Court handed investigation of the case against him to CBI in 2010. CBI had attached his properties in 2012. In another unrelated incident, Saryu Rai, Jharkhands minister for parliamentary affairs, food and civil supply, was on Wednesday acquitted by a local court in a case of poll code violation.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: A 12-year-old girl left those manning the Inspector General office at Varanasi on Wednesday morning in a state of shock when she came with an application seeking euthanasia. Not sure what to do when the cops on duty took her to the IG, SK Bhagat, where she remained adamant on her demand.

Does she know what is she asking for? When asked, the girl - Anushka from Chanduali district, 30 km from Varanasi - told IG Bhagat that either justice should be done to her or she should be allowed to end her life.

Narrating her woes to the police, Anushka accused her maternal uncle of 'selling' her mother and lodging a false dowry harassment case against her father after which he was in jail for the last one year. She also charged the local Chanduali police with apathy and supine attitude towards her repeated pleas, seeking justice for her family and protection from her uncle.

Taking note of her application the ordered Chandauli police chief Deepika Tiwari to probe into the matter.

Anushka told cops that her father, Om Prakash Pandey, of Barthara Khurd village in Chandauli, married her mother Gudia 13 years ago.

The couple had two daughters and a son with Anushka being the eldest. According to Anushka, last year on November 15 her maternal uncle Chandrashekhar Tiwari of Pipari came and took her mother Gudia along with him.

Anushka said that her mother had promised to return the same evening after meeting her ailing maternal grandmother, but she did not.

As Om Prakash approached Tiwari to send Gudia back, he lodged an FIR against the former accusing him of harassing Gudia for dowry.

Even after repeated efforts by her father and other family members, Anushkas mother did not return home. On December 15, 2015, acting on Tiwaris FIR, Chanduali police arrested Om Prakash who is in jail since then.

Now, the three children, including Anushka, are left alone with their aged grandparents. According to the girl, her grandparents were barely managing the to meet their daily needs and their studies had been stopped due to lack of money.

Moreover, the family has a suspicion that Tiwari had sold Gudia to someone and was now having an eye on Anushka and her sister also.

Taking a serious note of her application, IG Bhagat asked Anushka to go to Chandauli to meet the district police chief. He said that SP Chandauli had been directed to probe the matter personally and give report to him at earliest.

Bhagat assured that necessary action would be initiated immediately after getting the investigation report to ensure justice to the girl and her family.

LUCKNOW: A 12-year-old girl left those manning the Inspector General office at Varanasi on Wednesday morning in a state of shock when she came with an application seeking euthanasia. Not sure what to do when the cops on duty took her to the IG, SK Bhagat, where she remained adamant on her demand. Does she know what is she asking for? When asked, the girl - Anushka from Chanduali district, 30 km from Varanasi - told IG Bhagat that either justice should be done to her or she should be allowed to end her life. Narrating her woes to the police, Anushka accused her maternal uncle of 'selling' her mother and lodging a false dowry harassment case against her father after which he was in jail for the last one year. She also charged the local Chanduali police with apathy and supine attitude towards her repeated pleas, seeking justice for her family and protection from her uncle. Taking note of her application the ordered Chandauli police chief Deepika Tiwari to probe into the matter. Anushka told cops that her father, Om Prakash Pandey, of Barthara Khurd village in Chandauli, married her mother Gudia 13 years ago. The couple had two daughters and a son with Anushka being the eldest. According to Anushka, last year on November 15 her maternal uncle Chandrashekhar Tiwari of Pipari came and took her mother Gudia along with him. Anushka said that her mother had promised to return the same evening after meeting her ailing maternal grandmother, but she did not. As Om Prakash approached Tiwari to send Gudia back, he lodged an FIR against the former accusing him of harassing Gudia for dowry. Even after repeated efforts by her father and other family members, Anushkas mother did not return home. On December 15, 2015, acting on Tiwaris FIR, Chanduali police arrested Om Prakash who is in jail since then. Now, the three children, including Anushka, are left alone with their aged grandparents. According to the girl, her grandparents were barely managing the to meet their daily needs and their studies had been stopped due to lack of money. Moreover, the family has a suspicion that Tiwari had sold Gudia to someone and was now having an eye on Anushka and her sister also. Taking a serious note of her application, IG Bhagat asked Anushka to go to Chandauli to meet the district police chief. He said that SP Chandauli had been directed to probe the matter personally and give report to him at earliest. Bhagat assured that necessary action would be initiated immediately after getting the investigation report to ensure justice to the girl and her family.
By ANI

NEW DELHI: With the government urging the opposition to hold a debate in both houses of parliament, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday sought to know why the government has been wasting the last 16 days.



We are witnessing for the first time a government acting as a roadblock in the functioning of parliament. I would like to ask this question to this government that please remove your mask. We have been demanding a debate since day one, and if they are ready now, then why did they waste the last 16 days of parliament, Scindia told ANI.



As far as debate is concerned, he said, we had asked the government on Thursday to commence a debate at 11 a.m. by removing any rule, but they did neither start a debate on Thursday nor on Friday. We are witnessing for the first time that a government is acting as a roadblock in the functioning of parliament; and we are witnessing a government that got both houses adjourned, then why the governments lieutenants are now asking for a debate?



They should come before the public clean. We are saying it for the last 18 days that there should be a debate, but they are shying away from voting, debating, and saying it outside parliament that they are not getting an opportunity to debate inside the House, said Scindia.



Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself was not available in the House during the session, the Congress leader said, He (PM) came only on Wednesday for the Question Hour and left the house after five minutes. Until the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister hear parliamentarians in the house and answer to their questions, can we say that a debate?



Parliament will meet today after a four-day break. However, there is no sign of resolution of the impasse between government and the opposition on the issue of demonetisation.



Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday reiterated that the government is ready for a debate on the issue, asking the Congress to rise above slogans and see advantage of the decision.



Meanwhile, the BJP and the Congress have cracked whips on their MPs in both the Houses asking them to be present in Parliament for the next three days.

NEW DELHI: With the government urging the opposition to hold a debate in both houses of parliament, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday sought to know why the government has been wasting the last 16 days. We are witnessing for the first time a government acting as a roadblock in the functioning of parliament. I would like to ask this question to this government that please remove your mask. We have been demanding a debate since day one, and if they are ready now, then why did they waste the last 16 days of parliament, Scindia told ANI. As far as debate is concerned, he said, we had asked the government on Thursday to commence a debate at 11 a.m. by removing any rule, but they did neither start a debate on Thursday nor on Friday. We are witnessing for the first time that a government is acting as a roadblock in the functioning of parliament; and we are witnessing a government that got both houses adjourned, then why the governments lieutenants are now asking for a debate? They should come before the public clean. We are saying it for the last 18 days that there should be a debate, but they are shying away from voting, debating, and saying it outside parliament that they are not getting an opportunity to debate inside the House, said Scindia. Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself was not available in the House during the session, the Congress leader said, He (PM) came only on Wednesday for the Question Hour and left the house after five minutes. Until the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister hear parliamentarians in the house and answer to their questions, can we say that a debate? Parliament will meet today after a four-day break. However, there is no sign of resolution of the impasse between government and the opposition on the issue of demonetisation. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday reiterated that the government is ready for a debate on the issue, asking the Congress to rise above slogans and see advantage of the decision. Meanwhile, the BJP and the Congress have cracked whips on their MPs in both the Houses asking them to be present in Parliament for the next three days.
Aishik Chanda By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: A Hindu-Muslim couple allegedly in a lesbian relationship attempted to murder the bridegroom of one of the girls a day before her wedding, in Kalna, Burdwan district of West Bengal. The accused woman identified as Dipa Pandit and Chiranjit Pal were in a relationship for over five years and were supposed to get married on Tuesday.

However, Dipa was allegedly in a relationship with a woman named Nasima Khatun, whom she called her 'best friend'. A night before their wedding, Dipa invited Chiranjit Pal to her house on Monday night. As I entered the house, she locked it and tried to blindfold me with a handkerchief. As I protested, I saw her friend Nasima emerging from the darkness with a sickle. She hit me on the neck. As she tried to give a second blow, I caught hold of her hand and the sickle fell. Instead of helping me, Dipa also tried to attack me with a sickle.

I understood the situation and pushed both of them. My neck and shoulder were injured. In that condition, I fled on my motorbike straight away to Kalna Police Station and lodged a complaint, Chiranjit said while undergoing treatment in Kalna hospital. The cops took the duo into custody and a case of attempt to murder was registered against them on Tuesday night.

The two were produced before Kalna subdivisional court on Wednesday morning, where they were remanded in 14-day judicial custody. The parents of Dipa were against the close friendship of their daughter with Nasima and warned her several times against talking with her. We did not like the friendship of Nasima and Dipa as Nasima used to drink. Their relationship was weird. She had told Dipa not to marry with Chiranjit, Dipas mother said. Sources in Kalna police station revealed that during the course of investigation, it came to fore that Dipa was scared that her relationship with Nasima would be in jeopardy after her marriage with Chiranjit, which necessitated staying with her husband.

KOLKATA: A Hindu-Muslim couple allegedly in a lesbian relationship attempted to murder the bridegroom of one of the girls a day before her wedding, in Kalna, Burdwan district of West Bengal. The accused woman identified as Dipa Pandit and Chiranjit Pal were in a relationship for over five years and were supposed to get married on Tuesday. However, Dipa was allegedly in a relationship with a woman named Nasima Khatun, whom she called her 'best friend'. A night before their wedding, Dipa invited Chiranjit Pal to her house on Monday night. As I entered the house, she locked it and tried to blindfold me with a handkerchief. As I protested, I saw her friend Nasima emerging from the darkness with a sickle. She hit me on the neck. As she tried to give a second blow, I caught hold of her hand and the sickle fell. Instead of helping me, Dipa also tried to attack me with a sickle. I understood the situation and pushed both of them. My neck and shoulder were injured. In that condition, I fled on my motorbike straight away to Kalna Police Station and lodged a complaint, Chiranjit said while undergoing treatment in Kalna hospital. The cops took the duo into custody and a case of attempt to murder was registered against them on Tuesday night. The two were produced before Kalna subdivisional court on Wednesday morning, where they were remanded in 14-day judicial custody. The parents of Dipa were against the close friendship of their daughter with Nasima and warned her several times against talking with her. We did not like the friendship of Nasima and Dipa as Nasima used to drink. Their relationship was weird. She had told Dipa not to marry with Chiranjit, Dipas mother said. Sources in Kalna police station revealed that during the course of investigation, it came to fore that Dipa was scared that her relationship with Nasima would be in jeopardy after her marriage with Chiranjit, which necessitated staying with her husband.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that Congress and BJP are playing friendly match after Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi claimed to have information of Prime Minister Narendra Modis corruption. Kejriwal raised a doubt on Rahul Gandhis claims and dared him to "expose Prime Minister Narendra Modi if he has documents at his disposal. If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modiji's personal involvement in corruption, then why doesn't he expose it outside Parliament? Friendly match - BJP says they have AgustaWestland against Congress. Cong says they have Sahara/Birla against BJP. Both don't disclose, Kejriwal said in a series of tweets.

The chief minister was reacting to Rahul's remarks that he wants to present in the Lok Sabha detailed information about "personal corruption" by Modi but is not being allowed to do so by the PM.

On demonetisation, Kejriwal claimed the traders were miffed with BJP. "The traders of the country are saying BJP will take money from us, vote from us and call us thieves? The real thief dines with the PM," he tweeted.

Apart from Delhi CM, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Ashish Khetan also asked Rahul Gandhi to disclose information. "If Rahul Gandhi is not allowed to speak inside the House, then he should speak outside and disclose the information he has about Modiji."



NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that Congress and BJP are playing friendly match after Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi claimed to have information of Prime Minister Narendra Modis corruption. Kejriwal raised a doubt on Rahul Gandhis claims and dared him to "expose Prime Minister Narendra Modi if he has documents at his disposal. If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modiji's personal involvement in corruption, then why doesn't he expose it outside Parliament? Friendly match - BJP says they have AgustaWestland against Congress. Cong says they have Sahara/Birla against BJP. Both don't disclose, Kejriwal said in a series of tweets. The chief minister was reacting to Rahul's remarks that he wants to present in the Lok Sabha detailed information about "personal corruption" by Modi but is not being allowed to do so by the PM. On demonetisation, Kejriwal claimed the traders were miffed with BJP. "The traders of the country are saying BJP will take money from us, vote from us and call us thieves? The real thief dines with the PM," he tweeted. Apart from Delhi CM, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Ashish Khetan also asked Rahul Gandhi to disclose information. "If Rahul Gandhi is not allowed to speak inside the House, then he should speak outside and disclose the information he has about Modiji."
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Firing a fresh salvo at Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that the BSP was casting aspersions on Samajwadi Party with the support of BJP. However, he exuded confidence that his party would return to power with full majority and that the BSP was far behind SP in the state.

Speaking to media persons on Wednesday after launching Rs 5500-crore development schemes for Noida and Greater Noida from his residence in state capital, the Chief Minister hinted at the alleged collusion between BSP and BJP saying that most of the senior leaders of the BSP had joined BJP. Taking a jibe again on Mayawati for 'her frequent appearance on TV channels'. Buaji is appearing on news channels consistently. She is taking help from their management to ensure that she is shown frequently, said the Chief Minister. Hinting at the ongoing talks for forging alliance with Congress in state, Akhilesh said that Samajwadis were in touch with a number of Congress leaders. Earlier also many from the Congress party were in contact with us, he stated, adding that though he was unable to speak on the issue of alliance but if it happened, maximum benefit would be that of Samajwadis in the upcoming state polls.

On the reshuffling of tickets in SP, the chief minister said that it was a common practice which would continue till elections. After all, party cant risk the seats. Only winnable candidates will be given the ticket, he said.

The Chief Minister again targeted Modi government over the issue of currency ban saying that the BJP kept on conducting surgical strikes on one kind or the other. Lets see which surgical strike do they plan before the elections, he added. He also asked the Prime Minister to explain his governments performance during the past two and half years claiming that under his rule, UP had grown with leaps and bounds. We have done all round development of all the districts equally, he said. Earlier, while inaugurating 11 development projects for Noida, nine for Greater Noida and laying foundation stones of two Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) projects, the chief Minister said that he would continue to inaugurate as many projects as possible till elections.

On announcement of poll dates, the Chief Minister said: Later the better for SP. Meanwhile, promising to meet the people of Noida and Greater Noida after elections, Akhilesh Yadav made the announcement of an expansive 2,500-acre Samajwadi Park to be built between Noida and Greater Noida. It would be worlds largest park on the lines of Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow, he said. In all, he announced projects worth Rs 5,500 crore for the NCR region, including a government bus service between Noida and Greater Noida and laid the foundation for a proposed 14.95-km Metro corridor estimated to cost Rs 2,668 crore from Noida Sector 71 to Knowledge Park-V in Greater Noida (west), which is expected to ferry 1.23 lakh passengers daily.

LUCKNOW: Firing a fresh salvo at Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that the BSP was casting aspersions on Samajwadi Party with the support of BJP. However, he exuded confidence that his party would return to power with full majority and that the BSP was far behind SP in the state. Speaking to media persons on Wednesday after launching Rs 5500-crore development schemes for Noida and Greater Noida from his residence in state capital, the Chief Minister hinted at the alleged collusion between BSP and BJP saying that most of the senior leaders of the BSP had joined BJP. Taking a jibe again on Mayawati for 'her frequent appearance on TV channels'. Buaji is appearing on news channels consistently. She is taking help from their management to ensure that she is shown frequently, said the Chief Minister. Hinting at the ongoing talks for forging alliance with Congress in state, Akhilesh said that Samajwadis were in touch with a number of Congress leaders. Earlier also many from the Congress party were in contact with us, he stated, adding that though he was unable to speak on the issue of alliance but if it happened, maximum benefit would be that of Samajwadis in the upcoming state polls. On the reshuffling of tickets in SP, the chief minister said that it was a common practice which would continue till elections. After all, party cant risk the seats. Only winnable candidates will be given the ticket, he said. The Chief Minister again targeted Modi government over the issue of currency ban saying that the BJP kept on conducting surgical strikes on one kind or the other. Lets see which surgical strike do they plan before the elections, he added. He also asked the Prime Minister to explain his governments performance during the past two and half years claiming that under his rule, UP had grown with leaps and bounds. We have done all round development of all the districts equally, he said. Earlier, while inaugurating 11 development projects for Noida, nine for Greater Noida and laying foundation stones of two Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) projects, the chief Minister said that he would continue to inaugurate as many projects as possible till elections. On announcement of poll dates, the Chief Minister said: Later the better for SP. Meanwhile, promising to meet the people of Noida and Greater Noida after elections, Akhilesh Yadav made the announcement of an expansive 2,500-acre Samajwadi Park to be built between Noida and Greater Noida. It would be worlds largest park on the lines of Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow, he said. In all, he announced projects worth Rs 5,500 crore for the NCR region, including a government bus service between Noida and Greater Noida and laid the foundation for a proposed 14.95-km Metro corridor estimated to cost Rs 2,668 crore from Noida Sector 71 to Knowledge Park-V in Greater Noida (west), which is expected to ferry 1.23 lakh passengers daily.
By Online Desk

The Karnataka government under Siddharamaiah was left red-faced, thanks to the state excise minister HY Meti quitting due to an alleged sex scandal. Meti, was caught in the midst of a sex scandal, wherein a video clip of Meti in a compromising position with a woman, went public. The woman was reportedly had approached him, seeking a favour. The minister, who was denying any existence of any CD of his 'sexapade', submitted his resignation to the Karnataka chief minister on today.

But this isnt the first such incident wherein a politician's life was rocked by a sex scandal. Below is a list of such scandals that has left Indian politics 'embarrassed'.

 Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi chief minister sacked minister Sandeep Kumar from his cabinet over an 'objectionable' CD, that CD contained a sex tape. Kumar was the minister for child welfare and social justice in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) cabinet. This incident took place earlier this year.

 In November 2016, Karnatakas education minister Tanveer Sait, was caught allegedly watching obscene pictures on his mobile at an official function. Sait, however, had denied the charge and clarified that he was watching a similar function being held at his home town Mysuru and was uploaded on Whatsapp.

 In December 2015, Odisha Assembly speaker Niranjan Pujari suspended Congress MLA Naba Kishore Das for seven days for watching porn clips inside the assembly on his mobile phone. The issue was referred to the ethics committee for further probe.

 In 2013, then finance minister of Madhya Pradesh, Raghavji Lakhamsi Savala was accused of sodomising a male domestic help. The victim in his report mentioned that the minister had lured him with a government job. Raghavji had to resign as soon as the CD surfaced.

 In 2013, Former Rajasthan minister Babulal Nagar landed himself after a woman from Jaipur accused him of sexually exploiting her. She alleged that the minister promised her a government job and then sexually assaulted her.

 In 2012, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rajya Sabha MP and Congress spokesperson was allegedly caught in a compromising position in his Supreme Court chamber. Mukesh Kumar Lal, the driver of Singhvi, who is also one of the leading lawyers, was accused of filming the CD secretly and threatening Singhvi to make the CD public. As a result, Singhvi had to resign as the Congress spokesperson and chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on law and justice.

 Air hostess Geetika Sharma fell prey to former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda's lust. Geetika worked with Kanda's MLDR Airlines. But after she was allegedly harassed by Kanda, she ended her life in 2012. In her suicide note, Geetika alleged that Kanda was responsible for the suicide, followed by which Kanda was arrested. On 4 March 2014, Kanda was granted bail after the Delhi High Court dropped the case.

 The Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan had a setback in 2011 when water resources minister, Mahipal Maderna was involved in a sex scandal. Bhanwari Devi, an auxiliary nurse and midwife went missing and the case came into limelight after her husband accused Maderna of kidnapping her. Bhanwari Devi had tried to strike a deal with the minister in which she demanded money in return of a video clip that showed her in compromising positions with Maderna.

 ND Tiwari veteran Congress leader and former CM of UP and Uttarakhand was serving as the AP governor in 2009. Tiwari quit after allegations about his involvement in a sex romp in the Raj Bhawan surfaced. In 2008, Rohit Shekhar Tiwari associated with Congress, filed a paternity suit claiming Tiwari to be his biological father. The court ordered that a DNA mapping of Tiwari be done, the results of which were released on Friday, 27 July 2012. It was established that Tiwari is the biological father of Rohit Shekhar Tiwari.

 In 2005, Sanjay Joshi, BJP general secretary came into the spotlight for the sex scandal that hit the party. He had to sacrifice the general secretary's post following the alleged sex scandal. After it was proved that the controversial CD was allegedly doctored; he was later re-inducted in the party.

 Former Uttar Pradesh minister Amarmani Tripathi got a lifer for murdering poetess Madhumita Shukla who was carrying his unborn child and had refused to abort it despite repeated threats. In 2003, Madhumita was allegedly shot dead. The incident had created uproar in Uttar Pradesh, leading to Tripathi's exit from the Mayawati cabinet.

 Harak Singh Rawat, the then Uttrakhand revenue minister was accused in 2003 by an Assamese woman, Indira Deori, to be the father of her newborn child. The political storm that followed her allegation lost steam when the CBI in its report to the court stating that the DNA of the child did not match to that of the Congress leader.

 In 1999, Bihar saw a high-profile sex scandal related to Sadhu Yadav, brother-in-law of former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav. The scandal involved the murder of a girl Shilpi Jain and her friend Gautam, who were friends of Sadhu. Their bodies were found inside a car in a semi-nude condition. Though a CBI investigation concluded that the duo consumed poison. This was contrary to the media reports which claimed that Shilpi was raped and when Gautam came to her rescue, the two were made to consume poison.

 In 1997, the then deputy CM of Maharashtra, Gopinath Munde's image took a battering after his affair with Tamasha dancer Barkha Patil came out in open. Munde denied these allegations and blamed his political rivals but also refrained from filing cases against the newspapers that were covering the affair thoroughly.

 In 1997, the ice-cream parlour sex scandal rocked Kerala, when PK Kunhalikutty, an Indian Union Muslim League minister, came under the scanner. The scandal relates to allegations that an ice-cream parlour in Kozhikode was being used to lure young women into prostitution. Following these charges, Kunhalikutty quit as the industries minister.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Karnataka government under Siddharamaiah was left red-faced, thanks to the state excise minister HY Meti quitting due to an alleged sex scandal. Meti, was caught in the midst of a sex scandal, wherein a video clip of Meti in a compromising position with a woman, went public. The woman was reportedly had approached him, seeking a favour. The minister, who was denying any existence of any CD of his 'sexapade', submitted his resignation to the Karnataka chief minister on today. But this isnt the first such incident wherein a politician's life was rocked by a sex scandal. Below is a list of such scandals that has left Indian politics 'embarrassed'.  Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi chief minister sacked minister Sandeep Kumar from his cabinet over an 'objectionable' CD, that CD contained a sex tape. Kumar was the minister for child welfare and social justice in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) cabinet. This incident took place earlier this year.  In November 2016, Karnatakas education minister Tanveer Sait, was caught allegedly watching obscene pictures on his mobile at an official function. Sait, however, had denied the charge and clarified that he was watching a similar function being held at his home town Mysuru and was uploaded on Whatsapp.  In December 2015, Odisha Assembly speaker Niranjan Pujari suspended Congress MLA Naba Kishore Das for seven days for watching porn clips inside the assembly on his mobile phone. The issue was referred to the ethics committee for further probe.  In 2013, then finance minister of Madhya Pradesh, Raghavji Lakhamsi Savala was accused of sodomising a male domestic help. The victim in his report mentioned that the minister had lured him with a government job. Raghavji had to resign as soon as the CD surfaced.  In 2013, Former Rajasthan minister Babulal Nagar landed himself after a woman from Jaipur accused him of sexually exploiting her. She alleged that the minister promised her a government job and then sexually assaulted her.  In 2012, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rajya Sabha MP and Congress spokesperson was allegedly caught in a compromising position in his Supreme Court chamber. Mukesh Kumar Lal, the driver of Singhvi, who is also one of the leading lawyers, was accused of filming the CD secretly and threatening Singhvi to make the CD public. As a result, Singhvi had to resign as the Congress spokesperson and chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on law and justice.  Air hostess Geetika Sharma fell prey to former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda's lust. Geetika worked with Kanda's MLDR Airlines. But after she was allegedly harassed by Kanda, she ended her life in 2012. In her suicide note, Geetika alleged that Kanda was responsible for the suicide, followed by which Kanda was arrested. On 4 March 2014, Kanda was granted bail after the Delhi High Court dropped the case.  The Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan had a setback in 2011 when water resources minister, Mahipal Maderna was involved in a sex scandal. Bhanwari Devi, an auxiliary nurse and midwife went missing and the case came into limelight after her husband accused Maderna of kidnapping her. Bhanwari Devi had tried to strike a deal with the minister in which she demanded money in return of a video clip that showed her in compromising positions with Maderna.  ND Tiwari veteran Congress leader and former CM of UP and Uttarakhand was serving as the AP governor in 2009. Tiwari quit after allegations about his involvement in a sex romp in the Raj Bhawan surfaced. In 2008, Rohit Shekhar Tiwari associated with Congress, filed a paternity suit claiming Tiwari to be his biological father. The court ordered that a DNA mapping of Tiwari be done, the results of which were released on Friday, 27 July 2012. It was established that Tiwari is the biological father of Rohit Shekhar Tiwari.  In 2005, Sanjay Joshi, BJP general secretary came into the spotlight for the sex scandal that hit the party. He had to sacrifice the general secretary's post following the alleged sex scandal. After it was proved that the controversial CD was allegedly doctored; he was later re-inducted in the party.  Former Uttar Pradesh minister Amarmani Tripathi got a lifer for murdering poetess Madhumita Shukla who was carrying his unborn child and had refused to abort it despite repeated threats. In 2003, Madhumita was allegedly shot dead. The incident had created uproar in Uttar Pradesh, leading to Tripathi's exit from the Mayawati cabinet.  Harak Singh Rawat, the then Uttrakhand revenue minister was accused in 2003 by an Assamese woman, Indira Deori, to be the father of her newborn child. The political storm that followed her allegation lost steam when the CBI in its report to the court stating that the DNA of the child did not match to that of the Congress leader.  In 1999, Bihar saw a high-profile sex scandal related to Sadhu Yadav, brother-in-law of former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav. The scandal involved the murder of a girl Shilpi Jain and her friend Gautam, who were friends of Sadhu. Their bodies were found inside a car in a semi-nude condition. Though a CBI investigation concluded that the duo consumed poison. This was contrary to the media reports which claimed that Shilpi was raped and when Gautam came to her rescue, the two were made to consume poison.  In 1997, the then deputy CM of Maharashtra, Gopinath Munde's image took a battering after his affair with Tamasha dancer Barkha Patil came out in open. Munde denied these allegations and blamed his political rivals but also refrained from filing cases against the newspapers that were covering the affair thoroughly.  In 1997, the ice-cream parlour sex scandal rocked Kerala, when PK Kunhalikutty, an Indian Union Muslim League minister, came under the scanner. The scandal relates to allegations that an ice-cream parlour in Kozhikode was being used to lure young women into prostitution. Following these charges, Kunhalikutty quit as the industries minister. (With inputs from agencies)
Santwana Bhattacharya By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Compared to an earthquake, the pricking of a balloon is a benign act. Nonetheless, Rahul Gandhis sensational teaser at a presser propped up by 15 other opposition party leaders  that he was ready to explode the PMs balloon  had the government as also Delhis AAP Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a tizzy in different ways  but both responded with bring it on statements.

(The latter must be ruing the fact that the Congress vice-chief was stealing his style and thunder.) That the controversial demonetisation drive has sparked a public spat between the Treasury and Opposition is not new  the Winter session was two days away from a washout. What was new on Wednesday was the bait Rahul dangled before the Treasury. He claimed he was not being allowed to speak in Lok Sabha because of detailed information he had in his possession. We (the Opposition) are pretty much ready to have our say under no binding rule, leaving it to the Speaker to decide, but we, the elected members of the people, are not being allowed to have our say, to speak.... Ratcheting up the drama  never seen the Treasury obstructing a discussion, its usually the Opposition  Rahul claimed it was all to do with the explosive information he has on what drove the PM to declare `500 and `1,000 notes illegal tender. The PM was running scared from a debate in the Lower House, he reiterated. The Prime Minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside Lok Sabha because I have information about him that is going to explode his balloon. And I am not being allowed to speak in the House, Rahul thundered.

TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, speaking right after Rahul, said pretty much the same that the government was obstructing debate on demonetisation to stop Rahul Gandhi from speaking.

The explosive information remained in the realm of speculation  it perhaps suited the Congress to maintain the suspense, but the fact that other opposition parties were endorsing Rahul in the absence of Sonia Gandhi, was no mean achievement. It, indeed, held a promise of his increased bandwidth, political acceptance, a Congress veteran quipped.

Since politics was also about perceptions, that Rahul summoned the Congress MPs to the war-room later in the evening for a special strategy meeting, helped keep the focus on the party.

The government did not sit idle either. As a retort, it issued a preemptive denial.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar countered Rahul by an assertive, false and baseless riposte. A bit curious though, what was being denied was not known. His ministerial colleague Prakash Javadekar added that it suits the government if he (Rahul) speaks  instead of an earthquake, the rug under his feet will be pulled out. It held a promise. The government may be ready for a debate. Only sticking point, the Treasury wanted to reply before the Opposition finishes its questioning speeches. So the Opposition does not get away with another disruption, after having its say.

The Congress, meanwhile, eyeing a chance, brainstormed on how best to make political hay out of the currency crisis. Meanwhile, Kejriwal said the Congress and BJP are playing a friendly match and raised doubts on Rahuls claims and dared him to expose Modi if he has documents at his disposal. If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modijis personal involvement in corruption, then why doesnt he expose it outside Parliament, Kejriwal said in a series of tweets.

On demonetisation, Kejriwal claimed traders were miffed with the BJP. The traders of the country are saying BJP will take money from us, vote from us and call us thieves? The real thief dines with the PM, he tweeted.

Apart from the Delhi CM, Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashish Khetan also asked Rahul to disclose the information. If Rahul Gandhi is not allowed to speak inside the House, then he should speak outside and disclose the information he has about Modiji, said Khetan.



NEW DELHI: Compared to an earthquake, the pricking of a balloon is a benign act. Nonetheless, Rahul Gandhis sensational teaser at a presser propped up by 15 other opposition party leaders  that he was ready to explode the PMs balloon  had the government as also Delhis AAP Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a tizzy in different ways  but both responded with bring it on statements. (The latter must be ruing the fact that the Congress vice-chief was stealing his style and thunder.) That the controversial demonetisation drive has sparked a public spat between the Treasury and Opposition is not new  the Winter session was two days away from a washout. What was new on Wednesday was the bait Rahul dangled before the Treasury. He claimed he was not being allowed to speak in Lok Sabha because of detailed information he had in his possession. We (the Opposition) are pretty much ready to have our say under no binding rule, leaving it to the Speaker to decide, but we, the elected members of the people, are not being allowed to have our say, to speak.... Ratcheting up the drama  never seen the Treasury obstructing a discussion, its usually the Opposition  Rahul claimed it was all to do with the explosive information he has on what drove the PM to declare `500 and `1,000 notes illegal tender. The PM was running scared from a debate in the Lower House, he reiterated. The Prime Minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside Lok Sabha because I have information about him that is going to explode his balloon. And I am not being allowed to speak in the House, Rahul thundered. TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, speaking right after Rahul, said pretty much the same that the government was obstructing debate on demonetisation to stop Rahul Gandhi from speaking. The explosive information remained in the realm of speculation  it perhaps suited the Congress to maintain the suspense, but the fact that other opposition parties were endorsing Rahul in the absence of Sonia Gandhi, was no mean achievement. It, indeed, held a promise of his increased bandwidth, political acceptance, a Congress veteran quipped. Since politics was also about perceptions, that Rahul summoned the Congress MPs to the war-room later in the evening for a special strategy meeting, helped keep the focus on the party. The government did not sit idle either. As a retort, it issued a preemptive denial. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar countered Rahul by an assertive, false and baseless riposte. A bit curious though, what was being denied was not known. His ministerial colleague Prakash Javadekar added that it suits the government if he (Rahul) speaks  instead of an earthquake, the rug under his feet will be pulled out. It held a promise. The government may be ready for a debate. Only sticking point, the Treasury wanted to reply before the Opposition finishes its questioning speeches. So the Opposition does not get away with another disruption, after having its say. The Congress, meanwhile, eyeing a chance, brainstormed on how best to make political hay out of the currency crisis. Meanwhile, Kejriwal said the Congress and BJP are playing a friendly match and raised doubts on Rahuls claims and dared him to expose Modi if he has documents at his disposal. If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modijis personal involvement in corruption, then why doesnt he expose it outside Parliament, Kejriwal said in a series of tweets. On demonetisation, Kejriwal claimed traders were miffed with the BJP. The traders of the country are saying BJP will take money from us, vote from us and call us thieves? The real thief dines with the PM, he tweeted. Apart from the Delhi CM, Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashish Khetan also asked Rahul to disclose the information. If Rahul Gandhi is not allowed to speak inside the House, then he should speak outside and disclose the information he has about Modiji, said Khetan.
Prof B M Hegde By

Demonetisation. This epochmaking single decision by our beloved Prime Minister is something that is unprecedented in the political life of India and will, for sure, change the face of India from a corrupt country to a country of honest people and take us back to the days when people looked up to India for honesty and justice. What a master stroke! What a vision and the mission to implement it! This is called political mastery over the countrys ills. Such persons are born once in a century. The way he administered the blow on the black money hoarders with such finesse baffles even brilliant political minds. To keep a secret even inside ones house needs lots of courage and manipulations. To accomplish it in India is almost a divine task. Hasnt he done well? Give him a big hand, my countrymen, irrespective of your political leanings and your other clannish ideas. It is irritating to see Opposition leaders cry hoarse even here.

Rare voices of sanity and honesty, of my friends Nitish Kumar, the CM of Bihar, and Naveen Patnaik, the CM of Odisha, stand out as rays of hope for a constructive Opposition which is a healthy sign in a democracy. I would have thought that a healthy Opposition is a hallmark of democracy. The Opposition must be with the government in such matters of national and international dimensions. On the contrary, our Opposition groups are, disparate as they are, all united in their Wall Street greed to keep their hoarded loot to win elections by buying votes. Shame on them. Some of them were shell-shocked even to react sensibly. Let them not forget that an ordinary Indian is very intelligent and can see through their drama of crocodile tears. The common man is happy about our prime ministers bold step. They are with him in this great revolution.

Every new change is fraught with some difficulties and teething trouble. So did the demonetisation. Since most Indians lived in the cash economy, demonetisation did cause them some hardship but they are prepared for it for their long-term good. Stone pelting stopped in Kashmir the same day the old notes became useless. Terrorism has come down. Naxal violence and local goons have all but disappeared. Much remains to be accomplished. The brilliant brains that hoard money to run a parallel economy are the brightest. They will, I am sure, eventually come up with novel ideas about that but that will take time. The government should be alert in the interim to derail their nefarious designs. On the surface of it, the Rs 2000 note could be a danger there. I am sure our prime minister has something up his sleeve to overcome that.

Modijis mind works overtime nonstop. Our so-called Opposition parties, who are taken by surprise, have been opposing it just for the heck of opposing it. If this does not deserve a Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, what does? If one knows the history of the prize, one would wonder if this is possible as only wrong people get the Nobel. One example will suffice. In the year 2002, Vernon Smith and Daniel Kahneman got the Nobel for their paper Homo Altruisticus saying that all human beings are hardwired to be altruistic and they are all good, based on a study of Chicagos stock exchange experiments. This was far from the reality in this world where people cheat one another at the drop of a hat. A young unusually brilliant professor at the same Chicago University, John Little, had serious doubts about this studys veracity. He faithfully repeated the same experiment with one singular difference.

He told the experiment subjects at the Chicago Stock Exchange that he will not be observing them on a daily basis as was done by his predecessors! He will meet them at the end of the year to take stock. To his surprise, he found that everyone cheated everyone when no observer was overseeing them! He wrote a paper, Homo Economicus, saying that most of us are cheats when not observed by others. Our prime minister knows that the Indian culture teaches us to be honest and walk our talk. If we say that we are pure, we must see that we are pure. The Nobel committee picks up the wrong paper of Vernon Smith et al. So much for the authenticity of the Nobel Prize! However, I am hoping against hope that the Nobel Committee will pick up my nomination of our prime minister this season for the prize for his Modinomics. We hope that now the Indian elections will be demonetised. I was told that the UP elections were going for Rs 5000-10000 per vote. What a shame! Will the powers that be, the election commission and the like, sit up and take note? This is an opportunity for them to cleanse the election stables for the first time with the help of this new measure by Modi. I am reminded of a warning about corruption ruling the nation, attributed to Abraham Lincoln.

Our prime minister has taken lessons from those, like Lincoln, who tried to warn us about the danger: I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavour to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. (Abraham Lincoln in a letter reportedly sent to Col. William F Elkins, November 21, 1864) Even the journey of 1000 miles starts with the first step. Modi has taken that bold first step; let us walk on that path to take India to its golden era. God save the country.

Prof B M Hegde Cardiologist & former vice chancellor of Manipal University

Email: hegdebm@gmail.com

Demonetisation. This epochmaking single decision by our beloved Prime Minister is something that is unprecedented in the political life of India and will, for sure, change the face of India from a corrupt country to a country of honest people and take us back to the days when people looked up to India for honesty and justice. What a master stroke! What a vision and the mission to implement it! This is called political mastery over the countrys ills. Such persons are born once in a century. The way he administered the blow on the black money hoarders with such finesse baffles even brilliant political minds. To keep a secret even inside ones house needs lots of courage and manipulations. To accomplish it in India is almost a divine task. Hasnt he done well? Give him a big hand, my countrymen, irrespective of your political leanings and your other clannish ideas. It is irritating to see Opposition leaders cry hoarse even here. Rare voices of sanity and honesty, of my friends Nitish Kumar, the CM of Bihar, and Naveen Patnaik, the CM of Odisha, stand out as rays of hope for a constructive Opposition which is a healthy sign in a democracy. I would have thought that a healthy Opposition is a hallmark of democracy. The Opposition must be with the government in such matters of national and international dimensions. On the contrary, our Opposition groups are, disparate as they are, all united in their Wall Street greed to keep their hoarded loot to win elections by buying votes. Shame on them. Some of them were shell-shocked even to react sensibly. Let them not forget that an ordinary Indian is very intelligent and can see through their drama of crocodile tears. The common man is happy about our prime ministers bold step. They are with him in this great revolution. Every new change is fraught with some difficulties and teething trouble. So did the demonetisation. Since most Indians lived in the cash economy, demonetisation did cause them some hardship but they are prepared for it for their long-term good. Stone pelting stopped in Kashmir the same day the old notes became useless. Terrorism has come down. Naxal violence and local goons have all but disappeared. Much remains to be accomplished. The brilliant brains that hoard money to run a parallel economy are the brightest. They will, I am sure, eventually come up with novel ideas about that but that will take time. The government should be alert in the interim to derail their nefarious designs. On the surface of it, the Rs 2000 note could be a danger there. I am sure our prime minister has something up his sleeve to overcome that. Modijis mind works overtime nonstop. Our so-called Opposition parties, who are taken by surprise, have been opposing it just for the heck of opposing it. If this does not deserve a Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, what does? If one knows the history of the prize, one would wonder if this is possible as only wrong people get the Nobel. One example will suffice. In the year 2002, Vernon Smith and Daniel Kahneman got the Nobel for their paper Homo Altruisticus saying that all human beings are hardwired to be altruistic and they are all good, based on a study of Chicagos stock exchange experiments. This was far from the reality in this world where people cheat one another at the drop of a hat. A young unusually brilliant professor at the same Chicago University, John Little, had serious doubts about this studys veracity. He faithfully repeated the same experiment with one singular difference. He told the experiment subjects at the Chicago Stock Exchange that he will not be observing them on a daily basis as was done by his predecessors! He will meet them at the end of the year to take stock. To his surprise, he found that everyone cheated everyone when no observer was overseeing them! He wrote a paper, Homo Economicus, saying that most of us are cheats when not observed by others. Our prime minister knows that the Indian culture teaches us to be honest and walk our talk. If we say that we are pure, we must see that we are pure. The Nobel committee picks up the wrong paper of Vernon Smith et al. So much for the authenticity of the Nobel Prize! However, I am hoping against hope that the Nobel Committee will pick up my nomination of our prime minister this season for the prize for his Modinomics. We hope that now the Indian elections will be demonetised. I was told that the UP elections were going for Rs 5000-10000 per vote. What a shame! Will the powers that be, the election commission and the like, sit up and take note? This is an opportunity for them to cleanse the election stables for the first time with the help of this new measure by Modi. I am reminded of a warning about corruption ruling the nation, attributed to Abraham Lincoln. Our prime minister has taken lessons from those, like Lincoln, who tried to warn us about the danger: I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavour to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. (Abraham Lincoln in a letter reportedly sent to Col. William F Elkins, November 21, 1864) Even the journey of 1000 miles starts with the first step. Modi has taken that bold first step; let us walk on that path to take India to its golden era. God save the country. Prof B M Hegde Cardiologist & former vice chancellor of Manipal University Email: hegdebm@gmail.com
Baibhav Mishra By

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: With people facing cash crunch in their daily transactions, there has been a significant surge in demand for point-of-sale (PoS) or swipe machines by traders of different sectors. Till October this year, handheld POS machines were used by 40,000 merchants in the State. The number has increased by three folds in the last two months.

State Bank of India (SBI), Bhubaneswar Circle had set a target of supplying 3,800 machines in 2016-17. Post-demonetisation, the figure has been revised to 10,000. In November, the SBI issued around 1000 machines and as many units are in pipeline to be dispatched by December. On Tuesday alone, the bank received order of 1800 machines, DGM, ACP Gourang Behera said.

Among private banks, Axis Bank has also reported a huge surge in volume of transactions across alternate digital payment channels. Its PoS transactions have increased by 129 per cent and number of merchants acquiring the card swiping machines has also gone up by a whopping 300 per cent. Debit card transactions across India have increased by 103 per cent since November 9, an Axis Bank spokesperson said.

Debit card transactions for ICICI Bank have doubled in the last few weeks as compared to regular volumes. Credit card transactions have grown by 40 per cent. A large number of customers has used debit cards for the first time after demonetisation. The bank has increased limit of debit card use till December 31, an ICICI Bank spokesperson said.

Both private and public sector banks have waived the pre-requisite for a vendor of having a current account to procure a PoS machine. Those with savings bank account and a daily transaction of `5000 can apply for the PoS machine at a nominal rent. The applicants now comprise micro-merchants, fruit sellers and petty vendors, which was not a regular trend before November, Behera said.

While 95 per cent of PoS machines are imported, the rest (micro M-PoS machines) are manufactured in Bengaluru. The banks have ruled out shortage for supply as orders for PoS machines have been placed well in advance. The SBI has ordered a total of 2.50 lakh machines of which Odisha will consume around 25,000 units, sources said.

BHUBANESWAR: With people facing cash crunch in their daily transactions, there has been a significant surge in demand for point-of-sale (PoS) or swipe machines by traders of different sectors. Till October this year, handheld POS machines were used by 40,000 merchants in the State. The number has increased by three folds in the last two months. State Bank of India (SBI), Bhubaneswar Circle had set a target of supplying 3,800 machines in 2016-17. Post-demonetisation, the figure has been revised to 10,000. In November, the SBI issued around 1000 machines and as many units are in pipeline to be dispatched by December. On Tuesday alone, the bank received order of 1800 machines, DGM, ACP Gourang Behera said. Among private banks, Axis Bank has also reported a huge surge in volume of transactions across alternate digital payment channels. Its PoS transactions have increased by 129 per cent and number of merchants acquiring the card swiping machines has also gone up by a whopping 300 per cent. Debit card transactions across India have increased by 103 per cent since November 9, an Axis Bank spokesperson said. Debit card transactions for ICICI Bank have doubled in the last few weeks as compared to regular volumes. Credit card transactions have grown by 40 per cent. A large number of customers has used debit cards for the first time after demonetisation. The bank has increased limit of debit card use till December 31, an ICICI Bank spokesperson said. Both private and public sector banks have waived the pre-requisite for a vendor of having a current account to procure a PoS machine. Those with savings bank account and a daily transaction of `5000 can apply for the PoS machine at a nominal rent. The applicants now comprise micro-merchants, fruit sellers and petty vendors, which was not a regular trend before November, Behera said. While 95 per cent of PoS machines are imported, the rest (micro M-PoS machines) are manufactured in Bengaluru. The banks have ruled out shortage for supply as orders for PoS machines have been placed well in advance. The SBI has ordered a total of 2.50 lakh machines of which Odisha will consume around 25,000 units, sources said.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: With the Narendra Modi Government pushing for cashless payments with gusto, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has directed all its affiliated schools not to receive fees from students in cash.

CBSEs Regional Officer for Odisha, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh Lakhan Lal Meena said all the 1000-plus schools in the three States were issued a circular on Tuesday to introduce fee collection from students either online or through non-cash mode from next quarter which starts in January, 2017.

Although schools in urban areas like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela and Balasore have been collecting student fees through banks, majority in the outlying areas continue with cash receipt as a parallel payment method. This will have to go now.

Meena said parents can use banking instruments like cheque or online systems such as NEFT and RTGS to pay the fees. Schools have been asked to widely publicise the bank account details on their websites or through meetings with parents to go in for cashless payments.

We do not give affiliation to any school unless they provide the bank account details of the Trust or Society which runs the institution. Now, schools will have to share the same with students and their parents, he added.

In fact, a number of schools of the Capital City has already taken to cashless receipt of student fees. Academic Coordinator of DAV Public School, Chandrasekhapur Arundhati Bhattacharya said the school receives student fees either online or through bank. The bank account details of the school are hosted on our website. In a way, we are already in the cashless transaction mode, she said.

Another prominent school, SAI International School has also switched to cashless receipt of fees three months back. GM (PR) Sarat Kar said cash receipt has been completely stopped at the school counters.

The Central board has also directed its affiliated schools to disburse salary to staff through bank transfers and make all payments for various services, procurements, wages to contractual workers and other transactions in non-cash mode. Schools have been advised to interact with parents during parent-teacher meeting to spread the word about benefits of non-cash transactions.

According to State Bank of India (SBI), which provides payment gateway for online transactions, a number of educational institutions of the State including schools has already adopted the non-cash transaction system.

DGM (ACP) of SBI Gouranga Charan Behera said at least 300 educational institutions - starting from IIT to State universities and schools - have been collecting fees online through the SBI gateway.

BHUBANESWAR: With the Narendra Modi Government pushing for cashless payments with gusto, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has directed all its affiliated schools not to receive fees from students in cash. CBSEs Regional Officer for Odisha, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh Lakhan Lal Meena said all the 1000-plus schools in the three States were issued a circular on Tuesday to introduce fee collection from students either online or through non-cash mode from next quarter which starts in January, 2017. Although schools in urban areas like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela and Balasore have been collecting student fees through banks, majority in the outlying areas continue with cash receipt as a parallel payment method. This will have to go now. Meena said parents can use banking instruments like cheque or online systems such as NEFT and RTGS to pay the fees. Schools have been asked to widely publicise the bank account details on their websites or through meetings with parents to go in for cashless payments. We do not give affiliation to any school unless they provide the bank account details of the Trust or Society which runs the institution. Now, schools will have to share the same with students and their parents, he added. In fact, a number of schools of the Capital City has already taken to cashless receipt of student fees. Academic Coordinator of DAV Public School, Chandrasekhapur Arundhati Bhattacharya said the school receives student fees either online or through bank. The bank account details of the school are hosted on our website. In a way, we are already in the cashless transaction mode, she said. Another prominent school, SAI International School has also switched to cashless receipt of fees three months back. GM (PR) Sarat Kar said cash receipt has been completely stopped at the school counters. The Central board has also directed its affiliated schools to disburse salary to staff through bank transfers and make all payments for various services, procurements, wages to contractual workers and other transactions in non-cash mode. Schools have been advised to interact with parents during parent-teacher meeting to spread the word about benefits of non-cash transactions. According to State Bank of India (SBI), which provides payment gateway for online transactions, a number of educational institutions of the State including schools has already adopted the non-cash transaction system. DGM (ACP) of SBI Gouranga Charan Behera said at least 300 educational institutions - starting from IIT to State universities and schools - have been collecting fees online through the SBI gateway.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Tension ran high at several places in the capital city on Wednesday as police prevented the entry of farmers coming to participate in a mass agitation led by Navanirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS) at PMG Square here.



The agitating farmers and their leaders were dragged to police vans before being sent to police reserve ground. The police later resorted to mass arrests from multiple locations in Bhubaneswar reportedly in a bid to foil the agitation.



The majority of arrests were executed at Hi-Tech Square (one of the entry point to the city, on National Highway 16) which was the pre-designated site to launch the protest. Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC ) was imposed at Hi-Tech Square and checking of passenger vehicles was intensified.



The city was fortified with 50 platoon force deployed at vantage points, entry and exit points, bus stands and railway stations. So far at least 300 protesters have been taken into custody and kept at the police reserve ground.



The demonstration, however, could not take place as the activists were detained before they are congregated at the venue. Protesters who indulged in minor skirmishes with police at PMG Square, Vani Vihar Square, Rasulgarh Square and Hi-Tech Square were also detained.



Police sources said some of the farmers' leaders were arrested on suspicion of planning illegal demonstrations before the Assembly. Others, who managed to reach up to PMG Square to join the demonstration, were taken into preventive custody.



NKS advisor Soumya Ranjan Patnaik who was arrested from Rasulgarh Square alleged that the State government was making an attempt to choke the farmers voice with force.



The steps taken by the Government is draconian and farmers have decided to launch Satyagraha across the State from Thursday onward, Patnaik said.



NKS had earlier announced to resort to mass agitation demanding price, pension and prestige (PPP) for farmers. Sensing trouble during the agitation, the commissionerate of police on Monday arrested Akshaya Kumar and Shesadeb Nanda, two frontline leaders of the association. The duo, currently lodged at the Bhubaneswar Special Jail is on a hunger strike since Tuesday.



Police commissioner YB Khurania said they had specific intelligence inputs about the protesters creating a law and order situation in the capital city while the Assembly session is on.



Permission for the demonstration was withdrawn and some of the representatives of the association taken into custody as they did not comply with the guidelines for carrying out a small scale and peaceful protest, Khurania added.

BHUBANESWAR: Tension ran high at several places in the capital city on Wednesday as police prevented the entry of farmers coming to participate in a mass agitation led by Navanirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS) at PMG Square here. The agitating farmers and their leaders were dragged to police vans before being sent to police reserve ground. The police later resorted to mass arrests from multiple locations in Bhubaneswar reportedly in a bid to foil the agitation. The majority of arrests were executed at Hi-Tech Square (one of the entry point to the city, on National Highway 16) which was the pre-designated site to launch the protest. Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC ) was imposed at Hi-Tech Square and checking of passenger vehicles was intensified. The city was fortified with 50 platoon force deployed at vantage points, entry and exit points, bus stands and railway stations. So far at least 300 protesters have been taken into custody and kept at the police reserve ground. The demonstration, however, could not take place as the activists were detained before they are congregated at the venue. Protesters who indulged in minor skirmishes with police at PMG Square, Vani Vihar Square, Rasulgarh Square and Hi-Tech Square were also detained. Police sources said some of the farmers' leaders were arrested on suspicion of planning illegal demonstrations before the Assembly. Others, who managed to reach up to PMG Square to join the demonstration, were taken into preventive custody. NKS advisor Soumya Ranjan Patnaik who was arrested from Rasulgarh Square alleged that the State government was making an attempt to choke the farmers voice with force. The steps taken by the Government is draconian and farmers have decided to launch Satyagraha across the State from Thursday onward, Patnaik said. NKS had earlier announced to resort to mass agitation demanding price, pension and prestige (PPP) for farmers. Sensing trouble during the agitation, the commissionerate of police on Monday arrested Akshaya Kumar and Shesadeb Nanda, two frontline leaders of the association. The duo, currently lodged at the Bhubaneswar Special Jail is on a hunger strike since Tuesday. Police commissioner YB Khurania said they had specific intelligence inputs about the protesters creating a law and order situation in the capital city while the Assembly session is on. Permission for the demonstration was withdrawn and some of the representatives of the association taken into custody as they did not comply with the guidelines for carrying out a small scale and peaceful protest, Khurania added.
By Express News Service

KEONJHAR: A woman died at Keonjhar District Headquarters Hospital on Tuesday night allegedly due to wrong transfusion of blood. Tension prevailed in DHH on Wednesday following the incident.

Irate family members and relatives of the deceased woman, Sukanti Naik (45), and locals blocked the road near DHH for nearly five hours and staged a demonstration demanding action against the guilty and compensation.

Sukanti of Hadabandhasahi under Town police limits, who was suffering from malnutrition, was admitted to bed No. 89 in female medicine ward of the DHH around 1.30 pm on Tuesday.

Dr Sujit Kumar Brahma, who was on outdoor duty, suggested blood transfusion. Accordingly, Sukantis husband Birendra Naik applied for O positive blood in the blood bank where laboratory technician, Bharati Mahanta, was on duty.

After some time, Bharati supplied A positive blood to Birendra instead of O positive and staff nurse Hemangini Mahanta started blood transfusion.

A short while later at about 9 pm, Sukanti died in the hospital.

The family members learnt that wrong blood group had been transfused without proper verification. The hospital authorities also admitted that a major mistake had been committed.

On the instruction of the District Collector, Chief District Medical Officer Dr Kabindra Prasad Sahoo dismissed Bharati and Hemangini for negligence. The CDMO also recommended disciplinary action against Dr. Brahma.

Sub-Collector Purna Chandra Mishra and other senior police officers held discussions with the agitators following which they called off the blockade around 2 pm. The administration also paid `20,000 to the relatives of the deceased as compensation.

KEONJHAR: A woman died at Keonjhar District Headquarters Hospital on Tuesday night allegedly due to wrong transfusion of blood. Tension prevailed in DHH on Wednesday following the incident. Irate family members and relatives of the deceased woman, Sukanti Naik (45), and locals blocked the road near DHH for nearly five hours and staged a demonstration demanding action against the guilty and compensation. Sukanti of Hadabandhasahi under Town police limits, who was suffering from malnutrition, was admitted to bed No. 89 in female medicine ward of the DHH around 1.30 pm on Tuesday. Dr Sujit Kumar Brahma, who was on outdoor duty, suggested blood transfusion. Accordingly, Sukantis husband Birendra Naik applied for O positive blood in the blood bank where laboratory technician, Bharati Mahanta, was on duty. After some time, Bharati supplied A positive blood to Birendra instead of O positive and staff nurse Hemangini Mahanta started blood transfusion. A short while later at about 9 pm, Sukanti died in the hospital. The family members learnt that wrong blood group had been transfused without proper verification. The hospital authorities also admitted that a major mistake had been committed. On the instruction of the District Collector, Chief District Medical Officer Dr Kabindra Prasad Sahoo dismissed Bharati and Hemangini for negligence. The CDMO also recommended disciplinary action against Dr. Brahma. Sub-Collector Purna Chandra Mishra and other senior police officers held discussions with the agitators following which they called off the blockade around 2 pm. The administration also paid `20,000 to the relatives of the deceased as compensation.
By IANS

WASHINGTON: Monkeys have the vocal tracts to produce human speech sounds, but what they lack is a speech-ready brain, a new study has found.

The study, conducted by researchers from the US and Europe and published this week in the US journal Science Advances, used X-ray video to see within the mouth and throat of macaque monkeys induced to vocalise, eat food or make facial expressions, Xinhua news agency reported.

The scientists then used these data to build a computer model of a monkey vocal tract, allowing them to answer the question "what would monkey speech sound like, if a human brain were in control?"

The results showed that monkeys could easily produce many different sounds, enough to produce thousands of distinct words.

For example, monkeys could produce comprehensible vowel sounds -- and even full sentences -- with their vocal tracts if they had the neural ability to speak.

However, the researchers noted that while monkeys would be understandable to the human ear, they would not sound precisely like humans.

Therefore, the researchers concluded that previous research -- largely based on plaster casts made from the vocal tracts of a monkey cadaver -- underestimates primate vocal abilities and that evolution of human speech capabilities required neural changes rather than an adaptation of vocal anatomy.

"Now nobody can say that it's something about the vocal anatomy that keeps monkeys from being able to speak -- it has to be something in the brain," said Asif Ghazanfar, Professor of psychology at the Princeton University and one of the study leaders.

"Even if this finding only applies to macaque monkeys, it would still debunk the idea that it's the anatomy that limits speech in nonhumans."

Thore Jon Bergman, Assistant Professor of psychology and ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan, who is familiar with the research but was not involved in it, said the research could help narrow down the origin of human speech.

"It looks like mainly neuro-cognitive -- as opposed to anatomical -- differences contribute to the broader range of sounds we produce relative to other primates," Bergman said in a statement released by the Princeton University.

"An important part of understanding human uniqueness is to know what our relatives do," he said.

"This study shows the anatomical capability to make a variety of sounds, as we do with speech, was present long ago. This is useful for understanding the starting point for the evolution of language."





WASHINGTON: Monkeys have the vocal tracts to produce human speech sounds, but what they lack is a speech-ready brain, a new study has found. The study, conducted by researchers from the US and Europe and published this week in the US journal Science Advances, used X-ray video to see within the mouth and throat of macaque monkeys induced to vocalise, eat food or make facial expressions, Xinhua news agency reported. The scientists then used these data to build a computer model of a monkey vocal tract, allowing them to answer the question "what would monkey speech sound like, if a human brain were in control?" The results showed that monkeys could easily produce many different sounds, enough to produce thousands of distinct words. For example, monkeys could produce comprehensible vowel sounds -- and even full sentences -- with their vocal tracts if they had the neural ability to speak. However, the researchers noted that while monkeys would be understandable to the human ear, they would not sound precisely like humans. Therefore, the researchers concluded that previous research -- largely based on plaster casts made from the vocal tracts of a monkey cadaver -- underestimates primate vocal abilities and that evolution of human speech capabilities required neural changes rather than an adaptation of vocal anatomy. "Now nobody can say that it's something about the vocal anatomy that keeps monkeys from being able to speak -- it has to be something in the brain," said Asif Ghazanfar, Professor of psychology at the Princeton University and one of the study leaders. "Even if this finding only applies to macaque monkeys, it would still debunk the idea that it's the anatomy that limits speech in nonhumans." Thore Jon Bergman, Assistant Professor of psychology and ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan, who is familiar with the research but was not involved in it, said the research could help narrow down the origin of human speech. "It looks like mainly neuro-cognitive -- as opposed to anatomical -- differences contribute to the broader range of sounds we produce relative to other primates," Bergman said in a statement released by the Princeton University. "An important part of understanding human uniqueness is to know what our relatives do," he said. "This study shows the anatomical capability to make a variety of sounds, as we do with speech, was present long ago. This is useful for understanding the starting point for the evolution of language."
By Associated Press

BEIRUT: First came the distress calls from doctors in underground shelters and morgues. Then residents under relentless bombardment in the few remaining blocks under rebel control in Aleppo began posting emotional goodbyes on social media and in widely circulated messages.

They wanted to have the final say in the merciless civil war.

"There is a problem with this planet," said Monther Etaky, a 28-year old graphic designer. "This planet doesn't want people to live as free or to live as humans."

The world's view of the Syria conflict has been largely driven by YouTube, Twitter and Facebook making it one of the world's most documented wars through amateur videos and coverage. This has given the activists a major role in chronicling the war, and in lobbying for the world's response.

Nearly six years into the conflict, they complained the world has been looking the other way.

"Why is this silence? People are being eliminated," tweeted Abdulkafi Alhamdo, an English teacher who has been a vocal critic of President Bashar Assad's government. Then, he wrote: "The last (message). Thanks for Everything. We shared many moments. The last tweets were from an emotional father. Farewell #Aleppo."

Alhamdo later went live on the video-streaming Periscope to say government troops were approaching. "I hope you can remember us," he said.

A local aid worker, who gave only his first name, Omar, sent an emotional recorded message that was widely shared on Whatsapp.

"The government forces are at the end of the street. Forgive us," he said in issuing a tormented apology for failing to protect the rebel enclave, once seen as the jewel of Syria's rebellion.

After four years of holding onto nearly half of what was once Syria's largest city and commercial center, thousands of residents of rebel-held Aleppo had been cornered in a one-square-mile sliver of land for days as Syrian government troops, backed by Russia, resisted calls for a cease-fire, pushing into the territory as rebel defenses crumbled.

Hospitals were knocked out and civil defense vehicles were bombed. Thousands of residents fled to government areas, but thousands more, likely die-hard government opponents, squeezed with the rebels into the ever-shrinking enclave.

Etaky said the fast buckling of rebel defenses shocked him at first.

"But when I turned on my brain and thought about what is happening and the cause of what is happening, I knew," he said.

After months of siege imposed since July the rebels had no more power to go on, he said. With their families trapped in the city with them, many fighters left the front lines to tend to their relatives' safety.

But most importantly, he said, "it was the world silence."

Etaky said that as a witness of the grueling war, he thought he had become numbed by the violence years earlier. Since moving to the rebel-held sector in 2012, he said he had lost about 50 friends.

"When I was saying the last goodbyes, this was the first time I was affected because it was the last time," he said.

He said he was proud of his role in documenting the war. There was no record, he said, of previous Syrian government crackdowns, including in the 1980s in Hama and Aleppo.

"If my son grows up and just explores the internet he can see his father, and what he was documenting and be proud that his father was a hero," Etaky said, choking back tears.

Speaking to the Associated Press shortly after a cease-fire was announced late Tuesday, he added: "It is quiet in Aleppo right now. And it looks so sad to be saying goodbye to its residents, who will leave it forever."

BEIRUT: First came the distress calls from doctors in underground shelters and morgues. Then residents under relentless bombardment in the few remaining blocks under rebel control in Aleppo began posting emotional goodbyes on social media and in widely circulated messages. They wanted to have the final say in the merciless civil war. "There is a problem with this planet," said Monther Etaky, a 28-year old graphic designer. "This planet doesn't want people to live as free or to live as humans." The world's view of the Syria conflict has been largely driven by YouTube, Twitter and Facebook making it one of the world's most documented wars through amateur videos and coverage. This has given the activists a major role in chronicling the war, and in lobbying for the world's response. Nearly six years into the conflict, they complained the world has been looking the other way. "Why is this silence? People are being eliminated," tweeted Abdulkafi Alhamdo, an English teacher who has been a vocal critic of President Bashar Assad's government. Then, he wrote: "The last (message). Thanks for Everything. We shared many moments. The last tweets were from an emotional father. Farewell #Aleppo." Alhamdo later went live on the video-streaming Periscope to say government troops were approaching. "I hope you can remember us," he said. A local aid worker, who gave only his first name, Omar, sent an emotional recorded message that was widely shared on Whatsapp. "The government forces are at the end of the street. Forgive us," he said in issuing a tormented apology for failing to protect the rebel enclave, once seen as the jewel of Syria's rebellion. After four years of holding onto nearly half of what was once Syria's largest city and commercial center, thousands of residents of rebel-held Aleppo had been cornered in a one-square-mile sliver of land for days as Syrian government troops, backed by Russia, resisted calls for a cease-fire, pushing into the territory as rebel defenses crumbled. Hospitals were knocked out and civil defense vehicles were bombed. Thousands of residents fled to government areas, but thousands more, likely die-hard government opponents, squeezed with the rebels into the ever-shrinking enclave. Etaky said the fast buckling of rebel defenses shocked him at first. "But when I turned on my brain and thought about what is happening and the cause of what is happening, I knew," he said. After months of siege imposed since July the rebels had no more power to go on, he said. With their families trapped in the city with them, many fighters left the front lines to tend to their relatives' safety. But most importantly, he said, "it was the world silence." Etaky said that as a witness of the grueling war, he thought he had become numbed by the violence years earlier. Since moving to the rebel-held sector in 2012, he said he had lost about 50 friends. "When I was saying the last goodbyes, this was the first time I was affected because it was the last time," he said. He said he was proud of his role in documenting the war. There was no record, he said, of previous Syrian government crackdowns, including in the 1980s in Hama and Aleppo. "If my son grows up and just explores the internet he can see his father, and what he was documenting and be proud that his father was a hero," Etaky said, choking back tears. Speaking to the Associated Press shortly after a cease-fire was announced late Tuesday, he added: "It is quiet in Aleppo right now. And it looks so sad to be saying goodbye to its residents, who will leave it forever."
P K Balachandran By

Express News Service

COLOMBO: Shipping insurance companies have dubbed Hambantota port in South Sri Lanka as a high risk one after local striking workers detained two vessels, including a large Japanese vessel carrying vehicles, for several days last week, the Sri Lankan Minister of Ports and Shipping, Arjuna Ranatunga, told newspersons here on Wednesday.

He also said that two or three foreign shipping lines have told the government that they will not be using Hambantota hereafter because detentions by harbour workers amount to piracy.

But we are trying to convince them that the workers actions cannot be described as piracy. It was only a strike over possibility of retrenchment. We hope to convince them about this in a few days, Ranatunga said.

After the departure of the two ships which were released by the navy by the use of force, no ship has berthed in Hambantota.

Some ships were diverted by us to Colombo, while others which were due to call at Hambantota chose not to, Ranatunga added.

The strike, which includes a sit in as well putting obstacles to prevent the two ships from leaving, is still on with the support of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who in whose pocket borough the port is situated.

About 498 non-permanent workers recruited during Rajapaksas rule, are on strike to demand absorption into the regular cadre .They are also against the governments decision to privatise the port through a Joint Venture with a Chinese company (China Merchants Ports Holding Company or CMPorts) because once privatised, the labour force is bound to be pruned drastically.

Ranatunga told the workers that they would not be retrenched and that government would negotiate with the Chinese company to ensure that the entire existing labour force is retained. He asked them to withdraw the strike and join duty by 2 pm on Thursday or be ready to be sacked. He warned them that if they continue the strike, the Chinese company would have no motivation to take them.

On the Framework Agreement entered into by the Sri Lankan government with the China Merchants Ports Holding Company, the Minister said that several matters which are mentioned in the agreement are still being negotiated before a Final Agreement is signed on January 8, 2017 to mark the second anniversary of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government.

The Minister made it a point to say that the security of the port will have to be with Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) in conjunction with the Sri Lankan navy, as is the case with every other port in Sri Lanka.

This is contrary to the relevant clause in the Framework Agreement which says that security will be with the Joint Venture Company in which the Chinese company will have 80% stake.

I will not sign the agreement if SLPA is not made in-charge security, Ranatunga said.

Asked if it will be possible to change the Framework Agreement so fundamentally, he said that the Framework Agreement is only another term for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). It is not a Final Agreement with all the details stated. The latter are still to be negotiated.

Ranatunga said that many changes have already taken place since talks with China on the Hambantota port began, which gives rise to the hope that further changes will be brought about.

For example, the Chinese asked for a 199 lease and we said we will give only on a 51 year lease. Later they came down to 99 years from 199, he pointed out.

The Minister said that he is not against the Public-Private Sector model to run Hambantota port because foreign countries prefer to invest through public-private partnership arrangements instead of giving loans.

Also, the only way we can develop Colombo and other harbours in Sri Lanka is to make the Public-Private Partnership in Hambantota a commercial success. Right now we are sustaining Hambantota and other ports with the profits generated by Colombo port, he explained.

On the repayment of the US$ 1.4 billion loan taken from China to build Hambantota port, the Minister said that so far, Sri Lanka has been paying only the interest.

We cant afford to start paying back the principal, he said.

COLOMBO: Shipping insurance companies have dubbed Hambantota port in South Sri Lanka as a high risk one after local striking workers detained two vessels, including a large Japanese vessel carrying vehicles, for several days last week, the Sri Lankan Minister of Ports and Shipping, Arjuna Ranatunga, told newspersons here on Wednesday. He also said that two or three foreign shipping lines have told the government that they will not be using Hambantota hereafter because detentions by harbour workers amount to piracy. But we are trying to convince them that the workers actions cannot be described as piracy. It was only a strike over possibility of retrenchment. We hope to convince them about this in a few days, Ranatunga said. After the departure of the two ships which were released by the navy by the use of force, no ship has berthed in Hambantota. Some ships were diverted by us to Colombo, while others which were due to call at Hambantota chose not to, Ranatunga added. The strike, which includes a sit in as well putting obstacles to prevent the two ships from leaving, is still on with the support of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who in whose pocket borough the port is situated. About 498 non-permanent workers recruited during Rajapaksas rule, are on strike to demand absorption into the regular cadre .They are also against the governments decision to privatise the port through a Joint Venture with a Chinese company (China Merchants Ports Holding Company or CMPorts) because once privatised, the labour force is bound to be pruned drastically. Ranatunga told the workers that they would not be retrenched and that government would negotiate with the Chinese company to ensure that the entire existing labour force is retained. He asked them to withdraw the strike and join duty by 2 pm on Thursday or be ready to be sacked. He warned them that if they continue the strike, the Chinese company would have no motivation to take them. On the Framework Agreement entered into by the Sri Lankan government with the China Merchants Ports Holding Company, the Minister said that several matters which are mentioned in the agreement are still being negotiated before a Final Agreement is signed on January 8, 2017 to mark the second anniversary of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government. The Minister made it a point to say that the security of the port will have to be with Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) in conjunction with the Sri Lankan navy, as is the case with every other port in Sri Lanka. This is contrary to the relevant clause in the Framework Agreement which says that security will be with the Joint Venture Company in which the Chinese company will have 80% stake. I will not sign the agreement if SLPA is not made in-charge security, Ranatunga said. Asked if it will be possible to change the Framework Agreement so fundamentally, he said that the Framework Agreement is only another term for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). It is not a Final Agreement with all the details stated. The latter are still to be negotiated. Ranatunga said that many changes have already taken place since talks with China on the Hambantota port began, which gives rise to the hope that further changes will be brought about. For example, the Chinese asked for a 199 lease and we said we will give only on a 51 year lease. Later they came down to 99 years from 199, he pointed out. The Minister said that he is not against the Public-Private Sector model to run Hambantota port because foreign countries prefer to invest through public-private partnership arrangements instead of giving loans. Also, the only way we can develop Colombo and other harbours in Sri Lanka is to make the Public-Private Partnership in Hambantota a commercial success. Right now we are sustaining Hambantota and other ports with the profits generated by Colombo port, he explained. On the repayment of the US$ 1.4 billion loan taken from China to build Hambantota port, the Minister said that so far, Sri Lanka has been paying only the interest. We cant afford to start paying back the principal, he said.
By Reuters

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former Texas Governor Rick Perry to head the U.S. Department of Energy, a transition official said, putting him in charge of the agency he proposed eliminating during his bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

The following is a list of Republican Trump's selections for top jobs in his administration. All the posts but that of national security adviser, the White House chief of staff, White House director of the National Economic Council and White House strategist require Senate confirmation.

U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: JEFF SESSIONS

Sessions, 69, was the first U.S. senator to endorse Trump's presidential bid and has been a close ally since. Son of a country store owner, the Alabama senator and former federal prosecutor has long taken a tough stance on illegal immigration, opposing any path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

CIA DIRECTOR: MIKE POMPEO

U.S. Representative Pompeo, 52, is a third-term congressman from Kansas who serves on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, which oversees the CIA, National Security Agency and cyber security. A retired Army officer and Harvard Law School graduate, Pompeo supports the U.S. government's sweeping collection of Americans' communications data and wants to scrap the nuclear deal with Iran.

COMMERCE SECRETARY: WILBUR ROSS

Ross, 78, heads the private equity firm W.L. Ross & Co. His net worth was pegged by Forbes at about $2.9 billion. A staunch supporter of Trump and an economic adviser, Ross helped shape the Trump campaign's views on trade policy. He blames the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, which went into force in 1994, and the 2001 entry of China into the World Trade Organization for causing massive U.S. factory job losses.

DEFENSE SECRETARY: JAMES MATTIS

Mattis is a retired Marine general known for his tough talk, distrust of Iran and battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. A former leader of Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, Mattis, 66, is known by many U.S. forces by his nickname "Mad Dog." He was once rebuked for saying in 2005: "It's fun to shoot some people."

EDUCATION SECRETARY: BETSY DEVOS

DeVos, 58, is a billionaire Republican donor, a former chair of the Michigan Republican Party and an advocate for the privatisation of education. As chair of the American Federation for Children, she has pushed at the state level for vouchers that families can use to send their children to private schools and for the expansion of charter schools.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR: SCOTT PRUITT

An ardent opponent of President Barack Obama's measures to stem climate change, Oklahoma Attorney General Pruitt, 48, has enraged environmental activists. But he fits with the president-elect's promise to cut the agency back and eliminate regulation that he says is stifling oil and gas drilling. Pruitt became the top state prosecutor for Oklahoma, which has extensive oil reserves, in 2011, and has challenged the EPA multiple times since.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: TOM PRICE

U.S. Representative Price, 62, is an orthopaedic surgeon who heads the House Budget Committee. A representative from Georgia since 2005, Price has criticized Obamacare and has championed a plan of tax credits, expanded health savings accounts and lawsuit reforms to replace it. He is opposed to abortion.

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: JOHN KELLY

The final leadership role of Kelly's 45-year career was head of the U.S. Southern Command, responsible for U.S. military activities and relationships in Latin America and the Caribbean. The 66-year-old retired Marine general differed with Democratic President Barack Obama on key issues and has warned of vulnerabilities along the United States' southern border with Mexico.

HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY: BEN CARSON

Carson, 65, is a retired neurosurgeon who dropped out of the Republican presidential nominating race in March and threw his support to Trump. A popular writer and speaker in conservative circles, Carson previously indicated reluctance to take a position in the incoming administration because of his lack of experience in the federal government. Carson is the first African-American picked for a Cabinet spot by Trump.

INTERIOR SECRETARY: CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS

McMorris Rodgers, a 47-year-old U.S. congresswoman from Washington state, is the fourth most senior member of the House of Representatives leadership. A member of the House Energy Committee, she has supported efforts to expand the U.S. energy industry such as the recent repeal of the decades-old ban on oil exports and efforts to reject the Environmental Protection Agency's Waters of the United States Act. She has also expressed scepticism about climate change. Before joining Congress in 2004, McMorris Rodgers served for a decades in the Washington state legislature, eventually becoming the first woman there to serve as minority leader.

NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL DIRECTOR: GARY COHN

Cohn, 56, president and chief operating officer of investment bank Goldman Sachs , had widely been considered heir apparent to Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of the Wall Street firm. Trump hammered Goldman and Blankfein during the presidential campaign, releasing a television ad that called Blankfein part of a "global power structure" that had robbed America's working class.

LABOR SECRETARY: ANDREW PUZDER

Puzder, chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants Inc [APOLOT.UL], which runs the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's fast-food chains [APOLOT.UL], has been a vociferous critic of government regulation of the workplace and the National Labor Relations Board. Puzder, 66, has argued that higher minimum wages would hurt workers by forcing restaurants to close, and praises the benefits of automation, so his appointment is likely to antagonize organised labour.

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: MICHAEL FLYNN

Retired Lieutenant General Flynn, 57, was an early Trump supporter and serves as vice chairman on his transition team. He began his Army career in 1981 and was deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Flynn became head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2012 under President Barack Obama but retired a year earlier than expected, according to media reports, and became a fierce critic of Obama's foreign policy.

SECRETARY OF STATE: REX TILLERSON

Tillerson, 64, has spent his entire career at Exxon Mobil Corp, where he rose to serve as its chairman and CEO in 2006. A civil engineer by training, the Texan joined the world's largest energy company in 1975 and led several of its operations in the United States as well as in Yemen, Thailand and Russia. As Exxon's chief executive, he maintained close ties with Moscow and opposed U.S. sanctions against Russia for its incursion into Crimea.

ENERGY SECRETARY: RICK PERRY

Perry, 66, adds to the list of oil drilling advocates sceptical about climate change who have been picked for senior positions in Trump's Cabinet. The selections have worried environmentalists but cheered an industry eager for expansion. Perry, who also briefly ran in the 2016 presidential race, would have to be confirmed by the Senate to head the Energy Department, which is responsible for U.S. energy policy and oversees the nation's nuclear weapons programme.

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATOR: LINDA MCMAHON

McMahon, 68, is a co-founder and former chief executive of the professional wrestling franchise WWE, which is based in Stamford, Connecticut. She ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut in 2010 and 2012, and was an early supporter of Trump's presidential campaign.

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: ELAINE CHAO

Chao, 63, was labour secretary under President George W. Bush for eight years and the first Asian-American woman to hold a Cabinet position. She is a director at Ingersoll Rand, News Corp and Vulcan Materials Company. She is married to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky.

TREASURY SECRETARY: STEVEN MNUCHIN

Mnuchin, 53, is a successful private equity investor, hedge fund manager and Hollywood financier who spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs before leaving in 2002. He assembled an investor group to buy a failed California mortgage lender in 2009, rebranded it as OneWest Bank and built it into Southern California's largest bank. Housing advocacy groups criticized the bank for its foreclosure practices, accusing it of being too quick to foreclose on struggling homeowners.

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: NIKKI HALEY

Haley, 44, has been the Republican governor of South Carolina since 2011 and has little experience in foreign policy or the federal government. The daughter of Indian immigrants, she led a successful push last year to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol after the killing of nine black churchgoers in Charleston by a white gunman.

WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: REINCE PRIEBUS

Recently re-elected to serve as Republican National Committee chairman, Priebus will give up his party post to join Trump in the White House, where the low-key Washington operative could help forge ties with Congress to advance Trump's agenda. The 44-year-old was a steadfast supporter of Trump during the presidential campaign even as the party fractured amid the choice.

CHIEF WHITE HOUSE STRATEGIST, SENIOR COUNSELOR: STEVE BANNON

The former head of the conservative website Breitbart News came aboard as Trump's campaign chairman in August. A rabble-rousing conservative media figure, he helped shift Breitbart's into a forum for the alt-right, a loose confederation of those who reject mainstream politics and includes neo-Nazis, white supremacists and anti-Semites. His hiring signals Trump's dedication to operating outside the norms of Washington. As White House chief of staff, Bannon, 63, will serve as Trump's gatekeeper and agenda-setter.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former Texas Governor Rick Perry to head the U.S. Department of Energy, a transition official said, putting him in charge of the agency he proposed eliminating during his bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. The following is a list of Republican Trump's selections for top jobs in his administration. All the posts but that of national security adviser, the White House chief of staff, White House director of the National Economic Council and White House strategist require Senate confirmation. U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: JEFF SESSIONS Sessions, 69, was the first U.S. senator to endorse Trump's presidential bid and has been a close ally since. Son of a country store owner, the Alabama senator and former federal prosecutor has long taken a tough stance on illegal immigration, opposing any path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. CIA DIRECTOR: MIKE POMPEO U.S. Representative Pompeo, 52, is a third-term congressman from Kansas who serves on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, which oversees the CIA, National Security Agency and cyber security. A retired Army officer and Harvard Law School graduate, Pompeo supports the U.S. government's sweeping collection of Americans' communications data and wants to scrap the nuclear deal with Iran. COMMERCE SECRETARY: WILBUR ROSS Ross, 78, heads the private equity firm W.L. Ross & Co. His net worth was pegged by Forbes at about $2.9 billion. A staunch supporter of Trump and an economic adviser, Ross helped shape the Trump campaign's views on trade policy. He blames the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, which went into force in 1994, and the 2001 entry of China into the World Trade Organization for causing massive U.S. factory job losses. DEFENSE SECRETARY: JAMES MATTIS Mattis is a retired Marine general known for his tough talk, distrust of Iran and battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. A former leader of Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, Mattis, 66, is known by many U.S. forces by his nickname "Mad Dog." He was once rebuked for saying in 2005: "It's fun to shoot some people." EDUCATION SECRETARY: BETSY DEVOS DeVos, 58, is a billionaire Republican donor, a former chair of the Michigan Republican Party and an advocate for the privatisation of education. As chair of the American Federation for Children, she has pushed at the state level for vouchers that families can use to send their children to private schools and for the expansion of charter schools. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR: SCOTT PRUITT An ardent opponent of President Barack Obama's measures to stem climate change, Oklahoma Attorney General Pruitt, 48, has enraged environmental activists. But he fits with the president-elect's promise to cut the agency back and eliminate regulation that he says is stifling oil and gas drilling. Pruitt became the top state prosecutor for Oklahoma, which has extensive oil reserves, in 2011, and has challenged the EPA multiple times since. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: TOM PRICE U.S. Representative Price, 62, is an orthopaedic surgeon who heads the House Budget Committee. A representative from Georgia since 2005, Price has criticized Obamacare and has championed a plan of tax credits, expanded health savings accounts and lawsuit reforms to replace it. He is opposed to abortion. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: JOHN KELLY The final leadership role of Kelly's 45-year career was head of the U.S. Southern Command, responsible for U.S. military activities and relationships in Latin America and the Caribbean. The 66-year-old retired Marine general differed with Democratic President Barack Obama on key issues and has warned of vulnerabilities along the United States' southern border with Mexico. HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY: BEN CARSON Carson, 65, is a retired neurosurgeon who dropped out of the Republican presidential nominating race in March and threw his support to Trump. A popular writer and speaker in conservative circles, Carson previously indicated reluctance to take a position in the incoming administration because of his lack of experience in the federal government. Carson is the first African-American picked for a Cabinet spot by Trump. INTERIOR SECRETARY: CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS McMorris Rodgers, a 47-year-old U.S. congresswoman from Washington state, is the fourth most senior member of the House of Representatives leadership. A member of the House Energy Committee, she has supported efforts to expand the U.S. energy industry such as the recent repeal of the decades-old ban on oil exports and efforts to reject the Environmental Protection Agency's Waters of the United States Act. She has also expressed scepticism about climate change. Before joining Congress in 2004, McMorris Rodgers served for a decades in the Washington state legislature, eventually becoming the first woman there to serve as minority leader. NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL DIRECTOR: GARY COHN Cohn, 56, president and chief operating officer of investment bank Goldman Sachs , had widely been considered heir apparent to Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of the Wall Street firm. Trump hammered Goldman and Blankfein during the presidential campaign, releasing a television ad that called Blankfein part of a "global power structure" that had robbed America's working class. LABOR SECRETARY: ANDREW PUZDER Puzder, chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants Inc [APOLOT.UL], which runs the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's fast-food chains [APOLOT.UL], has been a vociferous critic of government regulation of the workplace and the National Labor Relations Board. Puzder, 66, has argued that higher minimum wages would hurt workers by forcing restaurants to close, and praises the benefits of automation, so his appointment is likely to antagonize organised labour. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: MICHAEL FLYNN Retired Lieutenant General Flynn, 57, was an early Trump supporter and serves as vice chairman on his transition team. He began his Army career in 1981 and was deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Flynn became head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2012 under President Barack Obama but retired a year earlier than expected, according to media reports, and became a fierce critic of Obama's foreign policy. SECRETARY OF STATE: REX TILLERSON Tillerson, 64, has spent his entire career at Exxon Mobil Corp, where he rose to serve as its chairman and CEO in 2006. A civil engineer by training, the Texan joined the world's largest energy company in 1975 and led several of its operations in the United States as well as in Yemen, Thailand and Russia. As Exxon's chief executive, he maintained close ties with Moscow and opposed U.S. sanctions against Russia for its incursion into Crimea. ENERGY SECRETARY: RICK PERRY Perry, 66, adds to the list of oil drilling advocates sceptical about climate change who have been picked for senior positions in Trump's Cabinet. The selections have worried environmentalists but cheered an industry eager for expansion. Perry, who also briefly ran in the 2016 presidential race, would have to be confirmed by the Senate to head the Energy Department, which is responsible for U.S. energy policy and oversees the nation's nuclear weapons programme. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATOR: LINDA MCMAHON McMahon, 68, is a co-founder and former chief executive of the professional wrestling franchise WWE, which is based in Stamford, Connecticut. She ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut in 2010 and 2012, and was an early supporter of Trump's presidential campaign. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: ELAINE CHAO Chao, 63, was labour secretary under President George W. Bush for eight years and the first Asian-American woman to hold a Cabinet position. She is a director at Ingersoll Rand, News Corp and Vulcan Materials Company. She is married to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky. TREASURY SECRETARY: STEVEN MNUCHIN Mnuchin, 53, is a successful private equity investor, hedge fund manager and Hollywood financier who spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs before leaving in 2002. He assembled an investor group to buy a failed California mortgage lender in 2009, rebranded it as OneWest Bank and built it into Southern California's largest bank. Housing advocacy groups criticized the bank for its foreclosure practices, accusing it of being too quick to foreclose on struggling homeowners. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: NIKKI HALEY Haley, 44, has been the Republican governor of South Carolina since 2011 and has little experience in foreign policy or the federal government. The daughter of Indian immigrants, she led a successful push last year to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol after the killing of nine black churchgoers in Charleston by a white gunman. WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: REINCE PRIEBUS Recently re-elected to serve as Republican National Committee chairman, Priebus will give up his party post to join Trump in the White House, where the low-key Washington operative could help forge ties with Congress to advance Trump's agenda. The 44-year-old was a steadfast supporter of Trump during the presidential campaign even as the party fractured amid the choice. CHIEF WHITE HOUSE STRATEGIST, SENIOR COUNSELOR: STEVE BANNON The former head of the conservative website Breitbart News came aboard as Trump's campaign chairman in August. A rabble-rousing conservative media figure, he helped shift Breitbart's into a forum for the alt-right, a loose confederation of those who reject mainstream politics and includes neo-Nazis, white supremacists and anti-Semites. His hiring signals Trump's dedication to operating outside the norms of Washington. As White House chief of staff, Bannon, 63, will serve as Trump's gatekeeper and agenda-setter.
By AFP

TURKEY: Turkey's president said Wednesday he would speak with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in an effort to rescue a ceasefire deal which would allow civilians and rebel fighters to be evacuated from Syria's Aleppo.

"I will speak with Mr Putin again later in the evening," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a televised speech in Ankara. "The situation on the ground is very fragile and complicated."

Turkey, Russia and rebel groups on Tuesday confirmed an agreement had been reached for civilians and opposition fighters to leave Aleppo, Syria's second city.

If implemented, the deal would mark the end of opposition resistance in Syria's second city after years of fighting and a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad.

Deadly clashes erupted in Syria's Aleppo on Wednesday, putting the deal for the evacuation of rebel areas on hold.

Moscow, a key Assad ally that launched an air war in support of his forces last year, said the Syrian army resumed its operations in Aleppo after "an attack by the terrorists was warded off".

But Erdogan accused Assad's forces of breaking the deal and attacking civilians.

"We were hoping that a process of evacuation had begun for civilians and opposition from east Aleppo as a result of negotiations that I personally followed, unfortunately missiles have begun to be launched again," the Turkish president said.

"Therefore, we remain cautious," he said, adding that the implementation of the ceasefire was the "last hope" for the people in Aleppo.

Erdogan also hit back at the United Nations for its failure to create a safe zone inside Syria to shelter Syrian refugees and said Turkey would host those fleeing from Aleppo if necessary.

"Hey the United Nations, where are you?" he said.

Erdogan said Turkey finalised preparations for civilians to be evacuated from Aleppo to to the western Syrian city of Idlib near the Turkish border.

"We are also ready to embrace those who will come to Turkey," Erdogan said.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said on Tuesday that Ankara would "set up a tent city to accommodate up to 80,000 Syrian refugees fleeing Aleppo".

TURKEY: Turkey's president said Wednesday he would speak with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in an effort to rescue a ceasefire deal which would allow civilians and rebel fighters to be evacuated from Syria's Aleppo. "I will speak with Mr Putin again later in the evening," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a televised speech in Ankara. "The situation on the ground is very fragile and complicated." Turkey, Russia and rebel groups on Tuesday confirmed an agreement had been reached for civilians and opposition fighters to leave Aleppo, Syria's second city. If implemented, the deal would mark the end of opposition resistance in Syria's second city after years of fighting and a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad. Deadly clashes erupted in Syria's Aleppo on Wednesday, putting the deal for the evacuation of rebel areas on hold. Moscow, a key Assad ally that launched an air war in support of his forces last year, said the Syrian army resumed its operations in Aleppo after "an attack by the terrorists was warded off". But Erdogan accused Assad's forces of breaking the deal and attacking civilians. "We were hoping that a process of evacuation had begun for civilians and opposition from east Aleppo as a result of negotiations that I personally followed, unfortunately missiles have begun to be launched again," the Turkish president said. "Therefore, we remain cautious," he said, adding that the implementation of the ceasefire was the "last hope" for the people in Aleppo. Erdogan also hit back at the United Nations for its failure to create a safe zone inside Syria to shelter Syrian refugees and said Turkey would host those fleeing from Aleppo if necessary. "Hey the United Nations, where are you?" he said. Erdogan said Turkey finalised preparations for civilians to be evacuated from Aleppo to to the western Syrian city of Idlib near the Turkish border. "We are also ready to embrace those who will come to Turkey," Erdogan said. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said on Tuesday that Ankara would "set up a tent city to accommodate up to 80,000 Syrian refugees fleeing Aleppo".
By Associated Press

BEIRUT: The latest on the developments in Syria after the cease-fire deal to allow for the evacuation of rebels and tens of thousands of civilians still remaining in the rebel enclave (all times local):

4:30 p.m.

A U.N. commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria says it is "imperative" to ensure that civilians are granted safe passage out of eastern Aleppo.

The Commission of Inquiry says the Syrian government and its allies now bear primary responsibility for preventing rights violations and reprisals in the area.

It said Wednesday that "numerous reports of violations perpetrated by pro-government forces continue to emerge, including summary executions, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and forced conscription."

In a statement issued in Geneva, the group said it also "received allegations" that opposition groups, including Ahrar al-Sham and the al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front, were preventing civilians from leaving and embedding fighters among civilians, putting the civilians at risk.

___

4:10 p.m.

Hundreds of Kuwaitis have gathered outside the Russian Embassy demanding a halt to the violence in Aleppo, where Moscow is helping Syrian government forces drive rebels from their last enclave.

The crowds gathered Wednesday were drawn from various backgrounds, and included both liberals and Islamists. Protesters carried pictures of Syrian children and posters of President Bashar Assad with a swastika.

Parliament member Jamaan al-Herbish demanded that his country sever ties with Russia because of its support for Assad. He also called for Kuwait to allow more Syrians into the country, saying "we have to support our fellow Arab brothers and sisters against the attacks and crimes by the Syrian regime and its allies."

Former parliament member Ahmad al-Shahoomi called the fight for Aleppo a "battle against Sunni Islam."

Kuwait is home to more than 130,000 Syrian nationals, according to Kuwaiti government statistics released in 2014. Kuwait was one of the first Gulf Arab countries to sever ties with Syria and pledge support to the rebels seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

Many Kuwait-based Syrians who need to renew their passports and apply for other government documents must either travel to Damascus or to the United Arab Emirates, where a Syrian Embassy is still open.

___

4:05 p.m.

Qatar has canceled all celebrations for its forthcoming National Day over the ongoing fighting in Aleppo.

The state-run Qatar News Agency said Wednesday that the decision was made by the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The brief report said the move showed "solidarity with our people in the city of Aleppo, who are subjected to the worst kind of repression and torture, displacement and genocide."

Qatar has backed rebels trying to overthrow embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Qatar's National Day on Dec. 18 commemorates its unification in 1878.

A cease-fire deal between rebels and the Syrian government in Aleppo effectively collapsed on Wednesday, with fighter jets resuming deadly air raids over the opposition's densely crowded enclave in the east of the city.

___

4 p.m.

A Turkish Islamist NGO has called on activists to drive to the Syrian border in solidarity with Aleppo.

On Wednesday an aid convoy of a dozen trucks departed Istanbul following a press statement by the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or IHH.

Organizers say a total of 350 trucks have already been sent to Syria.

IHH President Bulent Yildirim condemned the silence of "major powers" and "Islamic countries" in the face of the suffering of Syrian women and children living in east Aleppo, where a cease-fire agreement brokered by Turkey and Russia is falling apart.

He says: "Everywhere in the world, people watch this massacre... The Geneva convention, international law is not working. They have no meaning."

Turkish officials say preparations have been made in Turkey and northern Syria to help those who flee Aleppo.

Those preparations include plans to set up a new tent city that can accommodate up to 80,000 people.

___

3 p.m.

Syrian President Bashar Assad says western countries are seeking a cease-fire in the northern city of Aleppo in order to save "the terrorists."

Assad spoke to the Russia Today channel in excerpts of an interview aired Wednesday.

His comments come after government troops and allied militias have all but captured the entire rebel-held enclave. Thousands of civilians, alongside rebels, remain crammed in a small sliver of territory. A cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey to allow for their evacuation is unravelling as shelling and bombing resumed Wednesday.

Assad said the cease-fire was to stop his government's advance in the city and "keep the terrorists and save them." He also said the capture of the ancient city of Palmyra by Islamic State militants was to "distract" from the Aleppo offensive.

___

2:10 p.m.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged all sides to abide by a cease-fire agreement for the Syrian city of Aleppo that Ankara helped broker with Moscow  even as the deal was rapidly unravelling.

Erdogan said in televised remarks that the cease-fire was "perhaps the last hope for the innocents" of eastern Aleppo and appealed for the immediate opening of a humanitarian corridor "without any obstruction or sabotage" so people can safely leave the area.

He blamed President Bashar Assad's forces for the violence on Wednesday. Erdogan said "not even a few hours had passed since the agreement was reached that the regime forces broke the cease-fire and once again started to attack civilians."

Erdogan added that "Assad's regime is clearly committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Aleppo. Everybody needs to see this reality, including those who give him support."

Erdogan said he would hold talks scheduled with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the evening.

___

1:20 p.m.

Iran is congratulating its close ally Syria on driving rebels from Aleppo, where fighting is still underway despite a cease-fire deal that was to allow for the evacuation of opposition fighters and tens of thousands of civilians.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said Wednesday that the "brave sons of the region" have forced the "mercenary terrorists" to retreat.

Thousands of Shiite fighters from Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan are battling alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces as they near victory in Aleppo, the country's largest city and former commercial capital. Russia, another key ally, has provided airstrikes.

Gen. Rahim Safavi, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said that after Aleppo, "Americans have realized that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the top player in southwest Asia."

12:40 p.m.

Syrian activists say fighter jets have resumed bombing raids over remaining rebel areas in eastern Aleppo, further imperiling a cease-fire deal for the city.

Media activist Mahmoud Raslan says the aircraft bombed the rebel Ansari district in the city on Wednesday.

He says that the aircraft "began to strike as if there's no such thing as a 'cease-fire' or 'evacuation of civilians'."

Raslan says the bombing is a de facto announcement that "they are going to kill us all."

A member of the first responders' team in eastern Aleppo, Ibrahem alHaj, confirmed the strikes. It was not clear whether the planes were Syrian or Russian.

Russia and Turkey brokered a cease-fire deal to evacuate Syrian rebels and civilians from their last holdout in eastern Aleppo late on Tuesday but that appeared to be collapsing on Wednesday, according to both sides.

___

11:50 a.m.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has dismissed new Syria talks with the United States as "pointless."

Lavrov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies on Wednesday that Moscow has high hopes for Syria talks with Turkey and thinks they could be "more effective than many months of a pointless hangout we have had the United States."

Lavrov has complained that every time they reach a deal, the United States "rolls back" on what has been agreed.

Russia and Turkey have brokered a cease-fire deal to evacuate Syrian rebels and civilians from their last holdout in eastern Aleppo that seems to be unravelling on Wednesday, according to both sides.

___

11:45 a.m.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is appealing on the Syrian government and Russia to do their utmost to spare civilians as they prepare to capture the last rebel holdouts in the besieged city of Aleppo.

Mogherini said in a statement on Wednesday that "the priority now, in these hours, is to protect civilians, guarantee them safe and monitored transit to a place of safety."

She added that "this is particularly the responsibility of the Syrian government and its allies." Mogherini also warned that "those who perpetrate war crimes will be held accountable."

___

11:40 a.m.

Media reports say that buses, which were meant to evacuate rebels and tens of thousands of civilians from Syria's eastern Aleppo, have left the crossing point on the edge of the opposition enclave and returned to their depots.

The buses' departure could signal a major delay in the evacuations and even the collapse of the cease-fire deal.

The Lebanese channel al-Manar TV has broadcast footage showing Syrian government's green-colored buses leaving the evacuation point without any passengers on Wednesday.

Al-Manar is the media arm of the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's government forces in Syria.

Shelling and rocket fire also resumed Wednesday at the edges of the opposition's one-square-mile enclave in Aleppo.

___

11:15 a.m.

A legal adviser to Syrian opposition factions says an evacuation deal for Aleppo is behind held up by Iranian fighters who have renewed shelling of the rebel part of the city.

Shiite volunteers from Lebanon, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan have been fighting in Syria in support of President Bashar Assad's forces. Assad is also backed by Russia, his top ally in the war.

Osama Abu Zayd said despite Russian renewals of their commitment to the truce agreement, the Iranian field commander in Syria was obstructing the deal.

Aby Zayd told The Associated Press on Wednesday that "it is clear that the Russians can't get Iran to abide by the deal." He says Iranian militias and Hezbollah are shelling four Aleppo neighborhoods still held by the opposition.

Abu Zayd spoke on Wednesday from the outskirts of Aleppo. He says the Iranians are making new demands, including recovering the remains of Iranian fighters killed in Aleppo and the release of Iranian hostages held in Idlib.

___

11 a.m.

The Russian Defense Ministry says Syrian rebels in the besieged city of Aleppo have broken the latest cease-fire deal.

The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the rebels "resumed the hostilities" at dawn, trying to break through Syrian government positions to the north-west.

The ministry also says the rebels fired at a convoy that was due to depart in the early hours of the day from an eastern Aleppo neighborhood with the rebels who had agreed to be evacuated to the city of Idlib.

Syrian rebels and civilians were expected to pull out from their last holdout in Aleppo after the remaining rebel factions the previous day reached a cease-fire deal to evacuate from eastern Aleppo.

___

10:50 a.m.

Syrian activists say shelling has resumed in the remaining rebel part of eastern the city of Aleppo, despite a cease-fire deal to allow for the evacuations of the opposition fighters and tens of thousands of civilians.

Aleppo media activist Mahmoud Raslan says he was reporting for a Turkish agency when a rocket crashed beside him at around 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday. He shared an audio recording of the explosion with the Associated Press.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says an explosion was heard in the rebel-held Saif al-Dawleh district around the same time.

Pro-government forces have trapped thousands of civilians and gunmen in eastern Aleppo under a crushing bombardment over the past weeks as they pushed to clear the northern city of the opposition.

The implementation of the deal struck on Tuesday to evacuate civilians and rebels from the enclave, signaling a surrender by the opposition, was delayed on Wednesday morning.

___

8:50 a.m.

The Syrian rebel pullout from their last holdout in the city of Aleppo has been delayed.

The withdrawal was supposed to start early in the morning on Wednesday after the rebels the previous day reached a cease-fire deal to evacuate from eastern Aleppo in what is effectively a surrender  and a defining moment in Syria's civil war.

The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV broadcast footage of Syrian government buses idling at an agreed-on evacuation point. It's unclear what has caused the delay.

The TV says it expects at least another couple of hours of delay. It says the buses are prepared to move 5,000 fighters and their families to Atareb, an opposition-held town in the northwestern Aleppo countryside.

The Syrian government or the opposition haven't made any announcements about the delay.

BEIRUT: The latest on the developments in Syria after the cease-fire deal to allow for the evacuation of rebels and tens of thousands of civilians still remaining in the rebel enclave (all times local): 4:30 p.m. A U.N. commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria says it is "imperative" to ensure that civilians are granted safe passage out of eastern Aleppo. The Commission of Inquiry says the Syrian government and its allies now bear primary responsibility for preventing rights violations and reprisals in the area. It said Wednesday that "numerous reports of violations perpetrated by pro-government forces continue to emerge, including summary executions, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and forced conscription." In a statement issued in Geneva, the group said it also "received allegations" that opposition groups, including Ahrar al-Sham and the al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front, were preventing civilians from leaving and embedding fighters among civilians, putting the civilians at risk. ___ 4:10 p.m. Hundreds of Kuwaitis have gathered outside the Russian Embassy demanding a halt to the violence in Aleppo, where Moscow is helping Syrian government forces drive rebels from their last enclave. The crowds gathered Wednesday were drawn from various backgrounds, and included both liberals and Islamists. Protesters carried pictures of Syrian children and posters of President Bashar Assad with a swastika. Parliament member Jamaan al-Herbish demanded that his country sever ties with Russia because of its support for Assad. He also called for Kuwait to allow more Syrians into the country, saying "we have to support our fellow Arab brothers and sisters against the attacks and crimes by the Syrian regime and its allies." Former parliament member Ahmad al-Shahoomi called the fight for Aleppo a "battle against Sunni Islam." Kuwait is home to more than 130,000 Syrian nationals, according to Kuwaiti government statistics released in 2014. Kuwait was one of the first Gulf Arab countries to sever ties with Syria and pledge support to the rebels seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Many Kuwait-based Syrians who need to renew their passports and apply for other government documents must either travel to Damascus or to the United Arab Emirates, where a Syrian Embassy is still open. ___ 4:05 p.m. Qatar has canceled all celebrations for its forthcoming National Day over the ongoing fighting in Aleppo. The state-run Qatar News Agency said Wednesday that the decision was made by the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The brief report said the move showed "solidarity with our people in the city of Aleppo, who are subjected to the worst kind of repression and torture, displacement and genocide." Qatar has backed rebels trying to overthrow embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad. Qatar's National Day on Dec. 18 commemorates its unification in 1878. A cease-fire deal between rebels and the Syrian government in Aleppo effectively collapsed on Wednesday, with fighter jets resuming deadly air raids over the opposition's densely crowded enclave in the east of the city. ___ 4 p.m. A Turkish Islamist NGO has called on activists to drive to the Syrian border in solidarity with Aleppo. On Wednesday an aid convoy of a dozen trucks departed Istanbul following a press statement by the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or IHH. Organizers say a total of 350 trucks have already been sent to Syria. IHH President Bulent Yildirim condemned the silence of "major powers" and "Islamic countries" in the face of the suffering of Syrian women and children living in east Aleppo, where a cease-fire agreement brokered by Turkey and Russia is falling apart. He says: "Everywhere in the world, people watch this massacre... The Geneva convention, international law is not working. They have no meaning." Turkish officials say preparations have been made in Turkey and northern Syria to help those who flee Aleppo. Those preparations include plans to set up a new tent city that can accommodate up to 80,000 people. ___ 3 p.m. Syrian President Bashar Assad says western countries are seeking a cease-fire in the northern city of Aleppo in order to save "the terrorists." Assad spoke to the Russia Today channel in excerpts of an interview aired Wednesday. His comments come after government troops and allied militias have all but captured the entire rebel-held enclave. Thousands of civilians, alongside rebels, remain crammed in a small sliver of territory. A cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey to allow for their evacuation is unravelling as shelling and bombing resumed Wednesday. Assad said the cease-fire was to stop his government's advance in the city and "keep the terrorists and save them." He also said the capture of the ancient city of Palmyra by Islamic State militants was to "distract" from the Aleppo offensive. ___ 2:10 p.m. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged all sides to abide by a cease-fire agreement for the Syrian city of Aleppo that Ankara helped broker with Moscow  even as the deal was rapidly unravelling. Erdogan said in televised remarks that the cease-fire was "perhaps the last hope for the innocents" of eastern Aleppo and appealed for the immediate opening of a humanitarian corridor "without any obstruction or sabotage" so people can safely leave the area. He blamed President Bashar Assad's forces for the violence on Wednesday. Erdogan said "not even a few hours had passed since the agreement was reached that the regime forces broke the cease-fire and once again started to attack civilians." Erdogan added that "Assad's regime is clearly committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Aleppo. Everybody needs to see this reality, including those who give him support." Erdogan said he would hold talks scheduled with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the evening. ___ 1:20 p.m. Iran is congratulating its close ally Syria on driving rebels from Aleppo, where fighting is still underway despite a cease-fire deal that was to allow for the evacuation of opposition fighters and tens of thousands of civilians. Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said Wednesday that the "brave sons of the region" have forced the "mercenary terrorists" to retreat. Thousands of Shiite fighters from Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan are battling alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces as they near victory in Aleppo, the country's largest city and former commercial capital. Russia, another key ally, has provided airstrikes. Gen. Rahim Safavi, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said that after Aleppo, "Americans have realized that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the top player in southwest Asia." 12:40 p.m. Syrian activists say fighter jets have resumed bombing raids over remaining rebel areas in eastern Aleppo, further imperiling a cease-fire deal for the city. Media activist Mahmoud Raslan says the aircraft bombed the rebel Ansari district in the city on Wednesday. He says that the aircraft "began to strike as if there's no such thing as a 'cease-fire' or 'evacuation of civilians'." Raslan says the bombing is a de facto announcement that "they are going to kill us all." A member of the first responders' team in eastern Aleppo, Ibrahem alHaj, confirmed the strikes. It was not clear whether the planes were Syrian or Russian. Russia and Turkey brokered a cease-fire deal to evacuate Syrian rebels and civilians from their last holdout in eastern Aleppo late on Tuesday but that appeared to be collapsing on Wednesday, according to both sides. ___ 11:50 a.m. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has dismissed new Syria talks with the United States as "pointless." Lavrov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies on Wednesday that Moscow has high hopes for Syria talks with Turkey and thinks they could be "more effective than many months of a pointless hangout we have had the United States." Lavrov has complained that every time they reach a deal, the United States "rolls back" on what has been agreed. Russia and Turkey have brokered a cease-fire deal to evacuate Syrian rebels and civilians from their last holdout in eastern Aleppo that seems to be unravelling on Wednesday, according to both sides. ___ 11:45 a.m. European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is appealing on the Syrian government and Russia to do their utmost to spare civilians as they prepare to capture the last rebel holdouts in the besieged city of Aleppo. Mogherini said in a statement on Wednesday that "the priority now, in these hours, is to protect civilians, guarantee them safe and monitored transit to a place of safety." She added that "this is particularly the responsibility of the Syrian government and its allies." Mogherini also warned that "those who perpetrate war crimes will be held accountable." ___ 11:40 a.m. Media reports say that buses, which were meant to evacuate rebels and tens of thousands of civilians from Syria's eastern Aleppo, have left the crossing point on the edge of the opposition enclave and returned to their depots. The buses' departure could signal a major delay in the evacuations and even the collapse of the cease-fire deal. The Lebanese channel al-Manar TV has broadcast footage showing Syrian government's green-colored buses leaving the evacuation point without any passengers on Wednesday. Al-Manar is the media arm of the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's government forces in Syria. Shelling and rocket fire also resumed Wednesday at the edges of the opposition's one-square-mile enclave in Aleppo. ___ 11:15 a.m. A legal adviser to Syrian opposition factions says an evacuation deal for Aleppo is behind held up by Iranian fighters who have renewed shelling of the rebel part of the city. Shiite volunteers from Lebanon, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan have been fighting in Syria in support of President Bashar Assad's forces. Assad is also backed by Russia, his top ally in the war. Osama Abu Zayd said despite Russian renewals of their commitment to the truce agreement, the Iranian field commander in Syria was obstructing the deal. Aby Zayd told The Associated Press on Wednesday that "it is clear that the Russians can't get Iran to abide by the deal." He says Iranian militias and Hezbollah are shelling four Aleppo neighborhoods still held by the opposition. Abu Zayd spoke on Wednesday from the outskirts of Aleppo. He says the Iranians are making new demands, including recovering the remains of Iranian fighters killed in Aleppo and the release of Iranian hostages held in Idlib. ___ 11 a.m. The Russian Defense Ministry says Syrian rebels in the besieged city of Aleppo have broken the latest cease-fire deal. The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the rebels "resumed the hostilities" at dawn, trying to break through Syrian government positions to the north-west. The ministry also says the rebels fired at a convoy that was due to depart in the early hours of the day from an eastern Aleppo neighborhood with the rebels who had agreed to be evacuated to the city of Idlib. Syrian rebels and civilians were expected to pull out from their last holdout in Aleppo after the remaining rebel factions the previous day reached a cease-fire deal to evacuate from eastern Aleppo. ___ 10:50 a.m. Syrian activists say shelling has resumed in the remaining rebel part of eastern the city of Aleppo, despite a cease-fire deal to allow for the evacuations of the opposition fighters and tens of thousands of civilians. Aleppo media activist Mahmoud Raslan says he was reporting for a Turkish agency when a rocket crashed beside him at around 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday. He shared an audio recording of the explosion with the Associated Press. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says an explosion was heard in the rebel-held Saif al-Dawleh district around the same time. Pro-government forces have trapped thousands of civilians and gunmen in eastern Aleppo under a crushing bombardment over the past weeks as they pushed to clear the northern city of the opposition. The implementation of the deal struck on Tuesday to evacuate civilians and rebels from the enclave, signaling a surrender by the opposition, was delayed on Wednesday morning. ___ 8:50 a.m. The Syrian rebel pullout from their last holdout in the city of Aleppo has been delayed. The withdrawal was supposed to start early in the morning on Wednesday after the rebels the previous day reached a cease-fire deal to evacuate from eastern Aleppo in what is effectively a surrender  and a defining moment in Syria's civil war. The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV broadcast footage of Syrian government buses idling at an agreed-on evacuation point. It's unclear what has caused the delay. The TV says it expects at least another couple of hours of delay. It says the buses are prepared to move 5,000 fighters and their families to Atareb, an opposition-held town in the northwestern Aleppo countryside. The Syrian government or the opposition haven't made any announcements about the delay.
By PTI

BERLIN: About 50 Afghans who had their asylum bids in Germany rejected were being deported, a pro-refugee group said, as the government works to reduce the number of migrants remaining in the country. A plane with the deportees on board was supposed to leave Frankfurt airport yesterday at 6:55 PM local time, refugee group Pro Asyl said.

Hundreds of protesters chanted slogans at the airport's departure terminal asking to have deportations to Afghanistan halted. The German government said earlier that it would only confirm deportations after they happened, but officials had not verified after the plane's departure time if any had taken place. After allowing in 890,000 migrants last year, Germany has sought to manage the influx by speeding up the asylum process for the applicants most likely to receive it, such as Syrians fleeing civil war.

Authorities in turn have accelerated the expulsion of unlikely candidates for asylum, such as people seeking to escape poverty in the Balkans. Afghans have fallen somewhere in the middle, with some areas of the country considered safe and some not. But few have been deported because Germany lacked a proper agreement with Afghanistan.

Instead, many have been convinced to go home voluntarily with financial incentives. But the German and Afghan governments signed a memorandum of understanding on deportations a few weeks ago, paving the way for the several dozen who were to be sent home last night. Petra Haubner, a lawyer from the Bavarian city of Passau, told The Associated Press that a 20-year-old Afghan client was on his way to Frankfurt to be deported after being detained by police at a Bavaria shelter.

The client, who Haubner did not name, arrived in Germany as a minor in 2011. His asylum request first was rejected in 2012 because authorities did not see enough proof of his individual persecution by the Taliban. After several failed court appeals, he had been living in Germany on short-term "tolerated status." Last night, Germany's federal constitutional court temporarily suspended the deportation of another Afghan in a last-minute decision.

The court said the 29-year-old man could remain to await the outcome of an appeal of his rejected asylum plea. Germany has tried to convince rejected Afghan asylum seekers to leave voluntarily by offering financial incentives upon their return home. Some 3,000 asylum seekers returned to Afghanistan this year as part of the repatriation program, Interior Ministry spokesman Johannes Dimroth said.

BERLIN: About 50 Afghans who had their asylum bids in Germany rejected were being deported, a pro-refugee group said, as the government works to reduce the number of migrants remaining in the country. A plane with the deportees on board was supposed to leave Frankfurt airport yesterday at 6:55 PM local time, refugee group Pro Asyl said. Hundreds of protesters chanted slogans at the airport's departure terminal asking to have deportations to Afghanistan halted. The German government said earlier that it would only confirm deportations after they happened, but officials had not verified after the plane's departure time if any had taken place. After allowing in 890,000 migrants last year, Germany has sought to manage the influx by speeding up the asylum process for the applicants most likely to receive it, such as Syrians fleeing civil war. Authorities in turn have accelerated the expulsion of unlikely candidates for asylum, such as people seeking to escape poverty in the Balkans. Afghans have fallen somewhere in the middle, with some areas of the country considered safe and some not. But few have been deported because Germany lacked a proper agreement with Afghanistan. Instead, many have been convinced to go home voluntarily with financial incentives. But the German and Afghan governments signed a memorandum of understanding on deportations a few weeks ago, paving the way for the several dozen who were to be sent home last night. Petra Haubner, a lawyer from the Bavarian city of Passau, told The Associated Press that a 20-year-old Afghan client was on his way to Frankfurt to be deported after being detained by police at a Bavaria shelter. The client, who Haubner did not name, arrived in Germany as a minor in 2011. His asylum request first was rejected in 2012 because authorities did not see enough proof of his individual persecution by the Taliban. After several failed court appeals, he had been living in Germany on short-term "tolerated status." Last night, Germany's federal constitutional court temporarily suspended the deportation of another Afghan in a last-minute decision. The court said the 29-year-old man could remain to await the outcome of an appeal of his rejected asylum plea. Germany has tried to convince rejected Afghan asylum seekers to leave voluntarily by offering financial incentives upon their return home. Some 3,000 asylum seekers returned to Afghanistan this year as part of the repatriation program, Interior Ministry spokesman Johannes Dimroth said.
By AFP

BRUSSELS: Italy's banking problems can be solved and the EU will do everything to help, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Wednesday, dismissing fears of something akin to the euro crisis.

New Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni has said his government was prepared to come to the aid of the country's third largest bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS), if private rescue efforts fail.

The bank, seen as being in danger of failing if it is not recapitalised, needs to raise five billion euros ($5.29 billion) to avoid a state-subsidised rescue.

"I do not think that we have to expect that the problems of the Italian banks have to be considered as unsolvable," Juncker said in an interview with the German public television ZDF.

"We will do everything... to be helpful to the Italian authorities, indeed the government," he said, speaking in German. "I do not believe that Italy could be the origin of something which could resemble a new euro crisis."

The Italian government has been sending signals it is ready to help recapitalise the troubled BMPS should it fail to raise enough money from private investors to complete a badly needed strengthening of its balance sheet.

If that happens there are fears retail savers might be hurt with EU rules potentially preventing the government from fully covering their losses.

Juncker, who was interviewed on the eve of a Brussels summit of EU leaders, also defended the bloc's diplomacy on Syria, which is on the summit agenda unlike Italy's banking woes.

"Should we have sent soldiers? Would the Germans and the Luxembourgers, the Dutch, the Italians be ready to send soldiers to Syria?" the former Luxembourg prime minister asked.

Even with a still non-existant European army, he said, "I do not believe that there are many Europeans who want to die for Syria. But we urge with all means at our disposal that humanitarian solutions are strived for."

BRUSSELS: Italy's banking problems can be solved and the EU will do everything to help, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Wednesday, dismissing fears of something akin to the euro crisis. New Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni has said his government was prepared to come to the aid of the country's third largest bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS), if private rescue efforts fail. The bank, seen as being in danger of failing if it is not recapitalised, needs to raise five billion euros ($5.29 billion) to avoid a state-subsidised rescue. "I do not think that we have to expect that the problems of the Italian banks have to be considered as unsolvable," Juncker said in an interview with the German public television ZDF. "We will do everything... to be helpful to the Italian authorities, indeed the government," he said, speaking in German. "I do not believe that Italy could be the origin of something which could resemble a new euro crisis." The Italian government has been sending signals it is ready to help recapitalise the troubled BMPS should it fail to raise enough money from private investors to complete a badly needed strengthening of its balance sheet. If that happens there are fears retail savers might be hurt with EU rules potentially preventing the government from fully covering their losses. Juncker, who was interviewed on the eve of a Brussels summit of EU leaders, also defended the bloc's diplomacy on Syria, which is on the summit agenda unlike Italy's banking woes. "Should we have sent soldiers? Would the Germans and the Luxembourgers, the Dutch, the Italians be ready to send soldiers to Syria?" the former Luxembourg prime minister asked. Even with a still non-existant European army, he said, "I do not believe that there are many Europeans who want to die for Syria. But we urge with all means at our disposal that humanitarian solutions are strived for."
By Associated Press

BEIRUT:

11:45 p.m.

Hundreds of Turkish and Syrian demonstrators assembled outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul to blame Tehran for the failed start of a cease-fire deal that aimed to stop the bloodbath in Syria's Aleppo.

The demonstrators shouted "Killer Iran, get out of Syria !" and held up banners that read "Save Aleppo" on Wednesday night.

A cease-fire to evacuate rebels and civilians from remaining opposition-held neighborhoods of Aleppo unraveled earlier in the day.

While the demonstration was happening in Istanbul, rebel groups said the deal was back on and would take effect early Thursday.

Turkey, opposition activists and rebels say Iran was largely responsible for the initial failure of the evacuation deal as Tehran imposed new conditions in exchange for safe passage out of eastern Aleppo.

___

11:05 p.m.

Syrian rebels say a cease-fire deal for the evacuation of fighters and civilians from eastern Aleppo is back on, hours after it collapsed.

Spokesmen for three rebel groups said the cease-fire would go into effect later Wednesday night and implementation of the deal would begin early Thursday.

The evacuation from a sliver of territory the rebels still hold in eastern Aleppo was supposed to begin at dawn Wednesday, but shelling resumed in the morning hours. Rebels accused the Syrian government and its allies of derailing the deal by placing new conditions.

Ahmed Karali, spokesman for the Ahrar Sham rebel group, said Wednesday that the deal was then salvaged. He added that the first group of wounded people and civilians would begin leaving early Thursday morning. Two other rebel spokesmen confirmed.

___

10 p.m.

Turkey's foreign minister says his country, Russia and Iran are planning a summit on Syria, where a deal to evacuate civilians and fighters from a tiny part of Aleppo that remains under rebel control is coming apart.

Speaking to the TGRT channel Wednesday, Mevlut Cavusoglu said, "We are trying hard to establish a cease-fire in the whole country (Syria)) and to start summits to find a political solution."

To that end, he said, a summit will be held on Dec. 27 in Moscow with Russia and Iran in attendance.

A cease-fire deal between rebels and the Syrian government in Aleppo effectively collapsed on Wednesday, with fighter jets resuming deadly air raids over the opposition's densely crowded enclave in the east of the city.

Turkey supports rebels fighting to oust the Syrian government, which Russia and Iran have fought to maintain in power.

___

9:45 p.m.

Human Rights Watch says the forces battling for control of the Syrian city of Aleppo are plunging its residents into "hell."

The New York-based group has called in a statement Wednesday on the forces loyal to the Syrian government in particular to halt "unlawful' attacks on and allow for the safe evacuation of civilians. The group says rebel groups have also shelled government areas, killing and wounding civilians.

Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said civilians in eastern Aleppo "who had a glimmer of hope that the attacks would stop and that aid would finally reach them are instead trapped in a new brutal air and ground attack."

A brief cease-fire collapsed Wednesday, foiling plans to evacuate civilians.

___

7:30 P.M.

Doctors Without Borders says the remaining doctors in the square mile of eastern Aleppo under attack are "terrified" of possible retaliation from pro-government forces and, more than anything, want to be evacuated.

Teresa Sancristoval, the head of the emergency unit for Aleppo with Doctors Without Borders, said the doctors who are regularly in touch with her group "feel abandoned to their fate and with no way out."

A cease-fire designed to allow for the evacuation of civilians and rebels crumbled Wednesday as government bombing resumed. Doctors in the besieged strip have already been overwhelmed, and only one health facility remains operational. Rescuers say bodies and wounded are being left on the streets because of the intensity of the attack.

"People are losing any kind of hope," she said.

___

4:45 p.m.

The Russian military says Syrian government forces have seized another district in eastern Aleppo, further squeezing a small remaining rebel enclave.

The military's Center for Reconciliation in Syria said the Syrian troops retook the Sukkari quarter, reducing the area still under rebel control to 2.5 square kilometers (less than a square mile).

A cease-fire deal between the rebels and the Syrian government that was to allow the evacuation of rebels and civilians from eastern Aleppo effectively collapsed Wednesday, with the government and the rebels blaming each other for its failure.

The Russian military says the Syrian government forces were observing the cease-fire on Tuesday, but the rebels fired at a convoy that was to carry the evacuees to the rebel-held Idlib province at dawn.

___

4:30 p.m.

A U.N. commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria says it is "imperative" to ensure that civilians are granted safe passage out of eastern Aleppo.

The Commission of Inquiry says the Syrian government and its allies now bear primary responsibility for preventing rights violations and reprisals in the area.

It said Wednesday that "numerous reports of violations perpetrated by pro-government forces continue to emerge, including summary executions, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and forced conscription."

In a statement issued in Geneva, the group said it also "received allegations" that opposition groups, including Ahrar al-Sham and the al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front, were preventing civilians from leaving and embedding fighters among civilians, putting the civilians at risk.

___

4:10 p.m.

Hundreds of Kuwaitis have gathered outside the Russian Embassy demanding a halt to the violence in Aleppo, where Moscow is helping Syrian government forces drive rebels from their last enclave.

The crowds gathered Wednesday were drawn from various backgrounds, and included both liberals and Islamists. Protesters carried pictures of Syrian children and posters of President Bashar Assad with a swastika.

Parliament member Jamaan al-Herbish demanded that his country sever ties with Russia because of its support for Assad. He also called for Kuwait to allow more Syrians into the country, saying "we have to support our fellow Arab brothers and sisters against the attacks and crimes by the Syrian regime and its allies."

Former parliament member Ahmad al-Shahoomi called the fight for Aleppo a "battle against Sunni Islam."

Kuwait is home to more than 130,000 Syrian nationals, according to Kuwaiti government statistics released in 2014. Kuwait was one of the first Gulf Arab countries to sever ties with Syria and pledge support to the rebels seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

Many Kuwait-based Syrians who need to renew their passports and apply for other government documents must either travel to Damascus or to the United Arab Emirates, where a Syrian Embassy is still open.

___

4:05 p.m.

Qatar has canceled all celebrations for its forthcoming National Day over the ongoing fighting in Aleppo.

The state-run Qatar News Agency said Wednesday that the decision was made by the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The brief report said the move showed "solidarity with our people in the city of Aleppo, who are subjected to the worst kind of repression and torture, displacement and genocide."

Qatar has backed rebels trying to overthrow embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Qatar's National Day on Dec. 18 commemorates its unification in 1878.

A cease-fire deal between rebels and the Syrian government in Aleppo effectively collapsed on Wednesday, with fighter jets resuming deadly air raids over the opposition's densely crowded enclave in the east of the city.

___

4 p.m.

A Turkish Islamist NGO has called on activists to drive to the Syrian border in solidarity with Aleppo.

On Wednesday an aid convoy of a dozen trucks departed Istanbul following a press statement by the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or IHH.

Organizers say a total of 350 trucks have already been sent to Syria.

IHH President Bulent Yildirim condemned the silence of "major powers" and "Islamic countries" in the face of the suffering of Syrian women and children living in east Aleppo, where a cease-fire agreement brokered by Turkey and Russia is falling apart.

He says: "Everywhere in the world, people watch this massacre... The Geneva convention, international law is not working. They have no meaning."

Turkish officials say preparations have been made in Turkey and northern Syria to help those who flee Aleppo.

Those preparations include plans to set up a new tent city that can accommodate up to 80,000 people.

___

3 p.m.

Syrian President Bashar Assad says western countries are seeking a cease-fire in the northern city of Aleppo in order to save "the terrorists."

Assad spoke to the Russia Today channel in excerpts of an interview aired Wednesday.

His comments come after government troops and allied militias have all but captured the entire rebel-held enclave. Thousands of civilians, alongside rebels, remain crammed in a small sliver of territory. A cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey to allow for their evacuation is unravelling as shelling and bombing resumed Wednesday.

Assad said the cease-fire was to stop his government's advance in the city and "keep the terrorists and save them." He also said the capture of the ancient city of Palmyra by Islamic State militants was to "distract" from the Aleppo offensive.

___

2:10 p.m.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged all sides to abide by a cease-fire agreement for the Syrian city of Aleppo that Ankara helped broker with Moscow  even as the deal was rapidly unravelling.

Erdogan said in televised remarks that the cease-fire was "perhaps the last hope for the innocents" of eastern Aleppo and appealed for the immediate opening of a humanitarian corridor "without any obstruction or sabotage" so people can safely leave the area.

He blamed President Bashar Assad's forces for the violence on Wednesday. Erdogan said "not even a few hours had passed since the agreement was reached that the regime forces broke the cease-fire and once again started to attack civilians."

Erdogan added that "Assad's regime is clearly committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Aleppo. Everybody needs to see this reality, including those who give him support."

Erdogan said he would hold talks scheduled with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the evening.

___

1:20 p.m.

Iran is congratulating its close ally Syria on driving rebels from Aleppo, where fighting is still underway despite a cease-fire deal that was to allow for the evacuation of opposition fighters and tens of thousands of civilians.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said Wednesday that the "brave sons of the region" have forced the "mercenary terrorists" to retreat.

Thousands of Shiite fighters from Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan are battling alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces as they near victory in Aleppo, the country's largest city and former commercial capital. Russia, another key ally, has provided airstrikes.

Gen. Rahim Safavi, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said that after Aleppo, "Americans have realized that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the top player in southwest Asia."

___

12:40 p.m.

Syrian activists say fighter jets have resumed bombing raids over remaining rebel areas in eastern Aleppo, further imperiling a cease-fire deal for the city.

Media activist Mahmoud Raslan says the aircraft bombed the rebel Ansari district in the city on Wednesday.

He says that the aircraft "began to strike as if there's no such thing as a 'cease-fire' or 'evacuation of civilians.' "

Raslan says the bombing is a de facto announcement that "they are going to kill us all."

A member of the first responders' team in eastern Aleppo, Ibrahem al-Haj, confirmed the strikes. It was not clear whether the planes were Syrian or Russian.

Russia and Turkey brokered a cease-fire deal to evacuate Syrian rebels and civilians from their last holdout in eastern Aleppo late on Tuesday but that appeared to be collapsing on Wednesday, according to both sides.

___

11:50 a.m.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has dismissed new Syria talks with the United States as "pointless."

Lavrov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies on Wednesday that Moscow has high hopes for Syria talks with Turkey and thinks they could be "more effective than many months of a pointless hangout we have had the United States."

Lavrov has complained that every time they reach a deal, the United States "rolls back" on what has been agreed.

Russia and Turkey have brokered a cease-fire deal to evacuate Syrian rebels and civilians from their last holdout in eastern Aleppo that seems to be unravelling on Wednesday, according to both sides.

___

11:45 a.m.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is calling on the Syrian government and Russia to do their utmost to spare civilians as they prepare to capture the last rebel holdouts in the besieged city of Aleppo.

Mogherini said in a statement on Wednesday that "the priority now, in these hours, is to protect civilians, guarantee them safe and monitored transit to a place of safety."

She added that "this is particularly the responsibility of the Syrian government and its allies." Mogherini also warned that "those who perpetrate war crimes will be held accountable."

___

11:40 a.m.

Media reports say that buses, which were meant to evacuate rebels and tens of thousands of civilians from Syria's eastern Aleppo, have left the crossing point on the edge of the opposition enclave and returned to their depots.

The buses' departure could signal a major delay in the evacuations and even the collapse of the cease-fire deal.

The Lebanese channel al-Manar TV has broadcast footage showing the Syrian government's green-colored buses leaving the evacuation point without any passengers on Wednesday.

Al-Manar is the media arm of the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's government forces in Syria.

Shelling and rocket fire also resumed Wednesday at the edges of the opposition's one-square-mile enclave in Aleppo.

___

11:15 a.m.

A legal adviser to Syrian opposition factions says an evacuation deal for Aleppo is being held up by Iranian fighters who have renewed shelling of the rebel-held part of the city.

Shiite volunteers from Lebanon, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan have been fighting in Syria in support of President Bashar Assad's forces. Assad is also backed by Russia, his top ally in the war.

Osama Abu Zayd said despite Russian renewals of their commitment to the truce agreement, the Iranian field commander in Syria was obstructing the deal.

Abu Zayd told The Associated Press on Wednesday that "it is clear that the Russians can't get Iran to abide by the deal." He says Iranian militias and Hezbollah are shelling four Aleppo neighborhoods still held by the opposition.

Abu Zayd spoke on Wednesday from the outskirts of Aleppo. He says the Iranians are making new demands, including recovering the remains of Iranian fighters killed in Aleppo and the release of Iranian hostages held in Idlib.

___

11 a.m.

The Russian Defense Ministry says Syrian rebels in the besieged city of Aleppo have broken the latest cease-fire deal.

The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the rebels "resumed the hostilities" at dawn, trying to break through Syrian government positions to the north-west.

The ministry also says the rebels fired at a convoy that was due to depart in the early hours of the day from an eastern Aleppo neighborhood carrying those rebels who had agreed to be evacuated to the city of Idlib.

Syrian rebels and civilians were expected to pull out from their last holdout in Aleppo after the remaining rebel factions reached a cease-fire deal the previous day to evacuate from eastern Aleppo.

___

10:50 a.m.

Syrian activists say shelling has resumed in the remaining rebel-held eastern part of the city of Aleppo, despite a cease-fire deal to allow for the evacuations of opposition fighters and tens of thousands of civilians.

Aleppo media activist Mahmoud Raslan says he was reporting for a Turkish agency when a rocket crashed beside him at around 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday. He shared an audio recording of the explosion with The Associated Press.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says an explosion was heard in the rebel-held Saif al-Dawleh district around the same time.

Pro-government forces have trapped thousands of civilians and gunmen in eastern Aleppo under a crushing bombardment over the past weeks as they pushed to clear the northern city of the opposition.

The implementation of the deal struck on Tuesday to evacuate civilians and rebels from the enclave, signaling a surrender by the opposition, was delayed on Wednesday morning.

___

8:50 a.m.

The Syrian rebel pullout from their last holdout in the city of Aleppo has been delayed.

The withdrawal was supposed to start early in the morning on Wednesday after the rebels the previous day reached a cease-fire deal to evacuate from eastern Aleppo in what is effectively a surrender  and a defining moment in Syria's civil war.

The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV broadcast footage of Syrian government buses idling at an agreed-on evacuation point. It's unclear what has caused the delay.

The TV says it expects at least another couple of hours of delay. It says the buses are prepared to move 5,000 fighters and their families to Atareb, an opposition-held town in the northwestern Aleppo countryside.

The Syrian government or the opposition haven't made any announcements about the delay.

BEIRUT: 11:45 p.m. Hundreds of Turkish and Syrian demonstrators assembled outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul to blame Tehran for the failed start of a cease-fire deal that aimed to stop the bloodbath in Syria's Aleppo. The demonstrators shouted "Killer Iran, get out of Syria!" and held up banners that read "Save Aleppo" on Wednesday night. A cease-fire to evacuate rebels and civilians from remaining opposition-held neighborhoods of Aleppo unraveled earlier in the day. While the demonstration was happening in Istanbul, rebel groups said the deal was back on and would take effect early Thursday. Turkey, opposition activists and rebels say Iran was largely responsible for the initial failure of the evacuation deal as Tehran imposed new conditions in exchange for safe passage out of eastern Aleppo. ___ 11:05 p.m. Syrian rebels say a cease-fire deal for the evacuation of fighters and civilians from eastern Aleppo is back on, hours after it collapsed. Spokesmen for three rebel groups said the cease-fire would go into effect later Wednesday night and implementation of the deal would begin early Thursday. The evacuation from a sliver of territory the rebels still hold in eastern Aleppo was supposed to begin at dawn Wednesday, but shelling resumed in the morning hours. Rebels accused the Syrian government and its allies of derailing the deal by placing new conditions. Ahmed Karali, spokesman for the Ahrar Sham rebel group, said Wednesday that the deal was then salvaged. He added that the first group of wounded people and civilians would begin leaving early Thursday morning. Two other rebel spokesmen confirmed. ___ 10 p.m. Turkey's foreign minister says his country, Russia and Iran are planning a summit on Syria, where a deal to evacuate civilians and fighters from a tiny part of Aleppo that remains under rebel control is coming apart. Speaking to the TGRT channel Wednesday, Mevlut Cavusoglu said, "We are trying hard to establish a cease-fire in the whole country (Syria)) and to start summits to find a political solution." To that end, he said, a summit will be held on Dec. 27 in Moscow with Russia and Iran in attendance. A cease-fire deal between rebels and the Syrian government in Aleppo effectively collapsed on Wednesday, with fighter jets resuming deadly air raids over the opposition's densely crowded enclave in the east of the city. Turkey supports rebels fighting to oust the Syrian government, which Russia and Iran have fought to maintain in power. ___ 9:45 p.m. Human Rights Watch says the forces battling for control of the Syrian city of Aleppo are plunging its residents into "hell." The New York-based group has called in a statement Wednesday on the forces loyal to the Syrian government in particular to halt "unlawful' attacks on and allow for the safe evacuation of civilians. The group says rebel groups have also shelled government areas, killing and wounding civilians. Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said civilians in eastern Aleppo "who had a glimmer of hope that the attacks would stop and that aid would finally reach them are instead trapped in a new brutal air and ground attack." A brief cease-fire collapsed Wednesday, foiling plans to evacuate civilians. ___ 7:30 P.M. Doctors Without Borders says the remaining doctors in the square mile of eastern Aleppo under attack are "terrified" of possible retaliation from pro-government forces and, more than anything, want to be evacuated. Teresa Sancristoval, the head of the emergency unit for Aleppo with Doctors Without Borders, said the doctors who are regularly in touch with her group "feel abandoned to their fate and with no way out." A cease-fire designed to allow for the evacuation of civilians and rebels crumbled Wednesday as government bombing resumed. Doctors in the besieged strip have already been overwhelmed, and only one health facility remains operational. Rescuers say bodies and wounded are being left on the streets because of the intensity of the attack. "People are losing any kind of hope," she said. ___ 4:45 p.m. The Russian military says Syrian government forces have seized another district in eastern Aleppo, further squeezing a small remaining rebel enclave. The military's Center for Reconciliation in Syria said the Syrian troops retook the Sukkari quarter, reducing the area still under rebel control to 2.5 square kilometers (less than a square mile). A cease-fire deal between the rebels and the Syrian government that was to allow the evacuation of rebels and civilians from eastern Aleppo effectively collapsed Wednesday, with the government and the rebels blaming each other for its failure. The Russian military says the Syrian government forces were observing the cease-fire on Tuesday, but the rebels fired at a convoy that was to carry the evacuees to the rebel-held Idlib province at dawn. ___ 4:30 p.m. A U.N. commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria says it is "imperative" to ensure that civilians are granted safe passage out of eastern Aleppo. The Commission of Inquiry says the Syrian government and its allies now bear primary responsibility for preventing rights violations and reprisals in the area. It said Wednesday that "numerous reports of violations perpetrated by pro-government forces continue to emerge, including summary executions, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and forced conscription." In a statement issued in Geneva, the group said it also "received allegations" that opposition groups, including Ahrar al-Sham and the al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front, were preventing civilians from leaving and embedding fighters among civilians, putting the civilians at risk. ___ 4:10 p.m. Hundreds of Kuwaitis have gathered outside the Russian Embassy demanding a halt to the violence in Aleppo, where Moscow is helping Syrian government forces drive rebels from their last enclave. The crowds gathered Wednesday were drawn from various backgrounds, and included both liberals and Islamists. Protesters carried pictures of Syrian children and posters of President Bashar Assad with a swastika. Parliament member Jamaan al-Herbish demanded that his country sever ties with Russia because of its support for Assad. He also called for Kuwait to allow more Syrians into the country, saying "we have to support our fellow Arab brothers and sisters against the attacks and crimes by the Syrian regime and its allies." Former parliament member Ahmad al-Shahoomi called the fight for Aleppo a "battle against Sunni Islam." Kuwait is home to more than 130,000 Syrian nationals, according to Kuwaiti government statistics released in 2014. Kuwait was one of the first Gulf Arab countries to sever ties with Syria and pledge support to the rebels seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Many Kuwait-based Syrians who need to renew their passports and apply for other government documents must either travel to Damascus or to the United Arab Emirates, where a Syrian Embassy is still open. ___ 4:05 p.m. Qatar has canceled all celebrations for its forthcoming National Day over the ongoing fighting in Aleppo. The state-run Qatar News Agency said Wednesday that the decision was made by the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The brief report said the move showed "solidarity with our people in the city of Aleppo, who are subjected to the worst kind of repression and torture, displacement and genocide." Qatar has backed rebels trying to overthrow embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad. Qatar's National Day on Dec. 18 commemorates its unification in 1878. A cease-fire deal between rebels and the Syrian government in Aleppo effectively collapsed on Wednesday, with fighter jets resuming deadly air raids over the opposition's densely crowded enclave in the east of the city. ___ 4 p.m. A Turkish Islamist NGO has called on activists to drive to the Syrian border in solidarity with Aleppo. On Wednesday an aid convoy of a dozen trucks departed Istanbul following a press statement by the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or IHH. Organizers say a total of 350 trucks have already been sent to Syria. IHH President Bulent Yildirim condemned the silence of "major powers" and "Islamic countries" in the face of the suffering of Syrian women and children living in east Aleppo, where a cease-fire agreement brokered by Turkey and Russia is falling apart. He says: "Everywhere in the world, people watch this massacre... The Geneva convention, international law is not working. They have no meaning." Turkish officials say preparations have been made in Turkey and northern Syria to help those who flee Aleppo. Those preparations include plans to set up a new tent city that can accommodate up to 80,000 people. ___ 3 p.m. Syrian President Bashar Assad says western countries are seeking a cease-fire in the northern city of Aleppo in order to save "the terrorists." Assad spoke to the Russia Today channel in excerpts of an interview aired Wednesday. His comments come after government troops and allied militias have all but captured the entire rebel-held enclave. Thousands of civilians, alongside rebels, remain crammed in a small sliver of territory. A cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey to allow for their evacuation is unravelling as shelling and bombing resumed Wednesday. Assad said the cease-fire was to stop his government's advance in the city and "keep the terrorists and save them." He also said the capture of the ancient city of Palmyra by Islamic State militants was to "distract" from the Aleppo offensive. ___ 2:10 p.m. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged all sides to abide by a cease-fire agreement for the Syrian city of Aleppo that Ankara helped broker with Moscow  even as the deal was rapidly unravelling. Erdogan said in televised remarks that the cease-fire was "perhaps the last hope for the innocents" of eastern Aleppo and appealed for the immediate opening of a humanitarian corridor "without any obstruction or sabotage" so people can safely leave the area. He blamed President Bashar Assad's forces for the violence on Wednesday. Erdogan said "not even a few hours had passed since the agreement was reached that the regime forces broke the cease-fire and once again started to attack civilians." Erdogan added that "Assad's regime is clearly committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Aleppo. Everybody needs to see this reality, including those who give him support." Erdogan said he would hold talks scheduled with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the evening. ___ 1:20 p.m. Iran is congratulating its close ally Syria on driving rebels from Aleppo, where fighting is still underway despite a cease-fire deal that was to allow for the evacuation of opposition fighters and tens of thousands of civilians. Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said Wednesday that the "brave sons of the region" have forced the "mercenary terrorists" to retreat. Thousands of Shiite fighters from Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan are battling alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces as they near victory in Aleppo, the country's largest city and former commercial capital. Russia, another key ally, has provided airstrikes. Gen. Rahim Safavi, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said that after Aleppo, "Americans have realized that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the top player in southwest Asia." ___ 12:40 p.m. Syrian activists say fighter jets have resumed bombing raids over remaining rebel areas in eastern Aleppo, further imperiling a cease-fire deal for the city. Media activist Mahmoud Raslan says the aircraft bombed the rebel Ansari district in the city on Wednesday. He says that the aircraft "began to strike as if there's no such thing as a 'cease-fire' or 'evacuation of civilians.' " Raslan says the bombing is a de facto announcement that "they are going to kill us all." A member of the first responders' team in eastern Aleppo, Ibrahem al-Haj, confirmed the strikes. It was not clear whether the planes were Syrian or Russian. Russia and Turkey brokered a cease-fire deal to evacuate Syrian rebels and civilians from their last holdout in eastern Aleppo late on Tuesday but that appeared to be collapsing on Wednesday, according to both sides. ___ 11:50 a.m. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has dismissed new Syria talks with the United States as "pointless." Lavrov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies on Wednesday that Moscow has high hopes for Syria talks with Turkey and thinks they could be "more effective than many months of a pointless hangout we have had the United States." Lavrov has complained that every time they reach a deal, the United States "rolls back" on what has been agreed. Russia and Turkey have brokered a cease-fire deal to evacuate Syrian rebels and civilians from their last holdout in eastern Aleppo that seems to be unravelling on Wednesday, according to both sides. ___ 11:45 a.m. European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is calling on the Syrian government and Russia to do their utmost to spare civilians as they prepare to capture the last rebel holdouts in the besieged city of Aleppo. Mogherini said in a statement on Wednesday that "the priority now, in these hours, is to protect civilians, guarantee them safe and monitored transit to a place of safety." She added that "this is particularly the responsibility of the Syrian government and its allies." Mogherini also warned that "those who perpetrate war crimes will be held accountable." ___ 11:40 a.m. Media reports say that buses, which were meant to evacuate rebels and tens of thousands of civilians from Syria's eastern Aleppo, have left the crossing point on the edge of the opposition enclave and returned to their depots. The buses' departure could signal a major delay in the evacuations and even the collapse of the cease-fire deal. The Lebanese channel al-Manar TV has broadcast footage showing the Syrian government's green-colored buses leaving the evacuation point without any passengers on Wednesday. Al-Manar is the media arm of the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's government forces in Syria. Shelling and rocket fire also resumed Wednesday at the edges of the opposition's one-square-mile enclave in Aleppo. ___ 11:15 a.m. A legal adviser to Syrian opposition factions says an evacuation deal for Aleppo is being held up by Iranian fighters who have renewed shelling of the rebel-held part of the city. Shiite volunteers from Lebanon, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan have been fighting in Syria in support of President Bashar Assad's forces. Assad is also backed by Russia, his top ally in the war. Osama Abu Zayd said despite Russian renewals of their commitment to the truce agreement, the Iranian field commander in Syria was obstructing the deal. Abu Zayd told The Associated Press on Wednesday that "it is clear that the Russians can't get Iran to abide by the deal." He says Iranian militias and Hezbollah are shelling four Aleppo neighborhoods still held by the opposition. Abu Zayd spoke on Wednesday from the outskirts of Aleppo. He says the Iranians are making new demands, including recovering the remains of Iranian fighters killed in Aleppo and the release of Iranian hostages held in Idlib. ___ 11 a.m. The Russian Defense Ministry says Syrian rebels in the besieged city of Aleppo have broken the latest cease-fire deal. The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the rebels "resumed the hostilities" at dawn, trying to break through Syrian government positions to the north-west. The ministry also says the rebels fired at a convoy that was due to depart in the early hours of the day from an eastern Aleppo neighborhood carrying those rebels who had agreed to be evacuated to the city of Idlib. Syrian rebels and civilians were expected to pull out from their last holdout in Aleppo after the remaining rebel factions reached a cease-fire deal the previous day to evacuate from eastern Aleppo. ___ 10:50 a.m. Syrian activists say shelling has resumed in the remaining rebel-held eastern part of the city of Aleppo, despite a cease-fire deal to allow for the evacuations of opposition fighters and tens of thousands of civilians. Aleppo media activist Mahmoud Raslan says he was reporting for a Turkish agency when a rocket crashed beside him at around 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday. He shared an audio recording of the explosion with The Associated Press. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says an explosion was heard in the rebel-held Saif al-Dawleh district around the same time. Pro-government forces have trapped thousands of civilians and gunmen in eastern Aleppo under a crushing bombardment over the past weeks as they pushed to clear the northern city of the opposition. The implementation of the deal struck on Tuesday to evacuate civilians and rebels from the enclave, signaling a surrender by the opposition, was delayed on Wednesday morning. ___ 8:50 a.m. The Syrian rebel pullout from their last holdout in the city of Aleppo has been delayed. The withdrawal was supposed to start early in the morning on Wednesday after the rebels the previous day reached a cease-fire deal to evacuate from eastern Aleppo in what is effectively a surrender  and a defining moment in Syria's civil war. The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV broadcast footage of Syrian government buses idling at an agreed-on evacuation point. It's unclear what has caused the delay. The TV says it expects at least another couple of hours of delay. It says the buses are prepared to move 5,000 fighters and their families to Atareb, an opposition-held town in the northwestern Aleppo countryside. The Syrian government or the opposition haven't made any announcements about the delay.
By AFP

ANKARA: Turkey, Russia and Iran will hold a meeting in Moscow on December 27 to try to find a solution to the five-year conflict in Syria, Ankara said on Wednesday.

"We are striving to secure a ceasefire throughout the country and for negotiations for a political solution to start," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told TGRT Haber broadcaster, vowing Ankara would continue its efforts in the near future.

"For this reason, at the end of the month, on December 27 in Moscow, we will hold a tripartite meeting with Turkey, Russia and Iran."

While Russia and Iran back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces in the war, Turkey supports the opposition seeking to unseat him.

Last month the regime launched an assault to recapture the rebel-held east of Aleppo city.

Cavusoglu's remarks come a day after the announcement of a ceasefire deal following negotiations between the Russian military and Turkish intelligence with Syrian rebels in eastern Aleppo.

The deal meant civilians and rebels would leave Aleppo and go to neighbouring Idlib province in northwestern Syria.

However hours later it looked at risk of falling apart after shelling and air strikes resumed in the city on Wednesday.

Cavusoglu accused Assad of preventing the evacuation of civilians, adding that claims that opposition fighters had broken the ceasefire were "lies."

ANKARA: Turkey, Russia and Iran will hold a meeting in Moscow on December 27 to try to find a solution to the five-year conflict in Syria, Ankara said on Wednesday. "We are striving to secure a ceasefire throughout the country and for negotiations for a political solution to start," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told TGRT Haber broadcaster, vowing Ankara would continue its efforts in the near future. "For this reason, at the end of the month, on December 27 in Moscow, we will hold a tripartite meeting with Turkey, Russia and Iran." While Russia and Iran back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces in the war, Turkey supports the opposition seeking to unseat him. Last month the regime launched an assault to recapture the rebel-held east of Aleppo city. Cavusoglu's remarks come a day after the announcement of a ceasefire deal following negotiations between the Russian military and Turkish intelligence with Syrian rebels in eastern Aleppo. The deal meant civilians and rebels would leave Aleppo and go to neighbouring Idlib province in northwestern Syria. However hours later it looked at risk of falling apart after shelling and air strikes resumed in the city on Wednesday. Cavusoglu accused Assad of preventing the evacuation of civilians, adding that claims that opposition fighters had broken the ceasefire were "lies."
It's win-or-go-home time for Newport County football teams

This season marks the first time in three years all three Aquidneck Island high school football teams have qualified for postseason play.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Mostly sunny. High 73F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 58F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
Glutathione, an antioxidant with antidotal properties, plays an important role in keeping us healthy. This finding could contribute to the development of new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat various oxidative stress-related conditions including Alzheimer's, aging, cancer, lifestyle-related diseases, hardened arteries, and organ damage caused by medicines and toxins.

The team was led by Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Division of Evidence-Based Laboratory Medicine Assistant Professor IRINO Yasuhiro and Associate Professor TOH Ryuji, in collaboration with Professor HIRATA Ken-ichi (Kobe University, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine) and Professor MIYATA Okiko (Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory)

Glutathione is a major antioxidant component within cells, and keeps our bodies healthy by contributing to the detoxification of foreign substances. Monitoring glutathione metabolism in the body can help with early diagnosis of illness, as glutathione is consumed when bodies experience oxidative stress.

However, glutathione concentration in the blood is 100- to 1000-fold lower than levels within cells, making it hard to accurately measure. Our bodies also compensate for the depletion of glutathione under stress, so circulating levels will not necessarily decrease during illness.

This makes it difficult to accurately monitor the metabolism of glutathione just by measuring its levels in the blood.

Increasing levels of glutathione in the body could help to prevent and treat a variety of conditions which involve oxidative stress and organ damage caused by toxins. However, simply ingesting glutathione does not efficiently increase glutathione levels in the body.

2-aminobutyric acid (2-AB) has been reported as a basic component of ophthalmic acid, which is produced when glutathione is synthesized. Until now, the metabolism and physiological effects of 2-AB itself were unknown. The group investigated whether 2-AB could be a marker for glutathione dynamics, and whether it could be used to modulate glutathione homeostasis.

Searching for leads to develop new diagnoses and treatment to combat heart failure, the group started by comprehensively analyzing metabolites in the bloodstreams of atrial septal defect patients using a gas chromatography mass spectrometer.

Results showed that levels of 2-AB were higher in these patients than in healthy subjects, and 2-AB levels decreased after the closure of atrial septal defect. Then, the group clarified for the first time that 2-AB is a byproduct of cysteine, one of the constituent amino acids of glutathione (figure 1), and revealed that activation of glutathione synthetic pathway under oxidative damage led to 2-AB accumulation.

Because blood concentration of 2-AB reflects the metabolism of glutathione within the body, 2-AB could potentially be used as a new biomarker for early detection of oxidative stress.

Intriguingly, the group also found that 2-AB promotes glutathione synthesis. The anticancer drug doxorubicin causes heart damage via oxidative stress as an adverse effect. They discovered that when taken orally, 2-AB increases the concentration of glutathione in the bloodstream and the heart, lessening the heart damage caused by doxorubicin (figure 2).

This research found that as well as being a biomarker, 2-AB itself is an antioxidant that can be used to effectively increase glutathione in the body (patent pending). 2-AB is a naturally-occurring amino acid that can be found in everyday food products.

Future research will examine which foods contain high levels of 2-AB, the recommended level to ingest, whether it can be used as an antioxidant for other organs, and the development of medicines and functional food for clinical use.

Source: Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine
Seno Medical Instruments, Inc., the company pioneering the development of opto-acoustic (OA) technology as a new tool to improve the process of diagnosing breast cancer, today announced results from two analyses of the company's European MAESTRO post-market surveillance study. The two analyses were presented at the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) in San Antonio, Texas.

MAESTRO, a controlled, multi-center, observational, post-market surveillance and clinical follow-up study, was designed to assess the diagnostic value (specificity and sensitivity) of OA to conventional diagnostic ultrasound (CDU) in suspicious masses classified as BI-RADS 4a and 4b. Investigators first performed CDU to reach a diagnosis and decision to biopsy followed by an Imagio OA examination. Two hundred female subjects with undiagnosed suspicious masses enrolled in the study.

The first analysis evaluated the correlation between OA imaging results and histologic data of breast masses and found that there was a statistically significant correlation between the OA breast imaging results and those based on histopathologic analysis.

"These studies are an important step forward in the development of noninvasive breast imaging technology. Evaluation of the Imagio system significantly included an independent analysis of the patient's pathology, unparalleled in the pre-release development of any breast imaging technology," said F. Lee Tucker, MD, FCAP and pathologist for the PIONEER study in the U.S. "The findings indicate the Imagio system can provide an accurate and noninvasive differentiation of benign from cancerous breast masses and will be an important means of reducing the number of benign breast biopsies."

The histopathological examination revealed 146 benign masses and 67 malignant masses. For each mass, five pre-determined OA features, three internal features, and two external features were evaluated. The three internal scores (vessels, blush, and hemoglobin) and two external features (capsular boundary zone and peripheral boundary zone) were summed together and separately for testing relationships utilizing traditional histopathology measures. The OA feature scores statistically significantly differentiate between benign and malignant masses and appear to correlate to histologic grade.

The second study, an interim analysis from the MAESTRO study, presented OA imaging downclassification and upclassifciation data, which showed that the Imagio system improved physicians' ability to accurately classify breast masses as malignant or benign compared to using traditional ultrasound. Results from this study were first presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI), the second largest conference in the world dedicated to breast cancer imaging, in September 2016 in Paris.

"The interim results from the MAESTRO study provide further evidence in a real-world setting, that the Imagio breast imaging system is a viable diagnostic tool to more accurately assess breast masses for malignancy compared to diagnostic ultrasound," said Ruud Pijnappel MD, PhD, Professor Breast Radiology at UMC Utrecht, Netherlands and CEO of LRBC - Dutch Reference Centre for Screening. "We believe the final results of the MAESTRO study to be presented in 2017 will confirm these interim results."

"Together, the two data presentations presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium reinforce our belief that the Imagio breast imaging system will be an important tool to clinicians to evaluate suspicious masses while providing greater comfort to the patient," said Tom Umbel, CEO of Seno Medical Instruments. "We will soon launch the Imagio system in Europe and look forward to the presenting the MAESTRO final results and the results of our pivotal trial in the US  PIONEER  in 2017."

Seno Medical Instruments expects to announce the final results from the MAESTRO study in early 2017. Results from the company's PIONEER study in the U.S. of more than 2,000 patients are expected to be announced in the second half of 2017. Seno Medical is targeting their PMA submission for the Imagio system to the U.S Food and Drug Administration in early 2017.

Seno's Imagio system co-registers and fuses opto-acoustics, a technology based on "light-in and sound-out," with diagnostic ultrasound - (OA/US). The opto-acoustic images provide a unique blood map in and around suspicious breast masses. Cancerous tumors grow relatively quickly and require significant amounts of blood and oxygen, so a network of blood vessels grows around cancerous masses. Imagio OA/US breast imaging system provides real-time images of these networks and a map of relative oxygen-rich or oxygen-depleted blood. Unlike other functional fusion technologies, Imagio uses no x-rays (ionizing radiation) or injectable contrast agents or radio-isotopes to obtain its information, thereby reducing the patient's exposure to any potentially harmful aspects of imaging.
Biocompatible nanocapsules, loaded with an amino acid and equipped with an enzyme now combine two anti-tumor strategies into a synergistic treatment concept. Researchers hope this increases effectiveness and decreases side effects. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, the scientists explain the concept: tumor cells are deprived of their nutrient glucose as this is converted to toxic nitrogen monoxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ).

NO is a toxic gas that causes smog. However, in low concentrations in the body it is an important messenger molecule that regulates such things as circulation and libido. It is also an important physiological defense weapon against fungi and bacteria. In higher concentrations, NO is capable of killing tumor cells and increasing the effectiveness of photodynamic and radiological treatments. For clinical use, NO needs to be released in the target area from a biocompatible precursor.

The natural amino acid L-arginine (L-Arg) may be useful in such a system, because the native enzyme inducible NO synthase (iNOS) makes NO from L-Arg. NO is also formed when L-Arg is oxidized by H 2 O 2 . This is interesting because the microenvironment around tumors is rich in H 2 O 2 . This approach to NO gas therapy is being pursued by researchers at Shenzhen University (China), the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, USA), and the University of Maryland (College Park, USA). Their special twist is to combine this gas therapy with a method for starving cancer cells in a synergistic treatment.

Instead of starving a tumor by blocking the blood vessels that feed it, the researchers intend to remove the glucose that the tumor needs for nutrition by consuming it in a metabolic reaction: the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx) converts the glucose into gluconic acid and H 2 O 2 . The increased H 2 O 2 concentration is a useful side effect, because H 2 O 2 is both cytotoxic and accelerates the release of NO from L-Arg. Another useful side effect is that H 2 O 2 and NO react to form highly toxic peroxynitrites that damage the tumor cells.

The research team led by Peng Huang, Tianfu Wang, and Xiaoyuan Chen has now reached an important milestone in the development of this concept. They have developed biocompatible, biodegradable, porous nanocapsules made of organosilicates that transport GOx and L-Arg into tumor cells simultaneously. GOx is bound to the surface; L-Arg is stored inside the capsule. While the GOx is active immediately after injection of the nanocapsules into the tumor, L-Arg is released little by little, first through the capsule pores, then as the capsule disintegrates. Their large cavity also allows the capsules to serve as an ultrasound contrast material for better localization of the tumor.

Experiments with both cell cultures and mice have demonstrated the significant synergistic effect of this combination therapy, which successfully inhibits cell growth, initiates cell death, and shrinks the tumors in mice.
Audi on Demand is a new service whereby first- and business-class passengers landing at Munich airport can race to their meeting in a supercar or waft along effortlessly to a transfer in a luxury sedan.



Despite being one of Germany's most successful and high-profile car companies, Audi chose to test drive this premium car rental service in the US, rather than in its homeland. Audi on Demand debuted in San Francisco in early 2015 and now that all of the bugs have been ironed out, it's coming to Munich.



The idea itself is simple. Those flying into Munich can book an Audi of their choice online (via an app, of course) before the plane touches down.



There's an available fleet made up of the company's latest models including R8 supercars as well as potent executive sedans. What each model has in common is that it is specified with as many optional extras as possible so that those taking to the wheel get the full Audi experience.



There is no mileage cap on rentals and users can take a car for as long as they wish. However, each rental is billed by the hour.



The service differs in some respects from the existing service up and running in San Francisco. There users can specify an Audi plus elements like a roof rack or child seat and have the car delivered to their home or a pre-agreed address for use.



In recent years, like all premium carmakers, Audi has been looking beyond simply building cars and is now trying to reposition itself as a mobility service as well as a manufacturer.



Audi on Demand is one of several digital initiatives the company is currently offering, alongside Audi Select, a rental service that includes extras under an all-inclusive rate, and Audi At Home, essentially a private fleet of vehicles stored at exclusive apartment complexes in 'megacities' that are always available for residents to use.



Anyone flying into Munich that wants to test out the new service, but doesn't have the app, can go to the myAudi Sphere concession within the airport and book a car in person instead.
Royal Enfeild's Tour of Rajasthan entered its fifth day on December 14 with 10 riders zooming from Jamba to Sam, which are about 251km apart.Tour of Rajasthan was kicked off from Jaipur on December 11 with participation from 10 riders from across the country. The nine-day ride will include an elaborate ride across the state of Rajasthan, involving a traverse through the great Thar desert and the magnificent Aravalli mountain ranges.Rajasthan has all the characteristics to test anyone's riding appetite, spectacularly laid out stretches of roads, off-road trails and sand dunes. The Tour of Rajasthan specifies to its riders that the ride will include tarmac, gravel, off-road and sand.Also read: Royal Enfield Himalayan Review: A Bike That Can Do It All, in a Budget Find the full itinerary below:Day 1: All 10 riders on December 10 were assembled in Jaipur for basic scrutiny and were briefed for first-aid and ride itinerary.Day 2: The ride spread over nine days was flagged off from Jaipur on December 11, when the participants rode to Mahansar 232 km away.Also read: Royal Enfield Himalayan vs Mahindra Mojo: A Comparison of Champions Day 3: (December 12) will be a ride from Mahansar to Bikaner - 229 kmDay 4: Bikaner to Jamba - 216 kmDay 5: Jamba to Sam - 251 kmDay 6: Sam to Barmer - 229 kmDay 7: Barmer to Mount Abu - 296 kmDay 8: Mount Abu to Pushkar - 398 kmDay 9: Pushkar to Jaipur - 246 kmTOR's previous editions in 2015 and 2014 were also successful events when riders from across the country took to streets of Rajasthan and other dynamic terrains. It also proved to be a learning opportunity for some who rode on sand for the first time. The ride is also an educational tour through the rich history of the state.Also read: From Delhi to Leh: Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey 2016 - Day 3 and 4 Watch this space for more pictures of the ongoing Tour of Rajasthan 2016.
New Delhi: Former RBI governor Bimal Jalan has questioned the timing and secrecy of the governments decision to demonetise Rs 1000 and 500 notes.



Jalan was RBI governor from 1997 to 2003, coinciding with the first NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.



Questioning the timing, Jalan in an interview with The Indian Express said that there needs to be a good reason to make such a move.



"When you demonetise a legal tender, there must be a very good reason to do it. War, security threat. What demonetisation does is to give, as it were, a message to people that this government will not tolerate black money. The second part, which is equally relevant is, why now," Jalan said.



Rubbishing the governments argument that secrecy was essential for the success of the move, Jalan said telling people the government was concerned about black money was also about giving them a notice.



"It could be done in a way where people are prepared. Telling people that we are concerned about black money is also about giving them a notice. Supposing, instead of being a secret decision, if it was announced in public. What would have happened?" he said.



"There is no reason to my mind to be secretive, unless there is an emergency. I want to do it in three weeks, or two weeks or one week. As in a surgical strike. But this is not the same thing. On that, there cant be two views. I am talking as a citizen here," he added.



Of the argument that taking time would have allowed black money hoarders to deposit it somewhere, he said "But this is precisely what they are doing (with the decision being kept a secret) now, maybe not to the same extentSo why now is not clear to me."



He said that 90 to 95 percent of people in this country do not have black money so any policy to tackle it must strike a balance. This is where we need to strike a balance, doing something with a notice and doing it in a way where the majority of the people are not hurt. You see the end is fine, you have to carefully choose the means to achieve this end, he said.






New Delhi: About 6.62 per cent of the total RTI requests were rejected in 2015-16, the lowest in the past five years, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.



Out of 11,65,904 RTI requests received in 2015-16, 64,666 (6.62 percent) were rejected, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.



As information given by the Central Information Commission (CIC), in 2014-15, out of 8,45,032 RTI requests received, 63,351 (8.39 per cent) requests were rejected.



In 2013-14, out of 9,62,630 RTI requests received, 60,127 (7.21 per cent) were rejected. In 2012-13, out of 8,86,681 RTI requests received, 62,231 (7.70 per cent) were rejected.



In 2011-12, out of 7,05,976 RTI requests received, 52,313 (8.30 per cent) requests were rejected.




New Delhi: A bill seeking to transfer certain communities from the list of Scheduled Castes (SC) to Scheduled Tribes (ST) and include new communities in the ST list was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.



The Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2016 seeks to transfer 'Bhogta' community of Jharkhand from the list of SCs to the STs list.



The Bill, introduced by Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram amid din over the note ban issue, also seeks to include certain more communities in the list of STs relating to Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Tripura.



The government keeps amending the lists originally notified in 1950 based on requests made by various state governments.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi (while pointing towards demonetisation) said that India is witnessing an economic transformation.

While addressing the Asian Business Leaders Conclave 2016 in Malaysia (via video conference), he said, We are now moving towards a digital and cashless economy. I welcome all to invest in India.

Governments exemptions for use of old Rs.500 notes will end on December 15 midnight, not December 14 as reported by the media, Department of Economic Affairs tweeted on Wednesday. Raids continue unabated across the country, revealing large caches of unaccounted cash, much of it in new currency notes.

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New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said the Centre was hopeful of crossing the hurdles in rolling out GST from April 1 next year.



"We are trying to implement GST from April 1. There are some hurdles but I think we will find a solution. GDP may see a rise of 1.75 per cent to 2 per cent due to the implementation of GST," Singh said.



Interestingly, he did not refer to demonetisation while enunciating the measures taken by the government to curb black money.



"As far as the question of corruption and black money is concerned, the government has started working from day 1. In the recent past also, some actions have been taken in this regard," Singh said during a conference on 'Defence Production' organised by trade body ASSOCHAM here.



He said the Indian economy was the world's fastest growing despite global trends not being positive.



"In 10 to 15 years, Indian economy can be among the world's top three economies and the government will do whatever is needed to make this happen," Singh added.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that high court judges can not be exempted from pre-embarkation frisking at airports as "matters of security are not matters of prestige or status".



The apex court's order struck down Rajasthan High Court order that included judges of high court in the list of VIPs exempted from pre-embarkation security checks at the airports.



According to the Centre's stand in the SC, the exemption courtesy could be misused and virtually preclude the possibility of any prohibited or dangerous items being introduced on board an aircraft through

his or her baggage.



The Union government has adopted the position that the issue as to whether pre-embarkation security exemptions should be granted does not depend only on the warrant of precedence.



Among other factors, the government told apex court that the person who is exempted from pre-embarkation security checks must be secured by such a level of government security on a 24x7 basis.



According to Union government, no exemption can be granted to a dignitary if he or she is not under effective government security coverage on a 24x7 basis.
Jammu: To arm the police in Jammu and Kashmir with state-of-the-art means to combat terrorism, the government will procure high-tech security equipment such as liquid explosive detectors, intrusion detection systems and ground penetrating radars among others.



"It is our effort to arm police with latest security equipment (against the terrorism and ensuring safety and security)," Special Director General of Police (law and Order), S P Vaid told PTI.



Jammu and Kashmir Police has been procuring high tech and latest security appliances based on state-of-the-art technologies as a security measure against terror attacks, landmines and IED attacks by terrorists.



In this regard, J&K Police headquarters has floated e-tenders for supply and procurement of such items from original manufacturers, Assistant Inspector General, (Provision-Transport) PHQ, Sheikh Junaid Mehmood said.



Police will be procuring liquid explosive detectors (LEDs), intrusion detection systems (IDS), ground penetrating radars (GPRs), bomb inhibitors (BIs), boom barriers, foldable multi-zone DFMD fitted with cameras, RFID-based vehicle access control systems and flood lights.



Vaid said that the effort of the police force is to upgrade the use of technology in security activities.



"We want latest technical security things in the market," he said.



According to the AIG, the LEDs should detect the presence of 15 types of hazardous liquids or gel and distinguish from benign liquids.



"It should detect the presence of hazardous liquids or gels regardless of container shape and size. It should also detect the need to open the bottle or liquid container," Mehmood said.



The LEDs should operate in extreme weather conditions such as -20 degrees to 50 degrees Celsius. Quick scan-detection should also be be done in less than 10 seconds and depth can-detection in less than 2 minutes, he said.



The three heavily-armed militants killed by BSF in Samba district had infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir on November 29 to carry out a number of attacks by blowing up trains and tracks with chained IEDs and hard to detect liquid explosives.



Top BSF officials said the trio was carrying five bottles of liquid explosive -- trinitroglycerin.



"Militants had infiltrated to carry out big incidents. Their design was to blow up rail tracks and trains here as we have recovered chained IEDs and liquid explosives of trinitroglycerin," BSF Additional Director General and Special DG (Western Command) Arun Kumar had revealed then.



Referring to ground penetrating radar system in the document, Mehmood said it should be capable to detect metallic and non metallic threats like IEDs, pressure plates and mines (anti-personnel and anti-vehicle) among others.



It should have automatic target recognition feature and should be hand-held GRP system, he said.



These steps have been taken in the wake of increased terror attacks, IED and landmine attacks.



IDS should comprise of dual zone energisers power supply with battery backup and lightening diverters and earth spikes.



As far boom barrier is concerned, it should have anti-crash safety mechanism to suspend the motion of the barrier when met with obstruction (attack), the AIG said.



The bomb inhibitors should contain the bomb effect of minimum 1.5 kg of RDX and TNT, the AIG said adding that it should be a portable carrier for two security men.
Bengaluru: Karnataka excise minister H Y Meti has resigned after a CD purportedly showing him in a compromising position surfaced.



An RTI activist from Ballari, Rajashekhar Molali, had claimed a few days back that he was in possession of a video CD in which Meti (71), is purportedly seen seeking sexual favours from a woman inside a taluk panchayat office.



Molali had threatened to release the CD if no action was taken against the minister.



The RTI activist had given a written complaint that a certain person named Subhash who claimed to be close to the minister had even threatened him not to release the CD.



He further alleged that under pressure, Ballari police did not register an FIR of his complaint.



Though the allegations were denied by the minister, a woman gave an interview to a local regional channel in which she claimed that she was sexually harassed by Meti. There were contradictory claims on whether she was the woman in the CD.



"He resigned on his own, I didn't ask for his resignation. I have ordered a probe," Chief minister Siddaramaiah said.



Siddaramaiah and home minister G Parameshwara had both said earlier that Meti should resign if there was any such video. Molali had sought a meeting with Parameshwara on Monday.



Meti, who belongs to the same caste (Kuruba) as the chief minister, is the seniormost minister to quit from the Karnataka cabinet.



Earlier, education minister Tanvir Sait was allegedly caught surfing porn during Tippu Jayanthi festival for which BJP had strongly demanded his resignation.



Meti is from Bagalkot district of Karnataka. A farmer, he has been forest minister in 1994 and has also been MSIL chairman.


New Delhi: It is goof ups galore in foreigners division of union ministry of home affairs (MHA). After Zakir Naik's Islamic research foundation, 3 other red-flagged NGOs got their FCRA renewed and cancelled when the matter was highlighted by CNN-News18.



These include Teesta Setalvad's Sabrang Trust and Citizens for justice and peace and Greenpeace India. While Setalvad's NGOs are facing CBI probe for misusing funds, Greenpeace was red-flagged for allegedly working against India's national and economic interests.



MHA has now issued orders to cancel the renewal for all three NGOs. "This is shocking. How high-profile NGOs can get such renewals when media is also highlighting that they have been blacklisted?" asked a senior officer on condition of anonymity.



Home secretary has ordered an inquiry and also asked CERTIN to investigate the possibility of hacking of the foreigners division website. In 2015, MHA had automated the FCRA renewal system. A director level officer was given the authority to approve the renewal.



After the latest goof up, Home secretary asked National Informatics Centre (NIC) to alter the renewal software giving a joint secretary level officer the power to alter data. "Once the joint secretary makes changes, the software will become read only for all other staffers," a source explained.



The IRF goof up had lead to suspension of 4 MHA staffers, including a joint secretary level officer. Preliminary probe in the current round of renewals shows that renewals happened around September 9-11, the same time frame when IRF was renewed. "This can't be a coincidence. We have asked for a review of all 13000 NGOs whose FCRA renewal happened in the last few months," a source said.




New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday imposed a nationwide interim ban on the procurement, sale and use of glass powder-coated 'manja' and other dangerous kite strings.



An NGT bench headed by Chairman Justice Swatanter Kumar passed the order for an interim ban on nylon thread - also called 'Chinese manja' - as well as synthetic/cotton thread coated with glass powder or other hazardous compounds until the next hearing on February 1, 2017.



The bench said the glass-coated kite string not only posed a threat to birds, animals and humans but also caused harm to the environment.



The order came in response to a petition by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - India, which called for a nationwide ban on all kinds of sharp kite strings.


This fact is a slap on the face of those who looted India. Shamelessly fixing false stories with some unscrupulous elements. Truth prevails. pic.twitter.com/mFIVmFMsHy  Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) December 14, 2016

Power Minister Piyush Goyal's ministry  while defending Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju - said that the payments to a contractor of power plant in Arunachal Pradesh were released even before the minister forwarded a representation for the same.Dubbing allegation of Rijiju using his influence to clear bills as "unsubstantiated, false and baseless", the ministry said the vigilance officer S C Verma, who alleged corruption in the construction of two dams for NEEPCO's 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Project in Arunachal Pradesh, had himself authorised release of substantial payments to the contractor.Welcoming Power Ministry's clarification, Rijiju on Wednesday said, "The facts given by the ministry is a slap on the face of those who looted India. Shamelessly fixing false stories with some unscrupulous elements. Truth prevails."He also said, "Congress has made a grave mistake by targeting me. They will repent for the lifetime and pay a heavy price for targeting an innocent soul."The Ministry in a statement said Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiran Rijiju had on November 9 last year forwarded a representation of local inhabitants of his constituency, complaining about the stoppage of payments to the sub-contractor of Patel Engineering Ltd for transportation of boulders/sand."At no point did Shri Rijiju recommend that payment be released but only requested that 'kindly get this petition considered in your Ministry sympathetically on priority'," it said making public the copy of the letter.But as much as 60 per cent of the payment due to PEL was released on November 4, 2015, on instruction of Verma, much before the letter of Rijiju."Hence, the letter written by Hon'ble MoS Home Affairs has no bearing on any payments released by NEEPCO as the payment had already been released before his letter under authorisation of Shri Verma," the statement said.NEEPCO, it said, is a Mini Ratna PSU and the government does not interfere in the operational matters of PSUs."No instructions or directions by the Government were given to NEEPCO at any time for making any payments. Thus, the allegations made are baseless, totally false and seem to be motivated by the charge-sheet issued against an officer for violation of CVC instructions and service conduct rules," it said.Giving details, the Power Ministry said Verma was appointed as CVO to NEEPCO on October 8, 2014 and transferred on July 4, 2016 to CRPF. He was chargesheeted on May 9, 2016 for "not performing his duties" and staying away from NEEPCO headquarters Shillong for 310 days out of his 18-month tenure "without intimating the authorities or submitting any tour reports.""After being relieved of his duties on July 5, 2016, he sent 10 back dated reports to the Ministry of Power which were received between July 18, 2016 to July 25, 2016," the ministry said in a statement.He also retained some official files in his personal custody and did not hand them over at the time of relinquishing his charge, it alleged.The Ministry said the project work was awarded to the contractor in question, Patel Engineering Ltd (PEL) in December 2004, much before the NDA government took charge.Work for transportation of boulders/ sand was awarded to them in 2012 and executed from December, 2012 to July, 2015, for which payment was made to them from time to time."In July 2015, Verma visited the site and initiated an investigation and stopped all payments due to which the work at site was affected.On examination of the record, it has been found that, Verma himself authorised on October 19, 2015, adhoc payment of 60 per cent of the billed amount and subsequently himself further authorised the provisional payment of 80 per cent of the billed amount vide letter dated February 3, 2016," it said.(With Agency inputs)
"Read my lips," said Rahul Gandhi as he told the media that he has enough proof that Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally benefited from demonetisation.But let us read his mind first.Shortly after PM Modi announced the currency ban on November 8, Rahul Gandhi weighed the odds at a meeting of his close group. Some of his advisors were worried that too strong an attack on demonetisation could boomerang in case the prime minister comes out with a magic wand.But as the queues stretched and people began to lose patience, Rahul decided to bite the bullet. He consulted some economists and took advice from former prime minister Manmohan Singh and former finance minister Chidambaram. After the discussions, the Congress leader was convinced that the economy would take a big hit from demonetisation. And that the worst affected would be farmers, a votebank which Congress has always targeted .But the bigger worry for Rahul and his gang was that the Congress flip-flop was helping Mamata become the face of the anti-demonetisation protests.The party's soft approach in the initial days of demonetisation meant that the Opposition space was being lost to Kejriwal and Mamata. Which explains why there was an abrupt statement from Lok Sabha MP Venugopal, considered close to the Congress vice president, that Rahul, and not anybody else from the Third Front, will be the face of the Opposition in the next Lok Sabha polls.Rahul needed to grab the space back. And so, he and his team swung into actionSources say a close associate of Rahul Gandhi based in Gujarat - who was close to the state administration when Modi was chief minister, but has since fallen out - dug out some data. He showed Rahul documents, and some "evidence" on how demonetisation and a push for cashless economy would benefit a few.It's for two reasons that Rahul wants to raise it inside Parliament. One, he clearly wants to take cover under parliamentary privilege. And two, as Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said on CNN-News18: "We want to see the look on PM Modi's face when Rahul raises these allegations."It's a huge risk Rahul has taken. If he delays showing proof, or relies on old or lame documents, his party will completely lose momentum in the campaign against demonetisation. Worse, Rahul's brand of politics will be seen as no better than Kejriwal's shoot-and-scoot politics.
Disability rights activists today welcomed the passing of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 in the Rajya Sabha and termed Wednesday's discussion in the Upper House "almost a miracle".



For the first time since the Winter Session began on November 16, Rajya Sabha today saw a legislative action as it passed the Bill in a cordial atmosphere.



"After six years of advocating and waiting, the Rajya Sabha unanimously passed the Bill. While it seemed like the House would not see any legislative business taking place during the ongoing Winter Session, today's discussion was almost a miracle.



"The Bill will now be sent to the Lok Sabha and we are positive that it will be passed in the Lower House too during the Winter Session itself," Javed Abidi, Convener of Disabled Rights Group said.



Speaking to reporters after the Rajya Sabha cleared the Bill, which stipulates up to two-year jail term and a maximum fine of Rs 5 lakh for discriminating against differently-abled persons, Union minister Thawar Chand Gehlot said the government will try to present it in the Lower House tomorrow.



Disabled Rights Group (DRG) had been campaigning hard for the last one week for the passage of the Bill. A rally was held in New Delhi yesterday appealing the Parliamentarians to set aside their differences and pass the Bill.



"We convey our heartfelt thanks to all members of the Rajya Sabha for the smooth passage of the Bill after a discussion lasting nearly two hours," Muralidharan, Secretary, National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled said.



"We welcome the fact that the some of the major concerns we had raised regarding certain provisions in the Bill have been addressed through amendments," S K Rungta, Convener AIDA (an Alliance of organisations for disability rights) and General Secretary of National Federation of the Blind, said.



"One of the major amendment concerns was bringing private entities under the definition of 'establishment'. Another glaring inadequacy in the Bill was absence of definition of "discrimination", which has now been introduced.



"Another amendment provides for sign language interpretation and captioning in TV programmes. Reservation in promotions for employees with disabilities has also been provided for in the Bill," Rungta said.



On November 30, the Union Cabinet approved the proposed amendments to the Bill, that seeks to replace the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.



The amended Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, proposes to increase reservation for those with benchmark disabilities in government jobs from current three per cent to four per cent, and in higher educational institutes from the existing three per cent to five per cent.



It also proposes strengthening the office of chief commissioner and state commissioners for Persons with Disabilities which will act as regulatory bodies.
New Delhi: Union Minister Uma Bharti on Wednesday made a strong pitch for framing a new law for wastewater management to meet the growing water demand in the country.



Union Water Resources Minister Bharti said this while addressing a weekly review meeting of senior officials in New Delhi.



The issue of managing wastewater has become so serious that we may have to go for an act on wastewater management, she said.



The meeting was attended by Union Minister of State for Water Resources Sanjeev Baliyan, ministry Secretary Shashi Shekhar and other senior officials.
Mahesh Shah, the Gujarati businessman who surrendered inside a television studio two weeks ago, kept a secret red diary containing names of people who tried to park their money with him, Income Tax sources have said.



I-T sources told CNN-News18 that the Rs 13,860 crore the property dealer had declared belonged to four-five other people and that he was trying to convert it under the Income Declaration Scheme 2016.



Money was pledged to Shah from people in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Mumbai, Nasik, Pune, and Vidarbha. He was also to receive a commission of 1% for declaring Rs 13,860 crore," an I-T source said.



Shah is believed to have told I-T officials that his diary contained the names of those who pledged him money.



Mahesh could also have links with people involved in money laundering, another source said.



Shah had disclosed Rs 13,860 crore under the IDS-2016 through his chartered accountant Tehmul Sethna on September 30, 2016, the last date for disclosure of unaccounted money under the scheme.



This was two days after IT officials conducted raids at 15 places in Gujarat and Maharashtra, including at places belonging to Shah and his CA Sethna.



Mahesh Shah, who had gone missing after having declared Rs 13,860 crore, resurfaced at Network18 studio in Ahmedabad where he claimed on air the money was not his and that it "belonged to a group of people, including politicians and businessmen.



The powerful people to whom this money belonged backed out at the last moment, he had said.


New Delhi: Rajya Sabha adjourned till Thursday amid uproar over Kiren Rijijus alleged involvement in corruption related to Arunachal Hydro Projec.

Earlier, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi launched a direct attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on demonetisation scheme amid the ongoing uproar in Parliament.

Rahul said the PM is afraid of him and if he lets him speak then his balloon will burst.

I have some personal information on PM Modi, which is what I want to speak on in Lok Sabha, but I am not being allowed to speak, Rahul Gandhi said in a joint press meet.

He has personally taken this decision (demonetisation drive). So, the PM owes country an explanation, he cannot keep running away to pop concerts and public meetings. Allow opposition to speak in the house the Congress vice-president said.

The three-week long deadlock over demonetisation issue deepened with the government accusing the Opposition in Lok Sabha of making attempts to fail the pro-poor decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inviting a furious response.

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Jaipur: In a fresh allegation against Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Congress state president Sachin Pilot on Wednesday claimed that state government wants to purchase AgustaWestland chopper under a buy back scheme, sidelining the tender rules.



Demanding a high level inquiry in the tendering process, Pilot claimed that the Raje government has designed the tender conditions to benefit AgustaWestland.



CAG had pointed out financial irregularities in the helicopter purchase by the Vasundhara Raje-led Rajasthan government in 2005.



The report had mentioned Rs 1.14 crore misappropriations of funds in the helicopter deal. Now again, the chief minister wants to purchase AgustaWestland helicopter AW169 through a buy back scheme against the tender rules, alleged Pilot.



He said that the government has restricted the time limit to seven days for tender participation, which however should minimum, be of one month time.



Conditions designed in the tender process clearly indicate that only AW169 chopped can be purchased.



We have raised objection and demand fair participation in the tender process, said Pilot in a statement.



Earlier, Pilot had demanded expanding the scope of CBI probe in AgustaWestland chopped deal stating that as the state government had purchased one, why not this should be included in it.
Google Doodle is celebrating the 105th anniversary of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen who reached the South Pole along with around 100 dogs and a group of people in December 1911. Amundsen, who was born in 1872, became the first person to reach the southmost part of the planet - the South Pole.According to Google, the Doodle on this day depicts the winds in the Antarctic swirling past the tents of the explorers after they reached the South Pole.Roald was known as 'the last of the Vikings,' and was a lifelong adventurer with a gift for organisation and planning.Having studied medicine in his youth, Roald began travelling when he was 25 when he boarded a boat from Belgium to the Antarctic.He visited the northern coast of Canada and Alaska before he decided to breach one of the final frontiers of exploration.Meanwhile, Google's blog stated that Roald Amundsen's party managed to cope with the conditions and pass the time on the journey by telling stories, holding guess-the-temperature contests and celebrating birthdays.
Australia may follow India and demonetise its highest currency note, $100.



Speaking to Australian media on Wednesday, revenue and financial services minister Kelly ODwyer pushed for a review of the $100 note and cash payments over certain limits as the government looks to recoup billions of dollars in unpaid tax.



The black money economy in Australia is estimated to be about 1.5 percent of its GDP. The media reported that the government is expected to setup a taskforce to investigate black money.

ODwyer said that not only is the lost revenue owed to the Australian people for schools and hospitals, but its also critical for those who do the right thing and pay tax.



The whole point of this crackdown on the black economy is to make sure we close down any potential loopholes, she said.



Despite the broad use of electronic forms of payment in the country, ODwyer said there are three times as many $100 notes in circulation than $5 notes.



Australian media estimates that there are currently 300 million $100 notes in circulation, and 92 percent of all currency by value is in $50 and $100 notes.



The minister did not rule out the removal of the $100 note, saying it was up to the expert panel to provide recommendations. Theres nothing wrong with cash per se, the issue is when people dont declare it and when they dont pay tax on it, she said.



The taskforce will draw on the experience of countries like France, where the government banned cash payments of more than 1000 euros. Im not going to put a limit on what the taskforce will look at, ODwyer said.



The ministers comments comes after a report by Swiss financial consulting firm UBS recommended Australia scrap the $100 note. According to UBS, benefits may include reduced crime (difficult to monetise), increased tax revenue (fewer cash transactions) and reduced welfare fraud (claiming welfare while earning or hoarding cash).
San Francisco: In a clear message to US President-elect Donald Trump, the famed National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden has said that government surveillance programmes will create "vulnerabilities" for social media users.



"The same technologies that are being used to connect us, to tie us together, to let you listen to this right now, are also being used to make records about your activity. Recording the activities of someone creates vulnerabilities for them," Snowden said during a question-and-answer session with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey CEO on the live video app Periscope owned by the micro-blogging site.



According to Re/Code, Trump had called for enhanced digital surveillance as well as a federal registry of Muslim-Americans.



"While other major tech companies have refused to comment about whether they plan to participate if asked to hand over data to build a database specifically profiling Muslim-Americans, Twitter said it definitely would not," the report said.



"Pardon Snowden", a campaign launched in September by major civil rights groups working to win official forgiveness for the whistleblower who is currently in exile in Russia, had announced the Periscope session watched by over 150,000 people.



Snowden also spoke about the prevalence of fake news on social media plaforms.



"The answer to bad speech is not censorship. The answer to bad speech is more speech. We have to exercise and spread the idea that critical thinking matters now more than ever given the fact that lies seem to be getting very popular," Snowden said.



On Wednesday, several top-notch tech executives are set to meet Trump at Trump Tower in New York City.



Among them are: Indian-born Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Alphabet CEO Larry Page, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and Oracle CEO Safra Catz.



The tech giants may discuss issues ranging from immigration reform, encryption and social concerns.



According to reports, Twitter CEO Dorsey was not invited for the tech summit.
London: A woman Indian physics teacher in the UK, recognised for her experiential method of teaching physics, is among the top 50 contenders from around the world for a global prize of USD one million.



Kavita Sanghvi has been recognised for her experiential method of teaching physics as principal of MET Rishikul Vidyalaya in Mumbai by The Global Teacher Prize 2017.



She helped her students grasp the application of textbook concepts in real life situations.



"For the past few days on receiving the mail and finding my name in the top 50, I have been walking in the clouds, smiling and feeling an immense sense of gratitude towards all for shaping me professionally to develop my strengths and potentials," Sanghvi said.



"This recognition makes me feel truly special and inspires me to enhance my abilities and capabilities further.



The Prize will be a constant reminder to me that I am responsible and accountable to the community towards academic, environment and social development of my students and teachers," she added.



The Global Teacher Prize, now in its third year, was set up by Indian-origin entrepreneur Sunny Varkey to recognise one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession as well as to shine a spotlight on the important role teachers play in society.



This year's top 50 was whittled down from over 20,000 nominations and applications from across 179 countries.



Ten candidates will be chosen from the top 50 by February 2017 and the winner will then be picked from the final 10 by a Global Teacher Prize Academy.



All 10 finalists will be invited to Dubai for the award ceremony at the annual Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF), to be held on March 19 next year, where the winner will be announced live.



"We were overwhelmed by the huge support the Global Teacher Prize received this year. We intend to keep this momentum going as our journey continues to return teachers to their rightful position as one of the most respected professions in society," said Varkey, founder of the UK-based Varkey Foundation.



"The tens of thousands of nominations and applications we received from every corner of the planet is testimony to the achievements of teachers and the enormous impact they have on all of our lives," he said.
Washington: The US must not abandon the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and should supplement it by negotiating bilateral investment treaties with China and India to respond to the growing Chinese activism in Asia, a former US diplomat said.



Evan A Feingenbaum, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, in the latest issue of the Foreign Affairs magazine, said, "What the United States should be encouraging is a liberal, open, market-based economic order in the region. And the TPP by itself would not have been enough, in any case."



Feingenbaum, who also played a key role in negotiations over the India-US civilian nuclear deal, also said that instead of repealing TPP, the incoming Trump Administration should supplement it with a direct trade deal with both India and China.



"Rather than abandoning the deal, Washington should be supplementing it, by negotiating bilateral investment treaties with China and India to open up their economies to U



S firms and to support economic reformers in both countries; pursuing public-private partnerships to get US businesses involved in infrastructure development across Asia; striking specific agreements to open up markets in the service and technology sectors, where the United States excels; and seeking new pacts in areas such as fishing and environmental standards for China s Belt and Road project," Feingenbaum said.



"Doing so would mean that Washington was helping set the agenda, not merely reacting to Chinese proposals," he argued.



"It is also worth noting that China often succeeds at its efforts to reform global institutions and build pan-Asian groups because its demands mesh with those of India, an increasingly close US partner," he argued.



For example, India helped found the AIIB and now ranks as its second-largest shareholder, he said.



"Despite their suspicion of Chinese power, officials in New Delhi tend to agree that new forums act as a needed counterweight to unrepresentative global institutions. Like China, India is not content to live in perpetuity in architecture largely built by the West," the former Bush era official said.



He also warned that the United States should not force its allies into a binary choice between Beijing and Washington on issues that are not vital to US national security or to the national security of its allies.



"In the South China Sea, where China is challenging the maritime law and customary practice, such pressure is necessary. But China s financing of a commercial railway or power line is not a comparable threat," he said.



It is in Asia, not in global institutions, that the United States faces its toughest choices about how to respond to China s growing activism, he said.


There are also reports that Khan's close aide Senator Faisal Javed was also injured in the attack.
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?
My favourite season is here

CHRISTMAS, MY favourite season of festivities  eating, drinking, music, merriment and family togetherness  is here once again.

No one knows the correct birthday of Jesus. No date is given in the Bible, so why do we celebrate it on December 25? The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25 was in 336AD, during the reign of the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine. A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on December 25.

So, the greeting must always be Merry Christmas and not Seasons Greetings or Happy Holidays.

We are celebrating the birth of Christ.

Unfortunately, the popular pre-Christmas activity of window shopping on Frederick Street, Portof- Spain, or on High Street, San Fernando, has become a casualty of increasing criminal activity.

In years long past, preparations for Christmas began early in December with the cleaning of the house, with painting walls, varnishing furniture, scrubbing or manually polishing floors (no mechanical floor polishers), cleaning window panes using newspaper and kerosine (no glass cleaners), hanging new lace curtains and laying new linoleum on the kitchen floor.

Later came the decorating of the artificial Christmas tree, mounting the nativity scene, hanging balloons, coloured lights and other decorations. Then there was the making of pastelles, black cake, sorrel and ginger beer, boiling the ham in a cooking oil tin over a wood-burning fire outdoors, shelling Tobago pigeon peas and baking the turkey.

As children, before World War II, we looked forward to the arrival of family members from New York bearing gifts. They travelled by boat which remained anchored offshore (there was no deep-water harbour) and passengers were landed via tender at the lighthouse jetty. Over the years the elderly uncles and aunts who came for Christmas have passed on and the younger family members prefer Carnival to Christmas.

The Christmas season for Trinis began with the appearance of street vendors selling apples and grapes, the playing of carols by the radio stations, decorated shop showcases, the launch of the parang season with the singing of songs pertaining to the nativity, sung in Venezuelan Spanish, accompanied by a group of quatro and drum-playing parranderos.

Formerly, parranda or parang was a pantomime with the parranderos arriving at a selected house to find the doors closed. After rendition of the appropriate agrenaldo by the parranderos the door was opened and they entered. Food and drink were provided and the party continued until the parranderos departed for another residence.

This went on into the early hours of the morning. It is reputed that some parranderos did not return home for many days.

In patois-speaking Maraval, the pantomime was known as creche but both pantomime traditions have died out in Trinidad but continues in Venezuela, Colombia and in other Latin American countries, especially in the countryside. In the Philippines a similar Christmas pantomime is called panunuluyan and in Mexico it is posada.

Recently in Trinidad, pure parang has been bastardised by a lively and popular style of music called soca parang.

There cannot be a Trini Christmas without pastelles, black cake, sorrel and ponche de cr?me. In neighbouring Venezuela and in other Latin American countries, pastelles (hallacas) are also a Christmas favourite and variations of our ponche de creme are known as rompope in Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize and other Central American countries. In Cuba it is creme de vie, in Puerto Rico coquito, and in the Dutch Islands it is advocaat.

Another Christmas favourite in Venezuela is pan de jamon, a large loaf of bread baked with ham, bacon, olives, capers and raisins.

Delicious.

A Merry Christmas to all my readers.
TTPS welcomes new officers

Fourteen received awards for outstanding performance with 20099 PC Quamina beinbg adjudged the Most Outstanding Recruit and receiving the Commissioner of Police Trophy and the Best Stick. Quamina was also awarded the trophies for gaining the highest marks in criminal law, and evidence and procedure. Welcoming the new police officers was Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams who reminded them of importance of integrity in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service There is no compromise around integrity, he said noting that without a 100 percent score on integrity, the TTPS will continue to face challenges and perceptions of public confidence and trust.

Dillon in the main address called on the graduates, which included 21 municipal police and 78 women, to go about their duties with integrity, transparency and patriotism.

He asked that they put their training to good use in the streets and to bring about peaceful resolutions to matters with which they are confronted. He assured that the resources for their jobs will be provided.
Chamber slams Opposition over FATCA

In a statement, the Chamber said the Oppositions decision to stay away from debate on the Tax Information Exchange Agreement Bill 2016 in the House on Monday, compounded its walkout on the same debate in the House last Friday.

The Opposition also walked out on the FATCA debate in the House on September 23. As a result of Mondays events in Parliament, the Chamber called on the Government and the Opposition to now act with urgency to bring about a speedy resolution to the passage of FATCA, lest we all suffer the severe, costly and far-reaching implications of non-compliance. In expressing its dissatisfaction, the Chamber rejected what it described as political posturing on the part of our leaders, judging from the failure to pass the required legislation. The Chamber said it was afraid the scenario which prevailed prior to Finance Minister Colm Imbert successfully obtaining a FATCA extension from the United States Treasury would return. As it stands the most recent attempts to debate the Bill were again scuttled, this time owing to a series of curious actions taken by the Opposition, the Chamber said.
Cheese container from Pt Lisas port

In a statement on Monday, the Port Authority said that it was misleading to say that the cheese container was taken from the Port-of-Spain port.

The Port Authority in correcting the information said: Regarding an article printed in the Newsday on Thursday 08 December 2016, $.75M in Cheese Vanishes  The Port of Port-of -Spain wishes to state categorically that the container in question was not received, stored nor delivered by this terminal. Investigations conducted by our internal Security Department also confirmed that such an incident did not take place at the Port of Port-of-Spain.

The Port-of-Port of Spain wishes to take this opportunity to assure our customers that we take security matters on our terminal very seriously. We remain committed to ensuring that all cargo and goods of our valued customers are kept secure while on our port, the Port Authority statement said.
Opendoor Is Laying Off

Almost a Fifth of Its Workers
(Newser)  The world's "highest significant wave height as measured by a buoy" was 62.3 feet, located in the (very) high seas between the UK and Iceland, and occurred in 2013, the World Meteorological Organization has confirmed. The wave formed after a strong cold front passed through the remote area, which is home to "intense extra-tropical storms" sometimes called "bombs." Other waves have been reported to be taller, including tsunamis, rogue waves, and a 95-foot wave observed by a ship in the same waters in 2000, but this is the highest to be confirmed by a buoy, which is arguably the most exacting tool we have, reports USA Today. Estimates by satellites and ships "are generally unverifiable, since there is no ground truth for the satellite, and the others tend to be from pitching and rolling platforms," one wave expert says.

The 62-footer is now part of the WMO's Global Weather & Climate Extremes Archive, reports the Guardian. The archive logged two other records earlier this year: the longest distance of a single lightning flash (in Oklahoma), and the longest duration of one (in southern France). As for other waves, the Smithsonian reports that the tallest tsunami wave ever recorded (though not by a buoy) was a 100-foot wave that followed a landslide in 1958 in Alaska's Lituya Bay, which destroyed trees 1,700 feet upslope. And the National Ocean Service and European Space Agency confirm that freakish rogue waves, once "dismissed as a nautical myth," do exist, though they've only been measured by the ships that suffer their wrath. (A rogue wave killed a mom bodysurfing with her son in Hawaii.)
(Newser)  The CEO and former owners of Backpage.com will get off on an assortment of pimping charges thanks to the same law that protects Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and more, the Mercury News reports. According to Ars Technica, the trio were accused of profiting off "escort" ads selling sex with womenand minorsthat were published to Backpage. But on Friday, California Judge Michael Bowman ruled Carl Ferrer, Michael Lacey, and James Larkin were protected by the Communications Decency Act, upholding a tentative ruling he made last month. The act says websites aren't legally responsible for third-party content posted on them. "Congress has spoken on this matter," Bowman concludes.

While a US Senate investigation found "substantial evidence" that Backpage edited some ads before publication, the Recorder reports Bowman ruled California's attorney general failed to prove Backpage was behind the creation of any ads. He said people ended up victims because a third party put an ad on the site, not because the site made money from the ad. Attorney General Kamala Harris, who's called Backpage an "online brothel," is likely to appeal the ruling. While the ruling is a blow to victims of sex trafficking, some First Amendment supporters see it as a victory of sorts thanks to its upholding of the Communications Decency Act. Every user-generated-content website has illegal content on it," a law professor tells the Mercury News. "Pretty much all the sites that we enjoy the most are user-generated-content websites." (Read more Backpage.com stories.)
(Newser)  A 20-something women in Saudi Arabia is in prison and facing death threats after going out for breakfast with friends without wearing her hijab and abaya, International Business Times reports. According to the Guardian, Malak al-Shehri announced her plan on Twitter a few days in advance, later posting a photo of herself wearing a jacket, dress, and sunglasses. The photo was taken on a main street in the capital of Riyadh, Indian Express reports. Someone filed a complaint with the police, and al-Shehri was arrested.

A police spokesperson says they had to arrest al-Shehri for "violations of general morals." In Saudi Arabia, women are forbidden from appearing in public without a robe and veil. Al-Shehri is also accused of "speaking openly about prohibited relations with ... men." While some on Twitter responded to al-Sherhri's photo with calls for her execution"Kill her and throw her corpse to the dogs"others say she is a "modern Rosa Parks." "Just imagine ... people calling for your imprisonment only because you changed your clothing," the Business Times quotes one Twitter user as saying. "Now you know the extent of the oppression against women in Saudi Arabia." Women in Saudi Arabia are also banned from driving and socializing with men to whom they aren't related. (Read more Saudi Arabia stories.)
(Newser)  Botanists they aren't. Modern Farmer reports three people were arrested last month in Canada after allegedly breaking onto a hops farm they thought was a pot farm. A farmer on Prince Edward Island called police Nov. 26 after seeing two men and a woman on his property. Authorities arrested the trio they say mistakenly believed the hop farmer was a pot farmer. The suspects allegedly damaged a bunch of hops already packaged for transportation to a local brewery. This senseless act has impacted the farms ability to provide quality product to market, police said in a statement. While two of the suspects weren't named, 23-year-old Warren Howatt was charged with various crimes, including breaking and entering and theft of kitchen utensils, according to the Guardian. (Read more hops stories.)
(Newser)  Weeks before it gets an exceptionally fracking-friendly new chief, the Environmental Protection Agency has done a U-turn on the threat the process may pose to drinking water. The final version of a long-awaited report has removed a sentence that says fracking is not having a "widespread, systemic impact" on America's water, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The report now leaves open the possibility that fracking could be having a major impact. "While the number of identified cases of drinking water contamination is small, the scientific evidence is insufficient to support estimates of the frequency of contamination," EPA spokesman Thomas Burke tells the Wall Street Journal. "Scientists involved with finalizing the assessment specifically identified this uncertainty in the report."

The report had been in the works since 2010 and industry groups slammed the EPA for reversing course just before President Obama leaves office. Environmental groups, however, praised the agency for delivering a conclusion they said was based on science instead of political considerations. "This report acknowledges what far too many communities across this country know to be truefracking is a threat to our clean drinking water," Madeleine Foote of the League of Conservation voters tells the New York Times. "Given EPA administrator nominee Scott Pruitt's record of fighting fracking regulations, it will be important during the confirmation process for senators to ask him if he will follow the recommendations of the agency's scientists, or continue to rely on industry spin." (The EPA shut down 17 wells after a strong quake in Oklahoma earlier this year.)
(Newser)  Montana's only House lawmaker is Donald Trump's choice for interior secretary, transition team officials tell news outlets including Reuters and the Wall Street Journal. Ryan Zinke, a 55-year-old former Navy SEAL Team 6 commander, was first elected to Congress in 2014 and sits on the House Natural Resources Committee. The Journal reports that if the Senate confirms Zinke, he's expected to roll back President Obama's environmental policies and open up more federal lands and waters to oil and gas development, though unlike many Republicans, he shares Trump's view that federal lands should remain federally owned instead of being turned over to the states. Earlier this week, transition team spokesman Jason Miller praised Zinke as "a strong advocate for American energy independence."

"I'm very pleased to see that it's a Westerner and even more pleased to see that it's a Montanan," US Sen. Steve Daines, a fellow Montana Republican, tells the Billings Gazette. "I gave [a] strong opinion to the Trump administration, the transition team, that this needs to be a Westerner. And by Westerner, that doesn't mean Midwestern," Daines says. "I'm talking about the West, someone who understands our way of life, understands the importance of our public lands." The AP reports that Zinke has described climate change as "unsettled science," but that he has also supported an energy strategy that includes wind and solar power. (In 2012, Zinke founded an anti-Obama super PAC.)
(Newser)  A British man who confessed to plotting to kill Donald Trump has been sentenced to a year and a day in federal custody for trying to grab a police officer's gun at a rally in Las Vegas earlier this year. Michael Steven Sandford, a 20-year-old who has been diagnosed with autism, pleaded guilty in September to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and to impeding and disrupting the orderly conduct of government business and official functions, charges that could have sent him to prison for 20 years if the case had gone to trial, the Guardian reports. The BBC reports that Sandford was tearful as he apologized in court for what he had done and for costing the taxpayers money. "I just feel terrible about it," he said.

"You have a medical problem. You should not be ashamed or embarrassed about it. You need medication," the judge told Sandford. "You're not evil or a sociopath like a lot of people we have. I don't think you wanted to kill anybody. This was just some crazy stunt that your mind told you to do." According to court papers, Sandford was in the US illegally on an expired tourist visa at the time of the June 18 rally. After he was arrested for trying to grab the officer's gun, he told Secret Service agents he had driven there from California to kill Trump. With credit for time served and good behavior, Sandford will probably be out of prison and deported back to Britain in another four months, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. (He told agents he was prepared to die during the assassination attempt.)
(Newser)  A decade after hundreds of Americans got sick from eating Peter Pan peanut butter contaminated with salmonella, the company that sold it paid with an embarrassing courtroom guilty plea and an agreement to pay the largest criminal fine ever in a US food safety case. The president of a ConAgra subsidiary entered a guilty plea on behalf of his company Tuesday to a single misdemeanor count of shipping adulterated food. A US District Court judge then approved a deal ConAgra reached with prosecutors to pay an $8 million fine plus $3.2 million in cash forfeitures, the AP reports. "Obviously they're able to absorb an $11 million penalty much more than a smaller company," says Bill Marler, a Seattle-based attorney who specializes in food safety cases. "But it still sends a pretty significant message."

The plea deal resolved a long criminal investigation into a nationwide salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 625 people in 47 states. It was traced to a plant in rural Georgia that produced peanut butter for ConAgra under the Peter Pan label and the Great Value brand sold at Walmart. In 2007, the company recalled all the peanut butter it had sold since 2004. By then, most of it had been eaten. ConAgra officials blamed moisture from a leaky roof and a malfunctioning sprinkler system for helping salmonella bacteria grow on raw peanuts. The company spent $275 million on upgrades and adopted new testing procedures. The judge noted that civil settlements related to the case totaled $36 million to 6,810 people. (ConAgra reps were at a food safety conference that was hit by food poisoning.)
(Newser)  "Why is a powerful country like China so afraid of a beauty queen?" Anastasia Lin asked in 2015 after the country denied her a visa to keep her from competing in the annual Miss World pageant being held there. The New York Times reports the 26-year-old Canadian beauty queen has rubbed China the wrong way because she uses her platform to speak out against the country's human rights abuses. I dont care about all thisthe hair, the dresses, Lin tells the Boston Globe. I just want to get to that stage and be the voice for people who are silenced. But now family and friends say Lin is the one being silenced, threatened with being booted from the 2016 Miss World pageantfunded largely by Chinese companies despite being held in the US this yearif she continues to speak her mind.

Moments after Lin gave the Globe the above quote, pageant officials broke up the interview. And sources tell the Hollywood Reporter that Miss World has turned down requests from the AP, Times, and Reuters to interview Lin. After a State Department official requested to meet with Lin, Miss World reportedly insisted on a pageant chaperone. Lin, also an actor, is the star of The Bleeding Edge, a film about China harvesting organs from members of a banned religious group that is premiering in the US on Wednesday. Organizers of the premiere say Miss World is banning her from attending. The head of the Miss World pageant denies any sort of "gag order" on Lin, saying she's free to attend events and speak with anyone she wishes. (Read more Miss World stories.)
(Newser)  As of Tuesday, Donald Trump has had the chance to attend 36 daily presidential national security briefings, per Michael Moore's tally. As of a week ago, the president-elect said he had attended, at most, three. Moore joins the chorus of those who see this as a deal-breaker, and he explains why in a Facebook post titled, "Donald Trump Is Gonna Get Us Killed." Moore provides a history lesson: While vacationing in Texas, George W. Bush was handed the daily briefing on August 6, 2001. Writes Moore: "He glanced at it, set it aside and then went fishing for the rest of the day." The briefing's headline: "BIN LADEN DETERMINED TO STRIKE INSIDE US." Inside it referenced the use of planes. Bush ended his vacation four weeks later, writes Moore. "In the fifth week, bin Laden attacked the US with planes."

"It's one thing to have a president who was asleep at the wheel," he continues. "But, my friends, it's a whole other thing to now have a president-elect who REFUSES TO EVEN GET BEHIND THE WHEEL!" In Moore's view, Trump's "utter neglect of duty" will result in the loss of American lives. Moore isn't the only one commenting on the topic. The AP reports that at the Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai on Wednesday, ex-CIA director Leon Panetta said he has "never seen a president who has said, 'I don't want that stuff'. Never seen it." A former world leader agreed: "It won't last," responded David Cameron. "It can't last," said Panetta. As for Moore, he last week confirmed in an email to the Hollywood Reporter that he planned to "non-violently disrupt" Trump's DC inauguration. (Trump had something to say about the briefings in 2014.)
(Newser)  When Cameron Nelson stopped off at an Indiana Chick-fil-A to grab a bite last week, he was surprised by the person he found behind the counter: a teenager working hard with one arm in a sling and a neck brace on. That teen was Jakeem Tyler, and his dedication to his job led Nelson to grab a photo and write about it on Facebook, per CBS News. "We sneeze too hard & decide to call in, but he's workin like nothing's wrong," Nelson wrote in his Dec. 8 post. Further conversation with Jakeem revealed that he had recently been in a car accident, but he told Nelson he needed to work for the moneynot just for himself and to buy Christmas presents, but also to put toward his goal of feeding the homeless this holiday season, an idea he's been working on for months, his parents tell WXIN.

The group Jakeem is supporting: the Homeless Hoosiers, which works with Indiana shelters to help the state's vulnerable. Nelson was so moved by Jakeem's work ethic that he created a GoFundMe page for the teen; it's so far raised more than $12,000 to help Jakeem's mission along. Jakeem at first had no idea that his picture had gone viral, telling WISH that the day Nelson met him was just "a day to work and share the gospel and ... spread love around." He adds about his newfound fame: "I ... don't know what to really say right now because I'm just in awe still." As for how corporate feels about him, Chick-fil-A gave a statement to WTTV: "Jakeem is a phenomenal young man and an outstanding team member.  We are beyond proud." (This hungry teen asked for doughnuts, received $270K.)
(Newser)  The 20th anniversary of JonBenet Ramsey's murder has led to all kinds of renewed speculation about the case, but now comes an actual development in the criminal investigation: The state plans to conduct new DNA tests on the panties and long johns the 6-year-old was wearing when she was killed on or after Christmas night 1996, reports the Daily Camera and 9News. A previous investigation by the two news outlets suggested that former District Attorney Mary Lacy erred when she exonerated members of the Ramsey family in 2008 based on her interpretation of earlier DNA tests. Lacy concluded that those tests revealed that an intruder killed the girl, but outside forensic experts have since disputed that, asserting that the DNA was a mishmash of multiple people and not that of the single person referred to as "Unknown Male 1."

"If you're looking for someone that doesn't exist, because actually it's several people, it's a problem," explained a former US attorney for Colorado. The new, more sophisticated tests could provide an answer to which view is right. They could also reveal the DNA is worthless in terms of tracking down the killer, and merely the result of "inconsequential contact with other people," per the Camera. One of the most high-profile anniversary stories about the case came via CBS, whose expert panel concluded that JonBenet's brother, Burke, killed his sister. Burke has since sued, but the forensic pathologist he's going after argued in court documents this month that his view on the case was mere "speculation" about "one of the major unsolved crimes" of the 20th century and thus should be protected speech, reports People. No word on when the new DNA tests will be conducted. (Burke also talked to Dr. Phil.)
(Newser)  The way to a Mexican gang leader's heart isn't his stomachit's his mom. At least, that's what vigilantes in a Mexican town in southern Guerrero state are banking on, holding hostage the mother of drug kingpin Raybel Jacobo de Almonte, aka "El Tequilero," as well as about two dozen other people thought to be in his gang, the AP reports. The ongoing incident in the municipality of San Miguel Totolapan has included mass kidnappings of Totolapan residents by de Almonte's gang, including Sunday's abduction of engineer Isauro de la Paz Duque. "We have your mother here, Mr. Tequilero," de la Paz Duque's wife said on a video Monday. "I propose an exchange: I'll give you your mother if you give me my husband, but I want him safe and sound." Five of the townspeople's abductees have reportedly been freed already, though de Almonte's mother doesn't appear to be one.

The vigilantes took to the street Sunday waving guns and anti-de Almonte banners, per a video. "We urgently demand the release of the kidnap victims," a masked man says. "We are a legitimate self-defense force of the people." By Monday, de Almonte's mother had been abducted, Mexico News Daily reports. But though officials understand that residents are fed up with crime, they're discouraging the rogue assistance. "[These] are armed groups that unfortunately carry out acts  that generate more violence and confrontation," Guerrero Gov. Hector Astudillo tells the AP. "This is something that has to endthat every time somebody gets the idea into their head of kidnapping somebody, they kidnap them." A government team has convinced the vigilantes to let them manage the swap of de Almonte's mom for de la Paz Duque, as well as to release remaining hostages to the cops. (A massive abduction took place at an upscale Mexican restaurant.)
(Newser)  Looks like the "complete meltdown of humanity" in Aleppo will continue for at least another day. The ceasefire declared in the war-ravaged Syrian city Tuesday appears, to nobody's surprise, to have broken down, leaving tens of thousands of civilians in rebel-held areas stranded in desperate conditions. Reuters reports that a planned evacuation has stalled amid fierce fighting and what rebels say is a resumption of airstrikes by Russian-backed Syrian government forces. Buses that were supposed to evacuate fighters and civilians to rebel-held areas outside the city returned to their depots Wednesday morning, the AP reports.

Activists say Iran-backed militias and Syrian government forces blocked the evacuation after demanding that the Russia- and Turkey-brokered deal be changed to allow the evacuation of their own injured fighters from towns in rebel-held zones, reports the BBC. "The sectarian militias want to resume the massacre in Aleppo and the world has to act to prevent this sectarian slaughter led by Iran," a member of rebel group Noureddine Zinkitells the Guardian. "The opposition will continue to abide by the agreement." Russia, which claims thousands of civilians and hundreds of fighters left the remaining rebel-held portion of Aleppo over the last 24 hours, says Syrian forces are responding to rebel attacks, and they expect resistance to end over the next two or three days. (Read more Aleppo stories.)
(Newser)  Her life of crime has involved more than 20 arrests on two continents over six decadesand, apparently, Doris Payne isn't done. The 86-year-old woman, dubbed the "granny gem thief," was arrested Tuesday at a mall in an Atlanta suburb where she's accused of trying to steal a $2,000 necklace, reports WXIA. Police say Payne slipped the diamond necklace into her pocket at a department store and tried to leave, per the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The California woman was last arrested in October 2015 when police say she took $700 earrings from an Atlanta store. She was found to have a warrant in North Carolina, where she was accused of stealing a $33,000 engagement ring, but wasn't extradited due to health concerns.

Paynewhose crimes were chronicled in the 2013 documentary The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne, available on Netflixhad previously been arrested in Greece, Switzerland, France, and beyond. In a 2014 interview, she said she started stealing watches in her 20s to escape a life of poverty in West Virginia and kept up the habit in later life. She's stolen $2 million worth of jewelry over her lifetime, per the Journal-Constitution, which notes she tends to serve only a short time in jail before getting let out for good behavior. The Desert Sun reports she's also been released from jail because of overcrowding. "I dont have any regrets about stealing jewelry," Payne says in the documentary. "I regret getting caught." (Read more weird crimes stories.)
(Newser)  Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has gone even further than supporting vigilante death squadswhen he was mayor of Davao, he killed criminals himself, he said during a speech Monday night. "I'd go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble," he said. "I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill. ... Just to show the guys [police] that if I can do it, why can't you?" Duterte, who has been nicknamed Duterte Harry after Dirty Harry, was discussing his campaign against illegal drugs at the time. He has previously expressed support for civilians taking matters into their own hands and killing drug addicts, but human rights groups have accused him of running death squads in Davao that even killed children accused of petty crimes, DW reports.

More than 5,000 people have been killed by police and "unknown assailants" since Duterte took office at the end of June, about 2,000 of them in official anti-drug operations, the Guardian reports. Duterte has also said he won't prosecute police for extrajudicial executions, while insisting he and his security forces won't directly participate in illegal killings. Human rights groups are concerned about order in the country deteriorating, as masked assailants are also known to kill those simply suspected to be drug traffickers or users, and both hired assassins and "hit squads" secretly made up of police officers are believed to be allowed to kill without consequences. The Washington Post says that Monday night's comments should have been shocking, but his supporters keep shrugging such admissions off. (Read more Rodrigo Duterte stories.)
(Newser)  "What other secrets about our past are still hidden in Brazil's jungles?" These are the musings of Lailson Camelo da Silva, the man credited with stumbling across the "Amazon's own Stonehenge," the New York Times reports. Scientists had come across the huge granite blocksa 2006 AP report say there are 127 of them, some as high as 9 feet tall, arranged in a circlein Amapa state along the Rego Grande waterway as far back as the late 1800s, but those explorers didn't place much significance in them. Then da Silva, an ex-ranch foreman, found them: first as a teen in the 1960s while on a hunting trip, then again in the 1990s while helping deforest the jungle. And he'd stayed away for three decades for a reason. "The place initially felt sacred, like we didn't belong here," he says, noting, however, that the site was "impossible to miss" when the trees were being taken out.

A decade or so ago, Brazilian archaeologists got money and permission to rope off the stones (also known as the Calcoene observatory) and started studying them in earnest, taking measurements during the winter solstice and applying radiocarbon dating. The experts have dated the stone structures back around 1,000 years ago and believe they were set up as an astronomical observatory. This find, combined with other physical evidence in the Amazon rainforest, appears to contradict earlier theories that the region had been "untouched by humans" in ancient times, save for tiny nomadic tribes. Some experts say more research is needed to definitively determine if these rocks were used for astronomical observations. "It takes more than a circle of standing stones to get to a Stonehenge," says an astronomy professor. (How Stonehenge may have been built.)
(Newser)  Wednesday is the fourth anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, in which 20 elementary school students and six teachers were killed by a gunman in Newtown, Connecticut. It was the deadliest school shooting in US history and third deadliest US shooting of any kind. Here's what you need to know as the country remembers the tragedy:

Following the Sandy Hook shooting, President Obama called for America to ignore politics and work together on "common-sense gun laws," ABC News reports. That he's leaving office without that happeninghaving watched two major gun-control bills die in the Senateis one of the biggest regrets of his presidency.

So-called "Sandy Hook truthers"people who believe the shooting and deaths were a hoaxhave spent the past four years harassing the victims' families. A piece at New York Magazine asserts that Donald Trump isn't helping matters by aligning himself with conspiracy theorists such as Alex Jones of InfoWars.

People speaks to a number of parents who lost children in the shooting to find out about their lives four years later. They spend their days being strong for their surviving children, working on gun-control legislation, and helping others around the world.

Following the shooting, Newtown received more than $45 million from charities and the government. The Hartford Courant digs into where that money went, discovering that most of it is being spent on mental health servicesthough one charity gave more than $65,000 to each of the victim's families.

The Guardian reports on what it calls a small victory for the victims' families after Obama on Tuesday signed a bill into law to increase access to mental health care. Sandy Hook parents had been pushing the bill for years, and one calls it their "first big success at the federal level."

Photographer JB Nicholas covered the shooting for the New York Daily News, capturing a haunting image of a body bag leaving the school. On Narratively, he has a message for Sandy Hook truthers: "I know for a fact that the shooting really happened...F*** anyone who says otherwise."

Finally, an opinion piece on Bearing Arms calls anyone focusing on "love" during Wednesday's anniversaryinstead of how to get more guns in schools"mewling pukes" and "crisply-tailored cowards."

(Read more Sandy Hook Elementary School stories.)
(Newser)  The founder of a yoga chain once called "the Starbucks of yoga" has been found dead in his home under what police are calling "suspicious circumstances," the Washington Post reports. Police were called to the San Diego home of Trevor Tice Monday around noon for a welfare check, and found the 48-year-old founder of CorePower Yoga dead inside. A neighbor tells San Diego's 10News that a contractor working on Tice's home told her he saw broken glass and blood inside the house Monday. All police are saying officially is that homicide detectives are investigating; no cause of death has been released.

Tice started with just one CorePower Yoga studio in Denver in 2002; since then, it has boomed into "the largest privately held chain of yoga studios in the country," with more than 160 locations in 100 cities, per its website. Its hourlong classes blend three types of yoga (Bikram, Ashtanga, and Vinyasa), which has irked some "yoga purists," per the Post. In January, Tice purchased the five-bedroom, $3 million home where he was eventually found dead; he was believed to have lived there alone. Neighbors tell 10News he didn't live there full-time, and say they found it odd that though his car was parked outside the house Friday, his dogs were left outside all weekend. An autopsy should be completed "within the next day," per the Denver Post. (Read more yoga stories.)
(Newser)  With whispers still swirling of a possible Muslim registry after Donald Trump takes office, a few hundred employees from major Silicon Valley companies are saying they'll take no part in such an endeavor if it comes to pass. Per USA Today, more than 300 tech workersincluding "engineers, designers, business executives, and others whose jobs include managing or processing data about people"from giants such as Google and Twitter (as well as from many other players) have signed a promise to that effect.

"We refuse to build a database of people based on their Constitutionally-protected religious beliefs," the statement reads, outlining the steps the workers vow to take if they're asked to act against this pledge. The promise also cites the role that data collection played in the Holocaust and in the WWII internment of Japanese Americans, noting that similar culling won't happen "on our watch, and never again." "What's important to me is that individuals who care about the ethical use of technology can step forward, show how many of us there are, and say that there are lines we will not cross," a Wave software engineer tells BuzzFeed News. The entire pledge appears here. (Read more Donald Trump stories.)
The United States and Mexico shared a maritime and land border in North America. They have always been an allied despite facing trials and changes of government. The countries are becoming stronger and more triumphant working together.

However, immigrants feared for their protections as Donald Trump may vanish the agreement that President Barack Obama offered. Ambassador Carlos Sada confirmed the strong bond with the United States during his address to the National Immigration Integration Conference Monday afternoon. The conference was planned before the president-elect Donald Trump's victory.

A large assembly, more than 1,000 refugee rights leader and immigrants were organized in Nashville since Trump's election. Nashville Mayor Megan Barry was one of the 18 big city mayors who requested to maintain the protections from deportation of thousands of immigrants. Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero confirmed that it was a terrible mistake of creating new policies for immigrants.

Mexicans also are concerned about the future of the North American Free Trade Act, and how the US incoming administration may seek out change or withdraw from the agreement. The border between the two countries symbolizes peace and security to the United States' national security and international trade. Undocumented immigration and illegal trade in drugs have been causes of differences between the two governments but also of cooperation on how to condemn illegal firearms.

The Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center found that the country creates an estimated 4.9 million jobs in the United States. Researchers confirmed that three economic shifts would depend on preserving economic relationships with the United States' southern neighbor.

The Global Trade Analysis Project examined the national data on employment, imports and exports, and production in 56 countries. The trades of majority jobs are depending with Mexico. These are service sectors, such as retail, finance, and healthcare. The fact that many jobs would vanish if the US will stop trading with Mexico.
The popular online messaging company such as Skype and WhatsApp will have to face stricter rules on managing users under new data and security laws slated to be proposed by the European Union. European Union executives are reportedly attempting Handing Over The Top service.

All the online web services company will have to guarantee the confidentiality of the communications and will have to obtain users permission to process their location data. The telecom companies have long complained that companies such as Facebook, Microsoft and Alphabet Inc's Google are more lightly managed, despite offering similar services.

According to a draft document, web-based messaging service will reportedly be obliged to gain users consent and provide confidentiality of communication when handling the customer's data, including location data. The regulation would also render it unnecessary for the websites to ask visitors for permission to place cookies on browsers, Cookies are placed on web surfers' computers and contain bits of information about the visitors, such as what other websites they have visited or where they are logging in from. They are widely used by firms to deliver targeted advertisements to the users. The new regulation will come into effect in 2018.

A European Commission spokeswoman refused to comment on the draft but said the aim of the survey was to adapt the rules to the data protection law which will come into force in 2018 and simplify the terms for cookies. Telecom companies, barred by current rules from using consumer data to provide extra services and make more money, will be able to use customers data with their consent, according to the proposal. The draft is set to be revealed in January 2017 and may undergo with some alteration before being officially executed.
The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) said that cyber theft hacking is becoming more sophisticated. These criminals target the global bank transfer system when stealing funds.

SWIFT said, "The threat is very persistent, adaptive and sophisticated - and it is here to stay," a letter sent to their client bank. This simply means that SWIFT is still vulnerable and at risk to cyber theft hacking tactics and other cyber-attack.

Last year in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a Bangladesh Bank Account worth $81 Million got stolen. This, in fact, alerted many governments and other banks to regulate a tight system and impose high-security system details.

Numerous records both from commercial banks and central banks who uses the SWIFT Network experienced cyber theft hacking. According to the letter, SWIFT sent, "We, unfortunately, continue to see cases in which some of our customers' environments are being compromised."

The world's biggest Cyber Theft Hacking was due to the negligence of officials of that bank, namely the Bangladesh Central Bank. It says that an official refuse to name these people but they exposed their security system to thefts resulting from the breach of the SWIFT Network said by Mohammad Shah Alam.

Other banks in the global stage also reported the amount stolen from them. In 2015, Ecuador Banco del Austro said they lost $12 Million. $250 Million got stolen from Bangladesh Sonali Bank. An attempt was made also with Vietnam last May but good thing they were able to notice right away.

SWIFT letter also cited, "There are likely to be multiple groups of cyber attackers attempting to compromise customer environments." It further expressed, "There has been an evolution in the modus operandi, signifying that attackers are further adapting their methods."
A rare drawing worth $16 million by Leonardo da Vinci was found by a French auction house. The discovery of the drawing called, "The Martyred Saint Sebastian", was announced on Monday by the Paris-based auction house Tajan.

According to Tajan, the drawing is said to be the first work of Da Vinci to be found in over 15 years which was valued at a whopping $15.8 million. The drawing was authenticated by a curator named, Carmen C. Bambach, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The drawing measures at 19x13 centimeters.

New York Times reported that the sketch was one of 14 unframed drawings that were brought into the auction house by a retired doctor in March. Tajan's director of old master pictures, Thaddee Prate, perceived that a drawing that depicts St. Sebastian tied to a tree. The owner of the drawing does not yet want his identity to be revealed for his own safety, said Tajan.

Thadee Prate asked for a second opinion from an independent dealer and adviser in old master drawings, Patrick de Bayser, to have a look at the drawing. Right afterward, Bayser confirmed that the drawing was done by a left-handed artist, like Da Vinci. At the back of the sheet, he noticed two small scientific drawings pertaining to studies of candlelight and several hand notes written in cursive style founded during the Italian Renaissance.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced in a statement, "This is an exciting new discovery of an authentic double-sided sheet by the master (1452-1519), representing on the recto the full figure of the martyred Saint Sebastian tied to a tree in a landscape, and on the verso, notes and diagrams about light and shadow, which relate to Leonardo's study of optics." The recent discovery of the drawing according to the Bambach, is the most highly developed of the three known studies and estimated that it was drawn between 1482 and 1485, while Da Vinci resided in Milan.
Wonder Woman got stripped of the title as Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls. The United Nation appointment of her sparked several controversies and protest from UN workers.

Last October 21, the United Nation made their announcement for the Scantily Clad comic character Wonder Woman for the empowerment of women. Jeffrey Brez, UN Spokesman announced through CNN that the project is subject to termination on December 16, 2016.

"The objective was to reach out to Wonder Woman fans to raise awareness of UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 5. We did that. We are very happy," Brez said. The United Nation aim to provide gender equality and empowerment of women by 2030.

Protest against Wonder Woman

United Nation Secretary General received the petition from concerned UN Staff, a petition to reconsider the appointment of Wonder Woman as Honorary Ambassador for the Women Empowerment and Girls. The petition reads, "not culturally encompassing or sensitive"

"Although the original creators may have intended Wonder Woman to represent a strong and independent warrior woman with a feminist message," the petition say. It further expressed, "the reality is that the character's current iteration is that of a large breasted, white woman of impossible proportions, scantily clad in a shimmery, thigh-baring body suit with an American flag motif and knee-high boots --the epitome of a pin-up girl."

Wonder Woman Fans Response

Wonder Woman is an Amazonian Princess and a warrior created in 1941 as it appeared on Comic and then played by Lynda Carter on TV in the 1970s'. Gal Gadot will also play the role on the movie that will come out in 2017.

The 14-year-old Tara Peterson is doing her petition to reinstated Wonder Woman to represent in the advocacy for the empowerment of women. "I've loved Wonder Woman since I was a kid. I was so happy a couple of months ago when she was made a UN ambassador. She's the kind of character that deserves that," She said.
Extra judicial killings, war, corruption and other political viruses started to claim territories around the world, and that is exactly what happens now in Syria. People have been battling for survival for months now, and no intervention seems to be very effective against the war.

Just last Monday (December 12), not less than 100 residents were executed as the government searches for terrorists who are trying to blend in with the population. The Telegraph then reported that there are other unreported cases of summary executions, forced disappearances, torture and rape cases which took place on the same day.

People are no longer safe in the area. Some have already committed suicide instead of letting their bodies be slayed by political animals roaming around. Yet, Syrians are hopeless because they were stuck, and only a little help from concerned neighbors were given a chance to enter the territory.

"The bombs are falling as we write this," said the White Helmets or the Syrian Civil Defense who were handling information to Telegraph staff. "It is too late for the people of Aleppo. They will follow the restless souls of Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur in a long line of victims abandoned by the international community," he continued.

The Huffington Post then enumerated ways on how civilians can reach out to the rest of the trapped residents in Aleppo, Syria. Some of the groups open for donations are British Red Cross, The White Helmets, Doctors Without Borders, Hand In Hand For Syria, Karam Foundation, and The Syrian American Medical Society.

The United Nations have announced that what happens in the world exhibits a meltdown in humanity. With more than half of the world population still unconscious on what is happening, media have been used to disseminate further information on Aleppo happenings.
On Sunday in the Cairo city of Egypt, there was a huge bomb blast that killed around 25 people. The attack's responsibility is taken by ISIS and has given threat that more such attacks are going to come. It was a gathering of people, mostly children and women, on Sunday mass where ISIS had sent a suicide bomber to attack the St. Mark Coptic Cathedral, an Egyptian Church.

According an inspection video, that was made public by the authorities displays a man identified as Mohamed Mostafa was seen entering the church after which, few minutes later the blast took place. This was one of the most brutal attacks on Egyptian civilians.

As quoted by ISIS they are going to do more such attacks in the coming future and sharpen them targeting the biggest cities of Egypt.

Samsung foldable smartphone could launch next year, rumors say

Zen mobile 'Admire Dragon' & 'Admire Thrill' smartphones launched in India

Xiaomi launched it's self-balancing and folding 'Mi Electric...
Glaciers that are supposed to be frozen are starting to melt into the sea which causes sea levels to rise in alarming levels. NASA, who tracks the glacier movements, have photos that show just how fast the ice are melting. If the melting continues in the following years, at least 216 million people will be left homeless.

Global warming and climate change have been a worldwide issue for years now but it seems the effort to fix it is still not enough. Very big changes has to be implemented and requires the whole world working together to make significant improvements.

NASA is working with US Geological Survey and other universities to understand all the data they receive from the satellite including images of how fast the huge glaciers are melting today. All the data that has been collected are carefully studied so they can predict the possible effects of rising sea levels, climate change, and global warming.

Moreover, they are also the people responsible for identifying a huge threat to the human being today and in the future. Ted Scambos, a scientist from the University of Colorado Boulder, said they "identify which areas to keep an eye on, or which events might lead to a rapid change," And as of today, the alarming rising sea levels due to global warming is something that everyone should be concern about.

According to their data, Antartic and Arctic ice were recorded to be in low levels due to climate change. And as ice continues to melt, it only means higher sea level to all countries in the world. The rise of sea level in this century is the highest and fastest in the last 2,700 years. And if the sea level continues to rise, 216 million people in the world could be affected.

In 2015, NASA has already confirmed that the world had a 3 feet increase of sea level and its going to be worse if nothing is changed. This sea level rise has surpassed the estimated numbers of scientists that conducted the study year ago. This could mean that people are doing more damage today than what has been expected years ago.
SpaceX Dragon is a spacecraft developed by SpaceX, a private space transportation company based in Hawthorne, California. The SpaceX Dragon is launched into space by SpaceX Falcon 9 two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle, and now SpaceX is advancing a crewed version called the SpaceX Dragon 2.

SpaceX has officially delayed the first crewed flight of its Crew Dragon vehicle, the capsule that SpaceX is developing to take NASA astronaut to and from the International Space Station.

NASA has confirmed that the commercial space rockets being developed by SpaceX and Boeing Company will start carrying the astronauts to the International Space Station no earlier than 2018. In September, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said that NASA is not presently looking at any additional seats except those that they have already purchased. Further delays are possible for both SpaceX and The Boeing are testing of emergency crew-abort system and other critical elements accelerate.

In a statement, SpaceX said that they are preparing to fly the crewed demonstration flight in the second quarter of 2018 with two crew member. SpaceX's single largest customer is NASA, which over the past seven years has awarded contracts worth more than $6.5 billion to deliver cargo and eventually, the U.S. astronauts, to the International Space Station. SpaceX is contracted to transport cargo to the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services program, and SpaceX Dragon began regular cargo flights in October 2012.

Dragon 2 is under development by SpaceX and is created to support crewed missions. It will be able to carry up to seven astronauts or some mix of crew and cargo. The Dragon 2 heat shield is invented to withstand Earth re-entry velocities from Lunar and Martians Spaceflights. The SpaceX has received several U.S. Government contracts to develop the Dragon 2 crewed version. Space x says that it has completed some milestones for its updated Dragon capsule, including parachute tests, qualification test and much more.
SpaceX recently confirmed that they could not meet their deadline by 2017 to send the first astronauts into space. SpaceX rescheduled the flight of the first crew of Dragon capsule from August 2017 to May 2018. But before the real flight of the crew, SpaceX will first conduct a demonstration mission of Crew Dragon that won't involve any astronauts.

A spokesperson for Elon Musk's company said in an emailed statement, "We are carefully assessing our designs, systems, and processes taking into account the lessons learned and corrective actions identified. Our schedule reflects the additional time needed for this assessment and implementation." Boeing also confirmed earlier this year that due to some technical difficulties, it wouldn't be sending astronauts into space until 2018.

Back in September 2014, NASA selected both Boeing and SpaceX to supply transport options to launch and return astronauts to and from the Internation Space Station(ISS). NASA will keep its goal to have a safe, reliable and cost-effective access for ISS missions. But unfortunately for SpaceX's Dragon system, it already caused some issue before its launch pad tragedy is September.

Since the explosion of the Falcon 9 rocket in September, SpaceX has been grounded. But the company currently is doing its best to resume launching in January. On the other hand, Boeing is already building a new capsule called the CST-100 Starliner.

For now, NASA must rely on Russia a little bit longer since Russia's Soyuz rocket is the only transport that can take astronauts to the ISS. It'll be an expensive way to get humans to space since a single seat on the Soyuz costs NASA around $81 million. That's a scary investment but NASA doesn't have any option for now.

SpaceX claims that they are working with NASA to make sure that fueling process will be safe and reliable. And it will make any adjustment with its method if needed for the crew's safety. Despite all the issues, SpaceX announced that they already completed some achievements for its updated Dragon capsule like parachute tests, qualification tests, and more.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Snow showers this morning becoming more scattered later. High 14F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snowfall around one inch..

Tonight

Cloudy. Low 8F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574.
New Delhi:

Its the 92nd Birth Anniversary of Raj Kapoor who has been hailed as the "greatest showman of Indian cinema".

Kapoor was a man who wore many hats. A leading actor in his hey days, Kapoor also achieved brilliance in directing movies. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers in Bollywood history.

Raj Kapoor, known as the Showman of Hindi cinema, starred in films including Awara, Shree 420, Boot Polish, Sangam among others.



"Awaara" remained the most popular Indian movie in China in the last six and half decades between generations of Chinese, especially its title song "awaara hu" which local sing as "awaala hu" as letter R is absent in Mandarin.



Although he has done countless remarkable comedy scenes but the songs he featured on have become memorable for every fan.

Lets have a look at some of his most famous songs to mark his 92nd Birth Anniversary:



1. Pyar Hua Ikraar Hua - Shree 420





2. Jeena Yaha Marna Yaha - Mera Naam Joker





3. Mera Joota Hai Japani - Shree 420





4. Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo - Teesri Kasam





5. Bol Radha Bol- Sangam



For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Delhi Police raided a hotel in Karol Bagh and recovered Rs 3.25 crore in demonetised notes from five persons, police said on Wednesday.



Based on secret information, the Crime Branch conducted a joint raid with Income Tax officials late last night at Taksh Inn in Karol Bagh and found five persons in two rooms of the hotel carrying a total amount of Rs 3.25 crore, said Ravindra Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).



The five men are carriers and have been identified as Ansari Abuzar, Fazal Khan, Ansari Affan, Ladu Ram and Mahaveer Singh, he said.



The recovered amount was kept in different suitcases and cardboard box.It was found during interrogation that the money belongs to some Mumbai-based hawala operators, said the officer.



aThey had hired packaging specialists who pack these notes in such a manner that they are even undetectable by airport scanning machines. Experts in packaging are using some tapes and wires which pass through X-ray,a he said.



The Income Tax department has seized the cash and is analysing the mobile phone details of these people since their phones contain details of lot of other hawala operators, he added.A

#UPDATE: Specialists were hired who packed notes in manner that it was undetectable by airport scanning machines (In pic: Rs 3.25 cr seized) pic.twitter.com/dd5PCL5fw7 a ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

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New Delhi :

As Cyclonic storm Vardah weakens into a well-marked low pressure after creating havoc and devastating the state of Tamil Nadu, one of the major impacts which this calamity is caused is: the slow internet.

Vardah has widely affected the coverage and connectivity of internet in parts of the country as service providers have said that cyclone Vardah has damaged undersea digital cables and it will take some time to bring back things back on track.

Countrys leading service provider Airtel send out a message to its customers which read, Dear Customer, the cyclone in Chennai has impacted one of our undersea network cables which may affect your internet speeds. We deeply regret the inconvenience. Our engineers are working to resolve the issue and services will be normalised shortly.

Vodafone also released which said, "We are experiencing challenges in fiber media backbone in Chennai due to this phenomenon and as a result internet traffic moving via Trans-Pacific Route may get impacted. This may result in intermittent degradation of services on our Internet Links."

A few bank websites such as the likes of Corporation Bank faced error while completing transactions for about 4 hours on Tuesday morning. While the Air India website failed to process a Master Card payment.

Experts have stated that India has two major international internet gateways- a key point from where the data inflow and outflow is managed- one in Chennai and the other in Mumbai. It seems Vardha has hit the Chennai gateway by disturbing the optic fibre cables under the sea.

A huge amount of international data is transmitted in the form of optical fibre cables undersea with thousands of miles long cables are installed undersea. While the optical fibre cables are subject to damage from any disturbance taking place under the sea or the movement of a ship, trawler or any natural disaster like underwater quake or cyclone can affect the working of the internet.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Srinagar:

An encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in Anantnags Bijbehara area in Jammu and Kashmir, reports said on Wednesday.

The security forces have gunned down one terrorist and the encounter is underway. Earlier on Wednesday, Army and Police conducted cordon and search operations in Bomai area of Sopore in Baramulla (J&K), where terrorists were believed to be inside.

More details are awaited.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Lok Sabha on Wednesday continued to see ruckus with the Opposition training their guns on the government over the controversy involving Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and the demonetisation issue, forcing adjournment of the proceedings till noon.

As soon as the House met for the day, Opposition members, including those from Congress, TMC and Left parties, were on their feet raising demands about certain issues, including the controversy involving Rijiju and demonetisation.

ALSO READ | Govt ready for debate on demonetisation, PM Modi to attend Parliament for next three days

Here are the Live updates:

#People elected us to discuss not create mayhem.Opposition seems determined to not allow Parliament to run even in last 2 days-Jitendra Singh



#Unfortunately,since day 1 opposition is giving one or other excuse so that Parliament doesn't function-Jitendra Singh,MoS PMO on Parl logjam



#Lok Sabha adjourned for the day

#Opposition raises "Modi sarkar hosh me aao" slogans in Lok Sabha



#Regarding Demonitisation always ready for discussion, they (opposition) are running away from it and walking out: Ananth Kumar in LS



#Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 PM



#Govt shares concern, it's a serious crisis moment, some anticipated action was taken in advance: FM Arun Jaitley in RS on Cyclone Vardah



#Lok Sabha adjourned till 12 PM



Delhi: PM Narendra Modi present in Lok Sabha pic.twitter.com/xtXyBu2O0A  ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

#Ive come here to speak; lets see if the government allows me to do so or not: Congress VP Rahul Gandhi



#PM Modi chairs meeting with top ministers in his chamber in Parliament. FM Jaitley, Ananth Kumar, Manohar Parrikar present in meet



#Fizul ka mudda hai: Parl Affairs Min Ananth Kumar on Opp to raise Kiren Rijiju's alleged involvement in Arunachal hydro scam issue in LS and RS



#If Opp will raise Kiren Rijiju's issue in Parl, they may have to face a lot of embarrassment, they'll have to face a lot of truth: MA Naqvi



#Anand Sharma gives notice under rule 267 in Rajya Sabha for discussion on Kiren Rijiju's alleged involvement in Arunachal hydro scam issue



#Congress to raise Kiren Rijiju's alleged involvement in Arunachal hydro scam issue in Rajya Sabha: ANI

Delhi: Opposition parties meeting underway in Parliament. pic.twitter.com/nWCxgapNq8  ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

#Opposition parties meeting in Parliament begins

#The Prime Minister will hold a meeting with key ministers before Parliament convenes this morning to decide their strategy

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New Delhi:

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday accepted HY Metias resignation after the state Excise Minister was accused of being involved in a sex scandal.A

The alleged scandal came to light after an RTI activist Rajashekar Mulali alleged that Metias act with a woman who approached him for a favour was recorded in a CD, reports say.

Huge furore was created over the incident following which Karnataka CM discussed the issue with police.

The chief minister had reportedly asked the state intelligence to thoroughly probe the case and report to him if such a CD really existed.
New Delhi:

A suspected militant linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was killed in an encounter with security forces in Sopore area of Jammu and Kashmir.

LeT commander Abu Bakr was killed in a six-hour-long gunfight at a residential building where he was hiding.

Sources said that the encounter has ended and security forces are combing the area to look for other militants.

J&K: Arms and ammunition recovered by security forces in Sopore encounter that killed top LeT commander Abu Bakr pic.twitter.com/pyDZCXkTHC a ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

Sopore encounter #UPDATE: top LeT commander Abu Bakr killed by security forces. Encounter ends a ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016

Earlier in the day, security forces killed another suspected militant in a separate encounter in Anantnag district. Militants opened fire on a patrol party of army at Beewra in Srigufwara area of Anantnag district this morning, a police official said.

He said the army personnel retaliated, triggering a gunbattle.

The militant, identified as Basit Ahmad Dar, was killed in the encounter. Dar had recently joined Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit.

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New Delhi:

Union minister Kiren Rijiju mocked Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday for stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "terrified" of him being allowed to speak inside Lok Sabha, terming the remark as the "biggest joke" of the year.

Talking to reporters outside Parliament, the minister of state for home affairs said it is the Congress party which is very scared as it has to defend utterances of its vice-president.

"Everybody feels that it is the biggest joke of the year that Rahul Gandhi says Narendra Modi is scared of his oratory skill. If he speaks will there be an earthquake or the balloon will burst.

Read | Rahul claims he has 'information that will explode PM Modi's balloon'; BJP says Cong VP has lost patience

"I don't think anyone takes comments he makes seriously. Congress itself is very scared of when Rahul Gandhi speaks as the party has to defend his words.

That's the level of threat he poses to his own party," Rijiju said.

Earlier, talking to the media, Rahul had claimed Modi is "personally terrified" of him being allowed to speak inside Lok Sabha because he has information that will "explode" the Prime Minister's balloon.

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Raipur:

A CRPF jawan allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, police said on Wednesday.

Constable Roshan Ekka (28), belonging to 219th battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), ended his life by shooting himself with his service rifle on Tuesday at their camp in Bhejji area, a police official told PTI.

When Ekka's colleagues heard the gunshot from the barrack, they rushed to the place and found him lying in a pool of blood.

The constable was immediately rushed to a local hospital where he was declared brought dead, he said. The body was sent to his native place at Ranchi in Jharkhand after postmortem, he said.

Ekka had returned from leave just two days back. The exact reason which prompted him to take the extreme step was yet to be ascertained, the official said. A case has been registered in this connection, he said, adding that further probe is on.

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New Delhi:

Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice on Wednesday following protests over the controversy involving Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju.

Opposition members shouted slogans and indulged in heated exchanges with BJP members over the alleged misuse of office by Rijiju with regard to a power project in Arunachal Pradesh, besides also raising anti-government slogans on the demonetisation issue.

During the Question Hour at noon, some members were heard raising slogans over allegations against the Minister. Chairman Hamid Ansari pressed for taking up the Question Hour and was heard saying that there cannot be Jekyll and Hyde character. However as the protests continued, Ansari adjourned the House till 1400 hours.

When the House reassembled, rare unanimity was witnessed as the members passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014. The House had discussed the Bill for a short while soon after it had met at 1100 hours, with some of them even suggesting that it should be adopted without debate.

After the Bill was passed, Anand Sharma (Cong) raised the issue of allegations against Rijiju, which led protests from the members from the Treasury benches.

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien told Sharma: There is rule, there is a procedure. Go by that. You cannot suo motu raise an allegation. Members of the Congress and the BJP indulged in shouting slogans and counter-slogans in the House.

Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the allegations are totally false and fabricated. ... I dare you for a debate on this.

Your party is misleading you, he particularly told Congress members. Kurien told Sharma that to raise an allegation, a member has to give prior intimation to the Chairman.

Sharma said he was merely referring to the media reports, which was not accepted by the Deputy Chairman. Amidst constant din, Kurien adjourned the House for the day.

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New Delhi:

A Delhi court extended the CBI custody of former Air Force chief SP Tyagi and two other co-accused by three days on Wednesday in connection with the hearing in the Rs 450 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal bribery case.

The CBI had produced the trio before the court on the expiry of their four-day police remand in the case.

The co-accused are Tyagis cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and advocate Gautam Khaitan.

The trio were sent on a four-day custody by the court on December 10 after the agency said their interrogation was essential to unearth a "very large conspiracy having international ramifications".

Besides Tyagi, the court remanded his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi alias Julie and advocate Gautam Khaitan, also arrested in the case related to procurement of 12 VVIP choppers from UK-based firm during the UPA-2 regime.

Read | All you need to know about SP Tyagi: Former IAF chief arrested in AgustaWestland scam

While the CBI sought 10 days' custody of these accused for quizzing them, the counsel appearing for the former IAF chief claimed in the court that decision to procure VVIP choppers from AgustaWestland was a "collective" one and Prime Minister Office (PMO) was also a part of it.

"It was a collective decision and not his (Tyagi's) individual one. It was a collective decision of which PMO was also a part," senior counsel N Hariharan, appearing for Tyagi, told the court, adding, "The file moved through several levels but I am the only one who has been arrayed as accused."

CBI alleged that Tyagi had "abused his official position" and when he was the Air Chief Marshal, he had made huge investments in land and other properties and have not disclosed the source his income.

The CBI will on Wednesday produce former Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi and his two co-accused before a Delhi court on the expiry of his five days police remand in the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter bribery case. The co-accused are Mr. Tyagis cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and advocate Gautam Khaitan.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Beijing:

One of Chinas most popular online communities for Muslims has been shuttered after posting a petition asking Chinese President Xi Jinping to stop his brutal suppression of activists, the letters authors said on Wednesday.

Since 2003, the Zhongmu Wang website, or 2muslim.com, functioned as an online network of Muslims sharing Islam, according to archived descriptions.

But today the site was inaccessible, showing only a message stating it was under maintenance.

Two of its affiliated social media accounts were also unavailable, displaying messages that declared one account abnormal and the other in violation of required guidelines.

China officially has more than 23 million Muslims, though some independent estimates say there may be as many as 50 millionwhich would put China among the worlds top 10 Muslim nations.

While Chinas constitution enshrines freedom of religious belief, authorities keep strict limits on it, recognising only five belief systems and seeking to control their messages.

The closure came after the posting of an open letter to Xi calling for a halt to the brutal suppression of activists and the immediate release of those still detained by the state, according to students who wrote the petition.

The letter criticised Xi for overseeing a crackdown on dissent since coming to power in 2012, with hundreds of lawyers, activists and academics detained and dozens jailed.

You are not responsible for all of the crimes of the totalitarian system, but as the totalitarian systems head and its commander-in-chief of repression, you must take responsibility for the blood and tears which now flow, it said.

In the next spring of Chinas new Jasmine Revolution, who will drive your tanks to crush us, the new generation of students after 1989?

Yi Sulaiman Gu, a Muslim student studying in the US at the University of Georgia, told AFP the website shut the day after he posted the letter to a forum that had previously hosted sensitive discussions on issues such as Chinas persecution of Muslim dissidents.

We believed it would be safe for Zhongmu to post it there, Gu said. Phone calls to the websites owner went unanswered. But the letter gained attention when screenshots of it

were reposted to Chinas Twitter-like Weibo by opinion leader Xi Wuyi, a professor of Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who said it proved the site supported Xinjiang separatists.

Violence in Xinjiang, the homeland of Chinas 10-million strong Uighur ethnic minority, has killed hundreds, with Beijing attributing it to Islamic extremism and foreign influence.

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Gujarat:

A Gujarat-born activist who led a campaign against low pay for women workers at a UK factory in the 1970s has made it in the BBC's most influential women of the past 70 years list released on Wednesday.

Jayaben Desai, known as the sari-clad leader of a two-year industrial action against the Grunwick Film Processing Laboratories in north London in 1976, was named among seven women chosen to mark the 70th anniversary of BBC Radio 4's 'Woman's Hour'.

"Jayaben was this tiny 4ft 8in woman in a sari who had dockers and postal workers from across the land coming to support her on the picket line," said Ayesha Hazarika, an Indian-origin senior Labour party adviser who was part of the panel that picked the one-off Power List.

"She made trade unions realise solidarity was not just for white working-class men, but spanned right across immigrants and women as well. So it was great to be able to shine a bit of light on her and her story," she added.

The repercussions of the strike are considered far reaching for British industrial relations.

The list, which is topped by Margaret Thatcher - Britain's first female Prime Minister, also includes Barbara Castle, Labour MP for Blackburn who brought in the Equal Pay Act in 1970.

More controversial is the inclusion of a fictional woman on the list of seven Bridget Jones from Helen Fielding's 'Bridget Jones Diary' series on the travails of a British singleton, played on screen by Hollywood actress Rene Zellweger.

Fielding said it was a "tremendous honour for Bridget and, of course, for me".

She said: "I hope it doesn't mean everyone's going to binge drink and eat Milk Tray late at night.

"I also hope there was something rather more profound going on, there's something in Bridget's nature which is very British which is ultimately quite decent, quite kind, quite resilient, not judgemental."

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Washington:

Indian-American PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi has joined Donald Trumps Strategic and Policy Forum that aims to assist the president-elect in implementing his economic agenda, the presidential transition team said on Wednesday.

Chennai-born Nooyi, 61, is the only Indian-origin executive in the 19-member Presidents Strategic and Policy Forum, which was first announced early this week. Three new members were also announced in addition to the current 16.

The other corporate bigwigs to join the forum are Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, and SpaceX and Tesla chairman Elon Musk.

The forum, composed of some of Americas most highly respected and successful business leaders, will meet with the president frequently to share their specific experience and knowledge as the president implements his economic agenda, a media release said adding the forum will be chaired by Stephen A Schwarzman, chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Blackstone.

America has the most innovative and vibrant companies in the world, and the pioneering CEOs joining this forum today are at the top of their fields, Trump said.

My administration is going to work together with the private sector to improve the business climate and make it attractive for firms to create new jobs across the United States from Silicon Valley to the heartland, he said.

According to the presidential transition team, members of the forum 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, the media release said.

As chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, Nooyi heads a company that has more than USD 63 billion in annual net revenue, and more than USD 35 billion in the US alone.

PepsiCo is the largest US food and beverage company with about 110,000 employees and 100 plants across the country. During the general election, Nooyi was a known supporter of Trumps Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

After Trumps victory she said that Clintons defeat in the election has left her daughters, gay workers, employees and non-whites devastated as there was serious concern among them about their safety in the US with Trump as president.

I had to answer a lot of questions from my daughters, from our employees. They were all in mourning. Our employees were all crying. The question that they are asking, especially those who are not white - Are we safe, women are asking Are we safe, LGBT people are asking Are we safe, she said at a New York conference on November 10.

At the same time she congratulated Trump on his victory. The process of democracy happened, we just have to let life go on. We have to come together and life has to go on, she said.

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Pune:

City police seized Rs 67 lakh cash, of which Rs 62 lakh were in new Rs 2,000 denomination notes, from five people travelling in a car in Wakad locality near here in the wee hours on Wednesday.

A senior police officer attached to Wakad police station said 3,110 notes of Rs 2,000 denomination worth Rs 62.20 lakh and 4,800 notes of Rs 100 worth Rs 4.80 lakh were seized.

During patrolling, our police personnel spotted a car in Wakad area in the wee hours. As the five occupants of the car were suspicious-looking, the police team searched the vehicle and found the cash inside, the officer said.

When the policemen questioned them, all the five people started giving evasive answers, he said. We recovered the cash and the Income Tax department has been alerted, the officer added.

In yet another seizure, Deedwana police in Nagaur district have recovered Rs 6.72 lakh of unaccounted cash from a person, including Rs 5. 68 lakh in new Rs 2000 notes.

Rest of the amount is in Rs 100 and Rs 50 denomination, police said, adding they have detained Ajit Malik after he failed to give a satisfactory answer.

We have seized the money and forwarded the matter to Income Tax department for further investigation, SHO Deedwana, Jitendra Singh told PTI.

On Tuesday, police had detained five persons with Rs 14 lakh new notes out of a total of Rs 17 lakh from the city outskirts in Bhankrota. Another Rs 4 lakh, including one lakh in new Rs 2000 denomination was recovered from three persons near Taranagar of Churu district.

As per a senior Income Tax department official, a total of over Rs 4.59 crore of unaccounted cash since November 8 has been seized in the state so far.

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New Delhi:

An end to the ongoing impasse in Parliament remains elusive, casting its shadow over the remaining two days of the Winter Session amid divergent views of the government and the Opposition on debate on demonetisation.

A latest salvo by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi has added fuel to the ongoing confrontation in both the Houses.

After claiming that there will be an "earthquake" if he speaks, Rahul Gandhi alleged on Wednesday that he has detailed information about "personal corruption" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which he wants to present in Lok Sabha but is not being allowed to do so by the PM.

Winter Session Day 19 | Arunachal power scam, demonetisation issue rocks Parliament; Oppn raises Modi sarkar hosh me aao slogans

Gandhi said the prime minister is personally terrified of him being allowed to speak inside Lok Sabha.

"The Prime Minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside Lok Sabha because I have information about the Prime Minister that is going to explode his balloon. And I am not being allowed to speak in the House," he told reporters in Parliament premises.

Asked what kind of information he has, Rahul said, "That information is personal information about Narendra Modiji which I want to state in Lok Sabha. It is personal corruption of the Prime Minister that we have detailed information about. We want to present it, which the Prime Minister is not allowing us to speak."

Read | Kiren Rijiju mocks Rahul Gandhi, says his remark against PM Modi biggest joke of the year

Earlier in the day, Parliament met after four days, with the Congress continuing its attack over the demonetisation exercise and an alleged corruption scandal involving MoS home affairs minister Kiren Rijiju.

Ministers launch counteroffensive

Stung by Rahul Gandhi's sensational charge, top ministers in the government dismissed the allegation as "false and baseless", insisting there cannot be a bigger "lie" than it.

Senior ministers including Manohar Parrikar, Ananth Kumar, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar went ballistic at the Congress vice-president, calling the charge a result of his "desperation and frustration" and demanding an apology.

Read | Rahul claims he has 'information that will explode PM Modi's balloon'; BJP says Cong VP has lost patience

"Rahul Gandhi tells lies. He speaks baseless. Come to Parliament, discuss and also listen to our reply. He is the same person who kept quiet during the 10 years when the country, under Manmohan Singh government, was being looted," law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Defence minister Parrikar said the question as to who has stalled Parliament should be put to Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Prakash Javadekar said only Congress and not the government will be exposed when Gandhi speeks even as he dismissed the charge that the government was not letting the Congress leader speak in Parliament. There cannot be a bigger "lie" than this, the Union environment minister said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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New Delhi:

Manu Punjabi and Priyanka Jagga re-enter Bigg Boss house and Manu Punjabi reveals why he had suddenly gone out from the Bigg Boss house. He tells that his mother had expired and all housemates get emotional.

Manu Punjabi and Priyanka Jagga after all the discussion decide to support the celebs.

And well Om Swami has again done something funny. He sleeps in jailas bathroom. And when the siren rings, housemates wonder which housemate is sleeping.

Housemates wonder which housemate is sleeping as Bigg Boss rings the siren! #BB10 a Bigg Boss (@BiggBoss) December 14, 2016

Bigg Boss announces a very important thing. Bigg Boss poses a question to gharwalas whether Rohanas captaincy punishment should be forgiven. And to this question Priyanka Jagga feels that there is no benefit in forgiving Rohan.

But at last Manu Punjabi and Priyanka Jagga decide to lift the ban on captaincy from Rohan.

Manu Punjabi and Priyanka Jagga suggest Om Swami and Rahulas names for Bandhan.

Well housemates have been assigned a big task and the task is to decide three contestants for captaincy. And Manu Punjabi and Priyanka Jagga decide to take Manveer Gurjar, Lopa, Bani Jas names.

Priyanka Jagga had all the time been in secret room and now when she has entered the house, she seeks all answers for what she was seeing from the secret room.

Priyanka Jagga is angry with Gaurav Chopra and asks him how he can speak ill about her on national television.

#PriyankaJagga questions @gauravchopraa as to how he can speak ill about her on national television! #BB10 a Bigg Boss (@BiggBoss) December 14, 2016

And Gaurav Chopra is busy in finding ways to apologize Bani J and we will come to know about it soon maybe in next episode whether he succeeds in this or not. A
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HARTFORD  There will be plenty of pomp on Monday, but the circumstance may not be agreeable for the seven state electors who will cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton, the losing presidential candidate.

The quadrennial event, complete with group photo, official documents to sign and even the designation of a new elector to take the place of someone unable to attend, will be the formal ratification of the states vote. Seven equals the number of U.S. senators and members of Congress, who represent the votes for the Electoral College.
GREENWICH  Final estimates put construction of the new New Lebanon School at $37,197,149, some $12,000 under budget.

On Wednesday, the New Lebanon Building Committee received and approved the final construction estimate from Gilbane Construction.

Were confident that were going to be remaining within the budget with sufficient contingency, said Stephen Walko, chair of the committee.

The estimate allots $26 million for hard construction costs, or $423 for each square foot of the 61,000-square-foot school.

Some $4.8 million is budgeted for contingency costs, $2.5 million for architect and engineering fees, $1.3 million for furnishings and technology, $500,000 for miscellaneous costs and $170,000 for consultants.

There were no surprises, said Walko. We think we are right there where we should be.

On Thursday, the Board of Education will vote on the new schools design.

With the BOEs approval, the New Lebanon Building Committee is expected to send its plan for another look-over by the state Office of School Construction Grants and Review by mid-January.

Walko said from mid-January to June, most of the committee work will entail getting construction bids out and holding the bids until they receive state funding approval.

The state is expected to reimburse 61 percent of the cost of the construction.

Quite frankly were just going to be waiting on funding, he said. He emphasized that the committee will not sign any contracts until the project is approved by the state General Assembly in June.

Current plans call for construction to start in June 2017. The new school is slated to open in September 2018.

emunson@hearstmediact.com; @emiliemunson
HARTFORD  Parts of the sweeping school funding decision issued this fall may affect the states future compliance with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

So says a federal government agency, which on Wednesday suggested a state Superior Court judge may have overstepped his bounds when he told the state to focus its efforts on disabled students who can profit from some form of education.

In a letter sent Wednesday to state Commissioner of Education Dianna Wentzel, Ruth E. Ryder, acting director of the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Special Education Programs, said school districts may not choose to provide special education services to only some children.

Rather, they have an obligation to provide special education and related services to all eligible children with disabilities, including children with more severe or significant disabilities, Ryder wrote.

In September, Judge Thomas Moukawsher deemed the states funding of public education to be irrational. He also took issue with the states handling of teacher evaluations, graduation requirements, curriculum and special education.

The case, Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Educational Funding v. Rell, was brought against the state by a broad coalition of groups and a number of municipalities including Bridgeport and Danbury.

On special education, Moukawsher said the amount spent was staggering in comparison to the number of students served  about $1.82 billion in 2013-14 for some 66,000 students.

The first step is for schools to identify and focus their efforts on those disabled students who can profit from some form of elementary and secondary, Moukawshers decision states.

He questioned the connection of some medical, therapeutic and social services to the business of education and gave the state 180 days to come up with new special education standards that specifically link special education spending with education.

The entire decision has been appealed to the state Supreme Court. Wentzells office referred all questions on the matter Wednesday to the state Attorney Generals Office, which declined to comment.
In a letter to the editor on Wednesday, Dec. 7, in support of the Electoral College, Mr. Rowe asserted that California should not be deciding the outcome of presidential elections. Mr. Rowe, I take it youre fine with Wyoming deciding such an outcome, because thats the state where the individual vote has the most power, according to the skewed weighting system of the Electoral College.

Said differently, it takes four voters in California to have an identical impact on the electoral votes in their state as compared to one voter in Wyoming. How is that the representative and fair democracy we want  and so desperately need?
Trump picks congressman Ryan Zinke as Interior Secretary

United States,Politics, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

Washington, Dec 14 (IANS) US President-elect Donald Trump has offered the position of the Secretary of the Interior to Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke, who will be in charge of developing the agenda previously proposed by the New York tycoon.

Zinke, 55, represents Montana district in the House of Representatives since 2015, and before that served in the US Navy SEALs for more than two decades between 1985 and 2008, EFE news reported on Monday.

Zinke will be incharge of federal land management, national parks and energy projects.

The Republican will also have the power of dismantling the policies pushed by the Department of the Interior during the Obama administration, which aimed to mitigate the effects of climate change, in order to promote the developmental agenda that Trump promised during the election campaign.

Trump has expressed his opposition to Obama's moratorium on the lease of federal land for coal mining, and he has been in favour of the increase in sea and land oil prospecting in areas controlled by the state.

A few days ago it was the veteran Congresswoman Cathy McMorris who seemed to be destined for this position, but after Trump and Zinke held a meeting on Monday, McMorris confirmed that she will remain focused on the House of Representatives.

An agency with 70,000 employees and a budget of $12 billion, the Department of the Interior is responsible for the management of national parks, energy projects, prospecting and the management of vast tracts of federal land, mostly in the western US.

--IANS

py/vm
Italian referendum: Sounding the death knell of European integration? (Comment: Special to IANS)

Delhi,National,Politics,Opinion/Commentary, Wed, 14 Dec 2016 IANS

The decisive rejection last week in the referendum for reform by 41-year-old Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has once again plunged Italy and the European Union into a crisis.

It underlined the inherent danger in calling for popular endorsement through referendum of any agenda for political or economic change. This was clear after Brexit in UK and now in Italy. Such strategic blunders unfortunately cannot be reversed. They often result in an abrupt end of the political careers of the respective Prime Ministers who gambled and lost.

Political analysts have noted that opposition to the Italian proposals came from the same broad coalition that ensured victory for Brexit: anti-establishment sentiments, anger at globalisation, the migrant issue and open borders, and increased scepticism on the wisdom of a Europe without frontiers. A broadly similar coalition ensured the victory of Donald Trump. The problem is how to turn the tide before it is too late.

In Italy's case, the result of the vote primarily benefited right-wing parties such as the Five Star Movement which supports a referendum to determine whether Italy should give up the euro. The popular mood in the third-largest European economy seems to be to go it alone rather than with Europe.

It was small comfort to the European liberal left wing and socialist parties that a few hours earlier, Austrian voters, faced with a stark choice, selected as their Head of State Alexander Van der Bellen of the Green Party rather than Norbert Hofer of the far right Freedom Party which had been established by the Nazis.

Political developments across Europe are worrisome. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel, once riding high in the polls, seems increasingly vulnerable in elections scheduled for 2017. In France, for the first time in the history of the Fifth Republic, an incumbent President, Francois Hollande, is not seeking a second term. With his popularity rating in the teens, this was a sage decision. It represents a candid acknowledgement by him that he is acutely aware of the inherent danger of the candidature of an unpopular President, handicapped by incumbency, standing for an election which could divide the liberal, left-wing vote and ensure the victory of Marine Le Pen. The French political scenario is complex, with the far right National Front leader calling for a French referendum on European Union membership shortly after Brexit.

While it seems unlikely that Frexit will happen since France, unlike the UK, has always been firmly anchored in Europe and sees EU membership as a way of maintaining its great power status, the result of the French presidential election in 2017 seems disturbingly uncertain. The first round of the vote will be held on April 23. The final outcome will be decided in a run-off election which will take place on May 7.

While the centre-right former Prime Minister Francois Fillon is being projected by the media as the favourite, having surprisingly humbled former Prime Minister Alan Juppe and former President Nicholas Sarkozy in the primaries, there are many imponderables which still remain. The Socialist Party is divided; Manuel Valls has stood down as Prime Minister in order to put himself forward as the Socialist Party candidate for the presidential race. The Socialist Party will hold its presidential primary in January.

One imponderable whose resolution could impact the outcome is how the Socialists would vote in a second round presidential election with a runoff between Fillon and Le Pen. In 2002, in the second round, the Socialists had decided to vote for Jacques Chirac so as to defeat Le Pen and the extreme right. While it is hoped that the French voters from the Socialist Party would do the same in 2017 and unite against the National Front candidate, this is not certain, given the current popular mood in France.

Ultimately, the choice for the French socialist voter would also depend on how Fillon projects himself. Can he assuage the concerns of the anti-globalisation coalition without moving too far right? How does he win over the disenchanted lower middle class white voter? He needs to convince voters across the political divide that he can deliver on his liberalising ideology, penned in his latest book, of ensuring prosperity as a pre-condition for restoring national pride and sovereignty.

Ultimately, the outcome of this election is also a litmus test for the continuing relevance of European liberal democratic politics. To put it starkly, there remains five months for French mainstream leaders and the media to project Fillon as a credible alternative to right wing populism surging throughout Europe. A positive result for Fillon and his party would appear to be far from certain.

There are ominous indications that Europe has already moved to the ideological right, threatening the integrity and future of the EU itself. The 160-kilometre-long chain-link and razor-wire fence on Hungary's southern border vividly reflects the rising tide of extreme right wing populist politicians across Europe with their retrograde xenophobic, racist ideologies accompanied by attacks on European liberal values, symbolised by open markets and frontiers and free movements of people.

If the founders of the EU and its liberal ideals -- Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France -- also move to the far right in 2017, it could sound the death knell for the Schengen regime and of the cherished ideals of European integration and of the European Union itself.

(Bhaswati Mukherjee is a former Ambassador to the Netherlands and a former Ambassador to Unesco based in Paris. The article is in special arrangement with South Asia Monitor/www.southasiamonitor.org)

--IANS

bhaswati/vm/sac/ky/tb
France Eiffel tower's lights put out in solidarity with Aleppo civilians

France,Defence/Security,Human Interest/Society, Thu, 15 Dec 2016 IANS

Paris, Dec 15 (IANS) Lights of the Eiffel Tower were put out on Wednesday in solidarity with civilians in Aleppo where renewed fighting put at risk a truce deal to evacuate people and rebel fighters, according to Paris authorities.

"Tonight at 8.00 p.m. local time (1900 GMT), the Eiffel Tower will go dark in a symbolic recall of Paris city's support to Aleppo and its citizens," Xinhua news agency quoted Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo as saying in a tweet.

Following a ceasefire brokered by Moscow and Ankara, rebel fighters agreed on Tuesday to leave the eastern Aleppo area, with the evacuation due to begin earlier on Wednesday.

However, renewed shelling broke calm in the Syrian city and prompted a delay in the evacuation plan.

The situation in Aleppo has worsened rapidly after a truce accord collapsed in September, triggering an international outcry to stop hostilities in the strategically-located Syrian city which has been contested by the government forces and rebels since 2012.

Chairing a defence council earlier on Wednesday, French President Francois Holland asked for the presence of United Nations observers to ensure the Aleppo evacuation "in dignity".

"Immediate and unconditional aid and protection must be provided to all citizens in Aleppo's eastern part, without discrimination and in accordance with international humanitarian law," Hollande said.

--IANS

lok/
Canadians to enjoy their favorite jolly treats this holiday season

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Dec. 14, 2016 /CNW/ -- Ten days before Christmas day, Jollibee, the largest Asian restaurant company and global fast-food chain, will open its first ever Canadian Jollibee location on December 15th in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Jollibee is famous for its signature crispylicious and juicylicious fried chicken, which is delicately breaded to be crispy on the outside, and its secret marinade makes it juicy inside. Kids love the Jolly Spaghetti's signature sweet-style sauce, loaded with slices of savory ham, ground meat, and hotdog, while the Peach Mango Pie, with its sweet and flaky golden brown crust, has become a classic favorite.

On the store's opening day, the brand is expecting thousands of customers lining up even before the sun rises. The anticipation is now seen on social media as locals share their photos by the signage of Jollibee expressing excitement on the arrival of the famed restaurant.

"The Jollibee family is incredibly excited to break ground in Canada to serve the thousands of Filipino-Canadians and Jollibee fans alike. It has been a joy to see the happiness families experience when visiting our locations in the USA and we are thrilled to now bring that same feeling into Canada at such a festive time like this," said Jose Minana, Jollibee Foods Corporation's Group President for North America and Foreign Franchise Brands. "There is nothing we love more than serving the favorite delectable dishes of Jollibee fans to more communities, bringing families together for great tasting food, happy moments, and the warm and friendly service that Jollibee has come to be known for."

Jollibee Winnipeg marks the 1st store in Canada and the 35th store in North Americaevidence of the brand's commitment to expand in North America as its key growth market. In 2017, it plans to open three more stores in Canada at Winnipeg Northgate, Scarborough, and Mississauga, then in Edmonton in 2018. In addition to these, it is also set to open in Jacksonville with the first store for the state of Florida, and the very first store in Manhattan, New York.

"Winnipeg is a fitting choice for Jollibee's first Canadian store because it has largest density of Filipinos to the total population of the city. Every Filipino wants to be reminded of the taste of home, especially during Christmas, and I think there is no other fast food brand out there that can deliver that but Jollibee," shared Maribeth dela Cruz, Vice President and General Manager for Jollibee Foods Corporation North America.

JFC is currently ranked as the largest Asian restaurant company in market capitalization, operating in 12 markets, with a total of 3,236 stores globally, of which 1,111 are Jollibee brand stores. The company's aggressive expansion plan in North America is part of its overarching goal to be among the top five quick service restaurant brands globally by the year 2020.

About Jollibee

Jollibee is the largest fast food chain brand in the Philippines, operating a Philippine network of more than 950 stores. A dominant market leader in the Philippines, Jollibee has embarked on an aggressive international expansion plan, now with more than 150 international stores.

Technomic has consistently cited Jollibee among its Top 500 ranking restaurants in the United States.

About Jollibee Foods Corporation

Jollibee Foods Corporation is the largest Asian restaurant company and the largest restaurant company in the Philippines. It operates over 3,000 stores globally with store branches in the United States, China, Brunei, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain. The brands under its portfolio are Jollibee, Greenwich, Chowking, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Burger King, Yonghe King, and Hong Zhuang Yuan.

JFC also has considerable investments with the brands Highlands Coffee, Pho 24, 12 Hotpot, Dunkin Donuts in China and U.S. based burger chain Smashburger.

Jollibee Foods Corporation has grown brands that bring delightful dining experience to its customers worldwide, in line with its mission of serving great tasting food and spreading the joy of eating to everyone.

Jollibee Foods Corporation has been named the Philippines' most admired company by the Asian Wall Street Journal for eight years in a row, and was honored as one of the '200 Best Under a Billion Companies in Asia' and one of 'Asia's Fab 50 Companies' by Forbes Asia Magazine.

SOURCE Jollibee

For further information: Rachel Winship, Ogilvy PR Chicago, 312-397-6028, [email protected]
Enhanced astronomy "virtual observatory"

to benefit Canada's larger scientific research community

VICTORIA, Dec. 14, 2016 /CNW/ - One of the world's foremost astronomy research platforms is being enhanced through a new multi-year collaboration between the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and Compute Canada. The collaboration will bring new "big science" data management and processing capabilities to a much larger research community.

The project is called C3TP for short in reference to the "three Cs Transition Project": the National Research Council's Canadian Astronomy Data Centre (CADC), Compute Canada and the Canadian Advanced Network for Astronomical Research (CANFAR) platform (established on Compute Canada infrastructure).

"CANFAR sparked a significant shift towards a cloud ecosystem for data intensive astronomy, making virtual collaborations far more productive," says Dr. Greg Fahlman, General Manager of NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics that operates the CADC. "C3TP will give Canadian astronomers access to the expanded computational power needed to process and analyze data from ever-more powerful telescopes."

The advanced research computing needs of astronomers are evolving at the same time as Compute Canada's infrastructure is being redesigned to better serve Canadian researchers and collaborators in all academic and industrial sectors.

"We are working with NRC to help move beyond storage by designing a new approach to cloud-based, 'open data' management," says Dr. Dugan O'Neil, Chief Science Officer of Compute Canada. "This project will significantly enhance the advanced computing services and networks available to researchers across all disciplines, from data-intensive astronomy to medicine and the social sciences."

The $2.5 million project is the first of its kind to leverage the large-scale research infrastructure and funding of both the National Research Council and Compute Canada to advance common science goals.

"Massive calculations done on the CANFAR platform using large datasets from the Astronomy Data Centre have helped guide the first close spacecraft encounter with Pluto and enabled the discovery of new dwarf planets and supermassive black holes that reveal secrets to the origins of the Universe," says Dr. Fahlman. "We're taking this discovery potential to a whole new level."

The Canadian Astronomy Data Centre, also referred to as Canada's "virtual observatory", is one of the first in the world to make the transition from "data host" to integrated systems.

Additional Links

SOURCE National Research Council Canada

For further information: Media Relations Team, National Research Council of Canada, 613-991-1431, 1-855-282-1637 (24/7), [email protected], Twitter: @nrc_cnrc; Kelly Nolan, Executive Director, External Affairs, Compute Canada, 819-598-2910, [email protected], Twitter: @ComputeCanadahttps://twitter.com/ComputeCanada

Related Links

www.nrc.gc.ca


The US Marine Corps, Army and the Navy are looking to the next generation of vertical lift that goes beyond the traditional helicopter. Potential adversaries are forcing the services to move their support facilities further and further away from the forward line of combatant.

Col. John Barranco, speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, those restrictions put new emphasis on speed, range, payload, survivability and sustainability for aircraft that are projected to be entering the fleet in the early 2030s. They would replace Bell UH-1 Yankees Venom and Bell AH-1 Zulus Viper.

Col. Erskine Bentley, the head of the Armys Future Vertical Lift program, said with increased lethality the new aircraft gives us maneuverability and agility on the future battlefield. Were just scratching the surface in the very long investment in [science and technology] that is looking at open architecture and inserting advanced technologies as apps into future vertical lift.

The Sikorsky-Boeing entry, called the SB-1 Defiant, is a compound helicopter design with co-axial rotors and a pusher-propeller. The aircraft is based on Sikorskys revolutionary X-2 design that was designed to overcome the 200-knot speed limit of most helicopters as a result of a phenomenon called the dissymmetry of lift. It is to fly in 2017 and will be evaluated by the Army for further development. Sikorsky is leading the development of phase one with an aircraft based on their previous Sikorsky X2 design. The design will have a cruise speed of 250 kn (290 mph; 460 km/h), but less range due to using the old T55 engine. A new engine (the future affordable turbine engine (FATE) like on the V-280) would meet the range requirement of 229 nmi (264 mi; 424 km) Compared to conventional helicopters, the counter-rotating coaxial main rotors and pusher propeller offer a 185 km/h (115 mph) speed increase, combat radius extended by 60%, and performs 50% better in high-hot hover performance. Sikorsky has said that the X2 design is not suitable for heavy-lift size, and instead suggests the CH-53K for heavy-lift and tiltrotor for the ultra-class. However, Sikorsky plans to build the 30,000 lb-class JMR-TD (with a cabin 50% larger than the Black Hawk) at full scale to remove doubts about the scalability of the X-2 technology.

The SB-1 will be quick and nimble, with fast acceleration and deceleration, side-to-side movement, and hovering with the tail up and nose down.[34] The Defiant demonstrator will be powered by the Honeywell T55, which powers the CH-47 Chinook. It will be slightly modified to better operate at slower speeds down to 85% rpm

The Bell Helicopter design, which is called the V-280 Valor, is an advanced tilt-rotor design that is based upon technology similar to the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey. The new tilt-rotor is smaller, faster and much more maneuverable than the Osprey and has a top speed of over 300 knots. The aircraft was officially unveiled at the 2013 Army Aviation Association of Americas (AAAA) Annual Professional Forum and Exposition in Fort Worth, Texas, with a projected first flight in 2017.

Future Vertical Lift (FVL) is a plan to develop a family of vehicles that will update military helicopter capabilities. Five different sizes of aircraft are to be developed, sharing common hardware such as sensors, avionics, engines, and countermeasures. The precursor for FVL is the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) helicopter program, which will provide technology demonstrations planned for 2017.

Three sizes were planned in 2009, then four and five (which may or may not be of the same design) are envisioned to replace 25 current rotorcraft types:

JMR-Light: Scout version to replace the OH-58 Kiowa; introduction planned for 2030.

JMR-Medium-Light

JMR-Medium: Utility and attack versions to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache; introduction planned for 202728.

JMR-Heavy: Cargo version to replace the CH-47 Chinook; introduction planned for 2035, although Boeing expects 2060.

JMR-Ultra: New ultra-sized version for vertical lift aircraft with performance similar to fixed-wing tactical transport aircraft, such as the C-130J Super Hercules and the Airbus A400M Atlas; introduction planned for 2025.

Bentley said the services have already developed a broad area of joint trade space. An example of that would be reducing the number of soldiers or Marines being carried in the medium lift aircraft to add more fuel to extend its range.

Theres work to do in looking at trade space.

The minimum capability in carrying capacity is eight soldiers or Marines, Barranco said. This is where the trade space discussion comes in. Say it can actually carry 11 or 12, thats fine. Its added capability. No less than what we have now.

That would be similar to the Marines experience with the MV-22 with its greater, range, speed and carrying capability replacing the CH-46 Sea Knight .

Having all aircraft linked is probably our greatest overmatch even now against potential adversaries, Barranco said. We need to exploit that. He added the Marines have begun back-fitting network technologies into its legacy aircraft. It also is seeing how it can better exploit manned-unmanned teaming, an area where the Army is leading the way with its Apache attack helicopter fleet.

Were building doctrine for the future against new and re-emerging threats from near-peer competitors. As always the future is unknown.
An Afghan boy who became an internet sensation after wearing a number ten shirt made out of a plastic bag has finally met his hero.Murtaza Ahmadi, 6, became an over night viral star after pictures of him wearing an improvised Lionel Messi shirt made out of plastic were shared across social media.Now Ahmad has come face-to-face with the four-time Ballon d'Or winner in a heartwarming meeting in Doha, Qatar.Barcelona were in Qatar to play a friendly against Saudi Arabian Al Ahli on Tuesday evening.Ahmadi, who was given the honour of bringing the match ball out onto the pitch before the match, seized the opportunity to steal another impromptu meeting with his hero.After placing the ball on the centre circle Ahmadi ignores the referee's attempts to escort him for the pitch before running over to Lionel Messi on the edge of the semi-circle.
Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described President Muhammadu Buharis involvement in the meeting with President Yahya Jammeh ...

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described President Muhammadu Buharis involvement in the meeting with President Yahya Jammeh to persuade him to concede defeat as an aberration.A man like Buhari under whose free, fair and credible elections no longer exist lacks moral rights to preach obedience to democratic principles to anyone, Fayose said.The governor said great Africans like former President Goodluck Jonathan, President John Mahama of Ghana and others who have lost elections and conceded defeat were in the best position to intervene in Gambia and not someone like Buhari, who lost election three times and never conceded defeat.According to his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose wondered what President Buhari, whose government is desperately moving Nigeria from a multi-party democracy to a one party State, would have told President Jammeh in Gambia yesterday, He said with what happened in Rivers State last weekend, it is certain that votes of Nigerians will no longer be allowed to count as the APC cabal in the Presidential villa has now assumed the roles of INEC, allocating votes to their party and using security agents to force their will on the people.Governor Fayose asked; Did President Buhari face Jammeh and advised him to accept defeat the way he (Buhari) conceded defeat in 2003, 2007 and 2011 when violence was instigated and several people, including Youth Corp members were killed? Or did Buhari lecture Jammeh to take to democracy at gunpoint, which is now the norm in Nigeria?How can Buhari, who has destroyed the legacy of free, fair and credible elections that was handed over to him, be the one to prevail on someone else to adhere to democratic principles?He said Buhari should first remove the timber in his eyes before attempting to remove the toothpicks in other peoples eyes, describing the President as a physician who cannot heal himself but trying to heal others.The governor said even though President Jammeh behaved dishonourably by reneging on his initial promise to accept defeat, involvement of President Buhari in the meeting to persuade him to step down was the height of hypocrisy.The governor said that Nigerians are now more concerned with how to take back their country like the Gambians have done.Nigerians are worried about the possibility of Buhari behaving like Jammeh in 2019 after he must have been defeated and that the international community may need a high-powered delegation to pilot his rampaging bull out of Nigerians chinashop, he said.
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday asked the Senate to consider and confirm Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine, as the Auditor General of the Feder...

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday asked the Senate to consider and confirm Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine, as the Auditor General of the Federation.This is contained in a letter by President Buhari to the Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki.President Buhari noted in the letter read by Saraki yesterday that Section 86(1) of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (as amended), states that the Auditor-General for the Federation shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Federal Civil Service Commission subject to confirmation by the Senate.The letter added, In line with this constitutional requirement, the Federal Civil Service Commission has recommended Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine for appointment as the Auditor-General for the Federation. The Curriculum Vitae of Mr. A. M. Ayine is herewith attached.I have accepted this recommendation and hereby present the nomination of Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine for confirmation by the Senate.While hoping that this request will receive the usual expeditious consideration of the Distinguished Senators, please accept, Mr. Senate President, the assurances of my highest regards.If confirmed, Ayine will succeed Mr. Samuel Ukura.
Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday refused to strike out the money laundering charge filed against form...

Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday refused to strike out the money laundering charge filed against former Abia State Governor Orji Uzor Kalu.The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) re-arraigned Kalu along with Udeh Udeogu and Slok Nigeria Limited on 34 counts of diverting N3.2 billion Abia State funds.They were first re-arraigned on September 27 before Justice Anwuri Chikere of the courts Abuja division after the case got to the Supreme Court on interlocutory appeal, following Kalus first arraignment in 2007.Trial was billed to resume yesterday before Justice Idris, but prosecution counsel, Adebisi Adeniyi, got to court late.Defence counsel Prof Awah Kalu (SAN) and Solo Agumah (SAN), who got to court before Adebisi, urged the judge to strike out the case for lack of diligent prosecution.They said they came from Abuja for the case, adding that if EFCC was serious, the prosecution counsel ought to have been in court on time.Justice Idris said it was true that the defendants were re-arraigned on October 31, following which the case was adjourned to yesterday for trial.He condemned the prosecutions absence.His words: The defendants are here and they are represented by counsel, fully prepared for trial. The court is ready to proceed with the trial in line with the intent and spirit of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).The prosecution is absent, not represented by counsel, and there is no explanation whatsoever as to their absence in court this afternoon. This is unacceptable and highly detestable.No reasonable excuse has been put forward for the non-appearance of the prosecution team. This is an unacceptable conduct and one that will not be condoned by this court.This is a court of law and one of justice; such attitude towards the prosecution of cases, especially by the prosecution, will not be tolerated.Having looked at the case, being a transferred matter and being the second time the matter would be mentioned in court, and the first time to be called for trial, I shall, in the circumstances and in the interest of justice, exercise my discretion pursuant to the provision of Section 351(2) and adjourn the matter for trial.This will be the last of such adjournment in situations such as this. In the interest of justice, I shall direct a fresh date be taken for trial to commence.As the judge was about to adjourn, the prosecution counsel walked in. He said he was held up in traffic having gone to fetch a prosecution witness, who eventually could not make it.Adebisi disagreed with the defence counsels demand that EFCC should notify them of any witnesses the prosecution intends to call.Kalu and Akuma said knowing which witness was coming to testify ahead would enable them prepare for their cross-examination in order to speed up the case rather than asking for an adjournment.But Adebisi rejected the request, saying: There is need to protect the witnesses. How are we sure the witnesses will not be interfered with? This application has no precedent and no basis in law.Justice Idris said he would not make any order that EFCC should formally notify the defence of witnesses it intends to call.It should be informal between parties. Ill encourage parties to communicate with each other and pass such information to ensure the trial goes on smoothly and speedily. Were all practising law and there should be no bitterness, he said.Kalu and his co-accused allegedly diverted about N3.2 billion from the Abias treasury while he was the governor.The former governor was said to have allegedly diverted the funds in tranches of N200 million, N50 million, N200 million, N300.8 million, N545 million, N429million, N288.4million, N190million, N157million, N152.8million, N100 million, N84 million and N50 million between August 13, 2003 and January 12, 2005.The offence is said to be contrary to Section 17 (c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2003 and punishable under Section 16 of the same Act.The EFCC accused Slok Nigeria Limited of conniving with one Emeka Abone, said to be at large, to help Kalu retain the allegedly stolen funds in its accounts.The prosecution said Slok knew or at least suspected the said Orji Uzor Kalu to have engaged in a criminal conduct.Udeogu was accused of helping Kalu to pay part of the allegedly stolen funds into Sloks account with the defunct FinBank Plc.They were alleged to have utilised Manny Bank (now Fidelity Bank Plc), Spring Bank Plc, the defunct Standard Trust Bank and FinBank, now First City Monument Bank (FCMB) to divert the funds.Justice Idris adjourned to March 6 to 10 and April 10 to 13 next year for trial.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized at least 12 properties from a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, S...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized at least 12 properties from a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, and his son, Shamsudeen Bala.It was learnt on Tuesday that the seizures were part of investigations into a controversial land swap deal carried out by the minister to the tune of N1tn between 2010 and 2015.So far, we have seized about 12 properties from Bala Mohammed and his son, who he used in buying many properties. However, this is just a tip of the iceberg because we found out that there are still a lot of properties to be recovered, a source in the EFCC told our correspondent on Tuesday.After investigations, we will arraign Bala (ex-minister) before an FCT High Court while his son will be arraigned before a Federal High Court anytime from now, the source added.Mohammed, who has been in EFCC custody for over six weeks, is alleged to have entered into some controversial land deals and allegedly gave some landed properties to his cronies for the construction of malls.The source said, We have evidence that the ex-minister diverted funds from Internally Generated Revenue. He also gave land arbitrarily to friends without following due process. Some of the land had even been allocated to other people but seized from them unjustly.Already, the commission has grilled a former Chairman of Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni, who was also the Chairman of ASO Savings & Loans Plc over the purchase of the N7.5bn ASO Grove Estate at the Maitama area of Abuja by the bank through the ex-minister.A detective in the EFCC, while speaking with our correspondent, alleged that the former minister was also a front for Mrs. Patience Jonathan, the wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.Mohammed became very close to the Jonathan family in 2009 when he called for the adoption of the doctrine of necessity when the then President Umaru YarAdua was critically ill and unable to perform his functions as President.It was through this process that YarAdua was declared incapacitated and paved the way for the then Vice-President Jonathan to become the acting President and later President.As FCT minister, Mohammed revoked the 1.84 hectares of land allocated to YarAduas wife, which was meant for her organisation, Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation.The ex-minister then allocated the land to Patience for the construction of African First Ladies Peace Missions secretariat, stating that the move was in the interest of the public.An FCT High Court, however, described the land grab as illegal and returned it to Mrs. YarAdua.A source at the EFCC, however, said there was evidence to show that the ex-minister had given other plots of land to Patience in a similar fashion.We have evidence to show that Bala Mohammed was a front for Patience Jonathan. He abused his position and used it to allocate land to her as well. Patience has several business interests in Abuja, including a hotel, a source stated.Patience has since written a petition to the House of Representatives, accusing the EFCC of harassing her and her associates.In an interview with journalists in 2015, the ex-minister denied abusing his office, stating that he was loyal to the Jonathan family and was only helping Patience with her African First Ladies Peace Missions project by providing her with free land.He had said, People say all sorts of things about my family: that I have stolen so and so billions; I have given plots of land to the first lady. People are always insinuating that the first lady has so much in the FCT and they are all lies.Most people talk this way because they want to see a situation to cause friction; an example is what happened with our support of the First Lady Mission.It is an African Union initiative. It is not personal to the first lady, it is a global initiative, but some highly-placed Nigerians were insinuating that we were taking FCT resources to service the first lady. It is not so.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has formally provided reasons why it invited the Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo Un...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has formally provided reasons why it invited the Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Anthony Elujoba and the Bursar, Aderonke Akeredolu, for interrogation.It was earlier reported how the duo were summoned to appear at the commissions zonal office in Ibadan.Ayo Oyewole, the Head of Public Affairs, EFCC Ibadan Zonal office told journalists that the duo were invited for interrogation for allegedly diverting N1.4 billion.He said that the EFCC had acted on a petition it received that the duo diverted the said amount illegally without approval.According to him, in the petition they were alleged to have diverted the amount without approval from the Federal Ministry of Education and the institutions governing council.The said amount was used to settle some allowances, out of which the VC paid himself N7 million as furniture allowance.He was also said to have paid others varied allowances from the said amount, he said.However, there was drama at the EFCC office over the interrogation of the duo as various associations from the institution besieged the office in solidarity with the VC and the bursar.Among the associations were the Students Union, Academic Staff Union of Universities, and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), all of OAU chapter.The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU, and others were also represented.Niyi Sunmonu, the Caretaker Chairman, ASUU, OAU said that the VC and others could defend themselves, saying the VC had done much in the interest of peace for the institution.He said the vice chancellor had in the last five months of his assumption had turned around the institution positively.Ademola Oketunde, the SSANU Chairman, OAU said that it was better that Nigerians started addressing issues objectively.He said that the VC had run a transparent administration to the extent that everyone in the institution took him for his words.Mr. Oketunde said that the vice chancellor had set up task forces to investigate the activities of the institution, out of which some had submitted their reports.I hope these are not a ploy by some, who might have the fear of being caught to frame up the man.We are not here to prevent investigation and we believe he will come out clean. No one will allow his head to be cut off, he said.Olusola Fadele, an official of the Students Union, OAU said that they were in Ibadan because they believed there was no fire without smoke.We were surprised to hear the VC was being probed. We are not against people being probed but not someone who has achieved so much in five months.People like Professor Bamitale Omole, who was alleged of gross mismanagement was not probed by the EFCC, he said.Similarly, Olusoji Adeyosoye, the Vice Chairman, NAAT said that they had come to solidarise with the duo as lovers of peace and positive advancement of the institution.Mr. Adeyosoye said that the VC since he came to office had been very superb in terms of achievements for the institution.The institution is having a good time under his administration and such is what we all craved for.He is transparent and we are sure he will come out clean, he said.The VC and the bursar were still being interrogated as at the time of this report.(NAN)
Gambian leader Yahaya Jammeh is receptive to the advice by West African leaders that he should respect the election result and hand over...

Gambian leader Yahaya Jammeh is receptive to the advice by West African leaders that he should respect the election result and hand over power, President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday.He spoke after a meeting of four Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders with Jammeh in The Gambian capital Banjul.The leaders were there to press Jammeh to hand over power to President-elect Adama Barrow.Other members of the delegation were Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Sierra Leones President Ernest Bai Koroma and Ghanas President John Mahama.Asked if Jammeh had been receptive to a message from the delegation, Buhari told reporters shortly after the meeting: Yes, very much so.But Gambian soldiers yesterday took over the offices of the electoral commission.Jammeh cited irregularities in the official results, but his abrupt about-face drew international criticism, and a delegation of West African presidents arrived early yesterday on a mission to resolve the crisis.A photo provided by Gambias Information Ministry and taken before the meeting showed the five heads of state seated in Jammehs elaborately decorated office at State House wearing leaden expressions, with the exception of Jammeh who had a faint smile. A military officer looked on.But just hours before their arrival, Gambian security forces seized control of the Independent Electoral Commission headquarters, which holds the original poll records, according to its chairman.The military came to my office and said I am not to touch anything and told me to leave, Alieu Momarr Njai said. I am worried for my safety.The African presidents delegation was also due to meet Barrow, who has said he would annul Jammehs declaration of Gambia as an Islamic Republic among other reforms, as well as Gambian security chiefs later on Tuesday.Diplomats say that if Jammeh seeks to cling to power after negotiations fail, neighbours might consider options for removing him by force. Marcel de Souza, president of the ECOWAS commission, told Radio France International on Monday that sending troops was a conceivable solution.Gambias president officially has 60 days to hand over power. Jammehs party intends to challenge the results at the Supreme Court.That would put the international community in a strange position and reduce available options, a diplomat said.Rights groups said Jammeh exerts strong influence over the court, which has not held a session for a year and a half. Legal experts believe that at least four new judges would need to be hired to hear his petition. Tuesday was believed to be the final deadline for lodging a challenge to the election result.Senegal, which surrounds the riverside country of 1.8 million people, called yesterdays presidential trip a last chance mission.However, the African Union said in a statement yesterday that it also planned to send a high-level delegation led by Chadian President Idriss Deby.The role of Gambias army is seen as critical, with the United States saying that some military officers had sided with Jammeh.Army chief General Ousman Badjie had previously called Barrow to pledge his allegiance, the latters spokeswoman said. But Barrows position appeared far less certain on Tuesday.I support the commander in chief, whoever it may be. I support the commander in chief Jammeh, Badjie told Reuters.Barrow said he had no official state security detail and felt exposed.International human rights groups have accused Jammeh, a former army lieutenant, of widespread violations and repression.He won four previous elections that were criticised by rights monitors, and has survived several coup attempts, the latest in December 2014.In October, he announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court. He also withdrew the former British colony from the Commonwealth in 2013, saying it was a neo-colonial institution.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court and his wife, Olabowale, were arraigned yesterday before a High Court of the Federal ...

Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court and his wife, Olabowale, were arraigned yesterday before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama, Abuja.They were arraigned on an 11-count charge of conspiracy and receipt of gratification, to which they pleaded not guilty.Dressed in a navy blue suit and a sky blue shirt, Justice Ademola and his wife (who was dressed in a navy blue skirt and a blue shirt with a flowery pattern), arrived the courtroom shortly before 9am.The proceedings began around 9.30am when the case was called, and Justice Ademola and his wife were ushered into the dock.They were later allowed to sit down. The husband sat inside the dock, his wife just outside? the dock because it was not spacious enough to accommodate both of them.They pleaded not guilty to each of the 11 counts when they were read out by an official of the court.Justice Ademolas lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), and Robert Clarke (SAN), who represented the wife, informed the court that they had filed bail applications for the defendantsProsecution lawyer Segun Jegede said he was not opposing the bail applictions, but urged the presiding judge to impose terms and conditions that would make the defendants attend their trial.Jegede said: In principle, we are not objecting to the applications. Given the circumstances of this case, the standing of the defendants, and the rapidly approaching Christmas.However, in doing that, I will apply that the court imposes conditions that will make the defendants to attend trial.They must be made to give undertaking that they will attend trial. They must not interfere with witnesses and they must not destroy evidence, Jegede said.He urged the court to compel the defendants to deposit their passports and other travel documents with the court registrar.Ikpeazu and Clarke objected, and urged the court not to impose bail conditions that were in excess of the bail conditions granted the defendants by the Department of State Services (DSS) after their arrest on October 8.Ruling, Justice Jude Okeke granted bail to the defendants at N50m each and on self-recognisance.By the condition of the bail, Justice Ademola and his wife are only required to endorse a bond of N50m each. They are not required to produce sureties to stand for their release.Justice Okeke adjourned to January 18 for the prosecution to open its case.Immediately the judge adjourned the case and rose briefly, Justice Ademola and his wife wasted no time in exiting the courtroom.To avoid photographers, who had stationed themselves directly outside the main entrance to the courtroom, Justice Ademola and his wife were assisted out of the courtroom by court officials, through a back door.In the 11-count charge, marked CR/21/2016, filed on December 1, 2016, the couple is accused, in count one, of conspiring, between March 11 and 24, 2015, to receive gratification from Messrs Joe Agi and Associates through their accounts marked: 206/174191/2/0 and 201/110160/1/0 domiciled at GTBank Plc an offence contrary to Section 26(1)(c) of the Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Act 2000.The wife is accused in counts two, three, four of receiving N10m gratification three times, from Messrs Joe Agi and Associates, through her GTBank account on behalf of her husband between March 11 and 24, 2015  an offence contrary to Section 8(1)(a) of Corrupt Practices and other related offences Act 2000.Justice Ademola is accused, in counts five and six of dealing with property subject matter of an offence, by transferring N85m and N90m consecutively on February 24, 2014, through his account marked: 286/174191/2/0 in GTBank to Franco Dan Parker, which forms the proceeds of an unlawful act and thereby committed an offence contrary to Corrupt Practices and other related offences Act 2000.The judge is accused, in count seven, of attempting, on February 21, 2014, to obtain gratification of N25m from Sani Shaibu Teidi as a motive for showing favour in the exercise of your official functions, contrary to Section 118(b) of the Penal Code Act.He is, in count eight, accused of receiving gratification of a BMW saloon 320i, valued at N8m from Joe Odey Agi, through his son, Ademide Ademola  an act contrary to Section 8(1)(a) of the Corrupt Practices and other related offences Act, 2000.In count nine, 10 and 11, the judge is accused of illegally possessing firearms and ammunition (one Avar Magnum 608, Avar Magnum 6284) and 35 rounds of live ammunition (catridges) without valid licences, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 3 of the Robbery and Firearms (Special provisions) Act 2004.
The operators of Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox, MMM, a ponzi scheme, are battling to console millions of panic-stricken Nigerians.

The operators of Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox, MMM, a ponzi scheme, are battling to console millions of panic-stricken Nigerians.About three million Nigerians are believed to have invested in the scheme.MMM on Tuesday, frozen by one month, payments of both capital and 30 per cent interest accruing to investors.The announcement jolted Nigerian investors and prompted an investor to contemplate suicide.Meanwhile, top MMM guider, Chuddy has addressed MMM investors on the one month freeze of accounts.In a blog post on MMM BLOG on Wednesday, Chuddy called for calm among investors.He said the open letter explains why the one month freeze was implemented, adding that it was to put the Nigerian Government and MMM haters to shame.This isnt the first of its kind. It happens when there are excess PANIC in the system It was placed on Zimbabwe and after the duration it was lifted.As MMM Freezes And Goes Offline Few Weeks Before Christmas This idea is brought forward to Calm the members down on intending Threat the FG and Mass media has planned on the system.
President Muhammadu Buhari, has promised to pay all outstanding bonuses and allowances to the Super Falcons within 48 hours, after they staged a protest to the National Assembly on Wednesday morning.The countrys senior women national team, have not received their entitlements since they won this years Africa Women Cup of Nations in Cameroon.They have resorted to a sit-in protest at their Abuja hotel since they arrived back in Nigeria and have also seized the trophy they won.However, on Wednesday, they took to the streets with placards and banners.Their action was strategic, as Buhari was due to submit the 2017 Budget to the lawmakers today.The president, through his chief of staff, Abba Kyari, has promised to pay all their entitlements in two days. The players were told to submit a means of contact, before being told to return to their hotel.Florence Omagbemis players are being owed at least $16,500 each in match bonuses.
Members of the Senate have called for the resignation, probe and prosecution of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachi...

Members of the Senate have called for the resignation, probe and prosecution of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, for allegedly owning one of the companies awarded contracts in the rehabilitation of the North-East.Lawal was alleged to have resigned his directorship of the company after becoming the SGF and the company had executed the contract.The lawmakers, who reacted to the interim report by the Senate Committee on the Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East, took turns to criticise Lawal as allegedly working against the anti-corruption stance of the current administration.Details later
The Senate Committee on Communications on Tuesday approved the proposed data price hike by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).





The Senate Committee on Communications on Tuesday approved the proposed data price hike by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).The Committee, which visited the NCC headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday as part of its oversight functions, said Nigerians should see the commission as being on their side on the issue of data price increase.Senator Solomon Olamilekan (Lagos West) who spoke on behalf of the Committee members said the NCC had taken some commendable steps to sanitise the telecom industry and the data price hike was one of them.He said Each time we invited the leadership of the agency to the National Assembly, they honoured our invitation and responded to our inquiries, particularly during the MTN issue, and of recent the data price floor. They have acted in national interests and Nigerians see NCC as being on their side.While receiving members of the Committee, the Commissions Executive Vice Chairman, Professor Danbatta, said unless the issues regarding the data price floor are resolved, it remains a whirlwind that would not do anybody any good.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday admitted that the leadership of the All Progressives Party has made a lot of mist...

The Speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday admitted that the leadership of the All Progressives Party has made a lot of mistakes which the party was making efforts to address.Dogara said that it would amount to self-deceit for the party to assume that mistakes had not been made when plenty of such mistakes had been recorded in the party.Dogara made the comment while speaking with journalists shortly after a meeting of a delegation of the leadership of the House of Representatives with the National Working Committee of the party led by the Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun in Abuja on Tuesday.The House of Reps delegation included the Deputy Speaker Yusuf Lasun, the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila and the Majority Whip, Alhassan Ado-Dogowa.He said the meeting dwelt of critical issues which included the relationship between the leadership of the party and the executive and the relationship between the National Assembly in a bid to fashion out ways to forge ahead.According to him, the APC would not run away from its mistakes which he said were plenty, insisting that it would be impossible to have a party without challenges and problems.However, he stressed that the party as a family had dealt with the identified family issues which would not be brought to the attention of the public.He said, Very frank exchanges took place during this first impactful and engaging meeting with stakeholders of the party and we discussed quite a lot of issues including the relationship between the leadership and the executive, the relationship of the leadership of the National Assembly with the executive all in a bid to fashion out ways by which we can face the future.We are all united as a family in the APC. We also looked at the challenges facing the party and we were able to fashion out ways by which we can address those challenges.If you dont expect mistakes you will be dealing with a situation, you will have a situation where ghosts will be taking charge. As long as it is a human institution where human beings are involved, no human being is perfect. In a situation where you dont have perfection, certainly, there will be mistakes.
CAMDEN -- An expert testified Tuesday that the planned Margate dune project would create a pond that would run the length of the town's beaches, according to a report on Philly.com.

Civil engineer and hydrologist Chuck Dutill testified on behalf of residents who have sued to block the project and contended the dunes would be unhealthy and unsafe, the report said.

The U.S. Army Corps was given the green light and a $42 million contract by Gov. Chris Christie for the project, aimed to protect miles of beachfront from storm damage.

But a group of Margate homeowners filed a lawsuit to stop the project, saying the project would do more harm than good by pooling water in front of their homes and creating health hazards.

Dutill's testimony goes against that of other experts who have said that the project would not result in irreparable harm. The hearing will continue in federal court on Jan. 10, philly.com said.

Rajeev Dhir may be reached at rdhir@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @googasmammoo. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
EAST NEWARK -- As the deadline nears for consumers to sign up for insurance coverage under the imperiled Affordable Care Act, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker popped into Tops Diner this morning to urge individuals to get covered and to blast Republicans for promulgating "fake news" about the health law.

Booker, a Democrat, also vowed to challenge plans by Republicans in Congress and President-elect Donald J. Trump to dismantle the controversial law, also known as Obamacare.

"This is going to be a fight," Booker said today. "Because it's going to be really between protecting the gains that we've made versus rolling back the clock to a very dangerous time. It's going to be about fighting for common sense versus political rhetoric and really pandering to the most extreme elements of this country."

Booker appeared alongside U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell, who touted the "broad range of benefits" available to consumers shopping the online marketplaces at HealthCare.gov, where individuals can sign up for insurance.

Burwell pushed back at the notion that some of the plans have deductibles that are so high consumers can't afford to seek medical care. Last year, the New York Times reported that more than half the plans offered for sale through the marketplaces have a deductible of $3,000 or more.

The nationwide median deductible for insurance policies available through the marketplace dropped from $900 last year to $850 this year, according to Burwell.

"Yes, there are plans that have very high deductibles but the marketplace gives you an opportunity to shop," she said. "And you can shop by premium price, you can shop by deductible."

New Jersey's marketplace has two insurers for 2017: Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield and AmeriHealth. The cheapest plan premium-wise has a $299.57 monthly premium with a $3,000 deductible, not counting federal subsidies. The plan with the lowest deductible has a $598.15 monthly premium and a zero-dollar deductible.

Republicans have fought to repeal Obamacare since it was first signed into law in 2010. They have their best shot starting next year, when the party will control the White House and both houses of Congress for the first time since 2006.

Booker said opposition to the Affordable Care Act has been emboldened by "extraordinary lies" the law's critics have spread.

Chuck Kingsland, a Burlington County resident who was at Tops Diner today, said Trump is "crazy" for promising to repeal Obamacare.

"It's a valuable program," Kingsland said. "It's like when Social Security was enacted in the 1930s. It took years to smooth out. This'll take years but it'll smooth out."

For Affordable Care Act consumers, tomorrow is the deadline to sign up on HealthCare.gov to have insurance starting on Jan. 1.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY -- City officials are scuttling a plan to rent parking spots for municipal court employees from a developer the city sold the municipal court parking lot to last year.

The city's initial plan was to rent 30 parking spaces on Academy Street from Vaishno Ma Academy LLC, controlled by Raj Gupta of Gupta Development, for $29,250 over the next 13 months. Gupta is developing the former Summit Avenue court parking lot into a six-story, 69-unit residential building.

After inquiries today by The Jersey Journal, city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said the city and Gupta worked out a deal for the city to use the parking spaces for free. Morrill did not respond when asked when that deal was made (the proposal to pay for the spaces remains on the council agenda online).

A plan to rent 20 spaces on Newkirk Street from a separate owner for $19,500 is still on tap for approval at tomorrow's council meeting.

Morrill said the original measure that would have approved rent payments to Gupta for use of his Academy Street parking lot was added mistakenly to this week's council agenda.

"This was put on the agenda prematurely as this is not something we would agree to," Morrill said.

The proposal had Ward D Councilman Michael Yun fuming. Yun, a frequent administration critic, voted against selling the court parking lot in 2015, saying the parking lot was needed for court employees and residents of the area.

Yun said he was unaware until today that the city planned to rent the spaces from Gupta, and he blasted city officials for considering it.

"In any other profession, they'd have been fired years ago," he said in a statement. "It's not an accident if it happens regularly!"

Asked to respond, Morrill again raised the allegation, aired first in 2013 when Yun won his council seat, that he actually lives in Montville, where he owns a house. Yun has denied this.

"Clearly Michael is more focused on his political ambitions with name calling," Morrill said. "Nevertheless, we think Michael's first priority before criticizing people should be actually living in Jersey City,"

Reached by phone, Gupta said his lawyer was working on a plan with the city regarding the parking spaces and could not speak about it yet.

In February 2015 the council approved a measure allowing the city to convey the municipal court parking lot, located at 362 Summit Ave., to the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, which then sold the property to Vaishno Ma Summit LLC, which is controlled by Gupta's brother, Sachin, an attorney. The two work out of the same Kennedy Boulevard location.

Tax records indicate the sale price was $1.1 million.

As part of the deal, Gupta said he would provide free parking spaces to the city for 18 months.

The Guptas have had a past business and personal relationship with Tom Bertoli, an expeditor who was at one time a Fulop political strategist. The mayor and Bertoli had a falling out around September, when Fulop decided not to seek the Democratic nomination for governor next year.

Asked to comment today, Bertoli said he had no involvement in any deal between the city and the Guptas to rent parking spaces to the city. He then questioned the city's sale of the court parking lot without getting an agreement for permanent parking for court employees.

"Unless the courthouse was going to disappear in 18 months, only a moron would make a deal for only 18 months," Bertoli said. "It doesn't make any sense."

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY -- A funeral will be held this weekend for a mother and grandmother brutally murdered inside their apartment on Randolph Avenue.

Dorothy Mae Bradshaw, 76, and Rebecca Ann Hodges, 56, were stabbed to death on Dec. 5 with a meat cleaver and sword. Hodges son, Kevin Hodges, has been charged with two counts of murder.

A joint funeral service is scheduled for the mother and daughter at 10 a.m. Saturday at Mount Zion F.B.H. Church on Kearney Avenue in Jersey City.

Their deaths rattled the community, with friends describing the two as a "beautiful women" who always had their doors open to anyone in need.

Family members were stunned to hear Kevin Hodges is the accused killer, saying he loved his mother and grandmother. The mother of one of his children said she believed he was under the influence at the time of the killing.

Authorities have not identified a possibly motive in the fatal stabbings.

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

A pregnant woman was injured in a wild altercation inside her Manhattan Avenue home attempting to stop her brother from slitting his throat, police said.

(Jersey Journal file photo)

JERSEY CITY -- A pregnant woman was injured in a wild altercation inside her Manhattan Avenue home attempting to stop her brother from slitting his throat, police said.

Police were called to the home at about 8 p.m. on a report that 22-year-old woman was stabbed.

When police arrived at the home, the woman was standing in front of a window with a bloody towel wrapped around her hand. Four officers tried to get inside the building through the front door and one detective climbed in through the window, the report states.

A resident on the second floor opened the vestibule door for the officers who then forced the apartment's door open, police said.

The victim, who was described as being "distraught," told police her brother had been drinking and was having suicidal thoughts because of a relationship issue, the report states.

But when she asked the 31-year-old to leave the house, he pointed a cake icing spatula to his throat. The woman tried to grab the spatula and suffered a cut to her hand, police said.

The woman ran to a bedroom where her husband and 1-year-old son were. The brother stabbed at the door while the woman's husband held the door closed, the report states.

Police approached the brother with their guns drawn and told him to put the weapon down. The 31-year-old then put the spatula to his throat and yelled "just kill me, shoot me," according to the report.

One of the officers used pepper spray on the 31-year-old and placed him under arrest.

The victim was brought to Christ Hospital for treatment while her brother was brought to Jersey City Medical Center for evaluation. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon, resisting arrest, and domestic violence.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
MADISON -- Town hall was evacuated Tuesday morning while authorities investigate a reported threat, according to the mayor.

Hartley Dodge Memorial Building on Kings Road was cleared of employees around 10 a.m. due to a threat, Mayor Robert Conley told NJ Advance Media.

Madison Police Lt. John Miscia said Madison police received a call at 10:09 a.m. alerting them to the threat and evacuated the building which houses municipal offices and the joint municipal court. A one-block perimeter was also set up around the building, Miscia said.

"The building was evacuated out of an abundance of caution for our employees and citizens," Madison Police Chief Darren Dachisen said in a statement.

The evacuation order was lifted at 11:10 a.m. and municipal employees were allowed to return to the building after authorities searched the building.

Madison police and the Morris County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad were both on the scene around 11 a.m.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
TRENTON -- A New Jersey state trooper has been suspended without pay after an internal investigation found he was pulling over women to ask them out on dates and falsifying police records to cover it up, authorities said.

Marquice Prather, 37, was arrested Friday on records tampering charges and released without bail, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice, which brought the charges.

Officials say the State Police Office of Professional Standards began investigating the trooper after several women lodged complaints about his behavior on the road.

The investigation found "a pattern of pulling over young women between the ages of 20 and 35 and soliciting them to go on a date with him or give him their phone numbers," authorities said in a statement announcing his arrest.

Prather is accused of turning off his wireless microphone during his encounters with the women and falsely reporting that it had malfunctioned. He is also accused of lying about the gender of motorists he pulled over in State Police computer logs to hide the fact he was targeting young women.

In addition to the women who came forward to lodge complaints, state authorities say they identified others during the course of their investigation who had been pulled over by Prather and "gave statements outlining similar alleged conduct."

The trooper faces charges of third-degree tampering with public records and fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records.

Robert Ebberup, an attorney for the trooper, said his client would plead not guilty.

"We can't comment on the case until more information is available," he told a reporter.

State payroll records show the trooper joined the statewide force in 2013 and makes an annual salary of $60,749. He is assigned to the division's Holmdel station.

A State Police spokesman declined to comment on the allegations.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
TRENTON -- Authorities are asking the public's help identifying a man who wielded a crowbar during a late-night robbery of a Burlington County auto shop.

State Police say the man smashed a glass door at Bear Tire and Auto on Route 38 in Hainesport Township at 3:20 a.m. on Wednesday and began threatening the woman at the counter, demanding money.

After taking just $7 from the cash register and the woman's purse, the suspect fled across the highway on the eastbound side, police said.

A State Police spokesman released images of the encounter on the division's Facebook page showing the suspect menacing the woman with the weapon.

The victim told police the man had a gravelly voice, and surveillance video obtained from the Hainesport Police Department shows the man has a "mark or scar" on the side of his face and appears to be missing his front teeth.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about his identity to contact Detective Craig McCoy at the State Police Bordentown station at 609-298-1171.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
BARNEGAT -- Police are asking for the public's help as they try to locate a 45-year-old woman missing since Monday.

Lisa Consiglio of Barnegat has been missing since Monday.

Lisa Consiglio parked her car at the intersection of Route 9 and Bayshore Boulevard on Monday and is believed to have taken a bus to New York City, Barnegat police said.

Police believe Consiglio was headed to Rockefeller Center, though she left her credit cards and cell phone behind. Consiglio also attempted to go to New York on Saturday before being found near the Lincoln Tunnel.

She is 5-foot-3 and about 190 pounds, according to police.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call Barnegat police at 609-698-5000.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
FILES-US-POLITICS-MARKETING-ETHICS-IVANKA TRUMP

Of all the ways President-elect Trump wants to disrupt government, the first lady's position is one that could actually use a good shaking-up. (Robyn Beck | Getty Images)

By Alyssa Rosenberg

It's a measure of just how hilariously awful Donald Trump's choices to fill his administration have been so far that when the idea began to circulate last week that his daughter Ivanka Trump might end up serving as his de facto first lady, I actually thought, hey, I don't hate this.

It's not so much that I'm willing to hand-wave the ethical problems with the Trump children's involvement in their father's government or that I've learned to excuse what the New Yorker's Emily Nussbaum described as Ivanka's "weaponized graciousness," the beaming dishonesty she uses to moderate her father's ugly, erratic behavior. It's that of all the ways Trump wants to disrupt government, the first lady's position is one that could actually use a good shaking-up.

It remains completely bizarre that there is a position in the federal government that a person is required to take simply because their spouse is elected to a complementary job, regardless of that person's interests, inclination or passion for the career they actually chose. It's even weirder that this job, which demands long hours and an extraordinary public performance as the nation's surrogate mother or cool friend, is both mandatory and unpaid. In a way, the continuing existence of the first lady's job is a high-profile barometer for how roles for women have or haven't evolved in the United States. The backlash to women who have tried to change the position too much demarcates very clear limits on how little it's possible to innovate within that confined space.

There's precedent for a person other than the president's wife to serve as first lady; Emily Donelson took on hostessing duties for the widowed Andrew Jackson, while Harriet Lane served as first lady for James Buchanan, who never married. Though these women stepped up for their uncles to fill a space left by a death or bachelorhood, Melania Trump isn't dead. But it certainly seems that her stepdaughter, a more comfortable public speaker with a demonstrated interest in decorating and style and a stated -- if not demonstrated -- concern for issues such as family leave and child care, might be a more natural fit for the job.

First, this shift would acknowledge that the White House's social functions are a critically important part of the work of a presidential administration, helping to set the tone for the president's interactions with hugely accomplished people as well as ordinary Americans.

At present, the unpaid nature of the first lady's job, and the fact that marriage -- not qualifications -- is what gets someone the job sends a message that the first lady's functions aren't really work. Managing the upkeep of an important national landmark, acting as an ambassador for bipartisan causes and welcoming all sorts of Americans aren't the same as mining coal, but that doesn't mean they aren't valuable national functions -- so valuable that we insist someone be around to do them.

Allowing the president to select someone who is interested in design and historic preservation, and who enjoys doing outreach to the American people, and then paying that person would send the message that this is real work.

Second, having an official White House host or hostess who is chosen not on the basis of marriage but on the basis of talent, and with the idea that the job has distinct parameters, would also be an opportunity to clarify what the job is not. The very 1993 court decision that the Trump administration has contemplated using to suggest that nepotism laws should not exclude Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, from working in the administration lays out the many ambiguities involved in the first lady's position: How does one draw a line between the president's policymaking and ceremonial roles? If the first lady is a government official, can she be removed from office for ethics or legal violations without the president divorcing her? Is the first lady's position a full-time job or a part-time job?

Nothing in Trump's record so far suggests that he would manage these questions with deftness or intellectual curiosity. But if he wants to charge ahead and involve Ivanka Trump in his administration, this desire might force more sophisticated legal and ethical minds to tackle a role that generally has been defined by tradition and custom. The first lady's job is a ridiculous anachronism. Perhaps this ridiculous administration in the making will accidentally do something about it.

Alyssa Rosenberg blogs about pop culture for The Washington Post's Opinions section. Find her on Twitter at @AlyssaRosenberg
AP_16299804908789

The state Election Law Enforcement Commission, unable to meet since March because it does not have enough members, could soon have a quorum with the nomination Wednesday by Gov. Chris Christie of a Democrat to the four-member watchdog agency. It currently only has one member. (Mel Evans | AP file photo)

TRENTON--The state's Election Law Enforcement Commission lone member may soon have company.

Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday nominated retired Camden County Superior Court Judge Stephen Holden, a Democrat, to the state watchdog agency. If approved by the Senate, he would replace Walter Timpone, who was sworn in as a justice on the state Supreme Court in May.

Still pending before the legislature is the confirmation of Republican Eric H. Jaso, a former federal prosecutor who worked under Christie when the governor was U.S. Attorney. His nomination has been stalled for months because of an ongoing feud between Democratic legislative leaders and the governor over a number of state board appointments.

ELEC has been unable to meet since March because three of its four seats are vacant, effectively tying the hands of the chief authority in New Jersey responsible for regulating campaign fundraising, spending and campaign finance disclosure.

By law, the four-member commission cannot have any more than two members of the same party--historically two Democrats and two Republicans. But vacancies on the election watchdog agency unfilled for years by Christie has left the agency struggling to conduct business. One Democratic slot has been open for five years, since the death in 2011 of Lawrence Weiss, a Superior Court judge.

Earlier this year, the lack of a quorum left the commission unable to continue its enforcement case against Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo--a close friend and ally of the governor. He had been accused of misusing thousands of dollars in campaign funds.

Timpone, while still a member of ELEC had recused himself in the case because he once asked DiVincenzo to find a job for his nephew, and attorneys for the county executive argued that the lack of a bipartisan commission meant ELEC effectively could take no action in the matter.

After Timpone was nominated to the Supreme Court, ELEC had no Democrats and stopped meeting altogether because it presumably had no ability to take action on any election law complaint in the state, although ELEC has gone to court in an effort to keep the DiVincenzo case alive.

The term of the current ELEC chairman and lone member of the commission, Ronald DeFilippis, a Republican, expired in 2013 and he continues as a holdover appointment.

Holden, who retired as a judge upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 in 2013, was later called up for temporary service by state Supreme Court Justice Stuart Rabner because of a shortage of judges. He now serves as deputy general counsel of the Delaware River Port Authority.

A fourth vacancy on the election commission remains unfilled.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Kim2016.png

On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno announced the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund has awarded $2.3 million to help families defray medical bills since July. (Photo Courtesy of Lt. Gov's Office)

TRENTON -- After a Bergen County mother delivered triplets, the insurance company delivered bad news: one of their doctors was outside the family's insurance network.

The Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, supported by a surcharge on employers, helped pay off that family's debt, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno announced Tuesday. They were one of 120 families who received $2.3 million from the fund since July to help cover expenses insurance won't bear.

"For families that have a child with a catastrophic illness, the cost for medical care can quickly exceed their income and deplete their savings," Guadagno said during a statehouse press conference. "The Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund can lend a hand when a family has run out of all other options."

The fund has distributed more than $171 million in grants to 8,429 families since its inception in 1988. In the last fiscal year, 369 families shared $7 million in grants.

Other recipients included a Middlesex County woman whose follow-up doctor and prescription drug bills were only partially covered following a liver transplant two years ago.

The fund also paid for a wheelchair ramp and handicapped-accessible bathroom for Gloucester County woman diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a severe type of intractable epilepsy.

Families are eligible for assistance if they have lived in the state for at least three months before applying. Expenses are considered eligible if they exceeded 10 percent of the family's income, plus 15 percent of any excess income over $100,000. The child must have been 21 years old or younger when the expenses were incurred.

Money for the fund comes from employers who are subject to the New Jersey Unemployment Compensation Law. Employers pay an annual $1.50 fee per employee.

"The fund exists to provide financial relief for families facing devastatingly high uncovered medical expenses for their children regardless of their income," said Janice Prontnicki, who chairs the fund's commission. "We hope that today's event will make more families aware that they may be eligible for help from the Fund to assist with costs related to their child's necessary medical treatment, equipment and other expenses."

For more information about the fund, visit the program's website or call 1-800-335-FUND (3863).

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
TRENTON -- A New Jersey lawyer was reprimanded by the state Supreme Court for giving bad advice to a Miss USA contestant who called the pageant "rigged" and was sued by Donald Trump.

Attorney Richard Klineburger represented beauty queen Sheena Monnin in the 2012 breach of contract suit, which came after she had been eliminated from the competition and went public with allegations that organizers had picked the winners in advance.

According to court records, the attorney advised Monnin to ignore an arbitration demand from the Miss Universe Organization, despite the fact that her contract contained an arbitration clause, because her copy of the contract was not signed.

The lawyer ignored discovery requests and did not inform his client of an arbitration hearing, in which the pageant organizers were awarded $5 million after a court found Monnin was subject to arbitration.

The high court found "such conduct was not only grossly negligent; it was reckless."

Klineburger and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment from the New Jersey Law Journal, which first reported on the discipline. The attorney consented to the reprimand, court documents show.

The attorney later settled a malpractice suit with Monnin. In a recent interview with the Philadelphia Daily News, she said that "no money was paid out of my pocket" to the organizers of Miss USA, which Trump sold off in 2015.

The court decided against more serious sanctions for Klineburger, citing his "unblemished" 20-year career, family health problems he was dealing with at the time and his history of pro bono charity work.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Rick Perry

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry smiles as he leaves Trump Tower, Monday, Dec. 12, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

(Kathy Willens)

TRENTON -- President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Rick Perry to run the federal Department of Energy, an agency whose name the former Texas governor famously forgot during a presidential debate.

In a statement early Wednesday following a day of unconfirmed reports about the pick, Trump said Perry had led his state through "a sustained period of economic growth and prosperity."

President-elect Donald Trump announced his intent to name former Texas Governor Rick Perry as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy  Fox News (@FoxNews) December 14, 2016

Trump added that his cabinet "is going to make sure we take advantage of our huge natural resource deposits to make America energy independent and create vast new wealth for our nation."

The pick was another signal that Trump would redouble energy efforts to focus on fossil fuels, as Perry was a staunch advocate for the industry, which has a large footprint in Texas.

Just a day prior to the Perry announcement, Trump formally declared he was nominating ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be U.S. secretary of state.

Perry also has corporate roles in two petroleum companies pushing to get government approval for the proposed 1,200-mile crude oil pipeline that became the target of large protests in North Dakota earlier this year.

In a statement, Perry said it was "a tremendous honor to be selected to serve as Secretary of Energy by President-elect Trump. I am deeply humbled by his trust in me."

He is now poised to lead an agency he recommended for the chopping block.

"Oops": Rick Perry once forgot the name of the agency he's been nominated to lead https://t.co/PhGGEK5m5P pic.twitter.com/zwLyVG6gXP  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) December 13, 2016

During a 2011 presidential primary debate, Perry said he would do away with three federal agencies entirely, ticking off the Commerce and Education departments before drawing a blank.

"Oops," he said, later noting that it was the Department of Energy he wanted to eliminate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Alexander Figueredo

Yankees left-handed pitching prospect Alexander Figured, dead at age 20, put up very good numbers in 2015 before sitting out last season. (Tommy Gilligan | USA TODAY Sports)

Something went tragically wrong during a party in Venezuela late last month, somebody pulled a gun and Yankees' pitching prospect Alexander Figueredo wound up shot dead at age 20.

According to Notitarde, a Venezuelan newspaper, the deadly scene played out on Nov. 27 in the municipality of Guacara, which is 90 miles to the west of Caracas.

The Google translation of the Notitarde report indicated the shooting occurred at 4 a.m. on a Sunday morning and that "the relatives who were in the morgue of Valencia assured that they do not know what happened (and) they only commented that Figueredo was shot when he was in a celebration that (occurred) in a house.

Figueredo, a left-hander who signed with the Yankees in 2013 was shot multiple times, according to the New York Post. He lived with his mother and two sisters, Notitarde reported.

Figueredo wasn't ranked among the Yankees' top prospects, but had an impressive first pro season in 2015 before sitting out last season.

Notitarde reported that Figueredo "would soon be reinstated (to the Braves de Margarita) after being rested for six months because of an injury," but the Post reported that the pitcher actually was on a suspended/restricted list last season and that he was unlikely to stay with the Yankees in 2017 due to the unknown issue that led to the suspension.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder put up very good stats in his only professional season pitching for one of the Yankees' Dominican Summer League clubs in 2015. In 12 outings, 11 of them starts, he was 5-0 with a 1.89 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 57 innings.

Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
New Orleans chef returns to Bywater's Cafe Henri after making name in Chicago
Denzel Washington's visit to his first librarian reminds us how great librarians are
The federal government plans to pour $125 million into the fight against a mysterious disease that has ravaged corals in Florida and much of the Caribbean, and now poses a dire threat to the treasured reefs off the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all.
One of the greatest gifts that we receive is one that comes largely from those we do not even knowthe opportunity to live safely in a free society. Its a gift we are graced with every day in all we do and that we indulge in every time we set foot outside our door. Our way of life comes from the sacrifices and hard work of those who have served in our military, as well as our fire and police departments. In recognizing how much theyve given to us, its a perfect time of year to give back to them for what they have done and continue to do.

Make a Difference

Everyone has the power to make a difference for someone, and expressing thanks in a way that is simple and focused can be more effective than trying to be part of something large or expensive. Bob Orzel and his wife, Amy, have hosted active duty sailors from Great Lakes Naval Station at their Lansing home on Thanksgiving several times. Those who are stationed far from home are often not able to travel and be with their loved ones for the holiday. The Orzels provide a meal and a homey environment for some young, homesick recruits who are missing their families and a home-cooked meal.

I know what its like to be on a military base away from your family on such an important family holiday. November 1987, I was in San Diego, Bob says. We give these men a warm place to relax and a home for the holidays to enjoy themselves. His family has developed lasting relationships with some of their visiting sailors and they continue to keep in touch.

Jim Atkinson, service officer with the Porter County Veterans Service, says there are many ways to make a difference in the Region with numerous organizations that you can get involved with and donate to. Sometimes businesses are able to also think outside the box and do meaningful things, like Culvers of Valparaiso did. The restaurant recently dedicated a parking spot to veterans, the first to do so in Porter County, according to Atkinson.

Showing Thanks

At St. Marys School in Crown Point, an annual event honors any veteran who would like to come. The St. Mary Catholic Community School Veterans Day Program started 10 years ago and it has gotten bigger every year according to school principal Tom Ruiz.

The veterans arrive and are greeted with cake and coffee and gather in the cafeteria while students gather in the gym. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts lead a procession with colors to the gym where they walk into a standing ovation from the entire student body and all our staff. Its such a neat thing to see. We have a guest speaker and the band plays the songs for each branch of the military and we ask them to stand, Ruiz says. He says they often have war veterans from Vietnam and World War II who really appreciate the gesture. About 75 veterans attended this year.

In Lansing, a group called We Stand with Blue holds an appreciation luncheon in December for first responders as well as public works, including all support staff. We receive donations from the community at large to put this event on, says Michael Gaffney. Its put on and maintained by a group of Lansing residents whose only purpose is to show our thanks and support for all our first responders and what they do for our residents on a daily basis.

A Lansing pub and eatery, J.J. Kelleys, offers a free dinner to all veterans at a Marine Corp birthday celebration each year in November. The gathering includes a short ceremony where the youngest and oldest Marines present cut the celebratory cake.

Giving Opportunities

Bob Carnagey, a Vietnam Veteran, is a former employee of the National Guard who helps military veterans with employment placement. Carnagey says that potential employers may not realize the benefits of employing those who have spent time in the military. These are people who are already trained in leadership and specialties, but they dont equate directly to civilian jobs. Their experience shows they are very trainable, he says. They dont shy away from tough work and are greatly trained in logistics and leadership roles. Companies need to realize they are absolutely ready for those kinds of roles.

Knowing how much talent and potential veterans can show when given the opportunity, Carnagey urges employers to give those who have spent time in the military a chance to use the skills they have learned. Realize they need to be given a hand up, not a handout. All they need is an opportunity to move forward.

Veterans Cafe in Merrillville is affiliated with a transition home in Gary housing 31 veterans. Several of the employees are veterans themselves and a portion of the proceeds generated by the restaurant go toward assisting homeless veterans.

Giving Respect

As president of Hammonds Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 51 Auxiliary and the mother of two police officers, Judy Hamer says that the biggest thing the public can do to help support officers is a simple show of respect.

You have to respect the uniform and understand that they put their life on the line every day. They kiss their wives and children goodbye and have no idea if theyll come backand they live with that every single day. It doesnt make a difference if you live in a small town or a big metropolitan area, she says. I think the biggest thing is to just pay them respect.

Raising Funds

Numerous organizations and businesses in the Region hold events to raise needed funds for charities that benefit veterans. A first-time event was held this year to help fund programs for veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Breaking Down the Barriers: Salute to our Veterans, a police-escorted, non-stop motorcycle ride, veterans vendor fair and dinner was held in October at Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa in Michigan City, raising $37,000 for PTSD programs from Porter-Starke Services, Combat Bike Saver and Empowering Patriots. The programs will help veterans, as well as their families and friends recognize, understand and obtain resources to treat PTSD, which affects an estimated 30 percent of men and women who have spent time in war zones.

Douglas Biege, LaPorte attorney and member of the Guardian Riders, and I created this event when we recognized the need to support veterans programs in Northwest Indiana. These programs not only teach family and friends about PTSD but also how to support and get help for loved ones who are affected by it, says Jack Elia, Blue Chip assistant general manager.

Prompt Ambulance has hosted a cooking competition among chefs at regional health care, nursing home and assisted living facilities for several years. For the past 3 years, the beneficiary of funds from the event has been Honor Flight Chicago, an organization that takes World War II and Korean War veterans on a one-day flight to Washington D.C. to see the nations monuments and war memorials.

Bringing Generations Together

The Manteno Veterans Home Pre-Super Bowl party was originally conducted by the South Suburban Chapter of the Marine Corps League, says Chuck Murach, a leader with Boy Scouts in Lansing. They had a substantial number of members that were World War II, Korea, and Vietnam era vets. They conducted fundraisers throughout the year to help fund this effort and had continued to do so for approximately 25 years. Their numbers declined over the years and Lansing Scout Troop 276 was approached to provide assistance at the event. The detachment's numbers have continued to decline and the troop has provided resources to continue the event. It remains a joint venture.

Scouts go in personally to bring the residents from their rooms to the hall for the celebration, where they supply a meal and have raffles. The reactions of the vets who reside there has been tremendous. Many of them are so happy to be able to talk one-on-one to the scouts about their service and many times about the times they spent in scouts. Their applause and appreciation of the scouts posting the flags and leading them in the pledge has been very heartwarming, Murach says. Many of the people don't really want their pictures taken in wheelchairs, but I have witnessed some wonderful interactions between the vets and scouts. I feel that this event is definitely a high point for the residents and has proven to be a very meaningful experience for the scouts.

Interact in a Positive Way

Very often, interaction between the public and police or firefighters occurs at a time of distress. The only time they may get to know an officer or firefighter is in the midst of an emergency or crisis. Take time to attend events that allow you to interact in a positive way.

Each year during fire prevention month in October, many area fire departments hold open house events where the public can come in to learn about fire safety, but it also presents a great opportunity to interact with these public servants outside of an emergency situation. Its also a perfect chance to offer your gratitude or encourage your kids to do so, which can be expressed with a few words, a drawing or even something more elaborate, like a catered meal.

Munster, for example, hosts an open house event where families can watch a car extraction, watch a live burn, learn how to use extinguishers, take a fire truck ride and win prizes. A little education on how to prevent catastrophes or react to them also can make the job of a firefighter a little easier.

International Firefighters Day is also observed each day on May 4, and it is an appropriate day to show some appreciation to your local firefighters.

In recent years, there have been heightened tensions between the public and law enforcement and showing appreciation for police officers in the community is more critical than ever. Interacting in a positive way is crucial to establishing a relationship where law enforcement are respected and trusted. National Night Out events happen each year in August across the Region and provide an opportunity for the public to talk to officers in a relaxed environment. Attending a citizens police academy locally can also give the public a better understanding of what the job of a police officer entails.

National Police Week takes place during the week of May 15 annually and its a time when departments, state government and communities honor fallen officers who died in the line of duty. It is a poignant time to reach out to officers in the area with cards and gestures of thanks for risking their lives on a daily basis.

Showing Support

Pete Dragojevic, owner of Safe House Bar and Grill in Crown Point, hosts about a dozen motorcycle runs to benefit all first responders each year with a huge event held on the square in August. I have military and police in my family and grew up around it a lot; thats why Im so die-hard about giving back, he says.

The August event encompasses the entire square with a DJ and hundreds of motorcyclists, bagpipes, and a 21-gun salute. His business donates the food, and all proceeds go back to charities related to military and first responders.
HIGHLAND  A town snowplow driver was arrested on a drunken driving charge early Sunday after crashing into a utility pole on Highway Avenue, according to a police report.

Brian Barr is accused of telling police he drank "about six beers" while on duty in Highland.

Barr was arrested on charges of operating while intoxicated, reckless driving and operating a commercial vehicle without a valid commercial driver's license. He also was cited for driving left of center, the report says.

Highland Town Attorney Rhett Tauber said the incident is under investigation, but he declined to comment on Barr's employment status because it's a personnel matter.

Highland police were dispatched about 6:20 a.m. to the 3300 block of Highway Avenue for a crash involving a town snowplow, the report says.

Barr told an officer he was traveling east on Highway Avenue and intended to move a pile of snow when he bumped a curb and lost control. He hit a NIPSCO utility pole on the north side of the road, causing more than $1,000 in damage, the report said.

Barr told police he began work at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10 and was scheduled to end his shift at 7 a.m. Dec. 11. He admitted to drinking beer about midnight, the report says.

Barr took a breath test, which indicated his blood alcohol content was 0.097, the report says. The legal limit in Indiana for driving is .08.

Police also discovered Barr's commercial driver's license was disqualified in August 2013.
EAST CHICAGO  A Hobart man told police he was shot Tuesday after he got out of his vehicle to confront a driver who was tailgating him on Columbus Drive.

East Chicago police were dispatched about 5 p.m. to the 1300 block of Columbus Drive after the city's ShotSpotter technology detected a gunshot in the area, Lt. Marguerite Wilder said.

While en route, police were notified the 27-year-old Hobart man was being treated for a gunshot wound at a local hospital.

The man told police that after he got out to confront the other driver, the driver pulled a gun and shot him in the leg area. The driver then fled.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Luis Semidei at (219) 391-8318. To remain anonymous, call (219) 391-8500.
CROWN POINT  A 35-year-old Gary man was sentenced Wednesday to 13 years in prison in the repeated stabbing of his ex-girlfriend after she dropped her daughter off at a school bus stop.

Eddie J. Hogan, who was twice charged with attempted murder in the mid-2000s, told Lake County Criminal Court Judge Salvador Vasquez he knows he messed up, and apologized to his ex-girlfriend and their two children.

Hogan's mother, Belinda Anderson-Greer, asked the judge for mercy. She said the defendant's 14-year-old son was having issues at school due to the incident.

Vasquez said that was Hogan's fault.

That is on you, he said. That's your conscience.

Hogan was alleged to have stabbed his ex-girlfriend 17 times the morning of March 12, 2015, after she dropped her daughter off at a bus stop near Montgomery Street and Ash Avenue.

Hogan fled the scene, and was not arrested until eight months later, according to court records. He was charged with attempted murder, among other felony offenses, and pleaded guilty Nov. 9 to aggravated battery, a level 3 felony.

The woman was treated for wounds to her neck, head, face, hands and arms. Prosecutor Sean Mullins said Wednesday the woman was in a coma for two days after the incident.

The victim said in a letter to the judge that she had scars inside and out, and she remains in pain and fear because of the incident.

Vasquez said at the sentencing hearing Hogan's face was far too familiar to him.

The judge previously sentenced Hogan to four years in prison on allegations he shot a girlfriend twice in the legs in 2011 because she contacted another man on social media.

Hogan was charged twice before that with attempted murder, but the charges against him in both cases were dismissed. Vasquez presided over those cases, as well.

Mullins pointed to Hogan's regular run-ins with the law when he asked Vasquez to sentence Hogan to a maximum 16 years in prison.

Good people are not charged with attempted murder three times in a 10-year period, Mullins said.

Vasquez said before he handed down the sentence he would not take into consideration the cases where Hogan avoided conviction.

Hogan received credit for about a year and a month of time served in jail awaiting adjudication.
CROWN POINT  Two projects planned for the Broadway corridor were deferred Monday by the city's Plan Commission in part because they failed to comply with the Williamsburg architectural style mandated by the city for that area.

A proposed Casey's gas station and convenience store at Broadway and 101st Avenue got unanimous 5-0 approval, although Councilman Chad Jeffries was absent and board member Dan Rohaley recused himself because of a conflict. The approval was for the primary and secondary plans for the subdivision of the 1.72-acre site into two lots. The developer plans to build the Casey's on one lot and save the other for some future, as yet unknown, use.

Things derailed when the developer also sought approval for the site development plan.

The city had asked for a turn lane on 101st, but Patrick Moone, engineering manager for Farnsworth Group, the developer's consultant for the project, said a traffic study showed the turn lane isn't needed. Planning Director Anthony Schlueter said the city was looking at the future growth of the area and trying to avoid traffic problems. Moone said future traffic problems should be the responsibility of the developers of those future projects.

City learns hard lessons from 109th Avenue corridor

Commission member Michael Conquest said the city has learned some hard lessons about planning for future growth with the 109th Avenue corridor.

"If we could take 109th back, we would take it back," Conquest said. "The only person who is happy about that is (Plan Commission Chairman John) Marshall because he has a towing business, and there are a lot of wrecks."

Marshall said he's not happy about it because he voted for many of the projects that have led to the growth in traffic, but he said he is more aware of the problem now. Marshall said the city tried to control traffic in and out of the Speedway at the 109th intersection by allowing only right turns in and out of the station on Broadway, but the Indiana Department of Transportation overruled the city because Broadway is a state highway.

"I'm not in favor of the petition at this time unless someone can tell us how to fix the traffic. I'm not opposed to the gas station at 101st, just the traffic situation," he said.

Moone said he is waiting for INDOT to make its final decision on the plans. The traffic study was based on adding 30 vehicles an hour from the Casey's to the existing traffic flow. Councilman Scott Evorik suggested traffic be allowed to exit southbound from the station onto Broadway but restrict entrance to the station to 101st. Moone said he would discuss it with Casey's.

The bigger issue was the Williamsburg architectural features, or the lack of them in the design of the 4,300-square-foot building. Councilwoman Laura Sauerman said the design presented by Moone didn't meet the standard, which others have been required to meet along the corridor. Other members of the commission agreed.

"I struggle with this," Conquest said of the architectural standards. "I really do. When you drive on Broadway, you don't see buildings that say this is colonial Williamsburg. I don't know what we do with a gas station. I haven't been to that many colonial towns."

Sauerman pointed out several features of the Casey's design that were not considered Williamsburg and said, "I'm not thrilled. I'm a little disappointed."

The commission voted to defer it to the January meeting to see if INDOT would approve a center median on Broadway to prevent left turns in and out of the business and for additional discussion on the design with Casey's.

The design of the proposed Pita Pit restaurant ran into similar problems with the commission. It is proposed in the Beacon Hill development just north of 107th Avenue off of Broadway. The 2,000-square-foot restaurant would have two drive-through windows, although only one would be used until business warranted using the second. It also would have outdoor seating and 33 parking spaces.

"I love it but not on our Broadway," Sauerman said of the design calling for a green roof as preferred by the franchise. "This is Mediterranean, and there's not anything Williamsburg about it."

Russ Pozen, engineering director for DVG, which did the site plan, said a hip roof and other features were added to make it look more like the Williamsburg style, but Conquest said, "I don't get any colonial goosebumps on this. It reminds me of a roadhouse on Route 66 in Missouri."

After getting suggestions from the commission, Pozen agreed to bring it back next month with the changes.

When Jeff Ban, also of DVG, got up to speak for a rezoning request that was next on the agenda, he said, "I am happy to announce this project is not on Broadway."
When Project Love food pantry gets its new home in Cedar Lake, clients will no longer have to wait in the basement or out on the steps or maneuver their way through some crowded food aisles.

When you have 60 families a week it gets congested, explained Ken Puent, pastor of Cedar Lake United Methodist Church, which oversees the pantry. Project Loves original building is a 60-year-old house raised up on a foundation. The structure has only two bedroom areas available for item storage.

It has been in temporary quarters at 13135 Morse St. since summer while it raises money for the new building. Plans are to demolish the old space at 7214 W. 137th Place and build anew. Were at 60 percent of (the goal), Puent said. Weve got around $100,000 left we need to cover. Sponsors include Illiana Heating and Air Conditioning, Phillippe Builders and Plum Valley Landscaping.

The $250,000 fundraising campaign will cover the cost of tearing down the old space and building the new. The new space will be one level with enough room for what pantry officials are calling an Opportunity Center. Classroom space in the Opportunity Center will give Project Love more of an opportunity to team with the Purdue University Extension to offer healthy cooking classes.

We can put up boards for job hunting, (announcements) of places for people to rent, said Puent. Itll allow us to expand our ministry a little better.

Project Love is one of dozens of food pantries around the Region that help make the holidays a little brighter and fill the empty cupboards throughout the year. The need is greater than ever, said Steve Beekman, interim executive director of the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana.

More than 100,000 people in Lake and Porter counties have been identified as food insecure, about a 1,000 person increase over last year. In Lake County alone, one of five people is in need of food assistance.

During the holiday season, food insecurity just heightens the need for families to stretch their dollars, he said. The holidays create more awareness of the need.

The Food Bank and its network of more than 100 food pantries and soup kitchens offer help all year long, but earlier this month it and its partners kicked off Hope for the Holidays, an annual effort to step up assistance during the holiday season.

The Food Bank acquires, stores and distributes more than 4.3 million meals annually throughout Lake and Porter counties. Each month, approximately 15,000 households are served through the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana partnering agencies and programs.

The Food Bank will provide holiday food distribution from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Christ Lutheran Church, 2610 Campbell St. in Valparaiso. Items will include canned corn and frozen chicken. Clients will have to provide proof they live in Lake or Porter counties, and will be served on a first-come, first-served basis. Clients should also bring their own boxes and bags.

Project Love provides Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets for the needy in its coverage area every year. This year, Puent said, the United Auto Workers at Ford donated 50 food baskets. While need in the Region in general has increased, Project Loves client base dipped slightly this year.

Last year we were at about 75 families, now were at 60 families, he said. As the economy stabilizes people are able to get jobs. The territory Project Love services includes the entire southern half of Lake County, according to its website. The territory contains Hanover, Center, Winfield, West Creek, Cedar Creek and Eagle townships.

Pantries like Project Love play the important role of helping people who fall through the cracks, people who dont qualify for food stamps or government programs, Puent said. People who have pending disability claims, elderly at a fixed income. If clients qualify for government assistance we counsel them and get connected. Were picking of folks in the trades who arent finding work or are laid off until spring. Farm families, folks that work for farms. Thats the folks we help.

The public itself has the chance to donate to the Project Love cause by buying a commemorative brick, all of which will be installed on-site. An 8-by-8 brick can be purchased for $200, a 12-by-12 brick for $300. Cash donations will also be accepted.

More information is available by contacting Donna at the pantry, (219) 374-7312, or at projectlovefoodpantry.org.

For more information on the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana go to foodbanknwi.org.

Those in need can call 211 to get a list of services.
GARY  A proposed agreement with federal and state environmental regulators calls for the city to pay back more than $5 million in loans it took from the Gary Sanitation District.

Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson indicated the original amount of the loans taken out by prior administrations was significantly higher. She said her administration, however, has been steadily paying down the loans with gaming money and other sources. She said taxes will not have to be increased to cover the loan repayments and noted her administration has not taken out any new loans from the district. The proposed consent decree prohibits such loans.

Under the proposed consent decree filed Monday in U.S. District Court, the city will have seven years to pay back the remaining $5.35 million in loans and the sanitary district will be obligated to develop a 25-year, long-term control plan to address sewer discharges into the Little Calumet and Grand Calumet rivers. In addition, a civil penalty of $68,000 is to be paid to the federal government and $7,000 to the state.

The final cost of the control plan has not been determined. Freeman-Wilson said Tuesday there is not a need for a rate increase now. She noted last month that rates were raised in 2010 based on projected costs.

The city also will have to complete remediation work at the toxic Ralston Street Lagoon and spend at least $175,000 on an environmental project at the Pine Station Nature Preserve by the Grand Calumet River. The agreement also keeps in place a special administrator for the district at an annual salary not to exceed $54,000. The mayor traditionally fills that role.

In addition to Gary, the city's sanitary district serves Hobart, Lake Station and parts of Merrillville and New Chicago.

The public will have 30 days to comment on the proposed consent decree that the U.S. Environmental Agency and the Indiana Department of Environmental Protection is entering into with the city of Gary and the Gary Sanitary District.

I am pleased that Mayor Freeman-Wilson is addressing this long-standing problem, said U.S. EPA Acting Regional Administrator Robert Kaplan. This is an important step toward cleaning up Northwest Indianas waterways

The city's repayment schedule on the loan requires it to pay back $300,000 in the first year. In the sixth year, the payment will increase to $1 million and in year seven the city will pay back the remaining amount of approximately $1.9 million.

Officials with the city and sanitary district said last month they had signed off on the agreement. At that time, Daniel Vicari, the sanitary district's executive director, noted that the district had already spent about $12 million in 2012 to install a 35-foot deep soil Bentonite slurry wall around the Ralston Street Lagoon and under the agreement would be capping it off.

The district also will be complete sludge remediation at that site as well as sediment remediation of a section of the Grand Calumet River roughly between Cline Avenue and the CSX Railroad crossing at the river.

Freeman-Wilson said one of her goals had been to get a plan in place for the city and district to move forward.

Vicari said last month it was not known whether such retention basins would be part of Gary's long-term control plan as they will be in Hammond's. He said other alternatives include improving the city's treatment plant to handle more water, separating the sanitary and storm sewer lines, and increasing sewer line capacity.

The city also has done various green infrastructure projects, such as the City Centre Plaza next to City Hall, to reduce the amount of water that has to be treated at the plant. Freeman-Wilson cited those projects Tuesday when saying the administration is looking to "employ innovative ideas" to reduce outflows.
LONG BEACH  A police officer, scratched and banged up from marching through a half mile of hazardous terrain, plunged into a cold Lake Claire on Monday afternoon to rescue a dog clinging to thin ice.

By the time he reached Nelson, the large golden retriever/poodle mix was not able to move his back legs after being in the water for a half hour or more, said Long Beach Police Chief Bob Sulkowski.

Nelson was about to go into shock from his low body temperature when he arrived at the Michigan City Animal Hospital, said Elizabeth Lutterbach, the 9-year-old dog's owner.

After a warm bath and other forms of heat therapy, Nelson was cleared to go back home about 5 p.m.

"He's doing fine," Lutterbach said Tuesday.

Lt. Todd Bullis, a close to 40-year veteran of the department who rescued the dog, was looked over by paramedics concerned about possible hypothermia but didn't require further medical treatment.

"He was able to go home, take a hot shower, change clothes and come back to work," Sulkowski said.

According to police, Bullis responded to a 911 call at 1:40 p.m. Monday from Lutterbach, who reported seeing her dog on the thin ice of the small lake surrounded by a subdivision off Karwick Road, near the Hacienda restaurant.

Sulkowski said there were no roads or paths leading to the dog, so the only way to reach him was through heavy brush, including thorns, that get thicker closer to the shoreline.

Lutterbach, feeling obligated to help, joined the officer in the treacherous hike that required climbing over and crawling under numerous fallen trees that tripped up both of them on several occasions.

"It was a pretty harrowing adventure, I'll you," Lutterbach said.

Fortunately, when they finally made it to the shoreline, the dog wasn't far from the water's edge.

While making his way out to the animal, though, officer Bullis wound up waist high in the cold water after crashing through the thin ice.

He was able to make it back to dry ground with the dog in relatively short order, police said.
With winter upon us, it's a good time to think about creating hearty comfort foods. What better way to prepare those recipes than in a slow cooker?
A fire in the Bronx leaves six families without a home.

Flames broke out at this two story home on Briggs Avenue near East 198th Street just after 11 a.m.

More than 150 firefighters responded to the scene.

The fire broke out on the second floor.

"The fire was mostly confined to the concealed spaces in the walls and in the ceiling," said FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Joseph Woznica. "As the fire got hot enough, it burnt itself through so that's when it flashed over and created the heavy fire conditions coming through the windows."

Eight people, including seven firefighters received minor injuries.

There's no word yet on what caused the fire.

The Red Cross is assisting families who were affected.
Advocates for New Yorkers with disabilities have long battled with car services whose vehicles are not accessible. Now they are calling on the MTA to drop plans to do business with them. NY1 Transit Reporter Jose Martinez has more.

Only a fifth of the MTA's 469 subway stations are accessible to people with disabilities.

And not even half of the city's 13,000 yellow taxis are wheelchair-accessible.

But for the disabled the e-hail service Uber is basically a nonstarter.

Of its 43,000 vehicles in the city  just 72 can accommodate riders in wheelchairs.

"It's very important that we push and bring out the fact that we need accessibility," said Edith Prentiss, accessibility advocate with Taxis for All. "We need accessibility in everyday life."

On Tuesday, advocates and elected officials criticized the MTA for studying whether to replace some Access-A-Ride paratransit service with for-hire car companies like Uber.

"We need MTA to say no to them," said James Weisman an advocate with the United Spinal Association. "'We'd love to do business with you, but we can't because you discriminate on the basis on disability.' That would be wonderful."

"We're calling today on the MTA to do the right thing since Uber apparently won't," said Joe Rappaport with the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled.

The idea of using Uber to take over some service now provided by Access-a-Ride buses and vans gained momentum after an NYU study said the change could save more than a hundred million dollars a year.

"There is no question that Access-A-Ride needs to be overhauled," said Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.

An MTA spokesman said the agency last year began a pilot program incorporating e-hail services into the Access-A-Ride program.

An Uber spokeswoman confirmed it is exploring: "ways technology can give New Yorkers a more affordable and reliable ride."

The statement adds that the company also is looking at how to make its service more accessible to people with disabilities.
ULAN BATOR, Mongolia  In the two decades since the Soviet Union dissolved and Mongolia became an independent democracy, the country has struggled to resuscitate cultural traditions lost during its many years as a Soviet satellite.

Stalin wanted to bring Russian culture to Mongolia and destroy Mongolias national ambition, explained the poet G. Mend-Ooyo, speaking in the book- and calligraphy-filled office of the Mongolian Academy of Culture and Poetry, of which he is president and founder. He couldnt do it completely, but from 1940 to 1990 we were far from our culture. We used Russian script, we couldnt mention the name Chinggis Khaan [Genghis Khan], we didnt know our own history.

Efforts to revive the nations traditional culture have borne mixed results, bogged down by factional bickering, philosophical disagreements, budgetary restraints and habit. So, while Genghis Khan is once again a household name, the Soviet-imposed Cyrillic alphabet continues to replace the flowing Uighur script that the great Khan himself is said to have borrowed for his people. Surnames  which were abolished by the Soviet-backed government in the 1920s  are still rarely used, despite government mandates to revive them. (Instead, the initial of the fathers first name is often added to given names for official usage.)

There is, however, one area in which near unanimity of purpose has enabled major progress: the revival of the morin khuur, or horse-head fiddle. The general revival of the instrument has been bolstered by the government, which went so far as to issue a decree aimed at restoring its special role in the nations cultural life. In Mongolias music schools, the number of morin khuur students has increased significantly, as has production of the instrument.
MEXICO CITY  Guatemalan officials rousted an imprisoned former president on Friday, loaded him onto a jet and whisked him to New York to face long-pending corruption charges.

The extradition of the former president, Alfonso Portillo, who had been fighting being sent to the United States for two years, caught much of Guatemala by surprise and came amid complaints about the countrys willingness to attack impunity among elites.

The extradition followed a high court decision this week to annul a genocide verdict against a former dictator, Gen. Efrain Rios Montt, who had been convicted of trying to annihilate an indigenous group during Guatemalas nearly four-decade civil war, which ended in 1996. The court on Monday found procedural problems in the trial and ruled that part of it must be repeated.

Mr. Portillo, who was president from 2000 to 2004, faces charges in federal court in New York of conspiring to launder some $70 million of his countrys funds through American banks.
NORRISTOWN, PA.  A prosecutor on Tuesday accused Bill Cosby of drugging and assaulting 13 women over several decades in a pattern of behavior so similar that he said it should be admitted as evidence in Mr. Cosbys criminal trial for sexual assault.

The victims in each of these cases couldnt consent because of the intoxicated state that the defendant had put them in, Kevin R. Steele, the district attorney for Montgomery County said during a hearing ahead of the trial, scheduled for June.

Mr. Steele described 10 assaults that he said had preceded Mr. Cosbys encounter with Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee who has said he drugged and assaulted her at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

Mr. Cosby, who has denied assaulting any of the women, faces charges of aggravated indecent assault in the Constand case, the only accusation against him that has led to criminal charges.
Wells Fargo has run afoul of banking regulators once again: On Tuesday, for the second time this year, the bank did not pass a key regulatory test that was created after the 2008 financial crisis to reduce the threats that large banks pose to the broader economy.

In April, regulators announced that they had rejected the living will plans proposed by Wells Fargo and four other major banks. Each bank had been required to submit a plan to unwind itself in a way that would safeguard the economy in case of the banks failure. Since then, all five banks have resubmitted their disaster-preparedness plans; only Wells Fargos plan did not pass muster.

Because of the continuing problems with Wells Fargos plan, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation will prohibit it from establishing new international units or acquiring a subsidiary that is not a bank.

Those penalties can be lifted if Wells Fargo fixes its plan by March 31. Wells has until then to submit its plan a third time; if the problems linger too long, regulators could place additional limits on the company.
Oh, this is going to be an Academy picture, Bryan Cranston joked on Sunday night. I guarantee it.

Mr. Cranston was in the financial district, working the press line at the premiere of Why Him?  a new comedy that is sort of an update on Meet the Parents. No, no, we had a lot of fun making it and it really is funny, Mr. Cranston told reporters, their snow-crusted footwear thawing onto the worn carpet of the movie theater lobby.

The screening was held at the iPic Fulton Market theater, the latest in the spate of boutique-y, luxury movie theaters popping up in New York City. This one has tawny leather chairs that recline like La-Z-Boys and artisanal sliders delivered to your seat, at the touch of a button. Moviegoers were happy to curl up and watch the holiday flick in first-class style.

Were really excited about this film, Mr. Cranston said inside the theater, addressing the crowd moments before the film screened. He paused for comic effect: And I mean this sincerely, I had more fun shooting this than anything Ive ever shot in my career. I mean, its a terrible movie, but I had so much fun doing it.
Babies born to Zika-infected mothers are highly likely to have brain damage, even in the absence of obvious abnormalities like small heads, and the virus may go on replicating in their brains well after birth, according to three studies published Tuesday.

Many types of brain damage were seen in the studies, including dead spots and empty spaces in the brain, cataracts and congenital deafness.

There were, however, large differences among these studies in how likely it was that a child would be hurt by the infection.

One study, published by The Journal of the American Medical Association, assessed 442 pregnancies registered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between January and September in the continental United States and Hawaii, most of them in returning travelers.
The state has ordered New York City to install an independent monitor to review the citys troubled child welfare agency, the latest fallout from the recent deaths of children who had been the subjects of abuse reports to the agency.

The plan to hire a monitor became public on Tuesday at an unrelated news conference, when Mayor Bill de Blasio was asked about the turmoil at the agency, the Administration for Childrens Services. A day earlier, its commissioner, Gladys Carrion, had abruptly stepped down.

In his remarks to reporters on Tuesday, the mayor did not indicate that the city had been compelled to hire a monitor. But a report about one of the child deaths, released late Monday by the state Office of Children and Family Services, made clear that the independent monitor was not a voluntary step by the de Blasio administration. Early Tuesday night, the city released its own report on the death.

Taken together, the state and city reviews provided the most detailed public findings about the death of Zymere Perkins, a 6-year-old who was fatally beaten in September and whose case echoed other infamous child abuse deaths in the city, like Elisa Izquierdo in 1995 and Nixzmary Brown in 2006.
Ms. Goffe bought a Nehemiah home in Brownsville, and became the head of the homeowners association.

You couldnt possibly pay her for all she did, said Sheila Bennett, an administrator with East Brooklyn Congregations. She was always on. She was always negotiating.

If fences were mistakenly built over drainage lines, she worked out solutions. When people in an apartment building and Nehemiah owners were getting on each others nerves, Ms. Goffe opened diplomatic channels.

She sang Battle Hymn of the Republic with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir at President Obamas second inauguration, and ran a weekly circle that is making a giant quilt about Brownsville.

History is not made by speeches or Twitter posts; it is what people create of the world around them with their lives. Carmelia, Ms. Borden said, took care of business.
A federal judge in Manhattan indicated on Tuesday that he may partially unseal a government search warrant and supporting documents stemming from the F.B.I.s investigation of a large cache of emails belonging to Huma Abedin, a top aide to Hillary Clinton.

The discovery of the emails occurred during an unrelated investigation of Ms. Abedins estranged husband, Anthony D. Weiner, the disgraced former congressman who has been under scrutiny by federal prosecutors in Manhattan over allegations that he exchanged illicit text messages with a 15-year-old girl.

But the inquiry itself  because of its timing and unusual public disclosure  took on greater implications. Less than two weeks before Election Day, the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, disclosed the inquiry in a letter to Congress, saying that the emails, which the F.B.I. had not yet examined, appear to be pertinent.

Mr. Comey later told Congress that the inquiry did not change the bureaus conclusion that Mrs. Clinton should face no charges over her handling of classified information.
It has taken more than two years to resolve the bureaucratic quagmire of backlogged buildings at the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Considering that some have been in limbo for four decades, it may have seemed like no time at all.

This is really a mammoth undertaking, Meenakshi Srinivasan, the chairwoman of the commission, said at a hearing on Tuesday at which the agency considered the fate of the final 13 of 95 properties on its backlog. We can change the course of the commissions practice to be better, more responsible, and timely. The process has been efficient, transparent and also incredibly rigorous, essentially starting from scratch and going back to all of these buildings.

Ten buildings were designated as official landmarks on Tuesday, including the Bergdorf Goodman department store on Fifth Avenue. Of the remaining three, two did not win landmark protection, while a decision on the third was delayed. Preservationists said they wished more had been saved, but were grateful that in clearing its backlog the commission had granted landmark status to 27 properties over the past nine months, including the Pepsi-Cola sign on the Queens waterfront.
For New Yorkers accustomed to staring straight ahead and avoiding eye contact with their fellow pedestrians, the appearance on Tuesday afternoon of a large military airplane and two helicopters over Manhattan was cause for confusion and craning upward.

The flyover prompted a number of posts on Twitter by those seeking answers:
When youve been in the school and know the culture of the school, and this school has been labeled persistently dangerous? he said. You think, Thats crazy.

But some critics now wonder if the system has moved too far in the other direction. Among them is Families for Excellent Schools, a pro-charter-school group that is suing New York City for what it says are violent conditions in city schools. Jeremiah Kittredge, the chief executive of the organization said that by removing and collapsing categories, the state would give families less information about whats going on in schools, not more. Ms. Rider of the State Education Department said New York would still make some of that information available in subcategories.

Image John B. King Jr., the United States secretary of education. He criticized the old Violent and Disruptive Incident Reporting system when he was education commissioner in New York. Credit... Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press

The changes do not remove what many see as the most fundamental problem: Vadir is based on self-reported information, and given that the reporting has consequences, school administrators might have an interest in keeping certain episodes to themselves.

Jonathan Burman, a spokesman for the State Education Department, did not address that issue directly but said in an email: It is critical that everyone has a clear and consistent way to track and compare the level of safety in every school. The departments goal is to ensure that the most accurate school safety data possible gets reported.

Johanna Miller, the advocacy director at the New York Civil Liberties Union, was a member of a task force that worked on the new regulations. She said the group worked a lot with the language of the categories so it matched up better with the language of school discipline, rather than what it was before, which was penal code language.

For example, assault with physical injury and assault with serious physical injury will now become a single category, called physical injury. Categories like reckless endangerment will disappear.
As governor of New York, Andrew M. Cuomo has no shortage of complex problems demanding his attention. But his ire has recently been focused on a small switch in a subway station deep below the streets of Manhattan.

Delays with the switch, known as a shunt trip breaker, were holding up progress on the Second Avenue subway  a demonic device that has frustrated us for months, Mr. Cuomo said as he inspected a new station at 96th Street on the Upper East Side on Monday.

Theres 800 little things like shunt trip breakers that you have to get past, the governor said. Each station has its own little problems.

The notorious Second Avenue subway, nearly a century in the making, is inches from the finish line, and Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, has made it his mission to complete the project by New Years Eve. On regular visits to the lines three new stations, he obsesses over design details and equipment glitches at a surprising level of involvement for a governor, which some critics say seems primarily aimed at promoting his image.
Presumably Governor Perry wanted to do away with the Energy Department because he perceived it as the source of unwanted regulation in the energy sector, and also because he felt that private enterprise was sufficient to meet the nations needs in that area. Whether that view is valid, the energy secretary should be someone who is at least familiar with the strategic issues associated with both nuclear power and nuclear weapons, and ideally someone who is capable of digging down into the complex issues facing the United States in these areas. The next energy secretary should also have at least a modicum of policy experience with some of the vast array of fundamental science supported by the agency.

One need look back only to the complex negotiations surrounding the Iran nuclear deal, and remember Secretary Moniz huddling with Secretary of State John Kerry, and engaged in long meetings with his Iranian counterpart, another nuclear physicist, to appreciate how important it was to have someone there who actually knew what was required to produce viable nuclear weapons from nuclear reactor products, and what was required to ensure that treaty violations could be detected.

I met Governor Perry once, at the World Economic Forum. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy. After finding out I was a physicist, he singled me out in the audience while he was onstage, saying, As Professor Krauss knows, you can violate the laws of physics, but only for a while. My answer was, Well, actually you cant, which was followed by a bit of nervous laughter from the crowd. That exchange came to mind this morning when I learned of his nomination.

Governor Perry may be a nice guy, and his free market instincts may mesh well with those of President-elect Donald J. Trump, but he has not demonstrated that he is the person for this job.

In the present climate, when nuclear tensions are higher than they have been since the height of the Cold War, when the Iran deal is under attack and proliferation in unstable countries like Pakistan and North Korea will affect plans for our own arsenal, we need someone who is better prepared to handle the challenges. This is also the case as the government makes decisions about supporting research that will affect the future of fundamental inquiry for much of this century.
Last year, Teresa Fedor, an Ohio state representative, a veteran and a former public-school teacher, told the story of her abortion after a rape in a statement on the House floor. I dare you to walk in my shoes, she said to lawmakers who were supporting a bill to ban abortion as soon as a fetal heartbeat could be detected, as early as six weeks. I understand your story, but you dont understand mine.

On Tuesday, Gov. John Kasich vetoed this years version of the unconstitutional heartbeat bill. But he signed into law a bill that would ban the procedure at 20 weeks after fertilization. The new law makes no exception for rape or incest and, like the heartbeat bill, is part of a dangerous nationwide effort to roll back abortion rights that has gained momentum with Donald Trumps election.

Under Mr. Kasichs leadership, Ohio has been especially aggressive in restricting reproductive rights. He has signed 17 new restrictions since taking office, and the number of abortion providers in the state has dwindled to nine from 16. The 20-week ban will make abortion illegal in all cases, except when necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.

The Supreme Court has ruled that states cannot ban abortion before viability, which most experts put around 24 weeks. The court has also ruled that legislatures cannot establish a specific gestational age after which abortions are prohibited, because fetal viability varies from pregnancy to pregnancy. Nonetheless, Ohio and 17 other states have passed 20-week bans, with a vast majority of them based on the unproved claim that fetuses feel pain around 20 weeks.
Mr. Perry has denied that human activity is responsible for climate change, something that virtually all scientists agree on. Mr. Trump himself has described climate change as a hoax perpetrated by China, a preposterous claim backed by no evidence. This month, Mr. Trumps transition team sent a questionnaire to the Energy Department asking for the names of employees who had attended certain climate change meetings. The Obama administration rejected the request, fearing that the employees would be marginalized or targeted for retaliation by the new administration.

As governor of Texas, Mr. Perry was a champion of the oil and gas industry, but he also supported wind power, which boomed in the state under his watch. He backed policies requiring the use of renewable energy sources and a $5 billion investment in transmission lines to bring power from wind farms in remote areas to big cities. Wind turbines accounted for 12 percent of all electricity produced in Texas in 2015, up from 3 percent in 2007.

Mr. Perry could prove his doubters wrong by expanding investment in breakthrough energy technologies like advanced nuclear reactors, high-capacity batteries and electrical grids that can better accommodate variable power suppliers. Doing so could bolster the economy, create good-paying jobs and reduce the cost of energy, according to a report published on Tuesday by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Those efforts would also help avert the worst effects of climate change, something that would benefit large parts of Texas and the country that are vulnerable to more intense storms and droughts and rising sea levels.

The big question, of course, is whether Mr. Perry and Mr. Trump have the interest or ability to pursue an ambitious agenda, or whether they are determined to carry on an ideological war against climate science.
LONDON  Within five minutes of the first episode of Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is masturbating over President Obama. As he gives a speech on her laptop, her right hand drifts down under the duvet. There will be difficult days along the way, Mr. Obama warns. The screen starts to jiggle.

That sequence is Fleabag in a nutshell: irreverent, lewd and upfront to a fault. In this sitcom, which has been available on Amazon Prime since September, Ms Waller-Bridge plays a 20-something woman  never named, just Fleabag  with an insatiable sexual appetite. She picks up men on public transportation and reignites old flames, but beneath the bravado, shes a grieving, angsty, insecure mess. Fleabag is so liberated, she has gotten herself lost.

The series, which grew out of a one-woman stage show, has shot this 31-year-old to success on both sides of the Atlantic: Britains answer to Lena Dunham. The New Yorker declared it richer than many dramas, and Ms. Waller-Bridge has wound up on several Women of the Year lists. Backstage at the Soho Theater here, where shes reviving the original play in a run that sold out in just 10 minutes, she admits to feeling a certain amount of whiplash  but a pleasant sort of whiplash.

That might explain the itch to bring Fleabag back to the theater. I really, really felt the pull of wanting to do it as it was originally done, Ms. Waller-Bridge said. I was slightly trepidatious about people knowing the end, the reveal, but audiences seem so invested in the story that it doesnt seem to have affected it in any big way.
WASHINGTON  Gov. John Kasich of Ohio on Tuesday signed into law a ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but vetoed a far more restrictive measure that would have barred abortions after a fetal heartbeat was detected, as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

In reaching the split decision on the two bans, adopted last week by the Ohio legislature, Mr. Kasich said the so-called heartbeat bill was clearly contrary to the Supreme Courts current rulings on abortion. He called the 20-week ban the best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life.

The 20-week ban has no exceptions for rape or incest, and abortion rights advocates consider it extreme. Under existing Ohio law, there will be an exception for life of the mother, Mr. Kasichs office said. Current Ohio law bars abortion after 20 weeks unless doctors can show that the baby is not viable outside the womb. Many medical experts cite the age of viability as 24 weeks.

With the governors signature, Ohio becomes the 18th state to adopt a 20-week abortion ban, though two of the bans  in Arizona and Idaho  have been struck down as unconstitutional by federal courts. Legal experts say Ohios 20-week ban is far more likely to survive a constitutional challenge than the heartbeat bill.
The seats that Guccifer 2.0 targeted in the document dumps were hardly random: They were some of the most competitive House races in the country. In Ms. Taddeos district, the House seat is held by a Republican, even though the district leans Democratic and Mrs. Clinton won it this year by a large majority.

To prepare for the race, the D.C.C.C. had done candid evaluations of the two candidates vying in the primary for the nomination. Those inside documents, bluntly describing each candidates weaknesses, are considered routine research inside political campaigns. But suddenly they were being aired in public.

Ms. Taddeo, one of the internal D.C.C.C. documents noted, had proven to be a somewhat poor fund-raiser and she has gained a reputation as an inadequate campaigner among some of the talkers in the community.

Her Democratic opponent in the August primary, Joe Garcia, also made a large misstep during the campaign saying communism works, which did not sit well in an area with a large Cuban refugee population, the document says. More embarrassingly, Garcia was caught on a C-Span feed picking his earwax and seemingly eating it, and the video made the rounds on the internet.

Mr. Garcia was the first to use the material as a tool to attack his opponent, showing up at a televised debate with a printout of the documents and accusing Ms. Taddeo of hiring a private detective to follow him, an allegation she disputed. It was the first of many attacks based on the leaked material.

After Mr. Garcia defeated Ms. Taddeo in the primary using the material unearthed in the hacking, the National Republican Campaign Committee and a second Republican group with ties to the House speaker, Paul Ryan, turned to the hacked material to attack him.

In Florida, Guccifer 2.0s most important partner was an obscure political website run by an anonymous blogger called HelloFLA!, run by a former Florida legislative aide turned Republican lobbyist. The blogger sent direct messages via Twitter to Guccifer 2.0 asking for copies of any additional Florida documents.
WASHINGTON  The Obama administration has deepened its rift with its Gulf allies over the ongoing conflict in Yemen, blocking a transfer of precision munitions to Saudi Arabia because of concerns about civilian casualties that administration officials attribute to poor targeting.

Administration officials said on Tuesday that the White House had made the decision to block the sale by Raytheon of about 16,000 guided munitions kits, which upgrade so-called dumb bombs to smart bombs that can more accurately hit targets. The kits, if purchased over the life of the proposed contract, are valued around $350 million.

But administration officials said that upgrading the bombs would not help targeting if the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen did not choose its targets properly, an ongoing concern since the start of bombing campaign. This year, the United States blocked a sale of cluster munitions to Saudi Arabia because of similar concerns.

The administrations decision is a setback for Raytheon, which officials say pushed hard for approval of the sale. Administration officials said that Raytheons chief executive, Thomas A. Kennedy, personally lobbied Tony Blinken, the deputy secretary of state, and also reached out to Secretary of State John Kerry and Susan Rice, the national security adviser. It was unclear if he connected with Mr. Kerry or Ms. Rice.
Now is the time to move away from a system that has, for decades, been focused on the prohibition of cannabis into a regulated legal market, Ms. McLellan said at a news conference.

Mr. Trudeau has promised to introduce new laws by the spring.

Among other things, the panel suggested that the coming Canadian rules for cigarette packages, which are being contested by the tobacco industry, also be adopted for marijuana. They will require plain packages without logos or slogans, and with standardized designs and fonts. The panel also recommended mirroring current rules on tobacco advertising, which essentially ban it.

Sales, the panel said, should be handled through special stores and not, as the province of Ontario had hoped, through government liquor stores. And the minimum buying age, it said, should be at least 18 or match provincial rules for alcohol.

It noted that marijuana stores, which have been popping up in Canadian cities in anticipation of Mr. Trudeaus efforts to fulfill his election promise, are clearly illegal, suggesting that they are unlikely to be part of a new system.

Over all, the panel acknowledged that its system would be even tougher than current Canadian limits on alcohol and cigarettes, which are themselves severe by the standards of many other countries. But, the report said, that simply reflects the need to do more about alcohol and tobacco.
And last week, when a State Department official requested a meeting with Ms. Lin, to discuss the continuing harassment of her father in China, pageant executives refused to let her go, a State Department official said. They relented only after Ms. Lin agreed to be accompanied by a pageant employee, who insisted on attending the meeting. The chaperone later turned down a State Department request to post a photo of the meeting on Twitter.

Jacob Wallenberg, a friend who has spoken to Ms. Lin by phone, said pageant employees warned her that she would be ejected from the competition if she spoke to reporters. They have specifically told her not to talk about human rights during the pageant, even though that is her official platform, he said. She is very frustrated.

The Miss World organization declined to answer questions about the restrictions it has placed on Ms. Lin, but friends say they have little doubt about its motivations: Pageant officials, they said, are simply doing the bidding of the Chinese government, which has spent the past year trying to silence Ms. Lin, who was born in China but emigrated to Canada at 13.

Since 2003, the Miss World pageant has been held six times in Sanya, a tropical city in southern China, and Chinese companies have become the main sponsors of the decades-old competition. The local government has spent $31 million to upgrade infrastructure for the competition, according to the Chinese media.

Last year, after the Chinese authorities refused to issue Ms. Lin a visa to attend the finals, she flew to Hong Kong, hoping to obtain a visa at the border. She was turned away, and her photo disappeared from the pageants official website. Why is a powerful country like China so afraid of a beauty queen? she said at the time.
Once China began to open its economy in the post-Mao era, cultural similarities and a common political objective of creating one China led to an explosion of economic relations across the strait. The Chinese economy was highly complementary to Taiwans, and a majority of Taiwanese considered themselves Chinese. Today, more than two-thirds of Taiwans outward foreign direct investment is to China, which is also Taiwans leading trading partner.

Image Syaru Shirley Lin. Credit... Mark Edwards

However, as cross-strait economic interdependence grew and as Taiwan began to democratize, the residents of the island began to debate what it meant to be Taiwanese, a topic that had been taboo for four decades under the authoritarian Kuomintang government. At first, Taiwans economic policy toward China oscillated between extreme restriction and extreme liberalization. Some Taiwanese believed supporting economic liberalization with China was a way of promoting unification, while supporting economic restriction with China was equivalent to preserving a separate Taiwan, whether that be simply autonomy or outright independence.

As Taiwanese identity has consolidated, with more than 90 percent of Taiwanese believing they are in some way Taiwanese, a consensus has emerged that some degree of economic interdependence with China is unavoidable but that overdependence is risky. The extreme economic policy options have therefore lost support. However, support for closer economic relations does not extend to sociopolitical integration. In fact, only 1.5 percent of Taiwanese support immediate unification with China, with even less support among young people. But if Taiwanese identity is threatened it can become salient again, and extreme options may re-emerge. This was the case in 2014 when Taiwans largest student protest  known as the Sunflower Movement  successfully opposed a service trade pact that had been negotiated with China.

Do you see any way that Taiwanese identity could move closer to Chinas in the coming decades?

There is an increasing gap between the Chinese identity that Beijing promotes and the identity Taiwanese have come to embrace, which is based on democracy, rule of law and freedom of speech and assembly. Beijings strategy of giving Taiwanese economic benefits so that Taiwanese will become more inclined toward unification has not been successful. So Beijing has increased its pressure by terminating official communications with Taiwan, reducing the flow of Chinese tourists and ensuring Taiwan is excluded from international organizations, even those that could benefit from Taiwans participation.

Nonetheless, it is entirely possible for this identity to swing back to become more Chinese. This will depend on the strategy Beijing employs, especially whether it can create a common identity that includes Taiwanese. But if Beijing stays the course by imposing economic and diplomatic sanctions while providing economic benefits to a select few, it will create more backlash and resentment  just as it has in Hong Kong. Alternatively, Beijing could choose to close the gap across the strait by fostering democratic values and allowing the emergence of civil society, but this seems highly unlikely at present.
CAIRO  Egypt faced the prospect of a surge in sectarian bloodshed on Tuesday after the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Coptic cathedral in Cairo that killed 25 people on Sunday. The group warned of more attacks to come.

As Christians gathered in churches to pay their respects to the victims, most of them women, the Islamic State said it had sent a suicide bomber to the chapel on the grounds of St. Marks Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, the seat of the Egyptian Orthodox Church.

The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, identified the bomber by his nom de guerre, Abu Abdallah al-Masri. The Egyptian authorities on Monday identified the attacker as Mahmoud Shafik Mohamed Mostafa, but said he had used a different alias. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy.
In yet another jolt to the auction world, coming just one week after Christies top business-getter, Brett Gorvy, announced his departure, the house announced that its chief executive, Patricia Barbizet, was also stepping down, as of Jan. 1, after two years at the helm.

Ms. Barbizet will hand over the reins to Guillaume Cerutti, who left Sothebys in 2015 to join Christies as president of Europe, Middle East, Russia and India operations.

I came to do a number of things, Ms. Barbizet said in a telephone interview. They are now done.

Francois Pinault, the French luxury goods magnate and the owner of Christies, will assume the role of chairman. Ms. Barbizet will become vice chairwoman and will remain chief executive of the Artemis Group, the investment company founded by Mr. Pinault.

Mr. Cerutti, 50, is taking over at a time when the auction houses are struggling to fill their sales with inventory, given a hesitation among sellers to consign their prize artworks in light of political and economic uncertainty.
AMSTERDAM  A court in Amsterdam ruled on Wednesday that hundreds of ancient Crimean treasures on loan to a museum in the Netherlands are the property of Ukraine and should not be sent to Russian-controlled Crimea, after a two-and-a-half-year legal battle over their ownership.

The judgment is an important moment in the protracted dispute between Ukraine and the museums in Crimea that lent the pieces, including ancient Scythian gold and Chinese lacquer boxes.

The ownership battle concerns 565 rarities from the region that were sent to the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam for its 2014 exhibition Crimea: Gold and Secrets From the Black Sea. Mieke Dudok van Heel, chairwoman of the three-judge District Court panel, ordered that the works be returned to Ukraine, where they will be housed in the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine, in Kiev, rather than returned to the museums in Crimea that lent them. The parties have three months to appeal.

The court also said that although it had decided where the items should be returned, it did not deliver a judgment on who is the rightful owner of the artifacts. That will be decided by a Ukrainian court, it said.
In The Empire Strikes Back, we learned that a city in the clouds was not such a great idea. Ive had supply problems of every kind  Ive had labor difficulties, grouses Lando Calrissian, the dashing administrator of the movies gravity-defying metropolis.

But for years now, the Argentine artist-futurist Tomas Saraceno has been imagining humanitys ascent from terra firma to cities that would hover above nationalism, political division, fossil-fuel dependence and parallel parking. The next sculptural iteration of his ideas (after a rooftop extravaganza at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2012) arrives at the newly expanded San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, in Tomas Saraceno: Stillness in Motion  Cloud Cities, a complex of cords and reflective panels built to evoke a 10,000-node airborne habitation. Exploration is encouraged. (Through May 21; 415-357-4000, sfmoma.org.)
JON CARAMANICA

Image Credit... via Third Man Records

Leon Redbone

Long Way From Home

On the Track

(Third Man)

This time of year, youre most likely to experience Leon Redbone in snowman form, bantering with Will Ferrell in Elf. Mr. Redbone, 67, hasnt otherwise been on the scene: Last year, citing health concerns, he announced his retirement. His debut album, On the Track, released on Warner Bros. in 1975, has just been reissued on vinyl by Third Man Records, and its a reminder of how novel a figure he cut at the time: a sly anachronism singing ragtime, country and Delta blues in dark glasses and a Panama hat. The album features old-timers like the violinist Joe Venuti, and Mr. Redbone fits right in, scatting and mumbling his way through Tin Pan Alley fare like My Walking Stick, by Irving Berlin.

That song also appears on Long Way From Home, a revealing album of early recordings made in Buffalo. Roughly half of the 18 tracks are from a coffeehouse gig in 72, and you can hear how Mr. Redbone already had the audience in the palm of his hand. But even on the material taped at a radio station, his charisma is sparkling. Maybe theres something a little dated in the mannerism that Mr. Redbone brings to his evocation of the Delta bluesman Robert Johnson. But theres no doubting the vitality here, especially on a yodeling waltz like Jimmie Rodgerss Gambling Bar Room Blues. NATE CHINEN
Propaganda bots made a powerful showing during Election 2016. Oxford Universitys Project on Computational Propaganda found that at times during the campaign, more than a quarter of the tweets colonizing politicized hashtags like #MAGA and #CrookedHillary came from heavily automated accounts. In the days leading up to the election, Trump propaganda bots outnumbered Clinton propaganda bots five to one. Since then, bot armies have been programmed to spread conspiracy theories about a made-up Democratic pedophile ring known as Pizzagate. The bots help the topic trend, lend an air of grass-roots momentum and create enough of a mirage of a movement that real people then join in.

Bots of conviction cant compete with those numbers  spamming is not their style  but they can work as effective tools of provocation, as this taxonomy shows.
WRITING TO SAVE A LIFE

The Louis Till File

By John Edgar Wideman

193 pp. Scribner. $25.

This incident happened several years ago in a now defunct upscale Manhattan department store. The elevator going down was crowded. I stood next to a large white man who carried a small blond girl, possibly age 3 or 4, on his shoulders. At the next floor a well-dressed middle-aged black man got on. Suddenly the voice of the little girl rang out: Daddy! Is that man going to hurt me? she asked, pointing a small finger at the black man as he entered and turned to face the front of the car. The collective intake of passenger breath was almost audible. You could hear a pin drop. I dared a sideways look at the now brick-red, grim-faced father staring straight ahead  while everyone else seemed to be looking at his or her shoes. No one looked at the white man  and certainly no one looked at the black man, whose back was carved in stone as he faced the front of the car. I sensed a fervent prayer, my own and everyone elses: God, get me out of here as quickly as possible. Finally at the ground floor, the black man, in the front of the car, got out first. No one wanted to see his face.

As public racial incidents go, this was very minor  but those moments in the elevator were awful. I never told anyone about the incident because you had to be there. It seems that black men in America have always been there  presumed guilty, presumed dangerous, every day of their lives.

I am a weeper. Certain names alone make me well up  Anne Frank, for instance, and Emmett Till. Emmett is like an Anne Frank figure. But unlike Anne, age 15 when her family was betrayed to the Nazis, 14-year-old Emmett had no chance to express his humanity  although his valiant mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, did her best in a poignant autobiography.

When Emmetts body was fished out of the Tallahatchie River, the state of Mississippi ordered its immediate burial, but his mother insisted on its being returned to her in Chicago. His boxed remains arrived under official Mississippi seal, to be buried without opening. His mother, however, opened the box, and Jet magazine published a picture of Emmetts horribly mutilated face. John Edgar Wideman, in Writing to Save a Life: The Louis Till File, reports that the top of Emmetts head was crushed in, one eye was missing, and his face had all the human being battered out of it. Wideman and I both remember finding it almost impossible to look at the picture of Emmett Tills face in the Sept. 15, 1955, issue of Jet. I was a freshman in college. Wideman was 14  the same age as Emmett.
 A Times investigation reveals how Russia aimed the perfect weapon at the U.S. presidential election: cyberattacks that were honed in elections elsewhere.

Intelligence officials believe an operation to collect information evolved into an effort to support Donald J. Trumps campaign. Calls are coming from both parties to investigate Russian meddling. And in Europe, fears are rising that Russia could try to sway election outcomes next year.

Above, the Democratic National Conventions hacked server on a table in the organizations basement, next to a reminder of a past breach: a filing cabinet jimmied in the Watergate burglary of its offices in 1972.
Two former executives at a New Jersey pharmaceutical company were charged with conspiring to fix prices on generic drugs, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors said Jeffrey Glazer, a former chief executive of Heritage Pharmaceuticals, and Jason Malek, a former president, were involved in a scheme to artificially inflate the price of an antibiotic and a diabetes medication.

Prosecutors said the charges, filed in federal court in Philadelphia, are part of a broad antitrust investigation into price fixing in the generic drug industry. Most of the major generic drug companies have received subpoenas for information on the topic. Some, including Mylan and the Indian drug maker Sun Pharma, have disclosed that they were asked about doxycycline, a treatment for bacterial infections and one of the drugs involved in the case.

According to the court filings, Mr. Glazer and Mr. Malek conspired with other companies to set the price of the drugs and then divide up customers, preventing competition. The price-fixing activities for doxycycline occurred between April 2013 and at least December 2015, prosecutors said, while the activities for glyburide, the diabetes drug, began in April 2014.
Not all hospitals are created equal, and the differences in quality can be a matter of life or death.

In the first comprehensive study comparing how well individual hospitals treated a variety of medical conditions, researchers found that patients at the worst American hospitals were three times more likely to die and 13 times more likely to have medical complications than if they visited one of the best hospitals.

The study, published Wednesday in the academic journal PLOS One, shows there is considerable variation in outcomes that really matter to patients, from hospital to hospital, as well as region to region, said Dr. Thomas H. Lee, a longtime health care executive who was not involved in the research.

The studys authors looked at 22 million hospital admissions, including information from both the federal Medicare program and private insurance companies, and analyzed them using two dozen measures of medical outcomes. Adjusting the results for how sick the patients were and other factors, like age and income, the researchers discovered widespread differences among hospitals. Even a hospital that had excellent outcomes for heart care might have poor outcomes in treating diabetes.
TOKYO  Japan is dealing itself into the multibillion-dollar casino industry.

Lawmakers have cleared the way for blackjack, roulette and other casino games in the country, approving legislation that removes a longstanding prohibition against gambling.

The legislation, passed on Thursday, is a major victory in a longstanding effort to make Japan attractive to gamblers. For years, Japanese businesses and the tax authorities have watched enviously as vast sums have poured into jurisdictions like Macau and Singapore, which have built sparkling casino resorts catering to international gamblers, especially those from China.

Japan is experiencing its own boom in Chinese tourism, and it sees casinos as an added way to cash in. Estimates of the potential size of the industry have ranged as high as $40 billion a year.

International casino operators see a chance to profit, too. The last time Japanese legislators took up the issue, in 2014, Sheldon G. Adelson, the billionaire chief executive of Las Vegas Sands, said his company would be willing to invest as much as $10 billion to develop a casino resort in the country.
Frustrated that you cannot watch the latest British dramas or soap operas on television?

Soon, there will be an app for that.

The BBC and its rival, ITV, will join forces early next year to offer a video-on-demand service that will allow fans of some of the broadcasters favorite shows to watch them on smartphones, televisions or mobile devices in the United States.

The service  to be called BritBox  will be available by March. It will offer a combination of new British shows, including the crime drama New Blood, to American audiences, as well as a collection of recently aired television programs and other shows like Upstairs Downstairs and Fawlty Towers from the broadcasters back catalogs.

The BBC and ITV are the two most prolific content producers and broadcasters in British television, Ann Sarnoff, president of BBC Worldwide North America, said in a statement on Tuesday when the service was announced. This will be a must-have service for lovers of British television.
[See more Year in Style articles]

Over the last 13 months, the youngest member of the Kardashian/Jenner clan has built a business empire for herself, with an estimated $10 million in personal earnings from sales of branded merchandise, which ranges from Kylie Lip Kits (pairs of matte liquid lipstick and lip liner that retail for $29) to Kyshadows and Kyliners (eye shadows and eye liners) in a multitude of colors and themes. She offers them exclusively on her own website in limited time frames for as long as stocks last.

Appetites are stoked to near fever pitch by video clips of Ms. Jenner applying the cosmetics or giving tutorials using them. Those clips are posted to Snapchat, with hints dropped on Twitter or Instagram as to when these products may be available. Although no one knows exactly how many followers she has, a spokesman for Snapchat said in August that Ms. Jenner was the most followed person on the platform. So when the latest batch of new stock does go live on her website, all products are sold, on average, in less than a minute. Then the process begins again.

Ms. Jenner is part of a growing cohort of both individuals and brands that have embraced the sales strategy known as the drop. It works like this: A seller controls the release of exclusive new items outside the traditional fashion cycle, cleverly marketing the impending arrival of the product to build demand. Pioneered almost two decades ago by the American skate wear brand Supreme, which took its cues from the Japanese street wear scene, the trend has gained particular momentum in recent years thanks to its adoption by some in the booming limited-edition sneaker industry: Kanye Wests Yeezy line with Adidas, for example, and Nikes Air Jordans. It is also at the heart of the limited-edition designer collaborations championed by retailers like H&M and Target. Even Snapchat itself tried to jump on the bandwagon last month when it began exclusive sales of its new Spectacles glasses via randomly placed bright yellow vending machines, giving no indication of where they would crop up next. The overwhelming majority of drop customers, whatever the product, are younger than 30.
She decided to start with handbags, both because they freed her of the tyranny of clothing sizes and because she was frustrated with the quality of the ones she could afford. She was 22, living in Atlantic Beach, on Long Island, with her parents (both of whom worked in the fashion industry), and using her paycheck from a marketing job to create samples. The shapes and colors were classic  a black clutch with a messenger chain, for example  but they were lined in fun prints she scavenged from ends of rolls at spandex stores in the garment district: comic book strips, skulls and bones, neon leopards.

Sales didnt take off, but QVC executives came calling, requesting she design a cheaper line for them. Ms. Tisch  who spent her childhood in front of a video camera, performing plays and singing songs for a homemade TV channel she and Ms. Schabes invented  loved appearing on QVC in Italy, England and Germany, the home shopping channels three smallest markets. Ms. Tisch was required to sell at least 500 handbags in her hour of airtime or lose her slot, and so she began experimenting with the linings, making scarves and pencil cases out of the material as part of the networks if you buy now, get this free style of sales pitch.

She was sufficiently successful that the network wanted to graduate her to Japan, which is second only to the United States market, but Ms. Tisch and Ms. Schabes (who joined the company the year after Ms. Tisch started it) decided their hearts werent in selling to the home-shopping audience.

One day in 2012, the pair spotted a print with candy-colored constellations and planets, and decided to make some leggings, which they loved to wear long before athleisure was a thing.

They wore the galaxy print to a childrens merchandising show (they were showing the pencil cases there), and Lesters department stores picked them up. The pants nearly sold out in a weekend. Guests at Ms. Tischs bridal shower that year  she married the Techstars co-founder David Tisch, whom she met at an atypical-for-her trip to a nightclub in Times Square  received bags with the print.
So the problems that you describe arent likely to go away anytime soon. You have a couple of responsibilities here. One is as the manager of a business. You dont want to drive away too many customers. But a second is as a citizen. When citizens address one another in the course of everyday interactions on topics of public morality, they should speak to each other truthfully and respectfully. When someone says something morally repugnant, failing to respond with disapproval is failing to take that person seriously as a moral agent. Its a sign not of respect but of contempt, or perhaps cowardice. If you say nothing, you may give the impression that you agree, or at the very least that you think what theyre saying falls within the range of respectable opinion. The episodes you cite fall outside that range.

Your challenge is to find a polite way to say that you disagree. If your customers defend what they have said, you have the opening to argue against their views. But precisely because their views are likely to be rationalizations of a previous antipathy, they may not be terribly susceptible to reasoned argument. Getting angry probably wont help, either. Try something like, If you knew more about the lives of black Americans, you wouldnt say that. And then offer one of the books you mention. (Or show them this column.)

My summer house is in a remote area of the Ozarks. Our new neighbors are hard-working, pleasant people, but they are hoarders of junk and  worse  dogs. These poor creatures live in pens or are chained up outside. Last count: more than a dozen. I researched animal-cruelty laws in my state (Missouri), and it seems that unless the dogs lack adequate food, water, shelter and health care, it is difficult to prove neglect. (The state does have an anticruelty law that could be applicable, but it hasnt adopted an antitethering law.) But where do the dogs come from? Where do they go? New ones appear from time to time, but many live day in, day out in the same deplorable conditions. When I talk to one of my neighbors about the dogs, he is quite proud and seemingly fond of them. I could report my neighbors to an animal-cruelty organization or have friends report them, but either way, because of our remote location, my neighbor is likely to suspect that I reported him, and I could find myself losing my vacation home in a mysterious fire. Plus, it is likely that the lax laws in our state wont help the animals anyway. We are currently on friendly terms with the neighbors, but I cant stand to see the animals treated this way. I believe hoarding is a mental illness and no amount of reasoning with the neighbors will help. Name Withheld

Some experts think animal hoarding is a psychiatric disorder, and there are tools for assessing the problem and some approaches to treating it. That disorder might thwart intervention, because one of the symptoms is difficulty in recognizing that you have a problem. But the way you describe your neighbor, he doesnt meet many of the criteria on the Homes Multidisciplinary Hoarding Risk Assessment. So your neighbor might be unaware of any cruelty here. If youre sure hes doing wrong by these animals, you have a strong reason to try to get him to change his ways.

What about talking to the neighbor about why the dogs might be better off if they were treated differently? Encouraging him to find other homes for some of them, and perhaps offering to help with that? If the dogs need exercise, you might also volunteer to take them for walks, explaining that you would enjoy spending time with them.

But you dont mention the possibility of having a conversation along these lines, and thats presumably because you dont think it would do any good. Maybe youre right. Maybe in the Ozarks interventions of this sort would be considered nosy or officious. Maybe your neighbors are indeed beyond reason. Even though youre on friendly terms, you clearly think your neighbor is capable of being dangerously hostile if he takes against you. If your understanding of the situation is correct, theres not much you can safely do. But (again, bias alert) what evidence do you have of that? Perhaps youre being influenced by stereotypes about country folks of the sort promulgated by Straw Dogs or Deliverance? Since youre doubtful that reporting your neighbor will help these dogs, a conversation may be your only option.
The Screen Actors Guild entered the awards season fray with its nominations on Wednesday, which included a few surprises:

 Captain Fantastic, the tale, led by Viggo Mortensen, about a bohemian family home-schooled in a woodsy Northwestern paradise, nabbed a spot in the best ensemble category, the SAG equivalent of best picture.

 Loving, directed by Jeff Nichols and starring Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton as a real-life couple who changed anti-miscegenation laws, got no love.

 Emily Blunt landed a nomination, for lead actress, for The Girl on the Train.

 Silence, the Martin Scorsese drama, was shut out.

The guild nominations  still to come are those from producers and directors  are significant bellwethers in the awards season because they represent the industrys favorite performances and films.

SAG has 160,000 members, about 1,100 of whom are also in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences actors branch, the largest in the academy. Last years SAG winner for best ensemble, Spotlight, went on to land the Oscar for best picture.

One of this years favorites, La La Land, isnt led by an ensemble cast but by two main actors  ergo its exclusion from the Screen Actors best ensemble category. Manchester by the Sea landed four nominations, the most, followed by Fences and Moonlight, each with three.
Inside a jewel-box building dedicated to biomedical research on the East River, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday described his plan for expanding the citys biotech industry. About an hour later, he took broader questions, including several on the latest in a string of high-level departures from health and human services departments.

The two threads drew together what is perhaps a paradoxical reality facing Mr. de Blasio as he turns the corner into next years re-election campaign. As his administration struggles on some of the issues the mayor cares most deeply about, like homelessness and child welfare, he has found success on others  job creation, economic development  that can appear at times to be rhetorical afterthoughts.

By the end of the day on Tuesday, the struggles won out. A state agency released a scathing report highlighting failures at the citys Administration for Childrens Services and calling for the hiring of an outside monitor. The release forced the city to unveil its own findings of the agencys failings that preceded the death of a 6-year-old Harlem boy, Zymere Perkins.

A day earlier, Gladys Carrion resigned as commissioner of the agency, following two other senior officials tasked with addressing some of the citys most intractable problems: the deputy mayor in charge of health and human services last year, and the Homeless Services Department commissioner several months later.
These chemical compounds, often created in labs in China based on research conducted at western universities and pharmaceutical companies, are not regulated when they appear on the market and are hard to detect.

And if you are someone who is regularly drug tested, it will not show up, adding to the drugs appeal, Mr. Gerona said.

He traced the history of synthetic drugs back to Clemson University and a researcher, John W. Huffman, who was looking for ways to create a drug in the lab that could enhance the medicinal aspects of THC while eliminating the psychotropic effects.

In the course of his work, Mr. Huffman synthesized more than 300 compounds, and his work was published in academic literature.

Not long after, in about 2008, a synthetic compound began appearing on the street, called K2 in America and Spice in Europe. The main chemical agent, known as JWH-18, was named after the Clemson researcher.

Soon JWH-18 was showing up around the country and was eventually scheduled as a Class 1 narcotic.

The drug makers would have to evolve to stay one step ahead of law enforcement.

In the case of the drug in the Brooklyn outbreak, Pfizer established a patent for a synthetic cannabinoid it called AB-FUBINACA in 2009. The drug seems to have been abandoned by the company and was never tested on humans.
Donald J. Trump has so far chosen to receive only one intelligence briefing each week. His decision is an extraordinary departure from the practices of his predecessors who received a briefing every day, with the exception of Richard M. Nixon, who had extensive foreign policy experience before his 1968 election victory.

Whats more, Mr. Trump casually brushed off the importance of these briefings, indicating that he did not need them because he is like, a smart person.

Intelligence professionals know that gathering information is often hazardous work, and Mr. Trumps cavalier attitude undermines their sense of purpose. During my former life as an Army intelligence officer, I spent a year in one of the most dangerous districts in Afghanistan  the same district that gave birth to the Taliban. Of course, Army intelligence officers do not assume the same risks as the infantry soldiers, who dodge improvised explosive devices on daily patrols. But if Mr. Trump needs to learn about the risks taken by intelligence professionals, he need look no further than the memorial walls of the C.I.A. and the Army Military Intelligence Corps.

Throughout my deployments, I found a sense of purpose knowing that my president and commanders recognized the value of intelligence. Were I an intelligence officer with Mr. Trump running the show, that sense of purpose would be eroded.
PRAGUE  Welcome to 21st-century conflict, more Machiavellian than military, where hacks, leaks and fake news are taking the place of planes, bombs and missiles. The Russian interference in the United States presidential election is just a taste of more to come.

How can countries protect themselves from such methods? As with nuclear weapons, deterrence is better than confrontation. The United States and its allies in the West need to find a way to discourage Russia, the leading practitioner of this kind of political warfare, from striking first.

With nuclear weapons, deterrence relies on demonstrating the possession of similar capabilities  and the will to use them. This wont work with political warfare.

It is not as though the United States hasnt dabbled in destabilization and disinformation campaigns. But these tactics are less likely to work in Russia, where the news media is mostly state-controlled, the security apparatus quickly stamps out political threats, and citizens have few illusions about their leaders. (For example, when the Panama Papers revealed that President Vladimir V. Putins cronies had secret bank accounts, most Russians simply shrugged, unsurprised.) All that such efforts would do is show Russians that Mr. Putin is right to say the West is no better than him.
To the Editor:

I could not even finish reading Hacking the Democrats (front page, Dec. 14) without stopping to contact members of Congress to demand any legal means possible to delay those who won from taking office before more is known about an election that was clearly influenced by Russian hacking.

This was a direct attack on United States elections and our democracy itself. Where is the outrage? President Obama and four senators requesting an investigation is not enough!

A candidate who publicly invited the Russians to hack into his opponents emails has been elected to the highest position in the nation. Our president-elect, along with members of his campaign team and proposed cabinet, have business relationships with Russia.

Is there not enough evidence for something more to be done? Is there nothing that will prompt our current elected officials, members of the Electoral College and the media to demand more immediate action before these newly elected officials take office?
Maybe it will all turn out O.K. If it does, put me down as promising to applaud.

But my fellow Americans, whatever mix of motives led us to create an Electoral College majority for Donald Trump to become president  and overlook his lack of preparation, his record of indecent personal behavior, his madcap midnight tweeting, his casual lying about issues like millions of people casting illegal votes in this election, the purveying of fake news by his national security adviser, his readiness to appoint climate change deniers without even getting a single briefing from the worlds greatest climate scientists in the government hell soon lead and his cavalier dismissal of the C.I.A.s conclusions about Russian hacking of our election  have no doubt about one thing: We as a country have just done something incredibly reckless.

There is actually something prehistoric about the cabinet Trump is putting together. It is totally dominated by people who have spent their adult lives drilling for, or advocating for, fossil fuels  oil, gas and coal.

You would never know that what has actually made America great is our ability to attract the worlds smartest and most energetic immigrants and our ability to develop technology and to nurture our human capital  not just drill for coal and oil, remarked Edward Goldberg, who teaches at N.Y.U.s Center for Global Affairs and is the author of  The Joint Ventured Nation: Why America Needs a New Foreign Policy.

Dont misunderstand me: It is excusable to raise questions about climate change. But it is inexcusable not to sit down with our own government experts at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for a briefing before you appoint flagrant climate deniers with no scientific background to every senior environmental position.
Their support became a prominent feature of The Times news story as the day went on. Only one key fact was missing: Baker, Rice and Gates all have financial ties to Exxon, having done work for the oil giant in one capacity or another.

Image The Times failed to note early on that three prominent Republicans who vouched for Rex W. Tillerson, Donald Trumps choice for secretary of state, had worked for Tillersons company. Credit... LM Otero/Associated Press

Politico had the story on Monday and Talking Points Memo, a popular political site, was up early with that angle. By the afternoon, ABC and CNN had it too, two TV networks that have been criticized for giving Trump the soft touch.

The Times didnt work the potential conflict of interest into its coverage of Tillersons nomination until about 6:30 Tuesday night. In the meantime, several readers noticed, including Avis Boutell of Moss Beach, Calif.

When citing endorsements for cabinet nominees, you should note when the source might have a conflict of interest, Boutell said, pointing to The Timess earlier coverage. Give your readers the information they need to make informed judgments about the news you are reporting.

It wasnt just The Times that was slow to point out the issue as the orchestrated Trump cabinet rollout churned ahead. Many other big sites were, too. But holding Trump and his transition machinery accountable for their actions is about the most essential element of strong White House coverage. And so is doing it in a speedy manner  during the day, when millions are coming to the website and getting news alerts from competing new organizations.
Back in the 1970s, Steven DiFlora had an unrequited crush on Doriane Lucia, a high school classmate in New Jersey. Decades later, after each had married and divorced, they reconnected, fell in love and last year began searching for a house. We were starting our life together, Mr. DiFlora said, and the first step was to purchase a home.

Moving from separate houses in New Jersey, the couple, both in their 50s, knew what they wanted  natural beauty along with a sense of community  and they found it in Pound Ridge, N.Y., a town in northeastern Westchester, about 50 miles from Manhattan. In September 2015, they bought a three-bedroom, two-bath Cape Cod on two and a half acres surrounded by woods for $596,000. The house, with a pool and a deck, was built in 1930 and expanded in 1974.

Since then, Mr. DiFlora, a partner in an engineering consulting company in Manhattan, and Ms. Lucia, a billing specialist at a Manhattan law firm, have sampled the offerings in Scotts Corners, Pound Ridges half-mile-long business district, and hiked with their dog in Eastwoods Preserve, one of 17 that are managed by the Pound Ridge Land Conservancy. They appreciate the towns bucolic roads, which meander past wooded slopes, streams and lakes and 19th-century stone walls. You realize you are truly off the beaten path, Mr. DiFlora said.

Of Pound Ridges 30 square miles, nearly a third is open space, including more than 3,000 acres of Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. In this quiet, relatively undeveloped town, there are no traffic lights.
Last week, NASA announced that it would open an official account at Giphy, a GIF database and social media platform, bringing the space agency up to speed with the way young people communicate in the internet age.

Well, kind of. The agency announced its new account (and one on Pinterest) in somewhat bureaucratic, defiantly non-millennial terms.

NASA engages and inspires the public by sharing unique content through social media, it said in a news release. Dont forget to check out NASAs accounts regularly, as there are more Pins and GIFs to come.

(Animated GIFs  or graphics interchange format  are short, looped video clips often shared around the internet. You may not know the term, but youve seen them.)
With the winter cold bearing down, its a nice time to imagine experiencing this phenomenon. To dive with the sardines in the Philippines, all you have to do is book a trip with one of many local dive shops. A boat will take you just a few yards from the beach. You dive in, swim down a few feet and look up at the fish clouds. For the best view, head out early. But if you cant make it soon, dont worry: They are there every day, unlike the more famous sardines that migrate by the billions to the coastal waters of South Africa only in the summer.

The sardines schooling behavior is sometimes called a bait ball, and it confuses most predators and very likely helps the sardines to survive. But it doesnt always work out for them. In 2010, Simon Oliver, a conservation biologist now at the University of Chester in Britain, got lucky and captured video of the thresher shark, which has a unique workaround to counter the bait ball: a really long tail. The sharks slap at the ball with sickle-shaped tails specially adapted for the task, at speeds averaging 30 miles per hour, stunning some of the fish. The sardines drop from the ball, and the sharks swim over to gobble them up.

Why are the sardines there? That remains somewhat of a mystery. Until recently, when the sardine industry started worrying about the dwindling numbers of the fish offshore, no one had really thought to study them, let alone the smaller groups found closer to shore. As a result, the science on the populations of these fish near Cebus beaches is lacking.

They were nonexistent a decade ago, and now theyre fairly regular, said Dr. Oliver, who encountered the sardines a few years ago while studying thresher sharks just outside Moalboal on Cebu Island. But hes not ready to call them residents.

He thinks the sardines probably emerged as anything does in nature that finds a niche. Perhaps a few eggs floated into the waters around Cebu and found conditions favorable enough to persist: few predators, plenty of plankton and ideal water temperatures. The sardines appear to hop from one location to the next, like between Pescador Island and the shores of Moalboal. If this setup ever changes, they might go away for good.
The company, for instance, might not need as many truck drivers or other costly logistical operations. Drones could also have environmental benefits, by reducing reliance on pollution-belching vehicles. The biggest boon may be to customers, who could be able to receive their orders more quickly, depending where they live.

The fact that Amazons latest drone tests were in Britain is no coincidence.

The countrys regulators have been more cooperative than their American counterparts about such flights, even signing an agreement with Amazon in July to allow the testing of drones in rural and suburban areas.

As part of those trials  some of which have taken place at a secretive farm in rural Cambridgeshire  Amazon has been allowed to fly drones without a human pilot at the controls, navigating to destinations solely by GPS. The company says it has developed sense-and-avoid technology to help the machines fly around towers, birds and other obstructions.

Not all of the residents in the area have been fans, however.

Julia Napier, who helped found a Cambridgeshire association that maintains public footpaths around one of Amazons test sites, said the companys drones threatened wildlife and the wider countryside, something that the company has denied.

They are testing those drones here because they cant do it in America, she said. Whatever the Americans dont want, I dont want it, either.

While Amazon has experimented with different drone designs, the one that makes the delivery in the companys video appears to be a quadcopter  a helicopter with four rotors  that can take off and land vertically.

So far, the devices are limited to carrying cargo weighing less than five pounds. They use cameras to identify landing marker pads that customers place in their backyards or in other unobstructed locations.
Dec. 14, 2016

Biggest Tech Failures and Successes of 2016

If you love technology, it may be time for a group hug: This year has been rough for consumer technology.

From exploding smartphones and hoverboards to the proliferation of fake news on social media, many of our tech hardware, software and web products suffered embarrassing failures. Behemoths like Google, Facebook and Samsung Electronics were on the firing line as a result.

Yet the year was not entirely bleak. There were major strides in several areas of consumer tech, including Wi-Fi, virtual reality and encryption.

What follows is a year in review on the tech that needed the most fixing, and the tech that was actually fixed in 2016.
Neither did they talk on the way out, although by that time the building was being closed for Trump Towers holiday party. Safra Catz, the co-chief of Oracle who attended the meeting, gave a thumbs up.

Mr. Bezos later issued a statement that said he found the meeting very productive.

I shared the view that the administration should make innovation one of its key pillars, which would create a huge number of jobs across the whole country, in all sectors, not just tech  agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing  everywhere, he said.

The technology world had been in turmoil as the meeting drew near. Some argued the chief executives should boycott the event to show their disdain for Mr. Trumps values. Others maintained they should go and forthrightly make their values clear. And still others thought they should attend and make their accommodations with the new reality.

There is a wide spectrum of feeling in the Valley, said Aaron Levie, the chief executive of the cloud storage company Box.

Complicating the debate was the fact that the most fervently anti-Trump elements in Silicon Valley seem to be the start-ups and venture capitalists, few of which were invited to the meeting. (Alex Karp, the chief executive of Palantir Technologies, was the only head of a privately held tech company at the meeting.)

Some tech companies were also notable for their absence. Twitter, the president-elects medium of choice for communication, was not invited.

Twitter declined to comment on why it was not included. A campaign official complained last month in a Medium post that Twitter had killed a #CrookedHillary emoji. On Wednesday, Sean Spicer, a spokesman for Mr. Trump, said that Twitter had been left out of the meeting because of space considerations in a gathering that many other technology executives were dying to get into.
The repercussions could be vast. As online services like Twitter become the worlds primary place for political dialogue, the rules they set up for policing political speech will have a wide-ranging impact  they could be used to ban not just billionaire presidents-elect, but also activists and dissidents across the globe.

As several free speech advocates told me, it would be difficult for Twitter to enforce a rule that bans Mr. Trumps tweets but does not also censor speech generally. Given that we are now entering an era dominated by right-wing nationalism, these rules could well come to backfire on the progressives urging Twitter to suspend Mr. Trump.

The problem is not necessarily in what hes saying but that hes the president saying it, said Jillian York, a free speech advocate at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. If that sort of speech were censored for everyone, I would have a big problem with it, she said. It would be very much a violation of the spirit of freedom of expression to not allow me to critique a union leader or a journalist or a president.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Trump did not return requests for comment.

Rather than yielding a ban, perhaps deliberations over Mr. Trumps tweets may elicit something deeper from Twitter: Some soul-searching over the kind of platform it wants to be.

Twitter has never been very good about setting up and enforcing speech rules. For years, it let racism, misogyny and anti-Semitism run wild. People who follow Twitters abuse pronouncements say that over the last few months, the company has stepped up enforcement, but it has been criticized for doing so in a way that is opaque, and that does not shed much light on its overall abuse prevention strategy.
SAN FRANCISCO  Uber made a big splash in its hometown on Wednesday when it started offering self-driving car service to passengers here, making San Francisco the second city in the world where the ride-hailing company provides autonomous vehicles for public use.

But California regulators made an even bigger splash late Wednesday when they told Uber to stop the service because it was illegal. The company, the officials said, did not have the necessary state permits for autonomous driving.

It is illegal for the company to operate its self-driving vehicles on public roads until it receives an autonomous vehicle testing permit, Brian G. Soublet, deputy director of Californias Department of Motor Vehicles, said in a letter to Uber. Any action by Uber to continue the operation of vehicles equipped with autonomous technology on public streets in California must cease until Uber complies.
There are countless ways to experience America. You could tackle blockbuster destinations like Niagara Falls or New York or California. You could get lost in its natural wonders, like the Rockies or the Everglades.

Or, as an Armenian man suggested to me some years ago, you could travel from Indian reservation to Indian reservation, from the Cherokee, across to the Navajo Nation, and up to the Northern Plains and the Pacific Northwest. Such a journey would allow an exploration of this countrys troubled past, of migrations and massacres and cultural treasures lost and rediscovered.

I thought of that approach when I went to Badlands National Park, a searing pastiche of rolling hills, dry grasslands and rimmed buttes that stretches over 244,000 acres divided into what are called North and South Units. A four-year-old proposal would make the South Unit, which is now administered in cooperation with the Oglala Sioux, wholly managed by the tribe. (The Oglala Sioux, or Oglala Lakota, the majority of which live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, are one of seven members of a confederation of Sioux tribes.) Those plans have foundered, though, and the South Unit has gone from being celebrated as the possible site of the nations first tribal park to remaining a less-visited, more rugged stretch of Badlands National Park.

The park was established as a national monument in 1939. During World War II, the federal government used the 133,000-acre South Unit area as a bombing range; in 1968, Congress gave it back to the Oglala Sioux tribe with the understanding that the National Park Service would administer it. In 1976, the tribe signed a memorandum of agreement to co-manage the land with the park service. But then two divergent arcs of development followed. Whereas the North Unit of the park has paved roads, marked trails, campgrounds, cabins and other amenities, the South Unit remains nearly inaccessible.
Good morning.

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The fight for more housing has a new war room in San Diego.

Increasingly, even well-off professionals are finding they can no longer afford to live in the San Diego area. In October, the countys median home price was the highest in a decade  $507,500  according to CoreLogic, a data analysis company.

Part of the problem, housing experts say, is simply a shortage of units that is driving demand. As the number of San Diegans has risen, new housing construction has failed to keep pace.

And one reason for the lack of construction? The residents of San Diego.

In many cases, housing proposals fail because residents pressure officials to reject them on the grounds that they would spoil neighborhood character.
CHARLESTON, S.C.  Polly Sheppard, a 72-year-old retired nurse and longtime stalwart of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, dived under a table as the gunfire began and did the only thing she could think to do: She prayed aloud. She could see the bullet casings skittering across the floor of the fellowship hall and the young mans boots approaching. Dylann S. Roof told her to shut up, then asked menacingly if he had shot her yet.

I said no, Ms. Sheppard testified on Wednesday, as the final witness in the guilt phase of Mr. Roofs federal trial on 33 counts, including hate crimes resulting in death. And he said, Im not going to. Im going to leave you to tell the story.

She did, in a panicked call to a 911 operator that night, and again on Wednesday, when she described the events to a courtroom crowded with family members of the nine parishioners Mr. Roof is accused of killing in a massacre on June 17, 2015.

After Ms. Sheppard finished testifying, the prosecution rested, and Mr. Roofs defense lawyers followed suit after declining to call any witnesses. With their eyes on the sentencing phase of the death penalty trial, the lawyers have tried to make suggestions of Mr. Roofs mental incapacity, but have been allowed little leeway by Judge Richard M. Gergel.
#MBN Cable channel loses lawsuit against suspension order MBN, a cable TV channel, on Thursday lost a lawsuit against the government's order to suspend its operation for six months for accounting fraud. The Korea Communications Commis...

#Hybe Q3 Hybe posts highest Q3 revenue ever Hybe, the entertainment company behind K-pop superstars BTS, on Thursday reported a revenue of 445.5 billion won (US$314 million) for the third quarter of the year, up 30.6 percent...
A spokeswoman for the G.S.A. came right back and said no, it hadnt.

GSA does not have a position that the lease provision requires the President-elect to divest of his financial interests. We can make no definitive statement at this time about what would constitute a breach of the agreement, and to do so now would be premature. In fact, no determination regarding the Old Post Office can be completed until the full circumstances surrounding the President-elects business arrangements have been finalized and he has assumed office.

That is quite a different characterization than the one House Democrats gave. They wrote:

G.S.A. assesses that Mr. Trump will be in breach of the lease agreement the moment he takes office on Jan. 20, 2017, unless he fully divests himself of all financial interests in the lease for the Washington, D.C., hotel. The deputy commissioner made clear that Mr. Trump must divest himself not only of managerial control, but of all ownership interest as well.

The problem is fairly straightforward. Mr. Trump will soon be in charge of the agency that issued the lease for the Old Post Office Building, which the president-elect transformed unto a luxury hotel. He will also appoint the head of the G.S.A. To avoid such an obvious conflict, the lease that Mr. Trump signed states: No  elected official of the government of the United States  shall be admitted to any share or part of this lease, or to any benefit that may arise therefrom[.]

No word yet from Mr. Trump about how he will proceed. Not even the G.S.A.s deputy commissioner of public building services has heard a peep in response.

In fact, the deputy commissioner informed our staffs that the G.S.A. has received no communications to date from Mr. Trumps business organization about this issue. This raises serious questions about how Mr. Trump plans to proceed.

But the G.S.A. is not exactly saying all is fine with the hotel. More like, lets wait until Mr. Trump is actually sworn in.

Could Trumps national security adviser be denied a security clearance?

Two Democratic senators are raising a new issue about Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, Mr. Trumps choice for national security adviser: They are questioning whether he should be allowed to hold a security clearance, citing past investigations into charges that Mr. Flynn leaked classified information and into potential conflicts presented by a private intelligence firm he owns.

His business, the Flynn Intel Group, has hazy ties to Middle Eastern countries and has appeared to lobby for the Turkish government, and that creates potential for pressure, coercion and exploitation by foreign agents, the two senators, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, said in a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Office of Personnel Management.
WASHINGTON  Congressional Republicans face a vexing dilemma with the impending presidency of Donald J. Trump: Will they maintain the tough line on Russia that has been central to their foreign policy for decades, or cede that ground to Democrats?

For decades during the Cold War, Republicans tried to claim the hawkish mantle when it came to confronting the Soviet Union. Vice President Richard M. Nixon famously squared off against Premier Nikita Khrushchev in 1959, and years later President Ronald Reagan cast the Soviets as an evil empire.

Reagan made that kind assertiveness central to his foreign policy and he is credited by many with hastening the downfall of the Soviet Union, the most persistent and formidable adversary of the United States of the last 60 years. And Reagan disciples today in the Republican Party, including Vice President-elect Mike Pence, are many.

Reagan helped to frame the template for an American foreign policy that promulgated democracy around the world and curbed what has often been called Russian adventurism.
Ms. Deloach Reed has not agreed to an interview, but we have learned a few things about her tenure. In 2014, she responded to an Alameda County civil grand jurys investigation of deficiencies in the departments inspection bureau with an 11-page letter acknowledging that many of its findings were accurate and that the Fire Department was working diligently to correct the problems  including improving its revenue collections and filling jobs that had been frozen or eliminated because of budget cuts, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

In 2015, The Mercury News reported, The Oakland Fire Department for years has filled staffing shortages by spending millions on overtime for existing employees, rather than hiring more firefighters and paramedics  a situation that union leaders said was dangerous.

Zac Unger, the vice president of Local 55, the Oakland firefighters union, told me the Fire Department was understaffed, with only a handful of inspectors responsible for many buildings. A comparable city of our size would have two to three times that, he said.

Ms. Deloach Reed said on Tuesday that eight fire code inspectors were tasked with annually inspecting about 1,800 buildings. She added that firefighters inspected commercial businesses, but that checking seemingly empty warehouses was not part of their duties.

But a search of the database of the citys Business Tax Office shows that the owner of the Ghost Ship warehouse, Chor Nar Siu Ng, has a business license for the property, and the Oakland fire inspection services website says all commercial facilities must be inspected at least once a year. The question now: Does Ms. Ngs license mean her warehouse should have been inspected regularly?

To try to get a better sense of how the department is run, I spoke with Darryl Von Raesfeld, the former chief of the San Jose Fire Department, who worked closely with Ms. Deloach Reed for 25 years, including when she was assistant fire chief there. Mr. Raesfeld described Ms. Deloach Reed as very professional. But he also said that during his tenure, he made sure his department was properly staffed.

I also put a call in to the State Fire Marshals office in the hopes of understanding Californias regulations for inspections of warehouses, to get a sense of how often the Ghost Ship should have been inspected.
Many parents feel that their adolescents hardly need them anymore. Teenagers often come and go on their own schedules, sometimes rebuff our friendly questions about their days, and can give the impression that interacting with the family is an imposition that comes at the cost of connecting, digitally or otherwise, with friends.

So heres a complaint one might not expect to hear from teenagers: They wish their parents were around more often.

I spend part of my time as a consultant to schools, where I see teenagers as they go about their regular days. On several occasions over the years students have explained to me that their parents are rarely home. Sometimes, they tell me why  a single mother works long hours, the parents have saturated social lives, a sibling is in crisis  and sometimes they dont.

Regardless of the surrounding circumstances, the teenagers who say they are longing for more time with their folks invariably seem self-sufficient and independent. Knowing this, I often suspect that the same adolescent who laments her parents absence might only faintly acknowledge their presence when they are in fact home.
It was not until Mr. da Silva, the former ranch foreman, came across the stones at Rego Grande while deforesting surrounding jungle in the 1990s that scholars focused greater attention on the findings. Mr. da Silva said he first stumbled on the site while hunting wild boar as a teenager in the 1960s, but had subsequently avoided the area.

The place initially felt sacred, like we didnt belong here, said Mr. da Silva, who now guards the Rego Grande site as its custodian. But it was impossible to miss it during the deforestation drive of the 90s, when the priority was to burn down trees.

About 10 years ago, after securing public funds to cordon off the stones, Brazilian archaeologists led by Ms. Cabral and Mr. Saldanha began excavating the site, which is shaped roughly like a circle. They soon identified a portion of a river about two miles away where the granite blocks may have been quarried.

They also found ceramic burial urns, suggesting that at least part of the Rego Grande site may have been a cemetery, while colleagues from Amapas Institute of Scientific and Technological Research discovered that one of the tall stones seemed to be aligned with the suns path during the winter solstice.

After identifying other points in the site where stones could be associated with the suns movement on the solstice, the researchers began piecing together a theory that Rego Grande could have served various ceremonial and astronomical functions connected to agricultural or hunting cycles.

Ms. Cabral said that Rego Grande and a series of other less elaborate megalithic sites found in Amapa may have also served as markers for hunters or fishermen on a landscape that was being transformed by Amazonian peoples a millennium ago.
The Democrats said that the agencys deputy commissioner had made this statement in a briefing to House staff members earlier this month, citing a provision in the 60-year lease with the Trump Organization that prohibits it from being held by any federal government employee.

But shortly after the Democrats issued their letter on Wednesday, the agency said that it had not yet reached such a conclusion.

We can make no definitive statement at this time about what would constitute a breach of the agreement, and to do so now would be premature, a spokeswoman for the agency, Ashley Nash-Hahn, said in a statement.

A decision on this question, she added, will not likely come until Mr. Trump takes office.

The hotel project was conceived by Paulo Figueiredo Filho, a right-wing businessman who said that he gained Mr. Trumps interest in managing the property by boasting of family ties: Mr. Figueiredo Filho is the grandson of Joao Figueiredo, the last military dictator in an authoritarian government that ran Brazil from 1964 to 1985.

Anselmo Henrique Cordeiro Lopes, a federal prosecutor in the capital, Brasilia, opened the criminal inquiry in October, identifying $40 million in investments in the hotel made by two small Brazilian pension funds. One invests on behalf of retirees of a state-controlled information technology firm; the other manages the pensions for civil servants in Tocantins State.

In legal filings, Mr. Lopes said that he was examining why the two pension funds invested so much of their capital in the venture, positioning his inquiry within a broader federal investigation of graft at Brazils pension funds, pillars of the economy that have been involved in an array of scandals in recent years.

As part of the same investigation, Mr. Lopes is also focusing on the Trump Towers Rio, a project to build five futuristic office towers in downtown Rio that was announced in 2012 in conjunction with MRP, a Bulgarian real estate company. Unlike the Trump Hotel Rio, the partners in the downtown venture have not started construction.
BEIJING  Donald J. Trump isnt Mr. Popular in Beijing lately. But Chinas ruling elite seems to be consoling itself with the idea that the American president-elect will take charge of a country staggering into decline and disunion.

A flow of articles in Communist Party publications in recent weeks has argued that the United States tumultuous past year showed it to be dysfunctional and dissolute, and blighted by corruption, social and political polarization, reckless debt and an enfeebled news media.

Can an American Dream sick with the American Disease last for long? read a headline in the latest issue of Red Flag Papers, a party journal that has enjoyed renewed prominence in recent years.

Americas political problems have long been the instigator of its other problems, said the accompanying essay, by a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, one of the governments main think tanks.
HONG KONG  A Malaysian court on Wednesday upheld a sodomy conviction for Anwar Ibrahim, the jailed leader of the countrys opposition, bringing to a close a prolonged legal battle and sidelining a charismatic official ahead of an election in which he had hoped to challenge the scandal-ridden prime minister.

A lower court had sentenced Mr. Anwar to five years in prison in 2014, and the Federal Court upheld the sentence last year, prompting Mr. Anwar to call for a review. His lawyers have argued, in part, that the prosecutions case had been based on a political conspiracy. But the Federal Court rejected their arguments in its decision on Wednesday.

Adib Zalkapli, a political analyst with the Singapore-based consulting firm Vriens & Partners in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, said that the verdict exhausted Mr. Anwars legal options and that he would probably not be released from prison until at least June 2018  after the expected date of the countrys next general election.

It makes a good opening line to Anwars political obituary, Mr. Zalkapli said.

But Latheefa Koya, a member of Mr. Anwars legal team, disputed that assessment, saying in an interview that Mr. Anwar was waiting to read the courts full judgment and would be considering an alternate legal avenue to appeal the decision. She declined to elaborate.
President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, overseer of a contentious and bloody crackdown on drug dealers and users, boasted on Monday about having personally killed criminal suspects when he was mayor of Davao City.

In Davao, I used to do it personally  just to show to the guys that if I can do it, why cant you? Mr. Duterte told business leaders at a meeting in Manila, explaining how he goaded police officers to gun down suspects.

And Id go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also, he said, according to The Manila Times. I was really looking for a confrontation, so I could kill.
Mr. Tamalt, who was based in Britain, completed a masters degree there and obtained British citizenship, seems to be the first to fall foul of the new libel laws. He returned in June after about 15 years abroad and was notably outspoken.

He collaborated as an independent journalist with several Arabic-language newspapers, most notably El Khabar. His Facebook page included posts that were sometimes aggressively critical of the government, politicians, military officials and even their families, but it also celebrated a reunion with his grandmother after years abroad. While his writings and methods were not always admired, he was liked for his joyful mood and funny tone.

Mr. Tamalt was not arrested by the police but by intelligence agents, said Salima Tlemcani, a journalist who specializes in security and court issues.

At a funeral on Monday attended by hundreds, Abdelkader Tamalt said his brother had been harassed, deprived of sleep and brutalized by prison guards in his cell. Their family has demanded an inquiry into the conditions of the detention and is suing the prison administration, said Mohamed Tamalts lawyer, Amine Sidhoum.

Human rights organizations have also demanded an independent and transparent inquiry.

This news is a very heavy blow for all those who defend freedom of information in Algeria, Yasmine Kacha, the director of the North Africa bureau of the rights organization Reporters Without Borders, said in a statement.

The message sent by this tragic event is terrifying: How to explain that Tamalts state of health was allowed to deteriorate without doing anything? she said.

Algerias independent news media did not at first rally behind Mr. Tamalt, since much of the material he produced was poorly sourced and seemed to cross the line into libel, but it did report growing demands for his release and now for an investigation into his death.
In June, seven of Strasbourgs young men from the Meinau neighborhood, who had been arrested in 2014, were tried and convicted on terrorism charges in a Paris court.

But this time the terrorism suspects were different.

They were not 20-something young Muslims adrift in marginal jobs or unemployed. They did not turn up in the French governments notorious S Files, where thousands are listed as potential threats, including some who are subsequently arrested.

But it is precisely the inconspicuous profiles of the latest group that have made the men seem all the more menacing. They did not stand out in quiet neighborhoods where the full beards and veils are unusual.

The grocer sold liquor from his store. If officials have correctly identified them as terrorists-in-the-making, these men would perfectly fit the Islamic States injunctions of concealment and dissimulation.

People who knew them from the neighborhood said the men used the internet. One neighbor said he thought that a couple of the men may have tried to go to the war zone, and that recruiters had tried to lure him, too.

There were certainly more obvious candidates for jihad. The four arrested gave no outward hint of radicalization. Many were surprised that the men would hatch a plot, if that is what they did.
ROME  A week after Matteo Renzi resigned as prime minister of Italy, the former Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni took his place, winning the support of both chambers of Parliament in back-to-back confidence votes on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Addressing lawmakers ahead of the votes, Mr. Gentiloni said that his government  deridingly described by the opposition as a photocopy of Mr. Renzis because nearly all the ministers were the same  would last as long as it has the confidence of Parliament, setting out an ambitious and wide-ranging agenda.

Our work agenda will be crammed, he said. Among his short-term priorities, he listed supporting Italys ailing banking sector and assisting the population of central Italian towns ravaged by earthquakes this year.

In the long term, the government would focus on Italys struggling southern regions and on improving the countrys economy. In a nod to the troubling unemployment rate, particularly in the south, The priority of priorities is work, work, work,  Mr. Gentiloni told lawmakers in the lower house on Tuesday.
BEIRUT, Lebanon  Families, medical workers, insurgent fighters and wounded people were packed and ready Wednesday morning to vacate the ravaged rebel-held neighborhoods of the Syrian city of Aleppo under a deal between Russia and Turkey. Then the resumed booms of incoming artillery shells from pro-government forces sent them into hiding or running for their lives.

It was the latest life-or-death whiplash for the thousands trapped in the ruins of a once-vibrant northern metropolis, which has come to symbolize the atrocities unfolding in the nearly six-year-old war.

Under the supposed deal for a cease-fire and evacuation  announced on Tuesday by Turkey, Russia and Syrian rebels  the remaining fighters were to leave Aleppo for rebel-held territory farther north and civilians were free to join them or move to government-held areas.
DOHA, Qatar  Not long after the government-held city of Palmyra in central Syria fell to Islamic State fighters, the United States and Russia both scrambled warplanes on Wednesday to attack militant targets there.

This was exactly the kind of scenario the Pentagon feared after Moscow sent fighter jets and troops to Syria in the summer of 2015 to bail out the beleaguered government of President Bashar al-Assad: Russian and American fighters streaking toward each other in Syrian air space, raising the danger of a midair catastrophe.

But it is also why the two countries, despite their disputes over how to calm the Syrian civil war, as well as over Russias annexation of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine, last year set up a special hotline to help prevent disasters in the air.

And that is why Col. Daniel Manning was on the phone here early Wednesday with his Russian counterpart, who was at an air base in Latakia, Syria, for what has become a three-times-a-week call to head off, or deconflict, as the military says, any potential problems in the skies over Syria.
The Pentagon has revised a 2015 manual for waging combat while obeying the international laws of war, tightening rules for when it is lawful to fire on a military target even though civilians  from human shields to workers at weapons factories  are nearby.

The changes, announced late on Tuesday, are the second time this year that the Defense Department has modified its Law of War Manual in response to criticism that portions were inaccurate or dangerous. In July, it overhauled sections of the manual to better protect journalists working in battlefield areas.

Protecting civilians in armed conflict is critical, and its important that our legal guidance is clear and practical, said Jennifer OConnor, the Pentagons general counsel. This version of the manual provides greater clarity and also reflects important developments such as the presidents recent executive order on civilian casualties.

Several legal specialists, who had criticized the old version of the manual as misrepresenting the law of armed conflict in ways that endangered civilians, praised some of the changes but criticized others as still muddled.
Its the stuff of urban legend, filtered through a 21st-century nightmare: A shadowy organization surreptitiously turns on the camera and microphone of your smartphone, changing an essential and trusted device into an insidious surveillance tool.

But according to Cynthia M. Wong, a senior internet researcher at the advocacy group Human Rights Watch, authoritarian governments are able to do that when they hack into phones and other devices belonging to dissidents and nongovernmental organizations.

Some potential targets fight back with a simple countermeasure: a sticker or a patch of masking tape over the camera lens. It doesnt stop the hacking, of course, but its an analog way to make sure youre not being spied on visually, Ms. Wong said.
MANY people will receive drones as gifts this holiday season. But before heading to the nearest field to fly the devices, recipients may want to check their insurance coverage.

Im sure there will be a lot of drones given as Christmas gifts, and well start to see more drone-related claims, said Chris Hackett, the senior director for personal lines at the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, an industry group.

Demand for drones has surged because of their lower cost and expanded capabilities.

More than 577,000 people  many of them owners of multiple drones  have registered as hobby drone operators as of early December, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Consumer Technology Association estimates that about 1.2 million drones will be sold this holiday season.

Drones are highly maneuverable, and they can carry cameras to record spectacular vistas from the air. But accidents do happen: Recently, news outlets reported that a drone being used to record a wedding reception in New Hampshire injured two guests, who later sued the groom.
CORONADO  California Gov. Jerry Brown wants President Barack Obama to permanently ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in the state.

Brown says in a letter sent Tuesday to the president that allowing new drilling would be inconsistent with goals of reducing reliance on fossil fuels and combating climate change. A temporary ban in California, Oregon and Washington expires in 2022.

Brown says he doesnt know if President-elect Donald Trump would have authority to overturn a permanent ban. He plans to ask the governors of Oregon and Washington if they want to join the effort.

The governor announced his proposal in Coronado, near San Diego, at an event to launch a new organization to protect oceans. Oregon and Washington also joined the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification.
SANTA ANA  A Santa Ana couple was behind bars Tuesday, and police said theyre looking for a third suspect involved in the stabbing of a gas station customer.

Concepcion Estrella Perez, 42, and Lisa Marie Herrera, 38, of Santa Ana, have been booked on suspicion of attempted murder as well as multiple outstanding theft warrants, according to Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.

The stabbing victim  a 53-year-old man  was hospitalized in serious condition with stab wounds to his upper torso but is expected to survive his injuries, Bertagna said.

The man and the suspects pulled up to a Chevron gas station at 1104 S. Bristol St. on Monday night and got into a conflict that started in the business store and then spilled outside into a physical brawl in which the victim was stabbed, Bertagna said. Police responded to the scene at 9 p.m.

Its not exactly clear what prompted the scuffle, Bertagna said.

Apparently the suspect (Perez) felt disrespected by the victim in some way shape or form, Bertagna said.

Perez and Herrera fled the gas station following the stabbing but police caught up with them a short time later, Bertagna said.

Perez was accused of stabbing the man, he added.

We found him with the bloody knife and the rag he used to wipe the knife with and he was positively identified by witnesses, Bertagna said.

The third suspect is a Latino man who is about 5-feet-8 to 5-feet-10 and weighs about 140 to 160 pounds with a thin build and short black hair, Bertagna said. He was wearing a white, long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and black dress shoes.
HUNTINGTON BEACH A new era began for the City Council on Monday with the swearing in of new members, the city clerk and the city treasurer and the annual election for mayor and mayor pro tem.

A large and festive group of residents was on hand for the mostly ceremonial meeting that included presentations and comments from outgoing Mayor Jim Katapodis and Mayor Pro Tem Dave Sullivan, and the passing of an ordinance acknowledging the election and its results.

Sworn into office were incumbent Councilwoman Jill Hardy and newcomers Lyn Semeta and Patrick Brenden, as well as incumbent City Clerk Robin Estanislau and City Treasurer Alisa Cutchen.

The selection of mayor and mayor pro tem is decided by a rotation. The council elected Barbara Delgleize mayor and Mike Posey mayor pro tem.

Delgleize is a 43-year resident of the city and a local real estate broker. She said her goals for the coming year would be to upgrade Central Park and launch an inaugural Citizens Academy to educate residents.

This year, 10 candidates ran for three open City Council seats.

The field of candidates grew when Katapodis said he would not seek re-election after accepting a job requiring him to spend time in Sacramento.

Sullivan, the longest-standing council member  who had served 16 years at different times and was twice mayor  surprised many when he announced his retirement.

He said he had fulfilled his primary objectives in the latest term, helping to upend a plan that would have brought high-density housing to the city and seeing the new Senior Center finalized in Central Park.

Also at the event to congratulate the new and outgoing council members were Assemblyman and former Councilman Matthew Harper, 2nd District Supervisor Michelle Steel and Joe Carchio, a former mayor, representing Assemblyman Travis Allen.

Katapodis went out in his typical joking manner, with its share of tangents.

This has been a fantastic experience; its very humbling, Katapodis said.

He listed the inaugural Huntington Beach Airshow, the opening of Pacific City and the Senior Center, the hiring of the police and fire chiefs and the creation of the 9/11 memorial sculpture near City Hall as highlights during his tenure.

I cant tell you how much I love it here. The only reason Im leaving is I took a job  and this one pays, Katapodis said of his new position as a law consultant with the state.

He received a sculpture of a surfer, and as a gag gift was given a disposable plastic bag from Mike Barnes, a colleague at Katapodis new job.

Huntington Beach, of course, was the only city in California to both pass and repeal an ordinance banning the use of plastic bags at local stores before state voters supported the plastic bag ban.

As his parting gift to colleagues, in addition to paperweights and small placards, Katapodis donated $100 in each council members name to the Alzheimers Foundation, Los Angeles.

Sullivan also gave brief parting remarks.

Its been a pleasure; this council has been outstanding. Its been an honor to serve for four terms for 16 years. I am thrilled I am going to be succeeded by Lyn Semeta, he said, referring the incoming councilwoman whom he endorsed.

Sullivan received a standing ovation from the audience and his fellow council members.

After Hardy was sworn in, Semeta and Brenden were administered the oath of office and took their seats for the first roll call.

In closing remarks, Semeta, Hardy and Brenden all thanked voters, colleagues and family and vowed to work together and collaborate on issues.

Although Katapodis said this is his last go-around, his contemporaries were not buying it.

And Katapodis admitted he might run again in two or four years.

Hell go make his million dollars in Sacramento and be back in two years, Councilman Erik Peterson said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7964gmellen@scng.com
NEWPORT BACH Developers of the planned 25-story Museum House luxury condominiums filed a complaint with the Orange County Board of Supervisors against a lawyer representing a group opposed to the project, saying his part-time position as a county employee conflicts with the groups actions.

Sean Matsler, an attorney for developer Related California, asked for an investigation into Mark Rosen, an attorney for Citizens Against High Rise Urban Towers. He alleged Rosen was undermining the project by talking to the media and with employees of the countys Airport Land Use Commission.

Matslers letter to the board dated Monday said the conflict of interest stems from Rosens position as an executive assistant to Eric Woolery, the county Auditor-Controller. Rosen said hes held the position for 11/2 years and provides advice to Woolery, who oversees how county taxpayer dollars are spent.

Given that the ALUC is effectively a county agency, we believe a county investigation is required to determine whether Mr. Rosens lobbying efforts are a violation of state conflict of interest laws, the letter said. County and state law do not give a pass for part-time employees.

Rosen said Museum House officials are trying to perpetuate lies in order to move the project forward in the face of a citizen-sponsored petition campaign to push for a public vote on the matter.

This is more of the smear tactics that Museum House people are engaging in, Rosen said Monday. Theyre engaging in hurtful attacks for this project. Its a publicity stunt.

Earlier this month, members of Citizens Against High Rise Urban Towers claimed the Nov. 29 City Council approval of the project was invalid because it was taken without proper documents required from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The airport commission determined the 100-unit building adhered to its land use plan and required Related California provide written verification from the FAA that a Newport Beach police helipad at John Wayne Airport would not be impacted, which it did.

Rosen claimed the FAAs determination referred to heliports as a whole and not specifically the police site. The Newport Beach police chief agreed with the FAAs findings, saying the building would not be close enough to the helicopters landing and departure paths to cause a problem.

Rosen said his employment with the county is a non-issue since he has been on opposite ends with county agencies in the past.

I do a lot of election cases, which means I sue the Registrar of Voters all the time, Rosen said. (The OC Registrar of Voters) Neal Kelley has never said You cant do that, youre a county employee.

The complaint also accuses Citizens Against High Rise Urban Towers of circulating a petition to bring the matter up for a referendum, which Rosen denies. Another group, Line in the Sand, began a petition drive last week in an effort to collect at least 8,000 signatures.

Museum House opponents have accused project supporters of circulating fake petitions in the city and acting aggressively toward shoppers at an Eastbluff shopping center. Some residents have found yard signs paid for by OCMA Urban Housing, a division of Related California, that said voters who signed a petition could be at risk for identity theft.

On Friday, the Irvine Co., which is also against Museum House, filed a lawsuit against Related California seeking a restraining order against the developer from going onto its properties for anything other than commercial activity.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasiano@ocregister.com
KABUL, Afghanistan  A political rival of Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum of Afghanistan said on Tuesday that he had been tortured and raped with an assault rifle after being abducted by Dostum last month.

In an interview with The New York Times, the political rival, Ahmad Ishchi, said he was badly abused by the general, who was the acting president at the time because President Ashraf Ghani was out of the country, and by the generals men.

I can kill you right now, and no one will ask, Ishchi said Dostum told him. He claimed the vice president stepped on his throat and pressed down after he had already been beaten and bloodied.

Dostums office, in a statement, called the accusation a conspiracy to defame the vice president. The statement said Ishchi had not been abducted, but rather had been arrested by security forces on charges of supporting the opposition, for which he remains under investigation.

Its clear there are puppet elements that are trying to influence the international perceptions, and our advice to them is to avoid rushing and premature judgments, the statement said.

Multiple witnesses reported seeing Dostum personally beating Ishchi and having his men drive away with him in a truck during a buzkashi match in northern Afghanistan last month. Despite repeated requests, Dostum and his staff would not comment on the accusations at the time.

If he has animosity with me, I would have no problem if he had killed me with a bullet, Ishchi said in the interview. My character needs to be restored, my rights have been trampled. They should tell me the reasons. If he is the vice president, I am also a human, I have a right to live in this country.

Many of the Western embassies in Kabul expressed concern on Tuesday about Ishchis accusations, which he also made to other news organizations, and called for an investigation.

The EU and its member states present in Kabul, Australia, Canada and Norway, call for a fair and transparent official investigation as regards reports of gross human rights violations and abuses against Mr. Ahmad Ishchi as well as concerning the allegations made against the 1st Vice President, General Abdul Rashid Dostum, the European Union said in a statement Tuesday.

Haroon Chakhansuri, a spokesman for the president, said the government was committed to investigating the accusations.

For Afghan government, nobody is above the law, Chakhansuri said. We will fully investigate the allegation. Rule of law and accountability begins from government itself, and we are committed to it.

Dostum is a former warlord with a history of accusations of human rights violations and abuse, including physical acts of retaliation against allies and rivals. In the past, the U.S. government, despite counting Dostum as one of its earliest allies in the war, had urged the former president, Hamid Karzai, against using the general as a campaign ally.

When Ghani, a Western-educated technocrat, selected Dostum as his running mate two years ago in an effort to gain the support of his ethnic Uzbek constituency, it immediately raised concerns. Many feared that Ghani would struggle to contain a man he had once described as a known killer.

As part of a campaign to improve the generals public image, Ghanis aides convinced Dostum to release a statement apologizing for past crimes and privately stressed that he would have limited authority as vice president.

In the years since then, however, that sense of marginalization has sparked several outbursts by Dostum in which he complained about not being trusted. And in a news conference in October, he issued a veiled threat that he might turn his anger against the government if disrespect of him continued.

When Ghani brought Dostum onto his ticket in 2014, he repeated the same mistake that has plagued Afghanistan since 2001: subordinating human rights and governance to political expediency, said Patricia Gossman, senior researcher on Afghanistan for Human Rights Watch. Ghani knew Dostums record, and he knew the risks  and wrangled an apology. But the fact is warlords and strongmen throughout Afghanistan continue to operate with impunity, and thats why the effort to build a stable Afghan state, one where theres respect for the rule of law, has largely failed.

The rivalry between Ishchi and Dostum dates back about three decades, to the final days of the Soviet-backed communist government in Afghanistan. Dostum outmaneuvered Ishchi to become the head of a regional paramilitary force, but Ishchi refused to serve as a subordinate of the general, remaining one of the political pockets that the general could not control in his northern stronghold.

The recent hostility broke out on Nov. 25, in northern Jowzjan province, during a game of buzkashi between horsemen belonging to Ishchi on one side and Dostum on the opposite.

Ishchi, 63, said that the vice president summoned him over and was already fuming when he met him. He said Dostum started insulting him, and then had his bodyguards throw Ishchi to the ground and stepped on his throat.

He pressed for about two minutes like that, Ishchi said. There were around 2,000 people in the arena watching.

He said his hands were tied behind him, and he was driven to Dostums home in the back of an armored vehicle.

They stuck to me like a wolf does to sheep  tearing my vest, taking off my cape, my boots, and my pants, he said.

In Dostums private prison, he said he suffered intense abuse, including repeated beatings and being raped with the barrel of a Kalashnikov rifle by one of Dostums men, leaving him internally injured. His account could not be independently verified.

Ishchi said he remained a prisoner of Dostum for five days before being handed over to local intelligence officers. The agency kept him for 10 days, releasing him after his wounds  he said his face looked like a liver the first time he looked in a mirror  were mostly healed, under the care of a doctor at the intelligence agency.

What is my crime? said Ishchi, showing a reporter bruises on his legs. What right does he have to beat me up, to take me to his private prison? I will do anything I can to restore my honor, any door I can go to.
(c) 2016, The Washington Post.

After an unprecedentedly dirty presidential election campaign in Austria and ahead of the 2017 parliamentary elections in Germany, politicians in both countries are increasingly on the defensive against what they see as a dangerous surge in fake news and incitement on social media.

Last week, an Austrian court placed a preliminary injunction on Facebooks European branch, forcing it to block posts targeting Green Party Chairwoman Eva Glawischnig. The posts, which appeared to have been spread via a fake profile, described Glawischnig as a lousy traitor of the people and a corrupt klutz.

The court held the opinion that the spreading of untrue statements can never be covered by freedom of speech, spokesman Alexander Schmidt said.

The posts in question were blocked only in Austria and can still be accessed in other European countries, but Glawischnigs attorney deemed the verdict a success. I think that the floodgates have been opened. Many people have now seen that there are options and will follow our example, Maria Windhager said, adding that she was looking at ways to block the content in Germany, as well.

A Facebook spokeswoman declined to comment, citing ongoing legal procedures.

The insults directed at Glawischnig appeared to have been spread via the same fake profile that was used to circulate false rumors during the run-up to Austrias presidential vote this month, including that Alexander van der Bellen  who eventually won the election  was suffering from cancer and dementia. In what seemed like an echo of the U.S. presidential race, Van der Bellen, who is close to the Green Party, was forced to publish his health records to dispel the rumors.

In Germany, politicians across the political spectrum reacted with alarm at reports about alleged interference by Russian hackers in the recent U.S. election, warning of the likelihood of a similar scenario in their country. Several called for tougher laws to prevent the spread of fake news on social media. Deliberate disinformation to destabilize a state should be made punishable, Patrick Sensburg, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union, told the Funke media group this week.

German Green Party politician Renate Knast announced last week that she was going to take legal action against various Facebook users who had circulated a fabricated quote suggesting that Knast had partly defended a Syrian teenager suspected in the rape and killing of a young woman. The traumatized young refugee did kill, but one has to help him now either way, the post read, falsely claiming that Knast had made the statement in an interview with the daily Sddeutsche Zeitung.

Merkels Social Democratic coalition partners this week urged all parties to voluntarily abstain from using social media to manipulate the upcoming elections. Their chairman and deputy chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, tweeted on Monday: We . . . are calling on democrats to close their ranks against means such as manipulative social bots and to fight fake news together!

But some commentators warned on taking the fight against fake news too far. Author Sascha Lobo wrote in an editorial published by the Spiegel Online news website on Wednesday: The line between silly propaganda and welcome formation of political opinion can hardly be defined by legal terms but must be the subject of constant debates. Laws to that end would cause significant (collateral) damage in a liberal legal state.

With elections in Germany and possible early parliamentary elections in Austria next year, the controversy over potential limits on the freedom of speech and the scourge of fake news is likely to continue.

germany-fakenews
SANTA ANA  A 57-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of vandalizing two walls with gang graffiti, Santa Ana police said.

Police were called about 10 a.m., when a man was spotted vandalizing a wall in the 1800 block of West First Street with gang graffiti, according to Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.

A witness recorded the crime with video and was giving it to an officer when there was another report of gang graffiti on a wall in the 200 block of South Franklin Street, Bertagna said.

Joe Fugencio Mirabel, 56, was arrested running from the scene, Bertagna said.
A 48-year-old Laguna Hills man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of illegally selling pet medications online.

Sean Gerson owned a business called Vaccination Services in Lake Forest and was taken into custody following a complain filed on Dec. 6.

He faces two counts, one felony and one misdemeanor, of dispensing drugs knowing customers did not have prescriptions.

Gerson used several websites  including www.fleastuff.com, www.mydoghasfleas.xyz and www.fleaandtickstuff.com  to market drugs to buyers.

The complaint also alleges that Gerson sold Comfortis, a drug designed to be sold in South Africa but not approved in the United States. Federal law prohibits the importation and sale of veterinary medicines that havent been approved by the FDA and EPA.

Federal investigators searched Gersons Laguna Hills storage unit and seized more prescription products. Gerson previously pleaded guilty in Harris County, Texas to charges of delivering a dangerous drug for pets. After that conviction, he agreed to work as a confidential informant for the authorities under the condition he wouldnt sell animal drug products again.

The drugs involved in this case allegedly were distributed without the supervision of a licensed professional, which greatly increases the risk of unintended consequences beyond the animals taking the medication, United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker said in a statement.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7865 or afausto@scng.com
What goes around 

The news seldom makes me laugh these days. But I did get a big chuckle out of the article Anti-Obamacare push reignites GOP tensions [News, Dec. 11].

In the article, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch complains, The real world right now is that the Democrats wont help with anything. Welcome to the last eight years for Democrats, thanks to the edict of Mitch McConnell. As they say, what goes around, comes around.

This also makes it clear the Republicans never had, or likely ever will have, a replacement plan for Obamacare even though theyve had over six years to figure it out and make good on a Republican campaign promise. It also makes one suspicious that for Republicans it wasnt what was good for Americans, it was all about discrediting Obama and getting Republicans elected by making false claims and promises.

 Judith A. Lewis, Huntington Beach

Throw out the OCTA board

The proposed streetcar has absolutely no chance of relieving congestion anywhere, let alone in Santa Ana. Are these OCTA board members driving the same freeways that the rest of us do? After spending billions of dollars and years of work, our freeways are pathetic. Now the board seems intent on spending over a quarter of a billion dollars on something that most will never use, and can easily be replaced by something that costs a fraction as much.

The only reason that they are even considering this project is that there is government money available for it. They are not only ready to commit matching funds for this, but also yearly upkeep and maintenance. This is not a good use of Measure M money. Measure M money needs to be spent on true congestion relief, not just to indulge a mayors ego. Things need to change.

 Robert Daoust, Anaheim

Propaganda machines

Re: Media industry needs regulatory relief, too, Mr. Trump [Opinion, Dec. 11]: It may be very difficult for many to feel sympathy for big media complaining about outdated and burdensome regulations. One day, close to last months election, talking heads on six different morning news programs all used the same exact phrase in criticizing Trump. Could that be a simple coincidence?

The media has relinquished its role as government watchdog to eagerly become the propaganda arm for the Democratic National Committee.

 Jack Kirby, Trabuco Canyon
BEIRUT  Families, medical workers, insurgent fighters and wounded people were packed and ready Wednesday morning to vacate the ravaged rebel-held neighborhoods of the Syrian city of Aleppo under a deal between Russia and Turkey. Then the resumed booms of incoming artillery shells from pro-government forces sent them into hiding or running for their lives.

It was the latest life-or-death whiplash for the thousands trapped in the ruins of a once-vibrant northern metropolis, which has come to symbolize the atrocities unfolding in the nearly 6-year-old war.

Under the supposed deal for a cease-fire and evacuation  announced Tuesday by Turkey, Russia and Syrian rebels  the remaining fighters were to leave Aleppo for rebel-held territory farther north and civilians were free to join them or move to government-held areas.

That outcome would leave the whole city in the hands of forces loyal to the Syrian president, Bashar Assad.

The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, denounced the resumed shelling, calling it a probable war crime.

The way this deal was dangled in front of this battered and beleaguered population  causing them to hope they might indeed live to see another day  and then snatched away just half a day later is also outrageously cruel, al-Hussein said in a statement.

The Syrian government has a clear responsibility to ensure its people are safe, and is palpably failing to take this opportunity to do so, he said.

As each side blamed the other for the deals collapse, civilians inside the city issued anguished, angry pleas for international pressure to reinstate it. The Assad government and Iran, Syrias other main ally besides Russia, appeared not to have been fully consulted on the deal, according to international officials and others briefed on the talks, and were insisting on new conditions.

Rebel groups outside the city resumed shelling government-held districts in Aleppo. Civilians in other rebel-held areas to the north protested against their leaders and ransacked posts of hard-line rebel groups, demanding they help those in Aleppo.

Close to midnight Wednesday, rebel groups announced a new deal for another evacuation attempt today. Trapped civilians expressed disbelief, and the Syrian military denied that another deal had been reached.

But by early this morning shelling had tapered off, residents reported, hoping the pause would hold.

As the shelling escalated Wednesday morning, a radiology nurse in Aleppo, Mohamed al-Ahmad, said he hoped the world would hear our final scream, adding that the wounded, with rescue and medical services in disarray, were bleeding to death in the streets.

Yasser, an accountant volunteering in a makeshift medical clinic, posted a photograph via WhatsApp of an injured girl lying on a hall floor. She was 10, he said, with broken bones, and was crying and shouting: Get me out of Aleppo. I am afraid, I am cold. My back is hurting me. Where is the doctor?

Yasser, who asked to be identified only by his first name for fear of being arrested for contacting journalists, said in frustration, Let us leave  what is happening?

Troubles carrying out the accord were not surprising, as there was no international monitoring  U.N. officials said the Syrian government had refused their repeated pleas to observe  and no enforcement provision. The same problems have vexed other deals reached during the conflict.

Malek, an activist who said he hoped to join his pregnant wife in northern Aleppo province and who asked to be identified only by his first name for fear of retaliation, said the world saw civilians in rebel-held territory as no longer human.

They think we are Daesh, he said using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State, the group that has established a so-called caliphate in parts of Syria but not in Aleppo.
The 80-home Cielo Vista housing development proposed for the hills just north of Yorba Lindas city limits was approved by county supervisors this week, while the neighboring 340-home Esperanza Hills proposal was sent back to the Planning Commission.

In August, the Cielo Vista developer reached an agreement with Protect Our Homes and Hills, a residents group that has voiced concerns over the projected increase in traffic and demands on resources, and the prospect of too many residences in an area with a propensity for fires.

That agreement help lead in a reduction of homes and includes fire safeguards including gravity-fed water systems.

I think the folks developing Cielo Vista have done a really good job addressing the concerns of all of the residents, Yorba Linda resident Brian Gass, a member of the group, said after the supervisors unanimous vote. They reduced their density by 28.5 percent. We proposed density reduction to the Esperanza Hills developer, and they never once told us that they would do it.

We are not anti-development, he said. We are just anti-bad development.

Well more than 100 people, many wearing red shirts as a sign of unity, showed up representing Protect Our Homes and Hills or its cause in the supervisors chambers in Santa Ana on Tuesday.

More than a dozen Yorba Linda residents used a Power Point presentation to express opposition to the Esperanza Hills development. A main concern was a proposed access bridge across Blue Mud Canyon near the Whittier-Elsinore earthquake fault. The bridge would be nearly 500 feet long, about 140 feet tall and 60 feet wide.

Doug Wymore, a project manager for Esperanza Hills, said the bridge was proposed to give access to the community because an agreement could not be reached with the developers of adjacent Cielo Vista for access through that property.

Also, he said, separate pairs of California gnatcatchers, a threatened songbird subspecies, had been observed where the access roads would cross Cielo Vista.

Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer, whose district includes the proposed developments, said he didnt like the bridge at all.

I cannot support this the way its been presented, Spitzer said. It doesnt divert traffic into two separate areas in a way that would be more responsible in terms of flow.

The supervisors voted 3-2 to return that project to the Planning Commission to look at the number of homes being proposed and access to the 469-acre property.

We are extremely pleased with the outcome, said Kevin Johnson, a San Diego land-use lawyer hired by Protect Our Homes and Hills. We consider it a win-win that they are going to take the time to think about these things.

Supervisors asked both developments to work together on access. A representative of Cielo Vista said it would do so.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7868 or desalazar@scng.com
ORANGE  Its the latest episode of state vs. local control of Orange Countys freeways.

Caltrans staff on Monday presented their draft Managed Lanes Network Study to the Orange County Transportation Authority board, detailing recommended system changes to address slow travel speeds in high-occupancy vehicle, or carpool, lanes.

Most of Orange Countys HOV lanes operate in a degraded condition, according to the state-commissioned study, meaning the average speed drops below 45 mph on more than two weekdays each month. By federal standards, the state must implement improvements when degradation occurs.

The study evaluated two scenarios for freeways countywide. The first involves converting existing HOV lanes into high-occupancy toll lanes, creating one of the latter in each direction. The second entails adding one HOV toll lane in each direction and converting existing HOV lanes, for a total of two toll lanes in each direction.

County board members who spoke up were not pleased.

Tom Tait said he could assume fellow board members were all against it.

My opinion  and I speak for the people I represent  is that this is something that I think will actually make congestion worse on the free lanes that people pay their taxes for and its more about revenue generation, Tait said.

While most counties in California have sales tax measures that include toll lane projects, Orange County does not.

OCTA board member Frank Ury said the study excludes toll roads and should pull in the Transportation Corridor Agencies that oversee them.

Weve got the money; Caltrans wants to control, Ury said. If we take our funding, hand it to an agency where theyve got the control, our results in 20 years may not be what the residents of Orange County were looking for.

Caltrans District 12 Director Ryan Chamberlain, who sits on the OCTA board but doesnt vote, disagreed, saying the 73 and 241 toll roads were included in models, but that the study didnt delve into how pricing changes on the toll roads would affect demand. He said the agencies reached a really sweet spot working on I-405 and he hopes for a similar partnership approach.

Control has never been a line in the sand for the department, he added. Its been, Lets work together to find something that is meaningful and will work for both of us.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7762 or jkwong@ocregister.com or on Twitter: @JessicaGKwong
MEXICO CITY  In one of the stranger chapters of Mexicos drug war, angry people in a southern town kidnapped the mother of a gang leader to demand the release of their loved ones.

The government of Guerrero state said Tuesday that it was sending about 220 soldiers and police to try to defuse the situation in Totolapan.

The town has been controlled for years by a drug gang boss whose proper name is Raybel Jacobo de Almonte, but who is better known as El Tequilero.

De Alamonte has lived up to his nickname, which translates roughly as The Tequila Drinker. In his only known public appearance, he was captured on video drinking with the towns mayor-elect. De Alamonte mumbles inaudibly and has to be held up in a sitting position by one of his henchmen.

In recent months, his gang  also known as the Tequileros  has been fighting turf battles with other gangs in the area. Last week, the Tequileros allegedly kidnapped several inhabitants of Totolapan who they wanted to extort or whom they suspected of supporting a rival.

In response, a few dozen men appeared this week in the streets of Totolapan waving shotguns and hunting rifles. In a video, the men carry banners calling for action against El Tequilero and identify themselves as a self-defense force, as vigilantes are known in the region.

We urgently demand the release of the kidnap victims, a masked man says in a statement read on the video. We are a legitimate self-defense force of the people.

Among the Tequileros kidnap victims was a local construction engineer, Isauro de Paz Duque, who was snatched on Sunday by men who had threatened to kill him.

On Monday, a woman who identified herself as De Paz Duques wife said on a video that townspeople had El Tequileros mother and would exchange the woman for her husband.

We have your mother here, Mr. Tequilero, she said. I propose an exchange: Ill give you your mother if you give me my husband, but I want him safe and sound.

The state government said in a statement that a negotiating team had been sent to establish contact with the family of the missing engineer and the vigilantes and to set up a search team.

The goal of the team is to ensure that no injury is done to the missing person, nor to the mother of the head of the Tequileros gang, who has apparently been taken by the self-defense forces, the statement said.

The government later confirmed that about five of the two dozen people being held by the vigilantes had been freed, but those freed did not include the gang boss mother.

In late November, the Guerrero government said El Tequilero was believed to have been wounded and was hiding out with his kidnap victims in the mountains. The state attorney general headed an extensive manhunt using helicopters and troops on the ground in an unsuccessful effort to locate the gang leader.

The area is a hotbed of drug trafficking, killings and extortion. It is the foot of the mountains that produce much of Mexicos opium poppy crop.

Totolapan is considered so dangerous that many outlying hamlets in the township have been abandoned by fearful residents. In 2014, the battered body of the parish priest, the Rev. Ascension Acuna Osorio, was found floating in the Balsas river near the town.

The emergence of vigilante groups, also known as self-styled community police, has become a headache for Guerreros government. Authorities say they understand residents frustration but note the groups often wind up kidnapping suspects, fighting among themselves or preventing police from doing their work.

The truth is, they are not really community forces, nor are they police, Gov. Hector Astudillo said. They are armed groups that unfortunately carry out acts  that generate more violence and confrontation, rather than help.
ORANGE  A police officer seriously injured Saturday when struck by a suspected drunk driver was showing signs of improvement but faces a long recovery, officials said Tuesday.

Officer Sharif Muzayen was on a call in a residential area at about 3 a.m. Saturday when a woman suspected of driving under the influence crashed into him as he stood behind his police cruiser, authorities said.

Muzayen suffered severe injuries below the waist and remains in intensive care, Lt. Fred Lopez said.

Hes definitely not out of the woods when it comes to his injuries, Lopez said. He has a very long road ahead of him.

Ashley Victoria Bertolino, 27, of Tustin was charged Tuesday with felony counts of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs causing bodily injury, and driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08 percent or more causing bodily injury.

If convicted, she faces up to six years in prison, the Orange County District Attorneys Office said.

Prosecutors said Muzayen was standing near the back of his patrol car, parked along a curb, gathering paperwork when Bertolino is accused of drifting toward the curb and crashing into him. She is accused of having a blood-alcohol level of .13 percent and being under the influence of drugs while going 40 mph in a 25-mph zone.

Two other officers ran to help Muzayen, who was underneath Bertolinos vehicle, prosecutors said.

Muzayen, a father of two, served two tours in Afghanistan as a U.S. Marine. He has been with the department for about three years.

Hes not only a great police officer and employee, but hes a wonderful person, Lopez said. He gets along with everyone in the community.

Lopez said Muzayens family has been touched by the outpouring of kindness. The Orange Police Department has received calls and emails from police agencies throughout California offering emotional support.

In a good way its been overwhelming, the amount of people who have reached out to us, Lopez said. In this profession, just like firefighters, when one of us is injured people really come together.

Contact the writer: kpuente@ocregister.com
MOSCOW  Alexei Navalny, the most vocal critic of the Kremlin, announced on Tuesday his intention to run for president of Russia, though he is facing a court trial that could make him ineligible to participate in the campaign.

There have been no true elections in Russia since 1996, and this is one of the reasons of our plight, Navalny said in a video statement, posted on his new campaign website. I will participate in the election, and I will fight for victory.

Apart from Navalny, only Grigory A. Yavlinsky, the leader of the liberal party Yabloko, has declared his intention to run for the post. President Vladimir Putin has deflected questions about his own candidacy, saying it is too early to talk about it. But he is widely expected to run and, in light of his soaring approval ratings and control over the media, is expected to win.

The vote is scheduled to take place in March 2018.

A lawyer by training, Navalny, 40, emerged as Russias most prominent opposition politician on the wave of public protests that followed parliamentary elections in 2011, seen by many as flawed.

But as Navalnys popularity was surging, Russian investigators got busy, filing a number of criminal cases that rights advocates have dismissed as politically motivated. In 2013, a court in the provincial Russian town of Kirov convicted Navalny on charges of embezzling timber worth $500,000 from a state-owned company and sentenced him to five years in prison.

A few months later, the sentence was suspended but the criminal conviction barred Navalny from running for office  the outcome that Navalny and others say was the governments goal from the beginning.

In the meantime, Navalny garnered more than 27 percent of the vote in a race for mayor of Moscow, a better result than any other open critic of the Kremlin in a major election since Putin assumed office in 1999. That Navalny was even allowed to run was seen as an attempt by the Kremlin to make the election look more legitimate.

In November, Russias Supreme Court overturned Navalnys criminal conviction after the European Court of Human Rights ruled in February that Russian courts had violated his right to a fair trial. While Navalny is free for the moment to campaign, the criminal case will be retried by a court in Kirov, which could reinstate the conviction and again bar him from office.

Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RBC, a Russian news website, that the Kremlin had no comment on Navalnys announcement.

Over the years, Navalny has repeatedly accused Putin and members of his inner circle of rampant corruption and has been tolerated as long as he does not seem to pose a serious threat.

In his statement, Navalny promised to raise the issue of official corruption during the campaign.

The Kremlin and the government are only worried about solving their own financial issues, Navalny said in the video. I will discuss what everybody is silent about, but what has to be said for a long time.
Warning: If you suffer from fear of frying, beware! Hanukkah is coming, and this holiday, which begins at sundown December 24, is all about the oil. When Judah Maccabee and his tiny army defeated the Syrian-Greeks, they found only a tiny flask of lamp oil with which to purify the desecrated temple. Miraculously, it burned for eight days, sparking a frying frenzy that has lasted for centuries.

For those of Eastern European descent, who make up the majority of Jews in the United States, latkes (potato pancakes) take center stage. But in Israel, sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) are as popular as latkes are here.

My friend Pnina Shichor is famous for the lightest, airiest, most scrumptious doughnuts. Think New Orleans beignets. These wispy confections are Israels answer to Krispy Kreme, but in Shichors version, instead of injecting jam into the cakes, you form a depression in the dough and fill it with jam, making these treats as pretty to look at as they are impossibly irresistible to eat. I use different colored jams for an even showier display.

My granddaughters like to put all kinds of toppings on them, said the Fullerton resident. At our family Hanukkah party I lay out a topping bar with whipped cream, sprinkles, toasted nuts, coconut, chocolate syrup, etc., and let everyone decorate their own.

Spooning on the jam is a great project for kids, and they can even help form the dough. Just keep them away from the bubbling oil. An electric frying pan works much better than a regular frying pan, Shichor cautioned, so dig yours out of the attic, or you can find one cheap at a big-box store.

When my children were young, my cousin, Esther Schechter, and I would do Hanukkah at Rolling Hills Elementary School, Shichor said. Wed tell the story, sing songs and teach the children to make sufganiyot.

When the Shichors were considering transferring daughter Nomi to Jewish day school, Nomi said, But, Mom, if I go there, who will do Hanukkah for our class?

Shichors mother-in-law, Malka Suranyi, brought the recipe from Budapest, where the family survived under Nazi rule. Luckily an uncle owned an exclusive mens clothing store favored by the Nazis, so the workers were spared. After the war the Communists took over, and Shichors husband, David, a retired professor of criminal justice at Cal State San Bernardino, was barely 16 when the Jewish Agency smuggled him and other children out of Hungary.

It was just like the film Exodus, recalled Pnina Shichor. They were taken to a detention camp in Italy. Then 7,000 people were packed onto a boat meant for 400 and sent to Israel.

Pnina and David Shichor met while she was in Israel teaching English. I was totally enthralled with Israel and wanted to live there, which the couple actually did for five years after they married. Thats how I got into the travel business. Arranging tours to Israel became my specialty.

Son Nadav and his familys first home was in Modiin, Israel, where the Maccabees revolt for freedom began. It was customary throughout history to light a torch on Hanukkah, which would start in Modiin, Pnina Shichor explained. Runners would carry it from village to village to announce the holiday. Today there are still races there at Hanukkah.

We love spending Hanukkah in Israel, she said. Every holiday is so richly celebrated there. Each night you go to someones house to light candles, sing songs, visit and of course eat!

For most American Jews, however, Hanukkah would not be Hanukkah without latkes. Each year I like to try something new, and this year Ill be serving parsnip potato latkes from The Silver Platter (Artscroll, $34.94) by Daniella Silver and Norene Gilletz. Theyre super crunchy, a delightful spin on the traditional recipe.

Pnina Shichors Sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts)

Yield: about 3 1/2 dozen

3 packages active dry yeast

1/2 cup plus scant 1 cup warm water (105-110 degrees)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup oil

4 large eggs, beaten

About 5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

Canola or corn oil for frying

Jam (any flavor)

Confectioners sugar

1. Stir yeast into 1/2 cup warm water in very large (at least 6-quart) bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the sugar; set aside until bubbly, 5-10 minutes. Stir in scant 1 cup warm water, remaining sugar, salt, oil and eggs. Add 3 cups of the flour and mix. Gradually knead in remaining flour until dough is spongy and elastic but still feels slightly tacky. Remove dough and oil sides of bowl  no need to wash it. Turn dough to coat all over with oil; return it to bowl. Loosely cover dough with plastic wrap.

2. Preheat oven to lowest setting and turn off. Let dough rise in oven until it nearly reaches top of bowl, about 2 hours.

3. Roll out dough 1/4-inch thick on lightly floured board. Cut with 3-inch biscuit cutter or glass into rounds. Place rounds, uncovered, on baking sheet; let rise 30 minutes.

4. Heat oil in electric frying pan to 365 degrees. Dip your fingers in flour and lift a round of dough. Holding the round with both thumbs and forefingers, poke your two middle fingers back and forth in the middle underside of dough to stretch it quite thin without tearing it. This will be the depression for the jam.

5. Quickly drop each round into hot oil, depression side down, a few at a time, without crowding; cover pot about 30 seconds or until doughnuts are golden brown but not dark. Quickly turn them, cover pot and fry until other side is golden brown. Drain doughnuts on paper towels. Repeat with remaining dough. Dust with confectioners sugar; then fill depressions with jam. Best eaten warm. They dont keep well, but no matter. You wont have leftovers.

Source: Cooking Jewish (Workman) by Judy Bart Kancigor

Parsnip Potato Latkes

with Sour Cream

Dill Topping

Yield: 12-15 large latkes

1 pound parsnips, peeled

1 large Idaho/russet potato, peeled

1 medium onion

2 large eggs

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Grapeseed or vegetable oil, for frying

For the sour cream dill topping:

1 1/2 cups sour cream or Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Additional dill for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In food processor fitted with shredding disc, shred parsnips, potato and onion, using medium pressure. Transfer vegetables to large colander; press firmly to drain excess liquid.

3. Place veggies into large bowl. Add eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and dill. Mix well.

4. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop large spoonfuls of batter into hot oil to form pancakes, flattening them slightly with back of spoon. Do not crowd. Fry 3-4 minutes per side or until golden.

5. Drain well on paper towels. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Place in oven to keep warm.

6. To make the topping, stir together sour cream, lemon juice, dill and pepper. Place into serving bowl; garnish with additional dill. Serve with latkes.

Source: The Silver Platter by Daniella Silver and Norene Gilletz

Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of Cooking Jewish and can

be found on the web

at cookingjewish.com.
ATLANTA  An 86-year-old jewel thief who has kept jewelry sellers on their toes since the 1960s has struck again, police say  this time by slipping a $2,000 diamond necklace into her pocket.

Doris Payne, who has been the subject of a documentary and casually said during an Associated Press interview earlier this year that I was a thief, was arrested Tuesday at a Von Maur department store outside Atlanta.

Payne was arrested after she put the necklace in her back pocket and tried to leave the store, Dunwoody police spokesman Mark Stevens said in an email. She faces a shoplifting charge.

Online jail records did not show any bond information, and it wasnt clear whether Payne had an attorney who could comment.

In a 2015 interview with the Register, Payne said, I have no remorse. Why? I aint killed nobody, Payne said. I never took anything I regretted. I had a good look at it and decided this is what I want. And I kept it.

She had parlayed an ability to make people forget about her into a career as a top-end thief. Over the decades, shes played many roles  young thief, young convict; older thief, older convict  but now comes the toughest: homeless.

The woman who once jetted to Paris on nine passports to lift diamonds and emeralds was in 2015 down and out in Long Beach, haggling with the Department of Public and Social Service for meager benefits and a place to sleep. The woman credited with spiriting away more than $2 million in jewelry was at the time in a motel room she could rent by the week.

Payne had been staying in Long Beach in 2015 after she got out of jail for failing to report to a probation officer. A year earlier, she had swiped a 3.5 carat ring worth $22,500 from a store in Palm Springs. Although sentenced to four years for that crime, including two in jail, she did three months before being released because of overcrowding.

That stint came on the heels of arrests in San Diego in 2011 and in Costa Mesa in 2010, when she tried to lift a $1,300 Burberry coat. Her biggest haul came in the 1970s when, in Monte Carlo, she says she lifted a 10-carat diamond ring valued at $545,000.

Attorney Shawn McCullers, who represented her last year when she was accused of pocketing a $690 pair of earrings from a Saks Fifth Avenue department store at a mall in Atlantas upscale Buckhead neighborhood, said in an email Wednesday that he was not currently representing her in the latest arrest.

Authorities have said Payne has lifted pricey baubles from countless jewelry stores around the world in an illicit career that has spanned six decades. The legend of Paynes alleged thefts have long fascinated the public and media, with countless news stories and a 2013 documentary film, The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne, detailing her feats.

When asked about her exploits in the interview with The Associated Press earlier this year, she said simply: I was a thief.

Court papers in Atlanta reference six cases prior to the alleged theft last year, mostly in southern California, dating to 1999.

Payne was raised in West Virginia and moved with her family to Ohio when she was a teenager.

Authorities have said she has used at least 22 aliases over the years and probably got away more often than she was caught, though she has done several stints in prison. The Jewelers Security Alliance, an industry trade group, sent out bulletins as early as the 1970s warning about her.

Payne told the AP she realized a simple distraction could make it easy to slip out with a fancy trinket in hand after a friendly store owner let her try on watches as a child and then forgot she had the jewelry on. Her career was born in her 20s when she got the idea that she could support herself by lifting jewelry.

Payne, who appeared effortlessly elegant and spoke with calm deliberation during the interview with the AP, nevertheless grew cagey when asked about her methods.

I dont dictate what happens when I walk in the store. The people in charge dictate what happens with me when I walk in the store, she said. I dont tell a person in the store I want to see something that costs $10,000. They make those decisions based on how I present myself and how I look.

Staff Writer Greg Mellen contributed to this report.
On Saturday, the president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, used his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech to call for a rethink of the War on Drugs.

Santos, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of a historic peace deal between the Colombian government and the FARC rebel group which waged a guerilla war in the country for half a century, noted that his country has been ravaged in large part because of the War on Drugs.

The peace agreement with the FARC includes their commitment to cut all ties with the drug business, and to actively contribute to fighting it, he said. But drug trafficking is a global problem that demands a global solution resulting from an undeniable reality: The War on Drugs has not been won, and is not being won.

For decades, much of Latin America has suffered the consequences of driving underground a market worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

In Colombia, the illegal drug trade helped fuel not only the FARC, but scores of other paramilitary organizations, guerilla groups and competing drug traffickers involved in decades of conflict and instability, contributing to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

Closer to home, Mexico has seen dramatic upticks in violence in recent years. Since December 2006, when then-President Felipe Calderon sent the military to the state of Michoacan to quell drug traffickers, more than 100,000 people have been killed across the country in the ensuing conflict.

The manner in which this war against drugs is being waged is equally or perhaps even more harmful than all the wars the world is fighting today, combined, Santos said. It is time to change our strategy.

Its a perspective gaining greater currency worldwide.

Just last month, the Global Commission on Drug Policy, with members including former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria, former Secretary of State George Schultz and former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg of the United Kingdom, called for the removal of all punitive responses to drug use and possession. It further recommended nations explore regulatory models for all illicit drugs.

Criminalization has done more harm than drugs themselves could ever possibly do  from the funding of terrorist and criminal organizations to prison overcrowding and the unnecessary spreading of hepatitis C and HIV  all while failing to actually prevent drug use and abuse.

Santos remarks, and the conclusions of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, come at a time when the United States has increasingly come to embrace marijuana legalization, harm reduction and the idea of treating drug abuse as a public health issue rather than a criminal justice one.

Nations like Portugal have shown another way is possible. The decriminalization of personal use, coupled with expanded drug treatment, has been an effective means of combating drug abuse in that country. Its an approach worth considering, as 45 years and $1 trillion after Richard Nixon declared the War on Drugs, it is clear our policies have failed.

President Santos is right; we need to rethink our approach to drugs.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, says the male announcer in a home recording booth.

In a twin booth just six feet away at the Highland home, a female voice says the same thing.

Both recordings will be heard at the Disneyland Resort  his at Disneyland and hers at Disney California Adventure.

They are Bill Rogers, 66, and Camille Dixon, 51, the official voices for each park, and theyre married  to each other.

We met in 2000, a client booked me at his studio, Dixon said.

A romance between the two voiceover announcers blossomed and 10 years later on Christmas Eve, they married.

Rogers became the official voice of Disneyland in 1991, when Jack Wagner, the original voice of Disneyland, retired. And on the basis of a two-take audition, Rogers got the gig, and has been doing it for 25 years.

I think Ive said Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls about 90,000 times, he said.

Rogers had been doing voice work for a variety of clients, when an associate at a recording studio asked him if he knew Jack Wagner.

I told him I didnt know him personally, but he was my hero, said Rogers. He was the most effective spokesman for the Walt Disney Company that I could imagine, Rogers said of Wagner. Rogers said that with his voice, Wagner could be a ringmaster, a grandfather and an authority figure at the same time.

Meanwhile, Dixon had been doing a few announcements for Disney California Adventure since it opened in 2001, but was not the official voice.

As the opening for Cars Land neared in 2012, Rogers had several days on his calendar blocked out to record all the announcements for the park when the couple got a call from Disney.

I was driving; Bill answered the phone, Dixon said. It was Disney and park officials asked to speak to her. They wanted to have a different official voice for the park before its rededication, and offered Dixon the job.

For the next 10 days, Dixon had to re-record the entire catalog of park announcements, including her favorite.

The rope drop announcement is my all time favorite because I talk about Walt Disneys arrival in California in 1923 to follow his dream.

To make things simpler, the couple built recording booths at their home here in Highland, and identical ones in Utah, where they split their time. They said its easier to record lines via high-speed connections and it makes them more efficient to hook up with directors and engineers from session to session.

When voice-over actors and the engineers, producers and directors get together, theres a lot of coffee consumed and a lot of stories told, taking lots of time, Rogers said.

It also saves us driving time going from recording studio to recording studio in Los Angeles can take a while, she added.

The announcements for each park include things like announcements about shows to those canceling shows due to inclement weather.

Ive gotten calls from friends mad at me for canceling the fireworks the day they visit the park, Rogers said. They forget its just a recording on a computer hard drive.

Rogers and Dixon each recorded contingency announcements that would be used in case either park had to be suddenly closed due to weather or other emergencies. Because they are the official voices for the parks, they are not used as characters in the attractions or elsewhere.

But they do have other clients besides Disney.

Rogers was the announcer for the Orange County Newschannel while it was in operation. He also does instructional videos for Medcom/Trainex and voice-over commercials for Mitsubishi and Hyundai.

Dixon also does work for Hyundai, Toyota, and Krogers grocery stores in the Midwest. Shes also been the promotional announcer for PBS SoCal for 20 years, and 10 years ago, Rogers joined her.

But their role with Disney is the one they enjoy most, as sometimes it means doing live announcements at the theme parks.

Ive been at the four Pirates of the Caribbean premieres at Disneyland. Where else do you get to announce Johnny Depp and Keith Richards in the same announcement? Rogers said.

Rogers also provides live announcements at the Disneyland Candlelight Ceremony.

Dixons favorite moment was hosting a live interview this year with Disney Legend Kurt Russell at her parks Wine and Food Festival.

What an amazing, incredible generous person. Who knew he made wine? she said. Its really good wine, too.

Contact the writer: meades@scng.com or follow on twitter @markaeades
WASHINGTON  When Special Agent Adrian Hawkins of the FBI called the Democratic National Committee in September 2015 to pass along some troubling news about its computer network, he was transferred, naturally, to the help desk.

His message was brief, if alarming. At least one computer system belonging to the DNC had been compromised by hackers federal investigators had named the Dukes, a cyberespionage team linked to the Russian government.

The FBI knew it well: The bureau had spent the last few years trying to kick the Dukes out of the unclassified email systems of the White House, the State Department and even the Joint Chiefs of Staff, one of the governments best-protected networks.

Yared Tamene, the tech-support contractor at the DNC who fielded the call, was no expert in cyberattacks. His first moves were to check Google for the Dukes and conduct a cursory search of the DNC computer system logs to look for hints of such a cyberintrusion. By his own account, he did not look too hard even after Hawkins called back repeatedly over the next several weeks  in part because he wasnt certain the caller was a real FBI agent and not an impostor.

I had no way of differentiating the call I just received from a prank call, Tamene wrote in an internal memo, obtained by The New York Times, that detailed his contact with the FBI.

It was the cryptic first sign of a cyberespionage and information-warfare campaign devised to disrupt the 2016 presidential election, the first such attempt by a foreign power in American history. What started as an information-gathering operation, intelligence officials believe, ultimately morphed into an effort to harm one candidate, Hillary Clinton, and tip the election to her opponent, Donald Trump.

Like another famous American election scandal, it started with a break-in at the DNC. The first time, 44 years ago at the committees old offices in the Watergate complex, the burglars planted listening devices and jimmied a filing cabinet. This time, the burglary was conducted from afar, directed by the Kremlin, with spear-phishing emails and zeros and ones.

An examination by The Times of the Russian operation  based on interviews with dozens of players targeted in the attack, intelligence officials who investigated it and Obama administration officials who deliberated over the best response  reveals a series of missed signals, slow responses and a continuing underestimation of the seriousness of the cyberattack.

The DNCs fumbling encounter with the FBI meant the best chance to halt the Russian intrusion was lost. The failure to grasp the scope of the attacks undercut efforts to minimize their impact. And the White Houses reluctance to respond forcefully meant the Russians have not paid a heavy price for their actions, a decision that could prove critical in deterring future cyberattacks.

The low-key approach of the FBI meant that Russian hackers could roam freely through the committees network for nearly seven months before top DNC officials were alerted to the attack and hired cyberexperts to protect their systems. In the meantime, the hackers moved on to targets outside the DNC, including Clintons campaign chairman, John D. Podesta, whose private email account was hacked months later.

Even Podesta, a savvy Washington insider who had written a 2014 report on cyberprivacy for President Barack Obama, did not truly understand the gravity of the hacking.

By last summer, Democrats watched in helpless fury as their private emails and confidential documents appeared online day after day  procured by Russian intelligence agents, posted on WikiLeaks and other websites, then eagerly reported on by the American media, including The Times. Trump gleefully cited many of the purloined emails on the campaign trail.

The fallout included the resignation of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, the chairwoman of the DNC, and most of her top party aides. Leading Democrats were sidelined at the height of the campaign, silenced by revelations of embarrassing emails or consumed by the scramble to deal with the hacking. Though little-noticed by the public, confidential documents taken by the Russian hackers from the DNCs sister organization, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, turned up in congressional races in a dozen states, tainting some of them with accusations of scandal.

In recent days, a skeptical president-elect, the nations intelligence agencies and the two major parties have become embroiled in an extraordinary public dispute over what evidence exists that President Vladimir Putin of Russia moved beyond mere espionage to deliberately try to subvert American democracy and pick the winner of the presidential election.

Many of Clintons closest aides believe that the Russian assault had a profound effect on the election, while conceding that other factors  from Clintons weaknesses as a candidate, to her private email server, to the public statements of FBI Director James A. Comey about her handling of classified information  were also important.

While theres no way to be certain of the ultimate effect of the hack, this much is clear: A low-cost, high-impact weapon that Russia had test-fired in elections from Ukraine to Europe was trained on the United States, with devastating effectiveness. For Russia, with an enfeebled economy and a nuclear arsenal it cannot use short of all-out war, cyberpower proved the perfect weapon: cheap, hard to see coming, hard to trace.

There shouldnt be any doubt in anybodys mind, Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency and commander of U.S Cyber Command, said at a postelection conference. This was not something that was done casually, this was not something that was done by chance, this was not a target that was selected purely arbitrarily, he said. This was a conscious effort by a nation-state to attempt to achieve a specific effect.

For the people whose emails were stolen, this new form of political sabotage has left a trail of shock and professional damage. Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress and a key Clinton supporter, recalls walking into the busy Clinton transition offices, humiliated to see her face on television screens as pundits discussed a leaked email in which she had called Clintons instincts suboptimal.

It was just a sucker punch to the gut every day, Tanden said. It was the worst professional experience of my life.

The United States, too, has carried out cyberattacks, and in decades past the CIA tried to subvert foreign elections. But the Russian attack is increasingly understood across the political spectrum as an ominous historic landmark  with one notable exception: Trump has rejected the findings of the intelligence agencies he will soon oversee as ridiculous, insisting that the hacker may be American, or Chinese, but that they have no idea.

Trump cited the reported disagreements between the agencies about whether Putin intended to help elect him. On Tuesday, a Russian government spokesman echoed Trumps scorn.

This tale of hacks resembles a banal brawl between American security officials over spheres of influence, Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, wrote on Facebook.

Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder and editor, has resisted the conclusion that his site became a pass-through for Russian hackers working for Putins government or that he was deliberately trying to undermine Clintons candidacy. But the evidence on both counts appears compelling.

Over the weekend, four prominent senators, two Republicans and two Democrats, joined forces to pledge an investigation while pointedly ignoring Trumps skeptical claims.

Democrats and Republicans must work together, and across the jurisdictional lines of the Congress, to examine these recent incidents thoroughly and devise comprehensive solutions to deter and defend against further cyberattacks, said Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer and Jack Reed.

This cannot become a partisan issue, they said. The stakes are too high for our country.

As the year draws to a close, it now seems possible that there will be multiple investigations of the Russian hacking  the intelligence review Obama has ordered completed by Jan. 20, the day he leaves office, and one or more congressional inquiries. They will wrestle with, among other things, Putins motive.

Did he seek to mar the brand of American democracy, to forestall anti-Russian activism for both Russians and their neighbors? Or to weaken the next American president, since presumably Putin had no reason to doubt U.S. forecasts that Clinton would win easily? Or was it, as the CIA concluded last month, a deliberate attempt to elect Trump?

In fact, the Russian hack-and-dox scheme accomplished all three goals.

What seems clear is that Russian hacking, given its success, is not going to stop. Two weeks ago, the German intelligence chief, Bruno Kahl, warned that Russia might target elections in Germany next year. The perpetrators have an interest to delegitimize the democratic process as such, Kahl said. Now, he added, Europe is in the focus of these attempts of disturbance, and Germany to a particularly great extent.

But Russias cybertsars have by no means forgotten the American target. On the day after the presidential election, the cybersecurity company Volexity reported five new waves of phishing emails, evidently from Cozy Bear  the nickname for one of the two Russian hacking groups the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike found at work inside the DNC network  aimed at think tanks and nonprofits in the United States.

One of them purported to be from Harvard University, attaching a fake paper. Its title: Why American Elections Are Flawed.
WASHINGTON  President-elect Donald Trump is enlisting veteran members of the Republican foreign policy establishment to vouch for Rex W. Tillerson, chief executive of Exxon Mobil, as his choice to be the nations chief diplomat.

To win Senate confirmation, Tillerson will need to counter bipartisan skepticism about his ties to President Vladimir Putin of Russia over his long career at the giant energy company. Hearings are expected to focus, in particular, on the potential conflict between Exxons oil and gas deals and U.S. sanctions on Russia.

But Trumps transition team has lined up high-profile endorsements for Tillerson that began to roll out early Tuesday and were intended to address concerns about Russia and Putin, according to people familiar with the plan. The transition teams goal is to press for a swift confirmation after Trump is inaugurated next month.

Robert M. Gates, who served as secretary of defense under President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush, strongly endorsed Tillerson in a statement Tuesday morning, calling him a global champion of the best values of our country and saying he would bring vast knowledge, experience and success in dealing with dozens of governments and leaders in every corner of the world.

Others expected to strongly back Tillerson  and to reject concerns about Russia  are said to include former Vice President Dick Cheney and former secretaries of state James A. Baker III and Condoleezza Rice, among others.

Sen. Bob Corker, who was a finalist to become Trumps secretary of state and will oversee confirmation hearings as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also issued an enthusiastic statement about Tillersons selection on Tuesday. Mr. Tillerson is a very impressive individual and has an extraordinary working knowledge of the world, Corker said. I congratulate him on his nomination and look forward to meeting with him and chairing his confirmation hearing.

In the past several days, Republican and Democratic lawmakers had warned that Tillerson would face intense scrutiny over his relationship with Russia, which awarded him its Order of Friendship in 2013, and with Putin.

Tillerson has been publicly skeptical about the sanctions, which have halted some of Exxons biggest projects in Russia, including an agreement with the state oil company to explore and pump underground resources in Siberia that could be worth tens of billions of dollars.

In a statement on Tuesday, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., signaled that he may oppose Tillersons selection to be the face of U.S. foreign policy abroad.

While Rex Tillerson is a respected businessman, I have serious concerns about his nomination, said Rubio, who lost a bid for the Republican nomination to Trump. The next secretary of state must be someone who views the world with moral clarity, is free of potential conflicts of interest, has a clear sense of Americas interests, and will be a forceful advocate for Americas foreign policy goals to the president, within the administration, and on the world stage.

Trumps selection of Tillerson quickly generated opposition from Democrats and liberal activists, who expressed deep concern about the potential impact that his appointment could have on climate change and other issues.

He and other company executives led Exxon Mobil in funding outside groups to create an illusion of scientific uncertainty around the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change, Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, said in a statement.

Tanden, who has been a longtime confidante of Hillary Clinton, added, This decadeslong misinformation campaign directly narrowed the worlds window of opportunity to cut emissions and avert the catastrophic effects of climate change.

Amnesty International said in a statement that Rex Tillersons nomination is deeply troubling and could undermine human rights in the U.S. and abroad.

The nomination also drew criticism from some social conservatives. In condemning Tillerson, they said he had played a central role in reversing the Boy Scouts long-standing policy of excluding gay people, an issue that became a cultural flash point for the religious right.

A former national president for the Boy Scouts, Tillerson was involved in opening the Scouts up to gay Scouts and leaders. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, wrote on his organizations website that Tillerson caved to the pressure of the far left, irreparably splitting the Scouts and destroying a proud and honorable American tradition.

Perkins also cited Exxons financial donations to Planned Parenthood, calling them upsetting at best.

Trump appeared unfazed by the potential roadblocks to Tillersons confirmation.

In his statement making official his decision to nominate Tillerson, the president-elect lavished praise on the Exxon executive for his business acumen and knowledge of the world.

His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him an excellent choice for secretary of state, Trump said. Rex knows how to manage a global enterprise, which is crucial to running a successful State Department, and his relationships with leaders all over the world are second to none.

Tillerson said in the statement that he shared Trumps vision for restoring the credibility of the United States foreign relations, and he vowed to focus on strengthening our alliances, pursuing shared national interests and enhancing the strength, security and sovereignty of the United States.

On Twitter Tuesday morning, Trump emphasized his State Department picks experience, posting: The thing I like best about Rex Tillerson is that he has vast experience at dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments.

Reince Priebus, the incoming White House chief of staff, said on MSNBC that Trumps choice of Tillerson came down to chemistry and a shared vision between the men about how to conduct diplomacy and confront difficult issues overseas.

Priebus rejected the idea that Tillersons relationship with Putin should be disqualifying. He said that ignoring people and acting as if people dont exist isnt going to get things done.

Priebus said that despite Tillersons criticism of sanctions against Russia, he believes that they are an important part of diplomacy  but only if they are adequately enforced. Hes not against sanctions, Priebus said on the networks Morning Joe program.
Agricultural News

Missouri University Researches May Have Found a Solution for Farmers Who Have Lost Topsoil

The loss of fertile topsoil from agricultural fields is an economic problem for modern farmers. When runoff water washes topsoil from agricultural fields in areas with claypan soils under the topsoil, including parts of Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas, farmers are often left with an exposed subsoil clay layer that creates difficult conditions for growing crops. Now, a study from the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources has found that switchgrass, which is a perennial plant and used commonly for biofuel, improves soil quality and can be grown on farms that have lost fertile topsoil. Stephen Anderson, the William A. Albrecht Distinguished Professor of Soil Science at MU, says that switchgrass may be a good option for farmers who have challenges with growing other crops, provided a good market is available for switchgrass.





"Once a farm loses its topsoil due to erosion, the soil recovers very slowly," Anderson said. "Switchgrass can be grown efficiently on eroded claypan soils; farmers who have lost their topsoil may want to consider growing this hardy plant. Switchgrass can be harvested and sold as a biomass crop for ethanol production or as fuel for power plants. While demand depends on the current market for biomass crops, this could be an answer for these farmers who otherwise have challenges obtaining good economic returns growing grain crops on eroded land."





For their study, Anderson and lead author Syaharudin Zaibon, a doctoral candidate at MU, examined farming plots with varying levels of topsoil, which were established in 2009. Each plot had varying amounts of topsoil ranging from extra topsoil to no topsoil. Corn, soybeans and switchgrass were grown on each plot, and after five years, the researchers examined the soil density and water permeability of each plot. They found that the switchgrass had improved the soil quality of the plots with little or no topsoil on which it grew.





"Claypan layers have lower water permeability, making it more difficult for plants to receive water and for farmers to obtain good economic returns from grain crops when the silt loam topsoil is lost from these areas," Anderson said. "This lower permeability prevents oxygen and water from seeping into the eroded soil. We found that over a number of years, the switchgrass was able to increase, or improve, the water permeability into this eroded soil, leading to an 11 percent higher water saturation than the areas where corn and soybeans were grown. This study shows that not only can switchgrass grow in these eroded claypan soil areas, but it actually can improve the soil over time, potentially opening the door for better production of grain crops subsequently grown in those areas."





This study was published in the Soil Science Society of America Journal. Additional authors include Newell Kitchen, soil scientist with the USDA-ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Unit and an adjunct professor at MU, and Samuel Haruna, a doctoral student at MU.





Source - University of Missouri











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NCBA- Secretary Vilsack Throws a Grenade at Livestock Industry as He Leaves USDA With GIPSA Rule

Jeopardizing U.S. livestock producers, USDA released their final rulemaking on the 2010 Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Act. Tracy Brunner, National Cattlemen's Beef Association president said these provisions are very similar to the 2010 proposed rules that industry groups have consistently voiced concern over. He also pointed out that Congress has repeatedly defunded the rules due to the staggering harm they would cause industry.







"The GIPSA rules are especially troubling to the cattle industry," said Brunner. "As we have consistently stated, if adopted, this rulemaking will drastically limit the way our producers can market cattle and open the floodgates to baseless litigation. In a time of down cattle markets, the last thing USDA needs to do is limit opportunity. The fact of the matter is, we don't trust the government to meddle in the marketplace."







USDA has announced the new GIPSA regulations include an interim final rule on competitive injury and two proposed rules to address undue preference and the poultry grower ranking system. While USDA has provided a 60-day comment period, the interim final rule will take effect 60 days from the date of publication.







"USDA is going well beyond their statutory limitations, limiting marketing options for a product that America is demanding," said Brunner." If USDA was interested in real solutions rather than increased government regulations, they wouldn't have rushed these rules out the door at the very close of the Administration's term, bypassing any input from industry. Cattlemen and women don't appreciate Secretary Vilsack throwing a grenade in the building as he abandons it."







NCBA will be working staunchly with the new Administration and new Congress to prevent these irresponsible regulations from harming our nation's farmers and ranchers.





After the rule was released, Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays talked with the Senior Vice President for Government Affairs for NCBA, Colin Woodall. You Can hear their conversation by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.

















Ron Hays talks with Colin Woodall of NCBA about the just released Fair Practices for Farmers Rule

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Agricultural News

CME Group Insider Delves into the Causes and Cures of the Volatility Seen in Recovering Markets

Cattle producers were biting their nails a lot this fall wondering when the volatility in the future market would subside. Today, the markets seem to have found a better foothold and seem to be leveling out some. Radio Oklahoma Network's Associate Farm Director Carson Horn took a recent opportunity to speak with David Lehman, managing director of commodity research and product development for the CME Group, about what measures his organization is taking to fix the issues in the market and what results he predicts to see happen.





"We're working really hard with the industry on livestock markets, cattle in particular," Lehman said, citing the efforts of the working group with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. "We reduced our trading hours in February, we added livestock to a messaging efficiency program in February as well. We also then made some changes in the contract. We increased the quality to 60 percent choice, 40 percent select, put a seasonal discount in one of our delivery points in Worthing, South Dakota and continuing to look at the delivery mechanism in general."





Lehman believes these steps have and will continue to help the markets recover. In fact, he says he believes the markets have bottomed out, and that the volatility we've experienced stems simply from the natural cycle of the cattle industry. He suggests, too, that the cash market's move from negotiated trade to formula pricing has added its own difficulties to the mix.





"I think the volatility, we're trying to get a better handle on how we can manage that in our contract," Lehman said. "But really, I think we're seeing some liquidity gaps in the futures and I think that directly relates back to the lack of transparency in cash markets."





While he maintains that the CME Group is dedicated to finding solutions to better manage volatility, wherever the causes lie, Lehman also believes the markets have a way of fixing themselves.





"We're just going to continue to work with the industry to do whatever we can to make sure our contract is working as good as it possibly can for the end user," Lehman said, but added. "As they say in the markets, the greatest cure for low prices, is low prices. That causes producers to cut back and causes consumers to increase what they consumer and the market will self-correct overtime."





Listen to Horn's entire conversation with Lehman about the futures market as it recovers from recent volatility, by clicking or tapping on the LISTEN BAR below.





















Listen to Horn and Lehman discuss measures the CME Group is taking to better manage the markets

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Airbnb Inc. has completed its first major investor share buyback, repurchasing $94 million of the privately held companys stock from Morgan Stanley, people familiar with the transaction said. Morgan Stanley sold less than a quarter of its Airbnb stake in the second quarter of the year to adhere to the firms investment plan, the people said. The recent rise in the home-rental startups valuation pushed Morgan Stanleys funds above the threshold for what they can hold, the people said.

Oil prices highest since July 2015

Oil rose to a 17-month high as the market shifted focus from output cuts by OPEC and other nations to the global supply balance in 2017. Futures rose 0.3 percent in New York after surging 2.6 percent Monday when Saudi Arabia signaled that it may cut more than initially agreed and 11 non-OPEC producers also committed to a reduction. That prompted the International Energy Agency to predict that the oil glut will disappear in the first half of 2017. West Texas Intermediate for January delivery rose 15 cents to settle at $52.98 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, its highest close since July 14, 2015.

Laceration hazard prompts Yankee Candle recall

Yankee Candle is offering a voluntary recall of more than 31,000 of its scented candles after at least 16 people reported that, when heated, the square rippled glass holding the wax can crack. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission called it a laceration hazard, according to the voluntary recall notice. The candles are from the companys Luminous Candle Collection.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb.  This time of year, its always better to give than to receive. One Grand Island, Nebraska, woman gives all year long, in several capacities.

Clare Schmidt has dedicated her life to helping others.

Colossians 3:17: And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him, Schmidt said. Its why I am here, to serve the Lord in this way.

Schmidt, who is 80, has been a registered nurse for 58 years. She said the job of being a nurse and helping others was instilled in her from an early age.

From the age of 6, I wanted to be a nurse, she said. My mother taught me this through Jesus, as she saw my gifts, from the Lord. She had a heart and compassion to serve in this way, and I wanted to, as well.

Schmidt has served not only as a nurse, but also as a missionary through her church.

Her journey started in Omaha. After many years of serving as a nurse, she and her husband, Steve, who worked for Swift as a cattle buyer, moved to Grand Island when the plant now known as JBS opened more than 50 years ago.

Schmidt worked in the Home Health Program through the hospital now called CHI Health St. Francis and eventually became one of the managers. She served in that capacity for 20 years. After that, she managed the adult day care at the Grand Generation Center for 10 years.

At age 75, Schmidt decided it was time to retire from the workforce, but her work was far from over.

The Lord has opened many doors to me in the way of volunteering over the years, she said. I have walked through all those doors, and I wouldnt have it any other way.

She continues to volunteer at the Grand Generation Center.

Executive Director Theresa Engelhardt said she greatly appreciates Schmidts time and services to the center.

Clare helps us with bingo and does foot clinics, fills in where there are staff absences, Engelhardt said.

Thats not to mention the nursing duties she does on the adult day care side.

With her being an RN, and a real people person, her skill set is perfect for our setting here, and we are truly blessed to have her help out, she said.

Schmidt has also helped make sack lunches for the centers home food delivery services.

She fills in at any and all capacities here, and I couldnt be more grateful, Engelhardt said.

Schmidt is also the parish nurse for Abundant Life Christian Center in Grand Island, where she and her husband, Steve, have been members since 1972. Her work with the church includes serving on many mission trips.

I volunteered as the camp nurse at our church camp for about 20 years, Schmidt said. She also has gone on several mission trips to Taiwan and South Korea and eight or nine medical missions to Mexico.

Schmidt also conducts five foot clinics a month in Grand Island, Cairo, Wood River and Doniphan. Most of those are unpaid assignments. The clinics in Grand Island are at the Grand Generation Center and at Lebensraum.

She has also volunteered for many years at Park Place Nursing Home, including Bible studies and going on trips with residents.

I enjoy their company, and they enjoy having me around, as well, Schmidt said. Its a great feeling.

Shortly after her mother died at age 102, Schmidt became an ombudsman, wanting to be an advocate for the nursing home residents.

Its another way to serve the elderly and be a voice for them, she said.

Schmidt was told she could not pray with residents unless she was a chaplain, so she and her husband looked into a chaplaincy program.

The Lord guided us through the necessary classwork that began with the School of Ministry at Abundant Life Christian Center and additional classwork, she said. It took us two years to receive our credentials, and recently I was ordained.

Schmidt once again leads a weekly Bible study at Park Place.

She also volunteers at St. Francis in the intensive care waiting room and volunteers with the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, providing Medicare prescription coverage explanations to community members who have questions.

Clare and Steve Schmidt have been married for 55 years, and they have two children.

Schmidt said she plans to volunteer as long as shes able.

As long as the Lord will allow me to help, I will continue, she said. I am, after all, working for the Lord.
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad is no stranger to China. The ambassador-designate to Beijing has led many a trade mission to Asia and has known Chinas president, Xi Jinping, for decades.

In some instances Iowa and China share common concerns. Three examples are water quality issues, wind energy and economic strategy.

Nitrate runoff in Iowa rivers and streams poses a threat to water supplies, and Iowa officials are attempting to implement a statewide initiative to address the concern.

Similarly, the Pew Research Center recently did a survey in China and found that public concern over water pollution ranked as a top national concern. Chinas water quality problems stem in considerable measure, though, from industrial pollution.

Iowa is known for its wind energy focus. And no country produces more electricity from wind than China. Last year, the Chinese invested $103 billion for new renewable energy projects.

Still, while wind energy now produces more than 30 percent of Iowas electricity, China remains well behind proportionately. Its current goal is have wind contribute 6 percent of its overall electricity mix by 2020, up from 3.3 percent in 2015.

Iowa and China are both focusing on worker training, aiming to increase their number of higher-skill jobs. Similar, too, are efforts to encourage economic growth not just in major cities but also in rural communities.

Then there are the big differences.

Take politics. Branstad has long been a familiar figure associated with Iowas Republican Party caucuses. As governor, he has often had to contend with pushback from Democratic legislators, especially in the Iowa Senate (although with the election this fall, Republicans will control both houses of the General Assembly next year).

Thats not how things work in China, of course. The Communist Party obsessively asserts its monopoly on political power. And in contrast to Iowa-style televised debates and grassroots balloting, Communist leaders are selected through internal party struggles well out of public view.

What was the No. 1 concern voiced by Chinese in the Pew survey? Political corruption.

Monopoly control by the Communist Party and the extraordinary expansion of Chinas economy have created countless opportunities for financial abuses by party leaders large and small.

Iowas politics generally arent associated with corrupt practices. Which isnt to say that the Hawkeye State has lacked political controversy. One example is Branstads pressuring of Chris Godfrey to quit his post as state workers compensation commissioner, with Godfrey then suing for redress  which provides another contrast with how political matters are resolved in China.

Iowans cant relate closely to two issues that ranked high in the Pew survey in China: concerns over the safety of medicine and the safety of food.

Also high on the list of Chinese worries: air pollution  severe, Victorian England-style air pollution. Breakneck industrialization has caused horrendous air quality problems in many of Chinas cities, producing scenes where streets and skies are blanketed in thick gray sheets of pollutants.

Should his nomination win Senate confirmation, Branstad will find some familiar similarities in China. But, as he already knows, he shouldnt expect sunny skies in a lot of the cities, nor truly free political debate anywhere.
UPDATE (11:15 a.m.)

*Some minor snow accumulations of less than 1 inch of snow are possible today mainly north of Interstate 80.

A stronger storm system will bring mixed wintry precipitation Friday to eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. The precipitation will start as freezing drizzle and snow before becoming all snow late Friday night into Saturday.

Northeast Nebraska and west-central Iowa could get 1 to 4 inches Friday through Saturday.

In the Omaha area, there is a 50 percent chance of freezing drizzle and snow Friday night and a 50 percent chance of snow Saturday. Northwest winds could gust up to 30 mph.

Sharply lower temperatures are also expected Friday night and Saturday, along with wind-chill values eventually reaching 15- to 30-below zero across the region.

Central and north-central Nebraska could take the brunt of the storm, with 4 to 6 inches of snow in some locations.

*The latest Omaha-area forecast:

Today  A 50 percent chance of snow, mainly before 1 p.m., with a high in the low 20s.

Tonight  Mostly cloudy with a low in the upper teens.

Friday  A chance of freezing drizzle, mainly after noon, with a high in the low 30s.

Friday night  A 50 percent chance of freezing drizzle before 8 p.m., a chance of snow and freezing drizzle between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m., then a chance of snow after 2 a.m. Cloudy with a low in the lower teens. North-northwest winds could gust as high as 25 mph.

Saturday  A 50 percent chance of snow with a high in the low teens. Blustery conditions with north-northwest winds gusting as high as 30 mph.

Saturday night  Mostly clear with a low around 8-below zero.

Sunday  Sunny with a high in the low to mid- teens.

Sunday night  Clear with a low in the low single digits.

Monday  Sunny with a high around 30.

Monday night  Mostly clear with a low in the midteens.

Tuesday  Sunny with a high in the mid-30s.

Tuesday night  Mostly clear with a low around 20.

Wednesday  Mostly sunny with a high around 40.

* * *

The holidays are just around the corner, and a powerful storm barreling across the nation later this week is a reminder that wintry weather can be a spoiler for travel.

AccuWeather Inc., The World-Heralds weather consultant, said the storm will emerge out of the Rockies by Thursday, spreading snow and even blizzard-like conditions across the northern U.S. as it moves eastward. Dangerous travel conditions are possible into the weekend across the northern U.S., along with airline delays from Denver to Chicago, according to AccuWeather. Affected areas include the Dakotas and Minnesota.

The weather system is arriving just in time to mess with shoppers trying to get ready for the Christmas holiday.

In the Omaha metro area, the system will be remarkable for the bitter cold that flows into the region, said John Walsh, a meteorologist with KMTV.

The cold air, the worst since last winter, is something people should take seriously, he said.

On Saturday, temperatures may not climb out of the single digits. And because the day will be blustery, wind chills are forecast around 15 below.

Overnight Saturday lows are forecast to fall below zero and wind chills could drop to 20 below, according to the National Weather Service.

The Siberian Express is arriving thanks to a piece of the polar vortex breaking away from the Arctic region, pulling frigid air through Canada and into the lower 48, according to the Washington Post. Temperatures could drop 20 to 40 degrees below average in some regions of the country.

Depending upon the timing of the cold airs arrival in Nebraska, theres also a chance of an icy glaze on roads Friday afternoon and evening in the Omaha area, Walsh said. Its still too early to be certain about the sheen of ice, but Walsh advises people to factor that potential into their plans. An inch or so of snow could fall on the backside of the storm Friday night into Saturday.

Northwest and north-central Nebraska are likely to get 3 to 5 inches of snow on top of bitter cold conditions and stiff winds.

With this wintry weather, youd never know that winters official start is still about a week away. The winter solstice officially occurs at 4:44 a.m. Wednesday.

Theres good news in terms of travel in the Midlands during the first half of next week, according to Walsh and Rich Jaworski, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.

Jaworski said a high-pressure system pushing into the U.S. could make for a benign start to the week. A gradual warm-up should follow the arctic blast, and by Tuesday, temperatures could be flirting with the upper 30s in the metro area.

Another storm is developing and it could push into parts of the U.S. by the holidays. For now, early indications are that it will target the Great Lakes area, but its too soon to be certain, Jaworski said.

The weather for the metro area for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day doesnt look too bad, Walsh said. But he hastened to add that its too early to talk with any confidence about Christmas weather. Theres a hint that snow could arrive Christmas Eve, he said, but so far, its just a hint.
Karnataka excise minister resigns over sex tape scandal

Bengaluru

oi-Anusha

H Y Meti, minister for excise in the Karnataka government resigned after a sex tape involving him was made public. Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister S Siddaramaiah ordered a probe into the case. RTI activist Rajashekhar made the tape public on Wednesday. The 3.23 seconds video tape has come as a major embarrassment to the Congress government.

The 71-year-old Congress minister had rubbished allegations of him seeking sexual favours from a woman. He had accused the RTI activist of attempting to tarnish his image and threaten him. The tape that was made public came as a devastating blow to the Congress in Karnataka.

Sources from the police department said that the CM was in the know of Meti's actions and had asked him to quit if the tape became public.

The CM had also asked senior police officials to look into the matter and see if a tape did exist.

Excise Minister Shri HY Meti has resigned. I have recommended to Honble Governor to accept the resignation. I have also ordered a probe.  CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) December 14, 2016

During the Belagavi assembly session that concluded recently Meti is said to have assured the CM that no such tape existed.

The woman in the tape had initially said that the minister hadn't asked for sexual favours but made a U-turn of sorts on Tuesday and accused the minister of exploiting her.

Have done no wrong; resigned voluntarily: HY Meti on sex tape scandal

Moments after he resigned from his position as Karnataka excise minister, H Y Meti said that he was not in the wrong but resigned to save government from embarrassment.

Speaking to the media after submitting his resignation to the chief minister, HY Meti said, "I have done no wrong. I voluntarily resigned since I don't want to put the government in an awkward situation. Let there be a probe."

Sources from the CMO said that his resignation was accepted immediately but not before he was given a dressing down by C M Siddaramaiah.

[Also Read: Karnataka porngate- CM gives clean chit to minister before CID does]

H Y Meti hurried to the CMO as soon as media channels broadcast sex tapes involving him. The minister was reportedly warned earlier of consequences if the tape was made public.

Senior Congress minister Ramesh Kumar, who was present at the meet, said, "Such instances are an embarrassment to those in public life. He has resigned. We will wait for the probe."

OneIndia News
AgustaWestland: After saying witness may have died, ED cites a little birdie to say he is alive

AgustaWestland case: Court extends S P Tyagi's CBI custody for 3 days

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Dec 14: A special Central Bureau of Investigation court on Wednesday extended the custody of former air chief, S P Tyagi and two others till Saturday. Tyagi, an accused in the AgustaWestland case, along with two others will remain in CBI custody for another three days, the court ordered.

During the course of arguments, the CBI argued that there were more questions to be asked. The CBI counsel while seeking an extension of custody said that there is an international angle to this case and hence more questions had to be asked. The CBI has been analysing over 1 lakh documents that have come in from Italy.

On Saturday, the court had remanded Tyagi, Gautam Khaitan and Sanjiv Tyagi to CBI custody till December 14. During the course of the arguments, the CBI's counsel accused Tyagi of giving a step-by-step progress report of the case to European middlemen Guido Haschke in connection with the AgustaWestland case.

However, the defence counsel submitted that Tyagi's arrest was aimed at taking the focus away from demonetisation. The FIR was filed in 2013 and the arrest made almost three years later. This is illogical, the counsel also submitted to the court.

The defence also contended that the remand papers say that the CBI is seeking custody to follow the money trail and transfer of funds through banking channels. If banking channels have not been probed what can the CBI do now, the defence argued while also stating that the arrest is carried out only to use third degree treatment.

OneIndia news
Armed and dangerous, Lashkars J-K chief is on the loose

India

oi-Vicky

Abu Dujana, the chief of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba in the Valley was almost nabbed on December 7, but he managed to give the security agencies the slip. Top security officials say that they almost had him, but at the time of the encounter several locals reached the spot and began pelting stones.

[Also read: The rise of Abu Dujana, Lashkar-e-Tayiba's face in Kashmir]

An Intelligence Bureau dossier on the 26-year-old clearly suggests that he is a menace, armed and dangerous.

When the encounter began at 8 pm, the security forces had cornered Dujana. However, a group of around 50 men reached the encounter spot and began raising slogans. The mob pelted stones at the security personnel which caused a major distraction.

As a result, he managed to escape due to this distraction. Security officials say that they have been witnessing such situations since the past year. Locals land up at encounter sites, hurl abuses at the Indian Army personnel and even pelt stones.

The slip cost dearly

Dujana is known for his brazen style of functioning. This is the second time that he has managed to give the slip.

From masterminding the 2015 Udhampur attack to organising a hit on 8 CRPF personnel at Pampore, Dujana ensured that an already troubled Jammu and Kashmir remained on the boil.

At the funeral of terrorist held at Pulwama in May 2016, Dujana was out in the open giving the people a sermon. He had called upon the locals to take the fight to the Indian Army.

"Lift up your guns and fight against the Indian Army," he urged the crowd. Before the agencies could realise how high up in the LeT he was, Dujana managed to give them the slip.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, December 14, 2016, 17:56 [IST]
Comedian Atul Khatri's joke on seatbelt becomes one on him as Mumbai Police responds

'Ram Setu' 1st week box office collection: Here's how much Akshay-starrer earned, so far

Bombay HC denies bail to Chhagan Bhujbal

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, Dec 14: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of Maharashtra's former PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and dismissed his petition challenging the legality of his arrest under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Also, the special court for PMLA cases directed that 69-year-old Bhujbal be shifted back to Arthur Road jail from the J J Hospital here.

The prison authorities had said Bhujbal refused to undergo angiography thrice after complaining of heart issues and his continued stay in the hospital would serve no purpose.

The High Court, which rejected Bhujbal's bail plea, said he failed to show that his arrest was illegal. "He has further failed to show that the Special Court passed the remand order mechanically without application of mind," said the division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Shalini Phansalkar.

Bhujbal had sought bail from the High Court on medical grounds. He also contended that his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was not as per the procedure established by law.

The NCP leader had filed a 'Habeas Corpus' petition, saying that his arrest was illegal.

Opposing the petition, the ED lawyer contended that Bhujbal, who was arrested on March 14 this year, had not filed such a plea earlier.

Bhujbal was arrested in the alleged Maharashtra Sadan scam and Kalina land case, where he and his relatives were alleged to have received kickbacks from private contractor.

He had challenged the constitutional validity of sections 19 and 45 of PMLA. Section 19 empowers the ED to arrest a person based on evidence gathered by it, while section 45 deals with bail.

PTI
Chinese manjha banned across India

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

New Delhi, Dec 14: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wedensday banned the use of glass coated thread or manjha, which is used for flying kites, across the nation. The killer Chinese manjha, which is a rage among kite flyers, has also been banned.

The sharp kite-flying string had in August claimed three lives in Delhi. It was found to be responsible for injuries and deaths to countless birds

Ahead of Independence Day, animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has filed a petition urging the NGT to ban all forms of manjha.

Most of the incidents are being linked to Chinese manjha, which is stronger and cheaper than the cotton manjha made in Bareilly. Wholesalers dealing in glass-coated thread prefer to sell Chinese manjha over the Indian one as the profit margins are higher.

The Delhi Government had banned the use of Chinese manjha in August after the deaths.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, December 14, 2016, 14:14 [IST]
Compensation for Burhan Wani's brother has demoralising effect on Army

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Srinagar, Dec 14: A huge controversy has erupted after the name of Burhan Wani's brother figured on a compensation list of the Jammu and Kashmir government. The name of Khalid Wani who was killed by the Indian army figures 9 on the list. If the compensation is handed out then his family would get a sum of Rs 4 lakh.

On April 13, 2015, Khalid Wani was killed in an encounter with the Indian army at the Tral region in Pulwama. The army said that he was in close touch with his brother, Burhan Wani, a commander in the Hizbul Mujahideen.

The family however rubbished this and claimed that it was a case of custodial killing. The decision to compensate Khalid who has been termed as a blunder by both army officials and the Intelligence Bureau. It demoralises the forces said an officer.



Demoralising effect:

The army has a difficult time in the past six months. The unrest in Jammu and Kashmir was bad and showed no signs of ending. The target of the youth hired by the separatists was always the security agencies. To make matters worse, Pakistan took advantage of the unrest and sent in nearly 300 terrorists.

The army continued to battle terrorists and also bore the brunt of the stone pelters. An army official who did not wish to be named said that in the Valley it is extremely difficult to operate. There are many on the streets who are trying to target us. In the case of Khalid Wani, there was concrte information that he was passing on information to his brother. An encounter broke out and he died in a fire fight the officer also said.

The officer goes on to add that handing out compensation to such persons has a demoralising effect on the forces. On one hand we battle terrorists and on the other the administration hands out compensation. Khalid Wani did not deserve compensation, the officer also notes.

The Revenue Department in Jammu and Kashmir prepares the list of persons who have died either in cross-fire or militancy related activity. The Deputy Commissioner of Pulwama, Muneer-ul-Islam says that the compensation has not been distributed as yet. We are still waiting for the objections he says. The Chief Minister's media advisor Suhail Bukhari says that it is an administrative process and the compensation has not been handed out as yet he said while clarifying that this was not a political issue.

OneIndia News
Five years of demonetisation: Notes in circulation on rise; so are digital payments

Day 35 of demonetisation: Banks, ATMs still crowded

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Dec 14: Banks and ATMs on Wednesday continued to be crowded with long queues visible outside even after 35 days of the ban on high denomination notes.

The queues appeared just as long and branches crowded, and constituted disaffected and despairing people, made cash-poor by the central government's demonetisation move.

The Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch near the Nangloi Metro Station here had at least 150 people waiting at 8.00 a.m. -- two hours before its opening time.

The disaffection seemed to have led people to believe that the ban is anti-poor, said an individual privy to the daily scene at the bank.

"So far, I have seen only the poor, labour class people in queues. Yet to see an advocate, a top police officer, a judge, or any local politician coming and waiting," Asghar, a pan vendor in front of the bank told IANS.

"The rich people don't have to wait in line, all the money is funneled to them from back channels, without them having to wait in the queues," he said.

"The people start gathering outside the bank as early as 10 p.m. and sleep or chat through the night, so that they could get their cash as soon as possible in the morning, and so that they could avoid being absent from their workplaces," he added.

Another young man, who manned a fruit stall outside the bank, told IANS of an ingenious way of mitigating the anguish of standing in queue for long hours -- something like a relay race.

"My friend is already in the queue, and I'll replace him once he's tired. There's another friend and once he comes, I'll come back to my 'rehri' (cart). This way I won't lose any business as either me or someone else is always at the stall," he said.

The queues at the working ATMs in Connaught Place were same as they were the very next day after demonetisation.

"I finally withdrew money today after waiting in line for two hours. I survived cashless for days when I would return home at the very sight of winding queues, but I couldn't do without cash now," Apoorva Agnihotri, a logistics company executive, who withdrew money in Connaught Place, told IANS.

IANS
NMMSS Scholarship 2022: Here is the last date to submit application

Demonetisation has hit farmers hard, says Rahul Gandhi

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Dec 14: Hours after launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today accused him of hitting the farmers hard by the demonetisation move and questioning their honesty.

He also urged the "suit-boot" Modi government to hear out farmers' grievances, think about their problems and waive off their loans.

Gandhi was speaking to reporters at the AICC headquarters after accepting 'maang patras' (demand representations) from over two crore farmers from Uttar Pradesh and another 34 lakh farmers from Punjab.

"The demonetisation decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hit farmers hard and has questioned their honesty. Indian farmers are honest. They do not possess black money and have hard earned income.

"We want that Narendra Modiji hears out the problems of farmers, waive off their loans, reduce their power bills to half and help them get remunerative price for their produce," he said.

The Congress leader said the Modi government recently removed the import duty on wheat and this has doubled the problems of farmers.

"We want that the 'suit boot' Modi government should think about farmers and waive off the loans of farmers," Gandhi said, adding that farmers not just from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab but across the country have made this demand.

Also read: Modi 'personally' involved in corruption: Rahul Gandhi

He also said that due to demonetisation, farmers who need money for seeds and fertiliser do not have any money.

He said the three main demands of farmers includes waiving of their loans, reducing to half their power bills and remunerative prices for their produce. This is the second attack on Modi during the day, after he alleged that he has detailed information about the "personal corruption" involving the Prime Minister, while upping the ante further over cash ban.

While the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee handed over 2 crore 'Kisan Maang Patras' to the Congress Vice President, the Punjab unit handed over 34 lakh such representations.

Gandhi said Congress workers had collected these 'maang patras' after going house to house to each farmers and the same will be handed over to the government soon.

Asked who would hand these over to the Prime Minister, the Congress leader said the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad is working that out.

Many senior party leaders from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab were present on the occasion, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni, Asha Kumari, Randeep Surjewala, Raj Babbar, Pramod Tiwari and Sanjay Singh.

PTI
Five years of demonetisation: Notes in circulation on rise; so are digital payments

'Demonetisation will give rise to organised workforce'

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, Dec 14: Demonetisation will give rise to organised workforce, which will eventually help them to become part of the ecosystem, according to human resource (HR) solutions and HR technology company PeopleStrong.

"Demonetisation will give rise to organised workforce. Small time entrepreneurs who operate by giving cash salary to workers will now start moving towards opening accounts for their employees," PeopleStrong co-founder and CEO Pankaj Bansal told PTI here.

India's total workforce is 600 million, of which 9 per cent belong to the organised sector and the remaining 91 per cent fall under unorganised category, he said.

The unorganised sector has been affected largely as most of the transactions, some of them as daily wages, happen through cash.

"Now this will be reduced eventually as they occupy a strong base of the economy," he added. Bansal said unorganised sector comprises mostly of unbanked people who will move to banking in coming days including Jan dhan, post offices and mobile banking, which will give boost to the government's efforts of financial inclusion for everybody towards the organised workforce.

He said these small businessmen will now declare the number of employees working for them and open their bank accounts helping them become part of the organised ecosystem.

Demonetisation: Are bankers diverting funds, laundering money?

"This is a good news for organised workforce that will significantly increase from 9 to 15 per cent in next one-two years. Formal jobs will also go up as the number of people who will be paid through banks and cheques are going to increase.

Moreover, the cost of informality has gone up as there is a limitation to cash," according to Bansal. Improved Central laws are also likely to support the unorganised sector into becoming organised, he said.

"Labour laws are improving thereby labour change will come with social security (Provident Fund) and Employee State Insurance (ESI). Labourers will now become a part of a recognised sector and a part of the mainstream economy.

Most of the labour laws are under discussion and are being relooked by the government. Apprentice Act has also been relaxed," he said. This trend is just the beginning, he said, adding that in next one-two years the momentum will gather up.

"The entire process will take at least two years to settle down. At the end of December, the whole ecosystem will go up and will not remain stagnant as it was last year. Cash economy will also continue as it can't go away completely," he added.

PTI
Accession Day: Valley lights up on this day when J&K became part of India

Flashback 2016: How the Kashmir unrest unfolded

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

The Kashmir Valley, where the situation has been relatively normal since 2010, saw violent protests this year, following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani by the security forces in July .

Such was the situation that valley remained under 53 days of consecutive curfew, with the government having to rush in additional forces to contain the agitation. The unrest, which went on for months, resulted in the deaths of more than 85 civilians and left over 13,000 injured.

Who was Burhan Wani?

Son of a principal of a higher-secondary school in Pulwama, Burhan Wani was popular among sections of Kashmiris for his anti-India posts on the social media. He fled home at the age of 15 to become a millitant after an alleged bitter experience with the security forces. The killing of his brother Khalid Muzaffar Wani, who was a militant sympathiser, by the security forces further motivated Burhan to join the millitancy.

By the age of 21, Burhan had already become a popular face of the Hizbul Mujahideen with his Facebook posts gathering significant support. Such was his appeal to the youth that he is said to have recruited around 30 boys from South Kashmir for Hizbul, to mark the resurgence of Kashmir based millitancy.

Although no attack has ever been traced back to him, he is believed to have masterminded several of them.

A bounty of Rs 10 lakh was announced for finding Burhan.

Consequently, on July 8, 2016, a joint team of the special operations group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and Rashtriya Rifles killed Burhan, along with his two associates, in the Kokernag area following a tip-off.

Burhan Wani's funeral and the following protests:

The news of Wani's death triggered protests across the Valley. Thousands from different parts of the valley gathered to mourn his death at his funeral. Because of his online popularity, his death fueled the anger among Kashmiri youth . Seperatists took the opportunity to fuel passions and called for a three-day shutdown in Kashmir to protest against the killing.

Violent clashes broke out in response to the killing on 9 July in some areas and stone pelting was also reported from many parts of Kashmir. In the following days, several police stations and security establishments were attacked and soon the Centre had to rush in thousands of paramillitary forces to contain the situation.

By July 10, more than 20 were confirmed to have died during the unrest and around 300 CRPF personnel were reported to have been injured.

With the situation spiralling out of control, the government imposed curfew in all districts of Kashmir on July 15 and all mobile phone networks were suspended.

Kashmiri youths pelting stones Kashmiri youths pelting stones at Security forces at Khadwani Quimoh in South Kashmir's Kulgam district. Police arrest protestors who defied curfew Police arrests Shai mourners after they defy curfew and taken out a Muharram procession on the 94th day of Kashmir Unrest. Mob hurling stones at forces Stone pelters hurling stones at the security forces. The government imposed curfew in all districts of Kashmir on July 15 Security forces firing tear gas shells Security forces firing tear gas shells to contain mob in Kashmir. The protests were sparked by Wani's killing. Security forces using slingshots Security forces use slingshots to control angry protesters pelting stones on them during a protest in downtown Srinagar. Srinagar after curfew was lifted A scene of normality after 133 days of shutdown in Srinagar. Shops, offices, business establishments and fuel stations opened this morning for a full day for the first time since the unrest began on July 8.

The following months:

By the end of July, seeing the situation improve, the government lifted the curfew from Ganderbal, Budgam, Bandipora, Barmulla districts and parts of Srinagar city, with Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure still remaining in force in the areas.

In August, the unrest took a violent turn again with protestors attacking state Education Minister Naeem Akhtar's residence with petrol bombs. Incidents of protestors trying to storm into army camps also came to light, but were foiled.

Train services and the pilgrimage to the Amarnath Temple were suspended. All state board exams scheduled for 9 July were postponed, and all vehicular traffic was suspended on the Srinagar Jammu National Highway.

The curfew returned to most parts of Kashmir by August 13 in view of the protests called by separatists.

Reports of Pakistan flags being raised and pro-Paksitan slogans being raised around August 14 also made headlines during this period.

In the meantime, the separatists issued a protest schedule, popularly called as the Hurriyat Calender', which gives out the details of areas, dates and means of protest in the valley. A typical calender would include instructions like - lockdown all the routes entering your mohallas, villages and localities by every means, all vehicles should hoist black flags as a mark of protest, protest with glags, placards and banners withfreedom messages and slogans, deliberate and discuss ways and means to strengthen the ongoing people's uprising for freedom from Indian occupation and other such inflammatory instructions.



Use of pellet guns:

In a bid to suppress the agitators and contain the mobs, security forces used a non-lethal weapon called 'pellet guns', which are loaded with small metal balls which disperse in huge numbers and do not follow a definite path.

When fired, these pellets travel at high velocity and are capable of damaging skin tissues. Eyes are the most vulnerable to get damaged.

There is no official figure available about the number of people who lost their eyesight or were maimed for life because of these injuries, but reports suggest that over 100 surgeries related to pellet wounds were performed at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh hospital in Srinagar.

The government faced severe criticism for using these weapons and several political parties asked for its complete withdrawal.

Political reactions:

The Congress launched a scathing attack on the ruling BJP government, saying the latter does not have any policy on Kashmir.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley turned the table on the Congress and the National Conference. He said lack of development during Congress and NC regimes led to the unrest.

The opposition welcomed Rajnath Singh's visit to the Valley in August, but took a dig by saying that the Home minister should have done it long back.

The parties, however, remained unanimous in blaming Pakistan for the situation in Kashmir.

International reactions:

On 12 July, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the killing of Wani and criticised the Indian governemnt for it. Sharif expressed shock over the action of Indian security forces and described Wani as a "Martyr". Pakistan also raised the matter in the United Nations and described Wani's killing as "assassination of a Kashmiri youth leader".

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation seemed to be backing Paksitan by blaming the Indian Army and para-military forces for human rights violations. OIC said Kashmir unrest was not just an internal matter of India.

China expressed concern over the issue and called for settlement Kashmir issue by peaceful means.

The European Union expressed its condolences over loss of lives in Kashmir and urged India and Pakistan to involve people of Kashmir in the dialogue process.

Even the United States expressed concern over the violence in Kashmir. State Department spokesman John Kirby said all efforts must be made to find a peaceful solution.

OneIndia News
SC notice to Centre on plea against supply of electoral roll to candidates

Special anti-corruption courts in every district: SC to take up plea next week

SC frowns on two-finger test in rape case: Stop the practice immediately it says

Formulate plan to combat drug abuse amongst children: SC

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Dec 14 The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to formulate a National Action Plan to combat drug abuse amongst children.

While hearing a petition by the NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan, which had besides other things sought setting up of district level drug addiction centres, the apex court expressed concern over the growing menace of the drug abuse amongst children.

The bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud directed the government to undertake a nation wide survey to identify the prevalence of drug abuse across the country.

It gave six months time to the government to put in place the National Action Plan, and four months time to undertake the survey.

While asking the governments -- both at the Centre and in the states -- to create awareness about the serious consequences of the drug abuse, the court directed the Centre to include in the school curriculum the subject on harmful effects of using drugs.

IANS
HC orders JNU search by sniffer dogs to find missing student

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Dec 14: Concerned over continued disappearance of a JNU student for nearly two months, Delhi High Court today directed the police to "scan" the entire campus, including hostels, classrooms and rooftops, of the varsity by using sniffer dogs.

A bench of justices G S Sistani and Vinod Goel also asked Delhi Police to take all necessary steps without further loss of time to trace out the student - Najeeb Ahmed, saying there has been delay in recording statements of some students suspected of thrashing him a day before his disappearance.

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and its student union, JNUSU, were asked by the bench to file affidavits in two days stating they have no objection to the "thorough search" and that all assistance would be provided to the police.

The court also said the police was free to search Jamia Millia University also, if required. In case of any resistance or objection to it from the varsity or its students, the agency could approach the court for permission.

The bench said it was not concerned about which students union did what and it was not on a fact-finding mission regarding what JNU did wrong or right. "We are only concerned with where he has vanished," it said.

The directions came on the habeus corpus plea by Najeeb's mother, Fatima Nafees, who has moved court to trace out her son who has been missing since the intervening night of October 14-15.

Missing JNU student's family meets Akhilesh for help

The matter was listed for further hearing on December 22. The lawyer for Najeeb's mother contended that the police was "bypassing" the abduction angle and it appeared that the agency was moving on the theory that something was mentally wrong with the student as he just walked out of the campus.

Delhi Police, represented by senior standing counsel for Delhi government Rahul Mehra, refuted the allegations and told the court that it was exploring all angles, including abduction, and was not hiding any details of the probe from the student's mother.

Mehra also said four students, who are suspected of beating up Najeeb, would be put to lie-detector tests to get leads or clues about his disappearance and whereabouts. The police expected to get results in the next 10 days, he said.

PTI
How the Intelligence Bureau tracked Riyaz Bhatkal to Pakistan

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Bengaluru, Dec 14: For long Indian agencies believed that the founder of the Indian Mujahideen, Riyaz Bhatkal lived in Sharjah. One evening when a group of officials from the Intelligence Bureau were working on some leads relating to the IM, an ID called menothing1 popped up. This was an ID that was created on the Nimbuzz messaging platform.

The year was 2012 and it was for the first time that an electronic trail had been found. Riyaz was chatting with Yasin Bhatkal who was at that time the leader of the outfit. The IB officials tracked down this ID to Pakistan. It was then that they realized that the founder of the IM had made a home for himself in the Defence Colony in Karachi, Pakistan.

A cozy home in Karachi:

Riyaz was an important player for the ISI. He was the one who ensured that a home grown outfit was born. The idea was to carry out a series of blasts by a home grown outfit so that it gave Pakistan the deniability factor.

When Riyaz fled India in 2007, he headed to Sharjah. He stayed there for a few years. However when his address was tracked, it was the ISI which lifted him out and transferred him to Pakistan. After being moved into Pakistan the ISI housed him at the Defence Housing Colony, residential area Phase VI in Karachi. He was moved into this address in November 2012. Riyaz and his brother Iqbal was asked to oversee the operations of the IM from Pakistan.

Riyaz however shuttled between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia where he would raise funds and also meet with other operatives of the IM. He would coordinate with the likes of Fayyaz Kagzi and Abu Jundal. (Fayyaz Kagzi is a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative wanted in the 2010 German Bakery blasts and the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Abu Jundal is an Indian national, Islamic fundamentalist/terrorist belonging to Indian Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba. He is accused of being involved in 2008 Mumbai attacks.)

India has on several occasions asked Pakistan to hand over Riyaz and his brother Iqbal. Pakistan however denies their existence although there is concrete information about their presence. The IB says that not just Riyaz, but Pakistan has housed at least 20 IM operatives on its soil.

OneIndia News
In Pics: India celebrates Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi

Head cleric Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Banday displays the Holy relic of Prophet Mohammad (SAW) to the devotees on the first Friday following Eid-Milad-un-Nabi, at Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar. PTI

In Pics: India celebrates Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi

A view of illuminated shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti on the occasion of Eid-e- Milad-un-Nabi in Ajmer on Saturday. PTI

In Pics: India celebrates Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi

Girls holding Islamic flags and shouting religious slogans while taking part in an Eid-e-Milaad-un-Nabi (Saw) procession organised to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in Srinagar on Monday. PTI

In Pics: India celebrates Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi

A kid wearing clothes with religious Islamic text while taking part in an Eid-e-Milaad-un-Nabi (Saw) procession organised to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (SAW),in Srinagar on Monday. PTI

In Pics: India celebrates Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi

Female devotees pray as head cleric displays a Holy Relic believed to be a hair from the beard of Prophet Muhammed during Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, the birthday of the Prophet, at the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar on Monday. PTI

In Pics: India celebrates Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi

Muslims take part in a procession on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad, in Karad, Maharashtra on Monday. PTI
Praises and brickbats for Mamata Banerjee's video playing drums in Chennai

In Pics: Navy supplies relief material to Chennai

India

oi-Lisa

By Lisa

Chennai, Dec 14: Shivalik and Kadmatt two ships of Indian Navy were out at sea and holding North of Chennai to provide immediate assistance if required by the city when Cyclone Vardah would make landfall.

Indian Navy kept the city updated about when Cyclone Vardah would reach the city. Navy ships are now off-loading relief material to the help Chennai.

The Indian Navy has been receiving praise for holding position in roughest seas and had been ready for the quickest response.

Here are some pictures of Indian Navy off-loading relief materials:

Navy supplies relief material to Chennai INS Shivalik and INS Kadmatt off load relief material. Navy supplies relief material to Chennai Shivalik and Kadmatt has relief material for Chennai. Navy supplies relief material to Chennai Indian navy off loading relief material for Chennai. Navy supplies relief material to Chennai Shivalik and Kadmatt at Chennai harbour. Navy supplies relief material to Chennai Indian navy displays it is trained to withstand the roughest sea. Navy supplies relief material to Chennai Indian Navy is trained to face the worst weather conditions.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, December 14, 2016, 13:02 [IST]
NMMSS Scholarship 2022: Here is the last date to submit application

Kailash Satyarthi hails SC's verdict to curb drug, alcohol abuse

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Dec 14: Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi on Wednesday hailed the Supreme Court's verdict asking the Centre to put in place within six months a national action plan to curb the rising drugs and alcohol abuse cases among schoolchildren, saying it would help create a safe environment for kids.

Satyarthi, the founder of NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan on whose PIL the apex court passed the directions, said it was a landmark and timely judgment in the midst of the government's crackdown on black money.

"Trafficking and drug abuse, inherently linked to each other, are the most prevalent forms of organised crime in the world that violate the fundamental rights of our children.

"I welcome this landmark judgment by the hon'ble court, and believe that it will go a long way in building a safer environment for our children. It is also a timely judgment, especially in the midst of Government of India's crackdown on black money," he said in a statement.

He said that society, school and parents must come together to tackle violation of child rights, especially child sexual abuse.

"It is a collective responsibility and action must be taken against drug mafia and for their rehabilitation. India cannot afford to lose a generation. If we are proud to be the youngest nation in the world, let us protect our young ones with top most priority," Satyarthi said.

Also read: When will children become a political priority, asks Kailash Satyarthi

Senior advocate H S Phoolka, who appeared in the case on behalf of the NGO, said the menace of drug abuse and trafficking among children in the country is "worrisome".

"This petition was filed to ensure that the government takes proactive steps to curb it and to extend protection to children who are vulnerable. This crucial judgment will ensure that children are provided with a better and more healthy childhood," he said.

The apex court in its verdict asked the Centre to conduct a national survey on the substance and alcohol abuse and use of psychotropic substances among children in schools across the country.

Issuing a slew of directions, the bench observed, "Children are encouraged to become drug peddlers once they are addicted (to drugs)."

The NGO, in its 2014 plea, had sought a direction to formulate a national action plan for children on drugs and substance abuse including all issues of identification, investigation, recovery, counselling and rehabilitation.

It had also sought creation of model syllabus on ill- effects of drugs and substance abuse. The NGO had sought setting up of rehabilitation and de-addiction centres in each district of the country with a special wing for children.

PTI
40 down and counting: Forces on the verge of wiping out Pakistani terrorists in Valley

J&K: Militant killed in encounter in Anantnag

India

oi-PTI

Srinagar, Dec 14: A militant was today killed in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag district while another ultra was trapped in a cordon in Sopore area of north Kashmir, police said here.

Militants opened fire on a patrol party of army at Beewra in Srigufwara area of Anantnag district this morning, a police official said. He said the army personnel retaliated, triggering a gunbattle.

One militant, identified as Basit Ahmad Dar, was killed in the encounter. Dar had recently joined Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit.

In another counter-insurgency operation, a militant -- believed to be a foreigner -- was trapped in a house in Bomai area of Sopore in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, the official said. He said further details of the incident were awaited.

PTI
For beneficiaries of EWS flat a gift from PM Modi like none other

Modi rejoicing in people's suffering due to note ban: Chennithala

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Dec 14: With the Opposition continuing its tirade against the Centre over demonetisation, Kerala Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "rejoicing" in the suffering of people affected by the decision.

The Kerala Assembly opposition leader was speaking to media after a protest organised by the Congress state unit here in the wake of the currency reforms announced by the Centre.

The state party unit maintained that the Modi government's surprise move lacked preparedness and had shattered the economic foundations of Kerala.

"Narendra Modi is rejoicing in the suffering of people due to demonetisation, just like he had rejoiced during the 2002 Gujarat massacre.

Modi, who had written off crores of rupees due from corporates, is not even ready to take steps to reduce the burden of the people affected by the policy," he alleged. Chennithala said the backbone of Kerala economy was the money sent from non-resident Keralites, which had "taken a hit" due to demonetisation.

"People are afraid to send money to the state due to this policy. It has affected the economic structure and the daily life of the people," he said.

The opposition leader said the move has adversely affected agriculture and small-scale industries in the southern state. "The hard earned money of people engaged in agricultural sector was deposited in co-operative banks and this move has stopped them from withdrawing their money," he said.

Demonetisation: Are bankers diverting funds, laundering money?

The Congress leader said the industrial sector in the state has come to a stand still and enterprises have started asking their employees to go on leave.

The opposition leader also criticised the LDF-led state government for its "apathy" in resolving the crisis over rice distribution and the Centre's move of slashing the quota of essential ration commodities to the state.

"Adding to the suffering of people due to demonetisation, the rice distribution through public distribution system has stopped due to the apathy of the state government. "Distribution of rice has been stopped due to labour unrest over wages in the state.

This has affected stock procuring at ration shops. The Kerala government is silent on the trade union issue and not taking any step to reduce burden of the people," he said.

PTI
Truth has come out, says Sasikala in reaction to OPS's remark before panel

Jayalalithaa death probe: TN cabinet to decide on enquiry against Sasikala and others

Never interfered in medical treatment of Jayalalithaa: Sasikala denies all allegations levelled by panel

NGO moves Supreme Court seeking CBI probe into Jayalalithaa's treatment, death

India

oi-Anusha

A public interest litigation filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a CBI probe into death of former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader J Jayalalithaa.

In the petition, a Chennai-based NGO has also sought recovery of all documents relating to the deceased leader's health from Apollo Hospital in Chennai.

Tamil Nadu Telugu Yuva Shakti, a Chennai-based NGO in its PIL has highlighted the secrecy that was maintained over the leader's health from the day she was hospitalised on September 22 till the day of her death. The NGO has sought a CBI probe into the same.

[Also Read: Jayalalithaa Memorial faces regulatory speed bump]

This PIL comes days after actor Gautami as well as expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa had sought answers over J Jayalalithaa's death.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 14, 2016, 13:06 [IST]
12-year-old Indian in Guinness World Record for identifying most aeroplane tails in UAE

Watch: Four Indian women racially abused in Texas in most horrific manner

Only one Indian scribe jailed in 2016, says report

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

A record 259 scribes were imprisoned worldwide in the last year, revealed an annual list compiled by a non-profit that works to defend press freedoms

As per a report by the Commitee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), only one Indian journalist was imprisoned in 2016.

The Chhattisgarh police arrested freelance journalist Santosh Yadav for his reportage on alleged human rights abuses in the state.

The reports, the CPJ's annual prison census, show a record number of journalists jailed this past year. As many as 259 journalists were imprisoned around the world in 2016, with 81 of them being imprisoned in Turkey, said the report.

The report, which has been keeping track of scribes being imprisoned since 1990, claimed that the highest number in recent past was in 2012, when 232 journalists were jailed. This year some 20 women were arrested.

China, which has topped the list for the past two years, came second in 2016. Iran was also among the top five on the list. Compared to the 81 arrests in Turkey, China imprisoned some 38 journalists this year.

Three-fourths of the 259 names on the list face charges of anti-state activity, said reports.

The list is considerably higher than that of 2015 when 199 journalists were put behind the bars globally.

To know countrywise details click here

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Wednesday, December 14, 2016, 12:13 [IST]
Gap between rich and poor has widened, needs to be bridged: Gadkari

President leaves for Chhindwara via Nagpur

India

oi-PTI

Nagpur, Dec 14: President Pranab Mukherjee was in Nagpur today for a short span as he changed flights for his visit to Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh to attend a CII programme.

Mukherjee, who arrived by a special flight, was received at the Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport by Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, city mayor Pravin Datke and top civil and military officials.

The President boarded a helicopter and proceeded to Chhindwara. He will return to Nagpur in the evening and fly back to Delhi, official sources said.

PTI
5 held in Delhi with over Rs 3.25 crore in old notes

India

oi-Madhuri

By Madhuri

New Delhi, Dec 14: The Delhi Police Crime Branch and Income Tax Department has held five persons here with Rs 3.25 crore in old currency notes, police said on Wednesday. In a joint operation conducted by the Income Tax Department and Crime Branch of the Delhi police, around Rs 3.25 crore in old notes were seized from a hotel in Delhi's Karol Bagh on Wednesday.

Investigations have shown that the money belonged to a hawala operator from Mumbai. According to reports, the notes were packed in a way so that the airport scanning machines could not detect it.

The five men are carriers and have been identified as Ansari Abuzar, Fazal Khan, Ansari Affan, Ladu Ram and Mahaveer Singh, he said. The recovered amount was kept in different suitcases and cardboard box.

The Income Tax department has seized the cash and is analysing the mobile phone details of these people since their phones contain details of lot of other hawala operators, he added.

On Wednesday, K Michael, a Senior Special Assistant employed with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in Bengaluru was arrested by the CBI after it was found that he was aiding a currency exchange racket.

The CBI had also arrested K.C. Veerendra, a businessman and politician from Challakere, Chitradurga district, in whose house IT sleuths discovered secret cash vaults in the bathroom. The officials had recovered over Rs. 5 crore in new currency, apart from bullion.

OneIndia News
Self-censorship is worst form of censorship: Taslima Nasreen

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Dec 14: For noted Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, who has faced the ire of fundamentalists on several ocassions, self-censorship is the worst form of censorship.

With attacks against writers, minority religious leaders, and atheist bloggers on the rise in Bangladesh, Nasreen says many authors have now been forced to resort to self-censorship to avoid facing fatal consequences.

"In our part of the world we have problems regarding freedom of expression. Many people do not speak what they want to. And, most writers in Bangladesh now self-censor themselves. Otherwise they will be hacked to death.

But, for me it is the worst form of censorship," she said. "Even when I write for newspapers, editors cut several sentences before printing," she said. The 54-year-old author has been living in exile in India after having incurred the wrath of fundamentalists back home over a novel written by her in 1994.

According to the writer, a voracious advocate of freedom of speech, sentiments of one group or the other will invariably be hurt, no matter what one writes. "My sentiments are offended by the death threats I receive from Islamic fundamentalists but that doesn't mean I want to kill people for that. I have an inbuilt mechanism to face all this.

The fundamentalists, however, are so weak that they can't tolerate what I say," she said. Despite being a permanent European citizen and an American resident, the doctor-turned-author refuses to stay anywhere but India. Initially, she was residing in Kolkata, but following a riot in the region, she was asked by the then ruling CPI(M) government to leave, and has been living in the Capital since then.

"I chose to live here and specially as a Bengali writer I decided to live in Kolkata. I needed a Bengali environment and was very happy when I settled there in 2005.

"The government and I started facing problems three and a half years later and I was forced to leave the state," she claimed. The writer had penned her struggles from her time in exile in her book, "Nirbashan", which has now been translated from Bengali into English as "Exile."

In the book, she mentions the series of events during her seven-month struggle leading to her ouster from West Bengal, then Rajasthan and eventually India. She also talks about the "anxious" days that she spent under house arrest.

"There were days when I had high blood pressure and wanted to see a doctor but because of security reasons, I was not allowed to do so. I was even asked how much money I needed to leave the country," she said.

Expressing concern over how more and more parts of the globe are becoming autocratic, she said the world was becoming a difficult place for writers to speak their minds.

"When writers like me are attacked here, we go to Europe. Now even Europeans have started having problems (Charlie Hebdo attack), so where do we go now?" she said. She also called for a consolidated fight against the 'misogynist' mindset prevailing in society to "make the world a better place to live in".

"If we want to change society we have to fight fundamentalists because they want to pull society backwards. I write for human rights, women's rights and freedom of expression. "For a change I think we should fight misogyny and religious fundamentalism, otherwise it won't be a better place to live."

PTI
The rise and fall of India's deadliest bomber Yasin Bhatkal

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Bengaluru, Dec 14: A motivator, recruiter, logistic provider, bomb maker and then a leader. This is how the Intelligence Bureau dossier on Yasin Bhatkal describes him. One of the most dangerous terrorists, India has ever witnessed, Yasin Bhatkal was on Tuesday handed out his first ever conviction by a special National Investigation Agency court in connection with the Hyderabad Dilsukhnagar blasts case.

Whether he will hang or lead the rest of his life in jail is something that the court would decide on December 19 when it delivers its verdict on the quantum of sentence. Yasin Bhatkal's rise in the Indian Mujahideen was a phenomenal one.

From a simple sales boy who helped his father out in his garment business, Yasin went on to become one of the most prolific bomber and leader the dreaded Indian Mujahideen had ever seen.

The rise of Yasin Bhatkal:

Born on January 15, 1983, Yasin hails from the coastal town of Bhatkal in Karnataka. He is closely related to the founders of the Indian Mujahideen, Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal. Yasin's birth name is Ahmad Zarar Siddibaba. He uses various aliases such as Shah Rukh Khan, Sivanand, and Dr Imran, to mention a few.

He never spent too much time in his home town. He had left for Dubai to help his father with his garment business. It is here that he is said to have been radicalised by Riyaz. A change in his attitude led to a major rift with his father following which he left Dubai.

After returning to India he began working for the IM. He was tasked with the responsibility of raising funds. He started a construction business which acted as a front for his fund raising project. The dossier says that he raised Rs 14 lakh in quick time. It is said that along with an operative from West Bengal, he raised the money through a fake currency racket.

Yasin was then taught how to make bombs. He is said to have mastered this in quick time. Investigations show that for every blast that he planned, it was he who prepared the bombs. He was considered to be one of the best in the business.

The re-birth of the Indian Mujahideen:

Being a behind the scenes operative, he never came directly under the radar of the agencies. When the first major crack down on the Indian Mujahideen took place almost the entire top rung of the Indian Mujahideen were either arrested or went missing. Riyaz, Iqbal and Abdus Subhan fled India and took shelter in Pakistan. Several operatives were arrested.

The IM was in tatters and everyone had assumed that the outfit was dead. Yasin Bhatkal along with his accomplices Waqas, Assadullah Akthar, Tahseen Akthar and Ajaz Shaikh decided to breathe fresh life into the outfit. Their modus opera DI was a simple one. They decided that the IM would be run by a small team. They never spoke on the phone to avoid getting tapped. All communications were face to face and this helped the outfit carry out a series of attacks without being detected.

Unlike the old team, Yasin did not believe in sending emails, calling operatives or even claiming responsibility for the attacks. He realised activities of the IM were checked earlier, as the operatives challenged agencies head on. Yasin believed that attacks should be carried out at regular intervals and it is the attack that should convey the message.

Yasin played a vital role in planning and executing the 13/7 train blasts in Mumbai in 2006, the Delhi blasts in 2010, the Chinnaswamy stadium blasts in Bangalore in 2010, the German Bakery blast in Pune in 2010 and the Delhi high court blast in 2011, Mumbai serial blasts in 2011 and the Dilsukhnagar blasts in 2013.



The fall of Yasin Bhatkal:

Differences began to crop up between Yasin and his mentor Riyaz. Yasin complained that Riyaz was leading a comfortable life in Karachi while he continued to do the dirty work on the streets.

Further Yasin also felt that the IM should not report to the ISI. The ISI has no ideology he felt. He decided to take Riyaz head on and this had led to differences between the two.

Yasin however walked into a trap. With the fights increasing within the IM, Riyaz decided to patch things up. He advised Yasin to meet him in Pakistan and iron out the differences. While he was attempting to enter Pakistan through the Nepal border he was arrested by the Indian Intelligence Bureau officials. The man who had never made one call during his operations decided to call his wife just before he was about to cross over into Pakistan. This call was intercepted and the officials moved quickly to nab him. There is an unconfirmed report that information about his movements may have been leaked by someone within the IM.

OneIndia News
A dream, a call and some courage: How a 15-year-old stopped her marriage

Man rapes 8-year-old to use her blood for removing obstacles to his marriage

Kolkata: TMC MLAs protest outside RBI office against demonetisation

India

oi-PTI

Kolkata, Dec 14: Trinamool Congress legislators and senior ministers today staged a rally in the city, which ended outside the RBI office, against the Centre's demonetisation move.

RBI Governor Urjit Patel is scheduled to arrive here today for the apex bank's central board meeting tomorrow. He is also scheduled to meet bankers and industrialists during his stay.

The rally started from the West Bengal Assembly and was attended by state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee, Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, TMC MP Subrata Bakshi and Power Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay.

"We will continue our protest until the draconian decision of demonetisation is withdrawn. Tomorrow also we will organise a similar protest-rally. India is a democracy and Modi can't bulldoze his anti-people decision on the entire country," Chatterjee told the rally.

PTI
NMMSS Scholarship 2022: Here is the last date to submit application

Delhi CM Kejriwal dares Rahul Gandhi to expose PM

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Dec 14: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today dared Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi to "expose" Prime Minister Narendra Modi if he has documents at his disposal, saying Congress and BJP indulge in such "friendly match" but do not make any disclosure.

"If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modiji's personal involvement in corruption, then why doesn't he expose it outside Parliament? "Friendly match - BJP says they have AgustaWestland against Congress. Cong says they have Sahara/Birla against BJP.

Both don't disclose," Kejriwal said in a series of tweets. The chief minister was reacting to Rahul's remarks that he wants to present in the Lok Sabha detailed information about "personal corruption" by Modi but is not being allowed to do so by the PM.

On demonetisation, Kejriwal claimed the traders were miffed with BJP. "The traders of the country are saying BJP will take money from us, vote from us and call us thieves? The real thief dines with the PM," he tweeted.

AAP leader Ashish Khetan tweeted, "If Rahul Gandhi is not allowed to speak inside the House, then he should speak outside and disclose the information he has about Modiji."

Kejriwal's prodding assumes importance as he has been targeting the Prime Minister over certain allegations pertaining to the latter's tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar has rejected Rahul's allegation terming it "false and baseless" and "very unfortunate". "The allegation was made out of desperation and he (Gandhi) should apologise to the nation," Kumar told reporters.

PTI
Monitoring situation in Pakistan: India after Imran Khan shot in the leg during rally

2 years on, student succumbs to wounds suffered in 2014 attack

International

oi-PTI

Peshawar, Dec 14: A 18-year-old Pakistani student has succumbed to his wounds received in the deadly 2014 militant attack on the Army Public School here, three days before the country marks the second anniversary of the massacre that claimed over 150 lives.

Irshad Hussain was being treated at a hospital in Rawalpindi for the bullet wounds he received in the attack. He had been shot in neck and back, leading to critical injuries, The Nation reported. Hussain was suffering from mental trauma caused by the horrific attack, according to family.

On Decemebr 16, 2014, over 150 people, nearly all of them school children, were massacred when heavily armed Taliban suicide bombers stormed a Pakistan army-run school here, firing indiscriminately, leaving another 130 injured. The deadly attack shocked the entire nation, prompting the government to launch a national action plan (NAP) to root out the scourge of terrorism and extremism once and for all.

The country also decided to put an end to capital punishment, sending scores of convicts to gallows. The government and opposition parties agreed to set up military courts for trial of hardcore terrorists to expedite campaign against foreign and local militants.

Six months before the APS attack, Pakistan had launched 'Operation Zarb-e-Azb' in North Waziristan, killing hundreds of militants in aerial strikes and a major ground offensive.

The North Waziristan operation was launched after militants targeted Karachi's Jinnah International Airport in a speculator attack that saw over two dozen people killed in June 2014.

PTI
4,000 US troops to be deployed in Poland in 2017: US commander

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Warsaw, Dec 14 Some 4,000 US soldiers along with vehicles and other equipment will be deployed in Poland in 2017, a US senior commander said on Tuesday.

Xinhua news agency quoted Lieutenant General Frederick Hodges, commander of the United States Army Europe, as saying that at the start of next year, the troops would arrive in Germany from where they would continue on to Poland.

Hodges gave this speech at a German armed forces logistics school in Osterholz-Scharmbeck in northern Germany. He said northern Germany would be a logistical hub for transferring US troops to Central and Eastern Europe.

The aim of the deployment was to secure peace in Europe and provide a demonstration of strength aimed at Russia, Hodges added.

Polish News Agency reported that as part of the Atlantic Resolve NATO operation, these soldiers would strengthen US forces in NATO's eastern countries.

At the Warsaw summit in July, NATO leaders agreed to deploy four battalions with a size of up to 1,000 each to the three Baltic states and Poland.

IANS
No one has guts...: Junior defence minister's reply to China question

China factory fire leaves five dead

International

oi-PTI

Beijing, Dec 14: At least five persons were killed and four others injured in a fire at a factory in China's Shandong Province.

The fire broke out around last night at an electronic company in Haiyang City.

It was extinguished around 11:33 pm, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today. Five persons have died and four others were injured.

The injured have been hospitalised and are in stable conditions. The cause of the fire is under investigation, the report said.

PTI
There is no 'one-size-fits-all' to curb poverty

Thief calls cops for help after being caught by mob

Cyclone Sitrang heading towards Bangladesh; Heavy rains likely to pound West Bengal, Odisha and NE

Intellectuals martyred in Bangladesh liberation war honoured

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Dhaka, Dec 14: President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday paid tribute to the intellectuals killed on December 14, 1971, two days before the War Liberation ended in the creation of Bangladesh as an independent nation.

Hasina and Hamid placed wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals' Mausoleum here and stood in silence for two minutes to mark Martyred Intellectuals Day.

Both leaders spoke to freedom fighters and family members of the martyred intellectuals gathered here.

A contingent of Bangladesh Armed Forces presented a state salute, while a bugler played the Last Post, the Daily Star reported.

Members of the cabinet, mayors of city corporations, chiefs of the three Armed Services, as well as civil and military officials were present.

Flanked by leaders of her Bangladesh Awami League party, Hasina laid another wreath as the party chief.

She later went to Dhanmondi here and placed a wreath at the portrait of her father who is also the Father of the Nation, 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.

On the night of December 14 in 1971, over 200 intellectuals including professors, journalists, doctors, artistes, engineers, and writers were abducted by the Pakistani occupation forces.

They were taken to torture cells in different parts of the city and executed en masse at various killing fields, most notably Rayerbazar and Mirpur.

Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistani occupation on December 16, 1971.

IANS
Prosecutions story may be attractive but should be backed by evidence

32,000 girls converted to Islam and sold as ISIS slaves: This is The Kerala Story

ISIS claims responsibility for Egypt church bombing

International

oi-PTI

Cairo, Dec 14: The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at a church here during a Sunday mass in which 25 people, mostly women and children, were killed and nearly 50 others injured.

The Suicide bomber, nicknamed Abu Abdullah al-Masry, blew himself up with an explosive belt, the terror group said in a statement circulated online. Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, while attending the State funeral of the victims on Monday, said a 22-year-old suicide bomber called Mahmoud Shafik Mohamed Mostafa was behind the attack.

He said that four persons including a woman were arrested. Twenty-five worshippers, mostly women and children, were killed and nearly 50 injured when the powerful blast ripped through the church adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral here during a Sunday mass, the deadliest attack against the minority community in recent times.

The explosion took place inside St Peter's Church attached to St Mark's Cathedral, the seat of the Coptic pope who heads Egypt's Christian minority, in Abbassyia district of central Cairo at around 10:00 AM when the Sunday mass was on.

PTI
Italian referendum: Sounding the death knell of European Union?

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

The decisive rejection last week in the referendum for reform by 41-year-old Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has once again plunged Italy and the European Union into a crisis.

It underlined the inherent danger in calling for popular endorsement through referendum of any agenda for political or economic change. This was clear after Brexit in UK and now in Italy. Such strategic blunders unfortunately cannot be reversed. They often result in an abrupt end of the political careers of the respective Prime Ministers who gambled and lost.

Political analysts have noted that opposition to the Italian proposals came from the same broad coalition that ensured victory for Brexit: anti-establishment sentiments, anger at globalisation, the migrant issue and open borders, and increased scepticism on the wisdom of a Europe without frontiers. A broadly similar coalition ensured the victory of Donald Trump. The problem is how to turn the tide before it is too late.

In Italy's case, the result of the vote primarily benefited right-wing parties such as the Five Star Movement which supports a referendum to determine whether Italy should give up the euro. The popular mood in the third-largest European economy seems to be to go it alone rather than with Europe.

It was small comfort to the European liberal left wing and socialist parties that a few hours earlier, Austrian voters, faced with a stark choice, selected as their Head of State Alexander Van der Bellen of the Green Party rather than Norbert Hofer of the far right Freedom Party which had been established by the Nazis.

Political developments across Europe are worrisome. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel, once riding high in the polls, seems increasingly vulnerable in elections scheduled for 2017. In France, for the first time in the history of the Fifth Republic, an incumbent President, Francois Hollande, is not seeking a second term. With his popularity rating in the teens, this was a sage decision. It represents a candid acknowledgement by him that he is acutely aware of the inherent danger of the candidature of an unpopular President, handicapped by incumbency, standing for an election which could divide the liberal, left-wing vote and ensure the victory of Marine Le Pen. The French political scenario is complex, with the far right National Front leader calling for a French referendum on European Union membership shortly after Brexit.

While it seems unlikely that Frexit will happen since France, unlike the UK, has always been firmly anchored in Europe and sees EU membership as a way of maintaining its great power status, the result of the French presidential election in 2017 seems disturbingly uncertain. The first round of the vote will be held on April 23. The final outcome will be decided in a run-off election which will take place on May 7.

While the centre-right former Prime Minister Francois Fillon is being projected by the media as the favourite, having surprisingly humbled former Prime Minister Alan Juppe and former President Nicholas Sarkozy in the primaries, there are many imponderables which still remain. The Socialist Party is divided; Manuel Valls has stood down as Prime Minister in order to put himself forward as the Socialist Party candidate for the presidential race. The Socialist Party will hold its presidential primary in January.

One imponderable whose resolution could impact the outcome is how the Socialists would vote in a second round presidential election with a runoff between Fillon and Le Pen. In 2002, in the second round, the Socialists had decided to vote for Jacques Chirac so as to defeat Le Pen and the extreme right. While it is hoped that the French voters from the Socialist Party would do the same in 2017 and unite against the National Front candidate, this is not certain, given the current popular mood in France.

Ultimately, the choice for the French socialist voter would also depend on how Fillon projects himself. Can he assuage the concerns of the anti-globalisation coalition without moving too far right? How does he win over the disenchanted lower middle class white voter? He needs to convince voters across the political divide that he can deliver on his liberalising ideology, penned in his latest book, of ensuring prosperity as a pre-condition for restoring national pride and sovereignty.

Ultimately, the outcome of this election is also a litmus test for the continuing relevance of European liberal democratic politics. To put it starkly, there remains five months for French mainstream leaders and the media to project Fillon as a credible alternative to right wing populism surging throughout Europe. A positive result for Fillon and his party would appear to be far from certain.

There are ominous indications that Europe has already moved to the ideological right, threatening the integrity and future of the EU itself. The 160-kilometre-long chain-link and razor-wire fence on Hungary's southern border vividly reflects the rising tide of extreme right wing populist politicians across Europe with their retrograde xenophobic, racist ideologies accompanied by attacks on European liberal values, symbolised by open markets and frontiers and free movements of people.

If the founders of the EU and its liberal ideals -- Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France -- also move to the far right in 2017, it could sound the death knell for the Schengen regime and of the cherished ideals of European integration and of the European Union itself.

IANS
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to meet Donald Trump

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New York, Dec 14: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is to meet President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday as part of a team of tech titans for discussion on the role of their sector, which could have an impact beyond their shores.

Job creation in the US, visas for highly skilled technology professionals and investors, investing the large hoard of cash - a lot of it overseas -- that the tech companies have been sitting on because of tax concerns are expected to figure in the meeting at Trump Towers here.

During the campaign, both Trump and the tech sector had a frosty relationship.

Trump criticised them for exporting jobs and manufacturing overseas, and zoomed in Apple for making its products in China. "We're going to get Apple to build their damn computers and things in this country instead of in other countries," he said.

He also threatened to tighten visa requirements for professional immigrants, the artery of skills for the tech sector, although he softened his stand later saying he would welcome innovators and skilled people coming in legally.

Last week, Trump said that he would not allow foreign workers on temporary H-1B visas for technology professionals to displace American workers, a move that could affect Indian tech companies.

While people in the technology sector criticised Trump during the campaign mostly because of their perception of his social and immigration policies, Nadella was publicly silent.

After the election, Nadella congratulated Trump in a post on LinkedIn. But in an implied criticsm of the Trump campaign's perceived rhetoric, he also wrote: "Our commitment to our mission and values are steadfast, and in particular fostering a diverse and inclusive culture."

After Trump's election Apple reportedly asked some of its suppliers to look at manufacturing in the US.

Foxconn, the main manufacturer of iPhones announced that it was looking at expanding its manufacturing operations in the US.

Japanese company Softbank pledged to invest $50 billion in the US after its CEO Masayoshi Son met Trump earlier this month. Media reports said that Apple may invest $1 billion in the Softbank's $50 billion fund for US investments.

IANS
Demonetisation: Malaysian PM praises PM Modi

International

oi-PTI

Kuala Lumpur, Dec 14: Malaysia's Premier Najib Razak today praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being a "good reformist", saying he has attempted something that "lesser mortals would not."

During a brief exchange between the two leaders through video conferencing at the 'Economic Times Asian Business Leaders Conclave 2016' here, Razak praised Modi for the demonetisation move aimed at curbing black money.

"I must congratulate you for being a good reformist. You have done what lesser mortals would not have attempted," Razak said, addressing Modi.

"If you are courageous enough to implement reforms, you will reap the rewards," he added. Razak is expected to visit India next year as both countries continue to strengthen bilateral ties, following Modi's visit to Malaysia last year.

In the conference, Modi also praised Razak, saying under his leadership Malaysia is moving towards its goal of achieving developed country status by 2020.

He said close ties between India and Malaysia are "integral to the success of our Act East Policy". He said the "timeless ties" between India and Malaysia are reinforced by the presence of a large Indian community in that country.

PTI
Obama calls for de-escalating violence in Aleppo

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Dec 14: US President Barack Obama has asked his top aides to take steps to de-escalate the violence and push for humanitarian access in Aleppo, hours after the UN said pro-government forces have killed at least 82 civilians including women and children in the besieged Syrian city.

"He directed his team to take all steps, in concert with allies and partners, to de-escalate the violence, push for humanitarian access, and for an opportunity for those trapped in the besieged city to be allowed a safe egress, if desired," the White House said after Obama's national security council meeting with his top aides on ISIS yesterday.

Obama assembled his National Security Council for a periodic update on progress the US and "our 68-member Global Coalition have achieved toward degrading and destroying ISIS in both Iraq and Syria," said the readout of the meeting.

"As part of our effort to apply simultaneous pressure against the terrorist group, the President was briefed on the Iraqi-led campaign to liberate Mosul and the advancing efforts of our partners in Northern Syria to isolate Raqqa - just as the US Military has undertaken a series of strikes to remove key ISIL leaders and attack planners," it said.

"The President also received an update on the unfolding human tragedy inside Aleppo and the terrible violence carried out by the Asad regime with the backing of Russia and Iran," the White House said.

The UN human rights office said it has received reports of "pro-government forces killing at least 82 civilians including 11 women and 13 children in four different neighbourhoods" in the former rebel stronghold of eastern Aleppo.

PTI
Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte says he personally killed people

International

oi-PTI

Manila, Dec 14 Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he personally killed suspected criminals when he was mayor of a southern city to set an example for police.

Duterte made the comments in a speech late on Monday night to businessmen as he discussed his campaign to eradicate illegal drugs, that has seen police and unknown assailants kill thousands of people since he became president on June 30.

After speaking about police killing suspects during the current crime war, Duterte said he led similar efforts when he was mayor of Davao, the major southern city that he ruled for most of the previous 20 years.

"In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys (police) that if I can do it why can't you," Duterte said in his speech at the presidential palace.

"And I'd go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also. I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill." Duterte also responded to criticism from human rights groups and US President Barack Obama about his brutal anti-crime tactics, vowing to continue his crackdown.

"If they say that I am afraid to stop (the campaign) because of the human rights and guys from including Obama: Sorry, I am not about to do that," he said in English. Rights groups have previously accused Duterte of running vigilante death squads in Davao that killed more than 1,000 suspected criminals. Duterte has variously denied and acknowledged his involvement in the death squads.

Similarly, Duterte as president has called on ordinary Filipinos as well as security forces to kill drug users and traffickers. But he has also said that he and his security forces would not break the law.

In October, Duterte compared himself to Adolf Hitler and said he would be "happy to slaughter" three million drug addicts.

He later apologised for the Hitler reference but said he was "emphatic" about wanting to kill the millions of addicts. Since his election, police have reported killing 2,086 people in anti-drug operations.

More than 3,000 others have been killed in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures.

Often masked assailants break into shanty homes and kill people who have been tagged as drug traffickers or drug users.

Rights groups have warned of a breakdown in the rule of law with police and hired assassins operating with complete impunity.

AFP
Syrian Army controls all of Aleppo: Russia

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

United Nations, Dec 14 The Syrian Army is in full control over Aleppo and the operation to re-take the eastern part of the city from rebels is over, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations said on Tuesday.

"The latest information that we have received during the past hour or so is that military operations in eastern Aleppo have concluded," EFE news quoted Vitaly Churkin as saying during a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in Syria's largest city.

The Russian-backed Syrian government offensive began in mid-September.

"So, there is no issue of any ceasefire or special humanitarian operations. The Syrian government has regained control of the eastern Aleppo, so the stage of practical humanitarian actions begins," he said.

The head of the political office of a rebel group active in eastern Aleppo confirmed that the fighting had stopped.

"The truce has already begun, the bombardments and combat have stopped and the combatants will leave tomorrow, we expect starting sometime after 5 a.m.," the Fastaqim Union's Zakaria Malahifyi said from outside Syria, citing reports from comrades in Aleppo.

Churkin told journalists ahead of the Security Council session that agreement had been reached on a plan for the rebels occupying the eastern part of Aleppo to leave under a grant of safe conduct.

"All the militants along with their families and the wounded are now withdrawing through the agreed corridors in the directions they themselves have chosen, including in the direction of Idlib," the Russian said during the Security Council meeting.

Idlib, which lies southwest of Aleppo, is under rebel control.

The leader of the opposition Free Syrian Army told EFE on Tuesday that civilians will be evacuated before rebels leave Aleppo headed southward.

FSA leader Ahmed Berri said, via telephone, that a deal had been struck to allow for the evacuation.

IANS
'US should supplement TPP by inking treaties with China,India'

International

pti-PTI

Washington, Dec 14: The US must not abandon the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and should supplement it by negotiating bilateral investment treaties with China and India to respond to the growing Chinese activism in Asia, a former US diplomat said.

Evan A Feingenbaum, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, in the latest issue of the Foreign Affairs magazine, said, "What the United States should be encouraging is a liberal, open, market-based economic order in the region.

And the TPP by itself would not have been enough, in any case." Feingenbaum, who also played a key role in negotiations over the India-US civilian nuclear deal, also said that instead of repealing TPP, the incoming Trump Administration should supplement it with a direct trade deal with both India and China.

"Rather than abandoning the deal, Washington should be supplementing it, by negotiating bilateral investment treaties with China and India to open up their economies to U S firms and to support economic reformers in both countries; pursuing public-private partnerships to get US businesses involved in infrastructure development across Asia; striking specific agreements to open up markets in the service and technology sectors, where the United States excels; and seeking new pacts in areas such as fishing and environmental standards for Chinas Belt and Road project," Feingenbaum said.

"Doing so would mean that Washington was helping set the agenda, not merely reacting to Chinese proposals," he argued.

"It is also worth noting that China often succeeds at its efforts to reform global institutions and build pan-Asian groups because its demands mesh with those of India, an increasingly close US partner," he argued.

For example, India helped found the AIIB and now ranks as its second-largest shareholder, he said.

"Despite their suspicion of Chinese power, officials in New Delhi tend to agree that new forums act as a needed counterweight to unrepresentative global institutions. Like China, India is not content to live in perpetuity in architecture largely built by the West," the former Bush era official said.

He also warned that the United States should not force its allies into a binary choice between Beijing and Washington on issues that are not vital to US national security or to the national security of its allies.

"In the South China Sea, where China is challenging maritime law and customary practice, such pressure is necessary. But Chinas financing of a commercial railway or power line is not a comparable threat," he said.

It is in Asia, not in global institutions, that the United States faces its toughest choices about how to respond to Chinas growing activism, he said.

PTI
Mysuru's 'Dasara Aahara Mela' 2022 is here to tickle your taste buds

Dissatisfied relatives accord Jayalalithaa a 'second' funeral

Mysore

oi-Anusha

Days after her burial, estranged relatives of J Jayalalithaa chose to accord her a second funeral on Tuesday, this time with Vedic rituals.

Dissatisfied with her burial instead of the more traditional cremation in accordance with Vedic customs, Jayalalithaa's relatives conducted the last rites in keeping with orthodox Iyengar customs.

The former Tamil Nadu chief minister's step brother Vasudevan conducted the rites according to Iyengar customs in Srirangapatna. Two priests, Ramanuja Iyengar and Rangaraja Iyengar, conducted the rites and claimed that it would compensate for her body not being cremated.

[Also Read: NGO moves Supreme Court seeking CBI probe into Jayalalithaa's treatment, death]

Jayalalithaa, unlike most Dravidian party leaders, was a devout Hindu. However, instead of being cremated, she was buried alongside her mentor M G Ramachandran at Marina Beach in Chennai.

OneIndia News
Ajay Munot, a businessman from Aurangabad donated 90 houses to the homeless people on his daughter's marriage instead of spending money on ceremony. Ajay Munot, who was about to spend Rs 70 to 80 lakhs for his daughter wedding, curtailed unnecessary expenditures for the noble cause. Watch here what his daughter has to say. Watch video here.
H Y Meti, Minister for excise in the Karnataka government resigned after a $ex tape involving him was made public. Meanwhile, Karnataka CM S Siddaramaiah excepted his resignation and ordered a probe over the whole matter.
India is ready to test launch Agni-V ballistic missile capable of hitting northernmost China. The missile has a range of 5000 kilometers. Defence sources said preparations were on in full swing to launch the nuclear-capable Agni-V from its canister on a launcher truck towards December-end or early January .
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Komfie Manalo, Opalesque Asia:

Sovereign wealth funds have emerged as the biggest investors in the Asian private equity sector over the last decade, replacing traditional sources, said Hugh Dyus of Navis. He added that many of those funds are also based in the Asia Pacific region.

Speaking at the latest Opalesque 2016 Hong Kong Roundtable, Dyus said, "Traditionally, North American investors, ranging from institutions to foundations, endowments and family offices used to be the big backers of Asian private equity. That has substantially changed over the last decade."

Another major change he noticed is that fewer investors are writing bigger checks, which favors well-established managers and makes it more challenging for emerging managers.

Challenge of differentiation within same strategic space

Dyus explained that many fund managers are facing challenges about differentiation within the same strategic space. He said that if your strategy is very similar to that of other managers, it is very hard to differentiate yourself.

Within private equity, Dyus developed a new strategy designed to give investors exposure to the upside from investing in private equity without the disadvantages of traditional private equity structures, namely illiquidity and high fees. He added: "We are new and have an innovative strategy an......................

To view our full article Click here
Benedicte Gravrand, Opalesque Geneva: Eclectica Asset Managements Hugh Hendry, George Lee and Tom Roderick write in the firms Manager Commentary for December 2016 that they might be running a Trumpian portfolio; "With the economys debtors finally in the ascendancy, Eclectica is positioned for an anticipated mean reversion, being long the US debtor community and short the rest of the worlds creditor class." They observe three thematic risks: Europe, Japans currency and the Chinese economy. Here is what they say: In Europe, they anticipate further duress in the political commitment to the European project as the success of Trumps economic stimulus plan keeps US growth humming along, leaving the continent badly exposed as a politically fractured economy without the resolve to implement successful growth strategies.

The combination of Trumpian economics producing the long sought-after lift in inflation expectations globally, and Japanese 10-year nominal yields being trapped at zero by the Bank of Japan should mean the yen continues to weaken.

And finally, there are appealing opportunities in Chinese fixed income markets arising from the flows of liquidity between the onshore and offshore markets, trades which generate positive carry should the status quo persist yet remain long volatility should pressure on the renminbi intensify in the face of a strengthening US dollar or slowing Chinese economy. Eclectica Asset Mana...................... To view our full article Click here


From entrepreneur.com/article/223325: Banking corporations should not be the source to fund infrastructure need.

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"Rogue One" is not simply the title of the latest Star War film due out this week. It's also a dead-on accurate description of the institution being suggested as the go-to source to fund President-elect Trump's $1 trillion proposal to repair, modernize and expand our nation's infrastructure. The institutional Rogue, Darth Vader, Death Star or Dark Side (take your pick among Star Wars metaphors) that some are seriously suggesting to provide the stimulus to our economy are super duper big banking corporations directly responsible for the financial implosion a few years ago, instead of We the People and our public power to create debt-free and interest-free money to meet our basic needs.

There's no debate on the following:

- Our roads, bridges, water and sewer systems, public transit systems, schools and other basic physical public structures are rapidly crumbling,

- Bi-partisan political will exists to address infrastructure needs across the country, and,

- President-elect Trump and his advisors, specifically Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin and chief advisor Stephen Bannon say they are open to exploring literally all solutions to fund the program over 10 years -- an approach described by Bannon as "We're just going to throw it up against the wall and see if it sticks."

Many claim, including the prestigious American Society of Civil Engineers, that $3.6 trillion (as estimated in 2013) is needed by 2020 to serious address our infrastructure needs. Whatever the amount, the question of how it's going to be paid for is central.

No one supports raising taxes. This is a political non-starter.

Several of Trump's economic advisors proposed several months ago providing tax credits to private investors. This and other ideas fall into the category of Public-Private Partnerships, which have a demonstrated history of being ineffective and expensive.

Ellen Brown in a recent article commenting on Trump's infrastructure plan correctly asserts, "net new spending requires net new money." There simply isn't enough money in the current money or monetary system to fund even $1 trillion without taking it from somewhere else and, thus, causing economic pain -- a "robbing Peter to pay Paul" dilemma.

The question is who, or what, should create the needed new money? That would be money created "out of this air," which is how most new money in our society is created -- not simply by printing paper notes, but by crediting a sum to a borrower in their account by computer key strokes (97% of our nation's money is created in this way).

The U.S. Constitution allows for the public creation of money. President Lincoln took this very step to pay for the Civil War. Several hundred prominent economists urged the same strategy in their "Chicago Plan" during the 1930's to President Roosevelt as a means to stimulate the economy out of the depression/recession (sound familiar?).

A more up-to-date and complete version of the Chicago Plan was introduced twice in Congress over the last few years -- the National Emergency Employment Defense (NEED) Act, which has three critical and inter-related components:

- Making the Federal Reserve a public agency and no longer influenced by banking corporations,

- Ending the ability of banks to create money "out of thin air" -- only able to lend what they have in their vault or able to borrow (called "fractional reserve lending"),

- Empowering the federal government as affirmed in Article I of the U.S. Constitution to create and distribute U.S. money -- specifically several trillion dollars to repair, modernize and expand our nation's physical and human infrastructure, which would result in the employment of millions of people and paid with interest- and debt-free money.

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How is it that despite all of the blessings and advantages we in the United States possess, as a nation we continue to major in minors, prioritizing politics and profit margins over decency and human-kindness?

We've been operating in this topsy-turvy, inside-out, upside-down state of being for too long now, but the absence of goodwill, charity and human kindness is especially apparent now, with Christmas just around the corner.

For instance, Americans spent an estimated $6.9 billion dollars on federal elections in 2016. And what do we have to show for it? More of the same. The halls of Congress and the White House are as polluted as ever.

The country's endless wars, foreign occupations and targeted drone killings have stretched our military thin, robbed us of resources needed to shore up our infrastructure, and left us vulnerable to blowback, and yet the U.S. government has committed close to $6 trillion to advance wars in the Middle East and prop up the military-industrial complex.

Pork-barrel legislation, waste, corruption and general mismanagement have also contributed to the government's ballooning $20 trillion debt. Yet the politicians continue to find ways steal from those who can least afford it, while leading lives of luxury and excess.

Local governments continue to enact policies criminalizing homelessness and making it difficult for those who attempt to feed or shelter the homeless. Yet on any given night, more than 500,000 homeless Americans sleep on the streets or in emergency shelters; more than half of New Yorkers are one paycheck away from homelessness; and one out of every 6 children in the United States doesn't know when their next meal will be.

To sum things up, Americans have shelled out trillions of dollars of hard-earned tax dollars on political circuses, war machines and graft that fed no one, clothed no one, sheltered no one, and did not in any way shift the balance of power in the country between the haves (the oligarchic elite that runs Washington DC) and the have nots (the millions of taxpayers whose needs are not being heard or represented, and who must labor to pay for the corruption, excesses and graft of the power elite).

When will we ever learn?

Before you know it, Christmas will be a distant memory and we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming of politics, war, violence, materialism and mayhem.

There may not be much we can do to avoid the dismal reality of the police state in the long term, but in the short term, there are things we can all do right now to make this world (or at least our small corners of it) just a little bit kinder, a little less hostile, and a lot more helpful to those in need.

No matter what one's budget, religion, or political persuasion, here are a few things we can do right now to beat the police state blues and recapture the true spirit of Christmas.

Tone down the partisan rhetoric, the "us" vs. "them" mentality. Instead of wasting time and resources on political infighting, it's time Americans learned to work together to solve the problems before us.

Minimize the technology and tune into what's happening in your family, in your community and your world. Ration your screen time. Trade virtual communities for real ones. Greet your neighbors. Make time for family meals. Spend time talking to each other instead of at each other.

Show compassion to those in need, be kind to those around you, forgive those who have wronged you, and teach your children to do the same. Remember your p's and q's. I'm talking about simple things like holding a door open for someone, helping someone stranded on the side of the road, and saying "please" and "thank you" to those who do you a service.

Talk less, listen more. Take less, and give more. Instead of counting your many complaints, count your blessings and pay them forward. Here's where I'll put in a plug for The Rutherford Institute, which is one of the most hard-working, ethical and selfless organizations out there trying to make this sorry little world a better place. If the spirit of giving moves you, take a moment to send some love their way. They're doing a lot with very little, and they can use all the help they can get.

Stop being a hater. How can we ever hope to curb the hatred and animosity that have spurred global terrorism over the past few decades if we can't even forgive the human failings of those in our immediate circles?

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Irfan Alvi

Indo-Pak border currently depicts as the shimmering volcano of trans-border exchange of fire. This exchange of fire is said to involve not only the heavy machine guns, but also the medium artillery and the manoeuvres of unmanned Ariel vehicle (UAV) equipped with anti-material missiles.

This situation heralds vulnerability in the subject of the regional stability mainly because the two rivals Pakistan and India have nuclear arsenal even in a deployed form that is hazardous to the lives of more than 140 billion people, living across the borders. That is why firing even a single bullet in the violation of the declared ceasefire along LOC is the harbinger of the apprehension and requires the decision-making pundits to pay a sensible and conscientious attention.

The current border standoff is the direct upshot of the both sides' realistic cognizance against each other's respective policy pursuits in their vested regions. The areas where both are locked into fighting proxies are two. First, Kashmir where the LOC exists and separates its two parts and bloody skirmishes occur time and again is the overt arena between Islamabad and New Delhi.

In this region, both sides maintain their respective stances. According to Pakistani perspective, India plans to divert all western rivers, such as The Indus, Jhelum and Chenab of Pakistan, which flow from Kashmir and are the latter's right according to the Indus Basin Water Treaty 1960. Recently, the Indian Prime Minister has affirmed this posture, threatening to divert every drop of Bias, Sutlej and Ravi Rivers for the usage of Indian peasants.

This development derails the two sides' explicit commitment to cease fire, concluded in 2003. Simply, the divergences are to widen when one party is not letting its rival to enjoy the right. Whereas Indians believe that Kashmir valley is being ignited for the execution of jihad by Pakistani Intelligence Agencies. That is why huge bands of fighters are to intrude in Kashmir through the LOC. Thus, they are bound to prevent them from intrusion, which leads to clashes with the Pakistani troops.

These two perspectives in fact help the cognizant of the geopolitics to penetrate the deep saga of the two sides' military engagements. The relevance of both sides' perceived approaches is lucid. Let us believe that India has set on to divert the Pakistani rivers. Islamabad reacts and perceives this diversion will be difficult to sustain. Obviously, it undertakes a variety of countermeasures to prevent India from this sneaky pathway. Therefore, the fighters may be sent to stimulate the ongoing movement in Kashmir.

This deployment of fighters gives rise to the skirmishes between Pakistani and Indian troops. Accordingly, the Indians avow to accomplish their plans of water diversion. On the other hand, Pakistanis' response remains highly dependent on the countermeasures, aimed at the prevention of the diversion plans. Accordingly, the two sides ongoing trend results in action reaction phenomena and kindles the bleeding clashes.

Secondly, CPEC, passing through Baluchistan and FANA specifically, grabs the premeditated involvement of India into disruptions that cannot be gainsaid. Kulbhushan Yadav was arrested on March 3, 2016; he confessed to involve in spying in Balushistan and disclosed the Indian plan of CPEC suppression. This has proven as solid evidence against the Indians' secret plans for the disruption. In fact, India has invested massively in Afghanistan and wanted to build its major role in the region.

The said proxy wars were fought in Swat and FATA to destabilise the said area. However, Operations Rah e Najat and Zerb e Azb have destroyed the strong bastion of the militants, hiding in SWAT and FATA. It restored almost the state writ in the said areas and the thrust of violence was diminished. This security improvement was followed by the renowned CPEC mega project, considered by many rationales and analysts as a game changer in Pakistan economy and image.

Coherently speaking, the clearance of FANA and nearly Blochistan from militancy and the improvement of the security situation in Pakistan led the Indians to think alternatively for the sake of disturbing the project. The reason is that India perceives China as a threat and is engaged in security competition partnership, led by USA against China. India also thinks Pakistan as sole hurdle that can challenge it in South Asia.

On the other hand, China shall ensure its energy security and supply through CPEC routes whereas Pakistan shall enhance its derailed economy through the collectable levies and taxes. Given the competition with Sino-Pak and the beginning of the CPEC project, it is not recondite to assess that the disturbance on the eastern border is the extension of the plans, chalked out by the Indians to disturb CPEC. Similarly, Pakistan seems to respond in the same way, the Indians are undergoing. That is why the Kashmiri movement may be considered as the viable option which is already on the rise.

These policy choices lead the two states to confrontation along the LOC. Therefore, the implementation of an urgent solution under the ongoing circumstances is abstruse. In fact, the obdurate stance of the two jingoists is unlikely to pacify in the near future. There are many reasons. First, the Indians' ambitions to par with China geopolitically, economically and militarily is the foremost obstacle in the way India cannot be predicted to show flexibility in its stances on Kashmir specifically and the whole region commonly.

Second, Indians are locked into security concerns against Pakistan. Therefore, the continuity of armed confrontation between Islamabad and New Delhi on the LOC is eloquent. Third, Pakistan is also realistically behaving and is engaged in the execution of the measures, aimed at subsiding Indians policy pursuits in Afghanistan and Balochistan. Thus, the infiltration of the likely fighters through the LOC is seen as a workable strategy and a reasoned option.

Under such scenario, the workable options can be observed. However, the above-said realities cannot be denied. The two antagonistic sides have to withdraw from their perceived approaches.
Polar Bears and Climate Change: The Science Speaks for Itself. Many thousands have starved to death as the Polar Ice Warms then Melts

>>>>

Scientists, environmentalists and New Mexico's Senators are reacting with alarm to a questionnaire sent by the Trump transition team to the U.S. Department of Energy,

New Mexico Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall, both Democrats, called the questionnaire from the incoming Republican administration extremely concerning.

"While we don't yet know what the President-elect intends to do with this information, we do know about his troubling climate denial statements and the record of some of his key appointees in attacking climate science," Heinrich said in a prepared statement.

"I will not tolerate any efforts by the incoming administration to intimidate scientists and researchers in the government or at our national laboratories who are tackling some of our nation's greatest challenges, including climate change."

Udall said in a prepared statement that the questionnaire had a "badgering tone," and he urged the Trump transition team to clarify it. "I hope it isn't to single out civil servants who are contributing important work to our understanding of climate change. Different administrations have different policies and goals, but objective, scientific work should be a bipartisan priority," he added.

>>>>

From Stephen Fox, the author of this article:

The new administration will very clearly be a haven for opponents of scientific discussion of climate change and research in that realm.

How could something so obviously occurring like climate change become the new total corporate bugaboo to be swept under the rug?

Scientists should be able to do their research without fear of repression or of being silenced. Unless they are outright intimidated, not even the government scientists at Los Alamos and Sandia are going to roll over and play dead.

Let's hope for even stronger scientists in the university context, but we have seen for a very long time that even University scientists are in essence "bought off" with the grants for research that is always supposed to turn up certain pre-agreed upon "scientific conclusions."

(Almost seems like some bizarre parallel to the artistic world in 1930's Germany when certain styles and particular artists were deemed to be "decadent," mainly because either they were Jewish or because they were critical of Fascist and Fascism, as in actually are a few working on kinder branches of pure science research.

This administration can't be laboring under the idea that if you don't talk about something or don't fund research into climate change, the whole discussion will just go away. Tell that to the polar bears jumping from one dwindling ice floe to another....

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From To The Point Analyses

There is little doubt that white racism played a role in the U.S. presidential election of 2016. As Zach Beauchamp demonstrates in a 10 November 2016 article at Vox.com, white voters in mostly white geographic areas supported Trump at a rate of about 25%. However, in areas of growing ethnic and racial diversity, the percentage goes way up. Beauchamp quotes the research of the University of London scholar Eric Kaufmann, who surveyed Trump's white supporters. Kaufmann's original findings are reported in the policy blog of the London School of Economics. One result was that in areas that had experienced a 30% rise in Latino population, the number of whites who supported Trump rose to 70%.

Trump's own racism had been on public display during his entire campaign and often (although erroneously) merged the phenomena of immigration and violence. Here he found a ready and responsive audience. Beauchamp goes on to demonstrate that white supporters of Donald Trump saw immigration and terrorism as the country's major problems. Moreover, they connected these two issues to their fear of the country's growing diversity. Of course, economic woes were also a concern, but they too were exacerbated by fear of the fact that the country was then under the leadership of a black man, Barack Obama.

Then, to broaden their outlook of the xenophobic and sectarian impact on politics, both Beauchamp and Kaufmann point out that the racist underpinning of Trump's electoral success parallels the Brexit voting patterns in the United Kingdom in June 2016. There too, ethnocentric "anxiety over a changing society" appears to have spurred on the vote to leave the European Union.

Netanyahu stood for reelection in March 2015. His main opponent was Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog. During the election campaign, one of Herzog's consultants was the American political adviser Paul Begala -- a long-time political ally of the Clintons. Soon after Netanyahu's reelection Begala explained how Netanyahu had won. "He won because of race. ... In the U.S. you could never get away with those kind of racist appeals. But, man, did it work [in Israel]." He went on, "I have never seen anything like Bibi's furious surge to the right in the last 4 days [of the campaign]. He had robo-calls calling the [U.S.] President 'Hussein Obama, the Muslim,' he had ads saying the Arabs will vote in droves. He accused Herzog of wanting to divide Jerusalem."

The fact that "man, did it [this racist approach] work" in Israel should have been no surprise. A year later, in March 2016, a Pew Research Center survey of Israeli society reported that "that nearly half of Jews in the country [48%] say they support the ethnic cleansing of Arabs." The Israeli prime minister and fellow travelers certainly knew this ahead of the Pew report.

As it turned out, Netanyahu's appeal to fear of the Arabs was roughly equivalent to Trump's appeal to fear of immigrants in the United States. Bagala readily recognized the importance of the racist factor in Netanyahu's success. Where he was wrong was to think that "in the U.S. you could never get away with those kind of racist appeals." It turned out that many white U.S. voters were as receptive to such a race-based fear campaign as were Israeli Jews. As with Netanyahu, racism helped Trump win.

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"One of the best attributes of human beings is that they're adaptable; one of the worst attributes of human beings is they are adaptable. They adapt and start to tolerate abuses, they adapt to being involved themselves in abuses, they adapt to adversity and they continue on." -- Julian Assange

Barack Obama has been the ultimate President for the ruling elites. The dissonance between his charming persona and his often brutal agenda enabled him to enact right-wing policies that padded his backers' pockets and fortified the clandestine, civil rights-nullifying powers of the state, much at the expense of American tax payers.

In a reality dictated by identity politics, Barack Obama has also served as the ultimate feel-good President for liberals and the media. They could continue with their lives virtually guilt-free, lazily in a sheltered cocoon, while falsely projecting "progress" onto the President's eloquent speeches and dark complexion. Thus, it is no surprise that ruling elites, liberals and the media overconfidently expected Obama's candidate of choice, Hillary Clinton, to succeed him in office.

However, on November 8th the true American experience finally caught up and shattered this delusion with the surprising defeat of Hillary Clinton and the ascendancy of Donald Trump. In the age of likes, shares and cyberbullying, Twitter outplayed mainstream media's ability to accurately assess the public's growing discontent with the neoliberal status quo. Newsweek even went so far as to prematurely celebrate Clinton's victory in print with a now sought after collector's item "Madam President" issue. Whether Donald Trump's victory is legitimate or not does not change the fact that American elites, liberals and the media have been proven to be grossly out of touch.

Upon the official announcement of the results on November 9th, Barack Obama issued a conciliatory and pacifying message, which stood in stark contrast to his long record of berating and humiliating Donald Trump. As such, in several weeks we are going to witness what will likely be the most awkward changing of the guards at the White House in history. The highly photogenic and elegant first African-American family will be replaced by a KKK-endorsed Twitter troll and his clan, part of which will ironically be on a temporary resident status.

As an Israeli-American with dual citizenship, the recent events in the United States evoke in me a sense of de'j vu, reminding me of the Israeli reality approximately twenty years ago.

Ahead of the elections in 1996, Israel was still in a state of shock after Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination on November 4th, 1995 by the right-wing settler fanatic Yigal Amir. Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu and Shimon Peres faced off in a campaign that was dismissed by elites, liberals and the media as an easy win for Peres. They viewed Bibi as a brash, opportunistic Jewish-supremacist whose incitement was partly responsible for Rabin's assassination, and therefore his triumph was an unimaginable abomination. On election night, exit polls indicated a Peres win, though by morning Netanyahu was declared the victor by less than 1%, evoking the term "went to bed with Peres, woke up with Netanyahu".

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From Counterpunch



From youtube.com/watch?v=kqDGBO7Vmnw: The Corporate Media Is A Complete and Unmitigated Disaster

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"One might well ask which foreign government had a larger roll in assisting Trump's victory over Clinton and more to gain: Russia or Israel. Sheldon Adelson spent a reported $25 million in support of Trump and Netanyahu was publicly campaigning for Trump from Tel Aviv." ~~ Jeffrey St. Clair, CounterPunch Editor

Mike Whitney: CounterPunch was listed as one of the 200 websites that, according to the Washington Post, "wittingly or unwittingly published or echoed Russian propaganda." The shadowy organization that leveled these claims is called PropOrNot, a group of researchers has made every effort to remain anonymous. Rather than wasting our time asking whether or not you are a Russian agent (which is too ridiculous to consider) what do you think is driving this group to label and attack the websites on its list?

Jeffrey St. Clair: One can only speculate, since we don't at this point know who they are and no one would know of their existence at all had it not been for the Washington Post. Even to call them "researchers" may be to inflate their resumes. Mark Ames has tracked down some tweets associated with the PropOrNot accounts that suggest ties to Ukrainian nationalists. But again that's just speculation until they emerge from the shadows and reveal their identities, a prospect that I don't think is forthcoming any time soon. In fact, we may need to sue them to finally answer these questions.

As for the Post's story itself, it was a fake news story about fake news, citing fake allegations by fake sources. Hence it will probably win the Pulitzer Prize.

Mike Whitney: How does Russia factor into all of this? Is Washington creating a pretext for an escalation in Syria or Ukraine?

Jeffrey St. Clair: Which Washington? Washington seems divided. FBI vs. CIA. And the Director of National Intelligence versus both. Trump's election has caused a lot of internal divisions within the establishment to erupt to the surface. Rarely do these kinds of clashes from within what some call the Deep State get fought in public. Of course, there are many bi-partisan reasons to inflate the Russian threat that have nothing much to do with Syria or Ukraine, such as defending big defense contracts, for useless weaponry such as the F-35 and a new generation of nuclear weapons.

Mike Whitney: The Washington Post appears to be incensed by the idea that US elections may have been "hacked" by a foreign government. Do you remember any time in the last 30 or 40 years when the Post was as upset about Washington's regime change operations which involved the violent toppling of 40 or 50 sovereign governments or the disruptive color-coded revolutions funded by US NGO's? How would you explain the Post's selective indignation?

Jeffrey St. Clair: Of course not. The Post and the NYT have supported through their own special brand of propaganda many of those interventions and cover operations. And I don't think the Post has ever showed the slightest inclination to pursue investigations of instances where countries other than Russia have attempted to sway elections in the US, such as the Saudis and the Israelis. One might well ask which foreign government had a larger roll in assisting Trump's victory over Clinton and more to gain: Russia or Israel. Sheldon Adelson spent a reported $25 million in support of Trump, and Netanyahu was publicly campaigning for Trump from Tel Aviv. The Israelis have proven track record of swaying US elections. Go ask Cynthia McKinney. The Russians don't. Not yet, anyway.

Mike Whitney: After months of closely following the Trump campaign in the lead up to the election, I noticed something quite extraordinary, that is, the MSM had lost its power to influence public attitudes. This was particularly noticeable when the numerous sex allegations were leveled at Trump, but his base of support hardly budged. This suggests to me that the MSM is rapidly losing its ability to control the masses by shaping public perceptions. Do you think PropOrNot could be an attempt by "interested groups" (USG?) to reestablish its monopoly on information by attacking the websites and alternate sources of news that pose the greatest threat to its continued control?

Jeffrey St. Clair: Trump didn't just touch, he frontally embraced almost every third rail in American politics and not only survived but thrived on it, like some super-villain in a Dark Horse comic. It's quite remarkable really. The MSM media has been dying for years and Trump's campaign emphasized just how feeble and politically impotent the Times and the Post, as well as the network and cable news outlets have become, at least for an outlier candidate like Trump. By the way, Bernie Sanders also built his campaign in the face of first media indifference and then hostility. But Bernie wasn't felled by the media, but through the anti-Democratic structure of the Democratic Primaries and the internal sabotage of the DNC. (See my book Bernie and the Sandernistas for more.) The GOP primary system, by contrast, proved much more open and democratic than the Democrats' rigged system.

I don't know enough about PropOrNot to speculate about the site's origins. It seems pretty amateurish to me. But the government has had a role in setting similar "perception management" operations in the past. Recall the Lincoln Group's contract with the Bush administration to write and pay for propaganda stories during the Iraq war? One wonders whether something similar might be at work here. There's a history, as they say. But we don't know enough yet. The real mystery is why the Washington Post ran with such a flimsy, unsourced story in the first place. How much contact did the Post have with actual individuals at PropOrNot, and was there coordination between the Post, PropOrNot and members of congress looking to set up a new HUAC-like inquisition on the alleged Russian peril.

Mike Whitney: Is the First Amendment in danger?

Jeffrey St. Clair: The first Amendment is always under attack. What's new now is that it is being assaulted by the mainstream media.
Watching President elect Donald Trump assemble his administration is like jumping on a high speed train to the apocalypse. Now with his selection of the Exxon CEO Tillerson as Secretary of State and fellow Texan Rick Perry as Energy Secretary the government from hell is set to focus their combined talents to not serving the interests of the US and its allies but rather the pursuit of profit at any cost. With a supporting cast of players extreme enough to give Dick Chaney a permanent hard-on, they are positioned to do a search and destroy mission on the environment and social programs unprecendented in the history of western civilization. Trump the narcissist and his circle of sycophants deny the very science which allows them to drill baby drill for carbon reserves in areas and conditions previously beyond reach. The environment is once again to be relegated to that most external of costs and without any regard to short or long term consequences. The Trump administration is a wet dream for the carbon industry.

The Republican party finds itself maneuvered into one untenable position after another by a President elect whose compromised position in regards to the truly evil and master manipulator Vladamir Putin is likely treason. With the addition of Tellerson to the mix of despicable characters who has made a career of denying environmental and climate science by using any and all available means to supress opposition to his (Exxon's) agenda, the distortion of truth and facts is assured to continue indefinitely on an exponentially expanded scale. The incoming US administration is threatening an increasingly antagonistic relationship with the true financial and military global superpower; China. In exchange for the prospect of trillion dollar deals with an adversary Russia who has a proven track record of murder, genocide, environmental destruction, and wars by proxy, Trump and his administration have already destabilized the U.S. relationship with China. Going forward the economic and military relationship between the U.S. and China will be renegotiated to the satisfaction of Trump/Putin. It has become clear, with a high degree of certainty (which is to say certain) that Russia interfered with the U.S. Presidential election to the benefit and with the knowledge of both the Trump campaign and some in the Republican party thereby threatening this most basic foundation of American democracy. There is no reason not to believe that this effort was not further assisted by the FBI with Director Comey's active interference in the campaigns and the agency's blocking the release of intelligence related to the Russian hacking during the election. The lame and patently absurd claim by Trump and his surrogates that the intelligence is not credible or perhaps was a conspiracy to make them look bad does not scan on any level. Even worse it is an insult to the legions of dedicated patriotic employees of the intelligence community who in many cases have given their lives to provide the best intelligence available in service to our nation. For them, and the numerous other agencies like the EPA, DOI, DOD, NSA, DOE, HUD and so many others (a Trumpism that), the Trump administration is nothing less than an existential threat and a totally demoralizing prospect.

The world has committed to a clean energy future and the price of clean sustainable energy even without factoring in externalities is even now competitive with or cheaper than carbon based fuels. The Trump administration would sacrifice the U.S. position as a global leader and partner in a sustainable future to support and expand the destructive practices of an oil and gas industry. An industry that is hell bent on continuing a path of profit at the expense of our environment, threatening the health and welfare of all life on the planet, and destabilizing long term geo-poliitcal stability.

It is imperative that the Democratic party and its failed leadership work across the aisle with Republicans to ensure that the Trump administration is not confirmed into office. Trump is unifit for office, has inherent unconstitutional conflicts of interest across the globe, and does not consider what is best for the United States in his decision making process. President elect Trump is only concerned with what serves the interests of Donald Trump (and Vladimir Putin). He is a pathalogical liar, a racist, a demagogue, a philandering misogynist, and a loathsome politician in the worst possible sense. He has already broken "so many" campaign promises and set course to do exactly the opposite of what he was elected to do. Donald Trump is at best a threat to the United States democracy, at worst a threat to democracy as we know it. Every American shares in the responsibility to preserve the republic and oppose Trump's election to the highest office in the land. Time is short.
From Robert Reich Blog



From gma.yahoo.com/donald-trump-tells-vladimir-putin-looking-forward-having-022222487--abc-news-topstories.html: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin

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A dark cloud of illegitimacy hangs over the pending presidency of Donald Trump. Consider:

1. The CIA has concluded that Russia intervened in the election in order to help Trump become president. The secret CIA assessment found that Russian operatives covertly interfered in the election campaign in an attempt to ensure the Republican candidate's victory.

2. Trump has close business ties to Russian oligarchs, friends of Putin, who have financed his projects and, presumably, also lent billions of dollars to Trump's enterprises -- which may explain why Trump won't disclose his tax returns, which would show evidence of these deals.

3. Several of Trump's key campaign aides have close ties to Putin -- including his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort. Manafort was a longtime consultant to Viktor Yanukovich, the Russian-backed president of Ukraine who was overthrown in 2014 and who has done multi-million-dollar business deals with Russian oligarchs. Between 2007 and 2012, Manafort received some $12.7 million in cash payments from a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. Trump's foreign policy adviser, Michael Flynn, flew to Moscow last year to attend a gala banquet celebrating Russia Today, the Kremlin's propaganda channel, and was seated at the head table near Putin.

4. During the campaign, Trump said he admired Putin, questioned whether the U.S. should continue to support NATO, and argued that Putin was justified in moving into Crimea.

5. Trump has picked for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil, who is also close to Putin. In 2013, Putin awarded Tillerson the Order of Friendship, one of the highest honors Russia gives to foreign citizens. Tillerson came up through the ranks at Exxon by managing the company's Russia account. After becoming CEO, Exxon bet billions on Russia's vast oil resources through a partnership with Russian oil giant Rosneft, owned partly by the Kremlin. Putin himself attended the 2011 signing ceremony for the deal. Russia has already indicated it would welcome Tillerson being named America's top diplomat.

6. Trump was defeated in the actual voting by a startling -- and still growing -- 2,676,670 votes. Clinton's popular vote victory margin is now 2 percent, thus handing Trump the largest defeat suffered by a candidate elevated to the presidency by the Electoral College in modern history.

The dark cloud of illegitimacy continues to grow darker.

Before the Electors submit their ballots for president next week, Trump must release his tax returns and the CIA must make public its report on Russia's intervention in the U.S. elections in support of Trump.
From Counterpunch

Even for a failed gambling czar, Donald Trump has been surprisingly quick to show his hand as he sets the course of his forthcoming presidency. With a reactionary fervor, he is bursting backwards into the future. He has accomplished this feat through the first wave of nominations to his Cabinet and White House staff.

Only if there is a superlative to the word "nightmare" can the dictionary provide a description of his bizarre selection of men and women marinated either in corporatism or militarism, with strains of racism, class cruelty and ideological rigidity. Many of Mr. Trump's nominees lack an appreciation of the awesome responsibilities of public office.

Let's run through Trump's "picks":

First there are the selections that will make it easier to co-opt the Republicans in Congress. He has appointed Elaine Chao, the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, for Secretary of Transportation. Ms. Chao does not like regulation of big business, such as those for auto, aviation, railroad and pipeline safety. Next is Congressman Tom Price (R-GA) to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Price wants to dump Obamacare, turn over control of Medicaid to the states -- including Governors who dislike Medicaid -- and even privatize (eg. corporatize) Medicare itself into the hands of the business sector already defrauding just that program by about $60 billion a year.

Trump selected Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-KS) to be the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Pompeo is a cold war warrior who believes in a militaristic, interventionist CIA, especially toward Iran, taking that agency even further away from its original mission of gathering intelligence.

Then come the Generals. Notwithstanding the Constitutional imperative that there should be civilian control over the military, Trump has placed two generals in charge of foreign and domestic military theatres. For Secretary of Defense, Trump chose recently retired Marine General James Mattis. This "Mad Dog" believes Barack Obama to be too weak, indecisive and without a strategic plan for the Middle East. He looks very much like he is a believer in the American Empire and the U.S. being the policeman for the world.

The next general is retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, chosen to run the Department of Homeland Security. He is seen as a modern believer in the Monroe Doctrine over the Hispanic world south of Florida and the Rio Grande. He shares dangerous views on Iran and Islam with Gen. Mattis.

Inside the White House, retired General Mike Flynn is slated to take the post as national security adviser. His public statements against Islam being an ideological, existential threat to the U.S., and his proliferation of inaccurate conspiracy theories have alienated his former colleagues in the military, including reportedly the incoming Secretary of Defense.

Then there are the Trump nominees selected to run the departments whose numerous missions under existing law they want to dismantle. The proposed Secretary of Labor, Andrew Puzder, is a chain restaurateur adamantly against raising the federal minim wage of $7.25 an hour and his labor views are so extreme that a progressive group of restaurant owners organized to oppose his exploitative positions and argue for a fair minimum wage. In another flagrant display of bureaucratic obstruction, Trump wants to appoint climate change denier Scott Pruitt to head the EPA, the same agency he, as Oklahoma Attorney General, fought tirelessly to undermine.

Another magnet for Trump's nominations are those who made big donations to his campaign. For Linda McMahon's $7 million to pro-Trump Super PACs, she gets to head the Small Business Administration. As a highly controversial professional wrestling CEO, she worked to monopolize the professional wrestling market and stifle competition.

For the Department of Education, school children and their teachers will face Betsy DeVos. From a billionaire family, she is a ferocious advocate of using taxpayer money in the form of vouchers for private schools. She makes no bones about her hatred of public schools and her desire to have commercial managers of school systems.

To lead the Justice Department, Trump has selected Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), who is big on police surveillance, weak on civil rights enforcement, a hard-liner on immigration and very mixed on corporate crime.

Add these strong-willed ideologues, coupled with Trump's easily bruised ego, Twitter-tantrums on trivial matters and his penchant to always be the decision-making strongman, and you've got the making of an explosive regime with daily eruptions.

Whatever the media makes of the inevitable intrigue, in-fighting and likely resistance by the civil service to adhere to their lawful missions, it is the people who will be paying the price. President Trump will use the media to sugarcoat, falsify, distract, intimidate, glorify and massify the millions of people who believed, once upon a recent time, that he would "Make America Great Again."

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Data Center Networking Market (World & China) Trends, Growth & Development

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This 2016-2021 Market research report on Data Center Networking Global and Chinese industry is an all pervasive analysis of perpetual happening in the industry, focusing on Chinese on market specifically. The report is equipped with data from 2011- 2021 global and Chinese Data Center Networking market.Our experts from the Global and Chinese Data Center Networking industry have studied different market situations from past and present to deliver this reliable and factual data to the readers including of demand/supply scenario, logistic system, price, production, application of items in the market.Read complet report @Apart from this, report focuses on key players in the Global and Chinese Data Center Networking market along with their capacity, of production, cost, price, profit, and gross margin, expenses on R&D, market position in the past and present and many more factors which can affect readers interest in present of near future.Readers will have thorough understanding of SWOT analysis of the market after going through this report. User of the report will be able to understand the Data Center Networking market better with focus on global and Chinese region and can make better decisions about investments and target areas of growth and improvements.Get Free sample report @Our report is made by using scientific methods of collecting first and second hand data from trusted sources. It delivers reliable picture of Global and Chinese Data Center Networking market. Having overall and in depth coverage of the current happenings in the industry, user of the report will feel secured and well armed to make next move of the business.Market Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Market Research Store is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air.Contact UsJoel 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@marketresearchstore.com
Its been a disappointing year for politics but a more positive one for Irish sports, and this has been reflected by the most searched Google topics in the country this year.

Data released by the company revealed that Euro 2016 was the most searched for topic through Googles search engine in Ireland this year. Hit mobile game Pokemon Go was also one of the most searched for topics, as was musician David Bowie following his death at the start of this year.

The Google Year in Search revealed that Brexit, the US election and "Ireland election 2016" were the most commonly explored news stories on the online platform.

US politicians Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Saunders were the top three politicians most inquired about by Google users in Ireland. Domestic politicians Joan Burton, Lucinda Creighton and Gerry Adams were further down the list but also made it into the top ten.

There were no surprises in the top searched for movies, which included Suicide Squad, Batman v Superman and Deadpool.

Here are the top tens:

Via Buzz.ie
Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) Market 2016 - Daifuku Webb, Rocla, Aichikikai, CSIC KSEC, JBT Corporation

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In depth analysis of Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) Market is a professional research report.The review has been based on the report titled, " Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) Market 2016 - 2021."To begin with, the report elaborates the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) Market Various definitions and classification of the industry, applications of the industry and chain structure are given. Present day status of the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) Market in key regions is stated and industry policies and news are analysed.This report provides a detailed description of the global Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) market based on volume share (tons) and market value (Million USD) for the period of 2016 to 2021. It highlights the factors contributing to the growth of the market and the restraints that impede the market. Also the forecast for tackifier (tackifying resin) from 2016 to 2021 has been given for better understanding of the market scenario.Browse full report with TOC @The global market for Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) production value had reached 15,583 million USD with the total production of 15,582 K units in 2014. The study forecasts that this market will increase at a CAGR of 2.8% during the period of 2016 to 2021, to attain an anticipated value of 17,906 million USD by the end of the forecast period. Globally, Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) main applications such as Cars and Modified Cars, accounting for 30.17% and 15.54% of its total consumption, respectively in 2016.Value chain analysis and Porters five forces model have been provided for a comprehensive view of the market. These would also help understand the specifics of the industry structure, besides giving an overview of the degree of competitiveness.Detailed description of players includes parameters such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, upcoming facilities, product range, capacity & production, and the related market share.Global key players of the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) Market : key playersFlex-N-Gate,Plastic OmniumFaureciaHyundai MobisMothersonMagnaZhejiang YuanchiDanyang XinglongJJ MoldFor sample request click onGlobal key players of the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) Market : regional Segments AnalysisNorth AmericaEuropeChinaAsia Pacific chinaTo provide information on competitive landscape, this report includes detailed profiles of Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) Market key players. For each player, product details, capacity, price, cost, gross and revenue numbers are given.In this report analysis, traders and distributors analysis is given along with contact details. For material and equipment suppliers also, contact details are given. New investment feasibility analysis and Industry growth is included in the report.About Market Research StoreMarket Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Market Research Store 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.Joel JohnTel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWeb:
Halogen Capsule Lamp Sales Market - Eiko , Kingavon, Eveready, Philips, Orbitec, GE, Philips Lighting

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Global WebRTC Market: New Growth Opportunities By 2021

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Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) is an internet browser interface which enables real-time communication between two internet browsers. WebRTC enables peer to peer audio, video and data communication between the browsers without plugins. This key functionality of WebRTC not only reduces the time required but also makes the process easy for a non-technical user since WebRTC requires no plugins, frameworks or applications. The browsers use Session Description Protocol (SDP) to establish a connection for data transfer. WebRTC is using JavaScript Application Programming Interface (APIs) and HTML5 for embedded communication within the browsers. However, WebRTC is an emerging platform that is anticipated to have significant impact on the communication between browsers in near future.WebRTC is available for free and is accessible worldwide which is the key growth driver of this market. Moreover, WebRTC is platform and device independent which would help to attract global audience. Further, it provides better video and voice quality with advanced security and other operational features. WebRTC can adapt to various network conditions and is interoperable with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Unified Communications (UC) solutions which is expected to help companies to easily integrate it with their existing infrastructure. WebRTC provides a bright solution for customer facing businesses. As this communication is real time, WebRTC provides audio visual solutions without any cost. Retail and healthcare are two industries with high demand for WebRTC as direct communication with end users or customers is of immense importance in these industries.One key restraint associated with the use of WebRTC is that it uses internet platform which is a public domain and thus, the quality of service cannot be guaranteed all the time. Use of Internet could result in privacy issues as it is still not clear how WebRTC manages the security and privacy. Further, integration is another key challenge associated with WebRTC. Organizations could face problems in integrating and adapting the WebRTC to their current system. WebRTC is currently not supported on Microsoft Internet Explorer. Thus, there are a number of complexities linked with WebRTC however, technological advancements are anticipated to eliminate these challenges in near future.With WebRTC nearing its completion, organizations especially the consumer facing entities are expected to use this technology in near future across all platforms. WebRTC is an emerging industry standard for audio and video communication through a web browser. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) decided that browser makers should implement VP8 and H.264 video codecs. WebRTC is of huge importance for call centers and customer care centers, where direct communication is happening between a company representative and the end user or customer. WebRTC can simplify this communication further and increase the level of customer satisfaction. Companies are integrating WebRTC into their websites to enhance the overall user experience.Request for Table of content:Some of the major players in the global WebRTC market are Google Inc., Facebook, Inc., Citrix Systems, Inc., TokBox Inc., Sinch AB, Twilio, Inc., WIRE SWISS GmbH, Talko Inc., Screenhero, Inc., and Comcast Corporation etc.To Prebook Single User License: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:
Contact Center Systems Market: Explores New Growth Opportunities By 2021

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Market globalization have enforced businesses to expand their operations across multiple regions and thereby fulfil their consumer demand. Businesses have customer interaction centers where professionals interact with customers and address their enquires on daily basis. Thus, a huge amount of enquires are generated during the conversion of sales between the business and customers. Businesses are finding it difficult to manage these enquires in the form of information and storage of data. Further, due to technological advancement in contact channel, the interaction between the customer and contact center have increased through voice, email and messaging. A contact center system is software based system which enables automatic contact routing facility during high amount of customer enquiries. The contact center system also involves additional services such as voice portal, quality monitoring system, outbound dialers, workforce management, interactive voice response (IVR) and analytical services. This helps contact center professionals to address customer concerns within less time and thereby increase their satisfaction level.Services such as IVR and voice portal saves valuable time of contact center through interactive voice based recordings which helps in assisting the concerns of customers. Further, in sales or outbound call center, most of the services such as cross-selling, renewals, cross-selling and satisfaction surveys involves making outgoing calls to customers. Contact center system helps in providing a list of prospective customer contact and maintain them on a timely basis. It also helps in analyzing the quality of call through sending automatic messages to customers in order to scale customer satisfaction. Contact center system also involves recording of voice call and chat history in order to monitor the team performance. This helps to formulate a team strategy with the help of additional analytical insights on customer satisfaction provided by contact center system.Contact center system requires a huge amount of data storage space as the large amount of data is generated during the process. In order to address this concern, contact center system providers are providing on-premise data center, private cloud and cloud system packages based on the business requirement. The demand for cloud and private cloud system is expected to increase in coming years owing to the low installation cost compared to on-premise systems. These providers offer services on a subscription based model which helps to further decrease the operational cost for businesses. The application of contact center system is anticipated to increase in healthcare, financial services, telecommunication, retail, and government and transportation sector owing to the increasing demand for customer enquires in coming years. The market for contact center system is increasing due to its easy deployment and increase in business agility. However, the risk of loss of credible information due to lack of security features can hamper the market for cloud based contact center system. The demand for contact center system is expected to increase in Asia Pacific and Latin American region as most businesses outsource their operations to third party service providers situated in these regions.Request for Table of content:Some of the key contact center system providers are Cisco Systems Inc., 3CLogic. Inc., Aspect Software, Inc., Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc., Five9 Inc., Oracle Corp., IBM Corp. and inContact Inc.To Prebook Single User License: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 Crowd Funding Market: Analysis, Current and Future Trends by 2021

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The term Crowd funding refers to a collection of funds for any venture or project through various sources like equity and non-equity, the platform for collecting funds can be the internet and other social media. These crowd funding platforms help investors to meet entrepreneurs in need of funds for their ventures. Mostly, none- equity sector can be considered as the main source of crowd funding rather than equity sector. The crowd funding market had started in the early or mid of 2000s, and since then it has noticed an enormous growth owing to the increase of Start-Ups and many new projects globally. Moreover, such crowd funding platforms have been able to collect billions of dollars for meeting millions of campaigns in the year 2012. Nowadays, Investors are getting attracted to such crowd funding market because of the potential of the untapped market in many regions. North America is having a greater potential in crowd funding market due to the presence of economically sound countries like the US in this region. Likewise, every year crowd funding platforms are launched, thus globalizing the crowd funding market.The increase in a number of Start-Ups and many new small projects are responsible for the growth of crowd funding market for their capital needs. Moreover, Real Estate sector is growing with a significant rate in developing regions like North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Hence, increasing fund requirement in Real Estate sector is a driving force for crowd funding market. In addition, this sector is having a good market share in crowd funding market.Besides the driving factors of crowd funding market, there are many stringent conditions of crowd funding platforms which can restrain the crowd funding market in further future. Many entrepreneurs are not aware of the existence of crowd funding platforms which can hamper the growth of crowd funding market. Like Kickstarter launched a mission to empower artists and creative projects owners for their ideas through reward crowd funding, but due to lack of awareness many entrepreneurs were not able to avail the benefits of crowd funding.Request for Table of content:The global Crowd Funding market is segmented into seven key regions as North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Japan. North America is having the maximum market share in the global crowd funding market, specially the US in this region is having a big chunk in crowd funding market because of its higher economy than other countries. North America is followed by Europe in crowd funding market and in Europe also, the best performing countries are UK and France. Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness a moderate growth in crowd funding market due to many new business opportunities in various sectors.To Prebook Single User License: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:
Tungsten Market is Anticipated to Show the Robust Growth During 2016 - 2022

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Tungsten, also known as Wolfram, is a greyish-white metal having lustrous appearance with a good corrosion resistance properties. Tungsten is widely used in its alloy form because pure tungsten is expensive and even difficult for machining. Its alloy consists of nickel, iron or copper added in tungsten. Tungsten is also available in powder form known as tungsten powder and tungsten carbide powder and its size ranges from 0.40 microns to 17.50 microns and is used in end mills, circuit board drills and nozzles. Fine tungsten carbide powders are used for inserts and cutting tools, whereas ultra-coarse and medium powders are used for wear and die parts, road construction bids. Global tungsten market is anticipated to grow by a decent single digit CAGR in coming future. The global tungsten market has its consumptions in the sector of steel alloys, mill products, cemented carbide, and chemicals. China is a dominant supplier of tungsten having the maximum market share in the global tungsten market in terms of consumption as well as supply.Growing end use industries such as automotive industries and increase in the demand of wear resistant materials is anticipated to boost the market of cemented carbide and ultimately will drive the global tungsten market. Tungsten has its application in electronic and electrical components such as electron emitters, lead-in wires and electrical contacts and these industries are forecasted to grow, leading to the increase in global tungsten market. The ability of tungsten to withstand arcing and resistant to corrosion makes it suitable to be used in voltage regulators, though demand of these application is minor but it still contributes in the global tungsten market.The global tungsten market can get hampered due to the recent economic slowdown in China, as China has the largest market share in mining of tungsten. Tungsten use is forecasted to decline in the lighting application due to the introduction of fluorescent and LED bulbs that has replaced the incandescent bulbs.On the basis of forms available, global tungsten market can be segmented as follows:-RibbonsSheetsFoilsStripsWireRodTubeOn the basis of end use, global tungsten market can be segmented as follows:-Hard metalsChemicalsMill productsSteelsOthersThe global tungsten market can be divided into seven regions, namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. The Asia Pacific region is dominating the global tungsten market, China continues to be the leader in the supply and consumption of tungsten in the global tungsten market because of its vast tungsten reserves and support of the Chinese government to the tungsten product industries. India will represent a modest growth rate in global tungsten market due to its expanding manufacturing sectors. North America will contribute in the growing global tungsten market with the increasing construction spending in the region. Latin America will witness an above average growth in the global tungsten market by its rising durable goods sector. The expanding automobile industry in Europe makes it a valuable market in global tungsten market. The Middle East and Africa is at a nascent stage in tungsten market, but is having a bright future prospects in global tungsten market.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @Some of the manufacturers of tungsten and its alloys are, Buffalo Tungsten Inc., Mahavir Metal Corporation., Federal Carbide Company., H Cross Company., T&D Material Manufacturing., Global Tungsten & Powders Corp., Midwest Tungsten Service.To Pre Book Report (Single User License) @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
Hydrogen Bromide Market is Anticipated to Show the Robust Growth During 2016 - 2022

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Hydrogen Bromide (HBr), is a water soluble gas also available in the form of aqueous solution, which can be produced by the chemical reaction between bromine and hydrogen. It is used as a catalyst in reactions and as a reducing agent. Hydrogen Bromide when mixed with water forms hydrobromic acid, it is a strong acid which is mainly used for industrial uses. Hydrobromic acid is used to add desirable properties in any chemical compound, it is also used in the production of terephthalic acid, inorganic bromides, organobromines and bromides of Zinc, Sodium and Calcium. Global hydrogen bromide market is anticipated to witness a single digit CAGR growth rate in the forecast period because of its applications in the industries like automotive, construction, Electronics Etc. . . .The Global hydrogen Bromide market is expected to boost in near future owing to the favourable regulations on the use of bromine, due to its harmless nature in the atmosphere. Hydrogen bromide finds its application in the activities of oil and gas drilling, so the growing oil and gas industry is expected to increase the global hydrogen bromide market. The major application of hydrogen bromide is in flame retardant segment and in biocide, both of these segments are anticipated to have a modest growth in the forecasted period leading to significant growth in global hydrogen bromide market.Hydrobromic acid is a strong acid and needs to be handled carefully, also there are chances of occupational hazards which can hamper the global hydrogen bromide market. The transportation of hydrobromic acid is expensive owing to its strong acidic nature and caution needed to handle the acid, which hinders the global hydrogen bromide market. Heating of hydrogen bromide increases the pressure and leads to bursting, also on contact with metal there is a risk of explosion and fire due to the formation of hydrogen, all these factors can affect the global hydrogen bromide market.On the basis of available form, the global hydrogen bromide market is segmented as:GasVaporLiquidOn the basis of applications, the global hydrogen bromide market is segmented as:BiocidesFlame retardantsCatalystOil and gas drillingPolysilicon EtchingOthersOn the basis of end use industries, the global hydrogen bromide market is segmented as:AutomotiveWater treatmentElectronicsConstructionAgricultureOthers (Textile, Ship building).The global hydrogen bromide market can be divided into seven regions, namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan and Middle East and Africa. Asia pacific is having a maximum share in the global hydrogen bromide market and is growing at a significant rate. India and China are the countries in Asia Pacific region witnessing booming market of flame retardant, which leads to the increase of market share in global hydrogen bromide market of Asia Pacific region. North America is anticipated to be the next big player in global hydrogen bromide market owing to its recovering construction segment due to the turnaround in its economy. Europe is an emerging region in global hydrogen bromide market because of the established automotive sector in this region. Middle East and Africa, Latin America are at a nascent stage and are expected to have a good market size in near future.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @Some of the key players in global hydrogen bromide market are Albermarle Corporation, Tosoh Corporation, Gulf Resources, Inc., Tata Chemicals Ltd., Triveni Interchem Pvt. Ltd, SONTARA ORGANO INDUSTRIES, Bhavika Chemicals Corporation.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geography, technology and applications.To Pre Book Report (Single User License) @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
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Market Headed for Growth and Global Expansion by 2016 - 2026

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Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is derived from boiling cereals or legumes in hydrochloric acid and then neutralizing the solution with sodium hydroxide. The acid breaks down, the protein present in vegetables into their component amino acids. The resulting liquid is further known as hydrolyzed vegetable protein. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is widely used as a flavor enhancer in many processed foods such as soups, sauces, stews, seasoned snack foods, gravies, hot dogs, dips and dressings. It is also blended with other spices to make seasonings that are used in or on foods.Hydrolyzed vegetable protein market has been segmented on the basis of raw-material, application and form. The raw material segment can be divided in view of the kind of raw material i.e. soy, rapeseed, corn, rice, pea and wheat utilized for producing hydrolyzed vegetable protein. Among all these segments hydrolyzed soy protein is relied upon to possess biggest offer regarding revenue contribution.Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is further segmented on the basis of application, includes food industry where in hydrolyzed vegetable is used as flavor enhancer. Furthermore food industry can be sub-segmented into noodles, pastas, prepared soups, sauces, ready meals, dips and dressings, meat, fish, seasoning mixes and others. Application can also segmented based on the beverages where hydrolyzed protein is used to complement the amino acid and enhance the flavor in functional beverages. Wide application and increased usage as a flavor enhancer in food and beverages industry is expected to drive the market demand. Moreover, Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is widely accepted by the various nations regarding its usage in various industry which is further expected to fuel the market growth during the forecast period. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein application segment can also be divided into cosmetics where it is used as film-forming agents in face cream and hair care products.Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is further segmented on the basis of form which includes dry powder, paste and liquid. Among both of these segments powder segment is expected to contribute major share in terms of revenue. Easy water solubility coupled with wide applications in various food product is expected to support the segment growth during the forecast period.Geographically Asia Pacific is the largest market in terms of consumption of Hydrolyzed vegetable protein followed by North America and is expected to account for the major market share in the forecast period. Among North American region U.S. is expected to be the major contributor in terms of revenue followed by Canada. 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.Factors such as increase in demand of clean-label and natural ingredients, increasing consumer awareness pertaining to the ill effects related to savory ingredients, and demand for healthy and nutrition products are acting as major restraints for the market. Increasing demand for convenience food, changing lifestyle, and untapped potential in the developing Asia-Pacific countries act as major drivers for the market.As it is helpful in enhancing flavor of the processed food, so it is also considered as the most sustainable protein ingredients which is favoring its growth in alternate way. However, availability of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) in Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is expected to restrain the market growth over the forecast period.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @Some of the major key players operating in flavonoid market includes Ajinomoto, Kerry Group, Tate & Lyle, Jones-Hamilton Co., DSM, Diana Group, Givaudan, Brolite Products Co. Inc., Kerry Group, Caremoli Group, Astron Chemicals S.A., McRitz International Corporation, Good Food, Inc., Michimoto Foods Products Co., Ltd, Dien Inc., Innova Flavors, Unitechem Co., Ltd. among others.To Pre Book Single User License @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market in-telligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexi-ble without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Marine Coatings Market is Projected to Grow at a Healthy CAGR During 2016 - 2022

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Marine coatings are the protective coatings applied on the surface of the ships, cruises, vessels, yachts and other offshore structures (oil rigs, bridges) exposed to the sea water and corrosive conditions. The marine coatings are applied on the above mentioned surfaces to protect against corrosion, fouling and slimes thus increasing the durability and life of the marine vessels and offshore structures. The need for dry-docking of vessels subsequently, new ship building activities and the growth in offshore drilling is propelling the growth of global marine coatings market. The shipping trade is also growing globally, which is one positive factor for the growth of global marine coatings market. The demand for VOC free and environment friendly marine coatings among the customers are gaining popularity, hence new trends are being employed by marine coatings manufacture to achieve this specifications of consumers and to comply with government norms. The global marine coatings market is expected to project a healthy CAGR over the period of forecast.The global marine coatings market is expected to show a healthy growth, and the key driving factors responsible for the growth of marine coatings market are, the growth in the world trade, awareness among the consumers about hull protection, fuel efficiency of the vessel and the expansion of oil and gas sector in the off shore regions, new ship building facilities and the dry-docking activities tends to drive the market for marine coatings globally. The popularity of yacht and cruise ships among the people for leisure time is also contributing to the growth of marine coatings market. Somehow, the regulatory norms applied by the government for the use of VOCs based marine coatings might pose as a restraint for the growth of global marine coatings market. To overcome the environmental restrains new technologies are being adopted by the manufacturers like more water based and less VOCs content in the marine coatings which are trending in the global marine coatings market among the consumers. Faster drying marine coatings are also finding its popularity in the market.On the basis of chemical base, the global marine coatings market is divided into:Epoxy based coatingsPolyurethane based coatingsWater based & low VOCs based coatingsOn the basis of product type, global marine coatings market is divided into:Anti-FoulingAnti-CorrosiveSlime releaseFoul releasingOthers (barrier coatings, cargo tank coatings)On the basis of application, global marine coatings market is divided into:ShipsShipyardsOffshore civil structuresYachtsContainer vesselsOthers (cruise liners)The global marine coatings market has been divided into seven key geographical regions which includes North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. The North American market for marine coatings is showing a slow-moving growth because of the small size of the marine industry in the region. The market for marine coatings in the Europe region is just above North American market in terms of market growth but with a slower rate. The APEJ marine coatings market is currently dominating in the global marine market and will pose a healthy growth rate over the forecast period. In the APEJ region, the consumption of marine coatings has shown an incredible growth with China on the top of the list in terms of consumption in the APEJ region and globally which is mainly because of the growth in new ship building activities, maintenance and dry-docking activities in the region. South Korea marine coatings market is trailing behind China. Japan marine coatings market is in the third position in terms of market share. There has been an increase in the number of ship owners in Singapore which is expected to propel the market for marine coatings in the APEJ region. The Indian market is also expected to emerge as a strong contender in the marine coatings market in the forecast period. Overall, the global marine coatings market is foreseen to register a healthy single digit CAGR.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @Some of the major players identified in the global marine coatings market include Akzo Nobel N.V, PPG Industries, Inc., The Sherwin-Williams Company, Axalta Coating Systems, LLC, BASF, KANSAI PAINT CO.,Ltd, Nippon Paint Marine Coatings Co. Ltd, PPG Asian Paints Private Limited, Jotun, Hempel Foundation, Mascoat, Comex, KCC corporation, Chugoku Marine Paints, Ltd, National Paints Factories Co. LtdThe research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, types, technology and applications.To Pre Book Report (Single User License) @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 Palm Sugar Market: Impact of Existing and Emerging Market 2016 - 2026

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Palm sugar is prepared from the liquid sap which is derived from the flower of coconut palm tree. It is also called as coconut sugar and used as natural sweetener. Considering on the characteristics of palm sugar, it is rich in nutrients, vitamins (B1, B2, B3 and B6) and minerals (iron, potassium and zinc) and also contains low glycemic. Palm sugar is totally unrefined, due to which it preserves its natural quality and it can also function as white sugar as it is easily dissolvable. Adding palm sugar in food makes exceptional richness in taste, quality and nutritional value of food. Palm sugar is mostly used in desserts, sweets, cakes, smoothie, sauces etc.Presence of unique functionalities in palm sugar and having higher nutritional value as compared to compare to white sugar, nowadays the demand for this product is increasing and it is mostly among the food and beverage industry. Palm sugar ingredient cannot be refined and has characteristics of natural sweetener which enhances the richness in recipe. In addition to this, trend which is influencing the consumers to use palm sugar in their recipe is that it is one of the best alternative to brown sugar which satisfies the real taste of sugar without making any impact on health.On the other side, palm sugar also has feature of organic food and it comes with a benefit of clean label for the manufacturers which is one of the emerging trend in food market and mainly attract the food and beverage makers to satisfy the modern needs of health conscious consumer and to fulfill the need of increasing demand for natural ingredient. One of the factor which restraints the growth of palm sugar market is that it is expensive as compared to that of white sugar. Highly-refined cane sugar is dirt cheap because it can be mass produced in sugar factories that churn out huge quantities of that white, nutritionally-devoid powder known as table-sugar.Market segmentation of palm sugar can be done on the basis of its application, nature and form. In context to market segment of application it is categorize into food and beverage manufacturers and retailers. On the basis of nature, it is segmented into organic and conventional and as per the basis of form, it is divided in solid and liquid form. Food and beverage application holds a large share of palm sugar market.Further market segment of food can be sub-segmented into bakery products, confectionery, frozen desserts, canning & freezing and non-sweet food products. In addition to beverage segment of palm sugar is further sub-segmented into energy drinks, smoothies and syrups.In addition to the supposed health benefits, many coconut sugar suppliers focus on the fact that their product is high end, artisanal organic and Fairtrade which holds great appeal with the lifestyle of health and sustainability target consumers.On the other side, rising consumer preferences towards nutritional component and palm sugar has presence of good amount of vitamins and minerals which will support the demand in future. Palm sugar is not a calorie-free sweetener. It has calories like any carbohydrate, but due to its relatively low glycemic index, its calories are absorbed into the bloodstream at a significantly slower rate than regular refined sugar. This property should be of interest to anyone who is monitoring their blood sugar levels and attempting to avoid blood sugar spikes. Palm sugar isn't medicine; it's a food with a surprisingly low GI, considering its sweet taste.Nowadays consumers are looking towards healthier life and even they are ready to pay higher amount for the food and beverages which has higher nutritional value and rich in vitamins and minerals. Palm sugar has all these features which show that using it as alternative to sugar will increase its demand at global level market. Moreover, it also has quality of taste enhancer which will mainly attract the firms which deals in business of preparing food and beverages.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Geographically at global level, palm sugar is segmented by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Demand of palm sugar in Eastern and Western European market is very higher and EU5 countries are one of the main importers of palm sugar. In perspective to palm sugar producing countries, Asia-Pacific and African regions have the highest share in terms of production at global level as palm trees mostly grows in tropical regions.The key players which are identified in palm sugar market includes Real Raw Food, Taj Agro Products, Felda Global Ventures, American Key Food Products, Royal Pepper Company, Palm Nectar Organics, Big Tree Farms, Wholesome, Sevenhills, Thai taste and Biona are some of the companies which are selling palm sugar at global level.To Pre Book Single User License @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market in-telligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexi-ble without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Elevator And Escalator Market In Spain o grow at a CAGR of 3.2% in terms of revenue and 3.83% in terms of newly installed units by 2019

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About elevators and escalatorsElevators and escalators help move people and goods easily and efficiently within a building's premises. They are installed in commercial buildings, residential buildings, mixed-used buildings, IT parks, hotels, restaurants, and retail outlets. They are also installed in parking areas to help in optimum utilization of space.Technavio's analysts forecast the elevators and escalators market in Spain to grow at a CAGR of 3.2% in terms of revenue and 3.83% in terms of newly installed units over the period 2014-2019.Covered in this reportIn this report, Technavio includes the present scenario and growth prospects of the elevators and escalators market in Spain for the period 2015-2019. To calculate the market size, we consider the number of newly installed units and the revenue generated from the installation of these units in the country during the forecast period.The report also presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the four key vendors in the market, and a brief description of the other prominent vendors. In addition, the report discusses the major drivers that influence the growth of the market, outlines the challenges faced by the vendors and the market at large, and highlights the key trends visible in the market.Download sample Copy of Report atKey vendorsKONEOtisSchindlerThyssenKruppOther prominent vendorsCarlos SilvaGMV Euro liftsHidralMac PuarsaOmega ElevatorsOrona GroupWittur GroupMarket driverReplacement and modernization of existing elevators and escalatorsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeStagnation in transportation sectorFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendGovernment initiatives promoting construction marketFor 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?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?MarketResearchReports.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 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Parenteral Packaging Market to Reach US$ 8.6 Bn in 2016: Study

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The global parenteral packaging market was valued at 7.9 Bn in 2015 and is expected to grow at a year-over-year rate of 9.5% to reach 8.6 Bn in 2016. North America will continue to be the most lucrative market, representing 27.4% revenue share of the market in 2016. Western Europe, the second largest market for parenteral packaging, will grow by 10.8% in 2016.Increasing popularity of plastics & polymers over glass for production of primary packaging material and global expansion of pharmaceuticals industry will continue to fuel the growth of the market in 2016. Increase in the prevalence of epidemic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, hepatic failure and chronic intestinal diseases will also play a role in ramping up demand for parenteral packaging. Favourable government policies, combined with rising adoption of injection-based treatment will also continue to influence the market positively. Growing geriatric population will also play a role in the overall growth of the parenteral packaging market.On the basis of product, the prefilled syringes & cartridges segment will continue to hold the leading revenue share. This segment is expected to grow by 10.1% in 2016 to reach 1.2 Bn in revenues.Request Free Report Sample@On the basis of material, the global parenteral packaging market is largely segmented into plastic & polymer and glass segments. Use of glass for parenteral packaging is witnessing a decline, as plastic & polymer are more durable and resistant to shocks and impacts. The plastic & polymer segment will witness a growth rate of 10.5% in 2016, whereas the glass segment is expected to grow by 8.7%.On the basis of packaging type, the global parenteral packaging market is mostly non-tangible in nature, owing to the needs of the patients as well as storage conditions for drugs. However, the packaging type are primarily segmented into large volume parenteral and small volume parenteral, with the former accounting for higher revenue share of the market.While North America and Western Europe will continue to ramp up demand, growth will also be substantial in emerging economies of APEJ. Increasing healthcare spending and presence of a large geriatric population segment will positively influence market growth in APEJ, with total revenues set to reach 2.0 Bn in 2016.Send An Enquiry@Key participants in the global parenteral packaging market include Gerresheimer AG, Schott AG, Becton, Unilife Corporation, Inc, Dickinson and Company, Ypsomed Holding AG ,West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., SiO2 Medical Products, Terumo Corporation, Ompi, Stevanato Group and Nipro Corporation.Long-term Outlook: The global parenteral packaging market is anticipated to increase at a CAGR of 11.2% during the forecast period 2016-2026.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:
Conveyor Systems Market Value Chain and Forecast 2014-2020

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Automation in every industrial segment has become an integral part of industrial operations. Conveyor systems are mechanically-operated material handling equipment, which are used to transport material within premises. They provide a quick and effective transportation solution with a high degree of safety. Therefore, due to effectiveness of conveyance, a considerable amount of cycle time is reduced in the industrial process. The same factor helps in reducing the errors in handling manual material. Early commercialisation of the conveyor system took place for transportation of heavy materials in the industrial sector.On the basis of their end user applications, conveyor systems can broadly be categorised as automotive, airport, retail, mail logistics,and food and beverage.Assembly line, body shop, paint shop and few others are key application areas of conveyor systemsin the automotive sector. Nevertheless, the retail sector utilises these systems for distribution and warehousing, sorting, cross-docking, and distribution. Conveyor systems are an integral part of airport facilities for baggagehandling. Usage of the conveyer system in airport facilities is likely to increase due to growing air traffic across the globe, and the development of new airport locations. Moreover, the growing demand for food and beverage is propelling the adoption of conveyor systems to boost production rates.Request Free Report Sample@On the basis of their design modification, conveyor systems can be categorized as roller conveyor, belt conveyor, crescent conveyor, palletconveyor, overhead conveyor and others.In order to meet the needs and demands of customers, manufacturers provide highly customized products.Growing demand for cost-effective material handling systems and increasing automation in the industrial sector are two of the major driving factors of global conveyor systems market. It is expected that, global conveyor systems market will witness a steady CAGR of around 3%-4% for the period of 2014-2020. The developing automotive, retail, and food and beverage industriesare also likely to fuel the growth inAsia-Pacificconveyor systems market. Europe is dominating the overall conveyor systems market at present and has a large conveyor system supply network with broad distribution channel. Nevertheless, Europe is likely to hold its dominance over the global conveyor systems marketat the end of forecast period. Latin America region is expected to be the fastest growing conveyor systems marketespecially in the emerging economies such as Mexico and Brazil where the industrial sector is booming. Increasedsophistication of conveyor system along with advanced technology are major trends in this market.Request For TOC@A few of the most prominent market players in global conveyor systems market areDaifuku, Dematic Group, Emerson Electric, Siemens AG, Allied Conveyor Systems, Caterpillar, Dorner Conveyors, Dynamic Conveyors, Fives Group, FMC technologies, Interroll and Intelligrated. One of the key market strategies is the development of patented products with high customisations. In addition, acquisitions and strategic alliances to share technologies, can be seen in the market.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Beet Sugar Market Revenue Predicted To Go Up by 2016 - 2026

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/11131

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/11131

Sugar has been the most widely used sweetener in the world, with its closest substitute being high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Tropical beet sugar is a biennial sugar producing tuber crop developed in temperate countries. It constitutes around 30% of the total world production as well as distributed in more than 45 countries. Sugar beet is efficient converter of solar energy to a form that can be used by animals and men. The top ten sugar beet producing countries include Russia, France, U.S., Germany, Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, China, U.K. and Egypt. Beet sugar is an industrial crop utilized in food processing as well as in production of ethanol and biogas. In tropical countries, the sugar beet crop offers precious alternative to sugarcane. The beet sugar market growth in terms of production and consumption has showcased an upliftment over the past few years and is likely to intensify at a rapid pace during the forecast period.The Global Beet Sugar market is segmented on the basis of consumption in industry such as cereal, bakery, ice-cream, confectionery, beverage and dairy industry. Over the next few years, beverage segment is anticipated to grab highest market attractiveness in the global beet sugar market till 2026. The global beet sugar market is also segmented on the basis of function such as regular and medical conditions. The global beet sugar market is also segmented on the basis of organizational structure such as unorganized and organized market. The share of former is anticipated to be more over the forecast period.Rising population and personal disposable income is anticipated to bolster the growth of global Beet Sugar market. Apart from this, changing lifestyle along with urbanization and increasing health related disorders are expected to drive the global Beet Sugar market during the forecast period as the consumption will rise. The advent of new class of customers as well as the entry of various new global players is expected to intensify the growth of Beet Sugar market all across the globe during the forecast period.Geographically, the Global Beet Sugar industry can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific region, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America contributed the highest share in the global Beet Sugar market in 2015. The size of America has been doubled over the past few years in production of beet sugar. For growers in Western and Central Europe, it is already a high value crop. But in Eastern Europe, while acreage and volumes are maximum, there is significant scope to increase quality of seed. Over the next few years, Asia Pacific is expected to expand at a higher pace during the forecast period. India is expected to be the worlds fastest growing market, driven by increasing standard of living. Apart from this, gains in developing regions such as Middle-east and Africa will also be strengthened by changing standard of living. Advances in Western Europe is expected to benefit from strong incline in number of new housing units.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Some of the key vendors identified across the value chain of the global Beet Sugar market include syngenta, Renuka beet sugar, Spreckals Sugar Company, Michigan Sugar Company, Amalgamated Sugar Company. Various players are anticipated to appear in the industry with the manufacturing of new and innovative products in the industry. The companies are anticipated to invest in research and development in order to expand the business and to maintain the market share in the global beet sugar market.To Pre Book Single User License @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market in-telligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexi-ble without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Global CAMERA Market- Canon, SONY, Nikon, FUJIFILM and OLYMPUS

CAMERA

http://bit.ly/2gzpMY7

http://bit.ly/2gJVkOh

Global CAMERA Industry 2016The Report Covers Major Manufacturers Analysis of CAMERA Market- Canon, SONY, Nikon, FUJIFILM, OLYMPUS and more with detail like Company Profile, Product Picture, Specifications, Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross, Revenue and Contact Information.The report titled CAMERA recently added to the research database presents an executive level overview of the global and China CAMERA market. It provides an in-depth analysis and evaluation of the current and prospective liquidity, profitability, and financial stability which the CAMERA market is likely to exhibit over the forecast period.The methods of analysis which the report used to present a comprehensive overview of the global and China CAMERA market are horizontal and vertical analysis. It also used analytical tools such as porters five force model and SWOT analysis to evaluate the information sourced from primary and secondary research. The report discusses in detail the market growth drivers, key restraints, and growth opportunities. The prospects exhibited by the leading companies operating in the market are also analyzed in detail by the report.Click Here to Request Sample Report @To present an analytical overview of the CAMERA market, the report classifies it in terms of product and services, applications, supply-chain network, and key geographic region. The contribution of the emerging regional markets to the expansion of the CAMERA industry is also analyzed by the report. Recently, governments across many nations have undertaken several development plans and policies. How these policies are likely to impact the CAMERA market is evaluated in the report. The impact of stringent regulations imposed by the regulatory bodies on the market is also analyzed in detail.To present an in-depth report on the CAMERA market, the study analyzes its development status and competitive landscape. The prominent companies operating in the market are profiled by the report to provide a detailed competitive analysis. The individual share of these companies is calculated by the study to measure the overall market size. Based on such findings the report presents refined forecasts about the growth prospects of the CAMERA market.Browse Full Report at @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
Worldwide Forage Seeds Market: Increasing Meat Consumption and Changing Food Habits to Augur Well

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=4163

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Amidst the high competitive rivalry, key players in the global forage seeds market are strengthening their market position by maintaining strong distribution channels and diversifying their product portfolio. Business expansion through partnerships and extensive research and development are another go-to strategies adopted by the majority of the leading players in the market, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new study. The leading players are Allied Seed LLC, Germinal GB, Hancock Farm and Seed Co. Inc., NorthStar Seed Ltd., and S&W Seed Company.The global forage seeds market was valued at US$11.68 bn in 2015 and is expected to reach US$17.50 bn by 2020, expanding at a CAGR of 8.4% between 2014 and 2020. By livestock type, poultry will continue to be the leading revenue contributor until 2020, holding 31.7% of the overall market. Due to the increasing demand for poultry meat and eggs owing to their health benefits, the segment is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 9% during the forecast period.North America to Stay Dominant Owing to Growing Demand for Weed-free Forage SeedsGeographically, North America will dominate the market throughout the forecast period, accounting for 31.1% of the overall market revenue by 2020. The region is expected to observe steady growth in the forthcoming years owing to the growing profitability of agricultural and livestock farms and the increasing demand for weed-free forage seeds. The U.S. and Canada produce premium quality forages for both their respective domestic and the international markets and are, therefore, major contributors to the growth of the region.Get more information:Asia Pacific is anticipated to rise at a 10.5% CAGR during the same period. The rising poultry meat and dairy products consumption, fuelled by the growing human population, increasing disposable income, and rapid urbanization, plays an instrumental role in the growth of the region.Rising Awareness Regarding Economic Benefits of Forage Seeds to Fuel Growth ProspectsThe changing food habits, rising meat consumption, and increasing awareness regarding the benefits of consuming organic products are working in favor of the global forage seeds market. The consumption of genetically modified meat is associated with health problems such as cancers, obesity, hypertension, and cholesterol. To meet consumer requirements, manufacturers are focusing on the food habits of animals to increase the production of organic meat, says a TMR analyst.Moreover, forage seeds are economically beneficial for producers. This can be justified by the fact that over the last few years, the revenue earning per acre from ryegrass production was higher compared to the other crops such as oats and wheat. Owing to these economic benefits, the demand for forage seeds is poised to remain high throughout the forecast horizon. Development of high-quality forage seeds at reduced costs is another factor fostering the growth of the market.High Availability of Alternative Feeds to Dent Demand for Forage SeedsThe widespread availability of alternative feeds is reducing the dependency on forage seeds such as alfalfa and ryegrass. In several cases, lower availability of annually harvested forages due to calamities such as acidic soils, drought, certain herbicides, frost, and nutrient deficiencies, can lead to fatal problems for livestock including nitrate toxicity. Nevertheless, the increasing demand for organic products owing to the growing health consciousness is paving way for immense growth opportunities for the global forage seeds market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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 TV Camera Market- Genius, Logitech, Macally, Microsoft and Panasonic

TV Camera

http://bit.ly/2gYWaUZ

http://bit.ly/2hrV1Jj

Global TV Camera Industry 2016The Report Covers Major Manufacturers Analysis of TV Camera Market- Genius, Logitech, Macally, Microsoft, Panasonic and more with detail like Company Profile, Product Picture, Specifications, Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross, Revenue and Contact Information.This report examines the TV Camera market with the fundamental objective of offering the latest updates, trends and advancements. The TV Camera market is classified according to applications, end-users, and geographical regions. The first section of the report focuses on providing an overview of the TV Camera market. The report then goes on to assess the performance of the various segments within the TV Camera market using revenues and/or production volumes as a qualifying tool. This section also comprises analyses of the important drivers, restraints, and key trends that will shape the TV Camera market over the forecast period of the report.The analyses are performed for both demand and supply side, keeping in mind the scenario and latest dynamics in both areas. The report also features an impact analysis which assesses the effect that the latest trends and opportunities could have on the TV Camera market.Click Here to Request Sample Report @Equipped with these insights, clients can make decisions that are in line with their long-term goals for growth.The TV Camera market report provides the rate of expansion in CAGR terms and in some cases, provides details about the YoY growth of important segments. This helps readers gain a better understanding of the TV Camera market and its fluctuating dynamics. Furthermore, the study on the TV Camera market features a comprehensive analysis of the leading companies and their expected growth strategies in the future.The section of competitive landscape analysis of the report studies financial and strategic profiles of the key manufacturers of TV Camera across the globe, specifically. These manufacturers of TV Camera are analyzed based on criteria such as production values, production capacities, gross margin of profits, product production global share, product types produced, product pictures, and product specifications.Browse Full Report at @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
Study on Global Eyedrops Industry 2016 Analysis by Market Shares, Popularity, Development & Key Benefits

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=897343&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-eyedrops-market-research-report-2016.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/press-releases.htm

Global Eyedrops Industry 2016 Market Overview, Size, Share, Trends, Analysis, Technology, Applications, Growth, Market Status, Demands, Insights, Development, Research and Forecast 2016-2020.A new research report provides a comprehensive understanding of the global Eyedrops market and throws light on the key growth prospects and the latest trends. The research study also covers a detailed analysis of the global Eyedrops market, emphasizing on the product segmentation, key applications, recent developments, geographical segmentation, and the competitive landscape of the market. Moreover, with the assistance of analytical tools, the promising opportunities and the limitations faced by the leading players have been highlighted in order to provide a strong understanding of the Eyedrops market across the globe.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The research study further addresses several important questions associated with the development and opportunities in the global Eyedrops market. Some of these questions have been given below:What are the primary factors augmenting the global Eyedrops market?Which key factors are estimated to restrict the growth of the global Eyedrops market?Which product and application segments are anticipated to lead throughout the forecast period?Which technological advancements are expected to encourage the growth of the global Eyedrops market?Which region is estimated to lead and account for a massive share in the next few years?What are the expected value and growth of the global Eyedrops market?What is the competitive nature of the global Eyedrops market?Which are the prominent players operating in the global Eyedrops market?The research study has further provided a detailed study of the competitive landscape of the overall Eyedrops market. The business strategies and tactics used by the leading players have also been highlighted to guide the new entrants of the global Eyedrops market. The strategic collaborations and recent mergers and acquisitions in the global Eyedrops market have been listed in order to help the players in making appropriate business decisions in the next few years.Browse Complete Report with TOC @Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Eyedrops1.1 Definition and Specifications of Eyedrops1.1.1 Definition of Eyedrops1.1.2 Specifications of Eyedrops1.2 Classification of Eyedrops1.2.1 Open System1.2.2 Closed System1.3 Applications of Eyedrops1.3.1 Hospital1.3.2 Personal1.4 Industry Chain Structure of Eyedrops1.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of Eyedrops1.5.1 Industry Overview of Eyedrops1.5.2 Global Major Regions Status of Eyedrops1.6 Industry Policy Analysis of Eyedrops1.7 Industry News Analysis of Eyedrops2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Eyedrops2.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of Eyedrops2.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis of Eyedrops2.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Eyedrops2.4 Other Costs Analysis of Eyedrops2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Eyedrops2.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Eyedrops3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Eyedrops3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Eyedrops Major Manufacturers in 20153.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Eyedrops Major Manufacturers in 20153.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Eyedrops Major Manufacturers in 20153.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Eyedrops Major Manufacturers in 20154 Global Eyedrops Overall Market Overview4.1 2011-2016E Overall Market Analysis4.2.1 2011-2015 Global Eyedrops Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2015 Eyedrops Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2011-2015 Global Eyedrops Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2015 Eyedrops Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2011-2015 Global Eyedrops Sales Price4.4.2 2015 Eyedrops Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)4.5 Gross Margin Analysis4.5.1 2011-2015 Global Eyedrops Gross Margin4.5.2 2015 Eyedrops 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 Gypsum Market - Saint-Gobain, USG, National Gypsum, Knauf, BNBM, Lafarge, Georgia Pacific, Harrison Gypsum, Hubei Longyuan

Gypsum

http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-gypsum-market-outlook-2016-2021-49468

https://goo.gl/Gd9rCo

http://www.marketresearchstore.com

In depth analysis of Gypsum Market is a professional research report.The review has been based on the report titled, " Gypsum Market 2016 - 2021."To begin with, the report elaborates the Gypsum Market Various definitions and classification of the industry, applications of the industry and chain structure are given. Present day status of the Gypsum Market in key regions is stated and industry policies and news are analysed.This report provides a detailed description of the global Gypsum market based on volume share (tons) and market value (Million USD) for the period of 2016 to 2021. It highlights the factors contributing to the growth of the market and the restraints that impede the market. Also the forecast for tackifier (tackifying resin) from 2016 to 2021 has been given for better understanding of the market scenario.Browse full report with TOC @Value chain analysis and Porters five forces model have been provided for a comprehensive view of the market. These would also help understand the specifics of the industry structure, besides giving an overview of the degree of competitiveness.Detailed description of players includes parameters such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, upcoming facilities, product range, capacity & production, and the related market share.Global key players of the Gypsum Market : key playersSaint-GobainUSGNational GypsumKnaufBNBMLafargeGeorgia PacificHarrison GypsumHubei LongyuanThe application segments included in this report are:WallboardCeramicsConcreteOther MarketsFor sample request click onThe geographies covered in this report are:North AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificROW (Rest of the World)To provide information on competitive landscape, this report includes detailed profiles of Gypsum Market key players. For each player, product details, capacity, price, cost, gross and revenue numbers are given.In this report analysis, traders and distributors analysis is given along with contact details. For material and equipment suppliers also, contact details are given. New investment feasibility analysis and Industry growth is included in the report.About Market Research StoreMarket Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Market Research Store 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.Joel JohnTel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWeb:
Zika Virus: Top EU-Groups Join Forces in Quest for Vaccine

http://www.themisbio.com

www.themisbio.com

http://www.themisbio.com

Themis Measles Vector Technology Central to Action PlanLeading European research groups pool their expertise for the fast development of an effective and affordable vaccine against the Zika virus. Supported with very substantial funding by the EU, the ZIKAVAX consortium consists of Themis, the European Vaccine Initiative, Institut Pasteur and the Commissariat a l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives. Pivotal to the joint development initiative is Themis' propietary technology platform based on a well-established measles vaccine vector.A safe, effective and affordable vaccine for the prevention of Zika virus infections is the aim of the newly established ZIKAVAX consortium. To this end, the consortium received 5 M EUR funding from the EU's Horizon 2020 program which supports combating this emerging infectious disease that rapidly spreads to previously unaffected regions of the world. Partners in the consortium are the nonprofit product development partnership European Vaccine Initiative (ZIKAVAX coordinator), the world renowned Institut Pasteur in Paris, the successful vaccine developer Themis from Vienna, Austria and the Commissariat a l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives (CEA), a french public government-funded research organization.At the heart of the joint effort will be the Themaxyn platform of Themis, a vector technology with a preclinical and clinical track record of adaptability and effectiveness for the development of vaccines. This successful technology uses a standard measles virus vaccine as a vector, developed at Institut Pasteur in Paris. It has proven its excellent safety profile and clear advantages in terms of a validated, low-cost production process in hundreds of millions of people globally who have received measle vaccinations. Dr. Erich Tauber, CEO and co-founder of Themis comments: "The recently phase 1 clinical trial results of our lead product, a Chikungunya vaccine, which is now tested in a phase 2 trial, have proven the suitability of the vector for other indications and we will now pursue the adaption of the technology for developing a Zika vaccine. The exceptional expertise combined in ZIKAVAX will guarantee quick progress and we are happy to be part of this consortium.""Developing an effective Zika vaccine has become a global health priority for preventing the further spread of the virus. We are convinced that the use of the measles vaccine delivery platform, one of the safest and most efficacious vaccines available to date, will allow for a rapid and cost-effective development of a Zika vaccine", says Dr. Odile Leroy, Executive Director of the European Vaccine Initiative and coordinator of the ZIKAVAX project.The work of the ZIKAVAX consortium will compliment Themis' internal Zika R&D project, with the common goal of developing a Zika vaccine rapidly. Themis has tested a number of candidate vaccines in animal models, initiated a toxicity study and established GMP manufacturing with the goal to start phase 1 trials early next year. This expertise and progress is very welcome by the consortium and has additionally been acknowledged by the United Kingdom's innovation agency, Innovate UK, with a 1 M GBP grant to Themis for the development of a Zika vaccine.Quick Facts about ZIKAVAX:Start Date: 1 October 2016End Date: 30 September 2020Coordinator: Odile LEROY, European Vaccine InitiativeProject Funding: EU H2020Contact:Dr. Odile LeroyEuropean Vaccine Initiative (EVI)Email: contact.us@euvaccine.euPhone: +49 / 6221 / 565 974About the vaccine technology (December 2016):The scientific basis for Themis measles vector Themaxyn platform has been developed at the Institut Pasteur in Paris and is licensed to Themis. It relies on the use of the standard measles vaccine as a vaccination vector. Genes coding for selected antigens from the chikungunya virus have been inserted into the genome of this well-established vaccine. The measles-chikungunya vaccine delivers the chikungunya antigens directly to macrophages and dendritic cells  the most potent and effective antigen-presenting cells, thereby triggering a specific immune response to chikungunya virus. This results in a powerful, antigen-focused immune response, which is most likely to confer long-term immunity as does the measles vaccine.Contact Themis:Dr. Erich Tauber CEOMuthgasse 11/21190 Vienna, AustriaT +43 / 1 / 236 7151E erich.tauber@themisbio.comAbout Themis (December 2016):Themis develops prophylactic vaccines from the preclinical to the early clinical phase, focusing on emerging tropical infectious diseases, with initial vaccine candidates currently being developed against Chikungunya and Zika. The company's highly innovative and fully patent-protected measles virus vaccine vector technology platform, licensed from the internationally respected Institut Pasteur in Paris, forms the basis for all current vaccine candidates of the Vienna-based company.Dr. Erich TauberCEOMuthgasse 11/21190 Vienna, AustriaT +43 / 1 / 236 7151E erich.tauber@themisbio.com
Global Tackifier (Tackifying Resin) Market - ExxonMobil, Arizona Chemical, Kolon, Goodyear, DRT, Pinova, Zibo Luhua Hongjin, Guangdong Komo, Wuzhou SunShine

Tackifier (Tackifying Resin)

http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-tackifier-market-outlook-2016-2021-50033

https://goo.gl/YtY9gI

http://www.marketresearchstore.com

In depth analysis of Tackifier (Tackifying Resin) Market is a professional research report.The review has been based on the report titled, " Tackifier (Tackifying Resin) Market 2016 - 2021."To begin with, the report elaborates the Tackifier (Tackifying Resin) Market Various definitions and classification of the industry, applications of the industry and chain structure are given. Present day status of the Tackifier (Tackifying Resin) Market in key regions is stated and industry policies and news are analysed.This report provides a detailed description of the global Tackifier (Tackifying Resin) market based on volume share (tons) and market value (Million USD) for the period of 2016 to 2021. It highlights the factors contributing to the growth of the market and the restraints that impede the market. Also the forecast for tackifier (tackifying resin) from 2016 to 2021 has been given for better understanding of the market scenario.Browse full report with TOC @Value chain analysis and Porters five forces model have been provided for a comprehensive view of the market. These would also help understand the specifics of the industry structure, besides giving an overview of the degree of competitiveness.Detailed description of players includes parameters such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, upcoming facilities, product range, capacity & production, and the related market share.Global key players of the Tackifier (Tackifying Resin) Market : key playersExxonMobilArizona ChemicalKolonArakawa ChemicalEastmanGoodyearDRTPinovaZibo Luhua HongjinGuangdong KomoWuzhou SunShineShanghai JinsenThe application segments included in this report are:AdhesivesRubbersCoatings & InksOther MarketsFor sample request click onThe geographies covered in this report are:North AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificROW (Rest of the World)To provide information on competitive landscape, this report includes detailed profiles of Tackifier (Tackifying Resin) Market key players. For each player, product details, capacity, price, cost, gross and revenue numbers are given.In this report analysis, traders and distributors analysis is given along with contact details. For material and equipment suppliers also, contact details are given. New investment feasibility analysis and Industry growth is included in the report.About Market Research StoreMarket Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Market Research Store 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.Joel JohnTel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWeb:
First Collect International Offering Efficient, Custom Tailored and Cost Effective International Debt Recovery Services

www.firstcollect.com

First Collect International continues to make debt collection endeavors gratifying for sole traders, government departments, multi nationals, credit insurance corporations, and leading accountant firms. A full UK and international overdue account collection service, FCI is equipped and organized operation that can recover debts efficiently, promptly, and without interfering with the clients core competencies. Contrary to the norm, the overdue account collection service does not charge any file opening fees, prepayments or subscriptions. Thanks to custom-made debt collection software in place, clients can rest assured of complete transparency and convenient services.Replying to a query related to First Collect Internationals core competencies, one of its executives recently stated, Two decades back, FCI came into existence to ensure convenient and cost effective debt recovery. We have achieved it and how. Thus far, we have recovered over $700,000,000 for more than 79,000 clients, which underline our efficacy and intent. Besides debt collection, we can be of help with UK and international tracing, UK and international credit reporting, terms and conditions review, sovereign debt recovery and purchase along with asset disposal and dispute resolution.FCI is a team of credentialed and qualified debt collectors and managers with over four decades of industry experience. They work as a unit to ensure better results while upholding ideals of professionalism, integrity, and work ethics. Discarding the one size fits all theory, the professionals deliver custom tailored solutions that work well for the client and his unique situation. Moreover, they make it a point to keep clients into the loop during the entire collection process. More importantly, the professionals remain compliant with the norms laid by CSA, ACA, IACC, and LIC.Shedding light on FCIs debt collection modus operandi, the executive further stated, FCI perquisites essential details from the client prior to initiating debt recovery. The information may include full name and address, telephone and fax numbers, email addresses, amount outstanding and dates of invoices. As well, we may require copies of any relevant letters, invoices, statements, notes of conversations, along with other information that may help speed up the process. Upon receiving the desired information, we get on with the recovery procedure at the right earnest. Our debt collectors will establish communication with the defaulter via letters, faxes and telephone calls.If all efforts for amicable debt recovery go in vain, FCI takes legal action against the defaulter. With the team of willing and seasoned litigators, the overdue account collection service offers full litigation, including attachment of earnings, bankruptcy, and property charges, winding up petitions, along with relevant enforcement methods. For better results, FCI prefers working with local agents when it comes to handling international claims. Moreover, its debt collection fees may vary depending on the age, size, and location of the debt placed. Thanks to its cost efficient processes, First Collect International, a leading UK debt recovery service, keeps prices within the clients reach at all times.About First Collect International:Calling London as home, First Collect International is a full international overdue account collection service with a tremendous record of accomplishment. Its excels in UK and international tracing, credit reporting, terms and conditions review, sovereign debt recovery and purchase along with asset disposal and dispute resolution. The services on offer are efficient, reliable, and always easy on the pocket. Apparently, First Collect International is attracting the attention of businesses seeking global debt recovery services.First Collect Inc34-36 High Road,South Woodford,London E18 2TXUnited KingdomTel: +44 (0)20 8532 9637Fax: +44 (0)20 8532 9638Website:
Global Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) Market 2016 - Tessenderlo, Eastman, Shimmer Chemicals, SOVIKA Group, Luxi Chemical, Hubei Greenhome, Li Hai Company

http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/13581/request-sample

www.fiormarkets.com

www.9dimenreports.com

Benzyl chloride, or -chlorotoluene, is an organic compound with the formula C6H5CH2Cl. This colourless liquid is a reactive organochlorine compound that is a widely used chemical building block. Industrially, benzyl chloride is the precursor to benzyl esters which are used as plasticizers, flavorants, and perfumes. Phenylacetic acid, a precursor to pharmaceuticals, is produced from benzyl cyanide, which is generated by treatment of benzyl chloride with sodium cyanide. Quaternary ammonium salts, used as surfactants, are readily formed by alkylation of tertiary amines with benzyl chloride.This report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) from 2011-2015 and provides extensive market forecasts 2016-2021 by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7), and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies.Request for sample report atGlobal Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) Market Outlook 2016-2021, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) market collected from specialized sources. The report covers key technological developments in the recent times and profiles leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies. The competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players. The major players in the global Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) market are Tessenderlo (Belgium), Eastman (USA), Shimmer Chemicals (India), SOVIKA Group (India), Luxi Chemical (China), Hubei Greenhome (China), Li Hai Company (China), CNSG Anhui Hong Sifang (China), Hubei Qianjia Chemical (China), Nantong Leo Chemical (China), Wuhan Youji Industries (China), among others.The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Rest of World. In this sector, global competitive landscape and supply/demand pattern of Benzyl Chloride (CAS 100-44-7) industry has been provided.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Fior Markets provides you the full spectrum of services related to market research, and corroborate with the clients to increase the revenue stream, and address process gaps.Contact UsMark StoneSales Manager2566, Lincoln StreetPrinceton,New Jersey 08540USAPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
7 Benefits of Factoring Your Receivables Every year, tens of thousands of company owners across many industries discover the benefits that come with a proven cash flow solution: factoring receivables. Many businesses struggle with keeping up with expenses during those weeks or even months before customers pay their bills, yet the owners dont want to take out loans or dont meet borrowing requirements.



Factoring is an age-old way of turning those outstanding invoices waiting in the accounts receivable into ready cash for payroll, rent, and other fixed costs. Business owners also use that infusion of working capital to grow their companies, with new staff, new equipment, more space, better technology, increased inventory, and other ways to boost profits.



Business owners benefit from factoring their accounts receivables in many ways:



1. Fast payment on your accounts receivable



With factoring, the business gets paid upfront on work they have completed. The factoring company sends payment, via wire transfer, direct deposit, or other channels, as soon as a qualified invoice is submitted to the factoring company. The business no longer has to wait 30, 60, or even 90 days to get paid.



2. Professional collections services



When a business sells its invoices to a factoring company, it also turns over the work and challenges associated with the collections process. The factoring companys professional collections team takes over this chore, freeing up the business owner and staff for other important tasks.



3. Unlimited potential for capital



While bank loans are limited by the established loan amount, factoring is a source of financing that grows alongside a companys sales. As sales increase and receivables grow, more cash becomes available for the business owner to use.



4. Savings with volume and early payment discounts



Many suppliers offer early payment discounts or quantity discounts. With improved cash flow, businesses can take advantage of these savings opportunities which will directly affect your bottom line. At the same time, paying on time or early helps improve their own credit scores.



5. A non-debt solution



One of the best advantages of AR factoring is that business owners do not incur additional debt when they sell their invoices to a factoring company. They are not gambling on being able to pay back a loan based on their unknown future revenues; they are simply getting paid promptly on work that has been completed instead of waiting 30, 60, or even 90 days to be paid. This helps keep a companys balance sheet in better shape, making it easier to obtain other types of financing or to sell the company.



6. Easy and fast application process



Applying to a factoring company is easier and the approval process is faster than applying for most bank loans. Applicants do not need to meet rigorous credit checks or put up collateral to qualify. The factoring company is evaluating the creditworthiness of an applicants customers.



7. Free credit screening



Factoring companies continually check the credit background of their clients customers and potential customers, which helps protect those clients against loss.



When youre ready to enjoy the time-saving and money-saving benefits of accounts receivable factoring, work with a respected industry leader: Interstate Capital. Go to www.interstatecapital.com today for a free cash flow assessment and a look at how your business can benefit from invoice factoring.



Looking for an influx of capital? It can be difficult for small businesses and startups to get the financing they need from banks. Fortunately, factoring companies can help. Interstate Capital is among the best factoring companies you can find and they are, in fact, the #1 factoring company in North America. Give them a call today.



Contact :



Interstate Capital Corporation

1255 Country Club Road,

Santa Teresa, NM

88008 USA

Phone No:(888) 979-1487

Fax No :(575) 589-1999



This release was published on openPR.



Permanent link to this press release: Copy Please set a link in the press area of your homepage to this press release on openPR. openPR disclaims liability for any content contained in this release.
E-Cigarette Vaping Device Market Globally Expected to Drive Growth through 2020

http://www.sa-brc.com/Global-E-Cigarette-Vaping-Device-Market-Assessment--Forecast-2016---2020/upcomingdetail7

http://www.sa-brc.com/register.php

www.sa-brc.com

Vaping or vapour inhaling is one of the latest methods of delivering nicotine to the body and is associated with the use of e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes or vaping devices have been introduced in the market in the last 10 years primarily as a substitute to regular smoking as they have an added advantage of not containing other harmful materials such as heavy metals, carcinogens and tars. According to the American Lung Association, ordinary cigarettes are made of up to 600 different ingredients and are estimated to contain a total of 7,000 different chemicals of which 60-70 are known carcinogenic chemicals such as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic and DDT. E-cigarettes or vaping devices contain less than 10% of these chemicals with the largest component being nicotine itself. This fact was marketed strongest to the smokers worldwide and the difference caught on very quickly in the developed regions of the world. Initially, the devices were manufactured by small private companies which were absorbed by large multi-national tobacco companies after-market adoption increased in the past few years. The report objectives are to understand the global market for e-cigarettes and the intended readers are manufacturers, distributors and other members within the value chain of e-cigarettes and accessory products market.An e-cigarette is an electronic device comprising of several components such as the atomizer, the microchip processer, battery, charger, nicotine cartridges, sensors and other parts such as adapters and flavours. The biggest challenge in raising adoption in emerging countries for e-cigarettes is creating awareness. The use of e-cigarettes mandates understanding other terminologies such as Ohms, volts, vape time, cartridge capacity and assembling the device. Due to the complexity and cost of the device as compared with regular cigarette, there is currently a low adoption rate seen in countries of Africa, Middle-East, Latin America and parts of Asia-Pacific.Click For Full Report And Request TOC@Challenges are abundant for the e-cigarette market as technological drawbacks have been plaguing this market. There have been numerous instances of e-cigarettes blowing up due to overheated batteries and device. Cleaning and maintaining the device is another problem for average smokers as the dose of nicotine is not controlled accurately delivering high/low doses on an irregular basis. Legal framework also reduces the use of e-cigarettes as FDA has no validation of safety and efficacy of these devices. Ban on these devices has been put into place in many countries such as Brazil, Argentina, United States, Australia and United Arab Emirates. There are however markets such as Turkey, China, Malaysia, Japan, Korea and most parts of Europe that are currently forming the largest markets. That being said, the global e-cigarette market is highly unregulated with several norms and policies in place that people are unaware such as prohibition of importing e-cigarette cartridges and heavy taxation that indirectly increase and fluctuate the adoption of these devices.The market in terms of players is highly fragmented, although several notable players can be mentioned based on impact of their marketing and brand recall amongst ?vapers?. These include V2 Cigs by VMR Products, Vapor Fi or Vapor Zone, Mark Ten by Altria, Halo Cigs, Apollo E-Cigarettes, Green Smoke, Blu Cigs by Lorillard, Bull Smoke, NJoy, ProVape, Vapor King, Premium, Vuse by R.J. Reynolds, The Safe Cig and Smoke Tip. The above mentioned companies are just a few of over 1000 companies recorded by our analysts over the world that account for the global market. In recent times, the Indian government after a long battle has retained a ban on sale of ITC?s e-cigarette initiative and hopes to employ a strict ban country-wide. Large tobacco companies involved in this market primarily include Reynolds, British American Tobacco (BAT), Indian Tobacco Company (ITC), Japan Tobacco International (Zandera?s E-Lites), Altria and Lorillard. This market was estimated to be worth over US$ 3.5 billion in 2014 and is driven primarily by new smokers opting for vaping and adoption of the devices by existing smokers as well.For More Research Reports@About UsSpearhead Acuity Business Research & Consulting Private Limited (SA-BRC) is a premium Life Science business intelligence and data analytics firm. SA-BRC team offers a wide range of business intelligence services to multiple stakeholders such as Medical Device Manufacturers, Service Providers (Hospitals, Payers, etc.), Suppliers, Group Purchase Organizations, Distributors and all other individuals in the entire value chain of healthcare industry. Our research and consulting capabilities extend across several sub-domains within the sphere of Life Sciences such as Biotechnology, Healthcare IT, Medical Devices, Veterinary Sciences, Wellness Products and Pharmaceuticals.Contact UsJohn Whitmore10685-B Hazelhurst Drive,Suite 17411Houston, Texas 77043,United StatesPhone: +1(832)-426-3701Email: sales@sa-brc.comWebsite:
Global Consumer and Enterprise NAS Market  Strategic Assessment and Forecast Till 2021

Global NAS Market (Consumer NAS and Enterprise NAS) Research Report

http://www.beigemarketintelligence.com/reports/research-report-ict-market/consumer-and-enterprise-nas-market-research-report/

http://www.beigemarketintelligence.com/request-sample

http://www.beigemarketintelligence.com/reports/research-report-ict-market/data-center-storage-san-nas-market-research-report/

Network Attached Storage widely known as NAS are server based storage system that enables file sharing, multimedia streaming and storing and sharing data such as music, photos, video. A recently released report with title Global Consumer and Enterprise NAS Market Strategic Assessment and Forecast Till 2021 provides an in-depth analysis of the worldwide consumer NAS market and enterprise NAS market.This market research report published by Beige Market Intelligence contains 27 key sections and 97 exhibits. The key sections contain crucial information about the present market scenario, market size and forecast the market size and growth aspect for next five years. The growth forecast estimated in the report is both for revenue and shipment of each user segment, geographical region, and key country wise.View Report:Consumer and Enterprise NAS  Market ScenarioSince 2010, average data per users per month has been increasing significantly. This is because of the increase in the use of number of gadgets in day-to-day life. For instance, earlier an individual user has 12 internet connected devices such as laptop/desktop and mobile phone. Now it has more than 4 devices, with inclusion of tablet and wearable devices. In 2014-2015, mobile data traffic has growth 1.1GB/month to almost 1.39GM/month globally.The users, who are running short of primary storage such as in device storage in mobile and external hard disk; left with two options, which are data storage in cloud or storing data in NAS devices. However, NAS is highly economical and secure than cloud. A detailed analysis between cloud storage and NAS storage cost comparison have been mentioned in the report. Hence, individual consumers, SOHO, and SMBs are preferring NAS devices.The Consumer and Enterprise NAS Market is expected to witness a CAGR of 24% in 2015-2021.Request a Free Sample :The report provides the market information for the following segmentsBy User Type (In Revenue and Shipment) Consumer NAS SOHO NAS SMB NAS SME NAS Large Enterprise NASBy Geography (In Revenue and Shipment) North America Europe APAC Latin America Middle-East and AfricaFor each region, the report provides break down by user type i.e. Consumer, SOHO, SME, SMB, and Large EnterprisesBy Top Countries US UK China JapanThe report also provides in-depth analysis of 12 leading vendors and 13 emerging vendors. The report further provides market share for the following: Consumer NAS SOHO NAS SME NAS SMB NAS Large Enterprise NASConsumer and Enterprise NAS  Market Share and Key VendorsThe major players identified within the report are Apple Buffalo Technology Dell Dell EMC Hitachi Data System HP NetApp NETGEAR, QNAP Seagate Synology Western Digital.Other Vendors are Asustor, Cisco system, Direct Data Networks, Drobo, Fujitsu, LeiCie Group S.A., Lenovo EMC, Nfina Technology, Oracle, Overland Storage, Promise Technology, Quantum, Tegile, Thecus, Transporter, Unylogix, X-IO Technologies, and Zyxel.Browse Related Reports:Global Data Center Storage (SAN and NAS) Market Strategic Assessment and Forecast Till 2021 :About Beige Market IntelligenceBeige Market Intelligence is new-age provider of competitive business intelligence, working across various industry verticals. Our expertise and knowledge ensures that the market analysis Beige provides is comprehensive, detailed and complete. The analysis helps our client organizations become aware and make educated decisions, as far as investing or devising a marketing strategy is concerned. The actionable insights delivered through our market research provide a comprehensive market analysis for every level of market segmentation in an industry. Beige Market Intelligence is a quality driven high end Market Research organization.Contact Detail:Khyama PatraBeige Market IntelligenceChinnapanahalli, Doddanekundi Main Road 560037contactus@beigemarketintelligence.comUS: +1 347 903 9949UK: +44 20 323 99499APAC: +91 99 012 75473
Angels And Miracles - Donna Louis, Multi-Award Winning Author, Explores Miracles In 'Miracles Of Direction'

Christian book author Donna Louis

http://www.miraclebook.net

Though we don't often experience miracles or angels directly, the proof is there. In 2006, Bob Van Natta was crushed by a 10,000 lb. truck which fell on him as he was repairing the truck. The axle nearly cut his body in two.During the experience his spirit left his body and he experienced a state of total peace as he looked down on his body from above. On each side of his body he saw a glowing angel, both of whom appeared to be working on his body. The experience lasted approximately 40 minutes. His spirit suddenly returned to his body and he began to experience intense pain. As the result of the injury, five of his arteries were severed. The first miracle was that he survived.Due to the injury, nearly all of Van Natta's intestines were removed. He now found himself in danger of starving to death as he was down to only three feet of intestine. After a prayer session, Van Natta's intestines miraculously grew in length. After some tests it was shown that his intestines had indeed spontaneously grown in length. This case is unusual in that it involves medical proof."People love Angels," Louis stated. "Angels have captivated the imaginations of men since before the birth of Christ. In an age with much disdain for that which is not physically calculable Angels have maintained a remarkable place in modernity. Angels are the virtuous and able creatures who guide and protect us in our weakness. They are the heroes we wish we could be."Louis knows the subject of miracles well, as she has personally experienced three miracles. As the result of those life-altering experiences, she began an in-depth study of some of Christianity's most well-documented miracles. In her book, she attempts to expand upon and explain both the purpose and the direction of those miracles. 'Miracles of Direction, Miracles of Conquest, Miracles of Provision and Miracles of Purpose' explores biblical miracles that took place while Jesus was here on earth. She then references with miracles that take place on a daily basis in the modern world. She separates these miracles into four categories and presents insightful example of each type, taken directly from the Bible.The book is an ideal Christmas gift for anyone who hopes to draw closer to God, or wants to explore how miracles and angels affect us here on Earth.Louis was just chosen as a winner in the 2016 '50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading' awards contest for the second year in a row. 'Miracles' has also received rave reviews from readers. One review called it "amazing, uplifting and inspirational". Another stated, "I was profoundly impressed by the writing."Donna Louis is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below, or by email at louistolouis@aol.com. More information is available at her website. Miracles Of Direction is available at online retail book outlets. More information is available at her website.Donna Louis is happily married to her husband of 30 years Patrick Louis and currently resides in Florida. She lives to accomplish the task that God created her for and on a daily basis to follow Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."PO Box 1613Shallotte, NC 28459
Further Strengthening Modern Medicine, Alternative Medicine And Biotechnology For Medical Tourism 2016 Edition

https://goo.gl/SHDJNl

"Medical Tourism Market Report: 2016 Edition" The Report covers current Market Trends, Worldwide Analysis, Global Forecast, Review, Share, Size, Growth, Effect.Description-Medical tourism is a high-growth industry driven by globalization and rising healthcare costs in developed countries. People prefer traveling to developing countries for treatments in order to save cost. More than forty countries in Asia, America, Africa and Eastern Europe are serving millions of medical tourists annually. International medical service providers are in continuous race to get accreditation from Joint Commission International (JCI).Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and India are the major destinations in the Asian medical tourism market. Thailand is more popular among Western European medical tourists for cosmetic surgery. Singapore and India specialize in complex procedures with India having a cost advantage and Singapore a technology advantage. The most common categories of procedures that people pursue during medical tourism trips are cosmetic surgery, dentistry, cardiology (cardiac surgery), and orthopedic surgery.The healthcare industry in Thailand has seen rapid growth in recent years, ahead of the country's GDP. In Thailand, medical costs are lower than in Singapore and also, it is a much more popular tourist destination. In this regard it is providing medical services, latest medical technology, medicines, and is further strengthening modern medicine, alternative medicine and biotechnology.Get Sample Report With TOC @The Malaysian government is aggressively promoting medical tourism. Through its Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia oversees tourism policies and tourism-related activities to realize its vision of making Malaysia an international tourism destination.Indian government is aggressively promoting India as a global healthcare destination. It has also started giving affiliation to the companies working in healthcare sector. Being one of the lowest cost and highest quality of all medical tourism destinations, it offers wide variety of procedures at about one-tenth the cost of similar procedures in the US.The Korean government is promoting the nation's growing medical tourism industry and is actively taking initiatives that are mainly geared to introduce the services and facilities of Korean hospitals to overseas expositions. However, Korea has yet to increase its standing among other Asian nations.Table of Content1. Market Overview1.1 Medical Tourism Industry Structure2. Medical Tourism - Market Analysis2.1 Global Medical Tourism Market2.2 Asian Medical Tourism MarketMarket ValueForeign Patients Inflow2.2.1 ThailandMarket ValueForeign Patients InflowBreakdown by Procedures2.2.2 SingaporeMarket ValueForeign Patients InflowForeign Patients by Nationality2.2.3 MalaysiaMarket ValueForeign Patients InflowForeign Patients by Nationality2.2.4 IndiaMarket ValueForeign Patients InflowForeign Patients by NationalityBreakdown by Procedures2.2.5 KoreaMarket ValueForeign Patients InflowForeign Patients by NationalityBreakdown by Procedures2.2.6 TurkeyMarket ValueForeign Patients Inflow3. Market Dynamics3.1 Growth Drivers3.1.1 Low Cost and High Saving3.1.2 Services and Accommodations3.1.3 Quality ChecksResearchMoz 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
More Determined Through A Series Of Mergers And Acquisitions By Us Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) Industry 2016 Edition

https://goo.gl/1ltEOf

"US Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) Industry Report: 2016 Edition" The Report covers current Market Trends, Worldwide Analysis, Global Forecast, Review, Share, Size, Growth, Effect.Description-In the US, Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) deals with the management of prescription drug programs. It acts as an intermediary between health plans, drug companies, retail pharmacies and patients. Initially, PBMs used to process pharmaceutical claims for health plans. But nowadays in addition to this, PBMs have created more significant pharmacy benefit by providing a system for reimbursement of drug claims, processing and cost control. The US prescription volume and pharmaceutical sales has witnessed an exceptional growth over the past few years and the same pattern is likely to continue in the near future. Therefore, through rebates from pharmaceutical manufacturers, price discounts from retails, and effective mail service pharmacies, the PBMs emphasis on enabling the plan sponsors and individuals to obtain prescribed drugs at lower prices.Get Sample Report With TOC @The PBM providers control drug spending and utilization by virtue of their advanced tools and techniques, encouraging use of generics and other lower-cost medications. In the US, there are some independent PBMs while some are owned by managed care organizations and retail pharmacies. Today, the PBM industry has become more determined through a series of mergers and acquisitions.Some of the factors driving the growth of the PBM industry are: accelerating US aging population, increasing life expectancy rate and incidences of chronic and infectious diseases which further increase the healthcare expenditure and pharmaceutical sales in the US. The ongoing trends and development in the PBM industry include rising medicare enrollments and increased acceptance of specialty drugs.This report assesses the US PBM industry in terms of both market volume and market value. The increasing competition in the PBM industry has been analyzed on number of factors: revenue, dispensing specialty pharmaceuticals, claims and PDP lives. The top three companies having a vicious competition with each other and dominating the PBM industry are- Express Script, CVS Health and Catamaran. These players are being profiled in the report along with their key financials and strategies for growth.1. Overview1.1 Introduction1.2 History of PBM1.3 Retail Dispensing Process & Flow of Funds1.4 Mail Dispensing Process and Flow of Funds2. The US PBM Market2.1 Rx MarketMarket VolumeGrowth RateMarket SegmentsBranded Vs Generic GrowthDispensing Channels2.2 Pharmaceutical SalesSales GrowthBranded Vs Generic MarketDispensing Channels2.3 Specialty Drugs3. Market Dynamics3.1 Growth Drivers3.1.1 Increasing Life Expectancy Rate in the US3.1.2 Rising Healthcare Expenditure in the US3.1.3 Rising Pharmaceutical Sales3.1.4 Accelerating US Aging Population3.1.5 Ameliorating Economic Conditions3.1.6 Rising Incidences of Chronic and Infectious Diseases3.1.7 Rising Medicare EnrollmentsResearchMoz 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
Legionella Risk Assessment in Rental Properties

Legionella Assessment, hot water must be above 50c to avoid risk

Research undertaken by The Legionella Risk Assessment Register has shown that professional letting agents who focus on both landlord and tenant care equally are now helping their landlords comply with HSE legislation on the requirement for a simple legionella risk assessment.Whilst many offer to undertake or arrange the assessment on behalf of landlords, there are a growing number who choose to inform their landlords that they can undertake the assessment themselves.However, the survey, undertaken during October and November 2016 also uncovered a small number of letting agents who are choosing to ignore the legislation and are not informing their landlords of the HSE requirement. This is not only putting the landlord at risk but could also be putting tenants health at risk in certain properties.Off 250 agents contacted 210 said they have made arrangements for the assessment, 24 said they were looking into the options available and 16 said they had not made any plans regarding the assessment.A spokesman for LRA Register said Some letting agents are simply not acting in the best interest of their landlords. Our advice to anyone who lets through an agent would be to seek out an agent who acts in best interest of both the tenant and landlord. This way you end up with a happy tenant and a less stressful tenancy.At the Legionella Risk Assessment Register we can put landlords in touch with a local agency who will ensure the property water system is assessed as required.The company are monitoring the market closely and will be conducting further research in 2017 in order to update their findings and also to check with tenants around the UK to assess the percentage of rental households which have not been provided with the required assessment.Our advice to all letting agents is to make provision for the legionella risk assessments in order to protect their tenants and landlords as well as to cover themselves in the event of an unfortunate case of a legionella case developing.The risk assessment process is relatively simple for a domestic rental property and there is no reason for letting agents not to inform their landlords of the legal requirement.Any tenant concerned about the quality of their water system is encouraged to contact the LRA register via email at reports@lraregister.com.The Legionella Risk Assessment Registers offer online training to letting agents and landlords to enable them to undertake Legionella Risk Assessments in domestic rental properties. The register also provides online software for producing compliant assessments.LRA Register225 Ashfield RoadThornton CleveleysFY5 3JA
Roughness and Contour Measuring Machine Market 2016 - Mahr, Taylor Hobson, Mitutoyo, Jenoptik, ACCRETECH, Carl Zeiss, Kosaka Laboratory, Optacom

https://goo.gl/YxzKBZ

http://marketinsights.biz/global-roughness-and-contour-measuring-machine-market-2016-by-manufacturers-regions-type-and-application-forecast-to-2021/

http://marketinsights.biz/

The Global Roughness and Contour Measuring Machine Market 2016 Industry Research Report focused on major manufacturers, regions, type as well as application of the Roughness and Contour Measuring Machine industry. Roughness and Contour Measuring Machine is able to evaluate roughness, waviness and contour profiles. This report analyzed the roughness instrument, contour instrument and the combination unit with surface roughness and form contour measuring instrument.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Roughness and Contour Measuring Machine in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Free sample of report visit atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversMahr, Taylor Hobson, Mitutoyo, Jenoptik, ACCRETECH, Carl Zeiss, Kosaka Laboratory, Optacom.Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)Latin America, Middle East and AfricaMarket Segment by Type, coversRoughness Measuring MachineContour Measuring MachineDetail Overview of Report Visit atMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoAutomotive IndustryMechanical ProductsElectronic ProductsOthersThis Roughness and Contour Measuring Machine Industry report also states Company Profile, sales, Roughness and Contour Measuring Machine Market revenue, and price, market share, Contact Information and gross margin by regions.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and methodology of the report are offered.About Us:"MarketInsights.Biz offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact US:Frank ValadezDirector of Business DevelopmentWebsite:Email:sales@marketinsights.biz
Alaska Air Group announced Wednesday it had finalized its acquisition of rival Virgin America, sealing a deal that creates the nation's fifth-largest carrier.

The acquisition wins Seattle-based Alaska a strong foothold in California, bolstering its effort to dominate the West Coast and strengthening its east-west routes.

Alaska last week won final approval from the U.S. Justice Department, which will require Alaska to curb its cooperation with American Airlines. Soon after, it settled a private lawsuit seeking to block the merger.

Alaska said Wednesday that it has yet to make a decision about whether to continue using the Virgin America brand. Though Virgin brings a loyal customer base, Alaska would have to pay licensing fees to Virgin's founder, Richard Branson, to keep using the name.

In the meantime, the two airlines will operate separately while seeking FAA authorization to operate as one airline.

Virgin's Elevate loyalty program, however, will eventually be merged with Alaska's Mileage Plan program. Members of each program will be able to earn points on the other's flights starting Monday, and they will reciprocate benefits like priority check-in and boarding.

Alaska also inherits Virgin's Airbus fleet, which may complicate maintenance. Alaska flies mostly Boeing jets.

Alaska is the dominant carrier at Portland International Airport, through which it flew more than 3.8 million passengers last year. Regional affiliate Horizon Air flew another 3 million. Virgin, which offers flights between Portland and its San Francisco base, flew about 84,000 PDX passengers.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com

503-294-5034

@enjus
ITT TECH

ITT Tech, a for-profit education giant, closed all of its campuses Sept. 6, 2016.

(Courtesy of AP)

Oregon lawmakers authorized a $1.4 million life raft Wednesday for the estimated 150 students left stranded by the abrupt closure of for-profit higher education giant ITT Technical Institute.

The legislature's Emergency Board signed off on the plan allowing Portland Community College to teach a specially designed curriculum for students at the now-defunct ITT Technical Institute's nursing program.

The one-off program that starts in January is projected to cost $2.1 million to administer. The Higher Education Coordinating Commission is chipping in $175,000, and former ITT students' tuition will contribute roughly $500,000.

State officials say they're not aware of a comparable effort nationwide.

"This modest public investment will immediately and significantly change the trajectories of their lives," Ben Cannon, executive director of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, said in a statement.

A little more than three months after the decades-old for-profit college shut its doors, putting an estimated 40,000 students out in the cold nationwide, Oregon approved its plan to help an estimated 150 students who had completed at least four quarters of their associate's degree cross the finish line.

State Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose) and other lawmakers praised higher education staffers for going the extra mile for ITT students. "I think Ben Cannon has been absolutely heroic in this whole episode," she said.

Dozens of former ITT students sat in the audience Wednesday to witness the vote. They cheered when the board approved the plan, some hugging in their seats.

Dawn Pfau, a 38-year-old single mom who is two terms short of finishing her associate's degree, took time off from work to attend two days of meetings in Salem. She said it was important for lawmakers to see that real people were affected by ITT's closure - and to see them in the audience.

The vote provided an intense end to an emotional roller coaster. "We've literally been in limbo for three months with very little information," she said.

With the state on board, PCC officials said, the school is now left to finalize where the former ITT Tech students will take courses starting next month.

"PCC is proud to teach this program," Elizabeth Lundy, interim vice president for academic affairs, said in a statement. "It's been a privilege to partner with the HECC to creatively problem-solve and develop a solution for these students."

Wednesday's unusual request for emergency funding came after ITT closed its 138 campuses without notice on Sept. 6. ITT had been under scrutiny from federal education regulators, as had many schools overseen by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. Just this week, federal education officials said they would not reverse a ruling issued earlier this fall to effectively shut down the accrediting agency. ACICS, which oversees roughly 250 schools, has pledged to fight the federal action.

Pfau said she learned of ITT's closure through an email received at 4:02 a.m.

It landed hard. She had been working nearly full-time for Kaiser Permanente in Clackamas County and moved with her teenage daughter to Battle Ground, Washington, all while commuting to classes at the ITT building near Portland International Airport.

She didn't see the closure coming. "I felt like my world had been ripped apart," she said.

Pfau had already paid for her fall courses and books, an estimated $4,000 to $5,000 she wouldn't get back.

She has maxed out her financial aid eligibility and expects to pay for the rest of her education out of pocket. PCC's program is $97 per credit hour, and there's an additional $2,400 in costs for books, equipment and nursing exams.

But she's thankful to PCC, Cannon, and Jolie Manning, former nursing chair at her ITT program for crafting a solution. Manning was relentless, Pfau said, despite being put out of work by the closure.

Pfau said lawmakers should know they made the right decision to chip in more than $1.4 million, because the program will touch many lives. "It's going to produce awesome nurses that are going to be working in the state of Oregon," she said.



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen
This story has been updated

KEIZER -- The Elliott State Forest's fate must wait until 2017.

After a more than four-hour meeting and hearing from dozens of residents Tuesday, Gov. Kate Brown directed the Department of State Lands to "work toward developing" an offer with Lone Rock Timber Resources and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, which together submitted the lone bid for the 82,500-acre forest.

Yet Brown simultaneously asked staff to explore a second option to the alliance's $220.8 million offer: Issuing as much as $100 million in general obligation bonds to free a portion of the forest from its constitutional requirement to produce timber revenue for the Common School Fund. Brown said that could allow the land to remain in public hands or come under tribal management.

"We left $237 million of bonding on the table," Brown said in an interview, referencing her state budget recommendations. "There's clearly the bonding capacity available under my proposal to do $100 million."

But Tuesday's meeting of the State Land Board brought no closure to the long-standing controversy over what to do with the forest, and ensured the debate will stretch into the new year and, in all likelihood, the upcoming legislative session.

The meeting attracted a standing-room-only crowd in Keizer, and most of the roughly 80 people who signed up to speak opposed the proposed sale. Dozens arrived at the Keizer Civic Center more than an hour before the meeting, carrying signs and banners.

During public testimony, a group of middle and high school students from the Portland area spoke together. A father from rural Lane County brought his two young children to argue against the proposed sale. Representatives of conservation groups from across the state also testified against the deal.

The Elliott forest spans Coos and Douglas counties and is home to such threatened species as coastal coho salmon, marbled murrelet and northern spotted owl. Long a workhorse for the Common School Fund, now valued at $1.5 billion, the forest has in recent years become a money loser for the state. Logging plunged in 2012 amid lawsuits from environmental groups.

Josh Laughlin, executive director of Eugene-based Cascadia Wildlands condemned the proposed sale as a threat to public access. "The steel gates will be slammed shut, the forest will be clear-cut and Oregonians will be left questioning what went wrong," he said.

Bob Sallinger, conservation director at the Audubon Society of Portland, asked Brown to step up. "There's simply no way around the fact that this is privatization."

But some argued it's long past time the state respect its financial obligation to the Common School Fund.

A representative from the Oregon Education Association, which represents nearly 50,000 public education officials, urged the state to sell the land.

The Common School Fund distributed about $55 million in 2015 for schools, compared with the overall $7.3 billion K-12 budget for the current biennium.

Some conservation groups have pushed for the state to sell or free itself of the constitutional requirement to make money off natural resources like the Elliott.

Jim Green, deputy executive director of the Oregon School Boards Association, was more circumspect. "We're asking that you either approve this sale or divest," he said.

Before the testimony, Lone Rock and tribal officials advocated for their unique collaboration. Michael Rondeau, president of the Cow Creek group, said the proposed deal is "aligned with our long-term land acquisition and management plans." The tribe is landless, he said, and has suffered for more than a 150 years.

Toby Luther, CEO of Roseburg-based Lone Rock, stressed to public officials that the land's management would be a team effort - not just led by the timber company. "This is actually a proposal of proposers," he said.

Jim Paul, director of the Department of State Lands, said before public testimony that the Lone Rock bid did meet the state's general guidelines outlined more than a year ago. The plan calls for preserving public access on at least 41,000 acres, he said, and would set aside some 20,625-acres of older growth forest as protected from harvest.

But Paul acknowledged that the bid wasn't perfect. "The plan does include some gaps, uncertainties and ambiguities," he said. For example, the state needs reassurances about public access, he said.

Brown will be the only returning member on the State Land Board in 2017. Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins is retiring, and Ted Wheeler leaves at the end of this month to become mayor of Portland. They will be replaced by Dennis Richardson and Tobias Read respectively.

After dozens of speakers alternatively challenged the State Land Board to "show leadership" and find a way to decouple the land from the Common School Fund, Wheeler gave a roughly 10-minute speech expressing his thoughts.

While he, as did Atkins and Brown, thanked the tribes and Lone Rock for their involvement, Wheeler said he didn't think the current plan was the right one. "We're on the right road," he said, "But we're not there yet."

Wheeler then turned to Brown. "We have heard a very clear consensus, governor, that we should separate the Elliott State Forest from state funding," he said, referencing the $1.5 billion Common School Fund.

Wheeler said he wants the state to "step forward with public funds."

"Governor Brown, you are the right person to lead this effort," he said, while adding that the audience needs to support Brown in 2017 while pushing the Legislature.

Brown said she is open to other partners emerging to work with Lone Rock and the tribes.



But the governor, who was elected in November, had thoughts for those who have asked for other options: Come back in 2017 with more answers. "I expect that you will work quickly and collaboratively and thoughtfully," she said.

The land board is expected to meet again in February.

Update: A previous version of this story misstated the name of the Oregon School Boards Assocation.

--Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen
The National Guard is halting all community events in toxic armories across the country, taking significant steps to prevent lead exposure just a week after an investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive revealed that lead from indoor firing ranges contaminated hundreds of the buildings.

The Guard issued an order setting imminent deadlines, pledging federal money for cleanups and launching a coordinated effort to gather details about contaminated buildings nationwide. Earlier cleanup efforts were sidetracked partly because the Guard required states to bear most of the cost.

The Dec. 6 order, which the Oregon Guard received late Friday, immediately closed nine Oregon armories to community events, a spokesman said.

The national price tag of the new initiative isn't clear, but cleaning toxic armories could cost federal taxpayers tens of millions. Oregon National Guard officials estimate that removing lead from the state's armories and repurposing the firing ranges will cost $21.6 million. Oregon spent $2 million on one armory cleaning alone. Ohio spent $3 million decontaminating armories last year.

The sweeping order comes nearly 20 years after the National Guard was warned that its indoor firing ranges were unnecessarily exposing soldiers and their families to dangerous lead dust.

It is "imperative" for states to start cleaning their armories, Lt. Gen. Timothy J. Kadavy, director of the Army National Guard, wrote in his Dec. 6 order.

Though most of the Guard's indoor ranges have closed, Kadavy's order called for an immediate prohibition on their continued use. Indoor firing ranges, he wrote, create significant risks to human health and the environment and no longer meet the U.S. Army's training requirements.

His order says that by Jan. 31, 2017, state Guard units must tell the National Guard's central office whether they have finished lead testing in all their armories with old firing ranges. They must also report what was found and whether lead was cleaned up following nationwide testing ordered in September 2015 in response to The Oregonian/OregonLive's queries.

States must tell the National Guard whether they think ongoing monitoring is needed and whether a plan is in place to continue checking for lead hazards. Guard guidelines call for annual testing in buildings with old firing ranges to ensure that lead that is sealed in place does not begin re-emerging.

The Oregonian/OregonLive investigation found many states have not followed those recommendations in the past, allowing lead to persist for years in armories thought to be clean.

By Feb. 28, 2017, state Guard leaders must tell the National Guard whether they've closed all their indoor gun ranges and give a timeline for any remaining cleanings.

While the order sets deadlines and provides a way for federal Guard officials to have more oversight of toxic armories, it sets no firm date for all armories to be cleaned.

The order leaves open the possibility that lead will continue to persist in armories for months or years to come. The Guard told states they should clean the buildings as funding permits with money they receive through their budgets.

But the order also says that "the cost of clean-up is considered to be 100 percent Federal share."

National Guard officials did not respond to calls and emails for comment.

Maj. Stephen Bomar, an Oregon Guard spokesman, said the national order affects armories in Bend, Pendleton, Roseburg, Ashland, McMinnville, Ontario, Springfield, Salem and Baker City. All housed active firing ranges until 2014. Many closed for cleanings but since reopened.

Toxic Armories

Every time a soldier pulled the trigger inside a National Guard gun range, a bullet cast off bits of lead. The Guard's neglect allowed the toxic dust to spread outside the range, endangering families who attended weddings, school sleepovers and Cub Scout meetings in America's armories.

Three other Oregon armories -- in Coos Bay, Forest Grove and Northeast Portland -- remain off-limits to the public because they are still having work done inside.

The Oregon Guard immediately halted community rentals upon receiving Friday's order, Bomar said. Fewer than 10 events have been affected so far, he said.

The Oregon Guard has not moved to stop the use of other armories across the state where lead remains after firing ranges were supposedly cleaned years ago. Bomar said the agency was seeking clarification about whether the Guard's order applied to those buildings, too.

Bomar said the order does not apply to the former Ontario armory, which the state still owns and rents to a child gymnastics company, because it is not "federally supported." The Guard no longer uses the building for military activities.

Traces of lead, below the Oregon Guard's cleanup threshold, remain on the armory's floors. Its indoor firing range is still contaminated.

Anna Avera, who owns the gymnastics school, said Tuesday that the Guard recently began cleaning up the firing range.

-- Rob Davis

rdavis@oregonian.com

503.294.7657
With millions of Christmas tree ornaments to chose from, which ones do you pick? Perhaps something that reflects the local scenery or captures the Pacific Northwest's culture or its creatures?

Or is all about sentiment and happy memories of holidays past?

Patty Merrill, founder of fabled Portland emporium Cargo, says she and her team "trudge through a lot of gaudy trinkets" to select ornaments, "but we love the challenge and the hunt."

So far this year, the store has twice sold out of the micro six-pack of beer ornament ($14).

"We believe that this is because people are looking for ornaments that they can give men and that represent Portland's interests," Merrill says.

Equally popular are ornaments depicting a VW van loaded with gifts and those relating to Dias de los Muertos and the Mexican culture.

"We always look to explore other cultures," she says. "This year, we have an assortment of Evil Eye ornaments, which are said to ward off evil and misfortune."

Traditionalist shopping at Cargo buy vintage-looking and nostalgic ornaments, like the delicate and sparkly ones made of mercury glass. These, Merrill says, are handed down to the next generation.

Mary Tyler-Allison sees a lot of traditionalists where she works, the Mercantile Portland, and she buys ornaments there to add to her collection.

She's an unabashed Christmas fan. Thirty years ago, Larry Allison proposed to her after helping to dress a mantel with garland. Today, they have three trees to decorate in their Southwest Portland home.

"I love ornaments that remind me of the trees my grandparents and parents created in the 1950s," she says. "In particular, the reflector styles that catch light so prettily. I think Christopher Radko was such a big success because he took the traditional molds and creatively updated them."

Radko's food and drink series includes a Brewed to Perfection Coffee blown-glass ornament ($60). Would that remind you of Portland?

Or maybe you'd like some other miniature rendition of familiar objects. We gathered a collection of off-beat ornaments, inspired by real life and fiction, and made of glass, paper, porcelain or metal.

Some ornaments are pretty, some are just pretty silly. But it's all about holiday cheer. Or as one Etsy maker states on a Portland-inspired series made with vintage gift wrap: "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Beer."

Here's a list of Oregonish ornaments we believe are branch worthy:

Travel Sticker of the Pacific Northwest ($30) is sold by Ornaments to Remember, based in Wilsonville, which will donate profits to The Learning Community.

Oregon Hikers is made of 14 gauge, hot-rolled, mild steel and covered with a thin layer of black oxide ($10) by rvmetalshop's Brandon and Erin Spangler and sold on Etsy.

Portland and heart made of vintage giftwrap ($9) by Via Delia on Etsy.

St. John's Bridge made of fabric ($16) by Noteify on Etsy.

Oregon "Home" made from solid black cherry wood grown and milled in the USA, finished with a food-safe oil and red ribbon ($10.95) by MyStateShop on Etsy.

Upcycled Oregon License Plate ($14) by LicenseToCraft on Etsy.

Evergreen Fir Tree shows Portland, Gresham, Hillsboro, Tigard, Clackamas, Beaverton and Vancouver, Washington ($18) by nwsurfcottage on Etsy.

Holiday decorating as easy as 1,2, 3

1-Florist Megan Arambul of Fieldwork Flowers shows how to

(photos and video)

2-Portland interior designer Cathrine Olander shows how to

. Sometimes, it's just a wreath

3-Oregon-themed Christmas ornaments range from pretty to pretty weird

Portland Skyline and Mount Hood in porcelain ($12.99) by CitySouvenirs on Etsy.

Washington and Oregon with faux turquoise heart magnet ($8.25) made by TheRusticBarnAZ on Etsy.

Oregon letters assembled in a tree shaped and made of Baltic birch veneer ($6.95) by WhiteFoxCrafts on Etsy.

PDX carpet made of ceramic ($13.70) by Beermaster and available at Zazzle.

I Love Rain made of aluminum ($16.99) by Concord Collections and available at Cafe Press.

DIY gingerbread hipsters made of fabric, felt and ribbons by Love and Lace at hipsterchristmas.com.

Pacific Crest Trail made of porcelain ($16.99) by Ultimate Adventure and available at Cafe Press.

Tree stump sport signs ($10) with either University of Oregon Ducks or Oregon State Beavers decals.

Tanya Harvey of Fall Creek, Oregon makes hand sewn and painted felt birds ($17-$23 each).

Blackberry cluster made of glass ($16,) by Ornaments to Remember.

Bacon Package made of glass ($13.96) by Sur La Table

Lincoln Highway made of glass ($15,) by Ornaments to Remember: Honors the first U.S. transcontinental highway that stretches from Atlantic City, N.J. to Astoria.

Oregon Road Sign pointing to Mount Hood, Columbia Gorge and Multnomah Falls ($12) by Ornaments to Remember

Anja on Polar Bear, inspired by "The Christmas Wish" book, ($15) plus other DEMDACO ornaments such as Snowboarding Bear ($10), wood Deer ($15), glass Owl ($10), Colorful Carved Owl ($10) and Fishing Bear ($10) are sold at St. Vincent Hospital Gift shop in Portland, the Grotto in Portland, Beaverton Pharmacy, Garden Gallery in Hubbard and Multnomah Falls Lodge in Troutdale.

Oyster made of glass ($10.46) by Sur La Table

Raincoat and Hat made of glass ($16 for the set) by Ornaments to Remember

Mt. Bachelor made of glass($10) by Ornaments to Remember

Heceta Head made of aluminum ($16.99) by Ultimate Adventure and available at Cafe Press

Mallard Duck glass ornament shows its feathers as it paddles by just out of range ($12) by Ornaments to Remember.

Snowflake made of glass ($29.95) in Hallmark's Season of Wonder collection

Beer Growler made of glass ($13.96) by Sur La Table

Sea Turtle made of glass ($128) by Bryan Randa for Artful Home.

made of glass ($125) by Jennifer Caldwell for Artful Home.

-- Janet Eastman



jeastman@oregonian.com

503-799-8739

@janeteastman












An Oak Grove man initially accused in the rape and attempted rape of three incapacitated teen girls in 2015 was sentenced Tuesday to a year and four months in prison after being convicted of an attempted attack in one case.

A Clackamas County jury on Friday found 21-year-old Jordan Salazar guilty of attempted first-degree rape and attempted first-degree sexual abuse. In that case, the victim reported she drank alcohol and smoked marijuana at a July 28, 2015, house party when she was 18. She said she passed out on a bed and awoke feeling Salazar's penis on her back and him trying to pull her pants down. She then left the room, she said.

Clackamas County Circuit Judge Douglas Van Dyk also ordered Salazar to serve three years of probation, register as a sex offender, perform 120 hours of community service and have no contact with the victim. He will receive credit for five months he has already spent incarcerated.

Salazar was accused of raping another 18-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl earlier that July and in October 2015. The jury acquitted him of first-degree rape and second-degree sexual abuse charges in the July 5, 2015, case involving the other 18-year-old. Charges of first-degree rape and second-degree sexual assault in the Oct. 3, 2015, case were dropped before trial because the victim wouldn't testify. The women in the other incidents did take the stand.

According to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, the three teens were either friends or acquaintances of Salazar and knew of each other through Rex Putnam High School. The three had been drinking alcohol before they reported being attacked, the sheriff's office said. According to an indictment, they all were physically incapable of consent.

The victim in the conviction case said in court that she still gets sick thinking of what Salazar did to her and has experienced post-traumatic stress disorder because of it.

"He doesn't think he did anything wrong, but I know at the end of the day that he knows what he did to us," she said. Salazar made no public statements in court.

Defense attorney Stephen Kelly asked Van Dyk to sentence his client to probation along with a 16- to 18-month suspended prison sentence. Clackamas County Deputy District Attorney Sarah Dumont requested 18 months, citing a psychosexual evaluation performed on Salazar by a doctor that determined he was a "moderate risk" to re-offend for a sexual offense.

The report noted Salazar exhibited hostility toward women, a lack of concern for others and deviant sexual arousal among his risk factors, Dumont said.

The attorney said Salazar being sentenced to probation "wouldn't be conducive to him being safe in the community or send the right message to the community about the seriousness of his crimes."

Kelly countered that the evaluation "certainly had as much good as bad" things to say about his client. He noted that Salazar had never been in any trouble before his arrest and had no issues over the five months he was held in jail. The report recommended Salazar receive treatment, not incarceration for rehabilitation, Kelly said.

The defense attorney said he still objected to the charges his client was convicted of because he claimed there was no evidence presented that showed Salazar touched the victim's genitalia or exhibited "deliberate cruelty."

"My point is what is a tug on the pants?" Kelly said. "He didn't say threatening things to her. This, to me, is the least egregious attempted rape that I can ever imagine."

Dumont said Kelly's characterization of the events wasn't consistent with the victim's experience and failed to recognize the seriousness of the crime.

"[Kelly's] statements that this wasn't a case of dragging someone kicking and screaming, but the Legislature and the people of Oregon have determined that this is among the most serious types of crimes." She said Kelly's account didn't mention Salazar's penis was exposed in this case.

Van Dyk said he couldn't reconcile giving Salazar probation. The judge thanked both women for testifying, called their actions brave and courageous and said it was important they stepped forward.

"I just want you to know what you've done has been very meaningful to your community," Van Dyk said.

The judge told Salazar that he has made "huge mistakes" but said the 21-year-old didn't have to let it define him. He told Salazar to study his evaluation to get more insight on how to fix his behavior.

"Don't place anyone in a position like this ever again in life," Van Dyk said.

*Note: This story has been updated to specify the hometown of the defendant as Oak Grove, not Milwaukie.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
NOVICK2.JPG

Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick

(Staff/File)

HOT BUTTON: THE FAT CAT TAX

On Sunday, we asked another Hot Button question: Do you favor taxing Portland corporations that pay their CEOs salaries at a rate 100 times or more times higher than most workers who report to them?

Today, we're publishing some of the responses. If you'd like to add to the discussion please see the "How do I submit a letter to the editor" info box on this page and let us know what you think. Look for a new Hot Button question on Sunday.

HOLLOW TALKING POINTS: It almost never fails: Propose to hobble corporations that pay their executives too much, or simply propose to hobble corporations in any way - and you'll be able to count on popular support in Portland.

It's a simplistic mindset, more about scoring talking points for Steve Novick's resume than addressing income inequality.

Cynical? Not me. Our elected officials and their backers are the cynics.

Jeff Cosloy, Portland

FIXING A BAD SITUATION: Your Editorial Board characterizes Steve Novick as zoomy (a fancy word for 'childish'), and the CEO pay-related surtax as useless to redistribute wealth because attempts to rein in capitalism "are best made by federal regulation." I disagree.

The Board is mistaken. The surtax's estimated $2 million raised from corporations whose CEOs enjoy outsized pay will support the homeless in Portland. That is useful, not useless, redistribution from folks who have too much to the folks who have too little.

Your board insists that local civic action cannot address cancerous CEO pay. Only federal regulations can do that. One asks, "Where do the feds get ideas for regulations?" Last I heard, local, state and regional governments were the laboratories of democracy.

Today's CEO pay is ruinous. I've advised and worked across more than 50 industries over the past three decades. I have seen firsthand the negative consequences when top executives earn hundreds of times more than other employees. Outsized, even unethical, CEO pay fuels CEO obsessions with cost reduction, risk aversion and short-term financial results. Heck, I've seen CEOs watch the tickers for their company stock all day long. Instead of promoting a real economy beneficial to all, unethical pay practices spread outsourcing, offshoring, tax avoidance, downsizing and the substitution of good paying, permanent jobs with temporary, precarious and, in the new buzz word, 'gig' employment.

Douglas K. Smith, LaGrangeville, N.Y.

RIDICULOUS POPULISM: The so-called "Fat Tax" on CEO salaries is a ridiculous piece of populism that only demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of basic economics by the Portland City Council.

One foundation of taxation is that it be applied fairly, rather than in an arbitrary and capricious manner. Portland's CEO tax fails on this count and several others:

First, the job of a CEO is to manage an enterprise and steer corporate strategy. Salaries for rank-and-file workers can vary widely across industries. The CEO of a software company could be making twice the salary of CEOs of service, retail or manufacturing establishments employing a less-skilled workforce. Because the workers for the software company earn higher salaries, however, the software company would be exempt from the tax while the other companies would be subject to the penalty, despite their CEOs receiving lower pay.

Second, the tax applies only to domestic public companies. One of the strengths of America's economy is the ability of companies to raise funds in the public capital markets. This allows Americans from all walks of life to participate in the growth of our economy. While Portland's tax may not drive companies to go private en masse, it is one more burden that will contribute to companies considering going public, especially if this tax is replicated in other cities in which city councils have similarly populist instincts.

Third, the tax encourages outsourcing of low-skilled jobs thereby lowering the CEO vs. median pay differential. Companies will have an added incentive to hire a janitorial firm rather than directly employ maintenance staff, outsource their payroll and human resources management, etc.

Fourth, it discourages leading companies from opening or maintaining locations in Portland. Portland shouldn't discriminate against companies that bring jobs to our community.

I doubt the city of Portland wants to reduce its tax base and its competitiveness with other great American cities. But that would be the result.

Todd Hansen, Portland

EVER HEAR OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE? Raising taxes to the point of strangulation never seems to produce results that have longterm positive effects. Why must our leaders always want more to solve problems? Can't they review current resources to use them more effectively?

It is so easy to target small groups so the majority of taxpayers would not be affected. To do so to accomplish some social goals without considering the adverse impact on our ability to attract businesses that pay more of the tax burden smacks of self-serving bureaucratic suicide.

The root of social imbalances measured by payroll does not address the corrective needs we must face. How many times do we have to invite companies to leave Oregon and take their jobs and tax payments elsewhere?

Blaming select corporate executives for imbalances in pay, blaming landlords for high rents and the lack of housing stock, ignoring our high lead water supply while allocating resources to more bike lanes are issues that our leaders need to examine.

Howard Liebreich, Beaverton
1auditor.JPG

Portland City Auditor Mary Hull Caballero is proposing asking voters to approve charter changes that increase her office's independence.

(Andrew Theen/Staff)

Portland City Auditor Mary Hull Caballero hasn't given the mayor and city commissioners many reasons to love her office. Her auditors have called out the city council for doling out millions in grants without any competitive process. Her Independent Police Review division subpoenaed the mayor to question him about his former police chief's accidental shooting of a friend. And Hull Caballero rapped both the mayor and City Commissioner Steve Novick for violating city rules on reporting meetings with lobbyists.

But that's exactly what voters elected her to do: Watchdog city government for taxpayers. And it's why Hull Caballero is right to press for changing the current structure that puts her budget at the mercy of those she's charged with watchdogging.

http://media.oregonlive.com/opinion_impact/photo/agenda-2013jpg-da8a3522a991b9c6.jpg

Editorial Agenda 2016



Get Oregon centered

Better leadership in education

Make Portland a city that works

Build Oregon prosperity

Protect and expand personal freedom

Get pot right

_______________________________

As The Oregonian/OregonLive's Brad Schmidt reported, Hull Caballero has proposed revising the city's charter to increase her office's independence. Among the sought-after changes: add the Independent Police Review division and office of the ombudsman to the charter as auditor responsibilities, ensuring that only a vote of the people, rather than a council majority, could eliminate the divisions which investigate citizen complaints; vest her with the authority to hire staff and seek outside legal counsel rather than rely on the city's human resources and city attorney's office, both of which report to the mayor; and most critically, give the auditor more control over her budget.

The changes, Hull Caballero told The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board, are modeled after the structure of the Secretary of State's office and are meant to help protect the office from "political interference." Consider that the mayor and city commissioners adopt the budget. Technically, they're acting as policymakers in this instance. However, under Portland's weird commission form of government, all five also head up different city bureaus, setting up an inherent disadvantage for offices, such as the auditor's, that has no designated advocate on the council. As Hull Caballero noted, "a dollar for the auditor is one less for parks, police, etc."

It's not just a theoretical conflict. Earlier this year, Hull Caballero was the lone elected official whose office faced a possible 5 percent cut as Portland Mayor Charlie Hales sought to free up money for other purposes. The city's budget office combed through the list of reductions she reluctantly offered up, choosing which line items to recommend and which to reject. And while her office ultimately escaped with a 1 percent reduction, the process sent the message that the accountability functions of the auditor are secondary to the policy goals of the mayor and city commissioners.

Oregonian editorials

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are Laura Gunderson, John Maher, Helen Jung, Mark Katches and Len Reed.

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That's not acceptable. Portlanders are poorly served when the mayor and city council can compromise, even unintentionally, the auditor's ability to carry out her responsibilities with inadequate funding. The auditor should have considerably more say in the size and manner in which she can spend her budget and should be able to do her job without fear of retaliation by a commissioner peeved over a critical audit.

Increased autonomy, however, should not translate into a pass from accountability. While the auditor, and any elected official, ultimately answers to voters for the job he or she does, it's unrealistic to expect that voters, unaided, can provide the scrutiny needed to do so. To ensure that there's a watchdog for the watchdog, Hull Caballero is looking at multiple ways for her office to be evaluated by others, including the Secretary of State's office and an independent management firm. In addition, the office already undergoes a professional peer review every three years.

A work session is scheduled for January and Hull Caballero hopes to win city council approval to refer the changes in the city charter to voters in May. While there's plenty of work ahead to nail down the all-important details, city commissioners should signal their support for increasing the auditor's independence. Whether they recognize it or not, ensuring full credibility of the auditor's office only enhances their own.

- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board
1trump.JPG

President-elect Donald Trump waves to the crowd while attending the Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen game at M&T Bank Stadium on December 10, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland.

(Rob Carr/Getty Images)

By David Ignatius

WASHINGTON -- Intelligence officers like to distinguish between knowable secrets that spies can steal and fuzzier mysteries that have to be assessed without final, definitive proof. The intent of Russia's covert meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election is probably somewhere between the two.

But after conversations with a half-dozen knowledgeable sources, here are two simple judgments: Russia's secret hacking against Democratic Party officials threatened the integrity of the U.S. political system. And President-elect Donald Trump shouldn't have criticized the CIA after its analysts told Congress about the Kremlin's efforts. Trump, unbelievably, seemed to be taking a potential adversary's side against his own nation's intelligence professionals.

The Russian hacking scandal went into overdrive last weekend after CIA analysts warned Congress Thursday that the goal of Russian hackers hadn't simply been to destabilize our political system, as previously thought, but to boost Trump and undermine his opponent, Hillary Clinton. That stronger judgment, first reported by The Washington Post, is said to have been based on an evolving analysis, rather than a "smoking gun."

President Obama had been notified earlier, in his daily intelligence brief and other documents, of this tougher evaluation. Early last week, he ordered Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, a 50-year veteran of the spy business, to conduct an assessment of the evidence that could be completed by Jan. 20 and presented to Trump, as a set of "lessons learned" about foreign political meddling, including China's cyberattacks in the 2008 election as well as Russia's actions.

The evidence that led CIA analysts to conclude that Moscow's aim in 2016 was to help Trump -- rather than simply spread confusion -- was based on a variety of sources. One indication was that the Russians didn't disseminate information from their snooping into Republican files, as they had with the product of hacking against Democrats; the Russians also didn't disseminate material after Trump's victory. The CIA had other, more sensitive evidence that officials won't discuss.

An administration official wouldn't comment on whether Obama had shared with Trump the intelligence assessment and plan for wider review. But it's unlikely such an important decision wouldn't have been conveyed to his transition team, which makes Trump's Twitter blasts at the CIA last weekend all the more puzzling and disturbing.

Obama's somewhat cautious response to Russia's covert intervention angers some Democrats. Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview Tuesday that he had been urging the White House since August to identify Russian hackers, talk with allies about imposing sanctions and take clandestine steps to deter Russia from further meddling.

"Had the administration begun months ago, we would now be much further along," Schiff said. "Failure to push back against Russia was seen by them as an open door. ... There need to be costs or they will do it again."

Schiff said he had no doubt the Russians wanted to hurt Clinton and help Trump. In Russian eyes, he said, Clinton had sought to undermine President Vladimir Putin after the 2011 parliamentary elections and to foment "color revolutions" in areas of Russian influence. Trump, by contrast, had lauded Putin, suggested lifting sanctions, and belittled NATO.

Schiff said Obama had initially resisted calls to "name and shame" Russia for its hacking because the president feared it would "sow doubt about the elections" and "play into Russia's hands by acknowledging what they were doing." Obama eventually agreed to an Oct. 7 public statement that "Russia's senior-most officials" had authorized actions "intended to interfere with the U.S. election process."

According to Schiff, the administration didn't take further public steps after Oct. 7 because Obama feared it could "risk escalation, including dumping of forged documents," in ways that would have further destabilized the election.

There's no question the White House worried, right up to Election Day, that Russian hackers might ignite what was already a toxic, combustible political environment. Trump's bogus claims that the election was rigged and that he might not accept the outcome added to Obama's concerns.

Obama has another five weeks left to shape the transition and deter Russian actions. The administration doesn't rule out the possibility of taking covert action in retaliation, which officials privately said hadn't been done before the election. The rubric now is simply that the administration will respond at a time and place of its choosing.

Perhaps the trickiest task will fall to Rep. Mike Pompeo, Trump's nominee to head the CIA. He must reassure a battered agency workforce that the next administration values its own intelligence officers and is vigilant against machinations by foreign spies.

David Ignatius' email address is davidignatius@washpost.com.

(c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group
By Megan McArdle

As a journalist of my acquaintance joked on Twitter this week, I'm so old that I remember when it was dangerous and unpatriotic to question the validity of election results. Ah, yes. Those halcyon days, back when Hillary Clinton said that to not accept the results of an election was "a direct threat to our democracy." In the modern political era, that's a lifetime ago. Six weeks ago.

In the course of that lifetime, Clinton lost an election she had been widely expected to win. And then last weekend, The Washington Post broke the news that a secret CIA assessment had concluded that "Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency, rather than just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, according to officials briefed on the matter."

These conclusions seem to be somewhat contested within the intelligence community, but that didn't stop social media from lighting up with calls for the Electoral College to overturn the results of the election. Most of this was probably the sort of idle chatter that used to fill barrooms instead of newsfeeds after elections, but I saw some sober, serious people I respect arguing that this completely delegitimized Trump's presidency, and at least one person say Trump hadn't really won. Now John Podesta, former chairman of the Clinton campaign, has joined electors urging that the Electoral College be given an intelligence briefing before they vote.

Democrats were right the first time. It is dangerous and unpatriotic to suggest that you won't abide by the results of an election, either by lobbying to overturn the vote through some procedural trick, or by declaring that the victor has no real right to execute the functions of the office.

I'm no fan of Trump, so it's not self-interest when I say he should receive the Electoral College's support and become president.

And I'm troubled by the allegations that Russia is working to destabilize or sway U.S. elections, so it's not that I see these latest allegations as no big deal. They're a big deal. But they don't undermine the outcome of the election.

If it became known, for example, that Russia had tampered with the voting machines so as to make them record phantom votes for Trump, I would support throwing out the results and calling another election. If the intelligence community had hard evidence that the Trump campaign had conspired with Russia to hack the Democratic National Committee, then I would be the first to call for indictments of those involved -- or for impeachment and removal of the president-elect, if he knew.

But that's not what is being alleged, as far as I can tell. What is alleged is that Russia hacked the DNC and released information intended to make Clinton look bad. That's a criminal act, and we should prosecute anyone we can get onto U.S. soil. On the other hand, it's poor grounds for invalidating an election. "The American voter had too much information about the Democrats" is not a ringing slogan with which to argue that their party should really have won.

Short of invalidating the election outcome, what can be done? I share the horror at the thought of Russian meddling, and I too would like something to be done. But it's rarely constructive policy to set out to just do "something" in reaction to a horrifying event; you have to do a specific thing, ideally with good reasoning behind that specific thing. And you need to take care that that specific thing does not create problems even worse than the one it was meant to address.

For example, at a panel last week, I was asked what we should do about fake news. Much of the audience was unhappy with my answer: "Nothing." I'm not too happy with it either. But this sort of news is often hosted outside the U.S., and it propagates through multiple channels -- websites, e-mail, social media. Imagine the government apparatus you'd have to create, and the powers you'd have to give it, to prohibit people from sharing links to those websites with one another. Then imagine what could be done with those sorts of powers. By someone like Trump. Better to do nothing about the problem of fake news than to create an even worse problem.

So it is with this election result. There's good reason that we've never let faithless electors nullify an election. The democratic nation-state is not a natural institution. It takes a lot of work, and a fair amount of magical thinking, to get 300 million people to the point where (most of the time) they will abide by sweeping decisions made by far-away people they've never personally met.

That magical thinking is a mix of what Bloomberg View columnist Virginia Postrel would call "glamour" and what social psychologist Jonathan Haidt would call "sacred values," which "bind us and blind us." One of those sacred values is that once an election is over, it's over, and whoever won by the rules that were written at the time gets to hold office. Kennedy was really president no matter what happened with those Cook County votes, and Reagan was really president even if the ayatollah's foot-dragging the resolution of the Iran hostage crisis helped him win that office.

The value of this is rarely much appreciated by the losing side, but it is the same emotional logic that guides the legal doctrine of stare decisis, which is to say that stuff that already got decided stays decided, even if the decision wasn't necessarily very good. Sometimes we get stuck with some real stinkers of election results and judicial decisions. But the alternative is even worse: a nation in which no one can ever plan or move forward, because nothing is ever final.

While a mutable past may seem splendid at the moment when your opposition controls the immediate future based on that decision, wise citizens know that not long from now, there will come a moment when your party gets to run the future for a while -- and if you won't accept the results of the elections you lose, then your opponents won't either. When a country reaches this state, things get pretty bleak, pretty fast.

Our sacred norm has already been tested in recent years, from the left-wingers who called Bush the "President Select" to the conservatives who said that Obama was "not my president." But this is minor grumbling compared to what you'd see if the Electoral College went into a secret intelligence briefing and came out with a president other than the one who won the vote.

If the intelligence community has serious evidence that election machines were tampered with, or that the Trump campaign actively conspired with Russia to commit a felony, than that information should certainly be given to the Electoral College. But it should also be given to the rest of the American public, so that we can debate whether these circumstances rise to the extraordinary level required to invalidate an election, either through the Electoral College or through impeachment.

However, if all they have is information that was widely available to the American public before the election -- that someone, probably Russia, hacked the DNC and released stolen e-mails -- combined with the speculation that Russia really, really wanted Trump to be president, then the electors should stick with Trump. And Democrats should say "He is my president" -- even if they have to say it through gritted teeth.

American voters had their chance to disagree with Russia, and didn't take it. Maybe the deciding votes in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania were swayed by those DNC e-mails. Maybe not. Regardless, their vote is sacred. And if we don't keep it that way, then the gates of political hell yawn wide indeed.

McArdle is a Bloomberg View columnist.

For more columns from Bloomberg View, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/view.

(c) 2016, Bloomberg View
LAS VEGAS -- A judge has set a trio of trials for 17 men accused of conspiring together in an armed standoff against federal agents near Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy's property in April 2014.



U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen, in a ruling Monday, reversed the order proposed by federal prosecutors who wanted to try Bundy, sons Ammon and Ryan Bundy, and two other defendants first. Instead, they'll go second.



The judge set trial to begin Feb. 6 in Las Vegas for six defendants the government has characterized as "followers and gunmen" and least responsible for planning the tense showdown that blocked a federal Bureau of Land Management round-up of Bundy cattle from public land.



"It made no sense to keep the least culpable in custody the longest," Todd Leventhal, attorney for Orville Scott Drexler, said Tuesday. Drexler is in the Feb. 6 group, with co-defendants Gregory Burleson, Todd Engel, Ricky Lovelien, Eric Parker and Steven Stewart.



Leventhal said he thought the judge may have been swayed by a request from Cliven Bundy, through his attorney Bret Whipple, to let other defendants stand trial first.



"My client was concerned that all those people who were being tried with him were being taken away from their families," Whipple said Tuesday.



Jury summonses have gone out saying trial could take up to five months. Meanwhile, the defendants remain in federal custody in southern Nevada.



Thirty days after the first trial ends, proceedings will begin for Cliven, Ammon and Ryan Bundy, and co-defendants Peter Santilli and Ryan Payne, Leen said.



Federal prosecutors allege the Bundy family patriarch, now 70, and his two sons led the conspiracy, obstruction, weapon, threat and assault offenses against federal officers.



Santilli's lawyer, Chris Rasmussen, said his client wanted to be tried first and will challenge Leen's order.



The judge said trial for six alleged "mid-level" standoff leaders and organizers will start 30 days after the second trial ends. They are Bundy sons Dave and Mel Bundy, and co-defendants Brian Cavalier, Micah McGuire, Joseph O'Shaughnessy and Jason Woods.



Bundy and family members maintain that the federal government has no authority in the public land near the Bunkerville-area ranch where he grazes cattle.



The dispute has roots in a nearly half-century fight over grazing policies in Nevada and the West, where the U.S. government controls vast expanses of property.



No one was hurt, and no shots were fired in the standoff about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas.



But images of Bundy backers with assault rifles forcing federal agents to retreat have become iconic in the battle over states' rights and federal authority.



The dispute has gained momentum with bloggers protesting federal agency decisions to designate protected areas for endangered species and set aside tracts for mining, wind farms and natural gas exploration.



Nineteen defendants were originally charged in the Bunkerville case. Two have pleaded guilty to conspiracy and other charges, while maintaining they weren't physically present for the standoff. Their plea deals call for sentences of six years in federal prison.



Ammon and Ryan Bundy were among seven defendants acquitted by a U.S. District Court jury in Portland of conspiracy and other charges stemming from a 41-day occupation earlier this year of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

-- The Associated Press
Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse

The Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse stands 16 stories next to the Justice Center in downtown Portland.

(Dave Killen/Staff)

A Bend businessman pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to declaring fake charitable donations of $3.2 million in stock to his alma maters: The University of Oregon and Stanford University.

Stephen M. Munson, who sold controlling interest in Vulcan Power Co. for nearly $15 million in 2008, changed his plea Monday. He's set to be sentenced in June, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release.

Munson, a 72-year-old former Army captain, received a refund of more than $407,000 after he fraudulently claimed a $3.2 million credit for the charitable donations, according to his indictment.

He acknowledged as part of a plea agreement that the Internal Revenue Service lost more than $2.4 million because of the false 2008 tax return. He also agreed losses for an additional bankruptcy fraud charge against him are about $7.5 million.

He also agreed to pay restitution for all losses caused by his alleged fraud. The plea agreement says prosecutors will dismiss additional bankruptcy fraud charges against Munson.

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive
Antonio Zambrano-Montes

FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2015, file photo, a photo of Antonio Zambrano-Montes is displayed at a memorial in Pasco, Wash., at the site where Zambrano-Montes, an unarmed man who was running away from police, fell after being fatally shot by police. A coroner's inquest to shed more light into the police killing of Zambrano-Montes shot numerous times last year by three officers in Pasco has been scheduled to start on Monday, Dec. 12, 2016.

(AP file photo)

PASCO, Wash. -- One of three Pasco police officers who fired at a Mexican farmworker when he wouldn't stop throwing large rocks said he was not shooting to kill the man.

"The purpose was to stop the imminent threat," Ryan Flanagan said at a coroner's inquest on Tuesday.

In a videotaped deposition, Flanagan said he was concerned for his own safety and that of his fellow officers, along with bystanders on that early evening in February 2015.

Flanagan, who has since left the police force, was not subpoenaed to testify in the coroner's inquest into the death of Antonio Zambrano-Montes, 35, called by Franklin County Coroner Dan Blasdel. The inquest is underway at Columbia Basin College in Pasco.

The inquest is a fact-finding hearing in which jurors ultimately will be asked to determine what caused Zambrano-Montes' death and whether the officers used deadly force.

Excerpts of a deposition Flanagan gave almost eight weeks ago in a civil case were played for jurors on Tuesday.

Zambrano-Montes was high on methamphetamine and throwing rocks at passing motorists before he was shot.

The shooting was captured on video and sparked weeks of peaceful protests in Pasco.

Local, state and federal prosecutors have declined to bring charges against the three officers.

The jury verdict will have no effect on whether criminal charges are filed.

Officers Adam Wright and Adrian Alaniz, who remain on the force, were sent subpoenas and were expected to testify.

Their attorneys, Gregory Scott of Yakima and John Jensen of Kennewick, told Blasdel the officers will invoke their Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate themselves before the jury.

Flanagan, in his deposition, said he recalled Alaniz being hit by a rock three times.

Flanagan fired three of the first five shots at Zambrano-Montes. Wright shot twice.

Flanagan denied that Zambrano-Montes was running away from them at the time of the first volley, saying he could see the man's chest when he took aim.

"There was no other alternative," Flanagan said.

The officers then gave Zambrano-Montes the chance to disengage so the encounter could end peacefully, but Flanagan said the suspect chose to keep throwing rocks or chunks of concrete.

When he shot six more times at Zambrano-Montes in the second volley, Flanagan said he felt it was necessary because he was in immediate fear for his own life or the life and safety of the other two officers.

The officers fired a total of 17 times at Zambrano-Montes, striking him five or six times, according to an autopsy.

-- The Associated Press
The Oregon Legislature's Emergency Board on Wednesday turned down a request for funding that would go toward opening a second women's prison in the state next year.

The committee accepted the recommendation of a subcommittee, which rejected the request but pledged to revisit the issue early next year.

Oregon Corrections Director Colette Peters sought $3.8 million to get a former prison in Salem ready to accept inmates.

Peters told the subcommittee that Coffee Creek Correctional Institution in Wilsonville has exceeded its 1,280-inmate capacity every day since May 18 and that the funding would allow the agency to move toward opening the second prison in June.

-- The Oregonian
Electoral College

Presidential electors take the oath of office before casting ballots for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the Oregon state Capitol in Salem, Ore., on Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. Members of the Electoral College cast the final, official votes in an exhausting presidential election. (AP Photo/Jonathan J. Cooper)

(Jonathan J. Cooper)

This Monday, 538 electoral college members from around the country will cast their votes for the president of the United States.

Seven of those electors will be in Oregon - specifically, in the chambers of the State Senate.

At 11 a.m., they'll be sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court and formally sign their votes for president and vice president.

"I was struck four years ago by how little pomp and circumstance was involved," said Sam Sappington, a psychologist from Albany who cast a 2012 electoral vote for Barack Obama.

The Senate chambers were empty during the signing ceremony, he said, except for a handful of high school students who'd been bussed in from Eugene to watch. Most election years, no one pays attention to the electoral college formality.

"This year it's highly unusually in that we're getting lots of emails and phone calls and seeing lots of things on the Internet," said Sappington, who is again an Oregon elector. "There was no controversy four years ago... but there's so much more at stake this time around."

A quick civics class refresher: Technically, Oregon voters on Nov. 8 didn't vote for Hillary Clinton. They voted for a slate of electors pledged to vote for Clinton on Dec. 19.

Each state gets one elector for each of its U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators. This year - because Clinton won the state - Oregon's seven electors are the chair and vice chair of the Oregon Democratic Party, along with the chairs of the party's five Congressional District Committees from around the state.

The 2016 national electoral college is made up of 306 Republican and 232 Democratic electors. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to assume the presidency.

Electors nearly always vote for their pledged candidate, but there are a couple of theories on how this year's college could create a presidential upset.

Tim Rowan, a retired IT manager from Portland, has "gotten quite a bit of email" as a first-time elector this year. One man sent him a 159-page document trying to convince him to vote for Bernie Sanders, an effort Rowan said "takes a lot of dedication and some political naivety."

One slightly more practical idea is getting enough Trump-pledged electors to abandon ship and join Clinton-pledged electors in favor of a more moderate Republican candidate. So far, no candidate has stepped up and requested the honor.

"A moderate Republican makes sense only if you could find one," Rowan said.

Another option is to get 37 Republican electors to abstain or change their vote so Trump can't reach 270 votes. In that case, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives picks the president.

"There aren't really any good options," Rowan said.

He added, "I'm so against Trump that if there was an alternative, I would have to consider it."

Sappington admits each scenario is a long shot, but said "We are all very, very, very concerned about Donald Trump becoming our next president ... and would be interested in any steps that could possibly be taken to block that."

All this is murky legal territory. Some states, including Oregon, require electors to sign a notarized pledge vowing to vote for their party's candidate. Oregon Secretary of State spokesperson Molly Woon said in email "it's unclear what, if any, action could be taken against an elector who does not vote for their party's candidate."

Elector Austin Folnagy, an employment specialist from Klamath Falls, thinks the electoral college is unlikely to change the outcome from November, and he's unlikely to change his vote from Clinton.

Would he consider it?

"I want to represent the values of our state and the values that Oregonians voted for, and if that aligned with the values of what Oregonians want, yes," Folnagy said. "Am I seeing any movement that represents that? Not currently."

Laura Gillpatrick is another first-time elector from Eugene.

"If Hillary said go vote for 'X,' yes," she would change her vote. But otherwise, she's planning to choose Clinton next week.

"Faithless" electors, as they're called when they don't vote for their pledged candidate, have never come close to changing the outcome of an election.

The last time electors defected en masse from their pledged candidate was in 1872, and that was only because Democratic presidential candidate Horace Greeley - who'd already lost the election - died before the electoral vote. All but three of his 66 Democratic electors opted for one of several living Democrats.

The odds are slim for a "faithless" revolt, but Folnagy said his faith in his country remains strong.

"We are part of this grand experiment that is America," Folnagy said. "Is our nation imperfect? Yes. Can we make this country great? Yes, but it's us that can do it. It's not one man or one woman. It's us."

For those who are discouraged, fearful or angry with the election outcome, now is the time to get engaged. The direction of the country likely won't be altered by an electoral college Hail Mary. It will only be changed by those who become civically informed and politically involved.

"Leaders are built and made in time periods like this," Folnagy said. "You can either step up to the plate or you can step back."

This is the time to step up.

-- Samantha Swindler

@editorswindler / 503-294-4031

sswindler@oregonian.com
carry chains.jpg

With snow in the forecast Wednesday, make sure you have the right equipment to help you get where you need to go. Or, stay home. Both are good.

(PBOT)

Several spin out crashes, caused by icy roads, had ODOT crews busy prior to 6 a.m. Wednesday morning. A crash on the North Marine Drive on ramp to I-5 had a car stuck in the wrong direction. Another crash on I-205 in the Gateway area was also caused by ice.

And it will only get trickier when snow moves in later this morning. Forecasters believe Portland will start to see snow showers around 11 a.m. Be ready for a nasty afternoon commute as snow is expected to last throughout the day.

NORTHEAST PORTLAND 7:58 a.m.; Crash at Northeast 33rd Avenue and Tillamook Street.

***

SOUTHEAST PORTLAND 7:52 a.m.; Power lines down More Northeast 58th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard.

***

SOUTHWEST PORTLAND 7:24 a.m.; ODOT reports signals out on Southwest Barbur Boulevard and Capitol Highway due to a fallen tree and power lines on Southwest Taylors Ferry Road. That will certainly cause a mess at an already busy intersection.



UPDATE 7:27 a.m.; Portland Police now report lines down on Southwest Taylors Ferry Road at 48th Avenue. Taylors Ferry CLOSED at 52nd Avenue eastbound.

Update 8:27 a.m.; TriMet lines #12, #94 and #44 likely to be very delayed due to this backup on Southwest Barbur Boulevard (northbound) and Capitol Highway.

***

BEAVERTON 7:12 a.m.; Crash Highway 217 northbound north of Greenburg Road. Left lane blocked.

Update 8:07 a.m.; Cleared.



***

WOOD VILLAGE 6:48 a.m.; Emergency crews headed to help a vehicle that left the road on Northeast 238th Avenue on the hill between Glisan and Halsey street. Ice on the road.



Update 8:23 a.m.; De-icer applied. Road is now open.

***

PBOT reports Northwest Cornell Road is expected to remain closed through the upcoming storm and freezing conditions, possibly remaining closed potentially through the weekend. Crews have much work to do to shore up the slide area, replace power lines and other damaged lighting and street lights. Please avoid the area.

Also, when the snow does arrive, remember that many hilly roads get very slick and unpassable for vehicles without proper traction devices. If you need to drive in slick conditions, make sure you have winter tires or chains. In some areas, it's required.

Check back throughout the morning for the latest commuting updates and follow us on Twitter: @trafficportland
PSU Alert: PSU will be closed Thursday, December 15 due to weather and road conditions. Check https://t.co/PdL8P2HtYR for updates.  Portland State (@Portland_State) December 15, 2016

Portland has a 24-hr light rail system for 1 night only. MAX is running overnight to prevent ice buildup, will also give rides. #pdxtraffic  Elliot Njus  (@enjus) December 15, 2016

ALERT: If your car is legally parked in a city meter district you can leave it there without penalty until noon tomorrow #pdxtraffic #pdxtst  Portland Bureau of Transportation (@PBOTinfo) December 15, 2016

9:07 p.m: Portland-area snowfall causes traffic gridlock, crashes, bus problems

8:40 p.m.: More school closures -- Corbett, David Douglas, Gresham-Barlow, Riverdale, Banks, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Sherwood, Tigard-Tualatin, Colton, Mount Hood Community College, Multnomah ESD.

8:35 p.m.: Just in: Portland Public Schools are closed Thursday.

8:30 p.m.: Check out a video of a school bus sliding down Southwest 26th Avenue near Capitol Highway in Portland. Be warned: Some graphic language at the end.

Kathryn King said she was standing outside in the snow at her apartment complex around when she decided to take out her cellphone and start recording video about 5:10 p.m.

December 2016 snow storm I hope these kids are okay. This happened at sw26th and capital hwy. (For licensing or usage, contact licensing@viralhog.com)KOIN 6 KGW-TV KATU News FOX 12 Oregon Today Show Posted by Kathryn King on Wednesday, December 14, 2016

8:25 p.m. Some snow totals reported around the metro area:

3 inches: Oregon City, Canby, Molalla, Clackamas

2 inches: Gresham, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Forest Grove

1 inch: Downtown Portland and Vancouver

8:15 p.m.: Commuters are reporting hours stuck on snowy roads around the metro area.

Hour 7 on Portland's Hwy 26: kind stranger passing out trail mix and chocolate milk to cars. #pdxtraffic pic.twitter.com/xgUOz3hPSM  Jeff Smith (@JeffSmithSD) December 15, 2016

8 p.m.: Traffic alert issued for Northeast 238th Drive in Wood Village -- closed on the hill between Northeast Arata Road and Northeast Glisan Street for snow and slickness. Cars are losing traction. Alternate routes open include Northeast 223rd Avenue and Northeast 257th Drive.

7:50 p.m.: Closures list for Thursday now includes all campuses of Clackamas Community College; Marylhurst University; the Reynolds School District; Molalla River School District and Oregon Trail School District.

Click the link below for a full list of school closures and delays.

7:45 p.m.: Some more school closures for Thursday -- North Clackamas and West Linn-Wilsonville school districts.

7:42 p.m.: Slow-going and treacherous driving around the region. Here's Interstate 5 at Nyberg.

A look at traffic backed up on Interstate 5 at Nyberg on Wednesday night, Dec. 14, 2016.

7:30 p.m.: For all of you who left your cars in downtown Portland or other meter districts, the city has declared parking meter amnesty as long as you're legally parked. No penalty until noon Thursday.

It's designed to encourage people to "take alternate means of transportation out of the central city," the Portland Bureau of Transportation said in a statement.

7:15 p.m.: Add the Vancouver, Lake Oswego and Gladstone school districts to the closure list for Thursday.

7 p.m.: West Burnside was a virtual parking lot, stretching from downtown well past Northwest 23rd Avenue. On Twitter, some drivers complained they'd been stuck in traffic for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Some drivers, attempting to find an alternate route to Burnside, ventured up Southwest Vista Avenue, where traction was nearly impossible.

Behold the parking lot that is W. Burnside from downtown to well past 23rd. #pdxtst #pdxtraffic #pdxsnow pic.twitter.com/jppHsa3cTJ  Grant Butler (@GrantButler) December 15, 2016

7 p.m.: Hundreds of middle school children were still waiting for a bus in Beaverton as snow paralyzed city traffic and parents struggled to get home from work.

6:45 p.m.: The Oregon City School District has announced its schools will be closed Thursday.

6:04 p.m.: TriMet puts out a statement about transit delays across the area:

All bus lines are experiencing major delays due to traffic congestion and road conditions. Buses are on snow routes, which includes some lines being cancelled. Riders can check trimet.org/alerts to see if their line has a snow route. Also, MAX lines are experiencing some delays due to tracks being blocked by traffic congestion. LIFT is running life-sustaining trips only. Riders should remember to dress warmly, plan extra time and check trimet.org/alerts before heading out. Riders can get more tips for riding in winter weather at trimet.org/winterweather

5:36 p.m.: A school bus carrying Scouters Mountain Elementary students spun out amid snowy conditions on Southeast 152nd Drive near Misty Drive in Happy Valley.

Principal Kevin Spooner said all of the children are safe and many have been picked up from the bus. A small group is still inside, waiting for a ride home. Spooner said officials are calling families, arranging for them to be taken home.

"We are in contact with the bus driver," he said.

5:14 p.m.: The University of Portland will close at 7 p.m.

4:56 p.m.: The Portland Aerial Tram will run until midnight Wednesday, according to the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

4:45 p.m.: Uber and Lyft prices from downtown Portland to Portland International Airport are $127.66 and $104.20, respectively.

4:40 p.m.: All TriMet buses are traveling on snow routes. Five bus lines are canceled. MAX Blue, Red, Orange and Yellow lines are delayed because of switch problems.

4:36 p.m.: The Christmas Ships parades on the Columbia and Willamette rivers are canceled for the night.

4:25 p.m.: ZooLights is canceled for the night because of icy conditions.

4:20 p.m.: Here is a glimpse of the afternoon commute from downtown Portland heading east across the Ross Island Bridge.

4:15 p.m.: Road conditions have prompted TriMet to cancel four bus routes and stop serving some other areas. C-TRAN said express route travelers should expect major delays to and from downtown Portland.

3:37 p.m.: Northwest Germantown Road has closed between Skyline Boulevard and Kaiser Road because of a crash.

3:03 p.m.: The Oregon State Police reports a second avalanche near HooDoo Ski Area. No one was injured, and workers are trying to get traffic flowing again.

2:42 p.m.: The Oregon State Police reports U.S. 20 is closed near HooDoo Ski Area because of an avalanche. Troopers don't know of any injuries, said Lt. Cari Boyd, a state police spokeswoman.

She said the avalanche was about 100 to 150 yards long. It happened around 2:17 p.m.

2:36 p.m.: The Steel Bridge pedestrian and bike gates will close around 3 p.m., the Portland Bureau of Transportation tweeted.

2:30 p.m.: All Portland Community College campuses and centers will close at 4 p.m., meaning all classes, events and exams after that time are canceled.

2:30 p.m.: TriMet said bus riders should expect delays because many buses will be using cable chains during the commute. Chained buses can't go over 25 mph. Buses with drop-down chains will use them when necessary, the agency said.

MAX trains could be delayed if conditions get worse and freezing rain falls, according to TriMet. Riders can check for delays online.

2:16 p.m.: The Hood River Sheriff's Office said it has received reports of at least five crashes on Interstate 84 between Hood River and The Dalles. The agency urged people to stay off the roads if possible.

1:45 p.m.: Portland Public Schools announced, "afternoon activities will continue as scheduled and child care will remain open. All athletic games and practices have been cancelled, as well as Portland Evening Scholars." Buildings will close by 6 p.m. Decisions for classes on Thursday will be made by 6 a.m.

1:27 p.m.: Snow flurries are appearing in downtown Portland.

12:50 p.m.: The National Weather Service has increased snow fall estimates in the metro area from 2 to 5 inches with higher accumulations in southern areas. The winter storm warning remains in effect until midnight. Elsewhere to the south, the winter storm warning has been extended to between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., depending on the area. Click here for more specific information.

Enh Infrared Satellite - GOES West 12 hr Loop

12:16 p.m.: The first reports of snow are coming in from the southern parts of the Portland area, including Happy Valley and Wilsonville. Salem has been getting snow, as well.

Update 10:22 a.m. The National Weather Service has pushed back arrival times for snowfall from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. for the Portland area, Hood River and Kelso, according to its Twitter feed.

***

The second snow fall of December is anticipated to roll into the Portland area late afternoon Wednesday, but unlike the first, ice and sleet aren't forecast to make life miserable.

The National Weather Service predicts between 1 and 4 inches of snow could fall beginning early Wednesday afternoon. Cold air coming from east of the Cascades is set to collide with a system of moisture traveling north from southern Oregon, Matthew Cullen, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said Tuesday.

Snow will take longer to melt, too, said weather service meteorologist Miles Higa. Forecasters predict daytime highs will stay near freezing through Saturday.

Getting to school or work should be business as usual, but conditions on the way home could be dicey.

Portland Public Schools will be open with normal release times. If conditions worsen, district officials said they will notify parents about after-school and evening activities. The Reynolds School District plans to end at normal times, but officials have cancelled after-school activities.

A half-dozen private schools in the Portland area will dismiss early. The Corbett School District, in the Columbia River Gorge, has canceled classes for Wednesday.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation advised people to be prepared for potentially treacherous afternoon commute conditions, and TriMet said riders should expect delays "if conditions worsen." The metro area will be under a wind advisory from midnight Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday and a winter weather advisory from 11 a.m. to midnight.

Meanwhile, the weather service has issued winter storm warnings for the north Oregon Cascades and foothills, Cascades in Lane County, the Upper Hood River Valley and the central and western Columbia River Gorge. It has also issued winter weather advisories affecting Eugene, Salem and Vancouver, among other areas.

Live at the National Weather Service Portland We're live at the National Weather Service Portland office with meteorologist Matthew Cullen getting the latest on the weather. #pdxtst US National Weather Service Portland Oregon Posted by The Oregonian on Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Higa said the western Columbia River Gorge -- from Portland to Cascade Locks -- could see 3 to 6 inches of snow. The Hood River area could see 4 to 7.

Areas in the southern Willamette Valley could see ice, however. Forecasters say up to 4 inches of snow, mixed with sleet and freezing rain, are possible near the cities of Eugene, Springfield, Corvallis, Albany and Lebanon. Up to a quarter-inch of ice could accumulate in those areas. The average will be around one-tenth of an inch, Higa said.

In the Salem area, people could see snow a little after sunrise Wednesday with 2 to 4 inches possible, and more in areas east of the city.

The Oregon Department of Transportation said snow and freezing temperatures could result in hazardous conditions for highway travelers in the Portland area and gorge.

"Remember, in severe winter conditions, the safest move is to stay off the road," the agency said in a news release.

Visit OregonLive.com/weather for an hourly weather breakdown and the five-day forecast.

This story will be updated as developments warrant. And this is a good opportunity to haul back out some tips on managing through the cold:

Plus a video by The Oregonian/OregonLive's video editor Dave Killen:

Updated timing for Wednesday start of precipitation & snow/ice amounts. Get the latest forecast for your location: https://t.co/3SFImIwQhQ. pic.twitter.com/ZipNzKYmm4  NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) December 14, 2016

10:25 AM - Precipitation becoming heavier and spreading northward between Eugene & Salem. pic.twitter.com/n2lOllQJG5  NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) December 14, 2016

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive
Thursday 15 December 2016 10:52am



The University's relationship with Otago Museum (pictured) stretches back nearly 150 years.

A redeveloped memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the University of Otago and Otago Museum is set to further invigorate already strong ties between the two institutions, stretching back nearly 150 years.



Museum Director Dr Ian Griffin and University Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne say the purpose of the new five-year MoU, which has just been signed, is to contribute to the research, teaching and community services of both institutions through collaborative activity.



From the University's perspective this is recognition of the knowledge, expertise and resources the Otago Museum offers, says Professor Hayne.



We have often tapped into that in the past and this memorandum of understanding is a way of updating and formalising an already close relationship.



The MoU outlines our desire to invite Otago Museum staff to deliver lectures, supervise postgraduate students or undertake collaborative research with University of Otago staff. It also opens the way to granting museum staff honorary academic titles.



Dr Griffin says he is delighted and honoured to have signed the MOU on behalf of the Otago Museum.



The University of Otago has a storied history of world-class research and teaching innovation, and to this day its researchers are pushing back the frontiers of knowledge in many areas of academia. Having direct access to some of the great minds of this generation enables the Museum team to develop exhibitions and programmes that seek to inspire the next generation of creative Kiwis.



Over the past three years the Museum has greatly valued our partnership with the University, which has given rise to some extraordinary and high impact collaborative projects, including the National programme of Education and Outreach for the Dodd Walls Centre for Research Excellence and 'Lab in a Box', led by the University of Otago, which takes the Universitys research to communities across the South Island," he says.



As both institutions approach their 150th birthdays its appropriate that we re-state and renew our partnership. While Im delighted at the achievements our partnership has made over the past three years, I cant wait to see what happens in the next few years.



Under the MoU both the Museum and University are also looking to identify further areas of potential collaboration, including the development and delivery of joint teaching and research programmes.



The memorandum also covers aspects such as ensuring fair charges are set to allow the cost recovery of the use of each others facilities and also areas such as joint ownership of intellectual property.

For more information, contact:

Simon Ancell

Communications Office

University of Otago

Tel: 03 479 5016

Email: simon.ancell@otago.ac.nz

Victoria Bithell

Marketing Assistant

Otago Museum

Tel: 03 474 7474

Email: victoria.bithell@otagomuseum.nz
A Lebanon family tradition: Christmas tree farm one of the last of its kind
'We're not just going to give up on him'
Two news Mexican wolves have moved into an exhibit at The Saginaw Childrens Zoo at Celebration Square.

One-and-a-half-year-old sisters Izzy and Rachel made their way to Saginaw from the Endangered Wolf Center in Missouri. Rachel is a little bit smaller than her sister, Izzy, and lighter in color. They are both a little shy, spending much of their time hiding behind the trees of their exhibit. However, with each passing day, they seem to be getting more and more comfortable in their new home.
A screenshot of DJ Mag's homepage, Dec 13, 2016. Starting in the New Year, the five-year licence deal worth around 1 million pounds will allow East21 Music Group the full Chinese rights to the DJ Magazine brand. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

China is grabbing a slice of the DJ and club scene after one of the biggest Chinese music and club operators sealed a deal with UK's DJ Magazine.

Starting in the New Year, the five-year licence deal worth around 1 million pounds will allow East21 Music Group the full Chinese rights to the DJ Magazine brand and the annual polls for Top 100 DJs and Top 100 Clubs worldwide.

DJ Mag already has 16 other international editions.

Martin Carvell, managing director of the 25-year-old magazine, told China Daily:"Over the next 5 years, we will see Chinese DJs with new sounds breaking into the UK, European and western scenes. With the magazine published in both countries we will be perfectly placed to help nurture and promote this."

He added:"We are looking to grow the DJ Mag brand, and UK and European DJs and brands within China, through events and with the publications in print and online."

Baroness Nosheena Mobarik, a ConservativeBritish peer who promotes the creative industries overseas, described the deal as"an example of the flourishing commercial relationship between the UK and China in the creative sector".

East21 was established in 2005 and the head office is in Shanghai with branches in Beijing and Shenzen.

Carvell said:"China is an ever growing and ever more important market for DJ Magazine. With both the Top 100 DJs and the Top 100 Clubs polls being so highly regarded we have been working to give China a voice in shaping both lists through encouraging Chinese fans to vote."

The magazine's annual poll to identify the most popular DJs attracted more than a million voters this year. It claims credit for having fostered the careers of some of the biggest names in global dance music.

He noted that voting in China has expanded with apps such as Weibo and WeChat.

Carvell hopes the two sides will also run a series of DJ Mag and Top 100 DJs events throughout China to introduce new DJs and genres.

Baroness Nosheena Mobarik, a ConservativeBritish peer who promotes the creative industries overseas, described the deal as"an example of the flourishing commercial relationship between the UK and China in the creative sector".
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With all the attention focused on leaving Earth for Mars and deep space, it can be easy to forget where we came from. Fortunately, a new book is here to remind us and features 200 full-color photographs of our planet, painstakingly stitched together using satellite images.

Benjamin Grant is the author of "Overview," a photo-book whose title is named after a psychological phenomenon astronauts experience called the "overview effect."

The effect is a shift in a person's life outlook after seeing Earth from incredible vantage points.

READ MORE: 59 years ago: The Soviet Union launched the first object into space, started the Space Race

The most famous example of the effect is "Earthrise," a photo taken by the Apollo 8 astronauts while orbiting the moon.

"That one picture exploded in the consciousness of humans," Al Gore told The Guardian in 2008. "It led to dramatic changes. Within 18 months of this picture the environment movement had begun."

In the same article, Apollo 8 crew member Bill Anders explained that while they had trained to explore the moon, "what we really discovered was the planet Earth."

READ MORE: NASA reveals photos of Hurricane Matthew's damage to Kennedy Space Center

This is the feeling and sensation that Grant tries to convey in his new book.

"When we are removed from our usual line of sight on the Earth's surface, we can see things differently," Grant writes in the book's introduction. "We can better understand the intricacy of the things we have constructed, the sheer complexity of the systems we have developed, and the impact that we have had on the planet. We can see our world more completely. If we embrace and learn from this new perspective, I am optimistic that we will create a smarter and safer future for our one and only home."

Click through the gallery above to view pictures from "Overview."
An organizations goal to find a better home for Midland Countys rural homeless population is moving forward.

New Hope Village is in the process of purchasing the former Hillside Elementary School building from Meridian Public Schools. Plans are to leave the outside as is, and remodel the interior into lodging units, a laundry area, conference room, dining room and kitchen.

The organization is in the process of securing a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which it should close on before Christmas. When the loan is secured, plans are to finalize the purchase agreement for Hillside with Meridian Public Schools.

This is a great repurposing for this building. The new facility will allow the organization to support 22 families  up from seven at the Community of Christ Campground in Sanford.

There will be 18 long-term, transitional units as well as four units for those in emergency situations. Plus, New Hopes goal is to help people find permanent housing and a better life.

We are encouraging people to stay one year or two years, depending on what program they are on, or what education they want, said John Congleton, executive director. Our goal when they leave here is for them to be able to earn a living wage, not $8.15 per hour, but $20-plus. Were trying to solve the problem.

We support New Hopes mission and like what we see so far.

New Hope Village is in need of volunteers and donations. Anyone interested in donating their time, talents or financial means may visit the organizations website at www.newhopemidland.org or call (989) 615-7066.

It is truly a worthy cause.
NORMAL  The conference room for the marketing department at Illinois State University's College of Business was filled with a variety of cookies, fudge and Rice Krispie treats. They all had one common ingredient.

They're all filled with love, said Jan Staley, an office support specialist who this time of year is known simply as The Cookie Lady.

It all started 25 Christmases ago. Staley, a single mom, wanted a way to say thanks to everyone who had helped her when her daughter, Jordan, was born.

I couldn't do a lot on a secretary's salary, but I knew I could bake, Staley said as she set out the day's goodies in the decorated room last week.

We look forward to this every year, said Chiharu Ishida-Lambert, professor of marketing. It's a tradition.

The tradition has grown from cookie day to cookie week and from a department celebration to one that includes the entire College of Business.

Emails are sent and a menu is posted on the room's two doors listing what will be available each day, Monday through Wednesday. Thursday is leftover day with trays of cookies also placed in the downstairs atrium for students, with a sign that says, Free cookies.

You'll be amazed by how quickly they disappear, said Staley.

Horace Melton, interim chairman of the department, said, It's a great way to end the semester.

Cookie week takes place the final week of classes.

This is a busy week for us, said Ishida-Lambert. Sometimes, this is my lunch.

Melton said Staley does a lot to bring a lot of cheer to the holiday season.

Staley hadn't even finished putting out all the cookies when people started coming in for tastes.

Edgar Norton, professor of finance, insurance and law, quipped, The vultures are here, when he entered.

Staley, a Pontiac resident, started working at ISU nearly 30 years ago, and Norton said, She can't retire because who's going to take it (cookie week) over? She's got a job for life.

The cookie-making part of her job takes place during her Thanksgiving vacation, weekends and evenings.

Staley estimates that she baked for six or seven hours a day over a span of 12 days.

The last couple of days have been very busy, she said, but added, This truly is a labor of love.

About five years ago, she started keeping track of how many cookies she bakes, although her total doesn't include the numerous pieces of fudge and confectionery bark. The 2015 cookie total was 1,770.

Staley said she has the numbers written down for each variety of cookies she baked this year, but hasn't added them up yet. She probably wouldn't tell a nosy reporter anyway  at an upcoming faculty meeting, a prize will go to the person who makes the closest guess.

I won it last year, said Melton, who professed having no insider information.

Staley bakes them all, except for some caramel candies and peanut brittle made by former department Chairman Tim Longfellow and the red-and-green Rice Krispie treats.

Each year, she experiments with new recipes in addition to old favorites.

Maple walnut fudge is a new one this year, she said. Orange blossoms, Italian Christmas cookies and an Oreo cookie within a cookie also were new. Another, called sweet and salty, was made with refrigerated sugar cookie dough and crushed pretzels, she explained.

The cost of the project is more than $400, but Staley said she receives some financial donations to help cover the cost.
PEORIA  A 2011 inventory of 50,000 pieces of evidence held at the Bloomington Police Department turned up discrepancies as to the location of many items, according to testimony Tuesday in a federal lawsuit against the city and two of its officers.

Former evidence room supervisor Amy Ward claims in her lawsuit that she was illegally fired in 2011 after she made serious complaints about how evidence was stored.

Ward is seeking about $53,000 in back pay and benefits in the civil lawsuit that names the city and police Lts. Tim Stanesa and Bob Wall as defendants.

Stanesa, who supervised Ward and documented several disciplinary reports against her, testified that he initially believed the audit was ordered by then-Police Chief Randy McKinley because more than 13 years had passed since the last inventory.

"As time went by, I think it became apparent to everyone why we were doing it," said Stanesa, referring to Ward's concerns.

The lieutenant acknowledged that the chain of custody  the ability to document who handled evidence  is crucial to the prosecution of a criminal case.

"When a case falls apart, it seems to be the weak link," Stanesa said of the evidence chain.

Stanesa said a team of officers picked up each item during the audit and checked its location against the county's computerized case management report.

"We found a lot" that was misfiled, said Stanesa.

During her testimony Monday, Ward said the audit represented another error on the part of the department to manage evidence. Initial audit results that showed about 100 items missing were later revised after Ward located the evidence or explained why it was no longer at the department.

The ongoing friction between Ward and several of the department's administrative officers led to a series of sanctions for failure to obey orders and conduct unbecoming an officer. All the sanctions related to concerns she voiced over how evidence was stored and the unchecked access she claimed some officers had to the evidence room.

Lt. Bob Wall testified Tuesday that he witnessed Ward make what he considered inappropriate comments at a staff meeting in 2011.

"I was kind of blindsided by the whole situation," said Wall, adding that Ward "seemed angry" during her remarks that included her dissatisfaction with her salary and issues with the evidence room. A report of the meeting quoted Ward as saying "the long-term chain of custody has been broken" at the BPD.

Ward drew McKinley's ire after the staff meeting incident when she called the Illinois State Police to check on the status of McKinley's request for a review of Ward's accusations against now-retired Assistant Chief Bob Siron. Ward claimed that Siron was aware of the evidence room issues, including the storage of guns and drugs in closets outside the evidence room.

The trial continues Wednesday with Siron and McKinley slated to be the final witnesses for Ward's case. The city plans to call now-retired Lt. Joe Butcher and Emily Bell, the retired human resources manager, as witnesses.
NORMAL  Heartland Community College became the second major taxing body to approve a property tax abatement agreement with Rivian Automotive for the former Mitsubishi Motors North America property Tuesday night.

Earlier in the day, the McLean County Board's executive committee endorsed the proposal.

The Heartland board's action came at the same meeting at which trustees approved an estimated property tax levy of $26.2 million, which likely would increase Heartland's share of the tax bill for the owner of a $165,000 house to $323.67  an increase of about $25.

Rivian must employ 500 workers and invest $40.5 million in the plant by the end of 2021 to get incentives, but Rivian plans to employ 1,000 workers and invest $175 million in the site through 2024  starting with traditionally owned electric cars to be made in 2019 and available in 2020.

Before Rivian makes a vehicle, however, a few things must be finalized: the company must buy the former Mitsubishi plant from Maynards Industries for terms that Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said have been decided but are still secret  he called it an all-cash deal; Rivian and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity must agree on state incentives; and other local taxing bodies must approve the abatement.

Rivian also has not yet negotiated with Normal precisely which ancillary services the town will provide at the site, said town Communications Director Dan Irvin. Those services are to include mowing and snow removal.

The college district received $42,000 from the most recent property tax payment from the Mitsubishi property.

Noting that the abatement and levy votes were taking place the same night, board Chairman Gregg Chadwick asked how the district would make up for the taxes being abated.

Doug Minter, vice president of business services, said it's unlikely the district would have continued to receive that much money from the property, especially if the building were torn down, which could happen if the Rivian Automotive deal doesn't go through.

The district received more than $11 million in property tax revenue for its operations in the last fiscal year.

President Rob Widmer said the money lost from the tax abatement would be taken into account when budgeting but he sees the agreement as a long-term gain.

Scaringe told the board he anticipates creating a mutually beneficial relationship with education facilities, including Heartland, that would include internships.

Our mission, our objectives, are 100 percent aligned with those of the community, said Scaringe.

Marc Tiritilli, a candidate for mayor of Normal, spoke against the abatement during the public comment session before the vote.

Calling on the Heartland board not to get caught up in the euphoria, Tiritilli said that even if the plant were torn down, it would employ more people in the next few years than Rivian.

But board member Don Gibb said later in the meeting, I'd much rather create jobs by building something than by tearing something down.
Havoc in Heaven, a pop-up book about the Monkey King. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Havoc in Heaven, the first large pop-up book inspired by Journey to the West, hits the shelves. Mei Jia reports.

A work that embodies the spirit of craftsmanship, Havoc in Heaven is the first large pop-up book that has the much-loved Monkey King story from an ancient Chinese classic going 3-D on paper.

The book, which has been on the market since November, is not only being appreciated by young Chinese readers who see the book at fairs or other events, but it is also gaining attention and copyright requests from publishers overseas.

Alizee Dabert, the foreign rights manager at Gallimard Jeunesse and the publisher of the pop-up Le Petit Prince, says she is very optimistic about the global market potential of the pop-up version of Journey to the West.

"It's a well-known and important story, popular among Chinese kids as well as adults. And its paper-art design is remarkable," says Dabert.

The book features six scenes from the storyincluding the birth of the Monkey King from a rock, his enthronement as the leader of the monkeys and his combat with the emperor of heaven.

The latest publication is based on an award-winning cartoon film released by Shanghai Animation Film Studio in 1964.
BLOOMINGTON The McLean County Board will discuss changing its meeting times next week, but without the backing of its No. 1 committee.

The board's executive committee voted 6-2 to discuss a measure changing full board meetings from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the next full board meeting, Dec. 20, but stopped short of recommending it  a rare vote of no confidence for what's become a very divisive proposal.

Supporters want to enable more members of the public to attend meetings, but opponents say they don't think it will work, and in the meantime the county will pay more to keep officials at meetings at the Government Center after regular work hours.

I believe that this is a good opportunity for us to do something a little bit different to hopefully encourage people to attend our meetings," said committee member Erik Rankin. "The vast majority of our committee meetings happen 4:30 or later. The vast majority of counties in Illinois meet after 4:30. ... Is there a compelling reason for county board meetings to be at 9 a.m.?"

"I think people that are interested in an issue will be there, no matter what the time," said committee member Jim Soeldner. "I believe the meeting time change is not about transparency. ... I honestly believe it's about campaign promises made and the desire to fulfill those by certain members."

Chuck Erickson, George Gordon, Paul Segobiano, David Selzer, Rankin and Soeldner voted to move the issue to the full board. Bill Caisley and John McIntyre voted to kill the proposal and keep the board's rules as is.

Susan Schafer didn't vote because she left the meeting early.

"I think it would be better if we table this, send it back to the rules (sub)committee, let them wrestle with it for some period of time, take it up again in July or August and decide what we want to do in 2018," Caisley said.

The measure passed the rules subcommittee by a 2-1 vote last week. Caisley criticized the timing of that meeting, which didn't allow him or Rankin to attend and vote on the issue.

The proposal came before the subcommittee after a group of board members submitted a letter to the board in October to request a new meeting time and other changes intended to improve transparency.

"No one in Bloomington-Normal or the greater McLean County area should have to take a vacation day to witness their local government officials at work," said board member Josh Barnett, who co-wrote the letter, last month.

The letter also requested improvements to the county website and social media accounts, but members agreed during a public hearing last month that such changes don't need to be made into policy.

A suggestion to change the amount of notice necessary for the public to address the board  one day for agenda items and five days for items not on the agenda  died in subcommittee discussions.
New-Indy to Acquire Corrugated Packaging Company, triPAQ

Dec. 13, 2016 - New-Indy JV Corp. announced that they have entered into an agreement to acquire triPAQ, Inc., a second generation family-owned corrugated packaging company with facilities in Santa Ana and Cerritos, California, Mexicali (Mexican state of Baja California) and Tijuana, Mexico.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

New-Indy issued the following statement. The acquisition of triPAQ, Inc. provides New-Indy an entry into the large Southern California box market and expands its footprint into Mexico with a diverse mix of custom corrugated and specialty packaging capabilities, New-Indy said in a press release.

The synergistic acquisition will further integrate New-Indy's mills in Ontario and Oxnard, California as well as the Encorr Sheet feeder that is scheduled to begin operating in early 2017 and is located next to the Ontario Mill.

Brad McCroskey, CEO and co-chair of triPAQ, Inc., will continue to oversee the company's operation and growth, New-Indy added.

SOURCE: New-Indy JV Corp.
President-elect Donald John Trump's administration is reported to focus further on the sector of education philanthropy and investing. Earlier this week, U.S. Aid Funds announced that it would be protecting its loan guarantee affiliates and that it would further support education philanthropy and investing sectors.

United States Aid Funds and the Northwest Education Loan Association, will be transferred to another organization, the Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation, effective Jan. 1. The two affiliates together guarantee a loan portfolio of about $50 billion.

According to Nerd Wallet, the government offers every student who can't afford their higher education the so-called "Federal Student Loans." These are loans that have fixed interest and are payable based on terms stipulated by the government through its agencies like the U.S. Aid Fund.

USA Funds is one of the country's largest guarantors of federal student loans when banks originated most such loans. USA Funds announced last Wednesday that it would transfer its guarantor operations to Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation.

USA funds also mention that it would focus fully on its newfound role as a funder of college completion-related initiatives. These activities not only involve education philanthropy but also investing sectors.

Great Lakes Education Corp. will take over management of the nearly $50 billion in federally guaranteed student loans that remained in USA Funds' portfolio since a 2010 law effectively ended the bank-based Federal Family Educational Loan Program. Great Lakes has absorbed the portfolios of several other loan guarantors who have sought to wind down their involvement in lending, The Chronicle Of Higher Education said.

As part of the new arrangement, Great Lakes Education Corporation will make grants to USA Funds to help support its advocacy work, which focuses on student completion, college values and other topics. Like other former guarantors, USA Funds has a sizable pot of money from borrower fees that it amassed during its time in the loan program, which consumer advocates have criticized.

How will this affect the current standing of the United States of America in the global point of view? Feel free to make a comment below.
Finnbin co-founder Catherine Merritt, explains the old tradition in Finland to put babies inside cardboard boxes since the 1930s. Confronted by the infant mortality crisis, the Finnish government initiated the giving of newborn kit in a box filled with baby needs. This e-commerce company in Chicago capitalized on this practice for their new venture.

During those times in Finland, families lived in densely populated homes without a designated area for an infant to sleep in. It is believed to be the cause of the country's infant mortality crisis since a newborn is highly at risk when sleeping with adults and other children in one bed

The box itself is an important part of this Finnish newborn kit. It is padded and equipped with a cozy bedding. The design made it safe for infants to sleep in. This is the reason despite Finland's being one of the wealthiest countries in the world today continues to patronize this safe practice for babies. The company aims to promote the same idea in the United States.

Advanced and technical baby products over the internet are already abundant. Merritt said that the going back to basic is something that is needed right now in the society. The box with at least 45 items, from baby clothing and feeding bottles to nursing pads and even condoms for parents, are just helpful. A Chicago nonprofit organization that works on pediatric health issues is the source of the baby guide materials found inside the box, as featured in the Finnbin website.

The box is uni-sex and costs $450 which is affordable for first-time parents. Merritt discloses that they are targeting young couples that need this product. They have campaigned through registries and baby shower channels to make this product something that its target market must have.

Merritt is also the founder of MUMZY, which is a crowdfunding company for business-minded moms. Her co-founder, Shawn Bercuson, a Chicago tech veteran serves as VP of business development before becoming an investor. Merritt gave credits to Bercuson for conceptualizing Finnbin, according to Built in Chicago.


PARIS - France called on the United Nations to take swift moves to establish cessation of hostilities in Syrian city of Aleppo, which has been under military escalation, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Tuesday.

"I call on the United Nations to use without delay all the mechanisms to establish the truth of what is happening in Aleppo so that the international community does not let these crimes remain unpunished," Ayrault stressed.

The French top diplomat said all the light must be shed on civilians' suffering including women and children execution and targeting of hospitals.

Aleppo, a major city and commercial hub in northern Syria, has been torn into two parts with western area controlled by Syrian army and eastern held by rebels since 2012.

In September, Syrian army backed by Russian air force intensified its airstrikes on rebel positions in Aleppo and recaptured main districts of the city.

The offensive has been widely seen as a turning point of the five-year civil war.

According to media reports, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday are taking control over Aleppo after rebels' retreat.
Children are considered blessings and having a baby can bring immense joy for the family. But a new study is debunking this age-old belief. Its researchers say that having a child doesn't guarantee long-lasting happiness.

Experts from the London School of Economics presented their findings on the Origins of Happiness during a recent conference. Professors Andrew Clark, Richard Layard and their team worked on the idea that links happiness with having children and gathered data from respondents residing in the U.K., U.S., Germany, and Australia.

The researchers learned that while parents do manifest better emotional and physical well-being with the arrival of the baby, this "joy" eventually wears off within a year. "We could not find systematically large effects [on well-being] from children," the experts said, according to Daily Mail.

The researchers learned that beyond parenthood and having children, the partnership between parents influences their happiness more. Parents can adapt from the joys and stress of having kids easily, but the joys and pains of having a partner bear more effect on their well-being. Some of the subjects in their 4-year research have either lost a partner through death or separation.

"Is having a family asset for you in the long run? Having a partnership is," study head author Andrew Clark stated. "We found a positive effect of having a partner that doesn't go away over time," he added.

Studies linking parenthood happiness and having children have been done before. In July, Washington Post reported on the rise of American families growing miserable after having children compared to those who remain childless. It cited a Princeton study that indicates the cost of having babies, coupled with the anxiety and stress of raising a family in today's socio-economic environment, as contributing factors to the dissatisfaction of parents.

Children might make parents feel fulfilled, but as these studies show, it's not the only factor to happiness. What are your thoughts about parenthood and happiness? Let us know in the comments!


An unarmed 73-year-old grandfather was allegedly shot fatally by a Bakersfield, California, police officer early Monday morning. The said old man has dementia according to the bereaved family.

Francisco Serna was in the driveway of a neighbor's home in Bakersfield's Silver Creek community around 12:30 a.m. when the incident happened. A witness pointed to him to an officer investigating a report of a man having a firearm in the area.

Bakersfield police spokesman Sgt. Gary Carruesco said that the officer, not yet publicly identified, has fired several rounds at Serna, who was declared dead at the scene at 1:15 a.m. by the Kern County corner's office, NBC News reported.

There were no guns or weapons found around the scene, KBAK-TV reported. Police canvassed the area as well as Serna's home and car, The Times said.

Serna was a father of five children and retired cotton gin worker. His home is just on the block where the shooting happened.

Son Rogelio Serna was just a few blocks away and went to the scene immediately after hearing the news. He said that his dad did not own a gun at all.

"He was a 73-year-old retired grandpa, just living life. He should have been surrounded by family at old age, not surrounded by bullets." Rogelio told in an interview with Los Angeles Times.

Rogelio shared that his father often had difficulty at sleeping and would even on late-night walks to become tired and be able to sleep when he gets home.

Serna showed early signs of dementia in 2015. His son Rogelio said that he occasionally experienced delusions.

Bakersfield police were called to the now-deceased grandfather's home twice before as a response to an activated medical alarm, according to The Times. The officer who killed Serna is now on administrative leave, as KBAK-TV reported.


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In September when the U.S. government forced the first recall of the Samsung Note7, a top Korean tech news site went ballistic calling the U.S. recall a clear sign of protectionism to assist Apple. The Korean report stated that "Although Samsung Electronics is looking for ways to solve this situation such as even recalling the entire quantity of Galaxy Note 7, a controversy has reignited as American authorities are taking a variety of excessive actions. Rather than simple problems involving a product, some believe that American Government is trying to protect its industry." Then in October another Korean press report attempted to cause a controversy over a smoking iPhone 5s onboard a Korean airline flight. Korean Air reported the incident to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the authorities started the investigation into the cause of the incident." The South Korean press is obsessed over the Note7 recall and discontinuation and blame it on Apple. So it's no surprise that a new controversial move has arisen today.

According to a new Korean report, South Korea's industrial standardization bureau said Wednesday it is mulling over an investigation into Apple Inc.'s iPhone handsets, which randomly shut down despite battery remaining.

The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) said it is looking into the matter as the iPhone 6S battery problem could potentially be a safety issue, like Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, which underwent a global recall over a safety risk.

"The agency is well aware of recent iPhone issues and is taking a close look at it," said a KATS official not to be named.

Apple earlier said iPhone 6S devices that were manufactured between September and October 2015 showed battery malfunctions, adding that it will replace the battery for free.

However, there are media reports in China that other iPhone 6 smartphones also power off randomly with battery remaining for no apparent reason.

Also, a Chinese consumer watchdog reported several users have claimed that their handsets caught fire or exploded.

"However, this does not mean that an investigation was launched," the official said, adding everything is under review.

The agency, which has a right to order a national recall, said it is in talks with Apple Korea, the local unit of Apple.

Apple said "a very small number" of iPhone 6S devices malfunctioned and that the shutdowns did not constitute a safety issue.

Apple, which immediately launched a battery-exchange program in China, came under fire in South Korea for a belated response, which included initially notifying users about the program in English."

There's been absolutely no link between iPhone 6s batteries shutting off prematurely and fires or a safety issues. This has been an obsession of the Korean press to retaliate against Apple for the U.S. shutting down Samsung's Note7 sales. This obsession, this anger, is misplaced and it's apparent that Samsung is using the press to vent their anger. For now at least one rational KATS official is on record in a second report published today stating that "As there have been no reports of injuries here, it remains to be seen whether we will launch a probe into the firm and the problematic devices." And yet the Korean tech press is playing this up loudly to score political points with Samsung.

At the end of the day, if the Korean inquiry pushes for an iPhone 6s recall over this battery issue, and more importantly, over a non-existent safety issue, then we'll know it's pure politics playing out to appease Samsung's lingering anger and embarrassment over having to kill their beloved Note7 that was rushed to market to outflank the iPhone 7. For now, lets hope that cooler heads prevail.



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The best move is to nominate a billionaire with personal ties to Russia to allay those fears. Ah, Trump. As I said, I resolve to never, ever  and I mean never  underestimate Trump again. I bought into the buffoon with goofy hair narrative along with most Americans. Now hes my president. And I wish him well, as I did Obama in 2008. I want him to succeed where it helps America and Americans. I dont say that, by the way, followed by 24/7 Trash Trump fests. That makes any words I say about wishing him well seem rather shallow IMHO.

Of course there will be things I oppose. There are certainly things he says and does that concern me. Who knows? His opponents might actually learn how to oppose him. Right now, Im not holding my breath.

I realize that there could be more to this nomination than meets the eye. And Im the last one to say we dont need to make major changes in our approach to Russia if we dont want things to continue spiraling downhill. Clearly, however, Trump isnt worried about appearances. And while appearances are subjective to be sure, sometimes they are important.

Theres a reason most people dont want The Dude representing the US at the United Nations. Perhaps the same logic would go for picking a person with deep, personally advantageous ties to the country that is all of a sudden important again, and increasingly seen as a threat to our nation.
Chicago came up quite a lot during this years presidential election. Donald Trump came back to the city repeatedly in his speeches and debate performances, using it as the ultimate illustration of the need for law and order and a police force that is touch on crime. Have a look at this quote from his first debate:

We have a situation where we have our inner cities, African- Americans, Hispanics are living in hell because its so dangerous. You walk down the street, you get shot. In Chicago, theyve had thousands of shootings, thousands since January 1st. Thousands of shootings. And Im saying, where is this? Is this a war-torn country? What are we doing? And we have to stop the violence. We have to bring back law and order.

Trump isnt the only one talking about Chicago; the city has been the center of much media buzz given its higher than average number of homicides this year. Even the Onion has poked fun at the tenor of public discussion surrounding the city:

I have to admit, I initially bought into some of this rhetoric. Oh, I knew Chicago wasnt the war-torn post-apocalyptic wasteland Trumps rhetoric would suggest. I knew that in any city crime rates very widely by city neighborhood; that in any large city crime tends to occur within specific networks rather than wantonly; and that crime rates are way down from the 1990s. Still, I had heard Chicago referred to as the murder capital of the U.S., and I thought it was. I turns out its not.

Each year, the FBI releases crime statistics. It is possible to use this data to rank cities by their murder rate, though the FBI warns against taking such comparisons too far, cautioning that murder rates vary depending on a large number of factors. Last year, CBS News analyzed the FBIs data for 2015 to find the ten cities with the highest violent crime rates, out of all cities with populations of over 250,000 people.

Here is their list:

Detroit, Michigan 1988.63

Memphis, Tennessee 1740.51

Oakland, California 1685.39

St. Louis, Missouri 1678.73

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1476.41

Baltimore, Maryland 1338.54

Cleveland, Ohio 1334.35

Stockton, California 1331.47

Indianapolis, Indiana 1254.66

Kansas City, Missouri 1251.45

Chicago is not on the list. Okay, but what about murder rates? CBS News also analyzed murder data, releasing this top ten list:

St. Louis, Missouri 49.91

Detroit, Michigan 43.52

New Orleans, Louisiana 38.75

Baltimore, Maryland 33.84

Newark, New Jersey 33.32

Buffalo, New York 23.22

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 22.43

Memphis, Tennessee 21.38

Atlanta, Georgia 20.47

Cincinati, Ohio 20.16

Chicago is, again, not on this list.

Of course, thats for 2014. What about 2015? I looked up the data, which was released in September. I calculated the murder rate in each of the 50 most populous cities. Here is a quick graph:

No, that tall bar near the center is not Chicago. Its Baltimore. The other two tall bars arent Chicago eithertheyre Detroit and New Orleans. Chicago is the third bar from the left. Yes, its still high compared to many of the other cities listed. It tops off at 17.5 murders per 100,000. In contrast, over half of the cities shown in the graph (27 out of 50) dont top the 10 murders per 100,000 line. However, nine of these cities (Detroit, Washington, D.C., Memphis, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Atlanta, Oakland, and New Orleans) top the 20 murders per 100,000 line, and Chicago is not in the top ten cities with the highest murder rates.

And this list only includes the fifty most populous cities. If you expand the list to, say, all cities over 100,000, the number of cities with murder rates over 20 or 30 per 100,000 people soars. Hartford, Connecticut. Jackson, Mississippi. Cincinnati, Ohio. If we expanded the list to cities of 25,000 or more, wed need to include Chester, Pennsylvania, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Buffalo, New York.

Yes, Chicagos murder rate promises to be higher in 2016 than it was in 2015. Given the current number of murders in the city so far this year, its murder rate is likely to be around 27 per 100,000. This increase is concerning and will bump Chicago up the list quite a bit. People are talking about Chicago both because the citys murder rate is spiking (from 15.1 in 2014 to 17.5 in 2015 to 27 in 2016) and because Chicago is often classed together with LA and NYC as the three largest cities in the country, and those two cities have far lower murder ratesLA and NYC have murder rates of 7.1 and 4.1.

Have a look at these two graphs:

There are two points to be made here. First, the number of homicides in Chicago this year (744 as of December 14th) is still below the high numbers of the mid-1990s. This years total is bad, and the rise in numbers a problem, but Chicago has seen worse. Second, New York City and Los Angeles have successfully brought their homicide rates down and kept them down since a similar peak in the mid-1990s. What, then, is different about Chicago? Why is its murder rate on the rise while NYC and LA, the two cities it is most often grouped with, have maintained their far lower numbers?

As it turns out, there are reasons for Chicagos rising murder rate, reasons specific to Chicago. Individuals who study crime in general and Chicago in particular have been pointing to these reasons for some time now. Unfortunately, on the national level, We need law and order! seems to play better than Chicagos gangs have fragmented, leading to increasing levels of gang warfare in highly segregated economical depressed areas of the city, a situation compounded by easy access to guns from Indiana, which borders the city. And that is a problem.

However. Even with its rising murder rate, statistics from cities across the country make clear that Chicago is not the countrys murder capital. In fact, cities like Detroit, Baltimore, and New Orleans had 2015 murder rates nearly twice Chicagos likely 2016 murder rate, and it appears that Milwaukee and Kansas City will have similar 2016 murder rates to Chicagos.

When was the last time you heard someone talking about gun violence in Atlanta, or Memphis, or Kansas City? What do we lose when we dont talk about murder rates in cities like Detroit or Oakland? Taking the causes of Chicagos rising murder rate seriously should not mean ignoring the causes of even higher murder rates in other cities. How can we make good decisions at the polls when our understanding of the problems at hand is so often piecemeal, incomplete, and filtered through a news media that cares more about titilating than it does about informing?

I worry that we as a people are chronically unable to focus on problems rather than on scapegoats, that we as humans with human brains are unable to properly assess dangers or analyze cause and affect. Solutions are rarely simple, and problems are rarely one-dimensional. Its easier to think in terms of stereotypes and pithy slogans, but doing so is neither accurate nor helpful. What the solution is, I dont know.

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Willie Walsh, chief executive of the International Airlines Group, has blasted the UK government for dragging its feet on introducing a new 10-year visa for Chinese visitors.

Walsh, who heads one of the worlds largest multinational airline companies, including British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia, said: "The government needs to get its act together to make Britain attractive to the Chinese or we will continue to lose out on the economic benefits that they can bring to the UK."

In a recent news release he accused the UK government of going back on a promise, first delivered during Chinese President Xi Jinpings state visit in October 2015, to introduce a new 10-year multiple entry visa for Chinese visitors at no extra cost.

Philip Hammond, the then UK foreign secretary, announced with some fanfare during a subsequent visit to Beijing in January, that the UK had fulfilled a pledge to introduce a new two-year visa system that would enable visitors from China to make multiple trips to the UK for longer periods.

Hammond, now UK chancellor, said at the time: "In due course we would like to see this two-year visa extended to a 10-year multiple entry visa. That remains our aspiration and we will work with our Chinese partners towards it."

Walsh insisted the issue is time critical.

He said: "We need to ensure we can trade effectively post-Brexit."

Walsh noted that the UK export market to China was worth almost 13 billion pounds in 2015 and stressed that more needs to be done to encourage trade links with the worlds second-largest economy.

He said: "The US already has a standard 10-year visa which costs around 100 while Britain's costs 800. The government needs to match its rhetoric on China with action."

Walsh earlier this year urged a relaxation of visa requirements after noting that it was much easier for Chinese tour groups to travel within mainland Europe with a so-called Schengen visa than it was to travel to the UK.

The UK Home Office told China Daily UK that it will first evaluate a pilot two-year multiple entry visit visa scheme, which began in January 2016, before considering a 10-year scheme.
An incredibly important oped, Anti-porn School Program Misrepresents Science, was published today by the Salt Lake Tribune written by EIGHT neuroscientists debunking the type of scientific research support we keep hearing from organizations like Fight the New Drug that goes into school/church settings and gives inaccurate and harmful information to our youth and young adults about sexuality. This oped is meant to support the original publication I wrote with some of my Utah sex therapist colleagues back in October, Utah Students need real sex ed, Not Fight the New Drug, which got pushback from FTND:

I always feel like I need to calm anxiety and make some disclaimers when I speak on this topic  so here goes:

This does not mean that I am pro-porn,

This does not mean that everyone should look at porn,

This does not mean that people do not have a right to have values and opinions surrounding sex films and/or the sex film industry,

This does not mean that there are no negative aspects to certain types of sexual behaviors (as with any other behavior), and

This does not mean that there isnt very real and painful relational conflict when one person is having a relationship with pornography that a spouse/partner is unaware of.

What it does mean is that pornography does not mimic cocaine. And telling kids that it does has shown to have negative ramifications as to how they view themselves and their sexual development/curiosity. It also has implications on how people perceive themselves and their partners when labeling from a disease model instead of looking at other reasons that may be underlying why people might be viewing sex films to begin with  and who gets to decide when this is or isnt a problem. I very much appreciate the relationship Ive been able to develop with Dr. Nicole Prause who headed this effort for this publication. This is such an important piece in the medley of sexual education within the realm of Mormon culture. For those of you in Utah who have contacted me over the years concerned about organizations like FTND and Helamans Warriors going into schools and church functions to present their biased and inaccurate information, this should be a good tool to approach your school board of directors and ecclesiastical leaders.

Side note: for LGBTQ+ kids  where the only type of education they can get on same-sex relationships is through watching porn this is particularly important to be aware of. Not to mention that many kiddos in Mormon culture who act out by exploring their sexuality within the realm of a same-sex relationship are often referred to sex addiction treatment centers or therapists who specialize in this type of what I consider unethical work.

The following is an excerpt I have permission to copy here from Dr. Prause in regards to the common pushback many will receive when sharing this type of information:

Prause et al (2013) is being described as debunked, which is false. The study was replicated and extended by Prause et (2015), which remains the largest neuroscience study of the topic to date. It was published in a high-impact journal with five other neuroscientists, specialists in reward and addiction, several of whom are known internationally for this research. Also, there are a series of studies debunking numerous predictions of the addiction model, not just this study and replication, as summarized in this letter (http://www.sciencedirect.com//pii/S0301051116301867).

None of the cited publications debunking this research actually contain any data. Data are required to debunk research. None have been published questioning Prause et al. to date. In addition, these opinion pieces are not as portrayed. One letter actually was not peer-reviewed (Hilton), written by LDS elder with no neuroscience background, and contained no content. The Prause et al. (2013) authors were offered a chance to respond by the journal, but declined because there was no content in the letter to respond to. Another cited opinion paper includes the opinion that the data could be interpreted different ways, which recently was debunked (with actual data) by Prause et al. (2016, http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article) that tested actual primary sexual rewards (genital stimulation) in the laboratory. The other two opinion pieces are published in a predatory journal, meaning the journal has no impact factor, the authors pay to publish their paper, and review is minimal/absent. Behavioral Sciences is on Geoffrey Bealls well-known list of predatory journals. Linda Hatch, a CSAT and author of one opinion piece in this predatory journal, is currently under investigation by the APA for posting false information about Dr. Prause, including that she was fired from UCLA, is not licensed to a conference at which she was speaking (she is, CA #27778), and that her work was funded by pornography organizations (it has never been). In summary, you cited a systematic effort to discredit her work by conspiracy theorists whose livelihood depends on labeling porn as addictive.

Prause et al (2016) recently published a novel intervention that would help those struggling to manage their sexual impulses (http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article). She does not profit from this intervention or the previous papers, although CSAT directly profit from forcing the addiction model.
Patna: Governor Ram Nath Kovind, while participating in the 6th convocation of the National Institute of Technology in Patna on Tuesday, handed out gold medals to ten graduating students in various faculties.

Though a total of 752 students had graduated; many of them failed to show up at the convocation. They will now have to collect their degree from the university office, officials said.

Speaking on the occasion, the Governor exhorted the graduating students to become good human beings besides being successful in their lives.

"Don't use your education just to make money; use it to help the humanity as well. We have made enormous strident in improving education in the country but we have been utterly unsuccessful in developing compassion for our fellow human beings," he said.

NIT Chairperson Manish Sabarwal offered parting advice to the graduating students saying they needed to stand out in the crowd if they wanted to leave a mark on the world.

Others to speak on the occasion included former Director of NIT Durgapur Prof. Damodar Acharya, Patna NIT Director Prof. Ashok De, Prof. K K Tiwari, and Prof. N R Lal.

Errata: In an earlier version, Prof. Damodar Acharya was erroneously described as the former Director of NIT, Kharagpur. This has been corrected and we apologize for the error.
Patna: Not the one to shy away from making his acquaintance with someone who is equally or even more passionate in his dislike for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular, or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in general, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday rolled out the proverbial red carpet for Patel Navnirman Sena leader Hardik Patel who has been spearheading the reservation movement for Patidars, or Patels, in Gujarat.

After receiving Patel at the Patna Airport, officials brought him to the Chief Minister's residence where he was given a warm welcome by Nitish Kumar himself and a number of senior Janata Dal  U leaders including party Secretary K. C. Tyagi and party state President Vashisht Narayan Singh.

Patel spent nearly three hours with Bihar Chief Minister showering him with praise over the introduction of prohibition in the state and his relentless efforts to empower women in Bihar.

Kumar, on the other hand, reciprocated his gratitude by accepting Patel's invitation to come to Gujarat on January 28 to speak at a rally to be organized by the Akhil Bharatiya Patel Navnirman Sena.

Other anti-Modi leaders representing a number of obscure political outfits including Maratha Kranti Morcha and Gujjar Andolan were also present at today's meeting that is being seen as the first step in formulating a strategy to corner Narendra Modi in the next Parliamentary elections.

"Currently we are focused on defeating the BJP in Gujarat elections next year. We are open to join hands with any party that is opposed to the communal agenda of the BJP," Tyagi said.

Patel, calling Kumar a 'Mahanayak', said that he would be seeking Bihar Chief Minister's advice to kick BJP out of Gujarat in the coming days.
Religious commonalities more important than differences: Iran's Sunni Female Governor

12/11/16

By Naghmeh Mizanian, Tehran Times

Different branches of Islam should pay attention to their notable commonalities rather than little differences, says Ms. Homeyra Rigi, the first Sunni female governor in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Rigi, 41, is the governor of Qasr-e Qand city in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan. She was appointed to the position in 2014. She had already served as the head of the welfare department of Chabahar and councilor, as well.



Governor Homeyra Rigi





In an interview with the Tehran Times, Rigi put emphasis on the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Holy Quran as the most important commonalities between all branches of Islam.



"The Unity Week is the week of boosting brotherhood bonds by all Muslims and we should declare the unity of all Muslims to the world," she said.



The interval between the 12th day of the month of Rabi al-Awwal in the lunar Hijri calendar (December 12th this year) which is believed by Sunni Muslims to mark the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad, and the 17th day of the month which is believed by Shia Muslims as the birthday of the Prophet is celebrated every year as the Islamic Unity Week.

Appointment of a woman as the highest executive authority of the city (Qasr-e Qand), has created a big change in the viewpoint of people toward women, she remarked.



The rule of a female governor has spread self-belief and self-confidence among women, which had no considerable social activity before, she said.



For instance, she said, there are girls and women who had not been permitted even to come out of their homes, but now they are talented artists, poets, and successful people in different fields.



"Three years ago, when I became the governor of the city, in a sport competition which was held in the city, the only female participant was me," Rigi noted.



"However, today, a large number of women and girls, supported by their husbands and fathers take part in such competitions," she underscored.



Out of the 60,000 population of the city of Qasr-e Qand, about 200 people are Shia Muslims, the female governor explained.



"High ranking Sunni clerics, other officials of the city and me participate in the rituals which the minority Shia Muslims hold in different occasions," the mother of three said, stressing the brotherhood and equality of Shias and Sunnis.



Rigi, of Baluch ethnicity, has participated in the Islamic Unity Conference which has been held by the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thoughts for six consequent years.



She said she attended the conference with a view of "closeness" and "equality" among different tribes and genders in Islam.
In Response To Sanctions Renewal By U.S., Iran President Orders Work On Nuclear Propulsion Device

12/11/16

Source: Press TV

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has ordered the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) to plan work on nuclear propulsion devices to be used in sea transport in response to the recent violation of a multilateral nuclear deal by the United States.









In a directive issued to the head of the AEOI on Tuesday, the Iranian chief executive demanded that the organization draw appropriate plans to design and manufacture nuclear propulsion devices as well as the fuel required for them.



He instructed Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the AEOI, to report back to him on the issue within a maximum period of three months.



The president said the measures were warranted in light of the United States' foot-dragging in fulfilling its commitments under the multilateral nuclear deal - known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - and the recent ratification of anti-Iran legislation in the US Congress known as the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA).



President Rouhani said Iran had warned that the approval of the ISA would amount to a breach of the JCPOA.



He said the directives were now being given in implementation of the decisions made by Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and the committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of the JCPOA.





An Iranian navy submarine

(January 2015 file photo by Islamic Republic News Agency)



In a separate directive issued to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, President Rouhani instructed Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to take action to follow up on the US violations of the JCPOA as per the provisions of the deal and to take other legal and international measures necessary in that regard.



The JCPOA involves a total of seven sides, namely Iran, the US, the UK, France, Germany, Russia, and China. It was reached in July 2015. The deal stipulates that nuclear-related sanctions against Iran be terminated and no such sanctions be imposed as long as Iran meets its side of the bargain, including certain limits to its nuclear program.



However, the US Congress recently reauthorized the ISA, extending the US president's authority to potentially impose sanctions on US entities that do business with Iran.



The ISA awaits US President Barack Obama's signature to turn into law. The White House has signaled that it will sign the ISA but will "waive" nuclear-related sanctions against Iran. Even so, Iranian officials have complained, the JCPOA has been breached as a result of the Congress' renewal of the ISA.



Iran had warned it would take reciprocal action if the ISA was approved. The Islamic Republic has written a letter of complaint to the United Nations over the vote on the legislation at the US Congress.
President Rouhani: Iran-Indonesia ties will benefit Islamic world

12/11/16

Source: Tehran Times; photos by Islamic Republic News Agency

TEHRAN - President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that that strong relationship between Iran and Indonesia ties is beneficial to both countries and the larger Islamic world. In a joint press conference with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Tehran, Rouhani said Iran attaches great importance to relations with Indonesia as an important Islamic state in East Asia.



Iranian President Hassan Rouhani with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo

Tehran, December 14, 2016



Now the two countries are seeking to expand ties in various spheres of economy, politics, science and technology, Rouhani explained.



Rouhani said the two countries have taken good steps to expand relations since the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, the official name for the July 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and great powers - the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia plus Germany - which took effect in January 2016.





Iran-Indonesia Trade Meeting in Tehran

December 14, 2016



Strategic ties in energy sector

The president also said that the two countries have established "strategic" relationship in energy sector.



Rouhani went on to say that Tehran and Jakarta enjoy close relationship in the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.



He added Iran and Indonesia will seek closer cooperation to help settle crises in Yemen and Syria and put an end to the misery of Muslims in Myanmar.









Iran-Indonesia Trade Meeting in Tehran

December 14, 2016



For his part, Widodo said crises in countries such as Syria, Myanmar and Yemen can be settled peacefully.



He also said that his trip to Iran will open a new chapter in relations.



Iran and Indonesia also signed four memorandums of understanding at the presence of Rouhani and Widodo.



The MOUs are in the areas of electricity and renewable energies, investment, judiciary, and repatriation of criminals.
Tehran, Moscow open new page in energy, industry ties

12/11/16

Source: Tehran Times; photos by Islamic Republic News Agency

TEHRAN- Iran and Russia signed 11 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on energy and industry cooperation in Tehran on Tuesday. Ten of the MOUs were penned during the 13th session of the Russian-Iranian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation co-chaired by Iranian Communications and Information Technology Minister Mahmoud Vaezi and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, Mehr news agency reported.







The MOUs included one inked between the Export Insurance Agency of Russia (EXIAR) and the Iranian private sector.



Another one was signed between Federal Agency on Technical Regulation and Metrology of Russia (Rosstandart) and Iranian National Standards Organization.



Three other MOUs were signed between the industry ministries, while another one was signed by the Iran-Russia Trade Council and the joint chamber of commerce.









Another memorandum of understanding was on construction of a thermal power plant in southern Iran and the other one on signaling of the Garmsar-Incheh Borun railway line in Iran.



A cooperation MOU was also penned by the managing director of National Iranian Gas Company, Hamid-Reza Araqi, and the deputy chairman of the management committee at Russian Gazprom PJSC, Alexander Medvedev.



In addition to the ten abovementioned MOUs, Gazprom Neft PJSC, a subsidiary of Russian oil giant Gazprom, signed a memorandum of understanding with National Iranian Oil Company for carrying out development studies on two Iranian oilfields.



A Russian delegation including over 200 representatives of ministries, agencies, and leading corporations and companies, headed by Novak arrived in Tehran on Sunday to outline the main spheres of bilateral cooperation and joint priority projects for the nearest future.


Some antivirus companies have built their names and fame on free antivirus toolsAvast, AVG, and Avira, for example. Bitdefender added a free offering only after its commercial antivirus was well established and wound up terminating that product at the end of 2021. Now Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows is back, and better than ever. Where the previous free edition bore little resemblance to Bitdefenders other security products, the current one is very clearly a part of the product line, and it includes several features that were previously reserved for paying customers. Its worth a look, if you need high-powered antivirus protection at the lowest possible price.

Installing Bitdefender Free

Getting Bitdefender Free running on your system is quick and easy. You need to sign up for a Bitdefender account to activate the product (or sign in if you already have one). After installation it offers a Device Assessment which includes a quick scan for malware as well as a scan for items left over from old infestations. For testing purposes, I skipped the assessment. Theres also an option to have it run in the background while you get started using the product.

Like other members of the Bitdefender product line, the free edition defaults to displaying a security dashboard, with a left-rail menu that offers detailed access to features. Security recommendations occupy the top of the rest of the window, with a half-dozen Quick Action icons below. Only two of these, Quick Scan and System Scan, are enabled. The ability to choose from a selection of other features for the remaining Quick Actions isnt useful in the free edition, as none of the other possible choices are enabled.

The Protection page looks just like what you see in Bitdefender Internet Security, but only Antivirus, Advanced Threat Defense, and Online Threat Prevention are enabled. The other components display the purple lock icon that means theyre not available for free. Its completely reasonable that you dont get the Firewall and Antispam features, since even the commercial antivirus doesnt have those. But free users also dont get the benefit of the Vulnerability scan or the important Ransomware Remediation feature, both featured in the commercial edition.

Everything on the Privacy page is locked. That makes sense for the suite-specific webcam protection and parental control. Users of the free edition do miss out on Bitdefenders Safepay, a hardened browser designed to protect online financial transactions. The Anti-tracker component is likewise available in the commercial antivirus but not the free one.

The Utilities page in the commercial antivirus includes a simple File Shredder and a profile system that automatically adjusts the antivirus configuration based on activity profiles. You dont get those features for free, nor the suite-specific tuneup and anti-theft components. As with Privacy, everything on the Utilities page is locked.

You should run a full scan right after installation, to root out any malware that infested the system before you installed antivirus. At the first full scan, Bitdefender warns that due to its complexity it might take a while to complete, but that subsequent scans should go much more quickly. Indeed, the initial scan took over two hours, twice the current average of 63 minutes. As promised, a repeat scan went much more quickly, finishing in just 10 minutes. Kaspersky Anti-Virus also performed impressive optimization in its latest test, going from 70 minutes for the initial scan down to 4.5 minutes for a repeat scan.

In theory, real-time protection should handle any malware problems after the full scan, but for an extra layer of security you can schedule a daily, weekly, or monthly scan, scheduling quick, full, and custom scans separately. The previous free edition didnt include scheduling or custom scans. The current free edition still doesnt let you use the Rescue Environment, a premium-only feature that reboots the computer into a non-Windows platform suitable for removing even the most persistent malware.

Excellent Lab Results

While Bitdefender Free doesn't include every feature of the commercial edition, its core antivirus engine is the same as what the independent labs test, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. The labs do make it clear that their results are only guaranteed for the precise product they tested. Still, its worth looking at the excellent scores the commercial edition earned.

Three of the four labs that I follow include Bitdefender in their testing. In the three-part test regularly reported by AV-Test Institute(Opens in a new window), antivirus programs can earn up to six points each for effective protection, low impact on performance, and few usability problems (meaning false positives). Bitdefender missed a perfect 18 points due to a few false positives that cost it a half-point in usability, but 17.5 points is sufficient for the lab to name it a top product. Avira Free Security, Kaspersky, Microsoft, and Norton are among the products that managed a perfect score in the latest test.

The researchers at AV-Comparatives(Opens in a new window) perform a wide variety of tests; I follow three of them. Products that pass a test earn Standard certification, while those that go significantly beyond the minimum needed to pass receive Advanced or even Advanced+ certification. Bitdefender took Advanced+ in the latest instances of all three tests, as did Avast, AVG, and McAfee.

The tests performed by MRG-Effitas(Opens in a new window) are a bit different from the rest. To pass this lab's banking Trojans test, a product needs a perfect score; anything less is failure. Another test using a wide variety of malware offers two passing levels. If a product absolutely blocks every installation attempt, it passes at Level 1. If some malware gets through, but is eliminated within 24 hours, that earns Level 2. Anything else is failure. Bitdefender was among the 60% of tested products that passed the banking test. It reached Level 2 certification in the broad-spectrum test, along with F-Secure and Microsoft Windows Defender Security Center. Only ESET and Norton managed Level 1 certification in the latest test.

SE Labs(Opens in a new window) attempts to simulate the real world of malware as closely as possible for testing purposes, using a capture/replay system to present each product with a real-world Web-based attack. Certification from this lab comes at five levels, AAA, AA, A, B, and C. Alas, Bitdefender hasnt appeared in results from SE Labs for many months now.

I have contrived an algorithm that maps all the test results onto a 10-point scale and returns an aggregate lab score for every product that has results from at least two labs. Avast Free Antivirus, Kaspersky, and Microsoft are among the products that appear in reports from all four labs. In terms of aggregate score, Kaspersky rules that group, with 9.9 of 10 possible points. Among products tested by three labs, AVG, Bitdefender, and F-Secure are tied at the top, with 9.8 points apiece.

Good Malware Protection

Even when lab results are plentiful, I always run my own hands-on testing, just to get a feel for the way a product handles malware. If I don't get enough data from the labs, my hands-on malware protection test is the only way I can rate antivirus accuracy. In this case, the labs have already made it very clear that Bitdefenders technology is top-notch.

When I opened my folder of samples, Bitdefender started picking off those it recognized. A simple Disinfection in progress notification remained in place for perhaps 10 minutes while samples gradually disappeared from the folder. The antivirus requested a reboot to complete its cleanup process, which I found odd given that none of the malware samples had been executed. Odd request or not, I complied.

I maintain a second set of samples, each hand-modified to be different from anything the antivirus has encountered. I change the filename, append nulls to change the size, and overwrite some non-executable bytes with random text. As in previous tests, Bitdefender currently misses more than a third of these hand-modified samples. Remember, this test simply measures on-sight recognition, as I dont launch the tweaked items.

I tested Bitdefenders commercial edition alongside the free one; results were identical. Both products detect 90% of the samples and score 8.9 points. While decent, thats the lowest score among products tested with my new collection of malware samples. However, when my results dont jibe with those of the independent testing labs, I give the testing labs significantly more weight.

Tested against the same set of samples, Norton AntiVirus Plus earns the best score. It detects 100% of the samples and scores 9.9 of 10 possible points. McAfee and Webroot tie for second place, with 98% detection and 9.7 points.

When Bitdefender defends against a malware attack, it pops up a small notification, with an option to learn more about what happened. In many cases, the available information includes an attack timeline, something not found in the previous free edition. The timeline shows just how the malware got onto your system and how far it got before Bitdefender nabbed it. It also includes an alternative outcome, driving home the point that, without Bitdefender, the attack would have succeeded.

When I collect and curate a new set of malware samples for testing, I deliberately draw from samples that are a few months old, so as not to give a disadvantage to the first products tested with the new collection. Because it takes a great deal of time and effort to prepare a new set of real-world malware, I use the same samples for up to a year. My malicious URL blocking test, on the other hand, uses only the latest and most current malware.

This test starts with a feed of very new discoveries generously supplied by MRG-Effitas. Each antivirus gets two chances to prevent malware being downloaded from these URLs. It can block all access to the URL for full credit, or it can eliminate the malware payload during or after download, also for full credit. What I dont want to see is a verified malicious program downloaded without any interference from the antivirus.

Bitdefender blocks access to nasty URLs below the browser level, so it doesn't have to install a browser extension. It blocked 61% of the dangerous links at the URL level, diverting the browser to a warning page. For another 37%, the real-time antivirus did the job, in most cases identifying the threat before the download even finished.

Bitdefenders total of 98% protection is quite good, though it managed a perfect 100% when last tested. McAfee, Norton, and Sophos Home Premium retain their 100% scores from their latest tests.

Perfect Phishing Detection

The most perfect malware-detection system in the world can't help you if you fall for a phishing scam and give away your precious login credentials. Phishing websites masquerade as banks, online merchants, and even gaming websites, and they do their best to entice you with a perfect replica of the actual login page. When you enter your credentials on the fake page, the fraudsters own your account. They get caught and blacklisted quickly enough, but they just scoop up their winnings and move on.

To test how well a product keeps its users safe from this kind of fraud, I scrape phishing URLs from a variety of reporting sites. For testing I collect both verified phishing frauds and URLs so new that they haven't been analyzed and verified. I run the test simultaneously on the product under testing and on instances of Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, relying on the phishing protection built into the three browsers.

For each suspected fraud, I launch the URL in all four browsers and record the results. If any of the four can't load the URL, I discard it. If the page doesn't actively attempt to capture login credentials for a secure site, I discard it. After checking several hundred possible fraudulent URLs, I run the numbers.

On detecting a phishing page, Bitdefender correctly diverts the browser to a safe warning page, just as it does on detecting a dangerous page. The warning page offers a brief explanation and allows a bold (or foolish) user to ignore the risk and visit the page regardless.

In the current test, Bitdefender detects 100% of the verified frauds, a perfect score. In their own most recent tests, F-Secure, McAfee AntiVirus Plus, and Norton also scored 100%. However, Bitdefender opens the widest lead compared with the built-in browser protection, scoring an average of 31% better.

See How We Test Security Software

What's Not Here

At this point, I've described the entirety of what Bitdefender Free does. The feature list of the full, premium Bitdefender Antivirus goes way beyond this. Please read my review (linked above) for full details on what you get by paying for the full edition. I'll summarize those bonus features here.

The Bitdefender Wallet component is a complete, if basic, password manager. It captures and replays passwords, imports passwords from your browsers, generates strong passwords, and fills Web forms. It doesn't try for advanced features like multi-factor authentication or automatic password updating.

It's Surprisingly Easy to Be More Secure Online It's Surprisingly Easy to Be More Secure Online

Bitdefender SafePay is a hardened separate desktop with a secure browser designed to keep your sensitive online transactions safe. Processes running under SafePay are isolated from processes on the regular desktop. The Wi-Fi Advisor both checks your home network's security and warns when you connect to an insecure network. If the antivirus can't eliminate a particularly nasty malware specimen, you can reboot into the Rescue Environment to handle the threat outside of Windows.

Using the File Shredder you can delete sensitive files permanently, beyond the possibility of forensic recovery. A Search Advisor add-in marks up dangerous websites in search results. And the Vulnerability Scan checks for missing security updates and for weak Windows passwords. The enhanced ransomware protection layer watches for behaviors that suggest ransomware, to protect your important documents. And none of these bonus features are present in the free edition.

The Anti-tracker browser extension aims to keep advertisers, analytics, and all other trackers from snooping on your browsing activity. When you visit a page, its toolbar icon displays the number of trackers blocked. You can click for details, including an estimate of how much blocking the trackers sped up page load time. This, too, isn't in the free edition.

Effective Basic Protection

Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows doesn't have the wealth of features that makes its for-pay sibling almost a suite. It does contain the same basic protection against malware, malicious websites, and fraudulent sites, though it lacks the premium edition's ransomware-specific protective layer. If you want every drop of the famed Bitdefender malware protection, and you can spare the cash, Editors Choice winner Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is worth the cost. But if the budget won't stretch that far, the free edition is still very good.

Avast One Essential extends protection to Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices. It includes a firewall, a bandwidth-limited VPN, and a variety of privacy-protection features. Kaspersky Security Cloud Free also protects devices on all popular platforms. It gets near-perfect scores from the independent labs and comes with suite features that include a free, feature-limited VPN. These two are our Editors' Choice picks for free antivirus utilities. Of course, since they're all free, you can give them both and Bitdefender a try before settling on your favorite.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows 4.0 (Opens in a new window) See It $0.00 at Bitdefender (Opens in a new window) MSRP Free Pros Same core antivirus protection as for-pay Bitdefender

Excellent scores from independent testing labs

Very good scores in our hand-on tests

Includes some features absent in previous free edition

Free View More Cons Lacks ransomware-specific protection

First-time full scan unusually slow The Bottom Line Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows offers the same core antivirus technology found in the commercial Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, focusing on the essential task of antivirus protection with minimal add-ons.
Lenovos Yoga 910 is the Yoga 900 convertible, upgradedand the result is an incredibly well-rounded ultrabook that addresses all of our complaints from the previous version. Thats a rarity in the tech world.

Not only is the new version more powerful than the previous model, it also now has a much longer-lasting battery, a faster SSD, and a gorgeous edge-to-edge display. Its not perfect, of course, but its darn close.

Plenty of Upgrades

The already-capable Yoga 900 got a boost across the board to transform it into the Yoga 910. First and foremost, Lenovo has upgraded the CPU from sixth-generation Intel Skylake chips to the new and improved seventh-generation Kaby Lake platform, which offers a modest performance boost. The Yoga 910 has just one option for the CPU, the Intel Core i7-7500U, which is a dual-core part with hyper-threading, a base clock of 2.7GHz, and a boost clock of 3.5GHz. Its paired with 8GB of DDR4/2133 memory, with the option of 16GB if you buy the most expensive model ($1,649). Yes, you read that right: DDR4 RAM in an ultra-thin laptop. Most Ultrabooks eschew the faster and denser DDR4 for power-sipping LPDDR3, but Lenovo decided to go for the memory-bandwidth brass ring instead.

By the way, there doesnt seem to be an easy way to access this laptops components, so forget about a DIY upgrade.

The Yoga 900s SATA SSD has been replaced with a much speedier PCIe NVMe drive, which addresses one of our gripes from before. In our tests, this Samsung PM951 M.2 drive delivered 1.2GBps sequential read speeds, with oddly low sequential read speeds in the neighborhood of 300MBps (the drive is rated at 560MBps).

Still, its a huge upgrade from the SATA drive used previously. Both the base model were testing and the one above it sport the 256GB drive, while the top-end config features a 1TB SSD.

Another big, welcome change is the practically invisible 6mm bezel around the sides and top. It frames a sharp 13.9-inch 19201080 IPS touchscreen that features accurate and crisp colors. (If you need a higher-resolution screen, you can upgrade from this base model to a more expensive version with a 4K UHD panel.)

Alaina Yee

This gorgeous display is glossy, however, so daytime reflections can be problematic. Its bottom bezel is absolutely massive, too: At over an inch thick, it looks out of place. Worse, because its the only open space on the display, Lenovo put the webcam there as well, making for awkward Skype sessions. (Yes, this is exactly the same design used by the Dell XPS and its Infinity Edge display.) I dont use a webcam much, so I didnt mind the trade-off, but heavy webcam users may find it a difficult design choice to live with.

The last big change from the previous model is a bigger battery. Lenovos replaced the Yoga 900s 66 watt-hour model with a 78WHr unit in the 910. The company says this upgrade increases the battery life during local video playback in the 910 by one hourwhile the Yoga 900 claimed eight hours, the 910 claims nine. However, in our testing, we actually exceeded that figure (more on that below).

The Chassis

Aside from small differences, the overall shape and design of the Yoga hasnt changed. The revamped chassis is actually a tiny bit thinner, shrinking ever so slightly from 0.59 inches to 0.56 inches in the 910. Its depth saw a similar reduction, going down by an scant 0.02 inches. Yet strangely, the overall weight has increased, from 2.86 pounds for the Yoga 900 to 3.04 pounds for the Yoga 910. Thats still not terribly heavy for a convertible ultrabook, and it puts the Yoga 910 on equal footing with the updated and seemingly evenly matched HP Spectre x360.

The Yogas trademark watchband hinge is still in place, looking as dazzling as ever. It allows for full rotation of the display, meaning you can use it as a traditional laptop or tablet, or just prop it up in a tent shape for screen-viewing.

Alaina Yee

The keyboard is easy and comfortable to use, despite its shallow travel, and it has an excellent feel overall. It offers an adjustable backlight with two brightness settings. The trackpad is also perfectly accurate and is one of the best weve used on a laptop from any manufacturer.

Port selection is quite limited due to the laptops thin design. On the right side, you get a headset jack and a lone USB 3.0 port that features always-on charging. Theres also a tiny button that allows you to enter the recovery environment or boot menu. The left side features a USB Type-C port that supports USB 3.0 and video out (DisplayPort natively or HDMI and VGA with a dongle). The power connector is actually a USB 2.0 port, but uses a USB-C connectorand strangely, its the only USB-C port you can use to charge the machine. Unfortunately, to create a more tapered chassis, Lenovo didnt include an SD card reader. And despite its growing adoption, the company didnt include support for Thunderbolt 3.

Performance

Given the nature of convertible ultrabooks, theres not much room to alter the notebooks gutsnor the ability to go off in an unexpected direction with the internal design. So, much of the Yoga 910s competition has extremely similar specs. Its biggest rival, the HP Spectre x360, has an almost identical configuration. The Dell XPS 13 is similarly rigged-out, despite its traditional form factor. The Acer Swift 7 also shares many of the same specs, but uses a lower-end Kaby Lake processor. Asuss Zenbook 3 uses the same Kaby Lake CPU as the Yoga 910. And then theres the Surface Book i7. Its a crowded field, so lets see how the Yoga 910 fared.

PCMark 8 Work Conventional

Given this notebooks design and configuration, itll likely spend much of its life regurgitating spreadsheets and Word docs. We also envision a lot of PowerPoint in its future. To test its chops in this buttoned-down environment, we ran PCMark 8s Work Conventional test, which simulates a typical office workload: word processing, web browsing, video calling, and light spreadsheet editing.

PCWorld

In no surprise, the Yoga 910s score of 3,227 makes it well-equipped for office work. (For context, any machine scoring 2,000 or above will sail along smoothly during these low-intensity tasks.) Among its convertible ultrabook peers, the Yoga 910 finished near the top of the heap, no doubt thanks to its speedy Kaby Lake CPU. Its overall score was 12 percent faster than the Skylake-based Surface Book i7, and 8 percent faster than the Skylake XPS 13the XPS 13s stronger showing is likely due to the more powerful cooling in that laptop.

Against the similarly equipped Zenbook 3, the Yoga 910 tied it exactlytheir matching CPUs might have dictated the outcome. The HP Spectre x360 comes out on top, but its edge falls within the narrow margin of variance when running the benchmark. Overall, the Kaby Lake systems are about 10 percent faster than their Skylake counterparts, which is what Intel promised.

Cinebench R15

Even if a Yoga 910 is business-minded, it may still have to grapple with the occasional brief CPU-heavy task. Accordingly, we fired up Cinebench R15, a 3D rendering benchmark that puts intense stress on the CPU for a few minutes. Its a demanding test for any processor and scales well, too.

PCWorld

Once again, the Kaby Lake U processors are an average of 9 percent faster than their Skylake predecessors. The Yoga 910 is the fastest ultrabook weve tested thus far. Its lead on the new MacBook Pro 13 and its Skylake CPU was even wider than the average of 10 percentin this test, the super-slim Yoga 910 was 15 percent faster. Surprisingly, it was also nine percent faster than the HP Spectre x360, despite the fact that the HP has the same CPU as the Yoga.

Handbrake

For ultrabooks, this CPU benchmark is more of a torture test than anything else: Using Handbrake to convert a 30GB MKV file into a smaller MP4 using the Android Tablet preset hammers hard on a processor. Handbrake will eat up as many CPU cores as it can while it encodes. You cant get much more real-world than with this test.

PCWorld

Impressively, Yoga 910 still streaks by most other ultrabooks. A few systems were faster, but by such small margins that its like a three-way tie. As expected, Skylake machines like the previous-generation Dell XPS 13 ran about nine percent slower than the Yoga 910.

3DMark Cloud Gate

We know that an ultrabooks gaming chops are as thin as its chassis, but some people play very basic games on them anyway. Because the Yoga 910 is a Kaby Lake system, it rocks Intels new HD 620 graphics, which has the same specs as its predecessor, the Intel HD 520. However, given the overall improvements to the processor, its reasonable to assume the Yoga 910 will show a modest boost in gaming performance.

PCWorld

3DMarks Cloud Gate benchmark is a lower-resolution test that runs at 720p and is designed for low-power notebooks. Compared to the 2016 Skylake Dell XPS 13, which runs Intels HD 520 graphics, the Yoga 910 was 16 percent faster overall. Thats about what we expected. The Yoga 910 was also 28 percent faster than the Broadwell Spectre x360s older HD 5500 chip. Of course, were examining this within a very narrow contextthis doesnt mean the Yoga 910 is a fast chip. Its still integrated graphics running on a 15W CPU. Still, it does appear to be moderately faster than the HD 520 in Skylake processors.

Battery Life

Given the Yoga 910s size, this ultrabooks 78WHr battery is impressively large. More impressive is how it performed in our 4K video playback test, in which we run down a fully charged battery by playing a 4K UHD file on loop in Windows 10s native Movies & TV app with sound on. Lenovo claims a battery life of nine hours for video playback, but that estimate is likely for the configuration sporting a 4K UHD (38402160) screen. On this 19201080 base model, we got a fantastic 11 hours and six minutes.

PCWorld

That performance places the Yoga 910 in the top tier of our battery tests. Its no match for the ridiculous 13 hoursfrom the Surface Book i7, but remember it has two batteries, making it a bit of an outlier. Back in the single-battery world of most laptops, the Yoga 910 hews closely to the HP Spectre x360 and the Dell XPS 13, which were all around 11 hours as well. This is a superb result, as it exceeds what we would consider all day.

Conclusion

The move to Kaby Lake certainly has boosted performance, but the Yoga 910 has a lot more going for it than just the latest CPU. Any company can shoehorn a new CPU into a chassis. The Yoga 910 is a seriously improved laptop over the 900 in all the ways that countits easily one of the best convertible notebooks available. Even if you never bend it into other shapes, its still a fantastic ultraportable. It has class-leading battery life, a gorgeous display with a mostly razor-thin bezel, and excellent performance. And at $1,049, its also less expensive than its competition. Sure, the webcams placement isnt ideal, and its slim stature means youre short on ports, but those are trade-offs we can live with, given the Yoga 910s otherwise stellar attributes.
The company behind Ashley Madison, the adultery enabling website, has agreed to pay a $1.6 million settlement related to a major data breach last year that exposed account details of 36 million users.

Ashley Madisons operator, Toronto-based Ruby, is making the settlement for failing to protect the account information and for creating fake user profiles to lure in prospective customers, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday.

In July 2015, a hacking group called Impact Team managed to steal the account details and then post them online a month later  potentially damaging the reputation of the customers using the adultery website.

The FTC alleges the Ashley Madison site suffered from lax security, allowing hackers to break in several times between Nov. 2014 and June 2015. The service also retained personal information of users who had paid $19 to delete their data from the site, the FTC said.

The agency also found that Ashley Madison had managed to attract customers, including 19 million from the U.S., partly through fake profiles of women designed to entice them into becoming paying members.

U.S. investigators initially wanted Ruby to pay $17.5 million in the settlement, but the remaining amount was suspended based on the companys inability to pay, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement.

As part of Wednesdays settlement, Ruby is required to institute a comprehensive data security program to protect customers information. It must also undergo third-party audits to check for compliance.

Half of the $1.6 million will go the FTC, with the remainder paid to state authorities involved in the investigation.

Todays settlement closes an important chapter on the companys past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity, Ruby said in a statement.

However, as part of the settlement, Ruby neither admits nor denies the allegations made by the FTC in its investigation.

Earlier this year, privacy officials in Canada and Australia also found that the Ashley Madison website was using deceptive practices to attract customers. This includes marketing itself with a phony security award.

Ruby, formerly known as Avid Life Media, has apologized for the data breach and is attempting to revamp its operations with better security measures. The Ashley Madison site continues to operate and claims to have 50 million members.
OSLO - Icelandic President Gudni Johannesson has urged all parties with representatives in parliament to form a new government following the failure of three successive party leaders to do so, Icelandic media reported on Tuesday.

After Pirate Party leader Birgitta Jonsdottir returned the mandate to form a government on Monday, Johannesson sent out a statement saying he had decided not to give any party leader a new mandate, according to online magazine Iceland Review.

"Instead, I encouraged them to consult among themselves and explore ... which options still remain open in forming a government, which will enjoy majority support in Althingi (parliament), or can at least survive a vote of no confidence," Johannesson said.

The pressing tasks awaiting solution in the parliament also demanded good cooperation and unity, he added.

"I told them I anticipated news this week on that subject," Johannesson said.

Icelandic media reported on Monday that Jonsdottir had failed to form a new government as informal coalition talks between the country's five opposition parties fell through.

After a two-hour meeting on Monday noon between the leaders of the Pirate Party, the Left-Green Movement, the Vidreisn (Revival) party, the Bright Future and the Social Democratic Alliance, it became clear that an agreement on a five-party coalition would not be reached and formal talks would not be launched.

Birgitta explained that the parties had disagreed too strongly on certain issues for a compromise to be achieved, especially in terms of fisheries.

She was the third party representative after Independence Party chairman Bjarni Benediktsson and Left-Green Movement leader Katrin Jakobsdottir to receive a mandate.

All three have failed to form a majority coalition following the parliamentary election on Oct. 29.

The Independence Party, one of the two current ruling parties, won 21 out of the 63 seats in the new parliament after winning 29 percent of the ballots.

However, the centrist Progressive Party, the other ruling party, finished fourth with only eight seats, 11 fewer than what it had gained in the last parliamentary election in 2013.

The Left-Green Movement gained 10 seats with 15.9 percent of votes, while the Pirate Party, which had taken the lead in many pre-election polls over the months, also won 10 seats with 14.5 percent.

The Vidreisn party, the Bright Future and the Social Democratic Alliance also crossed the electoral threshold with seven, four and three seats respectively.
A San Bernardino man who robbed several banks and residents in Moreno Valley pleaded guilty Tuesday, Dec. 13, to felony charges.

Jeffrey Tuli, 33, was arrested in July following a joint investigation by the Riverside County Sheriffs Department and the FBI.

The prosecution and defense announced that a plea agreement had been negotiated, just ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for Tuesday to determine whether Tuli should stand trial.

Under the deal, which a judge has yet to certify, Tuli admitted five counts of armed robbery. In exchange for his admissions, the Riverside County District Attorneys Office agreed to drop charges against the defendant of attempted robbery, burglary, grand theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Judge Irma Asberry scheduled a sentencing hearing for Jan. 10 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

According to sheriffs Sgt. Aaron Kent, Tuli was identified as the perpetrator in a robbery series that began on July 12, when he held up a bank in the 14000 block of Moreno Beach Drive.

Tuli threatened a teller with a pistol, demanding and receiving an undisclosed amount of cash before fleeing the location, Kent said.

The ex-con robbed another bank in the 25000 block of Iris Avenue two days later, using the same method.

On the afternoon of July 20, Tuli confronted two people in the parking lot of a business in the 24000 block of Alessandro Boulevard, leveling a handgun at the victims and ordering them to hand over all their cash and personal belongings, which they did.

Less than an hour later, Tuli held up a merchant in the 12000 block of Perris Boulevard, swiping a number of items while holding the victim at gunpoint, Kent said.

With the help of FBI agents, sheriffs detectives were able to identify Tuli, who was taken into custody without incident in Riverside on the afternoon of July 21.

The defendant is also under investigation for robberies in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, including a June 24 armed robbery at a Hometown Buffet restaurant in Loma Linda. He was arrested in that case in August.
A Corona runaway teen landed in Juvenile Hall after police learned hed brought a gun onto a high school campus while visiting friends, investigators say.

The incident happened after school hours Monday, Dec. 12, at Santiago High School, 1395 E. Foothill Parkway.

A school resource officer spotted the sophomore and met with him to see what prompted the boy to run away and to arrange for him to return home, police officials said in a written statement.

During the conversation, the student admitted to having an unloaded firearm in a backpack for personal protection and (said), at no time, were there any intentions to harm himself or anyone at Santiago, according to the statement.

The boy was visiting the campus to speak with friends and reassure them of his safety, police said. He was booked into Juvenile Hall for investigation of posessing a firearm on campus.

Police say they confirmed his claim that he obtained the gun by disabling the lock on a safe where the gun had been stored. He concealed the damage, investigators wrote, so that his parents wouldnt be aware that the gun was missing.

Anyone with additional information may call School Resource Officer John Lopez at 951-739-5600.
The holiday season is the time for traditions, and Saturday the San Bernardino Symphony will celebrate one of its own  the annual Home for the Holidays concert at the California Theatre of the Performing Arts.

Were featuring music that reflects the overall season, the sense of peace and brotherhood that all of the holiday celebrations manifest, conductor Frank Paul Fetta said in a recent interview. No other piece embodies these ideas more than the final movement of Beethovens Symphony No. 9, the choral movement we know as Ode to Joy.

Symphony No. 9 was Beethovens final complete symphony, and the words in the final movement are from Friedrich Schillers poem Ode to Joy. At the concert, the final movement will be sung by the San Bernardino Choral Union from Cal State San Bernardino and the Los Robles Master Chorale.

Also on the program are segments of Peter Tchaikovskys The Nutcracker, a symphonic work written for a two-act ballet in 1892. Among its many uses is Disneys 1940 classicFantasia.

Well offer a wonderful symphonic version of Irving Berlins White Christmas, Fetta said of the song made famous in 1942 when it was recorded by Bing Crosby and featured in the film of the same name. Fetta noted that it reminisces about an old-fashioned holiday.

Jeffrey Biegels Hanukah Fantasy also will be on the program for both the orchestra and the chorus. The work incorporates Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages), I Have a Little Dreidel, Yerushalayim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold) and Hanukkah, O Hanukkah.

Fetta said that other selections include Leroy Andersons Christmas Fantasy and that the concert will conclude with the song Let There Be Peace on Earth.

This is a very nifty, family-oriented Christmas program, said Anne Viricel, executive director of the orchestra.

Members of the Inland Valley Repertory Theatre will present a Meet the Composers preconcert talk in the main hall, bringing at least two of the programs composers back to life for the evening. Upstairs in the California Room, young people will be able to decorate holiday cookies, which they can eat or take home and hang from the tree, Viricel said. Throughout the hall and in the foyer, strolling carolers will entertain guests as they arrive.

All of the preconcert activities are included with admission and are open to all.

We hope our audience will be warmed and inspired by what we offer at this concert, Fetta said. We hope they will take the messages laid down in our music and find ways to fold them into their lives. Its a complete holiday experience with world-class performances.

Contact the writer: features@pressenterprise.com
Correction: A previous version of this story contained incorrect information. Daniel Landrys sentence of 70 years to life was for a third-strike conviction of being a prisoner in possession of a knife.

The California Supreme Court on Monday, Dec. 12, unanimously denied the automatic appeal of a man sentenced to death by a San Bernardino County judge.

Daniel Landry, now 48, stabbed inmate Daniel Addis to death at the California Institution for Men in Chino on Aug. 3, 1997. A judge, acting on the recommendation of the jury that convicted Landry, sentenced him to death on Sept. 11, 2001.

Landry, who was 29 at the time of the stabbing, was serving a sentence of 70 years to life for a third-strike offense: being a prisoner in possession of a knife, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton said. He had previous convictions for attacking a prison guard and committing burglary. Addis, 26, was in prison for receiving stolen property in San Bernardino County.

Landry and Addis were in segregated housing reserved for inmates with safety or management concerns. Addis was placed in that housing for his own safety after he disclosed that he had stolen tobacco from an inmate who was a gang member  the same gang to which Landry belonged, according to the Supreme Court ruling.

Although Addis was separated from those gang members inside, they used the same recreation yard.

On the day Addis was killed, he was playing pinochle at a table in the yard. Landry came up behind Addis and sliced his jugular.

During the penalty phase, the defense said mitigating factors included the introduction of inadmissible evidence, improper instructions by the judge to the jury, inadequate mental health care for Landry in prison and physical, sexual, and mental abuse as a child and the long-term consequences of those experiences, including post-traumatic stress disorder, multiple suicide attempts, schizoid personality disorder and bipolar disorder.

Landrys parents fought constantly over what his father considered his wifes deficiencies as a wife and mother, according to court testimony. When Gary Landry learned that Linda Landry was having affairs with women, he painted bad wife and bad mother on the walls of their residence. Linda drew graphic pictures of women having sex with each other on the walls above Landrys crib, according to testimony.

Contact the writer: brokos@scng.com or 951-368-9569
Nathaniel Rudd didnt know he was going to be a dad until the mother of a woman hed dated months before  nine months, to be exact  called him from the hospital.

The next day, Rudd, 31, drove from his home in Twentynine Palms to hold baby Peter for the first time.

He learned from a social worker that Peters mother wouldnt be able to take him home. So Rudd immediately began petitioning for custody.

Before taking a mandatory drug test, he explained that he used cannabis, with a doctors recommendation, to treat pain from a car accident hed been in years earlier. The drug test came back inconclusive, since he hadnt medicated in several days, but when he went to court a few days later he learned the damage had been done.

They told me I was cognitively unable to care for my child because of medical marijuana use, Rudd said.

Peter was placed in foster care in September 2015. Rudd is still fighting to bring his boy home.

Rudd and his new fiancee are among hundreds of families who are estimated to be facing custody issues in California over medical marijuana use. But they all got a glimmer of hope Nov. 8, when voters approved Proposition 64.

Along with legalizing recreational marijuana, Prop. 64 adds some protections for medical marijuana patients. Among them: California courts can no longer rescind or restrict a parents custodial rights solely because they have recommendations for medical marijuana. State officials say thats really nothing new, insisting they remove children or restrict custody only if theres a clear threat or evidence of harm as a result of marijuana use.

With any drug, there must be a nexus between drug activity or inactivity that directly threatens the safety of the child, said Michael Weston, spokesman for the California Department of Social Services.

Does the child have access to the drugs? Is the parent incapacitated to the point where they cant properly care for the child?

Rudd disagrees, saying hes been denied custody of Peter strictly based on his status as a medical marijuana patient. Family law attorneys and marijuana rights advocates say claims like Rudds arent rare. They cite numerous examples of guardians whove lost custody of their kids even though they were never charged with any crime and when children exhibited zero signs of mistreatment.

The problem is that there is no real way for parents to protect themselves, said Rachel Beth Wissner, an outreach associate with Massachusetts-based Family Law & Cannabis Alliance.

(Parents) can act completely legally under the law  even be more careful, diligent and safe than the laws require  and they can still find themselves at the mercy of child protection services and the courts solely for marijuana.

One key is that social workers and family law judges have a broad discretion in how they handle these cases.

Some still treat marijuana more like heroin than prescription drugs or alcohol, viewing any use of cannabis  including medicinal  as a reason to remove a child from a home.

And even for family law workers who want to give medical marijuana patients the benefit of the doubt, custody cases are almost never clear-cut, sometimes forcing tough calls between the desire to keep families together and the mandate to keep kids safe.

Use vs. abuse

Its standard practice when reviewing child welfare cases to make sure parents are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol while caring for their kids, said family law attorney Robert Curtis, who has an office in Beverly Hills.

Parenting is the same as driving, Curtis said. You cant be impaired no matter what the source is.

Marijuana use complicates that idea.

Curtis believes some parents with health problems do a better job of caring for their kids if theyre properly using medicine to treat those conditions.

We want people who need medication to take it, he said. But we (also) need to make sure they are alert and able to properly care for their children.

Its unclear exactly how many parents have lost custody of their kids, or had custody restricted, because of cannabis use. But Wissner says parents who want legal help to fight custody cases contact her organization every day.

Medical marijuana use has become a wedge issue in child custody disputes between parents. And its sometimes cited as a reason why anonymous tipsters call social services to come out and check on the welfare of children.

Such a tip is what led social workers in 2011 to the home of a Southern California man known in court records only as Paul M., whose story offers a glimpse into how California courts are shifting their view on medical weed.

Paul M. used medical marijuana, legally, to treat arthritis and knee pain. But a court ordered him to undergo drug testing and drug abuse treatment and take parenting classes in order to maintain custody of his then-infant son, Drake.

Court records noted that the father didnt use cannabis around Drake, kept it locked in a box and had help caring for his son when he was medicated. The court also noted that the baby showed no signs of abuse or neglect.

Describing the court-imposed requirements as an abuse of discretion, the California Court of Appeals overturned that decision in 2012. The judges noted in their ruling that county social workers failed to show  any link between fathers usage of medical marijuana and any risk of serious physical harm or illness to Drake.

In Rudds case, he says there was never an opportunity for him to demonstrate his care for Peter, or for authorities to observe any signs of substance abuse. There was only his own acknowledgment that he was a medical marijuana patient.

He also pointed out that he had been dosing with marijuana heavy in CBD (the compound in marijuana thought to have the most medical benefits) but with almost no THC (the main compound that makes consumers high).

Family court records are private, and county social workers said they cant discuss individual clients such as Rudd.

Though Rudd insists he wasnt impaired by this treatment and didnt plan to ever use cannabis around his son, he volunteered to quit using medical marijuana entirely and submit to regular drug testing.

Still, to date, hes been unable to gain custody of Peter.

Prop. 64 impact?

Its been only a month since voters approved Prop. 64, and Dale Gieringer  who hears from affected patients in his role as director of the California chapter of the advocacy group NORML  said its too soon to know whether the measure will impact child custody cases for medical marijuana patients.

He hasnt yet heard from anyone whos cited Prop. 64 during a hearing. Neither has Curtis, the Beverly Hills attorney.

Curtis and other lawyers dont think many cases will be affected by the new law. Most social workers and judges, they said, already view marijuana use as one issue to be weighed in context with others, not as the only reason for breaking up a family.

Prop. 64 will likely have a limited effect because its restricted to medical patients and continues to allow state-legal medical marijuana use to be a factor in determining custody decisions  just not the sole one, Wissner said.

Its often hard to nail down that custody decisions were tied solely to medical marijuana use, Gieringer said. And, due to the discretion case workers have, he said policies arent applied consistently across the state.

It undoubtedly varies from county to county, he said, noting that pot-friendly regions like his own Alameda County are more accommodating to parents who are patients.

So while Prop. 64 may not have much effect on the way custody cases are handled in some California counties, it spells out in state law for the first time that there must be justification beyond someones status as a medical marijuana patient in order for authorities to limit parental rights.

Time will tell how this plays out in the courts, Wissner said. It is certainly better than the complete lack of protections that existed before.

Rudd hopes so. As stigma surrounding the plant declines, Rudd wants family law authorities to treat cannabis like they treat other legal but mind-altering substances.

There are parents that have a glass a wine at dinner and theyre good parents. There are other parents who are alcoholics and cant control the problem, Rudd said.

The same is true with marijuana. If theres a problem, its with the parents, not the substance.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7963 or bstaggs@ocregister.comTwitter: @JournoBrooke
The death of an inmate earlier this week at San Bernardino Countys West Valley Detention Center marked the ninth at the Rancho Cucamonga jail in the past year, a sheriffs spokeswoman said Tuesday.

All of the deaths were related to inmate medical issues, sheriffs spokeswoman Jodi Miller said.

To date, nine medical related deaths per year is below average for correction facilities of similar size and function, Miller said. She said there also was one medically related inmate death this year at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.

Shaun Greene, 39, of Glendora, lost consciousness and slipped out of his wheelchair while eating lunch in the medical housing unit at West Valley shortly after noon Sunday. He was taken to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fontana, where he died an hour later, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department.

Although Greenes cause of death has yet to be determined and an autopsy and toxicology are pending, the death appears related to medical issues, Miller said.

There is nothing to suggest anything other than it was a medical, Miller said Tuesday in an e-mail. She said the law precluded her from disclosing Greenes medical conditions.

Greene, who was arrested by Fontana police Dec. 4 on suspicion of assault with a firearm, terrorist threats, and being under the influence of a controlled substance, suffered several pre-existing medical conditions. He was first taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton for two days to be examined by doctors due to his medical conditions, then booked into the jails medical housing unit Dec. 6, Miller said.

He was being monitored, seeing medical staff, and receiving treatment for his known medical conditions while in custody, Miller said.

Greenes death reignited concerns over the quality of medical, mental health and dental treatment inmates are receiving at the jail.

In February, the Berkeley-based prisoner advocacy legal center Prison Law Office filed a class action lawsuit against San Bernardino County on behalf of two inmates, George Topete and Zachery Shovey, alleging treatment for the roughly 6,000 inmates at West Valley and the countys three other jails is so deficient that it is harming the people it aims to serve.

The other three jails include the Central Detention Center, the Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center in Devore, and the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto.

The federal lawsuit was refiled Nov. 18 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, dropping Topete and Shovey as the plaintiffs and adding four new ones: Rahshun Turner, Monique Lewis, Jaime Jaramillo and Joshua Mills. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 23, when the judge will rule on a motion requesting class-action certification, said Donald Specter, an attorney and director of the Prison Law Office.

Topete and Shovey were dropped from the lawsuit because they are no longer in custody, Specter said Tuesday.

In its answer to the allegations filed Dec. 5 in federal court, the county denied all the allegations, and stated it is implementing a kiosk system in the jails that will permit inmates to request health services directly and electronically.

Specter said he will be meeting with sheriffs officials next week to continue talks about improving inmate conditions at county jails, conditions that have prompted more than six federal lawsuits. The talks have spanned two years. And while some progress has been made and the county has been cooperative, Specter said things have progressed too slowly.

Im very frustrated with the pace of negotiations, Specter said.

Regarding the recent death of Greene and the eight other medically related, in-custody deaths at the jail this year, Specter said he didnt have enough information to comment.

Its worth looking into, certainly, he said.

Sheriff John McMahon has stood by the treatment inmates receive at the jails, calling it high quality and blaming prison realignment for the issues regarding inmate housing and care. It has forced the county to pour millions of dollars into security upgrades and additional law enforcement, medical and mental health staff.

Miller said there is a comprehensive review done of each in-custody death to ensure policy and procedures were followed.

Since realignment, inmates remain in county jail for longer period of times, Miller said, adding that inmates are now older and serving longer stints in jail. Some are ill or chronically ill.

Prior to realignment, inmates were spending an average of one year in the custody of county jail, she said.

San Bernardino County is not the first to be sued by the Prison Law Office due to its jail conditions. It has also sued Fresno and Riverside counties in the past five years with similar allegations. Those cases have since been settled.

In Riverside County, four people have died in Sheriffs Department custody in 2016, Assistant Sheriff Jerry Gutierrez said. The coroner has determined causes of death in two of the cases. Both causes were natural, Gutierrez said.

There were 11 in-custody deaths in 2015: five accidental (such as ingesting drugs to hide them), two suicides, two homicides and two natural, Gutierrez said. Medically related deaths would fit into the natural category, he said.

The Riverside County Sheriffs Department began having doctors or nurses perform medical screenings about 2015 and is now beginning mental health screenings, Gutierrez said. There are also signs at the jails that warn inmates about the dangers of ingesting drugs.

Staff writer Brian Rokos contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: jnelson@scng.com@SBCountyNow on Twitter
Joshua Tree National Park, the nations 15th largest, is poised to grow by more than 20,000 acres early next year.

After a lengthy study and environmental assessment, the National Park Service recommends adding more than 20,000 acres of federal, state and private lands to the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park.

The majority of the land  all of it in Riverside County  is in the Colorado Desert, a low elevation and area too hot with too little rain for the parks iconic plant, the Joshua tree.

This land, which includes the Eagle Mountain and Chuckwalla Valley areas, is of vital importance for the bighorn sheep and desert tortoise populations, a National Park Service statement said.

The area also includes prehistoric and historic resources that expand on the national parks cultural themes and contains areas important for maintaining Joshua Trees wilderness values, the statement said.

The earliest this addition to Joshua Tree National Park could occur is in late February, said David Smith, park superintendent.

Originally, the land was included in the creation of Joshua Tree National Monument by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936, but removed for mineral extraction activities in 1950.

During its mining heyday, iron ore was sent by train from the Eagle Mountain area to the Kaiser Fontana steel mill, where much of the finished product traveled by rail to shipbuilding activities in the Port of Long Beach, Smith said.

Major mining activities ceased in the area in 1983, the Park Service said in a statement.

In 1989, the area was proposed for a landfill. After decades of litigation, the landfill proposal was withdrawn in 2012.

The Park Service and federal Bureau of Land Management, which now administers most of the land, will evaluate public comments on the proposed transfer of the land from the bureau to the Park Service.

If the Department of the Interior determines that it is appropriate to proceed with the transfer, then it will authorize the publication of a public land order in the Federal Register.

A public hearing to discuss these proposed actions will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 18 on the UC Riverside Palm Desert campus, Smith said.

Adding this land to Joshua Tree National Park also could be accomplished through congressional action, Smith said.

Contact the writer: jsteinberg@scng.comTwitter: @JamesDSteinberg
Santas sleigh is nice, but it couldnt fit the more than 1,000 children who boarded the BNSF Santa Claus Express over three days in San Bernardino, Fullerton and Victorville.

The kids not only received presents and refreshments about the vintage rail cars but also got to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

BNSF employees volunteer their time to host the children.

Children were selected for the free rides by organizations such as the United Way, Scottish Rite, Ronald McDonald House, Childrens Hospital Orange County and Giving Children Hope.

At BNSF, we move goods across the country every day, but it is a true honor for our company and our employee volunteers to operate the Santa Claus Express for such special guests, said Mark Kirschinger, general manager for BNSFs California Division, in a news release. We truly enjoy seeing the kids excitement as Santa and Mrs. Claus come through the trains with gifts and treats.

The train departed from San Bernardinos Old Santa Fe Depot on Saturday, from Fullerton on Sunday and from the Amtrak platform in Victorville on Monday. Arrowhead United Way brought more than 200 children from local nonprofits to ride the train.

Arrowhead United Way helps coordinate this program to bring together our partner agencies and give the children they serve the ability to forget their problems and just be normal kids for a few hours, said Edwina Barger, program coordinator, in a news release. For many of them, this is their first train ride, and they feel special when they meet Santa and his elves.

Contact the writer: rhagen@scng.comTwitter: @rmhagen
Ghana's private pension funds made up of Asset Under Management and the Temporary Pension Fund Account rose to GHS 4.7 billion as at close of 2015, representing 3.3 percent of the countrys GDP, data from the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) has shown.



The 2015 total private pension fund grew by more than 480 percent of the amount recorded in 2012, when it was GHS 805 million  about 1 percent of the countrys GDP.



Speaking on how to best utilise these funds, David Ofosu-Dorte, a Senior Partner at AB and David law firm, the funds accrued by the privately managed schemes should be used to finance high yielding long-term projects like infrastructure.



Funds collected under Tier-2 and Tier-3 schemes in last three years is quite impressive and we need to find something to do with it, Mr. Ofosu-Dorte said, adding that we could use it to finance some of our long-term projects rather than going for loans abroad.



Non-compliance



Despite the growth in the pension funds, the NPRA said out of 91,321 private employers, 51,466, about 56 percent were active under the SSNIT scheme. Out of the active establishments registered, only 10,610 are active under Tier-2 pension scheme with as many as 40,856 employers without the mandatory Tier-2 schemes.



The failure of the private firms to pay workers contribution to the Tier-2 schemes, to many shows the ineffectiveness of the new pension scheme as it has created a potentially explosive situation as many workers near retirement in the midst of shaky pension funds.



The current three-tier pension system, enacted into law in 2008, demands employers to register their staff under a first-tier basic pension scheme managed by SSNIT and a second-tier work-based scheme that is privately managed and is expected to give contributors higher lump sum benefits than presently available under the SSNIT or Cap 30 pension schemes. The third-tier is voluntary and includes provident funds and personal pension schemes.



The reforms, which ended the monopoly of SNNIT, were hailed as a major step toward improving the retirement conditions of workers through competition that will maximise the returns earned on pension investments.



It is projected that the reforms will grow the assets of the pension industry from GHS 1.06billion to GHS 5.5billion over the next three years.



The new pension law, the National Pensions Act 2008 (Act 766), requires an additional contribution rate of 1percent to be shared equally between the employer and employee. The employer pays 13percent (instead of the current 12.5percent) and the worker now pays 5.5percent (instead of the current 5percent) making a total contribution of 18.5percent (instead of the current 17.5 percent).



Currently, the NPRA approve, regulate and monitor Trustees, Pension Fund Managers, Custodians and other institutions relating to pension matters. It also advises government on the overall policy on pension matters in Ghana.

Source: thebftonline.com









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The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has recorded massive shoot-up in tax mobilisation through the deployment of Total Revenue Integrated Processing System (TRIPS).



The GRA said many companies now use TRIPS to automate the processes for assessing, filing and payment of various domestic tax forms such as Income Tax, PAYE, VAT, Withholding Tax, Gift Tax, etc.



TRIPS, which was developed by the Ghana Community Network Services Limited (GCNet) is a computer software for managing databases for controlling and administering revenue as well as tax payment processing.



The Domestic Tax Revenue Division (DTRD) of the (GRA) has expressed confidence in the software saying it had optimized tax collection.



A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency said the DTRD through the software had made more than ten billion Ghana cedis in tax collection.



The development, according to the statement, was revealed at the one-day briefing and training on the TRIPS organised by the GCNet and GRA for officials of the Tax and Customs Divisions in Accra.



The GRA said it would continue to introduce mechanisms to encourage companies to enrol with the software so as to ensure viability of tax system in the country.

As part these efforts, the company has partnered the GCNet to introduce a competition and awards scheme geared to boost the full migration of all taxpayers onto Total Revenue Integrated Processing System (TRIPS) in order to create a uniform platform.



The scheme seeks to award GHC 25,000 every quarter to the winning implementing tax office.



This is expected to encourage offices to accelerate the migration process, amidst the realisation that the introduction of the software has marked a major milestone in the history of the Domestic Tax Revenue Division (DTRD) of GRA, the statement said.



Mr Kwasi Gyimah, the Commissioner of the DTRD, lauded the GCNet for partnering with the Revenue Authority to introduce the awards scheme saying it would trigger competition among companies whilst encouraging hard work and good ethics.



Mr Alwin Hoegerle, the General Manager of the GCNet, said the partnership with the (DTRD) of the GRA aligned with the core mandate of the organisation to improve revenue mobilisation through the deployment of efficient ICT enabled systems to significantly contribute to national development.



The organisations commitment is not only to build capacity and provide logistics support but also to ensure the speedy migration of the TRIPS in all tax offices across the nation to guarantee faster processing of tax returns and revenue mobilization.





Source: GNA/The Chronicle









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The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has called on President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to collaborate with it to enhance the socio-economic development of the country.



In a congratulatory message issued yesterday and signed by its General Secretary, Alpha Abdullah Shaban, GUTA explained that it is our fervent hope that he will always remember the private sector as the engine of growth of every economy and work in close collaboration with us to create an enabling business environment for the country.



GUTA expressed the belief that a fruitful collaboration between the president-elect and businesses would help enhance the private sector.



It said, We cannot help but express our profound admiration for the high-level of maturity, coupled with the patience, tolerance, perseverance and the exemplary leadership quality he exhibited before and during his electioneering campaign that won him the landslide victory over other contestants.



TUC Ready For Partnership



Meanwhile, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has indicated that its looking forward to partnering Mr. Addo to rebuild the collapsed economy.



TUC, in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Yaw Baah said, We congratulate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP on their electoral victory.



The TUC and Organised Labour stand ready to work with the new administration to ensure that the economy of Ghana continues on a path of growth and that the interests of workers and their families are fully promoted, the statement said.

Source: Daily Guide









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Hoegh LNG signed on 1 December 2016 an FSRU contract with Quantum Power Ghana Gas Limited ("Quantum Power") for the Tema LNG import terminal located close to Accra in Ghana ("Tema LNG Project"). The Tema LNG Project is supported by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Ghana's national oil and gas company.



The contract is for a period of 20 years with a five year extension option for charterer and is expected to generate an average annual EBITDA of around USD 36 million. The contract is subject to Quantum Power obtaining necessary governmental approvals, financial close and both parties' board approval. The infrastructure construction for the project is planned to start mid 2017 and expected delivery time for the FSRU is 6 - 12 months following commencement of the construction work. The FSRU will be provided from Hoegh LNG's portfolio of FSRUs, including units under construction, the planned conversion FSRU or planned newbuilding orders.



Hoegh LNG's President and Chief Executive Officer, Sveinung J. S. Sthle, said in a comment: "We are delighted to have been awarded the contract with Quantum Power for their new LNG import terminal in Ghana, and look forward to completing the project together with our client. Our modern FSRU solutions offer our client the quickest, most cost efficient and flexible way of importing LNG. With this contract we have full contract coverage for our FSRU fleet."



Quantum Power's CEO, Matty Vengerik, said in a statement "We are delighted to partner with Hoegh LNG to deploy this cost-efficient and clean fuel supply infrastructure solution to Ghana. This is the first such project to be implemented in sub-Saharan Africa. Hoegh LNG's FSRU solution is a key service component of the natural gas delivery chain that will enable the execution of the Tema LNG Project as well as supplying the growing demand of natural gas in the Tema region and beyond. We expect the LNG import terminal to transform the reliability and competitiveness of the power generation and natural gas markets in Ghana and are looking forward to a long term relationship with Hoegh LNG."























Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Jon Benjamin, has paid a courtesy call on the President-elect of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, to present to him the official response of the British government to his recent election.



Benjamin congratulated the 72 year old through a statement after his election, but called on him personally today to present a letter from the British PM to be handed to Nana Addo.



The leader of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Nana won the just ended election in a near landslide, beating the incumbent John Dramani Mahama by close to 10 percentage points, with his party also winning 170 seats in Ghanas 275 seat legislature. (four constituencies outstanding).

Akufo-Addo takes over on the 7th of January, 2016.















Source: ghanacelebrities.com









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President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will today Wednesday 14 December visit Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, for the first time after his electoral victory.



Mr Akufo-Addo is due to meet the Asanteman Council and some traders at the Kumasi Central Market afterwards.



Residents of Kumasi have called on him to be a unifier and also fulfil the campaign promises he made to the people of Ghana.



Mr Akufo-Addo was declared by Ghanas Electoral Commission as the president-elect after polling 53.85 per cent of valid votes cast in the December 7 polls.



He beat his closest contender, incumbent John Dramani Mahama, who got 44.40 per cent, and five other candidates.















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The Presidential candidate of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom has congratulated the New Patriotic Partys (NPP) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for winning the 2016 presidential election" based on results available to him.



In a Facebook post Thursday morning, Dr Nduom conceded defeated by posting The wind of change has blown in his favour. The NPP worked hard for this victory. I accept the decision of the people on behalf of the PPP.



He further urged Ghanaians to work hard to make the country great and strong and the people prosperous. In another post, Dr Nduom expressed appreciation to Ghanaians for their support.



Thank you for the positive reception, encouragement and support given to me, Papa Kwesi Nduom and PPP Parliamentary Candidates countrywide. We are grateful and humbled by all of this.



Below is Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom's thank you note



Thank you for the positive reception, encouragement and support given to me, Papa Kwesi Nduom and PPP Parliamentary Candidates countrywide. We are grateful and humbled by all of this.



Together, we will make our country Ghana, great and strong and all of our people prosperous through experienced, united, inclusive, practical and Incorruptible leadership.



We will unite the nation to gain the lasting peace that will enable massive, accelerated development in all the ten regions.



All Ghanaian children will get quality education that is free, continuous and compulsory. We will defeat corruption. We will vote for our district, municipal and metropolitan chief executives and all assembly members. We will have an independent prosecutor's office to fight corruption, waste of our hard earned taxpayers money and bribery.



Working together, we will create millions of jobs through a determined rice revolution, development of a petrochemicals industry in the Western Region, gold refineries and factories to process our cashew, maize, fruits yam, cocoa, cassava and others through strategic interventions. With my practical experience creating thousands of jobs spread through all districts, I assure you that under my leadership, we can do this.



I ask you, humbly, to trust your heart, have courage, have faith and vote for hope today for PAPA KWESI NDUOM, NUMBER 4 on the ballot in the kente cloth with the bright red sun.



I wish you good health, God's bountiful GRACE and prosperity. God bless our nation Ghana.



Thank you!









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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SPEECH DELIVERED BY NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2016, AFTER THE DECLARATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.



Ladies and gentlemen of the media, fellow Ghanaians,



A few minutes ago, at 7:51pm precisely, the President of the Republic and the NDC presidential candidate, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, called me on the phone to congratulate me on my victory in the presidential election of 7th December 2016. He wished me the best of luck and Gods blessings, and assured me of his full co-operation in organizing the transition from his administration to mine.



I thanked him for this graceful gesture, which is in the finest traditions of Ghanaian statesmanship and, on my part, assured him of my cooperation for a successful transition. I also thanked him for his service to our nation and said that I felt sure that his contribution to the welfare of our Republic was by no means over. I have also received words of congratulation from my other competitors, Mr. Ivor Greenstreet, our former 1st Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, Dr. Edward Mahama, and Mr. Jacob Osei Yeboah. I am grateful to them.



The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei, who is the returning officer for presidential elections, in fulfilment of her constitutional obligations, has tonight, at 8:54pm, declared me the winner of the 2016 presidential election, with 5,716,026 votes, representing 53.85% of the valid votes cast. I am grateful to her for the announcement and her words of congratulation.



I thank Almighty God for His grace and favour in granting victory to the NPP and myself in this election. As His Word says in the Book of Holy Scripture in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 verse 11, He has made everything beautiful in its time.



There has never been a more humbling moment in my life, and I thank you, the good people of Ghana, for this massive show of support and the confidence you have reposed in me and my party. I make this solemn pledge to you today  I will not let you down and will do all in my power to live up to your hopes and expectations. You are to be commended for the mature, peaceful and orderly manner in which you, once again, exercised your democratic franchise. The democratic credentials of our nation have been further enhanced by your conduct.



The Electoral Commission, under its new leadership, with Charlotte Osei in the Chair, is to be congratulated for organising this credible election. She and the Commission have allayed the fears of many about their capacity to conduct a good election. This election has contributed to strengthening the principles of democratic accountability in our body politic and the Commission will take a considerable part of the credit for that welcome outcome.



Our security services are to be commended for ensuring a generally peaceful conduct of the poll, and doing so in a professional manner. That is what the nation expects of them.



To members and sympathisers of the great Elephant family, to our illustrious former President of the Republic, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, to our founding members, leading figures, members of Party organs, parliamentary candidates and Members of Parliament, current and past national officers, regional, constituency, electoral area and polling station executives, thousands and thousands of volunteers, polling station agents, Kufuor-era appointees, campaign officials and staff, so ably led by Campaign Manager Peter Mac Manu, and to my running mate, the next Vice President of the Republic, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and his dynamic wife, Samira, I say a big thank you to each and every one of you for your hardwork, commitment and encouragement, and for your belief in me and in my leadership of our party over the last 8 years. Whilst this occasion would understandably lead to widespread jubilation amongst party supporters, I entreat them to respect the peace and the property and lives of everybody, especially those of our political opponents. We are the party of the rule of law, and we should act accordingly with magnanimity in our moment of victory.



To the senior citizens of our country who have given me invaluable advice over the years, amongst them, the former President of the Republic, His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, His Excellency Kofi Annan, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, the former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. J.B. Danquah, the Chairman of the NPPs National Council of Elders, the veteran statesman, C.K. Tedam, and Captain Kojo Tsikata, erstwhile PNDC member responsible for National Security, I thank you for your counsel and for sharing your wisdom with me, and hope I can continue to count on you during the challenging period ahead of me.



To the numerous priests and imams who have prayed for my soul and who have taken the trouble to intercede with the Almighty on my behalf, amongst them, Cardinal Emeritus Peter Akwasi Sarpong, Rt. Rev. Asante Antwi, Most. Rev. Dr. Justice Akrofi, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Martey, Apostle Opoku Nyinah, Bishop Yinka Sarfo, Pastor Mensa Otabil, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, Venerable Hansen Addy, Venerable Joseph Lamptey, Canon Noah Mensah, Canon Antonio Nelson, Rev. Dr. Jonathan Ayittey-Mensah, Very Reverend Emmanuel Kwabena Aryee, the Chief Imam, His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, the Ashanti Region Chief Imam, Sheikh Abdul Mumin Haroun, Rev. Anthony Kwadwo Boakye, Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah, Rev. Ebenezer Adarkwa Yiadom, Rev. Kofi Amponsah and Prophet Gideon Danso, I am deeply grateful for your spiritual solidarity of which I shall avail myself continuously, now and in the future.



I take this opportunity to thank you, members of the Ghanaian media, for your continuing engagement in the public interest of our country. Your vigilance and activism are now by-words in the consistent efforts our people are making to carve a secure, democratic future for themselves. Senior journalists like Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, Gina Blay, Egbert Faibille, Ebo Quansah, Ken Kuranchi, Kwami Sefa Kayi, Samuel Atta Mensah and Kwabena Kwakye, amongst others, have set admirable standards of professionalism and ethical conduct which should guide the younger generation.



I want to thank the various observer missions who have assisted us to ensure a credible process for our election. I thank the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), under the chairmanship of the venerable former Supreme Court judge, Justice V.C.R.A.C Crabbe, for their important work, and that of the observer mission of our regional body, ECOWAS, led by the distinguished Liberian statesman, Dr. Amos Sawyerr, the observer mission of our continental body, the AU, led by the respected former President of the Republic of Namibia, His Excellency Hifikepunye Pohamba, and the observer mission of the Commonwealth led by the eminent African, the former President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Thabo Mbeki, as well as the strong observer mission from our friends of the European Union, and the National Democratic Institute of the United States of America, led by the former U.S Assistant Secretary of State, the well-known diplomat, Ambassador Johnnie Carson. They have assured us of the great importance the international community attaches to the growth of Ghanaian democracy.



And to my beautiful wife, my beloved Rebecca, who waged such a great campaign in her own right, my daughters, Gyankroma, Valerie, Dokua, my sister Marigold, my brother Edward, and my entire family, I, firstly, must apologise for taking you on this rollercoaster ride. I am, however, very grateful for the love and support you have given me, and for standing shoulder to shoulder with me through the years till now. Long may it so continue.



Let me pause to remember colleagues who fell in the course of our campaign  Adams Mahama, Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, J.B Danquah Adu, Peter Wiafe Peprah, Abubakar Saddique, Kwabena Boadu, and others. May their souls continue to rest in perfect peace in the bosom of the Almighty until the last day of the Resurrection when we shall all meet again. Amen.



Fellow Ghanaians, you have not elected me to serve one party, but to serve the entire nation. The President of Ghana is President for every single Ghanaian, without discrimination, malice or ill-will to any ethnic group or political or religious affiliation. Whether you supported me or not, whether you campaigned for me or not, whether you voted for me or not, I can promise you one thing. I will do my best to serve your interests, and put our country back on the path of progress and prosperity. God did not put us on this rich land, a land blessed with an abundance of human and natural resources, to be poor.



I am confident, and I have faith that, with God's guidance and your active help and hardwork, we will move our country forward. Together, we will change Ghana, and use all the blessings that the Almighty has bestowed on us to bring prosperity to our people and nation in our time. Together, we will fulfil the destiny of Ghana, the destiny of freedom, justice and prosperity that the ancestors and founders of our nation defined for us.



God bless our homeland Ghana, and make our nation great and strong.



The battle is still the Lords.



Onyankopon nhyira mu nyinaa



Ny??m? aj?? ny? f??



Mawu n? yira mi



Allah i saa muku Albarka



Thank you.

video below:-

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The President-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo, has told chiefs in the Greater Accra region not to hesitate in correcting him if he goes wrong while governing the country. He also said he will need their advice in order to succeed while occupying the highest office of the land. Akufo-Addo made this known on Tuesday when he paid a courtesy call on the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs.

In such an important job as this, I would need the advice of eminent persons like you. You are the traditional rulers of the Ga State. If I do something which is not in order, please do not hesitate to point it out to me. My doors are always open to you. I want all of you to help me so we can do a good job for all Ghanaians, he added. He also called on the chiefs to rally behind him and guide him. - It will be recalled that, prior to his campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region, Nana Akufo-Addo called on the Greater Accra House of Chiefs to elicit support for his candidature.

The elections have been conducted and, as you know, I emerged victorious. So, I thought it proper to come here again and thank you for your support and for the words of encouragement you offered me. I am truly grateful, he said. I thank the people of the Greater Accra Region for taking the message of the NPP to heart and for voting massively for the NPP. Before the election, we (the NPP) had 14 seats. We now have 21 seats, and I also had 52% of the popular vote in Greater Accra. So as we speak now, the NPP is the majority party in the Greater Accra Region.

I thank you and the people of Greater Accra for this massive show of support. Ill fulfill my promises The president-elect also assured to fulfill all the promises he made to Ghanaians prior to his election. All the things I said I was going to do for the region in my campaign, I will fulfill it. They were not just campaign or platform talk. Amongst them include the construction of a harbour at Jamestown and landing sites at Teshie. We want Ghana to move forward. Kwame Nkrumah referred to us as the Black Star of Africa.

The Black Star has to shine for everybody to make it in our country. On his part, Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, the President of the Greater Accra House of Chiefs, thanked Nana Akufo-Addo for the respect and honour shown to the House by his visit. You called on us before the election, and you have called on us again after your victory. This shows us that you hold us in high esteem and we thank you for that.

Whatever we can do to help your Presidency succeed, we will do it. Ghana must succeed, so we can create a bright future for our children, he added.

Source: citifmonline.com









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Multiple New Patriotic Party sources have told Citi News that Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye, a former Member of Parliament for the Dome-Kwabenya constituency, may become the speaker of Ghanas next Parliament.

Under Ghanas Constitution and the rules of Parliament, for a candidate to emerge as Speaker, he or she must have been elected by members of the House or persons who are qualified to be elected as a member of Parliament.

Ghanas amended presidential transition act also requires that the new speaker should be elected 24 hours before the inauguration of a new president after national elections. NPP insiders, both in Parliament and the party say there is a firm degree of certainty has been established around the idea of Prof. Oquaye as the countrys next speaker and that he is upbeat about accepting the role. Speaking on Eyewitness News, journalist, Paul Adom Otchere welcomed the news. I think its welcoming news for Prof. Mike Oquaye to be the next Speaker of Parliament. All over the world, the work of Speaker of Parliament goes to experienced people. The job of speaker is not for young people.

I think all over the world that role is settled for people who have had significant experience in life, their career, and a general background that allow them to ascend to such a place because you are going to be overseeing a lot of people and you have to be a father to all of them and you are going to be walking through legislature and all of that,he noted. Transition processes are currently underway to enable Akufo-Addo, who defeated incumbent President John Mahama in last Wednesdays polls, take charge of administration of Ghana for the next four years starting January 7, 2017. Prof. Oquayes political life Mike Oquaye served as the Second Deputy Speaker of Ghanas Parliament between 2009 and 2013.

He also was Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya constituency, a strong hold of the NPP, from 2005 to 2013. From 2001 to 2004, Oquaye served as Ghanas High Commissioner to India. In February 2005 he became Minister of Energy, and later he was moved to the post of Minister of Communications. Mike Oquaye is a professor of Political science at the University of Ghana, (Legon), and was previously the Head of the Department of Political Science and member of the Universitys Academic Board, the highest authority at the level of the faculties.

He received his Ph.D from School of Oriental and African Studies in London, as well as winning the Rockefeller Senior Scholar Award in 1993 and the Senior Fulbright Scholar Award in 1997.

Source: Citi News









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ROGUE ONE: A Star Wars Story



SYNOPSIS: Jyn Erso, a Rebellion soldier and criminal, is about to experience her biggest challenge yet when Mon Mothma sets her out on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. With help from the Rebels, a master swordsman, and non-allied forces, Jyn will be in for something bigger than she thinks.

Stars: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk

Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi



ASSASSINS CREED



SYNOPSIS: When Callum Lynch explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar and gains the skills of a Master Assassin, he discovers he is a descendant of the secret Assassins society.

Stars: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons

Action, Adventure, Fantasy



OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY



SYNOPSIS: When his uptight CEO Sister threatens to shut down his branch, the branch manager throws an epic Christmas party in order to land a big client and save the day, but the party gets way out of hand...

Stars: Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, T.J. Miller

COMEDY



XMas Movie Gift Vouchers

Silverbird Cinemas currently have gift vouchers at a discount just for the festive season. Gift vouchers for various packages.



*Movie Only



*Movie + Popcorn



*Movie + Popcorn + Drink



Walk into any our locations (Accra Mall & West Hills Mall), Buy Xmas Movie Vouchers and be the reason for someones happiness this festive season



There will be a pre-screening show for ROGUE ONE: A Star Wars Story on Thursday the 15th of December and Assassins Creed premieres on the 23rd of December.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Shatta Wale, Joey B, Guru and Okyeame Kwame are set to perform on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) at the official Christmas Party, Decemba 2 Rememba 2016.



The event, organized by 97.3 Citi FM will also have highly sought musical sensations Article Wan of Solo fame, Nii Funny of Broken Heart/Yoko Breaki me fame and the Grind boys, DJ Vision and A.I.



Characteristic of Decemba 2 Rememba, there will be other surprise acts on the night and rib-cracking moments with Hogan, the comedian.



Shatta Wale has promised to deliver his best show yet, as his Christmas present to Ghanaians. Hes expected to set the stage on fire, along with the other artistes to usher Ghana into Christmas in style.



Regular tickets are pegged at GHS80, with VIP tickets going for GHS150.



#D2R2016 is powered by 97.3 Citi FM and sponsored by TOTAL CARD  Total Savings, Total Benefits, BAYPORT  Your future now, KIT KAT  Have a break, have a KitKat, HUNTERS  Refreshes like nothing on earth.



Tickets will be available soon in selected Total Service Stations and at the front desk of Citi FM, Adabraka.



The official dress code for #D2R2016 is white top and jeans.

















Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Rodrigo Duterte, the unbelievably controversial president of the Philippines who has waged open war on the countrys drug dealers in a conflict that has left almost 6,000 people dead, has admitted to personally killing people himself while mayor of Davao City.

Speaking to a business forum in the presidential palace, Duterte said that when he was mayor of the southern Philippines city, he would personally hunt down drug dealers on his motorcycle to show local police that they too could do it.

In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the [policemen] that if I can do it, why cant you? he said. I go around in Davao (on) a big bike and I would just patrol the streets and looking for trouble. I was really looking for an encounter to kill.

He also admitted to abusing the drug fentanyl in the past  an opioid generally used by cancer patients  which is somewhat ironic considering how drug abusers are generally not exempt from the wrath and violence he directs at dealers.

Dutertes justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre? downplayed his boss remarks about killing, saying that they were likely either forced or exaggerated.

Rafendi Djamin?, Amnesty Internationals Director for South East Asia and the Pacific, said that the comments merely furthered the current violent climate in the country. By boasting about the blood on his own hands, President Duterte will further embolden police and vigilantes to blatantly violate laws and carry out more extrajudicial executions without fear of being held to account, she said.

Donald Trump has praised Dutertes drug crackdown, and invited him to the White House next year.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald.

Photo: Getty Images.
Sam Armytage has reportedly served Daily Mail Australia with papers threatening a defamation lawsuit over their horrendously inappropriate article about her underwear.

Armytage has been at the centre of a huge media storm this week because of the article, which was built around a range of paparazzi photos of the presenter just living her normal day-to-day life in Sydney.

The articles original headline, which is still cached by Google, states Sunrise host Sam Armytage dares to bare with granny panties showing a visible line as she steps out in Sydney.

Now it has a very different headline, and this apology down the bottom of the story:

An earlier version of this story contained critical statements regarding Samantha Armytages appearance. While the story has since been amended, we apologise for any distress caused to Ms Armytage or readers more generally.

However, Armytage demands more; not just a small apology from the media outlet at the bottom of the story.

The Daily Tele reports exclusively that the threat to sue will be mitigated if the Daily Mail immediately take(s) down and not republish the article, and if Armytage receives a joint apology from both the outlet AND the author of the article, Max Margan.

Her terms must be met by 5pm today, and the three-page smackdown of a letter delivered to the Daily Mail from Channel 7s legal counsel Addisons reads,

Ms Armytage is at a loss to understand the reasons why Daily Mail Australia has chosen to publish this article, which represents a gross invasion of her privacy. Ms Armytage accepts that she is a public figure and it follow that she is subjected to a great deal of media attention, including by way of rumour and innuendo, such as the misinformation as to whom she is dating which is also referred to in the article. [But Armytage] retains a reasonable expectation that intimate, private information which is not known by and is of no interest to any other person would not be the subject of media exposure and comment.

The letter states that Daily Mail had an unhealthy interest in not only the reporting (of our client) but now seems determined to humiliate and shame her in the most base and personal way.

The publication of the article constitutes an indefensible breach of privacy which a court is likely to recognise and in relation to which it would order compensation be paid to Armytage for the hurt, distress and humiliation which the publication has caused.

Partner at Addisons law firm Justine Munsie argues that the views stated in the letter [are] widely shared.

Hell yeah, they are.

Well update this story as more information arises.

Source: Daily Telegraph.

Photo: Ausforums.
CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses domestic violence. If this topic could cause you distress in any way, we advise caution in continuing. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or family violence, please contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732. If you are in immediate danger, or require emergency assistance, dial 000.

Proceedings had been close to being resolved and settled, however according to the Daily Mail, Depp has reneged on the payout at the 11th hour, citing an essay on domestic violence penned by Heard in recent days as evidence of a breach of terms.

Heard penned an open letter in the December issue of fashion magazine Porter, covering issues of domestic violence survivors and female empowerment. Whilst the detailing of her own personal experiences were vague and did not specifically mention Depp by name at any point, Depps legal team still feels this is a violation of the confidentiality agreement which is part of the proposed divorce settlement.

Conversely Heards legal team has reportedly filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court urging the judge to enforce the terms of the settlement on Depp, alleging that he has already failed to pay Heard agreed-upon sums of money, has failed to transfer the title of a Range Rover, and has failed to meet with Heard to discuss the division of furnishings jointly purchased during their relationship.

Amber Heard has previously confirmed the $6.8million settlement sum would be donated in its entirety to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

A few weeks ago Heard spoke with womens photography collective GirlGaze on the issue of domestic violence, urging the broader culture to take responsibility for erasing the scourge of domestic violence, noting that its the only way people will feel comfortable coming forward, raising their voices.

Heard filed for divorce from Depp on May 23rd of this year, stating that Depp had been verbally and physically abusive of her throughout the course of their relationship. She filed for a restraining order against Depp five days later.

Source: Daily Mail.

Photo: C Flanigan/Getty.
As the NBN continues to roll out across the country, knowing which properties do or do not have access to the service is becoming an increasingly important question, particularly if youre moving house.

Surprisingly, the only way to find out if a property has it is by visiting the NBN co website, which just becomes another tedious process in the already shitty task of finding somewhere to live. Luckily, Aussie legend Ben Jennings has come to save us all. Bless you, Ben.

He created a Chrome plugin called nbnm8, which essentially adds an indicator to real estate listings that shows whether the property has the NBN, saving you the hassle of searching it.

We had a chat to Ben about the clever plugin and why he decided to make such a rad little utility. He says its a result of our piss-poor internet standing compared to the rest of the world, combined with his own love of tinkering.

Living in San Francisco for the past 2 years has made me lament how poor the internet quality is in Australia, he told PEDESTRIAN.TV.

A decent internet connection is becoming more and more of a requirement, whether it be for business or leisure. It makes sense that I would want to know if I can get it before I buy a home or commit to a lease. All of this information is already available to people, I just made it easier to get.

A designer that works mainly for tech startups, Ben has also created an incredible app that I personally urge you all to download.

I enjoy tinkering with software in my spare time, mainly under the heading of small and/or stupid ideas, he said. The last thing I worked on in this vein was Melbourne Tram Simulator 2016. nbnm8 is arguably a bit more useful.

Dont take my word for it, though, just look at this glowing customer review by user insertrandomchars.

Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding, he said.

Photo: nbnm8.com.
Mideast Syria

This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen marching through the streets of east Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (SANA via AP)

BEIRUT (AP) -- Syrian rebels reached a cease-fire deal to evacuate from eastern Aleppo in an effective surrender on Tuesday, as Russia declared all military action had stopped and the Syrian government had assumed control of the former rebel enclave.

The dramatic developments, which appeared to restore the remainder of what was once Syria's largest city to President Bashar Assad's forces after months of heavy fighting and a crippling siege, followed reports of mass killings by government forces closing in on the final few blocks still held by the rebels.

Damascus confirmed the evacuation deal and the U.N. envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, called for immediate access to the former rebel enclave to confirm the end of military operations and to oversee the safe departure of tens of thousands of civilians and opposition fighters. He was at the Security Council where an emergency meeting for Aleppo was underway.

Russia's U.N. ambassador Vitaly Churkin took to the floor near the end of the session at the U.N. Security Council to announce fighting had ended.

"According to the latest information that we received ... military actions in eastern Aleppo are over," Churkin said. "The Syrian government has re-established control over eastern Aleppo."

Minutes earlier, he had announced that "all militants" and members of their families, as well as those wounded in the fighting, were being evacuated through "agreed corridors in directions that they have chosen voluntarily," including the rebel stronghold of Idlib province.

As word spread of the deal, celebrations broke out in the government-controlled western sector of Aleppo, with convoys of cars driving around honking their cars and waving Syrian flags from the windows.

Retaking Aleppo, which has been split between rebel and government control since 2012, would be Assad's biggest victory yet in the civil war. Aleppo, the country's former commercial powerhouse, has long been regarded as a major gateway between Turkey and Syria and the biggest prize in the conflict.

The agreement Tuesday came after world leaders and aid agencies issued dramatic appeals on behalf of trapped residents, and the U.N. human rights office said that pro-government forces reportedly killed 82 civilians as they closed in on the last remaining rebel areas.

That and other reports of mass killings, which could not be independently confirmed, reinforced fears of atrocities in the final hours of the battle for the city.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the emergency meeting he had received "credible reports" of civilians killed by intense bombing and summary executions by pro-government forces.

"To the Assad regime, Russia and Iran --three member states behind the conquest of and carnage in Aleppo -- you bear responsibility for these atrocities," said U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power.

Several residents and opposition activists told the AP that government forces carried out summary killings of rebels in neighborhoods captured on Monday, but the Syrian military denied the claim, saying such allegations were "a desperate attempt" to gain international sympathy.

None of the residents witnessed the alleged killings, and the reports came amid deepening chaos in the remaining rebel-held areas. Mohammed Abu Rajab, the administrator of the last remaining clinic in rebel-held parts of the city, said the dead and wounded were being left in the streets.

Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syria's ambassador to the United Nations, denied any mass executions or revenge attacks, but added it was Syria's "constitutional right" to go after "terrorists," a reference to all opposition fighters.

"Aleppo has been liberated from terrorists and those who toyed with terrorism," he said. "Aleppo has returned to the nation."

The U.N. children's agency said in a statement that it had received a report of more than 100 unaccompanied children trapped in a building under fire in eastern Aleppo. UNICEF is concerned over reports of "extrajudicial killings of civilians, including children," said the agency's regional director, Geert Cappalaere.

The U.N. human rights office said it had received reports of pro-government forces killing at least 82 civilians in four neighborhoods of the rapidly-shrinking rebel enclave, including 11 women and 13 children.

Spokesman Rupert Colville, speaking to reporters in Geneva, said the reports described pro-government forces entering homes and killing civilians "on the spot."

A news release by the U.N. human rights office in Geneva said that multiple sources reported dozens of civilians were shot dead Monday by government forces and allied militiamen in the Kallaseh and Bustan al-Qasr neighborhoods of eastern Aleppo.

Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said hundreds of bodies were still under the rubble.

There were conflicting reports about the timing and route of the rebel withdrawal.

Syria's military media said the gunmen would be evacuated through the Ramouseh crossing and from there to rebel-controlled areas of northern Idlib province.

"Aleppo will be declared a secure and liberated city within the coming hours," it said on its Telegram channel.

Osama Abu Zayd, a Turkey-based legal adviser for an umbrella group of rebel factions known as the Free Syrian Army, said the cease-fire went into effect Tuesday evening and that the first groups of rebel fighters would begin evacuating later that day.

Yasser al-Youssef, a rebel spokesman, confirmed the deal, and another spokesman, Ahmed Karali, said those leaving the city would head to rural areas in western Aleppo province then head north.

A government win in Aleppo would significantly strengthen Assad's hand but does not end the conflict -- significant parts of Syria are still outside government control and huge swaths of the country are a devastated wasteland. More than a quarter of a million people have been killed since the conflict began in 2011 with peaceful protests against the Assad family's four-decade rule.
NORRISTOWN -- "Defend that, Mr.Cosby."

That, Cosby's attorney, Brian McMonagle, argued, is what prosecutors are saying by asking the court to allow the testimony into the current case of 13 other women who also have accused Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them -- some as long ago as the 1960s.

"Where were you in the early 1970s, Mr. Cosby? Try to defend that," McMonagle said.

Tuesday was the second day of pre-trial hearings for Cosby, who is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

An essential element to this case, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele is arguing, is the 13 other women who say Cosby did the same thing to them.

"In all 14 instances -- Andrea and the 13 others -- we are putting forward are so related that the proof of one tends to establish the proof of another," Steele told the judge on Wednesday.

Because of the "remarkable similiarities" between their accusations and Constand's case, Steele is arguing, the court should allow him to bring in these 13 other women to show two things -- there is a pattern to Cosby's actions and, because of this pattern, there is no way Cosby could have mistakenly believed that they had given him consent for sex while they were incapacitated by drugs.

In each situation, Steele argued, Cosby sought out a younger woman and acted as a mentor and a friend, and he used his fame and status to instill trust.

In each instance, Steele said, Cosby used that trust to get them alone and encouraged them to take pills or drinks with something in them, which ended up incapacitating the women so he could sexually assault them.

Though some of these incidents occurred with a great period of time between them, Steele said, there is enough of a pattern to show these are not remote or random acts.

"This is a lifetime of sexual assaults on young women," Steele said.

But McMonagle argued otherwise and went as far to say that this case has nothing to do with Andrea Constand, who settled her civil case with Cosby 11 years ago.

It may have to do more with the other accusers, he argued.

"This case was a way to try to vindicate what I would say to you is nothing more than bandaged, bandwagon claims that were put together in Pandora's box," McMonagle said. "When you look inside, what do you find? Ancient, remote and uncorroborated claims."

He said these claims were put together after Cosby's deposition in Constand's civil case was unsealed, by "someone who decided to bang a drum and destroy an American citizen."

McMonagle was likely referring to California attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing some of the 13 accusers.

Steele on Tuesday discussed many of the stories of the 13 accusers, but McMonagle worked to counter them by pointing out how long ago some are said to have occurred and some of their vagaries.

"Number four happened sometime in 1976," McMonalge said. "Good God, I had hair and was a junior in high school. And it happened at a hotel that doesn't exist anymore."

He went on.

"It happened sometime in 1982, at some house owned by somebody." "It happened sometime in 1986." "It happened somewhere in California." "It happened sometime in the 1960s."

"That was 40 years ago," McMonagle told the judge. "How do you defend that?"

McMonagle will resume his argument this afternoon.
NORRISTOWN - The second day of pre-trial hearings for Bill Cosby will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Norristown.

Cosby is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

Today's hearing will focus on whether or not Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele will be permitted to include the testimony of 13 other women, who also accused Cosby of similar acts over the course of decades, in his upcoming trial.

Check with PennLive later today for updates.
A counselor at a drug treatment facility is accused of sexually assaulting a male client there.

State police said Shannon Albert Sease, 41, of Hummelstown, was accused of sexually assaulting a 26-year-old male client in October at Conewago Place Drug Treatment Facility.

The victim accused Sease of telling him he fantasized about having sex in the counselor's office, court records state.

The victim told state police he went into the counselor's office one night and performed oral sex on the counselor, records say. The victim said he refused to do it a second time, as he said the counselor requested.

"He said he feels like the defendant preyed on him," state police said.

The victim came to the facility in October, and told state police he is addicted to cocaine and sex, records state.

State police said Conewago Place is a private facility in Conewago Township that contracts with the state Department of Corrections.

Sease was charged Wednesday with institutional sexual assault and forcible involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. He was arraigned and released on $10,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 20.

He was immediately terminated from his job at Conewago Place, said a spokeswoman there.

UPDATE: Information was added on Sease's employment status.
harrah's

Harrah's Philadelphia Casino

(file)

A Pennsylvania man who was cleared of charges that he used counterfeit cash at a Philadelphia-area casino can't sue the casino or state police over his arrest, a federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday.



The state trooper who arrested Vincent Damico of Norristown had probable cause to do so, even though it was based on a bum steer from a U.S. Secret Service website, The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit concluded.



Officials at Harrah's Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack didn't do anything to merit being sued, either, the court found in an opinion by Judge Joseph A. Greenaway Jr.



According to Greenaway, Damico and his wife, Victoria Goscicki, were confronted by security while gambling at the Chester County casino on the night of Nov. 4, 2012. They were accused of using counterfeit $100 bills based on the observations of casino staff who believed their money looked suspicious.



When Trooper Ryan Buch arrived to investigate, he checked the couple's bill through the U.S. Secret Service US Dollar Note website. "Each of the bills was identified on the website as 'known counterfeits,' " Greenaway wrote.



Damico and Goscicki were arrested on forgery charges, and state police sent the bills to the Secret Service for further examination. Fifteen days later, the Secret Service determined all of the bills were genuine. The charges against the couple were withdrawn.



Damico appealed to the Third Circuit court after U.S. Eastern District Judge Gerald J. Pappert dismissed his suit against the casino, Buch, state police and the state Gaming Board. Pappert found that Buch and the state agencies were immune from the suit and that the acts of the Harrah's officials provided no grounds for a lawsuit.



Greenaway agreed that not only is Buch immune from the suit, he also had grounds to arrest Damico and Goscinski based on the initial, though faulty, info from the Secret Service website. "Even though the bills turned out not to be counterfeit, Buch had good reason to believe they were at the time," he wrote.



There is no evidence Harrah's officials forced police to arrest the couple, Greenaway found. "Additionally," he wrote, "there is no evidence suggesting that Harrah's behaved in any way other than that of an ordinary business employing its own security guards."
A New York man was arrested for spray-painting anti-Trump graffiti on the side of a grocery store in Chestnut Hill the day after Thanksgiving.

Evan Brown, 33, was charged with possession of an instrument of crime and criminal mischief Tuesday by Philadelphia police, Philly.com reports. He was accused of spray-painting "F-Trump" on the side of a Fresh Market store.

Police released surveillance footage that shows a man spray- painting the graffiti, while a man identified as Duncan Lloyd, 32, of Chestnut Hill, who is an assistant city solicitor, with him and recording the act on video.

Philly.com said Lloyd is not being charged and will keep his city job, but must complete 40 hours of community service.
man-shot-in-face-outside-PA-strip-club.jpg

In an apparent botched robbery early Tuesday, a 28-year-old man who just left a Philadelphia strip club with his friend was shot in the face.

(screen shot/6ABC)

In an apparent botched robbery early Tuesday, a 28-year-old man who just left a Philadelphia strip club with his friend was shot in the face. But in a surprise, one of the victims also was armed and fought back.

According to 6ABC, the violent incident happened around 4:15 a.m. Tuesday outside the Jungle Gentleman's Club on the 3700 block of Germantown Avenue in Philly.

As two men were getting into their car outside the club, a gunman walked up and demanded cash and valuables. But before the victims could react, the gunman fired and the passenger getting into the vehicle was shot in the face, 6ABC reports.

Meanwhile, the 33-year-old driver was armed and returned fire at the suspect. In all, about 8 shots were exchanged. But it is not clear is the suspect was wounded - or whether the driver had a permit to carry the weapon.

The driver then rushed his friend to Temple University Hospital, where the shooting victim was listed in serious condition.

Now, Philadelphia police are attempting to track down the suspect by checking surveillance video from cameras in the area. However, the gunman remains at large.

Read more Pa. buzz:
SHAMOKIN DAM -- Expect loud noises Thursday in part of Snyder County when the venting begins of a 34.4-mile natural gas pipeline that passes through five counties.

The source of the noise will be near the Hummel Station power plant that is under construction in Shamokin Dam, said Kenneth Robinson, spokesman for UGI Energy Services.

The venting is part of the process that involves purging the air from the 20-inch pipeline and replacing it with natural gas, he said.

Community leaders, emergency responders and property owners have been advised by letter of the activity and UGI recommends low-flying aircraft avoid the venting area, he said.

UGI will use a masking odorant to reduce the odor of natural gas and it will maintain a perimeter to prevent any opening burning, he said.

Venting will continue until 100 percent natural gas is detected for five minutes, Robinson said. The gas will be "packed" into the line until it reaches 1,100 pounds per square inch, he said.

The purging process is expected to be completed Thursday but could continue into Friday morning, he said.

While the pipeline is complete, work continues on three metering stations and land restoration, he said.

There was controversy over the pipeline earlier this year when several property owners fought the use of condemnation by UGI to obtain easements after negotiations failed.

U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann in June ruled UGI had the right under the Natural Gas Act to use condemnation. He also found the size of the easements was not excessive taking.

Approximately 80 percent of the gas in the pipeline that passes through parts of Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Union and Snyder counties will go to the generating plant Panda Power Funds is converting from coal to gas.

The Dallas, Texas, company is building the 1,124 megawatt plant on the site of a 65-year-old, 400 megawatt coal-powered plant that Sunbury Generation closed in 2014.

Construction is about 32 percent complete with all the turbines and generators set on foundations, Panda spokesman Bill Pentak said.

The PPL interconnection is complete, construction of the administration/warehouse building has started and work on the cooling tower is progressing, he said.

The project is on schedule with commissioning activities expected to begin in the second quarter of next year and the plant operational in early 2018, he said.
PA-boy-8-calls-911-for-mom-stoned-on-drugs.jpg

Kirsten E. Gaal, 29, of Easton, Pa., was described by police as having an unsteady gait, slurring her speech and acting very lethargic when police arrived, prompted by a highly unusual 911 call placed by the woman's 8-year-old son.

(via LehighValleyLive.com)

A mother in eastern Pennsylvania was described by police as having an unsteady gait, slurring her speech and acting very lethargic when police arrived, prompted by a highly unusual 911 call placed by the woman's 8-year-old son.

According to our sister website, LehighValleyLive.com, the mother, Kirsten E. Gaal, 29, of Easton, Pa., admitted to police that her son dialed 911 because she fell out of a chair, after taking a dose of the sedative Klonopin that was not prescribed to her.

Police officers who responded to the incident last month determined the mother was intoxicated to the point she was incapable of caring for the boy and a second child, age 6.

At the time, she was taken for medical attention.

Now, come the legal consequences.

According to the news website, police on Monday filed two counts of endangering the welfare of children and one count of false identification to police for allegedly giving two different spellings of her last name.

Gaal posted bond on the charges, but now needs Northampton County approval in order to have any contact with her children following her arrest.

Read more Pa. buzz:
PA-woman-who-killed-husband-with-rat-poison-walks-free-joann-curley.jpg

Eventually, Joann Curley admitted that she began lacing her husband's tea with rat poison, beginning the slow process of killing him just two months after their August 1990 wedding. Now, the Pa. killer is walking free.

(screen shot/WNEP)

Eventually, Joann Curley admitted that she began lacing her husband's tea with rat poison, beginning the slow process of killing him just two months after their August 1990 wedding, according to the Times Leader and WNEP-TV.

Robert Curley of Wilkes-Barre died in September 1991, but it took another five years for law enforcement to piece together the case.

Robert Curley of Wilkes-Barre died in September 1991, but it took another five years for law enforcement to piece together the case.

In the end, it came down to the dead man's hair and fingernails - where chemical evidence of Joann Curley's systematic rat poisoning was stored.

Ultimately, JoAnn Curley pleaded guilty in 1997 to third-degree murder - some six years after the crime.

She was sentenced to 25 years in state prison. But just seconds after midnight Monday, JoAnn Curley, now 53, was released from the State Correctional Institute at Cambridge Springs, near Erie, after serving 20 years, WNEP and the Times Leader report.

Joann Curley now at 53

According to the media reports, JoAnn Curley has since returned to Luzerne County to begin the next chapter of her life.

WNEP quoted long-time Citizens' Voice reporter Carol Crane, who covered the case, as saying of Curley: "She never shed a tear."

Read more Pa. buzz:
u.s. courthouse

The U.S. Courthouse in Harrisburg

(Matt Miller, PennLive)

His second federal child pornography conviction in 29 years could send a Cumberland County man to prison for the rest of his life.

John A. Driscoll, 60, of Mechanicsburg, pleaded guilty before U.S. Middle District Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson on Tuesday to a charge of receiving child porn. U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler noted that Driscoll also was convicted of sending and receiving child porn in 1987.

This time around, investigators found thousands of images and movies involving child porn in Driscoll's possession, Brandler said. He said that because he is a repeat offender, Driscoll could be sentenced to up to 40 years in prison and fined $250,000.

Driscoll's latest arrest resulted from a probe by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the state attorney general's office.
One book is about an "amiable scoundrel." Another is more interesting than its title: "As the Paint Dries." Yet another pits fashion over fads.

The last four years have seen the release of a number of books on Harrisburg-area history and personalities that play on these themes and more.

Here are brief reviews of five of those books, which range from profiles of local organizations to scholarly studies:

'Amiable Scoundrel: Simon Cameron, Lincoln's Scandalous Secretary of War'

By Paul Kahan, Potomac Books/University of Nebraska Press, 2016

Simon Cameron of Harrisburg - banker, railroad magnate, U.S. senator and President Abraham Lincoln's first secretary of war - has long borne criticism as one of the most corrupt politicians in 19th-century America. Kahan's biography challenges that simplistic depiction.

Sure, Cameron partook of patronage, but so did pretty much every other politician of his era.

Cameron was an expert operator who built a Republican political machine in Pennsylvania that lasted 50 years after his death in 1889. In a recent talk at the Historical Society of Dauphin County, Kahan said the Harrisburg resident was the shrewdest American politician of his generation.

Kahan also shows Cameron's evolving view on race and slavery. Early in his political career, Cameron merely opposed the spread of slavery but not the eradication of slavery itself.

But as war secretary, Cameron advocated enlisting African-Americans in the Union Army, which ran afoul of Lincoln and cost him his Cabinet post. As a senator after the war, he pushed for black suffrage, supporting the 15th Amendment, which gave citizens of color the right to vote.

"Amiable Scoundrel" provides a fascinating view of 19th-century American politics through one of the century's most notable political figures.

'Mira Lloyd Dock and the Progressive Era Conservation Movement'

By Susan Rimby, Penn State University Press, 2012

Rimby, a former professor at Shippensburg University who is now a dean at Lock Haven University, tells the story of Mira Lloyd Dock, a pioneering woman in Harrisburg's modernization and Pennsylvania's forestry movement in the early 20th century.

On Dec. 20, 1900, Dock, who was educated in science at the University of Michigan and made a living as a public lecturer on civic improvement, delivered a speech to the Harrisburg Board of Trade, in which she called for municipal improvements to the city. This launched the City Beautiful movement in Harrisburg, which modernized, beautified and sanitized the city, resulting in paved streets, water filtration, upgraded sewers and an expanded park system, among other things.

Harrisburg became a national leader in this progressive movement.

After leaving Harrisburg, Dock dedicated much of her life to forestry and the Pennsylvania State Forest Academy, today part of Penn State Mont Alto. She became the first woman named to the Pennsylvania Forest Commission, inspecting the state's forest reserves and consulting with foresters.

Rimby's biography provides an important look at a key figure in Harrisburg's history, who acted as a "bridge leader" between the professional and working classes.

'Shop Pomeroy's First'

By Michael Lisicky, The History Press, 2014

When department stores were fixtures in American cities, Pomeroy's was one of Harrisburg's finest.

The Reading-based chain opened the Harrisburg branch in 1878 on North Third Street, then relocated it to North Fourth and Market streets in the 1930s.

Catering to the middle class, the Harrisburg store was known for its mezzanine Tea Room, which served items such as cinnamon sticks and sandwiches made with cheese bread. Lisicky includes recipes for some of the Tea Room's dishes in an appendix.

The Harrisburg Pomeroy's also was known for its elaborate Christmas window displays.

York-based Bon-Ton bought the chain in 1987, and the Harrisburg store closed in 1990.

Interviews with former Pomeroy's employees and shoppers, as well as plenty of pictures, help round out Lisicky's portrait on the rise and fall of this beloved department store.

Throwback Thursday: Remember Pomeroy's Tea Room and its cinnamon sticks and tea sandwiches?

'Mary Sachs: Merchant Princess'

By Barbara Trainin Blank, Sunbury Press, 2015

Speaking of Harrisburg department stores, one of the most well-known was Mary Sachs'. A Jewish immigrant from Lithuania, Sachs started her own women's clothing store in Harrisburg in 1918.

Sachs used innovative methods - private booths to which employees brought garments to customers and nontraditional advertising that did not list merchandise and prices - to create a business whose reputation spread far beyond Harrisburg.

Stressing "fashion, not fad," Sachs sold high-end clothing that emphasized good workmanship rather than novelty. She was also known for her philanthropic work.

Although this biography is often repetitive, it provides a helpful introduction to a groundbreaking Harrisburg businesswoman who deserves a lot more scholarly attention.

'As the Paint Dries: The History of the Art Association of Harrisburg'

By Carrie Wissler-Thomas with Michael Barton, Sunbury Press, 2014

Wissler-Thomas, president of the Art Association of Harrisburg, tells the organization's story from its origin in 1926, when it was founded by civic leaders to generate public interest in art, to today.

Along the way, Wissler-Thomas recounts the key local artists and board members who have contributed to the association's mission over the decades.

The occasional controversy emerges, such as a nude self-portrait by local artist Gene Suchma that was removed from a juried exhibit in 1974 because it was deemed inappropriate. Suchma writes about the incident in an appendix. In the decades since, the association has steadfastly opposed censorship, Wissler-Thomas writes.

The book provides a useful foundation for future research and interpretation with its large quantity of meeting minutes and other primary-source material

Book on Harrisburg's modern history leaves little reader discontent

Cooper Wingert, Harrisburg historian, has three nationally published books by age 15

Joe McClure is an embedded editor for PennLive/The Patriot-News. Email him at jmcclure@pennlive.com, and follow him on Twitter: @jmcclure59.
dave-reed.png

House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana County, shares that he has been approached about running for higher office. (File photo/PennLive.com)

There are several offices that people have asked House Majority Leader

, R-Indiana County, to consider seeking, including governor, U.S. Senate and Congress.

Whether running for those higher offices are in the cards for him sooner rather than later, the eight-term incumbent wasn't willing to say on Wednesday.

"There's a lot of possibilities out there," Reed told Capitol reporters. "Right now, I'm focused on this next legislative term."

But the self-described "public policy guy" who said he enjoys making "big decisions" to help move the state forward also didn't rule out any plans to seek another office.

For the record, the next gubernatorial election is in two years. The next congressional election is in two years. And the next time one of Pennsylvania's two U.S. Senate seats is up for election is in two years. Two out of three those offices up for grabs in 2018 are held by Democrats and the congressional district where Reed resides is held by a Republican.
dave-reed.png

House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana County, offered a Republican counterpoint Monday to the Wolf Adminstration's mid-year budget briefing. (File photo/PennLive.com)

One of Gov. Tom Wolf's mantras over the last two years has been building a "government that works."

House Majority Leader Dave Reed - weary of a series of post-recession budgets that have, to him, just institutionalized deficit spending - challenged Wolf Wednesday to think more about a governmental makeover as he builds his 2017-18 state budget.

"Government has basically looked the same in Pennsylvania for the last 40 or 50 years," Reed said during a visit to the Capitol's press room. "... We want the budget to look different this year. We think is has to look different."

Reed's comments minutes before Wolf's Budget Secretary Randy Albright delivered the annual mid-year report on the state's finances, which included projections of a $600 million year-end shortfall between expenses and revenues.

Other agencies have suggested medical assistance, public employee pension costs and other cost drivers could push the gap to more than $1 billion in fiscal 2017-18.

Reed, an Indiana County Republican, was expansive about where he saw room for improvement.

Priority one, he suggested, should be rebuilding the framework for the state's many welfare and medical assistance and eldercare programs that fall under the Department of Human Services.

For example, Reed said it's time for state government to seriously consider where it can shift existing programs and services to non-profits that he credited with already making much more efficient use of charity dollars.

"If a non-profit group can do it better, why should we not supplementing those efforts and... actually getting more dollars into the programs that help folks?" Reed said.

The days of "just assuming it's got to be a government worker in a government agency," he suggested, have come to an end.

"A lot of these programs worked well 25 years ago," Reed said. "Maybe it's not the best delivery method in 2016?"

Reed suggested taking a fresh look at the scope of coverages offered to Medicaid recipients, more aggressive efforts in attacking provider fraud, and granting county's more flexibility in the management of their human service programs.

But he didn't stop there.

The majority leader said it's time for a fresh look at consolidation of agencies and even the battery of grants, low-interest loans and tax loopholes that have evolved over the years in the name of economic development.

"We can't all revert back to: 'Well, we've been opposed to that for 20 years,' or, "You've been opposed to that for 20 years, so therefore we can't talk about it.'"

Wolf's Budget Secretary, Randy Albright, said later Wednesday the governor is open to all legitimate discussions about reimagining state government in Pennsylvania.

Wolf has already proposed, Albright noted, major shifts in how Pennsylvania funds public schools and a merger of the state Corrections and Probation and Parole departments.

That cannot, however, include backtracking on the recents upticks in funding for public education or the fight against opioid abuse, Albright stressed.

Reed, in his remarks, also seemed to be sending an early signal to the administration that the Republican-dominated General Assembly will be less receptive than ever to increases in state sales or income taxes next year.

"Even if the governor proposed a tax increase and we approved a tax increase, you're coming back next year with the same exact problem," Reed warned.

"So, we've got to bend that (deficit) curve somehow, and it seems like the only way we're going to bend that curve is looking fundamentally at how we deliver services in this state."

If the Republicans don't see Wolf acting as a willing partner, Reed added, "we're not ruling out the possibility of doing a budget ourselves."
FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2016 file photo, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry smiles as he leaves Trump Tower in New York. Perry is President-elect Donald TrumpAos choice to become energy secretary, two people with knowledge of the decision say. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
Boyne City Splash Pad construction continues, to open next year

The project is being funded by the sale of the Boyne City Community Building.
Oil in Trump's administration, Rex Tillerson at State, Perry in Energy

Bloomberg/Jason Janik

ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson. Big oil gets a huge role in Trump's government

WASHINGTON/HOUSTON

Petroleumworld.com 12 14 2016

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court broke up John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil in 1911, the energy industry has been at loggerheads with the federal government. Now it is the government -- or may be if Exxon Mobil Corp. Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson is confirmed as President Donald Trump's secretary of state.

All across the oil patch, they're figuratively uncorking the champagne bottles as Tillerson and other well-placed leaders and friends are proposed for top jobs. If confirmed, Rick Perry, former governor of oil-rich Texas, will run the Energy Department, which he once famously threatened to do away with and whose name he forgot in a 2012 Republican presidential primary debate. And Scott Pruitt, a friend to Oklahoma's homegrown shale industry and confirmed climate-change skeptic, would take over the Environmental Protection Agency.

Oil and gas is really the future engine of the economy, said Hess Corp. CEO John Hess. He lauded Trump's picks and added that he has made it very clear that energy is critical.

It's a breathtaking turn of events for an industry that has battled the federal government for decades on tax issues, antitrust challenges, environmental regulations and ethics oversight under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Now, after eight years of especially antagonistic face-offs with the Obama Administration, Big Oil is going from Washington outsider to running the show.

It's clearly a u-turn from the current administration, which is very hostile to fossil fuels, said Craig Pirrong, director of the University of Houston's Gutierrez Energy Management Institute . With a representative of the world's largest energy company in the State Department, it's inevitable that they'll have a powerful and forceful and informed advocate.

Arctic Oil

The industry is poised to wield previously unimaginable influence on a global scale in a Trump administration. Tillerson has legitimately honed his leadership skills as head of the largest publicly traded oil company in the world. He is equal parts diplomat and executive, having spent much of his career negotiating complex and controversial business transactions in countries with which the U.S. government has strained relations. In 2011, he famously went into business with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, signing a joint-venture agreement to partner with state oil company Rosneft on Arctic oil exploration.

There is a very thin line between oil, geopolitics and diplomacy, OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo said in Washington on Tuesday. Tillerson's experience on that front makes him more than qualified to occupy this very important office.

International Sanctions

But Tillerson's oil-industry positions also could pose problems for implementing U.S. foreign policy. Tillerson has said he opposes international sanctions; as secretary of state he could push for easing sanctions against Russia, which would have obvious benefits for Exxon Mobil's partnership with Rosneft.

Donald Trump doesn't want to drain the swamp, he wants to drill in it, said Senator Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat. These nominees' ties to fossil fuel interests are as deep as an oil well.

Tillerson, though, breaks with Trump's climate-change denials. The oil executive has characterized global warming as a serious risk and supports a carbon tax as the best way to curb industry emissions, something Trump has said he opposes. Perry, meanwhile, oversaw a massive wind-power boom during his terms as Texas governor.

Keystone XL

Like Tillerson's, Perry's business interests also could get a boost from his appointment. He sits on the board of Energy Transfer Partners , the company behind the beleaguered Dakota Access pipeline project stalled this year by President Barack Obama's Army Corp of Engineers. Perry is broadly supportive of building out pipeline infrastructure. During his own short-lived presidential campaign, he promised to green-light TransCanada Corp.'s Keystone XL pipeline, which is also a priority for both Trump and Tillerson. As secretary of state, Tillerson would have direct authority over approving the project.

Pruitt, attorney general of Oklahoma, spent the last few years suing to block EPA rules energy companies oppose. As head of that agency, he'll almost certainly begin working to dismantle them. In his home state, he created a federalism unit tasked with fighting unwarranted regulation and overreach by the federal government and has billed himself as EPA's chief antagonist.

The agency is one of two that could significantly affect the U.S. energy industry, according to Ed Morse, head of commodity research at Citigroup and a 999former deputy assistant secretary of state for international energy policy. The other is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which approves natural gas pipelines and LNG terminals.

These agencies set how policy is implemented, so a lot can happen without changing law, Morse said. Their actions could have "tangible results on both U.S. and global prices.

Related: Reuters factbox:Trump fills top jobs for his administration






Petrobras US$19.5 billion asset sale suspended due to court order



Petrobras ordered to temporarily suspend divestiture program; court wants to review asset sales

MONTEVIDEO

Petroleumworld.com 12 14 2016

Brazil's federal auditing court (TCU) asked state-controlled oil company Petrobras to temporarily suspend its divestiture program while the court reviews asset sales procedures. The decision could delay Petrobras efforts to raise US$15.1 billion from asset sales by the end of 2016 as a way to reduce its huge debt -- the largest in the global oil industry.

The company wants to raise US$19.5 billion more in 2017 and 2018.

The court said five ongoing Petrobras asset sales that are nearing conclusion can be finalized, accounting for around US$3.3 billion, but asked the company to refrain from signing any new sale plans 'until new order.' There is no date set for a final ruling by the court.

TCU's decision follows recommendations from its experts about procedures used by Petrobras, on the asset sales. According to the decision published this week, the court thinks the company should be much more transparent in its divestiture program as it is a state-controlled entity.

Laws governing public entities in Brazil require ample disclosure of business information.

There is a debate among lawyers regarding to what degree those laws would apply to a company that is also owned by private investors, as is the case with Petrobras.

Petrobras said the TCU ruling is positive in a sense, since it allows the firm to close deals that were near completion. It said it plans to comply with the court's determination.

The company is already reviewing its divestment procedures and is committed to following the court's recommendations for improvements, Petrobras said in a statement.

Petrobras reaffirmed its targets to raise US$15.1 billion by end-2016 and US$19.5 billion more in the next two years.

Although the TCU said it would let Petrobras conclude deals that are already well-advanced, it is not clear how many of the recent transactions the oil company would be able to finalize if it strictly follows the court's order.






This piece, titled, The New Plague, depicts life in Philadelphia in the age of COVID. Artist and educator Raphael Tiberino began painting at the age of four and has been in the spotlight as a professional creative for over 25 years.
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BECAUSE I HARBOR shreds of hope that even Pennsylvania can sometimes do the right thing, I expected a pre-holiday layoff of 500-plus state workers to be forestalled.

Because I know pols love to play hero whether they are or not (Donald Trump and Carrier a recent example), I expected intervention before a Dec. 19 deadline.

Yet here we are just days from 500-plus at the Department of Labor and Industry losing income and health coverage right before Christmas, because the politically driven process of funding government failed them.

Are there really no heroes?

It's Gov. Wolf's state, his employees. But his folks say there's no money, no way. Meanwhile, his campaign emails season's greetings: "Get the holiday card from Tom and Frances Wolf," really just a grab for your home address to solicit you later for campaign funds.

Or worse: Sorry about the job, how about a card?

Labor and Industry Secretary Kathy Manderino says, "I'm doing everything I can" to avert layoffs. At least that's what she told the Harrisburg Patriot-News while at a cocktail reception in New York during last weekend's Pennsylvania Society event.

Yet when I ask what exactly she's doing, an aide says the quote "was taken out of context," that layoffs are happening but Manderino's working to find those affected new jobs, benefits, and other services.

And before you say, well, government's bloated; we should make cuts, reduce spending, stop wasting tax dollars, let me just make a point or two.

The senseless, needless damage done to these workers and their families, especially at this time of year, has ripples.

These folks mostly work in Unemployment Compensation call centers designed to process benefits for those who become jobless.

Getting pushed out with the closing of three of the state's seven centers means longer waits for others (and themselves) in a system often criticized for delays.

And why, exactly, are they being canned? Not because benefit needs declined.

Pennsylvania's unemployment rate grew throughout the year. At 5.8 percent, it is the highest among Northeastern states, and across the nation only five states have higher rates.

So it's not for lack of work.

See, a dedicated funding stream expired and the GOP Senate declined - on Nov. 16, its last voting day - to approve a $57 million extension requested by the Democratic Wolf administration.

Ideology then? Conservative cost-containing views opposing liberal spending?

Well, no.

The even-more-conservative GOP House approved the extension by a wide bipartisan margin in October.

So what's left? The usual: politics and ineptness.

The Senate has at least two members, Majority Leader Jake Corman and (Wolf bane) Scott Wagner, potentially opposing Wolf's reelection in 2018.

Wolf spokesman Jeff Sheridan calls the whole mess "the Senate deciding to play politics with peoples' jobs."

But since the administration orders layoffs and Wolf's the face of the administration, who takes the political hit, a nameless, faceless legislative body or the governor of the state?

To help you decide, Wagner issued a statement: "The Wolf That Stole Christmas."

Meanwhile, the Senate wants more details before approving more money. But the current expiration of funds was set four years ago. Renewal was discussed for much of this year. After the fact, the Senate requested an audit of the funding. And state Auditor General Gene DePasquale says he'll announce a decision on the request in January - just after the nick of time.

There might well be legitimate questions about funds at issue. They could have, should have been, resolved long before Nov. 16.

But our legislature's notorious for last-minute screw-ups, for kicking the can, for its own annual raises, for being America's largest "full-time" legislature, for boosting its own budget last year 13 percent to a whopping $313 million - and for rarely producing heroes.

baerj@phillynews.com
Need to catch up on our Horizon Goal series?

Part 1: How The Columbia Tragedy Shifted NASA's Sights To The Moon

Part 2: 'Apollo on Steroids': The Rise and Fall of NASA's Constellation Moon Program

Part 3: Space in transition: How Obama's White House charted a new course for NASA

Part 4: To Mars, with a monster rocket: How politicians and engineers created NASA's Space Launch System

Part 5: The flexible path to Mars: SLS, Orion and NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission

Transition fever

President-elect Trump's transition team already has several advisors assessing NASA's current programs. Trump must also nominate a new NASA administrator to replace Charles Bolden, who was appointed by President Obama. The administrator's job is to run NASA and implement the president's space policies.

What will those policies be?

It's hard to draw firm conclusions based on the biographies of Trump's NASA team. It includes former agency officials who served under both Bolden and his predecessor, Michael Griffin. There's a retired astronaut, a lunar researcher and a physicist. One advisor is an ardent supporter of newer firms like SpaceX, but balancing that choiceand seemingly defying a possible conflict of interestis the inclusion of the vice president of corporate development for Dynetics, a major NASA contractor with a stake in the Space Launch System.

Most everything else known about possible Trump space policies comes from Robert Walker, a Pennsylvania House Republican from 1977 to 1997 who once chaired the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Walker served as a space policy advisor to the Trump campaign. He was brought aboard by Peter Navarro, who was, at one point, a key Trump economic advisor. With Navarro working out of Trump Tower in New York, the duo drafted campaign space policies and published two op-eds in SpaceNews.

I spoke with Walker less than a week after the election. He said the new administration plans to increase the level of coordination between government agencies with a stake in space operations by re-establishing the National Space Council, which was last convened during the President George H.W. Bush administration. The council, which would report to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, would aim to combine resources and drive out inefficiencies.

When I asked Walker for an example of a cross-governmental inefficiency, he pointed to heavy lift launch vehicles.

"At the present time, you have threereally fourentities that are developing heavy launch vehicles," he said, presumably referring to NASA's Space Launch System, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy (and a future super-heavy variant bound for Mars), Blue Origin's New Glenn, and United Launch Alliance's Vulcan.

"So the question for the space council would be: Do all four of those need essentially a similar vehicle, or would we be better off having just one or two of those being being developed and then used across the breadth of the government?"

Walker was quick to note the campaign did not take a stance on favoring a particular vehicle.

"Everything that we're talking about is anticipatory, because people immediately want to say 'Well, are you talking about eliminating the SLS?'" he said. "There have been no specific decisions made. We're forward-looking on this, to say that the National Space Council could serve the interest of space policy by assuring that that the nation is not duplicating efforts unnecessarily."

Preemptive cost-cutting

NASA's Orion spacecraft could also find itself spotlighted by the National Space Council. The capsule, originally part of the return-to-the-moon Constellation program, was axed by the Obama administration in February 2009, only to be resurrected two months later to placate congressional critics.

Boeing and SpaceX are now building similar gumdrop-shaped vehicles to send astronauts to the International Space Station, though neither spacecraft is currently outfitted for deep space. Lockheed Martin, Orion's prime contractor, recently preemptively announced they plan to slash future Orion construction costs by 50 percent.

In mid-November, NASA issued an information request on how the agency might make the SLS and Orion programs more affordable. While language within the request led some to believe NASA is cracking open the door for cheaper commercial alternatives, administrator Bolden disputes this, as does Greg Williams, the deputy associate administrator for policy and plans in NASA's human spaceflight division. (Williams is not a political appointee; he will remain aboard during the Trump administration.)

"I would take issue with the characterization that we've cracked the door open to a commercial replacementthat's not where we're headed," said Williams during a recent phone interview. "The RFI (Request for Information) really is focused on how we can reduce production operations costs for the systems that we are developing."

Stiff opposition

A move to cut either SLS or Orion would almost certainly face opposition from some Congressional factions, which have the power to push back on White House policies through spending bills.

Florida Senator Bill Nelson, who famously introduced SLS in 2011 while NASA administrator Charles Bolden watched from the sidelines, is the ranking member of the Senate's NASA oversight committee. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, where NASA's Orion program is based, chairs the subcommittee that must approve Trump's choice for NASA administrator. And Alabama Senator Richard Shelby, who represents NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, where SLS is managed, heads the appropriations committee that controls NASA's budget.

On Friday, Congress passed a temporary spending bill to keep the government open through April 2017, but not before adding specific provisions to fund SLS and Orion at higher levelssomething they have done consistently during the Obama administration.

The Senate also unanimously passed a NASA Transition Bill encouraging the Trump administration to stay the course on SLS and Orion, while maintaining Mars as a long-term destination. Though the House has adjourned for the yearmeaning the bill will not become lawthe Senate's action can be seen as a policy statement on how it would react to wholesale changes for NASA's human spaceflight program.

Whether or not the battle would be as bloody as it was in 2010, when the Obama administration canceled Constellation, remains to be seen. One aerospace industry consultant, speaking with me on the condition of anonymity, said privatizing space transportation was more controversial six years ago, when the industry had less success under its belt.

"Fundamentally the scenario has changed, due to the fact there are potential commercial alternatives," the consultant said. "That does not mean Congressional opposition won't be fierce; it simply means there is more nuance to the situation now than there was then."
Hochbirghohe: new ice and mixed climb in Austrias High Tauern

The report by Vittorio Messini who together with Isidor Poppeller and Matthias Wurzer made the first ascent of 'Mehr denn je Hintersee' (800m, M7+ WI6+ 08/12/2016), a new ice and mixed climb up the NE Face of Hochbirghohe (2767m), High Tauern, Austria.

The Amertal, the valley that leads to Felbertauerntunnel, is often wrongly referred to as the Felbertal. The "real" Felbertal valley starts at the so-called "Wolframkehre", where the Wolframwerk is located, and leads SSW towards the Hintersee lake and then on to the St. Poltenener hut.

The Felbertal is blessed with lots of water and many steep rock faces, but in the summer these are too grassy and brittle to be of interest for rock climbers. Since the road is closed in winter from Wolframkehre, and since only the workers are authorized to proceed past the barrier, the valley remained dormant for years. A few ice climbers made their way in the first icefalls, but hardly any one ventured further into the 5km valley. Siegfried Berger and his climbing partners were responsible for early development at the start of the new millennium, but the real flurry of new routes were climbed in 2013 when five independent grade VI ice climbs were put up in the Hexenkessel , the 180m high amphitheater.

Except for an attempt by Isidor Poppeller and myself in 2013, the Hochbirghohe remained virtually untouched. Finding the right conditions up there isnt easy: the mountain is just too close to the main alpine massifs and is therefore exposed to the brunt of the weather. As soon as it snows the area becomes threatened by avalanches, while when the wind blows spindrift continuously streams down the mountain face.

Last year, the Tyrolean alpinist Mario Walder and Swiss alpinist Dani Arnold finally made the first ascent of the face by climbing he most logical and fattest ice streak. The route name Tauernwind obviously recalls the fickle conditions that usually rule this mountain.

This year Isidor Poppeller, Matthias Wurzer and I were at it again. The road could be cycled on which meant that we quickly reached Hintersee. Practically no snow and zero wind almost removed all objective dangers, so conditions were ideal for an attempt.

After a 200m WI4 icefall, we trudged across snow slope that led to the line we had in mind. This offered everything you could wish for: a Chamonix-like gully, followed by an icy slab and a fragile drip, as well as a mixed pitch, some classical alpine terrain capped by some icy steps. When we finally reached the summit in the dark we were overjoyed to have had such a great adventure on such a cool line in our backyard mountains! We were careful as we abseiled off and then enjoyed a celebratory pizza in the Gasthaus late that night!



by Vittorio Messini





TOPO: Mehr denn je Hintersee, Hochbirghohe, High Tauern
Ninety-nine officers have quit or retired from the Dallas Police Department since October, continuing an exodus that started last year.

Meanwhile, the department has hired only 30 people for the next academy class in February. Police officials aimed to fill the class with 60 officers, Interim Police Chief David Pughes told council members Monday at a public safety committee meeting.

The shrinking department is down to 3,252 officers, well below the desired 3,500. The force hopes to hire 449 officers this year to make up for attrition. Council wants police staffing to average three officers per 1,000 residents.

The department is faced with a troubled police and fire pension fund, low salaries compared with other cities and a rising crime rate, the Dallas News reports.
Officer Terrance McBride of the Metro Nashville Police Department was shot serving a warrant Monday. (Photo: Metro Nashville PD)

A Nashville police officer was in stable condition after being shot in the shoulder Tuesday morning, according to police, who said the suspect died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head inside a motel room.

Officer Terrance McBride, a three-year veteran with the Metro Nashville Police Department, was shot while serving a warrant at the Cumberland Inn on West Trinity Lane in East Nashville.

The 28-year-old officer was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and was expected to make a full recovery, according to the police chief.

The suspect was found dead in barricaded motel room with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to head, Fox News reports.
Khari Anthony Dashaun Gordon faces charges in the shooting of two Lavonia, GA, officers. (Photo: Franklin County SO)

Jeffery Martin is an Army veteran. He now has a bullet lodged in his right hand. Michael Schulman is a father of two. A bullet just missed his vest and hit him under the arm. The man accused of shooting both Lavonia police officers was denied bond.

The GBI responded to the scene Monday night to investigate the shooting that happened in Lavonia, Ga. The city is located in Franklin County, about 90 miles northeast of Atlanta near the South Carolina border.

According to investigators, the incident began when officers Martin and Schulman pulled over Khari Anthony Dashaun Gordon at a Zaxby's restaurant on Jones Street around the Interstate 85 exit.

During the stop, the 22-year-old from Greenville, S.C., took out a .45 caliber handgun and shot both officers, police say.

Both officers were transported to an area hospital. At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, a Lavonia police spokesperson said specialists were working to remove the bullet from Martin's hand. There was no update available on Schulman's condition.

After about a two-hour search, police took Gordon into custody. He was charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, two counts of criminal attempts to commit murder and one count of possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony. The GBI said additional charges are pending, 11 Alive reports.
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Ohio Gov. John Kasich vetoed an extremist measure on Tuesday that would have barred women in his state from getting a safe, legal abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which usually happens about six weeks into a pregnancy.

The pro-life governor had this to say after his veto:

.@JohnKasich vetoed the Heartbeat Bill provision of HB493, this is what Kasich wrote in his explanation of the veto #ohio #heartbeatbill pic.twitter.com/H2ghFea1Ic  Andy Chow (@andy_chow) December 13, 2016

While the governors decision is welcome news for those who were increasingly worried that he would approve the measure and enact the most restrictive abortion law in the country, its still important to recognize that, at the very same moment, he approved a different, still unconstitutional provision that prohibits abortions after 20 weeks  under all circumstances.

As Planned Parenthood notes, not only are 20-week bans unpopular and unconstitutional, but they also target women who are in dire circumstances. After all, when women need abortions that late into a pregnancy, its often out of medical necessity.

According to Planned Parenthood:

Nearly 99 percent of abortions occur before 21 weeks, but when they are needed later in pregnancy, its often in very complex circumstances  the kind of situations where a woman and her doctor need every medical option available. Abortions later in pregnancy may involve rare, severe fetal anomalies and serious risks to the womans health.

As the groups executive vice president, Dawn Laguens, said on Thursday, The 20-week ban will force women to travel long distances and cross state lines in order to access safe, legal abortion  a barrier that many women simply cannot afford. This is just another shameful attempt by John Kasich to make abortion illegal.

The Ohio governor may have made the right decision on the heartbeat provision, but it does not excuse his approval of another unconstitutional ban. He simply traded one extremist, anti-choice measure for another.
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CNNs Jake Tapper asked Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) if he could name a single time that Trump criticized Putin. Sen. Johnson immediately broke into a song and dance about Trump will operate from a position of strength and everything is Obamas fault.

Video:

Tapper asked Sen. Johnson if could name a time when Trump criticized Putin.

Sen. Johnson completely avoided the question, Well, what Ive heard him say is that he wants to strengthen our economy. He wants to stop hollowing our military. He wants to actual defeat ISIS and secure our borders. That is operating from a position of strength, and lets face it, President Obamas strategy of peace through withdrawal has been a miserable failure.

Tapper followed up and asked Johnson why he thought that he thought Trump would take on Putin when he has never criticized him.

Johnson said, Well again, I can only speak for myself. He then said that his guess is that once Trump assumes the presidency and he gets all of the information, he should be wary of Russia.

Tapper pointed out that Johnson never answered the question, and Sen. Johnson said, Im not an encyclopedia.

The reality is that Republican Senators like Ron Johnson are turning a blind eye to the evidence that suggests that the president-elect is a Putin puppet. Johnson couldnt name a single time that Trump has criticized Russia and Putin because it has never happened. Trump has gone out of his way to defend Russia and Putin on a regular basis.

Republican members of Congress will be complicit in any crimes or damage that Trump does to the United States as president because they placed partisan politics ahead of what is best for the country. Republicans dont care that Trump is handing over the country to Putin because they are the majority.

Johnson fell apart, and couldnt answer Tappers question, but more importantly the Senator from Wisconsins answers revealed that Republicans have sold out America for partisan political gain.
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Much of what Donald Trump said on the campaign trail was a lie. Where moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is concerned, he was apparently telling the truth. Not only has Kellyanne Conway said the move is a big priority but Haaretz reports that,

Top city officials in Jerusalem, Mayor Nir Barkat and his deputy Meir Turgeman say they have been contacted by American parties to find a suitable location to build an American embassy in Jerusalem

Conway said on the Hugh Hewitt show,

That is a very big priority for this president-elect, Donald Trump. He made that very clear during the campaign, Hugh. And as president-elect, Ive heard him repeat it several times privately, if not publicly.

The mayor of Jerusalem is happy and so is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said such a move would be great. Literally:

Regarding the idea of opening the US Embassy to Jerusalem, I will respond to this in one word: Great.

One has to wonder if what Trump has in mind is a shining Trump Tower as a symbol of his resolve, but a new building is not actually necessary, reports Haaretz:

However, city planning officials shrug that theres no need to build anything new to house the embassy in the Israeli capital: The Americans built a big new consulate in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Arnona, which had been planned in advance to be converted into the actual embassy one day. All the Americans need to do is change the sign on the door, they say.

Barkat, speaking a day later, told the Associated Press Tuesday that though other candidates have made similar promises, Naturally my intuition tells me that its different this time, knowing the people hearing his statements, where we are today.

The United States of America has embassies in all of the worlds capitals with the exception of Israel. Thats absurd, and moving the embassy to the capital of the Jewish people, to Jerusalem, is a straightforward, standard thing to do.

Except it isnt.

Standard yes, but there is nothing straightforward about it: Jerusalem is no ordinary city, but a city claimed by both Palestinians and Jews, and if Jews want Jerusalem to be their capital, Palestinians see the eastern half of the city to be the capital of any future Palestinian state.

Shifting the embassy to Jerusalem would also break with decades of US foreign policy, which has amounted, the State Department says, to supporting Israel against internal and external threats, while simultaneously encouraging a peaceful resolution to its conflicts with both Arabs and Palestinians.

Not that Trump seems to care about accepted norms. Or, however much he claims to the contrary, seeking a resolution to conflicts. In moving the embassy to Jerusalem, he is openly and purposefully creating conflict.

Palestinian politician finds himself in the same territory as another embattled minority, the Standing Rock Sioux, saying he was shocked.

If the US takes such a decision, it will not only be violating international law, but violating a unanimously respected international principle that no country can annex anothers territory by force.

A principal being eagerly ignored by Republicans here at home. It would be surprising if they respected it anywhere else.

Photo: US Department of State
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Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (CT-5), representative for Newtown, Connecticut, today released a video statement recognizing the fourth anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary and calling for bipartisan action to prevent gun violence.

Contrary to the claims of so-called truthers from Alex Jones (whose amazing reputation Trump has praised) on down, who say it never happened, the attack at Sandy Hook Elementary pm December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza entered the school and fatally shot 20 children, all of them only 6 to 7 years old, as well as six adult staff members.

Watch Rep. Estys video statement:

Newtown Congresswoman Esty Marks Fourth Anniversary of Sandy Hook Tragedy



Today we mark the fourth anniversary of when 20 schoolchildren and six brave educators were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. And in that time, millions of you have joined with me and my colleagues in Congress and with folks all across America to say that we need to do better. We can and we must work to end the scourge of gun violence in this country.



Now, its been a tough election. People have been worried  Ive gotten lots of calls in my office  and Ive found it tough, too. We havent had a vote in the House of Representatives in the last four years. During that time, 130,000  let me repeat that  130,000 Americans have lost their lives to gun violence.



But heres what you need to know: The American people stand with us. Millions of you have joined your voices, youve written, youve called, youve sent emails, youve voted, youve talked to your neighbors, and insisted that we do better, that we make America safer for all of us.



And so to my new colleagues in Congress, to the newly elected President, I ask you: Join us, work with us, because I know  and I know you know  its not OK that 33,000 Americans a year are dying from guns. We can do better than that, and with your help, if we all work together, if we commit to work with each other, we can save lives.



Thats what the American people are asking us to do  to do better, to work together, to work for the betterment of all Americans. Because we should be able to go to Church, to pray in a temple or a synagogue or a mosque or a church, to go to school, to play in a park, to go to a movie theater, to relax with friends on a front porch and not worry about being gunned down.



And I commit to you, and I ask you to commit to me and to each other. And to the new President and to my new colleagues, lets resolve that 2017 is the year in which we can and we will do better for gun safety in this country. So enjoy your holidays and rest up, because we have a lot of work ahead.

Gun violence is at epidemic levels in our country, and many of the victims are our children, whom we send to school each morning without any guarantee they will return home safely  or alive. As Esty says, it is not okay that tens of thousands of Americans are dying from gun violence every year.

It is even worse when gun advocates claim that those taken away from victims families were never killed at all, but, despite the very real holes in the hearts of those Americans, are somehow still alive. It is an obsenity. And it must end. For the children.
While 2017 will be remembered in a multitude of various ways, there's no denying it was a monumental year. It was a year that saw Donald Trump take the helm of the U.S. presidency and, seemingly, the national media focus too. The total solar eclipse ushered in a craze that swept the country  Read moreHurricanes, alligators, guns and lizard men: 2017 was a wild year, and you can relive it here.
Among the products Michelin North America makes in South Carolina are these oversized tires for industrial use. They will be among the tires distributed at a 3.9-million-square-foot center Michelin plans to build near Spartanburg. File
Emanuel AMEs former secretary is suing the church and the Rev. Norvel Goff for ending her employment after she questioned the handling of donations that poured into the church after a gunman killed nine worshippers. Read moreFormer secretary at Emanuel AME sues for unpaid wages
South Carolina superintendent candidates Ellen Weaver and Lisa Ellis traded criticisms for an hour-long debate on Nov. 2, and argued over who was best suited to improve education in South Carolina Read moreState superintendent candidates spar over solutions
Gregory Yee covers the city of Charleston. He's a native Angeleno and previously covered crime and courts for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, CA. He studied journalism and Spanish literature at the University of California, Irvine.
Andrew Knapp is editor of the Quick Response Team, which covers crime, courts and breaking news. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor at Florida Today, Newsday and Bangor (Maine) Daily News. He enjoys golf, weather and fatherhood.
Sports Reporter

Derrek Asberry is sports reporter with the Post and Courier. He joined the newsroom in March 2016, after three years at the Aiken Standard where he covered the Savannah River Site. He enjoys New York Yankee baseball and poker.
If youve been unfortunate enough to endure a flood caused by nature or human error, but fortunate enough that your home survived, its at the top of your list of worries: mold. Its why you have to act immediately to haul out all the contents, rip out carpets and even walls: to prevent the  Read moreEditorial: The simple first step to solving the insidious problem of mold in SC colleges
(Adds details, context throughout)

By Guillermo Parra-Bernal

SAO PAULO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Brazilian homebuilder Construtora Tenda SA scrapped an initial public offering due to be priced later on Wednesday because of challenging market conditions, in the latest sign of Brazil's increased political turmoil weighing on investor sentiment.

Tenda and sole owner Gafisa SA said in a securities filing they were "working on the analysis of strategic alternatives for Tenda, with the main goal of maximizing shareholder value."

Gafisa had aimed to sell 40 million shares of Tenda, or up to a 40 percent stake, in the IPO.

Reuters reported on Dec. 12 that scant firm orders from investment firms, pension funds and other institutional investors could force Tenda to price the offering at the lowest end of a suggested price range, or seek alternatives.

Options included giving Gafisa shareholders priority in final allotments of Tenda stock, a private placement or a stake sale.

According to two people involved in the transaction, the boards of both companies agreed on suspending the IPO after more tentative bids began to come in at below the suggested range of 12.50 reais to 16.50 reais apiece on Tuesday.

Gafisa, Tenda and the banks handling the IPO, the first for a homebuilder in Brazil since 2009, did not comment.

Escalating political tensions fueled by allegations that President Michel Temer's administration might be involved in a massive graft scheme and growing social unrest stemming from the passage of deficit-cutting bills in Congress "helped put the brakes on this specific transaction," said the first person.

Last week, Gafisa put off the pricing date of Tenda's IPO by one day, saying talks with investors were taking longer than expected. Several investors balked at Gafisa's high valuation target for Tenda of at least 1.2 billion reais ($360 million) during those talks, five of them told Reuters in recent days.

Gafisa argued that the Tenda listing would give investors a chance to seize on a three-year turnaround that has helped the low-cost builder narrow the gap with rivals MRV Engenharia SA and Direcional Engenharia SA.

Story continues

"Tenda's case is certainly an attractive one to investors, but we wonder whether pricing it at the bottom or below was a smart move," said Adeodato Volpi Netto, head of Eleven Financial Research in Sao Paulo.

Gafisa and Tenda had hired the investment banking units of Itau Unibanco Holding SA, Banco Bradesco SA, Banco do Brasil SA, Banco Votorantim SA and Bank of America Corp to underwrite the offering.

($1 = 3.3345 reais) (Additional reporting by Tatiana Bautzer in Sao Paulo; Editing by David Clarke and Alexander Smith)
There are five candidates vying for three open seats on Clemson City Council. We asked the two incumbents and three newcomers what they think is most important for Clemson's residents and council. Read moreMeet the candidates: 5 vying for 3 seats on Clemson City Council
CHICAGO  Sixty miles west of Chicago, Kim Kuipers and her husband have been selling real Christmas trees for 15 years, but when people decide on artificial ones, she gets it.

"They're beautiful, they're handy, they pop up like an umbrella with the lights already on them," said Kuipers, owner of Kuipers Family Farm in Maple Park, Ill. "So (real trees are) a tough sell."

The Kuipers, along with other Christmas tree farmers around the country, hope a new national campaign will help sway customers toward the cut-down variety purchased in a lot, store or farm and bring stability to an industry that has had some rough patches.

The campaign's tagline? "It's Christmas. Keep it real."

"The reality is that there has been some loss in market share, if you will, to the artificial tree," said Tim O'Connor, executive director of the Christmas Tree Promotion Board, a U.S. Department of Agriculture promotion and research program that manages the campaign. "(Farmers) want to fight that; they want to get in the battle and win customers back."

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The effort is akin to the "Got Milk?" campaign, but you won't see any commercials or giant billboards of celebrities such as Angelina Jolie or Britney Spears, who sported milk mustaches, standing next to trees. The campaign is aimed largely at millennials, who get much of their news through social media, so most of what consumers see will be online.

There are Pinterest posts, a Facebook page and materials for tree farms to download and share. Farms also received posters and stickers of the logo  a star-topped tree encircled by the tag line.

Kuipers Family Farm put a sticker on both doors to its gift shop. It's also on the farm's Facebook page, mixed in with announcements for train rides and Santa visits, and at the bottom of its email blasts.

The campaign, by New York-based ad agency Concept Farm, launched Nov. 15 with a more than 2-minute video montage of scenes showing families picking out and decorating trees, cute dogs playing beneath the trees and couples kissing under the mistletoe, with real trees as the backdrop.

It touts the traditions built around buying a real tree  something Kuipers said their 230-acre farm has promoted for years.

"That's what we sell," she said. "We sell the experience."

The campaign is funded by an assessment on producers and importers of fresh-cut Christmas trees. Those that sell more than 500 trees a year pay 15 cents per tree sold. The promotion board collected $1.8 million last year, $1.25 million of which is going toward the "Keep It Real" campaign, O'Connor said.

So far, consumers still purchase more real Christmas trees than artificial ones each year, but the artificial trees can last for many holiday seasons. According to a survey conducted by the National Christmas Tree Association, U.S. consumers bought 25.9 million real trees last year, compared with 12.5 million artificial ones.

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According to consumer research from the Christmas Tree Promotion Board, real trees are barely beating artificial trees out for spots in the living room. Thirty-one percent of Christmas tree buyers typically have a real tree, while 30 percent have an artificial one, according to the research. Twenty-five percent of consumers go back and forth, and the rest don't have a tree every year.

For growers, problems come when people buy fewer trees or a different type becomes popular and farmers can't keep up, O'Connor said. Similar to other agricultural commodities, Christmas trees go through cycles. Demand may be high one year, so farmers expand production and plant more seedlings. But during dips in demand, Christmas tree farmers can't respond as nimbly as say, soybean or corn farmers because it takes eight to 10 years for trees to grow.

There's also the fight against Mother Nature. Young trees are vulnerable to cold and drought, and a deadly year for seedlings could mean a year or more with too few trees of a height adequate for living rooms.

The hard part is knowing what type of tree will be popular in a decade, said Karen Williams, owner of Williams Tree Farm in Rockton, Ill., just south of the Wisconsin border.

"Scotch pine used to be the most in-demand tree; now it's hard to even get seedlings," she said. "It's a very fluid business."

Williams, who put "Keep It Real" decals in windows and displays throughout her farm, said the campaign will educate and remind customers that trees are crops, and there are environmental benefits, such as consuming carbon dioxide.

That local, environmental aspect of the campaign is aiming to get millennials  the same generation wooed by locally grown food  to latch on to buying real trees before they establish other traditions. It's important to attract that age group now, as baby boomers move into assisted living facilities and let their tree-buying traditions fall to the wayside, O'Connor said.

Medford, Wis.-based L&M Tree and Wreath rents five lots in the Chicago area and two in Wisconsin to sell its trees during the holiday season. Owner Doug Handel isn't using any of the "Keep It Real" materials because the campaign launched too close to the start of his selling season.

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"People are creatures of habit," Handel said. "They bought a tree there last year, they're coming back this year."

But he's seen the rough patches tree farmers go through and what happens when demand shrinks on one type of tree after farmers bet heavily on it. The first step to stability is bringing in customers.

"You've got to get them there first," Handel said. "It's supply and demand."
These weeks leading up to Christmas, we are tempted by all kinds of wonderful sweets and savories that are hard to resist.

Cakes, cookies and candies are just a few of the things coming out of busy kitchens, but some wouldn't be as tasty were it not for nuts.

Nuts may be one of the foods we take for granted, because they are a popular ingredient and snack year-round. Now they bring their taste, crunch and flavor to candies, cookies, bars, fruit breads, toppings, muffins and even salads.

While we all have our favorites, the most popular right now are peanuts, pecans, almonds and walnuts. In addition to being something we are using now, they have another life as well  nut butters, flour and milk among them.

Almond flour is often called for in specialty cakes. That jar of peanut butter in your pantry? We spend almost $8 million on that "must-have" alone. Nutella, made with hazelnuts, is running a close second in popularity, especially with kids.

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Nuts are not just for snacking and cooking with anymore.

Snack king

If you are wanting a quick and healthy pick-me-up, reach for nuts. They are all high in protein and unsaturated fats and contain a payload of vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber. A true heart-healthy snack.

In the nut family, almondsare the most nutritious. Toasting them prior to using them improves the texture and brings out a great flavor.

Actually, this holds true for most nuts. The easiest method is to put them on a cookie sheet in a 300-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Watch them carefully. If they burn, you need to start over.

Cashews, shaped like an apostrophe, have a creamy. smooth texture which is a result of their high starch content. They are a favorite, salted or not, served on the side with a glass of wine. The reason they are always shelled is because the shells are toxic.

Then there are hazelnuts, also known as filberts, which are imported mostly from Turkey. The Nutella flavor comes from these, combined with chocolate. They usually come covered with a thin skin, which is tedious to get off.

The best way, and the only way I know, is to put them in an oven at a low temperature and then rub them together in a kitchen towel. This can take a while. It is hard work, but worth the effort. My advice: Try and buy them skinless.

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Peanutsare far and away the most popular, and we can buy and use them in many different ways: salted, unsalted, salted in the shell, unsalted in the shell and raw (for some candies.) Actually, peanut brittle is one of the most popular candies cooks make now. So are sugar-coated peanuts.

Pecansrun a close second. Grown mostly in the south, they are unique to this country and right now are much in demand as an ingredient. What would the holidays be without a pecan pie?

They also combine well with spices for a savory treat. They keep a long time in the freezer.

Walnutstoo are being used in holiday cookies and candies. This is the one variety that unshelled can keep in the refrigerator for months.

Finally, there are pistachios. With their tan shells and green nuts, they add flavor and crunch to biscotti and baklava. During the holidays, you can sometimes find them in red shells. This not how they were grown  they're dyed red. A tradition in some European countries is to put a handful of pistachio nuts in a stocking.

Cracking sales

Not surprisingly, varieties of nuts have become popular to sell in fundraisers. Christ United Methodist Church, in Rochester, has held a holiday nut sale for more than 60 years, beginning in the 1950s, when Billie Needham was given a bag of pecans as a thank-you at an out-of-state meeting.

Realizing the potential for selling nuts, she brought the idea back and it has been going strong ever since, with various church members and circles taking responsibility over the years. The church offers an impressive variety: pecans, whole and sliced almonds, salted mixed nuts, salted cashews and walnuts. These past years church member Pat Feeser has been in charge. The sale is over for now, but remember it for next year.

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Other service groups as well as organizations around town have also done successful nut sales, including PEO, a women's organization.
An Uzi-style handgun recovered late last month from the bra of a woman after a large fight is believed to have been used two weeks earlier in an assault, authorities said today.

The investigation began Nov. 13, when an 18-year-old male told Rochester police he'd been pistol-whipped after a party. The alleged victim said while he was talking to Bolus Andre Dimbiti, 23, Dimbiti displayed an Uzi-style firearm. The two men continued talking, and eventually left the party together.

As the two walked away, the teenager said, Dimbiti demanded his belongings. When the victim refused, Dimbiti pulled the weapon and assaulted him with it.

As investigators worked on the case, they learned about an incident Nov. 28 at Colonial Lanes, 1828 14th St. NW, that resulted in the arrest of Lou Issac Ijong, 20.

She was taken into custody after police responded to calls that about 10 people were fighting and throwing chairs at the bowling alley; by the time officers arrived about 11 p.m., most of the participants were gone, said Capt. John Sherwin, except Ijong, who was in a bathroom.

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She'd been injured in the fight, the report says, and wasn't cooperative with officials  initially supplying a false name.

Ijong was in possession of a 9 mm, semi-automatic, Uzi-style handgun, Sherwin said, which was connected to a string tied to her bra. She also had four outstanding warrants for her arrest, he said.

The weapon was eventually tied to the pistol-whipping on Nov. 13; Ijong and Dimbiti are acquaintances, the report says.

Dimbiti was arrested about 3 p.m. Monday when he arrived for a scheduled visit to his probation officer at the city-county Government Center, said Capt. Scott Behrns, of the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office.

He could be charged with aggravated robbery, second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm after conviction of a crime of violence.
WABASHA  It turns out the brash  and lightning fast  burglary Sept. 2 of Millville Gun and Rod Shop involved more people than just three burglars and more than just one crime.

It all began about 5 a.m. that day, when the business owner's stepdaughter heard what she thought was someone breaking into her car. The woman activated her car alarm and opened the garage. The gun shop is about 20 feet from the owner's home.

"She said, 'Somebody broke into the gun shop.' So I grabbed my gun and came running out, and they were already gone," said owner Keith Shones.

Surveillance video from the business shows the thieves bursting in through the front door, then ransacking the shop. At one point, one of the thieves smashes a glass case with his elbow in order to steal more guns. Shones said the masked thieves used blow torches to get inside, where they took about 75 guns in about 75 seconds.

Wabasha County Sheriff's Office investigators collected blood at the scene for DNA analysis.

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The second crime

About 18 hours later, Winona police responded to two armed robberies . During the investigation, officers stopped a vehicle and spotted a handgun inside; the serial number indicated the gun had been stolen that morning from the Millville Gun and Rod Shop.

Police arrested a 16-year-old; a 17-year-old; Xzaviar Dominique Rian Aune, 18; and Alex Boyd, 37.

During a search of the vehicle, five guns were recovered; four had been stolen from the Millville shop. Also inside the vehicle were tags similar to sale tags the business used, as well as face masks.

The suspects either denied involvement or told wildly varying stories of the robberies.

Informants help

On Sept. 8, an informant said Trinity James Wicka, 19, told him the morning of the burglary that he'd just completed the "big dirty," according to the complaint against Wicka. The informant said he'd accompanied Wicka and Cody Charles Dickenson, also 19, to Latch Island near Winona, where he watched them bury a gun from the burglary.

When questioned, Dickenson allegedly admitted going to Latch Island but said he threw the gun in the river. After several days of searching the river, authorities learned from an informant that the firearm had, indeed, been buried, but another man dug it up.

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On Sept. 10, law enforcement arrested Wicka in Austin; an analysis of a cellphone found near him reportedly indicated the phone was in the Millville area about 5 a.m. Sept. 2.

An injury to his hand has been described as "a cut that would be similar to smashing a glass case," court documents say.

As the investigation continued, authorities learned Jeremy Wayne Polus, 42, was in possession of a stolen handgun, the complaint against him says. He was found in an apartment, "mere inches away" from a handgun allegedly stuffed into the cushions of a sofa; the serial number confirmed it had been taken from the Millville shop.

He was arrested Sept. 16.

Guns still missing

Less than a week later, detectives interviewed Sasha Marie Erdner, 29, who told them Wicka and his father, Jesse King, came to her home Sept. 7. Wicka showed her five guns and later returned with two bags holding a total of 20-25 guns, the reports say.

Erdner said they left the home for a while; when they returned, the guns were gone.

King, 39, told investigators his son had picked him up that day; also in the car was a juvenile involved in the Millville burglary, court documents say. Wicka dropped the juvenile at a residence in Stockton, then drove to Erdner's home.

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On the way, King said, Wicka told him he had "done something really bad."

King claimed Erdner appeared "very excited" when Wicka told her about the guns and offered to sell some for him, the complaint against King says.

Sam Derek Emery, 40, of Stockton, told authorities King asked him to come to Erdner's home, then instructed him to get the guns off the property. Emery said when he went inside, he didn't find the bags of guns that were supposed to have been there.

Instead, Wicka had one gun with him, which Emery reportedly took. He was arrested with it later.

Emery and Erdner each accused the other of being alone in the home before the guns disappeared.

The majority of the stolen guns haven't been recovered, though a man who admitted to investigators that he'd been "exchanging firearms with Emery" recalled Emery saying he had a bag of nearly 50 guns.

Criminal charges

Those allegedly involved and their charges include:

 Trinity James Wicka, charged in the Millville burglary with two counts of first-degree burglary and one count of theft, all felonies. He made his first appearance Tuesday in Wabasha County District Court and remains in custody in lieu of $40,000 conditional bail.

 A male juvenile charged in the Millville burglary; no information known.

 Jesse William King, charged in the Millville burglary with one count of aiding an offender after the fact, a felony. He's due in Wabasha County District Court on Dec. 22 and remains in custody in lieu of $40,000 conditional bail.

 Sam Derek Emery, charged in the Millville burglary with one count of aiding an offender after the fact, a felony. He was released after posting $40,000 conditional bail.

 Cody Charles Dickenson, charged in the Millville burglary with one count of aiding an offender after the fact-burglary in the first, a felony. He's been released after posting $15,000 conditional bail and is due back in court Dec. 20.

 Jeremy Wayne Polus, charged in Winona County District Court with being an ineligible person in possession of a firearm, a felony, and possession of a firearm as a user of a controlled substance, a gross misdemeanor. He pleaded guilty Nov. 3 to the gross misdemeanor and was immediately sentenced to a year in jail, with 316 days stayed for two years, and credit for 49 days already served.

 Xzaviar Aune, charged in the armed robberies with one count each of first-degree aggravated robbery and second-degree assault, both felonies. He was released after posting $50,000 conditional bond and is due back in Winona County District Court Jan. 26.

 Alex Boyd, charged in the armed robberies with one count each of first-degree aggravated robbery and second-degree assault, both felonies. He's pleaded not guilty. He remains in custody in lieu of $75,000 conditional bond and is due back in court Jan. 19.

 Two juveniles, charged in the armed robberies; no information known.

 After initially being charged with a felony after the fact in the Millville burglary, the charge against Sasha Erdner was dismissed Nov. 2.
ST. PAUL  Gov. Mark Dayton warned Tuesday that the fate of a special legislative session focused on health insurance rebates, tax cuts and statewide construction projects now rests with legislative leaders.

"It's truly up to them now to decide if they are going to proceed and reach agreement on these bills," he said.

The DFL governor released a set of compromise bills and issued a deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday for legislative leaders to sign off on the deal for a Dec. 20 special session. The governor's deadline setting drew mixed reactions for local lawmakers.

Rep. Nels Pierson, R-Rochester, expressed frustration with Dayton's ultimatum. He said the governor is the only one with the power to call a special session and he should be focused on the issues Republicans and Democrats agree on  not continuing to renegotiate legislation.

"He is basically showing a lack of leadership by not moving forward on the things we already agree on," Pierson said.

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Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, estimates there is a 50-50 chance that lawmakers and the governor will be able to reach a deal on a special session. He said Minnesotans want to see a special session  especially those struggling with high insurance premiums. Dayton has proposed a 25 percent rebate for the estimated 123,000 Minnesotans buying insurance on the individual market who do not qualify for federal tax subsidies.

"We've heard repeatedly (the rebate) would be not only be welcome, but would probably save some people's budgets if they had that type of relief," Pelowski said.

Dayton said his biggest concern is getting the premium relief passed for people struggling to decide what to do about health insurance next year. He said lawmakers have until Thursday to come together on a tax cut package and public works bill. But if agreement can't be reached by then, Dayton said he will push for a December special session only focused on health care. He cautioned that he won't sign a tax bill if lawmakers also don't send him a public works bill.

Dayton also put forward a $189 million list of must-have projects he wants in the public works bill. Included in that list is $1.5 million for The Reading Center/Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota in Rochester.

The center's Executive Director Cindy Russell said she was pleased to hear the project has the governor's support. Faced with growing demand, the center is looking to build a new 12,000-square-foot facility  four times the size of its current building.

"We know that one in five people has dyslexia. We know that the population of Rochester is increasing really quickly, and we have been hindered in our ability to keep pace with the needs because the space we are operating in is so small," Russell said.

The center plans to raise $1.5 million to match the state funding. Olmsted County has agree to partner with the center to work with the state on the project and would own the building.

Several other southeast Minnesota projects made the governor's must-have list. They include $16.8 million for Winona State University's Education Village, $15 million for a rail grade separation on Sturgeon Lake Road near Red Wing, $4.5 million for Red Wing's River Town Renaissance, $3.6 million for to repair the Lanesboro Dam and $500,000 for a study of Oronoco's wastewater needs.

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But some local projects failed to make it into the governor's priority list. Rochester's request for $3.8 million to reimburse the city's share of the U.S. Customs space at the Rochester International Airport was not included. Neither was $20 million for demolition and renovation work at Rochester Community and Technical College.

The governor is also insisting earmarked transportation projects be removed from the final public works bill. Last session's stalled bill set aside $200 million for the state's Corridors of Commerce program and would have required some of those dollars go towards expanding U.S. 14 from Dodge Center to Owatonna.

Carolyn Jackson, lobbyist for the U.S. Highway 14 Partnership, said the group is dismayed to see the governor calling for removal of these transportation dollars.

Jackson added, "We're obviously disappointed but it's not a surprise that as talks have gone on and off all summer, all fall, and now all winter, the chances of getting something from transportation have gone down, down, down."
With a week left to negotiate details of the latest proposed special session, Minnesota legislative leaders need to nail down what they truly want for Christmas.

We'd suggest keeping the wish list short and focused on necessities.

Sure, Suzy may want a new pony from Santa, and Ralphie might still be dreaming of that BB gun, despite the risk that he could shoot his eye out. However, if they keep their lists to affordable and practical items -- socks and underwear, anyone? -- it's more likely that the list will be seriously considered by whoever dons that Santa suit.

The same will likely be true for the hopes of a special session with the red suit being shared by the Minnesota's legislative leaders and the governor. We noted earlier this year, that the all-or-nothing approach was destined to fail, and the same is likely for any last-minute special session.

Lawmakers need to focus on three priorities, and they need to keep that focus on practical items, not grand wish lists.

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The most obvious outcome a Dec. 20 special session should be the passage of the tax bill that failed to receive the governor's signature due to an error discovered after it passed both the House and Senate by impressive margins. Any needed fixes should be in place without drastically changing the intended outcome, meaning it should receive quick approval.

That would give the state's taxpayers something extra for their Christmas stockings.

Another bill that should have passed earlier this year is the $1 billion bonding, which included a variety of practical items that would benefit the state's economy, including $25 million for Winona State University's Education Village, $5 million to expand U.S. Customs operations at Rochester International Airport and $4.5 million for Red Wing's River Town Renaissance project.

Granted, the entire bill may not receive the green light, but lawmakers should strive to approve projects that will provide benefits throughout the state while also creating new jobs. Many of the proposals in the bill would qualify and could give Minnesotans something extra to celebrate as the new year approaches.

The third item on the list should be the one to motivate agreement as soon as possible. Providing assistance for Minnesotans struggling with high costs health insurance costs must be accomplished quickly.

While some lawmakers may prefer to wait until Senate control shifts to Republicans, waiting until January to start discussions simply creates a delay that families should not face during the holidays.

Solutions have been proposed, from a rebate program with a potential $313 million cap to other subsidies for short-term relief. All can be considered, but they should be done with an eye toward providing relief that lasts long enough to determine potential state and federal changes to the program.

With a $1.4 billion projected surplus for the 2017 legislative session, finding solutions on this relatively short list should be possible. They don't need to be grandiose, but they should help clear the slate for the next session, allowing lawmakers to focus on the work that lies ahead, rather than looking back to 2016 to see what should have been done months ago.

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With that, lawmakers are in position to fulfill many wish lists before Christmas and still have a bit of holiday cheer provide options for next year.
The New York Times stokes the hysteria over the crisis of the republic fomented by the left over successful Russian hacking of Democratic targets. The Times story today carries the byline of three senior reporters. The Times injects echoes of Watergate with a photograph at the top of the story that illustrates a point in the text: Like another famous American election scandal, it started with a break-in at the D.N.C. The first time, 44 years ago at the committees old offices in the Watergate complex, the burglars planted listening devices and jimmied a filing cabinet. This time, the burglary was conducted from afar, directed by the Kremlin, with spear-phishing emails and zeros and ones.

And thats not all. There is more in the story. The Times works the Watergate thing hard.

I have heard the echoes of Watergate in the administrations use of the IRS for political purposes. Obama has succeeded in weaponizing the executive branch beyond the wildest dreams of Richard Nixon. But those arent the echoes the Times hears or has in mind.

The Times reporters on the story have sources in the intelligence community. The article states near the top: An examination by The Times of the Russian operation  based on interviews with dozens of players targeted in the attack, intelligence officials who investigated it and Obama administration officials who deliberated over the best response  reveals a series of missed signals, slow responses and a continuing underestimation of the seriousness of the cyberattack.

This is a long, long story. I havent finished reading it. My first impression part way through is that it makes the Democrats out to be idiots.

What about the Democrat at the top of the heap? Giving the Times story a close reading, Michael Warren excerpts a passage that highlights a characteristic moment in Obamas inaction and nonperformance in the service of his one-sided love affair with the Islamic Republic of Iran:

Mr. Obama was briefed regularly on all this, but he made a decision that many in the White House now regret: He did not name Russians publicly, or issue sanctions. There was always a reason: fear of escalating a cyberwar, and concern that the United States needed Russias cooperation in negotiations over Syria. Wed have all these circular meetings, one senior State Department official said, in which everyone agreed you had to push back at the Russians and push back hard. But it didnt happen. So the Russians escalated again  breaking into systems not just for espionage, but to publish or broadcast what they found, known as doxing in the cyberworld. It was a brazen change in tactics, moving the Russians from espionage to influence operations. In February, 2014 they broadcast an intercepted phone call between Victoria Nuland, the assistant secretary of state who handles Russian affairs and has a contentious relationship with Mr. Putin, and Geoffrey Pyatt, the United States ambassador to Ukraine. Ms. Nuland was heard describing a little-known American effort to broker a deal in Ukraine, then in political turmoil.

When it comes to protecting the national security interest of the United States, those circular meetings can serve as a metaphor for the Obama administration and for the coordination of the mainstream media with the party line.

To be continued, not necessarily by me.
If you want to know why Hillary lostand deserved to losego back to Philip Bumps October 22 story in the Washington Post about how the Clinton campaign considered 84 (eighty-four) different campaign slogans before settling on Stronger Together. I missed this story when it first appeared, but it has returned to currency as people continue to pick over the wreckage of the Clintons political machine.

Some of these you have to read not to believe, and Bump supplies some fitting commentary:

Rise Up. You know who says rise up? Robots and Chilean freedom fighters. Who does Clinton want America to rise up against? The moneyed elites in Washington? Probably not. (It has been brought to my attention that this maybe has something to do with the play Hamilton, so Im glad its in dead last.) Because your time is now. Why not just, You will soon die; vote Clinton? Its about time  and its about you. Theres nothing less about me than someone else running for president. Keep moving. The TSA plans to use this for when it runs for president.

And the rest of the list continues in this vein, so read the whole thing. When you go through a process like this to decide your headline message, you dont have a clear message. Trumps Make America Great Again may be vague, but you at least had some idea what hes about. Why didnt Hillary go with an honest slogan, like: Just give me the damn job, because I want it.

Meanwhile, Politico has a long story out today about how Clinton lost Michigan, and it makes for schadenfreudetastic reading for its exposure (as it we needed more) of the Clinton campaigns arrogance and cluelessness:

Everybody could see Hillary Clinton was cooked in Iowa. So when, a week-and-a-half out, the Service Employees International Union started hearing anxiety out of Michigan, union officials decided to reroute their volunteers, giving a desperate team on the ground around Detroit some hope. They started prepping meals and organizing hotel rooms. SEIU  which had wanted to go to Michigan from the beginning, but been ordered not to  dialed Clintons top campaign aides to tell them about the new plan. According to several people familiar with the call, Brooklyn was furious. Turn that bus around, the Clinton team ordered SEIU. Those volunteers needed to stay in Iowa to fool Donald Trump into competing there, not drive to Michigan, where the Democrats models projected a 5-point win through the morning of Election Day. Michigan organizers were shocked. It was the latest case of Brooklyn ignoring on-the-ground intel and pleas for help in a race that they felt slipping away at the end.

Finally, liberals stamp their feet and insist theres no voter fraud to speak of (except by Russian hackers), but this Detroit News story is rather curious, no:

Records: Too many votes in 37 % of Detroits precincts Voting machines in more than one-third of all Detroit precincts registered more votes than they should have during last months presidential election, according to Wayne County records prepared at the request of The Detroit News. Detailed reports from the office of Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett show optical scanners at 248 of the citys 662 precincts, or 37 percent, tabulated more ballots than the number of voters tallied by workers in the poll books. Voting irregularities in Detroit have spurred plans for an audit by Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnsons office, Elections Director Chris Thomas said Monday.

Im sure the Russians did it.
My experience of literature has always been as a medium for experiencing life. From Shakespeare to Achebe, and from Wole Soyinka to Bertolt Brecht, literature provides an imaginative retelling of life and its many vicissitudes. But literature has also been a vehicle for social transformation. Chinua Achebes entire literary oeuvre has a postcolonial rationale that aimed at rescuing the African from a Eurocentric cultural ideology. We are all familiar with his masterly critique of Joseph Conrad and his famous work, The Heart of Darkness which, for Achebe, reveals a man with a highly ingrained racial sensibility. Wole Soyinka suffuses his poetry and plays with a combination of cultural and social themes that aimed at the transformation of anomie, for instance.

Chimamanda Adichie, Buchi Emecheta, Flora Nwapa, Lola Shoneyin, Mabel Segun all these and so many others have something in commonthey are all female Nigerian writers, a blend of the old and the new, who have turned literature into a vibrant vehicle for rethinking and restructuring gender relations within an extremely patriarchal context like the Nigerian society. Through essays, fictions and factions, these writers have turned their creative fame into an engaged platform for active social advocacies. In the essay, We Should All Be Feminists (2014), Chimamanda Adichie provides a long exhortation on why the gender inequalities and injustice in our society today require a collective burning anger that will bring about a transformation. My own definition of a feminist is a man or a woman who says, yes, theres a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better.

Today, I celebrate a woman who has dedicated her entire life to ensuring that the gender issue receives sufficient engagement to push it into the collective consciousness. Molara Ogundipe belongs to the old core of literary intellectuals who weaves the intellectual and the literary as the combined dynamics that unfold the hidden assumptions and dangerous groundings for gender relations in any patriarchal setting. Molara Ogundipe is a professor of comparative literature and gender studies. It would seem for her that gender is too much of an issue to be left only to logic. Patriarchy is not logical. On the contrary, gender relations and the injustice that it instigates derive from a social misunderstanding of the biology of sexual differences. Gloria Steinem, the US writer and feminist, illustrates graphically: What would happen ifmen could menstruate and women could not? Clearly, menstruation would become an enviable, boast-worthy, masculine event: Men would brag about how long and how much. Young boys would talk about it as the envied beginning of manhood. It is in this sense alone that everything feminine has been turned upside down into a demeaning metaphor for weakness and inferiority. And all these despite the unassailable achievements of womanhood all across the globe and throughout all history from Moremi, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Winnie Mandela, Joan of Arc, to Rosa Parks, Margaret Thatcher, Queen Amina of Zaria, Margret Ekpo, Wangari Maathai, Taytul Betul, Huda Shaarawi, and so many other females who defied the biologising of social relations and threw their hopes, aspirations and dreams against a patriarchal system that undermines their humanity as women.





Molara Ogundipe is at the forefront of the theoretical dynamism which is unfolding within African feminism. And she has a powerful and deeply ingrained cultural understanding of the dynamics of gender relations in the pre-colonial and colonial Yoruba society as a pivot for theory.

In the hand of Professor Molara Ogundipe, literature in its comparative depth becomes a cross-cultural armament for outlining diverse cultural tropes that combine history and culture within a literary matrix for unraveling gender and its terrible assumptions. Thus, the many literary studies, poetry and stories of Molara Ogundipe become the instrument by which women could be allowed to recreate themselves away from cultural, social and even theological strictures that limit the possibility of what a female can ever hope to become in a male-dominated world. Tertullian, the Carthaginian theologian, gives this limitation a theologian justification: And do you know that you are an Eve? Gods sentence hangs over all your sex and His punishment weighs down upon you. You are the devils gateway; it was you who first violated the forbidden tree and broke Gods lawYou should always go in mourning and rags.

All these imply that the prejudices against the feminine goes deeper than what mere intellectual bantering can unravel. We need serious arguments that peel away at the layers of prejudices and biases. And Professor Ogundipe has a turgid framework of arguments, at the intersection of the postcolonial, the continental and the diasporic, that outline Africas cultural experience as the basis from which to transform the feminine experience. Professor Ogundipe is not just a critic of masculine excesses. She is not just a poet that laments the imminent loss of femininity. She is also an activist-creator buoyed by an optimism of a renewed understanding of what it means to be a woman within an African cultural context. Molara Ogundipes literary, intellectual and cultural sensibilities are geared towards a recalibration of what feminism can be transformed into in Africa.

It is no longer news that global feminism is caught within several contradictory ideologies that, in the final analysis, harm the advocacy for gender equality across history and contexts. Take racism, for instance. The racist ideology is so powerful that it cuts right through any supposed solidarity between the white and the black women in terms of gender alliances. The origin of black feminism derives from the critical attempts at undermining racism in the feminist struggle. On the other hand, African feminism has equally become a powerful framework for untangling the cultural differentials between continental black women and African American women. And Molara Ogundipe is at the forefront of the theoretical dynamism which is unfolding within African feminism. And she has a powerful and deeply ingrained cultural understanding of the dynamics of gender relations in the pre-colonial and colonial Yoruba society as a pivot for theory.





Stiwanism, in Molara Ogundipes fertile imagination, takes off from the need to retrieve female dignity and agency, into a larger continental reform of institutional restrictions, in a way that could generate development insights founded on conscious relationship with other traditions across the world.

Within her multiple engagements with gender, rethinking female subjectivity would seem to constitute a significant part of the project of rethinking the feminine, especially within an African postcolonial context. This would require an active advocacy that goes beyond just critiquing. Her answer to such an optimistic project is found in her concept of Stiwanism, the acronym for Social Transformation Including Women. This is a concept rooted in the radical heritage of Molara Ogundipe, enriched by her Yoruba cultural background, Christian upbringing and educational consciousness. Even within the accommodating ambience of the Yoruba culture and the Christian theological context, women still faced an uphill task of expressing themselves. These cultural and spiritual restrictions provided confusing food for thought for the young Molara Ogundipe, and an eye-opener for a future exploration of what it means to transform the social conditions of women in Africa. Thus, Stiwanism is a conceptual nod to the complexities of understanding the transformation of the society and of women as significant part of that society. Take a point of methodology, for instance. According to Professor Ogundipe, womens identity cannot be understood properly within what she calls a dichotomous framework that neglects all the possible statuses a women could acquire within a cultural context, apart from being a wife in a marriage. For her, this requires new analytic tools that could enable feminist reconstructions and transformations of family patterns and society.

We therefore immediately see where Ogundipes understanding of feminism is headed  a keen understanding of the inherent institutional advantage of patriarchy, and how social transformation itself can only become meaningful if it is accompanied by significant institutional reforms that empower women to recreate themselves. The reform potentials of Stiwanism appeal to me as a reformer. In my critical odes to female achievers in Nigeria, I have been concerned about the many institutional avenues by which reforms could include women as development agents. Stiwanism is refreshing as a positive reform construct because it is not founded on a binary opposition which underlies most feminist advocacy for gender equality. On the contrary, it actively seeks for masculine collaboration in the institutional reconfigurations of social transformation. Stiwanism, in Molara Ogundipes fertile imagination, takes off from the need to retrieve female dignity and agency, into a larger continental reform of institutional restrictions, in a way that could generate development insights founded on conscious relationship with other traditions across the world.

It is only very apt to end with a feminist fundamental assertion. For Mary Daly, The liberation of language is rooted in the liberation of ourselves. With her comparative literary experiences and her many essays on gender relations and cultural contours of the feminine in Africa, Abiodun Omolara Ogundipepoet, literary critic, feminist, theorist, educator and activisthas provided an intricate intellectual oeuvre which can enable African feminists to commence a significant transformation of the language of gender relations, a feminist reconstruction of gender, family and society that is critical for individual, national and continental development.

Tunji Olaopa is Executive Vice-Chairman, Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP)
A popular disc jockey in Abuja has been left devastated after a professional colleague on Tuesday fled with his equipment worth over N200,000 at Dakibiu Village in Jabi area of the federal capital city.

Martins Valentine, also known as DJ Valley, who has been doing gigs around the capital city for eight years, is asking for public help in tracking down the alleged thief.

According to Mr. Valentine, his ordeal started when he agreed to lend the equipment to Amos Kani for a gig.

We took the equipment to the venue of the said show so I could help him set it up. Unfortunately, I forgot the speaker wire at home. Before I returned to the venue with the wire, I couldnt find Amos or my equipment anywhere around, he told PREMIUM TIMES.

It was people around that told me that as I left, he hurriedly packed the equipment into a car and left. Ive since been trying his number but it is switched off.

Mr. Valentine said when he went to the local police station in Dakibiu to report the incident, he was told that the officer in charge was not around.

He said he was advised to return to the station the following day (Wednesday) with a letter to the FCT police command headquarters so that the suspect could be declared wanted.

According to DJ Valley, all efforts to track down the suspect had proved abortive.
Nigerian movie stars, Alex Ekubo, Yomi Fabiyi, and Toyin Aihmakhu, topped the winners list at the Best of Nollywood Awards.

Hosted by ace comedian, Okey Bakassi, and actress, Mercy Aigbe-Gentry, the awards aimed at acknowledging the resilience of Nigerian filmmakers amidst the economic recession, took place at El-Dorda event center, Aba, Abia State on Sunday.

The high point of the star-studded ceremony was when three Nollywood veterans, Chief Zebrudaya, Sola Sobowale and Fidelis Duker were rewarded for their giant strides and contributions to the Nigerian movie industry.

According to the organisers, aside from the 31 keenly contested categories at the annual BON Awards, the Special Recognition category rewards the commitment and contributions of several individuals in their field as well as in Nollywood.

In his welcome address, the CEO of BON, Seun Oloketuyi, said, The creative industry is a fertile ground for governments and investors to sow in Nigeria, more especially in the period that our nation gravely needs to diversify. This jury hopes that our state governments especially will look at ways to raise the revenue profile of their states by investing in this industry.

This awards specifically aims at promoting the Nigerian cultural essence in movie making. This is why emphasis is placed on movies that are produced in the indigenous languages. As we said last year however, we hope that more producers will come forward and venture into film in our some other languages than Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba.

See the full winners list below

BEST OF NOLLYWOOD 2016 WINNERS LIST

Best Actor in Leading Role (English)

. Alexx Ekubo in The First Lady

Best Actor in Leading Role (Yoruba)

 Yomi Fabiyi in Metomi

Best Actor in Leading Role (Hausa)

 Sadiq Dan Sadiq in Mat Da Lado

Best Actor in Leading Role (Igbo)

 Bloosom Chukwujeku in Icheke Oku

Best Actress in Leading Role (English)

 Judith Audu in Just Not Married

Best Actress in Leading Role (Yoruba)

 Toyin Aimakhu in Metomi

Best Actress in Leading Role (Igbo)

 Nichole Banna- in Icheke Oku

Best Actress in Leading Role (Hausa)

 Jamila Umar in Kasata

Best Supporting Actor (English)

Gabriel Afolayan in Something Wicked

Best Supporting Actress (English)

Adesua Etomi/ Ivie Okujaye-Egbon/Beverly Naya in Something Wicked

Most Promising Actor

Rotimi Salami in Just Not Married

Most Promising Actress

Ade Laoye in Studio

Best Child Actor in Movie

Daniel Udah in Opeyemi

Best Child Actress

Angel Unigwe in Woeman

Best Comedy of the Year

Ghana Must Go

Movie with the Best Social Message

. Woeman

Movie with the Best Special Effect

. A Soldiers Story

Movie with the Best Screenplay

 Something Wicked

Best Short Film of the Year

. Opeyemi

Best Documentary of the Year

 Amakas kin

Best TV Series of the Year

 Lasgidi cops (SCU)

Movie with the Best Editing

. Hire A man

Movie with the Best Sound Track

. Icheke Oku

Movie with the Best Production Design

 Hire A Man

Movie with the Best Cinematography

. A Soldiers Story

Best Use of Nigerian Costume in a Movie

. Yeye Oge

Best Use of Make up in a Movie

. A Soldiers story

Movie of the Year

. Something Wicked

Director of the Year

. Yemi Morafa for Something Wicked

Best Kiss in a Movie

. Omowumi Dada and Gabriel Afolayan in Something Wicked

Revelation of the Year (female)

. Bukky Adeeyo

Revelation of the year (Male)

. Shawn Jimoh
The Chief Operating Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation set tongues wagging when he revealed to the House of Representatives that he did not know the number of oil blocks Nigeria has.

Bello Rabiu appeared before the House committee investigating the controversial Malabu oil deal and OPL 245 on Tuesday afternoon.

After telling the committee that the NNPC was not directly involved in the controversial deal, Mr. Rabiu was asked to give details of Nigerias oil fields.

Razak Atunwa, the chairman of the committee, said he posed the question because he believed it would help lawmakers to determine Nigerias oil revenue prospects amidst the lingering financial crisis.

I dont know the answer to that question, Mr. Rabiu said.

Mr. Rabiu said statistics about oil prospecting licences and oil mining licences were not kept with the NNPC, but the Department of Petroleum Resources and directed lawmakers to contact the department for the information.

Mr. Rabiu also told the committee that the NNPC Act gave the Minister of Petroleum the absolute power to exercise discretion on award of oil licences.

The NNPC Act, even till today, clearly stated that the minister can award oil exploration licences at his discretion, Mr. Rabiu said.

The licence for the OPL 245 oil field was awarded to Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd. in April 1998 by a former Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete. The oil firm was later traced to the minister.
The Federal Government on Wednesday formally ended the era of cash call payment by the joint venture operators in the oil and gas industry.

President Muhammadu Buhari said while presenting the 2017 Budget to the joint session of the National Assembly that effective January 1, 2017, the government would no longer provide money for joint venture cash calls in the national budget for oil and gas operations.

Cash calls are financial contributions by partners in the oil and gas joint venture operations to fund the cost of oil production.

In Nigeria, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, on behalf of the federal government, accounts for 60 per cent equity in joint venture operations with ExxonMobil, Chevron, Total, Agip and Pan Ocean. The corporation holds 55 per cent stake in the Shell Joint Venture.

By implication, the NNPC is expected to contribute the equivalent of its equity in each of the joint ventures to the approved annual budget to fund the JV operations.

Over the years, the NNPC found it difficult to meet its cash call obligations to the various JVs, resulting in programmes in the industry often being scaled down or suspended for inadequate funding.

Governments inability to meet its cash call obligations to the joint venture over the years was identified as one of the challenges responsible for the lack of growth in the countrys oil and gas industry.

Evolving a new funding mechanism for the joint venture operations was part of the focus of the reforms undertaken by government to eliminate the often difficult cash call regime, enhance the efficiency of the management of oil and gas resources and guarantee growth.

As part of the reforms, President Buhari said on Wednesday effective January 2017, his administration would no longer provide for Joint Venture cash-calls.

Going forward, all Joint Venture operations shall be subjected to a new funding mechanism, which will allow for cost recovery, he said.

This new funding arrangement is expected to boost exploration and production activities, with resultant net positive impact on government revenues which can be allocated to infrastructure, agriculture, solid minerals and manufacturing sectors.

The Executive Council of the Federation and the National Economic Council recently approved a new funding regime for joint venture oil and gas operations in the country.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, described the new upstream JV arrangement as unincorporated Joint Venture

Under the new arrangement, Mr, Kachikwu said the JVs would become incorporated and source their own financing, freeing-up the government from the annual budgetary cash call obligations.

Despite efforts to diversify the economy from oil, the President said the government was determined to get oil production back to at about 2.2 million barrels per day to ensure the oil revenue was used to revive the countrys agriculture and industries.

To ensure minimal disruption to oil production activities of the oil and gas industry, he assured that government would continue its engagement with the communities in the Niger Delta region.

He urged the National Assembly, state and local governments, traditional rulers, civil society organisations and oil companies to play their part in the engagement with leaders of the region to ensure peace reigned.
Gambias ruling party filed a petition to challenge the result of the presidential election which saw Yahya Jammeh lose power after 22 years rule.

The result of the December 1 polls should be annulled, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), said in a document handed to the registrar of the Supreme Court in the capital, Banjul.

The petition was filed after an ECOWAS delegation met with Jammeh, hoping to persuade him to hand over power to President-elect Adama Barrow.

The delegation included Presidents Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, John Mahama of Ghana and Ernest Koroma of Sierra Leone.

Apart from ECOWAS, the UN, AU and the U.S. have all called on Mr. Jammeh to respect the wish of Gambians and relinquish power.

Earlier on Tuesday, security forces blocked the entrance to the electoral commission in Banjul, while the Chief of Defence Staff vowed to remain loyal to Mr. Jammeh, indicating that the countrys military would help him stay in power.

Mr. Jammeh last week announced his intention to challenge the election results, even though he had earlier conceded defeat to Mr. Barrow.

The 51-year-old, who has ruled the West African country for 22 years, deployed heavily armed military and police to the streets of the capital.

(dpa/NAN)
UN official in West Africa on Wednesday said Gambian President Yahya Jammeh will not be allowed to remain president if he refuses to go at the end of his term in January.

Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the UN Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, told journalists in Dakar that Jammeh would face strong sanctions if he tried to cling to power.

Jammeh, who took power in a coup in 1994, initially conceded defeat in the December 1 election to little-known challenger Adama Barrow, raising the prospect of an end to his

22 years rule.

Jammehs rule was tainted by allegations of widespread human rights abuses.

However, in a dramatic about-face that drew international condemnation, Jammeh

then rejected the voting results last Friday, and his party was challenging the outcome at Gambias Supreme Court.

Chambas, however, said for Mr Jammeh, the end is here and under no circumstances can he continue to be president.

By January 18, his mandate is up and he will be required to hand over to Mr. Barrow.

He added that Jammeh would be strongly sanctioned if he did not step down and hand over power to Barrow, without giving details.

Chambas accompanied a delegation of presidents representing the regional bloc ECOWAS who travelled to Gambia on Tuesday but failed to reach a deal that would see Jammeh step down.

Instead, Gambian soldiers seized the headquarters of the national elections commission and sealed it just hours before the presidents touched down in the riverside nation.

UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on Wednesday, said that the takeover was an outrageous act of disrespect of the will of the Gambian people.

The building in Banjul remained deserted on Wednesday aside from two armed security guards, while its front gate and ground floor entrances were closed.

No one has gone to work. I didnt even try. No one has informed me that I can go back, elections commission chairman Alieu Momarr Njai said on Wednesday.

The ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction filed a challenge to the election result, even as the delegation held mediation meetings on Tuesday.

The court has not held a session for a year and a half, and legal experts believe that at least four new judges would need to be hired to hear Jammehs petition.

We do not believe it will be heard by a credible court dedicated to ensuring the integrity of The Gambias democratic process, a U.S. Embassy statement said.

Analysts have suggested that the challenge in the Supreme Court, the legal channel for resolving election disputes, could put diplomats in a difficult position.

While such disputes are relatively common in Africa, the international community generally defers to established domestic legal mechanisms for resolving them.

However, in a notable exception, UN troops intervened militarily alongside France to oust Ivory Coasts then-president Laurent Gbagbo after he used the constitutional court to overturn the 2010 election victory of Alassane Ouattara.

Meanwhile, report says ECOWAS leaders will discuss Gambia at a summit in Nigeria on Saturday.

(Reuters/NAN)
Donald Trump, the incoming U.S. President, on Tuesday slammed the Democrats and the Green Party for their unsuccessful efforts at the presidential votes recount.

The final Wisconsin vote is in and guess what  we just picked up an additional 131 votes.

The Dems and Green Party can now rest. Scam!

Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have just certified my wins in those states. I actually picked up additional votes! Mr. Trump said on his twitter handle.

He also dismissed insinuations about alleged hacking of the voting system during the election.

Can you imagine if the election results were the opposite and WE tried to play the Russia/CIA card.

It would be called conspiracy theory!

Unless you catch hackers in the act, it is very hard to determine who was doing the hacking.

Why wasnt this brought up before election? he remarked.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the votes recount hope faded on Monday as efforts spearheaded by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein came to a close.

A Federal Judge ruled in Pennsylvania on Monday against Steins request for a review of the voting systems, saying it was possible they had been hacked and compromised.

In his decision, federal judge Paul Diamond said Steins allegation of possible election tampering borders on the irrational.

Diamond also cited the delay between Election Day and Steins decision to file the lawsuit, and said Stein did not have standing to sue on the issue.

Stein could appeal the decision, but time is short as all states must certify their election results by December 13, so it is unlikely any new action could be taken before then.

Stein initially filed for recounts in three states where the final margin for President-elect Donald Trump was narrow: Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Stein first began raising money for a possible recount in late November, and quickly began bringing in millions of dollars for the effort.

NAN reports that Steins effort has raised more than $7.3 million in crowd-funding, according to her fundraising page.

There were allegations of hacking of the U.S. voting system, which were fuelled after Democratic Hillary Clinton, projected to win the election, polled over 2.5 million votes ahead of Trump but lost the presidency to him on electoral college.

President Barack Obama has directed security agencies to commence fresh investigation into the alleged hacking, which should be concluded before the end of his tenure.

(NAN)
Investigators looking for debris of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 are making their last sweep of the search area in the Indian Ocean, Australian authorities have said.

Flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board.

Most of the crew were Chinese enroute to Beijing from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

The whereabouts of the missing plane had become one of the worlds greatest aviation mysteries.

In a statement issued to journalists on Wednesday in Sydney, Australias Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC), said the search was set to be wrapped up in January.

Malaysia, Australia and China agreed in July to suspend the search if the plane was not found or new evidence uncovered once the search area had been scoured.

Australia is leading the search for the plane at the request of the Malaysian government.

The JACC said the search vessel Fugro Equator, on Monday left Fremantle in Western Australia for its last journey to the 120,000-sq-km patch of sea floor that had been the focus of the 1,000-day hunt for the vanished Boeing 777.

The vessel would revisit sites of previous sonar contact to examine them more closely with a submersible drone.

Chinese involvement in the search diminished this week, as the countrys sonar-equipped vessel ended its role in the hunt and returned to Shanghai.

The Dong Hai Jiu 101 joined the search in February, initially contributing deep-sea sonar scans before being reconfigured in October to conduct dive missions with its own remotely operated submersible.

A spokesperson for the search team, Dan OMalley, said China continues to take part in regular consultation and briefings for the missing plane.

The undersea search had found no trace of the plane, although three pieces of debris found on the beaches of Mauritius, Tanzania and the French island of Reunion had been confirmed to be from MH370.

Investigators are also examining several other pieces found in Mozambique and South Africa.

Frustrated relatives of missing passengers have demanded that the search be extended to the coastline of east Africa.

(Reuters/NAN)
An Israeli media on Wednesday reported that about 30 female staffers protesting the Israeli parliaments dress code were denied entry to the Knesset building for wearing attire deemed inappropriate.

Citing the union representing Knesset aides, Haaretz reported that several female employees were denied entry by security guards in recent days by security guards for wearing items that were too short.

The resulting protest was to call for less fundamentalist modesty standards.

According to the report, the stunt was criticised by some Knesset figures as planned provocation that was not dignified for anyone.

This is not a new rule weve had the same dress code for several years.

The dress code is very moderate and takes into account Israeli culture and the hot summers here. said a Knesset spokesperson.

The Knesset spokesperson said it welcomes hundreds of visitor daily.

Its very seldom that we have some kind of problems.

The spokesperson said the point of the dress code is to ensure respect for the parliament.

The dress code stipulates that no short skirts may be worn, but does not specify how many centimetres above the knee is considered appropriate, leaving security guards to use their own discretion.

(dpa/NAN)
The Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, lost N1.5 trillion due to attacks on its facilities in 2016, an official has said.

Maikanti Baru, the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, stated this on Wednesday.

In a statement signed by Ndu Ughamadu, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Baru said that the exploration and production subsidiary of the corporation lost the amount due to attacks on its facilities from January till date.

Mr. Baru disclosed this when he declared open the 2016 NNPC Security Awareness week with the theme: NNPC Security: A Task for All Stakeholders.

He lamented the rising spate of criminality in the society at large and in the oil and gas industry in particular leading to loss of much needed revenue.

At industry level, we are all conversant with the seriousness and frequency with which national assets in form of pipelines, flow stations are vandalised and crude oil and white products stolen with impunity.

In 2016, January to date for example, NPDC alone recorded 59 security incidents resulting in crude production shut down/deferment and revenue loss of over N1.5 trillion, he said.

PREMIUM TIMES reported several such attacks, most carried out by the Niger Delta Avengers, an armed group in the oil producing region. The attacks reduced Nigerias oil production and export by about 50 per cent and also affect power generation as gas supply to power plants for cut.

Mr. Baru urged all Nigerians to do everything possible to help protect national assets, adding that governments at various levels were working to fight criminality.

He assured staff that security was a focal point off his administration and that success could only be achieved when all stakeholders imbibed the consciousness that security was a task for everyone.

At corporate level, you are all aware that the first item on my 12 Focus Areas is security.

This is in recognition of the imperative that without assurances of safety, NNPC, the oil and gas industry, and indeed the country cannot achieve appreciable growth to assure citizens of decent and productive lives, he said.

Mr. Baru also launched the Corporations Kidnap for Ransom Policy to raise staff awareness on the need to avoid actions that predispose them to being kidnapped, especially at a time like this when kidnapping for ransom had become rampant.

He charged all staff to participate actively in the activities of the Security Awareness Week to imbibe ideas that could help them not only on personal security but also on the protection of national assets.
The embattled Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Olusola Oyewole, and others accused of corruption have refunded N6.5 million to the anti-graft agency, EFCC, PREMIUM TIMES learnt

Mr. Oyewole is facing criminal charges for allegedly misappropriating N800 million belonging to the university. He was charged to court alongside the universitys Pro-Chancellor, Adeseye Ogunlewe, and Bursar, Moses Ilesanmi.

The three were accused of benefitting from various illegal allowances not approved by Nigerias Salaries and Wages Commission.

Investigation by PREMIUM TIMES showed that Mr. Oyewole refunded N2.5 million on December 6 from the illegal allowances he allegedly collected to finance his daughters wedding. Four other staff of the university also refunded a total of N4 million from similar illegal allowances.

A spokesperson of the EFCC zonal office in Ibadan, Ayo Oyewole, confirmed that some money was returned by suspects in the matter.

The Commission will ensure that everybody who benefited from the illegal allowances return whatever they collected to the coffers of the university, he said.

The monies returned so far are, however, a far cry from the N800 million that the EFCC says Mr. Oyewole and others mismanaged.

The universitys spokesperson, Emi Alawode, declined comment saying the matter was already in court.

The accused were docked on an 18-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, obtaining money by false pretence, and abuse of office.

The judge, O.O. Majekodunmi granted the three accused men bail and adjourned the case to December 16, 19, and 20.

Apart from facing corruption charges, the vice chancellor and the university management have also faced criticism for sacking the whistleblowers who exposed the alleged financial irregularities.

Workers, civil society organisations, and the Nigeria Labour Congress have all called for the reinstatement of the sacked workers, members of the universitys senior staff union, SSANU.
President Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, met with the Gambia President-elect, Adama Barrow, on the second day of their mediation to persuade outgoing President of the country, Yahya Jammeh, to accept the result of December 1 election.

Mr. Jammeh, who had earlier accepted defeat and publicly congratulated Mr. Barrow, did an about-face few days later announcing that he rejected result. He vowed to conduct fresh elections.

His decision not to accept the result has drawn condemnation worldwide including from the UN, ECOWAS, and the U.S.

Mr. Buhari and Presidents Ernest Koroma, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and John Mahama of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana respectively led an ECOWAS delegation to visit Mr. Jammeh on Tuesday.

Earlier on Wednesday the Nigerian President tweeted a couple of pictures of the delegation meeting with Mr. Barrow.

The mediation continues. After our meeting with President Jammeh we met with President-Elect Adama Barrow, he wrote.

The leaders are not expected to reveal the details of the of the mediation until all talks are concluded. However, observers believe apart from asking Mr. Jammeh to leave office, the West African leaders are also trying to save him and his loyalists from prosecution after leaving office.

Despite the visit of the West African leaders, Mr. Jammehs party has filed a suit challenging Mr. Barrows victory in court.

Back in Nigeria, the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, who is one of Mr. Buharis most outspoken critics, has described as an aberration, the presidents involvement in the mediation to persuade Mr. Jammeh to relinquish power.

Mr. Fayose, in a statement, said Mr. Buhari lacked the moral rights to preach obedience to democratic principles to anyone.

In the statement released by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor said Mr. Buhari is moving Nigeria into a one party state.

He said instead of Mr. Buhari, African leaders like former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, and Mr. Mahama were better placed to persuade the Gambian sit-tight leader.

How can Buhari, who has destroyed the legacy of free, fair and credible elections that was handed over to him, be the one to prevail on someone else to adhere to democratic principles, the controversial Ekiti governor said.
The Senate has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend and ensure prosecution of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, over alleged breach of Nigerias law in handling contracts awarded by the Presidential Initiative for the North East, PINE

The Senates resolution on Wednesday followed presentation of the report on mounting humanitarian crisis in the north-east by the Shehu Sani-led ad hoc committee.

Mr. Lawals company, Global Vision Ltd., is one of the companies indicted by the committee for allegedly benefiting from inflated and phantom contracts  or ones not executed at all  awarded by the PINE.

Mr. Lawals firm was said to have been awarded over N200 million contract to clear invasive plant specie in Yobe State.

The committee found that as of the time the contract was awarded in March 2016, Mr. Lawal was still the director of Global Vision and that he just resigned in September.

Yet, currently, Mr. Lawal is the signatory to the companys account.

Mr. Lawals directorship of the Global Vision while being a public official  Secretary General of the Federation  contravened Nigerias code of conduct for public officials as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, the Senate held.

Global Vision was incorporated in 1990 to carry out ICT services; but it received contract to clear grass in 2016 even while the owner is senior government official, the lawmakers found.

Babachir Lawal is a disgrace to the All Progressives Congress, said Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi West); adding that the SGF is exhibiting anti-Buhari tendency.

Mr. Melaye led the call for Mr. Lawals resignation and prosecution, after Mr. Sani (APC-Kaduna) presented his committees report.

Also, Isah Misau (APC-Bauchi) said Mr. Lawal should resigned immediately or be suspended and be prosecuted afterwards.

Mr. Misau said the Buhari administration was having challenges with performance delivery because of people like the SGF. He said the SGF was the one responsible for non-constitution of many boards of the federal government.

Mr. Misau said Mr. Buhari should sack and ensure prosecution of the SGF to prove seriousness of his anti-corruption campaign.

Without the prosecution of the SGF, this anti-corruption fight will go nowhere, he said.

That of SGF was one the numerous scams uncovered by the report, said Adeola Olamilekan (APC-Lagos). He said Mr. Lawal should resign and be prosecuted.

Mr. Sanis report revealed that the Presidential Initiative for the North East took advantage of the emergency situation to award fraudulent contracts; and also that the realities in the Internally Displaced Persons camps did not commensurate with funds released.

The Senate therefore resolved that PINE should turn in all documents pertaining to contracts it had awarded, and that all government officials, apart from Mr. Lawal, found to have contravened law in the processes of the contracts should be prosecuted.

The Senate also asked the Federal Ministry of Health to immediately deploy its personnel to the IDP camps to support the international humanitarian crisis managers and military hospitals in the north-east.

It also asked the federal government and state governments in the north-east to ensure an end to acute food shortage in the IDPs camps; and that infrastructures in the recaptured villages and towns be rebuilt so that IDPs can go back to their homes.
A police chief has charged officers to monitor the activities of Shiites in a part of Nigeria.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG, in charge of Zone One, comprising Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States, Adamu Ibrahim, charged police officers in the zone to remain vigilant and monitor activities of Shiites in the zone.

Mr. Ibrahim gave the charge while addressing officers of Jigawa Police Command in Dutse on Wednesday.

He explained that the recent clash between the Shiites and police in Kano indicated that they were a violent group and must be monitored seriously.

The AIG said that intelligence report had shown that the group had members all over the country and had leadership structure in 36 states of the federation, including Jigawa.

According to him, the leader of the group in every state is called Governor, pointing out that the police would not allow the group to form a parallel government in the country.

Mr. Ibrahim, therefore, tasked officers of the state police command to monitor the Shiites to ensure peace in the zone.

Mr. Ibrahims statement comes a month after at least nine people were killed in Kano after police forcefully stopped a Shiite protest.

The police said eight Shiites and a police sergeant were killed in the clash and blamed the religious group for the violence. The Shiites said over a dozen of their members were killed when the ice used force to disband a peaceful protest.

Wednesdays statement by the police also comes a few weeks after the Kaduna State government labelled the Shiites, a religious minority in Northern Nigeria, an insurgent group that should be dealt with.

The group has repeatedly protested to demand the release of its leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky who was arrested without trial since December last year after over 300 Shiites were killed by soldiers in Kaduna.

Rights groups, activist, lawyers and the U.S. have cautioned the Nigerian government against criminalising the Shiites for their religious beliefs.

On Wednesday, Mr. Ibrahim also commended the Jigawa police for tackling the menace of kidnapping, armed robbery as well as farmer/herdsmen clashes in the state.

(NAN)
As at the end of September, 59 per cent of Nigerias 2016 budget had been implemented, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday.

The President said that the Federal Government implemented about N3.58 trillion out of the N6.08 trillion budgeted for 2016 as at September 30.

Mr. Buhari said this on Wednesday in Abuja when he formally presented a N7.28 trillion Federal Government budget for 2017 to the joint session of the National Assembly for approval.

The 2017 budget, tagged Budget of Recovery and Growth, was higher than the 2016 N6.08 trillion Appropriation by about 19.95 per cent.

Mr. Buhari said that the implementation of the 2016 Budget was hampered by the low oil prices in the first quarter of 2016, and disruptions in crude oil production which led to significant shortfalls in projected revenue.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the various attacks by the Niger Delta Avengers and other groups in the oil producing region that reduced the countrys oil production by about 50 per cent.

Mr. Buhari said this also negatively affected revenue collection by the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigerian Customs Service.

As at September 30, 2016, aggregate revenue inflow was N2.17 trillion or 25 per cent less than prorated projections.

Similarly, N3.58 trillion had been spent by the same date on both recurrent and capital expenditure.

This is equivalent to 79 per cent of the prorated full year expenditure estimate of N4.54 trillion as at the end of Sept. 2016.

In spite of these challenges, we met both our debt service obligations and personnel costs. Similarly, overhead costs have been largely covered, he said.

Mr. Buhari said that in spite of revenue shortfalls, the amount of N753.6 billion had so far been released for capital expenditure as at the end of October 2016.

Although capital expenditure suffered as a result of project formulation delays and revenue shortfalls, it is important to note that this is the highest capital releases recorded in the nations recent history.

In fact, it exceeds the aggregate capital expenditure budget for 2015, he said.

Mr. Buhari said that from the 2016 budget, construction of new terminals at the countrys four major airports, numerous road projects, power transmission projects and completion of the Kaduna  Abuja railway project was still ongoing.

(NAN)
A former Imo Assembly Speaker, Nwoha Amaechi, on Wednesday reiterated calls for the practice of a one parliament structure in Nigeria, which he said would engender wealth creation and distribution.

Mr. Amaechi made the call in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria while reacting to calls to scrap the senate.

He said that a single legislature in Nigeria would guarantee accountable representation of the people with its attendant economic benefits.

The former speaker, who frowned at the practice of bicameral legislature, said it had succeeded in wasting the countrys scarce resources.

We must try to jettison those practices, be it political or cultural that have no peculiarities with our culture and economic realities.

The Senate for instance is not representing the people, instead it is the House of Representatives that is truly for the people, so it is ideal to scrap one, he said.

The former Speaker expressed dismay over the expensiveness of the countrys legislature, saying that it was proper to reduce it.

Mr. Amaechi said that the cost of maintaining the two chambers of the legislature was enough to stimulate the ailing economy.

He said that the style and structure of Nigerias legislature had deepened the culture of free money and unaccountability.

The former speaker, who called for creation of more constituencies, said that unicameral legislature was panacea to legislative corruption.

According to him, it is time for Nigerians to preserve the future of generations unborn by saving resources being wasted on two chambers.

Since the two of them are doing one constitutional duty, is it not advisable to scrap one in order to save money.

(NAN)
A housewife, Amudat Shosanya, was on Wednesday charged before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates Court for allegedly stabbing her husbands lover with a broken bottle.

Shosanya, 39, who resides at Jebba Street in Ebute Meta, Lagos State, is facing a charge of assault.

The prosecutor, Mariam Dauda, told the court that the accused committed the offence on December 13 at about 11.27 a.m., at Jebba Street in Ebute Meta.

She alleged that the accused stormed the house of the complainant, one Remilekun Adeshina, and stabbed her.

The accused and her husband had a misunderstanding and out of anger she went to Adeshinas house and stabbed her all over her body, accusing her of being the reason her husband was hostile to her, he said.

The offences contravened Section 171 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Magistrate, Helen Omisore, granted the accused bail in the sum of N10,000 with one surety in like sum and adjourned the case to January 12 for mention.

(NAN)
The prosecutor of a retired Air Vice Marshal, Alkali Mawu, accused of corruption, closed his case on Wednesday.

Mr. Mawu was Air Officer Training Command and member of Committee for Procurement under the Ministry of Defence.

He was arraigned on June 21 before Justice Salisu Garba on a three-count charge of bribery.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleged that Mr. Mawu collected cash gift in the sum of N5.9 million for the purchase of a Range Rover Evoque, and another $300,000.

He was also alleged to have collected two vehicles (Ford Expedition SUV and Jaguar XF Saloon) valued at N15 million and N12 million respectively from Societe D Equipments Internationaux Nigeria Limited, a contractor with the Nigerian Air Force.

At the resumed hearing before Justice Salisu Garba of FCT High Court, the prosecution brought the last two witnesses to testify and tender documents in evidence.

The third witness, Martins Emeto, the manager of IT operations with the Zenith Bank, said sometime in January, the bank received a letter from EFCC requesting for the account details of Kalif fertiliser company ltd.

He said the company had a domiciliary account with the bank and that the information processed in their unit was accurate and reliable.

He, however, added that Mr. Mawu was not signatory to the account or director of the company which maintained the account with the bank.

The last witness was Junaed Said, an officer of the EFCC and member of the team that carried out the investigation on Mr. Mawu.

He said the Federal Government had set up a committee to carry out audit on defence equipment procurement.

He explained that the committee consist of both serving and retired military officers and representatives from EFCC.

The witness noted that in carrying out this function, the committee discovered that there were several suspicious payments made to individuals and several companies among which was Societe D Equipments Internationaux Nigeria Ltd.

He said the committee recommended that further investigation be carried out and subsequently the committee was assigned to do just that.

The witness said payments were made based on the authorisation of Hama Abubakar, the managing director of Societe.

He said the payments were made to several officers of the military and other companies among which was Kalif Fertilizer Company and Coscharis motors.

He added that a letter was forwarded to the Corporate Affairs Commission to furnish the committee with the details of the company.

Mr. Said said investigation revealed that the family members of the defendants were the directors of Kalif.

He said the Nigeria Air Force also furnished the committee with the contract award letters which were signed by Mr. Mawu.

The witness said Hama Abubakar was called on phone and asked why the payments were made, but he was unable to give any explanation, so he was invited.

He told the court that Mr. Abubakar could not honour the invitation because he was not in Nigeria.

The witness said the defendant was asked to state his reasons for receiving the car gift and others.

During cross examination by Joesph Daudu, counsel to the defendant, the witness said different teams could come together to investigate a suspect and any member could record the suspects statements.

He said that the statements were not recorded in video and he did not know whether the delivery notes were from the Nigeria Air Force.

The witness said that the statement he had was the one he recorded and that he was not aware that the defendant disclosed that what they were doing was of serious national security.

The prosecuting counsel, Mr. Tahir, then called four witnesses to testify and tendered documents in evidence, after which closed the case.

The Judge, Justice Salisu Garba, after the prosecution informed the court that he had closed the case, adjourned until Feb. 22 for defence to open his case.

(NAN)
The Economic and Financial Commission, EFCC threw itself in the raging confrontation between proponents of the controversial money deposit scheme, MMM, and those who have remained sceptical since it was introduced in the country several months ago.

After months of expectations and occasional hoaxes of its crash, the promoters of MMM announced Tuesday that they were suspending payments to participants, for now.

The announcement sparked online uproar Tuesday morning, and the EFCC was immediately dragged into it.

Brav  no wait  MAVRO to them, the agency tweeted in an apparent mockery of members of the scheme who also self-identify as Mavrodians.

The EFCC also asked Nigerians to protect themselves not patronise wonder banks.

If it looks or sounds too good to be true, it almost always is.

Respect your hard work and be content. Please stay away from quick return schemes. Please, the agency said.

MMM allows Nigerians to sign up and pledge a monetary donation to people who are in need of it. The pledge is made with a guarantee of 30 per cent appreciation fee that is essentially an interest on the specific amount donated.

The MMMs crash came two days after its founder, Sergey Mavrodi, wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari, tackling him for allegedly trying to shut down a business that supports more than three million Nigerians.
The police have warned the Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, not to embark on any protest in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command said it had been informed of a planned protest by the IMN.

The police warned the group to desist from embarking on any protest.

The attention of the FCT Police Command has been drawn to the plan by members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria to carry out mass protest at the Three Arms Zone, Abuja on Wednesday, 14th, December, 2016.

The Command wants to state unequivocally that the action of the group is illegal as they have neither written to notify the Command of their planned action nor have they secured any approval from the Commissioner of Police go on with the planned protest.

It is sequel to the above that FCT Police Command is warning members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria to immediately stay action on their planned protest or be prepared to be dealt with in accordance with the appropriate sections of the law, said the statement which was signed by the commands Public Relations Officer, Manzah Anjuguri.

Despite court orders rulings that have shown that Nigerians do not need a police permit to embark on protest, the police have always insisted on such especially for protests considered unfavourable to the government in power.

In a reaction to the police statement, a leader of the IMN said the group has no immediate plans to embark on such protest.

The Secretary General of the Academic Forum of the IMN, Abdullahi Musa, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on the matter, said his members have not protested since a court ruling ordering the release of the Shiite leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.

We took the case to court. And the court ruled in our favour and said that they should release our leader in 45 days. What sense will it make if we start protesting before that time. We have not protested and we will not protest till the 45 days elapses; if he is not released, Mr. Musa said.

Although I heard that a group protested yesterday, but I am telling you that we, the Shiite members whom I speak for, have not protested and will not protest now, he said.

An Abuja Division of the Federal High Court had on December 2 ordered the release of Mr. El-Zakzaky.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole ordered the Nigerian government to release the cleric within 45 days, from December 2.

Mr. El-Zakzaky has been detained without trial since December last year after over 300 members of the IMN were killed by soldiers in controversial circumstances in Kaduna.
A High Court in Uyo has ordered a former senator from Akwa Ibom State, Anietie Okon, to pay N100,000 as damages to a newspaper vendor, Ndifreke Etim, whom he assaulted last year in Uyo.

Mr. Etim, who walks around the city of Uyo, hawking newspapers, had told the court that Mr. Okon slapped him multiple times inside Government House, Uyo, in September last year.

The assault occurred around the state banquet hall where the vendor had gone with the hope of making quick sales during the swearing-in of a new chairman of Akwa Ibom State Council of Traditional Rulers.

Mr. Etim claimed that three able-bodied men, who may have been Mr. Okons bodyguards, stood by to watch as the former senator kept slapping him.

When he finished slapping me, he accused me of stealing his wallet. But God knows I am not a thief, I sell newspapers to take care of myself and my family, Mr. Etim had told PREMIUM TIMES in November, shortly after the incident.

He didnt even search me to see if I had his wallet on me or not.

The victim, backed by the Newspaper Distributors Association of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State chapter, filed a civil suit against the former senator.

I didnt really think of reporting the case to the police; I wanted it sorted out in court, said the vendor.

The court, presided over by Justice Winifred Effiong, held that the action of the former senator was degrading, and that it was against Mr. Etims right to the dignity of his person as guaranteed by Section 34(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as well as the African Charter on human and peoples right.

The court, besides granting an order that Mr. Okon should pay N100,000 as damages to Mr. Etim, also granted an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the former senator or his agents from further breaching of the applicants fundamental human rights.

It also ordered the former senator to pay additional N50, 000 as cost of the litigation to Mr. Etim.

I am glad that the court has been bold enough to tell the senator that what he did against me was wrong, Mr. Etim told PREMIUM TIMES. Its not about the money.

When contacted, the former senator, Mr. Okon, said he was yet to get a copy of the court judgment.

Mr. Etim was represented in the case by Ndianabasi Udofia, while Mr. Okon was represented by Esther Archibong.
The trial of a former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode was on Wednesday stalled due to the inability of the defendant to attend trial.

Mr. Fani-Kayode was charged on November 10 at an Abuja division of the Federal High Court for alleged diversion of N26 million. He was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Apart from the five-count charge at the Abuja Division, Mr. Fani-Kayode is also facing separate charges at another court in Lagos.

At the Lagos Court, Mr. Fani-Kayode is charged alongside a former minister of finance, Nenadi Usman, and Danjuma Yusuf.

They were charged by the EFCC on 17 counts bordering on money laundering to the tune of over N4 billion.

That trial had been stalled in November following the detention of Mr. Fani-Kayode.

The trial in Abuja was billed to continue on Wednesday, but was also stalled following the defendants health situation.

Mr. Fani-Kayodes lawyer, Wale Balogun, informed the court that his client was ill and therefore could not attend the trial.

Mr. Balogun presented a medical report to the trial judge, John Tsoho, and asked for an adjournment to allow his client attend to his health, before proceeding with the trial.

The prosecution made no counter application, so the matter was adjourned till February 6, 2017.
The coalition of seven political parties that produced Adama Barrow, President-elect of The Gambia, looks earnestly up to President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria to deploy his vast experience, alongside other African leaders, to resolve the political logjam in the tiny West African country.

Speaking with the media during the high-level ECOWAS /AU/UN Joint Mission to The Gambia on Tuesday, Hamad Bah, one of the coalition members, declared:

We need the experience of President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria in many ways. Like President Jammeh, he is a former military officer, so he knows how the military thinks, and would be able to talk to him appropriately.

Again, President Buhari was in the opposition in Nigeria for about 12 years, before he won election in 2015. So, he also knows how the opposition thinks. He can feel what we feel. We are quite glad that President Buhari is here, it gives us a lot of hope.

The high-level team, in series of meetings that lasted the whole of Tuesday, met with President Yahya Jammeh, twice, conferred with Barrow, consulted with security chiefs, members of the diplomatic community, leadership of the electoral commission, and many other interest groups.

The consensus was that President Jammeh needed to respect the result of the December 1 election, which he had earlier accepted, congratulated the winner, only to recant a week later, calling for fresh polls to be conducted by a God-fearing electoral commission.

The Joint ECOWAS-AU-UN team, made of President Buhari, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia (current Chairperson of ECOWAS), President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, outgoing President John Mahama of Ghana, and Mohammed Ibn Chambas, (UN Special Representative for West Africa), encouraged Mr. Jammeh to reconsider his rejection of the election results citing tallying errors and his call for new elections.

Mr. Jammeh was also urged to hand over power within constitutional deadlines, and in accordance with electoral laws of The Gambia.

President Johnson-Sirleaf said discussions on The Gambian impasse would continue, as ECOWAS leaders meet in Abuja this Saturday.
The Nigeria Army on Wednesday said it had rescued additional 605 women and children during its operation in Sambisa forest.

The Theatre Commander, Leo Irabor, stated this during a press conference at the headquarters of the 7 Division of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri.

Mr. Irabor, a Major General, said that troops have continued to record remarkable progress in the fight against counter terrorism operation in Sambisa forest.

He added that 69 male adults, 180 females, 227 male children and 129 female children, were rescued during the operation between December 7 and December14.

The victims are in our custody for further investigation and interrogation.

On the operation, our troops are determined to wipe out the terrorists from their hideout. I can tell you that the counter terrorism operation is already yielding positive results.

(NAN)
The factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu-Sheriff, said he was ready to return to negotiating table with the Ahmed Makarfi-led faction.

He, however, stressed that the Makarfi-faction must be willing to make peace for that to happen.

Mr. Sheriff stated this when he received some members of the PDP, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who paid him solidarity visit on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr. Sheriff said he had on several occasions tried to resolve the party crisis with the Makarfi faction.

He said he suggested that both the Caretaker Committee and his National Working Committee be dissolved, to give way for a new independent leadership.

I have made several peace moves but the caretaker committee has refused to agree.

We have therefore resigned our fate to the decision of their Lordships of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Courts.

However, we are ready to return to the negotiation table today, if Sen. Makarfi sees reason to do so, he said.

Mr. Sheriff said he was committed to returning the party to the grassroots in spite of the several blackmail he had been receiving.

Our task is to return the party to the grassroots.

To this end, we shall continue to review all the states chapters that are affected before the Convention.

We are discussing with key stakeholders willing to return to the party and we are making steady progress, he said.

Mr. Sheriff added that if the talks would yield positive result, the party would hold its national convention in the first quarter of 2017 to elect new leaders.

Hopefully, we shall conduct a free and fair convention in the first quarter of 2017.

In the cause of the last six months, we have worked assiduously to reposition our great party, the PDP, through harnessing of the enormous potential of the party at the grassroots.

On Rivers re-run legislative elections, Mr. Sheriff said he was waiting for the report of the delegation he sent to the state before he could take any position on the election.

I have set up an 11-Man Committee which I sponsored to Rivers to observe the election and report back to me.

The committee is yet to give me its report.

I will make public my position as soon as I receive the detailed report on the election, because it is better for me to speak based on fact, he said.

NAN reports that the Sheriff faction used the occasion to observe a minute silence for the victims of the recent Adamawa bomb blast and the Akwa-Ibom church building collapse.

Mr. Sheriff also condoled with the families of the deceased.

(NAN)
Four persons living with disabilities have emerged as winners for councillorship poll in the upcoming local government and ward primary elections conducted by the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Taraba.

The state Chairman of the party, Hassan Ardo, confirmed this to journalists on Wednesday in Jalingo while fielding questions on the conduct of the primaries.

Mr. Ardo explained that a deaf and dumb man won the election in Mutum Biyu ward of Gassol Local Government Area.

He said that three other physically challenged persons also clinched the ticket to contest for councillorship in Jalingo Local Government Area.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the state independent electoral commission had scheduled the local council election for February 11, 2017.

According to the APC chairman, 33 aspirants contested for the position of chairman in the 16 local government areas of the state, while 244 aspirants vied for councillorship in the 168 wards during the primaries.

He said the primaries were conducted peacefully across the state, adding that no complaint was received from any aspirant.

Beside, Mr. Ardo said opposition parties had agreed to participate in the council polls based on the promise of the Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) that the election was going to be free, fair and credible.

The Chairman of the Commission, Dr Philip Duwe, I know is a man of his words and based on that I believe he is going to conduct a credible local government election and we are not expecting anything short of that, Mr. Ardo said.

He said the APC has remained a leading political party in the state even though not in government, adding that it has the support of the people.

However, the chairman advised the security agencies to remain neutral during the council election.

We will not accept a repeat of what happened during the 2015 general election where security agents compromised at their duty post in favour a certain political party, he said.

(NAN)
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno on Wednesday called for prosecution of persons who allegedly diverted 50 bags of rice meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state.

Mr. Shettima gave the directive in a statement by his spokesperson, Isa Gusau, in Maiduguri.

The directive followed report that hundreds of IDPs apprehended some officials of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday morning for alleged theft of food meant for their upkeep.

Four officials were said to have been arrested by the police after IDPs held them.

Mr. Gusau said Mr. Shettima was very bitter about the development and has vowed to ensure anyone found wanting amongst those arrested was prosecuted.

Governor Shettima approved funds for the foodstuff at the IDP camp and he is deeply pained by this development, he said.

He added that the governor regarded diversion of food meant for IDPS as a crime against humanity which must not go unpunished.

He pointed out that the food in question was part of those bought by the Borno State Government for feeding of IDPs in December.

(NAN)
The Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, has approved the release of N892 million to the state-owned tertiary institutions.

The fund, according to the governor, was released to enable the institutions clear backlog of salary arrears owed their staff.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the decision followed the release of N1 billion by the state government to the sixteen local government councils in the state to augment their allocation for the payment of November 2016 salaries and pensions.

In a statement released on Wednesday in Ilorin, the State Commissioner for Finance, Demola Banu,

disclosed that the approved fund is part of the N5 billion received by the state government from the federal government as its share of the London and Paris Club loan refunds.

Mr. Banu added that the funds will be disbursed to the institutions in monthly instalments, stressing that the money is in addition to the current monthly subvention received by the colleges.

He also expressed optimism that with the release of the funds, the affected institutions will be able to clear all the backlog of arrears owed their workers, adding that the colleges will also be able to ensure regular payment of their current salaries.

The finance commissioner however stated that the state government is working hard with the management of the colleges to find a lasting solution to the salary crisis affecting the schools.

The beneficiary institutions include the Kwara State Colleges of Education in Oro, Ilorin and Lafiagi; College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies (CAILS), Ilorin and the Kwara State School of Nursing, Oke-Ode, the statement said.
A Federal High Court in Kano, Tuesday sentenced a 46 years old paedophile, Salisu Abdullahi, to 14 years in prison for raping an eight-year-old girl.

The convict, who appeared before the court on allegation of unlawfully having sexual intercourse with the minor (name withheld), was also ordered to pay a fine of N2million.

The court presided over by Justice J. Omotosho said it was convinced beyond reasonable doubt that Mr. Abdullahi carried out the act and therefore convicted him.

The National Agency for the Prohibition in Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, had arraigned the convict on a one count charge of illicit sex with a minor.

The agency said Mr. Abdullahis action contravened the provision of section 16 of NAPTIP Enforcement and Administration Act.

The counsel to the convict, Jamilu Ahmed, however appealed to the court to temper justice with mercy, saying he was married with children and has an aged mother, all of whom depend on him.

He further pleaded that Mr. Abdullahi was remorseful and was a first time offender who had been in custody for close to one year.

Delivering his judgment, Mr. Omotosho sentenced the convict to 14 years imprisonment and also ordered him to pay a fine of N2 million.
Some angry youth from Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom on Wednesday disrupted operations in ExxonMobil over the sacking of some contract staff who are natives of the area.

The protesters, numbering over 1,000, barricaded all entry points to the company with boats, coffins, palm fronts and placards with different inscriptions.

Their placards had inscriptions like ExxonMobil, pay us our terminal benefits, ExxonMobil, this is the last warning, ExxonMobil should re-instate sacked contract staff from Ibeno, and Gross negligence and insensitivity of ExxonMobil to the people of Ibeno.

Another read, We dont have pipe-borne water and electricity. Our economy is crippled because of incessant oil spill.

The angry workers, under the aegis of Amalgamation of Ibeno Youth Presidents Forum, Ulok Ulok People Assembly and Ijaw Youth Council, Ibeno, decried alleged marginalisation of the host communities by the company.

A News Agency of Nigeria correspondent who visited ExxonMobil at Qua Iboe Terminal, Ibeno, reports that the company was under lock and key with clusters of people lingering around discussing the issue.

NAN reports, however, that security operatives were everywhere to protect the facilities of the company.

Harry Moses, the National President of Ulok Ulok People Assembly, said that ExxonMobil had failed in its Social Corporate Responsibility to the host communities.

Mr. Moses said that the sacked 48 contract staff should be reinstated or else the protest would be continue.

Also, Mr Samuel Otokere, coordinator of the groups, said the protest was peaceful, and in reaction to the injustice of ExxonMobil to the host communities.

The reason for the protest is the recent retrenchment by ExxonMobil of indigenes of Ibeno Local Government Area of the state.

You will be surprised to know that ExxonMobil has about 1,800 contract staff and about 48 contract staff had been sacked from Ibeno without reasons, he said.

Mr. Otokere said that several meetings had been held but Mobil refused to attend the meetings.

He said that the MOU signed by the host communities, ExxonMobil and the state government had not been implemented for 25 years, and that the community needed a new MoU with the company.

We are protesting so that the world can see that we are not fairly treated as the landlord and host community, Mr. Otokere said.

Efforts to reach the Manager, Media and Communication of ExxonMobil, Ogechukwu Udeagha, proved abortive as calls to his phone, as well as text messages, were not attended to.

(NAN)
The Nigeria Police Force in Abuja on Wednesday arrested five suspects for snatching INEC ballot papers during the just concluded legislative re-run elections in Rivers.

The suspects are: Noble Nwaerema, Dike Deinpiribo, Valentine Alalibo, Onwunari Warmate and Iloke Stephen.

Presenting the suspects to journalists, the Force spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner of Police Don Awunah, said the sensitive INEC materials were recovered from them.

Other items recovered from them include one AK 47 rifle, one assault rifle, six magazines and 112 rounds of live ammunition.

The rest are: a green INEC branded bag, eight booklets of ballot papers for Emohua Local Government Area, one booklet of INEC accreditation incident report forms, one booklet of statement of results and one blood-stained APC agent identity card.

He said Mr. Nwaerema, 33, claimed he was hired by the Youth President of Itu-Ikwere community together with eight others from a neighbouring state.

Mr. Awunah said they invaded Emouha Local Government and carted away electoral materials meant for polling units within the area.

He said others who participated in the crime were at large.

Intelligence report confirmed the electoral materials were taken to a government facility and escorted by armed personnel.

The spokesman said that Deipiribo, Aldibo, Warmate and Stephen who belong to a cultist group, said they were engaged by Boma GoodHead who procured two AK 47 rifles and commissioned his driver to convey the weapons.

He said the suspects were responsible for several armed attacks that took place during the elections in places like Abonnema, Emuoha, Elele, Etche and Omoku.

Mr. Awunah said that some security personnel were also arrested for professional misconduct detrimental to the re-run elections in Rivers.

He said that some of them connived with some politicians to scuttle the process.

The spokesman said that a high-powered investigative panel was looking into the misconduct.

The police will decisively deal with anybody irrespective of status or political affiliation, he said.

He said that the suspects would be prosecuted after investigation was concluded.

(NAN)
The Akwa Ibom State government has rejected the plans by the Nigeria Society of Engineers, NSE, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, and any other interested organisation to investigate the collapse of a church building in the state.

The Nigeria police said 27 people lost their lives, while 37 were injured when an uncompleted structure housing the Reigners Bible Church, Uyo, collapsed on Saturday during a ceremony to enthrone the founder of the church, Akan Weeks, as a bishop.

The building collapsed shortly after the ceremony started around 10 a.m., with heavy iron beams falling on worshipers, including women and children.

The state governor, Udom Emmanuel, escaped unhurt, while the Secretary to the State Government, Etekamba Umoren, the Commissioner for Information, Charles Udoh, and the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ekerete Udoh, were said to have sustained some injuries.

The NSE and SON have reportedly made public their plans to investigate the tragic incident.

The NSE investigation committee, according to Channels Television, visited the site of the collapsed building.

The committee was led by Charles Ukoh, a former vice president of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN.

Mr. Ukoh was quoted by Channels as saying that his committee would carry out proper investigation to unravel the circumstances that led to the incident.

He (Mr. Ukoh) promised that the committee would present an unbiased report that can be confirmed anywhere in the world, the TV station reported.

SON, through its Akwa Ibom State Coordinator, Dauda Mshelia, was reported to have also made a similar visit to the site, and took away samples of materials used for the construction for laboratory analysis to find out the cause of the collapse.

But the state government has come out to reject such plans by the NSE and SON.

Government wishes to urge members of the public to discountenance any purported claims of enquiry or investigations into this tragedy by any organisation or entity, the state government said in a press statement issued, Wednesday, by the spokesperson to the governor, Ekerete Udoh.

The Panel set up by Government is made up of seasoned professionals in the engineering and building profession and the work of the panel will be independent, fair and thorough,

The government barred unauthorized persons or groups from having further access to the site.

The panel of enquiry into the incident will commence work immediately, the government assured.

We wish to restate for the avoidance of doubt that any persons found culpable would be made to face the full weight of the law irrespective of tribe, religion or status in the society, the statement said.

Government is set to streamline the processes involved in the monitoring and enforcement of relevant building regulations, especially with regard to public buildings to ensure that they meet professional standards.

Henceforth only public buildings which have passed the necessary safety certifications would be allowed to host public events.

Government is committed to doing all that is necessary to ensure that this unprecedented event never happens again.

Chris Ekpenyong, an engineer and former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State, was part of the NSE delegation which visited the site of the collapsed church building.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr. Ekpenyong, he said the aim of their visit to the site wasnt to investigate the incident, but to rather have first hand information before making plans to pay a condolence visit to the state governor.

We couldnt commiserate with the governor, without first going to the site to see what happened.

We are not supposed to set up a panel, it is the government that should do that, Mr. Ekpenyong said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday vowed to appeal an order by a Federal High Court asking it to defreeze the bank accounts of Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti.

The court sitting in Ado-Ekiti and presided over by Justice Taiwo Taiwo had earlier in the day ordered Zenith Bank to immediately unfreeze Mr. Fayoses two bank accounts.

The judge said the EFCC did not adhere to laid down regulations in ordering the bank to freeze the accounts.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the accounts were frozen on June 21 over suspicion that they were receptacles of crime proceeds.

The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said the commission had taken steps to appeal against the order.

Mr. Uwujaren said, The EFCC has been drawn to the order by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti, state asking it to defreeze the accounts of Governor Ayo Fayose in Zenith Bank.

While the commission awaits the certified copy of the ruling, it is important to point out that this order contradicts another order by Justice M. B Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos.

The first order gave the commission the nod to freeze the accounts pending the conclusion of investigation.

This order from a court of coordinate jurisdiction was not set aside by Justice Taiwo.

In spite of this, the commission has taken immediate steps to appeal against the order by Justice Taiwo, he said.

(NAN)
The Governor-elect of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, said on Wednesday that the `enviable record of service of Governor Olusegun Mimiko would be difficult to surpass.

Mr. Akeredolu said this when he led some members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state on a courtesy visit to Mr. Mimiko in his office in Akure.

He commended Mr. Mimiko for devoting his time to the service of the people of the state, adding that his wealth of experience and advice would be needed for sustainable development.

We are here as indigenes of Ondo who are concerned about the progress and development of the state.

We all owe you debts of gratitude for your service to this state and to Nigeria.

Whether we like it or not, you have a track record that Im not too sure many people can surpass because the early part of your life you have devoted to this state.

It is not something that is common and I hope Ill have the opportunity of repeating it.

He further urged political leaders to emulate the kind of transition ongoing in Ondo State.

Responding, Mr. Mimiko promised to continue to offer meaningful advice to the incoming governor at all times.

He noted that ensuring peace was one of the greatest legacies of his administration and urged the governor-elect to sustain the prevailing peace for the socio-economic development of the state.

Mr. Akeredolu was accompanied on the visit by some APC leaders including Ifedayo Abegunde and Victor Olabintan.

(NAN)
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has accused Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, of wilfully abusing court processes in the judgement he obtained Tuesday at a Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti.

Mr. Fayose approached the court after a similar court in Lagos granted an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to freeze his accounts with Zenith Bank.

The accounts were frozen as part of an EFCC investigation allegedly involving the governor.

The court in Ado-Ekiti, presided over by Justice Taiwo Taiwo, ordered the bank to defreeze the accounts, describing the previous order of the court in Lagos as unconstitutional.

In a statement on Wednesday by its Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, SERAP said the decision of Mr. Fayose to contest the order by the Federal High Court in Lagos at a court of coordinate jurisdiction amounted to forum shopping, and a wilful abuse of court processes.

What Mr Fayose has done is not only playing politics with judicial power but also squandering scarce judicial resources, the group said in the statement.

Mr Fayose cant dangle the order obtained from Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti as the talisman to set aside an earlier order by Justice M.B. Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos, as it is clear that they are courts of coordinate jurisdiction.

SERAP believes that Mr. Fayose cannot use the order by Justice Taiwo to ward off the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from carrying out investigation on allegations of corruption and money laundering against him, as this is not at all covered by Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) on immunity.

The group said the case of Uwazuruike vs. Attorney General of the Federation (2008) 10 NWLR made it clear that the order of a court cannot affect proceedings before another court of coordinate jurisdiction.

It warned politicians to desist from manipulating judges, only to turn around to accuse them of corruption.

The persistent attempts by politicians to engage in forum shopping by seeking the most favourable order to set aside an earlier order of a court of coordinate jurisdiction amount to a wilful abuse of court process. Such practices if not stopped will have grave consequences for the rule of law and the integrity of the judiciary in the country.

Allowing the politicians to abuse the process of court and play politics with the judiciary tends to cash the judiciary in an unfavourable light, thus leaving judges at the mercy of the political class.

SERAP therefore advises the National Judicial Council not to allow politicians to continue to use judges to grant conflicting orders only for the politicians to turn around to accuse judges of corruption.

We urge the NJC to urgently address the problem of forum shopping and restore sanity to the judicial process and public confidence in the judiciary by considering review of relevant rules and practice directive, the statement said.

The NJC, under the chairmanship of the immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mahmud Mohammed, had pledged to address issues arising from contradictory decisions by courts of coordinate jurisdiction.

Mr. Mohammed stated this at the swearing in of new Senior Advocates of Nigeria in September.

Responding to comments by leaders of judicial officers at the event, the Chief Justice said cases of contrasting judgements were already before the Council and that disciplinary actions would be taken.

Let me say before the court stands that the case of courts of coordinate jurisdiction giving conflicting judgements will be addressed.

All the judges involved are being investigated and action will be taken accordingly, he said.


Pobierz zdjecie Przeczytaj o zasadach pobierania zdjec President Andrzej Duda posthumously promotes Jan Karski to general (photo by Andrzej Hrechorowicz / KPRP) (1)

Distinguished Minister of National Defence,

Distinguished Ministers,

Your Excellency, Mr Ambassador,

Distinguished Presidents,

Excellencies,

all honorable Guests gathered here,

and first and foremost, Honorable Family of General Professor Jan Karski,

Mr Minister, I am grateful that the application filed by you allowed us to fulfil something that I refer to as an act of historical justice. General Jan Karski was not only a great Pole, not only a great man, he is not only a Righteous among the Nations, he was not merely steadfast in striving for the truth, honesty, and predominantly in his striving to ensure that everywhere in the world the rights of every man are respected, their dignity, their life  he thus was a great humanist. But he also was, or perhaps looking through the lens of today`s ceremony we should say that he predominantly was, a man of indomitable, huge courage as a soldier of the Republic of Poland. May be of interest to you President posthumously promotes Jan Karski to general

He fought in the September campaign of 1939, serving in the 5th Division of Horse Artillery. He was captured by the Russians, then taken prisoner by the Germans, from whom he fled. He did not flee to Western Europe though, he stayed in Poland and started to be active in the Polish Underground State. He embarked upon an extremely difficult mission  that of an emissary of the Polish Government in the West. He repeatedly forced his way across the border in order to carry information and also to take orders to Poland. He was captured by the Germans in Slovakia, tortured in the Presov prison, then taken to Poland, to Nowy Sacz and recaptured from the local hospital by a Home Army unit. And he still continued his activities for the Republic of Poland, for freedom, for the man.

Soon afterwards he accomplished deeds for which he went down not only in Polish history, but also in the history of the world. In agreement with Jewish organizations, acting as the representative of the Polish Underground State and of the Polish Government in the West, he made it twice to the Warsaw Ghetto. He saw, with his own eyes, the ordeal inflicted by Nazi Germans, by Hitler followers, upon Polish Jews. He saw the dramatic, horrific conditions in which those people were living, he saw death, he saw the Annihilation prepared by German Nazis for the Jewish Nation. Dressed as a Ukrainian guard he entered the transit camp in Izbica, from which Jews from all over Europe were transported by Germans to the Belzec and Sobibor concentration camps, and also murdered on the spot. Some 4.5 thousand people of Jewish origin, citizens of different states, were shot dead at the Izbica Jewish cemetery.

Hence, Jan Karski was the one who not only heard about the Holocaust, about the Annihilation of Jews, but he also saw it with his own eyes. He compiled three shocking reports on the subject. The first and the second were co-authored by his brother, police officer, Marian Kozielewski, whereas the third was written by Jan Karski himself, in London. The third report, which was also submitted to the Polish Government in the West, was presented to the Allied governments, and in 1943 Jan Karski brought it to the United States and passed on to the President of the United States and the most prominent members of his administration. What Jan Karski wrote and said was so shocking that the people in Western Europe and in the United States, the politicians who had seen war and had fought in it, who were decision-makers, refused to believe. When Jan Karski met with different groups in the United States and told stories of what he had seen and related what was unfolding on the Polish territories occupied by the Germans, in the concentration camps set up by the Germans, he was looked at with disbelief, they did not believe him. It was only when concentration camps started to be gradually liberated by the victorious Allied forces, that the world actually came to believe in the boundlessness of the Annihilation, the vastness of the Holocaust.

Jan Karski never, not until the end of war, gave up his activities to rescue Jews. He made appeals to drop bombs on railway tracks which were used to transport people to concentration camps, he appealed to the Allies to conduct revenge actions for the Annihilation which was inflicted upon Jews. He remained active till the very end. Was he a great soldier? Yes, he was a great soldier  the fact best evidenced by the double award of the order of Virtuti Militari: in 1941 and in 1943. He was a great soldier of the Republic of Poland who never ceased to fight for Poland`s freedom, who never ceased to fight for human dignity either.

It is my great honour to award this posthumous nomination to the rank of general to Mr Jan Karski. Jan Karski died in 2000, he left us, and rests in the cemetery in the United States. Nevertheless, I would like this nomination awarded to a great Pole, to an honorary citizen of Israel, and to the Righteous among the Nations to be the testimony to Poland`s remembrance about a grand historical figure, about a silent hero in the time of struggle, a hero who devoted his entire young life to fight for Poland`s freedom, to fight for human dignity.

I wish to thank cordially the Family of Mr Jan Karski, and the Director for having accepted the nomination. May it testify to the greatness of a Polish soldier, Jan Karski, a great man, a wonderful Pole, a WWII hero of many nations. May the memory of Jan Karski, of his heroism, of his indomitable spirit, of his deeds be forever preserved among Poles, among Jews all over the world and among all righteous people. Thank you very much.
From a young age, Joyce Lawrence knew she had a gift.

My kindergarten schoolteachers called my parents in because they couldnt believe what I was doing back then, says Lawrence of her artwork. When everyone else (in kindergarten) was drawing stick figures, I was painting people realistically.

Despite this early knack for drawing, Lawrence veered away from art as she aged, thinking that she couldnt prosper from it.

But I rallied, she says. I was meant to do this and its worked out very well for me.

See 'Scene at the Shore' at Grunin Art Gallery Living at or near the shore, one can view a variety of scenes made by either man or Mother N

Lawrence, who is presently the signature artist at the Noyes Arts Garage through Jan. 8, 2017, honed her skills at Ocean County College, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and Studio Incamminati.

She began getting her feet wet by painting many of the historical items in her hometown of Little Egg Harbor  things like an old elementary school, a deserted Esso lot, a former hotel.

I painted memories that people had growing up in my hometown  things that no longer exist  to get my name out there.

Now that shes established, Lawrence, who also teaches art at her studio Bay Moon, paints what she wants  which are primarily oils of landscapes done en plein air. But Lawrence searches for more than just the perfect geographic location to recreate on canvas. She wants to find the right light and shadowing from which she can pull out the contrast, as well as great natural colors.

No matter where she winds up, what she really treasures, however, is finding the beauty in every scene, regardless of whether its a beach, a lake or even a barren snowscape.

I like to find the beauty in my subject whatever that is, says Lawrence, whose work can also be found at Lakeside Art Gallery in Tuckerton. Many artists try to find whats dark or find meaning in whats negative. I think theres enough negativity in the world. I ask myself whats beautiful, rather than whats dark. I prefer to find the beauty.

Often Lawrence discovers that beauty in more obscure areas, such as the stern of a rickety old boat.

I dont think people would even think of painting the back end (of a boat), she says of her painting Clam Boat. (But) the light was so warm  the pinks in the sky  I think most would miss that. People might see white clouds, but they are not white.

Her painting titled Ocean Boulevard, however, almost didnt happen, mainly because she thought she couldnt find any beauty that day.

Cape May Artists Coop provides ways to check off your shopping list Need some assistance with checking off that holiday shopping list of yours? Well, the Cape M

It was a very dreary, cold day. I went out thinking it didnt look too appealing to me, she recalls. (But) the contrast of the waves and the feeling of that atmosphere was quite beautiful. It doesnt shout at you. Its beautiful in itself.
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LOWER TOWNSHIP  A small tech startup plans to open at the Cape May Airport on Thursday, becoming the countys first drone company.

Luftronix Inc. is opening a test and demonstration center inside Hanger No. 1, which also houses the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum.

Were a drone company looking to be in a place where there are other drone innovators, and Cape May County fits the bill, said Denise Spell, vice president of business development and sales.

The one-year-old company started in Franklin Lakes, Bergen County, uses its Fused Flow precision navigation technology to inspect aircraft with drones. Luftronix will use a De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou airplane for the testing and demonstration program.

Spell said the software originally was built for military applications in Ukraine and later spun off into a new company. The Cape May County location will be Luftronixs first U.S. facility.

Cape May County is home to one of the Federal Aviation Administrations unmanned aerial vehicle test sites. As the county pushes to become a hub for the drone industry, Luftronix has been a regular participant in the countys monthly drone forums.

At the airport in June, the company conducted a demonstration of its software, which allows drones to operate in close proximity and without GPS signals.

Spell said that on Monday, the companys first major airline customer is coming to town for a demonstration of the technology.

Primarily, its an efficiency gain. The airlines spend a lot of man-hours physically inspecting aircraft, Spell said.

She said companies can purchase the precision software, which allows them to complete inspections that would normally take six hours in 15 minutes.

Currently, the company has two employees in the U.S. and six in Ukraine, but it has plans to expand as the company grows.

Spell said Luftronix is working on building algorithms to automatically detect a lightning strike.

Thats huge for the airlines, she said.

Carole Mattessich, director of economic development for Cape May County, said the county is working with several startups to develop a drone industry in the county.

This is no longer the end of the world to them, Mattessich said. We have certain constraints, being 50 percent wetlands and surrounded by water. But drones and (research and development) in drones, that is such a perfect fit for us.

On Tuesday, Cape May County freeholders approved a resolution authorizing a memorandum of understanding among the museum, Luftronix and Cape May County.
Only about 1,600 of the 100,000 working public school teachers in New Jersey are doing a poor job, according to the 2014-15 teacher evaluation data released by the state Department of Education.

But the states largest teachers union said inconsistencies among districts raise questions about the overall value of the evaluations, even though almost all teachers do well.

A Rutgers professor who studies evaluation systems said since districts used different systems, the results dont provide a lot of consistent information.

There is a lot of district-to-district variation, said William Firestone, a professor at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education.

The 2014-15 evaluations did show improvement from 2013-14, when 2,700 teachers, or almost 3 percent, were rated either ineffective or partially effective in their evaluations.

According to the data, some teachers improved and some left their jobs. Almost half the teachers who scored poorly in 2013-14 improved to be effective or highly effective the next year. A third of the ineffective teachers and 22 percent of partially effective teachers in 2013-14 were no longer teaching in 2014-15.

One of every three teachers also was evaluated as highly effective in 2014-15, up from one of every four in 2013-14. The report said the program is helping teachers and administrators develop a common vision of high expectations for all students and a shared understanding of what quality teaching encompasses.

Firestone said, overall, most teachers are at least adequate and he would not expect to see more than 5 percent in the two lower categories.

Principals and administrators improved even more than teachers, with almost 53 percent achieving the highly effective status in 2014-15, up from 35 percent the year before. Only 1.6 percent were ranked partially effective or ineffective, also an improvement from 2.4 percent the year before.

Specific district data for administrators is hard to review since the numbers are suppressed unless there are at least 10 people in a category.

Small school districts were also hard to review since some had almost every category suppressed and their results are just a row of asterisks. Results were suppressed if nine or fewer teachers were in one category or if all teachers were in the same category, since that could allow the public to know an individual teachers evaluation.

But a review of area districts shows that while almost all teachers are either effective or highly effective, some are much more highly effective than others.

Firestone said it does concern him that some districts have very high rates of highly performing teachers because those teachers may not get the feedback that is the core of effective evaluations.

The feedback is what really matters, he said. The observation is what helps teachers improve.

Charlotte Danielson, who developed the Danielson model used by many districts, warned at a New Jersey Education Association convention that even for good teachers, being highly effective was not supposed to be the annual norm.

Its a place you visit, she said, adding that effective is where most teachers would live.

Cape May County teachers scored especially well. In Ocean City, two-thirds of all teachers, 121, were rated as highly effective, and the remaining 66 were effective. In Upper Township, 98 were highly effective and 15 were effective. In Wildwood, 60 were highly effective and 33 effective. In Avalon, Stone Harbor and Cape May, every teacher was rated highly effective.

Ocean City was one of the original pilot districts for teacher evaluation. Superintendent Kathleen Taylor said it is now the only school district in New Jersey with a current waiver to evaluate the staff using 50 percent observation and 50 percent student achievement.

Therefore, we have the quantifiable data through the weight of student achievement to show that our scores are accurate, she said. She credited an arduous hiring process and mentoring for developing a staff of highly qualified teachers.

Atlantic County was tougher. In Hamilton Township, 154 teachers were effective and 81 highly effective. In Egg Harbor Township 336 were effective and 236 highly effective. In Atlantic City, 555 were effective, 84 highly effective and 16 were either partially effective or ineffective. At Mainland Regional, 105 of the 110 teachers were effective.

Superintendents in Hammonton and Upper Township, which had many high-performing teachers, credited their success to having a plan and taking the time to train staff and do ongoing professional developing.

Egg Harbor City showed the toughest ratings, with 25 of its 44 teachers rated as partially effective and 17 effective. School officials did not respond to a request for comment.

Steve Baker, spokesman for the NJEA, said that while they are pleased that so many teachers scored well, the inconsistencies among districts raises concerns about the overall reliability of evaluations across districts.

The NJEA has been critical of the time-consuming evaluation process and more particularly the inclusion of student test results as a criterion. The test results only accounted for 10 percent of the 2014-15 evaluation, but are 30 percent this year.

I just dont know what we are really learning, Baker said. As a whole, teachers are doing the job well. But for all the time that goes into it, I dont think we are getting a good return.
The New Jersey Education Association spent almost $57,000 to help defeat a school-voucher proposal in Atlantic City.

While the effort was successful in defeating the ballot question in Novembers election, a relatively close vote has convinced its sponsor, City Councilman Jesse Kurtz, to try again.

I was surprised they spent so much, Kurtz said Tuesday. I knew they were putting out materials, and at one point it became clear we were being drastically outspent. But despite that, we did manage to win districts in five of the six wards.

He said a group in support of his plan, Choice AC, spent between $2,000 and $3,000.

A private group, Choice Media, also made a YouTube video in support of the proposal.

NJEA spokesman Steve Baker confirmed the NJEA November School Elections Committee spent about $56,800 of $115,000 reported on its Nov. 28 N.J. Election Law Enforcement Commission report on the Atlantic City questions.

I think weve been pretty clear over the years that we are opposed to vouchers, Baker said. We dont believe that you should take public money and give it to private schools.

Most of the funds were spent on fliers, mailers and digital ads.

The proposal for the vouchers was put on the ballot by City Council. The two-part question would have provided vouchers of up to $10,000 for families to send their children to other public or private schools. A second question would have given property-tax cuts to families who homeschool.

The voucher question failed 3,872 votes to 3,244. The home-schooling question failed by a larger margin, 4,109 to 2,491, and Kurtz, who homeschools his children, said he would not revive that question.

Kurtz said he learned a lot from the election and that if he can generate the resources he will try to revive the voucher issue either next year or the year after. He said he has spoken to representatives of Jeffrey Chiesa, the man designated by the state to over-see city government, to make sure state officials know there is interest from residents.

This is not the state trying to force it on us, he said. Here you have a community that wants it. It does merit a trial run.

If the question does come up again, Baker said the NJEA will fight it. He said he hopes the state takeover of city government will not be used to undermine education in the city.

The Atlantic City School District also has a state monitor, but it is regulated under state education laws and not a direct part of the state takeover.

The NJEA will be adamant in defense of Atlantic City public schools, he said. They are what the vast majority of children rely on. We need to strengthen those schools. If you want to make sure children get a great public education, you do it by investing in public education.
TRENTON  A pair of North Jersey lawmakers reintroduced a bill Tuesday that would allow municipalities to advertise legal notices on official government websites, rather than in newspapers.

A similar proposal died at the end of the last legislative session Monday.

The bill, sponsored by Assemblymen Jon M. Bramnick, R-Union, Morris, Somerset, Essex, and Albert Coutinho, D-Essex, Union, would allow individuals, as well as municipalities, counties and the state, to advertise on official government websites and avoid paper publication.

The New Jersey Press Association strongly opposes the proposal, saying it would not save local governments any money while reducing the number of people who would see the ads.

Individuals, businesses and governments spend about $20 million per year on legal advertisements, including about $8 million from government, according to the NJPA. Rates, set by state law, were last changed in 1983.

The Press of Atlantic City is a member of the NJPA. Keith Dawn, publisher of The Press, said that legal advertisements account for about 2 percent of the newspaper's revenue.

Bramnick declined comment, saying he was focused on the Monday death of Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce, R-Morris, Passaic.

Coutinho was apparently unaware the bill had been reintroduced. He said in a telephone interview Tuesday evening he wanted to modify the proposal by reducing municipal rates about 50 percent and boosting private rates about 33 percent, hopefully saving towns money while not at the expense of newspapers. He said he planned to introduce that proposal later this year.

In the last session, the legal ad bill was included in Gov. Chris Christies toolkit of municipal reforms designed to reduce local government expenditures. It cleared the Senate budget committee in July 2010. After being tabled for months, the bill was a surprise last-minute addition late Friday afternoon to the dozens of bills set to be voted on during Mondays concluding session in the General Assembly.

But the bill was pulled Monday morning, and it consequently failed to get a vote before the Legislature adjourned at the end of the session Monday night. Bills not acted on by the time the Legislature ends die and must be reintroduced.

The New Jersey State League of Municipalities, a lobbying group for the states towns, supported the proposal, Executive Director William Dressel said, in part because it saved towns money and was not mandatory.

The NJPA said the costs to start and maintain Internet sites devoted to legal ads would cost more than would be saved, while the state would also have to spend more on unemployment while losing payroll tax revenue from an unspecified number of out-of-work journalists, primarily those at smaller community newspapers.

Furthermore, the association cited a study that said 63 percent of New Jersey senior citizens have not visited a website in the past 30 days, compared to only 12 percent who had not read a newspaper. Similarly, 58 percent of state residents earning less than $30,000 had not seen a website in 30 days, compared to 23 percent who had not read a newspaper.

Local New Jersey lawmakers were mixed on the bill.

Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove, R-Ocean, Burlington, Atlantic, said she was planning to vote against it Monday because many seniors dont have access to computer technology.

Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, R-Ocean, Burlington, Atlantic, echoed Gove, adding, I feel that its important to retain the ability for folks to open up a newspaper and see what is happening in their communities.

Assemblyman John Amodeo, R-Atlantic, said he understood that newspapers did not support the proposal because they would lose money, but he said I think the option is there. We are in the 21st century.

Amodeo said the technology exists to make the ads accessible to everyone.

Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, voted for the proposal along with the other members of the Senate Budget Committee, something he said he did to get the measure a full Senate vote. He did not support it, and said he would vote against it.

While many of my constituents are online a great deal, for those that do (go online), it doesnt mean they will constantly scan public websites, or municipal websites or whatever, Van Drew said.

Sen Jim Whelan, D-Atlantic, also said he opposed the bill. He said he knew many people who relied on the legal notices, and there needed to be consistency. The ability of towns to flip-flop, to one time use paper and one time and go online, is very disconcerting to me, he said.

Contact Derek Harper:

609-272-7046
Gov. Chris Christies dream of joining the Trump administration and leaving his New Jersey troubles behind ended because newspapers held him accountable for Bridgegate, botched pension reform and a host of other administration shortcomings.

Now he wants revenge, trying to rush a surprise plan to politicize newspaper legal advertising through the Legislature in the last days of 2016. Hes buying support for it from some Democratic leaders by promising to sign a big increase in funding for each legislators district office.

The plan would end the requirement that local governments publish their legal notices in newspapers of record and allow officials to do so only when they approve of how newspapers have covered them. Newspapers might lose a small amount of revenue, but the public would get less accountability of its public officials and lose the government transparency of legal notices published in a single, easily accessed place.

State law requires governments to notify the public of many important matters that affect people. In this region lately, foreclosures and sheriffs sales have dominated such legal disclosures in newspapers, but there are also announcements of new laws, public hearings, government contracts and much more.

Christie and some legislators want to let government entities instead put such announcements on an internet site of their own creation. The notices would appear on hundreds of websites across the state, indexed somewhere on the state governments unwieldy website.

A similar push was attempted and stalled in early 2012, and without this years plum for Christie  changing state law to allow him to profit from a book contract while still in office.

The current requirement that all legal notices be treated the same is crucial to ensuring their publication isnt politicized. This years bill would allow local governments to reward or punish the official newspaper depending on an administrations perceived satisfaction, or dissatisfaction, with how the newspapers newsroom treats the current government. Legally required public notification is no place for carrot or the stick shenanigans.

Worse still, internet-only publication would effectively take these notices out of the hands of many senior citizens, low-income residents and people with less formal education.

In September, the Pew Research Center reported that the familiar focus on digital divides in internet access misses something more important: The ability to use the technology varies by peoples socioeconomic status, their race and ethnicity.

Pews survey a year ago classified 14 percent of adults as the Unprepared, using less technology, needing help with it and unsure they can trust what they find online. Another 5 percent are Traditional Learners who have the technology but arent likely to use it or trust it. And 33 percent are the Reluctant, with more digital skills but relatively low use of the internet for learning. In all, Pew classifies half of adults as relatively hesitant to use the internet for key activities.

Legal notices in newspapers are easily and equally accessible to all groups of people. They are advertisements, but theyre responsible for a tiny fraction of newspaper revenue, placed typically at the lowest advertising rate and one set by state government (and, in fact, not increased in this state since 1983).

For that small cost, newspaper legal notices deliver the largest, broadest public readership of any single placement. And heres a bonus: Since 2003, the newspapers have uploaded their notices to www.NJPublicNotices.com, the digital statewide repository of public notices hosted by the New Jersey Press Association. The searchable site is provided by the newspapers as a public service at no charge to the public nor to governments.

Every legislator who believes in accountability to the public and open government should oppose Christies plan for revenge on newspapers. Similar proposals in the past have been rejected by nearly all area legislators. Not one other state in the U.S. has yet adopted such a proposal. Nine have recently modernized their public notice laws for the digital age. All still require the printed notice.

State Sen. Jim Whelan in 2012 said there must be consistency in legal advertising: The ability of towns to flip-flop, to one time use paper and one time go online, is very disconcerting to me. He reportedly is a sponsor of this years proposal, but we hope he is merely advancing it to full Senate consideration where his vote against it will help ensure its defeat, as fellow Sen. Jeff Van Drew did with the 2012 bill.

If more funding for legislative offices is needed, fine. Make a case for it and get it in a legitimate way, not by reducing the publics awareness of local government actions and the ability of newspapers to provide the oversight of officials the public demands.
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.




PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL--(Marketwired - Dec 14, 2016) - Fulcrum Partners LLC, a leading U.S. executive benefits consultancy, continues its support of Kivu Hills Academy, the first vocational school in Boneza, Rwanda. With its donations totaling $30,000 over the past three years, Fulcrum Partners, through the Global Gift Fund of ValMark Financial Group, has helped Arise Rwanda complete Phase I of the school. Kivu Hills Academy provides both vocational and academic education to post-eighth grade students, offering a curriculum that enables students to combine learning with hands-on work experiences.

Arise Rwanda is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, faith-based organization, founded by John B. Gasangwa, the driving force behind Kivu Hills Academy. Arise Rwanda provides management and oversite for the school and its programs. The organization focuses on clean water, micro enterprise, and education, believing that education is the foundation of a community.

Gus Comiskey, Managing Director, Fulcrum Partners Houston, said, "It's been exciting for us to be part of this project from the very beginning. We celebrated with Arise Rwanda when in 2015, the cornerstone for the academy was laid, and a year ago, when the first classes were held in the new building. As Kivu Hills Academy moves forward, unified and growing in self-sufficiency, so does the future of all Rwanda."

ValMark Financial Group supports selected non-profit initiatives in the U.S. and internationally through its Global Gift Fund, seeking projects that demonstrate both service and stewardship. The money donated by Fulcrum Partners has been matched, dollar for dollar, by the ValMark Global Gift Fund.

Caleb Callahan, EVP & COO of ValMark and Chairman of the ValMark Global Gift Fund said, "We talk a great deal at ValMark about the Golden Rule. This is one way we can actually live it. Joining Fulcrum Partners to support the children at Kivu Hills Academy is a true honor and joy. It provides an even greater purpose for our business. We are blessed with partners like Fulcrum who genuinely care about making a positive difference in the world."

Story continues

Learn more about the history of this and other philanthropic projects of Fulcrum Partners on the "Inspire" tab of the Fulcrum Partners website.

About Fulcrum Partners LLC:

Fulcrum Partners LLC (www.fulcrumpartnersllc.com) is one of the nation's leading and largest executive benefits consultancies. Fulcrum Partners is a wholly independent, member-owned firm dedicated to helping organizations enhance their Total Rewards Strategy. Founded in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL in 2007, today the company has offices in Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Charleston, South Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Delray Beach, Florida; Honolulu, Hawaii; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Orlando, Florida; Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; Portland, Oregon; and Washington D.C.

Securities offered through Registered Representatives of ValMark Securities, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC, 130 Springside Drive, Suite 300, Akron, OH 44333-2431, 1-800-765-5201.Investment Advisory Services offered through ValMark Advisers, Inc., which is a SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Fulcrum Partners LLC is a separate entity from ValMark Securities, Inc. and ValMark Advisers, Inc
Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcoRZ5jCQmM

Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/449193/ETS_Logo.jpg

The next TOEFL Test Preparation: The Insider's Guide kicks off on Wednesday, January 25, 2017. The six-week course provides you with the opportunity to have an insider's look at the TOEFL test and the English skills necessary to succeed in university classrooms. You will walk away with a broad understanding of the four sections of the test as well as helpful tips to prepare. Weekly commitment to the MOOC is no more than two hours per week. And although the course is free, you will have the option to sign up for a paid certificate that will highlight the knowledge and skills you gained upon completing the MOOC.

Don't miss your chance to register through edX, the nonprofit online learning destination founded by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Good luck as you continue your study-abroad journey!

Allyson Norton, amnorton@ets.org

SOURCE Educational Testing Service-TOEFL
DUBLIN, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Industrial Ethernet Market - Global Forecast to 2022" report to their offering.

According to the new market research report on industrial Ethernet, this market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.8% between 2016 and 2022, from USD 19.43 billion in 2015 to USD 59.20 billion by 2022. The major driver for the growth of the industrial Ethernet market is the growing adoption of IIoT. In various manufacturing industries, the potential of IIoT to improve productivity in production processes and supply chain is immense. IIoT is expected to fundamentally change the way products are developed, manufactured, transported, and sold.

Of all the major end-user industries, electrical and electronics and automotive held the major share of the industrial Ethernet market in 2015. Automotive, being one of the largest industries and one of the oldest applications of industrial Ethernet, would continue to dominate the market with growing need for advanced automation in automobile manufacturing hubs around the world.

Among the protocols, the market for PROFINET is expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period. The number of Ethernet protocols in industrial applications has increased considerably over the past few years as a result of improved network coverage, quality of transmission, and bandwidth capacity. PROFINET is widely used because it offers real-time operation and protection against harsh environment and also facilitates faster, safer, and comparatively low-cost data transfer compared with other industrial Ethernet protocols. Advancements in industrial Ethernet technologies are helping various companies to remotely monitor their assets from anywhere in the world.

The services segment is expected to witness huge growth opportunities in the industrial Ethernet market. With the growing complexity in industrial Ethernet networks, there is a growing demand for consulting, integration, and support services for network management. The advancement of network and technological developments have forced customers and enterprises to demand for better and advanced network services.

Of all the regions, APAC held the largest market share and is expected to grow at the highest rate. In APAC, the huge demand for consumer electronics and automobiles from countries such as China, India, Japan, and South Korea is driving the industrial Ethernet market.

One of the key restraining factors for this market is despite the significant advances in Ethernet over the past 30 years, fieldbus remains widely used as device networks expand into larger control networks through fieldbus-to-Ethernet integration. It is difficult to transfer the network of old systems to a new protocol; thus, the management becomes more complex and network performance becomes highly critical.

Companies Mentioned:

ABB Ltd.

B&R Automation

Beckhoff Automation

Belden Inc. (Hirschmann)

Cisco Systems, Inc.

Innovasic Inc.

Moxa Inc.

Rockwell Automation

Schneider Electric SE

Siemens AG

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

5 Market Overview

6 Industry Trends

7 Market, by Offering

8 Market, by Protocol

9 Market, by End-User Industry

10 Geographical Analysis

11 Company Profile

12 Appendix

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/873mst/industrial

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com



SOURCE Research and Markets
AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Welcome Real Time - leading provider of marketing and loyalty solutions, and Alpha Bank - leading banking group in Greece - Best Greece Bank 2016 (Euromoney magazine), are proud to announce the 10 years anniversary of their collaboration leading to the success of the renowned Bonus loyalty programme. This anniversary also marks the extension of their partnership to broader perspectives.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151026/280732LOGO )

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160617/380560LOGO )



Alpha Bank runs the successful loyalty programme "Bonus" boosting a coalition of leading key partners: AB Vassilopoulos, Aegean Airlines, Vodafone  and more than 4,000 stores. Over 1 million customers have been rewarded with points through promotional campaigns and +4.5 million redemption transactions were completed since 2006.

10 years later, with the support of Welcome Real Time - a Collinson Group Company, Bonus programme still ranks first for brand recognition by customers.

The success of the Bonus programme relies on the flexibility of the XLS solution by Welcome Real Time, enabling customers to earn using their card in-store and online. Customers also redeem their points whenever and wherever they want. Bonus also features innovative services: automatic lucky draw, reward of contactless and mobile payment transactions, cross-channel communication, redemption catalogue on POS terminals.

As XLS is a multi-scheme solution, Alpha Bank also runs Shop&Win Rewards Programme and Affinity cards.

Following 10 years of collaboration, Alpha Bank renewed its partnership with Welcome Real Time. This strengthened relationship ensures development opportunities for the Bonus programme based on Welcome Real Time roadmap.

"Welcome Real Time has been a strategic partner for Alpha Bank creating and supporting our Loyalty Programmes, such as Bonus, the most successful reward programme in Greece with international recognition," stated Mr. Grigorios Politis, Manager of Cards and Consumer Banking Products Division, Alpha Bank. "Our cooperation has been very productive, enabling us to continuously enrich our platform with new solutions and capabilities. Furthermore, creating our Analytics platform together enabled us to analyse our Customers' behavior in depth and consequently better understand their needs."

"We are proud to support Alpha Bank's Bonus programme, one of the most successful Financial Services loyalty programmes in Europe. This contract renewal demonstrates strong recognition and trust in our teams and solution from a client we have successfully supported in the last 10 years," said Thierry Reginato, General Manager, Welcome Real Time.

SOURCE WRT, Collinson Group
DUBLIN, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Asia and Australasia Influenza Vaccines Market, Persons Vaccinated, Brand Analysis and Forecast to 2021" report to their offering.

The Asia and Australasia influenza vaccines market is anticipated to reach nearly US$ 1.5 Billion by 2021.

Influenza is a highly communicable disease and typically has the most severe impact on children and the elderly. Influenza viruses are considered as a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The vast population base together with significantly low vaccination coverage in emerging markets, rising government support for immunization and growing awareness of the value of influenza vaccine in preventing disease are the prominent factors that will fuel the growth of the influenza vaccines market.



In the Asia and Australasia influenza vaccines market, Japan accounts for majority of the market share. Japan is expected to remain the clear leader in influenza vaccines market throughout the forecasting period. China is the second leading market for influenza vaccines market. India and South Korea are the third and fourth leading market for influenza vaccines. Australia, Thailand, Singapore and New Zealand are the other leading market for influenza vaccines.



The Influenza Vaccines Market have been analyzed from 5 viewpoints:



1. Asia and Australasia Influenza Vaccines Market, Persons Vaccinated and Forecast (2011 - 2021)

2. Influenza Vaccines Market, Persons Vaccinated and Forecast - Country Wise Distribution (2011 - 2021)

3. Influenza Vaccines Brand Sales and Forecast to 2021

4. Influenza Vaccines Market - Major Deals

5. Influenza Vaccines Market - Driving Factors and Challenges



Companies Mentioned:



AstraZeneca

CSL Ltd

GlaxoSmithKline

Novartis

Pfizer

Protein Sciences

Sanofi Pasteur

Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Asia and Australasia - Influenza Vaccines Market Analysis and Forecast (2011 - 2020)



3. Asia and Australasia - Influenza Vaccines Market Share Analysis and Forecast



4. Influenza Vaccines Market, Persons Vaccinated and Forecast - Country Wise Distribution (2011 - 2021)



5. Global - Influenza Vaccines Brand Sales and Forecast



6. Influenza Vaccines Market - Major Deals



7. Global Influenza Vaccines Market - Driving Factors



8. Global Influenza Vaccines Market - Challenges



For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/vsgssl/asia_and

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

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SOURCE Research and Markets
SUZHOU, China, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Golden Concord Holdings Limited (GCL), the parent company of GCL System Integration Technology, was recently ranked second in this year's Global Top 500 New Energy Enterprises, fending off competition from industry heavyweights such as GE and Panasonic.

Now in its sixth year, the "Global Top 500 New Energy Enterprises" Award is determined under supervision of the National Energy Administration of China and English language Chinese newspaper, People's Daily. Following international standards, the award examines new energy enterprises worldwide on their financial performance the previous year, and publishes a Top 500 list annually.

This year GCL outperformed its global competitors with 30% market share of the world's high-efficiency photovoltaic materials. The company in the past few years has achieved fast growth and largely increased its global revenue. Starting with thermal power in 1990, GCL has expanded its scope to a full range of green and clean energy covering PV, oil, natural gas, and energy finance over the past three decades.

With the vision of "bringing green power to life", the company exploits its innovation capability to boost PV productivity, and therefore offers cost-effective solar power solutions around the globe. GCL's subsidiary GCL-SI, for instance, recently teamed up with Thai energy company Enmax in a 10MW photovoltaic ground power station project in Thailand to provide one-stop solar services.

Commenting on the ranking, and the company's broader aims, GCL chairman Zhu Gongshan said, "It has been the company's vision and mission to bring economical green power to every household. Thus, GCL has placed significant emphasis on R&D, ever since its establishment, to enhance PV efficiency and cut conversion cost."

Known as the "King of Electricity" by Chinese media, Zhu was also named Global New Energy Businessperson of the Year. According to the Award Committee, GCL, under Zhu's management, has grown to be a global leader in PV manufacturing, which has driven the industry to reduce costs by 90%.

About GCL-SI

GCL System Integration Technology Co., Ltd. (002506 Shenzhen Stock) (GCL-SI), is part of the GOLDEN CONCORD Holdings Limited (GCL), an international energy company specializing in clean and sustainable power production, founded in 1990. With global assets worth nearly USD16 billion, GCL achieved module shipment output of over 2GW in 2015, and supplies 29% of the total wafer capacity yield worldwide, representing a 22.2% silicon market share.

About GCL

Golden Concord Holdings Limited ("GCL") is an integrated energy group that specializes in clean, efficient and new energy. Since its foundation, GCL has committed itself to "Bringing Green Power to Life" by providing supreme energy and delivering first-rate services.

With a total asset value of almost RMB 130 billion, GCL owns holding shares in five listed companies, including GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd. (3800.HK), GCL New Energy Holdings Ltd. (0451.HK), and GCL System Integration Technology Co., Ltd. (002506.SZ), and is the Co-Chairman Member of Global Solar Council, Chief Chairman Member of the Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association.

SOURCE GCL System
DUBLIN, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "2016-2017 Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Market Report" report to their offering.

The 2016 - 2017 Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Market Report provides contact center and IT managers with all the vendor, product, functional, technical and pricing information they need to select the right cloud-based contact center infrastructure solution for their organization.

2016 has been a great year for the cloud-based contact center infrastructure market. Adoption of cloud-based contact center infrastructure and applications is going upstream. While the typical buyers are contact centers with 100 - 250 seats who are replacing a dated premise-based solution, companies with 500+ seats are now adopting these solutions.



Increased reliability, flexibility, scalability, customization and security are attracting new prospects. The number of seats grew by a very strong 20.9% in the last 12 months, a trend that is expected to continue as more premise-based environments migrate to the cloud. The next five years look very promising for the cloud-based contact center infrastructure market.



The Report covers ten vendors in-depth: 8x8, Cisco, Content Guru, Enghouse, Five9, inContact, Intelecom, Interactive Intelligence, NewVoiceMedia and Serenova (formerly LiveOps). West is covered at a higher level.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Introduction



3. Research Methodology



4. Service Delivery Models for Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Solutions



5. Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Functional Overview



6. Core Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Technical Capabilities



7. Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Market Trends and Challenges



8. Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Market Innovation



9. Omni-Channel Support and the Customer Journey



10. Outbound and Proactive Customer Care: An Essential Leg of the Omni-Channel Customer Journey



11. Workforce Optimization: The Suite Life for CBCCI Solutions



12. Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Enters the Analytics Era



13. Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Market Activity Analysis



14. Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Market Projections



15. Adoption of Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Solutions



16. Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Competitive Landscape



17. Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Vendors and Solutions



18. Implementing and Managing a Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Solution



19. Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Vendor Satisfaction Analysis



20. Pricing



21. Company Reports



- 88

- Cisco Systems

- Content Guru

- Enghouse Interactive

- Five9, Inc.

- inContact

- Intelecom Group AS

- Interactive Intelligence, Inc.

- NewVoiceMedia

- Serenova

- West



For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4jgzx8/20162017

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com



SOURCE Research and Markets
Now in its 19 th year, the survey of 1,735 organizations globally examines some of the most compelling cybersecurity issues facing businesses today in the digital ecosystem. Findings showed that half (50%) of those surveyed said they could detect a sophisticated cyber attack  the highest level of confidence since 2013  due to investments in cyber threat intelligence to predict what they can expect from an attack, continuous monitoring mechanisms, security operations centers (SOCs) and active defense mechanisms.

However, despite these investments, 86% of those surveyed say their cybersecurity function does not fully meet their organization's needs.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of organizations do not have a formal threat intelligence program or have only an informal one. When it comes to identifying vulnerabilities, more than half (55%) do not have vulnerability identification capabilities or only have informal capabilities, and 44% do not have a SOC to continuously monitor for cyber attacks.

When asked about recent significant cybersecurity incidents, more than half (57%) of respondents said they had an incident. Nearly half (48%) cited outdated information security controls or architecture as their highest vulnerability  an increase from 34% in the 2015 survey.

In addition, respondents said all of their top cybersecurity threats, including malware, phishing, cybersecurity to steal financial information, or cyber attacks to steal intellectual property or data are on the rise:

Top Cybersecurity Threats : (See included multimedia)

Paul van Kessel, EY Global Advisory Cybersecurity Leader says:

"Organizations have come a long way in preparing for a cyber breech, but as fast as they improve, cyber attackers come up with new tricks. Organizations therefore need to sharpen their senses and upgrade their resistance to attacks. They also need to think beyond just protection and security to 'cyber resilience'  an organization-wide response that helps them prepare for and fully address these inevitable cybersecurity incidents. In the event of an attack they need to have a plan and be prepared to repair the damage quickly and get the organization back on its feet. If not, they put their customers, employees, vendors and ultimately their own future, at risk."

Business continuity and disaster recovery  which is at the heart of an organization's ability to react to an attack  was rated by respondents as their top priority (57%), along with data leakage and data loss prevention (57%). Although 42% plan to spend more this year on data leakage and loss prevention, only 39% plan to spend more on business continuity and disaster recovery.

Further vulnerabilities and obstacles remain

This year's survey also shows that respondents continue to cite the same key areas of concern for their cybersecurity, such as the increased risks from the actions of careless or unaware employees (55% compared with 44% in 2015) and unauthorized access to data (54% compared with 32% in 2015). Meanwhile obstacles to their information security function are virtually unchanged from last year, including:

Budget constraints (61% compared with 62% in 2015)





Lack of skilled resources (56% compared with 57% in 2015)





Lack of executive awareness or support (32%, the same as in 2015)

The digital ecosystem and connected devices pose challenges

Despite the connected nature of today's digital ecosystem, the survey found that 62% of global organizations said it was unlikely they would increase their cybersecurity spending after a breach that did not appear to do any harm to their operations. Also, 58% said it was unlikely they would increase their information security spending if a competitor was attacked, while 68% said it was unlikely they would increase their information security spending if a supplier was attacked. In the event of an attack that definitely compromised data almost half of the respondents (48%) would not notify customers who had been impacted within the first week. Overall, 42% of respondents do not have an agreed communications strategy or plan in place in the event of a significant attack.

When it comes to devices, organizations are struggling with the number of devices that are continuously being added to their digital ecosystem. Almost three-quarters (73%) of organizations surveyed are concerned about poor user awareness and behavior around mobile devices, such as laptops, tablets and smartphones. Half (50%) cited the loss of a smart device as a top risk associated with the growing use of mobile devices because they encompass both information and identity loss.

Barbara Burgess Aparna Sankaran EY Global Media Relations EY Global Media Relations +1 212 773 1652 +44 748 024 5082 barbara.burgess@ey.com aparna.sankaran@ey.uk.com

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/449178/EY_Infographic_Global_Information_Security_Survey_2016.jpg

Related Links

http://www.ey.com



SOURCE EY
SANTA CLARA, California, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan is pleased to announce that 9 Screens International President James Lloyd will deliver a keynote address at the 13th Annual Customer Contact, East: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange. The event will take place at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa April 23 to 26, 2017, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

To register for the 13th Annual Customer Contact, East: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange, or to view the event agenda, please visit: www.frost.com/ccs

This highly interactive event will present solutions that address the complex communication needs faced by today's consumer. The event, themed Leveraging Customer Contact as a Strategic Asset, will offer customer contact industry presidents, vice presidents and other senior-level executives the opportunity to benefit from:

Current case studies and best practices

Dynamic collaboration zones

Expert panel discussions

Peer-to-peer networking opportunities

Lloyd will present Positive Change: How Contact Center Executives Can Ignite the Organization and Move Beyond the Status Quo. This keynote will address the challenges of change in the business world, as well as in schools and the world at large. Additionally, Lloyd will underscore the importance of ongoing "learning, unlearning and relearning," particularly as call centers continue to undergo the many changes wrought by digital transformation.

Lloyd is a featured speaker and organizational training and development consultant whose powerful keynotes, training sessions and workshops have captivated audiences around the world. His unique storytelling ability pulls the audience in with humor, insight and motivation, and covers customer service, leadership and organizational issues.

For additional information about Customer Contact, East: A Frost and Sullivan Executive MindXchange, please email events.us@frost.com

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

Contact:

Chiara Carella

Corporate Communications  Global Director

P: +44 (0) 207-343-8314

E: chiara.carella@frost.com

http://www.frost.com

Related Links

http://www.frost.com



SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
LONDON, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Cisco's Monique Morrow has fought off stiff competition to pick up not one - but two - titles in the Business Worldwide Magazine (BWM) Global Corporate Excellence Awards.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/449028/Monique_Morrow.jpg )



Earlier this week the company's chief technical officer for their New Frontiers Engineering section became BWM's Visionary of the Year 2016 - Technology, Social Change and Ethics. She also gained the title of Social Media Champion of the Year - 2016.

The Swiss-based thinker, who believes in promoting further access to women in technology, says she is currently focused on the idea of a 'Humanised Internet'.

Thanking the magazine for both awards Ms Morrow went on to explain her concept further.

"We're looking at how to allow people to store their identity information online, regardless of where in the world they are," she said. "Today it is such a fundamental part of citizenship and, crucially, something refugees and immigrants could use to prove their identity. In that respect it could also help cut trafficking numbers and slavery, as well as both sexual and child abuse."

Morrow started her career in telecommunications after being advised her strengths lay in problem-solving. She is now using those attributes to help women 'break through the glass ceiling' and to help form a fairer gender playing field for women employees in the technology industry.

"It seems to me that women are naturally, or through their upbringing, predisposed to try and take on too much, rather than to focus," she said. "Coupled with a tendency for people in male dominated environments to look to women to do administration and support work, it's no wonder women don't reach the same heady heights as men in this industry."

Not surprisingly, Morrow admits that all her work mentors were male - chiefly because there were no relevant women in the industry at the time. Some of this she blames on rigid structuring in the workplace where the demands of childcare and caring for elderly relatives aren't considered.

She added: "No one wants special treatment or to be given a free ride. What they do want though is a chance to be judged equally on their merits, their skills and their experience, even if they can't work full-time hours."

Morrow has recently become the new co-chair of the IEEE Mixed Reality committee as part of The IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in the Design of Autonomous Systems.

Which is the world's largest professional organisation dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. She is convinced technology can transform society for the better. But she warns the availability of personal data requires further discussion.

"We have to continue to think about the bigger picture for our economy, society and ethical awareness in the midst of technological change," she said. "At the end of the day, technology is simply a tool."

More of Morrow's innovative ideas on the future of technology and human integration can be found at her https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquejeannemorrow

An article on Morrow can be found on BWM website

http://www.bwmonline.com/2016/12/05/cisco-re-imagining-technology-in-an-accelerated-world/

Note to editors

Business Worldwide Magazine is the leading source of business and dealmaker intelligence throughout the world. Our quarterly magazine and online news portal enables an established audience of corporate dealmakers to track the latest news, stories and developments affecting the international markets, corporate finance, business strategy and changes in legislation. This readership includes of CEO/CFO - Banks, Corporate Lawyers and Venture Capital/Private Equity Companies to name a few.

http://www.bwmonline.com

Contact

David Jones

Awards Department

E: david.jones@bwmonline.com

W: http://www.bwmonline.com



SOURCE Business Worldwide Magazine
PUNE, India, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The report "Modacrylic Fiber Market for Protective Apparel, Hair Fiber, Upholstery & Household, Pile (Synthetic/Fake Fur), Industrial Fabric - Global Forecast to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market is projected to grow from USD 621.9 Million in 2016 to USD 723.7 Million by 2021, at a CAGR of 3.08%.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )

Browse 65 market data Tables and 38 Figures spread through 114 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Modacrylic Fiber Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/modacrylic-fiber-market-44304885.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

This growth is due to the increasing applications of modacrylic fiber such as, hair fiber, pile (synthetic/fake fur), and protective clothing. Industrial regulations and standardizations regarding the safety of employees also provide an opportunity for this market to grow.

The hair fiber segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

The hair fiber segment is projected to be the fastest-growing from 2016 to 2021. This growth is attributed to the hair-like characteristics of modacrylic fiber, which is why they are being widely used in wigs, hair extensions, and other hair-like accessories. Another reason behind the growth of modacrylic hair fiber is that it is highly flame resistant, even when combined with fibers that can flare when caught with fire.

Make an Inquiry @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=44304885

The Asia-Pacific region to play a key role in the growth of the market for modacrylic fiber

On the basis of key regions, the Modacrylic Fiber Market is segmented into, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America. The Asia-Pacific region is a key market for modacrylic fiber. The development of the economies and rapid growth in the industrialization in this region are impacting the growth of this market. Increasing industrial regulations related to employee safety ensures that industries switch to protective clothing made from modacrylic fiber, thereby impacting the growth of the market.

The following are the key players in the modacrylic fiber market:

Kaneka Corporation ( Japan )

) Fushun Rayva Fiber Co., Ltd. ( China )

) Formosa Chemicals & Fiber Corporation ( Taiwan )

) Tianjin GT New Material Technology Company Limited ( China )

) Fushun Huifu Fire Resistant Fiber Company Limited ( China )

) Zhangjiagang Hengfeng Textile Company Limited ( China )

) Nantong Xufeng Textile Industrial Company Limited ( China )

) Shanghai Changjie Textile Company Limited ( China )

) Jiangsu Blue Peacock Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. ( China )

) Zhejiang Wangzhuo Knitting Co., Ltd. ( China )

Browse Related Reports:

Acrylic Resin Market by Type (Methacrylates, Acrylates & Hybrids), Solvency, Property (Thermoplastic & Thermosetting) & Application (Paints & Coatings, Construction, Industrial & Commercial, Paper & Paperboard, Textiles & Fibers & Adhesives) - Trends & Forecast to 2019

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/acrylic-resin-market-246195771.html



Acrylic Acid Market by Derivative (Esters/Acrylates - METHYL, ETHYL, BUTYL, 2-EH; Polymers - Elastomers, Superabsorbent Polymers, Water Treatment Polymers; Other Derivatives), by Applications & Region - Global Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/acrylic-acid-market-683.html



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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.

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
LONDON, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

PharmaBoardroom today releases its new 51 page Slovakia Healthcare & Life Sciences Review 2016.

This report offers companies, investors, policymakers, and stakeholders crucial insight into Slovakia; a country with both political and economic stability; a Eurozone member that stands out in its region for being a member of the single currency; and, for the second half of 2016, has held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. Within this stable, integrated framework, Slovakia is making a name for itself in pharmaceuticals to complement its other major industries of automotives and IT.

The report features in-depth exclusive interviews with leading figures from public institutions and private companies, comprehensive articles, and up-to-date facts and figures on the Slovak healthcare and pharma sectors.

Features

Featured topics include:

Ministerial Mindset: An exclusive interview with pioneering Minister of Health Tomas Drucker begins our report. He explains his plans to reform Slovakia's healthcare system and combat the challenges of parallel trade of medicines.

begins our report. He explains his plans to reform healthcare system and combat the challenges of parallel trade of medicines. Regional Strategy: Despite its comparatively small size, several MNCs are targeting Slovakia for growth due to its favourable innovation environment and ease of market access. Others are partnering with their Czech counterparts for a more regional approach.

for growth due to its favourable innovation environment and ease of market access. Others are partnering with their Czech counterparts for a more regional approach. Inward Investment: Why investment in Slovak healthcare and life sciences is a smart choice

Interviews

The report features in-depth interviews with:

Tomas Drucker, Minister of Health

Branislav Budke, Pfizer

Dr. Natasa Klicko, Roche

Marianthi Psaha, Novartis

Lucia Frzonova, Worwag

Roberto Simoncic, SARIO

Dr. Leonard Sojka, Merck

Corina Croitoru, Gedeon Richter

Quotes

"Our priority in the health sector is also continuously enhancing efficiency and innovations. The basis for this priority is the transparent management of public resources."

Tomas Drucker, Minister of Health

"As an industry, we are on our way to establishing partner relationships with the new government which actually seems to be more open to discussion than the previous one."

Branislav Budke, Pfizer

"I am not saying that both [Slovakia and the Czech Republic] are the same, yet they are similar enough that most challenges can be solved with the same solution."

Juan Carlos Conde, Teva

"Roche is committed to innovation - and Slovakia is the perfect country for innovation."

Dr. Natasa Klicko, Roche

"Slovakia represents an ideal investment destination owing to our well forged reputation for political and economic stability."

Roberto Simoncic, SARIO

"In the macroeconomic perspective, Slovakia today displays all the characteristics of a modern, successful, liberal market economy."

Vladimir Masar, Deloitte

Click here to register and download the report.

SOURCE PharmaBoardroom.com
DUBLIN, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Advanced Wound Care - Global Strategic Business Report" report to their offering.

The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2015 through 2022. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research.

This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Advanced Wound Care in US$ Thousand by the following Product Segments:



Dressings (Alginate Dressings, Hydrocolloids, Hydrogels, Foam Dressings, Film Dressings, Antimicrobial Dressings, & Other Dressings)

NPWT, and Active Therapies (Skin Replacements, Collagen, & Growth Factors).



The report profiles 65 companies including many key and niche players such as



3M Healthcare (US)

ACELITY L.P. Inc. (US)

Coloplast A/S ( Denmark )

) CONMED Corporation (US)

ConvaTec, Inc. (US)

Medtronic Plc (US)

Hollister Wound Care (US)

Medline Industries, Inc. (US)

Molnlycke Health Care AB ( Sweden )

) Organogenesis, Inc. (US)

Derma Sciences, Inc. (US)

Paul Hartmann AG ( Germany )

( ) Smith & Nephew Plc (UK)

Urgo Medical (UK)

Key Topics Covered:



1. Market Overview



2. Competition



3. Market Trends And Issues



4. General Growth Drivers



5. Product Overview



6. Wounds & Wound Management



7. Product Innovations/Introductions



8. Recent Industry Activity



9. Focus On Select Players



10. Global Market Perspective



Total Companies Profiled: 65 (including Divisions/Subsidiaries 74)



The United States (44)

(44) Canada (1)

(1) Europe (25)

(25) - France (2)

(2) - Germany (4)

(4) - The United Kingdom (11)

(11) - Rest of Europe (8)

(8) Asia-Pacific (Excluding Japan) (3)

(Excluding Japan) (3) Middle East (1)

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/jjsrdp/advanced_wound

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

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SOURCE Research and Markets
MOSCOW, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

We are different - we are equal is a core principle for the RUDN University

Leaders of 149 student communities of the RUDN University gathered on the International Day for Tolerance, to sign the RUDN Student Communities Declaration.

Presidents of international and Russian student associations and organizations announced, what tolerance means for each student of the RUDN University:

1. the right to be different;

2. long-lasting harmony in relations among representatives of different confessions, political, ethnic and social groups;

3. respect to the diversity of cultures;

4. willingness to understand each other and mutually cooperate.

Signing the Declaration on the International Day for Tolerance in a strong tradition of the RUDN University. The ceremony is official and organized the same way as the UN meeting: all the participants are leaders and express their positions on behalf of the communities they represent. This year the Declaration was signed by international student communities, representing:

35 countries of Africa

24 CIS countries (including Russia )

) 22 Latin America and Caribbean countries

countries 15 countries of the Middle East

11 European countries

The largest association among participating was the Association of African students (RUDN University ASSAFTSU). Its new leader, Ernest Cece Salomon Peguitha, plans to strengthen information and awareness raising activities of the association, promoting Africa within the University as well as in Moscow and in Russia. The new leader has a solid experience of signing the Declaration: originally from Guinea, for many years he held the position of president of the RUDN community of students from Guinea.

This is an important day for the Federation of students from Latin America and the Caribbean countries: not only the Declaration was signed, but the new leader was elected. Tituana Davila Danny Jose from Ecuador will delegate his powers to his successor soon.

Mahmud Yasin, one of the most experienced leaders of international communities, heading the Association of Arab students and representing students from Palestine, knows the Declaration text by heart. Support of the RUDN University's Mission includes it all: constructive cooperation among representatives of different nations, enhancing mutual understanding and spreading achievements of the student community," comments M.Yasin.

Rev Kadigamuve Anuruddhe Thero, president of Association of students from Asia, came to Russia 5 years ago from Sri Lanka. He reminded that one of the important activities of student communities is daily support of their compatriots. In the RUDN University, this help is real.

All the leaders of 149 student communities share the principles of equality and respect, and the ceremony of signing the Declaration demonstrates it. Numerous students of the RUDN University will make an international career, and the important principles of productive cooperation and international collaboration they learn now, in the RUDN University.

About RUDN University: http://www.rudn.ru/en_new/

SOURCE RUDN University
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

SSM Holding AB (publ), the leading operator within residential development in the Stockholm region is continuing to expand its business by acquiring a new project in the attractively-located Elverkshuset in the city of Nacka. The project aims to develop about 350 apartments through a new joint venture between the property owner LIBU Invest and SSM. Construction is expected to start in 2019 with occupancy in 2021.

SSM and LIBU Invest have initiated a collaboration by forming a joint venture to manage a project that aims to develop 350 apartments, mainly units for one and two person households, in the attractively-located Elverkshuset near Nacka Town Hall. The start of construction is planned for 2019, with occupancy in 2021. The area around Elverkshuset will be developed into a conurbation that will be part of the city of Nacka. Already today, there is public transportation by commuter train and bus and in the future, the area will also be served by the planned expansion of the subway.

- SSM is focusing on a group of customers who are looking for functional and space-efficient apartments in central locations with good transportation links. The city of Nacka meets all three criteria, which is why the area is highly interesting for us to expand in, says Mattias Roos, CEO of SSM.

- LIBU Invest aims to be an active participant in Nacka's continued urban development. We have the highest respect for SSM's competence and strengths within residential development when it comes to the company's ability to develop space-efficient units as well as their commercial ability. This is why we are very satisfied to announce our cooperation, says Ola Lidfeldt, CEO of LIBU Invest.

SSM has 3,496 building rights in the planning phase and 1,481 units in production as at September 30, 2016.



SSM Holding AB (publ) is required to publish this information in accordance with the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication by the contact persons mentioned below on December 14, 2016 at 08.00 CET.

For more information, please contact:

Mattias Roos, CEO

Email: mattias.roos@ssmfastigheter.se

Ann-Charlotte Johansson, Director of Communications & IR

Phone: + 46 761 65 17 71

Email: ann-charlotte.johansson@ssmfastigheter.se

About SSM Holding (publ)

SSM is a residential property development company operating in the Stockholm region. Our vision is a housing market with room for as many people as possible. What sets us apart is that we build for a specific target group  the urbanites of tomorrow  and our ambition is to develop the most popular apartments in urban areas. SSM therefore builds apartments offering good value for money for one or two person households with high functionality per square meter, just outside the city center, close to public transport.

Read more at: www.ssmfastigheter.se

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/ssm/r/ssm-continues-to-invest-in-the-city-of-nacka,c2149617

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/11507/2149617/603525.pdf Press release (PDF) http://news.cision.com/ssm/i/elverkshuset,c2040837 Elverkshuset http://news.cision.com/ssm/i/mattias-roos-ceo,c2040838 Mattias Roos CEO

Related Links

http://www.ssmfastigheter.se



SOURCE SSM
TEL AVIV, Israel, December 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Votiro, a global provider of exploit neutralization solutions for protecting organizations against ongoing cyber threats, announced today that it has signed a distribution agreement with leading security solutions provider Netpoleon Solutions to provide its cybersecurity solutions to the Singaporean market.

Under the agreement, Netpoleon Solutions will distribute Votiro's products in Singapore, provide customer installation and support and represent the product in marketing activities and at relevant industry events.

"As Singapore pushes forward towards becoming a Smart Nation, cybersecurity has to become a top priority," said Itay Glick, CEO of Votiro. "We see great potential in Singapore for Votiro's solutions to help counter cyberattacks, specifically advanced persistent threats that use undisclosed and Zero-Day exploits."

Over the next two to five years, the data security market in Singapore is expected to be worth billions of Singapore dollars, due to increasing adoption of mobile, cloud, social and information technology. As Singapore aspires to become a "Smart Nation," the country has put forth a holistic national cybersecurity strategy, calling for advanced cybersecurity solutions.

"Votiro offers a unique proposition in neutralizing zero-day exploits with it's patented Advanced Content Disarm and Reconstruction technology. Attackers today are deploying sophisticated evasion techniques posing massive security challenges for all organizations, big or small alike." said Francis Goh, Managing Director of Netpoleon Solutions Singapore. "We are excited to partner with Votiro, which greatly complements our security offerings to help our customers address such an increasingly complex threat landscape."

About Netpoleon Solutions Netpoleon Solutions is an industry leader for distributing a holistic bundle of network and security solutions to leading organizations. Headquartered in Singapore, the company is expanding its network and security expertise across the ASEAN region, spearheading emerging technologies and delivering future-proofed solutions built for consolidation, virtualization, big data analytics, security operations center and cloud computing. For more information, visit http://www.netpoleons.com.

About Votiro Votiro provides organizations with essential protection against undisclosed and zero-day exploit utilized in cyber-attacks. The company's Secure Email Gateway provides a robust process and patent Advanced Content Disarm and Reconstruction technology for cleansing files from potential cyber-threats. Founded in 2010, Votiro is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, with its sales office in the United States.

For more information, visit http://www.votiro.com

Follow Votiro on Twitter - @votiro.

Media Contact:

Idan Yatziv

marketing@votiro.com

+972-52-330-9099



SOURCE Votiro and Netpoleon Solutions
NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- 5W Public Relations, one of the 20 largest independently owned PR firms in the US, announced today that, through its employee matching program, 5W PR employees contributed over $20 thousand to over twenty nonprofit organizations in 2016. 5W employees collectively funded over $10 thousand in charitable contributions in 2016, which were matched dollar-for-dollar by the agency's employee matching program.

"The importance of giving back is a value we care deeply about at 5W PR," said Ronn Torossian, President & CEO. "The philosophy of giving is one of our agency's core values and, as a company, we strive to support our employees in their individual passions and the organizations in which they are involved. By matching our team's generous donations, we are able to make valuable contributions to a variety of organizations nationwide."

Key organizations supported by 5W Public Relations' employee matching program in 2016, include: 261 Fearless Inc., American Civil Liberties Union, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association, Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue, City Harvest, Claremont International High School, El Paso Community Foundation, Friends of the Earth, Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Merrimack Valley YMCA, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Safe Horizon, The Lustgarten Foundation, The Royal Oak Foundation, Two Hawks Foundation Inc. and UJA Federation.

ABOUT 5W Public Relations:

5W Public Relations a full-service PR Agency, helps some of the world's most admired brands, corporations and personalities achieve more. 5W's bold, resourceful and thoroughly modern approach has measurably increased the positive results of their clients' communication efforts.

5W PR's diverse roster of client experience includes Welch's, Walgreens, Sparkling ICE, Medifast, L'Oreal, T-Fal, KRUPS, Zeta Interactive, Unilever, Ultra Mobile, ROBLOX, Santa Margherita, Camp Bow Wow, JetSmarter and All-Clad. Its roster also encompasses clients from government organizations to leading technology startups and businesses.

MEDIA CONTACT

5WPR / Autumn Thu

[email protected]

212-999-5585

SOURCE 5W Public Relations

Related Links

http://www.5wpr.com


* For full survey click on http://tinyurl.com/zvpnyy4

By Marc Jones

LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - A quarter of a century after the collapse of the Soviet Union, life satisfaction in Russia and other ex-Soviet states remains stubbornly low, and enthusiasm for democracy and open market economics is wavering, a survey published on Tuesday showed.

The study found that only 15 percent of Russians think their households have a better quality of life, compared with 30 percent in 2010 when respondents were last asked, and only 9 percent see their finances as better than four years ago.

Just over half the respondents from former Soviet states also thought a return to a more authoritarian system would be a plus in some circumstances, the study by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the World Bank said.

The EBRD, created 25 years ago to invest in former communist countries, questioned households across ex-Soviet bloc for more than a decade for its "Life in Transition" project, polling 51,000 households in 34 countries from Estonia to Mongolia.

They did find the "happiness gap" with Western Europe had narrowed, thanks to improvements in central Asia, the Baltic states and central Europe but also because of less satisfaction in parts of Europe, including Germany and Italy.

The findings resonated with increasing evidence this year, ranging from Britain's vote to quit the European Union and Donald Trump's U.S. election win, of dissatifaction with some of the effects of globalisation.

EBRD chief economist Sergei Guriev said the study also showed countries could only successfully transition from command economies to more open market systems if that process is "perceived by the public as being fair and of benefit to the majority".

"If the public does not see the benefits of the reforms, they will ultimately not be successful," he said.

Guriev said one of the biggest factors in people's lower life satifaction was losing their jobs. Governments therefore needed to make sure workers learnt new skills, he said.

Story continues

He also said the the survey showed people's appreciation of democracy and open market economics was wavering.

"Right now in most of our countries the majority doesn't seem to prefer democracy over authoritarian rule, whereas in Germany 80 percent do," Guriev told Reuters.

"That raises big, big questions. What has gone wrong and what should be done?"

(Editing by Louise Ireland)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Businesses across the country are strengthening the diversity and inclusiveness of their teams and reaping the benefits. According to a survey conducted by CEB Global, nearly 8 out of 10 executives say diversity is increasingly important in helping them achieve their business goals.

"Setting a goal of achieving greater diversity in your workforce is a valuable resolution for the New Year," said Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. "The Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program highlights businesses that demonstrate their support and commitment to individuals with disabilities. I look forward to seeing this program gather momentum across the state and appreciate all who are working together to help everyone achieve their dreams in Florida."

In October, the state of Florida launched the Unique Abilities Partner Program to enhance opportunities for individuals with disabilities and the organizations that support them. The Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program was designed to reduce unemployment among those who are willing, ready and able to contribute to our workforce by raising awareness about the economic and social benefits of employing these individuals.

"As businesses set priorities for 2017, I encourage them to join the movement in becoming a Florida Unique Abilities Partner," said Susan Ventura, M.S., President and Chief Executive Officer of Easter Seals Florida, Inc. "The new year is a good time to reflect on your company's progress over the past year and plan for your future success. By becoming a partner, you can send a strong message of social responsibility to current and prospective customers."

Studies demonstrate that diversity and inclusion is good for business. CEB research finds that in a diverse workforce where the perspectives of employees with a variety of backgrounds and life experiences are valued, performance among employees improves by 12 percent, and retention improves by 20 percent.

Visit the Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program website to access resources and learn how to qualify at FloridaUniqueAbilities.org.

SOURCE Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program

Related Links

http://www.floridauniqueabilities.org


BARCELONA, Spain, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Ability Pharmaceuticals, a drug development biopharmaceutical company specialized in oncology, announced today that it has received from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), orphan-drug designation (ODD) for ABTL0812, for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. This regulatory milestone comes after the ODD in the pediatric cancer neuroblastoma granted by EMA and FDA in 2015.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161121/441707LOGO )



In preclinical studies, ABTL0812 have shown efficacy in pancreatic cancer as single agent and synergistic effect (by 8 to 90 times) in combination with taxanes, platinum compounds and gemcitabine, with induction of tumor regression without increasing the toxicity associated with chemotherapy. First line therapy in patients with either locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer includes these compounds, and administered in combination with ABTL0812 could greatly improve the treatment outcome.

ABTL0812 is currently in phase 2 as first line therapy in combination with chemotherapy in patients with endometrial or squamous lung cancer at Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) in Barcelona.

"Receiving Orphan Drug Designation for ABTL0812 is an important regulatory milestone achieved and an exciting step towards clinical advancement of this first-in-class therapy," said Carles Domenech, PhD, CEO of Ability Pharmaceuticals. "

About ABTL0812

ABTL0812, currently in phase 2 of clinical development, causes cell death by autophagy through the overexpression of TRIB3, an endogenous Akt regulator. It is a first in class fully differentiated oral targeted anticancer compound inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway without being a direct kinase inhibitor. Its unique mechanism of action was published at Clinical Cancer Research in 2015.

In the phase 1/1b clinical trial (29 patients), ABTL0812 showed the best safety and tolerability compared to other inhibitors of the pathway; without dose-limiting toxicities. The efficacy was comparable to the best PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors; remarkably 2 patients had extremely long disease stabilizations (14 and 18 months).

About Ability Pharmaceuticals

AbilityPharma (http://www.abilitypharma.com), a fast grower in the Catalan and Spanish biopharmaceutical sector, is focusing on creating the future of oncology by developing innovative therapies to address unmet medical needs. Current shareholders include its founders, private investor and the VCs Inveready and SODENA, and has financial support from ACCIO, CDTI, ENISA and MINECO

In April 2016, AbilityPharma signed a territorial license agreement with SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc to develop and market ABTL0812 in Greater China

Contact

Carles Domenech, PhD

CEO

[email protected]

+34-935-824-411

SOURCE Ability Pharmaceuticals SL
LONDON, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

RAVN Systems, leading experts in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Search and Knowledge Management solutions, announced today that The Abraaj Group (Abraaj), a leading investor operating in global growth markets, has successfully implemented RAVN Connect Enterprise, a cognitive search platform which intelligently transforms the way they locate, leverage and collaborate on expertise across their highly distributed network.

RAVN Connect Enterprise, built upon the AI platform, RAVN Applied Cognitive Engine (RAVN ACE), takes enterprise search, knowledge management and unstructured data mining to unprecedented levels.

Abraaj deployed RAVN Connect Enterprise as part of a competitive tendering process to bring about long-term transformation of its approaches to knowledge management and firm-wide collaboration across 20 offices. The new solution enables Abraaj's employees to easily search and access both proprietary and commissioned knowledge sources via a single interface working in a seamless manner on its proprietary 'Opera' platform. Additionally, the Knowledge Graph feature allows Abraaj to visualise and navigate the interrelationships between experts, content, investments, and investors in a way that was previously impossible, making rapid access to the relevant resource in a secure manner a reality.

The solution supports all phases and teams across the investment lifecycle from fundraising, through the screening and due diligence of potential deals, the management and monitoring of investment through to ultimate exit.

Ovais Naqvi, Managing Director - Head of Market Engagement at Abraaj, commented, "Our primary goal here is to leverage knowledge to accelerate business and deal decision-making and to harness the collaborative power of a multi-geography growth markets organisation. RAVN Connect is an important component in a differentiation we bring to our investors around how we share knowledge and get to more dynamic decisions on deal flow. Additionally, it helps us harness macro-economic, sectoral and functional knowledge flows seamlessly and is ultimately a major competitive advantage for us. "

Naqvi continued, "Moving forwards, we intend to further expand the use of the platform's cognitive capabilities, to extract more information and to automatically locate and classify internal and external content."

Peter Wallqvist, CEO at RAVN Systems commented, "Abraaj is leading the way as the first global investor to adopt our ground-breaking, innovative technology in support of leveraging their considerable market and sector knowledge when evaluating further investments. We are delighted to be chosen to partner with them in this move".

About RAVN Systems

RAVN Systems are leading experts in the Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning branches of Artificial Intelligence (AI). They offer revolutionary cognitive computing solutions for any information intensive vertical. RAVN's unique proprietary technology and expertise deliver long-term value, competitive advantages and help manage and mitigate risk through structuring and surfacing information contained within unstructured data.

For more information please visit http://www.ravn.co.uk

About The Abraaj Group



The Abraaj Group ("Abraaj") is a leading investor, purpose-built for operating in the growth markets of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Turkey.

Employing over 300 people, Abraaj has over 20 offices spread across five regions with hubs in Dubai, Istanbul, Mexico City, Nairobi and Singapore. The Group currently manages c. US$ 10 billion across targeted investment strategies.

Abraaj has realized US$ 6.3 billion from over 80 full exits, and Funds managed by the Group have made over 170 investments across a range of sectors including consumer, energy, financials, healthcare and utilities. The Group is committed to the highest environmental, stakeholder engagement and corporate governance standards and is a signatory to the United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment and the United Nations Global Compact. Abraaj's founder, Arif Naqvi, was appointed to the United Nations Global Compact Board by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2012 and to the Interpol Foundation Board in 2014.



Press Contact

Rebecca Tear

020 7566 0000

[email protected]



SOURCE RAVN Systems
"We are representing the family of an American Pastor who is facing grave danger in a Turkish prison where he is being held simply because of his Christian beliefs," said Jordan Sekulow , Executive Director of the ACLJ. "The government of Turkey  led by an Islamic party  has begun increased crackdowns on Christians, and Pastor Andrew, if convicted, may face years in prison based on extremely serious  and false  charges. We are launching a global campaign to call attention to his plight demanding that Turkey  a NATO member  release Pastor Andrew without delay."

The family of Pastor Andrew Brunson released this statement:

"Andrew's strong faith has always been at the center of his life and that has never been more evident than his pastorship in Turkey. His love and concern for the people of Turkey is unmistakable, as he has dedicated 23 years of his life serving them. That is what makes his imprisonment and the unfounded charges so unbelievable and shocking. This development is not only troubling but places him in grave danger. We are working to secure his freedom and will not rest until Andrew is free. We're grateful for the support of the ACLJ and others who are working to demand that Turkey release Andrew without delay."

Pastor Andrew's daughter, Jacqueline Brunson, an 18-year-old college student in North Carolina, released this statement about her father's plight.

"It is both troubling and disturbing that my father, who has called Turkey home for the last 23 years, is imprisoned without cause. I grew up in Turkey and saw firsthand how much he loves Turkey and the Turkish people. He has exhibited nothing but love, mercy and grace during his time there. Our family is shocked by this latest development and we urge the government to release him immediately. The best Christmas present our family could receive this year is the release of my father."

On the morning of October 7, 2016, Pastor Andrew was summoned to the local police station in Izmir, Turkey. He believed he would be receiving a long-awaited permanent residence card. Pastor Andrew, who is a U.S. citizen, has been living in Turkey for 23 years, running a Christian church with the full knowledge of local authorities.

When he arrived at the police station, he was informed he was being deported based on being a "threat to national security"  a common excuse for deportation in Turkey.

It then became clear that he was being arrested and would be detained until deportation. Pastor Andrew was fingerprinted, searched, and officials confiscated personal affects  including his phone. He was also denied a Bible.

Instead of being deported, as he was originally told, he was held with no charges for 63 days, during which time he was denied access to an attorney. He spent part of this time in isolation.

Then on December 8th, after being incarcerated for more than two months, the situation became worse. In the middle of the night, Pastor Andrew was taken to a counter-terrorism center in Izmir and then taken to court. He was questioned and now has been charged with "membership in an armed terrorist organization." The charging documents, however, do not present any evidence against him.

A Turkish judge had the option to deport Pastor Andrew, release him with the condition that he sign-in with local authorities weekly, or imprison him.

The judge decided to remand Pastor Andrew to prison.

Family members say that Pastor Andrew has quietly and faithfully pastored churches in Turkey for nearly a quarter century. He has raised his family in Turkey, and has never been a member of an armed terrorist organization.

Pastor Andrew remains in prison where he is awaiting trial and, if convicted of these false charges, could face years of imprisonment.

The ACLJ represents the family of Pastor Andrew and is mobilizing its international resources  including ACLJ-affiliated offices in the region seeking Pastor Andrew's freedom. The ACLJ is launching a global campaign to generate awareness of Pastor Andrew's plight and is calling on the U.S. State Department, as well as international organizations  including the United Nations as well as NATO member countries  to demand Turkey  a NATO member  release Pastor Andrew without delay.

"As we approach Christmas  a season of hope and promise  we know that people around the world will stand with Pastor Andrew  will be Pastor Andrew's voice  supporting his fight for freedom and will join us in urging Turkey to release him immediately," said Sekulow.

The ACLJ has been advocating for the protection of Christians and other religious minorities for years. The ACLJ also has been very active in working to bring an end to the persecution of Christians taking place in many parts of the world.

Led by Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), focusing on constitutional law, is based in Washington, D.C. and is online at www.aclj.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

For Print: Gene Kapp (757) 575-9520

For Broadcast: Alison Geist or Anna Hutsell (770) 813-0000

SOURCE American Center for Law and Justice

Related Links

http://www.aclj.org


COLUMBUS, Ga., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the leader in voluntary insurance sales at the worksite in the United States, today announced two major honors for the company and its workforce. Aflac was named to FORTUNE Magazine's 2016 lists of the Best Workplaces for Diversity and the Best Workplaces for African Americans, according to global research and consulting firm Great Place to Work and Fortune. Aflac appears at No. 31 and No. 8, respectively.

"These are outstanding honors for our company and our workforce, as we place a great deal of our focus on building and maintaining an environment of diversity and inclusion," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "With a marketplace as eclectic as the United States, focusing on diversity is not just the right thing to do; it makes business sense, as well. We want to thank Fortune and Great Place to Work for these special recognitions."

Aflac's workforce is comprised of 67 percent women, 45 percent minorities and nearly 30 percent African-Americans. In terms of leadership, 23 percent of Aflac's officers are minorities, with 11 percent African-Americans, including the company's U.S. President and its General Counsel, each of whom are African-American women.

Workplaces that prize diversity and inclusivity aren't just good for specific classes of workers. By promoting environments that are great for all employees, organizations create winning workplaces, according to research Great Place to Work conducted to compile the list. The 50 companies on the 2016 Best Workplaces for Diversity list average 24 percent higher year-over-year revenue growth than other Great Place to Work-CertifiedTM workplaces that didn't earn a spot on the ranking.

"We congratulate this year's winners for showing that diverse workplaces are good for ALL employees," said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. "Bottom line? Our research shows that the most inclusive workplaces enjoy significantly higher revenue growth than less-inclusive workplaces  evidence that these organizations are cultivating the full human potential of all their people."

In conjunction with the overall 2016 Best Workplaces for Diversity rankings, Great Place to Work is publishing other Best Workplaces for Diversity lists. These include the Best Workplaces for Latinos and the Best Workplaces for Asian Americans. Great Place to Work also has produced a report with survey data and workforce practices to help other workplaces become more inclusive.

To see the full list of the 2016 Best Workplaces for Diversity, click here. To see the 2016 Best Workplaces for African Americans, click here.

When sharing on social media about the 2016 Best Workplaces for Diversity, please use the hashtag #bestworkplaces.

About Aflac

When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For six decades, Aflac insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the leader in voluntary insurance sales at the worksite. Through its trailblazing One Day PaySM initiative, Aflac U.S. can receive, process, approve and disburse payment for eligible claims in one business day. In Japan, Aflac is the leading provider of medical and cancer insurance and insures 1 in 4 households. Aflac insurance products help provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For 10 consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2016, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 18th consecutive year and included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 15th time, ranking the company No. 1 in innovation for the insurance, life and health category for the second consecutive year. In 2015, Aflac's contact centers were recognized by J.D. Power by providing "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience" for the Live Phone Channel. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac and One Day PaySM, visit aflac.com or espanol.aflac.com. Aflac herein means American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus and American Family Life Assurance Company of New York.

About the Best Workplaces for Diversity

Published together by Great Place to Work and Fortune, The Best Workplaces for Diversity ranking is based upon feedback from more than 448,456 employees at Great Place to WorkCertified companies who completed the Trust Index Employee Survey. Employees from all backgrounds answered 58 questions about how frequently they experience the behaviors that create a great workplace, considering everything from how comfortable they are being themselves; the degree of favoritism or insider politics they observe in the workplace; the fairness of promotions; the feeling of honest connection with co-workers; their access to senior leadership; and who receives information and professional development and who doesn't.

To determine the winners, Great Place to Work analyzed how positively women, minorities and LGBTQ employees report experiencing their workplace overall, paying special attention to an index of factors where these employees tend to have a less positive experience than their colleagues. Rankings take into account how favorably women, minorities and LGBTQ employees experience their workplace relative to their male, Caucasian and heterosexual colleagues' experiences, as well as the degree of representation women and minorities enjoy within the workforce as a whole and in executive roles. Organizations needed to have at least 50 employees to be considered and are compared to peers of a similar size.

Media contact  Jon A. Sullivan, 706.763.4813 or [email protected]

Analyst and investor contact  Robin Y. Wilkey, 706.596.3264 or 800.235.2667; FAX: 706.324.6330, or [email protected]

SOURCE Aflac

Related Links

http://www.aflac.com


The Pizza Hut skill differs from any pizza brand in the space by providing Alexa users with the convenience of ordering not only your favorites and past orders, but also directly from a menu of the most popular items from Pizza Hut.

"Pizza Hut has and always will be devoted to serving customers pizza anywhere, anyhow, and anyway, and using the latest technology is no exception," says Doug Terfehr, Senior Director, Public Relations and Partnerships for Pizza Hut. "Amazon is great to work with and the Pizza Hut skill on Alexa is unlike any other pizza brand with flexible ordering from a menu of options without lifting a finger."

Menu options include:

Pepperoni Pizza

Cheese Pizza

Veggie Lover's Pizza

Meat Lover's Pizza

Supreme Pizza

Breadsticks

Cinnamon Sticks

Pepsi

Diet Pepsi

Mist Twist

Mountain Dew

Voice command options include:

"Alexa, open Pizza Hut."

"Alexa, ask Pizza Hut for a pizza."

"We're thrilled to be collaborating with Pizza Hut to give customers hands-free, convenient ordering of pizza," said Rob Pulciani, Director, Amazon Alexa. "Ordering from Pizza Hut pizza by just using your voice from inside the comfort of your home is a wonderful experience."

Pizza Hut has increasingly added new ways to order over the last year. This summer, Pizza Hut was the first brand to announce the ability to order via "chatbot" on Facebook and Twitter messenger. Consumers can either repeat previous or favorite orders, as well as pick a pizza from a list of popular pizzas. They also announced earlier this year it's new "Visible Promise Time," which allows customers to see an estimated timeline of when their food will be ready prior to actually placing the order. The visible promise time works both for delivery and carryout, making it easier for customers to game plan around a timeframe.

The Pizza Hut skill for Alexa is available starting December 15 for placing a carryout or delivery order. For more information, visit blog.pizzahut.com or to order now, visit www.pizzahut.com.

About Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), delivers more pizza, pasta and wings than any other restaurant in the world. The pizza restaurant began 58 years ago in Wichita, Kansas, when two brothers borrowed $600 from their mom to start a pizzeria.

What started out small has become the biggest pizza restaurant in the world and today operates more than 16,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries serving innovative pizzas, traditional favorites like the signature Pan Pizza, and much more. Pizza Hut also is the proprietor of the BOOK IT! Program, which is a long-standing children's literacy program used in more than 630,000 classrooms nationwide. For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. Follow Pizza Hut on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PizzaHut), Twitter (www.twitter.com/pizzahut) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/pizzahut).

For all media inquiries, please contact Pizza Hut:

Doug Terfehr, 972-338-6992, [email protected]

Courtney Moscovic, 972-338-8288, [email protected]

SOURCE Pizza Hut

Related Links

http://www.pizzahut.com


ORANGE, Calif., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- John Kao, CEO and president of Alignment Healthcare, has announced organizational changes to support double-digit growth in membership totaling more than 40,000 people after the close of Medicare's annual election period on Dec. 7.

In California, long-time health plan insurance executive Katherine F. (Kathy) Feeny will step in as president of Alignment Health Plan, assuming the role previously held by Dawn Maroney, who has been promoted to oversee all market presidents. Maroney will continue to oversee certain corporate functions such as sales, marketing and product development.

Feeny has more than 35 years of experience and extensive knowledge within the Medicare, Medicaid and individual insurance industries. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in biology and psychology from Manhattanville College in New York, and currently serves on the boards of the National Healthcare Foundation and Dynamic Healthcare Systems.

"In the last two years, many of our leaders had to wear many hats as we grew from 12 people to now more than 400 people, from zero revenue to almost $500 million in revenue," Kao said. "As a company, we are transitioning from a start-up to a high-growth organization, and these changes will ultimately improve our ability to serve our communities and members."

ABOUT ALIGNMENT HEALTHCARE

Alignment Healthcare is redefining the business of health care by shifting the focus from payments to people. We've created a new model for health care delivery that cuts costs and improves lives by unraveling the inefficiencies of the current system to drive patients, providers and payers toward a common goal of wellness. Harnessing best practices from Medicare Advantage, our innovative data-management technology allows us to commit to caring for seniors and those who need it most: the chronically ill and frail. With offices and care centers across the country, Alignment Healthcare provides partners and patients with customized care and service where they need it and when they need it, including clinical coordination, risk management and technology facilitation. Alignment Healthcare offers HMO plan options to California residents through the Alignment Health Plan, and partners with select health plans in North Carolina and Florida to help deliver better benefits at lower costs. For more information, please visit http://www.alignmenthealthcare.com.

Media Contact

Alison Trinidad

[email protected]

(657) 218-7730

SOURCE Alignment Healthcare
Mr. Josh Damon joins Ankura with more than 15 years of experience operating, advising and investing in companies across numerous industries and stages. He specializes in developing and executing operational improvements, strategic plans and turnaround services for companies and their investors. He leverages his experience as a C-Level executive, private equity investor and turnaround advisor to collaborate with management, shareholders and lenders to drive meaningful improvements in financial and operational performance for his clients. Most recently, Mr. Damon was the Chief Financial Officer at Uptake Technologies.

"Josh brings extensive experience transforming companies to greater levels of sustainable financial and operational performance." said Kevin Lavin, Co-President of Ankura. "His hands-on approach to quickly identify and implement solutions to generate meaningful results will make him an asset to Ankura and its clients."

About Ankura Consulting Group

Ankura Consulting Group is a business advisory and expert services firm. Its deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges clients face enables its team to provide impactful, senior-level counsel. As an independent firm built on five key principles  Integrity, Quality, Diversity, Collaboration and Longevity  Ankura's relationships extend beyond one engagement or issue. The firm empowers its industry experts to provide a high-touch, unique approach for its clients in critical times. Ankura's offering includes a wide range of services offered within its Data Analytics & Technology Services, Investigations & Accounting Advisory, Litigation & Disputes, Regulatory & Contractual Compliance, Risk, Resilience & Geopolitical, Turnaround & Restructuring groups. For more information: ankuraconsulting.com.

SOURCE Ankura Consulting Group

Related Links

http://ankuraconsulting.com


SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Apex Dental has been selected as one of Utah's "Best Companies to Work For" for the 2016 year. Apex was recognized at the annual awards ceremony held on December 8th and will be featured in Utah Business magazine's December issue.

The leaders of Apex Dental receiving their Utah's Best Companies to Work For award.

Each year a handful of companies are nominated for this prestigious Utah Business award based on a variety of workplace elements. Competing companies are evaluated based on company benefits, pay, opportunities for internal growth, corporate cultural, and employee communication and pride. Along with these metrics, each company is also scored based on voluntary anonymous employee surveys.

"Our goal as a company has always been to help each employee reach their metaphorical Apex, personally and professionally," said Dr. Joe Maio, Chief Executive Officer at Apex Dental. "It's not just about clocking in and out, we're here to improve the lives of our employees because we know that their growth is paramount to the quality of dental service we are able to provide our patients."

Apex Dental was a part of the small companies' category, for businesses with less than 100 employees. Apex was the only Utah dental company to be awarded. They scored high on employee's internal growth potential, the importance of work/life balance, and the overall team support and office culture. These metrics are a positive indicator of overall employee happiness within the company. Some employee comments included:

"If you want something and your manager knows about it, they're willing to listen and make that happen."

"I just really love that we give back to the community. It makes it really fun to work for and makes you feel like you are working for a bigger purpose than just to turn a profit."

About Apex Dental

Two-time Best of State Winner Apex Dental provides full-service family and cosmetic dentistry to Utah residents across 7 locations in Salt Lake and Tooele counties. They also offer orthodontics from their offices in Sandy and Clearfield Utah. With an emphasis on comfort and convenience, the latest dental technology, and a patient-focused practice, Apex Dental has continued to raise the bar for exceptional dental service across Utah. With offices in Sandy, Riverton, Murray, Draper, Stansbury Park, and Clearfield Utah, Apex has a convenient office location no matter where you live.

Contact

Ron Nelson, Marketing Association

Office Telephone: (801) 566-8833

Email: [email protected]

Related Images

image1.jpg

image2.jpg

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Apex Dental
Unhappy with conflicting reports about Russian interference in the presidential election that have been leaked to the news media, the chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has demanded an explanation from James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, setting the stage for a tense few days on Capitol Hill.

Prior to the election, the Intelligence Community, loosely organized under the DNI, issued a joint statement saying that the agencies were confident that computer hackers who stole information from the Democratic National Committee and high-ranking individual Democrats were working at the direction of the Kremlin. At the time, the effort was characterized as an attempt to interfere with the U.S. election process.

Related: Trump Says No to Daily Redundant Intel Briefings Because He's a 'Smart Person'

Late last week, though, a report in The New York Times cited unnamed sources within the Central Intelligence Agency that claimed their analysis had reached a further conclusion: that Russia had specifically intended, through its hacking operation, to help Donald Trump win the presidential election. The finding was apparently bolstered by evidence -- again from unnamed sources -- that hackers had gained access to the Republican National Committees computer system as well as the DNCs, but had not released any information from it. (The RNC has strongly denied that its systems were compromised.)

It was an explosive allegation that would undercut the legitimacy of the incoming administration, and President-elect Trump immediately pushed back against it, denigrating the competence of the CIA in an official statement from his transition team, and unequivocally denying that the RNC had been hacked.

While it is manifestly in his self-interest for Trump to dismiss the intelligence community as partisan, his views on the politicization of intelligence, particularly by the CIA, may run deeper. His pick for National Security Adviser, retired Army General Michael Flynn, is an outspoken critic of the U.S. intelligence services as a whole. In an interview with The New York Times last year, Flynn blasted the CIA in particular, suggesting it has come to see itself as a tool of the White House, rather than a provider of independent analysis.They work for the American people. They dont work for the president of the United States," Flynn said. Frankly, its become a very political organization.

Story continues

Later reports citing sources within the Federal Bureau of Investigation suggested that the CIAs conclusion was not unanimously shared within the Intelligence Community. The FBI, the unnamed sources reported, did not share the CIAs confidence about Russias specific motives in sponsoring the hacking.

The letter from House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes expresses frustration with DNI Clapper, and demands clarification by the end of this week.

Related: Why the Russia Hacking Scandal Could Cost Trump His Pick for Secretary of State



In light of the Committee's robust oversight efforts on these issues, I was dismayed that we did not learn earlier, from you directly, about the reported conflicting assessments and the CIAs reported revision of information previously conveyed to this Committee, the letter reads. The Committee, therefore, has an urgent need to accurately understand the current IC assessment of alleged Russian cyber activities relating to the election, and any disagreements among IC components.

The letter goes on to demand a briefing and a written statement, by the end of the week, clarifying the position of the IC. Additionally, Nunes cited his concern about the leaks to the press and demanded an assessment of whether or not classified material was supplied to reporters.

The Nunes letter comes at an extraordinarily sensitive time in Washington.

In one of the first major rifts between President-elect Trump and senior Republicans in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday publicly backed a call by a bipartisan group of senators for a full investigation into Russian interference in the election.

Related: 10 Things to Know About Rex Tillerson, Trumps Choice for Secretary of State

(Nunes, by contrast, said in a separate statement on Monday that he did not see any benefit in opening further investigations...which would duplicate current committee oversight efforts and Intelligence Community inquiries.)

Trump, by contrast, has said that he does not believe Russia was involved in the hacking at all, calling the idea ridiculous and has questioned the integrity of the Intelligence Community, accusing the various of agencies of reaching politically motivated conclusions.

Trump has long been criticized for his accommodative stance toward Russia in general and its President, Vladimir Putin, in particular. He has downplayed Russias invasion of Ukraines Crimea region and its prosecution of a shadow war in Eastern Ukraine and has appeared to praise Putins authoritarian style of rule at home.

On Tuesday morning, Trump made the official announcement that he has chosen Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his nominee for Secretary of State. Tillerson is said to have a close personal relationship with Putin and has been awarded the Kremlins Order of Friendship.

Related: Trump Will Be Steadier on China Than His Taiwan Call May Suggest

The thing I like best about Rex Tillerson is that he has vast experience dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments, Trump said on Twitter.

However, at a time when Congress is investigating Russian interference in the presidential election, Tillersons Putin connections may complicate his nomination.

On Monday, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which would have to confirm Tillerson, tweeted, "Being a 'friend of Vladimir' is not an attribute I am hoping for from a Secretary of State."

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
As part of these settlements, ruby has paid aggregate civil restitution of US $1,657,000 (half of which was paid to the FTC and half of which was paid to the various states participating in the settlement). In addition, ruby has agreed to maintain a comprehensive information security program and refrain from past business practices that may have allegedly been misleading to consumers. As the settlements expressly state: ruby neither admits nor denies the allegations made by the FTC and the State Attorneys-General.

Pivotal Day

"Today is a pivotal day for our members and for Ashley Madison," says Rob Segal, newly appointed CEO of ruby. According to Segal, the company has been cooperating fully with the FTC for more than a year. "Today's settlement closes an important chapter on the company's past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity and to building a new future for our members, our team and our company," says Segal.

Segal took the helm of ruby in mid-April and announced a total repositioning and rebranding in July. "Our team is making significant, long-term investments in our people, processes and systems to improve Ashley Madison for our members," he says.

According to newly appointed President James Millership, the company has already implemented many new business practices and security improvements in the past 18 months. "Today's news reflects that the company has proactively made important, transformative changes since last year -- and is committed to open, transparent communication," he says.

About ruby

ruby is the global leader in open-minded dating and the innovator behind AshleyMadison.com, CougarLife.com and EstablishedMen.com. Founded in 2007, the company is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

To learn more about ruby and how we're transforming our brands, visit www.rubylife.com www.ashleymadison.com and www.findyourmoment.com

SOURCE ruby
PHOENIX, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Barrow Neurological Institute and IBM Watson Health today announced results of a revolutionary study that has identified new genes linked to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The discovery gives ALS researchers new insights that will pave the way for the development of new drug targets and therapies to combat one of the world's most devastating and deadly diseases.

IBM Watson Health and Barrow: Focused Research, Faster Progress in the Fight Against ALS

The groundbreaking discovery involved IBM Watson, a cutting-edge form of artificial intelligence, to help unravel the mysteries of the brain and provide Barrow scientists with never-before-known data.

IBM Watson became known around the nation in 2011 when it competed against human contestants on Jeopardy, and won.

"We are very excited about this discovery," says Robert Bowser, PhD, director of the Gregory W. Fulton ALS Research Center at Barrow Neurological Institute and one of the nation's leading ALS researchers. "ALS is one of the most complicated diseases to unravel and there is no cure. We hope that the use of IBM Watson for Drug Discovery will allow us to identify new and more effective treatments for ALS. "

ALS is a progressive and degenerative disease in which the cells that control voluntary muscle movements die, leading to paralysis and, ultimately death. Scientists don't yet know what causes ALS and there is just one FDA-approved medication but is only marginally effective. Most individuals die from ALS within three to five years from the onset of symptoms. Approximately 6,000 people are diagnosed with ALS every year.

Barrow began working with IBM last year to explore unidentified genes and proteins that may be linked to ALS using its life sciences solution, Watson for Drug Discovery. The cognitive tool, which uses machine learning, natural language processing, and other cognitive reasoning technologies, was trained about proteins that Barrow already knew were related to the disease using data given by Barrow as well as all published research information surrounding ALS.

Within months, Watson for Drug Discovery rank ordered all of the nearly 1,500 genes within the human genome and proposed predictions regarding which genes might be associated with ALS. The Barrow team then examined Watson's top evidence-based predictions and found eight of the top 10 ranked genes proved to be linked to the disease. More significantly, the study found five never before linked genes associated with ALS.

Without IBM Watson for Drug Discovery, researchers predict the discovery would have taken years rather than only a few months. Barrow, located at Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center and is considered one of the world's leading neuroscience centers.

"We could have individually looked at the 1,500 proteins and genes but it would have taken us much longer to do so, "says Dr. Bowser. "IBM Watson for Drug Discovery, with its robust knowledge base, was able to rapidly give us new and novel information we would not otherwise have had."

The newly launched Watson for Drug Discovery is a cloud-based offering that aims to help researchers identify new drug targets and alternative drug indications. It is among a growing portfolio of products to help the life sciences community address the long, complex and costly process of drug discovery and development. This marks IBM Watson Health's first collaboration dedicated to understanding neurological diseases.

"Traditional research tools are fast becoming inadequate to help data scientists and researchers keep pace with and find relevant insights among the now billions of documents which are spread all over the world," said Dr. Tina Moen, PharmD, Deputy Chief Health Officer for IBM Watson Health. "Watson for Drug Discovery can help organizations far more rapidly pinpoint the most promising paths to drug discovery. We are honored to support Barrow's efforts to identify the underlying cause of ALS."

Contacts:

Carmelle Malkovich, Barrow, 602-406-3319

Kristi Bond, IBM Watson Health, 802-345-8313

SOURCE IBM Watson Health
VANCOUVER, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Bravura Ventures Corp. (CSE: BVQ) (FSE: 23B) (OTCBB: BRVVF) ("Bravura" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an exploration update for its Musgrove Creek Gold Project located in Lemhi County, Idaho. Bravura has submitted a 'Plan of Operations' application to the U.S Forestry Service requesting permission to build drill roads and sites for a forthcoming exploration and definition drilling program.

The U.S Forestry Service in Idaho reviews and approves exploration permits on the lands they manage, with Bravura's Musgrove Project falling under such jurisdiction. The application is expected to be finalized in the spring of 2017, as the Forest Service has stated that field reviews by their specialists that were completed for prior Plan of Operations submissions should be adequate for this application. The application will be subject to routine public notice periods.

Proposed operations under the application maybe conducted over a three-year period, thus allowing for a flexible drilling program and one that could span multiple field seasons. Proposed operations include the reopening of a total of approximately 2,045 metres of previously-constructed and reclaimed drill roads, the construction of a total of approximately 470 metres of completely new road, and the construction of a total of 14 drill sites each approximately 6 metres by 12 metres in area. As many as 3 drill holes per site may be drilled at each site, for a possible total of up to 42 holes and 12,800 metres of total drilling.

Bravura will provide an update on any finalized exploration and drill programs for 2017 in the New Year along, with any decision by the U.S Forestry on the Plan of Operations application, as and when received.

About Bravura Ventures Corp.

Bravura Ventures Corp. is a mineral-exploration resource company trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange. The Company is currently acquiring, and intends to begin exploring, the advanced exploration-stage Gold Projects.

BRAVURA VENTURES CORP.

"Greg Burns"

_______________________

Greg Burns, Director

Forward-Looking Information This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that Bravura Ventures Corp. (the "Company") expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

SOURCE Bravura Ventures Corp.

Related Links

http://www.bravuracorp.com/


NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The broadcast communications equipment market comprises of establishments primarily manufacturing communication equipment necessary for TV and radio broadcasting. Such equipment include amplifiers, transmitting antennas, cable decoders, transceivers, and GPS equipment. The market does not include audio and video equipment, and equipment required for measuring and testing communication signals.



The Americas was the x largest geographic region in the broadcast communications equipment market in 2016, accounting for $x billion or x% of the global market. Asia was the x largest geographic market, accounting for $x billion or x% of the global market. Europe was the x largest geographic market, accounting for $x billion or x% of the global market. The Middle East and Africa accounted for x% and $x billion, while Oceania accounted for x% of the global broadcast communications equipment market.



Green Technologies Adoption

Rapid increase in energy consumption has been recognized as a major threat to environmental protection and sustainable development. Communications hardware accounts for about 2%-4% of the total global carbon emissions. Due to access to the high-speed internet provided by next-generation wireless networks and increased smartphone usage, data traffic has increased the requirement for global access, triggered a dramatic expansion of network infrastructures and escalated energy demand. Environment friendly batteries, renewable energy sources, and intelligent management of the power systems are some of the proposed solutions to reduce carbon emissions.





Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04442318-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

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"Erica brings to the team a valuable perspective in the environmental permitting space and extensive knowledge of environmental permitting regulations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania," says Brett Williams , Burns & McDonnell president and general manager of the New England office. "Her experience, the trusted relationships she's built and work ethic make her a strong addition to our group dedicated to environmental studies and permitting."

Bowyer-Grason has more than 16 years of experience supporting and managing a range of projects including site remediation, air quality, permitting and compliance for commercial and industrial clients. She has spent the past six years focused on permitting and compliance, managing multi-million dollar large-scale natural gas pipeline siting and licensing projects in the Northeast.

"I enjoy the challenge of finding sustainable, environmentally-friendly solutions for clients building the infrastructure of our future," says Bowyer-Grason. "Regulations are constantly evolving and can be complex. I help clients meet requirements by obtaining all environmental permits and approvals associated with projects at county, state and federal levels  alleviating pain points and assisting with keeping the project on schedule and under budget."

Bowyer-Grason received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Bucknell University and is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania and Nevada.

For photos and support materials, CLICK HERE.

About Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies made up of more than 5,300 engineers, architects, construction professionals, scientists, consultants and entrepreneurs with offices across the country and throughout the world. We strive to create amazing success for our clients and amazing careers for our employee-owners. Burns & McDonnell is 100 percent employee-owned and is proud to be No. 16 on Fortune's 2016 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit burnsmcd.com.

Contact: Elle Jenkins, Burns & McDonnell

816-822-3147

[email protected]

SOURCE Burns & McDonnell

Related Links

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BALTIMORE, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With a ceasefire collapsing in Aleppo Wednesday, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) supports the efforts of Pope Francis, who appealed for "an end to the violence and the peaceful resolution of hostilities" in Syria. Pope Francis also called for full respect of international law in a letter sent yesterday to the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, through Cardinal Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nuncio to Syria.

As a humanitarian organization that has come to the aid of more than 1.25 million war-affected Syrians across the Middle East and Europe, CRS calls on all sides of this conflict to safeguard lives and ensure humanitarian access.

"Peace is the only viable option," said Sean Callahan, CRS' chief operating officer, who returned from a visit to the region this week. "Far too many lives have been lost in this conflict, and we join Pope Francis' call to protect human rights, grant safe passage for all those trying to flee the violence, and for urgent humanitarian aid to reach those who desperately need it."

Bishop Gregory J. Mansour of the Eparchy of Saint Maron in Brooklyn, NY, and CRS board chairman, added: "In my many travels to the region, I've witnessed the harrowing circumstances that millions of Syrians have lived through since the war began nearly six years ago. Let us heed the call of the Holy Father and end the violence and pray for a peaceful resolution to the hostilities."

The United States must renew the serious international, diplomatic effort to end the fighting in Syria and find solutions to the conflict. CRS urges the U.S. Administration and the international community to work together to provide immediate and impartial humanitarian assistance, and to encourage steps towards an inclusive society in Syria that protects the rights of all its citizens. This is the only way the displaced will be able to return home.

"The path ahead will be arduous, but the time is long past for the international community to pursue diplomacy and peace in Syria and the region," added Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, NM, who chairs the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) International Justice and Peace Committee. "In the final analysis only peace will end the refugee crisis, preserve the Christian presence, and allow inclusive societies to be built that respect the human rights of all."

TO DONATE: http://bit.ly/2hvp2Fc

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS' relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. For more information, visit www.crs.org or www.crsespanol.org and follow Catholic Relief Services on social media: Facebook, Twitter at @CatholicRelief,@CRSnews and @CRSnoticias, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.

SOURCE Catholic Relief Services
NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Following an incremental volume decline in 2014 the global retail cheese market has returned to growth, with consumption having reached 11.5 million tonnes in 2015. Natural cheese is the more commonly consumed cheese type, accounting for 83% market share by volume, and over 85% in value terms. In the fragmented global market manufacturers have created a number of new products in an effort to capture share in the market, with innovation spanning a number of trends from flavours and food pairings to portion size and consumption occasion.

Zenith's report on cheese innovation examines the key trends and themes driving innovation and new product launches from 2014 through to early 2016. The report provides an ultimate guide of the most innovative and leading products in a user-friendly presentation format to help you quickly gain an understanding of new cheese product development worldwide.

What this report covers

Category overview: overview of key global market trends in addition to country-level consumption trends.

Key trends in new product development: overview of main themes driving product development and innovation worldwide.

Brand profiles: Over 60 profiles of innovative cheese brands including product image, detailed product information, date of launch, packaging size & type, pricing, key ingredients and description of variants.

Brand profiles featured by 5 key categories: Dips & spreads, cheese slices, cheese snacks, blocks & rounds and grated, cheese & others.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04124996-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]: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

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NEW YORK, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

ChineseInvestors.com (OTCQB: CIIX) ("CIIX" or the "Company"), the premier financial information website for Chinese-speaking investors in both the U.S. and China, and a well-known Cannabidiol (CBD) health brand engaged in the development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of consumer products containing CBD, today announced a new wholesale agreement that enables CIIX to retail nutritional supplements containing CBD to the Asian market through both online and in-store sales. The CBD company's flagship product is the top-selling brand of hemp-derived CBD oil for consumers in the natural products industry. This leading brand has not only built a reputation for product quality, safety and efficacy, but also offers the most diverse and largest supply of hemp-derived CBD oil on hand in the United States.

CBD oil is a natural concentrate extracted from cannabis and is considered a food nutrient delivering the benefits of cannabinoids without the psychotropic effects of THC. It has been legalized in the 50 states of the U.S., and can also be exported to more than 40 countries including China. The primary function of CBD oil is to protect the brain and nervous system, help digestion problems, relieve pain and reduce anxiety and stress. This concentrate can be widely used in nutrition supplements, skin care products, normal beverages and functional beverages, and can be sold through either the traditional or direct sales method.

Warren Wang, founder and CEO of CIIX, commented: "As more and more states in the U.S. legalize the use of either medical or recreational cannabis, CBD supplements have become a hot spot in the health products market. ChineseInvestors.com is very pleased to enter into a new wholesale agreement with a well-known manufacturer of the top-selling brand of CBD Oil. Through this mutually beneficial partnership, we can positively open the Chinese market in the U.S. and the markets in Asia for CBD products, and continue exploring investment opportunities that further expand our business in the cannabis industry."

Mr. Wang further remarked: "According to The CBD Report published by The Hemp Business Journal, Cannabidiol is one of the fastest growing market categories in the U.S. hemp and legal marijuana industries with a compound annual growth rate of 59%. In 2015, the CBD industry grew from a nearly invisible market a few years ago to $202 million in consumer sales, and it is further expected to grow to $2.1 billion in consumer sales by 2020. Because the Asian market has a prospective consumer base of 4.4 billion people, we are confident that our first step to partner with the leading manufacturer of CBD oil in the world today could have potentially towering profit opportunities."

About ChineseInvestors.com (OTCQB: CIIX):

ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. ('CIIX'), founded in 1999 endeavors to be an innovative company; providing (a) real-time market commentary, analysis, and educational related services in Chinese language character sets (traditional and simplified), (b) support services to our various partners, (c) consultative services to smaller private companies considering becoming a public company, (d) advertising and public relation related support services, and (e) other services we may identify having the potential to create value or partnership opportunity with our existing services.

Subscribe and watch our video commentaries: https://www.youtube.com/user/Chinesefncom

Follow us on Twitter for real time Company updates: https://twitter.com/ChineseFNEnglsh

Facebook Like us to receive live feeds: https://www.facebook.com/Chinesefncom

Add us on WeChat at: Chinesefn or download iPhone iOS App: Chinesefn.

Chineseinvestors.com Inc.

14 Wall Street 20th Floor

New York, NY 10005

Office Tel: +1-800-958-8561

SOURCE ChineseInvestors.com, Inc
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Corporate Whistleblower Center says, "We are urging an employee or manager at company providing services to the federal government under the auspices of being a 'small business' or a minority or woman owned business to call us anytime at 866-714-6466 if in fact the federal contractor is not in reality a small business, and or if the company is not a minority or woman owned business.

Federal Contractors

"There can be significant rewards for well documented information that proves a company has lied about their status to get a leg up on the competition for federal contracts. Creating shell 'small businesses,' and or creating a minority/woman led company in name only is a way federal contractors cheat to get preferential treatment on federal contracts. If you possess information about a company engaged in these types of deceptive practices, please call us at 866-714-6466 so at a minimum we can explain how the federal whistleblower program works." http://CorporateWhistleblowerCenter.Com

In July of 2016 the Department of Justice announced two companies in California agreed to resolve allegations that one of their entities was a small business to obtain contracts set aside for small businesses. Small businesses, in some cases, are eligible to receive a preference when government contracts are issued. The penalty to the companies was over 5 million dollars.

In this instance the whistleblowers received $1.4 million.

The Corporate Whistleblower Center is especially interested in hearing from the following types of people who can prove a contractor involved in federally funded contracts is portraying themselves as a small business or a minority owned business (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise-DBE).

A business or businesses that have created a shell company that could be classified as a 'small business' to gain the upper hand in the federal contracting process.

A woman owned business in name only. Either the woman's husband runs the business, or the woman is the owner of the business in name only-she does not participate in the operation of the business.

An African American or Hispanic owned business in name only. In reality-the business is owned and operated by non-minorities and the non-minority operators make all management and financial decisions for the business.

The Corporate Whistleblower Center believes companies creating scam small businesses and or minority owned businesses is a huge problem in the federal contracting process. The Center is most focused on hearing about these types of schemes as they relate to the US Department of Defense, HUD, the EPA, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, Department of Homeland Security, the State Department or the Department of Education. http://CorporateWhistleblowerCenter.Com

Simple rules for a whistleblower from the Corporate Whistleblower Center: Do not go to the government first if you are a major whistleblower. The Corporate Whistleblower Center says, "Major whistleblowers frequently go to the government thinking they will help. It's a huge mistake. Do not go to the news media with your whistleblower information. Public revelation of a whistleblower's information could destroy any prospect for a reward. Do not try to force a company or individual to come clean on falsely claiming to be a minority owned business or a small business. Come to us first, tell us what type of information you have, and if we think it's sufficient, we will help find the right law firms to assist in advancing your information."

The Corporate Whistleblower Center is the premier advocate for whistleblowers in the United States. Unlike any group in the US, they assist potential whistleblowers with packaging their information and providing the whistleblower with access to the most accomplished whistleblower attorneys in the nation. For more information, potential whistleblowers can contact the Corporate Whistleblower Center anytime at 866-714-6466 or visit http://CorporateWhistleblowerCenter.Com.

For attribution for the Department of Justice press release related to a whistleblower reward for a non- minority owned business please refer to the July 2016 press release that discusses this matter:https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/information-technology-companies-pay-58-million-misrepresentations-relating-small-business

Media contact:

Thomas Martin

[email protected]

866-714-6466

SOURCE Corporate Whistleblower Center

Related Links

http://www.corporatewhistleblowercenter.com


CALGARY, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) today announced that Jane L. Peverett has been appointed to its Board of Directors effective December 13, 2016.

"We are thrilled to welcome Jane to CP's board," said Andrew F. Reardon, Chairman of the Board. "She brings a unique breadth of board experience  from finance to energy to media  and significant corporate leadership expertise to her new role on our board. We look forward to Jane's contributions and guidance on behalf of all CP shareholders."

Ms. Peverett is a member of the Board of Directors of Hydro One Ltd., Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), Northwest Natural Gas Company and Encana Corp. She most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 2005 to 2009 and Chief Financial Officer from 2003 to 2005 of British Columbia Transmission Corporation. She was the chief executive officer of Union Gas Ltd. from 2001 to 2003. She is an Executive Committee Member for the Institute of Corporate Directors, BC Chapter and a Fellow of the Society of Management Accountants.

Ms. Peverett holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University, an MBA from Queen's University and is a Certified Management Accountant.

"CP has come so far in such a short time and I look forward to playing a role in creating an even brighter future for CP customers, employees and shareholders," said Peverett. "CP is integral to the health of the Canadian economy and I'm proud to be joining this board."

About Canadian Pacific

Canadian Pacific (TSX:CP)(NYSE:CP) is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to eight major ports, including Vancouver and Montreal, providing North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of CP.

SOURCE Canadian Pacific

Related Links

http://www.cpr.ca


WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Most of the country is facing dangerously cold temperatures this week, along with a winter storm from the Plains to the Northeast this weekend. The American Red Cross wants everyone to be safe and has steps they can take during this week's record-breaking cold weather.

The frigid temperatures and snow are adding to the difficulty of collecting enough blood and platelets around the holidays and the Red Cross urges people who are eligible to give now.

"About 100 million people are facing this bitter cold weather across the country, and we want them to remain safe." saidBrad Kieserman, vice president, Disaster Services Operations and Logistics for the Red Cross. "Some places could see their coldest December temperatures in a few years and people need to prepare now. We are monitoring the situation and will respond if necessary."

Follow these steps to remain safe during extreme cold and snow:

At home:

If the power goes out, use generators correctly  never operate a generator inside the home, including the basement or garage. Do not hook up a generator directly to the home's wiring. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment needed directly to the outlets on the generator.

Prevent frozen pipes - open cabinet doors to let warm air circulate around water pipes. Let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes.

Don't forget family pets  bring them indoors. If that's not possible, provide adequate shelter to keep them warm and make sure they can get to unfrozen water.

Do not use a stove or oven to heat the home. Keep a glass or metal fire screen around the fireplace and never leave a fireplace fire unattended.

If using a space heater, place it on a level, hard, nonflammable surface. Turn the space heater off when leaving the room or going to sleep. Keep children and pets away from the space heater and do not use it to dry wet clothing.

On the road:

Stay off the road during severe weather, if possible.

Carry an emergency preparedness kit in the trunk.

Keep the car's gas tank full for emergency use and to keep the fuel line from freezing.

Make sure everyone has their seat belts on and give your full attention to the road. Avoid distractions such as cell phones.

Don't follow other vehicles too closely. Sudden stops are difficult on snowy roadways.

Don't use cruise control when driving in winter weather.

Don't pass snow plows.

Know that ramps, bridges and overpasses freeze before roadways.

Out in the cold:

Wear layers of clothing to stay warm, along with a hat, mittens and waterproof, insulated boots.

Wear waterproof, insulated boots to keep feet warm and dry and to maintain one's footing in ice and snow.

Be careful when tackling strenuous tasks like shoveling snow in cold temperatures. Consider your physical condition, weather factors, and the nature of the task.

Check on your neighbors, especially elderly people living alone, people with disabilities and children.

EMERGENCY APP People should download the free Red Cross Emergency App for instant access to safety tips for winter weather and power outages. The app also contains weather alerts, life-saving information and ways to contact family and friends in one free, easy-to-use app for mobile devices. The appcan be found in the app store for someone's mobile device by searching for "American Red Cross" or by going to redcross.org/apps.

BLOOD, PLATELET DONATIONS NEEDED Bitter cold weather and snow storms on top of the busy holiday season can all impact the availability of donors to roll up a sleeve for patients who need it. The Red Cross has a critical need for blood and platelet donations now and throughout the holidays. Eligible blood and platelet donors not in the path of this winter weather are urged to make an appointment as soon as possible by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). To encourage donations, all presenting donors December 22, 2016, through January 8, 2017, will get a long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

Looo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090108/RedCrossLOGO

SOURCE American Red Cross

Related Links

http://www.redcross.org


HEALDSBURG, Calif., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the award-winning and family operated, Healdsburg-based Davis Family Vineyards filed a lawsuit for trademark infringement and unfair and deceptive trade practices against Napa Valley newcomer Davis Estates LLC and others in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Davis Family Vineyards is seeking a jury trial, injunctive relief, treble damages and attorneys' fees based on infringement of its registered DAVIS FAMILY VINEYARDS trademark.

In its complaint, Davis Family Vineyards alleges that use of the name "Davis Estates" on wine infringes its well-known DAVIS FAMILY VINEYARDS trademark, which it has been using since the late 1990s. The complaint further contends that Davis Estates is unjustly benefiting from the Davis Family Vineyards' outstanding reputation as a source for ultra-premium wines, gained after 17+ years of sales of hundreds of thousands of bottles of wine prominently featuring the DAVIS FAMILY VINEYARDS mark.

The complaint cites multiple instances of actual consumer confusion: The first with a tour company that mistakenly sent its guests to Davis Estates winery and cave in Napa Valley. The second an article in the Napa Register that incorrectly named "Davis Family Estates" when reporting on a series of controversial timber clearing requests near Angwin's famous Howell Mountain region that were sought by Davis Estates LLC and/or its affiliates. This error generated a considerable amount of negative publicity for Davis Family Vineyard, as several prominent organizations in the Napa Valley mistakenly sent them letters of concern instead of Davis Estates. The third was a customer's confusion as to whether Davis Family Vineyards had opened a second tasting room, or relocated from its present location in Healdsburg, CA. A fourth instance of confusion cited in the complaint references a wine buyer in Texas purchasing wines after he was incorrectly told that the Davis Estates wines were associated with Davis Family Vineyards and its co-founder and winemaker, Guy Davis.

According to Davis Family Winery co-founder and owner, Guy Davis, "I feel as though pursuing legal protection is my only option at this stage." Davis continues, saying, "Our 20 years in the wine business has mostly been friendly and collaborative, where winemakers share ideas and look out for one another. It's not been about stealing and deceit. We tried several times, in person and through written correspondence, to resolve the brand confusion caused by Davis Estates in Napa Valley. Boxes and boxes, full of materials demonstrating our brand usage for the last 20 years, were shown to Michael Davis and his attorney. Industry standards that set precedent were shared with him since he's a newcomer to the business, such as the surnames Mondavi (Robert Mondavi Winery, Michael Mondavi Family Estates, C.K. Mondavi) and Smith (Charles Smith, Smith & Hook, W.H. Smith, Smith-Madrone Vineyards), which showed alternatives that he could readily model a name after. He promised time and again to do something, but it has been over a year without resolution. Their actions impact our business, confusing wholesale vendors, restaurant buyers and new and long-time Davis Family Winery consumers. Their winery also earned bad press due to their desire to clear-cut land in Angwin, California, in Napa County, causing community outrage and backlash inaccurately directed toward us. Of course, I'd like Michael Davis to enjoy and succeed in the wine industry. I'd also like him to adopt a sense of comradery rather than bulldozing his way in and taking business that my family has worked hard to earn."

The consumer confusion continues. As recently as December 2, 2016, consumers who had previously attended a Davis Family Vineyards winemaker dinner at the two-star Michelin restaurant, Melisse mistakenly emailed Davis Estates regarding requests to purchase Davis Family Vineyards wine. The consumers were looking to acquire Davis Family Vineyards wine for an event for 25-30 people to be held on December 10, 2016. Unfortunately, the email was not forwarded to Davis Family Vineyards until after December 10, 2016, thus causing Davis Family Vineyards to miss a significant sale and the opportunity to further connect with its customers.

SOURCE Davis Family Vineyards
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DB Networks, a pioneer in machine learning based database security, today announced the industry's first agentless database activity monitoring (DAM) solution based on artificial intelligence. DB Networks is combining its DBN-6300 database monitoring and security technology with the CyberArk Privileged Account Security Solution to strengthen organizations' overall security posture with a next-generation DAM solution.

Database Events Screen

Now, DAM customers can achieve compliance monitoring and database security without operational impact  no agent software need to be installed or maintained on the database servers and monitoring is now done non-intrusively. Further, machine learning is utilized to automatically identify and alert on any suspicious, unusual, or abnormal access to sensitive data or critical systems.

DAMs are often used as a compensating control for compliance. For example, DAMs support Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance to improve the accuracy of financial reports, Payment Card Industry's Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for monitoring access to credit card-related information, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements for monitoring access to sensitive healthcare records. However, third-party DAM agents' integration with Database Management Systems have long been an issue. When the DAM agent fails, the entire database can be brought off-line for an extended period of time.

Privileged account management, especially for databases, is critical for security and is also a well-established compliance requirement. The CyberArk Privileged Account Security Solution establishes a single point of control for privileged sessions and creates an indexed, tamper-resistant record of privileged sessions. With these capabilities, organizations can easily isolate, monitor, record and control privileged sessions on critical systems and databases, allowing security teams to immediately terminate suspicious privileged sessions and view full video playback of specific user sessions.

"DB Networks is delivering an innovative DAM solution that addresses important business requirements and emphasizes simplicity and data reliability," said Adam Bosnian, executive vice president, global business development at CyberArk. "CyberArk provides a valuable check and balance for the DB Networks solution to help verify that network traffic is coming from a trusted source and database access aligns with internal policies. DB Networks' commitment to adding additional layers of security for database protection that prioritize privileged account security is an important benefit to customers, and reflects the key tenets of the C3 Alliance."

The agentless DAM's deep protocol analysis of all Structured Query Language (SQL) activity is accomplished through DB Networks' DBN-6300 technology. This technology also provides machine learning together with behavioral analysis to immediately and accurately alert on database policy violations and database attacks. This helps ensure sensitive data stores are not tampered with.

The agentless DAM supports Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and Sybase database management systems. The agentless DAM operates non-intrusively and can even be deployed in conjunction with other vendor DAMs to provide an unprecedented level of database security.

"While database activity monitoring is necessary as a compensating control for compliance, many enterprises find the traditional implementation to be both costly and very complex," said DB Networks' Chairman and CEO Brett Helm. "The reason many databases operate unmonitored and unprotected is often because organizations lack easy-to-implement tools and trained staff. Our new agentless DAM with its machine learning together with comprehensive privileged account security has significantly simplified and enhanced database monitoring and security."

DB Networks also announced today it has become a new member of the C3 Alliance, CyberArk's global technology partner program that brings together enterprise software, IT security and service providers to build on the power of privileged account security to better protect customers from cyber threats.

Availability

The DB Networks agentless DAM is available today from DB Networks and from authorized resellers. Pricing is dependent on capacity requirements, with volume discounts available.

About DB Networks

DB Networks innovates database cybersecurity products. Its customers include the world's largest financial institutions, healthcare providers, manufacturers, and governments. DB Networks technology non-intrusively assesses database infrastructures through deep protocol extraction, machine learning, and behavioral analysis. Customers gain insights by discovering all active databases, identifying tables being accessed, and the specific applications accessing the databases. In addition, analyzing application database access that deviates from the model of normal application behavior immediately identifies compromised credentials and database attacks. DB Networks is a privately held company headquartered in San Diego, Calif. For more information, call (800) 598-0450 or visit the company's website at http://www.dbnetworks.com/.

DB Networks is a registered trademark of DB Networks, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other company and product names are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

MEDIA CONTACT

Rita Rheinecker

[email protected]

(800) 598-0450

SOURCE DB Networks

Related Links

http://www.dbnetworks.com


BEIJING, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Diane Wang, DHgate.com founder and CEO and Chair of the APEC CBET Network named Wenzhou-Kean University as the Primary Academic Partner Institution of the APEC CBET Network. This announcement comes less than a month after the successful launch of the APEC CBET eLearning Platform at the APEC Lima summit, which was co-developed by ABAC (APEC Business Advisory Council) and Wenzhou-Kean University.

The development of the APEC CBET eLearning Platform was headed by the dean of the business school at Wenzhou-Kean University, Dr. Cao Jiang. The purpose of the platform is to be a place for SMEs (small-and-medium sized enterprises) to obtain the most professional, practical, and localized cross-border e-commerce knowledge, skills, and entrepreneurial guidance in the field of cross-border e-commerce. As the primary academic partner of the APEC CBET Network, it will be the responsibility of Wenzhou-Kean University to continue to expand the eLearning project with academic content and support. The eLearning platform currently features 2 course modules produced by Wenzhou-Kean University researchers and industry experts that award students with electronic certificates upon successful completion: Introduction to Cross-Border E-commerce, and Trust and Safety in Cross-Border E-commerce.

"We are very pleased with the academic, managerial, and production related contributions of Wenzhou-Kean University toward the development of the APEC CBET eLearning platform, without their expertise in these areas, attaining the final product in the allotted time frame would not have been possible. We will continue to work together in the future to improve and expand our initiative to empower SMEs to access global markets through cross-border e-commerce."

- Diane Wang, co-Chair APEC Business Advisory Council SMEs Working Group

About Wenzhou-Kean University

Wenzhou-Kean University is a Chinese-American jointly established higher education institution located in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China. Wenzhou-Kean University is a project tended by then provincial chief (now Chinese President) Xi Jinping in 2006 who specifically mentioned the school as recently as in September 2015 during a state visit to the U.S.. Exclusively serving Tier 1 students in China, the rapidly growing campus sits on over 500 acres of prime land. With comprehensive and sophisticated practices, the University set up its pedagogical goal that aims to merge Chinese and American teaching methodologies in practice from a global context, and to cultivate students with global vision, mastering of international rules and conventions, and innovative creative and initiative competences.

About DHgate.com

DHgate.com is the first to market and the biggest B2B transactional cross-border e-commerce marketplace in China, aiming to provide global buyers with quality products at competitive prices. Founded in 2004, DHgate.com has approximately 10 million global buyers from 230 countries and regions, with 1.4 million global sellers offering 40 million products. DHgate.com's business enables buyers to directly access global manufacturers of the world's top brands with rich product selections. DHgate.com is an all-in-one platform with integrated services for international logistics, cross-border payments, internet financing, etc. DHgate.com's US, UK, Spain, and UAE product distribution warehouses allow for 24 hour delivery and convenient product returns & refunds, bringing great convenience to buyers at http://www.dhgate.com.

SOURCE DHgate.com

Related Links

http://www.wku.edu.cn/


GREENVILLE, Miss., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dickey's Barbecue Pit opens in Greenville this Thursday with four weeks of specials and giveaways, including free barbecue for a year for three lucky guests. To enter to win free barbecue for a year, guests must use hashtag #1FreeYearofBBQ on any social media site, order online or sign up for Dickey's Big Yellow Cup Club. On Thursdays, the new location will offer the first 50 guests through the door a complimentary taste of the Bangers & Mash Taco, Dickey's newest limited time offer. On Fridays, Dickey's will offer 50 percent off to first responders, and guests can donate to Barbecue, Boots & Badges, Dickey's charitable foundation. On Sundays, kids eat free at Dickey's with a purchase of an adult dine-in meal of $10 or more.

To join Dickey's Barbecue Pit's Big Yellow Cup Club and receive members-only specials, click here.

"Dickey's congratulates Dominick Trinca on opening his first Dickey's Barbecue Pit location in Greenville," says Roland Dickey, Jr., CEO of Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. "Dickey's has more than 570 locations in 43 states, and we are proud to continue our expansion in Mississippi."

Doors open this Thursday and guests can enjoy the grand opening events over the next four weeks:

Thirsty ThursdaysAll guests will receive a free Big Yellow Cup with Dickey's new reusable travel lid and straw. The first 50 guests through the door will receive a complimentary taste of Dickey's Bangers & Mash Taco.

Philanthropy Fridays Uniformed first responders will receive 50 percent off their meal, and guests can donate to Barbecue, Boots & Badges, Dickey's charitable foundation.

Kids Eat Free All Day Every Sunday With very $10 adult dine-in purchase guests will receive one free kids meal.

To find the Dickey's Barbecue Pit nearest you, click here.

The Greenville location will be Dominick Trinca's first Dickey's Barbecue Pit location. Trinca is excited to have the opportunity to bring a new fast-casual barbecue option to the people of Greenville. "When it comes down to it, Dickey's is delicious barbecue and I am excited to serve it to the people of my community," says Trinca.

Residents of Greenville can find their newest Dickey's location 1452 Hwy. One South Greenville, MS 38701. The phone number is 662-580-4242.

Find Dickey's Barbecue Pit on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the nation's largest barbecue chain was founded in 1941 by Travis Dickey with the goal of authentic slow-smoked barbecue. Today, all meats are still slow smoked on-site in each restaurant living up to the company tagline, "We Speak Barbecue." The Dallas-based family-run barbecue franchise offers a quality selection of signature meats, home style sides, tangy barbecue sauce and free kids' meals every Sunday. The fast-casual concept has expanded to more than 570 locations in 43 states. This year Dickey's won first place on Fast Casual's "Top 100 Movers and Shakers" and ranked in the top ten of Franchise Times' "Fast and Serious." Dickey's Barbecue Pit was recognized for the third year by Nation's Restaurant News as a "Top 10 Growth Chain" and by Technomic as the "Fastest-growing restaurant chain in the country." For more information, visit www.dickeys.com or for barbecue franchise opportunities call 866.340.6188.

Media Contact:

Callie Head

[email protected]

SOURCE Dickey's Barbecue

Related Links

http://www.dickeys.com


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- My Hope Chest, Angel Flight West & Bel-Red Center for Aesthetic Surgery are all contributors to the fulfillment of a dream of reconstructive surgery come true with My Hope Chest's latest recipient, Carleen Hobbs.

Carleen was diagnosed with stage 3, grade 3 breast cancer at age 30 while being seven months pregnant with her fifth child. Not only did she have her own uncertain future, she had to think about her unborn as well. At 9am on the morning of December 15th, her dream will come true as she will have traveled from her isolated small town of Nome, Alaska (population 3,788) via Angel Flight West to Bel-Red Surgery Center for Aesthetic Surgery in Bellevue, Washington.

"I thank God every day of my life and that I get to continue a while longer as a wife and Mommy," Carleen states. Prosthetics make her back ache as she is constantly shielding her breastbone from the lively hugs she loves so much. "I am so grateful to be alive and I can live as I am. I also grieve so often, it's like two sides of a coin. It would be nice to wear lingerie and pretty bras and no longer be the only breastless woman at Zumba." Carleen also states she is more nervous about leaving behind her 5 tykes at home while having surgery more so than the surgery itself.

Founder and CEO of My Hope Chest, Alisa Savoretti (herself a cancer survivor) said, "An estimated 22,000 women a year lose their breasts and are uninsured or under insured. The good news todaythere is hope for survivors who have no insurance. My Hope Chest has changed lives and is diligent to continue our mission to heal more survivors every year."

Dr. Jan Zemplenyi has provided the highest level of care in cosmetic surgery since 1989. With years of specialty and sub-specialty training, he is triple-board certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery and by the American Board of Otolaryngology.

Angel Flight West, since 1983, has completed 54,000 missions that links volunteer pilots in private aircraft and commercial airline partners with people in need whose health care and other circumstances require them travel to and from facilities to access services. Angel Flight West caters to 13 western states including Alaska and Hawaii. All flights are donated as there is never a charge for an Angel Flight mission.

For more information or to donate:

Please visit https://www.myhopechest.org/ or call (727) 488-0320.

About My Hope Chest:

Established in 2003, My Hope Chest is the only national 501(c)(3) social service organization focused on reconstructive surgery for uninsured and under insured breast cancer survivors. We are moved to ACT and our goal is to heal and provide closure to the breast cancer journey. By enabling those who desire reconstruction to have it, My Hope Chest works to help all survivors return to a "new" normal with feelings of hope, self-worth and completeness. For more information about My Hope Chest please visit www.myhopechest.org.

For more information about Angel Flight West, visit http://www.angelflightwest.org and contact Cheri Cimmarrusti, Associate Executive Director, at 310-390-2958 or email at [email protected]

For more information about Bel-Red Surgery Center and Dr. Jan Zemplenyi, please visit http:www.belredcosmeticsurgery.com

Follow Carleen's journey at http://www.soulsearching.us

For more information, contact:

Jody Shelton, Universal Media Group

214.347.7803

[email protected]

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com/.

SOURCE My Hope Chest

Related Links

http://www.myhopechest.org


HOUSTON, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ebro Foods, S.A. announced today the upcoming merger of its U.S. rice and pasta companies, Riviana Foods Inc., American Rice, Inc. and New World Pasta Company, creating the largest manufacturer and marketer of rice products and the second largest producer and distributor of pasta products in the United States. The merger will be effective on January 1, 2017.

In 2004, Ebro Foods, the global leader in the rice sector and the second leading pasta manufacturer in the world, entered the U.S. market with its acquisition of Riviana Foods which purchased American Rice in 2011. Since 2006, when Ebro Foods acquired New World Pasta, the companies have been integrating their businesses and taking advantage of synergies to benefit their customers and consumers.

"We have successfully brought together the core strengths of the companies including an extensive portfolio of brands and products," said Bastiaan de Zeeuw, President and CEO of the merged companies. "In addition, by combining our operations and distribution networks, we will even better fulfill our commitment to customer service, product quality, better efficiencies, innovation and growth."

The combined rice and pasta products portfolio will include such recognized brands as Minute, Mahatma, Carolina, Success, Gourmet House, Adolphus, Blue Ribbon, Ronzoni, Skinner, Prince, American Beauty, San Giorgio, Creamette and No Yolks.

The merged companies will carry on the Riviana Foods name and be headquartered in Houston, Texas with a satellite office in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Together the companies have manufacturing facilities in seven states and in Canada through Riviana Foods' subsidiary, Catelli Foods Corporation. Catelli Foods is the largest pasta manufacturer and distributor in Canada with offices located in Toronto, Canada. The sales revenue of the combined company totals approximately $1.5 billion.

Riviana Foods is the largest processor, marketer and distributor of branded and private label rice products in the United States with well-known brands as Minute, Success, Mahatma, Carolina, River, Water Maid, Gourmet House, Blue Ribbon, Wonder, Comet, Adolphus and RiceSelect. Based in Houston, Texas, Riviana is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ebro Foods, S.A., a leading Spanish food company. For more information, visit www.riviana.com.

New World Pasta is one of the leading branded dry pasta manufacturer in North America with well-known brands such as Ronzoni, Creamette, Skinner, San Giorgio, Prince, Catelli, American Beauty, No Yolks, Wacky Mac and Light & Fluffy. Based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, New World Pasta is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ebro Foods, S.A., a leading Spanish food company. For more information, visit newworldpasta.com.

SOURCE Riviana Foods

Related Links

http://www.riviana.com


STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Enea today announced the completion of the acquisition of Qosmos, a privately held company with leading positions in IP traffic classification and network intelligence. After approval by the French Ministry of Finance, the acquisition is a step in Enea's strategy of creating a bigger and stronger company, with focus on embedded software for communication and networking.

The total consideration amounts to approximately 52.7 MEUR and is financed through cash and bank loans. Qosmos is estimated to generate sales of approximately 14.2 MEUR in 2016. The acquisition will have limited positive effect on Enea's revenue and earnings for the full year 2016.

Qosmos is a supplier of Network Intelligence software based on Deep Packet Inspection ("DPI") and commands a dominating share of its market. The company's software provides detailed real-time traffic visibility, which is a critical component for applications such as mobile traffic management, cyber security, and network analytics. More than 100 telecom networks worldwide use solutions powered by Qosmos. The strategic complementary acquisition provides a significant and attractive extension of Enea's portfolio, especially in the area of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV).

"We will be able to help customers identify, classify, and analyze network traffic in real-time, and we will be able to serve and assist them in new areas such as traffic management and network security analytics", said Anders Lidbeck, President and CEO, Enea. "Customers will also find a strong partner and supplier in us as a company, with increased resources, broadened expertise, and expanded geographical presence".

For more information about Qosmos, see www.qosmos.com.

Read the financial press release from October about the acquisition here:

http://www.enea.com/about-us/Press/Press-releases/Press-release/?item=1209756

This information is information that Enea AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication at December 14, 2016 at 08.00 CEST.

CONTACT:

For more information please visit www.enea.com or contact:

Anders Lidbeck, President & CEO

E-mail: [email protected]

Fredrik Medin, SVP Marketing and Communication

Telephone: +46 709 71 40 11

E-mail: [email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/enea-ab/r/enea-completes-acquisition-of-qosmos,c2148239

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/1006/2148239/603448.pdf Press release as pdf

SOURCE Enea AB

Related Links

http://www.qosmos.com


HOUSTON, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- EthosEnergy has been awarded a seven year contract for full operations and maintenance (O&M) services, plus installation of EthosEnergy's proprietary ECOMAX technology, by Rockland Capital in support of Michigan Power, a 1x1 GE 7EA natural gas fired combined cycle cogeneration plant in Ludington, Michigan.

The contract is for full care, custody and control operations, and maintenance including transition services, plus the installation of EthosEnergy's advanced ECOMAX auto combustion tuning technology. This is the second facility of Rockland Capital's to have ECOMAX installed in the last twelve months, and third in total.

Ed Barndt, SVP Asset Management, of Rockland Capital said, "Although we have executed other term agreements with EthosEnergy, Michigan Power was the first O&M contract that we originated with them. We were pleased with our experience at another facility EthosEnergy operates for Rockland, and the combination of that positive experience along with ECOMAX delivered what we were seeking to have at Michigan Power.

"EthosEnergy's ability to deliver a value-add offering not only through its O&M management system but through the ECOMAX technology, which integrates seamlessly with our existing controls system and delivers increased plant performance, is a unique solution not offered by any other O&M provider."

Charlie Hoock, Senior Vice President of Operations & Maintenance, EthosEnergy said, "Our long-term relationship and proven track record at the Tilton facility, which Rockland purchased last year, gave them the confidence that we can continue to deliver real value to the plant through our O&M management system. Through utilizing our approach in three critical areas, plant performance, regulatory compliance and commercial execution, we are ensuring maximum return on Rockland's investment.

"The addition of the ECOMAX technology will produce better than industry average performance with regard to forced outage rate, therefore ensuring the plant is online for longer and running more reliability to produce greater output."

EthosEnergy's operations and management system focuses on maximizing plant performance and availability, mitigating risk, complying with all regulatory requirements, transparent and regular communication, reliability, cyber security and risk management expertise.

ECOMAX is a stand-alone, real-time automatic combustion optimization system which actively manages the complex dynamics of thermal performance. This proven system provides control and optimization of the unit to the operator, ensuring that plant operational and performance objectives are met while maintaining safe, reliable and predictable operations. ECOMAX delivers a fully automated solution that eliminates the need for manual tuning/operator intervention, optimizing the gas turbine in near real-time while controlling emissions and managing dynamics within the framework of operator-set parameters.

The benefits of ECOMAX include up to 3% or more of increased power output when desired; reduced wear and tear on the combustion components extending parts life and reducing repair cost; greater turn down performance allowing for reduced fuel consumption under low demand situations; eliminates down time for manual tuning events all while maintaining environmental compliance. ROI is measured in months for most customers. Gas turbine optimization solutions like ECOMAX are a part of the overall products and services offered by EthosEnergy designed to maximize the return on our customer's investment in power generation technologies.

SOURCE EthosEnergy

Related Links

http://www.ethosenergygroup.com


TEL AVIV, Israel, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

EverCompliant, the cyber intelligence company, pioneer and industry leader of transaction laundering detection and prevention, announced today the completion of a $9.5 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Arbor Ventures and included existing investors Carmel Ventures, StarFarm Ventures and Nyca Partners. With this investment, Melissa Guzy of Arbor Ventures has joined the Board of Directors of EverCompliant.

The funds will be used to fuel the Company's continued growth, including the opening of an office in Asia in 2017, an additional expansion in the U.S. and EU markets, and growth of its R&D operations. Leveraging its success in transaction laundering, EverCompliant is now able to expand its cyber intelligence technology to provide more banks and other financial institutions with a wider realm of efficient and automated solutions.

Transaction laundering is a real threat to the modern payment industry, with fraudsters taking full advantage of payment ecosystems by funneling transactions through legitimate emerchant accounts. Transaction laundering is money laundering for the digital age and works based on the same principle of obscuring the true origins of funds and/or transactions. EverCompliant's research identifies close to two million unregistered merchants in the U.S. alone, demonstrating that merchant-based fraud is a huge problem for the payment industry since they are often unaware of it until it's too late.

"As ecommerce has evolved, money laundering has morphed into a new digital form. This online epidemic is spreading faster, and is much more accessible and harder to detect. Most concerning is that transaction laundering is occurring right under the noses of regulators worldwide," said Ron Teicher, CEO of EverCompliant. "The vote of confidence that Arbor Ventures and our other partners have shown will allow us to carry out our vision. Together, we can identify and stop criminals from financing their criminal activity by laundering money in the digital realm."

As the only cyber intelligence solution on the market designed to detect and prevent transaction laundering, EverCompliant has built on its success in major banks in Europe, Asia, and North America to help battle merchant-based online fraud worldwide. Additionally, its MerchantView SaaS solution marked a milestone by being the first and only solution to detect content and transaction laundering on mobile apps.

"As pioneers in the transaction laundering detection and prevention space, we can already see the effectiveness of EverCompliant's approach and we are excited to be partnering with them to bring their technology to a wider market," said Melissa Guzy, Managing Partner at Arbor Ventures. "The talented team at EverCompliant continues to develop technology that is protecting some of the world's largest financial institutions across the globe from association with illicit and brand damaging activities, ultimately saving them a significant amount of money and harm to their reputation."

About EverCompliant

EverCompliant is the pioneer and industry leader in transaction laundering detection and prevention. The company's flagship product, MerchantView, is the first and only dedicated solution on the market designed from its core to detect and prevent transaction laundering. MerchantView applies proprietary cyber intelligence technology to identify unknown and hidden merchants funneling transactions through seemingly legitimate storefront websites. Its accuracy, transparency, and ability to uncover hidden ecommerce networks and merchants sets it apart from other competing platforms. EverCompliant's technology has been adopted by large-scale financial institutions and payment service providers in Asia, Europe, U.S. and the Middle East, and is an approved MasterCard MMSP. EverCompliant is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel with offices in New York City. Learn more at: http://www.evercompliant.com

Company Contact:

Judith Wahnon

EverCompliant

[email protected]

+1-516-231-0353

SOURCE EverCompliant
Diamonds are displayed during a visit to the De Beers Global Sightholder Sales (GSS) in Gaborone, Botswana November 24, 2015. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Anglo American's latest De Beers diamond sale showed that demand had slowed after India's withdrawal of high-value banknotes, though it was higher than during the commodities slump of a year ago, the company said on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to scrap old 500 rupee ($7.40) and 1,000 rupee banknotes as part of a crackdown on tax evasion and counterfeiters has dented consumer spending in a country where most people are paid in cash and buy what they need with cash.

Anglo American said that rough diamond sales for De Beers' final sale of the year amounted to $418 million, compared with $476 million for the previous sales cycle this year.

The last sale of 2015 brought in $248 million.

"While the trade in lower-value rough diamonds is experiencing a temporary slowdown as a result of the demonetisation programme in India, demand across the rest of the product mix continued to be healthy," De Beers' CEO Bruce Cleaver said.

He had previously said that the second half of the year would be tougher after a recovery in the first six months as jewellers restocked following Christmas sales.

Anglo American has put its De Beers diamond business at the centre of its strategy of focusing more sharply on high-value commodities, rather than bulk assets.

India is the third-biggest diamond jewellery market behind the United States and China, accounting for about 8 percent of global demand.

Typically, Indians purchase jewellery in cash and many do not have credit cards. In addition to withdrawing high-value notes from circulation, the government has also capped daily withdawals from cash machines at 2,000 rupees.

London-listed Gemfields said at the start of December that it was postponing the auction of predominantly higher-quality emeralds from its Kagem mine in Zambia to February because of the banknote crackdown and accompanying hit to consumer spending.

($1 = 67.4800 rupees)

(Reporting by Barbara Lewis and Esha Vaish and Vidya L Nathan in Bengaluru; Editing by Mark Potter and David Goodman)
Now in its 17th year, the CWC World LNG Summit & Awards is recognized as the premier end-of-year gathering for the global LNG industry. This year's Summit brought together over 500 LNG leaders to discuss the pertinent topics in the LNG industry. The CWC LNG Technological Innovation Award is presented to a company that, through technological improvement or change, has made a fundamental contribution in the production, transportation or regasification of LNG. The award is voted on by a panel of LNG industry professionals.

"We would like to thank CWC for honoring Excelerate Energy with this prestigious award," stated Director of Business Development Aziz Kassim, who was present to receive the award on behalf of Excelerate. "We are humbled to have been selected by a panel of our peers. We would also like to thank our client, DUSUP, for allowing us the opportunity to deliver this innovative project to Dubai."

The newly upgraded FSRU, currently under charter at DUSUP's Jebel Ali Terminal in Dubai, is now one of the most fuel efficient and capable ships of its kind in the world. The vessel achieved the highest sendout rate of any FSRU in the world at over 1 billion cubic feet per day, and can now provide gas-up, cool-down, and loading services to LNG carriers and LNG powered vessels  the only floating regas terminal to do such. Beyond the advanced capabilities of the vessel, the upgrades completed by Excelerate demonstrate the expanded role of FSRUs in the global market and their ability to adapt and grow with the markets they serve.

ABOUT EXCELERATE ENERGY

Excelerate Energy L.P. is the pioneer and market leader in innovative floating LNG solutions. We provide integrated services along the entire LNG value chain with the objective of delivering rapid-to-market and reliable LNG solutions to our customers. Excelerate offers a full range of floating regasification services, from FSRU to infrastructure development to LNG supply. Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, Excelerate has a presence in Buenos Aires, Dubai, Rio de Janeiro, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.excelerateenergy.com.

SOURCE Excelerate Energy L.P.

Related Links

http://www.excelerateenergy.com


Carolyn is a graduate of San Jose State University where she earned an M.A. in Linguistics and a B.A. in German. She also studied at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Carolyn is currently a commissioner and council member of her church and coordinates the youth volunteer program at F.I.S.H., a local food pantry in Santa Rosa.

About Exchange Bank

Headquartered in Sonoma County with assets of $2.2 billion, Exchange Bank is a premier community bank providing a wide range of personal, commercial and trust and investment services with 18 branches in Sonoma County and a commercial and SBA lending office in Roseville and Marin, California. The Bank's legacy of financial leadership and community support is grounded in its core values of Commitment, Respect, Integrity and Teamwork.

Exchange Bank is an 11-time winner of the North Bay Business Journal's North Bay Best Places to Work survey and received the 2016 Healthiest Companies in the North Bay award. NorthBay biz magazine named Exchange Bank 2016 Best Business Bank. Exchange Bank can also be found in the North Bay Business Journal's listing of leading SBA 7(a) Lenders, Wealth Management Advisors and Wine Industry Lenders. www.exchangebank.com.

SOURCE Exchange Bank

Related Links

http://www.exchangebank.com


Maxwell graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in International Relations and a Minor in Business Administration. He currently serves on the industry advisory board of the USC Center for Global Supply Chain Management and is a member of the Center's Ambassador Network.

About Exchange Bank

Headquartered in Sonoma County with assets of $2.2 billion, Exchange Bank is a premier community bank providing a wide range of personal, commercial and trust and investment services with 18 branches in Sonoma County and a commercial and SBA lending office in Roseville and Marin, California. The Bank's legacy of financial leadership and community support is grounded in its core values of Commitment, Respect, Integrity and Teamwork.

Exchange Bank is an 11-time winner of the North Bay Business Journal's North Bay Best Places to Work survey and received the 2016 Healthiest Companies in the North Bay award. NorthBay biz magazine named Exchange Bank 2016 Best Business Bank. Exchange Bank can also be found in the North Bay Business Journal's listing of leading SBA 7(a) Lenders, Wealth Management Advisors and Wine Industry Lenders. www.exchangebank.com.

SOURCE Exchange Bank

Related Links

http://exchangebank.com


DENVER, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmland Partners Inc. (NYSE: FPI) (the "Company") today announced that it has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire 8,638 acres of row crop farms in Illinois for total consideration of $55.3 million in cash. The Company intends to fund the transaction with proceeds from its recent public offering of common stock and new secured debt to be entered into upon closing of the transaction.

While no lease agreements have been entered into at this time, the Company intends to negotiate new lease agreements with multiple tenants. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, subject to customary closing conditions.

"These two farms of approximately 3,800 and 4,900 acres represent a truly unique investment opportunity in the Midwest," said Paul Pittman, CEO of the Company. "We expect significant long term appreciation on these properties due to their size and the incredibly efficient operating environment we expect to provide to our tenants."

About Farmland Partners Inc.

Farmland Partners Inc. is an internally managed real estate company that owns and seeks to acquire high-quality North American farmland and makes loans to farmers secured by farm real estate. The Company owns or has under contract (excluding the properties to be acquired upon completion of the Company's pending merger with American Farmland Company) 124,295 acres in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. The Company elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, commencing with the taxable year ended December 31, 2014.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements," including within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements about the timing of the acquisition and the sources of funds to be used in the acquisition. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which may be beyond our control. We caution you that the forward-looking information presented in this press release is not a guarantee of future events, and that actual events may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking information contained in this press release. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "plan," "seek," "comfortable with," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe" or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Any forward-looking information presented herein is made only as of the date of this press release, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Farmland Partners Inc.

Related Links

http://www.farmlandpartners.com


SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE), together with the Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX), reported that multinational services, life sciences, advanced and light manufacturing, and food industry companies generated 12,307 new formal jobs in 2016. In addition, the report provided by the entities added the attraction of 40 investment projects to the country (18 projects in the services sector, 12 in the life sciences sector, 5 in the light manufacturing sector and 5 in the advanced manufacturing sector).

According to Jorge Sequeira, Managing Director of CINDE, the numbers provided by the Statistics System of Employers, Workers and Wages of the Costa Rican Social Security Entity, CCSS showed that 94% of the multinational companies operating in Costa Rica grew or maintained their operations without variation in the country demonstrating the determination and strength of the companies.

"In the midst of a very challenging international context and a fierce competition for attracting foreign investment, we are reporting the generation of 12,307 new formal very high quality jobs for a very diverse range of population groups; we are very pleased and proud of this contribution to the countrys development," he added.

Alexander Mora, Minister of Foreign Trade, said: "these facts highlight again the importance of foreign direct investment as a strong driver of our economy and as a fundamental pillar to generate quality employment opportunities for Costa Ricans. Boosting the attraction and growth of companies has been an essential part of our efforts as a government, and today we are harvesting the results of a very successful work thanks to the invaluable support of CINDE. Certainly we are surrounded by challenges arising from the global economic environment, and there are also internal areas in which we must continue working to strengthen our competitiveness; but this does not prevent the positive reading we do of the results revealed today, nor the great satisfaction they cause us. We are also motivated to continue working from the foreign trade sector without pause, in achieving the goals we have set, for the generation of new and growing opportunities for our population, and in the successful participation of Costa Rica in value chains that produce revenues to our nation."

Contribution to the country:

The information provided by the CCSS to CINDE also showed that the net employment generated was around 7,841 formal jobs, 21% higher than in 2015. In addition, the mobility of employees (employees who move from the multinational sectors to other industries) reached 4,466, which represents a decrease of 22% compared to 2015.

The net employment generated by the CINDE companies represents 16% of the total net formal employment generated by all sectors of the country in 2016 and 22% of the total net formal employment generated by the private sector. "The contribution of multinational companies to the generation of job opportunities is very significant. We must continue to guarantee the country conditions so that it can maintain this dynamism" said Sequeira.

With the growth experienced in 2016, CINDE's services, life sciences, advanced and light manufacturing, and food industry sectors add up 89,264 total jobs in Costa Rica (over 9.6% than in 2015).

Strengthening human resources: priority for Costa Rica

According to figures reported to CINDE by multinational companies, the number of jobs generated could have been duplicated in 2016 by having more prepared human capital with preparation in high demand and bilingual careers.

Regarding employment generation opportunities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAMA), CINDE invited the communities to work locally on their competitive conditions and to facilitate the arrival of investment projects. This 2016 reported the arrival of two companies from the food industry to the Caribbean and the North Pacific.

As support of this matter during 2016, CINDE launched the strategy to international media and specialist consultants, in order to encourage the interest of companies in these areas. In addition, the organization has been working with local governments to enable them to establish action plans to improve their competitiveness.

SOURCE Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency

Related Links

http://www.cinde.org


LOS ANGELES, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A big ring for a big problem! The stunning new Elephant Conservation Ring, a collaboration between model, actress, filmmaker and noted animal advocate and founder of the non-profit Peace 4 Animals, Katie Cleary, and Global Guardian Designs, which designs a wide array of beautifully hand crafted pieces that sustainably give back too many different charities and causes, is now available for purchase at Peace4Animals.net.

Katie Cleary Wearing New Elephant Conservation Ring; Portions of Proceeds from Rings Sold Are Donated To Help Protect Endangered African Elephants Elephant Conservation Ring

Created to support Peace 4 Animals Project Endangered Species and designed by Global Guardian Designs co-owner Fia Perera, the Elephant Conservation Ring is made of sterling silver .925 with sapphire gemstones for eyes.

A significant portion of the proceeds from rings sold will go towards protecting endangered African elephants though several anti-poaching partners on the ground in Africa. Many of which, specialize in training community rangers throughout parks in Africa to combat the poaching epidemic.

"Every fifteen minutes an elephant is killed for its' ivory in Africa," said Cleary who noted that in 2013, more than 35,000 elephants across Africa were killed for their ivory, which is often carved and sold as ornaments, jewelry and other trinkets. "Whether a beautiful and unique gift, or a special statement piece for yourself, the Elephant Conservation Ring is even more extraordinary because it helps protect the remaining elephants in Africa which conservationists warn could become completely extinct by 2020."

A multi-billion-dollar industry, China is a major importer of illegal ivory, where it's highly prized as a luxury item that is made of dentine with an outer layer of enamel, the same components as the human tooth. Ivory dealers also trade in Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and other parts of Asia; and shockingly, the demand seems to be rising.

"Despite the efforts on behalf of many organizations to mitigate the devastating effects brought on by the poaching crisis, more needs to be done to save these truly majestic creatures," continued Cleary who has garnered a reputation as a leader in the animal welfare community in Los Angeles and internationally; raising tens of thousands of dollars for many animal organizations around the world in support of the most crucial animal issues.

Cleary, who created and produced the 2015 Award-Winning Documentary Give Me Shelter which aired on Netflix, is also the Founder and Producer of World Animal News on the popular animal news site WorldAnimalNews.com. WAN highlights the latest breaking animal welfare issues happening around the globe; featuring guests ranging from top animal welfare organizations, animal experts and celebrities who are passionate about raising awareness for important animal issues.

For further information, additional photos or to schedule an interview with Katie Cleary, please contact Lauren Lewis at [email protected] or (818) 970-0052.

SOURCE Peace 4 Animals
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BlueVine, a leading online provider of everyday financing to small businesses, announced today it has closed $49 million in funding. The Series D funding round was led by existing investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Menlo Ventures, 83North, Citi Ventures, Rakuten FinTech Fund and Silicon Valley Bank.

Since launching in March 2014, BlueVine's cloud-based financing solutions have helped thousands of small businesses obtain quick, easy access to the funds they need to purchase inventory, cover expenses and expand operations.

"We are very proud of all we've accomplished in 2016 and excited to continue on our incredible growth trajectory," said Eyal Lifshitz, CEO and founder of BlueVine. "BlueVine is delivering unprecedented ease and convenience to meet SMB owners' financing needs and help them achieve their goals."

This financing will support BlueVine's rapid growth as it expands its team and range of offerings. BlueVine has already funded more than $200 million in working capital for SMBs and is on track to fund more than $500 million in working capital during 2017.

"This team continues to push the pace of innovation to deliver best-in-class everyday financing products," said Yoni Cheifetz of Lightspeed Venture Partners. "We are delighted to have supported BlueVine's journey to date and thrilled to enable them to bring their vision to thousands more SMBs across the country."

"BlueVine's business line of credit has proven to be very popular with QuickBooks users," said Rania Succar, business leader of QuickBooks Financing. "It fills a critical part of the QuickBooks Financing portfolio and allows us to extend credit to younger businesses. We are excited about expanding our partnership to serve even more QuickBooks SMBs with BlueVine's business line of credit."

BlueVine also announced it has once again increased its maximum credit lines based on client demand:

For invoice factoring the maximum credit limit has been increased from $250,000 to $2,000,000

to For the business line of credit the maximum credit limit has been increased from $50,000 to $100,000

BlueVine offers credit lines starting at $5,000 for a business line of credit and $20,000 for invoice factoring.

About BlueVine

BlueVine offers small businesses financing solutions to access the funds they need to purchase inventory, cover expenses or expand operations. BlueVine was the first factoring company to develop a fully online, cloud-based platform for invoice factoring, enabling rapid advances on outstanding invoices due in 7-90 days and bringing a 4,000-year-old industry into the digital age. BlueVine also offers Flex Credit  an on-demand, revolving line of credit  through the same online platform. With BlueVine, business owners can focus on growing their business instead of worrying about their bank account. BlueVine is funded by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Citi Ventures, 83North, Correlation Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Rakuten Fintech Fund and other private investors.

About Lightspeed Venture Partners



Lightspeed Venture Partners is an early stage venture capital firm focused on accelerating disruptive innovations and trends in the Enterprise and Consumer sectors. Over the past two decades, the Lightspeed team has backed hundreds of entrepreneurs and helped build more than 300 companies globally. The Firm currently manages over $4 billion of committed capital and invests in the U.S. and internationally, with investment professionals and advisors in Silicon Valley, Israel, India and China. www.lsvp.com

Press Contact

Amberly Asay

BlueVine Public Relations

801-461-9776

[email protected]

SOURCE BlueVine

Related Links

https://www.bluevine.com


OAK BROOK, Ill., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Retail Properties of America, Inc. announced today it has signed a new 3,000 square feet lease with Firehouse Subs at Tollgate Marketplace in Bel Air, Maryland.

Firehouse Subs is a fast-casual food restaurant chain that specializes in hot subs with meats and cheeses which are "steamed" for a unique flavor. Founded in 1994 in Jacksonville, Florida by former firefighters, Firehouse Subs now has more than 1,000 store locations across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas.

Tollgate Marketplace is a busy power center located at the intersection of Route 24 and Route 1, across from Hartford Mall, in downtown Bel Air. Tenants include Ulta, TJ Maxx, Ashley Furniture and other national retailers. Recently, the property has undergone various upgrades and capital improvements which have enhanced tenant sightlines and consumer appeal.

"The addition of Firehouse Subs speaks to the strength of our fast-casual and restaurant tenants at Tollgate Marketplace and we are excited to welcome them to the center," stated Jerry Taylor, leasing manager. "Our facade improvements, along with the addition of Ulta, have increased the center's visibility and we look forward to continuing to bring additional, high-quality national and regional tenants to the community."

Firehouse Subs will be located next to Noodles & Company and near TGI Friday's. It is expected to open April 2017.

About RPAI:

Retail Properties of America, Inc. is a REIT and is one of the largest owners and operators of high quality, strategically located shopping centers in the United States. As of September 30, 2016, the Company owned 174 retail operating properties representing 26.5 million square feet. The Company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RPAI. Additional information about the Company is available at www.rpai.com.

Media Contact:

Kimberly Freely

AVP, PR & Communications

630-634-4319

[email protected]

SOURCE Retail Properties of America, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.RPAI.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Flat steel market is projected to reach USD 757.15 billion by 2026

The flat steel market is projected to reach USD 757.15 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2016 to 2026. Increasing urban population, rapid industrialization, and increase in infrastructure investments are driving the demand for flat steel products. However, volatile prices of raw materials is expected to restrict market growth.

Based on type, the plates segment of the flat steel market is estimated to grow at a high rate during the forecast period

Plates are widely used for heavy and industrial activities such as construction of buildings, bridges, dams, ships, offshore structures, hydro power stations, storage tanks, boilers, pressure vessels, and machinery. Growing investments in building & infrastructure in emerging economies is expected to propel market growth for the plate segment of the flat steel market. In addition, introduction of high strength steel plate grades has increased the use of steel plates in the automotive sector.

Asia-Pacific projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

The Asia-Pacific flat steel market is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR between 2016 and 2026. Growth of this market can be attributed to the increasing demand for flat steel from China and India. China, with growth in construction and automotive industries, is a major consumer of flat steel in the Asia-Pacific region. The India flat steel market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

BREAKDOWN OF PROFILE OF PRIMARY PARTICIPANTS:

- By Company Type: Tier 1  59%, Tier 2  18%, and Tier 3  23%- By Designation: C Level  45%, Director Level  23%, and Others  32%- By Region: Asia-Pacific  53%, Europe  21%, North America  16%, and Middle East & Africa  10%

Major companies profiled in this report are ArcelorMittal (Luxembourg), POSCO (South Korea), Voestalpine AG (Austria), Essar Steel (India), ThyssenKrupp (Germany), United States Steel Corporation (U.S.), Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (Japan), Allegheny Technologies Inc. (U.S.), SSAB (Sweden), Hyundai Steel Co., Limited (South Korea), Tata Steel Limited (India), SAIL (India), and Essar Steel (India).

Research Coverage

This report offers an overview of market trends, drivers, and challenges with respect to the flat steel market. It also provides a detailed overview of the market across five regions, namely, Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. The report categorizes the flat steel market on the basis of type, end user, and region. A detailed analysis of leading players, along with key growth strategies adopted by them is also covered in the report.

Reasons to buy the report

This report covers the following key aspects:

- Market size by 2026 and its growth rate

- Key market trend

- Factors expected to drive the market

- Challenges that are expected to impact market growth

- Key players in this market

- Global report covers key regions such as North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, including major countries in these regions such as the U.S., China, India, Russia, and Germany

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hamilton Walker's, a contemporary steak and seafood restaurant reinterpreting traditional American cuisine, opened its flagship in Champaign, IL today. The polished, relaxed steakhouse, with a 1940s Hollywood and Prohibition-era theme, delivers classic American comfort food with modernist notes.

Legend of Hamilton Walker Hamilton Walker's in Champaign, IL

The founders, a group of Champaign foodies who wanted to bring to their hometown the flavor of acclaimed big city dining, spared no effort in their quest to transform their idea to reality. "We articulated their wishes into a stylish casual dining and bar experience by evoking 1940s Hollywood and the Prohibition-era," said Brian Margulis of Creative Hospitality Associates, the Chicago group that developed the operation. The group created the Hamilton Walker's brand with a whimsical legend about its intriguing, eponymous fictional founder, Hamilton Walker. "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story," the legend begins. http://www.hamiltonwalkers.com/about/#hamilton-walker

The design of the restaurant is "Hollywood Regency" with modern, streamlined flourishes. It includes period signatures from ornate chandeliers and gilded mirrors to rich mahogany and cherry woods, and white and charcoal Carrera marble. "The aura is muted and refined, tuned just right for comfort," says Margulis. The Forties flair is amplified in the bar at night, when the lights are dimmed and the decor assumes a film-noir palette and filtered glow.

Hamilton Walker's features premium aged Angus beef, renowned for its marbling, tenderness, and rich flavor, and premium fresh fish and shellfish sourced from around the world that arrive in the kitchen within hours of their catch. The menu also includes vegetarian and gluten free fare. Blending classic techniques with quality ingredients, everything from spices for seasonings and bases and desserts is made from scratch. "While steakhouses abound, our emphasis on quality products is unparalleled in this space," said Margulis.

Hamilton Walker's expects to establish its second location in 2017 in a soon to be disclosed major media market before embarking on a phased national rollout.

Hamilton Walker's weaves premium ingredients, time honored recipes, traditional culinary crafts, classic 1940s ambiance, and exceptional service into a vivid dining experience for every taste and preference. Open everyday for dinner, lunch Mon-Sat & Sunday brunch. Bar with food is open until 2 pm.

Hamilton Walker's

201 N. Neil Street, Champaign, IL

Tel: 217 350 0363.

www.hamiltonwalkers.com.

Contact: Brian Margulis

[email protected]

Tel: 312 850 9797

Gail Vida

[email protected]

312 850 9797

SOURCE Hamilton Walkers

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Trump Kanye West

Kanye West sent the political universe into overdrive Tuesday morning when he entered Trump Tower in New York City.

West, accompanied by his entourage, including a videographer, walked into the lobby shortly after 9 a.m. ET.

Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks confirmed to Business Insider that West was meeting with Trump. The pair later descended down to Trump Tower's lobby for a photo op.

"We've been friends for a long time," Trump said, adding that the two discussed "life."

Asked by reporters whether he had anything to say about his meeting, West said only that he wanted to take a photo.

The pair then shared a surreal handshake before parting ways:

Here you go, Internet pic.twitter.com/kzDu4T0ACx  Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) December 13, 2016

West said at a recent concert that he would have cast his ballot for Trump had he voted in the 2016 presidential election.

Soon after his pro-Trump outburst, which was widely covered in the news, West canceled the remaining shows on his tour and was checked into a Los Angeles area hospital for exhaustion. He checked out in late November.

Here's video of West meeting with Trump:





More From Business Insider


"Now that it's been enacted into law, the Future Energy Jobs Bill is already starting to create jobs and economic growth for Illinois families and businesses," said Bryan Hanson, Exelon Generation's Chief Nuclear Officer. "These plants are massive economic engines in their local communities, generating approximately $1.2 billion in economic impact each year. That will only increase once we get these large capital projects underway."

The Quad Cities project list includes installation of a hardened venting system, plant computer upgrades, and enhancements to the control room simulator, which is used to train reactor operators. The Clinton list includes upgrades to the plant's main generator, replacement of an auxiliary transformer and upgrades to a pump motor that controls water flow outside the reactor. These projects and others were cancelled or put on hold as Exelon prepared to retire Clinton in June 2017 and Quad Cities the following year. However, under the new law, these projects are back on track.

Exelon will hire more than 400 permanent employees to assist with the capital projects. These hires are in addition to the more than 3,000 electricians, pipe fitters, welders, laborers and contractors hired each year to perform refueling outages at the plants. Many of these workers come from local union halls.

"Opponents of the Future Energy Jobs Bill called it a bailout, but that's a ridiculous argument," said Rory Washburn, executive director of the Quad Cities area's Tri City Building Trades Council. "This legislation is already creating good paying jobs for Illinois families and leveling the playing field so our safe and well run nuclear facilities can compete fairly with other subsidized sources of clean energy."

The Future Energy Jobs Bill was passed by the Illinois legislature Dec. 1 and was signed by Gov. Rauner on Dec. 7. The measure ensures the continued operations of Clinton and Quad Cities for at least 10 years and protects 4,200 related jobs. The legislation also preserves competitive rates in Illinois, expands energy efficiency programs to drive customer savings, and positions Illinois as a leader in zero-carbon electricity. The bill provides stable, predictable funding for renewable development, providing $180 million per year  growing to $220 million per year  in funding for renewable resources, including new wind power, large-scale solar power, and rooftop and community solar.

The bill received broad support from more than 200 business, labor, environmental, faith-based and other groups, including the AFL-CIO, IBEW, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Retail Merchants Association. It also had support from members of the Clean Jobs Coalition, including the Citizens Utility Board, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund and others.

"The Future Energy Jobs Bill is wonderful news for area businesses," said Marian Brisard, executive director of the Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce. "Restarting these capital projects will bring new jobs, millions in local purchasing and heavy foot traffic back to area retailers."

Along with preserving two of the state's reliable and efficient nuclear power plants, passage of the bill secures competitive electric rates, protects and creates good-paying jobs, and spurs billions of dollars in investment in clean energy and energy efficiency across the state. It also levels the playing field with solar and wind energy by valuing the zero-carbon energy produced by the nuclear facilities. Ninety percent of the zero-carbon energy produced in Illinois comes from the state's nuclear facilities.

Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) is a Fortune 100 energy company with the largest number of utility customers in the U.S. Exelon does business in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada and had 2015 revenue of $34.5 billion. Exelon's six utilities deliver electricity and natural gas to approximately 10 million customers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania through its Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco subsidiaries. Exelon is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with more than 32,700 megawatts of nuclear, gas, wind, solar and hydroelectric generating capacity comprising one of the nation's cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company's Constellation business unit provides energy products and services to approximately 2.5 million residential, public sector and business customers, including more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100. Follow Exelon on Twitter @Exelon.

SOURCE Exelon Generation
LONDON, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This report, from Stratview Research, studies the global aerospace overhead stowage bin market over the period 2010 to 2021. The report provides detailed insights on the market dynamics to enable informed business decision making and growth strategy formulation based on the opportunities present in the market.



The Global Aerospace Overhead Stowage Bin Market: Highlights

Overhead bins are originally more than a shelf with a door. They have grown in size over the years and yet have not reached the optimum level. Recent passenger surveys revealed that the lack of overhead space is one of the biggest gripes about airline industry today. Airlines keep on conveying to OEMs about their passengers' complaints regarding the lack of space in the overhead bins. They are seeking bins that are large, easier and safer to use, aesthetically good, and easy to maintain.



Both Boeing and Airbus are developing new stowage bins by carving out every single centimeter of space in such a way that will accommodate more number of rollaboard bags in the aircraft. Boeing is well ahead than the nearest rival Airbus in understanding the passenger complaints regarding the lack of space in the overhead bins. The company developed large pivot bins for its Sky Interior design in 2010 which is used in the smaller B737 fuselage. Boeing celebrated the delivery of thousand Sky interior designed B737 well before Airbus launched new space bin in the year 2014.



Most of the major overhead stowage bin manufacturers are working with OEMs for developing the bins that are lightweight, aesthetically good, and large in size to accommodate more number of rollaboard bags in the cabin. Recently, FACC AG jointly worked with Airbus and developed a new modular pivot overhead stowage bin (pOHSB) for A320 family which increases the overhead stowage volume by 10% and allows increased capacity for up to 60 percent more luggage.



The global aerospace stowage bin market offers a healthy growth opportunity and is likely to grow at a 5.1% CGAR during the forecast period of 2016 to 2021. Increasing commercial aircraft deliveries and growing aircraft fleet size are the key drivers in the global aerospace overhead stowage bin market. Pivot bin is a standard in all new aircraft, such as B787, A350XWB, and C Series.



North America is expected to remain the dominant region in the aerospace stowage bin market since it's the manufacturing hub of the major commercial aircraft manufacturer, Boeing. Wide body aircraft segment is expected to drive the global aerospace overhead stowage bin market during the forecast period.

The supply chain of this market comprises raw material manufacturers, bin component manufacturers, overhead stowage bin manufacturers, Aircraft OEMs, and Airlines. The key aerospace OEMs are Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, Embraer, ATR, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and key airliners are Lufthansa, Delta Air, Air China, and Singapore Airlines.



The key overhead stowage bin manufacturers are Zodiac Aerospace, FACC AG, Boeing Interior Responsibility Center, Jamco Corporation, and Aim Altitude. New product development, collaboration with OEMs, and long term contacts are the key strategies adopted by the key players to gain competitive edge in the market. All the players are developing larger and lightweight bins that can accommodate more number of carry on rollaboard bags.



Research Methodology

This report offers high quality insights and is the outcome of detailed research methodology comprising extensive secondary research, rigorous primary interviews with industry stakeholders and validation and triangulation with Stratview Research's internal database and statistical tools. More than 500 authenticated secondary sources, such as company annual reports, fact book, press release, journals, investor presentation, white papers, patents, and articles have been leveraged to gather the data. More than 10 detailed primary interviews with the market players across the value chain in the all four regions and industry experts have been executed to obtain both the qualitative and quantitative insights.



Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:



- Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis

- Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis

- Market trend and forecast analysis

- Market segment trend and forecast

- Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.

- Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities

- Emerging trends

- Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players

- Key success factors



The global aerospace overhead stowage bin market is segmented into the following categories:



Global Aerospace Overhead Stowage Bin Market by Aircraft Type:

- Narrow Body Aircraft

- Wide Body Aircraft

- Very Large Aircraft

- Regional Aircraft



Global Aerospace Overhead Stowage Bin by Platform Type:

- B737

- B747

- B777

- B787

- A320 Family

- A330 / A340

- A350 XWB

- A380

- B737 Max

- B777X

- A320 neo

- A330 neo

- E 175

- C Series

- Others



Global Aerospace Overhead Stowage Bin Market by Bin Type

- Shelf Bin

- Pivot Bin

- Translating Bin



Global Aerospace Overhead Stowage Bin Market by BoardType

- Inboard Overhead Stowage Bin

- Outboard Overhead Stowage Bin



Global Aerospace Overhead Stowage Bin Market by Fit Type

- Line Fit

- Retro Fit



Global Aerospace Overhead Stowage Bin Market by Region

- North America

o US

o Canada

o Mexico

- Europe

o Germany

o France

o UK

o Italy

o Spain

o Rest of Europe

- Asia  Pacific

o China

o Japan

o India

o Rest of Asia-Pacific

- Rest of the World

o Middle East

o Latin America



Report Customization Options

With this detailed report, Stratview Research offers one of the following free customization options to our respectable clients:

- Regional Segmentation

o Current market segmentation of any one of the regions by bin type

- Benchmarking of Key Competitors

o Benchmarking of the key players on the following parameters: Product portfolio, geographical reach, regional presence, and strategic alliances

- Company Profiling

o Detailed profiling of additional market players (upto 3)

o SWOT analysis of key players (upto 3)

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NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Drug Delivery Technologies - Innovation Driven by Rapidly Expanding Injectables Market and Increasing Usage of Complex Biologics during the Forecast Period



Summary



GBI Research's latest report, "Global Drug Delivery Technologies - Innovation Driven by Rapidly Expanding Injectables Market and Increasing Usage of Complex Biologics during the Forecast Period" discusses the drug delivery technologies and trends in the market and the evolving business strategies being adopted and leveraged by companies globally. The ultimate goal of drug delivery research is to develop formulations and devices that can be used in clinical applications to treat various diseases. Delivering a drug with the desired release kinetics requires an understanding of the underlying physicochemical properties of the drug, which determine the type of delivery material and drug release mechanism. Numerous parameters need to be considered, and their inter-dependence has to be taken into account to develop successful drug delivery systems for the intended applications. It is important to understand the complexity associated with the development of a drug delivery system that can ultimately be used in human patients. The report covers the currently available drug delivery technologies and recent advances in the field, with granular analyses of the different types of delivery systems, their advantages, disadvantages and opportunities for future development. The report provides global market forecasts by revenue for the market until 2020. Additionally, forecasts by revenue for key geographical markets and supporting analyses of the main factors driving or restraining growth are included. The market for drug delivery technology is poised for strong growth in the coming years. Key factors promoting growth include the rapidly expanding injectables market, the growing incidence of chronic diseases and the expected significant increase in the use of complex biologic drugs that necessitate novel delivery systems. Drug delivery companies have had to adapt to challenging times in the same way as pharmaceutical companies have had to over the past decade. These companies have achieved this by adopting new business strategies that allow them to take better control of their commercial and financial future. The report analyzes how business models in this dynamic industry have evolved over the last couple of decades and how new companies with improved product portfolios and propositions are emerging.



Scope



- What are the drug delivery technologies used in the market and how have they evolved in recent years?

- What will be the market value, by revenue, of the market over the coming years?



Drivers and restraints in the drug delivery industry:

- What are the most important factors promoting growth in the market at a global level?

- What are the most important factors restraining growth in the market?

- What is the impact of novel delivery systems on the management of a product's lifecycle?

- Will emerging markets contribute significantly to the growth of the global market?

- How will regulatory- and reimbursement-related challenges hinder the market?



Technologies based on drug vehicle/carriers:

- What are the various advantages, limitations and applications of the currently available drug carriers?



Technologies based on route of administration:

- How can lifecycle management strategies reposition existing drugs by changing their route of administration?

- What are the advantages, limitations and applications of the different drug delivery technologies, based on their route of administration?

- What are the prospects for revenue growth for the latest technologies, including metered-dose inhalers and hydrogels?



Technologies for injectables:

- Which technologies in the injectables market have contributed to overall growth?

- What is the market forecast for needle-free injectors in the coming years?

- What is driving the need for novel delivery systems for injectable drugs?



Reasons to buy



- Gain insightful analyses and understanding of market dynamics. The report comprehensively describes and assesses the most important factors driving and restraining the drug delivery technology market.

- Evaluate a granular assessment of the pipelines for the various drug delivery technology segments and the prospects and revenue forecasts for the upcoming delivery technologies until 2020.

- Evaluate the strategies and business models used by companies to achieve their full commercial potential.

- Gain insight on upcoming trends and factors influencing the global market for drug delivery technology.

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NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2016 edition of this long-standing report provides - as ever - the complete retail market statistics and forecasts for the global lingerie market. This edition also focuses on the US and Chinese markets, analyses lingerie's supply chain and provides market shares for key brands and retailers.

Report extracts:

The report estimates the world lingerie retail market value for 2016 at US$29.57bn. Europe accounts for US$11.67bn of the total, and North America for US$7.93bn. Together they have a combined share of 66.3% of the world total. The percentage share held by Asia is 20.4%, and the combined share of South America and the rest of the World is 13.3%.

Brands (retail or manufacturer) resonate with consumers because they trust them. They trust them for fit and hence they are loyal to them. Therefore, hanging on to brands that the consumer believes in is vital. Hanes have done it very well in both North America and Europe with different brand names. Triumph have done it well in both Europe and Asia with the same names.

The world bra market for 2016 is worth US$16.42bn. Bras account for 55.5% of the world lingerie market. Europe and North America together have a combined percentage share of 68.7%. This exceeds the percentage share of lingerie as a whole, and indicates that bras are less important as a woman's purchase in the other continental regions. In unit terms, bra sales are 1596m units per year.

The future of distribution lies in organised retail. The dis-organised markets in the developing world are being eroded. That means for a brand being stocked in well-known retailers and for a retailer having either own brands or manufacturer brands that are trusted. The decisions on what to stock, either going forwards up the supply chain, of backwards down it, is one of the most important decisions to be made in this business.

The world briefs market is quantified in US$ billions value for 2016 at US$9.90bn. This represents 33.5% of the total lingerie market. In unit terms, briefs sales are 5260m units per year.



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HUDSON VALLEY, N.Y., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thanks to a five-year, $7.5 million grant from the New York State Department of Health, the Alzheimer's Association Hudson Valley Chapter launched the CARES program this year. CARES -- which stands for Consultation, Assessment, Respite, Education and Support -- expands services to the 40,000 families affected by dementia in the Hudson Valley region, including Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties. Two additional grants are also helping the chapter better serve diverse and underserved communities.

Enhanced services include personalized assessments, care-plan development, professional family consultations with licensed social workers and specialized support groups for caregivers to discuss common concerns and strategies for addressing them.

Caregiver support groups conducted in Spanish have been established in Haverstraw, Newburgh and Yonkers. Specialized groups are also in development for the LGBT community and caregivers of people with fronto-temporal degeneration. A telephone support group has been established in Sullivan County and others are in planned by phone or with video chat capability in rural areas.

The CARES program calls for an increase in caregiver educational programs and trainings focusing on topics such as behavior management strategies, coping skills, legal and financial planning, resource availability and caregiver wellness.

Respite services, which provide caregivers with personal time for activities such as worship services or medical appointments, are also being developed. The Gathering Place, a worship respite care program, is now offered at The Lutheran Care Center at Concord Village in Poughkeepsie.

The CARES Program also boosts social engagement opportunities for people with memory loss and their caregivers to come together in a safe, supportive environment. These include interactive Music Socials with a licensed music therapist, Memory Cafes, where people with early-stage dementia and family caregivers share activities and lunch, and Wellness Retreats, where people with dementia and family caregivers enjoy a day of shared and separate activities with respite care provided.

The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Its mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Its vision is a world without Alzheimer's. Visit www.alz.org/hudsonvalley or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900.

For more information, contact Communications Manager Dugan Radwin at [email protected] or 845.471.2655.

SOURCE Alzheimer's Association Hudson Valley, NY

Related Links

http://www.alz.org/hudsonvalley


WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Green America delivered a recycled "Christmas Tree" representing over 11,000 petition signatures to Smithsonian Enterprises. The petition signers called on Smithsonian to move its magazine to recycled-content paper, in order to save impacted forests and reduce landfill waste. Green America held the event yesterday on the National Mall to raise awareness of its "Practice What You Print, Smithsonian" campaign. The campaign builds on the organization's success persuading National Geographic to begin printing on recycled-content paper in 2014.

Smithsonian requires almost 65,000 trees for its 19 million magazine copies every year. By incorporating just 30 percent recycled paper into its production, Smithsonian would:

Lower its annual wood use by the equivalent of more than 19,000 trees.

Reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide each year .

. Lower its annual water consumption by about 14 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Keep 354 tons of solid waste from going to landfills each year, reducing methane emissions. (When paper ends up in a landfill the decomposition of that paper produces methane, which has over 20 times the heat-trapping power of carbon dioxide, according to the EPA.)

While most of the 11,000 petition signatures were submitted online, hundreds were mailed into Green America's office (printed on 100 percent recycled paper), which the Better Paper Project team put together into a festive "tree" for Smithsonian. A short video of the tree being delivered can be found here: http://greenam.org/2hu4ltA

"Today we reminded Smithsonian that many of its subscribers value sustainability and that they are eager to support products and companies that reflect those values," said Beth Porter, director of Green America's Better Paper Project. "Smithsonian has made symbolic commitments to sustainability, but when it comes to producing its magazines, the organization is falling short."

"We are asking Smithsonian to join the hundreds of publications that have successfully switched to recycled paper," said Todd Larsen, co-executive director on Consumer Engagement for Green America. "With a switch to readily available 30 percent recycled fiber paper, Smithsonian could significantly reduce its environmental impacts while continuing to produce a high-quality publication that readers enjoy."

Additionally, a transition from Smithsonian Magazine to recycled paper would initiate the conversation within Time, Inc. to move more of its publications to recycled paper. Smithsonian Magazine acquires its paper through a partnership with Time, Inc. Time publishes 90 magazines, producing hundreds of millions of copies every month, all using virgin fiber paper.

Consumers interested in supporting the campaign to move Smithsonian Magazine to recycled paper can still sign the petition and learn more about the campaign goals here: http://www.greenamerica.org/Smithsonian-Practice-What-You-Print/about.cfm.

ABOUT GREEN AMERICA

Green America is the nation's leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America (formerly Co-op America) provides economic strategies and practical tools for businesses and individuals to solve today's social and environmental problems. http://www.GreenAmerica.org.

Green America's Better Paper Project has 15 years of experience guiding publishers to more sustainable paper choices for magazines. This goal of increasing the demand for recycled paper offers huge relief to endangered forest areas, curbs the publishing industry's climate change impacts, and lessens pollution of nearby communities through new paper production.

Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Paper Network Paper Calculator Version 3.2.1. For more information visit www.papercalculator.org.

SOURCE Green America

Related Links

http://www.GreenAmerica.org


LONDON, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market report published by Lucintel, the future of the Middle East FRP pipe market looks good with opportunities in the water/wastewater, chemical/industrial, and onshore oil and gas industries. The Middle East FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) pipe market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 3.7% by value from 2016 to 2021.The major drivers of growth for this market are increase in construction of water supply systems, development of sewage treatment, and the expanding offshore oil and gas industry.



In this market, glass fiber with polyester, vinyl ester, and epoxy resins are used to manufacture FRP pipes. Lucintel predicts that the demand for epoxy composites in FRP pipes is expected to experience the highest growth in the forecast period, supported by growing demand in water/wastewater, oil and gas, and chemical applications. On the basis of its comprehensive research, Lucintel forecasts that the water/waste water and chemical segments are expected to show above average growth during the forecast period.



Within the FRP pipe market, water/waste water is expected to remain the largest market by value and volume consumption. Increasing establishment of water desalination plants to supply water for industrial and household application to provide potable water is expected to spur growth for this segment over the forecast period.



For business expansion, the report suggests innovation and new product development, to manufacture low-cost FRP pipe. Emerging trends, which have a direct impact on the dynamics of the industry, include the introduction of onsite manufacturing facilities and increasing rehabilitation activities of pipelines. Future Pipe Industries, Aminatit Group, Advanced Pipe and Cast Company, Farassan, and Hobas Pipe are among the major suppliers of FRP pipe.



Lucintel, a leading global strategic consulting and market research firm, has analyzed growth opportunities in middle eastern FRP pipe industry by end-use industry and material type and has come up with a comprehensive research report, "Growth Opportunities in Middle Eastern FRP Pipe Industry 2016-2021: Trends, Forecast, and Market Analysis ." The Lucintel report serves as a spring board for growth strategy as it provides a comprehensive data and analysis on trends, key drivers, and directions. The study includes a forecast for opportunities in middle eastern FRP pipe industry by end-use industry and material type as follows:



By end use industry (Volume (Million Pounds/Kiloton) and $ Million shipment from 2010 to 2021):

Oil and Gas Water and Wastewater Chemical/ Industrial Others



By material type (Volume (Million Pounds/Kiloton) and $ Million shipment from 2010 to 2021):

Polyester Composites Vinyl Ester Composites Epoxy Composites



This report answers following 10 key questions:



Q.1. What are some of the potential, high-growth opportunities in the Middle East FRP Pipe Market by end use applications and material type?

Q.2. Which product segments will grow at a faster pace and why?

Q.3. What are the key factors affecting market dynamics? What are the drivers and challenges in the market?

Q.4. What are the business risks and competitive threats in this market?

Q.5. What are emerging trends in this market and reasons behind them?

Q.6. What are some changing demands of customers in the market?

Q.7. What are the new developments in the market and which companies are leading these developments?

Q.8. Who are the major players in this market? What strategic initiatives are being implemented by key players for business growth?

Q.9. What are some of the competitive products in this area and how great a threat do they pose for loss of market share through product substitution?

Q.10.What M & A activities has transpired in the last 5 years in this market and what is its impact on the industry?



This unique report from Lucintel will provide you with valuable information, insights, and tools needed to identify new growth opportunities and operate your business successfully in this market. This report will save hundreds of hours of your own personal research time and will significantly benefit you in expanding your business in this market. In today's stringent economy, you need every advantage that you can find.

To make business, investment, and strategic decisions, you need timely, useful information. This market report fulfills this core need and is an indispensable reference guide for multinational materials suppliers, product manufacturers, investors, executives, distributors, and many more that operate in this market.



Some of the features of "Growth Opportunities in the Middle Eastern FRP Pipe Market by End Use Application from 2016 to 2021" include:



Market size estimates: Middle Eastern FRP pipe market size estimation in value ($M) and Volume (M lbs).Trend and forecast analysis: Middle Eastern FRP pipe market trend (2010-2015) and forecast (2016-2021) by segment.Segmentation analysis: Middle Eastern FRP pipe market size by various end use applications such as oil and gas, water/ wastewater, chemical/ industrial, and others; both in terms of value and volume.Growth opportunities: Analysis on growth opportunities in different segment and regions. Strategic analysis: This includes M&A, new product development, and expansion strategies of manufacturers in the Middle Eastern FRP pipe market.Emerging applications: Emerging applications of Middle Eastern FRP pipe market in various markets. Analysis of competitive intensity of the industry based on Porter's Five Forces model



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4111772/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

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SAN FRANCISCO and TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GuardiCore, a leader in internal data center security and breach detection, today announced that SC Magazine, the cybersecurity source, named the GuardiCore Centra Security Platform a 2016 Industry Innovator in its annual Reboot Industry Innovators issue. Every December SC Magazine selects the past year's leading Innovators, those companies that have shown sustained innovation and performance and have contributed materially to the growth of the information security industry. The GuardiCore Centra Security Platform was recognized as an Innovator in the data center security/virtualization, cloud-based security category.

"It is an honor to be recognized as an Industry Innovator by the SC Labs' team for our unique technical advances in data center security, driven by the remarkable accomplishments of our team of talented innovators, developers and researchers," said Pavel Gurvich, CEO and co-founder of GuardiCore. "GuardiCore was founded with the vision that security for the data center needs to not only be able to keep up with the rate of constant change, but also be able to close the gap between traditional security technology and a sophisticated threat actor's ingenuity. We're earning recognition as a leader in the security space because GuardiCore's is now a proven platform that enables this transformation."

GuardiCore's Innovator product review includes high praise from SC Labs for its converged platform, industry experience and commitment to solving security in the data center. GuardiCore's flagship product, the GuardiCore Centra Security Platform, is the only security product on the market today that provides a single, scalable platform that covers five critical capabilities for effective data center security and protection: flow visualization, micro-segmentation, breach detection, automated analysis and response.

GuardiCore has received numerous awards and recognition recently for its contributions to modern data center security, including Cyber Defense Magazine's 2016 Cyber Security Leader for Breach Detection and Response and the Best of VMworld 2016 US Awards, where GuardiCore was named a finalist in the category of Security. Moreover, GuardiCore's Centra Security Platform has consistently earned "hot product" status by leading industry sources including Dark Reading and Network World and has also been recognized as a CRN Emerging Vendor and Tech Innovator in cloud and data center security.

About GuardiCore

GuardiCore is an innovator in internal data center security focused on delivering more accurate and effective ways to stop advanced threats through real-time breach detection and response. Developed by the top cyber security experts in their field, GuardiCore is changing the way organizations are fighting cyber attacks in their data centers. For more information, visit www.guardicore.com.

CONTACT:

Cinthia Portugal

Guyer Group

[email protected]

206.619.8183

SOURCE GuardiCore

Related Links

http://www.guardicore.com


ANNAPOLIS, Md., Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. ("Hannon Armstrong," "we," "our" or the "Company;") (NYSE: HASI), a leading investor in the energy efficiency, wind and solar markets, today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.33 per share of common stock, an increase of 10% from the previous dividend level. This dividend increase will raise the annualized dividend payout to $1.32 per share of common stock, equivalent to an annualized yield of 6.8% based upon the Company's common stock closing price of $19.54 per share on December 12, 2016. The dividend will be paid on January 12, 2017, to stockholders of record as of December 29, 2016.

About Hannon Armstrong

Hannon Armstrong (NYSE: HASI) invests in the energy efficiency, wind and solar markets. We focus on providing preferred or senior level capital to established sponsors and high credit quality obligors for assets that generate long-term, recurring and predictable cash flows. We are based in Annapolis, Maryland.

Forward Looking Statements

Some of the information in this press release contains forward-looking statements and 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. When used in this press release, words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "may," "target," or similar expressions, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on such statements. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements include those discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), as well as in other reports that we file with the SEC.

Forward-looking statements are based on beliefs, assumptions and expectations as of the date of this press release. We disclaim any obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements reflecting new estimates, events or circumstances after the date of this press release.

Investor Relations

410-571-6189

[email protected]

SOURCE Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.hannonarmstrong.com


CHICAGO, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce that Harvard Library has chosen the Ex Libris Alma library management service as part of the Library's strategy to support research, teaching, and learning. Harvard University is the second Ivy League school and the 33rd member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) to opt for the Alma solution. The largest academic library in the world, Harvard Library is a key partner for scholars and students in their intellectual and academic endeavors.

With its unified resource management capabilities, advanced workflows, robust infrastructure, and cloud-based platform, the Alma solution will assist the Harvard Library in achieving its goal of actively managing print and online collections within a single framework throughout the entire library network.

"One of the strategic objectives we have at Harvard Library is to enable effective access to the world of knowledge and data through intuitive discovery, networks of expertise, and global collaborations," explained Sarah Thomas, Vice President for the Harvard Library, University Librarian, and the Roy E. Larsen Librarian for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. "Alma is a robust platform that brings us the functionality, ease of use, and cloud services that will help us reach our immediate objectives and our long-term goals."

Matti Shem Tov, president of Ex Libris, commented, "Harvard Library has been a long-standing partner of Ex Libris, running the Aleph ILS since 2000 and the Primo discovery and delivery solution since 2014. The Library's decision to implement Alma is evidence of Alma's position as the library management service of choice for the top academic institutions around the globe. I am thrilled that Harvard has now joined our extensive Alma community and look forward to the Library's contributions to this active group. "

About the Harvard Library

The Harvard Library advances scholarship and teaching by committing itself to the creation, application, preservation, and dissemination of knowledge. It is the largest academic library in the world and the oldest in the United States, with more than 70 libraries holding almost 21 million volumes, 10 million photographs, and 56 million archived web pages. For more information, visit @HarvardLibrary or library.harvard.edu.

About Ex Libris

Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is a leading global provider of cloud-based solutions for higher education. Offering SaaS solutions for the management and discovery of the full spectrum of library and scholarly materials, as well as mobile campus solutions driving student engagement and success, Ex Libris serves thousands of customers in 90 countries. For more information about Ex Libris, see our website, and join us on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

SOURCE Ex Libris

Related Links

http://www.exlibrisgroup.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This study focuses on China's Hats and Caps 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 China's society and economy. China is one of the world's major producers for industrial and consumer products. Far outpacing other economies in the world, China is the world's 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.



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 sector's 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.



Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04440921-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

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Healogics, the nation's largest provider of advanced outpatient wound care services and an expert in chronic wound healing, unveiled its new model for integrated wound care at the American College of Wound Healing and Tissue Repair (ACWHTR) conference in Chicago on Dec. 1. ACWHTR is a non-profit organization committed to advancing the field of wound care through education, research and advocacy. Its goal is to designate wound care as a board-certified medical specialty. Healogics' Integrated Wound Care Community model was presented at ACWHTR as part of the conference's mission to educate medical professionals. The new care model enables providers to manage populations of patients across sites of service for better wound management and patient outcomes.

The care model creates a network of acute, post-acute, and outpatient settings where patients' care continues to be managed. It is designed to ensure seamless continuity of care, decrease the likelihood of hospital readmissions, and decrease length of stay in the acute care setting. The model combines multidisciplinary teams, including Healogics Specialty Physicians, with specialized technology, evidenced-based care pathways, and patient-centric outreach and support. A case study of the Integrated Wound Care Community model at a Midwest hospital over two years (2014-2016) resulted in:

Decreased length of stay from 9.41 days to 5.64 days.

Total cost of care per patient fell from $10,670 to $7,248 .

"Wound care is incredibly complex and wound prevalence will continue to rise as these wounds are directly correlated with aging and chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cancer," said Dr. Arti Masturzo, ABPM/UHM executive vice president of clinical innovation at Healogics, and lead presenter of the program's findings. "A wound is a symptom of a larger problem  these are very sick patients that need holistic care. Our community-based wound care model addresses the wound healing process across institutional, clinical, post-acute and home settings. Healing often requires months of care. Treating the whole patient wherever they are in their overall care process has a significant positive impact on the patient's experience and health, their family's experience, and on the community as a whole."

"This innovative delivery model is the future of wound care, and an answer to the emerging realities of value-based care," said Jeff Nelson, Healogics president and CEO. "This is not just about managing a wound care center at a hospital campus, but delivering integrated care across a community, and challenging the legacy wound care model that has historically provided care on an episodic basis. We have taken our highly effective clinic model, and extended that expertise to additional sites of service. We're thrilled by our early findings and we believe that what we are building will help us collaborate with payers and health systems in new ways  to lower costs, improve outcomes and improve the patient experience."

Healogics is currently running eight Integrated Wound Care Community Model sites around the country and measuring patient outcomes, satisfaction and cost savings at each site.

About Healogics

Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, Healogics is the nation's largest provider of advanced wound care services and an expert in chronic wound healing. Healogics and its affiliated companies manage nearly 800 Wound Care Centers in the nation and see close to 300,000 patients per year through a connected network of centers, partner hospitals, academic medical centers, patients, and families. Healogics utilizes an evidencebased systematic approach to chronic wound healing to treat an underserved and growing patient population. A fund managed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a private investment firm, is the majority shareholder of Healogics. For more information, please visit www.healogics.com.

SOURCE Healogics

Related Links

http://www.healogics.com


MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hippo, a company that provides smart home insurance for the modern household, today announced it has closed a $14 million Series A round. The funding was led by Horizons Ventures, a leading venture capital firm that invests in disruptive technology and startups with previous investments including Facebook, Waze, Spotify and Siri. It was joined in the round by RPM Ventures, Propel Venture Partners, GGV Capital and Pipeline Capital as well as number of high profile FinTech investors and entrepreneurs.

Hippo is taking a fresh approach to the home insurance market, which has seen little innovation in over half a century. As one of the few products and services that cannot be easily purchased online, Hippo is set to disrupt an outdated industry by providing home insurance that is fast and simple to purchase online, offers more transparent coverage that is suited to modern lifestyles and is available at lower prices by going direct to consumers and removing expensive commissioned agents.

"We took everything that's wrong with the current state of home insurancethe confusing forms, the outdated policy terms, the agent as middlemanand fixed it," says Assaf Wand, CEO of Hippo. "The home insurance industry hasn't changed in decades and no longer reflects modern lifestyles. Today, many homeowners do not fully understand what their policies entail or what coverage they really need. Policies still cover old school items like pewter bowls, stock certificates and furs, but only provide $2,000 of coverage for home electronics. At Hippo, we make sure modern homeowners are fully covered through our online, transparent and affordable policies."

Several FinTech industry veterans, who know the deficiencies of the current state of the market and see the benefits of Hippos' offerings, have backed the organization as it prepares for its upcoming official launch. This includes Mark Lefanowicz (CEO, Ethos Lending), Pete Flint (Founder, Trulia & Board of Directors, Zillow Group), Warren Hogarth (former Partner, Sequoia), Jacob Gibson (Founder, NerdWallet), Matt Humphrey (CEO, LendingHome), Josh Stech (Founding Partner, LendingHome), Louis Beryl (Founder & CEO, Earnest), Ramtin Naimi (General Partner, Abstract Ventures), Soo Boon Koh (Managing Partner, iGlobe Partners) and Christopher Hill (Founder & Chairman, PerkSpot).

"The insurance ecosystem has been overdue for innovation and disruption. In the days of technology, convenience and accountability, home insurance still isn't easily available online, is overly complicated and requires people to go through agents," says Frances Kang of Horizons Ventures. "We believe Hippo will be a force to reconstruct the home insurance market, providing more transparency, efficiency and cost-savings and more importantly, peace of mind to consumers."



"Most people purchase home insurance and forget about it, assuming that they will be covered should an issue arise. Unfortunately for many, that hasn't been the case until now," said Board Member and RPM Ventures Managing Director Adam Boyden. "We are excited to support the Hippo team on their mission to finally give homeowners a reliable, transparent and simple solution to home insurance."

Hippo will use the Series A funds for product development and marketing of its official launch in early 2017. The company has already received regulatory approval by the California Department of Insurance to begin selling in California and is currently in the middle of a closed beta program.

Those interested in receiving further information about Hippo can sign up at www.myhippo.com for updates and notification of general availability.

About Hippo:

Hippo is home insurance for the modern household. Founded in 2015 by Assaf Wand and Eyal Navon, Hippo is a first-of-its kind, entirely online home insurance product designed around the needs of the modern household. Hippo is headquartered in Mountain View, CA. For more information, visit: www.myhippo.com

About Horizons Ventures

The private investment arm of Mr. Li Ka-shing, Horizons Ventures is a leading investor in some of the world's most innovative companies and disruptive technologies including Facebook, Waze, Spotify, Siri, DeepMind, Improbable, Blockstream, N26, and Slice. To learn more, visit www.horizonsventures.com.

About RPM Ventures

RPM Ventures is a seed and early stage venture firm with investments in innovative companies such as SoFi, Deliv, Roost, Deepfield, and Automatic. The firm focuses on investing in B2B SaaS, Cloud and Social Media Infrastructure, Online Marketplaces, and Automotive IT including Connected Car, Mobility, and Transportation. To learn more, visit www.rpmvc.com.

Hippo Contact:

Ian Twinn / Tandem Marketing Communications

[email protected]

(917) 306-7270

SOURCE Hippo

Related Links

http://www.myhippo.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, GoodTime, an intelligent interview scheduling solution, announced an official partnership with GreenhouseSoftware, the leading designer of recruiting and onboarding software. Recruiting coordination teams spend up to 60% of their day scheduling and rescheduling interviews and this partnership enables companies using Greenhouse to increase productivity and efficiency in the interview scheduling process. GoodTime helps recruiting teams schedule interviews 10x faster while removing human error from the very manual task of interview scheduling.

With the GoodTime and Greenhouse integration, it's easy to create fully branded interview invitations that allow candidates to quickly find a time to interview with your team.

Once a candidate has selected his or her availability, the GoodTime system finds the most appropriate interviewer or interview panel to meet with the candidate. The ability to match based upon company settings and the interviewer's position, skill set, training status, location, and live availability allows the system to quickly find the most optimal set of interviewers to schedule with the candidate.

"The first interaction a candidate has with your company is finding a time for their interview. Quickly growing companies need a streamlined interview scheduling process. GoodTime provides the best candidate experience from the very first communication and gets top talent in the door before competitors can," said Ahryun Moon, CEO of GoodTime.

GoodTime will help recruiting teams get more out of their investment with the Greenhouse platform and frees up valuable time to focus on higher value tasks such as sourcing, engaging, and closing top talent.

"This Greenhouse and GoodTime integration partnership will help employers reduce the effort spent on scheduling interviews. For companies using Greenhouse looking to scale recruiting efforts more efficiently, this type of automation will be a big help" said Daniel Chait, CEO of Greenhouse Software.

GoodTime is quickly growing to be essential software in the modern recruiting team's tool belt and as of today, Greenhouse users can take advantage of the official integration to schedule interviewers faster and more efficiently.

About GoodTime:

GoodTime uses employee data to intelligently match and schedule interviews for enterprises. The San Francisco based company is backed by investors from Big Basin Capital, Alchemist Accelerator, Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Yahoo, Tripit, and Udemy. To learn more or request a demo, visit goodtime.io.

About Greenhouse:

Greenhouse Software designs tools that help companies source, interview, hire and onboard the right talent. Headquartered in New York City with an office in San Francisco, Greenhouse was founded by Daniel Chait and Jon Stross. Recognized as the 2017 Best Place to Work in the U.S. by Glassdoor, the Greenhouse team currently works with over 1,500 of the world's most innovative people-driven companies, including Airbnb, Slack, Oscar Health and more. To learn more or request a demo, visit greenhouse.io.

Jasper Sone

GoodTime.io

[email protected]

SOURCE GoodTime

Related Links

http://www.goodtime.io


"Warmest congratulations to Sanofi Pasteur MSD on this well-deserved recognition of excellence," said Dr. Mireille Gillings, CEO and Executive Chair of HUYA. "As HUYA fully understands, finding new sources of innovation is an essential role of our industry, as we improve the health and quality of life of patients."

In the Best New Drug category, the judges sought the small-molecule or biological product that was approved in its first market worldwide during the qualifying period that represented the best therapeutic advance in its area. The recipient was selected by a 15-member, independent industry experts from around the world.

Since it was founded in 2004, HUYA has advanced the global development of novel oncology and cardiovascular drugs licensed from China. The company was the first to leverage the Tripartite Cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea to use clinical data from China to initiate drug development for HUYA's lead drug HBI-8000 in Japan for lymphoma. HBI-8000 is also advancing in several solid tumor indications in the U.S. HUYA's drug has immunomodulatory properties which are important to the clinical development of immuno-oncology therapeutics.

About HUYA Bioscience International

HUYA Bioscience International is the leader in enabling and accelerating the global development of novel biopharmaceutical product opportunities originating in China. Extensive collaborations have been established with Chinese biopharmaceutical, academic and commercial organizations to speed development and value creation in worldwide markets for China-sourced product candidates. With the largest Chinese compound portfolio covering all therapeutic areas, HUYA has emerged as the partner-of-choice for maximizing the value of biopharmaceutical innovation in China. With the largest team of scientists working with Chinese innovators, HUYA develops promising drug candidates globally. For more information, please visit www.huyabio.com

About the SCRIP Awards

The SCRIP Awards provide the industry with an opportunity to acknowledge and applaud its highest achievers across all parts of the value chain, and to recognize both corporate and individual achievement. For details, please visit www.scripawards.com

Contact details:

Yiota Merianos

HUYA Corporate Communications

+1.858.353.1217

[email protected]

SOURCE HUYA Bioscience International

Related Links

http://www.huyabio.com


WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Institute for Electric Innovation (IEI) today released a new book, Thought Leaders Speak Out: Key Trends Driving Change in the Electric Power Industry, Volume III. The third and final book in the series features 20 essays by electric and technology company thought leaders that focus on the key trends driving the transformation underway in the electric power industry.

According to the book's editor and IEI Executive Director Lisa Wood, "The electric power industry is innovating like never before, keeping pace with evolving technologies and customer expectations. This new book explores three critical mega-trends that offer the most promise for our energy future: rate and regulatory reform, data analytics, and energy grid modernization. These issues are critical to ensuring that our industry continues to provide an affordable, reliable, and increasingly clean energy future, and deliver the benefits of innovation and new technologies for all customers and communities nationwide."

Rate and Regulatory Reform: Today's regulatory process is often slow and inflexible, presenting obstacles to innovation. Major players in the energy industry are encouraging urgent reform to enable innovation and modernization, while ensuring safe, affordable, reliable, and increasingly clean energy for customers. Regulators have many tools available, and, more and more, collaboration is proving a promising way forward.

Data Analytics: Advanced data analytics are enabling new operational capabilities, improved grid management, and new energy services that benefit customers. Smart grid technologies and predictive data analytics provide new digital tools to unlock a growing number of opportunities  today's early gains such as rapid outage detection and restoration and improved management of distributed energy resources are just the tip of the iceberg.

Grid Modernization: Now more than ever, the smart grid is the critical platform to integrate renewable and distributed energy resources, deliver information and communicate with customers, and greatly enhance reliability and resiliency. Together, electric and technology companies are investing in and deploying smarter energy infrastructure and are leveraging cloud-based intelligence to realize the full potential of a clean energy future.

Below are excerpts from several of the essays in the book:

"Fundamentally, the goal in all states should be long-term alignment of customer expectations, public policy goals, and regulatory processes. States across the country, working with electric companies, customers, and others, are mapping journeys to destinations of their own choosing, maintaining flexibility in the paths they take." NorthWestern Energy President and CEO and IEI Co-Chair Bob Rowe

"The fact of the technology revolution in energy is a given; however, its impact on customers is subject to the shape and direction of policy design. Policy can speed or slow changeand determine whether advancements are piecemeal and uncoordinated, or planned and collaboratively designed to maximize benefits across the board. Cell phone technology was available in the late 1970s, but didn't become commercially available until spectrum policy was redesigned in the late 1980s. Similarly, in our energy revolution, smart energy infrastructure must be matched by smart policy. Technology leads, but policy rules."  Commonwealth Edison President and CEO Anne Pramaggiore and Senior Vice President for Customer Operations Val Jensen

"Electric companies have an important choice to make. They can stop service at the meter, or they can push forward to offer energy management, appliance control, and home automation solutions to enable customers to solve energy use problems and secure an avenue of future growth. While doing so, they can meet energy efficiency goals, optimize peak load utilization, better meet environmental mandates, improve their carbon footprint, and develop new revenue sources."  Powerley CEO Manoj Kumar

"Analytics have greatly improved our real-time situational awareness of grid conditions, including outages, giving controllers and dispatchers the ability to locate and isolate faults more quickly and to send the right crew to the right place for faster outage restoration. Since 2011, we used our Intelligent Grid in more than 1,800 outage events to save customers more than 188 million outage minutes. In 2016 alone, we improved reliability 33 percent. Since 2015, more than 660,000 customers have avoided sustained outages. Moreover, our advanced metering system's automated outage notification ability has allowed us to restore power to well more than 1.5 million customers without a single phone call."  CenterPoint Energy President and CEO Scott Prochazka

The book is available here.

The Institute for Electric Innovation focuses on advancing the adoption and application of new technologies and innovation that will strengthen and transform the energy grid. The Institute's members are the investor-owned electric companies that represent about 70 percent of the U.S. electric power industry, along with a select group of leading U.S. and international energy technology firms. The membership is committed to an affordable, reliable, secure, and clean energy future. For more information, please visit www.EdisonFoundation.net.

SOURCE Edison Foundation

Related Links

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NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the Board of Directors of Intralinks Holdings, Inc. ("IL" or the "Company") in connection with the December 6, 2016 proposed acquisition of the Company by Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. ("Synchronoss"). Under the terms of the agreement, the Company's shareholders will receive $13.00 in cash for each IL share they own.

WeissLaw is investigating whether IL's Board acted to maximize shareholder value prior to entering into the agreement. Notably, at least one analyst set a target price of $15.00, or $2.00 above the offer price. Further, on the same day as the announcement, Chicago-based investment firm Vital Capital Partners published a letter addressed to IL's Board of Directors expressing their concerns over the transaction. Among them, they cited:

A lack of effort by the Board and management to find a superior offer;

A low per share offer, which they describe as "sub-optimal," and "inadequate"; and

The "very low multiple" of ~2.6x enterprise value to sales, and ~12x enterprise value to EBITDA, based on 2017's expected metrics, offered by Synchronoss.

Finally, upon completion of the transaction, Synchronoss' enterprise business is expected to grow to approximately 40% of its total revenue.

Given these facts, WeissLaw is investigating whether IL's Board acted in the best interests of IL's public shareholders to maximize shareholder value prior to entering into the agreement. If you own IL shares and would like more information about your rights or our investigation, or if you have information to share with us, please contact Joshua Rubin by telephone at (888) 593-4771 or by email at [email protected].

WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected] or fill out the form on our website, http://www.weisslawllp.com/intralinks-holdings-inc/

SOURCE WeissLaw LLP

Related Links

http://www.weisslurie.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Summary

Mergers and acquisitions are expected to increase within the IT industry over the next six months (November 2016-April 2017) as a result of rising competition, increased demand for IoT, and addition of new product lines. Even though market uncertainty, rising competition, and retention and recruitment of skilled staff have been highlighted as major business concerns for the global IT industry over the next six months, respondents are willing to increase their focus towards expansion in current markets and development of new products. Furthermore, developing economies such as China, India, and Brazil are projected to offer significant growth opportunities for the global IT industry due to increased investments towards Internet of Things (IoT) and big data analytics. On average, the global IT industries procurement expenditure is projected to increase by 17.3% over the next six months.



Key Findings

- The top three key expected priorities as identified by respondents include expansion in current markets, improving operational efficiency, and new product development.



- Developed markets such as the US, the UK, and Germany are identified as important regions for growth over the next six months by IT respondents.



- New product development, and research and development will record a significant increase in capital expenditure over the next six months.



- Executives expect procurement activities for technology and license purchases to increase during November 2016-April 2017.



- Of all respondents, 52% indicate the acceptance of e-procurement within their organizations at various stages of procurement process.



Synopsis

Kable's IT Industry Business Outlook and Procurement Report examines executives' opinion on the business outlook and procurement activities over November 2016-April 2017. Organizations can know about key business priorities, supplier price variations, changes in capital expenditure, mergers and acquisitions within the global IT industry, and organizations perspective towards e-procurement. Additionally, it provides information categorized by region and company type.



Reasons To Buy

- Highlights key business priorities (including comparisons over the last six months) thus helping IT companies to realign business strategy



- Organizations can develop or adjust business expansion plans by knowing the significant growth offering emerging and developed markets highlighted in the report



- Make changes in procurement budget allocations through procurement budget projections anticipated by executives for November 2016-April 2017



- Implement effective price management strategy by viewing supplier price variations highlighted for next six months





Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04407802-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

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has named Joan Wallach Scott as the recipient of the 2016 Talcott Parsons Prize for her distinguished contributions to the social sciences. This award will be presented to Professor Scott, a member of the Academy, on April 6, 2017, at the House of the Academy in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

First awarded in 1974, the Talcott Parsons Prize was established to honor the noted sociologist and former president of the Academy and is rotated among the various social science disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, demography, history, law, linguistics, political science, psychology, and sociology.

"We are pleased to present the Talcott Parsons Prize to Professor Scott for her distinguished achievements in the social sciences," said Jonathan F. Fanton, President of the American Academy. "We are honored that she is a member of the Academy and to have the opportunity to celebrate her contributions to the field," he said.

Previous recipients of the Talcott Parsons Prize include: Clifford Geertz (anthropology), C. Vann Woodward (history), Albert Hirschman (economics), and Daniel Kahneman (psychology).

As one of her nominators for this prize wrote, "Joan Scott is, correctly, the most influential theorist and practitioner of feminist and gender theory working in the historical sciences. Her article, 'Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis,' launched the discussion in the profession at large of how gender changes the way historians understand, research, write, and teach history. She is adept at the philosophy of history and social science, so she brings to feminist and gender theory a critical view that has continuously pushed the boundaries, not just of conventional history, but also of the professional criticism of historiography. No one that I can think of has had more progressive or sustained impact on historical scholarship during my lifetime or has contributed as much to further women scholars."

Joan Wallach Scott is Professor Emerita in the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, where she taught from 1985 to 2014. She has also taught at the University of Illinois, Chicago; Northwestern University; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and Brown University, where she was the founding director of the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women. She is currently an adjunct professor of history at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Scott's groundbreaking work has challenged the foundations of conventional historical practice, including the nature of historical evidence and historical experience and the role of narrative in the writing of history. Broadly, the object of her work is the question of difference in history: its uses, enunciations, implementations, justifications, and transformations in the construction of social and political life.

Her recent books have focused on the vexed relationship of the particularity of gender to the universalizing force of democratic politics and include Gender and the Politics of History (1988), Only Paradoxes to Offer: French Feminists and the Rights of Man (1996), Parite: Sexual Equality and the Crisis of French Universalism (2005), The Politics of the Veil (2007), and The Fantasy of Feminist History (2011). Written in 1986, her now classic article, "Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis," continues to inspire innovative research on women and gender. In her landmark article "The Evidence of Experience" (1991), Scott criticized the tendency of feminism to accept uncritically (and "de-historicize") the reporting of personal experience as an authentic expression of women's reality. She has been recognized with honorary degrees from a number of academic institutions, including Brown, Harvard, the University of Bergen (Norway), the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Princeton University.

Several of Scott's books have won prizes from the American Historical Association, which also awarded her the Nancy Lyman Roelker Prize for graduate mentoring in 1995. At its meeting in January 2009, the AHA presented her with an award for Scholarly Distinction, the culmination of more than 40 years of research and writing in her chosen fields of French history, women's and gender history, and feminist theory. She was chair of the Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure at the American Association of University Professors (19992005), where she took a strong stand against the U.S. Patriot Act of 2001, and she continues to serve as a member of that committee.

Scott is a founding editor of History of the Present: a Journal of Critical History. She received the B.A. degree (1962) magna cum laude from Brandeis University, and the M.S. (1964) and Ph.D. (1969) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, all in history. Scott was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008.

About the American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is among the nation's oldest learned societies and independent policy research centers, convening leaders from the academic, business, and government sectors to respond to the challenges facing the nation and the world. In its work, the Academy focuses on higher education, the humanities, and the arts; science and technology policy; global security and international affairs; and American institutions and the public good. Academy research has resulted in reports such as The Heart of the Matter , Restoring the Foundation: The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the American Dream , Public Research UniversitiesRecommitting to Lincoln's Vision: An Educational Compact for the 21st Century, and A Primer on the College Student Journey. The Academy's work is advanced by its more than 5,000 elected members, who are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs from around the world.

SOURCE American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Related Links

http://www.amacad.org


NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) today confirmed it has ended discussions with Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (SIX: ATLN) regarding a potential transaction. Johnson & Johnson was not able to reach an agreement that it believed would create adequate value for its shareholders.

About Johnson & Johnson

Caring for the world, one person at a time, inspires and unites the people of Johnson & Johnson. We embrace research and science - bringing innovative ideas, products and services to advance the health and well-being of people. Our approximately 126,900 employees at more than 250 Johnson & Johnson operating companies work with partners in health care to touch the lives of over a billion people every day, throughout the world.

NOTE TO INVESTORS CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This communication contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the possibility that a potential transaction involving Actelion will not be entered into or completed; if a transaction is entered into, the terms and conditions of any such transaction; and whether the potential benefits of any transaction would be realized. In addition, if and when any transaction is consummated, there will be risks and uncertainties related to the ability of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies to successfully integrate the products and employees of Actelion, as well as the ability to ensure continued performance or market growth of its products. A further list and description of the risks, uncertainties and other factors related to the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2016, including in Exhibit 99 thereto, and Johnson & Johnson's subsequent filings. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.investor.jnj.com, or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson does not undertake to update any forward looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.

This communication does not constitute, or form part of, any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer, to purchase or subscribe for any registered shares in Actelion, or Actelion's ADSs, nor shall it form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract there for. There are no assurances that a transaction will be reached or on what terms.

SOURCE Johnson & Johnson

Related Links

http://www.jnj.com


MECHANICSBURG, Pa. and DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ProLogic Retail Services, the largest provider of loyalty marketing solutions to independent grocers, and Karns Quality Foods are announcing Karns' adoption of ProLogic's loyalty marketing platform for the Karns Fresh Rewards loyalty program.

Karns logo

ProLogic's technology enables Karns' shoppers to earn and redeem points through the Karns Fresh Rewards program. Shoppers can update their account profiles, view their real-time points balances and shopping history on the Karns website, as well as redeem their points for Max Dollars, which are stored on the member's loyalty account. Max Dollars can be redeemed in the store on qualifying purchases.

Karns Quality Foods has 8 supermarkets in the Harrisburg, PA metro area, where it has been operating for over 50 years. In August 2016, Karns was named Supervalu's 2016 Grand Master Marketer at the Supervalu National Expo.

"We are highly enthusiastic about our new loyalty marketing program with ProLogic," said Andrea Karns, V.P. of Marketing, Karns Quality Foods. "We look forward to rewarding our shoppers with Max Dollars discounts enabled through the ProLogic program."

"ProLogic is delighted to partner with Karns Quality Foods," said Ross Ely, President and CEO of ProLogic Retail Services. "We look forward to helping Karns provide a unique and differentiated experience to shoppers in its community by leveraging insights from their shopper data."

About ProLogic Retail Services

ProLogic Retail Services is the largest provider of loyalty marketing services to independent grocers. Headquartered in Delray Beach, FL, ProLogic has been providing independent grocers with loyalty marketing solutions for over 15 years. ProLogic's loyalty marketing solutions are currently in use at over 1,600 stores in the US and over 300 stores in Japan. Over ten million US households are actively enrolled in ProLogic programs through our retail partners. For more information on ProLogic, visit www.prologicretail.com

Contact: Lance Recker

[email protected]

(561) 454-7646

SOURCE ProLogic Retail Services

Related Links

http://www.prologicretail.com


In 1976, former Maryland State Senator Francis X. (Frank) Kelly and his wife, Janet, founded a small insurance company in the basement of their Timonium, Maryland home. Today, Kelly & Associates Insurance Group (KELLY) is the region's leading health insurance broker/administrator, which consists of multiple companies that provide integrated total benefits, payroll and workforce management solutions for employers of every size.

Senator Kelly is now the Chairman of Kelly & Associates Insurance Group and Frank Kelly III, the eldest son of Janet and Frank, serves as CEO of the KELLY companies. Frank and Janet Kelly's other sons, John, David and Bryan, are key leaders in the business serving in chief roles as well as presidents of KELLY's entities and divisions.

The expanding enterprise, serves over 10,000 corporate clients and employs more than 450 people serving companies that range in size from sole proprietors to corporations with more than 20,000 employees. Based in Baltimore County since its inception, the organization moved its headquarters to Sparks, Maryland in 2015 and has regional offices in Rockville, Maryland and Wilmington, Delaware.

Kelly & Associates Insurance Group has won recognition as Maryland's largest Employee Benefits Administrator by The Baltimore Business Journal for fifteen consecutive years, and was awarded the Family Business Award of Excellence through the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year program in 2013.

Media Contact:

Jackie Heffner

Director, Corporate Communications & Marketing

[email protected]

410.891.3080

SOURCE Kelly & Associates Insurance Group
BERKELEY, Calif., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Kloudless, the Universal API company, today announced the public beta release of their Universal Calendar API. The new API product enables software developers to easily integrate many calendar services into their apps. Initial support includes Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar. More details about Kloudless's Universal Calendar API can be found at https://kloudless.com/calendar-api/

Kloudless's new unified calendar API initially supports Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar. Future releases will integrate Apple iCal, Salesforce, and more.

"Scheduling and calendaring is a critical functionality in many markets like the sharing economy, sales and marketing, and travel," said Eliot Sun, CEO and Co-founder of Kloudless. "Software developers want easy ways to embed calendar functionality into their apps and services, so we're very excited to extend our Universal API platform to include calendar integrations."

Today, developers who want to embed integrations with calendar services must build with native APIs that differ in documentation, feature parity, event tracking, object data formatting, and more. APIs are also subject to change, so additional maintenance work can be time consuming and costly in the long run.

Kloudless's Universal Calendar API allows developers to quickly integrate their apps with any calendar service that their customers' are using. Kloudless takes in many calendar APIs and exposes a unified calendar API, which shields developers from having to deal with the complexities of integrating all the different calendar APIs one by one. Kloudless also handles the maintenance and updates of the underlying calendar APIs. Developers can focus on delivering their app's core value proposition and spend less time managing integrations. This build-it-and-forget-it capability extends across all Kloudless Connectors and Universal APIs.

The Universal Calendar API capabilities include:

One-to-many integration : Code once to integrate Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar. Future integrations include Apple iCal, Salesforce Calendar, and more.

: Code once to integrate Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar. Future integrations include Apple iCal, Salesforce Calendar, and more. Operations on all calendar content : Uniform object data is returned for Calendars and Calendar Events. In addition, all data can be retrieved in the original format.

: Uniform object data is returned for Calendars and Calendar Events. In addition, all data can be retrieved in the original format. White labeled customer experience: The calendar integrations look and feel like native integrations to the app developer's customers. Kloudless is completely invisible.

The Universal Calendar API beta program is open for free developer sign-ups today. It is available in the SaaS offering at Kloudless.com and the self-hosted Kloudless Enterprise offering. Contact Kloudless at [email protected] to request access.

About Kloudless

Kloudless is a universal API platform that makes application integrations simple and powerful. With Kloudless's integration tools, businesses can easily build software that embeds integrations with other applications. Founded in 2011, Kloudless is headquartered in Berkeley, California and is venture-backed by investors like Tim Draper of DFJ, David Sacks of Zenefits, and WI Harper Group. You can learn more about Kloudless at https://kloudless.com or follow us on Twitter.

Press Contact

Eliot Sun

CEO & Co-founder

[email protected]

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com.

SOURCE Kloudless, Inc.

Related Links

https://kloudless.com


SUNRISE, Fla., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ProcessMAP Corporation, a leading provider of enterprise cloud software for Risk and Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) management, announced that Learning Care Group, the second-largest for-profit child care provider in North America, has further strengthened its safety processes with ProcessMAP's next-generation software platform.

When it comes to early childhood educational facilities, safety is not child's play  and Learning Care Group clearly understands this fact. With safety being the top priority throughout its operations encompassing six brands and more than 900 schools, the company's leadership team sought greater visibility into the performance of its safety programs. Understanding that fostering continuous safety improvements efficiently meant advancing beyond spreadsheets and paper-based systems, the early education provider turned to ProcessMAP for assistance.

Learning Care Group will yield significant benefits with its adoption of ProcessMAP, including:

Saving over 500 hours per year by automating permits, audits, behavioral based safety (BBS), and task and compliance management;

Equipping safety leaders to make more informed decisions with actionable insights and real-time access to key metrics;

Ensuring compliance with state childcare, safety, and food handling requirements;

Increasing efficiency with a fully mobile solution for audits and BBS management;

Empowering employees with a fully mobile audit and behavioral based safety solution that enables them to easily access information and perform tasks anytime, anywhere.

"Parents entrust us with their children every day," said Jeffrey Spaude, Director of Information Technology & Application Services, Learning Care Group. "We take that responsibility seriously, and set high standards when it comes to keeping our facilities and the people who care for over 100,000 children safe. With visibility to safety metrics across facilities, ProcessMAP positions us to optimize performance, ensure compliance with internal and external standards, and boost efficiency."

"Undoubtedly, manual processes require larger investments of time and deliver limited insight," said Dave Rath, CEO of ProcessMAP. "We are honored that companies like Learning Care Group continue to choose ProcessMAP to efficiently and effectively measure and report their safety performance, and welcome them to our expanding customer network that enjoys the advantages of safety management in the cloud."

About ProcessMAP Corporation

ProcessMAP Corporation is the leading provider of cloud-based enterprise software solutions that empower organizations to manage risk in three key areas: Employee Health & Safety; Environment & Sustainability; and Enterprise Compliance. The company is headquartered in Sunrise, Fla., with locations across the globe, serving customers in over 125 countries. For more information, visit ProcessMAP.com.

About Learning Care Group, Inc.

Learning Care Group is a leader in early child education and family solutions, with nearly 50 years of experience in inspiring children to love learning. Headquartered in Novi, Mich., the company provides early education and care for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years through six unique brands: The Children's Courtyard, Childtime Learning Centers, Everbrook Academy, La Petite Academy, Montessori Unlimited, and Tutor Time Child Care/Learning Centers. It operates more than 900 schools (corporate and franchise) across 36 states, the District of Columbia and internationally, and has a capacity to serve more than 130,000 children. Learning Care Group's proprietary School Readiness Pathway supports the development of the academic and social skills needed for a smooth transition to elementary school. For more information, please visit www.learningcaregroup.com.

Contact: Maria Colespring, 954-634-4469, [email protected]

SOURCE ProcessMAP Corporation

Related Links

http://www.processmap.com


DALLAS, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lennox International Inc. (NYSE: LII) today announced its financial guidance for 2017. The company expects:

Revenue growth of 3-7%, with a minimal impact from foreign exchange.

GAAP and adjusted EPS from continuing operations of $7.55-$8.15 .

. Corporate expenses of approximately $85 million .

. Effective tax rate of approximately 32%.

Capital expenditures of approximately $100 million .

. Stock repurchases of $250 million .

For 2016, the company is raising the low end of guidance for EPS and reiterating its other guidance points.

Reiterating guidance for 2016 revenue growth of 4-6%, with a neutral impact from foreign exchange.

Raising the low end of 2016 guidance for GAAP EPS from continuing operations from $6.25-$6.45 to $6.30-$6.45 , including special items to date and the approximate $20 million after-tax, non-cash pension charge previously announced for the fourth quarter related to a one-time, lump-sum pension buyout program to certain vested participants.

to , including special items to date and the approximate after-tax, non-cash pension charge previously announced for the fourth quarter related to a one-time, lump-sum pension buyout program to certain vested participants. Raising the low end of 2016 guidance for adjusted EPS from continuing operations from $6.75-$6.95 to $6.80-$6.95 .

to . Reiterating 2016 guidance for corporate expenses of approximately $95 million .

. Reiterating 2016 guidance for an effective tax rate of approximately 31% on a full-year basis, which equates to a rate of approximately 34% in the fourth quarter.

Reiterating 2016 guidance for capital expenditures of approximately $95 million .

. Announcing the completion of the company's previously announced $100 million stock repurchase program in the fourth quarter, bringing the total for 2016 to $300 million .

As previously announced, Lennox International is hosting an investment community meeting in New York City today, starting at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time. The company will discuss strategic, operational, and financial information, including the company's outlook for 2017 and beyond. The presentation will be webcast and presentation materials will be accessible on the company's website at www.lennoxinternational.com .

Lennox International Inc. is a global leader in the heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration markets. Lennox International stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and traded under the symbol "LII". Additional information is available at: www.lennoxinternational.com or by contacting Steve Harrison, Vice President, Investor Relations, at 972-497-6670.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements in this news release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding expected financial results for 2016 and 2017, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements include, but are not limited to: the impact of higher raw material prices, LII's ability to implement price increases for its products and services, the impact of unfavorable weather, a decline in new construction activity and the related demand for products and services, and those factors listed in Item 1A of LII's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 (the "10-K"), which are incorporated by reference. For information concerning these and other risks and uncertainties, see the 10-K and LII's other publicly available filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. LII disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Lennox International Inc.

Related Links

http://www.lennoxinternational.com


SAO PAULO, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Multinational company National Oilwell Varco (NOV) broadened its network services with Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) to include infrastructure and VPN services, Local Area Network (LAN-to-LAN) connection, internet link and data center services.

The oil and gas company needed to improve connectivity and expand its internet performance throughout the region.

Key Facts:

Benefits from the new services include more reliable communications and connections internally, better connectivity for NOV's operation overall and less risk of power issues and outages.

NOV is using Level 3's Rio de Janeiro data center servers and equipment, freeing up physical space in their headquarters in Rio de Janeiro .

data center servers and equipment, freeing up physical space in their headquarters in . The implementation process for the new services was carried out on time and on budget with no disruption to NOV's service.

Level 3 Key Facts:

Level 3 owns and operates three data centers in Brazil and more than 360 worldwide.

and more than 360 worldwide. Level 3 data centers are managed on-site by a team of specialized technicians and have direct connectivity to its more than 320,000 km fiber network with metro market reach in more than 60 countries.

The company received the Tier III Certification for Design Documents, from the Uptime Institute, for its data center in Rio de Janeiro , which reflects high design standards in the infrastructure and capacity of the data center.

, which reflects high design standards in the infrastructure and capacity of the data center. Level 3's data centers in Curitiba, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro received Compliance certificates for applicable parts of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard  PCI DSS, confirming that the company's Colocation Services in its three Brazilian data centers meet all the security standards outlined in requirements 9 and 12 of PCI DSS version 3.2.

Key Quotes:

Victor Rizzo, IT Manager Latin America, National Oilwell Varco

"Level 3 has been fundamental in helping us expand our network as well as in managing more easily and efficiently the rapid growth we've been experiencing in the past few years."

Marcos Malfatti, Senior Vice President and Executive Director Brazil, Level 3

"Offering the flexibility that enables our customers to prosper has been a fundamental differentiator of Level 3 in Brazil. Our reliable service, competent specialists and solid infrastructure allow us to provide National Oilwell Varco with a powerful solution for their technology, connectivity and internet service needs."

About National Oilwell Varco

National Oilwell Varco (NOV) is a multinational company responsible for equipment and components used in oil and gas drilling. It is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has been in the market for 150 years. The company has been present in Brazil for the past 30 years, in several cities in the country such as Macae, Campos, Betim, Jaceaba, Santos, Serra and Recife. Its Brazilian branch counts on more than 2000 employees. http://www.nov.com/Brazil.aspx

About Level 3 Communications

Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) is a Fortune 500 company that provides local, national and global communications services to enterprise, government and carrier customers. Level 3's comprehensive portfolio of secure, managed solutions includes fiber and infrastructure solutions; IP-based voice and data communications; wide-area Ethernet services; video and content distribution; data center and cloud-based solutions. Level 3 serves customers in more than 500 markets in over 60 countries across a global services platform anchored by owned fiber networks on three continents and connected by extensive undersea facilities. For more information, please visit www.level3.com or get to know us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3, Vyvx, Level 3 Communications, Level (3) and the Level 3 Logo are either registered service marks or service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC and/or one of its Affiliates in the United States and elsewhere. Any other service names, product names, company names or logos included herein are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Level 3 services are provided by subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc.

The information contained under the title "About National Oilwell Varco" is provided by National Oilwell Varco, being the company solely responsible for its content.

Forward-Looking Statement

Some statements made in this press release are forward-looking in nature and are based on management's current expectations or beliefs. These forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside Level 3's control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. Important factors that could prevent Level 3 from achieving its stated goals include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to: increase revenue from its services to realize its targets for financial and operating performance; develop and maintain effective business support systems; manage system and network failures or disruptions; avert the breach of its network and computer system security measures; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; manage the future expansion or adaptation of its network to remain competitive; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; manage risks associated with continued uncertainty in the global economy; manage continued or accelerated decreases in market pricing for communications services; obtain capacity for its network from other providers and interconnect its network with other networks on favorable terms; successfully integrate future acquisitions; effectively manage political, legal, regulatory, foreign currency and other risks it is exposed to due to its substantial international operations; mitigate its exposure to contingent liabilities; and meet all of the terms and conditions of its debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and other important factors can be found within Level 3's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Level 3 Communications, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.level3.com


LOS ANGELES, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) announced today that Macy's Fashion Pass has raised $1.1 million for the organization. The funding will be granted to over one hundred nonprofits supporting people living with and affected by HIV across the country, including organizations providing HIV prevention, education, and advocacy programs.

"Our team is always working to find simple and worthwhile ways for our customers to support meaningful philanthropic efforts," said Holly Thomas, Macy's group vice president of Cause Marketing. "From understanding the products that our shoppers are looking for to the causes that they care most about, Macy's goals are brought to life when we give back in our local communities."

The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and Macy's have a long history of partnership in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Elizabeth Taylor was Founding Chair of Macy's Passport Glamorama, an awareness raising fashion show and gala event which began in 1982 and continued for thirty years. Since the onset of the AIDS pandemic, Macy's has stood with top designers and community organizations to raise millions of dollars as well as invaluable HIV/AIDS awareness.

"To recognize Macy's for their ongoing support for The Elizabeth AIDS Foundation, our cause, and our founder," said ETAF's Managing Director, Joel Goldman, "ETAF will present the company with the first annual outstanding partner awardThe Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation Dr. Michael Gottlieb Award." The award is named after Elizabeth Taylor's first partner in the fight against AIDS, Dr. Michael Gottlieb. In 1985, Dr. Mathilde Krim joined the two to co-found amfAR, after the passing of Elizabeth Taylor's dear friend and Dr. Gottlieb's patient, actor Rock Hudson.

The Wall Las Memorias Project, a community health and wellness organization dedicated to serving Latino, LGBT and other underserved populations and past Fashion Pass grant recipient shared their testimonial about the impact these funds have on their community. "For nearly 23 years, we have worked to help eradicate stigma, bigotry and create a safer place in the Latino community of Los Angeles for dialogue around HIV prevention and awareness. As a prominent community grassroots organization, The Wall Las Memorias Project is honored to have partnered with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and Macy's to provide valuable resources to help end new HIV infections in our community. It is through partnerships like those, that our community is able to rise above social injustices and improve the health and wellness of its people."

The organizations across the country receiving 2016 Fashion Pass grants will be awarded before the end of the year.

About The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation:

Elizabeth Taylor established The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991 to support organizations delivering direct care and services to people living with HIV and AIDS, especially the most marginalized communities. Today, ETAF also provides grants for innovative HIV prevention education and advocacy programs to existing organizations around the world. With key domestic advocacy funding focuses on comprehensive sexual health education and HIV criminalization reform, ETAF continues to bring the marginalized to the center of attention and advocate for their rights.

About Macy's:

Macy's, the largest retail brand of Macy's, Inc., delivers fashion and affordable luxury to customers at 734 locations in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, as well as to customers in the U.S. and more than 100 international destinations through its leading online store at macys.com. Via its stores, e-commerce site, mobile and social platforms, Macy's offers distinctive assortments including the most desired family of exclusive and fashion brands for him, her and home. Macy's is known for such epic events as Macy's 4th of July Fireworks and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, as well as spectacular fashion shows, culinary events, flower shows and celebrity appearances. Macy's flagship stores -- including Herald Square in New York City, Union Square in San Francisco, State Street in Chicago, and Dadeland in Miami and South Coast Plaza in southern California -- are known internationally and are leading destinations for visitors. Building on a more than 150-year tradition, and with the collective support of customers and employees, Macy's helps strengthen communities by supporting local and national charities giving more than $69 million each year to help make a difference in the lives of our customers.

SOURCE The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation
NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Prescription barriers hurt 5 of the 9 brands we surveyed. Is your brand losing market share?In the EU5, one of the most prescribed NSCLC drugs is stuck in 2nd place due to the biggest barrier-related market share loss of any brand we surveyed. Can addressing key market barriers move this runner-up brand into the lead? Which 3 rival brands managed small barrier-related gains? Which barriers have the biggest impact on market share?Find out in Market Access Impact: NSCLC. Request sample pagesThe report covers 9 major NSCLC drugs from AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer/Merck Group, and Roche. You'll learn which brands take the biggest hit from 7 different market barriers, which barriers cost your brand the most share, and which competitors you're losing share to and taking it from.Top TakeawaysMarket barriers are holding the 2nd place brand back: Would addressing key barriers be enough to move this brand into first place?Clear winners and losers: 91% of doctors surveyed prescribe the leading brand while only 21% prescribe the last-place brand. Of the seven other brands surveyed, five are widely prescribed.Most brands are losing share: Only three brands see net market share gains because of market barriers. The rest see small to significant losses.Huge gain for "Other" brands: They take share from all but one of the surveyed brands, and in aggregate, their total net share gain is four times as big as that of any surveyed brandEach barrier affects specific brands disproportionately: Significantly more doctors experience each barrier more with one or two brands than with the rest of the pack.Market access affects more prescriptions than other barriers: Taken together barriers related to market access affect nearly twice as many prescriptions as any other barrier.Insight into 9 Major NSCLC DrugsAvastin (bevacizumab; Roche)Cyramza (ramucirumab; Eli Lilly)Giotrif (afatinib; Boehringer Ingelheim)Iressa (gefitinib; AstraZeneca)Opdivo (nivolumab; BMS)Portrazza (necitumumab; Eli Lily)Tarceva (erlotinib; Roche)Xalkori (crizotinib; Pfizer/Merck Group)Zykadia (ceritinib; Novartis)

Exploring Important Market Access Issues

Market Access Impact: NSCLC explores key issues affecting NSCLC drug manufacturers. You'll learn:

How barriers affect market access:

What brands do doctors prescribe the most?.

How many prescriptions do barriers affect?

Which barriers have the biggest impact?

How barriers affect your brand:How many doctors prescribe your brand? How many don't, but would consider it?Why don't doctors prescribe your brand? What do they prescribe instead?Which competing brands does your brand take market share from?A Report Based on Expert KnowledgeWe surveyed 150 medical oncologists30 from each EU5 country (France, Italy, Germany, Spain, UK)chosen from the largest community of validated physicians in the world.

All respondents have:

Been practicing for 2+ yearsPrescribed at least one of the listed productsSeen at least 5 patients with NSCLC in total in the last month

We conducted the survey between August 1st and 5th, 2016.

Read the full report:

http://www.reportlinker.com/p04275615-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


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Break out the confetti! MC Companies has been ranked as 9th in the nation by Multifamily Leadership and Best Companies Group (BCG) as part of the 2017 Best Places to Work in Multifamily.

On December 6, 2016 Lesley Brice, president of MC Companies, and Michelle Sinclair, director of operations, attended the Multifamily Leadership Summit in Scottsdale to receive the prestigious award. "Being ranked 9th in the nation is an incredible honor. We were up against companies from 42 states so to come out on top is both humbling and reaffirming that our culture and practices work," says President Lesley Brice. "75% of our score came from employee surveys, without our employees this award would not have been possible. Our incredible team members and residents are the reason we are able to succeed in the industry."

The rigorous assessment process, administered by the Best Companies Group, evaluated each company's employee policies and procedures as well as responses from the company's employees. The program is part of a long-term initiative to encourage growth and excellence throughout the Multifamily Apartment Industry and to attract new leaders to the industry.

As CEOs and executive teams create culture and innovation around the resident experience, employee engagement is seen as a key driver to meet multiple challenges. The 2017 Best Places to Work Multifamily program recognizes those companies that have established and consistently fosters outstanding workplace environments.

"Giving is at the heart of what we do here at MC," says Lesley Brice. "From assisting our residents, to charity drives at our office, the importance of altruism is in everything we do. Winning this award is a reflection of the ways giving back to those within our own company has helped create engagement within our own organization."

MC Companies is honored to receive this recognition and adds it to their already gleaming reputation in the multi-housing industry. This year they have received the honor of being named one of the Most Admired Companies in Arizona and one of the Top Companies to Work for in Arizona 2016 by Azcentral.com. With experience on their side, MC Companies is looking forward to 2017 and the ways MC can continue to build on existing relationships and further impact their communities.

MC Companies is a full service real-estate investment and property management company with headquarters in Scottsdale, AZ. Learn more about MC and visit: www.mccompanies.com

About MC Companies: MC Companies http://www.mccompanies.com is a real estate investment, development, construction, and management company specializing in the multifamily properties and commercial markets. MC Companies has completed over $500 million in multi-family and commercial value-added transactions since 1985.

About Multifamily Leadership: Multifamily Leadership is Preparing Multifamily Leaders for the future of work. With Multifamily Leadership Magazine, and the Multifamily Leadership Summit, the organization is helping multifamily operators get better with people, recognizing the Best Places to Work in Multifamily, and preparing Multifamily Leaders for the Future of Work. Together, our efforts will help create great places to work in Multifamily and attract new leaders to the apartment industry.

About Best Companies Group: Best Companies Group (BCG) is dedicated to establishing "Best Places to Work," "Best Companies" and "Best Employers" programs in an effort to distinguish companies who demonstrate and are superior in workplace excellence. We research the dynamics and characteristics of participating companies, analyze the data and produce a "Best" distinction that will make the company, the selected region (or industry) and the organizing partners proud. The very mission of Best Companies Group is to "identify and recognize" places of employment that are leading the way in defining the employee experience of the 21st century.

PRLog ID: www.prlog.org/12607924

SOURCE MC Companies
During an event at the site of the forthcoming Seton Hall-Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, leaders from Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health announced the ten-year strategic partnership. Driving the collaboration is a shared commitment to the highest-quality cancer care and improving outcomes and value, which will allow the two organizations to reduce the burden that cancer places on patients and families. The partnership also supports Vice President Joe Biden's National Cancer Moonshot initiative, which calls for unprecedented cooperation among leading cancer centers to make more therapies available to more patients, while also improving the ability to prevent cancer and detect it at an early stage.

According to the American Cancer Society, New Jersey has a higher cancer incidence rate than the national average. The Memorial Sloan KetteringHackensack Meridian Health partnership aims to improve the state of cancer care in New Jersey and beyond by providing support to patients throughout the cancer care continuum, from diagnosis through active treatment and into survivorship. Patients will benefit from greater access to the most innovative concepts and treatments in cancer care, including precision medicine, immunotherapy, and cell-based therapies. And more New Jersey communities than ever will have access to hundreds of clinical trials for many cancer types, including the phase I trials that both Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health offer.

Each organization's existing sites of care in New Jersey  including Hackensack Meridian Health's cancer care locations, the John Theurer Cancer Center at HackensackUMC in Hackensack, and Memorial Sloan Kettering's locations in Basking Ridge, Middletown, and Montvale (opening in 2018)  will be part of the Memorial Sloan KetteringHackensack Meridian Health partnership, but each organization will independently own, operate, and manage these existing sites.

The initial stages of the Memorial Sloan KetteringHackensack Meridian Health partnership will involve developing joint standards of care to be applied across these existing sites to optimize clinical outcomes for every patient, as well as setting clinical research priorities. Eventually, the two organizations will create a formal joint venture to own and operate new ambulatory care centers in areas of New Jersey they do not yet serve.

"This momentous partnership between the world's first cancer hospital and New Jersey's premier hospital system will rewrite the future of cancer care in New Jersey," said Craig Thompson, M.D., president and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering. "Together, we will provide the best quality and value-based care for our patients, discover new treatments for cancer, and train a new generation of physicians and health professionals for tomorrow."

"Hackensack Meridian Health and Memorial Sloan Kettering will discover new treatments for cancer and train together," said Robert C. Garrett, co-CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. "The standard of care that we develop will be implemented at all Hackensack Meridian Health and Memorial Sloan Kettering partnership sites alike. The sheer size and scope of what we do will impact cancer care everywhere."

"This is a groundbreaking partnership," said Andrew Pecora, M.D., president, Physician Services and chief innovation officer of Hackensack Meridian Health. "Our combined and unparalleled clinical experience, along with our focus on big-data platforms, next-generation analytics, and precision medicine, will lead to the best possible outcomes for our patients. Together, we will develop and implement standardized care management and research protocols for all cancer patients receiving care at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health partnership sites."

"Memorial Sloan Kettering is deeply committed to New Jersey, having provided cancer care in the state for more than 20 years, and we are excited to have the opportunity to offer our cancer expertise and resources to even more New Jersey residents," said Jose Baselga, M.D., Ph.D., physician-in-chief and chief medical officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering. "Hackensack Meridian Health is a strong partner for Memorial Sloan Kettering, and our collaboration will help us continue to meet the evolving needs of patients with cancer, whether that's through greater access to clinical trials or more convenient options for local hospitalization and follow-up care. We look forward to working with Hackensack Meridian Health to serve New Jersey residents over the next decade."

"Both Hackensack Meridian Health and Memorial Sloan Kettering are already highly respected leaders in cancer care, driven by research and innovation," said John K. Lloyd, co-CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. "Together, our organizations will enhance the capabilities of each other, offering our cancer patients access to clinical trials that may have otherwise been unattainable."

Today, Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health treat one in five New Jersey residents who are diagnosed with cancer. Combined, the two organizations annually will serve the most patients with cancer in the region, and many of their combined programs will be among the largest and most respected in the country.

The Memorial Sloan KetteringHackensack Meridian Health partnership creates instant convenience. All Memorial Sloan Kettering locations in New Jersey (in Basking Ridge, Middletown, and Montvale, which will open in 2018) and Hackensack Meridian Health locations that offer cancer care (HackensackUMC in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, HackensackUMC Mountainside in Montclair, HackensackUMC Palisades in North Bergen, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Community Hospital in Holmdel, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley in Westwood, and Meridian Health Village at Jackson) will participate in the partnership. Physicians employed by Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health  including the Hackensack Division of Regional Cancer Care Associates and physicians who participate in Hackensack Meridian Health's clinically integrated network  will continue to care for patients at their respective sites.

The partnership will be overseen by an Operating Board made up of representatives from each organization. That board will function with the advice of a formal clinical council, led by internationally recognized experts in all subtypes of cancer from Memorial Sloan Kettering, the John Theurer Cancer Center, and Hackensack Meridian Health, as well as a formal executive advisory group comprised of institutional leaders in key areas.

About Memorial Sloan Kettering

Memorial Sloan Kettering is the world's oldest and largest private cancer center, home to more than 14,000 physicians, scientists, nurses, and staff united by a relentless dedication to conquering cancer. As an independent institution, Memorial Sloan Kettering combines 130 years of research and clinical leadership with the freedom to provide highly individualized, exceptional care to each patient. And MSK's always-evolving educational programs continue to train new leaders in the field, here and around the world. For more information, go to www.mskcc.org.

According to US News & World Report, Memorial Sloan Kettering has ranked as one of the top two hospitals for cancer care in the country for more than 25 years and among the nation's top pediatric hospitals for cancer care. In addition, the 2016 Best Doctors issue of New York magazine recognizes more cancer physicians from Memorial Sloan Kettering than from any other hospital in the New York metropolitan area.

About Hackensack Meridian Health

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 13 hospitals, including two academic medical centers, two children's hospitals and nine community hospitals, physician practices, more than 120 ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, and urgent care and after-hours centers. Hackensack Meridian Health has 28,000 team members, more than 6,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The Network's notable distinctions include having one of only five major academic medical centers in the nation to receive Healthgrades America's 50 Best Hospitals Award for five or more consecutive years, the number one hospital in New Jersey as ranked by U.S. News and World Report, consistently achieving Magnet recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, recipient of the John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality from The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum, a six-time recipient of Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For," one of the "20 Best Workplaces in Health Care" in the nation, and the number one "Best Place to Work for Women." Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.

The hospitals of Hackensack Meridian Health include: academic medical centers  HackensackUMC in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune; children's hospitals  Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune; community hospitals  Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, HackensackUMC Mountainside in Montclair, HackensackUMC Palisades in North Bergen, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Community Hospital in Holmdel, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, and HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley in Westwood. For more information, visit, www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Caitlin Hool

[email protected]

646-227-3956

Hackensack Meridian Health

Robert Cavanaugh

[email protected]

732-406-4454

SOURCE Meridian Health

Related Links

http://www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump's transition to the White House (all times EST):

8:30 p.m.

President-elect Donald Trump is singing House Speaker Paul Ryan's praises in Wisconsin.

At a rally Tuesday in West Allis, Trump praised the Wisconsin politicians in the room. When Ryan drew boos, Trump said he was "like a fine wine. Every day that goes by I get to appreciate his genius more and more."

Trump and Ryan have not always been so cozy. Ryan disinvited Trump from a rally in the fall, saying he was "sickened" by past profane comments from the presidential candidate. But they started mended fences leading up to Election Day.

Ryan was just one of the speakers who opened for Trump Tuesday. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Trump's pick for chief of staff, Reince Priebus, also spoke.

___

7:35 p.m.

President-elect Donald Trump is asking Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel to serve as national party chairwoman, in part as a reward for delivering Michigan for the GOP for the first time in 28 years.

The choice of McDaniel to serve as Republican National Committee chairwoman was confirmed Tuesday night by a person familiar with Trump's decision. The person asked for anonymity because the announcement has not yet been made.

McDaniel is the niece of 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. She supported Trump after he won the party's 2016 nomination despite her famous uncle's sharp criticism.

McDaniel would become the second woman to serve as RNC chairwoman, and the first in 40 years.

Trump's decision marks a key victory for outgoing RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, who supported McDaniel for the job.

 Julie Bykowicz

___

6 p.m.

It looks like the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress won't be joining the incoming Trump administration and will remain in the House.

Washington state Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers had been considered front-runner to head the Interior Department.

The No. 4 House Republican leader posted on Facebook on Tuesday that she was honored to spend time with President-elect Donald Trump but is "energized more than ever to continue leading in Congress as we think big, reimagine this government and put people back at the center of it."

Story continues

A source close to McMorris Rodgers said the congresswoman met briefly twice with Trump but was never offered the interior secretary job. The source, who wasn't authorized to publicly discuss McMorris Rodgers' status, said reports that she was offered that job were driven by Trump's transition team.

 Alan Fram

___

4:15 p.m.

The Energy Department says it won't provide the names of staffers who worked on climate issues to President-elect Donald Trump's transition team, even as it pledges to cooperate with the incoming administration.

Trump's transition team is seeking information about agency operations and personnel, including a list of employees and contractors who attended international meetings on climate change over the past five years.

An Energy Department spokesman said Tuesday that while officials "will be forthcoming with all publicly-available information, we will not be providing any individual names to the transition team."

Spokesman Eben Burnham-Snyder says some of the questions asked by Trump's team left DOE workers "unsettled." He says DOE officials "respect the professional and scientific integrity and independence of our employees at our labs and across our department."

___

1:53 p.m.

Bill Gates says he and Donald Trump talked big ideas Tuesday in Trump Tower.

The co-founder of Microsoft Corp. told reporters that he and the president-elect had a "good conversation about innovation, how it can help in health, education, the impact of foreign aid and energy," as well as "a wide-ranging conversation about power of innovation."

___

1:48 p.m.

Donald Trump is expected to be invited to the National Prayer Breakfast in February.

Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark., and Chris Coons, D-Del., are co-chairmen of the breakfast and expected to issue the invitation to Trump on Wednesday. A release about the meeting said they will discuss the long tradition of the breakfast "as an inclusive, positive event focused on prayer."

The event has been held for more than six decades and has often seen as a chance for politicians to pause the debate of the day and gather in fellowship and reflection. But it doesn't always happen that way.

Keynote speaker Ben Carson in 2013 drew attention for complaining about tax laws and offering suggestions for health care changes. Carson was then a neurosurgeon who is now Trump's choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

___

12:40 p.m.

New York City police say they've arrested a teenager who showed up at the Trump Tower security checkpoint with a knife, handcuffs, fireworks and a water pistol.

Authorities say 19-year-old Alexander Wang of upstate Poughquag, New York was arrested at around 6:30 p.m. Monday.

The Manhattan district attorney's office said Tuesday afternoon that he was awaiting arraignment. There was no immediate information on an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

The Secret Service runs the checkpoint. The NYPD has a security detail at the tower.

__

11:55 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump is considering major Republican fundraiser Wayne Berman as the U.S. Trade Representative.

That's according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.

Berman is a senior adviser at the Blackstone Group and was a strong supporter of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's failed 2016 presidential campaign. He served in the Commerce Department during President George H.W. Bush's administration.

Trump made his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact and other multilateral trade deals a central part of his campaign. He's pledged to negotiate bilateral trade agreements, work that would fall in part to the trade representative.

The people with knowledge of the discussions insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the internal deliberations.

-By Julie Pace and Julie Bykowicz

__

11:25 a.m.

Brazilian President Michel Temer and President-elect Donald Trump have spoken about a "U.S.-Brazil agenda for economic growth."

That's according to a statement from Temer's office, which said the phone call took place Tuesday. The two planned for their teams to meet on the issue in February.

Temer's office said Brazil wants his country to have more U.S. investment and said that Brazilians will continue investing in the United States.

____

11:05 a.m.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he "look(s) forward" to supporting Donald Trump's nomination of Rex Tillerson for secretary of state.

The Kentucky Republican predicted in a statement Tuesday that Tillerson will "face each problem head on with American interests and security as his top priority." McConnell added that he looks "forward to supporting his nomination."

HIs positive words could carry considerable sway with Senate Republicans, a few of which have said they have serious concerns about Tillerson's ties with Russia. McConnell on Monday told reporters that "the Russians are not our friends." But he made no mention of the ExxonMobil chief's close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump says he regards Tillerson's Russia ties an asset for a secretary of state.

___

10:32 a.m.

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he is "humbled" that President-elect Donald Trump considered him to be secretary of energy.

The West Virginian, whose state voted overwhelmingly for Trump last month, said he can best serve the Mountaineer State in the Senate. Manchin is up for re-election in 2018.

Manchin's comments came after reports that former Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been selected to run the Energy Department.

___

10:04 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump says he and musician Kanye West talked "life" in Trump Tower.

The two posed for photos after their meeting Tuesday.

Asked why the musician was visiting, Trump said the two were "just friends" and called West a "good man."

The two did not answer questions on whether West would perform at Trump's inauguration in January.

West stood silently next to Trump. Asked why he wasn't speaking, West said: "I just want to take a picture right now."

___

9:32 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump has selected former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to lead the Energy Department.

That's according to two people with knowledge of the decision.

The two-time presidential candidate had been a harsh critic of Trump during the 2016 race, calling him a "cancer to conservatism." He later endorsed the Republican nominee and said he'd be willing to work in a Trump administration.

One of Perry's best-remembered moments from his first White House run was when he couldn't remember in a debate the third of three federal agencies he promised to eliminate if elected. The one he forgot was the Energy Department.

The two people with knowledge of Trump's pick insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the decision ahead of the official announcement.

-By Ken Thomas and Julie Pace

___

9:25 a.m.

Kanye West is visiting Trump Tower this morning.

The musician entered the building shortly after 9 a.m. with a large entourage. West was not accompanied by wife Kim Kardashian West.

The 39-year-old recently spent over a week in Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles for stress and exhaustion.

West did not stop to talk to reporters gathered in the lobby.

At a concert in November, West said he didn't vote, but if he had he "would have voted for Trump."

___

9:21 a.m.

An aide to President Vladimir Putin is praising President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Rex Tillerson to lead the State Department.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Tuesday in remarks reported by the TASS news agency described Tillerson as a "very credible figure" and a "big professional."

The CEO of ExxonMobil has met Putin several times and he received Russia's Order of Friendship in 2013. ExxonMobil works closely with Russian oil giant Rosneft and in 2013 the two companies struck a multi-billion dollar Arctic oil exploration deal.

Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also praised Tillerson's "pragmatism."

___

8:50 a.m.

Rudy Giuliani says Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson would do a good job as secretary of state.

Giuliani, at one time in the running for the post, says President-elect Donald Trump has chosen someone who has the experience to understand the world.

"I'm okay with the choice," Giuliani told CNN on Tuesday morning. "I think Donald Trump has selected somebody who knows the world and can advise him on the world."

Giuliani says Trump had several solid candidates on his short list, such as former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton. "I thought John Bolton would have been a great secretary of state," he said. Giuliani said he took himself out of the running last month.

___

8:40 a.m.

Russia's foreign minister says the "pragmatism" of the nominee for the next U.S. secretary of state, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, is good basis for future relations.

Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday in the Serbian capital that both President-elect Donald Trump and Tillerson "have not been against our cooperation."

Lavrov says, "we expect that this pragmatism will be a good foundation for building mutually beneficial cooperation" between the U.S. and Russia.

Tillerson has close ties to Russia and President Vladimir Putin, which is certain to draw scrutiny and fuel a potential Senate confirmation fight.

___

7:44 a.m.

A top adviser to Donald Trump says the president-elect "hit it off" with his choice for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson.

Reince Priebus said Tuesday that the president-elect chose Tillerson in part because the ExxonMobil CEO is a diplomat who "happens to be able to drill oil."

The Republican National Committee chairman said, "Tillerson had to maintain relationships across the world in many places that aren't the easiest places to have relationships, during many different (presidential) administrations."

Some Republicans and Democrats said they have concerns about Tillerson's longtime business ties to Russia, raising questions about whether he could win Senate confirmation.

Priebus spoke Tuesday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

___

7:00 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday he has settled on ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state.

The real estate mogul said in a predawn statement that Tillerson is "among the most accomplished business leaders and international deal makers in the world."

Trump added that Tillerson's career is "the embodiment of the American dream."

Senate Democrats and some Republicans have said they're concerned about Tillerson's business ties to Russia. The subject is likely to come up during Tillerson's Senate confirmation proceedings.

___

4:00 a.m.

President Barack Obama is criticizing Trump for saying he'll shun daily intelligence briefings when he takes office.

Appearing Monday evening on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," Obama said that a president who isn't getting the benefit of such regular briefings from the intelligence community is likely "flying blind" in managing national security issues for the country.

Trump said in a television interview Sunday that he wasn't interested in getting daily intelligence briefings, a practice that's been a fixture for chief executives of both parties for several years.

Obama also said the reason he's ordered a wide-ranging probe into purported Russian hacking against the U.S. election process is to "really just gather all of the threads of the investigation." He says notions of meddling in the campaign "was not a secret" before Election Day, Nov. 8, in the United States.

3:15 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to lead the State Department, dismissing concerns about the businessman's close ties to Russia and bringing a long public audition process to a conclusion.

Two people close to Trump's transition team said Monday night that Trump had selected Tillerson. They insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the pick ahead of that announcement.

Trump was set to announce his nomination Tuesday morning. The selection could set him up for a potential fight with Congress over confirming Tillerson, who has connections with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Leading Republicans have already expressed anxieties about Tillerson, as they contend with intelligence assessments saying Russia interfered with the U.S. presidential election to help Trump.
CAMPECHE, Mexico, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mexico Tourism Board announced today the results of a large tourism industry planning summit held in the coastal paradise Campeche, part of the Yucatan peninsula. The summit, with a theme of Co-Creating the New Era of Mexico Tourism, focused on developing new research, digital and technology platforms as well as personalized marketing efforts to fuel tourism product development, diversification and overall industry growth globally.

Hosted by Tourism Minister Enrique de la Madrid and Mexico Tourism Board CEO Lourdes Berho, the meeting welcomed more than 200 tourism industry professionals from the Ministry of Tourism, Mexico Tourism Board global headquarters and international offices, and representatives from more than 40 of Mexico's tourism destinations across Mexico.

In 2015, Mexico became the 9th most visited country in the world having received more than 32 million international travelers with growth of more than 9% -- more than double the global industry average. With a new strategic plan focusing on leveraging global qualitative and quantitative mega trends, insights from custom behavioral studies from key markets from around the world; the Mexico Tourism industry has charted a path towards sustained high growth by reaching visitors through genuine engagement and personalized promotional efforts especially. Through August of 2016, Mexico's growth continues at more than 8% versus 2015.

"To reach today's travelers, you have to understand what drives them from consideration to planning and finally boarding the plane to visit," states Lourdes Berho. "It's critical to lead them to buying by engaging them in a genuine way through the content they interact with  which we are seeing is going more mobile. By understanding what they need, we can then communicate what they want in a more direct and genuine way through an easy to reach vehicle they use on a daily basis."

The Mexico Tourism Board plans to continue to go beyond sun and beach and also leverage Mexico's rich historical, cultural, gastronomic and mega-biodiversity products to diversify the tourism offering for today's savvy traveler seeking multiple experiences during a visit. Connectivity and industry partnerships have also been expanded, with many new, direct routes to Mexico launched in late 2016 and to come in 2017. This all will help in achieving the new ambitious goal of reaching 50 million international visitors by 2021.

"We have charted a new strategic vision for Mexico that includes closer collaboration between the industry, private sector, strategic partners, and one that will allow us to deliver both tourism product and experience innovations as well as a modern and personalized approach to our marketing and promotional campaigns," added Berho.

A rich agenda consisted of panel discussions, innovative marketing presentations and group workshops. Outside speakers included senior strategists from international marketing and business innovation consultancies as well was Facebook/Instagram, Twitter, Spotify, and Google. New, independent international research was also unveiled looking closely at travelers, marketplace segments and trends across key markets including the U.S, Canada, UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain, in order to uncover new opportunities in the marketplace.

During the three-day summit, panelists from around the globe and industry delivered inspirational ideas and recommendations and all attendees participated in several small group workshops with in-depth discussions around strategies for specific international markets and audiences, developing tourism product and experience offerings, working more closely across Mexico's destinations, as well as how to integrate new technology, platforms, and marketing techniques into all existing efforts.

The outcomes from the summit are being put into effect immediately and will be felt across the industry in 2017 as part of a long-term, strategic plan to grow Mexico's Tourism industry.

SOURCE Mexico Tourism Board
Nineteen-year-old Mina Alali is a student at Berklee College of Music. "If young girls hear this song and are inspired to advocate for themselves someday, I will consider it a great success," states Mina. "People are used to hearing about the wage gap on the news and in political settings but we don't often hear about it on YouTube or on the radio."

The music video for the song was filmed in Boston, Massachusetts, where the first-in-the nation bill requiring men and women be paid equally for comparable work was signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker just months ago.

Mina's mission as an artist is straightforward and sincere.

"My goal is to inspireto move people, whether it be through the chord progression, the powerful message behind the lyrics, or the tone in which I sing my lyrics," she writes on her blog.

A North American radio and press campaign has been launched to promote "22 Cents Less" and it has already popped up on regional radio charts, appeared on two national radio airplay charts, and has also begun a steady ascent on to the top of those playlists. She's also just released a holiday video (https://youtu.be/v1ZAa3Whw2Q) titled "What I Want" as a special gift for her ever growing base of fans (https://www.reverbnation.com/mina1).

Mina Alali is available for interviews and/or appearances and will release her complete new album in a few weeks. News, updates and additional information may also be found at: http://www.minaalali.com.

Contact: Vanessa Errecarte

(530) 320-3459

[email protected]

www.minaalali.com

SOURCE Mina Alali

Related Links

http://www.minaalali.com


GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- NBH Bank, the wholly-owned bank subsidiary of National Bank Holdings Corporation (NYSE: NBHC), announced today that Whitney Bartelli, Christopher Randall, Patrick Sobers and Micho Spring have been appointed as directors of the NBH Bank Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2017. Bank Midwest in Missouri and Kansas, Community Banks of Colorado in Colorado, and Hillcrest Bank in Texas are all divisions of NBH Bank.

Patrick Sobers, NBH Bank's Executive Vice President for Consumer and Small Business Banking, has also been named President of Community Banks of Colorado.

NBH Chairman and CEO Tim Laney said, "We are very pleased to add Whitney, Chris, Patrick and Micho to our NBH Bank Board. Each of them brings tremendous experience and value to further strengthen and diversify our board of directors." He added, "Each of these leaders share a passion for delivering common sense banking solutions in the communities where we do business. We are also pleased to announce Patrick Sobers as our President of Community Banks of Colorado, to further ensure our delivery of high value client service in our Colorado market."

Ms. Bartelli is NBH Bank's Chief Marketing Officer and President of Bank Midwest, leading community building initiatives, integrated brand strategy and marketing programs, and product development and client service initiatives. Whitney has more than 25 years of experience in financial services with a core expertise in branding, marketing and communications. Prior to joining the bank, Whitney was Senior Vice President of Retail Brand Strategy and Management at Bank of America, where she led brand-building initiatives for the card, deposits, small business and home loans lines of business. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, is Vice Chair of the Executive Women's Leadership Council, was named to Kansas City's 2016 class of Women Who Mean Business and serves on the Board of Directors for Hope House.

Mr. Randall is NBH Bank's Executive Vice President for Commercial and Specialty Banking and has 27 years of leadership experience building successful commercial banking and specialty finance businesses and providing debt and equity capital to lower middle market businesses. Chris is also the Senior Managing Director and Founder of NBH Capital Finance, a division of NBH Bank. Previously, Chris was the Director and Founder of CoBiz Structured Finance based in Denver, Colorado. Prior to CoBiz, Chris was an executive of the Marquette Financial Companies as a Senior Managing Director, COO, and Board Member of MFC Capital Funding, a Chicago, Illinois based specialty finance and investing business started in February of 2005. Chris is a Trustee of the University of Colorado Foundation, supporting all campuses of the University of Colorado System.

Mr. Sobers is NBH Bank's Executive Vice President for Consumer and Small Business Banking and President for Community Banks of Colorado. Mr. Sobers has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining the bank, he held several leadership positions at Bank of America, including as the Southeast Region's Consumer Banking Executive; as Customer Service and Solutions Executive; as Premier Banking and Investments Regional Executive for Florida and Georgia, now Merrill Lynch Wealth Management; and as Tampa Market President. Patrick is currently a board member of the Third Way Center in Colorado and a member of the Foundation Board of the Moffitt Cancer Center.

Ms. Spring is a director of National Bank Holdings Corporation. She is currently Chairperson, Global Corporate Practice and President, New England region for Weber Shandwick. Ms. Spring is the former CEO of Boston Telecommunications Company and former Deputy Mayor of Boston. Ms. Spring currently sits on the Executive Committee of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and holds numerous board memberships. She is a past director of Citizens Bank of Massachusetts, a $35 billion state chartered bank.

About NBH Bank

NBH Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Bank Holdings Corporation, operates a network of 91 banking centers under the following brand names: Bank Midwest in Missouri and Kansas, Community Banks of Colorado in Colorado, and Hillcrest Bank in Texas. National Bank Holdings Corporation is a bank holding company created to build a leading community bank franchise delivering high-quality client service and committed to shareholder results.

For more information visit: bankmw.com, cobnks.com, hillcrestbank.com or nbhbank.com. More information about National Bank Holdings Corporation can be found at www.nationalbankholdings.com.

Or, follow us on any of our social media sites:

Bank Midwest: facebook.com/bankmw, twitter.com/bank_mw, instagram.com/bankmw;

Community Banks of Colorado: facebook.com/cobnks, twitter.com/cobnks, instagram.com/cobnks;

Hillcrest Bank: facebook.com/hillcrestbank, twitter.com/hillcrest_bank;

NBH Bank: twitter.com/nbhbank;

or connect with any of our brands on LinkedIn.

SOURCE NBH Bank

Related Links

https://www.nbhbank.com


SAN DIEGO, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Shareholder rights law firm Johnson & Weaver, LLP has launched an investigation into whether the board members of NeuStar, Inc. (NYSE: NSR) breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the proposed sale of the Company to Golden Gate Capital. NeuStar provides hard-to-replicate data sets and proprietary analytics worldwide.

On December 14, 2016, NeuStar announced it had signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Golden Gate. Under the terms of the agreement, Golden Gate will acquire NeuStar for $33.50 per share in cash.

The investigation concerns whether the NeuStar board failed to satisfy their duties to the Company shareholders, including whether the board adequately pursued alternatives to the acquisition and whether the board obtained the best price possible for NeuStar stock. Nationally recognized Johnson & Weaver is investigating whether the proposed deal price represents adequate consideration.

If you are a shareholder of NeuStar and believe the proposed buyout price is too low and you're interested in learning more about the investigation or your legal rights and remedies, please contact lead analyst Jim Baker ([email protected]) at 619-814-4471.

About Johnson & Weaver, LLP:

Johnson & Weaver, LLP is a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm with offices in California, New York and Georgia. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://www.johnsonandweaver.com. Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Contact:

Johnson & Weaver, LLP

Jim Baker, 619-814-4471

[email protected]

SOURCE Johnson & Weaver, LLP

Related Links

http://johnsonandweaver.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- News Republic, a global mobile news service operator owned by Cheetah Mobile (NYSE: CMCM) and known for providing mobile news services with a personalized experience, today launched Spark, a micro-influencer content distribution platform powered by artificial intelligence technology. Built within the News Republic mobile app, which is available on iOS and Android, Spark leverages machine learning technology to provide relevant influencer content for users. The launch of Spark transforms News Republic from a news app supported by top tier news outlets into a comprehensive content app with both evergreen influencer content and breaking news. Effective immediately, users of News Republic can start receiving and subscribing to content, such as blogs and YouTube channels, from Spark members.

According to Charles Fan, Chief Technology Officer of Cheetah Mobile, "News Republic is an AI-powered content app designed to provide the most personalized and relevant content to users. Our algorithm analyzes user preferences to help discover their interests. With the introduction of Spark, users can not only get breaking news from our 2,000+ top news providers, such as Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and BBC International, but also stay on top of exciting content from their favorite YouTubers and bloggers. Spark harnesses the power of artificial intelligence, helping all influencers reach a highly personalized set of potential audiences."

Micro-influencer content is known to provide authenticity, a unique point of view, deep storytelling, and access to a more tailored audience1, which makes the introduction of Spark critical in diversifying the content sources within the News Republic app. For influencers, Spark serves as a great channel for additional traffic to their sites.

"Spark solves two main key issues for influencers: audience identification and monetization. Spark is a distribution platform for all content creators who would like to make the most out of their existing content. Upon joining Spark, creators can get their content in front of the 600 million users across Cheetah Mobile's suite of apps, including Clean Master and CM Security, alongside coverage from News Republic's top news outlets," Fan said.

The first three pieces of original content published via Spark from the first 1,000 content contributors will have an audience of approximately 10,000 people. "The sign-up process for Spark is intuitive. Content creators simply provide a blog RSS link and/or YouTube channel to complete registration. The system will then start automatically pulling content into the News Republic app. Our monetization model for Spark influencers is ad revenue share," Fan said.

Over 350 content contributors have joined Spark since the beta version launched, including TED speaker Jia Jiang2, who has significantly expanded his reader base since joining Spark, "For an online influencer like me, reach is everything, and having Spark as a channel for my content is simply awesome! The analytics tool tells me who my new readers are so I know what to write for them." Robin Mudge, owner of Playful Kitty3, a top pet blog, commented that she noticed a significant increase in her website traffic. "Page views of my blog has increased 29% since I joined Spark," she said. "I appreciate the traffic, and I'm so glad people are enjoying my content."

Spark is emerging from its invitation-only beta phase, with registration now open to the public. The platform also welcomes potential writers without existing blogs, as it provides a publishing tool for posting content in News Republic. About 20% of the current content contributions are new to the influencer space, meaning they didn't have an established blog until they joined Spark. The platform has helped them get more exposure. "My articles published via Spark have received more than 10,000 clicks within two weeks. It's been fun writing topics I'm truly passionate about, while having the opportunity to share it with the right audience set. I think the AI aspect really makes the difference in helping my content get seen by readers that are truly interested in my work," said Christina Kitova, a top performing writer specializing in military and politics writing.

News Republic drives Cheetah Mobile's content operations alongside the company's live video broadcasting and casual gaming endeavors. Influencers and content creators can now be a part of the success of the News Republic app, which has achieved the No.1 position in the News and Media category in 23 countries/regions on iOS and has been No.1 in News and Media category in over 60 countries on Google Play. For more information about Spark, visit: https://goo.gl/VtlC3R.

1. Digital Marketing Strategy and The Rise of The Micro-Influencer http://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=http://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccasuhrawardi/2016/08/30/digital-marketing-strategy-and-the-rise-of-the-micro-influencer/&refURL=&referrer=#f61d3e1642e5 Forbes, August 30 2016 2. Jia Jiang http://www.ted.com/talks/jia_jiang_what_i_learned_from_100_days_of_rejection 3. Playful Kitty www.PlayfulKitty.net

About Cheetah Mobile

Cheetah Mobile is a leading mobile internet company. It aims to provide leading apps for mobile users worldwide and connect users with personalized content on the mobile platform.

Cheetah Mobile's products, including its popular mission-critical utility applications Clean Master, CM Security and Battery Doctor, help make users' mobile internet experience smarter, speedier, and safer. The Company has attracted 612 million global Mobile MAUs as of September 2016, of which approximately 80% are located outside of China. Leveraging the success of its mission-critical applications, Cheetah Mobile has launched its line of mobile content-driven applications, including News Republic and Live.me.

Cheetah Mobile provides its advertising customers, which include direct advertisers and mobile advertising networks through which advertisers place their advertisements, with direct access to highly targeted mobile users and global promotional channels, which are capable of delivering targeted content to hundreds of millions of users.

SOURCE Cheetah Mobile
NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Summary

Strategic Defense Intelligence in its report "North America Defense Spends on Homeland Security, 2016 to 2025" has considered Homeland security (HLS) to include protection of a North America's civilians and critical infrastructure from natural or man-made disaster. Its margins extend to border and maritime patrol, customs checks in ports and airports, search and rescue operations, disaster recovery, combating terrorism and cyber-attacks.



The report provides a quantitative top-level view of projected defense spends at market (Homeland Security) and following segments levels:



Maritime Infrastructure and Protection

Maritime Surveillance and Detection

Counter Terrorism Infrastructure

Counter Terrorism Ordnance, Mobility and others

Police Force Infrastructure

Police Force Ordnance, Mobility and others

Physical Security

Network Security

Other Critical Infrastructure Security



The information in this report draws upon Strategic Defense Intelligence's in-depth, primary research and proprietary databases to provide you with robust, segment specific data. It is an essential resource for professionals active across the industry value chain and for new players considering entry into the market.



Countries covered in this report: Canada, United States, and Mexico



*This is an on-demand report and will be delivered within 2 working days (excluding weekends) of the purchase.



Key Findings

- Provides key forecast statistics on the defense spends related to Homeland Security (HLS) from 2016 to 2025.



- Provides segmentation data of the Homeland Security (HLS) market in North America.



Synopsis

"North America Defense Spends on Homeland Security, 2016 to 2025" a market research analytics report from the house of Strategic Defense Intelligence; outlays North America's projected defense budget allocations on Homeland Security (HLS). The report provides strategic outlay on individual categories which include Maritime and Border Security, Police Modernization and Counter Terrorism, and Critical Infrastructure Protection (where applicable).



Reasons To Buy

- Understand the North America's Homeland Security (HLS) market using Strategic Defense Intelligence's market and segmentation analytics.



- Use the sector market sizing and budget allocation data to understand the current landscape and forecasts to discover the future direction of the Homeland Security (HLS) market in North America.



- Formulate crucial business strategies and make the right investment decisions using Strategic Defense Intelligence's forecast figures.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04171908-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


SEATTLE, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As consumers get ready to shop 'til they drop this holiday season, many worry about protecting their identity from fraud, both online and offline. But the latest Northwest Poll from PEMCO Insurance suggests that consumers are taking fewer precautions to protect their sensitive information and shifting blame of identity theft away from themselves and onto others.

A new PEMCO Poll finds that a vast majority of Northwest residents (86 percent) are at least somewhat concerned about their identity being stolen, and half of Washington and Oregon residents (50 percent) think identity theft occurs because businesses aren't keeping their credit card information safe and secure. Meanwhile, nearly a third of residents (29 percent) are concerned that online shopping could leave them vulnerable to fraud.

"While our Northwest neighbors are clearly worried about identity theft, many place the responsibility for safeguarding their personal information in the hands of others, often forgoing simple safety measures in the process," said PEMCO spokesperson Derek Wing. "It seems harder to protect personal information these days, especially online, but that's exactly why consumers must be vigilant about potential fraud."

Surprisingly, though some shoppers worry about the possibility of identity theft while conducting online transactions, when it comes to paying bills, twice as many Northwest residents feel it's more secure to pay their bills online rather than through the mail (54 percent vs. 20 percent).

In fact, a majority of Northwest residents (60 percent) feel the angst offline, too, and say they're at least somewhat worried that the "snail mail" delivered to their home could be stolen. Interestingly, residents under age 55 are significantly more likely to say they're very or extremely concerned about mail theft compared to their older counterparts (33 percent vs. 20 percent).To mitigate this risk, a majority of residents (56 percent) either have a locking mailbox or use a locked box located at a secure facility, such as a post office.

However, when it comes to other means of identity protection, like shredding important documents, Northwest residents can certainly step up their efforts. According to the poll, the use and ownership of document shredders has dropped about 18 percent over the past two years. But the biggest disparity is seen in the number of older residents who own and use a shredder compared to younger residents; nearly two-thirds (70 percent) of respondents over age 55 still own and use one, while just 44 percent of those under age 35 say the same, showing generational differences.

"Identity theft comes in many forms, and as consumers move online, thieves will follow," Wing added. "PEMCO reminds consumers to err on the side of caution and make sure all of your bases are covered, regardless of how you shop  monitor your accounts, create strong passwords and shred personal documents  especially during the hectic holiday season."

For a complete summary of PEMCO's poll results, visit www.pemco.com/poll, where you'll find the responses collected by FBK Research of Seattle in June 2016.

About the PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll

PEMCO Insurance commissioned this independent survey, conducted by FBK Research of Seattle, that asked Washington and Oregon residents questions about driving habits and attitudes toward current Northwest issues. The sample size, 600 respondents in Washington and 600 in Oregon, yields an accuracy of +/- 4.1 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. In other words, if this study were conducted 100 times, in 95 instances the data will not vary by more than the associated error range.

About PEMCO Insurance

PEMCO Insurance, established in 1949, is a Seattle-based provider of auto, home, boat, and umbrella insurance to Northwest residents. PEMCO Insurance is sold to consumers by the method they choose  phone, local community agents, or online. For more information, visit pemco.com.

CONTACTS:

Derek Wing

PEMCO Insurance

206.628.4622

[email protected]

Mark Firmani

Firmani + Associates Inc.

206.443.9357

[email protected]

SOURCE PEMCO Insurance

Related Links

http://www.pemco.com


The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home is a model of primary care that combines teamwork and information technology to improve care, improve patients' experience of care and reduce costs. Medical homes foster ongoing partnerships between patients and their personal clinicians, instead of approaching care as the sum of episodic office visits. Each patient's care is overseen by clinician-led care teams that coordinate treatment across the health care system. Research shows that medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs and can improve patient and provider reported experiences of care.

"NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition raises the bar in defining high-quality care by emphasizing access, health information technology and coordinated care focused on patients," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "Recognition shows that Nuestros Ninos, Our Kids Pediatrics has the tools, systems and resources to provide its patients with the right care, at the right time."

"Nuestros Ninos, Our Kids Pediatrics is committed to providing the highest quality care, so we are extremely pleased to be recognized by NCQA," said Robin Cahill-Roberts, CEO Nuestros Ninos, Our Kids Pediatrics. "As a recognized Level-III Patient-Centered Medical Home, we have demonstrated a commitment to partner with our patients to help them achieve optimum health and wellness. I'd like to thank WellCare for the counsel and support they provided, which was invaluable to our ability to participate in and complete this transformative process."

To earn recognition, which is valid for three years, Nuestros Ninos, Our Kids Pediatrics demonstrated the ability to meet the program's key elements, embodying characteristics of the medical home. NCQA standards aligned with the joint principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home established with the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Osteopathic Association.

"WellCare of Georgia established an initiative to assist practices in becoming recognized by NCQA to increase the number of practices committed to fostering strong physician-patient relationships, encouraging proactive care coordination and increasing quality of care in Georgia," said Gwen Wyles, WellCare's director, product operations, who manages the Enhanced PCMH Initiative program. "We'd like to congratulate Nuestros Ninos, Our Kids Pediatrics for their effort to consistently provide quality care at the highest level."

WellCare of Georgia, a subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG), and NCQA have partnered to provide a discount to health care practices in Georgia that seek recognition as a PCMH using NCQA's criteria. For more information about receiving the discount, participating providers should contact WellCare of Georgia at [email protected].

To find clinicians and their practices with NCQA PCMH Recognition, visit recognition.ncqa.org.

About NCQA

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA's Web site (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.

Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing government-sponsored managed care services, primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs. The company serves approximately 3.8 million members nationwide as of Sept. 30, 2016. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at www.wellcare.com or view the company's videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan.

SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.wellcare.com


WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The operators of the Toronto-based AshleyMadison.com dating site have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission and state charges that they deceived consumers and failed to protect 36 million users' account and profile information in relation to a massive July 2015 data breach of their network. The site has members from over 46 countries.

The settlement requires the defendants to implement a comprehensive data-security program, including third-party assessments. In addition, the operators will pay a total of $1.6 million to settle FTC and state actions.

"This case represents one of the largest data breaches that the FTC has investigated to date, implicating 36 million individuals worldwide," said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. "The global settlement requires AshleyMadison.com to implement a range of more robust data security practices that will better-protect its users' personal information from criminal hackers going forward."

"Creating fake profiles and selling services that are not delivered is unacceptable behavior for any dating website," said Vermont Attorney General William H. Sorrell, "I was pleased to see the FTC and the state attorneys general working together in such a productive and cooperative manner. Vermont has a long history of such cooperation, and it's great to see that continuing."

"In the digital age, privacy issues can impact millions of people around the world. It's imperative that regulators work together across borders to ensure that the privacy rights of individuals are respected no matter where they live," said Commissioner Daniel Therrien of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

"My office was pleased to work with the FTC and the Office of the Canadian Privacy Commissioner on this investigation through the APEC cross-border enforcement framework," said Australian Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim. "Cross-border cooperation and enforcement is the future for privacy regulation in the global consumer age, and this cooperative approach provides an excellent model for enforcement of consumer privacy rights."

According to the FTC complaint, until August 2014, operators of the site lured customers, including 19 million Americans, with fake profiles of women designed to convert them into paid members. Only users who pay to access the site can use all of its features, such as sending messages, chatting online in real time, and sending virtual gifts.

According to the FTC complaint, the defendants assured users their personal information such as date of birth, relationship status and sexual preferences was private and securely protected. But the FTC alleges the security of AshleyMadison.com was lax.

According to the complaint, the defendants had no written information security policy, no reasonable access controls, inadequate security training of employees, no knowledge of whether third-party service providers were using reasonable security measures, and no measures to monitor the effectiveness of their system security.

Intruders accessed the companies' networks several times between November 2014 and June 2015, but due to their lax data-security practices, the defendants did not discover the intrusions, the agency has alleged.

On July 12, 2015, the companies' network experienced a major data breach that received significant media coverage. In August of 2015, the hackers published sensitive profile, account security, and billing information for more than 36 million AshleyMadison.com users. According to the complaint, this included information that the defendants had retained on users who had paid $19 for a "Full Delete" service to purportedly remove their data from the site network.

The complaint charges the defendants misrepresented that they had taken reasonable steps to ensure AshleyMadison.com was secure, that they had received a "Trusted Security Award", and that they would delete all of the information of consumers who utilized their Full Delete service. The complaint also charges the defendants with misrepresenting that communications received by members were from actual women when in fact they were from fake engager profiles.

Finally, the FTC alleges that defendants engaged in unfair security practices by failing to take reasonable steps to prevent unauthorized access to personal information on their network, causing substantial consumer harm.

In addition to the provisions prohibiting the alleged misrepresentations and requiring a comprehensive security program, the proposed federal court order imposes an $8.75 million judgment which will be partially suspended upon payment of $828,500 to the Commission. If the defendants are later found to have misrepresented their financial condition, the full amount will immediately become due. An additional $828,500 will be paid to the 13 states and the District of Columbia.

The FTC worked with a coalition of 13 states  Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Vermont  and the District of Columbia to secure a settlement against the following defendants: 1) ruby Corp, formerly known as Avid Life Media Inc.; 2) ruby Life Inc., also doing business as AshleyMadison.com, and formerly known as Avid Dating Life Inc.; and 3) ADL Media Inc.

In addition, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner provided assistance to the FTC's investigation and reached their own settlements with the company. To facilitate cooperation with its Canadian and Australian partners, the FTC relied on key provisions of the U.S. SAFE WEB Act that allow the FTC to share information with foreign counterparts to combat deceptive and unfair practices that cross national borders.

The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint and stipulated final order was 3-0. The FTC filed the complaint and final order in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

NOTE: The Commission files a complaint when it has "reason to believe" that the law has been or is being violated and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. Stipulated final order has the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, read our blogs and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

SOURCE Federal Trade Commission

Related Links

http://www.ftc.gov


WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A majority of American voters believe that shifting the point of obligation under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) from refiners to wholesalers and fuel retailers would harm the economy and hard-working Americans, according to a survey released today by NATSO, the national trade association representing truckstops and travel plazas, the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA), and the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS).

The survey, conducted by Penn Schoen Berland (PSB), found that 86 percent of voters believe that changing the compliance requirements under the RFS, which is intended to reduce emissions and increase the use of ethanol and other renewable fuels, would increase gasoline and diesel prices at the pump. This change would hurt every driver in the United States, and, in turn, increase the price of many products for American consumers.

The findings also revealed that 81 percent of voters are concerned that shifting the cost from refiners who make fuel to wholesalers and retailers who sell it would increase fraud and the cost of overseeing the system.

"These survey findings highlight the underlying truth about the current rules under the RFS," said Lisa Mullings, president and CEO of NATSO. "A vast majority of U.S. voters agree that any shift would increase fuel prices for consumers, add complexity to the system, and increase fraud."

Mullings continued: "The current policy creates a strong incentive for fuel marketers to blend renewable fuels into the fuel supply while lowering the price at the pump for consumers. Changing the point of obligation would discourage fuel marketers from integrating renewable fuels into the fuel supply while simultaneously raising prices at the pump."

These findings are being released as some refineries and their investors, who failed to invest in renewable fuel blending facilities, are now displeased with their business decisions and are pushing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to shift their costs to wholesalers and fuel retailers. More than 90 percent of voters agree, however, that refiners who make gasoline and diesel fuel should be responsible for compliance.

"No one wants to pay more at the gas pump to help a couple of refiners," said Ryan McNutt, CEO of SIGMA. "Refiners already charge for the cost of compliance when they sell their products. Let's not get fooled into letting those refiners collect money and then make everyone else pay for it again."

"People know it's not fair for refiners to push their compliance responsibilities onto local businesses and their customers," added Henry Armour, president and CEO of NACS. "That's why these survey responses were so overwhelming."

On December 1, 2016, a diverse group of associations that represents the vast majority of the fuel industry, signed onto a letter arguing that RFS compliance should not change. It is unprecedented for those who make ethanol and gasoline, as well as those who sell these products, to agree on public policy in this area.

PSB conducted online interviews from November 3-7, 2016, among 1,201 likely voters nationwide. The survey has a margin of error +/-2.83 at the 95 percent confidence level and larger for subgroups. Survey respondents were informed that the federal government uses the RFS to encourage renewable fuels to be included in the transportation fuels markets, and that the entities which import and manufacture those fuels (such as refiners) are currently required to comply with the RFS rules (e.g., "obligated party").

Download the survey executive summary: Penn Schoen Berland Renewable Fuel Standards Study

Download an infographic of the survey findings: Infographic

About NATSO

NATSO is the trade association of America's travel plaza and truckstop industry. Founded in 1960, NATSO represents the industry on legislative and regulatory matters; serves as the official source of information on the diverse travel plaza and truckstop industry; provides education to its members; conducts an annual convention and trade show; and supports efforts to generally improve the business climate in which its members operate.

About SIGMA

Founded in 1958 as the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA), SIGMA has become a fixture in the motor fuel marketing industry. After fifty years of leadership, SIGMA is the national trade association representing the most successful, progressive, and innovative fuel marketers and chain retailers in the United States. From the outset, the association has served to further the interests of both the branded and unbranded segment of the industry while providing information and services to members. SIGMA's approximately 260 corporate members command nearly 50 percent of the petroleum retail market, selling approximately 80 billion gallons of motor fuel each year. These member companies operate throughout the United States and Canada.

About NACS

Founded in 1961 as the National Association of Convenience Stores, NACS (nacsonline.com) is the international association for convenience and fuel retailing. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 154,000 stores across the country, conducts 160 million transactions a day, sells 80% of the fuel purchased in the country and had total sales of $575 billion in 2015. NACS has 2,100 retail and 1,700 supplier member companies, which do business in nearly 50 countries.

Contact:

Tal Woliner, Story Partners

(202) 706-7765

[email protected]

SOURCE NATSO, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.natso.com


SAN FRANCISCO and LOS ANGELES, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco's Pacific Union International, Inc., the ninth largest real estate brokerage in the U.S. by sales volume, and John Aaroe Group, a leading Southern California luxury brokerage, announce their merger. This strategic business collaboration links two of the strongest residential real estate firms on the West Coast, supporting combined 2015 production of $10.5 billion.

Real estate leader Pacific Union International CEO Mark A. McLaughlin and John Aaroe, president of John Aaroe Group announce the merger of their West Coast residential real estate brokerages. The collaboration links two of California's strongest real estate firms supporting combined 2015 production of $10.5 billion.

"Pacific Union has been aggressively looking to partner with a top-tier brokerage with clear momentum on the West Coast," Pacific Union CEO Mark A. McLaughlin says. "John Aaroe Group is a premium brand that embraces our culture of teamwork, trust and innovation. The combination will permit Pacific Union to continue to invest in marketing and technology programs to support our real estate professionals in this highly competitive market."

"This strategic collaboration with Pacific Union delivers on our brokerage's mission to expand our international reach and accelerate the adoption of the most advanced technology and innovative thinking for our real estate professionals in the industry today," John Aaroe, president of John Aaroe Group says.

The combination of Pacific Union, The Mark Company, John Aaroe Group, and Chartwell Escrow seamlessly link the Northern and Southern California offices of these two brokerages. The combined organization results in 1,100 real estate professionals operating in 38 offices. Northern California markets include San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, Napa, and Sonoma counties, Silicon Valley, and the Lake Tahoe region. Greater Los Angeles markets include Beverly Hills, the Westside, Downtown, and the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys.

Pacific Union vigorously executes against a unique, high-performance vision for the development of the real estate firm of the future. Key to this vision is its Innovation Lab, led by 25 agile real estate professionals who accelerate technology development unsurpassed in the industry. The technology stack created through this initiative includes a robust array of proprietary tech tools that connect the cloud to the street, putting faster business analytics into the hands of elite real estate professionals and creating the ideal road map for the ultimate client experience.

Pacific Union's international reach includes an award-winning Chinese Concierge program established in 2013 in Beijing, with extensive marketing outreach to Chinese investors -- a key success driver in the Los Angeles and San Francisco markets.

Through this merger, John Aaroe Group, noted for brokering the largest sale in Beverly Hills, at $70 million, will extend its strength into Los Angeles' highly competitive new-condominium market with urban sales and marketing authority, The Mark Company. The Mark Company was acquired by Pacific Union in 2015, and leads the West Coast in the development of new, luxury high-rise residential condominium projects, which are powerfully transforming downtown residential markets in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

About Pacific Union

Founded in 1975, Pacific Union is the San Francisco Bay Area's premier luxury real estate brand operating in nine regions. With more than 25 offices and nearly 700 of the region's top-performing real estate professionals, Pacific Union is the ninth largest residential real estate brokerage in the U.S. based on 2015 sales volume of $8.22 billion. The company offers a full range of personal and commercial real estate services, including buying, selling, and relocation, and it founded a unique concierge program for Chinese homebuyers. In addition, the company operates joint-venture businesses that provide rental and commercial property management, urban residential marketing and sales, and insurance services. Locally owned, Pacific Union operates with an entrepreneurial mindset and unwavering commitment to deliver exceptional service and expertise. For more information, please visit us at www.pacificunion.com.

About John Aaroe Group

John Aaroe Group is a leading real estate brokerage specializing in high-end property in the greater Los Angeles area. The company has represented some of the region's most prestigious properties, including the highest-priced sale in the history of Beverly Hills. John Aaroe Group offers in-depth knowledge through its nine offices in Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Downtown Los Angeles, the Sunset Strip, Baldwin Hills, Toluca Lake, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, and Pasadena. It also serves an international clientele through Aaroe Estates. In 2015, the firm participated in 2,834 closed transactions with a combined market value of over $2.3 billion. www.aaroe.com

SOURCE Pacific Union

Related Links

http://www.pacunion.com


LAS VEGAS, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Economic Club of Las Vegas, a nationally renowned platform for economic discussion and debate, has announced it will host three leading national Chief Economists in Las Vegas on Thursday, December 15th, 2016 at Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino. The "2017 Global Economic Outlook" panel will provide a 2016 real estate, domestic and international economic review with a global outlook to 2017.

The event will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the cost is $50 per person. Cocktails and light hors d'oeuvres will be served. For more information and to register, visit www.econclublv.org/events.

The distinguished speakers' panel includes three former presidents of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE):

Ken Simonson, Chief Economist for the Associated General Contractors of America. Previously, Simonson was senior economic advisor in the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy. Simonson also worked with the President's Commission on Industrial Competitiveness, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board.

Dec. 15th Event/Page 2 of 2

Lynn Reaser, Ph.d., Chief Economist at Point Loma Nazarene University. Reaser is also the chief economist of the Council of Economic Advisors for California State Controller John Chiang . She previously served as chief economist for the Bank of America Investment Strategies Group.

. She previously served as chief economist for the Bank of America Investment Strategies Group. John Silvia, Ph.d., Chief Economist of Wells Fargo, is consistently ranked as one of our country's top economic forecasters, and has served as an advisor to the Federal Reserve Banks of Chicago , Philadelphia and Cleveland. Previously, he was chief economist for the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

About the Economic Club of Las Vegas

The Economic Club of Las Vegas, a non-profit 501(c)(6), non-partisan organization, provides an independent forum for national and international economic discussion and intellectual debate. The Club brings national speakers to Las Vegas to share their perspectives and ideas about economic and/or political conditions in the United States and the world.

SOURCE The Economic Club of Las Vegas
DALLAS, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pariveda Solutions, a management and technology consulting firm specializing in cloud application delivery with an emphasis on providing big data insights for its clients, announced today it has been named a Premier Consulting Partner for the second year in a row by Amazon Web Services (AWS) as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN).

The APN Premier Consulting Partner tier highlights the top APN Consulting Partners globally that have invested significantly in their AWS practice, have extensive experience in deploying customer solutions on AWS, a strong bench of trained and certified technical consultants, at least one APN Competency, expertise in project management, and a healthy consulting business on AWS.

As an AWS Premier Consulting Partner, Pariveda has continued to hone the capabilities that enable them to design, build and deploy complex enterprise solutions on the AWS Cloud. This year, the commitment to the spaces of Mobile and DevOps enhanced Pariveda's capabilities for AWS customers. Pariveda offers a full range of cloud services including cloud application delivery, big data solutions, cloud solution enablement, and cloud advisory services.

"We are proud to be recognized as an AWS Premier Consulting Partner for the second year in a row," said Christopher Paul, Managing Vice President, Alliances for Pariveda. "AWS is essential to our clients as the solutions AWS provides gives clients the freedom and capacity to achieve their strategic goals."

"We are pleased to recognize Pariveda Solutions as an APN Premier Consulting Partner for two straight years," said Terry Wise, Vice President of Worldwide Partner Ecosystem at Amazon Web Services, Inc. "Pariveda has been a valuable consulting resource for customers across the U.S., delivering mission-critical production applications with a strong focus on mobile and big data solutions."

About Pariveda Solutions

Pariveda Solutions, Inc. is a leading management consulting firm specializing in improving our clients' performance. We are complex problem solvers who provide strategic consulting services and custom application development solutions to meet the needs of our clients.

Pariveda provides cloud strategy to speed cloud adoption and enables technical, procedural, and organizational transformations in the cloud. Pariveda helps clients unlock big data insights through envisioning, design and implementation of solutions that accelerate value. Pariveda efficiently delivers proof of concepts and builds innovative cloud-based solutions with an emphasis on solving the technology and business transformation challenges of its clients. Talk with us: [email protected].

Pariveda Solutions and The Business of IT are trademarks of Pariveda Solutions, Inc., Dallas, Texas, USA.

Contacts:

Kate King

Marketing Coordinator

972-655-4395

[email protected]

SOURCE Pariveda Solutions, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.parivedasolutions.com


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- PNM Resources' (NYSE: PNM) management today will discuss the company's 2017 ongoing earnings guidance of $1.77 to $1.87 per diluted share, with a midpoint of $1.82.

"As we look forward to 2017, we will remain focused on successfully delivering results to our customers, stakeholders and investors," said Pat Vincent-Collawn, PNM Resources' chairman, president, and CEO. "The general rate case that we recently filed in New Mexico enables the company to make significant strides in serving customers with a more sustainable generation portfolio and in Texas the economy in our service territory continues to be strong, resulting in continued load growth. In both New Mexico and Texas, we continue to focus on making sure that we are serving our customers by providing reliable and affordable power."

Management will host a meeting today with analysts and investors to discuss details of the guidance range, details of its recent general rate case filing and provide company updates. The meeting will be webcast live from 10 a.m. until approximately 12 p.m. Eastern.

The presentation and live webcast will be available prior to the start of the meeting on PNM Resources' website at http://www.pnmresources.com/investors/events.cfm. Listeners are encouraged to visit the website at least 30 minutes before the event to register, download and install any necessary audio software. The webcast archive will be available following the meeting on the PNM Resources website.

Background:

PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM) is an energy holding company based in Albuquerque, N.M., with 2015 consolidated operating revenues of $1.4 billion. Through its regulated utilities, PNM and TNMP, PNM Resources has approximately 2,787 megawatts of generation capacity and provides electricity to more than 760,000 homes and businesses in New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit the company's website at www.PNMResources.com.

CONTACTS:

Analysts Media Jimmie Blotter Pahl Shipley (505) 241-2227 (505) 241-2782





Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Statements made in this news release that relate to future events or PNM Resources, Inc.'s ("PNMR"), Public Service Company of New Mexico's ("PNM"), or Texas-New Mexico Power Company's ("TNMP") (collectively, the "Company") expectations, projections, estimates, intentions, goals, targets, and strategies are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that all forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and estimates. PNMR, PNM, and TNMP assume no obligation to update this information. Because actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, PNMR, PNM, and TNMP caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements. PNMR's, PNM's, and TNMP's business, financial condition, cash flow, and operating results are influenced by many factors, which are often beyond their control, that can cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of risk factors and other important factors affecting forward-looking statements, please see the Company's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which factors are specifically incorporated by reference herein.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

GAAP refers to generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. Ongoing earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes the impact of net unrealized mark-to-market gains and losses on economic hedges, the net change in unrealized impairments on available-for-sale securities, and certain non-recurring, infrequent, and other items that are not indicative of fundamental changes in the earnings capacity of the Company's operations. The Company uses ongoing earnings and ongoing earnings per diluted share (or ongoing diluted earnings per share) to evaluate the operations of the Company and to establish goals, including those used for certain aspects of incentive compensation, for management and employees. While the Company believes these financial measures are appropriate and useful for investors, they are not measures presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company does not intend for these measures, or any piece of these measures, to represent any financial measure as defined by GAAP. Furthermore, the Company's calculations of these measures as presented may or may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. The Company uses ongoing earnings guidance to provide investors with management's expectations of ongoing financial performance over the period presented. While the Company believes ongoing earnings guidance is an appropriate measure, it is not a measure presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company does not intend for ongoing earnings guidance to represent an expectation of net earnings as defined by GAAP. Since the future differences between GAAP and ongoing earnings are frequently outside the control of the Company, management is generally not able to estimate the impact of the reconciling items between forecasted GAAP net earnings and ongoing earnings guidance, nor their probable impact on GAAP net earnings; therefore, management is generally not able to provide a corresponding GAAP equivalent for ongoing earnings guidance.

SOURCE PNM Resources, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.pnmresources.com


DALLAS, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pollo Campero, the world's largest Latin Chicken restaurant brand, announced today it has inked a deal to open the first Pollo Campero restaurant in Tennessee. Campero has signed franchisee Sosa Properties, LLC, giving it the rights to open the first Pollo Campero franchise in the Nashville area.

Sosa Properties owner Alberto Sosa, who currently owns Nashville's Taqueria San Luis and Carniceria San Luis, had been searching for just the right franchise opportunity for some time. "Owning a restaurant franchise has been a dream of mine," said Sosa. "When I first tried Pollo Campero, it was clear it was something special. From the unique Latin flavors, to its long history and focus on staying true to its Latin roots, I knew immediately this was the right fit for me."

Slated to open in the first quarter of 2017, Pollo Campero Nashville will be located at 30 Harding Mall Drive, Nashville, TN 37211 and will feature Campero's new global brand image and world-famous Latin menu. At the heart of that menu is Campero's traditional fried and Citrus Peruvian grilled chicken. Both are made with fresh, never frozen, hormone-free chicken and prepared with Pollo Campero's proprietary blend of Latin herbs and spices  a world-famous recipe Campero has been using since it first opened its doors in Guatemala in 1971. Campero also offers a wide array of Latin side dishes, which include everything from its Campero rice and beans to Latin favorites, such as empanadas, plantains and yuca fries.

"We are so pleased to welcome Mr. Sosa to the Campero family," said Tim Pulido, President and CEO of Pollo Campero International. "With his extensive experience in the food industry and his knowledge of the market, we know he will be wonderful addition to the Pollo Campero brand."

As part of his franchising agreement, Sosa is also scheduled to open two restaurants in Nashville in 2017. "I cannot wait to introduce Pollo Campero to Nashville," Sosa added. "We have been overwhelmed with the support and excitement we've already received and I am honored to have the opportunity to bring jobs, community support, and most importantly, delicious food, to the Nashville area."

There are more than 350 Pollo Campero restaurants worldwide. The restaurant chain currently has in place a plan to double the number of restaurants within the next three years, with a special focus on Texas, California and the Washington, D.C. Metro area. For Pollo Campero franchise information, visit Campero.com/franchising.

ABOUT POLLO CAMPERO

Pollo Campero, considered the home of Authentic Latin Chicken, is the largest Latin chicken restaurant brand in the world. It first opened its doors as a tiny, family-owned restaurant in Guatemala in 1971 with the goal of treating family and friends to its prized chicken recipe passed down from generation to generation. Today, as Pollo Campero marks its 45th anniversary, its focus on quality, and its mission to stay true to its Latin roots remain the same. Pollo Campero is committed to serving unique Latin recipes prepared by hand daily using high-quality and all-natural ingredients. At the heart of that commitment: the promise to use fresh, never frozen, hormone-free chicken paired with traditional Latin sides, drinks and desserts in a vibrant atmosphere. There are more than 350 Pollo Campero restaurants around the world and Campero is still growing. For franchise information, or to learn more about Pollo Campero, visit Campero.com. Follow the flavor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @CamperoUSA.

SOURCE Pollo Campero

Related Links

http://www.campero.com


PowToon's journey to Tanzania and their meeting with the Hadza Tribe was released today in a web video on PowToon's blog and social media channels. CEO Ilya Spitalnik, COO Daniel Zaturansky and Marketing Manager Talia Finn-Jakar set out to find if the love of animation is universal, or if it is a product of childhood conditioning. So they wanted to bring cartoons to those that had never seen them before. The experience evolved into an exploration of the human spirit and the unifying power of communication through laughter and art.

The video also reveals that PowToon learned about the serious healthcare issues facing the tribe and were able to connect the Hadzabe with local doctors who previously had been unable to reach them.

"It's safe to say that when we started this journey it was a crazy idea and we truly didn't know what to expect," said Ilya Spitalnik, founder and CEO of PowToon. "However, we accomplished what we set out to dowe proved that cartoons are a fundamental form of communication, instinctively understood by everyone across boundaries, borders, and cultures, regardless of whether you grew up watching Mickey Mouse or not. But beyond that, we learned that no matter how far apart we might be from one another geographically, people are all connected, and the power of laughter and a little open-mindedness can bring us all together."

As a result of their experience, PowToon committed to caring for the needs of the Hadza tribe by working with local doctors to deliver ongoing medical care and food.

Additional outtakes, photos and the full web video from PowToon's journey can be enjoyed and viewed on their blog.

About PowToon

PowToon is the world's leading platform for creating animated videos and presentations.

Launched in 2012, PowToon's mission is to make it possible for everyone to animate. In just four short years, over 34 million Powtoons have been created for use in business presentations, product launches, digital and broadcast ads, as explainer videos, education materials for the classroom and much more.

PowToon adds a touch of awesomeness to everyday communications, turning content into something people really want to watch.

Fortune 500 companies, Ivy League universities, SMBs and over 11 million global users choose PowToon when they can't afford to be ignored.

Executive Team:

Ilya Spitalnik- CEO & Founder

Daniel Zaturansky- COO & Co-Founder

Sven Hoffmann- CTO & Co-Founder

For more assets and information please go here: http://press.powtoon.com

SOURCE PowToon

Related Links

https://www.powtoon.com/


DALLAS, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Premier Truck Group has completed its inaugural Top Tech Event naming Chip Stanesic and Daniel Johnson as winners. These technicians emerged as victors from over two hundred Premier Truck Group technicians from the United States and Canada.

All of the company's technicians were eligible to compete in one of two categories:

Premier Truck Group Top Techs Chip Stanesic and Daniel Johnson.

Expert  Technicians with five or more years of Freightliner experience

Professional  Technicians with one to five years of Freightliner experience

The competition included a one-hundred question written examination with the ten highest-scoring technicians advancing to the "hands-on challenge" held at Universal Technical Institute in Irving, Texas. Vendors and sponsors designed "real-world" technical challenges measuring each finalist's diagnosis, troubleshooting and repair skills in a timed competitive event.

Winners Chip Stanesic and Daniel Johnson, both from Dallas, Texas, were honored at the Gaylord Texan, an upscale hotel and resort in Grapevine, Texas.

"Premier Truck Group's first annual Top Tech Competition was a resounding success. Each of the ten finalists thoroughly enjoyed themselves while competing for the title of Grand Champion. I already look forward to next year's competition," said Rich Shearing, President of Premier Truck Group.

The featured sponsor of the event was CDK Global Solutions. Other sponsors included Alliance Truck Parts, Daimler Trucks North America Training, PPG, Shell, Goodyear, Truck-Lite, Meritor, ConMet, Old World Industries, Bee Line Company, Cintas, Safety Kleen, SKF, Universal Technical Institute, Weller and Wurth.

For more information, please visit www.PremierTruck.com/TopTech.aspx.

About Premier Truck Group

Premier Truck Group is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with 20 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada offering a premium selection of new Freightliner and Western Star commercial vehicles, a large selection of previously owned commercial trucks and a full suite of maintenance and repair services with several of its locations open 24 hours every day, seven days per week. Premier Truck Group also offers a wide selection of retail parts and accessories. Premier Truck Group has approximately 1,300 employees and is a subsidiary of Penske Automotive Group. For additional information visit the company's website at www.premiertruck.com.

Inquiries should contact:

Steve Silcox

Vice President - Marketing

Premier Truck Group

972-225-4359

[email protected]

SOURCE Premier Truck Group

Related Links

http://www.premiertruck.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This report provides the most comprehensive view of the topic, giving detailed ten year forecasts by device type. The market is analyzed by territory, printed vs non printed, rigid vs flexible, inorganic vs organic, cost of materials vs process cost and much more. Activities of over 1,000 leading companies are given, as is assessment of the winners and losers to come.

Impartial assessment

In the report IDTechEx appraises each enabling technology component by virtue of its market need - not technology push. We draw on ten years of knowledge tracking this sector and provide detailed, refined forecasts, strategic positioning and assessment of trends, "hot topics" and unmet opportunities.

The big picture

The report specifically addresses the big picture - including OLED displays and lighting, to thin film photovoltaics to flexible sensors and much more. Importantly, it includes not only electronics which are printed, organic and/or flexible now, but it also covers those that will be. Realistic timescales, case studies, existing products and the emergence of new products are given, as are impediments and opportunities for the years to come.

Over 3,000 organizations are pursuing printed, organic, flexible electronics, including printing, electronics, materials and packaging companies. While some of these technologies are in use now - indeed there are three sectors which have created billion dollar markets - others are commercially embryonic.

The benefits of these new electronics are numerous - ranging from lower cost, improved performance, flexibility, transparency, reliability, better environmental credentials and much more. Many of the applications will be newly created, and where existing electronic and electrical products are impacted, the extent will be varied.

This widely referenced IDTechEx report brings it all together, with particular focus on applications and quantative assessment of opportunities.Market size from 2016 to 2026

IDTechEx find that the total market for printed, flexible and organic electronics will grow from $26.54 billion in 2016 to $69.03 billion in 2026. The majority of that is OLEDs (organic but not printed) and conductive ink used for a wide range of applications. On the other hand, stretchable electronics, logic and memory, thin film sensors are much smaller segments but with huge growth potential as they emerge from R&D.

Lessons, successes and opportunities

The following components are assessed, and for each one ten year forecasts are given, along with companies and their activities, case studies, impediments to commercialization and timescales:

- Logic and memory

- OLED displays

- OLED lighting

- Electrophoretic and other bistable displays

- Electrochromic displays

- Electroluminescent displays

- Other displays

- Thin film batteries

- Photovoltaics

- Sensors

- Conductors

- Other

If you are looking to understand the big picture, the opportunity, the problems you can address, or how you can start to use these technologies and the implications involved, this report is a must. Researched by multilingual IDTechEx consultants based in four countries and three continents, this report builds on ten years of knowledge of the industry.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04447402-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


NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network  it's easy and free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform

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Michael Longinow, Ph.D.

Professor of Journalism, Print Journalism Advisor

Biola University

"When a man from another state walks into a restaurant in Washington, D.C., with an automatic weapon based on a fake news story, we see in real time why fake news needs a remedy. The best journalists lament fake news reports because they know how hard real reporting really is -- the background research, comparative data analysis, chasing down authoritative sources for interviews. But deep down, thinking people know the difference. It's sort of like the difference between a greasy burger and a perfectly seasoned steak. Yes, they're both food. But they're not the same kind of meal."

With a Ph.D. in news-editorial journalism, Longinow is able to speak to the vetting and smoking out of fake news sites. During his early days as a reporter, Longinow freelanced for the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times, as well as smaller weeklies in metro Chicago. As a full-time reporter for small dailies in Illinois and Georgia in the mid-1980s, Longinow covered the 1988 Democratic National Convention, the home district of U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich, environmental issues, police news, the courts, civil rights, and urban planning. Longinow's reporting on racial inequities in one Georgia county's voting patterns helped change that government's structure.

Website: https://www.biola.edu/

Contact: Jenna Loumagne, [email protected]



Business Ethics and Lobbying

Nicholas W. Allard

President and Joseph Crea Dean and Professor of Law

Brooklyn Law School

"Business operates in a world of imperfect legal rules. Consider flaws and loopholes in U.S. tax laws and lobbying laws. Is it okay and even competitively imperative for business to take full advantage, to aggressively exploit legal loopholes?"

In addition to serving as president, dean, and professor of law at Brooklyn Law School, Allard also serves as senior counsel in the Public Policy and Regulation practice at Dentons, a global law firm with presence in more than 50 countries. Before joining the Law School in 2012, Allard served as chair of the Public Policy Department and co-chair of the Government Advocacy Practice Group at Patton Boggs in Washington, D.C. He was recognized as one of D.C.'s "Top Lobbyists" by The Hill from 2008 to 2011. He was most recently quoted in The New York Times about the president-elect's pick for White House Counsel (see http://tinyurl.com/h6ofjca).

Bio: https://www.brooklaw.edu/faculty/directory/facultymember/biography?id=nick.allard

Website: https://www.brooklaw.edu

Contact: John Mackin, [email protected]



Impact of Discovery of 99-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tail Preserved in Amber

Andrew Torrance

Earl B. Schurtz Research Professor

University of Kansas School of Law

Torrance is available to discuss the discovery of a 99-million-year-old dinosaur tail preserved in amber and the effects it can have on science, law, bioethics and de-extinction: "The science is advancing at an astonishing pace. Even faster, in some respects, than portrayed by Hollywood. Law, bioethics and policy must race to keep up, and, if possible, get ahead, so that the decisions humanity makes on reviving extinct species are wise and proactive, not rash, rushed and reactive."

Torrance is a professor of law who holds a doctorate in biology and law degree from Harvard University and has advised international bodies on de-extinction and synthetic biology.

Contact: Mike Krings, [email protected]



EXPERT ROUNDUP: Trump Presidency Predictions (continued)

Following are additional experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss various issues regarding what we can expect from a Trump presidency. To view the original roundup, visit http://prn.to/trumppredictions

Climate Change and Energy Policy

George Borovas

Partner, Project Development & Finance

Shearman & Sterling

Borovas is a partner in Shearman & Sterling's Project Development & Finance Group and the head of the firm's Global Nuclear Group. He concentrates his practice and advises lenders, governments and sponsors on the development of civilian nuclear power programs and the financing and construction of nuclear power plants. He has worked on projects and transactions in the U.K., the U.S., Russia, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, China, Australia and South Africa and has been named a Leading Lawyer in the IFLR1000 Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms (2015-2017). He regularly negotiates contracts and advises clients on the establishment of global joint ventures relating to the nuclear industry as well as on transactions for the trading of fuel, equipment and services for nuclear power plants. He also advises companies on international nuclear liability and export compliance issues and has represented buyers in transactions involving the acquisition of nuclear power plants.

Contacts: Wendy Lee-McGuinness, [email protected], and Madison Malloch-Brown, [email protected]



Environment and Politics

David Konisky

Associate Professor

Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs

"The appointment of Scott Pruitt as the next EPA Administrator signals a monumental shift for U.S. environmental policy. As attorney general of Oklahoma, Pruitt has been a vocal critic of nearly all the EPA has done during the Obama administration, and he will likely look to rollback efforts to address climate change, strengthen air and water quality standards, and regulate fracking. As administrator of the EPA, Pruitt is likely to further shift responsibility for environmental protection from the EPA to the states. The lead contamination in Flint, Mich., is a good reminder that state governments are not always up to the job."

Konisky is a renowned environmental politics and policy expert whose research focuses on American politics and public policy, with particular emphasis on regulation, environmental politics and policy, state politics, and public opinion. Prior to joining IU, Konisky was an associate professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and an assistant professor at the Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri.

Bio: https://spea.indiana.edu/faculty-research/directory/profiles/faculty/full-time/konisky-david.html

Website: https://spea.indiana.edu/

Contact: Kemba Neptune, [email protected]



Stock Market, Economic and Sector Growth

Todd Sheldon

Author, "Turbulent Money"

"There are three major things that have distorted sector performance in the business cycle: central banks, market manipulation, and corruption. I believe Trump will bring it back in line with sectors matching the late cycle."

Sheldon's expertise includes topics such as: various American ventures that will be unequivocally affected following Trump's rise to presidency; how Brexit and U.S. elections affect U.S. equity and foreign exchange markets; how higher home loan rates affect housing recuperation; healthcare issues -- we will lose advances in medicine if research companies are unable to recoup the nearly $1 billion an FDA post-approval costs.

Website: https://www.turbulentmoney.com/about/?v=7516fd43adaa

Contact: Adrienne Mazzone, [email protected]



MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

Editorial Writer  San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate

Senior Market Editor  OPIS

Reporter  Law360

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line.

10 WAYS TO CAPTIVATE YOUR AUDIENCE WITH INSTAGRAM STORIES. Instagram is broadening its appeal to Snapchat lovers with its installment of Instagram Stories. The new feature is great for bloggers, Insta-celebs and media alike, allowing for additional ways to push out content. If you're looking for ways to further engage your audience, here are some tips to grow your brand and audience through Instagram Stories: http://bit.ly/2hlUaHe





BLOG PROFILES: FOOD BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Research team selects an industry/subject and a handful of blogs that do a good job with contributing to the conversation. This week, they look at food blogs (yum!): http://prn.to/2hFa2Ea





SAY GOODBYE TO BAD WRITING: HABITS TO KICK IN 2017. To combat writer's block, just start writing. Sounds simple, right? It's much easier said than done. For 2017, we decided to tackle bad (and good!) writing habits -- from the no-brainers to the must-do's. Here's what we came up with: http://bit.ly/2hw8Kis

PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire.

SOURCE ProfNet

Related Links

http://www.profnet.com


Purolator, a leading innovator of automotive filtration products for the aftermarket, recently set up hidden cameras in the Buffalo-based automotive repair shop and hired an actor to take on a mechanic role who informed real customers of absurd engine compartment object discoveries. And the jokes didn't stop there. The fake mechanic also tried to convince the customers that their vehicles were in need of outlandish maintenance items, such as tightening the Pomeranian clamp and a stalagmite flush.

Tina Davis, senior marketing manager for MANN+HUMMEL Purolator Filters LLC, explained, "The hidden camera stunt was a fun way to remind drivers to let nothing get by them when it comes to taking proper care of their vehicles."

Preventative maintenance, such as regular oil and filter changes, is key to extending engine life and maximizing performance. It is equally important for drivers to be informed about the products that they are installing in their vehicles. Purolator's prank aims to place preventative vehicle maintenance top-of-mind in an entertaining and unique way, while also educating individuals about the superior quality of its lines of filtration products.

To capture these shenanigans, Purolator compiled a series of videos featuring the most memorable customer reactions. Needless to say, the outcome was quite humorous, but with a subtle car care message.

To watch the videos, visit Purolator's YouTube page or www.pureoil.com.

About Purolator

Purolator is an innovator of automotive filtration products for the aftermarket, manufactured to the highest standard by American workers in Fayetteville, N.C. Trusted by professional automotive technicians and do-it-yourself consumers across North America, the Purolator product line includes oil, air, cabin air and fuel filters. An industry pioneer since inventing the first oil filter in 1923, Purolator is backed by an internal team of forward-thinking engineers and countless filtration patents. The company's mission to deliver solutions to support the improved performance of advanced engine and oil technologies reinforces a renewed brand promise  "Nothing Gets By Us."

Purolator is a key brand and part of the extensive product portfolio of the MANN+HUMMEL Group, a leading expert for filtration solutions, development partner and original-equipment supplier to the international automotive and mechanical engineering industries. Based in Ludwigsburg, Germany, with more than 70 locations worldwide, MANN+HUMMEL strengthens the Purolator brand through expert engineering, rigorous quality-control processes, global manufacturing best practices and innovation resources.

For more information, visit www.pureoil.com and www.mann-hummel.com.

MANN+HUMMEL

PUROLATOR FILTERS LLC

801 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 128

Raleigh, NC 27607

www.mann-hummel.com

www.pureoil.com

www.mann-filter.com

SOURCE Purolator Filters
LONDON, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This BCC Research report assesses the current state-of-the-art in synthesizing QDs, identifies the current market players seeking to exploit QD behavior, evaluates actual or potential markets in terms of application, type and projected commercial market revenues. Forecast provided through 2021.



Use this report to:

- Gain insight into the current state regarding synthesizing quantum dots (QDs) and their focal applications.

- Identify the current market players seeking to exploit QD behavior; and evaluate potential markets in terms of application, type and projected commercial market revenues.

- Evaluate key patents based on developments in QD integration and technology.



Highlights

- The global market for quantum dots (QDs) totaled $610.0 million in revenue in 2016. The market should total over $3.4 billion by 2021, increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41.3% from 2016 to 2021.

- The electronics sector totaled $470.0 million revenue in 2016. The market should total $1.1 billion by 2021, increasing at a CAGR of 18.5% from 2016 to 2021.

- The optoelectronics market for QDs totaled $14.0 million in 2016, and should total just over $1.8 billion in 2021, increasing at a CAGR of 164.3% from 2016 to 2021.

Introduction & Scope

Among the many subsets of nanomaterials, quantum dots (QDs) are like no other. At dimensions typically below 10 nanometers, nanocrystalline (NC) semiconductors (SCs), metals and magnetic materials can all exhibit extraordinary quantum confinement phenomena. Basically, at these dimensions, their physical size encroaches upon the fundamental quantum confinement dimensions of orbiting electrons that are uniquely prescribed by their atomic nucleus. Within the regime of these critical dimensions, QDs exhibit distinctly different behavior from their bulk form, which manifests itself, for example, in distinctly different optical, electronic and magnetic properties.



Today, scientists can precisely synthesize NC materials at these critical dimensions and thereby systematically tune their quantum confining behavior. As a result, there is currently enormous interest to exploit and capitalize on the unique properties exhibited by QD materials. As a harbinger for future business developments, colloidal quantum dot (CQD) bioconjugates were among the first wave of commercial product applications stimulating market interest. Primarily, these have quickly established a niche market in the life sciences and biomedical communities, where they provide unrivalled cellular imaging and therapeutic detection capabilities. Other more recent commercial launchings of SC QDs include: a new generation of flash-memory devices; nanomaterial enhancements for improving the performance of liquid crystal display (LCD) TV and monitor display backlights; flexible organic LEDs, as well as solid-state white-LED lighting; and in rigid and flexible solar panel coatings.

With these latest commercial developments and their enormous business potential, this report provides a timely assessment of quantum dot materialswhere they are currently at, and where they might be in the foreseeable future.



STUDY GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of this report is threefold: to assess the current state-of-the-art in synthesizing QDs; to identify the current market players seeking to exploit QD behavior; and to evaluate actual or potential markets in terms of application, type and projected commercial market revenues.



SCOPE AND FORMAT

Since their parallel discovery in Russia and the U.S. over 30 years ago, SC QDs, until quite recently, have resided exclusively in the domain of solid-state physics, where they have been fabricated using expensive and sophisticated molecular beam epitaxy or chemical vapor deposition equipment. However, in a relatively short time frame, this situation has changed dramatically with the recent commercial availability of CQDs synthesized by less expensive wet-chemical processes. Practically, the availability of QDs in a colloidally dispersed form has helped demystify these somewhat esoteric materials. Most importantly, CQDs now provide access to a much broader industrial audience, which promises to further widen their potential market exploitation. Current and future applications of QDs impact a broad range of industrial markets. These include, for example: biology and biomedicine; computing and memory; electronics and displays; optoelectronic devices such as LEDs, lighting and lasers; optical components in telecommunications and image sensors; and security applications such as covert identification tagging or biowarfare detection sensors.

This report probes in considerable depth the early pioneers and champions in this field in industry, government and academic laboratories. The most active organizations, promising technical applications and developments realizable within the next five years, will all be highlighted.



CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE STUDY AND TARGET AUDIENCE

This report represents a major update of the BCC Research report (NAN027D) Quantum Dots: Technologies and Commercial Prospects, published in April 2014. The most significant revisions in the new edition include:

- An extensive updated patent analysis (2014 through 2015).

- An in-depth assessment of the unfolding commercial markets.

- Progress in the synthesis and commercial scale-up by QD producers.

- Interviews with leading producers.

- Updated company profiles of the producers and end users dictating market development.

- Updated five-year market projection analysis of the emerging QD market.



This is the fifth exclusive report to focus on QD nanomaterials from the perspective of their technology, applications and future business prospects. Thus, this up-to-date, technical assessment and business analysis should prove an especially valuable resource to individuals and organizations seeking more insight into the current status of QDs, their stand-alone capabilities within the spectrum of nanomaterials and time-to-market commercial development. The report's comprehensive technical and business assessment on the current status of the QD-based industry should prove informative to nanomaterials manufacturers, investors seeking near-term commercialization opportunities, technologists confronted with nanomaterial device integration issues and companies specifically interested in exploiting QDs in biological, biomedical, electronics, energy, optics, optoelectronics, security and other applications.



METHODOLOGY AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Both primary and secondary research methodologies were used in preparing this report. This report is derived primarily from the enormous amount of patent and technical literature relating to QDs disclosed in the public domain. In addition, complementary information has also been drawn from the business community, such as company investment news, company profiles, press releases and personal telephone interviews with selected companies.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/2114686/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

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MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Restaurant Technologies, an award-winning provider of oil management to foodservice operators, begins 2017 by announcing the appointment of two new executive leaders, Amy O'Neil, vice president of operations, and Lori Wall, vice president of human resources; and the promotion of Bruce Atkinson, vice president of information technology.

"We are thrilled to welcome Amy, Lori and Bruce, who will collectively aid in Restaurant Technologies' continued growth and innovative leadership," said Jeff Kiesel, CEO, Restaurant Technologies. "We are confident each will contribute to the company's success to deliver even more value and support to this ever-changing industry."

As the new VP of operations, O'Neil brings 20 years of unique experience to Restaurant Technologies. Recognized for her leadership as the senior vice president of operations for Caribou Coffee, O'Neil worked her way up through the ranks and was instrumental in scaling the business to 500-plus outlets during her 16-year career. She also has experience as an entrepreneur, starting her own restaurant franchisee business, Phase Next Hospitality, with four national brands. She plans to optimize Restaurant Technologies' operational model to ensure customers receive the support needed to create safer, smart kitchens. O'Neil is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Milwaukee area native.

Wall, the new VP of human resources, has more than 25 years of experience in her field. She also dealt with shared services and finance in her previous career at Cargill, Taylor Corporation, Chubb Insurance and Northbrook Insurance. Wall will continue to fuel the growth of Restaurant Technologies through an expanded talent pool. She is a member of the board of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and of Simpson Housing Services. She holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas Opus School of Business and a BS degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

The promotion of Atkinson to VP of information technology and chief information officer reflects his dedication and expertise in delivering innovative technology solutions to support safer, smarter kitchens by leveraging the Internet of Things, big data and cloud computing. Atkinson joined Restaurant Technologies in 2015 and holds a variety of global leadership positions with renowned companies including Thomson Reuters and NorthStar Education Services.

About Restaurant Technologies

A trusted partner for more than 15 years, Restaurant Technologies is the leading provider of cooking-oil management and back of house fire safety solutions to more than 24,000 national quick-serve and full-service restaurant chains, independent restaurants, grocery delis, hotels, casinos, universities and hospitals. Restaurant Technologies helps food service operators make their kitchens safer, smarter, more efficient and more sustainable through its automated oil storage, handling, filtration monitoring and disposal management systems and Automist fire prevention systems. Headquartered in Mendota Heights, Minn., Restaurant Technologies is a privately held company, currently operates 40 depots and has more than 800 employees serving customers across the United States. For additional Restaurant Technologies information and news, visit www.rti-inc.com. Follow Restaurant Technologies on Twitter @RTIoil, on LinkedIn or Facebook.

SOURCE Restaurant Technologies

Related Links

http://www.rti-inc.com


CHENGDU, China, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- RSCRYPTO Technology Co. Ltd (RSCRYPTO), a pioneer in Conditional Access Security (CAS), today announced a partnership with SypherMedia International (SMI), a security technology company specializing in secure SoC BlackBox Programming and Key Management Systems.

RSCRYPTO plans to present a new generation CAS-PHI CAS in the first quarter of 2017, which will enable operators to take control of their own security. As an "Independent Trust Authority", SMI is to manage the keys for operators.

RSCRYPTO is also announcing their "Security inside" alliance program, welcoming Pay TV Operators, CAS vendors, Chipset vendors, STB Vendors, and TV set vendors who are interested in securely replaceable CAS to participate.

"It has been a common and long-standing way for CAS vendors to sell smartcards and charge a device royalty for daily content protection service. Most of the time, operators are locked into a technology ecosystem, such as STB, Chipset, middleware, or DRM, once CAS vendor chosen," said Levent Le, COO and co-ounder of RSCRYPTO. "We believe it is the right time for operators to break free of CAS vendor lock-in. Not only will each operator be more flexible and innovative picking software and hardware suppliers and drive down the CAPEX, but also it benefits the whole DVB industry for network migration as more and more consolidations & mergers are happening nowadays. Our PHI CAS, industry first, encourages the replacement of our own CAS if the operator is not satisfied, plus it includes an innovative monthly service business model. And we are pleased to present this new solution to the industry with SMI."

"SMI has been focusing on media security since 2003, with broad strategic partnerships with global chip vendors. We are the largest third party custom chip programmer in the world with over 60 customers. Our SypherSignature Key Management and BlackBox Programming System solution has been market proven with many custom CAS cases, audited and approved by Farncombe (Security Architecture best in class), Merdan, and ISE," said Dr. Ron Cocchi, CTO of SMI. "Our security chip programming has been implemented on multiple chip manufacturing lines such as (listed in Alphabetical Order) ALi, Broadcom, Hisilicon, Intel, MaxLinear, Montage, MStar, Novatek, Socionext, Sigma Designs, ST Microelectronics and ViXS Systems, which enable fast-to-market product development with diversity. We are happy to co-promote this replaceable CAS concept with RSCRYPTO and any other CAS vendors."

"SMI has been a pioneer in the area of Key independence for Operators since our inception and we welcome adding RSCRYPTO to our ever-growing list of partners who share this same vision," said Dennis Flaharty, President and CEO of SMI.

About RSCRYPTO

RSCRYPTO is a technology innovator in the Pay TV industry. The philosophy of our core solution, the PHI CAS (Conditional Access System) is: Security as a Tool, Security as a Service.

Via independent third party "Key and Credential" service authority, PHI CAS empowers operators technically ("replace if not satisfied") and commercially ("Pay as you use"). There are no Security compromises as hardware security from the SoC level stays same. PHI CAS supports Cardless, Advanced security, Bi way, and is replaceable.

RSCRYPTO is headquartered in Chengdu, China.

www.rs-crypto.com

[email protected]

About SypherMedia International

SypherMedia International (SMI) is a security technology company specializing in cutting edge technology to develop comprehensive security solutions for your customers. Security solutions developed by SMI protect tens of billions of dollars of commerce annually.

SMI develops and licenses innovative security technologies in the fields of reverse engineering protection, anti-cloning protection, secure BlackBox programming and Key Management Systems, network security solutions, and a range of Pay TV and content protection products. In addition to these products and services SMI offers security evaluations at the silicon level, system level including software vulnerabilities of customer's products and third party products our customer wish to assess. SMI's customers include many of the world's leading consumer products manufacturers, Pay TV security companies, Broadcasters and chip manufactures.

SMI was founded in 2003 by executives and senior engineers from DIRECTV Engineering who pioneered Pay TV security.

www.smi.tv

SOURCE RSCRYPTO Technology Co. Ltd

Related Links

http://www.rs-crypto.com


LYNDHURST, N.J., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Scarinci Hollenbeck (www.sh-law.com) is pleased to announce the expansion of its highly sophisticated Tax, Trust and Estates Law Group with three seasoned tax attorneys. Joining the firm are Counsel Harvey Poe and Senior Associate Amy Van Fossen. Jeffrey Pittard joined as Counsel in November. The addition of the three, who came from Starr Gern Davison & Rubin, adds additional depth to Scarinci Hollenbeck's sophisticated domestic and international tax and estates team. All of the new attorneys have LL.M. degrees in Taxation, and worked closely together under the direction of Mr. Poe at their former firm.

Tax attorneys Harvey Poe, Jeffrey Pittard and Amy Van Fossen join Scarinci Hollenbeck.

"Joining Scarinci Hollenbeck is a good fit for us. It will enable us to provide our clients a greater depth of service offerings, both in tax and non-tax related matters," said Mr. Poe.

For the last 40 years, Harvey Poe has enjoyed a high-profile career advising clients on tax and estate matters. He is also an author and lecturer. Mr. Poe, Ms. Van Fossen and Mr. Pittard bring solid experience in representing clients in tax disputes with federal and state taxing authorities, as well as in assisting high net worth individuals in all areas of estate and wealth preservation and tax planning. They have also handled many federal and state civil tax matters for individuals, including helping to settle IRS tax claims.

"All three of our new tax attorneys are outstanding additions to the firm," said Frank Brunetti, Chair of the firm's Tax, Trusts and Estates Law practice group. "They are all highly regarded attorneys who bring the professional maturity and experience necessary to support our thriving tax practice areas. They are all more than capable of handling any domestic or international tax matters brought to us by our clients."

Scarinci Hollenbeck's tax practice has earned a strong reputation for providing tax counseling on U.S. and foreign tax issues and effectively representing its clients in tax disputes globally. The firm's expertise in the area of tax law is comprehensive and encompasses the complete range of tax requirements involved in the structure, operation, succession, sale, acquisition, and ownership of privately and publicly owned business entities. With the addition of Messrs. Poe and Pittard and Ms. Van Fossen, five of the attorneys in the group have LL.M. degrees in taxation. The firm's Tax, Trust, and Estate News blog (www.taxtrustestatenews.com) provides updates and commentary on current developments and news about tax-related topics.

"We are pleased to further expand our thriving tax and estates practice areas. Scarinci Hollenbeck's tax attorneys are, as a group, experienced in virtually every type of matter presenting significant tax issues both in the U.S. and internationally," said Russell Ascher, Executive Director.

About Scarinci Hollenbeck

With a growing practice of more than 60 experienced attorneys, Scarinci Hollenbeck is a regional alternative to a National 250 law firm. With offices in New Jersey, New York City, and the District of Columbia, we serve the niche practice areas most often required by institutions, corporations, entities, and the people who own and control them. The tax, trusts, & estates attorneys at Scarinci Hollenbeck provide highly-personalized, responsive service to its clients as they counsel them at all the critical stages of their lives. Our years of experience and unparalleled knowledge in the areas of tax and estate planning allows us to plan for the least possible tax burden and administrative expense while maintaining maximum flexibility to realize each one of our client's unique objectives.

Contact : Peter Moeller

Tel: 201-896-4100 x 3328

[email protected]

SOURCE Scarinci Hollenbeck, LLC

Related Links

http://www.sh-law.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With growing usage of Internet, businesses across the globe are using web based applications in their day-to-day operations. Increasing number of employees and other stakeholders access the company's digital assets regularly. It becomes next to impossible for the in-house incident response team to keep a track on who is accessing what content and at which point of time. With growing traffic on the network, they would also fail to keep a track on the network related activities and these lapses could invite trouble to company's digital assets in the form of cyber threats or attacks. Keeping a tab on these things manually is proving a painful activity to the personnel. And, as this process involves sensitive issues like the data security of the company, any kind of delays to respond to suspicious activities may prove costly to the company both financially and from the reputation point-of view. To counter these, businesses, especially large enterprises have started implementing Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions that automatically monitor and store the log and activity information which can be used by the company to negate any kind of cyber threats.



The growing incidents of sophisticated attacks where businesses are being targeted irrespective of their geographical presence and despite of having all necessary IT infrastructure in place is worrying the businesses. This, along with the existing strong compliance policies of the countries are proving to be catalyst in the growth of IT security solutions like SIEM. Because businesses are now realizing that it is better safe than sorry.



The market for Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution is catching up and this report provides deep insights on how the market is expected to fare in the next five years. It also presents interpretative and easy-to-understand facts on how the current SIEM market is segmented based on the deployment type, the major verticals that have been implementing these, the end-user group of these SIEM solutions and also based on the geographic regions.







Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04031781-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





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Contact Clare: [email protected]

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SOURCE Reportlinker

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TAIPEI, Taiwan and SAN DIEGO, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Senhwa Biosciences, Inc. announced the appointment of Lucas S. Chang as Vice President - General Counsel today. Lucas S. Chang has assumed the role on 1st December, 2016 and is based at Senhwa's US office in San Diego.

Mr. Chang joins Senhwa's senior management team from multinational law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, where he was until recently a senior partner of the firm's Greater China Practice and the Chief Representative in Beijing. Mr. Chang has expertise in corporate transactions (including mergers and acquisitions), corporate governance, IP creation and licensing. He counsels clients of diversified industries covering biotechnology, pharmaceutics, semiconductor, electronics, etc. Mr. Chang has significant experience in the US, Asia and the Greater China region. He is an IP expert and is also well experienced in IP litigation.

Mr. Benny Hu, Chairman of Senhwa Biosciences Inc., said: "I am delighted to welcome Lucas to our team at a time Senhwa is undergoing tremendous growth. Lucas will bring to Senhwa over 20 years of experience on the protection and strategic management of IP and information assets. His extensive experience in licensing and strategic transactions will be invaluable, and will further strengthen our corporate governance."

Before launching his legal career, Mr. Chang was a technologist in Union Carbide Corporation Technical Center and IBM. He obtained a B.S.E degree and a Ph.D. degree in chemical engineering before getting his J.D. degree from Santa Clara University, School of Law in 1994. Mr. Chang is a member of the State Bar of California and licensed to practice before the USPTO.

About Senhwa Biosciences

Senhwa Biosciences identifies and develops innovative therapies that have the potential to fundamentally change the way patients are treated. Our central philosophy is to unearth validated targets or therapies that could significantly improve treatment, but have not yet been properly exploited. As a value-added development company, Senhwa aims to take innovative therapies that could impact the current standard of care and drive them through clinical Proof-of-Concept.

Senhwa has a strong Management Team with proven track records in developing new drugs and targeted agents. Headquartered in Taiwan, but with a vital operational base in San Diego, California, the Senhwa Team is well positioned to oversee the development of their compounds by collaborating with a diverse range of global Investigators and service providers. Clinical trials are ongoing or planned for Australia and the US, and service providers work from their bases in North America, Asia, Australia and Europe. For more information on Senhwa and its programs, please visit www.senhwabio.com.

SOURCE Senhwa Biosciences, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.senhwabio.com


BEND, OR, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Signal Bay (OTCQB: SGBY) is proud to announce that seven of its Maryland clients received Stage One license pre-approvals, more than a year after applications were submitted.

The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission ("MMCC") named 102 dispensary entities last Friday who have each been awarded Stage One license pre-approvals from a total of 811 submitted.

The seven prospective licensees cover districts ranging from the College Park, Baltimore City and County, as well as Frederick and Washington Counties.

Lori Glauser, company COO and head of the Signal Bay Services division stated "Seven of the eight clients who engaged Signal Bay Services are now proceeding with the final stages of the state licensing process. Only two coveted licenses were available in each district and as many as 25 applications were received in each district and the competition was significant.

Signal Bay anticipates assisting the applicants as they proceed with final licensing and move into the build and operations phase. The company is already working closely with BluPharms, LLC, a dispensary that plans to operate near the University of Maryland.

Ms. Glauser continued "I cannot be more grateful to all of the Signal Bay staff and consultants who made this happen. Top notch professionals, including Dr. Alicia Wilbur, author of Medical Marijuana Desk Reference, and nearly a dozen other experts from across the country, worked around the clock on behalf of our clients during the very short window of application last year."

Will Waldrop, CEO of Signal Bay concluded, "While we have moved swiftly into the cannabis testing space during the past year with our expansion of EVIO Labs from Oregon and into California, we continue to provide consulting services to the industry, which complements the expansion of EVIO Labs. Our consulting services are evolving and expanding from application and startup support to regulatory R&D, product formulation, and operational optimization. While awaiting the results of the Maryland applications, we acquired 4 additional cannabis test labs in Oregon and California, and helped over a dozen Oregon companies attain cultivation, dispensary, and processing licenses. Several of those consulting clients are now testing with EVIO."

About Signal Bay, Inc.: Signal Bay, Inc. is an Oregon-based Life Sciences company. Through its three subsidiaries: EVIO Labs, Signal Bay Research and Signal Bay Services; the Company provides research, consulting services, and analytical testing services to the legal cannabis industry. The Company's EVIO Labs division operates state-of-the-art testing facilities and offers accredited testing methodologies performed by a qualified team of scientists to ensure the safety and quality of the nation's cannabis supply. Learn more at http://SignalBay.com or the company can be reached directly @ 1-888-544-EVIO.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in Section 27(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements may contain certain forward-looking statements pertaining to future anticipated or projected plans, performance and developments, as well as other statements relating to future operations and results. Any statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be considered to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "may," "will," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "intends," "goal," "objective," "seek," "attempt," or variations of these or similar words, identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements by their nature are estimates of future results only and involve substantial risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to risks associated with the uncertainty of future financial results, additional financing requirements, development of new products, our ability to complete our product testing and launch our product commercially, the acceptance of our product in the marketplace, the uncertainty of the laws and regulations relating to cannabis, the impact of competitive products or pricing, technological changes, the effect of economic conditions and other uncertainties detailed from time to time in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available at www.sec.gov or https://signalbay.com/investors.

SOURCE Signal Bay, Inc.
NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner at Monteverde & Associates PC, a boutique securities firm headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating the Board of Directors of Bay Banks of Virginia, Inc. ("Bay Banks" or the "Company")(OTC Markets Group's OTCQB tier (trading symbol "BAYK") for potential breaches of fiduciary duties in connection with the merger and acquisition of Virginia BanCorp, Inc. ("Virginia BanCorp"). Under the terms of the agreement, Bay Banks shareholders will give Virginia BanCorp shareholders the right to receive 1.178 shares of common stock of Bay Banks for each outstanding share of Virginia BanCorp.

Click here for more information: www.monteverdelaw.com/investigations. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

The investigation focuses on whether Bay Banks's Board of Directors breached their fiduciary duties to the Company's stockholders by 1) improperly valuing this proposed transaction and 2) failing to disclose all material information in connection with the proxy statement for the upcoming shareholder meeting. Monteverde & Associates PC is a boutique class action securities and consumer litigation law firm committed to protecting shareholders and consumers from corporate wrongdoing. Monteverde & Associates PC lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions, whereby they protect investors by recovering money and remedying corporate misconduct.

If you own common stock in Bay Banks and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit us at www.monteverdelaw.com/investigations or Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan E. Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. 59th Floor

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

[email protected]

Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2016 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC

Related Links

http://monteverdelaw.com/


SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sharethrough, the industry's leading native supply side platform, today announced a partnership with Kantar Millward Brown, the world's leading expert in helping clients grow great brands, to create updated research tools allowing brands to better analyze the impact of their native ad campaigns, especially on mobile.

Following successful beta tests with several major technology brands, Ford is the first brand contracted to use these new research tools in public release. The tools provide a new survey framework, which leverages the best-in-class brand effectiveness measurement capabilities created by Kantar Millward Brown's Media and Digital practice and allows Sharethrough clients to ask more questions than previously possible when assessing brand lift, tap into larger and more stable audiences, and provide more advanced audience segmentation.

This new framework sets a new standard for brands evaluating the impact of their mobile native advertising, allowing them to dig into more nuanced questions around the effectiveness of their campaigns. As a result, brands have a higher degree of confidence than ever before when measuring the brand lift of native ads on mobile devices and both publishers and advertisers can now more quickly improve the quality of native ads, the industry's fastest growing medium.

"The way we look at brand lift in the native era has been too reliant on questions that only made sense in a desktop world ruled by banners. Our new brand lift framework, offered in partnership with Kantar Millward Brown, helps advertisers pose questions that gauge the impact, rather than the mere visibility of native ads, which audiences 'read' rather than see," said Dan Greenberg, Sharethrough co-founder and CEO. "Kantar Millward Brown's expertise has made a difference for us in creating this research approach, which helps better reflect the versatility of native advertising and allows brands to easily understand results and optimize for what worked."

"We're thrilled to partner with Sharethrough on this improved standard of measurement for mobile native advertising," said Stephen Jepson, Executive Vice President, Media & Digital Practice. "With this, marketers can better evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts and make impactful adjustments to their campaigns."

Sharethrough and Kantar Millward Brown's partnership brings together two industry leaders from the native advertising and media research spaces respectively. Kantar Millward Brown has more than 40 years of brand research experience working with the world's leading brands and is active in 55 countries around the world. Sharethrough, founded in 2008, is the largest independent native advertising company and works with all of AdAge's Top 50 Megabrands who use its custom native ad formats to reach its network of premium publishers.

About Sharethrough

Founded in 2008, Sharethrough is the leading global native advertising platform, helping publishers maximize revenue and brands earn meaningful attention by powering ads that fit into - rather than interrupt - the audience experience. Sharethrough's flagship product, Sharethrough for Publishers (SFP), is a Supply Side Platform that powers over three billion monthly ad impressions for the world's leading publishers, including CNN International, Time Inc., Scripps Networks Interactive, Wenner Media, USA Today Sports, and Forbes. Sharethrough is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin, Detroit, London, Tokyo and Toronto.

About Kantar Millward Brown

Kantar Millward Brown is a leading global research agency specialising in advertising effectiveness, strategic communication, media and brand equity research. The company helps clients grow great brands through comprehensive research-based qualitative and quantitative solutions.



Part of Kantar, WPP's data investment management division, Kantar Millward Brown operates in more than 55 countries. Learn more at http://www.millwardbrown.com

SOURCE Sharethrough

Related Links

http://www.sharethrough.com


According to TechSci Research report, "Singapore Tire Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021', tire market in Singapore is forecast to cross SG$ 280 million by 2021, on account of recovering automobile sales and expanding automobile fleet size. Moreover, as per the World Bank, Singapore's Consumer Price Index (CPI) decreased from 5.3% in 2011 to -0.5% in 2015, which, in turn, has positively impacted the purchasing power of consumers in the country. Moreover, the country's population increased from 5.18 million in 2011 to 5.53 million in 2015. With increasing purchasing power and growing population, Singapore tire market is expected to grow at a robust pace over the span of next five years.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140117/663730 )



Browse 15 market data Tables and 44 Figures spread through 110 Pages and an in-depth TOC on

"Singapore Tire Market"

https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/singapore-tire-market-forecast-and-opportunities/861.html

On the basis of vehicle type, Singapore tire market has been broadly segmented into five categories, namely, passenger car, medium & heavy commercial vehicle, light commercial vehicle, two-wheelers and off-the-road. Among these categories, passenger car segment dominated the country's tire market during 2011 - 2015, and the segment is expected to maintain its dominance during forecast period as well. Central & East region was the largest demand generating region for tires in the country in 2015, followed by west, north-east and north regions.

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"Singapore automotive sector witnessed stagnancy during 2011-2015 as automobile sales declined during this period due to government policy directed towards limiting vehicle ownership in the country. The policy involves open bidding for procuring certificate of entitlement (COE), which is mandatory for owning a vehicle in the country. Moreover, with no domestic automobile production facility in the country, the tire market is completely dependent on replacement demand. In addition, replacement demand is addressed through imports, due to absence of tire production units in the country." said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm.

"Singapore Tire Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2021" has analyzed the potential of Singapore tire market, and provides statistics and information on market sizes, shares and trends. The report will suffice in providing intending clients with cutting-edge market intelligence and help them in taking sound investment decisions. Besides, the report also identifies and analyzes emerging trends along with essential drivers and key challenges faced by the industry.

Browse Related Reports

Global Two-Wheeler Tire Market- By Vehicle Type, By Region (APAC, North America, South America, Europe & CIS, Middle East and Africa), Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2021

https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/global-two-wheeler-tire-market-by-vehicle-type-by-region-apac-north-america-south-america-europe-cis-middle-east-and-africa-competition-forecast-opportunities/846.html

APAC Tire Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2021

https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/apac-tire-market-forecast-opportunities/855.html

Taiwan Tire Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2011 - 2021

https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/taiwan-tire-market-forecast-opportunities/843.html

Saudi Arabia Tire Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2021

https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/saudi-arabia-tire-market-forecast-opportunities-2021/800.html

About TechSci Research

TechSci Research is a leading global market research firm publishing premium market research reports. Serving 700 global clients with more than 600 premium market research studies, TechSci Research is serving clients across 11 different industrial verticals. TechSci Research specializes in research based consulting assignments in high growth and emerging markets, leading technologies and niche applications. Our workforce of more than 100 fulltime Analysts and Consultants employing innovative research solutions and tracking global and country specific high growth markets helps TechSci clients to lead rather than follow market trends.



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SOURCE TechSci Research
MADISON, N.J. and NEW ZEALAND, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC today announced that it has signed an agreement with New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty to expand the firm's operations into Fiji, which will increase the global footprint of the Sotheby's International Realty brand.

"Fiji is known for its unique beauty and global appeal, which are attractive to the international buyer," said Philip White, president and chief executive officer of Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC. "The Sotheby's International Realty brand is dedicated to providing luxury real estate services in the most sought after destinations in the world. We are proud to expand our brand presence into Fiji."

New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty joined the Sotheby's International Realty network in 2006 under the leadership of Co-Owners and Managing Directors Julian Brown and Mark Harris. Since then, the firm has expanded and now has 12 office locations throughout New Zealand with plans to open an office in Fiji in the first quarter of 2017.

"The time was right to make a strategic move to expand our operations into Fiji due to an increasing interest in the islands from international buyers and its proximity to New Zealand in the South Pacific," said Harris. "Fiji is an ideal holiday destination, boasting a secluded an exquisite lifestyle with over 300 islands, while also easily accessible with non-stop flights from major financial hubs around the world."

The Sotheby's International Realty network currently has more than 20,000 affiliated independent sales associates located in approximately 850 offices in 65 countries and territories worldwide. New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty listings will be marketed on the sothebysrealty.com global website. In addition to the referral opportunities and widened exposure generated from this source, the firm's brokers and clients will benefit from an association with the Sotheby's auction house and worldwide Sotheby's International Realty marketing programs. Each office is independently owned and operated.

About Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC

Founded in 1976 to provide independent brokerages with a powerful marketing and referral program for luxury listings, the Sotheby's International Realty network was designed to connect the finest independent real estate companies to the most prestigious clientele in the world. Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in real estate franchising and provider of real estate brokerage, relocation and settlement services. In February 2004, Realogy entered into a long-term strategic alliance with Sotheby's, the operator of the auction house. The agreement provided for the licensing of the Sotheby's International Realty name and the development of a full franchise system. Affiliations in the system are granted only to brokerages and individuals meeting strict qualifications. Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC supports its affiliates with a host of operational, marketing, recruiting, educational and business development resources. Franchise affiliates also benefit from an association with the venerable Sotheby's auction house, established in 1744. For more information, visit www.sothebysrealty.com.

CONTACT

Kay Lee

Director, International Marketing, Asia Pacific

Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC

+1.973.407.4953

+852.9851.5333

[email protected]



Clodagh Hall

National Brand and Marketing Director

New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty

2nd Floor, Mountaineer Building Cnr Shotover and Rees Street

Queenstown, New Zealand

+64 3 441 0120

[email protected]

SOURCE Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- South African Airways (SAA), the national carrier of South Africa, has been honored by Global Traveler magazine as, "Best Airline in Africa" in the publication's GT Tested Reader's annual survey. The magazine presented the award to SAA at its ceremony held on December 13th at the Peninsula Hotel Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills, CA, recognizing the airline for its consistently high-quality service that keeps it in the world-class category and best in the region for the 13th consecutive year. In this year's GT Tested Reader's survey, SAA also received honorable mention for, "Best Airline for Onboard Service", "Best Airline for Flight Attendants" and "Best Airport Lounges".

"We are truly honored to, once again, receive this award and be distinguished by the readers of Global Traveler as Africa's top airline. These are discerning international business travelers and their recognition of SAA serves as a validation of our efforts to continually enhance our product and deliver world-class service," said Todd Neuman, Executive Vice President, the Americas, for South African Airways. "We are thankful that the readers of Global Traveler have consistently named us as the best airline on the African continent throughout the years."

"There are not many GT Tested award recipients who have won their category for 13 straight years," said Francis Gallagher, CEO & Publisher, Global Traveler. "It is a magnificent achievement for South African Airways and we applaud them for delivering exceptional service for travel to, from and within Africa. I know from personal experience what an exceptional airline SAA is and it's quite clear that our readers recognize it, as well."

As the leading carrier from the U.S. to South Africa, South African Airways is the only airline to offer daily nonstop service from New York  JFK and daily direct service from Washington, DC-Dulles to Johannesburg, South Africa. South African Airways also offers nonstop service from Washington, DC-Dulles to Accra, Ghana, four-days per week and Dakar, Senegal, three-days per week. From its hub in Johannesburg, SAA offers business and leisure travelers convenient connections to over 75 destinations on the Africa continent in partnership with its regional airlines SA Express, Airlink and Mango.

About South African Airways

South African Airways (SAA), South Africa's national flag carrier and the continent's most awarded airline, serves over 75 destinations worldwide in partnership with SA Express, Airlink and its low cost carrier Mango. In North America, SAA operates daily nonstop flights from New York-JFK and direct flights from Washington D.C.-IAD (via Accra, Ghana and Dakar, Senegal) to Johannesburg. SAA has partnerships with United Airlines, Air Canada and JetBlue Airways, American Airlines and Virgin America, which offer convenient connections from more than 100 cities in the U.S. and Canada to SAA's flights. SAA is a Star Alliance member and the recipient of the Skytrax 4-Star rating for 14 consecutive years.

Like South African Airways here.

Follow South African Airways here

Contact: Todd Neuman, South African Airways,

+1-954-608-9184

[email protected]

SOURCE South African Airways

Related Links

http://www.flysaa.com


Southern Power has announced, acquired or is constructing more than 2,700 MW of renewable generation ownership with 33 solar, wind and biomass projects, including 11 solar projects in California. In all, the Southern Company system has added or announced more than 4,000 MW of renewable energy projects since 2012.

Southern Power is the majority owner of the Garland Solar Facility. Recurrent Energy managed the development of the project and owns the remaining interest. Construction of the facility began in November 2015 on 2,000 acres of land in Kern County, California.

"The completion of the Garland Solar Facility is testament to Southern Power and Recurrent Energy's strong partnership," said Dr. Shawn Qu, chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar Inc. "It has been a historic year for the Recurrent Energy team with 1.2 gigawatts of utility-scale solar projects under construction."

The Garland Solar Facility adds to Southern Company's robust renewable energy portfolio and fits Southern Power's business strategy of growing its wholesale business through the acquisition and construction of generating assets substantially covered by long-term contracts.

The electricity and associated renewable energy credits (RECs) generated by the facility are being sold under two long-term power purchase agreements with Southern California Edison, which will have the option to keep or sell the RECs.

About Southern Power

Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, is a leading U.S. wholesale energy provider meeting the electricity needs of municipalities, electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities and other energy customers serving millions of end users. Southern Power and its subsidiaries own or have the rights to 43 facilities operating or under construction in 11 states with more than 12,000 MW of generating capacity in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas.

About Southern Company

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is America's premier energy company, with 44,000 MW of generating capacity and 1,500 billion cubic feet of combined natural gas consumption and throughput volume serving 9 million electric and gas utility customers through its subsidiaries. The company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric utilities in four states, natural gas distribution utilities in seven states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale customers across America and a nationally recognized provider of customized energy solutions, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and affordable prices that are below the national average. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, Southern Company and its subsidiaries are inventing America's energy future by developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency, and creating new products and services for the benefit of customers. Southern Company has been named by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer, recognized among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by DiversityInc, listed by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity and designated a Top Employer for Hispanics by Hispanic Network. The company has earned a National Award of Nuclear Science and History from the National Atomic Museum Foundation for its leadership and commitment to nuclear development and is continually ranked among the top utilities in Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

Cautionary Notes Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain information contained in this release is forward-looking information based on current expectations and plans that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information includes, among other things, statements concerning the operation of the Garland Solar Facility and the future generating capacity of Southern Power and its subsidiaries' facilities. Southern Company and Southern Power caution that there are certain factors that can cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is not a guarantee of future performance and is subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Southern Company and Southern Power; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such suggested results will be realized. The following factors, in addition to those discussed in each of Southern Company's and Southern Power's Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, and subsequent securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: the ability to control costs and avoid cost overruns during the development and construction of generating facilities, to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses, and to satisfy any operational and environmental performance standards, including the requirements of tax credits and other incentives; and potential business strategies, including acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses, which cannot be assured to be completed or beneficial to Southern Company or Southern Power. Southern Company and Southern Power expressly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking information.

SOURCE Southern Company

Related Links

http://www.southerncompany.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Splash, the leader in event marketing automation software, today announced a $7 million Series B round of funding led by Ascent Venture Partners with continued participation from existing investors Spark Capital and Lerer Hippeau Ventures. This most recent round of funding brings the total raised to $14.5 million. Splash will use the influx of new capital to further its software's ability to automate and optimize the event marketing channel.

"Every marketer knows that nothing converts better than an event -- marketers that use Splash know exactly why their events convert and how to optimize that spend for maximum ROI," said Ben Hindman, Co-founder and CEO of Splash. "We're excited by the support of our investors and growing roster of clients; it's a sign that the space has finally matured. In-person Marketing is finally as trackable as digital. In the past year alone, we've more than doubled our client base, more than 80 percent of these new customers are marketers that use our enterprise platform to transform their event programs into a high-performing channel."

Founded in 2012, by Ben Hindman and Brett Boskoff, Splash quickly became the platform of choice for event marketers. Initially praised for its ease of use and powerful design tools, Splash has evolved into an essential component of the marketing stack, powering the event marketing programs for thousands of clients including most of the Fortune 500. Business-to-business (B2B) marketers are recognizing the power of the platform, as they seek to accelerate their lead generation efforts through event optimization.

"In today's mostly digital environment, events are often the only in-person interaction companies have with customers, offering an ideal venue for strengthening customer relationships. The value is significant; with over $500 billion of global annual spend on marketing events, companies must ensure maximum impact every time, creating an exceptional experience for attendees from start to finish," said Geoff Oblak, general partner at Ascent Venture Partners. "Splash's sophisticated event management platform equips marketing professionals with a solution to ensure maximum ROI from every event. Ascent has been highly active investing in companies that enhance the omni-channel customer experience, including the convergence of digital and physical interactions. I look forward to supporting the Splash team and the exciting innovation within this rapidly emerging market."

The company recently announced the launch of SplashConnect on the Salesforce AppExchange, which provides Salesforce customers with a complete understanding of their event marketing efforts. SplashConnect tracks leads throughout the event-lifecycle, allowing marketers to measure the effectiveness of event programs and make them more efficient through optimization. The software has already had an impact on enterprise marketing, as event programs can now be measured using the same metrics as any other channel.

"Events are absolutely crucial to enterprise marketing because they offer the perfect platform to connect with people and create an experience they will never forget. The real value lies in the trust and relationships that result after an unforgettable experience. That's why we trust Splash to power all of our happy hours, dinners, and even our conferences," said Maricor Resente, VP of Marketing at Bounce Exchange.

Splash has also announced that it recently filled two key executive roles. David Greenberger, former Foursquare's head of sales joins the team as VP of Sales, and Conrad Rushing, previously director of engineering at Tumblr is now Splash's VP of Engineering.

"At Splash we have a saying -- experience is everything," said Ben Hindman. "With over five million events behind us we've been able to build a platform that not only unlocks the rich behavioral data these experiences create, but also fundamentally changes the way marketers view events as a channel."

About Splash

Billions of dollars are spent on events each year, making in-person initiatives among the most expensive aspects of any budget. Launched in 2012 by Ben Hindman and Brett Boskoff, Splash is the in-person marketing automation software that optimizes that spend. With Splash, building beautiful event pages, selling tickets and seamlessly managing communications are only the beginning. Their proprietary software arms any company with the ability to track and analyze the in-person behavior of every individual that interacts with their brand. Over half of the Fortune 500 is using the data that Splash gathers to gain maximum ROI from their in-person marketing, sales and recruiting efforts. To make your events more efficient, visit: splashthat.com/business.

About Ascent Venture Partners

Ascent Venture Partners is dedicated to investing in innovation for the enterprise. In backing more than 100 early-stage, emerging technology companies since 1985, Ascent has remained committed to its mission of partnering with exceptional entrepreneurs striving to build innovative market leaders. The Ascent investment team manages six venture funds with total commitments of more than $500 million, and is located in Boston, Mass. For more information, please visit http://www.ascentvp.com/.

SOURCE Splash

Related Links

http://splashthat.com


An internationally respected leader in pediatric hematology, Neufeld comes to St. Jude from Boston, where he served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School for the last 26 years. He was most recently associate chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. Neufeld was also medical director at the Boston Hemophilia Center and held the Egan Family Foundation Chair in Transitional Medicine at Harvard Medical School as a professor of pediatrics.

"Dr. Neufeld's leadership and experience will help steer St. Jude clinical operations as we expand our patient care programs, increase the number of patients treated and work to set the standard for pediatric cancer care delivery," said James R. Downing, M.D., St. Jude president and chief executive officer.

Neufeld completed his undergraduate work at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, earning his doctoral degrees at Washington University in St. Louis. He then completed specialty training in pediatrics and medical genetics at Boston Children's Hospital and in pediatric hematology/oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's.

He has worked as a physician-scientist in the laboratory and as a clinical researcher in non-malignant hematology with numerous publications in the areas of hemophilia, thalassemia and immune thrombocytopenia.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food  because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. To learn more, visit stjude.org or follow the hospital on Twitter and Instagram at @stjuderesearch.

SOURCE St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Related Links

http://www.stjude.org


RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SciQuest, a leading provider of spend management solutions, announced today that The State University of New York (SUNY) will implement the SciQuest Source-to-Settle Suite to modernize its procurement processes. By employing the procurement and sourcing solutions suite, this network of higher education institutions will be able to manage system-wide spend using a set of common business processes to improve controls and gain efficiencies.

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States. With more than 600,000 students across 64 SUNY schools, the administration was looking for a procurement platform that would unify the decentralized procurement offices at each of the schools plus provide increased spend management efficiencies and visibility into shared processes. The first phase of implementation will begin with SUNY Administration, Alfred State College, The College at Brockport, College at Buffalo State, State University College at Fredonia, State University College at Geneseo, and the University at Buffalo. The agreement allows for all other SUNY schools to be added as determined by SUNY.

SciQuest was selected for its ability to easily integrate with multiple ERP systems, including SUNY's custom built financial system, Oracle E-Business Suite, Ellucian's Banner and Colleague systems, among others. SUNY is implementing the following solutions: Spend Director, Accounts Payable Director, Spend Radar, Sourcing Director, Total Contract Manager.

"Given SUNY's large number of universities and colleges along with the geographic dispersion across the state, we are certain that our source-to-settle suite will help ease the procurement process and enable greater insight into the full spend, which will ensure greater efficiencies," said Robert Bonavito, CEO of SciQuest. "We look forward to working with Huron Consulting Group, GCOM Software, Inc. and Professional Data Communications to make this a successful initiative for SUNY."

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, with 64 college and university campuses located within 30 miles of every home, school and business in the state. In 2015/16, SUNY served nearly 1.3 million students, including nearly 600,000 in credit bearing courses and programs and more than 700,000 through continuing education and community outreach programs. SUNY students and faculty across the state make significant contributions to research and discovery, resulting in nearly $1 billion of externally-sponsored activity each year. There are 3 million SUNY alumni worldwide and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree are SUNY alumni. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu.



About SciQuest Inc.

The largest Commercial, Manufacturing and Life Sciences companies in the world trust SciQuest with billions of dollars of annual spend. Additionally, SciQuest is the leading procure-to-pay provider in the Higher Education and Government sectors. SciQuest eprocurement and strategic sourcing customers across the globe have gained access to the best suppliers, with the best terms, on our scalable, configurable, user-friendly platform. Our SaaS-based, source-to-settle solution provides unparalleled visibility, insights and recommendations to procurement leaders and suppliers. The result is a fluid supply chain driven by powerful spend analysis, comprehensive contract management and efficient accounts payable solutions. Learn how our solutions can power your organization: www.sciquest.com.

To join the conversation, please visit our blog at http://www.sciquest.com/blog or follow us on Twitter @SciQuest.

SciQuest Media Contact:

SciQuest, Inc.

Taryn Zerner, 919-659-2230

[email protected]

SOURCE SciQuest

Related Links

http://www.sciquest.com


"What's likely to be surprising to most is the importance of human factors in preventing data breaches. While the threat of hackers is real, organizations can't afford to neglect training their people on the risks and setting up the proper controls to prevent these often expensive and damaging incidents from occurring," said SCCE and HCCA CEO Roy Snell.

The survey, "Data Breach Incidents, Causes, and Response", first conducted in 2012, was conducted again in November to learn what changes occurred in the past four years and found relatively little has changed when it comes to both managing the issue and the number of incidents.

According to the survey, 38% of respondents reported that their organization had not suffered a data breach in the last year (up from 32% in 2012). But the survey report noted, "company size played a large role. While 51% of organizations with 1,000 employees or less reported a breach, 81% of organizations with 100,000 or more employees had been breached."

The survey also found employees other than IT were the "#1 source of reporting an incident." The survey results found that audits discovered 5%, IT reported 10%, and employees other than IT reported 46%.

Use the following link for the complete survey:

http://www.corporatecompliance.org/Resources/View/tabid/531/ArticleId/5765/Data-Breach-Incidents-Causes-and-Response.aspx

About SCCE and HCCA

The Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics and the Health Care Compliance Association are non-profit associations headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. USA. Together SCCE and HCCA serve more than 16,900 compliance and ethics professionals globally. The two associations offer more than 80 meetings a year, and each publishes a monthly magazine for its members. In addition to programs throughout the U.S., programs are offered in 2016 in Brussels, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Madrid, and Prague in order to meet the educational needs of the global compliance and ethics community.

Visit the SCCE website at www.corporatecompliance.org.

Visit HCCA's website at www.hcca-info.org.

SOURCE The Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) and the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

Related Links

http://www.corporatecompliance.org


MIAMI, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Inspire America Foundation and America TeVe show the relevant results of the first survey conducted among Cuban Americans voters in Florida following the death of dictator Fidel Castro and the election victory of Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump.

The study was done by Survey USA, one of the most prestigious polling organizations in the United States, and explores the opinion of these voters on issues vital for Southern Florida and Cuba such as the relations between Washington and Havana, the validity of the law of Cuban adjustment Cuban and human rights on the island among others.

Starting with a balanced universe of 600 persons that were interviewed, the survey explores in an incisive and explicit manner the aspects that other polls have never touched with sensitive complexity after the restoration of relations between the United States and Cuba from late 2014.

As per the poll:

From 478 registered Cuban-Americans voters who were interviewed about the presidential election, 60% voted for Donald Trump ; while 31% voted for the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton . In this particular, the poll had a margin of error of +/-4.5%.

; while 31% voted for the Democratic candidate, . In this particular, the poll had a margin of error of +/-4.5%. Cuban-Americans considered unfair that Raul Castro's Government stays with 92% of the salary that American companies pay and/or pay their employees on the island.

Government stays with 92% of the salary that American companies pay and/or pay their employees on the island. In a ratio of 6 to 1, the Cuban Americans considered that, after the death of Fidel Castro , the United States must cease all commercial openings with Raul Castro's government until solid steps are taken towards the democratization of the island.

, must cease all commercial openings with government until solid steps are taken towards the democratization of the island. The majority of Cuban-Americans considered the Cuban Adjustment Act should be amended to avoid being violated or abused by Cubans who arrive from the island claiming political persecution, taking benefits prescribed by the Act and then traveling to Cuba under normal circumstances without fear of reprisal.

Survey USA is a non-partisan pollster, founded in 1990 and headquartered in New Jersey, with presence in 50 States in the nation. Their services are usually requested by 19 of the 25 major American communication companies which rely on their scientific judgment on issues related to media, the Government, the private sector and the public. Its position is unique in the research of public opinion in all the levels.

Both the Inspire America Foundation and America TeVe wanted to expand the spectrum of opinion among Cuban Americans on issues that concern them daily. We hope that its results will contribute to enrich the political discourse in the context of relations between Cuba and the United States as well as in the internal context of our community.

Results of the poll will be available on Tuesday, December 13th.

Inspire America Foundation www.inspireamerica.org

America CV Network, LLC www.americateve.com

SOURCE America TeVe

Related Links

http://www.americateve.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Synthesio, the leading global Social Intelligence platform, announced a new strategic integration today with Octoly. Octoly is a leading global platform that offers cosmetics and fashion brands access to thousands of creators on social networks. This addition will allow Synthesio customers to measure the impact of their influencer marketing campaigns among their other traditional, paid, owned and earned social media efforts.

"Influencers work like traditional broadcast TV channels: they build qualitative content that reaches targeted audiences. Brands use technologies like Octoly to hire these creators but struggle to measure the impact of these programs." explained Loic Moisand, CEO and Co-Founder of Synthesio "With this partnership, we enable our customers to include their influencer marketing programs into the bigger picture of their social media ROI framework."

Synthesio's integration with Octoly will facilitate identification of paid influencer videos and separate them from organic earned content. Specifically relevant for the cosmetics and fashion world, the program will soon expand to other industries as the Octoly creator database continues to grow.

"The influencer marketing community is now a major component of brand marketing for the fashion and beauty industries and social media is its advertising highway," said Thomas Owadenko, Co-Founder and CEO of Octoly. "As the leading platform and influencer marketplace for both brands and creator communities, Octoly needs to ensure that these groups are actively engaged in authentic conversations. Synthesio gives us the social intelligence to confirm that the dialogue happens and we provide the influencer marketing infrastructure."

Octoly's integration is available to Synthesio customers immediately. Current customers can reach out to their Account Managers for further details.

About Synthesio

Synthesio, named the Global Leader by an independent analyst in two reports in Q1 2016 and an Editor's Choice by PC Mag, is a global Social Intelligence platform used by some of the world's top brands, and the agencies that support them. Synthesio is the framework for building social intelligence that provides real business results. Whether an organization's social team is built within Marketing or crosses multiple departments, business units or geographies, Synthesio helps teams listen to, and analyze, consumer conversations across social and mainstream media within one platform. Founded in 2006, Synthesio has offices in New York, Paris, London, and Singapore.http://www.synthesio.com/

About Octoly

Octoly is the first micro-influencer marketing platform with a fully-integrated marketplace where up-and-coming creators get free products from the world's leading brands, allowing them to provide unbiased and authentic reviews on YouTube and Instagram. Octoly simultaneously helps brands identify and activate micro-influencers at scale while giving creators a rich store of products that matter to their audience. Octoly manages thousands of creators along with brand customers such as L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, Sephora, Urban Decay, Birchbox, and many more. See the future of micro-influencer marketing at octoly.com.

Media Contact:

Adam Dalezman

Senior Communications Manager, Synthesio

[email protected]

(646) 760-0021

SOURCE Synthesio

Related Links

http://www.synthesio.com


NEW YORK and MUMBAI, India, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, today announced it has been recognized by Gartner, Inc. as a Leader in its "Magic Quadrant for Application Testing Services, Worldwide," report, by Susanne Matson, Patrick J. Sullivan and Gilbert van der Heiden, 28th November 2016.

Gartner evaluated 18 service providers, including TCS, on their ability to execute and completeness of vision. According to Gartner, Leaders are performing well today, gaining traction and mind share in the market; they have a clear vision of market direction and are actively building competencies to sustain their leadership position in the market. Leaders generally have a global client base; a track record of complex, global engagements that support business transformation; and well-balanced business, process and industry consulting, implementation and service management capabilities that are supported by rigorous tools and methodologies.

TCS has invested in several patents, frameworks and proprietary tools, including the branded MasterCraft suite of products to provide test assets through the entire test life cycle and NETRA which facilitates continuous integration and continuous deployment. TCS is the first to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in testing through their AI product called 360 Degree Assurance, which enables a self-healing Quality Assurance IT ecosystem.

"TCS is focused on radical innovations in testing and enhancing the digital competencies of our associates to ensure our customers remain competitive," said Jayashree Natarajan, Global Head of Assurance Services, TCS. "We believe TCS' position as a Leader for the third consecutive year is a testament of our leadership in the area of Application Testing through deep testing expertise, and comprehensive products and services catering across industries. Additionally, our Global Network Delivery Model provides timely delivery, resources with regularly updated skillsets and innovative tools, frameworks and methodologies, fortifying our leadership position in the Magic Quadrant."

With one of the most comprehensive testing portfolios available, TCS Assurance Services addresses business, quality and risk management challenges for its global clients. TCS empowers organizations across industries to ensure first-time-right releases, reduce cost while improving quality, and enable a superior customer experience. TCS offers Assurance Services across the testing value cycle, including test consulting and advisory, test services implementation, and managed services for test environment and test data management.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS)

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that delivers real results to global business, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match. TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT, BPS, infrastructure, engineering and assurance services. This is delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Model, recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development. A part of the Tata group, India's largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has over 371,000 of the world's best-trained consultants in 45 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $16.5

billion for year ended March 31, 2016 and is listed on the BSE Limited and National Stock Exchange of India Limited. For more information, visit us at www.tcs.com.

To stay up-to-date on TCS news in North America, follow @TCS_NA. For TCS global news, follow @TCS_News.

SOURCE Tata Consultancy Services

Related Links

http://www.tcs.com


By Jamie Freed

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A consortium led by Macquarie Group Ltd (MQG.AX) has made an offer for Tatts Group Ltd (TTS.AX), disrupting an agreed deal between the lottery operator and Australia's biggest bookmaker, Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (TAH.AX), a source familiar with the situation said.

The offer from Macquarie and pension funds that are part of the consortium includes a mix of cash and shares in a spinoff company, the source told Reuters, adding the Tatts board had yet to decide if it offered superior value to a A$6.4 billion (3.8 billion pounds) cash-and-stock bid from Tabcorp.

The Macquarie-led offer comprises A$3.40 per share cash for the lotteries business and shares in a spinoff wagering company the consortium values at A$1 to A$1.60 a share, the source said.

That compares with Tabcorp's offer of 0.80 Tabcorp shares plus A$0.425 cash for each Tatts share held, which equated to A$4.145 based on Tabcorp's closing price on Tuesday.

Tatts and Macquarie both declined to comment. Tabcorp could not be reached for comment.

Tabcorp in October agreed to acquire Tatts to create a gambling powerhouse in an effort to fend off a growing challenge from overseas online rivals.

In November, Tabcorp purchased control of around 10 percent of its takeover target Tatts for A$638 million, at which time a source familiar with the situation told Reuters that the share purchase by Tabcorp was meant to make it harder for an interloper to break up the agreed deal between the pair.

The Tabcorp offer, which remains subject to approval from Australia's competition regulator, will require the approval of 75 percent of Tatts shareholders.

(Reporting by Jamie Freed; editing by Lisa Shumaker and Diane Craft)
RHEINFELDEN, Switzerland, December 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Zeria Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd launched Zentacort 3mg capsules (generic name: Budesonide) in Japan on November 29, 2016. Zentacort is sold as Entocort in more than 40 countries and recommended as first line therapy for treatment in Crohn's Disease (CD) in various international guidelines. Zentacort has an indication for the treatment of mild to moderate active CD and is now listed on the NHI drug reimbursement price list in Japan.

The Study Group on Unapproved and Off-label Drugs of High Medical Need, operating under the Japanese Ministry of Labour, Health and Welfare (MHLW), concluded that there was a substantial need to make Zentacort available for use in treatment in Crohn's disease in Japan. Responding to a request from the MHLW, AstraZeneca started the development of Zentacort in December 2010. Following the acquisition of the worldwide rights to Entocort (except the USA) by Tillotts Pharma (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zeria Pharmaceutical) in July 2015, Zeria submitted the new drug application in October 2015 and received the approval in September 2016.

Product Summary

Product name in Japan: Zentacort 3mg capsules

Generic name: Budesonide

Formulation: Capsules

Indication: Mild to moderate active Crohn's Disease

Dosage and administration: Usually for adults, 9mg is orally administered once a day in the morning.

Package Zentacort 3mg capsules: 100 capsules/bottle

Date of approval: 28 September 2016

Date of listing price18 November 2016

Date of launch 29 November 2016

Drug price: Zentacort 3mg Capsules 256.90 yen

Approval holder: Zeria Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

About Tillotts

Tillotts Pharma AG, part of the Japanese Zeria Group, is a fast-growing specialty pharma company with over 250 employees in Switzerland and abroad. Tillotts is dedicated to the development, in/out-licensing and commercialisation of innovative pharmaceutical products for the digestive system. Tillotts successfully markets its own products Asacol and Entocort, as well as in-licensed products, in over 65 countries through its affiliates within Europe and a network of gastroenterology-focused partners throughout the world.

All trademarks used or mentioned here are protected by law. The trademark Entocort is registered in over 45 countries as Entocort and as Entocir, Entocord, Budecol, and Zentacort in Italy, Spain, Greece, and Japan, respectively (transfer of registrations to Tillotts pending in certain countries). The rights to Entocort, including the rights to the trademark, are owned by Tillotts Pharma AG in various countries (transfer of market authorisations to Tillotts Pharma in process) except for the USA.

Product information in this release is limited, with the aim of providing a summary for general information purposes for a wide audience regarding the activities of Tillotts. More information may be available from local regulatory authorities, but not all products are available in each country. Please consult a healthcare professional for further information.

About Zeria

Zeria Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., founded in 1955, based in Tokyo, Japan, focuses on R&D, manufacturing and sales of prescription drugs as well as OTC products. The company is listed on the First Section of Tokyo Stock Exchange (Stock code: 4559). Zeria holds a leading position within the gastroenterology field in Japan and operates internationally through a number of subsidiaries.

For more information about Zeria please visit http://www.zeria.co.jp.

 Copyright Tillotts Pharma AG. All rights reserved.

Tillotts Pharma AG media contact:

Suzanne Rouden

Corporate Communications Manager a.i.

Phone: +41-(0)61-935-2749

Email: [email protected]

http://www.tillotts.com



SOURCE Tillots Phama AG
WILMINGTON, Del., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- TMM, Inc. (OTC PNK: TMMI) ("TMMI" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the expansion of its Board of Directors from three to five and its new board members. The two new seats have been filled by Paul B. Healy and Pat Cory Arcadipane, both successful industry professionals with deep expertise in media, finance, business and entrepreneurship.

Paul B. Healy is an accomplished, established executive with entrepreneurial and financial skills, experienced in the media/communications and financial services arenas, having applied his skills in critically demanding business situations.

Mr. Healy is currently a partner in Gulfstream Limited, an independent New York and London based international risk management solutions and advisory services firm, serving private organizations in mergers and acquisitions and private equity.

In addition to his extensive background in financial services, beginning at Chase Manhattan Bank as Vice President and Client Executive, Global Media and Telecommunications Group, Mr. Healy served as the President and CEO of Connexity, LLC, a leading supply chain analytics database/research company, sold to Bloomberg, LLC in 2010.

Mr. Healy served for a decade as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations with Hollinger International, Inc., at the time a leading publically traded international newspaper publisher with extensive media assets. These assets included the Telegraph in the UK, the Chicago Sun-Times, and more than 100 community papers in the Chicago area, and the Jerusalem Post among others. Mr. Healy led investor relations and all bank financing, investment banking relationships. He managed $7 billion in various bank/bond/equity and derivative facilities. Mr. Healy was the primary spokesman at various Equity and Bond conferences as well as to the media while overseeing the global budgeting process across all divisions and final corporate roll-up to assure debt and derivative compliance covenants during the growth of the company from a $100 million EBITDA to $450 Million successfully attracting and maintaining a blue-chip, value-oriented shareholder base.

Pat Cory Arcadipane is a Certified Public Accountant and seasoned business executive with extensive development and finance experience ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups to Fortune 100 companies.

Mr. Arcadipane has been responsible for many corporate functions including mergers and acquisitions; business re-engineering, R&D partnerships and joint ventures; manufacturing and corporate development; corporate finance and marketing. During his career he has been the catalyst for generating over $500 million in revenue and $ 200 million in cost savings.

Mr. Arcadipane's entrepreneurial achievements include inventing a new, patented milk product for which he founded Milk-Made, Inc. and created the brand "Cool Cow". He launched the product in over 3,000 outlets, selling nearly every major supermarket chain in the New York Metro area. He also founded and served as CEO/CFO of Electronique, a manufacturer and distributor of mechanical and electrical components.

Mr. Arcadipane's experience involves high profile companies serving as Director of New Business Development for the Advertising Solutions Group of Harris Corp.; the Vice President of Strategic Marketing Planning for the US Consumer Banking Group at Citicorp; and Director and Manager of Financial Planning and Analysis at RCA Records and Paramount Pictures respectively. While at Citicorp, Mr. Arcadipane created the first global Intranet Service Provider with automatic sign-on, browser, email and Boolean search features.

Mr. Arcadipane currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Millisecond Technologies Corp., where he developed and commercialized a new pasteurization technology that produces the first fresh milk product with a long shelf life that retains all of the nutrition and taste, currently preparing for market.

"TMMI shareholders are truly fortunate that these two powerful leaders have joined the Board of Directors," said TMMI President, Gerard V. Cavanaugh. "They both bring decades of innovative leadership, practical vision and deep relationships that align perfectly with TMMI's mission to become the essential infrastructure technology for video applications throughout the world."

"The Company will now escalate the marketing effort of the Company's new patent pending technology from the development stage to the rapidly expanding and diverse video marketplace."

ON BEHALF OF THE TMMI BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF TMM, INC.:

GERARD V. CAVANAUGH

CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENT

For more information, please visit the Company's Website at http://www.tmmi.us.

About TMM, Inc.

TMM, Inc. (OTC PNK: TMMI) is a technology company headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, specializing in digital video compression, video scaling and image management. Founded in 1990, the company is dedicated to improving bandwidth utilization and video image quality. TMMI develops digital video compression and scaling technologies that provide end-to-end workflow and distribution solutions for digital cinema; streaming media; cable TV; sports; mobile; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; defense; security; medical imaging; space exploration; video game applications; training and distance learning.

Safe Harbor Statement:

The information in this release contains forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the Company's capital needs, business strategy and expectations. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, which may be identified by terminology such as "may," "should," "will," "expect," "plan," "intend," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "forecast," "project," or "continue," the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. Readers should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events or results. Any or all of the Company's forward-looking statements may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions, risks and uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to be materially different from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Factors may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. In addition, new factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for the Company to predict all factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward- looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this document, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE TMM, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tmmi.us


LOS ANGELES, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In continuing the growth and diversification of resources and pertinent information available to the commercial trucking industry, Trucking Unlimited announced today the acquisition of Los Angeles  based TruckingIndustry.news. A news site dedicated to trucking-related reports and stories concerning the nation's economy, TruckingIndustry.news seeks to be an effective partner to Trucking Unlimited's revered job board with nationwide job listings and resources for drivers across the web. Trucking Unlimited's streamlined job boards paired with the breaking stories from TruckingIndustry.news will allow users to continue to find the most desirable and highest-paying jobs in their field while keeping up with important issues.

TruckingIndustry.news has proven to be a powerful outlet in reaching a niche group of readers as well as enculturating those outside of commercial trucking to read stories that affect their lives. Trucking Unlimited has been a recognized force in the industry in targeting a niche market as well, allowing for a successful and specific reach to truck operators as opposed to the wide and inefficient scope that many general job boards offer.

The recent acquisition of TruckingIndustry.news will allow Truckling Unlimited to expand upon its areas of expertise to inform those in the world of trucking and to allow industry members a platform to see the issues that impact their line of work. Trucking Unlimited will continue to provide job listings for carriers of all sizes with open positions across the country. Trucking Unlimited's acquisition of TruckingIndustry.news aims to solve the issue of online users scouring the internet for separate websites and resources to find career-related prospects and industry news. This is the second acquisition for Trucking Unlimited since its purchase of TruckDrivingJobs.com for $800,000 in 2014.

About Trucking Unlimited:

Seeing headquarters in West Hills, California, Trucking Unlimited has been an esteemed industry site to aid companies in every state in recruiting drivers. Trucking Unlimited has partnered with the most revered and valuable transportation employers in the United States for a leading-edge job seeking experience that is easy to navigate. Trucking Unlimited is committed to finding the most qualified and diligent drivers to join over 3.5 million drivers in the country and has become recognized as one of the most adept recruiting services online.

For more information, please contact: Jake Pourshi, 866-878-2508 ext. 8, [email protected]

SOURCE Trucking Unlimited

Related Links

http://www.truckingunlimited.com


CHICAGO, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural and organic labels, which have long been present on food and beverages in the grocery channel, are increasingly popping up on away-from-home menus. According to a recent Multi Client Study by Technomic Inc., more than 1 in 5 Top 500 Restaurant Chain Menus offer items described as "natural" or "organic", and 4 in 5 operators that offer natural and organic menu items say these options have driven sales and traffic. With results like that, it is important that suppliers and operators in the foodservice industry understand the drivers of the trend and the potential impact on the industry and on their business.

"There is no doubt that interest in natural and organic has grown", says Kathryn Fenner, a principal at Technomic. "Natural and organic foods provide an opportunity because the terms have come to signal health without detracting from taste and satisfaction with the food." And as natural and organic claims become more widespread, consumer expectations will rise, making a fresh, natural positioning a "must have" in many situations.

For suppliers and operators to effectively and efficiently target the natural and organic opportunity, Technomic Inc. is launching a new multi-client study, titled Natural and Organic: The Impact on Foodservice. This unique study will provide a 360 view of the natural and organic foodservice landscape using a comprehensive approach, combining industry, menu, consumer, operator and distributor insights.

Report features include:

A comprehensive look at consumer attitudes and preferences for natural and organic offerings when dining away from home.

An analysis of the role and importance of natural and organic on foodservice operator menus.

Examples of how operators are using certain natural and organic products to drive traffic and same store sales growth.

A snapshot of the size and growth of the natural and organic label business for key food categories, along with insights and expert analysis of the implications across the restaurant industry.

Don't miss your opportunity to participate in this unique research. Those who commit to sponsorship study launch have an opportunity to ask proprietary questions that address the specific needs of their business.

Contact: Patrick Noone at [email protected] or 312-506-3852 before December 30 to get on board.

About Technomic

Only Technomic, a Winsight company, delivers a 360-degree view of the food industry. We impact growth and profitability for our clients by providing consumer-grounded vision and channel-relevant strategic insights. Our services range from major research studies and management consulting solutions to online databases and simple fact-finding assignments. Our clients include food manufacturers and distributors, restaurants and retailers, other foodservice organizations, and various institutions aligned with the food industry. Visit us at technomic.com.

About Winsight, LLC

Winsight, LLC is a business-to-business media and information services company specializing in the convenience-retailing, restaurant and noncommercial foodservice industries. Winsight has an extensive media portfolio including four publications, CSP, Restaurant Business, FoodService Director and Convenience Store Products, a suite of digital products including websites, e-newsletters (Restaurant Business Daily and CSP Daily News) and webinars, plus video products, mobile and tablet apps and custom marketing solutions. The Winsight Events group produces six exclusive, large-scale executive-level conferencesRestaurant Leadership Conference, FARE Conference, Outlook Leadership, Convenience Retailing University, FSTEC and MenuDirectionsin addition to more than 12 major EduNetworking conferences and advisory meetings. In Aug. 2015, Winsight acquired Technomic Inc., a food industry provider of primary and secondary market information and advisory services. Winsight is a recognized leader in the markets it serves.

For more information on Winsight and its brands, go to WinsightMedia.com.

SOURCE Technomic

Related Links

http://www.technomic.com


NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CommutAir announced that it had hired Mr. Jeffrey "Jeff" Penn as its (14 CFR 119.65) Chief Inspector and promoted Mr. Jobin "Joey" Dhaliwal to Director of Crew Resources.

Jeff was previously the Chief Inspector and Manager of Quality at Jet Aircraft Maintenance, in Miami, FL, where he oversaw fifty plus airline customers, at half dozen locations. His career spans two decades in quality oversight positions at large regional operators such as Independence Air, Mesa, and Compass. Jeff also served in the U.S. Marine Corps as Crew Chief. He is finishing his MBA to add to his BS in Aeronautical Studies and Aviation Maintenance. He will report to CommutAir's COO, Joel Raymond, who commented that, "Adding an industry veteran with a breadth of credentials, such as Jeff, to our maintenance leadership team, bolsters our capabilities as we continue to execute our rapid growth plans." Jeff will take over from Robert "Bob" Melone, who had previously announced his departure, but is assisting in a smooth transition.

Joey joined CommutAir in November of 2014, as Regional Manager of Airport Operations, overseeing airport operations throughout the mid-Atlantic region, including hub operations at Washington Dulles. Vice President of Flight Operations, Justin Conrad, stated, "I'm confident Joey's keen understanding of airline operations coupled with his proven leadership will add significant value to our growing Crew Resources department." Joey relocated to the corporate offices in North Olmsted, OH, from Dulles, VA.

These appointments are in partial fulfilment of the unprecedented hiring and advancement opportunities at CommutAir, required as it triples in size through the addition of 40 ERJ145 aircraft (over the next 2 years). In response to these hiring needs, CommutAir has designed industry leading pay and benefits packages. For example, for incoming pilots, CommutAir offers:

Up to $15,000 sign on bonus and rapid position upgrades for qualified applicants

sign on bonus and rapid position upgrades for qualified applicants Career Path Program- offering qualified pilots a pathway for advancement to United Airlines (subject to program terms and conditions)

Top-tier pay and benefits including 401K match

Unparalleled Commuter Policy including paid commuter hotels

For career opportunities go to www.flycommutair.com/careers

About CommutAir

CommutAir, operating as United Express, was founded in 1989 and is majority owned by Champlain Enterprises Inc. Today CommutAir operates more than 900 weekly flights to more than 30 destinations, with Bombardier Q200/300 and Embraer ERJ145XR aircrafts, from bases in Newark, NJ and Dulles, DC. CommutAir's 800+ employees are well known in the industry for fostering a family culture and a friendly work environment. Visit our website, www.flycommutair.com, contact us at [email protected], or (440) 779-4588 ext. 371.

SOURCE CommutAir

Related Links

http://www.flycommutair.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicone is an elastomeric polymer which is composed of carbon, hydrogen & oxygen which amalgamates to form a heat resistant rubber like material with properties similar to non-reactiveness, stability and resistant to extreme environments and temperatures coupled with highly flexibility at lower temperatures. Silicone is used both as a jacket material and over-mould for cable assemblies in medical device applications because it is the most compatible in terms of sterilization, disinfection, and cleaning.

U.S. medical silicone wires and cables market is segmented by application, equipment and country analysis. The equipment segment includes diagnostics which comprises of X-ray, CT, ultrasound, molecular imaging/nuclear medicine, endoscopy, ECG. The silicone wires and cables are also used in various therapies of medical including; radiotherapy, laser medicine, laparoscopy and catheter technology among others. These silicone wires and cables in U.S. medical industry also used for various patient monitoring cases like oxygen measurement, temperature measurement, blood pressure measurement and so on.

The application segment comprises of medical tubing, lead wire and some other application areas. Among which medical tubing includes the MRI, ultrasound, cardiovascular and surgical imaging and patient monitoring applications. Silicon wire and cable are used in wide array of precision medical products and cabling applications where high reliability, high sensitive, capacitance and impedance characteristics are highly important especially in U.S.

Medical tubing is a major application of silicone and is used in respirators and intravenous drug. Apart from these, silicone are also used in ventilation masks, transfusion delivery systems, handles for surgical instruments, breading tubes, microphone holders for hearing aids, tube connector and many other. Rising health concerns coupled with the increasing adoption of advanced technologies in the field of medicine for various applications have been stimulating the market revenue in the recent years. Rising infrastructure development in healthcare will allow the silicon wire and cable manufacturers to expand their penetration in the country with huge application of these wires from medical equipment to patient care.

The U.S. medical silicone wires and cables market highly fragmented Leoni AG, Sumitomo Electric U.S.A., Hitachi Cables North America and Carlisle Medical Technologies do hold substantial market shares.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04399182-summary/view-report.html

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IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans were hit by an estimated 2.37 billion robocalls in November 2016, a 4% decrease over October but an increase of 141% over the same month last year.

The latest monthly results mark the first time that the nation's robocall volume has declined for three straight months since the YouMail Robocall Index was launched in September 2015. These figures suggest that the rapid growth rate for the nation's robocalling epidemic may be stabilizing.

The call total for November equaled an average of 913 robocalls placed every second during the month, or roughly 78.9 million robocalls every day. YouMail estimates that U.S. phones have received more than 26 billion robocalls to date this calendar year.

These numbers come from the latest YouMail Robocall Index report released today by YouMail, Inc., the leading provider of intelligent telecom services for consumers and small businesses. Having answered billions of calls for its users, YouMail uses algorithms to detect any automatically dialed calls and then aggregates that call data into the Robocall Index.

YouMail is helping to lead the fight against this growing national dilemma by:

Measuring the problem. YouMail's Robocall Index provides additional details about robocalls in each area code, so anyone can research the scope of the problem in their home area codes. Providing solutions for consumers and businesses. YouMail provides iPhone and Android apps that stop robocallers from calling mobile phones by playing them an "out of service" message. YouMail also provides a reverse phone lookup service that allows anyone to identify and comment on suspicious numbers. Helping carriers provide services that block incoming robocalls. YouMail has developed an application program interface (API) that any telecom service provider or third-party developer can use to determine whether a number is problematic.

"Our country is struggling with an ongoing source of frustration and a huge drain on productivity due to this continuous incoming stream of robocalls," said Alex Quilici, CEO of YouMail. "Mitigating this problem will require a united effort by telecom carriers, federal regulators and members of the public."

Inbound Robocalling "Lowlights" from November

Southern states and cities continued to suffer as the areas hardest hit by auto-dialers in November. Texas was slammed with the most robocalls of any state for the sixth consecutive month, with 274.6 million calls received.

In fact, Southern states were home to 15 of the Top 20 most robocalled area codes during the month, and 21 Southern cities made the Top 50 Most Robocalled Cities list during November. The top five states for November (Texas, California, Florida, Georgia and New York) received nearly 1 billion combined calls for the month. The state of Virginia recorded the biggest monthly jump in robocalls, growing 40% month-over-month and moving up three states on the national list to #14.

Atlanta continued its reign as America's #1 Most Robocalled City for the 12th month in a row, receiving 106.1 million robocalls during November. Baton Rouge, La., notched the biggest jump in robocalls on a percentage basis with 8% more robocalls in November than in October, catapulting Baton Rouge from #47 to #35 on the Top 50 Most Robocalled Cities list.

Three other Southern cities recorded notable robocall increases for November, including #13 Miami (up 7% vs. October); #18 Tampa, Fla. (up 4%); and #23 Columbia, SC (up 3%).

Outbound Robocalling "Lowlights" from November

Los Angeles overtook Dallas in November to reclaim its top spot as the city generating the most robocalls, with 54.7 million robocalls placed in the month. Dallas posted a 22.7% decrease in outbound robocalls from October to November.

Several area codes jumped up to enter the Top 20 list of most prolific robocalling area codes in November. New entrants included #8 Austin, TX area code 512 (22.1 million calls placed); #12 Buffalo, NY 716 (16.7 million calls); #13 Orlando 407 (16.1 million); #17 San Diego 619 (14.7 million); and #19 Las Vegas (14.6 million).

Debt collectors continued to dominate as the main source of the nation's robocalls, including 19 of the Top 20 robocall phone numbers by volume in November. The other number reaching the Top 20 list belonged to a health insurance provider.

One national credit card company has held onto the top spot as the most prolific robocalling phone number for 15 straight months, with an auto-dialing line that logged 19.8 million calls in November alone. That single phone number has been the source of 422.4 million calls over those 15 months.

For more information about the YouMail Robocall Index or to view the latest report, please visit: http://robocallindex.com. To join the YouMail Robocall Index mailing list, please write to: [email protected].

About YouMail, Inc.

YouMail, Inc. is the leading provider of intelligent, cloud-based telecommunication services. The company's flagship service provides an intelligent call manager that replaces the subscriber's voicemail on iPhone, Android, and Windows phones. This service stops robocalls, provides free conference calls, and includes an automated virtual receptionist for handling other calls. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., YouMail, Inc. was founded in 2007 and is privately funded.

Contacts:

Janette Ciborowski for YouMail

Lumina Communications (formerly Gutenberg Communications)

[email protected]

734-330-8817

SOURCE YouMail, Inc.
MILPITAS, Calif., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- View, the leader in dynamic glass, today announced it will install more than 16,500 square feet of View Dynamic Glass at Coda at Tech Square, a first-of-its-kind, mixed-use project developed by Portman Holdings. Scheduled to complete construction in Midtown Atlanta in 2019, Coda features View Dynamic Glass as one of the major technology showpieces of its 770,000-square-foot development.

Unlike traditional windows that need blinds or shades, View Dynamic Glass automatically adjusts each window's tint to enable a comfortable environment with reduced heat and glare, and maximize natural light and unobstructed views for Coda's diverse set of occupants. Located at the edge of the George Institute of Technology campus, Coda will provide innovative companies the opportunity to co-locate with one another and alongside world-class researchers and faculty from Georgia Tech.

"We are thrilled to be a part of this landmark project that will transform Midtown Atlanta," said View CEO Rao Mulpuri. "The investment in dynamic glass will elevate the occupant experience at Coda and create an environment where people can thrive and bring new ideas to market. View Dynamic Glass will play a pivotal role in promoting collaboration and innovation among this unique mix of tech workers and academics."

Attendees of Coda's groundbreaking ceremony had the opportunity to experience View Dynamic Glass in action. View Dynamic Glass complements a high-speed data center, smart outdoor lounges and stimulating event spaces at Coda. The project is a development of Portman Holdings and represents a $375 million investment into the Technology Square innovation district.

"The Collaborative Core is the engine that will fuel Coda to function above and beyond a conventional office building, so every element should contribute to its unique environment," said Ambrish Baisiwala, CEO, Portman Holdings. "View Dynamic Glass offers a technology to enhance comfort in the work place, while advancing a key technology for the environment. We are elated about this partnership, and look forward to seeing View in the Collaborative Core."

View Dynamic Glass has already been installed in more than 250 projects across North America in workplace, education, hospitality, and healthcare segments, and more than 150 additional projects are in various stages of construction.

For more information about View, visit: www.viewglass.com.

About View

A leader in building innovation, View, Inc. is the first company to successfully advance the large-scale commercialization of dynamic glass. Situated at the intersection of human wellness, smart connectivity, and energy efficiency, View manufactures View Dynamic Glass, a new generation of architectural glass that intelligently transitions through multiple tint states to control the sun's energy, providing an enhanced occupant experience and optimum natural light and thermal comfort. There are over 250 installations of View Dynamic Glass in North America, with another 150 in progress. For more information: www.viewglass.com.

About Portman Holdings

Throughout the past 60 years, Portman Holdings has developed over 60 million square feet of premium real estate around the world with a focus on hospitality, office and mixed-use properties. The vertically integrated real estate development, investment and management company commands a successful global network and has a proven track record with the world's top financial institutions. Portman Holdings continues to achieve success through investor, partner and client relationships that deliver exceptional real estate projects. For additional information, visit www.portmanholdings.com and follow the company on Twitter via @PortmanRE.

Contact

View Public Relations

Katy Kenealy, 801-828-6056

[email protected]

SOURCE View, Inc.

Related Links

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Cliff Carnes , senior vice president & capital markets chief production officer, stated, "Mark and Rob are the ideal additions to our platform as we continue to expand the size of our Capital Markets team. Mark's decades of industry experience and leadership track record combined with Rob's impressive skill set and capital markets expertise will make this team an incredible asset to Walker & Dunlop."

Messrs. Strauss and Quarton join Walker & Dunlop from Cohen Financial, where Mr. Strauss was a 15-year veteran and founding member of the firm's Equity Practice. The pair was responsible for originating, structuring and placing debt and structured finance for a wide variety of asset classes. Mr. Strauss has over three decades of commercial real estate finance experience during which he has arranged various forms of debt and equity for over 23,000 apartment units, 7,000,000 square feet of industrial and office space, and over 3,000,000 square feet of retail space. Mr. Quarton's commercial real estate career spans over 15 years working for top tier advisors, capital providers and investors. The team, which has arranged over $6 billion in financing, is well respected among its peers and clients for its ability to understand a sponsor's requirements and creatively structure financing solutions.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is one of the largest commercial real estate finance companies in the United States providing financing and investment sales to owners of multifamily and commercial properties. Walker & Dunlop, which is included in the S&P SmallCap 600 Index, has over 500 professionals in over 25 offices across the nation with an unyielding commitment to client satisfaction.

SOURCE Walker & Dunlop, Inc.

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BEIJING, HONG KONG and NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing, today announced it has successfully closed Warburg Pincus China, L.P. ("Warburg Pincus China"). Warburg Pincus China will be a $2 billion companion fund to Warburg Pincus Private Equity XII, L.P., a $13.4 billion global private equity fund that closed in late 2015.

Warburg Pincus China received third-party commitments in excess of its $2 billion hard cap after six months in the market. Warburg Pincus China's Limited Partners are comprised of existing investors in Warburg Pincus' funds and new investors to the firm, including leading public and private pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, endowments, foundations and high-net-worth individuals.

This fund will continue Warburg Pincus' thesis-driven, sector-focused approach to investing in China, partnering with entrepreneurs and management teams to build companies of sustainable value. Warburg Pincus China will focus on investing across sectors including Consumer, Healthcare, Real Estate, Energy and Industrials, Financial Services, and Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT).

"We are pleased to announce the close of our China fund," said Charles R. Kaye and Joseph P. Landy, Co-Chief Executive Officers of Warburg Pincus. "Since our first investment in China in 1994, Warburg Pincus has been a consistent presence in the region. We have now invested over $7 billion in 90 companies, generating strong returns for our investors. The response to Warburg Pincus China reflects our established track record, our very talented team, and the significant opportunities we see for growth investing in the country."

Warburg Pincus' select current investments in China include Amcare, ANE Logistics, China Huarong Asset Management, China Kidswant, D&J China, ESR Group, Evercare, Hygeia, Liepin, Mofang Apartment, UCAR Inc., Uxin Ltd. and ZTO Express, among others. Notable recent partial and full exits include CAR Inc., China's largest car rental company; 58.com, China's leading lifestyle services platform; and China Biologic Products, a plasma-based biopharmaceutical company.

"Over the past two decades, we have partnered with some of the most successful entrepreneurs and companies in China and our pipeline is robust," said Julian Cheng, Managing Director and Co-Head of China, Warburg Pincus. "With our long-standing franchise and profile in the region, we are well positioned to continue generating substantial deal flow."

Frank Wei, Managing Director and Co-Head of China, added, "We attribute our persistent record to identifying growth themes and partnering with talented management teams. We will continue to invest behind long-term secular trends such as consumption, urbanization, mobile technology, healthcare, and the ongoing evolution of the financial sector. This new China fund provides us with additional capital to continue to back high-growth Chinese businesses."

About Warburg Pincus

Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing. The firm has more than $40 billion in private equity assets under management. The firm's active portfolio of more than 130 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has raised 16 private equity funds, which have invested more than $58 billion in over 760 companies in more than 40 countries.

The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore. For more information please visit www.warburgpincus.com.

Media Contacts

Americas

Mary Zimmerman, Warburg Pincus, +1 212 878 9207, [email protected]

Asia

Mingxia Li, Warburg Pincus, +86 (10) 5923 2569, [email protected]

EMEA and India

Sarah Gestetner, Warburg Pincus, +44 20 7 306 0377, [email protected]

SOURCE Warburg Pincus

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AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WGU Texas is now accepting applications for a new online master's degree program aimed at preparing nurses to better analyze and interpret data in healthcare. Designed in collaboration with industry experts, the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)  Nursing Informatics program provides the advanced training graduates need for a rewarding career as specialists in the field of nursing informatics.

Offered through WGU Texas' College of Health Professions, the MSN  Nursing Informatics program trains graduates to prepare, gather, document, and analyze data that will serve as a foundation for data-driven decisions. Developed to support students in applying their understanding of nursing informatics to real-world situations, the MSN  Nursing Informatics program will help students rely on the use of information and communication technologies for delivering and coordinating care across multiple settings.

"Nursing informatics is a relatively new field that is evolving and expanding rapidly," said Veronica Vargas Stidvent, Chancellor of WGU Texas. "Universal adoption of electronic medical records means continued growth and need for specialists in this field. This program is designed to help students develop the skills and expertise to become a powerful resource for assessing and improving the quality of healthcare delivery and outcomes."

Students can start their MSN  Nursing Informatics program as early as February 1, 2017, and have the option of going through one of two academic tracks. The first track is for registered nurses (RNs) with an associate's degree or diploma in nursing and a current RN license who wish to move into nursing informatics. This RN to MSN option will build on the foundation of previous nursing education at the associate or diploma levels.

The second option, BSN to MSN, is available for RNs with a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) and a current RN license who wish to move into nursing administration. The BSN portion of the degree focuses on contemporary nursing practice and the development of skills and competencies using technology-based learning. The master of science portion of the degree prepares graduates for the field of nursing informatics.

The MSN  Nursing Informatics program, like all WGU Texas programs, is online and competency-based, which allows working professionals to apply what they already know to move more quickly through their coursework. Competency-based learning allows students to study and learn on their own schedules, completing courses as soon as they demonstrate proficiency in the subject matter. When paired with WGU Texas' affordable tuition of about $6,500 per year, this flexibility provides students with the opportunity to earn a recognized, accredited degree on a busy schedule and tight budget.

About WGU Texas

WGU Texas is an online, nonprofit, competency-based university established to expand Texans' access to higher education throughout the state. Formed through a partnership between the state of Texas and nationally-recognized Western Governors University, WGU Texas is open to all qualified Texas residents. The university offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the high-demand career fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing.

Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Teachers College programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).*

Learn more at texas.wgu.edu or call 1-877-214-7011.

*Western Governors University offers nursing programs that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 5380, Washington, DC 20036, 202-877-6791).

Follow WGU Texas:

https://www.facebook.com/WGUTexas

https://www.linkedin.com/company/western-governors-university

https://twitter.com/wgutexas

WGU Texas News

Contact for media inquiries: Contact for enrollment information: Kathy Koza, PR Manager 877.214.7011 512.225.6644 or 214.674.8057 (c) texas.wgu.edu [email protected]



SOURCE WGU Texas

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Mumbai, Dec 10 : The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has slapped notices on four CAs for their "alleged acts of professional misconduct" following demonetisation of Rs 500 and 1,000 notes, a top official said on Saturday.

ICAI President M. Devaraja Reddy said these CAs -- whose identity has not been revealed -- have been served notice under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 and Chartered Accountants (Procedure of Investigations of Professional and Other Misconduct and Conduct of Cases) Rules 2007.

ICAI also advised its members not to criticise the demonetisation move in their writings.

Apart from the three CAs served notice, two more cases are also in process for initiating similar disciplinary action by the ICAI, Reddy said.

In one case, the ICAI has sought information from Principal Commissioner of the Income Tax Department in Pune.

In another case, the details have been solicited from the Income Tax Department in Ahmedabad while the ICAI has sought information from a private television channel, News18 India, in a third case.

"It is a matter of grave concern and distress to our profession when certain news reports/video clippings have come in the public eye depicting certain CAs indulging in such acts of illegality which go against the efforts of the government in eradicating corruption and black money from business and commercial transactions," Reddy said in a sharp advisory to the ICAI members.

Virtually issuing a gag order on the ICAI website on Friday, Reddy said all members were cautioned "to watch the national interest as the uppermost while advising their clients".

"The members are strictly advised not to indulge in any nefarious act to subvert the intentions of the government in any remote possible way. The members are also advised not to share/write any negative personal views by way of an article or interview on any platform regarding demonetisation," he said.

Reddy urged the CAs to work towards the best interest of the nation in keeping with true spirit of the principle of ICAI i.e. 'Partner in Nation Building'.

ICAI, a statutory body set up by an act of parliament, has over 250,000 members as fellows or associates with more than half in fulltime practice.

The maximum members hail from western India while eastern India accounts for the lowest membership of ICAI.
Mumbai, Dec 10 : Hours after The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) issued a gag order on CAs asking them not to criticise government policy on demonetisation, and instituted a probe against some of them for "professionial misconduct", the advisory was yanked off its official website here on Saturday.

A top ICAI official -- declining to be named -- said there were some objections from members on the advisory issued on Friday by ICAI President M. Devaraja Reddy, after which it was removed.

The advisory carried on its website said notices had been slapped on four chartered accountants for their "alleged acts of professional misconduct" following demonetisation of Rs 500 and 1,000 notes.

"The members are strictly advised not to indulge in any nefarious act to subvert the intentions of the government in any remote possible way," Reddy's advisory said.

It also sought to put a gag order on the CAs. "The members are also advised not to share/write any negative personal views by way of an article or interview on any platform regarding demonetisation," it said.

On Saturday, a leading Mumbai RTI activist, Anil Galgali, who tweeted on the ethics behind the advisory's aim to stop criticism of note ban was also blocked by the ICAI from its twitter handle.

"They don't want to listen to any criticism. Probably, some politicians may have objected, as they are advised by their CAs on how to manage stashed illegal funds. Instead of heeding to fair criticism, ICAI resorts to crushing it," an indignant Galgali told IANS.

He wondered whether the so-called advisory would still be effective after its erasure from the ICAI site.

On Friday, Reddy had said that three CAs -- whose identity had not been revealed -- had been served notice under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 and Chartered Accountants (Procedure of Investigations of Professional and Other Misconduct and Conduct of Cases) Rules 2007.

Apart from these three, two more cases were also in process for initiating similar disciplinary action by the ICAI, Reddy said.

In one case, the ICAI has sought information from Principal Commissioner of the Income Tax Department in Pune.

In another case, the details had been solicited from the Income Tax Department in Ahmedabad while the ICAI has sought information from a private television channel, News18 India, in a third case.

"It is a matter of grave concern and distress to our profession when certain news reports/video clippings have come in the public eye depicting certain CAs indulging in such acts of illegality which go against the efforts of the government in eradicating corruption and black money from business and commercial transactions," Reddy said in his sharp advisory to the ICAI members.

Reddy urged the CAs to work towards the best interest of the nation in keeping with true spirit of the principle of ICAI -- 'Partner in Nation Building'.

ICAI, a statutory body set up by an act of parliament, has over 250,000 members as fellows or associates with more than half in full-time practice.

Maximum number of members hails from western India while eastern India accounts for the lowest membership of ICAI.
New Delhi, Dec 10 : Deliberating on issues such as child trafficking and child slavery, Nobel laureates and leaders from around the world on Saturday called for the need to build a child-friendly world.

Inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee the first-ever 'Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit' at Rashtrapati Bhavan here brought together the collective leadership of around 25 laureates and leaders, and called for urgent action for the world to allow children to enjoy their childhood years unhindered.

Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day summit, Mukherjee said programmes and actions for children have to take centre stage in national policymaking.

He said the disparities in education, health and poverty indicators will have to be eliminated and that education was the strongest weapon in the fight against inequality.

"We have a shared responsibility to reduce the inequalities that harm the underprivileged children. We have a moral obligation towards our children; towards their development and security, and in giving them equal opportunity. Let us commit ourselves to the noble task," he said.

Mukherjee said that problems of varying degrees afflict children -- from bullying at school to cases of sexual harassment, child marriage and trafficking -- and quoting Unicef he said that 80 per cent of child deaths occur in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, who conceptualised and organised the summit, harped on the importance of the world to act collectively and urgently.

"The forces that exploit children are stronger and we are lagging behind. We have to reach out to them before the fire of war turns our children into ashes.

"We must leave behind a legacy of compassion. The dreams of our children can only be fulfilled by our collective will and strong resolve," said Satyarthi.

On the occasion, Princess Charlene of Monaco said children have the right to participate in decisions affecting them.

"We should bear in mind that children have a right to be heard and a right to participate in decisions that affect them. We should invest in children, allow them to speak and equip them with the knowledge and understanding of their rights," said the former Olympian swimmer.

Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan urged the world to recognise the plight of children in war zones.

"We might ask ourselves why so many refugees, from countries like Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia etc, cannot find a safe haven and are being turned away by some of the wealthiest countries of the world.

"We might ask why the Middle East peace process is in standstill and why teenagers from Britain, France, Australia and Middle East are falling prey to the narratives of terrorist groups," he asked.

Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands, who is also the UN special envoy for literacy and development called for changing the mindset of society towards children.

"So long as we adults don't see children and young as equal human capital and unbridled assets of our society, we will continue to have our priorities wrong," she said.

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama called for making the 21st century a century of peace and said today's education was "materialistic".

The world is facing a lot of troubles, a lot of issues most of which are man-made. Basic human nature is of compassion, so there is hope," said the Nobel laureate.
Male, Dec 11 : Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt has left for a vacation to the "exotic Maldives" with his daughters Alia and Shaheen Bhatt, and his wife Soni Razdan.

Mahesh on Sunday shared a photograph of himself along with his wife and daughters from an airport.

"Moments rather than possessions are the true treasures of life! Heading to the exotic Maldives for a family holiday," he captioned the image.

The 68-year-old filmmaker, who has helmed films like "Jism", "Murder" and "Sadak", shared another photograph of his daughters on the flight.

"We are going on a family holiday. No more working for a day or two," he captioned the image.

Alia, an actress, has taken a break from the shooting of her upcoming film "Badrinath Ki Dulhania".

Directed by Shashank Khaitan, the film is the second instalment of the 2014 film "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania". It is produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : With the two-day meeting of the GST Council scheduled to end on Monday being cut short half-way, hopes of meeting the Centre's targeted GST implementation deadline of April 1, 2017, receded further in a situation of political confrontation unleashed by its demonetisation measure.

The Goods and Services Tax Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, was originally slated to meet here over Decemeber 11-12 to sort out the vexed issue of "cross empowerment", or dual control of assessees under the proposed pan-India indirect tax regime. The solution had eluded a consensus over five previous meetings of the GST Council.

The meeting was also expected to finalise three legislations -- Central GST, Integrated GST and the Compensation law -- with the intent of placing these in Parliament during its ongoing winter session that ends on December 16.

Deadlock continued on the issue of dual control between the Centre and the states on Sunday, while the next meeting of the Council has been fixed for December 22 and 23, Jaitley told reporters here after the meeting.

"There is one section which needs to be redrafted... one cross empowerment issue which we are leaving aside and therefore the discussion on the legislation and its approval of each section is moving satisfactorily. And hopefully in the next meeting we would be able to clear it," he said.

Jaitley said the issue of dual control, or who will exercise control over GST assessees -- the Centre or the states, was not taken up at the sixth meeting.

"Well, that issue did not come up for discussion today because today's (Sunday) agenda was taken up exclusively by the legislation and that's an issue which is still flagged and still pending. I have various options ready for discussion and as and when it is discussed we will place those options before the council," he said referring to the jurisdiction issue.

States, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Bihar, want exclusive control on businesses with turnover below Rs 1.5 crore (the current threshold for central excise), including the service taxpayers.

Jaitley said the Centre still stands by rollout target date of April 1 next year.

"I told you after the last meeting also our target is the 1st of April. The luxury of time is not available to us for the simple reason that if 1st April is the first possible day it can be implemented, then the last date also is constitutionally defined as 16th of September 2017," he said.

"So the discretion as to when to implement is only five months and 16 days and that's why we don't have the luxury of time because after five months the curtains will be down on the old taxation powers," he added.

With a serious question mark over the April 1 target now that the legislations cannot be ready for tabling in the winter session, the plan appears to be to have GST come into force by default when the time given by the constitutional amendment will automatically expire for roll out of the new indirect tax regime.

Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said on Friday that the Centre continues to be intransigent on dual control.

In an interview to BTVi channel, Isaac said that in a situation where the states are going to lose the right to tax when GST is implemented, and had acceeded to the Centre on almost all issues, "the Centre will have to take one step back from the position they have adopted" on the only remaining issue of "cross-empowerment" concerning jurisdiction over assessees.

"It can't be a one-way traffic. Why can't the Centre accomodate on the question of how GST should be administered," he asked.

He also said implementing GST by the April 1, 2017, deadline planned by the Union government appears to be unlikely.

"Demonetisation has indeed vitiated the whole atmosphere," Isaac said.

"Discussions in the GST Council have been cordial, in a spirit of consensus and Parliament had passed the Bill unanimously. Now there is no such general atmosphere, Parliament is divided," he said, referring to the almost continuous disruption of proceedings being witnessed during the winter session on the demonetisation issue.

"Demonetisation is a big strike on the revenues of the states, and in Kerala, we are estimating our revenues to decline by 40 per cent from impact of demonetisation," he added.

Calling demonetisation "a big magnum-sized tsunami", West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra last week said India's gross domestic product (GDP) in the current fiscal (2016-17) will take a huge hit on its account.

"From an estimate that I have, the growth rate in aggregate will fall over 3 per cent and arrive at 4.3 per cent This means a loss of Rs 4.7 lakh crore of GDP, this will be extinguished" he told a TV news channel.

Mitra, who is Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers and member of the GST Council, also said the postponement of the GST regime could be an option to stabilise the economy badly hit due to demonetisation.

"Should we rethink of stabilising the economy from this big hit resulting from demonetisation and then go for GST? Do we take the risk of a second whammy at this stage," he asked.
Geneva, Dec 13 : Pro-Syrian government forces executed 82 civilians in Aleppo during the ongoing battle to take back the final rebel-held area, UN officials said on Tuesday.

According to the UN Human Rights office (UNHCR) spokesman Rupert Coleville, the victims included 11 women and 13 children and many bodies could not be recovered from the street due to constant bombings, Efe news agency reported.

The UN said the Iraqi Shiite al-Nujaba paramilitary group, which fights alongside President Bashar al-Assad's troops, had executed civilians in their homes.

Spokesman for the UN Humanitarian Office Jens Laerke called for a cessation in conflict so that evacuations and medical provisions could be facilitated.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a war monitor based in Britain, confirmed the continued fighting in the last pockets of rebel territory.

"Every hour, butcheries are carried out," the SOHR said, adding evidence to earlier UN reports of atrocities being committed against civilians.

The reports come as Syrian soldiers recaptured neighbourhoods of east Aleppo in the rebels' last stand against the government forces.

"Young people especially were executed," said Ahmad Dbais, director of hospitals for the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations.

Terrified residents slept on the streets after Syrian soldiers forced them out of their homes, Aleppo resident and journalist Karam al Masri told CNN.

Syria Civil Defence activist group, the White Helmets, pleaded with the international community to provide safe passage out of Aleppo for their volunteers and about 100,000 civilians.

"The regime has been trying to kill us for five years," the group said on Twitter. "Please don't give them this chance."

The Syrian army and its allies have aggressively pushed into the rebel sections of east Aleppo in recent days, said the Syrian government.

"It is going to be a very difficult situation because there is no place for all these fleeing civilians," said Ismail Abdallah, a member of the White Helmets.

Abdallah told CNN the al-Fardous neighbourhood has been captured by Syrian government forces, while some areas of resistance remain in parts of the city.

"There is a mass exodus of terrified civilians fleeing from al-Fardous, al-Jaloom, al-Salheine and areas that have been captured today to other areas such as al-Mashhad and Salah Eddiene," he said.

According to SANA news agency, the army units are "continuing the operations and targeting the remnants of the terrorists who fled away" towards the al-Sukkari and al-Fardous neighbourhoods.

There are also reports of civilian casualties as a result of the shelling, according to media organisations with teams in Aleppo.

The international community has failed to broker a ceasefire for the city, which appears on the brink of falling back into regime control.

Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed alarm over "reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children".

"While stressing that the UN is not able to independently verify these reports, the Secretary General is conveying his grave concern to the relevant parties," the UN statement said.

The government controls western Aleppo and its troops have made significant territorial gains in the east since its forces entered the enclave by ground on November 27, backed by continual airstrikes.

The government has now taken more than three-quarters of the area.

Rebel groups held eastern Aleppo for more than four years after the Arab Spring uprising, and a Syrian regime siege on the area had essentially cut it off from the outside world, sparking a humanitarian crisis there.
Bogota, Dec 14 : Colombia's Constitutional Court on Tuesday approved proposed fast track application of a peace deal reached between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Eight out of the nine judges in the court approved the measure, which "will allow the swift application" of the peace agreements, Xinhua news agency quoted Caracol News Agency as saying.

The vote is expected to expedite the process of undertaking government reform promised as part of the peace deal and of disarming the rebel group, which had been locked in a civil conflict with successive governments for more than 50 years.

The peace deal was approved on December 1 by the Congress, which then proposed the fast track measure, also known as the "Special Legislative Procedure for Peace".

The fast track procedure grants President Juan Manuel Santos, who spearheaded the peace drive, special powers to "facilitate and assure the peace agreements", the news agency said.

It also calls for shorter or fewer legislative debates to speed up the adoption of the reform.

Santos received the Nobel Peace Prize over the weekend for his efforts to negotiate with the FARC to end the half-century-long civil war.
PERTH, AUSTRALIA--(Marketwired - Dec 13, 2016) - Bannerman Resources Limited (BMN.AX) (BMN.AX) is pleased to announce that Ms Twapewa Kadhikwa has been appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Bannerman's 100%-owned Namibian subsidiary, Bannerman Mining Resources (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd. Ms Kadhikwa's appointment co-incides with the resignation of Ms Monica Kalondo after serving the company as a director since 2010.

Ms Kadhikwa is a successful Namibian businesswoman and a role model for young entrepreneurs. In addition to her impressive business track record, Ms Kadhikwa brings to the company a highly respected passion for SME development. Her industry profile and insights will be invaluable in guiding the development of the Etango uranium project.

Monica Kalondo has stepped down from the board as part of her scaling down and re-alignment of corporate interests. The Board thanks Ms Kalondo for her guidance and support during the last six years.

Ms Kalondo said, "Bannerman has shown exemplary conduct in the crucial areas of corporate social responsibility, environmental care, employee relations and governance. I have been proud to be involved with Bannerman."

Bannerman's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Brandon Munro, said, "I am delighted to welcome Twapewa as a director of our Namibian subsidiary. I know that her energy and profile positions her as an ideal ambassador within Namibia for the Etango Project."

The board of directors of Bannerman Mining Resources (Namibia) now consists of Ms Twapewa Kadhikwa (Non-Executive Director), Mr Werner Ewald (Managing Director) and Mr Brandon Munro (Chairperson).

About Bannerman - Bannerman Resources Limited is an ASX and NSX listed exploration and development company with uranium interests in Namibia, a southern African country which is a premier uranium mining jurisdiction. Bannerman's principal asset is its 100%-owned Etango Project situated near Rio Tinto's Rossing uranium mine, Paladin's Langer Heinrich uranium mine and CGNPC's Husab uranium mine currently under construction. A definitive feasibility study has confirmed the technical, environmental and financial (at consensus long term uranium prices) viability of a large open pit and heap leach operation at one of the world's largest undeveloped uranium deposits. Since 2015, Bannerman has conducted a large scale heap leach demonstration program to provide further assurance to financing parties, generate process information for the detailed engineering design phase and build and enhance internal capability. More information is available on Bannerman's website at www.bannermanresources.com.

ABN 34 113 017 128
New York, Dec 14 : An Indian-origin computer science student arrested after a multinational operation to crackdown on young hackers has been charged with carrying out cyber attacks on a chat site, according to officials.

Sean Krishanmakoto Sharma was produced before federal Magistrate Judge Alka Sagar in Los Angeles on Monday and was released on a $100,000 bail bond, said Brian Stretch, the federal prosecutor for Northern California.

Sharma had used a "distributed denial of service" (DDoS) tool to disrupt the computers of a San Francisco company that provides chat services to other companies between November 2014 and January 2015, Stretch said in a statement.

A court document identified the company as Chatango.

DDoS is a form of cyberattack that floods computers with bogus requests that overwhelm and paralyse it. DDoS uses viruses and programmes known as botnets because they robotically transmit disruptive requests to servers, and trojans, which are secretly implanted in other people's computers to carry out attacks from there.

A court document said that Sharma used a botnet called Xtreme Fire to carry out the attacks.

Sagar, before whom Sharma appeared, became in 2013 the first Indian American woman to be appointed a federal judge.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which arrested Sharma on Friday in La Canada in California state, identified him as a 26-year-old graduate student at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

The FBI said that his arrest was part of a joint anti-cybercrime operation by the US, Australia and 11 European countries that was coordinated by the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at The Hague, in the Netherlands.

A total of 34 people were arrested during the five-day operation conducted from December 5, the FBI said without identifying the others or the countries they were arrested in. Many of them were under the age of 20, the FBI said.

Steven Wilson, the head of EC3, noted that many computer enthusiasts are getting involved in "low-level fringe cybercrime" without being aware of the consequences.

"One of the key priorities of law enforcement should be to engage with these young people to prevent them from pursuing a criminal path, helping them understand how they can use their skills for a more constructive purpose," he said.
Mumbai, Dec 14 : Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan has remembered legendary actor Raj Kapoor on his 92nd birth anniversary and says his contribution to Hindi cinema is evergreen.

"The greatest filmaker Mr Raj Kapoor on his birth anniversary, saw Shree 420 more than 400 times. Your contribution is evergreen," Roshan tweeted on Wednesday morning.

Raj Kapoor is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers and actors in the history of Indian cinema. He was the winner of several awards including three National Film Awards.

He was a two-time nominee for the Palme d'Or grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his films "Awaara" and "Boot Polish".

The Government of India feted him with Padma Bhushan in 1971 for his contributions to the arts and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award was bestowed him in 1987 by the Government of India.

The late actor, who has also contributed to films like "Shree 420" and "Teesri Kasam", suffered from asthma in his later years. He died of complications related to asthma in 1988 at the age of 63.
Mumbai, Dec 14 : Chinese actress Zhu Zhu has wrapped shooting for filmmaker Kabir Khan's "Tubelight" starring superstar Salman Khan.

Kabir on Tuesday shared a photograph of himself along with the actress.

"And It's a film wrap for the beautiful Zhu Zhu. We will miss you. 'Tubelight' behind the scenes Eid 2017," Kabir captioned the photograph.

"Tubelight" will mark the Chinese actress's debut in Hindi Film industry.

The film, which also features the "Dabangg" star's younger brother Sohail Khan, is slated to hit the screens next year.

"Tubelight" will be the third time Salman will be seen collaborating with Kabir. The two have previously worked in films like "Ek Tha Tiger" and "Bajrangi Bhaijaa", which was a blockbuster last year.
Chandigarh, Dec 14 : Busting a hawala and black money racket, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday seized Rs 2.19 crore, including nearly Rs 17.75 lakh in new currency, from a trader here.

ED officials said a house was raided in Sector 22 here on Wednesday following a tip-off that black money associated with illegal hawala trade was kept there.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Ram Gopal told the media that a cloth trader, Inderpal Mahajan, in whose house the money was kept, was booked and arrested following the raid.

The ED and police had raided a few places here in connection with illegal money.

The raids and searches are being conducted by the ED to recover black money following the demonetisation move of the central government which was announced on November 8.
New Delhi, Dec 14 : Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of personal involvement in graft and said he wanted to reveal it in Parliament but was prevented by the treasury benches from speaking.

"I have personal information regarding corruption involving the Prime Minister. If I speak, his balloon will burst. He is scared. Modi is personally terrified with the information I have," Gandhi told the media after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day.

Leaders of other opposition parties were also present at the media conference with him.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, however, dismissed the Congress' allegations and said the party had run out of issues.

Rijiju said: "The Congress has been exposed; they have no issues left. The government wants a debate on demonetisation. If the debate takes place, the Congress' reality will be out."

Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said: "Why is the Congress and Rahul (Gandhi) ji not allowing the house to function and have a proper debate on demonetisation issue for the last 15 days?"

Gandhi said: "It is personal corruption of the Prime Minister. The government is scared of the information I have. Thus, they (the government) are not allowing me to speak in Parliament."

The Congress leader said he wanted to reveal the information in the Lok Sabha as he was the chosen representative of the people.

"Let us speak in the Lok Sabha; we will reveal everything," Gandhi said.

"Treasury benches (the government) are not allowing discussion. Generally, the opposition does that. For the first time, we are seeing that the opposition is sitting and the government is not allowing the discussion."

"The government and the Prime Minister do not want the opposition to present their views in Parliament," Gandhi said.

"The Prime Minister should stop making excuses and come to the house. He should allow all of us to speak. Let the country decide if the opposition is speaking the truth or the Prime Minister," he added.

Gandhi said the country deserved an explanation from Modi since the November 8 demonetisation had adversely affected the people across India.

"He (Modi) has taken a decision against the poor of the country. He has destroyed millions of lives. It is his personal decision. He is answerable."

"He cannot keep running away from the house. He cannot run away to pop concerts, to public meetings. It is a democracy -- so he owes us an explanation. He should speak in the house," Gandhi said.

The Congress Vice-President also urged Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to allow the opposition to speak in the lower house of Parliament.

"We have asked the Speaker to dispense with all rules just to allow the opposition to speak. It is our right. Later, let the Prime Minister take whatever time he wants to talk."

"Why is he not coming to the house? Why are we not being allowed to speak?" Gandhi said.

Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who accompanied Gandhi, said the entire Parliamentary system is facing a "threat" as the government is not allowing the house to function smoothly and allow the opposition to speak.

"We cannot understand why there is so much arrogance on the government's part. The opposition's voice is going to be gagged. The parliamentary democratic system is now under threat only to ensure that Rahul Gandhi is not allowed to speak," he said.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader P. Karunakaran said 16 opposition parties were together on demonetisation and wanted a discussion on the issue which, he claimed, is being scuttled by the government.

"The government is not willing to answer questions. The Prime Minister is accountable to Parliament, but has not come to the Lok Sabha. It is very clear they are not ready to answer the questions raised (by the opposition). The Prime Minister is running away from Parliament, which means he is running away from people," the CPI-M leader said.

Nationalist Congress Party leader Tariq Anwer said this is the first time that such an atmosphere has been created where the opposition is not allowed to speak.

"It is a conspiracy by the government. The entire opposition is united. What is the government fearing? We are all united. Allow us to speak," he said.
New Delhi, Dec 14 : The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Wednesday as the treasury benches and opposition members clashed over alleged corruption charges against Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju during the post-lunch sitting.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley challenged the opposition to debate the issue as he said the allegations were false.

Soon after the house passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, Deputy Leader of Opposition Anand Sharma under Rule 267 of the house raised the issue of alleged corruption in a hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh.

At this, the treasury benches started making noise and some of the members stood up.

The opposition members also stood up and started raising slogans against the government.

However, Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien disallowed Sharma's notice, saying that allegations against a member of the house cannot be raised without prior notice to the Chairman as per Rule 238.

"You cannot suo motu raise it," Kurien told Sharma as he disallowed his notice.

Sharma said he was not making an allegation but "referring to the Chief Vigilance Officer's report which is already in the public domain".

Jaitley then stood up and challenged the Opposition to debate on the same.

"Let him raise it and listen to my reply. The allegations by the Congress party are totally baseless. I dare you to debate on this," Jaitley said.

The opposition members created a hullaballoo, and some of the ruling party members also joined the chorus. Amidst the pandemonium, the Chair adjourned the house for the day.
New Delhi, Dec 14 : The Delhi Police have sought information from five countries to help ib tracing the group which hacked into the Twitter accounts of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and his party.

The hacking group 'Legion', which claimed responsibility for the act, is still a mystery for internet service providers. The Delhi Police are probing the case after Congress members lodged a complaint.

Accounts of two senior journalists -- Barkha Dutt and Ravish Kumar, both from the NDTV group -- were also hacked, and their complaint was received by the Delhi Police Cyber Cell on Monday.

During the preliminary inquiry, the police could trace IP addresses from five countries -- Sweden, Romania, the United States, Canada and Thailand -- in the hacking job.

Investigators want to know if the hackers used the servers in these countries from somewhere else or they were physically present there while breaking into the microblogging sites of Gandhi and his party.

"We have got the IP logs from Twitter. The details of IP logs were sent to the internet service providers in five countries after a thorough examination. We are yet to get the details of hacker's account and address," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) Anyesh Roy told IANS.

Asked if the act was done by Twitter hackers Legion, Roy said "The group is itself taking responsibility for hacking these microblogging sites, but we don't as yet have any information about the real hackers. The case is under investigation".

Roy said the police were also taking help of Twitter officials in Bengaluru to identify those responsible.

The Cyber Cell is probing the case after two First Information Reports under Section 66 (c) of the Information Technology Act were filed.

Randeep Singh Surjewala, a senior Congress leader, filed a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police on December 1 after the two accounts were hacked and a string of abusive messages posted on their Twitter handles.
Kolkata, Dec 14 : Lack of connectivity could be a "central factor" behind low intra-BIMSTEC investments, a noted Bangladeshi economist said here on Wednesday.

The total foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into the countries of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) grew more than five times between 2000 to 2013, but intra-BIMSTEC investment has been low.

"Although total FDI flows into the BIMSTEC countries have increased from $8 billion in 2000 to $46 billion in 2013, after a reaching a peak of $58 billion in 2008, intra-BIMSTEC investment remains low," a former Governor of Central Bank of Bangladesh said here.

"Lack of connectivity, which may be a central factor in this outcome, also discourages investment by investors from outside the region," Atiur Rahman, who is also Professor at Dhaka University, said at the Indo-Asia Connectivity for Shared Prosperity conference.

Advocating financial connectivity, Rahman said without it, trade and investment connectivity cannot flourish and be effective for generating prosperity.

"Money certainly matters. Financial connectivity is both the enabler as well as the result of other forms of connectivity," he said.

BIMSTEC is a regional organisation comprising seven member-states lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity. The member-states are -- Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and two Southeast Asian countries Myanmar and Thailand.

The Bay of Bengal region is witnessing a lot of innovation in financial connectivity, highlighted Rahman.

"For instance, India has built an impressive digital payments infrastructure. Bhutan has built expertise on sustainable financing of infrastructure projects and public interest partnership. Bangladesh has pioneered a model to enable financial access to last mile and created social safety nets," the economist said.

He added that the Central Bank of Bangladesh has rolled out a medium- to long-term green transformation fund to help textile and leather sectors become environment friendly.

"Relevant entrepreneurs have welcomed this pro-active role of conservative regulator called the Central Bank. Other countries can take lessons from such facilitating role of central banking," he added.

Rahman recommended the adoption of a gradual, yet time-bound approach to enhance regional connectivity with the implementation of specific projects where "it is not necessary that all member-countries of the BBIN or the BIMSTEC region need to be always on board."

BBIN is the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal Initiative, a sub regional architecture of countries in South Asia.
Colombo, Dec 14 : Sri Lanka's Cabinet on Wednesday approved a national policy to eliminate child labour in the country.

A proposal made by Minister of Labour and Trade Union Relations W. D. J. Seneviratne to adopt and implement the national policy on child labour was approved by the cabinet, Xinhua news agency reported.

The government has said there has been a decrease of 50 percent in use of child labour from 2008-2009 to 2015-2016. It also said the national policy is essential to regain the GSP plus trade concession from the European Union.

Sri Lanka agreed to eliminate child labour at the Global Child Labour Conference in 2010 held at The Hague in the Netherlands.

The National Survey on Child Labour conducted in 1999 estimated just over 900,000 children to be economically active in Sri Lanka.
Imphal, Dec 14 : Congress MLA Z. Khikhonbou Newmai, representing Tamei constituency in Manipur, resigned from the assembly and party on Wednesday.

He is the fifth Congress MLA to resign ahead of the January 2017 Assembly elections.

"The Congress government has taken some contentious steps, the most recent being the formation of seven districts on Thursday midnight (last week). In violation of the constitutional provisions, the government did not seek approval of the Hill Areas Committee on the proposal of the creation of the new districts," Newmai said, However, Khaidem Mani, a senior advocate told IANS that only those bills introduced in the assembly should be referred to the Hill Areas Committee. "Since the creation of a district is an executive exercise there is no need to seek approval," he said.

Referring to the resignation from the Congress party membership, Newmai said: "My workers have been pressurising me to resign. Since they are the ones who will re-elect me, I cannot ignore their pressure."

"I have not decided as yet which party I shall join ahead of elections. This will be decided in consultation with my workers," he added.

He said he had personally submitted his resignation letter to the Deputy Secretary of Manipur assembly and through WhatsApp to T.N. Haokip, Manipur Congress president.

However, Haokip told IANS on Wednesday evening that he has not received the resignation letter from Newmai so far.

"I will comment once I receive the same," he said.

Asked whether the resignation of five MLAs, most of whom had been ministers, is a serious setback to the ruling Congress before the elections, Haokip said: "Floor crossing before elections is a routine exercise in Manipur. True, we have lost some members. But numerically we are still dominant since many others had joined us from other parties."

"Besides, in the assembly, we are in an invincible position," he added.
roy cooper

North Carolina Democrats are worried over speculation that state Republicans would try to limit Governor-elect Roy Cooper's power before he even takes office.

The state's General Assembly had convened in Raleigh this week for a special session  ostensibly to address relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Matthew.

But shortly before the session was due to end on Wednesday, Republicans called for an additional special session, which kicked off at 2 p.m. The session was approved by the Republican-dominated legislature.

GOP lawmakers declined to explain the purpose of the last-minute meeting, although House Rules Chairman David Lewis hinted that Republicans would try to tinker with the authority of Cooper.

"I think, to be candid with you, that you will see the General Assembly look to reassert its constitutional authority in areas that may have been previously delegated to the executive branch," said Lewis, a Republican, according to The News and Observer in Raleigh. He added that Republicans may "work to establish that we are going to continue to be a relevant party in governing this state."

Pressed on whether lawmakers would seek to change the governor's power to appoint officials, including members of the state elections board, Lewis said, "I think you're on the right track."

Cooper narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Pat McCrory in November's gubernatorial election, potentially representing a roadblock for North Carolina's conservative-leaning General Assembly. In McCrory, Republicans found a champion for their hardline conservative legislation, including a voter ID law that a federal court struck down, saying it targeted black residents "with almost surgical precision."

The call for a surprise session harkened back to March, when Republicans ushered the contentious House Bill 2 through during a one-day special session. The bill, which limited protections for LGBT residents of the state, was signed into law by McCrory later that night with virtually no time for public input.

Story continues

Democrats were quick to blast Wednesday's extra session, which was announced at around noon on Wednesday but had apparently been in the works as early as Monday, based on the date of a petition requesting the session.

"We thought that the representatives and senators were being called to North Carolina because of the hurricane and wildfire relief, but it seems that they are planning something bigger and something more unexpected than we anticipated," Ben Graumann, communications director for the LGBT advocacy group Equality NC, told Business Insider.

"This is why people dont trust us. This is why they hate us." Rep. @DarrenJNC (D) on surprise #ncga special session #ncpol  Democracy NC (@democracync) December 14, 2016

Before the start of this week's session, House Speaker Tim Moore fiercely rejected speculation that Republicans would attempt to add two seats to the state Supreme Court in an attempt to undermine the court's soon-to-be liberal majority. Moore said such a proposal is unlikely to come up in the extra session on Wednesday evening, according to The News and Observer.

"I do not expect to see the court-packing that people are talking about," he said.

NOW WATCH: Why Ivanka can't serve in a Trump cabinet





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New Delhi, Dec 14 : The Bodo community members of Assam on Wednesday urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments at the Centre and in the state to stop making false promises on the separate statehood demand.

Over 5,000 Bodo community members here on Wednesday ended their three-day-long agitation demanding separate statehood.

"The political demand would remain unresolved even if the armed struggle is resolved from the point of law and order situation and recurrence of armed struggle will resume one day or other. Therefore, the attitude of the central government in regards to objective of the genesis of the armed struggle should change," said All Assam Student's Union (ABSU) President Pramod Bodo.

The agitation was organised under the banner of ABSU, National Democratic Front of Bodo (Progressive) and People Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement (PJACBM).

The three organisations -- which are the main force behind the Bodoland demand -- also said they would intensify their agitation through indefinite rail and road blockades in several parts of Assam and mass hunger strikes.

"The armed struggle germinated and flared up on the political issue. It is the political problem and should be resolved politically," Pramod Bodo said.

"There will be no permanent solution if the central government makes an attempt to resolve it as mere a law and order problem," he added.

On Tuesday, the protestors, who held a rally from Ramlila Maidan to Parliament Street in the national capital, also submitted a memorandum of demands to the Prime Minister's Office.

"The government created Telangana but now it has started rejecting all those reasons for creating new states just to deny many aspirants for new state," said a memorandum submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Office.

"The present NDA government is seen to be trying to befool the people by offering economic development as an option to solve political problem," the memorandum said.

The Bodo community also demanded the Prime Minister should ensure political rights of the Bodos living outside the proposed Bodoland area.

The Bodos -- Assam's largest tribal community -- currently have Bodo Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) comprising of Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Chirang in Assam.

Currently, two factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland -- NDFB(P) led by Gobinda Basumatary, and NDFB led by Ranjan Daimary -- are holding peace talks with the central government, while NDFB(S) led by Songibijit I.K. is opposed to holding talks with the government under the constitutional framework.

The Songibijit faction was responsible for the recent killing of 14 civilians in an attack in Assam's Kokrajhar in August this year, which also left 20 people injured.
New Delhi, Dec 14 : The BJP on Wednesday slammed the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government for the unparliamentarily behaviour meted out to the government officials and said the ruling party believe in "browbeating any voice of dissent".

"We condemn the unparliamentarily behaviour meted out by the Delhi Chief Minister and his ministers to the officials working in Delhi," Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in-charge Shyam Jaju told reporters here.

"It seems there is a total lack of democratic spirit of cohesive working in Kejriwal government and they believe in browbeating any voice of dissent, be it of officials or political opponents," Jaju alleged.

"The resolution passed by the officers' association speaks volumes on Kejriwal government's atrocious behaviour and keeping in view the fact that this is not first such step taken by them," he said.

"It seems to be a part of strategy to force the officials to toe the political line of AAP," Jaju said.

The Delhi BJP leader also said earlier this year, a similar resolution was also passed by the officers' association.

Jaju said ever since Kejriwal came to power, he has tried to cripple the working of the three Municipal Corporations in Delhi by denying the statutory funds, creating administrative hurdles and going as far as to instigating municipal workers to strike work by giving them wrong facts on salary funds.

Jaju also accused the Aam Aadmi Party and its government in Delhi of defaming the MCDs as ineffective bodies.
New Delhi, Dec 14 : Slamming two officers' bodies -- AGMUT IAS Association and DANICS Association -- Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said they have become politicised and are passing "politically-motivated" resolutions.

Sisodia also warned the bureaucrats of "strict action" if they refused to work for the public.

The remarks came a day after the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) Cadre IAS Association, and Delhi and Andaman & Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) Association jointly passed a resolution against "injustices" meted out by the political executive of Delhi government.

"Is it an IAS association or a political body? If the government takes action against any officer, they go on strike. They went on strike on the first day of Odd-Even scheme," Sisodia told reporters here.

Representatives of the two associations met Sisodia on Wednesday morning and gave him a copy of the resolution, in which they expressed anguish at the "insults and use of offensive language against some senior officers by the political executive of Delhi government in the recent past".

On Sunday, after a patient died at Lok Nayak Hospital due to non-availability of ventilator apparatus, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain asked the Health Secretary to accompany him to the hospital.

Jain said the Health Secretary refused citing unavailability of a car.

"Shameful. Lt Governor has appointed the most incompetent, useless and insensitive IAS officer as the Health Secretary," Jain had tweeted.

The IAS and DANICS associations on Tuesday expressed concern about such "uncharitable, derogatory, insulting and humiliating remarks" in print, electronic and social media.

However, Sisodia on Wednesday responded that there were other serious issues that the IAS associations should discuss rather than defending an official's "irresponsible behaviour".

"I want to tell all the bureaucrats of Delhi that people have elected us to serve them, not to stay in luxurious offices.

"We will use all means to perform our duties. We will request the officers to work, plead with them and if needed, we will also reprimand them and force them to work," Sisodia said.

He added the officers can openly refuse if any minister asks them to do their personal work.

"But it will not be tolerated if any officer refuses or stalls public work," he added.

Sisodia also asked why the bureaucrat associations are not passing any resolution against dereliction of duty by some bureaucrats and stalling of various public welfare projects initiated by the Delhi government.

"There is an officer sitting on the file related to promotion of Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik's father, a DTC employee, for the last three months. Pass a resolution against that officer.

"Files related to adding 10,000 beds in Delhi hospitals, buying new buses and many other decisions to benefit public are pending. They don't pass resolutions against that.

"Why do they pass only political resolutions?" the Deputy Chief Minister said.
New Delhi, Dec 14 : After threatening an earth-shattering disclosure on demonetisation earlier, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he wanted to expose Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal complicity in corruption but "a terrified government" didn't let him speak in Parliament.

Though the Prime Minister and his office didn't react to the remarks, the government dismissed the "baseless allegations" as a "sign of desperation" by the Congress.

Gandhi didn't make the proof public. He insisted he wanted to explode the bombshell in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing winter session that has been almost completely washed away in opposition protests against the government's November 8 move to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to combat corruption and black money.

"Read my lips. The Prime Minister is personally terrified with the information that I have. I have information on the personal corruption of the Prime Minister," Gandhi told reporters after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day without conducting any business -- the way it has been since the session began on November 16. The session ends on this Friday.

"If I speak, his (Modi's) balloon will burst. He is scared. The government is scared of the information I have. Thus, they (the government) are not allowing me to speak in Parliament. Let us speak in the Lok Sabha. We will reveal everything."

The Gandhi scion also dubbed demonetisation as Modi's "personal decision ... taken against the poor of the country (that) has destroyed millions of lives".

The Congress leader was joined by other opposition leaders, including Trinamool Congress's Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Marxist P. Karunakaran and Nationalist Congress Party's Tariq Anwar, in cornering the government.

Gandhi last week said an "earthquake will come" if he was allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha "about the biggest scam committed by Narendra Modi single handedly".

The BJP fielded an array of its leaders to counter the allegations.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader H.N. Ananth Kumar alleged that some Congress leaders were acting as "commission agent" to exchange old currency notes for new at the party headquarters.

Kumar was referring to a sting operation by a news channel showing some politicians, including those from the Congress, being involved in money laundering.

"Gandhi is making baseless allegations. He should instead apologise to the nation," said Kumar, accusing the opposition of "sabotaging" the entire winter session of Parliament.

He said that if the Congress had information to share with Parliament, Gandhi "could have done it" when the House was in session.

Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said: "Rahulji, we want you to speak. When you do, you expose the Congress, so we want you to speak.

"They have been unmasked, so they are making these allegations."

BJP spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao said "Rahul Gandhi is making a joke of himself" every time he speaks.

Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu questioned why the Congress was "not allowing the House to function and have a proper debate on the demonetisation issue". He said the government was ready to debate demonetisation in the House provided the opposition allows it to run.

Amid the allegations and counter-allegations, Parliament again faced disruptions on Wednesday as the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha convened after an extended weekend.
New Delhi, Dec 14 : The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the renewal of the Mo) signed between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and College of Banking and Financial Studies (CBFS), Oman, to work together for strengthening the audit knowledge base.

"The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval of the MoUs signed in 2008 and 2011 and the renewal of MoU between ICAI and CBFS, Oman. The MoU will facilitate working together for strengthening the accounting, financial and audit knowledge base within Oman," a cabinet communique said here.

"ICAI has a strong membership base of over 6,000 members in the Middle East region and the MoU aims at providing assistance to CBFS by admitting Omani nationals to the membership of ICAI. The aim is to work together to develop a mutually beneficial relationship in the best interests of members, students and the institutes," it said.

The MoU is also expected to provide an opportunity to the ICAI members to expand their professional horizons and, simultaneously, ICAI is expected to become an entity which aids and strengthens professional capabilities of Omani nationals, it added.

Since Oman does not have a local professional accountancy institute, it is the ICAI which has been collaborating with CBFS, Oman in matters relating to the profession.

"The MoU is expected to make a positive impact for the Indian Chartered Accountants currently working in Oman and other markets and for those Indian professionals who intend to move to Oman for pursuing their profession there. As such, enhanced employment opportunities are expected to be created for Indian professionals in Oman," it said.
Kolkata, Dec 14 : Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) full-back Pritam Kotal on Wednesday said he was blinded for a while after being hit in the eye during the brawl that broke out during Tuesday's ISL semi-final second leg against Mumbai City FC.

ATK sailed into the Indian Super League (ISL) final with a 3-2 aggregate win after a goalless draw on the night.

The India international, who plays for Mohun Bagan in the I-League, said he was blinded after getting hit but is better now after consulting a doctor.

"There was a feeling of blinding for a while," Kotal, who along with the team landed in Kolkata on Wednesday afternoon, told IANS.

"I went to a doctor and he said its's nothing major. What happened was unfortunate and should not have happened," said the 23-year-old who played for FC Pune City last season.

"I want to win the ISL for the first time. Now we are only focusing on the final," Kotal stated.

The match took an ugly turn on Tuesday after the final whistle following an altercation between ATK's Juan Belencoso and Mumbai's Leo Costa.

The Brazilian Leo Costa clipped Belencoso with the latter then having a go at the midfielder with his head.

This prompted angry reactions from both sides. Several players got involved in separate arguments. Thiago Cunha, in a worst of all reaction, jumped with both feet off the ground and attempted a kung-fu kick at Belencoso.

A hoard of Kolkata players and backroom staff members chased him as he tried to escape the backlash, capping off a scarcely-believable scene in Andheri.

The final is on December 18.
New Delhi, Dec 14 : The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved agreement between Ministry of Rural Development and and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to improve the effectiveness of rural development programmes and to facilitate knowledge sharing.

"An inter-governmental MoU on Joint Technical and South-South Cooperation to provide a framework for collaboration will be signed between Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and FAO," said a cabinet communique.

The agreement will facilitate South-South cooperation mechanisms around Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)'s experience through exchange visits and dialogues, and establishment of a good-practice Learning Centre.

"It will strengthen the vertical upscaling of the livelihoods of rural populations that are supported by DAY-NRLM, help to develop inclusive and sustainable value chains for key crops and agro-industrial products, employment diversification and skills development," it added.
Damascus, Dec 14 : Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that the jihadists who attacked Palmyra a few days ago came to the city with the support of the United States, or at least with its knowledge.

Al-Assad said that many of those terrorists came from al-Raqqa and Deir al-Zour either with American direct support or at least with their knowledge, and then they allowed Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to complete the mission by supporting and co-sponsoring the Islamic State, reports Efe.

"This is what is happening in Palmyra, the issue is not just related to Mosul," he added, referring to reports that the guerrillas came from Mosul after the US offensive here.

"The jihadist attack on Palmyra, with a large number of combatants who traveled with weapons that were previously not available, demonstrates the direct support," the Syrian President said.

Al-Assad accused US troops involved in operations against the IS in Mosul and al-Raqqa of allowing terrorists to leave those areas without any hindrance.

The Syrian leader also denounced that western countries for only caring about the civilian population when the offensives are of the government army, but not when people die from attacks by the terrorists.

"They do not worry when the opposite happens, when the terrorists are killing those civilians or attacking Palmyra and destroying the human heritage, not only the Syrian heritage," he said.
New Delhi, Dec 14 : State-run thermal generator NTPC will replace its old power plants that have an aggregate capacity of 11,000 megawatt over a five-year phase out period, Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday.

"NTPC has already given the in-principle clearance to replace around 11,000 MW of its old, inefficient thermal power plants. The plants would be replaced in about five years, with an investment of around Rs. 50,000 crores," he said at an event here to celebrate National Energy Conservation Day.

"It is very concerning that this country has very old power plants running which leads to very high carbon dioxide emission. The government wants to not only bring in new pollution control technology but also wants to phase out old power plants to bring down pollution levels," he said.

Goyal said that following his meeting with NTPC Chairman Gurdeep Singh on Monday, the company has, within two days, confirmed that it will phase out its old plants.

He also said the Power Ministry is in talks with the Environment Ministry for clearances, which should not be a problem as it is a huge step in increasing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

Goyal, who also heads the New and Renewable Energy Ministry said 16,000 households in about 800 inaccessible villages in India which lack grid connectivity would be supplied energy efficient appliances free of cost.

"The Ministry would be providing, to each such household, a 300 KW Solar panel, 8-hour battery backup, 5 LED bulbs, an energy efficient ceiling fan and a solar power based mobile phone charging socket, all free of cost under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana," he said.
Bengaluru, Dec 14 : In an embarrassment to the ruling Congress, Karnataka's 71-year-old Excise Minister H.Y. Meti resigned on Wednesday after a sleaze tape allegedly showing him in a compromising situation with a woman surfaced. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered a CID probe into the episode.

"Meti voluntarily submitted the resignation to me. I have recommended to the Governor (Vajubhai Vala) to accept it. I have entrusted the episode to the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) for inquiry," Siddaramaiah told reporters here.

Raj Bhavan sources said Vala has accepted Meti's resignation.

Earlier in the day, high drama prevailed at the Chief Minister's official residence when an unnerved Meti rushed to tender his resignation to Siddaramaiah within an hour after local news channels began airing the compact disc footage.

An official from the Chief Minister's Office told IANS that Siddaramaiah flared on seeing Meti and gave him a tongue-lashing in the presence of officials for bringing disrepute to the Congress and the government by his misconduct.

Walking out of the Chief Minister's residence, a defiant Meti, however, denied indulging in any obscene activity and claimed he resigned from the ministry to avoid embarrassment to the ruling party and the Siddaramaiah government.

He alleged there was a conspiracy to tarnish his image through a "fake" sleaze tape.

"I have resigned but I am innocent. An official investigation will prove my innocence," Meti told the media.

Meti is allegedly seen in a compromising situation with a young woman in the around four-minute footage aired so far.

"As for the location, when the CD was shot and by whom is not known; the inquiry will bring out the facts," the official said.

Meti is a lawmaker of the Congress from Bagalkot district, about 410 km from here, and belongs to the Kurba (shephard) community. Siddaramaiah also belongs to that community.

Meti was one of the 13 ministers inducted into the three-year-old Congress government on June 19 in a major reshuffle when 14 others were sacked to make place for them.

According to party sources, Rajashekar Mulali, a Right to Information activist from Bellari district, about 330 km from here, claimed having in his possession audio-video evidence on CD of Meti seeking sexual favours from a woman who approached him for a government job.

Mulali said he released the CD in New Delhi, where he went to meet the Congress high command but could not as Parliament is in session.

"I wanted to hand over the CD to party leaders and seek action against Meti, as some of his followers had threatened me in case I released the sex tape," Mulali told reporters in Delhi.

Denying the charge, Meti said he did not know the activist and none of his supporters threatened him.
Bhubaneswar, Dec 14 : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lift restrictions imposed on agricultural credit societies so that they can cater to the credit requirements of farmers facing difficulties due to demonetisation.

"The restriction imposed on Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) to draw Rs 24,000 per week may be lifted so that these organisations can cater to the credit requirements of their farmer members," said the Chief Minister in a letter to Modi.

Due to the restriction, the PACS are unable to cater to the demand for crop loans, procurement proceeds and insurance claims pertaining to kharif 2015, said Patnaik, seeking adequate currency may be made available to the District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) by the currency chest branches of the commercial banks and this should be monitored by the Reserve Bank of India's Regional Office.

This will enable the DCCBs to provide crop loans to the farmer members and also to pay their paddy procurement proceeds as well as insurance claims, he added.

"Consequent upon demonetisation of high value notes and the restriction on DCCBs to accept the SBN as deposits and for exchange of such notes, the DCCBs are facing a severe liquidity crunch," said the Chief Minister.

Besides, the currency chest branches of the commercial banks are not able to provide currency to the DCCBs to cope with the demands of the farm families at the PACS level for their Rabi operations, he added.

"We are finding it difficult to transfer the procurement price of paddy from the Apex State Co-operative bank account to the farmer's account held in different nationalised banks, co-operative banks and RRBs, if it is a Jan Dhan account. Such transfers were rejected in many cases causing enormous hardship to the farmers," said Patnaik.
Moscow, Dec 15 : Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday urged the United States to mount pressure on the Syrian opposition to cease fire and withdraw from the embattled city of Aleppo.

In a phone conversation with US State Secretary John Kerry, Lavrov told his US counterpart that the Syrian authorities have been ready to provide free exit for surrounded militants in eastern Aleppo, but they refuse to stop hostilities under the influence of the leaders of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group, Xinhua news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying in a statement.

Kerry reassured Lavrov that the US is working with the opposition groups that have sabotaged the demand of the United Nations Security Council for an urgent start of intra-Syrian negotiations without preconditions, the Ministry added.

Earlier on Wednesday, a truce for evacuating rebels and their families from rebel-held areas in Aleppo failed, and both warring sides resumed fighting.
Bratislava, Dec 15 : Britain must not emerge from negotiations on post-Brexit relations with the EU as the victor, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced at a session of the parliamentary European affairs committee on Wednesday.

"The United Kingdom must not win this struggle. That would be a huge mistake on our part. Freedom of movement is non-negotiable...How would the EU exist if Britain successfully negotiated benefits on one hand, but blocked EU citizens from seeking jobs or studies on the other," Xinhua news agency quoted Fico as saying.

Fico said he was convinced that the other 27 EU countries needed to arrange for more advantageous conditions in the deal.

"The agreement between the EU and Great Britain must be more advantageous to the EU, so that we won't spend energy on countries with anti-European sentiments," stated Fico.

The Prime Minister said he considered the situation in Italy to be a worse problem after Matteo Renzi tended his resignation as Prime Minister due to an unsuccessful referendum on constitutional reform and with snap elections seemingly around the corner.

"The probability of victory for parties not favourably inclined towards Europe is high. What if a referendum on the euro came next? Then we'd have a serious problem on our hands," concluded Fico.
The genesis of "No Magic Bullets" (publisher, Lioncrest Publishing) arose from the author's observation of many otherwise smart executives latching onto the latest new business concept as the one concept alone to reach business nirvana. Through his work, Rob Waite had discussed his observations with many durably successful CEOs and business leaders. They concurred with Waite.

Rob Waite set out to detail how business leaders can avoid falling into the trap of "magic bullet thinking" and what executives and entrepreneurs should be focusing on to obtain durable success. To do this, Waite kept a journal over multiple years of his observations about how a variety of senior business leaders operated, about his own experiences as a CEO and as an elite-level executive recruiter, and then combined those observations with in-depth interviews of fourteen notable executives and entrepreneurs about what led to their durable success.

Rob Waite derived from this effort common elements about what he refers to as, "Hard things that great executives and entrepreneurs know and do." In "No Magic Bullets", Waite details these hard things as Seven Capabilities. The book also serves as a guidebook, along with its compendium website (http://www.nomagicbullets.xyz) to aid the reader grow their depth of knowledge of these Seven Capabilities, apply them to their career and business today as well as to craft their own custom tailored plan for obtaining durable, not fleeting, success.

Several business leaders have commented on No Magic Bullets. One of those, Jim Kane - Chairman, President and CEO of Pittsburgh Corning said Waites book is, Indispensable hard-earned wisdom and actionable advice vital to personal success in any business today.

Within 48 hours of release, "No Magic Bullets" hit the #1 rank on Amazons Hot New Releases List in the Management Science category. This is Waites second book. His first book "The Lost Art of General Management" has been a global success.

"No Magic Bullets," published by Lioncrest Publishing, can be viewed on Amazon in Kindle and paperback versions.

About the Author

Rob Waite is a Managing Director with the firm of Allen.Associates, a retained senior executive search and leadership advisory firm. He has been an international senior executive at Fortune 500 companies, CEO of a large privately held company, and CEO of a successful private equity-backed entity recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of Americas fastest growing privately held companies. He has served on numerous corporate boards and has lived and worked in Europe, Latin America, and Canada.
Uptime Award For Best Asset Management and Reliability Program These top tier organizations are leading the way to more reliable future for everyone

Reliabilityweb.com, and Uptime Magazine, publications serving over 50,000 Reliability Leaders and Asset Management Professionals, announced the winners of the Uptime Awards for 2016.

Winners are honored in a special awards ceremony at the 31st International Maintenance Conference (IMC-2016) on December 12-16, 2016 at the 4-star Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, Florida. This years Uptime Award ceremony will be held on Wednesday, December 14th, during the morning conference assembly.

Reliability, safety, energy, environmental performance and production are all aligned in some companies. These top tier organizations are leading the way to more reliable future for everyone.

Our work at Reliabilityweb.com is to create awareness for the connection between reliability, safety, energy, environmental performance and production performance, states Uptime Magazine Publisher and CEO, Terrence O'Hanlon. Many companies operate in silos which can sub-optimize performance across the organization. We recognize the Uptime Award winners because they work cross-functionally across the enterprise to ensure everyone is focusing reliability efforts and asset management strategies on achieving organizational objectives.

Uptime Magazines Awards recognize organizations that demonstrate excellence in reliability and asset management. 2016 Uptime Magazines Award winners are:

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) Syracuse - Best Leadership for Reliability Program

CBRE - Best Work Execution Management Program

Loop LLC - Best Green Reliability Program

Jacobs - Best Lubrication Program

Gwinnett County - Special Recognition Award: Precision Alignment

APS Palo Verde Nuclear - Special Recognition Award: PM Optimization m

Rio Tinto: Iron Ore Canada - Special Recognition Award: Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

Kansas City BPU - Special Recognition Award: Innovative Use of Photography for Maintenance

To learn more about Uptime Award Winners and presentations, please visit the IMC-2016 web site at http://www.imc-2016.com.

Since 2006, Uptime Magazine has honored some of the most outstanding high-performance reliability teams in the world for the results they produce. What began as a simple way to acknowledge special accomplishments has evolved into a valuable reliability improvement exercise as everyone who participates in the Uptime Award evaluation process discovers program benefit and performance improvement.

Nominations for the 2017 Uptime Awards may be submitted beginning April 2017. Visit http://www.uptimeawards.com for further information.
As the premier forum for the regions technology leaders, I am looking forward to working with Southern Californias greatest minds to further the goals of this organization

Waterstone Management Group, an expert-led boutique management consulting firm focusing on the information technology industry, announced today that John Zuk, Principal at Waterstone, has been appointed to the Board of the Technology Council of Southern California (TCOSC), a chapter of the Software & Services Division of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA).

Zuk joins other newly appointed board members from TCOSC member companies, who together represent the voice of the council. In Zuks new role as Board member, he will work with the rest of the Board to provide Southern Californias technology, media, and ecommerce industries with leadership, advocacy, and market information; and develop and prioritize the Councils initiatives and determine projects, activities and events to be undertaken by TCOSC.

I am pleased to represent Waterstone, and the Southern California region, as a board member of TCOSC, said Zuk. As the premier forum for the regions technology leaders, I am looking forward to working with Southern Californias greatest minds to further the goals of this organization.

We are very pleased that Mr. Zuk has agreed to join the TCOSC Board, said Rhianna Collier, Vice President & Managing Director of SIIA Software & Services Division and the TCOSC. The Board is dedicated to providing tech companies in Los Angeles and Orange County with the best interaction, cooperation and information exchange in the region, and this important work can only be achieved through the collective efforts of industry leaders like John who are committed to seeing these companies, and the industry as a whole, grow and succeed.

Zuks specialty is in cultivating innovation at the intersection of business strategy and technology product development. With more than 20 years experience as a systems engineer, management consultant and executive, John applies his innovation management experience to help Waterstone clients define, build, and deliver a remarkable and differentiated customer experience.

Prior to joining Waterstone, Zuk was VP of Marketing and Business Strategy for Tanner EDA, a software provider in the semiconductor design industry; and Director at boutique open innovation consultancy 4iNNO. John holds an MS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Union College.

About Waterstone Management Group

Waterstone Management Group helps technology companies and investors create measurable value by identifying and capitalizing on disruptive growth opportunities and by driving excellence in Services, Cloud and Customer Success performance. Waterstones expertise-driven approach combines deep industry-specific intellectual property and a unique blend of strategic consulting and executive-level operating experience to deliver high velocity strategy and execution. For more information about Waterstone, please visit waterstonegroup.com and follow the firm on Twitter (@WaterstoneMG).

About TCOSC

The Technology Council of Southern California is the premier forum for the region's technology, media and ecommerce leaders, providing events, connections, information and resources to help technology companies succeed. Founded in 1991 as the Software Council of Southern California, the Technology Council has a long history of supporting technology companies throughout the region. In 2016 the Technology Council joined forces with The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) to become a regional chapter of the Software & Services Division (SSD).
PM360, a leading health-marketing industry trade magazine, will once again honor the PM360 ELITE: Exceptional  Leaders  Innovators  Transformers  Entrepreneurs.

The PM360 ELITE recognizes the most influential people in the life sciences industry today. Nominees are judged based on their career achievements and the impact their work has had on the industry, or the potential they have demonstrated to impact the industry. To help bring these industry leaders to the forefront, the magazine is seeking submissions in 18 categories:



Transformational Leaders

Leaders of the Future

Data Miners

Creative Directors

Tech-know Geeks

Entrepreneurs

Sales MVPs

Strategists

Disrupters

Mentors

Master Educators

Launch Experts

Patient Advocates

Drug Researchers and Developers

Digital Crusaders

Marketing Teams

NEW: PR Gurus

NEW: Talent Acquisition Leaders

The new PR Gurus category will recognize the leaders in the fields of public relations and corporate communications who have demonstrated an expertise in spreading news about an organization as well as good publicity. Meanwhile, the new Talent Acquisition Leaders category will honor job recruiters and HR executives with an exceptional ability for recognizing top talent and placing them in the right roles.

Anyone from a manufacturer (pharma, medical device, biotech or specialty), advertising agency, or any company serving the life sciences industry is eligible to enter in any of the categories. Nominees can be submitted in multiple categories. There is no cost for submission. Entries will be judged by the PM360 editorial staff.

All submissions must be received by March 10, 2017. To learn more or start making submissions, visit http://www.pm360online.com/elite.

The PM360 ELITE winners will be featured in the publications May 2017 issue. Profiles of these award winners will present and examine their extraordinary accomplishments and contributions to the industry. The winners will also be honored at the PM360 ELITE celebratory cocktail party to be held on July 11, 2017 at The Top of The Standard hotel in NYCs Meatpacking District.

For more information about the PM360 ELITE, contact Andrew Matthius, Senior Editor, PM360, at andrew.matthius(at)pm360online(dot)com.

###

About PM360

PM360 is the premier, must-read magazine for marketing decision makers in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries. Published monthly, PM360 is the only journal that focuses on delivering the full spectrum of practical information necessary for product managers and pharmaceutical marketing professionals to succeed in the complex and highly regulated healthcare environment.

The journals targeted and insightful editorial focuses on issues that directly impact critical decision making, including: Planning and implementation of cutting-edge strategies, trends, the latest technological advances, branding/marketing, advertising/promotion, patient/professional education, sales, market research, PR, and leadership. Additionally, the 360 in the title signifies the span of this critical, how-to info with personal and career insights for an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

By providing the full circle of enriching content, PM360 is truly an indispensable tool for busy and productive marketing professionals to stay at the top of their game.
Robert Battle, Artistic Director Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Photograph by Andrew Eccles.

The 29th Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance is honoring dance industry trailblazer Robert Battle, the Artistic Director for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater when it meets in Dallas, Texas January 25-29, 2017. Robert Battle is the conference luncheon keynote speaker and will participate in a panel discussion on Transitions and Stability of Todays Dance Companies.

Robert Battle became the artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in July 2011. He is the third person to head the dance company since its inception in 1958. Battle was a frequent choreographer and artist-in-residence at Ailey since 1999. Mr. Battle also instituted the New Directions Choreography Lab to help develop the next generation of choreographers. Battle founded his own Battleworks Dance Company in 2002. He was honored as one of the Masters of African-American Choreography by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2005.

More than 700 participants worldwide are expected to attend the conference. The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) is designed to meet the needs of professional, advanced, and student dancers as well as dance administrators and instructors. The conference will provide master classes, lecture/demonstrations, panels, workshops, and performances.

There will be a multi-company audition for professionals conducted by the founding and member companies of IABD. Following a major triumph from the 2016 conference, IABD will hold the 2nd Annual Ballet Audition for Women of Color who are seeking contracts and professional training opportunities with premier ballet companies.

Confirmed ballet companies attending the audition are:



Ballet Austin, Austin, TX

Ballet Memphis, Memphis, TN

Charlotte Ballet, Charlotte, NC

Dance Theatre of Harlem, New York, NY

The Hartt School, Hartford, CT

Nashville Ballet, Nashville, TN

Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Seattle, WA

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA

San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco, CA

School of American Ballet, New York, NY

Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth, TX

Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings will showcase performances by internationally renowned dance companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the founding companies of The International Association of Blacks in Dance; PHILADANCO! (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (Denver, Colorado), Dallas Black Dance Theatre (Dallas, Texas), Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, (Dayton, Ohio) and Lula Washington Dance Theatre (Los Angeles, California).

Thursday Evening: Emerging Artists & Youth Ensemble Showcase

Friday Evening: Established Artists & Members Showcase

Saturday Evening: Founders & International Company Showcase

Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) has hosted the conference and festival seven times during its 29-year history and it is a part of DBDTs 40th Anniversary Season. The conference headquarters is the Sheraton Dallas Hotel, located at 400 North Olive Street, Dallas, Texas 75201. All public performances will be held at the Majestic Theatre.

For more details visit http://www.iabdassociation.org/conference.

About International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD):

IABD has been the national service organization for Black dance professionals for over 25 years. It was formed to celebrate, preserve and promote dance from African origins. IABD also assists and increases opportunities for artists in networking, funding, performance, education, audience development, philosophical dialogue, touring and advocacy. IABD developed out of the International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance, which was first held 29 years ago. This event has become an epicenter for all individuals who are interested in the rich history, contributions, and advancement of black dance performance and artistry.

About Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT):

Founded in 1976 by Ann Williams, Dallas Black Dance Theatre is the oldest professional dance company in Dallas and the 10th largest minority arts organization in the nation. The mission of Dallas Black Dance Theatre is to create and produce contemporary modern dance at its highest level of artistic excellence through performances and educational programs that bridge cultures and reach diverse communities. During its 40-year history, Dallas Black Dance Theatre has a tradition of sharing its talents with the world starting in 1991 when the company performed in Lima, Peru and did a 10-city performing tour in Italy. DBDT has performed on five continents, in 15 countries and 31 states, including two Olympic Cultural events. Over the years more than 4 million arts patrons and 2.6 million students, grades K-12, have experienced the dance company. DBDT serves more than 100,000 people annually, including more than 20,000 youth.
The advancement of open source and cloud technologies is clearly outpacing the pool of professionals who are able to service and manage them.

Most businesses believe there is a scarcity of skilled Linux and cloud technology professionals in the workforce and that current professionals are not getting the training they need, according to a recent survey by Linux Academy, the foremost online Linux and cloud training platform and community.

When Linux Academy surveyed nearly 900 IT professionals on Linux and cloud technology training trends, 76 percent said there is a global shortage of talent with proper Linux and cloud technology skills; the majority of respondents said their companies require them to have various levels of regular training on Linux and cloud technologies, and more than a third of respondents thought the IT professionals theyve worked with have minimal understanding of or no experience with these technologies.

Companies should pay attention to these survey findings, particularly with the continued proliferation of open source and cloud technologies, said Anthony James, founder, Linux Academy. The advancement of these technologies is clearly outpacing the pool of professionals who are able to service and manage them. By the time professionals receive the training they need, the technologies have progressed, making their training obsolete. This underscores not only the need for access to timely and affordable training, but also for companies to further invest their employees skills.

The two greatest impediments to receiving training on Linux and cloud technologies are a lack of time and money, with 38 percent paying up to $500 for one course. A combined 77 percent of respondents said their companies only spend up to $25,000 annually on Linux and cloud training for their employees. Sixty percent of companies have between one and 20 employees managing these technologies.

When it comes to recruiting Linux and cloud professionals, a combined 72 percent of respondents indicated there is little talent to pull from in their area, and those who are there are hard to find; sixty-seven percent either said they either always or sometimes have a hard time recruiting these professionals. The greatest challenges companies have to recruiting are a general lack of skilled talent and lack of resources to find and attract them. It takes most companies four to six weeks to fill Linux and cloud related jobs.

The training topics IT professionals believed to be the most beneficial were Linux, AWS, and DevOps. While answers varied by industry - which included technology, healthcare, finance, government, manufacturing, education, business/corporate, retail, and others - most respondents believe that formal certifications such as RHCSA and RHCE are somewhat important to their vertical.

The findings suggest that specific technology skill sets and related certifications play an important role in professional development. Online training providers, which help professionals learn these skills at a faster, more economical pace and in a practical, real-world environment, are best-positioned to help close the talent gap, added James.

Linux Academy conducted this survey in November, 2016. For a complete copy of the results, contact Matthew Pugh at mpugh(at)weisspr(dot)com.

About Linux Academy

Linux Academy redefines continuing education for todays IT business professional. Through self-paced courses, hands-on server labs, personal access to expert instructors and an ever-growing learning library, Linux Academy caters to beginners and experts alike. Courses are geared toward certifications in Linux, AWS, OpenStack, DevOps, Azure and Big Data, offering content that digs deeper to answer nuanced challenges of the latest emerging technologies. Linux Academy provides more value per dollar than any other IT training program. To enroll or to explore enterprise tools and group rates, visit: http://www.linuxacademy.com.
Advanced Healthcare & Aesthetics has announced its San Antonio launch.

The firm, co-owned by Hope Perez and Cara Carrillo, specializes in modern-day housecalls. The model is designed to cut down on the wait times most patients experience while visiting the traditional doctor's office, while providing personalized medical care. The firm's physical address is 1716 S. San Marcos, Suite #29.

Perez, LVN and Certified Medical Aesthetician, and Carrillo, MSN, RN, NP-C, are both military veterans and have worked in the nursing industry for over a combined 40 years.

Perez shared her excitement about the opening.

"The healthcare industry has undergone massive changes and patients are demanding more," she explained. "The average time spent in the doctor's office and ER has pushed past two hours. This is valuable time that keeps patients from getting back to their lives."

Advanced Healthcare & Aesthetics will assign a Nurse Practitioner to you in the comfort of your home or preferred location. Onsite health services include acute non-emergent requests for care for adults 18 and older. These services include, but are not limited to sore throats, coughs, ear infections, and health and work physicals.

Onsite medical care is $150.00 and follow-up visits are available for a small fee. AHA accepts cash or credit card payments only. The firm does not currently accept Medicare or private insurance.

Non-surgical aesthetic procedures are also available. Contact Advanced Healthcare & Aesthetics 210.267.2639 for pricing and services. Plans for service expansion is already in the works, as the firm also plans on offering DOT physicals in the near future.

About Advanced Healthcare & Aesthetics

Founded in 2016 by Military Veterans, Cara Carrillo and Hope Perez, Advanced Healthcare & Aesthetics combines the tradition-rich medical housecall with modern medical techniques. By offering acute, non-urgent care from the comfort of patient's home, Advanced Healthcare & Aesthetics saves patients time, energy and money. Services include treatment of colds, sore throat, ear infections, and health and work physicals. The agency also provides non-surgical aesthetic procedures. For rates and additional services please contact 210.267.2639 or visit http://www.ahasatx.com.
In pay-for-value models, primary care physicians are substantially compensated for practicing at the top of their licenses and effectively coordinating care downstream by intentionally referring patients to specific specialists.

Joshua Rosenthal, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at RowdMap, Inc., will be speaking at the ConvUrgentCare Strategy Symposium, which will be held in Scottsdale, AZ, January 23-25, 2017. The ConvUrgentCare Symposium hosted by Merchant Medicine. The invitation-only event is in its 9th year and brings together senior executives from health systems, private urgent care and medical groups with an interest in planning for future: http://bit.ly/2hqJ4Bh

The focus of the upcoming symposium is the evolution of consumer experiential design and the emergence of on-demand healthcare as a network foundation. Retail clinics in stores such as Rite-Aid and Walgreens will be addressing their partnerships with health care systems as one notable trend in the delivery of care is the push towards on-demand access. It is estimated that about half of primary care providers will be practicing in an on demand setting in the next ten years.

Joshua Rosenthal, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at RowdMap, Inc., will be speaking on the role of primary care and urgent care as payment models change from fee for service to value-based economic models. Specifically, as the health plans and provider systems move to deliver more high-value care, we are seeing a push to deliver care at lower intensity levels. For primary care physicians, this means they can be substantially compensated for practicing at their top of their licenses and effectively coordinating care downstream by intentionally referring patients to specific specialists, said Joshua Rosenthal, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at RowdMap, Inc.

Providers have powerful resources to make this transition. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has now released the largest data set in the history of the United States, covering virtually every provider, with years of longitude. HHS has also released referral and patient flow information, which shows how patients move from urgent care and primary care providers to specialists, hospitals and event post acute treatment, effectively providing not only the costs and quality of providers downstream but also the value of the chain of care along a pathway from a clinic to more costly and intensive care setting. Using the government benchmark data about where you are sending your patients, and the impact that has on your pay-for-value arrangements, is playing an increasingly important role in the coordination of care that primary care providers are delivering in new economic models, said Joshua Rosenthal, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at RowdMap, Inc.

This theme is expanded upon in the ConvUrgentCare Report, recently published by Merchant Medicine. The article, entitled The Changing Face of Primary Care Medicine, by Tom Charland, CEO of Merchant Medicine, is an overview of the evolution of primary care in a world of consumer-driven care. Joshua Rosenthal, PhD, was featured in this article, alongside Anthem, Carolinas Healthcare System and American Family Care discussing the evolution of primary care and the influence of publicly available, government data on healthcare.

About RowdMap, Inc:

An Ernst and Young EY Entrepreneur Of The Year winner, RowdMaps Risk-Readiness benchmarks help health plans, physician groups, and hospital systems identify, quantify, and reduce no-value care that physicians deliver- a central tenet of successful pay-for-value programs.

Through practice patterns and referral analysis, RowdMaps benchmarks identify the health care entities that manage unwarranted and unexpected variation in care. This variation leads to more than $850 Billion in no-value care annually. Payers and physicians use RowdMaps physician and population health benchmarks to create strategies that put these highest performing physicians at the center of networks and then design products, organize clinical programs, and coordinate sales and marketing around them.

RowdMaps platform comes preloaded with benchmarks for every physician, hospital, and zip code in the United States- no IT integration required. RowdMaps Risk-Readiness Platform works across all market segments and has significantly larger returns than traditional medical economics approaches.
Joan Morehead, VP of HR Services, HRPro/Benepro I am extremely excited to join a great team of professionals that consistently deliver exceptional service to their growing list of clients.

HRPro/BenePro, a national provider of Human Resources and Benefit Consulting and Administration announced today that Joan Morehead has joined the firm as the new Vice-President of its consulting division. Joan Morehead comes to the firm with a wealth of experience both in human resources and project management. Extremely well thought of by her peers, Joan also recently served as President of the Detroit Society for Human Resource Management (Detroit SHRM).

In her new role as Vice-President, Joan will continue to grow HRPros burgeoning Human Resource consulting and support services. Joan comments I am extremely excited to join a great team of professionals that consistently deliver exceptional service to their growing list of clients.

Kristopher Powell, CEO of HRPro/BenePro said Joan brings with her a vast knowledge of Human Resources and an amazing network of Human Resource professionals. She is a great fit for our team and adds a dimension we have not previously been able to provide. I am confident she will bring new energy and superior service to our clients.

HRPro/BenePro is one of Michigan's top HR and benefit advisory and administration firms, offering a Total People Solution for small to mid-sized companies. HRPro/BenePro strives to create a fun, collaborative culture that puts an emphasis on customer relationships and personalized service. Recently celebrating their 25 year anniversary, they are constantly working to stay ahead of latest trends and needs in the industry. Their mission is to work closely with organizations to understand and help them achieve their human capital goals. For more information visit the companys website at hrbenepro.com.
David Lissberger, CINS Army Founder and Sentinel IPS Chief Executive Officer If they harm one of us, they harm us all.

Sentinel IPS, a long-time sponsor of the Collective Intelligence Network Security (CINS) Army, announces a new initiative to foster intelligence gathering and data sharing among security providers for better IT network protection.

Every day our Sentinel IPS devices detect more than a million unique events, and hundreds of thousands of these attacks are stopped on the edge of the network using our CINS Active Threat Intelligence, said David Lissberger, CINS Army founder and Sentinel IPS chief executive officer. Sponsoring CINS Army is the first step in giving back to the InfoSec community to help strengthen our collective network security, which protects us all.

One benefit of CINS Army is free threat intelligence on thousands of malicious IP addresses the company derives from its Sentinel IPS devices and combined with other reputable security sources. The result: Improved network security on the edge of the network and better context for incident response.

After registering on the CINS Army website, the company provides a link and unique token used to download its threat intelligence. The information is provided in several formats, including STIX, Snort rules and Suricata rules, and a simple text file.

Go to CINS Army.com to learn more.

About Sentinel IPS

Based in Dallas, Texas, Sentinel IPS began as EcoNet.com, a web development founded at the dawn of the World Wide Web in 1995. By the early 2000s, the company became a successful network security product reseller and began to develop its own first intrusion prevention system.

Since 2004, the company continues to expand its product functionality and reach installing Sentinel IPS devices around the world. Its customers include Fortune 100 firms, government and municipal agencies, financial institutions and small businesses. To find out more, go to the Sentinel IPS website.
Our intelligence-driven curation process consistently finds, organizes, interprets and shares the most relevant and highest quality mobile health apps.

Today, at the HIMSS Connected Health Conference, Happtique, a stand alone program brought to you by SocialWellth, launched its reimagined intelligence driven curated app boutique that makes it easy for consumers to discover, download, and manage their mobile health apps for a balanced lifestyle.

Today, there are over 259,000 mHealth apps and that number continues to climb. This incredible volume of apps, combined with the rapid evolution of technology, makes it difficult for physicians, patients, and general consumers to keep abreast of which apps are available for their use. The proliferation of smartphones, combined with consumers taking a more active and informed role in their own health, has fueled this growth of apps and presents a tremendous opportunity to leverage mHealth apps in innovative ways.

This rapid pace of mHealth apps entering the market has left healthcare sponsors (healthcare providers, employers, health promotion organizations, and payers) and consumers lost in an unregulated sea of apps, unable to effectively navigate which apps fit their interests and meet their needs, and uncertain as to each apps quality, privacy and security standards, scientific rigor and evidence of benefit. With hundreds of thousands of health apps in the app stores, consumers need guidance on identifying apps that are effective, provide accurate information, and are user-friendly. Healthcare sponsors want to stay informed and provide recommendations regarding health apps as part of their health promotion services they provide to all patients. However, guidance on how to judge the validity or worth of commercially available apps is lacking.

Our intelligence-driven curation process, used for all apps in Happtique, consistently finds, organizes, interprets and shares the most relevant and highest quality mobile health apps across forty-eight health, balanced living, and lifestyle categories, said SocialWellth Founder and CEO David Vinson. He added, We take our enterprise level curation process, leveraging experts and an established set of industry guidelines, to create a personalized mini app boutique around a consumers own goals and interests.

Within the Happtique program, we evaluate and filter the overabundance of marketplace apps for relevance, value, user ratings, scientific evidence and consumer engagement to recommend the apps that will benefit consumers in their daily digital health journey. Each curated app undergoes a rigorous review, starting with an Adaptive Privacy and Security (APS) scan to ensure mobile health apps meet privacy and security standards to ensure consumer protection. Each app within Happtique also has an ACUT (App Curation, Usability and Testing) score-card and our ACUT professional review providing consumers with unique insights into each app.

Using quick-polls and other data capturing techniques, Happtique initiates a digital dialog with consumers to gain insights. To further enhance the experience, the user interface is linked to social networking accounts allowing consumers to interact with others and share their experience.

Healthcare Sponsors who are interested in promoting, evaluating, or benchmarking their own apps can leverage Happtique to showcase their proprietary apps, offer promotions, and provide discounts and services.

In addition, app developers and organizations sponsoring apps interested in getting their app(s) reviewed through our intelligence driven curation process can contact us at appdevelop(at)socialwellth.com.

About SocialWellth

SocialWellth is a digital health company that curates mHealth apps and other assets for consumers and physicians. Our experiential approach, leveraging behavior, design, clinical and data sciences, helps deliver the most relevant mHealth apps for consumers to manage and track their health and wellbeing. Visit http://www.socialwellth.com to learn more or email pr(at)socialwellth.com.
In a continuing effort in the fight against childhood cancer, Rockland awarded the Joy Cappel Young Investigator Award (JCYIA) to two Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) Young Investigator grantees. In addition, Rockland is donating over $150,000 in reagents for the projects of ALSF Young Investigator and A Award grantees with active grants.

The JCYIA includes the development of customized polyclonal antibodies by Rockland to further the research of Abhinav Dey, PhD (Young Investigator 2015) and Asen Bagashev, PhD (Young Investigator 2016). Dey and Bagashev received the award at the ALSF Young Investigator Summit in Chicago in October. Dey is researching personalized treatments for pediatric brain tumors. Bagashev is researching targeted therapies for relapsed B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The JCYIA, named in honor of former Rockland president and CEO Joy Cappel, is intended to foster research conducted by a promising post-doctoral fellow, graduate student or young investigator performing research in the areas of oncology, nuclear signaling, developmental biology, epigenetics, immunology, microbiology, neuroscience, signal transduction or stem cell technology. This award is in the form of a free-of-charge custom polyclonal antibody development project from Rockland.

Researchers investigating novel targets face a difficult hurdle when antibodies to their target are not commercially available. The JCYIA program gives researchers the opportunity to design a unique polyclonal antibody specific to their research, often resulting in a successful journal publication. Additionally, Rockland makes the antibody available to other researchers after validation as part of Rocklands catalog antibody collection.

Since inception, ALSF has worked diligently to attract young doctors to the field of pediatric oncology, recognizing that these researchers hold future keys to better treatments and ultimately cures to end childhood cancers. The Young Investigator and A Award grants reflect this belief. In addition to the two, ALSF funds several other grant categories to researchers on the front lines of the childhood cancer fight. For more information, visit: http://www.ALSFgrants.org.

About Childhood Cancer

Childhood cancer is a general term used to describe cancer in children occurring regularly, randomly and sparing no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. Childhood cancer extends to over a dozen types of cancers and a countless amount of subtypes. Just a few of these cancer types include: Ewings sarcoma, glioma, leukemia, lymphoma, medulloblastoma, neuroblastoma, osteosarcoma, retinoblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and Wilms tumor. In the United States, childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15. Every day, approximately 250 kids around the world die from cancer, accounting for 91,250 losing their lives to the disease every year.

About Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra Alex Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope. To date, Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $127 million toward fulfilling Alexs dream of finding a cure, funding over 650 pediatric cancer research projects nationally. For more information on Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation, visit AlexsLemonade.org.

About Rockland Immunochemicals, Inc.

Rockland Immunochemicals, Inc. supports the academic, biopharma, and diagnostic industries with antibodies and antibody based tools used in basic research, assay development, and preclinical studies. With facilities in Pennsylvania for over 50 years, Rockland manufactures products ideally suited for integration into critical assays such as western blotting, immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence microscopy (IF), ELISA and flow cytometry. Additional information about Rocklands life science tools and services can be found at http://www.rockland-inc.com.

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With a wide variety of Oregon coast vacation rentals to choose from, A1 Beach Rentals has established itself as a leader in Lincoln Citys popular property market. The rental agency is giving back to its customers this December as a way of saying thanks for its smashing success. All guests booking a weekend stay in any of A1 Beach Rentals Central Oregon coastal properties this December will receive three nights for the price of two nights*.

One reason for A1s success is the wide range of properties the company offers its customers. A1 Beach Rentals offers a sizeable selection of Lincoln City beach house rentals for families and groups of all sizes. Couples celebrating a honeymoon or anniversary, or just getting away for the weekend, will also find a great selection of Lincoln City beach condo rentals to create a sense of romance. From pairs to families of four to reunions of 16 people, theres something for everyone visiting Lincoln City.

A1 Beach Rentals has also set itself apart by matching guests with the perfect Lincoln City properties for their needs and budget. Guests can enjoy private beach access, whale watch from the hot tub, stay within walking distance of the Chinook Winds Casino, or stay in the neighborhood of Roads End with its tide pools and quiet beaches. And this December, theres more reason than ever to book a weekend stay in Lincoln City through A1 Beach Rentals.

Guests are encouraged to book their stay as soon as possible to take advantage of this winter special. For more information, visit http://www.a1beachrentals.com/.

*Christmas Week Excluded

About A1 Beach Rentals:

Come and watch the surf at one of A1 Beach Rentals 26 homes and condos in Lincoln City and Depoe Bay, Oregon. The rental property company offers a collection of modern, craftsman and historic homes ranging from one to seven bedrooms that are perfect for a couple on a honeymoon or a family reunion for as many as 16 guests.

Contact:

3264 NW Jetty Ave

Lincoln City, Oregon

(503) 232-5984

reservations(at)a1beachrentals.com
Lindy Tsang of BubzBeauty

YouTube creator Lindy Tsang, better known as BubzBeauty to her six million followers, announced today that she exceeded her goal of raising $105,000 through her holiday campaign to benefit Pencils of Promise (PoP). The popular YouTube star launched her initiative on November 2nd and she has now reached 110% of her fundraising goal to build three schools in rural Ghana with the non-profit education organization.

Through the month of November, Tsang sold a This shirt built a school t-shirt, as well as an eyeshadow palette that she created alongside BH Cosmetics. 100% of t-shirt proceeds and $2 from the sale of every palette went to Pencils Of Promise. The donations will provide hundreds of children in Ghana with a quality education and structurally sound learning environment.

Tsangs first collaboration with Pencils Of Promise launched in August 2015, and in January 2016 she traveled to Laos to see her impact firsthand. She visited several PoP communities during the trip, among them was Saen Oudom Primary School one of the two schools she helped build in the country.

Being able to use my platform to positively impact the lives of kids and communities around the world has meant so much to me. Together, the BubzBeauty community has built five schools in two years  Im in absolute awe, says Tsang.

Next year, Lindy will be taking a trip to Ghana to experience her impact and share the journey with her online community who helped make these schools possible.

Lindy has been an incredible part of our PoP family," says PoP Head of Brand Innovation & Talent Relations, Carlo Dumandan. Millions of children across the globe dont have access to a quality education and Lindy is helping us change that.

PoP was founded in 2008 with the goal of increasing quality education for children in the developing world. Since inception, the organization has built over 380 schools and educated more than 35,000 students.

About BH Cosmetics

BH Cosmetics creates high-quality, affordable cosmetics, makeup brushes and accessories. Known for delivering high-quality cosmetics at affordable price points, the companys product line has garnered extensive praise on YouTube and other social media networks. BH Cosmetics was previously recognized on Inc. Magazines Inc. 500 list as one of the countrys fastest-growing private companies. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/BUBZpalette.

About Lindy Tsang

Widely considered to be one of the most influential social media icons in the beauty industry, Lindy Tsang is less than five feet tallbut her global influence is giant. As the star of YouTube channels Bubzbeauty and Bubzvlogz, Lindy has over six million followers worldwide. Her high profile and popularity also enabled her to launch a project with Pencils of Promise to help build schools for underprivileged children across the world.

About Pencils of Promise:

Pencils of Promise (PoP) is a for-purpose organization founded in 2008 with the goal of increasing access to quality education for children in developing countries. PoP works with communities across the globe to build schools and create programs that provide educational opportunities for children, no matter where they are born or what resources they have. To date, PoP has built over 380 schools and provided access to education to more than 35,000 students throughout Laos, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Ghana, establishing itself as a leader amongst the innovative global nonprofits working toward sustainable social change.
FlightStats 2016 OPS Finalists

FlightStats, Inc, part of FlightGlobal, the leader in global flight information services, has released the finalists for the 8th Annual Airline On-time Performance Service Awards.

A full detailed report announcing the winners in each category will be announced in January 2017.

The FlightStats OPS Awards are given in the following categories:

1. Global Airlines

2. Airline Alliances

3. North America Major Airlines

4. Europe Major Airlines

5. Asia-Pacific Major Airlines

6. Middle East and Africa Major Airlines

7. Latin America Major Airlines

8. Low-Cost Carriers

FlightStats has published the On-time Performance Service (OPS) Awards for the last eight (8) years in an effort to recognize the Best of the Best airlines that demonstrate consistently high performance and deliver on their promise to get passengers to their destinations in a timely manner.

FlightStats is in a unique position to provide this service given its leadership role in the collection, processing and distribution of real-time and historical flight data to the global travel community. FlightStats aggregates data from over 500 sources to produce a comprehensive database managed in our core data platform. We are the most reliable, resourceful and relevant data provider for flight data services and applications.

The Finalists: (in alphabetical order)

Major Global Airlines:

ANA

Austrian

Delta Air Lines

Iberia

JAL

KLM

Qantas

Qatar Airways

Singapore Airlines

TAM Linhas Aereas

North America - Major Airlines:

Air Canada

Alaska Airlines

American Airlines

Delta Air Lines

Frontier Airlines

JetBlue Airways

Southwest Airlines

United Airways

Virgin America

WestJet

Europe - Major Airlines:

Austrian

British Airways

Condor

EasyJet

Iberia

Lufthansa

Norwegian Air Shuttle

S7 Airlines

SWISS

Tap Portugal

Asia-Pacific - Major Airlines:

Air New Zealand

ANA

Cathay Pacific

IndiGo

JAL

Jet Airways

Jetstar

Qantas

Singapore Airlines

Virgin Australia

Middle East and Africa - Major Airlines:

EgyptAir

Emirates

Ethiopian Airlines

Etihad Airways

Flydubai

Kenya Airways

Pegasus

Qatar Airways

Saudia

Turkish Airlines

Latin America - Major Airlines:

Aerolineas Argentinas

Aeromexico

Avianca

COPA Airlines

Gol

LAN Airlines

TAM Linhas Aereas

Low-Cost Airlines:

Air Baltic

Air Do

Frontier Airlines

Iberia Express

Nok Air

Norwegian Air Shuttle

Solaseed Air

Southwest Airlines

Virgin America

WestJet

Methodology

FlightStats collects real-time flight status information on over 90% of scheduled passenger flights flown by the top 250 airlines worldwide and archives that information in a historical flight database. In many regions FlightStats tracks more than 98% of scheduled flights enabling the company to provide comprehensive on-time performance information to the global travel community.

Data sources include airline direct operational data feeds, airline data via the worlds largest Global Distribution Systems (GDSs), civil aviation authorities, airports, positional data feeds, and other 3rd party data aggregators. Flight schedules from over 800 airlines worldwide are provided by Innovata, part of FlightGlobal.

A comprehensive set of historical data for the calendar year 2016 was extracted from our historical flights database. Information was summarized by airline and included the number of scheduled flights, the number of flights that were successfully tracked, the number of flights that departed within 14 minutes of scheduled departure time (D14) and the number of flights that arrived within 14 minutes of scheduled arrival time (A14). For purposes of ranking and selecting the top-performing airline in each category, on-time arrival performance (A14) was used as the key metric. Any flight arriving the gate no later than 14 minutes after the scheduled arrival time is considered to be an on-time flight.

For a carrier to be included for analysis in any given category, several requirements must be met (unless otherwise noted):

1. The carrier must rank in the top 150 worldwide in terms of capacity (Available Seat Miles).

2. Data tracking coverage must exceed 90%, meaning that FlightStats has scheduled and actual gate arrival times on at least 90% of the scheduled flights for most categories. For the Global Airline category, the coverage threshold was set at 85%. The coverage threshold used for Latin America was 80% while coverage for the Middle East & Africa was 65%.

3. To be considered in the Global Airline category, an airline must have more than 1,000 scheduled flights in 3 or more geographic regions and more than 30,000 flights overall in 2016.

4. The Major Airline classification is based on the number of scheduled flights, the available seat kilometers (ASK) and the extent of an airline's network as measured by the number of destinations. A scoring algorithm is used to determine this designation.

Usage and Attribution

FlightStats data is solely for the benefit and purposes of the intended recipient and may not be disclosed to use by or copied by anyone other than the intended recipient.

This information can be reproduced either in whole or in part, online or in print, for noncommercial purposes only but must include attribution to FlightStats and a link to http://www.FlightStats.com.

Disclaimer

The information contained in FlightStats reports has been compiled from various sources. FlightStats, Inc. disclaims all responsibility for checking and verifying that the underlying data is 100% accurate. Consequently, the data is provided as is and FlightStats, Inc. provides no warranties of any type to the media or other users of this information. FlightStats, Inc. and its data providers are not liable for any consequential damages or financial loss caused by any person's reliance on the data.

The intended recipient (The Customer) acknowledges that all data provided by or available through FlightStats, Inc. is owned either by FlightStats, Inc. or by a third party provider (The Owners) and that the customer shall not acquire any ownership or interest in such data.

About FlightStats

FlightStats, part of FlightGlobal, is a cutting-edge data services company focused on providing real-time global flight data to companies and travelers across the travel ecosystem. We strive to tell the story of a flight  from whats expected, to what is happening now, to what happened. We deliver these stories via our Data Services, and through our FlightStats-branded web and mobile applications. We believe flight data is valuable and is made even more valuable when delivered in conjunction with other contextual data. We manage multiple data sets that relate directly to or intersect with flights  trips, weather, and other aviation-related data. http://www.flightstats.com.
WoundRounds mobile devices The Third Eye Health technology platform enables us to use WoundRounds remotely, so our patients always have the access to healthcare providers, even on nights and weekends.

Advanced Healthcare Solutions (AHS), a management group with 41 person-centered skilled nursing facilities across Texas, has selected Third Eye Health and WoundRounds to power its AdvancedCare+ tele-medical program. AdvancedCare+ is designed to improve care, reduce cost and eliminate unnecessary hospitalizations by offering residents 24/7 access to high quality, specialized medical consultants.

WoundRounds mobile technology enables nurses to provide better wound care by capturing wound assessment at patient bedside, prompting for preventive interventions, and standardizing documentation and reporting.

Third Eye Healths technology turns the nurses mobile device into remote triage and consultation system for conducting 24/7 secure messaging and telehealth visits. Using the Third Eye platform and medical care teams, nurses can collaborate with other healthcare professionals to expedite care, including on-site and real-time remote consultations for wound patients.

Were able to provide the best care without delay for our wound care patients, even when our wound care nurses or physicians are at another one of our locations according to Kathy Ciresi, VP of Business Development for AHS. The Third Eye Health technology platform enables us to use WoundRounds remotely, so our patients always have the access to healthcare providers, even on nights and weekends adds Ciresi. We call this AdvancedCare+ and are proud to be leaders in Texas in providing this level of care to patients in need of wound healing.

About Advanced Healthcare Solutions

Advanced Healthcare Solutions (AHS) is a premier health care management company focused on long- term care and rehabilitation services. We pride ourselves in providing excellent care to the residents we serve. AHS was founded in 2009 with corporate offices in Arlington, and currently manages 41 facilities. Focusing on traditional values, the company believes in providing excellent care with the most advanced technology and equipment as well as staffing our facilities with qualified, compassionate caregivers who are committed to resident care and achieving positive outcomes. Visit http://www.Ahstexas.com

About WoundRounds

WoundRounds, a service of Telemedicine Solutions LLC, is the point-of-care wound management and prevention solution that empowers clinicians to deliver better wound care in less time. WoundRounds drives consistency in nursing practice, completeness in wound documentation, and compliance with clinical standards. Customers of WoundRounds report lower overall costs of care, improved healing rates, lower return-to-hospital rates, and reduced risk. Visit http://www.woundrounds.com or follow us on Twitter @woundrounds.

About Third Eye Health

Third Eye Health provides secure medical communications so providers can make better decisions faster. By leveraging mobile technologies, Third Eye Health turns any device into a remote triage and consultation system for conducting secure messaging and telehealth visits. Providers can use the platform to collaborate with other healthcare professionals to expedite care and enable timely intervention. Third Eye also offers its own high quality, specialized medical team accessible via its advanced communication system to help organizations improve clinical outcomes and improve profitability. Third Eye Health works with leading healthcare institutions across the United States. Visit http://www.thirdeyehealth.net/marketing/
Lillian Peters will serve as Managing Director with Cherry Bekaert Wealth Management.

The Wealth Management division of Cherry Bekaert LLP (the Firm), one of the nations largest accounting and advisory firms, is expanding its presence nationally in the South Florida region. The addition of Managing Director Lillian M. Peters, CFP, CDFA, who is charged with leading and growing the wealth division nationally, and Senior Financial Advisor Tessie Yuste, CFP, CIMA, CDFA, CTFA, marks a strategic move for increasing the South Florida market and growing client services offerings in the area.

Lillian Peters brings more than two decades of experience in wealth management and financial planning, as well as over 15 years of experience leading private wealth divisions, to her new role as Managing Director of Cherry Bekaert Wealth Management LLC. She joins the Firm after serving in similar capacities for Fortune 500 companies. Peters has also led fiduciary, credit, investments and banking services teams for high-net-worth individuals and families, and private foundations and endowments. She is fluent in Spanish and is an active board member for several regional nonprofit organizations, including the Baptist Health of South Florida Foundation, Florida International University College of Business and The Education Fund.

Tessie Yuste has nearly 10 years of broad range of investment management and financial planning experience as Senior Financial Advisor to high-net-worth individuals and families, business owners, executives, and those undergoing a life transition. She leverages her specialized knowledge in key areas such as divorce, retirement, risk management, investment consulting, and estate planning. Prior to joining Cherry Bekaert, Yuste served in wealth management roles at a leading financial institution, advisory firms and an executive role at a Fortune 100 company. She is fluent in Spanish, and previously volunteered in assisting with the education of military personnel at the U.S. Southern Command Center.

As we continue strengthening and expanding client services, and ensure our clients benefit from a wealth of diverse perspectives and experiences, the addition of these two professionals to our South Florida market is aligned with the Firms core values. Lillian and Tessies collective experience brings valuable expertise to Cherry Bekaert Wealth Management, and their efforts will contribute to better serve the needs of our clients as we continue to grow, says J. Douglass Cates, Tax Partner and Division Executive for Wealth Management Services.

About Cherry Bekaert Wealth Management

Cherry Bekaert Wealth Management brings together years of hands-on, wealth management leadership experience and objectivity. Our mission is to help families clearly define their goals and to design a long-range plan that maximizes the probability of achieving all that is important to them.

We define wealth management as a structured and thoughtful process that provides family- specific investment solutions, advanced planning and relationship management. Our advice is not limited to investments; we can assist families with wealth enhancement, wealth transfer, wealth protection and charitable planning. We lead families through a complex process to help them identify and understand their needs and related investment strategies. The comprehensive nature of this process increases the likelihood of achieving the familys goals. | cbhwealth.com

About Cherry Bekaert LLP

As a nationally recognized, growth-oriented firm, Cherry Bekaert has the resources to take your business as far as you want to go. The Firm's industry specialists already know your marketplace, so they can help you make the most of emerging opportunities while minimizing compliance headaches. With our down-to-earth style and wealth of practical advice, you will find Cherry Bekaert an indispensable part of your team.

Ranked among the largest accounting firms in the country, Cherry Bekaert offers specialized solutions that help advance our clients' business goals. For more than 65 years, global corporations, private businesses, government entities, nonprofits, emerging firms, start-ups and successful individuals have relied on Cherry Bekaert to guide them forward as their growth advisor.

Cherry Bekaert LLP is an independent member of Baker Tilly International. Baker Tilly International is the worlds 8th largest accountancy and business advisory network by combined fee income of its independent members. Baker Tilly International member firms specialize in providing accountancy and business advisory services to entrepreneurial, growing businesses and mid-market listed corporates worldwide. | cbh.com
Jon Henschen Advisors dont want to be blindsided by the prospect of their broker-dealer closing.

Jon Henschens most recent article featured December 8, 2016 on ThinkAdvisor, Is Your Broker-Dealer in a Death Spiral? 4 Steps to Discovery, provides guidance to financial advisors that can help determine broker-dealer health. He opens his analysis noting that broker dealers will rarely if ever disclose to their advisors that the firm is in difficulty. Yet, there are telltale signs, such as a pattern of disparaging press, loss of numerous advisors, large fines that had been imposed and their financials running at a loss in the most recent focus filing.

Henschen cautions that advisors dont want to be blindsided by the prospect of their broker-dealer closing and continues with several scenarios. For example, if a broker-dealer falls into a net capital violation, the broker-dealer closes, all accounts are frozen and the advisors are left with the prospect of scrambling to find a new broker-dealer. From the time the advisor starts their due diligence for a new broker-dealer to moving their accounts, several months can pass. During that time, advisors are unable to service their clients until their accounts are switched to another broker-dealer.

Another common scenario is when a broker-dealer decides to sell the advisors and their assets to a larger broker-dealer, often leaving advisors powerless to voice any opinion on the matter.

The article then shifts focus to provide four specific due diligence actions advisors can take to avoid potential problems, noting that the need for financial and regulatory due diligence is greatest when looking at small to mid-sized broker-dealers, unless the broker-dealer has a deep-pocket parent company as financial backing.

The first of the fours steps is to use the FINRA website BrokerCheck, which offers information on all current and many former registered securities brokers and all current and former registered securities firms. Just as broker-dealers look at patterns with advisor compliance history when doing due diligence before extending an offer to join their firm, advisors should look at broker-dealer compliance patterns. In addition to pointing to the resource, Henschen identifies red flags to watch out for, including net capital violations (last five years), disclosures reflecting a lack of supervision system and others.

Henschen's second due diligence step is to check the timing of FINA audits. FINRA prioritizes their broker-dealer audits based on risk. What the self-regulator means by this is that higher-risk firms will be audited more frequently and, often, earlier in the year. When a broker-dealer receives annual visits in the first quarter of the year, it can be a strong indicator of a problematic firm that is in the cross hairs of FINRA.

The next area of due diligence is to review a firms financials by using the http://www.SEC.gov website. Henschen provides the step by step login process advisors can follow to find information on Focus Filings and the key areas to review: Net Gain/Loss and Net Capital and Minimum Capital Requirements. He also cautions to look for patterns: if a broker dealer shows a loss for the reporting period, investigate if prior Focus Reports also reflect losses. There are times when a broker dealer can suffer an isolated loss. Also of note are major bear markets, which can temporarily cause most broker-dealers to show losses, such as in the 2008-2009 market correction.

Henschens fourth step is to watch for death spiral tells. Here, he summarizes the warning signs previously addressed, adding tells such as continually decreasing the number of advisors at a firm, numerous increases in advisor expenses, focus Reports that dont show net gain/loss and others.

In closing, Henschen reminds advisors that the DOL fiduciary rule is going to make life significantly more difficult for broker-dealers, both on a profitability and litigation level, so more than ever, its important for advisors to be proactive and make sure they are operating their business with a broker-dealer that is viable.

Read the full article at: http://henschenassoc.com/is-your-broker-dealer-in-a-death-spiral-4-steps-to-discovery/

Jon Henschen is President of Henschen & Associates, an independent broker-dealer recruiting firm located in Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota. With more than 20 years of industry experience, Jon is a staunch advocate for independent financial advisors, and is widely sought after by both reps and broker dealers for his expertise and advice on independent broker dealer topics. He is frequently published and quoted in a variety of industry publications, including ThinkAdvisor, Investment Advisor Magazine, Wealth Management Magazine, Financial Advisor IQ, Financial Advisor Magazine, Investment News and others.
In an informative "Front Page" segment, host James Earl Jones introduces a piece that speaks with industry leaders about small business loans. They will delve into how to obtain needed funds for starting and growing a business and point out the pitfalls to avoid. The short-form documentary will run through the options available to entrepreneurs at different stages of business growth, and with varied financial profiles.

Obtaining funding is the greatest hurdle faced when starting a business, but bootstrapping does not have to be the only way to do things. Financial institutions are definitely interested in helping small businesses that have a plan for success. Small business financing is available through the U.S. States Small Business Administration, local banks and credit unions, and literally thousands of traditional finance sources. More creative sources like micro-loans, peer-to-peer financing, venture capital and crowdfunding are also avenues to consider.

Front Page is a series created for Public Television and many of the PBS Member stations in the United States. Each high-quality episode is created in high definition for approval on air and is distributed to television stations around the country. The shows host is veteran actor and TV star James Earl Jones, and the show also employs an award-winning staff of producers, writers, and videographers.
Julie Berteloot, Director of Global Travel Relations, Chargebacks911

Chargebacks911 announced today an ambitious new West Coast expansion, with corporate offices opening in Las Vegas, NV. The offices will officially open in January of 2017, and will be dedicated to reducing debit memos related to chargebacks in the travel and airline industry.

Per this expansion, Chargebacks911 also announced the appointment of Julie Berteloot as Director of Global Travel Relations. Her responsibilities will include working hand-in-hand with the worlds top airlines, improving e-commerce in air travel, deploying proven solutions that detect and intercept chargeback fraud, and proactively identifying emerging challenges in the travel industry.

Chargebacks are costing airlines more than $1.5 billion annually, and with the additional strain of debit memo processing fees and administration drain, it is a growing issue plaguing the industry as a whole. One of the most troubling new trends is the rapid growth of chargeback fraud in the travel industry, said Chargebacks911 co-founder and COO Monica Eaton-Cardone. Airlines are particularly vulnerable to fraudulent chargebacks, especially on international flights. With the new offices in Las Vegas and the addition of Julie Berteloot to our team, our goal is to continue to help the travel industry fight fraud, give an alternative to debit memos, and offer consumers the best possible air travel experience.

Julie Berteloot brings a wealth of experience to Chargebacks911; she has worked with many of the worlds top airlines, including United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, JetBlue, WestJet, Air Canada, Avianca, and InselAir. During her previous role at the International Air Transportation Association (IATA), she acquired a deep knowledge of the Billing Settlement Plan (BSP) and Airline Direct Sales processes, as well as the challenges faced by the industry. She also spearheaded regional fraud workgroups in the Americas, bringing together the main entities of the airline distribution channel including airlines, travel agencies, GDSs and credit card companies.

Chargebacks911 is an amazing company, and Im excited to join a team of so many passionate, talented professionals, said Ms. Berteloot. With the technical know-how of Chargebacks911, our proprietary software and my personal expertise in the airline industry, Im fully confident that well be able to offer the travel industry a great solution to fight chargebacks, help reduce related debit memos, and improve the airline/travel agent relationship on this subject. I cant wait to get started.

Founded in 2011, Chargebacks911 is the first global company fully dedicated to mitigating chargeback risk and eliminating chargeback fraud. Chargebacks911 manages over 200 million transactions every month and has 400+ worldwide employees, with corporate offices in North America, Europe, and Asia.

For interview opportunities with Chargebacks911 co-founder and COO Monica Eaton-Cardone about e-commerce, chargeback fraud, or challenges pertaining to the travel industry, please contact Scott Pinsker at s.pinsker(at)chargebacks911(dot)com or 727.871.3204.

About Chargebacks911

Founded in 2011, Chargebacks911 is the first global company fully dedicated to mitigating chargeback risk and eliminating chargeback fraud. As industry-leading innovators, Chargebacks911 is credited with developing the most effective strategies for helping merchants maximize revenue and fight fraud in a variety of industries, including e-commerce, retail, digital and travel.

Chargebacks911s innovative solutions and exemplary customer service has earned a vast array of prestigious awards and honors, including the Customers Choice Best Chargeback Management award from the CNP Expo and the Best Industry Solution award from Airline Information.

Chargebacks911s unparalleled category-experience and ISD technology quickly identifies the true source of chargebacks, recovers lost revenue, mediates disputes, safeguards the merchants reputation, monitors transactions 24/7, and helps proactively prevent future fraud. A division of Global Risk Technologies, Chargebacks911 is headquartered in Tampa Bay, Florida, with offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia. To learn more about Chargebacks911, please visit chargebacks911.com or call 877.634.9808.
Having E7 Solutions join our Solutions Partner Network speeds up the ability to get our robust platform in the hands of a broad set of retailers, brands, manufacturers and other businesses that need to sell online.

WebLinc, the commerce platform provider for the fastest growing online retailers, today announced that E7 Solutions, a full-service software agency specializing in B2B/B2B2C ecommerce, custom software development and technology consulting, is the newest member of the exclusive WebLinc Solutions Partner Network.

The network, which WebLinc launched earlier this year, accelerates the delivery of the mobile-first WebLinc Commerce Platform to high growth retailers. Aligning efforts with E7 Solutions brings modern technology to lean ecommerce teams through the most flexible commerce platform.

Having E7 Solutions join our Solutions Partner Network speeds up the ability to get our robust platform in the hands of a broad set of retailers, brands, manufacturers and other businesses that need to sell online, said Darren C. Hill, CEO and co-founder of WebLinc. An overwhelming number of companies are in need of modern technology that helps them launch an ecommerce site easier and faster. Like us, E7 Solutions deeply understands the technology that helps create what todays shrewd buyer expects online.

Based in Michigan, E7 Solutions focuses on custom ecommerce development for B2B and B2B2C companies. Ecommerce is more than a digital product catalog. E7 understands B2B selling and, using the WebLinc platform, will build ecommerce sites that serve as the hub of a companys operation. The result is increased sales, streamlined operations, better customer support and a high return on the ecommerce technology investment.

Partnering with WebLinc gets us far closer to the technology we strive to deliver to our customer base, explained E7 Solutions CEO, Edmond Delude. We have been very impressed with the rich feature set that WebLinc offers out of the box. B2B and B2B2C companies tend to have very unique requirements. The WebLinc open API enables us to properly meet specific client demands.

About WebLinc

WebLinc is the commerce and operations management platform for fast growing online retailers. Mid to large-size retailers consistently outpace their competition with the modern, agile technologies of the WebLinc Commerce Platform and the companys strategic expertise. Based in Philadelphia with satellite offices in New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Toronto, WebLinc powers commerce sites for dynamic, high-growth retailers including Sanrio/Hello Kitty, Urban Outfitters, Inc.s brands Terrain and BHLDN, U.S. Polo Assn., Stila Cosmetics, Rachel Roy, and others. To learn more, visit http://www.weblinc.com.

About E7 Solutions

E7 Solutions is a technology consulting firm specializing in B2B eCommerce and custom software development. As a full-service software agency, E7 solves business problems and helps clients grow with eCommerce site development, custom applications and integrations, enhancements to legacy software, and process improvements. Clients include mid-market to Fortune 50 companies, from a variety of industries, and with an even wider array of challenges. Learn more at E7Solutions.com.
StayWell announced today that it will host a webinar for health care providers and health systems administrators on the topic of enhancing patient-physician interactions and optimizing reimbursements under MACRA. Ayesha Khalid, MD, and Jodi Grossfeld, MD, will share insights, patient case examples and participate in a panel discussion during a free webinar on December 19, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. EST.

The webinar comes on the heels of StayWells introduction of the Krames Health Engagement Platform powered by Doctella in November. The platform aims to create patient-provider interactivity at all points throughout the patients health care journey and across the continuum of care, to optimize outcomes and improve quality and patient safety.

Dr. Khalid is an ENT-otolaryngologist at Cambridge Health Alliance and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Dr. Grossfeld practices medical dermatology and cosmetic procedures at Bruder Medical Group in New York. During this webinar, they will discuss:



Patient safety assessments and the use of checklists,

Using digital patient care reminders and alerts,

Patient self-management assessment and training, and

Timely interventions for specific health conditions and issues.

Space for this webinar is limited. Register today at http://staywell.com/doctella-webinar-registration/ and take advantage of this opportunity to demo this new technology.

Follow on Twitter at #medicalerrors #patientengagement #patientsafety #checklists #Doctella #digitalhealth #healthapp #MACRA

###

About StayWell

StayWell, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA (Merck), is a health engagement company that helps its clients engage and educate people to improve health and business results. StayWell brings decades of experience working across the health care industry to design solutions that address its clients evolving needs. StayWell fuses expertise in health engagement and the science of behavior change with an integrated portfolio of solutions and robust content assets to effectively engage people to make positive health care decisions. StayWell programs have received numerous top industry honors, including the C. Everett Koop National Health Award and the Web Health Award for health engagement programs. StayWell also has received URAC and NCQA accreditation for several of its programs. StayWell is headquartered in Yardley, Pennsylvania, and also has major locations in Salt Lake City, Utah, and St. Paul, Minn. To learn more, visit http://www.staywell.com.

Media contact

Barbara Tabor, APR

651-230-9192

barbara(at)taborPR(dot)com
"We are targeting Medical and Dental Associations as well a Business and Affiliate groups that want to offer valuable add-on services to their members," said CapAlt CFO and COO David Kirkup.

Captive Alternatives (CapAlt), the insurance consultancy that pioneered the Protected Captive business model, today announced a new Merchant Services Unit that allows Membership Associations to provide a high quality, fee-based Merchant Services program to members, and eliminate typical merchant services commissions.

"We are enabling Membership Associations to provide a valuable new benefit to their members," said CapAlt CFO and COO David Kirkup. "With this approach, Membership Associations will be able to make additional revenue while significantly cutting the cost for members who accept customer credit cards. We have been able to save 50  70% of the costs of members fees each year. We are targeting Medical and Dental Associations as well a Business and Affiliate groups that want to offer valuable add-on services to their members."

Independent sales organizations (ISOs) frequently offer merchant services contracts that include processing, intermediaries, transaction costs and other add-ons. Now, the CapAlt Merchant Services Program delivers a viable alternative because it allows Membership Associations to provide their members with a no commission program with support from a national credit card processor. This is truly disruptive, said Kirkup, because most Merchant Service Programs rely heavily on expensive commissions for funding.

Under the CapAlt program, a Membership Association would provide a branded Merchant Services Program to members. The Merchant Services Program would be supported by TransFirst, a payment processor that directly services accounts without expensive intermediaries. TransFirst also would offer marketing support, web and direct mail, outbound sales, onboarding and ongoing priority customer service for the Association, and the Association would earn a portion of the Merchant Services Program's annual fee.

About Captive Alternatives

Captive Alternatives is a leading consultant helping business owners control their cost of risk through the use of captive insurance companies. CapAlt's innovative business model, the Protected Captive, helps owners manage hidden risks, transfer high exposure to third parties, and financially reward themselves for effective risk management. As a result of their Protected Captive, our clients cover a wide variety of hidden exposures, and achieve all their strategic objectives  both corporate and personal. CapAlt delivers custom risk management solutions through an industry-first Puerto Rico International Insurer, and manages operations from their offices in Atlanta and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit http://www.captivealternatives.com.

Contact (Press Only)

Angela McMahon

Michael Mackenzie Communications

404.543.9636

angelam(at)michaelmackenzie(dot)com
Rigaku NEX QC+ Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analyzer

Applied Rigaku Technologies, Inc. has announced a new empirical method for the elemental analysis of oxide minerals in limestone.

Rigaku Application Note #1614 describes a method employing energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) for the measurement of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), magnesium carbonate (MgCO3), ferric oxide (Fe2O3), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), silicon dioxide (SiO2) and potassium oxide (K2O) in high calcium limestone using empirical calibration. The report includes detailed information regarding sample preparation, calibration and repeatability, and demonstrates the performance of the Rigaku NEX QC+ high-resolution benchtop EDXRF spectrometer.

Limestone (calcium carbonate) is a key ingredient in cement and mortar, and is used as an aggregate in concrete and asphalt for building roads. It is also used as a soil conditioner and is the raw material for making quicklime (calcium oxide) and slaked lime (calcium hydroxide). During mining and processing operations it is important to monitor and control the limestone composition to ensure proper quality and characteristics for various products.

For the analysis described in the report, the sample was prepared by grinding it into a homogeneous powder approximately 100-200 mesh and then drying to remove excess moisture. The sample was then prepared for EDXRF analysis by making a hydraulically pressed pellet using a wax binder.

Ten repeat analyses of each sample were performed with the sample in static position, using a total time of 450 seconds per analysis.

The empirical method was used to determine detection limits, whereby ten repeat analyses of a blank sample (boric acid prepared as a pressed pellet) were taken with the sample in static position, and the standard deviation determined.

Measurement was performed using the high-performance, low-cost NEX QC+ benchtop EDXRF system. The performance detailed in the report demonstrates that the NEX QC+ analyzer, a self-contained unit with simple touchscreen operation, provides excellent sensitivity and performance for the measurement of carbonates and major oxides in limestone. With simple and intuitive software designed for the non-technical operator, as well as for use in quality control labs, the NEX QC+ spectrometer is an excellent tool for at-line control and quality checks throughout the mining and processing of limestone.

A copy of this report may be requested at:

http://www.rigakuedxrf.com/edxrf/app-notes.html?id=1614_AppNote

About Rigaku

Since its inception in Japan in 1951, Rigaku has been at the forefront of analytical and industrial instrumentation technology. Rigaku and its subsidiaries form a global group focused on life sciences and general purpose analytical instrumentation. With hundreds of major innovations to its credit, Rigaku and its subsidiary companies are world leaders in the fields of small molecule and protein crystallography, X-ray spectrometry and diffraction, X-ray optics, as well as semiconductor metrology. Rigaku employs over 1,400 people globally and its products are in use in more than 90 countries  supporting research, development, and production control and quality assurance activities. Throughout the world, Rigaku continuously promotes partnerships, dialog, and innovation within the global scientific and industrial community.

For further information, contact:

Scott Fess

Product Manager

Applied Rigaku Technologies, Inc.

tel: +1. 512-225-1796

info(at)RigakuEDXRF(dot)com
Roof Crafters LLC "This is a major redesign of our website to aid our Louisiana roofing clients in finding roofing information faster than ever before."

Roofing clients have busy lives and desire a personalized experience and a simplified way to locate the information they need. Roof Crafters LLC recognizes these needs and aims to meet them with the redesign of its website and client portal. Thanks to its updated look and remodel of its current website set to be revealed this upcoming January, Roof Crafters' clients will be able to find the data they need about their roofs much quicker and easier than with previous versions of the site.

New Site, New Navigation, Quicker Results

Roof Crafters LLC offers professional roofing services using only the best quality materials to safeguard the roofs of homes and businesses in the Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana area. Offering these services requires a robust system that can keep customer data organized and easily accessible to Roof Crafters clients. The previous update to the current site occurred in 2013, and advancement in technology and changing needs called for a redesign to meet client needs.

This updated version of the site will focus on customer experience by simplifying access to the data customers need. Clients can expect a brand new navigation system to help them find the content they need faster than previous versions of the Roof Crafters' site, whether it be for shingle brands and colors or new roofs.

"This is a major redesign of our website to aid our Louisiana roofing clients in finding roofing information faster than ever before." says Chuck Magee of Roof Crafters.

Check out the new Roof Crafters website this January 2017 at TheRoofCrafters.com.

About Roof Crafters LLC

A Louisiana roofing contractor company, Roof Crafters LLC provides years of expert experience with roofing and remodeling services and serves as a trusted source for the Greater Baton Rouge area, including the communities within Denham Springs, Louisiana, and Hammond, Louisiana. With the goal to be the best roofing contractor in Louisiana, Roof Crafters only uses the best materials from the start and offers expert services thanks to the staff's continuous Owens Corning training, making it one of the most technically advanced roofing contractors.
Nearly half of small and midsized businesses have been the victim of a digital attack, and 71 percent of security breaches target small businesses

In the New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Los Angeles, Dallas, as well as the Washington DC/Baltimore markets, Mediaplanets fourth annual edition of the Small Business campaign will be distributed within this weekends edition of USA Today. With an estimated readership of 1.14 million, 380,000 copies will be circulated through these select high-impact markets as to educate individuals across the United States on the importance of supporting todays entrepreneurs. For those looking to catch a glimpse of this amazing publication, the digital portion of the publication can be viewed by clicking here.

This publication was made possible with the support of industry leading website security provider, Symantec. A recent SBA survey exhibited that 75% of small business owners in the US are confident in seeing revenue growth this year. While this is an improvement from a year earlier, statistics still indicate that 50% of these entrepreneurs will not make it to the five-year mark, and less than one-third will make it to a decade. Thus, Mediaplanet, Symantec and others helped bring together key thought leaders in the small business industry to highlight the top technologies, educational programs as well as organizations which are helping todays SMB owners overcome their industries major obstacles. The issue features insightful editorials by contributors from the Small Business Administration, USASBE, CNBCs Marcus Lemonis, Shark Tanks Kevin OLeary & Robert Herjavec, The National Cyber Security Alliance and more. Mediaplanets Small Business campaign is a complete guide, highlighting entrepreneurial best practices which can help save time, money and energy so that your organization can focus on the core competencies which separate you from the competition.

One of the most pressing issues these smaller firms must overcome in 2016 is the threat of cyber security, often perceived by SMB owners as a pain point exclusive to enterprises. As Executive Director of the National Cyber Security Alliance, Michael Kaiser, states, Nearly half of small and midsized businesses have been the victim of a digital attack, and 71 percent of security breaches target small businesses. To address these issues, Symantecs Jeff Barto provides best practices for how modern entrepreneurs can build and maintain trust with their consumers online. Speaking on the importance of small businesses taking the necessary steps to ensure their customers data is secure, Jeff asserts that a lack of security at any user touch point erodes return on investment. For example, an untrustworthy website with a Not Secure warning in the address bar will deter new visitors from browsing and established customers from returning.

As a trust strategist and value advocate in Symantecs Website Security Solutions business unit, Jeff is passionate about establishing and projecting fundamental trust on the internet. Jeff leverages his decades of experience in technology marketing and IT/security at BBDO, infoUSA, Applied Materials, Symantec, HP, and Norton in keynotes and panels at ISSA and InfraGard events, World Hosting Days, the Online Trust Alliances trust summit, and a host of ecommerce focused events such as Internet Retailer, Online Retailer, and shop.org. Jeff delivers a motivating perspective for maximizing the business value  and rewards  of trust, confidence and security.

For more information on Symantecs Website Security services for businesses of all sizes, as well as Jeff Bartos November 29th Live Webinar on Trust Building Topics, go to: https://go.symantec.com/be-trusted

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.
Cleveland Brown, CEO of Payscout, reviews implications of the opening of their Malta office Securing our PI license is the next step for Payscout to serve budding entrepreneurs and consumers in the EU.

Payscout Inc., a leading global payment processing provider, has announced its newest office location in Malta, expected to open in the coming weeks. The announcement comes after Payscout received preliminary approval for its Payment Institution (PI) License, allowing the company to function as a Payment Facilitator in the EU. Payscout adds Malta to its other five office locations, including California, Georgia, New Jersey, Brazil, and China.

The PI license is an authorization required by all payment providers to allow businesses and consumers to make payments safely and efficiently. It was aimed to remove legal barriers to the provision of payment services in the EU. (1) Per the European Payment Institutions Federation, the PI license was put into place for 5 main objectives:

1. Achieve a single payment market in the EU;

2. Provide the regulatory framework for a single payment market;

3. Create a level playing field and enhancing competition;

4. Ensure consistent consumer protection and improving transparency; and

5. Create the potential for more efficiency of EU payment systems.

The license enables payment providers to, among other things, execute transactions as well as issue and acquire payment instruments.

Payscout CEO, Cleveland Brown, said, Securing our PI license is the next step for Payscout to serve budding entrepreneurs and consumers in the EU. We are excited to have obtained preliminary approval, which will enable Payscout to continue its global expansion, and help emerging business owners achieve the entrepreneurial dream one transaction at a time.

Mike Norton has been hired as Managing Director of Payscouts soon-to-open Malta office, and will also oversee the companys Go Global Now initiative, including an aggressive European expansion. Norton brings over 20 years of experience in the payments industry and has led both systems integration projects and client migration projects for large multinational businesses and systems solution companies across Europe. His experience in merchant acquiring covers all card types, including credit/debit, alternative payment options and prepaid solutions, as well as full back-office processing and solutions from credit and risk, chargebacks, terminal requirements and terminal support, account boarding, fraud and account management.

Norton, who also has experience in business strategy, adds, When a company like Payscout establishes a meaningful presence in a European business hub such as Malta, they know the impact will be more than just opening an office and hiring employees. Payscout is known for engaging with the people around them and finding ways to serve and enhance the community."

Payscouts ongoing global expansion has empowered entrepreneurs across the world. Payscout enables these businesses to expand by providing them with payment processing solutions needed to take their ecommerce business across local borders. At the same time, Payscout is dedicated to building community connections through each of its locations by leveraging community outreach and social investment initiatives - all part of the companys Payscout Gives program.

With our new PI license, Mikes experience and Payscouts commitment to cultural and social empathy, we are confident the new European extension of our Payscout family will succeed in assisting many entrepreneurs and social causes across the EU, concludes Brown.

About Payscout, Inc.:

Payscout Supports the Entrepreneurial Dream One Transaction at a Time.

Payscout is a global payment processing provider covering six continents by connecting merchants and consumers via credit, debit, ATM and alternative payment networks. What differentiates Payscout is its mission to support the entrepreneurial dream one transaction at a time. Payscout achieves this by being a thought leader in the payments industry. Its Go Global Now technology platform gives merchants instant access to 100+ countries, billions of consumers and trillions of dollars. Payscout offers payment processing solutions for brick-and-mortar and eCommerce transactions, and has earned acclaim as a new-generation provider of merchant banking services, specializing in online/eCommerce retailers with a predominant proportion of card-not-present (CNP) transactions; it is one of the few providers to deliver a true global payment solution that encompasses all merchant risk verticals. Customers can access Payscouts credit card processing services via a state-of-the-art, web-based user portal and through direct interactions with highly-trained experts. In addition to supporting thousands of clients across a multitude of industries and all 50 American states, Payscout maintains global partnerships with VISA USA, Bank of America Merchant Services, VISA Europe, VISA Latin America, VISA Asia Pacific, MasterCard Worldwide, China Union Pay, Deutsche Bank, First Data and Payscout Brazil. Payscout was recognized as one of Americas fastest-growing privately-held companies in 2014, 2015, and 2016, ranking #2,416 in 2014, #434 in 2015, and #383 in 2016 on Inc. Magazines Inc. 500/5000 list. Within the financial services industry, Payscout placed #140 in 2014 and #24 in 2015. For more information, visit http://www.payscout.com.

1. "What Is a Payment Institution?" The Voice of the Payments Industry across the EU - What Is a Payment Institution? N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.
Ellsworth Adhesives

Ellsworth Adhesives announces it is now an authorized distributor of Henkels surface treatments and structural adhesive products for the Aerospace industry in Canada, with an authorized warehouse located in Stoney Creek, ON Canada. Henkel is an industry leading manufacturer of adhesives, sealants, coatings, and specialty materials, offering a complete line of certified products in the Aerospace industry.

Henkel develops structural adhesives, metal surface treatments and composites that serve the aircraft OEM and MRO industries. As a world market leader in these industries for over 50 years, Henkel products offer economic and performance benefits. Under the LOCTITE and BONDERITE brands, Henkels innovative aerospace product line includes paste and film adhesives, primers, specialty resins, syntactic films, sealers, cleaners, conversion coatings and more.

Ellsworth Adhesives welcomes the opportunity to utilize our highly technical and experienced Engineering Sales Representatives to help Aerospace customers find the right solution using Henkel products throughout Canada, commented Jay Richardson, Director of Sales - North America. This new distribution agreement allows us to better serve the growing needs of new and existing Ellsworth Adhesives customers in this specialized industry.

Roger Lee, Vice President General Manager  North America, stated, The strong global partnership between Henkel and Ellsworth Adhesives is a testament to our commitment to offer quality materials and services to our customers. Ellsworth Adhesives and Henkel have built a long, successful business partnership and look forward to expanding on the distributor relationship to now include Aerospace opportunities in Canada.

Ellsworth Adhesives Canada joins the Ellsworth Adhesives headquarters in Germantown, Wisconsin having already been an authorized distributor of Henkel products for Aerospace since 2013, and branch location in Irvine, California since 2015. All locations are authorized to BMS Spec Approvals: BMS 5-42, BMS 5-90, BMS 5-101, BMS 5-129, BMS 5-154.

Ellsworth Adhesives is ISO 9001:2008 and AS9120A certified in the United States, Canada, and Europe at facilities located in Germantown, WI USA; Irvine, CA USA; Carrollton, TX USA; Stoney Creek, ON Canada; and East Kilbride, Glasgow UK.

To learn more about the Henkel line of aerospace products, http://www.ellsworthadhesives.ca/henkel-aerospace.

About Ellsworth Adhesives

Ellsworth Adhesives is a distributor of adhesive products and equipment and a value-added supplier of adhesives, sealants, coatings, encapsulants, tapes, releases, and lubricants from leading international manufacturers. Ellsworth Adhesives offers the most comprehensive level of technical expertise available. Ellsworth Adhesives Ellsworth Adhesives Engineering Sales Representatives have years of hands-on engineering skills and experience who assist with material and equipment selection, product testing, and process requirements and excel in designing, managing, customizing manufacturing projects and varying industrial applications.

Ellsworth Adhesives operates sales offices and warehouses in the United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, and Thailand. Ellsworth Adhesives can be contacted directly at 1-800-888-0698 or by visiting http://www.ellsworth.com.

About Henkel

Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations, and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the adhesives market  across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2015, Henkel reported sales of 18.1 billion euros (20.1 billion US dollars), adjusted operating profit of 2.9 billion euros (3.2 billion US dollars). Its three top brands, Persil (detergent), Schwarzkopf (hair care) and Loctite (adhesive) generated more than 6 billion euros (around 6.6 billion US dollars) in combined sales. Henkel employs around 50,000 people globally  a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture, a common purpose to create sustainable value, and shared values. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkels preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. For more information, please visit http://www.henkel.com
Josh Stanton, President and CEO of Blackstone Publishing, remarks: "False Flag is one of the most exciting titles we've had the pleasure of working on, and certainly a key 2017 release for Blackstone Publishing."

Blackstone Publishing is proud to announce the upcoming release of False Flag [Blackstone Publishing; May 16, 2017; hardcover, e-book, and audiobook narrated by Edoardo Ballerini], a daring new thriller by John Altman, author of the acclaimed novels Disposable Asset and A Game of Spies.

In False Flag, Israeli-born Dalia Artzi, a tactical genius and specialist at Princeton in the study of maneuver warfare, uncovers a fiendish plot by a small group of Israeli fanatics to commit a horrific crime against the United States government and pin the blame on Iran. At first, Dalia, a pacifist, is hesitant to get involved. But she recognizes that extremism of any kind is the real enemy in the world and, strong in her Jewish faith, she believes that the goal of her religion is not to crush ones enemies but to practice tikkun olam, to repair the world. Soon, Dalia sees that she has little choice but to act quickly and do what she must to prevent the unspeakable from occurring.

Meanwhile, Jana, a beautiful but deadly Israeli operative taking orders from the conspiring fanatics, is determined to deftly fulfill the deadly mission entrusted to her. Once the plot has been carried out, Jana and the commanders of her mission believe that Israels enemies will meet with total destruction when the worlds most powerful nation retaliates. Jana is firm in her conviction that she is on the side of right, and believes the ends will justify the means, however violent.

Josh Stanton, President and CEO of Blackstone Publishing, remarks: "We are thrilled to be working with John Altman, and to have concluded this exciting book deal with Richard Curtis Agency. False Flag is one of the most exciting titles we've had the pleasure of working on, and certainly a key 2017 release for Blackstone Publishing."

Centered on a fascinating and original Israeli heroine and anti-heroine, False Flag probes some of the most important political and moral conflicts of our times. Altman examines extremism in its many incarnations and the complex pitfalls humans encounter when they try to do what is right, no matter the cost. In the process, he continues his tradition of creating ruthless female assassins, delivering his most terrifying creation yet. Riveting espionage, struggles of conscience, and edge-of-your-seat intrigue combine to make False Flag one of the most compelling and controversial thrillers of 2017.

Author Biography

A Gathering of Spies, John Altmans debut novel, came out in 2000; Publishers Weekly called it an irresistible page-turner from a welcome new voice in the genre. Since then, Altman has brought to life international intrigue from the early days of World War II (John Altman proves himself worthy of the highest ranks in the espionage genre, Barnes & Noble on A Game of Spies), through Eisenhowers postwar America (Violent, suspenseful, fast-paced, and chockablock with unexpected twists, Booklist on The Art of the Devil), to the Code Orange Age of the War Against Terror (Forget the competition for Thriller of the Year; John Altman has already won it, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on The Watchmen). Disposable Asset takes place against the backdrop of ongoing brinksmanship with Putins Russia. (This can't-put-it-down spy thriller introduces the most deadly and proficient young woman warrior since the Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen, Publishers Weekly, starred review.)

In addition to writing fiction, Altman has worked as a teacher, musician, and freelance writer. His thrillers have sold over a quarter-million copies in the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Poland, and the Netherlands. He lives with his wife and children in Princeton, New Jersey.

Publication Information

Title: False Flag: A Novel

Author: John Altman

Release Date: May 16, 2016

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Pages: 364

Narrator: Edoardo Ballerini

Formats, ISBN, Price:

Hardcover Print Book: 978-1-5047-9772-6; $26.99

Trade E-book: 978-1-5047-5856-7; $TBA

Audiobook Retail CD: 978-1-5047-9621-7; $34.95

For more information and to pre-order visit: http://www.blackstonepublishing.com/titles/false-flag

Authors Website: http://www.johnaltman.net/

Request a digital arc on Edelweiss and Netgalley.

Available for purchase online and at brick-and-mortar retailers.
James Robinson of Swords to Plowshares greets veterans at the Holiday Luncheon. We are reaching out to our wonderful community to help us provide a nice holiday meal and essential items for our homeless veterans, said Colleen Corliss, Resource Development and Communications Director at Swords to Plowshares.

At Swords to Plowshares we strive to ensure our homeless veterans are not forgotten, especially during the holiday season. This week we continue a thirty year holiday tradition of providing warm meals, warm clothes and holiday spirit to hundreds of homeless veterans here in San Francisco. We are excited to announce that this holiday tradition will be expanded to Oakland this year to provide some much needed holiday cheer to our homeless veterans in Alameda County.

Who: All homeless veterans welcome!

What: A holiday luncheon and backpack giveaway for Bay Area homeless veterans

San Francisco

Where: PianoFight 144 Taylor Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

When: Wednesday, December 14, 2016 11:30 am  1:30 pm

Oakland

Where: Swords to Plowshares East Bay Office 2719 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612

When: Thursday, December 15, 2016, 11:30 am  1:30 pm

The two holiday feasts and backpack giveaways will provide 325 of the San Francisco Bay Areas most vulnerable veterans some needed holiday cheer with some essential items to help them through the cold winter months.

We are reaching out to our wonderful community to help us provide a nice holiday meal and essential items for our homeless veterans, said Colleen Corliss, Resource Development and Communications Director at Swords to Plowshares. PianoFight has offered us the use of their space free of charge for our holiday party in San Francisco and Google.org has generously offered to match all donations up to $15,000 to cover the costs of these holiday meals and to fill these backpacks. A small donation of $50 will end up providing backpacks to two homeless veterans thanks to Google.orgs match.

Each year, volunteers meet at Swords to Plowshares office to fill the backpacks with essential items. The holiday meal with be catered by our community partner, St. Anthonys and their culinary staff.

About Swords to Plowshares:

Founded in 1974, Swords to Plowshares is a community-based not-for-profit organization that provides case management, mental health assessment and referral, rapid re-housing and eviction prevention services, employment and training, supportive housing, and legal benefits assistance for low-income, homeless and at-risk veterans in the San Francisco Bay Area. Swords to Plowshares promotes and protects the rights of veterans through advocacy, public education, and partnerships with local, state and national entities. Learn more about the work of Swords to Plowshares, and ways in which you can help, by visiting our website at http://www.stp-sf.org.
The Chanticleer model home at The Orchards  a collection of single-family homes within the master-planned AURA community. All donations received during the holiday season will be put specifically toward the summer camp at the Ronald McDonald House in Camden, according to Michael Canuso of Canuso Homes.

To celebrate a season of giving, Canuso Homes, in partnership with The Canuso Foundation, is offering a special holiday promotion for prospective homebuyers. Make a donation to The Canuso Foundation to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Southern New Jersey Summer Camp Program from now through January 31, 2017 and receive up to $10,000* in options and upgrades towards a new home at The Orchards at AURA, a new collection of single-family homes located within the master-planned AURA community in Elk Township, NJ.

The Canuso familys reason for their choice of charity goes back decades. In 1974, John and Joan Canuso learned their nine-year-old daughter Babe Canuso was diagnosed with leukemia. Following Babes diagnosis, John Canuso, founder of Canuso Homes and father of six, saw that there was a need for a house where families of children with cancer could stay when they were away receiving treatment. Shortly after, through donations from McDonalds franchises, the Childrens Oncology Services of Childrens Hospital, and various connections within the homebuilding industry, the first Ronald McDonald House was built on the University of Pennsylvania campus (known as the House that Babe Built).

The Canuso Foundation continues its mission to alleviate the many burdens that pediatric cancer and disabilities thrusts upon families, by helping them with day-to-day necessities or long term goals and by restoring hope for the future, said Mary Helen Ranieri, Executive Director for The Canuso Foundation. Today, three generations of the Canuso Family bring honor to Babe as we continue to support pediatric cancer research, help families and children affected by cancer and enable young people to reach for their dreams.

All donations received during the holiday season will be put specifically toward the summer camp at the Ronald McDonald House in Camden, according to Michael Canuso of Canuso Homes. It has been both an honor and privilege to sponsor this summer camp in the past and we look forward to doing so again in 2017. said Canuso. As a homebuilder, we wanted to do our share in giving back. Anyone who makes a donation toward the Ronald McDonald House Southern New Jersey will receive up to $10,000* in options and upgrades at our newest single-family home community, The Orchards at AURA.

The Orchards at AURA is located within the master-planned AURA community by Canuso Communities. Building on the award-winning Canuso tradition, all homes at The Orchards at AURA are designed and built with vision, outstanding quality and with your family in mind, according to Canuso.

Situated among Gloucester Countys farms and orchards, The Orchards at AURA is located within an easy commute of South Jersey commerce centers and only 14 miles to Center City Philadelphia. Rowan University offers cultural and intellectual opportunities nearby, and suburban conveniences are available minutes away along Delsea Drive.

Those interested in making a donation to The Canuso Foundation are encouraged to visit The Orchards Sales Center, which is open daily from 11am to 6pm and located at 105 Cortland Boulevard in Glassboro, NJ. To learn more, visit http://www.OrchardsatAURA.com.

*All donations are tax-deductible. See Sales Associate for details.

About The Canuso Foundation

Since 1974, The Canuso Foundation has raised over $2 million for cancer research at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and has provided assistance and support to countless families and individual affected by cancer. Its mission is to alleviate the many burdens that cancer thrusts upon families  by helping them with day-to-day necessities or long-term goals and by restoring hope for the future. The Canuso Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, IRS identification number 23-7413346. To learn more, visit http://www.canusofoundation.org.

About Canuso Communities

Canuso Communities is the Delaware Valleys premier master plan developer. Dedicated to the principles of family and community, Canuso has developed and produced over 100 residential neighborhoods and more than 750,000 sq. ft. of office and retail space.

About Canuso Homes

Canuso Homes, a family business for 50 years, is the premier home builder in South Jersey. Dedicated to the principles of family and community, Canuso Homes has developed and produced over 7,000 homes in over 100 communities. To learn more, visit http://www.canuso.net.

About AURA

AURA is a master planned community by Canuso Communities located in Elk Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey. Canuso Communities has attracted an appealing mix of national and regional builders to the community, offering everything from value-oriented first homes and luxury move-up designs to multi-generation homes, townhomes and apartment living opportunities. To learn more, visit http://www.auranj.com.
The St. Louis Fed has received another honor to recognize the organizations inclusive culture. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation has honored the Bank with the 2017 Best Places to Work Corporate Equality Index Award. The Bank received a perfect score of 100 in the Corporate Equality Index, known as the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees.

The award follows other recent honors for the Bank, including being named the No. 1 Top Workplace in St. Louis by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and receiving special recognition from the group PROMO (Promoting Equality for All Missourians).

The Corporate Equality Index Award is another honor that recognizes our diverse and inclusive environment, said First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dave Sapenaro. He is also the executive sponsor of the Banks Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies Partnership (LGBTAP).

Appreciation of that commitment was expressed by Jim Swimm, an administrative assistant in the Supervision Division and a member of the LGBTAP.

It is monumentally affirming when one feels comfortable in bringing your whole self to the workplace, and this prestigious distinction publicly highlights the Banks commitment to establishing an inclusive culture that makes that possible, Swimm said.

In the 2017 edition of the Human Rights Campaign Foundations Corporate Equality Index (the 15th year of the index), a record 517 businesses achieved a top rating of 100 percent, including 12 of the Top 20 Fortune-ranked businesses. In all, 2,106 U.S. employers received invitations to take part in the survey. Of that number, 887 were officially rated by the HRC.

The rating criteria for the 2017 Corporate Equality Index included:

1) Equal employment opportunity (35 points)

2) Employment benefits (30 points)

3) Organizational LGBTQ competency (20 points)

4) Public engagement (15 points)

The St. Louis Fed is committed to building an inclusive workplace, where employees differencesin age, gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, as well as in cultural traditions, religion, life experiences, education and socioeconomic backgroundsare recognized as strengths. At the St. Louis Fed, employee resource groups are led by employees and membership is voluntary. They are made up of individuals with common interests or shared characteristics. The five Bank employee resource groups support and develop their members and link objectives to an organizational business goal. They include:



African-American Council of Talented, Innovative and Visionary Employees: AACTIVE supports the African-American community at the Bank.

Asian Employee Resource Group: AERG supports the Asian community at the Bank.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies' Partnership: LGBTAP supports LGBT employees and their allies at the Bank.

Valuing, Inspiring, Empowering Women: VIEW supports women at the Bank by creating awareness of gender-related issuesenhancing professional development and leadership capabilities.

Serving, Educating, Reaching Veteran Employees: SERVE educates, supports and provides resources benefiting veterans and the Eighth District by promoting mentorship.

Headquartered in St. Louis, with branches in Little Rock, Ark., Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn., the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis serves the Federal Reserves Eighth District, which includes all of Arkansas, eastern Missouri, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, western Kentucky, western Tennessee and northern Mississippi. The St. Louis Fed is one of 12 regional Reserve banks that, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., comprise the Federal Reserve System. As the nation's central bank, the Federal Reserve System formulates U.S. monetary policy, regulates state-chartered member banks and bank holding companies, provides payment services to financial institutions and the U.S. government, and promotes financial literacy, economic education and community development. http://www.stlouisfed.org

###
QMH Team donates Thanksgiving Dinners for 400 Homeless Community Members "QMH values giving back to the community and we encourage our entire team to do the same."

QMH contributed 40 boxes, equaling 40 Thanksgiving dinners, which fed a total of 400 people. QMH team members went shopping together for all of the food and prepared and packaged the boxes as well. Each box included ingredients for a whole meal: ham/turkey, potatoes, cranberry sauce, pie, and more - enough to feed a whole family. These food boxes were passed out on Thanksgiving, in the neighboring school districts of Azusa, Covina, West Covina, Baldwin Park and El Monte, to children and families in need.

In the local community of Azusa, home of QMH headquarters, about 20% of the kids in surrounding schools are impacted by homelessness.

"This was a great opportunity for our company to help less fortunate members of our community enjoy the holidays," said Julia Pinto, QMH C.O.O. "QMH values giving back to the community and we encourage our entire team to do the same," she continued.

About Quality Material Handling, Inc.

A trusted member of the shipping and storage community, QMH has been providing companies throughout California with material handling products and storage solutions since 1991. QMH takes pride in being family-run and Women- and Minority-owned Business Enterprises (WMBE) certified in California by The Supplier Clearinghouse. Appearing multiple times in LA Business Journals top 100 businesses, winning the LA Business Journal's Latino Business of the Year Award, and most recently, ranking #66 on their list of 100 fastest growing private LA businesses are just some of the highlights that illustrate QMHs success.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Republican Gov. John Kasich signed a bill Tuesday imposing a 20-week abortion ban while vetoing stricter provisions in a separate measure that would have barred the procedure at the first detectable fetal heartbeat.

The so-called heartbeat bill would have prohibited most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy  or before many women know they are pregnant. Its provisions cleared the Republican-led Legislature during a lame-duck flurry last week after being tucked into separate legislation.

Similar measures elsewhere have faced legal challenges, and detractors in Ohio feared such legislation would lead to a costly fight in the courts. Opponents predicted it would be found unconstitutional, a concern Kasich shared.

Kasich, an abortion-rights opponent, chose instead to sign off on a 20-week ban similar to those now in effect in 15 states and blocked from enforcement in two others. The measures are based on the assertion that fetuses can feel pain then, which opponents characterize as scientifically unsound. Ohio lawmakers rejected a Democratic amendment that would have added exceptions for rape and incest.

The 20-week ban "is the best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life," Kasich said.

Kasich said the heartbeat provision would have been struck down based on other federal court rulings. Enacting the law would also invite challenges to current Ohio abortion prohibitions and would mean costly litigation.

"The State of Ohio will be the losing party in that lawsuit and, as the losing party, the State of Ohio will be forced to pay hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to cover the legal fees for the pro-choice activists' lawyers," Kasich said.

"Therefore, this veto is in the public interest," the governor said.

Abortion-rights groups criticized Kasich for signing the 20-week ban. Planned Parenthood called it dangerous legislation that blocks a woman from making important medical decisions during her pregnancy.

Story continues

"The 20-week ban will force women to travel long distances and cross state lines in order to access safe, legal abortion  a barrier that many women simply cannot afford," said Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio said the 20-week ban would allow abortions only if a woman is on the brink of death or suffering permanent organ damage.

Ohio Right To Life praised Kasich for signing the ban, saying it would save "hundreds of unborn lives each year" and allow Ohio to directly challenge the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion until viability, usually at 22 to 24 weeks.

The 20-week ban "challenges the current national abortion standard and properly moves the legal needle from viability to the baby's ability to feel pain," said Mike Gonidakis, Ohio Right To Life president. He agreed with Kasich's decision to veto the heartbeat bill.

Ohio lawmakers still have the option to override Kasich's veto. Doing so would require a three-fifths majority of each chamber.

Janet Folger, president of Faith2Action, an anti-abortion group pressing for the heartbeat bill, called on Republican House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger to bring an override veto to the House floor. A message was left with Rosenberger's office.

The developments in Ohio are a prelude to a broad offensive to be launched in January by abortion-rights opponents emboldened by the election success of Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

GOP lawmakers in numerous states  including Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana and Kentucky  plan to push for new anti-abortion legislation. Their efforts are being supported by a national anti-abortion group, Americans United for Life, which released a report Tuesday contending that many abortion clinics are in violation of state health and safety standards.

In Congress, Republicans are expected to advance legislation banning most abortions after 20 weeks and halting federal funding for Planned Parenthood as long as it performs abortions. The president-elect has pledged to support both measures.

In Oklahoma on Tuesday, the state Supreme Court threw out a law requiring abortion clinics to have doctors who have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles of their facility.

The court ruled that measure, which requires doctors with admitting privileges to be present for abortions, violates both the U.S. and Oklahoma constitutions. Republican Gov. Mary Fallin signed it into law in 2014, but courts had blocked it from going into effect. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year struck down a similar provision in Texas.

___

Associated Press writer David Crary in New York contributed to this report.
HelloSign, the easiest way to electronically sign legally binding documents, announces language support in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Swedish, Dutch, and Danish in addition to English. The multiple language support applies to the signature page for HelloSign Embedded API customers when eSigning with HelloSign and ensures that signers fluent in any of the eight languages will be guided through the eSigning experience in their native language. This additional language support is available now for API customers and represents HelloSigns ongoing commitment to provide the most intuitive global eSigning experience available to customers in over 150 countries.

To learn more about the additional language support, click here: https://goo.gl/whAfO9

HelloSigns global language support comes shortly after announcing compliance with the Electronic ID and Trust Services (eIDAS) regulation, which provides consistent legal framework for the acceptance of electronic signatures across all countries in the European Union for the first time in history. This ensures that all eSignatures made through HelloSign pass various legal requirements surrounding electronic signatures in countries across the globe.

With the added language support, API customers can ensure that recipients who speak multiple languages are able to read the signature page in their preferred language. All text that guides the signer through the document in order to place a eSignature will be translated in the language specified by the requester, including the notifications that the document is legally binding once signed. This ensures that eSigning with HelloSign is as intuitive as possible around the globe. The ability to translate the signer experience into multiple languages not only makes it possible for the requester to provide the best possible user experience for the signer, but it also decreases potential inaccuracies on the signers behalf when filling out the document.

Document signing and agreement execution are fundamental to businesses all over the globe, not just here in the United States, so we realize the importance of making sure that our users all over the world can take advantage of the benefits of eSigning with HelloSign, said Neal OMara, CTO and co-founder of HelloSign. The additional language availability not only benefits the signers who speak the languages, but also the users who send the documents for signature. HelloSign users with customers who speak any of the added languages can now offer a more intuitive signing experience.

The ability to render the signer experience in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Swedish, Dutch, Danish or English is available for Embedded API requests. To access multiple language functionality, the requester simply defines the language desired for the signer page in the API call and the signer experience will render in the specified language for the signer on any device.

The HelloSign API is the easiest way for developers to build secure, legally binding eSignatures into applications and is free to test during development. On average, customers integrate the HelloSign API in less than 2.5 days, with 88% of customers completing the integration in less than one work week. Providing maximum flexibility, companies can either use their interface by embedding documents on their own website or have users complete documents in the HelloSign web app. The platform can be expanded to include the HelloFax API for companies needing the ability to send and receive faxes online without the need for a fax machine.

Pricing and Availability



Multiple language support is available now for API customers making embedded signature requests for no additional cost.

View pricing and plans for the HelloSign API here: https://www.hellosign.com/api/pricing

Getting Started



Anyone can get started with the HelloSign embedded signing experience by creating a free account here: https://www.hellosign.com/api

About HelloSign

HelloSign, the innovative product leader in the eSignature space, makes it simple for businesses to offer fast, secure, and legally binding eSignatures to their customers through both a user-friendly web application and a developer-focused API. Trusted by millions of users, HelloSign simplifies the tradition of pen and paper signing into a modern, digital and uninterrupted workflow. For more information see http://www.hellosign.com and follow HelloSign on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Facebook.
We are glad to do our part to ensure that future generations can learn and thrive with access to high quality technology.

Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd., a leading provider of global industry solutions based on the Microsoft Cloud, is pleased to announce it is spreading some holiday cheer this season by donating laptops and an Xbox 360 to Crescent Town Elementary School in Toronto.

We are glad to do our part to ensure that future generations can learn and thrive with access to high quality technology, said Mo Anwar, Manager of Business Analytics and Collaboration at Hitachi Solutions America. Crescent Town Elementary is in a transitional neighborhood and does not get the necessary funding to upgrade equipment. We hope that our donation will improve the quality of student life at this school.

Hitachi Solutions America has an office in Toronto, Canada and this donation is a part of the companys continued commitment to support local causes. The donation includes 35 laptops and one Xbox 360. The donation will be made the second week of December. Hitachi Solutions has a long history of donating to the schools annual Toy Drive, and this is the first year donating laptops.

We are very grateful for the laptops Hitachi Solutions America donated to our students, said Harpreet Ghuman, Principal of Crescent Town Elementary School. Our students are sure to benefit from the laptops, which are a much needed upgrade from the laptops they were previously using.

The idea to donate laptops to Crescent Town Elementary School was born from a core group of Hitachi Solutions Employees passionate about social programs.

I like to help my community whenever possible, said Chris Kemp, Senior Systems Engineer at Hitachi Solutions America. Im inspired and energized by this initiative and have spent my spare time ensuring all of the laptops are ready to go for the students at Crescent Town Elementary.

Im very happy that these laptops are going to a good cause, added Paul Madden, Director of Global IS at Hitachi Solutions America, who approved the laptops to be discharged.

Crescent Town Elementary School is located in the Greater Toronto area and is committed to providing a variety of learning programs for all ages and learning needs. The staff of the school is committed to providing students with learning experiences, which will promote growth in their intellectual, physical and social development. Crescent Town School is part of this TDSB initiative which works to give inner-city students a variety of additional supports to improve learning.

Hitachi Solutions America endeavors to raise the social awareness of all employees, and supports their involvement in social initiatives and volunteer activities. In addition, Hitachi Solutions strives to exercise good corporate citizenship, with initiatives focused on education, the environment and social welfare. The company works to contribute not only to the development of a sound information society but also to enrich society as a whole.

Here are a few of the causes Hitachi Solution supports:



Education

Social Welfare

Assisting with Disaster Recovery

Community Initiatives

Environmental Initiatives

Assisting Developing Nations

Other Donor Activities

-3-

About Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd.

Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd. helps its customers to successfully compete with the largest global enterprises using powerful, easy-to-use, and affordable industry solutions built on Microsoft Dynamics AX and Microsoft Dynamics CRM enhanced with world class Business Analytics, and Portals and Collaboration. Recognized as the Microsoft 2014 CRM Global Partner of the Year and the 2014 Dynamics Global Outstanding Reseller of the Year, Hitachi Solutions America provides global capabilities with regional offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, Japan, China, and Asia Pacific. For more information, call + 1 949.242.1300 or visit: http://us.hitachi-solutions.com.

About Hitachi Solutions, Ltd.

Hitachi Solutions, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is the core IT Companies of Hitachi Group and a recognized leader in delivering proven business and IT strategies and solutions to companies across many industries. The company provides value-driven services throughout the IT life cycle from systems planning to systems integration, operation and maintenance. Hitachi Solutions delivers products and services of superior value to customers worldwide through key subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, China, and Asia Pacific. For more information on Hitachi Solutions, please visit: http://www.hitachi-solutions.com.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer societys challenges with our talented team and proven experience in global markets. The companys consolidated revenues for fiscal 2015 (ended March 31, 2016) totaled 10,034 billion yen ($88.8 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes power & infrastructure systems, information & telecommunication systems, construction machinery, high functional materials & components, automotive systems, healthcare and others. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the companys website at http://www.hitachi.com.
Attorney Stann Givens Stanns leadership in the Tampa family law community is celebrated, said Robert Sparks, managing attorney at Givens Givens Sparks. And his continued dedication to the community has solidified his excellent reputation with his clients and peers alike.

Stann Givens, the founding attorney at Givens Givens Sparks has been re-certified in marital and family law through 2021. He has held board certification in these fields since 1991.

More than 100,000 attorneys practice law throughout the state of Florida, but only about 4,800 have earned board certifications  a little over 300 of those are board certified in marital and family law.

The Florida Bar began certifying attorneys in 1982 in order to help the general public choose a suitable attorney. The certification process is entirely voluntary, but attorneys must have practiced law for at least five years, shown a substantial involvement in their field, pass a stringent examination, undergo a series of peer review assessments, continue to educate themselves in their chosen field, and receive approval from the Florida Supreme Court in order to qualify.

Stanns leadership in the Tampa family law community is celebrated, said Robert Sparks, managing attorney at Givens Givens Sparks. And his continued dedication to the community has solidified his excellent reputation with his clients and peers alike.

Stann has worked to raise the bar for excellence in the fields of marital and family law ever since he first started practicing more than four decades ago. Through his tireless efforts, Stann has earned national recognition as one of the top lawyers in Florida and the United States, and was voted as 2016s Family Law Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in Tampa, FL. He has also been voted to the list of "Best Lawyers in America" since 1998, and has been included in the list of Super Lawyers since 2006 among numerous other awards.

Givens Givens Sparks is a trial law firm representing individuals and their families in state and federal cases ranging from complex high net-worth divorce cases and personal injury / wrongful death actions, to commercial insurance litigation. With more than 135 years of combined professional experience, the Givens Givens Sparks team of lawyers is dedicated to the advocacy and protection of their clients and their families. To learn more about Givens Givens Sparks, please visit: http://www.givenssparks.com.
New ReSupply App Allows Military Members to Buy, Sell and Donate. New ReSupply App Allows Military Families to Buy, Sell, and Donate.

Military marketplace provider ReSupply today announced a mission to help the U.S. armed forces community fulfill the holiday wish-lists of 15 homeless veteran shelters across the nation.

From Dec. 16 through Jan. 1, #OperationReSupply will enable the military community of retired and current service personnel and their families to use the mobile ReSupply App to find, acquire and ship most-needed items, on a master shelter wish list, including everything from winter clothes to household goods.

While the app is still in its early stages of development, we didnt want to wait to make an impact, said Paul Tocci, CEO and founder of ReSupply. By accomplishing #OperationReSupply today, the community will show us how to improve the technology for tomorrow.

Tocci said managers of the shelters to receive items report a wide range of challenges they face with receiving donations. There is really an absence of technology in this space, he said, these veteran shelters are run by truly amazing individuals, but they are limited by the resources of their local communities. With #OperationReSupply, were using our app to connect these organizations with the military community at large.

How it works:

All within the ReSupply mobile app (available for download here for iOS and Android devices), users can list items for donation or sale in less than 30 seconds. Every donated item will be matched with a shelter by a ReSupply brand ambassador, and the donor will receive a prepaid shipping label in the app. Users also may sell items, including items that are or are not on the master shelter wish list. Those not in the military can participate by helping with the shipping costs associated with the campaign. ReSupply has set up a Go Fund Me page for civilians, located here: Link to Go Fund Me.

We appreciate the participation of #OperationReSupply sellers, as well as donors, Tocci said. We understand donation is not an option for everyone. Moreover, our core business is military trade, and our platform is designed for users to buy and sell everything, all year. Therefore, we plan to donate 100 percent of the payment processing proceeds from sales on the app directly to the receiving shelters. Watch the official #OperationReSupply campaign video here.

About ReSupply:

ReSupply originally was founded at the United States Military Academy in Spring 2016 to allow West Point cadets to buy, sell and trade within their enclosed network. In two weeks, the app had spread to multiple Army installations, and the ReSupply founders realized a greater need.

Four months later, the ReSupply team had partnered with ID.me to verify a users military connection, and recoded and rebranded. ReSupply recently relaunched the app as a military marketplace  a platform for service members and their families to use to buy, sell and ship within their trusted network. Gone are the days of strangers, scams and stressful PCS moves. ReSupply is the future of military trade, giving users the ability to trade on trust.

About the Shelters:

For #OperationReSupply, ReSupply has joined forces with 15 homeless veteran shelters, together covering every region of the United States. All shelters share the mission of getting homeless veterans off the streets, and helping them reintegrate into a more stable life. These shelters vary in the resources they need, but all are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations capable of receiving donations.
The Hoehn Family Galleries, located on the historic University of San Diego (USD) campus, has announced its spring 2017 exhibition, British Modern from the British Museum: From the Great War to the Grosvenor School, on display February 10  May 19, 2017. The exhibition will feature 60 works chronicling the graphic work of two of the most significant movements of early 20th century modern art in Britain: Vorticism and the Grosvenor School. This is the first time a significant exhibition of this material has been seen in the western United States.

Selected from the world-renowned print collection of the British Museum, this striking exhibition will feature hand selected works by exemplars of British modernism including Edward Wadsworth, Charles Nevinson, Wyndham Lewis, Henry Gaudier-Breszka, Claude Flight, Cyril Power, and Sybil Andrews. British Modern from the British Museum: From the Great War to the Grosvenor School will familiarize American audiences with these significant bodies of work and their importance for avant-garde art practice in both the UK and their influence abroad. From the Great War to the Grosvenor School will offer audiences the opportunity to view some of the best examples of this remarkable work drawn from the collection of one of the worlds most important museums.

The exhibition will also highlight the formal and aesthetic innovations of each and will contextualize them in relation to their historical moments and the intellectual movements of their time. The recent 100-year anniversary of the beginning of the First World War, as well as recent reassessments of Vorticism (Tate Britain, 2011) and the Grosvenor School (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 2008) make this an opportune time to consider these two path-breaking movements in relation to one another.

From the Great War to the Grosvenor School Opening Reception will be Thursday, February 9. The opening celebration will begin at 5:15 p.m. with a lecture titled Wrestling with Modernity in the Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum by Hugo Chapman, Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, followed by a reception in the galleries from 6:30  7:30 p.m. The reception will include refreshments and light appetizers throughout the evening and is free and open to the public.

Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday noon to 5 p.m. All exhibitions and related programs are free. The Hoehn Family Galleries is located at Founders Hall 102 at University of San Diego, 5998 Alcaia Park, San Diego, Calif., 92110. For general information call 619-260-7516, or visit http://www.sandiego.edu/galleries/.

About the Hoehn Family Galleries

The fine art exhibition program at USD traces its origins back to the 1980s, when Professor Therese Truitt Whitcomb began organizing installations with the help of her students in a converted classroom space near the front entrance to Founders Hall. Over the course of the next 25 years, more than 100 exhibitions were mounted in Founders Gallery until it was expanded, professionalized and re-named the Hoehn Family Galleries in 2002, thanks to a generous gift from Robert and Karen Hoehn, long-time supporters of the Arts at USD. The Hoehn Family Galleries now function as a primary place for exhibiting fine art prints regularly during the academic year. Exhibitions held have included shows of loaned work from global institutions, as well as works from University Galleries' own impressive and extensive print collection.
Hall Piano Company invites families and friends to come see Santa perform on a Steinway grand piano at Childrens Hospital on Friday, December 16th, from 10:00-11:00AM. In addition to their traditional in store annual Santa and a Steinway event, Hall Piano added the Childrens Hospital program featuring New Orleans Piano Professor and Steinway Artist Matt Lemmler.

Lemmler stated, I continue to be filled with awe as I envision the worlds greatest composers, pianists, arrangers, and conductors birthing Americas greatest classical and jazz music through wonderful Steinway instruments  instruments created to channel music from the heavens through the spirits behind the keys. Steinway has always given me that spiritual place to flourish when Im creating my music, as I seek to inspire and heal through music.

A Steinway grand piano will be delivered to Childrens Hospital for this fun and interactive concert. The event is free and open to the public. Steve Kinchen, co-owner of Hall Piano Company, said, Our hope is to give back to the children and families of our community through this fun and interactive concert. For most people, music makes the holidays more memorable.

The event is sponsored by Hall Piano Company, Louisianas premier Steinway & Sons dealer, located at 901 David Drive in Metairie. In addition to piano lessons, Hall Pianos services include piano sales and rentals, acoustic and digital piano sales, and method books. Adult lessons are also available.

For additional information about Hall Piano Company and the Santa and a Steinway event, contact Emily McWilliams at emilym(at)hallpiano(dot)com or call 504.733.TUNE.
Lake Park Dental is proud to welcome Dr. Elizabeth R. Dy, an experienced and compassionate dentist in Lutz, FL, to their team. Dr. Dy brings an extensive background in cutting-edge dental care including laser dentistry treatment. She has a passion for all areas of dentistry, especially oral surgery, laser-assisted periodontal surgery and implant placement.

As a new member of the Lake Park Dental team, Dr. Dy enjoys providing leading dental care to her patients. Dr. Dy is a strong supporter of continuing education and constantly seeks opportunities to learn about leading-edge dental procedures and technology. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Miami before going on to attend Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, where she received her Doctor of Dental Medicine.

Dr. Dy enjoys giving back to the community by volunteering her services whenever possible to improve community health. She has volunteered at Mission of Mercy, Judeo-Christian Health Clinic and other similar locations. She is proud to be one of the few dentists in the Lutz, FL area who offers laser dentistry with the renowned BIOLASE WaterLase iPlus laser. She also enjoys providing other services to her patients, including adult cosmetic braces, oral surgery, laser-assisted periodontal surgery and other services designed to treat common dental problems.

Patients who wish to be treated by a highly-respected dentist in Lutz, FL are invited to schedule a consultation with Dr. Dy, or the other doctors at Lake Park Dental. Appointments for laser dentistry, dental implant placement and other dental services can be arranged by calling Lake Park Dental at 813-527-9890.

About the Practice

Lake Park Dental is a general dental practice offering personalized and experienced dental care to patients in Lutz, Florida. Drs. Sarah Jockin, Nicole Morganti, Sara Spear and Elizabeth Dy understand how important receiving comfortable and reliable dental care is, which is why they strive to create a welcoming and enjoyable environment at their state-of-the-art practice. Lake Park Dental offers skilled and comprehensive care utilizing the latest advancements in dental technology all at one office to provide convenient treatment patients can depend on. Dental implants, cosmetic dentistry, Invisalign and laser dentistry, among other services, are all offered at Lake Park Dental. More information about Drs. Jockin, Morganti, Spear and Dy or the services they offer can be found on their website at http://www.implantdentisttampa.com. Those interested in scheduling a consultation can call (813) 527-9890.
INLs Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Laboratory, Wireless Charging Testing System Idaho National Laboratory and TDK have provided the most complete test data to date in order to validate SAE J2954 on the test bench." - Jesse Schneider, chair of the SAE J2954 task force.

SAE International is working to ensure that electric vehicle wireless power transfer systems from different manufacturers can interoperate seamlessly with each other to prepare for commercialization in 2020. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and TDK R&D Corporation along with the US Department of Energy, automotive companies and suppliers have completed bench testing to support the SAE Technical Information Report (TIR) J2954. SAE TIR J2954 is a guideline for the wireless charging of plug-in electric vehicles that was published by the SAE International earlier this year.

The SAE TIR J2954 provides guidance to ensure the performance and safety of Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems provided from one vendor as well as interoperability when parts of the system are provided from different vendors. For the first time, interoperability between both the Double D (DD) from Qualcomm and Circular Topologies has been demonstrated between 3.7 to 7.7 kW with efficiencies exceeding 85-90% under aligned conditions.

INL researchers contributed to the SAE J2954 validation by testing wireless charging systems from three companies: Toyota, WiTricity, and Qualcomm in the summer and fall of 2016. The WiTricity system which was submitted in cooperation with Nissan, and the Qualcomm system which was submitted in cooperation with Jaguar-Land Rover, both operated at up to 7.7 kW. The results of the INL tests were reported to the SAE J2954 Technical Committee in December and will be published in 2017.

Engineers from Toyota, Nissan, WiTricity, and Qualcomm collaborated with both INL and TDK on site in a series of tests on the interoperability of their respective wireless charging systems. The tests allowed those engineers to adjust their companys systems in real time to improve interoperability performance.

Wireless charging systems work by using electricity from the grid to generate an oscillating magnetic field that reaches upwards from a charging pad on the floor of the garage or parking space, to a power capture pad mounted to the undercarriage of the electric vehicle. This magnetic field transfers the energy from the ground pad to the vehicle, where it is converted to electric energy that charges the vehicle battery.

Idaho National Laboratory has successfully validated SAE TIR J2954 on the bench for test systems provided by the industry, which is an important milestone. This gives confidence in the interoperability, safety and performance values within this guideline, said Richard Barney Carlson, an INL engineer who coordinated and managed the wireless charging test program.

The SAE TIR J2954 also has a significant part of its content dedicated to Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Electromagnetic Field (EMF) validation of WPT systems. The same companies that underwent testing at INL continued their testing at TDK R&D Corporations Texas based electromagnetics lab for this aspect of the evaluation. Tests on various configurations were carried out on an OATS (Open Area Test Site with metallic ground plane), on an OFTS (Open Field Test Site with real earth ground plane), and on an EMF planar scan range (for human exposure).

Developing EMC and EMF standards and measurement methodologies is accompanied by the implicit responsibility of protecting incumbent services with the target of establishing sustainable limits that allow coexistence and maintain safe exposure levels for humans and medical devices. Part of this strategy involved establishing a relationship between the SAE J2954 Taskforce and the American Association of Medical Instrumentation. To aid in this effort, TDK leveraged its broad expertise in high power, low frequency magnetic field EMC/EMF measurement experience along with the proper testing venues to accommodate the efficient collection of data across all of the participants WPT platforms, remarked Robert Sutton (Senior VP TDK R&D), Co-Chair of the SAE J2954 EMC/EMF Team.

The data will be used to further develop SAE J2954 guidelines which will ensure that wireless charging systems entering the market meet established requirements for safety, efficiency, performance under real world parking behavior, and interoperability. Interoperability is viewed by the industry to be essential to broad scale adoption of wireless charging, as drivers expect any vehicle to be able to charge at any charging station. The bench testing at INL and TDK will help SAE develop the next phase of standardization.

SAE J2954 standardization enables any compatible vehicle to pull into a wireless power space have automated charging without doing anything -except parking-. Automated wireless charging can be done in conjunction with autonomous parking (for instance with autonomous vehicles.)

Interoperability between wireless power classes (up to 7.7kW) and different topologies (DD and Circular) was tested and proved possible to transfer power with efficiencies within range of SAE J2954 performance guidelines. This is a real step towards commercialization. Idaho National Laboratory and TDK have provided the most complete test data to date in order to validate SAE J2954 on the test bench. The next phase, Recommended Practice in 2017 will give guidance for wireless charging with autonomous parking and charging (up to 11kW) for the vehicle testing. Full vehicle test data will be needed before a J2954 standard can be published in 2018. The national labs from the US DOE offer an ideal location to have this done, stated Jesse Schneider, chair of the SAE J2954 task force.

SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the engineering profession. By uniting over 127,000 engineers and technical experts, we drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs like A World in Motion and the Collegiate Design Series.


America's Preferred Home Warranty I am so pleased to receive this nomination for such a prestigious award that recognizes small business in the state of Michigan, said Randy Caltrider, Owner and President of Americas Preferred Home Warranty.

Americas Preferred Home Warranty is proud to have been nominated as one of the 2017 Michigan 50 Companies to Watch. Michigan Celebrates Small Business (MCSB) is the states premier awards program celebrating small business excellence.

I am so pleased to receive this nomination for such a prestigious award that recognizes small business in the state of Michigan, said Randy Caltrider, Owner and President of Americas Preferred Home Warranty.

A nominee reception was held on December 6th at the University Club of MSU where Keith Brophy, CEO along with Jennifer M. Deamud, COO of the Michigan Small Business Development Center provided nominees with information related to the evaluation and final selection process.

Michigan Celebrates Small Business is designed to shine the spotlight on an economic driver of Michigans economy  small businesses. It recognizes small businesses which have demonstrated real accomplishments, and service providers who have rigorously supported their growth. As a vital part of Michigan Celebrates Small Business, the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch Award recognizes and celebrates the contribution, innovation, and energy of the second-stage companies in the state.

It is small businesses like America's Preferred Home Warranty that are making a significant difference in our state, said Jennifer Deamud. Michigan Celebrates acknowledges growth businesses for their success and commitment to making an impact.

Eligibility Criteria for Michigan 50 Companies to Watch include the following;



Be a privately held commercial enterprise (not a nonprofit, not publicly traded, not a subsidiary or division of another company) and has not received the award in the past

Be past the startup stage and facing issues of growth, not survival

By end of 2016, employ 6-99 full-time equivalent (FTE) W2 employees which includes the owner. (Divide total hours of all employees by 2,080 if you have part-time and full-time employees or employee counts changed throughout the year.)

By end of 2016, have between $750,000 and $50M in annual revenue OR working capital from investors or grants

Be headquartered in Michigan

Demonstrate the intent and capacity to grow based on:

- Employee or sales growth

- Exhibit a sustainable competitive advantage

- Other notable successes

Awardees of the 2017 Michigan 50 Companies to Watch will be publicized in March of 2017.

MCSB is a synergistic program that was founded by organizations that in many of our 50 states too often operate in separate silos. In Michigan, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Michigan Small Business Development Center, the Small Business Administration, the Michigan Business Network, the Edward Lowe Foundation and the Small Business Association of Michigan are all working cooperatively to maximize our impact on the small business community.
Sandy Magnus at DUNMORE Matthew Sullivan, DUNMORE CEO, said, "It was incredible to hear a first-hand account from astronaut Sandy Magnus of the technology and engineering that goes into this amazing aerospace industry that were a small part of." Past News Releases RSS DUNMORE Receives Gold Level...

DUNMORE Corporation Announces New...

DUNMORE Associates Present at the...

DUNMORE Corporation, a manufacturer of specialty films for the aerospace industry, was honored to welcome Sandra Magnus (http://www.aiaa.org/SandyMagnusBio/), former astronaut and executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Magnus discussed her experience working with NASA and her missions aboard the space shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS) during her trip to the Philadelphia-area manufacturer.

DUNMORE Corporation welcomes Sandra Magnus, Executive Director of AIAA and former NASA Astronaut.

DUNMORE Corporation has been supplying films to the space industry for over 30 years. The highly technical products include over 400 design possibilities used primarily for spacecraft thermal protection systems. DUNMORE film materials (http://www.dunmore.com/industries/aerospace.html) can be found on nearly every science, communication and military application during that time. These materials can be seen on Mars Rover Curiosity, as it looks for life on Mars, and more recently protecting the Juno spacecraft on its 5-year journey to Jupiter.

DUNMORE is a proud corporate member of AIAA, along with organizations such as Boeing, Airbus and SpaceX. During Magnus visit, she provided perspective to DUNMOREs associates on her time as an astronaut and on how their hard work and dedication as part of the aerospace workforce allows for safe and successful human and unmanned missions in space. She also talked about the importance of AIAA - and other professional societies - to the aerospace industry.

Matthew Sullivan, DUNMORE CEO, said, Weve developed an intimate knowledge of these materials by working with our partners over the years. That being said, only a few hundred people in the world have ever experienced space travel. It was incredible to hear a first-hand account of the technology and engineering that goes into this amazing industry that were a small part of.

AIAA is the worlds largest aerospace professional society with more than 30,000 individual members from 88 countries, and nearly 100 corporate members. Since 1963, its membersacross industry, academia, and governmenthave been shaping the future of aerospace. The Institute provides the tools, insights, and collaborative exchanges to advance the state of the art in engineering and science for aviation, space, and defense.

About DUNMORE

DUNMORE Corporation is a global developer and manufacturer of engineered coated and laminated films and foils. DUNMORE offers film conversion services such as coating, metalizing and laminating along with contract film manufacturing and custom film product development (http://www.dunmore.com/services/product-development.html). DUNMORE produces coated film, metallized film and laminating film substrates for the aircraft, spacecraft, photovoltaic, graphic arts, packaging, insulation, surfacing and fashion industries. DUNMORE is a privately held, global manufacturer with two sites in the US and one in Europe (Germany). All facilities are ISO 9001:2008 certified. For complete information on DUNMOREs products, services and industries served, please visit DUNMOREs website http://www.dunmore.com/.
Dr. Jeffrey Phillips, DC, the leading chiropractor in the Woodland and Davis communities, has joined the Doctors on Liens Network. It is very, very difficult to find a doctor with the years of experience treating injures after an accident that Dr. Phillips has accumulated. Especially on a lien basis.

Doctors on Liens is devoted to connecting people injured in an accident with well-qualified doctors who can provide the high quality treatment their patients need. For the last twenty-three years, Doctors on Liens has offered the best chiropractors, orthopedists, physical therapists, surgeons, and much more all on a lien basis for personal injury and workers compensation cases. The most recent addition to their comprehensive network is Dr. Jeffrey Phillips serving Davis, Woodland, and the surrounding communities.

Dr. Phillips attended the renowned Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa and founded his private practice. With nearly 30 years of experience and 1000 personal injury cases in his career, Dr. Phillips has perfected his techniques to help those suffering from a personal injury accident more quickly and effectively than ever. He also has extensive training in:



Low Back Pain

Whiplash and Spinal Trauma

Physical Therapy

X-Ray

Orthopedic Evaluation

IDE Certification

QME Certification

Additionally, Dr. Phillips and his team assist with personal injury case management by providing:

Detailed and accurate documentation of injuries and med-legal reports completed within two weeks of discharge

Through communication with personal injury law firms to ensure legal cases progress as quickly as possible

Same day and next day appointments to provide prompt relief

A convenient location with extended hours including Saturdays

Says Doctors on Liens President, Samantha Parker, It is very, very difficult to find a doctor with the years of experience treating injures after an accident that Dr. Phillips has accumulated. Especially on a lien basis. And while I have met several chiropractors with the same years of experience, Dr. Phillips stands out for his dedication to his continued education and comprehensive treatment techniques. Additionally, patients are really going to love the family atmosphere he has facilitated in his office. He and his staff are so friendly! Patients are going to love this office.

Doctors on Liens is an innovator in the medical lien specialty referral industry and has forged close relationships with both legal firms and medical practices over the past 20 years. Doctors on Liens features medical specialties including board certified orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, general practitioners, psychologists, and chiropractors. Each medical office is independently owned and operated and all appointments can be conveniently scheduled directly with the facility.

Doctors on Liens lists medical professionals who offer medical services on a lien basis throughout California and Nevada.
ProcessPro

ProcessPro, leading mid-market ERP software solution company, is pleased to announce that ProcessPro employee, Daniel Erickson, Manager, Product Strategy, will speak at the Northwest Food & Beverage World 2017 Expo  January 9-11, 2017 in Portland, Oregon. Ericksons Tuesday afternoon presentation, Navigating Food Safety Initiatives with an Industry Specific ERP, will be held at the Oregon Convention Center.

The Northwest Food & Beverage World Expo is the largest regional conference of its kind in North America, drawing more than 4,000 attendees, exhibitors and industry specialists. In addition to the keynotes, 40-plus educational sessions and training classes will be presented covering tracks in food safety, sanitation, continuous improvement, sustainability, government affairs, business development and human resources. For more information, visit nwfpa.org.

Erickson is honored to be speaking at this event for the first time. He always looks forward to educating manufacturers on the benefits of an industry specific ERP. He has published numerous industry related articles in various trade publications and has been recognized for his accomplishments by the Stevie American Business Awards and ERP Focus. ProcessPro has been a member of the Northwest Food Processors Association (NWFPA) since 2014.

###

ProcessPro, a division of Open Systems, Inc., is a leading mid-market ERP software solution for the process manufacturing industry. Designed specifically for manufacturers that combine batches of mixtures, ProcessPro seamlessly integrates all aspects of plant operation, from beginning order entry through manufacturing, packaging, shipping, inventory, and accounting. ProcessPro has been serving the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, nutritional supplement, cosmetic, and specialty chemical industries for more than 30 years. More information about ProcessPro is available at http://www.ProcessProERP.com.

About Northwest Food Processors Association

Organized in 1914 in Portland, Northwest Food Processors Association (NWFPA) supports the legislative, regulatory and plant operations needs of the Pacific Northwest food and beverage processing industry (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) in a variety of food processing and packaging segments: fruits, vegetables, seafood, dairy, bakeries, specialty, juices and more. NWFPAs membership base includes national companies with operations or headquarters in the Pacific Northwest, regional companies and locally run family businesses. NWFPA is the nations largest state and regional food processing trade association, with current membership of more than 500 processor, associate, and supplier members. http://www.nwfpa.org.
REUTERS - The Philippines bank through which $81 million stolen from Bangladesh's central bank was channeled in February said on Tuesday that the central bank was responsible for the heist, and so any liability should not be passed on. Manila-based Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) was responding to comments by a Bangladeshi investigator that some Bangladesh Bank officials deliberately exposed its computer systems and enabled hackers to steal the money from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Bangladesh Bank had been demanding that RCBC compensate it for the loss, blaming it for ignoring red flags. RCBC said it did nothing wrong. "The statement of the Bangladesh investigator indicating acts of criminal negligence on the part of certain Bangladesh Bank officials validates what RCBC had been saying all along, and that is that Bangladesh Bank's own acts are the cause of its own loss," RCBC's lawyer Thea Daep told Reuters. "They cannot pass on liability to RCBC that had nothing to do with the theft of the funds." Daep said RCBC would study legal options to see if Bangladesh Bank can be sued in court for making the accusations. Bangladesh Bank spokesman Subhankar Saha could not be reached for comment on a public holiday. Senior Bangladesh police officer Mohammad Shah Alam, who is leading Bangladesh's investigation into one of the world's biggest cyber heists, told Reuters on Monday some central bank officials had knowingly created vulnerabilities in the bank's connection to the SWIFT global messaging and payments system. They had worked with some foreigners, Alam said, without giving details. Alam said investigators were trying to find out how the mid-ranking officials were connected to the hackers and whether they benefited financially from the heist. He said arrests were likely soon. In early February, the unidentified hackers used the SWIFT network to send fake orders requesting the transfer of nearly $1 billion from Bangladesh Bank's account at the New York Fed. Many of the transfer orders were blocked or reversed, but, after a series of oversights and miscommunications, the New York Fed ultimately sent $81 million to four fake accounts in a branch of RCBC. Most of the funds then disappeared into Manila's loosely regulated casino industry. Only around $15 million of the loot has been returned to Bangladesh. (Reporting by Krishna N. Das and Karen Lema; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
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The Seven Prequels

(Orca, Sept. 20, 2016, boxed set of paperbacks $59.95, 978-1-4598-1170-6)

The Seven series, which was followed by the Seven Sequels, now adds Seven Prequels in a simultaneous publication. The series originally began with author Eric Walters asking six fellow childrens authors to contribute novels in a linked series. The titles can be read in any order, and follow the seven grandchildren of an adventurer as they traverse the globe. Novels (paperback, $9.95 each) include: Jungle Land by Eric Walters (978-1-4598-1149-2); The Missing Skull by John Wilson (978-1-4598-1158-4); Speed by Ted Staunton (978-1-4598-1161-4); Weerdest Day Ever! by Richard Scrimger (978-1-4598-1161-4); Slide by Norah McClintock (978-1-4598-1167-6); Barra Cuda by Sigmund Brouwer (978-1-4598-1152-2); and Separated by Shane Peacock (978-1-4598-1164-5).
Much has been said about Chinas book industry; its potential market size powered by a fast-growing middle class, and its interest (and hunger) for translated and imported titles, has attracted the attention of many publishers from every corner of the world.

And while Chinas print book market continues to grow, it is worth noting that this is the country with 913 million smartphone subscribers  more than the U.S., Brazil, and Indonesia combined, according to the latest survey from London-based Global Systems for Mobile Association. Nearly 153 million users read on mobile devices compared to the 133 million who read on PCs, per the latest report from iResearch Global Group. Such adoption of online reading and content consumption has created the unique Chinese phenomenon of Internet literature, where original works first appear online before they enter the traditional print-based publishing system.

What this means is that the Chinese e-book market is huge, and getting bigger with the fast-growing adoption of 4G LTE-enabled services and ever-cheaper mobile devices. And if there is one particular story that can attract readers  both digital and print  in China, it is that of the young wizard of Hogwarts.

Chinese readers have been fascinated with Harry Potter ever since Beijing-based Peoples Literature Publishing House started translating the series in 2000 and went on to sell more than 18 million copies. The latest title, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, has already sold in excess of 500,000 copies. Aside from being the countrys first super-bestseller, the success of the Potter series had made childrens books the fastest growing segment in Chinas book market. It was also credited with raising the average childrens book price from 12 yuan (around $1.75) to 18 yuan ($2.60), and for introducing YA fiction and popularizing translated titles.

So it was hardly surprising to see Massachusetts-based digital distribution company Trajectory Inc., which represents Pottermore, launching the seven Harry Potter novels in both Chinese and English digital editions four months ago. Then, on October 24, the Chinese-language edition of the Pottermore portal was launched, followed by the script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child five days later.

Each launch, said Trajectory founder and CEO James Bryant, was strictly controlled and coordinated  covering embargoes, censorship review process, and marketing programs  with each of the retailers that Pottermore selected. Currently, those retailers include Amazon China, China Mobile, Dangdang, Douban, iReader, JD.com, Tencent, and Xiaomi. China Mobile, by the way, has 835 million subscribers, making it the worlds largest mobile phone carrier, and has been delivering e-books via its platform since 2009.

While Bryant was reluctant to disclose sales figures or membership numbers, he did point out that several Harry Potter e-titles are now on the bestseller lists. Fantastic Beasts, which we launched on November 25, is now topping the charts on many channels, including Amazon China.

However, accessing the vast Chinese market requires more than just having the audience wielding the right devices, or publishers providing the right content. China is a complicated market because of the fact that the government must censor each book that is imported, said Bryant, adding that there is currently a three- to five-year backlog of e-books waiting for censorship review.

Navigating the censorship in China, he added, is quite an involved process, as is the distribution procedure. Each Chinese e-book retailer offers different marketing engagement programs, and it is necessary to understand these if a publisher wishes to sell e-books in China. In our estimate, about 70% of e-book sales are driven by promotions. Trajectory, which has been in China for the past five years, has direct contractual relationships with all major Chinese e-book retailers in order to have better access and understanding of the marketplace.

As to Chinas potential e-book market, Bryant points out that most people in this country are studying English, and it is a market of over one billion new potential readers. Everyone reads on mobile devices, and this is the second largest book market on the planet.

But scanning of printed books and wide distribution of those PDFs is a major challenge to e-book distribution. We have created a program, with the support of the Chinese government, to actively remove pirated copies from websites that are offering them, Bryant says. At this juncture, Im unaware of any retailer, much less a major retailer, who has sold, knowingly or otherwise, a pirated e-book or for that matter a pirated PDF from a print product. The pirated PDFs, he adds, were generally being offered as promotional materials for paid programs that involved small companies.

For companies that are considering launching their e-books in China or planning an e-book presence in the vast country, Bryant says: It is best to work with a local partner to gain efficiencies in navigating the censorship process. It is also essential to work with a local partner to gain marketing advantages and to follow up on piracy issues should the need arise.
Devotionals and Christmas-themed books are getting their usual boost this holiday shopping season, with both featuring prominently across PWs Religion Fiction and Religion Nonfiction bestseller lists. Hardcover editions of Sarah Young's 365-day devotionals took the top two slots on the Religion Nonfiction chartJesus Always, Youngs latest release, maintained its #1 perch from October, while 2004's Jesus Always moved up three spots to #2.

A third devotional, The Heart of Christmas by Christian radio personality Hank Hanegraaff, also charted at #10. The 25-day devotional features Scripture readings, carols, and questions for meditation and discussion intended to inspire readers in the days leading up to Christmas.

Max Lucado's take on the meaning of Christmas, Because of Bethlehem, has been climbing the charts since its September publication and debuts on our Religion Nonfiction list at #6. Lucado toured to support the book and wrote op-eds for FoxNews.com and TheTODAYShow.com. Lucado also partnered with Faithgateway on a free online Bible study of Because of Bethlehem. Speaking to PW about the book in October, Lucado said, "I really wanted to see if I could answer the question 'Whats the big deal about Christmas?' and put it in a book thats accessible to people who are very busy.

Karen Kingsbury moved up one spot from October to #1 in Religion Fiction with A Baxter Family Christmas, which sold nearly 27K copies in November, according to Nielsen BookScan. The 24th book in the Baxter family series is set in Bloomington, Ind. on Christmas Eve. Five other Christmas-inspired novels also placed on the Religion Fiction chart, including Wanda Brunstetters The Christmas Secret, which moved up four places from October to #5.
Among the religion & spirituality books landing in January, Dorothy Days grand-daughter Kate Hennessey writes an in-depth biography of the Catholic icon, a natural healing expert offers soulful approaches to treating chronic and life-threatening illnesses, and the survivor of a botched abortion writes a memoir of finding and forgiving the woman who carried her.

Nonfiction

Jan. 1

Unexpected Recoveries: Seven Steps to Healing Body, Mind, and Soul When Serious Illness Strikes by Tom Monte (Square One, $17.95 paper, ISBN 978-0-757004-00-1). Monte combines modern medicine with ancient healing practices and macrobiotic eating guidelines to help those suffering from chronic or life-threatening diseases find healing. 15,000-copy announced first printing.

Jan. 3

What Does It All Mean? by Richard Leonard (Paulist, $24.95, ISBN 978-0-8091-0641-7). Father Leonard addresses questions that come up in and outside the church and makes a case for belief based on his personal experiences.

Letters to a Young Muslim by Omar Saif Ghobash (Picador, $22, ISBN 978-1-250119-84-1). Ghobash, the ambassador of the U.A.E. to Russia, explores realities of being a Muslim in the 21st century through letters written to his sons.

Jan. 9

You Carried Me: A Daughters Memoir by Melissa Ohden (Plough, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-87486-788-6). Ohden, who survived a botched abortion, recounts finding and forgiving her mother who did not know she was alive. 20,000-copy announced first printing, $100,000 ad/promo budget.

Jan. 17

The Myths of Liberal Zionism by Yitzhak Laor (Verso, $16.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-784786-28-1). Using writings of Amos Oz, David Grossman, and more, poet Laor examines beliefs Western European liberal intellectuals have about Israel, Zionism, and the Israeli peace camp.

There Is No Good Card for This: What to Say and Do When Life Is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love by Emily McDowell and Kelsey Crowe (HarperOne, $25.99; ISBN 978-0-06-246999-1) is an illustrated guide to compassion aimed at helping readers connect with those suffering from grief, severe illness, and other difficult situations. 50,000 copies.

Jan. 24

Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty by Kate Hennessy (Scribner, $27.99, ISBN 978-1-501133-96-1) is an intimate biography of the controversial Catholic that delves into her life before conversion, written by her granddaughter.

Fiction

Jan. 10

Because Youre Mine by Colleen Coble (Thomas Nelson, $12.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-718083-80-9). Alanna must choose between a marriage of convenience or a life alone after a tragedy makes enemies of her in-laws.

Jan. 31

The Dog Who Was There by Ron Marasco (Thomas Nelson, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-718083-92-2) follows Barley, a dog in first-century-C.E. Judea that encounters Christs kindness.

A Note Yet Unsung by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House Publishers, $15.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-7642-0624-5). Rebekah Carrington fights her way into the newly-formed Nashville Philharmonic as a master violinist despite gender inequality and an ego-driven conductor. 60,000 copies.
Tragicomic French Novel Finds Sales Abroad

Barracuda Forever by Pascal Ruter, which will be published in France by JC Lattes in January, has sold to Little Brown U.K., Grijalbo (Spain), Corbaccio (Italy) and Droemer Knaur (Germany). Its about an 85-year-old man named Napoleon who feels the onset of dementia and decides to divorce his wife to spare her the pain of whats to come. With his grandson Leonard, he decides to lead a new life that rebels against conformity. JC Lattes controls all rights.

Finnish Bestseller Sells in Norway

The Matriarch, the new book by Finnish author Jari Tervo, is a bestseller in Finland, and Norwegian rights have sold to Gyldendal Norsk in a pre-empt. Otava published in September, and this is Tervo's first book with the publisher. It looks at the Ingrians, people of a Finnish origin who lived between Finland & Russia in an area close to St. Petersburg. As Otava explains, Tervo is not afraid to call what happened to them in the Soviet Union a genocide. He gives these people a voice in form of a novel that truly shakes its reader, combining historic events with current themes like minority repression, refugees, human rights, and the role of Russia today. Otava Group Agency controls all rights.

French Novel Gains Sales Abroad

French house Les Editions De Minuit recently published Continuer by Laurent Mauvigner, which has sold to several houses, including Feltrinelli (Italy) and DTV (Germany). The book is about Sibylle, who takes her young son, Samuel, on a horse-riding trip in Kyrgyzstan to help him cope with a difficult time in his life. Minuit controls all rights.

Indonesian Writers Novel Continues to Pick Up Sales

In July we reported on Clarissa N. Goenawans novel, Rainbirds, and its sale to Soho Press. Since then the book has gone on to sell in seven additional territories, including to Oceanida in Greece, and Les Escales in France. The book is about a man who moves to a town where his sister was murdered. Goenawan was born in Indonesia and currently resides in Singapore. Spains Pontas Agency controls all rights.
U.S. consumers, businesses and utilities installed 4,143 megawatts of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in the third quarter of this year, a sequential increase of 99% over the second quarter and an increase of 191% over the same period in 2015. The quarter was the largest ever for the U.S. solar industry.

Solar generation accounted for 39% of all new installed generation capacity in the first three quarters of 2016, second only to new natural gas capacity additions. A new megawatt of solar PV capacity came online every 32 minutes in the third quarter.

The data were reported Tuesday by GTM Research, a division of Wood Mackenzie, and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

New installed capacity to date in 2016 has already exceeded new capacity installed in 2015. A total of 14 states installed more than 100 megawatts each in the first three quarters of the year.

ALSO READ: The Best and Worst Run States in America: A Survey of All 50

Rooftop solar installations declined 10% sequentially as a result of a slowdown in major markets, particularly California. The state's investor-owned utilities already have procured enough renewable energy to meet their Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) obligations through the end of the decade.

According to the report, the slowdown in rooftop residential solar growth rates boils down to a single question: "How does residential solar scale when early-adopter customers begin to deplete?" Three trends are emerging:

Customer fatigue: In some areas potential customers are simply tired of door-to-door sales pitches.

Demand for cash sales and loans has picked up more quickly than expected.

Publicly traded residential solar companies have struggled to grow while remaining profitable. (Case in point, SolarCity, recently acquired by carmaker Tesla.)

California led the nation in new installed solar capacity in the third quarter with 1,447 megawatts, followed by Utah with 875 installed megawatts and Texas with 374 installed megawatts.

Story continues

ALSO READ: 10 Analyst Calls Too Big to Ignore: AMD, BHP, Micron, Nike, Pandora and More

The contracted pipeline for new utility-scale plants totaled 19,940 megawatts at the end of the third quarter, about 3.7% more than the 19,220 megawatts of operating capacity. Here's the report's summary forecast for utility-scale solar PV in 2017:

[T]he 2017 outlook has increased due to additional project spillover and less evidence of project cancellation, especially in markets outside RPS mandates. A total of 55% of projects targeting 2017 operation were pushed out from 2016. Equally important, over 70% of the 2017 project pipeline comes from procurement drivers other than utilities procuring PV to meet renewable portfolio standards (RPS). Procurement via PURPA (Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act) is expected to overtake RPS as the largest driver of solar in 2017 as developers leverage avoided cost rates in North and South Carolina, Oregon and Utah. Utilities, particularly in the Southeast, continue to voluntarily procure solar to add to their portfolio as a hedge against natural gas prices. Lastly, there is a growing demand from corporate offtakers in California, Texas, and PJM markets, along with community choice aggregators (CCAs) in California. Underlying these geographic demand and procurement trends is the low-price environment for utility PV, with recent PPAs being signed at prices between $35/MWh and $50/MWh.

ALSO READ: America's 25 Dying Industries

Utility-scale price fell to $1.09 per installed watt for fixed-tilt systems in the third quarter and to $1.21 per installed watt for single-axis tracking systems, a sequential reduction of 6.8% and 6.9%, respectively. Rooftop prices fell below $3.00 per installed watt for the first time ever on a national basis, a drop of 5.1% sequentially.

Related Articles
SPRINGFIELD -- Small business optimism remained flat leading up to Election Day and then rocketed higher as business owners expected much better conditions under new leadership in Washington, according to a special edition of the National Federation of Independent Business monthly Index of Small Business Optimism released Tuesday.

State-specific data is unavailable, but Kim Clarke Maisch, Illinois state director of NFIB, said, The contrast between the pre-election results and the post-election survey couldnt be sharper.

The NFIB Index of Small Business Optimism asks small business owners a battery of questions related to their expectations for the future and their plans to hire, build inventory, borrow and expand.

This month we bifurcated the data to measure the results before and after the election, said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. The November index was basically unchanged from Octobers reading up to the point of the election and then rose dramatically after the results of the election were known.

The full November index improved 3.5 points to 98.4, just above the 42-year average and only the third time since 2007 that it has broken into that territory. Plans to hire jumped five points from the previous month. Expected higher sales rose from a net 1 percent in October to net 11 percent in November.

The blockbuster was "expected better business conditions," which shot from a net -7 percent to 12 percent.

Even without separating the data, the November results paint a starkly different picture than what weve seen in the last 94 months, said Mr. Dunkelberg.

The bifurcated data was even more dramatic.

Job creation plans increased from a net 9 percent through Nov. 8 to a net 23 percent after the election. Expected higher sales rose 16 points, from a net 4 percent to a net 20 percent. Expected better business conditions rose from a net -6 percent to a net 38 percent, a 44-point spike.

If higher optimism can be sustained, I expect that in the coming months well see an increase in business activity, such as hiring and expanding, said Mr. Dunkelberg.

Whether small businesses remain optimistic and lift the U.S. economy depends on whether the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump and congressional leaders follow through on their plans to reform the tax code, repeal regulations and fix the broken health insurance system, NFIB officials said.

Small business owners are clearly encouraged by the election results," said Juanita Duggan, president/CEO of NFIB. But now its time for President-elect Trump and congressional leaders to deliver."

To view the entire survey, visit nfib.com/SBOI.
The settlements approved Wednesday include about $3 million for the family of 17-year-old Cedrick Chatman and roughly $2 million for the family of 27-year-old Darius Pinex.

Pinex was shot during a 2011 traffic stop.

Police shot Chatman in 2013 as he ran from a vehicle he was suspected of taking in a carjacking. In January, a federal judge accused a city lawyer of hiding evidence in the case and ordered a new trial for officers cleared of wrongdoing. That month, video of the shooting was released.

The council also approved a $3.8 million settlement in a longtime federal lawsuit alleging Chicago Fire Department exams discriminate against black women.
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!
A supplement to the contractual agreement for the electrification project was signed by the general director of RZD International, Mr Sergei Pavlov, and the first vice-president of RAI Mr Ahmad Khodaei, in the presence of RZD president Mr Oleg Belozerov.

Russia will finance the project to ensure a swift start to the work.

The contract covers the design, materials, equipment and construction of the electrification project of the Garmsar - Inche Burun line and follows the signing of a preliminary agreement during a visit by Russian president Mr Vladimir Putin to Tehran in November 2015.

Belozerov also signed an agreement with head of RAI, Mr Saeed Mohammadzadeh, to enhance joint efforts in developing transit traffic on the north-south international transport corridor in the form of regular meetings of working groups.
Around 1300 people have made this possible through a crowdfunding initiative - Locomore claims to be the worlds first crowdfunded railway company.

We now want as many people as possible to board our new long-distance train service, and thereby together make Locomore a success, says Mr Derek Ladewig, Locomores founder, main shareholder, and managing director.

Locomores daily service, which is operated by a 200km/h locomotive-hauled train, takes around 6h 45min to travel from Stuttgart to Berlin Main Station compared with 5h 35min by an ICE train operated by German Rail (DB). However, Locomore says it expects to carry a lot of passengers between intermediate stations and to attract a wide range of people including students due to its attractive fares.

Locomore charges 22 - 65 for a single ticket from Stuttgart to Berlin depending on the day of the week, compared with DBs lowest second-class fare 115.90 or 72.50 with a Bahncard 50 discount card.

Five categories of accommodation are offered on Locomore: basic, quiet, themed, and business, in either traditional compartments or open saloons fitted with leather seats. Wi-Fi is available and refreshments are served. Packages are also available in the business compartments which include snacks and drinks.
NS placed an order with Stadler last year for 58 sets comprising 25 four-car and 33 three-car trains, with deliveries due to conclude next year. Despite awarding a contract to CAF for 118 trains based on the Civity platform for Sprinter services, NS needed an urgent solution for more seating capacity as an extra increase of passengers was expected, and awarded Stadler a contract without tendering because the company was able to provide trains within a short timescale.

The NS Flirt 3s are being maintained at the Nedtrain depot in Maastricht and the fleet is initially being deployed on Nijmegen  s-Hertogenbosch and s-Hertogenbosch  Eindhoven  Deurne services. The trains will mostly operate in the south and southeast of the Netherlands.

Meanwhile NS subsidiary Abellio has introduced its fleet of six Flirt 3 EMUs on the 17km Gouda - Alphen aan den Rijn line. This operation is part of the R-Net network in the densely-populated Randstad region. The trains are maintained at Nedtrains Leidschendam-Voorburg depot and will enable the operation of up to four trains per hour between Gouda and Alphen. Two new stations will also be constructed on this line.

German Rail (DB) subsidiary Arriva Nederland has taken over operation of regional bus and train services in Limburg province, introducing a new fleet of 12 two-car and 13 three-car 1.5kV dc EMUs. Arriva Limburg will also receive eight multi-system Flirts for cross-border services to Aachen, Germany, and there are plans to develop a three-country regional service linking Liege in Belgium with Aachen via Maastricht and Heerlen in the Netherlands.

Further Flirt 3 trains will arrive in the Netherlands next year as Syntus (soon to be renamed after parent company Keolis), is due to start operating regional services on the Zwolle - Kampen and Zwolle - Enschede lines next December. Stadler will supply 16 trains for these routes.

Finally Connexxion has ordered two three-car Flirt 3s to expand its fleet on the Ede-Wageningen - Amersfoort line. Deliveries are due to start in 2018.
Canadian Pacific Railway Limited announced Dec. 14 that Jane L. Peverett has been appointed to its Board of Directors effective December 13, 2016.

We are thrilled to welcome Jane to CPs board, said Andrew F. Reardon, Chairman of the Board. She brings a unique breadth of board experience  from finance to energy to media  and significant corporate leadership expertise to her new role on our board. We look forward to Janes contributions and guidance on behalf of all CP shareholders.

Ms. Peverett is a member of the Board of Directors of Hydro One Ltd., Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), Northwest Natural Gas Company and Encana Corp. She most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 2005 to 2009 and Chief Financial Officer from 2003 to 2005 of British Columbia Transmission Corporation. She was the chief executive officer of Union Gas Ltd. from 2001 to 2003. She is an Executive Committee Member for the Institute of Corporate Directors, BC Chapter and a Fellow of the Society of Management Accountants.

Ms. Peverett holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University, an MBA from Queens University and is a Certified Management Accountant.

CP has come so far in such a short time and I look forward to playing a role in creating an even brighter future for CP customers, employees and shareholders, said Peverett. CP is integral to the health of the Canadian economy and Im proud to be joining this board.
More than 465 civilians, including 62 children, have died in east Aleppo during the assault, the Observatory said in a new toll (AFP Photo/George OURFALIAN)

Beirut (AFP) - Here are the latest developments on the main battle fronts in Syria and Iraq, as of 1830 GMT on Wednesday:

SYRIA

- Battle for Aleppo -

Shelling and air strikes sent terrified residents running through the streets of Aleppo amid international efforts to save a deal to evacuate rebel-held districts of the city.

A month into an assault to regain control of all of the northern city, Syria's army has taken back more than 90 percent of the former rebel stronghold in east Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported "very intense clashes on every front line" and said at least two people had been killed in rebel areas.

State television said rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas had also resumed, killing at least seven people.

It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, after an estimated 130,000 fled to other parts of Aleppo during the government advance.

More than 465 civilians, including 62 children, have died in east Aleppo during the assault, the Observatory said Wednesday in a new toll.

Another 142 civilians, among them 42 children, have been killed by rebel rocket fire on government-held zones in the same period, the monitor said.

- Palmyra -

With regime forces focused on taking Aleppo, the Islamic State group has re-seized the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria, just eights months after the army backed by Russia drove the jihadists out.

Retaking the UNESCO World Heritage site on Sunday gave the jihadist group an important propaganda boost as it faces assaults on two key bastions -- Syria's Raqa and Iraq's Mosul.

- Raqa -

A US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance is fighting to seize IS's de facto Syrian capital of Raqa, east of Aleppo.

Backed by US troops and air strikes from a US-led coalition, members of the Syrian Democratic Forces have advanced to within 25 kilometres (15 miles) of the city.

IRAQ

- Battle for Mosul -

Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitary forces said on Tuesday they retook three more villages southwest of Mosul, completing another phase in operations aimed at cutting the jihadists' link to Syria.

Story continues

Pro-government forces launched an assault on October 17 to eject IS from its last Iraqi stronghold. They have taken almost half of eastern Mosul.

The elite Counter-Terrorism Service now controls several eastern neighbourhoods and is closing in on the river Tigris that divides the city.

Federal police and interior ministry forces have mostly been fighting on a southern front, stalled within striking distance of Mosul airport.

The United Nations says a total of 90,000 people have been displaced as a result of the Mosul operation.
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Brexit, the U.S. presidential election, and the popularity of Le Pen's Front National party in France, the AFD party in Germany, politician Geert Wilders in the Netherlands. They are all examples of rising anti-establishment movements that have been attributed to a predominantly white, low-skilled contingentone that has lost out in the age of globalisation. Politicians and media publications in the UK have referred to these groups as JAMs, for 'just about managing.'

Indeed, recent analyses of electoral results from the UK's EU referendum and the U.S. presidential election suggest that leave and Trump votes strongly correlate with high density of low-skilled workers. Other researchers showed that regions in the UK, such as the Midlands and North East, which have been more exposed to recent rises in manufacturing imports from Chinadue to their historical industry specialisationhave systematically higher leave voters. Comparable regions elsewhere include America's rust belt, and the north of France, where a significant amount of manufacturing jobs have disappeared.

Furthermore, a chart showing income growth against income distribution has helped to fuel the debate about the squeezed middle. It was assembled in 2012 by Branko Milanovic, an inequality scholar, and became known as the elephant chart, because of its shape. It suggests that lower-middle classes in rich countries have been one of the most prominent losers of globalisation in the past couple of decades. The chart shows the relative gain in per capita real income growth between 1988 and 2008 in the global income distribution. Its rough elephant shape is reflected in graph lines that look like a large head and a trunk that go down and up againand shows that incomes for the middle class have risen in emerging economies like China but fallen for the lower-middle class in advanced economies like Europe and the United States. The incomes for the world's richest 1 percent have risen sharply. Milanovic calls the bottom part of the trunk the decile of discontent, referring to those squeezed between their own countries' tycoons and Asia's middle class.

But is globalisation to blame for these trends? Is this the price we have had to pay for the rise of the Asian middle class?

Globalisation might be one of many drivers. But a return to protectionism, through ending trade agreements and throwing up trade barriers, is unlikely to stop this trend. In fact, a variety of other factors may exacerbate the inequality over the next years, particularly such elements as skills, age and household type.

Skills: Technology may drive productivity gains, boost demand and, as such, have a positive effect on employment. However, jobs based on manual and cognitive tasks (low- and medium-skilled work) are more susceptible to being replaced by technologies than those relying on social and creative intelligence (high-skilled work). As a consequence, unemployment for low-skilled occupations is expected to rise in the long term. Moreover, earnings gained from productivity growth related to technology are heavily concentrated among high-income workers and families.

Age: Young people (from ages 15 to 24) are also heavily affected by inequality. They were the only age group in the United States whose income had not grown in real terms over the past half-century, according to U.S. Census data from a 2016 report on income and poverty. And in Europe, when the financial crisis hit in 2008, they were disproportionally affectedone in five workers in this age group is unemployed, while in some countries, including Spain and Greece, only one in two young workers has a job. These conditions could leave lasting scars. Recent empirical evidence ( PDF ) suggests that unemployment early in a career, or even graduating from school in times of economic crisis, can have lasting, harmful effects on young people's lifetime career arc and salaries.

Households: One in four Europeans is estimated to be at risk of poverty and social exclusion in the EU, and some specific types of households are economically more vulnerable than others. The groups associated with the highest risk of poverty include single parents with dependent children (particularly single mothers), single-person households, and households with at least one member over age 65. These are exactly the household types projected to grow the most over the next decades. Ageing, increasing divorce and separation rates, and shifting gender roles contribute to the higher prevalence of these households.

Studies show that growing up in a single-parent home can have an effect on a child's educational and future employment performance. In the EU, 18 percent of children under age 15 do not live with their parents. At the same time, Europe's population is ageingone in four people will be 65 or older by 2030. In addition, single-person households are the fastest-growing household type in Europe.

With so many factors at play, it may be too simplistic to blame only globalisation for the squeezing of the middle in the West. Inequality has multiple dimensions, such as the increasing income gap between high- and low-skilled workers, the increasing income gap between younger people and the rest of the population, and the vulnerability of particular households. With so many aspects contributing to the equation, there is a big risk that certain groups will become trapped in poverty and social exclusion, with a vicious cycle of inequality continuing for these groups for years to come. Governments should focus on breaking this cycle.

Concentrating on bringing back manufacturing jobs from China to the West is not enough. The United States, UK and other countries in Western Europe should increase their focus on education and training to make sure that the labour force has the skills needed to succeed in a future economy. It should also emphasise early intervention to improve education and employment outcomes later in life. This approach should be less costly and more effective than having to repair these gaps down the road for those 'just about managing.'

Stijn Hoorens is associate director of RAND Europe, the head of RAND's Brussels Office and faculty member at the Pardee RAND Graduate School.

This commentary originally appeared on E!Sharp on December 14, 2016. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
BBC Worldwide and ITV are launching BritBox, an ad-free subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service for the US.





Expected to go live in Q1 2017, the service will offer classic shows as well as new hit series. In the former category, the titles include Brideshead Revisited, Pride and Prejudice and Upstairs Downstairs; the political thriller State of Play; murder mystery series Inspector Morse and Rosemary and Thyme; and the sitcoms Keeping Up Appearances and Fawlty Towers. It will also feature some drama premieres that have never been seen in the US, including New Blood, Tutankhamun, The Moonstone and In The Dark. Current series include EastEnders, Emmerdale and Holby City.The BBC and ITV are the two most prolific content producers and broadcasters in British television  both known for their unrivalled, ground-breaking shows, said Ann Sarnoff, president, BBC Worldwide North America. BritBox will offer a streaming experience like no other, with thousands of hours of programmes across a wide variety of genres  some of which will be available right after their UK broadcast. This will be a must-have service for lovers of British television.AMC Networks, which has a joint venture with BBC Worldwide for cable channel BBC America, is investing in BritBox with a non-voting minority interest. BBC Worldwide and ITV share an equal majority stake in the joint venture.
Genius Brands International has snagged the content distribution, licensing and merchandising rights to SpacePOP in Southern Europe, including Spain, Portugal and Italy, for a brand launch in 2017 with Luk Internacional.





SpacePOP is comprised of over 100 serialised adventures featuring original music woven into a narrative that follows five teenage princesses who disguise themselves as musicians and form a band while they secretly plot to vanquish an evil Empress who is seeking to enslave the galaxy. It offers a colourful blend of music, fashion, beauty, friendship and intergalactic adventures.Genius Brands forged a new path in the childrens media space by utilising YouTube as its initial distribution path for SpacePOP, which launched exclusively on the YouTube SpacePOP channel in June. It has already amassed approximately 11.5 million views. In the US, SpacePOP is also available across multiple digital platforms, including Toon Goggles, PopJam, BatteryPOP and the Kid Genius Cartoon Channel on Comcast, and will be launching this month on OTT platforms, including Amazon, Apple, Roku, Google and more. All told, the combined audience reach for the service is nearly 50 million.The strategy we developed to launch SpacePOP, from utilising YouTube as our launch media partner to the creation of a fashion-forward marketing and retail strategy and harnessing the power of todays top media influencers, has engaged millions of young girls, said Stone Newman, president, Global Consumer Products, Worldwide Content Sales & Marketing, for Genius Brands. The key elements of SpacePOP  music, friendship, fashion and adventure  cross cultural boundaries, and we have no doubt that Luk Internacional will create a program that equally resonates with tweens throughout Spain, Italy and Portugal.SpacePOP has become a tween sensation in the US, and we intend to replicate its success across Southern Europe by bringing on board best in class media, licensing, retail and promotional partners to drive the growth of the brand, added Paco Gratacos, president of Luk Internacional. We anticipate SpacePOP to be the Galactic Star of 2017.
Order to ban Crimean Tatar leader Dzhemilev from entering Russia upheld

MOSCOW, December 14 (RAPSI, Oleg Sivozhelezov)  Russia's Supreme Court sided with the Federal Security Service (FSB) that had banned Crimean Tatars leader Mustafa Dzhemilev from entering the country, Dzhemilevs lawyer Mark Feygin told RAPSI on Wednesday.

In 2014 Dzhemilev tried to enter Crimea but Russian authorities told him that he is prohibited from entering Russia until 2019 by decree of the FSB.

On May 20, the Moscow City Court ruled that Dzhemilev, along with another leader of the Majlis, Refat Chubarov, are banned from entering Crimea for five years. The regional officials claim that the Tatar leaders activity incited inter-ethnic hatred.

On April 26, the Supreme Court of Crimea granted a lawsuit filed by republics Prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya and banned the Majlis of Crimean Tatars as extremist organization. This ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court of Russia on September 29.

On January 21, Dzhemilev was detained in absentia. He was put on the federal wanted list as a defendant in a criminal case. Russian authorities did not announce what Dzhemilev is charged with.
MOSCOW, December 14 (RAPSI, Diana Gutsul)  The Moscow City Court has overturned a ruling of a lower court on recovery of 16 million rubles ($258,000) from Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny in favor of Kirovles company, RAPSI learned on Wednesday from Navalnys lawyer Vadim Kobzev.

On October 23 of 2015, the Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow ruled to recover this sum from Navalny as a compensation for caused damages. The courts ruling was cancelled after the Supreme Court overturned sentences against Navalny and his accomplice Pyotr Ofitserov in Kirovles embezzlement case and sent it for retrial.

The ECHR ruled in February that Russia had violated Navalny's and and Pyotr Ofitserovs right to a fair trial.

In particular, according to ECHR, sentences against them were issued with numerous violations because a lot of references were made regarding another defendant in the case Vyacheslav Opalyov. The proceedings against Opalyov were treated as a separated criminal case after he admitted his guilt.

Additionally, the ECHR noted that Russian courts failed to review claims by the defense that Kirovles case might have a political motive behind it and did not provide adequate evaluations of such claims. ECHR itself did not find a political motive in the case. The court ruled to compensate Navalny with 48,000 euros of legal costs and Ofitserov with 22,000 euros. Additionally, Russia is to pay 8,000 euro to each applicant in damages.

Russias Justice Ministry filed a request seeking referral of the case to the Grand Chamber of the ECHR, but the request was dismissed.

Russia's Supreme Court overturned in mid-November sentences against Navalny and Ofitserov in Kirovles embezzlement case and sent it for retrial.

Russia's Supreme Court delivered the ruling taking into consideration the judgement of the ECHR.

Navalny refused to attend the new trial.

According to investigators, while serving on a voluntary basis as an adviser to the Kirov Region governor Navalny organized the theft of over 10,000 cubic meters of timber from Kirovles company between May and September 2009.

Investigators claimed that Ofitserov, then Director of Vyatka Timber Company, and Kirovles CEO Opalyov were involved in the scheme.
Moscow City Court upholds seizure of prominent Armenian businessmans property

MOSCOW, December 14 (RAPSI)  The Moscow City Court has refused to lift seizure of property belonging to prominent Armenian businessman Levon Airapetyan, who was sentenced to four years in prison for embezzlement of $700,000, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday.

The court has dismissed an appeal filed by Airapetyans lawyer. Airapetyans apartment and bank accounts, estimating $300,000-400,000 are to stay under arrest.

In April, Airapetyan was found guilty of stealing $700,000 from the mother of former Bashkortostan senator Igor Izmestyev sentenced to life for terrorism. In addition to the prison sentence Airapetyan was ordered to pay the victim 20.8 million rubles (about $320,000).

According to investigators, the businessman has misled the woman by promising a reduced sentence for her son. In practice, he could not influence the judgment.

The businessman has pleaded not guilty. According to his lawyer, the case has been framed up.

Airapetyan also stands charged with involvement in an embezzlement case under which Ural Rakhimov, son of the former head of Bashkortostan Murtaza Rakhimov, sold Bashneft, a midsized oil company he headed for three years, to the oil-to-telecoms conglomerate Sistema in 2009 at a huge discount of $500 million.

Airapetyan holds dual citizenship, has assets abroad and was until recently living in Monaco. Prosecutors presented this information as grounds for arrest. In early October 2014, Airapetyan was placed under house arrest. His defense attorney asked the court to release him, citing health problems.
Criminal probe into ex-lawmaker Mikheyev finished - report

Context Russian lawmaker Mikheyev declared bankrupt

MOSCOW, December 14 (RAPSI)  A criminal probe into former State Duma lawmaker Oleg Mikheyev, accused of fraud and attempting to steal over two billion rubles ($33.9 mln) from Promsvyazbank, has been finished, Kommersant newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Investigators allege that Mikheyev was involved in the illegal acquisition of 14 real estate sites of the Volgograd Motor Plant worth more than 500 million roubles.

The case is expected to be forwarded to the the Prosecutor Generals Office.

The State Duma, lower house of parliament, voted in February 2013 to strip Mikheyev of parliamentary immunity and to open the criminal case against him.

Mikheyev denies any wrongdoing, according to Kommersant.
syria

Syrian rebel officials announced late Tuesday morning that they had reached a cease-fire deal with Russia to evacuate some opposition forces and civilians from the besieged city of eastern Aleppo.

The talks, which were moderated by Turkish officials in Ankara, appeared to culminate in a deal that would allow 40,000 civilians to leave the city, a source within the opposition with knowledge of the talks told Business Insider.

The UN's envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said in a press conference on Tuesday that the process to evacuate civilians from the city had already begun. Rebels with light arms would be allowed to evacuate the city as well.

"The opposition's armed groups also can leave Aleppo, following the civilian population," a Turkish official tweeted. "They may go to Idlib, according to the agreement."

Russia's envoy to the United Nations said on Tuesday that "the military activities in east Aleppo have stopped" and that the government "has established control over east Aleppo."

The cease-fire deal came amid reports that pro-government forces, including regime troops and Shiite militias backed by Iran  another Assad ally  had summarily executed dozens of civilians, including women and children, as they moved to clear rebel-held areas of Aleppo on Monday.

Many of the civilians executed by pro-government forces were injured and awaiting treatment in the city's makeshift medical facilities, reports from the scene said. Others were trying to flee their homes.

It's "a complete meltdown of humanity," United Nations humanitarian spokesman Jens Laerke said.

Syria

The government forces also reportedly set fire to a building used to house people who had been displaced in the fighting, with possibly more than 100 children trapped inside.

Story continues

"According to alarming reports from a doctor in the city, many children, possibly more than 100, unaccompanied or separated from their families, are trapped in a building, under heavy attack in east Aleppo," Unicef said in a statement. "We urge all parties to the conflict to allow the safe and immediate evacuation of all children."

Civilians being treated at the underground Hayat Medical Center in Aleppo, run by the Syrian American Medical Society, were also executed by pro-government forces on Monday, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Business Insider.

Reports initially indicated that the medical center staff had been executed as well, but they managed to escape in time.

Assad's forces were also using forced conscription to take over and clear areas of the besieged half of the city. Images circulated by pro-government sources on Monday showed Syrian men and boys from east Aleppo standing in front of government forces inside a detention camp.

syria

An estimated 100,000 people are still trapped in a "hellish corner" of less than one mile of territory in eastern Aleppo that hasn't yet fallen to government forces, said Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the United Nations' human-rights office. He said in a press conference that the UN had received reports of pro-government forces killing least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, in four different neighborhoods.

Civilians trying to flee their homes were also being shot in the street by pro-Assad forces, said Laerke, the UN humanitarian spokesman.

"We're seeing the most cruel form of savagery in Aleppo, and the regime and its supporters are responsible for this," Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said in a press conference from Ankara. "The wounded are not being let out, and people are dying of starvation."

A nurse living in eastern Aleppo told The New York Times that some rebels, too, had threatened those trying to flee the city.

"Why do you want to go to those who are bombing you?" the nurse said one fighter asked her family as they were trying to flee to government-held territory.

"We are dead either way," one civilian replied.

syria

The Russian Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that "tales" of hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in Aleppo were "Russophobic chatter" and that any civilians remaining in the city were being used by rebels as human shields.

The operation to take Aleppo back from the rebels was "successful and humane in every sense in regard to civilians," the Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

But Mouaz Moustafa, the executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force and political director of the nonprofit, pro-opposition organization United for a Free Syria, said that "horrendous war crimes" were being perpetrated against civilians as neighborhoods fell, one by one, to regime troops.

"And it's all being done with Russian aerial cover, including cluster bombs and barrel bombs," he told Business Insider on Monday.

"Aleppo will fall," he added. "I don't understand how it lasted this long. I just fear for the men, women, and children who will be slaughtered in the process."

Moustafa said he had received reports that the regime was also using chemical weapons, such as chlorine and white phosphorus, to clear the rebel-held areas. Those reports are unconfirmed.

"We are people, are being deleted from the human map," Malek, an activist inside Aleppo, told The New York Times. "We have two neighborhoods and one street, and the regime will keep bombing this small area."

syria

The US was shut out of the new round of negotiations hosted in Ankara, two sources close to the opposition have told Business Insider.

The talks were initially aimed at securing a deal to deliver humanitarian aid to eastern Aleppo in exchange for the evacuation of extremists groups like the former Al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. Separate negotiations between Russia and the US were apparently underway simultaneously to evacuate rebel groups from Aleppo, allowing civilians to stay and receive humanitarian aid.

The rebels proposed instead that civilians be evacuated from the city.

Arizona Senator John McCain and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham released a joint statement on Tuesday saying that news of a cease-fire deal in Aleppo was "not a cause to celebrate, but a sure sign of the fate that awaits other Syrian cities."

"Having consolidated its power in Aleppo and paid no price for its war crimes, the Assad regime will use the ceasefire to reset its war machine and prepare to slaughter its way to victory across the rest of the country," the statement read.

"It is heartbreaking that we've reached this point," it continued. "The cold logic of mass graves confronts us yet again, and the name Aleppo will echo through history, like Srebrenica and Rwanda, as a testament to our moral failure and everlasting shame."

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Stormtrooper 3D Glasses

Death Trooper 3D Glasses

Rebel Pilot 3D Glasses

Three dimensional projection system provider RealD has kindly supplied Rebelscum with an advance set of the three scuplted 3D glasses have been specially produced forDesigned in the USA by CDM Co , a company who has a lengthy history in producingmerchandise as they were the first company to produce LEGO Writing pens. As a global leader in the development and production of 3D eyewear for a premium theatrical and in-home 3D viewing experience, CDM Co have worked in partnership with RealD and numerous major movie studios - such as Marvel, Disney, Lucas (for the release of 3D versions of The Phantom Menace and The Force Awakens ), Universal and Warner Brothers - to develop and distribute collectible, character-centric 3D eyewear. The buzz generated by the four TFA glasses was amazing and ReadD capitalised on it by releasing one per week to givefans more reasons to go back to the cinema.There are three designs to chose from this time around - a white Imperial Storm Trooper, Death Trooper in black and the orange Rebel Pilot. The Storm and Death Trooper glasses are plainly modelled on the visor portion of an Imperial Stormtrooper and the new Death Trooper helmets, however it is unclear what part of the helmet the Rebel Pilot glasses are taken from.Unlike the Master Images 3D glasses there does seem to be some size scaling. From my immediate impression the Rebel Pilot ones would appeal more to young girls and the size seems to be slightly smaller. Similarly the Death Trooper ones appeared to have a narrower width and thinner temples (arms) and would accommodate a child's head more comfortably. The Imperial Storm Trooper glasses are a good bit chunkier, with thicker arms and a much more robust structure. Of the three these would fit an adult more adequately, and would last longer - perhaps even until the 3D BluRay home release ofThere are not yet any details on cost or distribution - I guess we'll know in a few hours.Are they necessary though? The design aesthetic certainly won't add to the 3D experience but it will level you up in the eyes of fellow Star Wars fans and other members of the audience. (Here's hoping it'll become cooler to wear these than wave around plastic lightsabers during the showing.)Though they are being produced by RealD the glasses will work with in competing MasterImage 3D certified cinemas as well. However they won't work with active-based 3D systems, such as Dolby, IMAX or Xpand, as these companies use shutter glasses with active electronics. On the plus side they will work with 3D TVs that use passive 3D technology, which is most of them.On a final note, despite their dark tint these glasses cannot be used as sunglasses. Because of the structure of the lens, 3D glasses might expose the retina to a higher dose of light radiation (ultraviolet and infrared) than normal exposure to sunlight generally causes. So if any one figures out a mod to swap out the 3D lenses to make UV protective sunglasses please feel to post in the Rebelscum Props and Prop Replicas section in our forums.
Avidity Arms, a division of Eagle Imports, has revealed the final version of production PD10 markings as they continue to promote their new handgun. Production frames were just recently displayed at this year's NASGW. The PD10 is a polymer framed, DAO semi-auto pistol, designed by firearms instructor, PDN HMFIC and I.C.E. Training founder Rob Pincus. The new handgun was specifically designed as a concealed-carry pistol. It's a made-in-the-USA single stack 9mm with built with what they describe as standard aftermarket and custom features. The NRA's American Rifleman website further described it as having a practical sight system, a smooth trigger pull, a short accessory rail and a comfortable grip.

We haven't had our hands on it yet, but it looks promising.

We're pretty sure this is Ron Perlman on the range recently with one of the first PD10s, but we could be wrong.

The Avidity Arms PD10 has a 4 in. barrel, an Ameriglo Luma Glow front sight, an I.C.E.Claw rear sight, and is fed by 10 round 1911 magazines and is rated to handle +P ammunition. Grip and slide are less than an inch wide, though the magazine catch and slide stop make it slightly wider in those locations. It will hit the market with defense-oriented holsters already available, including versions from Crossbreed, PHLster, BLACKHAWK!, CastleBravo and others.

That's a nice touch often overlooked by firearms manufacturers  and kudos to Avidity for getting PHLster in that lineup.

The PD10 is intended to come from the factory set up to rub, not bite (that's what she said), so it's more comfortable to carry IWB or AIWB. It was also designed with a low slide, putting it down very close to the shooter's hand (close enough to touch the hands).

But if we get this right, Pincus says, it won't be cutting them.

You can learn more about Florida-based Avidity Arms on the web right here. How they got to Florida from Eagle's home state of New Jersey we don't now, but we don't blame 'em. They're on the book of face at /avidityPD10/ and on Instagram as well, @AvidityArms.

There's no word on a for-sure release date yet.
One of the Volvo XC90s Uber is debuting in San Francisco.

No one would have confused the self-driving cars Uber debuted in Pittsburgh in September for regular vehicles. The roof of each Ford Fusion was laden with cameras, sensors, and antennae, plus a small LiDAR (laser radar) unit that hummed softly as it spun. The cars themselves were either black or white, with UBER on the front doors and ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES CENTER underneath. Inconspicuous they were not.

The autonomous Volvo SUVs Uber is debuting in San Francisco today are a different story. The cameras and LiDAR units are far more compact, closer in appearance to a ski rack than a pile of high-tech sensors. The cars are gunmetal gray, with a small Uber logo on the front, light geometric patterning on the rear doors, and the companys name on the trunk. If you werent really paying attention, you could almost mistake one for a regular car.

But while the autonomous Ubers may be relatively innocuous to consumers, they will be much less so to California regulators. Uber is treading a fine line with this latest rollout of self-driving technologies. The company has not obtained one of the autonomous vehicle testing permits required by Californias Department of Motor Vehicles to trial self-driving cars on public roads in the state. Its an outlier in this respect: As of Dec. 8, Californias DMV had issued permits to 20 companies, including Google, Tesla, GM, Ford, and Honda.

Self-driving cars are governed at the state level in the US. In Pittsburgh, Uber is taking advantage of a regulatory void in Pennsylvania, which has yet to enact autonomous-vehicle legislation.

Ubers initial fleet in San Francisco will consist of a small handful of vehicles, spokeswoman Chelsea Kohler said, declining to be more specific. As in Pittsburgh, the cars will all be monitored by a safety driver and an Uber test engineer. They will be available to users of UberX, the cheapest private ride offered by the platform.

Story continues

In a post on Ubers website, Anthony Levandowski, head of the companys self-driving efforts, explained why it chose to sidestep the DMV. Before you think, there they go again let us take a moment to explain, he wrote, a wry nod to Ubers reputation for dodging local laws. The rules apply to cars that can drive without someone controlling or monitoring them. For us, its still early days and our cars are not yet ready to drive without a person monitoring them.

The California DMV rebuked that logic. The permits exist to ensure public safety as self-driving technology is tested, the DMV said in a statement on Dec. 13. Existing regulations also require companies trialling autonomous cars to notify the DMV of any accidents within 10 business days, and to submit an annual report detailing when humans took over during testing or when self-driving technologies were forced to disengage.

Twenty manufacturers have already obtained permits to test hundreds of cars on California roads, the DMV noted. Uber shall do the same.

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Browning recently sent us word of a new full auto knife they have available.

Heres what they had to say about it, though we'll warn you in advance we don't have a whole lot of information or imagery yet.

New to the Black Label line of products from Browning is the Pandemonium Full Auto Knife. This unique modified tanto blade model is made in the U.S.A. and has full auto assisted opening for rapid blade deployment. The blade on the knife is hollow ground and made from 440 stainless steel. The blade is 3  long and the knife has an overall length of 7  when opened. The handle is made of checkered black G-10 scales and has a tactical pocket clip. Pandemonium Full Auto Knife suggested retail, $309.99.

About Browning in their own words.

Browning is one of those classic, traditional companies with a long, proud history. To get to the very beginning one would have to go back to 1805, to the birth of Jonathan Browning in Tennessee. Jonathan was the father of John Moses Browning. Like many of his time he sought a life in the West, which eventually had him setting up shop as a gunmaker and gunsmith of some note in Nauvoo, Illinois and eventually brought him further West, with the Mormon pioneers to Ogden, Utah. Todays Browning offers a broad swath of products for the outdoors person, especially with the power of both the Browning and Winchester Repeating Arms brands under our stewardship. That Browning is the maker of Winchester brand firearms is a twist of history that would certainly make Mr. Browning smile. Browning is headquartered a few miles east of Ogden in Morgan County. We are surrounded by mountains and are able to enjoy the hunting, fishing and plentiful outdoor activites found right here at one of the most beautiful places in the west.

For more information on Browning knives click here.
Porterville, CA (93257)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 56F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low near 40F. Winds light and variable.
An alleged hit-and-run occurred near the intersection of Lumpkin and Baldwin streets at around 2:30 a.m. Dec. 14.
Damien Chazelle makes things personal. He began our interview by setting his phone down on the table and saying, "I'm recording, for my records." He said it like he was kidding, but the recorder rolled on, capturing our conversation.

Maybe it's part of his process. The 31-year-old writer/director's 2014 film "Whiplash" was based on his high school experience in a competitive jazz band, and in his upcoming movie musical "La La Land," Ryan Gosling stars as a jazz musician who can't stand to see the art dying. Perhaps every interaction is a potential source of inspiration for Chazelle.

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Or maybe he's paranoid. I didn't ask.

But it certainly seems as though Chazelle lives in his art. There is a scene early in "La La Land" when Gosling's character, Sebastian, tries to sell Mia (Emma Stone) on jazz. You can't just hear it, you have to see it, he says. In some ways, it felt like the pitch was coming directly from Chazelle.

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"Looking at the movie now, it seems to be very much like me trying to convince people to like musicals," he said. "Give them a chance! I guess it comes down to any art form that, for whatever reason, gets painted by society with a certain brush as being irrelevant or cheesy or old-fashioned or whatever. I think whether it's jazz or musicals, I wanted this movie to do a little bit of selling in that way. So I guess Sebastian kind of takes up the mantle at that point."

As Chazelle discussed his film, Rosemarie DeWitt sat on the other side of the couch, listening intently. DeWitt, who plays Sebastian's sister, Laura, watched Chazelle as he spoke, weighing his answer before following up with her own question.

"Was this your hope?" she interjected. "That the audience would find some love for jazz and musicals?"

"Yeah!" Chazelle said. "First off, I think moviesespecially the experience of going to a movie in a theatercan be very good. There's good music movies, it almost doesn't matter what they're about. You can literally think you hate all classical music but you go to see 'Amadeus' and suddenly you want to listen to nothing but Mozart. You can think you hate James Brown, you go see 'Get on Up,' you want to listen to James Brown. You can"

"You can't hate James Brown!" DeWitt interrupted. "Who hates James Brown?"

"In my mind, who hates jazz?" he countered.

Their back-and-forth is reminiscent of "La La Land" itself, which is full of crackling dialogue and hinges on the concept of timing.

"Ryan [Gosling], the thing he kept talking about when we were rehearsing and prepping was this idea of timing," Chazelle said. "In a way, the whole movie is about bad or good timing. When the timing lines up, you get a musical number. You get the literalization of being in sync. But for most of the movie, they're just missing each other."

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Set in Los Angeles, "La La Land" portrays an aspiring actress and a struggling jazz musician trying to navigate both their dreams and a love story. As a musical, it serves as an homage to a long-ago era in Hollywood, when Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire tap danced across the screen in takes long enough to show off their impressive chops.

But though it takes inspiration from the Technicolor heyday of movie musicals and employs breathtaking visuals of its own, "La La Land" feels like something else. Despite its grandiosity, it manages to feel very small and personal, appealing to the shred of humanity you might have forgotten still exists inside you.

"That, to me, was what I didn't understand while we were shooting," DeWitt said. "We're just being these people and loving each other and wrestling with each other, and that's going to work? Then they're just going to bust out into song? That to me is what's a revelation about 'La La Land,' is the singing, when they do break out into song, it's not corny. It doesn't feel like, 'Oh, here's a number.'"

Chazelle gives all the credit to his actors for the humanity expressed by the film. Musicals are so choreographed that another director might have been tempted to completely predetermine everything before anyone got on set, but Chazelle said he didn't want to think of the actors as pieces on a chess board.

"We knew this thing would have nice matte paintings and nice sunsets and stuff, but we didn't want it to just be that," Chazelle said. "I feel like the burden, in that sense, was really on the actors. Because it was probably easy in certain scenes to walk onto the set and feel like the whole thing could float off into the air, so I feel like you guys had to do a lot of the legwork of actually grounding it."

Movies, by nature, are collaborative efforts, requiring a lot to come together for the whole thing to work. This truth is taken to extraordinary heights in "La La Land," where one misstep could have sent the whole thing crashing down (visually or emotionally). But collaboration also requires compromise, and if too many concessions are made, is the original vision lost?

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Chazelle has said that he didn't have to sacrifice his concept of "La La Land" in the process of creating it, making him luckier than most. But as Mia and Sebastian pursue their dreams, the question of compromise vs. selling out is very present in the film. It's a fine line, but I asked Chazelle and DeWitt if their own careers have taught them where it is.

"You're too young to answer this question," DeWitt told him, kidding. He answered anyway.

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

"As a filmmaker, one of the hardest things I've found, when you're in the thick of the process, is to identify which changes are compromises and which are improvements," Chazelle said. "It's trying to find the balance between sticking to your guns and your vision so that the thing always remains the thing you want to make, but allowing it to get better. Allowing people who come in, who have their own experiences and their own expertise, whether it's actors or a cinematographer or a musician or a dancer, whoever, to actually make you better and make the movie better."

When our interview wrapped up and the two transitioned to their photo shoot, DeWitt took it upon herself to make Chazelle look his best in front of the camera. As a veteran of dozens of press tours and getting her picture taken, DeWitt moved with ease in front of the camera and began to pose Chazelle herself.

"This is your moment to be an actor!" she said.

She positioned him in front of her, placing her arms around his shoulders and joking that it would make him seem "hyper-masculine."

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"Shouldn't the actor be front and center?" he protested, rather uncomfortably.

And even though his phone was no longer recording, perhaps Chazelle filed the moment awayanother personal experience to find its way into a story.

@lchval | laurenchval@redeyechicago.com
Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar visits the latest pilgrimage site in Chennai: J Jayalalithaa's final resting place.

Tamil Nadu is a state of temples. There are thousands of temples all over the state. But the latest pilgrimage site in Tamil Nadu is on Chennai's Marina beach, a short distance from Fort St George where three charismatic leaders presided over the state's destiny.

On the beach are three memorials honouring:

C N Annadurai, the founder of the Dravid Munnetra Kazagham which defeated the Congress in its prime in 1967.

M G Ramachandran, who formed his own party named after Anna after he broke away from M Karunanidhi and the DMK and kept it away from power for as long as he was alive.

J Jayalalithaa, who fought hard to take control of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and ruled her party and the state with an iron hand until she was hospitalised on September 22 and passed away on December 5.

The gentle showers in the wake of Cyclone Varadah on Tuesday afternoon did not stop the crowds coming to pay their homage to Amma at her final resting place, close to her mentor MGR's memorial and Anna's samadhi alongside it.

MGR's samadhi had a few garlands, but Jayalalithaa's samadhi was full of fresh flowers.

"This was not the age to die," one visitor said, looking sad.

Politics was on another visitor's mind. He wanted to know if the Centre could dismiss the AIADMK government.

"Not as long as all the party MLAs are united," offered another visitor, adding, "We have to be careful, that Karunanidhi is very cunning, he will try something."

A young man was on the phone. "I am at Amma's samadhi," he said. "I will be here for a long time, I want to just sit here, I will go home at midnight."

On Sunday, the crowds had spilled over to the road and traffic had come to a standstill. On Tuesday the police were making sure that it did not happen. The crowds were not allowed to hang around.

You pay your homage, the policemen told the crowds, you pray, click a picture if you want and move on.

Photograph: A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com
The special court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act in Mumbai on Wednesday directed sending Maharashtras former deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal to the Arthur Road jail from the hospital.

Judge P R Bhavake's direction came on a plea by the jail officials that Bhujbal had refused to undergo angiography and hence he should be shifted back to the jail.

Bhujbal had complained of chest pain, among other things, earlier when he was hospitalised.

The judge directed the officials to take Bhujbal back to the jail before allowing his family members to meet him and discussing the heart procedure with him. He can be shifted back to the government-run JJ hospital if he agrees to undergo angiography, the judge said.

The court also directed the jail authorities to provide Bhujbal with prompt medical care in case of any emergency.

Bhujbal, a senior Nationalist Congress Party leader, was arrested on March 14 this year by the Enforcement Directorate in Maharashtra Sadan scam.

It was alleged that Bhujbal received kickbacks in the contract for construction of Maharashtra Sadan (state guest house) in Delhi which was built at a cost of Rs 100 crore.

He is also accused of having received kickbacks in contract for construction of state central library on Kalina campus of Mumbai University.
Delhi Police raided a hotel in Karol Bagh in New Delhi and recovered Rs 3.25 crore in demonetised notes from five persons, police said on Wednesday.

Based on information, the Crime Branch conducted a joint raid with Income Tax officials late Tuesday night at Taksh Inn in Karol Bagh and found five persons in two rooms of the hotel carrying a total amount of Rs 3.25 crore, said Ravindra Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).

The five men are carriers and have been identified as Ansari Abuzar, Fazal Khan, Ansari Affan, Ladu Ram and Mahaveer Singh, he said.

The recovered amount was kept in different suitcases and cardboard boxes. It was found during interrogation that the money belongs to some Mumbai-based hawala operators, said the officer.

They had hired packaging specialists who pack these notes in such a manner that they are even undetectable by airport scanning machines. Experts in packaging are using some tapes and wires which pass through X-ray, he said.

The Income Tax department has seized the cash and is analysing the mobile phone details of these people since their phones contain details of lot of other hawala operators, he added.

On Tuesday, an official of the Reserve Bank of India in Bengaluru was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation for allegedly trying to exchange Rs 1.50 crore in old notes illegally.

Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes on November 8, raids have been conducted in various parts of the country.

In Assam, raids at a businessmans house in Guwahati revealed around Rs. 1.55 crore in new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 currency notes. Lakhs were found during raids in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

Tax officials say around 120 crores has been seized till now and 1,500 crores in unaccounted wealth have been traced.

Images: Officials said that the notes, which belonged to Mumbai-based hawala operators, were packed in a way that scanning machines could not detect. Photographs: ANI/Twitter

-- With inputs from Agencies
Acting on a court order, an FIR was on Wednesday registered against popular stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma under Environment Protection Act for allegedly destroying mangroves due to illegal construction near his bungalow in suburban Andheri in Mumbai.

The 35-year-old comedian was booked under relevant sections of the Environment Protection Act, the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, and also Indian Penal Code Section 187 (omission to assist public servant when bound by law to give assistance), police said.

Earlier in the day, the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate at Andheri heard a complaint filed by social activist Santosh Daundkar and ordered registration of an FIR against Sharma and others involved.

Judge A A Panchbhai was convinced by our argument about illegal construction (allegedly by Sharma) in a mangrove buffer zone. Its a known fact that the accused is in possession of a small bungalow in Andheri (West).

At this place he started doing illegal construction by adding additional floors that violates the law, said advocate Abha Singh, who appeared in the court on behalf of the complainant.

Despite refrained from carrying out illegal construction as well as change of use of a land falling in CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) area, Sharma went ahead and tweeted about Rs 5 lakh bribe demanded from him. But he never disclosed the name of the bribe seeker, which is an added criminality on part of the accused (hence police have added IPC Section 187), she said.

The comedian in September had kicked up a controversy by alleging that he had been asked to pay a bribe of Rs 5 lakh by an official of BMC for construction of his premises in Versova, suburban Andheri.

He had also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet on September 9.

I am paying Rs 15 cr income tax from last 5 year n still i have to pay Rs 5 lakhs bribe to BMC office for making my office @narendramodi (sic), Kapil had said in the tweet.

So far, he has not come forward to disclose the name of the bribe seeker despite Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis himself appealing him to do so, Singh said.

Another counsel for the complainant, Aditya Pratap Singh, said, Though the accused admitted a bribe was demanded from him, he did not report the matter to ACB, thus infringing his statutory duty as a citizen under CrPC Section 39.

Besides, the accused carried out illegal construction and committed a cognisable offence under Section 52 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966 in addition to violation of Section 15 of Environment Protection Act,1986 for going against CRZ Notification, 2011, he said.

In October, Forest Department lodged an FIR against Sharma under Section 53(7) of Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act (MRTP), 1966, for alleged unauthorized construction at his other house in suburban Goregaon.

The Metropolitan Magistrate, while today ordering registration of the FIR against Sharma, asked the police to investigate the matter.

It is necessary that such an offence is investigated by the police and the matter be sent to Versova police station. The concerned police station is directed to register an FIR immediately, complete the investigation and file a final report in this case. The matter is disposed off, said the magistrate in the order.
Security forces on Wednesday shot dead Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist Abu Bakr in an encounter in Sopore town of Jammu and Kashmir.

Acting on a tip-off, the army and police had conducted search operations in the Bomai area of Sopore where terrorist was believed to be hiding.

Sensing that they had been surrounded by security forces, Bakr reportedly opened fire from the hideout following which the security forces retaliated.

The security forces eventually blasted the building where he was hiding and firing from, media reports said.

Meanwhile, another terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag district.

Terrorists opened fire on a patrol party of army at Beewra in Srigufwara area of Anantnag district on Wednesday morning, a police official said.

He said the army personnel retaliated, triggering a gunbattle.

A terrorist, identified as Basit Ahmad Dar, was killed in the encounter.

Dar had recently joined the Hizbul Mujahideen.

Photographs: Umar Ganie
The hacking group say they will release information on those who help mask the rich.

Alnoor Peermohamed/Business Standard reports.

Online vigilance group Legion has claimed they have hacked into data of accountants who help the rich hide their wealth.

Legion said it would study what they had gathered and filter the information before releasing it online.

This is the latest exploit of the group that has previously targeted journalists, businessmen, and political leaders.

The group claims they are Indian-origin hackers who hate Islamic State after a team member switched sides to become a top recruiter for the terror group and lost his life in a drone strike.

"We need a couple of days since data has to be processed. We are trying to filter out as many innocents as possible," an anonymous member said on an encrypted chat after Business Standard reached out to the group on e-mail.

Legion said it was writing software to sift through data and retrieve information only of illegal wealth.

"Data, lots of it. And we expect them (people in India) to be patient -- as we already said if we release raw data -- it's bound to create chaos."

Since last week, Legion has stolen e-mail dumps from the Congress, hacked into their Twitter accounts, of NDTV and its journalists Barkha Dutt and Ravish Kumar.

It also claimed it possessed e-mails after it hacked into sansad.nic.in, the e-mail service for parliamentarians hosted by the government's technology arm, the National Informatics Centre.

The outrage evoked after its initial set of leaks also seem to have set a change in heart for the hackers, who now claim they would rather focus on sharing data that could potentially be useful than create chaos.

"At first it was for the lulz (fun). Then we saw people reacting to it and decided: Hey, why not actually make something out of it?" said the hacker.

"This is also probably motivated by the fact that none of us expects to live very long and healthy lives with the amount of drugs in our system. Might as well go out with a bang."

The vigilante group claimed the government, which knows the vulnerabilities in the banking system, was selling out to corporations with its push towards digital payments.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why should people be forced to use services such as Paytm?" the Legion spokesperson said.

They also took a dig at other hackers -- criminals and their ethical comrades. Skilled people were working for large organisations rather than making an impact, said the group.

Image used only for representational purposes. Photograph: Patrick Lux/Getty Images
Opposition parties think they have until New Year's Eve to build nationwide narrative against demonetisation, report Business Standard's Archis Mohan and Amit Agnihotri.

IMAGE: Congress workers burn an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a protest against demonetisation in Patna. Photograph: PTI Photo

While the remainder of the winter session of Parliament, which concludes on Friday, December 16, is set for a washout, Opposition parties believe they have two weeks, that is until New Year's Eve, to build a nationwide narrative against the Narendra Modi government's 'note ban' decision.

The Modi government and the Bharatiya Janata Party are biding their time until December 31, the scheduled end of the demonetisation exercise, after which the PM is likely to unveil sops for the poor.

In the interregnum, the BJP plans to counter the Opposition propaganda by attacking the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government for its multitude of scams.

On Tuesday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said high-denomination notes, as percentage of total currency in circulation, increased from a mere 36% to over 80% during the UPA regime, that is from 2004 to 2014.

Jaitley's was a reference to alleged ill-gotten money from the scams being hoarded in high denomination currency notes.

The Opposition, comprising 17 political parties with the Congress in the lead, will have a meeting at the end of the winter session to strategise a common theme for their protests across the country until December 31.

The protests and awareness campaigns against the 'note ban' will focus on three issues -- job losses in the informal sector, how the 'note ban' is a 'grand scam' to benefit select industrialists and allegations that BJP state units had advance information which helped them convert their unaccounted money into white money.

Some Opposition parties, particularly the Trinamool Congress, are aware of the Congress party's Achilles' Heel on corruption, and have insisted that a united Opposition should instead shift the discourse to the human suffering because of the 'note ban.'

In a show of unity, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh will hold a public rally in Muzaffarnagar on December 22 and has invited several leaders of other Opposition parties, including the Trinamool and Nationalist Congress Party.

According to Congress and Trinamool leaders, the unity among 17 Opposition parties needs to be taken to the streets.

"As the principal Opposition party, the Congress has already demonstrated that leadership role in Parliament. We will initiate groundwork for joint nationwide protests against demonetisation outside Parliament," Congress veteran Satyavrat Chaturvedi said.

Coordination with regional players in the states has been left to the respective state Congress units.

The Congress has planned that its leaders will visit areas and sectors that have suffered the most 'pain.'

On Tuesday, December 13, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi visited the Dadri grain market in Western Uttar Pradesh.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram addressed a press conference in Nagpur.

In Vijayawada, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the note ban was a huge scam.

Congress units in Delhi and Mumbai have started holding public meetings dubbed as 'note pe charcha' over the issue.

The Trinamool also started a three-day block level campaign in Bengal to highlight the impact of the note ban on the state's leather, jute and tea industries.

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken to tweeting against the 'note ban' in Hindi. Trinamool Congress MP Derek OBrien said Banerjee was the first to visit a wholesale vegetable market in Delhi to highlight the 'note ban' impact.

"The real estate sector is badly hit. Ludhiana's hosiery mills have suffered job losses. Informal sector workers have either not received wages or lost their jobs. Our party will highlight this," he said.

The winter session of Parliament, which will resume after a four-day break on Wednesday, is unlikely to transact any business in the last three days of the session that concludes on Friday.

Opposition parties will have a meeting on Wednesday morning to decide their strategy in Parliament for the next three days, but are unwilling to let the finance minister initiate the discussion in the Lok Sabha on the 'note ban.'

The BJP, meanwhile, has issued a whip to its MPs and asked them to be present in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for the remainder of the winter session.
An ancient mosque that once stood proudly in the centre of Aleppo in Syria has been reduced to rubble as a ceasefire has begun effectively ending the brutal four year battle for the city.

The once grand Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo, also known as the Great Mosque have revealed how it now lies in ruins.

IMAGE: The Umayyad mosque lays in ruins after the war savaged this beautiful UNESCO site. Nothing is left of the mosque but stone and debris. Photograph: Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

IMAGE: Debris can be seen littering the ground in the mosque's courtyard as Syrian army troops inspect the damage to the ancient building. Photograph: Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

It comes as a ceasefire deal has been struck between the pro-Syrian government forces and the rebels for them and the civilians still living there to evacuate the city safely.

This means that the battle for Aleppo, one of the worst of a civil war that has drawn in global and regional powers, has ended with victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his military coalition of Russia, Iran and regional Shiite militias.

IMAGE: Several of the walls surrounding the UNESCO-listed building have been destroyed. Photograph: Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

By taking full control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russias air force and an array of Shiite militias backed by Iran.

Over the last hour we have received information that the military activities in east Aleppo have stopped, it has stopped, said Russias UN envoy Vitaly Churkin late on Tuesday at a heated meeting of the UN Security Council. The Syrian government has established control over east Aleppo.

Meanwhile, Syrian forces were accused of massacring 82 civilians in their homes during the centurys worst humanitarian tragedy.

IMAGE: The streets of the Old City of Aleppo are virtually unrecognisable after being bombarded by shells in some intense battles. Photograph: Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

IMAGE: Militants in Aleppo said an agreement had been in place with Russia to cease bombardment in the city. A man pushes a cart with belongings as he flees deeper with another man into Aleppo, Syria. Photograph: Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters

As reports of further atrocities emerged from Aleppo, Frances UN Ambassador Francois Delattre said the worst humanitarian tragedy of the 21st century is unfolding before our eyes.

Meanwhile, Aleppo citizens have posted harrowing death bulletins pleading for help from the outside word as Syrian government forces swept through the city.

IMAGE: A man carries a child with an IV drip as he flees deeper into Aleppo. Photograph: Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters

IMAGE: The UN human rights office says it has received reports of forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad killing at least 82 civilians as they entered the last remaining strongholds of the rebels in eastern Aleppo. Photograph: Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters

Terrified residents filmed themselves describing their plight in the besieged city with one doctor calling the situation apocalyptic and another saying: This may be my last video.

The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, addressing the security council on the situation in Aleppo on Tuesday evening, said it was wishful thinking to believe that military advances would solve Syrias crisis, and called for an immediate end to violence by all sides.

IMAGE: The carnage emerged as Syrian troops were poised to recapture all of the country's second city. Photograph: Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters

IMAGE: A man holds a weapon while touring with others the streets as they celebrate what they say is the Syrian army's victory against the rebels, in Aleppo. Photograph: Omar Sanadiki/Reuters
After claiming that there will be an "earthquake" if he speaks, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that he has detailed information about "personal corruption" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which he wants to present in Lok Sabha but is not being allowed to do so by the prime minister.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar rejected Gandhi's allegation as "false and baseless" and "very unfortunate". "The allegation was made out of desperation and he (Gandhi) should apologise to the nation," he told media persons.

As the Parliament remained deadlocked over the issue of demonetisation, Gandhi said the prime minister is personally terrified of him being allowed to speak inside Lok Sabha.

"The Prime Minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside Lok Sabha because I have information about the Prime Minister that is going to explode his balloon. And I am not being allowed to speak in the House," he told media persons in Parliament premises.

Asked what kind of information he has, the Congress Vice President said, "That information is personal information about Narendra Modiji which I want to state in Lok Sabha. It is personal corruption of the Prime Minister that we have detailed information about. We want to present it, which the prime minister is not allowing us to speak."

Gandhi said the entire opposition wants a debate in Parliament and have discussed with the Speaker to allow it while dispensing all rules.

"Pretty much unconditionally we are ready to have a discussion, but the government is not interested in having a discussion. I have already said it before, the Prime Minister is personally terrified of me being allowed to open my mouth inside the Lok Sabha," he said.

He claimed Modi has taken a decision against the poor people of this country and has "destroyed" millions of lives and thus is answerable. He said he has personally taken this decision and he cannot keep running away from the House.

Gandhi said the Prime Minister cannot keep "running away" to pop concerts to public meetings. This is a democracy, he owes this country an explanation and he owes the entire opposition a space in the discussion in the Lok Sabha, he said.

"The prime minister is worried. He goes to pop concerts and public meetings. Why does he not come to the House. For the first time in history, the treasury benches and the government is stalling Parliament. Normally the opposition stalls the House.

"The prime minister should stop taking alibis and he should come to the House and give all of us an opportunity to speak. Then the country should take a decision on whether the opposition or the Prime Minister is speaking the truth," he said.

Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who was accompanied by Gandhi, said the entire Parliamentary system is facing a "threat" as government is not allowing the House to function smoothly and allow the opposition to speak.

"We cannot understand why so much arrogance on the part of the government. The voice of the opposition is going to be gagged. Parliamentary democratic system is now under threat only to resist that Rahul Gandhi will not be allowed to speak," he said.

He said the government is spreading rumours that after Rahul Gandhi speaks, the opposition will not allow the House to function. "It is totally incorrect," he said.

Bandyopadhyay charged the government is not allowing the opposition to speak in Lok Sabha and this was "unfortunate and disgraceful".

P Karunakaran (CPI-M) said all 16 parties came together on the issue of demonetisation and wanted a discussion on the issue, but the government is now allowing this.

"Government is not willing to answer questions. The Prime Minister is accountable to Parliament but has not come to the Lok Sabha. It is very clear that they are not ready to answer the questions raised. The Prime Minister is running away from Parliament which means he is running away from people," he said.

NCP leader Tariq Anwer said this is the first time that such an atmosphere has been created where the opposition is not allowed to speak.

"It is a conspiracy by the government. The entire opposition is united. What is the government fearing from. We are all united. Let us be allowed to speak," he said.

Gandhi was accompanied by a few other party leaders besides his own leaders in Lok Sabha, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Earlier leaders of 16 opposition parties today met in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad's and decided to launch a united offensive against the government on demonetisation.

They also decided to launch a united offensive against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who is under opposition fire over his alleged role in the "Arunachal power scam".

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal dared Rahul to "expose" Prime Minister Modi if he has documents at his disposal, saying Congress and BJP indulge in such "friendly match" but do not make any disclosure.

"If Rahul Gandhi actually has papers on Modiji's personal involvement in corruption, then why doesn't he expose it outside Parliament?

"Friendly match -- BJP says they have AgustaWestland against Congress. Cong says they have Sahara/Birla against BJP. Both don't disclose," Kejriwal said in a series of tweets.

On demonetisation, Kejriwal claimed the traders were miffed with BJP.

"The traders of the country are saying BJP will take money from us, vote from us and call us thieves? The real thief dines with the PM," he tweeted.

Kejriwal's prodding assumes importance as he has been targeting the prime minister over certain allegations pertaining to the latter's tenure as Gujarat chief minister.

-- WAR ON BIG NOTES
A bill stipulating up to two-year jail term and a maximum fine of Rs 5 lakh for discriminating against differently-abled persons was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, which aims at securing and enhancing the rights and entitlements of disabled persons, was passed by a voice vote after rare unanimity was witnessed among the Opposition and Treasury benches in the House, which has seen acrimony and disruptions since the Winter Session began on November 16.

The bill, which was moved in Upper House earlier this month by Social Justice Minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot, also gives effect to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and related matters.

It provides for imprisonment of at least six months up to two years, along with a fine ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 5 lakh for discriminating against differently-abled persons.

When the House met in the morning and took up the Zero Hour, members from the Opposition benches including Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury and Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal, pitching for immediate passage of the crucial legislation.

Responding to them, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the measure could be taken up immediately.

With rare unanimity on display, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien agreed to take up a short debate on the legislation before its passage, though he first said the matter was listed in the agenda in the afternoon and could be taken up then.

When the Bill, which had 120 amendments, was being passed in the afternoon, Anand Sharma of the Congress raised the issue regarding the numbering of the clauses, to which Gehlot assured that the issue will be looked into.

Yechury of the CPI-M raised the issue of who will be the authority to interpret the definition of disability, whether physical or mental.

There is disability such as speech and language and intellectual capability as mentioned in the bill. Who is the authority to define it, he asked.

S C Mishra of the BSP too raised the same query.

In his response, Minister Gehlot said a Medical Board will be formed which will define disability.

Viplove Thakur of the Congress raised the issue of disability pension not being provided to persons below 18 years of age, to which the minister said this was not provided in the laws.

Rapolu Ananda Bhaskar of the Congress said that a comprehensive bill needs to be worked out due to the large number of amendments.

Madhusudan Mistry also of the Congress enquired whether the definition of mental Illness is same in the Disabilities Bill as in the Mental Health Bill, which was passed recently.

Gehlot said the definition is based on the United Nations Convention.

After the Bill was passed, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien congratulated the members for their cooperation. I congratulate every member. Why cant this cooperation be there always? Let us proceed like this, he noted, apparently indicating the turmoil that has been prevailing in the House over the demonetisation issue.

The Union Cabinet had earlier approved these amendments to the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Bill, 2014, that had replaced the 1995 Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act.

In the bill, disability has been defined based on an evolving and dynamic concept and the types of disabilities have been increased from existing seven to 21. The Centre will have the power to add more types of disabilities to it.

The types of disabilities now include mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions.

It also strengthens the office of chief commissioner and state commissioners for persons with disabilities which will act as regulatory bodies.

The bill was examined by the parliamentary standing committee last year. Then, a group of ministers, headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, examined its provisions and sent their recommendations to the prime ministers office.

Earlier in the day during Zero Hour, members cutting across party line demanded that the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill 2014 be passed without discussion.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said priority should be given to the passage of the Bill. This should be passed without any discussion.

He said if the Bill is not passed on Wednesday, it cannot be taken up by the Lok Sabha for passage in the current session ending Friday. You can take it up right now (and) pass it straight away without any discussion, he said. Similar views were expressed by Mayawati of the BSP and Naresh Agarwal of the SP.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the bill could be taken up immediately.

Initially, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said though he is happy that there is consensus in the House for passage of an important legislation, procedurally it is listed for 1400

hours and should be taken up only then.

But he relented and allowed it to be advanced considering the unanimity in the House.

Gehlot, who had moved the legislation last week, said it was first introduced in February 2014 and thereafter sent to the Standing Committee.

Of the 82 suggestions the panel made, 59 have been incorporated in the bill, he said, adding that a number of categories of disabled has been increased from 7 to 21.

Karan Singh (Cong) said five per cent of people in the country suffered from some form of disability. The government, he said, should ensure that 4 per cent reservation provided to them is filled up also.

A public education campaign should also be launched to sensitise people about the rights and courtesies to be extended to the disabled, he said.

Naresh Agrawal of the SP said the definition of disabled should be relaxed and the procedure for obtaining disability certificate be eased. He also demanded raising reservation quote for them.

Md Nadimul Haque of the TMC said the government should ensure that none of the vacancies against the quota of disabilities remain vacant.

C P Narayanan of the CPI-M said the amendments curtailed the rights of the disabled and unless these were corrected, the benefits will not accrue to them.

During the consideration of the bill, some members pointed out that the reservation for the disabled should be against the cadre strength and not vacancies.

In response to some amendments moved by K K Ragesh and Yechury (both CPI-M), Gehlot said while framing rules efforts would be made to ensure that four per cent reservation is granted against cadre strength.

Yechury also pointed out that the original bill had a provision of 5 per cent reservation for the disabled, but the amendment was for 4 per cent only.

To this, Gehlot said the bill has raised the quota from the prevailing 3 per cent to 4 per cent.

The process of passing the measure could not be completed during the Zero Hour and was taken up at 1400 hours.

When the clock struck noon, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Hamid Ansari wanted to take up the Question Hour. Some members expressed the opinion that the process of consideration and passage of the Bill be continued.

Ansari however insisted that Question Hour should be taken up.

Meanwhile, Congress members were seen on their feet, including its Deputy Leader Anand Sharma, with some of them being heard raising slogans over allegations against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju.

Ansari pressed for taking up the Question Hour and was heard saying there cannot be a Jekyll and Hyde character. However as the protests continued, he adjourned the House till 1400 hours.
Concerned over continued disappearance of a Jawaharlal Nehru University student for nearly two months, Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the police to "scan" the entire campus, including hostels, classrooms and rooftops, of the varsity by using sniffer dogs.

A bench of justices G S Sistani and Vinod Goel also asked Delhi Police to take all necessary steps without further loss of time to trace out the student -- Najeeb Ahmed, saying there has been delay in recording statements of some students suspected of thrashing him a day before his disappearance.

JNU and its student union, JNUSU, were asked by the bench to file affidavits in two days stating they have no objection to the "thorough search" and that all assistance would be provided to the police.

The court also said the police was free to search Jamia Millia University also, if required. In case of any resistance or objection to it from the varsity or its students, the agency could approach the court for permission.

The bench said it was not concerned about which students union did what and it was not on a fact-finding mission regarding what JNU did wrong or right. "We are only concerned with where he has vanished," it said.

The directions came on the habeus corpus plea by Najeeb's mother, Fatima Nafees, who has moved court to trace out her son who has been missing since the intervening night of October 14-15. The matter was listed for further hearing on December 22.

The lawyer for Najeeb's mother contended that the police was "bypassing" the abduction angle and it appeared that the agency was moving on the theory that something was mentally wrong with the student as he just walked out of the campus.

Delhi Police, represented by senior standing counsel for Delhi government Rahul Mehra, refuted the allegations and told the court that it was exploring all angles, including abduction, and was not hiding any details of the probe from the student's mother.

Mehra also said four students, who are suspected of beating up Najeeb, would be put to lie-detector tests to get leads or clues about his disappearance and whereabouts. The police expected to get results in the next 10 days, he said.

The mother's lawyer, during arguments, said the manner in which emphasis of police has shifted from Najeeb being beaten up to him slapping another student and then leaving the campus, indicates that "he may even be dead".

He said that even JNU's stand appears to focus on Najeeb slapping a student rather than him being beaten up. While he was expelled from the hostel, the others were only transferred to another hostel as punishment, he said.

The lawyer also questioned the police version that an auto driver had dropped off Najeeb at Jamia university, saying no record of autorickshaw registration numbers was maintained at the gates of JNU.

This allegation was refuted by the police which said it had records of autorickshaw numbers of nearly a year and the petitioner could examine it.

However, the court asked how such things could help find the missing student as the "bottom line" was to trace him. It was of the view that these accusations would only lead the court to deviate from the main issue of tracing Najeeb.

The court was of the view that Najeeb, who was pursuing MSc in Biotechnology from JNU, could not have just vanished and that he cannot have gone far.

It was also of the opinion that the four students who were members of ABVP and accused of thrashing Najeeb, "may be aggressors", but they might not be the abductors.

It said these students, whose statements were recorded recently by Delhi Police, "do not appear to be experts" who can hide a person for nearly two months.

Meanwhile, JNU told the court that a search operation of the campus was carried out by its security guards along with the police, but the cops said they only searched the open areas and were restricted from entering other parts of the varsity.

On December 9, the court had slammed the police for remaining clueless about the whereabouts of Najeeb.

On November 28, the High Court had sternly asked the city police to "cut across all political barriers" and find Najeeb.

Image: AMU and JNU students holding a protest over missing student Najeeb outside Delhi Police headquarters in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo
Propelled to the position of the Secretary of State to "undo" years of American foreign policy "blunders and disasters", ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson now faces the biggest challenge of his life to translate his business acumen to international diplomacy.

From making yet another attempt at resolving Israel-Palestine conflict, on which Secretary John Kerry, has spent considerable time; to engaging the world in the quest to defeat ISIS, building new relationship with Russia, addressing the concerns of countries in the Asia Pacific region against an aggressive and assertive China; and negotiating fresh trade deals with the mandate of bringing jobs back to the country, Tillerson has a tough task ahead of him.

This is for the first time after the Regan administration that the position of Secretary of State, which has been traditionally held by individuals, including three women (Madeline Albright, Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton, with foreign policy and national security experience, that Trump has nominated a businessman to be America's top diplomat.

"A key test of Mr Tillerson's skill set will be how well he can translate his business acumen to international diplomacy," The Wall Street Journal said.

Hours after nominating 64-year-old Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump told a audience in Wisconsin said that his nominee would "undo" years of foreign policy blunders and disasters.

The Washington Post described this as "unexpected decision, nominating as the country's top diplomat a multinational corporate chief executive who had previously been on nobodys short list for the job".

The Wall Street Journal said while Tillerson is unusual for his lack of prior government experience, other business leaders have moved into cabinet posts and other high-ranking government positions.

It cited the example of George Shultz who served for seven years as secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan after rising to president of international engineering firm Bechtel.

The Washington Post said with his nomination, Tillerson has been "thrust into the long-standing USforeign policy divide" separating those who value pragmatism and deal-making from those who attach greater importance to principles, human rights and democracy.

"This is a divide that cuts across both parties," the daily said.

"To fans of Tillerson, his relationship with Putin is a sign of his pragmatism, seeking advantage for his company with a blunt, straightforward style that has won respect abroad. Speaking to students from the Texas Tech business school last year, Tillerson said the reason 'why Ive been able to gain Vladimir Putin's trust' is "because throughout my career I have wanted people to view me as an honest person'," the daily said.

His nomination also raised concerns over his potential conflict of interests, given that billions of dollars in deals for the oil giant can go forward only if the US lifts sanctions against Russia.

A report in the New York Times said Tillerson has earned a friendship award from Russia and voiced skepticism about American sanctions that have stopped some of Exxon Mobil's biggest projects in the country.

Tillerson's stake in Russia's energy industry could create a "very blurry line" between his interests as an oilman and his role as America's leading diplomat.

Several top Republican leaders including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Defence Secretary, Robert Gates and former Vice President Dick Cheney welcomed Tillerson's nomination as the Secretary of State.

Photograph: Bazuki Muhammad/Reuters